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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a power transmission shaft used in apparatuses such as automobiles and industrial machines to transmit torque via a constant velocity joint. The present invention also relates to a constant velocity joint used in apparatuses such as automobiles and industrial machines to transmit driving power.
A power transmission shaft, for example the drive shaft of an automobile, is usually made of carbon steel or carburized steel, and is ensured to have a specified strength by setting proper surface hardening and effective case depth achieved by a heat treatment.
Recently, as the automobiles tend to have increasing output power and the vehicle weight increases for higher safety requirements, the drive shaft is required to have higher strength. On the other hand, the drive shaft is required to be lighter in weight in order to improve the fuel efficiency, that also imposes a pressing need to increase the strength of the drive shaft.
In order to increase the load capacity of the shaft, it is common to increase the carbon content of the material thereby to achieve a higher material strength or increase the effective depth of hardened layer (case depth). However, the former approach leads to decreased strength in notched parts, and lower workability, such as the ease of forging and cutting, due to the increased hardness of the material. The latter approach, on the other hand, leads tot very narrow range of case depths that can be obtained in the case of carburized steel. Also in the case of a shaft made of carbon steel, it becomes more difficult to apply deep hardening as the shaft diameter increases, and it is very difficult to carry out deep hardening with the ratio of effective case depth to shaft radius (hereinafter denoted γ) higher than 0.4 since it may lead to defects such as quenching crack. Recently carbon steel that contains boron B added has been used to enable deep hardening. However, even though the effective case depth is increased with the use of this material, only an increase in the strength up to about 15% is possible since the static strength and the torsional fatigue strength reach the plateau at γ>0.65 and γ>0.5, respectively (Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. Hei 5-320825). Also in the case of a material with B added, hard nitrogen compounds such as TiN are formed that may lead to lower cutting workability.
The constant velocity joint used in the power transmission shaft falls roughly into two classes of fixed type that allows displacement only in the angle between the two shafts, and sliding type that allows both angular displacement and axial displacement, which are selected according to the operating conditions, purpose and other factors. The fixed type includes the Rzeppa type constant velocity joint and the sliding type includes the double offset type onstant velocity joint and tripod type constant velocity joint as the representative ones.
Applications of the constant velocity joint include the power transmission system of the automobile. Recently, as the automobiles tend to have increasing output power and the vehicle weight increases for higher safety requirements, constant velocity joints of the drive shaft are required to have higher strength. On the other hand, the drive shaft is required to be lighter in weight in order to improve the fuel efficiency, that also imposes a pressing need to increase the strength of the constant velocity joint.
An outer member (outer race) that is a constituent element of the constant velocity joint is made of carbon steel or the like, that is forged into a predetermined form and subjected to heat treatment such as induction hardening in order to ensure the required levels of strength, durability and wear resistance, followed by grinding of portions that require high precision thereby finishing the part to the predetermined dimensions and completing the product. High strength requirement in this case may be satisfied by either increasing the carbon content thereby to increase the material strength or increasing the effective case depth. The former method, however, lowers the machinability for such processes as forging and cutting and leads to increased manufacturing cost. The latter method, on the other hand, is limited in the effect of increasing the strength since the anticipation of defects such as quenching crack makes it difficult to apply further deep hardening.
Constituent elements (inner member, cage, tripod member, etc.) of the constant velocity joint are made of carbon steel or the like, that is machined to a predetermined form and subjected to carburizing treatment in order to ensure the required levels of strength, durability and wear resistance, followed by grinding of portions that require high precision thereby finishing the part to the predetermined dimensions and completing the product.
When a part is carburized by heat treatment, however, the part undergoes a significant deformation caused by the heat treatment with variations in the dimensions. Thus it has been necessary to finish the parts by grinding after the heat treatment. Also pocket surfaces on both sides of the axis among pockets of the cage, for example, must have a certain surface accuracy in order to regulate the positions of torque transmitting balls, but the grinding process after the heat treatment is sometimes omitted in order to simplify the machining process. When the grinding process is omitted, parts that have large deformations caused by the heat treatment are rejected, resulting in higher reject ratio.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a power transmission shaft that has high workability for such processes as forging and cutting, and high strength.
Another object of the present invention is to increase the strength of an outer race of a constant velocity joint while simplifying the machining processes for lower manufacturing cost and increase the accuracy.
Further another object of the present invention is to simplify the machining processes for the components of the joint such as the inner member, the cage and the tripod member and cut down on the manufacturing cost of the constant velocity joint.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The power transmission shaft will first be described below.
According to the present invention, in order to achieve the object described above, in the power transmission shaft using the constant velocity joint, graphite steel is subjected to induction hardening thereby to increase the surface hardness, and a 2-phase structure of ferrite and martensite is formed in the core. Graphite steel is made by graphitization annealing to turn the cementite included in the carbon steel into graphite, and such properties as high cutting machinability due to the inclusion of graphite that is a free cutting element and favorable property for cold forging and warm forging due to softness. Consequently, graphite steel maintains high machinability even when treated to include a high concentration of carbon for the purpose of increasing the strength.
While majority of the conventional power transmission shafts have been manufactured by applying induction hardening treatment to carbon steel, the core is not subjected to the influence of heat in many cases in order to avoid defects such as quenching crack. Even in such cases as the core is subjected to the influence of heat, most of the core has turned into martensite and therefore the residual compressive stress on the surface has diminished. According to the present invention, on the contrary, effect of the heat by induction hardening not only hardens the surface layer but also reaches the core to form solid solution of graphitewith ferrite, thereby turning the core into 2-phase structure of ferrite and martensite. As a consequence, residual compressive stress remains on the surface thus making it possible to achieve higher strength and high resistance against fatigue. In order to give the effect of heat treatment to the core, it is preferable to carry out induction hardening a plurality of times (for example, twice).
As the graphite steel described above, such a material is used that contains 0.35 to 0.70% of C, 0.4 to 2.0% of Si, 0.3 to 1.5% of Mn, 0.025% or less S, 0.02% or less P, 0.01 to 0.1% of Al, 0.001 to 0.004% of B and 0.002 to 0.008% of N by weight as the basic components, with the rest comprising Fe and inevitable impurities.
Among the elements described above, C is an indispensable element for forming graphite. When the concentration of C is lower than 0.35%, surface hardness after induction hardening becomes too low resulting in insufficient strength. When the concentration of C is higher than 0.70%, cementite precipitates in the core thus making the core harder (brittle) and resulting in lower strength.
Si is added as a deoxidizing agent and graphitization accelerating agent during the steel making process and, in addition, for the purpose of enhancement of grain boundary. When the concentration of Si is lower than 0.4%, it becomes difficult to graphitize the carbide and the effect of grain boundary enhancement decreases. When the concentration of Si is higher than 2.0%, cold workability (ease of forging and cutting by turning) lowers significantly.
Mn content is required to fix sulphur included in the steel in the form of MnS and diffuse it. When the concentration of Mn is lower than 0.3%, hardenability becomes lower (sufficient depth of hardening cannot be obtained). When the concentration of Mn is higher than 1.5%, graphitization is significantly impeded and cold workability lowers.
S, existing in the form of MnS inclusion by bonding with Mn, may be the start point of cracking during cold working, and the concentration thereof is kept 0.025% or less. Concentration of P that precipitates in the grain boundaries of steel thereby to make the grain boundaries brittle, decrease the strength and increase sensitivity to quenching crack, is kept 0.02% or less.
Al, used as a deoxidization agent to remove oxygen included in the steel by being oxidized during steel making process, is contained with a concentration not less than 0.01%. Since a high concentration of oxide lowers the toughness and theoxide may become the start point of crack during cold working, the concentration of Al is kept 0.10% or less.
B and N are added in order to reduce the graphitization annealing time through the generation of BN. While addition of B with a concentration not less than 0.001% is required to achieve sufficient effect of time reduction, the effect of reducing the graphitization annealing time reaches a plateau at a concentration higher than 0.004%. N is added in a concentration in a range from 0.002% to 0.008% inclusive, in order to turn from 0.001% to 0.004% of the B content into BN.
The graphite steel described above includes 0.3 to 1.0 weight percent inclusive of Ni and/or 0.2 weight percent or less Mo added thereto. Addition of Ni increases the ductility of ferrite thereby improving the cold workability and strength. Ni content below 0.3% is insufficient for improving the cold workability and strength, and that higher than 1.0% lowers the turning machinability significantly. Addition of Mo improves the toughness, but content thereof higher than 0.2% impedes graphitization.
Strength can be balanced and prevented from decreasing, when the difference between maximum and minimum values of the surface hardness (Vickers hardness) is 200 Hv or less. Variations in strength of this range can be achieved by using graphite steel wherein the graphite grains are not greater than 15 μm in diameter. When the graphite grain size is greater than 15 μm, voids (pores) generated by the solution of graphite after hardening become larger, leading to soft spots and significant variations in the surface hardness, thus resulting in decreased strength.
The power transmission shaft described above is made to have a core portion that has hardness (Rockwell hardness) in a range from 25 to 45 HRC inclusive. When the hardness is lower than 25, sufficient strength cannot be obtained due to low proportion of martensite. When the hardness is higher than 45, proportion of full martensite increases thus making quenching crack more likely to occur in notches of the shaft such as serrated portions.
Fatigue strength can be improved by maintaining the residual compressive stress in the surface at 60 kgf/mm 2 or higher. When induction hardening is applied to graphite steel, hardenability is poor because solid solubility of the graphite portions is low during γ transformation. Consequently, quenching crack is less likely to occur even when subjected to water quenching similarly to high-carbon steel. With water quenching, high surface residual compressive stress of about 60 kgf/mm 2 can be achieved.
Fatigue strength can be improved further by applying shot peening after applying induction hardening, thereby to increase the residual compressive stress in the surface to 90 kgf/mm 2 or higher. In order to achieve this, it is preferable to apply shot peening twice.
The present invention described above makes it possible to provide a high-strength power transmission shaft that is excellent in machinability for such processes as cutting, cold forging and warm forging, and has high static strength and high fatigue strength.
The present invention also provides a constant velocity joint comprising an outer member that has a plurality of guide grooves formed on the inner circumference thereof, an inner member that has a plurality of guide grooves formed on the outer circumference thereof, torque transmitting balls arranged in a plurality of balls tracks formed from the guide grooves of the outer member and the guide grooves of the inner member, and a cage that holds the torque transmitting balls; or
a constant velocity joint comprising an outer member that has three track grooves formed on the inner circumference thereof and roller guide surfaces disposed in the axial direction on either side of each track groove, a tripod member that has three arms extending radially and rollers rotatably mounted via a plurality of rolling elements on the three arms of the tripod member, the rollers being guided in the axial direction of the outer member by means of the roller guide surfaces on both sides of the track groove, wherein
the outer member is subjected to such treatment as the surface layer is hardened by induction hardening of graphite steel and 2-phase structure of ferrite and martensite is formed in the core.
“Graphite steel” is a carbon steel of which cementite contents are turned into graphite by graphitization annealing, and has 2-phase structure of ferrite and graphite. The graphite steel has favorable properties such as high cutting machinability due to the inclusion of graphite that is a free cutting element and advantageous properties for cold forging and warm forging due to softness. Consequently, graphite steel maintains high machinability for such processes as cutting and forging even when treated to include a high concentration of carbon to increase the strength.
While many of the outer members of the prior art have been manufactured by applying induction hardening to carbon steel, the core is not subjected to the influence of heat in many cases in order to avoid defects such as quenching crack. Even in such cases as the core is subjected to the influence of heat, the core has mostly turned into martensite and therefore the residual compressive stress on the surface has diminished. According to the present invention, on the contrary, the effect of heat by the induction hardening not only hardens the surface layer but also reaches the core thereby to form a 2-phase structure of ferrite and martensite in the core. As a consequence, residual compressive stress remains on the surface thus making it possible to achieve higher strength and high resistance against fatigue. In order to give the effect of heat treatment to the core, it is preferable to carry out induction hardening a plurality of times, for example, twice.
As the graphite steel described above, such a material is used that contains 0.5 to 0.70% of C, 0.4 to 2.0% of Si, 0.4 to 1.5% of Mn, 0.025% or less S, 0.02% or less P, 0.01 to 0.1% of Al, 0.001 to 0.004% of B and 0.002 to 0.008% of N by weight as the basic components, with the rest comprising Fe and inevitable impurities.
Among the elements described above, C is an indispensable element for forming graphite. When the concentration of C is lower than 0.50%, surface hardness of the rolling surface after heat treatment becomes too low, and therefore sufficient strength and wear resistance cannot be achieved. When the concentration of C is higher than 0.70%, excessive hardness and precipitation of cementite in the core after the heat treatment result in lower strength.
Si is added as a deoxidizing agent and graphitization accelerating agent during steel making process and, in addition, for the purpose of enhancement of grain boundary. When the concentration of Si is lower than 0.4%, it becomes difficult to graphitize the carbide and the effect of grain boundary enhancement decreases. When the concentration of Si is higher than 2.0%, cold workability (ease of forging and cutting by turning) lowers significantly.
Mn content is required to fix sulphur included in the steel in the form of MnS and diffuse it. When the concentration of Mn is lower than 0.4%, hardenability becomes lower (sufficient depth of hardening cannot be obtained). When the concentration of Mn is higher than 1.5%, graphitization is significantly impeded and cold workability lowers.
S, existing in the form of MnS inclusion by bonding with Mn, may become the start point of cracking during cold working, and therefore the concentration thereof is kept 0.025% or less. Concentration of P, that precipitates in the grain boundaries of steel thereby to significantly lower the hot workability and significantly decrease the material strength, is kept 0.02% or less.
Al, used as a deoxidization agent to remove oxygen included in the steel by being oxidized during steel making process and reduce the particle size, is contained with a concentration not less than 0.01%. Since a high concentration of oxide lowers the toughness and the oxide may become the start point of crack during cold working, the concentration of Al is kept 0.10% or less.
B and N are added to reduce the graphitization annealing time through the generation of BN. While addition of B with a concentration of 0.001% or higher is required to achieve sufficient effect of time reduction, the effect of reducing the graphitization annealing time reaches a plateau at a concentration higher than 0.004%. N is added in a concentration in a range from 0.002% to 0.008% inclusive, in order to turn from 0.001% to 0.004% of B content into BN.
The graphite steel described above includes 0.3 to 1.0 weight percent inclusive of Ni and/or 0.2 weight percent of Mo added thereto. Addition of Ni increases the ductility of ferrite thereby improving the cold workability and strength. Ni content below 0.3% is insufficient for improving the cold workability and strength, while Ni content higher than 1.0% lowers the turning machinability significantly. Addition of Mo improves the toughness, but content thereof higher than 0.2% impedes graphitization.
For the graphite steel, that of graphite grain size within 15 μm is used. When the graphite grain size is greater than 15 μm, voids generated by the solution of graphite after quenching become larger, and soft spots cause the surface hardness to vary significantly, thus lowering the strength, wear property and life related to flaking.
The outer member is formed in a predetermined shape by forging. Forging temperature is set to not higher than the Al transformation temperature (approximately 730 ° C.), in order to prevent carbide represented by cementite from precipitating in the graphite steel structure. This is because, when the temperature is higher than the A 1 transformation temperature, precipitation of cementite increases significantly thereby to impede the effect of forging and significantly lowers the machinability (cutting performance) in the subsequent processes. When this temperature condition is satisfied, 2-phase state of ferrite and graphite is maintained even after completing the product, as the precipitation of carbide is regulated at least in the forged skin that remains in the outer member. “Forged skin” used herein refers to a portion of the product where surface of the structure caused by forging remains, namely product surface left as induction-hardened without being ground, such as the bottom of the mouth of the outer member.
Balanced strength can be maintained and the strength can be prevented from decreasing when the difference between maximum and minimum values of the surface hardness (Vickers hardness) is 200 Hv or less. Variations in strength of this range can be achieved by using graphite steel wherein the graphite grains are not greater than 15 μm in diameter.
The outer member is made to have a core (core of serrated portion) of Rockwell hardness in a range from 25 to 45 HRC inclusive. When the core has hardness lower than 25 HRC, insufficient effect of strength improvement is obtained due to low content of martens ite. When the hardness is higher than 45 HRC, full martensite content increases that makes quenching crack likely to occur in notched portion (serrated portion, for instance) of the shaft. Hardness of the core can be controlled by regulating the processing temperature and duration of induction hardening and carbon content in the graphite steel. It suffices to achieve the required level of hardness described above at least in the core of the serrated portion. Other portions such as the core of mouth are normally made to have higher hardness than the core of the serrated portion.
Improvement in fatigue strength can be achieved when the residual compressive stress in the surface is 50 kgf/mm 2 or higher. When induction hardening is applied to graphite steel in general, hardenability is poor because solid solubility of the graphite portions is low during γ transformation. Consequently, quenching crack is less likely to occur even when subjected to water quenching, similarly to high-carbon steel. With water quenching, high residual compressive stress in the surface of about 50 kgf/mm 2 can be achieved. It suffices to achieve the required level of residual compressive stress described above at least in the surface of the serrated portion. Surfaces of other portions, for example surface of the mouth, shows higher value of residual compressive stress than the serrated portion.
Fatigue strength can be improved further by applying shot peening after induction hardening thereby to increase the residual compressive stress in the surface to 80 kgf/mm 2 or higher. In order to achieve this, it is preferable to carry out shot peening twice. Shot peening is applied at least to the serrated portion and the outer circumference of the mouth.
Wear resistance can be improved by using a low friction grease, specifically a grease having friction coefficient μ of 0.07 or lower, for filling the inside of the constant velocity joint. The friction coefficient μ can be measured with SAVIN friction wear tester.
The present invention described above makes it possible to provide the outer member that is excellent in machinability for such processes as cutting, cold forging and warm forging, and has high strength such as static strength and fatigue strength. As a consequence, cost reduction and improvement in strength can be achieved for the constant velocity joint.
Also in the present invention, a constant velocity joint is fabricated comprising an outer member that has a plurality of guide grooves formed on the inner circumference thereof, an inner member that has a plurality of guide grooves formed on the outer circumference thereof, torque transmitting balls arranged in a plurality of ball tracks formed from the guide grooves of the outer member and the guide grooves of the inner member, and a cage that holds the torque transmitting balls, wherein either one or both of the cage and the inner member is formed from graphite steel subjected to austempering treatment.
Also in the present invention, a constant velocity joint (tripod type constant velocity joint) is fabricated comprising an outer member that has three track grooves formed on the inner circumference thereof and roller guide surfaces disposed in the axial direction on either side of each track groove, a tripod member that has three arms extending and protruding radially and rollers rotatably mounted via a plurality of rolling elements on the three arms of the tripod member, wherein the rollers are guided in the axial direction of the outer member by means of the roller guide surfaces on both side of the track groove, wherein the tripod member is formed from graphite steel subjected to austempering treatment.
Further in the present invention, a constant velocity joint is fabricated comprising an outer member that has guide grooves of curved shape formed on spherical inner circumference thereof, an inner member that has guide grooves of curved shape formed on spherical outer circumference thereof, torque transmitting balls arranged in a ball track formed from the guide grooves of the outer member and the guide grooves of the inner member, and a cage that holds the torque transmitting balls, wherein center of the guide grooves of the outer member and center of the guide grooves of the inner member are offset to the opposite sides in the axial direction by the same distance with regards to the center plane of the joint that includes the centers of the torque transmission balls, the ball track being gradually reduced toward the opening or inner end of the joint, and the torque transmitting balls being elastically pressed toward the reduced side of the ball track, wherein the outer member being formed from graphite steel subjected to austempering treatment.
“Graphite steel” is a carbon steel of which cementite contents are turned into graphite by graphitization annealing, to form 2-phase structure of ferrite and graphite, and has favorable properties such as high cutting machinability due to the inclusion of graphite that is a free cutting element and advantageous property for cold forging and warm forging due to softness consequently, graphite steel maintains high machinability even when treated to include a high concentration of carbon in order to increase the strength.
Austempering is one type of hardening process that utilizes the S curve in the phase diagram of steel. It is a heat treatment process wherein steel heated into the austenite region is immersed in a hot bath (a bath of salt or lead-bismuth) that is maintained at the banite forming temperature, namely in a range of temperatures between Ar′ and Ar″ transformation points below the knee of the S curve (the lowest temperature at which the transformation takes place), and held therein until the steel structure turns completely to banite, before being taken out therefrom and cooled down to the room temperature. When the steel is held at a high bath temperature, upper bainite having feather-like structure is formed and, at temperatures near Ms point, lower bainite having rod-like structure is formed. Bainite structure is basically a mixture of ferrite and iron carbide, which has a mechanical property that is said to be tougher than a structure of the same hardness achieved by hardening and annealing.
When austempering treatment is applied to carbon steel in order to increase the hardness to 50 HRC (Rockwell hardness) or higher, it requires high carbon content that significantly lowers the workability of the material for forging and other processes.When austempering treatment is applied to graphite steel as in the case of the present invention, workability for forging can be improved due to the ductility (lower resistance against deformation) of the graphite steel. Also because austempering treatment causes far less thermal deformation than other hardening processes, grinding process after the heat treatment can be omitted. Furthermore, since annealing is not required, the cost of heat treatment can be made lower than the conventional heat treatment (hardening plus annealing). Consequently, processes for manufacturing the components of the constant velocity joint, namely the cage, the inner member and the tripod member can be simplified, and cost reduction for the constant velocity joint can be achieved. Since the graphite steel subjected to austempering treatment transforms into bainite structure, a tough material of high durability can be obtained.
As the graphite steel described above, such a material is used that contains 0.45 to 0.75% of C, 0.4 to 2.0% of Si, 0.2 to 1.0% of Mn, 0.025% or less S, 0.02% or less P, 0.01 to 0.1% of Al, 0.001 to 0.004% of B and 0.002 to 0.008% of N by weight as the basic components, with the rest comprising Fe and inevitable impurities.
Among the elements described above, C is an indispensable element for forming graphite. When the concentration of C is lower than 0.45%, surface hardness achieved by heat treatment becomes too low to obtain a sufficient strength. When the C content is higher than 0.75%, toughness achieved by the heat treatment decreases.
Si is added as a deoxidizing agent and graphitization accelerating agent during the steel making process and, in addition, for the purpose of enhancement of grain boundary. When the concentration of Si is lower than 0.4%, it becomes difficult to graphitize the carbide and the effect of grain boundary enhancement decreases. When the concentration of Si is higher than 2.0%, cold workability (capability to be forged and cut by turning) lowers significantly.
Mn content is required to fix sulphur, included in the steel, in the form of MnS and diffuse it. When the concentration of Mn is lower than 0.2%, hardenability becomes lower (sufficient depth of hardening cannot be obtained). When the concentration of Mn is higher than 1.0%, graphitization is significantly impeded and cold workability deteriorates.
S, existing in the form of MnS inclusion through bonding with Mn, may become the start point of cracking during cold working, and therefore the concentration thereof is kept 0.025% or less. Concentration of P, that precipitates in the grain boundaries of steel and significantly lowers the hot workability, is kept 0.02% or less.
Al, used as a deoxidization agent to remove oxygen included in the steel by being oxidized during the steel making process and reduce the particle size, is contained with a concentration not less than 0.01%. Since a high concentration of oxide lowers the toughness and the oxide may become the start point of crack during cold working, the concentration is kept 0.10% or less.
B and N are added to reduce the graphitizing annealing time through the generation of BN. While addition of B in a concentration of 0.001% or higher is required to achieve sufficient effect of time reduction, the effect of reducing the graphitizing annealing time reaches a plateau at a concentration higher than 0.004%. N is added in a concentration in a range from 0.002% to 0.008% inclusive, in order to turn the B content of 0.001% to 0.004% into BN.
The graphite steel described above includes 0.3 to 1.0 weight percent inclusive of Ni and/or 0.2 weight percent of Mo added thereto. Addition of Ni increases the ductility of ferrite thereby improving the cold workability and strength. Ni content below 0.3% is insufficient for improving the cold workability and strength, while Ni content higher than 1.0% lowers the turning machinability significantly. Addition of Mo improves the toughness, but content thereof higher than 0.2% impedes grahitization.
Graphite steel containing graphite grains of diameters within 15 μm is used. Graphite grains of diameter greater than 15 μm become the start points of cracking and lower the forging performance.
The components of the joint described above are made to have hardness from 50 to 60 HRC inclusive, particularly in the core. When hardness of the core is lower than 50 HRC, sufficient effect of improving the strength cannot be obtained. When the hardness is higher than 60 HRC, toughness decreases. Hardness of the core can be changed by adjusting the austempering temperature and the carbon content in the graphite steel.
When less carbon content is included in the graphite steel, austempering temperature must be lowered while this may cause variations in the surface hardness after heat treatment. In this case, a carburized layer is formed on the surface to increase the carbon content in the graphite steel, before applying austempering treatment.
Surface hardness can be increased to, for example, about 900 Hv and improve the wear resistance, by forming a nitrided layer through diffusion of nitrogen in the surface layer that has been subjected to austempering treatment.
Forming sulfide (such as FeS film) in the surface layer after austempering treatment improves the surface lubrication and the stability of the constant velocity joint operation. The sulfide may be formed either directly on the surface after austempering treatment or after forming the nitrided layer on the surface.
Hardness of austempered surface is generally lower than that of a carburized part. Thus, wear resistance can be improved by using a low friction grease, specifically a grease having a friction coefficient μ of 0.07 or lower, for filling the inside of the constant velocity joint. The friction coefficient μ can be measured with SAVIN type friction wear tester.
According to the present invention, as described above, since austempering teatment is employed instead of carburizing treatment in the prior art as the heat treatment process for the cage, the inner member and the tripod member, less deformation due to the heat treatment results. This makes it possible to simplify or omit the machining processes such as grinding employed for ensuring the accuracy after heat treatment, while the reject ratio also becoming lower than that of the prior art. Also the double processes of hardening and annealing can be integrated into one process, so that the heat treatment cost is reduced. In order to achieve a hardness of HRC50 or higher while applying austempering treatment to carbon steel, high carbon content is necessary which in turn significantly lowers the workability for forging and machining. However, the use of graphite steel ensures high workability for forging and machining. As a result, manufacturing cost for the constant velocity joint can be cut down through the simplification of the processes.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become clear from the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a side view showing a stub of a constant velocity joint as an example of power transmission shaft.
FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing a double offset type constant velocity joint in the axial direction thereof (section taken along line A—A in FIG. 3 ).
FIG. 3 is a sectional view of an outer member of the constant velocity joint in radial direction.
FIG. 4A is a sectional view showing a Rzeppa type constant velocity joint (section taken along line A—A in FIG. 4 B).
FIG. 4B is a sectional view in the radial direction.
FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing a tripod type constant velocity joint in the axial direction thereof.
FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the constant velocity joint in the radial direction.
FIG. 7 shows the results of a test.
FIG. 8 is a sectional view of a cage of the double offset type constant velocity joint.
FIG. 9 shows the results of a test.
FIG. 10A is a cross sectional view of a constant velocity joint used in a steering system.
FIG. 10B is a sectional view taken along line B—B in FIG. 10 A.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
FIG. 1 shows, as an example of power transmission shaft, a pressure-welded stub 1 for a constant velocity joint used as a propeller shaft or a drive shaft of an automobile. The stub 1 is made of graphite steel, and has a toothed portion 2 (serration or the like) provided on one end thereof for the purpose of torque transmission. An inner member (inner race) of the constant velocity joint is secured on the toothed portion 2 . The stub 1 has a flange 3 provided on the other end for the purpose of pressure welding of a steel pipe thereto.
Graphite steel containing graphite grains of diameters within 15 μm is used. This type of graphite steel can be manufactured, for example, by a method disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No.Hei 8-283847. That is, a hot-rolled material is cooled with water at cooling start temperature of A r1 , or higher and cooling end temperature of Ms or lower with mean cooling rate in a range from 30 to 100° C./s. Then after being cooled in air, the material is graphitized at a temperature from 600 to 720° C. and subjected to wire drawing, drawing or extrusion process with a reduction ratio of 30% or higher, thereby to make a steel rod.
In the process described above, the cooling start temperature measured on the surface of the steel rod must be A r1 or higher in order to have martensite transformation strain and rolling strain to take place simultaneously and have graphite to form at larger number of sites. The cooling end temperature must be within Ms in order to obtain martensite transformation structure and make graphitization occur easily. Lower limit of the mean cooling rate is set to 30° C./s for the purpose of obtaining martensite transformation structure and make graphitization easy by causing work strain to remain. Upper limit of the mean cooling rate is set to 100° C./s because a cooling rate higher than this does not increase martensite transformation. Annealing temperature is set in a range from 600 to 720° C. because graphitization takes least time in this temperature range. Wire drawing process is carried out after graphitization for the purpose of, in addition to securing roundness of the steel rod and a predetermined strength, decomposing graphite and decreasing the void size generated during the hardening and annealing processes carried out after cold forging, thereby improving the toughness. Particularly in cold forging, untransferred portion called dead metal is generated. In the untransformed portion, graphite is not decomposed and void size generated during the hardening and annealing processes carried out after cold forging is large, thus resulting in low toughness. Consequently, it is necessary to decompose graphite by the wire drawing process before cold forging. At this time, when the reduction ratio is less than 30%, since graphite cannot be fully decomposed, void size generated during the hardening and annealing processes carried out after cold forging is large and therefore toughness cannot be improved.
The rod of graphite steel thus obtained is formed into the shape of stub described above through cold forging and other processes and subjected to induction hardening. Induction hardening is applied to the region A that includes from the serrated portion 2 to the flange 3 . The induction hardening increases the surface hardness in the region A of the stub 1 to 50 HRC or higher. The effect of heat generated by this induction hardening is caused to reach the core, thereby generating a 2-phase structure of ferrite and martensite in the core. While hardening is preferably applied twice to have the core heat-treated, the 2-phase structure can also be formed in the core with a single hardening process by, for example, heating with power supply of a lower frequency, heating over a longer period of time in the case of high frequency or taking a longer time (lag time) after the end of heating before cooling.
After completing the induction hardening, the part is subjected to annealing and, as required, a finish work such as grinding, thereby completing the stub 1 .
The present invention is not limited to the stub 1 , and can be applied widely to power transmission shafts that employ constant velocity joints such as a welded stub or a shaft (whether hollow or solid) connected to a constant velocity joint.
In order to verify the effects of the present invention, the following test was conducted.
A torque transmission shaft 170 mm long and blank diameter of 30 mm made of graphite steel (C: 0.53%, Si: 1.2%, Mn: 0.4%, P: 0.010%, S: 0.015%, Al: 0.03%, B: 0.0018%, N: 0.0055%) that corresponds to the JIS code of S53C was provided with splines of D.P.=32/64 and number of teeth N=30 on both ends for the purpose of fitting, machined to have a stepped notch 20 mm in diameter of stress concentration factor of α=1.33 at the middle of the shaft, and was then subjected to induction hardening. For comparison, a shaft of the same configuration made of carbon steel S53C (C: 0.53%, Si: 0.25%, Mn: 0.75%, P: 0.015%, S: 0.017%, Al: 0.025%, Cr: 0.10%) was hardened by a method similar to that described above. Both samples were subjected to heat treatment to achieve surface hardness of 58 to 62 HRC and effective case depth of 2.5 mm. Hardness of the shaft core was set to about 25 HRC in the case of graphite steel and 18 HRC in the case of carbon steel. The core was made in a metal structure that contains ferrite and martensite in the case of graphite steel having composition equivalent to S53C and a metal structure that contains ferrite and pearlite in the case of S53C carbon steel.
Torsional strength test was conducted on these samples. Both the graphite steel and the carbon steel showed comparable strengths in a static torsion test, though the graphite steel showed a strength more than 5% higher than the carbon steel in a repetitive dual-direction torsion test.
A comparative experiment was conducted on test pieces made of graphite steel that corresponds to the JIS code of S45C (C: 0.45%, Si: 1.41%, Mn: 0.31%, P: 0.015%, S: 0.010%, Al: 0.027%, B: 0.0014%, N: 0.005%) and carbon steel S45C (C: 0.45%, Si: 0.20%, Mn: 0.9%, P: 0.016%, S: 0.015%, Al: 0.025%, Cr: 0.10%), both made in the same configuration. While the test pieces were hardened by induction heating similarly to the test described previously, heat treatment was conducted to achieve surface hardness of 56 to 61 HRC and effective case depth of 4.0 mm. Hardness of the shaft core was set to about 28 HRC in the case of graphite steel and 12 HRC in the case of carbon steel. The core was made to have a metal structure that contains ferrite and martensite in the case of graphite steel having composition equivalent to S45C and a metal structure that contains ferrite and pearlite in the case of S45C carbon steel.
Torsional strength test was conducted on these samples. Both the graphite steel and the carbon steel showed comparable strengths in a static torsion test, though the graphite steel showed a strength more than 12% higher than the carbon steel in a repetitive dual-direction torsion test, particularly 15 to 20% higher strength in a region of low loads (high cycle fatigue).
A test piece made of graphite steel that corresponds to S45C in the same configuration was subjected to heat treatment twice to achieve surface hardness of 56 to 61 HRC and effective case depth of 4.0 mm. Hardness of the core was set to about 28 HRC and a metal structure that contains ferrite and martensite. Variation in the surface hardness was set to 200 Hv or lower in terms of Vickers hardness.
Torsional strength test was conducted on this sample. This sample showed a strength 10% higher than the graphite steel subjected to single heat treatment in a static torsion test. In a repetitive dual-direction torsion test, this sample showed a strength more than 12% higher than carbon steel similarly to the graphite steel subjected to single heat treatment, particularly a strength from 15 to 20% higher in a region of low loads (high cycle fatigue).
Measurement of surface compressive strength and repetitive dual-direction torsion fatigue (high cycle fatigue) test were conducted on the graphite steel that corresponds to S45C, a test piece made of this graphite steel that was hardened with a coolant made of water including 15% of water-soluble cooling agent and a test piece subjected to shot peening after induction hardening. Graphite steel that corresponds to S45C showed surface compressive stress of 50 kgf/mm 2 , the water-hardened test piece 65 kgf/mm 2 , and the shot-peened test piece 97 kgf /mm 2 . Strength shown in the dual-direction torsion fatigue was 9% higher in the water-hardened test piece, and 20% higher in the shot-peened test piece, compared to the graphite steel that corresponds to S45C.
FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 show a double offset constant velocity joint. The constant velocity joint comprises an outer member 1 that has a plurality of (for example, six) straight guide grooves 1 b formed in the axial direction on a cylindrical inner circumference 1 a , an inner member 2 that has a plurality of (for example, six) straight guide grooves 2 b formed in the axial direction on a spherical outer circumference 2 a , a plurality of (for example, six) torque transmitting balls 3 arranged in balls tracks formed from the guide grooves 1 b of the outer member 1 and the guide grooves 2 b of the inner member 2 , and a cage 4 that holds the torque transmitting balls 3 . The cage 4 is a ring-shaped body comprising an outer circumference 4 a of spherical shape that is guided by the inner circumference 1 a of the outer member 1 while being in contact therewith, an inner circumference 4 b of spherical shape that is guided by the outer circumference 2 a of the inner member 2 while being in contact therewith, and a plurality of (for example, six) recesses 4 c that house the torque transmitting balls 3 . Center of sphere of the outer circumference 4 a and center of sphere of the inner circumference 4 b are offset to the opposite sides of the center of the recess 4 c by the same distances in the axial direction.
When the joint transmits a rotational torque with an operation angle θ, the cage 4 turns to the position of the torque transmitting ball 3 that moves over the ball track in accordance to the inclination of the inner member 2 , and holds the torque transmitting balls 3 in the bisecting plane (θ/2) of the operation angle θ. Thus the joint can maintain a constant speed of rotation. When the outer member 1 and the inner member 2 make a relative movement in the axial direction, slippage occurs between the outer circumference 4 a of the cage 4 and the inner circumference la of the outer member 1 , thereby enabling smooth movement in the axial direction (plunging).
The cage 4 is made of graphite steel, particularly one that contains graphite grains of diameters within 15 μm. Graphite steel of graphite grain size within 15 μm can be manufactured by the method disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. Hei 8-283847, similarly to the case described previously.
The rod made of graphite steel is formed into the shape of the outer member 1 shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 by forging. Forging temperature is set to the Al transformation temperature (approximately 730° C.) or lower, in order to prevent cementite from precipitating in the graphite steel structure. This causes the 2-phase state of ferrite and graphite to be maintained in the forged skin (for example, bottom 1 c 1 of the mouth 1 c ) that remains in the outer member.
Induction hardening is applied to the graphite steel that has been forged into the predetermined shape. The effect of heat generated by this induction hardening is caused to reach, not only the core of the outer member 1 , specifically the core of the cylindrical mouth 1 c , but also the core of the shaft 1 d , thereby generating a 2-phase structure of ferrite and martensite in these cores. While hardening is preferably applied twice to have the core heat-treated, the 2-phase structure can also be formed in the cores with a single hardening process by, for example, heating with power supply of a lower frequency, heating over a longer period of time in the case of high frequency, or taking a longer time (lag time) after the end of heating before cooling. With this hardening process, the core of the serrated portion 1 d 1 is hardened to about 25 to 45 HRC.
After completing the induction hardening, the part is subjected to annealing and, as required, finish work such as grinding is applied to the inner circumference la and the guide groove 1 b in order to ensure the accuracy, thereby completing the outer member 1 .
As described above, when the graphite steel is used as the material to make the outer member 1 , workability in forging, whether cold or warm processing, can be improved due to the high ductility. Also because the material can be forged with a high accuracy, grinding removal allowance for the subsequent grinding process can be decreased, resulting in reduction in the cycle time and in the labor of disposing of chips. Moreover, grinding process for the inner circumference 1 a or the guide groove 1 b , or in some cases for both of these can be omitted, thus significantly reducing the manufacturing cost through simplification of the processes. Since graphite steel includes graphite that is a free cutting element and can be cut well, machining accuracy of turning can be improved and the cost of grinding can be reduced. Also the effect of heat by the induction hardening not only hardens the surface layer but also reaches the core to form the 2-phase structure of ferrite and martensite in the core. As a consequence, residual compressive stress remains on the surface thus achieving higher strength and high resistance against fatigue.
The present invention is not limited to the double offset type constant velocity joint described above, and can be applied widely to constant velocity joints such as the Rzeppa type constant velocity joint (ball-fixed joint) and the tripod type constant velocity joint. As an example, the structure of a constant velocity joint will be briefly described below.
FIG. 4 A and FIG. 4B show the Rzeppa type constant velocity joint. This constant velocity joint comprises an outer member 1 that has a plurality of (normally six) curved guide grooves 1 b formed in the axial direction on a spherical inner circumference 1 a , an inner member 2 that has a plurality of (normally six) curved guide grooves 2 b formed in the axial direction on a spherical outer circumference 2 a , a plurality of (normally six) torque transmitting balls 3 arranged in ball tracks formed by the guide grooves 1 b of the outer member 1 and the guide grooves 2 b of the inner member 2 , and a cage 4 that holds the torque transmitting balls 3 .
Center A of the guide grooves 1 b of the outer member 1 and center B of the guide grooves 2 b of the inner member 2 are offset to the opposite sides of the center plane of the joint that includes the centers of the torque transmitting balls 3 by the same distances in the axial direction. Consequently, the ball track has a wedge shape that is wider on the side of opening and gradually reduces toward the inner side. The centers of both spheres of the inner circumference 1 a of the outer member 1 and the outer circumference 2 a of the inner member 2 that are the guide face of the cage 4 correspond with the center plane O of the joint. When the outer member 1 and the inner member 2 make an angular displacement of θ, the torque transmitting balls 3 guided by the cage 4 are always held in the bisecting plane (θ/2) of the, angle θ, at any operation angle θ, so that a constant speed of rotation of the joint can be maintained.
In this constant velocity joint, the outer member 1 can also be subjected to induction hardening of the graphite steel thereby to harden the surface and generate the 2-phase structure of ferrite and martensite in the core. Other aspects of the structure, manufacturing procedure, functions and the effects are similar to the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, and duplicating description will be omitted.
FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 show the tripod type constant velocity joint. This constant velocity joint comprises an outer member 1 that has three track grooves 6 formed on the inner circumference and roller guide surfaces 6 a disposed in the axial direction on either side of each track groove 6 , a tripod member 7 that has three arms 7 a extending and protdruding radially and rollers 9 rotatably mounted via a plurality of rolling elements, for example needle rollers 8 , on the three arms 7 a of the tripod member 7 , The rollers 9 are fitted onto the roller guide surfaces 6 a located on both sides of the track groove 6 , respectively. As the rollers 9 move rolling on the roller guide surfaces 6 a while rotating around the axis of the arms 7 a , relative axial displacement and angular displacement between the outer member 1 and the tripod member 7 are smoothly guided. At the same time, when the outer member 1 and the tripod member 7 transmit the rotational torque while taking the predetermined operation angle, axial displacement of each arm 7 a with respect to the roller guiding surface 6 a due to the change in the phase of rotation at this time can be smoothly guided.
In this constant velocity joint, the outer member 1 can also be subjected to induction hardening of the graphite steel thereby to harden the surface and generate the 2-phase structure of ferrite and martensite in the core. Other aspects of the structure, the manufacturing procedure, functions, and the effects are similar to those of the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, and duplicating description will be omitted.
Some of the tripod constant velocity joints have such a configuration as the rollers 9 are made up of two types of rollers, namely inner rollers and outer rollers, in order to reduce the thrust induced and such an inclination mechanism is provided that allows an inclination between the outer rollers and the arm 7 a . The present invention can also be applied to this type of constant velocity joint.
In order to determine the type of grease suited to the constant velocity joint of the present invention, surface wear was measured with various types of greases with the SAVIN type friction wear tester.
Wear (durability) was evaluated in terms of the amount of wear of the guide groove 1 b of the outer member 1 of the ball-fixed joint. The outer member was fabricated by applying cold forging to graphite steel (C: 0.59%, Si: 0.8%, Mn: 0.4%, P: 0.020%, S: 0.013%, B: 0.0015%, N: 0.0030%, Al: 0.015%), applying induction hardening thereto and then grinding the guide groove. The amount of wear of the guide groove was measured after running the above constant velocity joint at a rotational speed of 230 rpm under a load torque of 834N·m (85 kgf·m) with an operation angle θ=6° for 50 hours. Friction coefficient μ of the grease was measured after running the SAVIN type friction wear tester at a peripheral speed of 108 m/min under a load of 12.7N (1.3 kgf) for 10 minutes.
Results of the test are shown in FIG. 7 . In the figure, ◯ indicates a small amount of wear and Δ indicates a large amount of wear.
FIG. 7 shows that a grease containing a Urea-type thickener, particularly that of μ value not higher than 0.070 is effective in improving wear resistance.
As shown in an enlarged figure in FIG. 8, the cage 4 of the double offset type constant velocity joint shown in FIG. 2 is a ring-shaped body comprising the outer circumference 4 a of spherical shape that is guided by the inner circumference 1 a of the outer member 1 while making contact therewith, the inner circumference 4 b of spherical shape that is guided by the outer circumference 2 a of the inner member 2 while making contact therewith, and a plurality of (for example, six) recesses 4 c that house the torque transmitting balls 3 . Provided on both sides of the recess 4 c in the circumferential direction are pillar portions 4 d , and an inlet 4 e on one side in the axial direction for incorporating the inner member 2 . Center of sphere of the outer circumference 4 a and center of sphere of the inner circumference 4 b are offset to the opposite sides of the center of the recess 4 c by the same distances in the axial direction.
The cage 4 is made of graphite steel, particularly that of graphite grain size within 15 μm. Graphite steel of graphite grain size within 15 μm can be manufactured by the method disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. Hei 8-283847, similarly to that described previously.
This steel rod made of graphite steel is finished by, after forming the shape of the cage shown in FIG. 8 by cold forging or the like, applying austempering treatment as heat treatment and, as required, a machining operation of the outer circumference 4 a and the inner circumference 4 b such as grinding, for ensuring accuracy. Conditions of austempering treatment may be such as heating at 880° C. for 1.5 hours in a furnace, then keeping at a temperature of 305° C. for two hours in a salt bath furnace. When treated under these conditions, lower bainite structure is obtained.
When the graphite steel is used as the material to make the cage 4 , workability in forging, whether cold or warm processing, can be improved due to the high ductility. Also because the austempering treatment employed instead of the conventional carburization results in less thermal deformation caused by heat treatment, grinding or other machining operation carried out to achieve the required accuracy after the heat treatment can be simplified or omitted. For example, grinding of the recess surfaces 4 c 1 located on both sides of the recess 4 c in the axial direction after the heat treatment can be omitted, while less thermal deformation is caused due to the heat treatment thus leading to a reject ratio lower than in the conventional process. Grinding of the outer circumference 4 a and the inner circumference 4 b after heat treatment may be limited to the regions where these components make contact with the outer member 1 and the inner member 2 or, in some cases, omitted altogether. Moreover, since the graphite steel structure is transformed into bainite by the austempering treatment, highly tough material having better durability can be obtained. Hardness of the core after austempering treatment is preferably in a range from 50 HRC to 60 HRC which ensures satisfactory wear resistance and toughness.
It is preferable to form a nitrided layer or an FeS film (sulfide) on the surface. Formation of the nitrided layer contributes to the improvement of wear resistance and that of FeS film improves lubrication. An FeS film may also be formed over a nitrided layer. Although formation of the nitrided layer makes the surface less conformable to a mating part due to the increased surface hardness thus impeding the lubrication, forming a sulfide layer such as an FeS film over the nitrided layer restores good lubrication.
When less carbon content (near 0.45%) is included in the graphite steel, austempering treatment temperature must be lowered while this may cause variations in the surface hardness after heat treatment. In this case, a carburization treatment (micro-carburizing) may be applied to the graphite steel to form a micto-carburized layer on the surface layer before applying the austempering treatment. Carburization increases the carbon content in the surface layer so that the hot bath temperature during the austempering treatment can be raised, thereby making it possible to achieve uniform surface hardness.
While the cage 4 is taken as an example in the foregoing description, the inner member 2 can also be manufactured in a similar procedure. That is, after the inner member 2 made of graphite steel has been forged into a shape, austempering treatment is applied to form bainite structure. In this case, treatment (carburizing, etc.) applied prior to austempering treatment and post-austempering processes (such as grinding and formation of nitrided layer or sulfide) may be done similarly to the case of the cage 4 .
In the Rzeppa type constant velocity joint shown in FIG. 4 A and FIG. 4B, the inner member 2 and the cage 4 can also be made of austempered graphite steel. Treatment (carburizing, etc.) prior to austempering treatment and post-austempering processes (such as grinding and formation of nitrided layer or sulfide) may also be done as required.
In the tripod type constant velocity joint shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, the tripod member can also be made of austempered graphite steel. Treatment (carburizing, etc.) prior to austempering treatment and post-austempering processes (such as grinding and formation of nitrided layer or sulfide) may also be done as required.
Some of tripod type constant velocity joints have such a configuration as the rollers 9 are made up of two types of rollers, namely inner rollers and outer rollers, for the purpose of reducing the thrust induced and an inclination mechanism is provided that allows an inclination between the outer rollers and the arm 7 a . The present invention can also be applied to this type of constant velocity joint.
FIG. 10 A and FIG. 10B show a fixed type constant velocity joint preferable for such applications where backlash of rotation is undesirable such as a steering system of an automobile. The present invention can also be applied to this type of constant velocity joint.
This constant velocity joint comprises an outer member 1 that has, for example, three curved guide grooves 1 b formed in the axial direction on a spherical inner circumference 1 a , an inner member 2 that has, for example, three curved guide grooves 2 b formed in the axial direction on a spherical outer circumference 2 a , torque transmitting balls 3 (in a number of three, for example) arranged in the ball track formed from the guide grooves 1 b of the outer member 1 and the guide grooves 2 b of the inner member 2 , a cage 4 that holds the torque transmitting balls 3 and elastic means 5 interposed between the outer circumference 2 a of the inner member 2 and the inner circumference 4 a of the cage 4 .
The outer member 1 has a cup-like shape that opens on one end thereof, and is provided with a shaft formed on the other end, which is not shown, integrally formed therewith or a separate shaft welded thereto by appropriate means. Center A of the guide groove 1 b is offset from the center O of curvature of the spherical inner circumference 1 a by a predetermined distance in the axial direction (toward the inside of the joint in this embodiment). The inner member 2 and the shaft portion 2 c are integrally formed with each other.??? This configuration is employed in consideration of reduction of the number of parts and the man-hours required for assembly. Center B of the guide groove 2 b is offset from the center O of curvature of the spherical outer circumference 2 a by a predetermined distance in the axial direction (toward the opening of the joint in this embodiment). The amount of offset of the guide groove 2 b is the same as the amount of offset of the guide groove 1 b of the outer member 1 , although the directions of the offsets are opposite (toward the inside for the guide groove 1 b and toward the opening for the guide groove 2 b ). The cage 4 has three window-like recesses 4 b that house the torque transmitting balls 3 . The inner circumference 4 a of the cage 4 has a cylindrical shape in a region on the opening side and a conical shape in an inner region. Shape of the inner region may also be spherical or cylindrical. The outer circumference 4 c of the cage 4 is spherical (center of curvature O).
In this constant velocity joint, the center A of the guide groove 1 b of the outer member 1 and the center B of the guide groove 2 b of the inner member 2 are offset to the opposite sides of the center plane O of the joint that includes the centers of the balls 3 by the same distances in the axial direction. Consequently, the ball track formed by the guide groove 1 b and the guide groove 2 b has a wedge shape that is wider on the inside and gradually reduces toward the opening (may, on the contrary, be gradually reduced toward the inside). Since the outer circumference 2 a of the inner member 2 is urged by the elastic force of the elastic means 5 toward the opposite side (inward) of the offset direction (opening side) of the center B of the guide groove 2 b , the torque transmitting balls 3 are pressed toward the reduced portion of the ball track, so that the clearance between the torque transmitting balls 3 and the guide grooves 1 b , 2 b of the inner and outer members 1 , 2 diminishes. As a result, the torque transmitting balls 3 receive a predetermined pressure in the axial direction, thus eliminating the backlash of rotation (play in the circumferential direction).
In this constant velocity joint, the outer member 1 and the inner member 2 thereof can also be made of austempered graphite steel. Treatment (carburizing, etc.) prior to austempering treatment and post-austempering processes (such as grinding and formation of nitrided layer or sulfide) may also be done as required, similarly to the case described previously.
In order to determine the type of grease suited to the constant velocity joint of the present invention, surface wear was measured with various types of grease with the SAVIN type friction wear tester in conformity with the JIS standard.
Wear was evaluated in terms of the amount of wear of the track surface of the inner race (inner member) of the double offset type constant velocity joint. The inner race was fabricated by applying cold forging to graphite steel (C: 0.59%, Si: 0.8%, Mn: 0.3%, P: 0.020%, S: 0.013%, B: 0.0015%, N: 0.0030%, Al: 0.015%), and applying machining operation, austempering treatment and then grinding of the outer spherical surface. Surface hardness was set to 55 HRC. The amount of wear of the track surface was measured after running the constant velocity joint at a rotational speed of 1700 rpm under a load torque of 206N·m (21 kgf·m) with an operation angle θ=6° for 600 hours. Friction coefficient μ of the grease was measured after running the friction wear tester at a peripheral speed of 108 m/min under a load of 12.7N (1.3 kgf) for 10 minutes.
Results of the test are shown in FIG. 9 . In the figure, ◯ indicates a small amount of wear and Δ indicates a large amount of wear.
FIG. 9 shows that a grease containing a Urea-type thickener, particularly that of μ value not higher than 0.070 is effective in reducing the wear and improving wear resistance.
While there has been described what are at present considered to be preferred embodiments of the present invention, it will be understood that various modifications may be made thereto, and it is intended that the appended claims cover all such modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.
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A power transmission shaft using the constant velocity joint is manufactured by applying induction hardening to graphite steel thereby to harden the surface layer and form a 2-phase structure of ferrite and martensite in the core thereof. The graphite steel contains 0.35 to 0.70% of C, 0.4 to 2.0% of Si, 0.3 to 1.5% of Mn, 0.025% or less S, 0.02% or less P, 0.01 to 0.1% of Al, 0.001 to 0.004% of B and 0.002 to 0.008% of N by weight as the basic components, with the rest comprising Fe and inevitable impurities.
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TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates generally to retractable awnings and, more particularly, to awning rafters having a spring-biased rafter extension piece to effectively lengthen the rafter and remove sag from the awning fabric.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Recreational vehicles are commonly supplied with a retractable awning that extends from a side of the vehicle to provide a quick source of shade. The awnings typically have a rectangular fabric which is attached at one edge to the side of the vehicle and at the other edge to an awning front bar. The fabric may be rolled-up around the front bar and secured to the side of the vehicle when not in use.
The awning front bar, in a basic design, provides a part of a support frame for the leading edge of the fabric and means for attaching a pair of support legs to elevate the awning front bar. A pair of telescoping rafters extends between the ends of the front bar and the vehicle to frame the fabric and space the awning front bar away from the side of the vehicle when the awning is erected. The front bar optionally may be spring-loaded to automatically roll-up the awning fabric when the awning is retracted.
The awning front bar is usually provided with a groove extending lengthwise along the body thereof to receive and retain a bead of fabric formed along the leading edge of the awning fabric to affix the fabric to the front bar. The front bar is commonly adapted at its ends to pivotally mount a pair of telescoping main support legs. The main support legs may be staked into the ground or may be pivotally mounted low along the side of the vehicle.
The awning is erected by pulling the front bar away from the side of the vehicle, which causes the awning fabric to unroll from the front bar. Then the support legs are locked and secured in their fully extended position, and the rafters are extended and attached to the side of the vehicle. The telescoping rafters and supporting legs are commonly provided with locking mechanisms such as spring loaded button locks or threaded locking screws to maintain the support legs and rafters in their extended positions. A variety of awnings for recreational vehicles are disclosed by U.S. Pat. Nos.: 2,432,402; 2,889,840; 3,720,438; 4,117,876; 4,171,013; 4,640,332; 4,719,954; and 4,862,940. The U.S. patents cited thoughout this document are hereby incorporated herein by reference.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,508,126 discloses a telescoping rafter for use with an awning for recreational vehicles. The rafter has three bar-like sections. The outer bar and middle bar are slideably connected by a pin through a slot on the outermost bar. The inner bar and middle bar are connected by a pivot pin that allows these two bars to pivot relative to one another. The rafter further includes a spring housed between the outer bar and middle bar so that when the rafter is pivoted into a fully extended position, the spring is compressed between the outer bar and middle bar telescoping the outer bar to maintain force on the awning fabric.
The Darula U.S. Pat. No. 3,612,145 discloses a telescoping bar used as a support for an awning and having a handle mechanism for telescoping and retracting the bars. As the handle is closed, the rafter lengthens. Once the awning fabric is fully taut, a spring within the rafter is compressed to limit further telescoping of the rafter. The compressed spring also provides a tension locking action.
A common problem with retractable awnings used on recreational vehicles and the like involves providing an awning structure that is easy to erect, yet has rafters capable of maintaining sufficient tension on the awning fabric. To telescope the rafters enough to keep the awning fabric taut requires strength and coordination. It is difficult for one person to exert enough pressure on the rafter to stretch the awning fabric taut and simultaneously extend and lock the rafters into position because of the counteracting force exerted by the fabric. It would be very desirable to provide improved rafters that are easily installed and extended to a locked position and provide sufficient tension to remove undesirable sag from the awning fabric.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides an optionally telescoping rafter that comprises a lockable spring-biased rafter extension piece that is slidably mounted at the end of the rafter and is moveable from a retracted position to an extended position in response to movement of a pivotally mounted handle. With the handle in the retracted position, and the rafter otherwise fully extended, the awning has some sag. This allows the rafters to be easily telescoped, locked into position and connected to the side of the vehicles without significant resistance from stretching the awing fabric. Then, the rafter extension piece is moved into its fully extended position by closing the pivotally mounted handle which drives a linkage system to increase the effective overall length of the rafter by about 3/4" to 2" or more and removes sag from the awning fabric.
In a presently preferred embodiment, the rafter and rafter extension piece are generally square or round in cross section, with the rafter extension piece mounted inside the rafter. The pivotally mounted handle is U-shaped to fit over the rafter body when the handle is closed. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the linkage system connecting the handle to the rafter extension piece comprises a pair of drive links connected at one end to opposing sides of the handle. The drive links are slideably (and pivotally) mounted at the other end by a slide pin extending through slots in opposing side walls of the rafter and through similar slots in the rafter extension piece. The linkage system further comprises a coil spring "caged" inside the rafter extension piece between the slide pin and a closure means at the outer end of the rafter extension piece (e.g. a cage pin). When the slide pin is moved along the slots toward the outer end of its length of travel, the coil spring and the rafter extension piece slide forward as a unit. The resisting force against the rafter extension piece caused by stretching the awning fabric taut, works to compress the coil spring against the slide pin. In a particular preferred embodiment the rafter is pivotally mounted to the awning front bar by the cage pin which functions also as a pivot pin.
The rafters of the present invention are particularly advantageous for use with awnings for "pop-up" campers. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the awning may be compactly stored with the support legs and the rafters retracted and pivoted to extend laterally along channels provided in the awning front bar, and with the awning fabric rolled up on the front bar. The awning is erected by (i) unrolling the awning fabric, (ii) pivoting, telescoping and locking the support legs and rafters into their respective extended positions, (iii) securing the support legs to the ground and (iv) securing the rafters to the side of the vehicle. The length of the rafters is then incrementally increased by pivoting the rafter handle of each rafter from its open position to its closed (extended) position causing the linkage system to slide the rafter extension piece relative to the rafter to remove sag from the awing fabric.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a pop-up camper with an awning attached to the side thereof.
FIG. 2 is a partially exploded view of an improved rafter of the present invention and the awning front bar to which it may be pivotally connected;
FIG. 3 is a partially exploded view of the rafter shown in FIG. 2 showing the rafter extension piece and drive links prior to being linked to the outer rafter during assembly;
FIG. 4 shows a cross-section through an outer rafter having longitudinally extending ribs inside the outer rafter to provide sidewall clearance for attaching the handle to the outer rafter without interfering with the path of the telescoping inner rafter.
FIG. 5 is a side view of a section of an outer rafter showing an alternative embodiment of the present invention having the handle mounted on the slide pin;
FIG. 6 is a top view of the rafter showing the relative orientation of the pivoting handle (closed position), the drive links and the slide pin; and
FIG. 7 is a side view of an embodiment of the improved rafter of the present invention in which the rafter extension piece is mounted on the outside of the rafter.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring to FIG. 1, recreational vehicle 10 is shown with an awning mounted on the side 12 thereof. The awning includes a generally rectangular piece of fabric 14 having a leading edge 16 and a trailing edge 18. The awning is conventionally attached along its trailing edge 18 to side 12 of the recreational vehicle by a rail (not shown) extending horizontally along an upper portion of the vehicle's side. The structural components of the awning include an awning front bar 20 to which the leading edge 16 of the fabric 14 is attached and upon which fabric 14 may be rolled for storage. While the present invention is described with respect to a recreational vehicle or the like, it will be understood that retractable awnings may be attached to any suitable, fixed vertical surface such as a building or the like.
With reference to FIG. 2, the awning front bar 20 is an extruded dual-channel bar including a downwardly facing first channel (generally designated 20A) to receive the pivotable support legs in the storage position and a rearwardly facing second channel (generally designated 20B) to receive the pivotable rafters in the storage position. The top face of the awning front bar is provided with a longitudinal groove 22 to receive and retain the leading edge 16 of the awning fabric.
The improved rafter of the present invention may comprise an inner rafter 32 and an outer rafter 34 which slide in telescoping fashion relative to one another. Inner rafter 32 has an inner end and an outer end. The inner end of inner rafter 32 is adapted to carry ball component 36 of a ball joint for attachment to a complementary socket 38 which is mounted on the side 12 of the vehicle. The inner rafter 32 is sized to slidingly fit inside of outer rafter 34. The outer end of inner rafter 32 is provided with a spring button locking mechanism 40 as known in the art. The inner end of outer rafter 34 is provided with complementary opposed openings 42 to reversibly engage the button lock 40 when inner rafter 32 and outer rafter 34 are fully telescoped.
The ball joint arrangement mentioned above provides a quick-release or "break away" feature that prevents the socket 38 from being pulled out of side 12, potentially damaging the vehicle, where, for example, a wind gust upsets the awning. To facilitate the "break away" feature of the ball joint, socket 38 is made from a resilient plastic material. Also, socket 38 may also be provided with cut-outs (depicted in FIG. 2) to facilitate the "break away" feature.
A U-shaped handle 44 is pivotally mounted to outer rafter 34 by rivets 45 and is movable between an open position and a closed position. In the closed position, the handle lies flat against outer rafter 34, as the U-shaped handle forms a channel to fit around the rafter.
In a preferred embodiment, handle 44 is linked to rafter extension piece 60 by a linkage system comprising a pair of drive links 48, a coil spring 50, a slide pin 52 and a cage pin 54. While two drive links 48 are preferably used, it will be appreciated that the linkage system may include a single drive link.
Each drive link 48 is pivotally attached at one end to opposing inside surfaces of handle 44 by rivets 46. Drive links 48 are slidingly (and pivotally) attached at their other end to outer rafter 34 by slide pin 52 which extends through a pair of slots provided in opposing sides of outer rafter 34 and a pair of slots provided in opposing sides of rafter extension piece 60. See also FIG. 3. A coil spring 50 is caged between slide pin 52 and cage pin 54 extending through rafter extension piece 60 near its outer end. In a presently preferred embodiment, the drive links 48 measure approximately 3.5"×1.6"×0.12", the outer rafter is about 1"×1"×42", the rafter extension piece is about 0.75"×0.75"×4.75" and the spring is about 2.25" in length and 0.6" (o.d.).
Coil spring 50 preferably is sized so that its length is slightly longer than the distance between the slide pin 52 and pin 54 when the rafter is assembled. Thus, the spring 50 is slightly compressed when installed.
As best seen in FIG. 3, in a particularly preferred embodiment, the slots in outer rafter 34 are proportionately longer than the slots in extension piece 60 (1.7" and 1", respectively). Drive links 48, when advanced by pivoting handle 44, slide coil spring 50 and extension piece 60 (which together with pins 52, 54 form a spring cartridge unit) to a fully extended position without further compression of spring 50, except for the compression caused by the counteracting force of the stretched awing fabric. In a preferred embodiment, coil spring 50 provides 40-60 pounds of pressure at 3/4" compression to stretch the fabric taut.
The tension on the spring when the rafters are not under compression (e.g., in the storage position) provides a tension lock for the handle. As will be appreciated, the tension lock is a function of the orientation between rivets 45, rivets 46 and slide pin 52. When the handle is closed, the drive links become "overcentered" such that rivets 46 are located past (i.e., overcentered with respect to) a line defined between rivets 45 and slide pin 52. In this orientation, the force of the coil spring on the drive links will have a small component force urging handle 44 to remain in the closed position.
As best seen in FIG. 4 (cross-sectional view through outer rafter 34 and extension piece 60), outer rafter body 34 is provided, such as by a machining operation, with longitudinally extending ribs 56 along its inside surface. Each inside wall of outer rafter 34 has two longitudinally extending ribs 56 disposed relatively near its inside corners. These ribs 56 act as guide rails upon which the rafter extension piece 60 and the inner rafter 32 may slide. Because rails 56 are positioned near the inside corners of outer rafter body 34, they effectively provide clearance for inner rafter 32 to slide past rivets 46 (not shown) used to mount handle 44 to rafter 34 when inner rafter 32 is retracted. Further clearance for rivets 46 is provided by the recessed sides 58 of the inner rafter body 32. As rafter extension piece 60 also is sized to slide within outer rafter 34, a common extrusion (e.g., aluminum) can be used to provide inner rafter 32 and rafter extension piece 60.
As noted above, the rafters of the present invention may be pivotally connected to respective ends of the awning front bar 20 by pivot pins. In a presently preferred embodiment, cage pins 54 pivotally connect each rafter to respective ends of front bar 20. Thus, cage pin 54 serves the dual purposes of pivotally attaching the rafter extension piece to the awning front rail and caging coil spring 50. When the rafters are so installed on the awning front bar 20, the rafters can articulate about cage pin 54 from a stored position (parallel to the awning front bar) to a set-up position (perpendicular to the awning bar).
As shown in FIG. 5, in an alternative embodiment, the improved rafter of the present invention may be an outer rafter 70 and rafter extension piece 72 slidingly associated therewith and configured similarly to the embodiment depicted in FIGS. 2 and 3, except that handle 74 is pivotally mounted on slide pin 76 and drive links 78 are pivotally mounted to outer rafter 70 by rivets 80. Drive links 78 are further pivotally mounted to handle 74 by rivets 82.
As will be appreciated, the outer rafter 34 should be approximately one half the length of awning front bar 20 so that both outer rafters 34 (attached at respective ends of awning front bar 20) can be pivoted to the storage position in channel 20B without overlap. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the length of outer rafter 34 is slightly shorter than the combined lengths of inner rafter 32 and extension piece 60, and when the latter are in their storage positions the inner rafter and extension piece abut one another inside the outer rafter. By having inner rafter 32 abut rafter extension piece 60 in the storage position, pivoting the handle 44 from its closed position to its open position retracts the rafter extension piece 60 into outer rafter 34 which in turn ejects inner rafter 32 from outer rafter 34 to expose e.g., ball 36, so that inner rafter 32 may be easily grasped and telescoped into the set-up position. In a preferred embodiment, the awning front bar 20 is approximately 7 feet long and each outer rafter 34 is approximately 31/2 feet long.
FIG. 7 shows another embodiment of a rafter of the present invention. Rafter 200 includes an outer rafter 202 with rafter extension piece 204 mounted on the outside thereof. In this embodiment, two slide pins 205, 206 are used. Outer rafter 202 is provided with two pairs of slots (in series) extending longitudinally along the rafter. Each pair of slots is sized and shaped to accept a respective one of the slide pins 205, 206. In this embodiment, handle 208 and drive links 210 are mounted to outer rafter 202 as described above, except that slide pin 205 connects the drive links 210, but not rafter extension piece 204, to outer rafter 202. Rafter extension piece 204 (mounted over outer rafter 202) is connected by slide pin 206 to outer rafter 202. Coil spring 212 is disposed between the two slide pins 205, 206. Coil spring 212 preferably is sized so that it is slightly compressed when handle 208 is in the closed position (to provide a tension lock), but free-sliding when the handle is open. Rafter 200 is pivotally mounted to awning front bar 20 by a pivot pin (not shown) passing through the outer potion of rafter extension piece 204.
While a single pair of slots could be used to slidingly mount drive links 210 and the extension piece 202 with slide pins 205 and 206, respectively, it is preferred in this alternative embodiment (i.e., rafter extension piece mounted over the outer rafter) to use two pairs of slots which are spaced apart to maintain rigidity of outer rafter 202. The two pairs of slots may be generally aligned with each other such that the slide pins 205, 206 are arranged as shown in FIG. 7, although it will be understood that slide pin 206 could be oriented to pass through slots in the adjacent sidewalls of outer rafter 202 (i.e., slide pins perpendicular to each other).
Applicants' foregoing description of the present invention is illustrative. Other modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art in light of applicants' specification, and such modifications and variations are within the scope of their invention defined by the following claims.
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An optionally telescoping rafter that comprises a lockable spring-biased rafter extension piece that is slidably mounted at the end of the rafter is provided. The rafter extension piece is slidable from a retracted position to an extended position in response to movement of a pivotally mounted handle on the rafter.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention concerns a digital superheterodyne receiver.
It also concerns a baseband filtering method used therein.
Current digital receivers have to extract information on in-phase and quadrature channels after the signal is transposed into the baseband. This is generally achieved using two mixers receiving:
an input signal, and
a signal from a local oscillator for the in-phase channel and the same signal phase-shifted by π/2 for the quadrature channel.
The output signal of each mixer has to be filtered (in the analog domain) after which it undergoes analog/digital conversion and then processing in the baseband.
Referring to FIG. 1, for example, a receiver device 30 usually comprises at the input end a first bandpass filter 36, a low-noise amplifier 37 and two channels each comprising a mixer 33, 33', a filter 32, 32' and a sampler 34, 34'. The mixer 33 is connected to a local oscillator via a π/2 phase-shifter and the mixer 33' is connected direct to the same oscillator. The respective outputs of the two samplers 34, 34' then undergo digital baseband processing (35). In this type of device the channel filtering is effected at the filters 32, 32' which are implemented in analog technology and whose fixed characteristics strongly condition the overall performance of the receiver and the degree of protection against interference.
This type of processing accordingly has drawbacks in terms of accuracy, drift and adaptation to different channels and different bit rates.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the invention is to remedy these drawbacks by proposing a digital superheterodyne receiver with improved accuracy, freedom from drift and adaptivity such that its characteristics can be adjusted according to different needs, for example to adapt to different types of modulation or different bandwidths to eliminate a scrambler, or to apply pre-filtering or adaptive filtering for equalization.
According to the invention the receiver comprising antenna means for picking up signals, means for converting an incoming signal to a predetermined intermediate frequency and baseband processing means is characterized in that it further comprises analog/digital converter means which receive at an input said intermediate frequency signal to process it using oversampling relative to the baseband signal bandwidth and decimation filter means receiving at an input the converted signal and having its output connected to the baseband processing means.
Thus in a digital receiver according to the invention some filter functions previously carried out on analog signals are transferred into the digital part. Out-band noise is eliminated by the decimation filter which can additionally implement other filter functions. Also, the proposed conversion process is easily implemented in an integrated circuit. Further, the receiver according to the invention has an adaptable signal bandwidth.
In an advantageous embodiment of a receiver according to the invention the receiver further comprises at the output of the oversampling analog/digital converter means two channels each comprising decimation filter means connected to the baseband processing means.
In another aspect, the invention proposes a method for digital filtering in the baseband of an input signal previously converted to a predetermined intermediate frequency characterized in that it comprises an analog/digital conversion stage using a sampling frequency greater than twice the bandwidth of the input signal (oversampling) but possibly less than twice the intermediate frequency (undersampling) in order to transpose the signal into the baseband by spectrum folding, followed by a stage for shaping said converted signal by decimation filtering.
Other features and advantages of the invention emerge from the following description.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a conventional prior art two-channel receiver.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a digital receiver according to the invention;
FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a Sigma-Delta converter.
FIG. 4 shows one example of the power spectral density as a function of frequency characteristic obtained with the method according to the invention.
FIG. 5 shows the noise power spectral density for two different sampling frequencies.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
One specific embodiment of a digital receiver according to the invention is now described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 5.
Referring to FIG. 2, the digital receiver 1 according to the invention comprises a receive antenna 11, a bandpass filter 16 followed by a low-noise preamplifier 20 covering the entire bandwidth of the receiver, a mixer 21 followed by a bandpass filter 22 for transposing the signal to a predetermined intermediate frequency, an analog/digital converter module 15 generating a digital signal on one bit followed by two channels 12, 13 in phase quadrature each comprising a decimation filter 9, 10 delivering digital information on n bits and connected to a baseband processing module 14.
The analog/digital converter module 15 can advantageously be a Sigma/Delta converter as described in "Oversampling Delta-Sigma Data Converters" by James C. CANDY and Gabor C. TEMES, IEEE Press. Sigma-Delta converters are analog/digital converters designed to be implemented in integrated circuit form. Referring to FIG. 3, a Sigma-Delta converter 15 typically comprises a filter 3, a sampler 4, a quantizer 5 (a one-bit quantizer, for example) and a loop comprising a digital/analog converter 6, optionally followed by an analog filter, and a subtractor 2 receiving at a positive input the signal to be converted and at a negative input the output signal from the digital/analog converter or the analog filter, if present. The converter 15 is generally followed by one or more decimation filters 16. The sampling frequency must be proportional to the intermediate frequency in order to transpose a component of the sampled signal into the baseband by spectrum folding. The factor of proportionality between the two frequencies must be of the following type: ##EQU1## where
f IF is the intermediate frequency, and
m is a predetermined positive integer or zero; this is to transpose a component of the signal into the baseband as described in "Interpolative bandpass A/D Conversion" by Hans-Joachim DRESLER, Signal Processing 22 (1991) pp 139-151. The intermediate frequency f IF and the coefficient m must additionally be chosen so that the sampling frequency is more than twice the bandwidth of the incoming signal (Nyquist frequency), although in practise much higher ratios are used, for example from 20 to 100. This is because the quantizer adds a high level of quantizing noise to the signal, especially in the case of a one-bit quantizer which is no more than a simple comparator, and it is then desirable to increase the sampling frequency in order to reduce the level of quantizing noise in the wanted signal band. If the quantizing noise is assumed to be similar to white noise, the power spectral density due to the quantizer 5 has a characteristic as shown in FIG. 5 in which S represents the spectral density of the signal and B1 represents the spectral density of the white noise for a sampling frequency Fs1. If a sampling frequency Fs2 much greater than the Nyquist frequency is chosen the noise spectral density B2 is spread over a wider band and the wanted signal S is less affected.
The feedback loop 6 helps to reject noise which is out of the signal band by means of a filter 3 preceding the oversampling sampler 4. This conversion method produces baseband power spectral densities as shown in FIG. 4, where the noise spectral density B in the signal band is minimal and increases only beyond this band up to the frequency Fs/2. It is then necessary for practical reasons to reduce the sampling frequency to the Nyquist frequency, or a value slightly greater than this. This can be achieved in the digital domain by means of a decimation filter whose function is to reject out-band noise, any replicas of the spectrum due to spectrum folding and any scrambling manifested by frequencies greater than that of the wanted signal and below the Nyquist frequency, and also to block the sampling frequency. The cut-off frequency of this filter is a compromise in the sense that too high a cut-off frequency provides insufficient protection against interference while too low a cut-off frequency causes signal distortion. The decimation principle used in this type of filter and synthesis modes are described in "Interpolation and Decimation of Digital Signals" by R. E. CROCHIERE and L. R. RABINER, Proceedings of the IEEE, Vol. 69, No. 3, March 1981.
In the case of the digital receiver according to the invention shown in FIG. 2 the analog/digital converter 15 operates on an intermediate frequency signal IF which has passed through a bandpass filter 22. It is particularly advantageous to employ a so-called "undersampling" technique whereby the sampling frequency is not at least twice the maximum frequency signal (the Nyquist frequency) but at least twice the wanted signal bandwidth, which in the case of an intermediate frequency signal entails a considerable reduction in the sampling frequency and therefore an improvement in the performance of the digital receiver. The principle of undersampling used at the sampler 4 is described in "Undersampling techniques simplify digital radio" by Richard CROSHONG and Stephen RUSCAK, "Electronic Design", May 23, 1991 and transposes the intermediate frequency signal into the baseband.
The effects of the method according to the invention on the noise spectrum are now described. Referring to FIG. 4, which shows the spectral power density P(f) of a received signal S, an interference frequency I, a quantizing noise spectrum B for a sampling frequency Fs and a filter F.
Note that the quantizing noise is virtually rejected from the wanted band and can be eliminated by the decimation filters 9, 10 which also contribute to elimination of the interference frequency I. In practise the decimation filters can be very long.
In one effective embodiment of the invention, for a one-bit quantizer frequency of 200 kHz, the decimator filter delivers information on 8 bits at a frequency of 8 kHz, representing a digital bit rate of 64 kbit/s.
Also, using the invention, the digital implementation of the filter allows a very high level of adaptability with the result that the receiver characteristics can be fine-tuned in use and adaptive bit rate problems can be solved.
Of course, the invention is not limited to the examples that have just been described and many modifications can be made to these examples without departing from the scope of the invention. The method according to the invention can provide a satisfactory solution for variable bandwidths and adaptive bit rates in future applications such as RACE and UMTS.
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A digital receiver includes an antenna for picking up signals, a converter for converting an incoming signal to a predetermined intermediate frequency, and baseband processor. The receiver further includes an analog/digital converter using oversampling relative to the bandwidth of the signal and receiving the intermediate frequency signal at its input, and decimation filters receiving the output signal from the analog/digital converter and having their outputs connected to the baseband processor.
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RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/796,507, filed on Mar. 9, 2004, which relies for priority upon Korean Patent Application No. 10-2003-0075573, filed on Oct. 28, 2003, the contents of which are herein incorporated by reference in their entirety.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] During the manufacture of semiconductor devices arranged in arrays on wafer substrates, the wafers are subjected to various chemical treatments. The treatments are in the form of a number of process steps that the wafers undergo during the formation of devices, including the formation of, processing of, and removal of, layers, photolithography processes, and the like. Following certain steps, extraneous particles can remain on the substrate, which can have an adverse effect on subsequent processes. In contemporary fabrication techniques, the substrates are rinsed and dried to remove such particles.
[0003] For rinsing the wafers, it is common to use deionized water (DI) or a commercial cleaning solution such as SC1. When drying the substrate, isopropyl alcohol (IPA) is commonly used. However, IPA-based drying processes commonly leave particles and watermarks on the substrates. To improve the IPA-based drying process, a drying technique referred to as the Marongoni technique, has become popular.
[0004] In the Marongoni technique, the wafers are slowly lifted out of the DI bath, or the DI bath is slowly drained. At this time, the exposed wafers are immersed in an IPA vapor. Since the concentration of the IPA vapor is highest at the interface with the DI bath, the resulting surface tension of the water is low in this region. This results in a phenomenon referred to as Marongoni flow of the DI water bath away from the wafer surfaces, thereby drying the wafer surfaces. While the Marongoni approach is somewhat effective for removing particles from the wafers, because the slow drain procedure drastically reduces process throughput. For example, the drain time may be on the order of 225 seconds for a 12 inch wafer. In addition, watermarks can remain on the substrate following a Marongoni flow procedure. substrate following a Marongoni flow procedure.
[0005] To improve the effectiveness of the removal of particles and watermarks by the IPA vapor, heated nitrogen gas N 2 can also be introduced into the process chamber. This technique is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,328,809, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference. With reference to FIG. 1 , in this approach, the IPA vapor is transported into a wafer process chamber using a source of heated nitrogen gas. Referring to FIG. 1 , nitrogen from a nitrogen gas source N 2 flows through valve 11 , is heated at heater 12 , and flows through valve 15 A into a tank 10 containing IPA solution. The IPA solution is partially heated into a vapor within the tank by heater 14 . The pressure of the heated nitrogen gas forces the combined nitrogen and IPA gases to flow through valve 15 C and into the process chamber 20 . The combined IPA/N 2 gas is introduced into the process chamber 20 to carry out an IPA decontaminating step. During this step, valve 15 B is closed. Following this, heated N 2 gas flows directly into the process chamber by closing valves 15 A and 15 C and opening valve 15 B in a purge step, in order to volatize any condensed IPA remaining on the wafers.
[0006] To ensure the removal of particles and watermarks, the ratio of nitrogen gas to IPA gas in the process chamber is a critical factor during the IPA decontaminating step, since the ratio is closely correlated with device yield. However, control over this ratio is limited in the conventional approaches, since the nitrogen gas is used exclusively as a transport medium for the IPA gas during the decontaminating procedure.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] The present invention is directed to a system and method for rinsing, decontaminating and drying semiconductor wafers in a manner that improves yield by providing more advanced control of the ratio of drying fluid to cleaning fluid, for example the ratio of N 2 vapor to IPA vapor. In addition, a quick drain process is employed to improve process throughput, and to further improve particle and watermark removal during the rinsing, decontamination, and drying steps.
[0008] In one aspect, the present invention is directed to a system for processing semiconductor wafers. A first inlet for a first supply of drying fluid is provided. A second inlet for a second supply of drying fluid is also provided. The rate of supply of the second supply of drying fluid is independent of that of the first supply of drying fluid. A decontaminating fluid tank stores a supply of decontaminating fluid, the decontaminating fluid tank having an inlet for receiving the second supply of drying fluid, and having an outlet for supplying decontaminating fluid at a rate that is based on the rate of supply of the second supply of drying fluid. A process chamber houses the semiconductor wafers to be cleaned and dried. The process chamber includes an inlet for simultaneously receiving the first supply of drying fluid and the supply of decontaminating fluid.
[0009] The first supply of drying fluid and second supply of drying fluid comprise, for example, nitrogen gas. A first heater may be provided for heating the first supply of drying fluid between the first inlet and the process chamber. A second heater may be provided for heating the second supply of drying fluid between the second inlet and the decontaminating fluid tank.
[0010] A third heater may be coupled to the decontaminating fluid tank for heating the decontaminating fluid in the tank. The decontaminating fluid in the tank is partially heated by the third heater from a liquid into a vapor and the second supply of drying fluid drives the decontaminating fluid vapor through the outlet of the decontaminating fluid tank. The inlet of the decontaminating fluid tank may include a first inlet for receiving the second supply of drying fluid at a level below the level of the liquid and a second inlet for receiving the second supply of drying fluid at a level above the level of the liquid.
[0011] A fourth heater may be coupled to a line in turn coupled to the inlet of the process chamber for heating the first supply of drying fluid and the supply of decontaminating fluid prior to their release into the process chamber.
[0012] The first supply of drying fluid and the supply of decontaminating fluid received at the process chamber are preferably in a vapor state.
[0013] A coupling tube may be provided for selectively coupling the first supply of drying fluid to the decontaminating fluid tank. In addition, a coupling tube may be provided for selectively coupling the second supply of drying fluid directly to the process chamber. Also, a coupling tube may be provided for selectively coupling the first inlet to the second inlet.
[0014] The process chamber further comprises a drain, and a buffer tank is coupled to the drain of the process chamber. In one embodiment, the drain comprises a plurality of drains, and the plurality of drains are coupled to the buffer tank. The plurality of drains are, for example, of a width to ensure rapid draining of the process chamber, for example within a time period less than about 50 seconds, or, for example, within a time period ranging between about 7 and 17 seconds. The multiple drains are spaced apart in the process chamber to ensure that a top surface of a fluid to be drained from the process chamber remains level as the process chamber is drained. The buffer tank is preferably of a volume that is greater than or equal to the volume of the process chamber.
[0015] A first supply rate controller is provided for controlling the rate of supply of the first drying fluid and a second supply rate controller is provided for controlling the rate of supply of the second drying fluid, the first and second supply rate controllers being independent of each other such that the rate of supply of the first drying fluid and the rate of supply of the second drying fluid are independent relative to each other.
[0016] The process chamber may further comprise a plurality of exhaust ports distributed in the process chamber to provide for laminar flow of the decontaminating fluid and the drying fluid in the process chamber.
[0017] In another aspect, the present invention is directed to a method for processing semiconductor wafers. A first supply of drying fluid is provided and a second supply of drying fluid is also provided. The rate of supply of the second supply of drying fluid is independent of that of the first supply of drying fluid. A supply of decontaminating fluid is stored in a decontaminating fluid tank. The decontaminating fluid tank has an inlet for receiving the second supply of drying fluid, and has an outlet for supplying decontaminating fluid at a rate that is based on the rate of supply of the second supply of drying fluid. The first supply of drying fluid and the supply of decontaminating fluid are simultaneously supplied to a process chamber to decontaminate semiconductor wafers contained therein.
[0018] Prior to simultaneously supplying the first supply of drying fluid and the supply of decontaminating fluid to the process chamber, rinsing fluid, for example DI water, is supplied into the process chamber containing the semiconductor wafers for rinsing the semiconductor wafers. The rinsing fluid is then rapidly drained from the process chamber, for example into a buffer tank.
[0019] In a preferred embodiment, the rinsing fluid is completely drained prior to simultaneously supplying the first supply of drying fluid and the supply of decontaminating fluid to the process chamber.
[0020] Following simultaneously supplying the first supply of drying fluid and the supply of decontaminating fluid to the process chamber, a drying fluid, for example nitrogen gas, is supplied into the chamber for drying the semiconductor wafers.
[0021] Throughout the present specification and claims, the term “fluid” is used herein in a manner consistent with its historical definition, and therefore includes any non-solid form of matter, for example gases, vapors, and liquids.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0022] The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the more particular description of preferred embodiments of the invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer to the same parts throughout the different views. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles of the invention.
[0023] FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a conventional cleaning and drying system for cleaning and drying semiconductor wafers.
[0024] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a cleaning and drying system, in accordance with the present invention.
[0025] FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram of a first cleaning and drying system for cleaning and drying semiconductor wafers in accordance with the present invention.
[0026] FIG. 4 is a schematic block diagram of a second cleaning and drying system for cleaning and drying semiconductor wafers in accordance with the present invention.
[0027] FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a process chamber draining system in accordance with the present invention.
[0028] FIG. 6 is a chart illustrating remanent particle density as a function of the rate of flow of nitrogen vapor, in accordance with the present invention.
[0029] FIG. 7 is a chart illustrating remanent particle density as a function of drain time, in accordance with the present invention.
[0030] FIG. 8 is a chart that illustrates the selection of optimal flow rates for the carrier nitrogen vapor and the purge nitrogen vapor, in accordance with the present invention.
[0031] FIG. 9 is a flow diagram of a wafer cleaning and drying process, in accordance with the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0032] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a cleaning and drying system, in accordance with the present invention. The system includes a process chamber 100 within which semiconductor wafers are rinsed, decontaminated, and dried, a deionized (DI) water source 101 for rinsing the wafers, and an isopropyl alcohol (IPA) source 102 and nitrogen source 104 for decontaminating and drying the wafers. Following the rinsing step, waste rinse fluid from the process chamber 100 is rapidly drained through multiple drain lines 218 (described below) into a buffer tank 220 using a “quick-drain” process. The quick-drain process is described in further detail below. The buffer tank releases the waste rinse fluid through a drain line 224 , and the waste fluid is treated in a waste facility. In addition, organic gases, for example IPA gases, are exhausted from the process chamber, for example, at exhaust ports 217 (described below), and treated at a scrubber 225 to prevent fire and release of toxins.
[0033] The following process is described below with additional reference to the flow diagram of FIG. 9 . To initiate the cleaning and drying process, the wafers to be processed are loaded into the process chamber 100 . A rinsing operation is performed to remove process chemicals, for example etch chemicals. DI water provided by source 101 flows into the chamber prior to, or following, placement of the wafers so as to submerge the wafers. In one example, the DI water rinse fluid comprises hydrofluorine (HF)-buffered DI water. Alternatively, commercial cleaning solution, such as SC1, may be used. The DI water flow continues, causing the process chamber to overflow, thereby thoroughly rinsing the surfaces of the wafers (step 402 ).
[0034] Following this, the DI water is rapidly drained from the process chamber 100 , using the “quick-drain” apparatus described below, for example the draining tubes placed in less than about 50 seconds, and preferably within about 7-17 seconds (step 404 ). To accommodate the quick-drain, the DI water is released via a plurality of wide, evenly distributed, drain apertures into a buffer tank 220 that lies below the process chamber 100 . The buffer tank 220 temporarily holds the waste fluid until it can be properly disposed via drain line 224 .
[0035] In the decontamination step, the lid of the process chamber 100 is closed, gas exhaust ports of the chamber are opened (step 406 ), and a flow of heated IPA vapor from source 102 is delivered to the process chamber 100 to initiate the wafer drying process, and to further remove contaminants, for example contaminants in the form of particles, from the surfaces of the wafers (step 408 ). In one example, the heated IPA vapor 102 flows for about 90 seconds. The IPA vapor is delivered to the process chamber 100 using nitrogen 104 as a carrier vapor. In the present invention, during the decontamination step, the flow rate of nitrogen vapor is precisely controlled, in order to provide the process chamber environment with an optimal IPA-to-nitrogen ratio, which, in turn, provides for optimal cleaning, drying and removal of watermarks from the wafers.
[0036] In one example, the flow rate of nitrogen vapor is controlled by providing, in addition to the “carrier” nitrogen vapor flow used to drive the IPA vapor, a second, independent source of heated nitrogen gas into the process chamber 100 to ensure the proper IPA-to-nitrogen ratio in the chamber 100 (step 408 ). This second source of nitrogen is referred to below as the “purge” nitrogen vapor, since the second source can optionally later be used to purge the process chamber during the subsequent drying step. It should be noted, however, that the first source, or “carrier” nitrogen source, can also be used for the subsequent drying step, as described below. It has been determined that rapid draining of the DI water bath, during the rinsing step, combined with an optimized IPA-to-nitrogen ratio during the decontamination step, lead to optimal removal of particles from the wafers, as described below.
[0037] The IPA decontamination vapor of the decontamination step may be introduced during the quick-drain of the rinsing fluid, or, preferably, is introduced following completion of the quick-drain procedure. Experimental data indicates that IPA introduction following completion of the quick-drain procedure results in fewer particles remaining on the wafers. During the decontamination step, the plurality of drain lines from the process chamber 100 to the buffer tank 220 remain open. In addition, multiple gas exhaust lines 217 in the process chamber, described in further detail below, are open during this step. The operation of the multiple gas exhaust lines is described in further detail below.
[0038] Following this, heated nitrogen vapor, for example from the second nitrogen vapor source, is sprayed onto the wafers to dry the wafers (step 410 ). In one example, the nitrogen flow is activated for approximately 300 seconds. Again, during this step, the plurality of drain lines from the process chamber 100 to the buffer tank 220 , as well as the gas exhaust lines, remain open in order to maintain uniform pressure in the chamber and to remove IPA from the chamber at the same time.
[0039] Following this, the process chamber exhaust lines and drain lines are closed. The lid of the chamber is then opened, and the cleaned and dried wafers are removed.
[0040] FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram of a first cleaning and drying system for cleaning and drying semiconductor wafers in accordance with the present invention. In this embodiment, a first flow of nitrogen is provided by a first nitrogen source 104 A. The rate of flow of the first nitrogen source 104 A is controlled by a first mass flow controller (MFC) 183 , in which an electrical signal is used to maintain a suitable flow rate.
[0041] The controlled flow of the first nitrogen source is heated by a first heater 106 A to an appropriate temperature. A second flow of nitrogen is provided by a second nitrogen source 104 B. The rate of flow of the second nitrogen source 104 B is controlled by a second mass flow controller (MFC) 182 . The controlled flow of the second nitrogen source is heated by a second heater 106 B to an appropriate temperature. An IPA source 102 is coupled to an IPA tank 120 . A filter 126 is provided for purifying the IPA solution prior to entry into the tank 120 . Valve 185 enables the flow of IPA solution to the IPA tank 120 .
[0042] IPA solution in liquid form pools in the bottom of the IPA tank 120 . A heater 122 in the base of the IPA tank 120 vaporizes a portion of the IPA solution to generate an IPA vapor that resides above the solution.
[0043] As stated above, during an IPA-based decontaminating procedure, the IPA vapor located in the IPA tank 120 is transported into the process chamber 100 by the first flow 104 A of heated nitrogen gas, i.e. the “carrier” nitrogen supply. During this step, valves 112 and 116 are open and valve 114 is closed. The nitrogen gas heated by the heater 106 A flows through valve 112 into the IPA tank 120 , where it reacts with the IPA vapor in the tank 120 . The IPA vapor is then transported by the incident nitrogen vapor through valve 116 , into the process chamber 100 . An optional line heater 130 heats the combined nitrogen and IPA vapor supplied at line 191 to a predetermined temperature prior to entry into the process chamber 100 . The line heater comprises, for example, a quartz plate/heating coil/quartz plate configuration which envelops the gas line. The line heater 130 maintains the temperature of the gases entering the process chamber 100 , in order to increase the reliability of the semiconductor manufacturing process.
[0044] At the same time, during the IPA-based decontaminating procedure, in order to precisely control the IPA-to-nitrogen ratio of the decontaminating vapor entering the process chamber 100 , a second source of heated nitrogen supplied at line 193 from the second nitrogen source 104 B is provided, referred to above as the “purge” nitrogen source. As stated above, the rate of flow of the second source of nitrogen is precisely controlled, for example by the second MFC 182 , in order to ensure the proper ratio. The vapor provided by the second source 104 B at line 193 is also heated by the line heater 130 , where it is mixed with the combined nitrogen/IPA vapor from line 191 . Together, the first and second vapor sources arriving via lines 191 and 193 are provided to the process chamber 100 via line 195 .
[0045] In a preferred embodiment, the line heater 130 heats the applied vapor such that it is released at line 195 at a temperature of about 130 C. At the same time, the first heater 106 A operates to heat the first nitrogen gas source 104 A to a temperature of about 100 C-120 C, the second heater 106 B operates to heat the second nitrogen gas source 104 B to a temperature of about 130 C-150 C, and the IPA tank heater 122 operates to heat the IPA solution in the tank to a temperature of about 50 C to 70 C. The operating temperature of the first heater 106 A is preferably lower than the operating temperature of the second heater 106 B, because a lower temperature is required for precisely controlling the delivery rate of the IPA vapor from the IPA tank 120 .
[0046] As stated above, during the drying step, heated nitrogen gas flows directly into the process chamber 100 , for volatizing any condensed IPA remaining on the wafers. During this step, valves 112 and 116 are closed, and valve 114 is open. The second “purge” nitrogen source 104 B may optionally be used in conjunction with, or instead of, the first nitrogen source 104 A for this step.
[0047] As an optional entry configuration for the heated nitrogen gas into the IPA tank, dual entry ports 124 A, 124 B may be provided. The first port 124 A lies above the surface of the IPA solution in the tank, to serve as a pressurized transport mechanism for the IPA vapor lying above the solution surface, as described above. The second port 124 B enters the IPA tank below the surface of the IPA solution, and mixes, or bubbles, directly with the IPA solution, to further activate the reaction with the IPA solution. In this manner, the interaction of the IPA solution with the nitrogen carrier vapor is enhanced.
[0048] FIG. 4 is a schematic block diagram of a second cleaning and drying system for cleaning and drying semiconductor wafers in accordance with the present invention. This embodiment is similar in structure and performance to those of the first embodiment described above in connection with FIG. 3 . However, in this embodiment, an additional flow line 134 is connected between the line 193 providing the heated second nitrogen source and the entry ports 124 A, 124 B of the IPA tank 120 . This flow line 134 allows the second nitrogen source 104 B to serve as a “carrier” vapor source for the IPA tank, for example to allow for servicing of the first MFC 183 or the first heater 106 A without having to disrupt system operation. In this case, valve 132 is closed, valve 112 is closed, and valve 128 is open. At the same time, the first nitrogen source 104 A may be directly applied to the process chamber 100 , by opening valve 114 to initiate flow via line heater 130 , after being mixed with the IPA/nitrogen vapor mixture at line 191 . The roles of the first and second nitrogen sources 104 A, 104 B are thus temporarily reversed in this example to allow for servicing of the first MFC 183 and/or the first heater 106 A.
[0049] In addition, this second embodiment provides an optional line 187 and related valve 187 A that combines the first and second nitrogen sources 104 A, 104 B. It should be noted that while the first and second nitrogen sources 104 A, 104 B are illustrated as different, independent sources, they may, in fact comprise a common source that has two outlets, the flow of each outlet being independently controlled, for example by the first and second MFC's 183 , 182 . In this case, the common source should maintain a pressure great enough to source the combined flow rate of the MFCs 183 , 182 .
[0050] FIG. 5 is a block diagram of the process chamber 100 , including a draining system that provides for rapid draining of the chamber in accordance with the present invention. The process chamber 100 includes a bath 210 capable of processing multiple wafers, for example 50 semiconductor wafers 212 , at a time. The wafers are supported by support 214 . At a bottom region 216 of the bath 210 , a plurality of drain openings 219 are provided. A plurality of exhaust port openings 217 are also provided. The respective drain openings 219 are relatively wide in cross section to allow for rapid draining of fluid, for example, the DI water fluid, from the bath 210 . The drain openings 219 are coupled to multiple drain lines 218 , which transport the rapidly discharged fluid into a buffer tank 220 . The buffer tank preferably has a volume at least as large as the volume of the bath 210 , so that it can receive the entire content of the bath liquid all at once, without hindering the flow of liquid.
[0051] The multiple drain openings 219 and multiple drain lines 218 , are preferably distributed across the lower side 216 of the bath 210 . This configuration ensures that, during draining, the fluid being drained remains level and flat as it is drained, in turn ensuring the same exposure time for the different wafers being processed in the bath, irrespective of where the wafers are located in the bath 210 relative to the drain outlet 219 . This feature overcomes a funneling phenomenon that would otherwise occur if a single drain were to be used, which would lead to different exposure times for the different wafers, the exposure times corresponding to their positions relative to the single drain location.
[0052] Similarly, the multiple exhaust ports 217 are included in the bath for ensuring an even distribution, i.e. laminar flow, of the decontaminating and drying vapors in the bath 210 . Following the quick drain procedure, when the IPA and N 2 gases are introduced for the decontamination step, the multiple exhaust ports 217 are opened to allow for the even flow of decontamination vapors across the wafers. This avoids the problem associated with a single exhaust port, which would tend to concentrate the vapor flow in certain regions of the bath, for example due to eddy currents. In a preferred embodiment, the exhaust ports 217 remain open during the decontamination step and the drying step, and are optionally open, when needed, during the quick-drain step.
[0053] In this manner, the present invention increases semiconductor fabrication productivity. To increase productivity, the drain time of DI water is aggressively shortened by use of the quick-drain procedure. Watermarks remaining on the wafers as a result of the quick drain process are then efficiently removed by precisely controlling the ratio of nitrogen gas to IPA gas during the decontamination procedure. In this manner, process throughput is enhanced, in a manner that lends itself well to high process quality.
[0054] FIG. 6 is a chart illustrating remanent particle density as a function of the rate of flow of nitrogen vapor, in accordance with the present invention. An experiment was conducted to determined the effectiveness of the decontamination step where the second, independent heated nitrogen source 104 B was included, for improving control over the IPA-to-nitrogen ratio in the decontaminating fluid introduced into the process chamber 100 . In this experiment, the first heater 106 A, second heater 106 B, and line heater 130 were set at a temperature of 130 C. The IPA tank heater 122 was set at a temperature of 65 C. The chamber exhaust pressure was set at 75 mmH 2 O.
[0055] In a first experiment, represented by plot I of FIG. 6 , the first nitrogen source 104 A was activated, for driving the IPA vapor, and the second nitrogen source 104 B was dormant. In this case, optimal flow rate of the first nitrogen source 104 A is determined to be at the minimum of the curve, or at about 50 liters per minute (LPM), resulting in over 100 particles remaining per 300 mm wafer.
[0056] In a second experiment, represented by plot II, the first nitrogen source 104 A and second nitrogen source 104 B were both activated, the first source 104 A being set at 20 LPM for driving the IPA vapor, and the second source 104 B for supplying additional nitrogen into the process chamber 100 for improved control over the IPA-to-nitrogen ratio in the chamber. In this case, the minimum of the plot II curve fell over a range of about 40-70 LPM flow of the second nitrogen source 104 B, for which particle density was on the order of less than 30 particles remaining per 300 mm wafer.
[0057] FIG. 7 is a chart illustrating remanent particle density as a function of drain time, in accordance with the present invention. Assuming the conditions of the above experiment, with the first nitrogen source 104 A operating at a flow rate of 20 LPM, and with the second nitrogen source 104 B operating at a flow rate of 50 LPM, and assuming 140 cc of IPA being used for the decontamination step, remanent particle density was determined as a function of drain time. It can clearly be seen in the chart that as drain time is reduced, the remanent particle density improved. In the range of 7-17 seconds of drain time, particle density was on the order of less than 20 particles remaining per 300 mm wafer.
[0058] FIG. 8 is a chart that illustrates the selection of optimal flow rates for the first “carrier” nitrogen source 140 A and the second “purge” nitrogen source 140 B, in accordance with the present invention. In region 308 of the chart, the carrier nitrogen source is at too small of a flow rate to properly dry the wafers. In region 310 of the chart, too much carrier nitrogen is present, and, as a result, too much IPA vapor is presented to the wafers, resulting in IPA gel formation on the wafers and in the process chamber. Regions 302 and 304 of the chart indicate preferred combinations of carrier nitrogen and purge nitrogen levels that lead to preferred IPA-to-nitrogen ratios in the process chamber. Arrow 303 , for example, indicates a carrier nitrogen flow rate of 10 LPM and a purge nitrogen flow rate of 100 LPM. An optimal condition exists at the intersection of the charts at point O 306 , where the carrier nitrogen flow rate is 20 LPM and the purge nitrogen flow rate is 50 LPM.
[0059] While this invention has been particularly shown and described with references to preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
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A system for cleaning and drying semiconductor wafers improves device yield by providing more advanced control of the ratio of drying fluid to cleaning fluid, for example the ratio of N 2 vapor to IPA vapor. In addition, a quick drain process is employed to improve process throughput, and to further improve particle and watermark removal during the cleaning and drying steps.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a device for transferring eggs from a feeding chain.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The prior art includes devices for transferring eggs. For example, such a device has been described in the U.S. Pat. No. 3,370,691 to Mosterd. This patent discloses a device for transferring eggs from a feeding chain provided with egg supporting means adapted to support rows of eggs with their axes horizontally, driving means for said chain to move it in a direction transverse to said rows, a first group of retaining members each of which is adapted to receive and grip one egg of each row with its axis horizontal and is provided with means to rotate said egg into a position in which its axis is vertical and a series of second retaining members mounted to a conveyor, such that the second retaining members move along a predetermined path the one behind the other.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,220,154 to Vander Schoot discloses an egg transfer system in which eggs, supplied in rows on feeding chains, are rotated with their points down by means of diverging plates. The eggs are then received in first retaining members and from these transferred to second retaining members moving in a line behind one another. These first retaining members do not rotate the eggs and the eggs are not positively held when rotated between the diverging plates.
It is remarked that the U.S. Pat. No. 3,858,709 to Banyas et al shows an apparatus for transferring objects from one station to another. In this apparatus two conveyors with retaining members are present, which conveyors define paths in which part of the retaining members are vertically aligned. The conveyed objects are transferred from the retaining members of the first conveyor to those of the second conveyor in the said part of the conveyor paths. None of the retaining members is able to carry out a tilting movement and the transfer is realized by means of suction cups provided with control means to admit vacuum. Such a means are mechanically controlled by the objects to be transferred. It is severely doubted whether this construction can be used when the objects to be transferred are eggs if one wants to avoid breakage or slight damages that later on reduce the egg's quality.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention aims to provide a device that covers less floor area. A further object of the invention is, to provide a device of the indicated type that is simple of construction.
Still a further object of the invention is to provide a device of the indicated type in which the transfer from a first to a second retaining member may be smoother and more shockfree than with the known construction.
The above aims are realized in that the first and second retaining members are located vertically above one another in a predetermined region of a predetermined path of travel of the second retaining members. In this predetermined region the first retaining members at least temporarily hold the eggs such that the egg axes are vertical. Also in this region are further means to transfer the eggs from the first to the second retaining members.
According to a further elaboration of the invention it is provided that in the said region the first and second retaining members move above each other in the same direction.
According to the further elaboration of the invention it is provided that the said second retaining members are mounted to balances, guide means being present to move said retaining members vertically. This feature allows a very simple control of the height of the second retaining members by controlling the balances' arms and letting the balances themselves follow a horizontal path.
In practice with an egg handling machine the lateral space occupied by an egg on the feeding chain will be greater than the space occupied by a second retaining member. The reason is that the space occupied by an egg can hardly be reduced, whereas the distance from one retaining member to the next one has to be made as small as possible in order to reduce the conveying speed of these retaining members as much as possible. Because the normal distance from one first retaining member to the next one equals the distance from one egg to the next one in a row on the feeding chain, it will be obvious that often the distance from one second retaining member to the next one will be smaller than the distance from one second retaining member to the next one. Accordingly, it is provided that with a device according to the present invention said first retaining members consist of first grippers having retaining fingers of which at least one is movable with respect to at least one other, and said second retaining members consist of grippers having retaining fingers of which at least one is movable with respect to at least one other. Further, control means are present in the said region firstly to cause the movable finger of the second retaining members to move toward the at least one other finger of said second retaining member and secondly to cause the movable finger of the said first retaining members to move away from the at least one other finger of said first retaining member. Secondly, there are control means in the said region to move the second retaining members vertically toward the said first retaining members and thereafter again away from the latter, said first retaining members being mounted to a conveyor and provided with a control member. A control cam is also present in the said region to control the angular position of the said first retaining members, said control cam having such a shape that at the location in the said region in which the movable finger of a second retaining member moves toward the at least one other finger of the said second retaining member the said first retaining member is somewhat tilted backward in relation to the direction of movement of the conveyor to which it is mounted.
With such an embodiment of the invention it is easy to obtain a smooth and almost noiseless working of the device by providing a control cam to control the movement of the said movable finger of the first retaining members away from the other fingers of the same first retaining members in a shockfree gradual way.
An even smoother and more reliable operation of the device can be obtained by providing a control cam to cause the first group of retaining members to tilt somewhat in the region where the said first and second retaining members come in each others path.
A special useful embodiment of the invention comprises an egg handling machine provided with two or more feeding chains, each of which is provided with egg supporting means adapted to support rows of eggs and driving means for said feeding chains to move them in a direction transverse to said rows, at least two sets of first retaining members, each set being adapted to receive the eggs from one row of one of the said feeding chains, at least two series of second retaining members, each series being mounted in line with one behind the other to a conveyor such that its said second retaining members move when their conveyor moves. It is provided that the said conveyors of the second retaining members move along mutual parallel paths besides each other, each of the first retaining members being vertically aligned with one of the second retaining members in part of said paths, said feeding chains being located the one besides the other.
Such an egg handling machine combines a high capacity with a limited floor area and logically arranged feeding chains thereby reducing the number of personnel. Furthermore, the machine is easily monitored and the feeding part of it is relatively simple.
According to a further improvement of this concept it is provided that the said first retaining members are mounted to at least two conveyors each moving in a vertical plane, said conveyors overlapping in the direction of movement of the conveyors of the second retaining members.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
One embodiment of the invention is depicted in the drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 shows schematically a side view of a device according to the invention;
FIG. 2 shows schematically a view of a set of cooperating grippers seen in the direction of movement of the conveyors in which the upper gripper is shown in the closed position;
FIG. 3 shows a plan view of the device according to FIGS. 1 and 2;
FIG. 4 shows a view that is analogous to FIG. 1 but in which the opening of the grippers is elucidated; and
FIG. 5 schematically shows the device according to the invention used with an egg grading machine having two parallel roller tracks for moving eggs parallel to the device.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
In FIG. 1 supporting members 2 are depicted as mounted to a chain conveyor 1. Each member has a shaft 3 about which a gripper or container 4 can pivot. The gripper 4 is provided with a double gripper finger 5 having the shape of a one-sided open O and an opposed single gripper finger 6. The double gripper finger 5 is mounted to an arm 7 that can pivot about a shaft schematically indicated at 8. The mechanism for activating this shaft is organized in the same way as indicated in the U.S. Pat. No. 3,370,691 to Mosterd, except that the opening operation of the gripper 4 is caused by control cams mounted along the track such that the operation occurs gradually, as elucidated below with respect to the description of FIG. 4.
To a conveyor 9 mounted above conveyor 1 balances have been mounted, the balance arm of which as well as a coupling link forming a parallellogram with it as shown in FIG. 2 with dash-dot lines. The gripper portion 10 of the balance can be controlled vertically by means of a control cam 16. This gripper portion contains a leading fixed set of two gripper fingers 11 and a single gripper finger 12 that is controllably pivotable about an axis. Single gripper finger 12 has a resilient drive such that an egg clamped between it and the fingers 11 is not crushed. Such a gripper has been disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 3,703,309 to Mosterd.
Each of the grippers of the lower conveyor is provided with a follower roller 13 running on a control cam 14. The gripper shown at the outmost left side in FIG. 1 has its fingers 5 and 6 horizontal and is kept in this position by a spring 15 connected between support member 2 and gripper 4 visible in the gripper shown at the right side and in FIG. 2. When the conveyor moves toward the right the roller 13 engages the rising part of the cam 14, causing the gripper to tilt. At the location of the rising part of cam 14 causing the tilting movement of the gripper 4, the grippers 10 of the conveyor 9 move downward under control of the control cam 16 cooperating with the upper part 20 of the grippers 10. At this location the grippers 4 and 10 cross each other's track. The grippers 10 of the conveyor 9, however, avoid contacting the grippers 4 of conveyor 1 and any eggs held by the corresponding gripper fingers 5 and 6, because the fingers 12 are still in their opened position.
In operation, conveyor 1 runs faster than the conveyor 9. The grippers of converyor 1 are spaced apart a greater distance in comparison with the spacing of grippers 10 of conveyor 9 and the speeds of conveyors 1 and 9 are related to this spacing difference such that the two fingers 11 of the upper gripper are positioned at both sides of the single finger 6 of the lower gripper, in which position the finger 12 of the upper gripper can be closed to effect a transfer of an egg held by gripper 4.
The vertical movement of the gripers 10 in this part is controlled by the cooperation of the upper part 20 of these grippers with the control cam 16. Closing of the grippers is effected by an arm 21 coupled to the gripper finger 12 cooperating with a cam 19.
At the location where grippers 10 are closed, an arm 17, which supports a follower roller at its end, is pivoted into a position perpendicular to the direction of movement of the conveyors. In this position this roller comes between the controlling surfaces of a further control cam 18. Also, at this location, the vertical extent of cam 16 ends and cam 18 takes over the vertical control of the gripper 10. Further at this location, the double finger 5 of the lower gripper is pivoted open by the pivoting of the arm 7, which prevents an egg from being crushed between the fingers 11 of the upper gripper 10 and the double finger 5 of the lower gripper 4 as a result of conveyor 1 moving faster than conveyor 9. The gripper shown in FIG. 1 at the outmost right position shows the double finger 5 in the completely opened position. From this drawing it is shown that ample free space is present between the fingers when in this position and the egg so that time is available for a gradual opening movement of the fingers.
As more specially appears from FIGS. 3 and 4, each gripper supports a shaft 22 to which an arm 23 is mounted and which in turn supports a control roller 24 at its end. This roller 24 cooperates with two control cams 25 and 26, which together define a control slit having a shape so as to effect a gradual pivoting movement of the shaft 22 and to give rise to a well controlled opening movement of the double gripper finger 5.
Further, shaft 22 bears a cam arm 27, which by cooperation with a cam 28 (shown at the left side in FIG. 4) has caused the gripper 4 to close. Because roller 24 has little play in the slit defined by control cam 25 and 26, the pivot movement of the shaft 22 is well controlled and no sudden pivoting away of the gripper fingers can occur as happens with the known prior art devices.
The drawings further show that the control cam 14 in the region in which the grippers 4 and 10 approach each other is provided with a small sink or recess. By reason of this recess the lower gripper 4 is somewhat tilted, which enables somewhat more play of the fingers 11 with respect to the egg so that differences if any in the dimensions of the eggs can be better accomodated.
A similar control of the tilting movement of gripper 4 to improve the cooperation of the grippers 4 and 10 occurs with or shortly after the closing of the gripper 10. There the tilting movement of the grippers 4 causes them to pivot somewhat in the counter-clockwise direction, and which may be an advantage to gain time for a gradual movement.
In FIG. 5 references 31 and 32 are roller tracks for feeding eggs. These tracks cooperate with devices according to the invention, which have been schematically depicted at 33 and 34. The transfer from the tracks 31 and 32 onto the devices 33 and 34 occurs with second conveyor 35 and 36 in the way indicated in the cited U.S. Pat. No. 3,370,691 to Mosterd. This is depicted here in FIG. 3 by means of a rod 29 which can move axially to pivot with the tracks. Rod 29 supports cups 30 which can receive an egg and lay it down on the lower finger 5 of the grippers 4.
After the eggs are in the gripper 4, these grippers are closed, tilted and, after the transfer of the eggs to the upper gripper 10, are tilted back again. This movement respectively occurs in the regions 37 and 38 (FIG. 5).
In this way it is possible in a very simple manner to position the feeding tracks 31 and 32 along side each other. This is important in order to have a supply of eggs that is surveyable and a servicing of the machine that is simple. It further appears that the present invention provides the capability of positioning devices for transferring eggs onto a plurality of parallel tracks, one partly beside the other, and this provides an important space saving feature. A further advantage of the invention is that the device according to the invention has a conveyor that moves in a vertical plane. This feature provides an important space saving feature in comparison with a conveyor moving in a horizontal plane.
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An egg handling machine having one and preferably two or more egg feeding chains, first retaining members to which the eggs are transferred from the chains and which are each provided with a gripper to positively hold an egg and rotate it to orient its axis vertical and second retaining members moving in a line or preferably two or more lines vertically aligned with the first ones for each receiving an egg from one first retaining member.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to a biochip to be used in the field of bioscience and the like, and in particular relates to a substrate for a biochip which has a function of selectively attaching or retaining a specific substance in a small area.
[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0004] In the field of bioscience, the development of higher-integrated functional elements and higher-density arrays has been made for ultratrace analysis or ultrasensitive analysis by using a microchemical reactor, a chip for genomic analysis, a chip for protein analysis or the like. Accordingly, for the substrates to be used for these analyses, selective adhesiveness has been required. Such a substrate can selectively retain a small amount of a liquid sample such as a solution of a biological substance in a specified site and can provide the sample for analysis or reaction.
[0005] Such a function can be attained by forming sites having a function of binding a molecule of a specific substance (functional binding site) in a high density on the surface of a substrate. Such a technique has been disclosed in, for example, JP-T-9-500568, JP-A-2002-131327, JP-A-2002-307801, JP-A-2002-283530, JP-A-2003-121442 and the like.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] However, all the methods disclosed in the foregoing JP-T-9-500568, JP-A-2002-131327, JP-A-2002-307801, JP-A-2002-283530 and JP-A-2003-121442 are a method of forming a pattern on the flat surface of a substrate. Since a functional binding site is present in the flat portion, there were problems that the retained amount largely varies when small amounts of a sample such as a biological substance are retained in plural sites on the surface of the substrate, and that the repetitive reproducibility is bad. In addition, when the binding sites are densified, adjacent binding sites get closer to each other, therefore there was a problem that contamination of an adjacent sample occurs.
[0007] The present invention has been conducted in order to solve the foregoing problems, and an object of the invention is to provide a substrate for a biochip which can attach or retain a small amount of a specific substance in a small area in a high density with a good reproducibility.
[0008] To solve the foregoing problems, the invention provides the following:
[0009] (1) A substrate having a plurality of recesses,
wherein each of the plurality of recesses has a surface, wherein at least part of the surface is coated with a metal film comprising at least one element selected from Au, Ag, Cu and Pd.
[0012] (2) The substrate as described in (1) above,
wherein the plurality of recesses are regularly arranged.
[0014] (3) The substrate as described in (1) or (2) above,
wherein a linker for immobilizing a biological substance is bound to the metal film.
[0016] (4) The substrate as described in (3) above,
wherein the liker has a thioether bond bound to the metal film.
[0018] (5) The substrate as described in any of (1) to (4) above,
wherein a surface of the substrate other than the at least part of the surface is coated with a water-repellent film.
[0020] (6) A biochip substrate comprising:
a substrate having at least one recess; and a metal film formed on the at least one recess, wherein the metal film comprises at least one element selected from Au, Ag, Cu and Pd.
[0024] (7) The biochip substrate as described in (6) above,
wherein the metal film covers the at least one recess entirely.
[0026] (8) The biochip substrate as described in (6) above,
wherein the metal film is coated on a bottom portion of the at least one recess.
[0028] (9) The biochip substrate as described in any of (6) to (8) above,
wherein the at least one recess is regularly arranged.
[0030] (10) The biochip substrate as described in any of (6) to (9) above, which further comprises a linker for immobilizing a biological substance,
wherein the linker is bound to the metal film.
[0032] (11) The biochip substrate as described in (10) above,
wherein the liker has a thioether bond bound to the metal film.
[0034] (12) The biochip substrate as described in any of (6) to (11) above, which further comprises a water-repellent film covering a surface of the biochip other than a surface of the metal film.
[0035] (13) The biochip substrate as described in (12) above, wherein the water-repellent film further covers a part of a surface of the at least one recess.
[0036] In the recess coated with the metal film described above, a specific chemical substance having an affinity for such a metal can be attached or retained in a small area with a good reproducibility.
[0037] By binding, to the recess of the substrate, a linker having an affinity for the foregoing metal and having a functional group with a function of selectively immobilizing a biological substance, a biological substance such as DNA can be effectively attached or retained in a small area.
[0038] Further, a specific chemical substance is attached only to the specified portion and will be difficult to attach to the portion other than the specified portion, whereby the selectivity can be enhanced.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0039] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a substrate for a biochip of the present invention;
[0040] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional schematic view of an example of a substrate for a biochip;
[0041] FIG. 3 is a view illustrating a contact angle of a liquid droplet;
[0042] FIG. 4 shows diagrams illustrating processes for modifying a recess of a substrate; and
[0043] FIG. 5 shows diagrams illustrating processes for binding DNA.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0044] Hereunder, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail.
[0045] An example of a substrate for a biochip of the present invention is shown in FIG. 1 . On the surface of a substrate 10 in the shape of a flat plate, plural recesses 20 for retaining a liquid material such as a solution of a biological substance are formed. In this example, a flat portion 30 , which is the surface of the original substrate in the shape of a flat plate, is present between adjacent recesses. By performing a treatment so as to impart a difference in adhesiveness to a specific sample of a biological substance between the surface of the recesses and the surface of the flat portion of the substrate other than the recesses, the ability of retaining the sample in the recesses 20 can be improved.
[0046] Examples of a material to be used for the substrate of the present invention can include a glass, ceramics, semiconductor, metal, resin and the like. As the types of the glass that can be utilized, silica glass (linear expansion coefficient: α=0.5 ppm/K), non-alkali glass, soda lime glass and the like can be exemplified. Further, a low expansion crystallized glass such as Zerodur (Schott Inc., α=−2 ppm/K) and Neoceram (Nippon Electric Glass Co., Ltd., α=0.15 ppm/K), Pyrex (Corning Co., Ltd., α=3.25 ppm/K), BK7 (Schott Inc., α=7.1 ppm/K) and the like can be exemplified.
[0047] In addition, a semiconductor material such as silicon in a wafer form, InP or GaAs can be also used. As a resin material, an epoxy resin, acrylic resin, polycarbonate resin, polyimide resin, fluororesin and the like can be exemplified. Among these, it is most preferred to use glass which is excellent in heat resistance, transparency and chemical stability.
[0048] FIG. 2 shows a sectional view of a substrate for a biochip of the present invention. A metal film 40 is formed on the surface in the recesses 20 provided on the substrate 10 in the shape of a flat plate, and a water-repellent film 42 is formed on the surface of the flat portion. A typical metal film is a gold (Au) film, however, it is not limited thereto, and silver (Ag), copper (Cu), palladium (Pd) and the like can be also used.
[0049] In FIG. 2 , a metal film is formed on the entire surface in the recess 20 , however, it may be formed on a specified portion, for example, only a bottom portion of the recess as needed.
[0050] Further, a linker having a functional group with a function of selectively immobilizing a biological substance and a compound that binds to such a biological substance is introduced on the surface of the metal film described above.
[0051] The biological substance herein refers to a nucleic acid such as DNA or RNA, a protein, lipid, saccharide, vitamin, hormone, enzyme or the like.
[0052] Examples of the functional group that can selectively immobilize such a biological substance can include an amino group, mercapto group, carboxyl group, sulfonic acid group, hydroxyl group, alkyl group, phenyl group and the like.
[0053] Among these, it is preferred to use a compound having a mercapto group that has a high affinity for Au, Ag, Cu or Pd, and a carboxyl group that can chemically bind a biological substance. As such a compound, 3-mercaptopropionic acid and 3,3′-dithiodipropionic acid are preferred.
[0054] Other than these, an alkyl thiol compound, hydroxyalkyl thiol compound or aminoalkylthiol compound, which contains an alkyl group, hydroxyl group, amino group or the like may be used. In addition, an alkyl disulfide compound, alkyl disulfide compound containing a hydroxyl group, alkyl disulfide compound containing a carboxyl group and alkyl disulfide compound containing an amino group, which are disulfide compounds thereof can be exemplified.
[0055] Further, a lipid (thiolipid) that has a SH group in one terminal and a dialkyl group in the other terminal may be bound to the Au film in the recess via Au—S bond.
[0056] Alternatively, a bilayer that is constituted by mixing abovementioned thiolipid with phospholipids such as di-oleoyl phosphatidyl choline (produced by SIGMA-ALDRICH, Inc.) and di-phytanoyl phosphatidyl choline may be bound to the Au film in the recess via Au—S bond between thiolipid and Au film.
[0057] Additionally, abovementioned bilayer may be a membrane protein that comprises a protein.
[0058] Specific examples thereof can include alkanethiols such as CH 3 (CH 2 ) 30 SH, CH 3 (CH 2 ) 25 SH, CH 3 (CH 2 ) 20 SH, CH 3 (CH 2 ) 19 SH, CH 3 (CH 2 ) 18 SH, CH 3 (CH 2 ) 17 SH, CH 3 (CH 2 ) 16 SH, CH 3 (CH 2 ) 15 SH, CH 3 (CH 2 ) 14 SH, CH 3 (CH 2 ) 13 SH, CH 3 (CH 2 ) 12 SH, CH 3 (CH 2 ) 11 SH, CH 3 (CH 2 ) 10 SH, CH 3 (CH 2 ) 9 SH, CH 3 (CH 2 ) 8 SH, CH 3 (CH 2 ) 7 SH, CH 3 (CH 2 ) 6 SH, CH 3 (CH 2 ) 5 SH, CH 3 (CH 2 ) 4 SH, CH 3 (CH 2 ) 3 SH, CH 3 (CH 2 ) 2 SH, and CH 3 CH 2 SH, alkanethiols containing a hydroxyl group such as HOCH 2 (CH 2 ) 30 SH, HOCH 2 (CH 2 ) 25 SH, HOCH 2 (CH 2 ) 20 SH, HOCH 2 (CH 2 ) 19 SH, HOCH 2 (CH 2 ) 18 SH, HOCH 2 (CH 2 ) 17 SH, HOCH 2 (CH 2 ) 16 SH, HOCH 2 (CH 2 ) 15 SH, HOCH 2 (CH 2 ) 14 SH, HOCH 2 (CH 2 ) 13 SH, HOCH 2 (CH 2 ) 12 SH, HOCH 2 (CH 2 ) 11 SH, HOCH 2 (CH 2 ) 10 SH, HOCH 2 (CH 2 ) 9 SH, HOCH 2 (CH 2 ) 7 SH, HOCH 2 (CH 2 ) 6 SH, HOCH 2 (CH 2 ) 5 SH, HOCH 2 (CH 2 ) 4 SH, HOCH 2 (CH 2 ) 3 SH, HOCH 2 (CH 2 ) 2 SH, and HOCH 2 CH 2 SH, alkanethiols containing a carboxyl group such as HOOC(CH 2 ) 30 SH, HOOC(CH 2 ) 25 SH, HOOC(CH 2 ) 20 SH, HOOC(CH 2 ) 19 SH, HOOC(CH 2 ) 18 SH, HOOC(CH 2 ) 17 SH, HOOC(CH 2 ) 16 SH, HOOC(CH 2 ) 15 SH, HOOC(CH 2 ) 14 SH, HOOC(CH 2 ) 13 SH, HOOC(CH 2 ) 12 SH, HOOC(CH 2 ) 11 SH, HOOC(CH 2 ) 10 SH, HOOC(CH 2 ) 9 SH, HOOC (CH 2 ) 8 SH, HOOC(CH 2 ) 7 SH, HOOC(CH 2 ) 6 SH, HOOC(CH 2 ) 5 SH, HOOC(CH 2 ) 4 SH, HOOC(CH 2 ) 3 SH, HOOC(CH 2 ) 2 SH, and HOOCCH 2 SH, alkanethiols containing an amino group such as H 2 N(CH 2 ) 30 SH, H 2 N(CH 2 ) 25 SH, H 2 N(CH 2 ) 20 SH, H 2 N(CH 2 ) 19 SH, H 2 N(CH 2 ) 18 SH, H 2 N(CH 2 ) 17 SH, H 2 N(CH 2 ) 16 SH, H 2 N(CH 2 ) 15 SH, H 2 N(CH 2 ) 14 SH, H 2 N(CH 2 ) 13 SH, H 2 N(CH 2 ) 12 SH, H 2 N(CH 2 ) 11 SH, H 2 N(CH 2 ) 10 SH, H 2 N(CH 2 ) 9 SH, H 2 N(CH 2 ) 8 SH, H 2 N(CH 2 ) 7 SH, H 2 N(CH 2 ) 6 SH, H 2 N(CH 2 ) 5 SH, H 2 N(CH 2 ) 4 SH, H 2 N(CH 2 ) 3 SH, H 2 N(CH 2 ) 2 SH, and H 2 NCH 2 SH, alkyl disulfide compounds such as [CH 3 (CH 2 ) 30 S] 2 , [CH 3 (CH 2 ) 25 S] 2 , [CH 3 (CH 2 ) 20 S] 2 , [CH 3 (CH 2 ) 19 S] 2 , [CH 3 (CH 2 ) 18 S] 2 , [CH 3 (CH 2 ) 17 S] 2 , [CH 3 (CH 2 ) 16 S] 2 , [CH 3 (CH 2 ) 15 S] 2 , [CH 3 (CH 2 ) 14 S ] 2 , [CH 3 (CH 2 ) 13 S] 2 , [CH 3 (CH 2 ) 12 S] 2 , [CH 3 (CH 2 ) 11 S] 2 , [CH 3 (CH 2 ) 10 S] 2 , [CH 3 (CH 2 ) 9 S] 2 , [CH 3 (CH 2 ) 8 S ] 2 , [CH 3 (CH 2 ) 7 S) 2 , [CH 3 (CH 2 ) 6 S] 2 , [CH 3 (CH 2 ) 5 S] 2 , [CH 3 (CH 2 ) 4 S ] 2 , [CH 3 (CH 2 ) 3 S] 2 , [CH 3 (CH 2 ) 2 S] 2 , and [CH 3 CH 2 S] 2 , alkyl disulfide compounds containing a hydroxyl group such as [HOCH 2 (CH 2 ) 30 S] 2 , [HOCH 2 (CH 2 ) 25 S] 2 , [HOCH 2 (CH 2 ) 20 S] 2 , (HOCH 2 (CH 2 ) 19 S] 2 , [HOCH 2 (CH 2 ) 18 S] 2 , [HOCH 2 (CH 2 ) 17 S] 2 , [HOCH 2 (CH 2 ) 16 S] 2 , [HOCH 2 (CH 2 ) 15 S] 2 , [HOCH 2 (CH 2 ) 14 S] 2 , [HOCH 2 (CH 2 ) 13 S] 2 , [HOCH 2 (CH 2 ) 12 S] 2 , [HOCH 2 (CH 2 ) 11 S] 2 , [HOCH 2 (CH 2 ) 10 S] 2 , [HOCH 2 (CH 2 ) 9 S] 2 , [HOCH 2 (CH 2 ) 8 S] 2 , [HOCH 2 (CH 2 ) 7 S ] 2 , [HOCH 2 (CH 2 ) 6 S] 2 , [HOCH 2 (CH 2 ) 5 S] 2 , [HOCH 2 (CH 2 ) 4 S] 2 , [HOCH 2 (CH 2 ) 3 S] 2 , [HOCH 2 (CH 2 ) 2 S] 2 , and [HOCH 2 CH 2 S] 2 , alkyl disulfide compounds containing a carboxyl group such as [HOOC(CH 2 ) 30 S] 2 , [HOOC(CH 2 ) 25 S] 2 , [HOOC(CH 2 ) 20 S] 2 , [HOOC(CH 2 ) 19 S] 2 , [HOOC(CH 2 ) 18 S] 2 , [HOOC(CH 2 ) 17 S] 2 , [HOOC(CH 2 ) 16 S] 2 , [HOOC(CH 2 ) 15 S] 2 , [HOOC(CH 2 ) 14 S] 2 , [HOOC(CH 2 ) 13 S] 2 , [HOOC(CH 2 ) 12 S] 2 , [HOOC(CH 2 ) 11 S] 2 , [HOOC (CH 2 ) 10 S] 2 , [HOOC (CH 2 ) 9 S] 2 , [HOOC(CH 2 ) 8 S] 2 , [HOOC(CH 2 ) 7 S] 2 , [HOOC(CH 2 ) 6 S] 2 , [HOOC(CH 2 ) 5 S] 2 , [HOOC(CH 2 ) 4 S] 2 , [HOOC(CH 2 ) 3 S] 2 , [HOOC(CH 2 ) 2 S] 2 , and [HOOCCH 2 S] 2 , alkyl disulfide compounds containing an amino group such as [H 2 N (CH 2 ) 30 S] 2 , [H 2 N (CH 2 ) 25 S] 2 , [H 2 N(CH 2 ) 20 S] 2 , [H 2 N(CH 2 ) 19 S] 2 , [H 2 N(CH 2 ) 18 S] 2 , [H 2 N(CH 2 ) 17 S] 2 , [H 2 N(CH 2 ) 16 S] 2 , [H 2 N(CH 2 ) 15 S] 2 , [H 2 N (CH 2 ) 14 S] 2 , [H 2 N(CH 2 ) 13 S] 2 , [H 2 N(CH 2 ) 12 S] 2 , [H 2 N(CH 2 ) 11 S] 2 , [H 2 N(CH 2 ) 10 S] 2 , [H 2 N(CH 2 ) 9 S] 2 , [H 2 N (CH 2 ) 8 S] 2 , [H 2 N(CH 2 ) 7 S] 2 , [H 2 N(CH 2 ) 6 S] 2 , [H 2 N(CH 2 ) 5 S] 2 1 , [H 2 N(CH 2 ) 4 S] 2 , [H 2 N(CH 2 ) 3 S] 2 , [H 2 N(CH 2 ) 2 S] 2 , and [H 2 NCH 2 S] 2 .
[0059] On the other hand, it is preferred that the portion other than the specified portion on the surface of the recess of the substrate, particularly the surface of the flat portion of the substrate is water repellent. For example, a part of the surface of the recess may be water repellent. As a material that imparts a water repellency, tetrafluoroethylene, cyclic perfluoropolymer, fluoroalkylsilane, alkylsilane, silicone, polysilane etc., which have a water-repellent group, can be exemplified.
[0060] As a compound having a water-repellent group, a silane compound having a water-repellent group is preferably used. Examples thereof can include a silane compound having one or more water-repellent groups such as an alkyl group, fluoroalkyl group and the like in the molecule.
[0061] Examples of the silane compound having an alkyl group can include chlorosilanes containing an alkyl group such as CH 3 (CH 2 ) 30 SiCl 3 , CH 3 (CH 2 ) 20 SiCl 3 , CH 3 (CH 2 ) 18 SiCl 3 , CH 3 (CH 2 ) 16 SiCl 3 , CH 3 (CH 2 ) 14 SiCl 3 , CH 3 (CH 2 ) 12 SiCl 3 , CH 3 (CH 2 ) 10 SiCl 3 , CH 3 (CH 2 ) 9 SiCl 3 , CH 3 (CH 2 ) 8 SiCl 3 , CH 3 (CH 2 ) 7 SiCl 3 , CH 3 (CH 2 ) 6 SiCl 3 , CH 3 (CH 2 ) 5 SiCl 3 , CH 3 (CH 2 ) 4 SiCl 3 , CH 3 (CH 2 ) 3 SiCl 3 , CH 3 (CH 2 ) 2 SiCl 3 , CH 3 CH 2 SiCl 3 , (CH 3 CH 2 ) 2 SiCl 2 , (CH 3 CH 2 ) 3 SiCl, CH 3 SiCl 3 , (CH 3 ) 2 SiCl 2 and (CH 3 ) 3 SiCl, alkoxysilanes containing an alkyl group such as CH 3 (CH 2 ) 30 Si(OCH 3 ) 3 , CH 3 (CH 2 ) 20 Si(OCH 3 ) 3 , CH 3 (CH 2 ) 18 Si(OCH 3 ) 3 , CH 3 (CH 2 ) 16 Si(OCH 3 ) 3 , CH 3 (CH 2 ) 14 Si(OCH 3 ) 3 , CH 3 (CH 2 ) 12 Si(OCH 3 ) 3 , CH 3 (CH 2 ) 10 Si(OCH 3 ) 3 , CH 3 (CH 2 ) 9 Si(OCH 3 ) 3 , CH 3 (CH 2 ) 8 Si(OCH 3 ) 3 , CH 3 (CH 2 ) 7 Si(OCH 3 ) 3 , CH 3 (CH 2 ) 6 Si(OCH 3 ) 3 , CH 3 (CH 2 ) 5 Si(OCH 3 ) 3 , CH 3 (CH 2 ) 4 Si(OCH 3 ) 3 , CH 3 (CH 2 ) 3 Si(OCH 3 ) 3 , CH 3 (CH 2 ) 2 Si(OCH 3 ) 3 , CH 3 CH 2 Si(OCH 3 ) 3 , (CH 3 CH 2 ) 2 Si(OCH 3 ) 2 , (CH 3 CH 2 ) 3 SiOCH 3 , CH 3 Si(OCH 3 ) 3 , (CH 3 ) 2 Si(OCH 3 ) 2 , (CH 3 ) 3 SiOCH 3 , CH 3 (CH 2 ) 30 Si(OC 2 H 5 ) 3 , CH 3 (CH 2 ) 20 Si(OC 2 H 5 ) 3 , CH 3 (CH 2 ) 18 Si(OC 2 H 5 ) 3 , CH 3 (CH 2 ) 16 Si(OC 2 H 5 ) 3 , CH 3 (CH 2 ) 14 Si(OC 2 H 5 ) 3 , CH 3 (CH 2 ) 12 Si(OC 2 H 5 ) 3 , CH 3 (CH 2 ) 10 Si(OC 2 H 5 ) 3 , CH 3 (CH 2 ) 9 Si(OC 2 H 5 ) 3 , CH 3 (CH 2 ) 8 Si(OC 2 H 5 ) 3 , CH 3 (CH 2 ) 7 Si(OC 2 H 5 ) 3 , CH 3 (CH 2 ) 6 Si(OC 2 H 5 ) 3 , CH 3 (CH 2 ) 5 Si(OC 2 H 5 ) 3 , CH 3 (CH 2 ) 4 Si(OC 2 H 5 ) 3 , CH 3 (CH 2 ) 3 Si(OC 2 H 5 ) 3 , CH 3 (CH 2 ) 2 Si(OC 2 H 5 ) 3 , CH 3 CH 2 Si(OC 2 H 5 ) 3 , (CH 3 CH 2 ) 2 Si(OC 2 H 5 ) 2 , (CH 3 CH 2 ) 3 SiOC 2 H 5 , CH 3 Si(OC 2 H 5 ) 3 , (CH 3 ) 2 Si(OC 2 H 5 ) 2 and (CH 3 ) 3 SiOC 2 H 5 , acyloxysilanes containing an alkyl group such as CH 3 (CH 2 ) 30 Si(OCOCH 3 ) 3 , CH 3 (CH 2 ) 20 Si(OCOCH 3 ) 3 , CH 3 (CH 2 ) 18 Si(OCOCH 3 ) 3 , CH 3 (CH 2 ) 16 Si(OCOCH 3 ) 3 , CH 3 (CH 2 ) 14 Si(OCOCH 3 ) 3 , CH 3 (CH 2 ) 12 Si(OCOCH 3 ) 3 , CH 3 (CH 2 ) 10 Si(OCOCH 3 ) 3 , CH 3 (CH 2 ) 9 Si(OCOCH 3 ) 3 , CH 3 (CH 2 ) 8 Si(OCOCH 3 ) 3 , CH 3 (CH 2 ) 7 Si(OCOCH 3 ) 3 , CH 3 (CH 2 ) 6 Si(OCOCH 3 ) 3 , CH 3 (CH 2 ) 5 Si(OCOCH 3 ) 3 , CH 3 (CH 2 ) 4 Si(OCOCH 3 ) 3 , CH 3 (CH 2 ) 3 Si(OCOCH 3 ) 3 , CH 3 (CH 2 ) 2 Si(OCOCH 3 ) 3 , CH 3 CH 2 Si(OCOCH 3 ) 3 , (CH 3 CH 2 ) 2 Si(OCOCH 3 ) 2 , (CH 3 CH 2 ) 3 SiOCOCH 3 , CH 3 Si(OCOCH 3 ) 3 , (CH 3 ) 2 Si(OCOCH 3 ) 2 and (CH 3 ) 3 SiOCOCH 3 , isocyanate silanes containing an alkyl group such as CH 3 (CH 2 ) 30 Si(NCO) 3 , CH 3 (CH 2 ) 20 Si(NCO) 3 , CH 3 (CH 2 ) 18 Si(NCO) 3 , CH 3 (CH 2 ) 16 Si(NCO) 3 , CH 3 (CH 2 ) 14 Si(NCO) 3 , CH 3 (CH 2 ) 12 Si(NCO) 3 , CH 3 (CH 2 ) 10 Si (NCO) 3 , CH 3 (CH 2 ) 9 Si(NCO) 3 , CH 3 (CH 2 ) 8 Si(NCO) 3 , CH 3 (CH 2 ) 7 Si(NCO) 3 , CH 3 (CH 2 ) 6 Si(NCO) 3 , CH 3 (CH 2 ) 5 Si(NCO) 3 , CH 3 (CH 2 ) 4 Si(NCO) 3 , CH 3 (CH 2 ) 3 Si(NCO) 3 , CH 3 (CH 2 ) 2 Si(NCO) 3 , CH 3 CH 2 Si(NCO) 3 , (CH 3 CH 2 ) 2 Si(NCO) 2 , (CH 3 CH 2 ) 3 SiNCO, CH 3 Si(NCO) 3 , (CH 3 ) 2 Si(NCO) 2 and (CH 3 ) 3 SiNCO.
[0062] Examples of the silane compound having a fluoroalkyl group can include trichlorosilanes containing a fluoroalkyl group such as CF 3 (CF 2 ) 11 (CH 2 ) 2 SiCl 3 , CF 3 (CF 2 ) 10 (CH 2 ) 2 SiCl 3 , CF 3 (CF 2 ) 9 (CH 2 ) 2 SiCl 3 , CF 3 (CF 2 ) 8 (CH 2 ) 2 SiCl 3 , CF 3 (CF 2 ) 7 (CH 2 ) 2 SiCl 3 , CF 3 (CF 2 ) 6 (CH 2 ) 2 SiCl 3 , CF 3 (CF 2 ) 5 (CH 2 ) 2 SiCl 3 , CF 3 (CF 2 ) 4 (CH 2 ) 2 SiCl 3 , CF 3 (CF 2 ) 3 (CH 2 ) 2 SiCl 3 , CF 3 (CF 2 ) 2 (CH 2 ) 2 SiCl 3 , CF 3 CF 2 (CH 2 ) 2 SiCl 3 and CF 3 (CH 2 ) 2 SiCl 3 , trialkoxysilanes containing a fluoroalkyl group such as CF 3 (CF 2 ) 11 (CH 2 ) 2 Si(OCH 3 ) 3 , CF 3 (CF 2 ) 10 (CH 2 ) 2 Si(OCH 3 ) 3 , CF 3 (CF 2 ) 9 (CH 2 ) 2 Si(OCH 3 ) 3 , CF 3 (CF 2 ) 8 (CH 2 ) 2 Si(OCH 3 ) 3 , CF 3 (CF 2 ) 7 (CH 2 ) 2 Si(OCH 3 ) 3 , CF 3 (CF 2 ) 6 (CH 2 ) 2 Si(OCH 3 ) 3 , CF 3 (CF 2 ) 5 (CH 2 ) 2 Si(OCH 3 ) 3 , CF 3 (CF 2 ) 4 (CH 2 ) 2 Si(OCH 3 ) 3 , CF 3 (CF 2 ) 3 (CH 2 ) 2 Si(OCH 3 ) 3 , CF 3 (CF 2 ) 2 (CH 2 ) 2 Si(OCH 3 ) 3 , CF 3 CF 2 (CH 2 ) 2 Si(OCH 3 ) 3 , CF 3 (CH 2 ) 2 Si(OCH 3 ) 3 , CF 3 (CF 2 ) 11 (CH 2 ) 2 Si(OC 2 H 5 ) 3 , CF 3 (CF 2 ) 10 (CH 2 ) 2 Si(OC 2 H 5 ) 3 , CF 3 (CF 2 ) 9 (CH 2 ) 2 Si(OC 2 H 5 ) 3 , CF 3 (CF 2 ) 8 (CH 2 ) 2 Si(OC 2 H 5 ) 3 , CF 3 (CF 2 ) 7 (CH 2 ) 2 Si(OC 2 H 5 ) 3 , CF 3 (CF 2 ) 6 (CH 2 ) 2 Si(OC 2 H 5 ) 3 , CF 3 (CF 2 ) 5 (CH 2 ) 2 Si(OC 2 H 5 ) 3 , CF 3 (CF 2 ) 4 (CH 2 ) 2 Si(OC 2 H 5 ) 3 , CF 3 (CF 2 ) 3 (CH 2 ) 2 Si(OC 2 H 5 ) 3 , CF 3 (CF 2 ) 2 (CH 2 ) 2 Si(OC 2 H 5 ) 3 , CF 3 CF 2 (CH 2 ) 2 Si(OC 2 H 5 ) 3 and CF 3 (CH 2 ) 2 Si(OC 2 H 5 ) 3 , triacyloxysilanes containing a fluoroalkyl group such as CF 3 (CF 2 ) 11 (CH 2 ) 2 Si(OCOCH 3 ) 3 , CF 3 (CF 2 ) 10 (CH 2 ) 2 Si(OCOCH 3 ) 3 , CF 3 (CF 2 ) 9 (CH 2 ) 2 Si(OCOCH 3 ) 3 , CF 3 (CF 2 ) 8 (CH 2 ) 2 Si(OCOCH 3 ) 3 , CF 3 (CF 2 ) 7 (CH 2 ) 2 Si(OCOCH 3 ) 3 , CF 3 (CF 2 ) 6 (CH 2 ) 2 Si(OCOCH 3 ) 3 , CF 3 (CF 2 ) 5 (CH 2 ) 2 Si(OCOCH 3 ) 3 , CF 3 (CF 2 ) 4 (CH 2 ) 2 Si(OCOCH 3 ) 3 , CF 3 (CF 2 ) 3 (CH 2 ) 2 Si(OCOCH 3 ) 3 , CF 3 (CF 2 ) 2 (CH 2 ) 2 Si(OCOCH 3 ) 3 , CF 3 CF 2 (CH 2 ) 2 Si(OCOCH 3 ) 3 and CF 3 (CH 2 ) 2 Si(OCOCH 3 ) 3 , triisocyanate silanes containing a fluoroalkyl group such as CF 3 (CF 2 ) 11 (CH 2 ) 2 Si(NCO) 3 , CF 3 (CF 2 ) 10 (CH 2 ) 2 Si(NCO) 3 , CF 3 (CF 2 ) 9 (CH 2 ) 2 Si(NCO) 3 , CF 3 (CF 2 ) 8 (CH 2 ) 2 Si(NCO) 3 , CF 3 (CF 2 ) 7 (CH 2 ) 2 Si(NCO) 3 , CF 3 (CF 2 ) 6 (CH 2 ) 2 Si(NCO) 3 , CF 3 (CF 2 ) 5 (CH 2 ) 2 Si(NCO) 3 , CF 3 (CF 2 ) 4 (CH 2 ) 2 Si(NCO) 3 , CF 3 (CF 2 ) 3 (CH 2 ) 2 Si(NCO) 3 , CF 3 (CF 2 ) 2 (CH 2 ) 2 Si(NCO) 3 , CF 3 CF 2 (CH 2 ) 2 Si(NCO) 3 and CF 3 (CH 2 ) 2 Si(NCO) 3 .
[0063] Among these, a trialkoxysilane containing a fluoroalkyl group, particularly a fluoroalkyl-trimethoxysilane or a fluoroalkyltriethoxysilane, which has 13 to 22 fluorine atoms is preferably used.
[0064] By coating the surface of the flat portion of the substrate of the present invention using the compound illustrated herein alone or in combination with a different substance, a biological substance will be difficult to attach to the flat portion, whereby contamination of a sample of a biological substance into an adjacent recess is not likely to occur even if the recesses are located close to each other.
[0065] The substrate of the present invention has recesses on the surface thereof in advance, which is different from the substrates disclosed in the foregoing JP-T-9-500568, JP-A-2002-131327, JP-A-2002-307801, JP-A-2002-283530 and JP-A-2003-121442, etc. This recess particularly has a function of retaining liquid. This function of retaining liquid can be evaluated by the contact angle of a liquid on the surface of a solid substrate. The contact angle θ is defined as the angle between the surface of a solid substrate 12 and the tangent line at the point of contact of a liquid droplet 100 with the surface of the substrate as shown in FIG. 3 .
[0066] In the present invention, the difference in the contact angles for the recess and for the flat portion is made 20 degree or bigger, a substrate for a biochip with excellent quantitativity and reproducibility and with binding sites in a high density can be provided. On the surface of a flat substrate without recesses, a bigger difference in the contact angles is required. Therefore, according to the present invention, the range of choosing a coating material is expanded. The difference in the contact angles is made preferably 50 degree or bigger, more preferably 80 degree or bigger. In this way, a substrate with further more excellent selectivity can be provided.
[0067] Incidentally, the maximum contact angle is 180 degree. In this case, a liquid does not wet a substrate at all, and is a droplet in a spherical shape. For the substrate of the present invention, an ideal contact angle on the flat portion which has been given water repellency is 180 degree.
[0068] The substrate of the present invention is characterized by having regularly arranged recesses. The shape, height and width of the recess and the density of the recesses may take any suitable form according to a biochip for which the substrate of the present invention is used. Examples of the shape of the recess can include sphere, cone, triangular pyramid, square pyramid, ditch, cylinder, line, Y-branch line and the like.
[0069] In the case where the arranged recesses are in a shape of sphere, cone, triangular pyramid, square pyramid, ditch, cylinder or the like, the number of recesses per 1 cm 2 is set to 4 or more, preferably 100 or more, more preferably 10,000 or more. In addition, in the case of linear recesses, the width of the line is set to 3,000 μm or less, preferably 10 μm or less. In this way, a substrate for a biochip with a structure of fine patterns in a high density can be obtained.
[0070] Subsequently, a method of producing the substrate for a biochip of the present invention will be described. Basically, recesses on the surface of the substrate are processed in advance, and then coating films are formed of a material with a desired adhesiveness on the recesses and the flat portion, respectively.
[0071] As the method of producing a substrate having regularly arranged recesses, a method of forming a mask pattern by photolithography, electron lithography, proton lithography, X-ray lithography or the like in combination with forming recesses by the laser abrasion method, wet etching method or the like can be exemplified.
[0072] As the method of forming a coating film on the surface of the substrate, a wet method or a dry method (vacuum method) can be exemplified.
[0073] Examples of the wet method can include the spin coating method, dip coating method, spray coating method, flow coating method, meniscus coating method, gravure printing method, flexographic printing method, nanoimprinting method, soft lithography method, microcontact printing method and the like. In particular, the soft lithography method is a convenient and low-cost method as a means for selectively allowing a solution to adhere to the flat portion of the surface of the substrate having recesses.
[0074] Examples of the dry method (vacuum method) can include the vapor deposition method, sputtering method, ion beam method, CVD method, MOCVD method and the like. By combining these methods, a coating film of a specified material can be formed in a specified portion on the surface of the substrate.
[0075] Hereunder, specific Examples will be described.
EXAMPLE 1
[0076] On a silica glass substrate (with a thickness of 2 mm and dimensions of 50 mm×50 mm), a Cr film was formed by the sputtering method, and further photoresist was applied thereto by the spin coating method. Then, the photoresist film was exposed to light in a pattern in which 50 openings were regularly arranged vertically and horizontally and a total of 2,500 openings were arranged in a grid, and the exposed portion of the photoresist was developed and removed. Then, by using the photoresist film as a mask, the Cr film was etched, whereby openings were formed.
[0077] This Cr film-coated glass substrate with photoresist was washed with ultrapure water (specific resistance value: 18 MΩ·cm), and then etching was carried out with 49% hydrofluoric acid, whereby recesses in a spherical shape were formed. Thereafter, the substrate was washed with ultrapure water, and then the photoresist film was removed with an aqueous solution of NaOH.
[0078] In this state, glass of the substrate was exposed on the surface of the recesses, and the flat portion was coated with the Cr film. On the entire surface of the substrate in this state, an Au film was formed by the sputtering method. Then, the Cr mask was stripped off with an aqueous solution of diammonium cerium nitrate, whereby a substrate having an Au film only in the spherical recesses was obtained.
[0079] Then, on the flat portion, a water-repellent layer was formed by the soft lithography method as shown in the following.
[0080] Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) in the shape of a plate with a flat surface and a thickness of about 1 mm was used as a stamper. An alcohol solution of a fluoroalkylsilane hydrolyzed with an acid catalyst and water was added to a container in the shape of a flat dish, and one surface of the stamper was brought into contact with this solution. Then, the stamper was brought into contact with the surface of the foregoing substrate, whereby the solution on the surface of the stamper was transferred on the surface of the substrate. Subsequently, the substrate was dried at room temperature for 24 hours.
[0081] When the contact angle of water on the surface of this substrate was measured, it was 110 degree with regard to the surface of the flat portion (Biochip substrate A).
[0082] Subsequently, in order to immobilize DNA in the recess of the Biochip substrate A, treatments were carried out by processes as shown in FIG. 4 .
[0083] Firstly, the Biochip substrate A was dipped for 30 minutes in 3 ml of an aqueous solution of 3,3′-dithiodipropionic acid at a concentration of 1 mM. By doing this, a carboxyl group is introduced on the surface of the Au film ((b) of FIG. 4 ).
[0084] Then, the substrate was dipped in a mixed aqueous solution of N-hydroxysuccinimide and 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl) at a concentration of 100 mg/ml, whereby the carboxyl group on the surface of the substrate was reacted with the solution for 30 minutes, and then the substrate was dried. By doing this, an active ester group is introduced on the surface of the Au film ((c) of FIG. 4 ).
[0085] Then, avidin was prepared at a concentration of 0.2 mg/ml with a buffer (pH=8.0, 10 ml of Tris-HCl, 0.2 mol of sodium chloride). In 1 ml of the obtained solution, the substrate was dipped for 1 hour. The substrate was dipped in 1 ml of 1 M ethanol amine aqueous solution for 30 minutes, whereby an unreacted carboxyl group was inactivated. In this way, the Au film in the recess was modified with avidin through a thioether bond ((d) of FIG. 4 , Biochip substrate B). This Biochip substrate B is a substrate for a biochip of the present invention with a linker for immobilizing DNA.
[0086] By treating this Biochip substrate B as follows, DNA can be immobilized only on the recess of the substrate. Biotinylated DNA was prepared at a concentration of 1 μM with a buffer (pH=8.0, 10 ml of Tris-HCl, 0.2 mol of sodium chloride). In 1 ml of the obtained solution, the Biochip substrate B was dipped at 25° C. for 30 minutes, whereby Biochip substrate C on which biotin-modified DNA was immobilized using avidin as a linker was obtained ((e) of FIG. 4 ).
[0087] Subsequently, in order to perform observation by enhancing fluorescence intensity, as shown in FIG. 5 , DNAs are bound to each other. In 1 ml of a solution in which DNA modified with FITC was diluted with a buffer (pH=7.9, 10 ml of Tris-HCl, 0.2 mol of sodium chloride), the Biochip substrate C was dipped at 60° C. for 30 minutes, whereby DNAs were bound to each other ((b) of FIG. 5 ). By observing the fluorescence of the bound DNAs with a fluorescence microscope (excitation light at 450 to 490 nm, light absorption at 515 to 565 nm), it was confirmed that DNA was immobilized on the recess of the substrate.
EXAMPLE 2
[0088] In this Example, an alkanethiol was selectively introduced only on the Au film in the recesses of Biochip substrate A produced in the same manner as in Example 1.
[0089] An ethanol solution of eicosanethiol [CH 3 (CH 2 ) 19 SH] (3%) (weight/volume) was prepared. Then, the Biochip substrate A was dipped in this solution and left at room temperature for 3 hours. An alkanethiol did not attach to the water-repellent flat portion, and a film was formed only on the Au film having a high reactivity with a thiol group. Thereafter, by performing the same treatments as in Example 1, a substrate for a biochip on which a linker has been introduced through a thioether bond can be obtained.
EXAMPLE 3
[0090] In this Example, an alkanethiol containing a hydroxyl group was selectively introduced only on the Au film in the recesses of Biochip substrate A produced in the same manner as in Example 1.
[0091] An ethanol solution of 11-mercapto-1-undecanol [HO(CH 2 ) 11 SH] (3%) (weight/volume) was prepared. Then, the Biochip substrate A was dipped in this solution and left at room temperature for 3 hours. 11-mercapto-1-undecanol did not attach to the water-repellent flat portion, and a film was formed only on the Au film having a high reactivity with a thiol group. Thereafter, by performing the same treatments as in Example 1, a substrate for a biochip on which a linker has been introduced through a thioether bond can be obtained.
EXAMPLE 4
[0092] In this Example, an alkanethiol containing a carboxyl group was selectively introduced only on the Au film in the recesses of Biochip substrate A produced in the same manner as in Example 1.
[0093] An ethanol solution of 16-mercaptohexadecanoic acid [HOOC(CH 2 ) 15 SH] (3%) (weight/volume) was prepared. Then, the Biochip substrate A was dipped in this solution and left at room temperature for 3 hours. 16-mercaptohexadecanoic acid did not attach to the water-repellent flat portion, and a film was formed only on the Au film having a high reactivity with a thiol group. Thereafter, by performing the same treatments as in Example 1, a substrate for a biochip on which a linker has been introduced through a thioether bond can be obtained.
EXAMPLE 5
[0094] In this Example, an alkanethiol containing an amino group was selectively introduced only on the Au film in the recesses of Biochip substrate A produced in the same manner as in Example 1.
[0095] An ethanol solution of 11-amino-1-undecanethiol [H 2 N(CH 2 ) 11 SH] (3%) (weight/volume) was prepared. Then, the Biochip substrate A was dipped in this solution and left at room temperature for 3 hours. 11-amino-1-undecanethiol did not attach to the water-repellent flat portion, and a film was formed only on the Au film having a high reactivity with a thiol group. Thereafter, by performing the same treatments as in Example 1, a substrate for a biochip on which a linker has been introduced through a thioether bond can be obtained.
EXAMPLE 6
[0096] On a silica glass substrate (with a thickness of 2 mm and dimensions of 50 mm×50 mm), a Cr film was formed by the sputtering method, and further photoresist was applied thereto by the spin coating method. Then, the photoresist film was exposed to light in a pattern in which 50 openings were arranged vertically and horizontally and a total of 2,500 openings were arranged in a grid, and the exposed portion of the photoresist was developed and removed. Then, by using the photoresist film as a mask, the Cr film was etched, whereby openings were formed.
[0097] This Cr film-coated glass substrate with photoresist was washed with ultrapure water (specific resistance value: 18 MΩ·cm), and then etching was carried out with 49% hydrofluoric acid, whereby recesses in a spherical shape were formed. Thereafter, the substrate was washed with ultrapure water, and then the photoresist film was removed with an aqueous solution of NaOH. Further, by using an aqueous solution of diammonium cerium nitrate, the Cr mask was stripped off.
[0098] Then, on the flat portion, a water-repellent layer was formed by the soft lithography method as shown in the following.
[0099] Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) in the shape of a plate with a flat surface and a thickness of about 1 mm was used as a stamper. An alcohol solution of a fluoroalkylsilane hydrolyzed with an acid catalyst and water was added to a container in the shape of a flat dish, and one surface of the stamper was brought into contact with this solution. Then, the stamper was brought into contact with the surface of the foregoing substrate, whereby the solution on the surface of the stamper was transferred on the surface of the substrate. Subsequently, the substrate was dried at room temperature for 24 hours.
[0100] When the contact angle of water on the surface of this substrate was measured, it was 110 degree with regard to the surface of the flat portion.
[0101] Subsequently, a portion corresponding to the flat portion of this glass substrate was shielded, and a mask made of glass having openings only at the sites corresponding to the recesses was prepared. The positions of the openings of this mask and the recesses of the substrate were fitted and attached together. Then, an Ag film was formed only in the recesses by the sputtering method. By using this substrate instead of the Biochip substrate A in Example 1, a thiol compound was formed into a film selectively only on the Ag film in the recesses. Thereafter, by performing the same treatments as in Example 1, a substrate for a biochip on which a linker has been introduced through a thioether bond can be obtained.
EXAMPLE 7
[0102] A substrate for a biochip in which a thiol compound was formed into a film selectively only on the Cu film in the recesses was obtained in the same manner as in Example 6 except for forming a Cu film instead of an Ag film.
EXAMPLE 8
[0103] A substrate for a biochip in which a thiol compound was formed into a film selectively only on the Pd film in the recesses was obtained in the same manner as in Example 6 except for forming a Pd film instead of an Ag film.
[0104] In a substrate for a biochip of the present invention, a small amount of a specific substance can be stably attached or retained in a recess, and contamination into an adjacent recess can be prevented. In addition, the variation in the amount of the attached substance can be reduced, and the repetitive reproducibility can be improved, thus a substrate for a biochip having an excellent function of attachment or retention can be provided.
[0105] The entire disclosure of each and every foreign patent application from which the benefit of foreign priority has been claimed in the present application is incorporated herein by reference, as if fully set forth.
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A substrate having a plurality of recesses, wherein each of the plurality of recesses has a surface, wherein at least part of the surface is coated with a metal film comprising at least one element selected from Au, Ag, Cu and Pd. A biochip substrate comprising: a substrate having at least one recess; and a metal film formed on the at least one recess, wherein the metal film comprises at least one element selected from Au, Ag, Cu and Pd.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is related to a control device for refrigerating equipment which is capable of automatically regulating the optimal operating conditions of the equipment.
To maintain the temperature of a refrigerated space and its low-temperature compartments within present limits, suitable thermostatic control devices are normally employed. These are primarily temperature sensors placed in contact with the evaporator or inside the refrigerated space and/or in the low-temperature compartments, and the regulator units associated with the sensors which are connected to the electrical circuitry of the refrigerating equipment's motor-driven compressor so as to be able to start and stop the motor-driven compressor depending upon the temperature reading of the sensors.
To eliminate the frost which accumulates during the operation of the evaporator following the condensation of the moisture present in the refrigerated space, the refrigerating equipment undergoes periodic defrosting cycles. These cycles are induced by stopping the compressor for periods of time which are sufficient to elevate the temperature in the evaporator, or through the use of a suitable heating element placed in contact with the external surface of the evaporator and connected to its electrical circuitry.
For this purpose, the thermostatic control device can be implemented so that the motor-driven compressor is stopped when the defrosting begins and the above-mentioned heating element is activated if so desired, and the operation is then reversed upon completion of the defrosting.
The thermostatic control devices currently in use are of the electrical or electro-mechanical type and are able to time, perhaps in combination with a more common timing device, semi-automatic or automatic defrosting cycles in the refrigerating equipment.
With a semi-automatic control device, the temperature of the refrigerated space can be varied within a manually predetermined range by manually presetting the control device in different regulative positions.
The defrosting cycle is then initiated by means of the manual operation of a specific momentary electrical switch which is associated with the control device and which is connected into the compressor's electric circuit, and is terminated automatically once the evaporator-determined temperature has been reached. In this circumstance, each defrosting cycle occurs after a relatively long period of time with respect to the previous defrosting cycle and can be initiated intermittently when the user so desires.
Moreover, during this cycle, the compressor is interlocked with the thermostatic control device and thereby maintains the refrigerated space at the selected temperature.
As a result, the air in the refrigerated space is constantly dehumidified, since the moisture is condensed on the surface of the evaporator which is constantly at below freezing temperatures even when the compressor is at rest. Therefore, this air has a notably reduced level of humidity, thus allowing the food to reach a higher level of dehydration.
With an automatic control device, regulation of the temperature in the refrigerated space is carried out in the above-described manner, while the defrosting cycle occurs differently.
In fact, every control device of this type is implemented in such a way as to automatically initiate the defrosting cycle after every start and stop operation of the compressor and to terminate the cycle upon reaching a predetermined temperature.
Thus, in comparison with the semi-automatic device, several defrosting cycles are carried out during the same amount of time. Consequently, the air in the refrigerated space is dehumidified less because the surface temperature of the evaporator is greater than 0 degrees C during each of the compressor's shut-off periods, thus causing the moisture which had condensed on the evaporator to return in part to the surrounding air.
This air then reaches a high level of humidity, thus lowering the level of dehydration in the food. However, the control devices in question, though allowing sufficient regulation of the temperature in the refrigerated space, don't allow the satisfactory indirect regulation of humidity in the same space to within determined limits as would be desired to assure optimal food-storage conditions in the refrigerated space.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is intended to overcome the inconveniences and the limitations of the above-described control devices by assuring the optimal operational conditions of refrigerating equipment as they relate to the temperature and humidity level of the refrigerated space.
In essence, the present invention is based on the use of more suitable devices for regulating the temperature and humidity in the refrigerated space. These devices are manually selectable and act on the compressor and, if necessary, on the heating elements used for defrosting so as to adequately control both the number of starts and stops of the compressor and the defrosting of the evaporator so as to reach the preset temperature and to vary the level of humidity in the refrigerated space. In this way, the refrigerating equipment is made to function under conditions intermediate to those obtainable through use of the above-described automatic and semi-automatic control devices through the use of a control device which is able to link the functional characteristics of both.
These and other purposes are achieved through use of this control device and refrigeration equipment which has at least a compressor and a defrostable evaporator in the refrigerated space. This control device is made up of manual or sensor operated components to regulate the temperature of the refrigerated space. These components are also able to read the temperature of the refrigerated space and/or of the evaporator. The control device is characterized by its basic control components which act to govern the compressor according to the temperature which has been selected by means of the above-described manual or sensory components, and by its humidity control components which determine the variable levels of humidity inside the refrigerated space. It is also characterized by secondary control components which initiate and terminate the defrosting cycles of the evaporator depending upon the level of humidity in the refrigerated space as selected by the above-said regulative components, and obtained after a predetermined number of compressor cycles.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The characteristics and the advantages of this invention will become evident with the following illustrative, non-limiting description which refers to attached FIGS. 1, 2, 3 and 4 which show a control device in accordance with the present invention implemented in four different ways, and to FIG. 5 which is a functional diagram of a work cycle effected in accordance with the present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
In order to achieve optimal conditions in the refrigerated space of refrigerating equipment, particularly refrigerators (whose average temperature must be maintained within predetermined limits in order to briefly conserve foods therein in good condition and so as to not lose their natural flavor), it is also necessary to be able to adequately regulate, within the level of humidity of the refrigerated space itself.
This control device acts to regulate both the temperature and the variable level of humidity in the refrigerated space.
The regulation is achieved through use of a electronic control device which is represented schematically by a series of functional blocks.
In reference FIG. 1, the setting device is essentially composed of two manually operated control devices, 6 and 7, which are placed in the refrigerated space of the refrigerating equipment in order to obtain a predetermined temperature and a variable level of humidity by a sequence of operations which will be described later. It is also made up of at least one conventional compressor 8, electrically startable and stoppable by ordinary means. Setting devices 6 and 7 each consist of a continuously adjustable potentiometer or other similar device, linked to a graduated manually-operated knob placed in a predetermined control position.
In this way, by placing the knob of each potentiometer in its relative control position, corresponding output voltages V A and V B of proportional size are obtained. The output voltage V A is then applied to input 9 of a conventional controlled voltage generator 10, which then furnishes an output voltage V C to input 11 of a first comparator 12, this condition occurring when no voltage is applied to the other input 13 of generator 10.
This control device also includes a conventional temperature sensor element 14, placed in contact with the external surface of the evaporator in the refrigerated space so as to register the temperature of the surface. This sensor generates an output voltage V D which corresponds to the temperature level measured on the evaporator surface and applies that output voltage to an input 15 of comparator 12.
Comparator 12 also has an output 16 connected to compressor 8 and to a conventional counter 17 which is able to progressively count and store the number of cycles carried out by the compressor.
In this way, the above-described V C and V D voltages are compared with each other in comparator 12 which, depending on the outcome of the comparison, operates compressor 8 and counter 17 by the following sequence of operations.
In addition, this control device includes a second comparator 18, which has two inputs, 19 and 20, which are connected respectively to counter 17 through a digital to analog converter 21 and to the manually operated setting device 7. This comparator also has an output 22 connected to the controlled voltage generator 10. Where the defrosting of the evaporator is carried out by at least one suitable heating element 23 of a conventional type in combination with said evaporator, output 22 is also connected to that element.
In this way, the output voltage V B produced by the manually operated setting device 7, depending on the control position of the relevant knob, and corresponding to both the number of on-off work cycles to be performed by the compressor 8 between evaporator defrost operations and also the humidity level to be obtained into the refrigerated space of the refrigeration equipment, is applied to the input 20 of the comparator 18 in order to be compared therein with the output voltage V E .
This latter is produced by the digital-to-analog converter 21 depending on the number of on-off work-cycles performed by the compressor 8 between evaporator defrost operations and counted by the counter 17, said voltage V E being then applied to the input 19 of the comparator 18.
Furthermore, output 22 of comparator 18 is connected to the first input 24 of a conventional logic reset circuit 25, which has a second input 26 connected to output 16 of the first comparator 12. Said logic reset circuit 25 also has an output 27 connected to counter 17.
The purpose of logic reset circuit 25 is to reset counter 17 by the sequence of operations which will be described below so as to prepare it to continue counting the number of cycles performed by compressor 8.
The above noted control device functions as follows: after the food has been placed into the appropriate space in the refrigerating equipment, manually operated setting devices 6 and 7 are placed in their respective control positions, which are intended to directly produce predetermined temperature and indirectly produce a level of humidity close to that set in advance. Consequently, the aforementioned V C and V B voltages are respectively applied to input 11 of the first comparator 12 and to input 20 of the second comparator 18.
Setting device 6 and sensor 14 are arranged so that the corresponding V C and V D output voltage have the same order of magnitude so that they can subsequently undergo comparison in comparator 12.
More particularly, because the control position of setting device 6 is fixed, the corresponding V C output voltage remains at a constant level. On the other hand, because sensor 14 detects the continually variable evaporator surface temperature, the level of the corresponding V D output voltage is variable. Therefore, comparator 12 continually compares the level of the V C and V D output voltages, so as to verify a V C >V D condition, with its output 16 assuming a first logic state which causes the engagement of compressor 8.
Consequently, the temperature of the evaporator and therefore the temperature of the refrigerated space gradually decreases until, upon reaching the temperature which was preset on the setting device 6, the V C and V D voltages become equal. At that point, output 16 of the comparator 12 assumes a second logic state which causes the stopping of the compressor 8 and sends an impulse to the counter 17 which then counts and stores the cycle executed by the compressor.
It is this succession of engaging and disengaging the compressor 8, controlled by the comparator 12, which maintains the temperature of the refrigerated space within the upper and lower preset limits.
Meanwhile, the counter 17 progressively monitors the number of compressor 8 cycles, storing and outputting the respective count results as corresponding logic output states which are expressed in digital form.
The counter 17 output is connected to the digital-to-analog converter 21, which transforms logic signal generated by the counter 17 into corresonding analog signals which are represented, for example, in the form of an output voltage V E which is subsequently applied to input 19 of the second comparator 18.
In this case, the setting device 7 as well as the counter 17 and the D/A converter 21 are arranged so that the specified output voltages, V B and V E , are of the same order of magnitude so that they can subsequently undergo comparison in the comparator 18.
Because the control position of the setting device 7 is fixed, the corresponding output voltage V B remains at a constant level. On the other hand, because the counter 17 detects a continually variable number of compressor 8 work cycles, the corresponding output voltage V E is of a variable level.
Thus, the comparator 18 continually compares the voltage levels of output V B and V E and, as long as V B is greater than V E , its output 22 assumes a first logic state which maintains the heating element 23 in its off state and the controlled voltage generator 10 in an unchanged condition.
In this case, the compressor 8 has not yet performed the number of work cycles determined by the control position of the setting means 7 and hence, the refrigerated space has not yet achieved the required level of humidity, so that the compressor 8 is still controlled by the comparator 12 by the sequence of operations described above and the counter 17 continues to count the work cycles of the compressor.
Nevertheless, as soon as voltage V B becomes equal to voltage V E so that the humidity of the refrigerated space is near the required level as caused by the operation of the compressor 8 for a number of work cycles which have been predetermined by the position of setting device 7, output 22 of the comparator 18 assumes a second logic state. The compressor 8 is then stopped and the defrosting of the evaporator begins. The heating element 23 would be operated at this point. Then, input 24 of logic circuit 25 assumes the same logic state as that of output 22. The logic circuit 25 is programmed to reset the counter 17. This cannot be immediately accomplished, however, since the other input 26 of said logic circuit is in a different logic state.
At the same time, voltage V B is being applied to input 13 of the controlled voltage generator 10, which then produces a corresponding output voltage V F which is applied to input 11 of the comparator 12 in exchange for the previous output voltage V C .
In this condition, a gradual temperature increase occurs in the evaporator and sensor 14 generates an output voltage V' D which is different from the previous one, which is then applied to input 15 of the comparator 12.
In turn, the comparator 12 is programmed to determine a new condition of equilibrium between the output voltages V F and V' D when the sensor 14 detects an evaporator temperature of more than 5° C., for example, or in other words when the evaporator has been adequately defrosted.
Moreover, until V F becomes greater then V' D , output 16 of the comparator 12 assumes a first logic state which stops the compressor 8 and keeps it that way.
That means that the compressor 8 is stopped as soon as the defrosting begins and a different equilibrium is determined for the comparator 12 with the operating sequence specified above. The temperature of the evaporator then increases progressively and as soon as V F =V' D , output 16 of the comparator 12 assumes a second logic state which starts the compressor 8 and thus terminates the defrosting of the evaporator.
At the same time, input 26 of the logic circuit 25 assumes the same logic state as output 16. Thus, both inputs of the logic circuit 25 are in the logic state necessary to reset the counter 17. This causes a different output voltage V E to be applied to the comparator 18, so that output 22 again assumes its first logic state and consequently the heating element 23 is turned off.
At the same time, the reference voltage V R , which is applied to input 13 of the controlled voltage generator 10 is removed.
The respective output voltages, V C and V D , are then applied to inputs 11 and 15 of the comparator 12, and the control device is programmed to carry out a new functional cycle according to the operating sequence already described above.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the control device implemented in a second way.
This control device is analagous to the one in FIG. 1 and is fabricated essentially of the same circuit components. Therefore, such corresponding components are referred to by the same numerical designation in both drawing figures.
In FIG. 2, the evaporator temperature sensor 14 is no longer connected to the comparator 12 as in FIG. 1, but is connected instead to input 28 of still another comparator 29, which has a second input 30 which is connected to a reference voltage generator 31 and input 32 connected to the first input 33 of a conventional logic circuit 34. Logic circuit 34 has two more inputs 35 and 36 which are respectively connected to ouput 22 of comparator 18 and to output 16 of the comparator 12. In addition, logic circuit 34 has an output 37 connected to the counter 17 and the compressor 8.
The control device of FIG. 2 also has a second conventional temperature sensor 38, placed in the space of the equipment used to regulate the temperature. The sensor 38 generates a corresponding output voltage V G which is applied to input 15 of the comparator 12. In this way, the setting device 6 is programmed to control the temperature of the space and to generate a corresponding output voltage V H which is applied to the other input 11 of comparator 12.
In turn, the sensor 14 generates an output voltage V D , corresponding to the temperature detected on the evaporator, which is applied to input 28 of the comparator 29, which continually compares it to the fixed reference voltage V R from generator 31, a voltage which corresponds to a temperature of over 5° C., for example, on the evaporator and therefore to the final defrosting condition of the evaporator itself.
Then, depending on the comparison by comparator 12 between output voltages V G and V H , circuit 34 governs the compressor 8 and the counter 17 with the same previously described operating sequence, in accordance with the conditions of allowability at inputs 33 and 35.
The inputs 33 and 35 are initially in a certain logic state which allows the logic circuit 34 to control the operation of the compressor 8 and the counter 17.
Consequently, when the refrigerated space reaches a required level of humidity, the compressor 8 is stopped and the defrosting is begun, with the possible operation of the heating element 23 in the same way described above.
In addition, the logic state of both inputs 24 and 26 of reset logic circuit 25 and the inputs 33 and 35 of logic circuit 34 is varied so as to respectively perform the resetting of the counter 17 and the switching of logic circuit 34 to a different state in which it is no longer able to control the compressor 8 and the counter 17, but instead is operatively connected to and controlled by comparator 29.
In this way, comparator 29 is programmed to compare the output voltages V D and V R .
When V R is greater than V D , output 32 of comparator 29 and therefore input 33 of logic circuit 34 assumes a first logic state, which is different from the logic state at the other input 35 of the logic circuit 34.
Consequently, logic circuit 34 remains in an unchanged condition.
Since the defrosting of the evaporator is ongoing, the evaporator temperature is progressively rising and so is the output voltage V D produced by sensor 14. As soon as V R is equal to V D , output 32 of comparator 29 and input 33 of logic circuit 34 assume a second logic state, which is equal to the logic state of the other input 35 of the logic circuit 34.
Consequently, the logic circuit 34 is switched into the previous logic state, in which it is again able to control the compressor 8 and the counter 17. In the meantime, since the temperature has risen in the refrigerated space, sensor 38 detects that this temperature is greater than the one selected and produces an output voltage V G which is greater than the output voltage V H of potentiometer 6.
Under these conditions, the compressor 8 is again started by the steps outlined in FIG. 1, thus ending the defrosting cycle.
Output 22 of comparator 18 assumes another logic state, thus turning off the optional heating element 23 and programming the control device to carry out a new work cycle.
In FIGS. 3 and 4, the control device is schematically shown in two further modes of implementation in which a microprocessing electronic circuit is used.
In FIG. 3, the control device includes a microprocessor 39 connected to two pushbuttons 6 and 7, the compressor 8, the optional heating element 23 and the temperature-detecting sensor14 of the evaporator which was described previously. The microprocessor 39 includes comparators 12 and 18 and the above-described counter 17, as well as an additional comparator 40.
In this case, pushbutton 6 is connected to input 11 of comparator 12 through a conventional register 41 in which the different presettings selected through pushbutton 6 are progressively counted and stored. Comparator 12 also has a second input 15 connected to sensor 14 as before, plus two outputs, 42 and 43, connected respectively to input 19 of comparator 18 through the counter 17, and to the compressor 8 through a conventional interface 44.
Output 42 is activated when V D is greater than V C and output 43 is activated when V D is less than V C .
In turn, the other input 20 of comparator 18 is connected to pushbutton 7 through a conventional register 45, in which the different presettings selected through pushbutton 7 are progressively counted and stored.
In addition, comparator 18 has two outputs, 46 and 47. Output 46 is connected to the optional heating element 23 through a conventional interface 48. Output 47 is connected to the compressor 8 througn said interface 44.
Output 46 is activated when V B is equal to V E . Output 47 is activated when V B is greater than V E .
Output 46 of comparator 18 is also connected to input 49 of comparator 40, which also has two inputs, 50 and 51. Input 50 is connected to a reference voltage generator 52. Input 51 is connected to input 15 of comparator 12, which also has an output 53 connected to counter 17.
In this way, the output voltage V R produced by the generator 52 of the same fixed value previously described, is applied to input 50, and the output voltage V D produced by the aforementioned sensor 14 is applied to input 51. Comparator 40 compares voltages V R and V D and, when the temperature of the evaporator as detected by sensor 14 exceeds 5° C., for example, the comparator 40 output 53 then resets counter 17.
This control device thus operates in the same fashion as the device shown in FIG. 1.
In this case then, until V D is less than V C , output 42 of comparator 12 remains activated and the compressor 8 continues to operate, producing a gradual decrease in the evaporator temperature.
Nevertheless, as soon as V D is equal to V C , output 42 is deactivated and output 43 of comparator 12 is activated, causing the compressor 8 to cease functioning through the operation of interface 44. Consequently, the counter 17 detects the succession of work cycles carried out by the compressor 8.
Therefore, until V B is greater than V E , output 47 of comparator 18 is activated, which allows the compressor 8 to be operated.
Nevertheless, as soon as V B and V E are equal, ouput 47 is deactivated and output 46 of comparator 18 is activated.
As a result, the defrosting of the evaporator begins and, if so designed, the heating element 23 is operated through interface 48. Meanwhile, the compressor 8 remains off during the entire defrosting period. Likewise, input 49 of comparator 40 assumes the same level as output 46 of comparator 18, enabling comparator 40 to activate output 53. This condition will not be arrived at until the evaporator temperature is less than 5° C., for example.
Nevertheless, as soon as the temperature is higher than 5° C., for example, said output 53 is activated, which causes the counter 17 to be reset.
The optional heating element 23 is also shut off and the compressor 8 started through interface 44, thus ending the defrosting of the evaporator and another work cycle is begun.
In FIG. 4, the control device includes a microprocessor 39 connected to the same components as in FIG. 3, but with an additional sensor 54 placed in the refrigerated space to detect the temperature therein.
The microprocessor 39 of FIG. 4 includes the same components as the one in FIG. 3; however, in FIG. 4, input 15 of comparator 12 is connected to sensor 54, while input 51 of comparator 40 is connected to sensor 14.
The control device of FIG. 4 operates in the same way as the device in FIG. 3.
In FIG. 5 a diagram of the work cycle of the control device is shown. In the diagram, note that the temperature variations of the refrigerated space are represented in connection with the work times T of the compressor. During the period in which the compressor is started and stopped through the sequence of operations described above (a period defined by positions A and B), the temperature of the evaporator stays above 0° C., varying within present maximum and minimum limits. Consequently, the average temperature of the refrigerated space also reaches a predetermined level.
As soon as the compressor has completed the number of selected preset cycles, corresponding to the required level of humidity (position B), the compressor is stopped and the defrosting of the evaporator is begun according to the operating sequence described above, causing a gradual rise in the evaporator temperature.
Then, once the evaporator reaches a temperature of 5° C. corresponding to the completed defrosting cycle (position C), the compressor is again started.
Subsequently, the work cycle continues according to the same operating sequence.
It is evident, then, that this control device permits optimal conditions in refrigerating equipment both through the direct regulation of the temperature in the refrigerated space and by controlling the number of work cycles of the compressor, indirect regulation of the level of humidity to be maintained in the refrigerated space.
This means that foods can be satisfactorily conserved without deteriorating or losing their natural flavor. Likewise, the control device permits dependable control over the compressor, allowing working conditions which are a compromise between those obtainable through previously used automatic or semi-automatic control devices.
Naturally, the device can be implemented in different ways, by using electro-mechanical devices such as timers, for example, which can possibly be combined with electronic devices of the type already specified.
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A control device for refrigerating equipment endowed with devices to regulate the temperature and the level of humidity in the refrigerated space utilizing temperature sensors located in the refrigerated space and/or in an evaporator and having at least one compressor.
The control device includes the basic control components for starting and stopping the compressor depending upon the temperature selected by manual control devices and upon the temperature measured by the above-mentioned sensors. It also includes a secondary control unit which is able to start and stop the defrosting of the evaporator depending upon the level of humidity selected by the above-mentioned manual control devices and obtained after a predetermined number of work cycles by the compressor. The control device in accordance with the present invention allows the optimization of the conditions of food conservation in refrigeration equipment, and further enables an increased efficiency and lowered energy consumption of the equipment.
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This is a §371 national stage application of PCT/US94/02547 filed internationally on Mar. 14, 1994, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 08/064,610, filed May 19, 1993, now abandoned.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to antibiotics, and particularly relates (1) to an intermediate per se, useful for making the known antibiotic azithromycin, (2) to a process for making azithromycin with the intermediate, and (3) to processes for making the intermediate.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Erythromycin is an antibiotic formed during the culturing of a strain of Streptomyces erythreus in a suitable medium as taught in U.S. Pat. No. 2,653,899. Erythromycin, which is produced in two forms, A and B, is represented by the following structure (I):
______________________________________ ##STR1## (I)ERYTHROMYCINErythromycin R______________________________________A OHB H______________________________________
The structure reveals that the antibiotic is comprised of three main portions: a sugar fragment known as cladinose, a second sugar moiety containing a basic amino substituent known as desosamine and a fourteen membered lactone ring referred to as erythronolide A or B or as the macrolide ring.
Azithromycin is the U.S.A.N. (generic name) for 9a-aza-9a-methyl-9-deoxo-9a-homoerythromycin A, a broad spectrum antibacterial compound derived from erythromycin A. Azithromycin was independently discovered by Bright, U.S. Pat. No. 4,474,768 and Kobrehel et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,517,359, and was named N-methyl-11-aza-10-deoxo-10-dihydro-erythromycin A in these patents. It has the following structure (II) wherein the numbering system conventionally employed is shown: ##STR2## The above patents also disclose that (II) and certain derivatives thereof possess antibacterial properties.
In particular, the procedure for making azithromycin from erythromycin A involves relatively strong reaction conditions as described, for example, in Djokic et al., J. Chem. Soc. Perkin Trans. I, 1881, (1986), wherein the preparation of 10-dihydro-10-deoxo-11-azaerythromycin A from an imino ether precursor was effected by catalytic hydrogenation in acetic acid under 70 atm of H 2 .
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In a first aspect, this invention provides a compound having formula III ##STR3## Compound III, 9-deoxo-11-deoxy-9,11-epoxy-9,9a-didehydro-9a-aza-9a-homoerythromycin A, herein also referred to as a 9,11-imino ether, has utility as an intermediate for making azithromycin, and can be reduced to a direct precursor of azithromycin having formula IV, shown below. The precursor of Formula IV need only be N-methylated (position 9a) to produce azithromycin. Accordingly, in a further aspect, this invention provides a process of making azithromycin, comprising reducing the (9,11-imino ether) compound of formula III to 9a-aza-9-deoxo-9a-homoerythromycin A, a compound having formula IV ##STR4## and thereafter N-methylating the said compound of formula IV.
In a further aspect, this invention provides a process of making an intermediate of formula III, comprising isomerizing a compound of formula V, 9-deoxo-6-deoxy-6,9-epoxy-9,9a-didehydro-9a-aza-homoerythromycin A: ##STR5## in a suitable solvent.
In still a further aspect, this invention provides an additional process of making an intermediate of formula III, comprising treating a compound of formula VI ##STR6## with tosyl chloride and pyridine in diethyl ether at a temperature of less than about 10° C. for a time between about 0.5 and about 50 hours.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
A general reaction scheme for (1) making the intermediate 9,11-imino ether and (2) using the intermediate 9,11-imino ether to make azithromycin is shown in Scheme 1: ##STR7##
In the above scheme the starting material in step A, compound (VI) is the E-isomer of 9-deoxo-9-hydroxyimino erythromycin A and can be made by known procedures such as the straightforward reaction of Erythromycin A with hydroxylamine to produce the erythromycin E-oxime as the major isomer. The oxime is treated with tosyl chloride in the presence of pyridine as a base and in a suitable solvent such as a dialkyl ether (e.g. diethyl ether), thereby initially forming a corresponding O-tosyl oxime which is a suitable precursor in the Beckmann rearrangement of ketoximes. Importantly, the temperature should be maintained below -10° C. to favor formation of the 9,11 imino ether, compound III, over compound V, the 6,9 imino ether, and compound VII. Generally it is preferred to maintain the said temperature below -20° C., and most preferred to maintain the temperature below -40 ° C. At the low temperatures employed, and depending on the exact temperature employed, the reaction can take as long as several days to go to completion, although appreciable amounts of 9,11-imino ether III are available from workup of the reaction medium after much shorter reaction times, e.g., on the order of a day. The amount of tosyl chloride employed is at least equivalent to the amount of erythromycin A 9-E-oxime. To ensure completion of the reaction within a reasonable time the tosyl chloride can be used in excess, with a 2:1 equivalents ratio being preferred. The mixture will typically contain a mixture of compounds V, III, and VII, per Scheme I, Step A, which can be conventionally resolved by column chromatography separation, typically employing silica gel having a particle size of 230-400 mesh ASTM (commercially available, for example, as Silica Gel 60 from EM Science, Gibbstown, N.J.) with toluene, chloroform and triethylamine mixed in a ratio, respectively, of 20:1:1 as the eluting solvent system.
The fact that 9,11-imino ether III is made per Step A is surprising in view of literature precedent (Djokic et al., supra) wherein the erythromycin A 9-E-oxime of erythromycin A yielded 6,9-imino ether V only.
If appreciable amounts of 6,9-imino ether V are formed, it can be isomerized to compound III by dissolving it in a suitable solvent. Any of a number of solvents can be employed such as tetrahydrofuran, (THF), lower alcohols, (e.g. methanol, ethanol, or propanol) and halogenated hydrocarbons, with chlorinated hydrocarbons such as chloroform and methlene chloride being preferred. Deuterated analogs of the chlorinated solvents (e.g. deuterochloroform) can also be employed. To speed the rate of isomerization a catalytic amount of acid can be added to the reaction medium. The acid employed is not critical so long as it is not used in an amount which results in cleavage of either of the sugar fragments from the macrolide ring. Organic acids (e.g. trifluoroacetic acid, p-toluenesulfonic acid) or inorganic (hydrochloric, sulfuric) acids may be employed. It is preferred to use camphorsulphonic acid in an amount of 0.1 equivalent per equivalent of compound V at a temperature of from 15° C. to reflux, typically room temperature, for a period sufficient for isomerization to occur, typically a period of from about 12 hours to about 7 days or longer. Conversions of essentially 100% after about 7 days in deuterochloroform are feasible using this novel procedure. Total yields of the intermediate III of over 90%, based on the weight of the starting material, are facilely obtainable by combining compound III obtained directly from scheme I with compound III obtained by isomerizing compound V (also obtained from scheme I) in deuterochloroform.
Compound III can be reduced to compound IV, the direct precursor of azithromycin, by any of a number of conventional methods, but advantageously under much milder conditions than those known in the art for reducing macrolide imino ethers. Reduction can be effected under a hydrogen pressure of about 50 psi in the presence of platinum dioxide catalyst and in glacial acetic acid solvent. Yields approaching 90% are obtainable within reaction times of 48 hrs. Other methods of reduction employing conventional reducing agents such as sodium borohydride are also feasible. Reactions employing borohydride are typically conducted with stirring in a suitable solvent such as methanol at a temperature of 0° to room temperature, and employing at least one equivalent of borohydride. Workup can proceed as in Djokic et al., supra.
Compound IV can be methylated to obtain azithromycin as conventionally known in the art, for example by the Eschweiler-Clark reaction in which compound IV is reacted with a combination of formic acid and formaldehyde, most suitably performed with a 1-3 molar excess of formaldehyde and formic acid in an appropriate solvent, preferably in a halogenated hydrocarbon, e.g., chloroform or carbon tetrachloride. The reaction is generally conducted at reflux for a period of 2 to 8 hours. The azithromycin can be isolated by conventional means such as by simple solvent evaporation. If further purification is desired, such can be effected conventionally, for example column chromatography through silica gel employing an eluting solvent comprising, by volume, 3-10% chloroform, and 0.1-1% ammonium hydroxide.
The invention will now be illustrated by means of the following examples which are not, however, to be taken as limiting:
EXAMPLE 1
9-Deoxo-11-deoxy-9,11-epoxy-9,9a-dihydro-9a-aza-9a-homoerythromycin A (compound III)
METHOD A:
(Step A in Scheme I): Erythromycin A 9-oxime (6.11 g, 8.16 mmol) was dissolved in pyridine (45 ml) and cooled to -45° C. To this solution was added a precooled (-45° C.) solution of p-toluenesulfonyl chloride (3.2 g, 16.9 mmol) and pyridine (10 ml) in ether (25 ml). The reaction mixture was stirred at -45° C. for six hours and stood at -20° C. for 12 hours. The mixture was poured into cold water and stirred while the pH was adjusted to 5 with aqueous 2M HCl. The solution was extracted with 75 mL quantities of methylene chloride twice. After separation, the aqueous layer was extracted with 75 mL of chloroform at pH 7 and 9, respectively (pH adjusted with saturated aqueous solution of potassium carbonate). Each extract was separately washed with brine and dried over magnesium sulfate. The extract from pH 7, upon evaporation in vacuo, gave a slightly yellow solid, containing a mixture of 9-deoxo-11-deoxy-9,11-epoxy-9,9a-dihydro-9a-aza-9a-homoerythromycin A (compound III) and 9-deoxo-6-deoxy-6,9-epoxy-9,9a-dihydro-9a-aza-9a-homoerythromycin A (compound V) at 1.2/1 ration (4.69 g, 6.42 mmol, yield: 78.6%). The pH 9 extract was evaporated to yield a white solid containing 9a-aza-9a-homoerythromycin cyclic lactam (compounds VII) and 9-deoxo-6-deoxy-6,9-epoxy-9,9a-dihydro-9a-aza-9a-homoerythromycin A (V) at 2/1 ratio (0.49 g). A pure sample of III was obtained as follows: The mixture of V and III was dissolved in deuterochloroform and stirred at room temperature for 12 hours. After removal of solvent in vacuo, the residue was chromatographed on silica gel (eluent:toluene/CHCl 3 /Et 3 N 20:1:1) to afford the pure title compound as a white solid. 13 CNMR(CDCl 3 ) 176.3, 102.2, 95.3, 83.0, 82.3, 81.1, 77.7, 76.7, 76.4, 75.1, 73.2, 72.7, 70.7, 69.4, 65.9, 65.1, 63.5, 49.3, 43.4, 40.3, 39.6, 34.6, 34.6, 29.8, 28.7, 25.0, 24.2, 21.7, 21.66, 21.0, 19.3, 18.1, 17.4, 11.3, 10.9. 1 HNMR (CDCl 3 , partial): 5.03 (br d, 1H), 4.81 (dd, J=10.1, 1.8 Hz, 1h), 4.61(d, J=7.3 Hz, 1h), 4.50 (D, J=4.7 Hz, 1H), 4.39 (d, J=8.5 Hz, 1H), 4.14 (m, 1H), 3.95 (m, 1H), 3.69 (d, J=5.9 Hz, 1H), 3.67 (s, 1H), 3.54 (m, 1H), 3.31 (s, 3H), 3.24 (m, 1H), 3.00 (t, J=9.7 Hz, 1H), 2.70 (m, 1H), 2.66 (m, 1H), 2.25 (s, 6H), 1.97 (s, 3H), 1.38 (d, J=6.6 Hz, 3H), 1.28 (s, 3H), 1.25 (d, J=6.4 Hz, 3H), 1.22 (s, 3H), 1.21 (S, 3H), 1.20 (s, 3H), 1.18 (s, 3H), 1.175 (s, 3H), 1.14 (d, J=7.2 Hz, 3H), 0.88 (t, J=7.2 Hz, 3H). FAB-mass:m/e:731, 573, 398, 158; high resolution mass calcd for C 37 H 67 N 2 ) 12 : 731.4696; found 731.4744.
Method B:
A solution of 9-deoxo-6-deoxy-6,9-epoxy-9,9a-dihydro-9a-aza-9a-homoerythromycin A (compound V) (100 mg, 3.57 mmol) in CDCl 3 (1.5 ml) was stirred at room temperature for 36 hours. 1 HNMR spectrum of an aliquot sample indicated that the reaction mixture contained 9-deoxo-6-deoxy-6,9-epoxy-9,9a-dihydro-9a-aza-9a-homoerythromycinA (compound V) and 9-deoxo-11-deoxy-9,11-deoxy-9,11-epoxy-9,9a-dihydro-9a-aza-9a-homoerythromycin A (compound III) at ratio 1.7/1. After seven days, the isomerization of compound V to III was complete, as indicated by 1 HNMR spectrum. Evaporation of the solvent afforded the title compound in quantitative yield; it was identical with that obtained according to method A.
EXAMPLE 2
9-Deoxo-9a-aza-9a-homoerythromycin A (compound IV)
A solution of the title compound of example 1 (231 mg, 0.316 mmol) in acetic acid (20 ml) was hydrogenated over PtO 2 (13.1 mg, 0.058 mmol) under hydrogen (50 psi) at room temperature for 48 hours. The catalyst and the solvent were removed. The residue oil was dissolved in methylene chloride and washed with 10% aqueous potassium carbonate and brine, and dried over magnesium sulfate. The solvent evaporated in vacuo to afford the title compound pure (199 mg. 0.27 mmol, yield:85.8%); it was identical by comparison with a known sample of the title compound.
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A compound having formula (III). Also, a process of making azithromycin comprising reducing the compound of formula (III) and N-methylating the reduced product.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to displaying a name directory on a screen, and, more specifically, to displaying a name directory containing a plurality of directory names with each of them being associated with a plurality of numbers.
2. Related Art
A state of art telephone has the capability of storing a telephone directory containing a plurality of names, and displaying these names on the display screen of the telephone. Frequently, a name in a telephone directory may contain several numbers (including a home number, an office number, a fax number, a page number, and a cellular number, for example). Using control buttons on the control panel of a telephone, a user can select a number from a telephone directory to dial the selected number.
Conventionally, a typical available telephone displays all names and the associated numbers of a telephone directory together on a display screen. Such an approach makes it difficult for a user to locate a number of interest from the display screen, because the user may see several numbers under an identical name. Furthermore, when a telephone directory is displayed on a relatively small region, such as an LCD screen on a cellular telephone, it is even more difficult for a user to locate a particular number of interest.
There is, therefore, a need for a method and apparatus to display a plurality of names, which facilitates a user to select a specific number from the multiple numbers associated with the names.
There is another need for a method and apparatus to display a plurality of names on a relatively small display region, which facilitates a user to select a specific number from the multiple numbers associated with the names.
The present invention provides a method to meet these two needs.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a novel method and a corresponding apparatus to display a telephone directory.
To address the shortcomings of the available art, the present invention provides a novel method for displaying a telephone directory. The method comprises the steps of: on a first display screen, displaying a plurality of names, each of the names being associated with a primary number; from the first display screen, selecting one of the names; on a second display screen, displaying a primary number associated with the selected name and at least one secondary number; and on the second display screen, automatically selecting the primary number.
The present invention also provides an apparatus capable of performing the steps in the method described above.
The foregoing and other features and advantages of the invention will be more readily understood upon consideration of the following detailed description of certain preferred embodiments of the invention, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1A is the front view of a cellular telephone, which can be used to implement the present invention;
FIG. 1B is the side view of the cellular telephone shown in FIG. 1A;
FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating some components of the cellular telephone shown in FIG. 1A;
FIG. 3 shows the steps illustrating a sequence of displays on a display region, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;
FIGS. 4A-E show the steps illustrating a sequence of displays on a display region, in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 5 shows a flowchart illustrating the steps of entering a name and the numbers that are associated with the name into the cellular telephone, in accordance with the present invention; and
FIG. 6 shows a flowchart illustrating the steps of displaying the numbers that are associated with a name in a name directory, in accordance with the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring to FIG. 1A, there is shown the front view of a cellular telephone 100 , which can be used to implement the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 1A, the cellular telephone 100 includes a display screen 102 , an antenna 104 , and a control panel 106 . The control panel 106 includes a jog dial wheel 108 and a key panel 110 including twelve alpha/numeric keys (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, *, 0, and #). The jog dial wheel 108 can be moved in three directions (turn-up, turn-down, and press-in) as indicated by the three arrows. The menu items displayed on the display screen 102 can be scrolled up and down by turning the jog dial wheel 108 up and down, respectively. And a selected menu item displayed on the display screen 102 can be activated by pressing in the jog dial wheel 102 .
Referring to FIG. 1B, there is shown the side view of the cellular telephone 100 to illustrate the side view of the jog dial wheel 108 .
Referring to FIG. 2, there is shown a block diagram 200 , illustrating some components of the cellular telephone 100 shown in FIG. 1A, in accordance with the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 2, the block diagram 200 includes a processor 204 , an I/O (input and output) interface circuit 205 , a graphic I/O interface circuit 206 , a memory 208 , and a bus 210 .
The processor 204 , the I/O interface circuit 205 , the graphic I/O interface circuit 206 , and the memory 208 are all coupled to the bus 210 .
The memory 208 includes: (1) a name output buffer 212 for storing directory names to be displayed, (2) a number output buffer 214 for storing the numbers to be displayed, (3) a name memory 216 for storing the directory names, (4) a number memory 218 for storing the numbers associated with the directory names, and (5) an application memory 220 for storing an application that includes a data entry routine, a display routine, and a dialing routine.
The processor 204 controls the operations of the I/O interface circuit 205 , the graphic the I/O interface circuit 206 , the memory 208 , and the display region 102 . More specifically, the processor 204 is able to: (1) get access to the data stored in the name output buffer 212 , the number output buffer 214 , the name memory 216 , and the number memory 218 , (2) execute the application stored in the application memory 220 , (3) interact with the control panel 106 via the I/O interface circuit 205 , and (4) display the data stored in the output buffers 212 and 214 on the display region 102 via the graphic I/O interface circuit 206 . All these operations are performed in a conventional manner, except as otherwise described herein.
Since to the cellular system 100 , the display screen 102 is an output mechanism, the name output buffer 212 and the number output buffer 214 are especially set to store the data to be displayed on the display screen 102 .
Using the jog dial wheel 108 , a user can invoke the data entry routine (stored in the application memory 20 ). And using the nine alpha/numeric keys on the key panel 110 , a user can input names to the name memory 216 and numbers to the number memory 218 . The names and numbers can then be loaded from the name memory 216 and the number memory 218 to the name output buffer 212 and the number output buffer 214 , respectively. A name may associate with several numbers. Among the several numbers, the user can define a primary number for the name.
Referring to FIG. 3, there is shown a name directory stored in the name output buffer 212 and the number output buffer 214 , in accordance with the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 3, the name output buffer 212 stores nine names. The number output buffer 214 stores the numbers associated with each of the nine names stored in the name output buffer 212 . In particular, FIG. 3 shows that the number output buffer 214 stores five numbers that are associated with the seventh name (07 John Smith) stored in the name output buffer 212 .
Since the display screen 102 has a relatively small area, not all the data items stored in the name output buffer 212 or the number output buffer 214 can be displayed on the display screen 102 at a certain point of time. Hence, a start pointer and an end pointer are set to mark an active section in the name output buffer 212 (or in the number output buffer 214 ). Even though all the data items stored in the name output buffer 212 (or in the number output buffer 214 ) are linked with the display screen 102 , only the data items contained in the active section are being displayed on the display screen at a certain point of time. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, for the name output buffer 212 , a start pointer 312 points to the fifth name (05 Henry Marx), and an end pointer 314 points to the seventh name (07 John Smith). Hence, the active region of the name output buffer 212 contains three names (05 Henry Marx, 06 Jack Kelley, and 07 John Smith). When the start and end pointers 312 and 314 are moved down or up by turning up or down the jog dial wheel 108 , the active section of the name output buffer 212 is also being moved up or down, causing the names stored in the name output buffer 212 to scroll up or down on the displaying screen 102 accordingly.
Referring to FIGS. 4A-E, there are shown the screen displays on display screen 102 , in accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 4A shows a screen display 402 on the display screen on 102 , corresponding to the active region marked by the start pointer 312 and the end pointer 314 shown in FIG. 3 . As shown in FIG. 4A, the screen display 402 includes three names (05 Henry Marx, 06 Jack Kelley, and 07 John Smith). An icon is displayed beside each of the names, denoting a primary number for a respective name. Specifically, the building icon beside “ 05 Henry Marx” denotes that the office number is the primary number for Henry Marx. The house icons beside “06 Jack Kelley” and “07 John Smith” denote that the home numbers are the primary numbers for Jack Kelley and John Smith. The rectangle in the middle of the display screen 102 indicates a selecting region 403 , meaning that the name displayed in the selecting region 403 is currently selected. In FIG. 4A, the screen display 402 indicates that “06 Jack Kelley” is selected.
FIG. 4B shows a screen display 404 time sequentially to the screen display 402 of FIG. 4 A. To select the name “07 John Smith”, a user turns up the jog dial wheel 108 while the screen display 402 is being displayed on display screen 102 . In response, the control panel 106 sends a request to the processor 204 via the I/O interface circuit 205 . In response to the request, the processor 204 executes the display routine (stored in the application memory 220 ) to move the start pointer 312 from “05 Henry Marx” to “06 Jack Kelley”, and the end pointer 314 from “ 07 John Smith” to “ 08 Mike Turner”. Consequently, the name entry “05 Henry Marx” is moved out and the name entry “08 Mike Turner” is moved into the active section of the name output buffer 212 . Via the graphic I/O interface circuit 206 , the processor 204 then displays the names currently contained in the active section of the name output buffer 212 , as shown in the display screen 404 .
FIG. 4C shows a screen display 406 time sequentially to the screen display 404 of FIG. 4 B. To retrieve the numbers associated with the name “07 John Smith”, the user presses in the jog dial wheel 108 while the screen display 404 is being displayed on the display screen 102 . In response, the control panel 106 sends a request to the processor 204 via the I/O interface circuit 205 . In response to the request, the processor 204 executes the display routine (stored in the application memory 220 ) to retrieve the numbers associated with the name entry “07 John Smith” from number output memory 214 . Since the home number of John Smith has been defined as a primary number, the processor 204 automatically displays the home telephone number (510-284-3292) in the selecting region 403 without requiring any interaction from the user. As shown in the screen display 406 , a dot 407 denotes that the home telephone number is the primary number. To dial the primary number, the user simply presses in the jog dial wheel 108 on the control panel 106 . In response, the processor 204 executes the dialing routine (stored in the application memory 220 ) to generate a dialing signal for the primary number.
FIG. 4D shows a screen display 408 time sequentially to the screen display 406 of FIG. 4 C. To select the fax number “415-356-7241”, a user turns up the jog dial wheel 108 while the screen display 406 is being displayed on display screen 102 . In response, the control panel 106 sends a request to the processor 204 via the I/O interface circuit 205 . In response to the request, the processor 204 executes the display routine (stored in the application memory 220 ) to move the fax number “415-356-7241” to the selecting region 403 . To dial the fax number, the user then presses in the jog dial wheel 108 on the control panel 106 . In response, the processor 204 executes the dialing routine (stored in the application memory 220 ) to generate a dialing signal for the fax number.
FIG. 4E shows a screen display 410 time sequentially to the screen display 406 of FIG. 4 C. To select the office number “415-356-7272”, a user turns down the jog dial wheel 108 while the screen display 406 is being displayed on the display screen 102 . In response, the control panel 106 sends a request to the processor 204 via the I/O interface circuit 205 . In response to the request, the processor 204 executes the display routine (stored in the application memory 220 ) to move the office number “415-356-7272” to the selecting region 403 . To dial the office number, the user then presses in the jog dial wheel 108 on the control panel 106 . In response, the processor 204 executes the dialing routine (stored in the application memory 220 ) to generate a dialing signal for the office number.
Referring to FIG. 5, there is shown a flowchart illustrating the steps of entering a name and the numbers that are associated with the name into the cellular telephone 100 , in accordance with the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 5, at step 502 , in response to a data entry menu selection from the display screen 102 , the processor 204 executes the data entry routine (stored in the application memory 220 ) to display a prompt on the display screen 102 , instructing a user to enter a name to the cellular telephone 100 . Upon receiving the name entered by the user using the alpha/numeric keys on the key panel 110 , the processor 204 stores the name to the name memory 216 .
At step 504 , the processor 204 executes the data entry routine (stored in the application memory 220 ) to display a prompt on the display screen 102 , repeatedly instructing the user to input the numbers that are associated with the name. Upon receiving a number, the processor 204 also display a prompt on the display screen 102 , instructing the user to input the title for the number (such as home, office, fax, pager, or cellular). Upon receiving the title of the number, the processor 204 assigns a pre-designed icon (that matches the title) to the number. Upon receiving all the numbers that are associated with the name, the processor 204 stores the number into the number memory 218 .
At step 506 , in response to a display menu selection from the display screen 102 , the processor 204 executes the data entry routine (stored in the application memory 220 ) to display a prompt on the display screen 102 , instructing the user to defme a primary number for the name. Upon receiving a definition input from the user, the processor 204 associates the primary number and the associated icon with the name.
Referring to FIG. 6, there is shown a flowchart illustrating the steps of displaying the numbers that are associated with a name in a name directory, in accordance with the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 6, at step 602 , the processor 204 executes the display routine (stored in the application memory 220 ) to present a screen display for a name directory on the display screen 102 . The screen display contains a selecting region and a plurality of name entries. As an exemplary screen display 404 , FIG. 4B shows a name directory containing a selecting region 403 and three names (06 Jack Kelley, 07 John Smith, and 08 Mike Turner). The name “07 John Smith” is displayed within the selecting region 403 .
At step 604 , a user activates the name entry “07 John Smith” by pressing in the jog dial wheel 108 .
At step 606 , in response to the activation, the processor 204 executes the display routine (stored in the application memory 220 ) to retrieve the number entries associated with the name entry “ 07 John Smith” from the number output memory 214 and display them on a screen display. As an example, FIG. 4C shows the screen display 406 containing a selecting region 403 and three number entries (415-365-7272 (office), 415-284-3293 (home), and 415-327-7241 (fax)). Each of the three number entries is associated with an icon, and the dot 407 displayed beside the number entry “415-284-3293” denotes that the number entry is a primary number. Since the home number is defined as the primary number for the name entry “07 John Smith”, the processor 204 automatically displays it in the selecting region 403 without requiring any interaction from the user. Following the step 606 , the user has two options. If the user wishes to dial the primary number, the operation is led to step 608 ; if the user wishes to dial a secondary number, the operation is led to step 610 .
At step 608 , to dial the primary number, the user simply presses in the jog dial wheel 108 on the control panel 106 , which in turn sends a request to the processor 204 . In response to the request, the processor 204 executes the dialing routine (stored in the application memory 220 ) to generate a dialing signal for the primary number.
At step 610 , to dial the fax number (415-356-7241), the user first turns up the jog dial wheel 108 to move the fax number into the selecting region 403 (as shown in FIG. 4 D). The user then presses in the jog dial wheel 108 , which in turn generates a request to the processor 204 . In response to the request, the processor 204 executes the dialing routine (stored in the application memory 220 ) to generate a dialing signal for the fax number.
As an alternative, at step 610 , to dial the office number (415-356-7272), the user first turns down the jog dial wheel 108 to move the office number into the selecting region 403 (as shown in FIG. 4 E). The user then presses in the jog dial wheel 108 , which in turn generates a request to the processor 204 . In response to the request, the processor 204 executes the dialing routine (stored in the application memory 220 ) to generate a dialing signal for the office number.
Although the present invention has been shown and described with respect to preferred embodiments, various changes and modifications are deemed to lie within the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.
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An apparatus and method for displaying a telephone directory. A main menu is used to display the names of a telephone directory, and each of the names is associated with a primary number. A sub menu is used to display the numbers associated with each of the names in the main menu. The primary number is denoted and automatically selected in the second menu.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a gas spring in which the piston rod is continuously lubricated by a lubricant agent housed within a lubricant chamber adjacent to the end of the cylinder through which the piston rod is guided.
STATEMENT OF THE PRIOR ART
From German Utility Model No. 1,971,284, a gas spring has been known in which two axially spaced sealing rings are provided adjacent to one end of the cylinder. The piston rod passes through said axially spaced sealing rings. A lubricant chamber is defined between said sealing rings adjacent to the external surface of the piston rod. The axially outer sealing ring is responsible for maintaining the pressure of the gas within the working chamber. The axially inner sealing ring is such as to permit pressurization also of the lubricant chamber. The axially inner sealing ring must be of very precise design in order to prevent the loss of lubricant towards the working chamber. This is due to the fact that the elevated pressure prevails in both the lubricant chamber and the working chamber. As the outer sealing ring is responsible for the pressure maintenance, the pressurized gas can be introduced only after the outer sealing ring has been positioned and fixed in axial direction. This axially outer sealing ring can be located, however, only after the lubricant agent has been introduced into the lubricant chamber. This makes it further necessary to introduce the pressurized gas after the lubricant chamber has been filled with lubricant agent. The introduction of the pressurized gas through the filled lubricant chamber is, however, difficult and nearly impossible if the lubricant agent is a high viscous lubricant agent, and more particularly a lubricant grease. Therefore, it becomes necessary to fill the working chamber with the pressurized gas through a filling bore separate from the sealing rings and to close this filling bore after the pressurized gas has been introduced.
OBJECT OF THE INVENTION
In view of the above discussed disadvantages of the prior art gas spring, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a gas spring in which the escape of lubricant towards the working chamber is substantially prevented and nevertheless a simplified gasket can be used between the lubricant chamber and the working chamber.
A further object of the invention is to provide a gas spring which can be easily filled across the piston rod sealing and guiding unit, even if very high viscous lubricant agents are used such as lubricant greases.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the above objects and particularly in view of the above primary object, a gas spring comprises a cylinder member having an axis and defining a cavity therein. The gas spring further comprises a piston rod axially extending through at least one end of the cylinder member. This piston rod member extends through a piston rod guiding and sealing group adjacent to said at least one end of the cylinder member. The piston rod guiding and sealing group includes two axially spaced sealing arrangements, namely an axially outer sealing arrangement and an axially inner sealing arrangement, at least the latter one being axially fixed with respect to the cylinder member. These sealing arrangements are in sliding contact with an external surface of the piston rod member. A lubricant chamber is provided axially between said two sealing arrangements adjacent to said external surface of the piston rod member. The lubricant chamber contains a lubricant agent. A working chamber is provided within the cavity adjacent to the axially inner sealing arrangement. This working chamber contains a volume of pressurized gas. The axially inner sealing arrangement is a pressure-resistant sealing arrangement capable of maintaining the pressure of said volume of pressurized gas at a level exceeding the pressure within the lubricant chamber.
With the gas spring of the present invention, the pressure within the working chamber can be maintained over an extended period of lifetime of the gas spring at a level exceeding the pressure within the lubricant chamber. This pressure difference substantially prevents escape of the lubricant towards the working chamber. Therefore, the axially inner sealing arrangement can be of relatively simple construction. As the piston rod is continuously lubricated by the lubricant agent within the lubricant chamber, both sealing arrangements are not subjected to considerable wear conditions. The existence of the lubricant film on the rod at the location of engagement with the axially inner sealing arrangement improves gas tightness of the axially inner sealing arrangement. Also, the axially outer sealing arrangement can be a relatively inexpensive construction, because it is not subjected to the high pressure prevailing within the working chamber. As the pressure within the lubricant chamber is smaller than the pressure within the working chamber, there is no great risk of the lubricant agent escaping into the atmosphere. Preferably, one can maintain atmospheric pressure within the lubricant chamber.
According to a further aspect of the present invention, the axially outer sealing arrangement is mounted within said guiding and sealing group independently of positioning and fixation of said axially inner sealing arrangement such that said axially outer sealing arrangement can be positioned after said axially inner sealing arrangement has been positioned and axially fixed with respect to said cylinder member, and after said volume of pressurized gas has been introduced into the working chamber. This means that the pressurized gas can be introduced into the working chamber across the guiding and sealing unit before the lubricant agent is introduced. Any difficulties arising from the presence of a lubricant agent during filling operation are, therefore, suppressed.
In order to permit filling of the working chamber across the guiding and sealing unit, it is further proposed that the axially inner sealing arrangement acts as a one-way valve permitting the introduction of pressurized gas through said axially inner sealing arrangement into said working chamber.
The axially inner guiding and sealing arrangement may comprise an axially inner sealing member located axially between an axially inner sealing member support member and an axially outer sealing member support member. In such case the one-way valve function may be obtained in that said axially inner sealing member support member defines an annular deflection space adjacent to said axially inner sealing member, said deflection space permitting axially inwardly directed deflection of a radially inner portion of said axially inner sealing member in response to introducing pressurized gas into said working chamber across said axially inner sealing arrangement. In order to further simplify the axially inner sealing arrangement and to improve its sealing function, it is further proposed that said axially inner sealing member is in sealing engagement with both said external surface of said piston rod member and an internal surface of said cylinder member.
The axially inner sealing member support member may be fixed against axially inward movement by radially inward deformation of said cylinder member. This radially inward deformation may be such as to provide a radially inwardly directed annular bulge.
The axially outer sealing member support member may be axially fixed against outwardly directed movement by a support sleeve, said support sleeve being axially fixed with respect to said cylinder member by terminal abutment means of said cylinder member. This terminal abutment means of said cylinder member may be established by a radially inwardly flanged portion of the cylinder member.
The axially outer sealing arrangement may comprise an axially outer sealing member radially between the piston rod member and the support sleeve.
In order to provide a perfect protection against escape of the lubricating agent towards atmosphere the axially outer sealing member may be in sealing engagement with both the external surface of said piston rod member and an internal surface of said support sleeve.
The axially outer sealing member may be supported against axially outward movement by an annular closure member provided axially outwards of the axially outer sealing member and being axially fixed with respect to the cylinder member.
Preferably, the closure member is located radially inwards of the support sleeve supporting the axially inner sealing arrangement.
In order to facilitate mounting of the closure member after filling the working chamber and the lubricant chamber, the closure member may have a contour substantially free of radial overlapping with the terminal abutment means supporting the support sleeve.
The annular closure member may be axially fixed by snapping engagement with respect to the cylinder member. If a support sleeve is provided for supporting the inner sealing arrangement, the closure member may be in snapping engagement with this support sleeve.
The support sleeve may be integral with said axially outer sealing member support member.
The piston rod member may be provided with a piston unit inside said cavity, said piston unit dividing said working chamber into two working compartments, said working compartments being interconnected by passage means permitting gas exchange between said working compartments.
The invention further relates to a method of assembling a gas spring as defined above This method comprises the steps of
(a) inserting the piston rod member with the piston unit into said cavity;
(b) inserting the axially inner sealing arrangement into said cavity and axially fixing said axially inner sealing arrangement with respect to said cylinder member against axial movement thereof;
(c) introducing a gas into said working chamber across said axially inner sealing arrangement such as to provide said volume of pressurized gas within said working chamber;
(d) introducing said lubricant agent into said lubricant chamber;
(e) closing said lubricant chamber by said axially outer sealing arrangement.
The various features of novelty which characterize the invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and specific objects attained by its use, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there is illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention will be explained in greater detail hereinafter with reference to an embodiment shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of a gas spring according to this invention, and
FIG. 2 shows a second embodiment of the gas spring according to this invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The gas-filled spring shown in FIG. 1 comprises a cylinder 1 in which slides a damper piston 20 which is connected to a piston rod 3. The bottom end of the cylinder 1 is occluded by a cylinder bottom which may be provided with an articulating eye, not shown in the drawings, by which the gas-filled spring can be attached to a component. In the working chamber 2 of the cylinder 1 there is a pressurized gas filling, this working chamber 2 being sealed by an axially inner sealing member 4 which is disposed axially between a piston rod guide member 5 and a disc 7. This sealing member 4 provides a seal in respect of both the piston rod 3 and the inside surface of the cylinder 1. As an abutment in an axially inward direction for the piston rod guide member 5, there is an encircling bead 6 in the cylinder 1. Acting on the disc 7 in axial direction, there is a support sleeve 8, the outside diameter of which is adapted to suit the inside diameter of the cylinder 1. This support sleeve 8 is pushed with a sliding fit into the cylinder 1 at the time of assembly. Axial fixing of the support sleeve 8, the disc 7, the inner sealing element 4 and the piston rod guide member 5 occurs through the flanged-over cylinder end 12. Formed between the inner wall surface of the support sleeve 8 and the piston rod 3 is an annular space 11 or lubricant chamber 11 which is filled with a lubricant and which is sealed from the outside ambient by a packing or sealing element 9 and a closure ring 10.
Assembly of the gas-filled spring is very simple, because once the piston rod 3 with the piston has been inserted into the cylinder 1, the encircling bead 6 is shaped and forms an abutment for the piston rod guide member 5 in an axial direction. After insertion of the piston rod guide member 5, the inner sealing member 4, the disc 7 and the support sleeve 8, an axial force is applied to the support sleeve 8, and the cylinder end 12 is flanged over so fixing the guide and sealing members for the piston rod 3. The interior 2 of the cylinder 1 of the working chamber 2 can now be filled with pressurized gas, the sealing element 4 being lifted off the external surface of the piston rod 3 by the filling pressure of the gas, so leaving a filling gap. When filling with gas is completed, the sealing element 4 returns to its sealing position on the piston rod 3, and the working chamber 2 is sealed in respect of the outside environment. Now the lubricant can be introduced into the lubricant chamber 11, and according to the intended use of the gas spring, such a lubricant may also be a thick-fluid lubricant or a lubricating grease. Then, by means of the outer sealing element 9 and the closure ring 10, the lubricant chamber 11 is closed off in respect of the outside environment. This lubricant chamber 11 is intentionally pressureless as a result of the pressure resistivity of the sealing element 4, so that the outer sealing element 9 serves only as a scraper or control element for lubricant entrained out of the outer sealing element by the piston rod. The pressure in the working chamber 2 exerts on the piston rod 3 a push-out force so that before the gas-filled spring is installed, the piston rod is normally fully extended. When the piston rod 3 is pushed into the cylinder 1, it first travels over the lubricant agent in the lubricant chamber 11, so ensuring that even after prolonged storage of the gas spring, the sealing element 4 is in contact with a well-lubricated piston rod so that there is extremely low wear and tear on the inner sealing element.
The embodiment according to FIG. 2 differs from that shown in FIG. 1 essentially in that there is a thrust ring bearing 13 on the inwardly projecting encircling bead 6 in the cylinder 1, which thrust ring forms an abutment surface for the inner sealing element 4. The piston rod guide 14 is formed integral with the support sleeve 8 such that the piston rod guide element 14 is maintained in abutting contact with the inner sealing element 4. The gas spring is occluded by flanging-over the cylinder end 12, so that the support sleeve 8 presses via the piston rod guide member 14 and the inner sealing element 4 against the thrust ring 13 and the bead 6. Introduction of pressurized gas into the cylinder 1 takes place as in the embodiment of FIG. 1. Equally, when the gas filling is completed, the lubricant chamber 11 is filled with lubricant, after which the outer sealing element 9 is inserted and the lubricant chamber 11 is closed by means of the closure ring 10. The closure ring 10 has on its outside diameter a plurality of projections 15 which engage a corresponding annular depression in the support sleeve 8 and so constitute a so-called snap-action joint.
As shown in FIG. 1, the piston 20 divides the working chamber 2 into two working compartments 2a and 2b which are interconnected by a throttled passage 31. A piston ring 32 may act as a one-way valve so as to increase the flow resistance on outward movement of the piston rod 3, and to reduce the flow resistance on inward movement of the piston rod 3. FIG. 1 shows a deflection space 33 into which the radially inner portion 4a of the inner sealing element 4 can be deflected during filling of the pressurized gas into the working chamber 2.
While a specific embodiment of the invention has been shown and described in detail to illustrate the application of the inventive principles, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise without departing from such principles.
The reference numerals in the claims are only used for facilitating the understanding and are by no means restrictive.
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According to an illustrative example of the invention, a gas spring comprises adjacent one end of the cylinder two axially spaced sealing rings, namely an axially inner and an axially outer sealing ring. A lubricant chamber is defined axially between the axially inner and the axially outer sealing rings. The axially inner sealing ring is pressure-resistant against the elevated gas pressure within the working chamber such as to maintain the pressure of gas within the working chamber at a level exceeding the pressure within the lubricant chamber.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to tire inflation and evacuation methods and apparatus.
It is widely accepted that deterioration of rubber-based vehicle tires is attributable, at least in part, to the presence of oxygen in the gas with which the tires are inflated. For this reason it is common practice, for instance in the case of aircraft tires, to inflate the tires with inert nitrogen rather than compressed air. Conventionally, this is achieved by inflating the tires from cylinders containing compressed nitrogen.
If a tire previously inflated with air is to be inflated with nitrogen, the tire valve is initially removed or manipulated to allow the air to escape. While the air pressure in the tire is greater than ambient atmospheric pressure, the air will escape freely. However, when the internal and external pressures reach equilibrium, the tire will remain charged with a volume of air at atmospheric pressure. In an attempt to get rid of this residual air, the existing practice is to use a purging system in which, after deflation of the tire to atmospheric pressure, the tire is re-inflated with pure nitrogen. The oxygen content of the residual air is accordingly diluted. The tire is once again deflated and immediately re-inflated once again with pure nitrogen, thereby further diluting the oxygen content of the gas within the tire. This process of deflation and re-inflation may have to be carried out several times to achieve an acceptably pure nitrogen level. Repetitive deflation and re-inflation is, however, time-consuming and wasteful of nitrogen.
It has been unexpectedly discovered that when there is less than about 5% (by volume) O 2 , and preferably 3% (by volume) O 2 in the gas mixture filling the tire, deterioration of the tire is substantially similar to deterioration of a tire filled with substantially pure nitrogen, while deterioration of the tire substantially increases when the tire is filled with air. Maximum deterioration of the tire occurs when the tire is filled up with air, i.e., with a gas mixture comprising about 21% (by volume) O 2 .
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Based on this unexpected result, a simple and inexpensive method of inflating tires with inert gas has been developed. According to the invention there is provided a method of inflating a tire wherein a tire is mounted on a rim comprising a tire valve to inflate or deflate the tire, the tire being filled with a certain amount of air. The tire is deflated to reach a pressure which is at most equal to, or smaller than a predetermined low pressure, lower than atmospheric pressure. The tire is thereafter inflated with a source of inert gas to reach a pressure at least equal to a recommended pressure greater than atmospheric pressure, in order to obtain inside the tire a gas mixture comprising less than about 5% O 2 by volume.
Deflating the tire under ambient pressure can be done by any means to create a suction, such as a pump, venting system, etc, including a suction means as disclosed hereafter. This suction means is preferably able to suction air from the tire in order to reach a pressure well below atmospheric pressure, preferably about at least 10 kpa below atmospheric pressure and more preferably at least 50 Kpa below atmospheric pressure.
After deflation of the tire, inflation with impure nitrogen containing less than 5% (by volume) O 2 , preferably less than 3% (by volume) O 2 , can be performed to obtain a gas mixture in the tire. Alternatively, Argon or any other inert gas may be used, as would be readily apparent to one of ordinary skilled in the art.
Filling a tire with pure nitrogen or industrially pure nitrogen (such as nitrogen obtained from a cryogenic unit with which cylinders are thereafter filled up, which contains 99.95% vol. N2) as taught by prior art, is very expensive.
According to the invention, it has been found that it would be usually extremely difficult and unreasonably expensive to have a gas mixture within the inflated tire comprising less than about 1% vol. O2, particularly when inflating the tire is done in one step. Accordingly, it is another object of the invention to fill up tires with so called impure nitrogen, i.e. nitrogen gas (in admixture or not, with argon or any other inert gas) containing not less than about 0.5% of O2 and preferably not less than about 1% vol. of oxygen, in order to obtain after inflation of the tire a gas mixture within said tire comprising between about 5% vol. and 0.5% vol. of oxygen and comprising preferably less than about 3% vol. of oxygen. Most preferably, about at least 1% vol. O2 is appropriate.
While nitrogen PSA (Pressure Swing Adsorption device) may be in certain circumstances appropriate, the purity of the nitrogen gas produced by such devices is usually between 95% and 99.5% vol. of nitrogen. They are used to carry out the invention only in those cases where an important flow of nitrogen gas is necessary. It is however preferred to use nitrogen membranes generators, as disclosed hereafter. In both cases, a gas mixture containing more than 90% vol. of N2 and usually more than 95% vol. can be produced by those PSA or membrane generators.
Depending on the purity of the nitrogen produced and the oxygen content targeted into the tire, the pressure at which the tire is, in a first step, deflated may vary and be adapted by the man skilled in the art. However, it is usually recommended to reach a predetermined low pressure which is usually at least 10 Kpa below atmospheric pressure (particularly for truck tires) and more preferably at least 50 Kpa below atmospheric (particularly for car tires).
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, suction of air from the tire may be accomplished by means of an inert gas, e.g., nitrogen, source. The high pressure, e.g., pressure greater than atmospheric pressure, of the inert gas from the inert gas source may be used to generate the suction and thus the low pressure of the air remaining in the tire.
It is one particular advantage of the invention to use an "on-site" nitrogen generator such as generators comprising compressing means to compress air at a pressure greater than atmospheric pressure, typically several bar of pressure. The compressed air, after filtration, water vapor removal, etc. . . . is fed to the feed side of a membrane unit which includes a membrane of polyimide, polyamide, polyolefin, or other glassy polymer. On the non-permeate (feed) side of the membrane, a nitrogen enriched gas mixture is withdrawn which comprises less than about 5% (by volume) O 2 , and on the permeate side of the membrane (preferably, but not necessarily, the bore side) an oxygen enriched gas mixture at ambient or lower pressure is vented.
According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of inflating a tire comprising the steps of:
providing a tire mounted on a rim, said tire comprising a tire valve to allow selective inflation or deflation of said tire, said tire being filled with a certain amount of air;
deflating said tire to reach a pressure which is less than or equal to a predetermined low pressure, said predetermined low pressure being lower than atmospheric pressure;
inflating said tire with a source of inert gas to reach a pressure at least equal to a pressure greater than atmospheric pressure, to obtain inside said tire a gas mixture comprising between 5% O 2 by volume and 0.5% O2 by volume.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of inflating a tire with nitrogen or other inert gas, wherein:
a first conduit is coupled to the tire valve, the tire valve being open to allow gas with which the tire is already charged to escape along the first conduit,
a purging gas is directed under pressure into the first conduit through a second conduit which intersects the first conduit at a position remote from the valve and at an acute angle, the purging gas being directed into the first conduit in a downstream direction with the result that a sub-atmospheric pressure is created in the first conduit and the gaseous content of the tire are withdrawn along the first conduit, and
once a required degree of evacuation of the tire has been achieved, the first conduit is uncoupled from the tire valve and the tire is inflated to a predetermined pressure with the nitrogen or other inert gas through the valve.
In the preferred implementation of the method, the purging gas is nitrogen.
According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of deflating a tire and thereafter re-inflating it, through a tire valve associated with the tire, with an inert gas, typically nitrogen, the method including the steps of:
opening the tire valve in and connecting a first end of a first conduit thereto so that gas can vent from the tire to atmosphere through an opposite, second end of the first conduit;
introducing compressed inert gas into the first conduit in a manner to cause a pressure reduction in the first conduit which increases the rate at which gas is vented to atmosphere from the tire; and
when the gas pressure in the tire reaches a sub-atmospheric level, closing the second end of the first conduit so that the compressed inert gas flows back along the first conduit and into the tire through the tire valve, thereby to re-inflate the tire with the inert gas.
The inert gas is preferably introduced into the first conduit along a second conduit which intersects the first conduit, most preferably at an acute angle.
In order to achieve a final tire pressure adjustment after the tire has been re-inflated with the inert gas, the first-end of the first conduit is disconnected from the tire valve, the core of the tire valve is replaced, and further compressed inert gas is introduced into the tire to replenish the tire with inert gas lost from the tire during such disconnection and core replacement and to inflate the tire to a final, desired inflation pressure.
Further according to the invention there is provided a tire evacuation apparatus comprising a first conduit at least a portion of the length of which is flexible, a tire valve coupler at a free end of the flexible portion of the first conduit by means of which the first conduit can be coupled to a tire valve, a second conduit which intersects the first conduit at a position remote from the free end, the second conduit making an acute angle with that section of the first conduit between the intersection and the free end, and a coupler at a free end of the second conduit by means of which the second conduit can be coupled to a source of purging gas under pressure, the arrangement being such that with the tire valve coupler coupled to the tire valve of a tire which is to be evacuated, and purging gas directed under pressure into the first conduit through the second conduit, the gaseous contents of the tire are withdrawn to a sub-atmospheric pressure level.
According to another embodiment of the device according to the invention there is provided a tire deflation and inflation apparatus for deflating a tire and thereafter inflating it with an inert gas, the tire having a tire valve associated therewith, the apparatus comprising:
a first conduit at least a portion of which is flexible;
a tire valve coupler at a first end of the first conduit by means of which the first conduit can be coupled to the tire valve, after opening of the tire valve, so that gas can vent from the tire to atmosphere through an opposite, second end of the first conduit;
a control valve at or towards an opposite, second end of the first conduit;
a second conduit which intersects the first conduit between the tire valve coupler and the control valve; and
a coupler at a free end of the second conduit by means of which the second conduit can be connected to a source of compressed inert gas; wherein:
the intersection between the first conduit and the second conduit is such that compressed inert gas introduced into the first conduit through the second conduit causes a pressure reduction in the first conduit which increases the rate at which gas is vented to atmosphere from the tire and enables the tire pressure to be reduced to a sub-atmospheric level; and
closure of the control valve after such reduction of the tire pressure causes compressed inert gas to flow back along the first conduit and into the tire through the tire valve thereby to re-inflate the tire to a required level with the inert gas.
In a particular simple and convenient and simple arrangement, the second conduit intersects the first conduit at an acute angle defined between the second conduit and a portion of the first conduit between the intersection and the tire valve coupler.
The first conduit preferably includes a flexible portion carrying the tire valve coupler and a rigid portion to which the first portion is connected and at which the first conduit is intersected by the second conduit. The rigid portion of the first conduit may be provided by a first pipe and the second conduit by a second rigid pipe of smaller diameter than the first rigid pipe.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention will now be described in more detail, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawing which illustrates an exemplary apparatus used to evacuate a tire in an exploded view.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The drawing shows a tire evacuation apparatus 10 which includes a first, evacuation conduit 12 having an outlet end fitted with a ball valve 14. The handle of the ball valve 14 is designated with the reference numeral 15. Over a first portion of its length, the conduit 12 is provided with a rigid pipe 16. The remaining portion of the length of the conduit 12 is provided with a flexible tube 18 which is connected coaxially to the pipe 16 at a connection 20. At its free end, the tube 18 carries a female coupler 22 of a conventional type.
The female coupler 22 is adapted to couple in an airtight manner to a conventional male coupler 24 having a threaded socket. The coupling of the female coupler 22 to the male coupler 24 allows rotation of the male coupler about its axis. The male coupler 24 has a threaded socket enabling it to be screwed onto the end 26 of the spigot of a conventional valve 28, e.g., a heavy duty truck tire valve.
Intersecting the pipe 16 of the evacuation conduit 12 at an intersection 30 is a second, purging conduit 32 in the form of a rigid pipe having a smaller diameter than the pipe 16. It will be noted that, at the intersection 30, the conduit 32 makes an acute angle with that section of the pipe 16 directed towards the female coupler 22. Threaded onto the free end of the conduit 32 is a male coupler 34 similar to the male coupler 24. A pressure gauge 35 is connected to the pipe 16 between the intersection 30 and the ball valve 14.
The numeral 36 designates a female coupler, similar to the coupler 22, which is carried at the end of a hose 37 leading from a source of nitrogen 40 under pressure. The nitrogen source may be a cylinder of compressed nitrogen. Alternatively, the source may be of the type having an in-line filtration unit for removing the oxygen content of a feed air supply and a compressor, in series with the filtration unit, for in-line compression of the remaining nitrogen.
The operation of the illustrated apparatus to evacuate a truck tire fitted with the valve 28 and containing air is as follows. With the conventional valve core unscrewed from the valve 26 and the valve 14 open, the female coupler 22 is coupled to the male coupler 24. Air is accordingly free to exhaust from the tire to atmosphere through the conduit 12. At the same time, the female coupler 36 is coupled to the male coupler 34 at the end of the purging conduit 32 and compressed nitrogen is caused to flow through the purging conduit and into and through the pipe 16. The rapid flow of compressed nitrogen into the pipe 16 at the acute angle intersection 30 causes an internal pressure drop in the conduit 12 at this point by venturi effect. The pressure reduction in the conduit 12 applies an effective suction to the interior of the tire and accelerates the evacuation of the tire to a sub-atmospheric pressure level. It will be seen that the purging conduit 32 enters the pipe 16 and is formed with an internal, curved chamfer which enhances the venturi effect.
When an observer watching the tire sees that the tire wall is starting to collapse, he knows that the desired sub-atmospheric pressure has been attained in the tire. The tire is now re-inflated with nitrogen by closing the valve 14 so that the compressed nitrogen entering the pipe 16 flows in the reverse direction through the conduit 12 to the tire valve 28. The tire is inflated to the eventual, desired tire inflation pressure, at which time the supply of compressed nitrogen is terminated. The pressure gauge 35 provides a visual indication of the required tire pressure.
The female coupler 22 is now rapidly uncoupled from the tire valve 28, and the valve core is rapidly screwed back into place. Before the valve core is screwed home, some tire pressure will be lost as nitrogen vents directly from the tire to atmosphere. As soon as the valve core is in place, the female coupler can be connected again to the tire valve 28 and the flow of compressed nitrogen re-established to raise the internal tire pressure to the required, final level, as indicated by the pressure gauge 35.
It will be appreciated than an important advantage of the tire deflation and inflation apparatus as described above is the speed with which the air content of the tire is replaced with nitrogen.
In the case of trucks or other vehicle which have double tires, the tire valve of the outer tire may project inwardly. in this situation the female coupler 22 which is used can be of the type which can be inserted inwardly through the rim of the outer wheel and then engaged with the tire valve by pulling the coupler outwardly against the end of the tire valve.
Although in this embodiment nitrogen is used as the purging gas to generate sub-atmospheric conditions in the conduit 12, it will be appreciated that any other suitable gas, under pressure, could be used for this purpose. (carbon dioxide gas may be also used in certain circumstances as well as any other inert gas).
Preferably, the source of nitrogen is a nitrogen-PSA but more preferably is a membrane generator comprising essentially an air compressor to compress air at a pressure which is preferably at least equal to about 10 bar. The compressed air is thereafter filtered (first stages include preferably a water separator, coalescing and particulate filters and an activated carbon tower) to deliver clean dry air containing preferably less than 1 ppm moisture (a dew point of =70° C. or less), preferably less than 0.01 micron particulates and preferably no detectable residuals oil vapor. The dry clean air is thereafter directed to membrane modules (at least one) wherein, by selective permeation of O2 through a glassy polymer membrane (such as polyimide, polyamide, polysulfone and derivatives thereof) from which the non permeate gas enriched in nitrogen, is withdrawn at a pressure substantially equal to the pressure of the feed gas (air). Preferably, such nitrogen generator comprises an oxygen sensor and an oxygen monitoring system, in order to monitor the oxygen content of the <<impure>> nitrogen gas generated. Also it is preferred to provide a surge tank connected between (or in parallel to) the generator and the tire wherein the pressure is preferably maintained greater than the normal pressure for use of the nitrogen, usually about 10 bar or even more.
Appropriate membrane generators are for example those of the M 500 C. series of FLOXAL (a trademark of L'AIR LIQUIDE) Nitrogen membrane generators, as disclosed e.g. in the Tech Specs of such systems, incorporated therein by reference (those generators can usually provide nitrogen at different flow rates and different purities from about 95% vol. inert gas to 99.5% inert gas).
To determine the maximum oxygen content in the tire, more particularly applicable to truck tires, it has been found that one should apply the following formula: ##EQU1##
In practice, as the atmospheric pressure at sea level is about 100 Kpa and the oxygen content is about 21% vol.: ##EQU2##
For a truck tire which pressure is usually about 700 Kpa, the maximum oxygen content is thus about 3% vol.
To confirm the applicability of this formula, it has been discovered that if the O2% vol is correct in the tire (less than 5% vol.) the pressure loss in a truck tire is 3 to 4 times slower than with air. (to reach the same pressure)
As an example, using the device described in this specification, and nitrogen from a membrane generator (97% vol. purity) as disclosed hereabove at a pressure of about 10 bar, the air in the tire is <<vacuumed>> out in about 7 to 8 minutes and the tire refilled with this nitrogen (97% vol.) has an oxygen content of about 3% vol.
While the invention has been described in detail with reference to preferred embodiments thereof, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that various changes can be made, and equivalents employed, without departing from the scope of the invention.
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The invention relates to a method of inflating a tire comprising the steps of:
providing a tire mounted on a rim, said tire comprising a tire valve to allow selective inflation or deflation of said tire, said tire being filled with a certain amount of air;
deflating said tire to reach a pressure which is less than or equal to a predetermined low pressure, said predetermined low pressure being lower than atmospheric pressure;
inflating said tire with a source of inert gas to reach a pressure at least equal to a pressure greater than atmospheric pressure, to obtain inside said tire a gas mixture comprising between 5% O 2 by volume and 0.5% O2 by volume.
It also relates to a tire evacuation apparatus specially adapted thereto.
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[0001] Certain subject matter disclosed and claimed herein was developed under a contract with the United States government (No. H98230-04-C-1711). The U.S. government has certain rights in this invention.
BACKGROUND
[0002] A biometric may be used to identify a person or to verify identity. Biometrics may also be used by systems for identification of persons and authentication of identity. A known method of biometrically identifying others relies on use of fingerprints. The system typically requires a fingerprint from a known individual. A fingerprint from an unknown person may then be compared with the saved fingerprint in order to determine if the unknown person is the known individual.
[0003] A computerized system is also possible wherein collections of fingerprint samples are scanned, assigned identities, and stored in a database. A fingerprint from an unknown person may then be scanned into the system. The system then searches the database of known fingerprints and compares the known fingerprints with the unknown fingerprint. If certain thresholds are met, the system then outputs a “match” that signals a high probability of identification. The stored identity of the matching fingerprint from the database is then used to hopefully identify the unknown person.
[0004] Additionally, biometric identification methods use single types of information, such as voice, retina, photo, or biographical data, to identify individuals. The systems may review a retinal scan, a fingerprint scan, or a voice identification to control access to locations or information.
[0005] However, systems lack a fusion of these sources and types of biometric information relating to identity. Further, these systems require the assistance of an individual in order to collect data. For example, a voice identification system requires an individual to repeat a phrase to obtain baseline data. Identification is performed by having the individual repeat the same phrase and comparing this phrase with the stored phrase. Such systems do not allow for a robust identification system and are prone to error and poor performance. Further, the systems do not provide for the correlation of individuals with their associates using multiple biometric information sources.
[0006] Accordingly, it would be highly desirable to be able to collect information from various sources and identify a subject individual without inconveniencing or requiring the cooperation of the individual. Importantly, it is desirable to fuse multi-modal biometric analysis having a unified interface for ease of operation. It is further desirable to allow for enrollment, searching, and identifying of new individuals. It is also highly desirable to be able to analyze and correlate identities of individuals with their associates. Additionally, it is highly desirable to fuse the collection of multiple data sources, identification using multiple data sources, permitting identification and correlation using a common interface. It is also desirable to provide standard interfaces to work cooperatively with off-the-shelf biometric identification software and systems to perform specific collection and analysis functions.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] The features and inventive aspects of the present invention will become more apparent upon reading the following detailed description, claims, and drawings, of which the following is a brief description:
[0008] FIG. 1 is an architecture diagram of an identification system, according to an illustrative embodiment;
[0009] FIG. 2A is a database diagram, according to an illustrative embodiment;
[0010] FIG. 2B is a database schema for the database of FIG. 2A , according to an illustrative embodiment;
[0011] FIG. 3 is a data diagram of an enrollment system, according to an illustrative embodiment;
[0012] FIG. 4 is a system diagram of an identification and analysis engine, according to an illustrative embodiment;
[0013] FIG. 5 is a process flow diagram of an identification system, according to an illustrative embodiment;
[0014] FIG. 6 is system diagram of a low-level fusion and high-level fusion system, according to an illustrative embodiment;
[0015] FIG. 7A is a photograph including two faces; and
[0016] FIG. 7B is a social network diagram, according to an illustrative embodiment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0017] Referring now to the drawings, illustrative preferred embodiments are shown in detail. Although the drawings represent the embodiments, the drawings are not necessarily to scale and certain features may be exaggerated to better illustrate and explain various aspects of an embodiment. Further, the embodiments described herein are not intended to be exhaustive or otherwise limit or restrict the invention to the precise form and configuration shown in the drawings and disclosed in the following detailed description.
I. OVERVIEW
[0018] It is now common to use biometric tools for identification of individuals within the United States and elsewhere. These identification tools are used for access control on a voluntary basis as well as for identification in public. Disclosed herein is an identification and analysis system that improves identification probability as well as combines multiple biometric and non-biometric sources by way of a multi-modal biometric analysis that uses sensor fusion to further enhance appropriate identification. In particular, for example, an ordered list is provided having the most probable matches where the correctly identified individual is preferably the most likely match generated by the system.
[0019] The following system includes the capability to determine social networks by the system, given a database containing stored information of multiple subject individuals. The social network may then be used to identify associates of a known individual as well as to provide yet another source for sensor fusion. A bio-demographic filter function is also provided that allows a user to narrow identity searches using personal characteristics as well as any other element in the database.
[0020] Additionally, the system includes the capability for supporting “plug-and-play” integration of commercially available biometric identification software. The plug-and-play support allows for multiple methods of identification as well as simplified integration. The system further provides for scalability applicable to field-level (on-site investigator) through an enterprise-level (analysis and investigation) usage.
[0021] A. Architecture
[0022] FIG. 1 shows the general architecture of an identification system 100 . A persistence layer 108 , a biographical database 110 , a face database 112 , and a voice database 114 provide persistent storage for physical and bio-demographic characteristics of an individual. A biometric appliance layer 120 provides a pluggable interface for off-the-shelf biometric analysis products as well as custom analysis products for use with identification system 100 . In this embodiment, a biographical data appliance 130 , a face identification appliance 132 , and a voice identification appliance 134 are shown. Further, a biometric abstraction layer 140 is provided to allow for plug-and-play interfacing with identification and analysis engine 150 .
[0023] A user interface 160 provides access to the identification and analysis engine 150 and includes a web interface 162 , a workstation interface 164 , and a web services interface 166 . Web interface 162 is typically used by field personnel to access identification system 100 from remote locations. Workstation interface 164 is used by analysts at an office location, and web services interface 166 is used by other high-level analysis systems for direct and automated access to identification system 100 . However, it is understood that interfaces 162 , 164 , and 166 may be used alone, or in combination, regardless of connection type and location. Further, user interface 160 provides for flexible and custom adaptation and integration with systems and users.
[0024] The integration of off-the-shelf biometric analysis components in appliance layer 120 provides a user with a common interface that provides a standardized interface for use of identification system 100 . The common interface overcomes the challenges and inefficiencies of training a user for multiple analysis components. Further, biometric abstraction layer 140 provides a standard interface for designing identification and analysis engine 150 . Thus, the challenges of widely differing programming languages and architectures are abstracted for ease of use as well as simplified design of identification and analysis engine 150 .
II. INPUTS
A. Voice
[0025] Voice inputs are sampled from a variety of sources, including phone conversations, live input, and recordings. Known to those skilled in the art, voice identification systems typically receive inputs using a standard digitized representation of the voice (e.g., a .wav file). The voice inputs may be captured with the consent and cooperation of a subject individual or they may be captured without inconveniencing the individual. In either case, the digital representation of the voice is stored in a computer readable medium for storage.
[0026] Typical voice data is digitally recorded at sampling rates in the range of about 8 KHz and 16 KHz. The digital recording may then be filtered to remove ambient noise or errant sounds outside the normal range of human speech (e.g., cell phone noise). The duration of the voice recording is inconsequential. However, recordings ranging from 15 to 30 seconds are preferable for data management purposes. Further, as an initial matter, the voice recordings may be sent to a voice recognition system to generate transcripts of the recording.
B. Face
[0027] Face inputs are sampled from a variety of sources including, but not limited to, a still photograph and video sources. The face inputs are provided in a standard digital file format (e.g., a .jpg file) for use with identification and analysis engine 150 . It is preferred to include multiple photos of the individual taken from different angles. The face inputs may include multiple individuals (i.e. a photo of a crowd), explained in detail below with respect to social networks. As with the voice recordings, the images may be captured with or without the active assistance of the subject individual.
[0028] The face inputs are preferred with differing “looks” of the individual to account for natural variations in a person's appearance over time or for the conditions of the photo (e.g., sunny or dark conditions). For example, bushy eyebrows may obscure the eyes or the angle of the sun may cast a shadow over the eyes. Eyeglasses, or the absence of eyeglasses, may drastically change the face identification analysis results. Further, the rotation of the individual's head is of concern where the individual is not being inconvenienced by the face data collection. For example, under controlled conditions, the individual will look straight at a camera to provide the face input. However, in un-controlled conditions, face collection takes place subject to random movement by the individual along with the photographic conditions of the environment.
C. Database
[0029] Turning now to FIG. 2A , an aggregate database 200 is shown that includes biographical database 110 , face database 112 , and voice database 114 . Aggregate database 200 generally performs to provide a broad-based repository of data on individuals for use with biometric appliances 130 , 132 , and 134 . Further, aggregate database 200 may be embodied as a single database, or a collection of databases 110 , 112 , 114 . Biographical database 110 includes bio-demographic data, such as height, eye color, occupation, citizenship, et al. Face database 112 includes picture objects that include the faces of individuals having a single angle or multiple angles and facial expressions. Voice database 114 includes digital representations of the individual's voice.
[0030] FIG. 2B shows schemas 210 for aggregate database 200 . Schemas 210 include information that may be combined in a single database or separated into multiple databases. Whatever the configuration, schemas 210 represents the data relations configured for aggregate database 200 . The central identifier is a person schema 212 for a person entity that represents an enrolled individual. As information is collected and individuals are enrolled (explained below in detail with respect to “enrollment” and “collection”), bio-demographic data is stored as multiple entities, as well as face data and voice data.
[0031] As illustrated by FIG. 2B , there are multiple types of relations in one-to-one, one-to-many, and many-to-many configurations. Binary information is stored in a binary entity 220 and/or a biometric entity 222 . Each of binary entity 220 and biometric entity 222 relate to person schema 212 . Embedded within binary entity 220 are a file name, type of binary object, the binary object itself (BLOB), time, date, and comments. Biometric entity 222 contains information related to the type of biometric, the biometric binary data, and objects. A bio-demographic object 224 typically contains text information such as date of birth.
[0032] In detail, person schema 212 identifies an individual (person). The other schemas of aggregate database 200 generally relate other information to the person schema 212 . For example, passport information 221 contains bio-demographic information in the form of text data including issuing state, issue date, expiration date, and comments. Biometric entity 222 can contain a file name, a photograph or a voice recording. Further, as illustrated by a general binary entity 220 , the binary object (typically a photograph or voice recording) may include metadata related to the binary object such as captured date, captured location, and comments. To this end, aggregate database 200 includes multiple types of information organized in schema that are attributed to person schema 212 and are also searchable individually so as to filter within the database (explained below in detail in the section entitled “Filtering”).
[0033] Additionally, multiple levels of information may be attributed to person schema 212 . For example, an organization schema 223 is not directly linked to person schema 212 . However, a person-organization schema 225 links person schema 212 with the organization by including the person identification number and organization identification number as foreign keys. Further, the nature of the person-organization schema 225 link is stored.
[0034] Although not explicitly shown in FIG. 2B , aggregate database 200 may include all of the relational database objects in a single database, or may include separate databases for biographical database 110 , face database 112 , and voice database 114 . Alternatively, a combination of mixed and separate databases may be employed.
D. Enrollment
[0035] FIG. 3 shows an enrollment system including data 300 about an individual (“subject data”), and aggregate database 200 . Subject data 300 includes bio-demographic data 302 , photograph(s) 304 , and voice recording(s) 306 . Database input is performed through an individual enrollment process that may be performed through web interface 162 , workstation interface 164 , and/or web services interface 166 . However, elements of aggregate database 200 may also be added, updated, or deleted without the cooperation of identification system 100 . That is to say, an outside application (not shown) may interface with aggregate database 200 to change the contents.
[0036] Enrollment of an individual begins through any of interfaces 162 , 164 , 166 that are provided as a graphical user interface. Bio-demographic data 302 is entered via drop-down lists and text entry boxes and is then stored in biographical database 110 typically as text information. Enrollment continues with an uploading of photographs 304 of the individual to face database 112 , and voice recordings 306 to voice database 114 . Enrollment completes when all relevant information is uploaded for the individual.
[0037] Alternatively, enrollment may occur automatically given sources of input connecting to identification system 100 . These automatic sources may include, for example, a motor vehicle registration site where an individual's photograph 304 is taken along with entry of bio-demographic data 302 . Thus, the automatic enrollment process expedites speedy entry of subject data 300 into aggregate database 200 , as well as minimizing inconvenience to the individual or duplicate efforts in enrollment.
III. OPERATION
[0038] FIG. 4 shows an overview of identification and analysis engine 150 and includes a collection system 400 , an analysis system 402 , an identification system 404 , and aggregate database 200 . The operation of identification system 100 provides for a one-to-many identification of an individual using, when available, bio-demographic data 302 , photographs 304 , and voice recordings 306 .
A. Collection System
[0039] Collection system 400 provides for the acquisition of data of an individual and includes bio-demographic data 302 , photographs 304 , and voice recordings 306 . Collection system 400 is configured to receive inputs collected with or without inconveniencing the individual. Further, collection system 400 may be automated to receive inputs from a variety of sources including surveillance cameras, microphones, wiretaps, and cell phone monitors. In general, collection includes the taking of pictures or videos and voice recordings and the amassing of bio-demographic data associated with an individual.
B. Analysis System
[0040] Analysis system 402 provides for the cataloging, storing, and examining of data input from collection system 400 and the enrollment process. Aggregate database 200 provides functions for storage and retrieval to allow for analysis of the stored information. Further, aggregate database 200 allows for filtering functions that provide further analysis through the presentation and examination of particular subsets of data, including voice, photo, and bio-demographic data. This filtering is possible in aggregate database 200 without the necessity of traversing the entire collection of information contained in aggregate database 200 .
C. Identification System
[0041] Identification system 404 extracts likely candidates and produces a list of potential matches regarding the identity of an unknown individual using analysis system 402 and the elements of aggregate database 200 . The identification of an individual is provided to a user by a graphical user interface. In one illustrative embodiment, an analyst then reviews the list and draws conclusions based on the information provided. In other embodiments, however, human intervention is minimized. FIG. 5 shows a flow diagram of the identification process starting at entry step 500 . Control then proceeds to step 510 .
[0042] Biographical data of an unknown individual is entered to the extent known in step 510 via an entry system similar to the enrollment process. The data entered is in a form compatible with the previously collected data, or the data is converted to a compatible form. Photograph(s) 304 (.jpg file) and voice recordings 306 (.wav file) are then uploaded to identification system 100 . Further, any element in aggregate database 200 may be entered for inclusion in the identification process. A combination of the three types of data, or any one or two of them, may be entered to perform the identify operation. The information entered for comparison is considered “probe data.” Control then proceeds to step 520 .
[0043] In step 520 , the individual's image may be displayed and the voice data may be played for review. Further, the bio-demographical data may be reviewed for accuracy. Indeed, any element in aggregate database 200 may be reviewed. Control then proceeds to step 530 .
[0044] In step 530 , upon the request of a user, the identification begins with a database search and comparison of aggregate individual data (explained in detail below) based on the probe data. Control then proceeds to step 540 .
[0045] In step 540 , a list is displayed of potential individuals matching the probe data. The list is ordered from top to bottom, with the individual most similar to the probe at the top. The top individual has the highest fusion score and the list continues down, ordered by decreasing fusion scores.
[0046] Provided in the graphical user interface, convenient tabs allow for face to face, voice to voice, and bio-demographic comparison with the probe data and the identified individual(s). This one-to-one comparison does not include the fused data score, but rather, is an individual score for that particular metric (e.g., face score, voice score, and bio-demographic score). A similarity score is then displayed for each individual relative to the probe data.
[0047] An analyst draws conclusions, if any, for the most likely individual matching the probe data based upon the ordered list provided. The identification process ends at step 550 .
1. Sensor Fusion
[0048] Sensor fusion (also known as “data fusion”) is a process by which multiple biometric comparisons are combined into a single score that reflects the overall similarity of a probe individual to an enrolled individual. Further, fusion of multiple biometrics increases identification accuracy. For enrolled individuals with multiple biometrics present in aggregate database 200 , the score is based on the total of the highest scores from each set of biometrics.
[0049] In this embodiment, each biometric comparison is scaled to a common scale for comparison. The results of the common scaling are then added and divided by the number of biometrics used to produce a fused score. Generally, each face or voice comparison produces a similarity score in the range of zero (0) to ten (10). For example, a fusion voice and face biometrics with individual similarity scores of 6.0 and 7.0 respectively, yields a fused similarity result of 6.5=((6+7)/2).
[0050] When multiple entries (e.g., three face pictures) are stored in aggregate database 200 for a single enrolled individual, separate scores are presented (discussed in step 540 above) for each of the multiple entries (e.g., three separate scores, one for each face picture) on the tab pages. However, the fusion results page will only display a single fusion score, using the highest from each biometric for each individual. Thus, the fusion results page presents a scaled overall confidence of the match of the probe data to the enrolled individual.
[0051] The fusion process is further refined by characterizing the relative strength of each biometric, i.e., determining how much confidence should be placed in face vs. voice comparison, so that individual results can be weighted accordingly. The characterization of biometrics is a mission-specific step that is taken depending upon the goal of the identification system. The relative weight assigned to a biometric depends on factors related to the objective of the mission as well as restrictions having to do with the nature of the biometric to be modified. For example, a relative weight to be assigned to a face may depend upon the light available to take a photo (e.g., indoor or outdoor). Further, if the photo is particularly poor in quality, field personnel or the system itself may de-emphasize the photo by assigning a low relative weight that is persistent.
[0052] As described above, the fusion process is applied at multiple levels. A low-level fusion is applied to data of the same type (e.g., voice or face or bio-demographics). Thus, a weight and combined score for a single type of information is provided for identification. For example, where there exists four samples of face information, the low-level fusion will weigh each of the four face samples to produce a single result for the face data. Thus, the information is fused at a low-level.
[0053] In comparison, a high-level fusion described above combines different types of information into a single score. For example, the high-level fusion of voice, face, and bio-demographic information is given weights at the high-level to produce a single result (score) from a group of diverse types of data. In summary, the low-level fusion operates on data of the same type to produce a single result for the type, whereas the high-level fusion operates on data of differing types to produce a single result. However, as is known in the art, the fusion process may also include hybrid types that may incorporate data fusion of many of the same types and many different types in the same operation or process. Thus, the fusion process is not strictly limited to the levels discussed herein.
[0054] FIG. 6 is a system diagram of a fusion system 570 including a low-level fusion layer 580 and a high-level fusion layer 590 , according to an illustrative embodiment. Voice inputs 572 , face inputs 574 , and bio-demographic inputs 576 are input to low-level fusion layer 580 . Low-level fusion layer 580 includes separate fusion subsystems including a voice fusion subsystem 582 , a face fusion subsystem 584 , and a bio-demographic fusion subsystem 586 . Each fusion subsystem 582 , 584 , 586 , individually weighs its own category of input (e.g., voice, face, bio-demographic data) and outputs a single score.
[0055] Voice fusion subsystem 582 outputs a single voice score 594 , face fusion subsystem 584 outputs a single face score 596 , and bio-demographic fusion subsystem 586 outputs a single bio-demographic score 598 to a high-level fusion system 592 . When all fusion subsystems 582 , 584 , 586 have completed their fusion tasks, high-level fusion system 592 again ranks each of the single outputs of low-level fusion layer 580 to a single output of a single ranked score 599 . In this way, the complexities of data fusion may be partitioned in a meaningful manner such that the data fusion weights may be assigned logically and without unnecessary interaction between data types. Alternatively, bio-demographic fusion subsystem 586 may be removed in fusion system 570 wherein data fusion is not taking place for bio-demographic inputs 576 . Rather, a filter may be applied (explained below in detail in the section entitled “Filtering”).
2. Filtering
[0056] In addition to sensor fusion, bio-demographic data is used to establish the set of enrolled individuals against which the identification is performed. For example, if “Last Name=Jones” is specified, only enrolled individuals with the last name of Jones will be compared to the probe's face and/or voice data to form the results set. If no bio-demographic data is entered, then the entire enrolled aggregate database 200 is examined.
[0057] By narrowing the set of enrolled individuals for comparison, there is a reduced probability of incorrect responses. Additionally, there is significantly reduced processing time required to compare each and every enrolled individual against the probe data. Thus, by narrowing the comparison set, accuracy and efficiency are increased. However, it necessarily flows that the information used to filter the enrolled individuals must be of a high confidence, or the true match for the probe data may be excluded from the search.
3. Social Networks
[0058] In addition to the described identification of a single individual, identification system 100 provides for the identification of a social network 600 illustrated in FIGS. 7A and 7B . Provided a single photograph 602 containing the faces of first individual 604 and a second individual 606 (see FIG. 7A ), identification system 100 operates to identify each individual separately and then creates a link between the individuals 604 , 606 in aggregate database 200 (see FIG. 7B ). In this way, social network 600 is formed between the two individuals 604 , 606 in the photograph.
[0059] In addition to photographic-based social network identification, identification system 100 also generates social network 600 from bio-demographic data 302 (e.g., employment location 610 , residence address 612 , name, phone records, financials, etc.) and voice recordings 306 . Indeed, every element of aggregate database 200 may be selected alone or in sets to be used for generating social networks. Further, an analyst may manually link enrolled individuals in a social network.
[0060] As an example of linking of social network in aggregate database 200 , a person-to-person schema 226 is linked to person schema 212 . (See FIG. 2B ). Here, a first person's identification and a second person's identification (as foreign keys) are linked to person schema 212 . The nature of the link is also indicated in a text field (e.g., friend, associate, co-worker etc.). When developing the social network, the person-to-person links may be established automatically or manually. Further, the person-to-person schema 226 is not limited to only two individuals. For where many individuals are included in a social network, multiple person-to-person schemas are included in aggregate database 200 .
[0061] As described in FIG. 1 , identification system 100 includes biometric abstraction layer 140 that allows for plug-and-play integration of biometric appliances. Thus, an off-the-shelf social networking appliance may be integrated with identification system 100 such that the social networking appliance integrates with aggregate database 200 for identifying social networks therein.
4. Identity Auditing
[0062] Also provided with identification system 100 is the ability to audit the identity of a subject individual. Using the identity audit process, a known individual may be compared with aggregate database 200 to periodically confirm their identity or to expose double entries in aggregate database 200 . While it is theoretically possible that double entry of an individual in aggregate database 200 could occur, it is more likely that the individual is leading separate roles and may be working towards illicit goals.
[0063] For example, where the same person is stored in aggregate database 200 having matching photos and voice but the individual's biographical data 302 is drastically incorrect, an analyst may determine that the individual has separate personas, and thus aliases. In addition to simple criminal activity, the identity auditing may provide a simplified method for determining persons playing multiple covert roles. Additionally, enrolled individuals may be periodically checked against the other enrolled individuals to confirm or debunk a double entry. Further, when enrolling an individual, an automatic check against the already enrolled individuals is advised to avoid double entry.
IV. CONCLUSION
[0064] Given the preceding description, other embodiments of identification system 100 may include identification and analysis engine 150 installed on a personal digital assistant (PDA) including a portion, or the entirety, of aggregate database 200 , as well as sensors for data collection and enrollment that may include a camera and a sound recorder. Thus, all of the functions, or a portion of the functions may be installed on a portable device for field officers' convenience. In the absence of such a PDA installation, a PDA may be used with web interface 162 and a wireless connection providing access to a server operating identification system 100 .
[0065] Further, identification system 100 is expandable to include a variety of additional biometric identification systems (e.g., fingerprints and iris scanning) by adding new information to aggregate database 200 . Aggregate database 200 may be modified to accept the new objects, and/or additional databases may be added to persistence layer 108 and linked to aggregate database 200 . Thus, aggregate database 200 expands to contain the new biometrics. Further, due to the structure of identification system 100 , enterprise-level security is a feature that may be readily implemented for sensitive operations.
[0066] In general, identification system 100 provides that data can be analyzed and correlated to identify individuals and their associates. Face and voice biometric identification, as well as bio-demographics, are encapsulated with a common interface to the user. Further, all information necessary for the identification process can be collected without inconveniencing an individual.
[0067] In this way, general identification can be made of an individual as well as developing knowledge regarding illicit social networks. Identification system 100 enables the correlation of faces and voices to identify individuals and relationship networks functioning for illicit purposes.
[0068] With regard to the processes, methods, heuristics, etc. described herein, it should be understood that although the steps of such processes, etc. have been described as occurring according to a certain ordered sequence, such processes could be practiced with the described steps performed in an order other than the order described herein. It further should be understood that certain steps could be performed simultaneously, that other steps could be added, or that certain steps described herein could be omitted. In other words, the descriptions of processes described herein are provided for the purpose of illustrating certain embodiments and should in no way be construed so as to limit the claimed invention.
[0069] Accordingly, it is to be understood that the above description is intended to be illustrative and not restrictive. Many embodiments and applications other than the examples provided would be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reading the above description. The scope of the invention should be determined, not with reference to the above description, but should instead be determined with reference to the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled. It is anticipated and intended that future developments will occur in the arts discussed herein, and that the disclosed systems and methods will be incorporated into such future embodiments. In sum, it should be understood that the invention is capable of modification and variation and is limited only by the following claims.
[0070] All terms used in the claims are intended to be given their broadest reasonable constructions and their ordinary meanings as understood by those skilled in the art unless an explicit indication to the contrary in made herein. In particular, use of the singular articles such as “a,” “the,” “said,” etc. should be read to recite one or more of the indicated elements unless a claim recites an explicit limitation to the contrary.
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A system and method for identifying an unknown individual from a plurality of enrolled individuals is provided. In an embodiment, the method comprises comparing at least two parameters of the unknown individual to at least two enrolled parameters of the enrolled individuals. The method then determines a score correlating to the closeness of the comparison and then stores the score.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This is a divisional of application Ser. No. 10/155,608, filed May 24, 2002, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,701,664, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to railroad bridges and more particularly to a system and method for positioning a pile cap underneath an existing elevated bridge assembly to upgrade the bridge assembly to support a rail assembly.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Many existing wooden railroad bridges were built 70 or 80 years ago and are now in the process of being repaired because of deterioration or upgraded to handle the freight loads and speeds of modern trains. Most of the existing wooden railroad bridges are supported by wooden piles topped by wooden pile caps. The repair and upgrade of the bridges includes installing new steel beam piles and topping the new piles with pre-cast, concrete pile caps. Ultimately, the old, wooden piles and caps are removed, and new pre-cast, concrete spans, which are supported by the new caps and piles, are used to support the rail assembly.
A typical concrete pile cap is 17 feet long by three feet wide by three feet deep, and weighs 30,000 pounds. Currently, concrete pile caps are cast with lifting loops at each end so that the pile cap may be lowered straight down from the rail assembly onto the steel piles. This, however, requires that at least portions of all the stingers be removed and that both rails be cut and removed from the rail assembly. Train traffic is interrupted since the rail assembly is separated, and traffic cannot resume until the pile cap is placed on the steel piles and the rail assembly is restored.
It is preferred that upgrading the exiting wooden bridges is done with a minimum interruption of the train traffic. Windows of opportunity for performing the construction are seldom longer than six hours and frequently are as short as forty-five minutes. Current systems and methods in the art do not allow for minimum interruption.
The present invention is directed to overcoming, or at least reducing the effects of, one or more of the problems set forth above.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A system and method for positioning a pile cap underneath an existing bridge assembly is disclosed. A portion of the rail assembly is removed to define an access area. At least three new piles are installed through the access area. The piles include a center pile and two opposing outer piles. Each pile has a proximal end and a distal end. The distal ends of each pile are driven into a support surface so that each pile generally extends from the support surface to the existing elevated rail assembly. The proximal ends of each pile are removed to define a gap between the piles and the existing elevated rail assembly. A new pile cap is then inserted into the gap. To insert the pile cap, a lifting device and a crane are used. The lifting device is used to incrementally insert the pile cap into the gap. The pile cap is supported on the piles and is used to support a new span for supporting the rail assembly.
The foregoing summary is not intended to summarize each potential embodiment, or every aspect of the invention disclosed herein.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The foregoing summary, a preferred embodiment, and other aspects of the present invention will be best understood with reference to a detailed description of specific embodiments of the invention, which follows, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of an existing bridge assembly having wooden piles and wooden pile caps;
FIG. 2A illustrates the bridge assembly being partially upgraded according to the present invention;
FIG. 2B illustrates a side view of the partially upgraded bridge assembly of FIG. 2A ;
FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective view of the existing bridge assembly of FIG. 1 with a portion of the wooden ballast retainers and cross-ties removed according to the present invention;
FIG. 4 illustrates the bridge assembly with ballast boards removed according to the present invention;
FIG. 5 illustrates the bridge assembly with outboard non-load-bearing stringers removed according to the present invention.
FIG. 6 illustrates a new, center pile positioned through the assembly according to the present invention;
FIG. 7 illustrates the center pile, a first outer pile, and a second outer pile positioned through the assembly according to the present invention;
FIG. 8 illustrates a front view of proximal ends removed from the new piles to define a gap according to the present invention;
FIG. 9 illustrates a crane and a freight car positioned over the prepared portion of the assembly according to the present invention;
FIG. 10 illustrates a support bar being connected to a new pile cap according to the present invention;
FIG. 11 illustrates the crane lifting the pile cap out of the freight car according to the present invention;
FIG. 12 illustrates the crane lowering the pile cap adjacent the assembly according to the present invention;
FIG. 13 illustrates the crane rotating the pile cap to be perpendicular to the assembly according to the present invention;
FIGS. 14A–B illustrate the crane utilizing a first pair of lifting rods to position the pile cap to rest on two, new piles according to the present invention;
FIGS. 15A–B illustrate the crane positioning the pile cap further into the rail assembly utilizing a second pair of lifting rods with one of the lifting rods being located between the rails;
FIGS. 16A–B illustrate the crane positioning the pile cap further into the rail assembly utilizing a third pair of lifting rods with one of the lifting rods being located between the rails;
FIG. 17 illustrates the crane positioning the pile cap further into the rail assembly utilizing a fourth pair of lifting rods with one of the lifting rods being located between the rails;
FIGS. 18A–B illustrate the crane positioning the pile cap into a final position utilizing a fifth pair of lifting rods located outside of both rails;
FIG. 19 illustrates the crane placing the support bar into the freight car according to the present invention;
FIG. 20 illustrates an embodiment of a support bar in cross-section having lifting rods according to the present invention;
FIG. 21 illustrates an embodiment of a lifting rod according to the present invention;
FIG. 22A illustrates a perspective view of an embodiment of a pile cap according to the present invention;
FIG. 22B is a cross sectional view of FIG. 22A taken from line A—A; and
FIG. 23 illustrates a rope used to raise and lower a lifting rod according to the present invention.
While the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail herein. However, it should be understood that the invention is not intended to be limited to the particular forms disclosed. Rather, the invention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
FIG. 1 illustrates a portion of an existing bridge assembly 100 typically used to span a low elevational area, such as a valley, canyon, riverbed, or creek bed. The bridge assembly 100 includes an elevated rail assembly 102 supported by wooden pile caps 106 on wooden piles 104 . The wooden piles 104 extend into a support surface or ground surface 108 .
The rail assembly 102 includes first and second, parallel rails 114 and 16 used by railroad cars and engines. The rails 114 and 116 are supported on a plurality of cross-ties 118 along the length of the rails 114 and 116 . The cross-ties 118 are supported on crushed stone ballast (not shown) and a plurality of ballast boards 122 , which also extend along the length of rails 114 and 116 . The ballast boards 122 are fastened together by a plurality of side ballast retainers 120 located at each end of the ballast boards 122 .
The ballast boards 122 are supported on a plurality of outboard non-load-bearing stringers 124 and a plurality of load-bearing stringers 126 a – 126 e . The non-load-bearing stingers 124 are located underneath and at the ends of the ballast boards 122 . The plurality of load-bearing stringers 126 a – 126 e is supported on the wooden pile caps 106 . The stingers on bridge assemblies can have a number of configurations. In one configuration, for example, the load-bearing stringers 126 a – 126 e extend between adjacent, wooden caps 106 and are spaced approximately 18 inches apart in relation to each other with 126 a being an inboard stringer and 126 e being an outboard stringer.
Referring to FIGS. 2A–B , the existing, wooden bridge assembly 100 is illustrated partially upgraded according to the present invention. FIG. 2A illustrates a perspective view of the bridge assembly 100 showing only selected components, and FIG. 2B illustrates a side view of the bridge assembly 100 of FIG. 2A . Upgrading the existing, wooden bridge assembly 100 to handle the freight loads and speeds of modern trains involves replacing the existing wooden piles 104 with new piles 110 , which are preferably made of steel, and replacing the existing wooden pile caps 106 with new pile caps 112 , preferably made of pre-cast concrete. In addition, upgrading the wooden bridge assembly 100 involves replacing the exiting stingers 124 and 126 and ballast boards 122 with new spans 50 , which are preferably pre-cast and made of concrete.
It is to be understood that FIGS. 2A–B do not necessarily represent how the bridge assembly 100 would appear during the process of upgrading the assembly according to the present invention. Rather, the partially upgraded bridge assembly 100 is presented to contrast the existing wooden structures (piles 104 , caps 106 , ballast boards, stingers 126 , etc.) with the new structures (piles 110 , caps 112 , and spans 50 ) that are used to replace them.
Two sections 101 a and 101 b of the assembly 100 are shown for illustrative purposes. The first section 101 a shows the exiting assembly 100 in an incomplete form. In the first section 101 a , the rails 114 and 116 are shown supported on existing cross-ties 118 , as best described above. For clarity, neither the crushed ballast nor the plurality of ballast boards is shown. For illustrative purposes, a part of the first section 101 a is shown without the cross-ties, crushed ballast, and ballast boards so that the plurality of stringers 126 can be seen supported on the existing wooden caps 106 and piles 104 .
In accordance with upgrading the bridge assembly 100 , a new, concrete pile cap 112 a is shown positioned underneath the stingers 126 between existing wooden pile caps 106 b and 106 c . This new, concrete pile cap 112 a is supported on a plurality of new piles 110 a . Preferably, the new piles 110 a are steel H beams having a width of approximately 14 inches. The new piles 110 a extend from the support surface 108 to the pile cap 112 a . In the process of upgrading the bridge assembly 100 described in detail below, distal ends of the piles 110 a are stabilized with the support surface or driven into the ground 108 . Opposite, proximal ends of the piles 110 a are eventually cut off to make room for the new pile cap 112 a to be positioned below the exiting stingers 126 .
To elucidate the system and method described in more detail below, the second section 101 b of the assembly illustrates the desired result of the present invention. For illustrative purposes, the second section 101 b is shown in an incomplete form. New piles and caps, such as piles 110 b–c and caps 112 b–c , are installed between every other wooden cap 106 and piles 104 . In contrast to the conventional wooden piles 104 and caps 106 that are positioned every 15-feet along the assembly 100 , the new piles 110 b–c and caps 110 b–c are positioned approximately every 30-feet along the assembly 100 . After installing the new piles 110 b–c and caps 112 b–c under the existing stingers, the old, wooden components are removed. In particular, the old caps are removed, and the old, piles are removed or truncated, such as piles 105 . Ultimately, the newly installed caps 112 b–c and piles 110 b–c support pre-cast, concrete spans 50 a and 50 b . The concrete spans 50 a–b hold the ballast (not shown), cross-ties 118 , and rails 114 and 116 of the rail assembly 102 and replace the old stingers and ballast boards.
The new pile caps 112 are approximately 34-inches in height, while the old wooden pile caps 106 are about 14-inches. As best shown in the side view of FIG. 2B , the top surface of the new pile caps 112 are set about three or four feet lower than the old wooden pile caps 106 . This allows for the approximately three feet depth of the pre-cast, concrete bridge spans 50 that will eventually be positioned on the new pile caps 112 , such as the span 50 b supported on caps 112 b and 112 c and piles 110 b and 110 c in the second section 101 b . In addition, the position of the concrete piles 112 can include about another foot in depth to accommodate for ballast (not shown). The 30-inch deep span 50 b replaces the 17-inch wood stingers 126 and the 3-inch wooden ballast boards (not shown).
With the benefit of the overview of the system and method according to the present invention described above, particular steps for positioning new piles and caps underneath an existing elevated bridge assembly to upgrade the assembly will now be discussed in more detail with reference to FIGS. 3–23 . Referring to FIGS. 3 through 5 , initial steps for creating an access area 128 in the assembly 100 according to the present invention are discussed and illustrated. Creation of the access area 128 allows new piles (not shown) to be installed through the rail assembly 102 and allows new pile caps (not shown) to be positioned on top of the new piles. In FIGS. 3–5 and in FIGS. 6–19 described below, the exiting wooden piles used to support the wooden caps 106 are not shown for simplicity.
FIG. 3 illustrates a first step in creating the access area. A plurality of cross-ties 118 is removed from underneath the rails 114 and 116 . Side ballast retainers 120 adjacent the removed cross-ties are also removed from the both sides of the rail assembly 102 . Although not shown, a three-foot section of crushed stone ballast is removed from the rail assembly 102 as well.
As illustrated in FIG. 4 , ballast boards 122 are removed from underneath the rails 114 and 116 where the cross-ties 118 were previously removed. At this point, the stringers 126 a – 126 e are exposed to view from the top of the rail assembly 102 . As illustrated in FIG. 5 , outboard, non-load-bearing stringers 124 are removed on both sides of the rail assembly 102 . At this point, only the stringers 126 a – 126 e span across the access area 128 . A center stringer may also be removed if necessary.
As illustrated in FIG. 6 , a center pile 130 is positioned between the rails 114 and 116 , between a central pair of stringers 126 , and through the access area 128 . Alternatively, depending on the spacing of the stringers 126 , a portion of one of the stringer may be cut away to make room for the center pile 130 . A distal end 130 d of the pile 130 is then stabilized to a support surface 108 . For example, the distal end 130 d is driven into the ground 108 “to refusal” so that the center pile 130 extends generally from the ground 108 to the existing elevated rail assembly 102 . Alternatively, the distal end 130 d can be stabilized to another support or structure by methods known in the art. In the present embodiment, the pile 130 is preferably a steel H beam having a width of approximately 14 inches, but it will be appreciated that other support members or structures known in the art can be used.
As illustrated in FIG. 7 , a first outer pile 132 and an opposing second outer pile 134 are then positioned through the access area 128 . Distal ends 132 d and 134 d of each of the outer piles are driven into the ground 108 . Each of the outer piles 132 and 134 generally extend from the ground surface 108 to the existing elevated rail assembly 102 . Preferably, the two outer piles 132 and 134 extend from the ground surface 108 at convergent angles relative to the center pile 130 .
Proximal ends 130 p , 132 p , and 134 p of each pile are horizontally cut off to define a generally uniform gap 136 between piles 130 , 132 , 134 and the rail assembly 102 , as illustrated in FIG. 8 . The ends 130 p , 132 p , and 134 p are cut with level tops to a precise height for welding to steel plates on the bottom of a new, pre-cast concrete pile cap (not shown). The proximal ends are cut immediately after the piles are driven into the ground surface 108 so that rail assembly 102 can continue to be used for rail traffic. In the present embodiment, the steel piles 130 , 132 , and 134 can be cut using a gas/oxygen flame at exactly the height where the cut end will be welded to the new caps. As noted above, it is understood that other members or structures can be used for the new piles. Thus, the step of horizontally cutting proximal ends of the piles may be unnecessary when the piles are not driven into the ground as described above, but are stabilized by other methods or structures.
At this point, the ballast, a substantial majority of cross-ties 118 , and the rails 114 and 116 are still in place, and there are no obstacles to normal train traffic. The cross-ties that were removed to allow for driving the new piles can be replaced, and other cross-ties 118 approximately 30-feet away can be removed for driving the next set of piles.
Once the piles 110 are ready, a new, pile cap 112 of pre-cast concrete can be delivered by railroad car on the existing rail assembly 102 , as illustrated in FIG. 9 . A locomotive crane 138 is moved approximately over the access area 128 . Coupled to the crane 138 is a freight car 144 housing the new pile cap 112 . The crane 138 and freight car 144 are stopped in a position where the coupling (not shown) between the car 144 and crane 138 does not block the access area 128 from the top. The hand brake is set on the freight car 144 , and the coupling is opened.
As shown in FIG. 10 , the crane 138 is moved away from the car 144 to clear the coupling from the access area 128 . The crane 138 has a boom 142 and a retractable cable 146 . To lift and move the new pile cap 112 , a lifting device is used. The lifting device includes an intermediate member or support bar 148 and a plurality of interconnecting members or lifting rods 150 – 160 . Relevant details of the lifting device are provided below with reference to FIGS. 20 , 21 , and 23 .
The cable 146 is connected to a center rod 152 , which extends from the support bar 148 along with a first end lifting rod 150 . The first end lifting rod 150 and the center lifting rod 152 define a first pair of lifting rods, which are both releasably connected to lifting points on the concrete pile cap 112 . Relevant details of the pile cap 112 are provided below with reference to FIGS. 22A–B .
The lifting rods 150 , 152 each have an extended position and a retracted position on the support bar 148 . In FIG. 10 , the first end-lifting rod 150 and the center-lifting rod 152 are shown in the extended position releasably connected to lifting points on the pile cap 112 . A second end lifting rod 154 , a first mid-portion lifting rod 156 , a second mid-portion lifting rod 158 , and a third mid-portion lifting rod 160 are shown in the retracted position on the support bar 148 .
As will be further described below, each lifting rod corresponds to a lifting point or threaded hole in the pile cap 112 being approximately determined by the spacing of the stingers 126 . The lifting rods each weigh approximately 90-lbs. and must be raised approximately eight feet when retracted on the support bar 148 . To aid in the lifting of the rods, a double-sheave block is suspended from the crane arm to support two, one-inch diameter ropes. The ropes have eye splices at one end, which are slipped over the tops of the two active lifting rods. In a preferred embodiment shown in FIG. 23 , a rope 137 is threaded through a sheave 139 . The rope 137 has an eye splice 141 at the working end. It is slipped over the top of one of the lifting rods, for example 150 . A pin 164 is placed through the top end of the lifting rod 150 so that the rope 137 may be used to raise and lower the lifting rod 150 .
As shown in FIG. 11 , the crane 138 lifts the pile cap 112 out of the freight car 144 . The weight of the pile cap 112 is transferred through the center-lifting rod 152 , while the first end lifting rod 150 helps to stabilize the pile cap 112 . The pile cap 112 is lifted high enough to clear the side of the freight car 144 and is swung to the side of the rail assembly 102 . The crane 138 preferably rotates approximately 20 degrees or less. The pile cap 112 is positioned parallel to the rails to decrease the required rotation of the crane and the resulting moment arm thereon.
As shown in FIG. 12 , the crane 138 lowers the pile cap 112 adjacent the access area 128 to approximately a few inches, such as three inches, above the pile cap's intended final elevation. The crane 138 is then moved away from the access area 128 backward until the crane's lifting arc is directly over the center pile 130 . The pile cap 112 is then rotated by a rope (not shown) attached to the first end lifting rod 150 until the pile cap 112 is generally perpendicular to the rail assembly 102 , as shown in FIG. 13 .
In this preferred embodiment, the locomotive crane 138 is used to lift and move the new concrete pile cap 112 . It understood that attention must be made to the maximum moment arm on the crane 138 , which can tend to overturn the crane as it holds the approximately 30,000-lb. pile cap 112 adjacent the rail assembly 102 . While lowering the cap 112 adjacent the access area 128 , the new cap 112 is preferably slightly rotated to clear the existing wooden pile cap 106 at one end and to clear the edge of the bridge assembly at the other end. In this way, the maximum overturning moment arm can be limited to approximately 100-inches measured from the center of the rails 114 and 116 to the lifting cable 146 .
If such a locomotive train is not used to move the pile cap adjacent the access area 128 , then particular attention must be further paid to the maximum overturning moment arm. For example, in another embodiment, a crane can be carried in a freight car delivering the new pile caps. With a crane in a freight car, the limiting point of the overturning moment arm is a side bearing on top of a truck bolster of the freight car, which is only about 20 inches from an axial centerline of the rails 114 and 116 . This imposes a severe limit on the load and or/moment arm that can be handled without danger of overturning the crane and freight car. Accordingly, if other cranes, mechanisms, or methods are used in the art to lift and move the concrete pile caps, particular attention must be paid to the overturning moment. It will be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art, however, that a number of cranes, methods, and mechanisms are known in the art for providing an increased maximum moment arm to resist overturning.
As shown in FIGS. 14A–B , the crane 138 positions one end of the pile cap 112 partially into the access area 128 and gap 136 from the side of the rail assembly until the center lifting rod 152 is adjacent to or in contact with the outboard stringer 126 a . At this position, an additional lifting point on the pile cap 112 that is approximately 60 inches from the center is visible through the access area 128 . As shown in FIG. 14B , the cable of the crane 146 can include a hook or other connector 147 connected to one end of the center lifting rod 152 .
As shown in FIGS. 15A–B , the crane 138 lowers the pile cap 112 onto at least two piles, such as the center pile 130 and the first outer pile 132 . The weight of the pile cap 112 is thereby taken off the lifting rods. The first mid-portion lifting rod 156 is extended from the support bar 148 and is releasably connected to the lifting position of the pile cap 112 visible through the access area 128 . The center lifting rod 152 is disconnected from the pile cap 112 and is retracted up into the support bar 148 , as best shown in the end view of FIG. 15B . Thus, at least two lifting rods are preferably connected to the pile cap 112 when alternating the interconnection of the rods with the pile cap. The center lifting rod 152 and the first mid-portion lifting rod 156 define a second pair of lifting rods extending from the support bar 148 . The first end lifting rod 150 stabilizes the pile cap 112 , while the center lifting rod 152 is retracted from support bar 148 and the first mid-portion lifting pipe 156 is releasably connected to the pile cap 112 .
The crane 138 then lifts the pile cap 112 off the center pile 130 and the first outer pile 132 . The crane 138 further positions the pile cap 112 into gap 136 by moving the center of the pile cap 112 approximately 18-inches closer to the center of the rail assembly 102 . At this position, an additional lifting point on the pile cap 112 that is approximately 42 inches from the center is visible through the access area 128 . The pile cap 112 is then lowered to rest on at least two of the piles, such as center pile 130 and first outer pile 132 .
The second mid-portion lifting rod 158 is extended from the support bar 148 and is releasably connected to the pile cap 112 , as best shown in the end view of FIG. 16B . The first mid-portion lifting rod 156 is then disconnected from the pile cap 112 and retracted from the support bar 148 . The second mid-portion lifting rod 158 and the first end lifting rod 150 define a third pair of lifting rods extending from the support bar 148 . The crane 138 then lifts the pile cap 112 off the center pile 130 and the first outer pile 132 .
The crane 138 further positions the pile cap into the gap 136 an additional 18 inches toward the center until the second mid-portion lifting rod 158 is adjacent to or in contact with stringer 126 c . At this point, an additional lifting point on the pile cap 24 inches from the center of the cap is visible through the access area 128 . The pile cap 112 is then lowered to rest upon two piles, such as center pile 130 and first outer pile 132 .
As illustrated in FIG. 17 , the third mid-portion lifting rod 160 is extended from the support bar 148 and is releasably connected to the pile cap 112 . The second mid-portion lifting rod 158 is disconnected from the pile cap 112 and retracted from the support bar 148 . The third mid-portion lifting rod 160 and the first end-lifting rod 150 define a fourth pair of lifting rods.
The crane 138 then lifts the pile cap 112 off the center pile 130 and outer pile 132 . The crane 138 further positions the pile cap 112 into the gap 136 an additional 18-inches until the third mid-portion lifting rod 160 is adjacent to or in contact with the next stringer 126 d . At this point, an outboard lifting point in the pile cap 112 is visible beyond the outboard stringer 126 e . The pile cap is then lowered to rest upon piles 130 , 132 , and 134 .
As illustrated in FIGS. 18A–B , the second end lifting rod 154 is then extended from the support bar 148 and is releasably connected to the pile cap 112 . The second end-lifting rod 154 and the first end-lifting rod 150 define a fifth pair of lifting rods. Then, the third mid-portion lifting rod 160 is disconnected from the pile cap 112 and retracted from the support bar 148 . The crane 138 then lifts the pile cap 112 off piles 130 , 132 , and 134 . The crane 138 further positions the pile cap 112 into the gap 136 so that the pile cap 112 is centered directly under the rail assembly 102 . The pile cap 112 is then lowered onto piles 130 , 132 , and 134 so that the weight of the pile cap 112 is taken off the fifth pair of lifting rods 150 and 154 .
The pile cap 112 includes three steel plates (not shown) that are cast and anchored into a bottom surface of the pile cap 112 . These steel plates correspond to the spacing of the piles 130 , 132 , and 134 . The pile cap 112 is welded at the juncture of the steel plates and the piles 130 , 132 , and 134 . The first end lifting rod 150 and the second end lifting rod 154 are then disconnected from the pile cap 112 and retracted from the support bar 148 . The crane 138 then lifts the support bar 148 and the lifting rods back into the freight car 144 , as illustrated in FIG. 19 .
With the new cap 112 and piles 130 , 132 , and 134 installed, the above system and method according to the present invention can be repeated at further locations along the bridge assembly. As discussed above, new caps and piles are positioned between every other wooden cap and piles or about every 30-feet along the bridge assembly. Once the new caps and piles are installed below the exiting bridge assembly, the old, wooden caps, piles, and ballast can be removed.
In practice of the present invention, it is understood that all the steps discussed above need to be preformed at one location at one time on the bridge assembly 100 . Instead, it is preferred that at least some of the steps be performed along the length of the assembly 100 before further steps are performed. For example, creating the access area, driving the new piles, cutting the new piles, and positioning the new caps on the piles can be performed at one location and then further locations along the assembly before the wooden caps and piles are replaced with new, concrete spans. As evidenced herein, the system and method according to the present invention advantageously maintains a substantial portion of the load-bearing components of the rail and bridge assembly and allows the exiting rails and bridge assembly to be used while performing the steps in this manner.
FIG. 20 illustrates an embodiment of a lifting device according the present invention. The lifting device includes an intermediate member or support bar 148 and a plurality of interconnecting members or lifting rods 150 – 160 . The support bar 148 is illustrated in cross-section to show an internal hollow defined therein. The support bar 148 defines a plurality of first or top apertures 161 a from a top of the bar to the internal hollow. The support bar 148 defines a plurality of equally located, second or bottom apertures 161 b from a bottom of the bar to the internal hollow. The bottom apertures 161 b have a greater dimension than the top apertures 161 a.
The lifting rods 150 – 160 are disposed in the plurality of apertures 161 a–b in the support bar 148 . The apertures 161 a–b are approximately spaced to cooperate with the spacing of the stringers of the rail assembly and with the spacing of the lifting points on the new pile cap. For example, the first mid-portion lifting rod 156 is preferably spaced approximately 60 inches from the center-lifting rod 152 . Also, the second mid-portion lifting rod 158 is preferably spaced approximately 42 inches from the center lifting rod 152 , and the third mid-portion lifting rod 160 is preferably spaced approximately 24 inches from the center lifting rod 152 . This spacing accommodates the typical spacing of stringers in a rail assembly, although it is understood that other arrangements of spacing may also be applicable to the present invention. In an alternative embodiment, three additional lifting rods (not shown) can be located between the center lifting rod 152 and the first end lifting rod 150 . The spacing of the three, additional lifting rods can be similar to the first, second, and third mid-portion lifting rods from the center.
The first end lifting rod 150 and the second end lifting rod 154 are shown in the extended position in relation to the support bar 148 . The center lifting rod 152 , the first mid-portion lifting rod 156 , the second mid-portion lifting rod 158 , and the third mid-portion lifting rod 160 are all shown in the retracted position. Removable pins 164 are used to hold the rods in the retracted position. Preferably, all of the lifting rods can be retracted so that a threaded end can be housed in the internal hollow of the support bar, which protects the threads from damage when not in use.
The center-lifting rod 152 is movably disposed in central apertures of the support bar 148 between extended and retracted positions. The center-lifting rod 152 has a lower end capable of releasably connecting to the cap at one of the lifting points when in the extended position (not shown). The lower end is also capable of engaging the inner hollow of the support bar 148 adjacent the upper aperture 161 a when in the retracted position as shown in FIG. 20 . The center-lifting rod 152 also has an upper end capable of connecting to the cable. In one embodiment, the center-lifting rod 152 includes a swivel and shackle 162 so that the cable of the crane can be attached to the center-lifting rod 152 . The upper end is also capable of engaging the outer surface of the support bar 148 adjacent the upper aperture 161 a when in the extended position (not shown).
The plurality of other lifting rods 150 , 154 , 156 , 158 , and 160 are also movably disposed in the apertures 161 a–b of the support beam between extended and retracted positions. These rods have a lower end capable of releasably connecting to the cap at one of the lifting points when in the extended position. These rods also have an upper end capable of engaging outside surface of the support beam adjacent the upper aperture 161 a when in the extended position, such as rods 150 and 154 are shown in FIG. 20 .
FIG. 21 illustrates an embodiment of a lifting rod according to the present invention. Shown by way of example is a first end lifting rod 150 with an upper collar 166 at an upper end of the lifting rod and a large diameter area 168 at a lower end of the lifting rod. The upper collar 166 , which may be welded to the rod, is a stop to keep the lifting rod 150 from sliding out of the support bar when the pile cap is being lifted. Adjacent to the large diameter area 168 is a male member or tapered threaded section 170 for releasably connecting to the cap. The lifting rod 150 further includes an aperture 172 for a pin, such as the pin 164 in FIG. 20 , to hold the rod 150 in the retracted position in the support bar. The lifting rod also includes another aperture 173 receiving the pin to retract and extend the rod in the support bar. The male member 170 on the rod 150 can be threaded to a lifting point on the pile cap by a hydraulic motor on the crane under the remote operation of the operator.
FIGS. 22A–B illustrate an embodiment of a pile cap 112 according to the present invention. The pile cap 112 includes a plurality of lifting points or threaded holes 174 , 176 , 178 , 180 , 182 , and 184 used for the lifting rods. The lifting points are positioned along a longitudinal axis of the pile cap 112 . In particular, the pile cap 112 includes a first outboard-threaded hole 174 and a center threaded hole 176 at the center of the pile cap 112 . Opposite the outboard-threaded hole 174 is a second outboard-threaded hole 178 . Spaced apart between the center threaded hole 176 and the outboard-threaded hole 178 is a first threaded hole 180 , a second threaded hole 182 , and a third threaded hole 184 . The threaded holes on the pile cap 112 are spaced to match the spacing of the lifting rods spaced across the support bar 148 .
The releasable connection between the threaded holes and the lifting rods is made by mating the threads of the lifting rods with the appropriate threaded hole of the pile cap 112 . The load bearing surface 186 is adapted to support new pre-cast concrete bridge spans, which in turn support the existing elevated rail assembly. The pile cap 112 can further include three additional threaded holes located between the center-threaded hole 176 and the inboard-threaded hole 174 so that the pile cap 112 is symmetrical about the center.
Past attempts of providing the lifting points or threaded holes in the pile cap 112 involved welding threaded steel nuts to reinforcing steel that was then cast in the material of the cap. It has been found that the heavy load of the pile cap striped the threads of the welded nuts. Thus, as best shown in FIG. 22B , the threaded holes 174 , 176 , 178 , 180 , 182 , and 184 according to the present invention are preferably formed from cut lengths of oil well drilling pipe 190 . The pipes 190 are attached to reinforcing steel 188 and then cast into the concrete when the cap 112 is formed. The oil well drilling pipe 190 is internally threaded and is flush with the load bearing surface 186 of the cap 112 . The flush ends of the pipe 190 will not interfere with the new, pre-cast concrete spans to be supported on the load bearing surface 186 .
The threaded holes 174 , 176 , 178 , 180 , 182 , and 184 are tapered to provide automatic alignment with the threaded section of the lifting rods, such as section 170 in FIG. 21 . The threads are very coarse so that only a few turns of the lifting rod is required to make the releasable connection. As is known in the art, the threads of the oil well drilling pipe 190 are designed to support thousands of feet of interconnected drill pipe, which can impose loads of 100,000-lbs. or more on couplings of the upper pipes. This is many times the weight of the pile cap 112 to be lifted. As discussed above, at least two lifting rods are releasably connected to the lifting points on the cap 112 . Thus, the internal threads of two pipes 190 are adequately capable of sustaining the approximately 30,000-lbs. load of the pile cap 12 when coupled to at least two lifting rods.
Preferably, the pile cap 112 has a reinforcement bar 188 extending through the threaded oil well drilling pipes 190 . Prior to the pile cap 112 being cast with concrete, holes are drilled in the oil well drilling pipes 190 for interconnecting the reinforcement bar 188 with the pipes 190 . The reinforcement bar 188 is preferably steel re-bar and is preferably disposed through the holes in the pipes 190 and not welded to them. The reinforcement bar 188 helps to retain the pipes 190 in the pile cap 112 when lifted. As at the tops of the pipes, the lower ends of the pipes 190 are flush with the bottom of the pile cap 112 . In addition, the bottom ends of the pipes 190 are open, and the pipes 190 are able to drain rain water.
While the invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiments, obvious modifications and alterations are possible by those skilled in the related art. Therefore, it is intended that the invention include all such modifications and alterations to the full extent that they come within the scope of the following claims or the equivalents thereof.
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A system and method for inserting pre-cast concrete pile caps under wooden railroad bridges without removing essential load bearing rails, cross-ties, and stringers is disclosed. The system and method minimizes the time that the track is closed to normal rail traffic. The system and method uses recycled oil well drill pipes that are cast into pile caps so that female-threaded ends are flushed with an upper surface of the pile caps. Lifting rods have male threaded ends that are used with a multi-point lifting device that allows the pile cap to be slipped under the existing bridge in a number of small incremental steps utilizing the spaces between wooden bridge stringers.
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This invention was made with Government support under Contract No. DE-AC05-84-OR21400 awarded by the U.S. Department of Energy to Martin Marietta Energy Systems, Inc. and the Government has certain rights in this invention. This invention was funded through the Office of Conservation and Renewable Energy.
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application is a continuation-in-part application under 37 C.F.R. § 1.53 of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/884,506, filed on May 15, 1992, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,348,871, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to the conversion of cellulosic materials into fuels and chemicals, and more particularly to a bioprocessing system employing enzymatic hydrolysis of the major carbohydrates in paper: cellulose and hemicellulose.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Waste materials, particularly solid wastes, from various sources are continuing to increase at the same time that disposal of such material is becoming more difficult and expensive. As a result, there is increasing interest in recycling useful components of wastes and in using certain fractions for production of energy or higher-value materials such as commodity chemicals. The growing interest in segregation of solid waste, frequently at the source, will potentially provide relatively well-defined materials that are prime candidates for other uses. Of particular interest is the large amount of cellulosic materials, already segregated, that could be considered as low-cost, perhaps even negative cost, feed materials for the production of sugars and various other useful chemicals such as alcohols, neutral solvents and organic acids. Cellulosic materials are defined as those materials which contain cellulose. Cellulosic materials include wood, woody pulp, woody biomass, paper, cardboard, and related materials. As a result of recycling, the problem of disposal of solid wastes would be partially alleviated.
Solid waste material from residential and industrial sources represent a heterogenous mixture that is predominantly made up of metals, glass, plastics, food residues, and paper products. Although conservation efforts have had a significant impact, the volume of this material remains quite large and will probably continue to increase in the foreseeable future. A large amount of this material is either deposited in landfills or incinerated, whereas only a small amount is recycled or further used. Due to environmental restrictions and a lack of suitable new sites, disposal by landfill or incineration is becoming prohibitively expensive or even impossible in certain areas.
It has been estimated that half of municipal solid waste is made up of paper, with the other half consisting of glass, plastics, metals and other materials. A significant portion of the waste paper is comprised of newsprint. Large fractions of various types of the solid waste materials could be effectively recycled if fractionation and segregation of the components was carried out. Although there is some technology available that will fractionate mixed waste, there appears to be a trend towards segregation by the generator. If this occurs on a large scale, materials that are not readily recycled could well be considered as relatively well-defined feed materials for further processing.
Segregated waste paper products could be an ideal feed material for biological conversion to sugars (conversion of cellulose and hemicellulose) or aromatic compounds (conversion of lignin) with the possibility of subsequent conversion to a variety of useful chemicals. Of particular interest would be the production of organic acids, neutral solvents and various alcohols as chemical intermediates.
Waste paper is made up of three primary constituents: cellulose (.sup.˜ 61%), hemicellulose (.sup.˜ 16%), and lignin (.sup.˜ 21%). The first two, cellulose and hemicellulose, are complex carbohydrates that can be hydrolyzed to the monomer sugars, glucose and xylose by use of the appropriate enzyme systems. The primary sugar is glucose which represents an intermediate product that can also be converted to chemicals such as ethanol by a fermentation process. The process chemistry of interest is listed below: ##STR1##
Unless extensive purification is carried out, the usual cellulase enzymes (a crude extract from specific microorganisms) include a mixture that has several functions including those biocatalysts that interact with the end groups of the cellulose polymer, those biocatalysts that interact with the interior part of the cellulose molecule, and those that convert cellulose to glucose. Cellobiose, an intermediate disaccharide, that is also formed (Equation 2) and glucose, both inhibit the hydrolysis reaction. Cellobiose can be converted to glucose if a sufficient quantity of the enzyme cellobiase is present (Equation 3). Cellobiase is also a constituent of the crude mixture of the cellulase enzymes but it is usually present at a relatively low concentration. In order to enhance the overall hydrolysis process, exposure to additional cellobiase would be highly beneficial. Lignin is a polymeric structure of aromatic compounds which can be oxidized to a series of useful chemical compounds, but this technology is not well-developed as yet, so that residue could be used as a fuel for producing steam.
Research on saccharification processes for the conversion of cellulose to glucose have taken two major approaches. Acid hydrolysis is attractive since it is relatively rapid. However, the acid processes also produce chemicals other than sugar that represent a process loss or complication. Treating the acid effluent or recovery of the excess acid also presents problems. On the other hand, the enzymatic approach is much more specific with a higher yield but, until recently, there has been concern over the length of time for the reaction and the potential high cost of the biocatalyst since there was no processing scheme for recovery and reuse. Both of the shortcomings of the enzyme process now appear to be solved so it is the obvious choice for new process development. The bioprocessing system of the present application is centered around the enzymatic hydrolysis of a major fraction of the cellulose in paper by the use of cellulase to produce sugar. Various intermediate processing steps involving ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis will be utilized to increase the overall reaction efficiency. Finally, subsequent fermentation will be carried out on the resulting sugar to chemicals, with a preliminary emphasis on useful chemicals such as ethanol.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved process for recycling cellulosic materials.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved process for producing fuels and chemicals, such as ethanol.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved process for reducing the cost of solid waste disposal.
Further and other objects of the present inventions will become apparent from the description contained herein.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, the foregoing and other objects are achieved by:
shredding the cellulosic material to increase the surface area of the cellulosic material;
mixing the shredded cellulosic material with a sufficient amount of water to form a slurry;
introducing the slurry into a reaction vessel;
introducing cellulase into the reaction vessel under conditions suitable to cause a hydrolysis reaction of the cellulose, the hydrolysis reaction forming glucose and cellobiose from the cellulose;
circulating a first side stream from the reaction vessel through an attritor to form a second side stream, the first side stream containing water, cellulase, cellulosic material, glucose, and cellobiose, the attritor comprising a centrifugal pump, the attritor being in fluid communication with the reaction vessel, the attritor providing increased surface area to the cellulosic material;
circulating the second side stream from the attritor through a first filter means to form a third side stream, the first filter means being in fluid communication with the attritor and the reaction vessel, the second side stream containing water, cellulase, cellulosic material, glucose, and cellobiose, the first filter means separating the cellulosic material of the second side stream from the water, cellulase, glucose and cellobiose of the second side stream, the third sidle stream containing water, cellulase, glucose and cellobiose;
recycling the cellulosic material of the second side stream back to the reaction vessel;
circulating the third side stream from the first filter means through a second filter means to form a fourth side stream, the second filter means being in fluid communication with the first filter means and the reaction vessel, the third side stream containing water, cellulase, glucose and cellobiose, the second filter means separating the cellulase of the third side stream from the water, glucose and cellobiose of the third side stream, the fourth side stream containing water, glucose and cellobiose;
recycling the cellulase of the third side stream back to the reaction vessel;
circulating the fourth side stream from the second filter means through a cellobiase reactor to form a fifth side stream, the cellobiase reactor being in fluid communication with the second filter means, the cellobiase reactor comprising a fixed bed of immobilized cellobiase, the cellobiase reactor providing continuous removal of cellobiose from the fourth side stream, the cellobiase reactor converting the cellobiose of the fourth side stream to glucose, the fifth side stream containing glucose and water;
circulating the fifth side stream from the cellobiase reactor through a third filter means to form a glucose product stream, the third filter means being in fluid communication with the cellobiase reactor and the reaction vessel, the third filter means separating the glucose of the fifth side stream from the water of the fifth side stream; and
recycling the water of the fifth side stream back to the reaction vessel.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the foregoing and other objects are achieved by:
a first reaction vessel;
an attritor, the attritor being in fluid communication with the first reaction vessel;
a first filter means, the first filter means being in fluid communication with the attritor and the first reaction vessel;
a second filter means, the second filter means being in fluid communication with the first filter means and the first reaction vessel;
a cellobiose reactor, the cellobiose reactor being in fluid communication with the second filter means; and
a third filter means, the third filter means being in fluid communication with the cellobiose reactor and the first reaction vessel.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the major processing steps involved with the conversion of cellulosic materials into fuels and chemicals, in accordance with the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
With reference to FIG. 1, the cellulosic material, such as waste paper 1, is introduced into the agitated hydrolyzer 2. The cellulosic material is preferably size-reduced prior to introduction into the agitated hydrolyzer 2 and prior to any chemical treatment. The cellulosic material may be initially placed into a shredder 3, or other suitable size-reducing devices, in order to provide increased surface area to the cellulosic material. Several adequate shredding systems covering a wide size range are available on the market, such as the PAPER DISINTEGRATOR™ manufactured by Jay Bee Manufacturing, Inc., Tyler, Tex. Size reduction of the waste paper 1 and the formation of an aqueous waste paper slurry 4 (pulping) will be required for further processing. The formation of an aqueous waste paper slurry 4 is accomplished by mixing the size-reduced cellulosic material with water.
While the waste paper slurry 4 is in the agitated hydrolyzer 2, it is then contacted with cellulase, which causes a hydrolysis reaction to occur. The agitated hydrolyzer 2 has at least one inlet and at least one outlet. The agitation may be provided by an internal stirring device 5, or any other suitable means. The agitated hydrolyzer 2 is usually operated according to the following parameters: a temperature in the range of about 30° to about 60° C., a cellulase concentration in the range of about 1 to about 100 international units (1 international unit (I.U.) is defined as 1 μmole/minute of glucose equivalent released), and a paper pulp concentration in the range of about 1 to about 20 wt. %.
The waste paper slurry 4 is contacted with the cellulase in the agitated hydrolyzer 2 for an sufficient amount of time for saccharification, and hence solubilization, to occur. Any solid wastes, such as non-cellulosic materials, may be removed through an outlet. In the past, such systems (agitated hydrolyzers) were designed as simple, batch-fed, stirred tanks. Reaction times of many hours or even days were required for an acceptable yield. There are two basic problems that must be overcome in order to enhance this processing step. First, it appears that part of the enzyme process requires fresh surfaces on the cellulosic material in order to maintain a high rate of interaction. Second, it is known that one of the intermediate products, cellobiose (a disaccharide) and glucose, both inhibit the further breakdown of paper to cellulose.
An attritor 6, in fluid communication with the agitated hydrolyzer 2, is used in order to constantly provide new surface area and increase the reaction efficiency. This is accomplished by introducing a first side stream 7 into the attritor 6. This first side stream 7 contains cellulase, cellulosic material, glucose, and cellobiose. The attritor 6 has at least one inlet and at least one outlet. The attritor 6 can be comprised of any means which produces a high-shear field for causing attrition or size reduction of the solid particulate. For many applications, the attritor 6 can be comprised of a high speed rotor contained in an enclosed chamber through which the first side stream 7 will pass. In many cases, a high-speed centrifugal pump can be used for this purpose. For large or particularly hard particulates, a grinder, shredder, blender, or other suitable size reduction device may be utilized in place of, or in addition to, the pump. In any case, means to circulate the reactor contents through the attritor 6 can be provided by the attritor 6 itself, or by separate circulating means, such as a diaphragm pump or other type of pump. The attritor 6 may comprise several devices in series, parallel, or complex configurations. Since the attritor 6 also mixes and circulates the reactants, a stirring device may be optional. The attritor 6 may be operated constantly or intermittently. A complete description of this technology is found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,248,484 to Scott et al., the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
An additional problem with reaction efficiency concerns the inhibitory effect of elevated levels of sugar (glucose) and cellobiose in the agitated hydrolyzer 2. Therefore, the levels of glucose and cellobiose in the agitated hydrolyzer 2 must be maintained at very low levels. However, operating the agitated hydrolyzer 2 with very low levels of glucose and cellobiose is not very efficient unless these materials can be continuously removed. Therefore, the present invention has modified previous reaction schemes in a way which will maintain low glucose and cellobiose concentrations in the agitated hydrolyzer 2, while removing the glucose as a product at higher concentrations.
After the first side stream 7 passes through the attritor 6 to form a second side stream 8 but prior to being introduced into a cellobiase reactor 13, the second side stream is sequentially filtered by two different filtering units to remove the cellulosic material and the enzymes for return to the agitated hydrolyzer 2. Although this filtration process could be carried out with a single ultrafilter, it has been determined that it is preferable to use a preceding microfilter to remove the larger particulates so that the ultrafilter will be less prone to plugging or fouling up with resulting inefficient operation. All the membrane filters of the present invention will operate in the cross flow mode in which there is a continuous flow of the fluid mixture past the membrane filter surface. As a result, there will not be complete removal of the smaller constituents, and small portions of these constituents will be returned to the agitated hydrolyzer 2 in the recycle streams. However, only the smaller constituents will penetrate the filter membranes and be removed for further processing.
The second side stream 8 is first introduced into a microfilter 9 (Microfilters utilize porous membranes with pore diameters from 0.1 μm to 10 μm that are usually used to filter suspended particulates. Many such filter materials are available from various manufacturers and typical of these is the CMF membrane from FilmTech Corporation, Minneapolis, Minn.) to form a third side stream 10. The second side stream 8, like the first side stream 7, also contains water, cellulase, cellulosic material, glucose and cellobiose. The third side stream 10 should only contain water, cellulase, glucose and cellobiose. The microfilter 9 is in fluid communication with the attritor 6 and the agitated hydrolyzer 2. The microfilter 9 will allow a large portion of the relatively smaller water, cellulase, glucose and cellobiose molecules in the second side stream 8 to pass through the membrane into the third side stream 10 while the relatively larger substrate particles (unreacted cellulosic material) and some residual smaller molecules are retained and ultimately returned to the agitated hydrolyzer 2 for further processing.
The third side stream 10 is then introduced into an ultrafilter 11 (Ultrafilters utilize porous membranes with pore diameters in the range of 20-1000 Angstroms that are usually used to filter dissolved macromolecules such as proteins and enzymes. Many such filter materials are available from various manufacturers and typical of these is the UF-38 membrane from FilmTech Corporation, Minneapolis, Minn.) to form a fourth side stream 12. The fourth side stream 12 should only contain water, glucose and cellobiose. The ultrafilter 11 is in fluid communication with the attritor 6 and the agitated hydrolyzer 2. The ultrafilter 11 will allow a large portion of the relatively smaller water, glucose and cellobiose molecules of the third side stream 10 to pass through while the relatively larger enzyme molecules (cellulase) and a small portion of the smaller molecules are retained and ultimately returned to the agitated hydrolyzer 2 to allow for further processing. Ultrafiltration is utilized to return the enzymes (cellulase) and a small portion of the glucose and cellobiose to the agitated hydrolyzer 2, while a separated large portion of the third side stream 10 is further processed to remove a large portion of the cellobiose and glucose. This step increases reaction efficiency in that it allows for continuous removal of a large portion of the inhibition products, glucose and cellobiose, from the agitated hydrolyzer 2. The sole purpose of the cellobiase reactor 13 is to convert the cellobiose to glucose.
Cellobiose is converted to the glucose product by utilizing a cellobiase reactor 13. The cellobiase reactor 13 is in fluid communication with the ultrafilter 11. The cellobiase reactor 13 has at least one inlet and at least one outlet. After the third side stream 10 passes through the ultrafilter 11 to form a fourth side stream 12, the fourth side stream 12 is then introduced into the cellobiase reactor 13. The cellobiase can be immobilized by adsorption of a dispersed adsorbent in a stabilized gel bead. The immobilized cellobiase can be used for extended periods without replenishment and it effectively reduces the level of cellobiose. The use of the cellobiase reactor 13 is more efficient than adding the cellobiase enzyme in free suspension into the agitated hydrolyzer 2 where it will ultimately be lost during recycle and reuse.
The fourth side stream 12 passes through the cellobiase reactor 13 to form a fifth side stream 14, which should contain only glucose and water, along with a residual amount of cellobiose (less than 1% of the glucose content). Since there is no need to further process the water, it should be returned to the agitated hydrolyzer 2, whereas the glucose should be further processed in accordance with the present invention. Additionally, if most of the water is removed from the fifth side stream 14, a highly concentrated glucose product stream 16 will be created for further processing (fermentation) in accordance with the present invention. In order to accomplish this, the fifth side stream 14 is sent through a reverse osmosis filter 15 which also will operate as a cross flow filtration unit. Reverse osmosis filters utilize porous membranes with pore diameters of 5-20 Angstroms that are usually used to separate dissolved microsolutes. Many such filter materials are available from various manufacturers and typical of these is the FT-30 membrane available from FilmTech Corporation, Minneapolis, Minn. that separates the water from the glucose. The reverse osmosis filter 15 is in fluid communication with the cellobiase reactor 13 and the agitated hydrolyzer 2. Reverse osmosis ("RO"), the first membrane-based separation process to be widely commercialized, is a separation process that utilizes a dense semipermeable membrane, highly permeable to water and highly impermeable to microorganisms, colloids, dissolved salts, and organics. Once this is done, most of the water with a only a residual amount of glucose is returned to the agitated hydrolyzer 2, while the glucose product is effectively concentrated to form a glucose product stream 16 that can be used in the fermentation step. By utilizing reverse osmosis, the glucose of the glucose product stream 16 will be sterile and relatively pure at a much higher concentration than that produced in the agitated hydrolyzer 2 by conventional means.
Fermentation of the sugar of the product stream to ethanol or other chemicals can be carried out in an fluidized-bed bioreactor 17 utilizing biocatalysts, such as immobilized microorganisms at high concentration. The fluidized-bed bioreactor 17 is in fluid communication with the reverse osmosis filter 15. If the product is to be ethanol, then immobilization of the microorganism Zymomonas mobilis at concentrations greater than 10 10 cells per mL would be used, for example. However, other suitable microorganisms may be used in this fermentation step to produce the ethanol, such as Saccharomyces cedvisiae, Saccharomyces oviformis, Saccharomyces uvarum, and Saccharomyces bayanas. Immobilization material could be various hydrocolloidal gels such as cross-linked carrageenan or modified bone gel in 1.0 to 1.5 mm-diameter gel beads. The fluidized-bed bioreactor 17 has at least one inlet and at least one outlet. The fluidized bed bioreactor 17 is operated according to the following parameters: a temperature in the range of about 25° to about 40° C., sugar concentration in the range of about 10 to about 20%, and liquid flow velocities in the range of about 0.05 to about 0.5 cm/sec.
Once the fermentation process is complete a dilute end product 18 (ethanol) is formed. Incorporation of a concentration step based on adsorption may be considered in order to concentrate the dilute end product 18. In the case of adsorption, a compatible solid sorbent could be used that has a high affinity for the end product 20. This can be accomplished by the utilization of a biparticle fluidized-bed bioreactor that allows for the combination of both fermentation and product recovery by adsorbent particles moving cocurrently or countercurrently (with respect to the fluid flow) through a fluidized bed of biocatalyst particles. The biparticle fluidized-bed bioreactor has at least one inlet and at least one outlet. A complete description of this process is found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,270,189 to Scott, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
Examples of waste paper hydrolysis and ethanol production in accordance with the present invention are presented below:
EXAMPLE I
The process described herein is suitable for the enhanced hydrolysis of waste paper that includes processing of a recycle side stream. An 800 mL bioreactor with a 500 mL active volume has a side stream exiting the bioreactor, passing through a high-speed centrifugal pump and then returning to the bioreactor. The reactor contains approximately 500 mL of a slurry with 2% shredded waste paper and 80 International Units of cellulase activity per gram of paper. The system is buffered at a pH of 5.5 with a phosphate buffer and is maintained at 50° C. by an external heating jacket. The circulating side stream supplies enough agitation to keep the waste paper particles in suspension. A portion of the circulating side stream is further processed by a membrane ultrafilter to remove a portion of the accumulated glucose and cellobiose. Over a period of 25 hours, over 90% of the included cellulose is converted to glucose.
EXAMPLE II
The process described herein is suitable for the enhanced production and recovery of ethanol. Zymomonas mobilis, a bacterium, is immobilized in 4% carrageenan beads. The feed is 15% dextrose solution made from corn syrup and light steep water with 0.05M KCI and antifoam added. In a 3-in.-ID column the flowrate is approximately 10 L/h. The optimum process temperature is about 30° to 35° C. A sorbent second particulate phrase, such as a polystyrene resin or a hydrophobic molecular sieve such as Linde SILICALITE™ is added and removed continuously in accordance with the present invention to recover the ethanol product and prevent inhibitory buildup of the product in the reactor.
In the alternative, concentration and purification of the dilute end product 18 can be accomplished by utilizing a contactor 19. The contactor 19 being in fluid communication with the fluidized-bed bioreactor 17. The contactor 19 would contain a sorbent having a high affinity for the dilute end product 18. The dilute end product 18 is introduced into the contactor 19 containing an appropriate sorbent, the sorbent sorbs the dilute end product 18, thereby resulting in concentration and purification of the dilute end product 18 into an end product 20, which is then recovered. The contactor 19 can be either the fluidized-bed or fixed-bed type. Additionally, the contactor 19 can be arranged in a multiple configuration, with one or more contactors being active and regenerated. The contactor 19 has at least one inlet and at least one outlet.
While there has been shown and described what are at present considered the preferred embodiments of the invention, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made therein without departing from the scope of the inventions defined by the appended claims.
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A process for converting cellulosic materials, such as waste paper, into fuels and chemicals, such as sugars and ethanol, utilizing enzymatic hydrolysis of the major carbohydrate of paper: cellulose. A waste paper slurry is contacted by cellulase in an agitated hydrolyzer. An attritor and a cellobiase reactor are coupled to the agitated hydrolyzer to improve reaction efficiency. Additionally, microfiltration, ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis steps are included to further increase reaction efficiency. The resulting sugars are converted to a dilute product in a fluidized-bed bioreactor utilizing a biocatalyst, such as microorganisms. The dilute product is then concentrated and purified.
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BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
[0001] Radio frequency identification (RFID) systems allow for the identification of objects at a distance and out of line of sight. They are comprised of transponders called radio frequency (RF) tags and RF interrogators (also called readers). The tags are generally smaller and less expensive than interrogators, and are commonly attached to objects such as product packages in stores. When an interrogator comes within range of an RF tag, it may provide power to the tag via a querying signal, or the RF tag may use stored power from a battery or capacitor to send a radio frequency signal to be read by the RFID interrogator.
[0002] RF tags may consist of single integrated circuits, circuits and antennas, or may incorporate more complex capabilities such as computation, data storage, and sensing means. Some categories of RFID tags include the following: passive tags that acquire power via the electromagnetic field emitted by the interrogator, semi-passive tags that respond similarly, but also use on-board stored power for other functions, active tags that use their own stored power to respond to an interrogator's signal, inductively coupled tags that operate at low frequencies and short distances via a coil antenna, single or dipole antenna-equipped tags that operate at higher frequencies and longer distances, read-write tags that can alter data stored upon them, full-duplex or half duplex tags, collision arbitration tags that may be read in groups, or non-collision tags that must be read individually.
[0003] RFID systems consist of RFID tags, RFID interrogators and middleware computing devices. Downstream processing of RFID signal information such as EPC numbers, GTINs, or UID numbers usually occurs in two stages. Tag responses are and converted to a standard packet form by the reader and sent to the middleware device. The middleware device is responsible for processing the raw information into a useful form. For instance, a reader may send many identical packets when a tag attached to an object moves along a conveyor belt past an interrogator. The middleware reduces the chatter of the interrogator to a concise and structured stream of unique packets. These packets are then typically sent to an enterprise application that actually processes the data. Examples of such applications include those that perform inventory management, supply chain management and analysis, or purchase and backorder handling.
[0004] RFID systems present a number of advantages over other object marking and tracking systems. A radio frequency interrogator may be able to read a tag when it is not in line of sight from the interrogator, when the tag is dirty, or when a container encloses the tag. RFID systems may identify objects at greater distances than optical systems, may store information into read/write tags, may operate unattended, and may read tags hidden from visual inspection for security purposes. These advantages make RFID systems useful for tracking objects. They are being adopted for use in retail stores, airports, warehouses, postal facilities, and many other locations. RFID systems will likely be more widely adopted as the price of tags and interrogators decreases.
[0005] As organizations strive to adopt RFID systems for tracking objects, they face challenges imposed by the nature of the objects they handle and the environments in which those objects are processed. Radio frequency signals are reflected, refracted, or absorbed by many building, packaging, or object materials. Moving people, vehicles, weather and ambient electromagnetic radiation can also effect the performance of RFID systems. Compounding the situation is a growing diversity of choices among RFID systems and components with dimensions such as cost, range, and power consumption. An RFID tag may deliver varying performance depending upon its orientation and location upon or within a package, its distance from a reader and the frequency at which it operates. Often companies must purchase and evaluate systems through trial and error, a time-consuming and costly process. Radio frequency design and testing software, RF site surveys and prototype systems can assist the process, but these approaches do not address the problem of complex object materials, changing object materials, and the wide variety of RFID tags available. For instance, when an RFID tag with antenna is placed upon a case containing a variety of objects, the objects may affect the reception of the tag's antenna. Moving the tag to another location on the case can determine whether the tag will successfully receive and respond to an RFID interrogator's signal. A need exists for a system that exhaustively and efficiently tests a wide variety of RFID antenna configurations to determine optimal placement of the antenna or antennas with respect to an RFID interrogator antenna or antennas and an object or objects.
[0006] U.S. Pat. No. 6,771,399 discloses a system, method and apparatus for translating a carriage from one position to another position utilizing an injection molded plastic translating system The apparatus differs from this invention in that solves the problem of moving by means of a radio-wave-transparent material, but it does not address the problem of placing antennas with respect to one another and objects within their environment.
[0007] U.S. Pat. No. 6,104,291 discloses a method and apparatus for simulating physical fields. The apparatus differs from this invention in that it addresses issues of integrated circuit interface. It simulates high frequency effects for the design of on-chip interconnect structures.
[0008] U.S. Pat. No. 5,999,861 discloses a method and apparatus for testing RFID tags. The apparatus differs from this invention in that while it moves RFID tags with respect to an RFID interrogator, it does not find optimal placement of antennas, but simply tests the performance of a number of tags within the same interrogator field.
[0009] U.S. Pat. No. 5,929,760 discloses an RFID conveyor antenna system in which tags are moved along a conveyor belt past an RFID interrogator. The method differs from this invention in that it does not does not determine the optimal placement of RFID tag antennas with respect to interrogators or objects.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
[0010] This invention relates to a method and system for optimally placing radio frequency identification (RFID) antennas. The apparatus comprises an antenna carriage assembly, a signal generator, a spectrum analyzer, and two or more antennas. The antenna carriage assembly allows for precise movement and placement of an antenna with respect to an object and a second antenna. The signal generator sends a known signal to the second antenna and the spectrum analyzer presents the signal as the first antenna receives it. By varying the position of objects about the first antenna and the location and orientation of the first antenna with respect to the second antenna, a user of the system may make a determination of the optimal placement of the antenna with respect to objects and the second antenna.
[0011] The antenna carriage assembly holds one or more RFID tag antennas at a known position and orientation with respect to one or more RFID interrogator antennas and one or more objects. The signal generator transmits a reference signal of known characteristics to the one or more RFID interrogator antennas. One or more signal measuring devices such as oscilloscopes, spectrum analyzers, or multi-purpose signal measuring devices, connected to the one or more RFID interrogator antennas is held by the antenna carriage assembly so that the received signal may be examined to determine the optimal placement of the one or more RFID tag antennas with respect to the one or more RFID interrogator antennas and the one or more objects.
[0012] The foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and do not restrict the claims directed to the invention. The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate some embodiments of the invention and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention but not limit the claims or concept of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0013] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the overall structure of an embodiment of the system on which cases or other objects to be tagged are placed.
[0014] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the overall structure of an embodiment of the system that moves the key elements automatically.
[0015] FIG. 3 is a flow chart illustrating the method by which the embodiment of FIG. 2 is used.
[0016] FIG. 4 is a flow chart illustrating the method by which the embodiment of FIG. 2 is determines optimal antenna placement.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0017] The following detailed description of preferred embodiments of this invention and the attached figures are intended to provide a clear description of the invention without limiting its scope.
[0018] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the overall structure of an embodiment of the system on which cases or other objects to be tagged are placed. Antenna carriage assembly 101 is made of materials such as acrylic plastic that are relatively transparent to radio waves in the frequency of the RFID tags and interrogators to be tested. The upper surface of antenna carriage assembly 101 and other components may also be constructed of materials transparent to visible light to facilitate the observation and measurement of the size and position of objects upon the carriage and the antennas 104 and 106 . The antenna carriage assembly top may be moved up and down along line 108 and fixed at various positions denoted by registration marks 109 . Moving the antenna carriage assembly top along line 108 changes the distance between antenna carriage 104 when affixed to slot 103 and RFID interrogator antenna 106 , without changing the distance or orientation of objects upon the carriage with respect to antenna carriage 104 . An object to be tagged can be placed upon the carriage top and may be moved horizontally and measured against registration marks 102 . Slot 103 holds antenna carriage 104 in place. Many different RFID tags or RFID tag antenna may be mounted in multiple antenna carriages of the same dimensions as antenna carriage 104 . To test a different RFID antenna or RFID tag, a user of the system can detach antenna carriage 104 and its associated antenna or tag and replace it with another. Signal generator 107 transmits a known reference signal to RFID interrogator antenna 106 . The RFID antenna within antenna carriage 104 , generally affixed within antenna slot 103 , then receives the signal broadcast by 106 and communicates it via wire 110 to signal analyzer 105 . A user examining the signal appearing upon the display of signal analyzer 105 can thereby determine how it differs from the reference signal as a result of the placement of antenna carriage 104 with respect to antenna 106 and any objects upon carriage 101 . By methodically moving an object about carriage 101 , a user of the system may determine the optimal placement of an antenna with respect to an object and the optimal choice of an antenna to achieve the desired signal within an RFID tag.
[0019] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the overall structure of an embodiment of the system that moves the key elements automatically. Antenna carriage assembly 201 supports the system's moving components and object 202 . User interface 203 allows for control of the system's operation. In a typical operating session, a user places an object 202 within frame 201 . Issuing commands via user interface 203 , the user initiates a scan of the object. Signal generator 204 transmits a known reference signal to the RFID interrogator antenna or antennas within antenna carriage 207 . The signal is received by the RFID tag antenna or antennas within antenna carriage 210 and is conducted to the oscilloscope, spectrum analyzer or other multipurpose signal measuring device which displays the received signal upon display 211 . The reference signal may also be displayed upon 211 for comparison. To perform an automated scan of up to three sides of the object within the antenna carriage assembly, the carriage 210 , moves along arm 209 . Carriage 210 and arm 209 may move perpendicularly along arm 206 via carriage 208 . To move vertically, carriage 210 , arm 209 , carriage 208 and arm 206 may move along arm 205 via carriage 212 . Additionally, carriage 207 may move with respect to the antenna carriage assembly. The RFID tag antenna within carriage 210 may be replaced to test other types of RFID tag antennas. The RFID interrogator antenna within carriage 207 may also be replaced with an antenna or antennas of different specifications. Moving carriages 207 , 208 , 210 , and 212 and arms 206 and 209 incrementally, the system can make a determination of the optimal placement of an RFID tag antenna within carriage 210 and with respect to the RFID interrogator antenna or antennas within 207 and the object 202 .
[0020] FIG. 3 is a flow chart illustrating the method by which the embodiment of FIG. 2 is used. The method starts at 301 . At step 302 , the user places an object or objects within the antenna carriage assembly. At step 303 , the user selects and places the RFID tag antenna or antennas within the tag antenna carriage. At step 304 , the user selects and places the RFID interrogator antenna within the interrogator antenna carriage. At step 305 , the user selects a reference signal. At step 306 , the user initiates the scan for optimal antenna placement. After the scan, the user may select at step 307 to make adjustments to the object or objects, or to change the antennas. If so, the method is started again at step 302 , otherwise, the method has reached completion at step 308 .
[0021] FIG. 4 is a flow chart illustrating the method by which the embodiment of FIG. 2 determines optimal antenna placement. Execution is initiated in 401 , corresponding to step 307 of FIG. 3 . At step 402 , the system moves the antenna carriages to their upper left-hand positions within the carriage assembly represented by 0 in each of the x, y, and z dimensions. At step 403 , the system records the signal received by the RFID tag antenna with the current positions of the antenna carriages. At step 404 , the system increments the RFID antenna carriage location along the x dimension. At step 405 , the system tests if the carriage has reached the end of the x range. If it has not, the system continues at step 403 . If the limit of the x range has been reached, then the position of the RFID antenna carriage is reset to 0 and the carriage location is incremented along the y dimension. At step 407 the system performs a test to determine if the end of the y range has been reached. If it has not, then the system continues at step 403 . If the end of the y range has been reached, then the x position is reset to 0 at step 408 . At step 409 the system records the signal received by the RFID tag antenna with the current positions of the antenna carriages. At step 410 , the system increments the RFID antenna carriage location along the x dimension. At step 411 , the system tests if the carriage has reached the end of the x range. If it has not, the system continues at step 409 . If the limit of the x range has been reached, then the position of the RFID antenna carriage is reset to 0 and the carriage location is incremented along the z dimension. At step 413 the system performs a test to determine if the end of the z range has been reached. If it has not, then the system continues at step 409 . If it has, then the entire range of the system has been scanned and an optimal placement for the RFID tag antenna determined, and operation ends at step 414 .
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A system and method for optimally placing radio frequency identification (RFID) antennas. The system varies the placement of RFID tag and interrogator antennas with respect to each other and a stationary object or objects. A signal generator sends a known reference signal to the one or more RFID interrogator antennas. The signal is received by the one or more RFID tag antennas and is displayed upon an oscilloscope, spectrum analyzer or other multipurpose signal measuring device. By this method, the system finds the optimal placement of the antennas with respect to each other and the object or objects.
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TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present invention relates to a communication apparatus using biometrics.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Currently, a user of a communication apparatus which accesses a mobile network such as a 3GPP network enters authentication information such as a PIN (Personal Identification Number) code, a swipe code, or the like so that the mobile network can authenticate the user. However, the authentication information is sharable and any individual who has access to this information can access the mobile network. Thus, although the mobile network can verify that authentication information assigned to a subscriber is entered, the mobile network cannot verify that this authentication information is actually entered by the subscriber who has a subscription for the mobile network.
[0003] U.S. Pat. No. 6,466,781 proposes employing biometrics to log in to a wireless transceiver. This technique makes it possible to verify that a specific person logs in to the wireless transceiver. However, it is still impossible for the mobile network to verify that the subscriber is actually using the wireless transceiver because a user can give the wireless transceiver to another person after the login procedure. It is desirable that a mobile network can verify that it is the subscriber who actually requests access to the mobile network, and who continues its usage. It is also desirable that a mobile network can verify that the subscriber does not change after the connection to the mobile network is established.
SUMMARY
[0004] According to an aspect of the invention, a communication apparatus for connecting to a network that requires authentication is provided. The apparatus includes a network controller for connecting to the network; a controller for controlling a connection to the network via the network controller; a sensor for obtaining biometric information of a user of the communication apparatus; and a memory for storing a subscription module applied to authentication towards the network. The subscription module includes identification information created based on biometric information of the user. In order to establish a connection to the network by use of the subscription module stored in the memory, the controller obtains biometric information of the user by use of the sensor and compares the obtained biometric information to the identification information in the subscription module.
[0005] Further features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the attached drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0006] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary system according to some embodiments of the present invention.
[0007] FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary appearance of a game console 200 according to some embodiments of the present invention.
[0008] FIG. 3 illustrates a block diagram of the game console 200 in FIG. 2 .
[0009] FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary shape of an ECG wave.
[0010] FIG. 5 illustrates an initial setting procedure for biometrics authentication according to some embodiments of the present invention.
[0011] FIG. 6 illustrates a login procedure using biometrics according to some embodiments of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0012] Embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the attached drawings. Each embodiment described below will be helpful in understanding a variety of concepts from the generic to the more specific. It should be noted that the technical scope of the present invention is defined by claims, and is not limited by each embodiment described below. In addition, not all combinations of the features described in the embodiments are always indispensable for the present invention.
[0013] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary system according to some embodiments of the present invention. The system may include a communication apparatus 100 , a mobile network 110 , and an identification server 120 . A user (a subscriber) who has subscription of the mobile network 110 can use the communication apparatus 100 to connect to the mobile network 110 . Examples of the communication apparatus 100 include mobile communication apparatuses such as mobile phones, tablets, laptop computers, game consoles, compact cameras; stationary communication apparatuses such as land phones, desktop computers, photocopy machines, POS terminals; vehicles such as cars, aircrafts; and other apparatuses which have a communication capability. The communication apparatus 100 obtains biometric information of the user when connecting to the mobile network 110 so that the mobile network 110 can authenticate the user of the communication apparatus 100 .
[0014] The mobile network 110 is a network managed by a network operator and typically includes a Radio Access Network and a Core Network. The Radio Access Network typically includes eNodeBs and communicates with the communication apparatus 100 directly. The Core Network processes data from/to the Radio Access Network. The Core Network includes an eSIM provisioning server 111 that provisions an eSIM (embedded SIM) with the communication apparatus 100 . The eSIM is a downloadable SIM (Subscriber Identification Module) now being standardized in ETSI TC SC. An eSIM is used herein as an example of a downloadable SIM, but other downloadable SIMs (downloadable subscription tokens) such as an MCIM (Machine Communication Identity Module) as defined in 3GPP TR 33.812 can be used. The SIM contains security tokens, shared secrets, and other information required to establish a mutually trusted connection between the communication apparatus 100 and the mobile network 110 . The SIM also serves to uniquely identify the subscription used by various identifiers, such as the IMSI or MSISDN numbers.
[0015] In some embodiments of the present invention, an eSIM can be provisioned from the mobile network 110 to the communication apparatus 100 in an existing way as standardized in ETSI. The eSIM also contains an identification vector, which will be described in detail below. The identification server 130 can generate, or request the identification of, an identification vector used for an eSIM.
[0016] Some examples of biometric information will now be explained. Biometric information is physiological and behavioral characteristics that are unique to each individual. Examples of biometric information include physiological characteristics such as the shape of the face, the fingerprints, the hand/finger geometry, the EEG (Electroencephalogram) pattern, the ECG (Electrocardiogram) pattern, the iris and the retina; behavioral characteristics such as the signature, the gait and the keystroke rhythm; and combinations of the physiological and behavioral characteristics such as voice biometric information.
[0017] Biometric information can be divided into other two categories; static biometric information and non-static biometric information. The static biometric information is information which does not change with the passage of time. A fingerprint is an example of the static biometric information. On the other hand, the non-static biometric information is information which changes with the passage of time or other external conditions. A heartbeat pattern is an example of the non-static biometric information. Static biometric information can be easily imitated. For example, it is known that fingerprints can be imitated using an artificial finger. However, non-static biometric information is difficult to imitate, as described in Kumar, S.; Sim, T.; Janakiraman, R.; and Sheng Zhang., “Using Continuous Biometric Verification to Protect Interactive Login Sessions,” ACSAC '05 Proceedings of the 21st Annual Computer Security Applications Conference, Pages 441-450. Thus, some embodiments of the present invention use non-static biometric information for the mobile network 110 to authenticate the user of the communication apparatus 100 .
[0018] Some of the non-static biometric information such as a heartbeat patterns and EEG pattern expose repetition in the space of a few seconds. Such non-static biometric information is useful to shorten the login procedure to the mobile network 110 . Thus, in the following embodiments, heartbeat patterns are used as the main exemplary parameter of biometric information.
[0019] FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary appearance of a game console 200 according to some embodiments of the present invention. The game console 200 can be used as the communication apparatus 100 in FIG. 1 . The game console 200 may comprise a display 201 , buttons 202 , an antenna 203 , and capacitive coupling contact pads 204 . The display 201 and buttons 202 are user interfaces for a user of the game console 200 to play games, establish a connection with the mobile network 110 , etc. The antenna 203 transmits/receives signals to/from the mobile network 110 . The capacitive coupling contact pads 204 are used to obtain biometric information of the user. When a user of the game console 200 holds the game console 200 at the contact pads 204 on both sides to play a game, a closed circuit is formed by the user's body and the game console 200 . Since a human body generates an electric field, and the organs modify applied electric fields, the game console 200 can obtain an ECG wave of the user through the contact pads 204 .
[0020] Instead of the contact pads 204 , the game console 200 may comprise another device which is sensitive enough to capture the movement of the veins, arteries, or heart itself; or their effects, such as the pulse. A sensitive microphone, a millimeter wave or terahertz radiation antenna, infrared light, laser, or many other devices can be used to detect and capture heartbeat patterns.
[0021] FIG. 3 illustrates a block diagram of the game console 200 in FIG. 2 . The game console 200 comprises a CPU 301 , a memory 302 , a communication controller 303 , a capturing agent 304 , and a Trusted Environment (TRE) 305 . The CPU 301 controls overall operations of the game console 200 . The memory 302 stores computer programs and data used for operations of the game console 200 . The network controller 303 controls communication with the mobile network 110 and typically comprises a baseband processor and RF transceiver.
[0022] The TRE 305 is a hardware and software component for managing an eSIM. According to the proposed standard in ETSI TC SC, the TRE 305 comprises a memory called an embedded a Universal Integrated Circuit Card (eUICC) on which an eSIM is stored. The TRE 305 also includes application(s) which enables the over-the-air provisioning and re-provisioning of an eSIM on the eUICC in a secure and controlled way.
[0023] The capturing agent 304 captures an ECG (electrocardiogram) wave to create a heartbeat pattern of the user of the game console 200 . FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary shape of an ECG wave. A typical ECG wave of a normal heartbeat consists of a P wave, a QRS complex, and a T wave, as described in Y. Wang, F. Agrafioti, D. Hatzinakos and K. N. Plataniotis, “Analysis of Human Electrocardiogram for Biometric Recognition,” EURASIP Journal on Advances in Signal Processing, Vol. 2008, 2008, Article ID: 148658, pp. 1-11”
[0024] The heartbeats of an ECG wave are aligned by the R peak position, which are localized by using a QRS detector, and truncated by a window of 800 milliseconds (size is estimated by heuristic) centered at the R peak. There is strong evidence that the human heartbeat is a distinctive biometric trait that can be used for identity recognition. There are some solutions for biometric recognition from ECG signals based on temporal and amplitude distances between detected fiducial (fixed) points. It usually has positive polarity, and its duration is less than 120 milliseconds. The spectral characteristic of a normal P wave is usually considered to be low frequency, below 10-15 Hz. The QRS complex corresponds to depolarization of the right and left ventricles, which lasts for about 70-110 milliseconds in a normal heartbeat, and has the largest amplitude of the ECG waveforms.
[0025] Since ECG waves captured from the same and single person can differ due to change in conditions of the person, etc., the capturing agent 304 creates a heartbeat pattern based on a captured ECG wave. The heartbeat pattern is unique to an individual and the same heartbeat pattern is obtained from the same individual even if the underlying ECG waves differ. In other words, a heartbeat pattern created based on an ECG wave of a person can match another heartbeat pattern created based on another ECG wave of the same person using a pattern matching mechanism.
[0026] To create a heartbeat pattern, the capturing agent 304 captures an ECG wave for a measurement period (e.g. a few seconds) and extracts temporal and amplitude distances between fiducial points of the ECG wave to create a signature vector. Then, the capturing agent 304 performs a dimension reduction to the signature vector using PCA (Principal component analysis) or LDA (Linear discriminant analysis) for example. Finally, the capturing agent 304 classifies the signature vector using k-means or the nearest neighbor (NN) classifier for example to obtain a model of a heartbeat pattern.
[0027] FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate exemplary operations of the system in FIG. 1 . The CPU included in each device executes computer programs stored in memory of each device to process these operations. FIG. 5 illustrates an initial setting procedure for biometrics authentication. Before the initial setting procedure begins, the game console 200 already has an eSIM which has the user PIN and PUK codes and other information stored in it. This eSIM may represent an initial connectivity subscription, and not the final connectivity subscription. As described above, this eSIM is not personalized to the user since the PIN and PUK codes can be shared with another person.
[0028] In step S 501 , the user of the game console 200 requests a personalized eSIM to the mobile network 110 through the user interface of the game console 200 such as the display 201 and buttons 202 . The user may be requested to input the PIN code of the current eSIM for identification.
[0029] In step S 502 , the capturing agent 304 obtains a heartbeat pattern of the user who is currently using (holding) the game console 200 based on an ECG wave captured through the contact pads 204 during a measurement period (e.g. a few seconds) as described above.
[0030] In step S 503 , the capturing agent 304 sends the obtained heartbeat pattern along with the user information (for example, MSISDN, etc.) to the identification server 120 over the mobile network 110 .
[0031] In step S 504 , the identification server 120 creates an identification vector based on the received heartbeat pattern and other parameters such as the PIN code. The identification server 120 sends the identification vector to the eSIM provisioning server 111 along with the user information and requests that the identification vector be packaged in an eSIM.
[0032] In step S 505 , the eSIM provisioning server 111 creates a new eSIM which includes the received identification vector and other user information in conjunction with existing ways of securing communication mechanisms. The eSIM provisioning server 111 can work according to the standard currently under development in ETSI. The eSIM provisioning server 111 provisions the new eSIM with the game console 200 using standard techniques and requests the TRE 305 to replace the current eSIM with the new eSIM.
[0033] In step S 506 , the TRE 305 installs the new eSIM (the received eSIM) and discards or disables the previous (temporal) eSIM. Since the new eSIM includes an identification vector which is created based on the heartbeat pattern of the user, the new eSIM is personalized to this user.
[0034] FIG. 6 illustrates a login procedure using biometrics. In step S 601 , the user of the game console 200 requests to log in to the mobile network 110 to access the mobile network 110 using the eSIM stored in the TRE 305 . The user may explicitly request a login through the user interface of the game console 200 or implicitly request a login by holding the contact pads 204 of the game console 200 .
[0035] In step S 602 , the capturing agent 304 obtains a heartbeat pattern of the user who is currently using (holding) the game console 200 based on an ECG wave captured through the contact pads 204 during a measurement period (e.g. a few seconds) as described above, and sends the heartbeat pattern to the TRE 305 .
[0036] In step S 603 , the TRE 305 compares the received heartbeat pattern to the heartbeat pattern included in the eSIM installed at step S 506 , If the received heartbeat pattern does not match one in the eSIM, the procedure goes to the S 604 and the TRE 305 rejects the login request (or a subset of the installed services is exposed). If the received heartbeat pattern matches one in the eSIM, the procedure goes to the S 605 and the TRE 305 establishes a connection between the game console 200 and the mobile network 110 according to the standard method.
[0037] After step S 605 (that is, after the connection is established), steps S 606 and S 607 , which are the same as steps S 602 and S 603 respectively, are repeated while the connection between the game console 200 and the mobile network 110 continues. At step S 607 , if the received heartbeat pattern does not match one in the eSIM, the procedure goes to the S 608 and the TRE 305 disconnects the connection between the game console 200 and the mobile network 110 . If the user of the game console 200 changes to another person after the login request is successfully accepted, the TRE 305 can detect this change and terminates the ongoing session. When the capturing agent 304 cannot capture an ECG wave at step S 607 , the TRE 305 may also disconnect the connection. This function makes it possible for the mobile network 110 to verify that the subscriber is currently using the game console 200 .
[0038] According to the embodiments described above, the mobile network can uniquely identify an individual who is currently using the communication apparatus. The user of the communication apparatus is not bothered by authentication procedure since all the user has to do is to hold the communication apparatus. When the invention has been applied, the use of the eSIM proceeds as normal (i.e. according to standard). The only addition is that the login sequence is modified so that the verification of the Identification Vector against the heartbeat pattern is required. This can however be accommodated in the standard. Hence, apart from the insertion of the Identification Server, there is no need to modify the current mobile network or its features.
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A communication apparatus for connecting to a network that requires authentication is provided. The apparatus includes a network controller for connecting to the network; a controller for controlling a connection to the network via the network controller; a sensor for obtaining biometric information of a user of the communication apparatus; and a memory for storing a subscription module applied to authentication towards the network. The subscription module includes identification information created based on biometric information of the user. In order to establish a connection to the network by use of the subscription module stored in the memory, the controller obtains biometric information of the user by use of the sensor and compares the obtained biometric information to the identification information in the subscription module.
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RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a National Phase entry of PCT Application No. PCT/EP2015/073036, filed Oct. 6, 2015, which claims priority from Great Britain Application No. 1417640.8, filed Oct. 6, 2014, and which claims priority from Portuguese Application No. 107946 A, filed Oct. 6, 2014, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by referenced herein in their entirety.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present disclosure relates to methods and systems for determining a concentration of target entities in a sample, for example, determining a concentration of target antigens or antibodies in a biological sample.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Immunoassays can be used to quantitatively determine a concentration of target entities, for example antigens, present in a sample. In the case of microfluidic immunoassays, an arrangement comprising a microfluidic chamber into which a sample is introduced may be used. Such a chamber comprises a plurality of probe entities, for example antibodies, immobilized on a surface of the chamber such that, as the sample is passed over the surface, antigens in the sample bind to the antibodies in the chamber. The amount of antibody-antigen binding may be detected and quantified using, for example, fluorescence or surface plasmon resonance measurements (SPR) and a concentration of target entities in the sample can be determined from this amount.
[0004] Due to the constraints inherent in existing immunoassays, for example the probe density or detection sensitivity, the range of concentrations of target entities in a sample which can be detected by known microfluidic immunoassays is limited. For any one assay, detection and quantification will only work in a sensitive (ideally linear) range of the relationship between target concentration and detection signal. Below this range, signal to noise ratios are too low and above this range the assay saturates. In either case, the measured signal becomes independent of sample concentration.
[0005] It would be desirable to provide methods and systems for determining target concentration that address these issues and extend the dynamic range over which concentrations can be quantified.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] In a first aspect a method is provided for determining a sample concentration of target entities in a sample, for example, determining a concentration of target antigens or antibodies in a blood sample or other biological sample. The method comprises obtaining assay data comprising data points of respective local measurements indicative of a local concentration of target entities immobilised at each of a plurality of assay areas of an assay assembly from an assay using the assay assembly. The assay areas are connected in series such that a sample flowing through the assay assembly flows past each assay area in sequence. Each assay area comprises a plurality of probe entities immobilized at a surface of the assay area, the probe entities being arranged to bind to the target entities in the sample, such that the concentration of the target entities is depleted as the sample flows from one of the assay areas to the next. The assay data is modeled with a parameterized function of the local measurements against a quantity indicative of the position of the respective assay areas in the sequence, wherein one or more of the parameters are dependent on the sample concentration. A value indicative of the sample concentration is determined based on at least one of the one or more parameters.
[0007] By using depletion data obtained from a plurality of serially connected assay areas, information concerning target-probe binding can be obtained at different concentrations of target entities as the concentration decreases from one assay area to the next. Accordingly, a larger range of sample concentrations of target entities can be determined as compared to a system comprising a single assay area. By modeling the data with a function of measurement results from the plurality of assay areas against the quantity, the data is combined so that the overall signal to noise ratio may be improved.
[0008] It will be understood that modeling the data may involve adjusting the one or more parameters to fit the parameterized function to the data points, for example by reducing or minimizing a corresponding sum function capturing a discrepancy between values of the parameterized function and the data points, as is well known in the art. Examples of such known techniques are non-linear regression, gradient descent and least square optimization in general
[0009] In some embodiments, one of the one or more parameters is a variable parameter indicative of an offset amount which offsets the quantity indicative of the position of the assay area in the sequence such that the parameterized function is a function of the local measurements against the quantity indicative of the position of the assay area in the sequence offset by the offset amount. In other words, where the quantity indicative of the position of the assay area, i, in the sequence is denoted by DZ i , the parameterized function is a function of (DZ i +Offset), where ‘Offset’ is the offset amount.
[0010] The parameterized function may be derived from a plurality of assay data sets, each obtained for a respective sample concentration, the sample concentrations covering a range of sample concentrations.
[0011] The parameterized function may be thought of by way of illustration to aid understanding and not limitation, as representative of a master depletion curve defining the depletion of a concentration of a target entities in a system characteristic of the assay assembly, the system comprising a plurality of notional assay areas arranged such that the concentration of target entities is depleted from one notional assay area in the sequence to the next notional assay area in the sequence. The number of notional assay areas is greater than the number of assay areas in the assay assembly. The fit of the master depletion curve to the assay data sets can be thought of by notionally offsetting the assay areas by the offset amount such that the assay areas of the assay assembly are mapped to a set of notional assay areas corresponding to a sample concentration.
[0012] The parameterized function may be a logistic function. In some cases an n th order polynomial function or a spline may be used, or any other suitable functional form may be used. The parameterized function may comprise a look up table to represent the master depletion curve, for example, using interpolation to construct data points between data entries in the look up table.
[0013] In some embodiments, the offset amount is determined by minimizing a difference between the respective local measurement and a corresponding value of the parameterized function for each assay area of the assay assembly. For example, the offset amount may be determined using a least squares approximation or any other suitable approximation.
[0014] In some embodiments, the offset amount, ‘Offset’ is determined by minimizing the following function:
[0000]
∑
i
=
1
n
[
DP
(
DZ
i
)
-
f
(
DZ
i
+
Offset
)
]
2
[0015] where DP(DZ i ) is the local measurement at the respective assay area, i, and f is the corresponding value of the parameterized function. As previously described, DZ i is the quantity indicative of the position of the assay area in the sequence. Minimization of any suitable cost function may be carried out to obtain the best fit of the parameterized function to the assay data. For example, Chi-squared minimization techniques may be used. Other minimization approaches may be to apply a weighting to the local measurements. For example, a lower weighting might be given to measurements close to a noise threshold. For example, a higher weighting may be given to the assay areas earlier in the sequence.
[0016] In some embodiments, the one or more parameters may comprise one or more fixed parameters characteristic of a given assay assembly. For example, one fixed parameter may be indicative of a maximum amplitude of the local measurement which can be detected from the assay area sometimes referred to as DP max below. For example, another fixed parameter may be indicative of an amount by which or a rate at which the concentration of target entities is depleted as the sample flows from one assay area to the next, sometimes referred to as Shape below. It will be appreciated that these parameters are referred to as fixed in the sense that they are characteristic of an assay assembly (or a batch or assy assemblies manufactured under substantially indentical conditions) and substantially do not vary as a function of the composition of the sample to by assayed. It will be understood that each assay assembly is only used once in some embodiments and hence experiments are carried out using respective assay assemblies from the same manufacturing batch to characterise the batch. The determined fixed parameters may be verified as being representative of the batch by validation experiments using other assemblies of the batch with samples of known sample concentration or target entities.
[0017] The values of DP max ), and Shape may be determined and fixed for the assay assembly.
[0018] The one or more fixed parameters may be determined using experimental data, for example, by minimizing a difference between the respective local measurement and a corresponding value of the parameterized function for each assay area, i, in the assay assembly for each of a plurality of experiments, j, wherein each experiment is carried out using a sample having a given concentration of target entities and the concentrations span a range of concentrations. For example, the offset amount may be determined using a least squares approximation or any other suitable approximation.
[0019] In one example, the one or more fixed parameters or set of constants, λ, may be determined by minimizing the following function:
[0000]
∑
j
=
1
m
∑
i
=
1
n
[
DP
(
DZ
i
)
-
f
λ
(
DZ
i
+
Offset
j
)
]
2
[0020] Wherein data from m experiments is used and wherein, for each experiment, an assay assembly comprising n assay areas is used. In addition to the fixed parameters, a value of ‘Offset’ can also be determined for each of the plurality of experiments, j. Using this data, a relationship between Offset and the starting concentration of target entities of a sample for each experiment, Concentration j , may be defined as a calibration function giving a concentration value for a corresponding value of Offset. For example, a calibration function can be fitted to data points of {Concentration j , Offset j }. As will be described further below, the calibration function may be used to determine the sample concentration of target entities based on at least one of the one or more the variable parameters, in particular Offset in the example above.
[0021] The parameterized function may be a logistic function.
[0022] In some embodiments, the parameterized function is proportional to:
[0000]
DP
ma
x
1
+
exp
[
Shape
×
(
DZ
i
+
Offset
)
]
(
1
)
[0023] wherein DP max is indicative of a maximum amplitude of the local measurement which can be detected from anassay area, Shape is indicative of a rate at which the concentration of target entities is depleted as the sample flows from one assay area to the next, Offset is a variable parameter determined by data fitting, and DZ i is indicative of the position of the respective assay area, i, in the sequence.
[0024] In some embodiments, detection is carried out in the centre of each assay area, accordingly DZ i may take a positive half integer value for each assay area i.e. 0.5, 1.5, 2.5, etc. This is because an amount of depletion occurs in the first assay area prior to the locus where the first measurement is taken. DZ i may take an integer value, or any other suitable value. In some embodiments a mixture of integer and half integer values may be used. In some embodiments, the quantity indicative of position in the sequence is indicative of an amount of probe entities (able to interact with target entities) present upstream of the assay area—the locus where the corresponding measurement is taken. In these embodiments, the change in the quantity from one assay area to the next may be non-constant and may depend on the amount of probe entities or the capacity to bind target entities between the two assay areas concerned.
[0025] The parameterized function may be fit to the obtained assay data by adjusting the value of Offset. This, by way of illustration, can be thought of as mapping the assay data to the master depletion curve. The value indicative of the concentration of target entities in the sample may be determined using a value of Offset with a calibration function.
[0026] In the parameterised function given by (1) above, the assay assembly is characterized by determining DP max and Shape. More complex models, for example the 4PL and 5PL functions mentioned below may be more accurate in describing the system however, in such complex models, additional fitting parameters are used.
[0027] The value indicative of the sample concentration may be determined, for example calculated, using a calibration function. The calibration function may be a logistic function, an exponential function, or any other suitable function. In some embodiments the calibration function comprises a first function for use at sample concentrations of a target entity above a given value, and a second function for use at sample concentrations of a target entity below the given value. In a particular embodiment the first function is a function of Offset, and the second function is a function of a notional undepleted response at DZ i =0 such that the second function is a function of:
[0000]
DP
ma
x
1
+
exp
[
Shape
×
Offset
]
(
4
)
[0028] Determining the value indicative of the sample concentration of the target entities may comprise calculating the sample concentration itself or calculating any transformation of the sample concentration. Likewise, determining the value indicative of sample concentration may include modeling the local measurements directly or any transformation thereof.
[0029] Determining the sample concentration may be an iterative process. For example, a first step may be applied initially followed by a second step that may provide a more refined result. Specifically, in some embodiments, the first function is used in the first step to determine a value indicative of concentration. If the value is below a threshold, the second step re-calculates the value using the second calibration function. In some embodiments, the order is reversed and the first function is used in the second step if the value from the first step (from the second function) is above a threshold.
[0030] In some embodiments, the calibration function is a 4 parameter logistic (4PL) nonlinear regression model as shown in equation (2) below.
[0000]
y
=
d
+
a
-
d
1
+
(
x
c
)
b
(
2
)
[0000] where a, b, c and d are fixed parameters and x=Offset (or other fit parameter).
[0031] In some embodiments, the calibration function is a 5 parameter logistic (5PL) nonlinear regression model as shown in equation (3) below.
[0000]
y
=
d
+
(
a
-
d
)
(
1
+
(
x
c
)
b
)
g
(
3
)
[0000] where a, b, c, d and g are fixed parameters and x=Offset (or other fit parameter).
[0032] As mentioned above, the 4PL and 5PL functions can also be used as the parameterized function. In that case, x=DZ i +01:15 et, for example.
[0033] In some embodiments each local measurement is indicative of variation in a refractive index at the surface of the respective assay area due to target-probe binding. For example, the local measurement may correspond to a change in Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) behavior at the detection area. Such a change may be detected by a change in the peak of SPR absorption, for example, a diffusion angle value at which the peak occurs. Other SPR detection paradigms, for example based on wavelength or phase may of course be used in some embodiments. Using SPR measurements, changes in the local concentration of target entities from one assay area to the next of 0.5 nM may be detected. Alternatively, any other suitable means for quantitatively detecting an amount of target-probe binding at the surface of the respective assay area may be used, for example, fluorescence or absorption detection (for example UV absorption) and/or detection of a label (fluorescent or otherwise) bound to the target entities may be used.
[0034] Variation in the refractive index at the surface of the respective assay area may be amplified using an amplifier solution, in some embodiments. The amplifier solution is arranged to interact with target entities bound to the surface of the assay area such that the variation in the refractive index at the respective assay area is amplified when the amplifier has interacted with the bound target entities. The amplifier solution may comprise entities which are arranged to bind to the target entities which are in turn bound to the surface of the assay area, for example gold nanoparticles that are functionalized to bind to the target entities to give target specific amplification, other suitable nanoparticles, secondary antibodies, and beads may be used. The amplifier solution may amplify the variation in the refractive index at the surface of the respective assay area by 2-20 times, for example 5-10 times, for example 10 times.
[0035] The target and/or probe entities may be molecules or other suitable entities, for example proteins, DNA, peptides, enzymes, viruses, bacteria, cells, etc. The sample may be a blood sample or any other liquid biological (or other) sample.
[0036] In some embodiments, each local measurement comprises a difference between a baseline signal detected prior to interaction of the sample with the assay area and a post-amplification signal detected after interaction of the amplifier solution with target entities bound to the respective assay area. For example, the post-amplification signal may be detected after the respective assay area has been washed with a buffer solution.
[0037] In some embodiments, each local measurement comprises a difference between a pre-amplification signal and post-amplification signal. The pre-amplification signal is detected after interaction of the sample with the respective assay area and before interaction of the amplifier solution with target entities bound to the respective assay area. The post-amplification signal is detected after interaction of the amplifier solution with target entities bound to the respective assay area. The pre-amplification signal may comprise a contribution from a bulk sample refractive index of the sample. The post-amplification signal may be obtained after unbound amplifier and the sample have been substantially washed away by buffer solution in a wash step subsequent to the application of amplifier. In such embodiments, the parameterized function of the local measurements may comprise an adjustment term to account for the bulk sample refractive index of the sample affecting the pre-amplification signal but not the post-amplification signal. The adjustment term may be fit to the data points as part of the one or more variable parameters, for example it may be fit simultaneously together with Offset in some embodiments. In other embodiments, the adjustment term may be determined based on a difference between a baseline signal detected prior to interaction of the sample with the assay area and the pre-amplification signal. In such embodiments there is no need to fit this term but rather the adjustment term can simply be subtracted from the local measurement (the difference between the pre and post amplification signals).
[0038] Using local measurements which comprise a difference between the pre-amplification signal and post-amplification signal has the advantage that the local measurement is made over a shorter time period and so the effect of any drift in the signals being compared is reduced. Embodiments that account for bulk sample refractive index contribution to the pre-amplification signal advantageously dispense with the need for a separate wash step prior to amplification if bulk sample refractive index changes are to be accounted for.
[0039] In some embodiments, the concentration of amplifier solution is such that the assay assembly (i.e. all assay areas) is saturated with amplifier.
[0040] In some embodiments, the concentration of amplifier solution is such that the assay assembly is not saturated with amplifier. In such embodiments, the local measurements are dependent on the concentration of the amplifier solution as well as the concentration of target in the sample. Hence, there is a combined depletion effect from both the sample concentration and from the amplifier itself. These two distinct depletion processes may be characterized by the parameterized function, for example, the parameterized function may contain an additional parameter to account for the depletion of amplifier or an additional term. Alternatively or in addition, the ‘Shape’ parameter may be a vector varying with both the sample concentration and the amplifier concentration. In some embodiments, Shape may be a function of the quantity indicative of position/upstream binding capacity to capture the varying concentration of amplifier. In some embodiments, the effect of the concentration of amplifier can be thought of as being akin to the effect of the density of probe entities present in the assay assembly. Accordingly, for example, the value of DZ i may be adjusted to account for the amplifier concentration in a similar way to how DZ i is adjusted to take into account the relative binding capacity of the assay assembly as will be described in detail below.
[0041] Using amplifier in non-saturating conditions has the advantage that reduced amounts of amplifier are required, hence cost is reduced.
[0042] In some embodiments the assay areas have the same binding capacities for the target entities.
[0043] In some embodiments the assay areas have different binding capacities for the target entities. In some embodiments, DZ i is indicative of an amount of probe entities upstream of the position of the assay assembly, i.
[0044] The assay areas may be connected by microfluidic circuitry. In some embodiments, the circuitry between the assay area as a binding capacity for target entities.
[0045] Each assay area may be located in a respective chamber connected to adjacent chambers housing respective assay area(s) in the sequence by a conduit between pairs of chambers. Each assay area may occupy a portion of a chamber, wherein the local measurements are made at each respective portion. Alternatively, the assay area may occupy the whole chamber. In some embodiments, a plurality of assay areas is provided in a single chamber, for example as part of a contiguous functionalized surface, the assay areas being solely defined by the locus where measurements are taken.
[0046] Each local measurement may be indicative of a rate at which the amplifier solution interacts with the respective assay area, for example measured as a rate of change of the measurement signal at a defined point.
[0047] Each local measurement may comprise a measurement indicative of the time taken from introduction of the amplifier solution into the respective assay area to detection of a threshold signal amplitude, for example a maximum signal amplitude.
[0048] In some embodiments, obtaining assay data may comprise carrying out the local measurements. Alternatively, assay data may be obtained from a third party.
[0049] In a second aspect a system for determining a sample concentration of target entities in a sample is provided. The system comprises a processor arranged to obtain assay data comprising data points of respective local measurements indicative of a local concentration of target entities immobilized at each of a plurality of assay areas of an assay assembly from an assay using the assay assembly, wherein the assay areas are connected in series such that a sample flowing through the assay assembly flows past each assay area in sequence, and wherein each assay area comprises a plurality of probe entities immobilized at a surface of the assay area, the probe entities being arranged to bind to the target entities, such that the concentration of the target entities is depleted as the sample flows from one of the assay areas to the next. The processor is also arranged to model the assay data with a parameterized function of the local measurements against a quantity indicative of the position of the respective assay areas in the sequence, wherein one or more of the parameters are dependent on the sample concentration. The processor is further arranged to determine a value indicative of the sample concentration based on at least one of the one or more parameters.
[0050] In a third aspect a method for determining a sample concentration of target entities in a sample is provided. The method comprises introducing a sample into an assay assembly from an assay using the assay assembly, the assay assembly comprising a plurality of assay areas wherein the assay areas are connected in series such that a sample flowing through the assay assembly flows past each assay area in sequence, and wherein each assay area comprises a plurality of probe entities immobilized at a surface of the assay area, the probe entities being arranged to bind to the target entities, such that the concentration of the target entities is depleted as the sample flows from one of the assay areas to the next. The sample is caused to flow through the assay assembly and local measurements are carried out at each assay area to obtain assay data comprising data points of respective local measurements indicative of a local concentration of the target entities immobilized at each of the plurality of assay areas of the assay assembly. The assay data is modeled with a parameterized function of the local measurements against a quantity indicative of the position of the assay area in the sequence, wherein one or more of the parameters are dependent on the sample concentration. A value indicative of the sample concentration is determined based on at least one of the one or more parameters.
[0051] In a further aspect, a system is provided for determining a sample concentration of target entities in a sample. The system comprises an assay assembly comprising a plurality of assay areas connected in series such that a sample flowing through the assay assembly flows past each assay area in sequence, and wherein each assay area comprises a plurality of probe entities immobilized at a surface of the assay area, the probe entities being arranged to bind to the target entities, such that the concentration of the target entities is depleted as the sample flows from one of the assay areas to the next. The system further comprises at least one detector arranged to carry out local measurements at each assay area to obtain assay data comprising data points of respective local measurements indicative of a local concentration of the target entities immobilized at each of the plurality of assay areas. The system further comprises a processor arranged to model the assay data with a parameterized function of the local measurements against a quantity indicative of the position of the assay area in the sequence, wherein one or more of the parameters are dependent on the sample concentration. The processor is also arranged to determine a value indicative of the sample concentration based on at least one of the one or more parameters.
[0052] In some embodiments a single detector is provided for carrying out local measurements at the plurality of assay areas, for example by moving one of the detector and the assay areas relative to the other. Alternatively, a detector may be provided for each assay area.
[0053] In a further aspect, a method for determining a sample concentration of target entities in a sample is provided. The method comprising obtaining assay data comprising a local measurement indicative of a local concentration of the target entity immobilised at an assay area of an assay assembly from an assay using the assay assembly, wherein the assay area comprises a plurality of probe entities immobilized at a surface of the assay area, the probe entities being arranged to bind to target entities. The local measurement is based on signals indicative of a variation in a refractive index at the surface of the assay area, such variation being amplified following interaction of an amplifier solution with target entities bound to the surface of the assay area. The local measurement comprises a difference between a pre-amplification signal and post-amplification signal, wherein the pre-amplification signal is detected after interaction of the sample with the assay area and before interaction of the amplifier solution with the target entities bound to the assay area, and the post-amplification signal is detected after interaction of the amplifier solution with the target entities bound to the assay area and after the assay area has been washed with a buffer solution. The method further comprises adjusting the local measurement using an adjustment term such that a bulk sample refractive index of the sample is taken into account and using the adjusted local measurement to determine a value indicative of the sample concentration.
[0054] In some embodiments, the adjustment term is determined based on a difference between a baseline signal detected prior to interaction of the sample with the assay area and the pre-amplification signal. The features relating to the compensation for bulk sample refractive index contribution of the bulk of the sample described above are equally applicable here.
[0055] In a further aspect an assay assembly for determining a sample concentration of target entities in a sample is provided. The assay assembly comprises a plurality of assay areas serially connected such that a sample flowing through the assay assembly flows through each assay area in sequence. Each assay assembly comprises an inlet and an outlet and for each pair of assay areas in the plurality of assay areas, the outlet of a first assay area is coupled to the inlet of a second assay area by a coupling portion, such that a sample flowing through the assay assembly flows from first assay area to the second assay area via the coupling portion for each pair of assay areas in the plurality of assay areas. In addition, each assay area comprises a plurality of probe entities immobilized at a surface of the assay area, the probe entities being arranged to bind to the target entities, such that the concentration of the target entities is detectably depleted as the sample flows from one of the assay areas to the next.
[0056] As a sample is passed through the assay assembly, the flow of the sample may be a laminar flow such that diffusion or other mixing effects are substantially negligible. In such cases, only target entities in a portion of the sample adjacent the chamber surface will be available for binding with the probe entities. As the sample passes from one chamber to the next sufficiently fast to limit diffusion, due to the laminar flow of the sample, the same portion of sample will be adjacent the surface of each chamber and only target entities present in that same portion of the sample are available for binding. Hence, the concentration of target entities in the portion of the sample adjacent each surface is depleted as the sample flows from one chamber to the next. While the depletion may be only a small fraction of the amount of target in the bulk of the sample, due to diffusion limited laminar flow the depletion of target entities represents a significant detectable change in concentration.
[0057] In a further aspect, a microfluidic device comprising an assay assembly described above is provided.
[0058] It will be appreciated that each of the features described above may apply to each aspect described. All possible combinations are not listed in detail here for the sake of brevity.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0059] Specific embodiments are described below by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
[0060] FIG. 1 —is a schematic illustration of a device comprising an assay assembly;
[0061] FIG. a—is a schematic illustration of a cross-sectional view of target-probe binding in an assay area of the assay assembly of FIG. 1 ;
[0062] FIG. 2 b —is schematic illustration of a cross-sectional view of amplifier-target binding an assay area of the assay assembly of FIG. 1 ;
[0063] FIG. 3 —is a schematic illustration of a system for determining the concentration of a target entity in a sample;
[0064] FIG. 4 —is a graphical representation of a depletion master curve;
[0065] FIG. 5 —is a graphical representation of the depletion curve of FIG. 4 is using experimental data;
[0066] FIG. 6 —is a flow chart showing a method for determining the concentration of a target entity in a sample;
[0067] FIG. 7 —is a sensorgram illustrating the variation in a response amplitude with time and illustrating local measurements Δ 31 , Δ 32 and Δ 21 ;
[0068] FIG. 8 —is a sensorgram illustrating the variation in a response amplitude with time and illustrating a local measurement G amp ; and
[0069] FIG. 9 —is a sensorgram illustrating the variation in a response amplitude with time and illustrating a local measurement Δ t .
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0070] With reference to FIG. 1 , a centrifugal or “lab on a disc” microfluidic device 2 is arranged for rotation about an axis 4 . Typically, the microfluidic device 2 is a microfluidic polycarbonate disc having an outer diameter of 120 mm, a thickness of ˜1.2 mm, and a hole in the centre of the disc measuring 15 mm in diameter. The disc comprises two 0.6 mm discs bound together by a thin-film polymer. The microfluidic features shown in FIG. 1 and described below are defined in one of the discs and the thin film. The other of the two discs comprises SPR areas provided with a gold coated diffraction grating as described below. The disc 2 comprises an assay assembly 6 which has a plurality chambers 8 arranged in series such that each pair of chambers in the plurality is linked by a conduit 10 . The chambers are aligned with SPR areas. A sample, for example blood or other liquid, is introduced into the assay assembly 6 via an inlet conduit 14 , which forms an inlet for the first chamber 8 in the series, and the sample leaves the assay assembly via an outlet conduit 12 , which forms an outlet for the final chamber 8 in the series. Each chamber 8 measures 0.02 mm in depth and is placed at a distance of 50 mm from the centre of the disc. Each chamber is typically approximately 50 nl in volume and the assay assembly and device are arranged such that approximately 100 μl of liquid can flow through the assay assembly in approximately 5-6 minutes.
[0071] With reference to FIG. 2 a , a single chamber 8 will now be described. The chamber 8 comprises an inlet 16 through which a sample may enter the chamber 8 from a connecting conduit 10 (or the inlet conduit 14 in the case of the first chamber in the series) and an outlet 18 through which the sample may leave the chamber 8 via a connecting conduit 10 (or the outlet conduit 12 in the case of the final chamber in the series). When a sample is passed through the chamber, the sample flows through the chamber from the inlet 16 to the outlet 18 in the direction shown by the arrow ‘F’ in FIG. 2 a.
[0072] The chamber 8 has a surface 20 comprising a grating of sinusoidal shape (not shown) measuring 100 nm in height and having a period of 1600 nm. The surface 20 is gold coated and has a monolayer of probe entities 22 immobilized on top of the gold surface. Each probe entity 22 has the ability to specifically bind to a specific corresponding target entity 24 which may be present in a sample passed through the chamber 8 , such that when a sample containing target entities 24 flows through the chamber 8 , specific target entities 24 in the sample bind to the probe entities 22 at the chamber surface 20 .
[0073] As a sample is passed through the assay assembly, the flow of the sample is a laminar flow at sufficient rate such that diffusion or other mixing effects are substantially negligible throughout the assay assembly. Accordingly, only target entities 24 in a portion of the sample adjacent the chamber surface 20 will be available for binding with the probe entities 22 . As the sample passes from one chamber 8 to the next, due to the laminar flow of the sample, the same portion of sample will be adjacent the surface 20 of each chamber 8 , hence only target entities 24 present in that same portion of the sample are available for binding. In this way, the concentration of target entities 24 in the portion of the sample adjacent each surface 20 is depleted as the sample flows from one chamber 8 to the next.
[0074] Due to probe entities in only a thin layer being available for binding, a concentration change in target entities bound to the probe entities from one chamber to the next is detectable using SPR technology. For example, a detectable change in concentration in the liquid layer adjacent the surface 20 may be 0.5 nM from one point in a chamber 8 to a corresponding point in the next chamber 8 .
[0075] With reference to FIG. 3 , a system 26 for determining the concentration of a target entity 24 in a sample is now described. The system 26 comprises a microfluidic device 2 comprising an assay assembly 6 as described above. A light source 28 is provided and aligned such that emitted light is incident on a detection zone 30 of the surface 20 a chamber 8 . Typically the light source 28 is a polarized monochromatic light source, for example a diode laser. When in use, an amount of light incident on the detection zone 30 is reflected from the surface 20 and the reflected light is detected by a detector 32 . The detector 32 is arranged to measure the light intensity of the reflected light beam as a function of angle over time.
[0076] The system further comprises a drive for rotating the device 2 to drive liquid flow in the device 2 , under the control of a controller, such that various liquids including a sample are introduced into the device 2 and flow through the assay assembly 6 in a defined sequence. The drive is not illustrated in FIG. 3 for the sake of clarity but further details of how liquid flows may be controlled can be found in WO 2011/122972 and WO2012/131556, incorporated herein by reference.
[0077] When in use, changes in the refractive index at the surface 20 of the detection region 30 due to the presence of bound target entities or a bound target-amplifier complex (see below) cause changes in the resonant behavior of the surface 20 , specifically changes in surface plasmon resonance behaviour. This can be detected by detecting a change in the angle at which a light intensity minimum occurs in the reflected light as a function of time. The binding of target entities 24 to probe entities 22 at the surface 20 of the chamber 8 causes a change in the refractive index at the surface 20 . Accordingly, the amount of target-probe binding at the surface 20 of the chamber 8 can be quantitatively determined by detection of changes in the refractive index at the chamber surface 20 , for example by detecting change in the angle at which surface plasmon resonance occurs. In some embodiments, alternative approaches for determining surface plasmon effects may be used. Examples of SPR measurement techniques are given in:
[0000] Jiri Homola, “ Surface Plasmon Resonance Sensors for Detection of Chemical and Biological Species”, Chem. Rev. 108, pages 462-493 (2008), incorporated herein by reference.
[0078] The depletion of the local concentration of target entity 24 as the sample flows from one chamber 8 to the next can be thought of as establishing a portion of a master depletion curve 35 , which is illustrated in FIG. 4 , with the starting concentration of the sample defining the portion. The master depletion curve 35 characterizes the variation in a local measurement indicative of the concentration of target entity 24 at the surface 20 of each of a respective chamber 8 against a quantity indicative of the amount of probe entities upstream of the position of the chamber 8 in the sequence.
[0079] The master depletion curve 35 may be understood conceptually by considering a hypothetical system having an unlimited number of notional chambers (and hence detection zones) into which a sample having a very high concentration of target entities is introduced. As the sample is introduced into the assay assembly, the initial chambers in the sequence are saturated with target entities, hence a measurement signal saturates at a maximum amplitude of the local measurement, DP max . As the sample flows through the sample chambers in sequence the amount of target entities becomes successively depleted and the amplitude of the local measurements at each chamber decreases. As the sample flows through further chambers the amount of target entities is further depleted, the amplitude of the local measurements reaches a minimum amplitude, DP min . The local measurements for the remaining notional chambers are then approximately constant at this minimum amplitude.
[0080] The master depletion curve 35 may be understood by considering experimental or hypothetical data from a plurality of experiments carried out at different starting target entity concentrations of the sample using assay assemblies having fixed depletion characteristics. Depletion characteristics are determined by factors including fluidic characteristics, for example the flow rate of sample through the assay assembly 6 , the height and width of the chambers 8 , and the length of the detection circuit; characteristics of the recognition layer, for example, the density of probe entities 22 , the avidity and affinity of the probe entities 22 for the target entities 24 ; and characteristics of the target entity 24 , for example the diffusion coefficient; amongst others. An assay assembly used to carry out the experiments typically has 5-10 chambers, accordingly the depletion data obtained will be representative of only a section of the master depletion curve, as explained above.
[0081] With reference to FIG. 5 , the master depletion curve may further be understood as a curve combining data from real or notional experiments carried out at a range of known starting concentrations. The data obtained may be thought of as being ‘stitched’ together to form the master depletion curve. If the experimental data sets ‘overlap’ where certain chambers in separate experiments have the same or similar local target concentrations, the data sets may be notionally ‘shifted’ along the x axis until a smooth line is obtained.
[0082] In the example illustrated in FIG. 5 , the master depletion curve may be thought of as a combined depletion curve from four experiments, (i)-(iv). Each experiment is carried out using an assay assembly comprising five chambers and so a data set comprising five data points is obtained from each experiment. The starting concentration of target entity used in experiment (i) is higher than that used in (ii), which is in turn higher than that used in (iii), which is higher than that used in (iv). Using knowledge of the starting concentration of each experiment, the data sets can be ‘stitched’ together to form the master depletion curve.
[0083] The master depletion curve is represented by a parameterized function. In a specific embodiment, the function is a logistic function.
[0084] The parameterized function models the amplitude of local measurements, DP, made at a respective chamber against a quantity, DZ i indicative of the position in the sequence of the chamber 8 and hence detection zone or area, more specifically, the amount of probe entities upstream of the position of the chamber 8 , i, in the sequence. In some embodiments the position and amount quantities are essentially the same, save for some scaling. In other embodiments where the amount for each chamber is not constant, the relationship may be more complicated as illustrated below.
[0085] Example values of DZ i are shown in Tables 1, 2, 3 and 4 below where ‘#DZ’ is the position of the chamber (hence detection zone) in the sequence, ‘DZ capacity’ is the relative capacity of the chamber to bind to target entities, and ‘DZ i ’ is the value indicative of the amount of probe entities upstream of the position of the chamber, i, in the sequence (which is of course also indication of the position in the sequence). DZ i is used in the parameterised function. In each of the examples shown in Tables 1-4, detection is made in the centre of the each chamber. Table 1 shows the case where the chambers each have the same relative capacity for binding target entities (for example the same amount of probe entities above to bind target entities). In this example, the values of DZ i used are 0.5, 1.5, 2.5, 3.5 and 4.5 (the 0.5 offset being representative of binding occurring in each chamber upstream of the detection area).
[0000]
TABLE 1
#DZ
1
2
3
4
5
DZ Capacity
1
1
1
1
1
DZi for fit
0.5
1.5
2.5
3.5
4.5
[0086] Table 2 shows the case where the relative capacity of the chamber doubles from one chamber to the next. This difference in the relative capacity of the chambers is accounted for in the value of DZ i used.
[0000]
TABLE 2
#DZ
1
2
3
4
5
DZ Capacity
1
2
4
8
16
DZi for fit
0.5
2
5
11
23
[0087] Table 3 shows the case where the 1 st , 4 th and 5 th chambers have a relative capacity of 1 and the 2 nd and 3 rd chambers have a relative capacity of 2. Again, this difference in relative capacity is accounted for by adjustment of DZ i .
[0000]
TABLE 3
#DZ
1
2
3
4
5
DZ Capacity
1
2
2
1
1
DZi for fit
0.5
2
4
5.5
6.5
[0088] The chambers may be connected by microfluidic circuitry. In some embodiments, chambers are connected by microfluidic circuitry, the circuitry between the chambers having a binding capacity for target entities. Table 4 above shows the case where the assay areas have a relative binding capacity of 1 and the circuitry between the chambers have a relative capacity of 0.5. Detection is not carried out in the circuitry. In this case, DZ i is adjusted according to Table 4 to account for the relative capacity of the system.
[0000]
TABLE 4
#DZ
1
2
3
4
5
DZ Capacity
1
2
2
1
1
DZi for fit
0.5
2.5
5
7
8.5
[0089] The parameterized function comprises constants which relate to the assay assembly and its depletion characteristics, DP max and Shape, and which are fixed for a given assay assembly and assay. The function also comprises a parameter dependent on the concentration of target entities 24 in the sample, Offset, which is indicative of the starting concentration of a sample. The parameter, Offset, is determined by fitting the parameterised function to the data points for each experiment carried out.
[0090] In the above notional and illustrative explanation, Offset determines the location of the data points for the actual chambers/detection areas on the master depletion curve.
[0091] With reference to FIG. 4 , Offset can be understood as a value indicative of the extent to which the master depletion curve is shifted along the x axis. For example, for a sample having a low target concentration, the local measurement obtained at the first chamber in the sequence is a correspondingly low measurement, DP 1 . For the master depletion curve to fit this experimental data it must be shifted such that the local measurement, DP 1 , corresponds to the value of DZ i which is indicative of the first chamber, 1=1. This is shown by DZ 1 =0.5 in FIG. 4 . The amount by which the master depletion curve must be shifted, and in which direction, in order to fit the assay data obtained will depend on the target concentration of the sample. Accordingly, the value of Offset is determined by fitting the parameterised function, and hence the master depletion curve, to the respective local measurements obtained at each chamber in the assay assembly.
[0092] The parameterised function is given by the expression shown in equation (5) below.
[0000]
DP
=
2
×
DP
ma
x
1
+
exp
[
Shape
×
(
DZ
i
+
Offset
)
]
(
5
)
[0093] As described above with respect to FIG. 4 , DP max is the maximum amplitude of the local measurement which can be obtained at a first chamber 8 of an assay assembly and remains constant throughout an experiment. The parameter Shape is indicative of the rate at which the concentration of target entities at the chamber surface is depleted as the sample flows from one chamber to the next. This value depends on the depletion characteristics of the assay assembly and remains constant throughout an experiment for a given assay assembly and assay. exp is typically euler's number, e, however any other suitable base may be used with a corresponding adjustment in the other parameters.
[0094] As explained above, DZ i corresponds to a value indicative of the amount of probe entities upstream of the position of the respective chamber, i, in the sequence. With reference to FIG. 2 a , the detection zone 30 for each chamber 8 is a portion at the centre of the chamber surface 20 . Accordingly in this arrangement, for each chamber, DZ i may take a positive half integer value i.e. 0.5, 1.5, 2.5, 3.5 etc. Alternatively, DZ i may take an integer value, or any other suitable value indicative of the amount of probe entities upstream of the position of the chamber in the assay assembly.
[0095] The constants Shape and DP max are determined by characterizing a batch of assay assemblies prior to carrying out an experiment to determine a sample concentration. Each assay assembly is only used once and hence experiments to characterise a batch of assemblies are carried out using respective assay assemblies from the same manufacturing batch to characterise the batch of microfluidic devices 2 . The determined values of Shape and DP max are verified as being representative of the batch by validation experiments using other assemblies of the batch with samples of known sample concentration or target entities. The determined values are then associated with the microfluidic devices 2 , for example, by shipping with the device 2 , for example as an indication on packaging, or marking the device itself 2 to indicate the values, for example using a bar code or other suitable means for carrying this information. The packaging and/or disc may carry this information directly or may carry a link to a remote location where this information is held for access over a network for example the internet.
[0096] These values are constant for the assay assembly across all the respective local measurements. DP max and Shape, which are collectively denoted by λ, are determined using known experimental data obtained from a plurality of experiments, j, each having a known starting concentration of target entities (the concentrations spanning a range of concentrations of interest) and each carried out using an assay assembly having a plurality of assay areas, i. DP max and Shape are determined by minimizing the following sum:
[0000]
∑
j
=
1
m
∑
i
=
1
n
[
DP
(
DZ
i
)
-
f
λ
(
DZ
i
+
Offset
)
]
2
(
6
)
[0000] where DMZ) is the local measurement at the assay area, i, and f is the corresponding value of the parameterized function having constants λ. Data from m experiments is used, each experiment having been carried out using an assay assembly having n assay areas. In some embodiments, the parameters of Shape and DP max are determined using any suitable optimization technique, e.g. least square, gradient descent, regression or Chi-squared minimization techniques. From the sum, (6), above, ‘Offset’ is also determined for each of the plurality of experiments, j, hence a relationship between ‘Offset’ and the starting concentration of target entities is determined. This relationship between Offset j and concentration, Concentration j , for each of the plurality of experiment, j, defines data points {Concentration j , Offset j } that can be used to fit a calibration function. As will be described further below, this calibration function is used to determine the sample concentration based on the value of Offset.
[0097] Using an assembly from a batch that has been characterized (values for λ, determined) assay experiments to find unknown concentrations of target entities in a sample are carried out. The value of Offset is fit to the assay data from a given experiment in order to provide an indication of the starting concentration of the sample. For the avoidance of doubt, reference herein to the ‘starting concentration’ should be understood as referring to the concentration of target entities in a sample to be tested. The parameterized function may be fit to the assay data and the value of Offset determined by minimizing the following sum:
[0000]
∑
i
=
1
n
[
DP
(
DZ
i
)
-
f
(
DZ
i
+
Offset
)
]
2
(
7
)
[0000] where DP(DZ i ) is the local measurement at the assay area, i, and f is the corresponding value of the parameterized function. Minimization of this or any suitable cost function can be carried to obtain the best fit of the parameterized function to the assay data. In some embodiments, least-square regression minimization techniques are used and validated using a chi-squared test.
[0098] Once the value of Offset has been determined by fitting the parameterized function to the experimental data obtained, a value indicative of the starting target concentration of the sample can be determined using a calibration function.
[0099] The calibration function comprises a first function and a second function. The first function, f 1 , is used to determine the target concentration for samples where the target concentration is known to be high and is a function of ‘Offset’, for example f 1 may be found by fitting a suitable function to the data points, {Concentration j ,Offset j }, described above. The second function, f 2 , is used to determine the target concentration for samples where the target concentration is known to be low and is a function of the undepleted measurement that would be obtained by the system, in other words, a function of the hypothetical local measurement when DZ i =0. Accordingly, the second function is a function of the expression (8) below:
[0000]
2
×
DP
ma
x
1
+
exp
[
Shape
×
Offset
]
(
8
)
[0100] In some embodiments, the first and second functions are represented in the form of an exponential function as shown by equations (9a) and (9b) below.
[0000] f 1 =X 1 +Y 1 exp[− Z 1 ×Offset] (9a)
[0000] f 2 =X 2 +Y 2 exp[+ Z 2 ×DP ( DZ i =0)] (9b)
[0000] DP(DZ i =0) is the amplitude of the local measurement when DZ i =0. The parameters X 1,2 , Y 1,2 and Z 1,2 are be obtained by fitting to experimental data in a similar manner as described above.
[0101] In some embodiments, determining the sample concentration is an iterative process. For example, a first step may be applied initially followed by a second step that provides a more refined result. Specifically, in some embodiments, the first function is used in the first step to determine a value indicative of concentration. If the value is below a threshold, the second step re-calculates the value using the second calibration function. In some embodiments, the order is reversed and the first function is used in the second step if the value from the first step (from the second function) is above a threshold.
[0102] Alternatively, in some embodiments the calibration function is a single function relating Offset to the target concentration of the sample.
[0103] In some embodiments, the calibration curve of sample concentration against Offset is a logistic function e.g. a 4PL nonlinear regression model. In the case of a 4PL model, the sample concentration is a function of (Offset, a, b, c, d), where a, b, c and d are parameters of the model which may be obtained using minimization techniques, for example Chi-squared minimization techniques, and experimental data as described above.
[0104] A method for determining the concentration of target entities in a sample will now be described in overview with reference to FIG. 6 . In a first step 36 assay data is obtained. The assay data obtained comprises a plurality of data points, each data point corresponding to a local measurement carried out at a respective chamber 8 . The local measurements relate to the detection of changes in a refractive index at the surface of each of the respective chambers and are indicative of the concentration of target entity 24 at the surface 20 of the respective chamber 8 . The assay data is modeled with the parameterized function at a second step 38 , as described above, the parameterized function comprising the parameter, Offset, dependent on the concentration of the target entity in the sample. A value indicative of the concentration of the target entity in the sample is then determined at a third step 40 based on ‘Offset’ using the first and second calibration functions described above. It will be understood that at some point prior to step 38 , for example when loading the device 2 into the system 26 , the parameters λ, are loaded into the system, for example by manual entry or by reading a tag, such as a barcode, carrying this information, as described above.
[0105] The system 26 described above and shown in FIG. 3 is used to obtain assay data. Firstly a buffer solution is made to flow through into the assay assembly 6 as a baseline, followed by a sample to be tested, an amplifier solution, and finally a wash with a second buffer solution. With reference to FIG. 7 , for each respective chamber 8 , changes in the refractive index at the chamber surface 20 can be detected by the detector 32 such that the amplitude of the detected signal, for example change in the angle at which surface plasmon resonance occurs, increases in direct proportion to the magnitude of the change in refractive index at the chamber surface 20 .
[0106] For each respective chamber 8 , once the buffer solution has flowed through the chamber 8 , a baseline measurement 42 is measured for the detection region 30 . The sample comprising an amount of target entities 24 is then introduced into the chamber 8 . As the target entities 24 bind to probe entities 22 at the surface 20 of the chamber, the refractive index at the surface 20 changes and consequently the amplitude of the measured signal for the detection region 30 increases 44 a . In some cases, a proportion of the target-probe binding is reversible hence a reduction 44 b in the amplitude of the measured signal for the detection region 30 may occur until a steady state is reached. Such reduction may not be observed in cases where the concentration of target entity 24 in the sample is very high.
[0107] With reference to FIG. 2 b and FIG. 7 , the amplifier solution is then made to flow through the chamber 8 . Active components 25 in the amplifier solution bind to the target entities 24 which are in turn bound to the probe entities 22 . A sufficiently high concentration of amplifier is made to flow through the chamber 8 such that the bound target entities are saturated with amplifier.
[0108] This results in a further change to the refractive index at the surface 20 of the chamber 8 and consequently the amplitude of the measured signal for the detection region 30 increases 46 a . As with the target-probe binding, in some cases a proportion of the amplifier-target binding is reversible hence a reduction 46 b in the amplitude of the measured signal for the detection region 30 may occur until a steady state is reached. Such reduction may not be observed in cases where the concentration of active component in the amplifier is very high.
[0109] Finally the second buffer solution is made to flow through the chamber 8 to wash away any remaining unbound sample or amplifier. Consequently, the amplitude of the measured signal for the detection region 30 remains constant 48 . The local measurements may be any of a number of suitable measurements, some of which are described in more detail in the embodiments below.
[0110] Alternatively, assay data may be obtained via any other suitable means, or may be obtained from a previously run assay, possibly run by a third party.
[0111] Once the assay data has been obtained it is modeled with the parameterized function and a value of ‘Offset’ is determined as described above. The constants DP max and Shape characteristic of the assay assembly having been previously determined using the method described above and having been marked on the microfluidic device itself, for example using a bar code. The parameterized function models the local measurements carried out at each respective chamber 8 against the quantity, DZ. The quality of fit of the measured data to the parameterized function is evaluated, for example by calculation of Pearson's coefficient for the fit, using Chi-squared minimization techniques or using any other suitable means. The quality of the fit is compared to a predetermined threshold such that, if the quality of fit is not sufficiently good to meet the threshold, the data is discarded.
[0112] Once the value of Offset has been determined by fitting the parameterized function to the assay data obtained, a value indicative of the target concentration of the sample can be determined using the calibration function as outlined above.
Embodiment 1
[0113] In a first embodiment, local measurements are carried out at each of the respective chambers 8 in the assay assembly by detecting the amplitude of the baseline response obtained prior to a sample being made to flow through the chamber 8 , B 1 , shown as detection point 1 on FIG. 7 , detecting the amplitude of the response following flow of the second buffer through the chamber 8 , B 3 , shown at detection point 3 on FIG. 7 , and determining a difference between the two responses, Δ 31 =B 3 −B 1 .
[0114] The parameterized function for each respective local measurement is therefore given by equation (10) below.
[0000]
Δ
31
≅
2
×
DP
ma
x
_
amp
1
+
exp
[
Shape
×
(
DZ
i
+
Offset
)
]
(
10
)
[0115] Where DP max _ amp is the maximum amplitude of the local measurement at a chamber 8 following interaction of the amplifier with the chamber 8 . In this case, since measurements B 1 and B 3 are each made when the bulk solution in the chamber is buffer solution (i.e. the bulk solution at each measurement has the same refractive index), as DZ i becomes larger, DP will tend towards zero hence the amplitude DP min of the master curve/parameterised function is zero.
Embodiment 2
[0116] A potential drawback with the approach outlined in Embodiment 1 is that there can be drift in the signals being compared, for example, due to fluctuations in temperature, vibrations in the system etc. In the example of Surface Plasmon Resonance, the signal is dependent on the local refractive index near the detection surface. Such a signal therefore comprises contributions from (i) the probe/target layer having a certain density of target entities bound thereto; (ii) the surrounding liquid; (iii) the metal present at the surface of the chamber e.g. gold. The refractive index of these three contributions is dependent on the temperature and so drifts in temperature will cause drift in the signal detected. Similar drift effects result from mechanical vibrations in the system.
[0117] This is shown on FIG. 7 . As a result of this drift, the noise level in the system is higher and the detection capability decreases as a result. To overcome this, a local measurement Δ 32 can be used instead of Δ 31 , as will now be described.
[0118] Local measurements, Δ 32 , are carried out at each of the respective chambers 8 in the assay assembly. Δ 32 is measured by detecting the amplitude of a response, B 2 , following interaction of the sample with the chamber surface 20 and prior to interaction of the amplifier with target entities bound to the surface, shown as detection point 2 in FIG. 7 . The amplitude of the response following introduction of the second buffer into the chamber 8 , B 3 , is then detected shown as detection point 3 on FIG. 7 , and a difference between the two responses, Δ 32 =B 3 −B 2 is determined.
[0119] Measuring Δ 32 this has the advantage that the measurement is made over a shorter time period (because the time between B 2 and B 3 is shorter than the time between B 1 and B 3 ) and so the effect of drift is reduced.
[0120] When B 2 is detected the bulk material in the chamber 8 is the sample, whereas when B 3 is detected the bulk material in the chamber 8 is buffer solution. The sample and the buffer solution each have a different refractive index, therefore the local measurement, Δ 32 , comprises a contribution caused by the change in the bulk material from sample to buffer solution between B 2 and B 3 . Accordingly, Δ 32 can be represented by equation (11) shown below.
[0000] Δ 32 =f (Offset)+Δ bulk (11)
[0121] Where f(Offset) is the parameterized function/master curve and Δ bulk is the contribution due to the refractive index of the sample.
[0122] Where the sample is blood, for example, the change in the refractive index due to the difference in bulk solution between B 2 and B 3 , Δ bulk , will vary from person to person and is accordingly is unknown quantity.
[0123] Δ bulk can be obtained as a further variable parameter by fitting the function (11) to the experimental data, that is adjusting Offset and Δ bulk at the same time. Alternatively, with reference to FIG. 7 , Δ 21 can be measured, as will be described below, and used as an approximation to Δ bulk (ignoring the effect of unamplified target-probe binding). Δ 21 is measured by detecting the amplitude of the baseline response, B 1 , once buffer solution has flowed through the assay assembly, detecting the amplitude of a response, B 2 , following interaction of the sample with the chamber surface 20 and prior to interaction of the amplifier with target entities bound to the surface, and determining a difference between B 1 and B 2 , i.e. Δ 21 =B 2 −B 1 . The measurement Δ 21 can be thought of according to equations (12) below.
[0000] Δ=Δ unamplified _ binding +Δ bulk (12)
[0124] Where Δ unamphfied _ binding is the contribution due to the unamplified binding of target entities to the surface of the chamber. Since the contribution to the signal from the bulk is much greater than the contribution from the unamplified binding of target entities to the surface of the chamber, measurement Δ 21 can be considered as approximately equal to Δ bulk . Accordingly, in some embodiments, Δ 32 −Δ 21 can be used as the local measurements, i.e. the local measurements are modeled as Δ 32 −Δ 21 =f(Offset). Of course, it is equivalent to model Δ 32 =Δ 21 +f(Offset) and this is done instead in some embodiments.
Embodiment 3
[0125] In another embodiment, a change of the amplitude of the response signal detected by the detector 32 as the amplifier flows across the surface 20 of the chamber 8 , G amp , is used as the local measurement. This measurement reflects the rate at which the active components in the amplifier bind with target entities 24 bound to the respective chamber 8 .
[0126] The master depletion curve shown in FIG. 4 and described above also applies in this case where the local measurement is G amp , and the corresponding model is G amp =f(Offset), with f defined as discussed above, albeit with its parameters adapted accordingly, for example, DP max being the notional maximum rate of change for a saturated chamber 8 . In the example shown in FIG. 8 , G amp equates to the gradient of the curve at time t 1 , indicated by point 4 on the sensorgram. Of course, any other suitable, for example amplification, rate dependent measurement may also be taken.
Embodiment 4
[0127] In yet another embodiment, a time taken from introduction of the amplifier into the respective chamber to detection of a threshold amplitude of the response signal or a feature of the signal (e.g. a maximum) is measured. By using 1/Δ t as the local measurement, the master depletion curve shown in FIG. 4 and described above also applies and the experimental data can be modeled as 1/Δ t =f(Offset), with f defined as above, albeit with its parameters adjusted accordingly, e.g. DP max being the notional maximum value of 1/Δ t (minimum of Δ t ) for a saturated chamber 8 .
[0128] Of course, any other suitable time dependent measurement may also be taken.
[0129] Using the same system and method as described above and taking any suitable local measurement, when the concentration of the active component in the amplifier is not sufficiently high to saturate the assay assembly, the local measurements are also dependent on this active component concentration which will deplete as the amplifier flows from one chamber to the next. The parameterized function is therefore arranged to account for this dependency. For example, the parameterized function may contain an additional parameter to account for the depletion in the active component concentration. Alternatively or in addition, the ‘Shape’ parameter may be a vector varying with both the sample concentration and amplifier concentration. In some embodiments, the effect of the concentration of amplifier can be thought of as being akin to the effect of the density of probe entities present in the assay assembly as a first approximation. Accordingly, for example, the value of DZ i may be adjusted to account for the amplifier concentration in a similar way to how DZ i is adjusted to take into account the relative binding capacity of the assay assembly as described in detail above.
[0130] In general, if amplifier concentrations are non-saturating, two depletion effects occur: 1) depletion of target entities; 2) depletion of amplifier. (2) will depend on the concentration of target entities at each detection area. The overall effect will depend on the combination of these two effects. Each effect is, in some embodiments, assessed independently and a higher-order function is used to combine both effects. Alternatively, both effects may simply be captured by using a suitable higher-order function and/or a function with more parameters for fitting the depletion characteristics (e.g. a 4PL or 5PL function).
[0131] It will be understood that whether or not the amplifier is provided in a saturating concentration is independent of the local measurement used and a non-saturating amplifier concentrations may be used with any of local measurements identified in the embodiments described above or indeed any other local measurement.
[0132] It will be understood that the above description is of specific embodiments by way of example only and that many modifications and alterations will be within the skilled person's reach and are intended to be covered by the scope of the appendent claims. For example, whilst the description above has been set out in terms of detection of changes in surface plasmon resonance, it will be appreciated that any other suitable means for quantitatively detecting an amount of target-probe binding at the surface 20 may be used, for example, UV absorption fluorescence of the target entity 24 and/or detection of a label bound to the target entity 24 may be used. In some embodiments, a plurality of detection zones is provided in a single chamber, for example with detection areas from which signals are measured spaced along a strip of functionalized surface.
|
Methods for determining a sample concentration of target entities in a sample, for example, determining a concentration of target antigens or antibodies in a blood sample or other biological sample.
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This application is a division, of application Ser. No. 07/401,848, filed Aug. 31, 1989, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,991,575 issued Feb. 12, 1991.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a mouthpiece assembly for a breathing apparatus and more particularly to a disposable liner therefor.
A common form of therapy for increasing the strength and capacity of the lungs is the inhalation and exhalation of gases such as air and the like.
Over the years, many devices for increasing the strength and capacity of the lungs have been developed.
Because the therapy requires the patient to inhale or exhale, these devices include a mouthpiece assembly. Typically, the mouthpiece assembly includes a portion which the patient takes into his mouth and holds between his lips in a manner similar to the way a straw is held.
The devices with which these mouthpieces are used are generally for providing therapy at low exhalation pressures. This is because if the patient exhales at high pressure, the force of the air leaving his lungs tends to force his lips away from the mouthpiece and permits air to leak from the device. This diminishes the effectiveness of the therapy.
Accordingly, it is desirable to have a mouthpiece assembly for a breathing apparatus which will enable the patient to exhale at high pressure while maintaining an airtight system so that the effectiveness of the therapy is maintained at its highest level.
Since a portion of the mouthpiece assembly for these devices must necessarily come into intimate contact with the mouth of the patient, it is important that it be sanitary.
A sanitary mouthpiece can be achieved by using a disposable liner, preferably made of low cost material.
Thus, the invention relates to a disposable liner for a mouthpiece for a breathing apparatus which comprises first and second members. The first member is frusto-conical in shape and is comprised of a generally rigid material. The second member which is for contacting the pursed lips of a patient is comprised of a relatively thin element. It includes a central opening which is in engagement with the opening at the larger end of the first member.
In another aspect the invention relates to a mouthpiece assembly for a breathing apparatus which comprises a housing and a disposable liner. The housing includes an inner wall which defines an opening and the liner includes a portion that is slideably received by and disposed in the opening in the housing. Means on the housing define a bearing surface. The liner includes a member which lies against the bearing surface for contacting the pursed lips of a patient using the breathing apparatus. Seal means are provided between the housing and the liner.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
The invention will be better understood and further advantageous uses thereof will be readily apparent when considered in view of the following detailed description of a presently preferred embodiment, taken with the accompanied drawing in which:
FIG. 1 is a side elevation view partially in section of a mouthpiece assembly constructed in accordance with the presently preferred embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 2 is a three-quarter view of the housing comprising the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a plan view of the liner comprising the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a three-quarter view of a protective sheath for the invention.
FIG. 5 is a view partially in section taken along line 5--5 of FIG. 1.
FIG. 6 is a view partially in section of a plurality of liners that are stacked for storage.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring to FIG. 1 the mouthpiece assembly 10 comprises a housing 14, a disposable liner 16 and a protective sheath 18. The housing 14 includes a longitudinally extending axis 20.
As best seen in FIGS. 1 and 2 the housing 14 may be made from a thermoplastic or other suitable non-toxic material such as nylon. It is comprised of several portions of different cross section.
In the preferred embodiment, housing 14 is comprised of several portions of different sizes. The largest portion 22 is adjacent the top of the housing and has an oval cross section. The next portion 24 is immediately adjacent the largest portion 22 and is disposed below it. Portion 24 may be cylindrical in cross section. The juncture of portions 22 and 24 is defined by ledge 26.
Immediately below cylindrical portion 24 is a second cylindrical portion 28. The juncture of portions 24 and 28 is defined by ledge 30.
The upper end 36 of the oval portion of housing 14 is recessed to accomodate the patient's mouth. The recess is defined by first and second curved surfaces 38 and 40 having axes (not shown) which are disposed at right angles (into the paper) to axis 20. First curved surface 38 is relatively flat compared to second curved surface 40 and lies outwardly thereof so that its two outer portions are present on each side of second curved surface 40. The major axis 42 (FIG. 2) of curved surfaces 38 and 40 lies parallel to the major axis of the oval cross section of portion 22.
The housing 14 includes a frusto-conical opening 44 that is coaxial with housing axis 20. The opening 44 has its larger end opening onto second curved surface 40 at 48 and its smaller end being defined by an opening 54 at the bottom of cylindrical housing portion 28.
At the juncture of the opening 44 and surface 40 are two diametrically opposed recesses 58 and 60 (FIG. 5).
The recesses 58 and 60 are formed on the inner wall 62 of the conical opening 44 along its minor axis 106.
They extend downwardly into the inner side wall of the opening 44 a short distance where their ends are defined by ledges 64 and 66.
A sealing element 70 is provided at the lower end of conical opening 44. The sealing element may be made of resilient flexible material. It is an annulus with its outer wall 72 connected to the inner wall 62 of the opening 44. The connection may be made by a suitable adhesive, or a recess 74 can be formed in inner wall and the annulus inserted therein. The annulus also includes an inner wall 76 which defines a central opening 78 which is coaxial with aforementioned housing axis 20.
The disposable liner 16 is comprised of a generally rigid nontoxic material such as thermoplastic or paper which is formed into a hollow frusto-conical member 90 having an outer wall surface 92 and an inner wall surface 96. Member 90 has the same taper as opening 44 so that the liner 16 can lie against its inner wall 62 to be supported thereby.
The lower end of member 90 defines an opening 98. The upper end of member 90 defines a generally saddle shaped opening 104 which is curved to lie generally about an axis which is at a right angle to axis 20 (into the paper).
A second member 110 which may be comprised of a flexible, relatively thin material such as thermoplastic or paper is generally oval in shape and has an oval central opening 114.
Second member 110 is connected to first member 90 with the opening 114 in alignment with opening 104.
Alignment members 120 and 122 which are elongated ribs are radially outwardly directed and disposed in opposed diametrical relation to each other on outer wall 92 adjacent the second member 110. The alignment members 120 and 122 extend generally parallel to axis 20 and are disposed to lie along axis 106. The alignment members are similar in size to earlier mentioned recesses 58 and 60 in housing 14.
Suitable means may be used to connect the mouthpiece assembly 10 to the breathing apparatus. A particularly advantageous means may be a reduction fitting 130 which may preferably be made of nylon. The reduction fitting 130 comprises a cup shaped member 138 having an annular wall 140 whose inner diameter is the same as the outer diameter of portion 28. The bottom 142 of cup shaped member 138 includes an opening 146 which is coaxial with axis 20. A cylindrical skirt 150 having a central opening 152 extends downwardly from bottom 142. A tube 154 made of a suitable material such as stainless steel or the like is press fit into opening 152.
The reduction fitting 130 may be connected to the housing 14 by pressing cylindrical portion 28 into engagement with cup shaped member 138.
A hose or tube 160 may be slipped over the distal end of tube 154 to connect the mouth piece assembly 10 to a breathing apparatus.
The protective sheath 18 (FIG. 4) may be made of any suitable inexpensive material. In its present form the protective sheath 18 is a foldable paper bag 164 with an opening 166 formed in its closed end 168. The sides 170 of the bag 164 are at least as long as the housing 14.
Referring now to FIG. 1, it can be seen how the housing 14, liner 16 and protective sheath cooperate to form the mouth piece assembly 10.
The protective sheath 18 is placed over the housing 14 with the opening 166 in alignment with saddle shaped opening 104 and the sides 166 overlying the housing 14.
The liner is inserted through opening 166 and into the opening 44 in the housing 14. Since both the taper of the opening 44 in the housing and the taper of member 90 of the liner are the same, the liner 18 slips telescopically into the housing with the second member 110 being generally flat and lying against first curved surface 38 with its closed end 168 between them, the member 90 lies loosely against the inner wall 76 of annular seal 70. The alignment members 120 and 122 are partially received in recesses 58 and 60.
To use the mouthpiece assembly 10, the patient grasps the protective sheath 15 and housing 14. He presses the second member 110 against his pursed lips. This causes the liner 16 to move into the housing so that the second member 110 moves into contact with second curved surface 40 with the protective sheath 18 between them and the lower end of the liner to sealingly engaging the inner wall 78 of sealing member 70.
Alignment members 120 and 122 and recesses 58 and 60 form complimentary and mutually engagable guide means for retaining the housing 14 and liner 16 against rotation relative to each other around axis 20.
In this configuration air can be inhaled and exhaled with sustained force through the mouthpiece assembly 10 and into or out of the breathing apparatus (not shown) through hose 160 without air leaking from the system through the space between the outer wall 92 of the liner and the opening 44 in the housing 14 or from between the patient's lips and the mouthpiece.
The protective sheath 18 prevents the patient's hand from coming into contact with housing 14.
After use, the liner 16 and protective sheath 18 are discarded so that a new liner and protective sheath can be used for the next patient.
Because the liner is to be discarded after its use, it is important for the therapist to have a large number at hand. It is convenient for them to be stored in stacks to minimize the amount of space required as shown in FIG. 6. Thus each first member 90 is slidingly and telescopically received within the corresponding member 90 of the next adjacent liner 16. Alignment members 120 and 122 serve as spacers liners to prevent adjacent liners from jamming against each other while at the same time permitting easy withdrawal of a liner from the stack.
While the invention has been described with respect to a particular embodiment, it is apparent that other embodiments can be employed to achieve the inventive result. Thus, the scope of the invention should not be limited by the foregoing description, but, rather only by the scope of the claims appended hereto.
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A mouthpiece assembly for a breathing apparatus comprising a housing, a disposable liner, and a protective sheath. The housing comprises a conical opening extending therethrough. The liner is conical and is adapted to be received in the housing. A seal is provided between the liner and the housing to prevent leakage of air. The liner includes a member for engaging the lips of the user when the mouthpiece is in use. The sheath is located between the housing and the liner. Additionally, the liner includes alignment members which are suitable for aligning the liner with the housing and for spacing adjacent liners when they are stacked.
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TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present invention relates to a circuit substrate, method of manufacturing thereof, and display device. More particularly, the present invention relates to a circuit substrate that can be suitably used in high resolution display devices and the like, and to a method of manufacturing thereof and a display device.
BACKGROUND ART
[0002] Circuit substrates have an electric circuit as a constituent element, and circuit substrates containing an element such as a thin film transistor (TFT), for example, are widely utilized as components of electronic devices such as liquid crystal display devices, electroluminescent display devices, and display devices using electrophoresis.
[0003] A circuit configuration of a TFT array substrate forming a portion of a TFT driven liquid crystal display panel is described below as an example. Normally, a TFT array substrate has a pixel circuit containing a structure in which the intersections of wires in an m×n matrix composed of scan lines being m rows and signal lines being n columns are provided with TFTs as switching elements. Note that drain electrode of a TFT is electrically connected to a pixel electrode. Also, peripheral circuits such as scan driver ICs (integrated circuits) and data driver ICs are electrically connected to gate wiring and source wiring extending from each TFT.
[0004] The circuits are affected by the performance of TFTs created on the TFT substrate. That is, circuits created on a TFT substrate are affected by whether the circuit is operable, whether the circuit will scale, whether the yield will increase, and the like due to the TFTs created on the circuit substrate, because the performance of the TFTs created on the TFT substrate differ depending on the material quality thereof. In conventional circuit substrates, a-Si (amorphous silicon) is largely employed due to being able to cheaply and easily form TFTs.
[0005] Meanwhile, there is disclosed below a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device in which an oxide semiconductor layer is formed instead of an amorphous silicon semiconductor layer (see Patent Document 1, for example).
RELATED ART DOCUMENT
Patent Document
[0006] Patent Document 1: WO 2012/046658
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Problems to be Solved by the Invention
[0007] Instead of a-Si, there has been research into circuit substrates that have a semiconductor element with an oxide semiconductor (indium gallium zinc oxide, for example), which is advantageous due to having high mobility, and into a method of manufacturing thereof. The inventors have been conducting research that takes into account the reliability of using an etch-stop process (hereinafter also referred to as “ES process”) in which an etch-stop layer is provided on at least a center portion of the oxide semiconductor.
[0008] There is demand for higher resolution in small-size liquid crystal panels. The total capacitance of the entirety of a liquid crystal panel declines when the resolution of the liquid crystal panel is high and the pixel electrodes are small. Meanwhile, the capacitance between a gate electrode and a drain electrode (Cgd capacitance) is substantially constant, thus causing the Cgd capacitance to occupy a larger portion of total capacitance. Note that Cgd capacitance is basically formed between a gate metal and a semiconductor layer/source metal via an insulating layer.
[0009] The Cgd capacitance of a liquid crystal panel using an ES process has a tendency to become larger compared to the Cgd capacitance of a liquid crystal panel using a back-channel-etch system (hereinafter, this type of liquid crystal panel may be referred to as a “CE structure liquid crystal panel”). For liquid crystal panels, an ES process is desired in which Cgd capacitance can be suitably reduced, thereby reducing the influence of Cgd capacitance on applied voltage, appropriately maintaining the set voltage, and resulting in favorable display performance of a display device provided with a circuit substrate, for example.
[0010] The present invention takes into consideration the above conditions, and an objective thereof is to provide a circuit substrate that can reduce Cgd capacitance, sufficiently prevent the influence of Cgd capacitance on applied voltage, and ensure sufficient reliability of the circuit substrate. The present invention also aims a providing a method of manufacturing this circuit substrate, and a display device.
Means for Solving the Problems
[0011] The inventors conducted various research on patterns and processes suitable for when an ES process is used, from the perspective of reliability in the production process for oxide semiconductors such as indium gallium zinc oxide, and have discovered how to suitably pattern and remove the oxide semiconductor. It was also discovered that oxide semiconductors can be suitably removed by patterning indium gallium zinc oxide using an etchant for a source metal, or in other words, by also patterning the oxide semiconductor using wet etching when patterning a source metal using wet etching (that is, the simultaneous patterning of both). A configuration was also discovered in which, in circuit substrates obtained by this kind of patterning, one portion of an edge of a removed portion of an oxide semiconductor layer (cutout portion) is located along an edge of an opening (hole) of an etch-stop layer together and closer to the etch-stop layer than an edge of the etch-stop layer, when the main surface of the substrate is planarly viewed, because etching is easy beyond the etch-stop layer in which the oxide semiconductor layer is configured by insulating material. It was discovered that the above problems can be excellently solved by this kind of method of manufacturing a circuit substrate and by the circuit substrate obtained by this method of manufacturing, thereby leading to the present invention.
[0012] Namely, one aspect of the present invention may be a circuit substrate that includes: a transparent substrate; a semiconductor element disposed on the transparent substrate, the semiconductor element including a patterned oxide semiconductor layer; an etch-stop layer covering at least a center portion of the oxide semiconductor layer, the etch-stop layer being made of an insulating material and having an opening therein; and a patterned conductive layer covering at least a portion of the etch-stop layer, the patterned conductive layer including a source electrode, a source wiring line, and a drain electrode, wherein a part of an edge of the oxide semiconductor layer is defined by an edge of the opening in the etch-stop layer and is tucked under the edge of the etch-stop layer.
[0013] The present invention is described in detail below.
[0014] It is preferable that another part of an edge of the oxide semiconductor layer be defined by an edge of the patterned conductive layer and be tucked under the edge of the patterned conductive layer.
[0015] It is preferable that the oxide semiconductor layer include indium, gallium, zinc, and oxide.
[0016] It is preferable that the patterned conductive layer be a laminate of at least two layers, including a layer having at least one selected from a group having aluminum and copper and a layer having at least one selected from a group having titanium, molybdenum, and chromium, and that the layer having at least one selected from a group having titanium, molybdenum, and chromium be disposed on a surface side of the conductive layer.
[0017] It is preferable that the semiconductor element be a thin film transistor.
[0018] One aspect of the present invention is a method of manufacturing a circuit substrate constituted of a semiconductor element disposed on a transparent substrate, the method including: forming an island-shaped oxide semiconductor layer on the transparent substrate; forming a patterned etch-stop layer made of an insulating material so as to cover at least a center portion of the island-shaped oxide semiconductor layer; depositing a conductive layer over an entire surface of the transparent substrate including a region over the patterned etch-stop layer; forming a patterned resist on the conductive layer; and etching the conductive layer using the patterned resist as a mask to form a patterned conductive layer from the conductive layer, wherein the patterned conductive layer includes a source electrode, a source wiring line, and a drain electrode, and continuing to etch the island-shaped oxide semiconductor thereunder using the patterned conductive layer and the patterned etch-stop layer as a mask to form a cutout in the island-shaped oxide semiconductor layer.
[0019] It is preferable that wet-etching with the same etchant be used in etching the conductive layer and in etching the island-shaped oxide semiconductor layer underneath.
[0020] It is preferable that the method of manufacturing a circuit substrate further include, after forming the patterned conductive layer and forming the cutout in the island-shaped oxide semiconductor layer, forming an insulating layer.
[0021] One aspect of the present invention may be a circuit substrate made by the method of manufacturing a circuit substrate, the circuit substrate including: the transparent substrate; the semiconductor element disposed on the transparent substrate, the semiconductor element including the patterned oxide semiconductor layer; the etch-stop layer covering at least the center portion of the oxide semiconductor layer, the etch-stop layer having an opening therein; and the patterned conductive layer covering at least a portion of the etch-stop layer, the patterned conductive layer including the source electrode, the source wiring line, and the drain electrode, wherein an edge of the cutout of the oxide semiconductor layer is defined by an edge of the opening in the etch-stop layer and is tucked under the edge of the etch-stop layer.
[0022] One aspect of the present invention may be a display device that includes: the circuit substrate; and an opposite substrate coupled to the circuit substrate.
Effects of the Invention
[0023] The circuit substrate of the present invention can reduce Cgd capacitance, sufficiently prevent the influence of Cgd capacitance on applied voltage, together with sufficiently ensuring the reliability of the circuit substrate.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0024] FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view illustrating a configuration of a TFT portion of the circuit substrate of Embodiment 1.
[0025] FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a substrate corresponding to a cross-section taken along the line A-B of FIG. 1 after formation of an etch-stop layer.
[0026] FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a substrate corresponding to a cross-section taken along the line C-D of FIG. 1 after formation of an etch-stop layer.
[0027] FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a substrate corresponding to a cross-section taken along the line E-F of FIG. 1 after formation of an etch-stop layer.
[0028] FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a substrate corresponding to a cross-section taken along the line A-B of FIG. 1 after formation of a conductive layer and an oxide semiconductor layer.
[0029] FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a substrate corresponding to a cross-section taken along the line C-D of FIG. 1 after formation of a conductive layer and an oxide semiconductor layer.
[0030] FIG. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a substrate corresponding to a cross-section taken along the line E-F of FIG. 1 after formation of a conductive layer and an oxide semiconductor layer.
[0031] FIG. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a substrate corresponding to a cross-section taken along the line A-B of FIG. 1 after deposition of a protective film.
[0032] FIG. 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a substrate corresponding to a cross-section taken along the line C-D of FIG. 1 after deposition of a protective film.
[0033] FIG. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a substrate corresponding to a cross-section taken along the line E-F of FIG. 1 after deposition of a protective film.
[0034] FIG. 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along the line A-B of FIG. 1 .
[0035] FIG. 12 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along the line C-D of FIG. 1 .
[0036] FIG. 13 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along the line E-F of FIG. 1 .
[0037] FIG. 14 is a schematic plan view illustrating a configuration of a TFT portion of the circuit substrate of Embodiment 2.
[0038] FIG. 15 is a schematic plan view illustrating a configuration of a TFT portion of the circuit substrate of Embodiment 3.
[0039] FIG. 16 is a schematic plan view illustrating a configuration of a TFT portion of the circuit substrate of Embodiment 4.
[0040] FIG. 17 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration after formation of a gate corresponding to a TFT portion of a circuit substrate of a modification example of Embodiment 1.
[0041] FIG. 18 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration after formation of an oxide semiconductor layer corresponding to a TFT portion of a circuit substrate of a modification example of Embodiment 1.
[0042] FIG. 19 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration after formation of an etch-stop layer corresponding to a TFT portion of a circuit substrate of a modification example of Embodiment 1.
[0043] FIG. 20 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration after formation of a conductive layer corresponding to a TFT portion of a circuit substrate of a modification example of Embodiment 1.
[0044] FIG. 21 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration after formation of protective film and organic insulation film corresponding to a TFT portion of a circuit substrate of a modification example of Embodiment 1.
[0045] FIG. 22 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration after formation of pixel electrodes corresponding to a TFT portion of a circuit substrate of a modification example of Embodiment 1.
[0046] FIG. 23 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration after formation of a common electrode corresponding to a TFT portion of a circuit substrate of another modification example of Embodiment 1.
[0047] FIG. 24 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration after formation of protective film corresponding to a TFT portion of a circuit substrate of the other modification example of Embodiment 1.
[0048] FIG. 25 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration after formation of pixel electrodes corresponding to a TFT portion of a circuit substrate of the other modification example of Embodiment 1.
[0049] FIG. 26 is a schematic plan view illustrating a configuration of a TFT portion of the circuit substrate of Comparison Example 1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS
[0050] Embodiments are described below, and the present invention is further described in detail with reference to figures, but the present invention is not limited to only these embodiments.
[0051] In the specifications, “provided on a member (layer)” refers to “at least one portion thereof provided on a display element side of the member”. It is preferable that “an opening of an etch-stop layer” be “a through-hole of an etch-stop layer,” and its shape not be particularly limited. Also, the periphery of an opening may be completely enclosed or not completely enclosed by an etch-stop layer. Moreover, as long as a cutout portion of an oxide semiconductor layer is provided corresponding to at least one portion of a region overlapping with neither an etch-stop layer nor the conductive layer, its shape is not particularly limited. Patterning refers to forming a layer or film to be formed by coating the entirety of a substrate deposited with the layer or film to be formed with a photosensitive resist and the like, forming a resist pattern by lithographically exposing the resist and the like, removing the layer or film to be formed and exposed from the resist pattern by etching, and then stripping the resist pattern, for example. High resolution refers to 300 dpi (dots per inch) or above, for example.
Embodiment 1
[0052] FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view illustrating a configuration of a TFT portion of the circuit substrate of Embodiment 1. The circuit substrate of Embodiment 1 has a semiconductor element arranged on a transparent substrate. The semiconductor element has an oxide semiconductor layer IG of indium gallium zinc oxide and the like. For the circuit substrate, an etch-stop layer constituted of an insulating material is arranged such that at least a center portion of the oxide semiconductor layer is covered. Also, the circuit substrate is provided with a conductive layer S constituted by source electrodes, source wires, and drain electrodes, with at least one portion thereof arranged on the etch-stop layer. The etch-stop layer is provided with openings H. In FIG. 1 , the etch-stop layer is the portions that are not rectangular areas surrounded by the openings H.
[0053] The circuit substrate has a region overlapping with neither the etch-stop layer nor the conductive layer S when the main surface of the circuit substrate is seen in a plan view. At least one portion of this region is a cutout portion Cut of the oxide semiconductor layer IG.
[0054] When the circuit substrate is used in a display device provided with a light source, for example, an electric charge accumulates in the oxide semiconductor and the display reliability worsens due to the influence of the backlight and the like. There were also cases in which the Cgd capacitance increased. Oxide semiconductors of indium gallium zinc oxide and the like are weak to photoreactions; thus, it is desirable that its area be shrunk as much as possible. Meanwhile, as shown by the present embodiment, an oxide semiconductor can be patterned and the Cgd capacitance thereof reduced by removing one portion of the oxide semiconductor. An illustration is omitted from FIG. 1 , but as will be evident from a cross-sectional view described hereinafter, only 0.5 μm to 1.5 μm, for example, of one portion of an edge of a cutout portion Cut of the oxide semiconductor layer is located along an edge of an opening H of the etch-stop layer and is closer to the etch-stop layer than an edge of the etch-stop layer itself.
[0055] In a plan view of the substrate surface, the edges of the cut-out in the oxide semiconductor layer that are along the opening in the etch stop layer do not need to be completely under the edges of the etch stop layer, but may instead be substantially under these edges
[0056] Also, as is evident from the figure, only 0.5 μm to 1.5 μm, for example, of other portions of the edges of the cutout portion Cut of the oxide semiconductor layer are located along an edge of the conductive layer S inside the conductive layer S and further away from an edge of the conductive layer S, when the main surface of the substrate is planarly viewed.
[0057] It is preferable that the portion located along an edge of the conductive layer S within an edge of the cutout portion Cut of the oxide semiconductor layer be substantially located on inside the conductive layer S away from an edge of the conductive layer S, without the need to be completely located on the side of the conductive layer S beyond an edge of the conductive layer S, when the main surface of the circuit substrate is planarly viewed.
[0058] A manufacturing process for the circuit substrate of Embodiment 1 is described in detail below.
[0059] FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a substrate corresponding to a cross-section taken along the line A-B of FIG. 1 after formation of an etch-stop layer. FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a substrate corresponding to a cross-section taken along the line C-D of FIG. 1 after formation of an etch-stop layer. FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a substrate corresponding to a cross-section taken along the line E-F of FIG. 1 after formation of an etch-stop layer.
[0060] First, gate wiring G is formed on a transparent substrate such as a glass substrate. Forming the gate wiring G can be conducted by forming a wiring layer, and then, patterning to a desired shape using photolithography, for example. Specifically, a resist is formed using a mask process and etching is conducted on the wiring layer to form the gate wiring. Next, the resist is removed.
[0061] Next, a gate insulation film GI is formed. The gate insulation film GI may be a film of silicon nitride (SiN x ), silicon oxide (SiO 2 ), or the like, and can be formed using plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD), for example.
[0062] Next, an island-shaped oxide semiconductor layer IG of indium gallium zinc oxide or the like is formed. The island-shaped oxide semiconductor can be formed by depositing an oxide semiconductor IG material with a layer thickness of 10 nm to 300 nm using sputtering, forming the film, and then patterning to a desired shape using photolithography, for example.
[0063] Next, the etch-stop layer ES is formed. For the etch-stop layer ES, an insulating film with a film thickness of 50 nm to 300 nm is formed by plasma enhanced CVD (chemical vapor deposition) using an insulating material such as an insulating material containing silicon (silicon oxide film (SiO 2 ), silicon nitride film (SiN x ), and silicon nitride oxide film (SiNO), for example) or sputtering, and then, a resist is formed using a mask process, and etching is conducted on the insulating film to form an etch-stop layer provided with an opening H, for example. Also, the etch-stop layer ES is formed such that at least a center portion of the island-shaped oxide semiconductor IG is covered. Next, the resist is removed. The etch-stop layer ES is added in this manner in order to maintain the reliability of the circuit substrate with the produced oxide semiconductor layer IG.
[0064] The etch-stop layer ES is provided with two openings H and configured such that a center portion of the oxide semiconductor layer IG is arranged between the two openings H in a plan view, for example.
[0065] FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a substrate corresponding to a cross-section taken along the line A-B of FIG. 1 after formation of a conductive layer and an oxide semiconductor layer. FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a substrate corresponding to a cross-section taken along the line C-D of FIG. 1 after formation of a conductive layer and an oxide semiconductor layer. FIG. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a substrate corresponding to a cross-section taken along the line E-F of FIG. 1 after formation of a conductive layer and an oxide semiconductor layer.
[0066] A conductor is deposited on the etch-stop layer ES. A resist is formed using a mask process and etching is conducted on the conductor and the island-shaped oxide semiconductor IG. That is, the conductive layer S constituted of source electrodes, source wiring, and drain electrodes from the conductor is formed and the oxide semiconductor layer IG having a cutout portion is formed by patterning the conductor using wet etching and the like, and during this, also simultaneously patterning the island-shaped oxide semiconductor IG (see FIGS. 6 and 7 , for example). In other words, a portion of the island-shaped oxide semiconductor is removed at the same time that the conductor is patterned to form the conductive layer S, which is constituted of source electrodes, source wiring, and drain electrodes. Next, the resist on the substrate is removed.
[0067] It is preferable that the formation of the conductive layer and the oxide semiconductor layer be conducted using wet etching. It is also possible to cut the manufacturing cost of the circuit substrate by patterning using wet etching. For an etchant used in wet etching, the same etchants used in wet etching for source metals may be suitably used, and suitable examples include peroxide based etchants (used on source metals being Cu/Ti laminates, referring to the Cu being the top layer and the Ti being the bottom layer/general etchant for Cu, mixed solution of phosphate+nitrate+acetate, used on source metals and the like being Mo/Al/Mo laminate/general etchant for Al), and the like. Thereby, even when the source metal is a laminate, the source metal can be etched all at once.
[0068] Thus, as illustrated in FIG. 1 , a portion of an edge of a cutout portion Cut of the oxide semiconductor layer IG is located along an edge of an opening H of the etch-stop layer ES, when the main surface of the circuit substrate is planarly viewed. Also, as illustrated in FIG. 1 , one portion of an edge of a cutout portion Cut of the oxide semiconductor layer IG is located closer to the etch-stop layer ES than an edge of the etch-stop layer ES (the oxide semiconductor layer IG is tucked under the etch-stop layer ES), when the main surface of the circuit substrate is planarly viewed. The etch-stop layer ES has an opening H, and there is no oxide semiconductor layer IG, and there is a portion with the conductive layer S.
[0069] Moreover, as illustrated in FIG. 1 , the other portions of an edge of a cutout portion Cut of the oxide semiconductor layer IG are located along an edge of the conductive layer S when the main surface of the circuit substrate is planarly viewed. Also, as illustrated in FIG. 1 , the other portions of an edge of a cutout portion Cut of the oxide semiconductor layer IG are located closer to the conductive layer S than an edge of the conductive layer S (the oxide semiconductor layer IG tucked under the conductive layer S).
[0070] A pattern for the oxide semiconductor layer IG may be formed using the etch-stop layer ES and a source, and reduction of Cgd and improvement of the reliability of the circuit substrate may both be achieved by removing a portion of the oxide semiconductor layer IG.
[0071] FIG. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a substrate corresponding to a cross-section taken along the line A-B of FIG. 1 after formation of a protective film deposit. FIG. 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a substrate corresponding to a cross-section taken along the line C-D of FIG. 1 after formation of a protective film deposit. FIG. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a substrate corresponding to a cross-section taken along the line E-F of FIG. 1 after formation of a protective film deposit.
[0072] A protective film PAS 1 is formed. The protective film PAS 1 may be a silicon nitride (SiN x ) film, silicon oxide (SiO 2 ) film, or the like, and may be formed by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) or the like, for example. Note that in FIG. 9 a condition is illustrated in which the oxide semiconductor layer IG is tucker under the etch-stop layer ES, and in FIG. 10 a condition is illustrated in which the oxide semiconductor layer IG is tucked under the conductive layer (source metal) S.
[0073] FIG. 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along the line A-B of FIG. 1 . FIG. 12 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along the line C-D of FIG. 1 . FIG. 13 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along the line E-F of FIG. 1 .
[0074] First, an organic insulating film OI is formed. The organic insulating film OI may be an acrylic resin, and may be formed by spin coating and the like, for example. Note that, as illustrated in FIGS. 11 to 13 , the substrate can be planarized by forming the organic insulating film OI.
[0075] Next, a common electrode Com is formed on the entire surface of the organic insulating film OI. The common electrode Com can be composed of ITO (Indium Tin Oxide) but may also be composed of other transparent electrodes such as IZO (Indium Zinc Oxide) instead of ITO.
[0076] Next, a protective film PAS 2 is formed on the entire surface of the common electrode Com. In a similar manner to the protective film PAS 1 , the protective film PAS 2 may be a silicon nitride (SiN x ) film or the like, and may be formed by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) or the like, for example.
[0077] Next, pixel electrodes Pix are formed on the entire surface of the protective film PAS 2 . The common electrode Com can be composed of ITO (Indium Tin Oxide) but may also be composed of other transparent electrodes such as IZO (Indium Zinc Oxide) instead of ITO.
[0078] A portion of the island-shaped oxide semiconductor IG of a region overlapping with neither the etch-stop layer nor the conductive layer S is removed by the formation of the aforementioned conductive layer and the oxide semiconductor layer. Thereby, Cgd can be reduced between the oxide semiconductor layer IG with a cutout portion and the conductive layer.
[0079] Members and the like described in the aforementioned manufacturing process of the circuit substrate of Embodiment 1 are described in detail below.
[0080] The conductive layer S is configured by a source metal. “Source metal” refers to source wiring and members (source electrodes, drain electrodes, and the like) formed using a process the same as for the source wiring.
[0081] “Conductive layer S” refers to a Cu/Ti laminate or a Mo/Al/Mo laminate, but objects containing, besides the above, an aluminum layer, an aluminum alloy layer, a copper layer, and/or a copper alloy layer may be suitably used.
[0082] The aluminum layer is a layer substantially configured by only aluminum metal. In the manufacturing of wiring containing an aluminum layer, there are cases in which trace amounts of impurity elements are contained in the aluminum layer, because elements also scatter from other metal materials, interlayer insulating films, and the like in contact with the aluminum layer. Also, the aluminum alloy layer may contain aluminum as necessary, and may be configured by containing other metallic elements and nonmetallic elements such as silicon. Examples of the metallic elements added to the aluminum alloy include nickel, iron, cobalt, and the like. It is more preferable to further add boron, neodymium, lanthanum, and the like as an additional element to the aluminum alloy.
[0083] The copper layer is a layer substantially configured by only copper. For the copper layer, there are cases in which trace amounts of impurity elements are contained therein, because elements also scatter from other metal materials, interlayer insulating films, and the like in contact with the copper layer. The copper alloy layer may contain copper as necessary, and may be further configured by containing other metallic elements and nonmetallic elements such as carbon and silicon. Examples of the metallic elements added to the copper alloy include magnesium, manganese, and the like.
[0084] Other metallic elements may be suitably used as the conductive layer S.
[0085] The wires are signal wires transmitting an electric signal, power supply wires for supplying power, wires configuring a circuit, wires for applying an electric field (applying an electric field to a TFT gate, for example), and the like. Also, when applying the circuit substrate of the present invention to a liquid crystal display device, the circuit substrate of the present invention may be further provided with auxiliary capacitance wiring for forming auxiliary capacitance used for retaining voltage applied to the liquid crystals.
[0086] It is preferable that the semiconductor element be a thin film transistor (TFT). When using the TFT on an active matrix substrate for a display device, for example, the source wiring is electrically in contact with pixel electrodes, which the display pixels configure, via source electrodes and drain electrodes, which the TFT configures.
[0087] For the transparent substrate, various substrates may be used without being particularly limited. Substrates such as single crystal semiconductor substrates, oxide single crystal substrates, metal substrates, glass substrates, quartz substrates, and resin substrates, for example, may be used. In the case of a single crystal semiconductor substrate or a conductive substrate such as a metal substrate, for example, it is preferable that these substrates be used by providing an insulating film and the like thereon.
[0088] For the aforementioned gate insulation film, etch-stop layer, protective film, organic insulating film, and the like, there may be 1 or more layers.
[0089] It is preferable that the pixel electrodes be a transparent conductive film. Normally, Indium Tin Oxide, Indium Zinc Oxide, and the like are used as a transparent conductive film and thus may be suitably used in the circuit substrate of the present invention.
[0090] The circuit substrate according to Embodiment 1 may be disassembled and shapes of the liquid crystal cells and the like may be verified by observation with a microscope such as an optical microscope, scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM), and scanning electron microscope (SEM).
[0091] The circuit substrate of Embodiment 1, as mentioned above, can sufficiently make the reliability of a circuit substrate favorable and sufficiently reduce Cgd capacitance, because the etch-stop layer is provided. Also, the circuit substrate of Embodiment 1 may be the easiest to manufacture. Particularly for high resolution display devices, the circuit substrate of Embodiment 1 is suitable for cutting ΔVd (pull-in voltage).
[0092] The circuit substrate of Embodiment 1 was bonded with a substrate opposed thereto, and a liquid crystal display panel was manufactured by injecting liquid crystals. Also, this became a liquid crystal display device by providing the liquid crystal display panel with a polarizing plate and other members thereof.
Embodiment 2
[0093] FIG. 14 is a schematic plan view illustrating a configuration of a TFT portion of the circuit substrate of Embodiment 2.
[0094] The shape of the oxide semiconductor IG according to Embodiment 2 differs from the shape of the oxide semiconductor conductor IG according to Embodiment 1. For the oxide semiconductors IG according to Embodiments 1 and 2, both the widths W of the center portions are the same as the widths of the gate wiring G, and the width of both ends are larger than the widths W of the center portions. Here, for the width of both ends, the width for Embodiment 2 is smaller than the width for Embodiment 1. Also, in Embodiment 2, a portion of the left end of the oxide semiconductor layer IG within FIG. 14 does not overlap with the conductive layer S (source wiring) extending in a vertical direction. The other configurations of Embodiment 2 are the same as the aforementioned configurations of Embodiment 1. For the circuit substrate of Embodiment 2, manufacturing is not as easy as with Embodiment 1, but Cgd capacitance can be reduced more.
Embodiment 3
[0095] FIG. 15 is a schematic plan view illustrating a configuration of a TFT portion of the circuit substrate of Embodiment 3. The openings H of the etch-stop layer according to Embodiment 3 are smaller in a vertical direction on FIG. 15 than the openings H of the etch-stop layer according to Embodiment 1. The other configurations of Embodiment 3 are the same as the aforementioned configurations of Embodiment 1. For the circuit substrate of Embodiment 3, manufacturing is not as easy as with Embodiment 2, but Cgd capacitance can be reduced more.
Embodiment 4
[0096] FIG. 16 is a schematic plan view illustrating a configuration of a TFT portion of the circuit substrate of Embodiment 4. The openings H of the etch-stop layer according to Embodiment 4 are smaller in a vertical direction on FIG. 15 than the openings H of the etch-stop layer according to Embodiment 2. The other configurations of Embodiment 4 are the same as the aforementioned configurations of Embodiment 1. For the circuit substrate of Embodiment 4, manufacturing is not as easy as with Embodiment 3, but Cgd capacitance can be reduced more.
[0097] A structure of a TFT portion that can suitably apply the present invention is described in detail below. The configurations besides the ones specified below are the same as the aforementioned configurations for Embodiment 1.
Modification Example of Embodiment 1
[0098] FIG. 17 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration after formation of a gate corresponding to a TFT portion of a circuit substrate of a modification example of Embodiment 1. First, gate wiring G was formed on a transparent substrate such as a glass substrate. It is preferable that the gate wiring G be a Cu/Ti laminate or a TiN/Ti/AI laminate, for example.
[0099] FIG. 18 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration after formation of an oxide semiconductor layer corresponding to a TFT portion of a circuit substrate of a modification example of Embodiment 1. A gate insulation film GI was further formed from the substrate illustrated in FIG. 17 . Next, an island-shaped oxide semiconductor layer IG of indium gallium zinc oxide and the like was formed.
[0100] FIG. 19 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration after formation of an etch-stop layer corresponding to a TFT portion of a circuit substrate of a modification example of Embodiment 1. An etch-stop layer ES was further formed from the substrate illustrated in FIG. 18 .
[0101] FIG. 20 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration after formation of a conductive layer corresponding to a TFT portion of a circuit substrate of a modification example of Embodiment 1. A conductive layer S was further formed on the etch-stop layer ES from the substrate illustrated in FIG. 19 . It is preferable that the conductive layer S be a Cu/Ti laminate or a MoN/Al/Mon laminate, for example. Liquid medicine that can etch the conductive layer S and the oxide semiconductor layer IG was used as an etchant for wet etching.
[0102] FIG. 21 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration after formation of protective film and organic insulation film corresponding to a TFT portion of a circuit substrate of a modification example of Embodiment 1. A protective film PAS 1 was further formed from the substrate illustrated in FIG. 20 . Next, an organic insulating film OI was formed.
[0103] FIG. 22 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration after formation of pixel electrodes corresponding to a TFT portion of a circuit substrate of a modification example of Embodiment 1. Pixel electrodes Pix were further formed on the entire surface of the organic insulating film OI from the substrate illustrated in FIG. 21 . The pixel electrodes Pix can be composed of ITO (Indium Tin Oxide) but may also be composed of other transparent electrodes such as IZO (Indium Zinc Oxide) instead of ITO.
[0104] The modification example of the circuit substrate of Embodiment 1 may be suitably used in liquid crystal display devices in a vertical alignment (VA) mode.
Another Modification Example of Embodiment 1
[0105] The other modification example of Embodiment 1 is the same as the aforementioned modification example of Embodiment 1 up to the formation of the organic insulating film. The steps after formation of the organic insulating film are described below. Note that the configurations besides the ones specified for each member (materials and the like) are the same as the aforementioned configurations.
[0106] FIG. 23 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration after formation of common electrodes corresponding to a TFT portion of a circuit substrate of the other modification example of Embodiment 1. Electrode materials were deposited on the entire surface of the organic insulating film OI and patterning was conducted to form common electrodes Com.
[0107] FIG. 24 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration after formation of protective film corresponding to a TFT portion of a circuit substrate of the other modification example of Embodiment 1. A protective film PAS 2 was further formed on the common electrodes Com from the substrate illustrated in FIG. 23 .
[0108] FIG. 25 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration after formation of pixel electrodes corresponding to a TFT portion of a circuit substrate of the other modification example of Embodiment 1. From the substrate illustrated in FIG. 24 , electrode materials were further deposited on the entire surface of the protective film PAS 2 and patterning was conducted to form pixel electrodes Pix.
[0109] The other modification example of the circuit substrate of Embodiment 1 may be suitably used in liquid crystal display devices in a fringe field switching (FFS) mode.
Comparison Example 1
[0110] FIG. 26 is a schematic plan view illustrating a configuration of a TFT portion of the circuit substrate of Comparison Example 1.
[0111] For the circuit substrate illustrated in FIG. 26 , the entirety of the openings H of the etch-stop layer ES is located on the inner side of the conductive layer S, when the main surface of the substrate is planarly viewed. In other words, for the circuit substrate illustrated in FIG. 26 , there are no regions overlapping with neither the etch-stop layer ES nor the conductive layer S. Because of this, in Comparison Example 1, the oxide semiconductor layer IG is not patterned during wet etching of the conductive layer S. Accordingly, Cgd capacitance cannot be sufficiently reduced. Note that other configurations of the circuit substrate of Comparison Example 1 and manufacturing processes are the same as those aforementioned in Embodiment 1.
Other Embodiments
[0112] The semiconductor elements of the aforementioned embodiments refer to 3-terminal elements such as transistors, but it is possible to use 2-terminal elements and the like such as diodes as conductor elements.
[0113] As an oxide semiconductor layer, an oxide semiconductor configured by In, Si, Zn, and O, an oxide semiconductor configured by In, Al, Zn, and O, an oxide semiconductor configured by Sn, Si, Zn, and O, an oxide semiconductor configured by Sn, Al, Zn, and O, an oxide semiconductor configured by Sn, Ga, Zn, and O, an oxide semiconductor configured by Ga, Si, Zn, and O, an oxide semiconductor configured by Ga, Al, Zn, and O, an oxide semiconductor configured by In, Cu, Zn, and O, an oxide semiconductor configured by Sn, Cu, Zn, and O, an oxide semiconductor configured by Zn and O, an oxide semiconductor configured by In and O, and the like may be used besides indium gallium zinc oxide.
[0114] For the aforementioned embodiments, a gate wiring G, gate insulating film GI, and oxide semiconductor layer IG are formed in this order on a transparent substrate, and a back gate thin film transistor in which the conductive layer S is in contact with the oxide semiconductor layer IG is formed, but the present invention may also be suitably applied to top gate thin film transistors.
[0115] Each circuit substrate of the embodiments is suitably used in display devices such as liquid crystal display devices, organic EL display devices, and inorganic EL display devices as an active matrix substrate, but is not limited to a circuit substrate for a display device.
[0116] The technical features described in each embodiment can be mutually combined, and can form a new technical feature by being combined. In Embodiment 1, a configuration is illustrated in which common electrodes and pixel electrodes are provided on a circuit substrate, but as is illustrated in the modification example of Embodiment 1, a configuration may be set in which only pixel electrodes are provided and common electrodes are not provided, for example.
DESCRIPTION OF REFERENCE CHARACTERS
[0117] Com common electrode
[0118] Cut cutout portion of oxide semiconductor layer
[0119] ES etch-stop layer
[0120] G gate wiring
[0121] GI gate insulation film
[0122] H opening of etch-stop layer
[0123] IG island-shaped oxide semiconductor or oxide semiconductor layer
[0124] OI organic insulating film
[0125] L distance between two openings provided on etch-stop layer
[0126] PAS 1 , PAS 2 protective film
[0127] Pix pixel electrodes
[0128] S conductive layer
[0129] W width of central portion of oxide semiconductor layer
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A method of manufacturing a circuit substrate comprising a semiconductor element disposed on a transparent substrate, includes: forming an island-shaped oxide semiconductor layer on the transparent substrate; forming a patterned etch-stop layer made of an insulating material so as to cover at least a center portion of the island-shaped oxide semiconductor layer; depositing a conductive layer over an entire surface of the transparent substrate including a region over the patterned etch-stop layer; forming a patterned resist on the conductive layer; and etching the conductive layer using the patterned resist as a mask to form a patterned conductive layer from the conductive layer, wherein the patterned conductive layer includes a source electrode, a source wiring line, and a drain electrode, and continuing to etch the island-shaped oxide semiconductor thereunder using the patterned conductive layer and the patterned etch-stop layer as a mask to form a cutout in the island-shaped oxide semiconductor layer.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to an apparatus for circumferentially homogenizing temperatures of a ferrule of a component traversing the upper slab of a nuclear reactor.
More specifically, the present invention relates to an apparatus of this type applied to the case of components (circulating pumps, intermediate exchanger) mounted in a fast nuclear reactor cooled by a liquid metal, said reactor being of the integrated type.
In order to provide a better understanding of the problem solved by the present invention, reference is advantageously made to the attached FIGS. 1 and 2, which respectively show a fast neutron reactor of the integrated type in vertical section and a detailed view showing how a pump or intermediate exchanger traverses the slab.
FIG. 1 shows in simplified form the main reactor vessel 2 suspended on the upper concrete slab 4 provided with its system or rotary plugs 6. The main vessel 2 contains the inner vessel 8, which in turn contains the core 10 and the hot liquid metal (e.g. liquid sodium) leaving the core, the liquid metal level being designated by N. Above level N and below slab 4 there is an inert covering gas cushion 11 the gas being for example argon. The hot liquid metal enters intermediate exchangers such as 12, which are suspended on slab 4 and which traverse the latter by not shown cylindrical passages. In a similar way, circulating pumps such as 14 are suspended on slab 4 and traverse the latter by cylindrical passages 16. The invention relates to the problems linked with the traversal of the said slab.
FIG. 2 shows in a more detailed manner the passage of a pump 14 through slab 4. Pump 14 is surrounded by a pump ferrule 14a and slab 4, more particularly level with passage 16 is covered by a sheet 18. The slab is cooled by water pipes 20. Between pump ferrule 14a and the covering sheath 18, there is an intermediate ferrule 22 defining an outer annular space 24 and an inner annular space 26 (the same applies for the passage of an intermediate exchanger). The outer space 24 is insulated from the gaseous cover 11 by a hydraulic joint system (liquid sodium) with a container 28. Thus, there are no problems for the outer space 24, which is insulated from the remainder of the gaseous mass. Inner space 26 communicates with the gaseous cover 11.
Inner space 26 contains "open" thermosiphons, which are supplied by the inert gas in cover 11. These thermosiphons have an upward flow of hot gas and a downward flow of cool gas. Their characteristics are dependent on parameters which are at present not well known.
In the ferrule of the component, (intermediate exchanger or pump) these thermosiphons produce thermal indentations, which can be displaced in a circular manner (in a horizontal plane) and which thus create thermal cycles prejudicial to the good mechanical behaviour of the corresponding ferrules.
It is therefore necessary to eliminate or at least reduce these circumferential thermal gradients. For example, in the case of the French Super Phenix reactor, this circumferential gradient on the pump ferrule is estimated to be 200° C.
One solution would involve choosing all the ferrules with a material having a high thermal conductivity. However, such a solution is unacceptable. On the one hand, this is because the choice of such a material is considerably limited for cost and mechanical behaviour reasons and on the other and in particular because it is necessary to maintain a high vertical thermal gradient between the space 11 or the roof of the pile and the top of the slab 4. Thus, the upper end of the slab must be kept at a maximum temperature of approximately 50° C.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention specifically relates to an apparatus making it possible to homogenize the temperature of the ferrule of the component, i.e. reduce the horizontal thermal gradient in said ferrule, whilst maintaining the necessary vertical thermal gradient, whilst utilizing conventional nuclear material for the construction of the ferrules.
The apparatus essentially comprises at least one assembly forming a horizontal or substantially horizontal heat pipe located within the ferrule and in thermal contact with the latter. Preferably, there are numerous heat pipes spaced over the height of the ferrule.
It is possible either to use one and the same heat pipe positioned over substantially the entire circumference of the ferrule or a plurality of heat pipes placed end to end, whereby each heat pipe covers a fraction of the circumference.
In the case where the heat pipes are horizontal, each assembly forming a heat pipe constitutes a ring and thus defines a ferrule temperature homogenization level.
In the case where the heat pipes are slightly inclined (e.g. by approximately 2°), the heat pipe systems form a helix with a plurality of threads, each thread being formed by a number of heat pipes arranged end to end.
If each heat pipe system comprises a plurality of heat pipes arranged end to end and when each heat pipe only covers a portion of the circumference, it can be advantageous to superimpose two rings of heat pipes in such a way that the ends of the heat pipes of one ring are displaced relative to the ends of the heat pipes of the other ring.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention is described in greater detail hereinafter relative to non-limitative embodiments and the attached drawings, wherein show:
FIG. 1, which has already been described, a vertical sectional view of a fast neutron reactor of the integrated type.
FIG. 2, which has already been described, a partial view of the reactor of FIG. 1 showing an embodiment of the traversal of the slab by a pump.
FIG. 3 a longitudinal sectional view of a known heat pipe.
FIG. 4a a half-view in vertical section of the traversal of the slab by the ferrule of a component equipped with a homogenization apparatus according to the invention.
FIGS. 4b and 4c partial views showing variants for the fixing of the heat pipes.
FIGS. 5a and 5b two cross-sectional views corresponding respectively to the case where one or several heat pipes are used.
FIG. 5c a developed view illustrating the case where two heat pipe systems are superimposed.
FIG. 5d is a diagrammatic illustration of a plurality of heat pipes fixed end to end in a helix in the manner of a continuous conduit attached to the wall of the ferrule.
FIGS. 6a and 6b half-views in vertical section showing two variants of the location of heat pipes in the ferrule of a pump.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Although the apparatus according to the invention uses known heat pipes, it may be worthwhile explaining the operation thereof before describing in greater detail the apparatus according to the invention.
Such a heat pipe is shown in FIG. 3 and is in the form of a tight cylinder defined by an envelope A. The cylinder has an end A 1 forming an evaporator and an end A 2 forming a condensor. The inner wall of envelope A is covered by a capillary structure B.
The envelope contains a heat transfer fluid. Heat is transported between these two ends A 1 and A 2 by displacement of the heat transfer fluid with change of state. The fluid vaporizes in zone A 1 and the vapour flows towards zone A 2 . The return of the fluid after condensation takes place in the capillary structure.
In this way, the temperature is homogenized in the immediate vicinity of the heat pipe envelope. The isothermicity of the apparatus is due to the fact that over its entire length, the liquid contained and its vapour are in equilibrium at all times at the saturation temperature.
FIG. 4a shows a preferred mode of the fitting of heat pipes on the ferrule for obtaining the apparatus according to the invention.
The heat pipes, such as 50 forming rings are fixed to the inner face of ferrule 40a of the component, the heat pipes being positioned in horizontal planes. They are fixed, in accordance with the embodiment shown in FIG. 4a, by bridges 52 welded to the ferrule 14a. Two consecutive heat pipes 51, 52 are separated by a suitable pitch p. As a function of the value of the temperature variations at the different levels, it can be advantageous to vary this pitch over the height of the ferrule.
According to the embodiment of FIG. 4b, the heat pipe 50 is supported by an annular container 54 welded by ferrule 14a. It can be of interest to provide a conductive material 46 in said container.
According to the embodiment of FIG. 4c, envelope A of heat pipe 40 has a base plate 50" welded to the ferrule 40a. This ensures a better thermal contact between ferrule and heat pipe.
Referring now to FIG. 5a, it can be seen that the annular heat pipe can comprise a single cylindrical pipe 50, whose ends A 1 and A 2 are close together. As shown in FIG. 5b, it can be simpler to construct the annular heat pipe by means of three individual heat pipes, e.g. 50a, 50b, 50c, each corresponding to an angle at the centre of approximately 120°.
In the case of this constructional variant, it is of interest to realise each homogenization level by means of two rows of three superimposed heat pipes (heat pipes 50a, 50b, 50c and heat pipes 50'a, 50'b and 50'c). Obviously, the two rows of heat pipes belonging to the same homogenization level are displaced relative to one another, as can be seen in FIG. 5c. 5d shows an embodiment of the heat pipes arranged in end to end relationship in the form of a helix.
FIG. 6a shows in greater detail another method for the installation of the temperature homogenization apparatus in pump ferrule 14a. According to this embodiment, each assembly or system incorporates two superimposed heat pipes 50 and 50'. These heat pipes are located in an annular space 60 within ferrule 14a and defined by a sealing ferrule 62 welded by its two ends to horizontal ledges 64 and 66. Thus, space 60 is tightly sealed. The heat pipes are held in place against the ferrule 14a by U-shaped vertical angle members 68, which are perforated by small holes 70 in order to hold the heat pipes. A pipe 72 makes it possible to fill space 60 with a metallic material having a low melting point in order to ensure a better thermal contact between heat pipes and ferrule 14a.
In order to reduce the liquid mass with a low melting point and to reduce axial conduction, it is possible to use a preshaped ceramic insulant placed between the heat pipes and the sealing ferrule 62. Thus, the liquid volume is reduced. It is also possible to use a loose insulant placed between the sealing ferrule 62 and a holding grating 63 positioned coaxially to the ferrule in space 60.
According to the variants shown in FIG. 6b, the sealing ferrules 62' have bulges 62'a to the right of groups of heat pipes. Each group of two heat pipes is located in a guide 74 welded to ferrule 62'. In addition, annular space 60' defined by ferrule 14a and ferrule 62' has a limited volume. Thus, the necessary volume of low melting point material is reduced and vertical thermal conduction limited.
It is also pointed out that, bearing in mind the temperatures involved in the apparatus according to the invention, it would appear preferable to use as the heat transfer fluid in the heat pipes either water or mercury. Water has a use range from 60° to 320° C., whilst the range for mercury is 180° to 650° C. The envelope and capillary of the heat pipes are made from stainless steel, for example types AISI304 L, AISI316 or AISI347 L.
It is important to note that due to the positioning of the heat pipes within the ferrule of the components, any leaks which may possibly occur in the heat pipes will not lead to the risk of any heat transfer fluid entering the liquid metal for cooling the reactor.
As can be gathered from the above description, due to the features of the invention, a reliable and effective homogenization is obtained of the circumferential temperatures of the ferrules of components at the point of passing through the upper slab of the nuclear reactor.
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Apparatus for homogenizing the circumferential temperatures of the vertically axes ferrule of a component passing through the upper slab of a nuclear reactor, wherein it comprises at least one assembly forming a heat pipe describing the entire circumference of said ferrule in order to ensure the homogenization of the temperatures of said ferrule level with the assembly, means for fixing the assembly or assemblies forming the heat pipe on the inner face of the ferrule and means for ensuring a thermal contact between the assembly or assemblies forming the heat pipe and the said ferrule.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] This invention relates generally to industrial loss events. More particularly, aspects of the invention provide methods and systems for predicting loss events, impacts of loss events, and/or providing potential corrective measures to reduce or eliminate the occurrence or impact of the loss events.
DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART
[0002] Businesses are increasingly utilizing automation technologies to monitor specific components of an industrial system. For example, in the oil and gas industry it is quite common to monitor the specific components that are required to extract crude oil and/or natural gas. By doing so, workers may be notified when the component, such as a pump, fails or otherwise ceases to operate at full capacity. Indeed, unanticipated and preventable production losses due to plant equipment failure, production chemistry anomaly, pipeline corrosion, etc. can be a significant source of waste, environmental pollution, and profit erosion.
[0003] While automated monitoring systems may notify workers of specific failures in regards to an individual component, current monitoring systems cannot adequately predict loss events. For example, the repair of a broken pump may readily be associated with a cost for labor, downtime, and a replacement pump, however, other costs, such as environmental, and/or health and safety of the workers are not considered or calculated. Furthermore, other loss events related to the pump failure are not indicated. For example, the failure of the pump may be indicative of another failure event that is not directly related to the operation of the pump. Also, data regarding the pump's functioning may indicate that the pump is fully operational, however, slight variations within the normal operating range of the pump may foretell the failure of other equipment. Indeed, in the oil and gas industry a very small rise in temperature over an extended period of time in pipes extracting crude oil could be considered a normal fluctuation within predefined limits and often goes unnoticed by workers. This is especially true when workers often change shifts every 8 to 12 hours and have other tasks besides monitoring the output of the sensor reporting the temperature. The small fluctuation in temperature, however, may foretell the failure of other equipment or an indication of contamination in the pipe, which leads to loss in the terms of economic loss, environmental contamination, and/or pose a risk for the health and safety of the plant workers or surrounding people.
[0004] Therefore, current systems may provide an insight to the failure of a single component, but do not provide an estimate that failure's impact upon the business. Nor do the current systems provide an avenue for the business to predict the loss, as well as its impact, and make an educated decision of mitigating the loss based upon g economic, environmental, and health and safety considerations. Therefore, there is a need in the art for systems and methods for predicting loss events, impacts of loss events, and/or providing potential corrective measures to reduce or eliminate the impact of the loss events.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] Aspects of the invention overcome problems and limitations of the prior art by providing systems and methods that may focus on key business concerns. One aspect relates to the use of system-wide information to predict variables that are directly linked to business impact, such as production loss. In one embodiment, operational data from a plurality of sensors, and transactional data are collected and utilized. Yet in other embodiments, only a subset of the total data is utilized. In certain embodiments, the subset of data selected for utilization may be based upon one or more thresholds. In certain embodiments, the collected data is utilized to determine which, if not all, of the collected data is considered. In yet other embodiments, extraneous data is also utilized. A plurality of statistical models may be applied to the selected system-wide data to determine a best-fit model in regards to the correlation among the operational data and extraneous data with the transactional data to predict events and impacts of the predicted events. In further embodiments, features may be applied to at least a portion of the selected data to amplify patterns before applying the data to the predictive model. In further embodiments, occasional sensor anomalies with little business impact may be ignored.
[0006] In another aspect, systems and methods may utilize the best-fit model to determine at least one intervention to reduce or eliminate the impact of the predicted events. The models may also be updated with additional collected data. In one embodiment, one or more predictions directly or indirectly based upon the best-fit model may be compared to an outcome to determine the accuracy of the best-fit model. In yet other embodiments, the actual outcome may be compared to other models, such as the models not considered as accurate as the best-fit model, to determine if another model is more accurate than the best-fit model initially chosen.
[0007] The systems and methods may be stored and/or distributed on computer-executable mediums. The systems and methods may also utilize one or more computer-readable instructions on computer-readable mediums for performing one or more of the disclosed methods. The computer-executable instructions may be stored on any tangible computer-readable medium, such as a portable memory drive or optical disk.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] The present invention is illustrated by way of example and not limited in the accompanying figures in which like reference numerals indicate similar elements and in which;
[0009] FIG. 1 is a flowchart demonstrating an exemplary method according to one embodiment of the invention;
[0010] FIG. 2 shows a computing environment a may be utilized in accordance with one or more embodiments of the invention;
[0011] FIG. 3 shows an exemplary industrial system that one or more embodiments of the invention may be applied to;
[0012] FIGS. 4A , 4 B and 4 C illustrate exemplary displays that may be utilized in accordance with one or more embodiments of the invention; and
[0013] FIGS. 5A and 5B show exemplary displays that may be utilized in accordance with one or more embodiments of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0014] FIG. 1 is a flowchart demonstrating an exemplary method according to one embodiment of the invention. As seen in FIG. 1 , a method according to one or more embodiments of the invention collects system-wide information comprising operational data from a plurality of sensors, extraneous data, and transactional data. (step 102 ). As used herein, a “system” refers to a plurality of components and/Or subsystems utilized in the production of a good or service. The system may be spread throughout several geographic locations and/or include one or distinct subsystems. For example, an oil and gas collection system may comprise several subsystems, such as: reservoirs, wells, plants, and/or export subsystems. Thus, “system-wide information” includes information regarding one or more components throughout several subsystems. In this regard, embodiments of the invention view the production of the goods or services at the process or business level rather than single discrete components.
[0015] As used herein, operational data includes data originating at or otherwise obtained (directly or indirectly) from any of a plurality of sensors throughout a system that measures one or more operation parameters within the system. In one such embodiment, the operational data may be collected substantially upon being received or measured at the sensor. For example, one or more sensors may measure data on a consistent basis over a period of time. As one example, in the oil and gas industry it may be desirable to collect data regarding oil pressure of a collection point every second. In that scenario, the sensor may consistently provide operational data for collection. In yet other embodiments, operational data may be stored on one or more computer-readable mediums in one or more formats for subsequent collection.
[0016] In certain embodiments of the invention, not all of the operational data measured at one or more sensors is collected. For example, only a fraction of the total detected parameters from a specific sensor may be included in any collection efforts. For example, merely because a parameter is measured every second, there is no requirement that every data point is collected. Rather, in one embodiment, only a predetermined fraction of the data (e.g., one data point per minute) may be collected in step 102 . Indeed, while the operational data may be collected in a. “system-wide” manner, there is no requirement that the collected data include data from every sensor in the system. Rather, the collection of “system-wide” operational data as used herein is data that is received from a plurality of sensors that are located in different components within a system, and wherein at least one datum is collected from a sensor that is considered part of a different component than at least another sensor and is not directly connected to the other component mechanically, hydraulically, or electrically or otherwise directly dependent on at least one other component. For example, the failure of one component having a sensor would not directly impact the working order of another component. Indeed, some components within the system may, in the minds of those skilled in the art, not even be considered to have a tangential relationship with another component. As explained below, however, the inventors have discovered novel methods and systems for discovering relationships between components throughout a system and predicting loss events based upon the measurements of sensors within the system.
[0017] As used herein, the term “collect” also encompasses the storage on one or more computer-readable mediums. Indeed, the collection of data is not required to be a single event, rather the collection of data may encompass irregular storage of data across several computer-readable mediums. Furthermore, various embodiments of the invention may be implemented with computer devices and systems that exchange and process data. In feet, with the benefit of this disclosure, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that several computing and/or networking environments may be utilized to carry out one or more embodiments of the invention. For discussion purposes, FIG. 2 provides an exemplary environment for performing one or more embodiments of the invention.
[0018] Elements of an exemplary computer system are illustrated in FIG. 2 , in which the computer 200 is connected to a local area network (LAN) 202 and a wide area network (WAN) 204 . Computer 200 includes a central processor 210 that controls the overall operation of the computer and a system bus 212 that connects central processor 210 to the components described below. System bus 212 may be implemented with any one of a variety of conventional bus architectures.
[0019] Computer 200 can include a variety of interface units and drives for reading and writing data or files. In particular, computer 200 includes a local memory interface 214 and a removable memory interface 216 respectively coupling a hard disk drive 218 and a removable memory drive 220 to system bus 212 . Examples of removable memory drives include magnetic disk drives and optical disk drives. Hard disks generally include one or more read/write heads that convert bits to magnetic pulses when writing to a computer-readable medium and magnetic pulses to bits when reading data from the computer readable medium. A single hard disk drive 218 and a single removable memory drive 220 are shown for illustration purposes only and with the understanding that computer 200 may include several of such drives. Furthermore, computer 200 may include drives for interfacing with other types of computer readable media such as magneto-optical drives.
[0020] Unlike hard disks, system memories, such as system memory 226 , generally read and write data electronically and do not include read/write heads. System memory 226 may be implemented with a conventional system memory having a read only memory section that stores a basic input/output system (BIOS) and a random access memory (RAM) that stores other data and files.
[0021] A user can interact with computer 200 with a variety of input devices. FIG. 2 shows a serial port interface 228 coupling a keyboard 230 and a pointing device 232 to system bus 212 . Pointing device 232 may be implemented with a hard-wired or wireless mouse, track ball, pen device, or similar device.
[0022] Computer 200 may include additional interfaces for connecting peripheral devices to system bus 212 . FIG. 2 shows a universal serial bus (USB) interface 234 coupling a video or digital camera 236 to system bus 212 . An IEEE 1394 interface 238 may be used to couple additional devices to computer 200 . Furthermore, interface 238 may be configured to operate with particular manufacture interfaces such as FireWire developed by Apple Computer and i.Link developed by Sony. Peripheral devices may include touch sensitive screens, game pads scanners, printers, and other input and output devices and may be coupled to system bus 212 through parallel ports, game ports, PCI boards or any other interface used to couple peripheral devices to a computer.
[0023] Computer 200 also includes a video adapter 240 coupling a display device 242 to system bus 212 . Display device 242 may include a cathode ray tube (CRT), liquid crystal display (LCD), field emission display (FED), plasma display or any other device that produces an image that is viewable by the user. Sound can be recorded and reproduced with a microphone 244 and a speaker 246 . A sound card 248 may be used to couple microphone 244 and speaker 246 to system bus 212 .
[0024] One skilled in the art will appreciate that the device connections shown in FIG. 2 are for illustration purposes only and that several of the peripheral devices could be coupled to system bus 212 via alternative interfaces. For example, video camera 236 could be connected to IEEE 1394 interface 238 and pointing device 232 could be connected to USB interface 234 .
[0025] Computer 200 includes a network interface 250 that couples system bus 212 to LAN 202 . LAN 202 may have one or more of the well-known LAN topologies and may use a variety of different protocols, such as Ethernet. Computer 200 may communicate with other computers and devices connected to LAN 202 , such as computer 252 and printer 254 . Computers and other devices may be connected to LAN 202 via twisted pair wires, coaxial cable, fiber optics or other media. Alternatively, radio waves may be used to connect one or more computers or devices to LAN 202 .
[0026] A wide area network 204 , such as the Internet, can also be accessed by computer 200 . FIG. 2 shows a modem unit 256 connected to serial port interface 228 and to WAN 204 . Modem unit 256 may be located within or external to computer 200 and may be any type of conventional modem, such as a cable modem or a satellite modem. LAN 202 may also be used to connect to WAN 204 . FIG. 2 shows a router 258 that may connect LAN 202 to WAN 204 in a conventional manner. A server 260 is shown connected to WAN 204 . Of course, numerous additional servers, computers, handheld devices, personal digital assistants, telephones and other devices may also be connected to WAN 204 .
[0027] The operation of computer 200 and server 260 can be controlled by computer-executable instructions stored on a computer-readable medium 222 . For example, computer 200 may include computer-executable instructions for transmitting information to server 260 , receiving information from server 260 and displaying the received information on display device 242 . Furthermore, server 260 may include computer-executable instructions for transmitting hypertext markup language (HTML) and extensible markup language (XML) computer code to computer 200 .
[0028] As noted above, the term “network” as used herein and depicted in the drawings should be broadly interpreted to include not only systems in which remote storage devices are coupled together via one or more communication paths, but also stand-alone devices that may be coupled, from time to time, to such systems that have storage capability. Consequently, the term “network” includes not only a “physical network” 202 , 204 , but also a “content network,” which is comprised of the data—attributable to a single entity—which resides across all physical networks.
[0029] Returning now to specific implementations, FIG. 3 more clearly shows an exemplary system that may benefit from one or more embodiments of the invention. As shown on the top left side of the figure, pump 302 is operatively connected to pipe 304 , which terminates at separator 306 . Pump 302 may be used to pump a liquid, such as crude oil being excavated from an underwater drilling facility. As the liquid is passed to separator 306 , sensor 308 may measure temperature of the liquid within pipe 304 . Those skilled in specific arts, such as oil and gas production, understand that specific processes of pumping oil may not utilize the structures shown in FIG. 3 , however, the basic teachings of FIG. 3 are shown to demonstrate that the systems and methods of the invention may be applied to a vast array of multi-component systems. Likewise, pump 310 may be used to pump the same or different material than the material being pumped by pump 302 , such as crude oil. As the gas travels through pipe 312 to separator 314 , sensor 316 measures a parameter, such as pressure, temperature, estimated flow rate, etc. The functionality of pump 302 is not dependent upon the functionality of pump 310 and vice-versa. Specifically, each pump ( 302 , 310 ) may pump a different gas or liquid to a different separator and does not rely on an output of the other to function. Thus, in the embodiments shown in FIG. 3 , pumps 302 and 310 are considered part of different subunits within the system and that the failure of pump 302 would not directly impact the functionality of pump 310 . Thus, some components of the system (e.g., such as pumps 302 and 310 ), may, in the minds of those skilled in the art, not even be considered to have a tangential relationship with each other. To the contrary, the failure of a cooling system, for example, for one of the pumps 302 , 310 may directly impact the output of the pump, such as lower output and or the failure of the pump, resulting in no output. Like pumps 302 and 310 , separators ( 306 , 314 ) may also be geographically spaced apart and thus considered different subunits or subsystems of the overall system. FIG. 4B (discussed in more detail later) shows further subsystems that may be within the system shown in FIG. 3 .
[0030] As further seen in FIG. 3 , each of the separators 306 , 314 may be used to separate the natural gas from the oil. For example, extracted gas from separators 306 , 314 may travel by pipes 318 , 320 , respectively to field gas compressors (see element 322 ). Pipe 318 may comprise sensor 324 that measures a parameter and pipe 320 may comprise sensor 326 that measures a parameter, such as flow rate, compression, temperature, and/or combinations thereof. Conversely, the remaining oil product may travel by pipes 328 and 330 to a different processing subunit or subsystem (see element 332 ). As explained in more detail later in the Specification, subsystems utilized in processing the extracted gas from pipes 318 and 320 are distinct from subsystems utilized for processing the oil, however, information one subsystem may he used to predict loss event and/or the severity of a loss event that may occur in another subsystem.
[0031] As discussed above in regards to step 102 , extraneous data may also be collected. As used herein, extraneous data excludes any data directly regarding the creation, processing, or manufacturing of the goods or services being produced by the system. For example, extraneous data may include data that either 1) originated outside the system, or 2) data originating inside the system regarding the measurement of an external impact source upon the system and would exclude any man-made intended input or output of the system or data regarding the processing or manufacturing of the goods and/or services. Using the system of FIG. 3 as an example, the output, electrical consumption, and or working parameters of the pumps 302 , 310 and/or the separators 306 , 314 would not be considered extraneous data. Outside forces acted upon one or more of the components of FIG. 3 , however, would be considered extraneous data.
[0032] In one embodiment, extraneous data may include event data, such as environmental data. The extraneous data may be collected directly from a plurality of sensors connected to or associated with the system. Yet in other embodiments, the sensors are not associated with the system. In either embodiment, the sensors would measure extraneous data, as opposed to system operational data. Yet in other embodiments, the data, such as weather data may be historical and obtained after the occurrence of the event from which the data relates to In this regard, there is no requirement that the data utilized be received from a sensor. Rather, the extraneous data may be already modified or otherwise manipulated, for example subjected to statistical analysis before collection at step 102 . The data may be stored on one or more computer-readable mediums. In yet other embodiments, the extraneous data may be modeled from an event and not be actual results or information received at one or more sensors during the event.
[0033] Step 102 further includes the collection of transactional data. As used herein, transactional data includes any data comprising information regarding the intentional modification of the system. In one embodiment, the transactional data comprises maintenance data. Maintenance data (or any type of transactional data) may include what component was added or removed from the system of FIG. 3 , such as one or more of the pumps 302 , 310 and/or separators 306 , 314 . Maintenance data may also include the part number, the manufacturer of the component, the individual who made the addition or removal of the component, the time and/or date of the modification, or other situational data surrounding the intentional input or output to the system.
[0034] As shown in FIG. 1 , the method may further include step 104 which comprises the selection of at least a portion, if not all, of the information from the system-wide information collected at step 102 to conduct statistical analysis upon. In one embodiment, it may be determined that all the data collected may be utilized, however, in other embodiments it may not be either feasible and/or desirable to utilize all of the collected data. For example, several industries, including the oil and gas industry, employ complex systems that comprise thousands of sensors in a plurality of different configurations. For example, a pump, such as pump 302 may report a measured parameter every second or even several parameters every second, whereas another sensor located either upstream or downstream front the pump, such as sensor 224 may only report a sensor parameter every minute or hour. As would be appreciated by those skilled in the art, it may not be feasible to utilize every value from every sensor given the large quantity of sensors and/or parameter values for those sensors. Therefore, in one embodiment, the step of selecting which of the collected system-wide information to conduct statistical analysis on comprises the utilization of a threshold.
[0035] A threshold may be any value point in which parameters either above or below that value point are not considered in further analysis. For example, the utilization of every data point may introduce errors from impacts that are not likely to occur again. Using collected extraneous data as an example, the exclusion of event data regarding weather that is unlikely to occur again through a predefined time-period may be beneficial. A frequency threshold may also be utilized to exclude data associated with such an event or any event that did not occur above a certain frequency. For example, parameters obtained from a sensor regarding the wind (e.g., speed and/or duration), rainfall (e.g., speed, duration, accumulation), or combinations thereof may be utilized. Either taken individually or in combination, such sensor parameters may define a time period for Which to exclude operational data and/or transactional data correlating to that particular time of the event.
[0036] In yet another embodiment, an impact threshold may be utilized remove a portion of the collected data from further analysis. For example, if a repetitive occurrence routinely or consistently provides an impact below a significant amount, data associated with the impact may be excluded. In yet another embodiment, the impact is considered unavoidable. The impact threshold may be environmental, economic, relate to health and safety, and combinations thereof.
[0037] Further embodiments of the invention may include step 106 , where one or more features or attributes are built from operational data from at least one of the plurality of sensors in the system. Such a process may be useful, for example, to investigate what sensors provide data of interest, how to best amplify the signals with transformations or features, and determine what transformation or features are most pertinent for a given sensor. Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that there are a wide variety of features that may be used in the various embodiments of the invention. Some exemplary features and their descriptions are provided in Table 1. The inventors have found the features provided in Table 1 to provide successful and favorable results, however, the scope of the invention is not limited to the disclosed features. Furthermore, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that one or more different features may be applied to specific groups of sensor data while other features are applied to another group. Still yet, in certain embodiments, specific sensor data may not have features applied.
[0000]
TABLE 1
Exemplary Features
Features
Descriptions
Mean amplitude
1 st order moment from interpolated series
Std dev amplitude
2 nd order moment
Skewness amplitude
3 rd order moment
Kurtosis amplitude
4 th order moment
Fraction of outliers
Mean, Std dev,
1 st , 2 nd , 3 rd , and 4 th order moment from the Fast
Skewness and
Fourier Transform (FFT) spectrum
Kurtosis spectrum
Peak freq
Non-zero fraction
Non-zero fraction of time samples
# of diff
The number of different sampling rates in raw
sampling rates
time series
Singular 12
From the SVD of data matrix, the ratio of the
value ratio
largest singular value to the next largest
Singular 34
value ratio
Sval exp slope
Least squares slope estimate of log singular
value vs. # of singular values ordered from the
largest to the smallest
Sval reg R{circumflex over ( )}2
R-squared value of the slope estimator
Sval reg F statistic
F-statistic of the slope estimator
# of thrU crossings
@ of samples that are above up threshold (mean +
k * sigma) from interpolated time series after
constant false alarm rate (CFAR) processing
@ of thrD crossings
# of samples that are below down threshold
DWF coeff
The four most important DWT coefficients with
1, 2, 3, & 4
Villasenor DWT filter
[0038] In certain embodiments, step 106 may be incorporated into step 104 , yet in other embodiments, step 106 is independent from step 104 . For example, in one instance where step 106 is incorporated into step 104 , the features are applied to data before step 104 , and thus the results of step 106 may be used in determining which of the sensor data is utilized in one or more further steps. In another embodiment, step 106 may be conducted after 104 , however, the results of step 106 may be used in subsequent processes utilizing step 104 . Specifically, in one embodiment, upon the application of the features, it may be determined to alter the selection of the portion of the collected system-wide information that is utilized. Thus, step 104 may be repeated. Yet in embodiment where steps 104 and 106 are independent, step 106 may only be used on a subset of the data selected in step 104 . Yet, in other embodiments, step 106 may be omitted.
[0039] As shown in step 108 , a plurality of statistical models may be applied to the selected operational data, extraneous data, and transactional data (whether with, partially with, or without one or more features applied to at least a portion of the selected data). Specifically, the models are applied to determine a best-fit model in regards to the correlation among the operational data and extraneous data with the transactional data to predict events and impacts of the predicted events. In one embodiment, each of a selected group of statistical models are applied to the data. Yet in another embodiment, only one or more specific statistical models are applied to specific data. For example, if one statistical model is more accurate at predicting a specific event and/or the impact of that loss when applied to data specific to one or more sensors, then the model(s) may only be applied to that data. In yet further embodiments, as systems change or extraneous forces upon the systems change, one model that was highly accurate when applied to specific data may no longer be the best model, thus according to certain embodiments, the models may be used to further test the accuracy of selected models. Furthermore, step 108 may further comprise the investigation of any correlation of specific sensor data with other sensor data.
[0040] Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that there are a wide variety of statistical models that may be used in the various embodiments of the invention. Some exemplary models that may be used in accordance with one or more embodiments of the invention include a Baysean Network which provides a probabilistic approach where a structured model is created with conditional probabilities defined for relationships between nodes in the model. Similarity Based Modeling (i.e., SmartSignal SBM) may be also be used as a non-parametric technique that constructs a function surface entirely based on training data by using interpolation to produce estimates for every point. Decision Trees may also be used, where internal nodes are simple decision rules on one or more attributes and leaf nodes are predicted class labels. Other algorithms that may be used include Multivariate Linear Regression and Support Vector Machines. The inventors have also discovered that Muitivariate Gaussian models are especially accurate in specific embodiments of the invention to predict loss events in the oil and gas extraction industry.
[0041] The models may be used to provide an outcome for predicting events and impacts of the predicted events. The predicted events are events which will cause a loss in terms of economic, environmental, and/or health and safety. In one embodiment, impacts are measured in regards to specific economic impact, environmental impact, and health and safety impact. In certain embodiments, step 110 may be utilized to apply the best-fit model to predict events and impacts of the predicted events. For example, FIGS. 4A and 4B show exemplary displays of predicted events. FIG. 4A shows an exemplary display that graphically presents predicted loss events. The display may also include historical and substantially recent or present events. FIG. 4B shows an exemplary display that schematically presents the predicted loss events shown in FIG. 4A , such as for conveying information of where within the system the predicted event may occur. Those skilled in the art will readily understand that FIG. 4B may be presented in conjunction with, or independently of FIG. 4A , and vice-versa.
[0042] Looking first to FIG. 4A , display 400 extends along an x-axis and a y-axis. In one embodiment, the y-axis is divided into discrete components or subunits of a system, such as the system shown in FIGS. 3 and/or 4 B. In another embodiment, each element of the y-axis comprises a category of loss. Thus, in both exemplary embodiments, the elements of the y-axis does not show data collected from a sensor, but rather specific loss(es) that are predicted (or have occurred). For example, the first component along the y-axis is component 402 . Component 402 may represent what is referred to in the oil and gas industry as a Mono-Ethylene Glycol System (“MEG system”). Specifically looking to FIG. 4B , exemplary display 410 shows a portion of a system having a MEG subsystem (element 412 ). For example, any gas transported to element 332 of FIG. 3 may enter through element 408 shown in FIG. 4B , pass through various components and subsystems and be delivered to the MEG system 412 . Indeed, in one embodiment, the entire system including all the subsystems shown in FIG. 3 may be provided in display 410 , thereby providing a user with a system overview. In certain embodiments, the user may zoom into or otherwise select groups of subsystems or individual subsystems. As shown within element 412 . Which represents the MEG system, the system typically comprises an injection unit 411 that injects material having anti-freeze like properties into the flow lines transporting gas to limit or prevent gumming. Thus, by using a MEG system, more oil and/or gas may be extracted over a set period of time. Historically, however, it is hard to predict the failure of the MEG system and even more difficult to predict the impact of the failure on a process or business level.
[0043] Returning to FIG. 4A , the x-axis of display 400 represents time. The time may be divided into any measurement of time, such as days, hours, minutes, seconds, or combinations thereof. For discussion purposes only, each time division in display 400 is 1 day. In one embodiment, the display may be adjusted or manipulated by a user. For example, a user may expand upon the predicted loss event, such as altering the time scale to determine a specific hour or minute the predicted loss event is to occur. Looking to display 400 , the majority of the display is a uniform shade, indicating that a loss event is not predicted (or has not occurred). There are, however, some different shades in the chart that are indicative of a loss event. Looking specifically to component 402 (representing the MEG system), a loss event is not expected for several days, however, as indicated by element 404 , there is a predicted loss event. For example, while the MEG system prevents gumming of the lines, too much water in the flow lines may result in salt build up within the lines. Thus, the shading and/or coloring of element 404 may be used to indicate the estimated loss or the severity of the loss. Indeed, knowing an estimated time-frame for a predicted loss event may be advantageous in further reducing the impact. For example, most industrial processes have “planned kisses.” For example, production facilities may have scheduled down times where the production of products or services are reduced or ceased. For example, systems may need to be flushed and/or refueled on a routine basis. Thus, by knowing the timing of the planned losses and the estimated timing of the predicted loss, it may be feasible to take corrective or remedial measures during the planned loss events to prevent the unplanned loss event. In one embodiment, a cheaper corrective measure may be feasible as a short-term fix to allow the system to operate until taking a second more-intensive corrective measure during the planned loss period. Furthermore, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 4A , both historical data and predictive data are displayed. The user may “click on” or otherwise select past data to determine what the loss event was, the severity of the loss event, and/or the corrective measure taken in an attempt to mitigate or eliminate the loss event. In this regard, if another loss event for that category or component is predicted, the user may readily view the past corrective measures to determine the effectiveness of past actions.
[0044] FIG. 4C shows another exemplary display 420 that may be used in conjunction with one or more embodiments of the invention. Specifically, upon conducting step 110 shown in FIG. 1 , where the best fit model is applied to determine loss events and the predicted impact of the loss events, display 420 may be used to provide information regarding the timing, location, severity, and cause(s) of the loss event. As seen in the upper portion of display 420 , the shading of element 404 indicates that there is a severe predicted loss event within a specific time-frame for the MEG system (represented by row 402 ). The bottom portion of display 420 provides a schematic diagram of one or more subsystems of the system that may be used to more clearly show where the predicted loss is likely to occur. In one embodiment, visual cue 422 may be associated with one or more components of the MEG system 412 to indicate the location of the predicted loss event. In other embodiments, a user may zoom into or otherwise view information regarding individual pieces within specific components that are likely to fail, so the user can determine if one is readily available or be ordered.
[0045] In another embodiment, the potential cause(s) of the predicted loss event may also be graphically displayed. Specifically, element 424 (labeled “Temperature sensor”) may represent a temperature sensor on a pipe carrying gas or oil. Temperature sensor 424 may be highlighted or otherwise marked to indicate a potential cause of a loss. The marking may be used to indicate that the temperature within the pipe has exceeded a predefined limit or has risen at a pace that is above a predefined limit. For example, as discussed above, an increase in the temperature of the pipes carrying oil and/or gas may indicate an elevated concentration or volume of water within the pipes. In one embodiment, the user may “click on” or otherwise select temperature sensor 424 to determine the temperature, the rate of increase, or other information. Furthermore, display 420 may also be associated with displays 500 and 510 of FIGS. 5A and 5B , as discussed in more detail below, to view potential preventative measures.
[0046] While the use of coloring and/or shading has been described to convey exemplary embodiments, any indicia that visually conveys a severity of the loss is within the scope of this invention. Furthermore, those skilled in the art will readily understand that other cues, such as sounds, may be used in conjunction with or independent of the visual cues to indicate a loss or severity of said loss. For example, another exemplary view of predicted losses is shown in FIG. 5A . Display 500 extends along an x-axis and ay-axis. The y-axis represents the predicted loss based upon millions of barrels of oil (abbreviated in the oil and gas industry as “MBOE”). The x-axis of display 500 represents the estimated costs based upon business impact. For example, element 502 , labeled “MEG System O” is predicted to result in a loss of about 54 to about 59 millions of barrels of oil and an estimated total cost of about 3200 to about 3450. Utilizing the exemplary view in FIG. 5A may be useful when users want to quickly determine what subsystems or components are likely to result in a loss event. Display 500 may also be adjusted to show specific time periods, for example, to display any predicted loss events until the next planned shutdown of a process (planned loss event).
[0047] Yet in another embodiment, the user may be able to determine more information regarding the loss event, such more specific information regarding the component or subunit expect the fail, and/or the impacts of the loss event in regards to the economic impact, the environmental impact, and/or the impact on the health and safety. For example, FIG. 5B shows an exemplary display ( 510 ) that may provide information regarding a predicted loss event and actions to correct or remedy the loss event. For example, display 510 may be presented to a user that “clicks on” or otherwise selects to view the loss event 502 shown in FIG. 5A . In another embodiment, display 510 may be presented to a user upon “clicking on” or otherwise selecting a portion of the MEG system 412 of FIG. 4B .
[0048] As shown in FIG. 5B , display 510 extends along an x-axis and a y-axis. The y-axis represents the predicted average loss based upon millions of barrels of oil. The x-axis represents the estimated costs for each of the displayed preventative measures. As seen, preventative measures 512 , 514 , and 516 , are each shown by way of the average loss in oil and average total costs. For example, performing either “Corrective” measure (element 512 ) costs slightly less than performing “Preventative Maintenance” measure (element 514 ), however, “Preventative Maintenance” ( 514 ) results in losing much less in terms of MBOE. Conversely, “Predictive Measure” (element 516 ) costs more than both of the above alternatives (elements 512 and 514 ), however, results in much less loss when measuring MBOE. In certain embodiments, the preventative measures ( 512 , 514 , and 516 ) may also be viewed in context of not performing any action to eliminate or reduce the impact of the predicted loss event. For example, element 518 (labeled “Breakdown”) indicates the predicted loss due to not taking any corrective or preventative action.
[0049] As would be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the determination of the severity of the loss event may be tailored to a specific business' need. For example, corporations are becoming increasingly aware that consumer's purchasing decisions may be based on how the company is perceived on impacting the environment. Therefore, in one embodiment, even a slight environmental impact coupled with a large economic impact, may be treated as significantly more important than even an economic impact that is twice as large. Likewise, any predicted loss regarding the health and safety of workers or surrounding residents may be treated significantly more important, even when not coupled with an economic and/or environmental impact.
[0050] Step 112 may then be applied to determine at least one intervention that may reduce or eliminate the impact of the predicted event(s). In select embodiments, the intervention(s) may be displayed on a display device, such as being associated with display 510 . In one embodiment, interventions are displayed on a display device, wherein at least one intervention differs from another intervention in regards to at least on impact selected from the impact group consisting of: environmental, economic, health and safety; and combinations thereof. For example, a first intervention that calls for repairing a first component may dramatically reduce the economic impact, however, may not substantially reduce an environmental impact, in contrast, a second intervention may reduce the economic impact to a lesser extent, however, will substantially reduce an environmental impact. In certain situations, the second intervention will require different actions and/or components to be repaired than if the first intervention is undertaken. Yet in other situations, the interventions may differ in only the time and/or worker to conduct at least a portion of the intervention.
[0051] As seen in FIG. 1 , as an intervention is applied (for example, following the determination in step 112 ), more data could be collected, such as by repeating step 102 . While the repetition of step 102 is shown in FIG. 1 as following step 112 , the collection of data may be continuous throughout the process and be conducted before, during, or after any of the other steps shown in FIG. 1 . Furthermore, other methods may be utilized in conjunction with or independently of the preceding steps. For example, step 114 may be conducted following the preceding steps.
[0052] At step 114 , the accuracy of the best fit model may be determined, specifically, the actual outcome in terms of economic, environmental, and health and safety can be compared with the predicted outcome according to the predictions based upon the best fit model Not only can the impacts be measured and compared, but the time period in which the loss event was predicted to occur may be compared with the actual timing of a loss event. Indeed, any prediction directly or indirectly based upon the best-fit model may be compared at step 114 . In addition or as an alternative to determining the accuracy of the best fit model, the actual outcome may be compared to other models, such as the models from step 108 , to determine if another model is more accurate than the best-fit model initially chosen at step 108 .
[0053] The present invention has been described herein with reference to specific exemplary embodiments thereof. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that a person understanding this invention may conceive of changes or other embodiments or variations, which utilize the principles of this invention without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims. All are considered within the sphere, spirit, and scope of the invention.
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Current monitoring systems often provide the operating condition of a specific component and do not consider the impact of a specific failure upon an entire system or a business. Nor do the current systems provide an avenue for the business to predict the loss, as well as its impact, and make an educated decision of mitigating the loss based upon economic, environmental, and health and safety considerations. Methods and systems are provided for predicting loss events, impacts of loss events, and providing potential corrective measures to reduce or eliminate the occurrence or impact of the loss events. One aspect relates to the use of system-wide information to predict variables that are directly linked to business impact, such as production loss. Extraneous and transactional data are also utilized according to other aspects of the invention.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/335,749, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,027,287, and claims the benefit of priority to Provisional Patent Application No. 61/428,778 filed Dec. 30, 2010.
TECHNICAL FIELD OF INVENTION
The present invention relates to a new rig mast, substructure, and transport trailer for use in subterranean exploration. The present invention provides rapid rig-up, rig-down and transport of a full-size drilling rig. In particular, the invention relates to a self-erecting drilling rig in which rig-up of the mast and substructure may be performed without the assistance of a crane. The rig components transport without removal of the drilling equipment including top drive with mud hose and electrical service loop, AC drawworks, rotary table, torque wrench, standpipe manifold, and blow out preventers (BOP), thus reducing rig-up time and equipment handling damage.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In the exploration of oil, gas and geothermal energy, drilling operations are used to create boreholes, or wells, in the earth. Drilling rigs used in subterranean exploration must be transported to the locations where drilling activity is to be commenced. These locations are often remotely located. The transportation of such rigs on state highways requires compliance with highway safety laws and clearance underneath bridges or inside tunnels. This requirement results in extensive disassembly of full-size drilling rigs to maintain a maximum transportable width and transportable height (mast depth) with further restrictions on maximum weight, number and spacing of axles, and overall load length and turning radius. These transportation constraints vary from state to state, as well as with terrain limitations. These constraints can limit the size and capacity of rigs that can be transported and used, conflicting with the subterranean requirements to drill deeper, or longer reach horizontal wells, more quickly, requiring larger rigs.
Larger, higher capacity drilling rigs are needed for deeper (or horizontally longer) drilling operations, since the hook load for deeper operations is very high, requiring rigs to have a capacity of 500,000 lbs. and higher. Constructing longer, deeper wells requires increased torque, mud pump capacity and the use of larger diameter tubulars in longer strings. Larger equipment is required to handle these larger tubulars and longer strings. All of these considerations drive the demand for larger rigs. Larger rigs require a wider base structure for strength and wind stability, and this requirement conflicts with the transportability constraint and the time and cost of moving them. Larger rigs also require higher drill floors to accommodate taller BOP stacks. Once transported to the desired location, the large rig components must each be moved from a transport trailer into engagement with the other components located on the drilling pad. Moving a full-size rig and erecting a conventional mast and substructure generally requires the assistance of large cranes at the drilling site. The cranes will be required again when the exploration activity is complete and it is time to take the rig down and prepare it for transportation to a new drilling site.
Once the cranes have erected the mast and substructure, it is necessary to reinstall much of the machinery associated with the operation of the drilling rig. Such machinery includes, for example, the top drive with mud hose and electrical service loop, AC drawworks, rotary table, torque wrench, standpipe manifold, and BOP.
Rigs have been developed with mast raising hydraulic cylinders and with secondary substructure raising cylinders for erection of the drilling rig without the use, or with minimal use, of cranes. For example, boost cylinders have been used to fully or partially raise the substructure in combination with mast raising cylinders. These rigs have reduced rig transport and rig-up time; however, substructure hydraulics are still required and the three-step lifting process and lower mast lifting capacity remain compromised in these configurations. Also, these designs incorporate secondary lifting structures, such as mast starter legs which are separated completely from the mast for transportation. These add to rig-up and rig-down time, weight, and transportation requirements, encumber rig floor access, and may still require cranes for rig-up. Importantly, the total weight is a critical concern.
Movement of rig masts from transport trailers to engagement with substructures remains time consuming and difficult. Also, rig lifting supports create a wider mast profile, which limits the size of the structure support itself due to transportation regulations, and thus the wind load limit of the drilling rig. In particular, it is very advantageous to provide substructures having a height of less than 8 (eight) feet to minimize the incline and difficulty of moving the mast from its transport position into its connectable position on top of the collapsed substructure. However, limiting the height of the collapsed substructure restricts the overall length of retracted raising cylinders in conventional systems. It further increases the lift capacity requirement of the raising cylinder due to the disadvantageous angle created by the short distance from ground to drilling floor in the collapsed position.
For the purpose of optimizing the economics of the drilling operation, it is highly desirable to maximize the structural load capacity of the drilling rig and wind resistance without compromising the transportability of the rig, including, in particular, the width of the lower mast section, which bears the greatest load.
Assembly of drilling rigs for different depth ratings results in drilling rig designs that have different heights. Conventional systems often require the use of different raising cylinders that are incorporated in systems that are modified to accommodate the different capacity and extension requirements that are associated with drilling rigs having different heights from ground to drill floor. This increases design and construction costs, as well as the problems associated with maintaining inventories of the expensive raising cylinders in multiple sizes.
It is also highly desirable to devise a method for removing an equipment-laden lower mast section from a transport trailer into engagement with a substructure without the use of supplemental cranes. It is also desirable to minimize accessory hydraulics, and the size and number of telescopic hydraulic cylinders required for rig erection. It is also desirable to minimize accessory structure and equipment, particularly structure and equipment that may interfere with transportation or with manpower movement and access to the rig floor during drilling operations. It is also desirable to ergonomically limit the manpower interactions with rig components during rig-up for cost, safety and convenience.
It is also highly desirable to transport a drilling rig without unnecessary removal of any more drilling equipment than necessary, such as the top drive with mud hose and electrical service loop, AC drawworks, rotary table, torque wrench, standpipe manifold, and BOP. It is highly desirable to transport a drilling rig without removing the drill line normally reeved between the travelling block and the crown block. It is also highly desirable to remove the mast from the transport trailer in alignment with the substructure, and without the use of cranes. It is also desirable to maintain a low height of the collapsed substructure. It is also desirable to have a system that can adapt a single set of raising cylinders for use on substructures having different heights.
Technological and economic barriers have prevented the development of a drilling rig capable of achieving these goals. Conventional prior art drilling rig configurations remain manpower and equipment intensive to transport and rig-up. Alternative designs have failed to meet the economic and reliability requirements necessary to achieve commercial application. In particular, in deeper drilling environments, high-capacity drilling rigs are needed, such as rigs having hook loads in excess of 500,000 lbs., and with rated wind speeds in excess of 100 mph. Quick rig-down and transportation of these rigs have proven to be particularly difficult. Highway transport regulations limit the width and height of the transported mast sections as well as restricting the weight. In many states, the present width and height limit is 14 feet by 14 feet. Larger loads are subject to additional regulations including the requirement of an escort vehicle.
In summary, the preferred embodiments of the present invention provide unique solutions to many of the problems arising from a series of overlapping design constraints, including transportation limitations, rig-up limitations, hydraulic raising cylinder optimization, craneless rig-up and rig-down, and static hook load and rated wind speed requirements.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a substantially improved drilling rig system. In one embodiment, a drilling mast transport skid is provided comprising a frame positionable on a transport trailer. A forward hydraulically actuated slider, and a rear hydraulically actuated slider are located on the frame. The sliders are movable in perpendicular relationship to the frame. An elevator is movably located between the rear slider and the mast supports (or equivalently between the rear slider and frame) for vertically elevating the mast relative to the frame. A carriage is movably located between the frame and the forward slider for translating the forward slider along the length of the frame. A mast section of a drilling rig may be positioned on the sliders, such that controlled movement of the sliders, the elevator and the carriage can be used to position the mast section for connection to another structure.
In another embodiment, a slide pad is located on an upper surface of at least one of the sliders, so as to permit relative movement between the mast section and the slider when articulating the slider.
In another embodiment, an elevator is located on each side of the rearward slider, between the rearward slider and the mast support, such that each elevator is independently movable between a raised and lowered position for precise axial positioning of the mast section.
In another embodiment, a roller set between the carriage and the frame provides a rolling relationship between the carriage and the frame. A motor is connected to the carriage. A pinion gear is connected to the motor. A rack gear is mounted lengthwise on the frame, and engages the pinion gear, such that operation of the motor causes movement of the forward slider lengthwise along the frame.
In one embodiment, a drilling rig is provided, comprising a collapsible substructure including a base box, a drill floor and a pair of raising cylinders pivotally connected at one end to the base box and having an opposite articulating end. The raising cylinders are selectively extendable relative to their pivotal connection at the base box. A mast is provided, and has a lower mast section comprising a framework having a plurality of cross-members that define a transportable width of the lower mast section. The lower mast section has a plurality of legs, having an upper end attached to the framework, and an opposite lower end. A connection on the lower end of at least two legs is provided for pivotally connecting the lower mast section to the drill floor.
A pair of wing brackets is deployably secured to the lower mast section framework. The wing brackets are pivotal or slidable between a stowed position within the transport width of the lower mast section and a deployed position that extends beyond the transport width of the lower mast section. The raising cylinder is connectable to the wing brackets and extendable to rotate the lower mast section from a generally horizontal position to a raised position above the drill floor to a substantially vertical position above the drill floor, or to a desired angle that is less than vertical.
In another embodiment, each wing bracket of the drilling rig further comprises a frame having a pair of frame sockets on its opposite ends. The frame sockets pivotally connect the frame to the lower mast section. The wing brackets pivot to fit substantially within a portal in the lower mast section in the stowed position.
In another embodiment, the pivotal connection of the frame to the mast defines a pivot axis of the wing bracket about which the wing bracket is deployed and stowed. The pivotal connection between the lower mast section legs and the drill floor defines a pivot axis of the mast. In a preferred embodiment, the pivot axis of the wing bracket is substantially perpendicular to the pivot axis of the mast.
In another embodiment, each wing bracket of the drilling rig further comprises a frame and an arm extending from the frame towards the interior of the lower mast section. An arm socket is located on the end of the arm opposite to the frame. A bracket locking pin is attached to the lower mast section and is extendable through the arm socket to lock the wing bracket in the deployed position.
In another embodiment, each wing bracket of the drilling rig further comprises a frame and a lug box attached to the frame. The lug box is receivable of the articulating end of the raising cylinder. A lug socket is located on the lug box. A raising cylinder lock pin is extendable through the articulating end of the raising cylinder and the lug socket to lock the raising cylinder in pivotal engagement with the wing bracket.
In another embodiment, each wing bracket of the drilling rig further comprises a wing cylinder attached between the interior of the lower mast section and the arm of the wing bracket. Actuation of the wing cylinder moves the wing bracket between the deployed and stowed positions, without the need to have workers scaling the mast to lock the wing in position.
In one embodiment, a drilling rig assembly is provided comprising a collapsible substructure that is movable between the stowed and deployed positions. The collapsible substructure includes a base box, a drill floor framework and a drill floor above the drill floor framework, and a plurality of legs having ends pivotally connected between the base box and the drill floor. The legs support the drill floor above the base box in the deployed position. A raising cylinder has a lower end pivotally connected at one end to the base box and an opposite articulating end. The raising cylinder is selectively extendable relative to the pivotal connection at the base box. A cantilever is provided, having a lower end and an upper end, and being pivotally connected to the drill floor framework, the upper end movable between a stowed position below the drill floor and a deployed position above the drill floor. The upper end of the cantilever is connectable to the articulating end of the raising cylinder when the cantilever is in the deployed position, such that extension of the raising cylinder raises the substructure into the deployed position.
In one embodiment, the raising cylinder can be selectively connected to a lower mast section of a drilling mast that is pivotally connected above the drill floor such that extension of the raising cylinder raises the lower mast section from a generally horizontal position to a generally vertical position above the drill floor. In another embodiment, the raising cylinder raises the lower mast section from a generally horizontal position to a position above the drill floor that is within 50 degrees of vertical to permit slant drilling operations.
In another embodiment, a cantilever cylinder is pivotally connected at one end to the drill floor framework and has an opposite end pivotally connected to the cantilever. The cantilever cylinder is selectively extendable relative to its pivotal connection at the drill floor framework. Extension of the cantilever cylinder rotates the cantilever from the stowed position below the drill floor to the deployed position above the drill floor. Refraction of the cantilever cylinder refracts the cantilever from the deployed position above the drill floor to the stowed position below the drill floor.
In another embodiment, the substructure includes a box beam extended horizontally beneath the drill floor and a beam brace affixed to the box beam. The cantilever engages the beam brace upon rotation of the cantilever into the fully deployed position. Extension of the raising cylinder transfers the lifting force for deployment of the substructure to the box beam through the cantilever and beam brace.
In another embodiment, when the substructure is in the collapsed position and the raise cylinder is connected to the cantilever, the centerline of the raise cylinder forms an angle to the centerline of a substructure leg that is greater than 20 degrees. In another embodiment, when the substructure is in the collapsed position, the distance from the ground to the drill floor is less than 8 feet.
In another embodiment, connection of the upper end of the cantilever to the articulating end of the raising cylinder forms an angle between the cantilever and the raising cylinder of between 70 and 100 degrees, and extension of the raising cylinder to deploy the substructure reduces the angle between the cantilever and the raising cylinder to between 35 and 5 degrees.
In another embodiment, an opening is provided in the drill floor that is sufficiently large so as to permit passage of the cantilever as it moves between the stowed and deployed positions. A backer panel is attached to the cantilever and is sized for complementary fit into the opening of the drill floor when the cantilever is in the stowed position.
In another embodiment, the mast has front legs and rear legs. The front legs are connectable to front leg shoes located on the drill floor. The rear legs are connectable to rear leg shoes located on the drill floor. In another embodiment, the lower end of the raising cylinder is pivotally connected to the base box at a location beneath and between the front leg shoes and the rear leg shoes of the drill floor of the erected substructure. The lower end of the cantilever is pivotally connected to the drill floor framework at a location beneath the drill floor.
In one embodiment, a drilling rig assembly is provided, comprising a collapsible substructure movable between the stowed and deployed positions. The collapsible substructure includes a base box and a drill floor framework having a drill floor above the drill floor framework. The substructure further includes a plurality of legs having ends pivotally connected to the base box and drill floor framework, such that the legs support the drill floor above the base box in the deployed position of the substructure. A mast is included, having a lower mast section pivotally connected above the drill floor and movable between a generally horizontal position to a position above the drill floor.
A cantilever has a lower end and an upper end, the lower end being pivotally connected to the drill floor framework. The upper end is movable between a stowed position below the drill floor and a deployed position above the drill floor. A raising cylinder is pivotally connected at one end to the base box and has an opposite articulating end. The raising cylinder is selectively extendable relative to the pivotal connection at the base box. The articulating end of the raising cylinder is connectable to the mast such that extension of the raising cylinder moves the mast from a generally horizontal position above the drill floor to a generally vertical position above the drill floor. The articulating end of the raising cylinder is also connectable to the upper end of the cantilever such that extension of the raising cylinder raises the drilling substructure into the deployed position.
In another embodiment, the raising cylinder can be selectively connected to a lower mast section of a drilling mast that is pivotally connected above the drill floor such that extension of the raising cylinder raises the lower mast section from a generally horizontal position to a generally vertical position above the drill floor. In another embodiment, the partial extension of the raising cylinder is selectable for raising the mast to an angular position of at least 50 degrees of the vertical for slant drilling operations.
In another embodiment, a pair of wing brackets is pivotally attached to the lower mast section and capable of attachment to the raising cylinder. The raising cylinder may be connected to the wing brackets and extended to rotate the lower mast section from a generally horizontal position to a generally vertical position above the drill floor. In another embodiment, the partial extension of the raising cylinder is selectable for raising the mast to an angular position of at least 50 degrees of the vertical for slant drilling operations.
In another embodiment, the wing brackets are pivotal between a deployed position and a stowed position. A lug socket is located on each bracket and is connectable to the raising cylinder. In the stowed position, the wing brackets are contained within the width of the lower mast section. In the deployed position, the wing brackets extend beyond the width of the lower mast such that the sockets are in alignment with the articulating end of the raising cylinder.
In one embodiment, a drilling rig assembly is provided comprising a raising cylinder. The raising cylinder has a first angular position for connection to a deployable wing bracket connected to a mast section. The raising cylinder has a second angular position for detachment from the deployable wing bracket at the conclusion of raising a mast into the vertical position. The raising cylinder has a third angular position for connection to a retractable cantilever connected to a substructure in a stowed (collapsed) position. The raising cylinder has a fourth angular position for detachment of the raising cylinder from the retractable cantilever at the conclusion of raising a subsection into the deployed (vertical) position. In a preferred embodiment, the first angular position is located within 10 degrees of the fourth angular position, and the second angular position is located within 10 degrees of the third angular position.
In another embodiment, the raising cylinder has a pivotally connected end about which it rotates and an articulating end for connection to the deployable wing bracket and the retractable cantilever. The articulating end of the raising cylinder forms a first lifting arc between the first angular position and the second angular position. The articulating end of the raising cylinder forms a second lifting arc between the first angular position and the second angular position. The first and second lifting arcs intersect substantially above the pivotally connected end of the raising cylinder.
In another embodiment, the raising cylinder rotates in a first rotational direction while raising the mast sections. The raising cylinder rotates in a second rotational direction opposite to the first rotational direction while raising the substructure.
In another embodiment, the raising cylinder is a multi-stage cylinder having a maximum of three stages. In another embodiment, the wing brackets are deployed about a first pivot axis. The cantilevers are deployed about a second pivot axis that is substantially perpendicular to the first pivot axis.
In one embodiment, a drilling rig assembly is provided comprising a collapsible substructure movable between the stowed and deployed positions. The collapsible substructure includes a base box and a drill floor framework with a drill floor above the drill floor framework. A plurality of substructure legs have ends pivotally connected to the base box and the drill floor for supporting the drill floor above the base box in the deployed position.
A lower mast section of a drilling mast is provided comprising a lower section framework having a plurality of cross-members that define a transportable width of the lower mast section. A plurality of legs is pivotally connected to the lower section framework for movement between a stowed position and a deployed position. A connection is provided on the lower end of at least two legs for pivotally connecting the lower mast section above the drill floor.
A raising cylinder is pivotally connected at one end to the base box and has an opposite articulating end. The raising cylinder is selectively extendable relative to the pivotal connection at the base box. A wing bracket is pivotally connected to the lower mast section of a drilling mast and movable between a stowed position and a deployed position. The wing bracket is connectable to the articulating end of the raising cylinder when the cantilever is in the deployed position, such that extension of the raising cylinder raises the lower mast section into a generally vertical position above the drill floor.
In another embodiment, the legs are movable between a stowed position within the transport width and a deployed position external of the transport width. The wing brackets are also movable between a stowed position within the transport width and a deployed position external of the transport width.
In another embodiment, the legs are pivotally movable about a first axis. The wing brackets are pivotally movable about a second axis that is substantially perpendicular to the first axis.
In another embodiment, a cantilever is pivotally connected to the drill floor and is movable between a stowed position below the drill floor and a deployed position above the drill floor. The cantilever is connectable to the articulating end of the raising cylinder when the cantilever is in the deployed position, such that extension of the raising cylinder raises the drill floor into the deployed position.
In another embodiment, the cantilever is deployed about a third pivot axis substantially perpendicular to each of the first pivot axis and the second pivot axis.
In one embodiment, a method of assembling a drilling rig provides for steps comprising: setting a collapsible substructure onto a drilling site; moving a lower mast section into proximity with the substructure; pivotally attaching the lower mast section to a drill floor of the substructure; pivotally deploying a pair of wings outward from a stowed position within the lower mast section to a deployed position external of the lower mast section; connecting an articulating end of a raising cylinder having an opposite lower end to the substructure to each wing; extending the raising cylinder so as to rotate the lower mast section from a substantially horizontal position to an erect position above the drill floor; pivotally deploying a pair of cantilevers upward from a stowed position beneath the drill floor to a deployed position above the drill floor; connecting the articulating end of the raising cylinder to each deployed cantilever; and extending the raising cylinder so as to lift the substructure from a stowed, collapsed position to a deployed, erect position.
In another embodiment, the raising cylinders are adjusted as a central mast section and an upper mast section are sequentially attached to the lower mast section.
As will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art, the sequence of the steps disclosed may be modified and the same advantageous result obtained. For example, the wings may be deployed before connecting the lower mast section to the drill floor (or drill floor framework).
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The objects and features of the invention will become more readily understood from the following detailed description and appended claims when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which like numerals represent like elements.
The drawings constitute a part of this specification and include exemplary embodiments to the invention, which may be embodied in various forms. It is to be understood that in some instances various aspects of the invention may be shown exaggerated or enlarged to facilitate an understanding of the invention.
FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a drilling system having certain features in accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an isometric exploded view of a mast transport skid having certain features in accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 3 is an isometric view of the mast transport skid of FIG. 2 , illustrated assembled.
FIG. 4 is an isometric view of a first stage of the rig-up sequence for a drilling system, as performed in accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 5 is an isometric view of a second stage of the rig-up sequence for a drilling system, as performed in accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 6 is an isometric view of a third stage of the rig-up sequence for a drilling system, as performed in accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 7 is an isometric view of a fourth stage of the rig-up sequence for a drilling system, as performed in accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 8 is an isometric view of the wing bracket illustrated in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 9 is an isometric view of the wing bracket of FIG. 8 , illustrated in the deployed position relative to a lower mast section.
FIGS. 10, 11 and 12 are side views illustrating a fifth, sixth and seventh stage of the rig-up sequence for a drilling system, as performed in accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 13 is a side view of an eighth stage of the rig-up sequence for a drilling system, as performed in accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 14 is a side view of a ninth stage of the rig-up sequence for a drilling system, as performed in accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 15 is an isometric view of a retractable cantilever, shown in accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 16 is a side view of a tenth stage of the rig-up sequence for a drilling system, as performed in accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 17 is a side view of an eleventh stage of the rig-up sequence for a drilling system, as performed in accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 18 is a side view of a twelfth stage of the rig-up sequence for a drilling system, as performed in accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 19 is a side view of a thirteenth stage of the rig-up sequence for a drilling system, as performed in accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 20 is a diagram of the relationships between the mast and substructure raising components of the present invention.
FIG. 21 is a diagram of certain relationships between the raising cylinder, the deployable cantilever, and the substructure of the present invention.
FIG. 22 is a diagram of drilling rig assemblies of three different sizes, each using the same raising cylinder pair in combination with the deployable cantilever and deployable wing bracket.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The following description is presented to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use the invention, and is provided in the context of a particular application and its requirements. Various modifications to the disclosed embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments and applications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Thus, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and features disclosed herein.
FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a drilling rig assembly 100 including features of the invention. As seen in FIG. 1 , drilling assembly 100 has a lower mast section 220 mounted on top of a substructure 300 .
Mast leg pairs 230 are pivotally attached to lower mast section 220 at pivot connections 226 . Mast leg cylinders 238 may be connected between lower mast section 220 and mast legs 230 for moving mast legs 230 between a transportable stowed position and the illustrated deployed position. The wider configuration of deployed mast legs 230 provides greater drilling mast wind resistance and more space on a drilling floor for conducting drilling operations.
A pair of wing brackets 250 is pivotally connected to lower mast section 220 immediately above pivot connections 226 . Wing brackets 250 are movable between a transportable stowed position and the illustrated deployed position.
Collapsible substructure 300 supports mast sections 200 , 210 (not shown) and 220 . Substructure 300 includes a base box 310 located at ground level. A drill floor framework 320 is typically comprised of a pair of side boxes 322 and a center section 324 . A plurality of substructure legs 340 is pivotally connected between drill floor framework 320 and the base box 310 . A box beam 326 (not visible) spans side boxes 322 of drill floor framework 320 for structural support. A drill floor 330 covers the upper surface of drill floor framework 320 .
A pair of cantilevers 500 is pivotally attached to drill floor framework 320 . Cantilevers 500 are movable between a transportable stowed position and a deployed position. In the stowed position, cantilevers 500 are located beneath drill floor 330 . In the deployed position, cantilevers 500 are raised above drill floor 330 .
A pair of raising cylinders 400 is provided for raising connected mast sections 200 , 210 and 220 into the vertical position above substructure 300 , and also for raising substructure 300 from a transportable collapsed position to the illustrated deployed position. Raising cylinders 400 are also provided for lowering substructure 300 from the illustrated deployed position to a transportable collapsed position, and for lowering connected mast sections 200 , 210 and 220 into the horizontal position above collapsed substructure 300 .
Raising cylinders 400 raise and lower connected mast sections 200 , 210 and 220 by connection to wing brackets 250 . Raising cylinders 400 raise and lower substructure 300 by connection to cantilevers 500 .
FIG. 2 is an isometric exploded view of an embodiment of transport skid 600 . Transport skid 600 is loadable onto a standard low-boy trailer as is well known in the industry. Transport skid 600 has a forward end 602 and a rearward end 604 . Transport skid 600 supports a movable forward slider 620 and a rearward slider 630 .
Forward slider 620 is mounted on a carriage 610 . A forward hydraulic cylinder 622 is connected between carriage 610 and forward slider 620 . A pair of front slider pads 626 may be located between forward slider 620 and frame sides 606 .
Carriage 610 is located on skid 600 and movable in a direction between forward end 602 and rearward end 604 , separated by skid sides 606 . In one embodiment, a roller set 612 provides a rolling relationship between carriage 610 and skid 600 .
A motor 614 is mounted on carriage 610 . A pinion gear 616 is connected to motor 614 . A rack gear 618 is mounted lengthwise on skid 600 . Pinion gear 616 engages rack gear 618 , such that operation of motor 614 causes movement of carriage 610 lengthwise along skid 600 .
Rearward slider 630 is mounted on a rearward base 632 . A rearward hydraulic cylinder 634 is connected between rearward slider 630 and rearward base 632 . A pair of rear slider pads 636 may be located between rearward slider 630 and skid sides 606 . In one embodiment, bearing pads 638 are located on the upper surface of rearward slider 630 for supporting mast section 220 .
In one embodiment, an elevator 640 is located on each side of rearward slider 630 , between rearward slider 630 and skid 600 , each being movable between a raised and lowered position.
FIG. 3 is an isometric view of mast transport skid 600 of FIG. 2 , illustrated assembled. Forward slider 620 is movable in the X-axis and Y-axis relative to skid 600 . Actuation of motor 614 causes movement of forward slider 620 along the X-axis. Actuation of forward cylinder 622 causes movement of forward slider 620 along the Y-axis.
Rearward slider 630 is movable independent of forward slider 620 . Rearward slider 630 is movable in the Y-axis and Z-axis relative to skid 600 . Actuation of rearward cylinder 634 causes movement of rearward slider 630 along the Y-axis. Actuation of elevators 640 causes movement of rearward slider 630 along the Z-axis. In one embodiment, elevators 640 are independently operable, thus adding to the degrees of freedom of control of rearward slider 630 .
FIGS. 4 through 7 illustrate the initial stages of the rig-up sequence performed in accordance with the present invention. FIG. 4 is an isometric view of a first stage of the rig-up sequence for a drilling system, as performed in accordance with the present invention. Lower mast section 220 is carried on forward slider 620 and rearward slider 630 of transport skid 600 . Transport skid 600 is mounted on a trailer 702 connected to a tractor 700 .
A plurality of structural cross-members 222 (not shown) defines a mast framework width 224 (not shown) of lower mast section 220 . At this stage of the sequence, mast legs 230 are in the retracted position, and within framework width 224 . Also at this stage, wing brackets 250 are in the retracted position, and also within framework width 224 . By obtaining a stowed position of mast legs 230 and wing brackets 250 , the desired transportable framework width 224 of lower mast section 220 is achieved. Substructure 300 is in the collapsed position, on the ground, and being approached by tractor 700 and transport skid 600 .
FIG. 5 is an isometric view of a second stage of the rig-up sequence for a drilling system, as performed in accordance with the present invention. At this stage, tractor 700 and trailer 702 are backed up to a position of closer proximity to substructure 300 , which is on the ground in a collapsed position. Having moved mast legs 230 past the point of interference with raising cylinders 400 , legs 230 are deployed by mast leg cylinders 238 (not shown), which rotates legs about the axis Z of pivot connection 226 .
Each mast leg pair 230 has a front leg 232 and a rear leg 234 . Shoe connectors 236 are located at the base of legs 230 . Front shoes 332 and rear shoes 334 are located on drilling floor 330 for receiving shoe connectors 236 of front legs 232 and rear legs 234 , respectively. A pair of inclined ramps 336 is located on drilling floor 330 , inclining upwards towards front shoes 332 .
Elevators 640 are actuated to raise rearward slider 630 and thus mast legs 230 of lower mast 220 along the Z-axis ( FIG. 3 ) above obstacles related to substructure 300 as tractor 700 and trailer 702 are backed up to a position of closer proximity to substructure 300 (see FIG. 4 ). In this position (referring also to FIG. 2 ), forward cylinder 622 of forward slider 620 and rearward cylinder 634 of rearward slider 630 are actuated to finalize Y-axis ( FIG. 3 ) alignment of mast legs 230 of lower mast section 220 with inclined ramps 336 ( FIGS. 4 and 5 ). The option of like or opposing translation of forward slider 620 and rearward slider 630 along the Y-axis is especially beneficial for this purpose. Using this alignment capability, shoe connectors 236 of front legs 232 are aligned with inclined ramps 336 .
FIG. 6 is an isometric view of a third stage of the rig-up sequence for a drilling system, as performed in accordance with the present invention. In this stage, rearward slider 630 is lowered by elevators 640 (not visible), positioning shoe connectors 236 of front legs 232 onto inclined ramps 336 . This movement disengages rearward slider 630 from lower mast section 220 .
Carriage 610 is translated from forward end 602 towards rearward end 604 . In one embodiment, this movement is accomplished by actuating motor 614 . Motor 614 rotates pinion gear 616 which is engaged with rack gear 618 , forcing longitudinal movement of carriage 610 and forward slider 620 along the X-axis ( FIG. 3 ). As a result, lower mast section 220 is forced over substructure 300 , as shoe connectors 236 slide up inclined ramps 336 .
FIG. 7 is an isometric view of a fourth stage of the rig-up sequence for a drilling system, as performed in accordance with the present invention. As shoe connectors 236 reach the top of inclined ramps 336 , they align with, and are connected to, front leg shoes 332 .
In the embodiment described, wing brackets 250 ( FIG. 9 ) are pivotally connected to lower mast section 220 proximate to, and above, pivot connections 226 ( FIG. 7 ). Wing brackets 250 are movable between a transportable stowed position and the illustrated deployed position.
A wing cylinder 252 ( FIG. 9 ) may be connected between lower mast section 220 and each wing bracket 250 for facilitating movement between the stowed and deployed positions. Connection sockets 254 are provided on the ends of wing brackets 250 for connection to raising cylinder 400 . As shown in FIGS. 7 and 9 , wing brackets 250 are moved into the deployed position by actuating wing cylinders 252 ( FIG. 9 ).
Raising cylinder 400 is pivotally connected to base box 310 . In a preferred embodiment, raising cylinder 400 has a lower end 402 pivotally connected to base box 310 at a location between the pivotal connections of substructure legs 340 to base box 310 (see FIG. 18 ). Raising cylinder 400 has an opposite articulating end 404 (see FIG. 9 ). In a preferred embodiment, raising cylinder 400 is a multi-stage telescoping cylinder capable of extension of a first stage 406 , a second stage 408 and a third stage 410 . A positioning cylinder 412 may be connected to each raising cylinder 400 for facilitating controlled rotational positioning of raising cylinder 400 .
In the stage of the rig-up sequence illustrated in FIG. 7 , raising cylinders 400 are pivotally moved into alignment with deployed wing brackets 250 for connection to sockets 254 . Notably, raising cylinders 400 bypass the transported framework width 224 of lower mast section 220 in order to connect to wing brackets 250 on the far side of lower mast section 220 . It is thus required that mast raising cylinders 400 be separated by a distance slightly greater than framework width 224 . Lower mast section 220 is now supported by wing brackets 250 . This is accomplished by the present invention without the addition of separately transported and assembled mast sections.
As described above, an embodiment of the invention further includes a retractable push point for raising substructure 300 significantly above drill floor 330 and significantly forward of lower mast section 220 .
Lower mast section 220 is lifted slightly by extension of first stage 406 of raising cylinder 400 , disengaging lower mast section 220 from transport skid 600 , allowing tractor 700 and trailer 702 to depart.
As seen in FIG. 7 , mast legs 230 are pivotally deployed about first pivot axis Z (at 226 ), and wing brackets 250 are pivotally deployed about second pivot axis 264 that is substantially perpendicular to first pivot axis Z (at 226 ).
FIG. 8 is an isometric view of wing bracket 250 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is an isometric view of wing bracket 250 in the deployed position relative to lower mast section 220 . Referring to the embodiment of wing bracket 250 illustrated in FIG. 8 , wing bracket 250 is comprised of a framework 260 designed to fit within a portal 228 in lower mast section 220 (see FIG. 9 ). Frame 260 has a pair of sockets 262 for pivotal connection to lower mast section 220 within portal 228 . The pivotal connection defines an axis 264 about which wing bracket 250 is deployed and stowed. In one embodiment, axis 264 is substantially perpendicular to first pivot axis Z (at 226 ) about which legs 230 are deployed and stowed.
A lug box 256 extends from frame 260 . Socket 254 is located on lug box 256 . An arm 270 extends inward towards the interior of lower mast section 220 . A bracket socket 272 is located near the end of arm 270 .
Referring to FIG. 9 , wing cylinder 252 extends between lower mast section 220 and arm 270 to deploy and stow wing bracket 250 . In the deployed position, a bracket locking pin 274 extending through portal 228 passes through bracket socket 272 ( FIG. 8 ) to lock wing bracket 250 in the deployed position. With wing bracket 250 locked in the deployed position, raising cylinder 400 is extended. Lug box 256 receives articulating end 404 of raising cylinder 400 . A raising cylinder locking pin 258 is hydraulically operable to pass through articulating end 404 and socket 254 to lock raising cylinder 400 to wing bracket 250 .
FIGS. 10, 11 and 12 are side views illustrating a fifth, sixth and seventh stage of the rig-up sequence for a drilling system, as performed in accordance with the present invention. Referring to FIGS. 10 through 11 , it is seen that subsequent tractor 700 and trailer 702 carry central mast section 210 for connection to lower mast section 220 , and carry upper mast section 200 for connection to central mast section 210 . At this time, the weight of the collective mast sections is born by the raising cylinder 400 as transmitted through the wing brackets 250 . Raising cylinder 400 can be extended to align connected mast sections with each incoming mast section. For example, raising cylinder 400 can be extended to align connected mast sections 210 with 220 , and 200 with 210 .
FIGS. 13 and 14 are side views illustrating an eighth and ninth sequence for a drilling system, as performed in accordance with the present invention. In these steps, lower mast section 220 (and connected central and upper mast sections 210 and 200 ) is raised into a vertical position. In FIG. 13 , lower mast section 220 is illustrated pivoted upwards by extension of first stage 406 and second stage 408 of raising cylinder 400 . In FIG. 14 , lower mast section 220 is illustrated pivoted into the fully vertical position by extension of third stage 410 of raising cylinder 400 .
FIG. 15 is an isometric view of cantilever 500 , shown in accordance with the present invention. Cantilever 500 has a lower end 502 for pivotal connection to drill floor framework 320 of substructure 300 . Cantilever 500 has an upper end 504 for connection to articulating end 404 of raising cylinder 400 . A load pad 508 is provided for load bearing engagement with a beam brace 328 (not shown) located on substructure 300 . A backer panel 510 provides a complementary section of drill floor 330 when cantilever 500 is in the stowed position.
Cantilever 500 is movable between a transportable stowed position and a deployed position. In the stowed position, cantilever 500 is located beneath drill floor 330 . In the deployed position, upper end 504 of cantilever 500 is raised above drill floor 330 for connection to articulating end 404 of raising cylinder 400 . A cantilever cylinder 506 (not shown) may be provided for moving cantilever 500 between the transportable stowed position and the deployed position.
FIGS. 16, 17, 18, and 19 are side views illustrating tenth, eleventh, twelfth, and thirteenth stages of the rig-up sequence for a drilling system, illustrating the erection of substructure 300 , as performed in accordance with the present invention. In FIG. 16 , raising cylinder 400 has been detached from wing brackets 250 , and articulating end 404 of raising cylinder 400 has been retracted. Wing brackets 250 may remain in the deployed position during drilling operations.
Cantilever 500 has been moved from the stowed position beneath drill floor 330 into the deployed position in which upper end 504 of cantilever 500 is above drill floor 330 . Cantilever 500 may be moved between the stowed and deployed positions by actuation of cantilever cylinder 506 . Upper end 504 of cantilever 500 is connected to articulating end 404 of raising cylinder 400 . In this position, load pad 508 of cantilever 500 is in complementary engagement with beam brace 328 for transmission of lifting force as applied by raising cylinder 400 .
FIG. 17 is a side view of an eleventh stage of the rig-up sequence for a drilling system, as performed in accordance with the present invention. In the view, first stage 406 of raising cylinder 400 is fully extended and second stage 408 ( FIG. 18 ) is being initiated. As a result of the force being applied on cantilever 500 , as transferred to beam brace 328 , drill floor framework 320 is raising off of base box 310 as substructure 300 is moved towards an erected position.
FIG. 18 is a side view of a twelfth stage of the rig-up sequence for a drilling system, as performed in accordance with the present invention. In this view, first stage 406 and second stage 408 of raising cylinder 400 have been extended to lift drill floor framework 320 over base box 310 as substructure 300 is moved into the fully deployed position with substructure legs 340 supporting the load of mast sections 200 , 210 , 220 , and drill floor framework 320 . Conventional locking pin mechanisms and diagonally oriented beams are used to prevent further rotation of substructure legs 340 , and thus maintain substructure 300 in the deployed position.
FIG. 19 is a side view of a thirteenth stage of the rig-up sequence for a drilling system, as performed in accordance with the present invention. In this view, articulating end 404 of raising cylinder 400 is disconnected from upper end 504 of cantilever 500 . Raising cylinder 400 is then retracted. Cantilever 500 is moved into the stowed position by actuation of cantilever cylinder 506 . In the stowed position, backer panel 510 of cantilever 500 becomes a part of drill floor 330 , providing an unobstructed space for crew members to perform drilling operations.
FIG. 20 is a diagram of the relationships between lower mast section 220 and substructure 300 raising components 250 , 400 and 500 of the present invention. More specifically, FIG. 20 illustrates one embodiment of preferred kinematic relationships between deployable wing bracket 250 , deployable cantilever 500 and raising cylinder 400 .
In one embodiment, upper end 504 of cantilever 500 is deployed to a location above drill floor 330 that is also forward of front leg shoes 332 . In one embodiment, pivotally connected end 402 of raising cylinder 400 is connected to substructure 300 at a location beneath and generally between front leg shoes 332 and rear leg shoes 334 of drill floor 330 of erected substructure 300 . Also in this embodiment, lower end 502 of cantilever 500 is pivotally connected at a location beneath drill floor 330 and forward of front leg shoes 332 .
As was seen in an embodiment illustrated in FIG. 7 , mast legs 230 are pivotally deployed about a first pivot axis, and wing brackets 250 are pivotally deployed about a second pivot axis that is substantially perpendicular to the first pivot axis of mast legs 230 . Cantilever 500 is deployed about a third pivot axis that is substantially perpendicular to the first and second pivot axes of mast legs 230 and wing brackets 250 , respectively.
As seen in FIG. 1 , there is a pair of raising cylinders 400 , each raising cylinder 400 connectable to a cantilever 500 and a wing 250 . In a preferred embodiment, the pair of raising cylinders 400 rotates in planes that are parallel to each other. In another preferred embodiment, cantilevers 500 rotate in planes that are substantially within the planes of rotation of the raising cylinders. This configuration has a number of advantages related to the alignment and connection of upper end 504 of cantilever 500 to articulating end 404 of raising cylinder 400 . This embodiment also optimizes accessibility of the deployed cantilevers 500 of sufficient size to carry the significant sub-lifting load beneath and above the very limited space on drill floor 330 and within drill floor framework 320 . This embodiment also provides deployed engagement of load pad 508 with a beam brace 328 located on substructure 300 , without placing a misaligned load of the pivotal connections of cantilevers 500 and cylinders 400 . It will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that a modest offset of the planes would behave as a substantial mechanical equivalent of these descriptions.
As was seen in an embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 4-8 , mast legs 230 are pivotally deployed about a first pivot axis Z (at 226 ), and wing brackets 250 are pivotally deployed about a second pivot axis 264 that is substantially perpendicular to first pivot axis Z (at 226 ) of mast legs 230 . Cantilever 500 is deployed about a third pivot axis that is substantially perpendicular to the first and second pivot axes of mast legs 230 and wing brackets 250 , respectively. This embodiment is advantageous in that mast legs 230 may be pivoted about an axis that reduces the transport width of the mast. It is further advantageous in that the wings remain gravitationally retracted during transportation, and when deployed.
One such plane of rotation is illustrated in FIG. 20 . As illustrated in FIG. 20 , when connected to deployed wing brackets 250 , articulating end 404 forms a first arc A 1 upon extension of raising cylinder 400 . Arc A 1 is generated in a first arc direction as mast sections 200 , 210 and 220 are raised.
When connected to deployed cantilever 500 , articulating end 404 forms a second arc A 2 upon extension of raising cylinder 400 . Arc A 2 is generated in a second arc direction opposite that of A 1 , as collapsed substructure 300 is raised.
A vertical line through the center of pivotally connected end 402 of cantilever 400 is illustrated by axis V. In a preferred embodiment, the intersection of first arc A 1 and second arc A 2 relative to axis V, is located within + or −10 degrees of axis V.
In one embodiment illustrated in FIG. 20 , the angular disposition of raising cylinder 400 has four connected positions. The sequential list of the connected positions is: a) retracted connection to wing brackets 250 ; b) extended connection to wing brackets 250 ; c) retracted connection to cantilever 500 ; and d) extended connection to cantilever 500 . In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 20 , the angular disposition of raising cylinder 400 in position a is within 10 degrees of position d, and the angular disposition of raising cylinder 400 in position b is within 10 degrees of position c. The angular disposition of each position a, b, c, and d to vertical axis V is denoted as angles a′, b′, c′, and d′, respectively.
Having connected positional alignments within approximately 10 degrees optimizes the power and stroke of raising cylinder 400 . Also, having connected positional alignments b and c within approximately 10 degrees speeds alignment and rig-up of drilling system 100 .
FIG. 21 is a diagram of the relationship between raising cylinder 400 , deployable cantilever 500 and substructure leg 340 . In this diagram, substructure leg 340 is relocated for visibility of the angular relationship to raising cylinder 400 , as represented by angle w. Angle w is critical to the determination of the load capacity requirement of raising cylinder 400 . Without the benefit of the higher push point provided by deployable cantilever 500 , angle w would be approximately 21 degrees of lees for the embodiment shown. By temporarily raising the push point or pivotally connected end 402 above drill floor 330 , w is increased, lowering the load capacity requirement of raising cylinder 400 .
Provided in combination with deployable wing brackets 250 , the configuration of drilling rig assembly 100 of the present invention permits the optimal sizing of mast raising cylinders 400 , as balanced between retracted dimensions, maximum extension and load capacity, all within the fewest hydraulic stages. Specifically, mast raising cylinders 400 can achieve the required retracted and extended dimensions to attach to wing brackets 250 and extend sufficiently to fully raise mast sections 200 , 210 and 220 , while also providing an advantageous angular relationship between substructure legs 340 and raising cylinder 400 such that sufficient lift capacity is provided to raise substructure 300 . This is all accomplished with the fewest cylinder stages possible, including first stage 406 , second stage 408 and third stage 410 .
As seen in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 21 , connection of upper end 504 of cantilever 500 to articulating end 404 of raising cylinder 400 , when substructure 300 is in the stowed position, forms an angle x between cantilever 500 and raising cylinder 400 of between 70 and 100 degrees. Extension of raising cylinder 400 to deploy substructure 300 reduces the angle between cantilever 500 and raising cylinder 400 to between 5 and 35 degrees.
FIG. 22 is a diagram of drilling rig assemblies 100 of three different sizes, each using the same raising cylinder pair 400 in combination with the same deployable cantilever 500 and deployable wing bracket 250 .
As seen in FIG. 22 , the configuration of drilling rig assembly 100 of the present invention has the further benefit of enabling the use of one size of raising cylinder pair 400 in the same configuration with wing brackets 250 and cantilever 500 to raise multiple sizes of drilling rig assemblies 100 . As seen in FIG. 22 , a substructure 300 for a 550,000 lb. hook load drilling rig 100 is shown having a lower ground to drill floor 330 height than does substructures 302 and 304 . Drilling rig designs for drilling deeper wells may encounter higher subterranean pressures, and thus require taller BOP stacks beneath drill floor 330 . As illustrated, the same wing brackets 250 , cantilever 500 and the raising cylinders 400 can be used with substructure 302 for a 750,000 lb. hook load drilling rig 100 , or with substructure 304 for a 1,000,000 lb. hook load drilling rig 100 .
As also illustrated in FIG. 22 , the configuration of drilling rig assembly 100 of the present invention has a drill floor 330 height to ground of distance “h” which is less than 8 feet. This has the significant advantage of minimizing the incline and difficulty of moving mast sections 200 , 210 , 220 along inclined ramps 336 from the transport position into connection with front shoes 332 on top of collapse substructure 300 . This is made possible by the kinematic advantages achieved by the present invention.
As described, the relationships between the several lifting elements have been shown to be extremely advantageous in limiting the required size and number of stages for raising cylinder 400 , while enabling craneless rig-up of masts ( 200 , 210 , 220 ) and substructure 300 . As further described above, the relationships between the several lifting elements have been shown to enable optimum positioning of a single pair of raising cylinders 400 to have sufficient power to raise a substructure 300 , and sufficient extension and power at full extension to raise a mast ( 200 , 210 , 220 ) without the assistance of intermediate booster cylinder devices and reconnecting steps, and to permit such expedient mast and substructure raising for large drilling rigs.
Referring back to FIGS. 4 through 7, 9, 13 through 14, and 16 through 19 , a method of assembling a drilling rig 100 is fully disclosed. The disclosure above, including the enumerated figures, provides for steps comprising: setting collapsible substructure 300 onto a drilling site; moving lower mast section 220 into proximity with substructure 300 ( FIGS. 4-6 ); pivotally attaching lower mast section 220 to a drill floor 330 of substructure 300 ( FIG. 7 ); pivotally deploying a pair of wing brackets 250 outward from a stowed position within lower mast section 220 to a deployed position external of lower mast section 220 ( FIGS. 7 and 9 ); connecting articulating ends 404 of a pair of raising cylinders 400 (having opposite pivotally connected end 402 connected to substructure 300 ) to each wing bracket 250 ( FIG. 7 ); extending raising cylinders 400 so as to rotate lower mast section 220 from a substantially horizontal position to an erect position above drill floor 330 ; pivotally deploying a pair of cantilevers 500 upward from a stowed position beneath drill floor 330 to a deployed position above drill floor 330 ; connecting articulating ends 404 of raising cylinders 400 to each deployed cantilever 500 ; and extending raising cylinders 400 so as to lift substructure 300 from a stowed, collapsed position to a deployed, erect position.
In another embodiment, shown in FIGS. 10 through 12 , raising cylinders 400 are adjusted as central mast section 210 and upper mast section 200 are sequentially attached to lower mast section 220 .
As will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art, the sequence of the steps disclosed may be modified and the same advantageous result obtained. For example, the wing brackets may be deployed before connecting the lower mast section to the drill floor (or drill floor framework).
Having thus described the present invention by reference to certain of its preferred embodiments, it is noted that the embodiments disclosed are illustrative rather than limiting in nature and that a wide range of variations, modifications, changes, and substitutions are contemplated in the foregoing disclosure and, in some instances, some features of the present invention may be employed without a corresponding use of the other features. Many such variations and modifications may be considered desirable by those skilled in the art based upon a review of the foregoing description of preferred embodiments. Accordingly, it is appropriate that the appended claims be construed broadly and in a manner consistent with the scope of the invention.
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The present invention discloses a high-capacity drilling rig system that includes novel design features that alone and more particularly in combination facilitate a fast rig-up and rig-down with a single set of raising cylinders and maintains transportability features. In particular, a transport trailer is disclosed having a first support member and a drive member which align the lower mast portion with inclined rig floor ramps and translate the lower mast legs up the ramps and into alignment for connection. A pair of wing brackets is pivotally deployed from within the lower mast width for connection to the raising cylinder for raising the mast from a horizontal position into a vertical position. A cantilever is pivotally deployed from beneath the rig floor to a position above it for connection to the raising cylinder for raising the substructure from a collapsed position into the erect position.
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CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/147,028, filed Jan. 23, 2009, which is incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Malaria is a global problem, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. Each year, as many as 500 million people are afflicted. Most of the afflicted are pregnant women and young children because of their low or non-existent immunity to the disease. At least 800,000 children under the age of five in sub-Saharan Africa die every year from the disease.
[0003] Many organizations, such as the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations' Children's Fund (UNICEF), the World Bank, and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) have malaria control programs that focus at least in part on distributing mosquito nets that protect people from infectious mosquito bites while sleeping. While the typical nets that are currently distributed may be effective in households with beds for every family member, there are many drawbacks in other settings.
[0004] In many African communities, most children under five years old sleep on the floor of their homes. The mosquito nets that are currently distributed, which typically hang from the roof, are much less effective at preventing mosquito bites on children who sleep on the floor. Additionally, many homes in African communities are small mud huts with thatched roofs. This makes it very difficult to set up the hanging nets. Once hung, the nets are large and cumbersome, taking up a large amount of space in the small homes. Therefore, the nets are not only difficult to set up, but must be taken down during the day to create living space. In summary, the current net designs are relatively ineffective, cumbersome, and difficult to use on a daily basis for children who sleep on the floor in regions such as sub-Saharan Africa.
SUMMARY
[0005] A collapsible mosquito spring net assembly includes a support structure having a front support ring, a back support ring, and a spring coil support. A mosquito net covers the support structure. The collapsible mosquito spring net assembly further includes closure elements and a net cover assembly including a net, an elastic element, and an elastic pull for opening and closing the spring net assembly. The collapsible mosquito spring net optionally comprises an outer lower cover.
[0006] A method for protecting users from exposure to insects includes: providing a collapsible mosquito spring net assembly; setting up the mosquito spring net assembly on the floor, ground, or other surface by releasing the closure elements; and securing the net cover assembly from inside the mosquito spring net assembly by pulling taut the elastic pull.
[0007] Other features and advantages will become apparent from the following detailed description. The features described above can be used separately or together, or in various combinations of one or more of them.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] In the drawings, wherein the same reference number indicates the same element throughout the views:
[0009] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an expanded mosquito spring net assembly, according to one embodiment.
[0010] FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of a net cover assembly, according to one embodiment.
[0011] FIG. 3 is a side perspective view of a net cover assembly, according to one embodiment.
[0012] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a collapsed mosquito spring net assembly, according to one embodiment.
[0013] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an expanded mosquito spring net assembly having an outer lower cover permanently attached to the outside of the net assembly, according to one embodiment.
[0014] FIG. 6 is a front perspective view of a net cover assembly having an outer lower cover permanently attached to the outside of the net cover assembly, according to one embodiment.
[0015] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an expanded mosquito net assembly placed in an independent outer lower cover crib structure, according to one embodiment.
[0016] FIG. 8 is a front perspective view of a net cover assembly placed in an independent outer lower cover crib structure, according to one embodiment.
[0017] FIG. 9 is a perspective view of an outer lower cover crib structure without an associated mosquito spring net assembly, according to one embodiment.
[0018] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of an outer lower cover crib structure being used as a container for carrying a mosquito spring net assembly in the collapsed state, according to one embodiment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0019] Various embodiments will now be described. The following description provides specific details for a thorough understanding and enabling description of these embodiments. One skilled in the art will understand, however, that the invention may be practiced without many of these details. Additionally, some well-known structures or functions may not be shown or described in detail so as to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the relevant description of the various embodiments.
[0020] The terminology used in the description presented below is intended to be interpreted in its broadest reasonable manner, even though it is being used in conjunction with a detailed description of certain specific embodiments of the invention. Certain terms may even be emphasized below; however, any terminology intended to be interpreted in any restricted manner will be overly and specifically defined as such in this detailed description section.
[0021] Where the context permits, singular or plural terms may also include the plural or singular term, respectively. Moreover, unless the word “or” is expressly limited to mean only a single item exclusive from the other items in a list of two or more items, then the use of “or” in such a list is to be interpreted as including (a) any single item in the list, (b) all of the items in the list, or (c) any combination of items in the list.
[0022] The mosquito spring net assemblies described herein may be used to protect users from insect bites in many situations, such as to protect a child sleeping on the floor in a region where malaria-infected mosquitoes are prevalent. Turning now in detail to the drawings, as shown in FIG. 1 , an expanded mosquito spring net assembly 1 , includes a support structure 2 , a mosquito net 6 , closure elements 9 a, 9 b, 9 c, 9 d, and a net cover assembly 10 . The support structure 2 preferably includes a front support ring 3 , a back support ring 4 , and a spring coil support 5 to create a hollow interior structure in which a child or other person may sleep. In one embodiment, the support structure 2 has a length of approximately three feet, and a diameter of approximately one to two feet, such that it is suitable for a child.
[0023] The support structure 2 may be constructed from a single piece of flexible material or may include two or more separate attached pieces. In one embodiment, the support structure 2 comprises a suitable flexible material such as plastic, a fibrous composite material, or a metal so that the spring coil support 5 may be compressed to bring the front and back support rings 3 , 4 near each other. In one embodiment, the support structure includes 9 gauge aluminum wire.
[0024] In one embodiment, four closure elements 9 a, 9 b, 9 c, 9 d are attached to the front and back support rings 3 , 4 . The closure elements 9 a, 9 b, 9 c, 9 d may comprise fabric ties, hooks, snaps, or any other means to secure the front and back support rings 3 , 4 together when the spring coil support 5 is compressed.
[0025] In one embodiment, the mosquito net 6 includes one or more pieces of nylon netting or other suitable net material capable of preventing mosquitoes from passing through the net material. The netting is wrapped around the outside of the spring coil support 5 and is sewn or otherwise attached at its opposing ends using snaps, Velcro, buttons, hooks or other suitable means such that a seam 8 is formed and runs longitudinally along the support structure 2 . In this manner, the net 6 surrounding the spring coil support 5 creates an enclosed space within the expanded mosquito spring net assembly 1 . The free edges of the net 6 are formed into sleeves that pass over, or are otherwise attached to, the front and back support rings 3 , 4 .
[0026] In one embodiment, one or both ends of the spring net assembly 1 may be opened to allow a person to enter or exit the spring net assembly 1 . The open end or ends may be closed by a net cover assembly 10 . As FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrate, the net cover assembly 10 includes a net 11 and an elastic element 12 that forms a closed circle or similar shape that fits over the support rings 3 , 4 of the open end or ends in order to complete the enclosure. The elastic element 12 is secured to the support element 2 by an elastic pull 13 , which in one embodiment may be a portion of the elastic element 12 that when pulled by a user once inside of the expanded mosquito spring net assembly 1 , will provide a cinching action and will result in tightening of the net cover assembly 10 in order to completely enclose the expanded mosquito spring net 1 and prevent mosquitoes and other insects from entering. In another embodiment, one end of the spring net assembly 1 may be permanently closed via a net segment 7 sewn onto the main body of the mosquito net 6 .
[0027] In one embodiment, the mosquito spring net assembly 1 may be collapsible so that it may be stored in a small area. FIG. 4 illustrates the mosquito spring net assembly 1 in a collapsed state resulting from the spring coil support 5 having been compressed to bring the front and back support rings 3 , 4 near each other. In order to store the collapsed mosquito spring net assembly 1 , the front and back support rings 3 , 4 are preferably secured to each other so that the spring coil support 5 is restrained in its compressed position. In one embodiment, the front and back support rings 3 , 4 are secured to each other by securing closure element 9 a to closure element 9 c, and closure element 9 d to closure element 9 b. The closure elements may be fabric ties or other suitable materials that may be secured to one another by tying, snapping, hooking, or by any other suitable means or method.
[0028] The mosquito spring net 1 is easily expandable from its collapsed state. The spring coil support 5 acts like a compression spring that stores mechanical energy when loaded. Thus, when the closure elements are released, the energy in the spring coil support 5 is released and the collapsed mosquito spring net 14 springs into its expanded configuration with little or no effort by the user.
[0029] In some embodiments, a mosquito spring net assembly may include an outer lower cover that covers at least the lower half of the spring net assembly. If a user leans against the mosquito net while inside of the spring net assembly, mosquitoes may still bite the user through the net. Thus, the outer lower cover provides an added layer of protection in addition to the mosquito net to prevent mosquito or other insect bites to the user. Further, the outer lower cover provides additional durability to protect the integrity of the mosquito net material from tearing or other damage when used on the ground or floor. As illustrated in FIG. 5 , an outer lower cover 14 may be permanently or releaseably attached to the outside of a mosquito spring net assembly 1 . The outer lower cover 14 wraps around the bottom of the mosquito spring net assembly 1 and extends up a portion of each side, and may extend halfway, less than halfway, or more than halfway up each side. The outer lower cover 14 may be made of a flexible, durable material, including, but not limited to, a plastic tarp material. The material should be suitable to provide sufficient durability for the spring net assembly when used on the floor.
[0030] To prevent tearing, reinforced seams 15 a, 15 b ( 15 b not shown) between the mosquito net 6 and the upper sides of the outer lower cover 24 a, 24 b ( 24 b not shown) may be provided. Attached to the reinforced seams 15 a, 15 b ( 15 b not shown) are four or more securable straps 16 a, 16 b, 16 c, 16 d each of which may be tied to a stable object, secured to the ground by stakes, or otherwise suitably secured to provide stability and prevent the mosquito spring net assembly 1 from rolling when in the expanded position.
[0031] As shown in FIG. 6 , a net cover assembly 10 for one end of the mosquito spring net assembly 1 may provide a permanently attached outer lower cover 17 a with a reinforced seam 15 c. Similarly, a permanently attached outer lower cover 17 b with a reinforced seam 15 d may also be provided on the opposite end of the mosquito spring net assembly 1 (not shown).
[0032] In an alternative embodiment, the outer lower cover may be a separate “crib” structure that is independent from the mosquito spring net assembly. FIG. 9 illustrates a crib structure 18 without an associated mosquito spring net assembly, while FIGS. 7 and 8 illustrate an outer lower cover crib structure 18 having a mosquito spring net assembly 1 associated with the crib structure 18 . The crib structure has at least two horseshoe frame members 20 a, 20 b, wherein the horseshoe frame members are made from metal wire, plastic or other suitable material to keep the ends of the crib structure 18 rigid.
[0033] Extending from the horseshoe frame members 20 a, 20 b are support flaps 19 a, 19 b, 19 c, 19 d that may be tied down, secured to the ground by stakes, or otherwise suitably secured to provide stability and prevent the mosquito spring net assembly 1 from rolling when in placed in the crib structure 18 in the expanded position. The support flaps 19 a, 19 b, 19 c, 19 d each have a handle tie element 21 a, 21 b, 21 c, 21 d that may be used to secure the crib structure as described above or may be tied together to form handles 22 a, 22 b as shown in FIG. 10 . The support flaps 19 a, 19 b, 19 c, 19 d may alternatively have snaps, latches, Velcro®, buttons, hooks or other suitable means to connect the support flaps to each other to form handles 22 a, 22 b. When the support flaps 19 a, 19 b, 19 c, 19 d are connected to form handles 22 a, 22 b, the crib structure may be used as a container 23 to hold, store or carry a mosquito spring net 1 in the collapsed state.
[0034] The inside of the mosquito spring net assembly may be lined with soft felt, fleece or other suitable soft, padded material to add softness and comfort for the user. The lining may be sewn permanently into the interior or the net assembly, or alternatively, may be removably attached to the interior of the mosquito spring net assembly using snaps, latches, Velcro®, buttons, hooks or other suitable means to removably attach the lining to the interior of the net assembly.
[0035] Any of the above-described embodiments may be used alone or in combination with one another. Furthermore, a mosquito spring net assembly may include additional features not described herein. While several embodiments have been shown and described, various changes and substitutions may of course be made, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The invention, therefore, should not be limited, except by the following claims and their equivalents.
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A collapsible mosquito spring net assembly includes a support structure having a front support ring, a back support ring, and a spring coil support. A mosquito net covers the support structure. The collapsible mosquito spring net assembly further includes closure elements and a net cover assembly including a net, an elastic element, and an elastic pull for opening and closing the spring net assembly. The collapsible mosquito spring net optionally comprises an outer lower cover. A method for protecting users from exposure to insects includes: providing a collapsible mosquito spring net assembly; setting up the mosquito spring net assembly on the floor, ground, or other surface by releasing the closure elements; and securing the net cover assembly from inside the mosquito spring net assembly by pulling taut the elastic pull.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] This invention relates generally to gas turbine engines, and more specifically to gas turbine engine assemblies and methods of assembling the same.
[0002] At least some known gas turbine engines include a forward fan, a core engine, and a power turbine. The core engine includes at least one compressor, a combustor, a high-pressure turbine, and a low-pressure turbine coupled together in a serial flow relationship. More specifically, the compressor and high-pressure turbine are coupled through a shaft to define a high-pressure rotor assembly. Air entering the core engine is then mixed with fuel and ignited to form a high energy gas stream. The gas stream flows through the high-pressure turbine, rotatably driving it, such that the shaft that, in turn, rotatably drives the compressor.
[0003] The gas stream expands as it flows through the low-pressure turbine. The low-pressure turbine rotatably drives the fan through a low-pressure shaft such that a low-pressure rotor assembly is defined by the fan, the low-pressure shaft, and the low-pressure turbine. To facilitate increasing engine efficiency, at least one known gas turbine engine includes a counter-rotating low-pressure turbine that is coupled to a counter-rotating fan and/or a counter-rotating booster compressor.
[0004] To assemble a gas turbine engine including a counter-rotating low-pressure turbine, an outer rotating spool, a rotating frame, a mid-turbine frame, and two concentric shafts are installed within the gas turbine engine to facilitate supporting the counter-rotating turbine. The installation of the aforementioned components also enables a first fan assembly to be coupled to a first turbine and a second fan assembly to be coupled to a second turbine such that the first and second fan assemblies each rotate in the same rotational direction as the first and second turbines. Accordingly, the overall weight, design complexity, and/or manufacturing costs of such an engine are increased. Moreover, to facilitate supporting the fan assemblies, at least one of the fan assemblies is supported on a plurality of bearing assemblies. During operation of the engine, a fragment of a fan blade may become separated from the remainder of the blade. Accordingly, a substantial rotary unbalance load may be created within the damaged fan and carried substantially by the fan shaft bearings, the fan bearing supports, and the fan support frames.
[0005] To minimize the effects of potentially damaging abnormal imbalance loads, known engines include support components for the fan rotor support system that are sized to provide additional strength for the fan support system. However, increasing the strength of the support components may also increase an overall weight of the engine and decrease an overall efficiency of the engine when the engine is operated without substantial rotor imbalances.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
[0006] In one aspect, a method of assembling a turbine engine is provided. The method includes coupling a low-pressure turbine to a core turbine engine, coupling a gearbox to the low-pressure turbine, coupling a first fan assembly to the gearbox such that the first fan assembly rotates in a first direction, and coupling a mechanical fuse between the first fan assembly and the low-pressure turbine such that the mechanical fuse fails at a predetermined moment load.
[0007] In another aspect, a counter-rotating fan assembly is provided. The counter-rotating fan assembly includes a gearbox coupled to a low-pressure turbine, a first fan assembly coupled to the gearbox, the first fan assembly comprising a disk and a plurality of rotor blades coupled to the disk and configured to rotate in a first rotational direction, and a mechanical fuse coupled between the first fan assembly and the low-pressure turbine such that the mechanical fuse fails at a predetermined moment load.
[0008] In a further aspect, a turbine engine assembly is provided. The turbine engine assembly includes a core turbine engine, a low-pressure turbine coupled to the core turbine engine, a gearbox coupled to the low-pressure turbine, a first fan assembly coupled to the gearbox, the first fan assembly comprising a disk and a plurality of rotor blades coupled to the disk and configured to rotate in a first rotational direction, and a mechanical fuse coupled between the first fan assembly and the low-pressure turbine such that the mechanical fuse fails at a predetermined moment load.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of an exemplary turbine engine assembly;
[0010] FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a portion of the counter-rotating fan assembly shown in FIG. 1 ; and
[0011] FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a portion of the counter-rotating fan assembly shown in FIG. 2 that includes a mechanical fuse.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0012] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of an exemplary turbine engine assembly 10 having a longitudinal axis 11 . In the exemplary embodiment, turbine engine assembly 10 includes a core gas turbine engine 12 , a low-pressure turbine 14 that is coupled axially aft of core gas turbine engine 12 , and a counter-rotating fan assembly 16 that is coupled axially forward of core gas turbine engine 12 .
[0013] Core gas turbine engine 12 includes an outer casing 20 that defines an annular core engine inlet 22 . Casing 20 surrounds a low-pressure booster compressor 24 to facilitate increasing the pressure of the incoming air to a first pressure level. In one embodiment, gas turbine engine 12 is a core CFM56 gas turbine engine available from General Electric Aircraft Engines, Cincinnati, Ohio.
[0014] A high-pressure, multi-stage, axial-flow compressor 26 receives pressurized air from booster compressor 24 and further increases the pressure of the air to a second, higher pressure level. The high-pressure air is channeled to a combustor 28 and is mixed with fuel. The fuel-air mixture is ignited to raise the temperature and energy level of the pressurized air. The high energy combustion products flow to a first or high-pressure turbine 30 for driving compressor 26 through a first drive shaft 32 , and then to second or low-pressure turbine 14 to facilitate driving counter-rotating fan assembly 16 and booster compressor 24 through a second drive shaft 34 that is coupled coaxially with first drive shaft 32 . After driving low-pressure turbine 14 , the combustion products leave turbine engine assembly 10 through an exhaust nozzle 36 to provide propulsive jet thrust.
[0015] Counter-rotating fan assembly 16 includes a forward fan assembly 50 and an aft fan assembly 52 disposed about longitudinal centerline axis 11 . The terms “forward fan” and “aft fan” are used herein to indicate that fan assembly 50 is coupled axially upstream from fan assembly 52 . In the exemplary embodiment, fan assemblies 50 and 52 are positioned at a forward end of core gas turbine engine 12 as illustrated. In an alternative embodiment, fan assemblies 50 and 52 are each positioned at an aft end of core gas turbine engine 12 . Fan assemblies 50 and 52 each include at least one row of rotor blades 60 and 62 , respectively, and are each positioned within a nacelle 64 . Blades 60 and 62 are coupled to respective rotor disks 66 and 68 .
[0016] In the exemplary embodiment, booster compressor 24 includes a plurality of rows of rotor blades 70 that are coupled to a respective rotor disk 72 . In the exemplary embodiment, booster compressor 24 is positioned aft of an inlet guide vane assembly 74 and is coupled to aft fan assembly 52 such that booster compressor 24 rotates at a rotational speed that is substantially equal to a rotational speed of aft fan assembly 52 . Although booster compressor 24 is shown as having only three rows of rotor blades 70 , it should be realized that booster compressor 24 may have a single row of rotor blades 70 , or a plurality of rows of rotor blades 70 that are interdigitated with a plurality of rows of guide vanes 76 . In one embodiment, inlet guide vanes 76 are fixedly coupled to a booster case 78 . In another embodiment, rotor blades 70 are rotatably coupled to rotor disk 72 such that inlet guide vanes 76 are movable during engine operation to facilitate varying a quantity of air channeled through booster compressor 24 . In an alternative embodiment, turbine engine assembly 10 does not include booster compressor 24 .
[0017] In the exemplary embodiment, low-pressure turbine 14 is coupled to forward fan assembly 50 through shaft 34 such that low-pressure turbine 14 and forward fan assembly 50 rotate in a first rotational direction 80 , and aft fan assembly 52 is coupled to low-pressure turbine 14 such that aft fan assembly 52 rotates in an opposite second direction 82 .
[0018] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a portion of counter-rotating fan assembly 16 shown in FIG. 1 . FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a portion of the counter-rotating fan assembly 16 shown in FIG. 2 including an exemplary mechanical fuse 200 . In the exemplary embodiment, counter-rotating fan assembly 16 also includes a gearbox 100 that is coupled between aft fan assembly 52 and second drive shaft 34 to facilitate rotating aft fan assembly 52 in a second opposite direction 82 than forward fan assembly 50 .
[0019] In one embodiment, gearbox assembly 100 has a gear ratio of approximately 2 to 1 such that forward fan assembly 50 rotates at a rotational speed that is approximately twice the rotational speed of aft fan assembly 52 . In another embodiment, forward fan assembly 50 rotates with a rotational speed that is between approximately 0.9 and 2.1 times faster than the rotational speed of aft fan assembly 52 . In another embodiment, forward fan assembly 50 rotates at a rotational speed that is approximately 1.5 times faster than the rotational speed of aft fan assembly 52 . In a further embodiment, forward fan assembly 50 rotates at a rotational speed that is approximately 0.67 times the rotational speed of aft fan assembly 52 . Accordingly, in the exemplary embodiment, forward fan assembly 50 rotates at a rotational speed that is faster than the rotational speed of aft fan assembly 52 . In an alternative embodiment, forward fan assembly 50 rotates at a rotational speed that is slower than the rotational speed of aft fan assembly 52 . In the exemplary embodiment, gearbox 100 is a planetary gearbox that substantially radially circumscribes shaft 34 and includes a support structure 102 , at least one gear 103 coupled within support structure 102 , an input 104 , and an output 106 .
[0020] In the exemplary embodiment, turbine engine assembly 10 also includes a first fan bearing assembly 110 , a second fan bearing assembly 120 , a third fan bearing assembly 130 , and a fourth fan bearing assembly 140 . First fan bearing assembly 110 includes a bearing race 112 and a rolling element 114 coupled within bearing race 112 . Second fan bearing assembly 120 includes a bearing race 122 and a rolling element 124 coupled within bearing race 122 . In the exemplary embodiment, fan bearing assemblies 110 and 120 are each thrust bearings that facilitate maintaining forward fan assembly 50 and aft fan assembly 52 , respectively, in a relatively fixed axial position. Third fan bearing assembly 130 includes a bearing race 132 and a rolling element 134 that is coupled within bearing race 132 . Fourth fan bearing assembly 140 includes a bearing race 142 and a rolling element 144 that is coupled within bearing race 142 . In the exemplary embodiment, fan bearing assemblies 130 and 140 are each roller bearings that facilitate providing rotational support to aft fan assembly 52 such that aft fan assembly 52 can rotate freely with respect to forward fan assembly 50 . Accordingly, fan bearing assemblies 130 and 140 facilitate maintaining aft fan assembly 52 in a relatively fixed radial position within counter-rotating fan assembly 16 .
[0021] In the exemplary embodiment, gearbox support structure 102 is coupled to a stationary component. More specifically, and in the exemplary embodiment, fan bearing assembly 120 includes a rotating inner race 126 and a stationary outer race 128 such that rolling element 124 is coupled between races 126 and 128 , respectively. More specifically, in the exemplary embodiment, gearbox input 104 is rotatably coupled to second drive shaft 34 via a drive shaft extension 136 that is splined to drive shaft 34 , and a gearbox output 106 is rotatably coupled to aft fan assembly 52 via an output structure 138 . More specifically, a first end of output structure 138 is splined to gearbox output 106 and a second end of output structure 138 is coupled to drive shaft 168 to facilitate driving aft fan assembly 52 . Outer race 128 facilitates maintaining assembly gearbox 100 in a substantially fixed position within turbine engine assembly 10 .
[0022] Gas turbine engine assembly 12 also includes at least one mechanical fuse 200 that is coupled between drive shaft 34 and gearbox input 104 . More specifically, and in the exemplary embodiment, drive shaft extension 136 includes a first portion 210 and a second portion 212 . First portion 210 is coupled to drive shaft 34 utilizing a plurality of splines 214 , for example, second portion 212 is coupled to gearbox input 104 utilizing a plurality of splines 216 , for example, and first portion 210 is coupled to second portion 212 utilizing a plurality of splines 218 , for example. Accordingly, mechanical fuse 200 is coupled between first and second portions 210 and 212 , respectively, such that drive shaft 34 is coupled to gearbox input 104 .
[0023] In the exemplary embodiment, fuse 200 is approximately disk shaped and includes a radially inner portion 230 that is coupled to input 104 via splines 216 and a radially outer portion 232 that is coupled to first portion 210 via splines 218 . Moreover, fuse 200 has a first thickness 240 proximate radially inner portion 230 and a second thickness 242 , proximate radially outer portion 232 , that is less than first thickness 240 . More specifically, and in the exemplary embodiment, a thickness of disk or fuse 200 gradually decreases from radially inner portion 230 to radially outer portion 232 . In the exemplary embodiment, second thickness 242 is selected such that first portion 230 will separate from second portion 232 , i.e. fuse 200 will break, when fuse 200 is subjected to a load and/or torque between approximately 45% and approximately 55% of the total torque load on the low-pressure turbine drive shaft.
[0024] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a portion of the counter-rotating fan assembly 16 shown in FIG. 2 including an exemplary mechanical fuse 300 . Gas turbine engine assembly 12 also includes at least one mechanical fuse 300 that is coupled between drive shaft 34 and gearbox input 104 . More specifically, and in the exemplary embodiment, drive shaft extension 136 includes a first portion 210 and a second portion 212 . First portion 210 is coupled to drive shaft 34 utilizing a plurality of splines 214 , for example, second portion 212 is coupled to gearbox input 104 utilizing a plurality of splines 216 , for example, and first portion 210 is coupled to second portion 212 utilizing at least one mechanical fuse 300 . Accordingly, mechanical fuse 300 is utilized to coupled first and second portions 210 and 212 together, such that drive shaft 34 is coupled to gearbox input 104 . In the exemplary embodiment, a plurality of fuses are utilized to couple first and second portions 210 and 212 together.
[0025] During operation, as second drive shaft 34 rotates, second drive shaft 34 causes gearbox input 104 to rotate, which subsequently rotates gearbox output 106 . Because bearing outer race 128 is coupled to aft fan assembly 52 , second drive shaft 34 causes aft fan assembly 52 to rotate via gearbox 100 in an opposite second direction 82 than forward fan assembly 50 . In the exemplary embodiment, gearbox 100 is located within a sump 160 defined between aft fan drive shaft 68 and a structural support member 162 configured to support aft fan assembly 52 . During operation, gearbox 100 is at least partially submerged within lubrication fluid contained in sump 160 . As such, gearbox 100 is facilitated to be continuously lubricated during engine operation.
[0026] Moreover, during operation of engine assembly 10 , an imbalance of engine 10 may cause high radial forces to be applied to aft fan assembly 52 (shown in FIG. 1 ). To compensate for the relatively high radial stresses and to facilitate ensuring continued engine operation, the mechanical fuse 200 and/or 300 may break such that forward fan assembly 50 continues to operate.
[0027] The gas turbine engine assembly described herein includes a counter-rotating (CR) fan assembly having a geared single rotation (SR) low-pressure turbine. The assembly facilitates reducing at least some of the complexities associated with known counter-rotating low-pressure turbines. More specifically, the gas turbine engine assembly described herein includes a front fan that is rotatably coupled to a single rotation low-pressure turbine, and an aft fan assembly and booster assembly that are rotatably coupled together, and driven by, the low-pressure turbine via a gearbox. The aft fan assembly and booster assembly are driven at the same speed, which, in the exemplary embodiment, is approximately one-half the front fan speed. Additionally, the gas turbine engine assembly described herein is configured such that approximately 40% of power generated by the low-pressure turbine is transmitted through the gearbox to the aft fan assembly to facilitate reducing gear losses.
[0028] Moreover, the gas turbine engine assembly described herein includes a mechanical fuse that is formed by a circled spline and arm assembly that is coupled between the aft fan assembly and the low-pressure turbine drive shaft to facilitate protecting the drive shaft against gear lock up. More specifically, the mechanical fuse described herein will break in the unlikely event that full LPT torque is transmitted to the gearbox during gearbox seizure. Since the gearbox drives the aft fan assembly and booster assembly, the over torque condition with fuse activation will not affect the front fan assembly. As a result, the engine is still capable of producing a useful amount of thrust. More specifically, in the event of a gearbox failure, i.e. the aft fan assembly ceases to rotate, the front fan assembly will continue to operate since it is directly driven by the low-pressure turbine.
[0029] As a result, the gas turbine engine assembly described herein facilitates increasing fan efficiency, reducing fan tip speed, and/or reducing noise. Moreover, since the gas turbine engine assembly described herein does not include a counter-rotating low-pressure turbine to drive the counter-rotating fan assemblies, various components such as, but not limited to, an outer rotating spool, a rotating rear frame, a second low-pressure turbine shaft, and a low-pressure turbine outer rotating seal are eliminated, thus reducing the overall weight of the gas turbine engine assembly. Moreover, in some gas turbine engine applications a mid turbine frame may be eliminated utilizing the methods and apparatuses described herein.
[0030] Exemplary embodiments of a gas turbine engine assembly that includes a gearbox coupled to a fan assembly are described above in detail. The components are not limited to the specific embodiments described herein, but rather, components of each system may be utilized independently and separately from other components described herein. The gearbox described herein can also be used in combination with other known gas turbine engines that include a forward and an aft fan assembly.
[0031] While the invention has been described in terms of various specific embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the invention can be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope of the claims.
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A method for assembling a gas turbine engine includes coupling a low-pressure turbine to a core turbine engine, coupling a gearbox to the low-pressure turbine, coupling a first fan assembly to the gearbox such that the first fan assembly rotates in a first direction, and coupling a mechanical fuse between the first fan assembly and the low-pressure turbine such that the mechanical fuse fails at a predetermined moment load.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention is generally concerned with parking barriers, and is specifically concerned with a battery operated, remote controlled parking barrier apparatus having a simple and reliable drive assembly for lifting and lowering a barrier arm.
Remote controlled parking barrier devices are known in the prior art. Such devices generally comprise a support base which is mountable in front of a parking space, and a barrier pivotally connected to the base that is movable into and out of a vehicle obstructing position. The mounting base contains an electric motor, a linkage for converting the rotational movement of the motor shaft into a pivoting movement of the barrier, and a radio-operated battery power supply for remotely actuating the electric motor to lift or lower the barrier connected to the mounting base.
Such parking barrier devices advantageously allow a parking lot or parking garage to reserve individual spaces for VIP's or other individuals. In operation, the mounting base of the device is bolted or otherwise secured on the floor or ceiling of the garage in front of the space to be reserved. The barrier (whether an arm or other structure) is then positioned so as to effectively block an intruding vehicle from entering the reserved space. The person for whom the space is reserved for is given a radio-operated controller not unlike a garage door opener. When a button on the controller is manually depressed, a coded radio signal is transmitted which causes battery power to be supplied to the electric motor within the mounting base of the unit. The motor, through the linkage, proceeds to pivot the barrier out of the vehicle obstructing position (i.e., usually toward the floor of the parking garage). Such parking barrier devices are becoming increasingly popular as they are easily installed, and are effective in reserving parking spaces without the need for a human attendant or an external supply of electrical power. Examples of such devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,438,799, 4,934,097, and 4,713,910.
Even though such parking barrier devices are capable of achieving their intended function, the applicant has noted a number of areas in which they might be improved.
For example, many prior art barrier devices utilize a fairly complex linkage between their respective electric motors and barrier arms to lift and lower the arms into and out of a traffic obstructing position. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,438,799 and 4,713,910 disclose linkages formed from telescopically inter fitting, slotted rails in combination with a cam arrangement, and a rack and pinion, and, pulley and cable arrangement, respectively. Each of these linkages includes a counterweight to minimize the amount of electrical energy needed to lift and lower their respective barrier arms. The mechanical complexity of such linkages not only increases the effort and expense associated with the manufacture of these devices, but also reduces their reliability by providing multiple points where the linkage can jam or otherwise malfunction over time as a result of wear or corrosion.
While U.S. Pat. No. 4,934,097 discloses a somewhat simpler linkage that advantageously uses a motion screw assembly, a plurality of precision made cams is necessary to effect the pivoting motion of the barrier arm. Additionally, the motion screw assembly is located in the barrier arm itself, thereby greatly increasing the weight and hence the power requirement to lift and lower the barrier arm.
In all three of the aforementioned prior art examples, a substantial amount of time and effort is needed to properly adjust the linkage during the assembly of the device so that the barrier arm of the respective device moves within its intended angular limits. Unfortunately, this substantial adjustment effort must be repeated when the arm is accidentally pushed out of alignment. Finally, many prior art devices of this type have no satisfactory provision for preventing damage to the linkage and power supply when the barrier is accidentally blocked during movement. Such a situation might occur if the barrier was actuated while a vehicle was standing in the path of movement of the arm.
Clearly, what is needed is a remote controlled parking barrier device that utilizes a simpler and more reliable linkage between its barrier arm and the electric motor which drives it. Preferably, none of the linkage components would be installed within or attached to the barrier arm itself so as to minimize the weight of the arm and hence the amount of electric power necessary to lift it to a traffic obstructing position. It would be desirable if the linkage of such a device were simple and inexpensive to manufacture and easily adjusted during assembly so that the barrier arm in the final product moved exactly between its intended angular limits. Finally, such a device should have a mechanism for preventing damage to the linkage or circuitry in the event the arm is accidentally obstructed during its movement.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Generally speaking, the invention is a remote controlled parking barrier apparatus that overcomes or ameliorates all of the aforementioned shortcomings associated with the prior art. The apparatus of the invention comprises a base housing, a barrier arm including a shaft rotatably mounted in the housing, and a drive assembly disposed within the base housing including a pivot arm having a proximal end fixed to the shaft, and a driver having a reciprocally driven plunger connected to a distal end of the pivot. The plunger is rotatably connected to the distal end of the pivot arm, while the driver is pivotally connected to a bottom wall of the base housing. The resulting simple linkage allows the plunger of the driver to rotate the pivot arm the 90° necessary to swing the barrier arm from a horizontal to a vertical position in a mechanically reliable manner with a minimum number of mechanical components.
In the preferred embodiment, the driver extends and retracts its plunger via a riding nut mechanism wherein the plunger is connected to a threaded rod, and the driver includes a reversible DC motor for rotating a nut engaged to the threads of the rod in either a clockwise or counterclockwise direction to extend or retract the plunger with respect to the housing of the driver. While other types of driver mechanisms may be used to implement the invention (i.e., electric solenoids, hydraulic or pneumatic cylinders, etc.) a riding nut-type driver powered by an electric motor is preferred due to the precision to which the stroke of the plunger may be controlled, the energy efficiency of such a mechanism, and the lack of backlash and mechanical slack between the rotating nut and the threads of the rods that move the plunger.
The parking barrier apparatus may include an adjustment mechanism for adjusting the length of the pivot arm and hence the angular stroke of the barrier arm. In the preferred embodiment, the pivot arm may be formed from one or two eyebolts whose heads are pivotally connected to the end of the plunger. In such a case, the adjustment mechanism is formed by the threaded ends of the eyebolts, which are screwed into the shaft that is rotatably mounted in the base housing to which the legs of the barrier arm are connected to. The angular stroke of the barrier arm may be easily shortened or lengthened by screwing the eyebolts forming the pivot arm either farther into or farther out of the rotatable shaft.
The reversible DC motor of the driver is preferably connected to an electrical power supply via a radio controlled switching circuit so that the barrier arm may be moved from a horizontal to a vertical position and back again by means of a radio-operated controller similar to that of a garage door opener. A solar battery panel is preferably mounted on the upper wall of the base housing to continuously recharge the battery supply. The barrier arm preferably includes an electrically conductive material that functions as an antenna for the radio-controlled switching circuit to improve the range and sensitivity of the switching circuit without the addition of any extra electrical components. Finally, an overload circuit is connected between the battery pack and the DC motor of the driver for reversing the unit upon the occurrence of an electrical overload condition which may be caused, for example, by an obstruction of the barrier arm.
The invention advantageously provides a remote controlled parking barrier apparatus that is mechanically simple and reliable and electrically self-sufficient for long periods of time. Moreover, the parking barrier device is simple and inexpensive to manufacture and easily adjusted during assembly so that the barrier arm in the final product moves exactly between its intended angular limits. Finally, the overload detection circuit prevents damage to both the linkage and the circuitry in the event that the arm is accidentally obstructed during its movement.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL FIGURES
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the parking barrier apparatus of the invention shown in operation in a parking lot;
FIG. 2 is a plan view of the base housing of the apparatus shown with its upper lid removed to display the driver assembly disposed therein;
FIG. 3 is a side view of the drive assembly illustrating how the pivot arm is moved 90° by the plunger of the pivotally mounted driver;
FIG. 4A is an exploded view of the coupling assembly used to interconnect the ends of the shaft that is rotatably mounted to the base housing and the legs of the barrier arm;
FIG. 4B is a perspective view of the coupling assembly illustrated in FIG. 4A shown in assembled form, and
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the drive assembly contained within the base housing, illustrating how the antenna of the radio-controlled switching circuit is threaded through the shaft and drive post that move the barrier arm.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 wherein like numerals designate like components throughout all of the several Figures, the parking barrier apparatus 1 of the invention generally comprises a base housing 3, a barrier arm 5, and a drive assembly 7 contained within the base housing 3 for moving the arm 5 between a vertical and horizontal position as indicated in phantom in FIG. 1. A radio actuator 9 similar in structure and design to a garage door opener actuates the drive assembly 7 to move the arm 5 into a horizontal, vehicle-admitted position, or a vertical, vehicle-obstructing position as indicated in FIG. 1. While the apparatus 1 is illustrated as being mounted on the floor of a parking lot, it may also be mounted on the ceiling when the lot is located within a parking garage.
The base housing 3 is formed from a rectangular enclosure 12 having a floor 14, side walls 16, and a lid 17, all of which are preferably formed from 14 gauge galvanized sheet material. Preferably, the corners and edges of the rectangular enclosure 12 are formed by seam welding to render the enclosure strong and moisture proof. Corner moisture barriers 18 are added to prevent water from entering the enclosure from bolt holes 20. Corner barriers 18 also give the enclosure 12 sufficient compressive strength to remain intact should the wheels of an automobile run over it. Bolt holes 20 are provided in the corners of the enclosure 12 to accommodate mounting bolts 22 that secure the enclosure 12 to the floor (or ceiling) of a parking lot, as illustrated in FIG. 1. As is shown in FIG. 2, an upper flange 23 is provided around the top ends of the side walls 16 for supporting the lid 17, which is attached thereon via "snake eye" screws to discourage unauthorized removal. In the preferred embodiment, the lid 17 supports, on its upper surface, a solar panel 24 that is covered by a protective plastic sheet 26 preferably formed from Lexan®. Solar panel 24 is preferably a 101/2 inch by 171/2 inch 17.1 volt, 0.58 amp unbreakable solar panel. As will be described in more detail hereinafter, the solar panel 24 forms part of the electric power supply 107 of the drive assembly 7.
The barrier arm 5 includes a frame 30 (which may be made of wood) having a pair of parallel, opposing legs 32a,b. A header 34 connects the top ends of the legs 32a,b, and an identifying sign 36 may be mounted in the upper portion of the frame 30 as shown. Reinforcing members 38a,b having reflective material 40 are used to both reinforce the frame 30 and to render it more easily visible under low light conditions. The bottom ends of the frame legs 32a,b are connected to drive posts 42a,b which in turn are operated by the drive assembly 7 in a manner to be described shortly. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, such connection may be made by brackets or screws (not shown) that secure the upper ends of the drive posts 42a,b to the bottom ends of the frame legs 32a,b. Alternatively, such connection may be made by forming the legs 32a,b from a tubular element such as tubular PVC 33a,b (shown in phantom in FIG. 2), and sliding the open ends of such legs over the tubular bodies forming the drive posts 42a,b.
With reference now to FIGS. 2 and 3, the drive assembly 7 includes a driver 45 having a cylindrical housing 47. A reciprocating plunger 49 is extendable from and retractable into the housing 47. As is partially illustrated in FIG. 3, plunger 49 is connected to a threaded rod 51 which in turn is circumscribed by a drive nut 53. Threaded rod 51 is circumscribed by an acme thread to minimize backlash. The drive nut 53 is connected to the output shaft of a reversible, DC motor 55 via a gear train (not shown). When the nut 53 is rotated within the housing 47, the threadedly engaged rod will either extend or retract, depending upon the direction of rotation of the nut. In the preferred embodiment, the driver 45 is a Model No. S12-17A8-04CE driver manufactured by Warner Electric, Inc. located in Marengo, Ill. Such a driver has a stroke of 4 inches, a load capacity of 75 pounds, and requires a maximum current of 52/3 amps and is protected by a 6 amp fuse (not shown) contained within housing 47. The 4 inch travel of the plunger 49 is limited by limit switches contained within the housing 47 (also not shown).
The distal end of the cylindrical housing 47 of the driver 45 is connected the floor panel 14 of the rectangular enclosure 12 by means of a pivoting driver mounting 57. Mounting 57 is formed by a yoke bracket 59 connected by screws 60 to the floor panel 14. The distal end of the cylindrical housing 47 includes a mounting lug 61. A journaling bolt 63 disposed through registering bores (not shown) in the yoke bracket 59 and mounting lugs 61 pivotally connects these components together.
A pivot arm assembly 65 is disposed at the distal end of the driver 45. Pivot arm assembly 65 is formed from a pair of eyebolts 67a,b, the heads 69 of which are rotatably connected to the distal end of the plunger 69 of the driver 45 via bolt 71. Bolt 71 is in turn secured in position by way of nut 73 (shown in FIG. 3). Drive assembly 7 further includes a mechanism 74 for adjusting the length of the pivot arm assembly 65. Mechanism 74 is formed from the threaded ends 75 of the eyebolts 67a,b. Threaded ends 75 are engaged to threaded holes 76 located in rotatable barrier arm shaft 77. The shaft 77 is in turn journaled in apertures in the side walls 16 of the rectangular enclosure 12 of base housing 3. The pivot arm assembly 65 may be made longer or shorter with respect to the axis of rotation of the shaft 77 by screwing or unscrewing the threaded ends 75 either into or out of the holes 76. As has been previously indicated, the provision of such a length-adjustment mechanism 74 for the pivot arm assembly 65 greatly facilitates the assembly of the apparatus 1, since it allows the pivot arm assembly 65 to be quickly and accurately adjusted to a length consistent with a proper 90° stroke of the shaft 77. As is shown in FIG. 3, once the length of the pivot arm assembly 65 has been properly adjusted, securing nuts 78 are screwed onto the threaded ends 75 to secure the threaded ends of the I-bolts 67a,b into a proper depth in the shaft 77.
With reference now to FIGS. 4A and 4B, the ends of the rotatable shaft 77 are journaled within apertures 79 in opposing side walls 16 of the enclosure 12 by means of coupling assemblies 80a,b, of which only one (80b) is shown for simplicity. The ends 82 of the shaft 77 are threaded as shown. The coupling assembly 80b includes a threaded sleeve 84 that screws over the threaded end 82 of the shaft 77 and through the aperture 79. Conduit fitting 86 is received within the end of the threaded sleeve 84 in order to prevent moisture from penetrating the interior of the sleeve 84. Retaining nuts 88a,b are disposed over the ends of the threaded sleeve 84 and on either side of the aperture 79 to prevent the shaft 77 from moving axially with respect to the side wall 16 of the enclosure 12. Retaining nut 88c secures both the conduit fitting 86 and retaining nut 88b in place. Spacing nut 90 screws over the threaded end 82 of the shaft 77 and provides space between the side wall 16 of the enclosure 12 and drive post 42b. Collar nut 92 is also screwed over the threaded end 82 of the shaft 77 via threaded side bores 94.
Collar nut 92 includes a central bore 96 for receiving an end of one of the previously-mentioned drive post 42b. To better secure the end of the drive post 42b within the coupling assembly 80b, post 42b is provided with apertures 97a,b which receive the threaded end 82 of the shaft 77. A set screw bore 98 is also provided in the collar nut 92 for receiving a set screw (not shown) for clamping the end of the drive post 42b within the collar nut 92. The set screw includes a hexagonal recess for receiving an Allen wrench which may be used to over ride the system and lower the barrier in the event of power failure or the loss of the remote control device. A washer 100 is disposed between the collar nut 92 and the interface of frame leg 32b. Finally, coupling assembly 80 includes a frame mounting nut 102 that screws over the distal most portion of the threaded end 82 in order to attach the end of the frame leg 32b onto the drive post 42b. Mounting nut 102 is received within a cylindrical recess 103 provided in the end of the frame leg 32b. The bottom of the drive post 42b is capped via plastic cap 106 after the distal end of the post is inserted through the collar nut 92. While not indicated specifically in any of the drawings, it should be noted that the upper ends of both of the drive posts 42a,b are also screwed or otherwise secured onto the frame legs 32a,b so that the frame 30 of the barrier arm 5 is securely mounted onto the drive posts 42a,b.
With reference now to FIGS. 2 and 5, the electrical power supply 7 for the motor 55 of the driver 45 includes a battery pack 108 which is connected to the previously described solar panel 24 via a photovoltaic regulator 110. In the preferred embodiment, the battery pack 108 is a Model No. MP-7-12 volt Yuasa battery manufactured by the Yuasa Battery Company located in Osaka, Japan, while the photovoltaic regulator 110 is preferably a Model "Sun Selector" manufactured by Bobier Electric, Inc. located in Parkersburg, W.V. The electric motor 55 of the driver 45 is connected to the output of the battery pack 108 via a radio-controlled switching circuit 112. In the preferred embodiment, switching circuit 112 is a Model No. WR300/2B radio receiver manufactured by Visonic, Inc. located in Bloomfield, Conn., while the radio actuator 9 (illustrated in FIG. 1) is a Model No. WT-102 transmitter manufactured by the same organization. An overload circuit 116 is connected between the battery pack 108 and the motor 55 of the driver 45. This circuit reverses the polarity of the current entering the motor 55 in the event of an overload condition so as to reverse the direction that the driver 45 moves the barrier arm. A 6 amp fuse is included within the housing of the driver 45 as further overload protection. As is illustrated in FIG. 5, the antenna 113 of the radio-controlled switching circuit 112 may be strung through the hollow portion of the shaft 77 and the drive post 42b and continuing up into the barrier.
The operation of the apparatus 1 may best be understood with respect to FIGS. 1 and 2. When the person for whom a particular parking space 120 is reserved approaches the space in his vehicle, he depresses a button on the radio actuator 9, which is received by the antenna 113 of the radio-controlled switching circuit 112. The actuation of the circuit 112 connects the battery pack 108 of the electrical power supply 107 to the motor 55 of the driver 45. Just prior to such actuation, the barrier arm 5 of the apparatus 1 is in the vertical position illustrated in FIG. 1, and the reciprocating plunger 49 of the driver 45 is retracted into the position illustrated in FIG. 3. After the actuation of the switching circuit 112, motor 55 rotates the drive nut 53 of the driver 45 to extend the reciprocating plunger 49 into the position illustrated in phantom in order to move the barrier arm 5 from a vertical, upright position 90° into the horizontal position illustrated in phantom. As is illustrated in FIG. 3, the pivoting driver mounting 57 allows the driver 45 to pivot downwardly toward the floor panel 14 and then upwardly a distance d while the plunger 49 rotates the shaft 77 90° via pivot arm assembly 65. Hence, the linear movement of the plunger 49 of the driver 45 is smoothly converted into a 90° circular movement by the action of the pivoting mounting 57 in allowing the driver 45 to pivot up and down the distance "d," similar to the action of pneumatic door closer. When the barrier arm 5 finally arrives at the prone, horizontal position illustrated in phantom in FIG. 1, a limit switch (not shown) is tripped within the driver 45, disconnecting the motor 55 from the output of the battery pack 108 and signaling the radio-controlled switching circuit 112 that the movement cycle of the barrier arm 5 has been completed. The operator of the vehicle for whom the space has been reserved then parks his vehicle into the space 120. When the vehicle operator leaves the space 120, he again depresses the button, whereupon the radio-controlled switching circuit 112 again closes a circuit between the motor 55 and the battery pack 108, but at an opposite polarity so that the direction of the rotation of the electric motor 55 is reversed. The plunger is then withdrawn into the housing 47 of the driver 45 until the barrier arm 5 then assumes the vertical position illustrated in FIG. 1, whereupon the limit switch within the driver 45 is tripped, thereby breaking the circuit between the motor 55 and the battery pack 108. In the event that the barrier arm becomes obstructed, current sensing circuit 116 senses the resulting current overload condition and reverses the polarity of the current, thus causing the driver 45 to move the arm 7 in an opposite direction.
Although the invention has been described with respect to a preferred embodiment, various modifications, additions, and variations will become evident to those of ordinary skill in the art. All such modifications, variations, and additions are intended to be encompassed within the scope of this invention, which is limited only by the claims appended hereto.
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A radio-operated parking barrier apparatus is provided that includes a base housing, a barrier arm including a shaft rotatably mounted in the housing, and a drive assembly disposed within the base housing that includes a pivot arm having a proximal end affixed to the shaft, and a driver having a reciprocally driven plunger movably connected to a distal end of the pivot arm. The back end of the driver is pivotally connected to the floor panel of the base housing to accommodate the vertical movement of the accurate motion that the end of the plunger must necessarily follow in converting the linear movement of the plunger into the rotation movement of the barrier arm around the shaft mounted in the base housing. The driver preferably utilizes a threaded shaft and drive nut to reciprocate the driver in operating the device. The drive assembly provides a simple and reliable linkage between the barrier arm and the base housing.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to cable for power transmission/distribution or for telecommunication. In particular, the present invention relates to a cable comprising an element for spotting prolonged contact between the cable, in particular the cable core, and water.
[0002] The present invention further relates to a method for detecting the absence of prolonged contact of a cable core with water.
BACKGROUND ART
[0003] Electric cables may be used for both direct current (DC) or alternating current (AC) transmission or distribution.
[0004] Cables for power transmission or distribution at medium or high voltage generally are provided with a metallic electric conductor (usually aluminium or copper) surrounded—from the radially innermost layer to the radially outermost layer—with an inner semiconductive layer, an insulating layer and an outer semiconductive layer respectively.
[0005] In the present description, the term “medium voltage” is used to refer to a voltage typically from about 1 kV to about 30 kV and the term “high voltage” refers to a voltage above 30 kV.
[0006] Telecommunication cables typically comprises at least one telecommunication conductor, e.g. an optical fibre contained in a tube optionally together with water swellable elements in form of gel, yarns or powder. Depending on the size and on the scope intended for the telecommunication cable, the tube is in turn contained in a sheath.
[0007] As “cable core” it is herein meant the portion of the electric or telecommunication cable comprising the electric or telecommunication conductor and the adjacent cable elements.
[0008] Many problems can arise due to water contacting the cable core.
[0009] In the case of electric cables, conductor and insulating layer are particularly sensitive to such a contact. Water can induce corrosion of aluminium conductors and cause the formation of gaseous hydrogen in the insulating layer, the so-called “water-treeing” phenomenon can impair the dielectric strength and bring to cable perforation during operation.
[0010] In the case of telecommunication cables, the optical fibre telecommunication conductors can undergo attenuation phenomena in contact with water. Also, water can reach and degrade closure or other termination device and/or can damage electronics mounted within the closure or other termination device.
[0011] Thus, the penetration of water into cables, and stagnation therein, is an event that should be avoided as it spoils the cable reliability.
[0012] After manufacturing, cables are usually stored and shipped with protection caps on their heads.
[0013] However, the penetration and stagnation of water within the cable core can occur despite the above precautions. In particular, water penetration and stagnation cannot be excluded during installation, for example due to negligence of the installing personnel.
[0014] Water diffused into a cable via cable head can be eliminated by, for example, blowing nitrogen. The problem is when the water penetration and stagnation in a cable is not readily visible because, for example, the cable head dried before inspection. In such instance, water can have caused damages to the cable core and can even be still present in the cable in a position distant from the cable head.
[0015] GB 1,420,365 relates to an electric cable, which is self-sealing upon penetration by water, comprising one or more insulated conductors located within a cable sheath, said cable sheath accommodating a composition consisting of a material or a mixture of materials which significantly changes colour when contacted by water, together with a material or a mixture of materials which swells and optionally evolves a gas when in contact with water.
[0016] A mixture of materials, which change colours, comprises potassium ferrocyanide and ammonium iron(III) sulfate. The dry mixture is white/yellow but following contact with water it turns to an intense blue (for example, Prussian blue). Alternatively, materials which when dry display only little colour or no colour at all, but which yield an intensely coloured aqueous solution may alternatively be used (for example, Astra diamond green).
[0017] The Applicant noted that the materials or mixtures disclosed above react as soon as they come into contact with water. Such fast reactions are not desired because could generate useless alarm. As a fact, brief water washings do not substantially harm the cable integrity.
[0018] High sensitivity of the material to humidity or moisture is equally undesirable as it could give place to unwanted reaction also at the manufacturing stage.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0019] The Applicant faced the problem of distinguishing when the contact between cable and water lasted enough to compromise the operability of the cable, rather than when such a contact was brief and harmless.
[0020] The Applicant noted that cable cores are not damaged if the contact with water last for few minutes (usually until 10 minutes), as it can happen, for example, during manufacturing process, due to accidental contact with droplets of waters.
[0021] The Applicant found that the above problem can be solved by providing cables with an indicating element capable of changing appearance when continuously contacted by water for a significant time period.
[0022] Said indicating element allows avoiding unnecessary alarms that may arise after a short contact time between the electric cable and water.
[0023] In addition of being substantially inert to humidity or moisture, the indicating element should irreversibly change appearance when in contact with water for a significant time period. Such a characteristic allows the indicating element to spot prolonged contact between the cable and water even after a long period and/or after drying.
[0024] In a first aspect, the present invention relates to a cable comprising at least one cable core containing an indicating element irreversibly discolouring after being in contact with water for a time of at least 10 minutes.
[0025] For the purpose of the present description and of the appended claims, except where otherwise indicated, all numbers expressing amounts, quantities, percentages, and so forth, are to be understood as being modified in all instances by the term “about”. Also, all ranges include any combination of the maximum and minimum points disclosed and include any intermediate ranges therein, which may or may not be specifically enumerated herein.
[0026] The cable of the present invention can be an electric cable for power transmission/distribution or a telecommunication cable.
[0027] In the case of an electric cable, the term of “cable core” indicates—the present description and claims—an electric conductor surrounded and in contact with a protecting layer. The protecting layer can be selected from insulating layer and inner semiconducting layer, the latter being in turn surrounded and in contact with an insulating layer.
[0028] The electric conductor of the cable of the invention can be made of aluminium, copper or composites thereof. The conductor can be in form of a metal rod or of metal stranded wires.
[0029] Electric cables of the present invention can further comprise an outer semiconductive layer, being provided to contact and surround the insulating layer.
[0030] Preferably, electric cables of the invention have three cable cores.
[0031] As for telecommunication cables, the term of “cable core” indicates—the present description and claims—at least one optical fibre surrounded by a retaining tube. The retaining tube can house water swellable material in form of gel, yarn or powder.
[0032] In the present description and claims as “optical fibre” is meant a telecommunication transmission element and a cladding surrounding it, both telecommunication transmission element and cladding being typically made of glass, and a coating system surrounding the cladding, said coating system comprising at least one coating layer, generally two, based on a UV or IR curable polymer.
[0033] The coating system of the optical fibre transmission core can be surrounded by buffer layer made of a thermally curable material.
[0034] Telecommunication cables of the invention can further comprise an outer sheath housing at least one cable core.
[0035] In the present description and claim the verb “to discolour” is intended to mean changing, acquiring or loosing colour.
[0036] Advantageously, the indicating element of the cable of the invention comprises a water-insoluble marker irreversibly discolouring after being in contact with water for a time of at least 10 minutes.
[0037] The marker of the indicating element of the invention takes at least 10 minutes in contact with water to display an irreversible discolouring.
[0038] In addition of being substantially inert to humidity or moisture, the marker should be insoluble or very low soluble in water. Such a characteristic avoid the marker being washed away by short water contacts.
[0039] In the present description and claims as “water-insoluble” it is meant a substance incapable or negligibly capable of dissolving into water and accordingly being removed from its location in the cable by solution in water.
[0040] Preferably the marker of the invention has a solubility in water less than 1 g, more preferably less than 0.5 g in 100 g of water measured at a temperature of 20° C. The marker of the invention can be insoluble in water having a solubility of 0 g in 100 g of water.
[0041] Said marker is capable of maintaining the appearance taken after prolonged contact with water even when dried.
[0042] Advantageously, said marker is soluble in organic solvents. Preferably, the marker is soluble in at least one organic solvent selected from methanol, ethanol, n-propanol, i-propanol, n-butanol, sec-butanol, tert.-butanol, acetone, butanone, 3-petanone, methyl isopropyl ketone, methyl isobutyl ketone, ethyl acetate, acetic acid, ethyl ether, di-tert.-butylether, diisobutyl ether, methyl acetate, propyl acetate, butyl acetate, cyclohexane, tetrahydrofuran.
[0043] The marker for the cable of the invention is, preferably, an acid-base indicator, In the present description and claims as “acid-base indicator” it is meant a substance (or dye) which discolours with the variation of the pH value.
[0044] Acid-base indicators suitable for the present invention are dyes able to discolour with pH changing in a range of from 3.5 to 8.0, preferably of from 5.0 to 7.5.
[0045] Preferably, said marker is heat-resistant at least up to about 100° C. More preferably, said marker is heat-resistant up to about 150° C. and, even more preferably, up to about 200° C.
[0046] In the present description and claims, as “heat-resistant” indicates a substance that, up to a predetermined temperature, does not undergo degradation phenomena possibly impairing the physical-chemical characteristics thereof.
[0047] For example, the marker can be selected from the group comprising acridine, alizarin red, benzaurin, bromocresol purple, bromophenol red, bromothymol blue, bromoxylenol blue, 5-carboxy-fluorescein diacetate, 6-carboxy-fluorescein diacetate, 5(6)-carboxy-fluorescein diacetate succinimidyl ester, 5-carboxy-naphtha-fluorescein, 6-carboxy-naphtha-fluorescein, 5-carboxy-naphtho-fluorescein diacetate, chlorophenol red, δ-dinitrophenol, fluorescein diacetate, fluorescein-5-isothiocyanate, gallein, heptametoxy red, lurninol, 4-methylesculetin, methyl red, 4-nitrocatechol, p-nitrophenol, phenolbenzein, phenolmalein, propyl red, pyrogallol-phthalein, resorcein, resorcinmalein, resorufin and rhodol green.
[0048] Most preferably, said marker is alizarin red.
[0049] In a preferred embodiment, indicating element of the cable of the invention comprises a supporting material.
[0050] Preferably, the marker for the cable of the invention is associated with a supporting material. For example, the marker for the cable of the invention can be absorbed in or adsorbed on the supporting material.
[0051] Supporting materials suitable for the present invention are preferably chemically/physically inert to water.
[0052] Supporting materials suitable for the present invention are preferably heat-resistant at least up to 100° C.
[0053] Advantageously, the supporting material is heat-resistant up to 150° C., more preferably up to 200° C.
[0054] Supporting materials suitable for the invention are preferably polymeric material, either natural or synthetic.
[0055] For example, the supporting material can be cellulose, polyamide or polyesters.
[0056] The supporting material can be provided in various forms suitable for the cable construction, for example in form of threads, yarns, tapes or sheets.
[0057] The average amount of marker associated to the supporting material preferably ranges from 4·10 −4 g to 12·10 −4 g per 1 g of supporting material.
[0058] In the cable of the present invention the indicating element can be present in at least one of the following positions: in the case of electric cable within the metal wires of the conductor or at the interface between the conductor and the protecting layer (either an insulating layer or a semiconductive layer); in the case of telecommunication cable, bundled with the optical fibre/s within the retaining tube.
[0059] In a second aspect, the present invention relates to a process for producing a cable comprising at least one cable core containing an indicating element that irreversibly discolours after being in contact with water for a time of at least 10 minutes, said indicating element comprising a marker and a supporting material, wherein the marker is associated to the supporting material by
dissolving the marker in an organic solvent to provide a solution; impregnating the supporting material with said solution; evaporating the organic solvent to dry the supporting material and provide the indicating element.
[0063] Advantageously, the marker is dissolved in an organic solvent at a concentration of, preferably, up to 5 wt %.
[0064] Preferably, the solution of the marker into the organic solvent is a saturated solution.
[0065] Preferably, said organic solvent has a boiling temperature below 150° C., more preferably below 100° C.
[0066] The organic solvent of the process of the invention is selected from those already mentioned above as solvents where the marker is soluble in.
[0067] Following evaporation of the organic solvent, the supporting material with the marker enters into the cable manufacturing through paying off station depending on the desired position of the marker within the cable.
[0068] The indicating element according to the present invention may be advantageously used in a method for detecting if a cable has been in contact with water for a period of time sufficient to compromise the operability of the cable itself.
[0069] Thus, in a third aspect, the present invention relates to a method for detecting absence of contamination by water in a cable, said method comprising the steps of:
providing a cable comprising at least one cable core containing an indicating element capable of irreversibly discolouring after being in contact with water for a time of at least 10 minutes; causing the cable to get in contact with water for less than 10 minutes, and verifying the indicating element remained unchanged.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
[0073] The present invention will be better understood by reading the following detailed description, given by way of example and not of limitation, to be read with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
[0074] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of an electric cable according to an embodiment of the present invention;
[0075] FIG. 2 shows a cross section of an electric cable according to another embodiment of the present invention;
[0076] FIG. 3 shows a cross section of a telecommunication cable according to a further embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0077] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of an electric cable 11 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0078] The electric cable 1 of FIG. 11 comprises a conductor 12 , an inner semiconductive layer 13 , an insulating layer 14 , which constitute the cable core. The cable core is surrounded by an outer semiconductive layer 15 , a metal shield 16 and an outer sheath 17 .
[0079] The conductor 12 generally comprises metal wires, which are preferably made of copper or aluminium, and which are braided together by using conventional technique.
[0080] The cross sectional area of the conductor 12 is determined in relationship with the power to be transported at the selected voltage. Preferred cross sectional areas for electric cables according to the present invention range from 16 mm 2 to 1,600 mm 2 .
[0081] Inner semiconductive layer 13 , insulating layer 14 and outer semiconductive layer 15 are made polymeric material.
[0082] Polymeric materials suitable for layers 13 , 14 and 15 can be selected from the group comprising: polyolef ins, copolymers of different olefins, copolymers of an olefin with an ethylenically unsaturated ester, polyesters and mixtures thereof.
[0083] Examples of suitable polymers are: polyethylene (PE), in particular low density PE (LDPE), medium density PE (MOPE), high density PE (HDPE), linear low density PE (LLDPE), ultra-low density polyethylene (ULDPE); polypropylene (PP) and copolymers thereof; elastomeric ethylene/propylene copolymers (EPR) or ethylene/propylene/diene terpolymers (EPDM); natural rubber; butyl rubber; ethylene/vinyl ester copolymers, for example ethylene/vinyl acetate (EVA); ethylene/acrylate copolymers, in particular ethylene/methyl acrylate (EMA), ethylene/ethyl acrylate (EEA) and ethylene/butyl acrylate (EBA); ethylene/α-olefin thermoplastic copolymers; and copolymers thereof or mechanical mixtures thereof.
[0084] In the case of inner semiconductive layer 13 and outer semiconductive layer 15 , the above listed polymeric materials are added with an electro-conductive carbon black, for example electro-conductive furnace black or acetylene black, so as to confer semiconductive properties to the polymer material.
[0085] The insulating layer 14 can be made of polymeric a thermoplastic material, which comprises a thermoplastic polymer material including a predetermined amount of a dielectric liquid. Example of thermoplastic insulating layers are disclosed in WO 02/03398, WO 02/27731, WO 04/066318, WO 07/048422 e WO 08/058572
[0086] Preferably, the metal shield 16 is made of a continuous metal tube or of a metal sheet shaped into a tube and welded or sealed using an adhesive material so as to make it watertight.
[0087] In a preferred embodiment, the metal shield 16 is made of a continuous metal sheet, preferably of aluminium or copper, which is shaped as a tube.
[0088] The outer sheath 17 preferably is made of polymer material, such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC) or polyethylene (PE).
[0089] In the embodiment of FIG. 1 , an indicating element 18 , in form of a yarn supporting material impregnated with a marker of the invention, is provided within the metal wires of the conductor 12 . More than one yarn can be present within the metal wires of the conductor/s.
[0090] FIG. 2 shows another embodiment of the invention. FIG. 2 illustrates a cable 21 comprising three cable cores. Each cable core comprises a conductor 22 , an inner semiconductive layer 23 , an insulating layer 24 . Each cable core is surrounded by an outer semiconductive layer 25 and by a metal shield 26 and an outer sheath 17 . Conductors 22 are each made of a solid aluminium rod.
[0091] The three cable cores are stranded and embedded into filler (or bedding) 29 which, in turn, is surrounded by an outer sheath 27 . Outer sheath 27 can be made of the same material already disclosed in connection with outer sheath 17 of FIG. 1 .
[0092] The materials of inner semiconductive layer 23 , insulating layer 24 , and outer semiconductive layer 25 can be as those already mentioned in connection with cable 11 of FIG. 1 for analogous cable portions.
[0093] In the embodiment of FIG. 2 , an indicating element 28 , in form of a yarn supporting material impregnated with a marker of the invention, is provided at the interface between conductor 22 and the adjacent protecting layer, in the present case the inner semiconductive layer 23 of at least one cable core.
[0094] Indicating element 28 can be provided for each cable core of a multicore cable.
[0095] The indicating element 28 can be, alternatively or additionally, a yarn or tape wound around the conductor/s 22 .
[0096] FIG. 3 shows a cross section of a telecommunication cable 31 according to an embodiment of the invention. A group 32 of six optical fibres are loosely contained in a retaining tube 33 to constitute the cable core. Cable 31 comprises four cable cores contained in a polymeric sheath 34 . Embedded in the sheath 34 are two radially opposed strength members 35 made, for example, of fibres glass or Kevlar®.
[0097] An indicating element 36 , in form of a yarn supporting material impregnated with a marker of the invention, is provide within the retaining tube 33 .
[0098] The yarn 18 , 28 , 36 is made of cotton.
[0099] The marker supported by the yarn 18 , 28 , 36 is alizarin red, an acid-base indicator of formula
[0000]
[0100] CAS Registry Number 72-48-0, which is yellow at pH 5.5 and irreversibly turns to red at pH 6.8
[0101] Alizarin red is virtually insoluble in water and soluble, for example, in ethanol and acetic acid. The melting point is of about 290° C.
[0102] The cable according to the present invention can be manufactured by process known to the skilled in the art. The indicating element can be paid using common process apparatus at a suitable step of the manufacturing process. For example, when the indicating element is to be positioned within the wires of an electric conductor, the indicating element in form of yarn/s is stranded together with the wires. For example, when the indicating element is to be positioned between the electric conductor and the protecting layer (insulating layer or inner semiconducting layer), the indicating element in form of yarn/s or tape is wound around the conductor before extruding said layer. For example, when the indicating element is to be positioned within a retaining tube for housing optical fibres, the indicating element in form of yarn/s is joined to the optical fibre bundle and the polymeric material is extruded around according to known technique.
[0103] The following examples are intended to further illustrate the present invention, without however restricting it in any way.
EXAMPLE 1
[0104] Alizarine red (0.0206 g) was dissolved, at room temperature, in n-butyl alcohol (85 ml) to provide a saturated solution.
[0105] Two samples of white 100% cotton yarn (510 dtex; weight of 0.23 g/m) were immersed into the resulting solution, kept them until impregnated, then taken off and dried in an oven at 50° C. for 5 minutes. Both the dried samples became yellow cream-coloured. The red alizarine content in the yarn was of about 2·10 − g/m.
[0106] Subsequently, one sample yellow cream-coloured was immersed in tap water, at room temperature, for 20 minutes, while the other was immersed in tap water for 10 days.
[0107] Alter about 15 minutes from the immersion in water both the samples became red-purple. The sample left in immersion for 10 days did not loose colour. Both the samples maintained such colour even after complete drying.
[0108] The test was repeated by dissolving to saturation red alizarine in acetone and ethyl acetate. Equivalent results were obtained.
COMPARATIVE EXAMPLE 1
[0109] A paper tape sample was immersed for 5 minutes in an aqueous solution of methylene blue at 2 wt % at room temperature, until impregnation. The sample was then taken off and dried in an oven at 60° C. for some hours.
[0110] The dried sample was immersed in tap water and kept therein for 24 hours without any stirring. No discoloring was observed.
[0111] Methylene blue, though soluble in water, was not washed off. Subsequent tests performed also under mild stirring provided ambiguous results, i.e. in some cases the paper tapes resulted somewhat discoloured, but not in an unquestionable way.
[0112] The use of a water soluble dye as methylene blue does not provide affordable results and is not suitable for the indicating element according to the invention.
COMPARATIVE EXAMPLE 2
[0113] A paper tape sample was dipped for 5 minutes in an aqueous suspension of calcium hydroxide at room temperature. The sample was then dried in an oven at 60° C. for some hours.
[0114] The dried sample was immersed in an alcoholic solution of phenolphthalein at 1 wt % and kept therein for 5 minutes, then taken off and dried in an oven at 60° C. for 30 minutes.
[0115] The dried sample, having substantially the original colour of the tape, was then immersed into tap water and immediately displayed a vivid pink colour due to phenolphthalein turning. Remaining the sample immersed into water, the pink colour of the sample started to fade and completely disappeared after a couple of hours.
[0116] Due to the solubility in water, phenolphthalein cannot be used in an indicating element of the present invention.
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A cable includes an indicating element for detecting the infiltration of water into the cable and a method using such indicating element.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Numerous conveyor systems for intermittently transporting articles along a distance are known. In many such systems, a driven belt comprises the conveyor surface. This belt is driven by chain or other means to cause the belt and the objects placed thereon to advance.
Maintenance of belt centering on intermittent drive systems can be difficult. Further, such systems have a large gap between the conveyor edge and adjoining surfaces, due to the relatively large radius of the driven pulleys around which the belt is passed. Additionally, providing positive braking for such systems increases system costs and puts stress on the driving mechanism.
It is thus a primary object of the present invention to produce an intermittently driven roller conveyor system which runs quietly and which may be braked without causing excessive stress to the driving mechanism.
THE PRESENT INVENTION
By means of the present invention, a conveyor system having these desired properties is disclosed.
The conveyor system of the present invention includes a conveying surface formed from a plurality of idler rollers, belt means for providing drive force to the idler rollers and means for intermittently contacting the idler rollers with the belt drive means. In one embodiment, belt brake means are also employed, with the means for intermittently contacting the belt drive means with the idler rollers contacting the belt brake means with the idler rollers when the idler rollers are out of contact with the belt drive means. Such a system permits the drive means to operate independent of the idler rollers and does not require positive braking of the drive means itself.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The conveyor system of the present invention will be more fully described with reference to the drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is a top elevational view, with portions of the conveyor surface removed, illustrating the conveyor of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the conveyor; and
FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the conveyor.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Turning to the FIGURES, the conveyor system of the present invention is generally illustrated at 10. The conveyor 10 includes a plurality of idler rollers 12 forming the conveying surface. The rollers 12 are free-wheeling and are mounted for rotation upon pins 14. One simple manner for mounting the rollers 12 is to mount chain link members 16 onto frame members 18 and 19 by means of fasteners 20 and to use the prongs 14 from the chain links 16 as supports for the idler rollers 12. This permits easy removal of individual rollers 12 when necessary, without the need for extensive dismantlement of the conveyor surface. Additionally, the chain links 16 provide a smooth, hardened precision surface for mounting of the idler rollers 12.
Running beneath the idler rollers 12 at one end thereof is a belt 22. As will be seen below, this belt 22 provides the driving force for rotation of the free-wheeling rollers 12. As can best be seen in FIG. 2, this belt 22 is mounted around a plurality of guide rollers 24, 26, 28 and 30 and above support rolls 32. The belt 22 is driven around drive roll 34, which drive roll 34 is connected to motor means 36, which motor means may be an electric motor, a pneumatic motor or the like.
The belt 22 is preferably a circular rubber or plastic belt, but could, of course, take other shapes. In operation, the motor means 36 operates to rotate drive roll 34, and thus belt 22, continuously.
Mounted beneath the idler rollers 12 at the other end thereof, in one embodiment, is a second belt 38. When employed, this belt 38 is mounted in a non-rotating manner between plates 40 and 42 and upon a bar 43 mounted therebetween. Its operation will be described below.
The driving and braking of the conveyor system 10 is best illustrated in FIG. 3. In FIG. 3, the conveyor 10 is shown in its driven position. The rollers 24, 26, 28, 30 and 32 and thus the belt 22, and the bar 43 and thus belt 38, are mounted on inner frame members 44 and 46 respectively, and not on the outer frame members 18 and 19. The inner frame members 44 and 46 are pivotably mounted upon a pivot member 48. Pivot member 48 is connected by suitable linkage 50 to an air cylinder 52. The pivoting member 48 is also held to the main frame members 18 and 19 by means of frame members 54 and 56, with the pivoting member 48 being pin mounted at 58 to frame member 56.
When driving of the rollers 12 is desired, air pressure is supplied from a source not shown to the air cylinder 52 to force its piston rod 60 outwardly, thus pivoting pivot member 48 about pin 58 to the position shown in FIG. 3 and contacting driven belt 22 firmly against the free-wheeling rollers 12. Adjustable stop means 64 provides a limit to the amount of motion of pivot member 48, thus limiting the amount of pressure between belt 22 and rollers 12.
When driven action is no longer required, air pressure is no longer supplied to the cylinder 52. At that point, spring 62, surrounding stop means 62, pivots pivoting member 48 about pin 58 in the opposite direction, removing belt 22 from contact with the rollers 12. Thus, the conveyor system 10 is normally biased such that the rollers 12 are not driven, and may possibly be braked, as will be seen below, and driving action is applied to the rollers 12 only when an appropriate air signal is given to air cylinder 52.
In one embodiment, a positive braking action is applied to the free-wheeling rollers 12 when driving action is not applied thereto. Thus, when the air signal is removed from the air cylinder 52 and the spring member 62 pivots pivoting member 48 to remove the belt 22 from contact with the rollers 12, brake belt 38 now contacts the rollers 12. The friction supplied by this belt 38, which belt 38 is firmly mounted to resist rotation, brakes the free-wheeling rolling action of the belts 12.
As can be seen in FIG. 1, a plurality of pivoting drive and brake means 48 may be positioned beneath the rollers 12. If more than one pivoting means 48 is provided, these pivoting means 48 act in unison with one another to provide a single drive or brake action to the entire conveyor surface formed by rollers 12. This could be accomplished, for example, by linking the air cylinders 52 to a common air signal supply line. Of course, a plurality of conveyors formed according to the present invention could be located abutting one another, with some conveyors being in their braked condition while others are in their driven condition.
From the foregoing, it is clear that the present invention provides a conveyor mechanism in which the driving means is not subjected to the stress of a braking action.
While presently preferred embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described, it will be understood that the invention may be otherwise variously embodied and practiced within the scope of the following claims.
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A conveyor system is disclosed in which a plurality of free-wheeling conveyor rollers are rotated by means of a driven belt which intermittently contacts the conveyor rollers when driven motion is desired. The rollers may also be braked by means of a second belt member which may contact the conveyor rollers at those times when the driven belt is out of contact with the rollers.
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CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 12/751,980, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,154,119, entitled “Compliant Spring Interposer for Wafer Level Three Dimensional (3D) Integration and Method of Manufacturing,” filed on Mar. 31, 2010, which is assigned to the assignee hereof and hereby expressly incorporated by reference herein.
FIELD
The invention relates to an interposer module that bridges chips (or wafers) to a substrate and routes interconnection lines. More particularly, the invention relates to a compliant spring interposer for wafer level three dimensional (3D) integration and method of manufacturing the same.
BACKGROUND
An interposer module (also called an interposer wafer) is used to bridge or connect multiple devices, chips or wafers to a substrate. Designing an interposer module is difficult because the interposer module needs to account for different sized and shaped devices having different topologies. Heterogeneous integration requires the interposer module to incorporate different sized and shaped devices that generally have different topologies. For example, the difference in device heights makes the design of the interposer module challenging because the designer needs to adjust the vertical topology of the interposer module to be exactly matched with the device heights. This requires accurate control of the fabrication process.
In addition, the interposer module has limits in selecting bonding methods and requires multiple bonding. Heterogeneous integration generally requires multiple bonding processes. The bonding process becomes more frequent as the number of devices increases. The difficulty becomes more challenging when the devices are stacked in a three-dimensional (3D) orientation.
Existing interposer modules have several drawbacks. For example, the different device topologies have different device heights making it difficult to properly integrate the devices. To modulate the different heights, prior methods involved stacking bump materials or using bonding methods that compress bonding material. However, both methods are difficult because these methods do not allow for accurate control of the fabrication process. Furthermore, even though the device topologies for integration can be adjusted or involves identically designed devices, the device topologies can be diverse because of fabrication variations. This diversity cannot be controlled and the process should be designed to compensate for the unpredictable difference in wafer surface profile, material deposition thickness, material etching rate, wafer bowing, etc.
Another drawback is the number of different bonding processes required for the different devices. Typically, as the number of devices increase, so does the number of bonding processes. The multiple bonding processes involve different bonding steps, materials and conditions such as temperature, pressure, voltage, etc. The sequence of bonding processes should be carefully designed and controlled so that latter bonding methods do not damage former bonding materials and former bonding methods do not generate any issues to disturb the latter bonding conditions. The multiple bonding processes also generate several thermal cycles, which can produce problems such as device stress, wafer bowing, material oxidation, inter-material reaction, outgasing, and material damages.
In some situations, the devices need to be encapsulated to protect them from damage or contamination created by dust, debris, particles, humidity or chemicals. Some applications need a hermetically sealed vacuum package to improve device performance and reliability. These goals are generally achieved by employing additional wafers that cap the devices, which, however, increase fabrication complexity and cost and produce yield problems.
The above drawbacks provide challenges to designers of interposer modules. Thus, there is a need for an interposer module that overcomes the above drawbacks.
SUMMARY
In one embodiment, the present invention is an apparatus for integrating multiple devices. The apparatus includes a substrate having a first via and a second via, a semiconductor chip positioned on a top portion of the substrate and positioned between the first via and the second via, first and second bumps positioned on the semiconductor chip, and an interposer wafer having a first interposer spring assembly and a second interposer spring assembly, the first interposer spring assembly having a first interposer spring and a first electrical connection attached to the first interposer spring, and the second interposer spring assembly having a second interposer spring and a second electrical connection attached to the second interposer spring.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The features, objects, and advantages of the invention will become more apparent from the detailed description set forth below when taken in conjunction with the drawings, wherein:
FIG. 1A is a cross-sectional view of a device and an apparatus that incorporates interposer technology where the apparatus is spaced apart from the device according to an embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view of a device and an apparatus that incorporates interposer technology where the apparatus is bonded to the device according to an embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 1C is a cross-sectional view of a device and an apparatus that incorporates interposer technology where the first and second interposer springs are not bonded to but are touching the first and second TSVs and the first and second bumps located on the chip of the device according to an embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 2 is a chart of several bonding materials and their corresponding bonding process according to an embodiment of the invention;
FIGS. 3A-3F are cross-sectional views of a device and an apparatus that incorporates interposer technology according to an embodiment of the invention; and
FIGS. 4A and 4B are cross-sectional views of a device and an apparatus that incorporates interposer technology according to an embodiment of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Apparatus, systems and methods that implement the embodiments of the various features of the invention will now be described with reference to the drawings. The drawings and the associated descriptions are provided to illustrate some embodiments of the invention and not to limit the scope of the invention. Throughout the drawings, reference numbers are re-used to indicate correspondence between referenced elements.
FIG. 1A is a cross-sectional view of a device 101 and an apparatus 100 that incorporates interposer technology where the apparatus 100 is spaced apart from the device 101 according to an embodiment of the invention. The apparatus 100 may be positioned on the device 101 as shown in FIG. 1B . The device 101 may include a substrate 102 or a through-silicon via (TSV) wafer 102 , first and second TSVs 104 a and 104 b , a chip 106 , first and second bumps 108 a and 108 b , and/or first and second lower outer bond rings 110 a and 110 b . The first and second bumps 108 a and 108 b may provide electrical connections to the underlying chip 106 . The first and second lower outer bond rings 110 a and 110 b may be a single lower outer bond ring. As shown in FIG. 1A , the heights of the first and second TSVs 104 a and 104 b , the first and second bumps 108 a and 108 b , and the first and second lower outer bond rings 110 a and 110 b are different.
The first and second TSVs 104 a and 104 b are vertical electrical connections which pass completely through the TSV wafer 102 . The chip 106 is mounted on the TSV wafer 102 . The first and second TSVs 104 a and 104 b and the first and second bumps 108 a and 108 b may be flat or curved and/or flexible. The first and second bumps 108 a and 108 b may be bonded to the chip 106 .
The apparatus 100 may include an interposer wafer 112 , a cap 114 , first and second upper outer bond rings 116 a and 116 b , a first interposer spring assembly 117 a having a first interposer spring 118 a and a first electrical connection 120 a , and a second interposer spring assembly 117 b having a second interposer spring 118 b and a second electrical connection 120 b . In one embodiment, the first and second interposer springs 118 a and 118 b are cantilevered springs or interposer beams. The first and second interposer springs 118 a and 118 b may be formed in the shapes of a cantilevered bridge L shape or curved shape or crab leg shape and are made from a ceramic, a silicon, a metal or a glass material and combinations thereof. The downward force 122 exerted on each interposer spring 118 a or 118 b is greater than the bending force of each interposer spring 118 a or 118 b and less than the fracture force of each interporser spring 118 a or 118 b . The minimum downward force 122 can also be greater than the bonding force needed to bond the first upper outer bonding ring 116 a to the first lower outer bonding ring 110 a . The first and second upper outer bond rings 116 a and 116 b may be a single upper outer bond ring.
The apparatus 100 may be referred to as a compliant interposer. The apparatus 100 can be separately fabricated from the device 101 . Thus, the design and fabrication processes for the apparatus 100 can be simplified and decoupled from the device 101 . In addition, the apparatus 100 (i.e., the interposer wafer) can be used as a cap 114 or a cover to protect the device 101 from contamination such as dust, debris or particles. The first and second upper outer bond rings 116 a and 116 b may be hermetically bonded to the first and second lower outer bond rings 110 a and 110 b to produce a hermetically packaged apparatus or chip.
FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view of the device 101 and the apparatus 100 that incorporates interposer technology where the apparatus 100 is bonded to the device 101 according to an embodiment of the invention. As shown in FIG. 1B , the first interposer spring assembly 117 a and the second interposer spring assembly 117 b may gradually bend when each assembly 117 a and 117 b comes into contact with the first and second TSVs 104 a and 104 b , the first and second bumps 108 a and 108 b located on the chip 106 and/or the first and second lower outer bond rings 110 a and 110 b . The bending allows the apparatus 100 to accommodate for the height differences of the components of the device 101 and to provide for good bonding and mechanical and electrical connections.
The first electrical connection 120 a is mechanically connected to the first interposer spring 118 a . The first interposer spring 118 a is capable of bending to allow the first electrical connection 120 a to electrically contact the first TSV 104 a and the first bump 108 a , which is connected to the chip 106 . Similarly, the second electrical connection 120 b is connected to the second interposer spring 118 b . The second interposer spring 118 b is capable of bending to allow the second electrical connection 120 b to electrically contact the second TSV 104 b and the second bump 108 b , which is connected to the chip 106 . The first and second interposer springs 118 a and 118 b provide an electrical and mechanical bridge to connect the first and second TSVs 104 a and 104 b to the first and second bumps 108 a and 108 b on the chip 106 . A larger bonding pressure 122 can be applied to the interposer wafer 112 , which is transferred to the TSVs 104 a and 104 b and the first and second bumps 108 a and 108 b , because of the flexibility and bending force of the first and second interposer springs 118 a and 118 b.
The first and second electrical connections 120 a and 120 b are in direct mechanical and electrical contact with the first and second TSVs 104 a and 104 b and the first and second bumps 108 a and 108 b located on the chip 106 . Specifically, the first electrical connection 120 a connects the first TSV 104 a to the first bump 108 a and the second electrical connection 120 b connects the second TSV 104 b to the second bump 108 b.
The bonding pads (e.g., the first and second TSVs 104 a and 104 b , the first and second bumps 108 a and 108 b , and/or the first and second lower outer bond rings 110 a and 110 b ) are designed to provide good electrical connections and to withstand large bending pressures provided by the interposer wafer 112 . The first and second TSVs 104 a and 104 b and the first and second bumps 108 a and 108 b may have a flat or curved surface, or may be formed in the shape of a square, rectangle or oval and/or may be made of a flexible material to allow for good connections to the first and second electrical connection 120 a and 120 b and to avoid any open connections across the TSV wafer 102 . The good connections are achieved by adjusting or controlling the height of the bonding pads and/or by utilizing compliant and conductive materials such as soft metals like gold, silver, tin, aluminum or copper. The compliant and conductive materials should not be oxidized and should be chemically stable during processing. For example, copper may quickly become oxidized after deposition but can be encapsulated or plated with a less-oxidizing material such as gold. Hence, the bonding pads can be encapsulated or plated with a less-oxidizing material. Also, the compliant and conductive material should be able to sustain high pressures from the first and second interposer springs 118 a and 118 b , which may induce cracks or fractures.
After the apparatus 100 is pressed onto the device 101 , all the TSVs 104 a and 104 b , the first and second bumps 108 a and 108 b , the first and second interposer springs 118 a and 118 b , the first and second electrical connections 120 a and 120 b , the lower outer bond rings 110 a and 110 b , and the upper outer bond rings 116 a and 116 b are simultaneously bonded together in a single bonding step. Hence, all the components are fixed and bonded together at the same time to limit the number of bonding materials, minimize misalignment of the components, reduce the complexity of the fabrication process and increase the reliability of the apparatus 100 after the single step bonding process. The single bonding step includes the appropriate bonding conditions such as temperature, pressure and/or voltage.
FIG. 2 is a chart of several bonding materials and their corresponding bonding process according to an embodiment of the invention. In one embodiment, the bonding process can be set up so that each component bonds one after another. In this embodiment, a different bonding material or process is used for each component. FIG. 2 shows several different bonding materials and processes that can be used for each of the components to produce a bonding process where each component may bond one after another (i.e., in a sequential manner). For example, a sequential bonding process can occur by increasing the bonding temperature from 200 degrees C. to 300 degrees C. so that a first Gold-Indium bond occurs between the lower outer bond rings 110 a and 110 b and the upper outer bond rings 116 a and 116 b , a second Silver-Tin bond occurs between the TSVs 104 a and 104 b and the first and second interposer springs 118 a and 118 b , and a third Nickel-Tin bond occurs between the first and second bumps 108 a and 108 b and the first and second interposer springs 118 a and 118 b . In this example, the highest bonding temperature of 300 degrees C. does not damage the first Gold-Indium bond because of a higher remelt temperature of greater than 495 degrees C. Using a sequential bonding process, the selection of the bonding materials and processes is important so that previously bonded materials are not damaged by subsequent bonding materials in order to maintain good quality bonding.
FIG. 1C is a cross-sectional view of a device 101 and an apparatus 100 that incorporates interposer technology where the first and second interposer springs 118 a and 118 b are not bonded to but are touching the first and second TSVs 104 a and 104 b and the first and second bumps 108 a and 108 b located on the chip 106 of the device 101 according to an embodiment of the invention. When the apparatus 100 is pressed onto the device 101 , the TSVs 104 a and 104 b and the first and second bumps 108 a and 108 b are mechanically and electrically connected using the first and second interposer springs 118 a and 118 b and the upper outer bond rings 116 a and 116 b are bonded to the lower outer bond rings 110 a and 110 b.
When the apparatus 100 is spaced apart from (i.e., not touching) the device 101 , the first and second interposer springs 118 a and 118 b are positioned along a horizontal plane (see FIG. 1A ). When the apparatus 100 is touching the device 101 , the first and second interposer springs 118 a and 118 b are bent in an upward direction (see FIG. 1C ). As shown in FIG. 1C , the upper outer bond rings 116 a and 116 b are bonded to the lower outer bond rings 110 a and 110 b causing the first and second interposer springs 118 a and 118 b to bend. However, the first and second interposer springs 118 a and 118 b only slightly compress the TSVs 104 a and 104 b and the first and second bumps 108 a and 108 b to make the mechanical and electrical connections. In one embodiment, the mechanical and electrical connections are maintained only by the bending force 124 from the first and second interposer springs 118 a and 118 b and the bonding strength between the upper outer bond rings 116 a and 116 b and the lower outer bond rings 110 a and 110 b . The single bonding between the upper outer bond rings 116 a and 116 b and the lower outer bond rings 110 a and 110 b is advantageous because of the single bonding material and process resulting in a greater reliability, a simpler fabrication process, and a lower production cost. In one embodiment, the first and second interposer springs 118 a and 118 b are designed to provide a sufficient bending force and are not damaged by excessive bending stress.
In one embodiment, only the lower outer bond rings 110 a and 110 b and the upper outer bond rings 116 a and 116 b are bonded together. The remaining components (i.e., the TSVs 104 a and 104 b and the first and second interposer springs 118 a and 118 b , and the first and second bumps 108 a and 108 b and the first and second interposer springs 118 a and 118 b ) are not bonded together but are touching one another.
FIGS. 3A-3F are cross-sectional views of a device 301 and an apparatus 300 that incorporates interposer technology according to an embodiment of the invention. The device 301 includes a substrate 302 and a plurality of chips 306 , 307 and 309 that are mounted on the substrate 302 . The substrate 302 may also be a TSV wafer or a second interposer wafer.
The device 301 may include a substrate 302 or a TSV wafer 302 , first and second TSVs 304 a and 304 b , chips 306 , 307 and 309 , first and second bumps 308 a and 308 b located on the chip 306 , first and second bumps 308 c and 308 d located on the chip 307 , first and second bumps 308 e and 308 f located on the chip 309 , upper bonding pads 316 a and 316 b and/or lower bonding pads 310 a and 310 b . The first and second bumps 308 a and 308 b (or 308 c and 308 d or 308 e and 308 f ) may provide electrical connections to the underlying chip 306 (or 307 or 309 ). As shown in FIG. 3A , the heights or thickness of the chips 306 , 307 and 309 are different. In one embodiment, the chips 307 and 309 have the same design but have slightly different heights or thicknesses because of fabrication variations. The bonding pads 320 a , 320 b , 320 c , 320 d , 320 e and 320 f on the interposer springs 318 a , 318 b , 318 c , 318 d , 318 e and 318 f , respectively, are mechanically and electrically connected to the upper bonding pads 310 b and 316 b . After the upper bonding pads 316 a and 316 b are bonded to the lower bonding pads 310 a and 310 b , the bonding pads 320 a , 320 b , 320 c , 320 d , 320 e and 320 f are connected to the bumps 308 a , 308 b , 308 c , 308 d , 308 e and 308 f , respectively, and the TSVs 304 a and 304 b on the substrate 302 .
The first and second TSVs 304 a and 304 b are vertical electrical connections which pass completely through the substrate 302 . The chips 306 , 307 and 309 are mounted on the substrate 302 . The bumps 308 a , 308 b , 308 c , 308 d , 308 e and 308 f may be flat, square, curved, round, oval and/or flexible. The first and second bumps 108 a and 108 b may be bonded to the chip 106 .
The apparatus 300 may include a spring interposer wafer 312 , first and second upper bonding pads 316 a and 316 b , and a plurality of interposer springs 318 connected to a plurality of bonding pads 320 . In one embodiment, the plurality of interposer springs 318 are each a cantilevered spring.
By applying the bonding pressure 322 , the bonding pads successively touch the bumps on the chips or the TSVs. The differences in heights or thicknesses of the chips 306 , 307 and 309 causes the bonding pads 320 to touch the bonding pads 308 at different times. First, the bonding pads 320 a and 320 b touch the bonding pads 308 a and 308 b (see FIG. 3B ). Second, the bonding pads 320 c and 320 d touch the bonding pads 308 c and 308 d (see FIG. 3C ). Third, the bonding pads 320 e and 320 f touch the bonding pads 308 e and 308 f (see FIG. 3D ). Fourth, the upper bonding pads 316 a and 316 b touch the lower bonding pads 310 a and 310 b (see FIG. 3E ). Due to the compliance of the interposer springs 318 , the spring interposer wafer 312 can move downwards, even though some of the bonding pads 320 are touching the bonding pads 308 , until the upper bonding pads 316 a and 316 b come into contact with the lower bonding pads 310 a and 310 b (see FIG. 3E ). Then, the appropriate bonding conditions (e.g., temperature, additional pressure, voltage, etc.) are applied to the combined structure shown in FIG. 3E and all the components (i.e., the chips 306 , 307 and 309 , the TSVs 304 a and 304 b , and the interposer springs (collectively referred as interposer springs 317 )) are simultaneously bonded to form the final structure as shown in FIG. 3F .
The bonding conditions may be applied one time or several times depending on the particular application. For example, a different bonding process may be used for chip bonding and TSV bonding. In this example, a first bonding condition may be applied for chip bonding at the step shown in FIG. 3D and a second bonding condition may be applied for TSV bonding at the step shown in FIG. 3E . In one embodiment, only a single bonding can take place, for example, between the upper bonding pads 316 a and 316 b and the lower bonding pads 310 a and 310 b . The interposer springs 317 are designed to be flexible to provide sufficient bonding force without damaging the bonding pads 308 .
FIGS. 4A and 4B are cross-sectional views of a semiconductor device 401 and an apparatus 400 that incorporates interposer technology according to an embodiment of the invention. FIGS. 4A and 4B show interposer springs 418 a , 418 b , 418 c and 418 d that are initially tilted or bowed to provide a larger bending force between the interposer springs 418 a , 418 b , 418 c and 418 d and the bumps 408 a , 408 b , 408 c and 408 d and/or the TSVs 404 a and 404 b . The interposer springs 418 a , 418 b , 418 c and 418 d can be tilted or bowed by initiating thermal stress, generating material property mismatches, or applying external forces such as electrostatic or magnetic forces. Each interposer spring 418 a , 418 b , 418 c and 418 d may have a corresponding bonding pad 420 a , 420 b , 420 c and 420 d attached thereto.
Those of ordinary skill would appreciate that the various illustrative logical blocks, modules, and algorithm steps described in connection with the examples disclosed herein may be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or combinations of both. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have been described above generally in terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the disclosed apparatus and methods.
The previous description of the disclosed examples is provided to enable any person of ordinary skill in the art to make or use the disclosed methods and apparatus. Various modifications to these examples will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the principles defined herein may be applied to other examples without departing from the spirit or scope of the disclosed method and apparatus. The described embodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive and the scope of the invention is, therefore, 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 to be embraced within their scope.
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The present invention is an apparatus for integrating multiple devices. The apparatus includes a substrate having a first via and a second via, a semiconductor chip positioned on a top portion of the substrate and positioned between the first via and the second via, first and second bumps positioned on the semiconductor chip, and an interposer wafer having a first interposer spring assembly and a second interposer spring assembly, the first interposer spring assembly having a first interposer spring and a first electrical connection attached to the first interposer spring, and the second interposer spring assembly having a second interposer spring and a second electrical connection attached to the second interposer spring.
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This is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 763,603, filed Aug. 8, 1985, now abandoned in favor of application Ser. No. 923,107, filed Oct. 24, 1986 and now matured in to U.S. Pat. No. 4,713,252 issued Dec. 15, 1987.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to food preservation and sweetening and more particularly to the preservation of cranberries and the preserved product.
DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART
In application Ser. No. 923,107 filed Oct. 24, 1986 prior art is discussed in detail. Additional prior art, particularly concerning cranberries and their preservation, is as follows:
U.S. Pat. No. 2,692,831, to Weckel et al, concerning preparing maraschino style cranberries including puncturing cranberries, bleaching the punctured cranberries in a SO2 solution from 3-6 days; leaching the bleached berries in water until the pH in the berry is from 3.8-3.9; subjecting the leached berries to a vacuum while covered by water at about 130° F. for a period of about 15-20 minutes at a vacuum of about 23-25 inches; after evacuation, the berries assumed a shriveled condition and the berries are next blanched in steam, then the blanched berries are subjected to dyeing and sweetening treatments to color and introducing sugar into the cranberries.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,865,758 to Weckel, concerning puncturing the air sacks of cranberries, submerging the punctured berries in a concentrated aqueous sugar syrup containing calcium chloride and alum and subjecting the berries in the syrup to a vacuum treatment while the temperature of the berries are maintained at a temperature below 130° F. until the vacuum treatment is completed.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,976,159 to Swisher, concerning combining a firm fiberous fruit substance from a class consisting of citrus peel, pomes, pineapple, cranberries & coconuts impregnated with not less than 10% corn syrup solids and a range of from 16% to 20% glycerol.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,023,108 to Anderson, concerns preparing a whole cranberry sauce characterized by boiling whole cranberries from about 30 seconds to 3 minutes in an aqueous sugar solution with from about 1 to 10% their weight of finely comminunuted cranberries, the amount of water and sugar in said solution being such as to form a sauce having a soluble solids content from 38-42% by weight.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,142,574 to Anderson, concerning forming a cranberry relish comprising the steps of comminuting whole cranberries to form particles substantially all of which are less than 1/2 inch in maximum dimension but greater than 0.001 inch whereby discrete identifiable cranberry particles are formed; cutting orange peel and forming cube-like particles ranging from 1/8" to 1/2"; adding cranberries to a water solution of sugar and rapidly heating the resulting mixture to a temperature between about 180° and 200° F.; adding the orange peel particles to the heated mixture and rapidly further heating to a temperature between about 200° and 125° F. and thereby to form a relish product, and cooling the relish product as rapidly as possible to at least 120 F. to protect the color and flavor.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention, in accordance with the disclosure of U.S. Pat. No. 4,713,252 which is incorporated by reference herein, provides an improved cranberry product produced by a novel process, by controlling the moisture content of the product and sweetness of the cranberry product, and retaining therein the natural color and flavor of the fruit and in fact enhancing the fruit-flavor and texture, and by minimizing residual surface moisture thus minimizing the energy-expenditure through vacuum drying and freeze-dry, both drying being accomplished with a sudden release of vacuum over a controlled period, thus providing a cranberry product substantially comparable to those of the earlier patent but which is unusual in appearance, taste, shelf life, feel and touch to one's hand and palate.
Further, the present invention in conformance with what is set forth above, concerns a process and product produced thereby, in which sweetened dried fruit has a moisture range from 10% to 40% including rupturing or slicing fresh or frozen cranberries to expose the fruit interior, coating the sliced cranberries with sugar or high fructose corn syrup and achieving an osmotic sugar exchange within the fruit, thus producing a sugared fruit and fruit syrup. The process further includes separating the syrup from the fruit, rinsing the sugared fruit sufficient to remove surface sugar and/or syrup from the fruit, rinsing the fruit, air-drying the fruit and vacuum drying or freeze/drying the fruit, and suddenly releasing the vacuum over a period of within 1 to 2 minutes to collapse the fruit to a relatively wrinkled, solid chewy and palatable condition.
The sugared fruit syrup is diluted with water, freeze dried whereby a crystalline flavoring product is produced. In conformance with that set forth above, a cranberry flavoring product is produced which is usable as a cooking ingredient in combination with other foods and mixtures.
It was found that the runoff from the sugared cranberries when reduced to a moisture content of from 4-9%; as will be demonstrated in the example below, the product comprised a taffy-like consistency. Thus combination flavoring and/or candy product was produced. The product has an excellent cranberry color and a distinct tangy and sweetened cranberry flavor. The product can be used as a chewy, energy-providing flavorful natural-ingredient candy and/or as a sweetener where the cranberry flavor and color are desired.
Likewise, in the case of blueberries and/or cherries, as described in the examples, below, the runoff syrup of these products can be moisture-controlled to produce the taffy-like consistency for the purposes mentioned.
Additionally, the blueberry, cherry and cranberry sugared flavoring products can be used alone or in combination, with each other or with still other fruits. For example, it is contemplated to be within the scope of the combinations to use: blueberry/cherry; blueberry/cranberry; blueberry/cherry/cranberry; cherry/cranberry; and blueberry/cranberry.
These together with other and specific advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description, in which:
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
As has been described in detail in applicant's earlier patent, blueberries and cherries were processed utilizing applicant's disclosed apparatus and procedures. Cranberries, outside of the obvious differences of color and taste, include a relatively thick waxy skin which must be penetrated i.e. ruptured or sliced in order to gain access to the cranberry fruit cavity and inner structure. Accordingly, a difference between the present application and applicant's earlier application is that the cranberry fruit because of physical differences, is ruptured or sliced; after a preliminary screening and separation of damaged fruit, vines and/or removal of extraneous material.
After rupturing through puncturing or slicing is accomplished, cranberries are sugared, using either sucrose, granular sugar, high fructose corn syrup etc., by osmotic transfer or exchange between liquid in the fruit and the sugar; next the fruit is separated from the fruit-syrup produced during sugaring; next the syrup is washed off the fruit to reduce stickiness then free surface moisture is blown off by an air stream which materially reduces vacuum drying and/or freeze-drying times and the attendent costs; next, the fruit is dried by vacuum drying and or freeze-dried under a vacuum, and with the very rapid release of vacuum (within 1 to 2 minutes), the cranberries, just as in the case of blueberries and cherries, achieves a "collapsed" shape and texture of a semi-moist fruit. During vacuum drying, about 30 in. Hg. is used, or in freeze drying about 400 to 1200 microns Hg. of vacuum is utilized.
The ratio of the cranberries may range from 1 to 5 parts of fruit to one part of sugar. The preferred ratio is about three parts of fruit to one part to sugar. Alternately the ratio of two parts fruit to one part of sugar. The sugar may comprise various types such as sucrose, fructose corn syrup or dextrose, taking both granular and or liquid forms or both.
The ruptured or sliced fresh natural or frozen cranberies are mixed with the suitable sugar or sweetener in a tumbler or mixed in any other suitable manner; next syruping proceeds in a soaking tank with agitation up to about 12 hours (depending on fruit temperature) when held at conventional room temperatures ranging from about 70° F. to 80° F. Heating up to 140° F. can be applied to accelerate the syruping process. Further, gentle vibration or oscillation of the soaking tank may be provided to the soaking tank to cause liquid and cranberry oscillation and enhanced mixing. The Brix scale reading for the sugared syrup derived from the cranberries will reach from 35-40 Brix while the Brix scale reading for the solids inside the cranberries range from 12° to 31° Brix, preferably 19.9° to 33° Brix.
After the desired Brix reading is attained, the syrup is strained off the cranberries and the sweetened runoff is utilized as is, or freeze dried to taffy-like consistency, or further dried to a crystaline form, i.e., as a jelly flavoring or a pancake syrup component etc.
Next the sugared cranberries are rinsed under a cold, rinse-water jet sufficient to remove excess syrup off the fruit. The rinse water temperature can range from 40°-70° F. and serves the purpose of both removing the syrup and pre-cooling the cranberries to subsequent freezing and/or drying.
Although use of a cold water jet is contemplated, immersion rinsing is also feasible. After rinsing, the use of "air knives" or air jets are contemplated to promote further removal of extraneous surface moisture. The air removal of water reduces the total water content of the cranberries by as much as 7-9%, which enhances economic commercial production of the dehydrated cranberries through reduced energy consumption in vacuum and freeze drying.
The cranberries can then be either IQF (individual quick frozen) and held in conventional cold storage until vacuum or freeze dried or used immediately. Sweetened, rinsed and surfaced-dried cranberries are then dried up to a moisture content of between 10-40% level, and preferably between 12% to 19% by weight.
Next during both vacuum drying and freeze-drying, under vacuum conditions of either 30 inches Hg or 400-1200 microns Hg, respectively, the vacuum condition is suddenly terminated (within 1 to 2 minutes). Just as in the case of blueberries and cherries, the evacuated cranberries are produced in the desired form, appearance, and touch and feel to the hand and the palate. During release of vacuum, the drying chamber can be simutaneously purged with either air or nitrogen. Preferably, the cranberries are then coated with an anti-caking agent to allow for free flowing of the dehydrated cranberry pieces.
In summary, the invention entails the manufacture of sweetened semi-moist fruit products and particularly cranberry products. In this invention, liquids from fruits are leached out and sugar molecules are impregnated or transferred into the fruit parts and cells by an osmotic syrupping process. In syrupping, fresh or frozen cranberries, blueberries of the lowbush and highbush types and cherries were mixed with sugar at different ratios. The fruit sugar mixture is allowed to stand and syrupping occurs, i.e., where fruit juice defuses out of the fruit and sugar molecules dissolved in the emerging liquid and then migrate into the fruit. The syrupping process is accelerated by regulating temperature and adding mixing-movement to the fruit/syrup mixture. At a specific end point, the syrup and sweetened fruit are separated. For example, when the Brix scale of the syrup reached 35°-40° Brix and soluble solids in the juice of the sweetened cranberries ranged from 12°-31° Brix, the sweetened cranberries and syrup is separated. Excess adhering syrup is removed from the sweetened cranberries by washing or rinsing with cold water. Free water on the surface of the sweetened fruit is then removed by subjecting the fruit to shaking/vibrating movements and to jet air blasts. The fruit is then frozen and held frozen and then vacuum dried or freeze-dried to moisture levels of (10-40%) subject to end use. The vacuum used in either vacuum drying or freeze drying at either 30" Hg or 400-1200 microns Hg is released suddenly, from between 1 to 2 minutes. The fruit is then coated with anti-caking material (such as Durkex 500™, calcium stearate, Cantab™, or others), and packed in various size and type containers.
EXAMPLE I
Individual quick frozen wild (lowbush) blueberries were mixed with granular sugar (sucrose) and/or syrups containing high sugar (fructose) content at different ratios, by weight, of fruit to sugar. Twenty pounds of blueberries were used with the granulated sugar ratios and ten pounds of blueberries with the sugar syrup mixture. The following table (Table 1-A) illustrates the kinds of sugar, and fruit to sugar ratios used.
TABLE I-A______________________________________Blueberry and Sugar Mixing RatiosTREATMENT: Fruit and SugarNo. Blueberry (lb.) Sugar (lb.) Type Sugar______________________________________1 20 20 1:1 sucrose granular2 20 10 2:1 sucrose granular3 20 6.7 3:1 sucrose granular4 10 10 1:1 high fructose corn syrup, Brix = 82°5 10 10 1:1 corn syrup, Brix = 75°______________________________________
The temperature of the frozen blueberry fruit was -10° F. and the soluble solids in the fruit juice was 12%. The fruit and sugar or syrup were mixed thoroughly, placed in separate plastic tubs and allowed to stand at a temperature in the range of 50°-60° F.
The effect of mixing blueberries and sugar at different ratios is presented in Tables I-B and I-C.
TABLE I-B______________________________________Effect of mixing blueberries and sugar at differentratios on sugar content in blueberries and syrup. Blueberry SolubleTreat- Soaking Pro- Solids (%)ment duration duct (NotNo. (Hr.) temp. [Rinsed] [Rinsed] Syrup Brix %______________________________________#1 21 36° F. -- -- sugar, largely undissolved#2 21 34° F. -- -- sugar, largely undissolved#3 21 38° F. 21 18 45#4 21 50° F. 22 21.2 43#5 21 46° F. 24 21 38#6 28 58° F. 35.6 22 64, some undissolved sugar#7 28 56° F. 33 27 48#8 28 42° F. 24 20.2 41#9 28 60° F. 31 27 43.6#10 28 58° F. 24 24 40#11 45 59° F. 47 27.6 62, some un- dissolved sugar#12 45 59° F. 36.4 27.2 45#13 45 60° F. 25 23.6 34#14 45 60° F. 35 30 41.4#15 45 60° F. 32 31.8 40.4______________________________________
When frozen blueberries were mixed with granular sugar at the ratio 1:1 by weight and allowed to stand at temperature of approximately 50°-60° F. for 45 hours, a considerable amount of sugar added (approximately 25%) did not go into solution and remained in a crystalline form.
At the tested mixture ratios from 1:1, 2:1 and 3:1, by weight, of fruit to granular sugar, and 1:1 of fruit to similar weight of high fructose corn syrup (Brix=82°) and of corn syrup (Brix=75°) which were allowed to stand at 60° F., a syrupping process took place where juices moved out of the fruit and sugar molecules moved in and impregnated the fruit.
Sweetened fruit from all treatments had a very pleasant sweet flavor, in addition to their distinct blueberry flavor. All syrup produced had the distinct color and flavor of blueberries.
TABLE I-C______________________________________Final yield of sweetened blueberries and syrup45 hours after mixing blueberry and sugarTreatment Blueberry Yield Syrup YieldNo. (%) (%)______________________________________#11 24.4 75.5 (contained undis- solved sugar)#12 33 67#13 43.5 56.4#14 31.5 68.5#15 31.4 68.6______________________________________
EXAMPLE II
Thirty pounds of individual quick frozen cultivated (highbush) blueberries were mixed with ten pounds of sugar and placed in a plastic tub. The plastic tub was then placed in a water bath where water temperature was maintained at 130° F. for eight hours. The plastic tub containing the blueberry-sugar mixture was oscillated and the contents jostled once, every 30-60 minutes, to further mix the blueberries, sugar, and emerging syrup.
The soluble solids in the juice of the blueberries was 10% and the temperature of the fruit when mixed with sugar was 10° F.
Eight hours after mixing, soaking in a water bath at 130° F., and occasionally rolling and shaking of the contents, the syrupping process was terminated and the berries were separated from the syrup. Seventeen pounds of sweetened blueberry fruit were recovered (42.5% of total mixture) and the weight of the syrup was 22.6 pounds (56.6 of total mixture). Soluble solids in the juice of the sweetened berries were 20% and the Brix of the syrup was found to be 44°.
The fruit had a sweet and pleasant mild blueberry flavor, and the syrup possessed a purple color which was much lighter in density and had a milder blueberry flavor when compared to syrup obtained from Example I; primarily because cultivated blueberries initially, before treatment, have this characteristic.
EXAMPLE III
Individual quick frozen wild blueberries (lowbush) were mixed with sugar at different ratios by weight varying between one and five fruit to one syrup. The temperature of the frozen blueberries was -2° F. and the soluble solids in the blueberry juice was 12%. The fruit and suger were mixed well, then placed in plastic containers and allowed to stand at room temperature (approximately 70-80 F.) for fourteen hours. The syrupping process earlier described in the previous example took place in all the fruit to sugar ratios here tested and the results of solids contents in fruit and syrup are listed in the following table:
______________________________________ BlueberryMixture Ingredient weight (gm) Soluble SyrupRatio Blueberries Sugar Solid (%) Brix______________________________________1:1 1000 1000 31 492:1 1000 500 28 453:1 1000 333 23 384:1 1000 250 21 335:1 1000 200 20 29______________________________________
Differences were noted in flavor of the sweetened blueberries, with fruit from the 3:1 fruit to sugar ratio by weight most preferred. They had a delightful balance between sweetness and the delicate, but distinct flavor of wild blueberries.
EXAMPLE IV
Three hundred pounds of individual quick frozen blueberries were mixed with one hundred pounds of sugar in a commercial Gemco™ tumbler/blender for five minutes. The sugar coated blueberries were then placed in aluminum trays with these approximate dimensions: 30" long×18" wide×6" high. The sugar coated blueberries were placed in the trays to a height of only four inches. The trays were allowed to stand at room temperature of approximately 70° F. for approximately fourteen hours. During this period the syrupping process took place.
The blueberries and syrup were then separated by placing the berries/syrup mixture on a sieve with openings of 1/8". The syrup collected weighed 176 pounds and had a Brix reading of 38°.
The sweetened blueberries were then placed in perforated plastic trays and dipped/immersed into a large water tank filled with cold water (temperature approximately 60° F.) for a period of 20-30 seconds. They were then placed on a vibrating perforated conveyor belt, rinsed further with a stream of cold water, followed by a stream of air. This served to remove a large portion of the syrup and water from the surface of the fruit.
The weight of the sweetened blueberries was 174 pounds and the soluble solids in their juice was 24%. The moisture content of the sweetened berries before rinsing and surface air drying was 70% and 64% after water rinsing and surface drying.
The blueberries were then placed in ribbed trays 26" long×13" wide×2" deep with approximately 12.4 pounds fruit per tray. The trays were placed in a freeze-drying chamber where the berries were freeze-dried under vacuum of 400-1200 microns Hg, oil temperature of 220° F. At this point, the vacuum was released rapidly (in 90 seconds). Moisture content of the blueberries was 22%. The berries were immediately removed from the freeze-drying trays, separated, and allowed to cool.
This novel process produced a collapsed blueberry product with very attractive appearance, intact but slightly wrinkled, and distinctly tart but sweetened blueberry flavor. The fruit was chewy, had a pleasant taste and feel to the palate, and was not sticky to the touch of the fingers.
EXAMPLE V
One hundred pounds of pitted frozen cherries were mixed with thirty-three pounds of sugar, allowed to stand to syrup, drained, rinsed, surface dried, and freeze-dried as described in Example IV for approximately ten hours. Sixty-one pounds of cherry syrup with a Brix of 42° were collected. The weight of the sweetened cherries before drying was 51.7 pounds. The soluble solids of these sweetened cherries before rinsing was 36.5%, and 34% after rinsing with cold water. The moisture content of these cherries was 74.6% before rinsing. Twenty pounds of semi-moist cherry products, with a moisture content of 17.6% were obtained.
The cherries had excellent flavor and were chewy with a pleasant taste and feel to the palate, having a collapsed wrinkled appearance.
EXAMPLE VI
Semi-moist blueberries (20% moisture content) were produced by the procedure described in Example IV). Commercially available oil, Durlex 500™ was then used at the rate of 0.25, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0 or 5.0% by weight to coat five pound lots of the blueberries. The oil, at 70° F, was placed in a stainless steel pail. The pail was rotated to allow the oil to coat the inside walls and bottom of the container. Five pounds of the processed blueberries were then placed into the pail and shaken, rolled and mixed repeatedly in the container until uniformly coated with the oil.
The oil coating enhanced the flowing and appearance characteristics of the blueberries. When applied at 0.25 to 1.0 (oil to fruit by weight) it had no noticeable residue on the surface of the fruit. None of the tested ratio 0.25 to 5.0% by weight had an apparent effect on the flavor of the product.
EXAMPLE VII
Frozen blueberries were mixed with sugar at a ratio of 3 to 1 sugar by weight as described in Example III. After reaching equilibrium, the sweetened fruit was separated from the syrup, placed in a wash tank (K-10 washer by Key Technology of Milton Freewater of Oregon) where it was washed with cold water (40°-50° F.), the blueberries were then placed on a vibrating shaker/mover (ISO-FLO de-watering shaker by Key Technology) where they were further sprayed with fresh water (40°-50° F.) to further remove adhering syrup, then passed beneath air jets for surface water removal from the rinsed fruit. The sweetened, washed, rinsed air dried fruit was then individually quick frozen (IQF) in a freezing tunnel (Frigoscandia™ Flow-Freeze freezing tunnel, of Frigoscandia Contracting Inc., Bellevue, Wash.) where they were frozen to -15° F. The frozen fruit were then held in regular commercial cold storage at -10° F.
Twenty-eight pounds of the frozen sweetened fruit having a soluble solids readings of 29° Brix in the juice was then vacuum dried in a vacuum tumbler dryer (Paul O. Abbe Rota Cone Vacuum Dryer of Paul O. Abbe, Inc., Little Falls, N.J.). Temperature of the blueberries was 0° F., and the temperature of the oil circulating betweend the dryers' jacketed walls were set at 150° F., and the drying cone rotated at 5 RPM (rounds per minute). Vacuum was measured at 30 in. Hg. The following table illustrates the vacuum drying conditions:
______________________________________ OilTime Blueberry Oil/Drum Pres-elapsed temperature temperature RPM Vacuum sure______________________________________Start 0° F. 150° F. 5 0 in Hg. 0 Psi30 mins. 60° F. 200° F. 5 30 30180 mins. 88° F. 200° F. 5 30 30240 mins. 88° F. 200° F. 5 30 30______________________________________ *Drained/removed free juice = 8.28 lbs., Brix = 28°, temperature = 60° F.
After 240 minutes of vacuum-drying at 30 in. Hg., the vacuum was released suddenly (in less than 2 minutes) and the semi-moist blueberries were then removed from the dryer and allowed to cool to room temperature. The blueberries were chewy, had a good flavor, collapsed appearance, were free flowing and shelf stable. The amount of semi-moist blueberries were 7.87 pounds, representing a yield of 28.1% from the initial amount of frozen, sweetened blueberries. Moisture content was 18%.
EXAMPLE VIII
Frozen blueberries were sweetened with high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) at a ratio 2 blueberries to 1 HFCS by weight as described in Example 1. When the soluble solids of the sweetened blueberries reached 27° F. Brix, they were then separated from the syrup and rinsed as described in Example VII. The sweetened, rinsed blueberries were chilled to a temperature of 26° F., then vacuum dried as described in Example VII above. The following conditions were attained:
______________________________________ Blueberry OilTime tem- Oil/Drum Drum Drying Pres-elapsed perature temperature RPM Vacuum sure______________________________________Start 26° F. 200° F. 5 30 in Hg 30 psi20 mins. -- 200° F. 5 30 30 decreased to 150° F. 5 30 30140 mins. 70° F. 150° F. 5 30 30______________________________________ *Removed free juice = 0.71 lb., Brix = 40°, temperature = 86° F.
After 140 minutes of vacuum-drying under the aforementioned conditions, the amount of semi-moist blueberries recovered was 6.86 pounds of 37.1% of the sweetened blueberries used, and had a moisture content of 24%. The dehydrated blueberries had excellent blueberry flavor, but were slightly sticky to the touch.
EXAMPLE IX
27.65 pounds of frozen sliced cranberries were sweetened with sucrose (granular sugar) as described in the earlier examples, at a weight ratio of 3 portions of cranberries to 1 portion of sugar. The cranberries were sweetened, as described in earlier examples, until their soluble solids reached 31% Brix, and thereeafter were separated from their syrup, washed, rinsed and chilled. They were then vacuum, tumbled dried under the following conditions:
______________________________________ Cranberry Oil/Drum OilTime tem- tem- Drum Drying Pres-elasped perature perature RPM Vacuum sure______________________________________Start 15° F. 200° F. 5 30" Hg 30 psi*15 min. -- 200° F. 5 30" hg 30 psi reduced to 150° F.**90 mins.210 mins. 66° F. 150° F. 5 30" Hg 30 psi585 min. 120° F. 200° F. 5 30" Hg 30 psi______________________________________ *drained/removed free juice = .89; Brix = 33°; temperature = 72° F. **at 90 minutes, the cranberries in the drum were checked and found to b very moist.
The vacuum was released at the end of 585 minutes, suddenly within 1-2 minutes. The cranberries were removed from the drum, they were found to be semi-moist, had an excellent flavor and were sweet and tangy. The product was chewy in texture, pleasant to the palate, and was shelf stable. The final product of cranberries weighed 8.13 pounds, representing a 29.4% yeild from the sweetened, rinsed cranberries and had a moisture content of 12% by weight.
EXAMPLE X
Frozen cranberries were thawed to temperature of 25° F., then sliced and sweetened with HFCS at a ratio of 2 cranberries to 1 HFCS by weight. The sweetened cranberries, when their soluble solids reached an average of 21.4° Brix, were separated from the syrup, washed, rinsed with fresh water, and individually quick frozen (IQF). They were then placed in ribbed trays and freeze-dried as described in Example IV above. One thousand and five pounds of IQF sweetened cranberries were used. Their moisture content was 73.38% by weight, and the trays were uniformly filled with an average of 9.75 lbs. of cranberries per tray. After a drying cycle of 8 hours, the vacuum was released suddenly, being replaced by air between 1 to 2 minutes. Three hundred and ten pounds of semi-moist cranberries were produced, representing a yield of 30.85% from the sweetened and rinsed cranberries, and they had a moisture content of 20.08% by weight.
The novel cranberry product had an attractive appearance, possessed excellent cranberry flavor, was tart and tangy and was sweet to the palate. It was chewy and had a pleasant feel to the teeth, mouth and palate. The product was shelf stable and free flowing.
Coating the semi-moist cranberries with 0.5% Durkex 500™, as described in Example VI, above, further enhanced the appearance and flowability of this novel cranberry product.
EXAMPLE XI
Frozen cranberries were sliced as in the previous example and mixed with chopped orange peels at the ratio, by weight, of 95% cranberries to 5% orange peel. The cranberry and orange peel mix was then sweetened with HFCS, separated from the syrup, washed, rinsed individually quick frozen, then freeze-dried as described in the previous example. After freeze drying in a vacuum, vacuum was suddenly replaced by air from 1 to 2 minutes. The soluble solids of the cranberry/orange peel mix after rinsing was 23% Brix, and their moisture content before drying was 73.09% by weight.
After freeze drying, the moisture content of the novel semi-moist cranberry/orange was 18.77% by weight. The product had a delightful flavor of sweetened tangy cranberries, accentuated by a trace of orange flavor and a chewy texture providing a pleasant taste and feel. It was shelf stable and did not require freezing or refrigeration for storage.
EXAMPLE XII
Sliced, individually quick frozen cranberries were allowed to thaw, then were sweetened with HFCS (High fructose corn syrup) at a ratio of 2 cranberries to 1 HFCS by weight; the sweetened cranberries were then separated from the syrup, washed, rinsed and frozen. Their soluble solids averaged 19.9° Brix. Their moisture content was 76.52% by weight. The sweetened cranberries were then freeze-dried as described in Example X, above, to an intermediate moisture of 19.14% by weight i.e., vacuum was replaced by air, suddenly from between 1 to 2 minutes.
The semi-moist cranberries had excellent flavor and were chewy in texture and had a wrinkled collapsed appearance.
EXAMPLE XIII
Cranberry syrup resulting from Example XII was dried as is or after dilution with water at ratios of cranberry syrup to water at 2 to 1, and 1 to 1 by volume. Three, three-hundred milliliters of the syrup (undiluted and diluted) were placed in three round porcelain pans to a depth of approximately 1/2 inch. The pans were placed in a blast freezer (at -28° C.) for 45 minutes. The partially frozen syrup was then placed in a freeze-dryer for approximately 45 hours under vacuum of 0.10 mm and a condenser temperature of -38° to -40° C. No heat was applied to the product during freeze drying. The following table presents data on weight of the syrup, dilution factor, syrup's soluble solids (°Brix), and yield of dried product.
______________________________________ Weight of Syrup Weight Dilution dried productSample # (gm) Syrup Brix w/water (gm)______________________________________1 338.5 37.5 1:0 138.12 322.0 26.5 2:1 89.23 319.1 20.0 1:1 67.9______________________________________
The novel freeze-dried cranberry syrup had a taffy-like consistency, a moisture content of 4-9%, excellent cranberry color, and the distinct tangy but sweetened cranberry flavor. It could be eaten as a candy or used for other food products where natural cranberry flavor and color is needed.
EXAMPLE XIV
Cranberry syrup resulting from Example XII was diluted with water at ratios of cranberries to water by volume of 1 to 3, 1 to 5, and 1 to 10. The diluted syrups was then blast frozen, then freeze-dried as described in Example XIII. After 56 hours of freeze-drying sweetened cranberry crystals were collected. This novel product had a moisture content of 1-2%, was cranberry-red in color, and possessed a sweetened but tangy cranberry flavor. The product is suited for use in coloring and flavoring foods where natural cranberry color and flavor are desired, i.e., pancake syrup, jelly, etc. This novel product is shelf stable and presents a great reduction in volume and weight from the natural cranberry fruit.
It will thus be seen that the object set forth above, among those made apparent from the preceding description, are efficiently attained and, since certain changes may be made in carrying out the above method and in the article set forth without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.
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A semi-moist cranberry fruit product which is produced by slicing the fruit and through a sugar-spraying process in conjunction with wash-rinsing, surface air drying and vacuum drying or vacuum freeze-drying with sudden release of vacuum. The semi-moist fruit produced has an unusual appearance, consistent, texture and typical, but sweetened cranberry flavor and/or cranberry and orange flavor. Further collecting sweetened juice runoff from the fruit and drying the runoff to produce a taffy-like flavoring additive usable as a candy when the moisture content is reduced to 4-9% or reducing the moisture content to 1-2% and producing a crystalline flavoring additive.
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RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] The present application is a Divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/860,988, entitled METALOXIDE ELECTRON TUNNELING DEVICE FOR SOLAR ENERGY CONVERSION, filed on May 21, 2001 which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH
[0002] The United States Government has rights in this invention pursuant to contract number DAAG55-98-C0036 awarded by DARPA in conjunction with the U.S. Army Research Office.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] The present invention relates generally to optoelectronic devices and, more particularly, to electron tunneling devices, especially for solar energy conversion.
[0004] Recent energy crises have highlighted the growing demands placed on traditional sources of power, such as gas and electricity. With rising energy costs, it is desirable to find alternative power sources to augment traditional power sources such as hydroelectric and thermonuclear. Solar energy conversion provides such an alternative by tapping into the readily available power of the sun.
[0005] One of the main obstacles preventing the proliferation of solar energy conversion systems is efficiency. Currently available semiconductor solar cell systems are not able to provide the amount of power for the dollar that is possible by traditional power sources. Especially semiconductor solar cells with high energy conversion efficiency (ratio of incident solar power to electrical power out) are expensive. Most solar cell systems are based on semiconductor technology, which can be difficult to scale to the size required for large solar panels. Using the present technology, it is expensive to fabricate a semiconductor-based solar panel which is large enough to replace the traditional sources of power. Moreover, semiconductor devices are generally single bandgap energy devices. This characteristic of semiconductor devices means that no current is produced when a photon having energy less than the bandgap energy is incident on the semiconductor device and, when a photon having energy greater than the bandgap energy is incident on the semiconductor device, only current corresponding to the bandgap energy is produced in the semiconductor device. In other words, the response of the semiconductor device is limited by the bandgap energy. Thus, the semiconductor device does not respond at all to photons having energy less than the bandgap energy, and incident electromagnetic energy in excess of the bandgap energy is wasted in the energy conversion. Therefore, the energy conversion efficiency of the semiconductor device is low, on the order of 25% or less. Therefore, it would be desirable to achieve effective solar energy conversion using materials other than semiconductors.
[0006] One possible alternative to semiconductors is the use of a metal-insulator-metal (MIM) configurations. 1-6 The MIM configuration is relatively inexpensive to manufacture in comparison to semiconductor-based systems. The native oxides of the metals are generally used as the insulator materials, therefore the MIM configuration is straightforward to fabricate. Efforts have been made even as recently as 1998 (See Ref. 6) to improve the characteristics of MIM devices, without substantially modifying the basic MIM configuration. Recent research in this area include efforts to use the MIM configuration to potentially provide devices capable of detecting and mixing signals at optical frequencies at optical communications wavelengths.
[0007] Turning now to the drawings, wherein like components are indicated by like reference numbers throughout the various figures, attention is immediately directed to FIGS. 1 A- 1 E. FIGS. 1 A- 1 E illustrate the operation of an MIM device for reference purposes. As a simplified configuration, an MIM device is illustrated in FIG. 1A. The MIM device, generally indicated by reference number 10 , includes first and second metal layers 12 and 14 , respectively, with an insulator layer 16 positioned therebetween. A corresponding energy band profile 20 is shown in FIG. 1B. Energy band profile 20 represents height of the Fermi level in the metals and the height of the conduction band edge in the insulator (y-axis 22 ) as a function of distance (x-axis 24 ) through MIM device 10 in the absence of provided voltage across the device. FIG. 1C illustrates a first modified energy band profile 30 when a voltage is provided in a reverse direction to MIM device 10 . The voltage may be provided by, for example, an applied external voltage or an induced voltage due to the incidence of electromagnetic energy. In this case, tunneling of the electrons (not shown) can occur in a reverse direction, represented by an arrow 36 . In contrast, as shown in FIG. 1D, when a voltage is provided in a forward direction to MIM device 10 , a second modified energy band profile 40 results. In the case of the situation shown in FIG. 1D, tunneling of the electrons can again occur but in a forward direction, represented by an arrow 46 . FIG. 1E illustrates a typical 1-V curve 50 of current (y-axis 52 ) as a function of voltage (x-axis 54 ) for MIM device 10 . 1-V curve 50 demonstrates that the MIM device functions as a rectifying element. An MIM device provides rectification and energy detection/conversion by tunneling of electrons between first and second metal layers 12 and 14 .
[0008] Continuing to refer to FIGS. 1 A- 1 E, in energy conversion applications, it is further desirable to achieve high degrees of asymmetry and nonlinearity and sufficiently high current magnitudes in the current-to-voltage performance (1-V curve). If the current magnitude is too low, the incident electromagnetic energy will not be collected with high efficiency. The required current magnitude is a function of the MIM device geometry, dielectric properties of the oxide, and the size and number of the incident electromagnetic energy quanta. A higher degree of asymmetry in the 1-V curve between positive values of V (forward bias voltage) and negative values of V (reverse bias voltage) about the operating point results in better rectification performance of the device. In addition, the differential resistance of the device, which influences the responsivity and coupling efficiency of the device to incoming electromagnetic energy, is directly related to the nonlinearity of the 1-V curve. An optimal value of differential resistance is required to impedance match the MIM device to the antenna resulting in maximum power transfer to the device. The differential resistance of MIM devices are often too large for energy conversion applications and, consequently, it is desirable to lower differential resistance values in order to impedance match the antenna. In other words, in solar energy conversion applications, it is preferable to have a higher degree of nonlinearity in the 1-V curve and optimal value of differential resistance in the device, thus yielding higher sensitivity of the device to incoming solar energy. As a result, high degrees of asymmetry and nonlinearity in the current-to-voltage characteristics of the device yields high efficiency in the energy conversion process. Currently available MIM devices are not able to provide sufficiently high degrees of asymmetry and nonlinearity with sufficiently low differential resistance in the current-to-voltage performance, hence the energy conversion efficiency of MIM devices is low.
[0009] A known alternative to the simple MIM device is a device with additional metal and insulator layers, as demonstrated by Suemasu, et al. (Suemasu) 7 and Asada, et al. (Asada). 8 The devices of Suemasu and Asada have the configuration of MIMIMIM, in which the three insulator layers between the outer metal layers act as a triple-barrier structure. The insulator layers are crystalline insulator layers formed by an epitaxial growth procedure detailed in Ref. 7. The presence of the barriers between the outer metal layers result in resonant tunneling of the electrons between the outer metal layers under the appropriate bias voltage conditions, as opposed to simple, tunneling of the MIM device. The resonant tunneling mechanism in the electron transport yields increased asymmetry and nonlinearity and reduced differential resistance values for the MIMIMIM device. The resonance tunneling also results in a characteristic resonance peak in the current-voltage curve of the device, which yields a region of negative differential resistance and leads to the possibility of optical devices with very fast responses and high efficiency.
[0010] However, the MIMIMIM devices of Suemasu and Asada have the distinct disadvantage of being a much more complicated device than the simple MIM device. The fabrication procedure of Suemasu includes the deposition of cobalt, silicon and calcium fluoride to form alternating layers of CoSi 2 and CaF 2 . These rather exotic layer materials were chosen due to the crystalline lattice matching constraints inherent in the epitaxial growth procedure. Several of the difficulties in the fabrication procedure, such as the problem with agglomeration of cobalt on the CaF2 layer as well as the multiple photolithography and selective etching steps required to form the final device after the MIMIMIM layers have been grown, are described in Ref. 7. Suemasu also contends that the use of a triple-barrier structure, rather than a slightly simpler double-barrier structure, is necessary in order to achieve negative differential resistance resulting from resonant tunneling using only metal and insulator layer combinations, thus avoiding the use of semiconductor materials. In addition, Suemasu requires that the thickness of the individual metal and insulator layers must be strictly controlled to the atomic layer level in order to achieve the resonance tunneling effect. Therefore, although the goal of increased nonlinearity and asymmetry may be achieved in the MIMIMIM devices of Suemasu and Asada using metal and insulator combinations, the simplicity of the MIM structure is lost.
[0011] An alternative device structure that has been suggested to achieve resonant tunneling in semiconductor devices is the use of two adjacent insulator layers between two semiconductor layers, resulting in a semiconductor insulator-insulator-semiconductor (SIIS) structure described by Papp, et al. (Papp). 9 Papp describes a theoretical SIIS structure, in which the two crystalline insulator layers are formed of two different insulator materials by crystal growth techniques. The SIIS structure is said to yield a resonant tunneling effect with negative differential resistance, increased nonlinearity and asymmetry as well as negative differential resistance, similar to that shown in the afore described MIMIMIM devices of Suemasu and Asada, although an actual SIIS structure has not yet been implemented, to the Applicants' knowledge. Current crystal growth techniques theoretically enable the implementation of the SIIS structure, but an SIIS device would still embody the drawbacks inherent in semiconductor materials, namely cost efficiency in large area devices. In addition, Suemasu (see Ref. 7) speculates that the recent trend of decreasing the size of electronic devices in order to achieve high speed switching will make semiconductor-based devices impractical due to fluctuation of carrier concentration, which occurs when semiconductor devices are reduced to mesoscopic regimes.
[0012] As will be seen hereinafter, the present invention provides a significant improvement over the prior art as discussed above by virtue of its ability to provide the increased performance while, at the same time, having significant advantages in its manufacturability. This assertion is true for electromagnetic devices generally, which take advantage of the present invention, as well as solar energy conversion devices in particular.
[0013] References
[0014] 1. J. G. Simmons, “Electric tunnel effect between dissimilar electrodes separated by a thin insulating film,” Journal Applied Physics, 34 (1963).
[0015] 2. S. R. Pollack and C. E. Morris, “Electron tunneling through asymmetric films of thermally grown Al 2 O 3 ,” Journal of Applied Physics, vol. 35, no. 5 (1964).
[0016] 3. L. 0 . Hocker, et al., “Frequency mixing in the infrared and far-infrared using a metal-to-metal point contact diode,” Applied Physics Letters, vol. 12, no. 12 (1968).
[0017] 4. S. M. Faris, et al., “Detection of optical and infrared radiation with DC-biased electron-tunneling metal barrier-metal diodes,” IEEE Journal of Quantum Electronics, vol. QE-9, no. 7 (1973).
[0018] 5. B. Michael Kale, “Electron tunneling devices in optics,+ Optical Engineering, vol. 24, no. 2 (1985).
[0019] 6. C. Fumeaux, et al., “Nanometer thin-film Ni—NiO—Ni diodes for detection and mixing of 30 THz radiation,” Infrared Physics and Technology, 39 (1998).
[0020] 7. T. Suemasu, et al., “Metal (CoSi 2 )/lnsulator(CaF 2 ) resonant tunneling diode,” Japanese Journal of Applied Physics, vol. 33 (1994).
[0021] 8. M. Asada, et al, “Theoretical analysis and fabrication of small area Metal/insulator resonant tunneling diode integrated with patch antenna for terahertz photon assisted tunneling,” Solid State Electronics, vol. 42, no. 7-8 (1998).
[0022] 9. G. Papp, et al., “Current rectification through a single-barrier resonant tunneling quantum structure,” Superlattices and Microstructures, vol. 17, no. 3 (1995).
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0023] As will be described in more detail hereinafter, there is disclosed herein an electron tunneling device including first and second non-insulating layers. The first and second non-insulating layers are spaced apart from one another such that a given voltage can be provided across the first and second non-insulating layers, either by an applied external bias voltage or, for example by an induced voltage due to the incidence of solar energy without an applied voltage or both. The electron tunneling device further includes an arrangement disposed between the first and second non-insulating layers and configured to serve as a transport of electrons between the first and second non-insulating layers. This arrangement includes a first layer of an amorphous material configured such that using only the first layer of the amorphous material in the arrangement would result in a given value of a first parameter in the transport of electrons, with respect to the given voltage. However, in accordance with one aspect of the invention, the arrangement includes a second layer of material, which second layer is configured to cooperate with the first layer of amorphous material such that the transport of electrons includes, at least in part, transport by a mechanism of tunneling, and such that the first parameter, with respect to the given voltage, is increased over and above the given value of the first parameter. The first parameter is, for example, nonlinearity or asymmetry in the electron transport.
[0024] In another aspect of the invention, the first layer of amorphous material, if used alone in the arrangement of the electron tunneling device, would result in a given value of a second parameter in the transport of electrons, with respect to the given voltage, but the-second layer of material is also configured to cooperate with the first layer of amorphous material such that second parameter in the transport of electrons, with respect to the given voltage, is reduced below the given value of the second parameter. The second parameter is, for example, differential resistance.
[0025] In yet another aspect of the invention, a device for converting solar energy incident thereon into electrical energy is described. The device has an output and provides the electrical energy at the output. The device includes first and second non-insulating layers spaced apart from one another such that a given voltage can be provided across the first and second non-insulating layers. The device also includes an arrangement disposed between the first and second non-insulating layers and configured to serve as a transport of electrons between the first and second non-insulating layers. The arrangement includes a first layer of an amorphous material. The arrangement also includes a second layer of material configured to cooperate with the first layer of the amorphous material such that the transport of electrons includes, at least in part, transport by a mechanism of tunneling, and such that the solar energy incident on the first and second non-insulating layers, at least in part, is extractable as electrical energy at the output.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0026] The present invention may be understood by reference to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the drawings briefly described below.
[0027] [0027]FIG. 1A is a diagrammatic illustration of a prior art device using a metal-insulator-metal (MIM) configuration.
[0028] FIGS. 1 B- 1 D are graphs illustrating the schematic energy band profiles of the MIM device of FIG. 1A for various voltages provided across the MIM device.
[0029] [0029]FIG. 1E is a graph of a typical current-voltage curve for the MIM device of FIG. 1A.
[0030] [0030]FIG. 2A is a diagrammatic illustration of an electron tunneling device designed in accordance with the present invention.
[0031] [0031]FIG. 2B- 2 D are graphs illustrating the schematic energy band profiles of the electron tunneling device of FIG. 2A for various voltages provided across the electron tunneling device.
[0032] [0032]FIG. 2E is a graph of a typical current-voltage curve for the electron tunneling device of FIG. 2A.
[0033] [0033]FIG. 3A is a diagrammatic top view of a device for converting solar energy incident thereon into electrical energy, designed in accordance with the present invention, shown here to illustrate a possible configuration of metal layers of the device.
[0034] [0034]FIG. 3B is a cross sectional view of the device of FIG. 3A, shown here to illustrate additional structure positioned between the metal layers of the device.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0035] 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. Various modifications to the described embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art and the generic principles herein may be applied to other embodiments. 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.
[0036] Referring now to FIG. 2A, an electron tunneling device designed in accordance with the present invention is described. The electron tunneling device, generally indicated by reference number 110 , includes a first non-insulating layer 112 and a second non-insulating layer 114 . Non-insulating materials include, for example, metals, superconductors, semiconductors, semimetals, quantum wells and superlattice structures. First non-insulating layer 112 and second non-insulating layer 114 can be formed, for example, of two different metals, such as chromium and aluminum, by conventional methods such as, but not limited to, thermal evaporation and sputtering. First non-insulating layer 112 and second non-insulating layer 114 are spaced apart such that a given voltage can be provided therebetween. The given voltage can be, for instance, a bias voltage from an external voltage source (not shown) that is directly applied to the first and second non-insulating layers. Alternatively, as will be seen, the given voltage can be induced by, for example, solar energy. Furthermore, the given voltage can be a combination of induced voltage (from incident electromagnetic radiation, for example) and an applied external bias voltage.
[0037] Continuing to refer to FIG. 2A, a first amorphous layer 116 is disposed between first non-insulating layer 112 and second non-insulating layer 114 . For purposes of this application, an amorphous material is considered to include all materials which are not single crystal in structure. First amorphous layer 116 can be, for example, a native oxide of first non-insulating layer 112 . For instance, if a layer of chromium is used as first non-insulating layer 112 , the layer of chromium can be oxidized to form a layer of chromium oxide to serve as first amorphous layer 116 . Other suitable materials include, but are not limited to, silicon dioxide, niobium oxide, titanium oxide, aluminum oxide, zirconium oxide, tantalum oxide, hafnium oxide, yttrium oxide, magnesium oxide, silicon nitride and aluminum nitride. Electron tunneling device 110 further includes a second layer 118 positioned between first non-insulating layer 112 and second non-insulating layer 114 . Second layer 118 is formed of a predetermined material, which is different from first amorphous layer 116 and is configured to cooperate with first amorphous layer 116 such that first amorphous layer and second layer 118 serve as a transport of electrons between the first and second non-insulating layers. The predetermined material, which forms second layer 118 , can be, for example, an amorphous insulator such as, but not limited to, chromium oxide, silicon dioxide, niobium oxide, titanium oxide, aluminum oxide, zirconium oxide, tantalum oxide, hafnium oxide, yttrium oxide, magnesium oxide, silicon nitride, aluminum nitride and a simple air or vacuum gap. Preferably, second layer 118 is formed of a material having a lower or higher work function than that of first amorphous layer such that the device exhibits an asymmetry in the energy band diagram.
[0038] Had the device consisted of only the first and second non-insulating layers and the first amorphous layer, the device would be essentially equivalent to the prior art MIM device and would exhibit a given degree of nonlinearity, asymmetry and differential resistance in the transport of electrons. However, the inclusion of second layer 118 , surprising and unexpectedly, results in increased degrees of nonlinearity and asymmetry over and above the given degree of nonlinearity and asymmetry while the differential resistance is reduced, with respect to the given voltage. This increase in the nonlinearity and asymmetry and reduction in differential resistance is achieved without resorting to the use of epitaxial growth techniques or crystalline layers of the afore described prior art. The mechanism of this increase is described immediately hereinafter in reference to FIGS. 2 B- 2 E.
[0039] Referring to FIG. 2B in conjunction with FIGS. 1B and 2A, a schematic of a energy band profile 120 corresponding to electron tunneling device 110 is illustrated. Energy band profile 120 includes four regions corresponding to the four layers of electron tunneling device 110 , in comparison to the three regions shown in energy band profile 20 of the prior art MIM device. The presence of second layer 118 contributes to the change in the energy band profile of electron tunneling device 110 .
[0040] Turning now to FIGS. 2C and 2D in conjunction with FIGS. 1C and 1D, the changes in the energy band profile due to voltage application are shown. During reverse bias operation of electron tunneling device I 10 , the energy band profile changes to that shown as line 130 , which is relatively similar to the case of reverse bias operation shown in FIG. 1C for the MIM device. In the situation shown in FIG. 2C, the primary mechanism by which electrons travel between the first and second non-insulating layers is tunneling in a reverse direction indicated by an arrow 136 . When a forward bias voltage is provided, however, a modified energy band profile 140 of FIG. 2D results. In this case, tunneling occurs in paths 146 and 146 ′, but there now exists a quantum well region through which resonant tunneling occurs, as shown by arrow 148 . In the region of resonant tunneling, the ease of transport of electrons suddenly increase, therefore resulting in increased current between the non-insulating layers of electron tunneling device 110 .
[0041] Continuing to refer to FIG. 2D, the addition of second layer 1 18 provides a path for electrons to travel through the device by a resonant tunneling rather than the tunneling process of the prior art MIM device. As a result, more current flows between the non-insulating layers of electron tunneling device 110 , as compared to the MIM device, when a positive voltage is provided while the current flow with a negative voltage provided to the electron tunneling device of the present invention. The presence of resonant tunneling in electron tunneling device 110 therefore results in increased nonlinearity and asymmetry in comparison to the prior art MIM device.
[0042] A typical 1-V curve 150 corresponding to electron tunneling device 11 O is shown in FIG. 2E. 1-V curve 150 demonstrates that electron tunneling device 1 10 functions as a diode, where the diode is defined as a two-terminal electronic element. Furthermore, 1V curve 150 is shown to include a resonance peak 156 corresponding to the provided voltage region in which resonant tunneling occurs. The appearance of resonant tunneling in actually fabricated devices of the present invention depends on the precision of the fabrication process. Even when resonance peak 156 is not present, 1V curve 150 exhibits a higher degree of asymmetry and nonlinearity in comparison to the 1V curve of the prior art MIM device (as shown in FIG. 1E). In other words, while the presence of a resonance peak in the 1V curve of an electron tunneling device of the present invention may lead to additional advantages in certain applications, such as greatly increased nonlinearity around the resonance peak, the electron tunneling device of the present invention achieves the goal of increased asymmetry and nonlinearity with reduced differential resistance in the current-to-voltage performance even when the averaging effect of the amorphous layer “washes out” the resonance peak. Therefore, electron tunneling device 110 essentially includes all of the advantages of the prior art MIMIMIM device, without the complicated fabrication procedure and the use of exotic materials, and all of the advantages of the prior art SIIS device, without the drawbacks of the use of semiconductor materials as described above. Despite and contrary to the teachings of Suemasu, the electron tunneling device of the present invention is able to achieve increased nonlinearity and asymmetry and decreased differential resistance in the transport of electrons through the device, using readily available metals and insulators in a simple structure that is simply manufactured compared to the more complex manufacturing processes of the prior art.
[0043] is emphasized that the electron tunneling device of the present invention combines the simplicity of the MIM device with the performance characteristics of the MIMIMIM devices of Suemasu and Asada while using readily available materials and avoiding the use of semiconductors. Although superficially similar to the SIIS device in structure at first glance due to the presence of two adjacent insulator layers, the addition of second layer 118 in electron tunneling device 110 is not easily accomplished due to fundamental differences in the fabrication procedure (crystal growth and doping techniques in the semiconductor devices versus the oxidation and deposition techniques used in the present invention). In fact, Suemasu and Asada resort to the more complex MIMIMIM structure formed by epitaxial growth techniques in order to achieve the same resonant tunneling effect. The crystalline growth and epitaxial growth techniques used in the SIIS device of Papp and the MIMIMIM devices of Suemasu and Asada preclude the use of amorphous insulator materials in the SIIS device or the MIMIMIM device since crystalline growth and epitaxial growth techniques, by definition, are able to form only crystalline layers. In fact, the crystalline materials that may be used in the SIIS device or the MIMIMIM device are limited by substrate compatibility (for the SIIS device) and crystalline lattice matching considerations (in the MIMIMIM device); that is, the specific materials that may be used in the devices of Suemasu, Asada and Papp are limited by the fabrication procedures used in manufacturing these devices.
[0044] In contrast, the insulator materials used in the electron tunneling device of the present invention may be chosen from a variety of oxides and other materials that can be deposited by sputtering, atomic layer deposition, spin-on deposition, and other readily available techniques. For example, a thin layer of metal can be deposited then oxidized to form the insulator layer. Layer adhesion may be promoted by a surfactant such as one containing silanes or organic materials. In other words, the specific choice of materials used in the electron tunneling device of the present invention can be chosen for the desired electronic characteristics of the materials, rather than being limited in the choice by the fabrication procedure. Furthermore, the inclusion of the amorphous insulator in combination with the second layer of material in the electron tunneling device of the present invention yields unexpected advantages, such as resonant tunneling. The simplicity of the electron tunneling device of the present invention yields advantages not available in the SIIS nor the MIMIMIM device in the ease of fabrication and the flexibility in the selection of materials. Moreover, the use of an amorphous insulator layer in the device, which is not feasible in the MIMIMIM devices of Suemasu and Asada nor the SIIS device of Papp due to the epitaxial growth technique requirements, allows added flexibility in the selection of materials in the present device, since amorphous rather than only compatible crystalline layers can be used, thus further distinguishing the electron tunneling device of the present invention from the prior art devices.
[0045] The resonant tunneling effect and increased asymmetry and nonlinearity and reduced differential resistance in the electron tunneling device of the present invention have been verified by the Applicants by theory and experiment. In theoretical calculations, the currently available models for MIM devices were extensively modified in accordance with re-analysis of fundamental algorithms and evaluation to allow the modeling of the electron tunneling device of the present invention. The results of the theoretical calculations verified the presence of resonant tunneling and increased asymmetry and nonlinearity with reduced differential resistance in the electron tunneling device of the configuration shown in FIG. 2A.
[0046] Experimental devices were also fabricated in accordance with the present invention and tested. A thin film deposition method based on atomic layer deposition (ALD) techniques was used in the fabrication of the second layer. Other deposition techniques, such as but not limited to sputtering may also be used in place of ALD. The fabrication process described below utilizes a lift-off technique to form the patterned metal layers. Formation of the patterned metal layer is also possible by chemical etching, reactive ion etching, milling and other techniques. A summary of the fabrication process for a typical device is as follows:
[0047] 1. Thoroughly clean a silicon wafer substrate including a thermal oxide less than 1 μm thick for electrical isolation between the MIM diode and silicon substrate using a combination of baking steps and de-ionized (D1) water rinses;
[0048] 2. Form a base contact pad, which is resistant to the formation of a continuous ALD insulator, to function as an antenna and contact pads (for electrically accessing the device):
[0049] a. Lithography to define the contact pad shape:
[0050] i. Plasma cleaning to de-scum the silicon wafer,
[0051] ii. Spin on a primer (HMDS) at 6000 rpm for 30 seconds,
[0052] iii. Spin on a resist at 6000 rpm for 30 seconds (time and spin speed are dependent on the specific resist used),
[0053] iv. Pre-bake the resist layer at 90° C. for 25 minutes (time and temperature are dependent on the specific resist used),
[0054] v. Expose the resist layer for 27 seconds (exposure time is dependent on the specific resist used and the resist thickness),
[0055] vi. Develop the resist layer using a developer solution (4:1 ratio of D1 water to developer) for a predetermined time, (developer solution depends upon specific resist and developer used)
[0056] vii. Rinse off the developer with DI water,
[0057] viii. O 2 plasma cleaning to clean the resist openings;
[0058] b. Thermal evaporation of bond layer (100 nm of chromium) to serve as a scratch-resistant metal, through which the device can be electrically probed;
[0059] c. Thermal evaporation of contact layer (100 nm of gold) for preventing the oxidation of the bond layer and the adhesion of a continuous ALD layer;
[0060] d. Lift-off to remove extraneous material:
[0061] i. Lift-off with acetone on spinner at low speed,
[0062] ii. Ultrasonic bath with acetone (if necessary to promote lift-off),
[0063] iii. Lift-off with acetone on spinner,
[0064] iv. Clean with isopropyl alcohol on spinner,
[0065] v. Spin dry;
[0066] 3. Form a first non-insulating layer by repeating Step 2 (skip Step 2c) to form a 100 nm-thick Cr layer;
[0067] 4. Form a first amorphous layer by oxidizing (3 days minimum under a clean hood) the first non-insulating layer to form a native oxide, less than 4 nm in thickness;
[0068] 5. Form a second layer by atomic layer deposition using Al(CH 3 ) 3 and H 2 O precursors;
[0069] 6. Form the second non-insulating layer by repeating Step 3.
[0070] The fabrication procedure described above is relatively simple, compared to the fabrication procedure of the MIMIMIM devices of Suemasu and Asada described above, and is flexible, allowing the use of various metal and oxide materials. As mentioned above, a variety of metals, such as but not limited to chromium, aluminum, niobium, tungsten, nickel, yttrium and magnesium, and a variety of oxides, such as the native oxides of the aforementioned various metals or other oxides that can be deposited onto existing amorphous layers are suitable for use in the electron tunneling device of the present invention. The resulting devices have been measured to verify the presence of the resonance peak in the 1-V curve as well as the increased asymmetry and nonlinearity with reduced differential resistance. Attention is particularly directed to Step 2c, in which an additional contact layer of a metal, such as silver or gold, is deposited on top of the chromium bond layer. In this way, the contact pad is still accessible while the insulators deposited by atomic layer deposition do not form a continuous layer. In addition, other methods of lithography, such as electron beam-assisted lithography, may be used in place of the afore described photolithography steps. Also, in step 1, the coupling between the antenna and electromagnetic energy may altered by alternative substrate choices such as, but not limited to, glass, quartz and other non-conductive materials that are flat and capable of withstanding the evaporation and deposition procedures, such as those described above. Furthermore, if coupling of the electromagnetic radiation from the substrate side of the device is desired a substrate transparent to the incident electromagnetic radiation can be used in place of the silicon wafer substrate.
[0071] Turning now to FIGS. 3A and 3B, a solar energy converter 200 has been developed as one application example of the present invention as described above. Solar energy converter 200 includes a first non-insulating layer 212 and a second non-insulating layer 214 corresponding to previously described layers 112 and 114 , respectively. An overlap portion between the first and second non-insulating layers, indicated by a box 215 , effectively forms the afore described electron tunneling device. The structure of the electron tunneling device is shown more clearly in FIG. 3B, illustrating a cross sectional view of solar energy converter 200 of FIG. 3A taken along line 3 B- 3 B. A first amorphous insulator layer 216 and a second layer 218 , corresponding to previously described layers 116 and 118 , respectively, are positioned in overlap portion 215 of the first and second non-insulating layers to result in the electron tunneling device of the present invention.
[0072] As shown in FIG. 3A, first and second non-insulating layers 212 and 214 , respectively, are further shaped in a form of a bow-tie antenna to focus the incident solar energy on the overlap portion, thus increasing the sensitivity of the solar energy converter to incident solar energy. The bow-tie antenna is configured to increase the sensitivity of solar energy converter 200 to broadband solar energy by being receptive to electromagnetic radiation over a range of frequencies, for example, from near-ultraviolet to near-infrared frequencies. When solar energy 220 falls on solar energy converter 200 , solar energy 220 is converted to a voltage between the first and second non-insulating layers to serve as the aforementioned given voltage. A directional current is established in the overlap portion in accordance with the 1V curve for the electron tunneling device of the present invention. Thus, the incident solar energy is converted to electrical energy by electrical rectification. The electrical energy can then be extracted at an output from the solar energy converter.
[0073] It is stressed that the solar energy converter of FIGS. 3A and 3B exhibit the performance advantages of the MIMIMIM and SIIS devices while avoiding the disadvantages of the prior art devices. Namely, solar energy converter 200 is based on a simple structure of two non-insulating layers separated by two different layers positioned therebetween, where one of the two different layers is an amorphous insulator. Due to the flexible fabrication process, the exact materials used in solar energy converter 200 can be selected from a wide variety of readily available materials, such as chromium, aluminum, titanium, niobium and silicon and the respective native oxides, and not be constrained to the use of only semiconductor materials, crystalline insulators or exotic materials, such as CoSi 2 . Also, unlike the prior art semiconductor device, which is limited in its response by the bandgap energy, the solar energy converter of the present invention is sensitive to a wide range of incident electromagnetic energies. In fact, with an appropriately designed antenna, which is configured to be sensitive to the range of frequencies within the electromagnetic spectrum of the sun, the energy conversion efficiency upper limit of the solar energy converter of the present invention approaches 100% of the energy delivered to the electron tunneling device by the antenna. Moreover, the solar energy converter of FIGS. 3A and 3B does not require the application of an external bias voltage, other than the solar energy received by the antenna structure. The fact that the solar energy converter of the present invention does not require the application of an external bias is in contrast to prior art devices which require the application of an external bias voltage.
[0074] Turning now to FIG. 4, a variation of the electron tunneling device of the present invention is described. FIG. 4 illustrates an electron tunneling device 300 including a superlattice structure 310 positioned between first non-insulating layer 12 and second non-insulating layer 14 . Superlattice structure 310 includes a plurality of thin non-insulating layers 312 separated by thin insulating layers 314 . Each thin non-insulating layer 312 can be, for example, one monolayer of a metal, and each thin insulating layer 314 can be, for instance, seven monolayers of an insulator. Superlattice structure 310 provides an transport path for electrons, thus increasing electron flow between the first and second non-insulating layers. As a result, more flexibility in the design of the electron tunneling device becomes available for enhancing the performance of the device such as, for instance, increasing the device nonlinearity by selecting a suitable material to modify the height of the energy band corresponding to either the first or the second non-insulating layer.
[0075] Although each of the afore described embodiments have been illustrated with various components having particular respective orientations, it should be understood that the present invention may take on a variety of specific configurations with the various components being located in a wide variety of positions and mutual orientations and still remain within the spirit and scope of the present invention. Furthermore, suitable equivalents may be used in place of or in addition to the various components, the function and use of such substitute or additional components being held to be familiar to those skilled in the art and are therefore regarded as falling within the scope of the present invention. For example, the exact materials used in the afore described devices may be modified while achieving the same result of improved current-voltage performance. Also, in the solar energy converter application, other antenna shapes suitable for receiving broadband solar energy may be used in place of the bow-tie antenna.
[0076] In addition to the advantages described thus far resulting from resonant tunneling, asymmetry may be further enhanced by quantum mechanical reflections. Quantum mechanical reflections occur as a result of changes in potential energy or effective mass and are accounted for in the inventors' theoretical calculations. These reflections result for electrons tunneling both above and below the band edge of the insulator. As a result of the substantially different barrier and effective mass profile of this multilayer system over single layer MIM diodes asymmetry will be enhanced even in the absence of the resonant tunneling.
[0077] Furthermore, it is noted that the slope of the conduction band in the oxide is proportional to the electric field strength, and the electric field strength in turn depends upon the dielectric constant within the oxide. Consequently, we may tailor the voltage drop or electric field strength across each of the oxide regions by using oxides with desirable dielectric constants. By controlling the electric field strength in each layer we may further tailor the resonant energy levels location as a function of provided voltage.
[0078] Moreover, the asymmetry in the 1V curve of the device can be further enhanced by considering the electric field direction in the multilayer system. In tunneling, the electric field direction does not play a role in the magnitude of the tunneling probability. However, if an electron does not tunnel the entire distance through the oxide, perhaps due to a collision, the characteristics of the electric field will influence the post-collision electron direction. The direction, magnitude, and distribution of the electric field in the oxide layer can be controlled by selecting the work functions and Fermi levels of the electrodes and the dielectric constant of the oxide layers.
[0079] It is to be understood that the present invention, and the advantages attributed thereto can be utilized in electromagnetic device applications other than solar energy conversion devices. These applications include, but are not limited to, detectors of all of the electromagnetic frequency spectrum, emitters, modulators, repeaters and transistors, as disclosed in the applicants' copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/860,972 (Attorney Docket Number Phiar-P002) incorporated herein by reference. Additionally, an external bias voltage may be applied to the non-insulating layers in these applications to operate the device in a desired region on the 1V curve. Therefore, the present examples are to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive, and the invention is not to be limited to the details given herein but may be modified within the scope of the appended claims.
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A method for fabricating an electron tunneling device on a substrate includes forming a first non-insulating layer on the substrate and providing a first amorphous layer. The method further includes the steps of providing a second layer, and forming a second non-insulating layer and providing an antenna structure connected with the first and second non-insulating layers. The second layer of material is configured to cooperate with the first amorphous layer such that the first amorphous layer and the second layer of material together serve as a transport of electrons between and to the first and second non-insulating layers, and the transport of electrons includes, at least in part, transport by means of tunneling.
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This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §§119 and/or 365 to 86 385/1999 filed in Japan on Mar. 29, 1999; the entire content of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a scrubbing dust collector for subjecting an exhaust gas from discharged from a semiconductor-manufacturing unit or the like to scrubbing and dust-collection, and relates to an exhaust gas treatment installation comprising this scrubbing dust collector.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the manufacture of semiconductors, an exhaust gas containing poisonous gases such as silane gas is produced. Therefore, it is obliged in accordance with a low (High pressure gas control low) to install, in a place where such an exhaust gas is discharged, an exhaust gas treatment installation, and to discharge the exhaust gas after the poisonous gases are made harmless.
As an exhaust gas treatment installation of the prior art, there has been used, for instance, one comprising a combustor for burning an exhaust gas and a jet type scrubbing dust collector for subjecting the exhaust gas burned in this combustor to scrubbing and dust-collection. In a case where a removal treatment of, for example, silane gas (SiH 4 ) contained in an exhaust gas is carried out in such an exhaust gas treatment installation, said exhaust gas is first reacted with oxygen in air by the combustor and a combustion exhaust gas containing the resulting particles (SiO 2 ) is mixed with cooling air so as to be cooled down to about 80° C. By contacting the exhaust gas with a washing liquid (in general, water) by use of the scrubbing dust collector, SiO 2 is thereafter caught in the washing liquid, and namely SiO 2 is removed from the exhaust gas.
In the aforementioned prior art, however, there has been such a problem that it is very difficult to catch fine dust particulates whose diameter is as small as 0.1˜0.5 micron, of dust particulates contained in an exhaust gas, by a circulating washing liquid so that the same fine dust particulates are permitted to be directly released to the atmosphere.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a scrubbing dust collector and an exhaust gas treatment installation capable of catching fine dust particulates in an exhaust gas by a washing liquid, thereby decreasing dust particulates released to the atmosphere.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In order to achieve the aforementioned purpose, the invention of the first aspect provides a scrubbing dust collector comprising a washing liquid tank containing a washing liquid stored therein, and a scrubbing tower provided on the upper portion of said washing liquid tank and having a washing liquid jetting means for jetting said washing liquid, where an exhaust gas is introduced into said scrubbing tower so as to be subjected to scrubbing and dust-collection, characterized in that a netting member is provided below said washing liquid jetting means in said scrubbing tower.
By virtue of the provision of the netting member, as mentioned above, a washing liquid jetted from the washing liquid jetting means collects temporarily in a section of the netting member so that a liquid membrane is formed. When the washing liquid passes through the meshes of the netting member, the same washing liquid falls down as it packs the exhaust gas, and hence the contact area of the exhaust gas containing fine dust particulates with the washing liquid becomes larger, whereby the fine dust particulates are easily caught in the washing liquid. Accordingly, the fine dust particulates removed from the exhaust gas increase, and as a result, dust particulates released to the atmosphere decrease.
In the aforementioned scrubbing dust collector, a plurality of the netting members are preferably disposed vertically. Even if fine dust particulates contained in the exhaust gas are not caught in the washing liquid in a section of the netting member on the upper side, owing to this construction, they will be caught in the washing liquid in a section of the netting member on the lower side. Namely, fine dust particulates are surely removed from the exhaust gas and dust particulates released to the atmosphere further decrease.
In this case, the mesh size of the netting member on the lower side is preferably made smaller than that of the netting member on the upper side. Owing to this construction, dust particulates of a so-called group of cluster particles formed by combining a plurality of fine dust particulates whose diameter is for example as small as 0.1 micron, of dust particulates contained in an exhaust gas, are caught by the washing Liquid in a section of the netting member on the upper side, and fine dust particulates as simple substances will be caught by the washing liquid in a section of the netting member on the lower side. Accordingly, fine dust particulates are removed from the exhaust gas, with an excellent efficiency.
Further, a frame body having slits formed therein is preferably provided below said washing liquid jetting means in said scrubbing tower, and said netting members are preferably attached below said slits in said frame body. If the quantity of the washing liquid collecting in a section of the netting members becomes larger, owing to this construction, the washing liquid will be discharged out of the frame body through said slits.
By attaching an ultrasonic vibrator on said frame body, furthermore, the clogging of the netting members can be prevented, and at the same time the fine dust particulates-collecting efficiency can be improved.
In order to achieve the aforementioned purpose, the invention of the second aspect provides an exhaust gas treatment installation comprising a combustor for burning an exhaust gas and the aforementioned scrubbing dust collector for subjecting the exhaust gas burned in this combustor to scrubbing and dust-collection. Owing to this construction, fine dust particulates removed from an exhaust gas increase and hence dust particulates released to the atmosphere decrease, as mentioned above.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES OF THE DRAWING
FIG. 1 is a block flow diagram showing an embodiment of the exhaust gas treatment installation including the scrubbing dust collector according to the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the circulating water hold member illustrated in FIG. 1; and
FIG. 3 is a block flow diagram showing another embodiment of the exhaust gas treatment installation including the scrubbing dust collector according to the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring to the accompanying drawings, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail.
FIG. 1 is a block flow diagram showing one embodiment of the exhaust gas treatment installation according to the present invention. In the same drawing, the exhaust gas treatment installation of this embodiment comprises a combustor 1 equipped with a flame tube for burning an exhaust gas discharged from a semiconductor-manufacturing unit 5 such as CVD unit or etching unit and containing monosilane gas (SiH 4 ), a jet type scrubbing dust collector 2 for contacting the exhaust gas discharged from said combustor 1 with a circulating washing liquid, this is circulating water, to collect SiO 2 which is powders contained in the exhaust gas, and a filter press 3 for separating the powders from the circulating water.
The combustor 1 is constructed such that the exhaust gas from the semiconductor-manufacturing unit 5 and combustion air are introduced therein, and in the flame tube, SiH 4 contained in the exhaust gas is reacted with oxygen in the air at a high temperature to produce SiO 2 . Since SiH 4 contained in the exhaust gas has a relatively higher concentration, in addition, it is designed to introduce the exhaust gas into the combustor 1 after it is optionally diluted with nitrogen gas. In the combustor 1 , cooling air is further introduced therein to cool down the exhaust gas which has got a high temperature in the flame tube, and the cooled exhaust gas is then discharged.
The scrubbing dust collector 2 comprises a water tank 21 containing circulating water stored therein, a scrubbing tower 22 provided on the upper portion of said water tank 21 and having at its top portion an exhaust gas inlet port 22 a connected with the combustor 1 , and a separator tower 23 provided adjacently to the scrubbing tower 22 on the upper portion of said water tank 21 and having at its top portion an exhaust port 23 a connected with an exhaust blower 8 .
In the upper portion of the scrubbing tower 22 is installed a nozzle 25 as the washing liquid jetting means. This nozzle 25 is connected with the water tank 21 by way of a circulation pump 26 , where the circulating water sucked up from the water tank 21 by the circulation pump 26 is radially jetted downwards. Further, in the lower portion of the scrubbing tower 22 is installed a circulating water hold member 40 having a wire mesh plate 42 which is a stainless steel-made netting member for interrupting the circulating water jetted from the nozzle 25 . The structure of this circulating water hold member 40 is illustrated in FIG. 2 .
In the same drawing, the circulating water hold member 40 comprises a square frame body 41 having a flange part 41 a provided at its upper end. Four walls which form this frame body 41 each has a slit 43 formed as an escape hole for the circulating water. In the lower portion of the frame body 41 , the said wire mesh plate 42 is detachably attached. This wire mesh plate 42 is shaped in the form of a lattice, and the mesh size thereof is made to be such a size that the circulating water released from the nozzle 25 can remain only in a sufficient amount for collecting SiO 2 in the exhaust gas, for example 30˜80 meshes. The term “mesh” used here is a unit represented by the number of meshes (the common ratio=2 1/2 ) contained in 1 in 2 . In the circulating water hold member 40 having such a structure as mentioned above, the flange part 41 a of the frame body 41 is fixed on a plurality of attachment frames (not shown) provided on the inner surface of the wall part of the scrubbing tower 22 by means of bolts or the likes.
Now returning to FIG. 1, the separator tower 23 has Raschig ring trays 31 disposed in plural stages (in three stages in the drawing) and a separator 32 disposed above these Raschig ring trays 31 . The Raschig ring trays 31 each is designed to further remove dust particulates in a small amount remaining in a rising gas by the circulating water jetted from a nozzles 33 , and the separator 32 is also designed to eliminate water drops contained in the gas freed of dust particulates.
The filter press 3 is connected with the water tank 21 by way of a suction pump 29 , where the circulating water containing dust particulates in the water tank 21 is introduced therein by the suction pump 29 and the same circulating water is freed of dust particulates and then returned to the water tank 21 .
In the next place, a treatment of monosilane gas (SiH 4 ) using the exhaust gas treatment installation of this embodiment constructed as mentioned above will be described here.
By actuating the exhaust pump 6 at first, an exhaust gas containing at a high concentration SiH 4 which has been discharged from the semiconductor-manufacturing unit 5 is diluted with nitrogen gas and then introduced into the flame tube of the combustor 1 . Into this flame tube, combustion air is also introduced. In the flame tube, SiH 4 contained in the exhaust gas is reacted with oxygen in the air and as a result, SiO 2 is produced. A combustion exhaust gas containing this SiO 2 is then cooled down to about 80° C. by cooling air. Thereafter, the exhaust gas containing SiO 2 is sent from the combustor 1 to the scrubbing tower 22 of the scrubbing dust collector 2 by means of the exhaust blower 8 .
The exhaust gas introduced in the scrubbing tower 22 is subjected to scrubbing and dust-collection by contacting SiO 2 contained therein with the circulating water jetted from the nozzle 25 . SiO 2 powders include fine dust particulates whose diameter is as small as about 0.1 micron and dust particulates of a group of cluster particles formed by combining (combining to cluster) a plurality of these fine dust particulates. As to fine dust particulates as simple substances and dust particles of a group of cluster particles whose diameter is small (i.e. less than 0.5 micron in diameter), both of which will be hereinafter called fine dust particulates en bloc, of these dust powders, they seldom collide with the circulating water while falling down because the contact area of them with the circulating water jetted from the nozzle 25 is small, and it is namely difficult to catch fine dust particulates only by the circulating water as falling down.
Since the wire mesh plate 42 is provided in the lower portion of the scrubbing tower 22 , in this embodiment, the circulating water jetted from the nozzle 25 spreads in a section of the wire mesh plate 42 so that a liquid membrane is formed. The contact area of the exhaust gas containing SiO 2 with the circulating water therefore becomes larger, whereby SiO 2 is easily caught in the circulating water. When the circulating water which has temporarily collected in a section of the wire mesh plate 42 falls down through the meshes of the wire mesh plate 42 , the same circulating water falls down as it packs the exhaust gas, and hence the contact area of the exhaust gas with the circulating water becomes larger, whereby SiO 2 in the exhaust gas is easily caught in the circulating water.
The circulating water which has caught SiO 2 is sent to the filter press 3 by way of the suction pump 29 , where SiO 2 is removed therefrom by the filter press 3 . The gas freed of SiO 2 is then sent to the separator tower 23 through the upper portion of the water tank 21 by means of the exhaust blower 8 . After a small amount of dust particulates remaining in the rising gas are removed by the circulating water jetted from the nozzles 33 in a section of the Raschig ring trays 31 and water drops contained in the gas are removed by the separator 32 , the same gas will be released to the atmosphere by way of the exhaust blower 8 .
According to this embodiment, as mentioned above, the circulating water hold member 40 having the wire mesh plate 42 has been installed in the scrubbing tower 22 so that the exhaust gas containing dust particulates and the circulating water are sufficiently contacted with each other, and hence even fine dust particulates in the exhaust gas can be surely caught in the circulating water, whereby the dust particulates can be prevented from being released to the atmosphere.
In this embodiment, further, the slits 43 have been formed in the frame body 41 of the circulating water hold member 40 , and hence when the quantity of the circulating water which collects in a section of the wire mesh plate 42 becomes much more than as needed, the circulating water will be discharged outside of the frame body 41 through the slits 43 .
Although one wire mesh plate 42 has been provided in the scrubbing tower 22 , moreover in this embodiment, the number of the wire mesh plates 42 may be plural. Referring to FIG. 3, another embodiment using a plurality of the wire mesh plates will be described. In this drawing, members which are the same as or equal to those in the aforementioned embodiment of FIG. 1 will be given the same numerals and their explanation will be omitted.
In the embodiment depicted in FIG. 3, four wire mesh plates are provided in a scrubbing tower 22 A in a scrubbing dust collector 2 A. Describing further in detail, in the lower portion of the scrubbing tower 22 A are provided two circulating water hold members 52 , each having the wire mesh plate 50 , and above these circulating water hold members 52 are provided two circulating water hold members 56 , each having the wire mesh plate 54 whose mesh is more rough than that of the wire mesh plates 50 . These circulating water hold members 52 , 56 each is constructed similarly to the circulating water hold member 40 shown in FIG. 2 such that the wire mesh plates 50 , 54 are detachably attached on the bottom surface portion of a square frame body. The mesh size of the wire mesh plates 50 is made to be an optimum size for catching dust particulates having a particle unit, for example 50˜80 meshes, and the mesh size of the wire mesh plates 54 is made to be an optimum size for catching dust particulates of a cluster particle group, for example 30˜50 meshes. The other constructions are the same as those illustrated in FIG. 1 .
In the scrubbing dust collector 2 A having such a construction as mentioned above, dust particulates of a group of cluster particles, of SiO 2 contained in an exhaust gas, are caught in the circulating water in a section of the wire mesh plates 54 , and fine dust particulates which have been not caught in this section are caught by the circulating water in a section of the wire mesh plates 50 . Accordingly, a scrubbing dust collection excellent in efficiency is carried out.
Although it has been constructed that the frame body is installed on the wall portion of the scrubbing tower and the wire mesh plates are detachably attached on this frame body, in these two aforementioned embodiments, it may be constructed that the wire mesh plates are detachably attached on the wall portion of the scrubbing tower, without using such a frame body.
Although it has been constructed that the wire mesh plates are installed as the netting members in the scrubbing tower, plastic net plates or others may be used as the netting members, not limited to the wire mesh plates.
Although the removal treatment of SiO 2 produced by burning an exhaust gas containing monosilane gas (SiH 4 ) has been described above, the present invention is applicable to a removal treatment of other dust particulates contained in an exhaust gas, not limited to SiO 2 . Also in this case, it is necessary to set the mesh size of the netting members in proportion to dust particulates to be removed.
According to the present invention, the netting members are provided in the scrubbing tower, and hence an exhaust gas containing fine dust particulates and a circulating washing liquid are sufficiently contacted with each other, whereby fine dust particulates in the exhaust gas are surely caught in the washing liquid and dust particulates can be prevented from being released to the atmosphere.
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An improved scrubbing dust collector and exhaust gas treatment installation are described. The collector ( 2 ) includes a tank ( 21 ) containing a washing liquid, a scrubbing tower ( 22 ) on the upper portion of the tank into which an exhaust gas is introduced, a jetting nozzle ( 25 ) on the upper portion of the tower, and at least one netting member ( 42 ) located in a lower portion of the tower. The netting may be installed in a frame ( 40 ) which has slits therein. A plurality of netting members may be employed and a lower member may have a smaller mesh size than an upper one. The installation includes the scrubbing dust collector ( 2 ), a combustor ( 1 ) and a separator tower ( 23 ). As washing liquid is jetted from the nozzle ( 25 ), it passes downward in the scrubbing tower and forms a membrane-like layer on the netting member thereby providing a larger contact area between the exhaust gas and the washing liquid.
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BACKGROUND
Computer data is vital to today's organizations and a significant part of protection against disasters is focused on data protection. As solid-state memory has advanced to the point where cost of memory has become a relatively insignificant factor, organizations can afford to operate with systems that store and process terabytes of data.
Conventional data protection systems include tape backup drives, for storing organizational production site data on a periodic basis. Another conventional data protection system uses data replication, by creating a copy of production site data of an organization on a secondary backup storage system, and updating the backup with changes. The backup storage system may be situated in the same physical location as the production storage system, or in a physically remote location. Data replication systems generally operate either at the application level, at the file system level, or at the data block level.
SUMMARY
In one aspect, a method includes receiving a request to access a virtual volume snapshot, preparing to bind the virtual volume snapshot, intercepting a command to prepare bind of the virtual volume snapshot, rolling back to a point in time corresponding to the requested virtual volume snapshot and generating a virtual volume snapshot in a storage array.
In another aspect, an article includes a non-transitory machine-readable medium that stores executable instructions. The instructions cause a machine to receive a request to access a virtual volume snapshot, prepare to bind the virtual volume snapshot, intercept a command to prepare bind of the virtual volume snapshot, roll back to a point in time corresponding to the requested virtual volume snapshot and generate a virtual volume snapshot in a storage array.
In a further aspect, an apparatus circuitry configured to receive a request to access a virtual volume snapshot, prepare to bind the virtual volume snapshot, intercept a command to prepare bind of the virtual volume snapshot, roll back to a point in time corresponding to the requested virtual volume snapshot and generate a virtual volume snapshot in a storage array.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an example of a data protection system.
FIG. 2 is an illustration of an example of a journal history of write transactions for a storage system.
FIG. 3 is a diagram of a virtual storage environment.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart of an example of a process to generate a virtual volume snapshot.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart of an example of a process to access a virtual volume snapshot.
FIG. 6 is a flowchart of an example of a process to unbind a virtual volume snapshot.
FIG. 7 is a computer on which any of the processes of FIGS. 4 to 6 may be implemented.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Virtual volumes are a new storage abstraction to store virtual machines (VM). Virtual volumes allow for millions of snapshots to be generated. Described herein are techniques to allow a user to generate snapshots and to allow the user to access those snapshots that the user wants to access.
The following definitions may be useful in understanding the specification and claims.
BACKUP SITE—a facility where replicated production site data is stored; the backup site may be located in a remote site or at the same location as the production site;
DATA PROTECTION APPLIANCE (DPA)—a computer or a cluster of computers responsible for data protection services including inter alia data replication of a storage system, and journaling of I/O requests issued by a host computer to the storage system;
HOST—at least one computer or networks of computers that runs at least one data processing application that issues I/O requests to one or more storage systems; a host is an initiator with a SAN;
HOST DEVICE—an internal interface in a host, to a logical storage unit;
IMAGE—a copy of a logical storage unit at a specific point in time;
INITIATOR—a node in a SAN that issues I/O requests;
I/O REQUEST—an input/output request which may be a read I/O request (read request) or a write I/O request (write request), also referred to as an I/O;
JOURNAL—a record of write transactions issued to a storage system; used to maintain a duplicate storage system, and to roll back the duplicate storage system to a previous point in time;
LOGICAL UNIT—a logical entity provided by a storage system for accessing data from the storage system. The logical disk may be a physical logical unit or a virtual logical unit;
LUN—a logical unit number for identifying a logical unit;
PHYSICAL LOGICAL UNIT—a physical entity, such as a disk or an array of disks, for storing data in storage locations that can be accessed by address;
PRODUCTION SITE—a facility where one or more host computers run data processing applications that write data to a storage system and read data from the storage system;
REMOTE ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS—an acknowledgement from remote DPA to the local DPA that data arrived at the remote DPA (either to the appliance or the journal)
SPLITTER ACKNOWLEDGEMENT—an acknowledgement from a DPA to the protection agent that data has been received at the DPA; this may be achieved by SCSI status cmd.
SAN—a storage area network of nodes that send and receive I/O and other requests, each node in the network being an initiator or a target, or both an initiator and a target;
SOURCE SIDE—a transmitter of data within a data replication workflow, during normal operation a production site is the source side; and during data recovery a backup site is the source side;
STORAGE SYSTEM—a SAN entity that provides multiple logical units for access by multiple SAN initiators
TARGET—a node in a SAN that replies to I/O requests;
TARGET SIDE—a receiver of data within a data replication workflow; during normal operation a back site is the target side, and during data recovery a production site is the target side;
VIRTUAL LOGICAL UNIT—a virtual storage entity which is treated as a logical unit by virtual machines;
WAN—a wide area network that connects local networks and enables them to communicate with one another, such as the Internet.
A description of journaling and some techniques associated with journaling may be described in the patent titled “METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR OPTIMAL JOURNALING FOR CONTINUOUS DATA REPLICATION” and with U.S. Pat. No. 7,516,287, which is hereby incorporated by reference.
An Example of a Replication System
Referring to FIG. 1 , a data protection system 100 includes two sites; Site I, which is a production site, and Site II, which is a backup site. Under normal operation the production site is the source side of system 100 , and the backup site is the target side of the system. The backup site is responsible for replicating production site data. Additionally, the backup site enables roll back of Site I data to an earlier pointing time, which may be used in the event of data corruption of a disaster, or alternatively in order to view or to access data from an earlier point in time.
FIG. 1 is an overview of a system for data replication of either physical or virtual logical units. Thus, one of ordinary skill in the art would appreciate that in a virtual environment a hypervisor, in one example, would consume logical units and generate a distributed file system on them such as VMFS creates files in the file system and expose the files as logical units to the virtual machines (each VMDK is seen as a SCSI device by virtual hosts). In another example, the hypervisor consumes a network based file system and exposes files in the NFS as SCSI devices to virtual hosts.
During normal operations, the direction of replicate data flow goes from source side to target side. It is possible, however, for a user to reverse the direction of replicate data flow, in which case Site I starts to behave as a target backup site, and Site II starts to behave as a source production site. Such change of replication direction is referred to as a “failover”. A failover may be performed in the event of a disaster at the production site, or for other reasons. In some data architectures, Site I or Site II behaves as a production site for a portion of stored data, and behaves simultaneously as a backup site for another portion of stored data. In some data architectures, a portion of stored data is replicated to a backup site, and another portion is not.
The production site and the backup site may be remote from one another, or they may both be situated at a common site, local to one another. Local data protection has the advantage of minimizing data lag between target and source, and remote data protection has the advantage is being robust in the event that a disaster occurs at the source side.
The source and target sides communicate via a wide area network (WAN) 128 , although other types of networks may be used.
Each side of system 100 includes three major components coupled via a storage area network (SAN); namely, (i) a storage system, (ii) a host computer, and (iii) a data protection appliance (DPA). Specifically with reference to FIG. 1 , the source side SAN includes a source host computer 104 , a source storage system 108 , and a source DPA 112 . Similarly, the target side SAN includes a target host computer 116 , a target storage system 120 , and a target DPA 124 . As well, the protection agent (splitter) may run on the host, or on the storage, or in the network or at a hypervisor level, and that DPAs are optional and DPA code may run on the storage array too, or the DPA 124 may run as a virtual machine.
Generally, a SAN includes one or more devices, referred to as “nodes”. A node in a SAN may be an “initiator” or a “target”, or both. An initiator node is a device that is able to initiate requests to one or more other devices; and a target node is a device that is able to reply to requests, such as SCSI commands, sent by an initiator node. A SAN may also include network switches, such as fiber channel switches. The communication links between each host computer and its corresponding storage system may be any appropriate medium suitable for data transfer, such as fiber communication channel links.
The host communicates with its corresponding storage system using small computer system interface (SCSI) commands.
System 100 includes source storage system 108 and target storage system 120 . Each storage system includes physical storage units for storing data, such as disks or arrays of disks. Typically, storage systems 108 and 120 are target nodes. In order to enable initiators to send requests to storage system 108 , storage system 108 exposes one or more logical units (LU) to which commands are issued. Thus, storage systems 108 and 120 are SAN entities that provide multiple logical units for access by multiple SAN initiators.
Logical units are a logical entity provided by a storage system, for accessing data stored in the storage system. The logical unit may be a physical logical unit or a virtual logical unit. A logical unit is identified by a unique logical unit number (LUN). Storage system 108 exposes a logical unit 136 , designated as LU A, and storage system 120 exposes a logical unit 156 , designated as LU B.
LU B is used for replicating LU A. As such, LU B is generated as a copy of LU A. In one embodiment, LU B is configured so that its size is identical to the size of LU A. Thus for LU A, storage system 120 serves as a backup for source side storage system 108 . Alternatively, as mentioned hereinabove, some logical units of storage system 120 may be used to back up logical units of storage system 108 , and other logical units of storage system 120 may be used for other purposes. Moreover, there is symmetric replication whereby some logical units of storage system 108 are used for replicating logical units of storage system 120 , and other logical units of storage system 120 are used for replicating other logical units of storage system 108 .
System 100 includes a source side host computer 104 and a target side host computer 116 . A host computer may be one computer, or a plurality of computers, or a network of distributed computers, each computer may include inter alia a conventional CPU, volatile and non-volatile memory, a data bus, an I/O interface, a display interface and a network interface. Generally a host computer runs at least one data processing application, such as a database application and an e-mail server.
Generally, an operating system of a host computer creates a host device for each logical unit exposed by a storage system in the host computer SAN. A host device is a logical entity in a host computer, through which a host computer may access a logical unit. Host device 104 identifies LU A and generates a corresponding host device 140 , designated as Device A, through which it can access LU A. Similarly, host computer 116 identifies LU B and generates a corresponding device 160 , designated as Device B.
In the course of continuous operation, host computer 104 is a SAN initiator that issues I/O requests (write/read operations) through host device 140 to LU A using, for example, SCSI commands. Such requests are generally transmitted to LU A with an address that includes a specific device identifier, an offset within the device, and a data size. Offsets are generally aligned to 512 byte blocks. The average size of a write operation issued by host computer 104 may be, for example, 10 kilobytes (KB); i.e., 20 blocks. For an I/O rate of 50 megabytes (MB) per second, this corresponds to approximately 5,000 write transactions per second.
System 100 includes two data protection appliances, a source side DPA 112 and a target side DPA 124 . A DPA performs various data protection services, such as data replication of a storage system, and journaling of I/O requests issued by a host computer to source side storage system data. As explained in detail herein, when acting as a target side DPA, a DPA may also enable roll back of data to an earlier point in time, and processing of rolled back data at the target site. Each DPA 112 and 124 is a computer that includes inter alia one or more conventional CPUs and internal memory.
For additional safety precaution, each DPA is a cluster of such computers. Use of a cluster ensures that if a DPA computer is down, then the DPA functionality switches over to another computer. The DPA computers within a DPA cluster communicate with one another using at least one communication link suitable for data transfer via fiber channel or IP based protocols, or such other transfer protocol. One computer from the DPA cluster serves as the DPA leader. The DPA cluster leader coordinates between the computers in the cluster, and may also perform other tasks that require coordination between the computers, such as load balancing.
In the architecture illustrated in FIG. 1 , DPA 112 and DPA 124 are standalone devices integrated within a SAN. Alternatively, each of DPA 112 and DPA 124 may be integrated into storage system 108 and storage system 120 , respectively, or integrated into host computer 104 and host computer 116 , respectively. Both DPAs communicate with their respective host computers through communication lines such as fiber channels using, for example, SCSI commands or any other protocol.
DPAs 112 and 124 are configured to act as initiators in the SAN; i.e., they can issue I/O requests using, for example, SCSI commands, to access logical units on their respective storage systems. DPA 112 and DPA 124 are also configured with the necessary functionality to act as targets; i.e., to reply to I/O requests, such as SCSI commands, issued by other initiators in the SAN, including inter alia their respective host computers 104 and 116 . Being target nodes, DPA 112 and DPA 124 may dynamically expose or remove one or more logical units.
As described hereinabove, Site I and Site II may each behave simultaneously as a production site and a backup site for different logical units. As such, DPA 112 and DPA 124 may each behave as a source DPA for some logical units, and as a target DPA for other logical units, at the same time.
Host computer 104 and host computer 116 include protection agents 144 and 164 , respectively. Protection agents 144 and 164 intercept SCSI commands issued by their respective host computers, via host devices to logical units that are accessible to the host computers. A data protection agent may act on an intercepted SCSI commands issued to a logical unit, in one of the following ways: send the SCSI commands to its intended logical unit; redirect the SCSI command to another logical unit; split the SCSI command by sending it first to the respective DPA; after the DPA returns an acknowledgement, send the SCSI command to its intended logical unit; fail a SCSI command by returning an error return code; and delay a SCSI command by not returning an acknowledgement to the respective host computer.
A protection agent may handle different SCSI commands, differently, according to the type of the command. For example, a SCSI command inquiring about the size of a certain logical unit may be sent directly to that logical unit, while a SCSI write command may be split and sent first to a DPA associated with the agent. A protection agent may also change its behavior for handling SCSI commands, for example as a result of an instruction received from the DPA.
Specifically, the behavior of a protection agent for a certain host device generally corresponds to the behavior of its associated DPA with respect to the logical unit of the host device. When a DPA behaves as a source site DPA for a certain logical unit, then during normal course of operation, the associated protection agent splits I/O requests issued by a host computer to the host device corresponding to that logical unit. Similarly, when a DPA behaves as a target device for a certain logical unit, then during normal course of operation, the associated protection agent fails I/O requests issued by host computer to the host device corresponding to that logical unit.
Communication between protection agents and their respective DPAs may use any protocol suitable for data transfer within a SAN, such as fiber channel, or SCSI over fiber channel. The communication may be direct, or via a logical unit exposed by the DPA. Protection agents communicate with their respective DPAs by sending SCSI commands over fiber channel.
Protection agents 144 and 164 are drivers located in their respective host computers 104 and 116 . Alternatively, a protection agent may also be located in a fiber channel switch, or in any other device situated in a data path between a host computer and a storage system or on the storage system itself. In a virtualized environment, the protection agent may run at the hypervisor layer or in a virtual machine providing a virtualization layer.
What follows is a detailed description of system behavior under normal production mode, and under recovery mode.
In production mode DPA 112 acts as a source site DPA for LU A. Thus, protection agent 144 is configured to act as a source side protection agent; i.e., as a splitter for host device A. Specifically, protection agent 144 replicates SCSI I/O write requests. A replicated SCSI I/O write request is sent to DPA 112 . After receiving an acknowledgement from DPA 124 , protection agent 144 then sends the SCSI I/O write request to LU A. After receiving a second acknowledgement from storage system 108 host computer 104 acknowledges that an I/O command complete.
When DPA 112 receives a replicated SCSI write request from data protection agent 144 , DPA 112 transmits certain I/O information characterizing the write request, packaged as a “write transaction”, over WAN 128 to DPA 124 on the target side, for journaling and for incorporation within target storage system 120 .
DPA 112 may send its write transactions to DPA 124 using a variety of modes of transmission, including inter alia (i) a synchronous mode, (ii) an asynchronous mode, and (iii) a snapshot mode. In synchronous mode, DPA 112 sends each write transaction to DPA 124 , receives back an acknowledgement from DPA 124 , and in turns sends an acknowledgement back to protection agent 144 . Protection agent 144 waits until receipt of such acknowledgement before sending the SCSI write request to LU A.
In asynchronous mode, DPA 112 sends an acknowledgement to protection agent 144 upon receipt of each I/O request, before receiving an acknowledgement back from DPA 124 .
In snapshot mode, DPA 112 receives several I/O requests and combines them into an aggregate “snapshot” of all write activity performed in the multiple I/O requests, and sends the snapshot to DPA 124 , for journaling and for incorporation in target storage system 120 . In snapshot mode DPA 112 also sends an acknowledgement to protection agent 144 upon receipt of each I/O request, before receiving an acknowledgement back from DPA 124 .
For the sake of clarity, the ensuing discussion assumes that information is transmitted at write-by-write granularity.
While in production mode, DPA 124 receives replicated data of LU A from DPA 112 , and performs journaling and writing to storage system 120 . When applying write operations to storage system 120 , DPA 124 acts as an initiator, and sends SCSI commands to LU B.
During a recovery mode, DPA 124 undoes the write transactions in the journal, so as to restore storage system 120 to the state it was at, at an earlier time.
As described hereinabove, LU B is used as a backup of LU A. As such, during normal production mode, while data written to LU A by host computer 104 is replicated from LU A to LU B, host computer 116 should not be sending I/O requests to LU B. To prevent such I/O requests from being sent, protection agent 164 acts as a target site protection agent for host Device B and fails I/O requests sent from host computer 116 to LU B through host Device B.
Target storage system 120 exposes a logical unit 176 , referred to as a “journal LU”, for maintaining a history of write transactions made to LU B, referred to as a “journal”. Alternatively, journal LU 176 may be striped over several logical units, or may reside within all of or a portion of another logical unit. DPA 124 includes a journal processor 180 for managing the journal.
Journal processor 180 functions generally to manage the journal entries of LU B. Specifically, journal processor 180 enters write transactions received by DPA 124 from DPA 112 into the journal, by writing them into the journal LU, reads the undo information for the transaction from LU B. updates the journal entries in the journal LU with undo information, applies the journal transactions to LU B, and removes already-applied transactions from the journal.
Referring to FIG. 2 , which is an illustration of a write transaction 200 for a journal. The journal may be used to provide an adaptor for access to storage 120 at the state it was in at any specified point in time. Since the journal contains the “undo” information necessary to roll back storage system 120 , data that was stored in specific memory locations at the specified point in time may be obtained by undoing write transactions that occurred subsequent to such point in time.
Write transaction 200 generally includes the following fields: one or more identifiers; a time stamp, which is the date & time at which the transaction was received by source side DPA 112 ; a write size, which is the size of the data block; a location in journal LU 176 where the data is entered; a location in LU B where the data is to be written; and the data itself.
Write transaction 200 is transmitted from source side DPA 112 to target side DPA 124 . As shown in FIG. 2 , DPA 124 records the write transaction 200 in the journal that includes four streams. A first stream, referred to as a DO stream, includes new data for writing in LU B. A second stream, referred to as an DO METADATA stream, includes metadata for the write transaction, such as an identifier, a date & time, a write size, a beginning address in LU B for writing the new data in, and a pointer to the offset in the DO stream where the corresponding data is located. Similarly, a third stream, referred to as an UNDO stream, includes old data that was overwritten in LU B; and a fourth stream, referred to as an UNDO METADATA, include an identifier, a date & time, a write size, a beginning address in LU B where data was to be overwritten, and a pointer to the offset in the UNDO stream where the corresponding old data is located.
In practice each of the four streams holds a plurality of write transaction data. As write transactions are received dynamically by target DPA 124 , they are recorded at the end of the DO stream and the end of the DO METADATA stream, prior to committing the transaction. During transaction application, when the various write transactions are applied to LU B, prior to writing the new DO data into addresses within the storage system, the older data currently located in such addresses is recorded into the UNDO stream. In some examples, the metadata stream (e.g., UNDO METADATA stream or the DO METADATA stream) and the data stream (e.g., UNDO stream or DO stream) may be kept in a single stream each (i.e., one UNDO data and UNDO METADATA stream and one DO data and DO METADATA stream) by interleaving the metadata into the data stream.
Referring to FIG. 3 , the data protection system 100 can be modified to a continuous data protection (CDP) 300 . For example, the replication site (target side) and the production site (source side) are at the same site. In particular, the source and the target are the same machine. This allows a snapshot to be generated and stored locally. The CDP 300 includes a source-side virtual storage environment 302 . In this configuration, the host 104 is removed and replaced by a virtual machine 312 . The DPA 112 is replaced with a DPA 112 ′ which may either run as a virtual or physical machine. In one example, the DPA 112 ′ runs either in the virtual machine 312 or as set of processes in a storage array 308 . The source side data protection agent 144 is removed from the host 104 and replaced by a data protection agent 144 ′ at the storage array 308 . In other examples, the data protection agent 144 ′ is placed at a virtual server 306 .
In one example, the source side virtual storage environment 302 includes the virtual server 306 and the storage array 308 . The virtual server 306 includes the virtual machine 312 , which includes a virtual device 316 . In one example, the virtual server 306 is a VMWARE® ESX® server.
The storage array 308 includes the data protection agent 144 ′, a virtual volume API (Application Program Interface) provider 310 , a protocol endpoint 322 , a data virtual volume 324 , a metadata virtual volume 326 , and a key-value pair database for each virtual volume (e.g., a key-value pair database 336 for the metadata virtual volume 326 and a key-value pair database 338 for the data virtual volume 324 ). The data virtual volume 324 stores data associated with one virtual disk or virtual disk derivative (e.g., a snapshot). The storage array also includes a target data virtual volume 374 (a replica of the metadata virtual volume 324 ), a target metadata virtual volume 376 (a replica of the metadata virtual volume 326 ), a target key-value pair data base 386 (a replica of the key-value pair data base 336 ), a target key-value pair data base 388 (a replica of the key-value pair data base 338 ) and a journal 176 ′ (similar to the journal 176 ).
The virtual volume API provider 310 provides APIs to allow integration and use of components within the source side virtual storage environment 302 . For example it would allow a hypervisor (virtual server 306 ) to provision storage virtual volumes for virtual machines. The virtual volume API provider 310 may run in other locations than the storage array 308 such as on the virtual server 306 or in a virtual machine, which will be a different machine than virtual machine 312 , which is an application machine (e.g., when the data protection agent 144 ′ runs in a hypervisor level). In one example, the virtual volume API provider 310 is a VMWARE® vSphere Storage APIs—Storage Awareness (VASA) provider.
The virtual volume API provider 310 includes a data protection API agent 350 . The data protection API agent 350 is used to intercept any commands used to update the key-value pair databases 336 , 338 . The data protection API agent 350 will notify the data protection agent 144 ′ (splitter) or the DPA 112 ′ on any change occurring to the key-value pair databases 336 , 338 .
In one example, the virtual volumes 324 , 326 may be exposed by a virtualization layer such as a virtual volume filter, and in this case the data protection agent 144 ′ runs in the virtualization layer and the virtual volume API provider 310 may run inside the virtualization layer or in a hypervisor.
In one particular example, the data protection agent 144 ′ runs in the hypervisor kernel, and in this case a second virtual volume API provider layer may run outside the storage array 308 intercepting the API commands and sending them to both data the data protection API agent 350 , which will run in the second virtual volume API provider and to first virtual volume API provider 310 running inside storage array 308 (in this case, the data protection agent 350 will not run inside the virtual volume API provider 310 but in the layered second virtual volume provider outside the storage array 308 ).
The key-value pair databases 336 , 338 each include information about their respective virtual volume and other metadata information about their respective virtual volume to allow recovery of the system (e.g., to discover which virtual machines are available) in case of a failure.
Normally, key-value pairs from the key-value pair database are not used in a normal operation; but rather, used to salvage virtual machines from shared storage when the virtual server (e.g., the virtual server 306 ) databases are corrupted. During recovery, a key-match query operation is performed to rediscover “lost” virtual machines and virtual disks (e.g., the virtual machine 312 with both its metadata virtual volume 326 and data virtual volume 324 ).
In one example, a key-value pair are well-known keys. In particular, the definition of certain keys (and hence the interpretation of their values) are publicly available. In another example, the key-value pairs are VMWARE®-specific keys. In a further example, the key-value pairs are storage vendor specific keys. In some examples, the key-value pairs are encoded as UTF-8; and a maximum length of a key is 64 bytes and a maximum length of a value is 8 KB.
In one example, each virtual device is associated with one protocol endpoint and one data virtual volume. In one example, the virtual volumes are VMWARE® virtual volumes. In other example, multiple virtual devices may be associated with the same protocol endpoint.
Referring to FIG. 4 , an example of a process to generate a snapshot is a process 400 . Process 400 receives a request to generate a snapshot ( 402 ). For example, a user using a user interface (e.g., a user interface 708 ( FIG. 7 )) requests that a virtual volume snapshot be generated.
Process 400 prepares for a virtual volume snapshot ( 408 ). For example, an API command is called by the virtual volume API provider 310 . Executing the command returns a unique ID of the new virtual volume snapshot to be generated. Executing the command also returns virtual volume information on the virtual volume being snapshot such as key value pair metadata so the virtual server can update it for the snapshot. Executing the command further returns space statistics on the virtual volume that is snapshot. In one example, the command is a VMWARE® command: PrepareToSnapshotVirtualVolume.
Process 400 generates a virtual volume snapshot ( 416 ). For example, an API command is called by the virtual volume AP provider 310 to generate the snapshot of the virtual volume and the virtual volume snapshot is generated. In one example, the unique ID is attached to the generated virtual volume snapshot. In one example, the command is a VMWARE® command: SnapshotVirtualVolume.
Process 400 generates a bookmark in the journal. For example, a bookmark is generated in the journal 176 ′ ( FIG. 3 ). In one example, metadata associated with the generated virtual volume snapshot, such as the unique ID, is also kept with the bookmark. At this point no real snapshot of the virtual volume is generated at the storage array 308 , just a bookmark.
Referring to FIG. 5 , an example of a process to access a snapshot is a process 500 . Process 500 receives a request from the user to access a virtual volume at a requested point in time (e.g., a request to access a specific snapshot generated by the user) ( 502 ). For example, the user using a user interface (e.g., the user interface 708 ( FIG. 7 )) requests access to a virtual volume snapshot.
Process 500 prepares to bind (i.e., to allow access to) the virtual volume snapshot requested ( 506 ). For example, an API command is called by the virtual volume AP provider 310 to bind the virtual volume snapshot. In one example, the command is a VMWARE® command: prepareBindVirtualVolume.
Process 500 intercepts the prepare bind command ( 512 ). For example, the data protection API agent 350 intercepts the prepare bind command.
Process 500 rolls back to the point in time relevant to the requested virtual volume snapshot ( 522 ). For example, the data protection API agent 350 sends a command to roll back to the relevant bookmark in the journal 176 ′. Process 500 generates a real virtual volume snapshot in the storage array 308 ( 528 ) and allows the user access to the real virtual volume snapshot stored at the storage array 308 ( 536 ).
Referring to FIG. 6 , an example of a process to unbind a virtual volume snapshot is a process 600 . Process 600 receives a request from the user to unbind the virtual volume snapshot stored at the storage array 308 ( 602 ). For example, the user using a user interface (e.g., the user interface 708 ( FIG. 7 )) requests to unbind the virtual volume snapshot stored at the storage array.
Process 600 unbinds the virtual volume snapshot ( 608 ). For example, an API command is called by the virtual volume AP provider 310 to unbind the virtual volume snapshot. In one example, the command is a VMWARE® command: unbind Virtual Volume.
Process 600 determines if there have been any changes to the real virtual volume snapshot ( 616 ). If there have been no changes to the real virtual volume snapshot, process 600 discards the real virtual volume snapshot stored at the storage array 308 ( 622 ). If there have been changes to the real virtual volume snapshot, process 600 does nothing and keeps the real virtual volume snapshot on the storage array 308 .
In other examples, a user can configure the CDP system 300 to discard virtual volume snapshots after unbinding based on preferences. For example, if a virtual volume snapshot is greater than a predetermined file size, the virtual volume snapshot is discarded after unbinding.
Referring to FIG. 7 , a computer 700 includes a processor 702 , a volatile memory 704 , a non-volatile memory 706 (e.g., hard disk) and a user interface (UI) 708 (e.g., a mouse, a keyboard, a display, touch screen and so forth). The non-volatile memory 706 stores computer instructions 712 , an operating system 716 and data 718 . In one example, the computer instructions 712 are executed by the processor 702 out of volatile memory 704 to perform all or part of the processes described herein (e.g., processes 400 , 500 , 600 ).
The processes described herein (e.g., processes 400 , 500 , 600 ) are not limited to use with the hardware and software of FIG. 7 ; they may find applicability in any computing or processing environment and with any type of machine or set of machines that is capable of running a computer program. The processes described herein may be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of the two. The processes described herein may be implemented in computer programs executed on programmable computers/machines that each includes a processor, a storage medium or other article of manufacture that is readable by the processor (including volatile and non-volatile memory and/or storage elements), at least one input device, and one or more output devices. Program code may be applied to data entered using an input device to perform any of the processes described herein and to generate output information.
The system may be implemented, at least in part, via a computer program product, (e.g., in a machine-readable storage device), for execution by, or to control the operation of, data processing apparatus (e.g., a programmable processor, a computer, or multiple computers)). Each such program may be implemented in a high level procedural or object-oriented programming language to communicate with a computer system. However, the programs may be implemented in assembly or machine language. The language may be a compiled or an interpreted language and it may be deployed in any form, including as a stand-alone program or as a module, component, subroutine, or other unit suitable for use in a computing environment. A computer program may be deployed to be executed on one computer or on multiple computers at one site or distributed across multiple sites and interconnected by a communication network. A computer program may be stored on a storage medium or device (e.g., CD-ROM, hard disk, or magnetic diskette) that is readable by a general or special purpose programmable computer for configuring and operating the computer when the storage medium or device is read by the computer to perform the processes described herein. The processes described herein may also be implemented as a machine-readable storage medium, configured with a computer program, where upon execution, instructions in the computer program cause the computer to operate in accordance with the processes. A non-transitory machine-readable medium may include but is not limited to a hard drive, compact disc, flash memory, non-volatile memory, volatile memory, magnetic diskette and so forth but does not include a transitory signal per se.
The processes described herein are not limited to the specific examples described. For example, the processes 400 , 500 , 600 are not limited to the specific processing order of FIGS. 4 to 6 , respectively. Rather, any of the processing blocks of FIGS. 4 to 6 may be re-ordered, combined or removed, performed in parallel or in serial, as necessary, to achieve the results set forth above.
The processing blocks (for example, in the processes 400 , 500 , 600 ) associated with implementing the system may be performed by one or more programmable processors executing one or more computer programs to perform the functions of the system. All or part of the system may be implemented as, special purpose logic circuitry (e.g., an FPGA (field-programmable gate array) and/or an ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit)).
Elements of different embodiments described herein may be combined to form other embodiments not specifically set forth above. Other embodiments not specifically described herein are also within the scope of the following claims.
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In one aspect, a method includes receiving a request to access a virtual volume snapshot, preparing to bind the virtual volume snapshot, intercepting a command to prepare bind of the virtual volume snapshot, rolling back to a point in time corresponding to the requested virtual volume snapshot and generating a virtual volume snapshot in a storage array.
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Related Applications
[0001] This application claims the benefit of co-pending U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/343,411; filed 28 Apr. 2010.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] This invention relates to structures used for holding or carrying items in place, such as signs (For Sale, For Rent, Beware of Dog, No Trespassing, No Hunting), birdhouses, bird feeders, trail cameras, or anything else that desired to be mounted in a fixed position.
[0003] Signs such as these often are meant to be displayed at or near eye-level on various support structures. Often metal sign poles are used, as well as fences, fence posts, wood posts, or trees. Signs are often exposed to weather, and therefore a sturdy holder is desired to hold signs in place during weather. It is also desired to have a sign holder that easily permits installation of the sign into the sign holder, and easily permits installation of the sign holder onto the support structure. It is also desirable to have a sign holder capable of being coupled with a variety of support structures to be more universal in application.
[0004] Also, signs nailed to a tree without sufficient support allows the wind to tear them off. Many people purchase plywood or lumber, cut it slightly larger than the sign and staple or nail them to the wood. This procedure is labor intensive, and many people do not have the skills or tools to do this, and the wind tears these off as well.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] Disclosed is a one-piece sign holder that will quickly and easily accept signs of various sizes and shapes, and the sign holder can be easily attached to various support structures, such as flat surfaces, metal sign poles, “T” shaped fence posts, round posts, fences, fence posts, wood posts, chain link fence, or trees.
[0006] A series of void spaces are provided on the base sign holder, some used for receiving the sign itself, others used to secure the sign holder to the various support structure. For instance, holes are provided at the top and bottom and can be used for nails or deck type screws, square void spaces and slots can be used with carriage bolts for securement to any posts, and tab-like structures are provided that can be bent out if needed for the particular purpose employed. Also, lanced “v” tabs can be supplied which allow for mounting and centering on “tee” types of posts.
[0007] The ease of use, and universal adaptability are evident. Sign holders of the present invention also allow for easy removal and replacement of the signs in the event that they become weathered, faded, cracked, etc.
[0008] Also evident is that sign holders of the present invention have the ability to be formed into an arc shape to allow for more visibility from the side angles.
[0009] The sign holder can be used or modified to hold additional items (other than, or in addition to signs), such as birdhouses, bird feeders, trail cameras, or anything else that is mounted in a fixed position. These embodiments can be provided with auxiliary features such as a brackets and shelves, to add to the versatility of the sign holder.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] FIG. 1 is a front view of a sign holder of the present invention.
[0011] FIG. 2 is a front, in use view of a sign holder of the present invention deployed on a metal post-type support structure.
[0012] FIG. 3 is a rear, in use view of a sign holder of the present invention deployed on a post-type support structure.
[0013] FIG. 4 is a front, in use view of a sign holder of the present invention deployed on a post-type support structure with an alternate attachment means provided.
[0014] FIG. 5 is a side, installation view of a sign holder of the present invention being deployed on a post-type support structure using the alternate attachment means provided.
[0015] FIG. 6 is a front view of a sign holder of the present invention deployed on a wooden post-type support structure.
[0016] FIG. 7 is a rear view of a sign holder of the present invention deployed on a chain-link fence support structure.
[0017] FIG. 8 is a front view of a sign holder of the present invention deployed on a tree in a curved deployment position.
[0018] FIG. 9 is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of a sign holder of the present invention.
[0019] FIG. 10 is a plan view of a second alternate embodiment of the present invention, the second alternate embodiment used to carry a structure such as a bird house.
[0020] FIG. 10 a is a perspective view of the second alternate embodiment of the present invention, secured to a bird house structure;
[0021] FIG. 10 b is a rear perspective view of the second alternate embodiment of the present invention, secured to a bird house structure and secured to a support structure;
[0022] FIG. 11 is a front perspective view of a third alternate embodiment of the present invention, the third alternate embodiment used to carry a structure such as a trail camera.
[0023] FIG. 12 is a rear perspective view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 11 .
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0024] Although the disclosure hereof is detailed and exact to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, the physical embodiments herein disclosed merely exemplify the invention which may be embodied in other specific structures. While the preferred embodiment has been described, the details may be changed without departing from the invention, which is defined by the claims.
[0025] Referring now to FIG. 1 , a front view of a sign holder 10 of the present invention is shown. A series of 8 (more or less can be used) tabs or sign retaining lances 14 are shown in raised position relative the generally initially flat structure of base material 12 of the sign holder 10 . Preferably the sign holder 10 is made of a flexible material such as sheet metal (the device being formed by punching, cutting, bending etc.) or plastic (the device being formed by methods such as molding or cutting), but other materials can be used. The tabs 14 are for receiving a sign 28 as shown in FIG. 2 . The sign 28 is placed within the tabs 14 and the tabs 14 can be depressed back into generally planar formation to hold the sign 28 securely.
[0026] In addition to tabs provided on the sign holder to secure the sign, other types of securement means for securing the sign to the sign holder could be used. For instance, lances 18 could be employed, or folded over edges (see FIG. 9 , item 40 ) provided on the sign holder 10 , or a combination of them (folded top, sides, and lances on the bottom; or other similar arrangements). The sign holder can be made in various sizes to accommodate signs of different sizes. Also, one sign holder can be provided with a plurality of sign securement mechanisms at various distances from the center or various geometries, to hold different sized or shaped signs.
[0027] Also evident from FIG. 1 are a variety of additional void spaces used to secure the sign holder to various support structures as will be described later. Some of the void spaces, such as “C” shaped slots, are designed for bending about support structures to form post attaching tabs 16 . Others are circular or light-bulb shaped voids 22 and are designed for securement with nails or screws to wooden support structures. Square void spaces 26 can be used with carriage bolts (described later) for securement to posts. Also, lanced “v” tabs 18 can be supplied which allow for mounting and centering on “tee” types of posts. Bolt on metal post mounts 20 can comprise a hole and a slot, and chain link fence mounting holes 24 can also comprise a hole shape and a slot shape.
[0028] Referring now to FIG. 2 , a front, in use view of a sign holder 10 holding an illustrative sign 28 (with lance tabs 14 ) on a metal post-type support structure 30 is shown. In this embodiment, as shown in the rear view of FIG. 3 , a pair of the circular or square type void spaces 20 from FIG. 1 are used with nuts and bolts 34 to deploy the sign holder of the present invention to deploy on a post-type support structure 30 after bending tabs 16 backwards.
[0029] Referring now to FIG. 4 , a front, in use view of a sign holder 10 of the present invention is shown deployed on a post-type support structure 30 . In this illustration, the alternate “C” shaped attachment means forming post attaching tabs 16 have been bent about a support structure 30 and secured thereto, with nuts and bolts 34 provided through voids 26 within the alternate “C” shaped attachment means itself, in the manner illustrated by FIG. 5 .
[0030] Referring now to FIG. 6 , a front view of a sign holder 10 of the present invention is shown deployed on a wooden post-type support structure 30 , with traditional wood screws applied through a pair of void spaces 22 at the top and the bottom of the sign holder 10 .
[0031] Referring now to FIG. 7 , a rear view of a sign holder 10 of the present invention is shown deployed on a chain-link fence support structure 32 . As can be seen, the sign holder 10 is secured to the chain of the chain-link fence by deploying detachable tabs 34 across and behind the chain 32 , coupled to the sign holder 10 with a bolt, through void spaces 24 in front of the sign holder 10 .
[0032] Referring now to FIG. 8 , a front view of a sign holder 10 of the present invention is shown deployed on a tree in a curved deployment position. This deployment position allows for increased lateral visibility, and decreased exposed surface area to minimize wind forces from dislodging the support structure from the tree.
[0033] Referring now to FIG. 9 , a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of a sign holder 10 of the present invention is shown. In this embodiment, bent edges 40 are used as a sign retaining mechanism. These edges 40 can be used in combination with sign retaining lances 14 , and the sign holder 10 can be provided with similar void spaces and attaching mechanisms as shown in the embodiment of FIG. 1 .
[0034] Referring now to FIGS. 10 , 10 a and 10 B a second alternate embodiment of a carrying structure 110 is shown, in this case the structure 110 coupling a bird house 120 with a support structure 30 . The structure 110 can be provided in a flat condition, and a user can bend tabs 16 up to attach the structure 110 to support structure 30 . A flat initial condition allows for better packaging, shipping and store shelf usage.
[0035] Referring now specifically to FIGS. 10 a and 10 b , the structure 100 is shown first secured to a bird house structure 110 , and the bird house 110 and the structure 100 are both coupled to a support structure or post 30 .
[0036] Referring now to FIG. 10 b , a rear perspective view of a second alternate embodiment of a carrying structure 110 is shown, the second alternate embodiment used to carry a structure such as a bird house 12 . Like the previously described embodiments, the holder 110 can be affixed to a support structure or post 30 . In this embodiment, fold out tabs 16 are expressed outwardly to provide a secure surface against which the bird house 110 can be coupled, for instance by use of wood screws through void spaces 26 in the fold out tabs 16 .
[0037] Referring now to FIGS. 11 and 12 , front and rear perspective views of a third alternate embodiment 210 of the present invention are shown, the third alternate embodiment 210 used to carry a structure such as a trail camera 220 . In this embodiment, a shelf 212 is provided to provide additional carrying structure for devices that are not readily susceptible to placing screws or bolts into. A camera, for example, is better suited to be carried by a belt or a shelf than to be screwed into.
[0038] The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Furthermore, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described. While the preferred embodiment has been described, the details may be changed without departing from the invention, which is defined by the claims.
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A structure is provided for coupling items such as signs, birdhouses and cameras to a fixed support structure is disclosed. Various mechanisms for attachment to a variety of supporting structures are described. The structure firmly holds an item in place, and the structure is capable of secure attachment to a variety of supporting structures.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is a light fixture of the type that conforms to is mounting location.
2. General Background and State of the Art
Fluorescent lamps of present fixtures are arranged linearly. Thus, the lamps are side-by-side or end-to-end. Some fixtures use curved lamps, but the lamps are designed to allow a single lamp to extend along the sides of a fixture and have the sides interconnected.
Belfer, U.S. Pat. No. 5,221,139 (1993), is an example of a light fixture in which the lamps mount end-to-end. Belfer mounts each u-shaped lamp on a ramp or at an angle so that part of one lamp is above the socket of the adjacent lamp. This arrangement is said to decrease or eliminate shadows above the sockets. Therefore, the light is said to be more even. The lamps in Belfer are aligned in a straight line. Applicant has discovered that allowing the lamps to be other than aligned may be desirable.
Flexible light fixtures with flexible parts do exist. The flexible parts are usually resilient and often resist staying in an angled orientation. Examples include Belfer, U.S. Pat. No. 5,448,460 (1995), which teaches a lighting fixture with several support sections. Each carries a fluorescent lamp. Adjacent edges of adjacent support sections attach together through a flexible connection. Nagano, U.S. Pat. No. 5,436,816 (1995) teaches a fixture having multiple housings. Short sections of flexible electrical conduit fixed to adjacent housings attach adjacent housings together. The flexible conduit permits bending of adjacent housing. These partially flexible fixtures normally do not permit extensive lateral changes of the position of the lamps. The teachings of the prior art discussed above are incorporated by reference.
INVENTION SUMMARY
One object of the present invention is to provide a lighting fixture in which the user can position the lamps closer and farther apart so that the lamps can be spaced evenly along a given length. For example, assume that one wants illumination to emanate from five lamps behind a six foot wide panel or sconce. Unless the fixture providing the illumination were six feet long with evenly-spaced lamps, the lighting would not be even. Any shorter fixture mounted in the center of the panel would leave darker regions at the ends, and larger fixtures would not fit.
The previous example assumed that the lamps would be in a straight line. Many architectural features are curved, angled to the horizontal or vertical. Mounting straight fixtures in such settings also leaves uneven lighting in places. Therefore, another object of the present invention is to allow the lamps to be mounted at angles to each other so that they can conform more closely with the shape of their panel or wall. Moreover, a related object is to have the ability to adjust the angles quickly and have the lamps remain in the set position after they are adjusted.
Another object of the present invention is to allow the lamps to be mounted at different attitudes and to be adjusted to those angles quickly. The lamps of prior art fixtures all direct light in the same direction, e.g., upward or horizontally. For some uses, one may want one lamp to project most of its light upward while an adjacent lamp projects most of its light horizontally or at an angle.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a front view of one embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a front view of another embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a sectional view of parts of an exemplary embodiment of two adjacent housings of the present invention with a connector attaching them together.
FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the connection of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The exemplary embodiments 10, 30 (FIGS. 1 and 2) of the fixture of the present invention includes at least two housings. Each exemplary embodiment has six housings. Fixture 10 has housings 12 , 14 , 16 , 18 , 20 and 22 , and fixture 30 has housings 32 , 34 , 36 , 38 , 40 and 42 . Each fixture is elongated in the “L” dimension (FIG. 1) (The L 1 dimension in FIG. 2 ). The total fixture length varies depending on the number of housings, the spacing and angles between them and their length L or L 1 . In the exemplary embodiment, length L is 11 in (28 cm), and length L 1 is 8 in (20 cm) (metric measurements are approximate and rounded). The length is a matter of choice and relates to the lengths of lamps such as lamp 50 .
Referring to housings 16 and 18 by way of their being representative of other housings, the housings are hollow (see FIG. 3) and rectangular. Formed of sheet steel, the housing could be aluminum or plastic, metal is preferred to act as electrical ground. The metal is bent to form a rectangular box. The housings have side walls 60 and 62 and a base 64 . End walls 66 and 68 are bent upward from the base to form the ends. Small amounts of material may be removed where the bending will occur. The end walls are bent inward to form small platforms 74 (FIG. 3 ). The side walls and base may have a small hole or holes to receive fasteners for attaching the housing to walls, panels or other building parts.
Each end wall has an opening 70 and 72 (FIG. 3 ), which may be closed by a knockout or breakaway cap (not shown). As is well known, a blow to the breakaway cap pushes it into the housing where it is removed. The knockout openings in the exemplary embodiment are ⅞ in (17 mm) in diameter, which is standard.
The bent metal that forms the base, side walls, end walls and platforms does not form the top wall of the housing in the exemplary embodiment. Instead, an elongated cap 76 forms the top of the housing in the exemplary embodiment. Cap 76 has a top surface 78 and two bent walls 80 (the drawings show only one). The side walls 60 and 62 fit within the bent walls 80 of the cap so that the cap closes the top of the housing.
The top cap also is removable from the rest of the housing to allow access into the housing. In the exemplary embodiment, sheet metal screws 82 and 84 (FIGS. 1-3) extend through the top surface 78 and into the platforms. The screws secure the top cap to the rest of the housing. Removing the screws allows one to remove the top cap. The cap could be partially removable or have a door to permit access into the housing. Likewise, access to the housing can be through another wall.
Each housing has a lamp fitting to which one can mount a lamp. The exemplary embodiment uses U-shaped fluorescent lamps 50 . Sylvania DULUX® L compact fluorescent lamps are acceptable. The wattage varies for each application. Though the exemplary embodiment uses fluorescent tubes, other types of lamps are acceptable.
A lamp fitting mounts on the top of the end cap. The exemplary fitting 100 (FIG. 1) is compatible with the chosen lamp. It has a plastic female member 102 and female conductors that receive the conductors and the plastic end cap 92 of lamp 50 . The female member 102 in FIG. 1 has flanges (not shown). Rivets or other fasteners through the flanges secure the fitting to the top surface 78 of top cap 76 . A flexible, plastic lamp support 104 attaches at the end of the top cap 76 away from the lamp fitting. In the exemplary embodiment, the lamp support has an upward-facing U-shaped grip. The sides of the grip are spaced apart slightly less than the width of lamp 50 . The top of each grip is spaced slightly less than the bottom of the grip. Pushing the lamp into the grip spreads the flexible sides of the grip slightly. The lamp rests at the bottom of the grip, and the top sides of the grip come toward each other to secure the lamp in the grip. The previously mentioned Nagano patent discloses a similar lamp support. The lamp support has an extension below the grip that is press fit through an opening in the top cap. Other fasteners or even adhesive could secure the lamp support 104 to the housing.
As FIG. 1 shows, lamps 50 are parallel to the top surface of the end cap. In FIG. 2, however, the lamps 50 are at an angle to the end cap, i.e., end 106 of lamp 50 is spaced farther from and end 108 is spaced closer to the top surface 78 of the housing. That allows the lamps to overlap. See the lamps on housings 32 and 34 (FIG. 2 ).
A bent metal plate 110 attaches to the female member and to the top surface 78 of top cap 76 (FIG. 2 ). In the exemplary embodiment, rivets (not shown) secure the plate 110 to the top cap. Screws secure the female member to the plate. The same lamp support 104 that the embodiment in FIG. 1 uses attaches to the top of the bent metal plate 110 . An opening in the top of the bent metal plate receives a downward-facing extension to secure lamp support 104 to the plate.
The housings attach together as follows. As discussed above, each housing has an opening 70 and 72 in one or both end walls 66 and 68 . The breakaway caps in the left end wall of housings 12 and 32 and the right end wall of housings 22 and 42 would not be removed. Consequently, those housings would have only one opening.
An elongated connector extends through the openings on adjacent housings. The connector 120 of the exemplary embodiment has a central, cylindrical section 122 (FIGS. 3 and 4) and a pair of end flanges 124 and 126 . The connector is hollow with a central bore 128 extending through the connector. Electrical conductors 130 pass through the bore between the housings.
The connector has two parts, sleeve 132 and bolt 134 . The inside of the sleeve has internal threads 136 that engage the external threads 138 of the bolt. The outside diameter of the sleeve is ¾ in (19 mm). That leaves enough of a space between the outside of the sleeve and the inside of the ⅞ in inside diameter openings 70 and 72 that the housings can move longitudinally, rotate and pivot with respect to the connector. The thin walls of the housing offer little interference with connector-to-bolt pivoting. In fact, the space between the outside of the connector and the inside of the opening allows the housings to be angled enough such that the edges of adjacent housings contact each other. The contact limits the angle. This degree of pivoting is referred to as “substantial.” If the connector is approximately the same diameter as the opening such that pivoting is not expected, some pivoting still takes place. That is not substantial pivoting.
The flanges 124 and 126 have 1¼ in (32 mm) diameters in the exemplary embodiment. Therefore, they cannot fit through openings 70 and 72 .
The housings are generally rigid. In the exemplary embodiment, the connectors are metal of thick enough walls to be rigid. Some resiliency may be acceptable. If the connector is plastic, for example, one may be able to deform the sleeve somewhat, but the sleeve will return to its original shape. Similarly, one may be able to deform the flanges somewhat. The parts are not purposely flexible, and the sleeve and bolt are not designed to bend to change the angle of adjacent housings.
Returning to FIGS. 1 and 2, the mounting of the connectors in the opening allows the housings to move longitudinally, rotate and pivot with respect to each other. Accordingly, housings 18 and 20 , which face upward (from the page) are at an angle to each other on the plane of the drawing. Housing 16 is rotated 90° relative to housing 18 . Top faces 78 of housings 12 and 14 also are angled to each other on the plane of the drawing. One can change the angles of the housings and the amount of rotation of adjacent housings simultaneously to obtain a desired fixture and lamp positioning.
Housing spacing also is variable. The length of the connector is 1½ in (38 mm) and about 1¼ in (32 mm) between the inside of the flanges 124 and 126 . Therefore, the housings can be spaced between 1½ in apart or if the housings are aligned, the housings can be in contact. Maximum and minimum distances change if the housings are angled. Thus, FIG. 2 shows that housings 36 and 38 are spaced farther apart than housings 34 and 36 .
Changing the angle and spacing may also affect whether the ends 106 of lamps 50 are over the fittings 100 . Compare the lamps on housings 32 and 34 with those on housings 40 and 42 . Of course, the lamps on housings 36 and 38 have no overlap because the housings are rotated relative to each other.
By changing the angles, the housings and illumination from the lamps on the housings can approximate the shape of the panel or wall on or behind which the fixture mounts. Similarly, by rotating the housings relative to each other, light from the lamps can project upward, sideways and at angles to each other. Changing the spacing of the housing can space the lamps evenly along a given length.
To assemble the fixtures, top surfaces 76 are removed from adjacent housings (assuming the top surfaces are already attached). The breakaway caps are removed to form openings 70 and 72 . Sleeve 132 is inserted through opening 72 , and nut 134 is inserted at or through opening 70 . The sleeve and nut then are screwed together. Hand tightening normally is sufficient. The remaining fixtures are attached together in the same way. Then, the fixture is wired, and the top surfaces are returned to the housing and fastened in place by screws 82 and 84 .
While the specification describes particular embodiments of the present invention, those of ordinary skill can devise variations of the present invention without departing from the inventive concept.
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Adjacent housings of a light fixture each mount a lamp. A rigid, hollow fitting extends between adjacent housings. The fitting's outside diameter is small enough relative to openings in the housings that receive the connector that adjacent housings can pivot, rotate and move longitudinally and pivot on the connectors. Electric wiring passes through the connectors between the housings.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The disclosed device herein relates to the field of internal combustion engines. More particularly it relates to an internal combustion engine which translates a cylinder between two opposing pistons which are frame mounted in stationary positions. The two pistons provide both a guide for the translating cylinder as well as a mount for igniter and the valves providing intake and exhaust of cylinder gases during operation of the engine. The device as disclosed provides an engine which while compact in dimension, yields exceptional power in relation to that small size and weight.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
From the advent of the industrialized age, internal combustion engines have provided power to move vehicles, rotate pumps, run generators, and for countless other devices which require a power source to perform work. Generally such engines are conventionally designed to have one or a plurality of pistons attached by rods to a crankshaft and rotate that crankshaft using power developed from combustion of fuel inside the cylinders. A cylinder head conventionally tops the cylinder on this type of engine and provides a mount for valving that allows for injection of fuel and exhaust of gasses from the stationary cylinder during engine operation.
Because of design considerations in conventional internal piston driven internal combustion engines, when multiple pistons are required for more power, they are usually located adjacent or opposite each other. This design while convenient for manufacture, inherently enlarges the overall size of multi-cylinder engines, thus limiting their application due to size concerns. Further, because cooling is always an issue with internal combustion engines due to the extreme heat generated by exploding gases inside the cylinders, complicated liquid or air cooling systems must be provided to cool engines with reciprocating pistons inside adjacent cylinders.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,329,514 (Dusoevoir) describes an internal combustion engine with a translating cylinder. However, Duseovoir is overly elongated due to its design encompassing 4 inline cylinders and requires a very complicated gear and lever system to operate the valves and require the crankshaft to be located in-between the two center pistons to operate the valves and balance the forces. Dusoevoir also lacks any teaching for adequate air or fluid cooling of the reciprocating cylinder.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,314,923 (Tompkins) teaches a two stroke engine with a movable cylinder in-between two pistons. However, Tompkins is a two stroke engine and requires the use of complicated hydraulic or electrotechnical valve actuators and also the use of fuel injectors to operate.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,032,622 (Schmied) teaches an internal combustion cylinder engine having two pairs of chambers. However, Schjmied teaches a two cycle engine of two cycle design with exhaust and intake passages at opposite ends of the cylinder bore with the exhaust located on the cylinder itself, much like the classic two cycle design. Schmied thus lacks the positively sealed and adjustable valve scheme required of a four cycle engine. Schmied would thus be incapable of function as a cleaner four cycle engine and also requires a housing that forms the passage for mounting of the two stationary pistons.
As such, there exists a need for an engine that is compact and provides high energy output in relation to its weight and dimensions. Such an engine should be able to function as a four cycle engine to allow it to run cleaner and cooler. Such an engine should not require any complicated electro mechanic or compressed gas systems to operate but should instead use simple valve activation technology which allowing easy maintenance and operation and also adjustment and enhancement of the engine performance to meet the power requirements. Still further, such a device should be properly cooled to dissipate the heat of internal combustion engine operation as well as provide for a simple manner to communicate the rotational power developed to the device requiring that power.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The device herein disclosed features a highly compact yet powerful internal combustion engine design. This compact design is enabled by the unique design and operation of the disclosed device which features a translating cylinder having a center wall which laterally translates while engaged on two inline and stationary pistons which communicate in a mount to a block or frame that holds them stationary and inline. Each stationary piston provides a mount for at least one intake and one exhaust port and a spring biased valve to control the seal on those ports. Also provided on each stationary piston is an ignition device such as a spark plug or other gas mixture igniter.
The cylinder is divided into two substantially equally dimensioned cylinder chambers which are sized to sealably engage is over and translate on, the two inline opposing stationary pistons which are connected directly or indirectly to a block or frame holding them in position. A first ring on each piston provides for enhanced sealing and compression while a second oiling ring provides lubrication to the cylinder piston engagement through a passage communicating through the respective piston on which it is mounted.
Functioning as a four cycle engine, the translating cylinder is attached to a drive gear using an external rod which communicates between an exterior surface mount on the translating cylinder at a first end to a gear drive at a second end. The rod is rotationally attached to the gear drive such that translations of the cylinder over and between the pistons will rotate the gear drive. The translations of the cylinder over the pistons is divided equally into power strokes and exhaust strokes as is the case with conventional four cycle engines and imparts power to the drive gear on each power stroke and oils the respective piston and cylinder engagement on each exhaust stroke. Since the two pistons are inline and opposed to each other, every time one piston and cylinder combination is operating on a power stroke, the other is operating in the exhaust stroke. Thus, there is a constant even supply of power to the drive gear from the cylinder since there is always a power stroke from one or the other pistons engaged with one or other of the cylinder chambers.
The cylinder is divided at substantially a center point by a divider plate which is substantially normal to the center axis of the cylinder. This divider plate thus forms two substantially equally dimensioned cylinder chambers, each sized to sealably engage and laterally translate upon one of the opposing two stationary pistons.
The exterior surface area of the cylinder in the current favored embodiment of the device has a plurality of grooves about the entire circumference of the cylinder. This grooved surface substantially increases the surface area of the circumference of the exterior of the cylinder and enhances the cooling of the cylinder which is accomplished by oil and air washing over the exterior surface. Also in a current favored embodiment the two pistons have forward sections which are mounted to an underlying piston mounts serving as rearward sections which are fixedly attached to an engine block or frame to allow for easy installation and replacement of either piston if damaged or in need of maintenance. The pistons are in registered engagement with the underlying block or frame using dowels or other locating mutually engageable components which allow for a registered engagement of the pistons with the underlying block which also provides a substantially inline alignment of the two pistons along the center axis of the cylinder. The pistons would also have appropriately located passages to allow for alignment of the intake and exhaust ports of the pistons with those exiting on the engine block or frame side. Using this mode of mounting, should either of the pistons become damaged, it can be easily replaced and aligned with the opposing piston and with the intake and exhaust ports of that piston.
As noted, the cylinder is attached to a drive gear or wheel which is attached to a drive shaft. At least one of the drive wheels would be adapted on its exterior circumference with teeth or the like for engagement with an exterior device whereby rotational power from the engine would be communicated thereto. A first drive wheel would be on one end of the drive shaft and on the opposite end of the drive shaft is a second drive wheel attached to a second rod which is rotationally engaged with the cylinder on the opposite side from the first rod. Two rods thus impart balanced force to the two drive gears and the communicating drive shaft.
The valves in the device are operated by cam gears engaged with individual cam shafts. One cam gear is in direct engagement with the drive shaft while the second is engaged using a chain or belt or similar apparatus that allows both of the camshafts to be rotated and open and close the two valves at the proper time intervals required for the compression and exhaust of the engine. The valves on each piston open and close in sealed engagement with valve seats that are formed in the face of each respective piston and thereby provide intake and exhaust gas ports for each individual piston and cylinder engagement.
In the favored embodiment a case surrounds the block or frame which serves as the mount for the inline pistons as well as surrounding the cylinder and other components. The case is tilled with oil to lubricate and cool the cylinder and piston during operation and in the current favored embodiment air is also circulated through the case by an impeller linked to the crankshaft which powers it during operation of the engine.
An object of this invention is the provision of an internal combustion engine wish a high power to weight ratio.
Another object of this invention is to provide an engine which uses two stationary pistons providing mounts for the valving system and an inline path on which a moveable cylinder traverses.
An additional object of this device is the provision of a high power output engine that is easily cooled using a finned exterior on the oscillating cylinder.
A further object of this device is to provide an easily maintainable internal combustion engine using pistons that easily mount in a registered inline engagement thus enhancing replacement of parts should they be needed.
Yet an additional object of this device is the provision of such an inline piston engine which provides finned cylinder which is easily cooled by oil and air traversing through a case enclosure.
These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of the construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part thereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of this invention.
FIG. 1 depicts a side view of the disclosed device showing the engagement of the cylinder over two inline pistons and the engagement of other components of the device.
FIG. 2 depicts a second side view showing the engagement of the cylinder with the drive gear and chain driven top camshaft.
FIG. 3 depicts and end view of the device showing the valve seat formed in the face of one of the two opposing pistons.
FIG. 4 depicts the grooved exterior surface of the cylinder to aid in cooling.
FIG. 5 depicts a side view of the engine encased in an exterior case which provides a reservoir for oil and also aids in cooling through the provision of a impeller blade to pump air through the internal cavity.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring now to the drawings in FIGS. 1-5 wherein similar parts of the invention are identified by like reference numerals, there is seen in FIG. 1 disclosed engine device 10 . The device 10 features a first piston 12 and second piston 14 held in a stationary and in-line opposing position by attachment to a block or a frame or similar means for stationary inline mounting of the two pistons 12 and 14 . Each piston has a pair of valves 16 operatively situated in valve ports 18 which both communicate with the face of the respective pistons. Of course more valves could be provided for increased flow and such is anticipated. The valve ports 18 function in the conventional fashion with one providing the intake mixture of fuel and air to the combustion chambers 20 which are situated on each side of a compression plate 22 which is mounted substantially at the middle of the laterally translating cylinder 26 . The two combustion chambers 20 have an area defined by the sidewall 24 of the cylinder 26 , the compression plate 22 , and the face 28 of the respective pistons 12 and 14 when the cylinder is engaged thereover in an operational translational relationship.
By placing the pistons 12 and 14 in a stationary position attached to the block or frame, with their respective center axis and circumferences in-line, and translating the cylinder 26 upon the two stationary pistons 12 and 14 , a very compact two cylinder engine is achieved. Since the compression plate 22 is situated substantially at the center of the cylinder 26 , the two combustion chambers 20 have substantially equal volume and hence substantially equal compression of the fuel mixture when the cylinder 26 translates toward each individual piston 12 and 14 during the compression stroke as best depicted in FIG. 1 where the cylinder 26 has translated furthest toward the first piston 12 with the compression plate 22 at its closest point to the face 28 of the first piston 12 .
When the mixture in either the combustion chambers 20 is compressed and then is ignited by a means for ignition of the fuel mixture such as a spark plug 30 , the explosion forces the compression plate 22 and attached cylinder 26 , toward the opposing piston 14 and in that travel compresses the fuel mixture in the opposing combustion chamber 20 in front of the face 28 of the second piston 14 which is then ignited by the means for ignition such as a spark plug 30 and the cycle repeats itself.
The fuel mixture feeding both combustion chambers 20 would be provided by a means to mix fuel and air and communicate it to the combustion chamber 20 such as fuel injectors, a throttle body injector, or a carburetor or the like, communicating through an intake manifold 32 in direct or other communication with the valve 16 and valve port 18 which serves as the intake valve through each piston 12 and 14 . Exhaust gases from the spent fuel mixture in each respective combustion chamber 20 are communicated to an exhaust pipe 34 which communicates through the valve 16 serving as the exhaust valve in its valve port 18 in each respective combustion chamber 20 .
As noted, the cylinder 26 translates and is divided into two substantially equally dimensioned combustion chambers 20 which are sized to sealably engage over and translate on the two opposing stationary pistons 12 and 14 . A first ring 36 on each piston 12 and 14 provides for enhanced sealing and compression while a second oiling ring 38 provides lubrication to the sidewall 24 and piston engagement from a lubrication passage communicating through the respective piston on which it is mounted of course those skilled in the art will realize that other ring engagements are possible and such are anticipated operating in a preferred mode similar to the manner of side by side four cycle engines with both a compression and lubrication or exhaust stroke, the laterally translating cylinder 26 is operatively attached to a drive wheel 40 using an external rod 42 . The rod 42 is rotationally engaged at a first end on a pivot 44 or similar rotational mount protruding from its attachment to the exterior surface of the translating cylinder 26 . The rod 42 extends down to a rotational mount at a second end to a position off center on the drive wheel 40 . There are in a current preferred embodiment of the device, two rods 42 rotationally attached to the exterior of the cylinder 26 extending to a rotational mount on two respective drive wheels 40 . Of course one rod and wheel engagement might work; however using two preserves the delicate balance required when operating internal combustion engines at high speed and enhances strength. The provision of the drive wheels 40 and rods 42 in matched pairs provides further balance to the operation of the device 10 as well as increased strength to the connection between the cylinder 26 when forced to translate and the rotating drive wheels 40 .
Communication of power from the device 10 to perform work would be provided by a means of communication of rotational power from the rotating drive shaft from at least one of the drive wheels 40 to a component requiring the power. In the current preferred embodiment of the device 10 , a drive gear 46 is situated about the exterior circumference of at least one of the drive wheels 40 . This drive gear 46 would have teeth adapted for cooperative operative engagement with a component to be rotationally driven by the power from the device 10 such as a vehicle or pump or generator the like.
Cooling to the device 10 is enhanced in a current preferred mode by a dual cooling scheme which act in concert to transfer heat from a plurality of fins 48 on the exterior surface of the cylinder 26 . Provision of this plurality of fins 48 and the resulting grooves in-between substantially increases the surface area of the exterior circumference of the exterior surface of the cylinder 26 thus providing an increased area from which to communicate heat from the internal combustion in the two combustion chambers 20 during the power stroke. Heat so radiated is communicated away from the cylinder 26 using one or a combination of air cooling and oil cooling of the cylinder 26 with both being the current preferred operation due to the increased cooling capacity of two forms of heat transference.
Fluid cooling is provided by the oil which is held inside the sealed case 50 splashes upon the fins 48 . The oil splashing on and running down the exterior of the fins 48 would absorb and relocate heat therefrom. The oil collecting in the bottom of the case can also be routed to a cooler if the case were adapted for such and such an oil cooling scheme is anticipated, especially in hot climates or for engines under high load. Cooling is further enhanced as noted, by air which is circulated through the interior of the case 50 and impeller 52 operatively engaged with the drive gear 46 . This impeller would pull cool air in from the exterior of the case 50 and exhaust it from the case at an air exhaust port 53 in the upper portion of the case to exhaust heat but not oil of course the impeller 52 would spin faster as the engine goes faster thereby providing more cooling. This air circulation would cool both the fins 48 and the cylinder as well as the oil flying about and on the fins 48 , thus providing enhanced cooling of the device 10 during operation.
A preferred but optional enhancement of the device 10 is the provision of replaceable pistons 12 and 14 in case of wear and tear. This is provided by adapting a front portion 54 of each piston 12 and 14 to a registered engagement with an underlying mounting portion 56 a means for registered engagement thereof with the valve ports 18 aligned and pistons 12 and 14 operatively aligned such as alignment pins or dowels. This would allow for easy replacement of the front portions 56 and maintaining their alignment with each other. The mounting portion 56 might be formed as part of the block or frame holding the pistons 12 and 14 or might be a separate component that itself attaches to an underlying block or frame. Of course those skilled in the art will realize that the device 10 would function without this optional replacement ability and such is anticipated; however, a preferred mode of the device 10 would be enhanced for servicing by this ability to easily attach new front portions 56 of the pistons 12 and 14 in a registered and inline engagement.
The valves 16 operating to control gas intake and exhaust in this disclosed device 10 are operated by cam gears 58 engaged with individual cam shafts 60 or in the case of the lower cam shaft 60 by direct engagement with one drive wheel 40 . The rotation of the cam shafts 60 rotates cam lobes which activate rocker arms 62 which translate the respective valves 16 in their respective valve ports 18 . The valves 16 are biased to a closed position by default by valve springs 64 . The cam shaft 60 not directly engaged to a drive wheel 40 is rotated to time the opening and closing of the valve 16 properly using a chain 66 or belt or similar apparatus that allows both of the camshafts to be rotated and open and close their two respective valves 16 at the properly timed intervals required for the compression and exhaust strokes of the engine of course other means for timed opening and closing of the intake valves and exhaust valves might be used such as solenoids, or hydraulically activated valves 16 ; however, the preferred mode of the device uses the valves 16 operated by the cam shaft 60 for simplicity and reliability.
In operation, a case 50 would surround the frame or block which supports the pistons 12 and 14 in their stationary engagement as well as the cylinder 26 and other components of the device 10 . The case 50 as noted would be filled with sufficient lubricant such as engine oil to lubricate the gears, valves, and other moving components, and to cool the fins 48 formed on the exterior of the cylinder 26 . Additionally, air circulated by the impeller 52 would be forced into the interior cavity 51 defined by the case and allowed to vent from the case 50 in a manner to allow sufficient air flow into and out of the device 10 to aid in cooling. The exterior of the case 50 would be adapted for engagement with a mount to hold the device 10 upright and either attached to the device it powers or mounted upright to sit upon a surface during operation. Also, it is anticipated that the device 10 can be constructed with the pistons 12 and 14 held in place and inline by the case 50 itself which would function as the frame to hold the various components in their respective positions.
The device herein shown in the drawings and described in detail herein discloses arrangements of elements of particular construction and configuration for illustrating preferred embodiments of structure and method of operation of the present invention. It is to be understood, however, that elements of different construction and configuration and other arrangements thereof, other than those illustrated and described, may be employed in accordance with the spirit of this invention. All such changes, alterations and modifications as would occur to those skilled in the art are considered to be within the scope of this invention as broadly defined in the appended claims.
As such, while the present invention has been described herein with reference to particular embodiments thereof, a latitude of modifications, various changes and substitutions are intended in the foregoing disclosure, and it will be appreciated that in some instances some features of the invention will be employed without a corresponding use of other features without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.
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An internal combustion engine having inline opposing pistons stationarily mounted to a frame. A finned cylinder having a divider therein forming two chambers reciprocates upon the two stationary pistons during operation of the engine to provide power to a device requiring translational or rotational power connected externally. Optionally, the pistons can be formed of front and rear components with the front component being replaceable by mounting it to the rear. A case mounted about the exterior can be vented by an impeller to cool the finned cylinder along with lubricating fluid.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates generally to the field of communication. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method, circuit and system for adaptive transmission and reception of video.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Modern communication networks are characterized by features such as high bandwidth/data-rate, complex communication protocols, various transmissions medium, and various access means. Fiber optic networks span much of the world's surface, acting as long-haul networks for carrying tremendous amounts of data between distant points on the globe. Cable and other wire-based networks supplement coverage provided by fiber optic networks, where fiber networks have not yet been installed, and are still used as part of local area networks (“LAN”), for carrying data between points relatively close to one another. In addition to wire-based networks, wireless networks such as cellular and other wireless networks (e.g. 2G, 3G, CDMA, WCDMA, Wi-Fi, mobile TV, digital TV, etc.) are used to supplement coverage for various devices (e.g. cell phone, wireless IP phone, wireless internet appliance, etc.) not physically connected to a fixed network connection. Wireless networks may act as complete local loop networks and may provide a complete wireless solution, where a communication device in an area may transmit and receive data from another device entirely across the wireless network.
[0003] With the proliferation of communication networks and the world's growing reliance upon them, proper performance is crucial. High data rates and stable communication parameters at low power consumption levels are highly desirable for mobile communication devices. However, degradation of signal-to-noise ratio (“SNR”) as well as Bit energy to noise ratio (“Eb/No”) and interference ratios such as Carrier to-Interference (“C/I”) ratio occur to a signal carried along a transmission medium (e.g. coax, unshielded conductor, wave guide, open air or even optical fiber or RF over fiber). This degradation and interferences may occur in TDMA, CSMA, CDMA, EVDO, WCDMA, FDMA and Wi-Fi networks respectively. Signal attenuation and its resulting SNR degradation may limit bandwidth over a transmission medium, especially when the medium is air or open space.
[0004] Radio Frequency (“RF”) based wireless communication systems ranging from cellular communication systems to satellite radio broadcasting systems are highly prevalent, and their use is consistently growing. Due to the unshielded nature of the transmission medium of wireless RF based communication systems, they are particularly prone to various phenomena, including interference signals or noise and fading signals, which tend to limit performance of such systems.
[0005] Thus, strong and stable signals are needed for the proper operation of a wireless communication device. In order to improve the power level of signals being transmitted over relatively long distances, and accordingly to augment the transmission distance and/or data rate, devices may utilize power amplifiers to boost transmission signal strength. In addition to the use of power amplifiers for the transmission of communication signals, receivers may use low noise amplifiers (“LNAs”) and variable gain amplifiers (“VGAs”) in order to boost and adjust the strength and/or amplitude of a received signal.
[0006] An additional problem with wireless RF based transmissions is that they may be characterized by a multipath channel between the transmitter antenna and the receiver antenna which introduces “fading” in the received signal power. The combination of attenuation, noise interference and “fading” is a substantial limitation for wireless network operators, mitigating their ability to provide high data-rate services such as Internet access and video phone services.
[0007] Some modern RF receivers may use various techniques and circuits implementing these techniques to compensate for phenomenon resulting from weak signal and interference. For example, amplifiers and filters are often employed to strengthen the incoming data signals. Methods amplifying and filtering received signals are well known. Additionally spatial diversity transmission/reception and processing circuits provide considerable S/N gain by employing multiple transmission and reception chains operating in concert. Although boosting S/N even in the most demanding noise environments is possible, having more robust processing techniques and using more elaborate circuits and systems consumes considerable energy.
[0008] There exists a need in the field of wireless communication for methods, circuits, devices and systems for enhancing video signal transmission and reception.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] The present invention is a method, circuit and system for wireless transmission and reception of video and/or audio data. According to some embodiments of the present invention, there is provided a video source side transceiver which may include: (1) a video source interface for receiving video data and/or associated audio data from a functionally associated source device (e.g. Set-Top Box, DVD, etc.); (2) a video data buffer for buffering received video data prior to transmission; (3) a frame status detector for determining whether a video frame is static or dynamic relative to a previous video frame, (4) one or more transmitters including at least one video transmission circuit for transmitting video data of video frames whose delta relative to a previous video frame exceeds a threshold. According to some embodiments of the present invention, instead of transmitting video data of a static frame, the video transmission circuit may transmit a control signal indicating that the non-transmitted frame was static relative to a previous (e.g. immediately previous) frame. According to further embodiments of the present invention, a transmitter controller may upon detection of a static frame condition shutdown and/or put into sleep-mode or standby-mode one or more circuits associated with the one or more transmitters.
[0010] According to further embodiments of the present invention, there may be provided a sink side transceiver which may include one or more receivers at least one of which is a video data receiver, a video frame buffer, and a buffer controller which in response to receiving a signal indicating that a non-transmitted frame (e.g. frame which was to be currently received) was static relative to a previously received frame may cause the video frame buffer to output for display as a current frame the same frame data as received for the previous frame (e.g. the last dynamic frame). According to further embodiments of the present invention, the frame buffer controller may receive a control signal indicating that the frame buffer should continue to output for display the last received frame (e.g. last dynamic frame) data until further signaling/instruction are received. According to further embodiments of the present invention, upon receiving a signal indicating a static frame condition, a receiver controller may shutdown and/or put into sleep-mode or standby-mode one or more circuits associated with the one or more receivers.
[0011] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the term static frame may refer to one or more portions of a complete frame. According to further embodiments of the present invention, video source transceiver may segment a frame into dynamic and static portions and may treat dynamic portions in a conventional manner, while treating static portions as described above. The same may apply for a sink side transceiver, which sink side transceiver may respond to dynamic frame portions in a conventional manner, while treating received static portions as described above. According to yet further embodiments of the present invention, the source side transceiver may transmit information relating to a percentage of the frame which is static, and the sink side transceiver may select to shut down or put into sleep mode portions of the receive chain if the percentage is above a threshold value, and optionally if a detected SNR is below a threshold value.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] The subject matter regarded as the invention is particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the concluding portion of the specification. The invention, however, both as to organization and method of operation, together with objects, features, and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following detailed description when read with the accompanying drawings in which:
[0013] FIG. 1 is an exemplary setup showing the different elements of the system according to some embodiments of the present invention;
[0014] FIG. 2 shows an exemplary layout of a screen that may be generated by a source device and transmitted wirelessly to a display;
[0015] FIG. 3 shows an example schematic diagram of a video stream and the resulting transmitted data according to some embodiments of the present invention;
[0016] FIG. 4 shows another example schematic diagram of a video stream and the resulting transmitted data according to some other embodiments of the present invention;
[0017] FIGS. 5 & 6 show two different example schematic diagrams of video streams and the resulting transmitted data according to some other embodiments of the present invention in which the refresh rate is larger than 1; and
[0018] FIG. 7 shows an example of receiver circuits' power down according to some embodiments of the present invention.
[0019] It will be appreciated that for simplicity and clarity of illustration, elements shown in the figures have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements may be exaggerated relative to other elements for clarity. Further, where considered appropriate, reference numerals may be repeated among the figures to indicate corresponding or analogous elements.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0020] In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the invention. However, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures, components and circuits have not been described in detail so as not to obscure the present invention.
[0021] Unless specifically stated otherwise, as apparent from the following discussions, it is appreciated that throughout the specification discussions utilizing terms such as “processing”, “computing”, “calculating”, “determining”, or the like, refer to the action and/or processes of a computer or computing system, or similar electronic computing device, that manipulate and/or transform data represented as physical, such as electronic, quantities within the computing system's registers and/or memories into other data similarly represented as physical quantities within the computing system's memories, registers or other such information storage, transmission or display devices.
[0022] Embodiments of the present invention may include apparatuses for performing the operations herein. This apparatus may be specially constructed for the desired purposes, or it may comprise a general purpose computer selectively activated or reconfigured by a computer program stored in the computer. Such a computer program may be stored in a computer readable storage medium, such as, but is not limited to, any type of disk including floppy disks, optical disks, CD-ROMs, magnetic-optical disks, read-only memories (ROMs), random access memories (RAMs) electrically programmable read-only memories (EPROMs), electrically erasable and programmable read only memories (EEPROMs), magnetic or optical cards, or any other type of media suitable for storing electronic instructions, and capable of being coupled to a computer system bus.
[0023] The processes and displays presented herein are not inherently related to any particular computer or other apparatus. Various general purpose systems may be used with programs in accordance with the teachings herein, or it may prove convenient to construct a more specialized apparatus to perform the desired method. The desired structure for a variety of these systems will appear from the description below. In addition, embodiments of the present invention are not described with reference to any particular programming language. It will be appreciated that a variety of programming languages may be used to implement the teachings of the inventions as described herein.
[0024] In wireless video transmission there may be a need to save power, especially when the video stream is transmitted from battery operated devices such as laptop computers.
[0025] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the video stream may be analyzed prior to transmission, and portions of the transmitter may be shut down or put into sleep or standby mode when the video frames have small or no changes between one another. According to some embodiments of the present invention, portions of the receiver may be shut down or put into sleep or standby mode when the video frames have small or no changes between one another.
[0026] FIG. 1 shows an example of some embodiments of the present invention.
[0027] According to some embodiments of the present invention, there may be provided a wireless video source side transceiver comprising a video source interface, a video data buffer, a frame status detector, a transmitter controller, and a video transmission circuit. According to some embodiments of the present invention, the video source side transceiver may communicate wirelessly with a video sink side transceiver.
[0028] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the video source interface may be adapted to receive video and/or audio based data from a functionally associated video and/or audio source device. According to some embodiments of the present invention, the video source interface may be a “Combined interface” where the Audio and Video signals share the same leads for example, HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) or an advanced version of ‘DisplayPort’ cable or port/connector.
[0029] According to some other embodiments of the present invention the video source interface may be a “Separated interface” where the Video and Audio signals are separated (e.g. VGA, composite, DVI) cable/port/connector.
[0030] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the video source interface may be an interface to a memory which may store the video information. According to some embodiments of the present invention, the video source interface may be a general data bus such as USB, PCI, PCIe which may be connected to another part of the system.
[0031] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the video and/or audio source device may generate a video stream in which the video frames are changing rapidly such as in a movie. According to some embodiments of the present invention, the video and/or audio source device may generate a video stream in which the video frames are rarely changing such as in a PowerPoint presentation. According to some embodiments of the present invention, the source device may be a DVD, or a Set-Top-Box, or a computer, or a video camera, or a game console, or a VCR or any other device capable of generating video and/or audio signals.
[0032] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the video data buffer may be adapted to receive a video stream consisting of video frames from the video source interface and save the last one or more frames received, or a mathematical representation of the last one or more frames received. According to some embodiments of the present invention, the video data buffer may be a FIFO (First In First Out) type of memory.
[0033] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the frame status detector may be adapted to determine whether a video frame received at the source interface is substantially similar to the previous frame received, and which may have been stored in the video data buffer. According to some embodiments of the present invention, the frame status detector may receive input parameters (threshold) which may determine the conditions upon which a first frame may be considered substantially similar to a second frame. According to some embodiments of the present invention, the frame status detector may signal to an associated transmitter controller whether the current frame is substantially similar to the previous frame or not.
[0034] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the wireless video transmission circuit may be adapted to transmit a video based data signal and/or an audio based data signal and/or a control data signal. According to some embodiments of the present invention, the video transmission circuit may be comprised of one or more radio transmitters.
[0035] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the transmitter controller may be adapted to shutdown and/or put into sleep-mode or standby-mode one or more circuits associated with the one or more radio transmitters and/or with the frame status detector and/or with the video data buffer.
[0036] According to some embodiments of the present invention, there may be a wireless sink side transceiver comprising a video data receiver circuit, a video frame buffer, a frame buffer controller, a receiver controller, a video sink interface. According to further embodiments of the present invention, the video sink side transceiver may communicate wirelessly with a video source side transceiver.
[0037] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the wireless video data receiver circuit may be adapted to receive a signal comprising a video based data signal, an audio based data signal, a control data signal. According to some embodiments of the present invention, the video data receiver circuit may comprise one or more radio receivers.
[0038] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the video frame buffer may be adapted to store the last one or more received video frames, or portions of received video frames, or a mathematical representation of the last one or more frames, or portions of frames, received from the associated video data receiver circuit. According to some embodiments of the present invention, the video frame buffer may be a FIFO (First In First Out) type of memory.
[0039] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the frame buffer controller may receive control data signals from the video data receiver circuit. According to some embodiments of the present invention, the control data signals may indicate that the previous frame received and stored in the video frame buffer may be sent to the video sink interface and output for display as the current frame. According to some embodiments of the present invention, the control data signal may indicate that the previous frame received and stored in the video frame buffer may be repeatedly sent to the video sink interface and outputted for display until a new control data signal may indicate differently. According to some embodiments of the present invention, the control data signal may determine that a received portion of a frame may replace the corresponding portion of the previous frame received and stored in the video frame buffer, and may be sent to the video sink interface and output for display as the current frame. According to some embodiments of the present invention, the control data signal may determine whether the currently received frame should be stored in the video frame buffer or not.
[0040] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the receiver controller may be adapted to shutdown and/or put into sleep-mode or standby-mode one or more circuits associated with the one or more radio receivers and/or with the buffer controller and/or with the video frame buffer.
[0041] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the video sink interface may be adapted to send video and/or audio based data to a functionally associated video and/or audio sink device (e.g. LCD video screen). According to some embodiments of the present invention, the video sink interface may be a “Combined interface” where the Audio and Video signals share the same leads for example, HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) or an advanced version of ‘DisplayPort’ cable/port/connector. According to some other embodiments of the present invention the video sink interface may be a “Separated interface” where the Video and Audio signals are separated (e.g. VGA, composite, DVI) cable/port/connector.
[0042] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the video source side transceiver and the video sink side transceiver may exchange control data signals. According to further embodiments of the present invention, the control data signals may include information regarding the frame status (static or dynamic). According to some embodiments of the present invention, when just a portion of a video frame is sent from the source side transceiver to the sink side transceiver, the control data signals may include information regarding the block size and coordinates.
[0043] According to some embodiments of the present invention, there may be a source device such as a laptop computer. According to some embodiments of the present invention the source device may output a video signal to be displayed on a display connected to the source device through a wireless video link. According to some embodiments of the present invention, the video source device may output a video stream with rapidly changing frames such as a movie. According to some embodiments of the present invention, the video source device may output a video stream in which the video frames are substantially similar to one another and may change just once in a while such as for example, in a Power-Point presentation or a slide show. According to some embodiments of the present invention, the video source device may output a video stream in which the video frames may be substantially similar to one another in certain parts of the frame and may change in other parts of the frame such as for example, in a Power-Point presentation with a mouse movement, or a static computer screen with a movie window, or a static webpage with an animated banner.
[0044] FIG. 2 is an exemplary drawing according to some embodiments of the present invention. In this example, the video stream displayed on the screen ( 1 ) may include a static background ( 2 ), a static window such as a word processor window ( 4 ), and a dynamic window such as a YouTube movie ( 3 ).
[0045] According to some embodiments of the present invention, there is provided a video source side transceiver which may include a video source interface for receiving video data and/or associated audio data from a functionally associated video source device.
[0046] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the video source side transceiver may also include a video data buffer for temporarily storing the received one or more last video frames or a mathematical representation of the one or more last video frames received from the video source interface. According to some embodiments of the present invention, the video source side transceiver may also include a frame status detector for determining 1) whether a received video frame is substantially similar to the previously received frame which may be stored in the video data buffer, or 2) whether a received video frame is substantially similar to the previously received frame which may be stored in the video data buffer in most parts of the frame, and different from the previously received frame in other parts (as shown for example in FIG. 2 ). According to some embodiments of the present invention, there may be configuration parameters functionally associated with the frame status detector for determining the threshold indicating that two frames may be considered substantially similar. According to some embodiments of the present invention, the configuration parameters may determine the amount of allowed noise and/or the amount of shade and/or the amount of flicker and/or the amount of shake between the currently received video frame and a previously received video frame.
[0047] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the video source side transceiver may also include a video transmission circuit for wirelessly transmitting the video data. According to some embodiments of the present invention, the video transmission circuit may comprise one or more wireless transmitters.
[0048] According to some embodiments of the present invention, upon detection by the frame status detector that the current frame received from the video source interface is not substantially similar to the previously received frame, the current frame may be sent to the video transmission circuit for transmission.
[0049] According to some embodiments of the present invention, upon detection by the frame status detector that the current frame received from the video source interface is substantially similar to a previous frame, a control data signal indicating that the current frame is static (i.e. substantially similar) may be sent to the video transmission circuit for transmission instead of the frame itself.
[0050] FIG. 3 shows an example of some embodiments according to the present invention. In this figure, 17 frames out of the video stream are shown ( 6 ). Frame 1 is dynamic, frames 2 and 3 are static, frame 4 is a dynamic frame, and frames 5 , 6 , 7 and 8 are static. Frame 9 is dynamic, frame 10 is static, frame 11 is dynamic. Frame 12 , 13 , 14 and 15 are static, frame 16 is dynamic, and frame 17 is static. The upright arrows ( 5 ) describe the comparison of the current frame to the previous frame by the frame status detector. When the current frame is not substantially similar to the previous frame as is the case with frames 3 and 4 , the current frame may be sent to the video transmission circuit for transmission ( 7 ). When the current frame is substantially similar to the previous frame as is the case with frames 13 and 14 , a data control signal may be sent to the video transmission circuit for transmission ( 8 ).
[0051] According to some other embodiments of the present invention, upon detection by the frame status detector that the current frame received from the video source interface is substantially similar to a previous frame, the currently received frame may be discarded and not sent to the video transmission circuit. FIG. 4 shows an example of some embodiments according to the present invention, similar to the example in FIG. 3 . When the current frame is not substantially similar to the previous frame as is the case with frames 3 and 4 , the current frame may be sent to the video transmission circuit for transmission ( 7 ). When the current frame is substantially similar to the previous frame as is the case with frames 13 and 14 , the frame may be discarded.
[0052] By replacing the video data frame with a short control data signal, or by discarding the video data frame, the transmission time may be reduced significantly and hence save a significant amount of power and free up bandwidth that may be used for transmission of other information.
[0053] According to some embodiments of the present invention, upon detection by the frame status detector that the current frame received from the video source interface is substantially similar to a previous frame in some parts of the frame and not substantially similar to a previous frame in other parts of the frame, a subset of the current frame which is not substantially similar to a previous frame may be sent to the video transmission circuit along with a control data signal indicating the dimensions and coordinates of the frame subset. FIG. 2 shows an example of a frame which is partially static and partially dynamic. In the example of FIG. 2 , areas 2 and 4 are static, while the YouTube movie in window 3 is dynamic. In this case only the area of window 3 may be detected by the frame status detector as dynamic and may be sent to the video transmission circuit along with a control data signal indicating the dimensions of window 3 and its coordinates within the screen 1 .
[0054] By replacing the video data frame with a subset of that frame and a short control data signal, the transmission time may be reduced significantly and hence save a significant amount of power. and free up bandwidth that may be used for transmission of other information.
[0055] Since the comparison of the current video frame to a previously received video frame by the frame status detector is compute intensive and therefore consumes a large amount of power, in order to further reduce power consumption in applications such as presentations or slideshow in which video frames are most of the time static, in some embodiments of the present invention, the frame status detector may compare the currently received frame to a previous frame at a lower rate (refresh rate) than the rate frames are received at the video source interface, and at the rest of the time the frame status detector may be put into sleep or power down or standby mode.
[0056] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the video source side transceiver may be configured to operate in several modes according to the type of source device connected to it and/or according to the type of video data received by it.
[0057] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the operating mode may determine the refresh rate (e.g 60 Hertz for High Definition video, 5 Hertz for slideshow). In a highest refresh rate, the refresh period (the time (measured in frames) elapsed between the start of comparing two consecutive frames by the frame status detector to the next comparison start) may be one frame period. For example, when frames are received at a rate of 60 Hertz and the refresh rate is 5 Hertz, the refresh period is 12 frames.
[0058] According to some embodiments of the present invention, when the video source side transceiver is configured to operate at a slower refresh rate (X) than the rate (Y) in which frames are received at the video source interface, video frames received at the video source interface may be sent to the video transmission circuit at most, at the refresh rate X, while control data signals indicating static video frames may be sent to the video transmission circuit at least at a rate of Y-X such that the total number of video frames+control signals sent to the video transmission circuit may be equal to the number of video frames received at the video source interface. FIG. 5 shows an example of some embodiments according to the present invention, similar to the example in FIG. 3 but with a lower refresh rate. In the example shown in FIG. 5 , the refresh period is 2 and the frame status detector compares each second frame ( 5 ) and hence may save power.
[0059] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the transmitter controller may shut down or put into sleep or standby mode, the video data buffer and/or the frame status detector and/or any other circuit of the source side transceiver that may not be operational during a time window of a refresh period less one frame time, in each refresh period. For example, if the refresh period is 12, the frame status detector may compare the currently received frame to a previously received frame during a time of one frame period, than the video data buffer and/or the frame status detector and/or any other circuit may shut down or put into sleep or standby mode for a time period of 11 frames which will save 11/12 (92%) of the power consumption drawn by the frame status detector and/or other circuits of the source side transceiver.
[0060] According to some embodiments of the present invention, when the video source side transceiver is configured to operate at a slower refresh rate than the rate in which frames are received at the video source interface, the frame status detector may compare each refresh period, the frame that was currently received at the video source interface with a previous frame that may be stored in the video data buffer and may send the currently received frame to the video transmission circuit only if the current frame is not substantially similar to a previous frame.
[0061] FIG. 6 shows an example of some embodiments according to the present invention. In the example of FIG. 6 the refresh period is 2 and the frame status detector may compares ( 5 ) each odd frame with a previously received frame and may send to the video transmission circuit only the frames ( 7 ) that are not substantially similar to a previous frame.
[0062] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the frame status detector may compare a frame that was currently received at the video source interface, and the frame that was received at the video source interface immediately before the current frame.
[0063] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the frame status detector may compare a frame that was currently received at the video source interface, and the frame that was received at the video source interface one refresh period before the current frame.
[0064] In the examples shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 , the frame status detector may compare frames 3 , 5 , 7 , 9 , 11 , 13 , 15 , 17 to frames 1 , 3 , 5 , 7 , 9 , 11 , 13 , 15 respectively.
[0065] In applications such as movies played by a DVD where the majority of the frames are dynamic, it may be better, in order to save the power consumption of the frame status detector, not to compare the current video frame to a previously received video frame.
[0066] According to some embodiments of the present invention, when the video source side transceiver is configured to operate in dynamic mode, the transmitter controller may shut down or put into sleep or standby mode, the video data buffer and/or the frame status detector.
[0067] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the operating mode of the video source side transceiver may be configured by the user.
[0068] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the operating mode of the source side transceiver may be determined automatically.
[0069] According to some embodiments of the present invention, automatically determining the operating mode of the source side transceiver may comprise the following steps:
1) The source side transceiver may operate in dynamic mode in which every frame received at the video source interface may be sent to the video transmission circuit, and also stored in the video data buffer. The frame status detector may compare the frames received at the video source interface with a previously received frame stored in the video data buffer in order to determine if the current frame is static (i.e. substantially similar to a previous frame), or partially static (i.e. part of the current frame is substantially similar to the corresponding part of a previous frame), or dynamic (i.e. the entire current frame is not substantially similar to a previous frame). The frame status detector may send the comparison results to the transmitter controller. 2) The transmitter controller may configure a new operating mode upon analyzing the comparison results received from the frame status detector. For example: In a slideshow frames may change once every few seconds, therefore all frames may be detected as static except for one frame every few seconds which may be detected as dynamic. In this case, the transmitter controller may set the operating mode to slow refresh rate such as 5 Hertz. If for instance the slideshow will end and a movie will start, the transmitter controller may receive signals from the frame status detector that all, or near all frames are dynamic and as a result may configure the source side transceiver to operate in dynamic mode.
[0072] According to some embodiments of the present invention, a control signal may be sent to the video transmission circuit instead of each static frame.
[0073] According to some embodiments of the present invention, a control signal may be sent to the video transmission circuit only instead of the first static frame.
[0074] According to some embodiments of the present invention, a control signal may be sent to the video transmission circuit every certain number of consecutive static frames.
[0075] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the transmitter controller may put the video transmission circuit into power down or sleep or standby mode during the time in between control frames or in between a control frame to a dynamic frame.
[0076] According to some embodiments of the present invention, there is provided a sink side transceiver which may include one or more receivers at least one of which is a video data receiver. According to some embodiments of the present invention, at least two of the receivers may be video data receivers operating in a MIMO scheme. According to some embodiments of the present invention, the video sink side transceiver may also include a frame data buffer for temporarily storing the received one or more last video frames received at the one or more video receivers. According to some embodiments of the present invention, video frames received at the one or more video receivers may be output for display. According to some embodiments of the present invention, the video sink side transceiver may also include a frame buffer controller. According to some embodiments of the present invention, upon not receiving a video frame at the video frame receiver the frame buffer controller may output for display the last video frame that was received and stored in the frame data buffer. According to some embodiments of the present invention, the video sink side transceiver may also include a receiver controller. According to some embodiments of the present invention, upon receiving a control signal, the receiver controller may shutdown and/or put into sleep-mode or standby-mode one or more circuits associated with the one or more receivers, for the duration of one or more video frame(s).
[0077] When operating at a slow refresh rate (i.e refresh period larger than 1), there may be a quiet interval of at least one or more frames from the time one frame has been transmitted and until the next frame may be transmitted, this quiet time interval may enable to turn off or shutdown and/or put into sleep-mode or standby-mode one or more circuits associated with the one or more MIMO receivers, this may degrade the reception quality but the quiet time interval in between the transmitted frames may be used for enabling retransmissions and guaranteeing proper frame reception, or for other transmissions (e.g. Wi-Fi data network).
[0078] According to some embodiments of the present invention, when the sink side transceiver has two or more MIMO receivers and when operating in a slow refresh rate mode, the receiver controller may turn off or shutdown and/or put into sleep-mode or standby-mode one or more circuits associated with the one or more MIMO receivers. According to some embodiments of the present invention, when the sink side transceiver has two or more MIMO receivers and when operating in a slow refresh rate mode with one or more circuits associated with the one or more receivers shutdown and/or in sleep-mode or standby-mode, upon detection by the receiver controller that the rate of retransmissions exceeded a certain threshold, the receiver controller may turn back on one or more circuits associated with the one or more receivers. According to some embodiments of the present invention, upon receiving a control signal indicating a static frame condition, the receiver controller may shutdown and/or put into sleep-mode or standby-mode one or more circuits associated with the one or more receivers
[0079] FIG. 7 shows an example of some embodiments of the present invention. In the example shown in FIG. 7 the refresh rate is 2. Line 9 represents the output of the receiver controller, when high, one or more circuits associated with the one or more video data receivers may be on, when low, one or more circuits associated with the one or more video data receivers may be put into shutdown and/or into sleep-mode or standby-mode. As shown in this example, one or more video data receivers may be on for receiving frame 1 , after which they may be turned off (or put into sleep or standby mode) until the time when frame 3 is about to be received in which they are turned on again. Since frame 3 does not arrive and a control data signal is received instead, the one or more video receivers may be turned off as soon as the control data signal ends until the time when frame 5 is about to be received.
[0080] According to some embodiments of the present invention, power mode and/or current consumption settings may differ across different standards according to the required SNR for substantially clear reception and bandwidth, the RF tuner in use or any filters in use, or any other reasonable consideration.
[0081] Some embodiments of the invention, for example, may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment, or an embodiment including both hardware and software elements. Some embodiments may be implemented in software, which includes but is not limited to firmware, resident software, microcode, or the like.
[0082] Furthermore, some embodiments of the invention may take the form of a computer program product accessible from a computer-usable or computer-readable medium providing program code for use by or in connection with a computer or any instruction execution system. For example, a computer-usable or computer-readable medium may be or may include any apparatus that can contain, store, communicate, propagate, or transport the program for use by or in connection with the instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.
[0083] In some embodiments, the medium may be an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system (or apparatus or device) or a propagation medium. Some demonstrative examples of a computer-readable medium may include a semiconductor or solid state memory, magnetic tape, a removable computer diskette, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), a rigid magnetic disk, and an optical disk. Some demonstrative examples of optical disks include compact disk-read only memory (CD-ROM), compact disk-read/write (CD-R/W), and DVD.
[0084] In some embodiments, a data processing system suitable for storing and/or executing program code may include at least one processor coupled directly or indirectly to memory elements, for example, through a system bus. The memory elements may include, for example, local memory employed during actual execution of the program code, bulk storage, and cache memories which may provide temporary storage of at least some program code in order to reduce the number of times code must be retrieved from bulk storage during execution.
[0085] In some embodiments, input/output or I/O devices (including but not limited to keyboards, displays, pointing devices, etc.) may be coupled to the system either directly or through intervening I/O controllers. In some embodiments, network adapters may be coupled to the system to enable the data processing system to become coupled to other data processing systems or remote printers or storage devices, for example, through intervening private or public networks. In some embodiments, modems, cable modems and Ethernet cards are demonstrative examples of types of network adapters. Other suitable components may be used.
[0086] Functions, operations, components and/or features described herein with reference to one or more embodiments, may be combined with, or may be utilized in combination with, one or more other functions, operations, components and/or features described herein with reference to one or more other embodiments, or vice versa.
[0087] While certain features of the invention have been illustrated and described herein, many modifications, substitutions, changes, and equivalents will now 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 of the invention.
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Disclosed is a method circuit and system for adaptive transmission and reception of video data. According to some embodiments, a source side transceiver may include a static frame detector adapted to detect static portions (i.e. some or all) of a frame to be transmitted. Static frame data may be removed or replaced by a marker indicating corresponding between the static data and data in a previous frame. In response to the transmission of a static frame, the source side transceiver may adjust a characteristic of a transmission circuit, option so as to reduce transmission circuit power consumption.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a divisional application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/160,682, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/912,162, filed on Aug. 6, 2004, which is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/832,020, filed on Apr. 11, 2001 and now U.S. Pat. No. 6,845,716, which is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/265,946, filed on Mar. 11, 1999 and now U.S. Pat. No. 6,752,084, and which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/116,232, filed Jan. 15, 1999. The subject matter of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/912,162, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/832,020, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/265,946, and U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/116,232 is incorporated herein by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates to ammunition articles and methods of making ammunition articles and, more particularly, to ammunition articles with plastic components such as cartridge casing bodies and bases, and methods of making ammunition articles with plastic components.
BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY
[0003] Plastic cartridge casings have been known for many years but have failed to provide satisfactory ammunition that could be produced in commercial quantities with sufficient safety, ballistic, and handling characteristics. The problems evidenced by all of the known methods of producing plastic or substantially plastic ammunition include the possibility of the projectile being pushed into the cartridge casing, the bullet pull being too light such that the bullet can fall out, the bullet pull being insufficient to create enough chamber pressure, the bullet pull being too great causing excessive chamber pressure, the bullet pull not being uniform from round to round, portions of the cartridge casing breaking off upon firing of the projectile causing damage or danger when subsequent rounds are fired or when the casing portions themselves become projectiles, and expense due to manufacturing techniques or multiple material constructions. In the manufacture of blanks using plastic cartridge cases, similar problems to those present with prior art cartridge cases for conventional ammunition exist, as well as problems associated with portions of the cartridge cases breaking off and becoming dangerous, high velocity plastic projectiles.
[0004] Certain of the foregoing problems are addressed in European Patent Application
[0005] 0131863, which discloses a plastic cartridge casing that is provided with a ring or a plurality of rings or with a pronounced radially inward taper to engage corresponding surfaces on the bullet so that the bullet may be snapped into the casing. However, the technique of forming a cartridge casing and then snapping a bullet into the casing is time consuming in that it involves multiple steps, is manpower and equipment intensive in that different equipment is necessary to perform various tasks in the manufacturing process, and still risks a less than perfect fit between bullet and casing in that the casings are not custom fit to each bullet. It is desirable to provide ammunition articles having plastic cartridge casing bodies, cartridge casings with plastic cartridge casing bodies, and plastic cartridge casing bodies that ensure a high-quality fit between the plastic cartridge casing body and the projectile, and methods of manufacture for such articles that are simple and require minimal manpower and equipment.
[0006] According to one aspect of the present invention, an ammunition article is provided, the ammunition article including a molded plastic cartridge casing body having a first end and a second end, and a projectile attached to the first end of the cartridge casing body. The cartridge casing body is molded around at least a portion of the projectile.
[0007] According to another aspect of the present invention, an ammunition article is provided, the ammunition article including a cartridge casing body having a first end and a second end, a projectile attached to the first end of the cartridge casing body, and a single piece, molded plastic base, the base being attached to the second end of the cartridge casing body.
[0008] According to another aspect of the present invention, an ammunition article is provided, the ammunition article including a molded plastic cartridge case body having a closed front end and a second end.
[0009] According to another aspect of the present invention, an ammunition article is provided, the ammunition article including a molded plastic cartridge case body, the cartridge case body including a web dividing an internal volume of the body to define a lower cavity for receiving a propellant and an upper cavity for receiving a projectile, the web including an upwardly extending prong for being received in a corresponding recess in a base of the projectile to fasten the body to the projectile.
[0010] According to another aspect of the present invention, a method of making an ammunition article includes the steps of molding plastic around at least a portion of a projectile to form a plastic cartridge casing body having a first end to which the projectile is attached and a second end.
[0011] According to another aspect of the present invention, a method of making an ammunition article includes the steps of molding plastic to form a single piece, molded plastic base, and attaching the base to an end of a cartridge casing body.
[0012] According to another aspect of the present invention, a method of making an ammunition article includes the steps of molding plastic around a core pull to form a molded plastic cartridge case body having a closed front end and a second end, and removing the core pull from the cartridge casing body.
[0013] According to another aspect of the present invention, a method of making an ammunition article includes the steps of molding plastic to form a molded plastic cartridge case body, the cartridge case body including a web dividing an internal volume of the body to define a lower cavity for receiving a propellant and an upper cavity for receiving a projectile, the web including an upwardly extending prong, and causing the upwardly extending prong to be received in a corresponding recess in a base of the projectile to fasten the body to the projectile.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0014] The features and advantages of the present invention are well understood by reading the following detailed description in conjunction with the drawings in which like numerals indicate similar elements and in which:
[0015] FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of an ammunition article according to a first embodiment of the present invention;
[0016] FIG. 2 is a bottom perspective view of an ammunition article according to the first embodiment of the present invention;
[0017] FIG. 3 is a side view of an ammunition article according to the first embodiment of the present invention;
[0018] FIGS. 4A and 4B are side, cross-sectional views of an ammunition article according to the first embodiment of the present invention;
[0019] FIG. 5 is a top perspective view of a cartridge casing body according to the first embodiment of the present invention and illustrated without the projectile;
[0020] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of an ammunition article according to the first embodiment of the present invention;
[0021] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of a projectile for use in connection with the ammunition article according to the first embodiment of the present invention;
[0022] FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of another embodiment of a projectile for use in connection with the ammunition article according to the first embodiment of the present invention;
[0023] FIG. 9A is a cross-sectional view of a portion of an ammunition article according to the first embodiment of the present invention;
[0024] FIGS. 9B and 9C are partial, top views of a portion of an ammunition article according to the first embodiment of the present invention, showing possible forms of flanges;
[0025] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of an embodiment of the ammunition article according to the first embodiment of the present invention shown after firing;
[0026] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the ammunition article according to the first embodiment of the present invention;
[0027] FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of an ammunition article according to the first embodiment of the present invention;
[0028] FIG. 13A-14B are partially cross-sectional views of molding equipment for making an embodiment of a cartridge casing body for an ammunition article according to the first embodiment of the present invention;
[0029] FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view of an assembly step according to a method for making an ammunition article according to the first embodiment of the present invention;
[0030] FIG. 16 is an exploded view of an ammunition article according to a second embodiment of the present invention;
[0031] FIG. 17 is an exploded, cross-sectional view of an ammunition article according to the second embodiment of the present invention;
[0032] FIG. 18A is a front perspective view of a molded plastic base according to an embodiment of the ammunition article according to the second embodiment of the present invention;
[0033] FIG. 18B is a side, cross-sectional view of a molded base according to an embodiment of the ammunition article;
[0034] FIG. 19 is a rear perspective view of a molded plastic base according to an embodiment of the ammunition article according to the second embodiment of the present invention;
[0035] FIG. 20 is a rear perspective view of an embodiment of a cartridge casing body for use with an embodiment of the ammunition article according to the second embodiment of the present invention;
[0036] FIG. 21 is a partially cross-sectional view of molding equipment for making a plastic base for an ammunition article according to the second embodiment of the present invention;
[0037] FIG. 22 is a side view of an ammunition article according to a third embodiment of the present invention;
[0038] FIG. 23 is a partially cross-sectional view of molding equipment for making an ammunition article according to the third embodiment of the present invention;
[0039] FIG. 24 is a front perspective view of a core pull for use in making an ammunition article according to the third embodiment of the present invention;
[0040] FIG. 25 is a front end view of a core pull for use in making an ammunition article according to the third embodiment of the present invention;
[0041] FIG. 26 is a side view of a core pull for use in making an ammunition article according to the third embodiment of the present invention;
[0042] FIG. 27 is a side view of a core pull inserted in a partially broken ammunition article according to the third embodiment of the present invention;
[0043] FIG. 28 is a side, cross-sectional view of a portion of an ammunition article according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention;
[0044] FIG. 29 is a side, cross-sectional view of a portion of an ammunition article according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention; and
[0045] FIG. 30 is a side, cross-sectional view of a portion of an ammunition article according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0046] An ammunition article 21 according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 1-3 . As seen in cross-section in FIGS. 4A and 4B , the ammunition article 21 includes a molded plastic cartridge casing body 23 having a first end 25 and a second end 27 . A projectile 29 is attached to the first end 25 of the cartridge casing body 23 . The cartridge casing body 23 is a molded plastic part, and is formed by plastic being molded around at least a portion 31 of the projectile 29 . As discussed with reference to FIG. 29 , if desired or necessary, the cartridge casing body may be formed by plastic being molded to conform only with a bottom of a projectile, with a plastic protrusion extending into a cavity in the bottom of the projectile. The projectile 29 is preferably any one of the wide variety of well-known projectiles but may, if desired or necessary, include one or more features useful in connection with the present invention.
[0047] As seen in FIG. 5 (showing the cartridge casing body with the projectile removed for illustration) the cartridge casing body 23 preferably includes an interior volume 33 including a first interior portion 35 defined by the portion 31 of the projectile 29 and a second interior portion 37 having a smaller diameter than the first interior portion and being separated from the first interior portion by a shoulder 39 . As seen in FIGS. 5 and 6 , the shoulder 39 is preferably of sufficient size to prevent axial movement of the projectile 29 into the second interior portion 37 . The second interior volume 37 is preferably formed by a core pull ( FIGS. 13A-14B ) used in a cartridge casing body molding operation wherein a leading end of the core pull preferably abuts against the base 40 of the projectile 29 . As seen in FIG. 7 , the base 40 of the projectile may be flat or, as seen in FIG. 8 , contoured, such as by being concave. The base 40 may be contoured to any shape desired or necessary, such as concave, convex, a combination of concave or convex, have straight portions, or curved portions, depending upon factors such as the ballistic requirements of the projectile.
[0048] The projectile 29 is preferably attached to the cartridge casing body 23 by one or more attachment arrangements 41 directed to preventing axial movement of the projectile relative to the cartridge casing body prior to firing, such as during storage or shipment, and during accidents such as dropping of the ammunition article. Depending upon the type of ammunition article being manufactured, desirable characteristics of the attachment arrangement 41 may include the ability to provide sufficient bullet pull to permit creation of neither too much nor too little chamber pressure during firing of the projectile, ensuring uniform bullet pull from round to round, and avoiding causing portions of the cartridge casing body to break off when the ammunition article is fired. Suitable attachment arrangements 41 include a heat bond, an adhesive bond, and a weld, such as an ultrasonic weld, between the portion 31 of the projectile and the cartridge casing body 23 . The attachment arrangement may be a mechanical attachment arrangement wherein portions of the cartridge casing body 23 and the portion 31 of the projectile 29 are caused to interconnect. The attachment arrangement may, of course, be nothing more than a metal to plastic bond between the portion 31 of the projectile 29 and the cartridge casing body 23 created during the molding operation.
[0049] A form of attachment arrangement 41 , seen in detail in FIG. 9A , includes a flange 41 ′ on the cartridge casing body 23 extending into a recess 43 in the projectile 29 . Optimal dimensions for the flange 41 ′ will vary depending upon the specific type of ammunition article 21 to be made. When the cartridge casing body 23 is made of a modified ZYTEL resin, available from E.I. DuPont De Nemours Co., a modified 612 nylon resin, modified to increase elastic response, and the ammunition article is so-called A38 Special□type ammunition, a desirable dimension for an annular flange 41 ′ is 0.009″ thick by 0.020″ wide, i.e., the recess 43 is an annular recess in the projectile 29 that is about 0/009″ thick by 0.020″ wide. The flange 41 ′ and the recess 43 are not limited to being annular, and can be any of a variety of shapes and sizes, such as pins and grooves, detents and detent receiving recesses, helixes, such as screw threads, or any other suitable mechanically interconnectable structure sufficient to retain the projectile 29 in position in the cartridge casing body 23 . By proper selection of materials and flange 41 ′ and recess 43 size, it is possible to design to a very exact degree features of the ammunition article 21 such as bullet pull. As seen in FIGS. 9B and 9C , the flange 41 ′ need not be continuous around the entire circumference of the projectile, such as in the embodiment shown in FIG. 5 , but may be in the form of multiple, discontinuous or interrupted forms. The shape of the flange 41 ′ may be any suitable shape, such as a cone, a pyramid, a half-sphere, a half circular cylinder, a cube, or other geometrical form.
[0050] As seen in FIG. 10 , the flange 41 ′, when provided, is preferably sized such that, and the cartridge casing body 23 is preferably made of a plastic material suitable for its specific intended application such that, upon firing of the projectile 29 , the flange 41 ′ breaks off from the rest of the body 23 and is carried off with the projectile, without also causing other portions of the body 23 to break off. If desired or necessary, multiple flanges 41 and recesses 43 can be arranged along a length of the cartridge casing body 23 and the portion 31 of the projectile 29 . It will be understood that an ammunition article 21 with a flange 41 ′ is just one embodiment of the present invention, and that the flange may be omitted in favor of one or more alternative attachment arrangements, such as metal-plastic bonding from the molding operation, interference fit, heat bonding, adhesive, or ultrasonic welding, as seen in FIG. 11 .
[0051] The ammunition article 21 preferably also includes a base 45 attached to the second end 27 of the cartridge casing body 23 . One suitable material for the cartridge casing body 23 is a modified ZYTEL resin, available from E.I. DuPont De Nemours Co., a modified 612 nylon resin, modified to increase elastic response. In embodiments of the present invention wherein a molded cartridge casing body may be provided, a suitable cartridge casing body may also be made of a moldable material that forms part of the propellant pack, i.e., a moldable propellant, or otherwise is itself combustible or consumable by a propellant such as a powder ignition. The base 45 may be made of any suitable conventional material, for example, a metal material such as brass. According to one embodiment of the present invention, the base 45 is made of a plastic material, and is preferably molded out of a long fiber reinforced nylon material to provide great stiffness, high compressive strength, and minimal cold flow, although other well known materials may be used for the base. As desired or necessary, the base may be a metal base, such as a brass base, or a plastic material base, a ceramic base, a composite base, a combination of plastic, composite, or ceramic, or may incorporate the composite reinforced ceramic technology disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/590,621, which is expressly incorporated by reference. If desired or necessary, the base 45 and the cartridge casing body 23 can be made of the same material. For at least some applications, the cartridge casing body 23 is preferably somewhat more flexible than the base 45 to facilitate creation of a gas seal with the chamber, but fracture properties are preferably such as to facilitate breaking off of a flange 41 ′ (if provided) relatively cleanly from the rest of the cartridge casing body without causing other parts of the cartridge casing body to break off and follow the projectile 29 during firing. Preferably, the base 45 is sufficiently sturdy to be reusable, even when it may be necessary to replace the cartridge casing body 23 after each use.
[0052] The base 45 is attached to the cartridge casing body 23 by any suitable attachment arrangement, or combination of attachment arrangements. As seen in FIG. 12 , the base 45 may be attached to the cartridge casing body 23 by a suitable attachment arrangement 47 , such as by a mechanically interconnecting structure or otherwise. Suitable attachment arrangements 47 may include, for example, screw threads, a tongue and groove arrangement, flanges or pins and grooves, detent and detent receiving recesses, an interference fit, a heat bond, an adhesive, or an ultrasonic weld, or a combination of these attachment arrangements.
[0053] As seen in FIG. 4B , the ammunition article 21 preferably includes a propellant charge P inside the cartridge casing body 23 . A variety of propellant charge types are well known and, for purposes of the present application and except where otherwise indicated, can be considered to broadly include all suitable types of charges, such as those that are conventionally thought of as propellant charges and those that are conventionally considered to be explosive charges, such as black powder charges or charges such as PYRODEX, a smokeless black powder substitute available from Hodgdon Powder Co., Inc., Shawnee Mission, Kans. Depending upon the type of ammunition article 21 , the ammunition article may include some means for igniting the propellant, such as a primer 49 ( FIG. 4B ) for igniting the propellant, or an electronic ignition 49 ′ for igniting the propellant (shown schematically in FIG. 4A ), or means for igniting the propellant may be partially or completely external to the ammunition article.
[0054] As seen in FIG. 13A , the cartridge casing body 23 is preferably made by molding plastic around at least the portion 31 of the projectile 29 to form the plastic cartridge casing body having the first end 25 to which the projectile is attached and a second end 27 . Numerous plastic molding techniques are well known and are suitable for use in connection with the present application. The plastic is preferably molded around a core pull 51 such that the core pull and the portion 31 of the projectile 29 define the interior volume 33 of the plastic cartridge casing body 23 . A leading end 52 of the core pull 51 preferably abuts against the base 40 of the projectile 29 . After molding, the core pull 51 is removed from the plastic cartridge casing body 23 . Preferably, the core pull 51 has a smaller diameter than the portion 31 of the projectile such that the interior volume 33 of the cartridge casing body 23 includes the first interior portion 35 defined by the portion of the projectile and a second interior portion 37 having a smaller diameter than the first interior portion and being separated from the first interior portion by the shoulder 39 . The shoulder 39 is preferably of sufficient size to prevent axial movement of the projectile 29 into the second interior portion 37 .
[0055] If desired or necessary, one or more attachment arrangements above and beyond the metal-plastic bond developed upon molding the plastic of the plastic cartridge casing body 23 around the portion 31 of the projectile 29 may be provided. The attachment arrangement 41 can be provided by, for example, heat bonding the projectile to the cartridge casing body, by adhesive bonding of the projectile to the cartridge casing body, or ultrasonic welding of the cartridge casing body to the projectile. The attachment arrangement may be provided by providing one or more recesses 43 in the portion 31 of the projectile 29 such that, when the plastic is molded around the portion of the projectile, the plastic enters the recesses and forms what is referred to herein as a flange 41 ′ on the cartridge casing body 23 , the flange 41 ′ extending into the recess.
[0056] As seen in FIGS. 13A and 13B , the molding operation is preferably performed in a mold 53 (showing a half mold and not showing another half of the mold which is preferably symmetrical to the illustrated half mold). The mold 53 preferably includes a cavity 55 in which the core pull 51 is axially movable to a position in which the leading end of the core pull preferably abuts against the base 40 of the projectile 29 . As seen in FIG. 13A , a front end 57 of the projectile 29 is preferably positioned against a mold element 59 corresponding in shape to the front end of the projectile, and which ensures proper axial positioning of the projectile relative to walls of the cavity 55 . The mold element 59 may be integral with the mold 53 , or may be a separate part that may be movable, as desired or necessary. An alternative form of mold 53 ″ is shown in FIG. 13C , wherein a stationary or movable element 59 ″ is substituted for the mold element 59 , and receives a front end of the projectile for axial positioning of the projectile 29 , and separable mold halves close around a rear portion of the projectile to define, with the projectile and a pull 51 , walls of a cavity 55 ″ in which a plastic cartridge casing body is to be formed.
[0057] Another form of mold 53 ′ is shown in FIGS. 14A and 14B and, instead of two identical or similar mold halves, such as are used in the embodiment of the method shown in FIGS. 13A and 13B , as seen in FIG. 14A , the mold 53 ′ preferably includes an end 53 a having a portion 59 ′ in which the front end 57 of the projectile 29 is received and which positions the projectile relative to walls 55 ′ of another end 53 b of the mold in which a core pull 51 ′ is provided. The core pull 51 ′ is preferably axially movable relative to the end 53 b . If desired or necessary, the mold end 53 b may include two separable halves to facilitate removal of the cartridge casing body 23 and the projectile 29 after forming.
[0058] Regardless of the mold type used, and as discussed with reference to FIG. 13A , plastic is provided to the cavity 55 to fill voids between the walls of the cavity 55 and the walls of the portion 31 of the projectile, including any exposed portions of the base 40 of the projectile, and the core pull 51 to form the cartridge casing body 23 . If one or more recesses 43 are provided in the projectile 29 , corresponding flanges 41 ′ are formed when the plastic fills the recesses. Attachment arrangements 41 such as heat bonds, adhesive bonds, and ultrasonic welds may be provided while the projectile 29 and the cartridge casing body 23 reside in the cavity 55 , or after removal of the cartridge casing body and the projectile from the cavity, as desired or necessary. Techniques for providing attachment arrangements 41 are well known and will not be further described here. When the cartridge casing body 23 is molded, the core pull 51 is axially drawn from the second interior portion 37 of the cartridge casing body.
[0059] As seen in FIG. 15 , the propellant charge P, such as gunpowder or other propellant, is preferably provided inside of the cartridge casing body 23 , generally in the second interior portion 37 of the cartridge casing body, and the base 45 is preferably attached to the second end 27 of the cartridge casing body, preferably following removal of the cartridge casing body and the projectile 29 from the mold 53 . If provided, an ignition device such as a primer ( FIG. 4B ) or an electronic ignition ( FIG. 4A ) is also provided, or, depending upon the nature of the ignition device, partially provided. If desired or necessary, it is, of course, possible to construct a mold and core arrangement to permit providing the charge P and attachment of the base 45 and primer while the cartridge casing body 23 and the projectile 29 continue to reside in the mold 53 .
[0060] The base 45 may be a metal, such as brass, base, or may be plastic, composite, ceramic, or a combination of materials. A plastic or composite base 45 is preferably molded separately from the molding operation in which the cartridge casing body 23 is molded, before attachment to the cartridge casing body. The base 45 may be attached to the cartridge casing body 23 by any suitable attachment arrangement technique, such as through a mechanical attachment wherein interconnecting components of the base and the cartridge casing body are fitted together, or by any other suitable technique or combination of techniques. The base 45 may, for example, be attached to the cartridge casing body 23 by an attachment arrangement involving the screwing together of threads on the base with threads on the cartridge casing body. The base 45 may be attached to the cartridge casing body 23 by an attachment arrangement technique involving connecting a tongue and groove arrangement between attachable portions of the base and the cartridge casing body. The base 45 may be attached to the cartridge casing body 23 by an attachment arrangement technique involving forming an interference fit between the cartridge casing body and the base. The base 45 may be attached to the cartridge casing body 23 by an attachment arrangement technique involving adhesive joining. The base 45 may be attached to the cartridge casing body 23 by an attachment arrangement technique involving heat bonding. The base 45 may be attached to the cartridge casing body 23 by an attachment arrangement technique involving ultrasonic welding.
[0061] Another embodiment of an ammunition article 121 according to the present invention is shown in an exploded view in FIG. 16 but, when assembled, can appear substantially the same as the ammunition article 21 illustrated in FIGS. 1-3 . As seen in FIG. 17 , the ammunition article 121 includes a cartridge casing body 123 having a first end 125 and a second end 127 . A projectile 129 is attached to the first end 125 of the cartridge casing body 123 . A base 131 , seen in FIGS. 18A-19 , is preferably formed as a single piece of molded plastic, or from a ceramic, a composite, or a combination of plastic, composite, or ceramic, such as, for example, by starting with a ceramic liner 131 l and molding a composite or plastic material 131 m over the ceramic liner, as seen in FIG. 18B . The base 131 may also incorporate the composite reinforced ceramic technology disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/590,621, which is hereby expressly incorporated by reference. As seen in FIG. 17 , the base 131 is attached to the second end of the cartridge casing body. In this embodiment, the cartridge casing body 123 may be a plastic cartridge casing body, such as the plastic cartridge casing body described in connection with FIGS. 1-15 , or a metallic cartridge casing body, such as a brass body in which a projectile is installed, as seen in FIG. 20 , or which is for a blank cartridge, or a suitable ceramic, composite, or other desired material. The cartridge casing body 123 may also be made of a moldable material that forms part of the propellant pack, i.e., a moldable propellant, or otherwise is itself combustible or consumable by a propellant such as a powder ignition.
[0062] A propellant charge is preferably provided inside the cartridge casing body 123 and, as seen in FIG. 17 , a device for igniting the propellant, such as a primer 133 or an electronic ignition may be provided, or partially provided, for igniting the propellant. Although the base 131 is a plastic base, the base is preferably made of a sufficiently sturdy material to be reusable although the cartridge casing body 123 may be replaceable. The base 131 is attached to the cartridge casing body 123 by any suitable attachment arrangement 135 . The attachment arrangement 135 may, for example, be a mechanical attachment arrangement wherein portions of the base 131 and the cartridge casing body 123 interconnect with each other. Suitable attachment arrangements 135 include screw thread arrangements wherein the base 131 is attached to the cartridge casing body 123 by screw threads, tongue and groove arrangements, an interference fit the cartridge casing body, adhesive, a heat bond, and an ultrasonic weld.
[0063] The ammunition article 121 is preferably made according to a method as seen in FIG. 21 wherein plastic is molded in a mold 137 around one or more cores 139 to form the single piece, molded plastic base 131 . The mold 137 may have two, substantially symmetrical halves, as seen in FIG. 21 , that separate in a direction transverse to a longitudinal axis of the base 131 , the mold may have two parts that separate in a direction of a longitudinal axis of the base, or the mold may have a single component, with the core 139 closing an end of the single component mold and one or both of the core and the single component mold being movable to permit removal of the base. If desired or necessary, the cartridge casing body or an ignition device or some component of an ammunition article may form part or all of a core around which the base 131 is molded. As seen in FIGS. 16 and 17 , preferably after molding, the base 131 is attached to the second end 127 of the cartridge casing body 123 using a suitable attachment arrangement 135 . The cartridge casing body 123 may be a molded plastic cartridge casing body, such as the body described with reference to FIGS. 1-15 , which is preferably formed in a separate operation from the molding of the base 131 , or a metallic cartridge casing body, such as the body shown in FIG. 20 . Preferably, before attachment of the base 131 and the cartridge casing body 123 , a propellant is provided in the cartridge casing body. A device for igniting the propellant may be provided or partially provided, such as a primer 133 or an electronic ignition, and may be attached or partially attached to the base 131 depending upon the nature of the device.
[0064] Another embodiment of an ammunition article 221 according to the present invention is shown in FIG. 22 . The ammunition article 221 is particularly well-suited for use as a blank cartridge. The ammunition article 221 includes a molded plastic cartridge case body 223 having a closed front end 225 and a second end 227 . Although the ammunition article 221 is illustrated as having a convex front end 225 , it will be appreciated that the front end can be any shape desired or necessary, such as flat, convex, or whatever shape yields desired characteristics.
[0065] As seen in FIG. 23 , the ammunition article 221 is preferably molded in a mold 229 around a core pull 231 . The core pull 231 and the mold 229 are preferably shaped such that the closed front end 225 preferably includes walls that reduce in thickness toward an axial center 233 of the closed front end to facilitate causing the ammunition article to break at the tip and minimize the potential for portions of the wall becoming projectiles. Moreover, the closed front end 225 preferably includes at least one, preferably a plurality of stress concentrators 235 for causing preferential tearing of the closed front end at the stress concentrators such that, upon firing, the front end will tend to split open at the axial tip at the center 233 and permit expansion of a charge, preferably a charge consisting of an explosive charge, such as black powder or PYRODEX, a smokeless black powder substitute available from Hodgdon Powder Co., Inc., Shawnee Mission, Kans. If desired or necessary, another propellant charge may be used.
[0066] As seen in FIG. 24-26 , the core pull 231 preferably has raised portions 237 for forming the stress concentrators 235 . The raised portions 237 are preferably in the form of intersecting lines that intersect at the tip 239 of the core pull 231 such that the resulting shape of the stress concentrators 235 on the interior wall of the front portion 225 of the cartridge casing body 223 will be such that the cartridge casing body will split open along the stress concentrators at the center 233 and along the length of the stress concentrators, reducing the possibility of portions of the cartridge casing body becoming projectiles upon expansion of a powder charge. If desired or necessary, stress concentrators can be provided on an exterior surface of the cartridge casing body 223 in addition to or instead of the stress concentrators 235 on the interior surface of the front portion 225 , preferably by providing appropriately shaped raised portions on the mold 229 .
[0067] As with the cartridge casing body 23 , a base 241 (shown in phantom in FIG. 22 ) like the base 45 is preferably attached to the cartridge casing body 223 by one or more of the same attachment arrangements, and a propellant (not shown) and a powder charge ignition device (not shown) are preferably also provided. The base may be a reusable base, and the cartridge casing body 223 is preferably replaceable on the base.
[0068] As seen in FIGS. 23 and 27 , the cartridge casing body 223 is preferably formed by molding plastic around the core pull 231 to form the molded plastic cartridge case body 223 having a closed front end 225 and a second end 227 . The core pull 231 is removed from the cartridge casing body 223 after the plastic is molded around the core pull. The mold 229 is preferably a two-piece mold (one piece of which is shown in FIG. 23 ) that separates along a plane extending through a longitudinal axis of the cartridge casing body, and at least one of the mold and the core pull 231 is movable relative to the other such that the core pull can be removed along the longitudinal axis of the cartridge casing body.
[0069] Yet another embodiment of an ammunition article 321 is shown in an exploded view in FIG. 28 . The ammunition article 321 includes a molded plastic cartridge case body 323 . The cartridge case body 323 includes a web 325 dividing an internal volume of the body to define a lower cavity 327 for receiving a propellant and an upper cavity 329 for receiving a projectile 331 . The web 325 includes an upwardly extending prong 333 for being received in a corresponding recess 335 in a base 337 of the projectile 331 to fasten the cartridge casing body 323 to the projectile. The prong 333 may be attached in the recess 335 by any suitable attachment arrangement and attachment technique, such as by an interference fit, by interlocking structures on the prong and the recess, by an adhesive, by heat bonding, and by ultrasonic welding. The cartridge casing body 323 may, of course, be molded around the projectile 331 in a manner similar to the manner in which the cartridge casing body 23 is molded around the projectile 29 , except that a core pull would not extend all the way to a base of the projectile. The prong 333 may be formed by causing plastic to enter the recess 333 during the molding operation.
[0070] Alternatively, the cartridge casing body 323 may be formed in a separate molding operation and thereafter attached to the projectile 331 such that the prong 333 is caused to enter the recess 335 . A base (not shown) may be attached by a suitable attachment arrangement in the same way that the base 45 is attached to the cartridge casing body 23 , and a propellant charge (not shown) and a propellant ignition device (not shown) may be provided in the same was as with the ammunition article 21 . U.S. Pat. No. 5,033,386 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,151,555 disclose plastic cartridge cases having a web extending across a body of the cartridge cases and are hereby expressly incorporated by reference.
[0071] FIG. 29 discloses yet another embodiment of an ammunition article 321 ′ including a plastic cartridge casing body 323 ′. The body 323 ′ is molded to conform with a bottom end 325 ′ of the projectile in which a recess 327 ′ is provided such that a protrusion 329 ′ is molded in the recess and, preferably, the walls of the body do not extend up the sides of the projectile. This embodiment of the ammunition article 321 ′ facilitates use of a combustible cartridge casing body 323 ′, such as where the cartridge casing body itself forms part of the propellant pack. Where the cartridge casing body 323 ′ is intended to be part of the propellant pack, the base is preferably adapted to expand during firing to form a gas seal. As desired or necessary, the base may be a metal base, such as a brass base, or a plastic material base, a ceramic base, a composite base, a combination of plastic, composite, or ceramic, or may incorporate the composite reinforced ceramic technology disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/590,621, which is expressly incorporated by reference.
[0072] Yet another embodiment of an ammunition article 421 according to the present invention comprises a projectile 423 having cannelure contours 425 and a molded cartridge casing body 427 molded around at least a portion of the projectile such that a portion 429 of a wall 431 of the cartridge casing body follows the cannelure contours of the projectile. The portion 429 of the wall 431 preferably has a substantially constant thickness such that, where the projectile is recessed, the portion of the wall is also recessed.
[0073] The foregoing embodiments of the present invention are all believed to be useful for use with all types of cartridges or blanks, regardless of shape. For example, in all of the embodiments, the cartridge casing body may be, for example, cylindrical, bottle-shaped, or have other suitable shapes as desired or necessary.
[0074] While this invention has been illustrated and described in accordance with a preferred embodiment, it is recognized that variations and changes may be made therein without departing from the invention as set forth in the claims and equivalents thereof.
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An apparatus for manufacturing an ammunition article, includes forming a projectile of an ammunition article at a first station of an apparatus, transporting the projectile within the apparatus to a second station of the apparatus, and injection molding at the second station a cartridge casing body of the ammunition article around at least a portion of the projectile.
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This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 07/789,195, filed Nov. 8, 1991, abandoned.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing an extra-broad woven fabric suitable for such applications as cover sheeting for cliffs, river work, earth filling, building and construction, seating for outdoor events and so on.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Brief Description of the Prior Art
Fabrics having unusually large areas are required for certain purposes, e.g. covering precipitous hillsides for prevention of an avalanche of earth and rocks, covering for shore protection work or preparatory work for river beds or banks, bottom sheeting for earth filling work, covering for protection against falling objects, and protection against dusts.
However, since the width of a woven fabric that can be conventionally manufactured is inevitably limited to the width of a weaving loom used, the width of a unit fabric is not more than about 2.5 m at the maximum. Therefore, a woven fabric having a large area, such as those mentioned above, cannot be manufactured by any means other than piecing together a plurality of unit fabrics. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an example of the conventional extra-broad woven fabric. As shown, (1a) indicates a unit fabric and (1b) indicates a seam jointing the adjacent unit fabrics.
Although an extra-broad woven fabric can thus be provided by sewing together a necessary number of unit fabrics, such production technology calls for much labor and time and the homogeneity of the woven texture is sacrificed by the presence of seams.
The object of the invention is, therefore, to provide a technology by which an extra-broad woven fabric can be manufactured by utilizing an ordinary-size loom.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present method of manufacturing an extra-broad woven fabric comprises disposing a warp as divided into a first group warp yarn, a second group warp yarn . . . an i group warp yarn . . . and an n group warp yarn across the width of a loom, inserting a weft in a zigzag fashion turning back at each side of the loom for each group in succession from the first group warp yarn to the n group warp yarn and, then, in the reverse order from the n group warp yarn to the first group warp yarn to complete one cycle of weft insertion and repeating the same cycle time and again.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an extra-broad woven fabric according to the invention;
FIGS. 2 and 3 are schematic diagram illustrating the method for manufacture of an extra-broad woven fabric of the invention;
FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an example of the conventional extra-broad woven fabric; and FIGS. 5(a)-(h) are schematic diagrams illustrating sequential steps for the manufacture of an extra-broad woven fabric of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an extra-broad woven fabric according to the invention.
To begin with, in accordance with the invention, a warp yarn (H) for setting up on a weaving loom through the harnesses thereof is distributed into n groups across the width of the loom. Thus, the warp (H) is disposed in the following n rows:
A row of first group warp (H1)
A row of second group warp (H2)
A row of i group warp (Hi)
A row of n group warp (Hn)
In this arrangement, the assembly of first group warp (H1) is used for the weaving of a first unit web (A1), the assembly of second group warp (H2) for a second unit web (A2), the assembly of i group warp (Hi) for an i unit web, and the assembly of n group warp (Hn) for an n unit web.
After completion of the above preparatory work, all the first group warp yarns (H1) are shedded for weft inserting and the warp yarns in the other groups are retained in the standby condition (step 1 of FIG. 5(a)). The standby position here means the condition in which the relevant warp yarns are not allowed to participate in weaving by weft insertion.
The weft (L) is then inserted in the above arrangement and, then, at the beginning of return path of the weft (L), the second group warp (H2) is shedded and weft insertion through the resulting sheds is performed (step 2 of FIG. 5(b)). During this operation, too, the warp yarns (H) in the other groups are all retained in the standby condition.
This weft inserting operation using the same weft yarn is repeated in a zigzag fashion until the n group warp (Hn) has been involved in weaving (steps 3-4 in FIGS. 5(c) and 5(d)) and, then, further continued in the reverse order until the first group warp (H1) has been dealt with to complete one cycle of weft insertion (steps 5-8 in FIGS. 5(e)-5(h)).
An extra-broad woven fabric, such as one shown in FIG. 1, can be manufactured by repeating the above cycle.
According to the mode of weft (L) pairing and the manner of vertical motion of the harnesses, a variety of constructions such as plain weave, twill, satin weave, etc. can be adopted.
As the warp and weft yarns for the manufacture of the extra-broad woven fabric of the invention, there can be employed yarns made of a diversity of fiber materials such as polyester fiber, polyamide fiber (inclusive of aramid fiber), acrylic fiber, polyvinyl alcohol fiber, polyvinyl chloride fiber, polyvinylidene chloride fiber, polyvinyl chloride fiber, polyolefin fiber, polyurethane fiber, fluororesin fiber, semi-synthetic fiber, regenerated fiber, carbon fiber, glass fiber, ceramic fiber and metal fiber.
In the manufacture of an extra-broad woven fabric in accordance with the invention, designing of the vertical motion of each harness is first carried out. In this design, the harness motion must be coordinated in time with weft (L) insertion.
Thus, for weft insertion for the first group warp (H1), the harnesses carrying the first group warp yarns (H1) are opened and the weft (L) is inserted into the resulting sheds as shown in FIG. 5(a). On completion of this operation, the harnesses are shifted vertically and the reed is driven for beating to effect weaving. During this operation, the warp yarns (H) in the other groups are retained in the standby position and, thus, precluded from participating in weft insertion.
Therefore, while the first group warp (H1) is subjected to weft insertion, it is kept apart from the warp yarns (H) in other other groups so that only the first unit web (A1) is woven.
For the second group warp (H2), the corresponding harnesses only are opened and shifted vertically in the same manner as above, with the other harnesses being held in the standby position as shown in FIG. 5(b). In this case, the same weft (L) used for the first group warp is turned back and used for weft insertion, with the result that the first group warp (H1) and the second group warp (H2) are interconnected only at the turning point. In this condition, the second unit web is woven.
Thus, the resulting extra-broad woven fabric consists of said first unit web (A1), second unit web (A2) . . . i unit web (Ai) . . . and n unit web (An) as interconnected only at the weft turning points of the loom.
The above design of harness and weft motions can be previously encoded in a punched card and supplied as a program input to the loom to operate the machine as designed.
In accordance with the present invention, even with a weaving loom of limited width, the weft yarn (L) can be shuttled in a zigzag fashion to weave an extra-broad fabric having a width corresponding to n times the machine width, thus dispensing with the need to piece together a plurality of unit fabrics and contributing a great deal to improved productivity and product quality.
The preferred embodiment of the invention is now described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIGS. 2 and 3 are schematic views showing the manufacture of an extra-broad-width woven fabric according to the present invention. In this embodiment, a warp yarn (H) to be framed up through harnesses are divided into n sets of substantially the same number of warp yarns throughout the loom width. This arrangement is such that the warp (H) is vertically set as divided into a first group warp (H1), a second group warp (H2) . . . , an ith group warp (Hi) . . . , an nth group warp (Hn), and the unit of each i group warp (Hi) is composed of an i group left warp (Hi1) and an i group right warp (Hi2).
Thus, the whole arrangement consists of:
the pair (H11,H12) of the first group warp (H1),
the pair (H21,H22) of the second group warp (H2),
the pair (Hi1,Hi2) of the ith group warp,
the pair (Hn1,Hn2) of the nth group warp (Hn).
The transverse dimension of the above arrangement corresponds to the loom width.
The above arrangement and the motions of the warp (H) and weft (L) are illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3. The circle represents the first group warp, the triangle represents the second group warp (H2), the diamond represents the ith group warp (Hi) and the square represents the nth group warp (Hn). Each closed mark represents the left yarn of each warp group and each open mark represents the right yarn of each warp group.
There are four conditions of the harness, namely the open condition forming a shed, the vertically moving condition, the condition during which the reed is beating, and the standby condition, and the harness is brought into these conditions sequentially. The vertical motion of the harness is now explained taking the i group warp (Hi) as an example. When the i group left warp (Hi1) is in the raised position and the i group right warp (Hi2) is in the lowered position with respect to the weft (L), the i group left warp (Hi1) is lowered while the i group right warp rises. FIG. 5(a) shows this condition. initial relation is reverse, the reverse of the above motion takes place. FIG. 5(b) shows this condition.
In the standby condition, the i group warp (Hi) (both the i group left warp and the i group right warp) stands by in the position where it does not participate in picking or weft insertion. The warp (H) in this condition is not woven.
In the present invention, the weft (L) is first thrown into the shed formed between the first group left warp (H11) and right warp (H12) of the first group warp as illustrated in FIG. 2 (a). Upon completion of picking, the harness for the first group warp (H1) undergoes a vertical motion to reverse the vertical relation of said first left warp (H11) and right warp (H12) of the first group warp (H1) and the first group weft (L1) and the first group warp (H1) are interwoven. Beating by the reed ensues and, thereafter, the weft (L) is turned back and inserted into the shed between the second group left warp (H21) and second group right warp (H22) of the second group warp (H2), followed by vertical motion of the second group warp (H2) and beating. This sequence is repeated for the i group left warp (Hi1) and i group right warp (Hi2) until finally the above picking, vertical motion and beating have been completed for the n group left warp (Hn1) and n group right warp (Hn2).
The condition after completion of said vertical motion is illustrated in FIG. 2(b).
The above actions are now re-commenced from the n group warp (Hn) towards the first group warp (H1).
When the weft (L) has returned to the starting point of the first picking, one cycle of weft insertion is completed. The condition at completion of one cycle is illustrated in FIG. 3. The movement of weft (L) is a zigzag movement from one side of the loom to the other side.
As to the weave construction, plain weave was employed in this example to obtain an extra-broad woven fabric consisting of n consecutive unit webs each having a width substantially equal to the loom width.
The present invention is now described in further detail from operation points of view.
In weaving, the warp (H) is first divided into a plurality of stages and passed through the mails (eyes) of harnesses so that sheds may be formed at one time for each group, independently of others.
The vertical motion of the harnesses is set to take place sequentially beginning with the harness for the first group warp (H1) and progressing to those for the second group (H2), ith group (Hi) and nth group (Hn) warps and, then, back to the n group warp (Hn) to the first group warp (H1) and in timed relation with this motion, the weft (L) is inserted into the sheds formed by the i group warp (Hi). In this operation, the warp yarns (H) of the groups not participating in weft insertion are retained in the standby position.
The above vertical motion of harnesses and weft insertion are performed according to a punched card program previously supplied to the loom.
In this manner, the weft (L) shuttled into the shed formed by the left warp yarn (H11) and right warp yarn (H12) of said first group warp (H1) is a first group warp (L1) which forms a first unit web (A1).
Similarly the weft (L) inserted shuttled into the shed formed by the second group warp (H2) is a second group weft (L2) which forms a second unit web (A2). The weft (L) constituting an ith group weft (Li) for the i group warp (Hi) forms an ith unit web (Ai), and the weft (L) constituting an n group weft (Ln) forms the nth unit web (An).
As the above-described reciprocating zigzag motion of weft (L) across the whole loom width is repeated, the first unit web (A1), the second unit web (A2) . . . ith unit web (Ai) . . . and nth unit web (An) are woven but since the entire fabric is woven by the reciprocation of a single weft yarn, the respective i unit fabrics are interconnected at their turning points so that when the final fabric is spread, its width is as great as the width of each unit fabric multiplied by n.
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A method of manufacturing an integral extra-broad woven fabric without piecing together a plurality of unit fabrics. The method includes disposing a warp yarn as divided into a first group warp yarn, a second group warp yarn . . . an ith group warp yarn . . . and an nth group warp yarn across the width of a weaving loom, inserting a weft in a zigzag fashion turning back at each loom end for each group in succession from the first group warp yarn to the nth group warp yarn and, then, in the reverse order from the nth group warp yarn to the first group warp yarn to complete one cycle of weft insertion and repeating the same cycle again.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to a storage device and, in particular, to a memory drive device for wirelessly accessing data. The present application is based on Taiwanese Patent Application No. 92206939, filed Apr. 30, 2003, which is incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] All prior art memory card electronic devices are connected to a computer with a connect interface, such as a USB interface. The computer can execute instructions of operating files—for example, copy or save, to retrieve or move data between the memory card electronic device and an internal storage device, such as a hard drive. The “Pen-type portable memory device” disclosed in the US patent no. 6,522,534 B1 is a practical example of the known art. However, the type of the memory card electronic device disclosed in the above patent can only retrieve and store data between a computer and a memory card electronic device. The memory card electronic device could not be accessed by other electronic devices, such as personal digital assistants (PDAs) nor directly read/write such devices. The above is an obvious defect.
[0003] U.S. Pat. No. 6,522,552B1 has disclosed a “wireless memory card reader” for reading/writing a memory card by way of a wireless arrangement.
[0004] However, in this disclosure, one cannot perceive a way to directly read/write other memory card electronic devices, such as a personal digital assistant.
[0005] The present invention is made to overcome the above-mentioned problems of the relate arts, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a memory drive device which can wirelessly access to data and automatically read/write the internal memory of an external device. An external device thereof could be a mobile electronic device, for example, a personal digital assistant, or an external memory device, for example, a CF card.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide a memory drive device for wirelessly accessing data. The memory drive device can store backup data in the internal memory of a remote external device, such as a mobile electronic device (e.g. a personal digital assistant) or an external memory device (e.g. CF card) via wireless communication or by the insertion of a card.
[0007] It is a further object of the present invention to provide a memory drive device for wirelessly accessing data. This memory drive device can send and receive data with regard to a computer, an external electronic device, and an external memory device .
[0008] In order to accomplish the foregoing objects, the memory drive device for wirelessly accessing data of this invention comprises an USB interface connected to a computer; a microcontroller for processing, reading, writing, retrieving and moving data; a flash memory for storing data, connected to the microcontroller; an external memory interface for providing a connection to an external memory device, connected to the microcontroller; a wireless transceiver module for establishing a data communication chain with an external mobile electronic device, connected to the microcontroller; and a power supply to provide the work power needed by the memory drive device.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] The features, functions, and advantages of the present invention will be readily understood upon a thoughtful deliberation of the following detailed description of the embodiments of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings:
[0010] [0010]FIG. 1 is a diagram of the circuit structure of the present invention;
[0011] [0011]FIG. 2 is a flow chart of the backup data process executed for the mobile electronic device of the present invention;
[0012] [0012]FIG. 3 is a flow chart of the backup data process executed for the external memory device of the present invention; and
[0013] [0013]FIG. 4 is a flow chart of the upgrading support process executed for the mobile electronic device of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0014] [0014]FIG. 1 shows the diagram of the circuit structure of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the memory drive device 10 of the present invention is for wirelessly accessing data and comprises an USB interface 103 connected to a computer 40 . The practical embodiment of USB interface 103 thereof could be USB1.0 or USB2.0 compliant. The memory drive device 10 further comprises a flash memory 107 being connected to the microcontroller 101 mainly for data storage. The memory drive device 10 further comprises an external memory device connect interface 105 being connected to the microcontroller 101 and to an external memory device 30 , which is embodied in a CF (Compact Flash) card, a MMC (Multi Media Card) card, an SD (Secured Digital) card, a MS (Memory Stick) card, a MS-PRO (Memory Stick Pro) card, an SIM (Subscriber Identify Module) card, an SMARTCARD, a CD writer or others. The memory drive device 10 further comprises a wireless transceiver module 109 being connected to the microcontroller 101 . The wireless transceiver module 109 thereof, with the external mobile electronic device 20 thereof, establishs a data communication chain. Through this data communication chain, the memory drive device 10 can access, read and write the mobile electronic device 20 thereof. The embodiment of the wireless transceiver module 109 thereof could be an infrared transceiver module or a Bluetooth module. The mobile electronic device 20 of the present invention can be embodied in a mobile phone, a notebook, a personal digital assistant, or a digital camera. The microcontroller 101 functions in processing, reading, writing, and retrieving data in the data communication chain, the external memory device connect interface 105 , the flash memory 107 , and the USB interface 103 . The power supply 111 mainly provides the work power needed by all electronic components in the memory drive device and can be embodied in a battery or a rechargeable battery.
[0015] For practical application, the flash memory 107 of the memory drive device 10 of this present invention can be the backup storage device for the external memory device 30 . At the same time, data in the mobile electronic device 20 can be saved in the flash memory 107 via the wireless transceiver module 109 . Therefore, the flash memory 107 of the memory drive device 10 of this present invention can function as the backup storage device for the mobile electronic device 20 . Furthermore, the memory drive device 10 of the present invention is connected to the computer 40 . The data in the flash memory 107 can be retrieved and saved in the computer 40 and vice versa. The memory drive device 10 of the present invention possesses its own power supply 111 and is able to function independent of other power supplies.
[0016] [0016]FIG. 2 shows the flow chart of the backup data process executed for the mobile electronic device of the present invention. At first, the microcontroller 101 initializes the wireless transceiver module 109 . Followed, the microcontroller 101 recognizes and initializes any mobile electronic device 20 available. The protocol defined by the above mobile electronic device 20 will be adopted to transfer data from the mobile electronic device 20 to the flash memory 107 via the data communication chain of the wireless transceiver module 109 and the data transfer process executed by the microcontroller 101 . The above completes the backup data process for the mobile electronic device 20 executed by the memory drive device 10 .
[0017] [0017]FIG. 3 shows a flow chart of the backup data process executed for the external memory device of the present invention. At first, the microcontroller 101 initializes the card reader routine. Followed, the microcontroller 101 recognizes and initializes any external memory device 30 available. The protocol defined by the above external memory device 30 will be adopted to transfer data from the external memory device 30 to the flash memory 107 via the external memory connect interface 105 , which connects the flash memory 107 to the external memory device 30 , and the data transfer process executed by the microcontroller 101 . The above completes the backup data process for the external memory device 30 executed by the memory drive device 10 .
[0018] [0018]FIG. 4 shows a flow chart of the upgrading support process executed for the external memory device of the present invention. At first, the memory drive device 10 is connected to a computer 40 with a USB interface 103 . Then, the computer 40 executes the application program for upgrading support and provides a list of external mobile electronic devices 20 to be selected. Followed the selection, the computer 40 will download the upgrading codes in accordance to the selected mobile electronic device 20 to the memory drive device 10 . The memory drive device 10 executes the upgrading codes to process the upgrading support process for the mobile electronic device 20 .
[0019] Moreover, the memory drive device 10 of the present invention can further comprise a laser indicator 115 for producing a laser beam. Thus, the laser indicator 115 will function as a laser pointer.
[0020] Moreover, the memory drive device 10 of the present invention can further comprise a general-purpose I/O (GPIO) 117 being connected to the microcontroller 115 . A set of buttons for the memory drive device 10 is connected to the GPIO 117 and prompts the microcontroller 101 to execute any operation corresponding to the signals of the buttons.
[0021] Moreover, the memory drive device 10 of the present invention can further comprise a display device 113 for displaying the status of the memory drive device 10 . The embodiment of such display device 113 includes a small LCD panel.
[0022] Many different embodiments of the present invention may be constructed without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. It should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described in this specification. To the contrary, the present invention is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the invention as hereafter claimed. The scope of the following claims is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications, equivalent structures and functions.
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A memory drive device for wirelessly accessing data comprises an USB interface connected to a computer, a microcontroller for processing, reading, writing, retrieving and moving data; a flash memory for storing data, connected to the microcontroller, an external memory interface for providing a connection to an external memory device, connected to the microcontroller, a wireless transceiver module for establishing a data communication chain with an external mobile electronic device, connected to the microcontroller, and a power supply to provide the work power needed by the memory drive device.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
The present application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/037,170, filed Sep. 25, 2013, which is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/168,089, filed Jun. 24, 2011 and issued on Oct. 1, 2013 as U.S. Pat. No. 8,544,239, which claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/398,461, filed on Jun. 25, 2010. The disclosures of all of the above-referenced prior applications, publications, and patents are considered part of the disclosure of this application, and are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.
BACKGROUND
1. Field of the Invention
The field of the invention relates to roofing materials, and more particularly to methods and systems for spacing panels on roofs.
2. Description of the Related Art
Roofs cover the uppermost part of a space or building, protecting the space or building interior from rain, snow, wind, cold, heat, sunlight, and other weather effects. Many roofs are pitched or sloped to provide additional protection against the weather, allowing rain or snow to run off the angled sides of the roof. Roofs generally include a supporting structure and an outer skin, which can be an uppermost weatherproof layer. The supporting structure of a roof typically includes beams of a strong, rigid material such as timber, cast iron, or steel. The outer layer of a roof can comprise panels or boards constructed of timber, metal, plastic, vegetation such as bamboo stems, or other suitable materials.
In some cases, a pitched roof is desired to shield a space against elements such as rain or snow, while still admitting light into the space and allowing air to freely circulate through the roof and into the space. Thus, methods and systems to efficiently and reliably attach an outer skin to the supporting structure of a roof such that the roof shields against weather elements, admits light, and allows advantageous air circulation are desired and remain a significant challenge in the design of roofing systems.
SUMMARY OF CERTAIN EMBODIMENTS
The systems, methods, and devices of the invention each have several aspects, no single one of which is solely responsible for its desirable attributes. Without limiting the scope of this invention, its more prominent features will now be discussed briefly. After considering this discussion, and particularly after reading the section entitled “Detailed Description” one will understand how the features of this invention provide advantages over other roofing systems.
Methods and devices for spacing panels on a roof are provided. In one embodiment, a wedge-shaped device for spacing panels on a roof includes a bottom surface; a top surface inclined at an angle α relative to the bottom surface; and an integral support structure connecting the top surface and the bottom surface. The support structure includes a plurality of support ribs and a plurality of nail boxes.
Another embodiment provides a method of installing roof panels on roof support beams. The method includes fastening a plurality of wedge-shaped spacers to a top surface of one or more roof support beams; and fastening a bottom surface of one or more roof panels to the spacers.
In yet another embodiment, a roof panel spacer system for constructing a roof is provided. The system includes a plurality of support beams; a plurality of spacers fastened to at least some of said support beams; and a plurality of roof panels fastened to the plurality of spacers. Each spacer orients each roof panel substantially horizontal to the ground. Each spacer is positioned to create a space between adjacent roof panels allowing air and light to pass through the roof. Each spacer is also positioned to create an overlap between adjacent roof panels, inhibiting rain and other weather elements from passing through the roof.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1A is a top perspective view of an embodiment of a roof panel spacer device.
FIG. 1B is a bottom perspective view of the device of FIG. 1A .
FIG. 1C is a bottom elevational view of the device of FIG. 1A .
FIGS. 2-7 illustrate the device of FIG. 1A in use on a roof.
FIG. 8 is a top elevational view of the device of FIG. 1A .
FIG. 9A is a side elevational view of the device of FIG. 1A .
FIG. 9B is a side elevational view of the device of FIG. 1A showing additional internal features.
FIG. 10A is a back elevational view of the device of FIG. 1A .
FIG. 10B is a back elevational view of the device of FIG. 1A showing additional internal features.
FIG. 11A is a bottom perspective view of another embodiment of a roof panel spacer device.
FIG. 11B is a bottom elevational view of the device of FIG. 11A .
FIG. 11C is a cross-sectional view of the device of FIG. 11A taken along line 11 C- 11 C of FIG. 11B .
FIG. 11D is a cross sectional view of the device of FIG. 11A taken along line 11 D- 11 D of FIG. 11B .
FIGS. 12-15 illustrate the device of FIG. 11A in use on a roof.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Any feature or combination of features described herein are included within the scope of the present invention provided that the features included in any such combination are not mutually inconsistent as will be apparent from the context, this description, and the knowledge of one skilled in the art. In addition, any feature or combination of features may be specifically excluded from any embodiment of the present invention. For purposes of summarizing the present invention, certain aspects, advantages, and novel features of the present invention are described herein. Of course, it is to be understood that not necessarily all such aspects, advantages, or features will be present in any particular embodiment of the present invention.
It is to be understood that embodiments presented herein are by way of example and not by way of limitation. The intent of the following detailed description, although discussing exemplary embodiments, is to be construed to cover all modifications, alternatives, and equivalents of the embodiments as may fall within the spirit and scope of the invention.
Roof Panel Spacer for Two-Sided Roof
FIG. 1A is a top perspective view of an embodiment of a roof panel spacer 100 according to the present invention. FIG. 1B is a bottom perspective view of the spacer 100 . FIG. 1C is a bottom elevational view of the spacer 100 . The spacer 100 generally has a width W measured along an x-axis of the spacer 100 , a length L measured along a y-axis of the spacer 100 , and a height H measured along a z-axis of the spacer 100 . The spacer 100 includes a top surface 102 ; a bottom surface 104 ; sides 106 , 108 ; a back 110 ; and a front 112 .
The height H of the spacer 100 can be measured at different locations along the spacer 100 . For example, the height of the spacer 100 at the back 110 can be H BACK , while the height of the spacer 100 at the front 112 can be H FRONT . Embodiments of the spacer 100 can be wedge-shaped. For example, the top surface 102 can be inclined at an angle α relative to the bottom surface 104 . Additionally, the bottom surface 104 can be inclined at an angle β relative to the back 110 . In some aspects, the top surface 102 is oriented at an angle of 90° or about 90° relative to the back 110 .
The spacer 100 can include an integral support structure connecting the top surface 102 and the bottom surface 104 . The support structure can include a plurality of support ribs. For example, the spacer 100 includes width ribs 130 , 132 extending along the width W of the spacer 100 between the sides 106 , 108 . The spacer 100 can also comprise a length rib 134 extending along the length L of the spacer 100 between the back 110 and the front 112 . Bottom surfaces of the ribs 130 , 132 , 134 can form all or a portion of the bottom surface 104 of the spacer 100 .
In some aspects, the support structure also includes a plurality of nail boxes. For example, the spacer 100 includes nail boxes 150 , 152 , 154 , 156 , which will be described in greater detail below with reference to FIGS. 8-10B . The nail boxes can be configured to accept nails or other fasteners. Some embodiments of the nail boxes 150 , 152 , 154 , 156 comprise a hollow tube extending from the top surface 102 and the bottom surface 104 . The nail boxes can be connected to the width ribs 130 , 132 via flanges 160 , 162 , 164 , 166 , respectively. The spacer 100 may also comprise a nail box 168 disposed in the length rib 134 . Other configurations are possible. For example, in some aspects, the spacer 100 may not comprise one or more of width ribs, length ribs, nail boxes, and/or flanges.
FIGS. 2-7 illustrate one embodiment of a spacer according to the present invention in use on a roof 268 . Referring now to FIG. 2 , a first spacer 200 according to one embodiment is positioned between a first support beam 270 and a roofing panel or board 275 . The support beam 270 includes a top surface 272 . The panel 275 comprises a top surface 276 and a bottom surface 278 . A second spacer 200 is also positioned between a second support beam 280 and the panel 275 . The support beams 270 , 280 can comprise portions of the support structure of a roofing system, and the panel 275 can comprise a portion of the outer skin of the roofing system.
A top surface 202 of the spacers 200 are adjacent to and contact the bottom surface 278 of the panel 275 , while a bottom surface 204 of the spacers 200 are adjacent to and contact the top surfaces 272 of the support beams 270 , 280 . Other configurations are possible. For example, in another embodiment, the top surface 202 of the spacers 200 may be adjacent to the support beams 270 , 280 and the bottom surface 204 of the spacers 200 may be adjacent to the panel 275 .
FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate embodiments of the spacers 200 in use. The support beams 270 , 280 are inclined relative to a horizontal axis x of the roof 268 by an angle ABEAM. The panel 275 is inclined relative to the horizontal axis x of the roof 268 by an angle θ PANEL . As described above, the spacers 200 are positioned between the panel 275 and the support beams 270 , 280 . Additional spacers 200 (not illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4 , but illustrated in FIG. 5 ) are positioned between a panel 282 and the support beams 270 , 280 . An “n” number of panels can be positioned on the support beams 270 , 280 using the spacers 200 . Additionally, the panels 275 , 282 can be positioned on “n” number of support beams using the spacers 200 in order to construct the roof 268 .
In some embodiments, the spacers 200 are positioned on the support beams 270 , 280 such that the panels 275 , 282 are horizontal or substantially horizontal to the ground and θ PANEL is 0° or about 0°. The spacers 200 may be positioned on the support beams 270 , 280 such that a vertical space 284 separates the panels 275 , 282 . In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3 , for example, each of the adjacent panels on the roof 268 are separated by the vertical space 284 . The spacers 200 can be positioned along the support beam 270 at the same or substantially the same distance intervals, such that the vertical spaces 284 separating adjacent panels are the same or substantially the same. It will be understood, however, that the vertical space 284 separating adjacent panels of the roof 268 need not be the same or substantially the same across the entire roof 268 . The vertical spaces 284 can advantageously allow for air to enter the space underneath the roof 268 and circulate within the space. Advantageously, the vertical spaces 284 can also allow light to enter the space underneath the roof 268 .
In some aspects, the top surface 276 of the panel 275 and the bottom surface 278 of the panel 282 overlap in a region 286 . This overlap between adjacent panels 275 , 282 can advantageously restrict rain and other weather elements from passing through the vertical space 284 and entering the space underneath the roof 268 . For example, embodiments of spacers described herein can shield the interior of a building or other space below a roof from light rain and/or rain without horizontal wind.
Persons of skill in the art will understand that the spacers 200 can be used with roofs 268 of varying slope or pitch. For example, the support beams 270 , 280 may be less sloped relative to the horizontal axis x of the roof 268 (corresponding to a smaller beam angle θ BEAM than that illustrated in FIGS. 2-7 ), in which case the angle α of the spacer 200 may be decreased. Similarly, the support beams 270 , 280 may be more sloped relative to the horizontal axis x of the roof 268 (corresponding to a greater beam angle θ BEAM than that illustrated in FIGS. 2-7 ). In such cases, the angle α of the spacer 200 can be increased accordingly. Of course, it will be understood that beam angle θ BEAM may not be equal to the angle α of the spacer 200 .
FIG. 5 illustrates a plurality of spacers 200 in use on adjacent panels 275 , 282 . For example, the panel 275 is spaced from the support beam 270 by a first spacer 200 , from the support beam 280 by a second spacer 200 , and from a support beam θ BEAM by a third spacer 200 . The panel 282 is spaced from the support beam 270 by a fourth spacer 200 , from the support beam 280 by a fifth spacer 200 , and from the support beam θ BEAM by a sixth spacer 200 . Each of the panels of the roof 268 can be spaced from the support beams in a similar manner.
FIG. 6 illustrates the vertical spaces 284 that can be provided between adjacent panels 275 , 282 according to some embodiments of the present invention. As described above with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4 , the vertical spaces 284 between adjacent panels of the roof 268 can allow air and light to enter through the roof 268 , while also preventing weather elements such as rain from entering the space below the roof 268 .
FIG. 7 illustrates a plurality of spacers 200 in use on the roof 268 . A spacer is provided at the interface between each panel and each supporting beam. As described above with reference to FIG. 3 , the top surface of a first panel and the bottom surface of a second, higher panel are horizontally overlapped such that rain and other weather elements falling in a vertical direction do not enter the vertical spaces 284 and penetrate the space below the roof 268 .
Embodiments of the spacers 200 can advantageously be used to construct two-sided roofing structures. For example, the roof 268 illustrated in FIGS. 2-9 comprises a first side 288 and a second side 290 . The spacers 200 are positioned between support beams and panels on the first side 288 , as well as between support beams and panels on the second side 290 .
FIG. 8 is a top elevational view of the spacer 100 . FIG. 9A is an elevational view of the side 106 of the spacer 100 , illustrating internal features in dashed lines. FIG. 9B is an elevational view of the side 106 showing additional internal features such as the width ribs 130 , 132 . FIG. 10A is an elevational view of the back 110 of the spacer 100 , illustrating internal features in dashed lines. FIG. 10B is an elevational view of the back 110 illustrating additional internal features, including ribs and nail box features.
As described above with reference to FIGS. 1A-1C , the spacer 100 can include nail boxes 150 , 152 , 154 , 156 , and 168 . In one embodiment, the nail box 150 comprises a recessed area 151 and the nail box 152 comprises a recessed area 153 . The recessed areas 151 , 153 can accommodate the head of a nail or other fastener disposed in nail boxes 150 , 152 , respectively. It will be understood that other nail boxes of the spacer 100 can comprise recessed areas, and that the spacer 100 need not comprise any recessed areas around the nail boxes.
Referring now to FIG. 9A , the bottom surface 104 of the spacer 100 may be inclined at an angle α relative to the top surface 102 . The angle α can be between about 10° and about 25°. In one embodiment, the angle α corresponds to the angle θ BEAM of the support beams of the roof relative to a horizontal axis x of the roof. Where a equals θ BEAM , the top surface 276 of the panels of the roof may lie substantially horizontally on the spacers, such that the angle θ PANEL of the panels relative to the horizontal axis x of the roof is 0° or about 0°.
Additionally, the bottom surface 104 can be inclined at an angle β relative to the back 110 . The angle β can be between about 80° and about 65°. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 9A , angle α is about 18° and the angle β is about 72°. Other configurations are possible. For example, for a roof comprising support beams disposed at an angle θ BEAM of 20°, the spacer 100 can be modified such that the angle α is 20° and the angle β is 70°.
FIGS. 10A and 10B show additional views of the spacer 100 . FIG. 10A illustrates nail boxes 150 , 152 , 154 , 156 , 168 , as well as recessed areas 151 , 153 in dashed lines. FIG. 10B illustrates rib 134 in dashed lines.
FIG. 1A illustrates advantageous dimensions of certain specific embodiments of the spacer 100 . For example, the top surface of the spacer 100 is about 6 inches by about 4 inches; and the back 110 is about 4 inches by about 2 inches. Persons of skill in the art will understand that other dimensions are possible, and embodiments of the spacer 100 are not limited to the number or configuration of nail boxes shown, or the dimensions of spacer 100 .
Roof Panel Spacer for Roof with Three or More Sides
FIG. 11A is a bottom perspective view of an embodiment of a roof panel spacer 1300 according to the present invention. FIG. 11B is a bottom elevational view of the spacer 1300 . FIG. 11C is a cross-sectional view taken along line 11 C- 11 C of FIG. 11B . FIG. 11D is a cross-sectional view taken along line 11 D- 11 D of FIG. 11B . Embodiments of the spacer 1300 can be used to construct roofing structures with three or more sides.
The spacer 1300 generally has a width W measured along an x-axis of the spacer 1300 , a length L measured along a y-axis of the spacer 1300 , and a height H measured along a z-axis of the spacer 1300 . The spacer 1300 includes a first top surface 1302 A; a second top surface 1302 B; a bottom surface 1304 ; and sides 1306 , 1308 , 1310 , 1311 , 1312 , and 1313 . In some aspects, the spacer 1300 includes a peaked top surface.
The height H of the spacer 1300 can be measured at different locations along the spacer 1300 . For example, the height of the spacer 1300 where the sides 1310 , 1311 meet can be H MAX , while the height of the spacer 1300 where the sides 1308 , 1311 meet can be H MID . Embodiments of the spacer 1300 can be wedge-shaped. For example, the top surface 1302 of the spacer 1300 may be inclined at an angle α relative to the bottom surface 1304 . The bottom surface 1304 can also be inclined by an angle β 1 relative to the intersection of the sides 1308 , 1311 . Additionally, the bottom surface 1304 can be inclined at an angle β 2 relative to the intersection of the sides 1310 , 1311 .
The spacer 1300 can include an integral support structure connecting the top surface 1302 and the bottom surface 1304 . The support structure can include a plurality of support ribs. For example, the spacer 1300 includes width ribs 1330 , 1332 extending along the width W of the spacer 1300 between the sides 1306 , 1308 . The spacer 100 can also comprise a length rib 1334 extending along the length L of the spacer 1300 between the sides 1310 , 1311 and the sides 1312 , 1313 . Bottom surfaces of the ribs 1330 , 1332 , 1334 can form a portion of the bottom surface 1304 of the spacer 1300 .
In some aspects, the support structure includes a plurality of nail boxes. For example, the spacer 1300 comprises nail boxes 1350 , 1352 , 1354 , 1355 , 1356 , and 1357 . Some embodiments of the nail boxes 1350 , 1352 , 1354 , 1355 , 1356 , and 1356 comprise a hollow tube extending from the top surface 1302 and the bottom surface 1304 . The nail boxes 1354 , 1355 can be connected to the width rib 1331 via flanges 1360 and 1362 . Other configurations are possible. For example, in some aspects, the spacer 1300 may not comprise width ribs, length ribs, nail boxes, and/or flanges.
In some aspects, the nail box 1354 comprises a recessed area 1351 and the nail box 1355 comprises a recessed area 1353 (not illustrated). The recessed areas 1351 , 1353 can accommodate the head of a nail or other fastener disposed in nail boxes 1354 , 1355 , respectively. It will be understood that other nail boxes of the spacer 1300 can comprise recessed areas, and that the spacer 1300 need not comprise any recessed areas around the nail boxes.
FIGS. 12-15 illustrate this embodiment of a spacer according to the present invention in use on a roof 1468 that has three or more sides. Referring now to FIG. 12 , a spacer 1400 according to one embodiment is positioned between a support beam 1470 and a first roofing panel or board 1475 . The roof 1468 also comprises a second spacer 1400 positioned between the support beam 1470 and a second panel 1482 . The support beam 1470 includes a top surface 1472 . The panels 1475 , 1482 each include a top surface 1476 and a bottom surface 1478 . The support beam 1470 can comprise a portion of the support structure of a roofing system, and the panels 1475 , 1482 can comprise a portion of the outer skin of the roofing system.
A top surface 1402 of the spacers 1400 are adjacent to and contact the bottom surfaces 1478 of the panels 1475 , 1482 , while a bottom surface 1404 of the spacers 1400 are adjacent to and contact the top surface 1472 of the support beam 1470 . Other configurations are possible.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the spacers 1400 are positioned on the support beam 1470 such that a vertical space 1484 separates the panels 1475 , 1482 . In some aspects, each of the adjacent panels on the roof 1468 are separated by a vertical space 1484 . As described above with reference to FIG. 3 , the vertical spaces 1484 can advantageously allow for air to enter the space underneath the roof 1468 and circulate within the space. Advantageously, the vertical spaces 1484 can also allow light to enter the space underneath the roof 1468 .
In some aspects, the top surface 1476 of the panel 1475 and the bottom surface 1478 of the panel 1482 overlap in a region 1486 . This overlap between adjacent panels 1475 , 1482 can advantageously restrict rain and other weather elements from passing through the spaces 1484 and entering the space underneath the roof 1468 .
FIGS. 13-15 illustrate a plurality of panels spaced from the support beam 1470 by the spacers 1400 . The panel 1475 and a panel 1492 are positioned on a first spacer 1400 (not illustrated), and the panel 1482 and a panel 1494 are positioned on a second spacer 1400 (not illustrated). A third spacer 1400 is also positioned on the support beam 1470 , ready to receive panels. As described above, the spacers 1400 allow the panels 1492 , 1494 to be advantageously separated by a vertical space 1484 .
Installation of Roofing Spacers
Embodiments of the roofing spacers described herein can be installed using fasteners such as nails. In one embodiment, a spacer according to the present invention is first positioned on a support beam. Nails are driven into one or more nail boxes of the spacer. The nails may be driven into nail boxes comprising recessed areas, for example. These nails may initially restrict movement of the spacer relative to the support beam until additional nails are driven into the spacer. Next, a panel is positioned over the spacer, and additional nails are driven through the panel into the spacer. In some aspects, the installer is aware of the general location of the nail boxes which remain empty, but is not able to see the precise location of the empty nail boxes through the panel. The installer can estimate the location of the empty nail boxes and aim the nails so that they enter the spacer at or near the empty nail boxes.
It will be understood by those of skill in the art that positioning nails precisely in the nail boxes is not required to install embodiments of spacers described herein. Nails and other fasteners can effectively secure the spacers to support beams, and panels to the spacers, if they are driven into the nail boxes, the ribs, and/or the flanges described herein. It will also be understood that a nail need not be driven into each nail box provided on the spacers in order to secure the spacer to a support beam, or to secure a panel to the spacer.
Materials for a Roofing Spacer
Embodiments of the spacers described herein can be made of any suitable material, including plastic or metal. In one embodiment, spacers according to the present invention are made of polypropylene copolymer. In some aspects, the comonomer of the polypropylene copolymer is ethylene. Polypropylene copolymer is characterized as having high impact resistance strength. Polypropylene copolymer also has slightly increased elongation at break, and is thus more pliable, compared to unmodified polypropylene homopolymer. Typical material properties of polypropylene copolymer are provided in Table 1 below.
TABLE 1
Property
Yield Point
24
MPa
Elongation at Yield
10-12%
Tensile Break
33
MPa
Elongation at Break
650%
Tensile Modulus
1050
MPa
Flexural Modulus
1270
MPa
Flexural Strength
25-26
MPa
Tensile Impact
800
kJ/m2
Spacers described herein need not be made of polypropylene copolymer, and can be made of any suitable material, including but not limited to materials exhibiting material properties similar to that of polypropylene copolymer. Spacers made of polypropylene copolymer can advantageously accept fasteners without shattering or suffering other adverse structural effects which may result when a nail or other fastener is driven into the spacer.
Embodiments of the spacers described herein can be molded from one piece of injection-molded plastic, such that the spacer is monolithic. The spacers described herein can also be manufactured by connecting together separate components, such as the top surface, the bottom surface, the back, and the integral support structure, to form one spacer.
The above-described embodiments have been provided by way of example, and the present invention is not limited to these examples. Multiple variations and modifications to the disclosed embodiments will occur, to the extent not mutually exclusive, to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the foregoing description. Additionally, other combinations, omissions, substitutions and modifications will be apparent to the skilled artisan in view of the disclosure herein. Accordingly, the present invention is not intended to be limited by the disclosed embodiments.
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Devices, methods, and systems are provided herein for spacing an outer skin of a roof from the supporting structure of the roof such that the roof shields against weather elements, admits light, and allows advantageous air circulation. In one embodiment, a wedge-shaped device for spacing panels on a roof includes a bottom surface, a top surface inclined at an angle relative to the bottom surface, and an integral support structure connecting the top surface and the bottom surface, the support structure including a plurality of ribs and a plurality of nail boxes.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a braking system; and more particularly, to a braking system having a logarithmic characteristic.
2. Description of Related Art
Known braking systems, used for multiple-disk brakes, include a shaft on which a brake piston is disposed. The brake piston is biased against a friction brake via a compression spring with a linear characteristic. The friction brake of such known systems includes brake disks fixed to the shaft, and brake lamellae located between the brake disks. The brake lamellae are secured in a longitudinally displaceable, but co-rotational fashion to a housing of the brake system. The compression spring biases the brake piston such that the brake piston pushes the brake lamellae and brake disks together; thus, bringing about the braking affect.
To release the brake, such conventional braking systems counteract the biasing effect of the compression spring by hydraulically actuating the brake piston using a liquid or gaseous medium. The more pressure exerted by the hydraulic system, the less the forward movement of the piston in the direction of the brake lamellae, and the less the braking effect. When the brake system is pressureless, the compression spring compresses the brake piston completely onto the friction brake bringing about the greatest braking effect (i.e., the greatest braking torque).
Typically, an annular chamber is formed between the piston and the brake system's housing. Specifically, the piston includes a small diameter portion and a large diameter portion. The small diameter portion extends towards the friction brake, while the large diameter portion extends away from the friction brake. The brake system housing is similarly constructed in that the inner surface thereof has a first portion extending away from the brake system with a diameter substantially equal to the large diameter of the brake piston, and a second portion extending towards the friction brake with a diameter substantially equal to the small diameter of the brake piston. The first portion of the housing has a predetermined length such that the brake piston can be compressed completely onto the friction brake.
The annular chamber is formed between the brake system housing and the brake piston where the brake piston changes from the small diameter portion to the large diameter portion and the brake system housing changes from the large diameter portion to the small diameter portion. When a pressure medium is supplied to this annular chamber, seals disposed on either side of the chamber prevent the pressure medium from leaking, and the pressure acts upon the radial surface of a shoulder created by the piston changing from a small diameter to a large diameter. The pressure acting upon this shoulder causes the piston to move in a longitudinal direction (i.e., an axial direction of the shaft) away from the friction brake. When the force applied by the pressure medium is greater than the force of the compression spring, the brake is completely disengaged.
Such conventional brake systems have a number of disadvantages. Because the compression spring has a linear characteristic, a linear relationship exists between the pressure of the applied pressure medium and the braking torque. Consequently, a relatively large change in the braking effect occurs due to a small change in the pressure of the pressure medium when the pressure of the pressure medium is high. Unfortunately, when the braking effect is low, it is more desirable to be able to gradually increase or decrease the braking effect. Conventional brake systems, however, cannot achieve gradual increases or decreases in the braking effect when the braking effect is low (i.e., when the pressure of the pressure medium is high).
This problem is aggravated by the fact that the seals for maintaining the pressure medium within the annular chamber cause a hysteresis in the movement of the brake piston (i.e., the seals hinder the movement of the brake piston due to friction between the seals and the walls of the piston). This adversely affects the capacity of the brake system to gradually change the braking effect in the low braking torque range. If the friction force of the seal is greater than the force used to apply the braking torques, then small braking torques can no longer be regulated.
Such conventional brake systems combine the cooling and pressure hydraulics into one system. The cooling of the brake lamellae with hydraulic oil, however, does not lead to the intended ideal stick-slip-free braking behavior. This ideal braking behavior does not occur even if, for instance, ATF oils are used in the entire hydraulic system. Even so, these oils are too expensive for a combined cooling and hydraulic system due to the large volume of such a system.
A further problem of known brake systems resides in the difficulties of dismounting the brake linings, and in that the brake lamellae are heated by friction during idling where no braking effect occurs. In other words, even when the brake piston is fully disengaged, the brake lamellae may rub against the brake disks. To solve this problem, the use of spring washers or sine lamellae is necessary. Moreover, as a result of fluid friction, a high torque build up occurs because of the idling friction and torques which vary greatly with the number of revolutions of the shaft.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a braking system which overcomes the problems and disadvantages discussed above.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a brake system having a logarithmic characteristic.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a brake system which can gradually increase or decrease the braking effect.
These and other objects of the present invention are achieved by a braking system, comprising: a housing; a friction brake disposed in said housing and operationally connected to a member-to-be-braked; a biasing piston, for engaging said friction brake, disposed in said housing; a control piston disposed in said housing, said control piston and said housing defining a pressure chamber for receiving a pressure medium which biases said control piston away from said friction brake; a first resilient member disposed between said control piston and said housing to bias said control piston towards said friction brake; and a second resilient member disposed between said control piston and said biasing piston for transferring force applied to said control piston by said first resilient member to said biasing piston to bias said biasing piston towards said friction brake.
These and other objects are further achieved by a friction brake, comprising: brake lamellae operationally and longitudinally displaceably connected to a housing; pins connected to said housing, each pin having an annular shoulder disposed in a different longitudinal position from said annular shoulders for other ones of said pins, each annular shoulder restricting longitudinal movement of at least one of said brake lamellae; and brake disks operationally and longitudinally displaceably connected to a member-to-be-braked, each brake disk being disposed between at least two of said brake lamellae.
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, and thus are not limitative of the present invention, and wherein:
FIG. 1 shows a longitudinal section through a braking system according to the invention;
FIG. 2 shows a linear diagram of the braking torque/braking pressure with characteristics for the ideal braking system, for the braking system according to the present invention and for the conventional braking system;
FIG. 3 is a logarithmic version of FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 shows a spring characteristic of the compression springs for the control piston;
FIG. 5 shows a spring characteristic of the compressions springs between the brake pistons;
FIG. 6 shows a linear diagram of the braking torque/braking pressure profile for the braking system according to the present invention and the derivative thereof; and
FIG. 7 shows the diagram of FIG. 6 with a logarithmically subdivided braking torque axis.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
FIG. 1 illustrates a longitudinal cross-section of the multi-disk braking system according to the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the entire multi-disk brake system is accommodated within a housing 1. A shaft 2 extends through the housing 1, and may, for instance, be connected with a motor or gear arrangement. A multiple-disk friction brake 20 is disposed at the upper end of the shaft 2, and, as shown, includes brake disks 14 and brake lamellae 13. The brake disks 14 are positioned non-rotatably with respect to the shaft 2 on teeth in the upper end of the shaft 2, and can be displaced longitudinally thereon.
As is apparent from FIG. 1, only the right hand side of the friction brake 20 is shown. Furthermore, FIG. 1 illustrates the disengaged condition of the friction brake 20 on the right hand side of the shaft 2, and illustrates the engaged condition of the friction brake 20 on the left hand side of the shaft 2.
The brake lamellae 13 are inserted into an inner toothing of the housing 1 in a longitudinally displaceable fashion, but in a non-rotatable fashion with respect to the housing 1. Furthermore, the brake disks 14 are disposed such that each brake disk 14 lies between two or more brake lamellae 13. The friction brake 20 further includes spacer pins 15 mounted on the housing 1.
For purposes of illustration, the spacer pins 15 have been illustrated on the right hand side of FIG. 1. As shown, the spacer pins 15 have shoulders 18. The shoulders 18 serve to restrict the longitudinal movement of the brake lamellae 13 such that the brake lamellae 13 are kept at specific vertical positions when the friction brake 20 is disengaged. Thus, a gap is defined between the brake lamellae 13 and the brake disks 14 during idling (i.e., when the brake is disengaged). This gap prevents direct friction between the brake lamellae 13 and the brake disks 14 during idling such that only fluid friction caused by cooling/lubrication oil, which is located between the brake disks 14 and brake lamellae 13, occurs. Because of the spacer pins 15, the self-heating problem of the conventional brake system is overcome, and a low idling torque is obtainable. As an alternative to the pins 15, the housing 1 can include milled recesses of a specific depth for each brake lamella 13.
Because, as described below, the hydraulic system is separate from the cooling/lubrication system, the cooling/lubrication oil circulation has a relatively small volume. Thus, high quality ATF oil can be used without a detrimental increase in operational expense.
As shown in FIG. 1, the brake system according to the present invention further includes a piston unit 24 disposed in a lower portion of the housing 1. As mentioned previously, the piston unit 24 is shown in the engaged position on the left hand side of the shaft 2, and in the disengaged position on the right hand side of the shaft 2.
The piston unit 24 includes a biasing piston 4 and a control piston 3. The biasing piston 4 includes a tubular section 4a concentric with the shaft 2 and an annular extension section 4b. The annular extension section 4b has a substantially plate-shape, and contacts the friction brake 20. The control piston 3 is concentric with the tubular section 4a of the biasing piston 4.
A plurality of first compression springs 6 are disposed between an upper surface of the control piston 3 and the annular extension section 4b of the biasing piston 4. A second plurality of compression springs 5 are disposed in associated recesses in the lower end of the control piston 3 such that the second plurality of compression springs 5 are disposed between the control piston 3 and a lower part of the housing 1. Similarly, a third compression spring 16 is partially disposed in a recess in the lower end of the control piston 3 such that the third compression spring 16 is disposed between the control piston 3 and the lower part of the housing 1. The second and third compression springs 5 and 6 exert a force on the control piston 3 in the axial direction of the shaft 2 towards the friction brake 20. The first compression springs 6 transfer a portion of this force to the biasing piston 4.
The control piston 3 is guided between the outer wall of the tubular section 4a of the biasing piston 4 and the inner wall of the housing 1. The control piston 3 has a small diameter portion and large diameter portion such that an annular radial surface 8 is created at the junction between the small diameter and large diameter portions. As shown in FIG. 1, the radial annular surface 8 is formed approximately at the center of the control piston 3. Complimentary therewith, the inner wall of the housing 1 has a small diameter portion and large diameter portion. The large diameter portion of the housing 1, however, has a greater longitudinal length that of the small diameter portion of the control piston 3 such that an annular chamber 7 is created between the housing 1 and the control piston 3.
A bore 9 in the housing 1 allows fluid communication with the annular chamber 7. It is through the bore 9 that a pressure medium such as hydraulic oil is supplied to the annular chamber 7. By supplying hydraulic oil via the bore 9 to the annular chamber 7, the control piston 3 can be moved in the axial direction of the shaft 2 away from the friction brake 20. A first and second set of seals 10 and 11, on either side of the annular chamber 7, prevent the hydraulic fluid in the annular chamber 7 from leaking therefrom.
The housing 1 further includes a second bore 26 into which a locking bolt 12 is removably inserted. The bore 26 includes threads which allow the locking bolt 12 to be screwed in or out of the bore 26. The locking bolt 12, when screwed in, engages the rim of the annular extension section 4b of the biasing piston 4 when the friction brake is disengaged (i.e., during idling). Consequently, even if the hydraulic pressure in the annular chamber 7 is completely removed, the friction brake remains disengaged by the action of the locking bolt 12. By engaging the locking bolt 12, the housing 1 can be opened so that maintenance, such as replacement of the brake lamellae 13, can be performed.
As further shown in FIG. 1, a locking ring 22 is fixed to the lower portion of the tubular section 4a. The locking ring 22 is positioned such that it will come into contact with a lower end of the control piston 3 as the control piston 3 moves axially away from the friction brake 20.
The operation of the braking system according to the present invention will now be described in detail. When no hydraulic pressure is supplied to the annular chamber 7, the second and third compression springs 5 and 16 bias the control piston 3 towards the friction brake 20, the force exerted by the second and third compression springs 5 and 16 is transferred from the control piston 3 to the biasing piston 4 by the first compression springs 6.
Accordingly, the biasing piston 4 moves in the axial direction towards the friction brake 20 such that the annular extension section 4b completely engages the friction brake 20 to achieve maximum braking effect or braking torque. To release the braking torque or effect, hydraulic pressure is supplied to the annular chamber 7 by supplying a pressure medium such as hydraulic oil to the annular chamber 7 via the bore 9. As the pressure in the annular chamber 7 increases, the force exerted by the second and third compression springs 5 and 16 is overcome, causing the control piston 3 to move axially away from the friction brake 20.
As a result, the force transmitted from the second and third compression springs 5 and 16 to the biasing piston 4 by the first compression springs 6 decreases, and the braking effect or braking torque decreases. As the pressure in the annular chamber 7 increases, the control piston 3 moves further from the friction brake 20 in the axial direction such that the end of the control piston 3 contacts the locking ring 22. Once this occurs, any further movement of the control piston 3 axially away from the friction brake 20 causes the biasing piston 4 to likewise move axially away from the friction brake 20. When the pressure in the annular chamber 7 fully overcomes the force of the second and third compression springs 5 and 16. The friction brake 20 will be disengaged (i.e., idling).
While idling, the locking bolt 12 can be inserted or if already inserted, can be removed and replaced with a seal.
Also, at start-up in the idling state, ATF oil is supplied to the friction brake 20 prior to operation. As mentioned above, in this disengaged position, the annular chamber 7 is under its highest pressurization. If the rotating shaft 2 is to be braked, the pressure in the annular chamber 7 is reduced via suitable shut off valves (not shown).
Except for the final stages of disengaging the friction brake 20, the control piston 3 is decoupled (i.e., not directly coupled) to the biasing piston 4. Instead, force acting on the control piston 3 is transferred to the biasing piston 4 by the first compression springs 6. Thus, as shown in FIG. 1, only the control piston 3 experiences a frictional hinderance to its movement because of seals 10 and 11 around the annular chamber 7. Because the biasing piston 4 is decoupled from the control piston 3, the frictional hindrance caused by the seals 10 and 11 do not substantially affect the biasing piston 4. Consequently, the capacity of the braking system according to the present invention to gradually increase or decrease braking effect or braking torque is not adversely effected by the use of seals 10 and 11. Besides reducing the transmission of the friction effects caused by the seals 10 and 11, the decoupling also improves braking regulation in the low braking effect range.
The first, second, and third compression springs 6, 5, and 16 are selected to have spring characteristics such that the braking effect can be finely regulated, particularly, in the small braking torque range. Further, all the springs are distributed around the periphery of the control and biasing pistons 3 and 4 in such a fashion, as regards to their spring effects and arrangements, that their total force acts in the axial direction of the shaft 2 so as not to render the guiding of the different elements difficult or to damage those elements during operation.
A spring with a linear characteristic, which causes a defined braking torque with a braking pressure of substantially 0 bar, may be selected as the third compression spring 16. The first and second compression springs 6 and 5, however, are selected to optimize the braking torque/braking pressure characteristic; namely, such that the braking torque/braking pressure characteristic is substantially logarithmic. The braking torque/braking pressure characteristics of the present invention will now be described along with the spring characteristics of first and second compression springs 6 and 5.
FIG. 2 shows a linear diagram of the braking torque/braking pressure with the theoretical ideal profile shown by line A, the profile for the braking system according to the present invention shown by line B, and the profile for the conventional braking system shown by line C.
Of particular interest is the range of small braking torques (i.e., the range up to about 20,000 Nmm). The braking system must be well regulatable in this range. From the profile C for the conventional braking system, it is apparent that the braking effect increase relatively rapidly with a reduction in pressure. For instance, when pressure changes from 9 bar to 4 bar, braking torque increases by 70,000 Nmm. As a result, a jerking, braking action occurs.
By contrast, in the profile B for the braking system according to the present invention, which approximates the ideal profile A, the braking affect increases slowly when a decrease in pressure takes place in the small braking torque range. Thus, a low initial increase of the braking effect takes place with a large pressure release such that in the low braking torque range, the braking torque or braking effect can be gradually increased or decreased.
FIG. 3 is a logarithmic representation of the braking torque/braking pressure profiles shown in FIG. 2. The great deviation between ideal profile A and the profile C for the conventional braking system as well as the resulting jerking braking effect are even more apparent from FIG. 3. It is also clear that the profile B for the braking system according to the present invention closely approximates the ideal profile A.
Achieving the braking profile discussed above with respect to the braking system according to the present invention is the result, in part, of the spring characteristics selected for the first and second compression springs 5 and 6. FIG. 4 illustrates the total spring characteristics for all of the second compression springs 5, while FIG. 5 illustrates the total spring characteristics for all of the first compression springs 6. In FIG. 4, the left side of the graph represents when the control piston 3 fully compresses the second compression springs 5. This corresponds to the left side of the graph in FIG. 5 wherein the first springs 6 are relieved of compression. The right side of the graph in FIG. 4 represents when the second compression springs 5 are relieved of compression. This corresponds to the right side of the graph in FIG. 5 wherein the control piston 3 fully compresses the first springs 6. Accordingly, the displacement along the horizontal axis in FIGS. 4 and 5 is the same displacement of the control piston 3 from a position fully compressing the second compression springs 5 to fully compressing first compression springs 6.
By appropriately selecting the spring characteristics of the first and second compression springs 6 and 5, good gradation in the range of small braking effect such as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 is achieved. In other words, the total spring effect of the first and second compression springs 6 and 5 results in the logarithmic braking profile shown in FIGS. 2 and 3.
FIG. 6 illustrates the braking torque profile B for the braking system according to the present invention as well as the first derivative B' thereof. The first derivative profile B' makes an evaluation of the gradation capacity possible. As shown, the first derivative B' also has a logarithmic characteristic wherein in the range of high pressure, i.e., small braking torques. The first derivative profile B' shows small changes in braking torque with respect to larger changes in pressure.
FIG. 7 shows the diagram of FIG. 6 with a logarithmically subdivided braking torque vertical axis. As shown in FIG. 7, both the braking torque profile B and the first derivative profile B' extend in a substantially linear fashion. Ignoring the steps in the first derivative profile B' caused by the engagement of the individual springs, the first derivative profile B' indicates good gradation in the ranges of small and higher braking pressures.
The braking system according to the present invention is, among other applications, particularly applicable to the braking of greatly differing mass moments of inertia such as occur in crane systems with variable jib lengths. For instance, the braking system according to the present invention makes the fine positioning of a load possible when used as the braking system for the turntable of a mobile crane which supports a boom thereon.
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.
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The braking system includes a housing, and a friction brake disposed in the housing and operationally connected to a member-to-be-braked. A biasing piston, for engaging the friction brake, is disposed in the housing, and a control piston is also disposed in the housing. The control piston and the housing define a pressure chamber for receiving a pressure medium which biases the control piston away from the friction brake. A first resilient member is disposed between the control piston and the housing to bias the control piston towards the friction brake. A second resilient member is disposed between the control piston and the biasing piston for transferring force applied to the control piston by the first resilient member to the biasing piston so as to bias the biasing piston towards the friction brake. The fiction brake includes brake lamellae operationally and longitudinally displaceably connected to the housing. Pins are connected to the housing, and each pin has an annular shoulder disposed in a different longitudinal position from the annular shoulders for other pins. Each annular shoulder restricts longitudinal movement of at least one of the brake lamellae. The friction brake further includes brake disks operationally and longitudinally displaceably connected to a member-to-be-braked, and each brake disk is disposed between at least two of the brake lamellae.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is entitled to the benefit of, and claims priority to, provisional U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 61/278,360 filed Oct. 6, 2009 and entitled “FLEXIBLE UNIFIED ENTERPRISE LIBRARY (FUEL) EXPLOITATION IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY EVOLUTION,” the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference.
The present application hereby incorporates herein by reference the following U.S. Patent Applications, as well as any publications thereof and patents issuing therefrom:
A. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/899,435, titled “INTEGRATED FORENSICS PLATFORM FOR ANALYZING IT RESOURCES CONSUMED TO DERIVE OPERATIONAL AND ARCHITECTURAL RECOMMENDATIONS”, naming as inventors Anthony Bennett Bishop, Paul John Wanish, Alexis Salvatore Pecoraro, and Sheppard David Narkier, filed concurrently herewith on Oct. 6, 2010; and B. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/899,456, titled “INFRASTRUCTURE CORRELATION ENGINE AND RELATED METHODS”, naming as inventors Sheppard David Narkier, Anthony Bennett Bishop, Paul Edward Renaud, Alexis Salvatore Pecoraro, and Paul John Wanish, filed concurrently herewith on Oct. 6, 2010.
COPYRIGHT STATEMENT
All of the material in this patent document is subject to copyright protection under the copyright laws of the United States and other countries. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in official governmental records but, otherwise, all other copyright rights whatsoever are reserved.
BACKGROUND OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
1. Field of the Present Invention
The present invention relates generally to expert systems for information technology design, analysis, modeling and management.
2. Background
Information Technology (“IT”), which as used herein generally refers to the computer equipment, systems, processes and other infrastructure that support all business activities within a company or other organization, has become increasingly important to each such company. Nearly always, each company's IT must perform numerous specific business processing functions, sometimes referred to herein as Business Applications, in which particular business problems are solved. The IT elements necessary to fulfill a particular business processing requirement are sometimes collectively referred to hereinafter as a Business Application and include both physical (e.g., computer hardware and other equipment) and non-physical elements. The non-physical elements include Programs, which include the computer code (including both coding and configuration parameters) deployed on IT equipment to solve the applicable business problems. Plans in which a business investment is made to change some aspect of the IT operating model may be referred to herein as transformations or transformation programs.
Computer programs, which includes the computer code deployed on information technology equipment used to solve a business program, and in particular includes the coding and configuration parameters to fulfill a Business Application, are complex algorithms applied to business problems. They can be purely mathematical, such as wave form analysis. Or, they may be finance management, such as home banking. All of these are developed and deployed with specification and testing before being put into production. There have been many documents that prescribe how to invent and create the necessary algorithms and processes, but all have left it to the technologists to evaluate the problem space and independently work through the selection process for technologies that are relevant for the computer algorithms that will be employed. Historically, Program designers and developers have had to use generalized guidance, and create and deploy the application based on personal experience and insight. This process lacks rigor and does not prove “completeness” in the design, providing the opening for erroneous implementation and defective delivery. Furthermore, it also lacks definitive linkage to a comprehensive set of Business requirements that include operational requirements. Often these requirements are discovered after that application is deployed, causing delays, errors and, loss of money and reputation.
Integrating all of the physical and non-physical elements of a given Business Application creates many further complexities, from the design and development of the various elements through deployment and maintenance of the complete Business Application. Unfortunately, aside from limited individualized guidance for particular elements, as described above, it has traditionally been difficult to find cohesive, methodical, or customized assistance in implementing the various tasks associated with a Business Application life cycle.
Some assistance in conceptualizing the relationship between IT and business needs was provided by work done by Michael Porter in 1985. He introduced the concept of a Business Value Chain (BVC), which is a generic value chain model that comprises a sequence of activities found to be common to a wide range of firms. Porter identified key activities, including policies and decisions, interrelationships, integration and scale that strongly apply to the general function(s) required of IT. However, a need remained for a systematic approach, dedicated tools, and the like to assist in the actual design and management of IT. Without these things, typical problems encountered include a lack of alignment between the BVC and IT, overlapping and missing functionality in the business platform, a continuous battle with missed customer expectations, rigid and brittle infrastructure, IT Delivery and resources being unable to keep up with demand, a lack of definitive examples on how to document, a heavier reliance on tribal knowledge for how to get things done, aging documentation without the ability to search in context, and many others.
The credit crisis and a struggling economic climate radically alter every industry, resulting in tightening of corporate budgets and generating a renewed interest in operational efficiency. Other key factors include increasing globalization, which creates both opportunities and threats to any size business, and an increasing level of regulatory pressures. All of these factors have increased the need for businesses to carefully consider what strategic investments should be made and have forced businesses to be more adaptive to their changing surroundings in order to compete successfully.
IT should be a significant participant in this effort. This is an opportunity to perform strategic house cleaning, while helping the business manage costs, while also establishing the premise that IT is the strategic partner to prepare for the future.
SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
Broadly defined, the present invention according to one aspect is a method for providing a library platform, customized for use by a particular customer, of informational elements that each pertain to one or more of information technology analysis, modeling, design and management, including: creating a non-customized knowledge base, arranged in the form of discrete informational elements that each incorporate intellectual property describing an aspect of information technology analysis, modeling, design and/or management; in a data store; defining a high-level framework in which a plurality of the discrete informational elements may be arranged; presenting an unpopulated data tree, having data connection points established according to the high-level framework, to a first user via a user interface implemented on a computer; in conjunction with presentation of the unpopulated data tree, presenting the informational elements of the knowledge base to the first user for customized selection and placement thereof on the tree, wherein selection and placement is based on characteristics, known to the first user, about an information technology system of a particular customer; in response to selection of a particular informational element, by the first user, from the knowledge base, facilitating the attachment of the selected informational element at a data connection point on the tree, thereby forming a tree node, such that the high-level framework provides semantic context for the selected informational element; presenting the updated tree to the first user; iteratively repeating the three preceding steps until a library platform, comprising a fully-populated tree that is customized for use by the particular customer, is completed; and providing the completed library platform to the particular customer for use in one or more of designing, analysis, modeling and managing the information technology system of the customer.
In a feature of this aspect, providing the completed library platform to the particular customer includes presenting the completed library platform to a user, designated by the customer, via a user interface implemented on a computer. In a further feature, the three iteratively repeated steps are carried out via a first user interface and the step of providing the completed library platform to the particular customer is carried out via a second user interface.
In another feature of this aspect, creating the non-customized knowledge base includes incorporating at least twenty discrete informational problem domain elements in the arrangement. In a further feature, creating the non-customized knowledge base includes incorporating at least 200 discrete informational elements in the arrangement.
In another feature of this aspect, creating the non-customized knowledge base includes incorporating a plurality of discrete informational support elements in the arrangement for each of a majority of the problem domain elements. In a further feature, creating the non-customized knowledge base includes incorporating an average of at least three discrete informational support elements in the arrangement for each of the problem domain elements.
In another feature of this aspect, creating the non-customized knowledge base includes incorporating informational elements of different types. In further features, at least some of the discrete informational elements are playbooks, at least some of the discrete informational elements are documents, at least some of the discrete informational elements are toolkits, at least some of the discrete informational elements are templates, at least some of the discrete informational elements are how-to guides for particular information technology analysis, modeling, design or management processes, and/or at least some of the discrete informational elements are illustrative examples of particular aspects of information technology analysis, modeling, design and management. In a still further feature, creating the non-customized knowledge base includes incorporating discrete informational element types that include at least two, three or four types selected from the following group: playbooks, documents, toolkits, templates, how-to guides and illustrative examples.
In another feature of this aspect, the high-level framework is implemented by arranging the tree, including at least some of the data connection points thereon, to correspond with an information technology program life cycle. In further features, presenting the data tree includes segregating the data connection points by at least three phases of the information technology program life cycle; and the at least three phases are selected from the group comprising an align phase, a design phase, an implement phase, an operate phase, and a sustain phase.
In another feature of this aspect, providing the completed library platform to the particular customer includes presenting the fully-populated data tree to the customer. In a further feature, presenting the fully-populated data tree to the customer includes presenting the fully-populated data tree to a user, designated by the customer, in a manner that is tailored to a role of the user and to the way the user uses information in their day-to-day activities. In still further features, presenting the fully-populated data tree to the customer includes displaying top-level nodes to the user; presenting the fully-populated data tree to the customer further includes displaying at least one lower-level node to the customer-designated user in response to selection of a top-level node thereby; the top-level nodes displayed to the customer-designated user are displayed in an arrangement corresponding to an information technology program life cycle; the arrangement of top-level nodes includes segregation by at least three phases of the information technology program life cycle; and the at least three phases are selected from the group comprising an align phase, a design phase, an implement phase, an operate phase, and a sustain phase. In still further features, the top-level nodes displayed to the customer-designated user are displayed in an arrangement corresponding to a set of information technology system analysis, modeling, design and/or management domains; the arrangement of top-level nodes includes segregation by at least three information technology system analysis, modeling, design and/or management domains; and the at least three information technology system analysis, modeling, design and/or management domains are selected from the group comprising a strategy domain, a quality of experience domain, an operating model domain, an architecture domain, and a run-time execution domain. In a still further feature, providing the completed library platform to the particular customer includes presenting interactive storyboard information, pertaining to various aspects of information technology analysis, modeling, design and/or management, to a user designated by the customer, wherein the interactive storyboard information is linked to corresponding nodes in the fully-populated data tree such that the customer-designated user can navigate the data tree via the interactive storyboard information.
Broadly defined, the present invention according to another aspect is a computer-readable medium containing a program for executing a method for providing a library platform, customized for use by a particular customer, of informational elements that each pertain to one or more of information technology analysis, modeling, design and management, the method including the following steps: storing, in a database, a collection of discrete informational elements that each incorporate intellectual property describing an aspect of information technology analysis, modeling, design and/or management, the informational elements collectively forming a non-customized knowledge base; maintaining a high-level framework in which a plurality of the discrete informational elements may be arranged; presenting an unpopulated data tree, having data connection points established according to the high-level framework, to a first user via a user interface implemented on a computer; in conjunction with presentation of the unpopulated data tree, presenting the informational elements of the knowledge base to the first user for customized selection and placement thereof on the tree, wherein selection and placement is based on characteristics, known to the first user, about an information technology system of a particular customer; in response to selection of a particular informational element, by the first user, from the knowledge base, attaching the selected informational element at a data connection point on the tree, thereby forming a tree node, such that the high-level framework provides semantic context for the selected informational element; presenting the updated tree to the first user; iteratively repeating the three preceding steps until a library platform, comprising a fully-populated tree that is customized for use by the particular customer, is completed; and producing one or more output files, whose content represents the completed library platform, for use by the particular customer for use in one or more of designing, analysis, modeling and managing the information technology system of the customer.
Broadly defined, the present invention according to another aspect is a system for providing a library platform, customized for use by a particular customer, of informational elements that each pertain to one or more of information technology analysis, modeling, design and management, including: a database containing a collection of discrete informational elements that each incorporate intellectual property describing an aspect of information technology analysis, modeling, design and/or management; a computer implementing a first user interface usable to customize a library platform, arranged in the form of a data tree that is segregated according to a high-level framework, for use by a particular customer, wherein the data tree is populated, using the first user interface, by iteratively selecting informational elements from the database and attaching the informational elements to the data tree at connection points such that the high-level framework provides semantic context for the selected informational elements, and wherein selection and attachment is carried out at least in part based on characteristics about an information technology system of the particular customer; and a computer implementing a second user interface usable to view the customized library platform, in the form of the fully-populated data tree, such that the data tree provides semantic context to a user, designated by the customer, for the informational elements attached thereto.
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
Further features, embodiments, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description with reference to the drawings, wherein:
FIG. 1 is a conceptual block diagram of a system for providing a customizable library for information technology design and management using an expert knowledge base in accordance with one or more preferred embodiments of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is an exemplary schema mapping of the technical details maintained in the knowledge base of FIG. 1 ;
FIG. 3 is a graphical representation of various playbooks from the knowledge base of FIG. 1 , measured against the parameters of time and maturity/impact;
FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a five segment approach to the Program life cycle in accordance with one or more preferred embodiments of the present invention;
FIG. 5 is a symbolic representation of the smallest reusable business component, sometimes referred to herein as a Pattern, that may make up a Program;
FIG. 6 is a block diagram expression of the collection of Patterns (or reusable functionality) that together represent the Business Application;
FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a computer system operable to execute the architecture in accordance with one or more preferred embodiments of the present invention;
FIG. 8 is an exemplary depiction of an IP Catalogue Setup screen of a user interface for managing the knowledge base in accordance with one or more preferred embodiments of the present invention;
FIG. 9 is an exemplary depiction of the IP Catalogue Setup screen of FIG. 8 after some of the nodes have been expanded;
FIG. 10 is an exemplary depiction of the IP Catalogue Setup screen of FIG. 9 after one of the nodes in the tree at left has been selected;
FIG. 11 is an exemplary depiction of the IP Catalogue Setup screen of FIG. 9 illustrating the selection of a particular library;
FIG. 12 is an exemplary depiction of a Library View Setup screen of a user interface for managing the knowledge base in accordance with one or more preferred embodiments of the present invention;
FIG. 13 is an exemplary depiction of the Library View Setup screen of FIG. 12 illustrating the management of “capabilities” in the knowledge base;
FIG. 14 is an exemplary depiction of the Library View Setup screen of FIG. 13 illustrating a “capabilities” editor;
FIG. 15 is an exemplary depiction of the Library View Setup screen of FIG. 12 illustrating the management of “services” in the knowledge base;
FIG. 16 is an exemplary depiction of the Library View Setup screen of FIG. 15 illustrating a “services” editor;
FIG. 17 is an exemplary depiction of the Library View Setup screen of FIG. 12 illustrating the management of “offerings” in the knowledge base;
FIG. 18 is an exemplary depiction of the Library View Setup screen of FIG. 15 illustrating an “offerings” editor;
FIG. 19 is an exemplary depiction of the Library View Setup screen of FIG. 12 illustrating the management of “toolkits” in the knowledge base;
FIG. 20 is an exemplary depiction of a navigational screen of a user interface for consumers viewing or accessing the knowledge base in accordance with one or more preferred embodiments of the present invention;
FIG. 21 is an exemplary depiction of a search screen of a user interface for consumers viewing or accessing the knowledge base in accordance with one or more preferred embodiments of the present invention;
FIGS. 22A-22D are exemplary depictions of portions of various alternative navigation screens of a user interface for consumers viewing or accessing the knowledge base in accordance with one or more preferred embodiments of the present invention;
FIG. 23 is a flowchart representation of a generalized user experience process, for the customized library designer or developer, in accordance with one or more preferred embodiments of the present invention;
FIG. 24 is a flowchart representation of a subprocess in the generalized user experience process of FIG. 23 ;
FIG. 25 is an exemplary depiction of still another navigational screen of a user interface for consumers viewing or accessing the knowledge base via a customized library platform in accordance with one or more preferred embodiments of the present invention;
FIG. 26 is an exemplary depiction of still another navigational screen of a user interface for consumers viewing or accessing the knowledge base via a customized library platform in accordance with one or more preferred embodiments of the present invention; and
FIGS. 27A-27E are exemplary depictions of portions of various alternative navigation screens of a user interface for consumers viewing or accessing the knowledge base in accordance with one or more preferred embodiments of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
As a preliminary matter, it will readily be understood by one having ordinary skill in the relevant art (“Ordinary Artisan”) that the present invention has broad utility and application. Furthermore, any embodiment discussed and identified as being “preferred” is considered to be part of a best mode contemplated for carrying out the present invention. Other embodiments also may be discussed for additional illustrative purposes in providing a full and enabling disclosure of the present invention. Moreover, many embodiments, such as adaptations, variations, modifications, and equivalent arrangements, will be implicitly disclosed by the embodiments described herein and fall within the scope of the present invention.
Accordingly, while the present invention is described herein in detail in relation to one or more embodiments, it is to be understood that this disclosure is illustrative and exemplary of the present invention, and is made merely for the purposes of providing a full and enabling disclosure of the present invention. The detailed disclosure herein of one or more embodiments is not intended, nor is to be construed, to limit the scope of patent protection afforded the present invention, which scope is to be defined by the claims and the equivalents thereof. It is not intended that the scope of patent protection afforded the present invention be defined by reading into any claim a limitation found herein that does not explicitly appear in the claim itself.
Thus, for example, any sequence(s) and/or temporal order of steps of various processes or methods that are described herein are illustrative and not restrictive. Accordingly, it should be understood that, although steps of various processes or methods may be shown and described as being in a sequence or temporal order, the steps of any such processes or methods are not limited to being carried out in any particular sequence or order, absent an indication otherwise. Indeed, the steps in such processes or methods generally may be carried out in various different sequences and orders while still falling within the scope of the present invention. Accordingly, it is intended that the scope of patent protection afforded the present invention is to be defined by the appended claims rather than the description set forth herein.
Additionally, it is important to note that each term used herein refers to that which the Ordinary Artisan would understand such term to mean based on the contextual use of such term herein. To the extent that the meaning of a term used herein—as understood by the Ordinary Artisan based on the contextual use of such term—differs in any way from any particular dictionary definition of such term, it is intended that the meaning of the term as understood by the Ordinary Artisan should prevail.
Furthermore, it is important to note that, as used herein, “a” and “an” each generally denotes “at least one,” but does not exclude a plurality unless the contextual use dictates otherwise. Thus, reference to “a picnic basket having an apple” describes “a picnic basket having at least one apple” as well as “a picnic basket having apples.” In contrast, reference to “a picnic basket having a single apple” describes “a picnic basket having only one apple.”
When used herein to join a list of items, “or” denotes “at least one of the items,” but does not exclude a plurality of items of the list. Thus, reference to “a picnic basket having cheese or crackers” describes “a picnic basket having cheese without crackers,” “a picnic basket having crackers without cheese,” and “a picnic basket having both cheese and crackers.” Finally, when used herein to join a list of items, “and” denotes “all of the items of the list.” Thus, reference to “a picnic basket having cheese and crackers” describes “a picnic basket having cheese, wherein the picnic basket further has crackers,” as well as describes “a picnic basket having crackers, wherein the picnic basket further has cheese.”
Referring now to the drawings, in which like numerals represent like components throughout the several views, the preferred embodiments of the present invention are next described. The following description of one or more preferred embodiment(s) is merely exemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the invention, its application, or uses.
FIG. 1 is a conceptual block diagram of a system 10 for providing a customizable library for information technology design and management using an expert knowledge base 12 in accordance with one or more preferred embodiments of the present invention. The system 10 includes a knowledge base 12 built from the experience and knowledge of a variety of experts 14 , one or more customized library platforms 16 built by a library developer or designer 18 using a user interface 20 for knowledge base management, and one or more user interfaces 22 for customized library viewing for user by one or more specific end users 26 , 28 , 30 at a targeted customer or other consumer 24 . Each of these will be described in greater detail hereinbelow.
Knowledge Base
In order to properly support and enable a business, the organizational element with functional responsibility for IT design and management must develop an understanding of the Business Value Chain (BVC) and how the business generates value. IT must also manage itself as a Digital Supply Chain (DSC) that can be tailored to meet these business demands.
The knowledge base 12 a suite of various resource materials 17 pertaining to IT design, management, and the like. Each such material 17 is sometimes referred to herein as “IP” or an “IP element,” or sometimes “informational elements.” In at least some embodiments, the materials represent or include proven practices, playbooks, work products, blueprints, tools and methods, developed by a variety of experts 14 , such as architects, engineers, and the like, that provide the foundation needed to deliver IT transformation programs that meet the needs of the business. For example, the knowledge base 12 may make use of information about known problems and remediation tactics, which makes it possible to provide considerable value to a consumer 24 quickly and efficiently. This is accomplished through the design of packaged infrastructure ensembles, by a developer 18 , that implement a library platform 16 specifically tailored to the needs of applications and services that run within that portion of the BVC of a targeted customer or other consumer 24 . The consumer may include various end users 26 , 28 , 30 (i.e., the humans that interact with the technology) of different types, i.e., users with differing levels or types of technical expertise, business expertise, or the like. The collection of ensembles that make up a stage of the BVC are physically grouped together in a design that respects the underlying IT proximity optimization while striking the proper balance between performance, cost and efficiency, sometimes referred to herein as “Quality of Experience” (QoE). By exploiting these techniques, templates (or models) for any targeted consumer 24 or specific end user 26 , 28 , 30 are rendered, enabling systematic transformation of delivery and execution of technology. Leveraging the transformation library will enable any company to drive true transformation, with success and results.
The knowledge base 12 is expressed in FIG. 2 , which is an exemplary schema mapping of the technical details maintained in the information repository. It will be appreciated by the Ordinary Artisan that dozens or hundreds of functional classes may be incorporated into such a taxonomy, and further that technical support classes be incorporated as well. The knowledge base 12 contains instructional, educational information based, for example, on decades of experience. The knowledge base preferably includes a large number of discrete informational elements 17 , including both complex problem domain elements and support elements (wherein the support elements are arranged as attributes of the problem domain elements). Preferably, the knowledge base includes at least twenty discrete problem domain elements 17 ; more preferably, the knowledge base includes at least 100 discrete problem domain elements 17 ; still more preferably, the knowledge base includes at least 200 discrete problem domain elements 17 . Furthermore, it is preferred that the majority of the problem domain elements include a plurality of support elements, and even more preferred that, on average, three support elements, and sometimes five or more support elements, are provided for each problem domain element. The volume make it difficult and impractical to digest the entire content. Therefore, logic is used to segment the information into only those that pieces of information that pertain to a particular issue or stage, and can be digested. Advancements in the creation of the Program creation change the information available. This enables the consumer to be able to digest the concepts and apply the information. By refining the Program information, the information can also be transformed to create relevant assumptions on how to implement or test the Program.
A collection of playbooks in the knowledge base 12 provides a detailed and disciplined program that amplifies the impact of IT transformation initiatives while serving as a guide to creating a sustaining operating model. At its core a playbook is a proven guide to implementation of an IT service solution, which includes the people, process and technology needed to create a transformation within an IT organization. Once realized, it acts as a building block upon which additional IT services can be built and leveraged to further facilitate transformation. These playbooks represent techniques and practices that generate known and measurable results while overcoming typical transformation roadblocks.
FIG. 3 is a graphical representation of various playbooks from the knowledge base 12 of FIG. 1 , measured against the parameters of time and maturity/impact. Foundational Project playbooks, which may be of the lowest maturity and impact, may include, arranged approximately from least time to most time, Java optimization and consolidation, MSFT .net consolidation and optimization, DR harvesting and optimization, storage commoditization and right-sizing, computer and data grid optimization, and virtual client/virtual desktop. Building a Discipline playbooks, which may be of intermediate maturity and impact, may include, arranged approximately from least time to most time, BSM and portfolio management, dynamic and virtual infrastructure, fit-for-purpose infrastructure footprints, information as a service and information and security fabric. Transforming the enterprise playbooks, which may be of the highest maturity and impact, may include, arranged approximately from least time to most time, data center transformation, extreme transaction processing platforms, enterprise cloud, ERP4IT, product management, and eco-efficient IT.
The present invention contemplates the methodical decomposition of the life cycle of an application or service. After the decomposition, this invention articulates the processing of these decomposed factors to algorithmically identify the relevant documentation, best practices for the program development, and relevant educational topics and technology options for the Program or Business Application deployment.
In particular, in at least some embodiments, the invention takes a holistic view of the life cycle of the Program or Business Application, based for example on a five segment approach to solving a business problem. FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a five segment approach to the Program life cycle 101 in accordance with one or more preferred embodiments of the present invention. It is very useful for the consumer to properly identify the phase in the Program life cycle (usually the current phase) that is of interest, because it is often the first or primary factor used to narrow down the relevant intellectual property in the knowledge base 12 .
As the consumer provides more data, the process converts the old and new information to further narrow the relevant information. Finally, once the business needs are clearly defined, the relevant intellectual property can be algorithmically integrated with the specific business needs into the appropriate documentation and planning activities.
As shown in FIG. 4 , a Program life cycle 101 may include four major areas 102 , 103 , 104 , 105 that a Program flows through during development. Additionally, the Program must preferably be sustained (represented by the Sustain block 106 ), continuing to exist, operate and potentially adapt to new business needs. The collection of steps or phases 102 , 103 , 104 , 105 , 106 (sometimes referred to herein as “ADIOS”) converge to render a Services Oriented Information Technology (SOIT) 107 that has been created and aligned to business needs and optimized to deliver the required quality of service.
As used in this application, the terms “component” and “system” are usually intended to refer to a computer-related entity, either hardware, a combination of hardware and software, software, or software in execution. For example, a component can be, but is not limited to being, a process running on a processor, a processor, an object, an executable, a thread of execution, a program, and/or a computer. By way of illustration, both an application running on a server and the server can be a component. One or more components can reside within a process and/or thread of execution, and a component can be localized on one computer and/or distributed between two or more computers.
As used herein, the term to “infer” or “inference” refer generally to the process of reasoning about or inferring states of the system, environment, and/or user from a set of observations as captured via events and/or data. Inference can be employed to identify a specific context or action, or can generate a probability distribution over states, for example. The inference can be probabilistic—that is, the computation of a probability distribution over states of interest based on a consideration of data and events. Inference can also refer to techniques employed for composing higher-level events from a set of events and/or data. Such inference results in the construction of new events or actions from a set of observed events and/or stored event data, whether or not the events are correlated in close temporal proximity, and whether the events and data come from one or several event and data sources.
Some aspects of the present invention are enabled or initialized for the consumer 24 through a portal view into the Knowledge Base 12 . Because of the volume of information, it is important to establish the segment of the life cycle that information is needed on. Initially, this is accomplished by defining or identifying a Program (or Business Application) that this session is related to. If the transformation program is needed for the design, development and deployment of a new Business Application, the Program would be said to be in the “Align” phase 102 . Eventually, everyone should be viewing this tool from the strategic planning point of view, and starting with Align 102 . But transformation programs are about change, so often the consumer finds themselves in the Operate phase 105 . In this phase, the templates and guidance are more relevant to the operational data collection activities, which then lead into an Align step on the way that the IT is being used (and therefore leading to a transformation).
Often, people responsible for the deployment of the Business Application know a lot about the needs and plan, and really need to validate their assumptions or have templates that could narrow down the decisions that would need to make. This type of need is satisfied within the Design phase 103 . An example of this use would be when the designer is trying to figure out how to satisfy the need for a web portal into an information repository. The consumer 22 would be researching at the Design phase 103 the set of patterns that could apply. For the HTTP server, there may be several patterns that could apply. But based on response time, volumes, dispersion of the end user community or need for two phase commits on data access, several detailed Patterns might be exposes, and the limitations on each would be revealed.
In planning for the ultimate deployment of the Business Application, research into the Operation segment 105 of ADIOS would be appropriate. The operations team might act as the consumer, and research the types of instrumentation and monitoring that would be appropriate. The Operate segment 105 extends the current tasks performed, by including sufficient data gathering and correlation tools to provide information around how the Business Application is executing, which allows for assessments of the QoE and fulfillment of Service Level Agreements (SLAs), often not tracked today, providing an inefficiency in the execution. A system of the present invention may provide the templates for the necessary data gathering.
Collectively, the phases 102 , 103 , 104 , 105 , 106 of the Program life cycle 101 are sometimes referred to herein as the “ADIOS” Program life cycle model, or the ADIOS model. It should be clear that all the segments of the ADIOS model, and the use of a tool in accordance with the present invention, would be tied together in a mature IT organization, with new requirements proceeding through the steps of Align, Design, Implement, Operate and Sustain. A system of the present invention would provide the tailored information for the consumer 22 to help build a robust and efficient operational environment while meeting the business needs. When combined with a tool for the best practice deployment recommendations and a tool for the data aggregation on the actual operational measurements, a complete audit trail can be implemented, ensuring a complete and rigorous process is followed in the development and deployment of a Business Application.
It is strongly preferred that only appropriate technical documentation is made available to the particular end user 26 , 28 , 30 , rather than supplying the entirety of the information generically to the consumer 24 . Specific end users may, for example, include business planners, Program or Business Application architects, Program or Business Application designers, Program or Business Application testers, hardware planners and operational support teams. The content is based on the phase of the life cycle the consumer 24 is in, and is tailored to the specific needs for the consumer 24 , and more particularly, to the specific needs for the end user 26 , 28 , 30 . Furthermore, in at least some embodiments, consumers 24 may place key documents and document templates of their own into the knowledge base 12 that can be organized along many lines.
To assist in narrowing down the amount of information that must be considered, an interactive dialog may be used. The complex Business Application is defined, as to the state of the deployment, its maturity assessed and the functionality required decomposed into one or more of reusable patterns. The patterns, with well defined attributes, enable complete set of information needed for the proper functioning of the Business Application. A system of the present invention assists with the tailoring of the components of the Business Application, the data collection and retention and providing enabling information to other tools.
FIG. 5 is a symbolic representation of the smallest reusable business component, sometimes referred to herein as a Pattern that may make up a Program. The Pattern is made up of the parts that are common between all components that must run in production. Function is the reference to what the code must successfully perform, typically on some sort of data source, to be considered “useful”. This function always has associated Qualities that make the function acceptable to the consumer. The Business Owner expects the function to work within these predefined Qualities. Typical Qualities are response time, access capability or level of security provided. While some qualities are binary, many are measurable, and they form the most significant differentiators between patterns. Constraints are often overlooked, but they are critical to the successful operation, and to achieve many Qualities. Examples of these constraints may include maximum number of concurrent users, average response time, limits on cost of delivery and the size of messages being sent. A corollary to this definition is that any perturbation observed in the operational metrics of the Qualities shall have related changes in at least one constraint. The two major players in the Business Application deployment are the Business Owner and the Technology Owner. The Business Owner is interested in receiving the Functionality delivered with the specified Qualities. The Technology Owner is motivated to provide the Functionality, within the identified Constraints. The invention codifies the ‘agreement’ between the Business Owner and the Technology Owner before the Program is deployed.
FIG. 6 is a block diagram expression of the collection of Patterns (or reusable functionality) that together represent the Business Application. The Business Application uses a collection of Patterns that perform reusable services. An Ensemble acts as an abstraction of the collection of functions with an aggregation of Qualities and Constraints. FIG. 6 represents the concept that Business Applications are normally a combination of well known Patterns. Initially, the consumer expresses the Program in terms of Pattern Genus. When aggregated, and potentially extended with unique functionality only known to the Business Owner, the Business Application can be designed, implemented, tested and finally deployed into a production environment.
Computer System
FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a computer system 1200 operable to execute the architecture in accordance with one or more preferred embodiments of the present invention. While the innovation is been described herein in the general context of computer-executable instructions that may run on one or more computers, those skilled in the art will recognize that the innovation also is relevant and can be implemented in combination with other program modules and/or as a combination of hardware and software.
Generally, program modules include routines, programs, components, data structures, etc., that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. Moreover, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the inventive methods can be practiced with other computer system configurations, including single-processor or multiprocessor computer systems, minicomputers, mainframe computers, as well as personal computers, hand-held computing devices, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics, and the like, each of which can be operatively coupled to one or more associated devices.
The illustrated aspects of the innovation may also be practiced in distributed computing environments where certain tasks are performed by remote processing devices that are linked through a communications network. In a distributed computing environment, program modules can be located in both local and remote memory storage devices.
A computer typically includes a variety of computer-readable media. Computer-readable media can be any available media that can be accessed by the computer and includes both volatile and nonvolatile media, removable and non-removable media. By way of example, and not limitation, computer-readable media can comprise computer storage media and communication media. Computer storage media includes both volatile and nonvolatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storage of information such as computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data. Computer storage media includes, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disk (DVD) or other optical disk storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium which can be used to store the desired information and which can be accessed by the computer.
Communication media typically embodies computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data in a modulated data signal such as a carrier wave or other transport mechanism, and includes any information delivery media. The term “modulated data signal” means a signal that has one or more of its characteristics set or changed in such a manner as to encode information in the signal. By way of example, and not limitation, communication media includes wired media such as a wired network or direct-wired connection, and wireless media such as acoustic, RF, infrared and other wireless media. Combinations of the any of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.
With reference again to FIG. 7 , the exemplary environment 1200 for implementing various aspects of the innovation includes a computer 1202 , the computer 1202 including a processing unit 1204 , a system memory 1206 and a system bus 1208 . The system bus 1208 couples system components including, but not limited to, the system memory 1206 to the processing unit 1204 . The processing unit 1204 can be any of various commercially available processors. Dual microprocessors and other multi-processor architectures may also be employed as the processing unit 1204 .
The system bus 1208 can be any of several types of bus structure that may further interconnect to a memory bus (with or without a memory controller), a peripheral bus, and a local bus using any of a variety of commercially available bus architectures. The system memory 1206 includes read-only memory (ROM) 1210 and random access memory (RAM) 1212 . A basic input/output system (BIOS) is stored in a non-volatile memory 1210 such as ROM, EPROM, EEPROM, which BIOS contains the basic routines that help to transfer information between elements within the computer 1202 , such as during start-up. The RAM 1212 can also include a high-speed RAM such as static RAM for caching data.
The computer 1202 further includes an internal hard disk drive (HDD) 1214 (e.g., EIDE, SATA), which internal hard disk drive 1214 may also be configured for external use in a suitable chassis (not shown), a magnetic floppy disk drive (FDD) 1216 , (e.g., to read from or write to a removable diskette 1218 ) and an optical disk drive 1220 , (e.g., reading a CD-ROM disk 1222 or, to read from or write to other high capacity optical media such as the DVD). The hard disk drive 1214 , magnetic disk drive 1216 and optical disk drive 1220 can be connected to the system bus 1208 by a hard disk drive interface 1224 , a magnetic disk drive interface 1226 and an optical drive interface 1228 , respectively. The interface 1224 for external drive implementations includes at least one or both of Universal Serial Bus (USB) and IEEE 1394 interface technologies. Other external drive connection technologies are within contemplation of the subject innovation.
The drives and their associated computer-readable media provide nonvolatile storage of data, data structures, computer-executable instructions, and so forth. For the computer 1202 , the drives and media accommodate the storage of any data in a suitable digital format. Although the description of computer-readable media above refers to a HDD, a removable magnetic diskette, and a removable optical media such as a CD or DVD, it should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that other types of media which are readable by a computer, such as zip drives, magnetic cassettes, flash memory cards, cartridges, and the like, may also be used in the exemplary operating environment, and further, that any such media may contain computer-executable instructions for performing the methods of the innovation.
A number of program modules can be stored in the drives and RAM 1212 , including an operating system 1230 , one or more application programs 1232 , other program modules 1234 and program data 1236 . All or portions of the operating system, applications, modules, and/or data can also be cached in the RAM 1212 . It is appreciated that the innovation can be implemented with various commercially available operating systems or combinations of operating systems.
A user can enter commands and information into the computer 1202 through one or more wired/wireless input devices, e.g., a keyboard 1238 and a pointing device, such as a mouse 1240 . Other input devices (not shown) may include a microphone, an IR remote control, a joystick, a game pad, a stylus pen, touch screen, or the like. These and other input devices are often connected to the processing unit 1204 through an input device interface 1242 that is coupled to the system bus 1208 , but can be connected by other interfaces, such as a parallel port, an IEEE 1394 serial port, a game port, a USB port, an IR interface, etc.
A monitor 1244 or other type of display device is also connected to the system bus 1208 via an interface, such as a video adapter 1246 . In addition to the monitor 1244 , a computer typically includes other peripheral output devices (not shown), such as speakers, printers, etc.
The computer 1202 may operate in a networked environment using logical connections via wired and/or wireless communications to one or more remote computers, such as a remote computer(s) 1248 . The remote computer(s) 1248 can be a workstation, a server computer, a router, a personal computer, portable computer, microprocessor-based entertainment appliance, a peer device or other common network node, and typically includes many or all of the elements described relative to the computer 1202 , although, for purposes of brevity, only a memory/storage device 1250 is illustrated. The logical connections depicted include wired/wireless connectivity to a local area network (LAN) 1252 and/or larger networks, e.g., a wide area network (WAN) 1254 . Such LAN and WAN networking environments are commonplace in offices and companies, and facilitate enterprise-wide computer networks, such as intranets, all of which may connect to a global communications network, e.g., the Internet.
When used in a LAN networking environment, the computer 1202 is connected to the local network 1252 through a wired and/or wireless communication network interface or adapter 1256 . The adapter 1256 may facilitate wired or wireless communication to the LAN 1252 , which may also include a wireless access point disposed thereon for communicating with the wireless adapter 1256 .
When used in a WAN networking environment, the computer 1202 can include a modem 1258 , or is connected to a communications server on the WAN 1254 , or has other means for establishing communications over the WAN 1254 , such as by way of the Internet. The modem 1258 , which can be internal or external and a wired or wireless device, is connected to the system bus 1208 via the serial port interface 1242 . In a networked environment, program modules depicted relative to the computer 1202 , or portions thereof, can be stored in the remote memory/storage device 1250 . It will be appreciated that the network connections shown are exemplary and other means of establishing a communications link between the computers can be used.
The computer 1202 is operable to communicate with any wireless devices or entities operatively disposed in wireless communication, e.g., a printer, scanner, desktop and/or portable computer, portable data assistant, communications satellite, any piece of equipment or location associated with a wirelessly detectable tag (e.g., a kiosk, news stand, restroom), and telephone. This includes at least Wi-Fi and Bluetooth™ wireless technologies. Thus, the communication can be a predefined structure as with a conventional network or simply an ad hoc communication between at least two devices.
Wi-Fi, or Wireless Fidelity, allows connection to the Internet from a couch at home, a bed in a hotel room, or a conference room at work, without wires. Wi-Fi is a wireless technology similar to that used in a cell phone that enables such devices, e.g., computers, to send and receive data indoors and out; anywhere within the range of a base station. Wi-Fi networks use radio technologies called IEEE 802.11(a, b, g, etc.) to provide secure, reliable, fast wireless connectivity. A Wi-Fi network can be used to connect computers to each other, to the Internet, and to wired networks (which use IEEE 802.3 or Ethernet). Wi-Fi networks operate in the unlicensed 2.4 and 5 GHz radio bands, at an 11 Mbps (802.11a) or 54 Mbps (802.11b) data rate, for example, or with products that contain both bands (dual band), so the networks can provide real-world performance similar to the basic 10BaseT wired Ethernet networks used in many offices.
User Experience
Customized Library Designer/Developer
The knowledge base 12 may be managed by one or more user interface facilities. In various embodiments, the facilities may for example include an IP Catalogue Setup facility, a Library View Setup facility, or both, the latter being preferred in at least one contemplated commercial embodiment. In at least some embodiments, such facilities may be used to create one or more customized library platform 16 .
FIG. 8 is an exemplary depiction of an IP Catalogue Setup screen of a user interface 20 for managing the knowledge base 12 in accordance with one or more preferred embodiments of the present invention. The IP Catalogue Setup screen may be accessed via a selectable tab visible near the upper lefthand corner of the screen. The IP Catalogue Setup screen has a 2-panel view, with the left panel for navigation of a tree and the right panel for display of metadata of the selected node. This allows the user to attach and classify IP documents at various points on the tree. Selectable options (accessible via selectable buttons that may be arranged, for example, along the top of the screen) preferably include “Add IP,” “Categorize IP,” “Add IP Source,” “Mark IP as Source,” “Move IP.” “Edit Document,” “View Document,” “Delete Node” and “Save.” Use of the term “IP” in the foregoing options refers to the IP elements 17 described previously.
Various nodes, usually representing IP elements 17 , may be added to the tree in the left panel. FIG. 9 is an exemplary depiction of the IP Catalogue Setup screen of FIG. 8 after some of the nodes have been expanded. The nodes may be added, edited, deleted and otherwise managed using tools accessible via options such as those enumerated previously.
FIG. 10 is an exemplary depiction of the IP Catalogue Setup screen of FIG. 9 after one of the nodes in the tree at left has been selected. In particular, the node “Forensic Gap Classification Template” has been selected. Metadata for this selected node is displayed on the right.
The particular node that has been selected in FIG. 10 pertains to a specific document or other IP element 17 . In addition to the metadata provided on the right, the node comprises a separate document (not shown), which may be viewed and/or edited using the selectable buttons at the top. The name for a computer-readable file, representing the document, is identified in the metadata. In the selected document node, the document name is “Forensic Gap Classification Template v1.00.ppt”
The IP Catalogue Setup facility may be utilized to create one or more customized libraries or library platforms 16 for various customers or other targeted users. FIG. 11 is an exemplary depiction of the IP Catalogue Setup screen of FIG. 9 illustrating the selection of a particular library or library platform 16 . In particular, the particular library selected is the “IT Tech” library. Each library platform 16 is a different tree implementation of the generalized program life cycle (ADIOS) wherein the nodes of the tree are customized for the respective customer or other targeted user. As will be evident, the same underlying IP components 17 may be used in as many different customized libraries as desired. By changing the target directory in the configuration menu, the user can create and maintain multiple libraries for different customers.
FIG. 12 is an exemplary depiction of a Library View Setup screen of a user interface 20 for managing the knowledge base 12 in accordance with one or more preferred embodiments of the present invention. The Library View Setup screen may be accessed via a selectable tab visible near the upper lefthand corner of the screen. The Library View Setup screen has a 5 panel view: on the left are the IP Catalogue Tree and a metadata display area. The right panel has 3 sections that allow the user to define and relate Offerings, Services and Capabilities. The user can then attach IP at various points in the tree to create a custom library for customer delivery.
FIG. 13 is an exemplary depiction of the Library View Setup screen of FIG. 12 illustrating the management of “capabilities” in the knowledge base 12 . The capabilities manager may be accessed via a selectable tab, labeled “Define Capabilities,” visible along the top of the right panel. Once the capabilities manager is selected, a list of existing capabilities is listed in the right panel. Selectable options (accessible via selectable buttons that may be arranged, for example, along the top of the screen below the “Define Capabilities” tab) preferably include “Add Capability,” “Edit Capability,” “Save” and “Delete Node.” New capabilities may be added by selecting the “Add Capability” button. Existing capabilities may be edited by selecting the “Edit Capability” button. Capabilities and/or the state of the tree may be saved by selecting the “Save” button. A particular capability and/or node can be deleted by selecting the “Delete Node” button. With regard to editing and deleting capabilities, a particular capability may be selected for such action for example by clicking on the desired capability in the list of capabilities. The particular capability selected in FIG. 13 is “Understand Business Drivers and Value Measures.” Once a capability is selected, metadata for that capability is displayed in the lower left panel.
FIG. 14 is an exemplary depiction of the Library View Setup screen of FIG. 13 illustrating a “capabilities” editor. Such an editor may, for example, be in the form of a window that is displayed in response to selection by a user of the “Edit Capability” button. A similar editor, but tailored for initial creation of a capability, may be displayed in response to selection by a user of the “Add Capability” button. The editor allows various fields to be entered or edited, including capability name, a description of the capability, and names and descriptions of any steps associated with the capability. In this regard, it is contemplated that each capability may include one or more steps, each of which includes a shorthand name and a longer description thereof. These steps are intended to provide guidance for a user as to how to carry out a particular capability; the capability itself is intended to be incorporated as a node in one or more customized trees. Because the number of steps involved in each capability is variable, means for adding additional steps is preferably provided. This may be provided, for example, in the form of a selectable “Add Step” button such as that shown at the bottom of the window.
FIG. 15 is an exemplary depiction of the Library View Setup screen of FIG. 12 illustrating the management of “services” in the knowledge base 12 . The services manager may be accessed via a selectable tab, labeled “Define Services,” visible along the top of the right panel. Once the services manager is selected, a list of existing services is listed in the top right panel. Selectable options (accessible via selectable buttons that may be arranged, for example, along the top of the screen below the “Define Services” tab) preferably include “Add Service,” “Edit Service,” “Save” and “Delete Node.” New services may be added by selecting the “Add Service” button. Existing services may be edited by selecting the “Edit Service” button. Services and/or the state of the tree may be saved by selecting the “Save” button. A particular service and/or node can be deleted by selecting the “Delete Node” button. With regard to editing and deleting services, a particular service may be selected for such action for example by clicking on the desired service in the list of services. The particular service selected in FIG. 15 is “BVC/LOB Alignment.” Once a service is selected, metadata for that service may be displayed in the lower left panel.
Also present in the Library View Setup screen of FIG. 15 is a panel, located in the lower right thereof, listing capabilities that have been defined and are available. Although not linked directly or specifically to any service, capabilities are often attached to as nodes branching from service nodes in the ADIOS program tree. Preferably, the capabilities in the list are selectable by a user such that upon selection, metadata about the selected capability is displayed in the lower left panel.
FIG. 16 is an exemplary depiction of the Library View Setup screen of FIG. 15 illustrating a “services” editor. Such an editor may, for example, be in the form of a window that is displayed in response to selection by a user of the “Edit Service” button. A similar editor, but tailored for initial creation of a service, may be displayed in response to selection by a user of the “Add Service” button. The editor allows various fields to be entered or edited, including service name, a description of the service, and a description of a computer-readable file associated with the service. In this regard, it is contemplated that each service may have a document, providing useful information regarding the service to the user, associated therewith. A particular computer-readable file representing the document may be linked by identifying it; this may preferably be accomplished, for example, via a selectable “Select File” button such as that shown in the middle of the window. Using such a button, a user may use the a standard utility to maneuver to, and link, the appropriate computer-readable file for subsequent use with the service and all usages of the service in any program tree.
FIG. 17 is an exemplary depiction of the Library View Setup screen of FIG. 12 illustrating the management of “offerings” in the knowledge base 12 . The offerings manager may be accessed via a selectable tab, labeled “Define Offerings,” visible along the top of the right panel. Once the offerings manager is selected, a list of existing offerings is listed in the top right panel. Selectable options (accessible via selectable buttons that may be arranged, for example, along the top of the screen below the “Define Offerings” tab) preferably include “Add Offering,” “Edit Offering,” “Save” and “Delete Node.” New offerings may be added by selecting the “Add Offering” button. Existing offerings may be edited by selecting the “Edit Offering” button. Offerings and/or the state of the tree may be saved by selecting the “Save” button. A particular offering and/or node can be deleted by selecting the “Delete Node” button. With regard to editing and deleting offerings, a particular offering may be selected for such action for example by clicking on the desired offering in the list of offerings. The particular offering selected in FIG. 17 is “Business Platform.” Once an offering is selected, metadata for that offering may be displayed in the lower left panel.
Also present in the Library View Setup screen of FIG. 17 is a panel, located in the lower right thereof, listing services that have been defined and are available. Although not linked directly or specifically to any offering, services are often attached to as nodes branching from offering nodes in the ADIOS program tree. Preferably, the services in the list are selectable by a user such that upon selection, metadata about the selected service is displayed in the lower left panel.
FIG. 18 is an exemplary depiction of the Library View Setup screen of FIG. 15 illustrating an “offerings” editor. Such an editor may, for example, be in the form of a window that is displayed in response to selection by a user of the “Edit Offering” button. A similar editor, but tailored for initial creation of an offering, may be displayed in response to selection by a user of the “Add Offering” button. The editor allows various fields to be entered or edited, including offering name, a description of the offering, and a description of a computer-readable file associated with the offering. In this regard, it is contemplated that each offering may have one or more documents, providing useful information regarding the offering to the user, associated therewith. A particular computer-readable file representing each document may be linked by identifying it; this may preferably be accomplished, for example, via a selectable “Select File” button such as that shown in the middle of the window. Using such a button, a user may use the a standard utility to maneuver to, and link, the appropriate computer-readable file for subsequent use with the offering and all usages of the offering in any program tree.
FIG. 19 is an exemplary depiction of the Library View Setup screen of FIG. 12 illustrating the management of “toolkits” in the knowledge base 12 . The toolkit manager may be accessed via a selectable tab, labeled “Define Toolkits,” visible along the top of the right panel. The toolkits manager may be accessed via a selectable tab, labeled “Define Services,” visible along the top of the right panel. Once the toolkits manager is selected, a list of existing toolkits is listed in the top right panel. Selectable options (accessible via selectable buttons that may be arranged, for example, along the top of the screen below the “Define Toolkits” tab) preferably include “Add Toolkit,” “Edit Toolkit,” “Save” and “Delete Node.” New toolkits may be added by selecting the “Add Toolkit” button. Existing toolkits may be edited by selecting the “Edit Toolkit” button. Toolkits and/or the state of the tree may be saved by selecting the “Save” button. A particular toolkit and/or node can be deleted by selecting the “Delete Node” button. With regard to editing and deleting toolkit, a particular toolkit may be selected for such action for example by clicking on the desired toolkit in the list of toolkits. The particular toolkit selected in FIG. 19 is “Dev Test Utility Tool.” Once a toolkit is selected, metadata for that toolkit may be displayed in the lower left panel.
Also present in the Library View Setup screen of FIG. 19 is a panel, located in the lower right thereof, listing capabilities that have been defined and are available. Although not linked directly or specifically to any toolkit, capabilities are often attached to as nodes branching from toolkit nodes in the ADIOS program tree. Preferably, the capabilities in the list are selectable by a user such that upon selection, metadata about the selected capability is displayed in the lower left panel.
Although not illustrated, other modules may be provided as well. For example, in at least one embodiment, a reports module is provided to allow the running of reports to identify document gaps in both the IP Catalogue and the Library. For example, an “orphans” report may identify all IP Catalogue items that are not attached to any Library Nodes. The same or similar report may identify all IP types (how-to, etc.) that are not attached to any IP. Still further, a “gap analysis” report may identify Library nodes that have no IP Catalogue items attached, and IP Catalogue items that have no doc2doc relationships, i.e. how-to, source, etc.
Still further, in at least one embodiment, a help module is provided to present help files and how-to information regarding the operation of the application.
In one contemplated commercial embodiment, the application may be based on a conventional Model-View-Controller pattern to implement software separation. Successful use of the pattern isolates business logic from user interface considerations, resulting in an application where it is easier to modify either the visual appearance of the application or the underlying business rules without affecting the other. In MVC, the model represents the information (the data) of the application and the business rules used to manipulate the data; the view corresponds to elements of the user interface such as text, checkbox items, and so forth; and the controller manages details involving the communication to the model of user actions such as keystrokes and mouse movements.
In one contemplated commercial embodiment, the application will operate in any computer operating system supported by Adobe Air Runtime. Further, the application may be released in different forms, including successive versions.
In one implementation, a product embodying the present inventions may be delivered as a local product (online, CD or DVD) using XML configuration and file storage on the file system (local disk or network share). User authorization manages the access to functional capabilities to prevent non-administrators from altering core data relationships. The application may developed using the Adobe Flex Framework, and the executable target may be run using the Adobe AIR runtime engine.
In another implementation, a product embodying the present invention may be delivered as a local product (online, CD or DVD) using a persistent data remoting model that replaces most or all XML configuration files, providing the user with the various access levels in a transaction-safe environment. File storage preferably supports both the file system and a server-based data repository. The application may continue to be developed on the Flex Framework and may leverage features of the Adobe LiveCycle platform for content storage and management. The application may still be using some XML configuration files, but the primary data repository is preferably a SQL92 Compliant DBMS. The application may use the DBMS for data storage only (i.e. not content) but preferably does not use stored procedures or functions to devolve logic to the database layer, thereby providing the flexibility to allow a non-SaaS (behind the firewall) deployment if so required. The application components may be deployed on application servers that are J2EE specification compliant. For other implementations, no application server may be needed. Certain components may be deployed on web servers that are HTTP/1.1 specification compliant. For other implementations, no webserver may be needed.
In at least some implementations, the application may be a Rich Internet Application (RIA) developed on the Adobe Flex platform and deployed using the Adobe AIR runtime. This will allow for a highly interactive and immersive user experience ensuring easier adoption.
User Experience
Library Viewer for Consumer
FIG. 20 is an exemplary depiction of a first navigational screen of a user interface 22 for consumers viewing or accessing the knowledge base 12 via a customized library platform 16 in accordance with one or more preferred embodiments of the present invention. This screen is preferably tailored for a particular targeted consumer using the knowledge base manager. FIG. 20 provides an exemplary panel for how to navigate through the knowledge base 12 , based on the level of Program definition. It offers up the content without the need for Process Genus definitions. It also permits the “grazing” to discover the most likely Pattern for the known Qualities. It will be apparent, however, that other interfaces may alternatively be provided.
FIG. 21 is an exemplary depiction of a search screen of a user interface 22 for consumers viewing or accessing the knowledge base 12 via a customized library platform 16 in accordance with one or more preferred embodiments of the present invention. As illustrated therein, a search panel is made available to locate relevant information, based on keyword matching.
FIG. 21 expresses the ways that a search of the knowledge base 12 can be performed. Examples would be searches for Architecture or Testing documentation that are appropriate for many Pattern Genus or generalized project manage reference materials. Some topics, such as Service Level definitions transcend all Genus, so can be found through this kind of query against the System.
FIGS. 22A-22D are exemplary depictions of portions of various alternative navigation screens of a user interface 22 for consumers viewing or accessing the knowledge base 12 in accordance with one or more preferred embodiments of the present invention. In particular, FIGS. 22A-22D illustrate different control panels or navigational views that may be offered to a user 26 , 28 , 30 to permit him or her to navigate the available information in different ways. Included in FIG. 22C , for example, is the Program life cycle 101 , which decomposes into the ADIOS components 102 , 103 , 104 , 105 , 106 . Other control panels or navigational views may likewise be provided to aid various users 26 , 28 , 30 in navigating and understanding the information. The various control panels or navigational views shown in FIGS. 22A-22D , as well as that shown in FIG. 20 , can optionally be reached by selecting a particular view mode (sometimes referred to as a transformation mode) from a selectable list (e.g., available via drop-down menu) of modes.
FIG. 25 is an exemplary depiction of still another navigational screen of a user interface 22 for consumers viewing or accessing the knowledge base 12 via a customized library platform 16 in accordance with one or more preferred embodiments of the present invention. In particular, this navigational screen provides consumers 24 with an interactive “storyboard” experience for navigating through their respective library platform 16 . Such a storyboard navigational screen presents written dialog describing each of several different situations, areas of interest, life cycle phases, or other subject matter category; preferably, multiple subject matter categories are presented with multiple options in each category, with dialog describing each. When any one of the categories is selected, further information associated with the category may be presented to the user 24 , further choices may be offered, and the like. When a sufficiently granular level of information is reached, specific items from the customized platform 16 are made available for selection by and presentation to the user. Thus, the consumer 24 may access the customized library platform 16 at a variety of entry points; further, the consumer 24 is more easily able to find a suitable entry point based on his particular point of view. In other words, a consumer 24 is able to self-select his entry point to the customized library platform 16 by exploring a category of his choice and the options available within the selected category.
In the particular navigational screen of FIG. 25 , three categories are presented: transformational tools, transformational programs and transformational enablers. Three choices are offered under the category of transformational tools: industry verticals, accelerators and optimizers; three choices are offered under the category of transformational programs: business platform, enterprise cloud delivery and datacenter infrastructure; and four choices are offered under the category of transformational enablers: align, design, implement and operate. Selection of any of the choices in any of the categories may result in the presentation to the user of further information relevant to the particular subject matter and a choice, preferably at least in list form, of additional options, such as IP elements from the library platform 16 that may be available for review and use.
Of note, FIG. 25 illustrates the selection, via drop-down menu in the upper lefthand corner, of a particular tool view or tool set, namely, “Overview.” However, one or more alternative tool views or tool sets may likewise be offered. In this regard, FIG. 26 is an exemplary depiction of still another navigational screen of a user interface 22 for consumers viewing or accessing the knowledge base 12 via a customized library platform 16 in accordance with one or more preferred embodiments of the present invention. In particular, the navigational screen of FIG. 26 offers the consumer 24 a tool view or tool set named “Advanced View,” in which a library tree, somewhat similar in form to those described previously with reference to FIGS. 9 , 20 et al., is presented in a left panel and storyboard information (in the form of written dialog) about the various nodes (IP elements 17 ) is provided in the right panel.
Of note, FIG. 26 illustrates a particular view mode with the “Advanced View” tool view or tool set, namely, “Lifecycle.” In conjunction with this view mode, the Program life cycle 101 , which decomposes into the ADIOS components 102 , 103 , 104 , 105 , 106 , is displayed to the right of what may be a drop-down menu of various view modes. Other view modes are likewise contemplated. For example, FIGS. 27A-27E are exemplary depictions of portions of various alternative navigation screens of a user interface 22 for consumers 24 viewing or accessing the knowledge base 12 in accordance with one or more preferred embodiments of the present invention. In particular, FIGS. 27A-27E illustrate different view modes that may be offered to a user 26 , 28 , 30 to permit him or her to navigate the available information in different ways. Included in FIG. 27A , for example, is a particular program view pertaining to DataCenter Infrastructure; subcategories or particular IP elements 17 related to this program (including an IP element named “DataCenter Transformation Readiness Assessment”) could be selected, for example, from a drop-down menu to the right thereof. Other programs could include “Business Platform” and “Enterprise Cloud Delivery.” Included in FIG. 27B is a “Tools” view; subcategories or particular IP elements 17 related to this program (including an IP element named “Dev Test Utility Tool”) could be selected, for example, from a drop-down menu to the right thereof. Included in FIG. 27C is a “Domains” view; subcategories related to this program (including subcategories, pertaining to an IT domain evolution, named “QoE,” “Strategy,” “Architecture,” “Op Model” and “Run-Time Execution”) could be selected, for example, from a set of buttons to the right thereof. Included in FIG. 27D is a “Transformation Enablers” view; subcategories or particular IP elements 17 related to this program (including an IP element named “Understanding Business Drivers and Value Measures”) could be selected, for example, from a drop-down menu to the right thereof. Included in FIG. 27E is a “Categories” view; when selected, a sorted list of all IP elements 17 may be made available to the consumer 24 .
Relationship to Other Tools and Processes
In at least some embodiments, one or more elements of the system 10 of the present invention, and aspects thereof, are combined with other tools, processes, and elements to provide more a comprehensive approach to the development and deployment of a Business Application. For example, as noted previously, a tool implementing the system 10 of the present invention could be combined with a tool for the best practice deployment recommendations and a tool for the data aggregation on the actual operational measurements.
FIG. 23 is a flowchart representation of a generalized Business Application development and deployment process 201 in accordance with one or more preferred embodiments of the present invention. This sequence is preferably started by a person, such as the consumer, who has additional information about the Program or Business Application. Through interaction with a user interface additional (or updated) information is acquired. All the new data is acquired in a sub-process 202 until all changes have been identified. Defining a new Program may be considered an update.
Specifically in the Design phase of the ADIOS life cycle model 101 , the algorithmic transformation of Program parameters, which have been gathered or entered by the consumer using an appropriate system, and preferably stored in an appropriate database thereof, is described in FIG. 23 . After initializing such a system, of which the system 10 of the present invention may form a part, the user would be authenticated, associated with a name that represents the Program, and authorization checked (to ensure access is permitted). At 202 , the consumer would identify the Program (Business Application) being referenced, and then update parameters as appropriate (see FIG. 24 ). Gathering prior information in 204 , the collection of Pattern data would be collated. The result of the updates would identify addition information that would be relevant to the Program deployment (all segments of the life cycle, including architecture, design, implementation, verification and operations). In 206 , the user decides on what relevant reports apply to this Program, and is given the choice of retrieving or printing the document. In 207 , the customized or personalized information is made available via the knowledge base 12 and, in some embodiments, other elements of the system 10 of the present invention.
FIG. 24 is a flowchart representation of a subprocess 202 in the generalized process 201 of FIG. 23 . More particularly, FIG. 24 illustrates logic to acquire additional Program information, to define, refine or update the characteristics of the Program. The interrogation in step 302 is intended to gather more information about the Program that is intended to be the final deliverable. Step 303 permits the creation of a new program, occurring at step 304 , which starts without function and requires at least one Pattern Genus or type before it can be retained for future reference. Step 305 validates that a Pattern Genus has been identified, and if appropriate the other associated attributes to create a well formed Pattern reference. If the process of creating additional Pattern Genera is not yet complete, they may be solicited and/or identified at step 315 . Often, the information provided is an elaboration of an existing Program. In this case, the Pattern Genus that extends the Program provides the basic selection criteria. With only Genus known, the Align phase 102 is identified, and the information in the knowledge base is constrained to the segment relating to Align 102 . In step 306 , the updated or new information is retained in the system for future access, interrogation and alternation.
One type of output of a process 201 such as that depicted in FIG. 2 is an IT blueprint. As used herein, “blueprints” are documents and materials that represent the “heart and soul” of a particular transformation and are a combination of reference architectures and design patterns that together allow a business to build services with the right flexibility and growth points. In at least some embodiments, these blueprints may be built from a top-down design perspective and as a result drive true business-IT alignment, while in some they may be built using a bottom-up, supply-side perspective via current state modeling. These architecture and design patterns are abstract definitions of functionality that often are industry or platform independent models that reflect business requirements. Because they are reusable functionality, they are less volatile and more stable. They are optimized to business application workload performance while balancing the need to be very IT efficient. The blueprints are clearly and sufficiently documented so that parameters of execution can be understood by both the IT provider and consumer.
In at least some embodiments, a comprehensive system, to which the system 10 of the present invention may serve as an adjunct, may include a tool corresponding to each segment in the five-segment life cycle model of FIG. 4 . For example, a modeling studio tool may be provided to facilitate the Align phase 102 , a design studio tool may be provided to facilitate the Design phase 103 , a life cycle manager tool may be provided to facilitate the Integrate phase 104 , a forensics and/or discovery studio tool may be provided to facilitate the Operate phase 105 , and a governance studio tool may be provided to facilitate the Sustain phase 106 . Furthermore, in at least some embodiments, information may be interchanged between the various tools to deliver a seamless toolkit for users. Suitable tools for these purposes are available from Adaptivity, Inc. of Charlotte, N.C.
Based on the foregoing information, it will be readily understood by those persons skilled in the art that the present invention is susceptible of broad utility and application. Many embodiments and adaptations of the present invention other than those specifically described herein, as well as many variations, modifications, and equivalent arrangements, will be apparent from or reasonably suggested by the present invention and the foregoing descriptions thereof, without departing from the substance or scope of the present invention.
Accordingly, while the present invention has been described herein in detail in relation to one or more preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that this disclosure is only illustrative and exemplary of the present invention and is made merely for the purpose of providing a full and enabling disclosure of the invention. The foregoing disclosure is not intended to be construed to limit the present invention or otherwise exclude any such other embodiments, adaptations, variations, modifications or equivalent arrangements; the present invention being limited only by the claims appended hereto and the equivalents thereof.
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A system for providing a customized library platform of informational elements, each pertaining to one or more of information technology disciplines, includes a database of informational elements, and first computer-implemented user interfaces usable to provide the customization and a second user interface usable to view the customized library platform. The IT disciplines span design, analysis, modeling and management across a wide spectrum of IT functions and includes levels of detail and viewpoints that accommodate multiple roles across IT, from very senior executives to low level engineers and programmers. The knowledge base allows organizations to model their knowledge relationships to fit their structures, processes and guidelines, by using a provided framework as a starting point. The intelligent knowledge base emphasizes specific practices that enhance the linkage of business to IT, which is a widely recognized gap across IT creating massive waste and inefficiency.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to an agricultural sprayer and, more particularly, to a high-clearance agricultural sprayer with a high fluid capacity and low ground compaction.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is well known in the art to provide methods and apparatuses for applying fluid in agricultural applications. Applicators typically include a frame supporting a large fluid container and driven by large wheels. As refueling the container wastes a considerable amount of valuable time, especially if inclement conditions provide a small window of opportunity to apply fluid to an agricultural field, it is desirable to carry as much fluid on the applicator as possible.
Conversely, it is desirable to minimize the impact of the applicator on the soil. Compacted soil is undesirable for many reasons, including the difficulty associated with subsequently working the field and the detrimental impact compaction has on plants and their root systems. Applicators, therefore, are typically provided with very large wheels, having very large footprints to minimize the pressure applied to any single point in the field. Such applicators typically have very wide wheels to distribute the pressure associated with large fluid containers over as wide an area as possible.
It is also desirable to apply fluid, such as herbicides and the like, to crops after the crops have emerged. In an effort to maximize the crop yield, crops are typically planted in rows very close to one another. Such close planting often prohibits pre-emergent applicators from being used, as the extremely wide tires are wider than the crop rows. Use of a pre-emergent applicator on growing crops would cause the crops to be compacted and destroyed under the wheels of the applicator. Accordingly, post-emergent applicators are typically provided with wheels sufficiently narrow to ride between the rows of crops to avoid any damage thereto.
Unfortunately, narrowing the wheels to avoid crop damage increases the pressure the wheels transfer to the footprint. Accordingly, prior art machines have typically had to reduce the fluid capacity and, therefore, the weight of post-emergent applicators to reduce the impact of the compaction the applicator transmits to the soil during application. This reduction in capacity requires more frequent refills, delaying the application process, and resulting in lost income and productivity.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a multi-use applicator which would provide for a very large fluid capacity, while maintaining a minimal compaction of the soil. The difficulties encountered in the prior art discussed hereinabove are substantially eliminated by the present invention.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In an advantage provided by this invention, an agricultural fluid applicator having an increased fluid capacity is provided.
Advantageously, this invention provides an agricultural fluid applicator with a narrow wheel width for application of fluid to post-emergent crops.
Advantageously, this invention provides a six wheel agricultural fluid applicator with an improved steering system.
Advantageously, this invention provides a six wheel agricultural fluid applicator with an improved suspension system to reduce stress on the frame.
Advantageously, in the preferred example of this invention, an agricultural vehicle is provided with a frame and six wheels. The wheels are mounted to the frame and provided with a diameter at least one and one-half meters, and a width no greater than one meter. The wheels are also preferably provided three on each side of the frame, at least two-hundred fifty centimeters from one another. Preferably, the vehicle is provided with a fluid capacity of at least four thousand liters, and a clearance at least one-hundred centimeters high and two-hundred centimeters wide.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
FIG. 1 illustrates a top perspective view of an agricultural sprayer incorporating the present invention;
FIG. 2 illustrates a top plan view of the agricultural sprayer of FIG. 1 ; and
FIG. 3 illustrates a side elevation of the leg boom suspension and steering system of the agricultural sprayer of FIG. 1 .
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
An agricultural spray system according to the present invention is shown generally as ( 10 ) in FIG. 1 . The system includes a vehicle ( 12 ) coupled to a spray system ( 14 ). The spray system ( 14 ) includes a large capacity fluid container ( 16 ) which may be of any desired capacity. In the present invention, the capacity is forty-five hundred and forty-two liters, but may be six-thousand fifty-six liters, sixty-eight hundred and four liters, seventy-five hundred and seventy liters, or any desired capacity. The tank is constructed using materials known in the art, such as those used to construct the STS 10 and STS 12 sprayers manufactured by Hagie Manufacturing Company of Clarion, Iowa. The spray system ( 14 ) also includes a hydraulic pump ( 18 ), powered by a diesel engine ( 20 ) in a manner such as that known in the art. ( FIG. 2 ). The spray system ( 14 ) also includes a spray boom ( 22 ), provided with a plurality of spray nozzles ( 24 ). The spray system ( 14 ) is also provided with a plurality of hydraulic lines ( 26 ), coupled from the hydraulic pump ( 18 ) to the spray boom ( 22 ). A plurality of fluid lines ( 28 ) are also provided between the fluid container ( 16 ), spray boom ( 22 ) and spray nozzles ( 24 ).
The present spray system ( 10 ) also includes a driver's cab ( 30 ) provided on a frame ( 32 ), which also supports the fluid container ( 16 ) and diesel engine ( 20 ). As shown in FIG. 1 , the system ( 10 ) is provided with six wheels ( 34 ), ( 36 ), ( 38 ), ( 40 ), ( 42 ) and ( 44 ). As shown in FIG. 1 , each wheel ( 34 ), ( 36 ), ( 38 ), ( 40 ), ( 42 ) and ( 44 ) includes a center wheel ( 46 ) and tire ( 48 ). Since the wheels ( 34 ), ( 36 ), ( 38 ), ( 40 ), ( 42 ) and ( 44 ) are of a like construction and similarly assembled, albeit as mirror-imaged pairs, only the wheel ( 36 ) will be described in detail, with like numbers being applied to like parts.
The wheel ( 36 ) is coupled to the leg assembly ( 50 ) shown in FIG. 3 , which is the subject of U.S. Pat. No. 6,371,237, and which is incorporated hereby reference. As shown in FIG. 3 , the leg assembly ( 50 ) is provided with a hydraulic motor ( 52 ) and an output shaft ( 54 ). The output shaft ( 54 ) is welded or otherwise secured to a transfer disc ( 56 ). The transfer disc ( 56 ) is coupled to the center wheel ( 46 ) by a plurality of lugs ( 58 ). As shown in FIG. 3 , the top of the leg assembly ( 50 ) is provided with a suspension system ( 60 ) and steering system ( 62 ), similar to that described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,371,237. The width of the wheel ( 36 ) and leg assembly ( 50 ) is preferably less than forty-nine centimeters. The midlines ( 64 ) of the right side wheels ( 36 ), ( 40 ) and ( 44 ) are preferably separated from the midlines ( 66 ) of the left side wheels ( 34 ), ( 38 ) and ( 42 ) by a distance of three-hundred five centimeters. The midlines ( 64 ) and ( 66 ) may alternatively be separated by a distance of three-hundred, ninety-one centimeters, or any desired distance to accommodate the width and separation of crop rows ( 68 ). As described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,371,237, all of the leg assemblies ( 50 ) may be attached to crossbars to allow the midlines ( 64 ) and ( 66 ) to be adjusted to any desired width.
By providing the suspension systems ( 60 ) to each of the wheels ( 34 ), ( 36 ), ( 38 ), ( 40 ), ( 42 ) and ( 44 ), all of the wheels ( 34 ), ( 36 ), ( 38 ), ( 40 ), ( 42 ) and ( 44 ) track across the ground ( 76 ), even in situations where the ground ( 76 ) is hilly or undulating. If the suspension systems ( 60 ) were not so provided, and if the vehicle ( 12 ) were to move across very hilly or undulating terrain, or to encounter a large rock or other obstacle (not shown), one or more wheels ( 34 ), ( 36 ), ( 38 ), ( 40 ), ( 42 ) and ( 44 ) may leave the ground, causing a great amount of torsional stress to the frame ( 32 ). Over a period of time, accumulated stress could cause the frame ( 32 ) to fail. By allowing the wheels ( 34 ), ( 36 ), ( 38 ), ( 40 ), ( 42 ) and ( 44 ) to raise and lower independently, the stress to the frame ( 32 ) is greatly reduced.
As shown in FIG. 1 , the steering system ( 62 ) is coupled to the hydraulic pump ( 18 ) and to a steering flow controller ( 70 ) coupled to a steering wheel ( 72 ) located within the cab ( 30 ). The steering flow controller ( 70 ) is also coupled to a central processing unit ( 94 ) controlled by a rocker switch ( 74 ) located within the cab ( 30 ). The rocker switch ( 74 ), via the central processing unit ( 94 ), actuates the steering flow controller ( 70 ) to operate in two different modes: a synchronous mode and an asynchronous mode. In synchronous mode, when the steering wheel ( 72 ) is rotated in a clockwise direction, the central processing unit ( 94 ) causes the steering flow controller ( 70 ) to turn the front wheels ( 34 ) and ( 36 ) and the rear wheels ( 42 ) and ( 44 ) to the right. The steering flow controller ( 70 ) actuates valves which cause fluid pumped by the hydraulic pump ( 18 ) to actuate two hydraulic actuators ( 76 ) and ( 78 ) associated with the front two steering systems ( 80 ) and ( 62 ) to rotate the front two wheels ( 34 ) and ( 36 ) to the right. In synchronous mode, the steering flow controller ( 70 ) also actuates valves which cause fluid pumped by the hydraulic pump ( 18 ) to actuate two hydraulic actuators ( 82 ) and ( 84 ) associated with the rear two steering systems ( 86 ) and ( 88 ) to rotate the rear two wheels ( 42 ) and ( 44 ) to the right.
In asynchronous mode, when the steering wheel ( 72 ) is rotated in a clockwise direction, the central processing unit ( 94 ) causes the steering flow controller ( 70 ) to turn the front wheels ( 34 ) and ( 36 ) to the right and the rear wheels ( 42 ) and ( 44 ) to the left. In asynchronous mode, the steering flow controller ( 70 ) still actuates valves which cause fluid pumped by the hydraulic pump ( 18 ) to actuate the two hydraulic actuators ( 76 ) and ( 78 ) associated with the front two steering systems ( 80 ) and ( 62 ) to rotate the front two wheels ( 34 ) and ( 36 ) to the right. In asynchronous mode, however, the steering flow controller ( 70 ) actuates the valves associated with the two rear hydraulic actuators ( 82 ) and ( 84 ) in the reverse direction, thereby rotating the rear two wheels ( 42 ) and ( 44 ) to the left for a tighter turning radius. In both synchronous and asynchronous modes, turning the steering wheel does not actuate the center wheels ( 38 ) and ( 40 ) in either direction.
As shown in FIGS. 2-3 , the front steering systems ( 62 ) and ( 80 ) and rear two steering systems ( 86 ) and ( 88 ) are provided with angle sensors ( 90 ) coupled between the hydraulic actuators ( 76 ), ( 78 ), ( 82 ) and ( 84 ) and the shafts ( 92 ) associated therewith. The angle sensors ( 90 ) are coupled to the central processing unit ( 94 ). When the rocker switch ( 74 ) is actuated, the central processing unit ( 94 ) utilizes the angle sensors ( 90 ) to determine the angle of the rear wheels ( 42 ) and ( 44 ) relative to the front wheels ( 34 ) and ( 36 ). Once this angle has been determined, the central processing unit ( 94 ) causes the steering flow controller ( 70 ) to turn the rear wheels ( 42 ) and ( 44 ) to the proper angle relative to the front wheels ( 34 ) and ( 36 ) associated with the selected mode.
If the rocker switch ( 74 ) is being actuated into synchronous mode, the central processing unit ( 94 ) causes the steering flow controller ( 70 ) to turn the rear wheels ( 42 ) and ( 44 ) to the same angle as the front wheels ( 34 ) and ( 36 ). If the rocker switch ( 74 ) is being actuated into asynchronous mode, the central processing unit ( 94 ) causes the steering flow controller ( 70 ) to turn the rear wheels ( 42 ) and ( 44 ) to in the opposite direction as the front wheels ( 34 ) and ( 36 ).
If desired, steering of the center wheels ( 38 ) and ( 40 ) may be provided in a similar manner. Also, the central processing unit ( 94 ) may be programmed in response to rotation of the steering wheel ( 72 ), to rotate the rear wheels ( 42 ) and ( 44 ) the same amount as the front wheels ( 34 ) and ( 36 ), or more or less, depending upon the turning performance desired.
As shown in FIG. 2 , the container ( 16 ) is located centrally between the front wheels ( 34 ) and ( 36 ), and rear wheels ( 42 ) and ( 44 ), to more evenly distribute the weight of the fluid ( 96 ) provided within the container ( 16 ). The preferred embodiment of the vehicle ( 12 ) defines a clearance at least one meter high and at least two meters wide, but may, of course, define any desired clearance to accommodate post-emergent crops ( 98 ). The vehicle ( 12 ) is preferably designed to have a spray boom ( 22 ) which collapses so that the overall dimension of the system ( 10 ) is no greater than three-hundred, ninety-seven centimeters high, and three-hundred, sixty-six centimeters wide, to allow the system ( 10 ) to be transported across public roadways. While more than six wheels may be provided, at least six wheels are preferable to distribute the weight of the fluid ( 79 ) across a wider area to allow the system to apply fluid ( 79 ) to crops ( 98 ) on softer soil, and/or wetter ground, and to reduce the detrimental impact of soil compaction on the crops ( 98 ). Preferably, the outer diameter of the wheels ranges from one hundred and eighty three centimeters to two hundred and five centimeters.
The foregoing description and drawings merely explain and illustrate the invention. The invention is not limited thereto, except insofar as the claims are so limited, as those skilled in the art who have the disclosure before them will be able to make modifications and variations therein, without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, it is anticipated that the system ( 10 ) may be provided with eight or more wheels, as desired.
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An agricultural sprayer is provided, having a plurality of wheels. By providing six wheels, a narrow overall wheel width may be maintained to allow for use of the sprayer in post-emergent crop spray applications. By providing six wheels, a greater amount of fluid may be provided on the vehicle without increasing soil compaction. By providing low soil compaction and a high fluid capacity, the applicator may be utilized in both pre-emergent and post-emergent situations, and may be utilized on wet or soft ground, where standard applicators may not be utilized.
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CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is related to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/084,270, filed May 5, 1998.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to rotational resistance devices. More specifically, the invention comprises a rotational exercise device that provides different levels of adjustable rotational resistance depending on the direction of rotation. The device includes a ratchet to minimize the torque required to rotate the device in a first direction, and an axially loaded bearing to adjust the torque required to rotate the device in the opposite direction. Two ratchets or two devices can be used to provide adjustable resistance in both directions of rotation.
2. DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
Many different types of rotational exercise devices have been designed in the past. Most of these exercisers include means to adjust the rotational resistance in one or both directions. What is lacking in the prior art, is a rotational exercise device that can be adjusted to provide smooth resistance in one direction, while providing a smooth lower resistance in the opposite direction. This allows specific muscle conditioning for any limb of the body. Thus the present invention is particularly suited for physiological sculpting.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,819,081, issued to Touraine on Jan. 7, 1958, discloses exercisers. The exercisers include an inner and an outer metal ring. The outer ring is attached to a platform, while the inner ring fits firmly within the outer ring. Set screws hold the inner ring inside the outer ring and provide frictional forces when the inner ring is rotated with respect to the outer ring. The exerciser is used to exercise the shoulder, elbow, wrist and fingers. There is no provision to provide different levels of rotational resistance depending on the direction of rotation.
An exercise machine with spring-return pedals and pull lines is detailed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,704,886, issued to Kay et al. on Dec. 5, 1972. The machine has a pair of movable pedals and handles attached to lines wound upon sheathes mounted within the machine. Adjustment mechanisms are disclosed to adjust the amount of force required to pull the handles or push the pedals, with the non-frictional return of the handles or pedals being facilitated using springs. In this manner, this machine allows adjustable rotational resistance in a first direction with reduced resistance in the opposite direction. In contrast to the present invention, this machine uses a complex cable and pulley arrangement with an adjustable brake. The resulting action is not as smooth as the tensioner of the present invention, nor is it possible to easily reverse the direction of increased rotational resistance.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,051,560, issued to Audet on Oct. 4, 1977, is drawn to a bowel movement energizer system. The system comprises two clamp-on rotational resistance devices for initiating a bowel movement by exercising one's arms while sitting on a toilet. Resistance is provided by friction between a wheel and a pad in an axially loaded embodiment and between the wheel and a rotation resistant idler wheel in a radially loaded embodiment. Both embodiments include resistance adjustment means, however, there is no disclosure of providing different levels of rotational resistance in opposite directions.
Another exercise apparatus is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,611,807, issued to Castillo on September 1986. This apparatus includes a pair of adjustable spaced apart, rotating discs mounted on a frame. A radially loaded, wheel provides adjustable, rotational resistance for each disc. Each disc also has a handle for a user to grasp when exercising their upper body. The wheels are incapable of providing a different level of rotational resistance when the disc is turned in the opposite direction. In addition, this type of adjustable loading results in uneven loading of the disc, and therefore uneven rotational resistance at different points in the rotation.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is a dynamic tensioner specifically designed for use in exercise equipment. A ratcheting mechanism is combined with an adjustable resistance bearing to provide a specific resistance in a first rotational direction, and almost no resistance in the opposite rotational direction. Two of the tensioners can be used to provide adjustable resistance in both rotational directions. When two of the tensioners are used, the ratcheting mechanisms can be set to work oppositely to allow adjustable resistance in both directions, or set to work together for increased adjustable resistance in one direction and free movement in the opposite direction.
The ratcheting mechanisms used in the present invention are all of the conventional type, similar to those used in ratchet drivers for socket tools. A selector in the form of a movable disc or switch on one side of the rachet head can be spun or flipped between two ratcheting positions (one position for allowing ratcheting action in a first rotational direction and a second position for allowing ratcheting action in the opposite direction). In some of these ratchets, a central locking position is provided between the two ratcheting positions to lock the handle to the central shaft of the ratchet. The central shaft of the ratchet used in the present invention includes external male threads for accepting a nut thereon. The nut (which can be replaced with a locking lever as explained below) holds the various components of the adjustable resistance bearing on the shaft, while providing the adjustment mechanism for the bearing as well.
Various embodiments of the adjustable resistance bearing are envisioned. These embodiments vary in the amount of resistance they can impart, as well as the amount of force and length of use they can endure. In the simplest embodiment, each half of the bearing is comprised of two plates that are pressed against each other (using the nut) to provide a high degree of friction. The plates can be made of several different materials to provide greater or less friction, decreased wear, etc. A second embodiment of the bearing includes two thrust bearings with a plurality of radially aligned roller bearings mounted between two metal plates. As with the first embodiment, the two plates are pressed against each other to adjust the level of friction. The thrust bearing provides friction in a lower range than the two simple plates, can handle higher forces, and increases the useful life of the bearing by reducing wear. In addition to these features, the thrust bearing eliminates the "slip and stick" phenomena associated with simple bearings. This is the nature of a simple bearing wherein once the static friction is overcome, the dynamic friction is at a lower level, causing jerky movement as one surface is rotated relative to the other.
For even heavier applications one or both of the thrust bearings are replaced with a conical roller bearing. The conical roller bearing is extremely heavy duty and has a very long lifetime. As with the other bearings, axial compression using a threaded nut or lever is used to adjust the rotational friction of the bearing (to a lesser extent). The conical bearing also helps to absorb any lateral forces applied to the bearing. As is known in the bearing art, the conical bearing is comprised of an inner conical race, an outer conical race, a plurality of cylindrical rollers and a roller cage for maintaining the relationship between the rollers.
There are a myriad of different exercising devices and machines that could benefit from the advantages of the dynamic tensioner of the present invention. Two such exercise devices are described herein. A first exerciser is a simple articulated bar type exercise device wherein a user holds both ends of the bar, and bends the bar about a central rotational resistive bearing, bringing the ends close to one another. The user then pulls the ends of the bar apart, to return the ends to their original position (some of these type devices include spring means to return the bar to its straight configuration). This action is then repeated using various positions to exercise the arms, wrists, shoulders and upper body. The dynamic tensioner of the present invention increases the usefulness of this type device when used as the central bearing. The bar exerciser can be adjusted such that in a first direction (the bar can be bent in either direction) the exerciser exhibits an adjustable rotational resistance, and in the second direction the ratchet allows almost frictionless movement. Handles are provided on the ends of the bar for a firm grip.
A second exercise device using the present invention is in the form of a leg or arm brace. A first cuff is designed to be placed around the upper part of an arm or leg. A second cuff is designed to be placed around the lower part of the arm or leg below the elbow or knee, respectively. The two cuffs are rotatable attached to each other using two hinges, one on each side. A first dynamic tensioner is used as the hinge pin on one of the hinges and a second dynamic tensioner is used as the hinge pin on the other hinge. The dynamic tensioner on one side can be set to provide rotational resistance in a first direction (either bending or straightening the arm or leg), and the dynamic tensioner on the other side can be set to provide rotational resistance in the opposite direction. The adjustment nut or lever faces the outside of the brace for ease in adjustment.
While two examples of exercising equipment have been discussed that use the dynamic tensioner of the present invention, it should be realized that the dynamic tensioner could find application anywhere a direction specific, rotational resistant bearing is desired. The dynamic tensioner can be used individually to provide adjustable, rotational resistance in only one direction, or in pairs to provide adjustable, rotational resistance in both directions.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the invention to provide a dynamic tensioner that exhibits adjustable rotational resistance in a first direction of rotation, and exhibits minimal rotational resistance in the opposite direction of rotation.
It is another object of the invention to provide a dynamic tensioner that exhibits a first adjustable rotational resistance in a first direction of rotation, and exhibits a second adjustable rotational resistance in the opposite direction of rotation.
It is a further object of the invention to provide an exercising bar with a central bearing in the form of a dynamic tensioner that exhibits adjustable rotational resistance in a first direction of bending or straightening the bar, and exhibits minimal rotational resistance in the opposite direction.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide an exercising leg or arm brace with a dynamic tensioner that exhibits a first adjustable rotational resistance in a first direction of rotation, and exhibits a second adjustable rotational resistance in the opposite direction of rotation.
It is an object of the invention to provide improved elements and arrangements thereof in an apparatus 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
Various other objects, features, and attendant advantages of the present invention will become more fully appreciated as the same becomes better understood when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate the same or similar parts throughout the several views, and wherein:
FIG. 1 is an exploded isometric view showing the various components of the dynamic tensioner of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the exercise bar of FIG. 1, showing the various relative positions between the crank arm handle and the ratchet handle.
FIG. 3 is a top plan view of an exercising brace using two of the dynamic tensioners of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
In FIGS. 1 and 2, the dynamic tensioner of the present invention is shown configured for use as the central bearing in an exercising bar 100. The dynamic tensioner includes a conventional ratchet similar to those used in socket sets. For use in the exercise bar 100, the ratchet body 101 includes a handle 102 to provide a firm hand grip at a first end of the exercising bar 100. The second end of the exercise bar 100 is formed by a crank arm 104 that includes a second handle 105 for gripping the exercise bar 100 at the second end. The crank arm 104, ratchet body 101 (including the internal ratchet itself), and the adjustable resistance bearing that connects them, make up the dynamic tensioner of the present invention (keeping in mind that the shape and length of the crank arm and the ratchet body can be configured for use in various applications, the exercise bar 100 having handles at the ends being only one such application).
Ratchet body 101 includes a ratchet head 103 at the end opposite handle 102. Extending from the top of the ratchet head 103 is a threaded shaft 107 (in place of the conventional socket driving shaft normally associated with a ratchet driver). Within the ratchet head 103 is a ratchet assembly as is well known in the ratchet driver art. A selector in the form of a rotating disc 108 is shown mounted on the bottom of the ratchet head 103. Disc 108 can be rotated (as shown by line 122 in FIG. 1) between two positions, in a first position, the ratchet permits free rotation between the shaft 107 and the ratchet head 103 in a first rotational direction and is locked in a second, opposite direction, and when the disc 108 is in the second position, the ratchet permits free rotation in the a second direction and is locked in the first direction. To provide the ability to create equal, adjustable, rotational resistance in both directions, a ratchet having a selector with a central locking position can be used. In the central position, the shaft 107 and ratchet head 103 are locked together. As the ratchet otherwise operates as is well known in the art, no further discussion thereof is deemed necessary.
The adjustable, rotationally resistive bearing of the dynamic tensioner of the present invention is shown in its most complex and strongest embodiment in FIG. 1. All of the components of the simpler embodiments of the bearing are also shown. Shaft 107 has a first bearing 109 (shown here as a conical roller bearing) installed closest to the ratchet head 103. Shaft 107 then extends through a hole 106, that is provided at the end of crank arm 104 opposite handle 105. A second bearing 110 (shown here as a thrust bearing) is then placed on shaft 107. An internally threaded nut 111 is then threaded on shaft 107 to hold the assembly together. In addition to holding the components together, nut 111 is used to adjust the friction exhibited by the bearings by axially loading the bearings when tightened on shaft 107. While nut 111 is shown as a standard hex nut, it may be replaced by a locking lever assembly as found on quick release bicycle wheels. These locking levers can be tightened or loosened on shaft 107, and can then be "locked-down" to a desired holding position and tightness.
The thrust bearing shown in use as the upper bearing 110 in FIG. 1, is used in applications having medium force loads and medium friction requirements. Thrust bearing 110 includes a top plate 112, a bottom plate 113 and a bearing cage 114. Bearing cage 114 has a plurality of radially aligned, cylindrical roller bearings 115 mounted therein. The thrust bearing has a major advantage over simple plate to plate bearings, in that the rollers eliminate the stick-and-slip phenomena as described previously. The materials used to make up the plates 112 and 113, the cage 114 and the roller bearings 115 can be selected to provide the desired friction to axial force characteristics. For example, should relatively low friction be desired, stainless steel components are used. To increase the friction the roller bearings are made of urethane or other elastomeric materials that can be compressed out-of-round to increase the friction exerted by the bearing. Should even greater frictional forces be desired, the cage 114 and the roller bearings 115 can be omitted such that, top plate 112 and bottom plate 113 form a simple two plate bearing.
In extremely heavy duty applications where large lateral forces may be encountered, a conical roller bearing is used as the bottom bearing 109, as shown in FIG. 1. The conical roller bearing 109 includes an inner conical bearing race 116 and an outer conical bearing race 117. A plurality of cylindrical rollers 119 are mounted between the inner conical bearing race 116 and the outer conical bearing race 117. Roller cage 118 holds the roller 119 and maintains the conical configuration of the rollers 119, as is well known in the bearing art. When nut 111 is tightened, the inner 116 and the outer 117 races are forced together, thereby increasing friction exerted by the bearing 109. As with the thrust bearing 110, different materials may be used for the rollers and races to vary the axial force to friction ratio. With some conical bearings, the bottom of the rollers 119 and part of the cage 118, may extend below the outer conical bearing race 117. To avoid having these components rub against the head 103 of the ratchet, a lower guide 120 may be provided with a central recess 121 which the lower portions of the rollers 119 and the cage 118 occupy.
Many different types of bearings may be used as the top 110 and bottom 109 bearings in the dynamic tensioner of the present invention. The only overall requirement of the bearings is that they can be axially loaded to increase rotational friction. In most applications, a simple two plate (shown as 112 and 113 in FIG. 1) bearing is used to minimize the size of the tensioner 100, and to provide a relatively high level of rotational resistance for exercising.
To use the exercise bar 100 in FIG. 1, a user first adjusts nut 111 (or the locking lever described above) to the desired level of resistance. The user then grasps the exercise bar by the handles 102 and 105, with one in each hand. The handles are then rotated about the central bearing, to first bring the handles toward one another, and to then pull them away from each other (shown by line 200 in FIG. 2). This is repeated to exercise the user's hands, wrists, arms and upper body. Due to the ratchet, the rotational resistance is greater in one direction then the other, as described above. This provides a method to target certain muscle groups. For example, should the resistance be greater when bringing the handles together, the pectoral and triceps muscles are primarily exercised and when the resistance is greater pulling the handles apart, the latisimus and biceps are targeted. To reverse the direction of greater resistance, the selector 108 on the ratchet may be switched to the opposite position, or the exercise bar can simply be flipped-over (such that nut 111 is facing downward in FIG. 2 without exchanging the handles from one hand to the other). The flip-over technique may even be used in mid exercise to provide another variation in the exercise routine.
In FIG. 3, an exercising brace 300 for an elbow or knee is shown. A first cuff 301 is placed about a user's upper arm or leg, while a second cuff 302 is placed about the lower portion of the same limb. The cuffs 301 and 302 are rotationally connected to each other by two pairs of rods 303 (one pair on each side) and two dynamic tensioners 304 (one on each side). In prior art braces, the rods 303 are usually connected by a simple pivot pin, such as a rivet. The rods 303 are connected to the cuffs 301 and 302, either by providing a pocket in the cuffs for accepting the rods 303, providing apertures in the rods 303 for sewing the rods 303 to the cuffs, or any suitable method known in the leg and arm brace art. The actual shape of the rods 303 is not of import as long as the ends of the rods not attached to the cuffs are suitably shaped to: 1) act as crank arm 104 (having a hole 106 for mounting on shaft 107); and 2) support the ratchet head 103.
The dynamic tensioners 304 are mounted to the cuffs 301 and 302 such that by flexing their limb, the wearer of the brace 300 rotates the crank arms of the dynamic tensioners in a first direction relative to the ratchet heads of the dynamic tensioners, and by extending their limb the wearer rotates the crank arms in a second opposite direction relative to the ratchet heads. The selectors on the ratchet heads are preferably mounted such that they can easily be moved between positions while the brace 300 is worn. The adjustment nuts or levers are mounted outwardly to allow access to changing the rotational resistance of the bearing.
In use, a person, (either the wearer or a health professional) adjusts the desired resistance for each bearing, and selects the desired rotational resistance direction for each ratchet. Using the arm as an example, should the biceps be targeted, both selectors are set such that rotational resistance is encountered on the flexing stroke. If triceps are to be exercised, the selectors are both set to the opposite position to provide rotational resistance on the extending stroke. Due to the versatility of the present invention, the selectors can further be set in opposite positions to tune the rotational resistance ratio for true physiological sculpting.
There are a myriad of exercising machines, braces and other devices that use rotational resistance in one form or another and can benefit from the versatility of the dynamic tensioner of the present invention. It should be understood that the main thrust of the present invention is to provide a dynamic tensioner that exhibits direction responsive, adjustable, rotational resistance.
It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims.
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A dynamic tensioner that exhibits direction responsive, adjustable, rotational resistance. The tensioner is particularly suited for use in exercise equipment to provide physiological sculpting. A ratcheting mechanism is combined with an adjustable resistance bearing to provide a specific resistance in a first rotational direction, and almost no resistance in the opposite rotational direction, based on the position of a selector switch. Two of the tensioners can be used to provide adjustable resistance in both rotational directions. When two of the tensioners are used, the ratcheting mechanisms can be set to work oppositely to allow adjustable resistance in both directions, or set to work together for increased adjustable resistance in one direction and free movement in the opposite direction. Various embodiments of the adjustable resistance bearing are envisioned. An exercise bar and an exercising leg or arm brace, using the dynamic tensioner of the present invention are also disclosed.
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FIELD OF INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to a heat exchanger for use in an evaporator in a phosphoric acid production system. More specifically, it relates to a metallic heat exchanger comprising a tube of a metallic material, said heat exchanger intended to be used in an evaporator use in a phosphoric acid production be means of the wet method. Furthermore, the present invention relates to the use of a duplex stainless steel in environments containing phosphoric acid.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Phosphoric acid (H 3 PO 4 ) can be produced by two different methods, commonly known as the wet method, in which phosphate ore is used to produce the phosphoric acid, and the thermal or hot method, in which elemental phosphorus is used to produce the phosphoric acid. The majority of the phosphoric acid used today is produced by means of the wet method since it is less costly than the thermal process. The wet method phosphoric acid is for example commonly used in fertilizer production. The thermal phosphoric acid is of a much higher purity and is for example used in the manufacture of high grade chemicals, pharmaceuticals, detergents and food products.
[0003] The wet method comprises reacting diluted sulphuric acid (H 2 SO 4 ) with naturally occurring phosphate rock (generally consisting of calcium phosphate Ca 3 (PO 4 ) 2 ) thereby producing a calcium sulphate slurry and phosphoric acid, which are separated by filtration. The acidic filtrate is recycled to the reactor to concentrate the P 2 O 5 content of the acid produced. The temperature is generally between 70-90° C. Before purification, the produced crude acid is concentrated and clarified. An additional step in which precipitates of sulphate arsenic and fluorosilicates are removed is often included prior to purification.
[0004] The corrosiveness of phosphoric acid during wet-process concentration is quite complex and is dependent on several influencing factors. The factor, which has the most significant impact, is the presence of impurities. For example, at a given concentration, the presence of fluorides, chlorides and dilute sulfuric acid in the process will increase the corrosivity of the acid.
[0005] Pure phosphoric acid is less corrosive than both sulfuric acid and hydrochloric acid. Thus, standard stainless steels, such as AISI 316L and 317L, are sufficient materials for construction equipment when the material is in contact with pure phosphoric acid. However, the wet method phosphoric acid invariably contains impurities, which are derived from the phosphate rock from which the acid is produced. The concentration of fluoride and chloride during the wet method varies greatly from plant to plant depending on the origin of the phosphate rock, i.e. the composition of the phosphate rock. The acid also contains other ions, such as Fe 3+ , which affect the corrosion properties. Fe 3+ strongly contributes to the oxidizing potential of the acid and when present in sufficient amounts it therefore reduces corrosion of a stainless steel by facilitating the formation of a passive film on the steel surface. Thus, the process media is very complex and individual. This should be taken into consideration when selecting material for a tube of the heat exchanger in the evaporator since the tube will be in direct contact with the process media.
[0006] Moreover, the temperature can vary in the process and it is required to use the heat exchangers in the evaporator at high temperatures in order to increase the efficiency of the process. This also puts high demands on corrosion resistance of a material in contact with the process media.
[0007] Historically, the most widely used material for heat exchanger tubes to be used in the wet method has been graphite. However, the mechanical weakness and brittleness of graphite is a major drawback which often resulted in repeated problems with broken tubes and thereby loss of production. With the development of improved high-alloyed materials, metallic construction of heat exchangers has become more common and a preferred solution during the last decade.
[0008] The most widely used metallic material for evaporator tubes in the manufacture of phosphoric acid by the wet method today is an austenitic stainless steel with the following composition in percent by weight:
[0000]
C
max 0.02
Si
max 0.7
Mn
max 2
Cr
26-28
Mo
3-4
Ni
30-32
Cu
0.7-1.5
N
max 0.1
[0009] balance Fe and normally occurring impurities.
[0010] This austenitic stainless steel is known under the standard UNS N08028. UNS N08028 generally performs very well as material for evaporation tubes. However, if the life time of a tube of a heat exchanger in the evaporator could be even longer, there would be less production loss due to shut downs for changing pipes.
[0011] Moreover, a duplex stainless steel known under standard UNS S32520 is used for construction of phosphoric acid storage tanks in phosphoric acid production plants. This duplex stainless steel has the following composition in percent by weight:
[0000]
C
max 0.030
Si
max 0.80
Mn
max 1.5
Cr
23-25
Mo
3-5
Ni
5.5-8
Cu
0.5-3.0
N
0.20-0.35
[0012] balance Fe and normally occurring impurities.
[0013] UNS S32520 has also been proposed for construction of vessels, piping, fittings and other proprietary devices in phosphoric acid production plants since it is considered to have good corrosion resistance in phosphoric acid production plant environments. To the best of the applicant's knowledge, this material has not yet been proposed as alternative material for heat exchangers but would probably be sufficient since it can be used in other parts of the plants which are exposed to similar conditions. However, a metallic material with even better corrosion resistance in the environment would probably reduce the number of shut downs for changing pipes and consequently improve production of a phosphoric acid production plant.
[0014] Furthermore, a nickel based material known under the name Hastelloy® G-30 has been proposed for phosphoric acid environments. This nickel based alloy comprises approximately max 0.03% C, max 0.8% Si, max 1.5% Mn, 29.5% Cr, max 5% Co, 5% Mo, 3% W, 15% Fe, 1.7% Cu and 0.9% Nb+Ti. The corrosion resistance of this material is very good in the phosphoric acid environment, but G-30 is very expensive as a result of the composition and is therefore not considered as a cost-effective material for use as heat exchanger material in a phosphoric acid production plant.
[0015] The object of the invention is therefore to, to a reasonable cost, improve life time of a heat exchanger for evaporation systems in phosphoric acid production systems using the wet method.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
[0016] The above identified object is accomplished by utilizing a duplex stainless steel with the following composition in percent by weight:
[0000]
C
max 0.03
Si
max 0.5
Mn
max 3
Cr
26-29
Ni
4.9-10
Mo
3-5
N
0.35-0.5
B
max 0.0030
Co
max 3.5
W
max 3
Cu
max 2
Ru
max 0.3
[0017] Balance Fe and Normal Occurring Impurities
[0000] as the tube material for the heat exchanger in the evaporator.
[0018] Impurities in the duplex stainless steel may result from the raw material used for production of the steel and/or be present in the steel as a result of the production method used. Examples of impurities are S, Al and Ca.
[0019] The duplex stainless steel used in accordance with the present invention has proven to have an increased corrosion resistance to environments containing phosphoric acid compared to the commonly used austenitic stainless steel UNS N08028. It is also believed that it has better corrosion resistance to the environment than UNS S32520.
[0020] It has further been established that the duplex stainless steel according to the invention performs very well at temperatures at least up to 110° C. in the intended environment. Since corrosion resistance is the most critical parameter for a tube to be used in the heat exchanger, the life time of the heat exchanger is prolonged by utilizing this duplex stainless steel.
[0021] The use of the duplex stainless steel is especially advantageous in phosphoric acid production systems using the wet method and wherein the process solution contains 30-80% H 3 PO 4 , up to 2000 ppm Cl − and up to 2% F − .
[0022] Even though the object of the present invention is related to heat exchangers to be used in the evaporation during manufacturing of phosphoric acid, it is reasonable to believe that the duplex stainless steel identified above is also suitable for use in other applications subjected to environments containing phosphoric acid. Examples of such applications may for example be any application wherein phosphoric acid produced by means of the wet method is used to produce a final product as long as the duplex stainless steel described above also is suitable for use in the environment of the other components used to produce the final product and under the process conditions, such as temperature and pressure, required for the production of the final product. The duplex stainless steel is considered suitable as material at least for vessels, piping, fittings and proprietary devices in phosphoric acid production plants. The duplex stainless steel may also be used as construction material in fertilizer production plants for parts in contact with phosphoric acid containing media.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0023] FIG. 1 shows the result of a corrosion test in phosphoric acid with three different concentrations.
[0024] FIG. 2 shows the iso-corrosion curve for 0.1 mm/year of the duplex stainless steel used according to the invention.
[0025] FIG. 3 shows the temperature dependence on the corrosion rate of the duplex stainless steel used according to the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0026] The duplex stainless steel used according to the present invention has the following composition in percent by weight:
[0000]
C
max 0.03
Si
max 0.5
Mn
max 3
Cr
26-29
Ni
4.9-10
Mo
3-5
N
0.35-0.5
B
max 0.0030
Co
max 3.5
W
max 3
Cu
max 2
Ru
max 0.3
[0027] balance Fe and normal occurring impurities
[0028] The effect of the different alloying elements has been described in detail in US2003/086808 A1 and will therefore not be discussed further here.
[0029] The duplex stainless steel has a ferrite content of 40-65%. Furthermore, it has a well balanced composition such that both the ferrite and the austenite phase have high corrosion resistance as a result of the alloying elements being well distributed between the two phases. The PREW value of the alloy is at least 45, wherein PREW is [wt-% Cr]+3.3([wt-% Mo]+0.5[wt-% W])+16[wt-% N]. Preferably, the PREW value of each phase, i.e. ferrite and austenite, is at least 45. More preferably, the relationship [PREW austenite ]/[PRE ferrite ] is 0.9-1.15. The PRE value of the “weakest” phase (i.e. the one with the lowest PRE value and thereby the lowest corrosion resistance) will always limit the corrosion resistance of the alloy as a whole. Furthermore, the other phase will have an unnecessary high content of the alloying elements beneficial for the corrosion resistance, which in turn leads to a higher risk of deteriorated structure stability in the “stronger” phase. With a balanced PRE, an optimum of both the corrosion resistance and the structure stability is accomplished.
[0030] According to one preferred embodiment, the duplex stainless steel comprises max 1.2% Cu. According to another preferred embodiment, the duplex stainless steel comprises 0.5-3.5% Co. According to yet another preferred embodiment the duplex stainless steel comprises 26.5-28% Cr.
[0031] The proof strength and tensile strength, when in the form of a solution annealed seamless tube, of the duplex stainless steel used according to the present invention is listed in Table 1. These figures can for example be compared to UNS N08028 which has a minimum tensile strength at 100° C. of 510 MPa when in the form of a seamless tube. Clearly the mechanical strength of the duplex stainless steel used according to the present invention is much higher than the conventionally used UNS N08028.
[0000]
TABLE 1
Temperature
Proof strength R p0,2
Tensile strength R m
[° C.]
[MPa]
[MPa]
50
min. 645
min. 900
100
min. 600
min. 850
150
min. 560
min. 840
[0032] According to a preferred embodiment, the duplex stainless steel has the following nominal composition in percent by weight:
[0000]
C
max 0.03
Si
0.3
Mn
1
P
max 0.035
S
max 0.01
Cr
27
Ni
6.5
Mo
4.8
Co
1
N
0.4
[0033] balance Fe and normally occurring impurities.
Example 1
[0034] Test samples in the form of tube-halves were produced from steels with the following composition in percent by weight:
[0000]
C
0.013
Si
0.37
Mn
0.89
P
0.015
S
0.0005
Cr
26.45
Ni
6.45
Mo
4.77
Co
0.97
N
0.40
[0035] balance Fe and normally occurring impurities.
[0036] General corrosion, according to ASTM G 31-72 rev 2004, was performed at 100° C. in commercial phosphoric acid of two concentrations and 70% synthetic H 3 PO 4 with 4% H 2 SO 4 and 0.45% Fe 3+ . The compositions of the different phosphoric acids are listed in Table 1.
[0000]
TABLE 1
The concentrations of the test solutions
P 2 O 5
H 3 PO 4
Cl −
F −
Test solution
(w-%)
(w-%)
(ppm)
(w-%)
“Strong” commercial H 3 PO 4
54
~75
~460
0.32
“Weak” commercial H 3 PO 4
39
~54
~1700
1.8
Synthetic H 3 PO 4
~50
70
600
0.7
[0037] All corrosion tests were performed using double samples. The result is shown in Table 2 and illustrated in FIG. 1 wherein the mean value of the result of the two samples is shown. It is clear that the duplex stainless steel has a lower corrosion rate than UNS N08028 in all of the tested phosphoric acid concentrations.
[0000]
TABLE 2
Corrosion rate (mm/year)
Duplex stainless
steel according
Test solution
UNS N08028
to the invention
“Strong” commercial H 3 PO 4
0.057/0.054
0.051/0.054
“Weak” commercial H 3 PO 4
0.072/0.069
0.053/0.053
Synthetic H 3 PO 4
0.060/0.061
0.039/0.046
Example 2
[0038] Test samples in the form of tube halves were produced of an alloy with the following composition in percent by weight:
[0000]
C
0.014
Si
0.26
Mn
1.00
P
0.011
S
<0.0005
Cr
26.68
Ni
6.40
Mo
4.72
Co
0.95
N
0.38
[0039] balance Fe and normally occurring impurities.
[0040] Furthermore, test samples of the alloy UNS N08028 in the form of tube halves were produced for comparison.
[0041] General corrosion testing according to ASTM G 31-72 rev 2004, was performed at 100° C. in synthetic phosphoric acid with the following composition:
[0000]
H 3 PO 4
70%
H 2 SO 4
4%
Fe 3+
0.45%
Cl −
300-1200 ppm
F −
0.1-1.2%
[0042] The result in mm/year is shown in Table 3 wherein every value is a mean value of two samples. The iso-corrosion curve for 0.1 mm/year is shown in FIG. 2 .
[0043] It is clear from the results that the duplex stainless steel according to the present invention has a good resistance to phosphoric acid in different chloride and fluoride concentrations.
[0000]
TABLE 3
F − (%)
0.1
0.3
0.5
0.7
0.8
0.9
1.0
1.2
Cl −
300
0.088
(ppm)
500
0.058
0.077
0.086
0.084
0.089
0.061
700
0.100
0.085
0.330
800
0.080
0.074
0.209
0.063
1000
0.070
0.079
0.082
0.077
0.140
1200
0.077
0.080
0.261
0.075
0.277
0.076
Example 3
[0044] Test samples in the form of tube halves were produced of an alloy with the following composition:
[0000]
C
0.015
Si
0.29
Mn
0.95
P
0.012
S
0.0006
Cr
26.62
Ni
6.42
Mo
4.73
Co
0.98
N
0.38
[0045] balance Fe and normally occurring impurities.
[0046] General corrosion testing, according to ASTM G 31-72 rev 2004, was performed in 70% H 3 PO 4 , 4% H 2 SO 4 , 0.45% Fe 3+ at different concentrations of Cl − and F at 100° C. to verify the iso-corrosion curve seen in FIG. 2 in the previous example. The different concentrations of Cl − and F, as well as the result of the tests are shown in Table 4. The results correspond very well to the iso-corrosion curve in FIG. 2 .
[0000]
TABLE 4
Cl − (ppm)
500
600
700
750
800
900
1000
1100
1200
F − (%)
1.2
1
0.6
0.7
0.7
0.7
0.7
0.7
0.7
Average corrosion
0.09
0.08
0.08
0.08
0.08
0.08
0.08
0.08
0.08
(mm/year)
Example 4
[0047] Test samples in the form of tube halves were produced of an alloy with the following composition:
[0000]
C
0.015
Si
0.29
Mn
0.95
P
0.012
S
0.0006
Cr
26.62
Ni
6.42
Mo
4.73
Co
0.98
N
0.38
[0048] balance Fe and normally occurring impurities.
[0049] Furthermore, test samples of the alloy UNS N08028 in the form of tube halves were tested for comparison.
[0050] General corrosion test, according to ASTM G 31-72 rev 2004 at 100° C., was performed in commercial phosphoric acid with the concentration 39% H 3 PO 4 and approximately 1380 ppm Cr. The concentration of F was not analyzed in this case. The results are summarized in Table 5.
[0000]
TABLE 5
Corrosion rate
Duplex stainless steel according
0.025 mm/year
to the invention
UNS N08028
0.028 mm/year
Example 5
[0051] The temperature dependence of the general corrosion in synthetic phosphoric acid was investigated in the temperature range 80-110° C. The acid had the following composition:
[0000]
H 3 PO 4
70%
H 2 SO 4
4%
Fe 3+
0.45%
Cl −
500 ppm
F −
0.5%
[0052] Test samples in the form of tube-halves were produced from steels with the following composition in percent by weight:
[0000]
C
0.013
Si
0.37
Mn
0.89
P
0.015
S
0.0005
Cr
26.45
Ni
6.45
Mo
4.77
Co
0.97
N
0.40
[0053] balance Fe and normally occurring impurities.
[0054] The results are listed in Table 6 and illustrated in FIG. 3 . It is clear that the corrosion rate increases with increased temperature, especially over 100° C. However, the corrosion rates up to at least the tested 110° C. are not detrimental.
[0000]
TABLE 6
Temp (° C.)
80
90
100
100
105
110
Average corrosion
0.02
0.05
0.08
0.23
0.55
0.55
rate (mm/year)
Example 6
[0055] Joining of the duplex stainless steel used according to the present invention to the conventionally used austenitic stainless steel UNS N08028 was tested in order to establish if it is possible to join the two materials without losing corrosion resistance in the weld. This was done to verify that UNS N08028 could be used as wall material in the heat exchanger with the duplex material as tube material, in the case such a solution would be desirable.
[0056] Tubes in the dimensions 19.05×1.65 mm were used. Girth welds were made using conventional TIG welding. General corrosion test, according to ASTM G 31-72 rev 2004 at 100° C., in synthetic phosphoric acid was performed. The composition of the acid is listed in Table 7. The corrosion rate was low and comparable to the corrosion rate of UNS N08028. It is therefore clear that the duplex stainless steel used according to the present invention can easily be joined with the commonly used UNS N08028.
[0000]
TABLE 7
H 3 PO 4
70%
H 2 SO 4
4%
Fe 3+
0.45%
Cl −
500 ppm
F −
0.5%
Example 7
[0057] A previous corrosion test has shown that UNS N08028 has better corrosion resistance than the duplex stainless steel UNS S32520. Hence, it is considered that the steel used according to the present invention is also better than UNS S32520 since it has been established above that the duplex stainless steel according to the invention has better corrosion resistance than UNS N08028. Hence, the life time of a heat exchanger tube in accordance with the present invention would be longer than the life time of a possible heat exchanger tube of UNS S32520.
[0058] The test was performed on samples taken from TIG-welded material. The tested compositions of UNS S32520 and UNS N08028 are shown in Table 8. UNS S32520 was welded using argon with 2% N 2 as shielding gas and with the filler material 25 9 4 N L (according to standard EN ISO 14343), whereas UNS N08028 was welded using essentially pure argon as shielding gas and with the filler material 27 31 4 Cu L (according to standard EN ISO 14343).
[0000]
TABLE 8
UNS S32520
UNS N08028
C
0.015
0.009
Si
not analyzed
0.48
Mn
1.030
1.77
P
not analyzed
0.011
S
0.0003
not analyzed
Cr
25.05
26.07
Ni
6.48
30.38
Mo
3.67
3.21
Cu
1.68
0.93
N
0.244
0.055
Fe
Bal.
Bal.
[0059] The general corrosion test, according to ASTM G 31-72 rev 2004, was performed at a temperature of 90° C. using a duration of 1+3+3 days. The phosphoric acid used had the following composition:
[0000]
H 3 PO 4
~58%
P 2 O 5
~42%
Cl −
620 ppm
F −
1.8%
[0060] The result showed that UNS N08028 had a mean corrosion rate of 0.0626 mm/year and UNS S32520 had a mean corrosion rate of 0.0730 mm/year. From this test it is clear that UNS S32520 corrodes much faster than UNS N08028 and thus has a shorter service life in phosphoric acid environments containing impurities.
|
The present disclosure relates to the use of a duplex stainless steel as heat exchanger material in a phosphoric acid production system using the wet method. The steel has the following composition in percent by weight: C max 0.03 Si max 0.5 Mn max 3 Cr 26-29 Ni 4.9-10 Mo 3-5 N 0.35-0.5 B max 0.0030 Co max 3.5 W max 3 Cu max 2 Ru max 0.3 balance Fe and normal occurring impurities.
| 5
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RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] Priority benefit is claimed from U.S. Provisional Pat. App. No. 61/304,405, filed 13 Feb. 2010. Another related application is U.S. Provisional Pat. App. No. 61/147,733 filed 27 Jan. 2009.
FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
[0002] None
APPENDICES
[0003] None
BACKGROUND
[0004] Relevant fields include electric-powered surfboards and electric-powered versions of other watercraft for which light weight, balance, and hydrodynamic shape are critical factors in performance.
[0005] Internal-combustion-powered motorized surfboards have been built at least as far back as 1950, as a “self-propelled surfboard” appeared on the cover of the April 1950 issue of Mechanix Illustrated. This device used a 7.5 hp outboard engine in a large front-mounted engine housing and was not used for conventional wave surfing but rather for an alternative, high-speed jet-ski-like experience. Edward Dawson patented a powered board propelled by a rear-mounted gasoline engine in August 1969 (U.S. Pat. No. 3,463,116) which attempted to reduce the size and visual impact of the engine compartment. Another gasoline powered surfboard, with an engine mounted entirely inside the body of the surfboard, was produced during the late 1960s, with related U.S. Pat. No. 3,262,413 issuing to Douglas, Bloomingdale et al. in July 1966. This was an aluminum-hull surfboard containing a chainsaw-type engine entirely contained in an internal compartment, using water-jet propulsion and foot-operated controls. In appearance it was much closer to conventional surfboards and it could be ridden in a standing position.
[0006] All of these gasoline-powered boards shared similar drawbacks: noise, smoke, weight, expense, danger to operators and environment posed by potential fuel leaks, and appearance and performance characteristics unlike those which surfers expected from conventional boards. Since the 1960s combustion-driven powered boards have continued to evolve into high-power, high-speed devices more akin to jet skis than to conventional surfboards in usage and intent. Though some were originally intended to mitigate the need for strenuous paddling to reach surf and catch waves, they never enjoyed widespread popularity or notable commercial success.
[0007] In August 1968 a newspaper article in the Worthington Daily Globe briefly described a battery-powered surfboard designed by a Fleischer Manufacturing Company of Salt Lake City using an electric propulsion motor custom-designed by George Wasko. Assembly of these motors and boards was said to be in progress A. F. Scheppmann and Son Manufacturing Co. of Okabena, Minn. and at Windom Manufacturing Co. The photograph published with the story appears to show an Okabena resident riding some sort of powered board on a lake, holding a wire presumably to control it. Other than this newspaper article, information about this product appears to be lacking in published sources. It was likely propeller-driven, rather than water-jet-driven, since the article refers to “tiny motors and propellers” (emphasis added). The absence of subsequent published information implies that this particular invention failed commercially, if indeed it ever came to market.
[0008] Further variants of electric-powered surfboards have also been conceived. Namanny (Pat. App. Pub. No. US20030167991, now abandoned) discloses a small electric-powered propeller unit mounted on a surfboard fin. Rum et al. (Pat. App. Pub. No. US20080168937, now abandoned, and previously issued U.S. Pat. No. 7,207,282) disclose a “propeller-driven surfing device” with an electric motor and power supply. Railey (Pat. App. Pub. No. US20080045096, and previously issued U.S. Pat. No. 7,226,329) discloses a surfboard with dual internal electric motors and impellers. Chang (U.S. Pat. No. 5,017,166) describes a DC-motor-powered board with a large rear propeller and foot-operated control. Jung (U.S. Pat. No. 6,702,634) powers a board with an electric motor controlled by switches on a steering column, driving a helical propeller and including a retractable “brake.” Efthymiou (U.S. Pat. No. 6,142,840) designed a board with a specialized shape and fin structure, dual water-jet pumps with angled intakes, and a wired handgrip control. Austin (U.S. Pat. No. 6,409,560) housed a motor in a box attached to the bottom of the board, with an external propeller and controls on a steering column.
[0009] As of this writing, none of these designs are in widespread use. Either the experience of riding them is not really “like” surfing, or the production cost renders them unaffordable for most surfers, or protruding parts create excessive drag, break easily, collect seaweed and other flotsam, or complicate transport. A motorized board that maneuvers like a traditional board, stands up to the physical punishment of heavy surf and frequent transport, takes advantage of the nuanced throttle control available with electric motors, is powerful enough to Obviate (or operate as) a tow craft at “tow-in” locations, with a long-lasting battery that can be swapped out in wet conditions and easily recharged, could be welcomed by the sporting-goods industry, particularly if the production costs are reduced enough to facilitate widely affordable prices.
SUMMARY
[0010] An electric-powered water-jet propulsion system with wireless operator control facilitates safe, practical, effective, commercially viable motorization of surfboards and other small, balance-sensitive watercraft
[0011] Prior batteries typically encountered one or more obstacles to effective use in motorizing small balance-critical watercraft: They added excessive weight or drag-generating interruptions of hull surfaces, their capacity was insufficient for prolonged use, recharging was inconvenient, and replacement could not be done in the presence of water. The solution described here is a wet-swappable, high-power-density, high capacity, conveniently rechargeable battery pack with acceptable weight for even the shorter variety of surfboard.
[0012] Prior electric propulsion systems were subject to insufficient power, inefficient use of stored power, excessive weight, overheating, and the starting difficulties caused by trapped air around the impeller. Here, a compact internal water jet pump unit of acceptable weight includes an integrated high-performance electric motor efficiently cooled by the surrounding water jet flow and prompt passive venting of any trapped air whenever the watercraft enters the water.
[0013] Prior propulsion-control systems were overly fragile (on wires or stalks) or they required the operator to look down or change position (e.g. bringing the hands together), potentially compromising the balance of the operator and watercraft. Here, a wearable wireless controller is operable by small movements of the fingers or thumb of one hand without looking, freeing the operator to take any necessary or desired bodily position. The controller drives a compact control unit integrated in the body of the watercraft, including a wireless receiver and programmable control logic circuitry to take full advantage of the nuanced throttle control made possible by an electric motor. For instance, a software-controlled “soft” motor power-down prevents sudden unbalancing stops.
[0014] High cost and a “look and feel” significantly different from the esteemed traditional unpowered versions of the watercraft have hindered commercialization of prior systems. Here, all on-board power supply, propulsion, and electronics control components are installed within the board or hull, under covers faired into the watercraft's normal contours. Cost is controlled by using installation methods already established for traditional versions of the watercraft. For example, a commercial surfing longboard, (either a hard-shelled board or a soft-surface “foamie”) may be modified with electric water-jet propulsion using the same family of techniques already employed by surfers and board-builders to add fins in desired locations.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0015] FIG. 1A is a cross section of the assembled jet pump casing showing the motor and impeller installed inside the casing.
[0016] FIG. 1B is an exploded view showing the integrated jet pump assembly with its associated jet pump shroud and cover plate.
[0017] FIG. 2 is an exploded view of a preferred embodiment of the wet-swappable battery pack.
[0018] FIG. 3 is an exploded view of a preferred embodiment of the battery pack receptacle with the assembled battery pack positioned for insertion into the receptacle.
[0019] FIG. 4A shows the electronic control unit (EGO cover plate and electronic components.
[0020] FIG. 4B is an exploded view of the ECU box.
[0021] FIG. 5 is a schematic exploded cross-section showing cavities and channels in the board body with installed tin-box-type liners and the corresponding power components ready for insertion.
[0022] FIG. 6 illustrates a preferred embodiment of a hand-operated wireless controller.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0023] A surfboard is possibly the smallest, lightest, and most balance-critical of the group of similar watercraft (canoes, kayaks, pirogues, windsurfers, etc.) Surfing is also probably the most demanding of “start and stop” motorization and nuanced throttle control; a surfer may turn on the motor to get through the zone of breaking and cresting waves, use fine throttle control to catch a wave, then turn off the motor while riding the wave. Air can be trapped near the motor not only in the transition from beach to water, but also when the surfer “catches air” going over a swell. Surfboards are routinely flung onto sand or rocks, so durability is a must. A surfer's whole body is engaged in balancing and maneuvering the board; if control of the motor requires looking down, reaching for something, or even bringing a hand to the body or both hands together could destabilize the board and cause a “wipeout.” The examples below are drawn to surfboards as a most-demanding-case, but minor modifications for other similar watercraft are within the scope of this invention.
[0024] The terms “fore” and “forward” are used to refer to positions relatively in the direction of the nose or bow (toward the direction of normal forward motion). The terms “rear” and “aft” are used to refer to positions relatively in the direction of the tail or stern (opposite to the direction of normal forward motion).
[0025] The components that combine to advance the art of motorized surfboards and similar watercraft include:
[0026] 1. An integrated water jet pump assembly comprising a cylindrical electric motor, a rotor/impeller attached to the motor shaft, a stator with hydrodynamic flow-control vanes and integrated front motor mount, a motor tube with optimal clearance for the propulsion water jet to efficiently cool the motor, an exit cone section with streamlined radial vanes, integrated rear motor mount, and wiring conduits built into the vanes, and an outlet nozzle optimized to shape the water jet for efficient propulsion;
[0027] 2. A jet-pump shroud containing the water jet pump assembly with a streamlined water-intake conduit forward of the impeller, a water outlet aft of the nozzle, a perimeter flange for fin-box-type installation, wiring ports, locating features for easy assembly, a vent hole on top to vent trapped air, and an interior shape that encourages bubbles toward the vent hole, and a cover plate contiguous with the bottom of the surfboard and perforated to allow adequate water intake white excluding seaweed and other debris;
[0028] 3. A wet-swappable battery pack comprising along-lasting powerful battery cell or array of cells potted into a waterproof case, a pair of female power connectors recessed in the bottom of the case and sealed to prevent water from forming a conducting path between them, a sealed lid, integrated locking features that secure the pack in the board but are easily hand-released to swap batteries, and asymmetric features to prevent incorrect insertion;
[0029] 4. A battery pack receptacle with latching features to securely hold the battery until an operator activates the hand-release apparatus, a pair of male power connectors that mate with the female connectors on the battery pack, and a perimeter flange for fin-box-type installation;
[0030] 5. An electronic control unit (ECU) assembly comprising a wireless receiver, a motor controller, a microprocessor with programmable instruction storage, a mounting tray to anchor connectors, a tube to align and protect the receiver antenna, a waterproof ECU box with a perimeter flange for fin-box-type installation, and a sealed bottom cover designed to conduct waste heat away from the ECU and into the surrounding water;
[0031] 6. A surfboard body of a conventional size and shape, modified with cavities on the fore-aft centerline for the battery pack (on top for easy swapping), the ECU box and the jet-pump shroud (on the bottom for conductive cooling and water intake, respectively) recessed so that, when the motorized board is fully assembled, the covers and the top surface of the battery are substantially flush with the surrounding board surface, placed to minimize the disturbance of the balance and center of gravity; further modified with wiring channels for the necessary connections and an air-vent tube leading from the air-vent hole in the pump shroud to the top surface of the board;
[0032] 7. A wearable wireless controller with a trigger switch on the operator's hand operable by the thumb or fingers of the same hand without disturbing operator balance or concentration, an associated lightweight battery and wireless transmitter mounted nearby but out of the way (e.g., on the operator's forearm), configured for safety to run the motor only while the operator actively holds the switch in an “on” position;
[0033] In FIG. 1A , a waterproof electric motor 101 (in this embodiment, a brushless DC electric motor of “inrunner” design) is installed in a sectional jet-pump casing forming integrated jet-pump assembly 100 . The rotating shaft of motor 101 passes through forward motor mount 126 and multi-bladed impeller 102 (in this embodiment, a modified commercially available marine impeller) is attached to the end of the shaft. The impeller is thus positioned within stator section 121 forward of stator vanes 125 , which redirect the water flow from the impeller. Motor 101 is secured in forward motor mount 126 by a balanced circular array of mounting fasteners (not shown). The cylindrical body of motor 101 extends rearward axially inside motor tube 122 , with sufficient clearance between the outer casing of motor 101 and the inner wall of motor tube 122 to facilitate efficient conductive cooling of motor 101 by the water jet passing around it. The rear end of motor 101 preferably fits snugly inside the open forward end of exit cone 127 , obviating the need for more mounting fasteners. Motor power leads 113 conduct current from the electronic control unit (ECU, see FIGS. 4A , 4 B) to motor 101 via power lead passages 128 contained in exit cone vanes 134 .
[0034] FIG. 1B is an exploded view showing the integrated jet pump assembly 100 with its associated jet pump shroud 107 and cover plate 105 . Jet pump shroud 107 is an elongated, tapering, arched casing made of ABS (or some other suitable waterproof, substantially rigid material) to completely contain jet pump assembly 100 . A streamlined forward portion forms an optimal water intake conduit just forward of impeller 102 (hidden by the intake casing in FIG. 1B ). Jet pump shroud 107 is permanently installed into a conforming cavity in the lower rear surface of a surfboard body so that the outer perimeter of the attached jet pump shroud flange 109 is flush with the outer skin of the surfboard. The inner perimeter of jet pump shroud flange 109 is slightly recessed just sufficiently to accommodate the thickness of jet pump cover plate 105 , which when installed is also substantially flush with the outer surface of the surfboard, minimizing added drag and substantially maintaining the normal contours of the surfboard. In this embodiment, cover plate 105 is made of anodized aluminum, but it could also be made of other sturdy rigid plastic, metal or composite material.
[0035] Jet pump shroud 107 also incorporates at least one air vent hole 112 located near the apex of the arched portion of the shroud. Internal jet-pump conduits in water-jet propulsion systems tend to trap air inside when first submerged. This trapped air can fully or partially surround the jet-pump impeller. When the jet pump is activated with air around the impeller, the impeller cannot create enough suction force to draw enough water into the intake to “prime” the pump. Air vent hole 112 allows such trapped air to quickly escape when the surfboard is first placed in the water or returns to the water after “catching air.” When the surfboard is in normal use, the apex of the shroud is its highest point Air bubbles in water naturally tend to rise. The smooth interior tapers and curves of the shroud guide rising bubbles toward the apex, expediting the venting of trapped air through air vent hole 112 . From air vent hole 112 , the air passes into an air vent tube ( 508 in FIG. 5 ) which leads upward through the body of the surfboard to an escape port in the board's top surface. Thus, any air bubbles in the jet-pump cavity escape harmlessly into the ambient air rather than remaining trapped in shroud 107 to interfere with the next attempt to start the motor.
[0036] Cover plate 105 incorporates an anti-fouling grate 114 , comprising an array of water intake holes, slots or other openings in the forward portion of cover plate 105 of sufficient size to allow adequate intake of water through the openings into the forward intake portion of the enclosed integrated jet-pump assembly 100 when the motor is activated, but not large enough to admit substantial pieces of potentially pump-fouling material such as seaweed or other foreign material commonly found in surf zones.
[0037] To install the integrated jet-pump assembly 100 into the installed jet-pump shroud 107 , motor power leads 113 , which enter shroud 107 through motor power lead port 115 , are inserted through power lead passages 128 in exit cone vanes 134 , and mated to with motor power connectors in the rear motor end bell. Slack wire of motor power leads 113 is partially wrapped around the outer circumference of exit cone section 123 as necessary to avoid mechanical interference from leads 113 when integrated jet-pump assembly 100 is being installed into shroud 107 . Next integrated jet-pump assembly 100 is placed into jet-pump shroud 107 , where detents 108 or other locating features ensure correct and secure placement. Subsequently, cover plate 105 is secured to casing elements of integrated jet-pump assembly 100 with bolts or other suitable fasteners. Finally, the perimeter of cover plate 105 is secured to shroud flange 109 , for example with bolts through perimeter holes into threaded holes or inserts in shroud flange 109 .
[0038] FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the wet-swappable battery pack that supplies power to the motor. A waterproof open-topped battery pack case 202 , made of ABS plastic or other suitable rigid material, contains an array of parallel-connected groups of cells (not shown). Preferably, each group comprises several cells connected in series, and each parallel-connected group contains the same number and type of cells. Commercial lithium-ion nanoparticle-type cells have been shown to perform satisfactorily. The void space in the case is substantially filled with a suitable commercial waterproof potting compound (such as flexible urethane casting compound, or epoxy) encasing the cells and associated contacts and connections to protect them from moisture. Two electrical power terminals (“female bullet leads”) 204 connected to the array of cells are integrally recessed into the outer rear bottom surface of the case 202 . Each recessed female terminal 204 has a waterproof seal, such as an O-ring, within its recess to isolate the terminals and prevent inter-terminal electrolysis in wet environments.
[0039] The bottom surface structure of lid 207 encloses two protruding spring-loaded locking pins 208 , one protruding at each end of lid 207 . Spring-loading in this embodiment is accomplished by a suitable spring steel wire arc or bow in the structure of each locking pin 208 . This steel bow seats against structure in the bottom surface of lid 207 , resisting retraction of locking pins 208 and exerting force to keep locking pins 208 extended outside lid 207 .
[0040] Strap 209 is a thin flexible fiat band made preferably of a durable fabric that can tolerate extended salt water immersion and sun exposure. Each end of strap 209 is attached to one of the locking pins 208 so that the spring tension of locking pins 208 draws strap 209 substantially into a shallow recessed strap detent 210 in the upper surface of lid 207 . Strap 209 normally lies in detent 210 substantially flush with the upper surface of lid 207 , so it does not become snagged on passing objects or the operator's feet. However, when the operator grasps strap 209 and pulls firmly, the resulting tension retracts spring-loaded locking pins 208 to unlatch the battery pack from its receptacle (see FIG. 3 ).
[0041] Lid 207 also incorporates one or more small indicator holes 211 through its upper surface to allow for the visibility of one or more suitable visual indicators such as LED indicators) to visually indicate battery charge level, temperature, trouble status or other information to the operator above. When the battery pack is assembled, lid 207 preferably forms a waterproof seal with battery pack case 202 . In the illustrated embodiment, the seal is created by compressing elastomeric gasket 206 in the process of tightening down lid 207 .
[0042] FIG. 3 is an exploded view of a preferred embodiment of the battery pack receptacle with battery pack 200 ready for insertion. A flanged open-top waterproof box 301 , made of ABS plastic or other suitable material, of shape and internal dimensions to create a running slip-fit with the swappable battery pack, is permanently installed into a conforming cavity cut in the upper central surface of a commercial surfboard body, so that the outer perimeter of integrated flange 302 which surrounds the top edges of box 301 is substantially flush with the outer skin of the surfboard. Positive and negative upwardly-protruding electrical power terminals (“male bullet leads”) 303 are installed in the inner bottom surface of the box 301 , for contact-connection to the female terminals 204 in the outer bottom surface of the battery pack case 202 . Battery power leads 306 are connected to male terminals 303 where they penetrate the underside of the box 301 , Power leads 306 then run through holes drilled (or channels cut and filled) in the surfboard body, to connect to the electronic control unit (ECU).
[0043] Integrated flange 302 incorporates locking pin receiver recesses 304 at forward and rear positions, capped by locking pin receiver plates 305 that are secured by receiver plate screws 307 . Recesses 304 and receiver plates 305 form receivers for spring-loaded battery pack locking pins 208 . When the assembled battery pack 200 is inserted into the assembled battery pack receptacle with corresponding male and female terminals 303 and 204 fully connected, spring-loaded looking pins 208 , extend into the locking pin receiver recesses 304 and are retained therein by the locking pin receiver plates 305 , securing the battery in place.
[0044] Preferably, the battery pack has one or more asymmetrical features, such as keyway 212 , configured to mate with corresponding asymmetric features in the battery pack receptacle such as a protrusion slip-fitting into keyway 212 (not visible in this view). Because the other end 213 of battery pack 200 has no keyway, the protrusion in the receptacle hinders attempts to insert the battery backwards. Because keyway 212 does not extend all the way to the top of battery pack 200 , the protrusion also hinders attempts to insert the battery upside-down. This asymmetry ensures that battery pack electrical power terminals 204 (see FIG. 2 ) will always properly engage battery pack receptacle electrical power terminals 303 , rather than risk mechanical crushing or reversed electrical polarity. Any suitable known mechanical-asymmetry features may be used.
[0045] A battery pack may also incorporate one or more flotation chambers permanently enclosing air voids, foam material, or other buoyant matter sufficient to float the battery pack if it should fall overboard. Visibility aids such as fluorescent or phosphorescent exteriors could facilitate location and retrieval of floating batteries in rough or cloudy waters. In another embodiment, the battery pack may be cylindrical rather than prismatic in shape. In still another embodiment, the battery pack may advantageously incorporate one or more supercapacitors or inductors besides, or instead of, battery cells.
[0046] Other advantageous embodiments may include two or more battery packs and two or more battery pack receptacles, thereby supporting higher jet-pump propulsion power levels, longer time-of-use for the jet-pump propulsion system, or both. Alternatively, the extra receptacle(s) could be without electrical connections and used only to store extra batteries for mid-water swapping.
[0047] FIG. 4A illustrates the electronic control unit (ECU) electronics, comprising wireless receiver 401 , antenna 402 , programmable motor controller 403 , and interface circuit 404 incorporating a microprocessor and a readable storage element (for instance, an EPROM) programmed with intelligent-motor-control firmware or software to exploit the nuanced control possibilities of electric motors. For example, when interface circuit 404 receives an “off” input from wireless receiver 401 , it signals the motor controller 403 for a rapid series of incrementally reduced motor power levels, ending with zero motor power. This ramping procedure results in a “soft” power-down, which avoids destabilizing the surfer on the board with the sudden change in equilibrium that would result from a “hard,” instantaneous power shutoff. Other power level settings and power/time profiles may also be programmed in.
[0048] Another useful category of software or firmware for the ECU is by a data-recording function within the ECU; for example, wireless-communication data, motor performance data, or physical data from temperature, acceleration, pressure, speed, or electrical sensors mounted in the board. Analysis of the data could enable performance and quality analysis and engineering improvements. The recording function would provide experimental data for board designers and diagnostics for operators and repairers.
[0049] In alternate embodiments, the ECU is user-programmable via an interface port connected to, or a wireless transceiver communicating with, a computer or mobile device equipped with ECU-programming software. Such software may allow customized control of one or more motorized-surfboard propulsion or wireless-communication parameters (for example, time duration of “soft” motor power-down discussed above), access to recorded data, and adding recording functionality for later-installed sensors and other hardware.
[0050] All these components except the motor controller 403 are supported in ECU mounting tray 406 which incorporates locator holes or passages and connector plugs or terminals (e.g., bullet leads, not shown), for battery power leads 306 and motor power leads 113 . Mounting tray 406 also incorporates an antenna receptacle 407 which maintains the antenna 402 in an optimal operating orientation (in this embodiment, pointing perpendicularly toward the top of the board). This antenna orientation optimizes reception of wireless signals from the operator's wireless controller. Motor controller 403 is mechanically secured in thermal contact to metal cover plate 413 (for example, by thermal epoxy). This arrangement allows heat from the motor controller 403 to be dissipated into the surrounding water when the surfboard is in use.
[0051] FIG. 4B is an exploded view of the waterproof electronic control unit (ECU box, comprising an open-top waterproof case 408 made of ABS plastic or other suitable waterproof rigid material, an integrated flange 409 around the perimeter of the open top (which, when mounted in this embodiment of a surfboard, becomes an open bottom), and a perimeter seal 412 (e.g., an O-ring or other waterproof gasket) mounted on flange 409 . Case 408 is permanently installed in a conforming cavity cut in the tower surface of a surfboard body so that the outer perimeter of flange 409 is substantially flush with the outer surface of the surfboard. Battery power leads 306 and motor power leads 113 (not visible in this view) penetrate case 408 to connect to the ECU electronics to be housed inside; these case penetrations are seated and waterproofed. Motor power leads 113 extend from outside case 408 to jet-pump shroud 107 through holes drilled, or channels cut and tilled, in the surfboard body. Battery power leads 306 arrive from battery pack receptacle box 301 via similar holes or tilted channels
[0052] Mounting tray 406 with the associated electronic components, and motor controller 403 attached to heat-dissipating cover plate 413 , are inserted into installed case 408 so that cover plate 413 fits onto flange 409 contacting seal 412 . When cover plate 413 is tightened onto perimeter flange 409 (for example, by tightening perimeter fasteners 411 through fastener holes 414 ), seal 412 is compressed to create a watertight join. When secured, cover plate 413 will lie substantially flush with the outer surface of the surfboard, minimizing drag and maintaining the normal contours of the surfboard.
[0053] In another embodiment, all ECU electronics (such as the antenna, wireless receiver and interface circuit) are encased in a cast block of waterproof potting compound or plastic that may be installed directly into the surfboard body, eliminating the need for a separate ECU casing.
[0054] FIG. 5 is an exploded cross-section on section line A-A of a motorized surfboard assembly, showing the cavities and channels created in the board body and the components that fit into them. Surfboard body 501 has been modified with cavities in its bottom surface fitted to jet pump shroud 107 and, ECU box 408 , and a cavity in its top surface fitted to battery pack receptacle case 301 Shroud 107 , box 408 and case 301 are shown here with a fin-box-type design and installation. Assembled battery pack 200 is shown positioned for insertion in battery pack receptacle 300 . Battery power leads 306 extend from battery pack receptacle case 301 to ECU box case 408 through internal holes or channels in surfboard body 501 . Motor power leads 113 extend from ECU box case 408 to jet pump shroud 107 through internal holes or channels in surfboard body 501 and pass through power lead port 115 . Air vent tube(s) 508 are shown in the rear portion of the top surface of surfboard body 501 . Air vent tube(s) 508 extend through the surfboard body 501 from jet pump shroud air vent hole(s) 112 to the pierced top of the board. Integrated jet-pump assembly 100 is shown positioned for insertion in jet-pump shroud 107 . After integrated jet-pump assembly 100 is inserted in jet-pump shroud 107 , cover plate 105 is poised to be fastened to integrated jet-pump assembly 100 and jet-pump shroud flange 109 . ECU cover plate 413 (with attached electrical components previously discussed) is ready for attachment to ECU box flange 409 . After assembly, all the covers will become substantially continuous extensions of the surrounding surfaces of board body 501 , resulting in minimal departure from the appearance, hydrodynamics, and ergonomics of a conventional surfboard.
[0055] While the preferred embodiment of the electric-powered motorized surfboard is implemented with a “longboard” type of surfboard, other advantageous embodiments may be implemented using other sizes and types of surfboard (for example lighter, shorter, higher-performance “short boards”, “knee boards”, or heavier “stand up paddle” boards) incorporating identical propulsion, control, and power supply components as those described above, or similar alternate components adapted to fit the shape, size, and weight of the alternate type of board used.
[0056] Jet pump shroud 107 , battery-pack receptacle 301 , and ECU box 408 may be included as part of a purpose-built motorized surfboard, but alternatively may be installed in an existing unpowered surfboard using “fin-box” modification techniques that are already standard among surfers and boardmakers. Fin boxes are after-market inserts, usually made of a hard plastic, with one or more slots to receive the stern of a fin and flanges around the perimeter of the slogs). To install a fin box, a suitable fitted cavity is created in the board using a router or the like. The cavity includes a step to position the top surface of the fin-box flange either flush with the board surface or slightly recessed, depending on the next steps. The cavity may then be lined with adhesive, fiberglass sheets, or both as appropriate to the particular material(s) and structure of the board. The fin box is affixed into the cavity. The box may then be “glassed” into the cavity (fiberglass sheets are laminated to the flange and the surrounding board area), or some other reinforcement method may be used. In all cases the end result is a reinforced slot permanently and durably embedded in the board, without significant drag-generating interruption of its surface shape and often elegantly harmonizing with the board's visual appearance. A fin locked into the slot is attached ruggedly enough to survive the shocks and stresses typical of use in heavy surf.
[0057] The pump shroud, ECU box, and battery-pack receptacle of the preferred embodiment can be retrofitted into existing surfboards using these well-known fin-box techniques because of the perimeter flanges and simple silhouettes. Those skilled in the art might expect this approach to seriously compromise the strength and useful life of the board; the cavities required here are significantly larger than those typical of fin-boxes, and incidents of even structurally intact boards being snapped in two by heavy surf are fairly common. However, prototype tests uncovered no such structural fragility even in notoriously challenging surf locations.
[0058] FIG. 6 illustrates a preferred embodiment of a hand-operated wireless controller. Waterproof trigger switch unit 603 , incorporating a depressible trigger button 605 , is securely positioned on the edge of the operator's hand near the thumb 607 by a fully or partially flexible hand strap 601 . Hand strap 601 may comprise, for example, an elastic band attached at both ends Co aplastic mounting surface integrated with waterproof trigger switch unit 603 , or an open-ended fabric band with patches of hook-and-loop fastening material ((for example, Velcro™) positioned at each end allowing band length adjustment to various hand sizes. An armband or wristband 602 around part of the operator's forearm or wrist incorporates a pocket or attachment for waterproof case 604 , which contains at least one battery and a wireless transmitter (not visible, inside case 604 ). Power leads 606 are attached to arm-or-wrist-band 602 and routed to connect with waterproof trigger switch unit 603 .
[0059] When the operator depresses trigger button 605 of waterproof trigger switch unit 603 with a movement of thumb 607 , the wireless transmitter inside case 604 signals wireless receiver 401 in the ECU to activate the jet-pump propulsion system. Propulsion will continue as long as the trigger switch remains depressed. When trigger button 605 is released, the wireless transmitter inside case 604 signals wireless receiver 401 in the ECU to perform a “soft” incremental power-down lasting approximately 1-2 seconds, as previously described above, in order to avoid destabilizing the surfer with a sudden power-off. Advantageously, this thumb-operated one-handed wireless controller allows the surfer to control the jet-pump propulsion system without making any limb movements (e.g. reaching for controls with feet or hands) that would disrupt surfer's precise dynamic balance on the surfboard. This can be critically important for safety and the quality of the operator's experience.
[0060] In another embodiment of the wireless controller, a speed-selection control is included as well as the on-off trigger described above, to allow the operator to adjust motor power level to a preferred level. Such speed selection may be provided as a number of specific preset levels selectable by a switch, button array, or other suitable control attached to the surfer's body or clothing and connected to a wireless transmitter. For example, “3 km/h”, “6 km/h” and “9 km/h” settings may be provided. Alternatively, a continuous range of motor power levels may be available and selectable by operating a slider control, dial, knob, keypad, or other suitable “throttle” control. In these embodiments the interface circuit in the ECU may contain additional software for a microcontroller to interpret and execute the speed-setting commands.
[0061] In another embodiment, the wireless controller is integrated with the handle and shaft of a “stand-up paddle” to enable paddleboard surfers to control motorized versions of their boards. In such an embodiment, a cylindrical portion of the shaft or handgrip of the oar may be rotatable around the long axis of the shaft in order to function as a speed-setting control (for example, by providing “click” switch positions which are distinctly perceptible by touch). Analogous designs could be applied to oars, paddles, poles, and similar manual devices customarily used to propel a small watercraft by leverage against the water or reachable solid ground. Even windsurfers wanting to motor past leeward sides of wind-blocking obstacles, such as cliffs, could control the motor from a switch mounted on the boom.
[0062] Another embodiment of the wireless controller is adapted for use by a surfing instructor, where the instructor's wireless controller contains additional controls and selectable pre-programmed motor-power profiles to allow the instructor to remotely control an electric-powered motorized surfboard's speed and acceleration on “flat” water in ways that may simulate board behavior in surf, thereby enhancing effectiveness of instruction and practice sessions for the student riding the motorized surfboard. This type of controller could also be used by a lifeguard, harbormaster, or other guardian to assist an operator in difficulty.
[0063] To use the motorized surfboard system, the operator will take the assembled motorized surfboard to a suitable body of water (such as a seashore), install a fully-charged battery pack in the battery pack receptacle as described above, attach the hand-operated wireless controller unit to his or her hand and arm as described above, and enter the body of water with the motorized surfboard. The operator mounts or holds onto the board as in unpowered surfing, but may then use the wireless controller to activate the jet-pump propulsion system to propel the motorized surfboard to a preferred location. Upon committing to catch a specific incoming wave, the operator may again use the wireless controller to activate the jet-pump propulsion system in order to attain optimal takeoff position relative to the incoming wave, and to attain sufficient forward speed to successfully catch or “drop in” onto the wave face. If the operator executes a successful “drop in” and attains desired dynamic equilibrium on the moving wave face, he or she may then use the wireless controller to deactivate the jet-pump propulsion system (for example, by releasing the hand-operated wireless trigger switch described above in a preferred embodiment). In the course of normal surfing activity the operator may also find it desirable to activate the jet-pump propulsion system in other situations, such as escaping from hazardous or adverse locations in the surf zone, avoiding other surfers or watercraft, or returning to the shore. When the installed battery pack is nearing exhaustion, the operator may remove it as described above and install a fresh, fully-charged battery pack on shore (or in the water if associates or sponsors with watercraft are available to provide additional battery packs and retrieve used packs for recharging).
[0064] The motorized surfboard system with wearable wireless controller may also be used in “flat” water such as lakes, ponds, rivers, and swimming pools, where riders may use the system to learn basic surfing balance and weight-shifting skills or simply enjoy the experience of riding a water-jet propelled surfboard. Surfing instructors may also find the system useful as an aid to teaching fundamental surfing skills best practiced on a moving board in safe waters.
[0065] Many other embodiments, variations, and equivalents are implicit in, or may be extrapolated from, the foregoing description. These must be considered to be within the scope of the invention. Therefore, while the invention has been described in detail in its currently preferred embodiment, the foregoing disclosure does not limit the scope of the claims.
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Practical electric-powered propulsion systems, associated operator-control systems, and modification methods enable conventional surfboards (and similar small watercraft) to be converted for water-jet propulsion. Wireless controls are integrated with wearable marine accessories such as modified neoprene or fabric gloves, armbands, wristbands, hand straps, or gauntlets. Safely immersible, wet-swappable high-power battery packs facilitate extended use of electric propulsion in surf. Compact integrated electronic control units incorporate motor controllers, wireless receivers, and control logic. On-board power, propulsion, and control components are positioned and installed to avoid disrupting the shape of the watercraft body so as to minimize added hydrodynamic drag and perceived differences from a traditional unpowered version of the watercraft in appearance, balance, or performance. Components are designed to facilitate efficient installation using construction techniques already in widespread use among manufacturers and customizers of the analogous unpowered watercraft.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present disclosure is an alignment clamp for plates to be welded. In the welding of plates such as the formation of a pressure vessel, it is necessary to join adjacent plates, either planar or curved as required by welding. The plates must be carefully aligned before the welding process can begin. Good craftsmanship dictates that the alignment be almost perfect to measurably reduce problems in welding. Welding is a difficult enough art, what with problems resulting from spot heating, expansion, shrinkage on cooling, and the requirements for a perfect weld as in the case of a pressure vessel. Thus, the apparatus of the present invention is very needed.
Devices known in the prior art have attempted with some degree of sucess to align plates to be welded. They are however, rather clumsy and cumbersome to use. It is difficult to align two plates which may themselves weigh several thousand pounds through the use of an alignment device which also is large, cumbersome, and difficult for a welder to install. The present invention is a device which is relatively small so that the fitter does not have to strain mightily to position two plates and a very large alignment tool before welding begins. With this in view, the disclosed apparatus is an alignment tool which is quite small and which can be installed in multiples to align plates prior to welding. In the example of welding adjacent sections of tank sections 4 feet in diameter, a minimum of three of the alignment tools of the present invention is preferably used and as many as six or eight can be used should there be dents or distortion from a perfect circular shape of the plate to be welded. They can be installed rather quickly. The alignment tool of the present invention is easily installed at multiple locations around the plates to be welded after which the welding process can begin whereby a bead is formed between the plates and they are joined. Gaps are left in the welded bead where the alignment tool contacts the plate and which is subsequently removed. Thereafter, the gaps can be welded.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention is an alignment tool for positioning plates or pipe prior to welding. It utilizes two thin strap passing between plates to be welded. To align plates for welding they are normally spaced apart from one another with a small gap where the straps passes. On one end of the strap, a clamp plate is located and it is constructed and arranged to bear against the less convenient side of the two plates. On the more convenient side, the strap is exposed and secured by a second clamping member. This clamping member encorporates three major components. Adjacent to the plates, the first component is a bearing plate. It is positioned against the two plates and forces them to a common plane. The upper most member is a clamp member which is secured to the strap and which is moveable vertically or along the major dimension of the strap. Between the two, a tapered wedge is inserted. The tapered wedge can be struck with a hammer to wedge the bearing plate more firmly against the plates to be aligned. When this occurs, allignment is complete.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the alignment tool of the present invention adjacent to a plate to be aligned and showing how it bears on the top and lower faces thereof;
FIG. 2 is a plan view of the alignment tool showing a strap which extends vertically through the tool and passes through an elongated slot in a long tapered wedge;
FIG. 3 is a sectional view along the line 33 of FIG. 2 showing the tool positioned against a pair of plates which are now aligned;
FIG. 4 is a side view of the apparatus as shown in FIG. 3 showing the alignment tool securing a curved plate for alignment; and
FIG. 5 is an alternative embodiment where the lower clamp member has been simplified.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The alignment clamp 10 shown in FIG. 1 is suitably used for alignment of two plates. Two plates are shown on dotted line in FIG. 3 and will be identified as the first plate 11 and the second plate 12. They are typically of common stock and are curved to a common radius. The tool 10 is useable with flat stock also. The first and second plates typically are bevelled at the edges that abut one another. They are shown slightly spaced apart by a distance determined by a strap 13. The strap 13 passes through them and defines the minimum gap between the two. Such a gap is ordinarily necessary in welding adjacent plates. The plates might be, for instance, 1/8 to 2 inches in thickness although these dimensions are merely representative. The plates 11 and 12 are typically formed of various metals to be joined as in the formation of a pressure vessel or the like.
In FIG. 3 of the drawings, a lower clamp member 15 is illustrated. The lower clamp member 15 has a generally rectangular body 16. The body 16 has a pair of edges 17 and 18 (see FIG. 1) which are adapted to touch both the first and second plates on the nether side. They are the only edges that touch in the event that the plates are curved although the entire face between the edges 17 and 18 may touch if flat stock is being aligned. The lower clamp member 15 thus begins with a generally rectangular plate and it incorporates a rectangular opening 20 in it. The opening 20 is wide enough to receive the trap 13 through it. At two of the four faces of the rectangular opening, the sides are angled with respect to one another as better shown in FIG. 3 of the drawings. The faces 21 and 22 taper toward one another. This enables the tapered faces to receive wedge shaped grippers 23 and 24. The gripers 23 and 24 are identical in shape. They are tapered on the outer faces to slide into the rectangular hole 20. The gripper 23 is provided with serrations 25 on its face in contact with the strap 13. The gripper 24 is provided with a flat or smooth face to contact the straps. It works opposite the cirrated face 25 and the two together clamp the strap 13. The gripper 23 is tapered across the width of its face in contact with the tapered face 21. The gripper 24 is tapered across the width of its exposed face except that a vertical slot is cut therein and the slot terminates in a vertical side parallel to the opposite vertical side. This enables a set screw 26 to be threaded through the block 15. The set screw is threaded into the body or block 15. It extends into the rectangular opening 20 and clamps the two grippers together thereby pinching the strap 13 between the two and holding it fast. The tapered grippers are held in the rectangular opening 20 and maintained therein by a shoulder 27 which encircles the bottom opening of the rectangular hole 20.
As assembled, the bottom clamp mechanism 15 holds the strap 13 when tension is placed on the strap away from the bottom clamp. As the tension increases, the grippers take a firmer grip on the strap 13 thereby holding it against any slippage.
On the top side of the plates 11 and 12, the alignment tool 10 of the present invention incorporates a bearing plate 30. The plate 30 incorporates a bottom face which is brought to a pair of points 31 and 32 (FIG. 1) which achieve line contact with the first and second plates 11 and 12. The points 31 and 32 face downwardly and are parallel to one another. They are space approximately equally from the strap 13. The strap 13 passes through a slot 33 in the center of the plate 30. The slot 33 is somewhat larger than the strap 13 shown in FIG. 3. The plate 30 is generally rectangular. The plate 30 has a generally uniform thickness which is illustrated in FIG. 3 except a central groove 34 is formed therein. The recess 34 is a shallow angled flat extending from edge to edge. The recess 34 is arranged at an angle with respect to the line of contact established by the edges 31 and 32 as more fully shown in FIG. 4 of the drawings. The recess 34 in the plate 30 is intended to receive in sliding transverse movement a tapered wedge 36. The wedge shown at 36 of FIG. 4 of the drawings slides in the groove. The wedge 36 tapers at an angle to match the angle of the groove 34 and thereby defines an upper face 37 on the wedge which, even though it moves laterally to and fro in FIG. 4 of the drawings, is maintained parallel to the lower face of the plate 30. The lower face of the plate 30 is defined by the edges 31 and 32 and adjacent steps of the alignment clamp with curved plate as depicted in FIG. 4 or straight plate. In both cases, the parallel faces enable the plate 30 and the wedge 36 to cooperatively define a means for increasing the tightness of the clamp when it is applied to the first and second plates 11 and 12 for purposes to be described.
In FIG. 2 of the drawings, the tapered wedge 36 includes a central lengthwise slot 39. This slot enables the strap 13 to pass through the wedge. As shown in FIG. 3, the slot 39 is undercut in FIG. 3 of the drawings. The slot 39 extends almost full length of the tapered wedge 36. The wedge is provided with an upturned lip at 40 the small end and a similar upturned tip 41 at the larger end (see FIG. 2) which prevent the wedge from sliding off the plate 30. As it travels to one extreme or the other of its movement the upturned lips 40 and 41 limit travel.
The plate 30 supports on a bolt 44 a U-shaped clamp 45 as shown in FIG. 3. It is appended to one side of the plate. The clamp 45 is permitted to rotate so that it brings its lower face against one of the plates 11 or 12. Its lower face contacts and aligns the plate 30.
The plate 30 is drilled and threaded to form a pair of openings at 45 and 46 which receive alignment bolts 47 and 48 as shown in FIG. 3. The parallel bolts 47 and 48 extend vertically above the plate 30.
In FIG. 3 of the drawings, the upstanding bolts 47 and 48 align a top clamp 50. The top clamp 50 is a plate like member which is held parallel to the plate 30 and spaced thereabove by the wedge 36. The top plate 50 is drilled at two locations to provide unthreaded holes therethrough to align the plate 50 on the bolts 47 and 48 which enable the plate to slide upwardly or downwardly on the bolts. The plate 50 incorporates a central rectangular opening 51 (FIG. 1) which is defined by opposing tapered faces 52 and 53 shown in FIG. 3. The top and bottom faces 54 and 55 are parallel to one another. The bottom face 55 contacts the top face 37 of the tapered wedge 36. The wedge slides laterally as viewed in FIGS. 2 and 4 of the drawings to thereby raise the top plate 55. The top plate 55 is raised to a level limited by contact with the heads on the bolts 47 and 48. They limit its upward movement.
The opening 51 tapers to a narrow neck at the bottom as shown in FIG. 3. The tapered opening 51 is wider at the top as shown in FIG. 3. This enables it to receive a serrated gripper 56 and a smooth faced gripper 57. The gripper 56 is an insert shaped to fit in the sloping opening 51. It has a tapered outer face which matches the face 52 of the opening. The opposite face is provided with serrations 58 which serrations contact the strap 13. The gripper 57 is provided with a tapered face matching the face 53 and a smooth face opposite thereof which contacts the strap 13 opposite the serrations 58. The two grippers together grip and hold the strap 13. The two grippers hold the strap and, by their wedge shape, are pulled snug against the stap. The gripper 56 is provided with a handle at the top end for hand removal. The gripper 57 stands taller and is provided with a handle 59 to enable it to be removed. To be removed, they need only be lifted upwardly to disengage the strap. It is not necessary to remove them from the rectangular opening 51 and to this end, transverse overlying locking shouldera 61 and 62 shown in FIG. 1 prevent excape of the grippers from the rectangular openings.
The apparatus functions in the following manner: The plates 11 and 12 are positioned near one another. The strap 13 is passed between them and is inserted between the grippers 23 and 24. The grippers 23 and 24 are wedged tightly in the rectangular opening 20. When they take a bite and clamp against the strap 13 the set screw is tightened. The strap 13 is pulled upwardly and passed through the lower plate 15 contacted with the first and second plates 11 and 12. This typically will occur on the inaccessable side of the plates. It might occur of the interior of a cylindrical pressure vessel by way of example. The strap 13 extends through the gap defined between the plates 11 and 12. This leaves the strap 13 exposed on the top face of the plate where easy acess is obtained for attachment of the remainder of the clamp apparatus.
With the strap 13 exposed, the plate 30 is dropped over the strap 13. The edges 31 and 32 contact the first and second plates. The strap 13 is then threaded through the wedge 36 at the narrow end of the wedge. The top plate 50 and the bolts 47 and 48 are then attached. The bolts are first passed through the top plate and then are threaded into the tapped openings. These are made fast. At this juncture, the top plate is some distance below the heads of the bolts in the manner illustrated in FIG. 3. It is easily slideable upwardly on the strap 13. The top grippers 56 and 57 are jammed into rectangular opening by hand pressure to grasp the strap. The grasp of the strap need only be slight at the beginning.
The wedge 36 is then forced into the space between the plates 30 and 50 by wedging action against the two. The top plate 50 moves freely upwardly until limited by the bolts 47 and 48. The wedge 36 is struck with a mallet to drive it deeper between the plates. The wedging action finds relief as the plates 30 and 50 are separated and the first and second plates 11 and 12 moves toward alignment to ease the strain. As this occurs, the loading of the clamp on the plates 11 and 12 brings them to perfect alignment. The strap 13 is then under substantial tension which applies the clamping force on both sides of the plates. This clamping action results in alignment of the two plates.
The welder can then start welding the plates 11 and 12 together. The interruption in the bead caused by the strap 13 is minimal. The welder thus begins putting the bead between the two to secure them together and as the bead extends toward the strap 13 which is thereafter removed. Its removal is quite easy expedited by using a mallet to strike the small end of the wedge to reduce the tension in the strap 13. After the wedge has been loosened, the bolts 47 and 48 are quickly unthreaded to enable the top plate 50 to be removed. It is disengaged from the strap 13 by removing one of the grippers from the locking position. The gripper 57 can be hand pulled upwardly a fraction of an inch to break its hold on the strap 13. This enables the plate 30 to be unthreaded from the strap and thereafter the wedge 36 is likewise removed. The strap then is permitted to fall through the slot between the plates 11 and 12. Once the plates 11 and 12 are partly welded, the welder thereafter can finish the weld by placing the bead in the shaped slot where the strap theretofore extended.
The alignment clamp 10 of the present invention works equally well with flat plate or curved plate. The alignment clamp utilizes the wedging action of the wedge 36. Once the wedging action begins, it drives the top plate 30 downwardly against the plates 11 and 12. The wedge 36 preferably has a taper of more than 10° but typically less than 20° as illustrated in FIG. 4 of the drawings. The grippers which hold the strap are equipped with serrations which take a bite into the strap against the direction of pull. Thus, the pull increases, their grip increases. The tension in the strap 13 causes equal forces to be applied to the upper and lower surfaces of the plates 11 and 12. The forces align the plates by the constraint of the plates with the alignment clamp. In FIG. 5 of the drawings, the apparatus discloses a modified form of the strap 73. At the lower end of the strap, it is welded to an elongate rectangular bead 75. It has a width far exceeding the gap between the plates 11 and 12.
The foregoing is directed to the preferred embodiment of the present disclosure but the scope thereof is determined by the claims which follow.
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An alignment clamp is disclosed for uses such as welding adjacent plates. The clamp utilizes a strap which passes through a gap between the adjacent plates. The strap is attached at one end by a plate like clamp member which is to be located on one side of the welded plates. The strap connects to a clamp member on the opposite side. The second clamp member is located above the plate to be clamped. It is on freely movable guide posts spaced apart from a bearing plate. A tapered wedge is driven between the second clamp member and the bearing plate. The tapered wedge separates the two and pulls the strap taut. When it is taut, it levels and temporarily connects the adjacent plates held by the clamp to permit welding in the gap between the adjacent plates, and is thereafter disassembled to enable the removal of the clamp to close the gap by welding.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates generally to butterfly needles or catheters, and more particularly to unintimidating, safer butterfly needles capable of single-handed manipulation. These butterfly needles are aesthetically pleasing while reducing the probability of accidental needle sticks and providing health care professionals with a free hand to comfort or assist the patient.
[0003] 2. Description of the Prior Art
[0004] Butterfly needles consist of 1) a needle or catheter, 2) a plastic hub, 3) wings attached to the side of the hub, and 4) a catheter or fitting lumen attached to the hub contiguously and continuously with the lumen of the needle or catheter. Butterfly needles are popular in pediatric medicine as well as for use with small or fragile veins in adults. A traditional butterfly needle is unsheathed or uncapped, with the wings grasped as a handle, to penetrate the skin, and then the butterfly wings are folded down and taped to the skin. Despite their popularity, traditional butterfly needles present a number of problems.
[0005] From a young age, children fear needles as they associate the pain of their immunizations with the administering needle. Butterfly needles are commonly used in situations when the patient is facing an occasion more traumatic than a simple shot. Often patients, including children, fear their treatment and face feelings of despair. It would be encouraging if the needle, vital to their treatment, did not intimidate or frighten them further.
[0006] Conventional butterfly needles are very dangerous after use and can easily result in a needle stick. Accidental penetration of the skin from sharp instruments is one of the most common modes of transmission of fatal or debilitating infectious diseases to health care workers. Hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and HIV (the AIDS virus) in the health care environment are typically transmitted from needle sticks and result in years of debilitating illness, loss of productivity, workman's compensation payments, medical expenses, and accelerated mortality. A partial solution to this problem has been the use of guarded needles and syringes.
[0007] A major disadvantage to conventional shielding solutions is that almost all contemporary devices require two hands to inactivate the needle. Generally the shielding device is held with one hand and the catheter, which is attached to the needle, is pulled to bring the needle into the shielding device where it is then inactivated. This requirement for two hands to inactivate intravenous catheters is a major disadvantage, as it prevents one hand of the operator from applying pressure to a puncture site after removing a needle. This is particularly true in children, squeamish patients, or very ill patients who cannot apply pressure themselves. In this situation, there is an exposed and contaminated needle capable of contaminating the environment or inadvertently sticking the operator while applying pressure to the puncture site. This general requirement for two-handed inactivation is a characteristic of all contemporary shielded butterfly needles.
[0008] Another major problem with many traditional butterfly needles, especially those with a rigid shield, is that the shield makes the butterfly device effectively longer, creating a longer lever arm. With a longer effective device, slight changes in orientation can cause major changes in the position of the needle tip in relation to the fulcrum of the device causing disruption of the blood vessel or painful tension on the tissues. This longer lever arm especially becomes a problem when the device is taped to the skin or manipulated.
[0009] The final step in stabilizing any butterfly needle is the folding down of the plastic wings onto skin and fixing them onto the skin with medical adhesive tape. However, there are moments of instability while the operator is holding down the butterfly needle with one hand, and reaching for a piece of tape with the other. In this moment, the butterfly needle may become dislodged, abrogating the entire procedure.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0010] It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a butterfly needle that will aesthetically comfort and soothe a patient.
[0011] It is a further object to provide a butterfly needle with an easy, safe method of one-handed inactivation.
[0012] It is yet another object of the invention to provide a shielded butterfly needle free of the deleterious effects of a longer level arm.
[0013] Finally, it is an object of the invention to provide a butterfly needle easily fixable to the skin while permitting greater control of the needle.
[0014] According to a first broad aspect of the present invention, there is provided a butterfly needle assembly comprising a needle having a needle hub, a locking means integral with the needle hub having a tab protruding radially from the needle hub, and a shield with a distal end and a proximal end having integral wings and a dorsal track extending axially along the shield wherein the tab extends through the dorsal track such that when in operation as the needle moves through the shield, the tab travels along the dorsal track to engage a cut-out at the distal end of the dorsal track thereby locking the needle within the shield.
[0015] According to second broad aspect of the invention, there is provided a butterfly needle comprising a needle having a needle hub wherein the needle hub has a pair of wings extending therefrom and the wings are aesthetically decorated.
[0016] According to a third broad aspect of the present invention, there is provided a butterfly needle assembly comprising a needle having a needle hub with integral wings extending radially from the needle hub, a locking means integral with the needle hub having a tab protruding radially from the needle hub in a plane perpendicular to the integral wings, and a shield with a distal end and a proximal end and a dorsal track extending axially along the shield and the shield further having side tracks wherein the tab extends through the dorsal track and the integral wings extend through the side tracks such that when in operation as the needle moves through the shield, the tab travels along the dorsal track to engage a cut-out at the distal end of the dorsal track thereby locking the needle within the shield.
[0017] Other objects and features of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0018] The invention will be described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
[0019] FIG. 1 is a conventional butterfly needle;
[0020] FIGS. 2A, 2B , 2 C and 2 D illustrate alternative wing structures to present an aesthetically pleasing butterfly needle in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention;
[0021] FIGS. 3A, 3B , 3 C and 3 D show alternative placements for a wing along the lumen of a catheter;
[0022] FIGS. 4A, 4B , 4 C and 4 D illustrate alternative natural markings for the wings of the butterfly needle in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention;
[0023] FIGS. 5A, 5B , 5 C, 5 D, 5 E, 5 F, 5 G and 5 H are views of alternative needles that are non-butterfly shapes and designs, and FIG. 5I shows a coordinating bandage;
[0024] FIG. 6 illustrates fold-out adhesive tape on the back of the wings to anchor the needle to the skin;
[0025] FIG. 7 shows the option of an adhesive butterfly needle wherein adhesive or pressure sensitive adhesive foam is on the skin-side of the butterfly wings;
[0026] FIGS. 8A and 8B show the components of a winged butterfly shield with a dorsal track and thumb rest;
[0027] FIGS. 9A and 9B show multiple views of the assembled butterfly shield of FIG. 8 in extended and retracted positions in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention;
[0028] FIGS. 10A, 10B , 10 C, 10 D, 10 E and 10 F illustrate multiple mechanical devices for the locking mechanism of the needle and shield;
[0029] FIGS. 11A and 11B show a butterfly needle with dorsal and side tracks on the needle rather than the shield as shown in FIG. 8 ;
[0030] FIGS. 12A and 12B show multiple views of the assembled needle of FIG. 11 in extended and retracted positions in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention;
[0031] FIGS. 13A and 13B illustrate the components of an arched shielded butterfly needle in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention;
[0032] FIGS. 14A and 14B show the assembled arched shielded butterfly needle of FIG. 13 ;
[0033] FIGS. 15A, 15B , 15 C, 15 D, 15 E and 15 F show assembled variants of a reciprocating butterfly needle in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention; and
[0034] FIGS. 16A, 16B , 16 C, 16 D and 16 E present alternative slot formations and slot locking mechanisms, and FIGS. 16F, 16G , 16 H, 16 I, 16 J and 16 K suggest bendable shields in extended and flexed positions.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0035] It is advantageous to define several terms before describing the invention. It should be appreciated that the following definitions are used throughout this application.
Definitions
[0036] Where the definition of terms departs from the commonly used meaning of the term, applicant intends to utilize the definitions provided below, unless specifically indicated.
[0037] For the purposes of the present invention, “aesthetically decorated” refers to any decoration that creates a more aesthetically pleasing appearance on the wing structure.
[0038] For the purposes of the present invention, “animal” refers to any aquatic, terrestrial, or flying animal, whether real or fictional.
[0039] For the purposes of the present invention, “cartoon character” refers to a unique, trademarked or copyrighted pictorial representation or caricature.
[0040] For the purposes of the present invention, “catheter” refers to a tubular metal or rubber that forms a passageway to a needle.
[0041] For the purposes of the present invention, “continuously and contiguously connected” refers to the joint of the hub and the lumen of the needle or catheter wherein a continuous seam exists at the joint thereby allowing matter within the lumen to flow uninterrupted into the hub.
[0042] For the purposes of the present invention, “cut-out” refers to a recess at an endpoint of a track to engage a device to lock the needle in place.
[0043] For the purposes of the present invention, “dentate” refers to having teeth or tooth-like projections or notches.
[0044] For the purposes of the present invention, “dorsal track” refers to a path in a shield allowing a locking device to travel axially along the shield.
[0045] For the purposes of the present invention, “driveline” refers to any internal mechanism communicating motion to the needle from a plunger or tab.
[0046] For the purposes of the present invention, “drive tab” refers to a tab that is moved within the track and as a result of transference, moves the needle.
[0047] For the purposes of the present invention, “fitting” refers to a lead portion of a catheter by which it may be connected to other components of the assembly.
[0048] For the purposes of the present invention, “hilt” refers to the handle or portion by which the needle may be held.
[0049] For the purposes of the present invention, “holiday novelty” refers to a symbol or representation of a holiday.
[0050] For the purposes of the present invention, “hub” refers to a plastic attachment at the back of the needle by which the needle may be connected to other components of the assembly.
[0051] For the purposes of the present invention, “integral” refers to the characteristic of two components being attached to each other in a manner to inhibit separation, such as by adhesive, molding, etc.
[0052] For the purposes of the present invention, “irreversibly” refers to a status whereby the needle may not be disengaged from the track.
[0053] For the purposes of the present invention, “locking device” refers to a mechanical connection whereby movement is inhibited by the connection of two components.
[0054] For the purposes of the present invention, “lumen” refers to a passageway for connection between a needle and/or a catheter.
[0055] For the purposes of the present invention, “needle assembly” refers to a copulation of a needle or catheter, wings, and a shield.
[0056] For the purposes of the present invention, “pinching motion” refers to a motion similar to squeezing between a finger and the thumb.
[0057] For the purposes of the present invention, “prehistoric creature” refers to a living being from a period antecedent to the earliest period of recorded history.
[0058] For the purposes of the present invention, “shield” refers to a plastic tubular channel way to enclose the joint between a needle hub and the lumen. Wings may extend from or through the shield.
[0059] For the purposes of the present invention, “stop” refers to a protrusion that inhibits motion.
[0060] For the purposes of the present invention, “thumb rest” refers to an aperture on the shield on which an operator may set his thumb.
[0061] For the purposes of the present invention, “tracks” refer to open paths in the shield that allow movement therethrough.
[0062] For the purposes of the present invention, “tubing” refers to material in the form of a tube.
[0063] For the purposes of the present invention, “wings” refer to dual radial extensions from a shield or needle hub.
Description
[0064] A traditional butterfly needle consists of 1) a needle or catheter, 2) a plastic hub, 3) wings attached to the side of the hub, and 4) a catheter or fitting for a catheter attached to the hub which is contiguously and continuously connected with the lumen of the needle or catheter. Shielded variants of these needles also exist with wings attached to the needle assembly, as in a traditional butterfly needle, or attached to the shield. There are however major problems with all contemporary designs of butterfly needles. The present invention addresses the psychological, aesthetic, safety, ergonomic, and stability problems of traditional and shielded butterfly needles and butterfly catheters. The individual solutions and principals to rectify these problems constitute the present invention. As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, this invention may also be applied to non-winged needles and catheters.
[0065] The present invention includes both conventional and shielded butterfly needles and catheters with specific modifications of the wings and shield to make these devices less threatening, more interesting, and more distracting from the painful task at hand, while at the same time involving the patient directly in their own medical care. These modifications consist of specific and general color patterns of the wings to attract and distract the patient's attention, changes in the design and shape of the wings to achieve new and exciting aesthetic effects, and modifications of the taping systems to enhance and amplify the aesthetic improvements and stabilize the needle, while at the same time providing the patient with a choice of different butterfly needle patterns and colors. These inventions permit the patients to make a choice of their own aesthetically pleasing butterfly needle or catheter and, thus, the patients will become directly and voluntarily involved in their own medical care. These modifications are especially useful in pediatric medicine, but are also of interest to beneficially distract adult patients. The devices of the present invention also indicate to patients of all ages that the nurses, technicians, and physicians care about patients'feelings. Use of these interesting and aesthetically pleasing devices coupled with patient choice make a bad experience better, gentler, kinder, more interesting, and more meaningful.
[0066] The plastic that is used for a butterfly needle, whether shielded or non-shielded, is usually monotone and generally of a darker hue, which does not distract the patient from the painful procedure, but rather makes the butterfly needle look like a cold, hard, medical device. A typical butterfly needle is shown in FIG. 1 . The needle 102 and wings 106 are designed to be functional connected to tubing 108 by the lumen 104 , with no attention in the design to the psychological impact upon the patient when these needles are inserted.
[0067] The present invention diminishes the negative design effect of traditional butterfly needles by dispensing with dark monotones and making the wings interesting and attractive with the use of bright colors, hues, reflecting surfaces, patterns, and designs to make the needle more interesting while distracting the patient. Although the examples of the present invention are illustrated in black and white, it is contemplated by the present invention that embodiments of the present invention may have variable bright colors, metallic and reflective surfaces, glittery surfaces, appear transparent or translucent, or have dramatic surface designs.
[0068] Wings of the present invention may also be covered with interesting and colorful geometric and design patterns as shown in FIGS. 4A, 4B , 4 C and 4 D. It is contemplated by the present invention that design artists may further this concept by making their own artistic designs for these wings in terms of shape, color, and design. These changes in color, design, and pattern may be integrated into the plastic or composition of the wing, or may be painted, printed, extruded, pasted, bonded, or otherwise fixed onto the surface of the wings, needle assembly, and/or shield. FIGS. 2A, 2B , 2 C and 2 D illustrate possible alternatives in wing design and shape. FIGS. 3A, 3B , 3 C and 3 D illustrate alternative placements for wing attachment along the lumen of a needle or catheter, in this case, for example, representing a butterfly or moth.
[0069] The wings or flat surfaces do not have to resemble butterflies, moths, or other insects or arthropods, but many other wing designs, fixing surfaces, and aesthetic and artistic changes are possible for butterfly needles and other catheters and medical devices with flat or nearly flat surfaces that may accommodate such designs. FIGS. 5A, 5B , 5 C, 5 D, 5 E, 5 F, 5 G and 5 H illustrate a few possible examples of non-butterfly shapes and designs for these butterfly needles. FIG. 5A demonstrates a fish, dolphin, whale or other sea animal; the orientation illustrated is just an example and may be rotated in any direction. FIG. 5B illustrates a flower or any other organic product such as leaves, fruits or vegetables. FIG. 5C suggests a winged reptile but may be any flying animal, imaginary or real. FIG. 5D demonstrates a dinosaur or dragon. FIG. 5E represents a cartoon character. The cartoon character may be a unique or a trademarked or copyrighted cartoon character of any sort, and all are contemplated by the present invention. FIG. 5F represents a four-legged animal but may be any amphibian, reptile, or mammal with various legs or appendages. FIG. 5G is a jack-o-lantern representative of any holiday symbol, FIG. 5H is a religious symbol suggested to offer serenity to the patient.
[0070] FIG. 5I illustrates a bandage designed to coordinate with the design of FIG. 5H . The adhesive patch, sticker or bandage of FIG. 5I may be purely ornamental or may be a functional bandage or dressing, and composed of a plastic or paper biocompatible surface, a biocompatible adhesive or foam adhesive on the skin side, and/or a peel away plastic or plasticized paper to expose the adhesive. This patch, sticker or bandage may come packaged with a needle so that if the needle device were covered with an opaque tape, bandage or dressing and the colorful butterfly needle could not be seen, the patient may be pleased and reminded by the adhesive patch with the same design of the underlying novel catheter or medical device. All of the above-identified classes of designs and colors for the colorful butterfly needle are applicable to the patches, stickers and bandages as well.
[0071] After a catheter, needle or butterfly needle is inserted into a vein, the apparatus must be stabilized, or it may twist and rip out of the vein. The initial step to stabilize a butterfly needle after insertion of the needle or catheter into a vein requires folding down the wings onto skin and fixing them onto the skin with medical adhesive tape. However, there are moments of instability while the operator is holding down the butterfly needle with one hand, and attempting to find a piece of tape with the other. In this moment, the butterfly needle may become dislodged, abrogating the entire procedure. Thus, an innovation to easily fix butterfly wings to skin and permit more controlled taping or fixation would also be useful.
[0072] U.S. Pat. No. 3,885,560 to Baldwin approaches the fixation difficulties by having an entire needle apparatus covered with a folded bandage that may be extended after the needle is inserted. After use, the butterfly needle may be removed and the bandage may remain to dress the wound. This is not truly a method of fixing, but rather a dressing, completely surrounding the butterfly needle, and is rather bulky. U.S. Pat. No. 4,698,057 to Joishy discloses suction cups and rolls of tape on the wings. However, it is difficult to unroll the rolls of tape.
[0073] The present invention approaches the fixation difficulties in a different manner. FIG. 6 is an example of a dorsal-based securing system comprised of folded adhesive tape 610 which forms flaps 612 to be extended laterally, forward, or backward to secure the wings 606 of the catheter 604 with needle 602 . When the wings 606 are folded for insertion of the catheter, these flaps remain folded between the two wings, so that insertion is identical to a conventional butterfly needle or butterfly shield.
[0074] Another solution to address the fixation difficulties is the addition of an adhesive to the skin-side surface of the butterfly wings. U.S. Pat. No. 4,324,236 to Gordon discloses a set of adhesive wings and a set of non-adhesive wings on the same catheter. This has obvious disadvantages of complexity and redundancy. U.S. Pat. No. 4,627,842 to Katz discloses the placement of adhesive on the wings of a conventional butterfly needle. While the Katz system rapidly anchors the needle, it interferes with removal of the needle in a conventional butterfly and inactivation of the needle when the needle must move into a shielded device for a shielded butterfly needle. In addition, when the adhesive covers are removed, the adhesive on the wings sticks not only to the patient's skin, but also the operator's fingers, thus, the needle becomes unstable as the operator attempts to fold down the wings and free his own fingers from the adhesive. U.S. Pat. No. 5,178,157 to Fanlo devises adhesive on the wings, but the wings are stilted to hold the position of the catheter at an angle, not taped flush with the skin. U.S. Pat. No. 5,704,917 to Utterberg applies adhesive to the shield, which in turn, fixes the shield to the skin, so that the conventional butterfly needle may be retracted into the shield and the shield may remain fixed to the skin. The main disadvantage to this arrangement is that the surface area of the shield is limited such that pulling on the catheter may break the adhesive bond.
[0075] The present invention approaches fixation of the wings with adhesive on the skin surface of the wings in two examples: 1) a traditional butterfly needle without a shield, and 2) a butterfly needle shield wherein the shield has wings, but the needle assembly does not have wings. FIG. 7 illustrates, in a view from the underside of the butterfly needle assembly, an embodiment wherein adhesive or adhesive foam 712 covers a portion of the wing bottoms, except for a finger-gripping area 714 . This non-adhesive grip allows the fingers to be free of adhesive and therefore the wings 706 may be easily handled while the needle 702 is pushed into a patient's vein. Fluid flows to needle 702 through tubing 708 . The finger-gripping area 714 may be textured or ridged to prevent slippage.
[0076] The danger from hypodermic needles has also been reduced by the design of a new family of shielded butterfly needles and catheters. This family of shielded butterfly needles may be inactivated with one hand, unlike conventional butterfly needles that require two hands. This requires special and unique modifications of the shield and needle to permit the index finger to rest on a tab or grip that moves the needle into the shield using a dorsal slot or equivalent. A thumb rest may be added to the shield to permit the thumb to provide the force necessary to move the needle into the shield by providing an opposing force in the direction of the index finger in a “pinch” movement. The thumb rest also permits the tubing to move freely out of the shield as the thumb is depressed, unlike any conventional shielded butterfly needle. The needles are best inactivated while they are still taped to the skin using the one-handed technique.
[0077] U.S. Pat. No. 6,379,335 to Rignon et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,350,368 to Shields, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,921,969 to Vallelunga et al., disclose different shielding solutions such as a sleeve or pocket into which the butterfly needle is retracted. A disadvantage of these systems is that the needle is pulled into the sleeve or pocket by the catheter, requiring two hands, and permitting the needle to shift dangerously. These pockets are also rather bulky and subject to contamination since the fabric may hold debris, bacteria, and fluids. Additional prior art including U.S. Pat. No. 5,030,212 to Ryan, U.S. Pat. No. 5,951,525 to Thorne et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 6,001,083 to Wilner, similarly struggle with single-handed inactivation.
[0078] Another shielding solution places the wings on the shield, rather than the needle assembly, and the needle may be pulled into the shield by the tubing as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,969,876 to Patterson and U.S. Pat. No. 5,088,982 to Ryan. To inactivate either of these devices, the needle assembly must be unlocked from the shield, and then the device may be pulled into the shield. Again, the shield is generally held with one hand as the needle is inactivated by another hand.
[0079] The present invention permits one-handed inactivation of a winged needle system with wings on the shield. FIGS. 8A and 8B illustrate a shielded needle 802 of catheter 804 with wings 806 on the shield, as well as a locking device to stabilize the needle while being inserted into a patient. A dorsal track 816 in the shield monitors movement of the actuator along the hilt of the shield. The locking device can be part of the shield when locked to the actuator or incorporated into the track trapping the actuator. Alternatively, the locking device may comprise a tab 822 to interlock with a recess 818 of a different angle or shape, or may be on the needle assembly, tubing 808 , and shield such that the needle assembly or tubing locks into the shield.
[0080] FIGS. 9A and 9B illustrate an assembled butterfly needle. FIG. 9A presents a side view of a butterfly shield with the needle assembly in the extended position. To shield the needle assembly, the locking device or tab of the needle assembly may be disengaged with the index finger of one hand, while the thumb of that same hand is placed on the thumb rest 814 . The thumb rest 814 is above the catheter 804 such that the catheter may move out of the shield unimpeded by the thumb. This feature of one-hand inactivation is different than any other shielded winged needle or catheter system. A thumb placed on the end of the shield impedes the catheter outflow in systems without a thumb rest, thus preventing one-handed inactivation. In the present invention, the locking device or tab 822 of the needle assembly is moved by the index finger, along the dorsal track toward the thumb rest, and while the thumb remains on the thumb rest, joins the index finger in a “pinching motion”. The needle assembly is then retracted and locked into the shield. This one-handed inactivation works whether or not the shield remains fixed to the skin as long as the locking device or tab in the needle assembly can move freely in the dorsal track. This device may also be inactivated conventionally by fixing the shield and pulling on the catheter.
[0081] As previously discussed, the locking device may take various forms. FIGS. 10A, 10B and 10 C suggest alternative locking devices for the needle assembly and shield. A locking device on the actuator or tab consisting of a slot that may accommodate a tab or projection from the forward section of the shield to fix the needle assembly in an extended position is shown. Alternatively, a third butterfly wing is folded down on the skin and taped like a conventional wing. A similar notch or slot on the locking device of the needle assembly, fitted with a finger release on the opposite side, may be pressed by the index finger to disengage the needle assembly from the tab or locking projection on the shield. A double locking device may have a notch or slot on each side, one for locking the needle assembly extended and the other for locking the needle assembly in the retracted position. This locking device is potentially reversible.
[0082] Devices to lock the needle assembly permanently in the retracted position are also possible, and examples of these are shown in FIGS. 10D, 10E and 10 F. These involve locking devices on the needle assembly or tubing, as well as corresponding mating systems within the lumen of the shield. FIGS. 10D, 10E and 10 F demonstrate embodiments of tapered and interlocking rings or tabs, oppositely directed and interlocking ratchet projections, and interlocking rings, ridges, or shaped projections trapped in a space created by a tapered dentate and surface, or two oppositely directed ratchet projections.
[0083] U.S. Pat. No. 5,279,588 to Nicoletti et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,549,571 to Sak, U.S. Pat. 5,330,438 to Gollobin et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,120,320 to Fayngold, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,704,917 to Utterberg all demonstrate the common shielded butterfly needles involving a standard butterfly needle within a specialized shield. These devices generally consistent of a largely conventional butterfly needle with wings, a shield with two side slots to accommodate movement of the wings, and a locking device. Virtually all of these systems require the needle to be inactivated by holding the shield and pulling on the catheter, and therefore none are inactivated with a single hand. When one attempts to inactivate these devices with one hand by pressing on the wing with the index finger the wings twist ineffectually and jam in the shield. When two fingers, the index and middle fingers, are used to move the wings and needle assembly, the tubing bunches up against the thumb because there is no thumb rest.
[0084] FIGS. 11A and 11B illustrate the components of a butterfly needle with the wings 1106 attached to the hub of the needle 1102 to pass along tracks 1116 in the shield. Similar to the embodiment in which the wings attach to the shield, as shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B , the embodiment of FIGS. 11A and 11B contains a locking device in the shield and a thumb rest 1114 above the plane of the shield so that the tubing 1108 may move out of the shield while the thumb is on the thumb rest. FIGS. 12A and 12B show an assembled winged needle 1102 movable within the shield. As illustrated, the thumb rest 1114 is above the catheter such that the catheter may move out of the shield unimpeded by the thumb. This arrangement, the thumb rest and one-hand inactivation, is not found with any other shielded winged needle or catheter system. In systems without a thumb rest, the thumb at the end of the shield blocks catheter outflow and prevents one-handed inactivation. In the present invention, the locking device or tab of the needle assembly may be moved by the index finger along the dorsal track toward the thumb rest, while the thumb remains on the thumb rest, with the two fingers (the index finger and thumb) coming together in a “pinching motion”. The needle assembly may then be retracted and locked into the shield. Thus, the present invention provides a shielded needle assembly designed to be inactivated with one hand. This one-handed inactivation works when the shield remains fixed to the skin by adhesive so long as the locking device and wings of the needle assembly can move freely in the dorsal and side tracks. The device of the present invention may also be conventionally inactivated by fixing the shield in place and pulling on the catheter.
[0085] A shielded butterfly needle that may be inactivated with one hand as described above, may also be accomplished with a winged needle assembly and shield with only the side slits or tracks and not the dorsal slits or tracks. The components of this device, the arch shielded butterfly needle, are shown in FIGS. 13A and 13B . This consists of a shield, a locking device on the shield side tracks 1316 for movement of wing 1306 and a thumb rest 1314 . A ring or arch 1324 attached to the wings 1306 or needle assembly encompasses the upper portion of the shield. The arch may also be moved forward beyond the wings on the needle assembly, so that the wings may be folded and not entrap the arch.
[0086] FIGS. 14A and 14B show an assembled arch shielded butterfly needle. The shielded butterfly needle of FIGS. 14A and 14B may be moved and inactivated identically to the above-described embodiments with all the same advantages, and the ability to inactivate the needle assembly with one hand by the same technique. This device may also be inactivated conventionally by fixing the shield to the skin and pulling on the catheter.
[0087] One-handed shielding of the butterfly needle, or any needle or catheter system, has also been improved with the addition of a reciprocating mechanism. This mechanism, which may be either line, gear, or hydraulic driven, connects the needle apparatus with a plunger or tab in a track. Thus, when the plunger or tab is moved forward in the track, the needle is retracted into the shield by this mechanism. The most favorable version of which is a line or filament pulley system that connects the plunger or tab to the needle, using the housing of the shield as a pulley, or alternatively by using another low friction device such as a conventional wheel-like pulley as the pulley device. This device may be easily operated with a single hand while maintaining absolute control of the needle and shield. These needles may also be inactivated similarly to other conventional shielded butterfly needles, by holding the shield and pulling on the tubing. This is similar to that used for the reciprocating syringe as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,245,046, the entire contents and disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
[0088] FIGS. 15A, 15B , 15 C, 15 D, 15 E and 15 F illustrate various assembled embodiments of a reciprocating needle. FIG. 15A demonstrates an assembled device with the plunger extended, and the driveline attached to the plunger and to the needle assembly. FIG. 15B shows the plunger depressed, the needle retracted and inactivated. It is contemplated by the present invention that the locking devices may include all of those delineated in the above-discussed embodiments. FIG. 15C shows an embodiment with a hinge in the plunger to permit it to be folded forward. The thumb rest of the plunger could be used as a device to lock the needle assembly in place during needle insertion. FIG. 15D demonstrates the plunger unfolded and extended and the needle unlocked, ready for inactivation. FIG. 15E shows a removable plunger, storable in a holder on the shield, which may also be used to lock and unlock the needle assembly. In this embodiment, the plunger pushes the line driver in the track. FIG. 15F illustrates an embodiment wherein the line driver is extended, this extension being movable in a track whereby the extension may be used as a tab, handle or driver to propel the line driver forward and inactivate the needle.
[0089] The wing tracks or slots as well as the dorsal tracks, which have been described above in multiple embodiments, may be of alternative design, some of which may serve as locking devices. The simplest form is a slit or track free of a locking formation. FIGS. 16A, 16B , 16 C, 16 D and 16 E are examples of slot variants and slot locking mechanisms. FIG. 16A has an angled rectangle at each end to trap the rectangular shape of a wing attachment on the lateral tracks or the drive tab of the dorsal slot. FIG. 16B has a curvilinear void at each end of the track to capture an attachment. FIG. 16C is similar to FIG. 16B but for an irreversible locking system composed of unidirectional dentates. FIG. 16D is of the same design concept, but the track is a simple rectangular track. FIG. 16E has a single dentate which would irreversibly lock a number of attachment designs.
[0090] Another major problem with many shielded needle devices, especially those with a rigid shield, is that the shield makes the butterfly needle device effectively longer thereby creating a longer lever arm. With a longer effective device, slight changes in orientation may cause major changes in the position of the needle tip in relation to the fulcrum of the device causing disruption of the blood vessel or painful tension on the tissues. This longer lever arm becomes especially evident when the device is taped to the skin or manipulated. Thus, a solution to prevent the deleterious effects of the longer lever arm caused by the shield may also be a major advance in the stability of these needles.
[0091] In the present invention, the mechanical disadvantage induced by the longer lever arm has been reduced by the addition of a restricted hinge in the shield, the addition of a flexible shield, or the addition of a flexible shield segment. All of these modifications reduce the effective lever arm to alleviate the negative mechanical aspects of a butterfly or needle shield. FIGS. 16F, 16G , 16 H, 16 I, 16 J and 16 K illustrate flexible shields in extended and flexed positions. FIGS. 16F and 16G demonstrate a rigid shield with a hinge, in the flexed and extended positions. FIGS. 16H and 16I show a rigid shield with a flexible joint that functions as a hinge equivalent. The lateral track for the wing extends through this flexible segment. FIGS. 16J and 16K demonstrate a rigid fore-section and a flexible portion to permit the appropriate movement and decreasing the effective lever arm. An additional variant may comprise an entire flexible shield, flexible side-to-side to some degree, but not compressible significantly axially, so that the retracted needle would not be exposed. All of these designs may incorporate a stop to limit motion, or may have limitations in flexibility, because if the shield may flex completely, the reversed needle may stick the operator.
[0092] All documents, patents, journal articles and other materials cited in the present application are hereby incorporated by reference.
[0093] Although the present invention has been fully described in conjunction with the preferred embodiment thereof with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that various changes and modifications may be apparent to those skilled in the art. Such changes and modifications are to be understood as included within the scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims, unless they depart therefrom.
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A butterfly needle assembly has a needle and a shield with wings integral to either the needle or the shield. The wings have aesthetically pleasing patterns to distract the patient during treatment. The mechanical design of the needle and shield juncture improves the stability of the assembly when inserted into a patient, as well as allowing the assembly to be disengaged with a single hand to help the caregiver avoid a needle “stick” and prevent the spread of diseases.
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FIELD OF INVENTION
The present invention relates to a hinge pin ramp, retainer and doorstop for a frame door and is particularly concerned with a hinge pin receptacle that accepts a spring-loaded pin in order to mount or to close a frame door.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Frames for electronic devices often have doors. The doors must be capable of opening and closing and must be easy to install. As well, it is desirable that doors can be closed simply by pushing on them.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide an integrated hinge pin, retainer and doorstop for a frame door.
An advantage of the present invention is that it allows a frame door to be easily installed and allows for the closure of an associated frame door with a simple push action.
In one aspect there is provided a hinge pin receptacle comprising a body defining a slot; said slot for receiving a door pin; a ramp in said body; said ramp for guiding the door pin into said slot; means for fastening said body to a door frame adaptor.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
The invention will be further understood from the following description with references to the drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a frame door in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a front view of a upper portion of a frame in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 3a is a top perspective view of an integrated hinge pin receptacle in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 3b is a bottom perspective view of an integrated hinge pin receptacle in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an accordion shim for use in another embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 5 is a side sectional view of an integrated hinge pin receptacle in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 6 is a side sectional view of an integrated hinge pin receptacle in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention; and
FIGS. 6A-6D are top views of integrated hinge pin receptacles in accordance with other embodiments of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
FIG. 1 shows a frame 10 in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. Frame 10 has doors 12 which are mounted at front edge 14 of the frame 10, via top adaptor 15a and bottom adaptor 15b. Protruding from top edge 16 and bottom edge 18 of door 12 are spring-loaded pins. The spring-loaded pins are not visible in FIG. 1. The spring-loaded pins are biased to protrude from top-edge 16 and bottom-edge 18. The pins are retracted by pulling on handles 24 attached to the pins by means of a linking mechanism. In this manner the door can be opened.
The spring-loaded pins fit into the hinge pin receptacle 30. The hinge pin receptacle 30 is fastened to frame 10 near the front edge 14, via top adaptor 15a and bottom adaptor 15b.
As shown in FIG. 2, each door 222 has hinge pins 220a, 220b at its left and right side. In this way the door is capable of being supported by left hinge pins 220a or by right hinge pins 220b. The hinge pins 220a, 220b fit into hinge pin receptacle 230.
FIGS. 3a, 3b show a detailed view of a hinge pin receptacle 330a, 330b. As shown in FIG. 3a, the hinge pin receptacle 330a has a ramp 332 to receive a spring-loaded pin. Although as shown in FIG. 3a the ramp is inclined, as will be apparent from other figures and embodiments, the ramp may be horizontal in some embodiments. The body 334 of the hinge pin receptacle 330a defines a hole 336 which receives a spring-loaded pin. When a spring-loaded pin is retained in hole 336 the pin and hole 336 act as a top or bottom hinge for the door attached to the pin. Hole 336 has a back portion 338 which prevents further rearwards movement of the pin. The hinge pin receptacle 330a is fastened to the top adaptor and bottom adaptor by placing a screw through bevelled hole 340 defined in body 334. Alternatively it could be fastened by way of clips or some other fastening mechanism known to those skilled in the art.
Body 334 also has sloped front edge 342, which can receive or guide the bottom or top edge of the door onto the top surface 344 of hinge pin receptacle 330a. This makes it easier to push-close the door if the door edge is not level with top surface 344.
As shown in FIG. 3b, the bottom surface of hinge pin receptacle 330b has protrusions 346 which may be received by holes in the top adaptor or bottom adaptor for easier mounting and assembly.
FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of an accordion shim 410, leaves 412 of shim 410 are attached by breakable hinge 414. Leaves 412 also define holes or apertures 416 that can receive protrusions from the bottom surface of a hinge pin receptacle. Apertures 416 can also receive spring-loaded pins or fasteners. A shim 410 is inserted between top or bottom adaptors such as 15a and 15b in FIG. 1 and the hinge pin receptacle to ensure that the door is supported on both left and right hinge pin receptacles, to make door opening and closing feel the same for both sides of the door. As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, other means could be used, instead of shims, to accomplish height adjustment. Breakable hinges 414 can be broken to give the desired shim thickness.
A benefit of the present invention is that the door may be closed simply by pushing on it. Spring-loaded pins are guided up ramp 332, stopped by back portion 338 and drop into hole 336, thereby locking the door. As well, during installation of a door, the ramp 332 and back portion 338 guide pins into hole 336, making initial installation of the door easier.
An alternative embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. 5. Hinge pin receptacle 530 has a biased ramp 532, which receives a spring-loaded pin which protrudes from a door. However, because biased ramp 532 can move when it comes into contact with the pin, the pin could remain fixed in position as the door closes. The pin could remain fixed in position if the handle associated with the pin was locked into an extended position with a locking mechanism or if the handle and pin did not move freely. As shown in FIG. 5, ramp 532 could be biased by forming it from a piece of spring steel and attaching it to a lower edge 534 of hinge pin receptacle 530.
Yet another embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. 6. As shown in FIG. 6 the ramp 632 is horizontal. Retention means as explained below can be used to hold the pin against back portion 638 which acts as a doorstop for the pin. The retention means allow the door to be closed and held shut simply by pushing on the door.
As shown in FIG. 6A the body 634a of the hinge pin receptacle defines an opening 636a which receives a spring loaded pin. Along one side of the opening 636a is a retention means, such as spring 637a. When the door is closed, the pin pushes against a front sloped surface 632a of spring 637a until the pin is proximate back portion 638a, when the spring 637a snaps back to its original position.
As shown in FIG. 6B, there could be both a first spring 637b and a second spring 639b on either side of opening 636b.
As shown in FIG. 6C, biased hook 637c is pivotally mounted to the body 634c of the hinge pin receptacle. Hook 637c has a sloped front surface 632c which causes hook 637c to rotate when a pin is pushed against it. When the pin is proximate back portion 638c, the hook 637c snaps back to its original position because it is biased towards the original position.
Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 6D, a spring-loaded plunger 637d can be placed at the side of opening 636d. Spring-loaded plunger 637d has a sloped front surface 632d. When a pin is pushed against plunger 637d the pin comes into contact with sloped front surface 632d and pushes spring-loaded plunger 637d out of the way until the pin is proximate back portion 638d, when spring-loaded plunger 637d snaps back into position.
Numerous modifications, variations and adaptations may be made to the particular embodiments of the invention described above without departing from the scope of the invention which is defined in the claims.
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A hinge pin ramp, retainer and doorstop for a frame door. The ramp, retainer and doorstop is formed into a hinge pin receptacle which allows closing or installing a frame door simply by pushing on it. A spring-loaded door pin is received by the hinge pin ramp and guided into the hinge pin retainer. There are also provided accordion shims to assist with levelling the door during installation.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Application Ser. No. 694,763, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,181,497 filed June 10, 1976 and entitled "Process for Shading During the Vapor Phase Dyeing of Carpet."
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention is directed to a process for making carpet and, more particularly, to a process for using sublimable dyes to provide a design to a carpet.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of sublimable dyes for dyeing carpet is old in the art. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,860,388, there is taught the use of a sheet between the product being dyed and the transfer sheet. The sheet in question is used to eliminate the problem of sticking of the transfer sheet to the material being printed.
It is believed that the prior art lacks the teaching of using an air flow to carry out the transfer of the sublimable dyes from the transfer sheet to a carpet. Further, it is submitted that the prior art lacks the use of a shading means which limits air flow in certain areas so that dye intensity is diminished in those areas.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention is a process for making a decorative carpet through the use of sublimable dyes. The sublimable dyes are placed on a porous transfer sheet. The porous transfer sheet is then placed adjacent the face fiber yarns of a carpet. A shade controlling means is then positioned relative the transfer sheet and the carpet product. The shade controlling means is a porous member which is placed adjacent the transfer sheet. It may be placed between the transfer sheet and the carpet. This shade controlling sheet is porous and its porosity is so controlled so that it limits the amount of air passing through the shade controlling means, the transfer sheet, and the carpet. By limiting the air flow, the rate of dye transfer is reduced and consequently, the intensity of the color placed on the carpet is lessened. The dye transfer process requires the use of air to move the dye from the transfer sheet to the carpet. In selected areas of the carpet, the shade controlling means lessens the air flow and consequently, the dye is transferred but at a lesser dye intensity at the points where the shade controlling means exist. This then provides a difference in shade of color between those areas where the shade controlling means exist and those areas where the shade controlling means does not exist with respect to a certain color being transferred.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The FIGURE is a cross-sectional view of a carpet structure with the shade controlling means positioned adjacent the dye transfer sheet.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring now to the FIGURE, there is provided a conventional carpet with face fiber yarns 2 and a backing 4. A transfer sheet 6 is likewise utilized. A shade controlling means 12 is then positioned either between sheet 6 and face fiber yarns 2 or on the back side of sheet 6 away from the side of sheet 6 engaging the face fiber yarns 2 (shown in dotted lines). The sheet 12, which functions as a shade controlling means, is a porous sheet. Air moves in the direction of arrow 14 to cause the transfer of the sublimable dyes from sheet 6 to the face fiber yarns 2. The existence of the porous sheet 12 lessens the air flow and thus the intensity of the dye being transferred. Consequently, less dye is transferred where the shade controlling means is utilized and, therefore, the shade difference is secured in those areas 16 where a shade controlling means is utilized versus those areas 18 where no shade controlling means is utilized.
A series of examples were carried out to determine the shading characteristics obtainable when various porous barrier sheets are located either between the transfer sheet and the carpet or on the side of the transfer sheet opposite from the side of the transfer sheet engaging the carpet face fiber yarns. Eight porous shade controlling means in the form of sheets were formed to provide both a range of porosity and a selection of different materials. The materials utilized are as follows:
______________________________________ Permeability (Standard cubic feet per minute per square foot-SCM/ft..sup.2 per ASTM D-737-46)Shade One TwoControlling Means Thickness Thicknesses______________________________________Reemay 2014 859 500(Polyester)Reemay 2033 240 140(Polyester)Glass Paper 208 113(E-35-S61-58)Haines 186F 32 19(Cellulose)______________________________________
A transfer sheet is provided with a sublimable dye. The transfer sheet is glass paper having a porosity of 208 SCFM/ft. 2 . The sublimable dye used is a standard sublimable dye, for example, a 15% solution of latyl cerise dye in water. The particular dye utilized is CI Constitution No. 60756. It is deposited on the transfer sheet by a conventional rotogravure printer having 120 lines per inch. A carpet structure is then provided formed with a backing of jute material having a 19 by 19 count. On the backing material there is tufted a Nylon 66 yarn to a pile height of 5/16 inches to provide a carpet face weight of 13 ounces per square yard. The yarn is tufted into the backing at the rate of 12 tufts per inch.
Between the above-described transfer sheet and carpet structure there is inserted one example of each of the above-identified controlling means. Air at 425° F. and 15 standard cubic feet per minute per square foot is then passed through this multi-layer structure for one minute.
A second set of shade controlling means, one each of the above-identified shade controlling means, is positioned on the side of the transfer sheet away from the side of the transfer sheet engaging the face fiber yarns of the carpet structure. Air is now passed through the shade controlling means, the transfer sheet, and the carpet in this respective order at a temperature of 425° F. and 15 standard cubic feet per minute per square foot. In both above examples, certain portions of the transfer sheet and carpet structure contain no shade controlling means and other portions contain shade controlling means.
As a result of carrying out the above examples, it was noted that shading effects begin to show at a porosity of 859 SCFM/ft. 2 when the shade controlling means is placed between the transfer sheet and the carpet. The shading becomes lighter as the porosity of the shade controlling means is reduced, and at a porosity of 140 SCFM/ft. 2 , the carpet area where a shade controlling means exists is not colored by any of the sublimable dyes from the transfer sheet. In those areas where there is no shade controlling, the dye is transferred and covers the full length of the carpet face fibers. The shading effect is measured visibly with reference to those areas of the transfer sheet-carpet construction that has no shade controlling means and is subject to the same air flow conditions, and thus yields the dye transfer of a certain intensity which is considered to be the control intensity.
Shading effects begin to show at a porosity of 208 SCFM/ft 2 when the shade controlling means is placed in front of the transfer sheet. That is, on the side of the transfer sheet away from the side of the transfer sheet contacting the face fiber yarns. The shading becomes lighter as the porosity of the shade controlling means is reduced, and at a porosity of 32 SCFM/ft. 2 , the carpet area adjacent the shade controlling means is not colored by the dye. Again, where there was dye transferred there is evidence of the transfer of the dye over the full length of the carpet fibers, and the shading is measured visibly relative to portions of the carpet dyed without the presence of a shade controlling means.
The materials used to form the shade controlling means may have a slight influence on the final result. The Reemay material (polyester material) absorbs more dye than the glass paper. However, the porosity of the barrier sheet is the factor that has the greatest significant effects on the final results.
The shade controlling means may have uniform porosity. It is also possible for the shade controlling means to have areas of different porosities in the form of a pattern. In still another form, the shade controlling means may have an interrupted pattern. The shade controlling means is not a mask or resist that reduces the dye intensity to zero. The invention herein requires that some dye be transferred but that its intensity be lessened.
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A process is disclosed for the making of a decorative carpet through the use of sublimable dyes. A shading effect is secured through the use of air flow control sheets that affect the flow of air through a transfer sheet and a carpet product adjacent thereto. By lessening air flow, the intensity of dye being transferred is also lessened so that shades of a certain color can be secured.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This is a continuation-in-part of copending patent application Ser. No. 07/243,302 filed as PCT/DE88/00005 Jan. 6, 1988 for "Method of regulating the tension of the warp threads in weaving machines", now abandoned.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a method of and to an apparatus for regulating the tension of warp threads.
West German Utility Model No. 82 22 751 discloses an apparatus for regulating the tension of warp threads. The cloth beam and/or the warp beam of this apparatus is driven by a hydraulic stepping motor which receives stepping instructions by way of a computer-controlled regulating mechanism. Here, the tension of the warp threads is considered in addition to the change in diameter of the bands of goods coiled on the cloth beam and warp beam, respectively. This known procedure renders it possible to regulate the tension of warp threads so as to ensure a constant pull. The type of weave of the fabric is not taken into account.
Published West German patent applications Nos. 33 41 238 and 34 35 391 contain proposals to regulate the tension of warp threads by means of program-controlled stepping motors. Here, the density of the weft threads is considered in the stepping instructions.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
An object of the invention is to take into account the change in the path length of the warp threads between their intersections with weft threads.
Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus for the practice of the above outlined method.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
To achieve the above objects, it is proposed to include the change in the path length of the warp threads between the individual intersections of the warp and weft threads in the program which takes into account the tension of the warp threads and provides instructions for the motor or motors (for example, stepping instructions for one or more stepping motors).
By virtue of this proposal, significant advantages are obtained for fabrics which are not in the form of single-layered fabrics and are designed with a basket weave. These advantages include improved conditions for the superimposition of the weft threads of the individual fabric layers so that a qualitatively better fabric is achieved.
Length measurements can be provided for feedback control both in front and in back, that is, in the region of the cloth beam and the warp beam.
The novel features which are considered as characteristic of the invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The improved apparatus itself, however, both as to its construction and its mode of operation, together with additional features and advantages thereof, will be best understood upon perusal of the following detailed description of certain presently preferred specific embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawing.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a single-layered fabric in plain weave, the so-called basket weave;
FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of a so-called twill fabric;
FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of a double-layered fabric; and
FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic view of an apparatus which can be utilized to practice the improved method.
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The symbols which are used in the following description and in FIGS. 1 to 3 have the following meanings:
I=fabric layer I
II=fabric layer II
K=warp threads
S=weft threads
T S =weft thread spacing
L K =warp thread feed lengths
E=crimp factor (%)
D=thread diameter.
As shown in FIG. 1, the spacing T S , and thus also the warp thread feed length L K , is uniform over the entire length of the fabric so that constant feeds L K , L K , L K . . . are obtained.
In the twill fabric which is shown in FIG. 2, the spacing is also T S =2D but different warp thread lengths L K1 and L K2 exist.
As shown in FIG. 2, the feeds of length L K1 and L K2 occur in the sequence L K1 , L K2 , L K2 , L K1 . . .
In the double-layered fabric which is illustrated in FIG. 3, the spacing is once more T S =2D but, due to the two superimposed weft threads S 1 and S 2 , a feed sequence L K1 , L K2 , L K1 , L K2 . . . is obtained.
The thus obtained theoretical feeds can be programmed into the programming mechanism of a motor, such as a stepping motor, and the motor then, taking into account the different type of fabric and weave, produces a corresponding feed. As a result, a qualitatively better fabric is achievable. The so-called stacking is eliminated.
As already indicated, the spacing T S in each of FIGS. 1 to 3 is 2D.
The feed length L K in FIG. 1 is 2Dπ/2=D.π=3.14D while the crimp factor E=3.14D/2D=1.5707.
The feed length L K1 in FIG. 2 is again 3.14D whereas the feed length L K2 =2D=T S . The crimp factor E=(2.314D+2.2D)/4.2D=1.285.
The feed length L K1 in FIG. 3 is 3.14D+D=4.14D while the feed length L K2 =3D=T S . The crimp factor E=(4.14D+2D)/2.2D=1.535.
FIG. 4 shows an apparatus which comprises a warp beam 1 for a set of warp threads 2 which advance from the beam 1 toward the shed 4 by way of a back rest 3. The fabric is formed at 4 in the customary way; FIG. 4 merely shows a shuttle 5 for weft threads and a beat-up 6. The fabric advances over a breast beam 7 and is collected by a cloth beam 8.
One of the beams (the beam 1 in FIG. 4) is driven by a variable-speed prime mover 10 (e.g., a stepping motor) by way of a transmission 9. The speed of the prime mover 10 (and hence the tensioning of warp threads 2) is regulated by an adjusting unit 11 having a first input a for signals from a sensor 12 which monitors the tension of the fabric (i.e., the tension of the warp threads 2) between the breast beam 7 and the cloth beam 8. A second input b of the adjusting unit 11 receives signals from a source 13 serving to furnish information pertaining to the selected type of weave, e.g., the weave shown in FIG. 1, 2 or 3. Thus, the regulating step is performed for both the fabric and the warp threads 2.
It will be appreciated that the adjusting unit 11 (e.g., a commercially available computer) can be provided with additional inputs for reception of other data to be taken into consideration in connection with the making of fabric which is collected by the cloth beam 8. Reference may be had, for example, to U.S. Pat. No. 4,593,236 to Oesterle et al. which discloses a power regulating circuit with a first input for signals from a tachometer generator and a second input for signals from an external signal source to perform idle functions on the weaving machine, such as controlled relaxation of warp threads in the idle state or a prestressing of warp threads when the machine is restarted. The second input can also receive signals from a converter circuit, from a second external circuit or from a signal storage register.
Reference may also be had to the disclosure in U.S. Pat. No. 4,582,095 to Kronholm which describes a computerized pattern recongnition system serving to monitor the warp, the fabric, the edge of the fabric and the density of the weft. The digital information which is furnished by the pattern recognition system can be used in an open or closed control system for selecting the position of the edge of the fabric after an interruption and prior to a restart of the fabric feed. The patentee further proposes to use the pattern recognition system as a means for stopping the fabric feed.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,662,407 to Duncan discloses monitoring the tension of threads upstream and downstream of the shuttle and adjusting the loom when the monitored tension departs from the desired tension.
An advantage of the improved method and apparatus is that the external signal source 13 furnishes information pertaining to the selected type of weave (e.g., basket weave, twill fabric weave or another weave). This feature renders it possible to introduce another (heretofore disregarded) parameter which can exert a beneficial effect upon the quality of the fabric. While it is already known to continuously monitor the tension or density of an advancing fabric and/or of the threads which are to form the fabric, the apparatus of the present invention provides adjusting means 11 (such as a central processor) and a signal source 13 which furnishes to the adjusting means a signal at the start of a new weaving cycle (i e., when the apparatus is to switch from a first pattern to a different second pattern) in order to change the tension in accordance with the newly selected pattern and/or binding of the fabric.
The regulating step can include maintaining the tension of the warp threads 2 substantially constant in the course of the weaving step at 4. The sensor 12 continuously monitors the tension of the warp threads 2 to ensure that the controlling step can include adjusting the speed of the warp threads in response to changes of tension of such threads.
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 and specific aspects of my contribution to the art and, therefore, such adaptations should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalence of the appended claims.
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The warp beam and/or cloth beam of a loom is driven by a programmable stepping motor. The speed of the motor is regulated, preferably in such a way that the tension of the warp threads remains constant. Improved tension control is obtained by further programming the motor to take into account the type of weave in the fabric being produced. This is accomplished by inputting information pertaining to the distance covered by the warp threads between their intersections with neighboring weft threads.
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TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to drug therapies for the stimulation of ovaries in female mammals to produce ova and, in particular to the induction of multiple follicular growth.
BACKGROUND OF ART
Embryo transfer is a technique whereby a fertilized egg is removed from a female mammal and introduced into the uterus of a second female, where it implants and develops in the normal way. Embryo transfer has become popular as a means for proliferating desirable genotypes, effecting the genetic improvement of food animals, increasing production of food animals, and treating infertility problems. The ova of a desirable female can be fertilized and harvested at each estrus without damage to the animal. Thus, offspring may be procured without the interruption of the production of such ova that would otherwise result from pregnancy in the donor animal.
It is also possible and especially desirable to stimulate the production of several ova at each estrus, effectively multiplying the reproductive capacity of the animal. The induction of multiple follicular growth with subsequent ovulation is referred to as "superovulation." For example, it is an established commercial practice to stimulate the formation of multiple ovarian follicles in cattle by multiple injections of follicle stimulating hormone. Follicle stimulating hormone is prepared from the pituitary glands of slaughtered animals and is a conventional and commercially available material. It is not necessary to use follicle stimulating hormone prepared from specifically bovine pituitary glands in order to stimulate multiple follicular growth in cows. Instead, hormone from pigs, cattle, horses, and the like can be used interchangeably with practical success. Consequently, in the commercial production of follicle stimulating hormone for use with farm animals, no attempt is made to separate such material by species.
Follicle stimulating hormone is a material prepared with attention to its practical effect rather than its purity of precise content. Thus, it would probably be possible to separate out and define a component of commercial follicle stimulating hormone that in fact is responsible for its biological activity. Herein, "follicle stimulating hormone" shall be taken when appropriate to encompass both the commercial preparation and whatever component thereof may be found to be its biologically active ingredient. References to specific amounts shall be to the commercial preparation.
A typical regimen of follicle stimulating hormone treatment in cattle includes a five-day course of injections of the hormone given intramuscularly twice a day to the donor animal just prior to natural or induced estrus. A typical total dose of the hormone is approximately 50 mg divided into ten doses. The largest dose of follicle stimulating hormone is given early, with daily doses decreasing in amount until the total of 50 mg has been given. Other conventional regimens requiring ten innoculations over a five-day period require as much as 73 mg of hormone. See James F. Evans, "Embryo Transfer in Cattle," Large Animal Supplement, Continuing Education Article #8, Vol. II, No. 6 (June, 1980), publ. by Compendium of Continuing Education, p. 591. Thus, it is common for the induction of superovulation to involve ten innoculations over a period of five days of follicle stimulating hormone alone. As a consequence simply of experiencing the needle so often over so short a period, the cow may become cranky, difficult to work with, and even dangerous. In addition, considerable veterinary or technician time is required. Furthermore, the typical minimum dose of approximately 50 mg of follicle stimulating hormone represents a considerable financial investment, as the hormone is an expensive material, in addition to the cost of the veterinary time needed to administer it in multiple injections.
Various attempts have been made to reduce the numbers of injections of follicle stimulating hormone necessary to produce a desirable amount of superovulation. See, for example, C. R. Looney, et al., "Comparison of Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH) in Gelatin and Saline Diluents for Superovulating Donor Cattle, " Theriogenology, Vol. 17, No. 1, (January 1982) p. 97. However, follicle stimulating hormone appears to have a relatively short half life in blood serum, making the repeated injections necessary to maintain desirable serum levels over an extended period. Attempts also have been made to avoid repeated injections by incorporating the hormone in various vehicles adapted to release the hormone more slowly into the bloodstream. However, these attempts have not been very successful, as is reported by David A. Morrow, Current Therapy in Theriogenology: Diagnosis, Treatment and Prevention of Reproductive Diseases in Animals, (W. B. Saunders Company: 1980) p. 75. As a consequence, large amounts of follicle stimulating hormone and the multiple injection technique have remained necessary.
Liposomes have been used for entrapment of various materials, including drugs. See for example, Michael W. Fountain, Craig Dees, and Ronald D. Schultz, "Enhanced Intracellular Killing of Staphylococcus aureus by Canine Monocytes Treated with Liposomes Containing Amicacin, Gentamicin, Kanamycin, and Tobramycin," Current Microbiology, Vol. 6 (1981), pp. 373-376. It has not been known to encapsulate follicle stimulating hormones in liposomes in injectable form for time-delayed release of the hormone in cattle.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is summarized in that an injectable pharmaceutical preparation for the induction of multiple follicular growth in mammals includes superovulation inducing hormone entrapped within liposomes adapted to release over a selected period of time a continually pharmaceutically effective amount of the superovulation inducing hormone into the tissue of a mammal injected with the preparation.
A primary object of the invention is to provide a means for maintaining a pharmaceutically active level of superovulation inducing hormone in the blood serum of a female mammal in order to induce multiple follicular growth.
A second object of the invention is to provide means for so maintaining a pharmaceutically active level of superovulation inducing hormone such that a single injection will be sufficient over a period of as much as five days.
Another object of the invention is to provide means for maintaining such a pharmaceutically active amount of superovulation inducing hormone in the bloodstream of a mammal with the use of reduced total amounts of the hormone.
Other object, features, and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
In general terms, the pharmaceutical preparation of the invention includes a combination of a solution of superovulation inducing hormone in normal saline and preferably multilamellar liposomes with superovulation inducing hormone entrapped between the liposome membranes. For convenience of description, follicle stimulating hormone, as described and defined above, shall be taken as a typical superovulation inducing hormone, and the description of the preferred embodiment shall be made generally with reference to follicle stimulating hormone. However, other superovulation inducing hormones, such as pregnate mare serum gonadotropin, are known and may be substituted functionally for follicle stimulating hormone in a manner known to those skilled in the art.
A liposome must be selected that exhibits a desired degree of stability when injected preferably intramuscularly, into the donor animal. The preferred liposome for use in cattle is formed from a mixture of egg phosphatidylcholine and stearylamine, as is described in Example 1, below. However, liposomes formed from egg phosphatidylcholine, stearylamine, cholesterol (as described in Example 2, below) have also proved effective, although not ideal for the pharmaceutical preparation of the invention.
Liposome formation as such is a known process. A lipid is dissolved in an appropriate solvent, chloroform and methanol in a 2:1 ratio by volume being that preferred for the purposes of the invention. Then, the solvent is removed by evaporation, whereupon a lipid film is formed on the inside surface of a flask or other container in which the dissolved lipid has been held. When the lipid film is again immersed in saline, it ruptures and folds in upon itself, forming envelopes and capsules commonly referred to as liposomes. In this process, some of the saline solution and any material dissolved in it is trapped between lipid layers. Multilamellar liposomes are formed as a consequence of such immersion in saline accompanied by physical agitation for several minutes. Multilamellar liposomes can be subdivided and broken up into unilamellar liposomes by sonication. Multilamellar liposomes are the larger of the two but are still small enough to be injected intramuscularly.
Egg phosphatidylcholine is inexpensie and available and therefore is the lipid preferred for the making of the pharmaceutical preparation of the invention. However, phosphatidylcholine from other sources is equally efficacious and shall be understood to be included in the term "egg phosphatidylcholine" whenever used herein. Various other materials may be incorporated in the lipid film by dissolving them, together with the lipid, before evaporation. The presence of stearylamine in the lipid film leads to an increased space between liposome membranes in multilamellar liposomes, apparently because of electrostatic repulsion. Cholesterol incorporated in liposome membranes tends to make them more stable and resistive to degeneration.
To procure the pharmaceutical preparation of the invention, liposome films having varying proportions of egg phosphatidylcholine, stearylamine, and cholesterol were formed and were utilized to make liposomes in which follicle stimulating hormone was entrapped. As is set forth below, liposomes prepared from a combination of egg phosphatidylcholine and stearylamine in a 7:1 molar ratio proved most desirable for the purposes of the invention. However, egg phosphatidylcholine, cholesterol, and stearylamine in a 7:2:1 molar ratio also proved effective though less preferred in making the pharmaceutical preparation of the invention.
It was verified that follicle stimulating hormone had indeed been entrapped within the liposomes rather than simply being physically associated with their surfaces. This was done by marking the follicle stimulating hormone by mixture with a selected quantity of human follicle stimulating hormone marked with 125 I. As has been mentioned above, follicle stimulating hormone tends to be effective across species, the commercial preparation of follicle stimulating hormone referred to herein itself probably containing material from more than one specie. After liposomes had been made in a saline solution containing the dissolved follicle stimulating hormones so marked, the liposomes were removed from the solution by centrifuge. The supernatent containing the follicle stimulating hormones that had not been entrapped was removed and discarded. The pellet of liposomes was resuspended in normal saline, and the process was repeated to wash the surfaces of the liposomes. In other samples, the free follicle stimulating hormones, including that marked with 125 I were removed from the liposomes by gel filtration chromatography using conventional procedures described by Sessa, G. et al. "Interaction of a Lytic Polypeptide, Mellitin, with Lipid Membrane Systems," J. Biol. Chem., vol. 244, pp. 3575-3582 (1969).
Entrapment of follicle stimulating hormone in the liposomes was estimated quantitatively by the entrapment of the radio-labeled human follicle stimulating hormone. Actual entrapment or "true latency" was determined using conventional techniques comparable to those described by Anderson, P. et al. "Entrapment of Human Leukocyte Interferon in the Aqueous Interstices of Liposomes," Infect. Immun., Vol. 31, pp. 1099-1103 (1981). By these means it was determined that approximately 18 to 19% of the follicle stimulating hormone that had been dissolved in the saline solution used to form the liposomes had been entrapped behind liposome membranes. Hormone in solution not entrapped within liposomes shall be referred to herein as "free" hormone.
It is believed that in vivo the liposomes degenerate over time, releasing the entrapped follicle stimulating hormone into the bloodstream of the injected animal. By this means, serum levels of the hormone can be kept at a pharmaceutically effective level without repeated injection. Clearly it would be possible to inject washed liposomes in isolation and achieve this effect. However, it is common to initiate a regimen of treatment with follicle stimulating hormone with a fairly large dose of the hormone. Thus, the preferred embodiment of the pharmaceutical preparation of the invention is a mixture of liposomes with entrapped follicle stimulating hormone and a solution containing free follicle stimulating hormone. Such preparation most conveniently is the very saline solution in which the liposomes have been formed. Thus, without waste or the need to employ laborious separation techniques, a single solution may be prepared in which approximately 18 to 19% of the follicle stimulating hormone is entrapped without liposomes and the remaining hormone is available for an immediate, initial dose of hormone to begin the superovulating regimen.
The kit of the invention is adapted to make the pharmaceutical preparation referred to above available for use over an extended period of time without the need to provide refrigerated storage. Futhermore, the kit is adapted to be convenient for a practitioner's use in the field, allowing him to obtain a fresh dose of the pharmaceutical preparation for immediate use with a minimum of manipulation and handling difficulties.
The kit of the the invention includes a dry container in which has been placed a selected quantity of lyophilized follicle stimulating hormone, a dry container containing dry lipid material of the sort referred to above, and a container containing a diluent of normal saline (0.85% NaCl by weight). The contents of each container are sterile. The follicle stimulating hormone and lipid containers may be separate or may be one and the same container. In either case, the container of normal saline may be a syringe also suitable for measuring and injecting the pharmaceutical preparation into the donor animal. In any event, any or all of the containers of the kit may be equipped with conventional needle puncturable elastomer plugs, so that fluid materials may be transferred from container to container via a needle-equipped syringe. Alternatively the follicle stimulating hormone and normal saline may be contained in separate containers with separate means for introducing the saline to the hormone. Such a syringe as that referred to above may then be the dry container of lipid material.
The preparation of a uniform lipid film in a flask or vial is described in Example 1, below. This is the preferred method of obtaining a dry container containing lipid material. However, lipid material in lyophilized or otherwise dried powder form is a widely available commercial material. If such a dried preparation is used, the desired amount may simply be measured into a selected dry container. In the event the dry container is a syringe, the syringe may be lipid coated in the same manner as a flask or vial. Alternatively, dry lipid material may be measured into the syringe with the needle-holding end thereof stopped in any suitable manner.
In use, the lyophilized follicle stimulating hormone is rehydrated in the normal saline solution. This may be accomplished by any conventional means of transferring materials from one container to another, including the use of a syringe. The rehydrated follicle stimulating hormone is then added to the dry lipid material, again by any conventional means, and multilamellar liposomes are allowed to form. The liposomes entrap part of the follicle stimulating hormone together with the saline in which it is dissolved, and the pharmaceutical preparation of the invention is thus produced.
When separate dry containers are employed for the follicle stimulating hormone and the lipid material, the follicle stimulating hormone rehydrated first and is then transferred to the container of dry lipid material. In the alternative embodiment disclosed above in which both the dry follicle stimulating hormone and lipid material are stored within a common container, the rehydrating of the follicle stimulating hormone and the formation of liposomes occurs simultaneously as the saline solution is added to their container. In the event the lipid container is itself a syringe, rehydrated follicle stimulating hormone is simply drawn into the syringe, where liposome formation takes place. In each case, it is desirable to agitate the solution for 10 to 15 minutes at the point that liposome formation is taking place. All of the operations referred to above may be undertaken at room temperature.
Although all of the alternative embodiments referred to above are included within the scope and spirit of the invention, it is clear that each embodiment offers particular advantages. For example, in the embodiments in which a syringe serves as a container of lipid material or saline, no separate syringe need be provided for injection of the pharmaceutical preparation in the donor animal. In the event a syringe serves as the container for the saline solution, no separate means need be provided to transfer saline to the container or containers holding the dry materials. When the follicle stimulating hormone and dry lipid material are held in a single container, the entire kit can consist of one container holding the dry ingredients and the saline-filled syringe, with no separate syringe being necessary for innoculation of the animal.
The method of the invention for inducing multiple follicular growth in a female mammal includes the injection of the pharmaceutical preparation of the invention in a single injection. The injection preferably is intramuscular and is given approximately five days before natural or induced estrus. The induction of estrus by the conventional use of pregnant mare serum gonadotropin and prostaglandin is described in James F. Evans, "Embryo Transfer in Cattle," referred to above, and materials and methods other than those described by Evans are known. The injection utilized in the method of the invention is preferably of the pharmaceutical preparation prepared from egg phosphatidylcholine and stearylamine, in a 7:1 molar ratio, referred to above. The amount of the preparation injected in the Example 4 disclosed below was that calculated to be sufficient to contain approximately 50 mg. of follicle stimulating hormone, partly in free solution and partly entrapped within liposomes. This single injection is sufficient to induce superovulation and the production of an increased number of ova, as is shown by the experimental results set forth in Example 4, below. Ideal dosage may be expected to vary with the type and size of cow. The ideal dosage may be easily determined by one skilled in the art by a series of trials on typical cows.
The following are specific examples setting forth the preferred method of making the pharmaceutical preparation and kit of the invention and showing experimental results relevant to application of the method of the invention, disclosed above:
EXAMPLE 1
First Example of the Pharmaceutical Preparation of the Invention
200 mg of a mixture of egg phosphatidylcholine and stearylamine in a 8:1 molar ratio were dissolved in a solvent containing chloroform and methanol in a 2:1 ratio by volume. The solution was added to a round-bottom flask. The solvent was then removed by rotoevaporation conducted at 37° C. The egg phosphatidylcholine and stearylamine were found to have formed a substantially uniform lipid film on the inside surface of the flask.
An entirely comparable solution of egg phosphatidylcholine and stearylamine was prepared and placed in a small vial. The vial was incubated at 37° C. in a water bath, and a gentle stream of sterile, dry nitrogen gas was passed over the solution. As a consequence, the solvent was removed by evaporation, and a thin lipid film remained in the vial.
Follicle stimulating hormone was procured as a freeze-dried protein powder under the trade name "FSH-P" from Burns-Biotech Co. of Omaha, Neb. 50 mg. of the follicle stimulating hormone was rehydrated in 2.5 ml of sterile, normal saline having a concentration of 0.85% sodium chloride by weight. To accomplish rehydration, the follicle stimulating hormone was simply mixed with the saline and gently agitated by hand for a brief period of time. Comparable samples of follicle stimulating hormone so hydrated were then added to each of the vial and flask referred to above containing a dry lipid film. The vial and flask were agitated for from 10 to 15 minutes at room temperature (approximately 22° C.) to assure maximal entrapment of follicle stimulating hormone and the formation of liposomes. When the liposomes are washed so as to remove from them any entrapped follicle stimulating hormone, subsequent disruption of the liposome to release entrapped follicle stimulating hormone coupled with subsequent measurement of the follicle stimulating hormone thus released indicated that approximately 18 to 20% of the follicle stimulating hormone had been entrapped. The preferred pharmaceutical preparation of the invention includes both the entrapped follicle stimulating hormone and the remaining hormone still in solution in the free saline.
Unilamellar liposomes were formed from a sample of the multilamellar liposomes produced in accord with the method just disclosed by conventional sonication of the multilamellar liposomes while they were still suspended in the saline solution in which they had formed. Sonication for from 5 to 10 minutes was found to be sufficient to produce small unilamellar liposomes.
EXAMPLE 2
Second Preparation of the Pharmaceutical Preparation of the Invention
A saline solution of follicle stimulating hormone containing multilameller liposomes having entrapped follicle stimulating hormone was prepared following substantially the same steps as those set forth in Example 1 except that the 7:1 molar ratio of egg phosphatidylcholine and stearylamine was replaced with a 7:2:1 molar ratio of egg phosphatidylcholine, cholesterol, and stearylamine. Unilamellar liposomes also were formed from a sample of this material in the manner set forth in Example 1.
EXAMPLE 3
Third Preparation of the Pharmaceutical Preparation of the Invention (Hypothetical)
From the disclosure set forth herein, one skilled in the art could prepare a saline solution of pregnant mare serum gonadotropin containing multilameller liposomes having entrapped pregnant mare serum gonadotropin by following substantially the same steps as those set forth in Examples 1 and 2.
EXAMPLE 4
Stimulation of Multiple Follicular Growth in Cattle
Cows were injected with a single dose, one injection per cow, of either multilamellar or unilamellar pharmaceutical preparations made in accord with the steps set forth in either Example 1 or 2. Injections were made both sub-cutaneously and intramuscularly. The injections were made five days before conventionally induced estrus. The ovaries of the cows were examined by rectal palpation for the induction of multiple ovarian follicles. The number of corpus lutea produced after follicle formation was determined subsequently in the same manner to ascertain the number of the induced follicles that had actually released ova. Normal unstimulated follicle formation in a cow results in one follicle and one released ova per estrus. Thus, numbers in excess of one are evidence of stimulation. The results are given below in Table 1. Liposomes formed from egg phosphatidylcholine and stearylamine are designated "PC/ST." Liposomes also containing cholesterol in the manner of Example 2 are designated PC/CHOL/ST. In each case, the single injection contained a total of approximately 50 mg of follicle stimulating hormone distributed between hormone dissolved in free saline and hormone entrapped within liposomes.
TABLE 1______________________________________ Number of Ovulated Follicles (by Number of number ofTreatment Cow Number New Follicles corpus lutae)______________________________________PC/ST, 57 8-12 1unilamellar, 42 7 3subcutaneousinjectionPC/CHOL/ST, 228 4 3unilamellar, 230 3 1intramuscularinjectionPC/ST, 224 7 1multilamellar, 65 4 4subcutaneousinjectionPC/CHOL/ST, 225 4 2multilamellar, 258 4 1subcutaneousinjectionPC/ST, 243 3 3multilamellar, 220 9 7intramuscularinjectionPC/CHOL/ST, 50 2 0multilamellar, 237 2 0intramuscularinjection______________________________________
Table 1 shows that a variety of liposome entrapped follicle stimulating hormone preparations made in accord with the disclosure set forth above can successfully be used to induce the formation of multiple ovarian follicles in cows after one injection. This is to be compared to the conventional procedure of inducing multiple ovarian follicles by the injection of cows twice a day for five days with follicle stimulating hormone that is not entrapped in liposomes. The most effective liposome preparation was a multilamellar preparation including liposomes prepared from PC/ST mixtures given by intramuscular injection. The other liposome preparations injected by the routes indicated successfully induced multiple follicular growth but were less efficient when compared to the preferred preparation.
Examination of three additional cows injected intramuscularly with a PC/ST preparation prepared in the manner of Example 1 but with a total of 400 ml of the 7:1 molar ratio egg phosphatidylcholine and stearylamine mixture substituted for the 200 mg used in Example 1 yielded the following results:
TABLE 2______________________________________ Number of Ovulated Follicles (by Number of number ofTreatment Cow Number New Follicles corpus lutae)______________________________________PC/ST, (400 mg 229 3 1lipid) intra- 52 9 4muscular 9 3 3injection______________________________________
Cow numbers 9 and 52 were found to have enlarged ovaries approximately the size of tennis balls, indicated an overdose of follicle stimulating hormone that had caused the ovaries to become cystic. The amount of hormone contained in the dose given was approximately 50 mg, a typical amount given in conventional procedures in which animals are innoculated twice a day for five days. Thus, the results of Table 2 show that the amount of follicle stimulating hormone may be reduced from 50 mg to a smaller dose readily determinable with regard to animals of any given size by one skilled in the art. By this means both the total amount of injections and the total dose of costly follicle stimulating hormone can be reduced when the hormone is entrapped in a liposomal delivery vehicle.
From the experimental results set forth in this Example, one skilled in the art could determine an effective dose of the pharmaceutical preparation of hypothetical Example 3 for inducing superovulation in cattle in a like manner.
The examples and experiments set forth above show that superovulation inducing hormones can be successfully entrapped within liposomes to form a pharmaceutical preparation that releases superovulation inducing hormone into the bloodstream of an innoculated animal over a period of time. The examples of successful use with cows allow one skilled in the art to predict comparable activity in other mammals, including humans. This may have specific, advantageous effects in certain cases. For example, the use of follicle stimulating hormone or pregnant mare serum gonadotropin to induce superovulation in Rhesus monkeys is known. However, the process is successful in monkeys only once. It is thought that monkeys make an antibody upon exposure to such hormones, the antibody inactivating hormones subsequently injected to produce succeeding superovulations.
The proteolytic enzyme trypsin is known to inactivate follicle stimulating hormone. To test the ability of the liposome membranes of the pharmaceutical preparation of the invention to withstand attacks generally comparable to that to be experienced in blood serum, liposomes with entrapped follicle stimulating hormone were treated with trypsin in conventional procedures comparable to those set forth in Anderson, P. et al, "Entrapment of Human Leukocyte Interferon in the Aqueous Interstices of Liposomes," referred to above. Thereafter, the treated liposomes were again washed and tested for the presence of entrapped follicle stimulating hormone. As before, the follicle stimulating hormone had been labeled by addition of radio-labeled human follicle stimulating hormone. The activity of the radio-labeled human follicle stimulating hormone was found to have been substantially undiminshed by the trypsin treatment, indicating that the liposome membranes successfully resisted trypsin.
From the information set forth above, it may be perceived that the pharmaceutical preparation of the invention would provide means for effectively dosing animals such as monkeys that have made an antibody to follicle stimulating hormone, the lipid membrane being shown to be sufficiently resistent to enzymes comparable in disruptive force to those to be encountered in blood serum. With the liposome membrane in place, antibodies in the bloodstream of the animal would be effectively isolated from the follicle stimulating hormone until such time as the liposome finally did open to release its contents. Thus, the need for repeated injections to replenish follicle stimulating hormone in the bloodstream of the animal could be avoided in spite of the presence of antibodies to the hormone.
It is to be understood that the examples given above record only particular instances and examples of the making of the pharmaceutical preparation of the invention and of the application of the method of the invention. The present invention is not limited to the particular reagents, steps, or methods disclosed herein. Instead, it embraces all such modified forms thereof as come within the scope of the following claims.
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An injectable pharmaceutical preparation for the induction of multiple follicular growth in mammals. A superovulation inducing hormone selected from the group consisting of follicle stimulating hormone and pregnant mare serum gonadotropin in aqueous solution is encapsulated within liposomes. The liposomes have the following characteristics: when encapsulating the hormone and injected into cows five days prior to estrus, the liposomes produce multiple follicular development as monitorable by rectal palpation of the ovaries.
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RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] The present application is related to U.S. Ser. No. 60/032,824, filed Dec. 11, 1996, entitled to PYK2 RELATED PRODUCTS AND METHODS, by Lev et al. (Lyon & Lyon Docket No. 222/126). This application is also related to U.S. application Ser. No. 08/460,626, filed Jun. 2, 1995, which is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/357,642, filed Dec. 15, 1994, both of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety, including any drawings.
INTRODUCTION
[0002] The present invention relates generally to a novel protein termed PYK2 and related products and methods.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] None of the following discussion of the background of the invention is admitted to be prior art to the invention.
[0004] Cellular signal transduction is a fundamental mechanism whereby external stimuli that regulate diverse cellular processes are relayed to the interior of cells. One of the key biochemical mechanisms of signal transduction involves the reversible phosphorylation of tyrosine residues on proteins. The phosphorylation state of a protein is modified through the reciprocal actions of tyrosine phosphatases (TPs) and tyrosine kinases (TKs), including receptor tyrosine kinases and non-receptor tyrosine kinases.
[0005] Receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) belong to a family of transmembrane proteins and have been implicated in cellular signaling pathways. The predominant biological activity of some RTKs is the stimulation of cell growth and proliferation, while other RTKs are involved in arresting growth and promoting differentiation. In some instances, a single tyrosine kinase can inhibit, or stimulate, cell proliferation depending on the cellular environment in which it is expressed.
[0006] RTKs are composed of at least three domains: an extracellular ligand binding domain, a transmembrane domain and a cytoplasmic catalytic domain that can phosphorylate tyrosine residues. Ligand binding to membrane-bound receptors induces the formation of receptor dimers and allosteric changes that activate the intracellular kinase domains and result in the self-phosphorylation (autophosphorylation and/or transphosphorylation) of the receptor on tyrosine residues. Individual phosphotyrosine residues of the cytoplasmic domains of receptors may serve as specific binding sites that interact with a host of cytoplasmic signaling molecules, thereby activating various signal transduction pathways.
[0007] The intracellular, cytoplasmic, non-receptor protein tyrosine kinases do not contain a hydrophobic transmembrane domain or an extracellular domain and share non-catalytic domains in addition to sharing their catalytic kinase domains. Such non-catalytic domains include the SH2 domains and SH3 domains. The non-catalytic domains are thought to be important in the regulation of protein-protein interacions during signal transduction.
[0008] Focal adhesion kinase (FAK) is a cytoplasmic protein tyrosine kinase that is localized to focal adhesions. Schaller, et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A., 89:5192-5196 (1992), incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, including any drawings; Cobb et al., Molecular and Cellular Biology, 14(1):147-155 (1994). In some cells the C-terminal domain of FAK is expressed autonomously as a 41 kDa protein called FRNK and the 140 C-terminal residues of FAK contain a focal adhesion targeting (FAT) domain. The cDNA's encoding FRNK are given in Schaller et al., Molecular and Cellular Biology, 13(2):785-791 (1993), incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, including any drawings. The FAT domain was identified and said to be required for localization of FAK to cellular focal adhesions in Hilderbrand et al., The Journal of Cell Biology, 123(4):993-1005 (1993).
[0009] A central feature of signal transduction is the reversible phosphorylation of certain proteins. Receptor phosphorylation stimulates a physical association of the activated receptor with target molecules, which either are or are not phosphorylated. Some of the target molecules such as phospholipase Cγ are in turn phosphorylated and activated. Such phosphorylation transmits a signal to the cytoplasm. Other target molecules are not phosphorylated, but assist in signal transmission by acting as adapter molecules for secondary signal transducer proteins. For example, receptor phosphorylation and the subsequent allosteric changes in the receptor recruit the Grb-2/SOS complex to the catalytic domain of the receptor where its proximity to the membrane allows it to activate ras. The secondary signal transducer molecules generated by activated receptors result in a signal cascade that regulates cell functions such as cell division or differentiation. Reviews describing intracellular signal transduction include Aaronson, Science, 254:1146-1153, 1991; Schlessinger, Trends Biochem. Sci., 13:443-447, 1988; and Ullrich and Schlessinger, Cell, 61:203-212, 1990.
[0010] Several protein tyrosine kinases are highly expressed in the central nervous system and there is evidence that protein phosphorylation plays a crucial regulatory role in the nervous system. Neurotrophic factors that control the differentiation and maintain the survival of different types of neuronal cells mediate their biological effects by binding to and activating cell surface receptors with intrinsic protein tyrosine kinase activity. Furthermore, protein phosphorylation is a key regulatory mechanism of membrane excitability and ion channel function.
[0011] Tyrosine phosphorylation regulates the function of several ion-channels in the central nervous system. Protein kinase C (PKC) can regulate the action of a variety of ion channels including voltage-gated potassium channels, voltage dependent sodium channels as well as the nicotinic acetycholine receptor. The action of the NMDA receptor can be modulated by protein-tyrosine kinases and phosphatases. Moreover, tyrosine phosphorylation of the nicotine acetylcholine receptors (AchR) increases its rate of desensitization, and may play role in regulation of AchR distribution on the cell membrane. Another example is the delayed rectifier-type K+ channel, termed Kv1.2 (also called RAK, RBK2, RCK5 and NGKI). This channel is highly expressed in the brain and cardiac atria, and can be regulated by tyrosine phosphorylation. Tyrosine phosphorylation of Kv1.2 is associated with suppression of Kv1.2− currents. Suppression of Kv1.2 currents was induced by a variety of stimuli including carbachol, bradykinin, PMA and calcium ionophore.
[0012] The Ras/MAP kinase signal transduction pathway is highly conserved in evolution and plays an important role in the control of cell growth and differentiation. The MAP kinase signalling pathway in PC12 cells can be activated by NGF, by peptide hormones that activate G-protein coupled receptors, by phorbol ester as well as by calcium influx following membrane depolarization. However, the mechanism underlying activation of the Ras/MAP kinase signaling pathway by G-protein coupled receptors as well as by calcium influx are not known.
[0013] Shc is involved in the coupling of both receptor and non-receptor tyrosine kinases to the Ras/MAPK signalling pathways. Overexpression of Shc leads to transformation of 3T3 cells and to neuronal differentiation of PC12 cells. Moreover, Shc induced differentiation of PC12 cells is blocked by a dominant mutant of Ras indicating that Shc acts upstream of Ras. Tyrosine phosphorylated Shc can activate the Ras signaling pathways by binding to the SH2 domain of the adaptor protein Grb2 that is complexed to the guanine nucleotide releasing factor Sos via its SH3 domains.
[0014] Signal transduction pathways that regulate ion channels (e.g., potassium channels and calcium channels) involve G proteins which function as intermediaries between receptors and effectors. Gilman, Ann. Rev. Biochem., 56:615-649 (1987); Brown and Birnbaumer, Ann. Rev. Physiol., 52:197-213 (1990). G-coupled protein receptors are receptors for neurotransmitters, ligands that are responsible for signal production in nerve cells as well as for regulation of proliferation and differentiation of nerves and other cell types. Neurotransmitter receptors exist as different subtypes which are differentially expressed in various tissues and neurotransmitters such as acetylcholine evoke responses throughout the central and peripheral nervous systems. The muscarinic acetylcholine receptors play important roles in a variety of complex neural activities such as learning, memory, arousal and motor and sensory modulation. These receptors have also been implicated in several central nervous system disorders such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, depression and schizophrenia.
[0015] Some agents that are involved in a signal transduction pathway regulating one ion channel, for example a potassium channel, may also be involved in one or more other pathways regulating one or more other ion channels, for example a calcium channel. Dolphin, Ann. Rev. Physiol., 52:243-55 (1990); Wilk-Blaszczak et al., Neuron, 12:109-116 (1994). Ion channels may be regulated either with or without a cytosolic second messenger. Hille, Neuron, 9:187-195 (1992). One possible cytosolic second messenger is a tyrosine kinase. Huang et al., Cell, 75:1145-1156 (1993), incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, including any drawings.
[0016] The receptors involved in the signal transduction pathways that regulate ion channels are ultimately linked to the ion channels by various intermediate events and agents. For example, such events include an increase in intracellular calcium and inositol triphosphate and production of endothelin. Frucht, et al., Cancer Research, 52:1114-1122 (1992); Schrey, et al., Cancer Research, 52:1786-1790 (1992). Intermediary agents include bombesin, which stimulates DNA synthesis and the phosphorylation of a specific protein kinase C substrate. Rodriguez-Pena, et al., Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communication, 140(1):379-385 (1986); Fisher and Schonbrunn, The Journal of Biological Chemistry, 263(6):2208-2816 (1988).
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0017] The present invention relates to PYK2 polypeptides, nucleic acids encoding such polypeptides, cells, tissues and animals containing such polypeptides and nucleic acids, antibodies to such polypeptides, assays utilizing such polypeptides, and methods relating to all of the foregoing. PYK2 polypeptides are involved in various signal transduction pathways and thus the present invention provides several agents and methods useful for diagnosing, treating, and preventing various diseases or conditions associated with abnormalities in these pathways.
[0018] The present invention is based in part upon the identification and isolation of a novel non-receptor tyrosine kinase, termed PYK2. Without wishing to be bound to any particular theory, it appears that PYK2 participates in at least two signal transduction pathways.
[0019] The first signal transduction pathway is activated when such extracellular signals as bradykinin or acetylcholine bind G protein-coupled receptor protein kinases. Receptor protein kinases that are G protein coupled include, but are not limited to, Lyn and Syk which are located in the B-cells of the immune system.
[0020] Another PYK2 signal transduction pathway is activiated when growth factors bind receptor protein kinases. The receptors dimerize and then cross phosphorylate one another. The phosphate moieties now attached to the receptor protein kinases attract other signalling molecules to these receptors located at the plasma membrane. Such signalling molecules can be, among others, sos, shc, or grb. Complexes such as an EGFR/grb-2/sos complex can activate ras molecules also located at the plasma membrane. Ras molecules can then activate signalling molecules that are not attached to the plasma membrane. These cytsolic signalling molecules can propogate an extracellular signal to the nucleus and promote the production of cellular agents necessary for a response to the extracellular signal. Examples of the cytosolic signalling molecules are proteins involved in the MAP kinase signalling cascade.
[0021] The description provided herein indicates that PYK2 may combine the G protein-coupled pathway with the sos/grb pathway for MAP kinase signal transduction activation in repsonse to stimulation by G protein-coupled receptors. The invention also indicates that PYK2 brings these two pathways together by binding src, another protein kinase involved in signal transduction events. Thus, the invention provides new targets for therapeutics effective for treating cell proliferative diseases such as cancer and/or cell differentiation disorders.
[0022] PYK2 has a predicted molecular weight of 111 kD and contains five domains: (1) a relatively long N-terminal domain from amino acid 1 to amino acid 417; (2) a kinase catalytic domain from amino acid 418 to amino acid 679 (contains nucleotide binding domain at amino acid 431 to amino acid 439 and an ATP binding site at amino acid 457); (3) a proline rich domain from amino acid 713 to amino acid 733; (4) another proline rich domain from amino acid 843 to amino acid 860; and (5) a C-terminal focal adhesion targeting (FAT) domain from amino acid 861 to amino acid 1009. PYK2 does not contain a SH2 or SH3 domain. Amino acids 696-1009 of PYK2 show homology to FRWK, the c-terminal fragments of FAK. Other features of the PYK2 sequence include the following: (1) amino acid 402 is the major autophophorylation site of PYK2 and is a Src SH2 binding site; (2) amino acid 599 is an autophosphorylation site in an activation loop of PYK2 kinase; (3) amino acid 881 is an autophosphorylation site and a GRB2 binding site; and (4) amino acid 906 is an auto phosphorylation site and SHP-2 (PTP-10) binding site.
[0023] The FAT domain of PYK2 has about 62% similarity to the FAT domain of another non-receptor tyrosine kinase, FAK, which is also activated by G-coupled proteins. The overall similarity between PYK2 and FAK is about 52%. PYK2 is expressed principally in neural tissues, although expression can also be detected in hematopoietic cells at early stages of development and in some tumor cell lines. The expression of PYK2 does not correspond with the expression of FAK.
[0024] PYK2 is believed to regulate the activity of potassium channels in response to neurotransmitter signalling. PYK2 enzymatic activity is positively regulated by phosphorylation on tyrosine and results in response to binding of bradykinin, TPA, calcium ionophore, carbachol, TPA+forskolin, and membrane depolarization. The combination of toxins known to positively regulate G-coupled receptor signalling (such as pertusis toxin, cholera toxins, TPA and bradykinin) increases the phosphorylation of PYK2.
[0025] Activated PYK2 phosphorylates RAK, a delayed rectifier type potassium channel, and thus suppresses RAK activity. In the same system, FAK does not phosphorylate RAK. PYK2 is responsible for regulating neurotransmitter signalling and thus may be used to treat conditions of nervous system by enhancing or inhibiting such signalling.
[0026] Thus, in a first aspect the invention features an isolated, purified, enriched or recombinant nucleic acid encoding a PYK2 polypeptide.
[0027] In preferred embodiments the isolated nucleic acid comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of a nucleic acid sequence set forth in the full length nucleic acid sequence SEQ ID NO:1 or at least 27, 30, 35, 40 or 50 contiguous nucleotides thereof and the PYK2 polypeptide comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of at least 9, 10, 15, 20, or 30 contiguous amino acids of a PYK2 polypeptide.
[0028] Compositions and probes of the present invention may contain human nucleic acid encoding a PYK-2 polypeptide but are substantially free of nucleic acid not encoding a human PYK-2 polypeptide. The human nucleic acid encoding a PYK-2 polypeptide is at least 18 contiguous bases of the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ. ID NO. 1 and will selectively hybridize to human genomic DNA encoding a PYK-2 polypeptide, or is complementary to such a sequence. The nucleic acid may be isolated from a natural source by cDNA cloning or subtractive hybridization; the natural source may be blood, semen, and tissue of various organisms including eukaryotes, mammals, birds, fish, plants, gorillas, rhesus monkeys, chimpanzees and humans; and the nucleic acid may be synthesized by the triester method or by using an automated DNA synthesizer. In yet other preferred embodiments the nucleic acid is a conserved or unique region, for example those useful for the design of hybridization probes to facilitate identification and cloning of additional polypeptides, the design of PCR probes to facilitate cloning of additional polypeptides, and obtaining antibodies to polypeptide regions.
[0029] The invention also features a nucleic acid probe for the detection of a PYK2 polypeptide or nucleic acid encoding a PYK2 polypeptide in a sample. The nucleic acid probe contains nucleic acid that will hybridize to a sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1.
[0030] In preferred embodiments the nucleic acid probe hybridizes to nucleic acid encoding at least 12, 27, 30, 35, 40 or 50 contiguous amino acids of the full-length sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:2. Various low or high stringency hybridization conditions may be used depending upon the specificity and selectivity desired.
[0031] Methods for using the probes include detecting the presence or amount PYK2 RNA in a sample by contacting the sample with a nucleic acid probe under conditions such that hybridization occurs and detecting the presence or amount of the probe bound to PYK2 RNA. The nucleic acid duplex formed between the probe and a nucleic acid sequence coding for a PYK2 polypeptide may be used in the identification of the sequence of the nucleic acid detected (for example see, Nelson et al., in Nonisotopic DNA Probe Techniques, p. 275 Academic Press, San Diego (Kricka, ed., 1992) hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety, including any drawings). Kits for performing such methods may be constructed to include a container means having disposed therein a nucleic acid probe.
[0032] The invention also features recombinant nucleic acid, preferably in a cell or an organism. The recombinant nucleic acid may contain a sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1 and a vector or a promoter effective to initiate transcription in a host cell. The recombinant nucleic acid can alternatively contain a transcriptional initiation region functional in a cell, a sequence complimentary to an RNA sequence encoding a PYK2 polypeptide and a transcriptional termination region functional in a cell.
[0033] In another aspect the invention features an isolated, enriched or purified PYK2 polypeptide.
[0034] In preferred embodiments the FYK-2 polypeptide contains at least 9, 10, 15, 20, or 30 contiguous amino acids of the full-length sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:2.
[0035] In yet another aspect the invention features a purified antibody (e.g., a monoclonal or polyclonal antibody) having specific binding affinity to a PYK2 polypeptide. The antibody contains a sequence of amino acids that is able to specifically bind to a PYK2 polypeptide.
[0036] Antibodies having specific binding affinity to a PYK2 polypeptide may be used in methods for detecting the presence and/or amount of a PYK2 polypeptide is a sample by contacting the sample with the antibody under conditions such that an immunocomplex forms and detecting the presence and/or amount of the antibody conjugated to the PYK2 polypeptide. Diagnostic kits for performing such methods may be constructed to include a first container means containing the antibody and a second container means having a conjugate of a binding partner of the antibody and a label.
[0037] In another aspect the invention features a hybridoma which produces an antibody having specific binding affinity to a PYK2 polypeptide.
[0038] In preferred embodiments the PYK2 antibody comprises a sequence of amino acids that is able to specifically bind a PYK2 polypeptide.
[0039] Another aspect of the invention features a method of detecting the presence or amount of a compound capable of binding to a PYK2 polypeptide. The method involves incubating the compound with a PYK2 polypeptide and detecting the presence or amount of the compound bound to the PYK2 polypeptide.
[0040] In preferred embodiments, the compound inhibits a phosphorylation activity of PYK2 and is selected from the group consisting of tyrphostins, quinazolines, quinaxolines, and quinolines. The present invention also features compounds capable of binding and inhibiting PYK2 polypeptide that are identified by methods described above.
[0041] In another aspect the invention features a method of screening potential agents useful for treatment of a disease or condition characterized by an abnormality in a signal transduction pathway that contains an interaction between a PYK2 polypeptide and a natural binding partner (NBP). The method involves assaying potential agents for those able to promote or disrupt the interaction as an indication of a useful agent.
[0042] Specific diseases or disorders which might be treated or prevented, based upon the affected cells include: myasthenia gravis; neuroblastoma; disorders caused by neuronal toxins such as cholera toxin, pertusis toxin, or snake venom; acute megakaryocytic myelosis; thrombocytopenia; those of the central nervous system such as seizures, stroke, head trauma, spinal cord injury, hypoxia-induced nerve cell damage such as in cardiac arrest or neonatal distress, epilepsy, neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, Huntington's disease and Parkinson's disease, dementia, muscle tension, depression, anxiety, panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, schizophrenia, neuroleptic malignant syndrome, and Tourette's syndrome. Conditions that may be treated by PYK2 inhibitors include epilepsy, schizophrenia, extreme hyperactivity in children, chronic pain, and acute pain. Examples of conditions that may be treated by PYK2 enhancers (for example a phosphatase inhibitor) include stroke, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, other neurodegenerative diseases and migraine.
[0043] Preferred disorders include epilepsy, stroke, schizophrenia, and Parkinson's disorder, as there is a well established relationship between these disorders and the function of potassium channels.
[0044] In preferred embodiments, the methods described herein involve identifying a patient in need of treatment. Those skilled in the art will recognize that various techniques may be used to identify such patients. For example, cellular potassium levels may be measured or the individuals genes may be examined for a defect.
[0045] In preferred embodiments the screening method involves growing cells (i.e., in a dish) that either naturally or recombinantly express a G-coupled protein receptor, PYK2, and RAK. The test compound is added at a concentration from 0.1 uM to 100 uM and the mixture is incubated from 5 minutes to 2 hours. The ligand is added to the G-coupled protein receptor for preferably 5 to 30 minutes and the cells are lysed. RAK is isolated using immunoprecipitation or ELISA by binding to a specific monoclonal antibody. The amount of phosphorylation compared to cells that were not exposed to a test compound is measured using an anti-phosphotyrosine antibody (preferably polyclonal). Examples of compounds that could be tested in such screening methods include tyrphostins, quinazolines, quinoxolines, and quinolines.
[0046] The quinazolines, tyrphostins, quinolines, and quinoxolines referred to above include well known compounds such as those described in the literature. For example, representative publications describing quinazoline include Barker et al., EPO Publication No. 0 520 722 A1; Jones et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,447,608; Kabbe et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,757,072; Kaul and Vougioukas, U.S. Pat. No. 5, 316,553; Kreighbaum and Comer, U.S. Pat. No. 4,343,940; Pegg and Wardleworth, EPO Publication No. 0 562 734 A1; Barker et al., Proc. of Am. Assoc. for Cancer Research 32:327 (1991); Bertino, J. R., Cancer Research 3:293-304 (1979); Bertino, J. R., Cancer Research 9(2 part 1):293-304 (1979); Curtin et al., Br. J. Cancer 53:361-368 (1986); Fernandes et al., Cancer Research 43:1117-1123 (1983); Ferris et al. J. Org. Chem. 44(2):173-178; Fry et al., Science 265:1093-1095 (1994); Jackman et al., Cancer Research 51:5579-5586 (1981); Jones et al. J. Med. Chem. 29(6):1114-1118; Lee and Skibo, Biochemistry 26(23):7355-7362 (1987); Lemus et al., J. Org. Chem. 54:3511-3518 (1989); Ley and Seng, Synthesis 1975:415-522 (1975); Maxwell et al., Magnetic Resonance in Medicine 17:189-196 (1991); Mini et al., Cancer Research 45:325-330 (1985); Phillips and Castle, J. Heterocyclic Chem. 17(19):1489-1596 (1980); Reece et al., Cancer Research 47(11):2996-2999 (1977); Sculier et al., Cancer Immunol. and Immunother. 23:A65 (1986); Sikora et al., Cancer Letters 23:289-295 (1984); Sikora et al., Analytical Biochem. 172:344-355 (1988); all of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety, including any drawings.
[0047] Quinoxaline is described in Kaul and Vougioukas, U.S. Pat. No. 5,316,553, incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, including any drawings.
[0048] Quinolines are described in Dolle et al., J. Med. Chem. 37:2627-2629 (1994); MaGuire, J. Med. Chem. 37:2129-2131 (1994); Burke et al., J. Med. Chem. 36:425-432 (1993); and Burke et al. BioOrganic Med. Chem. Letters 2:1771-1774 (1992), all of which are incorporated by reference in their entirety, including any drawings.
[0049] Tyrphostins are described in Allen et al., Clin. Exp. Immunol. 91:141-156 (1993); Anafi et al., Blood 82:12:3524-3529 (1993); Baker et al., J. Cell Sci. 102:543-555 (1992); Bilder et al., Amer. Physiol. Soc. pp. 6363-6143:C721-C730 (1991); Brunton et al., Proceedings of Amer. Assoc. Cancer Rsch. 33:558 (1992); Bryckaert et al., Experimental Cell Research 199:255-261 (1992); Dong et al., J. Leukocyte Biology 53:53-60 (1993); Dong et al., J. Immunol. 151(5):2717-2724 (1993); Gazit et al., J. Med. Chem. 32:2344-2352 (1989); Gazit et al., “ J. Med. Chem. 36:3556-3564 (1993); Kaur et al., Anti - Cancer Drugs 5:213-222 (1994); Kaur et al., King et al., Biochem. J. 275:413-418 (1991); Kuo et al., Cancer Letters 74:197-202 (1993); Levitzki, A., The FASEB J. 6:3275-3282 (1992); Lyall et al., J. Biol. Chem. 264:14503-14509 (1989); Peterson et al., The Prostate 22:335-345 (1993); Pillemer et al., Int. J. Cancer 50:80-85 (1992); Posner et al., Molecular Pharmacology 45:673-683 (1993); Rendu et al., Biol. Pharmacology 44(5):881-888 (1992); Sauro and Thomas, Life Sciences 53:371-376 (1993); Sauro and Thomas, J. Pharm. and Experimental Therapeutics 267(3):119-1125 (1993); Wolbring et al., J. Biol. Chem. 269(36):22470-22472 (1994); and Yoneda et al., Cancer Research 51:4430-4435 (1991); all of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety, including any drawings.
[0050] Other compounds that could be tested in such screening methods include oxindolinones such as those described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/702,232 filed Aug. 23, 1996, incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, including any drawings.
[0051] In another aspect the invention features a method of diagnosis of an organism for a disease or condition characterized by an abnormality in a signal transduction pathway that contains an interaction between a PYK2 polypeptide and a NBP. The method involves detecting the level of interaction as an indication of said disease or condition.
[0052] Yet another aspect of the invention features a method for treatment of an organism having a disease or condition characterized by an abnormality in a signal transduction pathway. The signal transduction pathway contains an interaction between a PYK2 polypeptide and a NBP and the method involves promoting or disrupting the interaction, including methods that target the PYK2:NBP interaction directly, as well as methods that target other points along the pathway.
[0053] In preferred embodiments the signal transduction pathway regulates an ion channel, for example, a potassium ion, the disease or condition which is diagnosed or treated are those described above, the agent is a dominant negative mutant protein provided by gene therapy or other equivalent methods as described below and the agents is therapeutically effective and has an EC 50 or IC 50 as described below.
[0054] An EC 50 or IC 50 of less than or equal to 100 μM is preferable, and even more preferably less than or equal to 50 μM, and most preferably less that or equal to 20 μM. Such lower EC 50 's or IC 50 's are advantageous since they allow lower concentrations of molecules to be used in vivo or in vitro for therapy or diagnosis. The discovery of molecules with such low EC 50 's and IC 50 's enables the design and synthesis of additional molecules having similar potency and effectiveness. In addition, the molecule may have an EC 50 or IC 50 less than or equal to 100 μM at one or more, but not all cells chosen from the group consisting of parathyroid cell, bone osteoclast, juxtaglomerular kidney cell, proximal tubule kidney cell, distal tubule kidney cell, cell of the thick ascending limb of Henle's loop and/or collecting duct, central nervous system cell, keratinocyte in the epidermis, parafollicular cell in the thyroid (C-cell), intestinal cell, trophoblast in the placenta, platelet, vascular smooth muscle cell, cardiac atrial cell, gastrin-secreting cell, glucagon-secreting cell, kidney mesangial cell, mammary cell, beta cell, fat/adipose cell, immune cell and GI tract cell.
[0055] In other aspects, the invention provides transgenic, nonhuman mammals containing a transgene encoding a PYK2 polypeptide or a gene effecting the expression of a PYK2 polypeptide. Such transgenic nonhuman mammals are particularly useful as an in vivo test system for studying the effects of introducing a PYK2 polypeptide, regulating the expression of a PYK2 polypeptide (i.e., through the introduction of additional genes, antisense nucleic acids, or ribozymes).
[0056] In another aspect, the invention describes a polypeptide comprising a recombinant PYK2 polypeptide or a unique fragment thereof. By “unique fragment,” is meant an amino acid sequence present in a full-length PYK2 polypeptide that is not present in any other naturally occurring polypeptide. Preferably, such a sequence comprises 6 contiguous amino acids present in the full sequence. More preferably, such a sequence comprises 12 contiguous amino acids present in the full sequence. Even more preferably, such a sequence comprises 18 contiguous amino acids present in the full sequence.
[0057] In another aspect, the invention describes a recombinant cell or tissue containing a purified nucleic acid coding for a PYK2 polypeptide. In such cells, the nucleic acid may be under the control of its genomic regulatory elements, or may be under the control of exogenous regulatory elements including an exogenous promoter. By “exogenous” it is meant a promoter that is not normally coupled in vivo transcriptionally to the coding sequence for the PYK2 polypeptide.
[0058] In another aspect, the invention features a PYK2 polypeptide binding agent able to bind to a PYK2 polypeptide. The binding agent is preferably a purified antibody which recognizes an epitope present on a PYK2 polypeptide. Other binding agents include molecules which bind to the PYK2 polypeptide and analogous molecules which bind to a PYK2 polypeptide.
[0059] Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments thereof, and from the claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES AND TABLES
[0060] [0060]FIG. 1 shows a schematic representation of the PYK2 domains (including a kinase domain, a proline rich domain, and a Fat domain) and potential binding sites (including YAEI, YLNV, and YVVV).
[0061] [0061]FIG. 2 shows a possible mechanism for the membrane depolarization and calcium influx that stimulate MEK and MAP kinase via activation of Ras. In PC12 cells, membrane depolarization leads to calcium influx through L-type calcium channels and activates MAP kinase. Calcium influx leads to activation of Ras and the activation of MAP in response to calcium influx is inhibited by a dominant negative mutant of Ras. Elevation of intracellular calcium concentration by various stimuli leads to the activation of PYK2. PYK2 recruits Shc/Grb2/Sos complex leading to the activation of a signaling, pathway composed of Ras, Raf, MAPKK, MAPK to relay signals to the cell nucleus.
[0062] [0062]FIG. 3 shows a model for the extracellular stimuli that activate PYK2 and potential target molecule that is tyrosine phosphorylated in response to PYK2 activation. The tyrosine kinase activity of PYK2 is activated by a variety of extracellular signals that stimulate calcium influx including activation of the nicotnic acetylcholine receptor by carbachol, membrane depolarzation by KCl (75 mM), and treatment with a calcium ionophore. Activation of PYK2 by these stimuli requires the presence of extracellular calcium. PYK2 is also stimulated in response to bradykinin (BK) induced activation of its G-protein coupled receptor leading, to PI hydrolysis and Ca +2 release from internal stores. PYK2 is also activated in response to phorbol ester (PMA) treatment that binds to and activates several PKC isozymes. Co-expression experiments in transfected cells and in frog oocytes show that activation of PYK2 leads to tyrosine phosphorylation (thick arrow) of the delayed rectifier-type K + channel Kv1.2 and to suppression of Kv1.2 channel mediated currents.
[0063] [0063]FIG. 4 shows an alignment of PYK-2 amino acids to those of 4 other proteins, Fak, Fer, HER4 and AB1.
[0064] Table 1 shows the expression pattern and levels of PYK2 in various cell lines as checked by multiple methods.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0065] The present invention relates to PYK2 polypeptides, nucleic acids encoding such polypeptides, cells, tissues and animals containing such nucleic acids, antibodies to such polypeptides, assays utilizing such polypeptides, and methods relating to all of the foregoing. Those skilled in the art will recognize that many of the methods described below in relation to PYK-2, a NBP, or a complex of PYK-2 and a NBP could also be utilized with respect to the other members of this group.
[0066] We describe the isolation and characterization of a novel non-receptor tyrosine kinase termed PYK2, that is highly expressed in the nervous system and in the adult rat brain. PYK2 is a second member of Fak family of non-receptor protein tyrosine kinases. However, PYK2 exhibits diffuse cytoplasmic localization unlike the preferential localization of Fak in focal adhesion areas.
[0067] The examples presented herein reveal a novel mechanism for the coupling, between G-protein coupled receptors and the MAP kinase signaling pathway. We also show that calcium influx induced by membrane depolorization following activation of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor or other stimuli that cause calcium influx lead to the activation of PYK2, tyrosine phosphorylation of Shc, recruitment of Grb2/Sos and activation of the MAP kinase signaling pathway.
[0068] PYK2 is activated by extracellular signals that lead to calcium influx or calcium release from internal stores. PYK2 is phosphorylated on tyrosine residues in response to a variety of external stimuli that cause membrane depolarization and Ca +2 influx such as the activation of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor. Tyrosine phosphorylation of PYK2 is also stimulated by the neuropeptide bradykinin that activates a G-protein coupled receptor as well as by phorbol myristate acetate (PMA). Experiments in transfected cells and in Xenopus oocytes, microinjected with PYK2 mRNA, indicate that activation of PYK2 can lead to tyrosine phosphorylation of a delayed rectifier-type potassium channel protein and to suppression of potassium currents via this channel. These results suggest a novel mechanism by which a non-receptor tyrosine kinases, in the nervous system, can be both activated by and can modulate the action of ion-channel proteins.
[0069] Activation of PYK2 in PC12 cells by the same stimuli leads to the recruitment of Shc/Grb2/Sos complex and to the activation of the MAP kinase signaling pathway that relays signals to the cell nucleus. The experiments presented thus show that PYK2 may also provide a link between G protein coupled receptors and calcium influx and the MAP kinase signaling pathway; a pathway that relays signals from the cell surface to regulate transcriptional events in the nucleus. Overexpression of PYK2 leads to activation of MAP kinase. Moreover, the effects of PYK2 on tyrosine phosphorylation and action of the Kv1.2 potassium channel reveals a novel mechanism for heterologous regulation of ion-channel function by activation of an intermediate protein tyrosine kinase. PYK2 can, therefore, couple neuropeptide hormones that act via G-protein coupled receptors that stimulate phosphotydinositol hydrolysis and the action of target channel molecules.
[0070] Transient co-expression experiments of PYK2 with the delayed rectifier K+ channel Kv1.2 show that the channel protein undergoes tyrosine phosphorylation in response to PYK2 activation. Moreover, currents exhibited by Kv1.2 channel expressed in frog oocytes were blocked by co-expression of the PYK2 protein. However, co-expression of a kinase negative mutant of PYK2 released PMA induced suppression of Kv1.2 currents. PYK2 activation may provide a rapid and highly localized control mechanism for ion channel function and kinase activation induced by neuronal stimuli that elevate intracellular calcium leading, to neuronal integration and synaptic efficacy.
[0071] These results reveal a role for PYK2 in activation of the MAP kinase signaling pathway by ion channels, calcium influx and G-protein coupled receptors in PC12 cells and may provide a mechanism for signal transduction induced by these stimuli in the nervous system. Furthermore, tyrosine phosphorylation of Shc in response to membrane depolarization and carbachol treatment was dependent on the presence of extracellular calcium, indicating that calcium-influx plays a role in regulation of Shc phosphorylation by these stimuli.
[0072] Similarly, PYK2 may modulate the action of ion channels that mediate their responses via and are sensitive to intracellular calcium concentration. PYK2 may therefore provide an autoregulatory role for the very same channel responsible for PYK2 activation. A potential target of PYK2 is the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor. Activation of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor in PC12 cells leads to strong and rapid tyrosine phosphorylation of PYK2.
[0073] The nicotinic acetylcholine receptor is subject to gylation can modulate the activity of the tyrosine phosphorylation. Tyrosine phosphorylation of Shc in response to carbachol treatment is induced via stimulation of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor as determined by pharmacological analysis. The nicotinic agonist DMPP induced phosphorylation of Shc, whereas muscarine had no effect, the nicotinic antagonist mecamylamine blocked the effect of carbachol, whereas the muscarinic antagonist atropine had no effect. The effect of carbachol on tyrosine phosphoryiation of Shc was transient with maximum tyrosine phosphorylation detected after one minute followed by a rapid decline. NGF however, induced persistent stimulation of Shc phosphorylation for as long as five hours after the addition of NGF. The duration of Shc phosphorylation may have an important impact on the Ras signaling pathway and gene expression induced by these stimuli.
[0074] The model presented herein may represent the mechanism underlying calcium mediated regulation of gene expression in neuronal cells induced by MMDA receptor or voltage sensitive calcium channels. The expression pattern of PYK2, the external stimuli that activate this kinase together with its role in the control of MAP kinase signaling pathway suggests a potential role for PYK2 in the control of a broad array of processes in the central nervous system including neuronal plasticity. in the nervous svstem.
[0075] Since PYK2 activity is regulated by intracellular calcium level, both the temporal and spatial pattern of PYK2 activation, may represent a carbon copy or a replica of the spatial and temporal profile of intracellular calcium concentration. Calcium concentration inside cells is highly localized because of a variety of calcium binding proteins that provide a strong buffer. Moreover, in excitable cells the level of calcium can be regulated by voltage dependent calcium channels that induce large and transient increase in intracellular calcium concentration leading to calcium oscilations and calcium waves. PYK2 may provide a mechanism for rapid and highly localized control of ion channel function, as well as, localized activation of the MAP kinase signaling pathway.
[0076] Preliminary immunolocalization analysis indicates that PYK2 is expressed in hippocampal postsynaptic dendritic spines, suggesting a potential role of this kinase in synaptic plasticity mediated by calcium influx. Potassium channels are frequent targets for phosphorylation by tyrosine kinases that are activated by neurotransmitters or neuropeptides. Phosphorylation of other voltage gated channels or neurotransmitter receptors provides an important regulatory mechanism for modulation. Thus, PYK2 may represent an important coupling molecule between neuropeptides that activate G-protein coupled receptors or neurotransmitters that stimulate Ca+2 influx and downstream signaling events that reculate neuronal plasticity, cell excitability, and synaptic efficacy.
[0077] We have demonstrated that PYK2 is rapidly activated in response to a wide variety of extracellular stimuli. These stimuli include activation of an ion channel, stimulation of a G-protein coupled receptor, calcium influx following membrane depolarization as well as phorbol ester stimulation. Although the molecular mechanisms by which these signals induce the activation of PYK2 are not yet known, our results clearly show that elevation of intracellular calcium concentrations is crucial for PYK2 activation. The effect of PMA on PYK2 activation may indicate that PYK2 can be also activated by a PKC dependent pathway. The fact that PYK2 can be activated by an ion-channel, such as the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor, and by intracellular calcium raised the possibility that PYK2 may regulate ion-channel function by tyrosine phosphorylation.
[0078] We further analyzed agonist-induced MAP kinase activity in PC12 cell lines which stably overexpress a dominant interfering mutant of Grb2 lacking the N-terminal SH3 domain (Grb2 DN-SH3) or in PC12 cells which stably overexpress the proline rich tail of Sos (Sos-CT). Xie et al., J. Biol. Chem. 270, 30717-30724 (1995); Gishizky et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 92, 10889-10893 (1995). Overexpression of Grb2 DN-SH3 in PC12 cells completely blocked LPA- or bradykinin-induced MAP kinase activation. Overexpression of Sos-CT strongly reduced MAP kinase activation in response to LPA and bradykinin stimulation. However, activation of PYK2 or Src was not affected by the dominant interfering mutants of Grb2 and Sos confirming that PYK2 and Src act upstream of Grb2 and Sos in the cascade of events leading to MAP kinase activation.
[0079] Experiments presented herein demonstrate that PYK2 can link both Gi- or Gq-protein coupled receptors with the MAP kinase signaling pathway in PC12 cells. Phosphorylation on Tyr402 of PYK2 leads to binding of the SH2 domain of Src and subsequent Src activation in response to either Gi- or Gq-protein coupled receptors. Overexpression of activated Src (Y527F) in PC12 cells induces tyrosine phosphorylation of PYK2, but does not stimulate PYK2 kinase activity.
[0080] It is possible therefore, that tyrosine phosphorylation of PYK2 is in part mediated by Src, thus generating docking sites for additional signaling proteins that are recruited by PYK2. We have demonstrated that activation of PYK2 leads to both direct recruitment of Grb2/Sos as well as indirect recruitment via tyrosine phosphorylation of Shc. We present experiments demonstrating that dominant interfering mutants of Grb2 or Sos confer strong inhibition on LPA- or bradykinin-induced activation of MAP kinase. These results are in accord with recent studies demonstrating that a Sos deletion mutant or a dominant interfering mutant of Shc blocked LPA- or thrombin-induced activation of MAP kinase respectively van Biesen et al., Nature 376:781-784 (1995); Chen et al., EMBO J. 15:1037-1044 (1996).
[0081] Taken together, these experiments underscore the central role of the Shc/Grb2/Sos complex in mediating MAP kinase activation not only by receptor tyrosine kinases, but also by Gi- and Gq-protein coupled receptors. Wan et al., Nature 380:541-544 (1996). In avian B-cells both Lyn and Syk are essential for activation of MAP kinase by Gi- and Gq-protein coupled receptors 3 . It appears therefore that a combination of different protein tyrosine kinases in different tissues and cell types may link G-protein coupled receptor with the MAP kinase signaling pathway. Src family protein tyrosine kinases, which are expressed in every cell type and tissue, appear to be a common and important component of this pathway, by acting together with cell-type specific protein tyrosine kinases such as PYK2 in PC12 cells or Syk in avian B-cells to bring about a cell-type specific signal for linking G-protein coupled receptors with MAP kinase signaling pathway and hence the transcriptional machinery.
[0082] Various other features and aspects of the invention are: nucleic acid molecules encoding a PYK2 polypeptide; nucleic acid probes for the detection of PYK2; a probe-based method and kit for detecting PYK2 messages in other organisms; DNA constructs comprising a PYK2 nucleic acid molecule and cells containing these constructs; purified PYK2 polypeptides; PYK2 antibodies and hybridomas; antibody-based methods and kits for detecting PYK2; identification of agents; isolation of compounds which interact with a PYK2 polypeptide; compositions of compounds that interact with PYK2 and PYK2 molecules; pharmaceutical formulations and modes of administration; derivatives of complexes; antibodies to complexes; disruption of PYK2 protein complexes; purification and production of complexes; transgenic animals containing PYK2 nucleic acid constructs; antisense and ribozyme approaches, gene therapy; and evaluation of disorders. Those skilled in the art appreciate that any modifications made to a complex can be manifested in a modification of any of the molecules in that complex. Thus, the invention includes any modifications to nucleic acid molecules, polypeptides, antibodies, or compounds in a complex. All of these aspects and features are explained in detail with respect to PYK-2 in PCT publication WO 96/18738, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, including any drawings.
EXAMPLES
[0083] The examples below are non-limiting and are merely representative of various aspects and features of the procedures used to identify the full-length nucleic and amino acid sequences of PYK-2. Experiments demonstrating PYK-2 expression, interaction and signalling activities are also provided.
[0084] Materials and Methods
[0085] Chemicals
[0086] Bradykinin, pertusis toxin, cholera toxin, forskolin, phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA), calcium ionophore A23187, carbachol, muscarine, atrophine, mecamylamine, and 1,1-dimethyl-4-phenyl piperazinium iodide (DMPP) were purchased from Sigma.
[0087] Cloning of PYK2 cDNA
[0088] We have used the Grb2 adaptor protein as a specific probe for screening-expression libraries in order to isolate Grb2 binding proteins. One of the cloned proteins encoded a protein tyrosine kinase that contains a proline rich region that can bind in vitro to the SH3 domains of Grb2. This protein was termed PYK1 for proline rich tyrosine kinase 1. Comparison of the amino acid sequence of PYK1 to other tyrosine kinases, indicated that PYK1 is related to the Ack protein tyrosine kinase. Analysis of PYK1 sequence indicated that this kinase represents a new class of cytoplasmic protein tyrosine kinases.
[0089] In an attempt to isolate kinases related to PYK1, we applied the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) utilizing degenerate oligonucleotide primers, derived from PYK1 sequence according to the conserved motifs of the catalytic domains of PTKs. RNA from rat spinal cord was used to prepare cDNA utilizing the reverse transcriptase of Molony murine leukemia virus ( BRL ) according to the manufacturer's protocol. The cDNA was amplified by PCR utilizing degenerate oligonucleotides primers corresponding to conserved tyrosine kinase motifs from subdomains TK6 and TK9 of PYK1; (the sense and antisense primers correspond to amino acid sequences IHRDLAARN [SEQ. ID NO 3] and WMFGVTLW [SEQ. ID NO 4] respectively). The PCR was carried out under the following conditions; 1 min at 94° C.; 1 min at 50° C. and 1 min at 68° C. for 35 cycles. PCR products were electrophoresed, checked by the size (−210 bp), purified and subcloned into pBluescript (Stratagene). Novel clones were screened by DNA sequencing. The cDNA insert of clone #38 was used as probe to screen human brain cDNA libraries (human fetal brain λgt 10 and human brain λgt 11, 6×10 5 recombinant clones each) essentially as described by Maniatis ( ).
[0090] The complete amino acid sequence of a novel protein tyrosine kinase was isolated from human brain cDNA library and termed PYK2. The open reading frame of PYK2 encodes a protein of 1009 amino acids containing a long N-terminal sequence of 424 amino acids followed by a protein tyrosine kinase domain, two proline rich domains (29% and 23.3% proline respectively) and a large carboxy terminal region. The kinase domain of PYK2, contains several sequence motifs conserved among protein tyrosine kinases, including the tripeptide motif DFG, found in most kinases, and a consensus ATP binding motif GXGXXG followed by AXK sequence 17 amino acids residues downstream.
[0091] Comparison of the amino acid sequence of the kinase domain of PYK2 with other protein tyrosine kinases showed that the kinase core of PYK2 is most similar to the protein tyrosine kinase domains of Fak, Fer, Her4 and Ab1.
[0092] In addition to the sequence homology in the kinase domain, the flanking sequences and the overall structural organization of the PYK2 protein are similar to those of FAK indicating that PYK2 belong to the same family of non-receptor similar to those of Fak protein tyrosine kinases.
[0093] DNA Sequencing and Analysis
[0094] DNA sequencing was performed on both strands utilizing series of oligonucleotide primers and subclones. The nucleotide sequence and the deduced amino acid sequence were subjected to homology search with Genbank and PIR databases using FASTA and BLAST mail-server program.
[0095] Northern Blot Analysis
[0096] Total RNA was isolated from mouse tissues by the acid guanidinium thicynate-phenol-chloroform method ( Anal. Biochem. 162; 156, 1987). Poly (A) + RNA was denaturated with formaldehyde and electrophoresed on a 1% agarose/0.7% formaldehyde gel. RNAs were transferred to a nitrocellulose membrane and hybridized with 32 P-labeled probe that contained the cDNA insert of clone #38 as described above.
[0097] Antibodies
[0098] Antibodies against PYK2 were raised in rabbits immunized (HTI) either by GST fusion protein containing residues 362-647 or PYK2 or by synthetic peptide corresponding the 15 amino acids at the N-terminal end of PYK2. Antisera were checked by immunoprecipitation and immunoblot analysis, and the specificity was confirmed either by reactivity to the related protein Fak or by competition with the antigenic or control peptides.
[0099] Antibodies against PYK-2 were raised in rabbits immunized either with GST fusion protein containing residues of PYK-2 or with synthetic peptide correspondingly the 15 amino acids at the N-terminal end of PYK-2. The antibodies are specific to PYK-2 and they do not cross react with FAK.
[0100] Cells and Cell Culture
[0101] PC12-rat pheochromocytoma cells were cultured in Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium containing 10% horse serum, 5% fetal bovine serum, 100 μg/ml streptomycin and 100 units of penicillin/ml. NIH3T3, 293, GP+E-86 and PA317 cells were grown in Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium containing 10% fetal bovine serum, 100 μg/ml streptomycin and 100 unites of penicillin/ml.
[0102] Transfections and Infections
[0103] For stable expression in PC12 cells, PYK2 was subcloned into the retroviral vector PLXSN (Miller and Rosman, Biotechnigues 7:980, 1989). The construct was used to transfect GP+E-86 cells using lipofectimine reagent (GIBCO BRL). 48 hours after transfection, virus containing supernatants were collected. Pure retrovirus-containing cell-free supernatant were added to PC12 cells in the presence of polybrene (8 μg/ml, Aldrich) for 4 hours (MCB 12 491, 1992). After 24 hours, infected PC12 cells were split into growing medium containing 350 μl/mg G418. G418 resistant colonies were isolated two to three weeks later and the level of expression was determined by western blot analysis.
[0104] Stable cell lines of NIH3T3 that overexpress PYK2 were established by contransfection of PYK2 subcloned into PLSV together with pSV2neo utilizing lipofectamine reagent (GIBCO BRL). Following transfection the cells were grown in Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium containing 10% fetal bovine serum and 1 mg/ml G418. Transient transfections into 293 cells were performed by using a calcium phosphate technique.
[0105] Constructs
[0106] GST-PYK2—a DNA fragment of λ900 bp corresponding to residues 362-647 of PYK2 was amplified by PCR utilizing the following oligonucleotide primers: 5′-CGGGATCCTCATCATCCATCCTAGGAAAGA-3′ (sense) [SEQ. ID NO 5] and 5′-CGGGAATTCGTCGTAGTCCCAGCAGCGGGT-3′ (antisense) [SEQ. ID NO 6].
[0107] The PCR product was digested with BamHI and EcoRI and subcloned into pGEX3X (Pharmacia). Expression of GST-PYK2 fusion protein was induced by the 1 mM IPTG essentially as described by Smith et al.,( Gene 67:31, 1988). The fusion protein was isolated by electroelution from SDS-PAGE.
[0108] PYK2—The full length cDNA sequence of PYK2 was subcloned into the following mammalian expression vectors: pLSV; downstream the SV40 early promoter, pLXSN-retroviral vector; downstream the Mo-MuLV long terminal repeat; pRK5; downstream the CMV promoter.
[0109] PYK2-HA—the influenza virus hemagglutinin peptide (YPYDVPDYAS) [SEQ. ID NO 7] was fused to the C-terminal end of PYK2 utilizing the following oligonucleotide primers in the PCR: 5′-CACAATGTCTTCAAACGCCAC-3 1 [SEQ. ID NO 8] and 5′-GGCTCTAGATCACGATGCGTAGTCAGGGACATCGTATGGGRACTCTGCAGGTGGGTGGGCCAG-3′. [SEQ. ID NO 9]. The amplified fragment was digested with RsrII and Xbal and used to substitute the corresponding fragment of PYK2. The nucleotide sequence of the final construct was confirmed by DNA sequencing.
[0110] Kinase negative mutant—in order to construct a kinase negative mutant, The Lys at position 457 was substituted to Ala by site directed mutagenesis (Clontech). The oligonucleotide sequence was designed to create a new restriction site of NruI. The nucleotide sequence of the mutant was confirmed by DNA sequencing. The oligonucleotide sequence that used for mutagenesis is: 5′-CAATGTAGCTGTCGCGACCTGCAAGAAAGAC-3′ [SEQ. ID NO 10] (Nrul site—bold, Lys-AAC substituted to Ala-GCG underline).
[0111] Rak-HA—The Rak cDNA was subcloned in pbluescript was obtained from Bernardu Rudi (NYU medical center). The influenza virus hemagglutinin peptide was fused to the C-terminal end of Rak essentially as described for PYK2. The oligonucleotide primers that were used in the PCR were: 5′-GCCAGCAGGCCATGTCACTGG-3′ [SEQ. ID NO 11] and 5′-CGGAATTCTTACGATGCGTAGTCAGGGACATCGTATGGGTAGACATCAGTTAACATTTTG-3′. [SEQ. ID NO 12] The PCR product was digested with BalI and EcoRI and was used to substitute the corresponding fragment at the C-terminal end of Rak. The Rak-HA cDNA was subcloned into pRK5 downstream the DMV promotor and into the retroviral vector pLXSN, downstream the Mo-MuLV long terminal repeat.
[0112] In vitro Mutagenesis
[0113] The mutagenic oligonucleotide (GAGTCAGACATCTTCGCAGAGATTCCC) SEQ ID NO: 26 and the trans oligonucleotide (GAATTCGATATCACGCGTGGCCGCCATGGC) SEQ ID NO: 27, were used to convert the tyrosine at position 402 to phenylalanine of PYK2 using a Clontech kit. Lev et al. Nature 376:737-745 (1995). The mutation was validated by DNA sequencing.
[0114] Immunoprecipitation and Immunoblot Analysis
[0115] Cells were lysed in lysis buffer containing 50 mM N-2-hydroxyethylpiperazine-N′-2-ethanesulferic acid (HEPES pH 7.5), 150 mM NaCl, 10% glycerol, 1% Triton X-100, 1.5 mM MgCl 2 , 1 mM ethyleneglycol-bis (β-aminoethyl ether)-N,N,N′N′-tetraacetic acid (EGTA), 10 μg leupeptin per ml, 10 μg aprotinin per ml, 1 mM phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride (PMSF), 200 μM sodium orthovanadate and 100 mM sodium fluoride. Immunoprecipitations were performed using protein A-sepharose (Pharmacia) coupled to specific antibodies. Immunoprecipitates were washed either with HNTG′ solution (20 mM HEPES buffer at pH 7.5, 150 mM NaCl, 10% glycerol, 0.1% Triton X-100, 100 mM sodium fluoride, 200 μM sodium orthovanadate) or successively with H′ solution (50 mM Tris-HCl pH8, 500 mM NaCl, 0.1% SDS, 0.2% Triton X-100, 100 mM NaF, 200AM sodium orthovanadate) and L′ solution (10 mM Tris-HCl pH 8, 0.1% Triton X-100, 100 mM NaF, 200 μM sodium orthovanadate).
[0116] The washed immunoprecipitates incubated for 5 min with gel sample buffer at 100° C. and analyzed by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). In some experiments the gel-embedded proteins were electrophoretically transferred onto nitrocellulose. The blot was then blocked with TBS (10 mM Tris pH 7.4, 150 mM NaCl) that contained 5% low fat milk and 1% ovalbumin. Antisera or purified mAbs were then added in the same solution and incubation was carried out for 1 h at 22° C. For detection the filters were washed three times (5 min each wash) with TBS/0.05% Tween-20 and reacted for 45 min at room temperature with horseradish peroxidase-conjugated protein A. The enzyme was removed by washing as described above, and the filters were reacted for 1 min with a chemiluminescence reagent (ECL, Amersham) and exposed to an autoradiography film for 1-15 min.
[0117] In vitro Kinase Assay
[0118] This was carried out on immunoprecipitates in 50 μl HNTG (20 mM Hepes pH 7.5, 150 mM NaCl, 20% glycerol, 0.1% Triton X-100) containing 10 mM MnCl 2 and 5 μCi or [mN- 32 P]ATP for 20 min at 22° C. The samples were washed with H′,M′ and, L′ washing solutions, boiled for 5 min in sample buffer and separated by SDS-PAGE.
[0119] Isolation of ACK/PYK
[0120] ACK/PYK may be isolated as described in Manser et al., Nature, 363:364-367, 1993. Comparison analysis of the full length sequence of ACK/PYK with other tyrosine kinases indicates that is not closely related to any of these, although it has some similarity to the focal adhesion kinase. Therefore, ACK/PYK represents a separate class of tyrosine kinases and isolation of related genes that belong to the same class is a major accomplishment.
Example 1
Isolation of PYK-2 cDNA
[0121] To identify genes related to the ACK/PYK protein tyrosine kinase, the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was applied in combination with degenerated oligonucleotide primers based upon conserved motifs of the kinase domain of PTKs.
[0122] Oligonucleotides primers specifically designed to a highly conserved N-terminal motif of PTKs within subdomain TK6 (IHRDLAARN) SEQ ID NO 13. and ACK/PYK specific C-terminal primers within subdomain TK9 (WMFGVTLW) SEQ ID NO 14 were utilized. The amplification reactions with cDNA templates from 8 different sources gave rise to fragments of 0.2-0.9 kb. The PCR products were subcloned into pBlueScript and screened by DNA sequencing and hybridization under low stringency conditions.
[0123] A cDNA fragment of 210 bp from rat spinal cord was identified which is highly related to the Focal Adhesion Kinase (FAK). The fragment was sequenced in the 3′ and 5′ directions and was subsequently used as a probe to screen cDNA libraries (human fetal brain λgt 10 and human brain λgt 11, 6×10 5 recombinant clones each).
[0124] Several overlapping clones spreading 1.5-3 kb were isolated and their cDNA inserts were analyzed by PCR, restriction mapping and sequencing. Two clones (#1 and #11) were chosen for further analysis and subcloning. Clone #1 contains an insert of 2.7 kb from the 5′ end of the gene, and clone #11 contains an insert of 3 kb from the 3′ end of the gene.
[0125] By utilizing a series of subclones and synthesized oligonucleotide primers the full length sequence of PYK-2 was determined. The sequence analysis resulted in a composite sequence of 3309 bp long which contains a 104 bp 5′ untranslated region, a 3021 bp coding region and 184 bp 3′ untranslated region. The ATG encoding the translation initiation codon is preceded by four translation stop codons in all reading frames.
[0126] The long open reading frame encodes a protein of 1007 amino acids (predicted molecular mass of 110,770 d) whose structural organization is very similar to FAK. The PYK-2 protein contains a long N-terminal sequence of 422 amino acids followed by a tyrosine kinase catalytic domain. The PYK-2 protein also contains the structural motifs common to all PTKs, two proline rich domains (19.6% and 17% proline respectively) and a focal adhesion targeting (FAT) motif in the C-terminal end. Comparison analysis of the amino acid sequence of PYK-2 with the human FAK revealed 52% identity between the two proteins. The kinase domain and the FAT sequence are most closely related (62% homology).
[0127] The PYK-2 protein contains several predicted binding sites for intracellular substrates. For example, YLMV [SEQ. ID NO 15] is a predicted binding site for GRB2 SH2 domain—tyrosine 879 of PYK-2. YVVV [SEQ. ID NO 16] is a predicted binding site for SHPTP2—tyrosine 903 of PYK-2. There are predicted phosphorylation sites for PKC, PKA and Ca/Calmodulin kinase. In addition, tyrosine 402 is a predicted autophosphorylation site of PYK-2 and it may be involved in the binding of a src SH2 domain. This is based on the homology between tyrosine 397 of FAK which was mapped as a major autophosphorylation site both in vivo and in vitro. This tyrosine provides an high affinity binding site for a src SH2 domain. Both tyrosine 397 of FAK and tyrosine 402 of PYK-2 are located at the juncture of the N-terminal and the catalytic domain and are followed by sequence (Y)AEI which is very similar to the consensus of the high affinity src SH2 domain binding peptide YEEI.
[0128] Total RNA from rat spinal cord was used to prepare cDNA utilizing the reverse transcriptase of Molony murine leukemia virus (‘Superscript’, BRL) according to the manufacturer's protocol. The cDNA was amplified by PCR utilizing degenerate oligonucleotides primers corresponding to conserved tyrosine kinase motifs from subdomains TK6 and TK9 of PYK1; (the sense and antisense primers correspond to amino acid sequences IHRDLAARN [SEQ. ID NO 17] and WMFGVTLW [SEQ. ID NO 18] respectively). The PCR was carried out under the following conditions; 1 min at 94° C.; 1 min at 50° C. and 1 min at 68° C. for 35 cycles. Amplified DNA was subcloned and sequence, resulting in identification of a novel tyrosine kinase termed PYK2. A λgt10 human fetal brain cDNA library (clontech) was screened with 32 P-labeled PCR clone corresponding to rat PYK2. Four overlapping clones were isolated, their DNA sequence was determined on both strands utilizing series of oligonucleotide primers. The 314-bp consensus sequence contains a single open reading frame of 3027 nucleotide preceded by a 105 nucleotide 5′-untranslated region. Amino acid sequence comparisons were performed using, the Smith-Waterman algorithm of MPSRCH (IntelliGenetic) on MasPar computer.
[0129] The deduced amino acid sequence of human PYK2 from cDNA clones is shown in FIG. 4. The tyrosine kinase domain is highlighted by a dark shaded box. Two proline-rich domains in the C-terminal region are boxed with light shading. Amino acid residues are numbered on the left. Comparison of the amino acid sequence of the catalytic domain of PYK2 with four human protein tyrosine kinases demonstrated 61%, 43%, 40% and 41% sequence identity between PYK2 and Fak, Fer, HER4 and Abl, respectively. The homology between PYK2 and Fak extends beyond the catalytic domain with 42% and 36% amino acid identify in the N-terminal and C-terminal regions, respectively.
Example 2
Pattern of PYK-2 Expression
[0130] PYK2 is highly expressed in the nervous system. We examined the expression pattern and the tissue distribution of PYK2 by Northern blot and by in situ hybridization analyses.
[0131] The tissue distribution of PYK-2 expression was determined by Northern blot analysis. Poly(A) + RNAs were purified from mouse tissues (liver, lung, spleen, kidney, heart, brain, skin, uterus) and hybridized with two different probes corresponding to two different regions of the PYK-2 gene. The results were identical in both cases. A 4.2-4.5 kb PYK-2 transcript is relatively abundant in the brain but was also found in lower levels in the spleen and in the kidney.
[0132] Film autoradiography of a sagittal section through the adult rat brain shows very high levels of expression in the olfactory bulf (OB), hippocampus (Hi), and dentate gyrus (DG). Moderate levels of expression are seen in the cerebral cortex (Cx), striatum (S), and thalamus (T). Low levels of expression are seen in the cerebellum (Cb) and brainstem (BS).
[0133] Expression of PYK2 mRNA determined by Northern blot analysis of poly(A)+ from various human tissues. The northern blot was hybridized with 3.9 kb 32 P-labeled fragment containing the PYK2 cDNA in 50% foramide at 42° C.
[0134] Northern blot of mRNA isolated from various human brain sections (amygdala, caudate nucleus, corpus callosum, hippocampus, hypothalamus, substantia nigra, subthalamic nucleus and thalamus) revealed highest expression in the hippocampus and amygdala, moderate level of expression in the hypothalamus, thalamus and caudate nucleus and low level of expression in the corpus callosum and subthalamic nucleus.
[0135] These results are consistent with in situ hybridization analysis on day 7 post natal rat brain sections utilizing antisense probes derived from PYK2 sequence. The in situ hybridization analysis demonstrate that the olfactory bulb, the hippocampus and the dentate gyrus exhibit high level of PYK2 transcripts. Moderate levels of PYK2 expression was detected in the striatum, cerebral cortex and thalamus and low levels of expression was detected in the cerebellum and brainstem.
[0136] In order to characterize the PYK2 protein, NIH3T3 cells were transfected with a mammalian expression vector that encodes PYK2 protein with an influenza virus hemaglutanin peptide tag. PYK2 was immunoprecipicated with either anti-PYK2 or anti-HA antibodies from 3T3 transfected cell, whereas the endoaenous PYK2 protein was immunoprecipitated with anti-PYK2 antibodies from PC12 cells. These antibodies precipitated a protein that migrated in SDS gels with apparent molecular weight of 112 kDa. Addition of Y-[32p]ATP to immunoprecipitates from PYK2 transfected cells followed by SDS-PAGE analysis and autoradiography showed that PYK2 undergoes phosphorylation on tyrosine residues.
[0137] The expression of PYK-2 in different cell lines was analyzed by IP/IB utilizing anti-PYK-2 antibodies directed to the kinase domain as described previously (GST-PYK-2). The expression pattern is summarized in table 1. Some of the interesting observations are a mobility shift of PYK-2 after differentiation of CHRF and L8057 (premegakaryocyte cell lines) by TPA, high expression of Fak and PYK-2 in different cell lines; and in XC cells (rat sarcoma) PYK-2 is phosphorylated on tyrosine. PYK2 was immunoprecipitated from NIH3T3 cells, NIH3T3 cells that overexpress PYK2-HA and PC12 cells. The immunocomplexes were washed and resolved by 7.5% SDS-PAGE. immunoblotting was performed with anti-PYK2 antibodies. In vitro Kinase activity of PYK2. Cos cells were transiently transfected with PYK2-HA expression vector (+) or with an empty vector (−). The PYK2 protein was immunoprecipitated with anti-HA antibodies, the immunocomplexes were washed and subjected to in vitro kinase assay.
[0138] In situ hybridization was performed as follows: Fresh frozen rat brains were cut on a cryostat into 20-mm thick sections and thaw-mounted onto gelatin coated slides. The sections were fixed in 4% paraformaldehyde in 0.1 M sodium phosphate (pH=7.4) for 30 minutes and rinsed three times for 5 minutes each in PBS and one time for 10 minutes in 2× SSC. Two probes were used in the hybridization analysis, a 51 base oliconucleotide complementary to the sequence encoding amino acid 301-317, and a 51 base oligonucleotide complementary to the sequence encoding, amino acid 559-575 (from rat PCR product).
[0139] The oligonucleotides were labeled with a- 35 S dATP (Du Pont-New England Nuclear) using terminal deoxynucleotidyl-transferase (Boehinger Mannheim) and purified using sephadex G-25 quick spin columns (Boehinger Mannheim). The specific activity of the labeled probes was between 5×10 8 and 1×10 9 cpm/mg. Prehybridization and hybridization were carried out in a buffer containing 50% deionized formamide, 4× SSC, 1× Denhardts' solution, 500 ug/ml denatured salmon sperm DNA, 250 ug/ml yeast tRNA, and 10% dextran sulfate. The tissue was incubated for 12 hours at 45° C. in hybridization solution containing the labeled probe (1×10 6 cpm/section) and 10 mM dithlothreitol.
[0140] Controls for specificity were performed on adjacent sections by competitively inhibiting hybridization of the labeled olic,onucleotides with a 30-fold concentration of unlabeled oligonucleotide and by hybridization with sense probes. After hybridization, the sections were washed in two changes of 2× SSC at room temperature for 1 hour, 1× SCC at 55° C. for 30 minutes, 0.5× SSC at 55° C. for 30 minutes, and 0.5× SSC at room temperature for 15 minutes and then dehydrated in 60, 80, 95, and 100% ethanol. After air drying, the sections were exposed to x-ray film for 5 days. The sections were then dipped in Ilford K.5 photographic emulsion (Polysciences), exposed for 4 weeks at 4° C., and developed using Kodak D-19 developer and rapid fixer.
[0141] Emulsion autoradiography was examined by dark-field microscopy on a Zeiss axioskop. The influenza virus hemagglutinin peptide (YPYDVPDYAS) [SEQ. ID NO 19] tag was added to the C-terminal end of PYK2 utilizing the following oligonucleotide primers in the PCR: ′5-CACAATGTCTTCAAACGCCAC′3′[SEQ. ID NO 20] and ′5-GGCTCTAGATCACGATGCGTAGTCAGGGACATCGTATGGGTACTCTGCAGGTGGGT GGGCCAG-′3′ [SEQ. ID NO 21]. The amplified fragment was digested with RsrII and XbaI and used to substitute the corresponding fragment of PYK2. The nucleotide sequence of this construct was confirmed by DNA sequencing.
[0142] In vitro kinase assay was carried out on immunoprecipitates in 50 μl HNTG (20 mM Hepes pH 7.5, 150 mM NaCl, 20% glycerol, 0.1% Triton X-100) containing 10 mM MnCl 2 and 5 mCi of [λ- 32 P] ATP for 20 min at 22° C. The samples were washed with H′(50 mim Tris-HCI pH 8, 500 mM NaCl, 0.1% SDS, 0.2% Triton X-100, 5 mM EGTA, 100 mM NaF, 200 μM sodium orthovanadate), M′ (50 mM Tris-HCl pH 8, 150 mM NaCl, 7.5 mM EDTA, 0.1% SDS, 0.2% Triton X-100, 100 mM NaF, 200 AM sodium orthovanadate) and L′ (10 mM Tris-HCl pH 8, 0.1% Triton X-100, 100 mM NaF, 200 μM sodium orthovanadate) washing, solutions, boiled for 5 min in sample buffer and separated by SDS-PAGE.
[0143] Antibodies against PYK2 were raised in rabbits immunized with GST fusion protein containing residues 62-647 of PYK-2. Antibodies against influenza virus hemagglutinin peptide) were purchased from Boehringer Mannheim. Cell lysis, immunoprecipitations and immunoblotting was performed essentially as described by Lev et al. Mol. Cell. Biol. 13, 2224-2234, 1993.
Example 3
Properties of PYK-2 Protein
[0144] In order to analyze the biochemical properties of PYK-2 the full length cDNA was subcloned into the two mammalian expression vectors RK5 and pLSV. In parallel, an expression vector encoding the PYK-2 protein fused to the influenza virus hemagglutinin peptide was constructed. This construct was used to identify the protein utilizing anti-HA antibodies.
[0145] pLSV-PYK-2-HA was transfected into cos cells. The protein was expressed at the predicted molecular mass (−116 kD) as determined by IP and IB with anti-HA antibodies. The protein is an active kinase as determined by in vitro kinase assay utilizing (λ 32 P) ATP or an in vitro kinase assay utilizing cold ATP and immunoblotting with anti-phosphotyrosine antibodies.
[0146] The PYK-2 cDNA cloned in PLSV was cotransfected with pSV2neo into PC12 cells and NIH3T3 in order to establish stable cell lines. G418 resistant colonies were screened by immunoprecipitating and immunoblotting.
[0147] NIH3T3 cell lines were established that overexpress the PYK-2 and the PYK-2-HA protein. In these cells PYK-2 undergoes tyrosine phosphorylation in response to PDGF, EGF and aFGF. The level of phosphorylation is not so high. The stronger effect is achieved by TPA treatment (6 μM) after 15 min incubation at 37° C. as determined by time course analysis.
Example 4
Tyrosine Phosphorylation of PYK2 in Response to Carbachol, Membrane Depolarization and Ca+ 2 Influx
[0148] The phosphorylation of PYK-2 on tyrosine residue in response to different stimulus was analyzed by immunoprecipitation of PYK-2 and immunoblotting with anti-phosphotyrosine antibodies and vice versa.
[0149] The following treatments were used: Bradykinin, TPA, forskolin, forskolin+TPA, bradykinin+forskolin, NGF, Neuropeptide Y, Cholera toxin, Cholera toxin+TPA, Cholera toxin+bradykinin, pertusis toxin, pertusis toxin+TPA, bradykinin+pertusis toxin, calcium ionophore A23187, bombesin.
[0150] The following results were obtained: PYK-2 undergoes tyrosine phosphorylation in response to TPA (1.6 μM 15 min at 37° C.), bradykinin (1 μM 1 min at 37° C.) and calcium ionophore A23187 (2 μM 15 min at 37° C.). Forskolin increase the response of TPA but does not give any signal by itself. Cholera toxin gave higher signal in combination with TPA and bradykinin but didn't cause phosphorylation of PYK-2 alone. Pertusis toxin also induced the response of TPA and bradykinin but didn't cause any response alone. In order to determined if the bradykinin effect is mediated by PKC signaling pathway attempts to down regulate PKC by chronic treatment with TPA (twice) did not give a clear answer.
[0151] One interpretation of these results is that PKC and PKA (and maybe Ca/calmudolin kinase) induce the autophosphorylation of PYK-2 in response to ser/the phosphorylation. This interpretation may be checked by utilizing specific inhibitors to PKC and PKA and by phosphamino-acid analysis.
[0152] Confluent PC12 cells in 150 mm plates were grown for 18 hours in DMEM containing 0.5% horse serum and 0.25% fetal bovine serum. The cells were sitmulated at 37° C. with different agonists as indicated. washed with cold PBS and lysed in 800 ml lysis buffer (Lev et al., supra).
[0153] The cell lysates were subjected to immunoprecipitation with anti-PYK2 antibodies. Following SDS-PAGE and transfer to nitrocellulose, the samples were immunoblotted with either antiphosphotyrosine (RC20, transduction laboratories) or anti-PYK2 antibodies.
[0154] Carbachol induces tyrosine phosphorylation of PYK2 via activation of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor. Immunoprecipitates of PYK2 from PC12 cells that were subjected to the following treatments: muscarine (1 mM) or carbachol (1 mM) for 20 sec at 37° C. Carbachol(1 mM), DMPP (100 μM), or carbachol after pretreatment with the muscarinic antagonist atropine (100 nM) or the nicotinic antagonist mecamylamine (10 μM) for 5 min at 37° C. Incubation with carbachol in the presence or absence of EGTA (3 mM) as indicated. The immunocomplexes were resolved by SDS-PAGE, transferred to nitrocellulose, and probed with either anti-phosphotyrosine antibodies or with anti-PYK2 antibodies as indicated. Membrane depolarization and calcium ionophore induce tyrosine phosphorylation of PYK2. Immunoprecipitates of PYK2 from quiescent PC12 cells were subjected to the following treatments: incubation with 75 mM KCI in the presence or absence of EGTA (3 mM), incubation with 6 μM of the calcium ionophore A23187 for 15 min at 37° C. The immunoprecipitates were washed, resolved by 7.5% SDS-PAGE and immunoblotted with either antiphosphotyrosine antibodies or with anti-PYK2 antibodies.
[0155] Activation of PYK2 by carbachol, membrane depolarization and Ca+2 influx was studied. Since PYK2 is highly expressed in the central nervous system and in PC12 cells, we examined the effect of a variety of neuronal agonists on the phosphorylation state of PYK2. In these experiments, PC12 cells were treated with an agonist, lysed and subjected to immunoprecipitation with anti-PYK2 antibodies followed by SDS-PAGE analysis and immunoblotting with phosphotyrosine specific antibodies.
[0156] Stimulation of PC12 cells with carbachol induces strong, tyrosine phosphorylation of PYK2. We explored the possibility whether activation of both cholinergic receptor subtypes leads nicotinic and muscarinic receptors to tyrosine phosphorylation of PYK2. Pharmacological analysis with either subtype specific agonists, muscarine and DMPP or subtype specific antagonists, atropine and mecamylamine indicated that activation of PYK2 by carbachol is mediated via the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor. The phosphorylation of PYK2 in response to carbachol is very rapid; 5 second after applying carbachol to the cells, PYK2 became phosphorylated on tyrosine residues. Elimination of extracellular calcium by EGTA completely blocked agonist induced tyrosine phosphorylation of PYK2, indicating that calcium influx is required for carbachol induced PYK2 activation.
[0157] Stimulation of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor induces membrane depolarization by cation influx via the ion channel pore. We have therefore checked whether membrane depolarization induced by a high concentration of potassium chloride will cause the same effect on PYK2 tyrosine phosphorylation. Depolarization of PC12 cells with 75 mM KCl induces rapid tyrosine phosphorylation of PYK2. The omission of calcium from the extracelluar medium completely abolished PYK2 tyrosine phosphorylation, indicating that activation of PYK2 is due to calcium influx rather than membrane depolarization per se. To further explore this possibility, we examined the effect of a calcium ionophore on PYK2 activation. PYK2 is phosphorylated on tyrosine residues following incubation with the calcium ionophore A23187. These results show that elevation of intracellular calcium in response to a variety of stimuli causes tyrosine phosphorylation of PYK2.
[0158] Tyrosine phosphoyriation of PYK2 in response to activation of a G protein coupled receptor was studied. We analyzed the effect of bradykinin on the phosphorylation state of PYK2. Bradykinin induces rapid tyrosine phosphorylation of PYK2 in PC12 cells. By contrast to stimulation of PYK2 phosphorylation in response to carbachol treatment or to membrane depolarization the effect of bradykinin was not influenced by the omission of extracellular calcium; bradykinin induced PYK2 phosphorylation in the absence of extracellular calcium or in the presence of EGTA.
[0159] Incubation of PC12 cells with phorbol myristate acetate (PMA) induced tyrosine phosphorylation of PYK2, suggesting that tyrosine phosphorylation of PYK2 could also be mediated via protein kinase C (PKC) activation. To determine whether bradykinin-induced phosphorylation of PYK2 is mediated via PKC, the cells were treated with bradykinin or PMA following down-regulation of PMA-sensitive PKC isozymes by prolonged treatment with PMA. Prolonged treatment with PMA completely abolished the effect of PMA, but had only a minor effect on bradykinin-stimulated tyrosine phosphorylation of PYK2. These results suggest that tyrosine phosphorylation of PYK2 can be induced by PKC-independent and by PKC-dependents mechanisms.
Example 5
Phosphorylation of RAK
[0160] 293 cells in 65 mm plates were transiently transfected either with the potassium channel-RAK-HA alone, or together with Fak, PYK2 or the PYK2-kinase negative mutant (PKN). 12 hr following transfection the cells were grown in DMEM containing 0.3% fetal bovine serum for 24 hours. The cells were either stimulated with PMA (1.6 μM) or with calcium ionophore A23187 (6 μM) for 15 min at 37° C. or left unstimulated. The cells were solubilized and the expression level of each protein was determined by western blot analysis. The Rak protein was immunoprecipitated by anti-HA antibodies and its phosphorylation on tyrosine residues was analyzed by western blot analysis utilizing anti-phosphotyrosine antibodies following immunoprecipitation of the proteins either with anti-PYK2 antibodies (for PYK2 and PKN) or with anti Fax antibodies for (Fak).
[0161] The expression level of each protein (Rak PYK2, PKN and Fak) and the tyrosine phosphorylation of Rak, PYK2, PKN and Fak were measured.
[0162] Only the kinase active PYK2 protein phosphorylated the potassium channel. No phosphorylation was observed with kinase negative PYK2 or with FAK.
Example 6
Tyrosine Phosphorylation of PYK2 and Shc in Response to Activation of PC 12 Cells by Different Stimuli
[0163] PC12 cells were grown in DMEM containing 0.25% fetal bovine serum and 0.5% horse serum for 18 hours before stimulation. Following stimulation, the cells were washed with cold PBS and lysed in 0.8 ml lysis buffer (Lev et al., Mol. Cell. Biol. 13, 225-2234, 1993). PYK2 was immunoprecipitated by anti-PYK2 antibodies, the immunoprecipitates were resolved by 7.5% SDS-PAGE and immunoblotted either with anti-phosphotyrosine antibodies (RC20, transduction laboratories) or with anti-PYK2 antibodies. Antibodies against PYK2 were raised in rabbits.
[0164] Tyrosine phosphorylation of PYK2 in response to different stimuli was studied. Quiescent PC12 cells were stimulated at 37° C. with carbachol (1 mM, 20 sec), bradykinin (1 μM, 1 min KCI (75 mM, 3 min), PMA (1.6 μM, 15 min), A23I87 (6 μM, 15 min) or left unstimulated (−). PYK2 was immunoprecipitated from cell lysates with anti-PYK2 antibodies, followed by SDS-PAGE and immunoblotting, with antiphosphotyrosine or anti-PYK2 antibodies.
[0165] Tyrosine phosphorylation of Shc in response to bradykinin, carbachol, PMA and other stimuli was also measured. Quiescent PC12 cells were stimulated for 5 min at 37° C. with bradykinin (1 μM), carbachol (1 mM), KCl (75 mM), PMA (1.6 μM), NGF(100 ng/ml), or left unstimulated (−). The cells were also stimulated with carbachol (1 mM) or potassium chloride (75 mM) in the presence of 3 mM EGTA. Stimulations with DMPP (100 μM) or muscarine (1 mM) were preformed under the same conditions. Time-course of carbachol induced tyrosine phosphorylation of Shc was performed by incubation of the cells with 1 mM carbachol. The Shc proteins were immunoprecipitated with anti-Shc antibodies, the immunoprecipitates were resolved by SDS-PAGE (8%), transferred to nitrocellulose and immunoblotted with anti-phosphotyrosine antibodies.
Example 7
Association of PYK2 with Grb2 and Sos 1 in Intact Cells
[0166] In order to explore the possibility that calcium induced PYK2 activation is responsible for tyrosine phosphorylation of Shc and activation of the Ras/MAPK signaling pathway, we have examined the ability of PYK2 to recruit upstream regulatory elements of this signaling, pathway, such as Shc and Grb2. Human embryonic 293 cells were transiently transfected with different combinations of expression vectors that direct the synthesis of PYK2, a kinase negative PYK2 mutant (PKN) and the adaptor protein Grb2. The results show that Grb2 is directly associated with wild type PYK2 but not with the kinase negative mutant. Experiments with GST-fusion protein of Grb2 indicate that the association between Grb2 and PYK2 is mediated via its SH2 domain. Inspection of PYK2 primary structure shows that tyr881 is followed by a LNV sequence which was shown to be a canonical binding site for the SH2 domain of Grb2l9.
[0167] We next examined the interaction of PYK2 with the gauanine nucleotide releasing factor SOS I. Human embryonic kidney 293 cells were transfected with expression vectors encoding SOS 1, PYK2 and PKIN and subjected to immunoprecipitation/immunoblotting analysis with anti Sosl or anti-PYK2, antibodies, respectively. Wild type PYK2 but not the kinase negative mutant (PKN) was co-immunoprecipitated with the with Sosl protein. Hence, Grb2 is bound to Sosl via its SH3 domains and to PYK2 via its SH2 domain leadina to the recruitment of Sos by tyrosine phosphorylated PYK2.
[0168] Growth factor induced activation of receptor tyrosine kinases leads to a shift in the electrophoretic mobility of SOS protein. The mobility shift was shown to be due to phosphorylation by serine and thronine kinases which are dependent upon Ras activation including the MAP kinase 11, 12, 20. SOS I protein from PYKI− transfected cells exhibits reduced electrophoretic mobility as compared to SOS I protein. This experiment shows that PYK2 over-expression leads to the activation of the ser/thr kinases responsible for the phosphorylation of SOS 1.
[0169] 293 cells were transiently transfected with the full length cDNAs of PYK2, PKN Grb2 and hSosl-HA cloned into the mammalian expression vectors pRK5 downstream to the CMV promotor, using the calcium phosphate precipitation method (Wigler et al., Cell 16, 777-785, 1979). Twelve hours after transfection, the cells were incubated in medium containing 0.2% fetal bovine serum for 24 hours. The cells were Ivsed, subjected to immunoprecipitation, resolved by SDS-PAGE (15% for Grb2 IPs, 7.5w for PYK2 IPs) and inununoblotted essentially as described (Lev et al., Mol. Cell Biol. 13, 2224-2234, 1993). For immunoblotting we used a mouse monoclonal antibody against Grb2 (Transduction laboratories #GI6720). The kinase negative mutant of PYK2 was constructed as described. A mammalian expression vector encodes the hSosl-HA was constructed as described (Aronheim et al., Cell 78, 949-961, 1994).
[0170] Embryonic human kidney 293 cells were transiently transfected with different combinations of mammalian expression vectors that direct the synthesis of Grb2, PYK2 and a kinase negative PYK2 point mutant (PKN). The cells were solubilized and immunoprecipitated with anti-Grb2, or anti-PYK2 antibodies. The immunocomplexes were washed, resolved by SDS-PAGE, transferred to nitrocellulose and immunoblotted with either anti-PYK2, or anti-Grb2 antibodies. The expression level of Grb2 in each cell line was determined by immunoblotting of total cell lysates with anti-Grb2 antibodies.
[0171] Embryonic human kidney 293 cells were transiently transfected with manunaiian expression vectors encoding hsosl-HA, hSosl-HA together with PYK2 or hSosl-HA together with PKN. hsosl was immunoprecipitated with anti HA antibodies from each cell line, and the presence of PYK2 in the immunocomplexes was determined by immunobloting with anti-PYK2 antibodies. Expression levels of hsosl, PYK2 and PKN were determined by immunoblot analysis of total cell lysates, with anti-HA or anti PYK2 antibodies.
Example 8
PYK2 Induces Tyrosine Phosphorylation of Shc and its Association with Grb2
[0172] Activated EGF receptor is able to recruit Grb2 directly and indirectly. We have therefore investigated whether PYK2 can induce phosphorylation of Shc tyrosine phosphorviation of Shc and its association with Grb2. Shc proteins were immunoprecipitated with anti Shc antibodies from Shc, from Shc and PYK2, or from Shc and PKIN expressing cells. The samples were resolved by SDS-PAGE, transferred to nitrocellulose and immunoblotted with antiphosphotyrosine or anti-Grb2 antibodies. Dramatic tyrosine phosphorylation of Shc in cells that overexpress PYK2. Moreover, several phosphotyrosine containing proteins were found in Shc immunoprecipitates from PYK2 overexpressing cells. Similar results were observed in cells expressing endogenous Shc proteins that were transfected with PYK2 CDNA and subject to immunoprecipitation analysis with anti Shc antibodies. Immunoblot analysis with Grb2 antibodies of Shc immunoprecipitates indicated that Grb2 associates with tyrosine phosphorylated Shc in PYK2 overexpressing cells. We therefore conclude that tyrosine phosphorylated PYK2 can directly and indirectly recruit Grb2 via tyrosine phosphorylation of Shc revealing at least two alternative routes for PYK2 induced activation of the Ras signaling pathway.
[0173] Tyrosine phosphorylation of Shc in cells that coexpress PYK2 was standard. Cells that express Shc alone or coexpress Shc together with either PYK2, or PKN were lysed and subjected to immunoprecipitation with anti-Shc antibodies or pre-immune serum (P.I.). The immunocomplexes were washed, run on an SDS gel and immunoblotted with anti-phosphotyrosine antibodies. Shc proteins (46, 52 and 66 kDa) were identified.
[0174] PYK2 induces association of Shc with Grb2. Shc proteins were immunoprecipitated from each cell line using anti-Shc antibodies. As a control, the lysates of cells that coexpress PYK2 and Shc were subject to immunoprecipitation with pre-immune serum (P.I.). The presence of Grb2 in the immunocomplexes was determined by immunoblotting with anti-Grb2 antibodies.
[0175] The expression level of of PYK2, PKN and Shc in each cell line was determined by immunoblot analysis of total cell lysates with specific antibodies as indicated.
Example 9
Activation of MAP Kinase in PC12 Cells by Bradykinin, Carbachol and Other Stiumli
[0176] The experiments presented so far show that the same stimuli that induce activation of PYK2 induce tyrosine phosphorylationof Shc. We next examined the ability of these agents to induce the activation of kinases in PC12 cells. Quiescent PC12 cells were incubated with a variety of stimuli. Lysates from stimulated cells were subjected to immunoprecipitation with anti-MAP kinase antibodies followed by immunoblottinc, with phosphotyrosine antibodies. Myelin basic protein (MBP) was utilized as a substrate to determine MAP kinase activation. The addition of various ligands to PC12 cells induced a similar profile of both tyrosine phosphorylation and activation of MAP kinase in these cells.
[0177] Since activation of MAP kinase was observed in response to stimuli that induce PYK2 phosphorylation, we examined the possibility whether PYK2 overexpression can induce MAP kinase activation. Human embryonic kidney 293 cells were transiently transfected with increasing concentrations of mammalian expression vector that directs the synthesis of PYK2. The cells were grown for 24 hours in the presence of 0.2% serum, MAPK 1,2 proteins were immunoprecipitated, washed and subjected to MBP phosphorylation assay. The results presented in flaure 4b show that PYK2 overexpression induced MBP phosphorylation in a concentration dependent manner.
[0178] Quantitation of these results shows that MAP kinase activity was approximately three fold hicher in cells that expressed the hiahest level of PYK2 as compared to mock transfected cells.
[0179] 293 cells were transiently transfected with mammalian expression vectors for Shc alone, Shc together with PYK2, or Shc toaether with PKN. PC12 cells were starved for 18 hours as described. The cells were stimulated for 5 min at 37 C with the indicated stimuli, lysed and subjected to immunoprecipitation with antiMAPK 1,2 antibodies (Santa Cruz Biotechnoloay, #c-14 and #c-16). The immunoprecipitates were washed twice with lysis buffer (Lev et al., Mol. Cell. Biol. 13, 2224-2234, 1993) and once with Tris-buffer containing 10 mM Tris-HCI pH 7.2, 100 mM NaCl, 1 mM Na-vanadate and 5 mM benzamidine. The immunocomplexes were resuspended in 40 μl of MAP kinase-buffer containing 30 mM Tris-HCI pH 8, 20 mM MgCl2, 2 mM MnCl 2 , 15 μg, MBP, 10 μM ATP and 5 μCiτ-[ 32 P]ATP (Amersham). The samples were incubated for 30 min at 30° C. and the reactions were stopped by the addition of SDS-sample buffer. The samples were resolved on 15% SDS-PAGE and analysed by autoradiography. Human embryonic kidney 293 cells were trantsiently transfected with increasing concentration of pRK5-PYK2 DNA (0.5 μg). Twelve hours after transfection the cells were (grown in medium containing 0.2% serum for 24 hours. The cells were lysed, immunoprecipitated with MAPK 1,2 antibodies and subjected to MBP phosphorylation assay as describe above.
[0180] Quiescent PC12 cells were stimulated for 5 min at 37° C. with bradykinin (1 μM), carbachol (1 mM), KCl (75 mM), PMA (1.6 μM), NGF (100 mg/ml), or left unstimulated (−). The cells were lysed and MAPK 1,2 were immunoprecipitated with specific antibodies. The immunocomplexes were washed and either resolved by SDS-PAGE, transferred to nitrocellulose and immunoblotted with anti-phosphotyrosine antibodies, or subjected to a standard myelin basic protein (MBP) phosphorylation assay.
[0181] Activation of MAP kinase by overexpression of PYK2. Human embryonic kidney 293) cells were transiently transfected with increasing concentrations of a mammalian expression vector that directs the synthesis of PYK2. MAPK 1,2 proteins were immunoprecipitated from each cell line, the immunocomplexes were washed and subjected to MBP phosphorylation assay. Quantitation of MAP kinase activity for each cell line was determined by phosphorimager and ImagQuant software (Molecular Dynamics, Incorporated). MAPK activity in transfected cells is compared to activity detected in control mock transfected cells.
Example 10
Bradykinin Stimulation of PC12 Cells Induces Tyrosine Phosphorylation of PYK2
[0182] Ligand stimulation, immunoprecipitations and immunoblotting were performed. Chronic treatment with PMA was performed by incubation of the cells with 100 nM PMA for 12 hours at 37° C.
[0183] Time course of bradykinin induces tyrosine phosphorylation of PYK2. Quiescent PC12 cells were incubated at 37° C. with 1 μM bradykinin for indicated periods of time. PYK2 was immunoprecipitated from untreated (−) or treated cells, the immunocomplexes were washed, resolved by SDS-PAGE, transferred to nitrocellulose, and probed either with anti-phosphotyrosine or anti-PYK2 antibodies.
[0184] Quiescent PC12 cells were incubated with either 1 μM bradykinin (1 min at 37° C.) or with PMA (1.6 μM, 15 min at 37° C.) in the presence or absence of CaCl or EGTA (3 μM) as indicated. In some cases the cells were pretreated with 100 nM PMA for 12 h. PYK2 was immunoprecipitated from stimulated or unstimulated cells (−) and analysed by immunoblot analysis with either anti-phosphotyrosine or anti-PYK2 antibodies.
Example 11
Stimulation of Kv1.2 Potassium Channel Tyrosine Phosphorylation in Response to PYK2 Activation
[0185] We examined the possibility whether PYK2 can tyrosine phosphorylate the Kv1.2 channel and regulate its function. In order to test this possibility, we expressed in 293 cells the Kv1.2 protein, Kv1.2 together with PYK2, and as a control Kv1.2 with a kinase negative PYK2 mutant (PKN) or with the protein tyrosine kinase Fak. The cells were grown for 24 hours in medium containing 0.2% serum and then stimulated with PMA(1.6 μM), calcium ionophore (6 μM), or left unstimulated.
[0186] Immunoblotting analysis with phosphotyrosine antibodies following immunoprecipitation of PYK2, PKN and Fak by specific antibodies. PYK2 and Fak were phosphorylated on tyrosine even in unstimulated cells, and treatment with PMA induced tyrosine phosphorylation while treatment with calcium ionophore induced a weaker response. The level of expression of the kinase negative mutant of PYK2 (PKN) was similar to the expression of wild type PYK2 or FAK. Nevertheless, as expected, PKN was not found to be phosphorylated on tyrosine residues. We next analyzed the tyrosine phosphorylation of Kv1.2 channel in each cell line.
[0187] We have added to the cDNA expression construct of Kv1.2 an HA tag, and determined the level of Kv1.2 expression by immunoblot analysis with anti-HA antibodies. A similar amount of Kv1.2 protein was expressed in the transfected cell lines. The Kv1.2 protein was immunoprecipitated from unstimulated cells, as well as from, PMA or calcium ionophore stimulated cells. The immunoprecipitates were resolved by SDS-PAGE and immunobloted with anti-phosphotyrosine antibodies. Phosphorylation of Kv1.2 on tyrosine residues was observed only in cells co-expressing, PYK2. Moreover, tyrosine phosphor-ylation of Kv1.2 was enhanced by PMA or calcium ionophore treatments indicating that activation of PYK2 is required for PYK2 induced tyrosine phosphorylation of the potassium channel.
[0188] Embryonic human kidney 293 cells were transiently transfected with different combinations of mammalian expression vectors which direct the synthesis of Kv1.2-HA, PYK2, a kinase negative PYK2 (PKN) or the protein tyrosine kinase Fak. The cells were grown for 24 h in the presence of 0.2% serum and then either stimulated with PMA (1.6 μM, 10 min at 37° C.), the calcium ionophore A23187 (6 μM, 10 min at 37° C.) or left unstimulated (−).
[0189] Tyrosine phosphorylation of each protein was analysed following immunoprecipitation and immunoblotting with anti-phosphotyrosine antibodies. The expression of each protein was determined by immunoblot analysis of total cell lysates from each transfection with anti-PYK2, anti-HA or anti-Fak antibodies.
[0190] Tyrosine phosphorylation of Kv1.2 was analysed by immunoprecipitation of Kv1.2-HA protein from each cell line with anti-HA antibodies, followed by immunoblot analysis with anti-phosphotyrosine antibodies. 293 cells were transfected by the calcium phosphate technique as described (Wigler et al., Cell 16, 777-785, 2979). The influenza virus hemagglutinin peptide (YPYDVPDYAS) [SEQ. ID NO 22] tag was added to the C-terminal end of the Kv1.2 cDNA utilizing the following oligonucleotide primers in the PCR; ′5GCCAGCAGGCCATGTCACTGG-3′ [SEQ. ID NO 23] and ′5CGGAATTCTTACGATGCGTAGTCAGGGACATCGTATGGGTAGACATCAGTTAAC ATT TTG-′3 [SEQ. ID NO 24]. The PCR product was digested with BALI and EcoRI and used to substitute the corresponding fragment at the C-terminal end of the Kv1.2 cDNA. The Kv1.2-HA cDNA was subcloned into pRK5 downstream the CMV promotor.
[0191] A kinase negative mutant of PYK2 (PKN) was constructed by replacing Lys475 with an Ala residue by utilizing a site directed mutagenesis Kit (Clontech). The oligonucleotide sequence was designed to create a new NruI restriction site. The nucleotide sequence of the mutant was confirmed by DNA sequencing. The oligonucleotide sequence that used for mutagenesis is: ′5-CAATGTAGCTGTCGCGACCTGCAAGAAAGAC-3′[SEQ. ID NO 25] (NruI site—bold, Lys-AAC substituted to Ala-GCG underline). The full length cDNAs of PYK2, PKN and Fak were subcloned into the mammalian expression vectors pRK5 downstream to the CMV promotor.
Example 12
Suppression of Potassium Channel Action in Frog Oocytes by PYK2 Expression and PMA Treatment
[0192] In vitro capped RNA transcripts of Kv1.2, PYK2 and PKN were synthesized from linearized plasmids DNA templates utilizing the mMESSAGE mMACHINE kit (Ambion), following the supplier's protocols. The products of the transcription reaction (cRNAs) were diluted in RNAse-free water and stored at −70° C. Expression of the RNAs was done by injection of 50 nl of RNA into defolliculated stage V and VI oocytes from Xenopus laevis (Iverson et al., J. Neurosc. 10, 2903-2916, 1990). The injected oocytes were incubated for 2-3 days at 20° C. in L15 solution (1:2 dilution of Gibco's Leibovitz L15 medum in H20, with 50 U/ml nystatin, 0.1 mg/ml gentamycin, 30 mM HEPES buffer, pH 7.3-7.4, filtered through a 0.45 mm membrane). Electrophysiological Recording and analysis. Ionic currents were recorded with a two microelectrode voltage-clamp as described (Iverson et al., supra). The current were low-pass filtered KHz using an 8-pole Bessel filter and stored in a 80286 microcomputer using the pClamp acquisition system (Axon Instruments). The data was analyzed with the clamp fit pro-rams of the pCIamp system (Axon Instruments). All recording were performed at room temperature (20-230° C.). The recording chamber was continually perfused with recording solution. To avoid contamination of the oocyte by Ca+ 2 -activated Cl − currents low Cl − recording solution was used (96 mM Na+, glutamate, 2 mM K + glutamate, 0.5 mM CaCl 2 , 5 mM MgCl 2 , 5 mM HEPES buffer). The K+ currents were elicited in depolarizinc, steps from −100 to +40 mv in 10 mV increments every 15 seconds.
[0193] Kv1.2 currents from oocytes microinjected with either Kv1.2 mRNA, Kv1.2 and PYK2 mRNAs, or Kv1.2 and a kinase negative mutant of PYK2 mRNAs (PKN). Currents were elicited in response to depolarizing steps from −100 to +30 mV increments from a holding potential of −110 mV. Representative traces of Kv1.2 channels before and after bath application of 100 nM PMA at the annotated time (8 and 20 minutes) in the same cell.
[0194] Suppression of Kv1.2 currents in response to PMA is blocked by a kinase negative PYK2 mutant (PKN). Inhibition of Kv1.2 currents in an oocyte microinjected with Kv1.2 mRNA before and 25 minutes after treatment with PMA at 50 nM or 100 nM concentration. Recordings from an oocyte expression Kv1.2 and PYK2 or Kv1.2 and a kinase negative mutant of PYK2 under the same conditions as described above. The same protocol was utilized in both experiments.
[0195] We asked whether stimulation of PYK2 can suppress Kv1.2 currents. We explored the effect of PYK2 expression, on currents exhibited by Kv1.2 expression in Xenopus oocytes. Stage V oocytes were microinjected either with Kv1.2 transcripts or with Kv1.2 together with PYK2 or PKN mRNAs. Following two to three days of incubation at 20° C., macroscopic currents exhibited by the oocytes were recorded with a two microelectrode voltage clamp as described (Iverson et al., J. Neurosc. 10, 2903-2916, 1990). Outward rectifier currents were recorded upon membrane depolarization above −40 mV, indicating that a functional Kv1.2 channel is expressed in the oocytes. The expression of Kv1.2, PYK2 and PKN in the frog oocytes was confirmed by immunoblot analysis with anti-HA or anti-PYK2 antibodies.
[0196] We have examined the effect of PYK2 expression on Kv1.2 currents in oocytes in the absence or presence of PMA. We also examined the effect of the kinase negative mutant PKN on PMA induced suppression of Kv 1.2 currents mediated by the endogenous protein tyrosine kinase. Treatment of oocytes with PMA caused inhibition of Kv1.2 currents. As previously shown, the inhibition of the currents developed gradually after application of PMA reaching 80-90% inhibition after 20 min incubation (Huang et al., Cell 75, 1145-1156, 1993). Moreover, the rate of channel blockade was found to be dependent upon the concentration of PMA applied. Coexpression of PYK2 resulted in acceleration of Kv1.2 currents inhibition. Significant acceleration of current inhibition was observed at every concentration of PMA tested. For example, 8 min after the addition of 100 nM PMA, 25% inhibition of outward current was observed in oocytes expressing Kv1.2 alone as compared to 95% inhibition observed in oocytes coexpressing Kv1.2 and PYK2 proteins.
[0197] Current inhibition by PMA treatment in the absence or presence of PYK2 expression did not result in changes in both the kinetics or voltage dependence of the remaining currents Coexpression of Kv1.2 together with the kinase negative mutant of PYK2 (PKN) led to nearly complete inhibition of PMA induced potassium channel blockage. It is possible that the endogenous protein tyrosine kinase activated by PMA that is responsible for suppression of Kv1.2 currents in oocytes represents the xenopus homologue of PYK2 or a closely related protein tyrosine kinase that can be affected by a dominant interfering mutant of PYK2.
Example 13
PYK2 is Phosphorylated upon LPA and Bradykinin Stimulation of Cells
[0198] We have now demonstrated that lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) and bradykinin do in fact induce tyrosine phosphorylation of PYK2 as well as complex formation between PYK2 and activated Src. This observation provides novel strategies to screen for modulators of PYK2 signalling pathways. Moreover, tyrosine phosphorylation of PYK2 leads to binding of the SH2 domain of Src to the tyrosine at position 402 of PYK2 and activation of Src, thereby providing even further information useful in the rational design of such PYK2 signalling pathway modulators. Transient overexpression of a dominant interfering mutant of PYK2 or the protein tyrosine kinase Csk reduces LPA- or bradykinin-induced activation of MAP kinase. LPA- or bradykinin-induced MAP kinase activation was also inhibited by overexpression of dominant interfering mutants of Grb2 and Sos. Thus, without wishing to be bound to any particular theory of the invention, we propose that PYK2 acts in concert with Src to link Gi- and Gq-coupled receptors with Grb2 and Sos to activate the MAP kinase signalling pathway in PC12 cells.
[0199] PC12 cells were stimulated with lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) and lysates of stimulated or unstimulated cells were subjected to immunoprecipitation with antibodies against PYK2 followed by immunoblotting with antibodies against phosphotyrosine. The experiment shows rapid tyrosine phosphorylation of PYK2 in response to LPA or bradykinin stimulation. Pretreatment of PC12 cells with pertussis toxin significantly inhibited tyrosine phosphorylation of PYK2 in response to LPA stimulation. However, bradykinin or phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) induced activation of PYK2 were not affected by pretreatment with pertussis-toxin. Removal of extracellular calcium by the addition of EGTA to the medium did not affect LPA-induced PYK2 phosphorylation. These results indicate that LPA-induced PYK2 activation is dependent, at least in part, on a pertussis-toxin sensitive Gi-dependent pathway in PC12 cells.
[0200] PC12 cells were stimulated with LPA (2.5 mM) or bradykinin (1 mM) for 3 minutes at 37° C. and lysed. PYK2 was immunoprecipitated with antibodies against PYK2 and immunoblotted with antibodies against phosphotyrosine (anti-pTyr) or against PYK2.
[0201] PC12 cells were left untreated (−) or incubated with pertussis toxin (PTx) 100 ng/ml for 20 hours and then stimulated with LPA (2.5 mM), bradykinin (1 mM) for 3 min at 37° C. or with PMA (1 mM) for 10 min at 37° C. In addition, cells were stimulated with LPA in medium containing 3 mM EGTA. We have analyzed phosphorylation of immunoprecipitated PYK2 by immunoblotting with anti-pTyr or anti-PYK2 antibodies. LPA, PMA, PMA, and bradykinin yielded 4, 12, and 9 fold increases in the phosphorylation state of PYK2 relative to unstimulated cells.
[0202] PC12 cells were transiently transfected with pRK5, PYK2 kinase negative mutant (PKM) and Csk. Expression of Csk was determined by blotting total cell lysates with anti-Csk antibodies.
[0203] PC12 cells were mock transfected (pRK5), or transfected with truncated EGF receptor, PKM, Csk, or with both PKM and Csk, stimulated with LPA or bradykinin for 3 min, lysed and MAP kinase activity was determined. The transfection efficiency was determined using a b-Galactosidase transgene. Similar results were obtained in three independent experiments performed in duplicate.
[0204] MAP kinase activity in PC12 cells over-expressing dominant interfering mutants of Grb2 and Sos was also assessed. Cells were stimulated with LPA or bradykinin and MAP kinase activity was determined. The experiments were repeated three times.
Example 14
PYK2 and Src Associate upon LPA and Bradykinin Stimulation of Cells
[0205] We have demonstrated that activation of PYK2 by elevation of intracellular calcium concentration can lead to activation of the MAP kinase signaling pathway in PC12 cells. Src family protein tyrosine kinases are activated in response to stimulation of a variety of G protein-coupled receptors and have been shown to be necessary for linking Gi- and Gq-coupled receptors with MAP kinase activation. Sadoshima & Izumo, EMBO J. 15:775-787 (1996); Wan et al., Nature 380:541-544 (1996). The EGF-receptor and erbB2 were also implicated in MAP kinase activation induced by LPA and other agonists of G-protein coupled receptors. Daub et al., Nature 379:557-564 (1996). We have tested whether LPA and bradykinin can activate Src and the EGF receptor in PC12 cells. Stimulation of PC12 cells by LPA or bradykinin leads to approximately three to four fold increase in Src kinase activity, while we were unable to detect LPA-induced activation of EGF receptor in PC12 cells.
[0206] We examined the possibility of association between the two protein tyrosine kinases PYK2 and Src in response to LPA or bradykinin stimulation. Lysates from stimulated or unstimulated cells were subjected to immunoprecipitation with antibodies against Src followed by immunoblotting with antibodies against PYK2, against Src or anti-pY416src antibodies that specifically recognize activated Src. Liu et al., Oncogene 8:1119-1126 (1993). This experiment demonstrated that PYK2 forms a complex with activated Src in response to LPA or bradykinin stimulation. Furthermore, the SH2 domain of Src bound to activated PYK2 suggesting that Src binding to PYK2 is mediated by means of its SH2 domain perhaps leading to its activation.
[0207] To further analyze the interaction between Src and PYK2, we performed an in vitro binding experiment using a GST fusion protein containing the SH2 domain of Src with wild-type PYK2, a mutant form of PYK2 in which the tyrosine at position 402 was replaced by a phenylalanine residue (PYK2-Y402F) or a kinase negative mutant of PYK2. Lev et al., 1995, Nature 376:737-745. A GST fusion protein containing the SH2 domain of Src bound to tyrosine phosphorylated PYK2 but not to the PYK2-Y402F mutant or PKM. The tyrosine at position 402 represents the major autophosphorylation site of PYK2 and is found within the sequence YAEI, a consensus binding site for the SH2 domain of Src kinases Songyang et al., Cell 72:76-778 (1993).
[0208] PC12 cells were left untreated (−) or stimulated with LPA (2.5 mM) or bradykinin (1 mM) for 3 min at 37° C. Src was immunoprecipitated and immunoblotted with antibodies against Src, anti-pY416src antibodies or antibodies against PYK2.
[0209] The same lysates were mixed with a GST fusion protein containing the SH2 domain of Src and the bound proteins were analyzed by immunoblotting with antibodies against PYK2.
[0210] 293T cells were transiently transfected with pRK5, PYK2, PYK2-Y402F and PKM. Total cell lysates were analyzed by immunoblotting with anti-pTyr or anti-PYK2 antibodies. The same lysates were subjected to immunoprecipitation with antibodies against src and immunoblotting with anti-pY416src or antibodies against Src. Src kinase activity was quantitated as an increase in pY416src phosphorylation and presented as mean +/− S.D. from four independent experiments.
[0211] The effects of coexpression of PYK2 and Csk on PYK2 tyrosine phosphorylation and MAP kinase activation were also assessed. pRK5, PYK2, PYK2-Y402F or PYK2 plus increasing concentrations of Csk were transiently transfected in 293T cells. Total cell lysates were analyzed by immunoblotting with antibodies against phosphotyrosine, PYK2 and Csk. A weak tyrosine phosphorylation of PYK2 Y402F was observed upon longer exposure. The same lysates were used to determine MAP kinase activation. This experiment was repeated three times. It was thus determined that PKY2 and Src are involved in MAP kinaseactivation.
Example 15
PYK2 and Src Activate MAPK
[0212] We further examined the status of Src phosphorylation and MAP kinase activation upon transfection of PYK2 or PYK2-Y402F in human embryonic kidney 293T cells. Overexpression of PYK2 leads to approximately four fold stimulation of endogenous Src activity in these cells. However, overexpression of PYK2-Y402F or a kinase negative mutant of PYK2 (PKM) did not affect Src activity in the same assay. These experiments demonstrated that autophosphorylation of PYK2 on Tyr402 leads to the binding of the SH2 domain of Src and subsequent Src activation.
[0213] We next overexpressed PYK2, PYK2-Y402F or PKM with increasing amounts of Csk, a protein tyrosine kinase that negatively regulates Src (Nada et al., Nature 351:69-72 (1991)), and tested whether PYK2-induced Src activation contributes to PYK2 tyrosine phosphorylation and PYK2-induced MAP kinase activation in 293T cells. The tyrosine phosphorylation of PYK2 and PYK2-induced MAP kinase activition, normally observed from cells overexpressing PYK2, were significantly reduced in the presence of increasing amounts of Csk. Lev et al., Nature 376: 737-745 (1995). In addition, MAP kinase activation was greatly reduced in cells overexpressing PYK2-Y402F as compared to MAP kinase activation induced by expression of wild-type PYK2. PYK2-Y402F is poorly tyrosine phosphorylated upon overexpression. Moreover, overexpression of PYK2-Y402F did not activate Src in these experiments. These experiments demonstrate that PYK2 tyrosine phosphorylation and PYK2-induced MAP kinase activation are dependent, at least in part, on Src kinase activity stimulated by binding to autophosphorylated tyr402 on PYK2.
[0214] We next examined the role of PYK2 in LPA- or bradykinin-induced MAP kinase activation by utilizing the dominant interfering kinase negative mutant of PYK2. Lev et al., Nature 376:737-745 (1995); Tokiwa et al., Science 273:792-794 (1996). We were unable to generate stable PC12 cell lines that overexpress PKM and therefore used a transient overexpression strategy. Overexpression of PKM in PC12 cells strongly inhibited MAP kinase activation by LPA or bradykinin. The role of Src in LPA- or bradykinin-induced MAP kinase activation was further tested by transient overexpression of Csk. When Csk was overexpressed in PC12 cells a strong reduction in LPA- or bradykinin-induced MAP kinase was observed. In cells that were co-transfected with both PKM and Csk, LPA- or bradykinin-induced MAP kinase activation was profoundly inhibited. However, overexpression of PKM or Csk did not affect EGF- or nerve growth factor-induced MAP kinase activation in PC12.
[0215] Taken together, these experiments reveal a specific role for PYK2 and Src in linking G-protein coupled receptor, but not growth factor receptors, with MAP kinase activation.
[0216] Although certain embodiments and examples have been used to describe the present invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that changes to the embodiments and examples shown may be made without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention.
[0217] Those references not previously incorporated herein by reference, including both patent and non-patent references, are expressly incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.
[0218] Other embodiments are within the following claims.
0
SEQUENCE LISTING
(1) GENERAL INFORMATION:
(iii) NUMBER OF SEQUENCES: 32
(2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO: 1:
(i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:
(A) LENGTH: 3416
(B) TYPE: nucleic acid
(C) STRANDEDNESS: single
(D) TOPOLOGY: linear
(xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO: 1:
CGGTACAGGT AAGTCGGCCG GGCAGGTAGG GGTGCCCGAG GAGTAGTCGC TGGAGTCCGC 60
GCCTCCCTGG GACTGCAATG TGCCGGTCTT AGCTGCTGCC TGAGAGGATG TCTGGGGTGT 120
CCGAGCCCCT GAGCCGAGTA AAGTTGGGCA CATTACGCCG GCCTGAAGGC CCTGCAGAGC 180
CCATGGTGGT GGTACCAGTA GATGTGGAAA AGGAGGACGT GCGTATCCTC AAGGTCTGCT 240
TCTATAGCAA CAGCTTCAAT CCTGGGAAGA ACTTCAAACT GGTCAAATGC ACTGTCCAGA 300
CGGAGATCCG GGAGATCATC ACCTCCATCC TGCTGAGCGG GCGGATCGGG CCCAACATCC 360
GGTTGGCTGA GTGCTATGGG CTGAGGCTGA AGCACATGAA GTCCGATGAG ATCCACTGGC 420
TGCACCCACA GATGACGGTG GGTGAGGTGC AGGACAAGTA TGAGTGTCTG CACGTGGAAG 480
CCGAGTGGAG GTATGACCTT CAAATCCGCT ACTTGCCAGA AGACTTCATG GAGAGCCTGA 540
AGGAGGACAG GACCACGCTG CTCTATTTTT ACCAACAGCT CCGGAACGAC TACATGCAGC 600
GCTACGCCAG CAAGGTCAGC GAGGGCATGG CCCTGCAGCT GGGCTGCCTG GAGCTCAGGC 660
GGTTCTTCAA GGATATGCCC CACAATGCAC TTGACAAGAA GTCCAACTTC GAGCTCCTAG 720
AAAAGGAAGT GGGGCTGGAC TTGTTTTTCC CAAAGCAGAT GCAGGAGAAC TTAAAGCCCA 780
AACAGTTCCG GAAGATGATC CAGCAGACCT TCCAGCAGTA CGCCTCGCTC AGGGAGGAGG 840
AGTGCGTCAT GAAGTTCTTC AACACTCTCG CCGGCTTCGC CAACATCGAC CAGGAGACCT 900
ACCGCTGTGA ACTCATTCAA GGATGGAACA TTACTGTGGA CCTGGTCATT GGCCCTAAAG 960
GGATCCGCCA GCTGACTAGT CAGGACGCAA AGCCCACCTG CCTGGCCGAG TTCAAGCAGA 1020
TCAGGTCCAT CAGGTGCCTC CCGCTGGAGG AGGGCCAGGC AGTACTTCAG CTGGGCATTG 1080
AAGGTGCCCC CCAGGCCTTG TCCATCAAAA CCTCATCCCT AGCAGAGGCT GAGAACATGG 1140
CTGACCTCAT AGACGGCTAC TGCCGGCTGC AGGGTGAGCA CCAAGGCTCT CTCATCATCC 1200
ATCCTAGGAA AGATGGTGAG AAGCGGAACA GCCTGCCCCA GATCCCCATG CTAAACCTGG 1260
AGGCCCGGCG GTCCCACCTC TCAGAGAGCT GCAGCATAGA GTCAGACATC TACGCAGAGA 1320
TTCCCGACGA AACCCTGCGA AGGCCCGGAG GTCCACAGTA TGGCATTGCC CGTGAAGATG 1380
TGGTCCTGAA TCGTATTCTT GGGGAAGGCT TTTTTGGGGA GGTCTATGAA GGTGTCTACA 1440
CAAATCACAA AGGGGAGAAA ATCAATGTAG CTGTCAAGAC CTGCAAGAAA GACTGCACTC 1500
TGGACAACAA GGAGAAGTTC ATGAGCGAGG CAGTGATCAT GAAGAACCTC GACCACCCGC 1560
ACATCGTGAA GCTGATCGGC ATCATTGAAG AGGAGCCCAC CTGGATCATC ATGGAATTGT 1620
ATCCCTATGG GGAGCTGGGC CACTACCTGG AGCGGAACAA GAACTCCCTG AAGGTGCTCA 1680
CCCTCGTGCT GTACTCACTG CAGATATGCA AAGCCATGGC CTACCTGGAG AGCATCAACT 1740
GCGTGCACAG GGACATTGCT GTCCGGAACA TCCTGGTGGC CTCCCCTGAG TGTGTGAAGC 1800
TGGGGGACTT TGGTCTTTCC CGGTACATTG AGGACGAGGA CTATTACAAA GCCTCTGTGA 1860
CTCGTCTCCC CATCAAATGG ATGTCCCCAG AGTCCATTAA CTTCCGACGC TTCACGACAG 1920
CCAGTGACGT CTGGATGTTC GCCGTGTGCA TGTGGGAGAT CCTGAGCTTT GGGAAGCAGC 1980
CCTTCTTCTG GCTGGAGAAC AAGGATGTCA TCGGGGTGCT GGAGAAAGGA GACCGGCTGC 2040
CCAAGCCTGA TCTCTGTCCA CCGGTCCTTT ATACCCTCAT GACCCGCTGC TGGGACTACG 2100
ACCCCAGTGA CCGGCCCCGC TTCACCGAGC TGGTGTGCAG CCTCAGTGAC GTTTATCAGA 2160
TGGAGAAGGA CATTGCCATG GAGCAAGAGA GGAATGCTCG CTACCGAACC CCCAAAATCT 2220
TGGAGCCCAC AGCCTTCCAG GAACCCCCAC CCAAGCCCAG CCGACCTAAG TACAGACCCC 2280
CTCCGCAAAC CAACCTCCTG GCTCCAAAGC TGCAGTTCCA GGTTCCTGAG GGTCTGTGTG 2340
CCAGCTCTCC TACGCTCACC AGCCCTATGG AGTATCCATC TCCCGTTAAC TCACTGCACA 2400
CCCCACCTCT CCACCGGCAC AATGTCTTCA AACGCCACAG CATGCGGGAG GAGGACTTCA 2460
TCCAACCCAG CAGCCGAGAA GAGGCCCAGC AGCTGTGGGA GGCTGAAAAG GTCAAAATGC 2520
GGCAAATCCT GGACAAACAG CAGAAGCAGA TGGTGGAGGA CTACCAGTGG CTCAGGCAGG 2580
AGGAGAAGTC CCTGGACCCC ATGGTTTATA TGAATGATAA GTCCCCATTG ACGCCAGAGA 2640
AGGAGGTCGG CTACCTGGAG TTCACAGGGC CCCCACAGAA GCCCCCGAGG CTGGGCGCAC 2700
AGTCCATCCA GCCCACAGCT AACCTGGACC GGACCGATGA CCTGGTGTAC CTCAATGTCA 2760
TGGAGCTGGT GCGGGCCGTG CTGGAGCTCA AGAATGAGCT CTGTCAGCTG CCCCCCGAGG 2820
GCTACGTGGT GGTGGTGAAG AATGTGGGGC TGACCCTGCG GAAGCTCATC GGGAGCGTGG 2880
ATGATCTCCT GCCTTCCTTG CCGTCATCTT CACGGACAGA GATCGAGGGC ACCCAGAAAC 2940
TGCTCAACAA AGACCTGGCA GAGCTCATCA ACAAGATGCG GCTGGCGCAG CAGAACGCCG 3000
TGACCTCCCT GAGTGAGGAG TGCAAGAGGC AGATGCTGAC GGCTTCACAC ACCCTGGCTG 3060
TGGACGCCAA GAACCTGCTC GACGCTGTGG ACCAGGCCAA GGTTCTGGCC AATCTGGCCC 3120
ACCCACCTGC AGAGTGACGG AGGGTGGGGG CCACCTGCCT GCGTCTTCCG CCCCTGCCTG 3180
CCATGTACCT CCCCTGCCTT GCTGTTGGTC ATGTGGGTCT TCCAGGGAGA AGGCCAAGGG 3240
GAGTCACCTT CCCTTGCCAC TTTGCACGAC GCCCTCTCCC CACCCCTACC CCTGGCTGTA 3300
CTGCTCAGGC TGCAGCTGGA CAGAGGGGAC TCTGGGCTAT GGACACAGGG TGACGGTGAC 3360
AAAGATGGCT CAGAGGGGGA CTGCTGCTGC CTGGCCACTG CTCCCTAAGC CAGCCT 3416
(2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO: 2:
(i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:
(A) LENGTH: 1009
(B) TYPE: amino acid
(C) STRANDEDNESS: single
(D) TOPOLOGY: linear
(ii) MOLECULE TYPE: peptide
(xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO: 2:
Met Ser Gly Val Ser Glu Pro Leu Ser Arg Val Lys Leu Gly Thr Leu
1 5 10 15
Arg Arg Pro Glu Gly Pro Ala Glu Pro Met Val Val Val Pro Val Asp
20 25 30
Val Glu Lys Glu Asp Val Arg Ile Leu Lys Val Cys Phe Tyr Ser Asn
35 40 45
Ser Phe Asn Pro Gly Lys Asn Phe Lys Leu Val Lys Cys Thr Val Gln
50 55 60
Thr Glu Ile Arg Glu Ile Ile Thr Ser Ile Leu Leu Ser Gly Arg Ile
65 70 75 80
Gly Pro Asn Ile Arg Leu Ala Glu Cys Tyr Gly Leu Arg Leu Lys His
85 90 95
Met Lys Ser Asp Glu Ile His Trp Leu His Pro Gln Met Thr Val Gly
100 105 110
Glu Val Gln Asp Lys Tyr Glu Cys Leu His Val Glu Ala Glu Trp Arg
115 120 125
Tyr Asp Leu Gln Ile Arg Tyr Leu Pro Glu Asp Phe Met Glu Ser Leu
130 135 140
Lys Glu Asp Arg Thr Thr Leu Leu Tyr Phe Tyr Gln Gln Leu Arg Asn
145 150 155 160
Asp Tyr Met Gln Arg Tyr Ala Ser Lys Val Ser Glu Gly Met Ala Leu
165 170 175
Gln Leu Gly Cys Leu Glu Leu Arg Arg Phe Phe Lys Asp Met Pro His
180 185 190
Asn Ala Leu Asp Lys Lys Ser Asn Phe Glu Leu Leu Glu Lys Glu Val
195 200 205
Gly Leu Asp Leu Phe Phe Pro Lys Gln Met Gln Glu Asn Leu Lys Pro
210 215 220
Lys Gln Phe Arg Lys Met Ile Gln Gln Thr Phe Gln Gln Tyr Ala Ser
225 230 235 240
Leu Arg Glu Glu Glu Cys Val Met Lys Phe Phe Asn Thr Leu Ala Gly
245 250 255
Phe Ala Asn Ile Asp Gln Glu Thr Tyr Arg Cys Glu Leu Ile Gln Gly
260 265 270
Trp Asn Ile Thr Val Asp Leu Val Ile Gly Pro Lys Gly Ile Arg Gln
275 280 285
Leu Thr Ser Gln Asp Ala Lys Pro Thr Cys Leu Ala Glu Phe Lys Gln
290 295 300
Ile Arg Ser Ile Arg Cys Leu Pro Leu Glu Glu Gly Gln Ala Val Leu
305 310 315 320
Gln Leu Gly Ile Glu Gly Ala Pro Gln Ala Leu Ser Ile Lys Thr Ser
325 330 335
Ser Leu Ala Glu Ala Glu Asn Met Ala Asp Leu Ile Asp Gly Tyr Cys
340 345 350
Arg Leu Gln Gly Glu His Gln Gly Ser Leu Ile Ile His Pro Arg Lys
355 360 365
Asp Gly Glu Lys Arg Asn Ser Leu Pro Gln Ile Pro Met Leu Asn Leu
370 375 380
Glu Ala Arg Arg Ser His Leu Ser Glu Ser Cys Ser Ile Glu Ser Asp
385 390 395 400
Ile Tyr Ala Glu Ile Pro Asp Glu Thr Leu Arg Arg Pro Gly Gly Pro
405 410 415
Gln Tyr Gly Ile Ala Arg Glu Asp Val Val Leu Asn Arg Ile Leu Gly
420 425 430
Glu Gly Phe Phe Gly Glu Val Tyr Glu Gly Val Tyr Thr Asn His Lys
435 440 445
Gly Glu Lys Ile Asn Val Ala Val Lys Thr Cys Lys Lys Asp Cys Thr
450 455 460
Leu Asp Asn Lys Glu Lys Phe Met Ser Glu Ala Val Ile Met Lys Asn
465 470 475 480
Leu Asp His Pro His Ile Val Lys Leu Ile Gly Ile Ile Glu Glu Glu
485 490 495
Pro Thr Trp Ile Ile Met Glu Leu Tyr Pro Tyr Gly Glu Leu Gly His
500 505 510
Tyr Leu Glu Arg Asn Lys Asn Ser Leu Lys Val Leu Thr Leu Val Leu
515 520 525
Tyr Ser Leu Gln Ile Cys Lys Ala Met Ala Tyr Leu Glu Ser Ile Asn
530 535 540
Cys Val His Arg Asp Ile Ala Val Arg Asn Ile Leu Val Ala Ser Pro
545 550 555 560
Glu Cys Val Lys Leu Gly Asp Phe Gly Leu Ser Arg Tyr Ile Glu Asp
565 570 575
Glu Asp Tyr Tyr Lys Ala Ser Val Thr Arg Leu Pro Ile Lys Trp Met
580 585 590
Ser Pro Glu Ser Ile Asn Phe Arg Arg Phe Thr Thr Ala Ser Asp Val
595 600 605
Trp Met Phe Ala Val Cys Met Trp Glu Ile Leu Ser Phe Gly Lys Gln
610 615 620
Pro Phe Phe Trp Leu Glu Asn Lys Asp Val Ile Gly Val Leu Glu Lys
625 630 635 640
Gly Asp Arg Leu Pro Lys Pro Asp Leu Cys Pro Pro Val Leu Tyr Thr
645 650 655
Leu Met Thr Arg Cys Trp Asp Tyr Asp Pro Ser Asp Arg Pro Arg Phe
660 665 670
Thr Glu Leu Val Cys Ser Leu Ser Asp Val Tyr Gln Met Glu Lys Asp
675 680 685
Ile Ala Met Glu Gln Glu Arg Asn Ala Arg Tyr Arg Thr Pro Lys Ile
690 695 700
Leu Glu Pro Thr Ala Phe Gln Glu Pro Pro Pro Lys Pro Ser Arg Pro
705 710 715 720
Lys Tyr Arg Pro Pro Pro Gln Thr Asn Leu Leu Ala Pro Lys Leu Gln
725 730 735
Phe Gln Val Pro Glu Gly Leu Cys Ala Ser Ser Pro Thr Leu Thr Ser
740 745 750
Pro Met Glu Tyr Pro Ser Pro Val Asn Ser Leu His Thr Pro Pro Leu
755 760 765
His Arg His Asn Val Phe Lys Arg His Ser Met Arg Glu Glu Asp Phe
770 775 780
Ile Gln Pro Ser Ser Arg Glu Glu Ala Gln Gln Leu Trp Glu Ala Glu
785 790 795 800
Lys Val Lys Met Arg Gln Ile Leu Asp Lys Gln Gln Lys Gln Met Val
805 810 815
Glu Asp Tyr Gln Trp Leu Arg Gln Glu Glu Lys Ser Leu Asp Pro Met
820 825 830
Val Tyr Met Asn Asp Lys Ser Pro Leu Thr Pro Glu Lys Glu Val Gly
835 840 845
Tyr Leu Glu Phe Thr Gly Pro Pro Gln Lys Pro Pro Arg Leu Gly Ala
850 855 860
Gln Ser Ile Gln Pro Thr Ala Asn Leu Asp Arg Thr Asp Asp Leu Val
865 870 875 880
Tyr Leu Asn Val Met Glu Leu Val Arg Ala Val Leu Glu Leu Lys Asn
885 890 895
Glu Leu Cys Gln Leu Pro Pro Glu Gly Tyr Val Val Val Val Lys Asn
900 905 910
Val Gly Leu Thr Leu Arg Lys Leu Ile Gly Ser Val Asp Asp Leu Leu
915 920 925
Pro Ser Leu Pro Ser Ser Ser Arg Thr Glu Ile Glu Gly Thr Gln Lys
930 935 940
Leu Leu Asn Lys Asp Leu Ala Glu Leu Ile Asn Lys Met Arg Leu Ala
945 950 955 960
Gln Gln Asn Ala Val Thr Ser Leu Ser Glu Glu Cys Lys Arg Gln Met
965 970 975
Leu Thr Ala Ser His Thr Leu Ala Val Asp Ala Lys Asn Leu Leu Asp
980 985 990
Ala Val Asp Gln Ala Lys Val Leu Ala Asn Leu Ala His Pro Pro Ala
995 1000 1005
Glu
(2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO: 3:
(i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:
(A) LENGTH: 9
(B) TYPE: amino acid
(C) STRANDEDNESS: single
(D) TOPOLOGY: linear
(ii) MOLECULE TYPE: peptide
(xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO: 3:
Ile His Arg Asp Leu Ala Ala Arg Asn
5
(2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO: 4:
(i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:
(A) LENGTH: 8
(B) TYPE: amino acid
(C) STRANDEDNESS: single
(D) TOPOLOGY: linear
(ii) MOLECULE TYPE: peptide
(xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO: 4:
Trp Met Phe Gly Val Thr Leu Trp
5
(2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO: 5:
(i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:
(A) LENGTH: 30
(B) TYPE: nucleic acid
(C) STRANDEDNESS: single
(D) TOPOLOGY: linear
(ii) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO: 5:
CGGGATCCTC ATCATCCATC CTAGGAAAGA 30
(2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO: 6:
(i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:
(A) LENGTH: 30
(B) TYPE: nucleic acid
(C) STRANDEDNESS: single
(D) TOPOLOGY: linear
(ii) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO: 6:
CGGGAATTCG TCGTAGTCCC AGCAGCGGGT 30
(2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO: 7:
(i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:
(A) LENGTH: 10
(B) TYPE: amino acid
(C) STRANDEDNESS: single
(D) TOPOLOGY: linear
(ii) MOLECULE TYPE: peptide
(xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO: 7:
Tyr Pro Tyr Asp Val Pro Asp Tyr Ala Ser
5 10
(2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO: 8:
(i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:
(A) LENGTH: 21
(B) TYPE: nucleic acid
(C) STRANDEDNESS: single
(D) TOPOLOGY: linear
(ii) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO: 8:
CACAATGTCT TCAAACGCCA C 21
(2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO: 9:
(i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:
(A) LENGTH: 63
(B) TYPE: nucleic acid
(C) STRANDEDNESS: single
(D) TOPOLOGY: linear
(ii) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO: 9:
GGCTCTAGAT CACGATGCGT AGTCAGGGAC ATCGTATGGG TACTCTGCAG GTGGGTGGGC 60
CAG 63
(2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO: 10:
(i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:
(A) LENGTH: 31
(B) TYPE: nucleic acid
(C) STRANDEDNESS: single
(D) TOPOLOGY: linear
(ii) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO: 10:
CAATGTAGCT GTCGCGACCT GCAAGAAAGA C 31
(2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO: 11:
(i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:
(A) LENGTH: 21
(B) TYPE: nucleic acid
(C) STRANDEDNESS: single
(D) TOPOLOGY: linear
(ii) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO: 11:
GCCAGCAGGC CATGTCACTG G 21
(2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO: 12:
(i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:
(A) LENGTH: 60
(B) TYPE: nucleic acid
(C) STRANDEDNESS: single
(D) TOPOLOGY: linear
(ii) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO: 12:
CGGAATTCTT ACGATGCGTA GTCAGGGACA TCGTATGGGT AGACATCAGT TAACATTTTG 60
(2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO: 13:
(i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:
(A) LENGTH: 9
(B) TYPE: amino acid
(C) STRANDEDNESS: single
(D) TOPOLOGY: linear
(ii) MOLECULE TYPE: peptide
(xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO: 13:
Ile His Arg Asp Leu Ala Ala Arg Asn
5
(2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO: 14:
(i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:
(A) LENGTH: 8
(B) TYPE: amino acid
(C) STRANDEDNESS: single
(D) TOPOLOGY: linear
(ii) MOLECULE TYPE: peptide
(xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO: 14:
Trp Met Phe Gly Val Thr Leu Trp
5
(2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO: 15:
(i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:
(A) LENGTH: 4
(B) TYPE: amino acid
(C) STRANDEDNESS: single
(D) TOPOLOGY: linear
(ii) MOLECULE TYPE: peptide
(xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO: 15:
Tyr Leu Met Val
(2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO: 16:
(i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:
(A) LENGTH: 4
(B) TYPE: amino acid
(C) STRANDEDNESS: single
(D) TOPOLOGY: linear
(ii) MOLECULE TYPE: peptide
(xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO: 16:
Tyr Val Val Val
(2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO: 17:
(i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:
(A) LENGTH: 9
(B) TYPE: amino acid
(C) STRANDEDNESS: single
(D) TOPOLOGY: linear
(ii) MOLECULE TYPE: peptide
(xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO: 17:
Ile His Arg Asp Leu Ala Ala Arg Asn
5
(2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO: 18:
(i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:
(A) LENGTH: 8
(B) TYPE: amino acid
(C) STRANDEDNESS: single
(D) TOPOLOGY: linear
(ii) MOLECULE TYPE: peptide
(xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO: 18:
Trp Met Phe Gly Val Thr Leu Trp
5
(2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO: 19:
(i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:
(A) LENGTH: 10
(B) TYPE: amino acid
(C) STRANDEDNESS: single
(D) TOPOLOGY: linear
(ii) MOLECULE TYPE: peptide
(xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO: 19:
Tyr Pro Tyr Asp Val Pro Asp Tyr Ala Ser
5 10
(2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO: 20:
(i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:
(A) LENGTH: 21
(B) TYPE: nucleic acid
(C) STRANDEDNESS: single
(D) TOPOLOGY: linear
(ii) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO: 20:
CACAATGTCT TCAAACGCCA C 21
(2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO: 21:
(i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:
(A) LENGTH: 63
(B) TYPE: nucleic acid
(C) STRANDEDNESS: single
(D) TOPOLOGY: linear
(ii) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO: 21:
GGCTCTAGAT CACGATGCGT AGTCAGGGAC ATCGTATGGG TACTCTGCAG GTGGGTGGGC 60
CAG 63
(2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO: 22:
(i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:
(A) LENGTH: 10
(B) TYPE: amino acid
(C) STRANDEDNESS: single
(D) TOPOLOGY: linear
(ii) MOLECULE TYPE: peptide
(xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO: 22:
Tyr Pro Tyr Asp Val Pro Asp Tyr Ala Ser
5 10
(2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO: 23:
(i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:
(A) LENGTH: 21
(B) TYPE: nucleic acid
(C) STRANDEDNESS: single
(D) TOPOLOGY: linear
(ii) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO: 23:
GCCAGCAGGC CATGTCACTG G 21
(2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO: 24:
(i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:
(A) LENGTH: 60
(B) TYPE: nucleic acid
(C) STRANDEDNESS: single
(D) TOPOLOGY: linear
(ii) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO: 24:
CGGAATTCTT ACGATGCGTA GTCAGGGACA TCGTATGGGT AGACATCAGT TAACATTTTG 60
(2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO: 25:
(i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:
(A) LENGTH: 31
(B) TYPE: nucleic acid
(C) STRANDEDNESS: single
(D) TOPOLOGY: linear
(ii) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO: 25:
CAATGTAGCT GTCGCGACCT GCAAGAAAGA C 31
(2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO: 26:
(i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:
(A) LENGTH: 27 base pairs
(B) TYPE: nucleic acid
(C) STRANDEDNESS: single
(D) TOPOLOGY: linear
(xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO: 26:
GAGTCAGACA TCTTCGCAGA GATTCCC 27
(2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO: 27:
(i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:
(A) LENGTH: 30 base pairs
(B) TYPE: nucleic acid
(C) STRANDEDNESS: single
(D) TOPOLOGY: linear
(xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO: 27:
GAATTCGATA TCACGCGTGG CCGCCATGGC 30
(2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO: 28:
(i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:
(A) LENGTH: 253 amino acids
(B) TYPE: amino acid
(C) STRANDEDNESS: single
(D) TOPOLOGY: linear
(ii) MOLECULE TYPE: protein
(xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO: 28:
Val Leu Asn Arg Ile Leu Gly Glu Gly Glu Phe Gly Glu Val Tyr Glu
1 5 10 15
Gly Val Tyr Thr Asn His Lys Gly Glu Lys Ile Asn Val Ala Val Lys
20 25 30
Thr Cys Lys Lys Asp Gly Thr Leu Asp Asn Lys Glu Lys Phe Met Ser
35 40 45
Glu Ala Val Ile Met Lys Asn Leu Asp His Pro His Ile Val Lys Leu
50 55 60
Ile Gly Ile Ile Glu Glu Glu Pro Thr Trp Ile Ile Met Glu Leu Tyr
65 70 75 80
Pro Tyr Gly Glu Leu Gly His Tyr Leu Glu Arg Asn Lys Asn Ser Leu
85 90 95
Lys Val Leu Thr Leu Val Leu Tyr Ser Leu Gln Ile Cys Lys Ala Met
100 105 110
Ala Tyr Leu Glu Ser Ile Asn Gly Val His Arg Asp Ile Ala Val Arg
115 120 125
Asn Ile Leu Val Ala Ser Pro Glu Cys Val Lys Leu Gly Asp Phe Gly
130 135 140
Leu Ser Arg Tyr Ile Glu Asp Glu Asp Tyr Tyr Lys Ala Ser Val Thr
145 150 155 160
Arg Leu Pro Ile Lys Trp Met Ser Pro Glu Ser Ile Asn Phe Arg Arg
165 170 175
Phe Thr Thr Ala Ser Asp Val Trp Met Phe Ala Val Gly Met Trp Glu
180 185 190
Ile Leu Ser Phe Gly Lys Pro Glu Phe Trp Asp Glu Asn Lys Asp Val
195 200 205
Ile Gly Val Leu Glu Lys Gly Asp Arg Leu Pro Lys Pro Asp Leu Cys
210 215 220
Pro Pro Val Leu Tyr Thr Leu Met Thr Arg Cys Trp Asp Tyr Asp Pro
225 230 235 240
Ser Asp Arg Pro Arg Phe Thr Glu Leu Val Cys Ser Leu
245 250
(2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO: 29:
(i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:
(A) LENGTH: 254 amino acids
(B) TYPE: amino acid
(C) STRANDEDNESS: single
(D) TOPOLOGY: linear
(ii) MOLECULE TYPE: protein
(xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO: 29:
Glu Leu Gly Arg Cys Ile Gly Glu Gly Gln Phe Gly Asp Val His Gln
1 5 10 15
Gly Ile Tyr Met Ser Pro Glu Asn Pro Ala Leu Ala Val Ala Ile Lys
20 25 30
Thr Cys Lys Asn Gly Thr Ser Asp Ser Val Arg Glu Lys Phe Leu Gln
35 40 45
Glu Ala Leu Thr Met Arg Gln Phe Asp His Pro His Ile Val Lys Leu
50 55 60
Ile Gly Val Ile Thr Glu Asn Pro Val Trp Ile Ile Met Glu Leu Cys
65 70 75 80
Thr Leu Gly Glu Leu Arg Ser Phe Leu Gln Val Arg Lys Tyr Ser Leu
85 90 95
Asp Leu Ala Ser Leu Ile Leu Tyr Ala Tyr Gln Leu Ser Thr Ala Leu
100 105 110
Ala Tyr Leu Glu Ser Lys Arg Phe Val His Arg Asp Ile Ala Ala Arg
115 120 125
Asn Val Leu Val Ser Ser Asn Asp Cys Val Lys Leu Gly Asp Phe Gly
130 135 140
Leu Ser Arg Tyr Met Glu Asp Ser Thr Tyr Tyr Lys Ala Ser Lys Gly
145 150 155 160
Lys Leu Pro Ile Lys Trp Met Ala Pro Glu Ser Ile Asn Phe Arg Arg
165 170 175
Phe Thr Ser Ala Ser Asp Val Trp Met Phe Gly Val Cys Met Trp Glu
180 185 190
Ile Leu Met His Gly Val Lys Pro Glu Gln Gly Val Lys Asn Asn Asp
195 200 205
Val Ile Gly Arg Ile Glu Asn Gly Glu Arg Leu Pro Met Pro Pro Asn
210 215 220
Cys Pro Pro Thr Leu Tyr Ser Leu Met Thr Lys Cys Trp Ala Tyr Asp
225 230 235 240
Pro Ser Arg Arg Pro Arg Phe Thr Glu Leu Lys Ala Gln Leu
245 250
(2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO: 30:
(i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:
(A) LENGTH: 251 amino acids
(B) TYPE: amino acid
(C) STRANDEDNESS: single
(D) TOPOLOGY: linear
(ii) MOLECULE TYPE: protein
(xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO: 30:
Ser Leu Gly Glu Leu Leu Gly Lys Gly Asn Phe Gly Glu Val Tyr Lys
1 5 10 15
Gly Thr Leu Lys Asp Lys Thr Pro Val Ala Val Lys Thr Cys Lys Glu
20 25 30
Asp Leu Pro Gln Glu Leu Lys Ile Lys Phe Leu Gln Glu Ala Lys Ile
35 40 45
Leu Lys Gln Tyr Asp His Pro Asn Ile Val Lys Leu Ile Gly Val Cys
50 55 60
Thr Gln Arg Gln Pro Val Tyr Ile Ile Met Glu Leu Val Pro Gly Gly
65 70 75 80
Asp Phe Leu Ser Phe Leu Arg Lys Arg Lys Asp Glu Leu Lys Leu Lys
85 90 95
Gln Leu Val Arg Phe Ser Leu Asp Val Ala Ala Gly Met Leu Tyr Leu
100 105 110
Glu Gly Lys Asn Gly Ile His Arg Asp Leu Ala Ala Arg Asn Cys Leu
115 120 125
Val Gly Glu Asn Asn Thr Leu Lys Ile Ser Asp Phe Gly Met Ser Arg
130 135 140
Gln Glu Asp Gly Gly Val Tyr Ser Ser Ser Gly Leu Lys Gln Ile Pro
145 150 155 160
Ile Lys Trp Thr Ala Pro Glu Ala Leu Asn Tyr Gly Arg Tyr Ser Ser
165 170 175
Glu Ser Asp Val Trp Ser Phe Gly Ile Leu Leu Trp Glu Thr Phe Ser
180 185 190
Leu Gly Val Cys Pro Tyr Pro Gly Met Thr Asn Gln Gln Ala Arg Glu
195 200 205
Gln Val Glu Arg Gly Tyr Arg Met Ser Ala Pro Gln Asn Cys Pro Glu
210 215 220
Glu Ile Phe Thr Ile Met Met Lys Cys Trp Asp Tyr Lys Pro Glu Asn
225 230 235 240
Arg Pro Lys Phe Ser Asp Leu His Lys Glu Leu
245 250
(2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO: 31:
(i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:
(A) LENGTH: 256 amino acids
(B) TYPE: amino acid
(C) STRANDEDNESS: single
(D) TOPOLOGY: linear
(ii) MOLECULE TYPE: protein
(xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO: 31:
Lys Arg Val Lys Val Leu Gly Ser Gly Ala Phe Gly Thr Val Tyr Lys
1 5 10 15
Gly Ile Trp Val Pro Glu Gly Glu Thr Val Lys Ile Pro Val Ala Ile
20 25 30
Lys Ile Leu Asn Glu Thr Thr Gly Pro Lys Ala Asn Val Glu Phe Met
35 40 45
Asp Glu Ala Leu Ile Met Ala Ser Met Asp His Pro His Leu Val Arg
50 55 60
Leu Leu Gly Val Cys Leu Ser Pro Thr Ile Gln Leu Val Thr Gln Leu
65 70 75 80
Met Pro His Gly Cys Leu Leu Glu Tyr Val His Glu His Lys Asp Asn
85 90 95
Ile Gly Ser Gln Leu Leu Leu Asn Trp Cys Val Gln Ile Ala Lys Gly
100 105 110
Met Met Tyr Leu Glu Glu Arg Arg Leu Val His Arg Asp Leu Ala Ala
115 120 125
Arg Asn Val Leu Val Lys Ser Pro Asn His Val Lys Ile Thr Asp Phe
130 135 140
Gly Leu Ala Arg Leu Leu Glu Gly Asp Glu Lys Glu Tyr Asn Ala Asp
145 150 155 160
Gly Gly Lys Met Pro Ile Lys Trp Met Ala Leu Glu Cys Ile His Tyr
165 170 175
Arg Lys Phe Thr His Gln Ser Asp Val Trp Ser Tyr Gly Val Thr Ile
180 185 190
Trp Glu Leu Met Thr Phe Gly Gly Lys Pro Tyr Asp Gly Ile Pro Thr
195 200 205
Arg Glu Ile Pro Asp Leu Leu Glu Lys Gly Glu Arg Leu Pro Gln Pro
210 215 220
Pro Ile Cys Thr Ile Asp Val Tyr Met Val Met Val Lys Cys Trp Met
225 230 235 240
Ile Asp Ala Asp Ser Arg Pro Lys Phe Lys Glu Leu Ala Ala Glu Phe
245 250 255
(2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO: 32:
(i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:
(A) LENGTH: 251 amino acids
(B) TYPE: amino acid
(C) STRANDEDNESS: single
(D) TOPOLOGY: linear
(ii) MOLECULE TYPE: protein
(xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO: 32:
Thr Met Lys His Lys Leu Gly Gly Gly Gln Tyr Gly Glu Val Tyr Glu
1 5 10 15
Gly Val Trp Lys Lys Tyr Ser Leu Thr Val Ala Val Lys Thr Leu Lys
20 25 30
Glu Asp Thr Met Glu Val Glu Glu Phe Leu Lys Glu Ala Ala Val Met
35 40 45
Lys Glu Ile Lys His Pro Asn Leu Val Gln Leu Leu Gly Val Cys Thr
50 55 60
Arg Glu Pro Pro Phe Tyr Ile Ile Thr Glu Phe Met Thr Tyr Gly Asn
65 70 75 80
Leu Leu Asp Tyr Leu Arg Glu Cys Asn Arg Gln Glu Val Asn Ala Val
85 90 95
Val Leu Leu Tyr Met Ala Thr Gln Ile Ser Ser Ala Met Glu Tyr Leu
100 105 110
Glu Lys Lys Asn Phe Ile His Arg Asp Leu Ala Ala Arg Asn Cys Leu
115 120 125
Val Gly Glu Asn His Leu Val Lys Val Ala Asp Phe Gly Leu Ser Arg
130 135 140
Leu Met Thr Gly Asp Thr Tyr Thr Ala His Ala Gly Ala Lys Phe Pro
145 150 155 160
Ile Lys Trp Thr Ala Pro Glu Ser Leu Ala Tyr Asn Lys Phe Ser Ile
165 170 175
Lys Ser Asp Val Trp Ala Phe Gly Val Leu Leu Trp Glu Ile Ala Thr
180 185 190
Tyr Gly Met Ser Pro Tyr Pro Gly Ile Asp Arg Ser Gln Val Tyr Glu
195 200 205
Leu Leu Glu Lys Asp Tyr Arg Met Lys Arg Pro Glu Gly Cys Pro Glu
210 215 220
Lys Val Tyr Glu Leu Met Arg Ala Cys Trp Gln Trp Asn Pro Ser Asp
225 230 235 240
Arg Pro Ser Phe Ala Glu Ile His Gln Ala Phe
245 250
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The present invention features a method for treatment of an organism having a disease or condition characterized by an abnormality in a signal transduction pathway, wherein the signal transduction pathway includes a PYK2 protein. The invention also features methods for diagnosing such diseases and for screening for agents that will be useful in treating such diseases. The invention also features purified and/or isolated nucleic acid encoding a PYK2 protein.
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This is a non-provisional application of provisional application Ser. No. 60/039,573 filed Feb. 18, 1997 by Mark A. Schultz et al.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to the reproduction of a digitally encoded signal from a medium and in particular to the selection of reproduced data for subsequent processing.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The introduction of disks recorded with digitally compressed audio and video signals, for example, utilizing MPEG compression protocols, offers the consumer sound and picture quality virtually indistinguishable from the original material. However, consumer users will expect such digital video disks or DVDs to offer features similar to those of their analog video cassette recorder or VCR. For example, a VCR may reproduce in either forward or reverse directions at speeds other than the recorded speed. Such non-standard speed playback features are also known as trick play modes. The provision of trick play features are less easily provided with MPEG encoded video signals due to the hierarchical nature of the compression which forms pictures into groups having varying degrees of compression. These groups are termed groups of pictures or GOPs, and require decoding in sequence. A detailed description of the MPEG 2 standard is published as ISO/IEC Standard 13818-2. However, in simple terms, an MPEG 2 signal stream may comprise three types of pictures having varying degrees of content compression. An intra-coded frame or I frame has the least compression of the three types and may be decoded without reference to any other frame. A predicted frame or P frame is compressed with reference to a preceding I or P frame and achieves greater degree of compression than an intra-coded frame. The third type of MPEG frame, termed a bi-directionally coded or B frame, may be compressed based on predictions from preceding and/or succeeding frames. Bi-directionally coded frames have the greatest degree of compression. The three types of MPEG frames are arranged in groups of pictures or GOPs. The GOP may for example contain 12 frames arranged as illustrated in FIG. 1 A. Since only an intra-coded frame is decodable without reference to any other frame, each GOP may only be decoded following the decoding of the I frame. The first predicted frame or P frame, may be decoded and stored based on modification of the stored, preceding I frame. Subsequent P frames may be predicted from the stored preceding P frame. The prediction of P frames is indicated in FIG. 1A by the curved, solid arrow head lines. Finally, bi-directionally coded or B frames may be decoded by means of predictions from preceding and or succeeding frames, for example, stored I and P frames. Decoding of B frames by predictions from adjacent stored frames is depicted in FIG. 1A by the curved, dotted arrow head lines.
The hierarchical nature of the coded frames comprising MPEG groups of pictures necessitates that the I and P frames of each GOP are decoded in the forward direction. Thus, reverse mode features may be provided by effectively jumping back to an earlier, or preceding I frame and then decoding in a forward direction through that GOP. The decoded frames being stored in frame buffer memories for subsequent read out in reverse to achieve the desired reverse program sequence. FIG. 1B illustrates play back in the forward direction at normal speed and at a time prior to time to, a reverse three times speed mode trick play mode is selected. The trick play mode is initiated at time t 0 where I-frame I( 25 ) is decoded and displayed. The next frame required for decoding is I-frame I( 13 ), thus the transducer is repositioned, as indicated by arrow J 1 to acquire frame I( 13 ). Having recovered and decoded I-frame I( 13 ), the transducer tracks, as indicated by arrow J 2 to acquire and decode frame P( 16 ). The process is repeated as indicated by arrows J 3 , J 4 . Following the acquisition and decoding of frame P ( 22 ) the transducer is moved as depicted by arrow Jn to recover frame I( 1 ). To smoothly portray scene motion requires the decoding and display of I, P, and possibly B-frames. The jump and play process is repeated for preceding GOP, thereby progressing haltingly backwards through the records whilst smoothly portraying the program material in a reverse sequence at the video output.
The transducer or opto-pickup is servo controlled to follow the recorded track and to maintain optical focus. In addition the transducer may be repositioned or jumped to a specific sector of the recorded track responsive to a sector address coupled to the transducer control servo system. Such a transducer jumps may result from parental guidance selection, alternative angle selection, user searching or trick mode reproduction. During transducer repositioning the reproduced bitstream will disappear and the error correction buffer will contain gaps. However such gaps are of short duration and are flagged by a data valid signal. The transducer is quickly repositioned and refocuses to acquire data from the recorded track, however, the recovered data may precede that requested since it was transduced from sectors occurring possibly one revolution before the wanted sector address. This acquisition of unwanted data results as the disk rotates to position, or approximately position, the wanted sector under the transducer. Thus, although the transducer is repositioned, the error corrected bitstream 41 coupled to the back end initially includes data from unwanted preceding sectors which must be identified by a microcontroller and discarded. Such processing of unwanted replay data represents unnecessary, additional microcontroller and buffer memory utilization.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In an inventive arrangement, unnecessary processing of unwanted sector data is avoided. A method for controlling data reproduced in sectors by a disk player employing optical read out, comprises the steps of transducing groups of sectors including sectors wanted for processing, and sectors unwanted for processing. Supplying the wanted sectors exclusive of the unwanted sectors to a data processor for processing, and processing the wanted data sectors to extract data therein representative of video information.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1A illustrates an MPEG 2 group of pictures.
FIG. 1B illustrates recorded groups of pictures, during replay and reverse trick play at three times speed.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an exemplary digital video disk player including inventive arrangements.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing in greater detail part of FIG. 2 and depicting various inventive arrangements.
FIG. 4 is a block diagram depicting inventive arrangements in addition to those of FIG. 2 .
FIG. 5A depicts an exemplary bit stream before track buffering.
FIGS. 5B-5C depict exemplary data in buffer memory.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
FIG. 2 depicts an exemplary block diagram of a digital video disk player. In block 10 a deck is shown which may accept a digitally recorded disk 14 for rotation by a motor 12 . A digital signal is recorded on disk 14 as a spiral track containing pits with respective pit lengths determined by an 8/16 modulation coding responsive to respective signal data bits. The record on disk 14 is read by pick up 15 which gathers reflected illumination from a laser. The reflected laser light is collected by a photo detector or opto pick-up device. An imaging device, for example a lens or mirror, which form part of pick-up 15 , is servo controlled and driven by motor 11 to follow the recorded track. Different parts of the recording may be accessed by rapidly repositioning the imaging device. Servo controlled motors 11 and 12 are driven by integrated circuit drive amplifier 20 . Pick up 15 is coupled to an opto preamplifier, block 30 , which includes drive circuitry for the laser illuminator and a preamplifier which provides amplification and equalization for the reflected signal output from the opto pick-up device. The amplified and equalized replay signal from opto preamplifier 30 is connected to a channel processor block 40 where the replay signal is employed to synchronize a phase locked loop which is utilized to demodulate the 8/16 modulation employed for recording.
The MPEG encoded bitstream is encoded for error correction corrected by means of Reed Solomon product coding which is applied in blocks of 16 sectors, where each sector contains 2048 bytes of data. Thus following 8:16 demodulation the replay data stream is de-interleaved or unshuffled and error corrected by means of Reed Solomon product correction implemented in ECC buffer memories 45 , and 46 of FIG. 4 . Each buffer stores 16 sectors of the replay data stream arranged as an array to facilitate de-interleaving and to enable the required row and column product processing. The cascaded ECC buffer memories introduce a delay to reproduced serial bit stream which is approximately calculated by (2*16*1.4) milliseconds, where 2 represents the pair of ECC buffers, 16 represents the number of sectors over which the correction is applied and 1.4 milliseconds represents a sector period at 1× rotational speed. Thus the reproduced serial bit stream is delayed by a minimum of approximately 45 milliseconds.
The error corrected signal bitstream 41 is coupled via a link processor to a bit stream or mechanical/track buffer memory 60 A. The track buffer comprises a DRAM memory type and is used to store an amount of replayed data such that data losses during transducer or pickup 15 repositioning will not result in any visible deficiency when decoded. Thus the final output image stream will appear to be continuous or seamless to the viewer. Bitstream buffer memory 60 A is part of an exemplary 16 megabit DRAM memory. A further exemplary 16 megabit SDRAM memory block is partitioned to provide frame buffers 60 C and 60 D which provide storage for at least two decoded image frames, compressed video bit stream storage prior to decoding in buffer 60 B, an audio bit stream buffer 60 E and other storage in buffer 60 F. The channel processor 40 also includes timing control circuitry which control writing by link 505 to bitstream buffer 60 A. Data may be intermittently written to the bitstream buffer as a consequence of changes in replay track addresses, for example, resulting from user defined replay video content such as a “Directors cut”, parental guidance selection, or even user selectable alternative shot angles. To facilitate more rapid access and recovery of the recorded signal, disk 14 may be rotated at an increased speed resulting in the transduced bitstream having a higher bit rate, and possibly intermittent delivery. This higher speed, bursty bitstream may be effectively smoothed by writing the intermittent bitstream to buffer 60 A and reading out for subsequent processing and MPEG decoding at a lower, more constant rate.
As has been described, the recorded data stream is arranged in ECC blocks of 16 sectors. Each sector has a unique sector identification address which is protected with error correction bits and these are processed at ECC block 47 of FIG. 4 . However, because the sector address is short and sector specific, error correction processing by block 47 introduces only an insignificant delay to sector address signal 42 (of FIG. 4) which is coupled to provide position information to servo control integrated circuit 50 . Integrated circuit 50 provides drive and control signals for servo motors 11 and 12 . Motor 12 rotates disk 14 and provides servo controlled rotation at a plurality of speeds. The opto pickup or transducer 15 is positioned and servo controlled by motor 11 responsive to sector address signal 42 , and in addition, may be controlled to rapidly reposition or jump to another sector address, or location on the disk surface in response to a sector address request, transmitted by I 2 C control bus 514 , and illustrated at element 54 of FIG. 4 . The digital video disk player is controlled by a central processing unit or CPU, element 510 of block 500 , which accepts the reproduced bitstream and error flags from channel IC 40 , and provides control instructions to servo IC 50 . In addition CPU 510 accepts user control commands from user interface 90 , and MPEG decoder control functions from the MPEG decoder element 530 of block 500 . A system buffer memory 80 is addressed by and provides data to CPU 510 . For example, buffer 80 may comprise both RAM and PROM memory locations. The RAM may be used to store various data extracted from bitstream 41 by CPU 510 for example such data may include descrambling or decryption information, bitstream and frame buffer memory management data, and navigation data. The PROM may, for example contain, transducer jump algorithms which facilitate trick mode operation at a selection of speeds in forward or reverse directions.
The MPEG encoded bitstream is coupled to link processor 505 in FIG. 3, which may function as a hardware demultiplexor to separate audio, video and control information from the encoded bitstream. Alternatively, bitstream demultiplexing may be accomplished by software control of direct memory access, DMA of buffer 60 A, from CPU 510 of FIG. 3 . The encoded bitstream in track buffer 60 A is searched by microcontroller 510 to locate and read headers and to extract navigation data.
Microcontroller 510 is coupled the front end via I 2 C control bus signal 514 to control or request transducer repositioning to acquire the next sector required by a trick play sequence. The transducer positioning may be controlled by an advantageous stored sequence, or jump play pattern which is indexed with reference to replayed sector addresses and GOP sector addresses read from the navigation pack data at the start of each video object unit or VOBU. Exemplary sector addresses and VOBU navigation pack are depicted in FIG. 5 A. However, following transducer repositioning, the sectors initially retrieved from the front end may be identified by exemplary microcontroller 510 as not those requested by the jump instruction. Thus, microcontroller 510 advantageously overwrites this unwanted data in track buffer 60 A and ensures that only the desired MPEG picture data is present in the buffer.
Having identified sector addresses or headers, microcontroller 510 controls direct memory access of buffer 60 A which effectively separates MPEG data from other DVD formatted data stored in the buffer. Thus, video DMA 515 separates compressed video bits which are coupled for storage in exemplary video bit buffer 60 B. Similarly compressed audio bits are read from buffer 60 A and stored in audio buffer 60 E. Sub-picture data is also retrieved from track buffer 60 A by DMA and stored in buffer 60 F.
The compressed video bit stream in video bit buffer 60 B is searched to locate picture or higher level start codes by start code detector 520 . A detected start code signal 512 is coupled to microcontroller 510 which then communicates with MPEG decoder 530 , via signal 511 , to indicate the next picture type, the quantizer setting and to initiate decoding. A decoder status signal 513 is coupled back to microcontroller 510 to indicate completion of decoding and picture data available for display or storage. Compressed video bit buffer 60 B may be considered to function as a FIFO or circular buffer where the stored bitstream is sequentially accessed for MPEG decoding, however, trick mode operation may be advantageously facilitated by random access of buffer 60 B, as will be described.
Within MPEG decoder 530 the video bit stream is processed by a variable length decoder 531 which searches the bitstream to locate slice and macro-block start codes. Certain decoded pictures from each group of pictures are written to frame buffers 60 C and 60 D for subsequent use as predictors when deriving or constructing other pictures, for example P and B pictures, of the GOP. Frame buffers 60 C and 60 D have a storage capacity of at least two video frames. Separated audio packets are stored in audio bit buffer 60 E which is read out and coupled for audio decoding in block 110 . Following MPEG or AC3 audio decoding a digitized audio signal results which is coupled to an audio post processor 130 for digital to analog conversion and generation of various base band audio signal outputs. A digital video output signal is reconstructed in display buffer 580 from decoded blocks read from reference frame buffer 60 C/D. However, during trick mode operation the output signal source may be an advantageous field memory thus block processing within display buffer 580 may be controlled responsive to trick mode operation. The display buffer is coupled to encoder 590 which provides digital to analog conversion and generates baseband video components and encoded video signals.
Operation of the exemplary video player illustrated in FIG. 2 may be considered with reference to FIG. 1B which illustrates a forward play and reverse trick play sequence. As described previously, the coded relationship existing within each GOP necessitates that each group of pictures is decoded in a forward direction starting from an I-frame or picture. Thus, reverse mode features may be provided by effectively jumping back to transduce an earlier, or preceding I picture and then decoding in a forward direction through that GOP. The decoded pictures are stored in frame buffer memories for subsequent read out in reverse order. However, sequences that include B pictures may utilize further advantageous features which will be described. In FIG. 1B it will be assumed that at some time prior to time t 0 , for example at I-picture I( 1 ), the exemplary video player assumed a forward play condition in response to a user command. Each group of pictures is decoded in the forward direction as illustrated in FIG. 1A by the arrow headed lines linking I, B and P frames. At a time prior to time t 0 , a three times play speed reverse trick mode is selected, and initiated at time t 0 where I-picture 1 ( 25 ) is decoded and displayed. As previously described the next picture required for 35 reverse trick play decoding is I-picture I( 13 ), thus the transducer is moved, as indicated by arrow J 1 to acquire picture I( 13 ). The signal recovery and decoding then follows a play sequence indicated in FIG. 1B by arrows J 1 , to acquire I( 13 ), J 2 , to acquire P( 16 ), J 3 , to P( 19 ), J 4 to P( 22 ) . . . Jn. The intervening B pictures shown in FIG. 1B are transduced but may be discarded as required by each specific trick play mode. To avoid the previously described requirement for additional reverse mode video buffering, various advantageous methods for MPEG decoder control and buffer control and allocation are employed.
In a first advantageous arrangement the storage capacity video bit buffer 60 B is effectively increased by selecting for storage only picture data that is to be used subsequently, for example, in an exemplary trick play mode B frames are not decoded, hence need not be stored in a video bit buffer. Thus only needed pictures are stored, and unwanted, or non-decoding picture data is discarded. To facilitate this advantageous selection between wanted and unwanted pictures requires that the video packet stream be pre-processed or searched to locate a group_of_picture_header prior to storage in buffer 60 B and MPEG decoding. Thus pre-processing of the compressed video packet stream allows the determination of parameters such as, time_code, closed_gop, and broken_link data for each group of pictures or GOP. In addition, by pre-processing the video packet stream the picture_start_code may be located thus permitting processing of the picture_header which in turn allows the determination of, for example, the temporal_reference, picture_coding_type (I, P and B). As a consequence of obtaining these data, picture size may be calculated thus permitting dynamic control of memory management virtually concurrent with the header processing. However, because the DVD format partitions MPEG like data into sectors of 2048 bytes, and the video stream start codes (4 bytes) are not sector aligned start codes may be distributed across a sector boundary. A distributed start code is depicted in FIG. 5B, where a start code for picture C is initiated at byte 2046 of sector 12 and is continued in sector 13 . Hence part of a start code may be in one video sector with the remainder in the next video sector. As a consequence, an advantageous bitstream searching method contends with a distributed start code by identifying and saving a partial start code and setting a flag to indicate the occurrence. In the next video sector the remainder of the start code is recovered and the partial start code is completed. However, the video sectors containing the distributed start code may be separated by other sectors containing, for example, audio, sub-pictures etc. In this situation start codes and payload data identified as from intervening non-video sectors are discarded responsive to a set partial start code flag. Thus with the occurrence of the next video sector, the remainder of the start code is recovered and the partial start code is completed.
The determination of picture data may be performed in units of sectors referenced in track buffer 60 A. However, since a picture start code is not constrained to start coincident with a sector boundary the resulting location of video sectors in units of sectors may inevitably include fragments of a preceding, possibly non-video sector. Determination or location of picture data/video sectors in units of sectors is illustrated in FIG. 5B where a start code for exemplary picture A is shown in sector 2 with the start code of next picture B, occurring in sector 9 . Thus equation 1 shows picture data location by sector count. Picture A starts in sector 2 and ends in sector 9 , and has a duration of 8 sectors. Unwanted data fragments are illustrated FIG. 5B, where video data is referenced to (video) sector numbers, which may be directly related to the sector number or address in the reproduced bit stream. In FIG. 5B an exemplary picture A is depicted with a picture start code initiated at byte 1000 of video sector 2 . Clearly the preceding 999 bytes of sector 2 correspond to data from a preceding picture. It is possible to employ more detailed processing where the picture data is located the units of bytes. Byte accurate processing may require more complexity of memory control than that required for sector level accuracy. However, if byte accurate processing is employed only complete picture data are stored in the video bit buffer, thus fragments are eliminated and hang up of MPEG decoder 530 is avoided. Byte accurate picture determination is shown in FIG. 5B for exemplary picture A, where a picture start code starts at byte 1000 of video sector 2 and picture B start code starts at byte 500 of sector 9 . The size of picture A may be calculated in bytes by use of equation 2 .
Having byte accurate picture addresses may allow microprocessor 510 to point to a specific byte in the video bit buffer 60 B from which to start decoding by variable length decoder VLD 531 of FIG. 3 .
If picture data is determined in units of sectors, the MPEG decoder reading pictures from the video bit buffer must be protected from hang up due to fragments of discarded pictures occurring before or after the wanted picture is decoded. Such picture fragments are depicted in exemplary video bit buffer of FIG. 5C which shows multiple sectors containing P and B pictures where unwanted data from a previous, or following picture is shown with diagonal shading. Each video object block unit or VOBU includes navigation data that identifies the end sector address of the first I picture and the last sector addresses of two following reference or P pictures of the first GOP of the VOBU. In addition the navigation data includes sector addresses of I-pictures in preceding and succeeding VOBUs, hence an I-picture only trick mode may be all readily provided. However, problems resulting from picture fragments may be avoided if the end byte of the wanted picture can be identified. Microprocessor 510 /A, for example type ST 20 , is configured as a hardware search engine which searches through the stored data to locate the ending byte of the I-picture within the ending sector stored in track buffer 60 A. Thus by identifying an I-picture, it alone may be loaded into video bit buffer 60 B, hence avoiding the storage partial pictures which may cause problems of decoder lockup. The exemplary microprocessor 510 /A may b e employed to find start codes in an I-picture only mode since the ending sector is known from the navigation data. However, for P, B or multiple I-pictures of the VOBU, the exemplary microprocessor may not provide a practical solution since testing has to be performed on every byte of data in the bitstream, which represents an operationally intensive usage of microprocessor 510 .
The location and determination of start codes prior to picture decoding may be facilitated by an arrangement which utilizes the link interface block 505 of FIG. 3 to search for start codes in the bitstream prior to buffer 60 A. Such use of link interface 505 advantageously provides early pre-processing of picture headers which may be signaled to microprocessor 510 . Thus, having identified picture headers, pictures wanted by a specific trick mode may be stored in exemplary track buffer 60 A and unwanted pictures being deleted by overwriting in the buffer.
In a second arrangement, start codes are located by use of Start Code Detector 520 to search the bit stream in either the mechanical/track buffer 60 A or the video bit buffer 60 B. Although this method has an advantage in start code detector design is known, the data must enter the video bit buffer prior to initiating start code detection because of the MPEG bitstream requirement for contiguous data. Thus searching within the mechanical/track buffer may be difficult to facilitate. Such searching may not optimally use memory, and exemplary microprocessor 510 may be heavily loaded with interrupts, requiring the addition of a second exemplary microprocessor 510 A specifically to implement start code detection.
In a further advantageous arrangement, start code detection is facilitated by a second start code detector which searches the bit stream in track buffer 60 A exclusively for start codes, thus advantageously providing early pre-processing of picture headers in anticipation of processing and memory manipulation specific to trick play operation.
Various methods have been described for the location of specific pictures in terms of their disk sector address and buffer locations, however the facilitation of visually smooth trick modes clearly requires timely disk replay and specific picture access from memory. Although navigation pack data provides picture access points on the disk, these are limited in number within each VOBU. Hence to achieve temporally smooth trick modes at multiple speeds requires the formulation of a locator table where picture type is referenced to its on disk sector address and start code buffer location and address. The exemplary microprocessor 510 /A may be employed to assemble the picture locator table. The use of the picture locator table permits wanted picture acquisition and manipulation.
The processing of the video packet stream prior to the video bit buffer 60 B may be advantageously employed for trick mode operation. For example, at a trick play speed or in a reverse replay mode, such pre-processing permits trick play specific selection between pictures to be buffered for decoding, and those unwanted pictures to be discarded before decoding. Such picture selection, for example discarding B-frames, may approximately double the number of I and P pictures stored in video bit buffer 60 B during trick play operation. Thus by selection and deletion, video bit buffer 60 B stores only wanted, or trick play specific pictures, hence more video object units or VOBUs may be stored facilitating enhanced trick play operation.
It is advantageous to control MPEG picture decoding order based on knowledge of where the pictures start and stop in the video bit buffer. Thus knowledge of picture location in the video bit buffer 60 B allows memory start pointers in the start code detector 520 and variable length detector 531 to be directed to effectively randomly access pictures as required, for example, during trick mode operation. Operation in reverse, at play speed and or slow motion playback requires the reproduction of B-frames. Such reverse mode operation may be advantageously simplified in terms of buffer memory requirements by reversing the order in which adjacent B pictures are decoded. This reversal of decoding order is achieved by setting the memory start pointers to enable decoding of the picture required by the trick mode. In addition buffer memory size and control may be simplified during trick play operation by advantageously skipping or not reading pictures in the video bit buffer as required by specific trick play algorithms. Trick play buffer memory size and control may be advantageously optimized by enabling multiple decoding of pictures either immediately or as specifically required by the trick play algorithm. The facilitation of these advantageous features requires careful control of read/write functions and the synchronization therebetween.
The block diagram of FIG. 4 shows the same functions and element numbering as those depicted in FIG. 2, however, FIG. 4 includes additional inventive arrangements which will be explained.
The exemplary digital video disk player shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 may be considered to comprise two parts namely a front end and a back end. The front end controls the disk and transducer with the back end providing MPEG decoding and overall control. Such functional partitioning may represent an obvious solution for consistent, steady state, MPEG decoding. However, with such partitioning of processing and control at the back end the microcontroller may become overloaded, for example, during trick mode operation and in particular when playing in the reverse direction.
As has been described, microcontroller 510 is required to manage the incoming bitstream 41 received from the front end and identify wanted from unwanted data. In a first advantageous arrangement bitstream 41 is controllably coupled between the front and back ends. In the exemplary player of FIG. 2 opto-pickup or transducer 15 may repositioned, as has been described. Sector addresses derived in the back end are sent via an I 2 C control bus 514 to the front end servo system 50 to reposition transducer 15 . However, the opto-pickup or transducer 15 is servo controlled responsive to a sector address which is truncated to remove the least significant digit. This address truncation allows acquisition of sectors in groups or blocks of 16 sectors. This grouping is required to facilitate error correction (ECC) by means of Reed Solomon product coding and payload data interleaving applied over 16 sectors during recording. Thus information is acquired from the disk in ECC groups of 16 sectors, and in general, the retrieved data containing the wanted sector address is in advance, or preceding that requested by the back end processing. In addition, the transducer moves relative to the rotating disk with either radial or tangential motion to acquire the track containing the EEC block of sectors within which the wanted sector address or addresses reside. Thus, following repositioning, the transducer refocusses and sectors are transduced as the disk rotates towards the ECC sector block containing the requested or wanted sectors address. Hence, if worst case positioning of transducer and wanted sector address are considered, many hundreds of unwanted sectors may be transduced. The since the number of sectors increases with increasing disk radius, so too will the number of unwanted sectors reproduced. In addition acquisition of an earlier or preceding address may possibly require a complete disk revolution with resulting unwanted sector reproduction. Thus very significant amounts of unwanted data are produced prior to the occurrence of the wanted sector address. This bit stream is depicted in FIG. 4 as signal 44 , and contains both wanted and unwanted data which is coupled for error correction at BCC blocks 45 and 46 . The error corrected bitstream is output from ECC processing as signal 41 which is coupled to the back end where microcontroller 510 identifies wanted from unwanted data.
An inventive arrangement is shown in FIG. 4, where data signal 44 output from an 8:16 code demodulator and is coupled via a control element 45 A, for example a transmission gate, or logic function, to Reed Solomon error correction blocks 45 and 46 . Control element 45 A is controlled by element 43 which functions to compare the recovered, current replay sector address, error corrected in block 47 and output as address signal 42 , with a sector address 53 A, derived from the back end, which represents the next wanted data, for example picture type. The comparison may be facilitated by a comparitor or logical function. Thus when the replay sector address 42 equals address 53 A requested by the back end, the demodulated data output is enabled by signal 43 A for coupling to error correction buffer blocks ECC 45 and 46 . Since error correction is applied to groups of 16 sectors, the comparison of requested address with actual address is performed such that the ECC block of sectors containing the wanted sector is enabled for Reed Solomon correction. For example, sector address comparison may be facilitated with addresses having a least significant bit truncated.
Since, for example, a B type MPEG picture may occupy 3 sectors where as an I type MPEG picture may require 30 sectors or more, the requested sector address represents the initial data sector of a wanted picture type. In addition signal 43 A, which represents substantial equality between wanted and replay sector addresses, may be considered to represent a latch function where the logical state is maintained until the wanted address is changed i.e. until a further transducer jump is requested. The receipt of a new sector address changes the state of signal 43 A, which inhibits reproduced data until the new wanted address occurs in the replay signal and is detected by comparitor 43 . Stated differently, signal 44 remains enabled for error correction, FCC blocks 45 and 46 are enabled and output signal 41 is sustained, or in simple terms, the disk continues to play until a different transducer position is requested.
The detected replay occurrence of the wanted sector may be performed by comparison with truncated sector addresses to ensure that error correction buffers 45 and 46 are filled with the number of sectors required for RS correction. In a further embodiment, the same detected replay occurrence may be employed using signal 45 B to control or enable operation of error correction buffer memory 45 and 46 . In an alternative inventive arrangement only the requested sector is enabled via output control element 46 A. Selection by element 46 A is different from the control provided by elements 45 A and 45 B which, because of the interleaved, or shuffled data format enable the ECC block containing the requested sector. Detection of the wanted replay sector may be performed by comparison of the actual replay sector address and the requested or wanted address. However, because this control function is performed essentially following error correction and de-shuffling which utilize buffer memory, the resultant output signal 41 is delayed by at least one ECC block time period. Hence error corrected output data corresponds to groups of sectors transduced in advance of the wanted data (address) identified as present at the ECC buffer input. Clearly since the buffer delay is known it may be compensated for in the control coupling of signal 43 A to element 46 A, for example by use of a delaying method depicted as t. Control element 46 A is depicted as a series switch element capable of enabling or disabling bitstream supply to the back end. Thus signal 43 A, suitably timed to compensate processing and buffer delays, may be applied to selectively enable de-interleaving bitstream 41 for transmission to processing block 500 . The use of the preceding inventive embodiments permits only transduced data from requested sectors to be coupled to the back end for storage and decoding, thus reducing microcontroller 510 work load.
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A method for controlling MPEG compatible data reproduced in sectors by a digital video disk player. The method comprises the steps of transducing groups of sectors including requested sectors having MPEG compatible data required for processing, and unrequested sectors having MPEG compatible data not required for processing. Coupling the requested sectors exclusive of the unrequested sectors to a data processor for processing. Processing the requested data sectors to extract the required MPEG compatible data representative of video information.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to novel copolymers, paper treatment agents comprising the copolymers, and paper treated with the paper treatment agents.
RELATED ART
[0002] Hitherto the following water- and oil-resistance processing agents for paper have been proposed:
[0003] (1) A processing agent which comprises a phosphate ester compound having a polyfluoroalkyl group (hereinafter referred as a R f group) as an essential component (cf. JP-A-64-6196 and JP-A-3-123786).
[0004] (2) A processing agent which comprises a copolymer of an acrylate having a R f group and vinylidene chloride, as an essential component (cf. JP-A-55-69677, JP-A-51-133511 and JP-B-53-22547).
[0005] (3) A processing agent which comprises a copolymer of an acrylate having a R f group, dimethylaminoalkyl methacrylate and vinyl acetate, as an essential component (cf. JP-A-7-206942).
[0006] The phosphate ester compound having a R f group, contained in the processing agent (1), is a water-soluble compound, and therefore can not impart water repellency to paper, and further markedly lowers oil repellency, if a sizing agent is contained in the processing agent.
[0007] To generally proof paper against oil, external addition processing methods which impregnate or coat a base paper with a processing agent are employed. In the external addition processing methods, a size press and various coaters are used, and the treated paper is dried at a temperature of 80 to 100° C. for such short time as several seconds to several tens seconds. When the processing agent is used in the external addition processing method, it is necessary to select such a processing agent that can impart high water- and oil-resistance properties to paper at a relatively low temperature for relatively short time.
[0008] When the processing agent (2) is diluted with water for external addition to paper and the immersion, drawing or circulation is carried out at a high speed, the following problems arise: the stability of the processing agent becomes poor; scum occurs in the processing agent; dirt deposits on the rolls; the adsorption of the processing agent onto the paper becomes insufficient, and so on. Thus, sufficient properties can not be imparted to the paper.
[0009] The processing agent (3) can not impart sufficient performance to paper when used in combination with a cationic agent such as a paper strength agent or sizing agent.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0010] The present inventors have discovered that sufficient performance can be imparted to paper by treating the paper with a paper treatment agent which comprises, as an essential component, a copolymer having specified repeating units, even if the agent is used in combination with a cationic agent (e.g., a paper strength agent), and that this paper treatment agent has a low viscosity and thus is easily handled.
[0011] The subject matter of the present invention relates to a fluorine-containing copolymer comprising:
(a) 50 to 92% by weight of at least one fluoromonomer of the general formula:
wherein R f represents a linear or branched fluoroalkyl group having 1 to 21 carbon atoms, preferably 4 to 16 carbon atoms,
A represents a divalent organic group having a carbon atom to be bonded to an oxygen atom adjacent to the group A, and if needed, at least one oxygen atom, sulfur atom and/or nitrogen atom, and one of R 11 and R 12 represents a hydrogen atom, and the other thereof represents a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, (b) 1 to 25% by weight of at least one nitrogen-containing monomer of the general formula:
and/or the formula:
wherein B represents a linear or branched alkylene group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms; R 21 represents a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms; R 22 , R 23 and R 24 are the same or different, each representing a hydrogen atom, a linear or branched alkyl group having 1 to 18 carbon atoms, or a hydroxyethyl group or a benzyl group, or otherwise, R 22 and R 23 together form a divalent organic group having 2 to 30 carbon atoms; and
X − represents an anionic group,
(c) 1 to 25% by weight of a pyrrolidone monomer of the general formula:
wherein R 31 , R 32 , R 33 and R 34 are the same or different, each representing a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, and
(d) 1 to 5% by weight of a monomer having an anionic functional group.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0019] The copolymer of the present invention may further comprise 0 to 10% by weight of at least one monomer (e) other than the monomers (a), (b), (c) and (d). The copolymer of the present invention has constituting units derived from the monomers (a), (b), (c) and (d), and if needed, the monomer (e).
[0020] Throughout the present specification, an acrylate and a methacrylate are generally referred to as (meth)acrylate. Likewise, (meth)acrylamide and the like are used as generic terms as above.
[0021] The R f group is a group in which at least two hydrogen atoms of a C 1 -C 21 alkyl group are substituted with fluorine atoms. The R f group may have a linear or branched chain structure, and preferably has 2 to 20 carbon atoms, particularly 4 to 16 carbon atoms. The ratio of fluorine atoms in the R f group is preferably at least 60%, more preferably at least 80%, in particular, substantially 100%, when expressed by the equation: (the number of fluorine atoms in the R f group)/(the number of hydrogen atoms in an alkyl group which has the same number of carbon atoms as that of the R f group)×100 (%). Particularly preferred R f group is a perfluoroalkyl group which is formed by substituting all the hydrogen atoms in the alkyl group with fluorine atoms.
[0022] The fluoromonomer (a) is a (meth)acrylate having a R f group, which is a compound having the R f group in the ester residue of (meth)acrylate. One or at least two different (meth)acrylates having R f groups may be used.
[0023] For example, the fluoromonomer (a) may be a fluoroalkyl group-containing (meth)acrylate of the general formula:
R f -A-OCOCR 11 ═CH 2 (I-a)
wherein R f , R 11 and A are as defined in the formula (I).
[0024] In the formula (I) or (I-a), the A group may be a linear or branched alkylene group having 1 to 20 carbon atoms, a group of the formula: —SO 2 N(R 21 )R 22 — or a group of the formula: —CH 2 CH(OR 23 )CH 2 — (in which R 21 represents an alkyl group having 1 to 10 carbon atoms; R 22 represents a linear or branched alkylene group having 1 to 10 carbon atoms; and R 23 represents a hydrogen atom or an acyl group having 1 to 10 carbon atoms).
[0025] Examples of the fluoromonomer (a) include the followings:
wherein R f represents a fluoroalkyl group having 1 to 21 carbon atoms; R 1 represents a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group having 1 to 10 carbon atoms; R 2 represents an alkylene group having 1 to 10 carbon atoms; R 3 represents a hydrogen atom or a methyl group; Ar represents an optionally substituted arylene group; and n is an integer of 1 to 10.
[0026] Specific examples of the fluoromonomer (a) include the following compounds, in each of which R 6 represents a hydrogen atom or a methyl group:
CH 2 ═CR 6 COOCH 2 CH 2 R f , CH 2 ═CR 6 COOCH 2 CH 2 N(CH 2 CH 2 CH 3 )COR f , CH 2 ═CR 6 COOCH(CH 3 )CH 2 R f , CH 2 ═CR 6 COOCH 2 CH 2 N(CH 3 )SO 2 R f , CH 2 ═CR 6 COOCH 2 COOCH 2 N(CH 3 )COR f , CH 2 ═CR 6 COOCH 2 CH 2 N(CH 2 CH 3 )SO 2 R f , CH 2 ═CR 6 COOCH 2 CH 2 N(CH 2 CH 3 )COR f , CH 2 ═CR 6 COOCH 2 CH 2 N(CH 2 CH 2 CH 3 )SO 2 R f , and CH 2 ═CR 6 COOCH(CH 2 Cl)CH 2 OCH 2 CH 2 N(CH 3 )SO 2 R f .
[0036] More specific examples of the fluoromonomer (a) include the following compounds:
F(CF 2 ) 5 CH 2 OCOCR 6 ═CH 2 , F(CF 2 ) 6 CH 2 CH 2 OCOCR═CH 2 , H(CF 2 ) 6 CH 2 OCOCR 6 ═CH 2 , H(CF 2 ) 8 CH 2 OCOCR 6 ═CH 2 , H(CF 2 ) 10 CH 2 OCOCR 6 ═CH 2 , H(CF 2 ) 8 CH 2 CH 2 OCOCR 6 ═CH 2 , F(CF 2 ) 8 CH 2 CH 2 CH 2 OCOCR═CH 2 , F(CF 2 ) 10 CH 2 CH 2 OCOCR 6 ═CH 2 , F(CF 2 ) 10 CH 2 CH 2 OCOCR 6 ═CH 2 , (CF 3 ) 12 CF(CF 2 ) 4 CH 2 CH 2 OCOCR 6 ═CH 2 , (CF 3 ) 2 CF(CF 2 ) 6 CH 2 CH 2 OCOCR 6 ═CH 2 , (CF 3 ) 2 CF(CF 2 ) 8 CH 2 CH 2 OCOCR 6 ═CH 2 , F(CF 2 ) 2 SO 2 N(C 3 H 7 )CH 2 CH 2 OCOCR 6 ═CH 2 , F(CF 2 ) 8 CON(C 3 H 7 )CH 2 CH 2 OCOCR═CH 2 , F(CF 2 ) 8 CH 2 CH(CH 3 )OCOCR 6 ═CH 2 , F(CF 2 ) 8 (CH 2 ) 4 OCOCR═CH 2 , F(CF 2 ) 8 SO 2 N(CH 3 )CH 2 CH 2 OCOCR 6 ═CH 2 , F(CF 2 ) 8 CON(CH 3 )CH 2 CH 2 OCOCR 6 ═CH 2 , F(CF 2 ) 8 SO 2 N(C 2 H 5 )CH 2 CH 2 OCOCR 6 ═CH 2 , F(CF 2 ) 8 CON(C 2 H 5 )CH 2 CH 2 OCOCR 6 ═CH 2 , F(CF 2 ) 8 CONHCH 2 CH 2 OCOCR 6 ═CH 2 , (CF 3 ) 2 CF(CF 2 ) 5 (CH 2 ) 3 OCOCR 6 ═CH 2 , (CF 3 ) 2 CF(CF 2 ) 5 CH 2 CH(OCOCH 3 ) 3 OCOCR 6 ═CH 2 , (CF 3 ) 2 CF(CF 2 ) 5 CH 2 CH(OH)CH 2 OCOCR 6 ═CH 2 , (CF 3 ) 2 CF(CF 2 ) 7 CH 2 CH(OH)CH 2 OCOCR 6 ═CH 2 , F(CF 2 ) 9 CH 2 CH 2 OCOCR 6 ═CH 2 , F(CF 2 ) 9 CONHCH 2 CH 2 OCOCR 6 ═CH 2 , and F(CF 2 ) 9 SO 2 N(CH 3 )CH 2 CH 2 CH 2 CH(CH 2 Cl)OCOCR 6 ═CH 2 .
wherein R 6 represents a hydrogen atom or a methyl group.
[0065] The nitrogen-containing monomer (b) is a compound having at least one nitrogen atom (particularly an amino group) and one carbon-carbon double bond. The nitrogen-containing monomer (b) is a compound of the formula (II) in which the nitrogen atom is not cationic, or a compound of the formula (III) in which the nitrogen atom is cationic. The nitrogen-containing monomer (b) of the formula (II) is a (meth)acrylate having no cationic group. The nitrogen-containing monomer of the formula (III) is a (meth)acrylate having a cationic group.
[0066] The groups R 22 and R 23 in the formula (II) are each independently an alkyl group, or the groups R 22 and R 23 together may form a divalent organic group. The alkyl group is preferably a methyl group or an ethyl group.
[0067] A quaternary ammonium salt group may be present as the cationic group in the monomer (b). In other words, R 22 R 23 and R 24 in the formula (III) are each independently an alkyl group; or otherwise, R 22 and R 23 together may form a divalent organic group, and R 24 may be an alkyl group. The alkyl group is preferably a methyl group or an ethyl group.
[0068] The divalent organic group which is formed by R 22 and R 23 in the formula (II) or (III) is preferably a polymethylene group having at least 2 carbon atoms, a group formed by substituting at least one hydrogen atom of said polymethylene group, or a group formed by inserting an ether-like oxygen atom into the carbon-carbon bond of the polymethylene group. The substituent for the hydrogen atom of the polymethylene group is preferably an alkyl group such as a methyl group, ethyl group or n-propyl group. The groups R 22 and R 23 may form a morpholino group, piperidino group or 1-pyrrolidinyl group, together with the nitrogen atom bonded to both of them.
[0069] The group X − is a counter ion (an anionic group). The group X is a halogen atom or a residue remaining after one cationic hydrogen atom is allowed to leave from an acid (an inorganic acid or an organic acid). Example of the group X − include a chlorine ion (Cl − ), bromine ion (Br − ), iodine ion (I − ), hydrogensulfate ion (HSO 4 − ) and acetic acid ion (CH 3 COO − ).
[0070] Examples of the nitrogen-containing monomer (b) include dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate, dimethylaminopropyl methacrylate, diethylaminoethyl methacrylate, diethylaminopropyl methacrylate, N-tert.-butylaminoethyl methacrylate, dimethylaminoethyl acrylate, dimethylaminopropyl acrylate, diethylaminoethyl acrylate, diethylaminopropyl acrylate, and N-tert-butylaminoethyl acrylate.
[0071] One or at least two repeating units derived from the nitrogen-containing monomer (b) may be contained in the copolymer. When the copolymer comprises at least two repeating units, the repeating units preferably contain alkyl moieties or counter ions which are different. The presence of the nitrogen-containing monomer (b) can give paper treated with the processing agent the high resistance to water and oil after dried at a relatively low temperature for relatively short time, and also, can improve the stability of the processing agent itself.
[0072] Examples of the repeating unit having no cationic group, derived from the nitrogen-containing monomer (b), include the followings:
—[CH 2 —C(R)[COO(CH 2 ) 2 N(CH 3 ) 2 ]]—, —[CH 2 —C(R)[COO(CH 2 ) 3 N(CH 3 ) 2 )]]—, —[CH 2 —C(R)[COO(CH 2 ) 2 N(CH 2 CH 3 ) 2 ]]—, —[CH 2 —C(R)[COO(CH 2 ) 3 N(CH 2 CH 3 ) 2 ]]—, —[CH 2 —C(R)[COOCH 2 CH(OH)CH 2 N(CH 3 ) 2 ]]—, —[CH 2 —C(R)[COOCH 2 CH(OH)CH 2 N(CH 2 CH 3 ) 2 ]]—, —[CH 2 —C(R)[CONH(CH 2 ) 2 N(CH 3 ) 2 ]]—, —[CH 2 —C(R)[CONH(CH 2 ) 3 N(CH 3 ) 2 ]]—, —[CH 2 —C(R)[CONH(CH 2 ) 2 N(CH 2 CH 3 ) 2 ]]—, and —[CH 2 —C(R)[CONH(CH 2 ) 3 N(CH 2 CH 3 ) 2 ]]—.
[0083] Examples of the repeating unit having a cationic group, derived from the nitrogen-containing monomer (b), include the followings:
—[CH 2 —C(R)[COO(CH 2 ) 2 N + (CH 3 ) 3 .X − ]]—, —[CH 2 —C(R)[COO(CH 2 ) 3 N + (CH 3 ) 3 .X − ]]—, —[CH 2 —C(R)[COO(CH 2 ) 2 N + (CH 2 CH 3 ) 3 .X − ]]—, —[CH 2 —C(R)[COO(CH 2 ) 3 N + (CH 2 CH 3 ) 3 .X − ]]—, [CH 2 —C(R)[COOCH 2 CH(OH)CH 2 N + (CH 3 ) 3 .X − ]]—, —[CH 2 —C(R)[COOCH 2 CH(OH)CH 2 N + (CH 2 CH 3 ) 3 .X − ]]—, —[CH 2 —C(R)[CONH(CH 2 ) 2 N + (CH 3 ) 3 .X − ]]—, [CH 2 —C(R)[CONH(CH 2 ) 3 N + (CH 3 ) 3 .X − ]]—, [CH 2 —C(R)[CONH(CH 2 ) 2 N + (CH 2 CH 3 ) 3 .X − ]]—, —[CH 2 —C(R)[CONH(CH 2 ) 3 N + (CH 2 CH 3 ) 3 .X − ]]—, —[CH 2 —C(R)[COO(CH 2 ) 2 N + H(CH 3 ) 2 .X − ]] [CH 2 —C(R)[COO(CH 2 ) 3 N + H(CH 3 ) 2 .X − ]]—, [CH 2 —C(R)[COO(CH 2 ) 2 N + H(CH 2 CH 3 ) 2 .X − ]]—, —[CH 2 —C(R)[CONH(CH 2 ) 2 N + H(CH 3 ) 2 .X − ]]—, —[CH 2 —C(R)[CONH(CH 2 ) 3 N + H(CH 3 ) 2 .X − ]]—, —[CH 2 —C(R)[CONH(CH 2 ) 2 N + H(CH 2 CH 3 ) 2 .X − ]]—, and —[CH 2 —C(R) [CONH(CH 2 ) 3 N + H(CH 2 CH 3 ) 2 .X − ]]—.
[0101] The pyrrolidone monomer (c) is a compound which has a pyrrolidone group and one carbon-carbon double bond. In the formula (IV), R 31 R 32 , R 33 and R 34 are each preferably a hydrogen atom or a methyl group. Examples of the pyrrolidone monomer (c) include N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone, N-vinyl-3-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, N-vinyl-4-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, N-vinyl-5-methyl-2-pyrrolidone and N-vinyl-3,3-dimethyl-2-pyrrolidone.
[0102] The monomer (d) having an anionic functional group is a compound having an anionic functional group and one carbon-carbon double bond. Examples of the anionic functional group include —C(═O)OH, —SO 3 H, and —SO 3 Na. Examples of the monomer (d) include an acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, sodium styrene sulfonate, itaconic acid and fumaric acid.
[0103] The copolymer of the present invention may comprise other monomer (e) in addition to the monomers (a), (b), (c) and (d). Examples of the other monomer (e) include the followings: ethylene, vinyl acetate, vinyl chloride, vinyl fluoride, vinylstyrene halide, α-methylstyrene, p-methylstyrene, polyoxyalkylene mono(meth)acrylate, (meth)acrylamide, diacetone (meth)acrylamide, methylol(meth)acrylamide, N-methylol(meth)acrylamide, alkyl vinyl ether, alkyl vinyl ether halide, alkyl vinyl ketone, butadiene, isoprene, chloroprene, glycidyl(meth)acrylate, 2-hydroxyethyl(meth)acrylate, aziridinyl(meth)acrylate, benzyl(meth)acrylate, isocyanate ethyl(meth)acrylate, cyclohexyl(meth)acrylate, short chain alkyl(meth)acrylate, maleic anhydride, (meth)acrylate having a polydimethylsiloxane group, and N-vinylcarbazole.
[0104] The amounts of the monomers may be as follows, based on the weight of the copolymer:
50 to 92% by weight, for example, 75 to 90% by weight, of the monomer (a), 1 to 25% by weight, for example, 10 to 16% by weight, of the monomer (b), 1 to 25% by weight, for example, 1 to 5% by weight, of the monomer (c), 1 to 5% by weight, for example, 1 to 3% by weight, of the monomer (d), and 0 to 10% by weight, for example, 0 to 3% by weight, of the monomer (e).
[0110] The copolymer of the present invention can be prepared by polymerizing the monomers (a), (b), (c) and (d), and if needed, the monomer (e), in a liquid medium. The liquid medium is preferably a water-soluble organic solvent, or may be a mixture containing a water-soluble organic solvent. The monomers and the liquid medium are preferably in the form of a solution of the monomers dissolved in the liquid medium. Preferably, the polymerization of the monomers is carried out in the manner of solution polymerization.
[0111] According to the present invention, the repeating unit derived from the monomer (b) may be neutralized by adding an aqueous solution of an inorganic or organic acid after the completion of the copolymerization; or the copolymerization may be carried out by using the nitrogen-containing monomer (a) which has been previously neutralized with an organic acid. When the monomers are polymerized after the nitrogen-containing monomer of the formula (II) has been beforehand neutralized with an acid, the neutralization with an aqueous solution of an organic acid is not needed.
[0112] If needed, the polymer mixture resulting from the copolymerization may be admixed with a liquid medium (such as water or an aqueous solution of an inorganic or organic acid) to dilute the mixture.
[0113] Examples of the water-soluble organic solvent, i.e., the liquid medium for use in the copolymerization, include, but not limited to, ketones (e.g., acetone and methyl ethyl ketone), alcohols (e.g., methanol, ethanol and isopropanol), ethers (e.g., methyl or ethyl ether of ethylene glycol or propylene glycol and acetate ester thereof, tetrahydrofuran, and dioxane), acetonitrile, dimethylformamide, N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, butyrolactone, and dimethyl sulfoxide. Among those, N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) or a mixture of N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone and acetone is preferably used as the solvent. The concentration of all the monomers in the solution may be 20 to 70% by weight, preferably 40 to 60% by weight.
[0114] The copolymerization may be conducted by using 0.1 to 2.0%, based on the weight of all the monomers, of at least one initiator. As the initiator, there may be used a peroxide such as benzoyl peroxide, lauroyl peroxide, succinyl peroxide or tert-butyl perpivalate; or an azo compound such as 2,2-azobisisobutylonitrile, 4,4-azobis(4-cyanopentanoic acid) or azodicarbonamide.
[0115] The copolymerization can be carried out at a temperature between 40° C. and the boiling point of the reaction mixture.
[0116] In the diluting step, a liquid medium such as water or an aqueous solution of an inorganic or organic acid having a high or medium acidity is added to the organic solvent solution of the copolymer. Examples of such an acid include hydrochloric acid, hydrobromic acid, sulfuric acid, nitric acid, phosphoric acid, acetic acid, formic acid, propionic acid and lactic acid, among which acetic acid is preferably used. It is preferable to use a sufficient amount of the aqueous solution and a sufficient concentration of the acid in the aqueous solution, enough to completely neutralize the amine functional group of the monomer of the formula (II), and to allow the final copolymer liquid to have a solid content of 5 to 30% by weight, preferably 20 to 30% by weight.
[0117] To completely convert the amine functional group the a salt, the amount of the acid is advantageously 1 to 5 acid equivalent, preferably 2 to 3 acid equivalent, based on the nitrogen-containing monomer (b).
[0118] Hydrogen peroxide (for example, an aqueous solution of hydrogen peroxide) may be added after the completion of the copolymerization. The amount of hydrogen peroxide to be used is 0.1 to 10% by weight, preferably 0.3 to 3% by weight, based on the total weight of the monomers. The treatment by reacting hydrogen peroxide is carried out at a temperature of 25 to 100° C., preferably 70 to 85°.
[0119] A treatment agent comprising the copolymer as an active ingredient can be used to treat a substrate, particularly paper.
[0120] Paper to be treated is paper produced by a known papermaking method. The treatment agent may be internally added to pulp slurry before the papermaking (an internal addition process), or may be externally applied to paper produced by the papermaking (an external addition process).
[0121] When the paper treatment agent is applied to the surface of paper, it is preferable to use the paper treatment agent in such an amount that the ratio of fluorine atoms in the treatment agent can be 0.02 to 5% by weight, particularly 0.05 to 0.2% by weight based on the weight of the paper. When the paper treatment agent is applied to a whole of paper including the internal part thereof, it is preferable to use the paper treatment agent in such an amount that the ratio of fluorine atoms in the treatment agent can be 0.05 to 1.0% by weight, particularly 0.2 to 0.4% by weight based on the weight of pulp.
[0122] The substrate thus treated is simply dried at a room temperature or a high temperature, and then, is optionally treated by heating at a temperature of at most 200° C., depending on the nature of the substrate. The substrate treated as above shows high lipophobic and hydrophobic properties.
[0123] Substrates to be treated in the present invention include base paper for gypsum board, coating base paper, medium grade paper, ordinary liner and core, pure white neutral roll paper, neutral liner, rust-preventive liner, metal composite paper and kraft paper. Examples of the substrate also include neutral printing or writing paper, neutral coating base paper, neutral PPC paper, neutral thermosensible paper, neutral pressure-sensitive paper, neutral ink jet paper, and neutral communication paper. Further, molded paper shaped by using a mold, particularly a molded container are included in the examples of the substrate. A pulp-molded container can be made by the method described in, for example, JP-A-9-183429.
[0124] As a pulp raw material for use in forming paper, there may be used any of bleached pulp or non-bleached chemical pulp such as kraft pulp or sulfite pulp, bleached or non-bleached high yield pulp such as chip pulp, mechanical pulp or thermomechanical pulp, and waste paper pulp of news paper, journals, corrugated board and ink-removed paper. Also, a mixture of the above pulp raw material with synthetic fibers such as asbestos, polyamide, polyimide, polyester, polyolefin or polyvinyl alcohol may be used.
[0125] The water resistance of paper can be improved by adding a sizing agent to the paper. Examples of the sizing agent are a cationic sizing agent, anionic sizing agent, and rosin-based sizing agent (e.g., acidic rosin-based sizing agent, or neutral rosin-based sizing agent). A styrene-acrylic acid copolymer and an alkylketene dimer are preferred. The amount of the sizing agent may be 0.01 to 5% by weight based on the weight of the pulp.
[0126] If needed, the paper may contain additives conventionally used in papermaking, for example, a paper strength-enhancing agent such as starch, modified starch, carboxylmethyl cellulose or polyamide-polyamine-epichlorohydrin resin, a yield-improving agent, a dye, a fluorescent dye, a slime-controlling agent, and a defoaming agent.
[0127] If needed, a size press, gate roll coater, bill blade coater, calender or the like may be used to apply the chemicals (e.g., starch, polyvinyl alcohol, dye, coating color, or slide-preventive agent) to paper.
PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION
[0128] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail by way of Examples which are illustrative only, and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present invention in any way. Throughout Examples, “parts” and “%” are “parts by weight” and “% by weight”, unless otherwise specified.
[0129] The testing methods used are as follows.
[0000] Viscosity
[0130] The viscosity of a solution was measured with a rotary viscometer while the temperature of a liquid was controlled at 25° C.
[0000] Oil Resistance
[0131] The oil resistance of paper was measured according to the procedure of TAPPI UM-557. One drop of each of test oils indicated in Table 1 was placed on paper, and the penetration of the oil into the paper was observed 15 seconds later. The maximum of the oil resistance degrees of a test oil which did not penetrate paper was taken as oil resistance.
TABLE 1 Oil resistance degree Castor oil Toluene Heptane 1 100 0 0 2 90 5 5 3 80 10 10 4 70 15 15 5 60 20 20 6 50 25 25 7 40 30 30 8 30 35 35 9 20 40 40 10 10 45 45 11 0 50 50 12 0 45 55
Degree of Size
[0132] Degree of size was measured according to the procedure of JIS P-8122.
[0133] A piece of paper having a size of 50 mm×50 mm, to be measured, was cut out of a sheet of paper. The paper piece was placed on a level surface, and folded along the lines each about 1 cm inside from the four sides of the paper piece so that the four sides could be directed upward. This folded paper piece was further folded near its four corners so that a paper box opened at the upper side could be shaped by folding along each line which connected each of the four corners to an intersection of the lines which were about 1 cm inside from two sides intersecting near each of the four corners. This paper box was floated on a 2% aqueous ammonium rhodanate solution having a temperature of 20±1° C. put in a Petridish, and simultaneously, one drop of a 1% cupper (II) chloride solution having the same temperature was fallen onto the paper box from a pipet. Then, time (seconds) required until three red spots appeared was measured, and the number of seconds was taken defined as the degree of size.
[0000] Resistance to Hot Oil and Resistance to Hot Brine
[0134] The resistance to hot oil or hot brine was measured according to the following method based on the inspection items of the China's Rail Ministry. Salad oil heated at 80° C. or brine heated at 80° C. (concentration: 10% by weight) was poured into a pulp-molded container, and was maintained at 80° C. for 30 minutes. Thirty minutes later, the degree of the salad oil or brine oozing from the container was estimated based on the following criteria:
[0135] A: No oozing or leaking was observed.
[0136] A′: A little oozing was observed.
[0137] B: Oozing was observed, but no leaking was observed.
[0138] C: Leaking from the container was observed.
SYNTHESIS EXAMPLE 1
[0139] To a reaction vessel having a volume of 500 parts, which was equipped with a stirrer, thermometer, reflux condenser, dropping funnel, nitrogen inlet and heater, were added N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) (90 parts), dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate (13 parts), acetic acid (11 parts), N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone (10 parts), acrylic acid (3 parts), fluorine-containing acrylate (80 parts) of the formula:
(a mixture of the compounds having the notations n of 5, 7, 9, 11 and 13 in the weight ratio of 1/63/25/9/2), and 4,4′-azobis(4-cyanopentanoic acid) (1 part).
[0140] This mixture was heated under a nitrogen atmosphere at 85° C. for 6 hours, and then, an aqueous solution containing water (195 parts) and hydrogen peroxide (35% by weight) (1.4 parts) was added dropwise at 70° C. over 20 minutes. Then, the reaction mixture was cooled to a room temperature. Thus, a transparent and amber-colored solution (S1) (400 parts) was obtained. The concentration of the solid content in this solution was 25%.
SYNTHESIS EXAMPLE 2
[0141] The same operation as in Synthesis Example 1 was repeated, except that dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate (13 parts) used in Synthesis Example 1 was changed to N-tert-butylaminoethyl methacrylate (13 parts). As a result, a transparent and amber-colored solution (S2) (400 parts) was obtained. The concentration of the solid content in this solution was 25%.
SYNTHESIS EXAMPLE 3
[0142] To a reaction vessel having a volume of 500 parts, which was equipped with a stirrer, thermometer, reflux condenser, dropping funnel, nitrogen inlet and heater, were added NMP (90 parts), dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate (15 parts), acetic acid (11 parts), N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone (6 parts), methacrylic acid (2 parts), fluorine-containing acrylate (80 parts) of the formula:
(a mixture of the compounds having the notations n of 7 and 9 in the weight ratio of 85/15), and 4,4′-azobis(4-cyanopentanoic acid) (0.8 parts).
[0143] This mixture was heated under a nitrogen atmosphere at 75° C. for 3 hours, and then, 4,4′-azobis(4-cyanopentanoic acid) (0.4 parts) was added to further continue the reaction for 3 hours. Next, an aqueous solution containing water (195 parts) and hydrogen peroxide (35% by weight) (1.4 parts) was added dropwise at 70° C. over 20 minutes. Then, this reaction mixture was cooled to a room temperature. Thus, a transparent and amber-colored solution (S3) (400 parts) was obtained. The concentration of the solid content in this solution was 24.5%.
SYNTHESIS EXAMPLE 4
[0144] The same operation as in Synthesis Example 2 was repeated, except that acrylic acid (3 parts) was changed to sodium styrene sulfonate (1 part). As a result, a transparent and amber-colored solution (S4) (395 parts) was obtained. The concentration of the solid content in this solution was 25.7%.
SYNTHESIS EXAMPLE 5
[0145] To a reaction vessel having a volume of 500 parts, which was equipped with a stirrer, thermometer, reflux condenser, dropping funnel, nitrogen inlet and heater were added NMP (90 parts), quaternary product of dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate (15 parts) of the formula:
, N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone (10 parts), methacrylic acid (2 parts), and the same fluorine-containing acrylate (80 parts) as used in Synthesis Example 1 (the mixture of the compounds having the notations n of 5, 7, 9, 11 and 13 in the weight ratio of 1/63/25/9/2).
[0146] This mixture was heated under a nitrogen atmosphere of 85° C. for 3 hours, and then, 4,4′-azobis(4-cyanopentanoic acid) (0.4 parts) was added to further continue the reaction for 3 hours. Next, an aqueous solution containing water (145 parts) and acetic acid (12 parts) was added dropwise at 70° C. over 20 minutes. Then, an aqueous solution containing water (50 parts) and hydrogen peroxide (35% by weight) (1.4 parts) was added dropwise at 70° C. over 20 minutes, and the mixture was stirred for 40 minutes. Then, the reaction mixture was cooled to a room temperature. Thus, a transparent and amber-colored solution (S5) (400 parts) was obtained. The concentration of the solid content in this solution was 24.5%.
SYNTHESIS EXAMPLE 6
[0147] To a reaction vessel having a volume of 500 parts, which was equipped with a stirrer, thermometer, reflux condenser, dropping funnel, nitrogen inlet and heater, were added NMP (90 parts), dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate (15 parts), acetic acid (11 parts), N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone (6 parts), methacrylic acid (2 parts), fluorine-containing acrylate (80 parts) of the formula:
and 4,4′-azobis(4-cyanopentanoic acid) (0.8 parts).
[0148] This mixture was heated under a nitrogen atmosphere of 75° C. for 3 hours, and then, 4,4′-azobis(4-cyanopentanoic acid) (0.4 parts) was added to further continue the reaction for 3 hours. Next, an aqueous solution containing water (195 parts) and hydrogen peroxide (35% by weight) (1.4 parts) was added dropwise at 70° C. over 20 minutes. Then, the reaction mixture was cooled to a room temperature. Thus, a transparent and amber-colored solution (S6) (400 parts) was obtained. The concentration of the solid content in this solution was 24.5%.
COMPARATIVE SYNTHESIS EXAMPLE 1
[0149] The same operation as in Synthesis Example 1 was repeated, except that acrylic acid (3 parts) used in Synthesis Example 1 was changed to N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone (3 parts). The concentration of the solid content in the resultant solution (T1) was 24.0%.
COMPARATIVE SYNTHESIS EXAMPLE 2
[0150] The same operation as in Synthesis Example 3 was repeated, except that methacrylic acid (2 parts) used in Synthesis Example 3 was changed to N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone (2 parts). The concentration of the solid content in the resultant solution (T2) was 24.0%.
COMPARATIVE SYNTHESIS EXAMPLE 3
[0151] To a reaction vessel having a volume of 1,000 parts, which was equipped with a stirrer, thermometer, reflux condenser, dropping funnel, nitrogen inlet and heater, were added pure water (383 parts), acetone (140 parts), trimethyloleyl ammonium hydrochloride (3.75 parts), polyoxyethylene alkylphenol having HLB of 15 (3.43 parts), methoxyethyl acrylate (43.2 parts), N-methylolacrylamide (12 parts), 75% aqueous solution (12.8 parts) of a monomer of the formula:
and fluorine-containing acrylate (176.9 parts) of the formula:
(a mixture of the compounds in which the notations n of 5, 7, 9, 11 and 13 in the average weight ratio of 1/63/24/9/3), and dodecylmercaptan (0.48 parts). This mixture was subjected to nitrogen substitution and heated to 70° C. Then, an aqueous solution of N,N′-azobisamidinopropane hydrochloride (1.2 parts) in water (8 parts) was added to continue the reaction for 2 hours. The reaction mixture was distilled at 90° C. to remove acetone. Thus, an emulsion containing 36% of a solid content was obtained. To this emulsion was added distilled water so as to adjust the solid content to 25%. The resultant solution was referred to the solution (T3).
COMPARATIVE SYNTHESIS EXAMPLE 4
[0153] To a reaction vessel having a volume of 600 parts, which was equipped with a stirrer, thermometer, reflux condenser, dropping funnel, nitrogen inlet and heater, were added methyl isobutyl ketone (40 parts), MEK (2 parts), acetone (27 parts), dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate (16 parts), vinyl acetate (8.8 parts), methacrylic acid (1.2 parts), and fluorine-containing acrylate (81.4 parts) of the formula:
(a mixture of the compounds having the notations n of 5, 7, 9, 11 and 13 in the average weight ratio of 1/63/24/9/3). This mixture was subjected to a nitrogen substitution, and then heated to 70° C. Then, a solution of 4,4′-azobis(4-cyanopentanoic acid) (0.4 parts) in water (8 parts) was added to continue the reaction for 4 hours. Next, an aqueous solution containing water (290 parts), acetic acid (8 parts) and 35% hydrogen peroxide (2.5 parts) was added dropwise at 70° C. over 20 minutes. This mixture was stirred at 70° C. under a stream of nitrogen for 40 minutes. Then, the resulting solution was distilled under reduced pressure to obtain a solution (T4) having a solid content of 25%.
[0154] The viscosities of the solutions obtained in Synthesis Examples 1 to 5 and Comparative Synthesis Examples 1 and 2 are shown in Table 2.
TABLE 2 Solution S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 T1 T2 Viscosity (cps) 650 700 400 250 500 2,200 1,800
EXAMPLE 1
[0155] A styrene-acrylic acid copolymer-based sizing agent having a solid content of 1% (AS-233 manufactured by Nippon PMC) (8 g) was added in portions to a 1% aqueous dispersion (1,000 g) of bleached kraft pulp of broad-leaved trees under stirring. The stirring was continued for 2 minutes, and the solution S1 (2.4 g) of Synthesis Example 1, diluted until the solid content reached 1%, was added in portions, and the mixture was stirred for 2 minutes. The resultant pulp slurry was molded into a round tray having a level base, with a pulp-molding machine. The molded tray was dried at 180° C. for 30 minutes. The resultant paper tray had a diameter of 16 cm, a depth of 3 cm and a thickness of 0.6 mm. This paper tray was evaluated in oil resistance and resistance to hot oil and hot brine. The results are shown in Table 3.
EXAMPLE 2
[0156] The operation of Example 1 was repeated in the same manner, except that a polyamide-polyamine-epichlorohydrin reaction product having a solid content of 1% (WS-570 manufactured by Nippon PMC) (4 g) was firstly added in portions to pulp slurry in the step of Example 1, so as to enhance the strength of the resultant paper tray. This paper tray was evaluated in oil resistance and resistance to hot oil and hot brine. The results are shown in Table 3.
COMPARATIVE EXAMPLE 1
[0157] The operation of Example 2 was repeated in the same manner, except that the solution T1 was used instead of the solution S1 of Example 2. The resultant paper tray was evaluated in oil resistance and resistance to hot oil and hot brine. The results are shown in Table 3.
TABLE 3 Oil resistance Hot oil Hot brine Ex. No. Solution WS-570 (TAPPI method) resistance resistance Ex. 1 S1 None 8 A A′ Ex. 2 S1 4 g 8 A′ A′ C. Ex. 1 T1 4 g 6 B A′
EXAMPLES 3 TO 10
[0158] The same operation as in Example 1 (using no WS-570) or Example 2 (using WS-570) was repeated to obtain a paper tray in each of Examples 3 to 10, except that the solution, shown in Table 4, having the same solid content, was used. The results of oil resistance and resistance to hot oil and hot brine are shown in Table 4.
COMPARATIVE EXAMPLES 2 TO 4
[0159] The same operation as in Example 2 was repeated in each of Comparative Examples 2 to 4, except that the solution T2 (Comparative Example 2), the solution T3 (Comparative Example 3) or the solution T4 (Comparative Example 4) was used instead of the solution S1 of Example 2. The resultant paper trays were evaluated in oil resistance and resistance to hot oil and hot brine. The results are 5 shown in Table 4.
TABLE 4 Oil resistance Hot oil Hot brine Ex. No. Solution WS-570 (TAPPI method) resistance resistance Ex. 3 S2 None 8 A′ A′ Ex. 4 S2 4 g 8 A′ A′ Ex. 5 S3 None 9 A A Ex. 6 S3 4 g 9 A A Ex. 7 S4 None 9 A A Ex. 8 S4 4 g 9 A A Ex. 9 S5 None 9 A A Ex. l0 S5 4 g 8 A A C. Ex. 2 T2 4 g 6 B A′ C. Ex. 3 T3 4 g 6 B A′ C. Ex. 4 T4 4 g 6 B A′
EXAMPLE 11
[0160] The solution S1 (1.2 g) having a solid content of 1%, prepared in Synthesis Example 3, was added in portions to a 1% aqueous dispersion (500 g) of bleached kraft pulp of broad-leaved trees under stirring. The stirring was continued for 2 minutes. The resultant pulp slurry was made into paper with a standard papermaking system described in JIS P8209. The resultant wet paper was sandwiched between filter paper sheets under a pressure of 3.5 kg/cm 2 so as to sufficiently absorb the moisture of the paper. The paper was dried over a drum drier (100° C.×2 minutes) to obtain oil resistance paper having a basis weight of 80 g/cm 2 .
[0161] The oil resistance and the degree of size of this oil resistance paper were evaluated. The results are shown in Table 5.
EXAMPLE 12
[0162] A polyamide-polyamine-epichlorohydrin reaction product (WS-570 manufactured by Nippon PMC) (2 g) having a solid content of 1% was added in portions to a 1% aqueous dispersion (500 g) of bleached kraft pulp of broad-leaved trees under stirring. The stirring was continued for 2 minutes. Then, the solution S1 having a solid content of 1% (1.2 g), prepared in Synthesis Example 3, was added in portions, and the mixture was stirred for 2 minutes. The resultant pulp slurry was made into paper with a standard papermaking system described in JIS P8209. The resultant wet paper was sandwiched between filter paper sheets under a pressure of 3.5 kg/cm 2 so as to sufficiently absorb the moisture of the paper. The paper was dried over a drum drier (100° C.×2 minutes) to obtain oil-resistant paper having a basis weight of 80 g/cm 2 . The oil resistance and the degree of size of this oil-resistant paper were evaluated. The results are shown in Table 5.
EXAMPLE 13
[0163] The operation of Example 11 was repeated, except that the solution S6 prepared in Synthesis Example 6 was used instead of the solution S1 of Example 11. The oil resistance and the degree of size of the resultant paper were evaluated. The results are shown in Table 5.
EXAMPLE 14
[0164] The operation of Example 12 was repeated, except that the solution S6 prepared in Synthesis Example 6 was used instead of the solution S1 of Example 12. The oil resistance and the degree of size of the resultant paper were evaluated. The results are shown in Table 5.
COMPARATIVE EXAMPLE 5
[0165] The operation of Example 11 was repeated, except that the solution T2 was used instead of the solution S1 of Example 11. The oil resistance and the degree of size of the resultant paper were evaluated. The results are shown in Table 5.
COMPARATIVE EXAMPLE 6
[0166] The operation of Example 12 was repeated, except that the solution T2 was used instead of the solution S1 of Example 12. The oil resistance and the degree of size of the resultant paper were evaluated. The results are shown in Table 5.
COMPARATIVE EXAMPLE 7
[0167] The operation of Example 11 was repeated, except that the solution T3 was used instead of the solution S1 of Example 11. The oil resistance and the degree of size of the resultant paper were evaluated. The results are shown in Table 5.
COMPARATIVE EXAMPLE 8
[0168] The operation of Example 12 was repeated, except that the solution T3 was used instead of the solution S1 of Example 12. The oil resistance and the degree of size of the resultant paper were evaluated. The results are shown in Table 5.
COMPARATIVE EXAMPLE 9
[0169] The operation of Example 11 was repeated, except that the solution T4 was used instead of the solution S1 of Example 11. The oil resistance and the degree of size of 10 the resultant paper were evaluated. The results are shown in Table 5.
COMPARATIVE EXAMPLE 10
[0170] The operation of Example 12 was repeated, except that 15 the solution T4 was used instead of the solution S1 of Example 12. The oil resistance and the degree of size of the resultant paper were evaluated. The results are shown in Table 5.
TABLE 5 Oil resistance Degree of Ex. No. Solution WS-570 (TAPPI method) size (sec.) Ex. 11 S1 None 8 18 Ex. 12 S1 4 g 8 16 Ex. 13 S6 None 8 22 Ex. 14 S6 4 g 8 18 C. Ex. 5 T2 None 8 16 C. Ex. 6 T2 4 g 5 6 C. Ex. 7 T3 None 7 18 C. Ex. 8 T3 4 g 5 18 C. Ex. 9 T4 None 8 18 C. Ex. 10 T4 4 g 5 18
EFFECT OF THE INVENTION
[0171] The treatment agents of the present invention impart sufficient water resistance and oil resistance to paper, even when sizing agents and paper strength-enhancing agents are present.
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A paper treatment agent which contains a copolymer essentially comprising a repeating unit derived from a polyfluoroalkyl group-containing (meth)acrylate, a repeating unit derived from a pyrrolidone monomer, a nitrogen-containing repeating unit such as —[CH 2 C(CH 3 )[COOCH 2 CH 2 CH 2 N + (CH 3 ) 3 .Cl]]—, and an anionic functional group-containing repeating unit such as —[CH 2 C(CH 3 )COOH]— has a relatively low viscosity, and the action of the treatment agent hardly lowers even when a cationic paper strength-enhancing agent is used in combination therewith.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] This disclosure relates generally to gaming devices, and more particularly to a gaming device having a realistic physical three-dimensional appearance.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Slot machines and other mechanized gaming devices were developed over 100 years ago. Original slot machines included a set of free-spinning mechanical drums, or reels, which were simultaneously or sequentially stopped using various mechanisms. After the reels stopped, the machine dropped coins into a hopper to pay awards based on the position of the stopped reels.
[0003] Major advancements on this basic technology have been directed toward providing a more entertaining gaming experience for the player with simultaneous lower capital or operating expense to the casino operator. Coin hoppers that required frequent refill gave way to bar-coded tickets by which players establish and receive game credit. Other advances replaced the free-spinning mechanical reels, which required costly maintenance, with extremely lightweight reelstrip framework structures. Now stepper motors efficiently and accurately drive the spinning and stopping action of the reelstrip framework to appear similar to the original free-spinning mechanical reels. In recent years even the motor driven reelstrips have been largely supplanted by modern electronic video screens programmed to display a facsimile image of a spinning reel.
[0004] Embodiments of the invention are directed to a system that modifies the appearance of a modem gaming device.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0005] FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a conventional gaming device that includes a video screen display.
[0006] FIG. 2 is an isometric view of a conventional gaming device that includes spinning reels.
[0007] FIG. 3 is a side view of a gaming device including an overlay according to embodiments of the invention.
[0008] FIG. 4 is a front view of a screen overlay according to embodiments of the invention.
[0009] FIG. 5 is a front view of the screen overlay of FIG. 4 combined with output from a video display from the gaming device of FIG. 3 .
[0010] FIG. 6 is a front view of a video display modified to accommodate the screen overlay of FIG. 4 according to embodiments of the invention.
[0011] FIG. 7 is a side view of a screen overlay system according to embodiments of the invention.
[0012] FIGS. 8A and 8B are related front views of a screen overlay system including a touchscreen according to embodiments of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0013] FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate conventional display screens on gaming devices. Referring to FIG. 1 , a gaming device 10 is an electronic gaming machine or “slot” machine, which includes video slot machines and video poker machines, for instance. The gaming device 10 of FIG. 1 includes a cabinet 15 housing components to operate the gaming device 10 . The cabinet 15 may include a gaming display 20 , a base portion 13 , a top box 18 , and a player interface panel.
[0014] The gaming display 20 of FIG. 1 is a video display, upon which a video sequence is shown. In a common example, the video sequence shows multiple video reels 22 . In the example of FIG. 1 there are four reels 22 illustrated. Each of the reels is programmed to include a number of individual symbols 23 . In operation, during a game the gaming display 20 is driven so that it appears to the player that the reels 22 are spinning and eventually stop, resting with a particular set of symbols 23 , one for each reel 22 , on one or more paylines. The game evaluates the combination of symbols 23 on the payline and, if the combination is a winning combination, pays an award to the player.
[0015] The base portion 13 of the gaming device 10 may include a lighted panel 14 , a coin return (not shown), and a gaming handle 12 operable on a partially rotating pivot joint 11 . The game handle 12 is traditionally included on mechanical spinning-reel games, where the handle may be pulled toward a player to initiate the spinning of reels 22 after placement of a wager. The top box 18 may include a lighted panel 17 , a video display (such as an LCD monitor, not shown), a mechanical bonus device (not shown), and a candle light indicator 19 . The player interface panel 30 may include various devices so that a player can interact with the gaming device 10 . For example, the player interface panel 30 may include one or more game buttons 32 that can be actuated by the player to cause the gaming device 10 to perform a specific action. Some of the game buttons 32 cause the gaming device 10 to wager credits during the next game, change the number of lines being played on a multi-line game, cash out the credits remaining on the gaming device, or request assistance from casino personnel, such as by lighting the candle 19 . In addition, the player interface panel 30 may include one or more game actuating buttons 33 , which initiate a game with a pre-specified amount of credits.
[0016] The gaming display 20 A of FIG. 2 includes a series of five mechanical reels 22 A, which in most cases are include the reelstrip frames and reelstrips described above. Typically, spinning-reel gaming machines 10 A have three to five spinning reels 22 A. Each of the spinning reels 22 A has multiple symbols 23 A that may be separated by blank areas on the spinning reels 22 A, although the presence of blank areas typically depends on the number of reels 22 A present in the gaming device 10 A and the number of different symbols 23 A that may appear on the spinning reels 22 A. Each of the symbols 22 A or blank areas makes up a “stop” on the spinning reel 22 A where the reel 22 A comes to rest after a spin. Although the spinning reels 22 A of various games 10 A may have various numbers of stops, many conventional spinning-reel gaming devices 10 A have reels 22 A with twenty two stops.
[0017] During game play, the spinning reels 22 A are controlled by microprocessor-driven stepper motors (not shown). Thus, although the spinning-reel gaming device 10 A has mechanical based spinning reels 22 A, the movement of the reels themselves is electronically controlled to spin and stop. This electronic control is advantageous because it allows a virtual reel strip to be stored in the memory 41 of the gaming device 10 A, where various “virtual stops” are mapped to each physical stop on the physical reel 22 A. This mapping allows the gaming device 10 A to establish greater awards and bonuses available to the player because of the increased number of possible combinations afforded by the virtual reel strips.
[0018] A gaming session on a spinning reel slot machine 10 A typically includes the player pressing a wager button, such as the “bet-one” button (one of the game buttons 32 A) to wager a desired number of credits followed by pulling the gaming handle 12 ( FIGS. 1A , 1 B) or pressing the spin button 33 A to spin the reels 22 A. Alternatively, the player may simply press the “max-bet” button (another one of the game buttons 32 A) to simultaneously wager the maximum number of credits permitted and initiate the spinning of the reels 22 A. The spinning reels 22 A may all stop at the same time or may individually stop one after another (typically from left to right) to build player anticipation. Because the display 20 A usually cannot be physically modified, some spinning reel slot machines 10 A include an electronic display screen in the top box 18 ( FIG. 1B ), a mechanical bonus mechanism in the top box 18 , or a secondary display 25 ( FIG. 1A ) to execute a bonus.
[0019] FIG. 3 is a side view of a gaming device 100 according to embodiments of the invention. The gaming device 100 includes a basic cabinet 115 and, in some embodiments, a pull handle 112 for initiating a game. Also included on the gaming device 100 is an overlay screen 125 , which is mounted on or within the gaming device 100 . The overlay screen 125 sits “on” or over a video display 120 , which is not visible in FIG. 3 .
[0020] FIG. 4 is a top-view drawing of the overlay screen 125 . Central to the overlay screen 125 are a series of reel windows 130 , one window for each reel that is illustrated on the video display 120 . In a typical embodiment, the overlay screen 125 is made of glass, plastic, or other transparent or nearly transparent material. While some overlay screens 125 may include printing, screening, or other markings, reel windows 130 remain relatively clear. When positioned over the video display 120 , projections from the underlying video display are shown to and seen by the player through the individual reel windows 130 . Specifically, and preferably, the reel windows 130 include borders that generally conform to the size and position of the underlying reels on the video display 120 . For example, if the video display 120 includes 3 reels, then there are three corresponding reel windows 130 in the overlay screen 125 . If the video display 120 instead includes five reels, then the overlay screen 125 would include five reel windows 130 , such as illustrated in FIG. 4 .
[0021] Other windows 132 may correspond to other informative portions of the video display 120 . For example, one of the windows 132 in FIG. 4 corresponds to an area of the video display that shows the present number of credits that player possesses. The player can then see the number of credits through the window 132 when the number of credits is shown on the underlying video display 120 .
[0022] In addition to the other windows 130 , the overlay screen 125 includes areas that may be tinted, painted, or otherwise covered. The coverings may be opaque or may be translucent. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 4 the coverings include text portions 127 that may include instructions for the player or general logos or other advertising.
[0023] Because of the properties of the overlay screen 125 , viewing the underlying video display 120 through the overlay screen may give the appearance that the gaming device 100 includes mechanical reels, where, in fact, the reels are actually projections from the video display 120 . This appearance is appealing to many players, especially those with a fondness for the older style, mechanical spinning reels or reelframes with reelstrips. At the same time, a video display 120 is less expensive and has lower maintenance operating costs than mechanical reels.
[0024] FIG. 5 illustrates the overlay screen 125 combined with an underlying video display 120 . Symbols 123 shown on reels 122 of the video display 120 are easily seen through the clear windows 130 of the overlay screen 125 . A distance between the video display 120 and the player of the gaming device 100 can be controlled by several factors. In some instances, the overlay screen 125 has a physical thickness that, when overlayed on the video display 120 , just matches a desired distance. In other embodiments, spacers or blocks (not shown) may physically separate the video display 120 from the overlay screen 125 . In other embodiments the display screen 120 may be sunken into the cabinet 115 , while the overlay screen 125 rests on the cabinet surface.
[0025] Modifications may be made to sequences of images on the video display 120 to further enhance the attractiveness and usefulness of the overlay screen 125 . Specifically, to make it appear as if the overlay screen 125 were backlit with lights, portions of the video display 120 may be made brighter, and in some cases much brighter, than if the overlay screen 125 were not present. For example, with reference to FIG. 6 , the video display 120 includes two light areas 140 that correspond to the text portions 127 of the overlay screen 125 in FIG. 4 . The light areas 140 are brightly driven, such as bright white, which, when combined with the text areas 127 appears as if the overlay screen 125 were backlit. The light areas 140 need not be driven white, but may be driven to a certain color that is attractive when combined with the translucent text area 127 . Even when the text area 127 is opaque, the light areas 140 can be driven to an attractive, complementary color where the light may bleed around the sides of an opaque area 127 . Other light areas 142 similarly light other portions of the overlay screen 125 that are made more attractive when backlit. A video driver (not illustrated) of the video display 120 may be programmed or otherwise determine when an overlay screen 125 is present. If the overlay screen 125 is present, the video driver drives the light areas 140 , 142 with an increased intensity. If the overlay screen 125 is not present, the standard intensity is used.
[0026] One drawback to the embodiment of the overlay screen 125 described above is that the overlay screen must be physically changed should the format of the game shown on the video display screen 120 be changed. For example, if the game on the gaming device is a three-reel game, and the overlay screen 125 correspondingly includes three reel windows 130 , then no four or five reel games could be played on the gaming device without physically changing the overlay screen 125 .
[0027] FIG. 7 illustrates another embodiment of a video overlay screen. In this example, a video overlay screen 225 includes a base portion 230 which is mounted most near the video display screen 120 upon which the game is displayed. An upper portion 232 is separated from the base portion 230 by spacers 238 . Running between the upper and lower portions 230 , 232 is a flexible substrate 240 upon which an overlay screen 245 is printed. In the illustrated embodiment the substrate 240 is wound around a pair of rolls 242 , 244 . In operation, the rolls 242 , 244 are controlled by, for instance, a positioning motor (not illustrated) to direct a particular screen 245 on the substrate 240 to a position between the upper and lower portions 230 , 232 of the overlay screen 225 . The upper and lower portions 230 , 232 , may be clear or translucent. The player views the display screen 120 through the combination of the upper and lower portions 230 , 232 , as well as the overlay screen 245 . In this manner multiple overlay screens 245 may be included within a single game cabinet, eliminating a need to physically change an overlay screen each time a game within a game cabinet changes.
[0028] Although described above as being made from glass or plastic, the overlay screen according to embodiments of the invention may additionally include touchscreen functions. With reference to FIG. 8A , a see-through touchscreen 275 overlays a video display 120 that is driven by the gaming device 100 of FIG. 3 . In this example, however, a player can control functions of the game on the gaming device 100 by interacting with the touchscreen 275 . For instance, assume that a player benefit awarded during a game or bonus is a nudge feature, such as that described in co-pending application Ser. No. 12/166,156, filed Jul. 1, 2008, entitled Gaming Device Configuration Based on Player Value, the teachings of which are incorporated by reference herein. The overlay touchscreen 275 can help implement such a feature. For instance, assume that a player is awarded a nudge as a bonus feature. A text area 277 is illuminated by selectively lighting a portion of the video display 120 that underlies the text area to inform the player that such a bonus is available, as illustrated by the lightbox 278 . The player then touches the overlay touchscreen 275 in the area of the reel the player desires to nudge. In this example the player has touched the reel second from the right, which changes form or shape to inform the player that it has been selected. In the Example in FIG. 8A the selected reel is highlighted with a thicker border. The touchscreen 275 senses which area of the touchscreen was touched by the player and communicates the information to the game. The game reacts by giving the player “control” of the particular selected reel, such as by enabling a nudge controller 285 . The game informs the player that the nudge controller is enabled by illuminating the lightbox 288 by driving the video display 120 brightly in an area below the nudge controller. When the player presses either a nudge up button 290 or a nudge down button 295 , the game reacts to move the selected reel to the desired position. In this example the player wishes to nudge the selected reel down, by pressing the down button 295 , so that the “Bar” symbols 123 are aligned across the payline, as illustrated in FIG. 8B . The player ultimately places the reel in the desired position, as illustrated in FIG. 8B , and the game continues. Note that the text area 277 and nudge controller 285 are no longer illuminated in FIG. 8B because the player “used” the benefit.
[0029] In another embodiment, instead of the touchscreen 275 including location-delimited buttons to accept user input, such as the nudge up and nudge down buttons 290 , 295 illustrated in FIG. 8B , the entire touchscreen accepts input in the form of user actions to perform a desired function. In other words, a gesture or action made by the user and sensed by the touchscreen 275 controls the underlying game. For example, a player could touch, or point to, the reel area and move or slide his finger upward to indicate a nudge up. Similarly, sliding a finger down along the touchscreen 275 over a reel causes the reel to move in a downward direction. Moving the finger multiple times or quickly indicates a larger reel movement in the direction of the finger slide. The touchscreen 275 translates such gestures into data or otherwise communicates the information to the underlying game, as described above, to cause the game to react based on the user action.
[0030] Multiple types of touchscreens 275 or other motion-recognizing technology can also sense user gestures and actions. For example the touchscreen 275 may be one of the well-known capacitive or resistive types. In some embodiments a particular stylus or other touching device may be used in conjunction with the touchscreen 275 , rather than a user's finger. In yet other embodiments the touchscreen 275 function may be implemented with a video camera, heat-sensing apparatus, or other such device that accepts or tracks user movement.
[0031] Some embodiments of the invention have been described above, and in addition, some specific details are shown for purposes of illustrating the inventive principles. However, numerous other arrangements may be devised in accordance with the inventive principles of this patent disclosure. Further, well known processes have not been described in detail in order not to obscure the invention. Thus, while the invention is described in conjunction with the specific embodiments illustrated in the drawings, it is not limited to these embodiments or drawings. Rather, the invention is intended to cover alternatives, modifications, and equivalents that come within the scope and spirit of the inventive principles set out in the appended claims.
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Embodiments of the present invention are directed to a video overlay screen. Windows within the screen are generally transparent or translucent, while other non-window portions of the screen are generally translucent or opaque. Combining the overlay screen with a typical video display gives a modified appearance to the screen that some players find attractive. In some instances the video display screen may be programmed to show a video depiction of a mechanical reel that, when combined with the overlay screen appears as if the game contains actual mechanical reels. In other embodiments the overlay screen may include a touchscreen.
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RELATED APPLICATION DATA
[0001] This application claims the benefit of Swedish Patent Application No. 1550692-6, filed May 28, 2015, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] This invention relates to a dispenser for plasters, i.e. adhesive bandages for applying on minor wounds such as cuts, and a first aid kit container with such a dispenser.
[0003] BACKGROUND
[0004] Plasters—self-adhesive bandages for applying on minor wounds, such as small cuts—may be provided from plaster packs which comprise pockets that hold a number of plasters in a “booklet”-like fashion. Such plaster packs are well-known. A plaster pack may contain plasters in different sizes and materials.
[0005] Plasters in a plaster pack may be dispensed from a wall mounted dispenser that holds the plaster pack. The wall mounted dispensers are usually provided at workplaces, schools, etc. where the plasters will then be easily available in the case of a minor injury. The dispenser holds the plaster pack so that users can pull plasters from the plaster packs when they need a plaster.
[0006] When a plaster pack in a dispenser has been emptied of its contents, the empty pack is to be replaced with a new one.
[0007] One problem with plaster dispensers for plaster packs is that the plaster pack—which contains a number of plasters—is susceptible to theft when it is in the dispenser. In order to solve this problem WO2006078201 discloses a wall-mounted plaster dispenser where the plaster pack cannot be removed in the direction of pulling out the plasters. Instead, the empty plaster pack is removed and replaced by accessing a space behind the dispenser. This may involve unlocking a door or accessing the space behind the dispenser. Alternatively a key is used to displace the plaster pack so that it can be removed.
[0008] One problem associated with WO2006078201 is that it is rather cumbersome to change the plaster pack. This is necessary since the problems solved by WO2006078201 is to avoid theft of the plaster pack.
[0009] The key solution has the disadvantage that the key can be misplaced. In general there is a need to improve the manner in which plaster packs in dispenser are replaced.
[0010] Moreover, the plaster dispenser in WO2006078201 is rather bulky and intended to be mounted on a wall. Therefore it not suitable to be used in cars, small boats, on aircraft etc.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0011] The invention will now be described in more detail by means of exemplary embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
[0012] FIG. 1 a is a schematic cross sections of a plaster dispenser seen in the direction of the main axis and where the front direction of the dispenser is to the left.
[0013] FIG. 1 b is a schematic cross section of a plaster pack.
[0014] FIG. 2 is view of a plaster dispenser with the lid open.
[0015] FIG. 3 is a view of a plaster dispenser with the gate and the lid open.
[0016] FIG. 4 is a view of a plaster dispenser with the lid closed.
[0017] FIG. 5 is a view of a gate and the lid manufactured in one piece.
[0018] FIGS. 6-7 shows a first aid kit container.
[0019] FIG. 8 shows a cross section of a first aid kit container.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
[0020] In a first aspect there is provided a plaster dispenser for holding a plaster pack and for removing plasters individually from said plaster pack, which plaster pack comprises a plurality of plasters, each accommodated in a pocket, wherein the pockets are directed in generally the same direction and located between first and second sheets, said sheets and pockets being connected along an edge that extends perpendicularly to the longitudinal direction of respective pockets, said edge being located opposite to the opening of the pockets, where the plaster dispenser has at least one compartment for holding a plaster pack, said compartment having a main opening for inserting and removing a plaster pack, said opening defining a front direction of the dispenser, where the plaster dispenser comprises: a) a first wall limiting the movement of the plaster pack in a direction opposite to the front direction, b) a first shoulder limiting the movement of the first sheet in the front direction; c) a second shoulder limiting the movement of the second sheet in the front direction; d) an opening for removing individual plasters from the plaster pack in the front direction; characterized in that the dispenser comprises e) a gate comprising said opening for removing individual plasters, said gate further comprising said first and second shoulders, wherein the gate can be opened or removed to make it possible to remove the plaster pack from the dispenser.
[0021] One advantage with the inventive dispenser is that it is easy to replace the plaster pack, since it is not necessary to access the dispenser from the back side or unlocking a door. Instead the plasters pack is removed and replaced from the same direction from which plasters are dispensed. This does away with the need for access to the back side of the dispenser according to prior art. Moreover, no key is required when replacing the plaster pack.
[0022] The gate may have a hinge for opening and closing the gate. This has the advantage that the gate is attached to the dispenser so it does not get misplaced.
[0023] The dispenser may have a lid that is able to cover the opening for removing plasters and the gate. This has the advantage of protecting the plasters from dust and moisture. The lid may also cover the main opening for replacing the plaster pack. The lid may have a hinge. An advantage with this is that the lid does not get misplaced.
[0024] The hinge of the gate and the hinge of the lid may be parallel and arranged to open in the same direction. This has the advantage that the lid and the gate does not block access to the openings.
[0025] The lid and the gate may be made in one piece. The hinges may then be living hinges. This is an efficient way of manufacturing the lid and the gate, in order to obtain a dispenser that is flat and easy to integrate.
[0026] In a second aspect there is provided a first aid kit container comprising an integrated plaster dispenser according to the first aspect of the invention.
[0027] One advantage with this first aid kit container is that plasters are conveniently provided from a plaster pack connected to a first aid kit. The dispenser makes the plasters easy to grip and get ready for application to the wound. It is timesaving since only one adhesive-covering strip has to be removed. Moreover, the plaster pack keeps the plasters sorted by type, material and size and makes it easy for the user to choose the right type of plaster. Moreover, the comparatively small plasters are easy to locate compared to if they are lying loose together with other first aid kit components in a first aid kit container.
[0028] Moreover the first aid kit according to the invention provides a plaster pack where the previous, wall-mounted dispensers are not suitable, for example in cars, boats, etc. This makes the plaster pack available at mobile work places, for example in a first aid kit that can be placed in cars used by craftsmen, policemen, salespersons, farmers etc.
[0029] Also, the first aid kit container makes it possible to carry the plaster pack to the injured person who needs the plaster, rather than having the injured person located to the plaster pack.
[0030] In a preferred embodiment, the first aid kit container comprises a main compartment and individual plasters can be removed and the plaster pack can be replaced without accessing said main compartment. This can be achieved for example when the opening for removing plasters, the gate and the main opening are accessible without accessing the main compartment. Thus the plaster pack is available from the outside of the main compartment.
[0031] This avoids unnecessary opening of the main compartment of the first aid kit container when removing plasters or replacing the plaster pack and thereby protects the articles in the main space from contamination and dirt.
[0032] Moreover, sometimes the main compartment of first aid kit containers are equipped with a seal that is broken the first time the first aid kit is used. This is usually the case in for example Germany where the local DIN standard provides for a seal on first aid kits. The purpose of the seal is to indicate whether the first aid kit has ever been opened and thus may need replacement of consumed articles. Sometimes the entire first aid kit is replaced when the seal is broken, which is costly. Plasters are, overall, used more often than the first aid kit components intended for larger wounds such as compresses. Therefore it is an advantage that plasters and the plaster pack is accessible from outside of the main compartment of the first aid kit container, so that plasters can be used, and the empty/finished plaster pack can be replaced, without breaking the seal.
[0033] Also, the previously described key for removing the plaster pack is not suitable for use with a sealed first aid container kit because the key is not suitably placed in the main compartment (because of the seal) and is not suitable to be attached to the outside of the first aid kit (where it is easily accessible for someone who wants to steal the plaster pack.).
[0034] Where the first aid kit container has a lid, the dispenser is advantageously integrated in the lid. This makes it even easier to access the plasters.
[0035] In a second aspect of the invention there is provided a method of producing a first aid kit container comprising an integrated dispenser, the method comprising the steps of: a) forming a compartment forming part for the first aid kit container where the compartment forming part comprises a compartment for housing a plaster pack, b) forming a piece of polymer material comprising the gate and the lid of the dispenser, and c) attaching the piece to the lid so that a dispenser is formed, where steps a) and b) can be carried out in any order. The compartment forming part is preferably the lid.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0036] FIG. 1 a shows an embodiment of a dispenser 1 with the plaster pack 2 with plasters 3 in pockets 16 . Plasters 3 typically comprise a rectangular strip of flexible textile or plastic material with an adhesive on one side. The pockets 16 are usually made from a paper or plastic material. Plasters 3 can be removed by a user by grabbing the protruding end of the plaster 3 and pulling to the left in FIG. 1 a through opening 9 of dispenser (i.e. pulling in the front direction, see below) as indicated by arrow marked “PULL”. Thus, the arrow marked “PULL” indicates the front direction. For the sake of simplicity only three plasters 3 are shown in FIG. 1 a. However, the plaster pack 2 may comprise any suitable number of plasters 3 . Some pockets 16 in FIG. 1 a are shown empty and does not contain a plaster 3 .
[0037] The plaster pack 2 shown in FIGS. 1 a and 1 b has the general shape of a booklet, where the pockets 16 are the “pages” of the booklet, such that at least some pockets 16 are stacked on top of each other. The plaster pack 2 has covering sheets 4 a and 4 b. The sheets 4 a 4 b are usually made in a stiff paper material or plastic material, such as for example thick paper or thin cardboard. The pockets 16 and the sheets 4 a 4 b are connected at an edge 5 which is the “spine” of the “booklet”. The connecting edge 5 is opposite from the opening of the pockets 16 . The connection between sheets 4 a and 4 b is hinged near the edge 5 such that the angle between sheets 4 a and 4 b can be changed in somewhat the same fashion as the cover of a booklet. The pockets 16 all have their openings in generally the same direction, away from the edge 5 . “Generally same direction” shall mean that the angle α ( FIG. 1 b ) between the sheets 4 a and 4 b— which limits the movement of the pockets 16 —shall be at most 45°, more preferably at most 30° when the plaster pack 2 is inserted into the dispenser. When it is referred to the “general direction of the pockets 16 ” herein, it is meant the intermediate angle between sheets 4 a and 4 b, directed from the bottom of the pocket 16 towards the opening of the pockets 16 .
[0038] One end of the plasters 3 protrudes from the pocket 16 . The adhesive side of this end of the plaster 3 is typically covered by a protective sheet, which is removed after removing the plaster 3 from the plaster pack 2 but before applying the plaster 3 on the wound.
[0039] The main body 23 of the dispenser 1 has at least one compartment 24 for housing a plaster pack 2 . The compartment 24 has a main opening 31 for inserting and removing the plaster pack 2 . The plaster pack 2 is to be inserted into the dispenser 1 with the opening of the pockets 16 facing towards opening 9 (when gate 10 is closed) and main opening 31 and the edge 5 away from opening 9 and the main opening 31 . Thus the plaster pack 2 may be removed from the dispenser in the front direction of the dispenser 1 , which is the same direction that individual plasters are removed.
[0040] The dispenser 1 has a front direction which is to the left in FIG. 1 a and 1 b. The front direction is directed from innermost part of the compartment 24 towards main opening 31 . Thus the front direction may be parallel to the general direction of the pockets 16 when the plaster pack 2 has been inserted in the dispenser 1 .
[0041] The dispenser 1 is shown with the front direction in a horizontal orientation in the figures. However, the front direction may be any direction in relation to a horizontal direction. For example, the front direction may be vertical such that plasters 3 are removed from the dispenser 1 by pulling upwards or downwards. Having a vertical front direction may be particularly useful when the dispenser 1 or first aid kit container 17 (see below) is wall mounted.
[0042] The dispenser 1 has a main axis that is in the direction of viewing in FIG. 1 a and 1 b. The main axis is perpendicular to the front direction of the dispenser 1 , and is in the same plane as the front direction.
[0043] The main body 23 of dispenser 1 may have inner surfaces or walls for supporting the plaster pack 2 or a part of plaster pack 2 . Such a surface may support at least a part of sheets 4 a and/or 4 b. In FIG. 1 a it is shown how inner surface 19 supports sheet 4 b. A side guide 29 ( FIG. 2 ) may limit the sideways mobility of the plaster pack 2 . Inner surfaces or walls may form compartment 24 .
[0044] The dispenser 1 has an opening 9 from which users can access the plasters 3 and remove them by pulling them from the pockets 16 . When a plaster 3 is pulled from the plaster pack 2 , the plaster pack 2 is held in place in the dispenser 1 by first shoulder 7 that prevents sheet 4 a from moving in the direction of pulling and second shoulder 8 that prevents sheet 4 b from moving in the direction of pulling. Front edge 20 a of sheet 4 a will be stopped by rear surface of first shoulder 7 and front edge 20 b of sheet 4 b will be stopped by rear surface of second shoulder 8 .
[0045] When inserting a plaster pack 2 into the dispenser 1 wall 6 receives edge 5 so that the plaster pack 2 does not move too far into the compartment 24 of dispenser 1 . Wall 6 may have a groove for receiving edge 5 .
[0046] Shoulders 7 and 8 and opening 9 are arranged on a gate 10 . Gate 10 is able to cover a part of main opening 31 . When gate 10 is closed, plasters 3 can be removed one by one trough opening 9 but the entire plaster pack 2 is locked between wall 6 , and shoulders 7 and 8 . In order to remove the plaster pack 2 , the gate 10 is opened, as explained below.
[0047] FIG. 2 shows an embodiment of the plaster dispenser 1 from a perspective. The ends of the plasters 3 that protrude from the pockets 16 of the plaster pack 2 are visible in FIG. 2 . The dispenser 1 , shown in drawings 2 , 3 , 5 , 6 and 8 , has two compartments 24 , each for holding one separate plaster pack 2 . Plasters 3 can be accessed from each of openings 9 a and 9 b in gate 10 when plaster packs 2 are present in both compartments 24 . However, the dispenser 2 may just as well have one compartment 24 and is then intended for one plaster pack 2 . The two plaster packs 2 of FIG. 2 has a number of pockets with plasters arranged side-by-side, which is a common manner of arranging the plaster pack 2 . The dispenser 1 may also have more than two compartments 24 . When there is more than one compartment the compartments may have separate gates 10 .
[0048] FIGS. 2 and 3 shows how shoulder 7 and shoulder 8 are connected with arms 21 to form gate 10 . Gate 10 may have a hinge 13 allowing the gate 10 to be opened to enable insertion and removal of plaster pack 2 . When the gate 10 has a hinge 13 , it may snap lock to the main body of the dispenser 23 for example with a tight fit between front edge 22 of shoulder 8 and a part of main body 23 of dispenser 1 . However, the gate 10 may lock to the main body of dispenser 23 with other types of locks, for example a spring powered mechanism. An advantage with the gate 10 having a hinge is that the gate 10 can be opened without detaching the gate 10 from the dispenser 1 , lessening the risk of misplacement of gate 10 .
[0049] The gate 10 may also be such that it is completely detachable from the main body 23 of dispenser 1 and then gate 10 may not have a hinge 13 . Gate 10 may then, for example, be attached to the main body 23 of dispenser 1 with a snap-lock mechanism, a press fit or a spring loaded locking mechanism.
[0050] The dispenser may have a lid 11 . An example of a lid 11 is shown in its open state in FIG. 2 . The lid 11 , when closed, covers the main opening 31 , opening 9 , the plaster pack 2 and the gate 10 . The purpose of lid 11 is to protect the plasters 3 from dust, moisture and other contamination.
[0051] The lid 11 can be any type of lid. For example, it may be a roll-top type lid. Preferably, however, the lid 11 is a hinged lid. Then the lid 11 can be opened by means of hinge 12 .
[0052] When both the gate 10 and the lid 11 have hinges, the hinges 12 and 13 may be non-parallel. For example hinge 12 and hinge 13 may be arranged at an angle of 90°. However, in a preferred embodiment the hinges 12 and 13 are parallel, and preferably they are parallel to the main axis of the dispenser 1 as shown in the figures.
[0053] The gate 10 and lid 11 are preferably hinged so that they swing in the same direction. This has the advantage that the gate 10 and the lid 11 does not interfere when the user is replacing the plaster pack 2 . However, the lid 11 and a hinged gate 10 may also swing in opposite directions.
[0054] FIG. 3 shows a dispenser 1 with hinged gate 10 in its open state without the plaster packs 2 . Here shoulders 7 and 8 do not prevent the movement of sheets 4 a and 4 b of plaster packs 2 (not shown). Thereby the user can remove the empty plaster pack 2 . A new plaster pack 2 may be inserted by the user either with the gate 10 open or closed. Thus, the gate 10 may be such that, when the dispenser 1 is empty, a plaster pack 2 can be inserted into compartment 24 without opening gate 10 . This may be advantageous because it saves time. Surface 19 that supports a part of sheet 4 b is visible in FIG. 3 .
[0055] FIG. 4 shows an example of the dispenser 1 with lid 11 closed.
[0056] FIG. 5 shows how the gate 10 and the lid 11 can be manufactured in one piece 25 , for example by moulding a polymer material. Hinges 12 and 13 are then preferably living hinges. Piece 25 may be attached to main body 23 by screwing or riveting through holes 26 . However piece 25 may be attached by other means, for example with glue.
[0057] Alternatively, gate 10 and lid 11 may be manufactured as separate pieces.
[0058] FIG. 6 shows a first aid kit container 17 comprising a plaster dispenser 1 . In FIG. 6 the first aid container 17 has the shape of a briefcase. However, the first aid kit container 17 may have any suitable shape. The first aid kit container 17 of FIGS. 6-8 has a main compartment 15 (see FIG. 8 ) for storing articles normally present in a first aid kit such as bandages, blood stoppers, compresses, disinfectants and pharmaceuticals. Typically main compartment 15 is larger than compartment 24 for the plaster pack 2 . Main compartment 15 may have a seal that indicates whether main compartment 15 has been opened.
[0059] The first aid kit container 17 is preferable made in a stiff and yet light material such as a polymer material or a metal such as aluminum.
[0060] The first aid kit container 17 in FIGS. 6-8 comprises two compartment forming parts 14 , 18 which form the main compartment 15 (shown in FIG. 8 ). In FIGS. 6-7 the two compartment forming parts 14 and 18 are a main compartment box 17 and a lid 18 . However, the two compartment forming parts 14 and 18 may be of equal or almost equal size, and in that case it is pointless to regard one of the two compartment forming parts 14 , 18 as a “lid”.
[0061] The first aid kit container 17 has an integrated plaster dispenser 1 . The dispenser 1 may be integrated so that the front direction of the dispenser 1 is parallel to a wall of compartment forming parts 14 or 18 . The main body 23 of the dispenser 1 may be adjacent to or integrated into a wall of the compartment forming parts 14 or 18 . Certain parts of the dispenser 1 , for example wall 6 , surface 19 and side guides 29 may be parts of compartment forming parts 14 or 18 .
[0062] The dispenser 1 is preferably arranged in the first aid kit container 17 so that opening 9 , gate 10 and main opening 31 are accessible from the outside of the main compartment 15 of first aid kit container 17 . Thus it is not necessary to access the main compartment 15 of the first aid kit container 17 in order to access the plasters 3 or to open the gate 10 to change the plaster pack 2 . Thus plaster dispenser 1 is preferably arranged in the first aid kit container so that the opening 9 , gate 10 and main opening 31 can be accessed without opening the main compartment 15 , for example by opening lid 18 .
[0063] When the opening 9 , gate 10 and main opening 31 are accessible from the outside of the main compartment 15 of the first aid kit container 17 , the dispenser 1 preferably has a lid 11 that protects the plasters 3 from dirt and moisture. The outer surface of lid 11 of dispenser 1 is, when closed, preferably continuous or almost continuous with outer surface the compartment forming parts 14 18 of first aid kit container 17 , for example continuous or almost continuous with outer surface of lid 18 as shown in FIG. 7 .
[0064] The plaster dispenser 1 may preferably be integrated into a lid 18 of the main compartment 15 . An advantage with this is that the plasters 3 will be easily accessible since the lid 18 of the first aid kit container 17 is often facing towards the user, for example when the first aid kit container 17 is lying on a surface, as shown in FIG. 6 , for example a table. Preferably the dispenser 1 is arranged such that the front direction of the dispenser 1 is parallel to the plane of the lid 18 , examples of which are shown in FIGS. 6 and 8 . This has the advantage that the dispenser 1 fits within the thickness of the lid 18 .
[0065] The dispenser 1 may be inserted in a hollow space in a compartment forming part 14 , 18 preferably the lid 18 .
[0066] As mentioned above certain parts of the dispenser 1 , for example wall 6 , surface 19 and side guides 29 may be parts of the compartment forming parts 14 , 18 in particular the lid 18 , as seen in FIG. 8 . The first aid kit container 17 with the integrated dispenser 1 may thus be such that is produced by two pieces of a polymer material: a first piece of polymer material forming a compartment forming part 14 , 18 (preferably the lid 18 ) and the compartment 24 for the plaster pack 2 , and one piece of polymer material 25 forming the gate 10 and the lid 11 . Hinges 12 and 13 are then living hinges. This provides cost-efficient production.
[0067] In an even more preferred embodiment the front direction of the dispenser 1 is parallel to a hinge (not shown) of lid 18 of first aid kit container 17 as not to interfere with handle 27 or locking mechanisms 28 . This is shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 .
[0068] Dispenser 1 and first aid kit container 17 are preferably made in a polymer material. Polypropylene and polyethylene are preferred, in particular for manufacturing of piece 25 since these materials are particularly well suited for the manufacture of a living hinge.
[0069] Piece 25 can be manufactured by injection moulding. Another suitable material for the first aid kit container 17 is EVA (ethylene-vinyl acetate), in which case a container which is somewhat less stiff is obtained.
[0070] Dispenser 1 and first aid kit container 17 may be produced by methods known in the art. Blow moulding and injection moulding are suitable methods for production. A preferred method for producing lid 18 is blow moulding. This has the advantage of forming a hollow space 30 in lid 18 at a low cost so that hollow space 30 can house dispenser 1 .
[0071] While the invention has been described with reference to specific exemplary embodiments, the description is in general only intended to illustrate the inventive concept and should not be taken as limiting the scope of the invention. The invention is generally defined by the claims.
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There is provided a plaster dispenser ( 1 ) for holding a plaster pack ( 2 ) and for removing plasters ( 3 ) individually from said plaster pack ( 2 ), which plaster pack ( 2 ) comprises a plurality of plasters ( 3 ), each accommodated in an individual pocket ( 16 ), wherein the pockets are located between first and second sheets ( 4 a 4 b ), said sheets and pockets being connected along a straight edge ( 5 ) that extends perpendicularly to the longitudinal direction of respective pockets and generally in a respective main plane of said pockets, said plaster dispenser ( 1 ) comprising: a) a first wall ( 6 ) limiting the movement of the plaster pack ( 2 ) in a direction opposite to the front direction; b) a first shoulder ( 7 ) limiting the movement of the first sheet part ( 4 a ) in the front direction; c) a second shoulder ( 8 ) limiting the movement of the second sheet part ( 4 b ) in the front direction; d) an opening ( 9 ) for removing individual plasters ( 3 ) from the plaster pack in the front direction; characterized in that the dispenser comprises a gate ( 10 ) comprising said opening ( 9 ) for removing individual plasters ( 3 ), said gate ( 10 ) further comprising said first ( 7 ) and second ( 8 ) shoulders, wherein said gate ( 10 ) can be opened so that the said movement of first and second sheets ( 4 a 4 b ) is no longer limited in the front direction, to make it possible to remove the plaster pack ( 2 ) from the dispenser ( 1 ). There is also provided a first aid kit container comprising a dispenser according to the invention.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This is a continuation of my prior application Ser. No. 13/219,580, filed Aug. 26, 2011 now pending.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates generally to methods and surgical procedures for treating sleep-disordered breathing, and particularly to an endoscopic nasal palatoplasty procedure using an instrument inserted endonasally to perform procedures on the soft palate and/or uvula.
[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0005] Various breathing problems are well known to result in corresponding difficulties in sleep, including snoring, sleep apnea, restless sleep and corresponding daytime somnolence. These various problems are not only difficult for the subject, but for the sleeping partner of the subject as well. Reduced oxygenation due to breathing interruption during more severe episodes is particularly problematic, and extreme cases have been known to result in hypertension, cardiac arrhythmia, and even death due to breathing cessation during apnea.
[0006] The physical causes of the above problems are reasonably well understood, ranging from nasal turbinate hypertrophy to lingual and maxillary displacement to a narrowing of the pharynx due to partial obstruction by the soft palate and/or uvula. The latter syndrome is particularly likely when the soft palate and/or uvula are more flaccid than normal. Oral breathing to overcome this, particularly during sleep, tends to result in inferior and/or posterior displacement of the mandible and the base of the tongue, thereby exacerbating the problem.
[0007] Accordingly, a number of treatments have been developed over the years. Generally, less invasive treatments are attempted initially, e.g., continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP). However, when such treatment is ineffective, surgical treatment is often called for. Such surgical treatment may comprise one or more of a large number of different procedures, including septoplasty, turbinoplasty, tonsillectomy and/or adenoidectomy, uvulopalatopharyngoplasty, and/or possibly other procedures.
[0008] One such procedure comprises modification of the soft palate and/or uvula to stiffen these organs and to reduce their posterior displacement. This has been conventionally accomplished in the past by means of the placement of small implants in the soft palate, or by cauterizing or ablating the soft palate and/or uvula tissue to produce scarring of those tissues and to reduce their flaccidity. This may also result in some reduction in the size and/or posterior extension of these organs. These surgical procedures have been accomplished conventionally by accessing the inferior surface(s) of the soft palate and/or uvula through the mouth of the patient. The problem with accessing these structures orally is that the treatment is applied to the inferior surfaces of the organs, thus tending in many cases to draw the soft palate and/or uvula downward. This oral access technique may also result in some destruction of the oral mucosa, which is not desirable.
[0009] Thus, an endoscopic nasal palatoplasty procedure solving the aforementioned problems is desired.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0010] The endoscopic nasal palatoplasty operation or procedure provides a surgical correction of the soft palate and/or uvula, resulting in some anterior displacement to at least the posterior portions of these organs due to tissue shrinkage after treatment. This opens up the nasopharyngeal region to promote nasal breathing and reduce oral breathing, thereby reducing snoring, sleep apnea, and other sleep-disordered breathing problems. However, rather than accessing the inferior surfaces of the soft palate and uvula through the mouth, the present endoscopic nasal palatoplasty procedure accesses the superior surface(s) of the soft palate and/or uvula by means of one of the nasal passages of the patient. The lesions formed by this surgery tend to draw the posterior portions of the soft palate and/or uvula forward, thereby increasing the size of the nasopharyngeal passage. The flaccidity of the soft palate and/or uvula are also reduced, thus increasing their resistance to oral airflow that might otherwise deflect them toward the nasal air passage to promote oral breathing.
[0011] Various surgical tools or implements may be used to perform the endoscopic nasal palatoplasty of the present invention, as desired. A preferred implement is a Coblator® (“coblator” is a registered trademark of ArthroCare Corporation of Austin, Tex.), a surgical instrument produced by ArthroCare® ENT of Sunnyvale, Calif. The Coblator® is a dual-function implement. The extreme distal tip of the instrument produces a plasma that ablates the tissue into which the tip is inserted, thereby forming a channel in the tissue. Another element displaced from the extreme distal tip creates heat that results in coagulation of the ablative lesion to complete the treatment. Other surgical implements may be used in lieu of the Coblator®, e.g., an electro cauterizing implement, laser cauterizing implement, or other similar device. The endoscopic nasal palatoplasty procedure may be performed as a stand-alone procedure, or along with other related conventional surgical procedures, such as septoplasty and/or turbinoplasty during the same operating session.
[0012] The penetration of the instrument tip substantially through the thickness of the soft palate and/or uvula results in the organs drawing or shrinking generally uniformly in an anterior direction, thereby increasing the space between the posterior surface of the uvula and the back of the nasopharyngeal passage to encourage nasal breathing and reduce oral breathing. This reduction in oral breathing produces a corresponding reduction in sleep-disordered breathing syndrome, thus providing relief for the patient and his or her sleep partner.
[0013] These and other features of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0014] FIG. 1 is a prior art diagrammatic view of the anatomy of the lower portion of the human head, illustrating an exemplary restricted airway gap to be treated by the endoscopic nasal palatoplasty procedure according to the present invention.
[0015] FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic view of the anatomy of the lower portion of the human head similar to FIG. 1 , illustrating the placement of a surgical implement through one of the nasal passages to access the superior surface of the soft palate and/or uvula for performing the endoscopic nasal palatoplasty procedure of the present invention to relieve the obstruction of FIG. 1 .
[0016] FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic view in section of the anatomy of the lower portion of the human head similar to FIGS. 1 and 2 , illustrating the widened airway gap between the soft palate and uvula and the back of the throat after the endoscopic nasal palatoplasty procedure of the present invention.
[0017] FIG. 4 is a flowchart briefly describing the steps of a method of performing an endoscopic nasal palatoplasty according to the present invention.
[0018] Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the attached drawings.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0019] The endoscopic nasal palatoplasty is a surgical procedure adapted to treat the soft palate and/or uvula to promote their forward contracture, thereby further opening the space between the posterior portion of the uvula and the nasopharynx. The operation or procedure is adapted to treat the superior or upper surfaces of the soft palate and/or uvula, rather than the lower or inferior surfaces, as is conventionally done. The procedure may be performed under local anesthetic and/or on an outpatient or office treatment basis, depending upon the specific number of procedures to be performed and the judgment of the surgeon.
[0020] FIG. 1 of the drawings is a prior art diagrammatic view of the anatomy of the lower and forward portion of an exemplary human head H having a reduced nasopharyngeal passage NP due to the posterior displacement of the soft palate SP and/or uvula U. The reduction in the area of the nasopharyngeal passage NP results in restricted airflow through the nose and corresponding greater airflow through the mouth, particularly during sleep. The oral airflow often results in vibration of the soft palate and/or uvula during sleep, i.e., snoring and other sleep related problems. Oral breathing may also result in various other problems, e.g., posterior displacement of the base of the tongue, inferior mandibular displacement, etc., all of which exacerbate sleep problems.
[0021] FIG. 2 of the drawings illustrates treatment of the soft palate SP by endoscopic nasal palatoplasty. FIG. 4 provides a flowchart briefly describing the steps in the method of carrying out the endoscopic nasal palatoplasty. The patient is initially prepared for the operation or surgical procedure in the conventional manner, generally as indicated in the first step 100 of FIG. 4 . The specific steps involved in the preparation will depend upon the specific surgical procedures to be performed. For example, it may have been determined that the patient needs other surgery in addition to the endoscopic nasal palatoplasty procedure, such as septoplasty and/or some form of turbinoplastic procedure.
[0022] The appropriate surgical implements will be prepared for surgery, the specific surgical implements also depending upon the specific surgical procedure or procedures to be performed. In the case of the endoscopic nasal palatoplasty procedure, the preferred endoscopic surgical instrument or implement is the Coblator®, an electrical surgical implement manufactured by ArthroCare® ENT of Sunnyvale, Calif. The Coblator® is capable of producing a plasma field around the tip of the wand by generating radio frequency mediated through a fluid, such as saline, thereby ablating the surrounding tissue when inserted therein. Lower power may be provided to the device to produce coagulation of the lesion formed, if desired. Other conventional electrical and/or electronic surgical implements or instruments producing coagulation and/or cauterization may be used in lieu of the Coblator®, e.g., electro thermal and laser surgical implements.
[0023] When the patient and the instrument or instruments have been readied in accordance with the surgical procedure or procedures to be performed, the surgical procedure or procedures are performed. In many cases it may be necessary to perform some other surgical procedure or procedures prior to the endoscopic nasal palatoplasty procedure, e.g., septoplasty to correct the position of the nasal septum and/or turbinoplasty to correct some aspect of the nasal turbinates. These additional operations or procedures are indicated in the optional second step 102 of the flowchart of FIG. 4 , as they will not be required in every instance.
[0024] At this point, the endoscopic nasal palatoplasty procedure is performed. As the name of the procedure indicates, the endoscopic implement 10 (e.g., Coblator®, etc.) is inserted through one of the nasal passages N of the patient and the distal tip of the wand 12 is positioned as desired. (Various other procedures are performed prior to insertion of the wand, e.g., treating the tip of the wand with a saline solution for better electro conductivity, but such procedures are conventional in the use of the device.) The drawing of FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary procedure in which the distal tip of the wand 12 is repeatedly inserted into the superior surface of the soft palate SP to form a series of lesions 14 . When a plasma-forming implement, such as the Coblator®, is used, each insertion and activation of the device results in the ablation of immediately adjacent tissue and formation of a small channel in the tissue at each penetration as a result of the plasma discharge within the tissue. Other electrical surgical implements may coagulate and/or cauterize the tissue, so that the end result is contracture of the treated tissue toward the area treated due to the necrosis and fibrosis resulting from the surgical treatment. This also results in reduction in the extent or size of the treated tissue or organ and a stiffening of the treated organ, thereby reducing the flaccidity of the tissue and enlarging the nasopharyngeal passage.
[0025] The distal tip of the wand 12 is inserted into the tissue for a depth on the order of one centimeter in accordance with the judgment of the surgeon, and the distal tip of the wand 12 is charged electrically for a period of about five to ten seconds, again in accordance with the judgment of the surgeon. The depth of penetration of the distal tip of the wand 12 and the duration of application are conventional steps in the method of using the Coblator® or other electrical surgical implement.
[0026] The treatment is repeated a plurality of times, in accordance with the judgment of the surgeon, as indicated by the completed lesions 14 formed in the superior surface of the soft palate SP, indicated by the small dots shown on that surface in FIG. 2 . The penetrations of the superior surface of the soft palate SP are preferably carried out according to a predetermined plan or pattern. Preferably, a series of four to five such lesions are formed in a lateral row to each side of the soft palate SP, a total of eight to ten lesions per row, with multiple rows being formed and extending posteriorly from the juncture of the soft palate SP with the hard palate HP to the uvula U. (It will be noted that the surgical implement is removed and inserted through either nostril N according to the side of the soft palate SP upon which the treatment is being performed, during the duration of the procedure.) This part of the procedure is indicated generally by the fourth step 106 of the flowchart of FIG. 4 .
[0027] In many instances, similar treatment of the superior surface of the uvula U may be indicated in lieu of or in addition to treatment of the superior surface of the soft palate SP described above. This may be accomplished in a similar manner to the procedure described above for treatment of the soft palate SP, i.e., preparation of the surgical implement as required, insertion of the wand of the implement through either nasal passage of the patient depending upon the lateral aspect of the uvula to be treated (both sides will typically be treated symmetrically, the surgical implement being removed and reinserted through the appropriate nasal passage), and penetration and electrical activation of the wand of the implement in accordance with the judgment of the surgeon. The result is the formation of a series of uvular lesions 16 on the superior surface of the uvula U, generally as indicated in FIG. 2 of the drawings. The resulting necrosis and fibrosis results in reduction in the extent or size of the treated tissue or organ and a stiffening of the uvula, thereby reducing the flaccidity of the tissue and enlarging the nasopharyngeal passage.
[0028] When the surgical procedure on the superior surface of the soft palate SP and/or uvula U has been completed, the surgical implement 10 with its wand 12 is withdrawn from the nasal passage NP of the patient and the patient is monitored during recovery, generally as indicated by the fifth and sixth steps 108 and 110 of the flowchart of FIG. 4 . The various lesions 14 and/or 16 formed in the superior surfaces of the soft palate SP and/or uvula U in accordance with the procedure result in contraction and stiffening of the treated tissues or organs, as noted further above. The contracted soft palate and/or uvular tissues result in the enlargement of the nasopharyngeal passage, as indicated by the enlarged passage NP 2 shown in FIG. 4 , which represents the affected areas after treatment.
[0029] The increased area of the enlarged nasopharyngeal passage NP 2 , along with the reduction in flaccidity of the treated soft palate SP and/or uvula U, greatly enhance nasal aspiration and greatly reduce or eliminate vibration of the subject tissues, particularly during sleep, thereby providing greater comfort and freer breathing during sleep for the treated patient. Moreover, accessing the soft palate and/or uvula through the nasal passages obviates the need for an oral procedure where other nasal procedures (e.g., septoplasty and turbinoplasty) are also performed, thus leaving the oral passage intact during the healing of the nasal and/or superior surfaces of the soft palate and/or uvula and obviating disturbance or damage to the oral mucosa during the operating procedure.
[0030] It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims.
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The endoscopic nasal palatoplasty procedure provides a reduction in the posterior aspect of the soft palate and/or uvula, thereby increasing the area of the nasopharyngeal passage between the soft palate and/or uvula and the back of the nasopharynx. This increased nasopharyngeal area promotes nasal breathing, thereby reducing reliance upon oral breathing and corresponding sleep-disordered breathing syndrome and associated problems such as sleep apnea and snoring. The procedure is performed using a conventional surgical implement, such as a Coblator® or other electro cauterizing or laser cauterizing implement, to ablate and cauterize a series of lesions in the soft palate and/or uvula. The procedure is performed by inserting the surgical implement through one of the nasal passages to access the superior surface of the soft palate and/or uvula.
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This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 861,641, filed Dec. 19, 1977, now abandoned.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
It is known to use strands of oleophilic, hydrophobic polypropylene in a mop to sorb and collect oil from an oil-water mixture. U.S. Pat. No. 3,748,682 shows such an application of polypropylene strands. The referenced patent also references U.S. Pat. No. 3,668,118 on a similar subject matter. The mop is fabricated of lengths of 2.0 mils thick by one-eighth inch wide strips of polypropylene joined at the midpoint to form an oil mop.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention teaches an oil sorber which can be shaped into a mass adapted to attachment to a handle or can be used without a handle to sorb oil either alone or in an oil-water mixture. The oil sorber of the present invention represents a substantial improvement over oil sorber mops made of a plurality of strands of polypropylene material.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a narrow strip of plastic netting preferably of polypropylene is wound into a loose skein. The skein is secured by a suitable binding means such as wire, plastic string, or the like at at least one point on the perimeter.
The amount of oil picked up by a given weight of sorber is important since it defines the amount of material needed for accomplishing a given amount of sorption. The applicant has discovered that the use of a mesh-type plastic sorber material exhibits a surprisingly large increase in short term oil retention as compared to strips of material having an equivalent weight. This increase in short term oil retention appears to be due to the oil temporarily bridging the openings in the mesh. This phenomenon is not exhibited by the prior art oil sorbers made of strands of plastic. The improvement in sorption is even greater with heavy oil.
The bridging phenomenon has the additional useful property that it is a short term effect. Thus, the oil can be sorbed, removed with the sorbent mass and placed for example in a barrel to be drained or squeezed out as for example by wringing.
The plastic netting suitable for use in the present invention is a well-known material and is not something that we have discovered. Plastic netting may be formed according to a number of known processes, see for example U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,674,898, 3,917,889, 3,700,521, 3,252,181 and 3,384,692. In each of these patents there is a disclosure of forming an extruded net with two sets of strands which cross at an angle. After initial formation, the nets are oriented to stretch the sets of strands. With so-called "diamond mesh" net such as produced under U.S. Pat. No. 2,919,467, the orientation can be carried out by rope form stretching as described herein. With so-called "square mesh" nets such as are disclosed in the other patents mentioned above, orientation is suitably carried out in successive stages in a drafter and tenter as disclosed, for example, in British Pat. No. 1,235,901.
In accordance with the present invention, it is preferred to use a biaxially oriented net (i.e. all strands have been oriented) weighing from about 1/2 to about 5 pounds per 1,000 square foot. The nets suitably have from 1 to 10 strands per lineal inch in each direction and preferably have from 2 to 5 strands per inch. It will be appreciated that rectangular mesh nets in which there are more strands per inch in one direction than there are in another direction. It will also be appreciated that nets having more than two sets of strands can be employed if desired.
The strips of net from which the oil sorber of the present invention are formed are preferably less than about 2 feet wide and are suitably from about 2 inches to about 10 inches. The minimum width of the net strips is a width of at least 3 interstices. For example, if there are 3 interstices per lineal inch of net in the width direction, the minimum width would be 1 inch. The length of the net strip is of little consequence. As hereinafter described, the net is suitably formed as a skein and is preferably formed from one continuous length of net. However, the oil sorber of the present invention could be formed by bridging together a number of strips of suitable length, e.g. 1 foot. Such a structure made from a plurality of strips of net could be bound in the middle or at either or both ends.
In the biaxial orientation of square mesh net in a drafter followed by a tenter, the edge of the net is usually grabbed in the tenter by clips or pins, a process well known in the art. This will leave part of the edge of the unoriented in the transverse direction as a result of which this edge strip is usually cut off. The width of this strip is about 4 to 8 inches. Even though the net is not completely oriented in the transverse (width) direction, this material is very suitable for use in the present invention. In fact, this edge material is normally considered to be an undesirable scrap which must be disposed of and the present invention provides an excellent use for this material which would otherwise be wasted.
The particular material from which the oil sorber of the present invention is formed is not critical so long as it is a material which is oleophilic and hydrophobic and can be formed into a flexible net-like structure. Preferred materials are polyethylene and polypropylene because of their relatively low cost and common usage but other materials such as copolymers of the foregoing, other polyolefins, nylons, esters such as polyethylene terephthalate, polytetramethylene terephthalate and the like, may also be employed.
These and other features of the present invention may be more fully understood with respect to the accompanying drawings and the following description of the drawings and examples of use of the present invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 shows a strip of plastic net material.
FIG. 2 shows a skein of plastic net material.
FIG. 3 shows an apparatus for winding the skein of FIG. 2.
FIG. 4 shows a plan view of the skein winder.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring to FIG. 1 a strip of netting is shown at 10. The netting is a continuous strip in which the lateral edges have been severed through the netting strands leaving bristles 12 extending outward from the main body 14 of the strip 10. The small bristles 12 are useful in that they provide a roughness which is useful in providing mild abrasion against oil coated surfaces to mechanically dislodge and then sorb oil soaked dirt. This structure is particularly useful, for example, in scrubbing an oil coated boat hull and for cleaning the interior of oil tanks and bilges. In accordance with the present invention there are at least three (3) interstices in the transverse dirction A.
FIG. 2 shows a skein 16 made up of a strip of the netting of FIG. 1 loosely wound and secured at at least one location, suitably by tie 18. While one tie (or other binding means) is preferred, two or more may be used if desired. However, it is preferably that the net strips be left relatively loose with respect to each other so that they are slightly spaced and oil can be picked up which bridge adjacent, closely spaced, strips.
The tie is suitably wire, plastic string or a metal band. Other binding means can be used for securing the netting, e.g. a collar around one end, heat sealing of adjacent strips to each other, etc. Furthermore, the skein can be used in this fashion or it can be cut as indicated by the dashed line at 20 to form a mop-like structure of a plurality of strips. Oil sorbers, whether or not cut, can be secured by a mop handle (not shown), if desired, clamping the skein in the vicinity of the tie 18. Alternatively, the netting may be scramble wound. In fact, it has been found that when at least 50% of the loop strips have at least one twist in the middle the resulting structure appears to have even greater oil retention capability.
Turning now to FIG. 3, there is shown a skein winder 26 which may contain a drive motor and pulleys and shafts (not shown). At one side of the base 28 are first and second sprockets 30, 30a for holding reels 32, 32a to allow access to the interior. The covers 34 may be of metal, metal mesh, or plastic and are provided to protect the operator from injury due to contact with moving components therein.
Referring now to FIG. 4 there is shown a plan view of a winder reel 38 which is visible upon opening either cover 34 or 34a. The winder reel 38 has a driven axis 40 and a plurality of arms 42 terminating in vertical members 44. One of the arms 42 contains a release mechanism 46 such as a hinge 48 which enables removal of the skein after it is wound. The vertical members can be spools, round pegs or saddle shaped wires with the concave side facing outward.
To wind a skein, the netting is attached to one of the vertical members while winder reel 38 is stopped. The winder reel 38 is then started either manually or automatically, preferably by an interlock with the cover 34 or 34a. A linear measurement device, timer or weighing mechanism is used to limit the amount of netting in a skein. When a skein winding is completed, it may be tied by hand but is preferably automatically tied using automatic tying mechanism 56 of a type of well known in the art. Referring again to FIG. 4, a timer 50 is illustrated as the limiting mechanism. The timer is controlled by timing switches 52, 52a interlocked with the covers 34, 34a respectively. The timer operates cutters 54, 54a which automatically sever the netting strip. The skein winders 38 may be operated simultaneously or alternatively. If operated alternatively, one skein may be winding while the operator attaches the end of the netting to the other skein winder.
Where it is desired to have twists in at least some of the loops of the skein in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention, this can be accomplished by rotating the axis of reels 32 and 32a so that they are positioned transverse to the direction of feed and simultaneously holding the reels stationary. In this way, the net which is pulled off the reels will inherently be twisted as it is unwound.
Obviously, means other than the apparatus just described can be used for preparation of the oil sorber of the present invention. For example, the material may be gathered by hand and then tied off.
In a specific example according to the present invention, an oil sorber was prepared from a strip of plastic net which was approximately 6 inches in width. The net was a polypropylene square mesh net weighing approximately 1 pound per 1,000 square feet and having three stands per lineal inch in each of the transverse and longitudinal dimensions, i.e. there were 9 interstices per square inch of metal. The oil sorber was made on the apparatus hereinbefore described and the finished structure contained approximately 180 square feet of net. Loops of the oil sorber were approximately 36 inches in dimension and a single wire tie was used to hold the loops together. The net strip was a single continuous strip and the formed plurality of loops was bound together with a metal wire tie.
This oil sorber was compared to a commercially available oil sorber made according to U.S. Pat. No. 3,784,682.
The following table illustrates the oil sorbent performance of the present invention and compares it to the performance of the oil sorber disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,748,682.
______________________________________POUNDS OF OIL PER POUND OF SORBERMeasured After Measured After5 Second Drain 60 Second DrainFuel U.S. Pat. No. U.S. Pat. No.Oil Applicant 3,748,682 Applicant 3,748,682______________________________________No. 6 158# 51# 68# 25#No. 5 87# 35# 23# 14#______________________________________
The oil sorbed after five seconds of draining is 2-3 times as great as the reference sorber and remains so after sixty seconds of draining. It is pointed out that a drain time of 5 seconds is used for the initial measurement since it is, of course, impossible to make an "instantaneous measurement" and 5 seconds has been found to give repeatable results.
It will be understood that the claims are intended to cover all changes and modifications of the preferred embodiments of the invention, herein chosen for the purpose of illustration which do not constitute departures from the spirit and scope of the invention.
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A mass of net-like material of oleophilic, hydrophobic netting material is formed from strips of netting secured into a loose mass. Oil contacting the mass is sorbed by the strands and tends to bridge the openings in the net-like material to increase the short term oil pick up capacity.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method of stabilizing an alkaline aqueous solution of thiourea dioxide.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Thiourea dioxide, which is also called aminoiminomethanesulfinic acid or formamidinesulfinic acid, is sold on the market industrially and is available as a white powder superior in preservative stability and having neither oxidizing property nor reducing property.
Thiourea dioxide displays reducing property when an aqueous solution thereof is made alkaline or heated, and its reducing power is very large. Besides, as compared with conventional reducing agents, e.g. sodium hydrosulfite, thiourea dioxide as powder or aqueous solution is superior in stability and scarcely produces a bad smell.
Such characteristic features of thiourea dioxide allow this substance to be used in various fields, including its application to the textile industry, for example as a reducing agent for vat dyes, a reduction clearing agent for fibers dyed with disperse dyes, a decoloring agent for fibers dyed with various dyes, a tank detergent for dyeing machines, a shrink-proofing agent for keratin fibers, a bleaching agent for protein fibers, polyamide fibers and phenolic resin fibers, a decolorizing agent to be used in the manufacturing process for polyacrylonitrile fibers and polyvinyl alcohol fibers, a white discharge printing agent for various dyes, a colored discharge printing agent, and a color fastness improver; and also its application as a pulp bleaching agent, an antioxidant for organic amines, a polymerization catalyst, a photographic sensitizing aid, an ingredient of cleaning materials, a reducing agent for metal ions, and reducing agents of organic compounds, for example as nitro compounds to hydrazo compounds or amines, ketones to secondary alcohols, aldehydes to primary alcohols, and disulfides to thiols.
Thiourea dioxide is in many cases used as an alkaline aqueous solution to display its reducing power effectively. And as alkalis there are used from strong alkalis such as caustic soda and caustic potash up to even alkali salts of weak acids such as phosphoric acid, polymerized phosphoric acid, carbonic acid, boric acid and organic acid. However, an aqueous solution of thiourea dioxide becomes easily decomposable with increasing strength of alkali. For example, a solution of thiourea dioxide dissolved in a concentrated solution of caustic soda which is one of strong alkalis decomposes gradually to a larger extent when left standing for a long time even at room temperature, and its reducing power becomes lower. Thus, in a strong alkali solution the use of thiourea dioxide often causes troubles in point of practical application, though its use in a weak alkali solution does not bring about so much decomposition thereof and so scarcely causes problem in practical application. In case thiourea dioxide and a strong alkali are dissolved together in advance and this solution is used little by little, the reducing power of the solution just after preparation differs from that after a certain elapse of time, and in the latter case it is required to use an extra amount of the solution in order to obtain the same effect.
To solve such a problem there have heretofore been adopted a method in which the solution is made concentrated beforehand in anticipation of decomposition, a method in which the solution only in a required amount is prepared just before use, and a method in which thiourea dioxide as powder is fed to a predetermined place. However, all these methods involve problems in point of economy, work and environment.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Having made various experiments and studies to prevent the decomposition of thiourea dioxide in an alkaline aqueous solution, we found that aliphatic and alicyclic ketones, as well as aliphatic dialdehydes, could afford an excellent stabilization effect and serve as an extremely advantageous stabilizer in practical application.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The present invention was accomplished on the basis of the above finding, and it provides an alkaline aqueous solution of thiourea dioxide which is stable over a long period of time. According to the present invention, even an aqueous thiourea dioxide solution containing a strong alkali such as caustic soda can become capable of suppressing the decomposition of thiourea dioxide by addition of one or more substances selected from aliphatic and alicyclic ketones and aliphatic dialdehydes.
To exemplify aliphatic ketones which may be used in the present invention, mention may be made of the following: acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, diethyl ketone, methyl isobutyl ketone, hydroxyacetone, propionylcarbinol, acetoin, diacetone alcohol, acetonylacetone, acetylacetone, diacetyl, and dipropionyl. Examples of alicyclic ketones are cyclohexanone, cyclopentanone, cyclohexanedione, methylcyclohexanone, and dimethylcyclohexanone.
As aliphatic dialdehydes there may be used, for example, glyoxal, malondialdehyde, succindialdehyde, glutaraldehyde, adipic dialdehyde, and maleindialdehyde.
Even if aliphatic and alicyclic ketones and aliphatic dialdehydes are used alone, they display effect, but they may also be used in combination. It is desirable that these substances are used in amounts above 0.1 mol and specially preferably from 1 to 3 moles per mol of thiourea dioxide.
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The following examples are given to further illustrate the present invention. In these examples the concentration of thiourea dioxide was measured by the improved Knecht method, a hydrosulfite and anaylsis method, described in "Melliand Textilber, vol, 52, p. 1069 (1971)".
EXAMPLE 1
An alkaline aqueous solution of thiourea dioxide containing 10 g/l of thiourea dioxide, 30 g/l of caustic soda and a predetermined amount of a stabilizer was prepared and placed in a flask with ground stopper. The flask was dipped in a constant temperature water bath at 30° C., and the solution was sampled with the lapse of time to measure the concentration of thiourea dioxide. The decomposition rate was calculated for each stabilizer and the results of the calculation are shown in Table 1.
On the other hand, the same procedure as above was repeated with the proviso that any stabilizer was not used. The results of measurement of the decomposition rate are shown as Comparative Example in Table 1.
Table 1______________________________________Stabilizer Decomposition Rate (%)Kind Amount after 2 hrs. after 5 hrs.______________________________________ Acetone 1 ml/l 13 30Acetone 5 ml/l 6 13Acetone 10 ml/l 3 6Acetone 20 ml/l 2 4Methyl isobutyl ketone 10 ml/l 4 10Diacetone alcohol 20 ml/l 2 6Cyclohexanone 5 ml/l 7 18Cyclohexanone 10 ml/l 6 16Glutaraldehyde 5 g/l 10 24Glutaraldehyde 15 g/l 5 13Glyoxal 5 g/l 7 25Methyl ethyl ketone 5 ml/l 5 12Acetoin 5 ml/lMethylcyclohexanone 5 ml/l 7 17Glutaraldehyde 5 g/lComparative Example 16 38______________________________________
EXAMPLE 2
An alkaline aqueous solution of thiourea dioxide containing 10 g/l of thiourea dioxide, 10 ml/l of acetone and caustic soda in amounts shown in Table 2 was prepared and maintained at 30° C. in a flask as in Example 1. After 5 hours, the decomposition rate was measured, the results of which are shown in Table 2.
On the other hand, the same procedure as above was repeated with the proviso that acetone was not used. The results of measurement of the decomposition rate are shown as Comparative Example in Table 2.
Table 2______________________________________Amount of Decomposition Rate (%)caustic soda Example of the Comparative(g/l) present invention Example______________________________________1 1 75 2 1315 4 2230 6 38______________________________________
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According to this invention, there is provided a method of stabilizing an alkaline aqueous solution of thiourea dioxide characterized in that one or more substances selected from the group consisting of aliphatic ketones, alicyclic ketones and aliphatic dialdehydes are added to the said alkaline aqueous solution of thiourea dioxide.
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This is a continuation of International Application No. PCT/EP98/03024, with an international filing date of May 19, 1998, designating the United States of America, presently pending, but expressly abandoned after the filing and acceptance of the present application. This application claims priority of European Patent Application No. 97201511.9 filed May 21, 1997.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a coating composition, a method of applying the same, and a coated substrate comprising the same.
Coatings used for painting motor vehicles and repairing the original paint are required to have good physical properties such as hardness, mechanical strength, and resistance to water, acids, and solvents. The coatings are also required to have good appearance properties, which means that films must be smooth and have a high gloss and high distinctness of image. It is also desirable that all properties are retained under prolonged outdoor weathering.
A large number of cars and transport vehicles are coated with a multilayer topcoat system wherein an unpigmented clearcoat is applied over a pigmented basecoat. Both solvent borne and water borne clearcoats and basecoats are in use. So-called metallic basecoats comprise metallic flakes.
For environmental reasons, it is required to use a coating composition which can be applied easily using spray application at a low volatile organic content (VOC). Coatings with a lower organic solvent content emit lower levels of solvent when they are used and so the atmosphere becomes less polluted.
One way to achieve a lower solvent content is to use so-called high-solids compositions. Such compositions comprise a relatively high level of non-volatile materials such as film forming polymer, pigments, and fillers, and a relatively low level of organic solvent. A problem when formulating high-solids coating compositions is that such compositions have an unacceptably high viscosity due to the high molecular weight of the conventional film forming polymer. The high viscosity gives rise to problems in spray application with poor paint atomization and poor flow-out and, consequently, low gloss levels and poor appearance.
The use of low-molecular weight film forming polymers, which results in adequate application viscosities, has as a disadvantage that the resulting coating is soft and marks easily. The hardness build-up of the coating is therefore unacceptable. Furthermore, when used in a clearcoat composition, due to the solvency of the low-molecular weight film forming polymers, basecoat properties will suffer from strike-in effect, i.e. discolouration of the basecoat due to its salvation by the clearcoat composition.
Low VOC coating compositions are disclosed in EP-A-0 676 431. In this patent application 1,4-cyclohexane dimethanol is mentioned as a component in a coating composition with a VOC of less than 500 g/l. Unfortunately, coating compositions comprising 1,4-cyclohexane dimethanol appear to have an unfavourable pot life/drying balance. Additionally, when the coating composition disclosed in EP-A-0 676 431 is applied as a clearcoat on a basecoat, the basecoat properties will suffer from the above-mentioned strike-in effect.
Japanese patent application JP 59784-96 discloses a resin composition comprising an acrylic polymer, a polyisocyanate, and a diol. These acrylic polymers have a hydroxy value of 34 and 39. Accordingly, the resulting coating composition will be very flexible and non-resistant to water, acids, and solvents. Thus, the disclosed resin composition is unsuitable as a coating composition for car (re)finish applications.
Accordingly, there is a need for a coating composition which combines all the required properties, such as good thinnability, low VOC, good mixing properties, and low application viscosities, and results in a coating with fast drying times at low temperatures, high film hardness, easy polishability, good resistance to water, acids, and solvents, and excellent durability. When used as a clearcoat, properties such as a low strike-in effect to the basecoat and good transparency are also required.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a coating composition with the above-mentioned properties comprising a hydroxy group-containing film forming polymer with a hydroxy value between 75 and 300 mg KOH/g solid resin, a polyisocyanate compound, and a diol of the general formula HO—CH 2 —CR(C 2 H 5 )—CH 2 —OH, wherein R is an alkyl group having 3-6 carbon atoms.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
R in the above-mentioned diol can be linear or branched propyl, butyl, pentyl, and hexyl. Examples of R are n-propyl, isopropyl, n-butyl, isobutyl, sec-butyl, n-pentyl, n-hexyl, and the like. Preferably, R is n-butyl, the preferred diol thus being 2-n-butyl-2-ethyl-1,3-propane diol.
The diol of the present invention can be added at any stage in the preparation of the coating composition. If solid, the diol can be added as a solid or a melt to a dispersion comprising the hydroxy group-containing film forming polymer, preferably at temperatures above the melting temperature of the solid diol.
The coating composition can also comprise a polyester or polyurethane having units derived from the above-mentioned diol. The polyesters or polyurethanes may contain more than 20% by weight, preferably more than 40% by weight, of units derived from the diol of the invention.
Preferred polyesters have a hydroxyl number of 75 to 350 mg KOH/g solid resin, more preferably in the range of 100 to 300 and an acid value of less than 50 mg KOH/g solid resin, preferably less than 30. The preferred number average molecular weight ranges from 300 to 3000, more preferably from 350 to 1500, as measured by gel permeation chromatography. Preferred polyurethanes have a hydroxyl number of 50 to 300 mg KOH/g solid resin, more preferably in the range of 100 to 300. The preferred number average molecular weight ranges from 300 to 3000, more preferably from 300 to 1500, as measured by gel permeation chromatography. It is preferred that the polyesters and polyurethanes have a hydroxy functionality of 2 to 4.
The polyesters are the condensation product of the diol of the invention with polycarboxylic acid(s) or with the reaction product of polyalcohol(s) and polycarboxylic acid(s). Such polyesters are produced according to well known condensation techniques.
Examples of suitable polycarboxylic acids or derivatives thereof are succinic anhydride, adipic acid, dimethyl adipate, tetrahydrophthalic anhydride, hexahydrophthalic anhydride, methyl hexahydrophthalic anhydride, 1,4-cyclohexane dicarboxylic acid, phthalic anhydride, isophthalic anhydride, trimellitic anhydride, and mixtures thereof.
Examples of suitable polyalcohols are glycerol, pentaerythritol, trimethylol propane, ditrimethylol propane, neopentyl glycol, 1,4-cyclohexane dimethanol, 1,2-propane diol, 2-methyl-1,3-propane diol, the monoester of neopentyl glycol and hydroxy pivalic acid, 2,2,4-trimethyl-1,3-pentane diol, 1,6-hexane diol, and dimethylol propionic acid, and mixtures thereof.
The polyurethanes are the condensation product of the diol of the invention with polyisocyanate(s) or with the reaction product of polyalcohol(s) and polyisocyanate(s). Such polyurethanes are produced according to well known condensation techniques. A preferred method consists of adding polyisocyanate(s) to the diol of the present invention and, optionally, polyalcohol(s) at a temperature in the range from 15 to 100° C., optionally in the presence of a catalyst.
Polyisocyanates useful herein comprise polyisocyanate having two or more, preferably two to four isocyanate groups. Examples of the preferred polyisocyanates include toluene diisocyanate, methylene bis(4-cyclohexyl isocyanate), isophorone diisocyanate and its isocyanurate, hexamethylene diisocyanate and its isocyanurate, biuret, uretdione, and allophanate, para- and meta-α,α,α′,α′-tetramethyl xylylene diisocyanate and the adduct thereof with trimethylolpropane.
Examples of preferred polyalcohols suitable for the production of the above-mentioned polyurethane include ethane diol, 1,2-propane diol, 2-methyl-1,3-propane diol, trimethylol propane, glycerol, 1,3-butane diol, neopentyl glycol, 2,2,4-trimethyl-1,3-pentane diol, 1,4-cyclohexane dimethanol, the monoester of neopentyl glycol and hydroxy pivalic acid, dimethylol propionic acid, and mixtures thereof. Other preferred polyalcohols for the production of suitable polyurethanes include polyester and polyether diols having a number average molecular weight of less than 1000, as measured by gel permeation chromatography, for example the polyester diol prepared from 1 mole of phthalic anhydride and 2 moles of neopentyl glycol.
Homogeneous mixtures of the diol of the present invention and polyesters or polyurethanes containing units derived from the diol can be produced most conveniently by using an excess of the diol for the production of the polyester or polyurethane. If desired, it is possible to add further amounts of the diol to the resulting mixture. The mixture can be added at any stage in the preparation of the coating composition.
An example of a suitable homogeneous mixture of a polyester and a diol of the present invention is the condensation product of 1 mole of hexahydrophthalic anhydride and 2 moles of 2-n-butyl-2-ethyl-1,3-propane diol. The polyester has a hydroxy value of 237 mg KOH/g solid resin, an acid number of 2.9 mg KOH/g solid resin, a number average molecular weight of 379, a weight average molecular weight of 547 whereby polypropylene glycol was used as a standard for gel permeation chromatography (GPC). The hydroxy functionality of the polyester is 2. This polyester is a colourless viscous liquid containing 15.1% by weight of free 2-n-butyl-2-ethyl-1,3-propane diol as determined by gas liquid chromatography. An 80 wt. % solid solution of the polyester in butylacetate has a viscosity of 420 mPas at 23° C. as measured according to ISO 3219.
The hydroxy group-containing film forming polymer can be any polymer known in the coating art. The hydroxy group-containing film forming polymer may be a polyester, polyether, polyurethane, polycarbonate, polyacrylate, or mixtures thereof. The hydroxy group-containing film forming polymer must have a hydroxy value of between 75 and 300 mg KOH/g solid resin, preferably between 75 and 250 mg KOH/g solid resin. The number average molecular weight of the polymer is lower than 5000, as measured by gel permeation chromatography, preferably less than 3000. The degree of molecular dispersion, i.e., the ratio of Mw to Mn, preferably is in the range of 1.1 to 5, the range from 1.1 to 3 being particularly preferred. The acid value of the polymer is between 0 and 50 mg KOH/g solid resin.
The hydroxy group-containing film forming polymer preferably is a polyacrylate. Such polyacrylate is derived from hydroxy-functional acrylic monomers, such as hydroxy ethyl(meth)acrylate, hydroxy propyl (meth)acrylate, hydroxy butyl (meth)acrylate, other acrylic monomers such as (meth)acrylic acid, methyl (meth)acrylate, butyl (meth)acrylate, optionally in combination with a vinyl derivative such as styrene, and the like, or mixtures thereof, wherein the terms (meth)acrylate and (meth)acrylic acid refer to both methacrylate and acrylate, as well as methacrylic acid and acrylic acid, respectively. The polyacrylate is prepared by conventional methods, for instance, by the slow addition of appropriate monomers to a solution of an appropriate polymerization initiator, such as an azo or peroxy initiator.
The polyisocyanate compound is a cross-linker which reacts with hydroxy groups. Polyisocyanates are compounds with two or more isocyanate groups-per molecule, and are well-known in the coating art. Suitable polyisocyanates are aliphatic polyisocyanates such as trimethylene diisocyanate, 1,2-propylene diisocyanate, tetramethylene diisocyanate, 2,3-butylene diisocyanate, hexamethylene diisocyanate, octamethylene diisocyanate, 4-isocyanatomethyl-1,8-octane diisocyanate, 2,2,4-trimethyl hexamethylene diisocyanate, 2,4,4-trimethyl hexamethylene diisocyanate, dodecamethylene diisocyanate, α,α′-dipropyl ether diisocyanate, and transvinylidene diisocyanate; alicyclic polyisocyanates, such as 1,3-cyclopentylene diisocyanate, 1,2-cyclohexylene diisocyanate, 1,4-cyclohexylene diisocyanate, 4-methyl-1,3-cyclohexylene diisocyanate, 4,4′-dicyclohexylene diisocyanate methane, 3,3′-dimethyl-4,4′-dicyclohexylene diisocyanate methane, norbornane diisocyanate, and isophorone diisocyanate; aromatic polyisocyanates such as m- and p-phenylene diisocyanate, 1,3- and 1,4-bis(isocyanate methyl) benzene, 1,5-dimethyl-2,4-bis(isocyanate methyl) benzene, 1,3,5-triisocyanate benzene, 2,4- and 2,6-toluene diisocyanate, 2,4,6-toluene triisocyanate, α,α,α′,α′-tetramethyl o-, m-, and p-xylylene diisocyanate, 4,4′-diphenylene diisocyanate methane, 4,4-diphenylene diisocyanate, 3,3′-dichloro-4,4′-diphenylene diisocyanate, and naphthalene-1,5-diisocyanate, and mixtures of the aforementioned polyisocyanates.
Also, such compounds may be adducts of polyisocyanates, e.g., biurets, isocyanurates, allophonates, uretdiones, prepolymers of polyisocyanates, and mixtures thereof. Examples of such adducts are the adduct of two molecules of hexamethylene diisocyanate or isophorone diisocyanate to a diol such as ethylene glycol, the adduct of 3 molecules of hexamethylene diisocyanate to 1 molecule of water, the adduct of 1 molecule of trimethylol propane to 3 molecules of isophorone diisocyanate, the reaction product of 3 moles of m-α,α,α′,α′-tetramethylxylene diisocyanate with 1 mole of trimethylol propane, the adduct of 1 molecule of pentaerythritol to 4 molecules of toluene diisocyanate, the isocyanurate of hexamethylene diisocyanate, available from Bayer under the trade designation Desmodur® N3390 and Desmodur® LS2025, the uretdione of hexamethylene diisocyanate, available from Bayer under the trade designation Desmodur® N3400, the allophonate of hexamethylene diisocyanate, available from Bayer under the trade designation Desmodur® LS 2101, the adduct of 3 moles of toluene diisocyanate to 1 mole of trimethylol propane, available from Bayer under the trade designation Desmodur® L, and the isocyanurate of isophorone diisocyanate, available from Hüls under the trade designation Vestanat® T1890. Furthermore, (co)polymers of isocyanate-functional monomers such as α,α′-dimethyl-m-isopropenyl benzyl isocyanate are suitable for use. Finally, the above-mentioned isocyanates and adducts thereof may be present in the form of blocked isocyanates, as is known to the skilled man.
The polyisocyanate compound is used in an amount such that the ratio of isocyanate groups to the total number of hydroxy groups in the coating composition is in the range 0.8 to 2.
The coating composition comprises the diol of the invention in an amount of 1 to 25% by weight, based on the weight of the hydroxy group-containing film forming polymer. The above-mentioned polyester and polyurethane having units derived from the diol of the present invention are not taken into account as a hydroxy group-containing film forming polymer for the calculation of the amount of the diol in the coating composition. More preferably, the amount of diol is 2 to 20% by weight.
The coating composition can also comprise catalysts for the isocyanate-hydroxy reaction, such as dibutyl tin dilaurate, triethyl amine, and the like. The coating compositions may also contain pigments. Inorganic as well as organic pigments can be used. The composition can further comprise conventional additives, such as stabilizers, surfactants, fillers, UV-absorbers, catalyst blockers, anti-oxidants, pigment dispersants, flow additives, rheology control agents, levelling agents, and solvents. The solvent can be any solvent known in the art, i.e. aliphatic and/or aromatic hydrocarbons. Examples include Solvesso® 100, toluene, xylene, butanol, isopropanol, butyl acetate, ethyl acetate, acetone, methyl isobutyl ketone, methyl isoamyl ketone, methyl ethyl ketone, ether, ether alcohol, and ether ester, or a mixture of any of these.
Preferably, the coating composition comprises less than 500 g/l of volatile organic solvent based on the total composition, more preferably less than 480 g/l, most preferably less than 420 g/l. The solid content preferably is higher than 50 wt. %, more preferably higher than 52 wt. %, most preferably higher than 58 wt. %.
The coating compositions are formulated in a 1-, 2-, or 3-component system, depending on the choice of free isocyanate or blocked isocyanate groups and the presence of catalysts in the system.
The coating composition of the present invention may be applied to any substrate. The substrate may be, for example, metal, plastic, wood, glass, ceramic, or another coating layer. The other coating layer may be comprised of the coating composition of the current invention or it may be a different coating composition. The coating compositions of the current invention show particular utility as clearcoats, basecoats, pigmented topcoats, primers, and fillers. The coating compositions can be applied by conventional means such as by spray gun, brush, or roller, spraying being preferred. Curing temperatures are preferably between 0 and 80° C., and more preferably between 20 and 60° C. The compositions are particularly suitable in the preparation of coated metal substrates, such as in the refinish industry, in particular the body shop, to repair automobiles and transportation vehicles and in finishing large transportation vehicles such as trains, trucks, buses, and aeroplanes.
Preferred is the use of the coating composition of the present invention as clearcoat. Clearcoats are required to be highly transparent and must adhere well to the basecoat layer. It is further required that the clearcoat does not change the aesthetic aspect of the basecoat by strike-in, i.e. discolouration of the basecoat due to its salvation by the clearcoat composition, or by yellowing of the clearcoat upon outdoor exposure. A clearcoat based on the coating composition of the present invention does not have these drawbacks.
In the case of the coating composition being a clearcoat, the basecoat may be a conventional basecoat known in the coating art. Examples are solvent borne basecoats, e.g., Autobase® ex Sikkens, based on cellulose acetobutyrate, acrylic resins, and melamine resins, and water borne basecoats, e.g., Autowave® ex Sikkens, based on an acrylic resin dispersion and polyester resin. Furthermore, the basecoat may comprise pigments (colour pigments, metallics and/or pearls), wax, solvents, flow additives, neutralizing agent, and defoamers. Also high-solid basecoats can be used.
These are, for instance, based on polyols, imines, and isocyanates. The clearcoat composition is then applied to the surface of a basecoat and then cured. An intermediate curing step for the basecoat may be introduced.
The invention is further illustrated by the following examples.
EXAMPLES
Methods:
The viscosity is measured in a DIN flow cup number 4 in accordance with DIN 53221-1987. The viscosity is given in seconds.
The pot life is the time between the initial mixing of all components and the point where the viscosity has increased to 1.5 times the initial viscosity.
A coating is free to handle (FTH) when the mark from firm pushing with the thumb disappears after 1 or 2 minutes.
The hardness is measured using ISO 1522, except that a steel plate, treated as indicated in the examples, is used instead of a glass plate.
The gloss is measured in accordance with ISO 2813:1994 (angle 20°). The gloss is expressed in GU.
The Enamel Hold Out (EHO) is determined as the total visual appearance. Each sample is rated for visual appearance on a scale of 1 to 10 (1=very bad appearance, 10=excellent appearance) by a panel of at least 3 people (n). The determination takes into account gloss, wrinkling, flow and image clarity/distinctness of image. The average number will give the EHO.
Compounds
High-solids acrylic A is a hydroxy group-containing polyacrylate with the following monomer composition: styrene, methyl methacrylate, butyl acrylate, butyl methacrylate, hydroxypropyl methacrylate, and methacrylic acid. Mw=4000; Mn=1800 (GPC with polystyrene as standard); hydroxy value=171 mg KOH/g solid resin, acid value=6 mg KOH/g solid resin, solids content=70 wt. %.
High-solids acrylic B is a hydroxy group-containing polyacrylate with the following monomer composition: styrene, methyl, methacrylate, butyl acrylate, butyl methacrylate, hydroxyethyl methacrylate, and methacrylic acid. Mw=3000; Mn=1500 (GPC with polystyrene as standard); hydroxy value=170 mg KOH/g solid resin, acid value=6 mg KOH/g solid resin; solids content=66 wt. %.
The polyester used in Example 3 is the condensation product of 1 mole hexahydrophthalic anhydride and 1.56 moles of 2-n-butyl-2-ethyl-1,3-propane diol. Mw=804; Mn=514 (GPC with polypropylene glycol as standard); hydroxy value=165 mg KOH/g solid resin, acid value=2.4 mg KOH/g solid resin, hydroxy functionality of the polyester is 2. The polyester is a viscous colourless liquid containing 7.5% by weight of free 2-n-butyl-2-ethyl-1,3-propane diol as determined by gas liquid chromatography. A 80 wt. % solid solution of the polyester in butylacetate has a viscosity of 1000 mPas at 23° C. as measured according to ISO 3219.
DBTL is dibutyl tin dilaurate, 10 wt. % in butyl acetate/xylene, 1/1 weight ratio.
The flow additive in Table 1 is a 35 wt. % mixture of Byk 355 and Byk LPG 6491 (weight ratio 15/20) in butyl acetate, ex Byk Chemie.
Byk 306 is a flow additive ex Byk-Chemie.
Dow Corning PA 11 is a 25 wt. % silicone oil solution in butyl acetate ex Dow Corning.
Tinuvin 1130 is a UV stabilizer, ex Ciba-Geigy.
Tinuvin 292 is a HALS stabilizer, ex Ciba-Geigy.
Desmodur® LS2025 is an aliphatic polyisocyanate, based on the isocyanurate of hexamethylene diisocyanate, ex Bayer.
Solvesso 100 is a solvent blend ex Exxon.
Example 1
This example shows a basecoat/clearcoat system wherein the clearcoat composition comprises a hydroxy group-containing polyacrylate, a polyisocyanate compound, and 2-n-butyl-2-ethyl-1,3-propane diol.
Autocryl® filler 3110 ex Sikkens was applied by spraying onto a sanded steel panel. After sanding of the filler, Autowave® MM metallic basecoat (a water-borne basecoat ex Sikkens) was sprayed onto it. After the basecoat was dried at room temperature for 30 minutes, the clearcoat composition was applied by being sprayed on top of it. The coating was cured at room temperature and at elevated temperature (at 60° C.). The dried layer thickness of the basecoat was 10-20 microns, the layer thickness of the clearcoat was 40-60 microns.
The clearcoat composition comprises three components which are mixed prior to use. The three components are shown in Table 1:
TABLE 1
weight %
Component 1
high-solids acrylic A
35.7
2-n-butyl-2-ethyl-1,3-propane diol
4.29
methoxypropyl acetate
2.86
methyl isoamyl ketone
0.86
isobutyl acetate
1.93
butyl acetate
1.50
DBTL
0.64
flow additive
0.43
Tinuvin 1130
0.34
Tinuvin 292
0.42
Component 2 (hardener)
Desmodur ® LS2025
30.0
butyl acetate
6.42
ethoxy ethyl propionate
6.42
Component 3 (thinner)
methoxypropyl acetate
2.86
methyl isoamyl ketone
0.86
isobutyl acetate
1.93
butyl acetate
1.50
2,4 pentanedione
1.07
The pot life of the clearcoat composition is 50 min. The viscosity of the clearcoat composition when ready to spray is 18 seconds. The VOC of the coating composition (ready-to-spray) is 420 g/l (calculated from the composition of the Table). The VOC is 380 g/l when measured in accordance with ASTM D2369.
When cured at 60° C. the clearcoat is free to handle after 30 min. When cured at room temperature (RT=±20° C.) the clearcoat is free to handle after approximately 3 hours. The appearance of the coating is excellent. EHO is rated 9 (n=3). Leveling and gloss are very good. Measured gloss is 88 GU. No strike-in effect can be detected. The Persoz hardness of the coating (after 5 days) is 69 Persoz seconds for the system which is dried at room temperature and 112 Persoz seconds for the system dried at 60° C.
Example 2 and Comparative Examples A-F
These examples show basecoat/clearcoat systems wherein the clearcoat compositions comprise a hydroxy group-containing polyacrylate, a polyisocyanate compound, and several diol compounds.
A steel panel coated with a basecoat was prepared as described in Example 1. Several clearcoat compositions were applied by spraying on top of the basecoat. The coating was cured at room temperature and at elevated temperature (at 60° C.).
The clearcoat compositions comprise each three components which are mixed prior to use. The three components are shown in Table 2:
TABLE 2
amount in g
Component 1
high-solids acrylic A
100
diol of example 2 or comparative examples A-F
12
ethoxy ethyl propionate
1.9
Solvesso 100
1.8
DBTL
1.8
Byk 306
0.84
Tinuvin 1130
1.14
Tinuvin 292
0.96
Component 2 (hardener)
Desmodur ® LS2025
54.6
butyl acetate
11.7
ethoxy ethyl propionate
11.7
Component 3 (thinner)
Solvesso 100
11.4
ethoxy ethyl proprionate
11.4
2,4 pentanedione
5.6
The following diols were used:
Ex. 2: 2-n-butyl-2-ethyl-1,3-propane diol
Comp. Ex. A: 3-methyl-1,3-propane diol
Comp. Ex. B: 1,6-hexane diol
Comp. Ex. C: 2,2-dimethyl-1,3-propane diol
Comp. Ex. D: 2,2,4-trimethyl-1,3-pentane diol
The following diols were used:
Ex. 2: 2-n-butyl-2-ethyl-1,3-propane diol Comp. Ex. A: 3-methyl-1,3-propane diol Comp. Ex. B: 1,6-hexane diol Comp. Ex. C: 2,2-dimethyl-1,3-propane diol Comp. Ex. D: 2,2,4-trimethyl-1,3-pentane diol Comp. Ex. E: hydroxy pivalyl hydroxy pivalate Comp. Ex. F: 1,4-clohexane dimethanol
In Table 3 the results are listed of the use of the above-mentioned diols in clearcoat compositions together with the properties of the resulting coatings.
TABLE 3
2
A
B
C
D
E
F
Solvability
+
+
−
+
+
+
+
Compatibility
+
+
+
−
+
+
+
Initial Viscosity
18.1
17.6
18.5
18.3
17.8
16.3
18.9
FTH at 60° C. (min.)
30
30
nd
nd
30
35
30
FTH at RT (min.)
122
120
nd
nd
150
109
106
Potlife (min.)
115
60
nd
nd
115
175
50
EHO (n = 5)
8.3
7.5
nd
nd
8.4
8.1
7
Strike-in
+
+
+
+
±
−
−
Persoz hardness at
79
46
nd
nd
54
65
44
60° C. after 7 days (s)
Persoz hardness at RT
46
23
nd
nd
34
52
43
after 7 days (s)
+ = good, − = bad, ± = moderate
Comparative Example B fails because of the insolubility of 1,6-hexane diol in the coating composition. The diol remains solid in the formulation. Comparative Example C fails because of the incompatibility of 2,2-dimethyl-1,3-propane diol in the formulation. A haze is clearly visible. Both Comparative Examples E and F fail because of the strike-in effect on the basecoat. Furthermore, Comparative Examples A and F show an unfavourable potlife/drying balance in comparison with Example 2. Moreover, the appearance of clearcoat F is less than that of clearcoat 2. Comparative Example D performs less than example 2. The strike-in effect is noticeable, the clearcoat D is softer than the clearcoat 2, and its curing speed at room temperature is slower than that of clearcoat 2.
From the above, it can be seen that a clearcoat composition according to the present invention as exemplified by example 2 shows better and unexpected results in comparison with clearcoat compositions comprising other diols.
Example 3
This example shows a basecoat/clearcoat system wherein the clearcoat composition comprises a hydroxy group-containing polyacrylate, a polyisocyanate compound, 2-n-butyl-2-ethyl-1,3-propane diol, and a polyester of hexahydrophthalic acid and 2-n-butyl-2-ethyl-1,3-propane diol.
Washprimer CR ex Sikkens was applied by spraying onto a sanded steel panel. Autocryl® filler 3110 ex Sikkens was applied by spraying onto it after drying. After sanding of the filler, Autowave® MM metallic basecoat (a water-borne basecoat ex Sikkens) was sprayed onto it. After the basecoat was dried at room temperature for 30 minutes, the clearcoat composition was applied by being sprayed on top of it. The coating was cured at 60° C. The dried layer thickness of the basecoat was 10-20 microns, the layer thickness of the clearcoat was 40-70 microns.
The clearcoat composition comprises two components which are mixed prior to use. The two components are shown in Table 4:
TABLE 4
amount in g
Component 1
high-solids acrylic B
153.1
2-n-butyl-2-ethyl-1,3-propane diol + polyester
29.8
methoxy propyl acetate
28
methyl isoamyl ketone
8.4
isobutyl acetate
18.9
butyl acetate
22.1
DBTL
0.49
Dow Corning PA 11
2.63
Tinuvin 292
1.4
Tinuvin 1130
1.8
Component 2 (hardener)
Desmodur ® LS2025
90.2
butyl acetate
19.3
ethoxy ethyl propionate
19.3
The pot life of the clearcoat composition is 85 min. The viscosity of the clearcoat composition when ready to spray is 17.7 seconds. The VOC of the coating composition (ready-to-spray) is 439 g/l (calculated from the composition of the Table). The clearcoat is free to handle after 35 min. The appearance of the coating is excellent. EHO is rated 8 (n=4). No strike-in effect can be detected. The Persoz hardness of the coating (after 7 days) is 119 seconds.
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A coating composition comprising a hydroxy group-containing film forming polymer with a hydroxy value between 75 and 300 mg KOH/g solid resin, a polyisocyanate compound, and a diol of the general formula HO—CH 2 —CR(C 2 H 5 )—CH 2 —OH, wherein R is an alkyl group having 3-6 carbon atoms. The invention further relates to a method of coating which comprises said coating composition being applied to a substrate, and to a coated substrate, in particular cars and large transport vehicles.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to computer based message processing, and more particularly to computer based message processing by a component using a plurality of threads.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Messaging systems typically provide the capability for the sender and receiver of messages to execute at different times (asynchronously). The sender does not need to wait for the receiver to be running in order to send a message, and does not need to wait until the receiver has received the message.
In business integration systems, there are typically one or more components inserted between a sender and receiver that are responsible for performing integration functions such as transformation, routing and logging. These components may be Enterprise Service Bus (ESB) mediations, or process engines, for example. These components may be reused in both an asynchronous messaging interaction, and a synchronous invocation interaction.
The messaging applications need to retain the asynchronous nature of their interaction with respect to the overall exchange. Asynchronous interactions are typically much more expensive in processing time and also resource usage to execute than synchronous ones. The problem with existing systems is that each stage of the interaction between the sender and receiver is treated as asynchronous.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to a first aspect, there is provided a method for receiving a message, the message being processable by a component on one of a plurality of processing threads, the method comprising: receiving a message from a first component on a current thread; determining the communication style that was used by the first component; responsive to receipt of the message determining the communication style that is desired to be used by a second component; and responsive to determining that the two components are asynchronous, for communicating with the second component using the current thread.
It should be appreciated that for a reply interaction, the communication style that is desired to be used by the second component is preferably the same as the style that component used on the corresponding request interaction. Thus the step of determining in this case may involve retrieving a cached indication of the style previously used.
In one embodiment, a request is received from the first component. Determining the communication style that was used by the first of the message comprises involves determining the invocation style of the first component. Communicating with the second component using the current thread comprises involves invoking the second component using the current thread.
In one embodiment, if it determined in a request interaction that one of the components is synchronous while the other is asynchronous, a thread switch is performed from the current thread on which the request was received to a new thread by dispatching a new thread to continue processing of the request message.
In one embodiment, if it is determined that two components in a request interaction are synchronous, the second component is invoked using the current thread on which the request was received such that the second component's logic can be executed on said thread.
In one embodiment, if it determined that the first component is synchronous and the second component is asynchronous in a request interaction, the request is placed on a queue using the current thread on which the request was received. In this embodiment, the first component waits blocked for a reply to be received on that current thread. In this embodiment, the request is preferably retrieved from the queue using a new thread, for processing by the asynchronous component using that new thread.
In one embodiment, responsive to determining that the first component is asynchronous and the second component is synchronous, the request is placed on a queue using the current thread on which the request was received such that the first component can continue processing on that current thread. In this embodiment, the request is retrieved from the queue using a new thread such that the synchronous second component can start processing the request on that new thread.
In one embodiment, the communication style used by the first component in a request interaction is based on the protocol used by the first component.
In one embodiment, the communication style used by the first component in a request interaction is based information received in the request message at the first component.
In one embodiment, the communication style desired to be used by the second component in a request interaction is based on component implementation information.
In one embodiment, the communication style desired to be used by the second component in a request interaction is based on information received in a message asking for details of the communication style of the second component.
In one embodiment, a reply is received from the first component on a current thread.
In one embodiment, responsive to determining that said first component is asynchronous and the second component to which the reply is to be sent is synchronous, a thread switch is performed from the current thread on which the reply was received to a new thread by dispatching a new thread to continue processing of the reply.
In one embodiment, responsive to determining that the two components in a reply interaction are asynchronous, the reply is passed on the current thread on which the reply was received.
In one embodiment, responsive to determining that the two components in a reply interaction are synchronous, the reply is passed from the first component to the second component on the current thread on which the reply was received.
In one embodiment, responsive to determining that the first component is synchronous and the second component is asynchronous in a reply interaction, the reply is placed on a queue using the current thread on which the reply was received and the current thread is released. In this embodiment, a new thread is dispatched to retrieve the reply from the queue for processing by the asynchronous second component using that new thread.
In one embodiment, responsive to determining that the first component is synchronous and the second component is asynchronous in a reply interaction, and responsive to determining that the thread on which the second component invoked the first component in the corresponding request interaction is available, the reply is passed to the second component on the available thread.
In one embodiment, responsive to determining that said first component is asynchronous and said second component is synchronous in a reply interaction, a blocked thread of the second component is resumed to receive the reply.
In one embodiment, the first and second components are asynchronous. In this embodiment, a transactional boundary may be maintained between the two asynchronous components.
In one embodiment, the execution time of at least one of the first and second components may be taken into account in order to determine whether to perform a thread switch.
In one embodiment, it is possible to customize when a thread switch is to occur based on one or more factors additional to the invocation style of the first component and communication style of the second component.
According to a second aspect, there is provided an apparatus for receiving a message, the message being processable by a component on one of a plurality of processing threads, the apparatus comprising: means for receiving a message from a first component on a current thread; means for determining the communication style that was used by the first component;
means, responsive to receipt of the message, for determining the communication style that is desired to be used by a second component; and means, responsive to determining that the two components are asynchronous, for communicating with the second component using the current thread.
According to a third aspect, there is provided a computer program product for receiving a message, the message being processable by a component on one of a plurality of processing threads, the computer program product comprising computer readable medium having computer instructions operable when run on a computer to perform the steps of: receiving a message from a first component on a current thread; determining the communication style that was used by the first component; responsive to receipt of the message determining the communication style that is desired to be used by a second component; and responsive to determining that the two components are asynchronous, for communicating with the second component using the current thread.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, and with reference to the following drawings:
FIG. 1 a illustrates a component diagram of a preferred embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 1 b illustrates the thread switch table of FIG. 1 a in more detail;
FIGS. 2 to 5 show the request processing of a preferred embodiment of the present invention; and
FIGS. 6 to 9 show the reply processing of a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
As previously discussed, one or more components may be inserted between a message sending application and a message receiving application. Such messaging applications need to retain the asynchronous nature of their interaction with respect to the overall exchange between end-point systems.
In contrast to the received wisdom that would impose asynchronous processing on each component, it has been appreciated by the inventors that the intermediate components are not necessarily required to be asynchronous. Asynchronous interactions are typically much more expensive (in processing time and resource usage) to execute than synchronous ones. A mechanism is therefore provided which allows the processing between intermediate integration components to be synchronous, while preserving the asynchronous interaction of the overall message exchange between the end-point systems.
FIG. 1 illustrates an overview of a system operable in accordance with the preferred embodiment. A service requester messaging application 20 issues requests to service provider messaging application 30 via intermediate system 10 . System 10 comprises a number of components 40 , 50 , 60 . Three components are shown by way of example only and it will of course be appreciated that system 10 could comprise any number of intermediate components.
In the example shown, system 10 comprises a service front-end component 40 . This component receives requests from service requester 20 and communicates any responses originated by service provider 30 to requester 20 . Such receipt and onward communication from component 40 is enabled by means of a transport binding. In the exemplary embodiment, this binding is a Java™ Message Service (JMS) binding. (Java and all Java-based trademarks and logos are trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. in the United States, other countries, or both.)
Service Front-end component 40 communicates with a transformation component 50 which happens to be written in Java. Transformation component 60 further communicates with a service reference provider component 60 which is used to contact the external service provider 30 . Service reference component 60 contacts service provider 30 using its transport binding 80 . In this instance the transport binding is again JMS.
In order to perform its work, the components of system 10 have access to a pool of threads 90 . A thread switch table 95 determines when work should be performed on a new thread. The logic used to decide whether or not to execute work on a new thread is illustrated with reference to FIGS. 2 to 9 . FIG. 1 b illustrates the thread switch table in more detail and determines which logic processing should be executed dependent upon the circumstances involved.
The processing involved and illustrated with respect to FIGS. 2 to 9 will now be discussed in more detail. As shown at step 100 , a service request is received from service requester 20 at component 40 on a running thread. (It is assumed that component 40 will have a thread from thread pool 90 ready to receive such a request.) A decision is then made as to whether to continue processing on this same thread (the current thread) or to switch threads (use a new thread). As indicated previously, asynchronous interactions (and thus thread switches) are far more expensive than synchronous interactions. Whether or not a thread switch is deemed necessary is dependent upon the nature of the calling component and the target component (components 40 , 50 in the current example). In other words, whether a component uses a synchronous or asynchronous communication style.
The caller invokes the second (target) component using a particular communication style. It is the transport binding 70 which makes the decision as to what style to use. Such a decision can be made based on the protocol used by the calling component or information in the message received at the calling component. Thus an asynchronous capability may be inherent in the transport (JMS, MQ etc.) or may be enabled via additional addressing information in the message (e.g. SOAP using the WS-Addressing standard). In this example the binding is JMS which does have asynchronous capabilities (i.e. it has the ability to indicate in a request message where a response should be sent to). On the other hand, HTTP is a synchronous protocol and thus a component having an HTTP binding is deemed a synchronous component.
By way of a further example, a component comprising a web services binding may or may not be asynchronous. A web service binding expects to receive SOAP messages and a SOAP message can include a return address. Whether or not a web services binding can take advantage of such a return address and therefore act asynchronously depends on the capabilities of the web services binding itself.
A system runtime (not illustrated) receives the invocation and determines the communication style used at step 110 . The runtime then asks the component that the caller component intends to communicate with (e.g. component 50 ) what communication style it desires to use for the given message. Note, the caller determines its invocation style as discussed above. The invocation style for the caller component is determined from the transport and message (and also from the capabilities of the transport runtime—e.g. if the transport runtime does not support WS-Addressing, then SOAP will always be considered synchronous. Component 50 determines whether it is asynchronous or synchronous according by way of example, to its implementation type or information contained in the message (which was used to request component 50 's communication type) that it receives from component 40 . By way of example a component might be capable of both asynchronous and synchronous communication. “Information contained within the message” may include the invocation style of the caller. The target component could choose to always act in the same way as the caller. In an alternative, it may decide to be synchronous for small messages and asynchronous for large messages.
In the example depicted in the figure, component 50 has an implementation type of Java. Whether or not a Java component operates asynchronously or synchronously is dependent upon the way in which the component was originally programmed. In any case, it is a known technique to interrogate such a component to determine its communication style.
Thus every externally facing (edge) component ( 40 and 60 in the example) uses its binding to determine its own communication style. Every internal component (e.g. 50 ) uses its implementation type to determine its communication style.
Returning to FIG. 2 , once a target component has determined its communication style, it returns this to the runtime. The information returned is then used by the runtime to determine whether to continue processing on the current thread or to perform a thread switch.
Thus, if it is determined at step 110 that the invocation style used by the caller component is asynchronous and the invocation style which the target desires to use is also asynchronous, then thread switch table 95 ( FIG. 1 b ) indicates that the logic of FIG. 2 , step 140 should be followed. In other words, the target should be invoked using the current thread—i.e. the thread which received the request. Therefore, for as long as there are asynchronous components chained together, request processing continues on the same thread. This is possible since the current thread is being used to process the asynchronous components' request processing logic. The key thing is that the asynchronous components are expecting to be able to continue their processing “soon” after making their onward invocation—but that there is no absolute time requirement for them to do so. The assumption made is that the chain of asynchronous components' request processing is not too large to be completed relatively quickly. Once the chain is completed (either by going to a transport (i.e. reaching the final component in the chain) or encountering a synchronous component) control is returned to the asynchronous components, to which it is not communicated that the target component's request logic in the meantime has been executed. As soon as a synchronous component is reached, control will be returned to the previous component, for it to complete its request processing, at which time control is then returned to the previous asynchronous component, and so on. The original component is still waiting to get control back. Again, the solution relies on the fact that the request processing chain will complete relatively faster than the overall request-reply interaction. The original calling asynchronous component is not held up waiting for a reply initiated by the service provider which is outside the control of system 10 . This is because a reply can be received by asynchronous components on a different thread.
If it is determined at step 110 that the invocation style used was asynchronous and that the target desires to use a synchronous communication style (step 120 ), then FIG. 2 and also table 1 b indicates that request processing continues with FIG. 5 . The asynchronous calling component does not wish to be held up by the synchronous component. If a direct synchronous interaction is used to communicate with this target, then control will not be returned to the calling component until a reply has been received from the target component. This is because a synchronous interaction expects to use the same thread for the outbound request and the corresponding response. It is preferable not to hold up processing and thus it is desirable for the asynchronous calling component to hand off the request and receive control back immediately. How a response is received is dependent upon the programming model of the asynchronous component. Typically such a component provides a method that the runtime calls with the response message (on some thread other than the request thread).
One possible mechanism to pass on the request and to receive control back is by placing the request on a queue (step 400 ). Because control is now returned to the asynchronous component, that component can continue any additional processing on the current thread (step 410 ). The synchronous target component is running a new thread which is waiting for a new message to arrive on the queue. When the message is placed on the queue by the calling component, the message is retrieved by the runtime using that new thread and the synchronous component is then able to start processing it on that thread (step 420 ).
To explain the foregoing in more detail, the calling component may be a reservation component which is booking a hire car and hotel room. It is written to call the hire car booking component and hotel room booking component asynchronously. In other words, the calling component doesn't want to wait for the hire car booking component to return before continuing to call the hotel room booking component—that is wasting time as the hire car component may take some time to return. So, the current thread (thread 1 ) is executing the reservation component's logic. The reservation component makes an asynchronous call on the hire car component. The hire car component is determined to be synchronous and so the request is placed on a queue which is available to the hire car component and the reservation component continues processing under thread 1 to book the hotel room. The hire car component processes the hire car request from the queue under a new thread, thread 2 .
Once the synchronous component has been invoked processing then returns to FIG. 2 , step 150 which determines whether there is a component in the chain for the new calling component to invoke. The calling component invokes the target component and at step 110 the runtime determines that the calling component's invocation style. In this example, the runtime determines that the communications style is synchronous. At step 120 it is determined that the target component is also to be synchronous. FIG. 2 and also FIG. 1 b indicates that for synchronous to synchronous processing the logic in FIG. 3 should be followed. Thus at step 200 the synchronous calling component invokes the target using the current thread and this thread is used to execute the target component's logic. The calling component continues its processing on that same thread when the target component invocation returns. When that reply is received processing continues to step 150 of FIG. 2
If it is determined that there is another component in the chain, then processing loops round to step 110 to determine the invocation style of the calling component. In this example, the calling component uses a synchronous invocation. By way of example, it is determined at step 120 the target component desires to use an asynchronous style. FIG. 1 b and also the logic of FIG. 4 describes the processing that is to occur in this circumstance.
It is necessary for the calling component to remain blocked on its current thread waiting for a reply from the target component without also holding up the asynchronous component's thread. Thus at step 300 the request is placed on a queue using the current thread and the synchronous calling component waits blocked on this thread for a reply from the target component. The request can be retrieved from that same queue using a new thread at step 310 in order to be processed by the target on that new thread. Thus the asynchronous component is free to continue processing independently of the synchronous calling component. Processing then continues to step 150 of FIG. 2 and request processing continues to loop round until there are no more components within system 10 . The final system 10 component then makes its request to service provider 30 . This is done on the current thread. If the transport is asynchronous, i.e. The final component supports asynchronous communication, then the request thread is released back to the calling component once the request message has been placed into the asynchronous transport (e.g. The request message has been put on a JMS queue). If the final component is synchronous, then the request thread waits for the response from the service provider, then returns that response to the calling component, all on the same thread.
Service provider 30 performs its processing and then returns a reply to system 10 . The way in which each component within system 10 processes and forwards on a reply is dependent upon the nature of the components involved. Note, the reply forwarded on at each stage may not be the reply originally sent by a service provider—for example that reply may generate an additional response. An overview of the processing is described with reference to FIG. 6 .
A reply is received from service provider 30 at step 500 on the currently running thread. When the transport is synchronous, the response will be received on the same thread that passed the request to the service provider. When it is asynchronous, the request thread will have been released and the response is received on a new thread. It is then determined how the target invocation is performed at step 510 and whether the caller is asynchronous (step 520 or 530 ). It should be noted that the target component is passing the reply back to the calling component.
By way of example, it is determined at step 510 that the target used an asynchronous invocation and the calling component is synchronous. In this example FIG. 1 b indicates that processing continues with FIG. 9 . The reply can be passed straight to the calling component's blocked thread which is resumed (step 800 ). This is because the synchronous calling component's thread has been blocked waiting for the asynchronous target component to finish its execution. When that happens, the response is handed back to the synchronous calling component, and it continues processing on the previously blocked thread. There's no need to queue the response as the calling component is sitting there waiting for it and will continue as soon as it gets it. The current thread is released (step 810 ). Processing then continues to FIG. 6 , step 550 , where it is determined whether there is another component to pass the reply back to.
Assuming there is, it is determined how the target invokes the calling component at step 510 and whether the caller is asynchronous at step 520 or 530 . In the example, the next component is synchronous and therefore the interaction is a synchronous to synchronous one. FIG. 1 b and also FIG. 6 indicates that processing should continue to FIG. 7 . Such logic shows that the reply is returned to calling component on the current thread (step 600 ). Processing then continues to FIG. 6 , step 550 , where it is again determined whether there is another component to pass the reply back to.
The next component in the example is asynchronous and in this example the target used a synchronous invocation and thus the interaction is a synchronous to asynchronous one. FIG. 1 b and FIG. 6 indicates that the logic of FIG. 8 should be followed. At step 700 the reply is returned on the current thread to the waiting queue (i.e. the one that received the request on its outbound journey). The current thread can then be released at step 710 .
At step 720 a new thread is dispatched to retrieve the reply from the queue so that the asynchronous component can continue processing on that thread. Processing then loops round.
(Note, in some circumstances it may be possible to pass the reply directly back to the thread which invoked the target component in the first place (i.e. avoiding the queue). This may be possible if the calling component has finished its request processing logic and the original thread is not being used for anything else.)
Assuming the next few components in the chain are asynchronous and an asynchronous invocation is used each time by the target component then the reply is passed between components on the current thread (step 540 ).
Finally a reply is passed back to the original service requester 20 . When the reply has been successfully placed into the transport by the current thread (i.e. the reply has been sent from the final component to the requester), the thread has completed processing and returns to the pool ready to receive a new request.
It should be appreciated that once the communication style of the calling component has been discovered on an outbound request interaction, that knowledge is retained for use on the reply interaction.
Thus in a preferred embodiment asynchronous components communicate ‘almost’ synchronously on an outbound request and yet (unlike true synchronous communication) are able to receive a reply on a different thread from the thread used for the initial request. Again, the reply is returned between asynchronous components in a synchronous manner. A thread switch is only made when a request is communicated between an asynchronous and a synchronous component (irrespective of which is the caller and which is the target) and when a reply is returned from an asynchronous target to a synchronous component. This means that request and reply processing is performed in the most efficient manner possible.
It should be appreciated that the decision logic shown is the minimal logic desirable to determine whether or not to continue processing on the current thread or to perform a thread switch. It is possible for the logic to be somewhat more complex and take into account things like transactionality.
To explain this in more detail:
It may be desirable in some cases for an asynchronous to asynchronous interaction to be done with a transaction boundary between them, so that if the second component fails, its transaction rolls back and its response processing can be retried. With the new behaviour, a failure in the second asynchronous component will result in both asynchronous components' request processing being rolled back and processing restarting from the first asynchronous component. If the first component did lots of work that is unlikely to fail, and the second component does a little work that is more likely to fail, preserving a transaction boundary between the two components might be desirable and this would need a change in the decision logic. This might be achieved, by way of example only, using a queued interaction. An alternative mechanism is to suspend the transaction and start a new one along the same thread. Another example of something that may be taken into account is the execution time of the target component. For instance, for an asynchronous to synchronous communication, if it is known that the synchronous component is going to execute very quickly, then there is no point in queuing the request and using a separate thread. Similarly with an asynchronous to asynchronous communication, if the target component's request processing is very slow, then it might well be better to queue that and use a separate thread. Such information may be based on system administrator knowledge or may be gleaned by monitoring the processing performed by the system over time.
It should be appreciated that the answer a component gives in terms of its calling style will not necessarily be the same as the answer it gives with respect to how that same component can be invoked. It is perfectly possible to have a component that is called asynchronously, but makes synchronous calls on other components. The answer to the question of how a component should be invoked is potentially dependant on information in the current message being processed and thus the answer to the question is preferably not cached; it is asked each time.
While the invention has been described in terms of request/reply invocations, the invention is not limited to such. The invention is intended to encompass situations, for example, where there is a one-way request invocation only.
It should be appreciated that the system 10 includes a runtime component (not illustrated) which is responsible for dispatching new threads, retrieving requests from queues, putting messages onto queues etc. The components themselves are responsible for invoking other components and for determining their own invocation style.
To summarise the preferred embodiment:
1) First component makes its invocation. The style may be governed by the first component's programming model if it is an application component, or by the transport and message content if it is an “edge” component (i.e. the very first or last component). 2) Runtime receives the invocation, and knows what style was used to make it. 3) Runtime asks the second component (or something associated with that component) what style it can receive the given message with. 4) The second component (or something associated with that component) makes the determination based on the programming model, or transport, or some other factor, and returns that to the runtime. 5) The runtime uses the combination of the first components invocation style and the second component's requested style to determine whether a thread switch is required. 6) The runtime makes the switch if necessary and delivers the invocation to the second component on the appropriate thread.
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There is disclosed a method, apparatus and computer program product for receiving a message, the message being processable by a component on one of a plurality of processing threads. A message is received from a first component on a current thread. The communication style that was used by the first component is determined. Responsive to receipt of the message, the communication style that is desired to be used by a second component is determined. Responsive to determining that the two components are asynchronous, communication takes place with the second component using the current thread.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to oral medications, and more particularly to an ingestible carrier for medication and a method for forming the carrier for the medications that allows the medications to more easily be ingested.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] With the developments in the field of pharmaceuticals, there are an increasing number of medications available for oral administration for a wide variety of conditions. These medications come in various forms that can be ingested orally, with the majority being of a size capable of being relatively easily swallowed by an individual.
[0003] However, due to the necessary dosage amounts for certain medications, or the particular form of the medication, the medications often times are not able to be readily swallowed by an individual due to the overlarge size of these medications. In addition, certain individuals are not capable, for various reasons, of easily swallowing medications that are required for the health of the individual.
[0004] In order to increase the ease of orally administering medications to individuals, a number of different dosage forms of the medications have been developed. The majority of these dosage forms include various coatings on the exterior of the medications, which enable the medications to be more easily swallowed by an individual. Nevertheless, on many occasions, these improved dosage forms of the medications still present certain difficulties to people taking the oral medication dosages.
[0005] Therefore, it is desirable to develop a carrier to assist in the ingestion of various oral medications and a structure and method of forming the carrier, which allows for oral medications to be taken in a quick and easy manner by individuals previously unable to do so.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] According to a primary aspect of the present invention, an ingestible carrier is provided which is created by a moldable and ingestible material that includes a recess formed within the material and in which the medication can be positioned. The recess enables the medication dose or dosages to be positioned completely within the carrier such that the medication can easily be ingested along with the carrier. The recess formed within the carrier is dimensioned to enable the medication or medications to be securely held within the recess, such that the medication cannot easily become dislodged from within the recess once positioned therein. This ensures that the medication is ingested along with the carrier without becoming separated from the carrier.
[0007] According to another aspect of the present invention, a mold structure is provided which allows for the formation of the carrier complete with the recess within the carrier in a simple manner. The mold can be configured to form any number of carriers at a single time, such that a number of different medications can be taken by different individuals at the same time. The mold has a very simple construction that allows it to be easily utilized to form the carrier by placing the ingestible material into the mold, and can be easily cleaned after use for additional uses to form ingestible carriers for oral medications.
[0008] Numerous other aspects, features and advantages of the present invention will be made apparent from the following detailed description taken together with the drawing figures.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] The drawings illustrate the best mode currently contemplated as practicing the present invention.
[0010] In the drawings:
[0011] FIG. 1 is an isometric view of an adjustable carrier constructed according to the present invention;
[0012] FIG. 2 is an isometric view of a mold utilized to construct the adjustable carrier of FIG. 1 ;
[0013] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view along line 3 - 3 of FIG. 2 ;
[0014] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view along line 4 - 4 of FIG. 2 ;
[0015] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the insertion of the medication into the adjustable carrier of FIG. 1 ; and
[0016] FIG. 6 is an isometric view of the molds utilized to form the carrier of FIG. 1 in a stacked configuration.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0017] With reference now to the drawing figures in which like reference numerals designate like parts throughout the disclosure, an ingestible carrier constructed according to the present invention is illustrated generally at 10 in FIG. 1 . The carrier 10 can have any suitable and easily ingestible shape, but the preferred embodiment is bullet-shaped and includes a flat side 12 and a tapered side 14 . The tapered side 14 defines a narrow end 16 opposite the flat side 12 that radially expands in a gradual manner as the tapered side 14 extends towards the flat side 12 .
[0018] The narrow end 16 defines an interior recess or cavity 18 within which medication 21 , such as a liquid medication, pill, tablet or capsule, can be positioned. The size of the cavity 18 is preferably slightly smaller in diameter than a conventional pill, table or capsule. As a result, when a medication in form of a pill, tablet or capsule is positioned within the cavity 18 , the medication 21 is engaged by the sides of the cavity 18 such that the medication 21 is frictionally held within the cavity 18 once positioned therein, as best shown in FIG. 5 . Preferably, the cavity 18 is cylindrical in shape, such that a wide variety of conventional medications can be positioned therein. Also, the cavity 18 defines an open end 19 at the tapered side 14 , and a closed end 20 disposed within the carrier 10 . The distance between the closed end 20 and the open end 19 is preferably sufficient to accommodate at least a pair of tablets or capsules 21 within the cavity 18 . However, the cavity 18 can be shortened or lengthened to accommodate varying numbers of medication forms therein. Also, additional cavities 18 can be formed in other portions of the carrier 10 to further enable the carrier 10 to accommodate additional medications 21 . The cavity 18 can also be adapted to retain liquid medications, such as by including an amount of an absorbent material (not shown) within the cavity 18 capable of retaining a liquid medication therein, and preventing the medication from flowing out of the cavity 18 . The carrier 10 can also include a suitable plug (not shown) that is positionable within the open end 19 of the cavity 18 once the liquid medication is positioned therein to maintain the liquid medication within the cavity 18 . The plug can be formed of the same material as the carrier 10 , or another ingestible material, or by another medication 21 engaged within the cavity 18 over the liquid medication.
[0019] Additionally, the overall size of the carrier 10 can be selected to be any easily ingestible size that also can define a cavity 18 therein that is capable of receiving the medication 21 either entirely or at least partially therein. Preferably, the size of the overall carrier 10 is selected based on the size or age of the individual who will be ingesting the carrier 10 , while the size of the cavity 18 remains the same diameter to accommodate and frictionally engage the medication 21 .
[0020] Referring now to FIGS. 2-4 , a mold 22 utilized in the formation of the carrier 10 is illustrated. The mold 22 includes a central panel 24 surrounded by a peripheral rim 26 that extends around a top surface 27 of the panel 24 to provide a tray-like structure for the mold 22 . The central panel 24 is supported at opposite ends by a pair of legs 28 extending downwardly from the central panel 24 . The central panel 24 , peripheral rim 26 and legs 28 forming the mold 22 are preferably formed of a lightweight, durable material, such as a plastic material. Further, the material used to form the mold 22 must be capable of withstanding the required amount of temperature variation required to form the carrier 10 within the mold 22 . Also, when the central panel 24 , rim 26 and legs 28 are formed of a plastic material, the components of the mold 22 can be integrally formed, or separately from one another, for later connection to one another in any suitable manner, such as by using an adhesive or by sonic welding, among others, to form the mold 22 .
[0021] The panel 24 also includes a number of apertures 30 spaced about the panel 24 . Each aperture 30 is surrounded on the lower surface 31 of the panel 24 by a downwardly extending form 32 in the desired shape of the carrier 10 . At the lower end 34 of the form 32 opposite the lower surface 31 of the panel 24 , the form 32 includes an upwardly extending cylinder 36 . When the material utilized to form the carrier 10 is poured into the form 32 , the cylinder 36 operates to prevent the material from occupying the space taken by the cylinder 36 and to form the cavity 18 within the carrier 10 . Also, as stated previously, while the preferred shape of the cavity 18 is cylindrical, the cylinder 36 in the form 32 can be altered to have any desired shape that results in the desired shape for the cavity 18 .
[0022] Looking now at FIGS. 2 and 6 , the length of the legs 28 at each end of the mold 22 are selected to have an overall length slightly larger than the length of the forms 32 extending down from the panel 24 . In addition, the legs 28 have a width slightly less than the width of the opposed ends of each of the panel 24 and the peripheral rim 26 . The reason for this particular preferred configuration for the legs 28 is such that legs 28 can be positioned on the panel 24 of an adjacent mold 22 within the rim 26 on the adjacent mold 22 and to enable the molds 22 to be positioned in a stacked configuration, as shown in FIG. 6 . In this configuration, the only contact between the vertically adjacent molds is the legs 28 , and the length of the legs 28 is sufficient to maintain the position of the forms 32 on the upper mold 22 above the central panel 24 of the lower mold 22 .
[0023] In addition, as stated previously the carrier 10 formed by the mold 22 can have any desired size depending upon the particular individual who is to ingest the carrier 10 and the medication 21 contained therein. To facilitate the formation of carriers 10 have different sizes, the forms 32 and apertures 30 positioned on a panel 24 can be formed to have different sizes in order to form different size carriers 10 to be utilized by different types of individuals. Additionally, the number and size of the apertures 30 and forms 32 can vary as necessary to maximize the number of carriers 10 and the respective sizes of the carriers 10 to be formed by each mold 22 . In order to further maximize the number of carriers 10 that can be formed by a given mold 22 , the shape of the central panel 24 and accompanying peripheral rim 26 can be varied from the hexagonal shape shown in the preferred embodiments in FIGS. 2 and 6 , to any desired shape. Also, depending upon the particular shape for the central panel 24 , the number of legs 28 supporting the panel 24 can be varied in order to provide a stable base for the panel 24 and mold 22 .
[0024] Referring now to FIG. 4 , the carrier 10 can be formed of any suitable material that can be poured or otherwise flow into the form 32 through the aperture 30 in the central panel 24 and subsequently solidify or gel to form the carrier 10 . While the preferred embodiment utilizes a gelatin material that is liquid at elevated temperatures but solidifies at room temperature, any other suitable material that is a liquid at elevated temperatures and a solid at room temperatures, and that is also ingestible may also be utilized.
[0025] Various alternatives are contemplated as being within the scope of the following claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter regarded as the invention.
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The present invention is an ingestible carrier for a medication to be taken orally by an individual. The carrier includes a cavity into which one or more medications can be inserted and frictionally retained by the carrier. The carrier is formed of an easily ingestible material and is shaped in a suitable mold to include the cavity within which the medication can be positioned and retained. The carrier can be easily formed in a mold to enable the dosage form to be quickly easily made available for use.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention is directed generally to methods and apparatuses for processing digital signals, and more particularly to a method and apparatus for processing digital signals in which multiple digital signals are multiplexed into a single data stream for transmission over a communications link and then demultliplexed for routing to desired locations.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Many digital signals are processed and multiplexed in a synchronous manner. However, synchronous processing and multiplexing requires careful management of clock sources. Consequently, synchronous processing can be significantly expensive. Therefore, many digital transmission systems operate asynchronously.
[0003] While more inexpensive than synchronous multiplexers, existing synchronous multiplexers for high bandwidth data are still too expensive for certain applications. Examples of such applications include video on-demand, networked video games and other services that require delivery of large amounts of content for entertainment purposes only. For video on-demand services to even compete with movie rental stores and the like, these services must reduce costs. Therefore, either synchronous multiplexing must be performed in a significantly less expensive manner or asynchronous high-bandwidth processing multiplexing must be accomplished in a cost-effective manner.
[0004] The present invention is therefore directed to the problem of developing a method and apparatus for multiplexing high bandwidth data in an economical manner, which operates with sufficient quality for video on-demand and similar services.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] The present invention solves these and other problems by providing a method and apparatus for multiplexing high bandwidth data signals using a bank of sampling devices, such as flip-flops, on the transmission side to essentially synchronize the data prior to multiplexing the data in combination with a simple bit framing technique also employing an inexpensive sampling device, e.g., a flip-flop. This method and apparatus operate at the expense of increased jitter in the received signal, which is compensated for by proper choice of the clock and data recovery circuit in the receiver. By matching the increased jitter at the transmission side with a clock recovery circuit that can process this increased jitter, a truly simply and economical asynchronous multiplexing technique and apparatus can be constructed.
[0006] According to another aspect of the present invention, exemplary embodiments of a transmitter and receiver are also disclosed.
[0007] According to yet another aspect of the present invention, an exemplary embodiment of a method for synchronizing multiple asynchronous signals prior to transmission is disclosed. According to this embodiment, each of the asynchronous signals is first sampled with a sampling device, such as a flip-flop. Furthermore, each of the sampling devices or flip-flops is clocked with a clock having a clock rate in excess of almost twice (e.g., about 1.7 times) the data rate of each of the asynchronous signals. In addition, a simple bit framing insertion technique is employed using one of the sampling devices or flip-flops on one channel to permit proper channel alignment.
[0008] According to still another aspect of the present invention, an exemplary embodiment for coupling multiple asynchronous signals to a communications link is disclosed. According to this embodiment, each of the asynchronous signals is first coupled to a sampling device, such as a flip-flop. The output of each of the sampling devices or flip-flops is then coupled to a multiplexer. Frame alignment bits are inserted into one channel of the input using a sampling device, such as a flip-flop, and a bit toggle technique. Each of the outputs of the sampling devices or flip-flops is multiplexed into a combined signal. The combined signal is then coupled to the communications link.
[0009] Further aspects of the present invention will be apparent upon review of description herein in light of the following drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] [0010]FIG. 1 depicts a block diagram of an exemplary embodiment of an apparatus for transmitting multiple data streams over a communication link according to one aspect of the present invention.
[0011] [0011]FIG. 2 depicts a flow chart of an exemplary embodiment of a method for synchronizing multiple asynchronous signals prior to transmission according to another aspect of the present invention.
[0012] [0012]FIG. 3 depicts a flow chart of an exemplary embodiment of a method for coupling multiple asynchronous signals to a communications link according to still another aspect of the present invention.
[0013] [0013]FIG. 4 depicts a block diagram of an exemplary embodiment of an apparatus for inserting frame synchronization bits in one channel of the input data according to yet another aspect of the present invention.
[0014] [0014]FIG. 5 depicts a block diagram of an exemplary embodiment of an apparatus for detecting the frame synchronization bits according to still another aspect of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0015] It is worthy to note that any reference herein to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the invention. The appearances of the phrase “in one embodiment” in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment.
[0016] Referring to FIG. 1, shown therein is an exemplary embodiment 10 of an apparatus for transmitting multiple signals over a single communications link as a single high bandwidth signal. In this embodiment 10 , there are four signals multiplexed into the single high bandwidth signal, however, the techniques herein can easily be extended to larger numbers of signals, such as eight, sixteen, thirty-two, etc. Moreover, these techniques can even be applied to one, two or three signals as well. At a high level of functionality, the embodiment 10 includes a transmitter 7 , a communications link 3 and a receiver 8 .
[0017] Within the transmitter 7 , a bank of sampling devices, e.g., flip-flops, 1 b - d and one frame synchronization device 40 acts to synchronize the incoming data signals (D 1 -D 4 ). The functionality of the frame synchronization device 40 will be explained vis-à-vis FIG. 4 below. Essentially, however, frame synchronization device 40 includes a sampling device, such as a flip-flop, at its center that operates similarly to sampling devices or flip-flops 1 b - 1 d with regard to the input data signal.
[0018] These flip-flops 1 b - d can be D flip-flops or other types. An exemplary embodiment of these flip-flops includes a flip-flop available from ON Semiconductor, part number MC10EL31. One flip-flop is employed for each signal being multiplexed, so for example, in a sixteen signal multiplexer there would be a bank of sixteen flip-flops (however, at least one or more flip-flops may be replaced with the frame synchronization device 40 ).
[0019] The flip-flops 1 b - d and frame synchronization device 40 sample the incoming signal at three possible locations on the data pulse—the “one” position, the “zero” position or in the transition region (i.e., either transitioning from zero to one or from one to zero). Thus, by selecting the clock properly one can ensure sufficient samples are being obtained. Hence, the output of each flip-flop will be a 1, a 0 or a random value.
[0020] Thus, the embodiment shown herein will synchronize the incoming signals to be multiplexed in a very simple and economical manner, but at the expense of increased jitter in the received signal. The increased jitter results from the additional random values output when the flip-flops sample the incoming signals during a transition region.
[0021] The outputs of the flip-flops 1 b - d and frame synchronization device 40 are coupled to a four-to-one (4:1) multiplexer 2 a, which creates a single combined signal from the four inputs. Any standard multiplexer can be employed, as the signals are now synchronous. An example of a suitable multiplexer includes the Intel multiplexer GD16553.
[0022] The combined signal is then transmitted over a communications link 3 , such as a fiber optic cable, a coaxial cable, or some hybrid fiber coaxial cable. Other activities that can be modeled as a communications link are also possible, such as data writing and reading to a memory device, such as a hard drive, thereby making the embodiments herein applicable to these types of applications as well.
[0023] On the receiver side, at the end of the communications link 3 is a one-to-four (1:4) demultiplexer 2 b, which converts the incoming signal to its constituent elements. The demultiplexer 2 b is matched to the multiplexer 2 a. So, if N signals are being multiplexed in the transmitter, then N signals are demultiplexed by a N:1 demultiplexer in the receiver. Standard demultiplexers can be used, such as the Intel GD16553.
[0024] The outputs of the demultiplexer are then coupled to four Clock and Data Recovery (CDR) circuits 6 a - d, which recreate the original data signals (D 1 -D 4 ). One output is first passed through a frame synchronization device 50 before being coupled to its respective CDR, which synchronization device detects the frame synchronization bits that are used to align the various channels. Once the synchronization bits are detected, the alignment of the channels is performed in the standard manner.
[0025] Any increased jitter can be accommodated by proper selection of the clock and data recovery circuit in the receiver. Simply put, one must employ a clock and data recovery circuit that can handle more jitter than a typical synchronous communications system. Such circuits are available, for example, an adequate clock and data recovery circuit is the SY87701 CDR by Micrel.
[0026] At the center of the embodiment 10 is a clock source 4 a, which in this embodiment is a 2.5 GHz clock, which clocks the multiplexer 2 a. A divider 5 converts the clock signal to a 622 MHz clock, which clocks the D flip-flips 1 a - d and is input to a latch input of multiplexer 2 a. The data rate of the incoming signals is about 270 Mb/s (shown symbolically as clocked by a clock 4 b on the input side and clock 4 d on the output side). The data rate of the signals being output by the demultiplexer 2 b is about 622 Mb/s (shown symbolically as clocked by a clock 4 c ).
[0027] Thus, the exemplary embodiment 10 operates as follows. A 2.5 GHz clock drives the 4:1 multiplexer, which receives four data streams of 622 Mb/s. These data streams are generated by sampling four 270 Mb/s data streams at 622 MHz. The 622 Mb/s signal is jittered with respect to 270 MHz, but not with respect to 622 MHz. If the sampling clock is twice the data rate of the signal being sampled, then there is a jitter width of 50%. A clock and data recovery (CDR) circuit in the receiver removes this jitter. With twice the data rate there is a jitter of 50% of the clock cycle. The eye closes completely with the sampling frequency being equal to the data rate of the signal to be sampled (which is the equivalent of the Nyquist limit called the sampling theorem). Therefore, sampling rates, which are lower than exactly twice the data rate are possible. A good practical number is 1.7 times the data rate (or ca. twice the data rate).
[0028] Turning to FIG. 2, shown therein is an exemplary embodiment 20 of a method for synchronizing multiple asynchronous signals prior to transmission. According to this embodiment 20 , each of the asynchronous signals is sampled with a sampling device, such as a flip-flop (element 21 ). Furthermore, each of the sampling devices or flip-flops is clocked with a clock having a clock rate in excess of ca. twice (e.g., about 1.7 times) the data rate of each of the asynchronous signals (element 22 ). Frame synchronization buts are inserted into one of the asynchronous signals (element 23 ). An output of each of the sampling devices or flip-flops is coupled to a multiplexer converting the outputs from the plurality of sampling devices or flip-flops to a single signal (element 24 ). The single signal is then transmitted over a communications link (element 25 ). A clock and data recovery circuit is then used at a receiving end of the communications link, which clock and data recovery circuit is capable of handling jitter with a jitter width of at least 50% or more (element 26 ).
[0029] Turning to FIG. 3, shown therein is an exemplary embodiment 30 of a method for coupling multiple asynchronous signals to a communications link. According to this embodiment, each of the asynchronous signals is coupled to a sampling device, such as a flip-flop (element 31 ). Frame synchronization bits are inserted into one of the asynchronous signals (element 32 ). The output of each of the sampling devices or flip-flops is then coupled to a multiplexer (element 33 ). Each of the outputs of the sampling devices or flip-flops is multiplexed into a combined signal (element 34 ). The combined signal is then coupled to the communications link (element 35 ). Each of the sampling devices or flip-flops is clocked with a clock having a clock rate in excess of ca. twice a data rate of each of the asynchronous signals (element 36 ). A clock and data recovery circuit is used at a receiving end of the communications link, which clock and data recovery circuit is capable of handling jitter with a jitter width of at least 50% or more (element 37 ).
[0030] The present invention thus provides an extremely inexpensive yet effective technique for performing asynchronous communications. The D flip-flops set forth herein are very inexpensive parts, e.g., on the order of $2 per part. This avoids the costly and complex synchronization circuits.
[0031] Adding Frame Synchronization
[0032] Frame synchronization is needed for the recognition of the order of bits in the serial bit stream. In order to do that, every fourth bit of one 622 MB/s bit stream is a synchronization bit. One approach is to use a toggle bit as the synchronization bit. On the receive side, it is sufficient to recognize which bit toggles in order to identify the order of the payload bits. See the block diagram of an exemplary embodiment 40 of the frame synchronization apparatus shown in FIG. 4.
[0033] The embodiment 40 shown in FIG. 4 is included in the transmitter 7 in lieu of one of the flip-flops 1 a - 1 d as shown in FIG. 1. The output of embodiment 40 provides one of the inputs of the 4:1 multiplexer 2 a. The input of embodiment 40 is one of the data inputs shown as input to one of the flip-flops 1 a - 1 d in FIG. 1.
[0034] The remaining three data inputs (270 Mb/s each) remain unchanged. Thus, one of the four data inputs to the bank of flip-flops 1 a - 1 d includes a frame synchronization bit, the recognition of which will allow proper allocation of the data to the at the receive end.
[0035] The 622 MHz clock (which is available in the transmitter 7 from clock 4 a that has been divided by 4 by divider 5 , see FIG. 1) is further divided by 4 (in divider 45 ) in order to obtain a 155 MHz clock signal. The 622 MHz clock is then sent through an x¾ multiplier 41 as well to produce a 466.5 MHz clock signal. A D-Flip-Flop 42 samples the asynchronous 270 MB/s data at a clock speed of 466.5 MHz. A following shift register 43 , which is clocked at 466.5 MHz as well, loads three samples into cells 43 a - c, respectively. The 155 MHz clock loads the first three cells ( 44 a - c ) of the second shift register 44 with the three data samples of the first shift register 43 . The 4th cell ( 44 d ) of the second shift register 44 is loaded with the toggle bit (e.g., the frame synchronization bit). The toggle bit is obtained by dividing the 622 MHz clock signal by two in divider 46 . The second shift register 44 is then clocked out at 622 MHz, thereby producing a serial bit stream of the original data signal that contains three bits of the original payload data and one bit of synchronization at the data rate of 622 MB/s. This serial bit stream fits into the 4×622 MB/s transport scheme discussed above, which runs at 2.48 GB/s.
[0036] Frame Synchronization at the Receive Side
[0037] Turning to FIG. 5, shown therein is an exemplary embodiment 50 of the frame synchronization device (FSD) according to one aspect of the present invention. The received 622 MHz clock is processed into a 155 MHz clock signal and a 466.5 MHz clock signal by divider 52 and multiplier 51 , respectively. A first shift register 53 is loaded with the serial 622 Mb/s data at a clock rate of 622 MHz. The 155 MHz clock loads the second shift register 54 , which is read out at a rate of 466.5 MHz. The third bit of the second shift register 54 represents the sampled version of the original 270 MB/s data stream. A low jitter Clock and Data Recovery circuit 6 a removes the sample jitter.
[0038] The fourth bit of the first shift register 53 is clocked into a D-Flip-Flop 55 . The present and previous value is compared in an X-OR gate 56 , where the situation is detected, when both values are always of opposite sign, as is the case in a toggle sequence. That information is used to synchronize the position of the four data signals of the 2.48 GB/s data stream in the normal manner, thereby resulting in the correct assignment of the channel numbers.
SUMMARY
[0039] Although various embodiments are specifically illustrated and described herein, it will be appreciated that modifications and variations of the invention are covered by the above teachings and are within the purview of the appended claims without departing from the spirit and intended scope of the invention. For example, certain types of flip-flops are discussed in the embodiments; however, other types may be sufficient to practice the inventions herein. Furthermore, these examples should not be interpreted to limit the modifications and variations of the invention covered by the claims but are merely illustrative of possible variations.
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A method and apparatus for multiplexing high bandwidth data signals uses a bank of sampling device, such as flip-flops, on the transmission side to essentially synchronize the data prior to multiplexing the data. The method and apparatus operate at the expense of increased jitter in the received signal, which is compensated for by proper choice of the clock and data recovery circuit in the receiver. By matching the increased jitter at the transmission side with a clock recovery circuit that can process this increased jitter, a truly simply and economical asynchronous multiplexing technique and apparatus can be constructed. By using a sampling device, such as a flip-flop, and several dividers, frame synchronization bits can be added to one channel to enable proper channel alignment at the receiving end.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
Related U.S. Application Data
[0001] This is a division of application Ser. No. 13/090,608, filed on Apr. 21, 2011
Foreign Application Priority Data
[0002] May 03, 2010
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
[0003] Not Applicable
REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING, A TABLE, OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTING COMPACT DISK APPENDIX
[0004] Not Applicable
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0005] Traffic over data communication networks is increasing constantly. This fact requires data communication systems to increase data processing speed. Conventional signal processing techniques often fail to satisfy new requirements. The present invention is in the technical field of signal processing. More particularly, the present invention is in the technical field of signal analysis/synthesis, channel estimation/modeling, and data multiplexing/demultiplexing. The proposed signal processing method uses less operations of multiplications and additions, than the conventional signal processing technique does. Hence it is faster than the conventional technique such as a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT). The proposed method uses the same algorithm for direct and inverse transforms. Hence it requires less system resources compare to the conventional technique such as a pair of transforms: Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) and Inverse Fast Fourier Transform (IFFT). The proposed method uses a flexible algorithm architecture based on an elementary cell. This fact allows to adapt the algorithm structure to capabilities of platform it is deployed on. Also the flexible algorithm architecture allows to modify the algorithm structure “on the fly” without interrupting the processing.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] The present invention is a method and apparatus for fast signal analysis/synthesis, channel estimation/modeling, and data multiplexing/demultiplexing. The proposed method can be implemented for fast analysis and synthesis of a one-dimensional (1D) signal, such as an audio signal, a voice, a control sequence; a two-dimensional (2D) signal, such as a grayscale image; a three dimensional signal (3D), such as a static 3D mesh or a color image; a four dimensional signal, such as a dynamic 3D mesh or a color video signal; and a five dimensional signal such as a stereo color video signal. The flexible algorithm architecture allows to conduct a signal analysis according to a certain criterion. Also the flexible algorithm architecture allows to operate on the whole signal or it's part. The proposed method can be implemented for fast multiplexing and demultiplexing of multiple datastreams. The flexible algorithm architecture allows to modify datastream number “on the fly” without interrupting the processing. Also the flexible algorithm architecture allows split and merge groups of datastreams from different sources. For example, the proposed method can be used to implement a multiple user access to a single communication channel. The proposed method can be implemented for communication channel estimation and modeling. The flexible algorithm architecture allows to split a communication channel into a set of subchannels of different bandwidth. Also the flexible algorithm architecture allows organizing data communication in particular subchannels that satisfy the requirement on Quality of Service (QoS). The proposed method is used in a system implementing a method of Data Transmission Oriented on the Object, Communication Media, Agents, and State of Communication Systems described in [1]. In that system, the proposed method is implemented for data analysis/synthesis, channel estimation/modeling, and datastream multiplexing/demultiplexing.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] FIG. 5 are the elementary cells W 2 and V 2 ;
[0008] FIG. 6 is the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) butterfly;
[0009] FIG. 7 is the scheme of the third level of the analysis-synthesis of the digital signal x[n];
[0010] FIG. 8 is the scheme of the W 4 cell as a combination of four elementary cells W 2 ;
[0011] FIG. 9 is the W 4 cell structure;
[0012] FIG. 10 is the W 8 cell structure;
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0013] Referring now to the invention in more detail.
The Elementary Cell W 2
[0014] The core of the fast signal processing method is an elementary cell W 2 110 and an elementary cell V 2 130 . They are shown on FIG. 5 .
[0015] The elementary cell W 2 110 consists of an inverter 112 , an adder 114 , an adder 116 , a multiplier 118 , a multiplier 120 , and a block 122 generating a constant
[0000]
1
2
.
[0016] The elementary cell V 2 130 consists of the inverter 112 , the adder 114 , and the adder 116 .
[0017] In other view, the elementary cell W 2 110 consists of the elementary cell V 2 130 , a multiplier 118 , a multiplier 118 , and a block 122 generating a constant
[0000]
1
2
.
[0018] The elementary cell W 2 110 possesses a particular property which allows it to be used both for analysis and synthesis.
[0019] In case the elementary cell W 2 110 is used for analysis of a digital signal x[n], odd samples of the signal x[2n−1] inputs to a pin x 1 and even samples of the signal x[2n] inputs to a pin x 2 .
[0020] In case the elementary cell W 2 110 is used for analysis of the digital signal x[n], the pin y 1 outputs the approximation signal
[0000]
A
[
k
]
=
1
2
(
x
[
2
n
-
1
]
+
x
[
2
n
]
)
,
[0000] and the pin y 2 outputs the detail signal
[0000]
D
[
k
]
=
1
2
(
x
[
2
n
-
1
]
-
x
[
2
n
]
)
.
[0021] In case the elementary cell W 2 110 is used for synthesis of the digital signal x[n], the approximation signal A[k] inputs to the pin x 1 and the detail signal D[k] inputs to the pin x 2 .
[0022] In case the elementary cell W 2 110 is used for synthesis of the digital signal x[n], the pin y 1 outputs the odd samples of the signal
[0000]
x
[
2
n
-
1
]
=
1
2
(
A
[
k
]
+
D
[
k
]
)
,
[0000] and the pin y 2 outputs the even samples of the signal
[0000]
x
[
2
n
]
=
1
2
(
A
[
k
]
-
D
[
k
]
)
.
[0023] The assignments for Input/Output pins are presented in Table 1.
[0000]
TABLE 1
Input/Output pin assignment of the fast elementary cell
Input
Analysis
Synthesis
Output
Analysis
Synthesis
x 1
x[2n − 1]
A[k]
y 1
A[k]
x[2n − 1]
x 2
x[2n]
D[k]
y 2
D[k]
x[2n]
[0024] Nowadays, the most common algorithm in Digital Signal Processing (DSP) is the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT). FIG. 6 shows is the two-point Fast Fourier Transform (FFT), or 2-FFT decimation-in-time butterfly.
[0025] The first advantage of the elementary cell W 2 110 over 2-FFT is that the elementary cell W 2 110 can be used for both data analysis and data synthesis.
[0026] The second advantage of the elementary cell W 2 110 is that it's complexity is less than the one of the 2-FFT. The results are presented in Table 2. The complexity of an algorithm is measured by quantity of real adders (⊕), real multipliers ( ) and real inverters (⊖). Use of the elementary cell W 2 110 and the elementary cell V 2 130 does not change the nature of input numbers, i.e. the real input numbers stay real. However, output of 2-FFT butterfly is always represented by complex numbers. Since, the 2-FFT butterly is applied more than ones, the input of the next stage 2-FFT operation will be complex, and there is no reason to consider the real input numbers for 2-FFT. Therefore the slot, corresponding to the number of operations on real input numbers, is empty in Table 2.
[0000]
TABLE 2
Complexity of W 2 , V 2 cells and 2-FFT
butterfly in terms of real operations
Input numbers
W 2
V 2
2-FFT
Real
2 ⊕ + 2 + 1⊖
2 ⊕ + 1⊖
n/a
Complex
4 ⊕ + 4 + 2⊖
4 ⊕ + 2⊖
6 ⊕ + 4 + 3⊖
[0027] The elementary cell W 2 110 outputs the approximation and detail features of the input signal. One might decide to continue the procedure by analysing the features of features etc. The decision of whether to proceed with further analysis is based on certain criteria. Signal analysis is stopped upon a certain parameter of feature segment is reached. FIG. 7 shows the schemes of the third level analysis-synthesis of the one-dimensional data object x[n].
The W 4 and W 8 Cells
[0028] The elementary cell W 2 is used to build processing cells of higher orders, such as W 4 and W 8 cells. The scheme on FIG. 7 a ) is purely based on the elementary cells W 2 110 . The third level analysis scheme consists of seven elementary cells W 2 ( 144 , 150 , 152 , 162 , 164 , 166 , 168 ), and seven shift registers ( 142 , 146 , 148 , 154 , 156 , 158 , 160 ). The shift register 140 , used in the analysis scheme, outputs two datastreams. The first datastream consists of the odd samples z 2n−1 of the input datastream z. The second datastream consists of the even samples z 2n of the input datastream z. The third level synthesis scheme consists of seven elementary cells W 2 ( 172 , 174 , 176 , 178 , 200 , 202 , 214 ), and seven shift registers ( 184 , 186 , 188 , 190 , 206 , 208 , 212 ). The shift register 210 , used in the synthesis scheme, inputs two datastreams. The first datastream consists of the odd samples z 2n−1 of the output datastream z. The second datastream consists of the even samples z 2n of the output datastream z.
[0029] In case a computational platform possesses enough resources, the computational speed of the analysis-synthesis can be increased by applying parallel computing techniques instead of serial ones. The scheme on FIG. 7 b ) is based on the combination of the elementary cells W 2 110 and W 4 cells. The third level analysis scheme consists of one cell 224 , four elementary cells W 2 ( 162 , 164 , 166 , 168 ), a four stage shift register 222 , and four shift registers of type 140 ( 154 , 156 , 158 , 160 ). The four stage shift register 220 , used in the analysis scheme, outputs four datastreams. The four stage shift register 220 serves as a serial-to-parallel converter. The third level synthesis scheme consists of one W 4 cell 226 , four elementary cells W 2 ( 172 , 174 , 176 , 178 ), four shift registers of type 210 ( 184 , 186 , 188 , 190 ), and a four stage shift register 230 . The four stage shift register 230 , used in the synthesis scheme, inputs four datastreams. The four stage shift register 230 serves as a parallel-to-serial converter.
[0030] In case a computational platform possesses even more resources, the computational speed of the analysis-synthesis can be increased even more. The scheme on FIG. 7 c ) is based on W 8 cells. The third level analysis scheme consists of one W 8 cell 244 , and an eight stage shift register 242 . The eight stage shift register 240 , used in the analysis scheme, outputs eight datastreams. The four stage shift register 240 serves as a serial-to-parallel converter. The third level synthesis scheme consists of one W 8 cell 246 , and an eight stage shift register 248 . The eight stage shift register 250 , used in the synthesis scheme, inputs eight datastreams. The eight stage shift register 250 serves as a parallel-to-serial converter.
[0031] FIG. 8 shows the scheme of the W 4 cell as a combination of four elementary cells W 2 .
[0032] The W 4 cell can be employed for analysis-synthesis of two-dimensional data object, or image. During analysis the W 4 cell transforms four image pixels (X[2n−1,2m−1], X[2n−1, 2m], X[ 2 n, 2m−1], X[2n, 2m]) into an approximation (A[n,m]) coefficient, and three detail coefficients: horizontal (H[n,m]), vertical (V[n,m]) and diagonal (D[n,m]). During synthesis the W 4 cell transforms the approximation (A[n,m]) coefficient, and three detail coefficients: horizontal (H[n,m]), vertical (V[n,m]) and diagonal (D[n,m]) into four image pixels (X[2n−1, 2m−1], X[2n−1, 2m],X[2n, 2m−1], X[2n, 2m]). Where n=1 . . . N, m=1 . . . M, N×M is the image size. The assignments for Input/Output pins are presented in Table 3 for both cases of use the two-dimensional elementary cell in image analysis and synthesis.
[0000]
TABLE 3
Input/Output pin assignment of the 2D fast elementary cell
Input
Analysis
Synthesis
Output
Analysis
Synthesis
x 1
X[2n − 1, 2m − 1]
A[n, m]
y 1
A[n, m]
X[2n − 1, 2m − 1]
x 2
X[2n − 1, 2m]
H[n, m]
y 2
H[n, m]
X[2n − 1, 2m]
x 3
X[2n, 2m −1]
V[n, m]
y 3
V[n, m]
X[2n, 2m − 1]
x 4
X[2n, 2m]
D[n, m]
y 4
D[n, m]
X[2n, 2m]
[0033] FIG. 9 shows the structure of the W 4 and V 4 cells as a combination inverters, adders, multipliers, and blocks generating a constant ½. Complexities W 4 and V 4 cells are presented in 4
[0000]
TABLE 4
Complexity of W 4 , V 4 cells in terms of real operations
Input numbers
W 4
V 4
Real
10 ⊕ + 4 + 3⊖
10 ⊕ + 3⊖
Complex
20 ⊕ + 8 + 10⊖
20 ⊕ + 6⊖
[0034] An operation of multiplication by ½ can be replaced by the shift operation. In that case no multiplication operations required in W 4 .
[0035] FIG. 10 shows the structure of the W 8 cell as a combination of the W 2 cells.
[0000] The W N cell (N=2 n , n ∈ Z)
[0036] Generally, the W N cell (N=2 n , n ∈ Z) can be build. It will be able to operate on data points simultaneously. An implementation of the W N cell is limited by computational platform resources.
[0037] The complexity of W N cell (N=2 n , n ∈ Z) n comparison with the complexity of the N-point (FFT) is presented in Table 5.
[0038] The elementary cell W 2 110 can be envisioned as the elementary cell V 2 114 whose output is multiplied by
[0000]
1
2
.
[0000] By analogy, the W N can be envisioned as the V N whose output is multiplied by
[0000]
(
1
2
)
d
=
2
-
d
2
,
[0000] where d=log 2 N. In case d=2k is even, the multiplier
[0000]
2
-
d
2
=
2
-
k
[0000] can be replaced by the shift register. In case d=2k+1 is odd, the multiplier can be envisioned as the two multipliers
[0000]
2
-
2
k
+
1
2
=
2
-
k
·
1
2
.
[0000] Multiplication by 2 −k can be replaced by the shift register, however multiplication by
[0000]
1
2
[0000] should be implemented. Totally N multipliers by
[0000]
1
2
[0000] are required for W N in case d=Log 2 N is odd.
[0000]
TABLE 5
Complexity of the N-point FWPT vs. the N-point FFT in terms
of real operations
Input
numbers
W N
FFT
Real
N
2
log
2
N
(
2
⊕
+
1
⊖
)
+
βN
⊗
n/a
Complex
N
2
log
2
N
(
4
⊕
+
2
⊖
)
+
2
βN
⊗
N
2
log
2
N
(
6
⊕
+
4
⊗
+
3
⊖
)
where
β
=
{
0
if
d
=
log
2
N
is
even
1
if
d
=
log
2
N
is
odd
[0000]
Spectral
Efficiency
=
Total
Object
Bits
Transmitted
Symbols
,
(
1
)
Complexity
=
Total
Processing
Operations
Total
Object
Bits
,
(
2
)
Total
Object
Bits
=
N
·
M
·
bit
-
per
-
pixel
.
(
3
)
[0039] (1)
[0040] (2).
[0041] Same W N cell can be implemented for both multiplexing and demultiplexing of N=2 n (n ∈ Z) datastreams. For multiplexing of N datastreams they should be applied to the inputs of the W N cell. Outputs of the W N cell are connected to the shift register of order N. Shift register 250 represents an example of the shift register of the order 8. The shift register of order N outputs a serial datastream. For demultiplexing, the serial datastream is applied to the input of the shift register of order N. Shift register 240 represents an example of the shift register of the order 8. The parallel outputs of the shift register of order N are connected to the inputs of W N cell. The N outputs of the W N cell represent N demultiplexed datastreams.
[0042] The W N cell based multiplexing-demultiplexing can be implemented for communication channel estimation and modeling. N pilot signals multiplexed and sent over a communication channel allow to estimate a channel profile. According to that profile, the channel can be divided into subchannels of different bandwidth. Efficient data communication can be organized in particular subchannels that satisfy the requirement on Quality of Service (QoS).
[0043] The invention can be implemented in a form of software, firmware running on computing devices or a hardware.
[0044] While the invention has been shown and described with reference to certain preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
References
[0000]
[1] M. Sabelkin, “Method and apparatus for data transmission oriented on the object, communication media, agents, and state of communication systems,” patent application Ser. No. 13/090,608, filed on Apr. 21, 2011.
|
A method and apparatus for fast signal processing is presented. Increase of traffic over data communication networks requires increase of data processing speed. The proposed method is faster than the conventional technique, because it uses less operations of multiplications and additions. The method implements a flexible algorithm architecture based on an elementary cell which is used for both direct and inverse transforms. The method can be implemented for fast analysis and synthesis of different signal types; for fast multiplexing and demultiplexing; and for channel estimation and modeling. The flexible architecture allows: 1) conducting signal analysis according to a certain criterion, and operating on the whole signal or it's part; 2) modifying multiplexed datastream number “on the fly”, splitting and merging groups of datastreams from different sources; 3) splitting a communication channel into a set of sub-channels of different bandwidth, organizing data communication in particular subchannels that satisfy certain requirement.
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|
REFERENCE TO PREVIOUSLY FILED APPLICATIONS
This applications is a continuation-in-part of Utility patent application Ser. No. 08/873,320, filed Jun. 11, 1997, issued for A PROGRAMMABLE OVEN FOR COOKING, HOLDING AND PROOFING COMESTIBLES, U.S. Pat. No. 5,786,568 on Jul. 28, 1998; that was a continuation-in-part of the parent Utility patent application Ser. No. 08/391,412, filed Feb. 16, 1995, and issued for ROYALTON NATURAL AIR MOVEMENT SYSTEM, U.S. Pat. No. 5,653,905, on Aug. 5, 1997.
FIELD OF INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to the field of controllers for use with food preparation ovens and more particularly to a universal programmable controller that can be remotely operated; one that can be adapted for use with any existing food preparation oven. The food preparation ovens may be of the type that is used for the roasting or baking, holding at temperature, or proofing of various food items. This novel oven controller provides a means of remotely operating, programming and interrogating the performance of a cooking and holding oven by using a remote operators console. In addition, this novel controller provides automatic operation through a power failure or power outage even if its control means is interrupted in its programmed cycle.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Today, restaurants and other food preparers find it to their advantage to be able to cook and prepare foods more efficiently with less operator intervention. By reducing the operator interaction, labor costs are conserved. With increased efficiency, the quality and uniformity of the food preparation process can easily be maintained.
Many food ovens currently in use today are specifically designed to be used as cooking ovens. The cook must periodically monitor the cooking process to determine when to remove the food item from the oven. Upon completion of the cooking process, the cook then manually transfers the food item from the cooking oven to a holding oven where the food item can be maintained at a constant temperature until it is time to serve the meal.
There are several ovens in use that have single heating elements upon which to cook and a single thermostat to set the temperature. The cook must monitor the cooking process to determine when to remove the food item from the cooking oven.
There are several patents that disclose programmable oven controllers and sensing systems.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,296, 683, granted Mar. 12, 1994, to D. Burkett and G. Mercer, discloses a preheating method and apparatus for use in a food oven. The apparatus disclosed preheats the oven to a predetermined set temperature.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,182,439, granted Jan. 26, 1993, to D. Burkett and G. Mercer, describes a method and apparatus for operating a food oven that includes a base heating element and quartz bulbs. The cooking cycle is comprised of brown, cook and finish intervals. The duration that the quartz lamps are activated is dependent on at least one of three factors; the oven air temperature, the load compensation factor, and a base temperature set point.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,154,940, granted Oct. 13, 1992, to W. J. Budzyna, et al, discloses a method and apparatus for rapidly heating or cooking a food product. The oven apparatus is comprised of a closed-loop heated air system that includes a programmed central processing unit (CPU) to control the oven's overall operation. Various sensors comprise the system, such as a door switch, assorted temperature transducers, an air flow switch, and a product-in switch.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,111,028, granted May 5, 1992, to D. Lee, et al, details a method and control arrangement for cooking appliances. The disclosed system is responsive to the selection and placement of the food to be cooked. In another disclosed feature, the system control is responsive to the selected food item, number of rack positions, and the rate of energy released from the energy sources for optimum cooking.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,837,414, granted Jun. 6, 1989, to K. Edamula, discloses an electronically controlled oven comprised of a main body and a remote controller which is separate from the main body. A scanner is used to scan a code representing a recipe and transmitting the code via a wireless signal, such as by infrared radiation. The main body is comprised of a controller and oven; the controller having a computer to output the heater control signals and a memory for storing the cooking programs and recipes; the oven having a cooking chamber and heaters as well as a heater control device.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,626,662, granted Dec. 2, 1986, to S. R. Woolf, discloses a programmable multifunction feedback cooking apparatus that senses the temperature of a food substance or liquid within a cooking vessel. A temperature transducer producing an analog signal is digitized and subsequently fed into a computer which automatically adjusts the amount of heat energy that is applied by a heat source to the cooking food substance. A remote control feature programs the cooking apparatus from a remote location, using a telephone.
None of the above referenced prior art provides for the true remote operation of a universal food preparation oven using bidirectional communication at an extended distance. One of the prior art uses infrared radiation as the communication link between the remote and the oven controller. Infrared radiation communication is generally limited to a line-of-sight application, having no obstruction in between. Another provides remote program entry using serial audio signals that are fed into the receiver of a telephone. Further, in these systems, there exists no provision for monitoring and correcting, if necessary, the cooking process or the preprogrammed sequence and/or recipe.
Therefore, it can be concluded that there exists a continuing need for a universal programmable cooking oven controller, one that can be remotely programmed to operate unattended and one that can be remotely operated to monitor and/or modify an existing programmed schedule. In addition, the universal programmable cooking oven controller is one that can be remotely interrogated to determine the cooking progress. In this regard, this invention fulfills this need.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention in its preferred embodiment relates to an improved universal programmable oven controller that can be programmed to operate unattended in real-time and with its front panel can perform several self-analyzing functions. In addition, it relates to an improved programmable oven controller, one that can provide remote operation of an existing food preparation oven. The remote operation provides multifunctional capability where one can remotely (1) monitor the current cooking progress while the controller is using a preprogammed cooking sequence, (2) modify the current preprogrammed cooking sequence, (3) create a new programmed sequence, (4) hold, stop or restart the cooking cycle, (5) delete a current operating sequence, (6) replace a current sequence or (7) initiate the newly created replacement sequence.
A Universal Oven Controller having Local Operating and Programming Capability
The three modes of operation are provided: cooking, holding at temperature, or proofing. A novel power management system stores into memory any power outages, their duration, along with the various internal cabinet temperatures. If a sustained power failure occurs, a beeping audible alarm sounds with a flashing front panel indicator that shows a power supply fault had occurred.
A preprogrammed microprocessor controls and monitors the selected cooking sequences. The operating sequences are interactively introduced into the computer's memory through the activation of the front panel controls or via the remote programming console. Several front panel indicators display the mode selected, along with the desired set temperature. In addition, the present temperature achieved, the time to start each mode, the duration at each mode, as well as the current status, are displayed. Closed loop control allows the controller to maintain the desired set temperature for the period entered into the front panel.
An alternate cooking mode is with the use of a probe inserted into the food item. In this mode of operation, a temperature probe is inserted into the frozen food product to sense the internal temperature of the food item. A controlled ambient air temperature thaws the food product. When the internal temperature of the food product reaches 45 degrees, the thawing cycle is considered complete, causing the cooking cycle to start.
There may be times when in the process of preparing and cooking food items that an intermittent power interruption or long term power outage occurs. If there is a power glitch or even a spike on the power line, the microprocessor reverts to a battery backup to preserve the contents of memory. Upon restoration of the power service, the program returns to the same mode of control as it was when the failure occurred and then resumes operation. A lithium battery provides the backup power source for the microprocessor and memory. It is sized so that it can provide a 5 year service life without need of replacement. Transient surge protection is provided at each input to suppress any extraneous noise, especially from power line surges and spikes.
If a long term sustained power outage happens, the cooking cycle may be interrupted which could manifest itself as an undercooked food item. Without an indicator that shows the cook that a power loss occurred, the operator has no particular insight that the food item may have to be cooked longer or perhaps even discarded should the outage be of a prolonged sustained nature.
For each occurrence of either a power failure or interruption, the time of failure and its duration are automatically stored in memory. By interrogating the front panel, the operator can display on demand either the time of failure or the duration of the outage.
In the event a power failure lasts less than 10 minutes, upon the restoration of power, the oven continues its operation at the point in its program where the power failure occurred. This is possible because of the insulation used in the construction of the oven chamber; there is minimal loss of heat within a 10 minute interval.
Should the duration of the power failure be greater than 10 minutes, an audible alarm that emits a beeping sound as well as an illuminated flashing panel light alerts the operator that a failure had occurred. When the power is off, depressing the reset button once will turn off the beeping sound and flashing light. When the power is on, the reset button must be depressed twice.
The self-analyzing feature of the present invention allows the user to explore the stored times and temperatures attained just at the instant of power outage and at the instant of power resumption. There are times when there may be multiple power interruptions, perhaps due to a tree limb falling across the wires. The present invention allocates sufficient memory to store these variables for later operator revue.
A Universal Oven Controller having Remote Operating and Programming Capability
The present invention relates to an improved programmable oven controller, one that can provide remote operation of an existing food preparation oven. The remote operation provides multifunctional capability where one can (1) monitor the current cooking progress while the controller is using a preprogammed cooking sequence, (2) modify the current preprogrammed cooking sequence, (3) create a new programmed sequence, (4) hold, stop or restart the cooking cycle, (5) delete a current operating sequence, (6) replace a current sequence or (7) initiate the newly created replacement sequence.
Remote operation finds application in cases where the operator is separated from the place of business and his present location. There may be an occasion where the operator forgets to modify the current program before leaving his place of business at the end of the day. By simply using a home personal computer, he is able to link up via cellular telephone or telephone land lines and by using prepared software make the necessary revisions to the program that is resident in the oven controller memory. There may be other circumstances where the operator needs to communicate with the oven controller, such as in the case of injury or illness, or the result of a natural disaster, where the operator becomes separated from his place of business.
The remote operation of the universal programmable controller is easily accomplished by using a modem port that is connected to the microprocessor found in the remote operators console. By transmitting and receiving over cell phone or conventional telephone lines, remote operation can easily be obtained over a substantially great distance. It also provides for a bidirectional interface via a telephone line to a remote location for the remote operation of a food oven.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a universal programmable oven controller that when integrated with a cooking oven can be programmed to perform one of the following three operations: (1) to cook or roast the food item, (2) to hold the food item at temperature until it is time to serve or (3) to bake or proof the food item.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a universal programmable oven controller that renders an orderly shut-down sequence resulting from a power failure or power interruption.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a universal programmable oven controller that renders an orderly reinitialization sequence upon recovery from a power failure or power interruption.
It is still yet another object of the present invention to provide a universal programmable oven controller that is fully protected from power line spikes and line transients.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a universal programmable oven controller that retains the time and duration of a power interruption, as well as recording the temperature at the time of interruption and the temperature at the time that power is resumed.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a universal programmable oven controller that features an ergonomically designed front panel that is neither intimidating to the user, but intuitively guides the operator through the programming sequence.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a universal programmable oven controller that is designed to be self-analyzing in the event of a power outage.
An additional object of the present invention is to provide a universal programmable oven controller that can be remotely operated via a modem and telephone line.
Still yet, an additional object of the present invention is to provide a universal programmable oven controller that can be remotely interrogate, modify an existing program schedule or create a new program sequence by using a modem in a personal computer via a congenital telephone connection.
A still added object of the present invention is to provide a universal programmable oven controller that can be remotely interrogated in a conversational manner via a modem in a personal computer and telephone connection.
Lastly, it is another object of this invention to provide for a universal programmable oven that operates in real time.
Further advantages will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading and understanding the following detailed description.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 shows the block diagram of the universal programmable oven in a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 shows the front panel arrangement of the preferred embodiment of the universal programmable oven.
FIG. 3 shows a flow diagram which details an example of the programming function that typifies the user programming interface
FIG. 4 shows a typical interconnection between the remotely located personal computer and the main oven controller.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The universal programmable oven system consists of a well insulated oven that uses a microprocessor based control board to control the current flowing into a bank heating elements; either a bank of Calrod heating elements or a bank of quartz lamps. The amount of heat flowing into the oven chamber is determined by the amount of current flowing through the heating elements. The computer program calculates the required flow of current to produce the desired temperature as determined by the temperature sensors. Temperature control of the oven is established by the two temperature sensors; one that measures the internal air temperature, the other, a thermal probe that is inserted into the product.
Referring to FIG. 1, shown is the microprocessor 180, which is the heart of the control system, typically, a Motorola MC68705R5S. This microprocessor provides 24 bidirectional I/O lines and 8 unidirectional I/O lines. The internal EEPROM memory stores the program code which executes the code as described herein. An internal 4 channel Analog-to-Digital Converter (ADC) digitizes the temperatures as sensed by the various temperature probes and sensors.
Power for the microprocessor 180 is supplied by either the DC Power Supply or by an internal long-lasting Lithium battery, which provides the battery back-up should there be a power failure. Steering disconnect diodes 195 furnish the isolation between the two sources of power. In typical operation the voltage supplied by the Lithium back-up cell is 3.6 volts, where the normal power supply output voltage is at 5 volts. When the power supply 200 is active and on, diodes 195 effectively block any flow of current from back-up battery 190.
Transient surge voltage protection is provided by Varistor 205 that is connected across the AC source voltage at the input of the DC power supply 200.
Four Mode switches 110 connect to the input of the microprocessor 180 to provide the selection of four operational functions: Preheat, Roast, Probe and Hold. These Mode push-button switches can select operation in either the manual mode or automatic mode. To operate in the automatic mode, the mode switches 110 provide a means of programming the cooking sequence.
The bank of Program Select Switches 120a allows the user to interact with the microprocessor 180 to establish their own program selections that are most frequently used. First, the user selects the program storage area by selecting one of ten available storage selections. Then the user decides if he wishes to select the Auto Preheat function 120c.
After the program sequence is entered into the microprocessor, the user then depresses the Select switch 120b to store the cooking sequence into memory. To make this data entry, the switch must be depressed for at least 3 seconds. Upon the successful completion of the program entry, the microprocessor responds by beeping three times. This method of interaction between the user and microprocessor provides for a user friendly transaction. Thus the stigma that many users have when operating a computer is minimized.
Switch bank 130 permits the user to set or explore the Time information. An Up Arrow push-button 130a and a Down Arrow push-button 130b scroll the data that is stored in memory to present it on the Time Display 220.
The stored Temperatures can be set or explored by the user activating the switches in switch bank 140. Also associated in this switch bank are up and down push-buttons to scroll the Temperature Display 230.
A bank of Status LEDs 210 displays the current status of the oven's activity. What is shown are: "Service Unit, Power Loss, Probe, Heater, Error, Preheat, Cycle Done and Timer." The status is reset by depressing the Clear Status push-button 150.
Auxiliary support switches 160 and 170 furnish additional convenience functions, such as, Cycle Start and Stop push-button 160 and Power On and Off push-button 170.
The oven control is comprised of the control algorithm that is stored in the microprocessor memory. The input sensors are two thermal probes that sense (1) the internal air temperature 270 and (2) the product temperature 280. Each of the temperature sensors is connected to its respective ADC channel. The microprocessor 180 has up to four ADC inputs available.
A set of solid state drivers 240 control the current flowing to the main heater 250 and to the quartz heater array 260. Control is governed by temperature sensed by each sensor that is in control at the time of use. If the temperature that is sensed is too low more current flows into the respective heater in control. Conversely, if the temperature that is sensed is too great, less current flows through the heater in control.
Turning now to FIG. 2, shown is an ergonomically designed front panel arrangement for the universal programmable oven. Each of the groupings provides an intuitive response from even a novice, such as one who has had little or no experience in operating computerized equipment. The major groupings are: the Power On and Off selection 170, The Cycle Start and Stop selection 160, the Status Indicator LEDs 210, the Mode selectors 210, the Program selectors 120, the Time and Day group 130, and the Temperature group 140.
The Time and Day section of the operators console 130 shows the time that is displayed on the 4 digit LCD time display 220. Located directly above the time display 220 is an array of seven LED lamps that correspond to each day of the week, thereby giving the operator the present day.
In the self-analysis mode of operation the appropriate LED will light showing the day when a particular failure occurred. The use of the Up and Down Arrow push-buttons 130a and 130b will scroll the display showing the various times stored in memory.
The same is also true for the Temperature section 140 of the operators console. Each stored temperature can be displayed on the 4 digit LCD display 230 by scrolling the appropriate Up and Down Arrow keys 140a and 140b. Also located on the front panel are 4 LED mode indicators, of 110, that show which of the four cooking cycles is in progress. These lamps also verify the stored cycles of: Preheat, Roast, Probe and Hold. The two push-buttons directly below the temperature display are the Set and Actual buttons. Depressing the Set button will display the Set Temperature and pushing the Actual button will display the Actual Temperature reading.
Programming Example
Referring to the flowchart shown FIG. 3, an illustrative programming example is given to demonstrate a typical programming sequence that may be used for cooking a Roast Pork Loin. Programming the computer is no longer accomplished by writing many lines of code and entering them into the computer memory. The programming is done by interactively depressing the front panel push-buttons in the desired instruction flow sequence.
To start the programming sequence, the user first depresses the Select push-button "n" times until the desired "Program Select" area is reached. For each push of the Select push-button, the next LED in sequence is illuminated showing the current program area. For convenience the user can write "Pork Loin" on the front panel, identifying the new program.
Next, the user enters the Start Time by scrolling the Time Display 220 with the Up Arrow and Down Arrow push-button switches, 130a and 130b respectively. Depressing the Enter push-button advances the display to the next digit. When the last digit is entered into the display, the program sequence automatically advances to Date display. The date advance with each push of the Enter push-button. When the Time and Date entry is accurate and complete, depressing the Enter push-button for at least 3 seconds will store the data into memory.
The user can then select the "Auto Preheat" mode if so desired. If the "Auto Preheat" function is selected, the user then enters the desired preheat temperature. Entering the temperature is the same data entry process as described in setting the Time and Date, as found in the preceding paragraph.
The Roast function is subsequently selected by depressing push-button 110b. The user now enters the Time and Temperature as was previous described in the preceding paragraphs.
The Hold function is activated by pushing the Hold push-button 110d. The Hold Temperature and the Hold Time can now be entered.
Upon completion of the data entry programming session, the entire program sequence is stored into memory by depressing and holding the Select push-button for at least 3 seconds. A successful data entry is acknowledged by the microprocessor by issuing three consecutive beeps on piezoelectric buzzer 290.
Remote Operators Console
With reference to the attached drawing in FIG. 4, there is shown in the preferred embodiment a typical connection between the remotely located personal computer 200 and the main oven controller 240. Typically, the remote personal computer has a computer housing 210, containing the processor, memory and hard drives, a video and sound interface, and a modem for a remote telephone connection, a monitor 220, and a mouse and keyboard 230. The oven controller transaction software is preloaded on the hard drive and is loaded at the time of program execution.
Using the oven controller transaction software, the operator can link up to the oven controller and its associated oven, and be able to remotely perform the following tasks: (1) monitor the current cooking progress while the controller is using a preprogammed cooking sequence, (2) modify the current preprogrammed cooking sequence, (3) create a new programmed sequence, (4) hold, stop or restart the cooking cycle, (5) delete a current operating sequence, (6) replace a current sequence or (7) initiate the newly created replacement sequence.
The operator can also remotely perform the internal diagnostic procedure in the event an error is display while monitoring the cooking progress. Corrections may be made by modifying the current programmed sequence or by remotely resetting the controller.
In an alternative embodiment, a magnetic card reader, such as a card swiping unit can be interfaced to the personal computer to provide a simple means of permanently storing programmed sequences and/or recipes. These cards which resemble the current credit cards in use today can be stored in plastic file boxes or card storage binders for rapid and easy access.
In still another alternative embodiment, a bar-code reader is interfaced to the personal computer to rapidly and accurately enter a particular preprogrammed sequence or recipe In typical operation, a card containing the bar-code numerical sequence is scanned and subsequently sent to the main oven controller. This numerical sequence is identified within the controller, where it then retrieves the corresponding preprogrammed cooking sequence and enters it into the controllers memory, thereby awaiting the time to occur for its execution.
In another alternative embodiment, the remote oven control system can use wireless communication between the remote operators console and the main oven controller. In this embodiment, both the remote operators console and the main oven controller have a transceiver, consisting of a transmitter and receiver. Wireless communication is established using electromagnetic radiation in lieu of a telephone interconnection.
There may be other improvements, modifications and embodiments that will become apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art upon review of this disclosure. As such, these improvements, modifications and embodiments are considered to be within the scope of this invention as defined in the claims and equivalents thereof.
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An apparatus is disclosed for automatically programming and controlling an oven, such as a food oven. The oven and its controller can be remotely operated over great distances by using a personal computer having a modem, and transmitting and receiving bidirectionally over a telephone interconnection, to display the cooking progress, modify a cooking sequence or prepare a new program sequence. An ergonomically designed operating panel provides an interactive intuitive method of programming the desired cooking sequences. Switch selections are monitored by a microprocessor which branches to the various preprogrammed functions. In addition, self-analysis and self-diagnostics aid the user in displaying a walk-back of the stored times and temperatures that occurred during an operating cycle before a power outage. A novel integrated oven design conserves the floor space and exhaust fan floor installation and operating costs.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/439,760 filed on Apr. 4, 2012, entitled “CLOSED LOOP ELECTRONIC CONTROL FOR THE REDUCTION OF SOOT PRODUCED IN DIESEL, GASOLINE AND ALTERNATIVE-FUELED ENGINES” which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/475,630 filed Apr. 14, 2011, entitled “CLOSED LOOP ELECTRONIC CONTROL FOR THE REDUCTION OF SOOT PRODUCED IN DIESEL, GASOLINE AND ALTERNATIVE-FUELED ENGINES” both of the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein and should be considered a part of this specification.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of Invention
[0003] The present invention pertaining to diesel, gasoline, alternative-fuel internal combustion engines, is comprised of a closed loop electronic control system, to deliver a more precise amount of oil through a solenoid valve and cooling nozzle to a piston underside, and in particular, shall improve or even optimize the piston dome temperature for the reduction of soot production and particulate matter both in the oil and out the exhaust, allowing for increased engine efficiency at all operating conditions.
[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0005] A typical internal combustion engine includes an engine block with a reciprocating piston within a cylinder bore. The piston assembly travels a fixed distance in a cylinder bore and is connected to a connecting rod which in turn is attached to a rotating crankshaft. The piston is generally comprised of both a dome and a skirt (some cases, not all) and will require oil cooling to the underside of the piston dome for cooling and lubrication purposes. Typical piston cooling on a heavy duty diesel engine is generally accomplished by delivering pressurized oil from the crankcase oil system in the form of a spray or stream through a piston oil nozzle assembly, which is connected to an oil passage generally located inside the lower crankcase area. Moreover, the piston oil nozzle assembly is generally mounted directly in the lower internal crankcase area, adjacent each piston cylinder location.
[0006] Present technology for cooling the piston throughout the entire engine operating range, is to supply crankcase oil for cooling through the piston oil nozzle assembly explicitly to satisfy the worst case engine operating condition. Unnecessary high pumping power is required to circulate the engine oil used for cooling. The oil flow is constant for any given engine rpm and not load dependent. Moreover, if the engine is not operated at 100% load condition, resultant excessive cooling to the piston dome underside will result in overcooling the piston dome which contributes to elevated soot levels in the crankcase oil and reduced engine efficiency. To help address this issue, alternative piston cooling management systems have been developed.
[0007] For example U.S. Pat. No. 2,800,119 to Schmidl discloses an arrangement for cooling the piston of an internal combustion engine, more particularly, to control the share of lubricating oil branched off to the piston and piston head, in dependence upon engine speed. The improvement comprises a spray nozzle in said piston cooling branch circuit having an opening of a size to permit a flow resistance to the passage of oil less than the flow resistance in the lubricating branch circuit at engine idling speeds. Furthermore, a check valve exits connecting this said nozzle with a means for opening said valve under the pressure of the main oiling circuit during normal engine running speeds, but closing this said valve during low running or engine idling speeds.
[0008] While the Schmidl reference discloses a mechanism for cooling the piston throughout a range of engine operating conditions, Schmidl's enhanced spray nozzle introduces a non-return valve and compression spring assembly that will be prone to hysteresis and sticking effects. Furthermore, variations in the oil pumping circuit cannot be compensated by the open loop design of the enhanced spray nozzle, providing a non-optimized solution as thousands of hours of wear are imposed on the cooling system components. In addition, the Schmidl design is regulated by an oil pressure relief valve located in the piston oil nozzle assembly, allowing oil to the piston nozzle until the engine crankcase oil pressure exceeds the predetermined nozzle relief valve setting. At this threshold point, the piston oil spray nozzle starts flowing crankcase oil through the nozzle orifice assembly. The actual oil to the piston cooling nozzle now becomes crudely controlled by the engine rpm, determining the crankcase oil pressure. This simplistic control strategy is typically found in today's modern engines and has a minimal at best opportunity to regulate the desired oil flow to the piston for cooling.
[0009] U.S. Pat. No. 5,819,692 issued to Schafer, discloses a control mechanism for spraying lubrication oil to the piston, whereby the temperature of the piston is controlled within a preferable range to prevent overheating under high load conditions, or overcooling at low load conditions. A direct-acting thermostatic valve is positioned into a machined passage in the engine for diverting lubricant from the main oil gallery passage into individual branch passages leading to each spray nozzle.
[0010] While the U.S. Pat. No. 5,819,692 reference discloses a method to provide cooling of the piston for a range of engine conditions, the control mechanism relies on a tubular valve element that is reciprocated back and forth in the main oil passage by a thermostatic power element located in the main passage. This valve and thermostatic power element would be difficult to control due to potential sticking and hysteresis effects and would result in a sluggish response rate for the piston cooling methodology. Over the wide spectrum of rpm and load conditions imposed on the piston, mandatory precise cooling needs delivered to the pistons at the required time would be absent.
[0011] It is desirable to introduce an electronically controlled solenoid valve actuated by an engine power control module, to regulate oil flow for the purpose of piston cooling. To address this need, U.S. Pat. No. 6,955,142 B2 to Patel discloses the use of an electronic solenoid valve within an oil supply manifold to activate and deactivate an oil squirter system. For low engine rpm, the said solenoid valve would close to restrict oil flow and deactivate the oil squirter. As engine rpm increases, the solenoid valve would open and allow the oil to spray on the pistons and cylinders for lubrication and cooling purposes.
[0012] Although the electronically controlled solenoid valve in the Patel patent provides the mechanism for delivering oil for piston cooling, there exists no provision for precisely delivering oil spray based on a plurality of engine load conditions for the purpose of reducing soot production and improving engine efficiency.
[0013] Hence, it will be appreciated that there is a continuing need for a robust control methodology to manage the temperature of a piston dome based on rpm and load, by more precisely regulating the flow of crankcase oil.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0014] The aforementioned needs are satisfied by the piston dome cooling device of the present invention which, in one aspect, is comprised of a pulse-width-modulated (pwm) solenoid valve or other electrically controlled solenoid valve, wherein lubrication oil from the oil sump is pumped by the oil pump through this control valve and routed to a plurality of oil spray nozzles in a parallel circuit configuration. In one implementation, one spray nozzle is utilized per cylinder and is preferably attached at the lower internal crankcase area, adjacent the bottom of each piston cylinder bore opening. Improved optimal piston cooling is achieved by routing oil through the pwm solenoid valve based on the pulse width of the feed forward command, dictated by the on-board electronic control module (ecm). It will be appreciated that this electronic closed loop methodology for piston cooling is based proportionally to the imposed thermal loading on the piston dome, rather than piston cooling delivered based on a worst case engine operating condition scenario.
[0015] The amount of crankcase oil delivered to the piston spray nozzle shall be a function of engine feedback parameters, rpm, torque, fuel consumption (calculated), air temperature, oil temperature, water temperature, turbo boost pressure and all necessary parameters required for optimal engine feedback control. The desired set point signal from the ecm to the pwm valve or other controllable valve shall be dictated based on these feedback parameters and a “table lookup” performed for obtaining the desired duration of the pulse width. Specifically, in one implementation, the longer the pulse width duration, the longer oil will spray to the piston. It is advantageous to tailor the pulse width duration (commonly referred to as duty cycle) based on the engine operating conditions, i.e., light load conditions shall dictate a short duration pulse width, whereas a heavy load condition (vehicle pulling a heavy load up an elevated grade) will translate into a high duration pulse width from the ecm. The pwm valve is an electronically controlled solenoid valve and is powered from the vehicle's 12 vdc power source (higher d.c. voltage sources may be required based on application), whereas the ecm is electronically interfaced to this pwm valve. The location of the pwm valve is preferably located close to the spray nozzle so as not to encourage pressure drops and/or sluggish system response in the cooling circuit. In the present embodiment, the cooling oil output port of the pwm solenoid valve is attached in a parallel fashion to a “common rail” cooling circuit to the total number of cooling nozzles, i.e., the total number of pistons in the engine block configuration (not limited to a specific number of cylinders).
[0016] In another embodiment, it will be appreciated that a plurality of pwm valves or similar controlled valves may be employed and each valve shall be devoted to the control of cooling on a per piston basis. In particular, the ecm shall individually manage the cooling needs of each said piston by incorporating distinct table look entries per cylinder, providing for the ultimate optimization of piston dome cooling. These additional controlled valves will provide for adequate flow characteristics to cover the oil cooling requirements of the pistons and specifically the wide-open-throttle (wot) condition. WOT is the 100% load condition and generally the worst case engine operating case scenario. It will be noted that other embodiments of the present invention may be employed; whereas a single pwm valve may be shared with multiple cylinders to provide adequate cooling for all cylinders in the engine block.
[0017] Another aspect of the invention comprises a system for cooling a piston of an internal combustion engine having at least one cylinder that receives the piston wherein the cylinder defines a combustion region and a cooling region, wherein the internal combustion engine includes an oil supply system that supplies oil to the cooling region of the cylinder, the system comprising one or more sensors that sense performance parameters of the internal combustion engine, an oil gating system that is controllable so that the amount of oil provided to the cooling region is adjustable, and a controller that receives signals from the one or more sensors and provides control signals to the oil gating system wherein the controller determines the amount of oil to provide to the cooling region based upon the one or more sensors so that the oil provided to the cooling region of the cylinder is reduced to inhibit excess soot production.
[0018] Another aspect of the invention comprises a method of controlling the production of soot by an internal combustion engine, the method comprising monitoring performance parameters of the internal combustion engine, determining the amount of oil to be delivered to a cooling region of at least one cylinder of the internal combustion engine based upon the monitored performance parameters so that the amount of soot produced by the internal combustion engine is reduced and controlling an oil gating system to control the amount of oil being delivered to the cooling region of the at least one cylinder based upon the determined amount.
[0019] Another aspect of the invention comprises an internal combustion engine system comprising at least one cylinder that receives at least one piston wherein the cylinder defines a combustion region and a cooling region, an oil supply system that supplies oil to the cooling region of the at least one cylinder, the system comprising, one or more sensors that sense performance parameters of the internal combustion engine, an oil gating system that is controllable so that the amount of oil provided to the cooling region is adjustable, and a controller that receives signals from the one or more sensors and provides control signals to the oil gating system wherein the controller determines the amount of oil to provide to the cooling region based upon the one or more sensors so that the oil provided to the cooling region of the cylinder is reduced to inhibit excess soot production.
[0020] Another aspect of the invention comprises a system for cooling a piston of an internal combustion engine having at least one cylinder that receives the piston wherein the cylinder defines a combustion region and a cooling region, wherein the internal combustion engine includes an oil supply system that supplies oil to the cooling region of the cylinder, the system comprising one or more sensors that sense performance parameters of the internal combustion engine, an oil gating system that is controllable so that the amount of oil provided to the cooling region is adjustable, and a controller that receives signals from the one or more sensors and provides control signals to the oil gating system wherein the controller determines the amount of oil to provide to the cooling region based upon the one or more sensors so that the oil provided to the cooling region of the cylinder is reduced to improve the efficiency of the motor.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0021] FIG. 1 is a schematic view of one embodiment of a piston cooling arrangement embodying the invention.
[0022] FIG. 2 is a schematic view of another embodiment of the invention.
[0023] FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the closed loop elements comprising the invention.
[0024] FIG. 4A is a chart depicting cooling flow vs. (load %), at constant speed in a typical diesel, gasoline, alternative-fuel engine application.
[0025] FIG. 4B is a chart depicting piston temperature vs. (load %), at constant speed in a typical diesel, gasoline, alternative-fuel engine application.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0026] Reference will now be made to the drawings wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout. FIG. 1 illustrates an initial embodiment of a piston cooling lubrication system 100 for a diesel, gasoline, alternative-fuel engine, that comprises an oil lubricating pump 104 which pumps oil from the crankcase 102 through an electronically controlled valve such as a pwm valve 106 through flow passage 112 to a “common rail” oil passage 124 to a plurality of oil spray nozzles 126 , 130 , 134 , 138 . Spray nozzle 126 has a protruding tip 128 which is preferably directed to the bottom side of piston dome 116 , whereas piston 116 moves up and down in engine block 114 . In addition, oil spray tips 132 , 136 and 140 are pointed to the bottom side of pistons 118 , 120 and 122 respectively. This embodiment 100 represents a four-cylinder engine configuration as illustrated by pistons 116 , 118 , 120 and 122 .
[0027] FIG. 2 illustrates another embodiment 150 of the present invention and, in particular utilizes the same oil pump 104 to draw lubrication oil from the crankcase 102 to a common rail manifold 152 . The sump oil 102 will flow in a parallel circuit configuration through electronically controlled valves such as pwm valves 154 , 156 , 158 and 160 . It will be appreciated that pwm valve 154 flows oil directly through spray nozzle 126 and spray tip 128 where the oil is preferably directed to the underside of piston 116 . This embodiment 150 provides for a pwm valve to manage piston cooling on a per piston basis. In FIG. 1 , ecm 108 is electronically connected through conductor 110 to pwm valve 106 , hence the ecm controls only one pwm valve 106 for an entire bank of cylinders 116 , 118 , 120 , 122 . Embodiment 150 provides for individual electronic control of each pwm valve 154 , 156 , 158 , and 160 by direct connection to ecm 108 output control ports 170 , 172 , 174 and 176 respectively. More specifically, the precise oil delivery from pwm valve 154 is fed through oil passage 162 to oil spray nozzle 126 and spray tip 128 to piston underside 116 . Continuing further, pwm valve 156 will deliver oil through oil passage 164 through nozzle 130 and spray tip 132 to piston underside 118 . PWM valve 158 routes oil directly through oil passage 166 through nozzle 134 and spray tip 136 to piston underside 120 . Moreover, pwm valve 160 directly connects oil passage 168 to nozzle 138 and spray tip 140 to cool piston underside 122 . In this fashion, piston cooling management may be accomplished by ecm 108 with the employment of table driven look-up entries on a per piston basis.
[0028] FIG. 3 represents a block diagram of the closed loop control components of embodiment 100 from FIG. 1 and embodiment 150 of FIG. 2 . Closed loop control elements 180 are commonly used in a typical modern day diesel, gasoline, alternative-fuel engine application that incorporates an ecm 108 to perform the task of fuel management/control of fuel injectors (not illustrated). For the purpose of clarifying the explanation of the control methodology, only a single piston 116 of the engine block 114 is illustrated in a cutaway view of embodiment 100 of FIG. 1 and embodiment 150 of FIG. 2 . The ecm 108 has a plurality of dedicated hardware input channels 182 for the purpose of reading engine water temperature 194 , oil pump pressure 196 , oil temperature 198 and engine speed 192 , measured by a multi-tooth gear or wheel 188 , spinning past a magnetic pickup 190 . Some diesel engine applications employ a turbo boost sensor 186 input 220 . The present invention capitalizes on the aforementioned sensor feedback to calculate in real time the cooling requirements of piston 116 , based proportionally as a function of the thermal loading imposed on the piston dome of piston 116 .
[0029] In particular, FIG. 4A is an example graph of oil flow 230 in gallons per minute (gpm) versus the Load 234 imposed on the pistons of a typical diesel, gasoline, alternative-fuel engine application. It can be seen that the oil flow 230 is held at a constant level 232 throughout the entire range of Load 234 (0 to 100%) imposed on the engine's piston domes. The oil flow to the piston underside is held constant to accommodate a worst case load scenario, resulting in an over-cooled piston, producing an excessive amount of soot in the oil and a reduction of engine efficiency. In addition, FIG. 4B illustrates that in conventional piston cooling systems, piston temperature 236 increases proportionally 238 based on the imposed Load 234 (at constant engine speed). Referring back to FIG. 3 , it will be appreciated that the closed loop control methodology 180 enables a precision amount of oil flow be tailored to the piston for cooling at every engine load scenario, and not based strictly on a worst case 100% full load scenario. For example, a light load condition requiring minimal engine fuel consumption may translate the low turbo boost sensor 186 signal 220 , and calculated table look-up 184 values to an output pulse width of 20% to be generated by the ecm 108 . In particular, the pwm output signal 200 is fed to a pwm driver circuit 224 , providing the necessary current and voltage output drive characteristics 202 to modulate the pwm valve 204 . It will be noted that pwm driver circuit 224 is required if the ecm 108 does not have sufficient drive capability to directly interface to pwm valve 226 . The 20% pulse width will provide a signal representing approximately 20 % of the maximum oil spray through nozzle 126 and spray tip 128 to the piston underside 116 , representing optimal cooling capability to the piston for a relatively low piston load. In contrast, a much higher load (more fuel used by the engine), may translate to an 85% pulse width, producing a longer duration pulse width signal from ecm output 200 , and driver circuit 224 to pwm valve 226 . This 85% pulse width will provide an oil spray flow rate at the upper end capability of the closed loop cooling system 180 for flowing oil to the output 204 of pwm valve 226 through oil channel 228 to oil nozzle 126 and spray tip 128 to piston underside 116 . The direct current (D.C.) supply voltage connection(s) 208 , 206 required for powering the pwm valve 226 and for the pwm driver 224 may or may not be the same as the ecm voltage source 210 and is based on the voltage requirement of the pwm valve 226 and pwm driver circuit 224 . In addition, the D.C voltage source 210 , 208 , 206 shall be referenced to circuit ground connections 212 , 214 and 216 . It will be noted that some vehicle electrical systems, stationary generator sets, and marine applications may not use the customary 12 VDC supply source.
[0030] Although the foregoing description of the preferred embodiment of the present invention has shown, described and pointed out the fundamental novel features of the invention, it will be understood that various omissions, substitutions and changes on the form of the detail of the apparatus as illustrated as well as the uses thereof, may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Consequently, the scope of the present invention should not be limited to the foregoing discussion, but should be defined by the appended claims.
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A system and method of reducing soot and/or improving the efficiency of a motor. The system and method regulates the supply of cooling oil to a cooling section of a cylinder based upon observed parameters. These parameters can include such things as engine temperature, load, rpm etc. The control can be provided by using a look up table.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] Disclosure document filed on this invention in July 2001, Document #496865.
STATEMENT REGARDIING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
[0002] N/A
REFERENCE TO A MICROFICHE APPENDIX
[0003] N/A
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0004] The field of endeavor to which this invention pertains is anti-theft, tamper resistant locking devices.
[0005] Upon hearing of the theft of a 5 th wheel camping trailer, I, being the owner of a 5 th wheel camping trailer, recognized the need for a locking device/anti-theft device for 5 th wheel hitch pins.
[0006] After exploring the market for available locking products, I became aware that, to the best of my knowledge, the only products that existed had exposed locks and hinges that could easily be compromised with a hack saw, hammer, or bolt cutters. My idea for an anti-theft device was a recessed pocket containing the padlock and channels for the lock shank integrated into a solid block of steel or aluminum, which would allow the padlock to be inside the block of steel. This invention would prevent access to the lock shank, preventing cutting of the shank. This invention would also limit access to the padlock body, preventing the lock being compromised by blunt force being applied to the body.
[0007] The second part of my idea involved a hinge system for the invention that would make the hinge pin inaccessible.
[0008] I shared my idea with my husband, Delmar Nilges, who then shared it with David Blatt for help in developing and testing the idea in October of 2000.
[0009] After much research, trial and error, and prototypes, the invention described in this application was developed. To the best of my knowledge, I believe this invention to be unique and it contains systems and mechanical process that do not exist in today's market.
[0010] The result of our experimentation and development is a combination between the hinge design and locking design that prevents the device from being compromised even if the hinge is totally destroyed.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0011] This invention is an anti-theft locking device for any 5 th wheel type trailer. On the market now are locking devices for 5 th wheel trailers that have exposed hinges and exposed padlocks. The devices now available are easily compromised by cutting the padlock shank or the hinge. This invention solves this problem by channeling and pocketing the padlock into a solid block of aluminum and machining the hinge directly into the solid block with the hinge pin concealed in the block. The combination of the padlock channels and pocket along with the hinge design make it virtually impossible to remove the device from the 5 th wheel pin.
[0012] The device is closed around the pin of the 5 th wheel hitch on the trailer. The padlock is then inserted into the channels in the block halves and raised, then inserted into the padlock pocket. See drawings page 1, FIG. 1 for diagram of locking sequence.
[0013] Test have shown, that with the device installed with the hinge pin removed, the device, still, can not be removed because of the design of the padlock channels and pocket.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING
[0014] [0014]FIG. 1 Cut away view from the side of the device. Shows sequence of inserting the padlock into the block haves, then raising the padlock to insert into pocket.
[0015] [0015]FIG. 2 Top view of left block half. Dimensions for machining.
[0016] [0016]FIG. 3 Top view of right block half. Dimensions for machining.
[0017] [0017]FIG. 4 Shaded drawing of invention with two halves assembled and padlock inserted to the locked position.
[0018] [0018]FIG. 5 Wire frame drawing of invention with padlock inserted into pocket in locked position. Also shows detail of hinge design. Top view.
[0019] [0019]FIG. 6 Bottom view of invention. Wire frame showing lock inserted to locked position.
[0020] [0020]FIG. 7 Wire frame drawing showing two block halves opened to a 30-degree angle. Shows padlock channeling and pocket.
[0021] [0021]FIG. 8 Wire frame drawing showing invention with padlock inserted into channels in the unlocked position.
[0022] [0022]FIG. 9 Wire frame view of invention with block halves opened to a 30 degree angle.
[0023] [0023]FIG. 10 Wire frame exploded view of two halves and hinge pin.
[0024] [0024]FIG. 11 Wire frame drawing of invention with hinge pin inserted and two halves opened to a 90-degree angle.
[0025] [0025]FIG. 12 Wire frame drawing of the invention showing two halves opened to a 90-degree angle showing detail of hinge area.
[0026] [0026]FIG. 13 Transparent view of the invention showing two halves closed to the locked position with no padlock installed.
[0027] [0027]FIG. 14 Shaded view of the invention in the closed position with no padlock installed.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0028] This invention is an anti-theft locking device for any 5 th wheel type trailer. It is comprised of two blocks of billet aluminum in which channels and a pocket are machined to allow for a pad lock to be inserted into the two block halves—resulting in a secure bond between the two halves with the padlock being encapsulated inside the aluminum blocks, protecting the lock shank and body from access. The two block halves are hinged on the opposite side of the lock pocket by an integrated tooth design machined directly into the block halves. The two halves are joined at the hinge by a {fraction (3/16)}″ diameter Hardened pin being inserted vertically through the hinge teeth of the two halves. The pin-holes, top and bottom, are then tig welded closed to prevent access to the pin.
[0029] When this channeled padlock design and toothed hinge design are utilized together on opposite ends of these blocks, the result is a very secure locking system. The design of the padlock channels prevents the two halves from being separated even if the hinge were totally removed.
[0030] The contour of the 5 th wheel pin is machined into the two halves of the device. The device is placed around the 2″ pin of the 5 th wheel hitch and the lock is then inserted into the channeled pocket. The presence of this device on the hitch prevents it from being connected to any vehicle for towing.
[0031] The device is made up of three components:
[0032] 1) Right side block
[0033] 2) Left side block
[0034] 3) Hinge pin
[0035] The device can be machined with ordinary machine shop tooling and machines. Our prototypes were produced using Master Cam software and all machining was done on a Supermax CNC knee mill with a Centurion V control.
[0036] Material:
[0037] 2 each, 1¾″ thick×3″ wide×5½″ long aluminum bar stock, 1 each, {fraction (3/16)}″ diameter×1{fraction (5/16)}″ long hardened drill rod.
[0038] Operations to Produce
[0039] 1 ST Operation
[0040] Saw and face ends of two aluminum blocks to 5⅜″ long.
[0041] 2 ND Operation-Right block half
[0042] Mill 1¾″ thickness to 1¼″ except for hinge teeth. Machine hinge teeth to print specs. All sides of hinge teeth must have radius of ⅛″ to allow for clearance during swing of halves. Machine ⅜″ padlock shank, “L” shaped, channel in face to print specs. Use ⅜″ ball nose end mill.
[0043] 3 RD Operation-Left block half
[0044] Machine hinge teeth, Radius all tooth edges ⅛″. Machine ⅜″ diameter Lock shank, “L” shaped, channel in face to print specs. Use ⅜″ ball nose end mill.
[0045] 4 TH Operation
[0046] Clamp parts together in vise—mill 2.030″ diameter pocket thru. Drill and ream {fraction (3/16)}″ diameter Hole thru hinge teeth. Per print.
[0047] 5 TH Operation
[0048] Install {fraction (3/16)}″ pin-clamp parts in vise, on end, machine padlock pocket and “U” shaped ⅜″ channel to print specs.
[0049] 6 TH OPERATION
[0050] Turn parts over in vise and machine 3¼″×1.600″ step down. Per print specs.
[0051] 7 TH Operation
[0052] Remove pin, de-bur all edges, sand and polish blocks. Re-install pin, tig weld ends of pin-holes closed.
Use and Utility of Invention
[0053] This pocket and channeling design for encapsulating the padlock has a wide range of possible uses. The available products now on the market leave the lock shank exposed as well as the lock body. This allows for access to cut the shank with bolt cutters or hack saw and the body of the lock exposed for possible destruction with a hammer.
[0054] The ⅜″ diameter Channel and pocket for the lock body are offset in such a way to allow the lock to be raised ⅜″ in the shank channel then the body of the padlock inserted into the body pocket. See FIG. 1. This design prevents the lock from being removed unless unlocked with a key. This channeling and pocket for the lock also forms a secure bond between the two halves of the device-even if the hinge is totally removed the two halves can-not be pried apart. The two halves would have to be pried open to a gap of 2.0″ to clear the 2.0″ pin of the 5 th wheel, which is encapsulated within the blocks. Test have shown that with the padlock installed and the hinge pin removed, the two halve have no more than {fraction (1/16)}″ gap in the hinge area.
[0055] We have also experimented with making the blocks out of tool steel (A2) and heat-treating the blocks to a Rockwell hardness of 58 after machining. This results in an almost indestructible finished product although at considerably higher production cost.
[0056] This channeling and pocketing could be incorporated into virtually any locking application:
[0057] a) 5 th wheel trailer, RV, Utility, Farm, Construction, Heavy equip.
[0058] b) Gate locks
[0059] c) Valve locks (gas pipeline, steam, water, etc.)
[0060] d) Storage sheds
[0061] e) Construction sheds
[0062] f) Boat trailers
[0063] g) Etc.
[0064] On the market at this time are products that simply weld a shield around the padlock. The invention discussed in this application actually encapsulates the padlock into solid blocks of aluminum or steel, thus distinguishing from the prior art. The novelty of this invention, rest in the channeling and pocket to enclose the padlock and in the combining of the hinge design with the channeling and pocket for the padlock. In combination, the result is unlike any locking system on the market at this time.
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The nature of this invention is a secure, anti-theft, tamper resistant locking device for 5 th wheel type trailer hitch pins.
This locking device conceals the padlock and the hinge inside a solid block of aluminum, which is placed around the 2″ pin of the 5 th wheel trailer, thus denying access to the hitch pin for towing. This invention distinguishes from existing locking devices, which leave the hinge and padlock exposed for easy breach.
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TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] This invention relates generally to track chain assemblies for track-type work machines, and more particularly to a method and apparatus for rebuilding such track assemblies.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Track chain assemblies are used to support and propel track-type work machines and are typically constructed from a plurality of articulately coupled link sections, which have a plurality of track shoes bolted thereto. The link sections have a plurality of pivot joints provided by pin and bushing connections. In addition to forming a portion of the pivot joint, the bushing is used as the drive connection of the track chain with the vehicle through engagement with the drive sprocket of the work machine. As a result of the driving engagement of the bushing with the sprocket and the repeated articulation between seals positioned adjacent the end faces of the bushing, at least two points of wear are formed. The first point of wear being the outer diameter of the bushing that engages the sprocket receives a high amount of wear, while the opposite side of the bushing is substantially free of wear. The other point of wear being the axial end faces of the bushings where the seals are pressed against, to retain lubricant. Grooves form on these end faces due to the repeated articulation.
[0003] In order to compensate for the one sided wear and to utilize the wear life available on the opposite, unworn side of the bushing, it has long been common practice to perform an operation, called “turning the bushings”. This term refers to the process of rotating the bushings relative to their respective links so as to expose the opposite, unworn side to the sprocket and to place the worn side away from the sprocket. The oldest and most common method of accomplishing the above bushing turn is through the complete disassembly of the track chain and then the reassembly of the chain with the bushings mounted in a new rotational position relative to their respective links. The process of disassembly causes a complete loss of the lubricant as well as causing the critical seals of the track to be disturbed. Newer methods leave the track assembled and rotate the bushing in place, such as the method disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,554,720 issued on Nov. 16, 1985 and assigned to the owner of the present application. This method substantially reduces the labor involved and does not disturb the critical seals.
[0004] Additionally, it has long been a desire to improve the corrosion and abrasion characteristics of the end faces of track bushings. Many approaches have been developed for treating the track bushings to improve both corrosion and abrasion resistance. One such approach is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,089,683 issued on Jul. 18, 2000 and assigned to the owner of the present invention. This method uses a laser cladding process to lay an abrasion and corrosion resistant material in a groove positioned in the bushing end face. Another approach is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,102,408 issued on Aug. 15, 2000 and assigned to the owner of he present application. In this method a corrosion and abrasion resistant ring is resiliently bonded to the bushing end face. Both of the above approaches have shown great improvements in retaining lubricant throughout the life of a track chain.
[0005] The present invention is directed toward overcoming one or more of the problems as set forth above.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] In one aspect of the present invention a method for rebuilding a track assembly is provided. The method includes disassembling a plurality of interconnected link sections of the track assembly; reassembling the plurality of interconnected link sections of the track assembly; sealing a plurality of track bushings at one of a radially inward and a radially outward seal portion away from an original seal location.
[0007] In another aspect of the present invention a rebuilt track assembly is provided. The rebuilt track assembly includes a plurality of interconnected link sections. Each link section has a left hand track link having an outboard end portion and an inboard end portion, a right hand link having an outboard end portion and an inboard end portion, a bushing having an outer peripheral surface, a pair of end faces and a bore concentric with the outer surface. The bushing is positioned in the inboard end portion of the left and right hand links. The rebuilt track assembly also includes a track pin having a first and a second end portion being positioned in the outboard end portion of the left and right hand link sections. The track pin is pivotally positioned in the bore of the bushing. A seal assembly is positioned in a counter bore of the outboard end portion of the left and right hand link section and makes sealing contact with the pair of end faces of the track bushing radially inward or radially outward from the original seal position.
[0008] In yet another aspect of the present invention a seal assembly for use with a rebuilt track assembly is provided. The track assembly includes a plurality of interconnected link sections with each link section including a left hand link, a right hand link, a track pin, and a bushing. The seal assembly includes a seal ring and a load member which are positioned in a counter bore of each of the left and right hand links. The load member is in biasing contact with the seal ring. The seal ring is adapted to contact the bushing at one of a radially inward and a radially outward seal portion away from an original seal position.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] FIG. 1 is a fragmentary plan view of an exemplary track assembly (a portion of the track assembly is shown in a cross sectional view, for clarity of description);
[0010] FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the encircled portion of FIG. 1 and indicated 2 ; and
[0011] FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the encircled portion of FIG. 2 and indicated 3 .
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0012] Referring now to the drawings and specifically to FIGS. 1 and 2 , a portion of a track assembly 10 is shown. These track assemblies are used in a number of known track-type work machines (not shown) such as excavators, dozers, and the like. The track assembly 10 is constructed from a plurality of articulately coupled link sections 12 . Each link section 12 includes a set of links, one being a left hand link 14 (the right link in FIG. 1 ) and the other being a right hand link 16 (the left link in FIG. 1 ), a pin 18 , and a bushing 20 . The pin 18 has a first and a second end portion 17 , 19 . Each of the links 14 , 16 have opposite, laterally offsetting ends, an inboard end 22 and an outboard end 24 . The offset allows the outboard end 24 of the links of one link section 12 to overlap the inboard ends 22 of the next succeeding link section.
[0013] The inboard ends 22 of the links 14 , 16 each have a larger bore 26 for receiving a respective end of the larger diameter bushing 20 . The outboard ends 24 of the links 14 , 16 each have a smaller bore 28 for receiving a respective end of the smaller diameter pin 18 . The ends of the pins 18 and the bushings 20 are secured into their respective bores 28 , 26 by means of a heavy press fit or other suitable means which is sufficiently great to secure and maintain the pins 18 , bushings 20 , and links 14 , 16 of each of the link sections 12 as a rigid, unitary member. The pin 18 of one link section 12 is pivotally received within a bore 30 of the bushing 20 of the adjoining link section 12 for providing a hinge joint 32 between the adjoining link sections 12 .
[0014] The bushings 20 have an outer peripheral surface 34 that, in use, is drivingly engaged by the drive sprocket (not shown) of a track-type work machine (not shown). As the bushings 20 are maintained in a fixed angular relation to their respective link section 12 , the drive sprocket only contacts a portion of the outer peripheral surface 34 of the bushing 20 , causing a wear pattern 36 on one side of the outer peripheral surface 34 of the bushings 20 . The wear pattern 36 is indicated in phantom in FIG. 1 .
[0015] Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 3 , each bushing 20 has a pair of end faces 38 (only one end is shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 ) with a seal assembly 40 in sealing contact therewith. The seal assembly 40 is disposed within a counter bore 42 positioned in the outboard end 24 of each link 14 , 16 . Over time during normal operation a radial groove corresponding to an original seal location 43 is formed in the bushing end face 38 , prior to the bushing turning operation, where the original seal assembly (not shown) makes contact with the bushing end face 38 . The seal assembly 40 has a central axis 44 , which is the pivot axis of adjoining link sections 12 as seen in FIGS. 1 and 2 . Seal assembly 40 includes a load member 46 and a seal ring 48 .
[0016] The load member 46 includes a body portion 50 made from any of a number of known resilient materials commonly used to manufacture seals such as elastomeric or rubber compounds, but it could be made from any of a number of materials or combinations thereof. The body portion 50 of the resilient load member 46 has a first radial portion 52 and a first linear peripheral portion 54 . The first linear peripheral portion 54 is spaced from and extends generally parallel with the axis 44 . The first radial portion 52 is generally perpendicular with the axis 44 . The resilient load member 46 also includes a second linear peripheral portion 56 and a second radial portion 58 . The second linear peripheral portion 56 is positioned on the opposite side of the body portion 50 and is spaced from first linear peripheral portion 54 . The second radial portion 58 is positioned on the opposite side of the body portion 50 parallel to and spaced from the first radial portion 52 . A first concave surface 60 is positioned between and joins the first radial portion 52 and the first linear peripheral portion 54 . A second concave surface 62 is located on the opposite side of the body portion 50 spaced from the first concave surface 60 and is positioned between and joins the second linear peripheral portion 58 and the second radial portion 56 . The first concave surface 60 generally has a larger radius than the second concave surface 62 . The second radial portion 56 and the first linear peripheral portion 54 contact a sidewall 64 and a bottom 66 , respectively of the counter bore 42 of the inboard end portion 22 .
[0017] Seal ring 48 has a body portion 68 . Body portion 68 has a first leg 70 that extends along the first linear peripheral portion 54 of the resilient load member 46 and a second leg portion 72 that extends along the second radial portion 58 . A seal portion 74 is positioned on the second leg 72 of the seal ring 48 parallel to and spaced from the second radial portion 58 of the resilient load member 46 . Seal portion 74 contacts a radial surface 76 of the bushing end face 38 that is shown as being radially inward from the radial groove 43 . However, it should be understood that the seal portion 74 might be configured to contact the radial surface 76 radially outward from the radial groove 43 and still retain the desired function. The second leg 72 of the seal ring 48 also includes a debris relief portion 78 adjacent to the seal portion 74 and opposed to the radial groove 43 . Debris relief portion 78 is a reduced width in the second leg 72 radially outward from the central axis 44 . In the embodiment shown the seal portion 74 of the seal ring 48 is manufactured from a polycarbonate material and the body portion 68 is manufactured from a polyurethane material. Other suitable materials may be used for the seal portion 74 and the body portion 68 of the seal ring 48 and still retain the functional attributes as described herein.
INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY
[0018] During normal operation of a track-type work machine at least two locations of wear occur in components of the track assembly 10 . The first wear location occurs on the outer surface 34 of the track bushing 20 at the point where the sprocket makes contact therewith forming the wear pattern 36 . The other location is at the original seal location 43 at the intersection of the bushing end face 38 and the seal ring 48 of the seal assembly 40 . When these wear points reach a predetermined level of wear or the hours of use reach a predetermined limit, based on the specific working environment, the track assembly 10 can be rebuilt.
[0019] The rebuild process for the current track assembly 10 is performed by first disassembling adjoining link sections 12 from one another. This is done by pressing the track pin 18 from the bore 28 from the outboard end 24 of both left and right hand links 14 , 16 . The bushings 20 are then pressed from the bore 26 of the inboard end 22 of the left and right track links 14 , 16 . The original seal assembly (not shown) is then removed from the counter bore 42 of the outboard end 24 of the links 14 , 16 and discarded. A new seal assembly 40 is placed in the counter bore 42 . Each bushing 20 is then turned to expose an unworn side to the sprocket (not shown) and position the wear pattern 36 in a position so as to not make contact with the sprocket. The bushings 20 are then pressed back into the bore 26 of the inboard end 22 of each link 14 , 16 . The adjoining link sections 12 are rejoined by pressing the track pins 18 back through the bore 28 of the outboard end 24 of one link 14 , 16 through the bore 30 of the bushing 20 and into the bore 28 of the other link 14 , 16 .
[0020] The seal assembly 40 makes sealing contact with the radial surface 76 of the pair of end faces 38 of each bushing 20 at a location radially away from the radial groove/original seal location 43 . In the example shown in the FIGS. 2 and 3 , the position of the seal portion 74 of the seal assembly 40 is radially inward from the groove 43 however it should be understood that radially outward would work as well. With the seal assembly 40 contacting a location away from the original seal location 43 , the sealing effectiveness is brought back to the original condition. That is, not only is the bushing 20 turned so that the sprocket engages an unworn portion of the outer surface 34 but also the sealing effectiveness between the pair of end faces 38 and the seal portion 74 of the seal assembly 40 is restored to the original production condition. Additionally, the debris relief portion 78 of the seal ring 48 allows for material to be alleviated therefrom. Any debris build up is eliminated from the debris relief portion 78 due to the increased area provided between the pair of end faces 38 and the seal assembly 40 during the repeated articulation there between.
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A method and apparatus for rebuilding a track chain assembly is disclosed which restores the ability of the pin joint to retain lubricant to its original condition. The method includes disassembling the track chain assembly, reassembling the track chain assembly and sealing the radial surface of the track bushing at a location radially inward or radially outward from the original seal location. The apparatus includes a seal assembly with a seal portion moved either inward or outward from the original seal location.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Technical Field
This invention relates to a method of extracting solanesol. In particular, the invention provides a technique whereby the crude solanesol can be extracted by microwave-assisted from potato stems and/or leaves.
2. Background
Solanesol, a long-chain terpenoid alcohol, is the starting material for many high-value biochemicals, including Vitamin K analogues and co-enzyme Q10 which is useful in the treatment of heart diseases, cancers and ulcers. Co-enzyme Q10 is widely used in medicine field, health care field and cosmetic area. It present in virtually in every cell in the human body and is known as the “miracle nutrient”. It can be also used as anti-aging, treatment senile dementia and congenital anemia.
China patent CN 91103632.6 and CN 93118734.6 describe an extraction method of solanesol from discarded or moldy tobacco leaves. China patent CN 93118734.6 reports a preparation method of unsaponified solanesol. China patent CN 94102575.6 describes an extraction method and equipment of solanesol. China patent CN 94115570.6 reports a process for producing solanesol. China patent CN 99117334.1 describes a process for extracting solanesol. China patent CN 02134560.0 describes a solanesol complex and process for producing the same. China patent 200410013561.1 provides a process for extracting and purifying solanesol from potato leaves. A deep processing of tobacco concrete for producing tobacco absolute and solanesol: see China patent CN 01108703.X. China patent 200410053681.4 provides a process for clean preparation of high-purity solanesol. China patent 200410040400.1 describes a high-purity solanesol and synthesize for producing the same. Solanesol is extracted from potato leaves and then purifying the solanesol by crystallizing from an organic solvent. The purity of solanesol is higher than 90%, e.g. China patent CN 1762940A describes a process for extracting and purifying solanesol from potato and potato leaves, with organic solvent extraction and recrystallization, the purity of solanesol is higher than 90%.
There is large planting area of potato in Chinese rural. The yield of potato is almost 3 million tons in Dingxi area, Gansu province. However, about 550 thousands ton of potato leaves are not effectively utilized. There would be 1.375 thousands ton of solanesol if half of the leaves were used. The economic benefit is notable.
The most conventional method for extraction of solanesol from potato leaves is heat-reflux extraction with an organic solvent in which the solanesol is soluble. The disadvantages of the method are: time-consuming, high consumption of solvent, higher energy consumption and high cost.
Microwave energy penetrates materials and produces a volumetrically distributed heat source due to molecular friction resulting from dipolar rotation of polar solvents and from the conductive migration of dissolved ions. The highly localized temperature and pressure can cause selective migration of target compounds from the material to the extraction solvent at a more rapid rate and with similar or better recoveries compared with conventional heat-flux extraction.
So far, no literatures or patents refer to microwave-assistant extraction of solanesol from potato stems and/or leaves.
SUMMARY
The invention relates to a process for the manufacture of solanesol with microwave-assistant from potato stems and/or leaves. In accordance with the invention, an extraction protocol for solanesol can be performed when a microwave applicator is used to generate a sudden temperature increase inside of the potato leaves, e.g. the gland system of plant material, that is contacted with an appropriate quantity of a selected extraction medium that is (a) transparent to microwave so as to keep the environment that surrounds the material cold with respect to the internal temperature of the material itself, or (b) partially transparent where some warming is permissible or desirable. Compared with conventional methods, the invention can considerably reduce both extraction time and energy consumption. It also has bright perspectives in promoting local economic development and increasing farmers' income.
The invention relates to a fast and efficient process for the manufacture of solanesol with microwave-assistance from potato stems and/or leaves.
The main objective of the invention is to provide a microwave-assistance process for the preparation of solanesol from potato stems and/or leaves.
The first step: Fresh potato stems and/or leaves were dried under ambient temperatures and milled to 40 mesh powders by a mortar (selected by sieve), and then were kept at ambient temperature. Then, potato sterns and/or leaves was mixed with ethanol (95%). The ratio of the mixture was 1:1 (w/w). The suspension was irradiated automatically with microwaves in a microwave-drying equipment (the temperature was about 30-40° C. with the pressure of 0.08 MPa for 10-20 min). The microwave irradiation power was 1000-1500 W, and a frequency of 2450 MHz, get material A.
The second step: Material A was immersed in ethanol (95%). The ratio of material A to ethanol (w/w) may range from 1:5 to 1:15. The suspension was irradiated with microwaves in microwave extraction equipment with water condenser. The overall microwave power was 1000 W-1500 W with the frequency of 2450 MHz. The suspension was exposed at microwave irradiation for 30-50 min at the temperature of 45-65° C., stirred at 60-100 rpm. The extraction product may be recovered from the extractant (after separation from the solids material as filtering at the pressure of 0.08 MPa). Ethanol was evaporated off from the resulting organic solvent extract at the temperature of 50° C., 0.08 MPa, get material B.
The third step: Material B was dried in microwave-drying equipment (at the temperature of 50° C., 0.08 MPa) for 10-12 hours. The overall microwave power was 1000 W-1500 W with the frequency of 2450 MHz, get crude solanesol with the content about 10%.
The Dionex Ultimate 3000 high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) system was equipped with a quaternary pump, an on-line solvent vacuum degasser and an auto sampler with a 20 ul injection loop. The detector was UV detector. The data were acquired and processed by means of Chromatography Management System. An Acclaim® 120 C18 column (150 mm×4.6 mm I.D., 4.5 um) fitted with a Jiajie C18 guard column (8 mm×4.6 mm I.D., 4.5 um) was used. The column temperature was set at 30° C. The mobile phase was chosen as methanol: ethanol (45:55, v/v) at a flow rate of 1 ml/min. The wavelength of UV detector was 211 nm.
This invention relates to a novel method of extracting crude solanesol from potato stems and/or leaves using microwave equipment as energy source. In particular, the invention provides a technique whereby the solanesol can be extracted effectively, in a relatively short period of time (30-50 min) with respect to conventional extraction methods (12-18 h) and allows for an enhanced extraction yield (about 10%). The drying of the extracts was decreased to 10-12 h compared with conventional method (36-48 h) use microwave-assistant drying equipment. Furthermore, the invention also allows for the extraction of material with less solvent consumption, energy conservation and environmental protection, and showed great potential for efficient sample preparation and large-scale industrial application in the near future. The invention has bright perspectives in promoting local economic development and increasing farmers' income.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
Having thus generally described the invention illustrated a preferred embodiment.
FIG. 1 . The chromatogram of standard solanesol (200 ppm).
FIG. 2 . The chromatogram of solanesol in the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The following examples will illustrate the invention but the invention is not restricted to these examples.
EXAMPLE 1
The first step: Fresh potato stems and/or leaves were dried under ambient temperatures and milled to 40 mesh powders by a mortar (selected by sieve), and then were kept at ambient temperature. Then, potato stems and/or leaves was mixed with ethanol (95%). The ratio of the mixture was 1:1 (w/w). The suspension was irradiated automatically with microwaves in a microwave-drying equipment (the temperature was 35° C. with the pressure of 0.08 MPa for 15 min). The microwave irradiation power was 1100 W, and a frequency of 2450 MHz, get material A.
The second step: Material A was immersed in ethanol (95%). The ratio of material A to ethanol (w/w) may range from 1:8. The suspension was irradiated with microwaves in microwave extraction equipment with water condenser. The overall microwave power was 1200 W with the frequency of 2450 MHz. The suspension was exposed at microwave irradiation for 50 min at the temperature of 55° C., stirred at 80 rpm. The extraction product may be recovered from the extractant (after separation from the solids material as filtering at the pressure of 0.08 MPa). Ethanol was evaporated off from the resulting organic solvent extract at the temperature of 50° C., 0.08 MPa, get material B.
The third step: Material B was dried in microwave-drying equipment (at the temperature of 50° C., 0.08 MPa) for 12 hours. The overall microwave power was 1000 W with the frequency of 2450 MHz, get crude solanesol with the content about 10.8%.
EXAMPLE 2
The first step: Fresh potato stems and/or leaves were dried under ambient temperature and milled to 40 mesh powders by a mortar (selected by sieve), and then were kept at ambient temperatures. Then, potato stems and/or leaves was mixed with ethanol (95%). The ratio of the mixture was 1:1 (w/w). The suspension was irradiated automatically with microwaves in a microwave-drying equipment (the temperature was about 40° C. with the pressure of 0.08 MPa for 20 min). The microwave irradiation power was 1000 W, and a frequency of 2450 MHz, get material A.
The second step: Material A was immersed in ethanol (95%). The ratio of material A to ethanol (w/w) may range from 1:15. The suspension was irradiated with microwaves in microwave extraction equipment with water condenser. The overall microwave power was 1000 W with the frequency of 2450 MHz. The suspension was exposed at microwave irradiation for 40 min at the temperature of 65° C., stirred at 60 rpm. The extraction product may be recovered from the extractant (after separation from the solids material as filtering at the pressure of 0.08 MPa). Ethanol was evaporated off from the resulting organic solvent extract at the temperature of 50° C., 0.08 MPa, get material B.
The third step: Material B was dried in microwave-drying equipment (at the temperature of 45° C., 0.08 MPa) for 10 hours. The overall microwave power was 1500 W with the frequency of 2450 MHz, get crude solanesol with the content about 10.5%.
EXAMPLE 3
The first step: Fresh potato stems and/or leaves were dried under ambient temperature and milled to 40 mesh powders by a mortar (selected by sieve), and then were kept at ambient temperatures. Then, potato stems and/or leaves was mixed with ethanol (95%). The ratio of the mixture was 1:1 (w/w). The suspension was irradiated automatically with microwaves in a microwave-drying equipment (the temperature was about 30° C. with the pressure of 0.08 MPa for 10 min). The microwave irradiation power was 1500 W, and a frequency of 2450 MHz, get material A.
The second step: Material A was immersed in ethanol (95%). The ratio of material A to ethanol (w/w) may range from 1:5 to 1:15. The suspension was irradiated with microwaves in microwave extraction equipment with water condenser. The overall microwave power was 11500 W with the frequency of 2450 MHz. The suspension was exposed at microwave irradiation for 30 min at the temperature of 45° C., stirred at 100 rpm. The extraction product may be recovered from the extractant (after separation from the solids material as filtering at the pressure of 0.08 MPa). Ethanol was evaporated off from the resulting organic solvent extract at the temperature of 50° C., 0.08 MPa, get material B.
The third step: Material B was dried in microwave-drying equipment (at the temperature of 48° C., 0.08 MPa) for 11 hours. The overall microwave power was 1200 W with the frequency of 2450 MHz, get crude solanesol with the content about 10%.
For comparative purposes, the solanesol was obtained by a 6-8 h heat-reflux extraction (ethanol was chosen as solvent) with yields of about 9% based on vacuum drying.
TABLE 1
Comparison between microwave-assistant extraction
and heat-reflux extraction
Extraction
Extraction
Content of
Time
temperature
Yield of crude
solanesol
Experiment No.
(min)
(° C.)
solanesol (%)
(%)
microwave-
30-50
45-65
5-5.5
10-11
assistant
extraction
heat-reflux
12-26
65
6
9
extraction
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This invention relates to a method of extracting solanesol by microwave-assisted from potato stems and/or leaves. In particular, the invention provides a technique whereby the solanesol can be extracted effectively, in a relatively short period of time with respect to conventional extraction methods and allows for an enhanced extraction yield. The invention has bright perspectives in promoting local economic development and increasing farmers' income.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a process for dyeing synthetic fabrics using high-boiling ester solvent media in which a dye or mixture of dyes meeting selected performance and physical criteria is used.
Synthetic fabrics can be dyed rapidly and effectively at elevated temperatures using dyes dissolved in and applied from high-boiling ester-type solvents. Waterless dye compositions for apparel and other thermoplastic articles are described in a series of U.S. Patents to Robert B. Wilson, more fully identified below, and exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 4,581,035. See also U.S. Pat. No. 4,550,579, to Clifford which proposes using the same ester materials in a non-reactive, inert atmosphere.
The Wilson-type waterless dyeing compositions are said to include the use of various dyes or pigments as organic colorants in these Waterless dye compositions. A wide variety of candidate dyes and pigments are identified in column 8 of this patent, as well as in column 13, lines 31-35 of the Clifford patent. These documents indicate that the choices of suitable dyes and pigments are extremely wide, and that results using any particular dye or pigment selected are comparable, one to the other. It has now been found that only a limited number of dyes meeting very stringent and diverse criteria are actually suitable and form a preferred class for dyeing synthetic fibers, notably nylons and polyesters.
The process of the present invention in one aspect features the use of solvent dyes dissolved in high-boiling ester solvents to color synthetic textiles, notably polyester and nylon. Relatively few dyes are soluble in these high-boiling organic ester materials. The common practice in the art has been to use a class of water-insoluble dyes known as disperse dyes, that is, dyes that are only dispersible rather than soluble in water. These dyes are the type exemplified in the Wilson patent noted above.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Described is a process for dyeing synthetic textile fibers by dyeing them at elevated temperatures in a waterless coloring composition composed of a high-boiling ester solvent and a specifically selected dye. The dye or mixture of dyes used must meet the following criteria: (1) The dye must be soluble in the high-boiling solvent at 350° F. to the extent of at least 1.5% by weight based on the weight of the solvent, (2) the dye must provide a yield, calculated as the quotient of the integrated depth value of a sample dyed in the ester solvent divided by the integrated depth value of a sample dyed in an aqueous dyeing system with the same weight of a proven disperse dye of the same or substantially the same color, expressed as % yield, of at least 25%, (3) the dye must exhibit on a fabric a lightfastness value, according to AATCC Test Method 16A-1982 for 40 hours of exposure, of at least 3, and (4) the dye must provide a washfastness value of at least 3 according to AATCC Test Method 61-1985-IA.
Other features of the invention will be apparent from the detailed description that follows.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Before discussing details of the process of this invention, it is important to carefully define the terms as used in the following disclosure, specification and claims, and as generally used in the dyeing art in which perhaps the preeminent text is The Colour Index. The Colour Index refers to dye classes, such as acid dyes, basic dyes, disperse dyes, solvent dyes, etc., as usage classes. Specific usage names such as C.I. Solvent Yellow 77 are formally called C.I. Generic Names; less formally, use or usage names. The "generic" derives from the multiple manufacturers' specific tradenames for the same dye. The 5-digit number accompanying the dye when its structure is known--C.I. 11855 for the above yellow dye--is its "C.I. Constitution Number".
There are distinct differences between disperse dyes and the solvent dyes used in the process of this invention. The terms "disperse dye" and "solvent dye" are "use" terms, and both of them encompass dyes containing very similar chemical groupings. The chemistry of the dyes therefore offers no general promise for distinguishing between the two use classes.
Historically, the name "disperse dyes" reflects the fact that they are mostly used as slightly soluble dispersions in aqueous media. A "solvent dye", on the other hand, is intended for use in a non-aqueous organic solvent. In the context of the present invention, the general difference between disperse dyes and solvent dyes is that in the dyeings in high-boiling hydrophobic solvents, the solvent dyes are more soluble, resulting in greater color yields in many but not all instances, a greater margin of protection against a need for excessive heating to put them in solution, and more capacity for avoiding dye precipitation if the dye solution inadvertently cools while being used. All of these are significant engineering advantages.
Disperse dyes are not sold simply as the powder or solid themselves; rather, they are formulated and designed for use in an aqueous medium. A commercial disperse dyestuff, designed for use in an aqueous medium, is made by washing the solid presscake from the dye synthesis thoroughly with water and then, since the dye itself is virtually insoluble in water, mixing it with a sizable amount of dispersing agent and other additives, if desired. The exact amount of dispersant and additives is varied, depending on the analysis of colorant in each batch, as the way of assuring equal amounts of dye, and thereby color uniformity, from lot to lot. The presscake, whether wet or dried, is known loosely in the art as the "crude" dye; it does not really become a disperse dyestuff until it is mixed with dispersant. This dispersant typically constitutes 60-80% of the weight of commercial disperse dyestuffs, and is anionic in nature.
To determine potentially suitable dyes from the large number of candidates available a simple solubility screening test was conducted. In this test, an excess weight of the candidate dye was slurried in tris(2-ethylhexyl) trimellitate at 350° F., the mixture filtered rapidly, the weight of the dye caught on the filter recorded, and the percentage of dye dissolved in the hot solvent, based on the weight of the solvent, calculated. Further details of this test are given below. A minimum solubility value of 1.5% is required to pass this initial test.
Given their high content of anionic water soluble dispersants, commercial disperse dyes cannot be more than fractionally soluble in hydrophobic solvents such as tris(2-ethylhexyl) trimellitate. Unlike their good dispersions in aqueous media, the commercial disperse dyes tend to produce tarry, gummy precipitates in many organic solvents.
There are two essential aspects of the invention, both dealing with the use class of the dyes employed, and more specifically with subdivisions of the solvent dye class. One is the use of nonionic solvent dyes, and the other the use of premetallized solvent dyes.
The high-boiling ester solvent used in the process of this invention is an organic composition that remains stable within the temperature range of from about 50° F. to about 450° F. Such high-boiling organic solvents are described in the patent literature and elsewhere as vehicles or solvents for dyestuffs and pigments to form waterless dyeing compositions. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,293,305 to Wilson.
The aromatic esters can be of the formula ArCOOR 2 , ArCOO--R 1 --OOCAr or (ArCOO) 2 --R 3 , wherein R 1 is alkylene of 2-8 carbon atoms or polyoxyalkylene of the formula (--C 4 H 24 ) s --, in which r is 2 or 3 and s is up to 15; R 2 is substituted or unsubstituted alkyl or alkenyl of 8-30 atoms; R 3 is the residue of a polyhydric alcohol having z hydroxyl groups; Ar is mono- or bicyclic aryl of up to 15 carbon atoms and z is 3-6.
Furthermore, the cycloaliphatic ester can be of the formula: ##STR1## wherein R is substituted or unsubstituted straight or branched chain alkyl of 4-20 carbon atoms, polyoxyalkylene of the formula R'(OC x H 2x ) n or phosphated polyoxyalkylene of the formula:
(HO).sub.2 P(═O)(OC.sub.x H.sub.2xn OC.sub.x OC.sub.x H.sub.2x)
or a salt thereof, wherein (OC x H 2x O) n is (C 2 H 4 O) n --, (C 3 H 6 O) n -- or (C 2 H 4 O) p , or (C 3 H 6 O) q --; R 1 is H or ArCO; Ar is mono- or bicyclic aryl of up to 15 carbon atoms; x is 2 or 3; n is 2-22 and the sum of p+q is n.
The preferred high-boiling organic solvents include triesters of 1,2,4-benzenetricarboxylic acid, also known as trimellitic acid. Preferred esters are tris(2-ethylhexyl) trimellitate, triisodecyl trimellitate, triisoocytl trimellitate, tridecyl trimellitate, and trihexadecyl trimellitate. It will be understood that mixed esters such as hexyl, octyl, decyl trimellitate can also be used. Most preferred is tris(2-ethylhexyl) trimellitate (CAS No. 3319-31-1), also known as trioctyl trimellitate, which can be purchased from Eastman Chemical Products, Inc., Kingsport, Tenn., as Kodaflex® TOTM.
Other high-boiling, nonionic ester solvents suitable for this invention include, among others, those described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,293,305; 4,394,126; 4,426,297; 4,581,035; 4,602,916; 4,608,056; and 4,609,375. The preparation of the materials described above is given in U.S. Pat. No. 4,529,405, the disclosure of which herein incorporated by reference.
TESTS FOR DETERMINING SUCCESSFUL DYES OF THE INVENTION
With both the premetallized and nonionic solvent dyes, the determination of success, hence suitability for the process of this invention, versus failure has been based on four measured and apparently distinctive parameters. These are solubility, yield, lightfastness, and wetfastness. Each feature is explained and quantified in detail below. A major difference between the process of this invention and the teaching of the prior art is that the former clearly recognizes the selectivity of a very limited number of solvent dyes particularly suited for dyeing nylon and polyester while the latter, in the apparent absence of measurements of any of the four parameters above, suggests that virtually any dye would be successful. The four parameters selected distinguish the carefully selected dyes used in the process of this invention from the dyes generally suggested for use in high-boiling solvents. The parameters selected are consistent with the practical aspects of the art of dyeing. As a practical matter, it makes a great deal of difference whether a coloration represents only the staining of a given fiber rather than a dyeing controllable in depth of color depending on dye concentration, dyeing time, and temperature. Applicant has determined that only a small fraction of even the solvent dyes tested succeed in passing the enumerated tests, which is to say that they show promise of practical utility when employed in high-temperature dyeings in the high-boiling ester media.
Dyes suitable for use in the process of this invention are selected from the wide variety of candidate dyes available based upon a combination of four parameters: solubility of the dye in the solvent medium (for test purposes solubility as assessed in tris(2-ethylhexyl) trimellitate at 350° F.), dyeing yield, lightfastness, and washfastness.
These physical parameters are defined in detail as follows:
Solubility--The solubility of solvent dyes by weight in tris(2-ethylhexyl) trimellitate at 350° F. was determined by slurrying an excess weight T in grams of each dye in 250 g of the hot solvent, filtering the mixture rapidly through a fiberglass filter, and recording the dye caught on the filter. To facilitate testing procedures, in view of the large number of dyes tested, a tare correction was made to allow for solvent retained on the wet dye and to give the dry insolubles weight F. The percentage solubility, based on the solvent weight was calculated for each dye using the formula: ##EQU1##
The solubilities of the nonionic solvent dyes ranged from 2.0 to 4.0 percent; the premetallized solvent dyes that were soluble enough to perform in the process of the invention, from 1.5 to 3.0 percent. Both effective and ineffective dyes of both types fell within these ranges, so that determining only the solubilities of the dyes does not, by itself, form a reliable basis for separating the suitable from the unsuitable dyes.
The lower limit of solubility for dyes suited for use in the process of this invention has been set at 1.5% in tris(2-ethylhexyl) trimellitate on the basis that a lower solubility at dyeing temperature would itself lower the color and the dyeing rate too far to yield practical dyeings.
Yield--The yield, an expression of comparative depth of coloration as defined in the invention is a relative and practical value. It represents a comparison of what can be done in solvent dyeings of the invention with what can be achieved with conventional aqueous dyeings of the same substrate fabric. The basic idea behind this parameter is the practical fact that there is no incentive to resort to the generally more costly solvent dyeing if the depth of coloration it gives is so much less than what can be achieved with less costly aqueous dyeing as to offset the advantages of speed and other merits of the solvent dyeings achieved by the process of this invention.
The percentage color yield for each solvent dye is sometimes expressed in terms of the calculated KSSUM values for the solvent dyeings and the corresponding aqueous disperse dyeings; or ##EQU2##
The term "KSSUM" is also known as the integrated depth value as described by Besnoy Textile Chemist and Colorist, Vol. 14, No. 5, page 34 (1982), a term which applicants have adopted for their purposes in the present invention. See also the article by Kuehni (Textile Chemist and Colorist, Vol. 10, No. 4, page 25 (1978).
As used herein, the percent yield is expressed as: ##EQU3##
Lightfastness--The lightfastness values cited for the solvent dyes of the invention were determined by AATCC Test Method 16A-1982, "Colorfastness to Light: Carbon-Arc Lamp, Continuous Light". The exposure times were 40 hours and 200 hours.
For evaluation of the results the extent of fading of each test specimen was judged by visual comparison with the Gray Scale, in which a 5 rating means no fading, as described in the AATCC Technical Manual/1986 AATCC Evaluation Procedure 1, "Gray Scale for Color Change". In order to meet minimum acceptance standards, a minimum Gray Scale acceptance rating of 3 after 40 hours has been set for the dyes suited for use in the process of this invention, but it will be noted that nearly all of the preferred premetallized dyes of the invention significantly exceeded this minimum rating even after 200 hours.
Washfastness--The washfastness values cited for the solvent dyes used in the process of the invention were determined by AATCC Test Method 61-1985-IA, "Colorfastness to Washing, Domestic; and Laundering, Commercial: Accelerated". The color loss in these 45-minute tests is designed to equal that resulting from five average hand, commercial, or home launderings. Here too the Gray Scale changes, above, are the basis for the cited ratings. The minimum acceptance rating for this test was set at 3-4.
Of these four parameters, lightfastness and washfastness are among the quality measurements of dyeing. Proper dye solubility determines whether enough dye will be present in solution around the fiber to provide for rapid diffusion into it, yet not be so soluble as to keep the dye in solution. Yield is a measure of which dyes diffuse into which fibers, and how much. The premetallized solvent dyes worked only on nylon, not polyester, for example.
Table 1 shows that out of the 65 nonionic solvent dyes tested, only four of known formula having a C.I. Constitution Number) passed the above tests, with either nylon 66 or polyester, but only in one instance with both fibers. In addition to these chemically identifiable nonionic solvent dyes, seven more, having no C.I. Constitution Number, passed the tests of the invention: C I. Solvent Yellow 93; C.I. Solvent Yellow 114; C.I. Solvent Orange 47; C.I. Solvent Orange 60; C.I. Solvent Red 194; C.I. Solvent Violet 31; and C.I. Solvent Blue 59. Once again only one of these seven, C.I. Solvent Yellow 93, was successful with both nylon and polyester.
TABLE 1__________________________________________________________________________Dyeings of Nylon and Polyethylene TerephthalateWith Nonionic Solvent Dyes AATCC Light-C.I. Identity fastness Rating AATCC Wash-Use Name Constitution No. Fabric Solubility Yield 40 hrs. 200 hrs. fastness Rating__________________________________________________________________________Solvent Yellow 77 11855 nylon 3.5 65 4 2 5Solvent Red 52 68210 PET 4 100 4 1 4-5 nylon 80 3-4 1 4-5Solvent Red 111 60505 PET 3.5 60 3-4 1 4-5Solvent Violet 13 60725 PET 3 80 4 1 4-5Solvent Yellow 93 PET 4 100 5 2 5 nylon 90 4-5 1 4-5Solvent Yellow 114 PET 4 100 5 2 4-5Solvent Orange 47 nylon 4 100 5 1 5Solvent Orange 60 PET 3.5 100 4 1 4-5Solvent Red 194 PET 2 8- 4-5 1 5Solvent Violet 31 PET 2.5 80 4 1 5Solvent Blue 59 nylon 2.8 80 5 1 4-5Minimum Acceptance Level 1.5 2.5 3 3--4__________________________________________________________________________
TABLE 2__________________________________________________________________________Dyeings of Nylon With Premetallized Solvent Dyes AATCC Light-C.I. Identity Solubility Yield fastness Rating AATCC Wash-Use Name Constitution No. % % 40 Hrs. 200 Hrs. fastness Rating__________________________________________________________________________Solvent Yellow 21 18690 1.9 50 5 4-5 4Solvent Orange 45 11700 2.1 80 5 5 3-4Solvent Red 8 12715 1.75 55 5 3 3-4Solvent Red 102 15675 1.5 50 5 4 3-4Solvent Blue 55 7440 1.5 45 3 1 4Solvent Black 35 12195 2 85 5 4 5Solvent Yellow 83:1 3 100 5 4 4-5Solvent Orange 54 2 90 5 4-5 4-5Solvent Red 22 2.75 100 5 5 4-5Solvent Black 27 2.5 100 5 5 5Solvent Black 45 2.25 95 5 5 4Minimum Acceptance Level 1.5 2.5 3 3 3-4__________________________________________________________________________
It will be seen from Table 1 that only two of the eleven nonionic solvent dyes gave passing results with both nylon and polyester, while three succeeded with nylon alone and six with polyester alone. The most distinctive differences between these nonionic solvent dyeings and the premetallized solvent dyeings lay in the inferior 200-hour lightfastness ratings shown in Table 1 for the nonionics, contrasted with the greatly superior behavior of the premetallized dyeings.
In Table 2 are summarized the results of dyeing nylon with the eleven premetallized solvent dyes which satisfy the requirements of this invention, beginning with six of known chemical structure and ending with the dyes known only by their C.I. usage names (and tradenames).
A larger proportion of the premetallized solvent dyes than of the nonionic solvent dyes tested passed the standards for the dyes of the invention as set forth above. Even though they are effective only on nylon substrates, the premetallized solvent dyes are preferred to the nonionic solvent dyes and the reason for this is clearly shown in Table 2. The premetallized solvent dyes of the invention, with the sole exception of C.I. Solvent Blue 55, were greatly superior to the nonionic solvent dyes in the 200-hour lightfastness tests. Otherwise the performances of the dyeings with the two classes of dyes were not significantly different.
A total of 122 commercially available and standardized solvent dyes were tested, including 42 premetallized dyes and 65 nonionic dyes. The remainder of the 122 dyes were 10 basic dyes and 5 acid dyes, which 15 were not soluble enough in solvent to pass.
Out of the 42 premetallized solvent dyes tested, Table 2 shows six passing the tests whose formulas were found in The Colour Index. Besides these six dyes of known composition, five others identified only by their C.I. use names also passed, C.I. Solvent Yellow 83:1, C.I. Solvent Orange 54, C.I. Solvent Red 22, C.I. Solvent Black 27 and C.I. Solvent Black 45.
All of the lightfastness and washfastness data in Tables 1 and 2 were obtained from identical dyeings of 3×4-inch swatches of nylon 6,6 (14 ounce per square yard automotive fabric made from low tenacity staple) or of woven polyethylene terephthalate homopolymer fabric. The dyeings were carried out in one percent solutions of each dye in tris(2-ethyhexyl) trimellitate, preheated to 350° F. with the premetallized solvent dyes and 390° F. with the nonionic solvent dyes. (Dyeings of the more dyeable nylon at 350° F. with the premetallized dyes were as efficient as at 390° F., and were preferred because they afforded a larger margin of protection from thermal damage to the nylon fabric. Polyester needed the higher temperature for a high dyeing yield). Each swatch was immersed in the dyebath for one minute, then rinsed in perchlorethylene until the rinse liquor became free of color, after which the swatches were dried and portions were subjected to lightfastness and washfastness testing. The solubility and yield data in the Tables were determined as described above.
General dyeing conditions such as manner of application, operational temperatures and pressures, wet pick-up, scouring, drying and other aspects of the process are in accordance with the conventional practice in the art, and need not be described in detail in this application.
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Synthetic textile fibers are dyed in a waterless coloring composition composed of a high-boiling ester solvent and a dye that (a) is soluble to the extent of at least 1.5% in the solvent, (b) provides a depth of coloration, expressed as yield, of at least 25%, (c) imparts to the dyed fibers a lightfastness value of at least 3, and (d) provides the dyed fibers with a washfastness value of at least 3.
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This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 07/839,486, filed Feb. 20, 1992, now abandoned.
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a device and method for cleaning submerged surfaces and, more particularly, relates to a device and method for removing a variety of fouling agents including algae, barnacles and other forms of marine growth from the submerged surfaces of fiberglass or wood boat hulls.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Boats, floating docks and other structures which remain relatively immobile and partially submerged beneath the surface of a body of water, whether salt water or fresh water, commonly accumulate a coating of material such as dirt and slime on their submerged surfaces. This coating is the result of a variety of fouling agents, but is predominantly caused by marine growth.
Among the marine life forms responsible for fouling boat hulls is the barnacle. Barnacles are totally sessile and most live attached to docks, shells, rocks, boat hulls and other submerged surfaces. When a boat is docked or anchored and immobile. barnacles are able to attach themselves to a boat's bottom when in the larval stage by secreting a cement like substance. Once the "cement" hardens, the barnacle becomes permanently attached to the boat hull and is extremely difficult to remove without damage to the hull's surface. Barnacles are particularly damaging to soft hull finishes, such as the gel coat normally present on fiberglass hulls. Although less damaging to the surface of the boat hull, algae and other marine organisms are also significant contributors to fouling.
The accumulation of marine growth and other fouling agents on a boat hull has a number of adverse consequences including significant increases in the cost of maintaining and operating a vessel. As described above, marine growth can cause extensive damage to paints, gel coats, and other substances used to treat and finish boat hulls. An accumulation of marine growth contributes to the process of osmotic blistering whereby the paint or gel coat on the submerged surface of the boat develops blisters and eventually forms pox exposing the hull to the environment. The hull surface must then be refinished. Also, the accumulation of marine growth on a boat hull has a marked effect on speed and fuel consumption. Barnacles can form encrustaceans on boat hulls that can reduce a boat's speed by 30% and cause a significant increase in fuel costs. Barnes, R. D., Invertebrate Zoology, 3d. ed. (1974). Algal growth has a similar effect on fuel consumption and speed.
Maintaining a clean hull surface will prolong the life of a boat and reduce the need for more expensive maintenance procedures. An effective method for removing fouling agents is to scrub the hull surface by hand; however, manually cleaning a boat hull is laborious, time consuming and inefficient.
The most effective way to clean a hull surface manually is to raise the boat from the water and then scrub the hull. Raising a boat from the water normally requires the availability of a lift and the opportunity to schedule use of the lift. This presupposes the proximity of a boat yard with a lift facility. It also requires the availability of space in the yard at which the vessel can be stored while the bottom cleaning takes place. Many boaters store their boats at marinas, private docks, or other locations which are not near boat yard facilities with lifts. Thus, hull cleaning in this fashion tends to be done at relatively long intervals between cleanings. This makes preventative maintenance, i.e., regular cleaning before the hull growth becomes problematic, unavailable as a practical matter.
The hull can also be cleaned manually by entering the water to scrub the hull but this method also has a number of difficulties associated therewith. First and foremost, it is often difficult to obtain any kind of purchase on the hull since the more the cleaner pushes on the hull in order to apply friction thereto, the more the cleaner is pushed away from the surface of the hull. Thus, it can get very tiring to be constantly propelling oneself, usually with the legs, in order to engage the surface of the boat. This can sometimes be alleviated by pushing off from the side of a dock or a dock piling. However, under many conditions of tidal flow and wave action, it is dangerous for a person to be in the water in the space between a boat and a dock because movement of the vessel toward the dock can pin the individual therebetween. Additionally, if the user is successful in pushing off on a dock piling or similar structure in order to obtain purchase on the boat hull, it is inconvenient and time consuming to have to reverse the position of the vessel between port alongside and starboard alongside in order to clean both sides of the hull. While it is possible to rig arrangements of ropes and the like which the individual in the water cleaning the hull can hold, these arrangements are cumbersome.
Entering the water to clean a boat hull presents a variety of other hazards as well. For example, in some areas of the United States it is illegal to enter the water around boat docks because of the risk of electrocution caused by cables in the water supplying shore power. In many instances it is unwise, even if legal. Additionally, as anyone who has ever cleaned a boat hull in the water knows, cleaning a reasonably fouled hull quickly leads to the act of swimming in murky and relatively unpleasant water. While it is customary to wear a diving mask during this activity, it can still become very difficult to see other parts of the hull and to continue the work because the loosened debris clouds the adjacent water. Naturally, if there are sufficient tidal currents or other water flow present to quickly remove this debris, it is difficult for the individual doing the cleaning to stay in the vicinity of the boat.
The fact that boats with overly developed bottom growths are virtually ubiquitous, particularly in the warmer climates of the southern United States, is testimony to the extent to which boaters will delay addressing the problem of bottom growth due to its significant inconvenience and expense. Furthermore, it should be noted that the difficulty of a bottom cleaning job increases geometrically with the time between cleanings. In other words, when the boat is allowed to sit twice as long under the same conditions, the cleaning job is normally more than twice as difficult and problematic. In particular, if a well developed set of barnacles gets attached to a hull, the removal of the barnacles will almost invariably damage the gel coat or varnish, whereas relatively easy regular cleaning at more closely spaced regular intervals could prevent the attachment of the barnacles to the hull in the first place, thus preventing damage to its finish.
To make the process of maintaining a clean hull more efficient and less laborious, a variety of different methods and mechanical devices have been developed which either prevent the accumulation of algae and barnacles or remove them from a boat's surface after accumulation. These devices and methods cause other problems in many instances and have been met with limited acceptance or have limited utility.
For example, one method currently available to prevent algal growth and the accumulation of barnacles on boat hulls is the application of a paint which contains a biocidal agent. Typically, this paint dissolves over time exposing fresh biocide on the surface of the hull. Generally, the paint lasts only a few seasons and must be reapplied. One advantage of this method is that the surface of the paint becomes smoother as the paint dissolves, as opposed to other paints which tend to blister and develop pox. The disadvantage is that the biocidal paints are expensive and that this particular method requires that the boat be dry docked for prolonged periods of time to repaint its surface. Additional problems of environmental and regulatory nature also result: from the use of biocidal paints. Some jurisdictions are outlawing their use in inland waters and there is concern that leeching of biocides in coastal areas near wetlands can damage oyster beds and shrimp spawning grounds.
A variety of mechanical boat hull cleaning devices have been designed to ease the task of hull maintenance. U.S. Pat. No. 4,204,494 to Bridwell et al. discloses a boat washing apparatus having a stationary frame to which are pivoted a pair of carrier frames with journal rotary power driven brushes across which an elevated boat mounted on a support may be moved. Although the device disclosed by Bridwell et al. is commonly used and considered to be effective for removing marine growth, it requires a professional operator. As with manual cleaning, it also requires that the boat be lifted from the water and to the place where the cleaning device is located. This is an expensive and time consuming process that is suitable for periodic major cleaning but is impractical for keeping the hull continually free of marine growth.
A hull cleaning device which does not require that a boat be removed from the water is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4.395,966 to Murphy. Murphy discloses a boat hull scrubber which allows the boat to remain afloat and the person cleaning the boat to remain aboard. This makes it possible to clean the boat in open water. Murphy discloses a boat hull scrubber comprising a one piece belt of fibrous abrasive material with a plurality of floats mounted along the undersurface of the belt such that the floats pivot at fight angles to the belt. The hull cleaner is designed such that the floats urge the belt into contact with the hull of the boat when the cleaning strap is drawn beneath the boat. As the operators on the deck of the boat pull either end of the cleaning strap, the strap is forced into frictional contact with boat hull.
In practice, the device disclosed in the patent to Murphy has several deficiencies. For one, the large number of floats attached to the full length cleaning pad and necessary to keep the cleaning pad afloat, occupy significant storage space on board a vessel. This makes it impractical to travel with the scrubber or to stow it on board. On most recreational boats, storage space is scarce and a bulky rarely used item, particularly one which is not a piece of essential safety equipment, will rarely be stowed on board. The great number of floats needed to keep the cleaning pad afloat also makes it difficult to pull the floats and pad beneath the surface of the water and to position them beneath the hull of the boat. Furthermore, the relatively large buoyancy of this device can cause it to creep toward the bow of the boat when trying to clean the sloped portion of the hull between the bow and the keel. In other words, the device is hard to get under the boat and difficult to control.
The Murphy patent exhibits several other deficiencies as well. For example, the force required to to pull the scrubbing pad back and forth across the hull tends to create tension along the length of the scrubbing pad. This tension counteracts the intended upward pressure of the floats and causes the scrubbing pad to pull away from the surface of the hull. Thus, the effectiveness of the device is reduced. Additionally, because the Murphy hull scrubber uses a full length scrubbing belt, the friction created between the scrubbing belt and the hull of the boat makes it difficult to move the device. It requires a great amount of energy, causing the individuals operating the device to tire quickly. The friction created along the length of the pad may also cause the boat to roll from side to side as the operators go through the scrubbing motion, tending to put the scrubbing individuals in the water. Finally, the Murphy device is not adaptable to different marine environments because the cleaning pad itself is an integral and permanent pan of the device. This eliminates the possibility of using alternate or replacement cleaning pads. If the belt is damaged or the cleaning pad is worn, the entire device must be replaced.
A variety of simpler and inexpensive mechanical boat cleaning devices have been developed and abound on the market. For example, currently on the market is a device which comprises a scrubbing pad attached to the end of a pole which may be extended into the water by a person standing on a dock. The person then scrubs up and down in an attempt to remove the marine growth. This technique is not particularly effective because it is difficult to apply sufficient pressure to remove the marine growth. Additionally, it does not allow access to all sides of the boat and does not allow the scrubber to reach the underside of the hull. Generally, the methods and devices currently available have limited utility and fail to solve the problems in the art.
Thus, what is needed in the art is a boat hull cleaning device which is relatively inexpensive, portable and compact; which can be operated by the boat owner; and which allows the operators to remain on board and the boat afloat during the cleaning process.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention solves these problems in the art by providing a device for removing marine growth and other fouling agents from the submerged surface of a boat hull which can be operated while the boat is afloat and the operators are on board the vessel. The device of the present invention is particularly suited to maintaining Class I, H and III power boats.
Generally described, the present invention comprises a boat hull cleaning device having an elongated, waterproof, flexible strap to which are attached a plurality of cleaning loops. The cleaning loops comprise flexible non-scratching abrasive scrubbing pads which are removably attached to the waterproof strap by anchor flaps. Buoyant support cushions are attached to the strap beneath each removable scrubbing pad, such that the support cushions are sandwiched between the strap and a scrubbing pad. The optimum number of cleaning loops per strap and the distance between each cleaning loop are dependent on the maximum width of the hull. The ends of the strap are tapered to accommodate handles.
The method of the present invention comprises placing the device beneath the boat hull so that the scrubbing pads contact the submerged portion of the hull and so that the centerline of the device lines up with the seam of the hull. Then, using the handles on either end of the strap, the strap is manually drawn back and forth along the bottom and sides of the hull, in this manner "scrubbing" the marine growth from the boat's submerged bottom.
Thus, it is an object of the present invention to provide a device which efficiently cleans the submerged portion of a boat hull while allowing the operator to remain on board and the boat to remain afloat.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a hull cleaning device which is effective and easy to use.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a hull cleaning device which is compact and light weight and easily stored aboard a vessel.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a hull cleaning device which can be easily adapted for different types of fouling agents and/or hull surfaces.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a hull cleaning device which will remove fouling agents from a boat hull without damaging the surface finish.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a hull cleaning device which may be replaced in sections as particular sections of the device become worn.
In summary form, it is an object of the present invention to provide a portable, stowable hull cleaning device which occupies little of the normally scarce storage space in a recreational craft, which device can easily be used by two people of average strength, will effectively clean the hull of a boat, and has inexpensive easily replaceable working surfaces.
Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent upon review of the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments and the appended drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 shows a top plan view of a first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a section of a first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is an exploded view of a first embodiment of one cleaning loop of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a boat hull with a first embodiment of the present invention in use.
FIG. 5 is an enlarged detail of the segment defined as A--A in FIG. 4.
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a handle of the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a section of a second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a sectional view of a boat hull with a second embodiment of the present invention in use.
FIG. 9 is a sectional view of a second embodiment of the scrubbing pad of the present invention in use.
FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the support cushion of the present invention.
FIG. 11 is an exploded view of a second embodiment of one cleaning loop of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring now in more detail to the drawings, in which like numbers refer to like elements throughout the several views, FIG. 1 shows a top plan view of the first preferred embodiment of a hull cleaning device 10 comprising a strap 30 having a plurality of cleaning loops 20a, 20b, 20c, and 20d attached thereto. In a first preferred embodiment, the cleaning loops 20a-d are equally sized and are positioned transversely on the upper surface of the strap 30 equidistance from either side of the center line CL of the strap 30. The hull cleaning apparatus 10 has two handles 40a and 40b attached to either end of the strap 30.
As described in more detail hereinbelow, the preferred material for embodying the strap 30 is a woven medium weight nylon with a smooth finish. However, the strap 30 of the present invention may be constructed with virtually any flexible non-water soluble material of sufficient strength since its principle function is to act as a carrier for the cleaning loops 20a-d. It is preferable to use a material such as nylon which is resistant to rot in both fresh and salt water environments and which can be finished to a smooth surface which will have a low coefficient of friction when in contact with a gel coat or marine grade varnish so as not to impede the use of the device 10 or to visibly mark the portion of the hull 50 above the water line with which it comes in contact.
Referring now in more detail to the individual elements of the present invention, as best seen in FIGS. 3 and 5, each cleaning loop 20 comprises a flexible, nonscratching abrasive scrubbing pad 22 removably attached to two anchor flaps 26. The texture and composition of the scrubbing pad 22 will vary depending on the marine environment in which the boat is kept and the extent to which bottom growth has developed. In cases of severe algae buildup or where algae was permitted to harden out of the water, the scrubbing pad 22 may be replaced with a more aggressive grade of cleaning pad. The scrubbing pad 22 can be made of synthetic or natural materials, or an admixture of both. For example, the scrubbing pad 22 can be constructed from thermal polyethylene. Alternatively, the polyethylene can be admixed with a natural fiber such as hogs hair to make a stiffer scrubbing pad 22 suitable for heavier marine growth and harder hull 50 finishes. A preferred material for use in the present invention is 100D Polythermal Floor Maintenance Pads manufactured by Microtron Abrasives, Inc. of Pineville, N.C. 100D Polythermal Floor Maintenance Pads are comprised of polyethylene, are of medium stiffness, and are suitable for use on a wide range of finishes and in a variety of marine environments.
For particularly heavy marine growth and to improve the ability to clean the chines on a hull, the scrubbing pad 22 may be further modified by including protrusions on the pad surface, as depicted in FIG. 9. The protrusions can be formed in any convenient manner, however, the preferred method is to sew a flap 28 to the outer surface of the scrubbing pad 22 just to the right of the center line of the scrubbing pad 22. The flap 28 can be made from the same material as the scrubbing pad 22. Not only does this flap 28 provide a rougher cleaning surface, it also makes it possible to thoroughly clean the chines. To counteract the bend which forms in the scrubbing pad 22 at the point where the flap 28 is sewn to its outer surface, a second stitch line 64 can be made through the scrubbing pad 22 an equal distance from and on the opposite side of the center line of the scrubbing pad 22.
As shown in FIG. 3, the scrubbing pad 22 is rectangular and is aligned with its length placed perpendicular to the length of the strap 30. One end of each anchor flap 26 is removably attached to the upper surface of the scrubbing pad 22 while the opposite end of each anchor flap 26 is attached to the strap 30 so as to make a slack loop, as shown in FIG. 5. The anchor flap 26 may be removably attached to the scrubbing pad 22 by any suitable mechanical means. The preferred method for attaching the anchor flap 26 to the scrubbing pad 22 is with high strength hook and loop fasteners such as that sold under the trademark VELCRO™ available from Velcro U.S.A. of Manchester, N.H. As depicted in FIG. 11, the fasteners 62 are attached to the undersurface of the anchor flaps 26a-b. The anchor flap 26 may be attached to the strap 30 by any permanent mechanical or chemical means or may actually be formed from the strap itself. For example, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the anchor flap 26 is made by folding the strap 30 onto itself so as to make a slack loop, and then stitching that loop together to make an anchor flap 26a, as depicted in FIG. 11. The anchor flap 26 may also be sewn onto the strap 30 or it may be chemically bonded.
The cleaning loop 20 has enough slack in the loop 20 to accommodate a buoyant support cushion 24, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 5. The support cushion 24 is formed of firm but deformable loam, or a similar deformable buoyant material. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention the support cushion 24 is composed of extruded polyethylene foam having a density of no more than two pounds per square inch and is formed in the shape of a cylinder. As shown in FIG. 3, each support cushion 24 is of the same length as the scrubbing pad 22 and of the same width as the strap 30. The support cushion 24 is permanently attached to the strap 30 by mechanical or chemical means as, for example, with nylon push pin fasteners. However, the support cushion 24 is not attached to the scrubbing pad 22.
As shown in FIG. 3, the support cushion 24 is preferably cylindrical but may be of virtually any shape such that the deformable material from which it is made will elevate the cleaning pad 22 above the surface of strap 30 when in use. It is much preferred, but not essential, to employ a shape which has an arcuate surface which contacts the back of cleaning pad 22 irrespective of the geometry of the sides of the cushion which are in the space between the anchor flaps 26 and adjacent strap 30. As the support cushion 24 becomes larger, its deformability is reduced. To preserve the deformability of the support cushion 24 a core through the center of the support cushion 24 can be extruded, defining an opening 60 through its center, as depicted in FIG. 10. This makes it possible to flex the firm polyethylene support cushion 24 when it contacts the hull surface 50. As seen in FIG. 1, the ends of the strap 30 are tapered to accommodate handles 40a and 40b, each of which defines an opening 42 wide enough to accommodate two normal sized adult hands. The strap 30 is threaded through two slots 44a and 44b in the handle, as shown in FIG. 6, and is maintained at a desired length by mechanical means. The preferred method for attaching the strap 30 to the handles 40a and 40b is to attach a mechanical fastener 63a-b, such as a hook and loop fastener, to the strap 30 so that the end of the strap 30 can be looped through the two slots 44a and 44b and then attached onto itself, as depicted in FIGS. 4 and 8. A variety of mechanical fasteners 63a-b can be used. The preferred mechanical fastener 63a-b is Velcro™, available from Velcro, U.S.A. in Manchester, N.H. The handles 40 can be constructed from injection molded high strength plastic, nylon, polypropylene, wood or any other suitable rigid material.
The method of use of the present invention comprises placing the cleaning device 10 beneath a boat hull 50 such that the abrasive scrubbing pads 22 contact the submerged portion of the hull (see FIG. 5) 50 and so that the centerline CL of the cleaning device 10 lines up with the center of the boat hull 50 as shown in FIGS. 4 and 8. The handles 40 on the ends of the strap 30 project out of the water on opposite sides of the boat. The operators position the cleaning device 10 beneath the hull 50 by lowering the device into the water from the bow of the boat while holding the handles 40 and slowly working the cleaning device 10 aft. To clean the hull 50, the strap 30 is manually drawn back and forth across the undersurface of the boat hull 50, using the handles 40 while maintaining a light to moderate tension along its length. This back and forth cleaning stroke is repeated while slowly moving aft. When the first operator pulls on the strap, the second operator should relax the tension in their end of the strap, allowing the strap to be drawn across the hull. There is no need to apply tension from both ends of the device 10. When the length of the boat has been passed over once, the device is removed or the cleaning may be repeated by moving slowly toward the bow while again pulling the strap in a back and forth motion.
Because the abrasive scrubbing pads 22 only contact the surface of the hull 50 at intermittent points, the amount of resistance to the cleaning stroke is light. This results in a cleaning device that has a very easy pull. For example, five pound pull on one end of the cleaning device 10 illustrated in FIG. 4 is enough to create the desired amount of tension in the strap 30. The preferred fabric for use for the strap 30 is a medium weight nylon, #440 Denier distributed by Trident Products of Tamarach, Fla., with a very smooth finish. This smooth finish allows the strap 30 to slide easily over the sides of the boat when it comes into contact with the hull 50. This is particularly beneficial when using the cleaning device 10 from the deck of a boat where the strap 30 wraps around the upper parts of the hull 50. Using this material for the strap 30, the device is light weight and easy to use so that it can be used from the dock, from the deck of a boat or from a combination of the two.
It will thus be appreciated that in accordance with the method of the present invention, use of a flexible scrubbing pad 22 and a buoyant deformable support cushion 24 combined with light tension along the length of the strap 30, will force the curved surface of the scrubbing pad 22 into contact with all surfaces of the hull 50. The curved shape and the aggressive nature of the scrubbing pad 22 surface require that only a moderate amount of tension be applied to the strap 30 in order to achieve the required cleaning pressure.
The length of the cleaning stroke needed to clean the entire surface of a huh varies with the beam (greatest width) of the vessel and the positioning of the cleaning loops 20 on the strap 30. The length of the cleaning stroke should be enough to move the cleaning loops 20 over the entire surface of the hull in one or two passes. The cleaning loops 20 can be positioned to compensate for a wider beam. For example, if the device 10 has four cleaning loops 20 spaced equally along the length of the strap 30, as depicted in FIG. 1, on a medium sized boat with a beam of 8 to 10 feet, a cleaning stroke of approximately 24" to 30" is required. However, as the size of the boat hull approaches the 14 foot beam width, the cleaning stroke becomes an uncomfortable 40" if the same arrangement of cleaning loops is used.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, four cleaning loops are aligned symmetrically on either side of a centerline which is aligned with the seam of the hull 50. Each cleaning loop 20 is responsible for cleaning 1/2 of the dead rise. For a wider hull, an asymmetrical arrangement shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 is preferred in which one cleaning loop 20, is located centrally on one side of the strap 30 centerline CL and two cleaning loops 20 are equally spaced by thirds, on the other side of the centerline CL. Each loop 20 then cleans only 1/3 of the hull side that it is on. The entire hull surface is cleaned by making one complete cleaning pass with the device 10 and then swapping the left and right sides and making another complete cleaning pass. Because the device 10 has an asymmetrical arrangement, each pass cleans 1/3 of one hull side and 2/3s of the other hull side. Although two complete passes are required to clean the entire hull surface, the resulting cleaning stroke for a 14 foot beam boat is a comfortable 28" instead of 40".
From the foregoing description of alternate preferred embodiments, it will be appreciated that the present invention overcomes the drawbacks of the prior art and indeed meets the above recited objects of the invention. The disclosed embodiments provide apparatus that are relatively easy to use by two adults, either men or women and useful for regular bottom cleaning of recreational boats while afloat in the water. They do not require the user to enter the water and encounter dangerous situations such as tidal currents or swimming in an area between a boat hull and dock structures. Furthermore, the apparatus may be easily folded and takes up a very small amount of space, determined principally by the size of the deformable float supports and the bulk of the strap. It may be conveniently stowed on board, is easy to use, has readily replaceable working surfaces, and is easy to position in the water without requiring the user to work against the buoyancy of devices designed to urge a cleaning surface against a hull. The present inventors believes that the disclosed physical embodiments and the methods described herein are the best modes of carrying out their invention at this time.
While this invention has been described in detail with particular reference to preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood that variations and modifications can be effected within the spirit and scope of the invention as described herein before and as defined in the appended claims.
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A portable manual boat hull cleaner is disclosed in which a plurality of cleaning loops are attached to a strap having handles at either end, said cleaning loops comprising support pads sandwiched between a strap and a detachable scrubbing pad by two anchor flaps. The cleaning loops are placed at regular intervals along the length of the strap. The entire cleaning device may be placed beneath the hull of a boat and moved back and forth in the manner of a shoe shine rag to remove marine growth from the submerged surface of a boat hull.
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BACKGROUND
[0001] Viscous hydrocarbon recovery is a segment of the overall hydrocarbon recovery industry that is increasingly important from the standpoint of global hydrocarbon reserves and associated product cost. In view hereof, there is increasing pressure to develop new technologies capable of producing viscous reserves economically and efficiently. Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage (SAGD) is one technology that is being used and explored with good results in some wellbore systems. Other wellbore systems however where there is a significant horizontal or near horizontal length of the wellbore system present profile challenges both for heat distribution and for production. In some cases, similar issues arise even in vertical systems.
[0002] Both inflow and outflow profiles (e.g. production and stimulation) are desired to be as uniform as possible relative to the particular borehole. This should enhance efficiency as well as avoid early water breakthrough. Breakthrough is clearly inefficient as hydrocarbon material is likely to be left in situ rather than being produced. Profiles are important in all well types but it will be understood that the more viscous the target material the greater the difficulty in maintaining a uniform profile.
[0003] Another issue in conjunction with SAGD systems is that the heat of steam injected to facilitate hydrocarbon recovery is sufficient to damage downhole components due to thermal expansion of the components. This can increase expenses to operators and reduce recovery of target fluids. Since viscous hydrocarbon reserves are likely to become only more important as other resources become depleted, configurations and methods that improve recovery of viscous hydrocarbons from earth formations will continue to be well received by the art.
SUMMARY
[0004] A borehole system having a permeability controlled flow profile including a tubular string; one or more permeability control devices disposed in the string; and the plurality of permeability control devices being selected to produce particular pressure drops for fluid entering or exiting various discrete locations along the string.
[0005] A method for controlling a flow profile for a borehole including selecting one or more permeability control devices for inclusion in a completion; and controlling pressure drop for fluid flowing through a wall of the completion by permeability selection.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0006] Referring now to the drawings wherein like elements are numbered alike in the several figures:
[0007] FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a wellbore system in a viscous hydrocarbon reservoir;
[0008] FIG. 2 is a chart illustrating a change in fluid profile over a length of the borehole with and without permeability control.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0009] Referring to FIG. 1 , the reader will recognize a schematic illustration of a portion of a SAGD wellbore system 10 configured with a pair of boreholes 12 and 14 . Generally, borehole 12 is the steam injection borehole and borehole 14 is the hydrocarbon recovery borehole but the disclosure should not be understood as limiting the possibilities to such. The discussion herein however will address the boreholes as illustrated. Steam injected in borehole 12 heats the surrounding formation 16 thereby reducing the viscosity of the stored hydrocarbons and facilitating gravity drainage of those hydrocarbons. Horizontal or other highly deviated well structures like those depicted tend to have greater fluid movement into and to of the formation at a heel 18 of the borehole than at a toe 20 of the borehole due simply to fluid dynamics. An issue associated with this property is that the toe 20 will suffer reduced steam application from that desired while heel 18 will experience more steam application than that desired, for example. The change in the rate of fluid movement is relatively linear (declining flow) when querying the system at intervals with increasing distance from the heel 18 toward the toe 20 . The same is true for production fluid movement whereby the heel 28 of the production borehole 14 will pass more of the target hydrocarbon fluid than the toe 30 of the production borehole 14 . This is due primarily to permeability versus pressure drop along the length of the borehole 12 or 14 . The system 10 as illustrated alleviates this issue as well as others noted above.
[0010] According to the teaching herein, one or more of the boreholes (represented by just two boreholes 12 and 14 for simplicity in illustration) is configured with one or more permeability control devices 32 that are each configured differently with respect to permeability or pressure drop in flow direction in or out of the tubular. The devices 32 nearest the heel 18 or 28 will have the least permeability while permeability will increase in each device 32 sequentially toward the toe 20 and 30 . The permeability of the device 32 closest to toe 20 or 30 will be the greatest. This will tend to balance outflow of injected fluid and inflow of production fluid over the length of the borehole 12 and 14 because the natural pressure drop of the system is opposite that created by the configuration of permeability devices as described. Permeability and/or pressure drop devices 32 usable in this configuration include inflow control devices such as product family number H48688 commercially available from Baker Oil Tools, Houston Tex., beaded matrix flow control configurations such as those disclosed in U.S. Ser. Nos. 61/052,919, 11/875,584 and 12/144,730, 12/144,406 and 12/171,707 the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference, or other similar devices. Adjustment of pressure drop across individual permeability devices is possible in accordance with the teaching hereof such that the desired permeability over the length of the borehole 12 or 14 as described herein is achievable. Referring to FIG. 2 , a chart of the flow of fluid over the length of borehole 12 is shown without permeability control and with permeability control. The representation is stark with regard to the profile improvement with permeability control.
[0011] In order to determine the appropriate amount of permeability for particular sections of the borehole 12 or 14 , one needs to determine the pressure in the formation over the length of the horizontal borehole. Formation pressure can be determined/measured in a number of known ways. Pressure at the heel of the borehole and pressure at the toe should also be determined/measured. This can be determined in known ways. Once both formation pressure and pressures at locations within the borehole have been ascertained, the change in pressure (ΔP) across the completion can be determined for each location where pressure within the completion has been or is tested. Mathematically this is expressed as ΔP location=P formation−P location where the locations may be the heel, the toe or any other point of interest.
[0012] A flow profile whether into or out of the completion is dictated by the ΔP at each location and the pressure inside the completion is dictated by the head of pressure associated with the column of fluid extending to the surface. The longer the column, the higher the pressure. It follows, then, that greater resistance to inflow will occur at the toe of the borehole than at the heel of the completion. In accordance with the teaching hereof permeability control is distributed such that pressure drop at a toe of the borehole is in the range of about 25% to less than 1% whereas pressure drop at the heel of the borehole is about 30% or more. In one embodiment the pressure drop at the heel is less than 45% and at the toe less than about 25%. Permeability control devices distributed between the heel and the toe will in some embodiments have individual pressure drop values between the percentage pressure drop at the toe and the percentage pressure drop at the heel. Moreover, in some embodiments the distribution of pressure drops among the permeability devices is linear while in other embodiments the distribution may follow a curve or may be discontinuous to promote inflow of fluid from areas of the formation having larger volumes of desirable liberatable fluid and reduced inflow of fluid from areas of the formation having smaller volumes of desirable liberatable fluid.
[0013] Referring back to FIG. 1 , a tubing string 40 and 50 are illustrated in boreholes 12 and 14 respectively. Open hole anchors 42 , such as Baker Oil Tools WBAnchor™ may be employed in the borehole to anchor the tubing 40 . This is helpful in that the tubing 40 experiences a significant change in thermal load and hence a significant amount of thermal expansion during well operations. Unchecked, the thermal expansion can cause damage to other downhole structures or to the tubing string 40 itself thereby affecting efficiency and production of the well system. In order to overcome this problem, one or more open hole anchors 42 are used to ensure that the tubing string 40 is restrained from excessive movement. Because the total length of mobile tubing string is reduced by the interposition of open hole anchor(s) 42 , excess extension cannot occur. In one embodiment, three open hole anchors 42 , as illustrated, are employed and are spaced by about 90 to 120 ft from one another but could in some particular applications be positioned more closely and even every 30 feet (at each pipe joint). The spacing interval is also applicable to longer runs with each open hole anchor being spaced about 90-120 ft from the next. Moreover, the exact spacing amount between anchors is not limited to that noted in this illustrated embodiment but rather can be any distance that will have the desired effect of reducing thermal expansion related wellbore damage. In addition the spacing can be even or uneven as desired. The determination of distance between anchors must take into account. The anchor length, pattern, or the number of anchor points per foot in order to adjust the anchoring effect to optimize performance based on formation type and formation strength tubular dimensions and material.
[0014] Finally in one embodiment, the tubing string 40 , 50 or both is configured with one or more baffles 60 . Baffles 60 are effective in both deterring loss of steam to formation cracks such as that illustrated in FIG. 1 as numeral 62 and in causing produced fluid to migrate through the intended permeability device 32 . More specifically, and taking the functions one at a time, the injector borehole, such as 12 , is provided with one or more baffles 60 . The baffles may be of any material having the ability to withstand the temperature at which the particular steam is injected into the formation. In one embodiment, a metal deformable seal such as one commercially known as a z-seal and available from Baker Oil Tools, Houston Tex., may be employed. And while metal deformable seals are normally intended to create a high pressure high temperature seal against a metal casing within which the seal is deployed, for the purposes taught in this disclosure, it is not necessary for the metal deformable seal to create an actual seal. That stated however, there is also no prohibition to the creation of a seal but rather then focus is upon the ability of the configuration to direct steam flow with relatively minimal leakage. In the event that an actual seal is created with the open hole formation, the intent to minimize leakage will of course be met. In the event that a seal is not created but substantially all of the steam applied to a particular region of the wellbore is delivered to that portion of the formation then the baffle will have done its job and achieved this portion of the intent of this disclosure. With respect to production, the baffles are also of use in that the drawdown of individual portions of the well can be balanced better with the baffles so that fluids from a particular area are delivered to the borehole in that area and fluids from other areas do not migrate in the annulus to the same section of the borehole but rather will enter at their respective locations. This ensures that profile control is maintained and also that where breakthrough does occur, a particular section of the borehole can be bridged and the rest will still produce target fluid as opposed to breakthrough fluid since annular flow will be inhibited by the baffles. In one embodiment baffles are placed about 100 ft or 3 liner joints apart but as noted with respect to the open hole anchors, this distance is not fixed but may be varied to fit the particular needs of the well at issue. The distance between baffles may be even or may be uneven and in some cases the baffles will be distributed as dictated by formation condition such that for example cracks in the formation will be taken into account so that a baffle will be positioned on each side of the crack when considered along the length of the tubular.
[0015] While preferred embodiments have been shown and described, various modifications and substitutions may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, it is to be understood that the present invention has been described by way of illustration and not limitation.
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A borehole system having a permeability controlled flow profile including a tubular string; one or more permeability control devices disposed in the string; and the plurality of permeability control devices being selected to produce particular pressure drops for fluid entering or exiting various discrete locations along the string and method.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
The present application claims priority of the U.S. Provisional Application 61/895,780 filed on Oct. 25, 2013 entitled “All-Terrain Wheelchair,” the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
Not Applicable
REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING, A TABLE, OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTING COMPACT DISK APPENDIX
Not Applicable
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is in the technical field of wheelchairs. More particularly, the present invention is in the technical field of wheelchairs able to travel over a plurality of surfaces, both “on-road” and “off-road.”
For the purposes of this application, wheelchairs can be broken down into two categories: motor-propelled and manually propelled. Motor-propelled wheelchairs feature a motor, electric or other, which provides the energy necessary to move the wheelchair around. Manually propelled wheelchairs rely on the user or another to provide the energy necessary to move the wheelchair. The present invention and the wheelchairs discussed in this application are human propelled.
Traditional wheelchairs date back to the 6th century C.E. China and have been refined over thousands of years. In general, traditional wheelchairs feature a seat, backrest, two armrests, two footrests, two large rear wheels and two small front caster wheels. In addition, traditional wheelchairs typically feature handles on the top left and top right corners of the seat so that another may push the wheelchair and user.
Traditional wheelchairs feature thin rear wheels of a large diameter, often 50 cm-60 cm in diameter. Two thin caster wheels of a much smaller diameter on the front of traditional wheelchairs allow the user or the person pushing the wheelchair to easily turn it as necessary. Taken together, the wheels and design of a traditional wheelchair provide the most-efficient means of travel possible, as long as the user is on solid ground and a relatively smooth surface.
Once a traditional wheelchair is taken off a paved surface, its deficiencies become readily apparent. The caster wheels on the front do not track in a straight line when the user moves a traditional wheelchair forward on sand or other soft surfaces. The thin nature of the front and rear wheels of a traditional wheelchair which make it so well-suited for paved surfaces make it poorly suited for unpaved surfaces.
Prior art discloses all terrain and beach wheelchairs encompassing a plurality of designs. The majority of wheelchairs in the prior art utilize designs similar to those of traditional wheelchairs, incorporating fatter, knobby tires similar to those on a mountain bike, or incorporate much wider front and rear wheels to provide floatation on softer surfaces, such as sand. All terrain wheelchairs currently on the market suffer from one or more of the following problems: difficult to push/pull; non-ergonomic pushing handles; difficulty of entry due to high tubing and low seat height; PVC frames which flex excessively and are not well constructed; and the likelihood of ejecting the passenger forward during abrupt stops.
The goal of the present invention is to remedy the deficiencies found in traditional wheelchairs and to offer an all terrain wheelchair superior to those on the market. The inventor believes the present invention offers a combination of novel features that, taken in combination, demonstrate a drastic improvement over the prior art.
The inventor has performed a search of the prior art and believes the present invention is a new and useful invention for which patent protection is warranted.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is an all-terrain wheelchair incorporating large wheels for ease of travel on non-paved surfaces, an easy-to-enter and comfortable seat, with ergonomic pushing and pulling handles in a frame, which is easily disassembled.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the present invention, taken from the front right side;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the present invention, taken from the back left side;
FIG. 3 is a side view of the present invention, showing the right side;
FIG. 4 is a top view of the present invention;
FIG. 5 is a front view of the present invention;
FIG. 6 is a rear view of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The preferred embodiment of the present invention calls for a frame constructed of rigid, strong and lightweight materials, such as aluminum, stainless steel, plastic polymers, carbon fiber tubing, any variation thereof, or any other material suitable for the intended purposes of the present invention. The preferred embodiment of the present invention calls for the seat, backrest and footrest to be constructed of a material of sufficient strength to support the user's body comfortably. The preferred embodiment of the present invention calls for hollow pressurized wheels constructed of a durable material providing shock absorption, such as polyurethane, polyvinyl chloride or another suitable material.
Referring now to the front perspective view of the present invention as shown in FIG. 1 , there is shown the push handle 100 , rear downtubes 102 , rear axle 104 , longitudinal support bars 106 , front torsional support crossbrace 108 , front axle 110 and front pull assembly 112 . There is also shown the seat 200 , backrest 202 , armrest support tubes 204 , armrest 206 and footrest 208 . There is also shown the rear wheels 300 , front wheel 302 and wheel retention bolts 304 .
Referring now to the rear perspective view of the present invention as shown in FIG. 2 , there is shown the push handle 100 , rear downtubes 102 , rear axle 104 , longitudinal support bars 106 , front torsional support crossbrace 108 , front axle 110 and front pull assembly 112 . There is also shown the seat 200 , backrest 202 , armrest support tubes 204 , armrest 206 and footrest 208 . There is also shown the rear wheels 300 , front wheel 302 and wheel retention bolts 304 . There is also shown the brake foot 400 , brake foot sheath 402 , brake spring 404 , brake catch lever 406 and brake catch channel 408 .
Referring now to the side view of the present invention as shown in FIG. 3 , there is shown the push handle 100 , rear downtubes 102 , rear axle 104 , longitudinal support bars 106 , front torsional support crossbrace 108 , front axle 110 and front pull assembly 112 . There is also shown the seat 200 , backrest 202 , armrest support tubes 204 , armrest 206 and footrest 208 . There is also shown the rear wheels 300 , front wheel 302 and wheel retention bolts 304 .
Referring now to the top view of the present invention as shown in FIG. 4 , there is shown the push handle 100 , longitudinal support bars 106 , front torsional support crossbrace 108 , front axle 110 and front pull assembly 112 . There is also shown the seat 200 , armrest support tubes 204 , armrest 206 and footrest 208 . There is also shown the rear wheels 300 and front wheel 302 . There is also shown the brake foot 400 , brake foot sheath 402 , brake spring 404 and brake catch lever 406 .
Referring now to the front view of the present invention as shown in FIG. 5 , there is shown the push handle 100 , rear downtubes 102 , longitudinal support bars 106 , front axle 110 and front pull assembly 112 . There is also shown the seat 200 , backrest 202 , armrest support tubes 204 , and armrest 206 . There is also shown the rear wheels 300 and front wheel 302 .
Referring now to the rear view of the present invention as shown in FIG. 6 , there is shown the push handle 100 , rear downtubes 102 , rear axle 104 and longitudinal support bars 106 . There is also shown backrest 202 , armrest support tubes 204 , armrest 206 and footrest 208 . There is also shown the rear wheels 300 and front wheel 302 . There is also shown the brake foot 400 , brake foot sheath 402 , brake spring 404 , brake catch lever 406 and brake catch channel 408 .
Referring to the construction of the frame 100 - 112 as shown in all FIGS., the frame 100 - 112 is comprised of a plurality of mated tubes. The preferred embodiment utilizes thumbscrews to join the various parts of the frame assembly 100 - 112 so that the user may easily disassemble and reassemble as required. Alternative embodiments of the present invention may utilize nuts and bolts, posts/pins and clips or any other method that would securely the tubing of the frame assembly 100 - 112 . The push handle 100 meets the rear downtubes 102 and continues down to the rear axle 104 . The longitudinal support bars 106 meet in the center of the rear axle 104 and continue forward past the seat 200 , footrest 208 , front torsional support crossbrace 108 , and front axle 110 to the front pull assembly 112 .
One goal of the present invention is to allow the user to easily assemble and disassemble the wheelchair. Many users of the present invention will continue to use traditional wheelchairs for travel on paved surfaces, but desire a portable wheelchair when the user wishes to travel on non-paved surfaces, such as the beach. The preferred embodiment calls for the frame assembly 100 - 112 to be constructed of a plurality of tubing, which may be easily joined utilizing thumbscrews, or other suitable attachment mechanism. The preferred embodiment of the present invention calls for separate tubing and attachment points in the following general areas: on the armrest support tubes 204 behind the armrests 206 ; on the longitudinal support bars 106 roughly midway between the front edge of the seat 200 and the rear edge of the footrest 208 ; on the rear downtubes 102 and below the bottom edge of the backrest 202 . Alternative embodiments of the present invention may utilize a different configuration of attachment points. The attachment points of the preferred embodiment of the present invention are placed in such a manner as to allow the user to stack the various portions of the present invention on each other when disassembled, allowing for storage in the most-compact manner possible.
To disassemble the frame assembly 100 - 112 , the user removes the attachment mechanisms from the various attachment points and slides the corresponding portions of the frame 100 - 112 away from their mates. To reassemble the frame assembly 100 - 112 , the user reverses the process.
Referring in more detail to the seat 200 , backrest 202 and footrest 208 as shown in all Figs., the seat 200 , backrest 202 and footrest 208 are all constructed in such a manner as to be easily removable from, and attached to, the frame assembly 100 - 112 of the wheelchair. The preferred embodiment of the present invention calls for the seat 200 , backrest 202 and footrest 208 to be constructed so that the user may slide them onto the appropriate portions of the frame assembly 100 - 112 . Alternative embodiments of the present invention allow for other attachment mechanisms, such as hook and loop, rivets, or any other mechanism that would securely hold each part in place on the frame assembly 100 - 112 , while allowing quick disassembly and reassembly.
Referring in more detail to the rear wheels 300 and their attachment to the frame assembly 100 - 112 as shown in the FIGS., the rear wheels 300 are designed to slide over the terminals of the rear axle 104 and remain securely in place as long as the wheel retention bolts 304 are fastened to the terminals of the rear axle 104 . Removing the wheel retention bolts 304 allows the user to slide the rear wheels 300 off either terminal of the rear axle 104 . To reattach the rear wheels 300 , the user slides the rear wheels 300 onto the terminals of the rear axle 104 and screws the wheel retention bolts 304 in place. Alternative embodiments of the present invention may use different securement mechanisms, such as retention clips, to retain the rear wheels 300 than the wheel retention bolts 304 referenced in the drawings.
The preferred embodiment of the present invention features a brake mechanism as shown in FIGS. 2, 4 and 6 . The brake mechanism features a brake foot 400 , brake foot sheath 402 , brake spring 404 and brake catch lever 406 , which is further enclosed in a brake catch channel 408 . The brake foot 400 is designed to slide horizontally within the brake foot sheath 402 . At the internal end of the brake foot 400 , there is found a brake catch lever 406 , which hooks into a catch in the brake catch channel 408 , when it is desirable to have the brake disengaged and the wheelchair move freely. A brake spring 404 runs between the brake catch lever 406 and its outer attachment point on one of the armrest support tubes 204 . When the user wishes to engage the brake, he slides the brake catch lever 406 upwards and away from the catch in the brake catch channel 408 , at which point, the brake spring 404 pulls the brake catch lever 406 , and consequently the brake foot 400 , outward toward the rear wheel 300 , locking the brake foot 400 against a bolt within the rear wheel 300 or into a channel within the rear wheel 300 .
To use the wheelchair, the user is placed onto the seat 200 , where he may rest comfortably with his back on the backrest 202 and his arms on the armrests 206 . If desired, the user may push forward on the rear wheels 300 to propel the wheelchair forward. The larger rear wheels 300 and front wheel 302 found on the present invention allow him to travel over both hard and soft surfaces with ease.
The present invention is designed in such a way that another may push or pull the user over hard and soft surfaces with ease. The push handle 100 is ergonomically designed to provide the most optimal transfer of energy from the assistant to the wheelchair so that the assistant may push it for long distances without tiring. Furthermore, the front pull assembly 112 allows an assistant to lift the front of the wheelchair and easily pull the user if so desired. The overall design of the frame 100 - 112 and placement of the seat 200 and backrest 202 in relation to the rear axle 104 and rear wheels 300 keeps the users weight centered over the rear wheels 300 so the assistant may pull the chair without his arms quickly tiring.
The present invention is designed to fit users of a variety of heights. The front torsional support crossbrace 108 features clamps on the ends where it attaches to the longitudinal support bars 106 . The front torsional support crossbrace 108 comprises two pieces of tubing, one within the other. To adjust the position of the front torsional support crossbrace 108 on the longitudinal support bars 106 , and consequently the placement of the footrest 208 , the user loosens the clamps on the front torsional support crossbrace 108 and moves it about the longitudinal support bars 106 to the position most comfortable to him. Furthermore, the front torsional support crossbrace 108 may feature padding where it meets the footrest 208 for comfort.
While the foregoing written description of the invention enables one of ordinary skill to make and use what is considered presently to be the best mode thereof, those of ordinary skill will understand and appreciate the existence of variations, combinations, and equivalents of the specific embodiment, method, and examples herein. The invention should therefore not be limited by the above described embodiment, method, and examples, but by all embodiments and methods within the scope and spirit of the invention as claimed.
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An all-terrain wheelchair includes a rigid and easy-to-assemble frame. The frame has a seating area with armrests toward the rear of the frame and an adjustable footrest area toward the front of the frame. Attached to the rear axle of the frame and outside the seating area are found two large rear wheels of a sufficient width to provide flotation over soft surfaces. Attached to the front axle of the frame in front of the footrest area is a single large wheel of a sufficient width to provide flotation over soft surfaces. An ergonomically designed push handle is found at the upper rear of the frame behind the seating area, which allows an assistant to propel the chair forward or pull it backward. The frame in front of the front wheel forms a pull handle, which allows an assistant to pull the chair forward or push it backward. A locking brake mechanism is attached to the rear axle to prevent a rear wheel from travel and render the wheelchair motionless when necessary.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/620,928, entitled “Device and Method for Measuring a Property in a Downhole Apparatus,” Attorney docket number 063718.1004, filed on Jan. 8, 2007.
BACKGROUND
[0002] The present invention relates to measuring a property in a downhole apparatus.
[0003] More particularly, the various embodiments of the invention are directed to measuring incremental torque between sensors and using this information to improve drilling practices.
[0004] In downhole drilling, it has become commonplace to include in the downhole apparatus one or more logging tools. This may include any number of logging-while-drilling (LWD) and measuring-while-drilling (MWD) tools, which generally have mechanical apparatuses and electrical circuits to perform specific tasks.
[0005] As those skilled in the art know, the operating environment experienced by the logging tools is very harsh. By virtue of the tools being part of the downhole apparatus, the tools experience relatively high accelerating forces due to vibration of a drill bit cutting through downhole formations. Some parameters can be measured downhole and transmitted to the surface, thereby providing a feedback system, which improves drilling efficiency and downhole tool reliability. The torque and vibration experienced may exceed specified ranges for some components that make up the downhole apparatus, thus reducing the life span of any particular electrical or mechanical device.
[0006] These problems benefit from a method for updating and/or measuring the downhole torque on the downhole apparatus and transmitting this information to the surface to improve real-time operations. A common method currently used today for measuring downhole torque utilizes strain gauges. These devices require a lengthy and complex calibration process in order for them to properly measure the torque applied to the downhole devices. Even with this calibration process these gauges drift over time causing error with the measurements and must be periodically recalibrated.
SUMMARY
[0007] The present invention provides a method and device for measuring incremental torque in a downhole apparatus.
[0008] In one embodiment of the present invention, the device comprises a first sensor and a second sensor attached to the downhole apparatus, separated by a distance and an angle. Also included is a logic circuit, which may compute the torque over the distance, based on the distance, the angle, and physical properties of the downhole apparatus.
[0009] In another embodiment of the present invention, the device also comprises additional sensors, such that the torque is calculable over various distances.
[0010] In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the sensors are magnetometers that measure the angle based on azimuths.
[0011] In a further embodiment of the present invention, the method comprises the steps of applying torque, determining the orientation of sensors, determining the distance between the sensors, and using a logic circuit, either on the surface or downhole, to determine the torque. This may occur after a step of aligning the sensors.
[0012] In another embodiment, the method does not include the step of aligning the sensors. Instead, the method includes an additional step of determining the directions of the sensors prior to the application of the torque.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0013] FIG. 1 is a side view of a downhole apparatus in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.
[0014] FIG. 2 is a side view of the downhole apparatus of FIG. 1 , after application of an incremental torque.
[0015] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the downhole apparatus of FIG. 2 , showing only the portion between lines AA and BB.
[0016] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the downhole apparatus of FIG. 1 , showing only the portion between lines AA and BB.
[0017] FIGS. 5A and 5B are block diagrams of a logic circuit in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0018] Referring to FIG. 1 , shown therein is a downhole apparatus 100 , having a first sensor 102 and a second sensor 202 disposed thereon. The downhole apparatus 100 may be a casing string, a pipe string, a logging tool, or anything else that may have a rotational force applied, causing it to experience an incremental torque T. As used herein, the term “incremental torque” refers to torque that is not present in an initial or base condition, the term “base torque” refers to torque that is present in the base condition, and “total torque” refers to the sum of the incremental torque and the base torque.
[0019] The downhole apparatus 100 typically has multiple components, which connect to one another by threaded connections. Frequently, the downhole apparatus 100 already includes the sensors 102 , 202 , such as magnetometers, which can provide information about their orientation in the drillstring. These sensors 102 , 202 commonly provide information to operators regarding the orientation of the downhole apparatus 100 . Additionally, the downhole apparatus 100 may have strain gauges (not shown), which are used to measure torque at the locations of the strain gauges. While torque measurements at a given location provide useful information, the strain gauges, which require calibration, may lose their calibration in the harsh conditions present in the downhole environment. The heat involved, in particular, may cause a need for frequent recalibration of the strain gauges. This is costly and time-consuming. The replacement of the strain gauge measurement with a method of measurement based on more stable sensors that are typically present in the system would improve the accuracy and greatly minimize calibration costs. By employing devices already in the downhole apparatus, no additional components would be needed to measure torque. This would result in the downhole apparatus 100 having fewer components, saving time and money and allowing for more accuracy in readings. Additionally, the strain gauge only takes measurements at a single, finite location.
[0020] The sensors 102 , 202 may threadedly attach to the downhole apparatus 100 or they may otherwise attach to the downhole apparatus 100 . The sensors 102 , 202 may both be within a single section, the sensors 102 , 202 may be in multiple sections, or the sensors 102 , 202 may be distributed along the string.
[0021] Regardless of the manner of attachment, the first sensor 102 and the second sensor 202 are separated by a distance L (shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 ). Before incremental torque T is applied, the sensors 102 , 202 may initially be aligned azimuthally (not shown), or they may be offset from one another at an initial or base angle φ b (shown in FIG. 4 ). When the sensors 102 and 202 azimuthally align, the base angle φ b will separate them.
[0022] FIG. 2 shows the downhole apparatus 100 , with the sensors 102 , 202 separated by the distance L after the incremental torque T has been applied. This distance L typically remains substantially unchanged in the presence of torque. However, the sensors 102 , 202 of FIG. 2 have experienced a relative rotational movement about the downhole apparatus 100 due to the incremental torque T. The incremental torque T is the result of a rotational force applied to the apparatus 100 , such as might be present in a drilling operation. The incremental torque T causes the sensors 102 , 202 to be offset from one another by a resulting angle φ r (shown in FIG. 3 ). The direction and the magnitude of the movement and the resulting angle φ r will vary, depending on the incremental torque T and other factors as described below.
[0023] Referring now to FIG. 3 , the incremental torque T can be calculated based on readings from at least the first sensor 102 and the second sensor 202 attached to the downhole apparatus 100 . The sensors 102 , 202 attach to the downhole apparatus 100 , and simultaneously measure directions of a first resulting radial vector 104 r , which corresponds to the first sensor 102 , and a second resulting radial vector 204 r , which corresponds to the second sensor 202 . The incremental torque T is calculated using the equation T=(φ r −φ b )GJ/L, which takes into account the change in position of the sensors 102 , 202 resulting from the incremental torque T. This change in position is measured by the change in angle between the sensors 102 , 202 , which is represented by the difference between the resulting angle φ r , and the base angle φ b . This is represented as “(φ r −φ b )” in the equation. The equation also uses the distance L, the polar moment of inertia J, and the material makeup G of the downhole apparatus 100 between the sensors 102 and 202 .
[0024] The present invention calculates the incremental torque T in the downhole apparatus 100 using the sensors 102 , 202 , which may already be present in the downhole apparatus 100 for another purpose. Alternatively, the sensors 102 , 202 may be present in the downhole apparatus 100 for the sole purpose of measuring incremental torque T. Each sensor 102 , 202 provides an indication of which direction that sensor 102 , 202 is facing relative to the downhole apparatus 100 after incremental torque T has been applied. A first resulting vector 104 r and a second resulting vector 204 r represent these directions. The resulting vectors 104 r , 204 r radiate from a centerline 106 of the downhole apparatus 100 . The centerline 106 is only an imaginary reference for the resulting vectors 104 r , 204 r . The centerline 106 need not be vertical, or even straight. In fact, the centerline 106 may be horizontal, or it may curve at any angle.
[0025] The first resulting vector 104 r extends perpendicularly from the centerline 106 to the first sensor 102 and the second resulting vector 204 r extends perpendicularly from the centerline 106 to the second sensor 202 . In one embodiment, the direction of the resulting vectors 104 r , 204 r translate to azimuths, which may represent directions defined by the projection of the Earth's magnetic field on a plane orthogonal to the drill string axis. The azimuths are not necessarily limited to magnetic azimuths, but may be an angle around the borehole that indicates the direction of maximum sensitivity of the sensors 102 , 202 . Likewise, vectors refer to the representative components of the constant vectors and are representative relative to the coordinate system of the tool.
[0026] The application of force resulting in the incremental torque T causes the direction of the respective sensors 102 , 202 to change. However, the incremental torque T is not the only possible cause of a change in the direction of the sensors 102 , 202 . The direction of the sensors 102 , 202 also change when the downhole apparatus 100 is rotated, even when no torque is present, i.e., when the downhole apparatus 100 rotates freely, with no constraints.
[0027] As shown in FIG. 3 , it is useful to compare the direction of the first resulting vector 104 r to the direction of the second resulting vector 204 r , in order to determine the incremental torque T. This eliminates any influence caused by directional change resulting from free rotation, which would cause changes in the directions of the resulting vectors 104 r , 204 r , but which would not cause a change in the angle φ r between them. In this manner, only directional change caused by the incremental torque T is measured.
[0028] Referring now to FIGS. 3 and 4 , incremental torque T may be determined based on directional readings of the first sensor 102 and the second sensor 202 . In this determination, the following equation, as stated above, is useful: T=(φ r φ b )GJ/L. In this equation, T is the incremental torque. φ r is a resulting angle formed between the first resulting vector 104 r and the second resulting vector 204 r. φ b is a base angle formed between a first base vector 104 b and a second base vector 204 b . G is the modulus of rigidity of the portion of the downhole apparatus 100 that lies between the sensors 102 and 202 . J is the polar moment of inertia of the portion of the downhole apparatus 100 that lies between the sensors 102 and 202 . L is the length of the portion of the downhole apparatus 100 that lies between the sensors 102 and 202 and represents the distance between the sensors 102 and 202 . L remains substantially constant when incremental torque T is applied.
[0029] The incremental torque T may have any units common to torque measurements, such as, but not limited to, Lb-in. The angles φ r , φ b may have radians as units. However, any angular units can be used. The modulus of rigidity G is a constant that is readily ascertainable, based on the material used. Modulus of rigidity G may have units of lb/in 2 or any other suitable substitute. The polar moment of inertia J is a function of the cross sectional shape of the downhole apparatus 100 . The polar moment of inertia J may have units of in 4 or any other suitable substitute. For a uniform tubular cross section, the polar moment of inertia J is equal to π(d o 4 −d i 4 )/32, where d o is the outer diameter and d i is the inner diameter of the tubular. However, the polar moment of inertia J is also readily ascertainable for a variable tubular cross section, such as that of a stabilizer. One skilled in the art could easily calculate polar moment of inertia J for a variety of shapes, as polar moment of inertia J is calculable with well-known formulas.
[0030] A logic circuit 502 , illustrated in FIGS. 5A and 5B , may be provided to perform the calculations. The logic circuit 502 includes a processor 504 , which serves as a controller processor. This controller processor 504 communicatedly connects 506 with a number of sensors 508 a , 508 b , 508 c in the vicinity of the controller processor 504 downhole. Each sensor 508 may be a smart sensor, a microcontroller, or any other type of sensor known in the art. Each sensor 508 may contain its own processor coupled to a sensor, such as one of the sensors 102 , 202 , and may collect data from, or provide data to, the sensors. The sensor 508 may collect data from the associated sensors to transmit to the controller processor 504 , which in turn gathers all of the data from the sensors 508 a , 508 b , 508 c , and transmits it to the surface for processing as described herein. Alternatively, the controller processor 504 may perform the processing.
[0031] The controller 504 and sensors 508 may be distributed among elements of the drill string 510 a , 510 b , 510 c , 510 d and 510 e , as shown in FIG. 5B .
[0032] It may be desirable to measure the incremental torque T relative to a prior, known condition. In this instance, the logic circuit 502 compares base readings with new readings obtained after a rotational force is applied. The first base vector 104 b represents the position of the first sensor 102 before rotational force is applied, and the first resulting vector 104 r represents the position of the first sensor 102 after application of the rotational force. Likewise, the second base vector 204 b represents the position of the second sensor 202 before rotational force is applied, and the second resulting vector 204 r represents the position of the second sensor 202 after application of the rotational force. Similarly, the base angle φ b represents the angle between the first base vector 104 b and the second base vector 204 b , and the resulting angle φ r represents the angle between the first resulting vector 104 r and the second resulting vector 204 r.
[0033] However, these various base readings are not always required. For example, the resulting angle φ r between the first resulting vector 104 r and the second resulting vector 204 r may be enough to determine the incremental torque T. This condition would occur when sensors 102 , 202 and thus the base vectors 104 b , 204 b align, or face in the same direction, prior to the application of rotational force. This causes the base angle φ b to be equal to zero, such that the later measured resulting angle φ r will only be associated with the incremental torque T between the first sensor 102 and the second sensor 202 . Nonetheless, it is not always practical or desirable to set the sensors 102 , 202 in the same direction while refraining from applying a rotational force. The base angle φ b may also be measured prior to tripping into the borehole or the base angle φ b may be measured at a time when the tool is stationary.
[0034] When the first base vector 104 b and the second base vector 204 b do not align, the incremental torque T may still be easily calculated. This is particularly useful when already present components of the downhole apparatus 100 function as the sensors 102 , 202 . For example, magnetometers are commonly present on the downhole apparatus 100 and can provide information useful for calculating incremental torque T. The ability to calculate the incremental torque T without the need for alteration of existing components saves both time and money.
[0035] In this instance, the base angle φ b between the first base vector 104 b and the second base vector 204 b is calculated. This may occur at any time during the downhole operation, such as when the drilling operation is stopped for pipe connections, maintenance or retooling. After recordation of the base angle φ b , rotational force is applied, causing the resulting angle φ r between the first resulting vector 104 r and the second resulting vector 204 r . In order to determine the incremental torque T, the base angle φ b is subtracted from the resulting angle φ r in the equation above.
[0036] As discussed above, the incremental torque T can be calculated without first aligning the sensors 102 , 202 , or incremental torque T can be calculated by comparing the base angle φ b with the resulting angle φ r . Additionally, the incremental torque T can be calculated when the base conditions additionally include an already present known base torque Tb. This allows the incremental torque T to be calculated without stopping the operation, so long as the base torque Tb is known. The known base torque Tb may be zero (representing no torque at all), or it may be any other known measurement. If a total torque T tot is required, it can be easily calculated by summing the base torque Tb and the incremental torque T. When there is no base torque Tb, the total torque T tot will be equal to the incremental torque T. It should be noted that the quantity (φ r −φ b ) indicates the movement of the sensors 102 , 202 from a position indicated by base vectors 104 b , 204 b to a position indicated by resulting vectors 104 r , 204 r as a result of the incremental torque T. Therefore, one of ordinary skill in the art will be able to modify this equation to accommodate conditions resulting in negative numbers or any other special circumstances.
[0037] In this manner, the incremental torque T can be determined between any two sensors 102 , 202 , so long as either of two conditions are met: (1) the sensors 102 , 202 are aligned such that their respective base vectors 104 b , 204 b have the same direction, or (2) the base angle φ b corresponding to a known base torque Tb is recorded.
[0038] Each sensor 102 , 202 may have one or more magnetometers, or any other device capable of measuring the resulting vectors 104 r , 204 r or the base vectors 104 b , 204 b . Since magnetometers lose accuracy when the field of measurement is nulled, a single magnetometer may not perform optimally in, for example, a direction of drilling that would cause the sensing field to be minimized. In this instance, multiple devices may be included within the sensors 102 , 202 . For example, each sensor 102 , 202 may include a magnetometer, a gyro device, a gravity device, or any other type of device that measures orientation. These measurements may be taken based on magnetic fields, gravity, or the earth's spin axis. This may allow for directional readings in any position. Multiple devices may also be used to check the measurements of one another. Additionally, the sensors 102 , 202 may indicate the quantity (φ r −φ b ) by any method, either with or without the use of vectors 104 b , 104 r , 204 b , 204 r radiating from the centerline 106 . For example, the sensors 102 , 202 may indicate relative position by sonic ranging, north seeking gyros, multiple directional instruments, or any other means capable of communicating the position of the first sensor 102 relative to the second sensor 202 . The sensors 102 , 202 may attach to the downhole apparatus 100 in any position. Since the quantity (φ r −φ b ) can be measured at any point outside the centerline 106 , the sensors 102 , 202 may be on an inside surface, an outside surface, or within a wall of the downhole apparatus 100 . Additionally, the sensors 102 , 202 may threadedly attach at threaded ends of a section, or the sensors 102 , 202 may be an integral part of the downhole apparatus 100 .
[0039] Each sensor 102 , 202 may provide a signal to indicate its position and orientation. This may be done via the logic circuit 502 . The logic circuit 502 may then calculate the incremental torque T between any two sensors 102 , 202 . This calculation may be an average reading over a period of time, or it may be at a single measured point in time. Since the incremental torque T may vary along the length, it may be desirable to have additional sensors (not shown). In the event that additional sensors are used, multiple sectional incremental torque readings are calculable. This is useful during drilling operations. Due to the length of the typical downhole apparatus 100 , it is common that the incremental torque T varies along the length. This may occur, for example, when a portion of the downhole apparatus 100 rubs against a formation, or otherwise experiences binding. This may cause a very low incremental torque in one portion of the downhole apparatus 100 , while causing another portion of the same downhole apparatus 100 to experience very high incremental torque. As one of ordinary skill in the art can appreciate, this is undesirable for a number of reasons, including bit stick/slip.
[0040] When more than two sensors are used, the methods described above may be used between any two sensors, resulting in a number of incremental torque T readings that exceeds the number of sensors. For example, four sensors could give six readings. Say these sensors are called A, B, C, and D (not shown). Readings are calculable between A and B; A and C; A and D; B and C; B and D; C and D. While some of these readings would appear redundant, these multiple readings are useful to check or calibrate the incremental torque T readings during operation, without the need to cease operations.
[0041] During a downhole operation, many measurements may be taken and averaged or otherwise analyzed to find the incremental torque T. These measurements may reflect a constant incremental torque, or these measurements may reflect a changing incremental torque. One skilled in the art will recognize that the number of measurements necessary for statistical accuracy may vary, depending on the actual conditions.
[0042] Likewise, measurements may be used to determine other data. For example, tortuosity may be measured by taking multiple shots over time, giving the shape of the borehole. This can be used to build a model for drilling efficiency and can assist in getting the casing into the borehole. Additionally, monitoring tortuosity may allow the driller to straighten out the borehole. In another example, dogleg severity, or the limit of angle of deflection, can be determined using multiple samples over time to provide information on stresses that the drillstring is experiencing. This would allow for a determination as to whether the tool is being pushed beyond recommended limits. Additionally, bending can be measured with a device, such as an accelerometer. The bending measurement may be a one-time sample. While a bending radius can be inferred from any bending measurement, samples over time may give a more accurate bending radius. Other examples of measurements include stick slip, sticking, and the like.
[0043] The sensors 102 , 202 can also be useful in determining problems, such as, but not limited to inelastic deformation, and unscrewing. For instance, if the sensors 102 , 202 are separated across one or more joints, and the offset between the sensors 102 , 202 changes significantly, there is a high likelihood that something has gone wrong. Additionally, the sensors 102 , 202 may be used on a deliberately bent assembly to ensure that the bend is still proper, or for other purposes. The sensors 102 , 202 may also be used with motors and rotary steerables to validate that the build angle is matching the well plan.
[0044] In addition to measuring changes in conditions, multiple samples may be used to correct noise in sampling. This may be done using e.g. a “burst” sample.
[0045] Measurements may be taken using differential change in measured magnetic tool face. For example, this may begin with the transformation from Earth coordinates to tool coordinates, where BN is the North component of the Earth's magnetic field, BV is the vertical component (and by definition, the East component is 0), and where Bx1, By1, and Bz1 are the respective x, y, and z components of the observed magnetic field at magnetometer 1 . Likewise Bx2, By2, and Bz2 are the respective x, y, and z components of the observed magnetic field at magnetometer 2 . ρ1 is the magnetic tool face at magnetometer 1 , and ρ2 is the magnetic tool face at magnetometer 2 .
[0046] In general:
[0000]
(
Bx
By
Bz
)
=
(
Cos
[
θ
]
Cos
[
φ
]
Cos
[
ψ
]
-
Sin
[
φ
]
Sin
[
ψ
]
Cos
[
ψ
]
Sin
[
φ
]
+
Cos
[
θ
]
Cos
[
φ
]
Sin
[
ψ
]
-
Cos
[
φ
]
Sin
[
θ
-
Cos
[
θ
]
Cos
[
ψ
]
Sin
[
φ
]
-
Cos
[
φ
]
Sin
[
ψ
]
Cos
[
φ
]
Cos
[
ψ
]
-
Cos
[
θ
]
Sin
[
φ
]
Sin
[
ψ
]
Sin
[
θ
]
Sin
[
φ
]
Cos
[
ψ
]
Sin
[
φ
]
Sin
[
θ
]
Sin
[
ψ
]
Cos
[
θ
]
)
·
(
BN
0
BV
)
From
which
(
Bx
By
Bz
)
=
(
-
BV
Cos
[
φ
]
Sin
[
θ
]
+
BN
(
Cos
[
θ
]
Cos
[
φ
]
Cos
[
ψ
]
-
Sin
[
φ
]
Sin
[
ψ
]
)
BV
Sin
[
θ
]
Sin
[
φ
]
+
BN
(
-
Cos
[
θ
]
Cos
[
ψ
]
Sin
[
φ
]
-
Cos
[
φ
]
Sin
[
ψ
]
)
BV
Cos
[
θ
]
+
BN
Cos
[
ψ
]
Sin
[
θ
]
)
[0047] The formula below may be used to calculate two magnetic tool face values. While this may be defined in any number of ways, the choice should not significantly affect the result.
[0000] Φ=ArcTan [− Bx,By]
[0048] Where arctan is the four quadrant arctan, with quadrant information derived from the algebraic signs of the x and y terms.
[0049] So that:
[0000] Φ1=ArcTan [ BV Cos [φ1] Sin [θ1 ]−BN (Cos [θ1] Cos [φ1] Cos [ψ1]+Sin [φ1] Sin [ψ1]), BV Sin [θ1] Sin [φ1 ]−BN (−Cos [θ1] Cos [ψ2] Sin [φ1]−Cos [φ1] Sin [ψ1])]
[0000] Φ2=ArcTan [ BV Cos [φ2] Sin [θ2 ]−BN (Cos [θ2] Cos [φ2] Cos [ψ2]+Sin [φ2] Sin [ψ2]), BV Sin [θ2] Sin [φ2 ]−BN (−Cos [θ2] Cos [ψ2] Sin [φ2]−Cos [φ2] Sin [ψ2])]
[0050] Defining the dip angle as D:
[0000]
BV
=
Bt
*
Sin
[
]
BN
=
Bt
*
Cos
[
]
1
=
ArcTan
[
Cos
(
θ1
]
Cos
[
ψ1
]
-
Sin
[
θ1
]
Tan
[
]
Sin
[
ψ1
]
+
Tan
[
φ1
]
,
1
-
(
-
Cos
(
θ1
]
Cos
[
ψ1
]
+
Sin
[
θ1
]
Tan
[
]
)
Sin
[
ψ1
]
Tan
[
φ1
]
]
Let
:
Tan
[
α1
]
=
Cos
(
θ1
]
Cos
[
ψ1
]
-
Sin
[
θ1
]
Tan
[
]
Sin
[
ψ1
]
So
that
:
1
=
ArcTan
[
Tan
[
α1
]
+
Tan
[
φ1
]
,
1
-
Tan
[
α1
]
Tan
[
φ1
]
]
1
=
φ1
+
α1
Similarly
:
2
=
φ2
+
α2
Where
:
Tan
[
α2
]
=
Cos
[
θ2
]
Cos
[
ψ2
]
-
Sin
[
θ2
]
Tan
[
]
Sin
[
ψ2
]
[0051] The quantity of interest is:
[0000] Φ2−Φ1=(φ2−φ1)+(α2−α1)
[0052] This equation illustrates an important point: In order to calculate a specific torque (i.e. a torque about the drillstring axis, or a bending moment), it is sometimes necessary to decouple the available measurements. The equations given here indicate when this is necessary in the case of measurements made with magnetometers and inclinators, and they show how the decoupling is effected. This is further illustrated in cases 1-4 below. If other types of sensors are used, similar equations can be derived, as will be evident to one skilled in the art.
Case 1
[0053] When there is constant inclination and azimuth, only the tool face may vary. In this case, α2=α1, and the change in magnetic tool face equals the change in gravitational tool face. If there is a change in inclination or azimuth, a change in dip is not expected, except via noise.
Case 2
[0054] When there is constant azimuth, the inclination and tool face may vary. In this case, working first with inclination, suppose θ2=θ1+δθ, and dropping second order terms:
[0000]
Tan
[
α2
]
=
Cos
[
θ1
]
Cos
[
ψ2
]
-
Sin
[
θ1
]
Tan
[
]
-
δθ
(
-
Cos
[
ψ2
]
Sin
[
θ1
]
-
Cos
[
θ1
]
Tan
[
]
)
Sin
[
ψ2
]
So
that
:
Tan
[
α2
-
α1
]
=
Tan
[
α2
]
-
Tan
[
α1
]
1
+
Tan
[
α2
]
*
Tan
[
α1
]
Tan
[
α2
]
-
Tan
[
α1
]
=
Cos
[
θ1
]
Cos
[
ψ2
]
-
Sin
[
θ1
]
Tan
[
]
+
δθ
(
-
Cos
[
ψ2
]
Sin
[
θ1
]
-
Cos
[
θ1
]
Tan
[
]
)
Sin
[
ψ2
]
-
Cos
[
θ1
]
Cos
[
ψ1
]
-
Sin
[
θ1
]
Tan
[
]
Sin
[
ψ1
]
[0055] But, the assumption in this case is that ψ2=ψ1, so
[0000] Tan [α2−α1]=−δθ(Cot [ψ1] Sin [θ1]+Cos [θ1] Csc [ψ1] Tan [D])
[0056] Or, to the small angle approximation:
[0000] α2−α1=−δθ(Cot [ψ1] Sin [θ1]+Cos [θ1] Csc [ψ1] Tan [D])
[0057] There is, therefore, the potential that small changes in inclination will, at small azimuths, make a significant contribution to ρ2−ρ1.
Case 3
[0058] When there is constant inclination, the azimuth and tool face may vary. In this case, θ2=θ1, but ψ2=1+δψ. With the same type of reasoning, it can be shown that in the differential limit:
[0000] α2−α1=−δψ Csc [ψ1](Cos [θ1] Csc [ψ1]−Cot [ψ1] Sin [θ1] Tan [D])
[0059] With sin [θ1]=cos [D], and cos [θ1]=sin [D], then:
[0000] α2−α1=−δψ Csc [ψ1](Sin [D] Csc [ψ1]−Cot [ψ1] Sin [D])
[0060] So that as ψ1→0, i.e. as the trajectory aligns with the Earth's magnetic field, this term vanishes. However, the magnetic tool face is not defined under this condition.
Case 4
[0061] When inclination azimuth and tool face vary, in the small angle approximation, the previous results can be combined to obtain:
[0000] α2−α1=−δθ(Cot [ψ1] Sin [θ1]−Cos [θ1] Csc [ψ1] Tan [D])−δψ Csc [ψ1](Sin [D] Csc [ψ1]−Cot [ψ1] Sin [D])
[0000] Or:
[0000] Φ2−Φ1=δφ−δθ(Cot [ψ1] Sin [θ1]−Cos [θ1] Csc [ψ1] Tan [D])−δψ Csc [ψ1](Sin [D] Csc [ψ1]−Cot [ψ1] Sin [D])
[0062] Note that torque is preferably inferred using δφ, not δρ=ρ2−ρ1.
[0063] Therefore, if a lot of change is expected in inclination and/or azimuth, in addition to the change in magnetic tool face, the inclination and azimuth is desirably measured at both points where the magnetic tool face is measured. It may be advantageous under these conditions to use the gravitational readings instead of the magnetic field readings.
[0064] Measurements may also be taken using differential change in gravitational tool face. Because gravity simply points down, the transformation of the gravitational field from NEV to tool coordinates is much simpler. gx1, gy1, and gz1 are the respective x, y, and z components of the observed gravitational field at accelerometer 1 . Likewise gx2, gy2, and gz2 are the respective x, y, and z components of the observed gravitational field at accelerometer 2 . ρ1 is the magnetic tool face at magnetometer 1 , and ρ2 is the magnetic tool face at magnetometer 2 . φ1 is the gravitational tool face at accelerometer 1 and φ2 is the gravitational tool face at accelerometer 2 .
[0065] In general:
[0000]
(
gx
gy
gz
)
=
(
Cos
[
θ
]
Cos
[
φ
]
Cos
[
ψ
]
-
Sin
[
φ
]
Sin
[
ψ
]
Cos
[
ψ
]
Sin
[
φ
]
+
Cos
[
θ
]
Cos
[
φ
]
Sin
[
ψ
]
-
Cos
[
φ
]
Sin
[
θ
-
Cos
[
θ
]
Cos
[
ψ
]
Sin
[
φ
]
-
Cos
[
φ
]
Sin
[
ψ
]
Cos
[
φ
]
Cos
[
ψ
]
-
Cos
[
θ
]
Sin
[
φ
]
Sin
[
ψ
]
Sin
[
θ
]
Sin
[
φ
]
Cos
[
ψ
]
Sin
[
φ
]
Sin
[
θ
]
Sin
[
ψ
]
Cos
[
θ
]
)
·
(
0
0
g
)
.
[0066] Where g is the magnitude of the gravitational field:
[0000]
g
=
gx
2
+
gy
2
+
gz
2
(
gx
gy
gz
)
=
g
(
-
Sin
[
θ
]
Cos
[
φ
]
Sin
[
θ
]
Sin
[
φ
]
Cos
[
θ
]
)
[0067] Therefore, except when θ=0 or θ=π:
[0000] φ=ArcTan [− gx,gy]
[0068] And is independent of the inclination or the azimuth. Therefore, φ2−φ1 is independent of changes in the inclination or azimuth, so that changes in gravitational tool face can be used directly to measure torque.
[0069] Since gz is independent of the tool face, a bending moment can be measured using changes in the inclination. A change in inclination is reflected by a deflection in a vertical plane containing the well trajectory (at least locally).
[0070] In general, there will also be a second bending moment for deflections of the drillstring orthogonal to a vertical plane containing the well trajectory (locally). An azimuth change is associated with this deflection, but is not sufficient by itself to calculate die desired bending moment since the torque acts along the tool axis, whereas the azimuth change is defined as a rotation towards North.
[0071] Assuming there is no magnetic interference:
[0000] ψ=ArcTan [ Bx *Cos [φ]− By *Sin [φ])*Cos [θ]+ Bz *Sin [θ],−( Bx *Sin [φ]+ By *Cos [φ])]
[0072] The azimuth can often be calculated in the presence of magnetic interference, but the techniques used are considerably more complicated. A similar analysis can be carried out with them, but with considerable complexity. Adding suffixes 1 and 2 for measurements made at locations 1 and 2 gives:
[0000] ψ1=ArcTan [( Bx *Cos [φ1 ]−By 1*Sin [φ1])*Cos [θ1 ]+Bz 1*Sin [θ1],−( Bx 1*Sin [φ1 ]+By 1*Cos [φ1])]
[0000] ψ2=ArcTan [( Bx 2*Cos [φ2 ]−By 2*Sin [φ2])*Cos [θ2 ]+Bz 2*Sin [θ2],−( Bx 2*Sin [φ2 ]+By 2*Cos [φ2])]
[0073] The angular change δψ=ψ2−ψ1 could be used to define a bending moment, but it is desirable to equate this to a deflection of the drillstring in a direction generally perpendicular to a vertical plane tangent to the trajectory at either measurement point 1 or measurement point 2 . This deflection, called δζ, can be calculated considering that the change in azimuth is the projection of the sought deflection on the horizontal plane. Therefore, the desired angular deflection, assuming that the change in inclination between the two survey points is small compared to the inclination itself, is:
[0000]
δζ
=
(
ψ2
-
ψ1
)
*
Sin
[
θ1
+
θ2
2
]
[0074] 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. Also, the terms in the claims have their plain, ordinary meaning unless otherwise explicitly and clearly defined by the patentee.
|
A method and device for measuring a property, such as torque, includes a plurality of sensors, and a measuring device. The sensors attach to a downhole apparatus at a distance from one another. The sensors provide signals indicating their positions. A logic circuit may calculate an angle between the sensors. The logic circuit then calculates the property based on the angle, the distance between the sensors, and other known physical properties of the downhole apparatus.
| 4
|
BACKGROUND
[0001] Related fields include hand-held irons for pressing fabric, and more specifically safety features and attachments for such irons.
[0002] A hand-held cloth iron consists essentially of a heated soleplate with an insulated handle. The operator grasps the handle and presses or slides the soleplate against a wrinkled fabric article—for example, a garment—to remove the wrinkles. The fabric is normally arranged for ironing on a purpose-built ironing board. Such a board typically has a flat working surface manufactured from sheet metal and covered by a fitted, padded ironing board cover. The padded cover functions as thermal insulation between the ironing board and the high-temperature iron so that heat is not dissipated by conduction through the metal of the board. The cover also fills in any unevenness in the metal surface of the board, providing a smooth and soft surface for the fabric, even if the metal board underneath the pad is honeycombed or otherwise perforated to reduce its weight and allow steam to flow through.
[0003] While ironing, the operator must often let go of the iron to reposition or exchange the wrinkled article, to apply starch or iron-on materials, or for some other reasons. If the soleplate of the iron remains in contact with the ironing board cover for too long, sufficient heat will accumulate to scorch, burn or ignite the cover. Furthermore, if the soleplate is accidentally left at rest on the wrinkled article—which can easily occur in a household or backstage environment where interruptions are many and varied—the article, which is typically less heat-resistant than the board cover, can sustain thermal damage in less than a minute.
[0004] To avoid such damage, the wider end of most irons, often called the “heel” or “heel rest,” is configured so that the iron can be balanced in an upright position with the soleplate substantially perpendicular to the ironing board surface. In this position, the soleplate delivers almost no heat to the article being ironed or the ironing board cover. To improve the stability of the iron resting on its heel, the soleplate (the heaviest component of the iron) forms a slightly acute angle with the heel rest so that the soleplate is tilted at slightly more than 90° to the board and “leans” on the handle or an extension of the handle or body. Nevertheless, because a standard iron soleplate is still significantly longer than the heel is wide, an iron resting on its heel has a high center of gravity, which makes it vulnerable to tipping if the iron or board is bumped, wobbled, or tilted. Ironing often takes place in close and busy quarters and most modern ironing boards are narrow, lightweight and collapsible; therefore mild to moderate perturbations in the form of bumps, wobbles, or tilting are far from rare.
[0005] Because an iron is heavy and pointed at one end, as well as very hot when in use, a falling iron can inflict a variety of injuries on nearby persons or domestic animals, as well as damages to properties. In addition, a steam iron left in its vertical position may tip and leak water from the pores of the soleplate onto an item, thus possibly staining the item. Accordingly, it is desirable to have an iron which will remain more stable in its upright position.
[0006] This need for ironing safety has long been recognized and addressed in various ways. For example, many electric irons have automatic shut-off devices that disconnect power from the soleplate heater when the iron has been idle for a fixed period of time, such as 10 minutes. The automatic shut-off cycle saves energy and prevents such accidents as being burned from touching an iron last used hours before and believed to be cold. However, as noted above, many fabrics and other surfaces can sustain thermal damage long before the expiration of the timing cycle if they are in direct, stationary contact with a hot soleplate. On the other hand, reducing the automatic shut-off time enough to avoid such damage would cause the iron to shut itself off almost constantly, prolonging the time to iron a batch of articles and frustrating the operator. Some irons use motion sensors or accelerometers to reset the automatic shut-off timer whenever the user moves the iron. One disadvantage of this type of iron is that it automatically shuts off when held motionless by the user, which is necessary for some operations such as activating fusible-web materials or setting fabric paints. Also, such an iron may not function properly on an uneven surface such as a wool jacket with pockets and cuffs.
[0007] Ironing board stability has been improved by widely-spaced and heavy-duty tubular steel legs and non-slip grip feet. Additionally, ironing boards with an iron keeper or holder topped or lined with heat-resistant materials such as high-temperature silicone are commercially available. However, the iron holder usually is positioned far away from the pointed end of the board where clothing must often be positioned to smooth areas near sleeves, legs, and necklines, so that it is inconvenient to use. In addition, the iron holder reduces the ironing surface at the square end of an ironing board, which is useful for pressing the backs of shirts and the like.
[0008] There have been many attempts in the prior art to provide iron keepers or holders as part of an ironing board to securely retain an iron on an ironing board in a temporarily unused position. Most of these attempts have been directed toward mechanical means which have required some additional movements, other than normal ironing hand motions, by the user to latch the iron to the ironing board to secure it and unlatch the iron from the ironing board to remove it. Other attempts at the use of magnetic force for iron rests are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,443,780 and 3,599,358 and French Pat. No. 2,724,950. These patents show an ironing board which has a magnet acting as a keeper interacting with a conventional iron. The application of a magnetic plate would clearly create an obstruction to the user and thereby reduce either the area available for ironing or, where the keeper is cantilevered from the edge of the board, the free edge over which fabric may smoothly drape without acquiring more wrinkles. Most of the iron keepers are typically secured in one position on the ironing board, thus requiring the operator to reach for the iron keeper each time the iron is removed or replaced on the keeper. When ironing for a considerable period of time, much time and effort is wasted by these reaching movements. Many cycles of leaning and reaching while holding a heavy iron at arm's length may eventually cause the operator a repetitive-motion injury. When the ironing surface is so large the operator must stretch to reach the iron keeper, even a single unguarded motion may cause a muscle strain or even a fall. Therefore, mechanical or magnetic keepers mounted on ironing boards have not been commercially successful.
[0009] Other attempts at iron keepers have been made that do not require the operator to perform the extra motion to always return the iron to the same location. Some irons automatically disengage the soleplate from contact with the article being ironed or the ironing board cover when the iron is not being used. Specifically, U.S. Pat. No. 2,602,247 shows a self-tilting iron incorporating a strong electromagnet to work in conjunction with the ferromagnetic steel board of an ironing board to force the entire iron to tilt away from the ironing board and sit upon the inclined heel rest of the iron when it is not in use, and the magnetic attraction between the iron and the board then secures it against tipping. This attempt of using an electromagnet proved unsatisfactory because of the significant increases in the weight, cost and bulkiness of the iron.
[0010] In an effort to improve the heel rest of an electric iron, Perko et al in U.S. Pat. No. 6,321,472 and Hensel et al in U.S. Pat. No. 5,619,812 disclosed an iron with a heel rest having a recess of ˜2.5 mm in the outer surface so that the iron will be less likely to tip over while in its upright position on a soft surface. In such case, as the weight of the iron forces the soft surface downwards, the portion of the soft surface directly underneath the recess moves upward to fill in the recess. As a result, the soft surface in the recess interlocks with the recess in the heel to help prevent the iron from tipping over. Rubber feet are also placed on the heel rest to add stability. However, the improvement with this type of heel rest in preventing tipping is rather miniscule.
[0011] Various auto-lifting electric irons with different elevation mechanisms and support means to prevent tipping of the irons are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,546,701, 7,406,783, 6,925,738 and 6,453,587 issued to Alipour, U.S. Patent No. 6,715,222 to Hecht, and U.S. Patent Nos. 6,260,295 and 6,105,285 to Nickel. When a sensor indicates that the iron's handle is not being gripped, an elevating mechanism extends support means from the soleplate to lift the soleplate up off the ironing board. When the sensor senses that the handle is being gripped, the mechanism retracts the support means to a position inside the iron. The lifting or elevating mechanism is optimized so that it does not cause the iron to roll over on its side when the iron is laid flat on its soleplate. The iron always remains in a stable horizontal position irrespective whether the iron is in use or not. Unfortunately, the auto-lifting mechanism is mechanically and electrically complex and cumbersome, and it makes an iron much heavier. In a modern iron, the available space is generally taken up by controls for steaming, spraying, and the like and the remaining space is rather unsuitable to house complex mechanisms. Basic functions such as heating up water and soleplate quickly, fast steam generation and no leaking of water, can be easily compromised by the auto-lifting function. Reliability of the moving mechanical parts is also a concern considering the repeated uses of the iron for years. Furthermore, for many users the auto-lift function can be a nuisance unless the user manages to get used to leaving such iron with the heating surface down.
[0012] It would, therefore, be highly desirable to provide an iron that is extremely stable against tipping without adding excessive weight, size or complexity, and without requiring operators to learn new methods or perform extra motions. Preferably the iron would also be convenient to use, aesthetically pleasing, inexpensive to manufacture, simple and compact in size, and capable of incorporating popular performance features found in contemporary irons. However, in view of the art considered as a whole at the time of the present invention was made, it was not obvious to those of ordinary skill in this art how to provide an iron meeting all these requirements.
SUMMARY
[0013] A need exists for an iron that overcomes the aforementioned deficiencies of prior art irons. An iron described herein has an improved heel rest to prevent tipping. This iron can rest securely on the improved heel, anywhere on the top surface (ironing surface) of an ironing board in a vertical orientation that removes the heated soleplate from the board cover and article being ironed. The stable heel rest is inexpensive to fabricate. Because it adds no significant extra weight and requires no major change in iron size, iron shape, or operators' accustomed ironing motions, consumer acceptance is highly likely. Therefore, iron manufacturers will probably find this heel rest attractive to incorporate into their products.
[0014] An improved iron includes a soleplate, a water tank mounted to the soleplate for supplying steam to the soleplate, a handle joined with the water tank, a heel rest connected to the rear end of the water tank, a rear plate as a part of the heel rest and in covering relation to the rear portion of the iron, and one or more magnets embedded in the rear plate to generate a magnetic field, producing a magnetic pull force between the magnets and the magnet-attracting, ferromagnetic steel top of an ironing board and thus stabilize an iron standing on its heel. The magnetic rear plate can either be coplanar or slightly recessed with respect to the outer surface of the heel rest, and the amount of recess can be made adjustable by mechanical means so that the magnetic pull force between the magnetic heel rest and the ferromagnetic steel top of an ironing board can be adjusted by a user to suit his or her preference.
[0015] A stand-alone magnetic heel rest with its size and shape fitting the heel of an existing electric iron is provided, which can be attached to the heel of the iron using conventional fastening means.
[0016] The magnetic heel rest presents a feasible solution to all of the problems which the prior art foresaw but could not correct, or that it created itself. Compared to conventional irons or irons with heel-rests relying on weight, contours, or cushioning (e.g. rubber feet), the magnetic heel rest more effectively prevents an iron from tipping and falling from a vertical idle position. Unlike the solutions incorporating specially constructed iron-keepers, the magnetic heel rest does not require the user to always rest the iron in the same place, nor does it reduce the area or edge length of the board available for draping an article being ironed. Unlike the mechanical iron-lifting apparatus, the magnetic heel rest adds no significant size or complexity to the iron, nor does it change the motions required of the operator.
[0017] In conclusion, the present invention provides a technologically feasible, non-obstructing, convenient heel rest for an iron. Advantages include the prevention of damage to garments and work surfaces, and improved overall safety of use. Other aspects and example embodiments are provided in the figures and the detailed description that follow.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0018] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an iron with a magnetic heel rest, shown in the horizontal position used for actively ironing and including a cutaway showing the magnets inside the heel rest.
[0019] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the iron standing vertically on its magnetic heel rest.
[0020] FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the iron.
[0021] FIG. 4 is rear view of the iron, looking directly at the magnetic heel rest.
[0022] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an exemplary rear plate for the heel rest.
[0023] FIG. 6 is a partial cross-section along line X-X of FIG. 3 , showing an example of a heel rest with the rear plate flush with its outer surface.
[0024] FIGS. 7A and 7B are a perspective view and a partial cross-section, respectively, showing how the heel rest engages the magnet-attracting steel ironing board surface through a padded cover.
[0025] FIG. 8 is a partial cross-section along line X-X of FIG. 3 , showing an example of a heel rest with its rear plate recessed, where the recess depth (and thereby the magnetic field strength) is operator-adjustable using set screws and spring-loaded bolts;
[0026] FIGS. 9A and 9B are a rear view and a cross-section along line X-X of FIG. 3 , respectively, of another heel rest with an adjustably recessed disc-shaped center piece.
[0027] FIGS. 10A and 10B are a perspective view and a cross-section, respectively, of a stand-alone magnetic rear plate for attachment with an existing iron.
[0028] FIG. 11 is a perspective view of an experimental set-up used to measure and compare the balance stability of irons with and without magnetic heel rests.
[0029] FIG. 12 is a table summarizing the test results of the experiment illustrated in FIG. 11 .
[0030] These drawings illustrate some of the possible variations of magnetic heel rests. However, the claims are intended to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the disclosed concepts.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0031] In the following description, similar components are referred to by the same reference numeral in order to simplify the understanding of the sequential aspect of the drawings.
[0032] An improved heel rest enables an iron to rest securely, in a vertical orientation, anywhere on the top surface of an ironing board during those frequent rest periods in the ironing process while the article being ironed is shifted or changed, or while the operator momentarily attends to something else. The heel rest prevents the iron from tipping, no matter where on the ironing board the iron is placed, using the attraction of permanent magnet pieces to the ferromagnetic steel top of an ironing board
[0033] FIGS. 1-4 show various views of an iron with a stable heel rest. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the iron in the horizontal position as it would engage with an article being ironed. FIG. 2 shows the vertical orientation, in which operators are accustomed to positioning idle irons. FIG. 3 is a top plan view and FIG. 4 is a rear view. Iron 20 includes a heatable soleplate 22 with a bottom face or pressing surface 24 in contact with an article to be ironed. A body 26 comprises a skirt 28 , a water tank 30 , and a handle 32 ; soleplate 22 is attached to the underside of body 26 . Skirt 28 covers internal components such as heating elements and switched controls. Water tank 30 may be filled with an aqueous solution to provide droplets, steam, or both through holes in soleplate 22 to help release wrinkles from the article being ironed. A fill door 34 covers a fill opening in water tank 30 . Handle 32 is designed to be grasped by the operator and may also support a temperature control dial or button 36 , an automatic steam control 38 and a manual steam control 40 . A line cord 42 provides a source of electric power.
[0034] A magnetic heel rest 44 is coupled to the body 26 at the heel end of the iron. The heel, which is the end perpendicular to the axis of handle 32 and closest to the center of gravity, is the surface on which operators are accustomed to resting an idle hot iron. When iron 20 is tilted out of the ironing position in that direction, the next stable resting position is for the iron to balance on the bottom of heel rest 44 . In this position, the back end of heated soleplate 22 is lifted far enough off the ironing board to prevent delivering a potentially damaging amount of heat to the board under some defined worst-case condition (e.g., 30 minutes with the iron at its highest heat setting).
[0035] Heel rest 44 prevents the iron from tipping because one or more magnets 46 , mechanically coupled to heel rest 42 , are attracted to the steel in the top of a typical ironing board when the iron is resting vertically as in FIG. 2 .
[0036] Experiments have shown that magnet parameters can be calculated such that the attraction is strong enough, even through a padded ironing board cover, to hold the iron steady if the board wobbles or tilts or if the iron is casually bumped. However, unlike weighted heels and iron lifters, the magnetic heel rest does not impede the operator's normal ironing motions. The magnetic force F from a magnet with vector magnetic moment m in a magnetic field B goes as F=Δ(m·B) . The dot product at any point in space is a scalar mBcos(θ), where θ is the angle between m and B. For the heel rest, θ is 90° minus the angle between the magnet-attracting steel top of the ironing board and the dipole of the heel-rest magnet. When the iron rests on its heel, the dipole is perpendicular to the steel top of the board; θ=0 and cos (θ)=1 for the strongest possible magnetic force to prevent the iron from tipping by itself. Additionally, magnetic field B between the magnet and the steel top of the ironing board diminishes as the inverse square of the distance between them.
[0037] Operators returning the iron to horizontal to resume ironing typically do so by tilting the iron off its heel rather than lifting straight up. As long as the maximum force exerted by the magnet is less than about 50 N, an operator purposefully gripping the handle exerts much more force than a typical moderate bump, wobble, or tilt of the board and can easily tilt the iron off its heel. As θ decreases, the magnetic force falls off approximately as cos (θ) (approximate because the magnet may not be precisely at the iron's pivot point). At the same time, the distance between the magnets and the board increases. When the iron is horizontal as in FIG. 1 , the dipoles of the heel-rest magnets 46 are parallel to the steel top of the board, θ=90°, cos (θ)=0, minimizing the angular-dependent magnetic field. Also, when the iron is horizontal the magnets are lifted far enough away from the board that the magnetic pull force becomes negligible for practical purposes.
[0038] The heel rest 44 in FIGS. 1-4 can be manufactured integrally with handle 38 , skirt 28 , water tank 30 , or even as an offset extension of soleplate 22 . Alternatively, it may be fabricated separately and secured to a rear end of water tank 30 and a portion of the top of the handle assembly 32 by a snap fit or other arrangement. A similar heel rest could be fabricated onto, or secured to, the body of a dry iron that has no water tank. The line cord 42 may be secured to the magnetic heel rest 44 as shown here, or alternatively it may pass through a hole in heel rest 44 or be secured to body 26 at some other point. The present invention is also compatible with cordless iron arrangements and in such cases the line cord 42 would be omitted. “Docking” connections to an off-board heater, as seen in some very lightweight cordless irons, can be accommodated elsewhere on the heel or handle, or even on the side of the iron body.
[0039] FIGS. 5 and 6 are views of the rear plate assembly of an exemplary heel rest. FIG. 5 is a perspective view and FIG. 6 is a cross-section along a line corresponding to X-X′ in FIG. 3 . A rear plate assembly 48 holds a magnetic component 46 , which may be either a single magnet or an array of magnets. When the iron is tilted to a vertical “idle” position, rear plate assembly 48 is substantially parallel to the underlying ironing board, and close enough to the board surface that magnetic attraction occurs through the board cover. In FIGS. 4 and 5 , rear plate assembly 48 has a trapezoidal footprint with rounded corners: a fairly convenient shape to cut or mold, imparting a streamlined appearance. However, any footprint shape such as square, triangle, polygon, oval, or circle may be utilized. The rear plate assembly 48 may contain tail pieces or protrusions, 50 and 52 , to engage mating features on the body of the iron or on a cover or frame of the heel rest. Any other practical number or shape of tail pieces or protrusions 50 , 52 , however, can be used to fasten the rear plate assembly 48 to suitable parts of the heel rest or iron. In addition, other means for fastening the rear plate assembly 48 to the heel rest or iron are also contemplated, e.g. screws, nails, clips, flanges, etc.
[0040] The rear plate assembly 48 may be adapted to be fastened to any type of iron. In addition, the rear plate assembly having the magnet 46 may be made of any material such as ABS plastic, polypropylene, wood, metal, etc. In embodiments with more than one magnet 46 , the magnets may be aligned with matching or opposing polarities. When ferromagnetic material is selected for the rear plate assembly 48 , shunting effect of the magnetic field by the ferromagnetic plate material is expected if magnetic pieces aligned to opposite polarities are used together.
[0041] FIGS. 7A and 7B illustrate how the magnetic heel rest takes novel advantage of the fact that most of the ironing boards in residential and commercial uses have either a ferromagnetic steel mesh top, or a ferromagnetic steel sheet metal top with punched holes for optimum steam flow or reduced weight. Ironing board 54 includes ferromagnetic steel top 56 , ironing board cover 58 and a padding/insulating layer 60 between the steel top and the ironing board cover. The ferromagnetic steel top 56 may be a magnetic stainless steel. Magnetic stainless steels, like any other ferromagnetic materials, are strongly attracted to magnets. Magnet 48 , here shown as multiple permanent magnet pieces embedded in the heel rest, exerts a magnetic pull force on the ferromagnetic steel top 56 of an ironing board when iron 20 rests on the magnetic heel rest 44 in the upright position. The magnetic pull force between the permanent magnet pieces in the magnetic heel rest 44 and the ferromagnetic steel top of an ironing board will keep the iron securely on the ironing board to prevent the iron from tipping over or slipping. This magnetic heel rest does not need the rubber feet often included on conventional heel rests to provide a mechanical cushion against tipping. The magnetic force prevents tipping more effectively than mechanical cushioning, and the magnetic heel rest can be made of longer-wearing, easier-cleaning material than rubber or similar elastomers.
[0042] Numerous other ironing surfaces besides ironing boards are occasionally used for ironing when space or time is tight. Many such surfaces, however, are likewise ferromagnetic: the tops of washers, dryers, and many utility counters or carts. The operator typically uses a towel or blanket to pad the alternative ironing surface; just as the magnets hold the iron to the board through the board cover, they will hold the iron to the alternative surface through the improvised pad. As another alternative, a cover for a non-steel ironing board could incorporate a magnet-attracting layer such as steel mesh or a sewn-in array of thin steel plates.
[0043] Available materials for the magnet 46 include ferrite, neodymium iron boron, samarium cobalt, and Alnico (metal alloys composed primarily of aluminum, nickel and cobalt, and iron). In one particular embodiment, a ferrite magnet, also known as a ceramic magnet, may have the following benefits: inexpensive yet high magnetic pull strength, resistant to demagnetization, and non-rusting. The major raw material used to manufacture ferrite magnets is iron oxide, more commonly known as “rust”, which is very inexpensive. High-temperature magnetic materials are not required in embodiments like those in FIGS. 1-7 because the magnets 46 are located far enough from the heated soleplate that their temperatures seldom exceed approximately 50° C., even during the ironing operation. No surface treatments are necessary for ferrite magnets since they are essentially inert and do not oxidize. However, they can be coated with various epoxy coatings for soil resistance and ease of cleaning.
[0044] The number and size of the magnet pieces used in the heel rest depends on the magnetic strength of the magnet pieces and the available surface area of rear plate assembly 48 . Magnets of various sizes can be embedded in rear plate assembly 48 to maximize the usage of its surface area for encasing as much of the magnetic material as possible. In one embodiment, fewer magnet pieces of larger sizes may be less cost-effective than more magnet pieces of the smaller size. In another embodiment, thicker magnet pieces may be used to produce a stronger magnetic field and reduce the surface area required for rear plate assembly 48 , for example in a compact travel iron.
[0045] In one embodiment, a ceramic disc magnet may be used as the magnet in the magnetic heel rest 44 . In an example of this embodiment, multiple ceramic disc magnets having a particular magnetic strength were used in the iron rest to provide an electric iron that is very resistant to tipping. For a ceramic disc magnet measuring 19 mm diameter by 4.8 mm thick with magnetic strength Br of 2,000 gauss, the magnetic flux density on the centerline of a disc magnet is 403 gauss at 1.5 mm distance, and 351 gauss at 2.5 mm distance from the surface of the magnet. The outer surface area of a typical iron rest is 40-100 cm 2 and such an iron rest can easily fit 10 pieces of ceramic disc magnets with each piece measuring 19 mm diameter and a total surface area of approximately 28.5 cm 2 . The pull force between 10 pieces of the ceramic disc magnets of the size mentioned above and a flat, ground mild steel sheet or plate is approximately 12 N when they are in direct contact. However, with a gap of typically 1-3 mm between the magnetic heel rest and the steel top of the ironing board due to the recess of the magnet pieces inside the heel rest and the thickness of the fabric cover and padding layer on the top of the flat steel board, the actual pull force when using those 10 ceramic magnet pieces will be less, say 5-10 N, which is still sufficient to make an iron very resistant to tipping.
[0046] Magnet pieces 46 may be mounted onto the rear plate 48 of the magnetic heel rest 44 by, for example, press-fitting, epoxy bonding, or any other conventional means for fastening. If using magnets that can withstand the required temperatures, the rear plate may be blow-molding or injection-molded around them. They can either be flush with the flat exterior surface of the rear plate 48 and visible in the final assembled form, or slightly recessed (a>0 mm in FIG. 6 ) and embedded inside the rear plate 46 . The magnetic pull force will be slightly lower when the magnet pieces are recessed, i.e., further away from the ferromagnetic steel top of the ironing board when the iron is resting vertically on an ironing board.
[0047] Additionally, a user does not feel any significant difference between using an iron with a magnetic heel rest and an iron with a conventional non-magnetic heel rest. This is because embodiments of this invention maintain the compact size and light weight of a cloth iron with integrated magnetic heel rest 44 . A typical magnetic heel rest 44 has similar surface area as that of the rear surface of a conventional iron, and it is typically 6-12 mm thick to accommodate the height or thickness of the permanent magnet pieces and the fastening means.
[0048] The appropriate amount of magnetic pull force between the magnetic heel rest 44 of an iron and the steel top 56 of an ironing board can be a personal preference for the user. The amount of recess, up to 10 mm, of the magnetic heel rest 44 with respect to the outer surface of the magnetic heel rest 44 can be made adjustable, with the shallowest recess providing the strongest magnetic pull force for keeping an iron from tipping. The recess can be adjusted by making at least a magnet-containing part of the rear plate movable relative to an outer frame of the heel rest. The magnetic pull force decreases with both distance and angle away from the dipole. Therefore, adjusting the position of one or more magnets relative to the rear plate, or the recess depth, changes the peak magnetic pull strength but preserves the desirable angular dependence of the magnetic pull force: that is, strong attraction between the iron and board when the iron rests on its heel, little or no attraction when the iron rests on its soleplate.
[0049] FIG. 8 illustrates an embodiment with operator-adjustable magnetic pull strength. Set screws 62 are used for adjusting the recess depth (b=0-10 mm) while assemblies consisting of bolt 64 , hold-down coil spring 66 and nut 68 can be used to secure the rear plate 48 to the magnetic heel rest 44 . To maintain a uniform recess of the magnetic rear plate on the heel rest in this particular embodiment, at least three set-screws 62 and three spring-loaded bolt assemblies, 64 , 66 and 68 , need to be included in the adjuster, preferably near the outer edges of, the rear plate 48 .
[0050] FIGS. 9A and 9B depict an alternative embodiment of adjustable magnetic rear plate 48 which include two portions: an adjustable disc-shaped portion 70 containing magnet pieces and a fixed portion 72 which may or may not contain magnet pieces. Fixed portion 72 can be flush with magnetic heel rest 44 to provide a flat support base for the iron. The amount of recess of the disc-shaped portion 70 with respect to the fixed portion 72 and rear plate 48 can be easily adjusted by turning a simple adjuster: the threaded screw part located in the center of disc 70 . The disc 70 rotates with the screw, and the progression of the threads with rotation moves the magnets in the disk relative to the fixed portion or outer frame, changing the recess depth of disc 70 and thereby the magnetic pull force of the heel rest. The relatively large diameter of the center adjuster screw will help keep disc 70 evenly recessed with respect to fixed portion 72 , and a spring washer 74 is used between disc 70 and heel rest 44 to prevent disc 70 from turning and loosening by itself.
[0051] For existing irons which do not have a magnetic heel rest 44 as disclosed in this invention, a stand-alone prefabricated magnetic plate of suitable size and shape can be attached to the heel rest of an existing iron by conventional fasteners. For example, durable double-sided mounting tape or bolt/screw joints already present in the heel rest of the iron can be used to attach the magnetic rear plate to the heel rest. The bolts or screws may have to be replaced with longer ones to accommodate the newly added magnetic heel rest, and clearance holes have to be added on the magnetic plate accordingly. FIGS. 10A and 10B are a perspective view and a cross-section, respectively, of a trapezoidal magnetic plate 76 containing disc-shaped magnetic pieces 46 embedded in a flat plate 78 which may be made of any material such as ABS plastic, polypropylene, wood, non-ferromagnetic metal, etc. The magnet pieces can be recessed (a>0 mm). Some irons have rubber feet or ridges on the heel rest to prevent iron slippage. To attach a magnetic plate to such irons using adhesive tape, either the rubber feet may be removed or adhesive tapes with thickness greater than the height of rubber feet may be used around the rubber feet to ensure the magnetic plate is properly adhered to the heel rest. Other fastener types, including but not limited to industrial-strength hook-and-loop textures (e.g. Velcro™) and snap-on or screw-on clamps may secure the add-on heel rest to an existing iron if appropriate.
[0052] One distinct advantage of using magnetic forces to keep iron from tipping over is that the magnetic pull force, different from a constant dead weight added to the iron, decreases dramatically as the user tilts/lifts the iron and increases the gap between the magnetic heel rest of an iron and the ferromagnetic steel top of an iron board. In other words, the magnetic pull force is momentary while the iron is lifted away from the ironing board, and the user does not feel the need for much extra effort for lifting an electric iron with the magnetic heel rest from the ironing board as compared with lifting a regular iron without the magnetic heel rest.
[0053] Another advantage of using magnetic force to keep iron from tipping over is that much smaller magnetic pull force can counterbalance greater gravitational force of the iron. The magnetic pull force distributed over the surface area of an iron rest in contact with the ironing board is always on the same side of the pivoting point in the case of iron tipping irrespective of which way the iron is tipping over. By contrast, the gravitational forces (i.e., weight) of different components of the iron can be at either the same side or the opposite sides of the pivoting point in the case of iron tipping, i.e., there is some degree of self-balancing of an iron resting vertically on an ironing board. Typical electric irons weigh 1.5-3 kg including the weight of the water in a fully filled tank (typically ˜0.3 kg). In the event of likely tipping of an iron, magnetic pull force of 4-10 N is generally adequate to counterbalance the gravitational force of the iron with its high center of gravity and keep iron securely on the ironing board. Greater magnetic pull force can help hold the iron more firmly on the ironing board, but it will present some challenges for a user with arthritis or weak arms to lift up the iron from the ironing board by overcoming the magnetic pull force and the weight of the iron.
[0054] A cloth iron with a magnetic heel rest as described herein is not likely to cause the operator any additional strain while using or transporting the iron, compared to a conventional model. If an iron with a magnetic heel rest is left standing vertically on a washer or drier in the laundry room or in close proximity with any other ferromagnetic steel or iron surfaces (e.g. a steel utility shelf), the magnetic pull force is generally less than 50 N which is not too large for a user to overcome and iron can be pulled away with ease. Likewise, when an article containing ferromagnetic material is accidentally brought into contact with the magnetic heel rest, the magnetic pull force is not strong enough to pinch and hurt the fingers and hands of the user of the iron. It is further noted that the magnetic field near the soleplate surface is too weak to produce any noticeable magnetic pull force between the soleplate and an ironing board during ironing.
[0055] An experiment has been performed to determine the improved degree of stability on a tilting ironing board of an iron using a magnetic heel rest. Two brands of commercially available irons have been tested, and are designated as R 1 and R 2 . As is typical of current household irons, they each weighed about 2 kg and their tip-to-heel length was about 2.5× the heel width. They were initially tested without any modification. Then a magnetic plate of the same size as the heel rest of the iron was glued to the heel rest of each iron. Irons R 1 and R 2 with the magnetic heel rest installed (designated as M 1 and M 2 , respectively) were then subjected to the same test to evaluate the effect of the magnetic heel rest.
[0056] FIG. 11 shows the test setup. Each iron's water tank was filled with water to its maximum level to produce the highest center of gravity the iron could have in normal use. Next, the iron was placed in an upright position on its heel rest on a standard household ironing board. The end of the ironing board nearest the handle of the iron was raised until the iron moved from its upright position to a horizontal position, i.e., tipped over. After the iron moved, the angle of the table top was lowered until the iron would stop moving, and thus the most accurate point of movement was found. The ironing board angle at which the iron tips over was then recorded. The test was performed four times, and the results shown in FIG. 12 are an average of all four tests for each of the irons.
[0057] As shown in FIG. 12 , iron M 1 which had the magnetic heel rest, tipped over when the ironing board was raised to an angle of 45 degrees. R 1 , the same iron without the magnetic heel rest, tipped over at an angle of only 15 degrees. Similarly, iron M 2 which had the magnetic heel rest, tipped over when the ironing board was raised to an angle of 30 degrees while R 2 , the same iron without the magnetic heel rest, tipped over at an angle of only 11 degrees. Accordingly, the irons incorporating the magnetic heel rest was significantly superior to the two regular irons in remaining in an upright position.
[0058] The description above should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention, but as merely providing illustrations to some example embodiments. In light of the above description and examples, various other modifications and variations may naturally occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims. Accordingly, the scope of the invention should be determined solely by the appended claims and their legal equivalents.
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A hand-held cloth iron becomes very hot while in use. Even when cool, it is heavy and has sharp corners. Any of these characteristics can cause injury or damage if the iron falls. An improved iron includes a heel rest connected to the rear of the iron body. One or more permanent magnet pieces embedded in the heel rest produce a magnetic pull force between the magnets and the ferromagnetic steel top of an ironing board when the iron is stood on its heel. The magnets are strong enough to stabilize the iron, even on a board with a padded cover, without impractically impeding the operator's normal ironing motions. The magnetic rear plate can either be coplanar or slightly recessed with respect to the outer surface of the heel rest, and the amount of recess can be made adjustable by mechanical means so that the magnetic pull force between the magnetic heel rest and the ferromagnetic steel top of an ironing board can be adjusted by a user to suit his or her preference.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates generally to devices for separating water from working steam and more particularly to a preseparator in a steam turbine installation.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In saturated-steam turbine installations, the wet steam issuing from the high-pressure action of the turbine is dried and then slightly superheated before it enters the low-pressure turbine. These steps are effected in water separators/superheaters by mats of wire netting or baffle plate walls, as described in Brown Boveri Mitteilungen, January 1976, volume 63, line 66, et seq.
The disadvantage of this arrangement is that the down-flow line between the high-pressure turbine and the water separator elements in the steam flow is exposed to a relatively high water content.
This condition inevitably promotes erosion and/or corrosion and creates undesirable pressure drops.
Moreover, when water surges and local high concentrations of moisture form, the moisture can no longer be separated out by the separator to a significant degree.
Furthermore, the efficiency of separation of water by mats of wire netting and baffle plate walls depends upon the flow velocity of the steam, upon the droplet size and upon the absolute level of the wetness treatment.
It is known to expose the aforementioned separator elements as uniformly as possible to steam either by flow resistances arranged upstream or downstream of the separator elements, according to European Pat. No. 0,005,225 B1, or by special design of the flow paths, according to Swiss Pat. No. 483,864.
Although the exposure to wetness can be partially evened out by these measures, water surges and water streaks remain, and the absolute magnitude of the mean wetness can therefore not be changed. In this connection, it is known that, at about 10% wetness, the pressure drop in the connecting lines between the high-pressure turbine and the water separator is about 3 times greater than in the case of dry steam.
It is also known from European Pat. No. 0,096,916 A1 to provide in a high-speed water separator, upstream of the deflection blades, a water preseparator which essentially consists of a continuous slit in the wall of the pipe elbow, which slit is overlapped by a cover plate which projects into the flow channel. Although this achieves a separation of the water flowing in the vicinity of the pipe wall, "peeling" of the wall wetness concentration can be only very small if, as intended, only water in laminar flow is to be dealt with.
It is the disadvantages of the known solutions mentioned above for which the invention provides a remedy.
OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a preseparator which achieves good degrees of water separation and which, at the same time, separates the layer of steam transporting the water to be precipitated from the working steam, so that irregular pipe wall water flows, such as surge flows, plug flows, wave flows and the like, can be handled effectively. Furthermore, it is an object of the invention to provide a preseparator which can be retrofitted at low cost even into existing turbine installations.
These and other objects are achieved by the present invention which provides a preseparator for separating entrained water from a flow of working steam being conveyed through a delivery pipe. The preseparator includes a first internal pipe positioned within an outer pipe so as to form an interspace therebetween and a second internal pipe positioned between the other two pipes so as to divide the interspace into chambers. The first internal pipe forms a constricted passage through the preseparator and its upstream end is spaced from the outer pipe so as to form an annular gap of isokinetic size.
In a delivery pipe which is the down-flow line carrying steam between a high-pressure turbine and the preseparator, a major proportion of the entrained water flows in the vicinity of the wall of the delivery pipe. This pre-existing phase separation is exploited at the annular gap, whose dimensioning separates water-laden steam along the walls from the remainder of the working steam. The pipes further cooperate to effect separation of the water from the water-laden steam, with water being evacuated from one of the two interspace chambers through a first port and steam being evacuated through a second port.
The result is that the pressure drops on the steam side between the high-pressure turbine and a superheater are minimized by a reduction in wetness at a preliminary stage.
The reduction in the wetness content reduces erosion and corrosion in the connecting lines and reduces the heat consumption of the turbo-set. Due to the good separation of water in the preseparator, the potential for water surges and water streaks in the downstream water separator elements is reduced when the preseparator according to the invention is installed. Preferably, the preseparator is installed downstream of the high-pressure section of turbine and upstream of a second water separator preceding a resuperheater. The second water heater may be of any desired design. This arrangement reduces the breakthrough of water and increases the overall efficiency of the water separation process, as viewed across all the separator elements installed.
Also, the present invention not only can be readily incorporated into the construction plans of future turbine installations, but also can be easily retrofitted into existing installations, if it is found in the latter after start-up that the water separation is unsatisfactory.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
The preferred embodiments of the present invention are represented in the drawing wherein:
FIG. 1 is a diagram of a saturated-steam turbine arrangement with installed water separators including one constructed in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a detailed cross-sectional view of a preseparator constructed in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 3 is a detailed cross-sectional view of a preseparator constructed in accordance with another preferred embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 4 is a detailed cross-sectional view of a further preseparator constructed in accordance with a third preferred embodiment of the present invention.
Any elements not necessary for an understanding of the invention have been omitted. The direction of flow of the media is indicated by arrows. The same elements are provided with the same reference symbols in the figures.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring to FIG. 1, a preseparator 3 according to the present invention is integrated into a saturated-steam turbine installation having a requirement for water separation. The steam issuing from the high-pressure turbine 1 first flows through the preseparator 3 placed immediately downstream of the turbine 1. The steam then flows through a second water separator, for example a high-speed separator 4, via a continuation of the pipe 31 and finally passes via the line 8 into the resuperheater 5. Of course, the final water separation, apart from the preseparator 3 mentioned, can alternatively be achieved with a number of water separators of any desired design. Their particular member and design depends upon the desired degree of water separation, which preferably is as high as practical in order to improve the turbine efficiency and to reduce blade erosion in the low-pressure turbine 2. In addition, a turbine installation with the preseparator 3 can operate without, for example, an expensive water separator superheater which are known to cause a high pressure drop.
After the steam 9 has passed through the resuperheater 5, it is dry to an optimum degree and is admitted to the low-pressure turbine 2. The steam 9 is regarded here as being treated to an optimum degree, if it expands in the low-pressure turbine 2 to a quite "conventional" degree of final wetnesses. A water/transport steam/working steam phase separation takes place in the preseparator 3. In this case, the precipitated water 37 and the separated transport steam 36 are passed to a pressure sink 6. Of course, the transport steam 36 separated in the preseparator 3 can also be passed individually to another pressure sink, for example a preheater. The water 7 precipitated in the high-speed separator 4 flows out together with the water 37.
As a result of the arrangement described, it is not necessary to trim the high-speed separator 4 by means of internal fittings to the required degrees of water separation of more than 95%. Rather, high separation rates and efficiencies can be obtained by arranging several high-speed separators 4 of simple design in series, with the addition of an upstream preseparator 3. With this arrangement, a residual wetness of 1-2% upstream of the low-pressure turbine is achieved. Because of the resultant reductions in pressure drops and residual wetness, 7.5 MWe more electrical energy can be generated in a 1000 MWe installation.
The mutual arrangement of the water separators does not necessarily have to be parallel.
Referring to FIG. 2, the pipe 31 carrying steam has a concentric internal pipe which preferably has the shape of a Laval nozzle 33a. An annular gap 32 exists between the pipe 31 and the inlet port of the internal pipe 33. Further downstream of the annual gap 32, the pipe 31 bulges outwardly forming an interspace 35 in which a second concentric intermediate pipe 34 is provided. The pipe 34 has, on the pipe side, a contour similar to that of the pipe 31. Thus, a chamber 35b of constant dimensions in the direction of flow is formed between the pipe 31 and the intermediate pipe 34. Where demanded by the flow conditions, the chamber 35b is widened in the direction of flow, for example at a rate of 5%. Downstream of the port 36 and upstream of the other port 37, the internal pipe 34 has a bottom closure, whereby the other chamber 35a is formed from which the port 36 in the form of a line starts. Downstream of the bottom closure of the internal tube 34 and upstream of the steam-tight joint between the pipe 31 and the internal pipe 33, the chamber 35b likewise has a port 37 in the form of a line.
In the pipe 31 which, according to FIG. 1, is the down-flow line carrying steam between the high-pressure turbine 1 and the preseparator 3, the major part of the water flows in the vicinity of the pipe wall. This pre-existing phase separation in the flow is exploited in the annular gap 32, the dimensioning of which is selected such that the flow through the annular gap 32 remains isokinetic. Accordingly, the annular gap 32 is large enough so that the velocity of the boundary layer in the flow does not vary when flowing through the annular gap 32.
Since the internal pipe 33 has the form of a Laval nozzle 33a, the velocity of the water/transport steam mixture separated off decreases downstream of the annular gap 32. This has the consequence that, for example, a wave flow is calmed into laminar flow, so that an internal phase separation of this mixture can easily be effected in the interspace 35 by the inlet port, forming a gap, of the internal pipe 34. While the transport steam is extracted through the port 36, the water flows out through the port 37.
Referring to FIG. 3 in a second, alternate embodiment of the preseparator 3, the pipe 31 is not curved outwardly as in the embodiment of FIG. 2. The interspace 35 is therefore naturally smaller, and the internal phase separation between water and transport steam downstream of the annular gap 32 does not take place as the result of "peeling" by means of fitting a further gap-forming internal pipe. The internal pipe 38 provided here is open at the bottom and only divides the interspace 35 into two mutually communicating chambers 35a, 35b. The internal pipe 38 is joined steam-tight to the pipe 31 upstream of the port 36. The water/transport steam mixture being expanded flows downstream of the annular gap 32 through the chamber 35a, the phase separation of the mixture having proceeded to such an extent, after it has passed through the chamber, that the transport steam can then flow out in the counter-current direction through the chamber 35b to the port 36. By contrast, the water flows out through the port 37.
Referring to FIG. 4, a third preferred embodiment, of the preseparator 3 has three chambers 35a, 35b, 35c. From where the preseparator 3 begins to bulge outwardly, an internal pipe 39 forms the continuation of the pipe 31. This internal pipe 39 extends to the outlet of the internal pipe 33 and is provided there with ports 41 arranged in a peripheral direction. The internal pipe 33 forms a Laval nozzle. The ports 41 are in turn enclosed by a further internal pipe 40 which has the function of an impingement wall.
When the separated, water/transport steam mixture flows through the chamber 35a and out of the ports 41, it impinges upon the inner wall of the internal pipe 40, with the effect that the phase separation then proceeds largely mechanically. While the water can flow off via the port 37, the transport steam flows out via the port 36.
The installation of the preseparator according to the invention in existing installations at a later stage can be accomplished in a simple manner by cutting out a piece of the pipe 31 and inserting in its place the desired variant of preseparator.
The preseparators are preferably installed vertically.
It is to be understood that the present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics of the present invention. The preferred embodiments are therefore to be considered illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing descriptions and all changes or variations which fall within the meaning and range of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.
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A preseparator for use in a saturated-steam turbine installation comprising an outer pipe, a first internal pipe positioned within the outer pipe and which includes a constriction, an annular gap of isokinetic size between the beginning of the internal pipe and the outer pipe, a second internal pipe positioned between the first internal pipe and the outer pipe so as to define chambers, and ports communicated with the chambers.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application is related to the application of Alex Lawrence Wierzbicki and Randall Joe Wilson entitled “Network Mute Feature In Wireless Telecommunications Systems” which application is assigned to the assignee of the present application and which is being filed concurrently herewith.
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to telecommunications systems, and more particularly to the mute function associated with mobile units deployed in wireless telecommunications systems.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The explosive growth of wireless telecommunications is evidence of modem society's expectation for almost instantaneous access to information. The decreased cost associated with wireless (mobile) handsets and the enhanced reliability of wireless transmissions has made mobile telecommunications a viable option for almost everyone. Indeed, it is now common for mobile subscribers to use wireless telecommunications services for all types of transactions. Traditional voice and data transmissions (e.g., facsimiles) are commonplace for even unsophisticated mobile subscribers. For others (e.g., those subscribers who conduct business via their mobile units), wireless telecommunications serves as a lifeline to customers and the office.
A well known staple of the business world is the conference call. A conference call is a meeting in which typically one or more parties participates in the discussion via telephone. As more business people travel and conduct their lives from airports and automobiles, it is becoming increasingly common for at least one conference call participant to be using a mobile unit served by a wireless telecommunications network. Although improvements have been made, the quality of a conference call is often a deterrent to a successful meeting. The less-than-optimal quality of a conference call, coupled with the ambient background noise associated with transmission by a wireless telecommunications network, is sometimes so intolerable that mobile conference call participants are asked to drop off from the call so that the rest of the participants may discuss matters with decreased distraction. Although most mobile units have a “mute” function, this function only deactivates the microphone of the mobile unit. Ambient noise associated with wireless transmission still flows to the other party via the wireless telecommunications network.
For the foregoing reasons, there is a need in the art to enhance the ability of a mobile user to participate in a conference call.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This need has been addressed and a technological advance is achieved in the wireless telecommunications art by a network mute feature on a mobile unit.
More particularly, a network mute function button is found on a mobile unit. Typically, the network mute function is used by a mobile user during participation in a conference call in which the other parties participating in the call are subject to the ambient noise associated with the mobile user's environment and the wireless telecommunications network. Activation of the network mute function causes the mobile unit to send a signaling message to the mobile switching center which decouples a voice path interconnecting the mobile user to another party. The mobile switching center subsequently interconnects the voice path to a noise generator. The noise generator provides non-obtrusive background noise which is heard only by the other party. The purpose of the background noise is to assure the other party that the mobile user is still on the line and can hear the conversation.
Advantageously, the network mute function actually mutes the mobile unit microphone and noise associated with the wireless telecommunications systems. In other words, the network mute function not only mutes the microphone with the mobile unit but also eliminates wireless network noise associated with the wireless telecommunications system interconnecting the mobile user to another party.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIGS. 1A and 1B are simplified block diagrams of a wireless telecommunications system in which the present invention may be practiced;
FIG. 2A is a front view of a typical mobile handset with mute function;
FIG. 2B is a simplified block diagram of the internal components of the mobile handset shown in FIG. 2A;
FIG. 3 is a flow diagram depicting the steps performed by a mobile handset for activating a network mute function;
FIG. 4 is a flow diagram depicting the steps performed by a wireless telecommunications system for activating a network mute function;
FIG. 5 is a flow diagram depicting the steps performed by a wireless telecommunications system for dial access code activation of a network mute function; and
FIG. 6 is a flow diagram depicting the steps performed by a wireless telecommunications system for deactivation of a network mute function.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
FIG. 1A shows wireless telecommunications system 100 including mobile unit 110 , base station 120 and mobile switching center 140 . Also shown is public switched telephone network (PSTN) 180 which serves all other wireline and wireless subscribers.
In this example, mobile unit 110 (including network mute button 113 ) is served by base station 120 . Base station 120 includes processor 122 interconnected to air interface 123 , radio resource interface 124 and database 126 via links 121 , 125 and 127 , respectively. Also shown is antenna 128 interconnected to air interface 123 via link 131 . Air interface 123 is interconnected to radio resources 124 via link 133 .
Mobile switching center (MSC) 140 comprises controller 142 interconnected to announcement/tone generation circuit 160 via link 141 . Timeslot interchanger (TSI) 144 is interconnected to the controller via link 143 . Also shown are voice decoder 146 and noise generator 148 interconnected to TSI 144 via voice paths.
During operation, voice paths are established from radio resources 124 through TSI 144 to PSTN 180 . In this example, non-muted voice paths 151 , 153 are shown emanating from radio resource interface 124 , passing through voice decoder 146 and terminating at PSTN 180 . More particularly, voice path 151 interconnects the mobile user to the called party served by the PSTN while voice path 153 interconnects the called party to the mobile user. Alternatively, voice paths 151 , 153 could have been shown as a single bidirectional voice path. Voice decoder 146 is used in digital wireless systems (e.g., CDMA or TDMA systems) for processing the normally compressed voice signals received. The voice decoder decompresses the voice signals and converts these signals to a pulse code modulation format recognizable by the PSTN. Significantly, voice decoder 146 is not present in analog wireless telecommunications systems. Also shown is network me voice path 155 and its counterpart voice path 157 . In this case, voice path 155 (from the mobile user to the called party) emanates from radio resource interface 124 , passes through voice decoder 146 and is opened prior to connection to the called party served by the PSTN. The remaining portion of voice path 155 (that is, the portion of the path still interconnected to the called party) is interconnected to link 149 . Link 149 , emanating from noise generator 148 , is interconnected to voice path 155 so that non-obtrusive background noise is supplied to voice path 155 by the noise generator before termination to the called party. By opening voice path 155 within TSI 144 , the ambient noise associated with the mobile user's environment and wireless transmission is not passed to the called party served by the PSTN. Instead the called party hears non-obtrusive background noise so that the called party is aware that the mobile user is still on the line without being subject to the disturbances associated with wireless transmission. Significantly, voice path 157 interconnecting the called party to the mobile user is not opened. In other words, the mobile user can hear all conversation initiated by the called party.
FIG. 1B shows an alternative embodiment for TSI 144 , voice decoder 146 and noise generator 148 . In this embodiment, the noise generator is disposed within the voice decoder. In this example, first leg 175 of a network muted voice path terminates in voice decoder 146 while second leg 177 of the network muted voice path emanates from noise generator 148 and terminates to the called party. Voice path 179 interconnecting the called party to the mobile unit is not affected by the network mute function. In other words, the mobile unit user is able to hear all transmissions originated by the called party.
FIG. 2A shows a front view of a typical mobile unit 200 . Mobile unit 200 comprises visual display screen 202 , antenna 204 , a plurality of function buttons, collectively referenced as function buttons 206 , and mute network function button 208 .
FIG. 2B shows the internal components of mobile unit 200 shown in FIG. 2 A. More particularly, mobile unit 200 comprises processor 210 interconnected to memory 212 via link 213 . Radio frequency receiver 214 , dual tone multifrequency (DTMF) tone generator 216 and signal generator 218 are shown interconnected to the processor via links 215 , 217 and 219 , respectively. Processor 210 is responsible for administering and managing all functions of the mobile unit. Radio receiver 214 receives radio frequency signals via antenna 204 . DTMF tone generator 216 is interconnected to function buttons 206 for generating a specific DTMF tone for each button. DTMF tone generator 216 is also interconnected and generates a particular DTMF tone for network mute function button 208 . Signal generator 218 extends radio frequency signals from the mobile unit to the PSTN via antenna 204 . Memory 212 stores data associated with mobile unit 200 .
In the preferred embodiment, memory 212 includes memory segment 220 which stores a signaling protocol relating to operation of network mute function button 208 . More particularly, the signaling protocol stored in segment 220 is accessed by processor 210 upon receipt of a network mute request. When the network mute button is activated, processor 210 extends a network mute request to a serving mobile switching center (via a base station) in an established signaling format such as IS 95, “blank and burst” signaling or IS 136.
FIG. 3 is a flow diagram depicting the steps performed in a mobile unit for activation of the network mute function. The process begins in step 300 in which the user of the mobile unit activates the network mute feature by depressing a mute button. In step 302 , a DTMF tone corresponding to the network mute function is received in the processor of the mobile unit. In mobile unit 200 , DTMF tone generator 216 generates a specific tone associated with network mute function button 208 and extends this specific tone to processor 210 over link 217 . In step 304 , the processor receives the mute request and accesses its memory to retrieve a signaling protocol associated with the network mute function. In this example, processor 210 accesses memory segment 220 for the network mute signaling protocol. In step 306 , processor 210 instructs signal generator 218 to extend a network mute request signal to a serving base station. The network mute request signal is extended to the serving base station via a radio frequency protocol such as IS 95, IS 136, “blank and burst” signaling or direct transfer application part (DTAP) signaling.
FIG. 4 is a flow diagram depicting the steps performed in a wireless telecommunications system for activation of the network mute function. For purposes of example, assume that the network mute function is activated in wireless telecommunications system 100 .
The process begins in step 400 in which a base station receives a network mute request signal from a mobile unit and extends this request to its serving mobile switching center. In this example, base station 120 receives a network request mute signal and extends it to MSC 140 . In step 402 , MSC 140 receives the network mute request. If the mobile user is roaming, standard inter-MSC handoff signaling is used to ensure that the serving MSC receives the network mute request from the mobile user.
The process continues to decision step 404 in which the MSC determines whether the ongoing call is an emergency (e.g., E911) call. If the outcome of decision step 404 is a “YES” determination, the process continues to step 405 in which the network mute request is denied and the MSC issues a tone or announcement to the mobile user indicating such. If the outcome of decision step 404 is a “NO” determination, the process continues to step 406 in which the MSC determines whether the noise generator is available to handle the newly received network mute request. MSC 140 checks on the status of the noise generator because these resources are intentionally limited to minimize space requirements. If the outcome of decision step 406 is a “NO” determination, the process returns to step 405 in which the MSC denies the network mute request and issues an announcement or tone to the mobile user via announcement/tone circuit 160 . For example, the announcement or tone issued to the mobile user via serving base station 120 may indicate that the network mute function is not available but that the user may try again at a later time. If the outcome of decision step 406 is a “YES” determination, the process continues to step 408 in which the MSC opens the voice path from the mobile unit to the PSTN (or the called party) but holds the voice path resources. In the same step, the MSC activates a path from a portion of the open voice path to a noise generator for the insertion of non-obtrusive background noise to be played to the called party. The process continues to step 410 in which a network mute activated message or tone is issued to the mobile user via the announcement/tone circuit for indicating that the network mute function has been turned “on” and will remain active until the user elects to deactivate the function. Alternatively, a network mute signal may be visually displayed on the mobile unit.
FIG. 5 is a flow diagram depicting the steps performed in a wireless telecommunications system in which the network mute function is activated by a dial access code. A dial access code is a predetermined set of signals (e.g., *77) which indicates to the wireless telecommunications system that a mobile unit user wishes to invoke the network mute feature.
Dial access code activation of a network mute feature begins in step 500 in which the serving MSC receives a dialed access code from a mobile user. This particular access code identifies activation of a network mute function. In step 502 , the MSC recognizes the access code as the network mute request. The process continues to decision step 504 in which the MSC determines if the ongoing call is an E911 call. If the outcome of decision step 504 is a “YES” determination, the process continues to step 505 in which the network mute function request is denied. An announcement or tone from circuit 160 is issued to the mobile user to indicate the denial. If the outcome of decision step 504 is a “YES” determination, the process continues to decision step 506 in which the MSC determines if a noise generator is available to satisfy the network mute request. If the outcome of decision step 504 is a “NO” determination, the process returns to step 505 in which the network mute request is denied and an announcement or tone indicating such is issued to the mobile user. If the outcome of decision step 506 is a “YES” determination, the MSC opens the voice path interconnecting the mobile user to a called party served by the PSTN but holds the voice path resource. After opening the voice path to the called party, the called party is interconnected to a path associated with a noise generator. During activation of a network mute function, the called party does not hear ambient noise associated with the environment of the mobile user or wireless telecommunications transmission. Instead, the called party hears an unobtrusive background noise indicating that the mobile user is still on the call and can hear transmissions from the called party. The process ends in step 508 in which activation of the network mute function is confirmed by issuing an announcement or tone to the mobile user.
FIG. 6 shows a flow diagram of the steps required in a wireless telecommunications system to deactivate the network mute function. The process begins in step 600 in which the MSC receives a deactivate signal or deactivate dial access code associated with the network mute function. In step 602 , the MSC recognizes the deactivate signal and releases the link from the voice path to the noise generator. In step 604 , the MSC reconnects the previously opened voice path to the called party. In other words, this step, the MSC reestablishes a voice path as if the network mute function was not in effect. Simultaneously, in step 606 , the MSC extends a mute deactivated announcement or tone to the mobile user.
Advantageously, implementation of the network mute feature in a wireless telecommunications system allows a mobile user to truly eliminate the ambient noise associated with the environment of the mobile unit and wireless telecommunications transmission. This feature may be deployed whether the mobile user is the calling or called party. Although this invention has been described with respect to a preferred embodiment, those skilled in the art may devise numerous other arrangements without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.
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A mobile unit deployed in a wireless telecommunications system includes a network mute feature. Activation of the network mute feature initiates a signaling protocol in which a network mute activation request is extended by the mobile unit to a serving base station. Deactivation of the network mute feature also requires the mobile unit to generate a signal which is extended to the serving base station. Advantageously, the network mute feature not only mutes the microphone of the mobile unit but also eliminates disruptive noise associated with wireless transmissions.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
Not applicable.
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
Not applicable.
REFERENCE TO A “SEQUENCE LISTING”
Not applicable.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to surgical suturing instruments and more particularly to a surgical suturing instrument in which a needle can be selectively engaged with a fitting at the end of the suture for pulling the suture through a tissue section and released from the suture for permitting subsequent stitches to be made.
2. Description of Related Art
Invasive therapeutic interventions typically provide for the removal of problematic tissue structures from the body followed by a need to reconstruct the involved tissues. Many alternatives are available for reconstructive interventions. Bandages can often close external wounds. The use of sutures placed within wound edges to draw tissues together to permit enhanced healing has become commonplace in modern medicine. Metallic or plastic staples and clips also can be used to appose tissue for healing.
To minimize the invasiveness of therapeutic procedures, efforts to create smaller access wounds that minimize iatrogenic tissue disruption have lead to better patient outcomes. For example, a minimally invasive surgical procedure, like laparoscopic partial colonic resection with intestinal reconnection (anastomosis), can facilitate less peri-operative pain, more rapid return of normal functions, earlier return to home and work. The placement of sutures during laparoscopic surgery can be slow, tedious and often not successful. Existing specialized instruments for minimally invasive surgery (Sauer) have recognized limitations. An instrument to enable the rapid, precise placement of multiple suture bites with the same suture and then facilitate rapid, secure knot creation would be a significant advance.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Briefly stated and in accordance with certain presently preferred embodiments of the invention, a surgical suturing instrument includes an elongated shaft, a tissue engaging gap formed in an end of the shaft, a needle reciprocally movable across the gap from a proximal end of the gap to a distal end of the gap, the needle having a ferrule engaging tip and a ferrule receiving aperture at a distal end of the gap for selectively holding and releasing a ferrule so that in a first mode the needle engages the ferrule and draws the suture across the gap and in a second mode, the ferrule is retained in the aperture and the needle separates from the ferrule and is retracted across the gap leaving the ferrule in the aperture.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a surgical suturing instrument for placing multiple suture loops in tissue comprises on elongated shaft, a reciprocal suture pick up member mounted on the shaft, a suture holder engaged by the reciprocating suture pick up member for selectively coupling a suture to the pick up member for drawing the suture through a first tissue section and releasing the suture from the pick up member for repeated coupling and drawing the suture through a second tissue section spaced from the first tissue section.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a surgical suturing instrument includes reciprocating tissue penetrating member, a suture holder, and apparatus for alternately coupling the reciprocating tissue penetrating member to the suture holder for drawing a length of suture through a tissue section and releasing the reciprocating tissue penetrating member from the suture holder.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a method of closing a wound includes the steps of disposing a suture on one side of a tissue section proximal to the wound, passing a needle through the section of tissue proximal to the wound, capturing the suture with the needle, drawing the suture through the section of tissue, releasing the suture from the needle, and repeating the passing capturing drawing and releasing steps.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a method of securing a suture at a wound site comprises passing an end of the suture through bolster and securing the suture with a bolster disposed between the end of the suture and the wound.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S)
The foregoing objects, features and advantages of the invention will become more apparent from a reading of the following description in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the tissue suturing instrument in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a partial side view of the tissue suturing instrument of FIG. 1 in which the right cover of the housing of the instrument is removed;
FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the tissue suturing instrument of FIG. 1 in which the right cover of the housing is removed;
FIGS. 4A–4C are perspective views of the thumb slide holder of FIG. 3 showing this component from the top left, top right and bottom right perspectives, respectively;
FIG. 5A is a partially exploded perspective view of the thumb slide mechanism of FIG. 3 highlighting the thumb button and the retaining lock features;
FIG. 5B is a perspective view of an assembled thumb slide mechanism of FIG. 3 showing the thumb button in its fully out position;
FIG. 6A is a left perspective view of the thumb slide mechanism of FIG. 3 with its balled needle fully back and its accompanying lever fully out;
FIG. 6B is a left perspective view of the thumb slide mechanism of FIG. 3 with its balled needle fully forward and its accompanying lever fully retracted;
FIG. 7A is a right perspective view of the thumb slide mechanism of FIG. 3 with its thumb button and ferrule stripper fully back and its accompanying lever fully out;
FIG. 7B is a right perspective view of the thumb slide mechanism of FIG. 3 with it thumb button and ferrule stripper fully forward and its accompanying lever fully retracted;
FIG. 8A is an exploded perspective view of the distal tip of the instrument of FIG. 1 showing the distal tube, jaw, needle, ferrule stripper and ferrule retainer;
FIG. 8B is a perspective view of the underside of the distal tip of FIG. 1 showing the ferrule stripper alignment ramp and the ferrule holding compartment;
FIG. 9A is a right perspective view of the drive mechanism of the instrument of FIG. 3 with the thumb slide holder removed and both the thumb button and the lever are fully out;
FIG. 9B is a right perspective view of the distal tip of the components of FIG. 9A showing the ferrule in its compartment;
FIG. 9C is a partial cross-sectional view of the distal tip of the components of FIG. 9A with the ferrule in its compartment and the needle and ferrule stripper fully back;
FIG. 9D is a side view of the proximal components of FIG. 9A showing the lever and thumb button fully out;
FIG. 9E is a right perspective view of the drive mechanism of the instrument of FIG. 3 with its thumb slide holder removed, the lever partially retracted and the thumb button fully out;
FIG. 9F is a right perspective view of the distal tip of the components of FIG. 9E with the needle partially advanced and the ferrule in its compartment;
FIG. 9G is the partial cross-sectional view of the distal tip of the components of FIG. 9E showing the ferrule in its compartment, the needle partially advanced and the ferrule stripper fully back;
FIG. 9H is a side view of the proximal components of FIG. 9E showing the lever partially retracted and the thumb button fully out;
FIG. 9J is a right perspective view of the drive mechanism of the instrument of FIG. 3 with the thumb slide holder removed, the lever fully retracted and the thumb button fully out;
FIG. 9K is a right perspective view of the distal tip of the components of FIG. 9J showing the needle fully advanced and engaging the ferrule in its compartment;
FIG. 9L is a partial cross-sectional view of the distal tip of the components of FIG. 9J with the needle engaging the ferrule in its compartment and the ferrule stripper fully back;
FIG. 9M is a side view of the proximal components of FIG. 9J showing the lever fully retracted and the thumb button fully out;
FIG. 10A is a right perspective view of the drive mechanism of the instrument of FIG. 3 with the thumb slide holder removed, with the thumb button fully out, the lever partially forward and the needle attached to the ferrule and suture partially back;
FIG. 10B is a right perspective view of the distal tip of the components of FIG. 10A showing the needle attached to the ferrule with suture partially retracted;
FIG. 10C is a partial cross-sectional view of the distal tip of the components of FIG. 10A showing the needle attached to the ferrule and suture partially retracted and the ferrule stripper fully back;
FIG. 10D is a side view of the proximal components of FIG. 10A showing the lever partially back and the thumb button fully out;
FIG. 10E is a right perspective view of the drive mechanism of the instrument of FIG. 3 with the thumb slide holder removed, the lever fully out and the thumb button fully out;
FIG. 10F is a right perspective view of the distal tip of the components of FIG. 10E showing the needle attached to the ferrule and suture fully retracted and the ferrule stripper fully back;
FIG. 10G is a perspective side view of the distal tip of the components of FIG. 10E showing the needle attached to the ferrule and suture fully retracted and the ferrule stripper fully back;
FIG. 10H is a side view of the proximal components of FIG. 10E showing the lever fully out and the thumb button fully out;
FIG. 11A is a right perspective view of the drive mechanism of the instrument of FIG. 3 with the thumb slide holder removed, the lever partially retracted, the needle with its ferrule and suture partially advanced and the thumb button fully out;
FIG. 11B is a right perspective view of the distal tip of the components of FIG. 11A showing the needle attached to the ferrule and the suture partially advanced;
FIG. 11C is a partial cross-sectional view of the distal tip of the components of FIG. 11A showing the needle attached to the ferrule and the suture partially advanced and the ferrule stripper fully back;
FIG. 11D is a side view of the proximal components of FIG. 11A showing the lever partially retracted and the thumb button fully out;
FIG. 11E is a right perspective view of the drive mechanism of the instrument of FIG. 3 with the thumb slide holder removed and the lever fully retracted and the thumb button fully out;
FIG. 11F is a right perspective view of the distal tip of the components of FIG. 11E with the needle fully advanced along with its attached ferrule and suture;
FIG. 11G is a partial cross-sectional view of the distal tip of the components of FIG. 11E showing the needle along with its attached ferrule and suture fully advanced into the ferrule compartment;
FIG. 11H is a side view of the proximal components of FIG. 11E showing the lever fully retracted and the thumb button fully out;
FIG. 11J is a close-up side view of the lock features of the components of FIG. 11H showing the flat engagement surface of the actuating member raising the proximal spring lock to disengage it from the timing tube;
FIG. 12A is a right partial view of the drive mechanism of the instrument of FIG. 3 with the thumb slide holder removed, the lever fully retracted, the needle with its attached ferrule and suture fully advanced and the thumb button partially advanced;
FIG. 12B is a right perspective view of the distal tip of the components of FIG. 12A showing the needle with its ferrule and suture fully advanced into the ferrule compartment and the ferrule stripper partially advanced;
FIG. 12C is a partial cross-sectional view of the distal tip of the components of FIG. 12A showing the needle attached to the ferrule and suture fully advanced and the ferrule stripper partially advanced;
FIG. 12D is a side view of the proximal components of FIG. 12A showing the lever fully retracted and the thumb button partially forward;
FIG. 12E is a close-up side view of the lock features of the components of FIG. 12D showing the flat engagement surface of the actuating member raising the proximal spring lock and the timing tube partially forward;
FIG. 12F is a right perspective view of the drive mechanism of the instrument of FIG. 3 with the thumb slide holder removed, the lever fully retracted, the needle with its attached ferrule and suture fully advanced, and the thumb button and ferrule stripper fully forward;
FIG. 12G is a right perspective view of the distal end of the components of FIG. 12F showing the needle with its ferrule and suture fully advanced and the ferrule stripper fully advanced and engaging the ferrule;
FIG. 12H is a partial cross-sectional view of the distal tip of the components of FIG. 12F showing the needle attached to the ferrule and the suture and the ferrule stripper fully advanced engaging the ferrule;
FIG. 12J is the side view of the proximal components of FIG. 12F showing both the lever and the thumb button fully forward;
FIG. 12K is a close-up side view of the lock features of FIG. 12J showing the flat engagement surface of the actuating member raising the proximal spring lock, the timing tube fully forward and engaging the released distal spring lock;
FIG. 13A is a right perspective view of the drive mechanism of the instrument of FIG. 3 with the thumb slide holder removed, the lever partially released, the needle partially retracted, the ferrule stripper engaging the ferrule in its ferrule compartment and the thumb button fully forward;
FIG. 13B is a right perspective view of the distal tip of the components of FIG. 13A showing the needle partially retracted and the ferrule stripper fully forward;
FIG. 13C is a partial cross-sectional view of the distal tip of the components of FIG. 13A showing the needle partially retracted and the ferrule stripper fully forward engaging the ferrule in its compartment;
FIG. 13D is a side view of the proximal components of FIG. 13A showing the lever partially out and the thumb button fully forward;
FIG. 13E is a close-up side view of the lock features of FIG. 13D showing the convex engagement surface of the actuating member raising the distal spring lock and the thumb button released but still fully forward;
FIG. 13F is a right perspective view of the drive mechanism of the instrument of FIG. 3 with the thumb slide holder removed, the lever, needle, thumb button and ferrule stripper partially back;
FIG. 13G is a right perspective view of the distal tip of the components of FIG. 13F with the needle and ferrule stripper partially retracted and the ferrule back into its compartment;
FIG. 13H is a partial cross-sectional view of the distal tip of the components of FIG. 13F showing the needle and the ferrule stripper partially back and the ferrule and suture in the ferrule compartment;
FIG. 13J is a side view of the proximal components of FIG. 13F showing the lever and the thumb button partially back;
FIG. 13K is a close-up side view of the lock features of FIG. 13F showing the engagement surfaces of the actuating member not raising either of the spring locks;
FIG. 13L is a right perspective view of the drive mechanism of the instrument of FIG. 3 with the thumb slide holder removed, the lever, needle, thumb button and ferrule stripper fully back and the ferrule and suture reloaded into the ferrule compartment;
FIG. 13M is a perspective view of the distal tip of the components of FIG. 13L showing the needle and ferrule stripper fully retracted and the ferrule and suture in the ferrule compartment;
FIG. 13N is a partial cross-sectional view of the distal tip of the components of FIG. 13L showing the needle and ferrule stripper fully back and the ferrule and suture in the ferrule compartment;
FIG. 13P is a side view of the proximal components of FIG. 13L showing the lever and the thumb button fully back;
FIG. 13R is a close-up side view of the lock features of FIG. 13L showing the proximal spring clip engaging the timing tube;
FIGS. 14A–14E show an example of the suturing procedure using the tissue suturing instrument of FIG. 1 for placement of suture at the first site of the wound closure;
FIGS. 15A–15E show an example of the suturing procedure using the tissue suturing instrument of FIG. 1 for placement of suture at the second site of the wound closure;
FIGS. 16A–16D show an example of the suturing procedure using the tissue suturing instrument of FIG. 1 for placement of suture at the third site of the wound closure;
FIGS. 17A–17D show an example of the suturing procedure using the tissue suturing instrument of FIG. 1 for placement of suture at the fourth site of the wound closure;
FIGS. 18A–8E show an example of the use of the instrument of FIG. 1 to enable suture loop construction to initiate the tying of a suture knot;
FIGS. 19A–19F show an example of the instrument of FIG. 1 to construct further suture loops used to secure a suture knot;
FIG. 20 shows the suturing instrument of FIG. 1 used with a surgical grasper, which pulls on the free end of the suture to deliver the suture knot to the wound closure site;
FIG. 21 shows both the suturing instrument of FIG. 1 and a surgical grasper pulling on either ends of the suture to lock the knot in place to secure the wound closure;
FIGS. 22A–22C show an alternate method of securing the ends of the suture used in the suturing procedure illustrated in FIGS. 14A–17D by crimping a sleeve member over the ends of the suture;
FIGS. 23A–23D illustrate a running suturing procedure created using the tissue suturing instrument of FIG. 1 being secured by bolsters and a crimped sleeve member;
FIG. 24A is a perspective view of the distal tip of the second preferred embodiment of the tissue suturing instrument of FIG. 1 in which a stripper wedge causes a flexible member to grasp the ferrule;
FIG. 24B is a partial cross-sectional view of the distal tip of the second preferred embodiment of the tissue suturing instrument of FIG. 1 showing the needle engaging the ferrule and partial deployment of the stripper wedge;
FIG. 24C is a partial cross-sectional view of the distal tip of the second preferred embodiment of the tissue suturing instrument of FIG. 1 showing the stripper wedge engaging the flexing member which grasps the ferrule and allows the needle to retract leaving the ferrule in its ferrule compartment;
FIG. 25A is a perspective view of the distal tip of the third preferred embodiment of the tissue suturing instrument of FIG. 1 in which a stripper rod passes through the distal tip and engages the proximal face of the ferrule to enable stripping;
FIG. 25B is a broken-out section of the distal tip of the third preferred embodiment of the tissue suturing instrument of FIG. 1 in which a stripper rod rests in its internal chamber as the needle engages the ferrule in its ferrule pocket;
FIG. 25C is a broken-out section of the distal tip of the third preferred embodiment of the tissue suturing instrument of FIG. 1 in which the stripper rod protrudes from its internal chamber to engage the proximal face of the ferrule as the needle disengages the ferrule and retracts;
FIG. 26 is a partially exploded isometric view of the fourth preferred embodiment of the tissue suturing instrument of FIG. 1 in which a cam and follower mechanism and faceted needle are utilized to allow for automatic ferrule pick-up and release;
FIG. 27A is a close-up isometric view of the cam and follower mechanism of the fourth preferred embodiment of the tissue suturing instrument of FIG. 1 illustrating the needle fully retracted;
FIG. 27B is a close-up perspective view of the tip of faceted needle of the fourth preferred embodiment of the tissue suturing instrument of FIG. 1 shown in its ferrule engaging configuration;
FIG. 27C is a close-up isometric view of the cam and follower mechanism of the fourth preferred embodiment of the tissue suturing instrument of FIG. 1 illustrating the needle partially advanced and the follower mechanism actuating the cam and rotating the needle;
FIG. 27D is a close-up perspective view of the tip of faceted needle shown partially rotated as it is advancing;
FIG. 27E is a close-up isometric view of the cam and follower mechanism of the fourth preferred embodiment of the tissue suturing instrument of FIG. 1 illustrating the needle fully advanced;
FIG. 27F is a close-up perspective view of the tip of faceted needle of the fourth preferred embodiment of the tissue suturing instrument of FIG. 1 shown fully advanced and rotated to its ferrule stripping configuration;
FIG. 28 is a close-up perspective view of the distal tip of the fourth preferred embodiment of the tissue suturing instrument of FIG. 1 showing a partially advanced faceted needle, the ferrule in its ferrule compartment and a ferrule latch adjacent to the ferrule pocket;
FIG. 29A is a close-up perspective view of the stripping mechanism of the fourth preferred embodiment of the tissue suturing instrument of FIG. 1 showing the ferrule latch disengaged and allowing the faceted needle to retrieve the ferrule;
FIG. 29B is a close-up perspective view of the stripping mechanism of the fourth preferred embodiment of the tissue suturing instrument of FIG. 1 showing the ferrule latch engaged and enabling the stripping of the faceted needle from the ferrule;
FIG. 30A is a partial cross-sectional view of the distal tip of the fourth preferred embodiment of the tissue suturing instrument of FIG. 1 showing the faceted needle fully retracted and the ferrule in its ferrule compartment;
FIG. 30B is a partial cross-sectional view of the distal tip of the fourth preferred embodiment of the tissue suturing instrument of FIG. 1 showing the faceted needle fully extended, disengaging the ferrule latch, and connecting with the ferrule in its ferrule compartment;
FIG. 30C is a partial cross-sectional view of the distal tip of the fourth preferred embodiment of the tissue suturing instrument of FIG. 1 showing the faceted needle beginning to retract with its attached ferrule and suture;
FIG. 30D is a partial cross-sectional view of the distal tip of the fourth preferred embodiment of the tissue suturing instrument of FIG. 1 showing the faceted needle retracting with its attached ferrule and suture and the ferrule latch returning to its normal state;
FIG. 30E is a partial cross-sectional view of the distal tip of the fourth preferred embodiment of the tissue suturing instrument of FIG. 1 showing the faceted needle fully retracted with its attached ferrule and suture;
FIG. 30F is a partial cross-sectional view of the distal tip of the fourth preferred embodiment of the tissue suturing instrument of FIG. 1 showing the faceted needle extending and returning the ferrule and its suture to the ferrule compartment;
FIG. 30G is a partial cross-sectional view of the distal tip of the fourth preferred embodiment of the tissue suturing instrument of FIG. 1 showing the faceted needle fully extended, the ferrule and its suture returned to the ferrule compartment and the ferrule latch engaged with the proximal face of the ferrule;
FIG. 30H is a partial cross-sectional view of the distal tip of the fourth preferred embodiment of the tissue suturing instrument of FIG. 1 showing the faceted needle retracting and the ferrule latch retaining the ferrule in its ferrule compartment;
FIG. 30J is a partial cross-sectional view of the distal tip of the fourth preferred embodiment of the tissue suturing instrument of FIG. 1 showing the faceted needle fully retracted and awaiting the next cycle of firing of the instrument;
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The first preferred embodiment of this invention, suturing instrument 16 , is represented in FIGS. 1–13R . Referring to FIGS. 1–3 , show the suturing instrument 16 , which represents the S EW -R IGHT ® SR•5® manufactured by LSI SOLUTIONS , Inc. (formerly LaserSurge, Inc.) of Victor, N.Y., that has been modified to provide a means for selectably stripping its ferrule 103 from the needle 34 at its tissue engaging end 16 a . The tissue engaging end 16 a and needle 34 thereto may be similar to that shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,431,666, 5,766,183, European Patent No. EP 0669101, filed Feb. 23, 1995 and granted Oct. 14, 1998, or U.S. patent application Publication No. US 2002/0107530 A1, filed Feb. 2, 2001, which are herein incorporated by reference.
The housing 30 has a body shaped like a pistol having a handle portion 30 a , and may be made of a two-piece construction of molded plastic. A needle 34 extends from housing 30 through the shaft 16 b into the tissue engaging end 16 a . Needle 34 has a non-tissue engaging end 34 b in the housing 30 having a spherical member 34 a , such as a ball or bearing, respectively, attached thereto. The needle 34 and spherical member 34 a may be made of metal, such as surgical stainless steel. The spherical member 34 a may have a bore into which the non-tissue engaging end 34 b of the needle 34 extends and joins thereto, such as by welding or brazing.
The suturing instrument 16 includes an actuating member 36 representing a lever 36 a having two pins 36 b extending into holes 30 b in the sides of housing 30 upon which the actuating member 36 is pivotally mounted in the housing 30 . Actuating member 36 has a portion which extends through a lever opening 30 c ( FIG. 2 ) in housing 30 to enable pivotal movement about pins 36 b . An extension spring 38 is provided which hooks at one end in a notch 36 c of actuating member 36 and is wound at the other end around a pin 40 located in holes 30 f in the sides of housing 30 , such that the actuating member 36 is spring biased to retain actuating member 36 normally in a forward position, fully out, as shown for example in FIG. 2 . The body of housing 30 has a front pivot stop 30 e ( FIG. 3 ) providing a stop that limits the pivotal movement of the actuating member 36 . A notch 36 c is provided in the actuating member 36 which is shaped to receive the non-engaging end of needle 34 , i.e., spherical member 34 a , to be driven forward by an operator pulling actuating member 36 to pivot actuating member 36 towards handle portion 30 a . The groove 36 d ( FIG. 3 ) is provided by two fingers 36 e into which the needle 34 near the spherical member 34 a may lie.
As shown in FIGS. 4B and 4C , a thumb slide holder 42 is fixed in housing 30 by two flanges 42 a above actuating member 36 . As best shown in FIG. 4A , the thumb slide holder 42 has a chamber 42 b with a groove 42 d formed by fingers 42 e which allow the needle 34 to be received in chamber 42 b to restrict movement of the needle 34 when held therein. The lower surface 42 f of thumb slide holder 42 is curved and faces correspondingly curved upper surface 36 f of actuating member 36 , such that the actuating member 36 is slidable along lower surface 42 f responsive to the operator pulling the actuating member 36 .
The adapter 48 has a bore extending there through in which a needle spreader 50 is located. Needle spreader 50 has two channels 50 b and 50 c into which needle 34 and ferrule stripper 35 are respectively located to increase the distance between the needle 34 and the ferrule stripper 35 as they extend toward thumb slide holder 42 , such that the needle 34 and ferrule stripper 35 are properly aligned.
A suture routing tube 47 is provided for suture thread in housing 30 . Suture routing tube 47 has one end received in a valve assembly 19 , at the bottom of handle portion 30 a of housing 30 and then extends through the suture routing tube notch 30 d ( FIG. 3 ) along the interior of the left side of housing 30 , and a groove 50 a along needle spreader 50 ( FIG. 3 ). The other end of the suture routing tube 47 is then mounted in suture routing tube hole 51 a through gasket 51 . Gasket member 51 further has two holes 51 b and 51 c through which needle 34 and ferrule stripper 35 , respectively extend. The gasket 51 may be made of medical grade rubber, such as Santoprene.
A longitudinal guide member 53 is provided multiple tracks along its length, including two tracks 53 a and 53 b for needle 34 and ferrule stripper 35 , respectively, and a suture track 53 c for suture 105 extending from opening 51 a of gasket 51 . The guide member 53 may be made of extruded flexible material, such as Tecoflex®. A D-tube 52 is provided which is D-shaped at one end 52 a is registered into a corresponding shaped opening in adapter 48 , and a threaded nut 54 having an opening which extends over D-tube 52 , screws onto the end of the adapter 48 to secure D-tube 52 to housing 30 . With the gasket 51 loaded first into D-tube 52 , guide member 53 extends from the gasket 51 through the D-tube 52 . In this manner, tracks 53 a , 53 b , and 53 c each form a channel with the interior surface of D-tube 52 . D-tube 52 may be made of stainless steel, or other rigid material, and has for example, D-tube 52 has an outside diameter of 0.203 inches. (Note for other applications, such as flexible endoscopy, this tube could be flexible.) Inside D-tube 52 , gasket 51 has a ring 51 d , which frictionally engages the interior surface of D-tube 52 . Hole 51 a of the gasket 51 is of a diameter such that the suture tube 47 tightly fits therein and provides a seal around suture tube 47 . The suture tube 47 may be held in place in hole 51 a by friction, but adhesive may also be used. Holes 51 b and 51 c are of a larger diameter than the needle 34 , except for a small section of holes 51 b and 51 c where the diameter reduces to form flaps of gasket material which seal around needle 34 and ferrule stripper 35 , respectively. This enables movement of the needle 34 and ferrule stripper 35 tube back and forth while maintaining a seal about the needle 34 and ferrule stripper 35 . One feature of the gasket 51 is that it enables sealing the shaft 16 b as well.
The guide member 53 is received into the D-tube 52 , such that guide member 53 abuts gasket 51 and engages distal tip 98 . Distal tip 98 is attached to the D-tube 52 by mechanical fastening by forming small dents 52 c in the metal of the D-tube 52 with a press into recessed four pockets 98 b ( FIG. 3 ), i.e., two on each side of the distal tip 98 .
An optional valve assembly 19 can be provided at the bottom of handle portion 30 a , as shown in FIG. 3 , having a valve seat 19 a and a valve controller 19 b . Valve seat 19 a is composed of medical grade rubber, such as Santoprene®, and has a through hole extending into an interior chamber. A valve controller 19 b composed of molded plastic, or other rigid material, has a circular section through an opening and a surface forming a cam that can be turned to select a valve fully open to intermediate partially open to a fully closed position. The suture routing tube 47 is received in hole 76 of valve seat 19 a , as shown in FIG. 3 , such that suture 105 material from the tube can pass through openings of the valve seat 19 a and then through the valve controller 19 b .
Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3 , the tissue engaging end 16 a of the suturing instrument 16 is shown having the distal tip 98 which is mounted in a D-tube 52 , such that the front section 98 a of the distal tip 98 extends from D-tube 52 .
Referring to FIGS. 4A–4C , the thumb slide holder 42 is shown. The thumb slide holder 42 may be made of a one-piece construction of molded plastic. The thumb slide holder 42 is fixed in the housing 30 above the actuating member 36 by two opposing flanges 42 a , as best shown in FIG. 4B .
As best represented in FIG. 4A , the thumb slide holder 42 has a chamber 42 b through which the positive stop 41 b of the timing tube 41 c is located. One groove 42 d formed by two fingers 42 e allows the needle 34 ( FIG. 3 ) to pass through the thumb slide holder 42 through the groove 36 d formed by the two fingers 36 e of the actuating member 36 and enables the spherical member 34 a to rest in the notch 36 c of the actuating member 36 . The lower curved surface 42 f extends over the curved upper surface 36 f of the actuating member 36 to further retain the needle 34 and spherical member 34 a in the notch 36 c throughout the entire range of motion of the actuating member 36 .
The housing 42 g of the thumb slide holder 42 is fashioned to accommodate and guide the thumb button 41 e ( FIG. 3 ). The thumb button stop 42 k serves as a motion-limiting surface to prevent the thumb button 41 e from traveling farther than intended. The thumb slide holder 42 has a bore 42 c for the timing tube 41 c ( FIG. 3 ) is located. Contained within the housing 42 g is a raised region 42 h to enable alignment of the return spring 46 ( FIG. 3 ) and resting surface 42 j which seats and retains the return spring 46 .
FIG. 4C shows a perspective view of the thumb slide holder 42 and timing tube stop 42 l which provides a positive engagement surface for the positive stop 41 b to limit the advance of the timing tube 41 c . The thumb slide holder 42 may further have a channel 42 p forward of the groove 42 d to provide clearance for suture routing-tube 47 ( FIG. 3 ). The body of the thumb slide holder 42 has lock spring bores 42 n and spring lock channels 42 m to provide for the assembly, alignment, and retaining of the lock springs 45 and distal spring lock 43 and proximal spring lock 44 , respectively and best represented in FIGS. 5A and 5B .
FIG. 5A shows the push button assembly 41 interfacing with other components. The timing tube 41 c is shown with the thumb button 41 e attached thereto. Housed inside the thumb button 41 e is the return spring 46 which serves as a return mechanism for the assembly. The ferrule stripper 35 is received into the distal opening 41 d and coupled to the timing tube 41 c via an insert molding or adhesive process. The lock springs 45 are inserted into the thumb slide holder 42 and followed with the proximal spring lock 44 and the distal spring lock 43 . With the proximal spring lock 44 and the distal spring lock 43 inserted in the thumb slide holder 42 and compressed, the push button assembly 41 with attached ferrule stripper 35 is inserted into the thumb slide holder 42 such that the positive stop 41 b passes into the chamber 42 b and the proximal spring lock engages in the spring lock engagement slot 41 a . The ferrule stripper 35 continues through the adapter 48 .
FIG. 5B shows a perspective view of the underside of assembled push button assembly 41 , thumb slide holder 42 , adapter 48 , nut 54 , and D-tube 52 and highlights the relative location of the proximal spring lock 44 and distal spring lock 43 .
Referring to FIGS. 6A and 6B , the operation of the actuating member 36 and the needle 34 is described. As the actuating member 36 is engaged, rotating about the pins 36 b , the needle 34 and the attached spherical member 34 a are advanced as the spherical member 34 a is in contact with the notch 36 c of the actuating member 36 .
FIGS. 7A and 7B illustrate the operation of the push button assembly 41 and the ferrule stripper 35 . The actuating member 36 is engaged, rotating about the pins 36 b until the flat engagement surface 36 g comes into contact with and forces the proximal spring lock 44 out of the spring lock engagement slot 41 a ( FIG. 5A ) allowing the forward motion of the push button assembly 41 and the coupled ferrule stripper 35 . This forward motion is limited primarily by the engagement of distal spring lock 43 with spring lock engagement slot 41 a ( FIG. 5A ). Advancement of timing tube 41 c is also limited by engaging the adapter 48 .
FIG. 8A shows the assembly of the distal tip 98 and the ferrule retainer 99 with the D-tube 52 , the needle 34 , and the ferrule stripper 35 . The distal tip 98 has a gap 104 in a c-shaped jaw 104 having two openings 98 c at one side of the gap through which each needle 34 and ferrule stripper 35 may extend The needle 34 and the ferrule stripper 35 are received into the needle/stripper openings of the distal tip 98 and the distal tip 98 is then coupled to the D-tube 52 which may be achieved by mechanical fastening forming small dents in the metal of the D-tube 52 with a press into four recessed pockets 98 b, i.e., two on each side of the distal tip 98 . The ferrule retainer 99 is inserted into the ferrule retainer hole 98 e until the ring 99 a seats into the opening created where the ferrule retainer hole 98 e intersects the ferrule pocket 107 as best shown in FIG. 8B . The suture 105 attached to the ferrule 103 enters the ferrule compartment 107 through the open slot located on the side of the ferrule chamber opposite from the ferrule retainer 99 .
FIGS. 9A–13R represent highlights of twelve sequential steps overviewing the loading, reloading and locking operations through one complete cycle of use of instrument 16 . For example, the first three steps presented in FIGS. 9A–9M , illustrate the needle 34 first advancing into the ferrule 103 .
FIGS. 9A–9D show the instrument loaded and ready for use, the first step. FIG. 9A shows a right perspective view of the drive mechanism of the instrument of FIG. 3 with the thumb slide holder 42 removed and both the thumb button 41 e and the lever 36 a are fully out; the proximal spring lock 44 engages the timing tube 41 c . FIG. 9B is a right perspective view of the distal tip 98 of the components of FIG. 9A showing the ferrule 103 in its ferrule compartment 107 and the jaw 104 . FIG. 9C is a partial cross-sectional view of the distal tip 98 of the components of FIG. 9A with the ferrule 103 in its ferrule compartment 107 , and the needle 34 and ferrule stripper 35 fully back. FIG. 9D is a side view of the proximal components of FIG. 9A showing the lever 36 a and thumb button 41 fully out. Proximal spring lock 44 is shown engaging spring lock engagement slot 41 a of timing tube 41 c.
FIGS. 9E–9H show partial advancement of the needle 34 as part of the second step. FIG. 9E is a right perspective view of the drive mechanism of the instrument of FIG. 3 with its thumb slide holder 42 removed, the lever 36 a partially retracted and the thumb button 41 e fully out. FIG. 9F is a right perspective view of the distal tip 98 of the components of FIG. 9E with the needle 34 partially advanced and the ferrule 103 in its ferrule compartment 107 . FIG. 9G is the partial cross-sectional view of the distal tip 98 of the components of FIG. 9E showing the ferrule 103 in its ferrule compartment 107 , the needle 34 partially advanced and the stripper 35 fully back. FIG. 9H is a side view of the proximal components of FIG. 9E showing the lever 36 a partially retracted and the thumb button 41 e fully out.
FIGS. 9J–9M show the needle 34 fully advanced and engaged inside of the ferrule 103 as part of the third step. FIG. 9J is a right perspective view of the drive mechanism of the instrument of FIG. 3 with the thumb slide holder 42 removed, the lever 36 a fully retracted and the thumb button 41 e fully out. FIG. 9K is a right perspective view of the distal tip 98 of the components of FIG. 9J showing the needle 34 fully advanced to engage the ferrule 103 in its ferrule compartment 107 ; best shown in FIG. 9L . FIG. 9L is a partial cross-sectional view of the distal tip 98 of the components of FIG. 9J with the needle 34 engaging the ferrule 103 in its ferrule compartment 107 and the ferrule stripper 35 fully back. FIG. 9M is a side view of the proximal components of FIG. 9J showing the lever 36 a fully retracted and the thumb button 41 e fully out. Note that the flat engagement surface 36 g is shown raising the proximal spring lock 44 out of the spring lock engagement slot 41 a.
The next two steps presented in FIGS. 10A–10H , illustrate the needle 34 , now attached to the ferrule 103 and its suture 105 , being retracted fully back. FIGS. 10A–10D show the needle 34 pulling its ferrule 103 back through jaw 104 . FIG. 10A is a right perspective view of the drive mechanism of the instrument of FIG. 3 with the thumb slide holder 42 removed, with the thumb button 41 e fully out, the lever 36 a partially forward and the needle 34 attached to the ferrule 103 and suture 105 partially back. FIG. 10B is a right perspective view of the distal tip 98 of the components of FIG. 10A showing the needle 34 attached to the ferrule 103 with suture 105 partially retracted. FIG. 10C is a partial cross-sectional view of the distal tip 98 of the components of FIG. 10A showing the needle 34 attached to the ferrule 103 and suture 105 partially retracted and the ferrule stripper 35 fully back. FIG. 10D is a side view of the proximal components of FIG. 10A showing the lever 36 a partially back and the thumb button 41 e fully out;
FIGS. 10E–10H show this instrument 16 with the ferrule 103 and its suture 105 attached to the fully retracted needle 34 . FIG. 10E is a right perspective view of the drive mechanism of the instrument of FIG. 3 with the thumb slide holder 42 removed, the lever 36 a fully out and the thumb button 41 e fully out. FIG. 10F is a right perspective view of the distal tip 98 of the components of FIG. 10E showing the suture 105 fully retracted and the ferrule stripper 35 fully back. FIG. 10G is a perspective side view of the distal tip 98 of the components of FIG. 10E showing the needle 34 attached to the ferrule 103 and suture 105 fully retracted and the ferrule stripper 35 fully back. FIG. 10H is a side view of the proximal components of FIG. 10E showing the lever 36 a fully out and the thumb button 41 e fully out.
FIGS. 11A–11J show the next two steps representing reinsertion of the ferrule 103 into it ferrule compartment 107 . FIGS. 11A–11E show the partial advancement of the needle 34 with its attached ferrule 103 and suture 105 . FIG. 11A is a right perspective view of the drive mechanism of the instrument of FIG. 3 with the thumb slide holder 42 removed, the lever 36 a partially retracted, the needle 34 with its ferrule 103 and suture 105 partially advanced and the thumb button 41 e fully out. FIG. 11B is a right perspective view of the distal tip 98 of the components of FIG. 11A showing the needle 34 attached to the ferrule 103 and the suture 105 partially advanced. FIG. 11C is a partial cross-sectional view of the distal tip 98 of the components of FIG. 11A showing the needle 34 attached to the ferrule 103 and the suture 105 partially advanced and the ferrule stripper 35 fully back. FIG. 11D is a side view of the proximal components of FIG. 11A showing the lever 36 a partially retracted and the thumb button 41 e fully out.
FIGS. 11E–11J show the needle 34 fully advanced attached to the ferrule 103 and its suture 105 . Note that at this step of the operation, FIG. 11J is provided to show an enlarged view of the distal spring lock 43 and proximal spring lock 44 . FIG. 11E is a right perspective view of the drive mechanism of the instrument of FIG. 3 with the thumb slide holder 42 removed and the lever 36 a fully retracted and the thumb button 41 e fully out. FIG. 11F is a right perspective view of the distal tip 98 of the components of FIG. 11E with the needle 34 fully advanced into the ferrule 103 . FIG. 11 G is a partial cross-sectional view of the distal tip 98 of the components of FIG. 11E showing the needle 34 along with its attached ferrule 103 and suture 105 fully advanced into its ferrule compartment 107 . FIG. 11H is a side view of the proximal components of FIG.11E showing the lever 36 a fully retracted and the thumb button 41 e fully out. FIG. 11J is a close-up side view of the lock features of the components of FIG. 11H showing the flat engagement surface 36 g of the actuating member 36 raising the proximal spring lock 44 to disengage it from the spring lock engagement slot 41 a of the timing tube 41 c.
FIGS. 12A–12K illustrate the next two steps to complete advancement of the ferrule stripper 35 . FIGS. 12A–12E show the advancing of the push button assembly 41 to partially advance towards stripping the ferrule 103 from the fully advanced needle 34 . FIG. 12A is a right partial view of the drive mechanism of the instrument of FIG. 3 with the thumb slide holder 42 removed, the lever 36 a fully retracted, the needle 34 with its attached ferrule 103 and suture fully advanced and the thumb button 41 e partially advancing the ferrule stripper 35 . FIG. 12B is a right perspective view of the distal tip 98 of the components of FIG. 12A showing the needle 34 with its ferrule 103 and suture 105 fully advanced into its ferrule compartment 107 and the ferrule stripper 35 partially advanced. FIG. 12C is a partial cross-sectional view of the distal tip 98 of the components of FIG. 12A showing the needle 34 attached to the ferrule 103 and suture 105 fully advanced and the ferrule stripper 35 partially advanced.
FIG. 12D is a side view of the proximal components of FIG. 12A showing the lever 36 a fully retracted and the thumb button 41 e and its attached timing tube 41 c partially forward. FIG. 12E is a close-up side view of the lock features of the components of FIG. 12D showing the flat engagement surface 36 g raising the proximal spring lock 44 out of the spring lock engagement slot 41 a and the timing tube 41 c partially forward.
FIGS. 12F–12K show the full advancement of both the needle 34 and ferrule stripper 35 . FIG. 12F is a right perspective view of the drive mechanism of the instrument of FIG. 3 with the thumb slide holder 42 removed, the lever 36 a fully retracted, the needle 34 with its attached ferrule 103 and suture 105 fully advanced, and the thumb button 41 e advancing its ferrule stripper 35 fully forward. FIG. 12G is a right perspective view of the distal end of the components of FIG. 12F showing the needle 34 with its ferrule 103 and suture 105 fully advanced and the ferrule stripper 35 fully advanced and engaging the proximal edge of the ferrule 103 , as best shown in FIG. 12H . FIG. 12H is a partial cross-sectional view of the distal tip 98 of the components of FIG. 12F showing the needle 34 attached to the ferrule 103 and the suture 105 and the ferrule stripper 35 fully advanced and flexed onto the needle 34 to engage the proximal edge of the ferrule 103 . FIG. 12J is the side view of the proximal components of FIG. 12F showing both the lever 36 a and the thumb button 41 e fully forward. FIG. 12K is a close-up side view of the lock features of FIG. 12J showing the actuating member 36 raising the proximal spring lock 44 , allowing the distal spring lock 43 to engage the spring lock engagement slot 41 a in the timing tube 41 c . Note a relief 36 j in the top of the actuating member 36 allows the distal spring lock 43 to travel downward and engage the spring lock engagement slot 41 a.
The last three steps, FIGS.13A–13R , illustrate the complete retraction of both the needle 34 and ferrule stripper 35 . FIGS. 13A–13E show the lever 36 a partially forward to retract the needle 34 to strip the ferrule. 103 by engaging ferrule 103 with the fully advanced ferrule stripper 35 . FIG. 13A is a right perspective view of the drive mechanism of the instrument of FIG. 3 with the thumb slide holder 42 removed, the lever 36 a partially released, the needle 34 partially retracted, the ferrule stripper 35 engaging the ferrule 103 in its ferrule compartment 107 and the thumb button 41 e fully forward.
FIG. 13B is a right perspective view of the distal tip 98 of the components of FIG. 13A showing the needle 34 partially retracted from its ferrule 103 (not visible in this view) and the ferrule stripper 35 fully forward. FIG. 13C is a partial cross-sectional view of the distal tip 98 of the components of FIG. 13A showing the needle 34 partially retracted and the ferrule stripper 35 fully forward engaging the ferrule 103 in its ferrule compartment 107 . FIG. 13D is a side view of the proximal components of FIG. 13A showing the lever 36 a partially out and the thumb button 41 e fully forward. FIG. 13E is a close-up side view of the lock features of FIG. 13D showing the convex engagement surface 36 h of the actuating member 36 ( FIG. 13D ) raising the distal spring lock 43 to disengage the spring lock engagement slot 41 a of the timing tube 41 c.
FIGS. 13F–13K show both the needle 34 and ferrule stripper 35 partially returning with the ferrule 103 replaced back into its ferrule compartment 107 . FIG. 13F is a right perspective view of the drive mechanism of the instrument of FIG. 3 with the thumb slide holder 42 removed, the lever 36 a , needle 34 , thumb button 41 e and ferrule stripper 35 partially back. FIG. 13G is a right perspective view of the distal tip 98 of the components of FIG. 13F with the needle 34 and ferrule stripper 35 partially retracted and the ferrule 103 back into its ferrule compartment 107 . FIG. 13H is a partial cross-sectional view of the distal tip 98 of the components of FIG. 13F showing the needle 34 and the ferrule stripper 35 partially back and the ferrule 103 and suture 105 in the ferrule compartment 107 . FIG. 13J is a side view of the proximal components of FIG. 13F showing the lever 36 a and the thumb button 41 e partially back. FIG. 13K is a close-up side view of the lock features of FIG. 13F showing the engaging surfaces 36 f – 36 h of the actuating member 36 not raising the proximal spring lock 44 or the distal spring lock 43 with the spring lock engagement slot 41 a released.
FIGS. 13L–13R show the instrument reloaded, ready for use and are identical to FIGS. 9A–9D , respectively, while FIG. 13R highlights re-engagement of the proximal spring lock 44 with the spring lock engagement slot 41 a . FIG. 13L is a right perspective view of the drive mechanism of the instrument of FIG. 3 with the thumb slide holder 42 removed, the lever 36 a , needle 34 , thumb button 41 e and ferrule stripper 35 fully back and the ferrule 103 and suture 107 reloaded into the ferrule compartment 107 . FIG. 13M is a perspective view of the distal tip 98 of the components of FIG. 13L showing the needle 34 and ferrule stripper 35 fully retracted and the ferrule 103 and suture 107 in the ferrule compartment 107 . FIG. 13N is a partial cross-sectional view of the distal tip 98 of the components of FIG. 13L showing the needle 34 and ferrule stripper 35 fully back and the ferrule 103 and suture 107 in the ferrule compartment. FIG. 13P is a side view of the proximal components of FIG. 13L showing the lever 36 a and the thumb button 41 e fully back. FIG. 13R is a close-up side view of the lock features of FIG. 13L showing the proximal spring lock 44 engaging the spring lock engagement slot 41 a of the timing tube 41 c.
Now referencing FIGS. 14A–17D , showing the multiple placement of sutures to form a wound closure. FIGS. 14A–14E illustrate the use of this instrument for the placement of the first suture of a wound closure and the readiment of the instrument for subsequent bites. FIG. 14A shows the distal tip 98 of the instrument 16 above a wound closure 110 . Note the distal side of the wound closure 110 has crosshatching for purposes of this illustration. FIG. 14B shows the device 16 with the needle 34 passing through the first bite 124 of the distal side of the wound 110 . FIG. 14C shows the needle 34 retracted back with its ferrule 103 and suture 105 pulled through the wound 110 . FIG. 14D shows the needle 34 now advanced through to place the ferrule 103 back into its ferrule compartment 107 . FIG. 14E shows the needle 34 back after having its ferrule 103 stripped. The instrument is now ready for another bite.
Now referencing FIGS. 15A–15E , the device 16 is again placed into the wound 110 this time with the proximal side of the wound 110 in the instrument's jaw 104 . The needle 34 will enter the tissue 120 as shown in FIG. 15A , traverse the tissue 120 and enter the ferrule compartment 107 as shown in FIG. 15B . FIG. 15C illustrates the needle 34 , ferrule 103 and suture 107 pulled back leaving suture 105 through the first bite 126 on the proximal side of the wound closure 110 . FIG. 15D shows the needle 34 advanced yet again. FIG. 15E shows the ferrule 103 back in its ferrule compartment 107 .
FIG. 16A–16D shows the second suture placement on the distal side of the wound 110 . FIG. 16A shows the needle 34 traversing the second site 127 on the distal wound 110 aspect. FIG. 16B shows the suture 105 through the second bite 127 on the distal side of the wound 110 . FIG. 16C shows the needle 34 , ferrule 103 and suture 105 advanced to the ferrule pocket. FIG.16D shows the instrument again ready for the bite.
FIG. 17A–17D show the second bite 128 on the proximal side of the wound closure 110 . FIG. 17A shows the needle 34 going through the second site 128 of the proximal side of the wound closure 110 . FIG. 17B shows the needle 34 , ferrule 103 and suture 105 advanced back into its ferrule compartment 107 . FIG.17C shows the instrument with the ferrule 103 reloaded and the needle 34 and ferrule stripper 35 retracted back. FIG.17D illustrates the appearance of the wound closure 110 . If the sutures 105 were to be tied at this time, this type of closure is commonly called a figure of eight suture closure. If the process were to continue with further placements of suture 105 running along the distal and proximal aspects of the wound closure, this type of closure is typically be called a running suture wound closure.
Now referencing FIGS. 18A–21 , FIG. 18A shows the instrument 16 of this invention with the distal tail of the suture 105 exposed and the distal tip 98 of the instrument 16 ready for knot tying. FIGS. 18A–19B show the first throw of the knot tying process. FIGS. 19C–19F show the second throw of the knot tying process. FIGS. 21 and 22 show the cinching down of the knot. In FIG. 18B , a surgical grasper 129 , is used to grab the free end of the suture 105 and to wrap the suture 105 around the jaw 104 of the instrument 16 . Note that to construct the unique knot of this invention, which we have named the “Super Surgeon's knot,” the first wrapping of suture 105 around the jaw 104 consists of two complete loops wrapped around the jaw 104 . FIG. 18C shows the advancement of the needle 34 , ferrule 103 and suture 105 back into its ferrule compartment 107 , best shown in FIG. 18A , after the double wrap has been placed around the jaw 104 of the instrument 16 . FIG. 18D shows the now stripped ferrule 103 in its ferrule compartment 107 . FIG. 18E shows the knot forming double loops being slid down towards the wound closure site 110 . FIG. 19A shows the grasper 129 further cinching the knot down to the wound closure site 110 . FIG. 19B shows the suture 105 now fully retracted back on its needle 34 to further expose the jaw 104 of the knot tying instrument 16 . FIG. 19C shows a second wrapping of a single loop placed around the distal tip 98 of the instrument 16 to secure the knot. FIG. 19D shows the needle 34 again advanced to replace the ferrule 103 in its ferrule compartment 107 along with the suture 105 . FIG. 19E shows the ferrule 103 in its ferrule compartment 107 with the needle 34 and ferrule stripper 35 now back. FIG. 19F shows the second throw, a single loop throw, of the Super Surgeon's knot being slid over the ferrule 103 and suture 105 down towards the wound closure 110 . FIG. 20D illustrates that by pulling on the surgical grasper 129 on the free end of the suture 105 , the suture loops are further slid towards and down onto the wound closure 110 to begin to pull (also called approximate or appose) the edges of the wound 110 together, but not fully locking the knot in place. FIG. 21 shows by pulling on the surgical grasper 129 holding the free end of the suture 105 , and now by simultaneously pulling on instrument 16 holding the ferrule 103 end of the suture 105 , both ends of the suture 105 are drawn tight, thereby locking the Super Surgeon's knot in place. The distinct advantage of the Super Surgeon's knot is that it permits the user to place the knot above the wound closure and appropriately appose the wound edge by pulling only on the free end of the suture, and then, once the correct tissue apposition is achieved, the user can pull on the ferrule end of the suture to lock the knot down. Locking down the Super Surgeon's knot alone provides adequate holding force, at least temporarily, to hold together many types of wound closures. For example, a Super Surgeon's knot made with 2-0 STRONGSORB® suture by LSI SOLUTIONS , Inc., achieves an average tissue holding strengths of approximately 0.5 kg knot holding force to temporarily secure and tissue edges together. Subsequent throws on top of the Super Surgeon's knot will add additional knot holding force up to the native strength of the suture (e.g., with 2-0 STRONGSORB®, up to 5 to 6 kg tensile pull). No other knot is known (to the inventors) that can be constructed under such surgically relevant conditions and provides excellent tissue holding force immediately when the first throws are drawn together by pulling on both ends of the suture.
FIGS. 22A–22C illustrate an alternate method of securing the free ends of the suture 105 left by the instrument 16 , used to close the wound 110 in the tissue 120 . FIG. 22A represents an instrument 130 , which crimps a sleeve member 121 to secure suture 105 together and is commercially available as a Ti-K NOT ® TK·5®. Device manufactured by LSI SOLUTIONS , Inc., under at least the following patents U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,520,702; 5,643,289 and 5,669,917. The free ends of the suture 105 are passed through the instrument 130 and the instrument 130 is passed closer to the wound closure 110 . FIG. 22B illustrates the instrument 130 being applied directly to the wound closure 110 and both free ends of the suture 105 drawn tight, removing any slack and drawing the opposing sides of the wound closure 110 closer together. FIG. 22C shows the sleeve member 121 crimped around the suture 105 at the wound closure 110 . Note that the suture 105 has been trimmed.
After using instrument 16 to place suture 105 for running a wound closure 110 , one or both ends of the suture 105 may remain unsecured. These free ends of the suture 105 can be attached to pledgets or bolsters 122 a and 122 b to prevent their ability to be pulled into or away from the wound site 110 . A pledget is typically a pliable, non-reactive piece of material, such as polyester mesh, Gortex®, or the like, that is often used in conjunction with sutures or staples to augment wound closures. In this invention, a bolster 122 a is attached (e.g., by tying or sewing) to one end of an additional segment of suture 123 a . By placing the free end of this bolstered suture 123 a , along with one free end of the suture 105 , the bolster 122 a and its attached suture 123 a can be passed down using suture 105 as a guide. Bolster 122 a , suture 123 a and one end of suture 105 can be secured at one end of the wound site 110 with a sleeve member 121 . The bolster 122 a can hold this end of the running suture 105 from being pulled into the wound 110 . By repeating a similar bolstered suture 123 b placement at the opposite end of the wound 110 , the second bolster 122 b and its suture 123 b can hold the second suture 105 end from being pulled into the wound 110 . Bolsters 122 a and 122 b secured at each end of the wound 110 , prevent the suture 105 from being pulled out of the wound 110 from either direction.
FIGS. 24A–24C illustrate a second preferred embodiment of this invention. The main difference between this embodiment and the first preferred embodiment, is that instead of stripping the ferrule 103 with the ferrule stripper 35 traversing the gap and engaging the ferrule 103 , the member that directly contacts the ferrule 103 for ferrule stripping is incorporated in the distal tip 98 . The thumb button 41 e drive mechanism for this embodiment can be the same as in the first preferred embodiment. FIG. 24A shows a perspective of the distal jaw, which looks similar to the first embodiment, except instead of a slope to direct the stripper wedge 131 towards the ferrule, the stripper wedge 131 enters a chamber 141 and subsequently wedges member 133 against ferrule 103 to permit removal of the needle 34 . FIG. 24B shows needle 34 engaging ferrule 103 in ferrule compartment 107 with the stripper wedge 131 traveling toward chamber 141 . FIG. 24C shows the ferrule 103 held in its ferrule compartment 107 by stripper wedge 131 forcing over member 133 . Needle 34 can now be extracted from ferrule 103 . Stripper wedge 131 can be subsequently withdrawn leaving the ferrule 103 in it reloaded position.
FIGS. 25A–25C illustrate a third preferred embodiment of this invention. In this embodiment, unlike the prior two, the ferrule stripping element does not traverse the gap in the distal tip 98 . Rather, in this embodiment, the stripper wedge 131 , which can be a semi-flexible material, such as memory metal, Nitinol, or the like, passes through a channel in the bridge that traverses behind the gap in the jaw. This ferrule stripping embodiment can also be advanced towards the ferrule using a mechanism similar to the already described thumb slide mechanism 41 ( FIG. 3 ). FIG. 25A shows needle 34 after being retracted back and stripped off ferrule 103 held in its ferrule compartment 107 by the flexible integrated stripper 135 . FIG. 25B is a partial sectional view of needle 34 engaging ferrule 103 in its ferrule compartment 107 . The flexible integrated stripper 135 is shown retracted into the bridge channel 134 to permit the needle 34 to pull the ferrule 103 out of its ferrule compartment 107 . FIG. 25C illustrates a partially retracted needle after its ferrule 103 is stripped by the flexible integrated stripper 135 .
FIGS. 26–30J describe a fourth preferred embodiment of this invention. Unlike the previous three embodiments, this fourth version does not require an additional manual mechanism, like the thumb slide mechanism, to enable ferrule stripping. Instead of pushing a button to activate a stripper, this instrument is more automated to enable stripping the ferrule 103 imply squeezing the lever 36 a a second time.
FIG. 26 shows this instrument in a perspective view illustrating window 136 in the right handle half; a comparable window (not shown) is located in the opposite location on the left handle half. These windows permit an instrument user to view from either handle an asymmetric rotating disc 138 a that indicates whether the cam needle 139 is in the stripper or non-stripper orientation. Also, note rod 137 mounts into the right handle half to engage the slots in the rotating cam 138 . When lever 36 a rotates back, cam 138 drives forward, lifts towards the mid stroke, then lowers and rotates about rod 137 , as seen in FIGS. 27A–27C .
FIG. 27A shows the rod 137 engaging the distal slot in cam 138 . The rotating indicator disc 138 a is vertically oriented indicating a non-faceted edge of the cam needle 139 faces the ferrule latch 140 ( FIG. 27A ; also see FIGS. 28–31J ). Release of the lever 36 a permits the cam needle 139 and its rotational cam 138 to travel back and elevates slightly at mid stroke, where rod 137 enters an obliquely oriented slot, to begin rotating the rotational cam 138 and its attached cam needle 139 ( FIG. 27E ). By completion of the lever 36 a , the full rotation of the rotational cam 138 ( FIG. 27A ), the needle facet 139 b ( FIG. 27F ) is now oriented towards the ferrule latch 140 , which permits ferrule stripping.
FIG. 28 shows the partially retracted cam needle 139 having its ferrule 103 held by ferrule latch 140 . Note this illustration shows a pocket 142 recessed in the distal tip 98 for holding the ferrule latch 140 .
FIG. 29A shows cam needle 139 oriented with a non-faceted shoulder 139 c engaging and lifting the ferrule engaging surface 140 g of the ferrule latch 140 . The ferrule 103 is not held by the ferrule latch 140 , because the ferrule 103 latch 140 is compressed by the non-faceted shoulder 139 c pushing against timing surface 140 b . The ferrule 103 is able to be pulled from its ferrule compartment 107 by cam needle 139 . FIG. 29B shows the distal end of the fourth preferred embodiment with cam needle 139 retracting back through the gap and the ferrule latch 140 engaging into the proximal edge of ferrule 103 . FIG. 29B highlights cam needle 139 oriented to have a facet 139 b towards the ferrule latch 140 , to not engage timing surface 140 b so that the ferrule engagement surface 140 g contacts the proximal edge of ferrule 103 . Surfaces 140 f and 140 e provide contacts to help maintain latch placement in its pocket 142 .
FIGS. 30A–30J show one complete cycle of the cam needle 139 traversing the jaw 104 , picking up a ferrule 103 , the ferrule 103 being returned to its ferrule compartment 107 and the ferrule 103 being stripped by the ferrule latch 140 . This cycle reloads the ferrule 103 for another stitch placement. FIG. 30 shows the retracted cam needle 139 oriented with a non-faceted shoulder 139 c facing the ferrule latch 140 , which secures the ferrule 103 with its suture 105 in its ferrule compartment 107 in the distal tip 98 . FIG. 30B shows cam needle 139 fully advanced into ferrule 103 , with its non-faceted shoulder 139 c compressing ferrule latch 140 . FIG. 30C shows cam needle 139 pulling ferrule 107 and suture 105 back beyond the compressed ferrule latch 140 . At approximately the midpoint of the cam needle 139 retraction, cam needle 139 begins its rotation with ferrule 103 and suture 105 rotating with cam needle 139 . FIG. 30E shows cam needle 139 along with its ferrule 103 and suture 105 fully retracted back with its 900 rotation completed. FIG. 30F shows cam needle 139 , ferrule 103 and suture 105 advancing back into ferrule compartment 107 . A faceted shoulder 139 a of cam needle 139 now faces the ferrule latch 140 . FIG. 30G shows the cam needle 139 , ferrule 103 and suture 105 fully placed back into its ferrule compartment 107 . The faceted shoulder 139 a of cam needle 139 does not cause ferrule latch 140 to compress up or deflect away from the proximal edge of ferrule 103 . FIG. 30H shows the retraction of ferrule 103 stopped by ferrule latch 140 , stripping ferrule 103 from its partially retracted cam needle 139 . FIG. 30J shows the cam needle 139 now fully retracted back and rotated back 180° so that the opposite side of the non-faceted shoulder 139 c is oriented towards the ferrule latch. The ferrule 103 is reloaded back into its ferrule compartment 107 and cam needle 139 is ready to advance through more tissue 120 , picking up ferrule 103 and pulling it along with its suture 105 back through another bite of tissue 120 .
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An instrument and method for suturing wound closures is provided having a handle, shaft and suture engagement mechanism. The instrument provides for multiple placements or “bites” of suture in tissues to enable a wide variety of suturing techniques, including the ability to “run” a suture. The instrument further facilitates suture knot tying. The method of this instrument provides for rapid and effective remote suture placement and knot tying.
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TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a kind of electric iron for eliminating wrinkles from clothes and other materials.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
For an ironing seat of existing electric irons, a heating temperature in an area close to a heater on an ironing surface attached to a soleplate is higher than areas away from the heater, due to structure of the soleplate and a shape of the heater. As a result, the heating temperature on the ironing surface in its entirety is not even. For these existing steam electric irons, steam flow is also irregular. Thus, it is hard to achieve an excellent ironing effect with the existing electric irons.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A purpose of this invention is to resolve the above-mentioned problems and provide a kind of electric iron that is free from shortcomings of the existing electric irons.
The following is a technical aspect of this invention: an electric iron has an ironing seat, which is composed of a soleplate, ironing surface on the soleplate, and heater that heats the soleplate; there are dented portions on the ironing surface of the soleplate where the heater is installed, and the dented portions are distributed according to a shape of the heater.
The dented portions are radially distributed from a center line of a heater's projection on the ironing surface to one side or both sides of the center line. In response to a direction of this radial distribution, a caliber of the dented portions changes from big to small, or their depth changes from big to small, or both of these features are incorporated.
A purpose of the dented portions is to reduce a contacting area between the ironing surface close to the heater and clothes or other materials to be ironed, and then reduce an uneven distribution of temperature on the ironing surface, and guide steam that a steam electric iron sprays, thereby resulting in an excellent effect of wrinkle elimination. Therefore, each dented portion may have no less than one pit or groove, or a combination of a pit and groove.
This invention, with this structure, reduces the contacting area between the ironing surface close to the heater and the clothes or other materials to be ironed, thus effectively changing an uneven distribution of temperature on the ironing surface. Further, for a steam electric iron, steam sprayed out of steam outlets in the soleplate spreads to areas away from the heater through the dented portions, resulting in an excellent effect of wrinkle elimination.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 shows a cutaway view of an ironing seat of an electric iron in Embodiment 1 of this invention;
FIG. 2 shows a planform of the ironing seat of the electric iron in Embodiment 1 of this invention;
FIG. 3 shows a bottom view of the ironing seat of the electric iron in Embodiment 1 of this invention;
FIG. 4 shows an A-A cutaway view of FIG. 3 ;
FIG. 5 shows a bottom view of an ironing seat of an electric iron in Embodiment 2 of this invention;
FIG. 6 shows a B-B cutaway view of FIG. 5 ;
FIG. 7 shows a bottom view of an ironing seat of an electric iron in Embodiment 3 of this invention;
FIG. 8 shows a C-C cutaway view of FIG. 7 ;
FIG. 9 shows a bottom view of an ironing seat of an electric iron in Embodiment 4 of this invention;
FIG. 10 shows a D-D cutaway view of FIG. 9 ;
FIG. 11 shows a bottom view of an ironing seat of an electric iron in Embodiment 5 of this invention;
FIG. 12 shows an E-E cutaway view of FIG. 11 ;
FIG. 13 shows a bottom view of an ironing seat of an electric iron in Embodiment 6 of this invention;
FIG. 14 shows an F-F cutaway view of FIG. 13 ;
FIG. 15 shows a bottom view of an ironing seat of an electric iron in Embodiment 7 of this invention;
FIG. 16 shows a G-G cutaway view of FIG. 15 ;
FIG. 17 shows a bottom view of an ironing seat of an electric iron in Embodiment 8 of this invention;
FIG. 18 shows an H-H cutaway view of FIG. 17 ;
FIG. 19 shows a bottom view of an ironing seat of an electric iron in Embodiment 9 of this invention;
FIG. 20 shows an I-I cutaway view of FIG. 19 ;
FIG. 21 shows a bottom view of an ironing seat of an electric iron in Embodiment 10 of this invention; and
FIG. 22 shows a J-J cutaway view of FIG. 21 .
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Below are further explanations of this invention with the attached drawings and embodiments.
Embodiment 1
As FIGS. 1-4 show, an ironing seat 1 of this invention is composed of a soleplate 3 , which is heated by heater 2 , and a cover 4 , which covers the soleplate 3 . The heater 2 is embedded in aluminum soleplate 3 with outstanding heat conductivity when it is molded. A surface of soleplate 3 is a curved face, which forms an ironing surface 5 after polishing and treatment with a fluoresin coating. In the ironing surface 5 , there are multiple steam outlets 6 and multiple dented portions along embedded heater 2 , with the steam outlets 6 and dented portions being arranged in an arrangement similar to a shape of the heater 2 . Each dented portion is composed of a group of pits, which includes three pits 7 . Each group of pits is aligned with a steam outlet 6 , and are radially distributed from a center line of a heater's projection on the ironing surface to inside of the center line, namely, a central area of the ironing surface. Meanwhile, a caliber and depth of the pits change from big to small (W 1 >W 2 >W 3 ). The caliber of the pit on a center of the heater's projection has a largest caliber and depth. There is no pit in a center and rear end of the ironing surface along a predetermined length in a longitudinal direction of the electric iron. Also, a rear end part has a dent-free area where there is no pit across a full width of the ironing surface.
In one example, dimensions of W 1 , W 2 and W 3 are 4.5 mm, 3.5 mm and 2.5 mm, respectively; each dented portion is arranged with a pitch of 6 mm; and a distance between the center line of the heater's projection on the ironing surface and a smallest pit is 12 mm.
A steam chamber 8 on the soleplate evaporates water from a water tank (not shown in the drawings) above the ironing seat 1 and produces steam. The steam chamber 8 is covered with cover 4 , and the steam that the steam chamber 8 produces sprays out of a steam outlet. Since the ironing surface 5 is a curved face, there is a gap between the ironing surface and a cloth to be ironed. Thus, after being sprayed from steam outlet 6 , the steam can enter the dented portions easily and will spread to a central area of the ironing surface along the dented portions (each group of pits). When the steam enters the pits, the ironing surface 5 can move smoothly. When the heater 2 is electrified, it heats and a temperature of the ironing surface rises. The pits reduce a contacting surface between the ironing surface close to the heater and clothes to be ironed. There is not any pit in the central area and the rear end of the ironing surface, which is away from the heater. As mentioned above, a volume and an inner-surface area of a part near the heater 2 of the dented portion in which air and steam having a lower temperature than that of the ironing surface 5 can be accumulated is enlarged, or a projection area on the ironing surface 5 of the part near the heater 2 of the dented portion is enlarged. Thus, a temperature of the ironing surface in its entirety is roughly even. By providing the dented portions, steam which escapes out of the ironing surface 5 immediately, if there are no dented portions on the ironing surface, can be held within the dented portions. Therefore, portions of a cloth corresponding to the dented portions are fully swelled, and the dented portions can enhance an effect of wrinkle elimination. Further since the dented portions do not exist at the central part and the rear end of the ironing surface 5 , the central part and the rear end can press the cloth strongly. Thus, the cloth can fully be dried and finished without wrinkle. At this time, since there are a plurality of rows of the dented portions and they are formed from big to small as mentioned above, an amount of steam held in the dented portions can be decreased gradually. Also, since there are no dented portions at the rear end part, which applies finishing touches to the cloth during ironing, of the ironing surface 5 , the rear end part contributes to making the cloth fully dry and finishing the cloth smoothly. As a result, smoothness of the ironing surface and an effect of wrinkle elimination can be improved.
Embodiment 2
FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 show an ironing seat of a dry electric iron. Heater 2 is buried in soleplate 3 , whose surface forms ironing surface 5 . There are multiple dented portions on the ironing surface 5 where the heater is embedded, and each dented portion is composed of a group of pits, which includes four pits 7 . Each group of pits is radially distributed from a center line of a heater's projection on the ironing surface to both sides of the center line of the heater's projection. Meanwhile, a caliber and depth of the pits change from big to small (W 1 >W 2 >W 3 ). The caliber of the pit in the heater's projection center has a largest caliber and depth. There is no pit in a center and rear end of the ironing surface along a predetermined length in a longitudinal direction of the electric iron. Also, the rear end part has a dent-free area where there is no pit across a full width of the ironing surface.
Other effects of this embodiment are similar to those of Embodiment 1.
Embodiment 3
As FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 show, heater 2 is buried in soleplate 3 , whose surface forms ironing surface 5 . Soleplate 3 is covered with cover 4 . There are multiple steam outlets 6 and multiple dented portions on the ironing surface 5 where the heater is embedded, and each dented portion is a groove 9 . Each groove 9 is aligned with a steam outlet 6 , and extends radially from a center line of a heater's projection on the ironing surface to inside of the heater's projection center line, namely, a central area of the ironing surface. A caliber and depth of the grooves change from big to small (W 1 >W 2 ). Other structures of this embodiment are similar to those of Embodiment 1.
Each groove 9 reduces a contacting area between the ironing surface and clothes to be ironed, and spreads steam to a center of the ironing surface. Flow of steam in the groove enables the ironing surface to move smoothly, to achieve the effects of Embodiment 1.
Embodiment 4
FIG. 9 and FIG. 10 show an ironing seat of a dry electric iron. Different from Embodiment 3, this ironing seat doesn't have a steam chamber cap (cover), steam chamber or steam outlet. On ironing surface 5 on soleplate 3 where a heater is embedded, there are multiple grooves 9 . Each groove 9 extends radially from a center line of a heater's projection on the ironing surface to inside of the center line of the heater's projection, namely, a central area of the ironing surface. A caliber and depth of the grooves change from big to small. There are pits 7 corresponding to grooves 9 , respectively. Compared with the grooves 9 in a center of the heater's projection, pits 7 have a smaller mouth width and depth. Other structures of this embodiment are similar to those of Embodiment 2.
Effects of this embodiment are similar to those of Embodiment 2.
Embodiment 5
FIG. 11 and FIG. 12 show an ironing seat of a dry electric iron. Different from Embodiment 4, there are not any pits outside a center line of a heater's projection on an ironing surface. Other structures are similar to those of Embodiment 4.
Effects of this embodiment are similar to those of Embodiment 4.
Embodiment 6
As FIGS. 13 and 14 show, heater 2 is buried in a central part of soleplate 3 . There are multiple steam outlets 6 and multiple dented portions on ironing surface 5 where the heater is embedded, and each dented portion is composed of a group of pits, which includes three pits 7 . Each group of pits is aligned with a steam outlet 6 , and extends radially from a center line of a heater's projection on the ironing surface to outside of the center line, namely, a marginal area of the ironing surface. A caliber and depth of the pits change from big to small (W 1 >W 2 >W 3 ). The caliber of the pit in a center of the heater's projection has a largest caliber and depth. Other structures of this embodiment are similar to those of Embodiment 1.
The steam outlets and pits close to the heater on the ironing surface reduce a contacting area between a high-temperature ironing surface and clothes to be ironed. Further, steam spreads outwards from the pits, thereby enabling the ironing surface to move smoothly, thus achieving the same effects as those of Embodiment 1.
Embodiment 7
FIG. 15 and FIG. 16 show an ironing seat of a dry electric iron. Heater 2 is buried in a central part of soleplate 3 , whose surface forms ironing surface 5 . There are multiple dented portions on the ironing surface 5 where the heater is embedded, and each dented portion is composed of a group of pits, which include four pits 7 . Each group of pits is radially distributed from a center line of a heater's projection on the ironing surface to both sides of the center line. Meanwhile, a caliber and depth of the pits change from big to small (W 1 >W 2 >W 3 ). The caliber of the pit in a center of the heater's projection has a largest caliber and depth.
Effects of this embodiment are similar to those of Embodiment 1.
Embodiment 8
As FIG. 17 and FIG. 18 show, heater 2 is buried in a central part of soleplate 3 , whose surface forms ironing surface 5 . There are multiple steam outlets 6 and multiple grooves 9 on the ironing surface 5 where the heater is embedded, and each groove 9 is aligned with a steam outlet 6 , and extends radially from a center line of a heater's projection on the ironing surface to outside of the center line, namely, a marginal area of the ironing surface. A caliber and depth of the grooves change from big to small. Other structures of this embodiment are similar to those of Embodiment 6.
The grooves, close to the heater, on the ironing surface reduce a contacting area between a high-temperature ironing surface and clothes to be ironed. Further, the grooves enable steam to spread outwards, thereby allowing the ironing surface to move smoothly, thus achieving the same effects as those of Embodiment 1.
Embodiment 9
FIG. 19 and FIG. 20 show an ironing seat of a dry electric iron. Heater 2 is buried in a central part of soleplate 3 , whose surface forms ironing surface 5 . There are multiple grooves 9 on the ironing surface 5 where the heater is embedded, and each groove 9 extends radially from a center line of a heater's projection on the ironing surface to outside of the center line, namely, a marginal area of the ironing surface. A caliber and depth of the grooves change from big to small. Inside the center line of the heater's projection, there is a pit 7 corresponding to groove 9 . Compared with the grooves 9 in a central part, pits 7 have a smaller mouth width and depth.
Effects of this embodiment are similar to those of Embodiment 1.
Embodiment 10
FIG. 21 and FIG. 22 show an ironing seat of a dry electric iron. Different from Embodiment 9, there is not any pit inside a center line of a projection of a heater on an ironing surface. Other structure is the same as that of Embodiment 9.
It is to be noted that, by properly combining arbitrary embodiments of the aforementioned various embodiments, effects possessed thereby can be produced.
Although the present invention has been fully described in connection with preferred embodiments thereof with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be noted that various changes and modifications are apparent to those skilled in the art. Such changes and modifications are to be understood as included within the scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims unless they depart therefrom.
The disclosure of Chinese Patent Application No. 200410077466.8 filed on Dec. 20, 2004, including specification, claims, drawings, and summary is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
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This invention relates to a kind of electric iron for eliminating wrinkles from clothes and other materials. The electric iron has an ironing seat, which is composed of a soleplate, an ironing surface on the soleplate, and a heater that heats the soleplate. There are heater-shaped dented portions on the ironing surface where the heater is installed. This invention, with this structure, reduces a contacting area between the ironing surface close to the heater and clothes or other materials to be ironed, thus changing an uneven distribution of temperature on the ironing surface. Further, for a steam electric iron, steam sprayed out of steam outlets in a soleplate spreads to areas away from a heater through dented portions, thereby resulting in an effect of wrinkle elimination.
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FIELD AND BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates in general to heating equipment and in particular to a new and useful steam heating apparatus which utilizes a condensed liquid vessel which is under atmospheric pressure and which is connected to a steam generator through a liquid circulation pipe or return line, for replenishing heat media liquid in the steam generater.
Steam type heating equipment is publicly known wherein water is heated by a steam boiler for the generation of steam which is then introduced into radiators or heat emitters. Latent heat is given off to the ambient air by condensing the steam in the aforesaid radiators or heat emitters and thus heating is achieved. This sort of steam type heating equipment adopts means wherein the condensed water is recirculated to the steam boiler by utilizing a circulation pump. Consequently, most of the noise and trouble of the heating system is due to the circulation pump. Further, electric power must be consumed for operating the circulation pump.
To avoid the circulation pump, steam type heating equipment is known which has a gravity liquid circulation system as shown in FIG. 1.
In FIG. 1, the symbol 01 indicates a steam generator, 02 a heating source and 03 a steam conducting pipe incorporating a heat transfer tube 05 of a heat radiator 04 for receiving saturated steam generated from the steam generator 01. A liquid circulation pipe 06 connects the outlet 09 of heat transfer tube 05 with the aforesaid steam generator 01. A vacuum air valve 07 is connected to outlet 09. Steam generator 01 has a steam outlet 08. a liquid return port 010 contains saturated steam 011. Condensed liquid is shown at 012. When the liquid inside steam generator 01 is heated up by the heating source 02 for generation of saturated steam 011, this saturated steam 011 is sent to the heat transfer tube 05 through the steam conducting pipe 03 for heat exchange with fluid around this heat transfer tube 05 (usually air) and for achieving the heating up effect by giving the condensed latent heat to the surrounding fluid and returning to a liquid phase, while the condensed liquid 012 is returned to the steam generator 01 because of the liquid level difference H between the condensed liquid level inside liquid circulation pipe 06 and that within steam generator 01.
This system, while avoiding the circulation pump, has installation restrictions in that the liquid level inside liquid circulation pipe 6 must be higher than the liquid level inside steam generator 01 by the pressure loss amount H of the pipe channel and further the radiator 04 must be erected on top of the liquid circulation pipe 06. In addition there is a defect of not being able to select a thinner dia pipe for the steam conducting pipe leading from the steam generator 01 to the radiator 04 because the radiator 04 (heat transfer tube 05) must have a small flow resistance since the aforesaid high H can not be set to a very larger value.
For this reason, the conventional gravity type liquid circulation system fails to cope with the increasing demands in recent years for a more compact heat emitter, a thinner diameter for pipe channels and a diversification of equipment.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The first objective of this invention is to provide steam type heating equipment without adopting a circulation pump, which can use a heat emitter at an optional location. The second objective moreover is to provide steam type heating equipment which can be made more compact and of thinner diameter steam conducting pipes and liquid circulation pipes for connecting the heat emitter to the steam generator.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of gravity type steam heating equipment;
FIG. 2 is a diagram of steam type heating equipment of this invention, showing an embodiment employing a single unit heat emitter (fanned convector);
FIG. 3 is a diagram of another embodiment of the invention employing multiple radiator units; and
FIG. 4 is a diagram of a still further embodiment of the invention which has been structured in a way where headers and flexible pairs of tubes (two tubes having been integrated into a single one) are used for a plural number of radiators for sending out the steam, and wherein the condensed liquid is recovered into a condensed liquid vessel with the use of the pairs of tubes and the headers.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
This invention adopts a structure consisting of a steam generator having a heating source for achieving the aforesaid objectives, a heat emitter incorporating a heat transfer tube, a steam conducting tube for introducing saturated steam, generated inside the steam generator, to the heat transfer tube within the heat emitter, a condensed liquid vessel exposed to atmospheric pressure for storing liquid phase heat media condensed due to its giving up latent heat to the surroundings while passing through the heat transfer tube inside the heat emitter, a liquid circulation tube connecting the condensed liquid vessel with the steam generator or steam conducting tube. and a control valve installed in the liquid circulation tube. When the heating source is switched on for commencing its heating operation, the working liquid (heat media liquid) inside the steam generator is heated up by its heating source, is turned into saturated steam and is sent to the heat transfer tube inside the heat emitter via the steam conducting tube. The control valve is kept closed at this time of steam generation, for preventing the steam from flowing to the liquid circulation tube when the saturated steam is generated. The satured steam sent into the heat transfer tube gives its latent heat to the fluid around the heat transfer tube (e.g. air) and is condensed. The liquid is then stored inside the condensed liquid vessel after giving up a part of its sensible heat. As mentioned above, the heating operation is continued, and when the water level of working fluid within the steam generator goes down below a certain level as time goes by, the heating source is turned off and the saturated steam generation is stopped. At the same time, the interior of the steam generator starts to cool and the saturated steam therein is condensed and reduced rapidly in pressure, so the control valve (which may be a check valve) is opened, and the condensed liquid inside the condensed liquid vessel is subjected to atmospheric pressure on its liquid surface and is circulated into the steam generator via the liquid circulation pipe due to the differential in pressure. Furthermore, the condensed liquid inside the condensed liquid vessel is circulated back to the steam generator in small amounts via the steam conducting tube from the heat transfer tube at the same time when it is fed back to the steam generator interior via the liquid circulation tube as mentioned above. In this event, if the condensed liquid has been set to a low temperature level for example 30° C. or below, heat may be lost from the surroundings into the transfer tube. This would impair the overall heating effect. In such a case therefor, a counter measure must be provided against the blowing of cool wind from a radiator by switching on or off the operation of a heating fan used in the radiator, by means of a cooling wind preventive switch or controller.
FIG. 2 indicates an actual example of this invention, where the symbol 1 stands for a steam generator whose interior is hermetically enclosed, 2 a heating source (gas burner), and 3 an electromagnetic valve for controlling the operation of source 3, which is fitted to a fuel supply pipe 3'. The symbol 4 represents a low liquid level sensor attached to the interior of steam generator 1, while 5 is a temperature fuse fitted to the outer wall of steam generator 1. When this temperature fuse 5 is blown, the aforesaid electromagnetic valve 3 is shifted to OFF to stop the heating in case the generator 1 is overheated. The symbol 6 stands for a pressure relief valve which serves to prevent the pressure inside steam generator 1 from rising abnormally high.
The symbol 7 stands for the steam conducting tube or pipe connecting the inlet of finned heat transfer tube 9 inside fanned convector (as a heat emitter) 8, to the steam generator. A condensed liquid vessel is shown at 10 and 11 is a motor for rotating the warm wind fan 12 incorporated inside the fanned convector 8. 13 is a controller with a switch, 14 is a thermostat, 15 is a condensed liquid discharge tube or pipe connecting the outlet of the heat transfer tube 9 with the condensed liquid vessel 10, and 17 is a check valve attached to a liquid circulation tube 16. When the pressure inside steam generator 1 has become lower than atmospheric pressure, valve 17 functions to open for release to the side of steam generator 1 and when the pressure is over atmospheric pressure, valve 17 is kept closed. The liquid circulation tube 16 can be connected to the steam conducting tube 7 by by-passing the fanned convector 8. Moreover, the check valve can be an electromagnetic valve for which opening or closing is controlled by a controller 13. As shown tube 16 is connected between vessel 10 and steam generator 1.
In operation, when the switch of controller 13 is turned on, the electro-magnetic valve 3 is opened to allow the fuel to be fed to the heating source 2 which functions to heat up the steam generator 1. Being heated up by the heating source 2. the working liquid (e.g. water) inside the steam generator 1 is evaporated and this saturated steam is sent out to the heat transfer tube 9 within fanned convector 8 via the steam conducting tube 7. The saturated steam entering into the heat transfer tube 9 gives its latent heat to the fluid or air which has been sent from the warm wind fan 12 and is condensed, and this condensed liquid is stored inside the condensed liquid vessel 10 via the condensed liquid discharge tube 15.
When the heating is advanced as explained above and the liquid level inside steam generator 1 has gone down below a certain level, the low liquid level sensor 4 detects it and sends out a closing signal to the electromagnetic valve 3 for closing it. The heating comes to a stop when the electromagnetic valve 3 is closed, the steam within steam generator 1 is cooled down for condensing the steam inside the steam generator, and because of a pressure reduction action (vacuum action) caused on that occasion, the check valve 17 is opened, and the condensed liquid inside condensed liquid vessel 10 is circulated back to the interior of steam generator 1 via the liquid circulation tube 16.
When the condensed liquid has been circulated back and the working liquid has been filled fully in the steam generator 1, it will be detected by, for instance, a high liquid level sensor and an opening signal will be sent to the electromagnetic valve 3 for restarting the heating operation. The heating is to be carried out by repetition of this pattern, where when the room temperature has reached a set temperature, the thermostat 14 detects it to close the electromagnetic valve 3 while when the room temperature has gone down below the set temperature level, the electromagnetic valve 3 is reopened for continuation of room temperature control. Also, as the means of detecting the working liquid volume which has been fed back to the interior of steam generator 1, such a means is conceivable besides a high liquid level sensor, for instance, that detects the rise of pressure inside steam generator 1 or the drop of liquid level on the side of condensed liquid vessel 10. Further, such a way is also acceptable that, after the condensed liquid has been recovered upto a higher level by the detection position of a low liquid level sensor, an opening signal is sent out to the electromagnetic valve 3 at a certain interval of time by utilizing a delay relay or a timer.
FIG. 3 shows an example of the invention which includes multiple units of heat radiators such as heat emitters, where the symbol 1 stands for a steam generator, 2 a heating source, 4 the low liquid level sensor fitted to the inside of steam generator 1, 6 a safety valve, 7 the steam conducting tube for sending out the saturated steam generated in steam generator 1, 18 a branched steam conducting tube branching from the steam conducting tube 7, 8 a radiator, and 9 a heat transfer tube. The inlet side of this heat transfer tube 9 is connected to the aforesaid branched steam conducting tube 18. The symbol 20 represents a regulation valve, 21 a heat type trap, 19 a condensed liquid branch tube connected to the outlet side of heat the transfer tube 9, and 15 a condensed liquid main pipe, where all the aforesaid condensed liquid branch tubes 19 are connected to this condensed liquid main pipe 15. The symbol 10 stands for the condensed liquid vessel in which the end of the aforesaid condensed liquid main pipe 15 has been inserted into the interior. The liquid circulation tube 16 connects the interior of steam generator 1 with the condensed liquid vessel 10, and 17 is the check valve installed in this liquid circulation tube 16, which is of the ordinarily closed type. When the pressure inside steam generator 1 has fallen, check valve 17 is released to the side of steam generator 1. The symbol 3 represents the electromagnetic valve for the fuel line 3' of heater 2.
In operation, when the electromagnetic valve 3 is opened for starting the operation of the equipment, the heating source 2 is actuated to generate saturated steam inside steam generator 1, and this saturated steam reaches the heat transfer tube 9 within each radiator 8 through the steam conducting tube 7 and branches 18, where it gives its latent heat to the fluid (air) in the surroundings and is condensed, while the condensed liquid flows into the condensed liquid main pipe 15 through condensed liquid branch tubes 19 and enters into and is stored at the interior of condensed liquid vessel 10. The heating is advanced under this sort of process, and when the liquid level inside steam generator 1 has gone down, the low liquid level sensor 4 detests it to send an OFF signal to the electromagnetic valve 3 to cause it to switch to its OFF position. The action of heating source 2 comes to a stop when the electromagnetic valve 3 is set to its OFF position. The walls of steam generator 1 cool when the operation of heating source 2 is stopped,. and the internal steam is condensed to cause the interior of steam generator to be under partial vacuum. The condensed liquid stagnant inside the condensed liquid vessel 10 flows back, due to this vacuum action, to the interior of steam generator 1 through the liquid circulation tube 16 over valve 17, and when the liquid level inside steam generator has gone up again, an ON signal is transmitted to the electromagnetic valve 3 for starting the operation of heating source 2. The heating is carries out through the repetition of this process.
FIG. 4 shows an example of the invention where a header 22, replacing steam conducting tube 7, is installed on the steam generator 1, the steam is sent to each radiator 8 from this steam header 22 via pair tubes 24 as branch steam conducting tubes and condensed liquid branch tubes 19, while the condensed liquid respectively enters a condensed liquid header 23, replacing the condensed liquid main pipe 15, installed on the condensed liquid vessel 10 through the aforesaid pair tubes 24.
Furthermore, the check valve 17 can be of the automatic control type to which a signal is sent by a low liquid level sensor 4 for starting the operation. If a single unit out of several radiators 8 alone is to be put in service, the pressure inside the steam generator becomes excessively high, so in such an event, it is necessary to detect the pressure inside steam generator 1 for controlling the electromagnetic valve 3 and to suppress the generated volume of steam. Furthermore, since the saturated steam is to be generated inside the steam generator 1, it is acceptable to detect the temperature instead of the pressure within steam generator 1.
The structure and action of the present invention is as aforementioned, and the following effects can be obtained.
a. As the steam is sent to the heat emitter by utilizing the saturated steam pressure which is generated by the steam generator, a heat transport can be attained freely without any driving power even if the pressure loss of the steam conducting pipe is great.
As a result, the diameter of the steam conducting tube can be made smaller, for instance, to an inside diameter of about 5 mm and the tube can be made more flexible, so the piping can be made at optional positions and directions, offering a extremely enhanced work execution property.
b. Since the pressure loss can be at a larger value, the diameter of the heat transfer tube inside the heat emitter can be made smaller, and hence it is possible to design the heat emitter in more compact style and more flat style.
c. Because the pressure loss of the pipe line can be at a larger value, there is a greater freedom in installing the heat emitter and the steam generator.
d. The liquid circulation time can be shortened due to the provision of the liquid circulation tube, and the heat transport rate per unit time can be raised by that portion. This effect becomes greater especially in the event of arranging the steam generator and the condensed liquid vessel closer to each other.
e. Because of the provision of the liquid circulation tube, most of the condensed liquid inside the condensed liquid vessel returns to the side of steam generator via this liquid circulation tube and tends to by-pass the heat emitter, so the heating effect can not be impaired even though the temperature of the condensed liquid is rather low.
f. Since, even with multiple heat emitters, the condensed liquid vessel has been integrated into a single unit where the liquid is once stored via the condensed liquid branch tubes and the condensed liquid main pipe for feeding back the liquid to the steam generator via the liquid circulation tube, the steam generator and the condensed liquid vessel can be brought closer to each other. As a result, the liquid circulation time can be greatly shortened.
g. In the event of plural heat emitters, these heat emitters can be moved freely by isolating the condensed liquid vessel from the heat emitter as one common to the respective heat emitters.
While specific embodiments of the invention have been shown and described in detail to illustrate the application of the principles of the invention, it will understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise without departing from such principles.
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Steam heating equipment for the interior of a room recirculating heating fluid after it has condensed in a heat emitter for heating the room. The heat media liquid is sealed in an enclosed steam generator which supplies steam to the heat emitter via a steam conducting pipe. The heat media liquid which has condensed in the emitter by giving up its latent heat to the ambient air, is stored inside a condensed liquid vessel which is under atmospheric pressure. When the heat media liquid inside the steam generator has been depleted to a certain level, the heating of the steam generator is stopped. The heat media liquid which has previously been stored inside the condensed liquid vessel is then recirculated into the steam generator through a liquid circulation pipe which is separate from the aforesaid steam conducting pipe, by utilizing a pressure reduction action within the steam generator causing its cooling. When this liquid circulation has been completed, the cycle of heating up the steam generator again for sending out its steam, is repeated.
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This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 08/634,561, filed Apr. 18, 1996, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,727,342.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to tool couplers for excavation, demolition and construction equipment.
Some types of construction equipment, such as backhoes and excavators, have a movable dipperstick (also referred to as an arm) to which a variety of tools, such as, for example, buckets and grapples, can be attached. A hydraulic linkage allows the equipment operator to pivot the tool from the free end of the dipperstick. To simplify the process of changing tool attachments, a universal coupler can be fixed to the dipperstick linkage. A selected tool can then be removably attached to the coupler, a process that typically involves manually positioning at least one latch pin between the coupler and the tool.
There is a trend in the industry to use an actuated coupler on the end of the dipper stick for connecting and disconnecting a tool from the linkage. A great advantage of these systems is that the operator can actuate the coupler to connect or disconnect a tool without the assistance of another worker and without having to leave the cab of the vehicle.
One type of actuated coupler first engages a crossbar formed in the tool with hooks depending from the coupler, and then engages a latch pin (or a block or a wedge) with a mating receptacle formed in a collar on the tool. A double-action hydraulic cylinder in line with the latch pin is positioned so that the cylinder extends to push the latch pin into the receptacle. In disengaging the tool from the coupler, the operator retracts the rod into the cylinder body, pulling the pin out of the receptacle.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention provides a coupling assembly for coupling a tool to a dipperstick, or arm, on an apparatus which has a hydraulic system for moving the tool. The coupling assembly includes a coupler body having a frame that defines a central cavity, and also having link structure for pivotally coupling to the dipperstick. An actuator assembly positioned within the central cavity includes a latch pin movable between an extended position and a retracted position. In the extended position, an end of the latch pin projects rearward from an opening in a rear end of the frame for engaging an aperture or receptacle defined by the tool. In the retracted position, the end of the latch pin is disengaged from the tool receptacle and positioned substantially within the frame. The actuator assembly also includes a hydraulic latch cylinder that has a movable part, and a fixed part. The movable part is coupled to the latch pin by a latch pin coupling assembly, which is structured and arranged such that, when the movable part is extended from the fixed part, the latch pin moves to the retracted position.
According to another aspect of the invention, the latch pin coupling assembly includes a bias member structured and arranged to apply a bias force that urges the latch pin towards the extended position. When a threshold level of hydraulic pressure is applied to the latch cylinder, the movable part of the cylinder overcomes the bias force and extends to move the latch pin to the retracted position and out of engagement with the tool.
Another feature of the invention is that the latch cylinder can be a single-action cylinder.
According to another feature of the invention, the latch cylinder can be positioned on an axis different from an axis defined by the latch pin, such as along side the latch pin. This feature provides a compact arrangement. The system is easily adaptable to any type of quick coupler type system due to the compactness and placement of the actuating cylinder.
According to another feature of the invention, the hydraulic pressure to the latch cylinder can be controlled by an electrically actuated valve assembly that hydraulically couples the dipperstick hydraulics to the latch cylinder. The valve assembly can include one or more solenoid valves that only allow hydraulic pressure to enter and remain in the latch cylinder when they are energized.
According to another feature of the invention, the valve assembly can be structured and arranged such that the dipperstick hydraulics must be approximately fully pressurized while extended to pressurize the latch cylinder.
According to another feature of the invention, the coupling assembly can also include a pin indicator that readily shows whether the latch pin is retracted. The indicator is located such that it can be viewed easily from the operator position.
According to another feature of the invention, a drop in hydraulic pressure in the latch cylinder below the threshold level allows the bias spring to push the coupling pin towards the extended position. An unexpected hydraulic pressure loss can be caused by a failure in the hydraulic system or by a failure in the valve assembly. The spring apply, hydraulic release system is safe in that it assures that an attached tool will not accidentally uncouple from the coupling assembly if there is a loss in hydraulic pressure in the latch cylinder.
The invention also provides a method of removing a tool from the coupler assembly having features as described above. An operator can remove a tool by the steps of applying hydraulic pressure to a latch cylinder that has a part fixed relative to the coupler body and a movable part rigidly coupled to the latch pin, extending the movable part from the fixed part, thereby urging the latch pin to the retracted position, engaging a cross member of the excavation tool with a hook structure depending and extending forward from the coupler body, rotating the coupler body toward the tool, aligning the latch pin with a mating receptacle formed in the excavation tool, reducing hydraulic pressure to the latch cylinder, and applying a bias force to the latch pin, urging the latch pin to the engaged position, thereby engaging the latch pin in the receptacle and securing the excavation tool to the coupler body.
According to another aspect of the invention, the method further includes the step of removing the tool from the coupler, including rotating the coupler body and the tool to a full forward position, again applying hydraulic pressure to the latch cylinder, again extending the movable part from the fixed part, thereby urging the latch pin to the retracted position and disengaging the latch pin from the receptacle, and disengaging the hook structure from the cross member of the excavation tool.
The latch cylinder extends using the more powerful head end to extract the latch pin, whereas coupling systems using an in-line dual-action cylinder and latch pin arrangement use the less powerful rod end for this purpose. This feature of the invention is important when extracting a frozen pin, which can require substantially more force than inserting a free moving pin.
Since the hydraulic system uses a single-action latch cylinder, it only requires one hydraulic line between the valve assembly and the latch cylinder. This is simple and inexpensive compared with coupling systems that use a dual-action cylinder, and that require two hydraulic connections.
The rod of the latch cylinder is normally in the retracted position during the tool working period. Because the latch cylinder is retracted, the rod of the latch cylinder is not subject to damage from rocks and sharp objects. Normally, the only time the rod is extended, and thereby exposed to the elements and contaminants, is when a tool is being attached or detached from the coupling assembly.
A feature of the invention is that if there is a loss of either electrical or hydraulic power, the latch pin will extend or "insert" automatically. If electrical power inadvertently gets to the solenoid valves, the tool has to be fully rolled forward and inward in order for the pressure to build up in the latch cylinder to retract the latch pin. In this position, the coupler hooks are fully engaged and the likelihood of the tool falling off is minimized. One cannot simply throw the switch and have the tool fall to the ground.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of dipperstick with an attached coupling assembly, and a conventional bucket that can be attached to the coupling assembly.
FIG. 2 is a side view of a hydraulic coupling assembly shown coupling a conventional bucket to a dipperstick.
FIG. 3 is a top plan view of a coupling assembly, partially showing a bucket, with the latch pin in an unlatched, retracted position. FIG. 3A is a similar view, partially broken away, showing the latch pin in a latched, extended position.
FIG. 4 is a section view through line 4--4 of FIG. 3. FIG. 4A is a similar section view through line 4A--4A of FIG. 3A.
FIG. 5 is a partial section view through line 5--5 of FIG. 3. FIG. 5A is a similar partial section view through line 5A--5A of FIG. 3A.
FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a hydraulic system and an electrical system according to the invention. FIGS. 6A, 6B and 6C illustrate other embodiments of a valve assembly.
In the following detailed description of the invention, similar structures that are illustrated in different figures will be referred to with the same reference numerals.
It will also be noted that the figures are generally not drawn to scale.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring first to FIGS. 1 and 2, a hydraulic coupler assembly 10 according to the invention is attached to a conventional dipperstick or arm 12. Only a free end of dipperstick 12 is illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. The other end of dipperstick 12 is pivotally coupled, typically via an intermediate articulation (not shown), to a base (not shown) that includes a hydraulic power system, and hydraulic and electric operator controls located in a cab. Coupler assembly 10 can be used for coupling the dipperstick 12 to any of a variety of tools, such as, for example, a conventional bucket 14.
Dipperstick 12 linkage includes a bucket guide link 16 pivotally attached to the dipperstick 12, a bucket cylinder 18 for actuating the coupling assembly 10 and the bucket 14, and a bucket link 20. Extending bucket cylinder 18 rotates coupling assembly 10, and any tool attached to coupling assembly 10, inwardly in a forward direction.
Referring now also to FIGS. 3-5, coupling assembly 10 includes a frame 24 forming a central space 22. Frame 24 includes side walls 26, a bottom plate 28, a coupler spreader plate 30 and a rear face plate 32. Depending from side walls 26 are a pair of forward extending hooks 34 that are adapted to fit through an opening or recess 36 formed in a back sheet 38 of bucket 14 (see FIG. 1). The hooks 34 can then engage a cross tube 40 to support a forward end of bucket 14.
Coupling assembly 10 has a pair of dipper pivot fixtures 42, located near a forward end of side walls 26 for coupling to dipperstick 12. A pair of link pivot fixtures 44 for coupling to bucket link 20 are located closer to the rear end of the frame 26. A pair of link pivot fixtures 46 are also provided at an alternate location.
Bucket 14 is adapted to be coupled to dipperstick 12 with coupling assembly 10. As noted above, a recess 36 is formed in back sheet 38 of the bucket for receiving hooks 34. Once cross tube 40 is engaged by hooks 34, the bucket can be lifted off the ground by raising the dipperstick 12. This connection provides a first point of connection between coupling assembly 10 and bucket 14. To enable the bucket 14 to rotate by operation of the bucket hydraulic cylinder 18, a receptacle 50 formed in a latch collar 51 fixed to a plate 52 on the rear end of bucket 14 engages one end of a movable latch pin 48.
Latch pin 48 slides within the bore of a bushing 60 welded to rear face plate 32 within frame 24. On the other side of plate 32 there is an approximately semicircular-shaped coupler crescent 61 that fits over the top of latch collar 51 when bucket 14 is attached to coupling assembly 10.
The latch pin 48 is part of an actuator assembly 54 that also includes a coil spring 56, or other type of compression spring, for pushing the latch pin 48 through bushing 60 into engagement with the receptacle 50, and a single-action latch pin hydraulic cylinder 58 that acts opposite the spring 56 to disengage the latch pin 48 from the receptacle 50. Spring 56 is positioned approximately in line with latch pin 48, and latch cylinder 58 is positioned on a parallel axis along side latch pin 48 and spring 56. This arrangement allows the cylinder 58 to "push" the pin 48 out to retract. The spring 56 urges the pin 48 toward an engaged position with receptacle 50 when hydraulic pressure in the latch cylinder 58 is insufficient to overcome the spring force of spring 56. The latch pin 48 is normally in the engaged position because latch cylinder 58 is normally not pressurized.
Coil spring 56 is kept in position by a latch spring assembly that forms part of actuator assembly 54. One end of coil spring 56 bears against a pin block 62 that is welded to latch pin 48. Pin block 62 includes an annular groove to receive coil spring 56. The other end of coil spring 56, towards the front of coupler 10, bears against a winged end plate 64 and thereby holds the winged end plate 64 within the "V" formed by coupler spreader plate 30. A spring guide rod 66 is positioned within the coils of spring 56. Spring guide rod 66 extends transversely through a hole formed in end plate 64 and is welded thereto. A forward end of spring guide rod 66 includes a notch 68 that is positioned against an angled top edge 69 of coupler spreader plate 30 and held in place by the spring force from spring 56. The other end of spring guide rod 66 acts as a stop for latch pin 48 in the retracted position (see FIG. 4).
The body 70 of latch cylinder 58 is fixed to pin block 62. In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 3-5, body 70 has screw threads formed on its outer surface and screws into mating threads formed in a through hole in pin block 62, and is held in place by a set screw 71. The cylinder's extensible rod, or piston 72, extends through the hole in pin block 62. When hydraulic pressure coupled into cylinder 58 through hydraulic fitting 73 is increased, cylinder 58 extends and the free end of piston 72 bears against push plate 74, which is welded to bushing 60.
Extension of cylinder 58 with sufficient force to overcome spring's 56 spring force thereby urges latch pin 48 to a retracted position since latch pin 48 is welded to pin block 62 and pin block 62 is fixed to cylinder body 70. Release of pressure in cylinder 58 allows spring 56 to extend, urging pin block 62, and thereby latch-pin 48, toward a latched position wherein the latch pin 48 projects beyond rear face plate 32.
Pin block 62 includes a cylindrical opening 76 that receives spring guide rod 66 when latch pin 48 is retracted by actuation of cylinder 58 (see FIG. 3). As mentioned above, spring guide rod 66 stops latch pin 48 from retracting beyond a predetermined point. When latch pin 48 is fully retracted, the end of spring guide rod 66 is inside the cylindrical opening 76 in pin block 62 and projects beyond the corresponding end of spring 56. In this position, a transverse assembly hole 78 formed in the end of spring guide rod 66 is aligned with a U-shaped slot 80 formed in pin block 66. An assembly pin (not shown) can be placed in assembly hole 78. When pressure in cylinder 58 is released, latch pin 48 can be manually moved to the latched position, thereby releasing spring guide rod 66 from cylindrical opening 76 in pin block 62. Assembly pin in hole 78 keeps spring 56 compressed on spring guide rod 66. With pin block 62 out of the way, the assembled latch spring assembly, comprised of spring guide rod 66, spring 56, and winged end plate 64, can be removed as a unit from coupler 10. The latch spring assembly can be installed in coupler 10 by a reverse procedure.
Coupler 10 is structured to allow an operator in the control cab of the construction equipment to visibly assess whether the latch pin 48 is in the latched or retracted position, even when a tool is attached to coupler 10. Back sheet 38 of bucket 14 extends forward only to the attachment point of hooks 34, which leaves the forward portion of bucket 14 open between back sheet 38 and cross tube 40. Bottom plate 28 of frame 24 forms a U-shaped indicator slot 82 positioned between hooks 34. Indicator slot 82 is positioned such that pin block 62 is visible through the opening in bucket 14 and through indicator slot 82 when latch pin 48 is in the retracted position. When latch pin 48 is in the latched position, the operator's line of sight to pin block 62 is blocked by back sheet 38. Pin block 62 can be made more noticeable by painting it a bright color.
Referring now also to FIG. 6, a hydraulic circuit 86 for operating latch cylinder 58 taps into the hydraulics of the excavator. A hydraulic pump 88 and a reservoir 90 are coupled to bucket cylinder 18 via a lever-operated, three-position, two-pole valve 92. Pump 88, reservoir 90 and valve 92 are located in the base 93 of the excavator. Hydraulic hoses 94, 96 connect between valve 92 and the rod end 98 and cylinder end 100 of bucket cylinder, respectively. Hydraulic hose 96 has a T-connection leading to one port of a valve assembly 102. The T-connection can be conveniently made at the hydraulic fitting for the cylinder side 100 of bucket cylinder 18. The other port of valve assembly 102 connects via hydraulic hose 104 to fitting 73 in latch cylinder 58. Valve assembly 102 can be strapped, bolted or otherwise attached to a fixed part of bucket cylinder 18 or to an upper portion of dipperstick 12.
Valve assembly 102 includes two solenoid actuated valves 108, 110, each with a power connection controlled by a locking electrical toggle switch 111 located in the cab of the excavator. In an unlatch switch position the solenoids are energized and in a latch switch position the solenoids are shut off. When the solenoids are not energized (see FIG. 6), springs 112, 114 urge valves 108, 110, respectively to a position wherein a check valve portion 116 of valve 108 and a through portion 118 of valve 110 are connected in series between lines 96 and 104. When valves 108, 110 are energized (not shown), a through portion 120 of valve 108 and a check valve 122 portion of valve 110 are-placed in the circuit.
Check valve 116 blocks a hydraulic flow from bucket cylinder 18 to latch cylinder 58, but is set to permit flow in the other direction when there is an over-pressure condition in the latch cylinder 58 relative to the cylinder side 100 of bucket cylinder 18. Check valve 122, on the other hand, blocks any back flow from latch cylinder 58 to bucket cylinder 18, and is set to permit the latch cylinder 58 to be pressurized when the cylinder side 100 of bucket cylinder 18 is fully pressurized. With the cylinder side 100 fully pressurized, bucket cylinder 18 will be fully extended and the coupling assembly 10 will be rotated fully forward.
Referring now to FIG. 6A, another embodiment of a valve assembly 102' includes valve 108 in series with check valve 124 between lines 96 and 104. Check valve 24 prevents back flow from line 104 to 96. A drain line 126 normally connects between line 104 and reservoir 90 via through portion 128 of solenoid valve 130. When valves 108 and 130 are energized, drain line 126 is blocked by check valve portion 132 of valve 130, and through portion 120 is positioned in series connection with check valve 124 between lines 96 and 104. Check valve 124, similar to check valve portion 122, is set to permit pressurization of line 104 and latch cylinder 58 when full hydraulic pressure is applied to extend bucket cylinder 18.
Referring to FIG. 6B, in a third embodiment, valve assembly 102" is configured with solenoid valves 108 and 110, similar to the arrangement of valve assembly 102. In addition, a drain line 134 connects between valves 108 and 110. Flow through drain line 134 to reservoir 90 is limited by an orifice 136 flow limiter.
Referring now to FIG. 6C, a fourth embodiment of a valve assembly 102'" includes solenoid valves 138 and 110. In the normal, non-energized configuration shown in the drawing, cylinder 58 drains to reservoir 90 via through portion 118 of valve 110 and lower through portion 140 of valve 138. When valves 110, 138 are energized, pressure line 96 is coupled to cylinder 58 via upper through portion 142 of valve 138 and check valve portion 122 of valve 110.
Valve assemblies 102', 102" and 102'" can be safer than valve assembly 102, especially in high back pressure systems, because of the drain connections to reservoir 90, however, the drain connections require an additional hydraulic hose.
Referring again to FIG. 6, indicator lights 148 and an audible indicator 144, such as a beeper sound device, located in the cab alert the operator that the switch 111 is in the energized, unlatch position. A warning lamp 146 mounted on the dipperstick 12 lights or flashes to help to alert surrounding personnel that the switch 111 is in the unlatch mode and that the latch pin 48 could be retracted. Of course, audible indicator 144 can be configured to be audible outside the operator cab.
A single operator in the cab of the excavation equipment can detach a tool, such as bucket 14, to the coupling assembly 10 and attach a new tool to the coupling assembly without any assistance, as described in detail below. Some particulars of the following recitation of steps for coupling and removing a tool are made with reference to the embodiment of valve assembly 102 illustrated in FIG. 6. It will be understood that the embodiments of valve assemblies 102', 102", and 102'" illustrated in FIGS. 6A, 6B, and 6C, respectively, will function in much the same manner, and the operator will make essentially the same sequence of steps to attach or detach a tool.
To decouple a tool from coupling assembly 10, the latch pin 48 must be moved to the retracted position. The operator first throws switch 111 in the cab to the unlatch position. The indicator lamps 148 and warning lamps 146 then light up, and the audible indicator 144 sounds. The solenoids becomes energized, which moves solenoid valves 108, 110 in valve assembly 102 to their unlatch position. Check valve 116 is moved out of hydraulic circuit 89 and check valve 122 is moved into hydraulic circuit 89. This, by itself, is insufficient to retract latch pin 48. Check valve 122 is set to prevent passage of hydraulic fluid and thus prevent latch cylinder 58 from being pressurized until the pressure on the cylinder side 100 of bucket cylinder 18 is greater than a predetermined value.
In the illustrated embodiments, check valve 122 is set such that the coupling assembly 10 and attached tool 14 must be rotated fully forward and approximately full pressure must be applied in line 96 to bucket cylinder 18 to open check valve 122. This assures that accidentally throwing switch 111 will not, by itself, be sufficient to retract latch pin 48.
Once the pressure in latch cylinder 58 is great enough to overcome the spring force of spring 56, latch cylinder 58 extends and thereby retracts latch pin 48. The operator can confirm that the latch pin 48 is retracted if he sees the pin block 62 in the retracted position. While the switch 111 is still in the "tunlatch" position, the latch pin 48 will be held back retracted.
Alternatively, to bring the latch pin 48 to the retracted position, the operator can first rotate coupling assembly 10 forward, fully pressurize bucket cylinder 18, and then throw switch 111 to the unlatch position.
At this point, solenoid valves 108, 110 are still energized and in the unlatch position, and check valve 122 retains pressure in latch cylinder 58. The operator can then use free hands to maneuver the vehicle to disengage the hooks 34 from cross member 40 to uncouple the tool.
If the equipment is to remain idle for a period of time, the operator throws toggle switch 111 to the latch position, de-energizing the solenoid valves in valve assembly 102, and lowers hydraulic pressure in line 96. This allows pressure to drop in latch cylinder 58 such that spring 56 urges latch pin 48 to the engaged, or latched position, thereby bringing the piston 72 of cylinder 58 to a protected position retracted into cylinder body 70.
To attach a new tool, with the latch pin 48 still in the retracted position and the valves in the valve assembly 102 still energized, the operator adjusts pressure in the bucket cylinder 18 and maneuvers the coupling assembly 10 to insert hooks 34 into the recess 36 of the new tool and engage cross tube 40. The operator then lifts the tool off the ground, and rolls coupling assembly 10 forward by extending bucket cylinder 18. Coupler crescent 61 engages an upper side of latch collar 51, thus bringing latch pin 48 into alignment with receptacle 50 on bucket 14. The operator knows that the coupler crescent 61 has engaged latch collar 51 when he sees the bucket 14 visibly begins to roll forward. Less than full pressurization of the bucket cylinder 18 is typically required to bring the coupling assembly to this position.
The operator then throws switch 111 to the latch position. This de-energizes solenoid valves 108, 110 and moves check valve 122 out of hydraulic circuit 86 and check valve 116 into hydraulic circuit 86. Check valve 116 is set to open at a low differential pressure, such that hydraulic pressure will be released from the latch cylinder 58 when the back pressure in bucket cylinder 18 is much less than full pressure but great enough to rotate coupling assembly forward so that the coupling crescent engages the tool latch collar 50.
When the hydraulic pressure in latch cylinder 58 is released, spring 56 moves latch pin 48 into the engaged position with receptacle 50. The position of pin block 62 gives the operator a visible signal that the pin 48 is latched and the tool secured. Check valve 116 thereafter prevents the latch pin assembly from being inadvertently pressurized.
Other embodiments of the invention are within the scope of the following claims.
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The invention provides a coupling assembly and method for coupling a tool to a dipperstick, or arm, on an apparatus which has a hydraulic system for moving the tool. The coupling assembly includes a coupler body having link structure for pivotally coupling to the dipperstick. A latch member is movable between an engaged position for engaging the tool and a disengaged position for disengaging from the tool. A spring is arranged to provide a spring force to urge the latch member to the engaged position. A hydraulic motor has a part that is stationary relative to the coupler body and a movable part that can be extended relative to the stationary part when hydraulic pressure is applied to one end of the hydraulic motor. The movable part is coupled to the latch member such that extension of the movable part urges the latch member to the retracted position in opposition to the spring force.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the repair of tools and particularly to the sharpening of turning tools. Specifically, the present invention is directed to a device for supporting the blade of a tool at a predetermined angle for sharpening. Accordingly, the general objects of the present invention are to provide novel and improved methods and apparatus of such character.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
Various wood working tools, such as chisels and gouges, must be repeatedly sharpened. These tools are typically sharpened on a grinding machine. Since these tools have an angled cutting edge which varies from tool to tool, the tool must be supported during sharpening such that the cutting edge is applied to the grinding wheel at the appropriate angle.
A previous technique for the sharpening of chisels and gouges involved locking the tool within a vise and then subjecting the cutting edge to grinding. Before being locked within the vise the tool had to be arranged at the appropriate angle. This required painstaking effort which was subject to error. Furthermore, this procedure could not be used to sharpen tools having a curved cutting edge since it is essential that such curved edge tools be rotated during grinding.
There are prior art devices which claim to accomplish the repeated sharpening of the cutting edge of a tool at a preselected angle. An example of such a prior device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,848,865. The device of this patent is provided with a support platform which is pivotedly mounted to a transverse extension of a base. This platform can be angularly positioned and retained at a number of predetermined angles. The tool to be sharpened is positioned on and locked to the support platform. While this type of device allows for the repeated sharpening of a straight edged tool, it cannot be employed for the sharpening of a curved edge.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention overcomes the above-identified disadvantages and other deficiencies of the prior art by providing a device which allows the repeated sharpening of both curved and straight cutting edges at preselected angles.
A sharpening device in accordance with the present invention includes an angularly adjustable support table and a movable carriage assembly. The blade of the tool rests upon the angularly adjustable support table during sharpening by a conventional grinder. The angle of this table is adjusted as necessary to sharpen each specific tool and the angle can be repeatedly obtained. The handle of the tool is positioned on the movable carriage assembly during the sharpening.
The carriage assembly is vertically, i.e., angularly, adjustable with respect to the support table and may be locked in a desired angular orientation relative to the table. The carriage assembly may also be moved toward and away from the support table to accommodate tools of different overall length. The handle of the tool to be sharpened is positioned within a guide groove on the carriage assembly, but is not locked into position. This allows the tool to be rotated about its axis by a worker while a curved cutting edge is being applied against a grinder. A tool with a straight cutting edge can also be sharpened through the use of the present invention by merely holding the tool still.
Accordingly, the general object of the present invention is to provide a tool sharpening device which allows the sharpening of tools which have either straight or curved cutting edges.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The present invention may be better understood and its numerous objects and advantages will become apparent to those skilled in the art by reference to the accompanying drawing wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements in the several FIGURES and in which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the tool sharpening device according to one embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the support table of the embodiment of FIG. 1;
FIG. 2a is a bottom view of a portion of the support table of FIG. 2;
FIGS. 3a through 3d are side views of a cam locking clamp of the embodiment of FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is a top view of the carriage assembly of the embodiment of FIG. 1;
FIG. 5 is a front view of the carriage assembly of FIG. 4; and
FIG. 6 is an enlarged perspective view of the mechanism which allows angular adjustment of the carriage assembly of the embodiment of FIG. 1.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The present invention is directed to a device which allows the repeated specific angular sharpening of cutting tools, including wood working tools characterized by a curved cutting edge. It should be noted that the present invention will be used with a grinding machine of the type having a grinding wheel which rotates about a horizontal axis. Since such grinding wheels are well known they are not shown in the drawing and will not be further discussed, except as necessary to more fully explain the present invention.
Referring to FIG. 1 a tool holder in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention is indicated generally at 10. Holder 10 includes an angularly adjustable tool blade support, indicated generally at 12, and a relatively movable tool handle support assembly, indicated generally at 14. Handle support assembly 14 comprises a carriage which is adjustably positionable relative to support table 12 by means of movement along a rack 16. The rack 16 is pivotally supported, adjacent a first end thereof, within a fork assembly which has been indicated generally at 18.
The blade support 12 and rack 16 are independently angularly adjustable relative to a horizontal plane in which the axis of rotation of the grinding wheel lies. These angular adjustments, along with the proper spacial positioning of assembly 14 on rack 16, permits a tool indicated generally at 20, and shown in phantom, to be sharpened at the correct angle for its particular cutting edge. The blade 22 of the tool to be sharpened is placed in supporting contact with an angularly adjustable platform member 24 of support 12 while the tool handle 26 is located within a V-shaped guide groove 28 on support assembly 14. The front edge of the blade 22 will engage the rotating grinding wheel and, during sharpening, the handle 26 will be held in place in groove 28 by the application of downward force. If the cutting edge of blade 22 is curved, the handle 26 can be slowly rotated within the V-shaped groove 28 while contact is maintained between the tool handle and bottom of the groove. Thus, either a straight or curved edged cutting blade can be properly and accurately sharpened through use of the present invention.
With reference to FIGS. 2 and 2a, the blade support 12 will now be discussed in greater detail. Support 12 is comprised of a first generally L-shaped member having a base portion 30 and a plate 32 which extends therefrom. The platform member 24, which is also generally L-shaped, is secured to plate 32 by a bolt 34 and is angularly adjustable by rotation about the axis of bolt 34. Platform 34 is formed from metal and includes an apertured mounting plate 38 which is oriented parallel to and in abutting relationship to plate 32. The apertures 36 in plate 38 are typically threaded and are arranged in an arcuate pattern so as to allow the positioning of platform 24 at various angles. The preferred spacing between adjacent apertures allows changing the angular orientation of the platform in incremental steps of 7.5°. The platform 24 is retained in the desired angular position by a bolt, not shown, which extends through a threaded hole in plate 32 and engages the appropriate aperture 36. The front lower edge 39 of platform 24 is beveled to provide clearance and thereby permit close spacing between a grinding wheel and the leading edge of the blade support. The bolt 34 must be located at the same height or slightly higher than the center of the grinding wheel arbor. Also, the axis of bolt 34 must lie in the plane defined by beveled surface 39.
Referring jointly to FIGS. 3 and 6, the fork assembly 18 and rack 16 will now be discussed in greater detail. Fork assembly 18 comprises a generally rectangularly shaped body, indicated generally at 40, which receives the stem portion of a double pronged fork member, indicated generally at 42. A first end of rack 16 is positioned between the prongs 44 and 44' of member 42. Rack 16 includes, in the disclosed embodiment, a support which defines a longitudinal trough. This support includes side rails 46 which are provided with parallel slots 48 in their outwardly facing sides. The actual rack member 50, which includes the gear teeth 52, is positioned between the rails 46 as shown and could, of course, extend about rails 46.
Rack 16 is retained between prongs 44 and 44' of fork assembly 18 by a cam-type locking mechanism which is indicated generally at 54. Locking mechanism 54, as seen in FIGS. 3a-3d, comprises a threaded rod 56 and a handle 58. Threaded rod 56 extends through aligned holes, not shown, provided in both of prongs 44 and 44' and in the end of rack 16. Threaded rod 56 is attached to handle 58 by a pivot assembly which comprises a pair of parallel cam plates 60 and 60' and a bolt or other suitable fastener 62.
Continuing to discuss FIGS. 3a-3d, the angular adjustment of rack 16 will now be discussed. Threaded rod 56 is inserted through the aligned holes in prongs 44 and 44' and rack 16 and is retained in position by wing nut 64. With rack 16 placed at the desired angular position, the handle 58 is pivoted so that the larger lobe sections of cam plates 60 and 60' are brought to bear against the side of prong 44 of fork assembly 18. This action reduces the space between prongs 44 and 44' and thus frictionally captures the rack 16 in the desired angular position. If fork assembly 18 is comprised of wood, the prongs 44 and 44' upon which the cam plates 60 and 60' act could be provided with a metallic insert as indicated at 66 in FIG. 6.
The positioning of handle support assembly 14 on rack 16 relative to blade support 12 will now be described with particular reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. Assembly 14 is comprised of a base plate 68 to which the member which defines the guide groove 28 is attached. The base plate 68 may comprise a block of wood to which a second block of wood, having a slot or groove of the desired size and shape, is attached by means of screws as shown. A channel defining member, indicated generally at 70, functions as the housing for a pinion gear and is affixed to the underside of plate 68.
Member 70 may be of two-piece construction and has a pair of legs 73 an 75 which form a channel wide enough to allow the passage of rack 16. A pinion gear 74, affixed to a rotatable shaft 76, is positioned between legs 73 and 75 of member 70. A first end of shaft 76 is provided with handle 78 to allow the rotation of pinion gear 74. The second end of shaft 76 passes through an aperture in leg 75 and is retained in position by any suitable means wich allows shaft rotation.
Engagement between pinion 74 and teeth 52 of rack 16 is insured by a pair of rack support members 80 and 80' which extend toward one another from respective of legs 73 and 75. The members 80, 80' respectively engage the longitudinal slots 48 (see FIG. 6) in rack 16. Preferrably, the legs 73 and 75 are slightly deflected toward one another through the action of a threaded shaft 82 which extends through aligned holes provided in legs 73 and 75. Shaft 82, which is provided at one end with handle 84, is engaged by a wing nut 86 and an other suitable fastener which respectively bear against the outside surfaces of legs 73 and 75. The degree of compression of the channel in member 70 is varied by adjusting the spacing between the fasteners on shaft 82.
With rack 16 supported on guide members 80, 80', the pinion gear 74 engages teeth 52. Thus, by rotating pinion gear 74 the carriage assembly 14 is moved away from or towards support table 12. As stated above, the handle 26 of tool 20 rests within the guide groove 28 and held firmly if the edge to be sharpened is straight. If the edge to be sharpened is curved the handle 26 of the tool will be rotated. The handle support 14 may, as described above, be raised or lowered, thereby varying the angle at which the tool blade is ground, by rotating rack 16 in fork assembly 18 and/or by varying the angle of platform member 24.
It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the illustration described and shown herein, which is deemed to be merely illustrative of the best mode of carrying out the invention, and which is susceptible of modification of form, size, arrangement of parts and details of operation. The invention rather is intended to encompass all such modifications which are within its spirit and scope as defined by the claims.
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The sharpening of tools having a handle and a blade with a cutting edge is accomplished by accurately supporting the tool with its cutting edge juxtapositioned to a rotary grinding wheel. The support has an angularly adjustable blade support platform and, spacially displaced therefrom, a handle support which is independently angularly adjustable relative to the blade support platform. The handle support can also be spaced at various distances from the blade support platform.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a coagulant for soil and/or sand and method for preventing washout using the same, and more particularly to a coagulant for soil and/or sand which is employed to prevent washout, and to a method for preventing washout of soil and/or sand using the coagulant in which the coagulant is added to the soil and/or sand at a construction site, thereby preventing washout of the soil and/or sand in a short time.
In Japan which has a lot of volcanoes, there are a lot of volcanic ash layers in which a loamy layer is a typical example. The loamy layer contains an approximately equal amount of small grains of sand, silt and clay. Therefore, the loamy layer becomes self-adhesive when highly saturated, and becomes powdery to the contrary when dry. These properties of the loamy layer are changed in accordance with regions in which the layers are located
The loamy layer which is hard does not drain very well. The loamy layer in a mountainous region is made soft by weathering. If it rains on the loamy layer, the loamy layer becomes colloidal by containing water. The loamy layer located at a slope may slide due to weight thereof, resulting in a landslide. There are a lot of landslide regions in Japan at which several barriers made of concrete are constructed.
When it is raining steadily and a surface layer at the slope contains a lot of water beyond a certain amount, the surface layer becomes colloidal, thus decreasing internal friction of the layer. Therefore, the surface layer at the slope begins to slide in a considerable thickness due to the weight thereof. Consequently a mud slide may flow over the barriers, or sweep away the barriers. In the regions where occurrences of the landslide are unexpected, roads are often buried underneath the soil and sand brought down by the landslide and it is difficult to take emergency measures to prevent the occurrence of the landslide. That is, when constructing the barriers made of cement concrete, it is time-consuming and requires many processes which includes solidifying the foundation, providing molds, supplying concrete milk into the molds, and curing the concrete for more than three days at least until the cement solidifies. Especially, in the mountainous regions, aggregates for concrete must be transported to the construction site, which is very troublesome. Further, trucks for transporting aggregates are often brought to a standstill due to slippage by mud. Therefore a basic solution to the problems has been sought for a long time.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a coagulant for soil and/or sand and method for preventing washout using the same which are capable of solidifying a mud flow using soil and/or sand in the construction site in a short time.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a coagulant for soil and/or sand comprising: approximately 10 parts by weight of carboxymethylcellulose; approximately 10 parts by weight of calcium chloride; approximately 10 parts by weight of sodium metasilicate powder; 0.3 to 100 parts by weight of silicon dioxide; and 1 to 300 parts by weight of calcium carbonate.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for preventing washout of soil and/or sand using a coagulant, the method comprising the steps of: preparing a coagulant by premixing approximately 10 parts by weight of each of carboxymethylcellulose, calcium chloride and sodium metasilicate powder, 0.3 to 10 parts by weight of silicon dioxide and 1 to 15 parts by weight of calcium carbonate; scattering the coagulant over the surface of the soil and/or sand in a manner such that 360 to 1000 g of the coagulant is applied to a volume of surface area of 1 m 2 and a depth of 10 cm; and excavating the soil and/or sand to a depth of 5 to 20 cm and mixing the coagulant and the soil and/or sand while adjusting water content of the soil and/or sand in the range of 30 to 45%.
As mentioned above, the loam contains a mixture of sand, silt and clay. Therefore, the loam has bad water permeability, and water stays on the loamy layer after a rainfall and sinks into the loamy layer gradually as time elapses.
Accordingly, when the ground is firm and the loamy layer, upper layer of the ground, contains a certain amount of water, or when the ground is firm and water stays on the loamy layer, the loamy layer becomes fluid like starchy syrup. On the other hand, when the ground is soft, not only the loamy layer but also the soft ground becomes fluid like starchy syrup.
In the landslide regions having a surface layer, on the firm ground, containing a lot of silt, large grains of sand and a little clay, the coagulant according to the present invention is effective to improve fluidity of the surface layer. That is, the coagulant is scattered over the surface layer and then the surface layer is excavated and mixed with the coagulant and thereafter the surface layer is leveled, thereby coagulating the soil of the surface layer and decreasing fluidity of the soil that had been caused by the water contained therein.
This is because a part of --OH of cellulose in carboxymethylcellulose is denatured into --OCH 3 which is soluble in water and highly adhesive. The carboxymethylcellulose is uniformly sunk in the soil, and the cellulose molecules form bundles with one another and form a micellar array, thereby making fine crystals. Therefore, there is no clearance in the micellar array into which water molecules can enter. Even if the soil contains a little clay, since particles of sand, silt and clay are combined with one another, water cannot be easily sunk in the soil, thereby eliminating fluidity.
The calcium chloride effects a rapid combining action which combines calcic and siliceous material, so that the solidifying time of the soil after construction can be shortened.
The sodium metasilicate is hydrolyzed to form syrup and seeps in between ingredients of the soil, so that the sodium metasilicate promotes hydrogen bonding and effects coagulating action of the soil.
The silicon dioxide and the calcium carbonate adjust the pH of the acidic soil, and promote rapid hydrogen bonding and coagulate the soil in cooperation with the action of calcium chloride in a mixed state with the soil.
The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which preferred embodiments of the present invention are shown by way of illustrative examples.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In the drawings:
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a method for preventing washout including a method of constructing a surface layer and a method of constructing an anchor according to the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing several different methods of construction in accordance with different areas according to the present invention; and
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a method for preventing washout of the soil which lies on the slope.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
A coagulant for soil and/or sand and method for preventing washout using the same according to embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 through 3.
First, compositions of a coagulant for soil and/or sand are illustrated in the table which follow;
______________________________________Example 1Carboxymethylcellulose 10 parts by weightCalcium chloride 10 parts by weightSodium metasilicate powder 10 parts by weightSilicon dioxide 0.3 parts by weightCalcium carbonate 1 parts by weightExample 2Carboxymethylcellulose 10 parts by weightCalcium chloride 10 parts by weightSodium metasilicate powder 10 parts by weightSilicon dioxide 5 parts by weightCalcium carbonate 15 parts by weightExample 3Carboxymethylcellulose 10 parts by weightCalcium chloride 15 parts by weightSodium metasilicate powder 10 parts by weightSilicon dioxide 100 parts by weightCalcium carbonate 300 parts by weight______________________________________
Next, a method for preventing washout of soil and/or sand using the above coagulant will be described below:
As shown in FIG. 1, a square hole 2 having each side of 2 m and a depth of 10 cm is dug on a sloped ground 1 of the loamy layer of the Kanto District with an inclination of approximately 32 degrees. The soil extracted from the hole is uniformly put back into the square hole 2, thereafter 4 kg of the coagulant (Example 2) is uniformly scattered over the surface of the soil, and the soil and the coagulant (Example 2) are mixed sufficiently while sprinkling 12 liters of water by a sprinkler such as a watering pot.
The surface of the soil is then pounded by a concrete block having 10 kg so as to make a uniform level surface of the soil Thereafter, a square anchor hole 3 having each side of 20 cm and a depth of 50 cm is dug at a central portion of the square hole 2 by a scoop. 5 kg of the cement, 360 g of the coagulant (Example 1) and 9 liters of water are added to the soil extracted from the hole, and they are stirred and mixed sufficiently. The mixture of the soil, the cement, the coagulant and water is put back into the square anchor hole 3, and the surface of the mixture is pounded by the concrete block mentioned above.
Next, the test result of the construction site will be described below.
After 24 hours passed since the construction had finished, test pieces, each having each side of 50 cm and a thickness of 10 cm, were picked up from the locations of the square hole 2 and the square anchor hole 3. The compressive strength test was conducted by applying a uniaxial compressive load to the test pieces. The compressive strength test results of the test piece from the location of the square hole 2 was 0.6 kg/cm 2 , and of the test piece from the location of the anchor hole 3 was 2.2 kg/cm 2 . The boundary area of the location of the square hole 2 and the ground 1 was almost not changed in color.
Water under a pressure of 2.5 kg/cm 2 was sprayed on the boundary area of the location of the square hole 2 and the ground 1 by a water hose connected to a water supply for 30 minutes. The soil and sand of the ground 1 were worn away up to a depth of 3 cm and flowed away, but the soil and sand of the location of the square hole 2 was changeless. This test result proved the effect of preventing washout of the soil and sand.
Next, two square molds, each having each side of 2 m and a thickness of 10 cm, were placed on the slope ground 1. The fluid soil was prepared by premixing 25% of red soil mixed with clay, 25% of white quartz sand, 25% of red granular soil and 25% of loamy layer of the Kanto District, and by adding 45 parts by weight of water to the mixture and mixing them. The prepared fluid soil was poured into the two square molds.
Next, 5 kg of the coagulant (Example 3) was scattered over the soil in one of the square molds and mixed with the soil sufficiently using a scoop. Thereafter the soil including the coagulant was strongly pounded by the scoop, and left for 24 hours.
Thereafter, the two molds were removed and water having water pressure of 2.5 kg/cm 2 was sprayed on the soil for 10 minutes. The soil without the coagulant was worn away from the edge portions and flowed away, but the soil including the coagulant (Example 3) was not worn away and did not flow even by spraying water for 30 minutes.
Further, after 10 days passed since the construction had finished, the compressive strength test was conducted according to a standard method. The compressive strength test result of the test piece from the location of the anchor hole 3 was 22.3 kg/cm 2 .
Consequently, the test result proved that the anchor using the present invention can be durably used as an anchor for preventing washout of the soil and/or sand of the surface layer.
The method for preventing washout according to the present invention is applicable to the slope on a mountainside as shown in FIG. 2 on the basis of the test result.
In FIG. 2, areas A, B and C are shown as an unpaved road, a steep slope, and a slight slope, respectively.
600 to 4000 g of the coagulant (Example 3) per surface area of 1 m 2 of the soil is scattered over the soil, the soil is dug to a depth of 10 cm and mixed with the coagulant (Example 3) sufficiently. 4 to 5 liters of water per surface area of 1 m 2 of the soil is scattered over the soil, and pressure is applied to the surface of the soil by a pressure roller or the like. In case of necessity, 1 to 5 kg of portland cement per surface area of 1 m 2 of the soil is applied to a shoulder of the road and mixed with the soil.
When the area A is relatively flat, 1 to 2 kg of the coagulant per surface area of 1 m 2 of the soil is enough. In case of the angle of inclination of the area A exceeding 15 degrees, a quantity of the coagulant to be used in the area A as well as the shoulder of the road of the area A is increased, for example, to 4 kg per surface area of 1 m 2 of the soil, or 600 to 1000 g of the coagulant per surface area of 1 m 2 of the soil and 1 to 5 kg of the portland cement per surface area of 1 m 2 of the soil are used. When 3 to 5 kg of the portland cement per surface area of 1 m 2 of the soil is added to the soil, the soil has the same hardness as cement concrete does. Since the coagulant serves as an agent for coagulating cement and quickens coagulation of cement, the landslide can be effectively prevented and repaired in the rain. When the coagulant is used as the agent for coagulating cement, 2.5 to 4% of the coagulant is applied to 100 parts by weight of cement. Therefore, in the area which needs strength, a suitable quantity of cement is locally added to the area in accordance with a desired cement strength.
The area B is the slope with an inclination of 30 to 45 degrees. 600 g of the coagulant (Example 1) per surface area of 1 m 2 of the soil is scattered over the soil, and 5 to 24 kg of the portland cement per surface area of 1 m 2 of the soil is scattered over the soil in accordance with the quality of the soil. The soil is dug to a depth of 10 cm, and the soil, the coagulant and the portland cement are mixed sufficiently while scattering 4 to 5 liters of water per surface area of 1 m 2 of the soil.
When it is difficult to dig the soil by a machine, the soil should be manually dug using a scoop or scraped off to a thickness of 10 cm at every small area using a suitable scraper. The coagulant and the cement are added to the soil extracted from the area at the same rate as mentioned above and mixed with the soil while pouring water. Thereafter, the mixture of the soil, the coagulant, the cement and water is put back into the area scraped off. That is, the mixture is plastered to a thickness of 10 cm at the area scraped off. The other small areas scraped off are subjected to the same construction. This construction method is applicable to a temporary repair work of the landslide at a side wall of a road.
In the area C with an inclination of less than 30 degrees, even if a bulldozer or a stabilizer cannot be used on a mountainous region, a small farm tractor can be used to dig the soil to a depth of 10 cm. 2 to 4 kg of the coagulant (Example 2 or Example 3) per surface area of 1 m 2 of the soil is scattered over the soil, and if necessary, 3 to 10 kg of the portland cement per surface area of 1 m 2 of the soil is added and mixed with the soil sufficiently. Next, pressure is applied to the surface of the soil by a pressure roller or the like. In this case, since the soil surface hardens with mixing the portland cement, the portland cement is added to local areas K which are arranged in a striped pattern or a checked pattern formed by stripes, for example, with a width of 30 cm placed at 5 m intervals as shown in FIG. 2, thereby preventing the landslide of a surface layer having a vast area in the slope and decreasing damage to plants.
Next, a plurality of anchor holes 3 are formed at regular intervals (for example 5 m intervals) as shown in FIG. 2, and anchors are constructed by the same method as mentioned above. In this case, the depth and area of each anchor hole are determined by considering the intervals of the anchors, the inclination degree of the construction site, the construction area and the thickness of the layer having a tendency landslide. On the other hand, it becomes possible to prevent the landslide only by constructing the anchors without constructing the surface layer set forth above. Particularly, when the landslide is forecasted by a long rain, in the region concerned, anchor holes having a depth of 2 to 5 m are dug using a screw earth auger or the like. 200 kg of the portland cement and 6 to 8 kg of the coagulant (Example 1 or Example 3) per a volume of 1 m 3 of the soil extracted from the holes are added and mixed with the soil. The mixture of the soil, the portland cement and the coagulant is put back into the anchor holes and pressed by pressing means such as a pressure roller. Consequently, the locations of the anchors have 1.8 kg/cm 2 compressive strength within 24 hours. In other words, strong anchors are constructed in a short time according to the above construction method. Further, the construction is not attended with difficulty, even if it is raining.
FIG. 3 shows a mud accumulated area D on the slope. The mud in the mud accumulated area D is likely to flow downward.
In order to avoid such mud flow, if any emergency measure is needed, the following measures are taken.
(1) 20 kg of the coagulant (Example 3) per volume of 1 m 3 of the soil is added to the mud in the mud accumulated area D and mixed with the mud, and the mud accumulated area D is left. When the mud accumulated area D is of a small scale, the construction can be manually performed by a scoop. The mud in the mud accumulated area D is coagulated and has a water-resistance after 24 hours has passed, thereby preventing washout of the mud.
(2) In case that the mud accumulated area D has a large amount of mud, the portland cement can be used jointly with the coagulant. On the contrary, in case that the mud accumulated area D has a small amount of mud, only surface layer 4 of the accumulated mud is treated, thereby preventing washout of the mud.
(3) In order to effectively prevent washout of the mud in the mud accumulated area D semipermanently, the anchors as mentioned above are provided in the mud accumulated area D.
(4) When the mud accumulated area D has a thin and vast layer and the construction is troublesome, 1 to 3 kg of the coagulant (Example 2 or Example 3) per volume of 1 m 3 of the mud is scattered over the mud, so that the mud can be coagulated with the coagulant seeping naturally into the mud.
Incidentally, in all construction methods as mentioned above, the coagulant is brought into a solution using a proper quantity of water and this solution can be used.
According to the present invention, the following effects are attainable.
(1) When the coagulant including a lot of silicon dioxide and a lot of calcium carbonate is scattered over the soil and/or sand which flows easily by rain, and mixed with the soil and/or sand, washout of the soil and/or sand can be prevented promptly.
(2) When the coagulant and the cement are jointly used, even if the coagulant includes a little silicon dioxide and a little calcium carbonate, the coagulant effects a coagulating action by which the cement can be coagulated quickly. Therefore, the coagulant has effects on emergency measures or semipermanent measures.
(3) In the landslide region in which the soil of the surface layer flows for a certain thickness on the slope by containing water such as rain water, when the coagulant is mixed with the soil of the surface layer to a depth of 10 cm, penetration of rain water can be reduced, thus preventing the interior soil from containing water and flowing.
In the construction site, when the cement is used jointly with the coagulant in local areas in a checked or striped pattern, barriers which have the same hardness as concrete can be constructed in a short time at local areas without using molds for concrete.
(4) In a method in which anchor holes are formed in a construction site, the coagulant is solely mixed with the soil extracted from the hole or the coagulant and the cement are jointly mixed with the soil extracted from the hole, and the mixed soil is put back into the anchor holes. The anchor holes can be formed using a scoop in a small area at a steep slope, and barriers can be constructed by putting the soil extracted from the hole back into the anchor holes.
Although certain preferred embodiments have been shown and described, it should be understood that many changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the scope of the appended claims.
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The present invention relates to a coagulant for soil and/or sand and method for preventing washout using the same. The coagulant comprises approximately 10 parts by weight of carboxymethylcellulose, approximately 10 parts by weight of calcium chloride, approximately 10 parts by weight of sodium metasilicate powder, 0.3 to 100 parts by weight of silicon dioxide and 1 to 300 parts by weight of calcium carbonate. The method for preventing washout comprises the steps of scattering the coagulant over the surface of the soil and/or sand in a manner such that 360 to 1000 g of the coagulant is applied to a volume of surface area of 1 m 2 and a depth of 10 cm, and excavating the soil and/or sand to a depth of 5 to 20 cm and mixing the coagulant and the soil and/or sand while adjusting water content of the soil and/or sand in the range of 30 to 45%. In the method, a part of --OH of cellulose in carboxymethylcellulose is denatured into --OCH 3 which is soluble in water and highly adhesive. The carboxymethylcellulose is uniformly sunk in the soil, and the cellulose molecules form bundles with one another and form a micellar array, thereby preventing water molecules from entering into the soil.
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This application is a 35 U.S.C. §371 National Stage Application of PCT/EP2012/076062, filed on Dec. 19, 2012, which claims the benefit of priority to Serial No. DE 10 2011 089 956.1, filed on Dec. 27, 2011 in Germany, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
The disclosure proceeds from a hydraulically controlled storage chamber valve.
BACKGROUND
Patent specification U.S. Pat. No. 7,543,896 B2 discloses, for example, a hydraulically controlled storage chamber valve in which a spring-prestressed ball-type seat valve is opened via a tappet in the storage piston. This takes place at a system-specified force ratio between the spring prestressing force and hydraulically active force. The actuation of the ball-type seat valve takes place via a cylindrical metallic tappet which is pressed into the storage piston. The storage piston also receives a sealing ring and a guide ring. An appropriately prestressed compression spring is located between the storage piston and the closing cover which is connected to the pump housing by holding calking. The spring force acts counter to the hydraulically active force at the storage piston and, when there is an excess of spring force, causes displacement of the storage piston/tappet combination in the opening direction of the storage chamber valve. In this case, the ball is moved out of the seat by the tappet and the storage chamber valve is opened.
Laid-open publication DE 42 02 388 A1 describes, for example, a hydraulic brake system for a motor vehicle. The brake system described comprises a hydraulically controlled storage chamber valve, with a closing element which is prestressed via a first compression spring and seals off a valve seat in a valve body, and with a tappet which is connected to a storage piston loaded by a second compression spring and presses the closing element out of the valve seat when a specified force ratio prevails between the spring prestressing forces and a hydraulically active force. In these designs of storage chamber valves, the sealing body of the valve closed with spring assistance is moved by a pin connected to the storage piston into the open position as soon as the storage chamber volume undershoots a threshold value, that is to say the storage piston approaches the stop.
SUMMARY
By contrast, the hydraulically controlled storage chamber valve according to the disclosure has the advantage that the individual parts can be produced more simply and the production costs can be lowered. Embodiments of the present disclosure make it possible to reduce the accuracy requirements in the manufacture, assembly and design of the storage chamber valve, so that outlay and production costs can be further reduced and functional robustness can be increased.
The essence of the disclosure is that the tappet is not fastened to the storage piston, but instead to the valve body or other components of the valve subassembly, and that the tappet is actuated as a result of pressure contact by the upcoming storage piston.
Embodiments of the present disclosure make available a hydraulically controlled storage chamber valve which comprises a closing element, which is prestressed via a first compression spring and seals off a valve seat in a valve body, and a tappet, which passes through a leadthrough in the valve body and can be moved by a storage piston loaded by a second compression spring, in order to press the closing element out of the valve seat when a specified force ratio prevails between the spring prestressing forces and a hydraulically active force. This means that the spring force, acting upon the storage piston, of the second compression spring is higher than the hydraulic force acting upon the storage piston and the prestressing force, acting upon the closing element, of the first compression spring. According to the disclosure, the tappet is fastened longitudinally movably in the region of the leadthrough and, during the movement, bears against an end face of the storage piston.
A further advantage of the disclosure is that a standard storage piston can be used, and therefore there is no need for the outlay and costs of a special piston with an attached one-part and/or multipart tappet and/or with further special measures, such as, for example, guide rings, guidance length, seals, etc., for an especially accurate linear movement of the storage piston in order to introduce the attached tappet into the valve body bore reliably and robustly over tolerance-range and operating positions. Moreover, embodiments of the present disclosure also allow an eccentric arrangement of the storage chamber valve, since functioning is ensured independently of where the storage piston impinges with its end face on the tappet.
Advantageous improvements of the hydraulically controlled storage chamber valve are possible as a result of the measures and developments described in the present disclosure.
It is especially advantageous that the valve body, with the valve seat and with the tappet, can be arranged centrally in a reception bore forming a storage chamber.
In an advantageous refinement of the hydraulically controlled storage chamber valve according to the disclosure, the storage piston may have on its end face actuation means for actuating the tappet. This means that the end face of the storage piston may not be made planar, but instead may be in the form of a spherical segment or appropriately curved in another way, if appropriate even irregularly, nonuniformly, in a stepped manner, etc. In the case of a central arrangement of the valve body with the valve seat and with the tappet, the control piston may have, for example, a central curvature as an actuation means for actuating the tappet. The selected midpoint of the curved spherical segment may expediently be a point about which the storage piston mainly rotates when it deviates from its theoretically linear movement. What is achieved by the spherical segment is that the tappet can always be opened independently of the type of nonlinear movement of the piston.
In a further advantageous refinement of the hydraulically controlled storage chamber valve according to the disclosure, an elastic holding element with reception means may be fastened to the valve body in order to guide the tappet in the leadthrough. The elastic holding element may, for example, be fastened to the valve body by screwing, calking or clipping. The tappet can be held in its position in the valve body leadthrough by the resilient holding element such that, upon contact with the storage piston, the desired opening action is exerted on the closing element. The active opening force comes for the most part from the storage piston or the second compression spring, not from the holding element. The holding element may, for example, be manufactured from metal, plastic, elastomer, etc. or from corresponding material combinations.
An exemplary embodiment of the disclosure is illustrated in the drawings and is explained in more detail in the following description. In the drawings, the same reference symbols designate components or elements which perform the same or similar functions.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 shows a diagrammatic illustration in longitudinal section of a valve arrangement with an exemplary embodiment of a storage chamber valve according to the disclosure.
FIG. 2 shows in the form of a detail a diagrammatic illustration of the end face of a control piston for the storage chamber valve according to the disclosure from FIG. 1 .
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
A separate tappet which is connected firmly to the storage piston and presses against the valve closing element is known from the prior art. Since, as a consequence of the adopted principle, a certain amount of play is necessary between the storage piston and the housing, the impingement of the tappet upon the closing element has to be ensured by means of stringent requirements in terms of the component tolerances. Since the lever arm of the tappet is relatively long in relation to the center of rotation of the control piston and rotation of the control piston about its vertical axis (lifting direction) is possible, the tappet and the storage chamber valve are arranged centrally in the control piston or in the storage chamber bore. Since the tappet is firmly connected to the storage piston and has to penetrate through the valve body orifice in order to move the sealing body into the open position, high precision in the geometry of the parts and in the lifting movement is required for the storage piston and tappet. This precision of the parts is usually achieved by means of highly accurate, that is to say cost-intensive, parts, manufacture and assembly. The precision of the storage piston lifting movement is achieved by means of a more complicated design, such as, for example, with additional guide rings, a long guidance length, etc.
FIG. 1 shows a valve arrangement with a hydraulically controlled storage chamber valve 1 according to the disclosure which is arranged in a stepped reception bore 4 of a fluid block 2 or pump housing. Embodiments of the hydraulically controlled storage chamber valve 1 according to the disclosure can be used, for example, in a hydraulic brake system in a vehicle.
As is evident from FIGS. 1 and 2 , the illustrated exemplary embodiment of the hydraulically controlled storage chamber valve 1 comprises a closing element 20 , prestressed via a first compression spring 14 , and a tappet 22 . In this case, the closing element 20 seals off a valve seat 36 in a valve body 32 . The tappet 22 passes through a leadthrough 35 , which is located in the valve body 32 and at the margin of which the valve seat 36 is formed, and is moved by a storage piston 10 loaded by a second compression spring 15 , in order to press the closing element 20 out of the valve seat 36 when a specified force ratio prevails between the spring prestressing forces and a hydraulically active force. In the exemplary embodiments illustrated, this is the case when the spring force, acting upon the storage piston 10 , of the second compression spring 15 is higher than the hydraulic force acting upon the storage piston 10 and the prestressing force, acting upon the closing element 20 , of the first compression spring 14 . When the spring force, acting upon the storage piston 10 , of the second compression spring 15 is lower than the hydraulic force acting upon the storage piston 10 and the prestressing force, acting upon the closing element 20 , of the first compression spring 14 , then the closing element 20 is pressed into the valve seat 36 . The first compression spring 14 and the closing element 20 are guided in a filter 34 which additionally filters suspended matter out of the conveyed medium.
According to the disclosure, the tappet 22 is fastened longitudinally movably in the region of the leadthrough 35 and, during the movement, bears against an end face of the storage piston 10 . This advantageously makes it possible to reduce the accuracy requirements with regard to the manufacture, assembly and design of the hydraulically controlled storage chamber valve 1 , so that outlay and production costs can be reduced and functional robustness can be increased.
As is also evident from FIGS. 1 and 2 , in the illustrated exemplary embodiment of the hydraulically controlled storage chamber valve 1 according to the disclosure the valve body 32 with the valve seat 36 and the tappet 22 is arranged centrally in a reception bore 4 forming a storage chamber 5 . However, the essence of the exemplary embodiment is that the tappet 22 is not fastened movably to the storage piston 10 , but instead to the valve body 32 , and that the tappet 22 is actuated as a result of pressure contact by the upcoming storage piston 10 .
In the exemplary embodiment illustrated, the tappet 22 is held in its position in the leadthrough 35 of the valve body 32 by an elastic holding element 24 with reception means 28 , which is designed, for example, as a resilient holding plate with a reception bore, such that, upon contact with the storage piston 10 , the desired opening action is exerted on the closing element 20 designed as a ball 20 . The active opening force comes for the most part from the storage piston 10 or the second compression spring 15 , not from the holding element 24 . The tappet 22 , by means of its defined shape, may be held and guided in the leadthrough 35 , for example, in a definedly eccentric way.
The holding element 24 may, for example, be manufactured from metal, plastic, elastomer, etc. or any material combinations of these. In the exemplary embodiment illustrated, the holding element 24 for the tappet 22 is screwed to the valve body 32 via a fastening element 26 designed as a screw. Alternatively, other types of fastening, such as, for example, calking, clipping, one-part shaping, etc., are also possible. The designation “holding plate” is not intended to constitute any restriction to the form of the construction, but instead is a first favorable embodiment which, as well as maintaining position, also expresses the resilient, flexible action of the holding element 24 . Moreover, other, for example meander-shaped, radially cylindrical forms of construction may also be envisaged for the holding element 24 .
One advantage of the first exemplary embodiment is that a standard storage piston 10 can be used. Outlay and costs for a special piston can thus be avoided.
As is also clear from FIG. 2 , in the exemplary embodiment illustrated the storage piston 10 does not have a planar end face, but instead a curvature 11 in the form of a spherical segment. Alternatively, other expediently curved, if appropriate even irregular, nonuniform, stepped elevations of the end face of the storage piston are also possible. The midpoint of the spherical segment is advantageously a point about which the storage piston 10 mainly rotates when it deviates from its theoretically linear movement. What is achieved by the spherical segment is that the tappet 22 is always opened independently of the type of nonlinear movement of the storage piston 10 .
As is also evident from FIG. 1 , in the illustrated exemplary embodiment of the hydraulically controlled storage chamber valve 1 according to the disclosure the valve body 32 is mounted in the fluid block 2 or in the pump housing via a calking region 17 and is fixed in its position by a first holding calking 18 . In the exemplary embodiment illustrated, a stepped calking region 17 is formed on the valve body 32 . To produce the first holding calking 18 with the corresponding calking region 17 , material of the fluid subassembly 2 or of the pump housing is deformed plastically by means of a suitable calking tool, so as to form a preferably peripheral ledge which at least partially covers the calking region 17 .
The actuation of the storage chamber valve 1 takes place by means of the axial displacement of the storage piston 10 and the actuation of the closing element 20 via the tappet 22 . The storage piston 10 is guided in the stepped reception bore 4 in the fluid block 2 or pump housing via a sealing ring 16 and a guide ring 19 . The second prestressed compression spring 15 is arranged between the storage piston 10 and a closing cover 7 which is connected to the fluid block 2 or pump housing by a further holding calking 9 . To produce the further holding calking 9 with the closing cover 7 , material of the fluid subassembly 2 or of the pump housing is deformed plastically by means of a suitable calking tool, so as to form a preferably peripheral ledge which at least partially covers the margin of the closing cover 7 . Moreover, the underside of the storage piston 10 is connected to atmospheric pressure via an orifice 8 in the closing cover 7 . A storage chamber 5 of the storage chamber valve 1 is formed between the top side of the storage piston 10 and the valve body 32 . The storage chamber valve 1 is open in the pressureless state. This takes place via displacement of the storage piston 10 into an upper end position, brought about by the prestressed second compression spring 15 which acts upon the underside of the storage piston 10 .
During the operation of the hydraulic system, preferably of the hydraulic brake system for a motor vehicle, the spring force of the second compression spring 15 acts counter to the spring force of the first compression spring 14 and to the hydraulically active force on the storage piston 10 . In this case, an excess of hydraulic force causes displacement of the closing element 20 in the closing direction of the storage chamber valve 1 via the tappet 22 . The closing element 20 is in this case pressed into the valve seat 36 by the spring force of the first compression spring 14 . An excess of spring force of the second compression spring 15 causes displacement of the tappet/closing element combination in the opening direction of the storage chamber valve 1 . In this case, the closing element 20 is moved out of the valve seat 36 by the tappet 22 and the storage chamber valve 1 is opened. In the open state, the fluid can flow, virtually unimpeded, from a first fluid connection 6 , which is connected, for example, to a brake master cylinder, via the filter 34 and the open valve seat 36 to a fluid connection, not illustrated, which issues into the storage chamber 5 and is connected, for example, to a recirculating pump.
Embodiments of the present disclosure make available a storage chamber valve, the individual parts of which can advantageously be produced in a simplified way so that the production costs can be lowered. Furthermore, embodiments of the present disclosure make it possible to reduce the accuracy requirements in respect of the manufacture, assembly and design of the storage chamber valve, so that outlay and production costs can be further reduced and functional robustness can be increased.
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A hydraulically controlled storage chamber valve includes a closing element that is biased via a first compression spring. The closing element seals a valve seat in a valve body. A tappet protrudes through a bushing in the valve body and is movable by an accumulator piston that is loaded by a second compression spring that is configured to push the closing element out of the valve seat when a specified force ratio is present between spring bias forces and a hydraulically acting force. The tappet is fastened in a region of the bushing such that the tappet is movable in a longitudinal direction and lies flush with a face of the accumulator piston while moving.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/573,911 filed on Oct. 6, 2009. The entire disclosure of the above application is incorporated herein by reference.
FIELD
The present disclosure relates generally to hydraulic dampers or shock absorbers for use in a suspension system such as a suspension system used for automotive vehicles. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a digital damper valve which is combined with the conventional passive valve systems to determine the damping characteristics of the hydraulic damper.
BACKGROUND
This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
Shock absorbers are used in conjunction with automotive suspension systems to absorb unwanted vibrations which occur during driving. To absorb the unwanted vibrations, shock absorbers are generally connected between the sprung portion (body) and the unsprung portion (suspension) of the automobile. A piston is located within a pressure tube of the shock absorber and the pressure tube is connected to the unsprung portion of the vehicle. The piston is connected to the sprung portion of the automobile through a piston rod which extends through the pressure tube. The piston divides the pressure tube into an upper working chamber and a lower working chamber both of which are filled with hydraulic fluid. Because the piston is able, through valving, to limit the flow of the hydraulic fluid between the upper and the lower working chambers when the shock absorber is compressed or extended, the shock absorber is able to produce a damping force which counteracts the vibration which would otherwise be transmitted from the unsprung portion to the sprung portion of the vehicle. In a dual-tube shock absorber, a fluid reservoir or reserve chamber is defined between the pressure tube and a reserve tube. A base valve is located between the lower working chamber and the reserve chamber to also produce a damping force which counteracts the vibrations which would otherwise be transmitted from the unsprung portion of the vehicle to the sprung portion of the automobile.
As described above, for a dual-tube shock absorber, the valving on the piston limits the flow of damping fluid between the upper and lower working chambers when the shock absorber is extended to produce a damping load. The valving on the base valve limits the flow of damping fluid between the lower working chamber and the reserve chamber when the shock absorber is compressed to produce a damping load. For a mono-tube shock absorber, the valving on the piston limits the flow of damping fluid between the upper and lower working chambers when the shock absorber is extended or compressed to produce a damping load. During driving, the suspension system moves in jounce (compression) and rebound (extension). During jounce movements, the shock absorber is compressed causing damping fluid to move through the base valve in a dual-tube shock absorber or through the piston valve in a mono-tube shock absorber. A damping valve located on the base valve or the piston controls the flow of damping fluid and thus the damping force created. During rebound movements, the shock absorber is extended causing damping fluid to move through the piston in both the dual-tube shock absorber and the mono-tube shock absorber. A damping valve located on the piston controls the flow of damping fluid and thus the damping force created.
In a dual-tube shock absorber, the piston and the base valve normally include a plurality of compression passages and a plurality of extension passages. During jounce or compression movements in a dual-tube shock absorber, the damping valve or the base valve opens the compression passages in the base valve to control fluid flow and produce a damping load. A check valve on the piston opens the compression passages in the piston to replace damping fluid in the upper working chamber but this check valve does not contribute to the damping load. The damping valve on the piston closes the extension passages of the piston and a check valve on the base valve closes the extension passages of the base valve during a compression movement. During rebound or extension movements in a dual-tube shock absorber, the damping valve on the piston opens the extension passages in the piston to control fluid flow and produce a damping load. A check valve on the base valve opens the extension passages in the base valve to replace damping fluid in the lower working chamber but this check valve does not contribute to the damping load.
In a mono-tube shock absorber, the piston normally includes a plurality of compression passages and a plurality of extension passages. The shock absorber will also include means for compensating for the rod volume flow of fluid as is well known in the art. During jounce or compression movements in a mono-tube shock absorber, the compression damping valve on the piston opens the compression passages in the piston to control fluid flow and produce a damping load. The extension damping valve on the piston closes the extension passages of the piston during a jounce movement. During rebound or extension movements in a mono-tube shock absorber, the extension damping valve on the piston opens the extension passages in the piston to control fluid flow and produce a damping load. The compression damping valve on the piston closes the compression passages of the piston during a rebound movement.
For most dampers, the damping valves are designed as a normal close/open valve even though some valves may include a bleed flow of damping fluid. Because of this close/open design, these passive valve systems are limited in their ability to adjust the generated damping load in response to various operating conditions of the vehicle.
SUMMARY
This section provides a general summary of the disclosure, and is not a comprehensive disclosure of its full scope or all of its features.
A valve assembly for a shock absorber includes a digital valve assembly which is used in conjunction with the typical passive valve assembly. When the digital valve assembly is closed, a firm or high damping load is generated. Softer or lower damping loads are achieved through various combinations of the digital valve assembly working in conjunction with the passive valve assembly.
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
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.
FIG. 1 is an illustration of an automobile having shock absorbers which incorporate the valve design in accordance with the present disclosure;
FIG. 2 is a side view, partially in cross-section of a dual-tube shock absorber from FIG. 1 which incorporates the valve design in accordance with the present disclosure;
FIG. 3 is an enlarged side view, partially in cross-section, of the piston assembly from the shock absorber illustrated in FIG. 2 ;
FIG. 4 is an enlarged side view, partially in cross-section of the base valve assembly from the shock absorber illustrated in FIG. 2 ;
FIG. 5 is an enlarged side view, partially in cross-section of the digital valve assembly from the shock absorber illustrated in FIG. 2 ;
FIG. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional perspective view of the digital valve assembly illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 5 ;
FIG. 7 is a graph of force vs. velocity for the shock absorber illustrated in FIGS. 2-6 ;
FIG. 8 is a side view, partially in cross-section, of a mono-tube shock absorber which incorporates the valve design in accordance with the present disclosure;
FIG. 9 is an enlarged side view, partially in cross-section of the piston assembly shown in FIG. 8 ;
FIG. 10 is an enlarged cross-sectional perspective view of the digital valve assembly illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9 ;
FIG. 11 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a shock absorber and rod guide assembly in accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure;
FIG. 12 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the digital valve assembly illustrated in FIG. 11 ;
FIG. 13 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a piston rod assembly in accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure;
FIG. 14 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the digital valve assembly illustrated in FIG. 13 ;
FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional side view of a shock absorber assembly in accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure;
FIG. 16 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the digital valve assemblies illustrated in FIG. 15 ;
FIG. 17 is an enlarged cross-sectional perspective view of the base valve assembly illustrated in FIGS. 15 and 16 ;
FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view of a base valve assembly in accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure;
FIG. 19 is an enlarged cross-sectional perspective view of the base valve assembly illustrated in FIG. 18 ;
FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional view of a base valve assembly in accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure; and
FIG. 21 is an enlarged cross-sectional perspective view of the base valve assembly illustrated in FIG. 20 .
Corresponding reference numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The following description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the present disclosure, application, or uses. There is shown in FIG. 1 a vehicle incorporating a suspension system having shock absorbers, each of which incorporates a valve assembly in accordance with the present invention, and which is designated generally by the reference numeral 10 . Vehicle 10 includes a rear suspension 12 , a front suspension 14 and a body 16 . Rear suspension 12 has a transversely extending rear axle assembly (not shown) adapted to operatively support a pair of rear wheels 18 . The rear axle is attached to body 16 by means of a pair of shock absorbers 20 and by a pair of springs 22 . Similarly, front suspension 14 includes a transversely extending front axle assembly (not shown) to operatively support a pair of front wheels 24 . The front axle assembly is attached to body 16 by means of a pair of shock absorbers 26 and by a pair of springs 28 . Shock absorbers 20 and 26 serve to dampen the relative motion of the unsprung portion (i.e., front and rear suspensions 12 , 14 ) with respect to the sprung portion (i.e., body 16 ) of vehicle 10 . While vehicle 10 has been depicted as a passenger car having front and rear axle assemblies, shock absorbers 20 and 26 may be used with other types of vehicles or in other types of applications including, but not limited to, vehicles incorporating non-independent front and/or non-independent rear suspensions, vehicles incorporating independent front and/or independent rear suspensions or other suspension systems known in the art. Further, the term “shock absorber” as used herein is meant to refer to dampers in general and thus will include McPherson struts and other damper designs known in the art.
Referring now to FIG. 2 , shock absorber 20 is shown in greater detail. While FIG. 2 illustrates only shock absorber 20 , it is to be understood that shock absorber 26 also includes the valve assembly design described below for shock absorber 20 . Shock absorber 26 only differs from shock absorber 20 in the manner in which it is adapted to be connected to the sprung and unsprung masses of vehicle 10 . Shock absorber 20 comprises a pressure tube 30 , a piston assembly 32 , a piston rod 34 , a reserve tube 36 and a base valve assembly 38 .
Pressure tube 30 defines a working chamber 42 . Piston assembly 32 is slidably disposed within pressure tube 30 and divides working chamber 42 into an upper working chamber 44 and a lower working chamber 46 . A seal 48 is disposed between piston assembly 32 and pressure tube 30 to permit sliding movement of piston assembly 32 with respect to pressure tube 30 without generating undue frictional forces as well as sealing upper working chamber 44 from lower working chamber 46 . Piston rod 34 is attached to piston assembly 32 and extends through upper working chamber 44 and through a rod guide assembly 50 which closes the upper end of pressure tube 30 . The end of piston rod 34 opposite to piston assembly 32 is adapted to be secured to the sprung mass of vehicle 10 . Valving within piston assembly 32 controls the movement of fluid between upper working chamber 44 and lower working chamber 46 during movement of piston assembly 32 within pressure tube 30 . Because piston rod 34 extends only through upper working chamber 44 and not lower working chamber 46 , movement of piston assembly 32 with respect to pressure tube 30 causes a difference in the amount of fluid displaced in upper working chamber 44 and the amount of fluid displaced in lower working chamber 46 . The difference in the amount of fluid displaced is known as the “rod volume” and it flows through base valve assembly 38 .
Reserve tube 36 surrounds pressure tube 30 to define a fluid reservoir chamber 52 located between tubes 30 and 36 . The bottom end of reserve tube 36 is closed by a base cup 54 which is adapted to be connected to the unsprung mass of vehicle 10 . The upper end of reserve tube 36 is attached to rod guide assembly 50 . Base valve assembly 38 is disposed between lower working chamber 46 and reservoir chamber 52 to control the flow of fluid between chambers 46 and 52 . When shock absorber 20 extends in length, an additional volume of fluid is needed in lower working chamber 46 due to the “rod volume” concept. Thus, fluid will flow from reservoir chamber 52 to lower working chamber 46 through base valve assembly 38 as detailed below. When shock absorber 20 compresses in length, an excess of fluid must be removed from lower working chamber 46 due to the “rod volume” concept. Thus, fluid will flow from lower working chamber 46 to reservoir chamber 52 through base valve assembly 38 as detailed below.
Referring now to FIG. 3 , piston assembly 32 comprises a piston body 60 , a compression valve assembly 62 and a rebound valve assembly 64 . Compression valve assembly 62 is assembled against a shoulder 66 on piston rod 34 . Piston body 60 is assembled against compression valve assembly 62 and rebound valve assembly 64 is assembled against piston body 60 . A nut 68 secures these components to piston rod 34 .
Piston body 60 defines a plurality of compression passages 70 and a plurality of rebound passages 72 . Seal 48 includes a plurality of ribs 74 which mate with a plurality of annular grooves 76 to retain seal 48 during sliding movement of piston assembly 32 .
Compression valve assembly 62 comprises a retainer 78 , a valve disc 80 and a spring 82 . Retainer 78 abuts shoulder 66 on one end and piston body 60 on the other end. Valve disc 80 abuts piston body 60 and closes compression passages 70 while leaving rebound passages 72 open. Spring 82 is disposed between retainer 78 and valve disc 80 to bias valve disc 80 against piston body 60 . During a compression stroke, fluid in lower working chamber 46 is pressurized causing fluid pressure to react against valve disc 80 . When the fluid pressure against valve disc 80 overcomes the biasing load of spring 82 , valve disc 80 separates from piston body 60 to open compression passages 70 and allow fluid flow from lower working chamber 46 to upper working chamber 44 . Typically spring 82 only exerts a light load on valve disc 80 and compression valve assembly 62 acts as a check valve between chambers 46 and 44 . The damping characteristics for shock absorber 20 during a compression stroke are controlled in part by base valve assembly 38 which accommodates the flow of fluid from lower working chamber 46 to reservoir chamber 52 due to the “rod volume” concept. During a rebound stroke, compression passages 70 are closed by valve disc 80 .
Rebound valve assembly 64 is termed a passive valve assembly which comprises a spacer 84 , a plurality of valve discs 86 , a retainer 88 and a spring 90 . Spacer 84 is threadingly received on piston rod 34 and is disposed between piston body 60 and nut 68 . Spacer 84 retains piston body 60 and compression valve assembly 62 while permitting the tightening of nut 68 without compressing either valve disc 80 or valve discs 86 . Retainer 78 , piston body 60 and spacer 84 provide a continuous solid connection between shoulder 66 and nut 68 to facilitate the tightening and securing of nut 68 to spacer 84 and thus to piston rod 34 . Valve discs 86 are slidingly received on spacer 84 and abut piston body 60 to close rebound passages 72 while leaving compression passages 70 open. Retainer 88 is also slidingly received on spacer 84 and it abuts valve discs 86 . Spring 90 is assembled over spacer 84 and is disposed between retainer 88 and nut 68 which is threadingly received on spacer 84 . Spring 90 biases retainer 88 against valve discs 86 and valve discs 86 against piston body 60 . When fluid pressure is applied to valve discs 86 , they will elastically deflect at the outer peripheral edge to open rebound valve assembly 64 . A shim is located between nut 68 and spring 90 to control the preload for spring 90 and thus the blow off pressure as described below. Thus, the calibration for the blow off feature of rebound valve assembly 64 is separate from the calibration for compression valve assembly 62 .
During a rebound stroke, fluid in upper working chamber 44 is pressurized causing fluid pressure to react against valve discs 86 . Prior to the deflecting of valve discs 86 , a bleed flow of fluid flows through a bleed passage defined between valve discs 86 and piston body 60 . When the fluid pressure reacting against valve discs 86 overcomes the bending load for valve discs 86 , valve discs 86 elastically deflect opening rebound passages 72 allowing fluid flow from upper working chamber 44 to lower working chamber 46 . The strength of valve discs 86 and the size of rebound passages will determine the damping characteristics for shock absorber 20 in rebound. When the fluid pressure within upper working chamber 44 reaches a predetermined level, the fluid pressure will overcome the biasing load of spring 90 causing axial movement of retainer 88 and the plurality of valve discs 86 . The axial movement of retainer 88 and valve discs 86 fully opens rebound passages 72 thus allowing the passage of a significant amount of damping fluid creating a blowing off of the fluid pressure which is required to prevent damage to shock absorber 20 and/or vehicle 10 .
Referring to FIG. 4 , base valve assembly 38 comprises a valve body 92 , a compression valve assembly 94 and a rebound valve assembly 96 . Compression valve assembly 94 and rebound valve assembly 96 are attached to valve body 92 using a bolt 98 and a nut 100 . The tightening of nut 100 biases compression valve assembly 94 towards valve body 92 . Valve body 92 defines a plurality of compression passages 102 and a plurality of rebound passages 104 .
Compression valve assembly 94 is termed a passive valve assembly which comprises a plurality of valve discs 106 that are biased against valve body 92 by bolt 98 and nut 100 . During a compression stroke, fluid in lower working chamber 46 is pressurized and the fluid pressure within compression passages 102 reacts against valve discs 106 . Prior to the deflection of valve discs 106 , a bleed flow of fluid will flow through a bleed passage defined between valve discs 106 and valve body 92 . The fluid pressure reacting against valve discs 106 will eventually open compression valve assembly 94 by deflecting valve discs 106 in a manner similar to that described above for rebound valve assembly 64 . Compression valve assembly 62 will allow fluid flow from lower working chamber 46 to upper working chamber 44 and only the “rod volume” will flow through compression valve assembly 94 . The damping characteristics for shock absorber 20 are determined in part by the design of compression valve assembly 94 of base valve assembly 38 .
Rebound valve assembly 96 comprises a valve disc 108 and a valve spring 110 . Valve disc 108 abuts valve body 92 and closes rebound passages 104 . Valve spring 110 is disposed between nut 100 and valve disc 80 to bias valve disc 108 against valve body 92 . During a rebound stroke, fluid in lower working chamber 46 is reduced in pressure causing fluid pressure in reservoir chamber 52 to react against valve disc 108 . When the fluid pressure against valve disc 108 overcomes the biasing load of valve spring 110 , valve disc 108 separates from valve body 92 to open rebound passages 104 and allow fluid flow from reservoir chamber 52 to lower working chamber 46 . Typically valve spring 110 exerts only a light load on valve disc 108 and compression valve assembly 94 acts as a check valve between reservoir chamber 52 and lower working chamber 46 . The damping characteristics for a rebound stroke are controlled in part by rebound valve assembly 64 as detailed above.
Referring now to FIGS. 5 and 6 , rod guide assembly 50 is illustrated in greater detail. Rod guide assembly 50 comprises a rod guide housing 120 , a seal assembly 122 , a retainer 124 and a digital valve assembly 126 .
Rod guide housing 120 is assembled into pressure tube 30 and into reserve tube 36 . Seal assembly 122 and retainer 124 are assembled to rod guide housing 120 and reserve tube 36 is rolled or formed over as illustrated at 128 to retain rod guide assembly 50 . A bushing 130 assembled into rod guide housing 120 accommodates for the sliding motion of piston rod 34 while also providing for a seal for piston rod 34 . A fluid passage 132 extends through rod guide housing 120 to allow fluid communication between upper working chamber 44 and digital valve assembly 126 as discussed below.
Digital valve assembly 126 is a two position valve assembly which has a different flow area in each of the two positions. Digital valve assembly 126 comprises a valve housing 140 , a sleeve 142 , a spool 144 , a spring 146 and a coil assembly 148 . Valve housing 140 defines a valve inlet 150 which is in communication with upper working chamber 44 through fluid passage 132 and a valve outlet 152 which is in fluid communication with reservoir chamber 52 . While this embodiment and other embodiments described later include spring 146 in the digital valve assemblies, it is within the scope of the present disclosure to use digital valve assemblies that do not include spring 146 . Digital valve assemblies that do not include spring 146 are moved between their two positions by reversing the current or reversing the polarity of the power provided to the digital valve assembly.
Sleeve 142 is disposed within valve housing 140 . Sleeve 142 defines an annular inlet chamber 154 which is in communication with valve inlet 150 and a pair of annular outlet chambers 156 and 158 which are in communication with valve outlet 152 .
Spool 144 is slidingly received within sleeve 142 and axially travels within sleeve 142 between coil assembly 148 and a stop puck 160 disposed within sleeve 142 . Spring 146 biases spool 144 away from coil assembly 148 and towards stop puck 160 . A shim 162 is disposed between coil assembly 148 and sleeve 142 to control the amount of axial motion for spool 144 . A first O-ring seals the interface between stop puck 160 , sleeve 142 and valve housing 140 . A second O-ring seals the interface between coil assembly 148 , sleeve 142 and rod guide housing 120 .
Spool 144 defines a first flange 164 which controls fluid flow between annular inlet chamber 154 and annular outlet chamber 156 and a second flange 166 that controls fluid flow between annular inlet chamber 154 and annular outlet chamber 158 . Flanges 164 and 166 thus control fluid flow from upper working chamber 44 to reservoir chamber 52 .
Coil assembly 148 is disposed within sleeve 142 to control the axial movement of spool 144 . The wiring connections for coil assembly 148 can extend through rod guide housing 120 , through sleeve 142 , through valve housing 140 and/or through reserve tube 36 . When there is no power provided to coil assembly 148 , the damping characteristics will be defined by the flow area of digital valve assembly 126 in its first position, piston assembly 32 and base valve assembly 38 . The movement of spool 144 is controlled by supplying power to coil assembly 148 to move digital valve assembly to its second position. Digital valve assembly 126 can be kept in its second position by continuing to supply power to coil assembly 148 or by providing means for retaining digital valve assembly 126 in its second position and discontinuing the supply of power to coil assembly 148 . The means for retaining digital valve assembly 126 in its second position can include mechanical means, magnetic means or other means known in the art. Once in its second position, movement to the first position can be accomplished by terminating power to coil assembly 148 or by reversing the current or reversing the polarity of the power supplied to coil assembly 148 to overcome the retaining means. The amount of flow through digital valve assembly 126 has discrete settings for flow control in both the first position and the second position. While the present disclosure is described using only one digital valve assembly 126 , it is within the scope of the disclosure to use a plurality of digital valve assemblies 126 . When multiple digital valve assemblies 126 are used, the total flow area through the plurality of digital valve assemblies 126 can be set at a specific number of total flow areas depending on the position of each individual digital valve assemblies 126 . The specific number of total flow areas can be defined as being 2 n flow areas where n is the number of digital valve assemblies 126 . For example, if four digital valve assemblies 126 , the number of total flow areas available would be 2 4 or sixteen flow areas.
FIG. 7 discloses a force vs. velocity curve for shock absorber 20 . Line A represents the bleed flow and the firm setting when digital valve assembly 126 is closed. Line B represents the bleed flow and the combination of the passive valving in piston assembly 32 or base valve assembly 38 in combination with a first opening degree of digital valve assembly 126 . Line C represents the bleed flow and the combination of the passive valving in piston assembly 32 or base valve assembly 38 in combination with a second opening degree of digital valve assembly 126 greater than the first opening degree. Line D represents the bleed flow and the combination of the passive valving in piston assembly 32 or base valve assembly 38 in combination with a fully opened digital valve assembly 126 .
Fluid will flow through digital valve assembly 126 will occur both during a rebound or extension stroke and during a compression stroke. During a rebound or extension stroke, fluid in upper working chamber 44 is pressurized which then forces fluid flow through digital valve assembly 126 when it is opened. During a compression stroke, fluid flows from lower working chamber 46 to upper working chamber 44 through piston assembly 32 due to the “rod volume” concept. When digital valve assembly 126 is opened, an open flow path between upper working chamber 44 and reservoir chamber 52 is created. Additional fluid flow will flow through piston assembly 32 and through digital valve assembly 126 because this open flow path creates the path of least resistance to reservoir chamber 52 in comparison to flow through base valve assembly 38 .
Referring now to FIG. 8-10 , a mono-tube shock absorber 220 in accordance with the present invention is illustrated. Shock absorber 220 can replace either shock absorber 20 or shock absorber 26 by modifying the way it is adapted to be connected to the sprung mass and/or the unsprung mass of the vehicle. Shock absorber 220 comprises a pressure tube 230 , a piston assembly 232 and a piston rod assembly 234 .
Pressure tube 230 defines a working chamber 242 . Piston assembly 232 is slidably disposed within pressure tube 230 and divides working chamber 242 into an upper working chamber 244 and a lower working chamber 246 . A seal 248 is disposed between piston assembly 232 and pressure tube 230 to permit sliding movement of piston assembly 232 with respect to pressure tube 230 without generating undue frictional forces as well as sealing upper working chamber 244 from lower working chamber 246 . Piston rod assembly 234 is attached to piston assembly 232 and it extends through upper working chamber 244 and through an upper end cap or rod guide 250 which closes the upper end of pressure tube 230 . A sealing system seals the interface between rod guide 250 , pressure tube 230 and piston rod assembly 234 . The end of piston rod assembly 234 opposite to piston assembly 232 is adapted to be secured to the sprung mass of vehicle 10 . The end of pressure tube 230 opposite to rod guide 250 is closed by a base cup 254 which is adapted to be connected to the unsprung mass of vehicle 10 .
A compression valve assembly 256 associated with piston assembly 232 is termed a passive valve assembly which controls movement of fluid between lower working chamber 246 and upper working chamber 244 during compression movement of piston assembly 232 within pressure tube 230 . The design for compression valve assembly 256 controls in part the damping characteristics for shock absorber 220 during a compression stroke. An extension valve assembly 258 associated with piston assembly 232 is termed a pressure valve assembly which controls movement of fluid between upper working chamber 244 and lower working chamber 246 during extension or rebound movement of piston assembly 232 within pressure tube 230 . The design for extension valve assembly 258 controls in part the damping characteristics for shock absorber 220 during an extension or rebound stroke.
Because piston rod assembly 234 extends only through upper working chamber 244 and not lower working chamber 246 , movement of piston assembly 232 with respect to pressure tube 230 causes a difference in the amount of fluid displaced in upper working chamber 244 and the amount of fluid displaced in lower working chamber 246 . The difference in the amount of fluid displaced is known as the “rod volume” and compensation for this fluid is accommodated by a piston slidably disposed within pressure tube 230 and located between lower working chamber 246 and a compensation chamber 260 . Typically compensation chamber 260 is filled with a pressurized gas and the piston moves within pressure tube 230 to compensate for the “rod volume” concept.
Referring now to FIG. 9 , piston assembly 232 comprises a piston body 262 , compression valve assembly 256 and extension valve assembly 258 . Compression valve assembly 256 is assembled against a shoulder 266 on piston rod assembly 234 . Piston body 262 is assembled against compression valve assembly 256 and extension valve assembly 258 is assembled against piston body 262 . A nut 268 secures these components to piston rod assembly 234 .
Piston body 262 defines a plurality of compression passages 270 and a plurality of rebound passages 272 . Seal 248 includes a plurality of ribs 274 which mate with a plurality of annular grooves 276 to retain seal 248 during sliding movement of piston assembly 232 .
Compression valve assembly 256 is termed a passive valve assembly which comprises a retainer 278 , a valve disc 280 and a spring 282 . Retainer 278 abuts shoulder 266 on one end and piston body 262 on the other end. Valve disc 280 abuts piston body 262 and closes compression passages 270 while leaving rebound passages 272 open. Spring 282 is disposed between retainer 278 and valve disc 280 to bias valve disc 280 against piston body 262 . During a compression stroke, fluid in lower working chamber 246 is pressurized causing fluid pressure to react against valve disc 280 . Prior to the opening of valve disc 280 , a bleed flow of fluid will flow through a bleed passage defined by valve disc 280 and piston body 262 . When the fluid pressure against valve disc 280 overcomes the biasing load of spring 282 , valve disc 280 separates from piston body 262 to open compression passages 270 and allow fluid flow from lower working chamber 246 to upper working chamber 244 . The damping characteristics for shock absorber 220 during a compression stroke are controlled by compression valve assembly 256 . During a rebound stroke, compression passages 270 are closed by valve disc 280 .
Extension valve assembly 258 is termed a passive valve assembly which comprises a spacer 284 , a plurality of valve discs 286 , a retainer 288 and a spring 290 . Spacer 284 is threadingly received on piston rod assembly 234 and is disposed between piston body 262 and nut 268 . Spacer 284 retains piston body 262 and compression valve assembly 256 while permitting the tightening of nut 268 without compressing either valve disc 280 or valve discs 286 . Retainer 278 , piston body 262 and spacer 284 provide a continuous solid connection between shoulder 266 and nut 268 to facilitate the tightening and securing of nut 268 to spacer 284 and thus to piston rod assembly 234 . Valve discs 286 are slidingly received on spacer 284 and abut piston body 262 to close rebound passages 272 while leaving compression passages 270 open. Retainer 288 is also slidingly received on spacer 284 and it abuts valve discs 286 . Spring 290 is assembled over spacer 284 and is disposed between retainer 288 and nut 268 which is threadingly received on spacer 284 . Spring 290 biases retainer 288 against valve discs 286 and valve discs 286 against piston body 262 . When fluid pressure is applied to valve discs 286 , they will elastically deflect at the outer peripheral edge to open extension valve assembly 258 . A shim 296 is located between nut 268 and spring 290 to control the preload for spring 290 and thus the blow off pressure as described below. Thus, the calibration for the blow off feature of extension valve assembly 258 is separate from the calibration for compression valve assembly 256 .
During a rebound stroke, fluid in upper working chamber 244 is pressurized causing fluid pressure to react against valve discs 286 . Prior to the deflection of valve discs 286 , a bleed flow of fluid will flow through a bleed passage defined by valve discs 286 and piston body 262 . When the fluid pressure reacting against valve discs 286 overcomes the bending load for valve discs 286 , valve discs 286 elastically deflect opening rebound passages 272 allowing fluid flow from upper working chamber 244 to lower working chamber 246 . The strength of valve discs 286 and the size of rebound passages will determine the damping characteristics for shock absorber 220 in rebound. When the fluid pressure within upper working chamber 244 reaches a predetermined level, the fluid pressure will overcome the biasing load of spring 290 causing axial movement of retainer 288 and the plurality of valve discs 286 . The axial movement of retainer 288 and valve discs 286 fully opens rebound passages 272 thus allowing the passage of a significant amount of damping fluid creating a blowing off of the fluid pressure which is required to prevent damage to shock absorber 220 and/or vehicle 10 .
Referring now to FIG. 10 , piston rod assembly 234 is illustrated in greater detail. Piston rod assembly 234 comprises a piston rod 298 and a digital valve assembly 300 . Piston rod 298 is a hollow piston rod that defines an internal bore 302 within which digital valve assembly 300 is located. An inlet passage 304 extends through the lower post portion of piston rod 298 to allow communication between lower working chamber 246 and internal bore 302 . One or more outlet passages 306 extend through piston rod 298 to allow communication between upper working chamber 244 and internal bore 302 .
Digital valve assembly 300 is a two position valve assembly which has a different flow area in each of the two positions. Digital valve assembly 300 comprises a sleeve 312 , a plurality of spools 144 , a plurality of springs 146 , a plurality of coil assemblies 148 and a circuit board 314 . Sleeve 312 defines a valve inlet 320 which is in communication with lower working chamber 246 through inlet passage 304 ; a valve outlet 322 which is in communication with upper working chamber 244 through outlet passages 306 ; a plurality of annular inlet chambers 324 each of which is in communication valve inlet 320 ; and a pair of annular outlet chamber 326 , 328 associated with each inlet chamber 324 and each of which is in communication with valve outlet 322 .
Each spool 144 is slidingly received within sleeve 312 and axially travels within sleeve 312 between a respective coil assembly 148 and a respective stop puck 160 disposed within sleeve 312 . Each spring 146 biases a respective spool 144 away from coil assembly 148 and towards stop puck 160 . A respective shim 162 is disposed between each coil assembly 148 and each spool 144 to control the amount of axial motion for spool 144 . A first O-ring seals the interface between stop puck 160 , sleeve 142 and piston rod 298 . A second O-ring seals the interface between coil assembly 148 , sleeve 142 and circuit board 314 .
Spool 144 defines first flange 164 which controls fluid flow between a respective annular inlet chamber 324 and a respective annular outlet chamber 326 and second flange 166 that controls fluid flow between the respective annular inlet chamber 324 and a respective annular outlet chamber 328 . Flanges 164 and 166 thus control fluid flow between upper working chamber 244 and lower working chamber 246 .
Each coil assembly 148 is disposed within sleeve 312 to control the axial movement of a respective spool 144 . The wiring connections for coil assemblies 148 extend to circuit board 314 and then through internal bore 302 of piston rod 298 . Circuit board 314 is disposed in internal bore 302 immediately above sleeve 312 . An O-ring seals the interface between circuit board 314 and piston rod 298 . While circuit board 314 is illustrated as being in internal bore 302 , it is within the scope of the present disclosure to locate circuit board 314 external to shock absorber 220 . When there is no power provided to coil assemblies 148 , the damping characteristics will be defined by the flow area of each digital valve assembly 300 in its first position and piston assembly 232 . The movement of each spool 144 is controlled by supplying power provided to each coil assembly 148 to move the respective digital valve assembly to its second position. Digital valve assemblies 300 can be kept in the second position by continuing to supply power to each coil assembly 148 or by providing means for retaining digital valve assemblies 300 in the second position and discontinuing the supply of power to each coil assembly 148 . The means for retaining each digital valve assembly 300 in its second position can include mechanical means, magnetic means or other means known in the art. Once in its second position, movement to the first position can be accomplished by terminating power to each coil assembly 148 or by reversing the current or reversing the polarity of the power supplied to each coil assembly 148 to overcome the retaining means. The amount of flow through each digital valve assembly 300 has discrete settings for flow control in both the first position and the second position. While the present disclosure is described using multiple digital valve assemblies 300 , it is within the scope of the disclosure to use one digital valve assembly 300 . When multiple digital valve assemblies 300 are used, the total flow area through the plurality of digital valve assemblies 300 can be set at a specific number of total flow areas depending on the position of each individual digital valve assemblies 300 . The specific number of total flow areas can be defined as being 2 n flow areas where n is the number of digital valve assemblies 300 . For example, if four digital valve assemblies 300 , the number of total flow areas available would be 2 4 or sixteen flow areas.
The force vs. velocity curve for shock absorber 20 illustrated in FIG. 7 is applicable to shock absorber 220 . The curves A, B, C and D illustrated in FIG. 7 are achieved using digital valve assembly 300 .
Referring now to FIGS. 11-12 , a rod guide assembly 400 in accordance with the present disclosure is illustrated. Rod guide assembly 400 can be used in place of rod guide assembly 50 . Rod guide assembly 400 comprises a rod guide housing 420 , a seal assembly 422 , and a plurality of digital valve assemblies 426 .
Rod guide housing 420 is assembled into pressure tube 30 and into reserve tube 36 . Seal assembly 422 is assembled to rod guide housing 420 and reserve tube 36 is rolled or formed over as illustrated at 428 to retain rod guide assembly 400 . One or more bushings 430 assembled into rod guide housing 420 accommodates for the sliding motion of piston rod 34 while also providing for a seal for piston rod 34 . A fluid passage 432 extends through rod guide housing 420 to allow fluid communication between upper working chamber 44 and digital valve assembly 426 as discussed below. A fluid passage 434 extends through rod guide housing 420 to allow fluid communication between digital valve assembly 426 and reservoir chamber 52 . A plurality of seal ports 436 extend through rod guide housing 420 to accommodate the flow of fluid between piston rod 34 and bushings 430 .
Each digital valve assembly 426 is identical and thus only one digital valve assembly 426 will be described. It is to be understood that the description below applies to all digital valve assemblies used in rod guide assembly 400 . Digital valve assembly 426 is a two position valve assembly which has a different flow area in each of the two positions. Digital valve assembly 426 comprises a sleeve 442 , spool 144 , spring 146 and coil assembly 148 . Sleeve 442 is disposed within a valve port 450 defined by rod guide housing 420 . Sleeve 442 defines an annular inlet chamber 454 which is in communication with fluid passage 432 and a pair of annular outlet chambers 456 and 458 which are in communication with fluid passage 434 .
Spool 144 is slidingly received within sleeve 442 and axially travels within sleeve 442 between coil assembly 148 and stop puck 160 disposed within sleeve 442 . Spring 146 biases spool 144 away from coil assembly 148 and towards stop puck 160 . Shim 162 is disposed between coil assembly 148 and spool 144 to control the amount of axial motion for spool 144 . A first O-ring seals the interface between stop puck 160 and a retainer 460 secured to sleeve 442 . A second O-ring seals the interface between coil assembly 148 and a retainer 462 secured to sleeve 442 .
Spool 144 defines first flange 164 which controls fluid flow between annular inlet chamber 454 and annular outlet chamber 456 and second flange 166 that controls fluid flow between annular inlet chamber 454 and annular outlet chamber 458 . Flanges 164 and 166 thus control fluid flow from upper working chamber 44 to reservoir chamber 52 .
Coil assembly 148 is disposed within sleeve 442 to control the axial movement of spool 144 . The wiring connections for coil assembly 148 can extend through rod guide housing 420 , through sleeve 442 and/or through reserve tube 36 . When there is no power provided to coil assembly 148 , the damping characteristics will be defined by the flow area of digital valve assembly 426 in its first position, piston assembly 32 and base valve assembly 38 . The movement of spool 144 is controlled by supplying power to coil assembly 148 to move digital valve assembly to its second position. Digital valve assembly 426 can be kept in its second position by continuing to supply power to coil assembly 148 or by providing means for retaining digital valve assembly 426 in its second position and discontinuing the supply of power to coil assembly 148 . The means for retaining digital valve assembly 426 in its second position can include mechanical means, magnetic means or other means known in the art. Once in its second position, movement to the first position can be accomplished by terminating power to coil assembly 148 or by reversing the current or reversing the polarity of the power supplied to coil assembly 148 to overcome the retaining means. The amount of flow through digital valve assembly 426 has discrete settings for flow control in both the first position and the second position. While the present disclosure is described using a plurality of digital valve assemblies 426 , it is within the scope of the disclosure to use a single digital valve assembly 426 . Similar to rod guide assembly 50 , digital valve assemblies 426 control damping loads in both extension and compression strokes for shock absorber 20 . When multiple digital valve assemblies 426 are used, the total flow area through the plurality of digital valve assemblies 426 can be set at a specific number of total flow areas depending on the position of each individual digital valve assemblies 426 . The specific number of total flow areas can be defined as being 2 n flow areas where n is the number of digital valve assemblies 426 . For example, if four digital valve assemblies 426 , the number of total flow areas available would be 2 4 or sixteen flow areas.
The force vs. velocity curve for shock absorber 20 illustrated in FIG. 7 is applicable to shock absorber 20 when it incorporates rod guide assembly 400 in place of rod guide assembly 50 . The curves A, B, C and D illustrated in FIG. 7 are achieved using digital valve assemblies 426 .
Seal assembly 422 includes a check seal 470 which allows fluid to flow from the interface between piston rod 34 and bushings 430 to reservoir chamber 52 through seal ports 436 and fluid passage 434 but prohibit fluid flow from reservoir chamber 52 or fluid passage 434 through seal ports 436 to the interface between piston rod 34 and bushings 430 . The upper portion of sleeve 442 , above retainer 462 defines a flow passage 472 to allow fluid flow from seal ports 436 to reach fluid passage 434 and thus reservoir chamber 52 .
Referring now to FIGS. 13 and 14 , a piston rod assembly 500 in accordance with the present disclosure is illustrated. Piston rod assembly 500 can be used in place of piston rod assembly 234 . Piston rod assembly 500 comprises a piston rod 508 and a plurality of digital valve assemblies 510 . Piston rod 508 is a hollow piston rod that defines an internal bore 512 within which the plurality of digital valve assemblies 510 are located. An inlet passage 514 extends through the lower post portion of piston rod 508 to allow communication between lower working chamber 246 and internal bore 512 . One or more outlet passages 516 extend through piston rod 508 to allow communication between upper working chamber 244 and internal bore 512 .
As illustrated in FIG. 13 , the plurality of digital valve assemblies 510 are stacked atop each other within internal bore 512 . Each digital valve assembly 510 is identical and thus, only one digital valve assembly will be described. It is to be understood that the description below applies to all digital valve assemblies 510 used in piston rod assembly 500 .
Digital valve assembly 510 is a two position valve assembly which has a different flow area in each of the two positions. Digital valve assembly 510 comprises a sleeve 522 , spool 144 , spring 146 and coil assembly 148 . A single circuit board 524 is utilized for the plurality of digital valve assemblies 510 . Sleeve 522 defines a valve inlet 530 which is in communication with lower working chamber 246 through inlet passage 514 ; a valve outlet 532 which is in communication with upper working chamber 244 through outlet passages 516 ; an annular inlet chamber 534 each of which is in communication valve inlet 530 ; and a pair of annular outlet chamber 536 , 538 associated with inlet chamber 534 and each of which is in communication with valve outlet 532 .
Each spool 144 is slidingly received within sleeve 522 and axially travels within sleeve 522 between coil assembly 148 and stop puck 160 disposed within sleeve 522 . Spring 146 biases spool 144 away from coil assembly 148 and towards stop puck 160 . Shim 162 is disposed between coil assembly 148 and sleeve 522 to control the amount of axial motion for spool 144 . A first O-ring seals the interface between stop puck 160 and a washer 540 attached to sleeve 522 . A second O-ring seals the interface between coil assembly 148 and a washer 542 attached to sleeve 522 .
Spool 144 defines first flange 164 which controls fluid flow between annular inlet chamber 534 and annular outlet chamber 536 and second flange 166 that controls fluid flow between annular inlet chamber 534 and annular outlet chamber 538 . Flanges 164 and 166 thus control fluid flow between upper working chamber 244 and lower working chamber 246 .
Coil assembly 148 is disposed within sleeve 522 to control the axial movement of spool 144 . The wiring connections for coil assembly 148 extend to circuit board 524 and then through internal bore 512 of piston rod 508 . Circuit board 524 is disposed in internal bore 302 immediately above the plurality of digital valve assemblies 510 . An O-ring seals the interface between circuit board 524 and piston rod 508 . While circuit board 524 is illustrated as being in internal bore 512 , it is within the scope of the present disclosure to locate circuit board 524 external to shock absorber 220 .
When there is no power provided to coil assemblies 148 , the damping characteristics will be defined by the flow area of digital valve assemblies 510 in the first position and piston assembly 232 . The movement of each spool 144 is controlled by supplying power to each coil assembly 148 to move digital valve assemblies 510 to the second position. Digital valve assemblies 510 can be kept in the second position by continuing to supply power to each coil assembly 148 or by providing means for retaining digital valve assemblies 510 in the second position and discontinuing the supply of power to coil assemblies 148 . The means for retaining digital valve assemblies 510 in the second position can include mechanical means, magnetic means or other means known in the art. Once in the second position, movement to the first position can be accomplished by terminating power to each coil assembly 148 or by reversing the current or reversing the polarity of the power supplied to each coil assembly 148 to overcome the retaining means. The amount of flow through each digital valve assembly 510 has discrete settings for flow control in both the first position and the second position. While the present disclosure is described using multiple digital valve assemblies 510 , it is within the scope of the disclosure to use one digital valve assembly 510 . When multiple digital valve assemblies 510 are used, the total flow area through the plurality of digital valve assemblies 510 can be set at a specific number of total flow areas depending on the position of each individual digital valve assemblies 510 . The specific number of total flow areas can be defined as being 2 n flow areas where n is the number of digital valve assemblies 510 . For example, if four digital valve assemblies 510 , the number of total flow areas available would be 2 4 or sixteen flow areas.
The force vs. velocity curve for shock absorber 20 illustrated in FIG. 7 is applicable to shock absorber 220 in cooperation with the plurality of digital valve assemblies 510 . The curves A, B, C and D illustrated in FIG. 7 are achieved using digital valve assemblies 510 .
Referring now to FIGS. 15 and 16 , a shock absorber 620 in accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure is illustrated. Shock absorber 620 can replace shock absorber 20 or 220 . Shock absorber 620 comprises a pressure tube 630 , piston assembly 32 , piston rod 34 , a reserve tube 636 , a base valve assembly 638 , an intermediate tube 640 and a plurality of digital valve assemblies 642 . While shock absorber 620 is illustrated having a plurality of digital valve assemblies 642 , it is within the scope of the present disclosure to utilize a single digital valve assembly 642 .
Pressure tube 630 defines a working chamber 644 . Piston assembly 32 is slidably disposed within pressure tube 630 and divides working chamber 644 into an upper working chamber 646 and a lower working chamber 648 . A seal is disposed between piston assembly 32 and pressure tube 630 to permit sliding movement of piston assembly 32 with respect to pressure tube 630 without generating undue frictional forces as well as sealing upper working chamber 646 from lower working chamber 648 . Piston rod 34 is attached to piston assembly 32 and extends through upper working chamber 646 and through an upper rod guide assembly 650 which closes the upper end of pressure tube 630 . A sealing system seals the interface between upper rod guide assembly 650 , reserve tube 636 and piston rod 34 . The end of piston rod 34 opposite to piston assembly 32 is adapted to be secured to the sprung mass of vehicle 10 . Because piston rod 34 extends only through upper working chamber 646 and not lower working chamber 648 , extension and compression movements of piston assembly 32 with respect to pressure tube 630 causes a difference in the amount of fluid displaced in upper working chamber 646 and the amount of fluid displaced in lower working chamber 648 . The difference in the amount of fluid displaced is known as the “rod volume” and during extension movements it flows through base valve assembly 638 . During a compression movement of piston assembly 32 with respect to pressure tube 630 , valving within piston assembly 32 allow fluid flow from lower working chamber 648 to upper working chamber 646 and the “rod volume” of fluid flow flows through digital valve assemblies 642 and/or fluid flow will flow through base valve assembly 638 as described below.
Reserve tube 636 surrounds pressure tube 630 to define a fluid reservoir chamber 652 located between tubes 640 and 636 . The bottom end of reserve tube 636 is closed by a base cup 654 which, with the lower portion of shock absorber 620 , is adapted to be connected to the unsprung mass of vehicle 10 . The upper end of reserve tube 636 is attached to intermediate tube 640 but it could extend up to upper rod guide assembly 650 . Base valve assembly 638 is disposed between lower working chamber 648 and reservoir chamber 652 to control the flow of fluid from reservoir chamber 652 to lower working chamber 648 . When shock absorber 620 extends in length, an additional volume of fluid is needed in lower working chamber 648 due to the “rod volume” concept. Thus, fluid will flow from reservoir chamber 652 to lower working chamber 648 through base valve assembly 638 as detailed below. When shock absorber 620 compresses in length, an excess of fluid must be removed from lower working chamber 648 due to the “rod volume” concept. Thus, fluid will flow from lower working chamber 648 to reservoir chamber 652 through digital valve assemblies 642 and/or through base valve assembly 438 as detailed below.
Piston assembly 32 is described above for shock absorber 20 and the description of that embodiment applies here also.
Base valve assembly 638 is the same as base valve assembly 38 described above except that valve body 92 in base valve assembly 38 is replaced by valve body 692 for base valve assembly 638 . Valve body 692 is the same as valve body 92 in relation to compression valve assembly 94 and rebound valve assembly 96 . Valve body 692 is different from valve body 92 in that valve body 692 defines a plurality of cylinder end ports 694 each of which accepts a respective digital valve assembly 642 as described below.
Intermediate tube 640 engages upper rod guide assembly 650 on an upper end and it engages valve body 692 at its opposite end. An intermediate chamber 696 is defined between intermediate tube 640 and pressure tube 630 . A passage 698 is formed in upper rod guide assembly 650 for fluidly connecting upper working chamber 646 and intermediate chamber 696 .
Referring to FIGS. 16 and 17 , the operation of shock absorber 620 will be described when digital valve assemblies 642 contribute to the damping characteristics for shock absorber 620 . As discussed above, when no power is provided to digital valve assemblies 642 , the damping characteristics are provided by piston assembly 32 during an extension stroke and base valve assembly 638 during a compression stroke. During a rebound or extension stroke, compression valve assembly 62 closes the plurality of compression passages 70 and fluid pressure within upper working chamber 646 increases. Fluid is forced from upper working chamber 646 , through passage 698 , into intermediate chamber 696 to reach digital valve assemblies 642 .
During a compression stroke, compression valve assembly 62 will open to allow fluid flow from lower working chamber 648 to upper working chamber 646 . Due to the “rod volume” concept, fluid in upper working chamber 646 will flow from upper working chamber 646 , through passage 698 , into intermediate chamber 696 to reach digital valve assemblies 642 .
The plurality of digital valve assemblies 642 are the same and only one digital valve assembly 642 will be described. It is to be understood that the description below applies to all of digital valve assemblies 642 . Digital valve assembly 642 is a two position valve assembly which has a different flow area in each of the two positions. Digital valve assembly 642 comprises a sleeve 742 , spool 144 , a spring 146 and coil assembly 148 . Sleeve 742 defines a valve inlet 750 which is in communication with intermediate chamber 696 and a valve outlet 752 which is in fluid communication with reservoir chamber 652 .
Sleeve 742 is disposed within cylinder end port 694 of valve body 692 . Sleeve 742 defines an annular inlet chamber 754 which is in communication with valve inlet 750 and a pair of annular outlet chambers 756 and 758 which are in communication with valve outlet 752 .
Spool 144 is slidingly received within sleeve 742 and axially travels within sleeve 742 between coil assembly 148 and a stop puck 760 disposed within sleeve 742 . Spring 146 biases spool 144 away from coil assembly 148 and towards stop puck 760 . A shim 762 is disposed between coil assembly 148 and sleeve 742 to control the amount of axial motion for spool 144 . A first O-ring seals the interface between stop puck 760 , sleeve 742 and a first retainer 764 attached to sleeve 742 . A second O-ring seals the interface between coil assembly 148 , sleeve 742 and a second retainer 766 attached to sleeve 742 .
Spool 144 defines first flange 164 which controls fluid flow between annular inlet chamber 754 and annular outlet chamber 756 and second flange 166 that controls fluid flow between annular inlet chamber 754 and annular outlet chamber 758 . Flanges 164 and 166 thus control fluid flow from intermediate chamber 696 to reservoir chamber 652 .
Coil assembly 148 is disposed within sleeve 742 to control the axial movement of spool 144 . The wiring connections for coil assembly 148 can extend through valve body 692 , through sleeve 742 , through base cup 654 and/or through reserve tube 636 . When there is no power provided to coil assembly 148 , the damping characteristics will be defined by the flow area of digital valve assembly 642 in its first position, piston assembly 32 and base valve assembly 638 . The movement of spool 144 is controlled by supplying power to coil assembly 148 to move digital valve assembly 642 to its second position. Digital valve assembly 642 can be kept in its second position by continuing to supply power to coil assembly 148 or by providing means for retaining digital valve assembly 642 in its second position and discontinuing the supply of power to coil assembly 148 . The means for retaining digital valve assembly 642 in its second position can include mechanical means, magnetic means or other means known in the art. Once in its second position, movement to the first position can be accomplished by terminating power to coil assembly 148 or by reversing the current or reversing the polarity of the power supplied to coil assembly 148 to overcome the retaining means. The amount of flow through digital valve assembly 642 has discrete settings for flow control in both the first position and the second position. While the present disclosure is described using multiple digital valve assemblies 642 , it is within the scope of the disclosure to use one digital valve assembly 642 . When multiple digital valve assemblies 642 are used, the total flow area through the plurality of digital valve assemblies 642 can be set at a specific number of total flow areas depending on the position of each individual digital valve assemblies 642 . The specific number of total flow areas can be defined as being 2 n flow areas where n is the number of digital valve assemblies 642 . For example, if four digital valve assemblies 642 , the number of total flow areas available would be 2 4 or sixteen flow areas.
The force vs. velocity curve for shock absorber 20 illustrated in FIG. 7 is applicable to shock absorber 620 in cooperation with the plurality of digital valve assemblies 642 . The curves A, B, C and D illustrated in FIG. 7 are achieved using digital valve assemblies 642 .
Referring now to FIGS. 18 and 19 , a base valve assembly 838 in accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure is illustrated. Base valve assembly 838 is a replacement for base valve assembly 638 . Base valve assembly 838 is the same as base valve assembly 838 except for valve body 692 . Valve body 692 in base valve assembly 638 has been replaced with valve body 844 in base valve assembly 838 . Valve body 844 defines a plurality of cylinder end ports 846 each of which accepts a respective digital valve assembly 642 . The operation and function of base valve assembly 838 is the same as that described above for base valve assembly 638 .
Referring now to FIGS. 20 and 21 , a base valve assembly 938 in accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure is illustrated. Base valve assembly 938 is a replacement for base valve assembly 638 . Base valve assembly 938 is the same as base valve assembly 638 except for valve body 692 and digital valve assembly 642 . Valve body 692 in base valve assembly 638 has been replaced with valve body 944 in base valve assembly 938 and digital valve assembly 642 has been replaced with a digital valve assembly 948 . Valve body 944 defines a plurality of cylinder end ports 946 each of which accepts a respective digital valve assembly 948 . Digital valve assembly 948 is the same as digital valve assembly 642 except that sleeve 742 is replaced by sleeve 950 . Sleeve 950 is the same as sleeve 742 except that valve outlet 752 of sleeve 742 is replaced by valve outlet 952 of sleeve 950 . Valve outlet 752 of sleeve 742 is open along the entire axial length of sleeve 742 . Outlet 952 of sleeve 950 is open only at the bottom surface of sleeve 950 .
Digital valve assembly 948 is disposed within intermediate chamber 696 as illustrated in FIG. 20 . Intermediate tube 640 is enlarged as shown at 960 to accommodate digital valve assembly 948 . The operation and function of base valve assembly 938 is the same as that described above for base valve assembly 638 .
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.
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A shock absorber has a compression valve assembly that provides a high damping load during a compression stroke and an extension valve assembly that provides a high damping load during an extension stroke. One or more digital valve assemblies is positioned to work in parallel with the compression valve assembly and the extension valve assembly to provide a lower damping load. The lowering of the damping load is based upon the cross sectional area of flow passages provided by the one or more digital valve assemblies.
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BACKGROUND
[0001] The entertainment lighting industry is serviced by a number of different manufacturers. Common connectors are often used so that different units can be interchanged. For example, a controller from Company A may be used to control a light from Company B. A lighting designer, who is often not associated with either company, may select components, making it crucial that the units interconnect.
[0002] Therefore, different de-facto standards of connectors are often found. The standard connectors, however, may be used with different voltages. For example, units are often used with 120 volt power supplies for incandescent fixtures, for example. Other units, for example for arc type light fixtures, often use 208 volts, usually via a 2 phase supply. Systems may also use 220 volts or other voltages.
[0003] Standard 19 pin cables and connectors are currently used industrywide to distribute electrical power to six circuit loads of lighting instruments that usually handle up to 20 amperes. These connectors are often called Socapex connectors. Many different types and different brands of these connectors are in use. One of these is available from the assignee of this application, TMB, Inc.
[0004] A representative one of these connectors is diagrammed in FIGS. 1A-1D . FIGS. 1A and 1B show a female version of the connector in which female contacts 100 are placed in a substantially concentric array, around a central pin 19 . The male connector is shown in FIGS. 1C and 1D and includes the male pins 105 which mate with the respective female pins 19 . Any male connector of this type can be plugged into any female connector of this type.
[0005] A standard wiring layout of these cables is also typically used. The standard wiring that is used is in Table 1.
TABLE 1 CIRCUIT NUMBER HOT NEUTRAL GROUND Circuit 1 pin 1 pin 2 pin 13 Circuit 2 pin 3 pin 4 pin 14 Circuit 3 pin 5 pin 6 pin 15 Circuit 4 pin 7 pin 8 pin 16 Circuit 5 pin 9 pin 10 pin 17 Circuit 6 pin 11 pin 12 pin 18
SUMMARY
[0006] The present inventors recognized that the standard cables and connectors which were originally used for 120 volt systems have been increasingly used in both 120 volt and 208 volt systems. The same form factor connector is therefore used for both voltages: 120 volts and 208 volts. While this is convenient for maintaining inventory of different lights, the practice may be dangerous since it allows connection of 120 volt light to a 208 volt supply. This can damage the light. It can also be dangerous to personnel, since the cables and units often are supplied with a voltage that the insulation was not intended to handle.
[0007] The present system teaches a special modification to a standard connector that prevents inadvertent mating between different voltages in a single connector style.
[0008] In an embodiment, special inserts are used to mark connectors to determine whether they are used for 120 volt or 208 volt use. The inserts may be removable, and may prevent 120 volts lighting systems from being connected into a 208 volt supply.
[0009] In an embodiment, an unused pin is designated as a “key way” to set whether the system is intended for 208 volt or 120 volt. The pins allow 208 volt connectors to be connected to one another. However, 120 volt lights/loads are configured in a way that prevents them from being connected to 208 volt supplies.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] These and other aspects will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
[0011] FIGS. 1A-1D show a generic version of the pin Socapex connectors;
[0012] FIG. 2 shows a female connector with a plugged keyway;
[0013] FIG. 3 shows a male connector with a key portion;
[0014] FIG. 4 shows a female connector with an open keyway;
[0015] FIG. 5 shows a retrofit set.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0016] Many standard connectors, including the Socapex connector, have unused pins, or extra supply and/or ground or pins. According to the present system, the unused pins are fitted with one of three different items, and the fit between the items effectively forms a keyway that prevents lower voltage loads, e.g., 110 volt lights, from being connected to higher voltage supplies, e.g., 208 volt sources.
[0017] In an embodiment, the connector has a spare central pin. FIG. 2 shows a version of the connector, configured for a 208 volt female connector with its central pin blocked. Effectively, each female 19 pin connector with the plug installed is designated as being for 208 volts. 19 pins are provided, with each of the pins such as 200 , including a metal contact therein for connection to a corresponding supply of power. However, the central unused pin, here designated as 205 , is blocked with a special plug that fills within the contact hole and prevents insertion of any pin into that central contact hole.
[0018] The male connector is also correspondingly coded. FIG. 3 shows a male connector which is coded for 120 volt use. A special pin 300 is inserted into the central unused contact portion of the male connector. This codes the male connector as a 120 volt connector. Note that this 120 volt coded male connector, has a centrally extending pin 300 in the corresponding location to the plug in the female connector. Therefore, this (110 volt coded) male connector cannot be inserted correspondingly into the 208 volt coded (plugged) female connector 200 . Rather, the extending pin 300 prevents its connection into the wrong kind of connector such as 200 .
[0019] However, connector 300 can in fact be inserted into a corresponding female connector which has been coded for 120 volts. FIG. 4 shows a corresponding female connector 400 with a metal pin 405 inserted in the central hole. The metal pin 405 includes a central aperture within which the outer portion of the pin 300 can connect. Therefore, the connector 299 can in fact mate with the connector 400 , but can not mate with the connector 99 .
[0020] Many of these connectors are sold, as shown, with the metal contacts either removed or separately available. Whether removed or not, however, each of these contacts may be modified and/or retrofitted using the connector set 500 that is shown in FIG. 5 . The connector set 500 includes a first plug 505 , which is sized to fit within the central hole and 205 shown in FIG. 2 . One of the plugs 505 is placed within an unused pin of the female connector of the 208 volt supply.
[0021] A keyway pin 510 is also provided which has a threaded shank 515 . The shank 515 may be used to hold the keyway pin into place within the connector. A key way pin 510 is configured to go within the unused pin of the male connector. The surfaces of keyway pin 510 prevent it from being inserted into a connector which has its central hole plugged.
[0022] The female keyway pin 520 is placed within the central hole of 120 volt supply connector. The female keyway pin 520 has a central hole 525 which is sized to receive the outer surface of the keyway pin 510 therein. In this way, a keyway pin 510 can fit entirely within the central orifice 525 . Note that both the keyway pin 510 and the female key way pin 520 include insertion force relief ends 522 , which facilitate the connection of one of the pins into the other.
[0023] In this way, the physical layout of the connectors mechanically prevents a 120 volt lamp connector from being inserted into a 208 volt supply connector, even though the two connectors each have the same form factor. A yellow rubber band may also be included with the set, marked “warning 208 volts”, and supplied for fitting over the 208 volt designated connectors.
[0024] The above has described one embodiment of this system. However, it should be understood that this basic idea could be used with many other connectors within the entertainment lighting industry. For example, while only 120 and 208 volts are described, it should be understood that the basic system can be used with different voltage pins. This may include 220 volts, or 440 volts or other voltages.
[0025] Also, this system allows a 208 volt light to be connected into a 120 volt supply, since this will typically not cause dangers, and at worst, the light will simply not operate. However, other keyways can be used in a similar way.
[0026] In addition, the position of the plugs and pins can be reversed.
[0027] This system is also usable with other formats of connectors, as long as the connector includes a spare pin. The spare can be in the center as in this connector, or may be in any other location. For systems with a common ground, this may also be used in a pin that does not have a spare pin, by using the pins/plug arrangement in place of one of redundant power or ground connections.
[0028] The above has described using the keyway to prevent a higher voltage supply to a lower voltage system. However, it can also be used to prevent different kinds of incompatable voltages from being used. For example, the pins can be used to prevent an AC unit from being powered with a DC source or vice versa. It can also be used to prevent incompatable signals from being provided, also. Any other prevention can also be done, which allows preventing a unit which needs a first kind of electricity from receiving a second kind of electricity.
[0029] All such modifications are intended to be encompassed within the following claims, in which:
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A dual voltage connector having keyway portions enabling protection of the connector against unintentionally using it with a long voltage. A higher voltage version of the connector, which supplies the voltage, is protected. In a female version of the connector, a plug is placed in the higher voltage portion of the connector.
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CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application is a continuation in part of a previously filed, copending United States utility patent application entitled “Suspension Ceiling Clips and Installation Method,” Ser. No. 09/993,983, filed Nov. 16, 2001, and owned by the same assignee as in this case.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] Our invention relates generally to systems for suspending and supporting decorations including strings of Christmas lights or other miscellaneous objects from elevated structures including residential dwellings, office buildings, and the like. More particularly, the invention relates to a system preferably used for hanging strings of decorative lights with multiple, resilient support clips that are remotely quick-fitted to structures such as gutters or the like, and which includes appropriate hand-operated installation apparatus for manipulating the clips and installing the wiring from the ground. Known prior art systems that are pertinent to the invention can be found in United States Patent Class 248, Subclasses 74.2, 223.41; Class 294, Subclass 24; Class 362 Subclass 396; and Class 428, Subclass 99.
[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0005] Outdoor lighting displays are quite popular during major holidays such as Christmas. Both commercial and non-commercial light displays involving diverse designs, colors and features are becoming increasingly common. Displays of multi-colored lights take on a variety of forms, and they may be applied to trees, shrubbery, exterior portions of buildings, signs, posts and other miscellaneous structures. Most residential, decorative lighting displays are temporary. Homeowners commonly install desired chains of colored lights before or slightly after the Thanksgiving Holiday, and then remove them after New Years Day. Many retail establishments, including specialty stores and smaller shops, also use temporary decorative lights on a seasonal basis. However, the popularity and complexity of vivid, colorful lighting displays is increasing—displays are often erected for other occasions, such as the Fourth of July, Halloween etc. Considerable electrical lengths of decorative wiring are frequently suspended along the roofline of residences. For example, it is common to attach strings of lights to gutters at the roof edges. Quite often, extension ladders are used by the installer to reach these elevated and otherwise inaccessible places. Installation can be difficult, time consuming, and vexatious. Possible detrimental weather conditions during the winter months aggravate installation problems.
[0006] Concurrently, large-scale light displays involving hundreds or thousands of lights are becoming increasingly popular. Gigantic displays, involving substantial creativity and artistic input, necessitate multiple electrical strands, each with bulbs of varying colors, sizes, and intensity. The installation of huge displays engenders extra effort, as lines of lights are often arranged and rearranged by “trial and error” methods to achieve the desired aesthetic impression. Where multiple, alternative configurations are deployed, the work effort increases dramatically, as strings of lights may be deployed, evaluated, and then taken down for adjustments and redeployment in alternative configurations. The efficiency of the installation and removal processes is critical.
[0007] Access to suitable support structures, including residential gutters, trees, and the like is often difficult. Extension ladders are heavy and cumbersome to handle. Commercial scaffolding arrangements are time consuming and often too expensive to use. Improper use of smaller stepladders or stools invite accident and injury. Not surprisingly, hand tools with elongated handles that facilitate installation of decorative lights from the ground or floor have previously been developed.
[0008] For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,560,975, issued Oct. 1, 1996, discloses a pole-operated system for installing decorative lights upon elevated structures while the operator stays on the ground. Decorative strings of lights are manipulated by an adaptor suspended from and controlled by an elongated pole. Resilient “hooks” are removably installed upon structure to be decorated to hold strands of bulbs. A finger projecting from the adaptor penetrates a ring that is integral with each hook to aid in handling and installation. Legs emanating from each hook ring facilitate engagement of the hook upon tree branches, roof gutter structure, or the like. Each hook has a curved, lower lip that removably supports the decorative wiring once the hook is deployed.
[0009] Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,964,489 issued Oct. 12, 1999 shows a pole-operated hook structure that facilitates the placement of decorations, including ornaments or decorative light strands. The pole controls a unique hook that enables manipulation of both the ornament and wire to be installed, and the elevated support structure that will hold it.
[0010] U.S. Pat. No. 6,352,291 issued Mar. 5, 2002 depicts another system for remotely affixing and removing decorative strands of lights upon a roof, a gutter, a tree, etc. An elongated pole-like implement supports a remote, U-shaped cradle that manipulates wire strands. A downwardly oriented hook facilitates proper positioning of the wiring. Temporary hangers or clips are used to support the wiring.
[0011] Other analogous pole-controlled systems for installing decorative lighting or other ornaments are seen in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,713,617, 6,227,584, and 6,425,614. In addition, analogous pole-operative tools for mounting various items to suspended ceilings are seen in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,135,692, 5,052,733, 5,188,332, 5,267,764, 5,247,725, 5,632,519, 5,938,255, and 6,048,010.
[0012] Finally, numerous resilient clips for supporting strands of decorative lights are known in the art. These diverse designs presumably may be manipulated and installed with or without special manipulating poles similar to those described above. In this regard attention is directed to U.S. Utility Pat. Nos. 3,181,827, 3,193,229, 3,438,604, 3,540,687, 3,599,916, 3,599,918, 4,905,131, 5,056,747, 5,388,802, 5,496,005, 5,566,058, and 5,581,956. Furthermore, resilient clips of this general character are illustrated in U.S. Design Pat. Nos. D325,866, D356,246, D376,535, D414,291, and D427,510.
[0013] Known installation tools for erecting strands of decorative lights have several disadvantages. For one thing, roof designs are of varying dimensions and configurations, and many differently shaped gutters exist. In other words, the vertical cross-sections of different residential gutters can vary, complicating the required design for any clip or hook that is to be snap-fitted to the gutter. While “universal” clips have been proposed in the art, some gutters are sufficiently different from the norm that available clips will not easily “snap-fit” to the gutter structure for a stable mount. Thus, even when affixed to available edge portions of the gutter or roofline, some clips do not assume a desired, uniform orientation. On the other hand, some buildings are not equipped with gutters at all. Clips designed with resilient fingers or prongs or legs that are designed to resiliently snap-fit to available structure often cannot be deployed upon available, flat surfaces. Furthermore, the efficiency of known application tools used to install prior art “clip” or “hooks” to irregular surfaces or structures is low. Another problem is that conventional, pole-operated clip-installation tools are insufficiently dexterous to remove clips or hooks that have been forcibly installed upon irregular structures or surfaces for which they were not designed. As a result, some clips cannot be easily removed while the user stands in a safe position on the ground.
[0014] Another problem is that the higher one tries to reach, the more difficult it can become to manipulate a hand tool. Tools having moving parts such as compressible jaws or the like require substantial activation forces. This makes it difficult to manipulate or remove a wire-mounting clip, or the wiring held thereby, when working at maximum elevations. Another problem is that some prior art tools are incomplete, forcing the installer to use various hand tools in addition to the clips and parts already required.
[0015] In a typical situation where the installer cannot reach the tallest part of the structure upon which the lights are to be installed, one must use a ladder or other elevating structure. Of course, the closer to ground that the user stands, the more stable is his or her support. Thus, adequate installing systems must enable the user to remain stably supported as close to the ground as possible. Furthermore, valuable time is lost when, because of the inaccessible orientation of the structure to be decorated, the user's stand or stool must be frequently repositioned to enable access to target regions being decorated. A suitable system must readily facilitate access to as wide a region to be decorated as possible, to minimize the number of times that the stool or other stand must be repositioned.
[0016] Thus a rapidly deployable pole and clip system that accommodates vastly different applications, including roofs, gutters, and other structures of varying dimensions, elevations, and configurations is highly advantageous.
[0017] Such a system must include clips of appropriate configurations and dimensions to handle those real-world applications that are likely to be encountered in the field. The installation tools must reliably and non-destructively handle not only the suspension clips, but the wiring strands and lights to be erected. Furthermore, the clips must be readily capable of removal. Of course the installation tool must adequately enable disassembly—hard to reach clips that are to be removed should be easily “snapped” out of engagement with the gutter where desired. Suitable clips must be inexpensive and lightweight, and at the same time, strong and dependable. The use of complex metallic tools with compound parts should be avoided. Finally, the entire system must be readily capable of dependable and safe use by a single person standing as close as possible to the ground, without dangerously overextending himself or herself upon a step stool or the like.
[0018] Resilient, preferably plastic clips and tools that accomplish these goals, and an apparatus and method for installing and/or removing them, are proposed.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0019] Our invention comprises a system broadly adapted for deploying decorative strands of lighting from elevated objects or structures such as roof lines, gutters or the like. The preferred system, adapted to be packaged and sold as a kit, enables decorative lighting strings to be installed (and then removed) by a single person safely and efficiently from a stable position as close as possible to the ground. Our system is ideal for installing Christmas lights, but numerous other items including various forms of decorations and/or electrical wiring can be easily mounted upon available structures. Installation is readily accomplished without deploying cumbersome extension ladders, scaffolding, or heavy, unwieldy lifting equipment.
[0020] Our system uses a conventional, elongated pole for remotely accessing elevated objects or locations to be decorated. The other parts are injection molded from plastic. An installation nut screws onto the pole for remotely manipulating our accessory tools that control and deploy our wire-holding clips. One of our quick-connect tools is specially designed to control our wire-holding clips during installation. Another system accessory tool strings the decorative wiring amongst previously deployed clips, and manipulates the decorative wiring for removal. Two different wire-clip designs are provided. One gutter clip snap fits to conventional, residential rain gutters to suspend decorative wiring. We also provide a “peel-and-stick” adhesive clip for applications lacking gutters. The adhesive clips are pressed against and thus stuck to available flat surfaces.
[0021] The preferred, two-piece steel pole is extensible, and it terminates in a suitable thread, similar to a common ACME thread. Many common household, metal or wooden poles like those used with mops, rakes, brooms or the like will work with our system, as long as the pole terminates in a suitable thread for quick, threadable connection to our preferred installation nut. The pole-mounted installation nut provides a means for quick connecting the various accessory tools that deploy our clips and/or manipulate decorative light strands. The preferred installation nut resembles a cylindrical barrel in shape. Opposite, spaced apart sides of the nut comprise receptacles to which preferred system accessory tools “quick-connect”. Preferably the nut receptacles have elongated, captivating slots to which the accessory tools are releasably coupled, without the need for hand tools or the like. Alternatively, the accessory tools may be threadably coupled to nut top through a suitable orifice.
[0022] Our wire-holding clips are preferably deployed upon or adjacent elevated locations with our preferred, clip controller. The resilient clip controller, shaped generally like a question mark, has an upper, outwardly-projecting, horizontal prong for temporarily penetrating and releasably engaging wiring clips to be installed. The lower, vertical portion of the controller comprises a pair of flexible, parallel legs. These legs are spaced apart from each other across a channel that facilitates flexing. To install the controller, the legs are inserted into the installation nut receptacle channel, and the two parts are simply pushed together. When the controller's legs slide down far enough within the channel, special detents that are integral with the legs emerge from the nut. After the legs snap apart slightly, the detents yieldably captivate the controller within the installation nut.
[0023] After the controller is snap-fitted to the nut, the controller prong may be temporality pressed into engagement with a chosen clip. With the help of the pole, clips are lifted to a desired location for installation, and oriented properly for application. Gutter clips moved into a position proximate a gutter may be snap fitted to its edges; adhesive clips may be simply pressed upon a desired flat surface. After a clip is installed, sideways movement of the clip controller will disassociate it from a clip as its prong withdraws. Installed gutter clips, which will remain firmly attached, may later be removed by a reversal of the process.
[0024] Once the clips are pre-installed, the wiring strands may be deployed. Our special wire controller tool mounts to the pole and installation nut the same way the clip controller does. First, the clip controller is removed by pinching the legs together, clearing its integral leg detents, and then pulling the controller and it apart. The wire tool is then installed. Preferably, it comprises an elongated, body with a pair of upper, arcuate arms. One arm has an upwardly facing recess for lifting wiring, and the oppositely curved arm is ideal for pulling wires downwardly into the deployed clips. The wire tool has a pair of downwardly projecting legs similar to those of the clip controller. During installation, the legs are fitted within the installation nut slot, and when fully inserted, integral, projecting detents will emerge from the nut bottom and allow the legs to pop apart. The wire tool will thus be resiliently captivated within the nut. Afterwards, when it is desired to change tools, the leg feet need merely be pinched slightly together to compress the detents, and free the tool for removal.
[0025] The preferred gutter clip comprises a central baseplate, an integral, upper latch projecting towards the lip of the gutter, an integral, lower foot, and an integral, outwardly angled cradle for holding the wiring. The generally rectangular baseplate functions as a frame, and when the clip is properly deployed, it is oriented vertically. The latch comprises a horizontal arm integrally projecting away from the baseplate. The arm terminates in an integral barb that engages the gutter lip for mounting. The gutter clip foot projects away from the baseplate and contacts the gutter to bias and tension the arrangement, enabling the clip to resiliently, snap-fit to the target.
[0026] The resilient cradle extends away from the gutter clip baseplate on the opposite side of the arm and foot. The cradle comprises a pair of interconnected, arcuate segments, and it terminates in an outer tab. An open throat between the cradle tab and the baseplate admits the wiring to be installed. Importantly, a semicircular controller region is defined between the larger cradle arcuate segment and the baseplate. This region is adapted to be yieldably penetrated by the clip installer prong to temporarily captivate and manipulate a clip.
[0027] The adhesively-backed clip is designed to be pressed against and stuck to available flat surfaces. Each adhesive clip comprises a baseplate that supports an integral, outwardly projecting cradle. The resilient, angled cradle comprises an arcuate segment terminating in an integral, outer tab. As with the gutter clip, a semicircular controller region is defined between the cradle and the baseplate for engagement by the clip controller prong during installation. As before, a throat is defined between the cradle tab and the baseplate surface for supporting wiring extending between the clips. Unlike the gutter clips, each adhesive clip has an adhesive layer on the underside of the baseplate that is normally covered by a peel-away sheet. Prior to installing an adhesive clip captivated by the clip controller, the sheet is peeled away, and the clip is press-fitted to the desired target with the aid of the pole.
[0028] In the best mode, all clips have numerous, integral, transverse cylindrical bosses traversing their width. These bosses facilitate ejection from the high-speed mold. Additionally, the spaced apart bosses reinforce the clips, adding substantial strength and durability to prevent breakage.
[0029] Thus, a basic object of our invention is to provide a streamlined technique for installing and/or uninstalling decorative strings of lights upon or within various structures, enclosures, buildings, residences, or the like.
[0030] Another fundamental object is to provide an installation method and apparatus for stringing Christmas lights and decorations.
[0031] A similar object is to provide resilient plastic clips that can be easily deployed upon gutters or other support structure for receiving and reliably holding decorative strings of lights.
[0032] Yet another object is to provide a simple, multi-piece system of the character described that may be used by a single individual for installing decorative light strings, while stably positioning himself or herself as close as possible to the ground, the floor, or other horizontal supporting surface.
[0033] Another related object is to provide resilient wire-holding clips that can be quickly snap-fitted to conventional, residential gutters.
[0034] Another object of our invention is to provide a pole-like tool that enables a single person to install and/or uninstall not only the resilient holding clips, but also the wiring that is supported by the clips.
[0035] Another object is to provide a safe method for mounting decorative light strings, and for pre-attaching the clips used to support the wires, to available roof structures such as rain gutters, without ladders, stools, lifting equipment, scaffolding or similar elevating structure.
[0036] Yet another simple object of our invention is to provide a resilient clip that snap-fits to conventional gutters, and which is capable of remote control from a safe position upon the ground.
[0037] A related object is to provide an alternative clip that adhesively sticks to available flat surfaces, which are present on walls, windows, eaves, conventional gutters, and the like.
[0038] A further object is to provide a manipulating tool of the character described that can be employed with common household poles bearing common threads, similar to common ACME threads.
[0039] Another important object is to avoid special tools or equipment utilizing compound parts or heavy metal components.
[0040] Yet another important object is to provide a simple method enabling the installation of Christmas lights either outside upon a building, or inside.
[0041] A still further object of our invention is to provide a clip of the character described that is strong, lightweight, and dependable, and which, when installed, provides an aesthetically pleasing appearance.
[0042] A still further object is to provide a decorating system of the character described that is equally suited for either outdoors or inside light displays.
[0043] A related object is to provide a highly adaptable and dexterous wiring installation system adapted to readily decorate a variety of structures other than buildings, including parked vehicles, signs, and a variety of natural or man-made objects.
[0044] These and other objects and advantages of the present invention, along with features of novelty appurtenant thereto, will appear or become apparent in the course of the following descriptive sections.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
[0045] In the following drawings, which form a part of the specification and which are to be construed in conjunction therewith, and in which like reference numerals have been employed throughout wherever possible to indicate like parts in the various views:
[0046] [0046]FIG. 1 is a fragmentary, diagrammatic and pictorial view showing portions of a conventional roof line and gutter, showing an installation pole and tool, and a plurality of spaced-apart mounting clips;
[0047] [0047]FIG. 2 is a fragmentary, plan view of the gutter and installation apparatus of FIG. 1;
[0048] [0048]FIG. 3 is an enlarged, fragmentary, side view showing the gutter and installation apparatus;
[0049] [0049]FIG. 4 is an enlarged, plan view derived from circled region 4 in FIG. 3, showing a gutter clip disposed in an intermediate position as it is installed upon the gutter;
[0050] [0050]FIG. 5 is an enlarged, fragmentary isometric view showing the installation apparatus and a clip disposed in an installed position upon a gutter;
[0051] [0051]FIG. 6 is an enlarged, frontal isometric view of the preferred gutter clip;
[0052] [0052]FIG. 7 is a top plan view of the gutter clip of FIG. 6;
[0053] [0053]FIG. 8 is a left side elevational view of the gutter clip;
[0054] [0054]FIG. 9 is a right side elevational view of the gutter clip;
[0055] [0055]FIG. 10 is an end elevational view of the gutter clip;
[0056] [0056]FIG. 11 is an enlarged, isometric view of the preferred clip controller tool;
[0057] [0057]FIG. 12 is an exploded isometric view showing the clip controller tool in a moved position immediately prior to insertion into the preferred installation tool;
[0058] [0058]FIG. 13 is an isometric view showing the clip controller tool fitted to the installation tool;
[0059] [0059]FIG. 14 is an isometric view similar to FIG. 13, but showing a gutter clip temporarily captivated by the clip controller;
[0060] [0060]FIG. 15 is a right side elevational view of the clip controller, the left side comprising a mirror image thereof;
[0061] [0061]FIG. 16 is a rear elevational view of the clip controller;
[0062] [0062]FIG. 17 is a front elevational view of the clip controller;
[0063] [0063]FIG. 18 is a top plan view of the clip controller;
[0064] [0064]FIG. 19 is a fragmentary, isometric and diagrammatic view similar to FIG. 1, but showing the clip controller mounting an adhesive clip upon a gutter;
[0065] [0065]FIG. 20 is an enlarged, fragmentary side elevational view of the apparatus of FIG. 19;
[0066] [0066]FIG. 21 is an enlarged, frontal isometric view of the preferred adhesive clip, with a portion of the rear adhesive backing partially displaced;
[0067] [0067]FIG. 22 is a side elevational view of the adhesive clip, the opposite side comprising a mirror image thereof;
[0068] [0068]FIG. 23 is a rear plan view of the adhesive clip, with portions thereof broken away, moved, or shown in section for clarity;
[0069] [0069]FIG. 24 is a front plan view of the adhesive clip;
[0070] [0070]FIG. 25 is a top plan view of the adhesive clip;
[0071] [0071]FIG. 26 is a bottom plan view of the adhesive clip;
[0072] [0072]FIG. 27 is an enlarged, frontal isometric view of the preferred wire tool;
[0073] [0073]FIG. 28 is an enlarged, elevational view of the wire tool inserted and seated within the installation receptacle;
[0074] [0074]FIG. 29 is an exploded, isometric view showing the wire tool portioned to be inserted into the installation receptacle;
[0075] [0075]FIG. 30 is an isometric view of the wire tool inserted and seated within the installation receptacle nut;
[0076] [0076]FIG. 31 is a fragmentary, diagrammatic and pictorial view illustrating the deployment of wiring to a plurality of previously mounted gutter clips;
[0077] [0077]FIG. 32 is a bottom plan view of the preferred installation nut;
[0078] [0078]FIG. 33 is a longitudinal sectional view of the nut taken generally along line 33 - 33 of FIG. 32;
[0079] [0079]FIG. 34 is an enlarged, fragmentary, bottom isometric view of the preferred nut;
[0080] [0080]FIG. 35 is a partially exploded and fragmentary isometric view showing how an optional bolt may be captivated within the installation nut;
[0081] [0081]FIG. 36 is an partially fragmentary, sectional view of the apparatus of FIG. 35;
[0082] [0082]FIG. 37 is an isometric view of an alternative embodiment wherein a modified wire tool is screw-attached to the preferred nut; and,
[0083] [0083]FIG. 38 is an isometric view of an alternative embodiment wherein a modified clip controller is screw-attached to the preferred nut.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0084] Referring now to the appended drawings, a building 50 , upon which decorative lights are to be installed, has been schematically illustrated in FIG. 1. Building 50 may comprise a single-family or multi-family residence, a commercial building, temporary shed or the like. Building 50 comprises a conventional roof 52 structurally separated from an outer, vertically oriented wall 54 . An elongated gutter 56 is disposed above wall 54 proximate the lowermost edges of roof 52 for collecting and redirecting rain water in the usual fashion. Our system, generally designated by the reference numeral 59 , is partially illustrated in FIG. 1. As explained in detail hereinafter, one incarnation of our system 59 enables an applicator to install strings of Christmas lights upon gutter 56 , while stably positioned as close as possible to either the ground 58 , an interior floor, or some equivalent generally, horizontal, supporting surface. As explained in detail later, alternative configurations of the concept enable decorative wires to be installed upon and supported by flat surfaces, such as the outer surface of wall 54 (FIG. 1).
[0085] Referring jointly to FIGS. 1 and 2, system 59 has deployed a plurality of resilient, gutter clips 60 , at spaced-apart intervals along the length of the gutter 56 . As described in adequate detail hereinafter, system 59 broadly comprises a conventional, elongated pole 64 that remotely controls not only the installation of the gutter clips 60 and/or adhesive clips 66 (i.e., FIGS. 21 - 24 ) to be described later, but subsequent deployment of the desired light strings that are suspended from the clips. Moreover, gutter clips 60 can be removed with the same equipment where necessary. Pole 64 is preferably extensible. However, common household poles, like those used with mops for example, can be used, as long as one end terminates with an appropriate thread 63 (i.e., FIG. 35) that is similar to an ACME thread. A resilient, barrel-like installation nut 70 is threadably coupled to pole 64 to aid the installation process. Tool accessories described later herein may be releasably fitted to nut 70 for ultimately controlling either clips 60 or 66 . For example, FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate the preferred clip-controller tool that is releasably fitted to nut 70 to manipulate the desired gutter clips 60 . Alternatively, a wire tool 74 (i.e., FIGS. 27, 29) adapted to be temporality fitted to nut 70 manipulates wire strands, and guides them towards engagement with the gutter clips 60 or adhesive clips 66 .
[0086] As seen in FIGS. 3 - 5 , pole 64 supports nut 70 and the clip controller 72 , which temporarily hold a clip 60 to be installed upon gutter 56 . Alternatively, a plurality of adhesive clips 66 (FIG. 21) may be installed by controller 72 upon a variety of available flat surfaces, as illustrated generally in FIGS. 19, 20. After the predetermined quantities of clips 60 and/or are thusly installed, wire tool 74 (i.e., FIGS. 28 - 30 ) may be substituted for clip controller 72 , and the light strands 80 (FIG. 31) may be manipulated into engagement with the chosen clips. Wire tool 74 allows the user to either install Christmas lights or remove them from the various clips that are preinstalled in an orderly, elevated arrangement upon the building or other item to be decorated.
[0087] The preferred gutter clip 60 (FIGS. 6 - 10 ) can assume a variety of specific configurations, and it can be constructed from a variety of materials. In the best mode known to us at this time, gutter clips 60 are injection molded from polyethylene. To fit as wide a variety of gutters as possible, clips 60 are approximately 3.0 cm. high and 3.0 cm. wide in the best known mode. Of course, they may be smaller or larger depending upon application requirements and a variety of related design considerations known to those skilled in the art. Each gutter clip 60 (i.e., FIG. 6) comprises a central baseplate 90 , an integral, upper latch 92 , an integral, lower foot 94 , and an integral, outwardly angled cradle 96 . As best seen in FIG. 4, upon installation, latch 92 and foot 94 face the gutter 56 .
[0088] As seen in FIGS. 6 - 9 the gutter clip baseplate 90 is generally rectangular and planar. When gutter clip 60 is properly deployed, baseplate 90 is oriented substantially vertically with respect to the ground. The width of the baseplate between edges 100 , 102 (FIG. 6) is approximately 12 mm. in the best mode. The length or height of the baseplate as measured between upper shoulder 104 and lower edge 107 (FIG. 6) is approximately 28 mm. The width of cradle 96 , foot 94 , and latch 92 , is approximately 5 mm. in the best mode. Thus, in the best mode known at this time, the width dimension 108 (FIG. 9) is approximately twice that of width dimension 111 (FIG. 7).
[0089] Latch 92 comprises a horizontal arm 93 integrally projecting away from the upper shoulder 104 of baseplate 90 which surmounts the upper, outer gutter edge 95 (FIGS. 5, 6). Arm 93 outwardly terminates in an integral, downwardly curved barb 97 that operationally engages the inwardly-turned barb of gutter lip 91 (FIGS. 4, 5). The lower foot 94 of the gutter clip integrally projects away from the bottom of the clip baseplate 90 . When a gutter clip is properly installed, foot 94 physically contacts the exposed, external surface of the gutter, enabling the clip to resiliently snap-fit to the gutter, in combination with insertional deflections of arm 93 and barb 97 . Foot 94 (FIG. 10) is semi-circular in cross section, ending in an inwardly projecting, open, terminal end 99 (FIGS. 6, 10), that faces the baseplate 90 . The gap (FIG. 10) between foot end 99 and the baseplate 90 permits slight bending of the foot as the clip is yieldably deformed and compressed during installation. A small, narrow reinforcement runner 110 (FIG. 10) extends at one side of the clip integrally between the foot end 99 and the baseplate 90 to add further resilience.
[0090] The integral, resilient cradle 96 extends angularly upwardly away from the lower external surface 114 (FIGS. 6, 8) of the baseplate 90 . In the best mode, the resilient cradle 96 comprises a lower, arcuate segment 118 (FIG. 10) extending from the bottom of the baseplate 90 , a larger, intermediate arcuate segment 120 , and an angled tab 122 . The open throat 126 (FIGS. 6, 10) defined between cradle tab 122 and baseplate 90 admits wires or other structures to be held by the clips after installation. After the clips are placed properly, the Christmas light wiring, for example, can be lifted into a position proximate throat 126 , and upon release, the wiring will drop into the lowermost, hollow support region 128 (FIG. 10) between cradle lower segment 118 and baseplate 90 . During installation, as explained in more detail later, the clip controller 72 (i.e., FIG. 5) engages the larger control region 127 (i.e., FIG. 10) defined between the large cradle segment 120 and the baseplate 90 of gutter clip 60 above region 128 (FIGS. 6, 10). Control region 127 is dimensioned to properly fit with and support conventional rope lights, which essentially comprise plastic tubes with strings of lights or LED's within them.
[0091] In the best mode, various portions of the gutter clip 60 are reinforced with cylindrical bosses that are integrally molded into the clip structure. Each of these reinforcement bosses traverses the width of the pertinent clip structure, and terminates at each outer extremity in a substantially circular end. During the molding process, follower pins enter the mold cavities to eject the clips by contacting the ends of these reinforced bosses. Thus in the best mode, the baseplate 90 has a boss 130 (FIGS. 6, 10) traversing its width at a point diametrically between cradle segment 118 and foot 94 , and a second, upper, boss 132 at its top reinforcing shoulder 104 . Latch 92 has a transverse boss 134 (FIGS. 6, 10) at the junction between arm 93 and barb 97 . Foot 94 preferably has a lower boss 136 at its midpoint, approximately between baseplate boss 130 and foot end 99 (FIG. 6). Another boss 138 reinforces foot end 99 . Similarly, cradle preferably has an integral, transverse boss 140 defined between cradle segments 118 and 120 , and another boss 142 defined between cradle segment 120 and tab 122 .
[0092] An alternative, adhesively-backed clip 66 (FIGS. 21 - 26 ) is designed to be press fitted and stuck to available flat surfaces. All system installation kits will be shipped with both gutter clips and adhesive backed clips 66 . Some gutters vary in shape so much that gutter clips will not fit properly. However, many gutters have exposed, flat surface portions to which adhesive clips 66 readily stick. Furthermore, adhesive clips 66 easily mount to exposed wall surfaces 55 (FIG. 1), siding panels, windows, and/or other flat items and structures proximate an area to be decorated.
[0093] Adhesive clip 66 (FIGS. 21 - 26 ), preferably molded from polyethylene, comprises a flat, preferably, square baseplate 150 that is integral with an elongated, offset boss 152 and an angularly, outwardly extending cradle 156 . Boss 152 has a semicircular cross section (FIG. 22) and is offset from the front surface 153 (FIG. 21) of the baseplate. Cradle 156 comprises an arcuate segment 158 and an integral, projecting tab 160 . Segment 158 originates from baseplate surface 153 from a point substantially beneath boss 152 , and curves towards a juncture 162 (FIGS. 21, 22) from which tab 160 originates. A throat 166 (FIG. 21, 22) is defined between tab 160 and baseplate surface 153 . Wiring to be supported by adhesive clip is guided or dropped through throat 166 into hollow, control region 168 defined between cradle 156 and surface 153 (FIG. 21). The control region 168 also functions as a support region, because wiring to be supported by the cradle is disposed within this region. Furthermore it “fits” rope lights, as discussed in conjunction with clip 60 .
[0094] Importantly, adhesive clip 66 comprises an adhesive layer 170 (FIGS. 22, 23) affixed to the rear of baseplate 150 . Prior to installation, the adhesive layer is normally covered by a removable, peel-away backing 171 preferably made of plastic. By simply grabbing a corner 172 (FIGS. 21, 23) of the temporary backing 171 , it is peeled-away and removed from the clip baseplate to expose the adhesive layer 170 , and thereafter the clip may be attached where desired. As is the case with gutter clips 60 described previously, the adhesive clips 66 (FIG. 20) are installed with the clip controller 72 , which temporarily penetrates control region 168 (FIG. 21) to facilitate clip manipulation As seen in FIG. 20, the installation pole 64 is manipulated by the user from a safe, stable position as close as possible to the ground. Clip controller 72 , which is in turn held by installation nut 70 , holds the clip as it is pressed towards an available flat spot. For example, a relatively flat spot 175 on the exterior of gutter (FIG. 20) has been selected for application of an adhesive clip 66 .
[0095] Both clips 60 , 66 are installed with clip controller 72 (i.e., FIGS. 5 , 11 - 14 ), which in turn is controlled by and releasably mounted to the barrel-like installation nut 70 mentioned previously. Nut 70 is described in detail in co-pending application Ser. No. 09/993,983, filed Nov. 16, 2001, entitled “Suspension Ceiling Clips and Installation Method,” which is owned by the same assignee as in this case. For purposes of disclosure and enablement, the latter application is hereby incorporated by reference.
[0096] A preferred, two-piece, telescopingly extensible pole 64 (FIGS. 1, 5) is conventional. Alternatively, a three or four-piece pole comprising a plurality of screw-together segments may be employed. It terminates in a common thread, similar to an ACME thread, that is threadably mated to nut 70 . A suitable threaded socket (not shown) is defined within the installation nut 70 for mating with pole 64 . The receptacle is releasably, threadably engaged by pole 64 , for manipulation from the floor or ground. The socket at the underside of nut 70 comprises an internal bore 71 (FIGS. 33, 34) defining a tubular interior that is coaxial with upper orifice 195 (FIG. 12) defined in nut top 196 . Preferably, the socket is internally threaded with threads 73 , similar to an ACME thread. As best seen in FIGS. 33 - 34 , in the best mode known to us at this time there is a hexagonal recess 75 defined in the underside of nut top 196 . Thus when a hex head bolt 76 (FIG. 35), for example, is inserted within the nut, it's head seats within hexagonal recess 75 as seen in FIG. 36, thereby preventing twisting. When pole 64 is mated to the nut's threads 73 (FIG. 33, 34), bolt 76 (FIG. 35) is axially captivated within the nut 70 with its shank 77 (FIG. 36) emanating from orifice 195 , and exposed for contact with a modified clip controller or modified wire tool. Pole 64 easily screws into nut (FIG. 1). Other readily available poles provided with threads similar to an ACME thread, such as wooden poles of the type commonly used for household mops, brooms and the like, can be substituted for the two-piece aluminum pole 64 seen in the drawings.
[0097] The preferred installation nut 70 (FIGS. 5 , 12 - 14 ) is injection molded from nylon. Nut 70 is somewhat cylindrical, and its periphery comprises a pair of opposed, faceted sides 191 , 191 A and a pair of slotted receptacles 193 , 193 A at the nut edges comprising elongated channels of generally parallelepiped dimensions. Importantly, receptacles 193 and 193 A (FIGS. 12, 13) function as docking stations for removably and temporarily receiving and controlling various tools such as the clip controller 72 and the wire installer described in detail hereinafter. These twin receptacles are preferably identical, but they may be dimensioned somewhat differently to adapt to differently sized accessories or tools, as will be appreciated by those with skill in the art. With combined reference directed FIGS. 14 , receptacle 193 preferably comprises a pair of opposed, generally planar retaining arms 200 , 202 that face one another across a central gap 204 . Each retaining arm 200 , 202 is offset from an inner, generally rectangular edge surface 205 . An elongated, transverse captivation slot 210 is defined between the arms 200 , 202 and the inner edge surface 205 of the installation nut 70 . The captivation slot 210 is generally in the form of a rectangular parallelepiped, and in cross section it is generally T-shaped. The tools to be described are slidably mated to the nut 70 by inserting them within slots 210 . Means are provided for positioning them properly, and for temporarily, yieldably locking them into position.
[0098] With emphasis directed now to FIGS. 5 , and 12 - 17 , the resilient clip controller 72 is shaped generally like a question mark. It is preferably injection molded from nylon. The upper body 220 integrally extends from an intermediate plate 222 that is generally square. An integral, projecting fork 224 extends downwardly from the plate 222 . Fork 224 is adapted to be releasably coupled to the installation nut 70 , as explained below.
[0099] The upper body 220 (FIG. 12) of each clip controller 72 comprises a rigid, generally C-shaped structure comprising a base 230 , a lower elbow 232 , a vertical spacer 234 , an intermediate elbow 235 , and an integral, control prong 236 , which terminates in a convex point 238 . Prong 236 penetrates the clip control regions 127 (FIG. 10) and/or 168 (FIG. 21) when captivating a gutter clip 60 or adhesive clip 66 respectively. Prong 236 is firmly grasped by the cradle of the clip being installed, so the clip may be turned to a desired control orientation, as illustrated in FIG. 14. Once a clip is “loaded,” pole 64 elevates the clip into the proximity of either a gutter or other structure to for attachment. Once a clip is installed, sideways movement of the pole will transversely withdraw the prong 236 from the clip, which will remain firmly attached as intended by the installer.
[0100] Fork 224 (FIGS. 11 - 13 ) facilitates coupling of the clip controller 72 to the nut 70 . Each fork 224 comprises a web 240 projecting downwardly from the center of plate 222 . Web 240 is divided into a pair of elongated, and spaced apart legs 246 , 247 (FIG. 11). There is an elongated, generally rectangular clearance slot 250 (FIG. 12) defined between legs 246 , 247 so that they may yieldably deflect towards one another when the fork is mated to the installation nut 70 (FIG. 12, 13). Legs 246 , 247 terminate in lowermost terminal feet 254 , 256 (FIG. 11) respectively. Each leg has an integral, laterally-outwardly projecting, detent 258 , 260 (FIG. 11) located above its foot 254 , or 256 .
[0101] To mount a clip controller, the fork 224 is inserted within the T-shaped slot 210 at a selected side of a selected nut 70 . As best seen in FIG. 12, the fork feet 254 , 256 clear the entrance point and slide within the slot 210 . As the twin detents 258 , 260 enter the lateral confines of the slot 210 , they will compress the fork legs together. Fork 224 may slide downwardly through the slot 210 until, as seen in FIG. 13, plate 222 contacts and then rests firmly against top 196 of the nut 70 . As the fork legs become fully inserted within nut 70 , feet 254 and 256 will eventually project out of nut 70 (FIG. 13). When a maximum travel position is reached, detents 258 , 260 will “pop out” of the channel, and the fork feet 254 , 256 will spring apart and assume their “normal” uncompressed orientation. In this position, the clip controller 72 will be yieldably prevented from withdrawing from nut 70 , as the detents 258 , 260 (FIG. 11) will clear slot 210 , and yieldably block withdrawal by contacting the underside of nut 70 . (The same detent concept is employed with the wire tool discussed later illustrated fully in FIG. 28). To withdraw the clip controller 72 , the fork feet 254 and 256 emanating from the underside of nut 70 (i.e., as seen best in FIG. 13) are simply pinched together. Concomitantly, as detents 258 , 260 are deflected inwardly, they will clear the edges of slot 210 so fork legs 246 , 247 may be drawn upwardly into slot 210 as the controller 72 is pulled vertically upwardly to escape nut 70 .
[0102] An alternative clip controller 300 (FIG. 38) is attached to the installation nut 70 slightly differently. In this case the lower segment 302 has a threaded bore which is mated to bolt 76 (FIG. 35) so that the clip controller 300 is threadably secured to the nut 70 .
[0103] With reference now directed to FIGS. 27 - 30 , the wire tool 74 is also designed to be snap-fitted to the installation nut 70 . It is preferably injection molded from nylon. Wire tool comprises an elongated, generally rectangular body 280 provided with a pair of spaced-apart, oppositely-bowed and curved arms 282 and 284 emanating from top 285 . Arm 282 presents an upwardly facing, concave recess 286 , whereas the similarly-shaped but oppositely directed recess 289 formed by arm 284 faces downwardly. Body 280 terminates in a pair of spaced apart legs 290 , 292 (FIG. 27) disposed on opposite sides of an open clearance slot 293 . Legs 290 , 292 have integral feet 294 , 296 below the integral, laterally outwardly projecting detents 295 , 297 (FIGS. 27, 28). One edge of the wire tool 74 comprises a laterally outwardly projecting stop 299 , which limits travel of the tool when coupled to the installation nut 70 .
[0104] Wire tool 74 is coupled to or removed from installation nut 70 in much the same manner as clip controller 72 discussed above. As seen most clearly in FIGS. 28 and 30, feet 294 and 296 may be inserted into slot 210 and slidably forced therewithin. The twin detents 295 , and 297 will pinch the legs 290 , 292 (FIG. 27) slightly together when they enter slot 210 . Tool 74 may slide downwardly into nut 70 through slot 210 until the stop 299 abuts the upper surface 196 of nut 70 (FIGS. 28, 30). At this maximum deflection point, feet 294 and 296 project out of nut 70 (FIG. 28) at the bottom. After maximum displacement, detents 295 , 297 will pop apart after escaping slot 210 to snap-fit tool 74 to nut 70 . In the “installed” position, tool 74 will be yieldably prevented from withdrawing from nut 70 , as the spread-apart detents 295 , 297 (FIG. 28) block withdrawal by contact with the underside of nut 70 . To withdraw tool 74 , the feet 294 and 296 at the underside of nut 70 (FIG. 28) are simply pinched together, deflecting detents 295 , 297 together to clear the edges of slot 210 enabling upward travel of tool 74 until it escapes nut 70 .
[0105] An alternative wire installation tool 310 (FIG. 37) is threadably coupled to and retained by a nut 70 . It's integral base portion 312 has an internal, threaded bore that mates with bolt (FIG. 35).
[0106] From the foregoing, it will be seen that this invention is one well adapted to obtain all the ends and objects herein set forth, together with other advantages that are inherent to the structure.
[0107] It will be understood that certain features and subcombinations are of utility and may be employed without reference to other features and subcombinations. This is contemplated by and is within the scope of the claims.
[0108] As many possible embodiments may be made of the invention without departing from the scope thereof, it is to be understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.
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Apparatus for deploying decorative wiring upon elevated locations. The apparatus, packaged in kit form, utilizes a pole for installing wiring from a stable ground position. An installation nut screws unto the pole for manipulating accessory tools that deploy the clips and wiring. The nut comprises captivating slots to which a clip controller and wire tool are alternately coupled. A prong projecting from the controller forcibly engages the wiring clips. After clip installation, wires are installed with the wire tool's arms. The controller and wire tool both comprise flexible legs fitted within the nut slots that are snap-fitted by detents. Each clip comprises a baseplate, and an outwardly angled cradle for holding wiring. The gutter clip has a projecting latch terminating in a gutter-engaging barb. The adhesively-backed clip is press fitted to the target. A control region formed between the cradle and the baseplate of each clip receives the controller prong.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a transcription coactivator in ethylene-responsive transcription factors and further to a method for controlling ethylene-response of plants using the transcription coactivator.
2. Prior Art
Freshness of agricultural products such as crops and flowers is an essential factor to determine their commercial values. On the other hand, ethylene, a plant hormone, controls functions of plant cells during the processes from budding to senescence. Since ethylene, a plant hormone, has a profound effect on freshness, a lot of attention has been paid. The technique to control freshness by controlling ethylene has been a technique dreamed of by producers, distributors and retailers of agricultural products. If it is possible, there is a lot of economical usefulness in preventing overripe fruits and damaged flowers.
For example, a new variety of tomato, FLAVR SAVR®, wherein the expression of polygalacturonase of tomato is suppressed, is well known. Moreover, other trials to prevent overripe of tomato by repressing the expression of the gene of ethylene synthetic enzyme and the production of ethylene have been performed.
Previously, most of the trials in controlling ethylene response were by manipulating genes of transcriptional activation factors, which stimulate promoters of ethylene-responsive genes, or target genes of ethylene. These ethylene-responsive transcription factors (ERFs) have been known as regulatory factors positively controlling the expression of ethylene-responsive genes of plants (Ohme-Takagi, M. and Shinshi, H., (1995) Ethylene-inducible DNA binding proteins that interact with an ethylene-responsive element. Plant Cell 7: 173–182; Suzuki, K., Suzuki, N., Ohme-Takagi, M. and Shinshi, H., (1998) Immediate early induction of mRNAs for ethylene-responsive transcription factors in tobacco leaf strips after cutting. Plant J. 15: 657–665.)
For example, a report of November, 1996, entitled “Development of experimental systems for analysis of the mechanism of biophylaxis and the analysis of biophylaxis” announcing the results of a project on fundamental techniques to develop new experimental system for plants (the second term, 1993–1995), supported by Research and Development Bureau of Science and Technology Agency, tried to elucidate the molecular mechanism of biological control and response of plants by identifying functionally an ethylene-responsive cis-DNA element of biophylaxis gene, which is transcriptionally controlled by ethylene, by testing a reporter gene in transgenic plants and by identifying transcriptional regulatory gene interacting with said element.
Moreover, patent Disclosure 2000-50877 disclosed a method for providing resistance against environmental stresses for such plants as tobacco by introducing transcription factors controlling ethylene-inducible genes.
Still furthermore, U.S. Pat. No. 5,824,868 disclosed a method for lowering ethylene response of plants, wherein a plant is transduced with modified ethylene-responsive DNA, and a method for controlling the expression of said DNA.
PROBLEMS TO BE SOLVED BY THE INVENTION
The purpose of the present invention is to identify a transcription coactivator (transcriptional cofactor, MBF) in ethylene-responsive transcription factors (ERFs), to elucidate the mechanism of the action of MBF to ERFs, which positively control the expression of ethylene-responsive genes in plants, and further to provide a method for controlling the ethylene-response in plants.
MEANS OF SOLVING THE PROBLEMS
The gene to be used for controlling ethylene-response of this invention encodes Multiprotein Bridging Factor-1 (MBF-1), one of the transcriptional controlling factors necessary for ethylene-response.
A transcriptional controlling factor, in spite of the presence in only a few molecules per cell, is a very important factor for controlling an intracellular signal network. Changing slightly the amount of the expression of a gene of the factor could result in profound effect on various biological responses. Therefore, this invention provides a method for controlling freshness of a crop plant, by changing the expression amount of endogenous MBF-1 gene by transducing a gene to a plant, which leads to change the ethylene-response of the plant.
More specifically, the present invention is a protein of the following (a) or (b):
(a) A protein having an amino acid sequence shown by SEQ ID NO: 1.
(b) A protein having an amino acid sequence comprising a deletion, substitution or addition of one or several amino acids in the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1, and having an enriched ethylene-response activity when expressed in plants.
Augmentation in ethylene response can be confirmed by an assay of the direct increase in ethylene-response of plants or an increase of expression of ERFs, e.g. the expression of ERF2 as hereinafter described.
Additionally, a gene encoding a polypeptide, whose function is similar to the polypeptide with the amino acid sequence (SEQ ID NO: 1) of MBF1 of Oryza sativa , which has been cloned by the inventors for the first time, could be found in other plants and the alignment of the amino acid sequence between the other plants and Oryza sativa shows the following sequence identity; AtMBF1a, 81.69%; AtMBF1b, 79.58%; AtMBF1c of Arabidopsis thaliana , 47.97%; StMBF1 of batata, 78.17%; RcMBF1 of caster-oil plant, 82.39%; LeMBF1 in tomato, 44.90%. The tomato gene, whose amino acid sequence identity to that of Oryza sativa is the lowest, is still induced by ethylene, therefore, these genes are suggested to be related to ethylene-responsive genes.
Furthermore, the present invention is a gene comprising the following DNA (a) or (b);
(a) A DNA having a nucleotide sequence shown by SEQ ID NO: 2.
(b) A DNA having a nucleotide sequence encoding said protein encoded by SEQ ID NO: 2.
Moreover, the present invention is a polynucleotide comprising a part of the gene. Still furthermore, the present invention is a polynucleotide comprising a promoter and the gene or polynucleotide, wherein said gene or polynucleotide is aligned in forward direction to said promoter. Still moreover, the present invention is a polynucleotide comprising a promoter and the gene or polynucleotide, wherein said gene or polynucleotide is aligned in reverse direction to said promoter.
The promoter as used herein includes the cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter, the heat shock promoter, chemical-inducible promoters and others.
Additionally, there are no limits on the way to link a promoter with said gene and the link can be operated appropriately using conventional techniques of genetic engineering.
Frequently, the expression of a target gene is repressed in a plant, wherein a part of the gene or cDNA of MBF1 gene or others is linked to a promoter in a reverse direction (referred to as “repression by antisense RNA”). Also, in the case that the gene is linked in forward direction and a large amount of mRNA is expressed, these mRNA are recognized as exogenous materials and are decomposed. As a result, the expression is repressed (referred to as “cosuppression technique” or “transwich technique”). These well known techniques in the art can be applied to the gene of this invention to repress the expression of said gene and therefore to inhibit ethylene-response of plants.
Still moreover, this invention is a plasmid comprising said polynucleotide. The plasmids as used therein comprise binary vectors such as Ti plasmid and pBI-121 plasmid.
Still furthermore, this invention is a plant, wherein the plant is transformed by said polynucleotide. This invention is applicable to such monocotyledons as Oryza sativa, zea mays , wheat, et al. or to such dicotyledons as tomato et al.
These plants can be transformed using a conventional technique of genetic engineering, i.e. the gene of this invention can be inserted into said plasmid and the plasmid is used to transform said plants.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 shows the nucleotide sequence of the DNA probe used in reference example 1. Both the wild-type ERE (the above chart; SEQ ID NO: 3) and the mutant-type ERE (mERE, the lower chart; SEQ ID NO: 5) are shown in the FIG. 1 . Each DNA probe includes 2 copies of GCC box (bold face) or mutant-type GCC box.
FIG. 2 shows electrophoretic gel shift assays showing specific binding of ERF2 to ERE. F denotes a free DNA probe without binding and C denotes a DNA-ERF2 binding complex.
FIG. 3 shows the structure of plasmid DNA template (pERE) used in in vitro transcription.
FIG. 4 shows the electrophoresis of transcripts using different DNA templates; pHSE200TA (lane 1); pHSE200GA (lane 2); pERE (lanes 3–5). Under the condition of presence or absence of purified recombinant proteins as shown above each lane, RNA was synthesized using each plasmid DNA template. In the figure, M denotes a marker for molecular weight of single strand DNA and * denotes transcripts independent of TATA box.
FIG. 5 shows the electrophoresis of transcripts using the plasmid DNA template (pERE) in the presence of various purified recombinant proteins as shown above each lane.
FIG. 6 shows the nucleotide sequence (SEQ ID NO: 2) of cDNA of MBF 1 of Oryza sativa (oMBF1) and the amino acid sequence (SEQ ID NO: 1, corresponding to the position 85–510 of SEQ ID NO: 2) expected from the nucleotide sequence. The underlined sequence denotes the poly A addition signal.
FIG. 7 shows the effect of reporter plasmid DNA (pERE-GUS) on the transcription in transient transcription assays using tobacco leaves. The ordinate denotes the increase of GUS activity dependent on the amount of reporter plasmid DNA (pERE-GUS) introduced to tobacco leaves. The values in the figure are averages of two independent experiments.
FIG. 8 shows the effect of the addition of a transcription factor (ERF2) or a transcription coactivator (oMBF1) on transient assays using tobacco leaves. The figure shows the effect of changing amount of ERF2 and oMBF1 on the amount of transcripts using a reporter plasmid DNA. Under each bar chart, there are shown the type and the amount of effector plasmid DNA used. The values in the figure are averages of the results of two independent experiments.
FIG. 9 shows the amplified activity of the transcriptional activator, ERF2, by oMBF1 in transient assays using tobacco leaves. The figure shows the effect of the concentration of oMBF1 on the transcription of a reporter plasmid DNA under the control of ERF2. As shown under each bar chart, each reaction mixture was added various amount of p35S-MBF1 in addition to 2 μg of pERE-GUS, 1 μg of p35S-LUS and 0.2 μg of p35S-ERF2. The values in the figure are averages of the results of two independent experiments.
FIG. 10 shows the amplified activity of the transcriptional activator, ERF2, by oMBF1 in transient assays using tobacco leaves. The figure shows the amplified transcription dependent on the nucleotide sequence of ERE under the control of ERF2 and oMBF1. The reporter and effector plasmid DNA shown under each bar column are mixed and transduced to tobacco leaves. The values in the figure are averages of the results of three independent experiments.
FIG. 11 shows the amplified activity of the transcriptional activator, ERF4, by oMBF1 in transient assays using tobacco leaves. The effect of the amount of ERF4 on the transcripts of a reporter plasmid DNA is shown in the figure. In each experiment, 2 μg of pERE-GUS is used as the reporter plasmid DNA. Under each bar column, the types and the amount of effector plasmid are shown. The values in the figure are averages of three independent experiments.
FIG. 12 shows the amplified activity of the transcriptional activator, ERF4, by oMBF1 in transient assays using tobacco leaves. The ERF4 and oMBF1-dependent amplification of transcripts dependent on ERE nucleotide sequence is shown in the figure. The reporter and effector plasmid DNA shown on the bar column are mixed and are transduced to tobacco leaves. The values in the figure are averages of three independent experiments.
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
In the present invention, the inventors succeeded in specifying a transcription coactivator (SEQ ID NO: 1 and 2) in a family of ethylene-responsive transcription factors. Furthermore, the inventors confirmed that the transcription coactivator was for ERF, positively controlling the expression of a set of ethylene-responsive plant genes.
It is possible to use the transcription coactivator gene of this invention to control the ethylene response of plants. Previously, to control the ethylene response of plants, people tried to change a target gene of ethylene response or tried to change a gene producing ethylene. However, changing the gene encoding a transcription coactivator as an informational molecule as described in this invention makes it possible to control the expression of the target genes in toto and hence has greater influence than previous methods.
The following examples illustrate this invention, however, it is not intended to limit the scope of the invention.
EXAMPLES
Reference Example 1
The specific binding of purified recombinant ethylene-responsive transcription factors (ERFs) to ethylene responsive element (ERE) was examined in this example.
To examine specific binding of ERFs to ERE, the inventors induced overexpression of tobacco-derived ERF in E. coli and purified it. Inserting DNA region encoding ERF protein from each of four kinds of tobacco into expression plasmid pET 15b (Novagen, Madison, Wis.), the inventors induced high levels of expression of recombinant ERF proteins in E. coli (BL21/DE3/pLysS). The four kinds of recombinant proteins were purified using Ni immobilized resins (His•Bind® resin, Novagen; an uncharged IDA agarose resin). The tobacco-derived recombinant TBP (tTBP) was purified by the method reported previously (Biosci. Biotech. Biochem., 58:916–920 (1994)). The purity and size of the purified recombinant proteins were examined by ordinal SDS-PAGE (15% separation gel; Nature 227:680–685b (1970). Confirming the molecular weight of each ERF protein by SDS-PAGE, the inventors found that the size was slightly larger than the size calculated based on the amino acid sequence expected from cDNA nucleotide sequence (30–45 kDa).
The binding activity of ERF2 to ERE was investigated using gel-shift assays. The DNA fragment containing a 53 bp wild-type ethylene-responsive element (ERE) was used as a DNA probe after labeled with a radioactive tracer using (γ −32P )ATP and T4-polynucleotide kinase (Takara Bio INC., Kyoto, Japan). Multi-copied and linked ERE (SEQ ID NO: 3 and 4) or mERE (SEQ ID NO: 5 and 6) fragments ( FIG. 1 ) were used as wild-type and mutant-type competitors, respectively. mERE (mutant-type) was similar to ERE (wild-type), except that the DNA nucleotide sequence in the GCC box contains base substitutions. The mixture of 1 ng of radio-labeled DNA probe (1,000 to 10,000 cpm) and 10 ng of recombinant ERF without or with 10 ng of a competitor DNA in 10 μl of the binding buffer shown in Table 1 was incubated for 45 minutes at 25° C.
TABLE 1
25
mM
Hepes-KOH (pH 8.0)
40
mM
KCl
0.1
mM
EDTA
1
mM
DTT
20%
glycerol
250
ng
poly(dA-dT)::(dA-dT)
0.1%
tritonX-100
The samples after binding reaction were subjected to 4% polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (acrylamide:bisacrylamide=39:1, 1 mm in thickness, 13 cm long) containing 0.25×TB buffer (22.5 mM Tris-borate, pH 8.0) at 25° C. for 3 hrs at 100 V. The gel was dried and exposed to Fuji Imaging Plate® (Fuji Photo Film Co. Ltd., Kanagawa, JAPAN; a radiosensitive layer of phosphor crystals on a polyester backing plate). The electrophoresis mobility pattern was visualized using Bio-Image Analyzer (Fuji Photo Film Co. Ltd., Kanagawa, JAPAN). The results are shown in FIG. 2 . In the figure, F denotes free DNA probe without binding and C denotes DNA-ERF2 binding complex.
Reaction of 10 ng of ERF2 with 1 ng of radio-labeled DNA probe resulted in a shift of the DNA band to a larger size, which demonstrates the formation of a DNA and protein complex ( FIG. 2 ).
Since the formation of the DNA-protein complex was inhibited by the addition of cold ERE fragments but not by the addition of cold mERE, the complex formation depends on a specific binding. Furthermore, three other kinds of transcription factors, i.e. ERF1, ERF3 and ERF4, similarly bind to ERE.
Reference Example 2
In this example, the inventors showed that ERE-dependent transcription was amplified by ERF2 in HeLa nuclear extracts (HNE).
The plasmid DNA used for the in vitro transcription was constructed in the following way. To construct plasmid DNA template (pERE) as shown in FIG. 3 , two copies of ERE DNA fragments ( FIG. 1 ) were inserted to Bgl II site of the plasmid pU35 as reported previously (Pro. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 87:7035–7039(1990)). As in the case of pmERE plasmid DNA template, two copies of mERE were inserted in said way instead of ERE. The construction of control plasmid DNA template, pHSE200TE and pHSE200GA, is as already reported (Plant Mol. Biol. 34:69–79(1997)).
Moreover, the in vitro transcription reaction was assayed in the following way. The HeLa nuclear extracts used for the in vitro transcription were prepared as reported previously (Meth. Enzymol. 101:582–598(1983)). The composition of the standard in vitro transcription reaction mixture is shown in Table 2.
TABLE 2
1. Reaction mixture of in vitro transcription
18.4
mM
Hepes-KOH pH 7.9
51.2
mM
KCl
4.5
mM
Mg(CH 3 COO) 2
0.08
mM
EDTA
1.12
mM
DTT
16%
(w/v)
glycerol
0.048%
TritonX-100
0.1
mM
ATP
0.1
mM
CTP
0.01
mM
UTP
5
μCi
[α −32P ]UTP
specific activity 400–800 Ci/m mol)
0.5
μg
plasmid DNA template
0.04
mM
3′-0-methyl-GTP
20
units
RNase T1
10
μg
protein HeLa nuclear extracts (HNE)
2. Reaction stopping solution
5%
SDS
10
mM
EDTA
0.4
mg/ml
glycogen
150
mM
sodium acetate
The transcription reaction mixture was incubated for 60 min at 30° C. and 75 μl of the reaction stopping solution (Table 2) was added to stop the reaction. Then, 100 μl of PCIAA (50% phenol, 48% chloroform, 2% isoamilalcohol) was added to the reaction mixture to recover the aqueous phase. After that, 100 μl of CIAA (96% chloroform, 4% isoamilalcohol) was added to the aqueous phase and the aqueous phase was recovered. Then, 10 μl of 3 M sodium acetate and 300 μl of ethyl alcohol were added to the aqueous phase to precipitate nucleic acid. The nucleic acid was dried and was dissolved in 10 μl of urea solution (5M urea, 1 mM EDTA, 0.1% bromophenol blue). The nucleic acid sample was subjected to electrophoresis using 6% polyacrylamide gel (acrylamide:bisacrylamide=19:1, 1 mm of thickness, 12.5 cm long) containing 89 mM Tris-borate (pH 8.3), 2 mM EDTA and 8 M urea at 300 V. When bromophenol blue in the sample had migrated to the lowest edge of the gel, the gel was removed and was soaked in 1 L of water containing 5% methanol and 5% acetic acid and then in 1 L of water containing 5% methanol, each for 20 min. Then, the gel was attached to a filter paper, dried and exposed to Fuji Imaging Plate overnight. RNA was visualized using Bio Image Analyzer.
To confirm TATA box-dependent initiation of transcription on plasmid DNA template in HNE (HeLa nuclear extracts), the inventors used pHSE200TA and PHSA200GA (Plant Mol. Biol., 34:69–79(1997)) as control plasmid DNA templates in the presence of recombinant tobacco TBP (tTBP). pHSE200TA contains 200 bp sequences of promoter region in the gene encoding heat shock proteins of Arabidopsis plants and 200 bp transcriptional region not containing guanine residue in the sense strand. pHSA200GA has a similar structure as pHSE200TA except that all T residues in TATA box (TATAAAT) in pHSE200TA are substituted to G (GAGAAAG).
FIG. 4 shows the results of electrophoresis of the transcripts using these DNA templates. When pHSE200TA was used as a DNA template, 200 nt of transcripts synthesized specifically was observed (lane 1). While, pHSE200GA provided a faint signal ascribed to TATA box-independent transcripts (lane 2).
The biochemical function of purified recombinant ERF2 as a transcriptional activating factor was assayed using pERE ( FIG. 3 ) as a transcriptional template. Since no specific transcripts were observed using pERE as a transcriptional template without adding ERF2 (lane 3), tTBP of tobacco was added to increase basic transcriptional activity and a 374 nt signal corresponding to a specific transcript was observed (lane 4). Then, the addition of ERF2 and tTBP, amplified the signal observed in lane 4 (lane 5). In contrast, no amplification of transcripts was observed using pmERE (a plasmid substituted 2 copies of cis element (ERE) in pERE with 2 copies of mERE) as a transcriptional template (data not shown).
These observations demonstrate that recombinant ERF2 binds to ERE in HeLa nuclear extracts and functions as a transcriptional activator.
Reference Example 3
As in the case of reference example 2, the inventors examined the activity of transcriptional activation of other ERFs. As shown in FIG. 5 , the addition of each of 4 kinds of ERF, i.e. ERF1 to ERF4, to the standard in vitro transcription assay system resulted in 3 to 5 fold increase in the transcription initiation rate on pERE. On the other hand, since these ERFs produced no observed effects on transcription initiation using pmERE as a template, each ERF was demonstrated to function as a transcriptional activator dependent on ERE in HeLa nuclear extracts. The activity of transcriptional activation of each ERF was as follows; amplification by ERF3, 3 fold; that by ERF4, 3.5 fold; that by ERF1, 4 fold; that by ERF2, 5 fold.
Example 1
In this example, the inventors showed that the gene expression dependent on an ethylene-responsive promoter was amplified by oMBF1 in the presence of ERF2. To check the possibility of involvement of multi protein bridging factor 1 (MBF1) in transcriptional amplification dependent on ethylene-responsive promoter, the inventors selected a candidate gene encoding MBF1 of Oryza sativa from the EST library of Oryza sativa prepared by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan. FIG. 6 shows the cDNA nucleotide sequence (SEQ ID NO: 2) encoding MBF1 of Oryza sativa (oMBF1) and the expected amino acid sequence (SEQ ID NO: 1, corresponding to position 85 to 510 of SEQ ID NO: 2). This amino acid sequence (SEQ ID NO: 1) is 81% homologous to the sequence of Arabidopsis MBF1 (AtMBF1) and is considerably higher than the homology (53%) to human MBF1 (hMBF1).
To show the function of MBF1 as a transcription coactivator, the inventors constructed an effector plasmid DNA (p35S-MBF1) which expresses MBF1 in tobacco cells, in the following way. To construct p35S-ERF2 and p35S-MBF1 effector plasmid DNA, the inventors deleted XbaI-Sac I fragment of plasmid vector pBI221 (CLONTECH Laboratories Inc., CA), which is the β-glucronidase coding region, and inserted the cDNA fragment (SEQ ID NO: 2) containing the cDNA of tobacco ERF2 (accession No. ABO 16264) and the cDNA of Oryza sativa MBF1 (SEQ ID NO: 2), which include an Xba I site and a Sac I site, added to the upstream and the downstream region, respectively, by PCR. The structures of pERE-GUS and pmERE-GUS, reporter plasmid DNA, correspond to 2(GCC)Gus and 2(mGCC)Gus, respectively, as used in the previous report (Plant Cell 7: 173–182 (1995)).
p35S-LUC, used as a control plasmid, was constructed by the replacement of the Xba I-Sac I fragment of said pBI221 by the Xba I-Sac I fragment sandwiching cDNA (accession No. E08319) of fire fly luciferase.
Plasmid DNA used in this example are summarized in Table 3.
TABLE 3
In the table, GUS denotes E. coli -derived β-glucronidase gene (β-D-glucronidase) and LUC denotes luciferase gene derived from fire fly or Vibrio oceanic luminiferous bacteria.
p35S-MBF1 was introduced into tobacco leaves by the microprojectile bombardment method (gold particles were coated with DNA and were introduced into intact plants by Helium pressure-driven particle inflow gun) and induced transient expression of oMBF1 for functional evaluation. The method of the evaluation was as follows. The transient assays using tobacco leaves were according to the previous report (Plant Mol, Biol. Reporter 18:101–107 (2000)). 2 μg of reporter plasmid DNA (pERE-GUS), 1 μg of control plasmid DNA (p35S-LUC) and various amounts of effector plasmid DNA were mixed with 0.5 mg of gold particles (1.5–3.0 μm in diameter, Aldrich Chem. WI) in 30 μl of TE buffer. Then, 3 μl of 3 M sodium acetate and 100 μl of ethanol was added to the mixture and the mixture was centrifuged. The gold particles coated with DNA were recovered and suspended in 100 μl of ethanol. Then, the suspension was dispersed by ultrasound and 5 μl of the dispersion was introduced to tobacco leaves, which had been cultured for 2 weeks, using Helium pressure-driven IDERA GIE-III (TANAKA Co. Ltd., Sapporo, Japan). After transduction of genes, tobacco leaves kept under light for 12 hrs at 25° C., were frozen in liquid nitrogen and were powdered using MIKRO-DISMEMBRATOR II (B. Brown Biotech International, Germany). Samples were divided in two and one portion was used to assay β-glucronidase activity using GUS-light chemiluminescence kit (TROPIX, MA). The other potion was used to assay luciferase activity using a luciferase reporter assay system (Promega Corp., WI) and Luminescencer-JNR luminometer (ATTO Co, Ltd., Tokyo, Japan).
β-glucronidase activity, which is an indicator of gene expression dependent on an ethylene-responsive promoter, was corrected based on this luciferase activity. First of all, various doses of reporter plasmid DNA (pERE-GUS) were coated on the surface of gold particles and were introduced into tobacco leaves. Then, dynamic ranges of β-glucronidase activity were assayed. The results are shown in FIGS. 7–10 . In these experiments, 1 μg of control plasmid DNA (p35S-LUC) is always mixed in each sample as an internal control; then by assaying luciferase activity of each sample, a yield of gene transduction was calculated and β-glucronidase activity of each experiment was corrected.
As a result, β-glucronidase activity increased linearly as the dose of pERE-GUS increased from 1 μg to 4 μg, then the activity slightly decreased as the dose of pERE-GUS increased to 6 μg. Therefore, in the following transient assays 2 μg of pERE-GUS and 1 μg of p35S-LUC were added to all the DNA mixtures. The addition of 0.2 μg of the effector plasmid DNA (p35S-ERF2) to said mixture does not demonstrate an increase of GUS activity, but further addition of the effector plasmid DNA (up to 0.7 μg) increased GUS activity ( FIG. 8 center). Furthermore, the addition of only different amount of p35S-MBF1 as an effector plasmid DNA led to no change in GUS activity ( FIG. 8 right).
On the other hand, in the presence of 0.2 μg of the first effector plasmid DNA (p35S-ERF2), the addition of different amounts of the second effector plasmid DNA (p35S-MBF1) increased GUS activity in a dose dependent manner ( FIG. 9 ). Additionally, in the presence of both ERF2 and MBF1, GUS activity increased cooperatively ( FIG. 10 left). The cooperative increase of GUS activity in the presence of ERF2 and MBF 1 was observed only when pERE-GUS was used as reporter plasmid DNA, but not when pmERE-GUS was used ( FIG. 10 right).
These observations demonstrate that oMBF1 is a transcription coactivator for ERF2.
Example 2
To examine whether oMBF1 functions as a transcription coactivator for clones other than ERF2, e.g. ERF4, the inventors carried out an experiment similar to example 1 by replacing p35S-ERF2 by p35S-ERF4. The results are shown in FIGS. 11 and 12 .
Several fold change in GUS activity in a dose dependent manner was observed with the addition of 0.5 μg to 1.0 μg of p35S-ERF4, however, only 1.7 fold change was observed at 0.2 μg of p35S-ERF4 ( FIG. 11 ). Furthermore, 5.5 fold increase of GUS activity was observed by further addition of 0.5 μg of p35S-MBF1 in the presence of 0.2 μg of p35S-ERF4 ( FIG. 12 left), while no increase in GUS activity was observed by the replacement of the reporter plasmid DNA by pmERE-GUS ( FIG. 12 right).
These observations demonstrate that oMBF1 functions as a transcription coactivator for ERF4 as well as ERF2.
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An ethylene-responsive transcription co-activator (MBF) acts on ethylene-responsive transcription factors (ERFs), which positively controls the expression of ethylene-responsive plant genes. A plant is transformed by the gene of the co-activator, and a promoter that may increase or decrease responsiveness to ethylene depending on its alignment. A method for controlling the responsiveness of plants to ethylene transforms a plant comprising an ERF-dependent gene, which positively control the expression of ethylene responsive genes of plants. This transcription co-activator gene is applied to control ethylene response of plants.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to a hybrid-type power transmission in which an internal combustion engine and an electric rotating machine are used as a source of power for driving an output shaft through a change-speed mechanism.
[0003] 2. Technical background of the Invention
[0004] In the PCT application (PCT/JP2008/068678) filed on Oct. 15, 2008, one of the inventors has proposed a hybrid-type power transmission of this kind. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 , the hybrid-type power transmission comprises an input shaft 10 for drive connection with an internal combustion engine 14 , a change-speed mechanism 30 having a plurality of change-speed gear trains to be selectively established for transmitting a drive power from the input shaft 10 to an output shaft 11 at a selected speed ratio, a changeover mechanism 20 including a rotor-side rotary member 21 mounted on the input shaft for rotation with a rotor 13 a of an electric rotating machine 13 , an output-side rotary member 25 mounted on the input shaft 10 for rotation with a drive gear 16 in drive connection with the output shaft 11 , an input-side rotary member 24 mounted on the input shaft 10 for rotation therewith between the rotor-side rotary member 21 and the output-side rotary member 25 , and a sleeve 26 coupled with the rotor-side rotary member 21 for rotation therewith and shiftable in an axial direction to be selectively connected to the output-side rotary member 25 or the input-side rotary member 24 , and a control device 18 for controlling each operation of the electric rotating machine 13 , the changeover mechanism 20 and the change-speed mechanism 30 . The electric rotating machine 13 is in the form of a motor-generator activated under control of the control device 18 to drive the input shaft 10 or the output shaft 11 or to be driven by the input shaft 10 or the output shaft 11 .
[0005] As shown in FIG. 1 , the change-speed mechanism 30 includes the plurality of change-speed gear trains G 1 ˜G 5 and a backward gear train GB arranged in parallel between the input and output shafts 10 and 11 , and a plurality of clutches C 1 ˜C 3 for changing over the gear trains G 1 ˜G 5 . The control device 18 is provided to selectively effect engagement of the clutches C 1 ˜C 3 through a shift actuator 19 and shift-forks F 1 ˜F 3 in response to instruction from a driver thereby to selectively establish a drive power train from the change-speed gear trains G 1 ˜G 5 and backward gear train GB for transmission of drive power between the input shaft 10 and the output shaft 11 . In a condition where a change-speed gear train was selected, the output shaft 11 is driven by the internal combustion engine 14 and/or the electric rotating machine 13 to drive left and right road wheels (not shown) through an output drive gear 31 , an output driven gear 32 , a differential 33 and drive shafts 34 a , 34 b.
[0006] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 , the changeover mechanism 20 for selectively effecting drive connection of the electric rotating machine 13 with the input shaft 10 or the output shaft 11 includes a rotor-side rotary member 21 coupled with the rotor 13 a of electric rotating machine 13 for rotation therewith, an input-side rotary member 24 mounted on the input shaft 10 for rotation therewith, an output-side rotary member 25 coupled with the drive gear 16 in drive connection with the output shaft 11 for rotation therewith, and the cylindrical sleeve 26 coupled with the rotor-side rotary member 21 for rotation therewith and shiftable in an axial direction to be engaged with the input-side rotary member 24 or the output-side rotary member 25 for transmission of the drive power.
[0007] As shown in detail in FIG. 2 , the input-side rotary member 24 is coaxially mounted at its hub portion on the input shaft 10 by means of spline connection and fixed in place by means of fastening rings. At opposite sides of the input-side rotary member 24 . a rotor 13 a of the electric rotating machine 13 and a drive gear 16 are rotatably supported at their hub portions on the input shaft 10 through a needle roller bearing, respectively. The drive gear 16 is in drive connection with the output shaft 11 through a driven gear 17 . The rotor-side rotary member 21 and output-side rotary member 25 are coaxially coupled at their hub portions with the rotor 13 a and drive gear 16 for rotation therewith respectively by means of serration press-fit. The rotary members 21 , 24 , 25 are formed with outer splines 21 a , 24 a , 25 a of the same cross-section, respectively. The input-side rotary member 24 is spaced from the output-side rotary member 25 in a distance. The cylindrical sleeve 26 is formed with axially spaced inner splines 26 a and 26 b . The first inner spline 26 a is slidably engaged with the outer spline 21 a of rotor-side rotary member 21 , while the second inner spline 26 b is selectively engaged with the outer spline 24 a of input-side rotary member 24 or the outer spline 25 a of output-side rotary member 25 in response to axial movement of the sleeve 26 .
[0008] A shift-fork 27 is engaged with an annular groove 26 c formed on the outer periphery of sleeve 26 to be operated by activation of a shift actuator 19 through a shift-rod 28 (see FIG. 1 ) When the sleeve 26 is placed at a center of its axial movement, the inner spline 26 b of sleeve 26 is positioned between the input-side rotary member 24 and output-side rotary member 25 . When the shift actuator 19 is activated under control of the control device 18 in response to an instruction of a driver, the sleeve 26 is shifted in an axial direction to be selectively engaged to the outer spline 24 a of input-side rotary member 24 or the outer spline 25 a of output-side rotary member 25 .
[0009] For smooth engagement of the splines in shift movement of the sleeve, it is required to synchronize the rotation speed of rotor-side rotary member 21 with the rotation speed of the input-side rotary member 24 or the output-side rotary member 25 . In the changeover mechanism 20 , the electric rotating machine 13 is operated under control of the control device 18 to synchronize the rotation speed of rotor-side rotary member 21 with the rotation speed of input-side rotary member 24 or the output-side rotary member 25 .
[0010] When the friction clutch 15 in the hybrid-type power transmission is engaged during operation of the internal combustion engine 14 in a condition where either one of the gear trains of the change-speed mechanism 30 was selected, the drive road wheels of the vehicle are driven by the engine 14 through the selected gear train. When the speed reduction ratio of the drive gear 16 and driven gear 17 is selected between the speed reduction ratios of the second change-speed gear train G 2 and the third change-speed gear train G 3 , the rotation speed of output-side rotary member 25 changes during lapse of a time as shown by a solid line No in FIG. 7 . In such an instance, the rotation speed of the input-side rotary member 24 changes in accordance with the change-speed ratio of the selected gear train as shown by solid lines In the graph of FIG. 7 , the rotation speed of input-side rotary member 24 is represented by the solid line Ni 1 when the first change-speed gear train G 1 is selected and represented by the solid line Ni 2 when the second change-speed gear train G 2 is selected. In a condition where the change-speed gear trains were selected as described above, the changeover mechanism 20 is operated under control of the control device 18 in such a manner that the rotor-side rotary member 21 is brought into connection with the input-side rotary member 24 or the output-side rotary member 25 in accordance with a depressed amount of an acceleration pedal, the selected change-speed gear train, the rotation speeds of the input and output shafts 10 , 11 , and acceleration of the vehicle.
[0011] Illustrated in FIG. 6 is a condition where the rotor-side rotary member 21 is selectively connected with the output-side rotary member 25 or the input-side rotary member 24 being rotated by the first change-speed gear train G 1 or the second change-speed gear train G 2 . When the rotor-side rotary member 21 is disconnected from the input-side rotary member 24 and connected with the output-side rotary member 25 , the shift actuator 19 is activated under control of the control device 18 to shift the sleeve 26 in such a manner as to disconnect the second inner spline 26 b of sleeve 26 from the outer spline 24 a of input-side rotary member 24 . In such an instance, the electric rotating machine 13 is activated under control of the control device 18 to synchronize the rotation speed of rotor-side rotary member 21 with the rotation speed of output-side rotary member 25 . To effect the synchronization, the rotation speed of the output-side rotary member 25 is defined as a target rotation speed No. Thus, the activation, of electric rotating machine 13 is controlled in such a manner that the rotation speed Nmc of rotor-side rotary member 21 approaches the target rotation speed No at a speed proportional to a difference with the target rotation speed No. With such control of the electric rotating machine 13 , the rotation speed Nine of rotor-side rotary member 21 decreases as shown in FIG. 6 and approaches to the target rotation speed No. After synchronized with the target rotation speed No, the rotation speed Nmc further decreases due to mechanical resistances in the electric rotating machine during lapse of a time after start of the shift operation of the sleeve 26 . After synchronization of the rotation speed Nmc with the target rotation speed No, the shift actuator 19 is activated again under control of the control device 18 to shift the sleeve 26 in such a manner as to bring the second inner spline 26 b into engagement with the outer spline 25 a of output-side rotary member 25 thereby to connect the rotor-side rotary member 21 to the output-side rotary member 25 .
[0012] Illustrated in FIG. 3( a 1 ) are the second inner spline 26 b of sleeve 26 and the outer spline 25 a of output-side rotary member 25 to be engaged with each other upon synchronization of the rotation speed Nmc with the target rotation speed No. As shown in the figure, the distal ends of splines 26 b and 25 a are spaced in a distance in an axial direction. The lapse of a time after start of the shift operation of sleeve 26 is caused by the distance between the distal ends of splines 28 b and 25 a and is affected by speed of the shift operation of sleeve 26 and phase relationship between the splines 26 b and 25 a . The lapse of the time after synchronization of the rotation speed Nmc with the target rotation speed No will become a minimum value Tm 1 when the chamfer apex 26 b 1 of the second inner spline 26 b is engaged with the chamfer apex 25 a 1 of outer spline 25 a and will become a maximum value Tm 2 when the chamfer proximal end 262 of the second inner spline 26 is engaged with the chamfer proximal end 25 a 2 of the outer spline 25 a . (see imaginary lines b 2 in FIG. 3( b 1 ))
[0013] As described above, the rotation speed Nmc of sleeve 26 in slidable engagement with the rotor-side rotary member 21 is decreased after synchronized with the target rotation speed No as shown by the imaginary line Nmc 1 in FIG. 6 and is rapidly increased when the sleeve 26 is engaged with the output-side rotary member 25 between the minimum lapse of the time Tm 1 and the maximum lapse of the time Tm 2 .
[0014] When the rotor-side rotary member 21 is disconnected from the output-side rotary member 25 and connected to the input-side rotary member 24 , the shift actuator 19 is activated under control of the control device 18 to shit the sleeve 26 in such a manner as to disconnect the second inner spline 26 b from the outer spline 25 a of output-side rotary member 25 , while the electric rotating machine 13 is activated under control of the control device to synchronize the rotation speed of rotor-side rotary member 21 with the rotation speed of input-side rotary member 24 . After synchronization of the rotation speeds, the shift actuator 19 is activated again under control of the control device 18 to shift the sleeve 26 in such a manner as to bring the second inner spline 26 b of sleeve 26 into engagement with the outer spline 24 a of input-side rotary member 24 . In such an instance, the rotation speed Nmd of sleeve 26 is increased by synchronization with the rotation speed of input-side rotary member 24 and is once decreased after synchronization with the rotation speed of input-side rotary member 24 as shown by an imaginary line Nmd 1 in FIG. 6 . Subsequently, the rotation speed Nmd 1 of sleeve 26 is rapidly increased to the rotation speed Ni of input-side rotary member 24 when the sleeve 26 is engaged with the input-side rotary member 24 between the minimum lapse of the time Tm 1 and the maximum lapse of the time Tm 2 .
[0015] As described above, the electric rotating machine is activated under control of the control device to synchronize the rotation speed of rotor-side rotary member 21 with the rotation speed of input-side rotary member 24 or output-side rotary member 25 in shifting operation of the sleeve 26 . In such an instance, the rotation speed of sleeve 26 is rapidly increased after once decreased when the sleeve is shifted to bring the rotor-side rotary member 21 into engagement with the output-side rotary member 25 or the input-side rotary member 24 . This causes impact noise in shifting operation of the sleeve 26 in the changeover mechanism 20 .
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0016] A primary object of the present invention is to provide a control method of the electric rotating machine in the hybrid-type power transmission capable of solving the problem discussed above.
[0017] According to the present invention, the object is accomplished by providing a hybrid-type power transmission comprising an input shaft for drive connection with an internal combustion engine, a change-speed mechanism having a plurality of change-speed gear trains to be selectively established for transmitting a drive power from the input shaft to an output shaft at a selected speed ratio, a changeover mechanism including a rotor-side rotary member mounted on the input shaft and coupled with a rotor of an electric rotating machine for rotation therewith, an output-side rotary member mounted on the input shaft for rotation with a drive gear in drive connection with the output shaft, an input-side rotary member mounted on the input shaft for rotation therewith between the rotor-side rotary member and the output-side rotary member, and a sleeve coupled with the rotor-side rotary member for rotation therewith and shiftable in an axial direction to be selectively engaged with the output-side rotary member or the input-side rotary member, wherein the operation of the electric rotating machine is controlled in such a manner that the rotation speed of the rotor-side rotary member is synchronized with the rotation speed of the input-side or output-side rotary member when the rotation speed of the rotor-side rotary member becomes higher in a predetermined difference than the rotation speed of the input-side or output-side rotary member in shifting operation of the sleeve.
[0018] In a practical embodiment of the present invention, the difference of the rotation speeds of the rotor-side rotary member and the input-side or output-side rotary member is determined in such a manner that the rotation speed of the rotor-side rotary member decreases less than the input-side or output-side rotary member at a time between minimum and maximum lapse of times during which the sleeve is brought into engagement with the input-side or output-side rotary member after synchronization of the rotation speed of the rotor-side rotary member with the input-side or output side rotary member.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0019] In the drawings,
[0020] FIG. 1 is a skeleton view illustrating components of a hybrid-type power transmission;
[0021] FIG. 2 is a partly enlarged sectional view of a changeover mechanism in the hybrid-type power transmission shown in FIG. 1 ,
[0022] FIGS. 3( a 1 ), 3 ( b 1 ) each illustrate a section circumferentially taken along 3 - 3 in FIG. 2 ,
[0023] FIGS. 3( a 2 ), 3 b 2 ) each illustrate the rotation speed of the rotor-side rotary member after synchronization with the rotation speed of the output-side rotary member,
[0024] FIGS. 4( a 1 ), 3 ( b 1 ) each illustrate a modification of each chamfer of the inner and output splines shown in FIGS. 3( a 1 ), 3 ( b 1 ),
[0025] FIGS. 4( a 2 ), 3 b 2 ) each illustrate the rotation speed of the rotor-side rotary member after synchronization with the rotation speed of the output-side rotary member,
[0026] FIG. 5 is a graph illustrating transition of the rotation speed of the rotor-side rotary member in shifting operation of the sleeve in the changeover mechanism,
[0027] FIG. 6 is a graph illustrating transition of the rotation speed of the rotor-side rotary member in shifting operation of the sleeve in the changeover mechanism, and
[0028] FIG. 7 is a graph illustrating change of the rotation speed of the input-side rotary member in the changeover mechanism.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0029] Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the present invention adapted to the hybrid-type power transmission described above with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 will be described with reference to FIG. 5 . Assuming that the sleeve 26 of the changeover mechanism 20 is shifted by operation of the shift actuator under control of the control device 18 to connect the rotor-side rotary member 21 to the output-side rotary member 25 in a condition where the rotation speed of input-side rotary member 24 is higher than the rotation-speed of output-side rotary member 25 as shown in FIG. 5 , the electric rotating machine 13 is activated under control of the control device 18 to synchronize the rotation speed of rotor-side rotary member 21 with the rotation speed of output-side rotary member 25 . In this embodiment, a rotation speed in a difference Δo higher than the rotation speed No of the output-side rotary member 25 is defined as a target rotation speed Ndo for synchronization. Thus, the electric rotating machine 13 is operated under control of the control device 19 in such a manner that the rotation speed Nma of rotor-side rotary member 21 decreases and approaches to the target rotation speed Ndo as shown in FIG. 5 . After synchronized with the target rotation speed Ndo, the rotation speed Nma of rotor-side rotary member 21 further decreases less than the target rotation speed Ndo due to mechanical resistances in the electric rotating machine 13 as shown by an imaginary line Nma 2 .
[0030] In this embodiment, the difference Δo is determined in such a manner that the imaginary line Nma 2 indicative of the rotation speed of rotor-side rotary member 21 crosses the solid line No indicative of the rotation speed of output-side rotary member 25 at a position between the minimum and maximum lapse of times Tm 1 and Tm 2 during which the apex of inner spline 26 b of sleeve 26 is brought into engagement with the apex of outer spline 25 a of output-side rotary member 25 . Practically, the difference Δo is determined on a basis of various factors such as a selected gear train, each rotation speed of the input and output shafts 10 , 11 , acceleration of the vehicle, a temperature affecting stir-resistance of lubricant, etc.
[0031] When the inner spline of sleeve 26 is engaged with the outer spline of output-side rotary member 25 at the time between the minimum and maximum lapse of times Tm 1 and Tm 2 , the rotation speed Nma of sleeve 26 is changed over to the rotation speed No of output-side rotary member 25 . In the case that the target rotation speed Ndo is determined as described above, the difference between the rotation speeds of sleeve 26 and output-side rotary member 25 becomes zero in a small extent between the minimum and maximum lapse of times Tm 1 and Tm 2 .
[0032] When the shift actuator 19 is activated under control of the control device 18 to shift the sleeve in such a manner as to disconnect the rotor-side rotary member 21 from the output-side rotary member 25 , the electric rotating machine 13 is activated under control of the control device 19 to synchronize the rotation speed of rotor-side rotary member 21 with the input-side rotary member 24 . In such an instance, a rotation speed in a difference Δi higher than the rotation speed Ni is defined as a target rotation speed Ndi in the same manner as described above. Thus, the electric rotating machine 13 is activated under control of the control device 18 in such a manner that the rotation speed Nmb of rotor-side rotary member 21 increases and approaches to the target rotation speed Ndi as shown in FIG. 5 . After synchronized with the target rotation speed Ndi, the rotation speed Nmb of rotor-side rotary member 21 decreases less than the target rotation speed Ndi due to mechanical resistance in the electric rotating machine 13 as shown by an imaginary line Nmb 2 .
[0033] As shown in FIG. 3( a 1 ), the inner spline 26 b of sleeve 26 is formed at its opposite ends with a chamfer of triangle in cross-section to be engaged with a chamfer of triangle in cross-section formed on each distal end of the outer splines 24 a , 25 a of input-side and output-side rotary members 24 , 25 . As the rotation speed Nma of sleeve 26 is higher than the rotation speed No of the output-side rotary member 25 after synchronization with the target rotation speed Ndi as described above, the inner spline 26 b of sleeve 26 tend to be moved toward the outer spline 25 a of output-side rotary member 25 in shifting operation of the sleeve 26 as shown by solid arrows in FIG. 3( a 1 ). If in such an instance, the chamfer of inner spline 26 b is brought into engagement at its front side with the back side of the chamfer of outer spline 25 a in a rotation direction, the difference between the rotation speeds of sleeve 25 and output-side rotary member 25 decreases as shown in FIG. 3( a 2 ). When the chamfer of sleeve 26 is moved back in a reverse rotation direction by engagement with the chamfer of output-side rotary member 25 , the difference of the rotation speeds becomes minus. When the proximal end 26 b 2 of the chamfer of inner spline 26 b displaces over the proximal end 25 a 2 of the chamfer, of outer spline 25 a , the difference between the rotation speeds of sleeve, 26 and output-side rotary member 25 becomes zero.
[0034] If as shown in FIG. 3( b 1 ), the chamfer of inner spline 26 b is brought into engagement at its back side with the front side of the chamfer of outer spline 25 a in a rotation direction, the difference between the rotation speeds of sleeve 26 and output-side rotary member 25 decreases as shown in FIG. 3( b 2 ). When the chamfer of sleeve 26 is engaged with the chamfer of outer spline 25 a as shown by an imaginary line b 1 , the sleeve 26 is moved in the rotation direction to increase the difference of the rotation speeds of sleeve 26 and output-side rotary member 25 . When the proximal end 26 b 2 of the chamfer of inner spline 26 a displaces over the proximal end 25 a 2 of the chamfer of outer spline 25 a , the difference between the rotation speeds of sleeve 26 and output-side rotary member 25 becomes zero.
[0035] As the difference between the rotation speeds of rotor-side rotary member 21 and input-side rotary member 24 or output-side rotary member 25 becomes extremely small in shifting operation of the changeover mechanism, the pushback force acting on the sleeve 26 becomes extremely small, and the occurrence of impact noise in shifting operation is extremely reduced. This is effective to bring the sleeve 26 into smooth engagement with the input-side rotary member 24 or output-side rotary member 25 .
[0036] Illustrated in FIGS. 4( a 1 ), 4 ( b 1 ) is a modification of each chamfer of the inner spline 26 b of sleeve 26 and outer splines 24 a , 25 a of rotary members 24 , 25 in the changeover mechanism. In this modification, each chamfer of the inner spline 26 b is formed at its backside with an inclined surface 26 b 5 , while each chamfer of the outer splines 24 a , 25 a of rotary members 24 , 25 is formed at its front side with an inclined surface 24 a 5 , 25 a 5 . When the sleeve 26 is shifted to the output-side rotary member 25 , the inner spline 26 b of sleeve 26 is displaced toward the outer spline 25 a of output-side rotary member 25 as shown by solid arrows and brought into engagement with the outer splind 25 a as shown in FIG. 4( a 1 ) or 4 ( b 1 ).
[0037] When the inner spline 26 b of sleeve 26 is brought into engagement with the outer spline 25 a of output-side rotary member 25 as shown in FIG. 4( a 1 ), the difference between the rotation speeds of sleeve 26 and output-side rotary member 25 decreases as shown by an imaginary line Nma 2 in FIG. 4( a 2 ). When the splines 26 b and 25 a are engaged with each other at their side surfaces as shown by an imaginary line c 1 , the difference between the rotation speeds of sleeve 26 and output-side rotary member 25 becomes zero without any increase as shown in FIG. 4( a 2 ). When the inner spline 26 b of sleeve 26 is brought into engagement with the outer spline 25 a of output-side rotary member 25 as shown in FIG. 4( b 1 ), the difference between the rotation speeds of sleeve 26 and output-side rotary member 25 decreases as shown by an imaginary line Nma 2 in FIG. 4( b 2 ). When the splines 26 b and 25 a are engaged with each other at their chamfers, the sleeve 26 is moved in the rotation direction to increase the difference between the rotation speeds as shown in FIG. 4( b 2 ). When the proximal end 26 b 4 of inner spline 26 b displaces over the proximal end 25 a 4 of outer spline 25 a as shown by an imaginary line d 2 in FIG. 4( b 1 ), the difference between the rotation speeds becomes zero as shown in FIG. 4( b 2 ).
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A hybrid-type power transmission in which an internal combustion engine and an electric rotating machine are used as a source of power for driving an output shaft through a change-speed mechanism. In the hybrid power transmission, the operation of the electric rotating machine is controlled in such a manner that the rotation speed of a rotor-side rotary member is synchronized with the rotation speed of an input-side or output-side rotary member when the rotation speed of the rotor-side rotary member becomes higher in a predetermined difference than the rotation speed of the input-side or output-side rotary member in shifting operation of a sleeve coupled with the rotor-side rotary member.
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RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 13/641,235 filed Oct. 15, 2012; which is a 371 of International Application PCT/US2011/032674 filed Apr. 15, 2011; which claims benefit of provisional application No. 61/325,200, all of which are incorporated herein by reference.
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to an improved method to make dental restorations and dentures, the tools used to make these restorations and dentures and to dental articulators and, more particularly, to an improved articulator which allows for accurate simulation of the jaw or condylar movements of a patient and accurate interchangeability of dental casts.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Currently dentists utilize a set of impression trays to make a mold of the patient's teeth. This mold is filled will plaster to create a model of the patients teeth. The plaster model of the patient's teeth is then used by the dentist as a substructure to build either dental crowns or bridges. This model of the upper and lower dental arch is then placed in a dental articulator to allow the dentist or dental technician to make a crown or bridge. A bite transfer or some similar tool is used to align the models in the articulator. Once the upper and lower dental arch models are aligned the bite transfer is discarded. The dental technician then creates the dental restoration, crown or bridge. Once completed, the restoration is returned to the dentist for “try-in” and fitting. This fitting requires the dentist to match the restoration to the patients jaw movements.
For dentures, dentists currently utilize a set of impression trays to capture a mold of the patient's boney structure or ridge preparation for any dentures the dentist or dental technician make. This mold is filled with plaster, which is used to create a model that is then placed in a dental articulator. The dentist or dental technician will then make an educated guess as to the correct spacing between the models and as to the patients lip line. A set of “try-in” rims are created to test the assumptions made by the dentist and dental technician. The placement of the models in the articulator is then adjusted based on the modifications to the “try-in” rims. A set of “try-in” dentures is made out of wax and “tried-in” the patient's mouth. If any adjustments are made to this set of dentures, a second try-in is performed. Once these adjustments are complete, the final denture set is made from the try-in set and returned to the Dentist for final try-in and fitting.
The purpose of a dental articulator is to simulate the jaw or condylar movements of a patient. This instrument enables a dentist to obtain the necessary diagnostic information for the treatment of occlusal irregularities, such as malocclusion, and the fabrication of dental casts or “dentures.”
U.S. Pat. No. 4,034,474 (“the Lee Patent”) and U.S. Pat. No. 4,034,475, disclose a simplified system for measuring jaw movements, and information useful in setting and operating dental articulators. It is further suggested in those patents that plastic guide blocks of the type disclosed in the earlier Lee Patent be classified according to certain characteristics of jaw movements to provide a series of average value blocks from which the pair most closely fitting the measurements of a particular patient's condylar movements may be selected. Such guide blocks have curved walls which produce movement that closely simulates a patient's particular condylar movements, thus enabling a dentist to treat accurately an occlusal or denture problem without requiring the presence of the patient.
While these methods have been available for some time, the methods have not accurately and precisely recorded the patent's particular condylar movements. The methods currently in place fail to record the effects of both the incisal guidance and posterior guidance, in a single record, which are necessary to create a reliable non-linear duplication of the condylar guidance.
Thus there is a need for an economical and simple method to accurately replicate the unique path of motion when performing dental restorations.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to an improved method to make dental restorations and dentures. More particularly, the present invention is directed to an improved dental articulator that allows for accurate simulation of the jaw or condylar movements of a patient and accurate interchangeability of dental casts and the use of that improved dental articulator to make dental restorations and dentures.
This process is unique in at least two aspects relating to common dental practice. First, there is an expectation of recording balancing (non-working side) guides for registering the medial wall of the glenoid fossa. Second, all guidance is patient initiated and guided with verbal coaching from clinician encouraging maximal muscular effort.
In the present invention, an improved dental articulator is described. The dental articulator includes: an upper frame and a lower frame for simulating the lower dental arch and the upper dental arch; one of the frames having a pair of condyle mounted thereon; a pair of removable condylar tables mounted on the other of the frames; a malleable material deposited in the condylar tables; an incisal pin mounted to one of the frames; a removable anterior guide table; and a malleable material deposited in the anterior guide table
In accordance with another aspect of this invention, a method of recording three-dimensional jaw movements and transferring the record to an improved dental articulator is provided. This method, which can be used to make dental restorations, includes the steps of: producing a standard impression of a patient's dentition; recording the functional dynamics of occlusion using impression material by having the patient perform an immediate lateral move, requesting the patient to bite back with strenuous force in right and left directions to produce a functionally generated path (“FGP”) record; taking measurements using a bite plate; producing a standard model of the patient's upper dental arch and lower dental arch; placing the model of the upper arch and lower arch in the improved articulator utilizing the condylar and anterior guide setup boxes; placing the FGP record in the articulator; placing condylar and anterior guide tables in the improved articulator, the condylar and anterior guide table filled with a malleable material; manipulating the model of the upper dental arch and the lower dental arch to scribe a path into the malleable material; and removing the FGP record and allowing malleable material to harden.
In accordance with another aspect of this invention, a method of recording three-dimensional jaw movements in an edentulous patient and transferring the record to the improved dental articulator is provided. This method can be used to make dentures and includes the steps of: producing a standard impression of a patient's upper and lower jaw bone forms; placing a Vertical Dimension of Occlusion (“VDO”) tool in the patient's mouth to measure the intraoral spacing between the upper and lower jaw and the lip line; attaching a spacing rim to the VDO with impression material placed on the top and bottom rear surface to the spacing rim, and placing the VDO and spacing rim in the patients mouth to record the rear spacing of the patients upper and lower jaw; placing the model of the upper arch and lower arch in the improved dental articulator utilizing the VDO and spacing rim to set the correct intraoral spacing of the upper and lower models, utilizing the condylar and anterior guide setup boxes; creating a set of Eric's rims in the improved articulator utilizing the individual patients articulation setup; Eric's rims are placed into the patients mouth to recorded the functional dynamics of occlusion by having the patient perform severally lateral moves, requesting the patient to bite back with strenuous force in right and left directions to produce a FGP record; removing the Eric's rims from the patient's mouth and using the marks indicated on the Eric's rims material is removed; returning the Eric's rims to the patient's mouth and repeating the process until the Eric's rims are fully balanced; placing the Eric's rims back into the improved articulator; placing condylar and anterior guide tables in the improved articulator, the condylar and anterior guide table filled with a malleable material; manipulating the model and Erie's rims of the upper dental arch and the lower dental arch to scribe a path into the malleable material; removing Eric's rims record and allowing malleable material to harden; and making a temporary denture of wax utilizing an improved functionally balanced Posterior Guided Occlusion teeth, that matches curve of Eric's rims and the benefits of the improved dental articulator.
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 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. The novel features which are believed to be characteristic of the invention, both as to its organization and method of operation, together with further objects and advantages will be better understood from the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying Figures. It is to be expressly understood, however, that each of the Figures is provided for the purpose of illustration and description only and is not intended as a definition of the limits of the present invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
For a more complete understanding of the present invention, reference is now made to the following descriptions taken in conjunction with the accompanying Figures and drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 shows improved dental articulator with model.
FIG. 2 shows an exploded view of the improved dental articulator.
FIG. 3 shows a side view Vertical Dimension of Occlusion with Lip Line Tab.
FIG. 4 shows a side view of the Eric's Rim.
FIG. 5 shows the condylar table set-up box
FIG. 6 shows the condylar table box.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
As used herein, “a” or “an” means one or more than one.
The methods and apparatus of the present invention will now be illustrated with reference to FIGS. 1 through 4 . It should be understood, that these are merely illustrative and not exhaustive examples of the scope of the present invention and that variations which are understood by those having ordinary skill in the art are within the scope of the present invention.
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 , an example of an improved dental articulator is shown. The dental articulator is used to hold models of the upper dental arch 127 and the lower dental arch 137 and simulate the movement of the jaw when fabricating dental restorations such as crowns, bridges, and dentures.
The dental articulator has an upper frame 120 , and lower frame 130 used to mount the model of the upper dental arch 127 and the model of the lower dental arch 137 . The model of the upper dental arch 127 is held to the arm 121 of upper frame 120 by a conventional mounting plate 122 and the model of the lower dental arch 137 is held to the arm 131 of lower frame 130 by a conventional mounting plate 132 . Both models are attached to the mounting plates using plaster or other material. In the preferred embodiment, both mounting plates 132 and 142 are held to the articulator by a snapping feature or magnetic feature designed into the mounting plate; however, other securing mechanisms, such as screws and the like, are envisioned. The position of the upper dental arch 127 is adjusted by adding material to area 124 between the upper dental arch 127 and mounting plate 122 . Similarly, the position of the lower dental arch 137 is adjusted by adding material to area 134 between the lower dental arch 137 and mounting plate 132 .
The dental articulator has a pair of posts 150 with condyles 151 . Condyle 151 fit with condylar table 160 to simulate the temporal mandible joint of the patient. The condyle can be any shape the can be used to accurately represent the motion of the of the patients jaw. However, in the preferred embodiment, a spherical shaped condyle is used.
The condylar table 160 of the present invention consists of a removable box that is connected to the dental articulator. As shown in FIG. 6 , condylar table 160 includes an open box 161 . The open box 161 allows a malleable material to be placed inside the box as well as to allow condyle 151 to enter the condylar table 161 . The malleable material can be any self curing material such as methyl methacrylate, two part epoxy, urethane, sodium alginate, agar, condensation-cured silicones, and addition-cured silicones such as polyvinyl siloxane, wax or similar material. The setup condylar table is similar to the removable condylar table, however the box is not open, but instead includes an indentation to receive the condyle 151 . The setup anterior guide table is similar to the removable anterior guide table; however the box is not open, but instead includes an indentation to receive the Incisal Pin 170 . The setup condylar tables and the anterior guide table are removed and saved for future use.
Dental articulator also has an incisal pin 170 and incisal table 171 . Incisal pin 170 is utilized to set the normal distance between the upper dental arch 127 and the lower dental arch 137 . The incisal table 171 consists of a removable box that is connected to the dental articulator. Like the condylar table 161 , the front of the box is open to allow the same malleable material as used in the condylar table 161 to be placed inside the box. This allows the incisal pin 170 to enter the incisal table 171 .
Additionally, a removable set-up condylar tables and set-up incisal tables are used with the improved dental articulator. FIG. 5 shows a typical set-up table 600 . The incisal pin 170 is held in place in the arm 121 by a set screw 173 . The set-up table typically is a closed box or block that prevents the condyle 151 or incisal pin 170 from completely entering the box. The setup tables may also include an indentation 601 that allows the condyle 151 or incisal pin 170 to rest. This allows the dentist or dental technician to set the upper and lower arch in stable in a stable occlusal position before condylar table 160 and incisal table 170 are placed in the improved articulator.
The improved dental articulator can be used to make dental restorations and dentures. The procedure for using the improved dental articulator is described in further detail below.
Generally, the improved dental articulator can be used to make dental restorations, such as crowns and bridges, using the following steps: preparing the teeth for restoration; making an impression of the teeth; recording the jaw movements of a patient to produce a functional generated path (“FGP”) record; producing the upper and lower model of the teeth; transferring the FGP record to the improved dental articulator to produce a model of the jaw movements; and reproducing the jaw movements in the articulator to create a custom condylar table. Each of these steps will be discussed in detail below.
While the following describes the method of the present invention for the restoration of a tooth, specifically the preparation of a crown, those skilled in the art will understand that this method can be applied to any dental restoration procedure and is particularly useful in restorations involving multiple teeth or restorations where a terminal tooth is missing.
Typically the first step in applying the present invention requires the preparing the tooth for the restoration. Generally the preparation of a tooth for a crown involves the irreversible removal of a significant amount of tooth structure. When preparing a tooth for a crown, typically, the enamel is totally removed and the finished preparation is, thus, entirely dentin. The amount of tooth structure required to be removed will depend on the material(s) being used to restore the tooth. For example, if porcelain is applied to a gold crown, the total tooth is reduced minimally 1.5 mm.
After the tooth is prepared, a standard impression of the dentition is made, allowing accurate models of the teeth to be made later. An impression is carried out by placing a liquid material into the mouth in a customized tray. The material then sets to become an elastic solid, and when removed from the mouth retains the shape of the teeth. Common materials used for dental impressions include, but are not limited to, sodium alginate, agar, condensation-cured silicones, and addition-cured silicones such as polyvinyl siloxane.
When crowns or bridges are made using this technique, the complex relationship that defines the functional dynamics of occlusion is recorded using a thermoplastic transfer material in a bite plate. The bite plate has a tongue and record area. The thermoplastic transfer material located in record area (re-enforced wax, compound material, or Thermacryl) is warmed to a plastic state, adapted to the prepared teeth, and the FGP registration is recorded.
Unlike the standard “chew-in” procedure, the method of this invention uses a modified procedure with more aggressive mastication used to generate the FGP record. Specifically, the patient or subject is coached into an immediate lateral move and then asked to bite back with strenuous force in right and left directions. Care is taken to ensure that the subject uses significant maximal effort when clenching the teeth together from the lateral position.
The impressions are then used to generate the models of the patient's teeth. The models of the upper and lower dental arches are mounted in an improved articulator as described above. This allows for of transferring measurements relating to the location and angle of the teeth to the articulator. Once the models of the upper and lower dental arches are mounted in the improved dental articulator, the FGP record is then placed in the articulator. The removable condylar table and the removable guide table, which are filled with a malleable material, such as a thermoplastic or other material as described above, are placed in the improved articulator. The upper and lower dental arches are then manipulated by working the upper and lower frames of the dental articulator to scribe the functional path into the malleable material stored in the condylar and anterior guide tables. Once this is complete, the FGP record is removed and the malleable material is allowed to harden.
Typically, the improved dental articulator can also be used to make dentures. The steps to make dentures using the improved dental articulator is similar to the steps used to make dental restorations, however, there are some notable differences, which are discussed further below.
While the following describes the method of the present invention for the manufacture of dentures, those skilled in the art will understand that this method can be applied to any dental restoration procedure and is particularly useful in restorations involving manufacture of full or partial dentures.
The first step in applying the present invention to make dentures requires preparing the gums for the restoration. Generally the preparation of the edentulous gums requires the creation of a special impression tray.
After the impression tray is prepared, a standard impression of the edentulous ridge is made. An impression is carried out by placing a liquid material into the mouth in the customized tray. The material then sets to become an elastic solid, and when removed from the mouth retains the shape of the gum and ridge. Common materials used for dental impressions include, but are not limited to, sodium alginate, agar, condensation-cured silicones, and addition-cured silicones such as polyvinyl siloxane.
To aid in placing the models of the patients edentulous ridge in the improved dental articulator, the intraoral spacing of the patient's mouth is measured by placing a Vertical Dimension of Occlusion (“VDO”) tool in the patient's mouth to measure the intraoral spacing between the upper and lower jaw and the lip line. The VDO tool 400 , which is shown in FIG. 3 , has an upper rest 401 , a lower rest 403 , a lip line spacing tab 405 and a spacing rim 410 . The upper rest 401 has a cylindrical portion 402 that slides within the cylindrical portion 404 lower rest 403 and allows the dentist to set the intraoral spacing between the upper ridge and the jaw. Once the correct intraoral spacing is adjusted, the lip line spacing tab 403 is used to mark the patients lip line and lock the adjustments in place. This is done by snapping the lip line spacing tab 403 into a notch in the cylindrical portion 404 of lower lip rest 403 , which holds the cylindrical portion 402 of upper rest 401 in place. Once the intraoral spacing has been set, the spacing rim 410 is attached to the VDO tool 400 and impression material placed on the top and bottom rear surface to the spacing rim. The VDO tool 400 with spacing rim 410 are placed in the patients mouth to record the rear spacing of the patients upper and lower jaw. These measurements from VDO tool 400 are then use to place the model of the upper arch and lower arch in the improved dental articulator. Utilizing the VDO tool and spacing rim allows the correct intraoral spacing of the upper and lower models to be transferred to the model. This is typically done using the condylar and anterior guide setup boxes.
The impressions are then used to generate the models of the patient's teeth. The models of the upper and lower dental arches are mounted in the improved articulator as described above. VDO Tool 400 , when used to place the dental models during the set-up of the improved articulator, allows measurements relating to the location and angle of the teeth to be transferred to the articulator.
Once the upper and lower models are set in the improved dental articulator, Eric's Rim bite blocks can be created in the improved articulator utilizing the individual patient's articulation setup. Eric's Rim Bite blocks, are created using a soft wax to space the Eric's rims. FIG. 4 shows a typical Eric's rim curve 500 . Once created, the Eric's rims are returned to the dentist to be chewed-in by the patient.
When dentures are made using this technique, the complex relationship that defines the functional dynamics of occlusion is recorded using a thermoplastic transfer material and a unique transfer rim or Eric's Rim. The rim has a tongue and record area. The thermoplastic transfer material located in record area. This recorded area can be made from the FGP registration that is recorded in a “chew-in” procedure.
Unlike the standard “chew-in” procedure, the method of this invention uses a modified procedure with more aggressive mastication used to generate the FGP record. Specifically, the patient or subject is coached into an immediate lateral move and then asked to bite back with strenuous force in right and left directions. The Eric's rims are placed in the patient's mouth. Care is taken to ensure that the subject uses significant maximal effort when clenching the Rims together from the lateral position. Areas of contact are recorded using bite registration tape or similar material. The Rims are removed from the patient's mouth and the areas of contact are removed from the surface of the Eric's Rim using a Dental Hand Piece and a suitable burr to remove a thin layer of material where the rim's contact. This procedure is repeated until the Eric's rims are in balance. This balanced position is where there is a similar registration of contact across the rim, with no noticeable low areas or areas unmarked by the registration tape.
Once the Eric's rims are balanced, they are returned to the improved dental articulator and condylar and anterior guide tables are filled with a malleable material and placed in the improved articulator. As discussed above the malleable material can be any malleable material, the upper and lower Rims are then manipulated by working the upper and lower frames of the dental articulator to scribe the functional path into the malleable material stored in the condylar and anterior guide tables. Once the malleable material hardens the model can then be used to make a temporary denture of wax utilizing improved functionally balanced Posterior Guided Occlusion teeth that match the curve of the Eric's rims.
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. Moreover, the scope of the present application is not intended to be limited to the particular embodiments of the process, machine, manufacture, composition of matter, means, methods and steps described in the specification. As one of ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate from the disclosure of the present invention, processes, machines, manufacture, compositions of matter, means, methods, or steps, presently existing or later to be developed that perform substantially the same function or achieve substantially the same result as the corresponding embodiments described herein may be utilized according to the present invention. Accordingly, the appended claims are intended to include within their scope such processes, machines, manufacture, compositions of matter, means, methods, or steps.
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This invention relates to improved methods and apparatus for recording and simulating the condylar movement of an individual. This invention also provides a dental articulator which is designed to simulate the jaw or condylar movements of a patient. This instrument enables a dentist to obtain the necessary diagnostic information for treatment of the occlusal irregularities, such as malocclusion, and the fabrication of dental cast or “dentures”.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The frequent use of hot rollers and electrical hair dryers tends to cause hair damage, requiring periodic application of hair conditioning products. Preferably these conditioners are applied to damaged hair in a heat-controlled environment for a short period of time, usually about 30 minutes. Although it is preferable to apply hair conditioners in a salon under the supervision of a professional hair dresser, hair conditioning is also commonly self-applied at home using a commercially available heat cap or other heat controlled apparatus.
A number of heating caps for home use are presently available in the marketplace. These caps are commonly heavy and bulky thereby causing difficulties with handling and storage. More importantly, the heating caps of the prior art all appear to have a boat-like shape, best referred to as a "prairie schooner" design which is illconstructed to apply even, uniform heat to damaged hair with conditioner thereon. This boat-like shape creates hot spots on the head causing burns to the skin and scalp of the user. Many prior art heat caps are also constructed to apply heat to unnecessary body areas thereby wasting energy and causing additional discomfort to the ears and forehead of the user.
The heat caps of the prior art also typically have a two-way or three-way switch allowing only a limited selection of temperature choices, thereby frequently resulting in burns or inefficient usage by the inexperienced wearer. Finally, the unwieldy construction and shape of prior art heat caps makes it very difficult to assemble said products, thereby increasing the cost and complexity of manufacturing and maintenance.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is designed to overcome the difficulties discussed above with prior art heat caps. The heat cap of the present invention is specifically constructed to form a prismoidal-like cavity open at the base and conforming approximately to the shape of a user's head with a row of hair piled thereon. The heating cap of the present invention provides for electrical heating elements only in areas of the heat cap which are adjacent to said row of hair and other hair about said row of hair, with the heating means being disposed throughout the conditioning zone at a substantial uniform distance from the row of hair. The remainder of the heat cap comprises a cool zone adjacent to portions of the user's head other than those portions with hair thereon, the cool zone being without any heating means and thereby saves on energy usage and minimizes the possibility of burns to the user's skin or scalp. This cool zone is also preferably substantially spaced from the user's head portions for which no heat is needed.
The present invention also provides an electrical thermostat for automatically bringing the heating cap to an optimal temperature and then holding the heat at that temperature during the desired conditioning period. The present invention also utilizes a flexible material for the heating cap having adjusting means for changing the size of the curved cavity so as to fit users' heads of different sizes. This adjustment means preferably also includes openings adjacent to the ears of the user's head so as to minimize any obstruction to hearing by the user and to allow the user to utilize the telephone during the heat conditioning process. The heating cap in the present invention also includes substantial insulating elements between the heating means and the inner surface of the heating cap so as to protect the user's head from exposure to extreme heat from any unlikely malfunction of the heating cap.
One embodiment of the present invention comprises a heating cap for applying heat to a pile of hair on top of a user'head. The heating cap includes a curved shell forming an open cavity with an inner surface shaped to conform substantially to the shape of the user's head with said pile of hair thereon. The heating cap also includes heating means disposed within the shell for radiating heat through the inner surface to heat the pile of hair and other hair on the user's head. The inner surface of the shell has a conditioning zone adjacent to the pile of hair with heating means disposed throughout this conditioning zone at a substantially uniform distance from the pile of hair. The heating cap also includes a cool zone adjacent to portions of the user's head other than the top of the head having the pile of hair thereon and other hair on the user's head, the cool zone being without any heating means.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the heating cap is provided for applying heat to a row of hair lying primarily along the top of the head. The heating cap includes an outer covering having first and second sides, each having a curvilinear edge joined to the curvilinear edge of the other side and a second edge separated from the second edge of the other side to form a prismoidal-like cavity open at the base conforming approximately to the shape of the user's head and a row of hair thereon. The heating cap also includes an inner covering conforming substantially to the shape of the outer covering and connected thereto along corresponding edges to form a closed cavity between the inner and outer coverings. The heating cap further includes heating means within such closed cavity throughout the portion of said cavity adjacent the row of hair, for radiating heat through the inner covering to the row of hair.
In a further embodiment of the present invention, a method of manufacturing a heating cap is provided, including the steps of cutting identically shaped first and second flat flexible members. Each said member has wing-shaped member pairs which are mirror-images of each other and which are joined together by a common bridge portion. Each wing-shaped portion includes first and second curvilinear edges separated by the bridge portion. The method includes the step of disposing a heating element and insulation material between the first and second flat members. The first and second flat members are joined together along their commonly-shaped edges and folded along their common bridge portions so that the corresponding mirror-image member pairs of both members overlay each other. Finally the commonly curvilinear edges of each mirror-image member pair are joined together to form a flat heat cap having flexible sides which separate to form a cavity which conforms substantially to the shape of a human head having hair piled on thereof.
From the foregoing, it can be seen that there are several advantages to the present invention in view of the prior art. The construction of the heat cap of the present invention is such that it is shaped to fit a user's head with hair piled thereon so as to provide uniform heat to the hair being conditioned. Heating elements are provided in the heat cap only where needed to condition the hair, with a cool zone being provided elsewhere for the safety of the user and to minimize energy usage. The heat cap of the present invention is adjustable for different size heads. It includes an automatic thermostat to prevent overheating and to reach optimum energy usage and conditioning of the hair, and it includes an insulation pad between the coils and the head to prevent burning of the scalp. Finally, the size and construction of the present invention makes it extremely easy to manufacture, package and store and results in an attractive, lightweight relatively inexpensive heat cap.
The following detailed description of the present invention together with reference to the figures shown therein provides additional features and advantages of the present invention as follows.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a typical prior art heating cap in place on the user's head;
FIG. 2 is a side perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the heating cap of the present invention disposed on a user's head;
FIG. 3 is a front perspective view of the heat cap of the present invention shown in FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is a side elevation view of the heating cap of FIG. 1 in a flat position off of the user's head;
FIG. 5 is a side view of the heating cap of FIG. 1 showing the adjustment means thereof;
FIGS. 6, 7 and 8 are views of the heat cap in FIG. 1 showing a preferred method of construction of the heating cap of the present invention; and
FIG. 9 is an exploded view of a portion of the heating cap shown in FIG. 8 with one of the adjustment flaps folded back to show the adjusting means of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring now to the figures, a detailed description is given of a preferred embodiment of the invention as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 shows a typical example of a prior art heating cap 10 similar in shape to many others of the prior art. Its "prairie schooner" shape is typified by a high vertical side 12 curving around the head of the wearer and terminated with a flat top 14 which curves downward around the back of the wearer's head.
For purposes of illustration only, the heating cap is shown as being transparent so that the position of the wearer's head can be seen. The disadvantages of the shape of this prior art heat cap are readily apparent. The flat top 14 of the cap tends to rest substantially flush along the top of the head where a row of hair 16 has been piled for the conditioning process. However, the portions of the hair row 18 and 19 at the front and back of the head respectively are a substantially greater distance removed from the electrical heating cap than the center portion 20 of the hair row 16 which is normally pushed flat against the user's head by the top of cap 10. Thus, a uniform distribution of heat to the hair is not possible with this shape.
Moreover, in typical prior art heating caps of the type shown in FIG. 1, the electrical heating coils are placed throughout the heating cap, thus applying heat to various parts of the face, head and neck which do not require heat for the conditioning process. A particularly likely place for the application of undesirable heat is the forehead 22 of the wearer which typically lies quite close to the side wall 12 of the heating cap. Moreover, the wearer's ears and parts of the upper face normally rest quite close to the side wall 12. The result is that the wearer may be burned or injured by excessive heat, especially where the flat top of the cap tends to rest substantially flush along the top of the head and at other unprotected areas of the face and head. Alternately, the wearer may adjust the heat low enough to be comfortable to those portions where heat is not desired, thus substantially diminishing the effectiveness of the heat cap in applying heat to the row of hair 16-20 on top of the wearer's head.
Prior art heating caps of the type shown in FIG. 1 are also difficult to assemble, having as many as 25 steps involved in the assembly, most of which require manual labor. Since the hat does not naturally lie flat, it cannot be manufactured or cut with a die and needs to be sewed together by hand. Moreover, the shape of prior art caps of the type shown in FIG. 1, make them difficult to store and ship. Finally, the heat loss from having heating coils spaced throughout the prior art heat cap 10 is substantial. As much as 60% of the heat of these caps may be lost because of placement of coils in locations not requiring the application of heat to the hair.
FIGS. 2 and 3 show a preferred embodiment of the electrical heating cap 30 of the present invention. The cap comprises two hemispherical sides 32 and 34 which are joined together about their curved periphery 36 and not joined along their diametrical straight sides 38 and 40 respectively. The resulting shape of the heating cap 30 is such that it forms an open cavity within which the user's head, with a pile of hair thereon, comfortably fits.
FIG. 4 also shows a transparent head cap for purposes of illustration only to show the advantages of the heat cap of the present invention. As shown, the hair is piled on top of the user's head from the hair in the front, on the sides, and at the back of the wearer to form a row 42 lying along the top center of the head. This row is substantially equally spaced from the peaked top 36 of the heat cap along the top of the wearer's head. It is also spaced at substantially equal distances from the sides 32 and 34 of the electrical heat cap. Moreover, the shape of the heat cap of the present invention disposes the front and back 44 and 46 respectively of the cap peak a substantial distance from the wearer's forehead 48 and back of head 50 respectively. Thus, undesirable heat is not applied to the portions of the wearer's head for which heat is not required.
The heat cap 30 of the present invention comprises a hot zone 52 and a cold zone 54 separated by a dotted line 56 which is shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 only for purposes of illustration. Dotted line 56 runs horizontally just about the wearer's ears from the front to the back of the cap. In the hot zone 52, heating elements are uniformly spaced within the heat cap to apply heat to the portion of hair primarily piled on top of the wearer's head. No heating elements are provided in the cool zone 54 so that the wearer's forehead, ears and face are not subjected to undesirable heat which can cause discomfort or injury to the wearer. Moreover, by omitting the heating elements from undesirable areas in the heat cap 30, a substantial amount of electricity is saved, thus resulting in a much more efficiently operated heat cap.
The resulting shape of the heat cap 30 of the invention provides a peaked top 36 which is up high around the top of the head where the hair of the wearer is piled high so as to apply heat uniformly to the hair without pushing the hair down or applying heat also to the uncovered scalp. The sides 32 and 34 of the heat cap 30 slant outward to conform substantially to the shape of the user's head and continue outward to a point 58 with a curved opening 60 for the wearer's ear. Thus, the heat cap 30 extends out away from the ear to minimize the application of undesirable heat to the ear and also provides for an aperture 60 through which the wearer can hear. The heat cap also extends outward away from the forehead of the wearer and away from the sides of wearer's head and face not requiring heat. Moreover, the cool zone 54 of the heat cap 30 also minimizes the application of heat to parts of the face and scalp where it is not needed. Thus, the heat cap of the present invention uniformly applies heat to the conditioned hair of the wearer while substantially minimizing the use of power and increasing the comfort of the wearer.
Referring again to FIG. 4, it can be seen that the side piece 32 of the heat cap includes an opening extending from the base 38 to the ear aperture 60. As a result, two opposing flaps 62 and 64 are formed each having an attachment member 66 and 68 respectively affixed thereto for attachment to each other. In the present embodiment shown in FIG. 4, attachment member 66 runs along the base 38 of cap side 32 and attachment member 68 runs substantially vertically along the flap side 64. Attachment member 66 and 68 are preferably made of some type of self-attaching material or device such as "VELCRO." By positioning members 66 and 68 substantially perpendicular to each other, the flaps may be adjusted relative to each other so that the open cavity formed by the heating cap 30 may be made larger or smaller to fit the heads of different wearers.
When desired, attachment members 66 and 68 may be disconnected so that flap 62 as shown in FIG. 4 or flap 64 may be bent back away from the wearer's head to more completely expose the wearer's ear for listening or using the telephone without removing the heat cap.
Referring now to FIG. 5, the heat cap 30 of the present invention is shown in a flat position removed from the wearer's head. In this position, the sides 32 and 34 of heat cap 30 lie flat against each other so that heat cap 30 may be easily stored. Attachment members 66 and 68 on flap 62 and 64 respectively are disconnected. FIG. 5 also shows an electrical heating cord 70 running from the back of the heat cap to an electrical plug 72. Preferably, no manually operated heat switch is needed for the selection of different temperatures by the wearer. Instead, heat cap 30 includes a conventional thermostat therein for sensing the temperature within the heat cap and maintaining the heating coils on or off so as to achieve and hold this optimal temperature. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the air temperature within the cavity of the cap is preferably held at about 125° F. for a 30-minute conditioning period.
Referring now to FIGS. 6, 7 and 8, a preferred method of manufacturing the heating cap of the present invention is shown. A flexible "wing-shaped" member 80 is cut from a long-wearing heat resistant material such as reinforced vinyl. Member 80 is cut to form two wing pairs 82 and 84, being mirror-images of each other, which are joined together by common bridge portion 86. Wing member 82 has first and second curvilinear edges 88 and 90 which are separated by bridge portion 86. Wing member 84 likewise has similar curvilinear edges 92 and 94. Wing member 82 also has a substantially straight edge 96, extending substantially radially from the curvilinear edge 88 and a second radial edge member 98 extending from the far end of curvilinear edge 90 opposite bridge 86. Wing member 84 has similar edges 100 and 102. A "pie wedge-shaped" opening is formed between edges 97 and 98 by flaps 104 and 106 which meet at a circular aperture 108. Wing member 84 has similar flap members 110 and 112 terminating at a circular aperture 114.
An insulation member 120 is cut to approximately the shape of wing member 82 but being slightly smaller about its periphery. A similar insulation pad 122 is cut to overlay wing member 84. This insulation pad may be of any suitable insulating material such as "Keflon". A heating element 124 is disposed about a portion of insulation pads 120 and 122 so as to provide a substantially even heating through the portion of the heat cap previously referred to as the "hot zone". In the preferred embodiment shown in FIG. 6, the heating element is a small, insulated, flexible wire having sufficient resistance to generate substantial and uniform heat along its length. This heating element 124 also covers a corresponding portion of insulation pad 122 (not shown).
A second insulation pad 132 is then cut and placed over the top of insulation pad 122 and the heating coil 124 thereon. Insulation pad 132 has preferably substantially the same size and shape as insulation pad 122. Correspondingly, a second insulation pad (not shown) is also cut and placed over the top of insulation pad 120 and the heating element line disposed thereon.
Referring now to FIG. 7, a second "wing-shaped" member 140 is cut having a shape and size substantially identical to that of wing-shaped member 80. Wing-shaped member 140 is then disposed over wing-shaped member 80 with the insulation pads and heating element which were previously described disposed between members 80 and 140. These two members are then joined together along their commonly-shaped edges by sewing, heat-sealing, gluing, or the like. Preferably, the bridge portion 142 is not sewed directly to bridge portion 86 of member 80 since there are no open edges, so that the heating element can extend freely between opposite sides of the members.
Finally, in FIG. 8, wing-shaped members 80 and 140 are folded along their corresponding bridge portions 86 and 142 so that the mirror-image pairs of both members are folded on each other. The mirror-image pairs are then attached together along common curvilinear edges 144 and 146 and common curvilinear edges 148 and 150 as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8. This attachment may be accomplished preferably by heat-sealing, sewing, gluing or the like. The straight edges of the common wing-shaped pairs 152, 154, 156 and 158 are not joined together so as to leave an opening over which the heat cap may fit on to the wearer's head.
Referring now to FIG. 9, the adjusting members 66 and 68 are attached to the flaps 62 and 64 of the side 32 of the heat cap 30. Similar adjusting members are attached to side 34 opposite side 32, including adjusting member 160 shown in FIG. 9. Members 66 and 68 are preferably attached by sewing or gluing but may be attached in any other suitable manner. As previously mentioned, members 66 and 68 are affixed so that the two members may be attached together at different positions allowing the wearer to adjust the size of the head cavity formed by the heat cap.
Although a preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described and disclosed in detail, it should be understood that the present invention includes other obvious modifications besides the embodiments shown. For example, the electrical heating cap of the present invention may be formed in somewhat different shapes from that shown, provided that the cap shape provides an open head cavity designed substantially to fit the wearer's head having hair piled on the top thereof for conditioning. It should also be understood that different other suitable fabrics and materials may be utilized other than those described herein which have the necessary flexible and heat properties required for satisfactory operation of the heat cap of the present invention. Moreover, other minor modifications in the positioning of the heating elements and insulation pads which clearly fall within the scope of the present invention.
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A heat cap is provided for applying heat to hair on a user's head, primarily to a pile or row of hair along the top of the user's head. The heat cap is shaped to conform substantially to the shape of the user's head with the pile of hair thereon so as to apply heat evenly to the hair. The heating coil is disposed in the heat cap only in those areas where heat is desired for the hair and is absent in areas of the heat cap where it is undesirable to apply heat to the head. An adjustable flap on each side of the heat cap enables the size of the cap to be adjusted to fit different users. The adjustable flaps also tend to hold the cap outward away from the ear and lower sides of the head and can be easily opened to enable access to the user's ear while the heat cap is being worn. An electrical thermostat automatically brings the heat cap to an optimal temperature and maintains the temperature during the desired conditioning period. The heat cap is manufactured by cutting a plurality of similarily shaped flat pieces and joining them together along certain corresponding sides.
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CROSS REFERENCE TO CO-PENDING APPLICATIONS
None.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to devices for adjustably occluding a fluid stream and more particularly relates to a damper assembly for a forced-air system employing a plurality of fanned blades to provide a regulated flow of air.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It has been known in residential and commercial heating, cooling, and ventilation systems to control temperature, humidity, and other environmental characteristics through regulation of air flow. Most commonly in forced-air systems, this takes the form of one or more dampers to control the volumetric flow rate in each of the conditioned spaces.
The most common damper assemblies utilize an air supply register having a circular or rectangular cross sectional bore, which is manually or electromechanically occluded using a baffle of appropriate geometry. In this form, the air supply bore is fully occluded when the plane of the baffle is placed perpendicular to the axis of flow of the air supply. Similarly, maximum air is supplied when the plane of the baffle is parallel with the axis of the air flow. Partial occlusion is accomplished as the baffle is manually or electromechanically rotated at angles between parallel to the air flow and perpendicular to it. Though this simplistic approach provides for manufacture using a small number of components, it produces an assembly which tends to require substantial clearance along the direction of the air flow. Thus, this approach is not useful for applications which do not have sufficient clearance.
One method of decreasing the required clearance parallel to the axis of air flow is to provide baffles which are essentially fixed. U.S. Pat. No. 1,449,583 suggests the use of static baffles. However, this design simply does not give the degree of control over environmental characteristics expected of modern systems.
Several approaches have been presented which offer a compromise between clearance and performance. U.S. Pat. No. 3,319,560, issued to Schaaf, shows a system employing flexible baffles. In this way, the required clearance is less and the performance is somewhat enhanced. However, this does represent a compromise and thus requires greater than minimal clearance and provides less than optimal performance.
Another type of compromise is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,068,891, issued to Panning et al. Using the Panning et al. technique, the bore is partially, but permanently, occluded with a plurality of fixed baffles and adjustably occluded with a plurality of rotatable baffles. This method provides a minimum of required clearance. However, because of the fixed baffles, the bore is at least partially occluded, even at maximum flow. Thus, performance is compromised.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,449,583, issued to Buck, utilizes a plurality of stacked discs. The discs are rotated into the bore to adjustably occlude the fluid flow. However, because of the manner in which the discs are used for baffling, the degree of occlusion cannot be easily and readily modified during operation.
A more elegant suggestion is made in U.S. Pat. No. 4,188,862, issued to Douglas, III. In this approach, a plurality of smaller occlusion baffles are stacked and adjustably spread in fan-like fashion coaxially within the fluid flow bore to achieve the desired amount of occlusion. The clearance requirement tends to be minimized, because the individual occlusion baffle elements are small in relation to the total cross sectional area of the fluid flow bore. However, performance can be optimized through the use of a relatively large number of relatively small surface area baffle elements necessitating a minimal occluded surface area during full output operation.
However, Douglas III does not address the key factors for providing an optimum and operable embodiment. As stated above, performance is enhanced with a larger number of smaller baffle elements. Yet this promotes additional flexure of the elements relative to one another. Such flexure tends to prevent complete occlusion and is most prominent between the upper most and lower most of the stacked baffle elements. Additionally, the relative movement of the baffle elements precludes accuracy of adjustment at varying pressures and prevents fully automated, precise operation.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention overcomes the disadvantages found in the prior art by providing a system suitable for employing a relatively large number of relatively small surface area baffle elements. This configuration ensures minimal axial clearance while promising optimal performance. In addition, the present invention provides the individual baffle elements with freedom of coaxial motion, yet prevents motion parallel to the direction of fluid flow.
In one preferred embodiment of the present invention, the inner edge of each individual baffle element is rotatably anchored at the center of a circular fluid flow bore, and the outer edge is slidably anchored within a grooved track about the outer periphery of the fluid flow bore. In this manner, the opposing edges are constrained in the direction of the fluid flow axis and the individual baffle elements are not permitted to flex parallel to the direction of air flow. This ensures maximum closure between baffle elements, even under varying pressures. Accuracy is further enhanced by providing the grooved track in a slightly helix shape. In this manner, the grooved track permits accommodation of the thicknesses of the plurality of baffle elements.
Furthermore, special provisions are needed to ensure an adequate seal between the baffle element from the top of the stack and the baffle element from the bottom. This condition occurs during maximum occlusion. Because these two baffles are spaced apart along the flow axis due to the thickness of the intervening baffle elements, performance is enhanced by providing a seal extending parallel to the fluid flow axis between the leading edge of the top baffle element and the trailing edge of the bottom baffle element.
In additional preferred embodiments, movement of the plurality of baffle elements is provided by electromechanical means, such as an electric motor. Removing the flexure from the individual baffle elements ensures that the electric motor can accurately position the baffle elements for the desired degree of occlusion. The electric motor may be coupled to the baffle elements through a gear train which enhances the precision. The electric motor may operate at the center of the fluid flow bore on the rotatable inner edge of the individual baffle elements or at the outer periphery of the fluid flow bore on the slidable outer edge of the baffle elements.
Yet further embodiments of the present invention link adjacent ones of the individual baffle elements using a tab on one baffle element which is slidable within an aperture of an adjacent baffle element. Manufacturability is enhanced by fabricating all individual baffle elements as identical. However, because the windows of adjacent individual baffle elements are not normally registered because of the relative movement of the baffle elements, performance is not appreciably sacrificed.
Even though the most convenient shape for the damper naturally occludes a circular bore, additional preferred embodiments are useful for controlling rectangular bores.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Other objects of the present invention and many of the attendant advantages of the present invention will be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals designate like parts throughout the figures thereof and wherein:
FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a plurality of baffle elements in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a partially exploded view of the support structure;
FIG. 3 is an isometric view of the assembled damper as viewed from the higher pressure side;
FIG. 4 is an isometric view of the assembled damper as viewed from the lower pressure side;
FIG. 5 is an exploded view of the damper of the present invention in a typical application;
FIG. 6 is an isometric view of the typical application of FIG. 5;
FIG. 7 is an exploded view of the damper of the present invention as used to control flow in a duct of rectangular cross section;
FIG. 8 is an assembled view of the application of FIG. 7;
FIG. 9 is an assembled view of the application of FIG. 8 with diffuser removed;
FIG. 10 is a view of the completely assembled application of FIG. 9; and
FIG. 11 is an isometric view of an alternative method of powering the damper of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The present invention is described in accordance with several preferred embodiments which are to be viewed as illustrative without being limiting.
FIG. 1 is an isometric view of the plurality 10 of individual baffle elements. Each of the individual elements 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 30, 32, and 34 is rotatably attached at hub 36, permitting minimal occlusion when all elements overlap and increasing occlusion as the elements are rotated in the counterclockwise direction. It is noted that the exact number of baffle elements may vary from application to application. However, a larger number of smaller surface area baffle elements permits the least minimum occlusion when completely overlapped.
As shown in the figure, baffle element 14 has a tab 40 which is raised above the plane of baffle element 14 and is free to slide within aperture 38 of baffle element 12. Thus baffle elements 12 and 14 are rotatably engaged such that elements 12 and 14 may rotate from fully overlapped to a position of fully extended which presents the maximum effective occlusion surface area.
Each of the adjacent baffle elements is similarly slidably engaged having an aperture and a tab, not shown. Each of the individual baffle elements is identical to reduce part count and enhance manufacturability. However, because the apertures of adjacent baffle elements normally move relative to one another, the apertures are rarely registered to the point of decreasing performance.
Each individual baffle element has a perforated tab 39, as shown with reference to individual baffle element 12. However, the tab is raised only for leading individual baffle element 12 and not for the remaining individual baffle elements. Tab 12 engages motive aperture 45 as is discussed below.
FIG. 2 is a partially exploded view of damper assembly 42 of the preferred embodiment of the present invention without the plurality of individual baffle elements 10. Frame 48 may be of cast, molded, stamped, or other convenient construction. In the preferred mode, frame 48 is generally of circular construction. Support elements 54, 56, 58, 60, 62, and 64, seen also at the periphery as protrusions 66 and 68, rigidly support hub assembly 70. Note that support element 62 has an increased thickness to enhance rigidity. The inner edges of each of the plurality of individual baffle elements 10 (see also FIG. 1) are rotatably coupled at hub assembly 70. The diameter of frame 48 is selected to provide maximum control of the intended fluid flow bore.
In various embodiments, manual control is desired. However, in the preferred embodiment, electric motor 44 is coupled to the hub assembly 70, as shown, to provide controlled movement of the plurality of individual baffle elements 10. Greater precision is provided in the preferred embodiment through the use of gear train assembly 46, which permits more precise control of the degree of occlusion by "gearing down" the output of electric motor 44. Motive aperture 45 of coupling tab 47 is used to engage perforated tab 39 of individual baffle element 12 (see also FIG. 1) to permit motor 44 to position the individual baffle elements as desired.
A screen is utilized to ensure a tight seal between the trailing edge of baffle element 34 and the leading edge of baffle element 12 (see also FIG. 1). The leading edge of baffle element 12 seals and the trailing edge of baffle element 34 seal against sealing member 52 during full occlusion.
A grooved track 50 is provided to slidingly engage the outer edges of the plurality of individual baffle elements 10. In the preferred embodiment, grooved track 50 has a maximum width at a first edge of sealing member 52 (i.e. the seal against individual baffle element 34) and a continuously decreasing width toward the other edge of sealing member 52. This accommodates the varying thicknesses of the multiple individual baffle elements 10. For example, grooved track 50 must accommodate the thickness of all of the stacked plurality of individual baffle elements 10 at on edge of sealing member 52, whereas it need accommodate only the thickness of baffle element 12 at the other edge of sealing member 52. The individual baffle elements must be conveniently installed within the control of grooved track 50. If frame 48 is of two-piece construction, the individual baffle elements may be installed as the two pieces are joined. However, if frame 48 is of a single piece, it is convenient to provide an entrance area 43 to accommodate assembly.
FIG. 3 is an isometric view of the completely assembled damper system 42 as viewed from the higher pressure side. As shown, damper assembly has occluded all but open surface area 72. All other referenced elements are as previously described.
FIG. 4 is an isometric view of the completely assembled damper system 42 as viewed from the lower pressure side. All other referenced elements are as previously described.
FIG. 5 is an exploded view of a typical residential application of damper system 42. It is customary to distribute the conditioned air in a heating/cooling/ventilation system using closed tubing having a circular cross section.
The air supply register system 74 contains transition element 82 to convert the circular cross section supply 84 to a rectangular distribution bore 80 which readily accommodates a rectangular diffusion register 76 having diffusion slots 78. Damper system 42 is sized to snugly fit within circular bore 86 as shown.
FIG. 6 is an isometric view of the assembled air supply register system 74 containing damper system 42. All other referenced elements are as previously described.
FIG. 7 is an exploded view of damper system 42 to be used to occlude an air supply bore of rectangular cross section. Such air supplies are typically fitted between studs in standard residential construction. This application relies upon an adapter plate 88 which is sized to snugly fit within the air supply bore of rectangular cross section. Adapter plate 88 has a circular aperture 92 which snugly accommodates the outer periphery of damper system 42. Attachment tabs 102 may be utilized to more securely hold damper system 42 to adapter plate 88.
For this application, adapter plate 88 mounts within the air supply bore of rectangular cross section at an angle to the axis of air flow. This angle is maintained by angular lip 90 and the corresponding angle at which uprights 94 and 96 are mounted with regard to adapter plate 88. As properly installed, angular lip 90 and uprights 94 and 96 are parallel to the axis of air flow. Mounting brackets 98 and 100 provide for secure attachment as is shown in FIG. 9.
FIG. 8 is an isometric view of occluder 104 consisting of damper system 42 as securely attached to adapter plate 88. All other elements are as previously described.
FIG. 9 is an isometric view of occluder 104 as installed in rectangular supply duct 106. Note the angle at which occluder 104 is attached. Mounting brackets 98 and 100 provide attachment using a standard fastener as shown. In this application, damper system 42 is utilized to control air flow within rectangular supply duct 106 having a supply bore 108 and an output bore 110, both having rectangular cross sections.
FIG. 10 is an isometric view of fully assembled rectangular supply register system 112. It consists of rectangular supply duct 106 with register diffuser assembly 114, having diffuser slots 116, attached. All other referenced elements are as previously described.
FIG. 11 is an exploded view of alternative embodiment 200 of the present invention. In this alternative embodiment, electric motor 202 is coupled via output gear 204 to gear teeth 206 on the outer periphery of alternative embodiment 200. In this embodiment, the leading one of the plurality of individual baffle elements is fixedly coupled to the outer periphery such that the occluder may be adjusted by movement of the outer ring relative to the hub.
Having thus described these preferred embodiments of the present invention, those of skill in the art will be readily able to apply the teachings found herein to yet other embodiments within the scope of the claims hereto attached.
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A baffle system for control of fluid delivery using manual or automatic control. The fluid supply bore is controllably occluded using a plurality of individual baffle elements. Each of the individual baffle elements is secured at two places.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application claims priority from provisional application No. 60/176,980, filed Jan. 19, 2000.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
Not Applicable
2. Description of the Related Art
Thermoelectric generator devices can be used to create electrical energy based on temperature differentials. Many different thermoelectric materials and forms are known. It is often desirable to operate a thermoelectric generator over a large temperature gradient to increase higher thermal to electrical efficiency. For example, thermoelectric generators may be used in applications such as deep space missions, where other generators might have difficulties in operation.
No single thermoelectric material has been suitable for use over a very wide range of temperatures, e.g. such as between 300 and 1000 degrees Kelvin. Prior art techniques have used different thermoelectric materials and have been limited to relatively narrow temperature ranges. Each material is used in the range where it possesses the optimum performance.
Generators are known which include a multistage thermoelectric generator where each stage operates over a fixed temperature difference and is electronically insulated but thermally in contact with the other stages. An alternative approach uses segmented unicouples/generators, having p and n type materials, formed of different material segments but joined in series.
SUMMARY
The present system describes a generator or unicouple formed of segmented thermoelectric parts. The unicouple may be formed of special thermoelectric materials including skutterudites, Zn 4 Sb 3 materials and BiTe based materials. Specific materials may include Zn 4 Sb 3 materials, CeFe 4 Sb 12 based alloys, both of which are p type materials. N type materials may also be used including CoSb 3 based alloys.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
These and other aspects will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
FIG. 1 shows a segmented unicouple;
FIG. 2 shows a segmented multileg device; and
FIG. 3 shows a flowchart of operation.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Thermoelectric generators may have many different applications. As described above, thermoelectric generation can be used in radioisotope thermoelectric generators for deep space missions. It can be used for recovering energy waste heat from heat generation processes such as industrial processes or vehicle exhaust.
It is often desirable to operate such a generator over a large temperature difference to achieve high thermal to electrical efficiency values.
The present application teaches improving efficiency by forming a segmented unicouple device. The device has n type and p type legs which are segmented into segments made of different materials. The materials are selected to increase the average thermoelectric figure of merit of the legs. This allows operating the unicouple over relatively large temperature gradients.
The specific segmented unicouple uses alternating P and N type legs. The specific materials include P type materials which can include p-type Bi 2 Te 3 based alloys and/or Zn 4 Sb 3 or CeFe 4 Sb 12 based alloys, and n type materials which can include n type Bi 2 Te 3 based alloys, and/or CoSb 3 based alloys. These specific materials are described in further detail in the literature.
An embodiment is shown in FIG. 1 . The FIG. 1 embodiment shows a segmented unicouple formed of the materials described above with a 973 degrees K hot side and a 300 degrees K cold side. Each segment preferably has the same current and/or heat flow as other segments in the same leg, or currents and/or heat flows within 10% of others in the same leg. A profile is defined which keeps interface temperatures at their desired level. In order to do this, the geometry of the legs is optimized. Each of the two legs 110 , 120 may have a number of segments, at least one, more preferably two segments. For example, the leg 110 include segments 112 and 114 . The segment 112 is formed of the N type material CoSb 3 . The segment 114 is formed of the N type material n-Bi 2 Te 2.95 Se 0.03 . The length of segment 112 is different than the length of segment 114 . Correspondingly, the leg 120 which is formed of P type materials includes a first segment 122 of P type Ce filled skutterudite, a second section 124 of —B— Zn 4 Sb 3 and a third section 126 of —Bi 0.4 Sb 1.75 Te 3 . The ratio between the different sections is approximately 0.6:0.5: 2.74 for the P type legs 122 , 124 , 126 , and 0.5: 3.3 for the N type legs 112 , 114 for a 975K hot side and a 300K cold side temperature of operation. The top thermoelectric materials segments can also be bonded to a top metallic segment with a thickness between 100 microns and 2 mm shown as 130 in FIG. 1) and can be made out of a metal such as Ti or Nb for example.
A cold side of the material includes the two BiTe based materials, specifically Bi 2 Te 2.7 Se 0.3 and Bi 0.25 Sb 0.75 Te 3 . The cold side is located on the bottom of FIG. 1 . The cold side is coupled to a cold shoe 140 , which includes two different electrically insulated portions 142 and 144 . A heat sink, shown generically as 146 , may be coupled to the cold end to dissipate heat. The electrical connection to the leg power is a load shown as 150 .
The hot side interconnect, at the top of FIG. 1, is connected to conducting part 130 which may electrically connect the P and N legs. This may be connected to a heater 135 , as shown, or placed in the location of waste or exhaust to recover the electricity from the waste heat.
In addition, the ratio of the cross-sectional area between the N type leg 110 and P type leg 120 is optimized to account for differences in electrical and thermal conductivity between the two legs. In all of these calculations, the thermoelectric properties may be averaged for the temperature range in which the materials of the segment are used.
The relative lengths of the segments may be adjusted to ensure the energy balance at the interface and optimize the geometry of the segments for different hot side temperatures of operation. If it is assumed that there is no contact resistance between segments, then the device efficiency is not affected by the overall length of the device. Only the relative lengths of the segments then need to be optimized. The total resistance and power output, however, may depend on the overall length and cross-sectional area of the device.
In the real world, contact resistance between the segments may reduce the efficiency. In a preferred mode, the contact resistance may be less than 20 u-ohm-cm 2 in order to keep the efficiency from being degraded by this contact resistance.
For the bonding that is used herein, contact resistance should be within the above-discussed range, produces a bond which is mechanically stable in operation, and also acts as a diffusion barrier to prevent potential diffusion between the different materials, and has as similar coefficient of temperature expansion or intermediate coefficient of thermal expansion between the materials that it is bonding. The bonding is conducted by compacting by hot pressing, for example, fine powder of two materials with a thin metal interface layer of 10 to 100 μm in the form of a foil or powder between these materials.
Pressing is conducted, for example in a graphite die using graphite punches in argon atmosphere. For example, Pd may be used as an interface material between Zn 4 ,Sb 3 and Bi 0.25 Sb 0.75 Te 34 , between CoSb 3 and Bi 2 Te 2.7 Se 0.3 and also between Zn 4 Sb 3 and Ce filled skutterudite compounds. Brazing the thermoelectric legs to the top metallic interconnect can be conducted using a brazing alloy such as CuAgZnSn.
Fabrication is carried out by fabricating the legs formed of the various thermoelectric materials which can also be topped by a metallic statement. The process is described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 3 .
At 400 , each leg is hot pressed to form a complete individual leg in one operation using fine powder of each material. Foils including a noble metal such as Pd or Ti are introduced between the segments. In one embodiment, a Pd foil may be preferred. Hot pressing is done in a graphite die using an argon atmosphere and a temperature of 500° C.
At 410 , each of the completed legs of N and P type are connected to a cold shoe. The cold shoe is used for the transfer to the heat sink.
The cold shoe may be a plate such as 140 in FIG. 1, and may be formed of any material which has good heat conducting but insulating properties. The plate for example may be made of Cu-plated alumina. The alumina plate may be 1.5 mm thick, plated with a 100 micron thick Cu layer on both sides. A small Cu strip is etched somewhere on the plate, e.g. in the center of the plate, to electrically insulate the legs at 420 . A diffusion barrier material, such as nickel may then be electroplated on both the Cu and the lower segments of the legs at 430 . This diffusion barrier may prevent the copper from diffusing into the materials, especially when the materials are based on Bi 2 Te 3 .
At 440 , the legs are soldered to the Cu using a special kind of solder such as one formed of BiSn.
A heater may be connected to the top surfaces of the legs forming the hot junction. The heater may be connected using a Cu—Ag—Zn—Sn brazing alloy. The heater may be a special heater, formed of Nb and Ta and a heating element that are electrically insulated from the Nb material.
FIG. 2 shows an alternative system using segmented legs in a multicouple segmented thermoelectric converter. Each leg such as leg 200 , is formed of multiple segments shown as 202 and 204 . Other legs, such as to 210 may be formed having other numbers of segments, and of different materials.
Although only a few embodiments have been disclosed in detail above, other modifications are possible. All such modifications are intended to be encompassed within the following claims, in which:
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A high-efficiency thermoelectric unicouple is used for power generation. The unicouple is formed with a plurality of legs, each leg formed of a plurality of segments. The legs are formed in a way that equalized certain aspects of the different segments. Different materials are also described.
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This is a divisional of application Ser. No. 09/426,844, filed Oct. 26, 1999 which is a divisional of application Ser. No. 08/552,357, filed Nov. 2, 1995 now U.S. Pat. No. 5,995,153.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to video signal processing methods and systems. More particularly, this invention relates to methods and systems for altering the content of video program material to expand or contract the total length of an entire program or program segment.
Video signal processing systems and methods are known for editing the content of an entire program or program segment in order to expand or contract the total program run time to match a desired run length or time segment. Frequently, a program or commercial which is scheduled for a predetermined broadcast time slot has a total running time which does not match exactly the time slot. In such cases, it is necessary to edit the program in order to fill the time slot exactly. In known systems, the program material must first be recorded on some suitable recording medium, such as magnetic tape, after which portions of the video program are deleted or repeated in order to contract or expand the running time to match the time slot. Such systems suffer from the disadvantage that the program to be edited cannot be simultaneously broadcast, but must be time delayed by the recording process. In addition, this technique is incompatible with live events, such as soccer matches, football games and the like, which must be broadcast and viewed substantially simultaneously. Efforts to date to provide real time video time editing to contract or expand the program length to match a desired run length have not met with success to date.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention comprises a method and system for providing real time video program expansion or contraction which relatively inexpensive to implement, easy to operate, and effective matching program run time with a predetermined run length. In addition, the invention is effective in creating surplus broadcast from any program in order to provide additional broadcast time for other information, such as commercial spots, public service announcements, and the like.
From a processing standpoint, the invention comprises a method of adjusting the total time length of a program having a fixed time duration by deleting or repeating individual frames or fields of video and audio segments on-the-fly, either on a fixed periodic basis, an automatic basis or manually using an operator controlled deletion or insertion circuit. The audio segments may or may not correspond to the frames or fields, but need only match the total time value of the deleted or repeated video frames or fields.
To contract a given program in the manual mode of operation, the operator monitors the video program material and deletes one frame or field at a time. A counter accumulates the time value of the sum of deleted frames or fields and displays this total to the operator. Once the desired amount of additional broadcast time has been accumulated, the original program material is permitted to be passed through unmodified. To expand a given program in the manual mode, the operator monitors the video program material and repeats one frame or field at a time, and the time accumulation counter keeps track of the total amount of time value of the repeated frames or fields and displays this information to the operator. Once the correct amount of time has been added to the original program material, the original program material is permitted to pass through unmodified. During the video deletion or repetition, corresponding segments of audio are deleted or repeated.
In the periodic mode of operation, the operator enters the total amount of time to be deleted or added to the original program material length, and frames or fields and corresponding audio segments are deleted or added automatically in a periodic manner, e.g. one frame every five frames, one field every five fields, etc. The time counter accumulates the running total of deleted or added time, and terminates the deletion or insertion process when the running total equals the preselected amount.
In the automatic mode of operation, the operator adds the total amount of time to be deleted or added to the original program material length, and frames or fields and audio segments are deleted or added automatically, with the choice of particular frames/fields and audio segments being determined by video motion detectors and audio pitch and level detectors, so that optimal deletion or insertion is effected.
In both the periodic and automatic modes of operation, an optional pause function protects any specially selected sensitive programming material from being affected by the time change processing. The pause function itself may be manually controlled by an operator, or automatically performed by detecting special marker information inserted in predetermined frames/fields, or in reserved portions of same (i.e. during vertical blanking).
The invention enables on-the-fly adjustment of the running time of program material without affecting the actual broadcast of the program material. In addition, for programs of indeterminate length, the invention enables a fixed amount of time to be added or deleted over a preselected time period. For example, the invention can be used to gain a preselected fixed amount of time—e.g. ten minutes over a one hour broadcast time period—using either the manual or periodic modes of operation. Most importantly, the time deletion or insertion does not visibly affect the program content as experienced by the viewer, so that the program material can be enjoyed to the same extent as the original program material.
For a fuller understanding of the nature and advantages of the invention reference should be made to the ensuing detailed description of the invention, taken in conjunction smith the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a video and audio processing system incorporating the invention;
FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating the frame deletion process; and
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating the frame insertion process.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Turning now to the drawings, FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a video and audio processing system incorporating the invention. As seen in this figure, the video and audio portions of standard program signals (e.g. NTSC, PAL, SECAM or the like) are initially separated into the individual video and audio components using conventional circuitry (not shown). The video portion is applied to the input of a first signal processor unit 12 incorporating an analog to digital converter 14 , a digital video memory 15 , and a digital to analog converter 16 . The video is first converted from analog to digital form in analog to digital converter 14 and stored in digital video memory 15 . Digital video output from digital video memory 15 is converted back to analog form in digital to analog converter 16 and supplied to a first output terminal 17 as time changed video.
Similarly, the audio portion of the programming material is supplied to an audio signal processing unit generally designated with reference numeral 22 and including an analog to digital converter 24 , a digital audio memory 25 , and a digital to analog converter 26 . The audio portion of the programming material is thus converted from analog to digital form in analog to digital converter 24 , stored in digital form in digital audio memory 25 , and converted from digital to analog form in digital to analog converter 26 . The analog output from digital to analog converter 26 is supplied to a second output terminal 27 as time charged audio. Analog to digital converters 14 , 24 and digital to analog converter 16 , 26 are conventional units having an appropriate bit size (e.g. 8 bits per sample) and a clocking speed compatible with the frequency content of their respective input signals. For example, the clock rate for analog to digital converter 14 used in the preferred embodiment is 13.5 MHz, although other clock frequencies may be employed so long as they comply with the known requirements of sampling theory. The bit size used in the preferred embodiment for analog to digital converter 24 is 16 bits per sample, and the clock rate employed is 48 KHz. Similar considerations apply to digital to analog converters 16 and 26 .
Digital video memory 15 is a conventional digital storage unit having a capacity at least equal to the maximum accumulation time expected to be afforded by the system. For example, for a system designed to accumulate 30 seconds worth of frame time over a one-hour total interval, digital video memory 15 would have a capacity to store at least 900 frames of NTSC video. Similar considerations apply to digital audio memory 25 : however, the total storage capacity of digital audio memory 25 may be substantially less than that of digital memory 15 due to the lower frequencies at which audio is conveyed. In the preferred embodiment, digital audio memory 25 has a storage capacity of 30 seconds (i.e., the same time storage capacity of digital video memory 15 ).
Video processing unit 15 incorporates circuitry termed a Δ segment circuit 18 which may be manually overridden by a manual video control 19 . The purpose of the Δ segment circuitry 18 is to either delete or insert frames of video from the sequence of frames stored in digital video memory 15 on a programmed basis. Frame deletion is done by simply skipping over a frame in the normal sequence of frames and is described below with reference to FIG. 2 . Frame insertion is accomplished by simply repeating a given frame in the frame sequence and is described below with reference to FIG. 3 . In the periodic mode of operation, the frame deletion or insertion rate is set by the manual control 19 , which the operator uses to dial in the total number of frames or amount of time to be deleted or added to the original program content during the initial stage of the signal processing. Thus, for example, if the operator wishes to delete ten seconds of time over a one-hour period, that number is entered by means of manual control 19 into the Δ segment circuit 18 , and the circuitry periodically deletes every ith frame until a total of 10 seconds worth of frame time has been deleted or saved.
During the periodic frame deletion or insertion processing, a ΔV circuit 20 keeps track of the total time value of the deleted or inserted frames. ΔV circuit 20 essentially comprises a counter which receives frame deletion or insertion signals from the segment circuit 18 and either increments or decrements in response to each deleted or inserted frame.
Audio processing circuit 22 is provided with similar Δ segment circuitry 28 and Δ audio circuitry 30 for the similar purpose of deleting or adding audio segments and keeping track of the total time value of the segments deleted or inserted. Δ segment circuit 28 is controlled by manual control unit 19 in tandem with Δ segment circuit 18 . However, the actual audio portions which are deleted or repeated need not correspond exactly to the same frames which are deleted or repeated by video processing unit 12 : in fact, the audio portions which are deleted or inserted may be segments of audio signals from different frames. It is sufficient that any time delay between the video and the audio signal portions subjected to the time variation processing and presented to output terminals 17 , 27 not exceed ±3 video frames, with a maximum difference of ±1 frame being preferred. By observing these constraints, no lip sync error is introduced to the original programming material in an observable fashion.
As indicated by the legends GL and External Sync Gen, the video processing unit 12 may be coupled to and driven by an external sync generator, such as a studio sync generator, so that the video processing can be done in synchronous fashion with other video broadcasting or reproduction equipment.
FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating the frame deletion process in either the periodic or manual mode. As schematically represented in this figure, the leftmost column represents the sequence of video frames incoming on input terminal 10 into the video processing unit 12 . The middle column labeled video out represents the sequence of outgoing frames after processing is done. The rightmost column indicates the total number of frames deleted. The process begins by specifying with manual control unit 19 the number of frames to be deleted or the time value of these frames to the Δ segment unit 18 . Thereafter, the first four frames (F 1 -F 4 ) are simply passed through the processing unit 12 essentially unaffected. Frame 5 (F 5 ), however, is deleted and replaced with frame 6 (F 6 ), and frames 7 - 9 (F 7 -F 9 ) are output in sequence after frame 6 . Similarly, frame 10 (F 10 ) is deleted, and frame 11 (F 11 ) is output after frame 9 (F 9 ). After five frame times, one frame is deleted; after ten frame times, two frames are deleted, etc. up until the desired total number of frames n (or the time corresponding thereto). Thereafter, the frames are simply passed through the digital video memory 15 essentially unaffected (since the total desired amount of time has already been accumulated).
During the frame deletion process, corresponding segments of audio are similarly deleted. However, the audio segments need not correspond exactly to the frames deleted. Stated differently, portions of audio from one frame may be deleted along with portions of audio from a preceding or succeeding frame; or all of the audio of a given frame may be deleted, as desired. The manner in which the audio segments are actually chosen for deletion will depend upon the frequency characteristics of the audio encountered, and are chosen in order to minimize the introduction of any audible noise signals into the final output signals.
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating the frame insertion process in order to expand the total run time of the program material. This process is essentially the reverse of the frame deletion process and proceeds by specifying the total number of frames or the time equivalent to be inserted into the length of the program material using manual control unit 19 , followed by processing of the successive frames of video (and corresponding audio) to repeat every ith frame until the total number of frames (i.e., the desired time) have been accumulated.
Appendix A to this application contains a discussion of the time equations which apply to proper operation of the invention.
As noted above, Δ segment circuits 18 , 28 can be manually overridden by manual control unit 19 to provide operator controlled frame insertion or frame deletion. In the preferred embodiment, manual control unit 19 includes a rotatable knob with a detent feel. Rotation of the knob in the clockwise direction provides one inserted frame per detent; while rotation of the knob in the counter-clockwise direction results in one frame deletion. Not illustrated in the figure is a display unit, which may be any one of a number of conventional display devices (e.g. an LCD display) which indicates the total number of frames or total time value selected by the manual control unit 19 and, if desired, the running total of ΔV and ΔA.
Returning to FIG. 1, a third mode of operation—termed auto mode—is also provided according to the invention. In this mode of operation, the total number of frames or total amount of time to be deleted or inserted is again specified by manual control unit 19 : however, the actual choice of which particular frames are to be deleted or inserted and which particular audio segments are to be deleted or inserted, is automatically controlled by a pair of detector circuits. Control of the video frame deletion/insertion is done by a motion detector circuit 40 which incorporates any one of a number of known algorithms for determining the amount of motion change between adjacent frames, and permits deletion/insertion of a given frame whenever the change in motion between the frames does not exceed a selected threshold value. Such circuits are well known and have been used in video compression and coding systems. However, motion detect circuit 40 is constrained to either delete or insert a specified total number of frames over a fixed period of time in accordance with the parameters specified by manual control unit 19 . Consequently, motion detect circuit 40 is provided with the accumulated total count from circuit 20 , and an internal timing unit (not illustrated) in order to measure the progress of the frame deletion or insertion processing. If the total number of deleted or accumulated frames runs behind the elapsed real time (due to program content with relatively large amounts of motion over a large sequence of frames), the motion detect threshold is automatically raised by motion detect circuit 40 in order to permit a relatively larger number of frames to be deleted or inserted so that the system will succeed in deleting or inserting the desired amount of time over the prescribed total program real time period.
Similarly, a pitch and level detect circuit 50 selects which audio portions contain the most effective frequencies and amplitudes capable of being deleted with minimal impairment to the audio (e.g. by not introducing “pops” or “clicks” into the audio). Pitch and level detect circuit 50 is similarly supplied with the running total from the ΔA circuit 30 , and is provided with a threshold adjusting circuit to enable the threshold to be raised if the audio deletion processing is running behind the total elapsed time of the real time program.
The sensitivity threshold of circuits 40 and 50 may also be functionally coupled to the amount of time change desired, as suggested by the diagonal arrows overlying elements 12 , 22 , 40 and 50 . Thus, for a maximum amount of time change, the sensitivity thresholds are raised, while for a minimum amount of time change, the sensitivity thresholds are lowered.
Both motion detect circuit 40 and pitch and level detect circuit 50 are provided with control output lines 42 , 52 which are used to control the Δ segment circuits 18 , 28 on an on-the-fly basis. Thus, for example, motion detect circuit 40 may determine that three successive frames are to be deleted from the frame sequence: in such a case, a control signal is issued on control line 42 to the Δ segment circuit 18 to delete the three identified successive frames. Similarly, pitch and level detect circuit 50 will determine those audio segments which are to be deleted from frame portions, and issues control signals on control line 52 to the Δ segment circuit 28 .
In order to ensure that the total time delay between the time changed output video on terminal 17 and the time changed output audio on terminal 27 does not exceed the preselected maximum frame difference (i.e., ±1 frame time in the preferred embodiment), the accumulated video time and accumulated audio time are coupled from the a ΔV circuit 20 and ΔA circuit 30 , respectively, via motion detect circuit 40 and pitch and level detect circuit 50 to an A/V phase difference comparator 60 . In the event that the video portions and the audio portions on the output terminals 17 , 27 are close to the maximum separation difference, the comparator 60 issues control signals on control lines 61 , 62 to the motion detect circuit 40 and pitch and level detect circuit 50 . These control signals are then used by circuits 40 . 50 to select video frames and audio segments for deletion or insertion which steer the A/V difference in the proper direction.
Some program materials may include segments which should not be subject to frame deletion or insertion due to the nature of the subject matter. For example, some commercial providers may require that the commercial programming information not be altered in any way. In such cases, it is useful to provide a pause function which terminates frame deletion and frame insertion until the sensitive programming material has been passed through the signal processing units 12 , 22 . This function is provided by disabling operation of the Δ segment circuits 18 , 28 , as well as operation of the manual control 19 . The pause function may be implemented in the form of a manually operable switch—e.g. a push button switch—and an indicator specifying the state of the pause function circuit; or may be automatically implemented using appropriate circuitry for detecting predetermined codes or other markers in predetermined portions of the video frames. For example, a special character may be inserted in the vertical blanking interval specifying the first frame in a sequence of frames for which the pause function is required; and an end of sequence special character may be inserted in the last frame. Such a character may be conveniently inserted during non-viewable portions of a frame, such as in the vertical blanking interval. Other specific implementations of the pause function will occur to those skilled in the art.
As will now be apparent, the invention is capable of increasing and decreasing passages of time in programming material by significant amounts, without impairing the subjective quality of the programming materials as viewed. For example, for NTSC video, by deleting one out of every twelve frames, a total of five minutes per hour can be accumulated or “saved” for other purposes. Similarly, by adding an additional frame every six frames in NTSC video ten minutes per hour can be added to the total running time of programming material. In addition, it should be noted that the removal of audit segments at different points in time from the video frames optimizes the quality of the final video/audio output from the system, since it enables separate alteration of the video and audio portions based on the information content and using techniques which are optimal to video signals and audio signals separately. This ensures that the quality of the finally produced programming material is nearly as high as the original material.
While the above provides a full and complete description of the preferred embodiments of the invention, various modifications, alternate constructions and equivalents may be employed, as desired. For example, while the invention has been described with reference to deletion and insertion of frames of video, these principles apply to deletion and insertion of individual fields of information. Therefore, the above description and illustrations should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention, which is defined by the appended claims.
APPENDIX A
For this machine the following time equations must hold true:
Δ T V =Σ o n Δtv
and
T A =Σ o an Δt A
Where:
ΔT V =Total accumulated Video delay (+/−) time
ΔT A =Total accumulated Audio delay (+/−) time
Δt V =Time duration of each Video packet (usually one frame)
Δt A =Time duration of each Audio packet (about 5 mil. sec. for this example)
n=Number of Video packets needed to achieve total time change desired
a=ratio between the time duration of the video and audio packets.
For the machine to work:
Δ T V =ΔT A 1)
or
Δ T A =ΔT V ±Δt V 2)
These statements must hold to accomplish the desired time change (+/−) while maintaining lip-sync. Equation 1) holds for exact lip-sync while Equation 2) holds for minimum picture and sound anomalies.
“Time Machine” run modes:
Manual—where a knob can be turned clock wise or counter clock wise to increase or decrease time in frame increments.
Auto—where a preset amount of time change (+/−) will automatically accrue where the audio and video can be locked together (ΔT V =ΔT A ) or run independently (ΔT A =ΔT V ±Δt V )
“Time Machine” features:
Time change accrual can be stopped and restarted to coincide with such sacred timed segments as commercials.
Motion, pitch and level change sensitivity can be adjusted to speed up or slow down the rate of time change accrual.
Maximum number of packet chances per second can be set to minimize excessive changes in time in the Auto mode.
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The running real time length of combined video and audio signal programs is shortened or lengthened by deleting or repeating individual fields or frames and corresponding amounts of audio segments. The video and audio portions of the programming material are separated and subjected to processing through a pair of program time changing units. The video portion is processed by deleting individual fields or frames on a manual, periodic or automatic basis. Manual deletion is done by an operator observing the program material on a monitor. Periodic deletion is performed automatically after the operator specifies the total amount of time (or number of fields or frames) to be deleted, with every ith frame or field deleted regardless of content. Automatic deletion is done in a fashion similar to periodic deletion, but the fields or frames are examined and are deleted on the basis of the amount of between frame motion. Audio segment deletion is done either manually, periodically or automatically, and the audio segments removed need not match the deleted frame video, but may be taken from different frames, so long as the total time length of the deleted audio segments equals the total time of the deleted video frames, and also provided that the differential delay between the processed video and processed audio does not exceed the lip sync criterion. A pause function disables the deletion or insertion process for program materials which may not be altered in any way.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims priority from a U.S. provisional patent application, Ser. No. 60/480,985, filed on Jun. 23, 2003, entitled “Method and Apparatus for Adaptive Multiple-Dimensional Signal Sequences Encoding/Decoding,” which is hereby incorporated by reference. This application is related to a co-pending U.S. utility patent application, filed on Jun. 14, 2004, entitled “Method and Apparatus for Adaptive Multiple-Dimensional Signal Sequences Encoding/Decoding,” which is hereby incorporated by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] This disclosure relates generally to data encoding, storage, distribution, and decoding, and more particularly to a memory and array signal processing structure to process the n-dimensional signal sequence.
[0004] 2. Description of the Prior Art
[0005] Digital data systems are frequently challenged to handle large quantities of data quickly enough to meet practical needs. Compact disc music requires about 1500 kilobits per second, and video needs over 200,000 kilobits per second. Both transmission and storage of data is costly, and in some cases impossible. For example, a current telephone line modem can only carry maximum bit rate at 56 kilobits per second with a perfect line condition. Although video image frames need only be handled at approximately 30 cycles per second in order to allow an observer to have the impression of continual image transmission, the data content of each image frame is very large.
[0006] Solutions to the problem of quickly handling large quantities of data have been developed by using methods of data compression, i.e., methods of reducing the quantity of bits required. Data compression has made possible technological developments including digital television, DVD movie, streaming Internet video, home digital photography and video conferencing. Compressing coders and decoders (CODECs) are used to encode (at the capturing/production side) and decode (at the receiving/reproduction side) data containing statistical redundancy.
[0007] [0007]FIG. 1A is a simplified block diagram describing a prior art system for compressing image sequence data with an encoder 1 . An image frame 4 is provided as input to the encoder 1 and the data is encoded. The encoded frame is then transmitted, and a copy of the encoded frame is decoded at the decoder 10 and stored as a reference frame 6 in the frame buffer 3 . With the current input image frame 4 as input, the encoder 1 then searches the reference frame 6 for a closest match point in the reference frame 6 for each block of a plurality of blocks that make up the current frame. This includes the use of a motion estimator (ME) 5 , and requires a calculation of what is called an “energy difference” measure, such as sum of square error or sum of absolute error between the current frame block and corresponding reference frame block located at each search point in the reference frame. The best match location is then represented as a “motion vector” 7 , specifying the two-dimensional location displacement of the block in the reference frame 6 relative to the corresponding block in the current frame. Also, the difference (residue) 8 between the best match block in the reference frame 6 and the current image input frame 4 is determined and is typically called the “Residue” or “Block Prediction Difference” (BPD). Both the motion vector 7 and the residue 8 are then encoded and transmitted. The encoder 1 will then decode the motion vector 7 and residue 8 and reconstruct the current frame in the same way that a decoder receiving the same data would reconstruct the frame, and then store this frame as a reference frame.
[0008] A very significant issue is the amount of computational power that is required by an encoder in accomplishing the task of finding the best match for each block in the current frame, i.e., determining the displacement vector (motion vector) such that the displacement block in the reference frame is most “similar” to the current block. One prior art method of performing this task involves searching every possible location for block matching within a pre-defined search area. This method requires astronomical computing power and is not feasible for practical real time implementation. There are many simplified methods to search a fraction of the large and complete search space to reduce the computation cost. However, even with the reduced computing cycles, the data access is still the major bottleneck for system performance throughput. This is especially true for multi-dimensional data (2D for images, and 3D for video with multiple frame considerations) that need to be rapidly accessed in a selected pattern.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] The present invention is a memory organization and processing array structure to enable efficient processing of n-dimensional signal frames, including: an n-dimensional object store capable of rapidly storing and accessing of n-dimensional objects, the n-dimensional object store could optionally include a multi-level mass memory structure to store massive amount of data economically, and a signal processor array to process the data in the n-dimensional object store. Embodiments of the invention can be used to encode general n-dimensional signal sequences, such as one-dimensional, two-dimensional, and three-dimensional signals. One important application of this method is in video encoding for transmission and storage purposes. Because of this, in many of the descriptions below the two-dimensional video signal sequence compression is illustrated. However, the method and apparatus taught here can be extended to compress a general sequence of n-dimensional signals, where n is a positive integer.
[0010] A first aspect of the invention is directed to an objected oriented memory organization and processing array structure to enable efficient processing of n-dimensional signal frames. The system includes: an n-dimensional object store capable of rapidly storing and accessing blocks of n-dimensional signals, a multi-level mass memory structure to store a large amount of data before the transfer to the n-dimensional memory, and a signal processor array to process the data in the n-dimensional memory.
[0011] A second aspect of the invention is directed to an n-dimensional signal processing array to process n-dimensional data inputs. The processing array includes: an array of signal processing units; a group of data registers, to store the data for the signal processing units; and means for controlling the processing array to allow one data element to be used by more than one processor in the array.
[0012] A third aspect of the invention is directed to a method to operate a n-dimensional memory system for storing and retrieving n-dimensional data in an n-dimensional frame. The method includes: storing one data item into each slice of L memory slices, where L is a positive integer; organizing the n-dimensional data to allow all the data in a given cube, which can be located anywhere in the frame, to be accessed in M=B/L cycles, where B is the total number of points inside the cube; accessing the data from the L memory slices based on n-dimensional address inputs from an addressing translation module; and providing data flow from the L-slices through a data multiplexer and data de-multiplexer to outside processing modules using the n-dimensional data.
[0013] A fourth aspect of the invention is directed to a method to operate a two-dimensional memory system for storing and retrieving two-dimensional data in a two-dimensional frame. The method includes: storing one data item into each slice of L memory slices, where L is a positive integer; organizing the two-dimensional data to allow all the data in a given cube, which can be located anywhere in the frame, to be accessed in M=B/L cycles, where B is the total number of points inside the cube; accessing the data from the L memory slices based on two-dimensional address inputs from an addressing translation module; and providing data flow from the L-slices through a data multiplexer and data de-multiplexer to outside processing modules using the two-dimensional data.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0014] [0014]FIG. 1A illustrates a data compression system, in accordance with the prior art.
[0015] [0015]FIG. 1B illustrates a preferred embodiment of a system of the present invention for storage and processing of multi-dimensional signal data.
[0016] [0016]FIG. 1C illustrates a 2-dimensional application of the invention to video data arranged in a 2-dimensional frame, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.
[0017] [0017]FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of 2-level memory for n-dimensional storage, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.
[0018] [0018]FIG. 3 illustrates allocation of data for a two-dimensional 3×4 block from a frame, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.
[0019] [0019]FIG. 4 illustrates allocation of data for a two-dimensional 3×4 block from a frame, in accordance with an alternative embodiment of the invention.
[0020] [0020]FIG. 5 illustrates a frame buffer data allocation pattern in an SDRAM, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.
[0021] [0021]FIG. 6 illustrates the order of arrangement of pixel data within one block, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.
[0022] [0022]FIG. 7 illustrates a 2-dimensional array implementation of the n dimensional processing engine, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.
[0023] [0023]FIG. 8 shows a spiral search with a step size of 4 pixels, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.
[0024] [0024]FIG. 9 shows a parallel spiral pattern with P search points in parallel, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.
[0025] [0025]FIG. 10 illustrates the method of data sharing with 3×3 array of processing units, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.
[0026] [0026]FIG. 11 illustrates a memory access example, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0027] N-Dimensional Object Store (NDOS)
[0028] The implementation of block matching and motion estimation typically has a bottleneck at accessing the blocks from any location in the reference frames. With the video streams typically organized in 2-dimensional or 3-dimensional objects in video algorithms, the use of 1-dimensional linear addressing based memory does not provide efficient results.
[0029] To address this problem, what we need is some kind of specially organized memory data organization and processor structure to handle some special data access and processing requirements in the n-dimensional signal space efficiently with high throughput. Special memory organization and processing methods to address data access throughput issues for some space oriented data requests are known. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,818,726, entitled System and Method for Determining Acceptable Logic Cell Locations and Generating a Legal Location Structure , by Tsu-Chang Lee, issued on Oct. 6th, 1998, demonstrates the solution of the layout placement location searching problem with a special organized cell array structure and processing method to achieve very rapid IC placement data throughput. The method taught in that patent enabled the placement of multi-million gate designs with data throughput more than 100 times faster than prior methods without a special memory structure. The present invention is a different application of similar concepts taught in that IC placement patent, to solve the n-dimensional encoding and decoding signal processing problems.
[0030] [0030]FIG. 1B shows a preferred embodiment of this invention. The invention includes applying an “object oriented” principle as used in software design to organize the data and processor structure to solve the encoding and decoding signal processing problems. There are three main components in the encoding and decoding memory/processing system shown in FIG. 1B. The n dimensional encoding decoding object store (NDOS) 108 , organizes and stores the n dimensional signal data in the encoding and decoding space to support high throughput processing for encoding and decoding data processing. Since there is large volume of data to be stored in the encoding and decoding signal data store, 108 can in alternative embodiments be organized according to a hierarchical structure. Inside NDOS 108 , the encoding and decoding (n dimensional: N-D) signal data is stored in a general mass storage memory (NDMS) 103 . A chunk of locally used encoding and decoding signal data is decomposed and organized into a fast n dimensional objected oriented n dimensional (N-D) signal storage memory (NDFS) 102 . The NDFS 102 functions as a cache to provide data with high throughput to serve encoding and decoding data requests from the encoding and decoding signal processing engine 101 . Since most of the encoding and decoding signal processing follows some kind of pre-defined “navigation” pattern through the encoding and decoding space, the encoding and decoding data can be pre-loaded into the NDFS 102 from the NDMS 103 through the mass storage bus 109 with some amount of pipelining control (for example, the spiral searching pattern for ME search and the neighborhood preserving scanning pattern described in the co-pending U.S. utility patent application, filed on Jun. 11, 2004, entitled “Method and Apparatus for Adaptive Multiple-Dimensional Signal Sequences Encoding/Decoding,” are two example space data access cases.)
[0031] The n dimensional (N-D) signal processing engine (NDPE) 101 requests the data through the encoding and decoding (N-D) object access bus 105 to request N-D “objects” from the NDOS 108 . Note here that the requested N-D objects are “higher level” meaningful items to the n dimensional encoding decoding signal processing systems compared to the low level bits and bytes in the traditional data access from traditional memory. In other words, the NDOS 108 “understands” the data processing applications and some semantics of the data. The N-D objects requested from the NDOS 108 will be stored in a data register in the NDRF 104 associated with the NDPE 101 . NDRF 104 contains registers (may include data, control, and system status) to be used by the NDPE 101 directly. The data transfer between the NDOS 108 , NDPE 101 , and NDRF 104 is through a very high speed N-D data bus (NDDB) 106 .
[0032] NDOS Implementation
[0033] As a specific implementation of the preferred embodiment specified above, details follow below for constructing an object oriented n-dimensional memory store, based on a traditional 1-dimensional addressing based memory to optimize the memory access efficiency and access pattern flexibility for ME algorithm frame buffer accessing. However, the use of this structure is not limited to the ME algorithm. Any n-dimensional data processing can use this mechanism for the flexibility and efficiency advantages.
[0034] This memory access problem is illustrated in FIG. 1C. A 2-dimensional case in FIG. 1C is illustrated as an example, in the ME algorithm. In a video application, video data is typically arranged in a 2-dimensional “frame” 131 which shows a picture at any instance on the TV screen. Inside the frame 131 , the data is typically organized in a smaller 2-dimensional blocks 133 . These blocks 133 are usually have a size of 16×16 or 8×8 pixels, but can have other configurations. These blocks 133 are formed with a fixed grid pattern 132 on each frame.
[0035] Video algorithms need to access these blocks in a very efficient way, e.g. get all pixels in a block in one single cycle or one single burst of cycles. Furthermore, video algorithms need to access a 2-dimsional block at any random location not aligned to the fixed grid 133 , as shown in FIG. 1C.
[0036] Currently, electronic memories (SDRAM, SRAM, etc.) are organized in a 1-dimensional based addressing mechanism that allows at best a simultaneous access/burst of pixels in a linear way, i.e., a row of pixels. With some pre-arrangement of the pixel data allocation in the memory, it is possible to burst access a block aligned to the fixed grid pattern in the frame. However, it is not possible to allow access in one cycle/burst of a random located block. One embodiment of the invention provides a structure to solve this problem.
[0037] [0037]FIG. 2 shows a specific embodiment of the general N-D object oriented memory structure shown in FIG. 1B. In this block diagram, the n-dimensional object memory 102 is separated into L slices. Each of the memory slices is a traditional 1-dimensional memory (e.g., SRAM). The data width of each slice is the minimal element size of the object. In video, this size is a pixel (e.g., 8 bits). In other applications, the bus width of the memory slice can be any size. The goal of the L-slice organization is to allow the access of an n-dimensional block in one cycle (if the data block has L elements), or in a burst of multiple access cycles with L elements each. To achieve this, the major issue is how the n-dimensional block data allocated into the L slices. There are two criteria for data allocated to each slice:
[0038] The data elements belonging to the same block should be evenly allocated into L-slice such that the L data elements in the block can be accessed simultaneously without conflict.
[0039] If the number of slice L is less then the number of data element in a block, say B=L*M, where B is the number of elements in a block, then there are multiple elements (M) of a block residing in the same slice. In one embodiment, the M data elements are put in a contiguous range on a slice to enable a single burst of block access.
[0040] One application of the invention is illustrated in FIG. 3. In FIG. 3, a 2-dimensional block of 3×4 with L=12 is shown to show the allocation of data. A memory slice ID 302 , a row access 304 , and a random block access 306 are shown. In this way, any 3×4 block in the frame can be accessed in a single cycle.
[0041] Another application of the invention with L=6 and M=2 is illustrated in FIG. 4. A memory slice ID 302 , a row access 304 , and a random block access 306 are shown. In this case, any 3×4 block consists of two elements with the same memory slice ID 302 . That is, the 3×4 block can be accessed in two clock cycles. In addition, as observed in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, any L pixels in a row access 304 can be accessed in one clock cycle, because there is no slice memory duplication in the set of row pixels.
[0042] Once the data allocation is done properly, the address translation and data multiplexing control in FIG. 2 is designed to reflect the allocation pattern. Note that in one embodiment of the invention, the number of dimension n, the number of block sizes in each dimension, the number of memory slices L can all be parameterized to fit any specific application.
[0043] Multi-Level N-dimensional Signal Storage Memory
[0044] The video ME algorithm has the following unique set of requirements that differentiates itself from a non-real-time CPU system.
[0045] 1. Large Capacity
[0046] 2. Large Bandwidth
[0047] 3. Random Access of 2-dimensional data elements
[0048] 4. Low Cost
[0049] Among these requirements, the second and third requirements can be solved by the memory mechanism described previously. However, the large capacity and low cost solution is not met if the n-dimensional storage mechanism is used alone. Furthermore, a large slice number L provides large access bandwidth while increasing the cost at the same time.
[0050] A conventional multi-level cache memory hierarchy can be applied to the n-dimensional memory very well. Note that the high speed and cost of n-dimensional store make a multi-level cache memory hierarchy most suitable for the innermost level of memory closest to the processing engine.
[0051] A 2-level memory embodiment for the n-dimensional store was previously shown in FIG. 2. In this mechanism, the data is organized such that the data is first read from the second level memory 103 (in this embodiment, a SDRAM is used) and stored in the on-chip n-dimensional store. Once the data is in the n-dimensional store, the data can be accessed flexibly and reused many time. In this way, the demand on the external SDRAM 103 bandwidth and the access pattern flexibility is reduced.
[0052] When a SDRAM is used as the second level of memory in 2-level n-dimensional store, some elaboration on the use of SDRAM is needed to support the n-dimensional data structure and overcome the SDRAM architecture limitations. Due to the architecture of a SDRAM design, there are overhead associated with the SDRAM access. Typically, a SDRAM access involves the following steps, each with various delays which incur overhead between bursts:
[0053] Pre-Charge of a previously accessed memory bank
[0054] Sending a RAS command.
[0055] Sending a CAS command
[0056] Without a proper arrangement of the pixel data, the overhead between burst accesses can be very high. On the other hand, the SDRAM provides memory organization of multiple banks allows command issuing and pre-charge independently. With a proper organization of pixel data of a frame, the SDRAM access overhead can be minimized. To do this, the frame buffer data allocation pattern is fixed in the SDRAM as illustrated in FIG. 5. A frame buffer 501 is first pre-partitioned into block of a fixed size (16×16, 8×8, or other fixed size) with each block allocated into one bank of SDRAM memory. The example in FIG. 5 shows 8×8 blocks 504 and a horizontal row of pixels 502 . The blocks 504 are aligned to the fixed grid pattern as explained in 102 of FIG. 1B. These blocks 504 are arranged sequentially into the sequential bank ID 508 as shown in FIG. 5. Within one block, the 8×8 pixel data 610 are arranged in a zigzag order 608 shown in FIG. 6.
[0057] With this, the access patterns to the SDRAM listed in the following are done with zero-overhead:
[0058] Block Burst—The whole block is arranged continuously within a bank. Therefore the access of the whole block is done with one single burst.
[0059] Sequential Blocks Burst—Multiple blocks burst access in the raster scan order (as shown in FIG. 5) are achieved with multiple bursts. Since each block is allocated into a different bank, these bursts commands are pipelined such that there is no overhead.
[0060] Row Access—A row of pixels in the same line can be accessed with multiple bursts. Again, the multiple bursts belongs to different bank, therefore pipelining across burst is possible. Whether there is zero overhead depends on how long is the burst within one block, and depends on CAS and RAS delay of the SDRAM.
[0061] Even though the access to the external SDRAM has very limited access pattern, the multi-level N-dimensional store using the SDRAM as the second or higher level of memory allows flexible access to the data, once the data is read from the SDRAM to the n-dimensional store.
[0062] Parallel Spiral Pattern (PSP) Array Processors for ME Search
[0063] [0063]FIG. 7 shows an array processor implementation of an NDPE in FIG. 1B, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention. The array structure reduces the reference bandwidth need in a ME algorithm by using a parallel spiral search pattern and array-processors. This approach allows multiple processors to share the same data output from the reference buffer. Here the N-D object data (in this case, a Macro Block—MB) is fetched into the current MB register 701 . The 9 processors, J( 0 , 0 )-J( 2 , 2 ), also receive inputs through temp registers 704 , 706 , and 708 , and can process the search objective function evaluation concurrently with the reference frame data coming from the high speed data bus (NDDB) 106 . The outputs of the 9 processors, J( 0 , 0 )-J( 2 , 2 ), are received by a motion vector decision making block 710 , which provide motion vectors 712 to the high speed data bus (NDDB) 106 .
[0064] This embodiment of the invention exploits the fixed search/access pattern nature in the ME algorithm. One way to share the 2-level memory output is to pre-specify the search pattern in the ME algorithm such that multiple search points are done in parallel. Traditionally, the ME algorithm uses various algorithms. One embodiment uses a spiral search that follows a pre-specified search trace until it eventually finds the best search point.
[0065] [0065]FIG. 8 illustrates a spiral search with a step size of 4 pixels, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention. In order to allow the parallelism of search with fixed access memory access pattern, this embodiment of the invention uses a search pattern 804 called a “Parallel Spiral Search” to search pixels 802 .
[0066] [0066]FIG. 9 shows an example of the parallel spiral pattern 902 with P search points in parallel, with P=9 in this example to search pixels 802 . With the P search points processing in parallel in a fixed pattern, e.g., a 3×3 grid pattern, the input data can be further analyzed to enhance the sharing and reduce the memory bandwidth usage.
[0067] One embodiment of this concept is shown in FIG. 10. Each of the search points in FIG. 10 specifies the location where a cost function evaluation is to be performed. In this case, the cost function is assumed to be based on a 16×16 size block. The search-points 1 , 2 and 3 share 16 pixels out of the 24 pixels input in each row of pixels 802 . In this way, when the first row is read from the reference buffer, it is shared by all three search-points 1 , 2 , and 3 . Starting from row 5 , the data is shared by search-points 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , and 6 . Starting from the ninth row, the data is shared by all nine search-points, 1 - 9 . Since the nine search-points are arranged in a fixed 3×3 grid, the access pattern for reference buffer is fixed and easily designed to reuse the data when it is read out from the buffer. Note that in this array processing architecture based on the parallel spiral search pattern, the search pattern step-size, and the array size in x and y dimensions are all parameters that can be set to any specific value.
[0068] PSP Array Processors with N-dimensional Memory Storage for ME Search
[0069] Alternately, the PSP array processor can also go in a column of data, or a block of data (e.g., 4×4) if a n-dimensional memory is used with the parallel spiral array processor. An embodiment of this combination is shown in FIG. 11. Once again, the search-points 1 , 2 and 3 share 16 pixels out of the 24 pixels input in each row of pixels 802 . In this way, when the first row is read from the reference buffer, it is shared by all three search-points: 1 , 2 , and 3 . Starting from row 5 , the data is shared by search-points: 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , and 6 . Starting from the ninth row, the data is shared by all nine search-points: 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , and 9 .
[0070] The use of parallel spiral array processor with the n-dimensional store provides a better performance. Without the n-dimensional store, only a row or column of data is read and shared by the array processor. Assuming that the reference buffer has a data width of 16 pixels providing input data of 16 pixels at a time, consider the case in FIG. 11. If there is no n-dimensional store available, only a row or a column of 16 pixels are read at a time. To access the total of 24 rows of 24 pixels each, 48 cycles is needed and is shared by 9 processors. In this way, the number of cycles per processor is 48/9=5.33.
[0071] If an n-dimensional store is available to allow access of a 4×4 block in one cycle, a total of 36 cycles is needed. The number of cycle per processor in this case is 36/9=4. Note that without the PSP and array processor, the number of cycle is 16 cycles per processor. The performance improves from 16 to 5.33 for PSP processor alone, and to 4 for PSP with n-dimensional store.
[0072] In summary, the array processor architecture can be used alone, or with the n-dimensional memory as taught. The usage of the “Parallel Spiral Pattern with Array processor” with the “2-level Memory” enables a more efficient implementation of ME algorithm to search many more points as compared with traditional single spiral point search pattern, and therefore achieve much higher compression performance.
[0073] In the description herein, numerous specific details are provided, such as the description of system components and methods, to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the invention. One skilled in relevant arts will recognize, however, that the invention can be practiced without one or more of the specific details, or with other systems, methods, components, materials, parts, and the like. In other instances, well-known structures, materials, or operations are not shown or described in detail to avoid obscuring aspects of the invention.
[0074] Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment” or “an 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. Thus, the appearance of the phrases “in one embodiment” or “in an embodiment” in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments.
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An object oriented n-dimensional signal object store and processing array structure to enable efficient processing of n-dimensional signal data, including: a fast n-dimensional signal storage memory capable of rapidly storing and accessing n-dimensional signal objects, a multi-level mass memory structure to store massive amounts of data before transferring to the fast n-dimensional signal storage memory, and an n-dimensional signal processor array to process the n-dimensional signal object data in the n-dimensional singal object store.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims priority to French Patent Application No. 08 05 472, filed Oct. 3, 2008, which is incorporated by reference herein.
BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY
[0002] The invention relates to nitrogen-containing heterocyclic compounds, to their preparation and to their use as antibacterial drugs.
[0003] The application WO 04/052891 notably describes compounds fitting the following formula:
[0000]
[0000] wherein:
R 1 represents a hydrogen atom, a COOH, COOR, CN, (CH 2 ) n ′R 5 , CONR 6 R 7 or radical
[0000]
[0000] R is selected from the group formed by an alkyl radical containing 1 to 6 carbon atoms, optionally substituted with one or more halogen atoms or with a pyridyl radical, a —CH 2 -alkenyl radical containing a total of 3 to 9 carbon atoms, a (poly)alkoxyalkyl group containing 1 to 4 oxygen atoms and 3 to 10 carbon atoms, an aryl radical containing 6 to 10 carbon atoms or an aralkyl radical containing 7 to 11 carbon atoms, the ring of the aryl or aralkyl radical being optionally substituted with an OH, NH 2 , NO 2 , alkyl radical containing 1 to 6 carbon atoms, an alkoxy radical containing 1 to 6 carbon atoms or with one or more halogen atoms,
R 5 is selected from the group formed by a COOH, CN, OH, NH 2 , CO—NR 6 R 7 , COOR, OR radical, R being defined as above,
R 6 and R 7 are individually selected from the group formed by a hydrogen atom, an alkyl radical containing 1 to 6 carbon atoms, an alkoxy radical containing 1 to 6 carbon atoms, an aryl radical containing 6 to 10 carbon atoms and an aralkyl radical containing 7 to 11 carbon atoms and an alkyl radical containing 1 to 6 carbon atoms substituted with a pyridyl radical,
n′ is equal to 1 or 2,
R 3 and R 4 form together a phenyl or a heterocycle with aromaticity with 5 or 6 apices containing 1 to 4 heteroatoms selected from nitrogen, oxygen and sulfur, substituted with one or more R′ groups, R′ being selected from the group formed by the —(O) a —(CH 2 ) b —(O) a —CONR 6 R 7 , —(O) a —(CH 2 ) b —OSO 3 H, —(O) a —(CH 2 ) b —SO 3 H, —(O) a —SO 2 R, —(O) n —SO 2 —CHal 3 , —(O) a —(CH 2 ) b NR 6 R 7 , —(O) a —(CH 2 ) b —NH—COOR, —(CH 2 ) b —COOH, —(CH 2 ) b —COOR, —OR″, OH, —(CH 2 ) b — phenyl radicals and (CH 2 ) b -heterocycle with aromaticity with 5 or 6 apices containing 1 to 4 heteroatoms selected from nitrogen, oxygen and sulfur, the phenyl and the heterocycle being optionally substituted with one or more halogens, an alkyl containing 1 to 6 carbon atoms, an alkoxy containing 1 to 6 carbon atoms or CF 3 , R, R 6 and R 7 being as defined earlier, R″ being selected from the group formed by alkyl radicals containing 1 to 6 carbon atoms substituted with one or more hydroxy, protected hydroxy, oxo, halogen or cyano radicals, a being equal to 0 or 1 and b being an integer from 0 to 6, it being understood that when R′ is OH, R 1 represents the radical CONR 6 R 7 wherein R 6 or R 7 is an alkoxy containing 1 to 6 carbon atoms,
R 2 is selected from the group formed by a hydrogen atom, a halogen atom and R, S(O) m R, OR, NHCOR, NHCOOR and NHSO 2 R radicals, R being as defined earlier and m being equal to 0, 1 or 2,
X represents a divalent group —C(O)—B— linked to the nitrogen atom through the carbon atom,
B represents a divalent group —O—(CH 2 ) n ″— linked to the carbonyl through the oxygen atom, a group —NR 8 —(CH 2 ) n ″— or —NR 8 —O— linked to the carbonyl through the nitrogen atom, n″ is equal to 0 or 1 and R 8 is selected from the group formed by a hydrogen atom, an OH, R, OR, Y, OY, Y 1 , OY 1 , Y 2 , OY 2 , Y 3 , O—CH 2 —CH 2 —S(O) m —R, SiRaRbRc and OSiRaRbRc radical, Ra, Rb and Rc individually representing a linear or branched alkyl radical containing 1 to 6 carbon atoms or an aryl radical containing 6 to 10 carbon atoms, and R and m being defined as earlier,
Y is selected from the group formed by the COH, COR, COOR, CONH 2 , CONHR, CONHOH, CONHSO 2 R, CH 2 COOH, CH 2 COOR, CHF—COON, CHF—COOR, CF2-COOH, CF2-COOR, CN, CH 2 CN, CH 2 CONHOH, CH 2 CONHCN, CH 2 -tetrazole, CH 2 -(protected tetrazole), CH 2 SO 3 H, CH 2 SO 2 R, CH 2 PO(OR) 2 , CH 2 PO(OR)(OH), CH 2 PO(R)(OH) and CH 2 PO(OH) 2 radicals,
Y 1 is selected from the group formed by the SO 2 R, SO 2 NHCOH, SO 2 NHCOR. SO 2 NHCOOR, SO 2 NHCONHR, SO 2 NHCONH 2 and SO 3 H radicals,
Y 2 is selected from the group formed by the PO(OH) 2 , PO(OR) 2 , PO(OH)(OR) and PO(OH)(R) radicals,
Y 3 is selected from the group formed by the radicals, tetrazole, tetrazole substituted with the radical R, squarate, NH or NR tetrazole, NH or NR tetrazole substituted with the radical R, NHSO 2 R and NRSO 2 R, CH 2 -tetrazole and CH 2 -tetrazole substituted with R, R being defined as above, and
n is equal to 1 or 2,
as well as the salts of these compounds with mineral or organic bases or acids.
[0004] The asymmetrical carbon atoms contained in the compounds of formula (I) may independently of each other have the R, S or RS configuration and the compounds of formula (I) therefore appear as pure enantiomers or pure diastereoisomers or as a mixture of enantiomers, notably of racemates, or mixtures of diastereoisomers. Further, the substituent R 1 , R 2 , or R 4 taken individually on the one hand and X on the other hand may be in the cis and/or trans position relatively to the ring on which they are attached, the compounds of formula (I) appear as cis isomers or trans isomers or mixtures thereof. Moreover, the application WO 02/100860 describes related compounds. The applicant has discovered that among the compounds described in the application WO 04/052891, certain particular compounds, none of which are described in the experimental part of this application, have quite unexpected antibacterial properties.
[0005] The unique character of the compounds of the invention lies in the fact that they have excellent activity on Pseudomonas aeruginosa , a bacterial strain frequently encountered in nocosomial infections as well as in patients suffering from cystic fibrosis. This interesting and unexpected activity is not present in compounds closest to them as prepared in the application WO 04/052891. It is illustrated later on in the experimental part.
[0006] Moreover, the compounds of the invention proved to be active on animal infection models, including on strains usually resistant to commonly used antibiotics. The compounds of the invention are capable of thwarting the main mechanisms of bacterial resistance which are β-lactamases, efflux pumps and mutations of porins.
[0007] The compounds of the invention are compounds fitting the formula above wherein R 2 represents a hydrogen atom, X represents a divalent group C(O)NR 8 wherein R 8 is a OY 1 radical, Y 1 being a SO 3 H radical, and especially including the following particular combination of substituents R 1 , R 3 , R 4 :
[0000] R 1 represents an alkyl radical substituted with an amino radical and R 3 and R 4 form together a nitrogen-containing heterocycle with aromaticity with 5 apices substituted with a group including or consisting in a polar substituent of the amino or aminated aromatic heterocycle or carboxy type.
[0008] The object of the invention is thus the compounds of general formula (I), in their possible isomer or diastereoisomer forms or mixtures:
[0000]
[0000] wherein:
R 1 represents a (CH 2 ) n —NH 2 radical, n being equal to 1 or 2;
R 2 represents an hydrogen atom;
R 3 and R 4 form together a nitrogen-containing heterocycle with aromaticity with 5 apices containing 1, 2 or 3 nitrogen atoms, substituted on this nitrogen atom or on one of these nitrogen atoms with a (CH 2 ) m —(C(O)) p —R 6 group, m being equal to 0, 1, 2 or 3, p being equal to 0 or 1 and R 5 representing a hydroxy group, in which case p is equal to 1, or an amino, (C 1 -C 6 )alkyl or di-(C 1 -C 6 )alkyl amino group, or a nitrogen-containing heterocycle with aromaticity with 5 or 6 apices containing 1 or 2 nitrogen atoms, and, if necessary, an oxygen or sulphur atom; it being understood that when the sub-group (C(O)) p —R 6 forms a carboxy, amino or (C 1 -C 6 )alkyl or di-(C 1 -C 6 )alkyl amino group, m is different from 0 or 1; in free form and as zwitterions and salts with pharmaceutically acceptable mineral or organic bases and acids.
[0009] By alkyl radical containing 1 to 6 carbon atoms, is notably meant the methyl, ethyl, propyl, isopropyl radical, as well as a linear or branched butyl, pentyl or hexyl radical. By heterocycle with aromaticity with 5 apices containing 1, 2 or 3 nitrogen atoms, are meant those selected in the following list, the two bonds symbolizing the junction with the nitrogen-containing ring formed by R 3 and R 4 :
[0000]
[0010] By nitrogen-containing heterocycle with aromaticity with 5 or 6 apices containing 1 or 2 nitrogen atoms and if necessary 1 oxygen or sulfur atom, are meant those of the type illustrated above, or an oxazole or thiazole ring, or a ring with 6 apices of the pyridine, pyrazine, pyrimidine or pyridazine type, the heterocycle being attached to the chain or to the heterocycle formed by R 3 and R 4 through a nitrogen atom or a carbon atom. Among the acid salts of the products of formula (I), mention may i.a. be made of those formed with mineral acids such as hydrochloric, hydrobromic, hydroiodic, sulfuric or phosphoric acids or with organic acids such as formic, acetic, trifluoroacetic, propionic, benzoic, maleic, fumaric, succinic, tartaric, citric, oxalic, glyoxylic, aspartic, alkane-sulfonic acids, such as methane- and ethane-sulfonic acids, arylsulfonic acids such as benzene- and paratoluene-sulfonic acids. Among the salts of the products of formula (I), mention may be made, i.a., of those formed with mineral bases such as for example, sodium, potassium, lithium, calcium, magnesium or ammonium hydroxide or with organic bases such as for example methylamine, propylamine, trimethylamine, diethylamine, triethylamine, N,N-dimethylethanolamine, tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane, ethanolamine, pyridine, picoline, dicyclohexylamine, morpholine, benzylamine, procaine, lysine, arginine, histidine, N-methylglucamine, or further phosphonium salts such as alkylphosphoniums, arylphosphoniums, alkylarylphosphoniums, alkenylaryl-phosphoniums, or quaternary ammonium salts such as tetra-n-butylammonium salts.
[0011] The asymmetrical carbon atoms contained in the compounds of formula (I) may independently of each other have the R, S or RS configuration and the compounds of formula (I) therefore exist as pure enantiomers or pure diastereoisomers or as a mixture of enantiomers, notably of racemates or mixtures of diastereoisomers. Further, the substituent R 1 on the one hand and the chain
[0000] —C(O)—N(OSO 3 H)— on the other hand may be in the cis and/or trans position relatively to the ring on which they are attached, the compounds of formula (I) exist as cis isomers or trans isomers or mixtures.
[0012] Among the compounds of formula (I), the object of the invention is notably the compounds wherein R 3 and R 4 form together a substituted pyrazolyl heterocycle. Among the compounds of formula (I), the object of the invention is notably those wherein R 1 is a (CH 2 ) n —NH 2 group, n being equal to 1 and the heterocycle formed by R 3 and R 4 is substituted with a (CH 2 ) m —(C(O)) p —R 5 group as defined earlier, and more particularly among the latter, those wherein R 5 represents an amino, (C 1 -C 6 )alkyl or di-(C 1 -C 6 )alkyl amino, m and p being as defined earlier.
[0013] Among the compounds of formula (I), the object of the invention is most particularly the compounds described later on in the experimental part and notably those of the following names:
trans 8-(aminomethyl)-2-carbamoyle-4,8-dihydro-5-(sulfo-oxy)-4,7-methano-7H-pyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepin-6(5H)-one, trans 8-(aminomethyl)-2-dimethylcarbamoyle-4,8-dihydro-5-(sulfooxy)-4,7-methano-7H-pyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepin-6(5H)-one, trans 8-(aminomethyl)-2-methylcarbamoyle-4,8-dihydro-5-(sulfooxy)-4,7-methano-7H-pyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepin-6(5H)-one, trans 8-(aminomethyl)-1-(2-aminoethyl)-4,8-dihydro-5-(sulfooxy)-4,7-methano-7H-pyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepin-6(5H)-one, trans 8-(aminomethyl)-2-(2-aminoethyl)-4,8-dihydro-5-(sulfooxy)-4,7-methano-7H-pyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepin-6(5H)—O-one, trans 8-(aminomethyl)-2-(2-pyridinyl)-4,8-dihydro-5-(sulfo-oxy)-4,7-methano-7H-pyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepin-6(5H)-one, trans [8-(aminomethyl)-5,6-dihydro-6-oxo-5-(sulfooxy)-4H-4,7-methanopyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepin-2(8H)-acetic acid, trans 8-(aminomethyl)-5,6-dihydro-6-oxo-5-(sulfooxy)-4H-4,7-methanopyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepin-2(8H)-acetamide,
in free form, as zwitterions and salt with pharmaceutically acceptable mineral or organic bases and acids, and as possible isomers or diastereoisomers, or mixtures.
[0022] Another object of the invention is a method for preparing compounds of formula (I), characterized in that a compound of formula (II) is treated:
[0000]
[0000] wherein represents an R′ 1 radical wherein the nitrogen atom is protected, R 2 is as defined above, R′ 3 and R′ 4 form together a nitrogen-containing heterocycle with aromaticity with 5 apices containing 1, 2 or 3 nitrogen atoms and P represents a group protecting the hydroxy radical, in the presence of a base, with a compound of formula (III):
[0000] X—(CH 2 ) m —(C(O)) p —R′ 5 (III)
[0000] wherein X represents a halogen atom or an OH group which may be activated, m and p are as defined above and R′ 5 represents an R 5 radical wherein the reactive amino or carboxy group is, if necessary, protected, in order to obtain a compound of formula (IV):
[0000]
[0000] wherein R′ 1 , R 2 and P are as defined above and R″ 3 and R″ 4 form together a nitrogen-containing heterocycle with aromaticity with 5 apices as defined above for R 3 and R 4 , substituted with a (CH 2 ) m —(C(O)) p —R′ 5 group, m, p and R′ 5 being as defined above,
and the hydroxyl radical is then deprotected and the obtained compound is submitted to a sulfatation reaction by action of complexed SO 3 , and then, if necessary the obtained compound is submitted to one or more of the following reactions, in a suitable order:
[0023] deprotection of the present aminated function(s) and if necessary of the carboxy group,
[0024] salification,
[0025] ion exchange,
[0026] resolution or separation of diastereoisomers.
[0027] Preliminary protection of the amine at R′ 1 , and R ′5 is notably carried out in the form of benzylated or tritylated derivatives, of carbamates, notably allyl, benzyl, phenyl or tertbutyl carbamates, or further in the form of silylated derivatives such as tertbutyl dimethyl, trimethyl, triphenyl or further diphenyltertbutyl-silyl derivatives, or further phenylsulfonylalkyl or cyanoalkyl derivatives. Deprotection may be carried out with different methods known to one skilled in the art, depending on the nature of the protective group. It may notably be carried out through the action of an acid, for example trifluoroacetic acid, the deprotected compound being then obtained as a salt of the acid. It may further be carried out by hydrogenolysis or with soluble complexes of palladium(0) or through the action of tetrabutylammonium fluoride or by reduction. An illustration is provided further on in the experimental part.
[0028] The preliminary protection of the carboxy at R′ 5 is notably carried out in the form of derivatives of the ester type, notably alkyl, allyl, benzyl, benzhydryl or p-nitro benzyl esters. Deprotection may be carried out with different methods known to one skilled in the art, for example by saponification, acid hydrolysis, hydrogenolysis or cleavage with soluble complexes of palladium(0). The base in the presence of which the compound of formulae (II) and (III) are reacted may for example be an alkaline carbonate but other bases known to one skilled in the art may be used.
[0029] The preliminary protection of the hydroxyl of the compound of formula (II) is carried out in a standard way, in the form of ethers, esters or carbonates. The ethers may be alkyl or alkoxyalkyl ethers, preferably methyl or methoxyethoxmethyl ethers, aryl ethers, or preferably aralkyl ethers, for example benzyl ethers, or silylated ethers, for example the silylated derivatives mentioned above. The esters may be any cleavable ester known to one skilled in the art and preferably an acetate, propionate or benzoate or p-nitrobenzoate. The carbonates may for example be methyl, tertbutyl, allyl, benzyl or p-nitrobenzyl carbonates.
[0030] Deprotection is carried out with means known to one skilled in the art, notably saponification, hydrogenolysis, cleavage by soluble complexes of palladium(0), hydrolysis in an acid medium or further, for silylated derivatives treatment with tetrabutylammonium chloride, an illustration is provided further on in the experimental part. The possible activation of the hydroxyl of the compound of formula (III) is achieved in the form of a mesylate or tosylate, under conditions known to one skilled in the art. The sulfatation reaction is carried out by action of SO 3 complexes such as SO 3 -pyridine or SO 3 -dimethylformamide, by operating in pyridine or in dimethylformamide, the salt formed, for example the salt of pyridine, may be exchanged for example with a salt from another amine, a quaternary ammonium or an alkaline metal. An illustration is provided in the experimental part.
[0031] Salification by acids is if necessary carried out by adding an acid in a soluble phase to the compound. Salification by bases of the sulfo-oxy function may be achieved from the amine salt, and notably pyridine salt obtained during the action of the SO 3 -amine complex and the other salts are obtained from this amine salt. It is notably possible to operate with ion exchange on a resin. The separation of the enantiomers and diastereoisomers may be achieved according to techniques known to one skilled in the art, notably chromatography either on a chiral phase or not. Examples of conditions which may be used are also described in application WO 04/052891 or further application WO 02/100860.
[0032] The compounds of formula (I) wherein n is equal to 0, p is equal to 1 and R 5 represents R″ 5 , R″ 5 representing an amino, (C 1 -C 6 ) alkyl or di-(C 1 -C 6 )alkyl amino, may further be obtained by a method characterized in that a compound of formula (II) as defined above is treated in the presence of a base, with diphosgene and then with an amine of formula
[0000] H—R″ 5
[0000] wherein R″ 5 has the values of R 5 above, in order to obtain a compound of formula (IV′):
[0000]
[0000] wherein R′ 1 , R 2 and P are as defined above and R 3 and R 4 form together a nitrogen-containing heterocycle with aromaticity with 5 apices as defined above, substituted with a —C(O)—R″ 5 group, R″ 5 being as defined above, and the synthesis is then continued as described above in the case of the compound of formula (IV).
[0033] The base used during the action of diphosgene may notably be a tertiary amine such as triethylamine. These same compounds of formula (I) may further if necessary be obtained with a method characterized in that a compound of formula (II) as defined above is treated with trimethylsilyl isocyanate or with an isocyanate of formula
[0000] (C 1 -C 6 )alkyl-N═C═O
[0000] In order to obtain a corresponding compound of formula (IV), the synthesis is then continued as described above. The compounds of formula (I) wherein R 5 represents a heterocycle may be obtained with different reactions known to one skilled in the art for forming C—N bonds and notably by catalysis with palladium or copper as the one described in one of the examples hereafter.
[0034] As indicated above, the compounds of general formula (I) have excellent antibiotic activity on Pseudomonas aeruginosa as well as on animal infection models by strains resistant to commonly used antibacterial agents. This remarkable and unexpected antibiotic activity had not been observed for the compounds described in application WO 04/052891 and notably for the compounds structurally close to them. This is illustrated later on. These properties make said compounds suitable in the free form or as zwitterions or salts of pharmaceutically acceptable acids and bases, for use as drugs in treating severe infections by Pseudomonas , notably nosocomial infections and, generally, major infections in subjects at risks. These may in particular be infections of the respiratory tracts, for example acute pneumonia or chronic infections of the lower tracts, blood infections for example septicemias, acute or chronic infections of the urinary tracts, those of the auditory system, for example malign external otitis, or suppurating chronic otitis, those of the skin and of soft tissues, for example dermatitises, infected wounds, folliculitis, pyodermatis, stubborn forms of acne, eye infections, for example corneal ulcer, those of the nervous system, notably meningitises and brain abscesses, heart infections such as endocarditis, infections of bones and joints, such as stenoarticular pyoarthrosis, vertebral osteomyelitis, pubic symphysitis, infections of the gastro-intestinal tract, such as necrosing enterocolitis and perirectal infections.
[0035] Therefore the object of the present invention also is, in the form of drugs, and notably as antibiotic drugs, the compounds of formula (I) as defined above, in free form and as zwitterions and salts with pharmaceutically acceptable mineral or organic bases and acids. Among the compounds of formula (I), the object of the invention is notably the compounds, as drugs, wherein R 3 and R 4 form together a substituted pyrazolyl heterocycle. Among of the compounds of formula (I), the object of the invention is more particularly the compounds as drugs, wherein R 1 is a (CH 2 ) n —NH 2 group, n being equal to 1 and the heterocycle formed by R 3 and R 4 is substituted with a (CH 2 ) m —(C(O)) p —R 5 group as defined earlier, and more particularly among the latter, those in which R 5 represents an amino, (C 1 -C 6 )alkyl or di-(C 1 -C 6 )alkyl amino group, m and p being as defined earlier.
[0036] Among the compounds of formula (I), the object of the invention is most particularly the compounds, as a drug, with the following names:
trans 8-(aminomethyl)-2-carbamoyle-4,8-dihydro-5-(sulfo-oxy)-4,7-methano-7H-pyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepin-6(5H)-one, trans 8-(aminomethyl)-2-dimethylcarbamoyle-4,8-dihydro-5-(sulfooxy)-4,7-methano-7H-pyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepin-6(5H)-one, trans 8-(aminomethyl)-2-methylcarbamoyle-4,8-dihydro-5-(sulfooxy)-4,7-methano-7H-pyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepin-6(5H)-one, trans 8-(aminomethyl)-1-(2-aminoethyl)-4,8-dihydro-5-(sulfooxy)-4,7-methano-7H-pyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepin-6(5H)-one, trans 8-(aminomethyl)-2-(2-aminoethyl)-4,8-dihydro-5-(sulfooxy)-4,7-methano-7H-pyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepin-6(5H)-one, trans 8-(aminomethyl)-2-(2-pyridinyl)-4,8-dihydro-5-(sulfooxy)-4,7-methano-7H-pyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepin-6(5H)-one, trans [[8-(aminomethyl)-5,6-dihydro-6-oxo-5-(sulfooxy)-4H-4,7-methanopyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepin-2(8H)-acetic acid, trans 8-(aminomethyl)-5,6-dihydro-6-oxo-5-(sulfooxy)-4H-4,7-methanopyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepin-2(8H)-acetamide,
in free form, as zwitterions and salts with pharmaceutically acceptable mineral or organic bases and acids, and in their possible isomer or diastereoisomer forms, or mixtures.
[0045] The object of the invention is also pharmaceutical compositions containing as an active ingredient, at least one of the compounds according to the invention as described above. These compositions may be administrated via a buccal, rectal, parenteral, notably intramuscular route, or via a local route, by topical application on the skin and mucosas. The compositions according to the invention may be solid or liquid and exist as pharmaceutical forms currently used in human medicine such as for example simple or sugar-coated tablets, gelatin capsules, granules, suppositories, injectable preparations, ointments, creams, gels; they are prepared according to the usual methods. The active ingredient(s) may be incorporated to excipients usually used in these pharmaceutical compositions, such as talc, gum arabic, lactose, starch, magnesium stearate, cocoa butter, aqueous carriers or not, fats of animal or plant origin, paraffinic derivatives, glycols, various wetting agents, dispersants or emulsifiers, preservatives. These compositions may notably exist as a lyophilisate intended to be dissolved extemporaneously in a suitable carrier, for example, apyrogenic sterile water.
[0046] The administered dose is variable depending on the treated disease, the subject in question, the administration route, and the relevant product. It may for example be comprised between 0.250 g and 10 g daily, orally in humans, with the product described in Examples 1, 4 or 5 or further comprised between 0.25 g and 10 g daily via an intramuscular or intravenous route. The products of formula (I) may also be used as disinfectants of surgical instruments.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0047] The following examples illustrate the invention.
Example 1
Sodium trifluoroacetate salt of trans 8-(aminomethyl)-2-carbamoyle-4,8-dihydro-5-(sulfooxy)-4,7-methano-7H-pyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepin-6(5H)-one
Stage A
Trans-8-(hydroxymethyl)-4,8-dihydro-6-oxo-5-(phenylmethoxy)-4,7-methano-7H-pyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepin-6(5H)-one
[0048] The ester, methyl trans-4,5,6,8-tetrahydro-6-oxo-5-(phenylmethoxy)-4,7-methano-7H-pyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepine-8-carboxylate described in the application WO2004/052891 (Example 1, stage K) (5 g, 15.2 mmol) is put into solution in an anhydrous methanol/tetrahydrofurane mixture 1/1 (100 mL), under nitrogen. NaBH4 (2.3 g, 60.9 mmol) is then added portionwise. After one night of stirring at room temperature, the reaction mixture is treated with a 10% NaH 2 PO 4 aqueous solution (100 mL). After dry evaporation, the reaction medium is taken up into water. The formed precipitate is stirred for one night in ice, and then filtered and dried under reduced pressure in the presence of P 2 O 5 , in order to obtain the expected compound (3.30 g, 11.0 mmol, 72%) as a white powder.
[0049] MS (ES(+)): m/z [M+H] + =301
[0050] 1 H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ): δ (ppm)=3.18-3.50 (ABX, 2H, N— CH 2 —CH—N), 3.65-3.76 (ABX, 2H, N—CH— CH 2 —OH), 4.34 (t, 1H, N— CH —CH 2 —OH), 4.46 (d, 1H, N—CH 2 — CH —N), 4.88 (s, 2H, CH 2 -Ph), 7.29-7.43 (m, 5H, Ph), 7.66 (s, 1H, H pyrazole), 12.72 (broad, 1H, OH).
Stage B
1,1-dimethyl Trans [[4,5,6,8-tetrahydro-6-oxo-5-(phenyl-methoxy)-4,7-methano-7H-pyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepin-8-yl]methyl]-carbamate
[0051] The alcohol obtained in stage A of Example 1 (1.73 g, 5.76 mmol) is put into solution in anhydrous pyridine (35 mL) under nitrogen, at 0° C., and methanesulfonyl chloride (1.78 mL, 23 mmol) is then added dropwise. After 2 h 30 min of stirring at room temperature, the reaction medium is treated with a saturated ammonium chloride aqueous solution (100 mL), and then extracted with ethyl acetate. The combined organic phases are then washed with a saturated ammonium chloride aqueous solution, dried and then concentrated under reduced pressure in order to obtain the expected dimesylated derivative as a yellow oil.
[0052] The dimesylated intermediate is put into solution in anhydrous dimethylformamide (45 mL), under nitrogen, in the presence of sodium nitride (1.12 g, 17.3 mmol). The reaction mixture is heated to 70° C. for 24 h. 1 equivalent of nitride is added if necessary so that the conversion is complete. When the reaction is complete, the mixture is treated with a NaH 2 PO 4 10% aqueous solution (100 mL) and then extracted with dichloromethane. The combined organic phases are dried and then concentrated under reduced pressure in order to obtain the expected nitride as a yellow oil.
[0053] The intermediate is reacted under nitrogen in absolute ethanol (17.5 mL), and then di-tert-butyl dicarbonate (1.38 g, 6.34 mmol), triethylsilane (1.38 mL, 8.64 mmol) and 10% palladium hydroxide on coal (52 mg) are added successively. After one night at room temperature, the reaction mixture is filtered and then concentrated in order to obtain a crude yellow oil. This crude is purified by chromatography on a silica column (eluent: CH 2 Cl 2 /MeOH gradient 100/0 to 95/5 in 1% steps) in order to lead to the expected compound (1.36 g, 3.40 mmol, 34%) as a white solid.
[0054] MS (ES(+)): m/z [M+H] + =401
[0055] 1 H NMR (400 MHz, MeOH-d 4 ): δ (ppm)=1.51 (s, 9H, C( CH 3 ) 3 ), 3.21-3.59 (m, 4H, N— CH 2 —CH—N et N—CH— CH 2 —NHBoc), 4.36 (m, 1H, N— CH —CH 2 —OH), 4.46 (m, 1H, N—CH 2 — CH —N), 4.99 (AB, 2H, CH 2 -Ph), 7.41-7.52 (m, 5H, Ph), 7.63 (s, 1H, H pyrazole).
Stage C
1,1-dimethylethyl trans [[2-carbamoyle-4,5,6,8-tetrahydro-6-oxo-5-(phenylmethoxy)-4,7-methano-7H-pyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepin-8-yl]methyl]-carbamate
[0056] Under nitrogen, the amine obtained in stage B of Example 1 (100 mg, 0.250 mmol) is put into solution in dichloromethane). At 0° C., triethylamine (70 μL, 0.500 mmol) is added, followed by diphosgene (454, 0.376 mmol) added rapidly dropwise. After 2 h 30 min of stirring at 0° C., ammonia (20% aqueous, 0.4 mL) is rapidly added and the medium is vigorously stirred at room temperature for 1 h. The medium is transferred into a separating funnel, rinsed with dichloromethane (5 mL), and then washed with a 10% sodium phosphate aqueous solution (10 mL). The aqueous phase is extracted with dichloromethane (10 mL). The organic phases are collected, washed with a saturated NaCl solution, dried and concentrated under reduced pressure in order to obtain after chromatography on a silica column (eluent: CH 2 Cl 2 /ethyl acetate 70/30), the expected derivative (94 mg, 0.212 mmol, 85%) as a beige solid.
[0057] MS (ES (+)): m/z [M+H] + =443
[0058] 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=1.44 (s, 9H, C( CH 3 ) 3 ), 3.09 (dd, 1H, N— CH 2 —CH—N), 3.32 (m, 2H, CH— CH 2 —NHBoc), 3.72 (dd, 1H, N— CH 2 —CH—N), 3.98 (d, 1H, N—CH 2 — CH —N), 4.59 (m, 1H, CH —CH 2 —NHBoc), 4.92 (AB, 2H, N—O— CH 2 -Ph), 5.93 (broad, 1H, NH ), 6.95 (broad, 1H, NH ), 7.37-7.41 (m, 5H, Ph), 8.03 (s, 1H, H pyrazole).
Stage D
Pyridinium salt of 1,1-dimethylethyl trans [[2-carbamoyle-4,5,6,8-tetrahydro-6-oxo-5-(sulfooxy)-4,7-methano-7H-pyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepin-8-yl]methyl]-carbamate
[0059] Under nitrogen, the derivative obtained in stage C (94 mg, 0.212 mmol) is put into solution in dimethylformamide (0.3 mL) and dichloromethane (0.9 mL), and then 10% palladium on coal with 50% water (68 mg, 0.032 mmol) is added. After purging with vacuum/nitrogen, the reaction medium is placed under a hydrogen atmosphere until disappearance of the initial product in HPLC. The mixture is then concentrated in vacuo and then co-evaporated with anhydrous dichloromethane, finally dried under reduced pressure in the presence of P 2 O 5 for 2 hrs, in order to obtain the expected debenzylated intermediate.
[0060] The debenzylated derivative is taken up in anhydrous pyridine (0.6 mL) in the presence of the pyridine/sulfur trioxide complex (68 mg, 0.425 mmol). The reaction medium is then stirred at room temperature until full conversion in HPLC, and then dry evaporated after treatment with additional water. The reaction crude is chromatographed on a silica column (eluent: CH 2 Cl 2 /MeOH gradient 100/0 to 80/20 in 5% steps) in order to obtain the expected product (50 mg, 0.093 mmol, 43%) as a white solid.
[0061] MS (ES (−)): m/z [M − ]=431
[0062] 1 H NMR (400 MHz, MeOH-d 4 ): δ (ppm)=1.52 (s, 9H, C( CH 3 ) 3 ), 3.41-3.53, 3.62-3.75 (m, 4H, N— CH 2 —CH—N et CH— CH 2 —NHBoc), 4.64 (m, 1H, CH —CH 2 —NHBoc), 4.98 (d, 1H, N—CH 2 — CH —N), 8.00 (m, 2H, Py), 8.28 (s, 1H, H pyrazole), 8.74 (m, 1H, Py), 8.95 (m, 2H, Py).
Stage E
Sodium salt of 1,1-dimethylethyl trans [[2-carbamoyle-4,5,6,8-tetrahydro-6-oxo-5-(sulfooxy)-4,7-methano-7H-pyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepin-8-yl]methyl]-carbamate
[0063] A suspension of 6 g of DOWEX 50WX8 resin in a 2N soda solution (30 mL) is stirred for 1 h, and then poured on a chromatography column. The column is conditioned with demineralized water up to a neutral pH, and then with a water/THF 90/10 mixture. The derivative obtained in stage D of Example 1 (49 mg, 0.091 mmol) is dissolved in a minimum of methanol, deposited on the column, and then eluted with a water/THF 90/10 mixture. The fractions containing the substrate are collected, frozen and freeze-dried in order to lead to the expected sodium salt (44 mg, 0.091 mmol, 100%) as a beige solid.
[0064] MS (ES (−)): m/z [M−H] − =431
[0065] 1 H NMR (400 MHz, MeOH-d 4 ): δ (ppm)=1.52 (s, 9H, C( CH 3 ) 3 ), 3.41-3.53, 3.62-3.75 (m, 4H, N— CH 2 —CH—N et CH— CH 2 —NHBoc), 4.64 (m, 1H, CH —CH 2 —NHBoc), 4.98 (d, 1H, N—CH 2 — CH —N), 8.29 (s, 1H, H pyrazole).
Stage F
[0066] Sodium trifluoroacetate salt of trans 8-(aminomethyl)-2-carbamoyle-4,8-dihydro-5-(sulfooxy)-4,7-methano-7H-pyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepin-6(5H)-one
[0067] A solution of trifluoroacetic acid (2.4 mL) in dichloromethane (2.4 mL) is added dropwise to a solution of the sodium salt obtained in stage E (42 mg, 0.092 mmol) in dichloromethane (1.2 mL) under nitrogen and cooled to 0° C. The reaction is held under stirring for 1 h at room temperature. The mixture is dry evaporated and taken up in water in order to obtain a beige precipitate. The precipitate is filtered, and then washed with ethanol in order to obtain the expected derivative (12 mg, 0.026 mmol, 28%) as a beige solid.
[0068] 1 H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ): δ (ppm)=3.18 (m, 1H, N— CH 2 —CH—N), 3.40-3.47 (m, 3H, N— CH 2 —CH—N et CH— CH 2 —NH 3 + ), 4.68 (m, 1H, CH —CH 2 —NH 3 + ), 4.85 (d, 1H, N—CH 2 — CH —N), 7.79 (broad, 1H, CO NH 2 ), 7.87 (broad, 1H, CO NH 2 , 8.09 (broad, 3H, NH 3 + ), 8.26 (s, 1H, H pyrazole).
Example 2
Sodium trifluoroacetate salt of trans 8-(aminomethyl)-2-dimethylcarbamoyle-4,8-dihydro-5-(sulfooxy)-4,7-methano-7H-pyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepin-6(5H)-one
Stage A
1,1-dimethylentyl trans [[4,5,6,8-dihydro-2-dimethylcarbamoyle-6-oxo-5-(phenyl methoxy)-4,7-methano-7H-pyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepin-8-yl]methyl]-carbamate
[0069] By proceeding as indicated in stage C of Example 1, the use of the derivative obtained in stage B of Example 1 (200 mg, 0.501 mmol), of dichloromethane (26 mL), of triethylamine (1404, 1.00 mmol), of diphosgene (91 μL, 0.751 mmol) and of dimethylamine (40 wt. % aqueous, 0.634 mL, 5.01 mmol) lead, after chromatography on a silica column (eluent: CH 2 Cl 2 /MeOH 99/1), to the expected derivative (170 mg, 0.361 mmol, 72%) as a beige solid.
[0070] MS (ES (+)): m/z [M+H] + =471
[0071] 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=1.20 (s, 9H, C( CH 3 ) 3 ), 2.80 (dd, 1H, N— CH 2 —CH—N), 2.93 (s, 6H, N( CH 3 ) 2 ), 3.09 (m, 2H, CH— CH 2 —NHBoc, N—CH 2 —CH—N), 3.51 (m, 1H, CH— CH 2 —NHBoc), 3.74 (d, 1H, N—CH 2 — CH —N), 4.33 (m, 1H, CH —CH 2 —NHBoc), 4.69 (AB, 2H, CH 2 -Ph), 4.90 (broad, 1H, NH ), 7.12-7.18 (m, 5H, Ph), 7.72 (s, 1H, H pyrazole).
Stage B
Pyridinium salt of 1,1-dimethylethyl trans [[4,5,6,8-tetrahydro-2-dimethylcarbamoyle-6-oxo-5-(sulfooxy)-4,7-methano-7H-pyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepin-8-yl]methyl]-carbamate
[0072] By proceeding as indicated in stage D of Example 1, the use of the derivative obtained in stage A (176 mg, 0.374 mmol), of dimethylformamide (0.5 mL), of dichloromethane (1.6 mL) and of 10% palladium on coal with 50% water (119 mg. 0.032 mmol) lead to the expected debenzylated intermediate. The debenzylated intermediate, pyridine (1.1 mL) and the pyridine/sulfur trioxide complex (119 mg, 0.748 mmol) lead, after chromatography on a silica column (eluent: CH 2 Cl 2 /MeOH gradient 100/0 to 80/20 in 5% steps) to the expected derivative (167 mg, 0.309 mmol, 83%) as a beige solid.
[0073] MS (ES(−)): m/z [M−H] − =459
[0074] 1 H NMR (400 MHz, MeOH-d 4 ): δ (ppm)=1.52 (s, 9H, C( CH 3 ) 3 ), 3.23 (s, 6H, N( CH 2 ) 2 ), 3.41-3.53, 3.56-3.65 (m, 4H, N— CH 2 —CH—N et CH— CH 2 —NHBoc), 4.64 (m, 1H, CH —CH 2 —NHBoc), 4.98 (d, 1H, N—CH 2 — CH —N), 8.07 (m, 2H, Py), 8.20 (s, 1H, H pyrazole), 8.60 (m, 1H, Py), 8.88 (m, 2H, Py).
Stage C
Sodium trifluoroacetate salt of trans 8-(aminomethyl)-2-dimethylcarbamoyle-4,5,6,8-tetrahydro-5-(sulfooxy)-4,7-methano-7H-pyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepin-6(5H)-one
[0075] By proceeding as indicated in stage E of Example 1, the use of the derivative obtained in stage B (167 mg, 0.309 mmol), of DOWEX 50WX8 resin (20 g) and of 2N soda (100 mL) lead to the expected sodium salt (139 mg, 0.288 mmol, 93%). By proceeding as indicated in stage F of Example 1, the sodium salt (139 mg, 0.288 mmol), dichloromethane (4 mL), trifluoroacetic acid (7.9 mL) in dichloromethane (7.9 mL) lead to the crude derivative which is taken up in water (˜2 mL) and then frozen and freeze-dried in order to lead to the expected derivative (143 mg, 0.288 mmol, 100%) as a beige solid.
[0076] 1 H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ): δ (ppm)=3.07 (s, 6H, N( CH 3 ) 2 ), 3.23-3.27, 3.37-3.42 (m, 4H, N— CH 2 —CH—N et CH— CH 2 —NH 3 + ), 4.68 (m, 1H, CH —CH 2 —NH 3 + ), 4.85 (d, 1H, N—CH 2 — CH —N), 8.11 (broad, 3H, NH 3 + ), 8.19 (s, 1H, H pyrazole).
Example 3
Sodium trifluoroacetate salt of trans 8-(aminomethyl)-2-methylcarbamoyl-4,8-dihydro-5-(sulfooxy)-4,7-methano-7H-pyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepin-6(5H)-one
Stage A
1,1-dimethylethyl trans [[4,5,6,8-tetrahydro-2-methylcarbamoyl-6-oxo-5-(phenylmethoxy)-4,7-methano-7H-pyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepin-8-yl]methyl]-carbamate
[0077] By proceeding as indicated in stage C of Example 1, the reaction applying the derivative obtained in stage B of Example 1 (200 mg, 0.501 mmol), dichloromethane (26 mL), triethylamine (1404, 1.00 mmol), diphosgene (91 μL, 0.751 mmol) and a methylamine solution (40 wt % aqueous, 0.437 mL, 5.01 mmol) is repeated twice. The crude products are grouped and lead after chromatography on a silica column (CH 2 Cl 2 /AcOEt 100/0 to 80/20), to the expected derivative (170 mg, 0.372 mmol, 60%).
[0078] MS (ES(+): m/z [M+H] + =457
[0079] 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=1.49 (s, 9H, C(CH 3 ) 3 ), 3.02 (d, 3H, NH—CH 3 ), 3.10 (AB, 1H, N—CH 2 —CH—N), 3.34-3.38 (m, 2H, N—CH 2 —CH—N et CH—CH 2 —NHBoc), 3.8 (broad, 1H, CH—CH 2 —NHBoc), 4.00 (d, 1H, N—CH 2 —CH—N), 4.56-4.60 (m, 1H, CH—CH 2 —NHBoc), 4.88-5.06 (AB, 2H, N—O—CH 2 -Ph), 5.10 (broad, 1H, NH), 6.95 (broad, 1H, NH), 7.42-7.75 (m, 5H, Ph), 8.07 (s, 1H, H pyrazole).
Stage B
Pyridinium salt of 1,1-dimethylethyl trans [[4,5,6,8-tetrahydro-2-methylcarbamoyl-6-oxo-5-(sulfooxy)-4,7-methano-7H-pyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepin-8-yl]methyl]-carbamate
[0080] By proceeding as indicated in stage D of Example 1, application of the derivative obtained in stage A (160 mg, 0.350 mmol), dimethylformamide (0.51 mL) dichloromethane (1.52 mL), 10% palladium on coal with 50% water (112 mg. 0.052 mmol) and hydrogenation for 2 h 15 min lead to the expected debenzylated intermediate.
[0081] Application of the debenzylated intermediate of pyridine (1.0 mL) and of pyridine/sulfur trioxide complex (111 mg, 0.699 mmol) lead, after chromatography on a silica column conduit, (eluent: CH 2 Cl 2 /MeOH 100/0 to 80/20), to the expected derivative (120 mg, 0.224 mmol, 64%) as a beige solid.
[0082] MS (ES(+): m/z [M+H] + =447) et (ES(−)): m/z [M−H]-=445
[0083] 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=1.48 (s, 9H, C(CH 3 ) 3 ), 3.01 (d, 3H, NH—CH 3 ), 3.25 (broad, 1H, N—CH 2 —CH—N), 3.40 (broad, 1H, CH—CH 2 —NHBoc), 3.7 (broad, 1H, N—CH 2 —CH—N), 3.85 (broad, 1H, CH—CH 2 —NHBoc) 4.60 (broad, 1H, —CH 2 —CH—N), 5.03 (s, 1H, CH—CH 2 —NHBoc), 5.40 (broad, 1H, NH), 7.10 (broad, 1H, NH), 7.87-7.91 (m, 2H, Pyridine), 8.20 (s, 1H, H pyrazole), 8.36 (t, 1H, Pyridine), 8.94 (d, 2H, pyridine).
Stage C
Sodium salt of 1,1-dimethylethyl trans [[4,5,6,8-tetrahydro-2-methylcarbamoyl-6-oxo-5-(sulfooxy)-4,7-methano-7H-pyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepin-8-yl]methyl]-carbamate
[0084] By proceeding as indicated in stage E of Example 1, application of the derivative obtained in stage B (120 mg, 0.228 mmol) deposited in a minimum of water, of DOWEX 50WX8 resin (20 g) and of 2N soda (70 mL) leads to the expected sodium salt (100 mg, 0.213 mmol, 93%) as a white lyophilisate.
[0085] MS (ES(−)): m/z [M−H] − =445
[0086] 1 H NMR (400 MHz, D 2 O): 1.48 (s, 9H, C(CH 3 ) 3 ), 2.85 (s, 3H, NH—CH 3 ), 3.40-3.70 (m, 4H, N—CH 2 —CH—N et CH—CH 2 —NHBoc), 4.60 (m, 1H, N—CH 2 —CH—N), 5.10 (s, 1H, CH—CH 2 —NHBoc), 8.23 (s, 1H, H pyrazole).
Stage D
Sodium trifluoroacetate salt of trans 8-(aminomethyl)-2-methylcarbamoyl-4,8-dihydro-5-(sulfooxy)-4,7-methano-7H-pyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepin-6(5H)-one
[0087] By proceeding as indicated in stage F of Example 1, application of the sodium salt obtained in stage C ((94 mg, 0.2 mmol), of dichloromethane (3 mL) and of trifluoroacetic acid (2 mL) leads to the crude derivative which is taken up in water (10 mL) and then frozen and freeze-dried. The expected derivative is obtained (95 mg, 0.196 mmol, 98%) as a brown solid.
[0088] MS (ES(−)): m/z [M−H] − =345 et ES(+): m/z [M+H] + =447
[0089] 1 H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d 6 +1 goutte D 2 O): 3.77 (s, 3H, NH— CH 3 ); 3.22-3.48 (m, 4H, N— CH 2 —CH—N et CH— CH 2 —NHBoc), 4.66-4.70 (m, 1H, N—CH 2 — CH —N), 4.84 (s, 1H, CH —CH 2 —NHBoc), 8.23 (s, 1H, H pyrazole).
Example 4
Sodium trifluoroacetate salt of trans 8-(aminomethyl)-1-(2-amino-ethyl)-4,8-dihydro-5-(sulfooxy)-4,7-methano-7H-pyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepin-6(5H)-one
Stage A
Methyl trans-1-(2-tert-butoxycarbonylamino-ethyl)-4,5,6,8-tetrahydro-6-oxo-5-(phenylmethoxy)-4,7-methano-7H-pyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepine-8-carboxylate, methyl
trans-2-(2-tert-butoxycarbonylamino-ethyl)-4,5,6,8-tetrahydro-6-oxo-5-(phenylmethoxy)-4,7-methano-7H-pyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepine-8-carboxylate
[0090] The ester, methyl trans-4,5,6,8-tetrahydro-6-oxo-5-(phenylmethoxy)-4,7-methano-7H-pyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepine-8-carboxylate, described in application WO2004/052891 (Example 1, stage K) (1.13 g, 3.44 mmol) is put into solution in anhydrous dimethylformamide (4.0 mL) in the presence of potassium carbonate (712 mg, 5.16 mmol) and of 2-(boc-amino)-ethyl bromide (770 mg, 3.44 mmol). The reaction medium is heated to 55° C. Additional amounts of K 2 CO 3 (2×712 mg, 2×5.16 mmol) and of bromide (2×770 mg, 2×3.44 mmol) are added after 4 hrs and 14 additional hours. The reaction is further continued for 8 hrs at 55° C. The suspension is cooled, filtered and rinsed with ethylacetate. The organic phase is washed with 10% tartaric acid solution and then dried and concentrated under reduced pressure. The crude is purified by chromatography on silica (eluent: gradient CH 2 Cl 2 /MeOH 100/0 to 90/10) in order to lead to the N1-substituted derivative (380 mg, 0.81 mmol, 23%) as well as to the N2-substituted isomer (475 mg, 1.01 mmol, 29%).
[0091] N1-Substituted Derivative:
[0092] MS (ES(+)): m/z [M+H] + =472
[0093] 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=1.45 (s, 9H, C(CH 3 ) 3 ), 3.24 (d, 1H, N—CH 2 —CH—N), 3.42 (dd, 1H, N—CH 2 —CH—N), 3.50 (m, 1H, CH 2 —CH 2 —NHBoc), 3.60 (m, 1H, CH 2 —CH 2 —NHBoc), 3.86 (s, 3H, CH 3 ), 3.98 (d, 1H, N—CH 2 —CH—N), 4.09 (m, 2H, CH 2 —CH 2 —NHboc), 4.95 (AB, 2H, CH 2 -Ph), 5.19 (broad, 1H, NH), 5.23 (s, 1H, CH—CO 2 Me), 7.39-7.44 (m, 6H, H pyrazole+Ph).
[0094] N2-Substituted Derivative:
[0095] MS (ES(+)): m/z [M+H] + =472
[0096] 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=1.45 (s, 9H, C( CH 3 ) 3 ), 3.48-3.53 (m, 4H, N— CH 2 —CH—N, CH 2 — CH 2 —NHBoc), 3.85 (s, 3H, CH 3 ), 3.97 (d, 1H, N—CH 2 — CH —N), 4.18 (m, 2H, CH 2 CH 2 —NHboc), 4.95 (AB, 2H, CH 2 -Ph), 5.29 (s, 1H, CH —CO 2 Me), 7.25 (s, 1H, H pyrazole), 7.38-7.43 (massive, 5H, Ph).
Stage B
Trans 1-(2-tert-butoxycarbonylamino-ethyl)-8-(hydroxymethyl)-4,5,6,8-teetrahydro-5-(phenylmethoxy)-4,7-methano-7H-pyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepin-6(5H)-one
[0097] By proceeding as indicated in stage A of Example 1, application of the N1-substituted ester obtained in stage A (475 mg, 1.0 mmol), of NaBH 2 (76 mg+76 mg, 2.0 mmol+2.0 mmol), of tetrahydrofurane (12.5 mL) and of methanol (12.5 mL) at 0° C. leads, after chromatography on a silica column (eluent: gradient CH 2 Cl 2 /MeOH 100/0 to 90/10) to the expected derivative (321 mg, 0.72 mmol, 72%).
[0098] 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=1.42 (s, 9H, C(CH 3 ) 3 )), 3.26-3.32 (m, 3H, N—CH 2 —CH—N, CH 2 —CH 2 —NHBoc), 3.50 (m, 2H, N—CH 2 —CH—N, CH 2 —CH 2 —NHboc), 3.95 (d, 1H, N—CH 2 —CH—N), 4.06 (m, 3H, CH 2 —CH 2 —NHBoc, CH—CH 2 —OH), 4.62 (m, 1H, CH—CH 2 —OH), 4.95 (AB, 2H, CH 2 -Ph), 5.28 (broad, 1H, NH), 7.36-7.44 (m, 6H, Ph+H pyrazole).
Stage C
1,1-dimethyl trans [[1-(2-tert-butoxycarbonylamino-ethyl)-4,5,6,8-tetrahydro-6-oxo-5-(phenylmethoxy)-4,7-methano-7H-pyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepin-8-yl]methyl]-carbamate
[0099] By proceeding as indicated in stage B of Example 1, the application of the alcohol obtained in stage B (320 mg, 0.72 mmol) in dichloromethane (20 mL), of methanesulfonyl chloride (83 μL+55 μL, 1.08 mmol+0.72 mmol) and of triethylamine (151 μL+100 μL, 1.08 mmol+0.72 mmol) leads, after purification by chromatography on a silica column (eluent: gradient CH 2 Cl 2 /MeOH 100/0 to 90/10) to the expected mesylated derivative (229 mg, 0.44 mmol, 61%).
[0100] 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=1.46 (s, 9H, C(CH 3 ) 3 ), 3.17 (s, 3H SO 2 Me), 3.23 (d, 1H, N—CH 2 —CH—N), 3.37 (dd, 1H, N—CH 2 —CH—N), 3.54 (m, 2H CH 2 —CH 2 —NHBoc), 3.97 (d, 1H, N—CH 2 —CH—N), 4.07 (m, 2H, CH 2 —CH 2 —NHBoc), 4.62 (m, 2H, CH 2 —OMs), 4.87 (m, 1H, CH—CH 2 —OMs), 4.95 (AB, 2H, CH 2 -Ph) 5.06 (broad, 1H, NH), 7.38-7.45 (m, 6H, Ph, H pyrazole).
[0101] The mesylated intermediate (300 mg, 0.575 mmol) in dimethylformamide (4 mL) and NaN 3 (75 mg+75 mg, 1.15 mmol+1.15 mmol) lead to the expected azide.
[0102] 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=1.43 (s, 9H, C(CH 3 ) 3 ), 3.24 (d, 1H, N—CH 2 —CH—N), 3.31 (dd, 1H, N—CH 2 —CH—N), 3.49 (m, 2H, CH 2 —CH 2 —NHBoc), 3.75 (m, 2H, CH 2 —N 3 ), 3.94 (d, 1H, N—CH 2 —CH—N), 3.99 (m, 2H, CH 2 —CH 2 —NHBoc), 4.68 (dd, 1H, CH—CH 2 —N 3 ), 4.91 (AB, 2H, CH 2 -Ph), 5.17 (broad, 1H, NH), 7.33-7.41 (m, 6H, Ph, H pyrazole).
[0103] Trimethylphosphine (1M solution in tetrahydrofurane, 748 μL, 0.75 mmol) is added at 0° C. to a solution of the azide obtained above (320 mg, 0.575 mmol) in tetrahydrofurane (2.5 mL) and toluene (2.5 mL). This solution is stirred for 2 hrs at room temperature, and then cooled down to 0° C. and a solution of BOC—ON (212 mg, 0.86 mmol) in tetrahydrofurane (2 mL) is added. The solution is stirred for 1 h at room temperature, and then hydrolyzed by adding a saturated NaHCO3 solution and then extracted with ethyl acetate. The collected organic phases are dried and then concentrated. The residue is purified by chromatography on silica column (eluent: gradient cyclohexane/ethyl acetate 60/40 to 30/70) in order to provide the expected derivative (220 mg, 0.41 mmol, 70%).
[0104] MS (ES(+)): m/z [M+H] + =543
[0105] 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=1.44 (s, 9H, C(CH 3 ) 3 ), 1.45 (s, 9H, C(CH 3 ) 3 ), 3.13 (d, 1H, N—CH 2 —CH—N), 3.25 (m, 2H, N—CH 2 —CH—N, CH—CH 2 —NHBoc), 3.56 (m, 2H, CH 2 —CH 2 —NHBoc), 3.75 (m, 1H, CH—CH 2 —NHBoc), 3.95 (d, 1H, N—CH 2 —CH—N), 4.11 (m, 2H, CH 2 —CH 2 —NHBoc), 4.55 (dd, 1H, CH—CH 2 —NHBoc), 4.92 (AB, 2H, CH 2 -Ph), 5.29 (broad, 2H, NH), 7.35-7.43 (m, 6H, Ph, H pyrazole).
Stage D
Sodium trifluoroacetate salt of trans 8-(aminomethyl)-1-(2-amino-ethyl)-4,8-dihydro-5-(sulfooxy)-4,7-methano-7H-pyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepin-6(5H)-one
[0106] By proceeding as indicated in stage D of Example 1, the application of the compound obtained in stage C (210 mg, 0.387 mmol) in dimethylformamide (1 mL) and of dichloromethane (3 mL), Pd/C (50% H 2 O, 75 mg+40 mg) leads to the expected debenzylate derivate.
[0107] The application of the debenzylated intermediate, of the pyridine/sulfur trioxide complex (123 mg, 0.775 mmol) and of pyridine (2 mL) leads after purification by chromatography on a silica column (eluent: gradient CH 2 Cl 2 /MeOH 100/0 to 80/20), to the expected pyridium salt (230 mg, 0.387 mmol, 100%).
[0108] By proceeding as indicated in stage C of Example 2, the application of the pyridinium salt obtained above (230 mg, 0.387 mmol), of a 2N soda solution (50 mL) and of DOWEX 50WX8 resin (18 g) leads to the expected sodium salt (121 mg, 0.22 mmol, 56%) as a white powder.
[0109] MS (ES(−)): m/z [M−H] − =531
[0110] 1 H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ): δ (ppm)=1.37 (s, 9H, C(CH 3 ) 3 ), 1.41 (s, 9H, C(CH 3 ) 3 ), 3.20-3.33 (m, 5H, N—CH 2 —CH—N, CH—CH 2 —NHBoc, CH 2 —CH 2 —NHBoc), 3.43 (m, 1H, CH—CH 2 —NHBoc), 3.99 (m, 2H, CH 2 —CH 2 —NHBoc), 4.44 (dd, 1H, CH—CH 2 —NHBoc), 4.65 (d, 1H, N—CH 2 —CH—N), 6.92 (broad, 1H, NH), 7.11 (broad, 1H, NH), 7.43 (s, 1H, H pyrazole).
[0111] The application of the sodium salt (55 mg, 0.099 mmol) in dichloromethane (1.5 mL) and of a mixture of trifluoroacetic acid (3 mL) and of dichloromethane (3 mL) leads to the expected sodium trifluoroacetate salt (47 mg, 0.081 mmol, 70%) as a cream-colored powder.
[0112] 1 H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ): δ (ppm)=3.26-3.42 (m, 6H, N—CH 2 —CH—N, CH—CH 2 —NH 3 + , CH 2 —CH 2 —NH 3 + ), 4.23 (m, 2H, CH 2 —CH 2 —NH 3 + ), 4.78 (m, 2H, CH—CH 2 —NH 3 + , N—CH 2 —CH—N), 7.60 (s, 1H, H pyrazole), 8.02 (broad, 3H, NH 3 + ), 8.19 (broad, 3H, NH 3 + ).
Example 5
Sodium trifluoroacetate salt of trans 8-(aminomethyl)-2-(2-amino-ethyl)-4,8-dihydro-5-(sulfooxy)-4,7-methano-7H-pyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepin-6(5H)-one
Stage A
Trans-2-(2-tert-butoxycarbonylamino-ethyl)-8-(hydroxymethyl)-4,8-dihydro-5-(phenylmethoxy)-4,7-methano-7H-pyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepin-6(5H)-one
[0113] By proceeding as indicated in stage A of Example 1, the application of the N2-substituted ester obtained in stage A of Example 4 (623 mg, 1.32 mmol), of NaBH 4 (300 mg, 7.92 mmol), of tetrahydrofurane (13 mL) and of methanol (13 mL) to 0° C. leads, after chromatography on a silica column (eluent: CH 2 Cl 2 /MeOH 98/2 to 90/10) to the expected derivative (250 mg, 0.58 mmol, 43%).
[0114] MS (ES(+)): m/z [M+H] + =444
[0115] 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=1.40 (s, 9H, C(CH 3 ) 3 ), 3.24 (d, 1H, N—CH 2 —CH—N), 3.31 (dd, 1H, N—CH 2 —CH—N), 3.35 (m, 1H, CH 2 —CH 2 —NHBoc), 3.48 (m, 1H, CH 2 —CH 2 —NHBoc), 3.89-4.11 (m, 5H, CH 2 —CH 2 —NHBoc, N—CH 2 —CH—N, CH—CH 2 —OH), 4.61 (dd, 1H, N—CH—CH 2 —N), 4.92 (AB, 2H, CH 2 -Ph), 5.18 (broad, 1H, NH), 7.21 (s, 1H, H pyrazole), 7.33-7.42 (m, 5H, Ph).
Stage B
1,1-dimethyl trans [[2-(2-tert-butoxycarbonylamino-ethyl)-4,5,6,8-tetrahydro-6-oxo-5-(phenylmethoxy)-4,7-methano-7H-pyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepin-8-yl]methyl]-carbamate
[0116] By proceeding as indicated in stage C of Example 4, the application of the alcohol obtained in stage A (450 mg, 1.05 mmol) in dichloromethane (30 mL), of methanesulfonyl chloride (131 μL, 1.68 mmol) and of triethylamine (237 μL 1.68 mmol) leads to the expected mesylated derivative (532 mg, 1.02 mmol 97%) .
[0117] MS (ES(+)): m/z [M+H] + =522
[0118] 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=1.45 (s, 9H, C(CH 3 ) 3 ), 3.15 (s, 3H. SO 2 CH 3 ), 3.20 (d, 1H, N—CH 2 —CH—N), 3.40 (dd, 1H, N—CH 2 —CH—N), 3.50 (m, 2H. CH 2 —CH 2 —NHboc), 3.98 (d, 1H, N—CH 2 —CH—N), 4.13 (m, 2H, CH 2 —CH 2 —NHBoc), 4.61 (m, 2H, CH 2 —OMs), 4.88 (m, 1H, CH—CH 2 —OMs), 4.95 (AB, 2H, CH 2 -Ph), 7.24 (s, 1H, H pyrazole), 7.37-7.45 (m, 5H, Ph).
[0119] The application of the mesylated intermediate (532 mg, 1.05 mmol) in dimethylformamide (7.5 mL) and of NaN 3 (615 mg, 9.45 mmol) leads to the expected azide (566 mg, 1.05 mmol).
[0120] 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ (ppm)=1.41 (s, 9H, C(CH 3 ) 3 )), 3.20 (d, 1H, N—CH 2 —CH—N), 3.35 (dd, 1H, N—CH 2 —CH—N), 3.44 (m, 2H, CH 2 —CH 2 —NHBoc), 3.65 (m, 2H, CH 2 —N 3 ), 3.95 (d, 1H, N—CH 2 —CH—N), 4.09 (m, 2H, CH 2 —CH 2 —NHBoc), 4.71 (dd, 1H, CH—CH 2 —N 3 ), 4.92 (AB, 2H, CH 2 -Ph), 4.98 (broad, 1H, NH), 7.21 (s, 1H, H pyrazole), 7.33-7.41 (m, 5H, Ph).
[0121] The application of the azide above (565 mg, 1.05 mmol), of trimethylphosphine (1M solution in tetrahydrofurane, 1.36 mL, 1.36 mmol), of BOC—ON (388 mg, 1.58 mmol), of tetrahydrofurane (5.5 mL) and of toluene (3 mL) leads to the expected product (205 mg, 0.38 mmol, 36%).
[0122] MS (ES(+)): m/z [M+H] + =543
[0123] 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ): δ ppm)=1.45 (s, 9H, C(CH 3 ) 3 ), 1.46 (s, 9H, C(CH 3 ) 3 ), 3.10 (d, 1H N—CH 2 —CH—N), 3.29 (dd, 1H, N—CH 2 —CH—N), 3.37 (m, 1H, CH—CH 2 —NHBoc), 3.49 (m, 2H, CH 2 —CH 2 —NHBoc), 3.69 (m, 1H, CH—CH 2 —NHBoc), 3.94 (d, 1H, N—CH 2 —CH—N), 4.10 (m, 2H, CH 2 —CH 2 —NHBoc), 4.58 (dd, 1H, CH—CH 2 —NHBoc), 4.91 (broad, 1H, NH), 4.92 (AB, 2H, CH 2 -Ph), 5.13 (broad, 1H, NH), 7.20 (s, 1H, H pyrazole), 7.37-7.44 (m, 5H, Ph).
Stage C
Sodium trifluoroacetate salt of trans 8-(aminomethyl)-2-(2-amino-ethyl)-4,8-dihydro-5-(sulfooxy)-4,7-methano-7H-pyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepin-6(5H)-one
[0124] By proceeding as indicated in stage D of Example 1, the application of the compound obtained in stage B (85 mg, 0.157 mmol) in a dimethylformamide/dichloromethane mixture (1/3, 2 mL) and of Pd/C (50% H 2 O, 30 mg) leads to the expected debenzylated derivative.
[0125] The application of the obtained debenzylated intermediate, of the pyridine/sulfur trioxide complex (50 mg, 0.314 mmol) and of pyridine (0.75 mL) leads, after purification by chromatography on a silica column (eluent: gradient CH 2 Cl 2 /MeOH 98/2 to 80/20), to the expected pyridinium salt (85 mg, 0.139 mmol, 86%).
[0126] By proceeding as indicated in stage C of Example 2, the application of the pyridinium salt (85 mg, 0.139 mmol), of a 2N soda solution (42 mL) and of DOWEX 50WX8 (8.5 g) leads to the expected sodium salt (75 mg, 0.135 mmol, 86%), as a cream-colored powder.
[0127] MS (ES(−)): m/z [M − ]=531
[0128] 1 H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ): δ (ppm)=1.37 (s, 9H, C(CH 3 ) 3 ), 1.40 (s, 9H, C(CH 3 ) 3 )), 3.17-3.32 (m, 5H, N—CH 2 —CH—N, CH—CH 2 —NHBoc, CH 2 —CH 2 —NHBoc), 3.60 (m, 1H, CH—CH 2 —NHBoc), 4.04 (m, 2H, CH—CH 2 —NHBoc), 4.31 (dd, 1H, CH—CH 2 —NHBoc), 4.65 (s, 1H, N—CH 2 —CH—N), 6.94 (broad, 2H, NH), 7.65 (s, 1H, H pyrazole).
[0129] The application of the sodium salt (75 mg, 0.135 mmol) in dichloromethane (2 mL) and of a mixture of trifluoroacetic acid (4 mL) and of dichloromethane (4 mL) leads to the sodium trifluoroacetate salt (35 mg, 0.059 mmol, 44%) as a cream-colored powder.
[0130] 1 H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ): δ (ppm)=3.20-3.41 (m, 6H, N—CH 2 —CH—N, CH—CH 2 —NNH 3 + , CH 2 —CH 2 —NH 3 + ), 4.30 (m, 2H, CH 2 —CH 2 —NH 3 + ), 4.63 (dd, 1H, CH—CH 2 —NH 3 + ), 4.77 (d, 1H, N—CH 2 —CH—N), 7.85 (s, 1H, H pyrazole), 8.04 (broad, 3H, NH 3 + ), 8.17 (broad, 3H, NH 3 + ).
Example 6
Sodium trifluoroacetate salt of trans 8-(aminomethyl)-2-(2-pyridinyl)-4,8-dihydro-5-(sulfooxy)-4,7-methano-7H-pyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepin-6(5H)-one
Stage A
1,1-dimethylethyl trans [[4,5,6,8-tetrahydro-2-(2-pyridinyl)-6-oxo-5-(phenylmethoxy)-4,7-methano-7H-pyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepin-8-yl]methyl]-carbamate
[0131] The derivative obtained in stage B of Example 1 (0.500 g, 1.248 mmol), 2-bromopyridine (217 mg, 1.373 mmol), L-proline (32 mg, 0.275 mmol), copper iodide (24 mg, 0.125 mmol) and potassium carbonate (345 mg, 2.497 mmol) are suspended in anhydrous dimethylsulfoxide (1.875 mL). The reaction is then continued under nitrogen, in a sealed tube at 100° C. for 48 hrs. The reaction medium is then treated with water and then extracted with dichloromethane. The organic phase is then dried and concentrated. The thereby obtained crude product is then purified by chromatography on silica (eluent: CH 2 Cl 2 /MeOH 98/2 and then 95/5) in order to obtain the expected product (91 mg, 0.189 mmol, 15%).
[0132] MS (ES(+)): m/z [M+H] + =477
[0133] 1 H NMR (400 MHz, MeOD-d 4 ): δ (ppm)=1.51 (s, 9H, tBu), 3.37-3.39 (m, 4H, N— CH 2 —CH—N, N—CH— CH 2 —NHBOC), 4.44 (d, 1H, N—CH—CH 2 —NHBOC), 4.65 (dd, 1H, N—CH 2 — CH —N), 4.98 (AB, 2H, CH 2 Ph), 7.25-7.53 (m, 6H, Ph, pyridine), 7.90 (m, 2H, pyridine), 8.42 (d, 1H, pyridine), 8.51 (s, 1H, pyrazole).
Stage B
Sodium salt of 1,1-dimethylethyl trans [[4,5,6,8-tetrahydro-2-(2-pyridinyl)-6-oxo-5-(sulfooxy)-4,7-methano-7Hpyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepin-8-yl]methyl]carbamate
[0134] By proceeding as indicated in stage D of Example 1, application of the derivative obtained in stage A (90 mg, 0.189 mmol), of a dimethylformamide/dichloromethane 1/3 mixture (2.0 mL) and of 10% palladium on coal with 50% water (36 mg) leads after 3 days under hydrogen to the expected benzylated intermediate.
[0135] The application of the debenzylated intermediate, of pyridine (0.73 mL) and of pyridine/sulfur trioxide complex (60 mg, 0.378 mmol) leads, after chromatography on a silica column (eluent: CH 2 Cl 2 /MeOH 90/10), to the expected derivative (63 mg).
[0136] The crude is then taken up in pyridine (0.73 mL), under nitrogen, in the presence of the SO 3 /pyridine complex (60 mg, 0.378 mmol). The reaction medium is then stirred at room temperature until complete conversion in HPLC (72 hrs). After treatment by adding H2O, the mixture is filtered and then dry-evaporated. The thereby obtained crude product is purified by chromatography on silica (eluent: CH 2 Cl 2 /MeOH 90/10). The product is thus obtained pure (63 mg).
[0137] A suspension of 8.5 g of DOWEX 50WX8 resin in a 2N soda solution (43 mL) is stirred for 1 h, and then poured on a chromatography column. The column is conditioned with demineralized water up to a neutral pH. The obtained derivative (63 mg) is dissolved in a minimum of methanol and water, deposited on the column and then eluted with H 2 O. The fractions contained in the substrate are collected, frozen and freeze-dried in order to lead to the expected sodium salt (55 mg, 0.112 mmol, 60%) as a yellow powder.
[0138] MS (ES (−)): m/z [M−H] − =465
[0139] 1 H NMR (400 MHz, MeOD-d 4 ): δ (ppm)=1.53 (s, 9H, t Bu), 1.54 (m, 4H, N— CH 2 —CH—N, N—CH— CH 2 —NHBoc), 4.58 (dd, 2H, N— CH —CH 2 —NHBoc), 5.02 (d, 1H, N—CH 2 — CH —N), 7.34 (m, 1H, pyridine), 7.97 (m, 2H, pyridine), 8.47 (d, 1H, pyridine), 8.65 (s, 1H, H pyrazole).
Stage C
Sodium trifluoroacetate salt of trans 8-(aminomethyl)-2-(2-pyridinyl)-4,8-dihydro-5-(sulfooxy)-4,7-methano-7H-pyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepin-6(5H)-one
[0140] By proceeding as indicated in stage F of Example 1, the application of the sodium salt obtained in step B (55 mg, 0.112 mmol), of anhydrous dichloromethane (1.92 mL), and of a trifluoroacetic acid/dichloromethane 1/1 mixture (7.68 mL) leads to a crude derivative which is taken up in water and then washed with diethyl ether. The insoluble product is filtered and dried under reduced pressure in order to obtain the expected product (20 mg, 0.04 mmol, 35%) as a beige powder.
[0141] MS (ES (+)): m/z [M+H] + =367
[0142] 1 H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ): δ (ppm)=3.30-3.49 (2 ABX, 4H, N— CH 2 —CH—N, N—CH— CH 2 —NH 3 + ), 4.75 (dd, 2H, N— CH —CH 2 —NH 3 + ), 4.92 (m, 1H, N—CH 2 — CH —N), 7.35 (m, 1H, pyridine), 7.83 (d, 1H, pyridine), 7.95 (m, 1H, pyridine), 8.49 (m, 1H, pyridine), 8.61 (s, 1H, H pyrazole).
Example 7
Sodium trifluoroacetate salt of trans-8-(aminomethyl)-5,6-dihydro-6-oxo-5-(sulfooxy)-4H-4,7-methanopyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepin-2(8H)-acetic acid
Stage A
1,1-dimethylethyl trans-5,6-dihydro-8-(tert-butoxycarbonyl-aminomethyl)-6-oxo-5-(phenylmethoxy)-4H-4,7-methano-pyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepine-2(8H)acetate
[0143] The derivative obtained in stage B of Example 1 (0.200 g, 0.5 mmol) is put into solution in anhydrous dimethylformamide (0.5 mL), and then tert-butyl bromoacetate (234 mg, 1.2 mmol) and potassium carbonate (138 mg, 1 mmol) are added. The reaction is then continued under nitrogen, in a sealed tube at 75° C. The reaction is followed with HPLC. When the conversion is complete, the reaction medium is treated with H 2 O and then extracted with dichloromethane. The combined organic phases are then dried on sodium sulfate, filtered and then concentrated. The thereby obtained crude product is then purified by chromatography on silica (eluent: gradient CH2Cl2/MeOH 100/0 to 95/5) in order to obtain the expected product (186 mg, 0.36 mmol, 72%) as a mixture of 2 N1/N2 isomers in a ratio of about 1/2.
N2 Isomer:
[0144] 1 H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ): δ (ppm)=1.41 (s, 18H, C( CH 3 ) 3 ), 3.19-3.32 (m, 4H, N— CH 2 —CH—N, N—CH— CH 2 —NHBoc), 4.30 (dd, 1H, N— CH —CH 2 —NHBoc), 4.49 (m, 1H, N—CH 2 — CH —N), 4.85 (s, 2H, CH 2 CO 2 tBu), 4.89 (s, 2H, CH 2 Bn), 6.95 (m, 1H, NH BOC), 7.36-7.43 (m, 5H, Ph), 7.68 (s, 1H, pyrazole).
Stage B
Sodium salt of 1,1-dimethylethyl trans-5,6-dihydro-8-(tert-butoxycarbonylaminomethyl)-6-oxo-5-(sulfooxy)-4H-4,7-methanopyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepine-2(8H)acetic acid
[0145] The compound obtained in stage A (186 mg, 0.362 mmol) is put into solution in a dichloromethane/dimethylformamide 3/1 mixture (4.12 mL). After purging with vacuum/nitrogen, the 10% palladium on coal with 50% water (74 mg) is added. After again purging with vacuum/nitrogen, the reaction mixture is placed under hydrogen and stirred at room temperature. Progression of the reaction is followed with HPLC. After disappearance of the initial product (3 h 30 min), the mixture is concentrated, co-evaporated with anhydrous dichloromethane, finally placed under reduced pressure in the presence of P 2 O 5 for 1 h. The crude is then taken up in pyridine (1.39 mL), under nitrogen, in the presence of the SO 3 /pyridine complex (115 mg, 0.724 mmol). The reaction medium is then stirred at room temperature until complete conversion in HPLC (24 hrs). After treatment by adding H 2 O, the mixture is filtered and dry-evaporated. The thereby obtained crude product is purified by chromatography on silica (eluent: gradient CH 2 Cl 2 /MeOH 95/5 to 80/20). The expected product is thereby obtained (117 mg).
[0146] A suspension of 20 g of DOWEX 50WX8 resin in a 2N soda solution (100 mL) is stirred for 1 h, and then poured on a chromatography column. The column is conditioned with demineralized water up to a neutral pH. The obtained derivative (117 mg, 0.233 mmol) is dissolved in a minimum of water, deposited on the column, and then eluted with H 2 O. The fractions containing the substrate are collected, frozen and freeze-dried in order to lead to the expected sodium salt (66 mg, 0.126 mmol, 35%) as a white powder.
N2 Isomer:
[0147] MS (ES (−)): m/z [M−H] − =502
[0148] 1 H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ): δ(ppm)=1.42 (s, 9H, C( CH 3 ) 3 ), 3.20-3.35 (m, 4H, N— CH 2 —CH—N, N—CH— CH 2 —NHBoc), 4.32 (dd, 2H, N— CH —CH 2 —NHBoc), 4.81 (m, 1H, N—CH 2 — CH —N), 4.85 (s, 2H, CH 2 CO 2 C(CH 3 ) 3 ), 6.99 (m, 1H, NH BOC), 7.67 (s, 1H, pyrazole).
Stage C
Sodium trifluoroacetate salt of trans-8-(aminomethyl)-5,6-dihydro-6-oxo-5-(sulfooxy)-4H-4,7-methanopyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepine-2(8H)acetic acid
[0149] By proceeding as indicated in stage F of Example 1, the application of the sodium salt obtained in stage B (66 mg, 0.126 mmol), of anhydrous dichloromethane (2.3 mL), and of a trifluoroacetic acid/dichloromethane 1/1 mixture (9.2 mL) leads to the crude derivative which is taken up in water and then washed with ether and hexane. The aqueous phase is then frozen and then freeze-dried in order to lead to the expected product (54 mg, 0.111 mmol, 88%) as a yellow solid. The product consists of a mixture of N1/N2 isomers in a ratio of 28/72.
N2 Ilsome
[0150] MS (ES (−)): m/z [M−H] − =346
[0151] 1 H NMR (400 MHz, MeOD-d 4 ): δ (ppm)=3.36-3.56 (m, 4H, N— CH 7 —CH—N, N—CH— CH 2 —NH 3 + ), 4.78 (dd, 1H, N— CH —CH 2 —NH 3 + ), 4.92 (dd, 1H, N—CH 2 — CH —N), 4.99 (s, 2H, CH 2 CO 2 H), 7.80 (s, 1H, pyrazole).
Example 8
Sodium trifluoroacetate salt of trans-8-(aminomethyl)-5,6-dihydro-6-oxo-5-(sulfooxy)-4H-4,7-methanopyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepin-2(8H)-acetamide
Stage A
Trans-5,6-dihydro-8-(tert-butoxycarbonylaminomethyl)-6-oxo-5-(phenylmethoxy)-4H-4,7-methanopyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepine-2(8H)acetamide
[0152] The derivative obtained in stage B of Example 1 (1 g, 2.5 mmol) is put into solution in anhydrous dimethylformamide (2.5 mL). 2-bromoacetamide (829 mg, 6 mmol) and potassium carbonate (692 mg, 5 mmol) are added. The reaction is stirred, under nitrogen in a sealed tube at 75° C. 2-bromoacetamide (1 eq.) and K 2 CO 3 (1 eq.) are added after one night, and the reaction is continued for 4 days (˜60% conversion). The reaction medium is treated with H 2 O and then extracted with dichloromethane. The combined organic phases are then dried on sodium sulfate, filtered and then concentrated. The thereby obtained crude product is purified by chromatography on silica (eluent: gradient CH 2 Cl 2 /MeOH 100/0 to 95/5) in order obtain the expected product (188 mg, 0.41 mmol, 16%) as a mixture of N1/N2 isomers in a ratio of about 1/2.
N2 Isomer:
[0153] MS (ES (+)): m/z [M+H] + =457
[0154] 1 H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ): δ (ppm)=1.39 (s, 9H, C( CH 3 ) 3 ), 3.12-3.33 (m, 4H, N— CH 2 —CH—N, N—CH— CH 2 —NHBoc), 4.31 (m, 1H, N— CH —CH 2 —NHBoc), 4.40 (m, 1H, N—CH 2 — CH —N), 4.66 (s, 2H, CH 2 CONH 2 ), 4.89 (s, 2H, CH 2 Bn), 6.99 (m, 1H, NH BOC), 7.58-7.62 (m, 5H, Ph), 7.66 (s, 1H, pyrazole).
Stage B
Sodium salt of trans-5,6-dihydro-8-(tert-butoxycarbonyl-aminomethyl)-6-oxo-5-(sulfooxy)-4H-4,7-methano-pyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepine-2(8H)acetamide
[0155] By proceeding as in stage B of Example 7, the compound obtained in stage A (188 mg, 0.411 mmol) is hydrogenated, and then sulfated in the presence of SO 3 /pyridine complex (131 mg, 0.823 mmol) in pyridine (1.58 mL), under nitrogen at room temperature for 4 days. The obtained crude product is purified by chromatography on silica (eluent: gradient CH 2 Cl 2 /MeOH/NH 4 OH 80/20/1) in order to lead to the expected product (23 mg, 0.044 mmol, 11%) as a mixture of N1/N2 isomers in a ratio of about 1/2.
N2 Isomer:
[0156] MS (ES (+)): m/z [M+H] + =447
[0157] 1 H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d 6 ): δ (ppm)=1.41 (s, 9H, C( CH 3 ) 3 ), 3.24-3.32 (m, 4H, N— CH 2 —CH—N, N—CH— CH 2 —NHBoc), 4.36 (m, 1H, N— CH —CH 2 —NHBoc), 4.67 (m, 1H, N—CH 2 — CH —N), 4.69 (s, 2H, CH 2 CONH 2 ), 7.02 (m, 1H, NH BOC), 7.40 (s, 2H, NH 2 ), 7.65 (s, 1H, pyrazole).
[0158] Ion exchange is achieved on a DOWEX 50WX8 resin (4 g) as indicated in stage B of Example 7 in order to afford after freeze-drying the expected sodium salt (17 mg, 0.126 mmol, 35%) as a beige powder.
[0159] MS (ES (−)): m/z [M−H] − =445
Stage C
Sodium trifluoroacetate salt of trans-8-(aminomethyl)-5,6-dihydro-6-oxo-5-(sulfooxy)-4H-4,7-methano-pyrazolo[3,4-e][1,3]diazepine-2(8H)acetamide
[0160] The compound obtained in stage B (17 mg, 0.036 mmol) is suspended in anhydrous dichloromethane (0.07 mL), under nitrogen. Trifluoroacetic acid (0.027 mL) is then added dropwise and the reaction is then continued at room temperature for 3 hrs. After dry evaporation, the product is then taken up in water, frozen and freeze-dried in order to lead to the expected product (17 mg, 0.035 mmol, 98%) as a beige solid, as a mixture of N1/N2 isomers in a ratio of about 1/2.
N2 Isomer
[0161] MS (ES (−)): m/z [M−H] − =345
[0162] 1 H NMR (400 MHz, MeOD-d 4 ): δ(ppm)=3.31-3.36 (m, 4H, N— CH 2 —CH—N, N—CH— CH 2 —NH 3 + ), 4.60 (m, 1H, N— CH —CH 2 —NH 3 + ), 4.71 (m, 1H, N—CH 2 — CH —N), 4.74 (s, 2H, CH 2 CONH 2 ), 7.25 (broad s, 1H, NH), 7.45 (broad s, 1H, NH), 7.73 (s, 1H, pyrazole), 8.04 (sl, 1H, NH 3 + ).
[0163] Pharmaceutical Composition
[0164] A composition was prepared for injection containing:
[0165] Compound of Example 1: 500 mg
[0166] Sterile aqueous excipient: q.s.p. 5 cm 3
Pharmacological Study of the Compounds of the Invention
[0167] Activity in vitro, method of dilutions in a liquid medium: A series of tubes is prepared in which the same amount of sterile nutritive medium is distributed, increasing amounts of the product to be studied are distributed in each tube, and each tube is then sown with a bacterial strain. After incubation for 24 hrs in the oven at 37° C., inhibition of growth is appreciated by trans-illumination, which allows determination of the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) expressed in μg/ml.
[0168] Thus tests are carried out with the products of Examples 1 to 8 in comparison with products of Examples 7, 9, 11 and 45 of application WO 04/052891. The products of the present application prove to be very active on Pseudomonas aeruginosa , which is absolutely not the case of the comparison products. The activity difference on Pseudomonas aeruginosa between the products of the invention and the closest products from the prior art is located according to the products in a range from 16 to more than 500.
[0169] Activity on Pseudomonas aeruginosa (1771 Strain of the wild type)
[0000]
MIC (μg/mL) 24 h
Molecule
( P, aerug , 1771)
Ex 1
0.25
Ex 2
2
Ex 3
2
Ex 4
0.25
Ex 5
0.25
Ex 6
8
Ex 7
4
Ex 8
0.5
Ex 7 Patent application
>128
WO 04/052891
Ex 9 Patent application
>128
WO 04/052891
Ex 11 Patent application
>128
WO 04/052891
Ex 45 Patent application
>128
WO 04/052891
IMP
1
CAZ
1
IMP = Imipenem and CAZ = Ceftazidime. (Results given as indications).
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The invention relates to nitrogen-containing heterocyclic compounds of general formula (I)
wherein:
R 1 represents a (CH 2 ) n —NH 2 radical, n being equal to 1 or 2; R 2 represents a hydrogen atom; R 3 and R 4 form together a nitrogen-containing heterocycle with aromaticity with 5 apices containing 1, 2 or 3 nitrogen atoms, substituted on this nitrogen atom or one of these nitrogen atoms with a (CH 2 ) m —(C(O)) p —R 5 group, m being equal to 0, 1, 2 or 3, p being equal to 0 or 1 and R 5 representing a hydroxy group, in which case p is equal to 1, or an amino, (C 1 -C 6 )alkyl or di-(C 1 -C 6 )alkyl amino, a nitrogen-containing heterocycle with aromaticity with 5 or 6 apices containing 1 or 2 nitrogen atoms and if necessary, an oxygen or sulfur atom;
it being understood that when the sub-group (C(O)) p —R 5 forms a carboxy, amino, (C 1 -C 6 ) alkyl or di-(C 1 -C 6 ) alkyl amino, group, m is different from 0 or 1; in free form or as zwitterions and salts with pharmaceutically acceptable mineral or organic bases and acids, to their preparation and to their use as antibacterial drugs.
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CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is based on and hereby claims priority to German Application No. 10 2014 009 699.8 filed on Jun. 26, 2014, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
BACKGROUND
[0002] The invention relates to a method for operating a display device and a system with a display device.
[0003] Virtual reality glasses are increasingly used for example to support realistic product presentations during a sales talk. Virtual reality glasses are a certain form of a so-called head-mounted display, which is a visual output device worn on the head. It presents images on a display screen close to the eye or projects them directly onto the retina. In addition, virtual reality glasses also have sensors for detecting displacement of the head. This enables the display of the calculated illustration to be adapted to the movement of the wearer of the glasses. As a result of the physical proximity, the displayed image areas of the head-mounted display appear significantly larger than the free-standing display screens and in the extreme case even cover the entire field of view of the user. Because the display follows all head movements of the wearer as a result of the head mounting, he gets the impression of moving directly in a landscape generated by a computer.
[0004] By such virtual reality glasses therefore, a type of virtual reality can be displayed, wherein the display and simultaneous perception of reality in its physical properties in an interactive virtual environment that is computer generated in real time is usually referred to as virtual reality.
[0005] In particular, if such virtual reality glasses are used for the presentation of a virtual product, it can be of interest that the image that is currently being seen by a user wearing the virtual reality glasses can also be displayed on an external display screen. This can for example be used to allow a salesperson and/or an associate of the user of the virtual reality glasses to see the same as the user wearing the virtual reality glasses sees. A challenge in this connection is to be able to decide, using suitable criteria, when the image displayed to the user by the virtual reality glasses should also be displayed on an external monitor.
SUMMARY
[0006] It is one possible object to provide a method for operating a display device and a system with a display device by which it can be determined in a simple manner when an image displayed by the virtual reality glasses should also be displayed by means of the display device.
[0007] The inventor proposes a method for operating a display device, at least one virtual object is displayed from a virtual observation position by virtual reality glasses. During this a position of the virtual reality glasses is continuously detected. Using the continuously detected position of the virtual reality glasses, it is determined whether said glasses are in a specified region. The virtual object is displayed from the same virtual observation position by the display device while the virtual reality glasses are disposed in the specified region.
[0008] It is thus provided to continuously check whether the virtual reality glasses are disposed in a specified region. Using said criterion it is decided whether the image reproduced by the virtual reality glasses should be reproduced on the display device that is different from the virtual reality glasses, for example a computer display screen, a television screen or similar, for example for other observers. The proposals are based on the knowledge that the display by an external display device of similar contents as the wearer of the virtual reality glasses can see only makes sense while the virtual reality glasses are also actually being worn by a user.
[0009] If the user removes the virtual reality glasses, the position of the virtual reality glasses changes automatically such that the glasses are disposed outside of the specified region. Using said information, it can be determined in a simple way that the image possibly still being displayed as above by the virtual reality glasses is no longer relevant for other people, so that the image is also no longer displayed on the external display device.
[0010] The specified region corresponds here to a defined volume, for example a cube with a cubic meter spatial content, which is disposed about the head of the user wearing the virtual reality glasses so that the head is substantially disposed centrally within said cube. However, the volume and the dimensions of the specified region can also be selected to be larger for example. It is crucial that the specified region is chosen to be large enough for a preferably seated user to be able to move his head forwards, backwards, to the left and to the right as far as he usually would do when wearing the virtual reality glasses, without leaving the specified region with the virtual reality glasses being worn. In other words, the specified region is disposed and dimensioned such that the virtual reality glasses remain within the specified region within the usual range of movement of the user. The size and arrangement of the specified region can for example also be adjusted depending on the body size of a respective user that is wearing the virtual reality glasses and/or using his respective individual range of movement while wearing the virtual reality glasses.
[0011] Preferably, the virtual object displayed by the display device is hidden once it is determined that the virtual reality glasses are disposed outside of the specified region. This is because it can be assumed therefrom that once the virtual reality glasses are outside of the specified region they have been taken off by the user, so that the content that may be continuing to be displayed by the virtual reality glasses is also no longer of interest for other people, because the user can no longer see said image contents because the virtual reality glasses themselves have been taken off. Alternatively, a display mode of the display device can also be set that displays the virtual object from a predetermined perspective instead of hiding the virtual object. This means that the virtual object is displayed starting from a specified virtual observation position with a virtual direction of view starting from the same specified virtual observation position. Or the display mode of the display device can also be set such that a type of virtual round trip around the virtual object is displayed. During this a virtual camera moves on a specified path around the virtual object, wherein the object is displayed on the display device from the perspective of the virtual camera.
[0012] Another advantageous embodiment provides that infrared light is emitted by an infrared light source disposed on the virtual reality glasses, especially two infrared LEDs, wherein the position of the virtual reality glasses is determined by a detecting device using the infrared light detected by the same. The advantage in this procedure is primarily that the infrared light cannot be perceived by the human eye, so that other people sitting or standing in the surroundings of the user wearing the virtual reality glasses are not disturbed by the infrared-based position detection.
[0013] According to another advantageous embodiment, it is provided that it is additionally detected whether a user has put the virtual reality glasses on, wherein the virtual object is only displayed by the display device in this case. For example, the virtual reality glasses can comprise suitable contact-sensitive sensors, which can be used in a contact region of the virtual reality glasses, which is usually in contact with the user when the virtual reality glasses are being worn, for checking whether a user has actually put the virtual reality glasses on. In other words, it is preferably not sufficient that the virtual reality glasses are disposed in the specified region. In addition, the condition must still be fulfilled that the virtual reality glasses have actually been put on by a user. This is because only in this case can it be assumed therefrom that the contents displayed by the virtual reality glasses are also seen by the user, and thus are also only at all relevant to consideration by any other people.
[0014] Another advantageous embodiment provides that the virtual object displayed by the display device is hidden once it is determined that the user has taken the virtual reality glasses off.
[0015] According to another advantageous embodiment, it is provided that a motor vehicle is displayed as the virtual object. A potential buyer can thus view for example his own special requested configuration of the motor vehicle in a simple way by the virtual reality glasses, wherein a salesperson or possibly also an associate can conveniently have the same contents displayed on the display device as are displayed to the potential buyer by the virtual reality glasses. Moreover, the use of the virtual reality glasses in the automobile context brings among other things the advantage that for example car dealerships do not need to provide a plurality of different vehicle versions with different equipment, because very different vehicle configurations can be displayed in a particularly realistic way and in a simple way by the virtual reality glasses.
[0016] The inventor also proposes a system that comprises a display device and virtual reality glasses, which are designed to display at least one virtual object from a virtual observation position. Moreover, the system comprises a detecting device that is designed to continuously detect a position of the virtual reality glasses and, using the continuously detected position of the virtual reality glasses, to determine whether the glasses are disposed in a specified region. Furthermore, the proposed system comprises a control device that is designed to activate the display device such that the virtual object is displayed from the same virtual observation position by the display device if the virtual reality glasses are disposed in the specified region. Advantageous embodiments of the proposed method are to be considered to be advantageous embodiments of the proposed system, wherein the system carries out the method.
[0017] Other advantages, features and details are revealed in the following description of preferred exemplary embodiments and using the figures. The features and combinations of features mentioned above in the description and the features and combinations of features mentioned below in the description of figures and/or shown in the figures alone are not only able to be used in the respectively specified combination, but also in other combinations or on their own without departing from the scope.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0018] These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of the preferred embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which:
[0019] FIG. 1 shows a schematic representation of a system with virtual reality glasses for displaying virtual reality content;
[0020] FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of a partly illustrated salesroom within a car dealership, wherein a user is wearing virtual reality glasses, by which a virtual motor vehicle is being displayed;
[0021] FIG. 3 shows a representation of a virtual motor vehicle that is displayed by the virtual reality glasses;
[0022] FIG. 4 shows a schematic frontal view of the motor vehicle displayed by the virtual reality glasses, wherein a virtual observation position of the user is identified;
[0023] FIG. 5 shows a schematic top view of the virtual motor vehicle, wherein again the virtual observation position of the user is identified; and
[0024] FIG. 6 shows a computer monitor, by which the same virtual environment is displayed together with the virtual motor vehicle as it is seen by the user through the virtual reality glasses.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0025] Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout.
[0026] In FIG. 1 a system 10 that is identified as a whole by 10 for displaying virtual reality content is shown. The system 10 comprises a display device 12 in the form of a computer display screen. Moreover, the system 10 comprises virtual reality glasses 14 , a detecting device 16 and a control device 18 . The virtual reality glasses 14 are in the present case designed to display a virtual motor vehicle that is not shown here from diverse virtual observation positions. Moreover, two infrared LEDs 20 , by which infrared light can be emitted, are disposed on the virtual reality glasses 14 .
[0027] The detecting device 16 is designed to continuously detect a position of the virtual reality glasses 14 and, using the continuously detected position of the virtual reality glasses 14 , to determine whether the glasses are disposed in a specified region that is not illustrated here. For this, infrared light is emitted by the infrared LEDs 20 , wherein the position of the virtual reality glasses 14 can be determined by the detecting device 16 using said detected infrared light. Moreover, the virtual reality glasses 14 can also comprise contact-sensitive sensors, by which it can be detected whether a user that is not illustrated here has put the virtual reality glasses 14 on.
[0028] A salesroom 22 in an unspecified car dealership is represented in FIG. 2 . A user 24 has put the virtual reality glasses 14 on, wherein a salesperson 26 is seated opposite the user 24 . Both the content displayed by the virtual reality glasses 14 and the content displayed by the computer display screen 12 can be controlled by the control device 18 . In FIG. 2 the previously mentioned specified region 28 is also schematically represented in the form of a cube. The detecting device 16 can detect the position of the virtual reality glasses 14 relative to the coordinate axes x 1 , y 1 and z 1 . Moreover, the exact dimensions and the position of the specified region 28 are available to the detecting device 18 . This allows the detecting device 18 to determine in a simple way, using the detected position of the virtual reality glasses 14 , whether the glasses are located within the specified region 28 .
[0029] In FIG. 3 the virtual motor vehicle 32 already mentioned above is shown, which is displayed within a virtual environment 30 by the virtual reality glasses 14 . Once the virtual reality glasses 14 are pivoted relative to the coordinate axes x 1 , y 1 and/or z 1 , there is an adjustment of the viewing angle to the virtual motor vehicle 32 by adjusting the view of the virtual motor vehicle 32 about the coordinate axes x 2 , y 2 and/or z 2 according to the detected pivoting motion of the virtual reality glasses 14 .
[0030] Moreover, the wearer 24 can also move his head for example in translation in the direction of the axes y 1 and/or z 1 , wherein said movements cause a corresponding translational movement of the virtual reality glasses 14 because the user 24 is wearing the virtual reality glasses 14 . Said translational movements of the virtual reality glasses 14 are converted during this such that the virtual observation position of the user 24 changes within the virtual environment 30 . He can thus for example lean forward somewhat in order to observe the motor vehicle 32 in more detail, and can lean back somewhat in order to view the motor vehicle 32 from a greater distance and similar.
[0031] The virtual observation position according to FIG. 3 is identified in FIGS. 4 and 5 with the circle symbol 34 . As can be seen in the front view of the motor vehicle 32 in FIG. 4 or in the top view of the vehicle 32 , the virtual observation position according to FIG. 3 is disposed to the right of the center of the motor vehicle 32 .
[0032] In FIG. 6 the display screen 12 is illustrated, wherein the same virtual environment 30 and thus the same virtual motor vehicle 32 as can be perceived by the user 24 are displayed. If the virtual viewing angle of the virtual motor vehicle 32 is changed by pivoting the head of the user 24 , then at the same time the content displayed on the display screen 12 is changed in just the same way. In other words, exactly the same is displayed on the display screen 12 as the user 24 can see through the virtual reality glasses 14 . However, this only makes sense if the user 24 has also put the virtual reality glasses 14 on, because otherwise it would be irrelevant for the salesperson 26 and possibly for another associate of the user 24 that is not shown for what the virtual reality glasses 14 are currently showing to appear on the display screen 12 , since the user 24 cannot see this because the virtual reality glasses 14 are not being worn.
[0033] Therefore, the position of the virtual reality glasses 14 is continuously detected by the detecting device 16 and, using the determined position of the virtual reality glasses 14 , a check is made as to whether the glasses are disposed in the specified region 28 . The motor vehicle 32 disposed within the virtual environment 30 is only displayed by the display screen 12 while the virtual reality glasses 14 are disposed in the specified region 28 . The virtual environment 30 and also the motor vehicle 32 are thus hidden once it is determined that the virtual reality glasses 14 are disposed outside of the specified region 28 . This is usually carried out if the user 24 takes the virtual reality glasses 14 off. Using the position detection of the virtual reality glasses 14 and the determination of whether the virtual reality glasses 14 are disposed within the specified region 28 , it can be determined in a fairly reliable way whether the user 24 has yet put the virtual reality glasses 14 on.
[0034] In addition, it can still be detected whether the user 24 has actually put the virtual reality glasses 14 on, wherein only in this case will the motor vehicle 32 be displayed within the virtual environment 30 by the display screen 12 exactly as is carried out by the virtual reality glasses 14 . For example, using suitable contact-sensitive sensors on the virtual reality glasses 14 it can be detected whether the virtual reality glasses 14 are actually currently being worn by the user 24 or whether he has already taken them off.
[0035] Thus if the virtual reality glasses 14 are actually still located in the specified region 28 , although the user 24 has taken them off, for example because he is currently still holding them in his hands and in front of his face, the motor vehicle 32 together with the virtual environment 30 will nevertheless no longer be displayed by the display screen 12 because in any case the user 24 will no longer be seeing the virtual environment 30 together with the virtual motor vehicle 32 because of the virtual reality glasses 14 having been taken off.
[0036] The invention has been described in detail with particular reference to preferred embodiments thereof and examples, but it will be understood that variations and modifications can be effected within the spirit and scope of the invention covered by the claims which may include the phrase “at least one of A, B and C” as an alternative expression that means one or more of A, B and C may be used, contrary to the holding in Superguide v. DIRECTV, 69 USPQ2d 1865 (Fed. Cir. 2004).
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A method for operating a display device Involves displaying at least one virtual object from a virtual observation position by virtual reality glasses, continuously detecting a position of the virtual reality glasses, determining, using the continuously detected position of the virtual reality glasses, whether the glasses are disposed in a specified region, and displaying the virtual object from the same virtual observation position by means of the display device as long as the virtual reality glasses are disposed in the specified region. A system includes virtual reality glasses.
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This application on claims the benefit of Provisional Application No. 60/082,067 filed Apr. 17, 1998.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a process for improving the utilization of feedstuffs by ruminants, especially during the transition from a roughage diet to a feedlot diet, and more particularly to a process for administering to a ruminant a feed additive composition which includes Propionibacteria jensenii strain P-63, preferably in combination with a lactic acid producing bacteria for improving the production from, and feed conversion efficiency of, a high grain or concentrate feedlot diet. The composition also may be used to reduce scours in swine.
2. Technology Description
Acute indigestion resulting from the transition from a predominantly roughage diet to a feedlot diet could be fatal to ruminants. The purpose of a feedlot operation is to fatten a ruminant, such as beef cattle, for sale or slaughter. The most common and efficient method of fattening ruminants is to feed them a high grain or high energy concentrate diet. However. this abrupt conversion from a roughage or pasture diet of plant food, mainly cellulose, to a feedlot diet predominantly composed of grains and starches can cause decreased production to feedlot cattle and even death from acidosis. Similar diet transitions can result in a decrease in milk production for dairy cows as well as death.
As discussed in Diseases of Feedlot Cattle , Second Edition, Lea & Febiger, p 292-293 (1971), acute indigestion in cattle is caused by sudden consumption of large amounts of grain, green corn, green apples or other easily fermentable feeds. During a roughage diet, cellulosic bacteria predominates in ruminal microflora. Volatile fatty acids are usually formed in the following proportions: acetic, 67%; propionic, 19%; and butyric, 14%. These acids constitute an important nutrient from cellulose digestion. However, during the fattening process at the feedlot, cattle are placed on a high grain diet. On a high grain diet the ruminal microflora ferment the new feed and produce 100 or more milli-moles per liter of lactic acid resulting in the rumen becoming immobilized. A large portion of the lactic acid accumulated may be the D(−) isomer which is an unavailable energy source for the ruminant and thus builds up in the rumen. Absorption of the acid into the blood lowers the blood pH and diminishes the content of bicarbonate and glucose bringing about acidosis. Compensation for the acidic condition occurs by excretion of carbonic acid through rapid respiration and by excretion of hydrogen ions through urine. Affected cattle may survive through compensation, however, severe acidosis is fatal. Additionally, the increase in acidity of the rumen damages the mucosa which may result in necrosis of the epithelium which enables bacteria such as Spherophorus necrophorus to enter the veins and be conveyed to the liver where liver abscesses may form in surviving animals.
Lactic acid and products containing lactic acid have been found to enhance gains in the starting period of cattle (first 28 days) and reduce liver abscesses when given prior to the transition from a roughage diet to a feedlot diet. Various strains of Lactobacillus acidophilus have been isolated which restore and stabilize the internal microbial balance of animals. Manfredi et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,980,164, is such a strain of Lactobacillus acidophilus which has been isolated for enhancing feed conversion efficiency. The Lactobacillus acidophilus strain of the Manfredi et al patent has been designated strain BT1386 and received accession number ATCC No. 53545 from the American Type Culture Collection in Rockville, Md. Strain ATCC 53545 demonstrates a greater propensity to adhere to the epithelial cells of some animals which would increase the bacteria cultures' ability to survive. initiate and maintain a population within an animal intestine. Thus, the primary mode of action as previously understood relative to Lactobacillus acidophilus occurs post-ruminally.
Another strain of Lactobacillus acidophilus isolated for restoring and stabilizing the internal microbial balance of animals is disclosed in Herman et al, U.S. Pat. No. 5,256,425. The
Lactobacillus acidophilus strain of the Herman et al patent has been designated strain BT1389 and received accession number ATCC No. 55221 from the American Type Culture Collection in Rockville, Md. Strain ATCC 55221 is a further improvement on strain ATCC 53545 in that it is easily identified and quantified due to its resistance to antibiotics such as erythromycin and streptomycin.
The above-mentioned strains of Lactobacillus acidophilus are perfectly good lactic acid producing organisms. However, more than a lactic acid producing organism is needed to improve the utilization of feedstuffs by ruminants, especially during the transition from a roughage diet to a feedlot diet. The problem with the increase of D-lactate in the rumen must also be resolved in order to facilitate the transition of ruminants from a roughage diet to a feedlot diet.
Administration of bacteria to cattle is also problem due to the extreme sensitivity of organisms like Lactobacillus acidophilus which are difficult to maintain in a viable state at ambient temperatures. Also, lactic acid is corrosive to feedlot and feedmill equipment and metallic components
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,534,271 and 5,529,793 suggest that both a lactic acid producing culture as well as a lactate utilizing bacterial culture be combined with a typical animal feedlot diet to assist in the transition of a ruminant diet from roughage to feedlot while minimizing the risk of acidosis. These patents list several classes of materials from each of the producing and utilizing categories which may be selected for combination with the animal feedstock. Unfortunately, these patents; do not give much guidance as to which of these specific cultures should be selected in order to gain efficacious results. The only lactate utilizing cultures which are specifically enabled by the examples are Propionibacterium P-5, Propionibacterium P-42 and Propionibacterium P-99 and the only lactic acid producing cultures enabled by the examples are Lactobacillus acidophilus ATCC 53545 and Lactobacillus acidophilus strain LA45. The reference fails to disclose or suggest that amongst the thousands of permutations possible presented by their proposed combination of cultures, that synergistic results can occur by selecting a very specific strain of lactate utilizing culture not specifically enabled in these patents. The inventors of the instant invention have discovered such a specific lactate utilizing culture, namely Propionibacterium P-63.
Despite the above teachings, there still exists a need in the art for a direct fed microbial for ruminants having a specifically defined lactic acid utilizing culture which, when combined with lactic acid producing cultures, can demonstrate unexpected results in terms of efficacy against acidosis.
In addition, there exists a need in the art for a direct fed microbial which may reduce scours in swine and companion animals as the above technology has been more specifically directed against treatment of acidosis in ruminants.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the present invention a novel direct fed microbial for ruminants having a specifically defined lactic acid utilizing culture which, when used alone as a direct fed microbial or combined with lactic acid producing cultures, can demonstrate unexpected results in terms of resistance against acidosis is provided. More specifically, the lactic acid utilizing culture composes Propionibacterium P-63. This increased resistance can enable the ruminant to be superior producers of milk, if dairy ruminants, or experience greater weight gain, if beef ruminants. This culture may also be used to reduce scours in swine.
A first embodiment of the present invention comprises a ruminant direct fed microbial composition of matter comprising an acidosis inhibiting effective amount of Propionibacterium P-63. In most embodiments, the microbial composition is combined with an animal feed material selected from the group consisting of corn, dried grain, alfalfa, corn meal and mixtures thereof.
In the preferred embodiment, the direct fed microbial composition further comprises a lactic acid producing bacterial culture, and even more preferably Lactobacillus acidophilus ATCC 53545.
A second embodiment comprises a swine direct fed microbial composition of matter comprising a scour inhibiting effective amount of Propionibacterium P-63.
Still another embodiment of the present invention comprises a process for reducing acidosis when converting a ruminant diet from a roughage diet to a grain diet by administering to a ruminant a direct fed microbial comprising an acidosis inhibiting effective amount of Propionibacterium P63.
In most embodiments, the microbial composition is combined with an animal feed material selected from the group consisting of corn, dried grain, alfalfa, corn meal and mixtures thereof.
Yet another embodiment comprises a process for reducing scours in swine by administering to a swine a direct fed microbial comprising an scour inhibiting effective amount of Propionibacterium P-63.
In a preferred embodiment, the direct fed microbial composition further comprises a lactic acid producing bacterial culture for administration to the ruminant, and even more preferably Lactobacillus acidophilus ATCC 53545.
An object of the present invention is to provide a novel direct fed microbial for ruminants or swine.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a process for reducing acidosis in ruminants when converting from a roughage diet to a grain diet.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a synergistic combination of lactic acid producing cultures with lactate utilizing cultures to reduce acidosis in ruminants when converting from a roughage diet to a grain diet.
Another object of the present invention is directed to a method for reducing scours in swine.
These, and other objects, will readily be apparent to those skilled in the art as reference is made to the detailed description of the preferred embodiment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
In describing the preferred embodiment, certain terminology will be utilized for the sake of clarity. Such terminology is intended to encompass the recited embodiment, as well as all technical equivalents which operate in a similar manner for a similar purpose to achieve a similar result.
Propionibacterium P-63 is a culture of the species Propionibacterium jensenii , strain designation PJ54. This information is obtained from Communicable Disease Laboratory, in Atlanta, Ga., U.S.A. Genetic equivalents of this strain are expressly considered to be covered within the scope of the present invention.
The use of lactate utilizing bacteria in ruminant feeds, even those feeds designed to aid in the conversion of the ruminant from a roughage diet to a grain diet is not considered novel. The prior art is replete with listings of many genus/species and strains of materials suggested for ruminant feeds. Prior to the present invention it is not believed that the use of Propionibacterium P-63 has been disclosed or suggested for use in animal feeds. The inventors have surprisingly discovered that this specific strain demonstrates superior ant-acidosis properties as compared to other lactate utilization bacteria. While not wishing to be bound to any specific scientific theory, use of this strain of bacteria during conversion of the ruminant feed from a roughage diet to a feedlot diet does not result in an appreciable production of lactic acid in the rumen, allowing it to remain at a relatively constant pH.
It is also believed that P-63 can be effectively used to treat scours in swine by administering a scour inhibiting amount of P-63 to a swine.
In practice, the amount of Propionibacterium P-63 which should be administered to the animal ranges between about 1×10 6 cfu/animal/day to about 1×10 12 cfu/animal/day. Higher amounts of the bacterium are preferably used, i.e., greater than about 1×10 9 cfu/animal/day when the bacterium is the sole acidosis or scours control agent whereas lesser amounts, i.e., less than about 1×10 8 cfu/animal/day may be administered when a lactic acid producing bacterium culture is added in combination with the P-63.
The bacterium culture may be administered to the ruminant in one of many ways. The culture can be administered in a solid form as a veterinary pharmaceutical, may be distributed in an excipient, preferably water, and directly fed to the animal, may be physically mixed with feed material in a dry form, or, in a most preferred embodiment, the culture may be formed into a solution and thereafter sprayed onto feed material. The method of administration of the culture to the animal is considered to be within the skill of the artisan.
When used in combination with a feed material, the feed material is preferably grain based. Included amongst such feed materials are corn, dried grain, alfalfa, and corn meal and mixtures thereof.
The bacteria cultures of the novel process may optionally be admixed with a dry formulation of additives including but not limited to growth substrates, enzymes, sugars, carbohydrates, extracts and growth promoting micro-ingredients. The sugars could include the following: lactose; maltose; dextrose; malto-dextrin; glucose; fructose; mannose; tagatose; sorbose; raffinose; and galactose. The sugars range from 50-95%, either individually or in combination. The extracts could include yeast or dried yeast fermentation solubles ranging from 5-50%. The growth substrates could include: trypticase, ranging from 5-25%; sodium lactate, ranging from 5-30%; and, Tween 80, ranging from 1-5%. The carbohydrates could include mannitol, sorbitol, adonitol and arabitol. The carbohydrates range from 5-50% individually or in combination. The micro-ingredients could include the following: calcium carbonate, ranging from 0.5-5.0%; calcium chloride, ranging from 0.5-5.0%; dipotassium phosphate, ranging from 0.5-5.0%; calcium phosphate, ranging from 0.5-5.0%; manganese proteinate, ranging from 0.25-1.00%; and, manganese, ranging from 0.25-100%.
While the P-63 culture may be used alone in a method to prevent acidosis or scours, because of the high levels of administration required and the desire for even better resistance against disease, it is optionally combined with a lactic acid producing culture. Despite the above, it is hypothesized that one does not need a lactate producer in a beef direct fed microbial (DFM) to prevent/reduce acidosis. If the reason (or at least primary contributor) acidosis occurs is lactate production, adding a lactate producing organism with the DFM may likely be inconsequential. It is further hypothesized that a lactic acid producing culture may not be required when using P-63 to prevent scours in swine.
If added, the lactic acid producing bacteria could include, but is not limited to, the following: Lactobacillus acidophilus; Lactobacillus plantarum; Streptococcuus faecium; Lactobacillus casel; Lactobacillus lactis: Lactobacillus enterli; Lactobacillus fermentum; Lactobacillus delbruckii; Lactobacillus helveticus; Lactobacillus curvatus; Lactobacillus brevis; Lactobacillus bulgaricus; Lactobacillus cellobiosuus; Streptococcus lactis; Streptococcus thermophilus; Streptococcus cremoris; Streptococcus diacetylactis; Streptococcus intermedius; Bifidobacterium animalis; Bifidobacterium adolescentis; Bifidobacterium bifidum; Bifidobacterium infantis; Bifidobacterium longum; Bifidobacterium thermephilum; Pediococcus acidilactici ; and, Pediococcus pentosaceus . Particularly preferred is the use of Lactobacillus acidophilus , and most preferably the strain corresponding to ATCC 53545.
When a lactic acid producing culture is utilized in combination with P-63, In practice, the amount of lactic acid producing culture which should be administered to the animal ranges between about 1×10 6 cfu/animal/day to about 1×10 12 cfu/animal/day, with amounts ranging from about 1×10 7 cfu/animal/day to about 1×10 9 , cfu/animal/day being most preferred.
The invention is described in greater detail by the following non-limiting examples.
EXAMPLE 1
Bacterial strains. Propionibacterium cultures used in this study are obtained from the culture collection of Agtech Products, Inc., Waukesha, Wis. Cultures are maintained at −75° C. in a sodium lactate broth (NLB) supplemented with 10% glycerol (Hofherr and Glatz, 1983). The specific Propionibacterium strains used in this study are listed in Table 1.
TABLE 1
Propionibacterium strains
Strain
Strain
number
Species designation
designation
Source
P2
P. acidipropionici
128
B
P3
P. acidipropionici
E14
A
P4
P. thoenii
TH25
A
P5
P. acidipropionici
E214
A
P9
P. acidipropionici
129
B
P10
P. thoenii
R9611
A
P15
P. thoenii
TH20
A
P20
P. thoenii
TH21
A
P21
P. thoenii
R6
A
P25
P. jensenii
J17
A
P26
P. thoenii
8266
B
P31
P. freudenreichii
1294
E
P35
P. acidipropionici
1505
E
P38
P. acidipropionici
13
D
P41
P. jensenii
14
D
P42
P. acidipropionici
10
D
P44
P. jensenii
363
E
P46
P. jensenii
E.1.2
F
P48
P. freudenreichii
E.11.3
F
P49
P. freudenreichii
E.15.01
F
P50
P. acidipropionici
E.7.1
F
P52
P. acidipropionici
E.5.1
F
P53
P. acidipropionici
E.5.2
F
P54
P. jensenii
E.1.1
F
P63
P. jensenii
PJ54
G
P68
P. jensenii
PJ53
G
P69
P. jensenii
PJ23
G
P74
P. jensenii
PZ99
G
P78
P. acidipropionici
PA62
G
P79
P. thoenii
PT52
G
P81
P. acidipropionici
PP798
G
P85
P. thoenii
20
H
P86
P. jensenii
11
H
P88
P. jensenii
22
H
P89
P. freudenreichii
5571
I
P90
P. acidipropionici
5578
I
P96
P. freudenreichii
8903
I
P99
P. freudenreichii
ATCC 9615
J
P101
P. freudenreichii
ATCC 9617
J
P104
P. freudenreichii
ATCC 6207
J
P105
P. thoenii
ATCC 4871
J
P106
P. jensenii
ATCC 4964
J
P108
P. acidipropionici
ATCC 14072
J
P111
P. acidipropionici
O
Sources:
A Cornell University, Ithaca, NY;
B Iowa State University, Ames IA;
C Dr. K. W. Sahli, Station Federate D'Industrie Laitiere Liebefeld-Bern, Switzerland;
D Dr. W. Kundrat, University of Munich, Munich, Germany;
E Dr. V. B. D. Skerman, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia;
F Dr. C. B. van Neil, Hopkins Marine Station, Pacific Grove, CA;
G Communicable Disease Laboratory, Atlanta, GA;
H Isolated from Gruyere cheese imported from France:
J American Type Culture Collection, Rockville, MD;
O Origin unknown.
Culture conditions. Strains are activated by placing a portion of the frozen suspension in 10 ml of NLB and incubating at 32° C. for 36-48 hours. Strains are sub-cultured by transferring a 1% volume of the culture at mid-log growth to fresh NLB. Cultures are transferred a minimum of three times before being tested. The purity of tested strains is monitored by regularly streaking cultures onto a sodium lactate agar (NLA).
In vitro acidified and neutralized broth medium. Primary strain selection involves testing the growth and lactic acid utilization of cultures in a basal broth media. The acidified medium is prepared by including 80 mM L(+) lactic acid in a basal broth containing 1% yeast extract, 1% tryptone, dipotassium phosphate and distilled water. The pH of the broth medium is raised to pH 5.0 using 5.0 M NaOH. Following filter sterilization (Gelman Sciences, Ann Arbor, Michigan), the medium is dispensed at a volume of 10 ml into sterile screw cap test tubes. Neutralized broth medium is prepared the same as acidified media except that the pH of broth is raised to 7.0 with 5.0 M NaOH prior to filter sterilization.
Rumen fluid simulation medium. Ruminal fluid is collected via ruminal cannula 2 h post feeding from a cross-bred beef heifer fed a high roughage diet. The ruminal fluid is strained through four layers of cheesecloth and transported to the laboratory in an insulated container. Test ruminal fluid media contains 250 ml of strained ruminal fluid, 62.5 ml McDougall's buffer (McDougall, 1948), and 1.5% dextrose. The added dextrose serves as a readily fermented carbohydrate to simulate conditions found in the rumen of animals following grain engorgement. Strained ruminal fluid, buffer, and dextrose are dispensed into sterilized 500 ml bottles and allowed to equilibrate in a water bath at 39° C. for approximately 15 minutes prior to inoculation. Initial pH of the rumen fluid model ranged from 6.6 to 6.9 depending on date of collection.
High Pressure Liquid Chromatography. Samples are prepared for HPLC analysis by aseptically removing 1.0 ml from the test medium at the appropriate sampling times. Samples are placed in a 1.5 ml microcentrifuge tube and the cells are pelleted by centrifugation (10 minutes, at 12,500 rpm). A sample of the supematant fluid (0.5 ml) is transferred to a clean tube and acidified with an equal volume of 0.01 M sulfuric acid solution to stop fermentation. These samples are stored at −20° C. until analysis is performed. For analysis, frozen tubes are allowed to thaw at room temperature and filtered through 0.2 um filters directly into 2 ml HPLC autosampler vials and capped.
Samples are analyzed using a Hewlett Packard 1090 HPLC system equipped with a diode-array detector (Hewlett Packard, Atlanta, Ga.). The sample is injected into 0.005 M H 2 SO 4 mobile phase heated to 65° C. and separated using a BioRad HPX-87H column (Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc., Hercules, Calif.). The peaks are detected with a diode array detector at 210 nm. Other wavelengths are recorded and examined for peak purity, but 210 nm is the optimum setting for determining peak height with minimum background noise. Peak areas are used to determine compound concentrations by comparison with external standards. Peak purity is monitored by UV scanning techniques as an aid in identifying abnormal wavelength patterns present in a single peak.
Rumen model experimental procedures. Duplicate bottles are inoculated with the appropriate propionibacteria strain to be tested at a level of 1×10 7 cfu/ml. Bottles are flushed with CO 2 , capped, and incubated at 39° C. for 48 h. Every 6 h during the 48 h incubation period, samples are collected and analyzed for pH, lactic acid and volatile fatty acid (VFA) concentrations. Additional samples are collected at 16 h and 48 h for use in microbiological analysis. Lactic acid and VFA samples are prepared by aseptically collecting a 1 ml sample in a 1.5 ml microcentrifuge tube. Cells are pelleted by centrifugation (10 minutes at 12,500×g). One-half ml of supernatant is mixed with an equal volume of 10 mM H 2 SO 4 and filtered through a 0.2 um membrane filter.
Microbiological analysis consists of plating serial dilutions (10 −3 , 10 −4 and 10 −5 ) of the in vitro rumen fluid medium on a propionibacteria selective-differential medium (PSA). Colonies with typical propionibacteria morphology are confirmed using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE).
Differences in pH and lactic acid concentration between inoculated and uninoculated controls at each sampling time are calculated and regressed against incubation time up to 24 h in order to select the best lactic acid utilizing strains. Strains for which a change over time in lactate or pH was detected (an R>0.50 against sampling time) are compared using Duncan's Multiple Range procedures (SAS, 1985). Additionally, Gompertz equation is used to analyze the sigmoidal curves for pH decrease and lactic acid concentration increase (Zwietedng et al. 1990).
Results. The rate of change in pH and lactic acid concentration is determined by regressing the difference between inoculated and control rumen fluid incubations against time. Only when the regression coefficient for rate of change in pH and lactate was greater than 0.50 for an inoculated flask was the data included in the statistical analysis (Table 2).
TABLE 2
Impact of added Propionibacterium strains on rates of change in
pH and lactate concentration of incubated rumen fluid models.
pH elevation,
Lactate decrease
Strain
(Units/h)
(mM/h)
42
.03770
1.61
63
.03627
1.30
54
.02433
1.26
25
.02380
1.12
41
.02372
1.55
111
.01691
1.05
81
.01064
.71
104
.00923
.88
89
.00785
.53
88
.00590
.76
49
.00425
.65
48
.00366
NA
99
.00051
−.17
31
.00926
−.22
90
−.00917
−.32
Calculatcd by regressing the difference between inoculated and control fluid against incubation time. Means in a column with the same superscript are not different (P < .05).
Compared with other strains, P42 has the highest rate of pH increase (0.0377 units/h), but is not statistically (P<0.05) different from strains P63, P54, P25, and P41. Strain P42 also has the heighest rate of lactic acid utilization (1.61 mM/h) compared to others but is not statistically (P<0.05) different from strains P63, P54, P25, P41, P111, P81, and P104. Since linear regression analysis does not adjust for differences in lag times, other non-linear methods were employed.
Ruminal fluid simulation data is analyzed using the Gompertz non-linear equation technique. up to 24 h are used in the analysis since a decrease in lactic acid concentration is observed after 24 h in all controls. Flasks inoculated with strains P54 and P63 have significantly lower rates of hydrogen ion accumulation (Table 3).
TABLE 3
Contrasts of maximum lactate accumulation and
mininium pH of rumen models inoculated with
various propionibacteria strains.
Lactate
H+
Time lag
Time lag
production
increase
of lactate
of H+
rate
rate
production
increase
Strain
(mM/h)
(×10 −5 )
(h)
(h)
P25
18.87
4.65
4.41+
4.20
P31
38.85
11.63
5.15
3.81
P41
23.31
11.15
4.65
3.29
P42
24.42
7.46
5.52
3.99
P48
38.85
1.45
5.45
3.27
P49
6.67
6.45
5.89
3.28
P54
21.09
−1.45**
8.08**
3.56
P63
9.99
2.18*
6.47+
2.68
P78
12.21
9.34
5.30
3.02
P81
1.11
9.86
4.91
2.99
P88
14.43
11.49
5.76
2.87
P89
9.99
13.57
5.71
3.13
P90
14.43
5.18
5.00
3.28
P99
4.44
7.87
4.94
3.59
P104
−2.22
8.02
4.94
2.67
P111
14.43
5.17
4.97
5.74*
Control
38.85
17.99
5.45
4.72
*Values significantly different when compared to controls (P < .05)
+Values significantly different when compared to controls (P < .01)
**Values significantly differcnt when compared to controls (P < .001)
When the rate of H + increase of inoculated flasks is compared to the control (0.00018), only strains P54 and P63 have significantly different values of −1.45 and 2.18 respectively. Strains P54, P63 and also P25 have a significant impact on the lactic acid production lag time. P54 and P63 increase the lag time of lactic acid accumulation by 2.06 and 2.63 (h) respectively, thereby slowing the accumulation of acid. On the other hand, strain P25 decreases the lag time of inoculated samples thus resulting in faster lactic acid accumulation. Strain P111 is the only strain found to significantly increase the lag time of H + .
The viable plate counts of strains at 16 h and 48 h of incubation in the rumen simulation model in Table 4. Nine strains maintain a population of at least 1.0×10 4 cfu/ml for 48 the nine strains exceed 1.0×10 5 cfu/ml; strains P25 and P63 have the highest al at 6.0×10 5 and 1.0×10 6 cfu/ml, respectively.
TABLE 4
Survival of Propionibacterium strains in the
rumen model after 16 and 48 hours of incubation.*
Propionibacterium (cfu/ml)
Strain
16 h
48 h
63
7.4 × 10 6
1.0 × 10 6
25
2.5 × 10 5
6.0 × 10 5
81
5.0 × 10 6
3.0 × 10 5
90
1.0 × 10 4
1.0 × 10 5
88
8.3 × 10 6
1.0 × 10 5
54
1.0 × 10 5
1.0 × 10 5
111
2.0 × 10 6
1.0 × 10 4
99
1.0 × 10 4
1.0 × 10 4
41
4.7 × 10 6
1.0 × 10 4
104
5.0 × 10 6
1.0 × 10 3
89
1.0 × 10 3
1.0 × 10 3
48
1.0 × 10 5
1.0 × 10 3
42
1.1 × 10 6
1.0 × 10 3
31
1.0 × 10 3
1.0 × 10 3
*Propionibacteria count at 0 hour was 1 × 10 7 cfu/ml
EXAMPLE 2
Seventy-five cross-bred, post weaned calves weighing 650-750 pounds are randomly assigned to one of three treatments: 1.) no treatment, 2.) Propionibactenum strain P63 treated at 3.0×10 11 cfu/hd. or 3.) Propionibacterium strain P63 at 1.0×10 9 cfu/hd and Lactobacillus acidophilus strain 53545 at 1.0×10 8 cfu/hd. A total of 15 pens with 5 calves per pen are blocked by sex, weight and breed prior to treatment assignment. Calves are given free access to the feed bunk and water source during the course of the experiment.
Each treatment group, consisting of steers and heifers are fed a 50:50 ration (cracked corn, cottonseed meal, alfalfa pellets and balanced for minerals) at 1.5 to 2% of BW for 14 days. During this period the appropriate treatment is added directly to the feed. The treatment dose for each individual pen is added to 600 ml of water and completely mixed with the daily ration at the time of feeding throughout the entire feeding study.
On the day following the 14-day establishment period, cattle do not receive any feed for a 24 h period. This procedure is performed in order to stimulate the engorgement of the next meal. Following the 24 hour fasting period, cattle are given a 90% concentration ration (75% cracked wheat and 25% cracked corn). This ration is fed for a total of 10 days. During this time, treatments are administered as stated above and cattle are closely monitored for signs of severe stress due to ruminal indigestion. Following the 10 day challenge period, cattle are fed a 90% concentrate diet consisting of 100% cracked corn. Cattle are fed to final weights of approximately 1,200 pounds (approx. 120 days).
All cattle are weighed at receiving and approximately every 28 days during the feeding period. Feed intake and animal health are monitored daily. Following the finishing period, cattle are transported to a packing plant at which time hot carcass weights, quality grades, yield grades, and carcass characteristics were determined.
Results. The only significant differences (p<0.05) in live weights are observed during the first 10 days of the study. Control cattle are 18 pounds heavier than cattle receiving the combination and 25 to 30 pounds heavier than cattle in the group which is fed P63 alone during this period. By day 27 no differences in live weight are observed (P<0.05). To reduce the variation resulting from bulk fill differences, final weights are determined using hot carcass weights and dressing percentages. Control carcass weights are 13 pounds heavier compared to cattle fed the combination and 18 pounds heavier than cattle fed P63 alone, however these differences are not statistically different and considered to be animal variation.
Feeding intake is reduced in cattle being fed the combination inoculum by 7.8% when compared to control animals during the first 83 days (p<0.02). Overall feed intake is 6.8% lower for the combination treatment (P<0.08) and only 2.8% lower when animals received P63 alone (not significant) when compared to controls.
The only significant difference in average daily gain is observed during the initial 10 days of the trial when cattle are abruptly switched from a 50% concentrate ration to a 90% concentrate diet containing 75% ground wheat. Cattle receiving the combination treatment gain 1.13 LB more than control cattle during this intensive adaptation period (p<0.04). Recall feed intakes during this period are not statistically different between treatment groups. Given the utilization of lactic acid and glucose by the combined inoculum the improvement in gain during this initial feeding period is expected since cattle are the most effected by ruminal indigestion at this time.
Average daily gains are slightly higher for cattle fed the combination during the first and last 30 days of the study. However, these differences are not significant. Cattle receiving P63 alone have slightly lower gains compared to control and cattle fed the combination inoculum during the entire study. Overall average daily gain (ADG) is almost identical during the 120 day feeding period.
Cattle which is fed the combination inoculum has significantly improved feed efficiencies over the entire 120 day feeding study when compared to controls. During the first 10 days of feeding, efficiency is improved by 38.4% (P<0.06) and by 10.4% (P<0.03) in the first 30 days when comparing cattle fed the combination to control cattle. The percent difference between treatments declines in the later periods of the feeding trial, however the significant treatment response of the combination inoculum during the initial period results in a significant treatment difference over the entire 120 day study (P<0.04).
No significant differences in carcass quality and composition are observed. The incidence of liver abscesses is relatively insignificant as compared to industry standards. Control and cattle fed P63 both have incidences of 8%. Cattle fed Lactobacillus acidophilus strain 53545 with Propionibacterium strain P63 have no liver abscesses. Generally, feedlot finished cattle will have a liver incidence of approximately 30%. Dressing percents, ribeye area, yield grades, and quality grades are similar for all treatments.
Having described the invention in detail and by reference to the preferred embodiments thereof, it will be apparent that modifications and variations are possible without departing from the scope of the appended claims.
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A ruminant direct fed microbial composition of matter comprising an acidosis inhibiting effective amount of Propionibacterum P-63 is provided. Also disclosed is a process for reducing acidosis in ruminants or scours in swine by administration of the bacterium to the ruminant or swine. The microbial composition may be administered by itself, or combined with animal feed and/or lactic acid producing cultures.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a device for providing a fluid tight mechanically adjustable coupling for tubular or duct members accommodating limited axial, angular, and radial misalignment.
Any transfer of a medium through tubing, and especially aircraft where weight saving is of prime importance, thin mold metallic tubing is interconnected and coupled with fluid tight couplings. Heretofore, the prior art of lightweight tube couplings, as those used in low to moderate pressure systems aircraft designs, have generally been limited to only two of three degrees of freedom (axial, angular, and radial). Others have been severely limited to the magnitude of the freedom where all three degrees of freedom are employed in the design, as exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 2,646,294 to Anderson. In addition, those that have dependence on simple elastomeric sealing, such as U.S. Pat. No. 3,569,934 to Decenzo, have suffered from an abnormally high leakage rate. Others, such as U.S. Pat. No. 3,799,586 to Caras, et al., have been extremely complex and employ mechanisms like ball bearings which increases the weight and makes the cost of mass manufacturing prohibitive. Features such as damping vibrations transmitted from the fluid lines to the coupling and means for opposing forces tending to axially separate the fluid lines from the coupling have not been disclosed.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a coupling suitable for connecting misaligned conduits.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a lightweight coupling that accommodates axial, angular, and radial misalignment in the members to be connected.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a relatively simple adjustable coupling, free of complex, expensively machined parts.
Moreover, another object of the present invention is to provide a positive means of preventing coupling separation from high internal pressures.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide for damping of vibrations transmitted from the members connected to the coupling.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon reading the following detailed description and upon reference to the drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view of the coupling device of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 showing a second embodiment of the flexible fluid tight coupling for tubes;
FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIGS. 1 and 2 showing a third embodiment of the adjustable fluid tight coupling;
FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIGS. 1-3 showing a fourth embodiment of the flexible fluid tight coupling;
FIG. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view taken in the direction of arrows 5--5 of FIG. 4 of the locking mechanism of FIG. 4.
FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIGS. 1-4 showing a fifth embodiment of the flexible fluid tight coupling;
FIG. 7 is a fragmentary view taken in the direction of arrows 7--7 of FIG. 6 of the locking mechanism of FIG. 6;
FIG. 8 is a fragmentary view taken in the direction of arrows 8--8 of FIG. 7 of the notches on the outside of the internal plug load adaptor.
While the invention will be described in connection with the preferred embodiments, it will be understood that it is not intended to limit the invention to those embodiments. On the contrary, it is intended to cover all alternatives, modifications, and equivalents that may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown a first embodiment of the invention where the coupling, generally illustrated at 10, connects in fluid communication two similarly sized ducts 12 and 14 with each other. Ducts 12 and 14 are preferably lightweight, thinwalled, tubing of the aircraft type, similar to that employed in aircraft cooling, pressurization, and fuel systems. A tube adaptor 16 is swaged onto the tubing 12 in a standard manner. This provides a fluid tight seal between tube 12 and adaptor 16. The tube adaptor 16 has a chamfered internal edge 18 that comes in contact with the fluid flow to prevent internal turbulance. Tube adaptor 16 has an outwardly extending flange 20 at one end and one side of flange 20 slidably engages a split ring retainer 22. The other side of the flange 20 forms a slidable sealing surface with "O" ring 24. Radial movement of the tube adaptor 16 between split ring 22 and "O" ring 24 provides for accommodating radial misalignment between ducts 12 and 14. The ring retainer 22 is split to allow its assembly behind the tube adaptor 16.
A knurled retaining collar 26 which is threaded internally at 28 is installed on the tube adaptor 16 before the slip ring 22 for ease of assembly. Retaining collar 26 is provided at one end with an internally extending flange or stop shoulder 30 which firmly holds the retaining ring 22 in place. The knurled outside surface 32 of the retaining collar 26 provides a surface for a strap like wrench to facilitate connections that can be encountered in aircraft, where movement is limited.
The retaining collar 26 engages internal threads 33 of coupling housing 34. Housing 34 has a face 36 which bears against flange 20 when securely engaged. The coupling housing 34 also has a knurled surface 38 for a strap-like wrench. Machined on the internal surface of coupling housing 34 are two stop shoulders 40 and 42 that abuttingly engage split ring retainers 44 and 46 respectively. These retaining rings are split to facilitate assembly onto a tube adaptor 50.
Assembled in between retaining rings 44 and 46 is an "O" ring 52 which provides sealing between the coupling housing 34 and the tube adaptor 50. The coupling housing 34 has a shoulder groove 54 in which "O" ring 24 is positioned.
The tube adaptor 50 is swaged onto the tubing 14 to provide a fluid tight seal. Tube adaptor 50 is machined with a flange 60 which restricts the longitudinal movement of tube 14 in one direction when the split ring 46 abuttingly engages the flange 60. The flange 60 abutts the edge 62 of tube adaptor 16 and restricts the longitudinal movement of tube 14 in the other direction. These two restrictions provide the limits for the longitudinal misalignment of 12 and 14.
A compression sleeve 64 is provided to abuttingly engage one side of split ring 46 with one end and abuttingly engage flange 20 with its other end. Compression sleeve 64 provides a containment for "O" ring 24 between shoulder groove 54 and flange 20.
Angular adjustment may also be obtained in the subject arrangement through the ability of tubular member 14 to pivot about "O" ring 52. This movement is limited by contact of the outer end of flange 60 with compression sleeve 64. An optional lockwire 70 may be connected to retaining collar 26 and coupling housing 34 to ensure locking of the mechanism.
Another embodiment of the adjustable tube coupling 10 in accordance with the present invention is shown in FIG. 2. This embodiment uses the same numerals to identify corresponding parts of the first embodiment. The FIG. 2 embodiment which connects ducts 12 and 14 is constructed and operates generally in the same manner as the FIG. 1 embodiment. The construction of the coupling members to accommodate radial misalignment is identical to that of the first embodiment. Coupling housing 34 is designed in a somewhat different manner by having an internally extending flange 80 instead of a stop shoulder 40. Compression sleeve 64 is provided with an integral angle end 82. "O" ring 52 is contained within the annular area defined by angle end 82, coupling housing 34, flange 80, and tube adaptor 50. Coupling housing 34 also has a protruding end 84 which projects normally to flange 80 and defines a corner groove 86. An annular ring of damping material 88 is bonded within groove 86. Damping material 88 absorbs vibrations between duct 14 and coupling housing 34.
Tube adaptor 50 has an annular groove on the upper surface thereof which contains a split ring 90. Split ring 90 restricts longitudinal movement of ducts 12 and 14 in one direction by abuttingly engaging angle end 82 of compression sleeve 64. Internal face 90 of tube adaptor 50 will abuttingly engage edge 62 of tube adaptor 16 to restrict longitudinal movement in the other direction. The angular movement of this embodiment is the same as that described in the first embodiment except that split ring 90 will contact compression sleeve 64 to restrict or limit such movement.
To provide locking between retaining collar 26 and coupling housng 34, a locking device 94 in the form of an annular V-shaped spring is provided in annular area 96. Locking device 94 frictionally engages both collar 26 and coupling housing 34.
Another embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in FIG. 3. This embodiment uses the same numerals to identify corresponding parts of the first and second embodiments. The compression sleeve 64 for this embodiment has an integral, outwardly extending flange 100 which has a transverse end portion 102 which projects in a parallel plane to the body of compression sleeve 64. Flange 100 and projecting end 102 along with a projecting end 104 which aligns with the body of compression sleeve 64 define an annular groove 106 in which is positioned "O" ring 24. Flange 20 abutts against projecting ends 102 and 104 and "O" ring 24 which provides sealing engagement. Flange 100 abutts against shoulder groove 54 of coupling housing 34.
Radial misalignment is accommodated in the same fashion as in the FIGS. 1 and 2 embodiments. Longitudinal misalignment is accommodated in the same fashion as the FIG. 2 embodiment.
In this embodiment, the outer surface of coupling housing 34 is extended and internally threaded at 108 near the end 110 thereof. Threads 108 mesh with threads 112 of internal plug load adaptor 114. Adaptor 114 is provided with an arcuate surface 116. Surface 116 is designed to register with arcuate outer surface 118 of integral flange 120 of tube adaptor 50. Internally generated pressures can be absorbed to a greater degree with this embodiment in that forces tending to move ducts 12 and 14 axially away from each other are opposed by surface 118 bearing against surface 116. The arcuate shape of surfaces 116 and 118 allows for angular rotating such as with embodiments 1 and 2 about "O" ring 52 to accommodate angular misalignment of ducts 12 and 14. Adaptor 114 is also provided with a knurled surface 113 to accommodate a strap-like wrench.
Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, there is shown a fourth embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment is much like the second embodiment fitted with a self-locking device. This embodiment uses the same numerals to identify corresponding parts of embodiments 1 and 2. Retaining collar 26 has an integral extended portion 130 which extends past threaded area 33 of coupling housing 34. Portion 130 has serrations 132 on the internal surface thereof. A lock latch member 134 is provided with an upwardly extending latch portion 136 having an upper wedge shape. Latch 136 is designed to fit within serrations 132. The wedge shape is provided to allow the serrations to slip over the latch 136 when the retaining collar 26 is tightened in the direction of arrows 138 but provide a stop to prevent reverse movement of retaining collar 26. Latch 136 is resiliently biased upward against serrations 132 by a leaf-spring 140. Spring 140, which is positioned in an annular area 141 between coupling housing 34 and lock latch member 134, bears against the internal surface 142 of locking member 134. Spring 140 is retained in an annular groove 150 within coupling housing 34 by a retaining ring 152 which is forcibly fit into groove 150. Latch 136 can be released from serrations 132 by pressing downward on lock latch member 134 to depress spring 140.
FIG. 6 shows a fifth embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment is much like the third embodiment with an alternate design of the internal plug load adaptor. This embodiment uses the same numerals to identify corresponding parts of embodiments 1, 2, and 3.
Internal plug load adaptor 114 is provided with an internal annular shoulder groove 162 which abuttingly engages split ring 160. Tube adaptor 50 is machined with an outwardly extending flange 164. Surface 166 of split ring 160 is designed to abuttingly engage surface 168 of flange 164. Split ring 160 is positioned against flange 164 by longitudinal adjustment of plug load adaptor 114, which is threadably engagable with coupling housing 34. Forces which tend to move ducts 12 and 14 axially away from each other are opposed by surfaces 166 and 168.
Angular adjustment is accomplished by tubular member 14 pivoting about "O" ring 52 while surfaces 166 and 168 slideably engage each other. Radial misalignment is accommodated in the same fashion as in the FIGS. 1 and 2 embodiment. Longitudinal misalignment is accommodated in the same fashion as the FIG. 2 embodiment.
FIG. 7 illustrates the manner in which the internal plug load adaptor 114 is locked to the retaining collar 26. A slot 172 in coupling housing 34 allows a lockwire 70 to be connected to retaining collar 26 and plug load adaptor 114. Slot 172 also allows torgueing means to be utilized on the internal plug load adaptor 114 by application against lands 170 in a lever type action. FIG. 8 shows the relationship of slot 172 and lands 170 on internal plug load adaptor 114.
Thus, it is apparent that there has been provided, in accordance with the invention, ad adjustable tube coupling that fully satisfies the objectives, aims, and advantages set forth above. While the invention has been described in conjunction with specific embodiments thereof, it is evident that many alternatives, modifications, and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the foregoing description. Accordingly, it is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications, and variations that fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.
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A coupling for tubular members in mechanically flexible fluid tight relation, and providing cooperative means permitting limited axial, angular, and radial misalignment, while maintaining fluid tight connection. The unique design of this coupling allows for accommodating the various misalignments with assurance of fluid tight connection in a straight forward, inexpensive manner. Optional features which provide for damping of vibrations from the fluid lines to the coupling and means opposing axial forces tending to separate the fluid lines connected by the coupling are also disclosed.
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