text stringlengths 1.55k 332k | label int64 0 8 |
|---|---|
fig1 shows in diagrammatic form a spinning apparatus for carrying out the method according to the invention . a molten polymer is supplied to the spinning head 1 by means of an extruder . the polymer is then conveyed by a spinning pump to a spinneret 3 and spun via numerous holes in the spinneret 3 into a plurality of filaments which form a bundle 4 of downwardly advancing filaments . the illustrated spinning plant has a total of four spinning stations . as each yarn produced at each spinning station is treated in the same way , the process is described below on the basis of one yarn course . after the filament bundle 4 has left the spinneret 3 , the filament bundle 4 passes through a cooling chamber 2 . the filament bundle 4 is in the process preferably cooled with quench air . following cooling , the filament bundle 4 is brought together to form a multifilament yarn 12 at the guide 5 . the yarn 12 then passes through a processing device 6 in order to produce a finished yarn . the processing device 6 could also take the place of the yarn guide 5 , in which case the yarn guide 5 would be dispensed with . the yarn 12 is subsequently guided into a drawing zone , which is formed by the godets 8 and 10 . in fig1 the drawing zone is marked by dot - dash lines . as the width of the spinning zone of the spinning stations disposed in parallel side by side is greater than the width of the running surface of the godet 8 , the yarns must be deflected to a respective yarn guide 7 to a greater or lesser degree in accordance with their position in order to pass across the godets 8 and 10 in parallel . the godet 8 is driven by the godet motor 9 , and the godet 10 is driven by the godet motor 11 . here the godet 10 is driven at a higher circumferential speed than the godet 8 . the yarn 12 loops around the godets 8 and 10 in the shape of an s or a z . in this drawing zone formation the godet 8 is heated in order to heat the yarn . it is , however , also possible to dispose a heating device between the processing device 6 and the godet 8 in order to draw and set the yarn . the heating device may in this case be formed as a straight heating tube or as a heating rail . after the yarn has run off the godet 10 , the yarn 12 is guided by the yarn guide 21 to a head yarn guide 14 . the stationary head yarn guide 14 belongs to one of a total of four winding stations 41 of a winding device . in each winding station 41 the yarn passes through a traversing device 15 , which lays the yarn 12 to - and - fro essentially transversely to the yarn running direction along a traversing stroke . the traversing device 15 may be formed as a vane - type traversing device or as a reversing threaded shaft traversing device . the so - called traversing triangle forms between the traversing device 15 and the head yarn guide 14 . the yarn then runs onto a pressure roll 16 which is disposed after the traversing device and is rotatably mounted in the machine frame 20 . the yarn loops partly around the pressure roll 16 , which is then deposited on the package 18 . the package 18 is coaxially mounted on a winding spindle 17 . the winding spindle 17 is driven by means of the spindle motor 19 , which is regulated in accordance with the circumferential speed of the pressure roll 16 such that the circumferential speed of the package is always constant , so that the yarn is wound with a constant winding speed . since the winding spindle 17 is longer than the godet 10 , the yarns 12 have to be deflected to a greater or lesser degree after running off the godet 10 in order to enter the respective winding station in parallel . as it is only possible to bring the yarns together before the godet 8 and move them apart after the godet 10 with the aid of yarn guides 7 and 21 , a frictional force dependent upon the degree of deflection is produced in the yarn 12 . different yarn tensions are thus built up in each yarn . where a high - quality yarn is concerned , however , the yarn has to be wound into a package with an essentially constant yarn tension . according to the invention the yarn 12 passes through a respective delivery mechanism 13 , the operating mode of which is described below . the delivery mechanism 13 is disposed between the yarn guide 21 and the head yarn guide 14 . a yarn tension is reduced or built up in the yarn 12 by means of the delivery mechanism 13 . the yarn tension is reduced in the spinning plant shown in fig1 . in this case the delivery mechanisms 13 in each yarn course are set such that the yarns exhibit essentially the same yarn tension in the yarn course after the delivery mechanism 13 . the reduction in tension is therefore greater in the outer yarns , on account of the greater deflection , than in the middle yarns . each of the delivery mechanisms thus has a predetermined setting which is dependent on the yarn course . the method described in fig1 is advantageously used to produce poy . however in this case it is also possible to take the yarns directly out of the spinning zone and to the winding device without the interposition of a drawing system ( godets ). the structure of the spinning apparatus would correspond to the spinning apparatus from fig1 without the drawing zone marked by dot - dash lines . the yarns pass through the respective delivery mechanisms to set the yarn tension before they enter the winding devices . the yarns are advantageously guided in parallel out of the spinning zone until they reach the delivery mechanisms . fig2 shows a spinning apparatus which is particularly suitable for producing fdy ( fully drawn yarn ). as the method cycle from spinning to winding is similar to the spinning method illustrated in fig1 only the differences with respect to the method and the apparatus according to fig1 are described at this point . otherwise the description relating to fig1 will be referred to . after leaving the spinning zone , the yarns 12 are brought toward each other such that they can run onto the godet 24 at a slight distance from one another . a yarn guide 22 disposed before the godet 24 serves this purpose . the yarns 12 loop around the godet 24 several times , being guided to - and - fro between a transfer roller 23 and the godet 24 . the yarns are taken off the godet 24 by a drawing godet 27 , and the yarns 12 then loop several times around the godet 27 and the transfer roller 26 . the feed godet 24 is driven by the godet motor 25 , and the drawing godet 27 is driven by the godet motor 28 . the godet 27 is driven at a higher circumferential speed than the godet 24 in order to draw the yarns . here too the godet 24 is heated in order to heat the yarns . however the method can also be carried out with cold godets . a heating tube or heating rail is used for the heating process between the feed godet 24 and the processing device 6 . however the yarn may also be guided through a steam nozzle before running onto the feed godet 24 . after the yarns have passed through the drawing zone , they are spread apart to the individual winding stations of the winding device after the yarn guide 29 . a delivery mechanism 13 is again disposed in the yarn course between the yarn guide 21 and the head yarn guide 14 . each delivery mechanism 13 is controlled via a servomotor 34 , which is coupled to a control device 32 . a yarn tension sensor 31 is disposed in the yarn course between the guide 21 and the delivery mechanism 13 . the sensor 31 is also connected to the control device 32 . this variant of the method enables the delivery mechanisms 13 to be controlled in accordance with the tension of the yarn entering the delivery mechanisms . the control device 32 can in addition be used to predetermine a value which must without fail be observed when winding the yarn . this arrangement enables variations in the tension which may occur during the continuous process , e . g . due to wear phenomenon , to be directly corrected . the delivery mechanisms 13 do not have a predetermined setting . the tension in the yarn is therefore constantly adapted to the yarn tension required for winding in accordance with the process parameters . fig3 is a diagrammatic view of a delivery mechanism 13 which enables a tension in the yarn to be reduced . the delivery mechanism comprises a disc - shaped carrier 33 . the rollers 35 and 36 are rotatably mounted on the carrier 33 . the rollers 35 and 36 are driven . the disc - shaped carrier 33 can be rotated in the direction of displacement 37 via the servomotor 34 . the yarn 12 is guided around the rollers 35 and 36 in the shape of an s , with the yarn 12 looping around the rollers 35 and 36 to a greater or lesser degree , depending on the setting . the degree to which the yarn tension is reduced is set by varying the angle of loop at the rollers 35 . the yarn tension is in this case reduced by means of a slippage which is set between the yarn and the roller 35 or 36 . for this purpose the circumferential speed of the roller 35 or 36 is higher than the running - on speed of the yarn . if a yarn tension is to be built up , the rollers 35 and 36 may be replaced by non - driven rollers or stationary pins . the friction between the yarn 12 and the respective stationary roller / pin can thus be set by the degree of looping , the result of which is a build - up of the yarn tension . fig4 and 5 show two further modifications of the delivery mechanism , as could be used in a spinning apparatus in fig1 or 2 . fig4 shows that the yarn tension sensors 31 . 1 ; 31 . 2 ; and 31 . 4 are disposed in the yarn course before the delivery mechanism 13 . 1 ; 13 . 2 ; and 13 . 4 and are coupled to the delivery mechanism via a control device 32 . 1 ; 32 . 2 ; and 32 . 4 . the control devices 32 . 1 , 32 . 2 and 32 . 4 are connected to a control unit 39 . the control unit 39 is coupled to the control device 32 . 3 . the control device 32 . 3 is also connected to a yarn tension sensor 31 . 3 , the latter being disposed in the yarn course downstream of the delivery mechanism 13 . 3 . the measurement of the yarn tension carried out on the filament 12 . 3 is in this case used as a reference measurement point . the measurement signal of the yarn tension sensor 31 . 3 is delivered via the control device 32 . 3 to the control unit 39 . the reference signal is transmitted from the control unit 39 to the control devices 32 . 1 , 32 . 2 and 32 . 4 . in the control device 32 . 1 , 32 . 2 and 32 . 4 the reference signal is compared with the signal from the yarn tension measurement in the yarn course before the respective delivery mechanism . the difference is then preset as the control signal of the respective delivery mechanism . this results in the yarns 12 . 1 , 12 . 2 , 12 . 3 and 12 . 4 having the same yarn tension upon entering the winding zone . fig5 shows a further embodiment which , when compared with the arrangement of fig2 differs in that the yarn tension sensors 31 . 1 to 31 . 4 are disposed in the yarn course downstream of the delivery mechanisms 13 . 1 to 13 . 4 instead of in the yarn course before the delivery mechanism . this arrangement is particularly suitable for regulating the yarn tension . for this purpose , the control devices 40 . 1 to 40 . 4 are in each case provided with a predetermined yarn tension by a control unit 39 , this being set by way of the delivery mechanism 13 . 1 to 13 . 4 . as a result of measuring the yarn tension after the delivery mechanism via the sensor 31 . 1 to 31 . 4 , the measurement signal is supplied to the control device 40 . 1 to 40 . 4 and compared with the predetermined value . the differences between the predetermined value and the measured value are supplied as controlling variables to the delivery mechanism 13 . 1 to 13 . 4 . this arrangement has the additional advantage of enabling variations in yarn tension resulting from the winding operation to be compensated by the delivery mechanism . the method according to the invention is suitable for varying the tension of the yarns in a multistation spinning plant and for producing fdy , poy , bcf yarn , industrial yarn and hoy . all kinds of filament materials such as polypropylene , polyester , polyamide and viscose can likewise be processed using the method . fig6 and 7 show a winding device with integrated delivery mechanisms . in this respect the following description applies equally to fig6 and fig7 . the winding device consists of a machine frame 20 . a total of four winding stations 41 . 1 , 41 . 2 , 41 . 3 and 41 . 4 are disposed on the machine frame 20 . each of the winding stations 41 . 1 to 41 . 4 comprises firstly a delivery mechanism 13 . 1 to 13 . 4 in the yarn running direction . the delivery mechanisms 13 . 1 to 13 . 4 are disposed on a carrier 44 , which is firmly connected to the machine frame 20 . each of the delivery mechanisms 13 . 1 to 13 . 4 comprises two delivery rollers 42 and 43 disposed one below the other . as each winding station 41 . 1 to 41 . 4 is of the same structure , the parts of the apparatus are described on the basis of one winding station in the following . the delivery roller 42 is connected to a drive shaft 47 , which is driven by a motor 49 . the delivery roller 43 is secured to the drive shaft 48 , which is driven by the motor 50 . the yarn 12 loops around the delivery rollers 42 and 43 in the shape of a z . a head yarn guide 14 and , following this , a traversing device 15 are disposed below the delivery mechanisms 13 . 1 to 13 . 4 . the so - called traversing triangle 45 is formed between the head yarn guide 14 and the traversing device 15 . the traversing device 15 is in this case formed as a vane - type traversing device , with the yarn being guided to and fro within a traversing stroke by two or more vanes driven in opposite directions . at the end of each traversing stroke the transfer takes place between two vanes meeting at a transfer point . a pressure roll 16 is mounted to a rocker arm 46 below the traversing device 15 . the pressure roll 16 lies on the surface of the package 18 with a predetermined force . the package 18 is wound on a tube 52 , which is mounted on a winding spindle 17 . the winding spindle 17 is rotatably mounted in a projecting manner in the machine frame 19 . the yarn 12 entering the winding station 41 . 1 initially enters the delivery mechanism 13 . 1 . the delivery rollers 42 and 43 of the delivery mechanism 13 . 1 are driven at a circumferential speed which is higher than the yarn speed . this results in a certain reduction in the tension in the filament . the reduction in tension is in this case essentially determined by the circumferential speed which is set . the angles of loop at the delivery rollers are fixed at a predetermined value in this embodiment . the yarn then enters the traversing triangle and is deposited on the package 18 by means of the traversing device 15 and the pressure roll 16 . the circumferential speed of the package 18 is constant in this case . the circumferential speed of the package is regulated by way of a spindle motor , which is controlled in accordance with the rotational speed of the pressure roll . in order to permit a continuous winding process , the winding spindle 17 can be mounted in a revolver ( not shown ) as disclosed for example in u . s . pat . nos . 5 , 029 , 762 and 5 , 526 , 995 . the revolver is rotatably disposed in the machine frame , and a second winding spindle is disposed on the revolver such that it is staggered by 180 ° with respect to the first winding spindle . as soon as the packages 18 on the winding spindle 17 have been completely wound , the winding revolver is rotated , so that the second spindle , with empty bobbin tubes mounted thereon , is pivoted into the appropriate operating position . the winding device shown in fig6 and 7 could be used in the spinning apparatus from fig1 or 2 . it is , however , also possible to use a winding device of this kind in a spinning plant in which the filaments lie in a parallel course between the spinneret and the winding stations . fig8 shows another embodiment of a delivery mechanism as could be used in the spinning apparatus from fig1 and 2 or in a winding device according to fig6 . here the delivery mechanism consists of three delivery rollers 42 , 43 and 53 . the delivery rollers 42 and 43 are disposed at a distance from one another parallel to the course of the yarn 12 . the delivery roller 42 is driven by the drive shaft 47 and the delivery roller 43 by the drive shaft 48 . the delivery roller 53 is connected to a drive shaft 54 , which is mounted in a fork 55 . the fork 55 is disposed on an actuator 56 , so that the fork 55 can be displaced essentially transversely to the yarn running direction . the delivery roller 53 is disposed on the opposite side of the yarn course with respect to the delivery rollers 42 and 43 . in the illustrated position , the actuator 56 with the delivery roller 53 is shown in the drawn - in state and hence moved out of the yarn course . the yarn 12 can now pass unobstructed through the delivery mechanism without looping . the delivery roller 53 is positioned in the center between the delivery rollers 42 and 43 . as the distance between the delivery rollers 42 and 43 is greater than the diameter of the roller 53 , the roller 53 can be advanced into the space between the delivery rollers 42 and 43 by means of the actuator 56 . the delivery roller 53 then passes through the plane of the yarn course , so that the yarn 12 is forcibly guided by the delivery roller 53 and loops partly around each of the delivery rollers 42 , 43 and 53 . this position is shown by broken lines in fig8 . the delivery roller 53 can be adjusted to a variable degree , so that different angles of loop can be set . the delivery rollers 42 , 43 and 53 are provided on a carrier 61 . a yarn lifting device , which comprises a swivel arm 59 and a yarn guide 58 , is secured to the side of the carrier 61 . the swivel arm 58 is mounted at the pivot pin 60 . the yarn guide 58 passes through the plane of the yarn course with its free end . the yarn 12 is thus taken up by the yarn guide 58 when the swivel arm is pivoted in the direction moving out of the plane of the drawing . fig9 is a diagrammatic side view of the delivery mechanism from fig8 . here the delivery rollers 42 , 43 and 53 are mounted on a carrier 61 . the delivery rollers 42 , 43 and 53 each include a conical feed slope 57 at the free end which is opposite the carrier 61 , and which assists the yarn thread up . the swivel arm 59 is also mounted such that it can pivot at the pivot pin 60 on the carrier 61 . the yarn guide 58 is secured to the free end of the swivel arm 59 . the yarn guide 58 passes through the plane of the yarn course . in the operating position the swivel arm extends parallel to the yarn running direction . in this situation the yarn 12 is guided via the yarn guide 21 through the delivery mechanism to the yarn guide 14 . if the swivel arm 59 is now pivoted in the direction of the yarn 12 , it passes through the plane of the yarn course , so that the yarn is lifted out of the delivery mechanism after being pivoted through 90 ° by the yarn guide 58 . the swivel arm is pivoted back into its starting position when the yarn is fed into the delivery mechanism . the yarn 12 then automatically slides into the region of the delivery rollers 42 and 43 . fig1 is a diagrammatic view of another arrangement of delivery mechanisms as could be used in the spinning apparatus from fig1 or 2 . a total of six delivery mechanisms 13 . 1 to 13 . 6 are disposed side by side . here again each of the delivery mechanisms is formed by two delivery rollers , as described previously in relation to fig6 . as illustrated in fig1 , the delivery rollers 42 . 1 ; 42 . 2 and 43 . 1 ; 43 . 2 are each secured to a shaft 64 . 1 ; 64 . 2 and 63 . 1 ; 63 . 2 , respectively . in this case the top delivery rollers 42 . 1 and 42 . 2 of adjacent delivery mechanisms 13 . 1 and 13 . 2 are connected together via a belt 66 . one of the drive shafts 64 . 2 of the delivery roller 42 . 2 is then driven via a belt drive 67 . the belt drive 67 is here connected with a drive shaft 68 , which is driven by a motor 71 . the belt 67 loops around the shaft 64 . 2 and the drive shaft 68 . the bottom delivery rollers 43 . 1 ; 43 . 2 of the adjacent delivery mechanisms 13 . 1 and 13 . 2 are connected together via a belt 69 which loops about the drive shafts 63 . 1 ; 63 . 2 . the drive shaft 63 . 1 of the roller 43 . 1 is in turn driven by a belt 70 which loops about the drive shaft 65 of the motor 62 . in the arrangement shown in fig1 two delivery rollers are in each case driven together by one drive . however it is also possible to drive several delivery rollers with just one drive , although this kind of coupling of the delivery roller drives is only appropriate if the tension in the yarns before they enter the delivery mechanisms are essentially at the same level . the delivery mechanisms 13 . 3 and 13 . 4 as well as the delivery mechanisms 13 . 5 and 13 . 6 are also driven in the manner described above with reference to the delivery mechanisms 13 . 1 and 13 . 2 . in the drawings and specification , there has been set forth a preferred embodiment of the invention , and although specific terms are employed , they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation . | 1 |
the invention relates to an isolated factor , designate ocaf , that activates ovarian cancer cells , by stimulating the release of intracellular calcium . the term &# 34 ; isolated &# 34 ; is used herein with reference to a factor that is substantially free from proteins and peptides , i . e . is free from proteins and peptides detectable by protein staining techniques . the activating property of the factor with respect to ovarian cancer cells is revealed using the fluorescence scanning technique and the incubation protocol reported by mills et al , supra , which is incorporated herein by reference . briefly , established ovarian cancer cells , of the line designated hey , are preincubated with the fluorescing calcium chelator indo - 1 ; after addition of the factor , the cells are scanned using a spectrophotometer to measure chelated calcium and thus indirectly measure the increased concentration of intracellular calcium . the various identifying characteristics of the ovarian cancer ascites factor of the present invention were revealed upon examination of a preparation obtained from ascites fluid that was taken from ovarian cancer patients . the preparation was obtained in the manner described in example 1 herein . briefly , this entailed a first methanol / chloroform extraction of fresh human ovarian cancer ascites fluid according to the method described by bligh and dyer in can . j . biochem . physiol ., 1959 , 37 : 911 . the ocaf activity was recovered in the aqueous / methanol phase , which was re - extracted with acidified chloroform and methanol according to the method described by schact in methods enzymol ., 1981 , 72 : 626 . the factor - containing chloroform phase was then fractionated on silica gel , and the isolated ocaf was eluted using methanol . the factor resulting from this extraction was subjected to various analytical techniques , and its ovarian cancer activating properties were compared with other known activating and growth factors , using the hey - based fluorescence scanning assay . as is revealed in the examples which follow , ocaf is probably lipid in nature , and may be a unique form of phosholipid . in its extracted form , ocaf may be exploited in screening assays designed to identify compound ( s ) that inhibit ocaf - mediated activation of ovarian cancer cells . such an assay entails incubating an ovarian cancer cell line , such as the hey cell line , in the presence of ocaf and a compound the inhibiting properties of which are to be determined . inhibition by the compound will be revealed by elimination of or a reduction in the intracellular release of calcium within the ovarian cancer cell line , relative to a control experiment in which only ocaf is present . inhibitors of ocaf may be in the form of antibodies , raised by immunizing rabbits , for instance , with ocaf and then recovering the antibodies so formed according to well established procedures . when conjugated to a reporter such as an enzyme , e . g . urease , peroxidase and the like , such antibodies can also be exploited to determine the presence of ocaf in biological samples , as a way of diagnosing ovarian cancer . freshly obtained ascites was centrifuged to remove cells . 25 ml of methanol and 12 . 5 ml of chloroform were added to 10 ml of ascites . after thorough mixing of their contents , the mixture was centrifuged ( 1000 g , 10 min ). the supernatant was removed to a new tube and the precipitate was re - extracted with 12 . 5 ml of chloroform . the combined supernatant was washed with 12 . 5 ml of 0 . 88 % kcl in h 2 o and separated into two layers by centrafugation . the precipitate , which contained more than 99 % protein ( determined by the bio - rad protein assay ), had no ocaf activity and was discarded . the lower chloroform phase , which contained mostly neutral lipids ( revealed by tlc analysis ), had no ocaf activity . the upper aqueous / methanol layer contained ocaf activity (˜ 90 % activity from crude ascites ). the methanol and most of the h 2 o in this phase was removed by a rotary evaporator at 50 ° c . the resulting material was brought up to 1 ml by h 2 o and 3 ml of chloroform / methanol ( 1 : 2 ) was added and mixed . then , 1 ml of 2 . 4n hcl and 1 ml chloroform were added . after thorough mixing , the mixture was centrifuged ( about 1000 g for 10 min ) and the lower layer was transferred into new tubes . the interface and upper phase were extracted once more with 2 ml of chloroform . the combined lower phases were washed with 4 ml of methanol - 1nhcl , 1 : 1 ( v / v ). the upper phase , found to contain no ocaf activity , was discarded after centrifugation . the lower layer was collected , and found to possess ocaf activity (& gt ; 80 % recovery from crude ascites ). ocaf in this acidified chloroform was passed on a sep - pak silica cartridge (˜ 10 ml / cartridge ), which was washed with 20 ml of chloroform , 20 of acetone and then 20 ml of chloroform / methanol ( 50 : 50 , v / v ). the ocaf activity was eluted with 50 ml of methanol with overall recovery & gt ; 70 %. this ocaf preparation is free of protein and amino acid , as assessed by silver - stained sds page and tlc analysis by staining with ninhydrin . tlc analysis also indicated that ocaf is substantially free of neutral lipids . the activating properties of ocaf and various comparison compounds were investigated by determining increases in the intracellular calcium concentration within hey cells . for this purpose , hey cells ( a human ovarian cancer cell line obtained from toronto general hospital ) having the properties described by buick et al , cancer research , 1985 , 45 : 3668 ) were cultured in complete medium ( rpmi 1640 ( gibco , grand island , n . y .) substituted with 5 % ( v / v ) fcs ( flow laboratory , maclean , va ), 2 mm glutamine ( gibco ) and 1 × 10 5 m mercaptoethanol . cells were split weekly and were cultured in rpmi 1640 without fcs for at least 20 hours prior to use . cells were harvested in pbs , 2 mm edta . measurements of intracellular calcium were obtained as described by mills et al , supra , using indo - 1 - am as the ca ++ chelator and fluorescence indicator . hey cells were loaded with indo - i am , washed and incubated at 37 ° c . for at least 30 min . different compounds were added to the cells at concentrations as indicated and fluorescence changes were measured by a hitachi 4000 spectrophotometer at 37 ° c . ascites was used as a positive control to show that the cells were responsive . in all cases , assays were performed in a calcium free buffer ( 140 mm nacl , 1 mm kcl , 1 mm mgcl 2 , 10 mm glucose , and 20 mm hepes , ph 7 . 23 ) and 1 mm egta was added followed by the test samples . to confirm that various known growth factors were not responsible for ocaf activity , the factors identified in table 1 were evaluated in the hey - based assay at the noted concentrations . table i______________________________________peptide growth factorstested in [ ca . sup .++ ]. sub . i assay assaycompound concentration ( ca . sup .++) ______________________________________tgf - α 0 . 01 ng - 1 μg / ml - tgf - β 100 ng / ml - egf 0 . 01 ng - 1 μg / ml - acidic fgf 0 . 01 ng - 1 μg / ml - basic fgf 0 . 01 ng - 1 μg / ml - pdgf 5 ng / ml - igf - i 0 . 01 ng - 1 μg / ml - igf - ii 0 . 01 ng - 1 μg / ml - il - 1 1 , 000 half - max . units / ml - il - 2 0 . 01 ng - 1 μg / ml - il - 8 0 . 01 ng - 1 μg / ml - tnf - α 100 ng / ml - insulin 10 . sup .- 6 m - lif * 0 . 01 - 1 μg / ml - thrombin 0 . 1 - 10 unit / ml + fibrinogen 2 - 200 μg / ml - vasopressin 100 ng / ml - angiotesin 100 ng / ml - α - & amp ; β - interferons 10 , 000 units / ml - bombesin 10 nm - 1 μm - bradykinin 10 nm - 1 μm - pha ** 30 μg / ml - ______________________________________ * lif : leukaemia inhibitory factor ** pha : mitogenic lectin phytohemagglutinin of the more than 20 different peptide growth factors tested , only thrombin stimulated a transient [ ca ++ ] i increase in hey cells . however , thrombin did not interfere with the ocaf - activated calcium signal , although some attenuation did occur ( fig1 a and 1b ). furthermore , antithrombin was found to block thrombin activity , but not ocaf activity . still further evidence that ocaf is not a protein was obtained from protease digestion studies . it was found that ocaf activity was not abolished after treatment with the following proteases , all of which were separately incubated with ocaf at 37 ° c . for 3 - 5 hours : bromelain , carboxypeptidase y , peptidase , pepsin , papain , protease types xxv ( pronase e ), xvii - b ( v8 ), xiii and xiv ( pronase e ), proteinase k , thermolysin , and trypsin . further characterization of ocaf also demonstrated that it is resistant to extremely harsh treatment including boiling in water for fifteen minutes , extremes of ph and detergent treatment . furthermore , it is soluble in 80 % acetone and 100 % meoh , suggesting that it could be a lipid . more than 20 known lipid growth factors / mediators were then tested , and the results are presented in table ii . table ii__________________________________________________________________________organic compounds tested in [ ca . sup .++ ]. sub . i assaycompound concentration assay ( ca . sup .++) __________________________________________________________________________arachidonic acid 12 , 24 , 60 , 120 , 480 μm - oleic acid 1 , 12 , 120 μm - diacylglycerol 1 , 12 , 20 , 200 μm - phosphatidic acid 12 , 60 μm - phosphatidylcholine 12 , 30 , 75 , 300 μm - phosphatidylethanolamine 12 , 30 , 80 μm - phosphatidylserine 12 , 30 , 80 μm -** lpa 1 , 12 μm + lpc 12 , 60 μm - lpe 1 , 12 , 20 μm - lpg 1 , 12 , 20 , 50 μm - lpi 1 , 12 , 20 , 50 μm -** lps 1 , 12 μm + sphingosine 1 , 12 , 20 , 50 μm -** spc 1 , 12 , 20 μm + sphinogomyelin 1 , 12 , 20 μm - osm 2 , 10 , 20 μm - ceramide 1 , 12 , 20 μm - paf 10 . sup .- 11 to 10 . sup .- 5 m - tpa 10 . sup .- 10 to 10 . sup .- 6 m - carbachol 0 . 2 , 1 . 2 , 2 . 4 mm - __________________________________________________________________________ lpa : lysophosphatidic acid ( oleoyl , palmitoyl or stearoyl ) lpc : lα - lysophosphatidylcholine ( oleoyl or palmitoyl ) lpe : lysophosphatidylethanolamine ( oleoyl ) lpg : lysophosphatidylglycerol lpi : lysophosphatidylinositol lps : lysophosphatidylserine spc : sphingosylphosphorylcholine osm : noleoyl - d - sphingomyelin paf : platelet activating factor tpa : 12o - tetradecanoylphorbol - 13 - acetate it will be seen from table ii that lpa ( oleoyl , palmitoyl and stearoyl ), lps and spc were found to stimulate [ ca ++ ] i release in hey cells . furthermore , they all cross inhibit ocaf and each other in the assay and fig2 and 3 show typical interactions . enzymatic digestions of ocaf and other lipids were carried out to determine whether ocaf is phospholipid in nature , and whether other phospholipids might possess ocaf activity . phospholipase digestions were carried out in 10 mm hepes , ph 7 . 4 , with either 100 mm nacl or 4 mm cacl 2 at 37 ° c . for 3 h . the reactions were stopped by freezing at - 20 ° c . no further extraction was done and the mixtures were assayed for calcium release activity as described above . the enzymes used were also incubated in the absence of substrate under the same conditions , and no calcium release was observed . the results are shown in table iii . table iii______________________________________ [ ca . sup .++]. sub . i release after enzymatic digestionssample control pl - b pl - d lipoxidase______________________________________ocaf ++ - - - lpa ++ - ++ ++ lpc - - ++ - lps ++ - ++ - spc ++ ++ - ++ thrombin ++ ++ ++ ++ ______________________________________ lpa : lysophosphatidic acid ( oleoyl , palmitoyl or stearoyl ) lpc : lysophosphatidylglycerol lps : lysophosphatidylserine spc : sphingosylphosphorylcholine pl - b : phospholipase b ( vibrio species ) pl - d : phospholipase d , type vi ( streptomyces chromofuscus ) lipoxidase : lipoxidase ( soybean ) the digestion profile of ocaf does not correspond to those observed for other phospholipids , but imply structural similarity . judging from its sensitivity to phospholipase b and d , ocaf is likely a phospholipid other than lpa , lps and spc . | 0 |
referring now to one or more specific embodiments of the invention for the purpose of illustrating embodiments of the invention only and not for the purpose of limiting the same , the invention comprises a mixture of the vitamin b ingredients with minerals and / or natural ingredients . the combination of the ingredients in the vitamin supplement is scientifically designed to increase energy and mental cognitive focus , as well as help the brain and central nervous system manage the stress and anxiety that is present during a round of golf , or other athletic activity . the combination of ingredients in the vitamin supplement also can help increase blood circulation throughout the body ; however , this is not required . the vitamin b ingredients are believed to help to inhibit or prevent premature fatigue and to allow increased blood circulation , which will also aid the body in clearing out any and all lactic acids , thereby allowing the athlete to experience less soreness in the muscles following a round of golf or other exercise . two non - limiting formulations of the vitamin supplement in accordance with the present invention are set forth below : vitamin supplement formulations example / ingredient ex . a ex . b b1 90 - 130 mg 100 mg b2 90 - 130 mg 100 mg b3 7 - 13 mg 10 mg b5 90 - 130 mg 100 mg b6 90 - 130 mg 100 mg b12 1100 - 1300 mcg 1250 mcg coq10 4 - 8 mg 5 mg di - phenylalanine 175 - 225 mg 200 mg ginkgo biloba 60 - 100 mg 80 mg hyperzine a 80 - 130 mcg 100 mcg inositol 200 - 280 mg 250 mg magnesium 170 - 230 mg 200 mg msm 175 - 235 mg 200 mg phosphatidiyl serine 60 - 100 mg 80 mg potassium 80 - 130 mg 100 mg taurine 80 - 125 mg 100 mg white willow 175 - 225 mg 200 mg zinc 25 - 35 mg 25 mg example a includes a dosage range for the components of the vitamin supplement . example b is a very specific composition for the vitamin supplement . the composition set forth in example b is designed for a male of average age and having a weight of about 175 - 225 lb . and the formulation of the vitamin supplement is selected for use in playing the game of golf . the formula of example b is design to be used in capsule form and to be taken about 30 - 45 minutes prior to play a round of golf . the dosage of the vitamin supplement of example b is selected to last the user at least about five hours . vitamin supplements for use in other sports can have a slightly different formulation than the vitamin supplement used for play golf . example a represents the slight adjustments to one or more of the components of the vitamin supplement for use by a male of average and a weight of about 17 - 225 lb . the dosage ranges in example a are non - limiting and may be deviated from when used by males of differing age and / or weight , or when the vitamin supplement is used by females . the believed benefits of each of the components set forth in examples a and b are set forth below ; however , it will be appreciated that one or more of the components described below may have other or additional benefits . vitamin b1 — helps the body form atp , the energy or fuel on which the body runs . nerve cells require this vitamin for normal functions under high stress . vitamin b5 — helps the body convert fat into energy and is also used to make acctylcholine , the neurotransmitter which aids the body in managing stress . vitamin b6 — used by the body to make the hormones serotonin and dopamine , which aid the brain with cognitive focus and ultimately provide a positive mood balance . vitamin b12 — used for normal cell activity during stress . it is also used for the production of s - adenofyl l - methioninc , which aids energy and mood enhancement . di - phenylalanine — an essential amino acid that plays an important role in mood , memory , and mental alertness . magnesium — used for activating the release of the b vitamins and is essential for helping to keep stresses muscles relaxed . magnesium is one of the two main minerals needed by the human body for overall strength . msm — a natural anti - inflammatory product , and is an alternative to drugs such as ibuprofen . potassium — used to facilitate in the body &# 39 ; s nervous system transmission and to also facilitate in the body &# 39 ; s transport mechanism across cell membranes . taurine — helps regulate the nervous system and prevents the brain cells from hyper activity . white willow — a natural anti - inflammatory product , and is an alternative to drugs such as ibuprofen . zinc — used to strengthen the body &# 39 ; s immune system , especially when it is under stress . zinc is also one of the two main minerals needed for overall body strength . it will thus be seen that the objects set forth above , among those made apparent from the preceding description , are efficiently attained , and since certain changes may be made in the constructions set forth without departing from the spirit and 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 . the invention has been described with reference to preferred and alternate embodiments . modifications and alterations will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading and understanding the detailed discussion of the invention provided herein . this invention is intended to include all such modifications and alterations insofar as they come within the scope of the present invention . it is also to be understood that the following claims are intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described and all statements of the scope of the invention , which , as a matter of language , might be said to fall therebetween . | 0 |
with reference now to fig4 , there is illustrated a high - level diagram of a network using a server 32 in accordance with the present invention . as depicted , server 32 is a data processing system that preferably includes multiple processing units 34 a – 34 n . in addition to the conventional registers , instruction flow logic and execution units utilized to execute program instructions , each of processing units 34 a – 34 n also includes an associated one of on - board level one ( l1 ) caches 36 a – 36 n , which temporarily stores instructions and data that are likely to be accessed by the associated processor . although l1 caches 36 a – 36 n are illustrated in fig4 as unified caches that store both instruction and data ( both referred to hereinafter simply as data ), those skilled in the art will appreciate that each of l1 caches 36 a – 36 n could alternatively be implemented as bifurcated instruction and data caches . in order to minimize access latency , server 32 also includes one or more additional levels of cache memory , such as level two ( l2 ) caches 38 a – 38 n , which are utilized to stage data to l1 caches 36 a – 36 n . l2 caches 38 a – 38 n function as intermediate storage between system memory 42 and l1 caches 36 a – 36 n , and can typically store a much larger amount of data than l1 caches 36 a – 36 n , but at a longer access latency . as noted above , although fig4 depicts only two levels of cache , the memory hierarchy of server 32 could be expanded to include additional levels ( l3 , l4 , etc .) of serially - connected or lookaside caches . as illustrated , server 32 further includes i / o devices 44 , a system memory 42 , and a non - volatile storage 46 , which are each coupled to interconnect 40 . i / o devices 44 comprise conventional peripheral devices , such as a display device , keyboard , and graphical pointer , which are interfaced to interconnect 40 via conventional adapters . non - volatile storage 46 stores an operating system and other software , which are loaded into volatile system memory 42 in response to server 32 being powered on . further connected to interconnect 40 is a communication adapter 48 , which connects server 32 to a client computer 52 via a network 50 . network 50 may be a local area network ( lan ) or a wide area network ( wan ) such as an internet . client computer 52 may be a “ thin ” computing device having limited resident application software or a “ fat ” computer device having extensive resident application software . with reference now to fig5 , there is illustrated a role based authorization ( rba ) scheme for an enterprise depicted as corporation 54 . it is understood that such an enterprise may alternately be any large business organization , school , governmental agency , etc . corporation 54 is broken out into departments a , b , and c , as depicted in blocks 56 a , 56 b , and 56 c respectively . each person in corporation 54 is assigned a role by corporation 54 &# 39 ; s network system manager ( not shown ). for example , role 1 , illustrated in block 60 , is assigned to all persons defined as managers and thus belonging to a manager group , depicted as block 58 . further , non - manager “ clerk chuck ” from department c is depicted as having been authorized by the network system manager to be assigned role 1 as well . the purpose of a role is to authorize a specific user access to a particular data , such as an object oriented program ( oop ) object described below . details of how such authorization occurs follows . referring now to fig6 , there is depicted a software diagram showing how client code 68 for a specific client user accesses an ejb method m 1 located in an enterprise javabean ( ejb ) object 64 , an oop object , through a security service 72 , which is a security software system . in the scenario depicted in fig6 , within server software 62 are only enterprise javabean ( ejb ) objects , of which only one is depicted and identified as ejb object 64 . preferably , ejb object 64 includes several methods , but only the single ejb method m 1 is shown for clarity . server software 62 , which is accessed and run by server 32 ( depicted in fig4 ) communicates with client code 68 , which is associated with client computer 52 ( also shown in fig4 ) and used by the specific user . ejb object 64 is understood to have been previously created , preferably using an ejb home object ( not shown ), in a process understood by those skilled in the art of computer programming and familiar with the java 2 platform , enterprise edition ™ ( j2ee ) and ejb specifications . ejb object 64 s operates within ejb container 66 , which is a software environment that manages and executes ejb objects 64 . while only one ejb object 64 is shown for clarity &# 39 ; s sake , preferably each ejb container 66 contains multiple ejb objects 64 . likewise , while server software 62 is illustrated as having only one ejb container 66 for purposes of clarity , preferably server software 62 contains multiple ejb containers 66 . when client code 68 wishes to evoke ejb method m 1 in ejb object 64 , it sends a request to object request broker ( orb ) 70 ( arrow 1 ). orb 70 is software , located within server software 62 , whose function includes routing requests from client code 68 to a method in an oop object , and routing method responses ( results of an operation ) from the oop object back to client code 68 . thus in fig6 , orb 70 directs the request from client code 68 for ejb method m 1 to ejb container 66 ( arrow 2 ). the request must first pass through an authorization layer 74 , which is a security layer of software , defined by the j2ee and ejb specifications , that screens requests for objects found within ejb container 66 . a method - role mapping table 76 , which preferably has been previously created by the system manager , is a database accessible to authorization layer 74 . method - role mapping table 76 contains a listing of which roles are authorized to access particular methods , such as ejb method m 1 . part of the request protocol from client code 68 identifies the particular user making the request for ejb method m 1 . thus , authorization layer 74 knows both the identity of the requesting user and the identity of the requested ejb method m 1 . authorization layer 74 accesses method - role mapping table 76 to acquire a list of role ( s ) authorized to access ejb method m 1 ( arrow 3 ). authorization layer 74 sends this list of authorized role ( s ) along with the identity of the requesting user to security service 72 ( arrow 4 ). security service 72 then looks up the name of the requesting user in role table 78 to determine which role ( s ) that requester holds . like method - role mapping table 76 , role table 78 has been previously generated , preferably by the system manager . security service 72 compares the requesting user &# 39 ; s role ( s ) ( found in role table 78 ) with the role ( s ) which will allow access to ejb method m 1 ( as determined by method - role mapping table 76 ), and determines if there is a role match . the results of this role matching are sent back to authorization layer 74 ( arrow 5 ). if the roles matched , authorization layer 74 notifies ejb object 64 that ejb method m 1 to be run ( arrow 6 ), and the results of running ejb method m 1 are returned to orb 70 ( arrow 7 ). if the roles do not match , authorization layer 74 sends orb 70 a fault message ( arrow 7 a ), such as an “ interrupt ,” “ time out ,” “ error ,” or similar message , notifying orb 70 that the request for ejb method m 1 is not authorized . the results from ejb method m 1 or the fault message are then returned to client code 68 for the requesting user ( arrow 8 ). reference is now made to fig7 , which depicts a non - ejb common object request broker architecture ( corba ) object 80 located in server software 62 that is being requested . note that while ejb objects described above are actually types of corba objects , for clarity ejb corba objects will be referred to as “ ejb objects ” and non - ejb corba objects will now be referred to as “ corba objects .” note further that ejb object 64 may also reside in server software 62 within ejb container 66 , but the request described in fig7 is for a method on corba object 80 , not for a method from ejb object 64 . as described above , corba objects do not have inherent security authorization protocols . therefore , the inventive process now described affords such authorization security to corba object 80 and its methods . as with the request for an ejb object described in fig6 , a request is shown in fig7 for a corba method m 2 from client code 68 as being sent to orb 70 ( arrow 101 ). orb 70 directs the request to corba object 80 , which contains a corba method m 2 ( arrow 102 ), which conforms to the corba specification . corba object 80 has previously been modified by the system manager to redirect the request for corba method m 2 to shadow ejb object 65 . shadow ejb object 65 is an object created under the j2ee and ejb specifications to mirror corba object 80 . shadow ejb object 65 contains methods that correspond to corba methods found in corba objects , but shadow ejb object 65 contains no variables or data . thus , shadow ejb object 65 is preferably incapable of performing any function other enabling than the authorization of access to corba object 80 as described in detail below . in the depiction , a shadow ejb method m 2 ′ is an ejb counterpart to corba method m 2 . for programmer convenience , shadow ejb method m 2 ′ may have the same name as corba method m 2 , or shadow ejb method m 2 ′ and corba method m 2 may have different names . as illustrated by arrow 103 , corba object 80 then directs a request for shadow ejb method m 2 ′ to orb 70 . orb 70 sends the request for shadow ejb method m 2 ′ to authorization layer 74 ( arrow 104 ). method - role mapping table 76 contains a listing of which roles are authorized to access shadow ejb method m 2 ′. part of the request protocol from client code 68 identifies the particular user making the request for corba method m 2 . thus , authorization layer 74 knows both the identity of the requesting user and the identity of the requested corba method m 2 and its shadow ejb method m 2 ′. authorization layer 74 accesses method - role mapping table 76 to acquire a list of role ( s ) authorized to access shadow ejb method m 2 ′ ( arrow 105 ). authorization layer 74 sends this list of authorized role ( s ) along with the identity of the requesting user to security service 72 ( arrow 106 ). security service 72 then looks up which role ( s ) the requesting user has in role table 78 . security service 72 compares the requesting user &# 39 ; s role ( s ) ( found in role table 78 ) with the role ( s ) which will allow access to shadow ejb method m 2 ′ ( as determined by method - role mapping table 76 ), and determines if there is a role match . the results of this role matching are sent back to authorization layer 74 ( arrow 107 ). if the roles matched , authorization layer 74 notifies shadow ejb object 65 that shadow ejb method m 2 ′ may be run ( arrow 108 ), and orb 70 is notified that shadow ejb method m 2 ′, and thus non - ejb corba method m 2 , is authorized to run ( arrow 109 ). if the roles do not match , authorization layer 74 sends to orb 70 a fault message , such as “ interrupt ,” “ time out ,” “ error ,” or a similar message , notifying orb 70 that the request for non - ejb corba method m 2 is not authorized ( arrow 108 a ). either the result of the successful call to shadow ejb method m 2 ′ or the fault message will then be sent from orb 70 back to non - ejb corba object 80 . if a fault message is returned to non - ejb corba object 80 , that fault message is propagated back to orb 70 for transmittal back to client code 68 and the requesting user ( arrow 112 ). if the roles matched , then non - ejb corba object 80 is allowed to execute corba method m 2 ( arrow 110 ), and non - ejb corba object 80 returns the requested results of executing corba method m 2 to orb 70 ( arrow 111 ) for transmittal back to client code 68 ( again arrow 112 ). thus , object 80 has been able to use the ejb security methodology enabled by shadow ejb object 65 . referring now to fig8 , there is depicted a block diagram of software used in an alternative embodiment of the present invention , wherein method - role mapping table 76 is directly accessed without calling a shadow ejb object . as in fig7 , server software 62 as depicted in fig8 may contain ejb object 64 as well as corba object 80 and its shadow ejb object 65 . however , fig8 again assumes the request for a method from client code 68 is for a method on corba object 80 . thus , client code 68 sends a request to orb 70 for a corba method m 2 ( arrow 201 ). orb 70 directs the request to corba object 80 , which contains corba method m 2 ( arrow 202 ). corba object 80 has been previously modified to utilize a “ shortcut ” ejb security mechanism derived from that described above . thus , corba object 80 first sends security service 72 the name of shadow ejb 65 and the name of shadow ejb method m 2 ′ located on shadow ejb object 65 ( arrow 203 ). part of the request protocol from client code 68 identifies the particular user making the request for non - ejb corba method m 2 . thus security service 72 has both the name of the user and enough information to access the method - role mapping table 76 for shadow ejb object 65 . security service 72 then requests which role ( s ) are authorized to access shadow ejb method m 2 ′ ( arrow 204 ), and returns these role ( s ) to itself ( arrow 205 ). security service 72 then looks up which role ( s ) the requesting user has in role table 78 . security service 72 compares the requesting user &# 39 ; s role ( s ) ( found in role table 78 ) with the role ( s ) which will allow access to shadow ejb method m 2 ′ ( found in method - role mapping table 76 ), and determines if there is a role match . the results of this role matching are sent back to corba object 80 ( arrow 206 ). if the roles matched , corba object 80 returns the results of the request to corba method m 2 to orb 70 ( arrow 207 ), which passes the results on to client code 68 ( arrow 208 ). if the roles do not match , corba object 80 sends orb 70 a fault message , such as an “ interrupt ,”, “ timeout ,” “ error ,” or similar message , which passes the fault message back to client code 68 ( again arrows 207 and 208 ). reference is now made to fig9 , which is a high - level software flowchart of the embodiment of the present invention as depicted in fig8 . as depicted in block 82 , the server orb receives the method request from the specific user of the client computer . the server orb queries , as described in block 84 , whether the method is located in an ejb object or a non - ejb corba object . if the method is on a non - ejb corba object , the request is directed to that non - ejb corba object as shown in block 86 . the non - ejb corba object then sends the name of the shadow ejb object and the name of the requested method to the security service , as depicted in block 90 . the security service uses this information to locate the role - method table for the shadow ejb method and checks for authorization of the user to call the shadow ejb method , and thus the non - ejb corba method , according to the role matching process described above . if the requester is authorized to call the method , then the method on the corba object is allowed to return a result to the requester , as described in blocks 102 and 106 . if the roles do not match , an exception message is returned to the requester , as shown in block 104 . if the method called is a method on an ejb object , the request for the method is directed to that ejb object , as described in block 92 . the container having the ejb object sends the required security role and name of the requester to the security service , as described in block 94 . the security service then role matches ( block 98 ), and either returns a result from the requested method ( block 100 ) or an error message ( block 96 ) back to the requester . the present invention therefore provides security authorization for non - ejb corba methods and objects without having to create a separate parallel security mechanism with the existing ejb security mechanism in the server . using role based authorizations allows scalability by simply assigning as many users as desired the required role to access the method . by using the existing ejb security mechanism , speed is increased since a separate security authorization program , with its own memory and table requirements , is not needed . thus , common security run - time , deployment tools , installation tools and administration tools already in place for ejb objects can be used for authorizing and invoking non - ejb corba objects and methods . it should further be appreciated that the method described above for utilizing ejb security with non - ejb corba objects can be embodied in a computer program product in a variety of forms , and that the present invention applies equally regardless of the particular type of signal bearing media utilized to actually carry out the method described in the invention . examples of signal bearing media include , without limitation , recordable type media such as floppy disks or compact disk read only memories ( cd roms ) and transmission type media such as analog or digital communication links . while the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to a preferred embodiment , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . for example , while the invention has been described as being used in a server on a network , the method and system described may be practiced on a stand - alone computer such as a desktop , a laptop or a personal digital assistance ( pda ). | 7 |
the present invention provides a tubular style lock installation device having body members of two end blocks 100 as a means that each provides for the mounting of the backset adjustment 200 with the use of threaded hole 101 for a shoulder bolt 102 on side b of end block 100 , side a of end block 100 having a hole 103 for body member of support shaft bolt 604 that extends to side e for support of three body member parts known as main support arm 600 also secondary support arm 700 and the pressure support arm 800 . side c of end block 100 has a threaded hole 104 for thumb turn 106 to lock support shaft bolt 604 from moving during use . side c of end block 100 also has a second threaded hole 107 with heli - coil 108 for longer life that extends to side d of end block 100 for knob 109 that has a threaded shaft with a point that is a means to lock secondary base plate 500 or edge drill setup series 900 in place at a designated location to drill and mortise door edge on center or off center . side a of end block 100 has a threaded hole 110 that intersects with threaded hole 107 on side c of block 100 that extends to side d of end block 100 . the purpose of hole 110 is for use of a nylon tipped set screw 112 as a means for a friction break for knob 109 that has a threaded shaft with a point . side d of end block 100 also has two other threaded holes 116 for a means of mounting body member main base plate 400 and spacer plate 300 . side b of end block 100 in addition to the threaded hole 101 for a means to mount the backset adjustment 200 also has a hole 113 for a pin 114 and spring 115 that is a means to creates a backset rotation limit to prevent the free spinning of the backset adjustment 200 . there is a small hole 203 in each backset adjustment 200 as a means to depress the rotation limit pin 114 to allow rotation of backset adjustment 200 for the needed setting of 2⅜ inch backset or 2¾ inch backset . the location of the backset adjustment hole 101 on side b of end block 100 and the location of support shaft bolt hole 103 on sides a and e are necessary for the accuracy for backset . the preferred material for the end block 100 is aluminum because of it is wear resistance and will not rust and also is light in weight . the end block 100 must be of size to allow the main support arm 600 and the secondary support arm 700 to close for a 1¼ inch thick door . the door thickness for this embodiment is 1¼ inch to 2⅜ inch but also may be increased for thicker doors by changing the two support shaft bolts 604 to longer support shaft bolts . for thinner than 1¼ inch thick door would require thicker door drill plate series 1000 or a shim between door drill plate series 1000 and main support arm 600 and secondary support arm 700 . the two end blocks 100 slide freely on the two support shaft bolts 604 with the main base plate 400 and two spacer plates 300 and with attachment secondary base plate 500 if installed or edge drill setup series 900 if installed . the two end blocks 100 can be locked to the two support shaft bolts 604 with thumb turn 106 on each end block 100 as a means of centering the main base plate 400 on the edge of the door or to do off set drilling on the edge of the door . there may be centering clips 605 installed into holes 606 in the support shaft bolts 604 on each side of each end block 100 as a means for a dedicated door edge drilling setup series 900 . the backset adjustment 200 is a plate two inches wide to hit against the door edge as a means of setting the backset of 2⅜ inch or 2¾ inch from the latch center on edge of the door to the center of the main hole in the door face . the backset adjustment 200 should have cut outs on each side as a means to identify that it is the side of the backset adjustment . the width of two inches is to span across any cut out or damage and to aid in centering on the door . the off set hole 201 in backset adjustment 200 is what determines the backset of 2⅜ inch or 2¾ inch and there for must be ⅜ inch difference from one face to the other . other cosmetic designs may be used as long as the above specifications are met . there is a small hole 203 in each backset adjustment 200 as a means to depress the rotation limit pin 114 to allow rotation of backset adjustment 200 for the needed setting of 2⅜ inch backset or 2¾ inch backset . there is a step drilled hole in two locations 203 on the backside of backset adjustment 200 for the rotation limit pin 114 as a means to prevent free rotation of backset adjustment 200 but to allow some rotation on each of the two settings for use on beveled doors . the spacer plate 300 is a means used to create a void between side d of the end blocks 100 and main base plate 400 to allow the ends of secondary base plate 500 with centering hole 501 or the ends of the edge drill setup series 900 with centering hole 905 to enter that void and to be centered and secured to the main base plate 400 by knob 109 that has a threaded shaft that threads through the end block 100 side c hole 107 and comes out end block 100 hole 107 side d and is pointed on the end . the spacer plate 300 is not the same size of end block 100 side d and has two holes 116 for the two screws 117 that attach the main base plate 400 to the end blocks 100 side d . the main base plate 400 is a guide with center cut out hole 402 for a router with ½ inch diameter guide attachment and ¼ inch router bit as a means to cut the mortise cut out for a latch plate of 1⅛ inch wide by 2¼ inch long . the main base plate 400 must be adequate width and thickness to safely support the router but narrow on the ends that connect to the end blocks 100 to allow both the main support arm 600 and the secondary support arm 700 to pass to accommodate for door thickness . the main base plate 400 has two holes 401 on each end as a means to fasten the spacer plates 300 and end blocks 100 . the main base plate 400 may also have 4 holes 405 with harden drill guide inserts 403 as a means for drilling mounting holes for installing latch mounting plates in steel doors . the center cut out guide 402 in the center of main base plate 400 must be large enough to compensate for the size of the router guide to cut 1⅛ inch wide by 2¼ inch long hole . the depth of the cut is determined by the latch thickness and is set on the router . the main base plate 400 is also used as a base as a means to support the secondary base plate 500 and edge drill setup series 900 . there is a locator hole 404 in each end of the main base plate 400 for the point of the threaded shaft on knob 109 to enter as a means to stabilize and properly position the secondary base plate 500 with hole 501 or drill edge setup series 900 with hole 905 . the secondary base plate 500 is a plate of thin material of the same width as the main base plate 400 that is placed on top of the main base plate 400 as a means to change the size of the router template center cut out guide 402 in the main base plate 400 to cut door edge latch plate mortise cut with a router that has a ½ inch diameter template guide for use with template center cut out guide 502 and ¼ inch diameter bit for a 1 inch by 2¼ inch latch assembly face plate . the secondary base plate 500 is held in place on the main base plate 400 by the end of the secondary base plate 500 sliding in to a void on each end of the main base plate 400 and under side d of each end block 100 in which knob 109 with a threaded shaft that has a point that enters a small hole 501 in each end of the secondary base plate 500 that provides a means to assure perfect alignment of the secondary base plate 500 to the main base plate 400 . the main support arm 600 is a u - shape plate with a threaded hole 601 in each end for a support shaft bolt 604 from each end block 100 and must pass the main base plate 400 to allow for door thickness adjustment . the main support arm 600 will have two holes 602 in the long section of the u - shaped for bolts 603 for a means to mount door drill plate series 1000 and must be of sufficient strength to with stand the clamping pressure to the door . the secondary support arm 700 is a u - shaped plate with hole 701 in each end for the support shaft bolt 604 to pass through and must also be able to pass the main base plate 400 . on the long section of the arm there will be three holes with the center hole 703 as a means to hold the pressure bolt 806 in position to exert pressure on the door drill plate series 1000 to clamp the embodiment to the door . holes 702 on each side of center hole 703 for bolts 704 are a means to bolt the door drill plate series 1000 to the secondary support arm 700 . the secondary support arm 700 can move on support shaft bolts 604 as a means for easy install and removal of the embodiment from door . the pressure support arm 800 is a u - shape plate that is connected to support shaft bolt 604 from each end block 100 with a hole in each end 801 on the flat of the plate for the support shaft bolt 604 to pass through . the support shaft bolt 604 is locked to the pressure support arm 800 with a set screw 803 in hole 802 on the edge of the plate on each end that intersects with the support shaft bolt 604 . the pressure support arm 800 is u - shaped as a means to allow the base of the router to pass unobstructed . the pressure support arm 800 has a hole 804 in the center of the long section of the u that is threaded with a heli - coil 805 to give longer life and stronger threads for the pressure bolt 806 with knob 808 that is aligned with a matching hole 703 in the secondary support arm 700 as a means to apply pressure on the door drill plate series 1000 to clamp the embodiment to the door . holes 807 provide access for bolts 704 . the edge drill setup series 900 is a complete setup that comes in 4 models of 900 - 1 , 900 - 2 , 900 - 3 , 900 - 4 and is a means for drilling or to assist in drilling or re - drilling the edge hole in the door . the edge drill setup series 900 consists of two steel plates of which one is u - shaped and is permanently fastened to the other . the assembly is fastened to the embodiment in the same manner as the secondary base plate 500 by being fastened to the main base plate 400 in a void between the main base plate 400 and side d of each end block 100 with the point of the threaded shaft from knob 109 entering a small hole 905 in each end of the edge drill setup series 900 as a means that assures perfect alignment of edge drill setup series 900 on the main base plate 400 . there are three other holes in the edge drill setup series 900 with the two holes 906 are a means for pre - drilling the latch mounting screw holes and the center hole 901 , 902 , 903 , 904 are a means for drilling the edge hole . the edge drill setup 900 - 1 has center hole 901 that is ¼ inch diameter for a pilot hole for a hole saw . the edge drill setup 900 - 2 has center hole 902 that is ⅞ inch diameter . the edge drill setup 900 - 3 has center hole 903 that is 1 inch diameter . the edge drill setup 900 - 4 has center hole 904 that is 1⅛ inch diameter . the main frame of the device is comprised of the end blocks 100 , backset adjustments 200 , spacer plates 300 , main base plate 400 , main support arm 600 , secondary support arm 700 , the pressure support arm 800 with related hardware of screws , set screws and shoulder bolts 102 , support shaft bolts 604 , support shaft lock 105 and thumb turn 106 along with backset rotation limit parts 114 and 115 and the knob 109 with threaded shaft with point and pressure bolt 806 with knob 808 along with miscellaneous hardware parts . the order of assembly is an end block 100 with spacer plate 300 screwed with screws 117 to each end of the main base plate 400 of which a bolt known as support shaft bolt 604 passes in each end block hole 103 . on the head end of the support shaft bolt 604 is installed the pressure support arm 800 with pressure bolt 806 and locked on by set screws 803 in holes 802 . next installed on the support bolt 604 is the secondary support arm 700 that is allowed to move freely on the support shaft bolt 604 when off the door followed by the end block 100 . the secondary support arm 700 has one of the set of two door drill plates series 1000 bolted on facing the end block 100 . on the threaded end of the support shaft bolt 604 is installed the main support arm 600 that has bolted to it the second of the two door drill plate series 1000 also facing the end block 100 . the embodiment is attached to the door by means of pressure from the pressure bolt 806 with knob 808 from the pressure support arm 800 on the door drill plate series 1000 thus putting a clamping pressure on the door . with a door drill plate series 1000 on each door face and the main base plate 400 on the edge of the door the embodiment becomes u - shaped and wraps around the door with the door sandwiched between the two door drill plate series 1000 . the door drill plates series 1000 are templates used in identical pairs and are preferably made of ¼ inch material and each are 2¾ inch backset with the plate coming to the edge of the door as a means for support of the door during edge drilling . the holes in the door drill plate series 1000 provide a means to guide the drill bit for the proper drilling of holes in the door with the door being drilled from each side . the door drill plate series 1000 are held to the embodiment with mounting holes 1001 for two bolts 603 that go through the main support arm 600 and two bolts 704 that goes through the secondary support arm 700 and screws into threaded holes 1001 in each door drill plate series 1000 . each set of door drill plate series 1000 are built to one manufacturer specifications although some manufacturers share the same specifications and sometimes more than one set of specifications can be put on a set of door drill plates as with door drill plate 1000 - 1 for several brands of grade one lever handle locksets and the most common hospital paddles latches . manufacturer specifications can be shared on one set of door drill plates with a 2⅛ cross drill hole 1003 and cut outs 1007 at 3 and 9 o &# 39 ; clock for 3 / 16 inch drill bit to drill for lock rose teeth for locksets and through bolts holes 1009 are 5 / 16 inch diameter and 2¾ inches apart for many grade one levers . through bolt holes 1008 are 5 / 16 inch diameter and are of different location for still other grade one levers . through bolt holes 1012 are 5 / 16 inch diameter and are located as required for many hospital paddles latches . door drill plate 1000 - 2 has mounting holes 1001 and 2⅛ inch cross drill hole 1003 with cut outs 1007 at 3 and 9 o &# 39 ; clock for 3 / 16 inch diameter drill to drill for lock rose teeth and the door drill plate also has through bolt holes 1010 which are 5 / 16 diameter and 2 19 / 32 inch apart for many grade 2 lever sets . door drill plate 1000 - 3 is the same as door drill plate 1000 - 2 except the through bolt holes 1011 are 2 35 / 64 inches apart for one specific brand of lock . the through bolt holes distance apart will vary for other door drill plates as to manufacturer specification . door drill plates for use with access control locks or locksets that require extra holes above and / or below the main hole 1003 center line will require longer door drill plates than for the standard cylindrical locksets . some door drill plates may need to be narrower as a means to accommodate special needs of window frames but still maintain the manufacturer &# 39 ; s specifications . some of the longer door drill plates may be multi piece plates and need added external clamping . welding clamps work well as a means for added external clamping and are not a part of this patent . door drill plates 1000 - 4 are for basic installation of cylindrical door knobs and deadbolts and only have holes 1001 for mounting , hole 1003 for cutting the 2⅛ inch hole and with cut outs 1007 at 3 and 9 o &# 39 ; clock for 3 / 16 inch diameter drill to drill for lock rose teeth . door drill plates 1000 - 0 are blank plates that can be modified for special locks in which door drill plates otherwise are not available and only have mounting holes 1001 . the door drill plates can vary in size as to need but holes should be based on 2¾ inch backset . door drill plates 1000 - 5 are for one model of one manufacturer of stand alone electronic access control hardware . holes 1001 are for door drill plate mounting , hole 1003 is to drill the 2⅛ inch hole , cut outs 1007 at 3 and 9 o &# 39 ; clock for 3 / 16 inch diameter drill to drill for lock rose teeth , holes 1016 are to drill through bolt for the lock body , holes 1013 are to drill lock body mounting holes , hole 1014 are to drill for wires to pass through on a fire rated door and hole 1015 is to drill for wires to pass through the door on a non - fire rated door . door drill plate series 1000 are interchangeable between the large and small embodiment . alignment tool 909 is a means for aligning the embodiment on a door that all ready is prepared for a lockset but the preparation needs to be modified . alignment tool 909 is made of 1 inch diameter material and is ⅞ inch diameter on one end for doors with edge hole preparation of ⅞ inch diameter . the smaller version of the embodiment for preparing doors for tubular style locks having body members of two end blocks mj 10 and on side b of mj 10 is hole mj 11 that provide a means for the backset adjustment 200 to be mounted with shoulder bolt 102 . on side b of end block mj 10 is the backset adjustment rotation limit pin hole mj 14 that has the rotation limit pin 114 and spring 115 . the shaft bolt hole mj 12 on sides a and e of the end block mj 10 provides a means for support shaft bolt 604 that supports 3 parts known as the main support arm mj 60 also the secondary support arm mj 70 and the pressure support arm mj 80 . the threaded shaft lock hole mj 13 on side c that has knob 106 that has a nylon tip to lock the end block mj 10 to the support shaft bolt 604 . there are two holes mj 15 on side c that extend to side d for mounting two edge drill plates mj 20 with bolts mj 16 and nuts mj 17 . the block should be of the size to allow the main support arm mj 60 and the secondary support arm mj 70 to close for a 1¼ inch thick door . holes 606 in support shaft bolt 604 are for centering clips 605 on each end of the two end blocks mj 10 to prevent the end block mj 10 from changing adjustment that provides a means for dedicated door edge setup . the backset adjustment 200 provides a means to quickly change of the backset adjustment for 2⅜ inch or 2¾ inch with hole 203 to depress rotation limit pin 114 to rotate backset adjustment 200 for needed setting . the rotation limit pin 114 enters a stepped hole 203 in backset adjustment 200 to prevent free rotation of the backset adjustment 200 . the rotation limit pin 114 in stepped hole 203 does allow , rotation adequate to self adjust for beveled doors . the main support arm mj 60 does provide a means to mount one of the door drill plate series 1000 with mounting holes mj 62 with bolt 603 and to exert pressure on the door face to clamp the embodiment to said door . the main support arm mj 60 is fastened to support shaft bolt 604 with holes mj 61 in each end of main support arm mj 60 . the secondary support arm mj 70 provides a means to mount one of the door drill plate series 1000 with mounting holes mj 72 with bolts 704 and to exert pressure on the door face received from pressure support arm bolt 806 with knob 808 in hole mj 73 to clamp the embodiment to said door . the secondary support arm mj 70 is fastened to support shaft bolt 604 with holes mj 71 on each end of the secondary support arm mj 70 . the pressure support arm mj 80 provides a means to exert pressure with pressure bolt 806 with knob 808 in hole mj 83 on said door drill plate series 1000 that is mounted to the secondary support arm mj 70 to provide the pressure needed to clamp the said embodiment to said door . the door is sandwiched between the two door drill plates series 1000 . the pressure support arm mj 80 is fastened to support shaft bolt 604 with holes mj 81 in each end of the pressure support arm and held in place with set screws 803 in holes mj 82 . the edge drill setup for the smaller embodiment consists of two edge drill plates series mj 20 with holes mj 26 to fasten the door drill plates to the two end blocks mj 10 with one fastened to side c with holes mj 15 and the other one fastened to side d with hole mj 15 , bolt mj 16 and nut mj 17 . the edge drill plates series mj 20 have three holes with two holes mj 25 for a means to pre - drilling the latch plate screws and the center hole being one of four sizes . edge drill plate mj 20 - 1 has a center ¼ inch hole mj 21 as a pilot hole for a hole saw . edge drill plate mj 20 - 2 has a center ⅞ inch hole mj 22 . edge drill plate mj 20 - 3 has a center 1 inch hole mj 23 . edge drill plate mj 20 - 4 has a center 1⅛ inch hole mj 24 . the edge drill plate mj 20 - 3 with a center 1 inch hole mj 23 would be standard on the embodiment . the door drill plates series 1000 are interchangeable between the two embodiments and provide the same function for both the large and small embodiments . the door drill plates series 1000 are a means to accurately drill all the holes needed in each face of the door to meet the requirements of the lock being installed . the alignment tool 909 can be used as a means to properly align the small embodiment to an existing door preparation for modification to that preparation . 1 . determine which set of door drill plates series 1000 are needed for hardware being installed and then install one door drill plate series 1000 onto main support arm 600 and the other door drill plate series 1000 onto the secondary support arm 700 . 2 . determine from hardware to be installed what backset adjustment is needed and set the backset adjustment 200 by depressing the rotation limit pin 203 with a small wire and rotate backset adjustment 200 to the needed setting of 2⅜ inch backset or 2¾ inch backset . the backset adjustment 200 will self adjust for beveled or square edge door when the embodiment is installed on the door . the backset adjustment 200 is on both the top and bottom of the embodiment . 3 . determine the thickness of the door that the preferred embodiment is to be installed on . 4 . determine if the thickness of the door is the standard 1⅜ inch thick or 1¾ inch thick and if the latch assembly is to be installed in the center of the edge of the door or offset from the center of the door . 5 . if the door is of standard thickness and the door edge is to be center cut and the preferred embodiment needs to be adjusted for a different door thickness than it is set for then remove centering clips 605 from the support shaft bolts 604 and loosen thumb turn 106 on each of the end blocks 100 . then slide the end blocks 100 on support shaft bolts 604 to the appropriate location for the door thickness and install centering clips 605 in support shaft bolt 604 in holes 606 on each side of each end block 100 , then retighten thumb turn 106 in each end block 100 to prevent any additional movement . 6 . if the door is of non - standard thickness or offset drilling is to be done then remove the centering clips 605 from each support shaft bolt 604 . loosen thumb turn 106 on each end block 100 . using a carpenter ′ square put a vertical line on the edge of the door in what will be the center of the latch assembly . install the preferred embodiment on the door and center the two backset adjustments 200 to the vertical line drawn on the door edge . lock the two thumb turns 106 that lock each end block 100 to support shaft bolt 604 . 7 . to install and clamp the preferred embodiment onto the door if this is a complete new installation , then : a . a small pencil mark needs to be put on the edge of the door where the top backset adjustment 200 will be . the formula to make that mark is to measure from the outside of one backset adjustment 200 to the outside of the other backset adjustment 200 and divide by 2 . take the answer and measure from where the latch hole center is to be then measure up on the door edge and make a small horizontal mark . b . with all adjustments of backset and proper plates premade , install the preferred embodiment on the door with aligning the top backset adjustment with the horizontal mark on the door . tighten pressure bolt 806 with knob 808 to clamp the preferred embodiment to the door as a sandwiching of the door with the door drill plates series 1000 . c . if offset drilling or non - standard edge drilling is being done where centering clips 605 are not used then the backset adjustments 200 must be centered to the vertical pencil line on the door as talked about in number 6 and then the end blocks 100 must be locked to the support shaft bolt 604 by tightening thumb turn 106 . 8 . if the preferred embodiment is being installed onto an existing lock preparation then install edge drill setup 900 - 3 with the 1 inch hole 903 and use alignment tool 909 in the drill edge setup 900 - 3 to enter the existing edge drill hole in the door . if the existing edge drill hole in the door is not center of the edge of the door or this is a non - standard door then remove centering clips 605 and loosen thumb turn 106 to allow the edge drilling assembly to self center to the existing edge hole and then retighten thumb turn 106 that locks end blocks 100 to support shaft bolts 604 on each end of the preferred embodiment . 9 . to install the edge drill setup series 900 or the secondary base plate 500 loosen knob 109 on each end block 100 sufficient to install or remove edge drill setup series 900 or the secondary base plate 500 . when installing use the small mark on each end of the edge drill setup series 900 or the secondary base plate 500 to assist in determining the proper location of the hole for knob 109 with point to locate and enter hole 905 or hole 501 . slowly tighten knob 109 as you wiggle the attachment being installed and you will feel when it begins to enter the hole 905 or hole 501 , do not fully tighten . now do the other end of the attachment being installed in the same fashion but when you have knob 109 centered in the hole you may tighten that knob 109 and then retighten the other knob 109 . 10 . the holes maybe drilled in what ever order that are most convenient . hole saws and drills in steel should be run at low speed to prevent overheating . hole saws when drilling wood perform best when run at a high speed . when drilling the door face , first drill part way through from one side and then go to the matching hole on the other side of the door and drill to complete the hole . drill the 3 holes on the door edge that include the 2 predrilled latch plate screw holes 906 . 11 . remove the edge drill setup series 900 . 12 . install the secondary base plate 500 if needed . 13 . use a router with the appropriate router guide and router bit , set at the appropriate depth to cut the mortise for the latch plate . install the router in the off position onto the main base plate 400 or the secondary base plate 500 with the bit of the router being in the edge drill hole . turn on router and cut the mortise then turn router off and it allow it to stop running before removing the router from the preferred embodiment to prevent damage to the preferred embodiment . there are two ways to set the router for depth of cut to cut the mortise cut out with one being with the use of the depth measuring part of slide calipers . put the latch plate on the main base plate 400 or on the secondary base plate 500 if it is being used , then measure from the latch plate to the uncut door and transfer that measurement to the tip of the router bit and the base of the router . the other method for setting the router for depth of cut is to use a setup gauge that has three cutouts : one for residential latch 2⅜ inch backset , one for residential latch 2¾ inch backset and one for commercial latch for 2¾ inch backset . select the right cutout and adjust the router bit to bottom out on the cutout when the ends of the gauge are against the router base . 14 . remove the preferred embodiment from the door . 15 . in some situations extra clamping from an external clamp that is not a part of this preferred embodiment will be needed to keep the preferred embodiment from moving on door . 16 . it is recommended on most installations that a paper towel be used between the door drill plate series 1000 and the door to protect the door from being marred . 17 . to square the corners of the latch plate mortise cut out in wood , the use of a corner chisel works very well but is not a part of this preferred embodiment . 18 . if a router is used to cut a door edge that is made of steel or aluminum then it is recommended to use a double flute carbide router bit and grease the door edge in the area that is being cut to help the bit from getting clogged . great care must be taken not to break the bit and extra safety precautions should be taken . 19 . a full face safety shield should be used for eye and face protection and steel toed shoes incase the preferred embodiment is dropped . no loose clothing near the drill bits should be used . 1 . determine which set of door drill plates series 1000 are needed for hardware being installed and then install one door drill plate series 1000 onto main support arm mj 60 and the other door drill plate series 1000 onto secondary support arm mj 70 . 2 . determine from hardware to be installed what backset adjustment is needed and set the backset adjustment 200 by depressing the rotation limit pin 203 with a small wire and rotate backset adjustment 200 to the needed setting of 2⅜ inch backset or 2¾ inch backset . the backset adjustment 200 will self adjust for beveled or square edge door when the embodiment is installed on the door . the backset adjustment 200 is on both the top and bottom of the embodiment . 3 . determine the thickness of the door that the preferred embodiment is to be installed on . 4 . determine if the thickness of the door is the standard 1⅜ inch thick or 1¾ inch thick and if the latch assembly is to be installed in the center of the edge of the door or offset from the center of the door . 5 . if the door is of standard thickness and the door edge is to be center cut and the preferred embodiment needs to be adjusted for a different door thickness than it is set for then remove centering clips 605 from the support shaft bolts 604 and loosen thumb turn 106 on each of the end blocks mj 10 . then slide the end blocks mj 10 on support shaft bolts 604 to the appropriate location for the door thickness and install centering clips 605 in support shaft bolt 604 in holes 606 on each side of each end block mj 10 , then retighten thumb turn 106 in each end block mj 10 to prevent any additional movement . 6 . if the door is of non - standard thickness or offset drilling is to be done then remove the centering clips 605 from each support shaft bolt 604 . loosen thumb turn 106 on each end block mj 10 . using a carpenter &# 39 ; square put a vertical line on the edge of the door in what will be the center of the latch assembly . install preferred embodiment on the door and center the two backset adjustments 200 to the vertical line drawn on the door edge . lock the two thumb turns 106 that lock each end block mj 10 to support shaft bolt 604 . 7 . to install and clamp the preferred embodiment onto the door if this is a complete new installation , then : a . a small pencil mark needs to be put on the edge of the door where the top backset adjustment 200 will be . the formula to make that mark is to measure from the outside of one backset adjustment 200 to the outside of the other backset adjustment 200 and divide by 2 . take the answer and measure from where the latch hole center is to be up on the edge door and make a small horizontal mark . b . with all adjustments of backset and proper plates premade , install the preferred embodiment on the door with aligning the top backset adjustment with the horizontal mark on the door . tighten pressure bolt 806 with knob 808 to clamp the preferred embodiment to the door as a sandwiching of the door with the door drill plate series 1000 . c . if offset drilling or non - standard edge drilling is being done where centering clips 605 are not used then the backset adjustments 200 must be centered to the vertical pencil line on the door edge as talked about in number 6 and then the end blocks mj 10 must be locked to the support shaft bolt 604 by tightening thumb turn 106 . 8 . if the preferred embodiment is being installed onto an existing lock preparation with edge drill plate mj 20 - 3 with the 1 inch hole mj 23 installed use alignment tool 909 in the edge drill plate hole mj 23 to enter the existing edge hole in the edge of the door . if the existing edge drill hole is not center of the edge of the door or this is a non - standard door then remove centering clips 605 and loosen thumb turn 106 on each end block to allow the edge drilling assembly to self center to the existing edge hole and then retighten thumb turn 106 on each end block mj 10 that locks end blocks mj 10 to support shaft bolts 604 . 9 . the holes maybe drilled in what ever order that are most convenient . hole saws and drills in steel should be run at low speed to prevent overheating . hole saws when drilling wood perform best when run at a high speed . when drilling the door face , first drill part way through from one side and then go to the matching hole on the other side of the door and drill to complete the hole . drill the 3 holes on the door edge that include the 2 predrilled latch plate screw holes mj 25 . 10 . remove the preferred embodiment from the door . 11 . in some situations extra clamping from an external clamp that is not a part of this preferred embodiment will be needed to keep preferred embodiment from moving on the door . 12 . it is recommended on most installations that a paper towel be used between the door drill plate series 1000 and the door to protect the door from being marred . 13 . a full face safety shield should be used for eye and face protection and steel toed shoes incase the preferred embodiment is dropped . no loose clothing near the drill bits should be used . | 8 |
in the example described hereinbelow , a uml language model is devised , in a conventional manner , with the aid of a tool ( 1 ) commonly used for this purpose , for example the & lt ;& lt ; rhapsody & gt ;& gt ; tool from the company i - logix . the model thus created is exported ( 2 ) in the form of a file ( 3 ) in the xmi language . the production of the xmi file is done , for example , with the aid of an export toolkit such as the & lt ;& lt ; xmi toolkit & gt ;& gt ; from the company i - logix . the file 3 makes it possible to inject the uml data structure of said model into a file generation engine ( 4 ). this engine ( 4 ) is here the & lt ;& lt ; model in action & gt ;& gt ; tool ( more simply dubbed & lt ;& lt ; mia & gt ;& gt ;) from the company sodifrance . it is associated with a scripts parametrization application ( 5 ), dubbed gen_uml_c , produced by the applicant . the engine ( 4 ) implements the application ( 5 ) to produce a series of five kinds of files , referenced ( 6 ) as a whole , representing the c code corresponding to the starting model . the series 6 of files comprises : & lt ;& lt ;. c & gt ;& gt ; files ( 7 ), & lt ;& lt ; h & gt ;& gt ; files ( 8 ), a code generation report file ( 9 ) ( as demanded by the aforesaid . do specifications ), a & lt ;& lt ; batch & gt ;& gt ; file ( 10 ) in accordance with the & lt ;& lt ; clearcase & gt ;& gt ; specifications and compilation project files ( 11 ). the files 7 , 8 and 11 being produced in conventional manner , will not be described in greater detail . it is possible to manually modify the body of the procedures of the & lt ;& lt ;. c & gt ;& gt ; files generated . during subsequent generations , these modifications will not be overwritten but preserved and integrated within the new files generated . with mde ( model driven engineering ) in mind , in which the model and not the source files are the core of the development , it is preferable to upload these manual modifications to the model . it is then possible to integrate these modifications automatically into the model with the aid of the & lt ;& lt ; roundtrip & gt ;& gt ; tool called & lt ;& lt ; reversec & gt ;& gt ; ( 12 ). the report file ( 9 ) makes it possible to keep a log of the generation of the c code and to intercompare two versions of generation reports . in the present case , the report is an xml file comprising all the information corresponding to the uml model , the files and & lt ;& lt ; packages )& gt ;& gt ; produced , the generation scenarios used , etc . an example of a screen shot of an extract of such a report (& lt ;& lt ; generation report & gt ;& gt ;) is represented in fig2 . with each element of this report is associated one or more checksums ( for example 32 - bit crcs ) making it possible to perform the comparison between different versions and the detection of the modifications between these versions , for example between a new version of a generation and a reference version of a generation . on the basis of the comparisons thus made , various states are deduced which provide a & lt ;& lt ; comparison state & gt ;& gt ; of the file examined . the table below provides these comparison states . the & lt ;& lt ; new & gt ;& gt ; state is reserved for files that are new with applies when no modification has been made to a file with applies when a file no longer exists in a new version . an as illustrated in fig2 , a generation report in accordance with the invention comprises in windows , as header , the following two items of information : label of the version number of the reference report (“ reference report label ”), label of the version number of the current report (“ new report label ”), originating from a previous version of the generation . thereafter the body of the report comprises the following three columns : “ item ” ( designation of the various constituent elements and access path in their storage unit ), “ comparison status ” ( comparison state , in accordance with the table above ) and “ label ” ( indicating the version numbers in their category ). the elements appearing in the first column are the following : designation of the uml model . here , its state is “ modified ” and its version number is 2 . 0 , designation of the software collections (“ packages ”). in the example described here , these are java and clearcase collections . here , they are unmodified and their version is 1 . 0 , designation of the generation scenarios . in the example , these are clearcase “ batch ” and java generation scenarios . here , they are unmodified and their version is 1 . 0 , designation of the files generated . in the example , these files are seven in number , all of version 2 . 0 , the first is new , the statuses of the others being various , as indicated in the second column . the bottom of the report comprises a window indicating the name of the scenario in progress (“ batch clearacase ” in the present case ), a “ generate ” button for launching a run of the generation of the scenario , and a first “ files ” window indicating the names of the clearcase text files generated in this scenario , and a second “ generated text ” window displaying the text of these files . the clearcase “ batch ” files are generated in such a way as to automatically update the clearcase table comprising all the files of code generated , in accordance with the information appearing in the generation report . the updating of the clearcase table is done in two phases , with the running of the following two perl files : “ checkout . txt ”: this file prepares the update of the clearcase table by verifying all the files modified , “ checkin . txt ”: this file represents the updated clearcase table . | 6 |
“ 500 mg or 1000 mg ” as used herein , means the strength of tablet composition containing 500 mg clarithromycin , or the dose administered as 2 × 500 mg of clarithromycin , respectively . “ c max ” as used herein , means maximum plasma concentration of the erythromycin derivative , produced by the ingestion of the composition of the invention or the ir comparator . “ c min ” as used herein , means minimum plasma concentration of the erythromycin derivative , produced by the ingestion of the composition of the invention or the ir comparator . “ c avg ” as used herein , means the average concentration within the 24 - hour interval . “ t max ” as used herein , means time to the maximum observed plasma concentration . “ auc ” as used herein , means area under the plasma concentration - time curve , as calculated by the trapezoidal rule over the complete 24 - hour interval for all the formulations . “ degree of fluctuation ( dfl )” as used herein , is expressed as : dfl =( c max − c min )/ c avg . “ erythromycin derivative ” as used herein , means erythromycin having no substituent groups , or having conventional substituent groups , in organic synthesis , in place of a hydrogen atom of the hydroxy groups and / or a methyl group of the 3 ′- dimethylamino group , which is prepared according to the conventional manner . “ pharmaceutically acceptable ” as used herein , means those compounds which are , within the scope of sound medical judgment , suitable for use in contact with the tissues of humans and lower animals without undue toxicity , irritation , allergic response , and the like , in keeping with a reasonable benefit / risk ratio , and effective for their intended use in the chemotherapy and prophylaxis of antimicrobial infections . “ adverse effects ” as used herein , means those physiological effects to various systems in the body such as cardiovascular systems , nervous system , digestive system , and body as a whole , which cause pain and discomfort to the individual subject . “ taste perversion ” as used herein , means the perception of a bitter metallic taste normally associated with the erythromycin derivatives , particularly , with clarithromycin . the pharmaceutical composition of the invention comprise a pharmaceutically active compound and a pharmaceutically acceptable polymer . the pharmaceutically active compound is an erythromycin derivative . preferably , the erythromycin derivative is 6 - o - methoxy erythromycin a , known as clarithromycin . the amount of the erythromycin derivative varies from about 45 % to about 60 % by weight of the composition . preferably , the composition comprises about 50 % by weight of the erythromycin derivative . the pharmaceutically acceptable polymer is a water - soluble hydrophilic polymer selected from the group consisting of polyvinylpyrrolidine , hydroxypropyl cellulose , hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose , methyl cellulose , vinyl acetate / crotonic acid copolymers , methacrylic acid copolymers , maleic anhydride / methyl vinyl ether copolymers and derivatives and mixtures thereof . preferably , the polymer is selected from hydroxypropyl cellulose , hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose , and methyl cellulose . more preferably , the polymer is hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose . most preferably , the polymer is a low viscosity hydroxypropyl - methyl cellulose with viscosity ranging from about 50 cps to about 200 cps . the most preferred low viscosity polymer is a hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose with a viscosity of about 100 cps , commercially available under the tradename methocel ™ k 100 lv from the dow chemical company . the amount of the polymer in the composition generally varies from about 5 % to about 50 % by weight of the composition . preferably , the amount of polymers varies from about 10 % to about 35 % by weight of the composition . most preferably , the amount of polymer varies from about 10 % to about 30 % by weight of the polymer . the composition of the invention further comprise pharmaceutically acceptable excipients and / or fillers and extenders , such as lactose , starches , glucose , sucrose , mannitol , and silicic acid , lubricants such as talc , calcium stearate , magnesium stearate , solid polyethylene glycols , sodium lauryl sulfate , and mixtures thereof . the amount of the lubricants generally varies from about 0 . 5 % to about 10 % by weight of the composition . preferably , the lubricants used are magnesium stearate and talc in the total amounts ranging from about 1 . 0 % to about 4 . 0 % by weight of the composition . the amount of fillers and extenders varies from about 10 % to about 40 % by weight of the composition . a particularly preferred composition for the extended release of the active compound therefrom comprises : about 500 mg of clarithromycin and about 100 to 300 mg of methocel ™ k 100 lv the formulations are generally prepared by dry blending the polymer , filler , erythromycin derivative , and other excipients followed by granulating the mixture using water until proper granulation is obtained . the granulation is done by methods known in the art . the wet granules are dried in a fluid bed dryer , sifted and ground to appropriate size . lubricating agents are mixed with the dried granulation to obtain the final formulation . the compositions of the invention can be administered orally in the form of tablets , pills , or suspensions . the tablets can be prepared by techniques known in the art and contain a therapeutically useful amount of erythromycin derivative and such excipients as are necessary to form the tablet by such techniques . tablets and pills can additionally be prepared with enteric coatings and other release - controlling coatings for the purpose of light protection , and swallowability . the coating may be colored with a pharmaceutically accepted dye . the amount of dye and other excipients in the coating liquid may vary and will not impact the performance of the extended release tablets . the coating liquid generally comprises film - forming polymers such as hydroxy - propyl cellulose , hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose , cellulose ester or ether , an acrylic polymer or a mixture of polymers . the coating solution is generally an aqueous solution further comprising propylene glycol , sorbitan monoleate , sorbic acid , fillers such as titanium dioxide , a pharmaceutically acceptable dye . liquid dosage forms for oral administration may include pharmaceutically acceptable emulsions , microemulsions , solutions , suspensions , syrups and elixirs containing inert diluents commonly used in the art such as water . such compositions may also comprise adjuvants , such as wetting agents ; emulsifying and suspending agents ; and sweetening , flavoring and perfuming agents . the daily dose of the composition of this invention administered to a host in single dose can be in the amounts from 500 mg to 1000 mg once a day for five to fourteen days . the bioavailability study for the formulations of the invention can be done by administering the er formulation in a tablet form to healthy subjects and measuring the levels of erythromycin derivative in the plasma at different time intervals over a period of twenty four hours . plasma samples are assayed for erythromycin derivative at bas analytics ( west lafayette , ind .) using a validated high - performance liquid chromatographic procedure similar to that described in the literature . see for example , chu s - y , et al ., “ simultaneous determination of clarithromycin and 14 ( r )- hydroxyclarithromycin in plasma and urine using high - performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection ”, j . chromatog ., 571 , pp 199 - 208 ( 1991 ). adverse effects including those related to the digestive system , nervous system , respiratory system and special senses , including taste perversion , are measured by dosing subjects with multiple doses of 1000 mg of er and ir tablets per day , respectively . the adverse effects are monitored , reported spontaneously by subjects and recorded on case report forms for the study database . the invention will be understood more clearly from the following examples , which are given solely by way of illustration and serve to provide a clear understanding of the invention and to illustrate its different embodiments as well as its various advantages . methocel ™ ( k 100 lv ) available from the dow chemical company was loaded into a mixer , and dry blended with clarithromycin . the mixture was granulated using water until proper granulation was obtained . the granulation was then dried , sifted and ground to appropriate size . talc and magnesium stearate were screened and blended with dry granulation . the granulation was then loaded into hopper and compressed into tablets . the tablets were then coated with an aqueous coating . three different formulations a , b , and c were prepared according to the general method described above . the compositions of three different tablet formulations are given below in table 1 . the bioavailability study to determine the concentration - time plasma profile was done on healthy subjects . the study was conducted as a phase i , single - dose , open , randomized , four - period , balanced crossover study described below . twenty - four ( 24 ) healthy adult subjects were enrolled and 23 completed all phases of the study . for the 23 subjects who completed all phases of the study ( 12 males , 11 females ), the mean age was 29 years ( range : 19 to 49 years ), the mean weight was 69 . 0 kg ( range : 51 . 5 to 85 kg ) and the mean height was 172 cm ( range : 157 to 192 cm ). clarithromycin 500 mg extended release tablets corresponding to the formulations a , b , and c of example 1 and the 500 mg ir clarithromycin tablet ( reference formulation ), currently sold by abbott laboratories under the tradename biaxin ™, were administered to the 23 healthy subjects . the study was conducted according to a single - dose , open - label , randomized four - period crossover design in which each subject received a single 500 mg dose of clarithromycin during each 30 minutes period after starting breakfast . wash - out periods of one week separated the doses . seven ( 7 ) ml blood samples were collected prior to dosing ( 0 hour ) and at 0 . 5 , 1 . 0 , 2 . 0 , 3 . 0 , 4 . 0 , 6 . 0 , 8 . 0 , 12 . 0 , 16 . 0 , 24 . 0 , 36 . 0 and 48 . 0 hour after each dose . plasma samples were assayed for clarithromycin at bas analytics ( west lafayette , ind .) using a validated high performance liquid chromatographic procedure . values for clarithromycin pharmacokinetic parameters , including observed c max , t max , and auc 0 - ∞, were calculated using standard noncompartmental methods . the mean plasma concentration - time profiles for the single - dose study are illustrated in fig1 . fig1 illustrates that all the three formulations of the invention are substantially equivalent in extended release of clarithromycin over a period of 24 hours . table ii summarizes the pharmacokinetic results obtained after single - dosing in the above study . table ii auc 0 - ∞ formulation cmax ( μg / ml ) t max ( h ) ( μg · h / ml a 1 . 19 ± 0 . 60 * 5 . 0 ± 1 . 7 * 15 . 0 ± 6 . 5 * b 1 . 33 ± 0 . 70 *# 5 . 5 ± 2 . 4 * 15 . 1 ± 6 . 5 * c 1 . 01 ± 0 . 48 * 5 . 5 ± 2 . 2 * 14 . 8 ± 7 . 5 * reference tablet 2 . 57 ± 0 . 70 2 . 2 ± 0 . 5 17 . 7 ± 5 . 6 * statistically significantly different from the ir reference tablet # statistically significantly different from formulations a and c in analysis of logarithms for c max , auc 0 - ∞, t max , and the logarithms of c max , and auc 0 - ∞, an analysis of variance ( anova ) was performed with sequence , subject nested within sequence , period and formulation as the sources of variation . effects for subjects were random and all other effects were fixed . within the framework of anova , the formulations were compared pairwise , with each test at a significance level of 0 . 05 . also within the framework of the anova for the logarithm of auc 0 - ∞, bioequivalence of the er formulations to the ir reference formulation was assessed using the two one - sided tests procedure via 90 % confidence intervals . the confidence intervals were obtained by exponetiating the endpoints of the confidence intervals for the difference of logarithm means . point estimates of relative bioavailability and 90 % confidence intervals for the two one - sided tests procedure from analysis of log - transformed auc 0 - ∞ are set forth in table iii below . the auc 0 - ∞ central values were lower for the three er formulations than for the reference ir tablet . the lower c max values and the later t max values suggest that all the er formulations with varying weight percent of polymer , provide extended - release of clarithromycin in vivo . the lower auc 0 - ∞ values for the er formulations may suggest that for a single 500 mg dose administered under nonfasting conditions , the extent of absorption of clarithromycin was reduced relative to that of the reference ir tablet . twenty - four ( 24 ) healthy adult subjects were enrolled and 23 completed all phases of the study . of the 23 who completed the study ( 19 males , 4 females ), the mean age was 30 years ( range : 20 to 47 years ), the mean weight was 72 kg ( range : 51 to 87 kg ) and the mean height was 176 cm ( range : 159 to 189 . 5 cm ). the clarithromycin dosage forms included 500 mg er tablets of example 1 containing 10 % or 20 % by weight of k 100 lv , respectively , and a reference 500 mg ir tablet ( biaxin ). the study was conducted according to a single - and multiple - dose , open - label , randomized three - period crossover design . a single 1000 mg dose of er formulation a tablets ( two 500 mg tablets ) was administered in the morning on day 1 . beginning on day 3 , a multiple dose regimen of 1000 mg clarithromycin ( two 500 mg tablets ) was administered each morning for three days ( days 3 - 5 ). a single 1000 mg dose of er formulation b tablets ( two 500 mg tablets ) was administered in the morning on day 1 . beginning on day 3 , a multiple dose regimen of 1000 mg clarithromycin ( two 500 mg tablets ) was administered each morning for three days ( days 3 - 5 ). a single 500 mg dose of ir tablet ( biaxin ) was administered in the morning on day 1 . beginning on day 3 , a multiple dose regimen of 500 mg reference tablet biaxin was administered every twelve hours for three days . each morning dose was administered thirty minutes after breakfast . every evening dose was administered thirty minutes after starting the evening snack . wash - out periods of at least one week separated the last dose in a period and the first dose in the following period . seven ( 7 ) ml blood samples were collected before dosing on day 1 ( 0 hr ) and at 0 . 5 , 1 . 0 , 2 . 0 , 3 . 0 , 4 . 0 , 6 . 0 , 8 . 0 , 12 . 0 , 16 . 0 , 24 . 0 , 36 . 0 , and 48 . 0 hour after dosing . for regimen c , the 12 hour sample was collected within 5 minutes before the evening dose on day 5 . plasma harvested from each blood sample was divided into two parts : approximately 5 ml for bioassay and the remainder of the sample for high performance liquid chromatographic ( hplc ) assay . plasma samples were assayed for clarithromycin at bas analytics ( west lafayette , ind .) using a validated high performance liquid chromatographic procedure . pharmacokinetic parameter estimates were calculated using noncompartmental methods . for the day 1 data , the parameters estimated included c max , t max , auc 0 - ∞ or auc 0 - 48 , and t 1 / 2 . for the day 5 data , the parameters estimated included c max , t max , c min , auc 0 - 24 , and dfl . no statistical analyses were performed on the bioassay data . analyses of variance ( anova ) were performed for day 1 and day 5 pharmacokinetic variables with effects for regimen , period , sequence , and subject nested within sequence . the c max and auc 0 - values for regimen c were normalized to a 1000 mg dose . for the day 1 and day 5 auc and c max values and for the day 5 dfl values for both analytes , logarithmic transformation was employed . each of the regimens a and b were compared to the reference regimen c at a significance level of 0 . 05 . within the framework of the anovas for the day 5 auc values , equivalence of the er formulations of the invention to the ir reference tablet was assessed using the two one - sided tests procedure via 90 % confidence intervals . the mean plasma concentration - time profiles for the multiple - dose study are illustrated in fig2 . table iv summarizes ( mean ± sd ) of the day 5 pharmacokinetic , parameter estimates for the clarithromycin in the er and ir formulations . point estimates of the relative bioavailability and 90 % confidence intervals for the two one - sided tests procedures of day 5 auc 0 - 24 are set forth in table v below . the results presented are for logarithmic - transformed clarithromycin auc 0 - 24 values . for this multiple dose study under nonfasting conditions , both the 10 % and 20 % polymer er formulations were bioequivalent to the reference ir tablet with respect to the auc 0 - 24 . the significantly lower c max central values and later t max values suggest that both the formulations provide extended release of clarithromycin in vivo . the significantly lower dfls indicate that plasma concentrations fluctuate less for the er tablet regimens than for the ir tablet regimen . additionally , the significantly lower dfl for regimen a compared to regimen b indicates that plasma concentrations from the 20 % polymer fluctuate less than those from the 10 % polymer tablet . the adverse effects , including taste perversion ( taste profile ), were studied for the multiple - dose regimes described above . the formulations a and b of example 1 ( 500 mg tablets ) and the ir biaxin ( reference ) 500 mg tablet were administered to healthy subjects in a multiple - dose regimen as described above . a single dose ( 2 × 500 mg ) of the formulations a and b of example 1 , was administered to the subjects , followed by a 48 hour wash - out period . multiple dosing in the morning with the 2 × 500 mg regimen , once - a - day , followed the washout for the next three days . a single dose of 500 mg ir biaxin tablet was administered to the subjects , followed by a 48 hour wash - out period . multiple dosing with the 500 mg tablet , twice - a - day followed the washout for three days . the adverse effects to the body as a whole , cardiovascular system , digestive system , nervous system , respiratory system , skin and appendages , and special senses were measured by monitoring the subjects at regular time intervals . subjects who reported the same costart term more than once were counted only once for that costart term . the results of the adverse effects are set forth in table vi below . it is evident from the above table vi that the adverse effects to the digestive , nervous and respiratory systems normally associated with biaxin are reduced with the er tablets . the taste perversion with the formulations of the invention is significantly reduced . it is reasonably believed that the reduced adverse effects , particularly taste perversion , would lead to better compliance and a higher incidence of completion of the prescribed treatment regimen . the results of a comparative pharmacokinetic study of the controlled release formulation a of the co - owned , pending u . s . patent application ser . no . 08 / 574 , 877 , filed dec . 19 , 1995 , as compared with the ir ( biaxin ) are set forth in table vii below . c defined as the ratio of the geometric means of test vs . reference formulation the mean dfl for the composition of the invention is statistically lower than the ir in vivo profile . the lower dfl indicates that the er formulations of the invention provide less variable clarithromycin concentrations throughout the day than the ir and the sustained release compositions . the mean dfl values for the controlled release formulation and for the ir are substantially equal in value as can be seen in the above table . c . f . 1 . 800 ± 0 . 572 ( for controlled release ) with 1 . 900 ± 0 . 616 ( ir ). two well - controlled , double - blind clinical trials were conducted to compare the safety and efficacy of extended - release clarithromycin ( er ) and immediate - release clarithromycin ( ir ) in patients with acute maxillary sinusitis ( ams ) and patients with acute bacterial exacerbation of chronic bronchitis ( aecb ). a total of 910 patients were enrolled for the studies . of the 910 patients , 459 patients were treated with er formulation of the invention and 444 patients were treated with the ir ( reference ) formulation . two hundred eighty three ( 283 ) patients , enrolled in the ams study , and 627 patients , enrolled in the aecb study , were randomly assigned in a 1 : 1 ratio to receive either the er formulation of the invention or the ir formulation . of the 283 patients enrolled in this study , 142 patients received a single dose of clarithromycin er tablets 500 mg × 2 qd ( 1000 mg daily ) for 14 days , and 141 patients received clarithromycin ir tablets , 500 mg bid ( 1000 mg daily ) for 14 days . of the 627 patients enrolled in this study , 317 patients received a single dose of clarithromycin er tablets 500 mg × 2 qd ( 1000 mg daily ) for 7 days , and 303 patients received clarithromycin ir tablets , 500 mg bid ( 1000 mg daily ) for 7 days . the results of the study are summarized below in table viii . from the above results , it can be seen that patients taking the extended - release formulation of clarithromycin were significantly less likely to stop taking clarithromycin due to gastrointestinal adverse events and these patients suffered significantly fewer severe gastrointestinal adverse effects . | 0 |
referring to fig1 , a forensic light source constructed in accordance with the present invention is illustrated . the inventive forensic light source 10 comprises a lamp 12 . lamp 12 includes a pair of electrodes 14 and 16 ( housed within a clear quartz envelope ( or bulb ) and is powered by a pair of conductors 18 and 20 housed within the bulb . the bulb of lamp 12 also contains a mixture of mercury , xenon and metal halide . power is supplied by a power supply 22 , which may be based on battery power , comprising one or more batteries . alternatively , an ac power supply may be employed and which may be plugged into the alternating current mains . if desired , rechargeable batteries may be employed , and optionally an ac power supply may supply the desired power , and recharge the battery when the battery needs recharging . the system is cooled by a fan 24 which is also powered by power supply 22 . light output by the system is focused by an elliptical reflector 26 which includes a pair of focal points . one of these focal points coincides with the electrical discharge adjacent electrode 14 which is the electrode which emits light . the other focal point is positioned at point 28 , which functions as the source position for a virtual point source which , in turn , may be focused into a converging beam , a diverging beam or a pencil or parallel bundle of any desired width of light by a lens 30 . alternatively , light may be focused onto the input face of a fiber optic bundle as in some of the alternative embodiments described below . the system is enclosed in a housing 32 . housing 32 may be made of sheet metal , such as steel or aluminum , or any suitable material . during operation , lamp 12 is powered by power supply 22 and is caused to emit light . similarly , power is sent to blower 24 which draws air through perforations 33 in housing 32 and exhausts air through perforations 35 in housing 32 . this acts to cool the system . optionally , the output of the forensic light source may be filtered as it outputs lens 30 by a filter 34 . filter 34 may be tilted , as is known in the art , in the directions indicated by arrows 36 in order to shift the wavelength of output light . such wavelength shifting will work with an interference filter in accordance with bragg &# 39 ; s law . in accordance with the invention , lamp 12 is a short arc vapor lamp of the type incorporating a mixture of mercury , xenon and metal halide . when power is supplied to electrodes 14 and 16 , an arc is formed between the electrodes and a light emitting plasma generates both heat and light . the generated heat causes the mercury to evaporate , thus insuring an adequate output in the ultraviolet range . the subject lamp is particularly advantageous in the case of a forensic light source . for example , in the case of a forensic light source , the powering of the device by batteries is of particular importance , as a convenient source of ac current may not be available . in addition , because of the efficiency provided by the lamp employed in the inventive system , battery life is extended while light output is improved substantially . while such factors may be irrelevant in other circumstances , the use of the inventive system with a battery provides substantial advantages in the context of evidence gathering . at the same time , because the contents of lamp 12 are not under high - pressure , the likelihood of a dangerous accident is greatly reduced . again this feature is of particular relevance in the context of a forensic light source , where the area where it is being used may be in disarray and an individual using the same may trip , or the device may be put in a relatively unsecured location from which it may fall , tip over or the like . such an accident may also result in loss of evidence . in accordance with the present invention , yet further advantages are provided as compared to prior art systems in as much as lamp 12 is operated with dc current , preferably a battery or relatively smooth dc similar ( supplied by a low voltage battery or the ac mains ) to the direct current provided by a battery . the result is that the luminous spot is maintained adjacent one electrode 14 , which is made coincident with one of the focal points of the elliptical reflector 26 . consequently , light tends to focus at focal point 28 and such focus is relatively distortion free , resulting in the production of good pencils , points and cones at the output of lens 30 . this compares with the situation where both electrodes may emit light and high quality focusing is relatively difficult to achieve . in accordance with the present invention , the most effective lamp found for use as lamp 14 is a lamp selected from the emarc series manufactured by ushio which has offices in california . these emarc mercury and metal halide mixture lamps have excellent efficiency and spectral range and are operated with direct current . moreover , the advantages of greater output of light , longer battery life , better shaped output and greatly reduced risks of danger due to bulbs exploding is provided without compromising the quality or power output of the lamp . in the discussion of alternative embodiments below , analogous parts are , where practical , given numbers which are multiples of 100 different from the reference numerals of the elements indicated in connection with the description of the fig1 embodiment . an alternative embodiment of the light source of the present invention is illustrated in fig2 . alternative light source 110 comprises a power supply 122 , which may be based on battery power or on ac power . alternative light source 110 comprises a lamp 112 . lamp 112 includes a pair of electrodes 114 and 116 and is powered by a pair of conductors 118 and 120 . the system is cooled by a fan 124 which is also powered by power supply 122 . light output by the system is focused by an elliptical reflector 126 which includes a pair of focal points . one of these focal points coincides with the discharge adjacent electrode 114 . the other focal point is positioned at point 128 , which functions as the source position for a virtual point source which , in turn , may be focused by a lens 130 into a converging beam , a diverging beam , a point on the input face of a fiber optic bundle , or a pencil of light . the system is enclosed in a housing 132 . housing 132 may be made of sheet metal or any suitable material . during operation , lamp 112 is powered by power supply 122 and is caused to emit light . similarly , power is sent to blower 124 which draws air through perforations 133 in housing 132 and exhausts air through perforations 135 in housing 132 . optionally , the output of the inventive forensic light source may be filtered as it outputs lens 130 by any one of several filters 134 mounted for selection on the circumferential edge of a rotatably mounted wheel . filters 134 may be tilted , as is known in the art , in the directions indicated by arrows 136 in order to shift the wavelength of output light . focusing of the system illustrated in fig1 and the system illustrated in fig2 may be achieved by a variety of lens configurations and mechanisms . for example , with reference to the fig2 embodiment , lens 132 may be moved as indicated by arrows 140 and 142 . alternatively , a lens may be omitted from the design . in contrast to the system illustrated in fig1 , light source 110 includes a plurality of filters 134 ( for example , six filters ) which may be arranged on a wheel 144 , which rotates on a hub 146 . if desired , wheel 144 may be mounted for tilting to achieve wavelength shifting in the passed wavelength . wheel 144 may also include an empty hole without a filter for the passage of light without filtering . in addition , if desired , the output of the source may be passed into a fiber optic member 148 , mounted in a conventional manner to housing 132 . in using the inventive source , many materials , such as dyes , in addition to fluorescent dusting powders may be used . inspection of treated and untreated evidence may be done using the specialized light output of the high intensity inventive source and optionally a filter which passes light having a limited range of wavelengths . depending upon the material used , which material may be either a fluorescent dusting powder , dye , or other marker material , light having a wavelength which substantially coincides with a known excitation wavelength of the marker is employed . the characteristic of the marker is that , upon illumination with light at one of its excitation wavelengths , it will fluoresce , or emit light . such fluorescence is typically at a longer wavelength as compared to the excitation wavelength . examination of evidence may also optionally be enhanced through the use of color filtering glasses or filters , whose color filtering characteristics are tuned to maximize the image to be detected . as noted above , the excitation wavelength is varied through the use of filters at the source . while such devices are very efficient in filtering light , every filter has its own fixed characteristics . these include its center wavelength , bandwidth and transmission coefficient . thus , if one wishes to have flexibility , the embodiment of fig2 , including filter tilting and a wheel of filters and an open hole is of particular value . moreover , as new dyes and powders are introduced , appropriate filters may be selected and tilted as necessary . the possibility also exists to change a filter wheel or the filters in a wheel . as can be seen from the above , numerous advantages are provided by the inventive , efficient , superiorly focused , fuller ranged and versatile system . naturally , the inventive system is advantageous in having the possibility of very high intensity output light at a selected wavelength . moreover , the same is achieved without increased power consumption and excessive heat energy , which would otherwise stress the rest of the system . referring to fig3 , in accordance with the invention , a forensic source 210 may take the form of a housing 232 containing a lamp 212 ( of the type sold by ushio under the emarc trademark with optics substantially arranged as in the embodiments of fig1 and 2 . the output of lamp 212 is coupled to a fiber - optic bundle 250 , with wavelength selection performed by a selected filter on a filter wheel 244 ( or a pair of filter wheels ) which are positioned at the end of fiber optic bundle 250 . filter wheel 244 comprises a generally circular member within which a plurality of filters are mounted at the circumferential periphery of the wheel . filter wheel 244 is mounted for rotation in the directions indicated by arrows 251 , and may be rotated by the thumb 253 of a user grasping a handle 252 with his hand . this can be most convenient because handle 252 is at the output end of fiber optic bundle 250 . alternately , filters located in a filter wheel 244 ′ ( illustrated in phantom lines in fig3 ) may instead be located in housing 232 and controlled by direct mechanical linkage or a remote - control at the output of fiber optic bundle 250 . light rays 254 emitted by lamp 212 are focused by reflector 226 onto the input face 256 of fiber optic bundle 250 . other alternatives are the placement of a battery power supply externally ( for example , a battery pack or linkage to a car battery ) or use of a removable ac power supply that has a dedicated position in a compartment located in forensic source 210 . a mechanical shutter 258 may be mounted for sliding , rotary , or other motion to be positioned over input face 256 of fiber optic bundle 250 to block the output of light from the system . such motion may be achieved using a knob 260 . the system may also employ band reject filters on a filter wheel . similarly , goggles ( bandpass and / or band reject ) may be employed in connection with the inventive forensic light source . referring to fig4 - 6 , an embodiment of the inventive forensic light source 310 is illustrated . source 310 comprises a lamp 312 contained within an elliptical reflector 326 . the lamp is of the type described in connection with the embodiments of fig1 - 3 . likewise , the optics in connection with which lamp 312 is used may be substantially the same as those described in connection with the embodiments of fig1 - 3 . the system may be grasped and carried around by a handle 315 . a fuse assembly 321 ( which also includes conventional electrical fluctuation filtering circuitry ) supplies power to a 200 watt power supply 322 , comprising an electronic ballast which powers lamp 312 , whose light emitting electrode is schematically indicated in phantom lines in the figure . lamp 312 is housed in reflector 326 . a second power supply 323 powers a plurality of blowers or fans which cool the unit . these fans are mounted over holes in housing 332 to permit the intake or exhaust of air to form a desired cooling airflow . more particularly , the inventive system comprises a fan power supply 323 which supplies power to an intake fan 325 . intake fan 325 draws air along path 325 a through an exhaust fan 327 , cooling the lamp and power supply 323 . an intake fan 329 draws air along path 329 a and exhausts it through holes 331 . fan 335 draws air in the direction of path 335 a , cooling a coupling 362 within which a fiber optic light guide bundle , such as that illustrated in the earlier embodiments , may be mounted . fan 335 has its airflow guided and concentrated by a cowl 364 , which extends around coupling 362 . coupling 362 may be made of metal , such as a lightweight aluminum or other similar alloy . the use of lightweight aluminum has the additional advantage of providing for effective transfer of heat generated at the face of the fiber optic bundle to the cooling airflow . light may be blocked by a mechanical shutter 358 operated by a knob 360 . the system may be turned on and off by a switch 370 . in similar fashion , a secondary switch 372 may be used to turn the lamp on and off . referring to fig7 , the system is powered by the ac mains 373 . power to ballast power supply 322 is coupled by switch 372 to drive lamp 312 . more particularly , switch 370 couples power via fuse 321 , which provides power to switch 372 . switch 370 also couples power to a suitable fuse arrangement 374 , which in turn couples power to power supply 323 . power supply 323 powers fans 325 , 327 , 329 , and 335 . the various parts of the inventive light source 310 are contained in a housing 332 . numerous vent holes , including vent holes 331 and 333 are provided in housing 332 . filters may be provided in the system as described in connection with the embodiments of fig1 - 3 , and as discussed above . while an illustrative embodiment of the invention has been described , it is , of course , understood that various modifications will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art . such modifications are within the spirit and scope of the invention which is defined and limited only by the appended claims . | 6 |
fig1 shows the thermal response of a solid state device during a steady state operating condition . specifically , fig1 shows a time dependent non - linear temperature increase for a solid state device during an uninterrupted operating condition . that is , the device under study operates without an interruption or a change of its input power supply or operating conditions . at fig1 the solid state device &# 39 ; s temperature is shown at the y - axis and the time is shown at the x - axis . for convenience , temperatures is denoted by “ t ” and time is denoted by “ t ” herein . the device under study can be a solid state device such as an electronic module , a circuit board or any other device that comprises solid state components . moreover , the device under study can comprise a solid state unit such as a microprocessor structured within a larger unit such as a mother board . curve 110 of fig1 depicts the device &# 39 ; s temperature as a function of time . curve 110 has a varying slope between temperatures t 0 and t f . as the device temperature approaches t f , the curve flattens and curve 110 reaches its asymptote 112 . asymptote 112 occurs at t f and can be used to predict the steady state temperature of the device . fig2 shows the thermal response of a solid state device during a transient operating condition , e . g ., an interrupted or changed operating condition that extends for a brief , finite time period . the transient operating condition can result from a start / stop condition or a change in the input conditions . a change in the input condition can include any change which would affect the device &# 39 ; s processing speed or performance thereby causing an increase / decrease in the device &# 39 ; s temperature . in fig2 , the initial ( i . e ., at t 0 ) device temperature is t 0 . between times t 0 and t 1 , the solid state device is operating and its temperature rises from t 0 to t 1 as represented by curve 210 which peaks at point 212 . at t 1 the operating condition of the solid state device is interrupted , for example by cutting off power to the solid state device . during the power interruption between t 1 and t 2 , the solid state device cools off at a rate represented by curve 220 . the heating and cooling processes between t 0 and t 2 represent one cycle . cooling curve 220 is interrupted at t 2 ( corresponding to point 222 ) where power is once again restored to the solid state device . between t 2 and t 3 , the device is once again operating and generating heat . however , since the device had not reached the initial temperature t 0 , the second heating cycle 230 starts at a higher starting temperature t 2 . the heat generated during time span t 2 to t 3 is represented by curve 230 . curve 230 is interrupted at t 3 ( corresponding to point 232 ) where the solid state device &# 39 ; s operation is interrupted . cool down commences during time span t 3 to t 4 . the solid state device &# 39 ; s cooling between t 3 and t 4 is represented by curve 240 . at t 4 , a second cycle is completed . in fig2 , the temperature increase between the cycles is shown at δt h 250 which is the temperature increase between the first temperature rise 210 and the second temperature rise 230 . similarly , the system residual cooling system δt c 252 shows the difference between the lowest points of cooling curves 220 and 240 . as shown in fig2 , the transient operating conditions i . e ., interruptions in this example , make it nearly impossible to estimate the steady state temperature of the solid state device . the conventional modeling systems require many calculations for each heating / cooling cycle . the computation time for estimating the temperature at the end of each heating / cooling cycle can be one time unit . consequently , the computation time for determining the steady state temperature of the entire system can be n time units , where n represents the number of transient operating cycles . it is clear then that for such systems predicting steady state temperature in a reasonable time can be virtually impossible . fig3 shows the comparative asymptotes for a solid state device operating in an transient and an steady states . in fig3 , curve 310 represents the temperature increase for a solid state device . at t 1 , the solid state device &# 39 ; s temperature is t 1 . assuming that there is a transient operating cycle e . g ., an interruption at t 1 , the solid state device will cool down before heating up to t 2 and beyond . the transient operating cycles ( interruptions ) are not shown at fig3 . instead , the curve 310 shows the points 320 - 380 , each of which depicts a temperature peak for solid state device at its highest point before an interruption cycle . in other words , curve 310 shows the non - linear temperature growth of the solid state device . each of temperatures 320 - 380 can reflect the upper temperature limit of the temperature growth δt h between sequential interruption operating cycles ( see fig2 ). once the upper temperature limits are plotted , curve 310 can be used to predict the steady state temperature 380 at the asymptote of curve 310 . comparatively , asymptote 390 represents the steady state temperature of the same solid state device without interruption ( steady state operation ). fig4 shows a family of non - linear curves for a solid state device . more specifically , fig4 shows an uninterrupted or steady state temperature profile for a solid state device operating under various conditions . for example , curve 410 shows the solid state device &# 39 ; s temperature profile where the device is operating at 25 % capacity , curve 420 shows the solid state device &# 39 ; s temperature profile where the device is operating at 50 % capacity and curve 430 shows the solid state device &# 39 ; s temperature profile where the device is operating at 100 % capacity . the profile representations at the various operating capacities is exemplary and profiles at any operating capacity between 0 - 100 % can be determined without departing from the principles of the disclosure . each of curves 410 , 420 and 430 reaches a steady state temperature at t 25 % , t 50 % and t 100 % . also , each of curves 410 , 420 and 430 have a unique shape and an asymptote . the steady state temperature of curves 410 , 420 and 430 also denotes the asymptote for each respective curve . given that each of curves 410 , 420 and 430 shows thermal profile of an uninterrupted solid state device , a computer can readily ascertain the steady state temperature based on the curve &# 39 ; s asymptote . the computation time for estimating the steady state temperature of each of curves 410 , 420 and 430 can be assumed to be one time unit . according to one embodiment of the disclosure , the steady state temperature of a solid state device which operates with transient operating cycles can be predicted by referencing the device &# 39 ; s temperature profile when operating without transient operating cycles . for example , the solid state device profiled at fig3 , operates with a transient operating cycle i . e ., an interruption , between temperature points 320 - 380 . to predict the device &# 39 ; s steady state temperature reference can be made to fig4 where the same device is profiled at various operating capacities . a comparison of the shape of curve 310 ( fig3 ) with one of curves 410 , 420 and 430 ( fig4 ) reveals , for example , that curve 310 and curve 410 have a similar shape . the steady state temperature of the device of fig3 can be predicted by superimposing curve 410 onto curve 310 . alternatively , if the shape of curve 310 closely matches the shape of curve 420 , the latter can be superimposed on the former to predict the device &# 39 ; s steady state temperature . fig5 is an exemplary algorithm according to one embodiment of the disclosure . at step 510 an initial curve for the solid state device under study can be constructed . referring to fig2 , the initial curve can be constructed by plotting the temperature at points t 0 , t 1 and t 3 . a plot of these and similar points can yield an initial curve similar to curve 310 of fig3 . next , the shape of the initial curve can be determined . the shape can be determined , for example , by finding the slope of different lines tangent to the curve at different locations along the curve . in step 520 a theoretical temperature profile for the solid state device can be constructed . a theoretical temperature profile can provide the solid state device &# 39 ; s thermal performance at various uninterrupted operating conditions . in one embodiment , the theoretical temperature profile can show the thermal performance of the solid state device at a range of 0 % to 100 % operating load . in other embodiments , the temperature profile can provide a thermal profile for the device under uninterrupted ( steady state ) operating loads of about 25 %, 35 %, 45 %, 55 %, 65 %, 75 %, 85 %, 95 %, and any other uninterrupted operating load . in step 530 , the shape of the initial curve can be used to identify the theoretical temperature curve with the closest matching shape . once the closest theoretical temperature curve is identified , the theoretical temperature curve can be superimposed ( step 540 ) or fitted on to the initial curve to construct a final curve having an asymptote . step 540 may further include adding a constant to provide a temperature shift or other conventional mathematical techniques for proper curve fitting . the asymptote of the final curve provides a basis for predicting the steady state temperature of the solid state device operating with a transient operating condition . fig6 shows an exemplary apparatus according to one embodiment of the disclosure . in fig6 device 610 can comprise a motherboard with processors 615 , 617 , 618 and 619 . in one embodiment , processor 630 can define the solid state apparatus under study . thus , thermocouple 620 can communicate the operating temperature of device 615 to processor 630 . in an alternative embodiment , thermocouple 620 can communicate the operating temperature of device 610 . using instantaneous temperatures , processor 630 can construct an initial curve for processor 615 . processor 630 can comprise a computing apparatus or a firmware programmed with instructions for implementing the exemplary embodiments disclosed herein . processor 630 can access database 640 which can include a theoretical temperature profile for a solid state device either identical or similar to processor 615 . using the theoretical temperature profiles , processor 630 can select a theoretical temperature curve closely matching the shape of the initial curve for processor 615 . once identified , the closely - matching theoretical temperature curve can be superimposed on the initial curve to predict an asymptote for the initial curve . the asymptote of the initial curve can be used to predict the steady state temperature of processor 615 . the present disclosure may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes of the disclosure . accordingly , reference should be made to the appended claims , rather than the foregoing specification , as indicating the scope of the disclosure . although the foregoing description is directed to exemplary embodiments of the disclosure , it is noted that other variations and modification will be apparent to those skilled in the art ; and may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the disclosure . | 6 |
an embodiment of the invention is shown in the representation of fig1 . fig1 demonstrates a low cost , rapidly deployable , light - weight miniature data center and network 10 that consolidates a heterogeneous group of real servers 71 into a single homogenous server package 11 . in this depiction , the heterogeneous group of real servers 71 is understood to represent different computer systems that may be running different hardware architectures , operating systems and software . for example , legacy server 72 could represent a hewlett - packard machine running microsoft windows xp on an intel x86 architecture . legacy server 73 could be a z - micro machine running microsoft windows 2000 on an intel x86 architecture . legacy server 74 could be a dell machine running a linux red - hat operating system on an amd athlon architecture . legacy server 75 could be an apple machine running a macintosh os x operating system on an intel core duo architecture . other types of legacy servers could be main frame and mini - main frames running forms of unix or proprietary operating systems . the group of real servers 71 can comprise any number of actual servers but is only represented as containing four systems for ease of representation and understanding . through server consolidation technology , represented by the arrow in fig1 , the current invention does not require legacy servers or their applications to be reconfigured or migrated from their existing operating systems or software environments . the current invention exhibits a developed process and procedure to configure a master system that allows all of the legacy servers 72 through 75 of heterogeneous server group 71 to be represented and accessible to any number of users through homogeneous server package 11 . the server consolidation technology herein described allows homogenous server package 11 to maintain a plurality of virtualized images 12 of each of the constituent legacy servers 72 through 75 of heterogeneous server group 71 to be available to users through network 20 via a plurality of client workstations 13 . such maintenance of the plurality of virtualized images 12 in homogeneous server package 11 and the granting of access to plurality of client workstations 13 through network 20 is known and understood in the art as described by devine et al . in u . s . pat . no . 6 , 397 , 242 b1 , here incorporated by specific reference thereto . the homogeneous server package can host the plurality of client workstations 13 , comprising any number of client workstations 14 through 19 . again , the plurality of client workstations 13 is represented as only comprising six client workstations 14 through 19 , but the plurality of client workstations 13 may support any number of actual client workstations . client workstations 14 through 19 can be traditional “ thick ” personal computers or laptops with full memory and disks connecting to homogeneous server package 11 through industry - standard microsoft windows - compatible remote rdesktop protocols . or , client workstations 14 through 19 can be stateless thin client workstations that lack memory , disk , and operating system independent of the applications available on homogeneous server package 11 . client workstations 14 through 19 may take the form of portable laptop type computers . the client workstations 14 through 19 may be thin , stateless , dumb terminals that do not contain any substantial memory or a hard disk . only a boot rom or removable media , such as thumb drives or compact - disk read only memory , may be provided . or , client workstations 14 through 19 may be restricted based upon location so as to further protect sensitive data . thin client workstations are known and understood in the art and described in such patents as richardson , u . s . pat . no . 5 , 748 , 892 , incorporated here by specific reference thereto . specifically , client workstations 14 through 19 may be sun ray stateless , ultra - thin virtual display clients model 170 available from sun microsystems , inc . ; however , plurality of client workstations 13 can comprise and homogeneous server package 11 can support both traditional “ thick ” clients and thin clients . network 20 may be any secure network comprising any means of data transfer available including direct land line connections , wireless connections , or , secure satellite communications . referring to fig2 a , the hardware of the invention will be more specifically described . viewing the front of homogeneous server package 11 , the various components are visible , including a console and kvm tray 21 . console and kvm tray 21 provides direct control over the components of homogeneous server package 11 . console and kvm tray 21 may comprise a tripplite rackmount keyboard / monitor / kvm tray . the chassis of homogeneous server package 11 , containing components 21 through 34 , is selected to provide ruggedized transit and deployment housing for the commercial , off - the - shelf , equipment , which holds the components 21 through 34 with standard - spaced pre - drilled mount holes . the chassis of homogeneous server package 11 also provides mounts between the outer plastic shell and the mounting frame in order to reduce shock transfer to the internally mounted equipment . the chassis of homogeneous server package 11 may be military specification rated and includes handles ( not shown ) to aid in transport of such . server blades 22 through 29 are separated into two groups : client servers , 22 and 23 , and consolidated application servers , 24 through 29 . the servers in each group may be of identical configuration and the configuration between each group is close enough to allow a server in one group to be easily repurposed as a server in the other group if the need should arise . in addition , the personality of each homogeneous server package 11 is determined by the make up and configuration of each of the servers and the task that they perform . each homogeneous server package can be tailored to meet the requisites and demands of any task , such as minimizing weight for portability or increasing storage area 30 so as to hold more information . to simplify management , all the servers may be from the same manufacturer . each server blade 22 through 29 may comprise a sunfire x4100 galaxy server blade with at least 2xamd opteron 275 dual - core processors , 16 gb ram , a dvd - rom , q - logic dual - channel fiber channel host bus adapters , rails and cable management arms , and with no internal hard drives . for redundancy and failover , there are two client servers , 22 and 23 . the client servers hold the state of all clients in the environment and provide stateful failover in the event the primary client server should fail . the preferred embodiment of homogeneous server package may contain between three and six consolidated application servers , 24 through 29 . consolidated application servers 24 through 29 may have generic configurations so as to allow for rapid repurposing in the event that one physical piece of hardware is rendered unserviceable . in the preferred embodiment , the two client servers , 22 and 23 , may be configured as client servers running sun solaris with sunray server software . in this embodiment , the remaining consolidated application servers 24 through 29 may be loaded with vmware esx server and host the applications in virtual server “ containers ” that can be started , stopped , and relocated from server to server . also , the management of the plurality of servers 22 through 29 may be handled via vmware &# 39 ; s virtual center and vmotion , normally running on the first blade of the consolidated application servers 24 through 29 , specifically application server 24 . the preferred embodiment further provides that during initial configuration and disaster recovery situations , the management center may be provisioned to run on client server 23 in a native - installation of microsoft windows xp . still referring to fig2 a , storage area 30 may contain all important data pertaining to the application environment . particularly , storage area 30 may include all server image and configurations as well as the running images of all virtual servers and their applications . storage area 30 &# 39 ; s functions to provide reliable , pervasive storage while facilitating rapid server failover in the event a problem arises . since storage area 30 is available to all servers in the pack , client servers 22 and 23 and consolidated application servers 24 through 29 , storage area 30 also facilitates the transfer of any one of the running virtual machines , represented as constituents of plurality of virtualized images 12 in fig1 , from server blade to another without having to shutdown the hosted application and restart it afterward . this operation and application mobility is a key advantage that provides the ability to load balance applications across homogeneous server package 11 or to relocate an application from any one of the plurality of servers 22 through 29 that is scheduled to be taken out of service for maintenance to any of the remaining operable servers of the plurality of servers 22 through 29 such that no mission - critical application is interrupted . all random access storage may be handled in the central storage area 30 , which may comprise a storage area network ( san ) array located in the center of the pack . in the preferred embodiment , all server blades 22 through 29 may be maintained in a non - persistent state condition , and can assume different roles based on the boot logical unit number ( lun ) provided to them by storage area 30 . additionally , fail - over and redundant storage requirements are handled on a hardware level of storage area 30 , thus reducing administrative overhead on the blade systems and increasing speed and efficiency . storage area 30 demonstrates the overall effective break point between reliability , ruggedness , scalability , weight , and cost . in one embodiment , lc connections via fiber channel is employed as the connection media due to its standard makeup in common off the shelf equipment combined with fast transmission capabilities . the client servers 22 through 29 may manage storage area 30 , by running sun storedge management software or similar management software . storage area 30 contains two independent controllers ( not shown ), each with two fiber - channel lc ports ( not shown ) providing multipath and failover conduits to the san fabric switches 33 and 34 . in that embodiment , each controller is connected to each san fabric switch 33 and 34 , ensuring connectivity under all conditions of controller , storage area 30 , or san fabric switch 33 or 34 failure . as mentioned , homogeneous server package 11 may also contain two san fabric switches 33 and 34 . for reliability and throughput , each server blade 22 through 29 may be connected to the san fabric switches 33 and 34 via dual paths , one to each storage switch 33 and 34 . these connections help ensure connectivity under conditions of failure while providing multiple paths to and from storage area 30 for efficient 2 or 4 gbit / sec access . additionally , two network switches 31 and 32 provide homogeneous server package 11 with the capability to network to outside networks and allow for the use of multiple homogeneous server packages 11 in conjunction with each other or outside networks . one configuration may comprise two identical , dual power supply cisco catalyst ethernet switches 31 and 32 that are route capable . interconnect ports are used to connect to external networks through external fc - al connections , which may include other packs , special - use networks ( i . e . the jnn ), or the internet in general . each switch may have 48 gig - e ports , 4 spf ports , and 2 switch interconnect ( ict ) ports . the connectivity of components is designed to provide optimum , reliable and redundant communications between all components of the homogeneous server package 11 . within the pack , virtual local area networks , or vlans , are established to segregate traffic , minimize traffic density and chatter , and maintain consistency with existing network configurations . such configurations are well known and understood in the art such as described by chan et al . in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 823 , 338 , here incorporated by specific reference thereto . fig2 b depicts a rear view of homogeneous server package 11 , which shows the power connections rear consolidation panel 35 . rear consolidation panel 35 allows for connectivity of the internal components of homogeneous server package 11 to the outside world or networks by providing multiple ports specifically for those purposes . network connections 36 are bypass connectors that allow for outside networks or other homogeneous server packages 11 to connect and transmit and receive data from the internal network switches 31 and 32 . power busses 37 a , 37 b , 37 c , and 37 d are external connections to internal power distribution strips 50 a , 50 b , 50 c , and 50 d , respectively and shown in fig4 , which are arranged in a priority power distribution system described below . connectors 38 are also connections to the external networks available to internal components , and may comprise lc - tfoca connectors . referring to fig3 , the back of storage area 30 is shown and contains two independent controllers 42 and 46 , each with two fiber - channel lc ports , 43 and 47 , providing multipath and failover conduits to the san fabric switches 33 and 34 , shown in fig2 a . each controller , 42 and 46 , is connected to each san fabric switch , 33 and 34 , ensuring connectivity under all conditions of controller 42 or 46 or san fabric switch 33 or 34 failure . for reliability and throughput , each server blade 22 through 29 , shown in fig2 a , is connected each san fabric switch 33 and 34 resulting in dual paths . this built in redundancy helps ensure connectivity under all conditions of controller 42 or 46 , san fabric switch 33 or 34 failure , while providing multiple paths to and from the storage area 30 for efficient 2 or 4 gbit / sec access . the controllers &# 39 ; 42 and 46 network ports 44 and 48 are connected to the network switches 31 and 32 , shown in fig2 a , for out - of - band management , and may be accomplished via sun storedge management software running on the client servers 22 and 23 . the serial ports 45 and 49 are not used in this configuration . fig4 illustrates a power distribution system used to supply the necessary electrical input to support the functionality of every component . the power distribution system may operate at 120 v to 240 v alternating current , 50 to 60 hz , single phase power , with at least a maximum draw of 96 amps . no uninterrupted power supplies are provided for in the described embodiment of the current invention so as to decrease the overall weight and while increasing portability of homogeneous server package 11 . however some type of uninterrupted power supply could be used . also , power to homogeneous server package 11 is preconditioned externally so as to minimize deployable weight and reduce redundancy when preconditioned power is already provided for by the facility in which homogeneous server package 11 is installed . power to homogeneous server package 11 is divided between four independent electrical busses , 37 a , 37 b , 37 c , and 37 d ; each bus may draw up to 30 amps . electrical busses 37 a , 37 b , 37 c , and 37 d are arranged in a priority system , as illustrated explicitly in fig7 , and the power system is connected such that components draw power only when the resources are needed . in this described embodiment , pack - critical components , such as storage area 30 and console and kvm tray 21 , may be operated on a reduced power load through electrical bus 37 a , which is the highest priority bus . as additional components of homogeneous server package 11 are needed , for example increased need for use of application servers 25 and 26 , additional busses become powered to support such needs . power distribution is provided through four power distribution strips 50 a , 50 b , 50 c , and 50 d , each mounted on the inside of homogeneous server package 11 . electrical bus 37 a is connected to and powers distribution strip 50 a , and is of highest priority . electrical bus 37 b is connected to and powers distribution strip 50 b , and is of second highest priority . electrical bus 37 c is connected to and powers distribution strip 50 c , and is of third highest priority . electrical bus 37 d is connected to and powers distribution strip 50 d , and is of lowest priority . the activity of the lower priority electrical busses 37 b , 37 c , and 37 d is determined by the needs of the users of homogeneous server package 11 . fig7 shows the electrical connection matrix and further shows the priority of electrical busses 37 a , 37 b , 37 c , and 37 d . the highest priority electrical bus 37 a and power distribution strip 50 a support console and kvm tray 21 , client server blade 22 , application server blade 24 , storage area 30 , network switch 31 , and san fabric switch 33 . when needs be , second highest priority electrical bus 37 b and power distribution strip 50 b are activated and support with power client server blade 23 , application server blades 25 and 26 , storage area 30 , network switch 32 , and san fabric switch 34 . when third priority electrical bus 37 c and power distribution strip 50 c are activated , they support client server 23 , application servers 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , and 29 , and san fabric switch 34 . finally , when lowest priority electrical bus 37 d and power distribution strip 50 d are activated , they support and provide power to client server 22 , application servers 24 , 27 , 28 , and 29 , and san fabric switch 33 . the server consolidation technology , represented as the arrow in fig1 , provides three primary functions : server virtualization , thin client services , and an application server interface . the server consolidation technology allows each physical server to function and appear as multiple , discrete machines in individual “ containers ,” as can be seen if fig5 . application server 55 represents three discrete machines providing virtual applications 54 a , 54 b , and 54 c . each virtual application may run its own operating system , which is the same as that of the original operating system on which it runs on a real machine . these “ guest operating systems ” operate as if they have direct access to the original hardware architecture for which they were designed . since the operating system of the original server or machine remains intact , the applications available to the clients through homogeneous server package 11 and the plurality of clients 13 do not require modification and will function normally . a description of overcoming the associated barriers to virtualization of machines is described in u . s . pat . no . 6 , 397 , 242 b1 by devine et al . the preferred embodiment utilizes thin clients , which do not maintain any disk or memory space beyond that which is absolutely needed to start up and operate application selection interface 51 , which also retain no data or information because all applications are running the application servers 24 through 29 through the client servers 22 and 23 and the plurality of clients 13 . client servers 22 and 23 provide a single point of administration for all clients , represented by the plurality of clients 13 in fig1 , and will allow any client to access any available application on any application server 24 through 29 regardless of from what client the user logs in , provided the user logs in with the appropriate credentials . the operating state of each application is maintained on the client servers 22 and 23 such that if a client workstation fails , the user may move to any other client workstation , identify themselves through the use of a common access card or cac , and resume use of the application from where the user left off , with the same settings of the previous workstation down the personal settings . the cac utilizes the same technology present in subscriber identity module ( sim ) cards for global system for mobile communications ( gsm ) cellular phones . fig5 shows the application selection interface 51 presented to each user through the plurality of clients 13 ( shown in fig1 ). ease of use is a key feature of homogeneous server package 11 . fig5 is only a representation of four application servers , 55 , 56 , 57 , and 58 , each hosting a plurality of applications 54 , totaling ten in number ; however , other numbers of application servers and applications may be used . as each application server 55 , 56 , 57 , and 58 is started in its consolidated environment , it registers which applications are operational with the primary client server 53 and logs each application 54 as being “ available ”. the available services , 54 a through 54 j , are identified and presented to users via a java - based selector 51 , which allows easy point - and - click connections through the user &# 39 ; s selecting the presented application and clicking on its representation 52 in the java - based selector window 51 . likewise , when each thin client initially starts and registers with the thin client server it immediately displays the dynamically updated menu of all applications available on all servers . with a mouse click the end user selects the application to run through that thin client . fig6 a and 6b together illustrate a kiosking program flowchart which includes , in the preferred embodiment , the means by which the application selector graphical user interface is generated and kept current . beginning in fig6 a , the script 60 is started and the program first sets up the initial environment state 61 . upon completion of that , the type of display type is next determined , whether it is a thin client or a thick client such as a machine running a linux x11 operating system . if it is determined that a thin client is being used as in 62 , the program then determines the number of active displays 63 and whether those active displays are acting as a thin client array 64 . if it is determined that the thin clients are acting as an array 64 , then the program then determines the number of screens and the geometry of such screens 65 and sets the display to multi - panel mode and selects default 66 . if it is determined that the thin client is not acting as part of an array 64 , then the display is set to single panel mode 67 . if it was determined to be a thick client 62 , the program then sets the number of display heads and displays the locale 68 , meaning that the program detects the number and locations of users . next , regardless of whether the display type was determined to be thick clients or thin 62 or thin clients in array 64 , regardless of the display type , all displays are initialized and the display counter n 69 is set to equal zero . the next step if for the program to determine whether or not the display counter n less than or equal to the number of displays 70 . if the display counter n is less than or equal to the number of displays , the screen is formatted and an informational banner is displayed 80 , then the display counter n is incremented by 1 . the loop 70 , 80 , and 81 may be repeated until the display counter n is greater than the number of displays . upon determination that the display counter n is not less than or equal to the number of displays 70 , the program then initiates the window manager 82 . the program then probes the installed application database 84 for available application servers 83 . the installed application database 84 contains information regarding users and security clearances as determined by the user &# 39 ; s cac . continuing on to fig6 b , through the kiosking program flowchart , the program launches the application navigator graphical user interface 85 , which is displayed to the user of the client . upon a user selecting and clicking an application , the program then correlates the application selection data to the specific address of the application and the type of application 86 by accessing the installed application database configuration 87 . the program then continues to validate that the application address is available 88 through pinging the application host internet protocol address 89 . if there is no response to the programs pinging of the application host &# 39 ; s ip address 89 , then the program displays an error message alerting the user that the application is unavailable 90 , updates the application database 91 with the information that the selected application is no longer available and returns to launching the application navigator graphical user interface 85 . however , if a response to the pining of the application host internet protocol address is received 89 , then the program then determines what display to use 92 . the program then determines the number of displays to use 93 by initiating the launch of a display selector 94 , allowing the user to select the display environment and then setting the display environment to the user &# 39 ; s selection 95 . the program then determines the method and protocol for the how the connections 96 are established through either direct land line , wireless , or satellite uplink connections , or any other means of connection available in the art . the program then updates the application database 97 by sending information and actually updating the installed application database 98 . afterwards , the program determines the connection application 99 , for example whether it is microsoft remote desktop protocol ( msrdp ) or a linux x11 graphics interface application . if the program determines that the connection application is the msrdp 99 , then the program launches rdesktop , an open source client for windows nt terminal . or , if the program determines that the user is connecting to homogeneous server package 11 with a linux - based system 99 , the program launches xdm 101 . upon the user &# 39 ; s finishing use of the application in homogeneous server package 11 or the user &# 39 ; s manual termination of the use of the application , regardless of with which system the user logged in to the system , the program will next close the application connection 102 . the program then updates the application database 103 to reflect in the installed application database that the user is no longer using that application 104 . the program then flushes all memory buffers , terminates the script , and forces the script to restart 105 . one particularly useful deployment of the invention is for active military engagements that allow users at a remote locate to access the multiple servers from a laptop or work station via a thin client connection . the portable system can be easily deployed almost anywhere because of its light weight and portability . even if the remote laptop or work station is lost or captured , once the link with the server is disconnected , there is nothing on the remote laptop or work station for the enemy hostile forces to access . this would allow installation of the remote laptop or work station on a military vehicle to access multiple systems and not contain any classified information on the remote laptop or work station . although the foregoing specific details describe various preferred embodiments of this invention , persons reasonably skilled in the art will recognize that various changes may be made in the details of the method and apparatus of this invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims . therefore , it should be understood that , unless otherwise specified , this invention is not to be limited to the specific details shown and described herein . | 7 |
with reference to a first embodiment of a hand - held spray gun shown in fig1 to 16 , a high volume low pressure spray gun generally denoted by the reference numeral 10 is fed with air from an industrial turbine at a typical pressure of 6 psi ( 0 . 4 bar ) but which could be as high as 15 psi ( 1 . 02 bar ) and at a typical temperature of about 60 - 70 degrees c . and flow rate of about 15 cubic feet per minute . the air enters the gun 10 through a handle tube 12 that is located and adjacent its lower end in a gun handle 14 of the plastics or other non - metallic material . the tube 12 has a threaded upper end 15 that screws directly into a gun body 16 . the tube 12 is flanged at 17 adjacent its lower end to support the handle 14 . the handle 14 has an enlarged upper end where it joins the body , and the enlargement includes a pair of lateral ribs directed front to rear of the gun . when the gun is gripped , those ribs can distribute weight onto the thumb and forefinger making it less tiring to use the gun for extended periods . furthermore , it may be desirable from the comfort standpoint to use a reduced gripping distance between the handle and a trigger . to facilitate hand control of the gun , it is desirable that the handle should be of adequate thickness , but less than that which makes it difficult to grip . an air space 13 exists between the tube 12 and the handle 14 to minimize heating of the handle by the air stream . in this way , the handle is maintained at a comfortable temperature during extended operation of the gun . the air stream passes through large - bore air passages 18 of the body 16 to a distribution chamber 20 at the front end of the body 16 . in a version of the gun where a pressure paint cup is fitted , air bled from the chamber 20 via port 22 and a tube 24 ( fig4 ) to the paint cup 26 . the air pressure in the cup 26 urges paint upwardly through a rising fluid tube to an inlet 28 to the gun body on which a threaded connector 30 of the cup 26 fits . alternatively , the cup 26 could be pressurized from an external source such as a separate air supply . a further possibility is that the paint could be supplied from another pressurized source via a flexible hose . the gun body 16 has a head 32 formed with a through bore into which is permanently fixed a reinforcing and corrosion resistant sleeve 34 through which a needle 36 passes . the fluid inlet 28 is screwed into the head 32 of the gun body and makes a cone to cone seal with the sleeve 34 the needle assembly 36 enters the gun body 16 at an upper handle region 38 thereof and carries a sleeve 40 of ptfe or other suitable material that makes an air - tight slideable seal to bore in the gun body . it also carries a collar 42 that provides an abutment against which a trigger 44 , pivoted to the body 16 at pivot 43 , acts . the pivot 43 is in an insulator bush 45 which serves to prevent heat from the hot air entering the body 16 from passing down into the trigger . the needle 36 passes into the sleeve 34 via a retaining screw 48 and a packing gland 46 . it may be of stainless steel and may have a polyacetal tip . a coil spring 50 in compression in a bore of the upper handle 38 urges the needle 36 forwardly . the coil spring is supported in a fluid adjusting knob 52 that is threadedly engaged in a body bush 54 and also serves to provide a moveable abutment limiting rearward movement of the needle 36 by the trigger 34 as is conventional in the spray gun art . the body bush 54 can be abbreviated as shown , leaving the air passage 18 intersecting a portion of the bore in the upper handle around the spring 50 , the sliding bush 40 providing an adequate air seal at the low air pressures used . the form of the distribution chamber 20 is apparent from fig4 and comprises a central zone 56 surrounding the sleeve 34 which projects forwardly of the body as shown and upper and lower lobes 58 , the air passage 18 entering the chamber 20 at the upper lobe as shown . the reason for the provision of the lobes 58 is to provide a sufficient radial extent of the distribution chamber 20 to enable the air flow to be divided into atomizing and horn or spreader air streams as described below . the front face of the gun body is formed with a blind hole 60 for receiving a locating pin and with a spring - receiving slot 62 . the fluid passage 64 ( fig1 ) has an enlarged forward end that is internally threaded at 66 and terminates a conical seat 68 . the flow of fluid and air is controlled by a fluid nozzle 70 , baffle head 72 and fan control wheel 74 which fit one behind another on the body 16 as shown . the baffle head 72 may be machined out of bar and has an annular body 76 having on its rear face a locating pin 77 that fits into the socket 60 to prevent the baffle head 72 from rotating relative to the body 16 . it also has a spigot 78 within which are formed four splines 80 and two radially opposed sets of closely spaced pairs of air holes 82 . when the baffle head 72 is offered to the body 16 , the splines 80 fit over the sleeve 34 to define therebetween passages for forward flow of atomizing air , and the spigot isolates the central zone 56 of the distribution chamber 20 , leaving the lobes 58 extending therebeyond . the fan control wheel 74 is annular and is formed with a socket - defining recess 84 on its rear face leading to an annular groove 86 . the head region 32 of the body 16 is a close clearance fit into the socket recess 84 , and the groove 86 houses a pair of oppositely facing c - springs 88 having inturned locating tongues 90 that both fit into the slot 62 at the front face of the gun body . the fan control wheel is rotatably supported on the spigot 78 by central bearing portions 92 , and the pair of c - springs 88 offers an equal but slight controlled resistance to rotation in clockwise and anti - clockwise direction so that the control wheel can be set to a desired position but will not move until reset . as seen in fig8 and 9 , the central bearing region 92 which is formed in separated portions , as shown leads via cam regions 94 , 95 to a pair of diametrically opposed arcuate slots 96 , 97 , the slot 96 having a greater angular extent . when the fan control wheel 74 is in position on the baffle head 72 , the pin 77 locates into the slot 96 to define a range of angular movement of the wheel 74 . the holes 82 register with the lobes 58 of the distribution chamber 20 and the fan control wheel is rotatable between a first position in which the holes 82 are occluded to block off the flow of spreader air to a second position in which the holes 82 appear in the slots 96 , 97 to permit the free flow of spreader air . in intermediate positions the holes 82 are gradually opened or choked off , and the cam regions 94 , 95 enable the extent of flow to be more finely controlled . the front face of the baffle head 72 is formed with a seating face 98 for a fluid nozzle gasket 100 , there being an atomizing air distribution chamber 102 defined within the baffle head forwardly of the splines 80 . the fan control wheel 74 and the baffle head 72 are held to the body 16 by the fluid nozzle 70 which has a rear sleeve region 104 formed with a threaded back portion 106 that screws into the threaded region 66 of the sleeve 34 until a conical ring 108 seats onto the conical seat 68 . the gasket 100 fits behind a flange 110 of the nozzle , and a multiplicity of apertures 112 for forward flow of atomizing air are formed in the flange 110 . the forward face of the flange 110 is formed with a recess bounded by a conical seat 114 . the internal shape of the front end of the fluid tip , where it seats the needle 36 is shown in fig1 . a parallel bore region 116 leads to a transition region 118 of about 75 degrees included angle leading to a seat 120 of about 20 degrees included angle terminating in a relatively small straight fluid orifice 122 . the transition region 118 is more gradual in order to facilitate fluid flow compared with conventional spray tips . the nozzle 70 has a front cone 124 that joins the fluid orifice 122 at a front face 126 . an air cap 128 fits over the fluid nozzle 70 with a boss 130 of spherical external profile at 132 sealing against the seat 114 of the fluid tip and is retained by a retaining ring 134 that screws onto the baffle head 72 which is externally threaded at 136 . the seat 132 isolates a chamber 138 for atomizing air from a chamber 140 for spreader air . the atomizing air escapes from chamber 138 through an annulus 142 defined between the front cone 124 and a center hole 144 of the air cap . the spreader air flows from chamber 140 through feeder holes 146 to horn holes 148 . atomizing air also escapes through a number of cleaner holes 150 in the air cap 128 . as best seen in fig1 , the nozzle front cone 124 protrudes slightly beyond the front face of the air cap , and the face 126 is small . the flow of atomizing air attaches to the front cone 124 and to the emergent fluid jet 152 which covers the face 126 and assumes a conical form that is a continuation of the surface 124 , changing to a parallel jet before it breaks up into atomized droplets . a slightly diverging column of atomized paint is struck by opposed jets of spreader air 154 at a shallow angle , typically an included angle of about 150 degrees , bringing the point where the spreader air impinges on the jacket of the atomizing air nearer the surface 126 . it is believed that it is possible to use such a shallow angle without splitting the spray pattern because the air from jets 154 is a high volume but low pressure flow and the energy in the air dissipates relatively rapidly with distance . it has been found possible with a gun having a spraying tip as described herein and with the 150 degrees horn angle to produce a spray pattern having an even paint distribution throughout its width and a pattern width as great as 14 - 16 inclines at a spraying distance of 8 inches . because of the shallow angle of the horn air 154 , there was a tendency for paint to deposit on the front face of the air cap 128 . in a previous design of high volume low pressure spray gun air cap , cleaning holes have been omitted , but the result has been that the air cap becomes very dirty . we have been able to provide cleaning air without interfering with the spray pattern homogeneity by providing cleaning holes 150 that occur in pairs with the holes in each pair offset to opposite sides of a line joining the horn holes 148 . in this way , the emergent horn air 154 does not have to penetrate the cleaning jets from holes 150 , and its energy is wholly available for forming the paint pattern . we have carried out tests with the offset cleaning holes and both with and without an extra pair of cleaning holes on the center line . it has been found in the test that deletion of holes on the center line contributes markedly to the evenness of the deposited paint pattern . a further problem solved by the spray gun of the invention is the provision of a satisfactory connection between the handle tube 12 and an air supply hose leading from a compressor or other air source to the gun . with the high volume low pressure air flow that is employed , the hose has to be of relatively large diameter , and if it had to be rigidly connected to the gun body , an operator would encounter relatively high forces from bending the hose during the operation of paint spraying which would make the gun hard to use . the problem is solved , according to a further aspect of the invention , by the provision of a ball and socket joint between the hose and an air delivery tube in the gun handle . in fig1 and 16 , the handle tube 12 terminates at a ball formation 170 . a hose connector stem 172 has a serrated lower region 174 that is a push fit into a plastics or rubber air hose . a tubular connector body 176 is screwed onto the stem 172 and defines with it a cavity 178 in which is held captive a flanged seat member 180 that is biased upwardly by coil spring 182 in compression . a sleeve 184 fits over the forward end of the body 176 on which it is held captive by a retaining ring 186 which cooperates with a circumferential rib 188 on the inner surface of the sleeve 184 . a coil spring 190 biases the sleeve 184 forwardly into a position abutting the ring 186 . the body 176 is formed towards its forward end with at least three circumferentially spaced apertures through which latching balls 192 can protrude , the balls being held captive between the body 176 and the sleeve 184 . when the sleeve 184 is forward , the rib 188 registers with the balls 192 to prevent them retracting , but when the sleeve 184 is pulled back the rib 188 is clear of the balls 192 which are free to retract . the action of the spring 190 is to provide a normally locked condition of the balls 192 . to connect the hose to the handle , the sleeve 184 is pulled back and the ball 170 of the handle tube 12 is inserted into the body 176 , after which the sleeve 184 is released to latch the balls 192 in their projecting position preventing the ball 170 from being withdrawn . the seat member 180 has a spherical face 193 that is urged by spring 182 against the ball 170 to make an airtight seal therewith . with this arrangement the gun and hose are releaseably but securely connected together , but the ball and socket joint allows free pivoting movement within a range of angular travel that is sufficient for most spraying purposes . a modification of the spray gun , according to the invention , is shown in fig1 to 19 . this embodiment of the spray gun is automatically operated and can be mounted , for example , in a paint spray booth or attached to a programmable robot . the automatic spray gun comprises a spray head , generally indicated at 194 bolted to a spring - loaded piston actuation assembly 195 . this assembly is shown in derail in fig1 and is of known construction , for example , and shown in british patent no . 2061768 . a body 196 of the spray head 194 includes a threaded air inlet 197 which is supplied with air from an air turbine compressor or by step down in pressure from an airline through a control unit wherein heat may be added to the emergent air which is typically at a pressure of between 5 and 10 psi or up to a maximum of 15 psi . this air flows into annular chambers 198 and 199 formed by a cone shaped fluid tip 200 with a surrounding baffle head 201 . the fluid tip is screwed into a sleeve 202 located in the body and is sealed to the baffle head by a gasket 203 . passing through the sleeve is a needle valve 204 which is sealed by spring loaded self - adjusting packing 205 held in the sleeve by a retaining screw 206 . pressurized air from the air inlet 197 flows into the two annular chambers and exits from two series of holes 207 and 208 , respectively . this flow of air to the outer annular chamber 198 , is regulated by an air valve 209 which can be screwed in or out of its housing 210 to restrict the flow of air in the outer chamber 198 . the front end of the spray - head carries an air cap 211 shown in chain - dotted line , in fig1 , screwed to the spray - head by a retaining ring 212 . this cap has two horns 213 having air passages connecting with the pressurized air supply via the outer chamber 198 . the fluid to be sprayed is supplied to the spray gun at the inlet 214 connected with a container ( not shown ) for the fluid . this supply is typically made by flexible hose connected to a pressurized fluid supply and conveniently includes a relief valve of conventional type to prevent build - up of air in the fluid container . in operation the air valve 209 is screwed in or out of its housing 210 until the required setting of the spreader air is obtained . air is supplied at air inlet 215 to act on piston 216 . located within piston 216 is an auxiliary piston 217 biased by a spring 218 towards the rear end of the needle valve 204 metering the supply of the fluid to be sprayed , to the fluid tip . adjustment of the pistons 216 can be made by means of a ratchet stop mechanism 219 secured to the rear of the spray gun by screw 220 . this embodiment operates to regulate the flow of spreader air to the horns of the air cap to control the shape of the fan of fluid being sprayed as described with reference to the first embodiment of fig1 to 16 . it will be appreciated that modifications and additions may be made to the embodiments described above without departing from the invention , the scope of which is defined in the appended claims . for example , the gun described above has a continuously operating discharge of atomizing and spreader air through the air cap that takes place without restriction . but if this feature is considered undesirable for a particular purpose , an air valve operated by the trigger may be built into the gun so that air flows only when the trigger has been operated . a regulating valve for the air may be built into the gun itself or into the hose connector . the hose connector may be provided with an automatic shut - off which cuts off the flow of air when the gun is removed from the hose . in another modified construction of the hand - held spray fun , the ball and socket joint connecting the spray gun handle with an air supply hose is connected to a further universal connection , i . e . another ball and socket joint , to increase the pivot angle of the hose relative to the handle through an acute angle in excess of 25 °. | 1 |
the deceleration - sensitive braking pressure control unit comprises a housing 1 whose interior is through a pressure fluid inlet 2 connected to a pressure generator , in particular a master cylinder of a power brake system . the inlet pressure pe is introduced at the pressure fluid inlet 2 . at the opposite end of the housing 1 , an outlet 3 for pressure fluid pa is provided which is connected to a brake circuit ( not shown ), for example , to the wheel cylinders at the rear axle of an automotive vehicle ; the outlet pressure pa being discharged at this outlet . the pressure fluid inlet 2 is in communication with an inlet chamber 4 which is through a pressure fluid passage 19 and via a channel 8 constituting an open bore through a stepped piston 6 to the pressure fluid outlet 3 . an outlet chamber 22 at the pressure end of housing bore provides communication with outlet 3 . the passage of pressure fluid through passage 19 is controlled by a closure member , which is arranged in the inlet chamber 4 and has the shape of a ball 7 , and by a valve seat 20 about the entrance to channel 8 at the end of the stepped piston 6 close to the inlet and by the ball seat 42 , respectively , having a chamber 41 at the end face 29 of the outer annular piston 5 . the stepped piston 6 is guided along its portion of larger effective surface a3 within the annular piston 5 through intermediary of an annular seal 23 . its portion of smaller effective surface a4 is guided through the intermediary of an annular seal 24 in a longitudinal bore 25 of the annular piston 5 which latter , in turn , is guided with its effective surface a1 through the intermediary of seals 26 and 27 in respective steps of a stepped housing bore areas 36 and 37 . a compression spring 12 urges the annular piston 5 in the inactive position against the stop 15 of the housing 1 . this spring 12 is located in an annular chamber 31 communicating with the atmosphere . at its end close to the inlet , the annular piston 5 comprises the ball seat 42 about its axial bore , the seat including chamber 41 against which the ball 7 rests in the actuated position of the brake . reference character a4 designates the free cross - section of the longitudinal bore 25 of the annular piston 5 . in the brakes &# 39 ; s initial or normal position , the ball 7 is at a minimum distance s1 from the end face 29 of the annular piston 5 . annular piston 5 is able to move through a displacement stroke s4 which is less than the distance s1 between ball surface and valve seat 42 , until the piston 5 abut against the housing step 18 . to define its end position , the stepped inner piston 6 includes a collar 30 which is movable between the stop 15 and the end face 13 of the stepped bore 36 through a distance s3 . the defined displacement stroke s3 of the stepped piston 6 is shorter than the stroke s2 of ball 7 to enable closure of the pressure fluid passage 19 at the valve seat 20 in the extreme position . a braking pressure control unit of the type shown herein is mounted in an automotive vehicle such that the inlet end lies deeper than the outlet end . usually , the brake circuit for the rear wheels is controlled by via the control unit , while the brake circuits for the frontwheels are fed by the pressure of the master cylinder directly . arrangements of this type work automatically dependent on the vehicle load , because with higher load a corresponding deceleration will be caused at a higher braking pressure only , as a result the change - over pressure will rise automatically . the mode of operation of the embodiment of fig1 will now be explained in detail : when the inlet pressure pe rises continuously with the vehicle loaded , first the outlet pressure pa will follow . the valve cannot close , as the ball 7 is kept at a distance from the ball seat 42 . in the event of higher pressure , however , a sufficient force acts on the surface ( a1 - a3 ) of the annular piston 5 remote from the inlet chamber 4 that the spring 12 is compressed , the annular piston 5 moves to the right a distance s1 that the ball 7 can move into contact with the ball seat 42 at the end face 29 and that a control action will not take place , since the valve seat 20 remains unreachable for the ball 7 ( p 2 ). whether this happens and / or when this happens depends on the load and the instantaneous deceleration of the vehicle . with the vehicle unloaded , the pressure fluid passage 19 is able to close at once upon attainment of the change - over pressure ( p 1 ), since the ball 7 reaches the valve seat 20 prior to the annular piston 5 starting to move in the direction of the housing stop 18 and reaching the shoulder on the housing acting as step 18 . an important condition for the proper operation of this embodiment of the braking pressure control unit shown in detail in the drawing is the dimensioning of the clearance dimension s1 of the annular piston 5 in relation to the ball 7 , of the clearance dimension between the stepped piston 6 and the annular piston 5 and of the outer surface of the ball 7 . the conditions should be : in fig2 the curve c illustrates the ideal pressure increase for a loaded vehicle , while curve b shows the ideal pressure increase for an unloaded vehicle . m is assigned to the controlled brake pressure for an unloaded vehicle , while d refers to the unreduced brake pressure . the embodiment shown in fig3 comprises a housing 1 whose interior communications via a pressure fluid inlet 2 with a pressure generator such as a master cylinder of a power brake system . the inlet pressure pe is introduced at the pressure fluid inlet 2 . at the opposite end of the housing 1 , a pressure fluid outlet 3 is provided which is connected to a brake circuit , such as the wheel cylinders at the rear axle of an automotive vehicle ; the outlet pressure pa being discharged at this outlet . the pressure fluid inlet 2 leads to an antechamber 21 in communication with an inlet chamber 4 . the inlet chamber housing the ball valve 7 leads to a pressure fluid passage 19 and channel 8 , an outlet chamber 22 , leading to the pressure fluid outlet 3 . the channel 8 is a central bore of stepped piston 6 &# 39 ;. the pressure fluid passage 19 is formed by a closure member , which is arranged in the inlet chamber 4 and has the shaped of a ball 7 , cooperative with a valve seat 20 at the inlet end of the stepped piston 6 &# 39 ;. the stepped piston 6 is guided in the area of its larger effective surface a3 in the bore of an annular piston 5 &# 39 ; through the intermediary of a seal 23 . in its area of smaller effective surface a4 stepped piston 6 &# 39 ; is guided through the intermediary of a seal 24 in a longitudinal bore 25 of the annular piston 5 &# 39 ;. the annular piston 5 &# 39 ; is guided through the intermediary of seals 26 , 27 in a stepped housing bore 36 , 37 . in the inactive position , a spring 12 urges the annular piston 5 &# 39 ; toward the pressure outlet against the end wall 13 of the housing 1 . this spring 12 is located in an annular chamber 31 communicating with the atmosphere . at its end close to the inlet , the annular piston 5 &# 39 ; comprises the end face 29 against which the ball 7 moves in the braking position thereby closing the pressure fluid passage 19 . the reference character a4 designates the free cross - section of the valve seat 20 of the stepped piston 6 &# 39 ;. the stop 9 in the inlet chamber 4 normally keeps the ball 7 at a minimum distance s3 from the end face 29 of the annular piston 5 &# 39 ;. until it abuts against housing step 18 , the annular piston 5 &# 39 ; is able to move through a displacement stroke s1 which is to be less than the distance s3 . a baffle plate 10 with a central opening and at least one opening spaced from the plate axis is biased by spring 33 toward ball 7 . the yielding stroke s7 of the baffle plate 10 is dimensioned such that the ball 7 will be able to move away from the stop 9 in the event of the annular piston 5 having assumed its right - hand end position , this position dependent on the structural conditions and the maximum amount of the inlet pressure pe . to define its limit positions , the stepped piston 6 &# 39 ; includes adjacent its outlet end a collar 30 whose stroke s5 is defined by limit stops 40 and 45 at the end face of the annular piston 5 &# 39 ;. the displacement stroke s5 of the stepped piston 6 &# 39 ; has to be greater than s3 to enable closure of the pressure fluid passage 19 at the valve seat 20 in the extreme position . a braking pressure control unit of this type is mounted into an automotive vehicle such that the inlet end lies inwardly of the outlet end . usually , the brake circuit for the rear wheels is controlled by the control unit , while the brake circuits for the front wheels are fed with the pressure from the master cylinder directly . as shown in the diagram of fig5 the abscissa indicates the braking pressure for the front axle , while the ordinate indicates the braking pressure for the rear axle . this type of arrangement works automatically in dependence upon the vehicle &# 39 ; s load , because with higher load a corresponding deceleration will be caused at a higher braking pressure only , as a result whereof the change - over pressure will rise automatically . the mode of operation of the embodiment of fig3 and 4 will be explained in more detail relative to the graph of fig5 . the ideal curve b applies to an unloaded vehicle , while the ideal curve c characterizes a loaded vehicle . the actual course of curve during normal operation is as follows : with the inlet pressure pe rising continuously , the outlet pressure pa follows along the first branch d1 of the steeper characteristic curve d . until attainment of the change - over pressure p1 , the valve is not allowed to close because the closure member 7 is maintained at a distance from the valve seat 20 by the baffle plate 10 . upon attainment of the change - over pressure p1 , the force acting on the surface ( a1 - a3 ) of the annular piston 5 remote from the inlet chamber 4 becomes so high that , while the spring 12 is compressed , the annular piston 5 &# 39 ; is moved to the right by such an amount of the distance s1 to allow the ball to move into contact with the valve seat at the end face 29 . a control action will then take place . if and when this occurs depends on the load and the instantaneous deceleration of the vehicle . when the vehicle is unloaded , for example , the pressure fluid passage 19 is able to close at once upon attainment of the change - over pressure p1 so that the curve section m1 becomes effective in which , with the inlet pressure rising , the outlet pressure will rise in a reduced fashion pursuant the condition m1 =( a2 - a4 )/( a1 - a4 ). if the vehicle is loaded , the pressure fluid passage will not close until attainment of a higher inlet pressure p2 , wherefrom results the course of curve along the section m2 . when the vehicle is loaded , the stepped piston 6 &# 39 ; will move to the right during the braking action in opposition to the force of the spring 14 prior to the ball 7 lifting from the baffle plate 10 , and will prevent the annular piston 5 &# 39 ; from abutting with its end face 29 on the ball 7 and closing the pressure fluid passage at 19 , or the ball 7 will be inhibited by the stepped piston 6 &# 39 ; from moving to the right before it reaches the stop 9 , so that the annular piston 5 &# 39 ; will have no contact with the ball 7 , even after having overcome the distance s1 . after a corresponding pressure increase , the stepped piston will now assume the valve closed position caused by the sleeve 32 which is arranged in the area of its end face and acted upon by a spring 34 , with m2 = a4 / a3 . with the displacement stroke of the stepped piston 6 continuing , the ball 7 will finally move into sealing engagement with the annular piston , were m1 =( a4 - a5 )/( a3 - a5 ). sleeve 32 is a cylindrically cup shaped device having a circular opening in its end face acted on by spring 34 an end of stepped piston 6 &# 39 ;. the baffle plate 10 acted upon by the spring 33 during pressure decrease ( i . e . when the braking action has been completed ) allows the pressure removal on the outlet side , as soon as pe = pa +( spring 33 )/( a5 ), while the spring rate of the spring 33 is to be chosen as low as possible . an important condition for the proper operation of the embodiment of the braking pressure control unit shown in fig3 is the dimensioning of the clearance of motion s3 of the annular piston 5 &# 39 ; relative to the ball 7 , and the clearance of motion s5 between the stepped piston 6 &# 39 ; and the annular piston 5 &# 39 ; and of the outer surface of the ball 7 . the conditions should be : | 1 |
referring now to the drawings , in which like reference numerals are used to refer to the same or similar elements , fig1 shows a sealing apparatus 9 and pressure relief apparatus 8 of the present invention operatively installed in a pressure vessel 10 such as a synthesis gas cooler ( sgc ) 10 . the pressure relief apparatus 8 is adapted to reduce the pressure difference between opposite sides of a conduit member or cage 28 when a predetermined pressure differential is reached , and the sealing apparatus 9 is adapted to provide a fluid tight seal between a flue 11 defined by the conduit member 28 and an inner cavity 42 located between the conduit member 28 and an outer shell 30 of the sgc . the flue 11 , as is shown in fig1 , is defined by the conduit member or cage 28 , and typically comprises heat exchange elements such as fluid cooled tubes and / or radiant heat transfer surfaces . synthesis gas or effluent 12 such as that produced by a gasification process is introduced into the flue 11 provided within the synthesis gas cooler 10 . a purge gas may be selectively introduced into the cavity 42 defined by the conduit member 28 and the outer shell 30 to remove any effluent 12 that might enter the cavity 42 to prevent or reduce corrosion and exposure to high gas temperatures of the wall of the outer shell 30 or the surfaces disposed within the cavity 42 . as shown in fig1 , although other arrangements are possible , the sealing apparatus 9 contacts on one end to a lower outer surface portion of the conduit member 28 and is mounted to a seal plate 13 on the other end . fig4 a , 4 b and 4 c show by way of non - limiting example a conduit member 28 with a lower header 32 attached to its inner surface and the sealing apparatus 9 attached its outer surface . other possible arrangements for the sealing apparatus 9 are shown in fig2 and 4a , 4 b and 4 c . referring to fig1 , while other arrangements are possible , the pressure relief apparatus 8 is mounted on a flange member 15 of the sealing apparatus 9 . the predetermined threshold pressure value at which the pressure relief apparatus 8 activates is preferably selected such that the pressure differential across the sealing apparatus 9 does not impair or compromise the structural integrity of the conduit member or cage 28 and / or the seal plate 13 . alternatively , the predetermined threshold pressure value may be selected such that the pressure differential does not cause the walls of the conduit member or cage 28 and / or the seal plate 13 to fail and release the effluent 12 into the cavity 42 . the conduit member 28 preferably has a cross sectional shape corresponding to that of the outer shell 30 . however , the conduit member 28 may have any suitable shape or configuration , and any suitable dimension for its intended application . referring now to fig2 and 4a , 4 b and 4 c , there are shown sectional side views of the sealing apparatus 9 of the present invention which comprises a flange member 15 , spaced apart plate retaining rods 17 , seal ring segments 18 , fastening members 16 , resilient members 14 , one or more pressure relief openings 21 , and door plate assemblies with resiliently biased doors 19 . the seal ring segments 18 are preferably located on and extend around a lower outer surface portion of the conduit member 28 in a plane perpendicular to the central conduit axis 22 ( see fig1 ). the ring retaining rods 17 are preferably attached to and extend outwardly from the peripheral surface 38 of the seal ring segments 18 . the flange member 15 preferably has a slot 23 formed on one end thereof for receiving the seal ring segments 18 and at least one fastening bore 25 opening into the groove 23 for receiving one of the retaining rods 17 . each seal ring segment 18 is movably mounted on at least one plate retaining rod 17 . the seal ring segments 18 are preferably joined to each other in a fluid tight manner , and are arranged around and overlap at least part of the conduit member 28 along a lengthwise direction as an elongated body or structure . the flange member 15 may be provided with one or more port holes 26 to provide a flow path for the purge gas . pressure applied to seal ring segments 18 may be applied by either compressing or extending the resilient member 14 from its neutral position when the pressure differential is lower than the predetermined threshold value . the neighboring seal ring segments 18 are preferably joined to each other via a tongue and groove interlocking structure , as illustrated in fig3 . the fastening members 16 are mounted on the flange member 15 and are adapted to retain the seal ring plate segment 18 with the slot 23 on the retaining rod 17 . preferably , the fastening member 16 is threadably mounted on the retaining rod 17 and is axially displaceable along the retaining rod 17 for adjusting biasing force exerted by the resilient member 14 against the seal ring segments 18 . it will be appreciated that instead of using the fastening member 16 to adjust the tension or force of the resilient member 14 , a tension adjusting member 24 , disposed between the fastening member 16 and the flange member 15 may be used . the resilient members 14 are disposed between each fastening member 16 and the respective seal ring segment 18 to resiliently pressure or load the seal ring segments 18 into a fluid tight relationship with the outer surface of the conduit member 28 . examples of resilient members include coil springs made of metal , plastic or other suitable material for the pressure and temperature conditions expected . referring to fig5 , the pressure relief opening 21 and the corresponding resiliently biased door 19 are preferably provided on the flange member 15 . the resiliently biased door 19 is preferably located over and adapted to cover the pressure relief opening 21 . the other end of the flange member 15 is preferably attached in a fluid tight manner to a seal plate 13 spaced at a distance from the conduit member 28 . preferably , the seal plate 13 is arranged perpendicular to the central conduit axis 22 . the fluid tight connections formed between the various components of the sealing apparatus 9 of the present invention and conduit 28 10 provide a fluid tight seal between the opposite sides of the conduit member 28 , at least when the pressure difference across the conduit member 28 is within or below a predetermined threshold value ( s ). the resiliently biased door plate assembly allows immediate pressure release during pressure excursions by means of the spring assemblies allowing the door 19 to open as required . labyrinth seals may be employed to create additional sealing capabilities when the door 19 is in the closed position . additional plate sleeves or stud sleeves may be used to act as a load leveling device in the event a twist in the door action becomes an issue ( see fig5 ). the resiliently biased door 19 of the door plate assembly is preferably adapted to close the pressure relief opening 21 when the pressure differential is below a predetermined threshold value and to open and reduce the pressure differential when the pressure differential is equal to or exceeds the predetermined threshold value . in an embodiment , the conduit member 28 has a substantially circular cross section and the seal ring segments 18 are provided with an arcuate configuration with a rectangular configuration in cross - section to conform to the outer surface of the conduit member 28 . although the number of seal ring segments 18 can vary , depending on , for example , the cross sectional size of the conduit member 28 or the operating parameters of the sealing apparatus 9 , the preferred number of seal ring segments 18 ranges from 2 to 10 . it will be appreciated that more or fewer seal ring segments 18 can also be used . the seal ring segments 18 may all be substantially the same width or may comprise a variety of different widths . a sealing apparatus 9 of the present invention with 8 such seal ring segments 18 is shown in fig3 . referring now to fig5 , the resiliently biased doors 19 are preferably mounted on the flange member 15 via at least one pair of spaced apart mounting assemblies 27 . each mounting assembly 27 preferably includes a rod member 29 , a resilient member 31 ( e . g ., a coil spring ) and a fastening member 33 . one end of the rod member 29 is attached to and extends outwardly from the surface of the flange member 15 . the resiliently biased door 19 is movably mounted on the rod member 29 via opening 35 , and the fastening member 33 is mounted on the free end of the rod member 29 to retain the resiliently biased door 19 and the resilient member 31 on the rod member 29 . the mounting assemblies 27 of each respective pair are preferably positioned opposite each other on opposite sides of the pressure relief opening 21 . the resiliently biased door 19 preferably overlaps the edge extending around the pressure relief opening 21 and / or is in intimate surface contact with the outer surface of the flange member 15 . as shown in fig5 , a stud / guide sleeve 34 may be inserted between the resilient member 31 and the rod member 29 to permit even movement of the resiliently biased door 19 . a sleeve member 36 may also be provided on the side / surface of the door 19 facing the flange member 15 . the sleeve member 36 preferably abuts against a portion 39 of the pressure relief opening 21 to allow even movement of the resiliently biased door 19 . the stud / guide sleeve 34 or the sleeve member 36 may be used alone or together , as required . 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 be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise without departing from such principles . | 8 |
a flow chart diagramming a method for manufacturing a catalytic converter is shown in fig1 . the method will be described to some extent by reference to fig2 , 3 , and 4 . it has been found that by heating the material prior to sizing reduces the internal matting pressure against the fragile substrate and therefore reduces the likelihood of breakage thereof . thus , in the preferred process , in a first step 12 , intumescent matting 27 is wrapped around a substrate 25 , and the substrate 25 with matting 27 is stuffed into a housing 29 . if the substrate has a washcoat , it is left unfired prior to assembly . the stuffing operation is ordinarily conducted through the use of a stuffing cone 30 , as shown in fig2 . the stuffing cone compresses matting 27 to a diameter the same as or slightly smaller than the smallest potential diameter of housing 29 , according to manufacturing tolerances , thus allowing matting 27 and substrate 25 to slide into place within housing 29 . the stuffing operation is done under low pressure , and low mount gap bulk density ( gbd ). the gbd defines the level of mat compression in grams per cubic centimeter ( g / cm 3 ). the preferred mount density for the stuffing operation is less than or equal to about 0 . 7 g / cm 3 . it is also preferred that the mount density be greater than or equal to about 0 . 6 g / cm 3 . after stuffing , substrate 25 and matting 27 are positioned within housing 29 as shown in fig3 , and the assembly is heated in an oven to undergo burn - off and expand step 14 ( fig1 ). it is preferred that the assembly be heated to a temperature greater than or about 500 degrees celsius . the heating can comprise heating the converter to a maximum temperature less than or equal to about 600 ° c . durig this step , organic binders are burned off and the vermiculite or other intumescent component of matting 27 swells . if the substrate has a washcoat , this burn - off and expand step also serves to fire the washcoat , thus seperately firing the washcoat is unnecessary . following burn - off / expand step 14 , housing 29 is sized by step 16 to bring the gbd to approximately 1 . 0 g / cm 3 . the target size for each housing may vary depending upon the size of the substrate . alternatively , the target size may be a dimension that is common for all converters being manufactured that is optimally determined to satisfy gbd requirements within reasonable tolerances . there are several known methods for sizing housing 29 . a preferred sizing technique is described in commonly - assigned u . s . patent application ser . no . 09 / 141 , 299 , filed aug . 27 , 1998 by michael r . foster , et al ., which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety . in this method , each substrate 25 is individually measured to determine its dimensions prior to stuffing into a housing that does not have any slits . the housing is then sized by compressing it from all directions in a radial press , thereby plastically deforming the housing until it reaches the target size . such sizing devices are generally known for expanding and diametrically compressing pipes . another method that can be used , sometimes referred to as a tourniquet or shoebox method , is best for cylindrical housings having one or two slits and includes compressing or tightening the housing , e . g ., with a strap or press , until the proper size is reached or the compressing force reaches a selected stop force , then welding the seem or seams . housing 29 is reduced in size until the target size is reached or a selected stop - force sensed by the sizing machine . in this manner , sizing step may compensate for variations in the size of the substrate . after the sizing step 16 , mat 27 undergoes a relaxation step 18 in which the mat material partially relaxes , reducing the internal pressure . finally , the connection ends 32 are added to housing 29 by form / weld step 20 . after the sizing step 16 , the mat can be allowed to relax concurrently with adding connection ends to the housing . form / weld step 20 may comprise any known method of forming connection ends onto housing 29 , either by welding them to the housing 29 or by deforming housing 29 to shape the connection ends . in one preferred embodiment , housing 29 extends some distance on either side of substrate 25 as shown in fig3 , and undergoes a spin - form process in which rollers progressively shape either end until connection ends 32 are formed as seen in fig4 . fig5 shows a diagram showing estimated pressure changes in an example according to the method described above . initial mounting pressure is shown at the left side of the diagram to be less than 10 psi . burn - off / expansion increases the pressure to about 80 psi . subsequent to the burn - off expand step 14 , pressure increases again during sizing step 16 , during which internal mat pressure increases to about 150 psi . this same pressure is attained in the method shown in fig6 because , as noted above , the internal pressure subsequent to the sizing operation is dependent upon the gbd of the mat . relaxation step 18 reduces internal pressure by about 50 psi to about 100 psi . since matting 27 has already been expanded in expansion step 14 , subsequent heating in use of the device will not increase the pressure within the mat to such a degree that substrate 25 is likely to fail . while the invention has been described with reference to an exemplary embodiment , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the invention . in addition , many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from the essential scope thereof . therefore , it is intended that the invention not be limited to a particular embodiment disclosed as the best mode contemplated for carrying out this invention , but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims . | 8 |
a catheter guiding device 1 that currently exists in the art is depicted in fig1 . a pair of handles 5 , 10 each defines an aperture 2 , 3 for a user to insert a finger and thumb . the handles 5 , 10 are integrally connected to a pair of arms 15 , 20 . the handle 5 and arm 15 is pivotally connected to the handle 10 and arm 20 through a pivot 50 . each arm 15 , 20 has an end 30 , 35 , respectively , that is d - shaped with parallel , sharp serrations on the interior surfaces . when using this device to insert a catheter into a patient , a medical professional will insert his or her fingers into the apertures 2 , 3 and open the handles 5 , 10 , which correspondingly open the arms 15 , 20 . the health care professional will then close the handles 5 , 10 , accordingly closing the arms 15 , 20 , so that the ends 30 , 35 grip the catheter . the device 1 is then used to push the catheter through the patient &# 39 ; s vocal cords to allow ventilation or to insert the catheter into any other part of the patient &# 39 ; s body as deemed necessary by the medical professional . the device 1 does not allow for guiding of the catheter because the ends 30 , 35 must grip the catheter and are used to push the catheter a short distance , which is repeated numerous times so as to advance the catheter . further , because of the presence of his or hand due to the bent section 60 of the device 1 , the medical professional using the device 1 will be blocked from viewing of the patient &# 39 ; s vocal cords or other body part into which the catheter will be inserted . the present invention can be more fully understood with reference to fig2 - 11 , in which like reference numerals designate like items . fig2 depicts the forceps 101 , which is an improvement over the device 1 currently in use . the pair of handles 105 , 110 of the forceps 101 each defines a gripping section 102 , 103 , respectively , upon which the medical professional can place his or her fingers to use the forceps 101 . gripping sections 102 , 103 can be of any shape . the shape shown is only illustrative . the handles 105 , 110 are integrally connected to a pair of arms , 115 , 120 . the handle 105 and arm 115 is pivotally connected to the handle 110 and arm 120 at a pivot 150 . each arm 115 , 120 has an end 130 , 135 , respectively , that is substantially semicircular in shape ; however , the shape of the ends 130 , 135 may , within the scope of the invention , be any shape that would allow the ends 130 , 135 to form a guide when in the closed position such that a catheter may be easily passed therethrough . when the arms 115 , 120 are in the closed position as shown in fig2 and 4 - 7 , the ends 130 , 135 together form a hollow guide adapted to receive and guide the catheter so that the catheter can be advanced through the patient &# 39 ; s vocal cords . in the closed position , the interior surface of the hollow guide formed by the ends 130 , 135 is preferably slightly larger than 8 mm across , which is slightly larger than the diameter of a standard - sized catheter used for medical purposes today . it is understood that the size of the guide formed by the ends 130 , 135 may be varied within the scope of this invention depending upon the diameter of the catheter , including but not limited to catheters that are used in infant patients . all that is required is that the catheter be able to be slid or translated within the guide when the guide is in the closed position . when using this device to insert a catheter into a patient , a health care professional will insert his or her fingers into the apertures 102 , 103 and open the handles 105 , 110 , which correspondingly open the arms 115 , 120 . fig3 depicts the forceps 101 in the open position . the catheter is then inserted through the circular aperture defined by the ends 130 , 135 of the arms 115 , 120 . the arms 115 , 120 are positioned so that the guide is placed in registry with the patient &# 39 ; s glottis ( the opening in the vocal cords ) so that the catheter can be accurately inserted into the proper location in the patient &# 39 ; s body , such as through the patient &# 39 ; s vocal cords . the first bend 140 and the second bend 145 allow the medical professional to have an unobstructed view of the patient &# 39 ; s vocal cords or other body part into which the catheter is to be inserted . this allows for faster and more accurate insertion of the catheter , without the risk of harm to the patient or damage to the catheter that arises when the medical professional must grip and re - grip the catheter as with currently - available devices , such as the device depicted in fig1 . fig4 depicts the forceps shown in fig2 from the top . the first bend 140 , second bend 145 , and third bend 147 are clearly visible from this view . the combination of the first bend 140 and second bend 145 provides the medical professional with an unobstructed view of the patient &# 39 ; s vocal cords because the user &# 39 ; s hand that holds the forceps is off to the side of the mouth while the guide is in registry with the glottis . the third bend 147 contributes to the unobstructed view of the patient &# 39 ; s vocal cords . the first bend 140 is bent about an axis a to create an obtuse angle . the second bend 145 is bent about an axis b to create an obtuse angle that is preferably , but not necessarily , approximately 120 °. the third bend 147 is bent about an axis c to create an obtuse angle that is preferably , but not necessarily , approximately 150 °. fig5 is a right side view of the forceps shown in fig2 . the arms 115 , 120 and the ends 130 , 135 are smooth , having no sharp edges or teeth that could harm a patient &# 39 ; s tissue or damage the balloon portion of a catheter . an alternative embodiment of the forceps 201 is depicted in fig6 . the pair of handles 205 , 210 of the forceps 201 each defines an aperture 202 , 203 through which the medical professional can insert his or her fingers to use the forceps 201 . the handles 205 , 210 are integrally connected to a pair of arms 215 , 220 . the handle 205 and arm 215 is pivotally connected to the handle 210 and arm 220 at a pivot 250 . each arm 215 , 220 has an end 230 , 235 , respectively , that is substantially semicircular in shape ; however , the shape of the ends 230 , 235 may , within the scope of the invention , be any shape that would allow the ends 230 , 235 to form a guide when in the closed position such that a catheter may be easily passed therethrough . when the arms 215 , 220 are in the closed position as shown in fig6 , the ends 230 , 235 together form a hollow guide adapted to receive and guide the catheter so that the catheter can be advanced into the patient &# 39 ; s glottis . in the preferred embodiment , when the arms are in their closed position , the interior surface of the hollow guide formed by the ends 230 , 235 is preferably slightly larger than 8 mm across , which is slightly larger than the diameter of a standard - sized catheter used for medical purposes today . it is understood that the size of the guide formed by the ends 230 , 235 may be varied within the scope of this invention depending upon the diameter of the catheter , including but not limited to catheters that are used in infant patients . the forceps 201 has a first bend 240 and a second bend 245 that together allow the medical professional to have an unobstructed view of the patient &# 39 ; s glottis and vocal cords or other body part into which the catheter is to be inserted . the difference between the forceps 101 and the forceps 201 is that the forceps 201 has a fourth bend 280 located immediately before the ends 230 , 235 . the fourth bend 280 rotates the ends 230 , 235 approximately fifteen degrees clockwise from their standard position , although a greater or lesser magnitude of bend may be desirable as will occur to the person of skill in the art . also , the bend 280 may be as shown ( acute ) or may rotate the ends 230 , 235 in the opposite direction , creating an obtuse angle . the angle of insertion of a catheter through the ends 230 , 235 is changed by the fourth bend 280 , allowing for an easier insertion in patients that have a shorter neck , such as children or small adults . it is understood that the degree of the angle of the fourth bend 280 may vary according to the needs of a particular situation within the scope of this invention . fig7 through 9 illustrate the use of the forceps 101 and a laryngoscope 450 in a patient . nasal endotracheal intubation is illustrated in fig7 , wherein a ventilation tube 400 is inserted into the patient &# 39 ; s nose and passed through the patient &# 39 ; s sinus cavity into the back of the patient &# 39 ; s throat . a laryngoscope 450 is used to secure the patient &# 39 ; s tongue and provide light to the patient &# 39 ; s throat . as the medical professional holds the forceps 101 in registry with the patient &# 39 ; s glottis 500 , a medical assistant , such as a nurse , will advance the ventilation tube 400 through the ends 130 , 135 of the forceps 101 and through the patient &# 39 ; s glottis 500 . after being properly located , the balloon portion 420 of the ventilation tube 400 is inflated to secure a seal and allow for proper ventilation . an alternative embodiment of the forceps 601 is depicted in fig1 . the pair of handles 605 , 610 of the forceps 601 each defines an aperture 602 , 603 through which a medical professional can insert his or her fingers to use the forceps 601 . the handles 605 , 610 are integrally connected to a pair of arms 615 , 620 , respectively . the handle 605 and arm 615 is pivotally connected to the handle 610 and arm 620 at pivot 650 . each arm 615 , 620 has an end 630 , 635 , respectively , that is substantially shaped as half of a cone ( or , alternatively , as half of a cylinder ); when the arms 615 , 620 are in the closed position as shown in fig1 , the ends 630 , 635 together form a cone - shaped ( or cylindrically - shaped ) guide adapted to receive and guide a catheter so that the catheter can be advanced into the patient &# 39 ; s glottis . the diameter of the cone - shaped ends 630 , 635 , when closed , is preferably slightly larger than 8 mm across at its narrowest point . the portion of the ends 630 , 635 that is closer to the handles 605 , 610 preferably has a diameter larger than 8 mm . in the closed position , the interior surface of the hollow guide formed by the cone - shaped ends 630 , 635 acts as a funnel of sorts to allow the medical professional to more easily guide the end of a catheter through the cone - shaped ends 630 , 635 . it is understood that the size of the guide formed by the ends 630 , 635 may be varied within the scope of this invention depending upon the diameter of the catheter , including but not limited to catheters that are used in infant patients . the forceps 601 has a first bend 640 and a second bend 645 that together allow the medical professional to have an unobstructed view of the patient &# 39 ; s glottis and vocal cords or other part into which the catheter is to be inserted . another alternative embodiment of the forceps 701 is depicted in fig1 - 13 . the pair of handles 705 , 710 of the forceps 701 each defines an aperture 702 , 703 through which the medical professional can insert his or her fingers to use the forceps 701 . the handles 705 , 710 are integrally connected to a pair of arms 715 , 720 , respectively . the handle 705 and arm 715 is pivotally connected to the handle 710 and arm 720 at a pivot 750 . each arm 715 , 720 has an end 730 , 735 , respectively , that is substantially semi - circular in shape . however , the shape of the ends 730 , 735 may , within the scope of the invention , be any shape that would allow the ends 730 , 735 to form a guide when in the closed position such that a catheter may be easily passed therethrough . when the arms 715 , 720 are in the closed position as shown in fig1 , the ends 730 , 735 together form a hollow guide adapted to receive and guide the catheter so that the catheter can be advanced into the patient &# 39 ; s glottis . in the closed position , the interior surface of the hollow guide formed by the ends 730 , 735 is preferably slightly larger than 8 mm across , which is slightly larger than the diameter of a standard - sized catheter used for medical purposes today . it is understood that the size of the guide formed by the ends 730 , 735 may be varied within the scope of this invention depending upon the diameter of the catheter , including but not limited to catheters that are used in infant patients . the forceps 701 has a first bend 740 and a second bend 745 that together allow the medical professional to have an unobstructed view of the patient &# 39 ; s glottis and vocal cords or other body parts into which the catheter is to be inserted . ends 730 , 735 are pivotally connected to arms 715 , 720 , respectively , by joints 775 , 780 . the joints 775 , 780 are preferably located about the same axis , as indicated in fig1 . the ends 730 , 735 are permitted to rotate about the joints 775 , 780 to allow for immediate adaptation of the forceps 701 to the angle of insertion required by a patient &# 39 ; s body . any suitable means may be employed for releasably retaining the ends 730 , 735 in any desired angular position relative to arms 715 , 720 , such as opposed serrations or teeth ( not shown ). other retention structure will be apparent to those of skill in the art . however , retention structure need not necessarily be used . in this manner , the medical professional using the forceps 701 is not required to change the instrument he or she is using upon discovering that a different angle of insertion of a catheter is required by a particular patient &# 39 ; s anatomy . benefits , other advantages , and solutions to problems have been described above with regard to specific embodiments of the present invention . however , the benefits , advantages , solutions to problems , and any element ( s ) that may cause or result in such benefits , advantages , or solutions to become more pronounced are not to be construed as a critical , required , or essential feature or element of any or all the claims . as used herein and in the appended claims , the terms “ comprises ,” “ comprising ” or any other variation thereof is intended to refer to a non - exclusive inclusion , such that a process , method , apparatus , or article of manufacture that comprises a list of elements does not include only those elements in the list , but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process , method , apparatus , or article of manufacture . | 0 |
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 limited to the embodiments shown , but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and features disclosed herein . fig2 illustrates a computer system 200 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention . computer system 200 can generally include any type of computer system , including , but not limited to , a computer system based on a microprocessor , a mainframe computer , a digital signal processor , a portable computing device , a personal organizer , a device controller , and a computational engine within an appliance . as is illustrated in fig2 , computer system 200 includes processors 202 and 203 . processors 202 and 203 access code and data from l1 caches 204 and 205 , respectively . note that l1 caches 204 and 205 can include unified instruction / data caches , or alternatively , separate instruction caches and data caches . processors 202 and 203 are associated with translation look aside buffers ( tlbs ) 214 and 215 , which facilitate translating virtual addresses into physical addresses for non - object references . l1 cache 204 and l1 cache 205 make use of an extended address encoding procedure that enables l1 cache 204 to function as both a conventional cache and an object cache . for example , during a conventional load operation , a virtual address is sent from processor 202 to tlb 214 . tlb 214 translates the virtual address into a physical address , which is subsequently used by l1 cache 204 . in contrast , during a load operation involving a portion of an object , processor 202 obtains the corresponding object id ( oid ) and offset and combines them to create an object address . this object address is embedded into an unused portion of the physical address space to produce an encoded address . note that the higher order bits of this encoded address are different than the higher order bits of any physical address . this allows the system to distinguish an encoded address from a physical address . when the encoded address is subsequently sent from processor 202 to l1 cache 204 , the encoded address bypasses tlb 214 and directly enters l1 cache 204 . note that only minor modifications are required to conventional cache designs in order to provide object caching using the above - described technique . in order to request a non - object data item , such as a value from a normal virtual address , processor 202 generates a virtual address that is sent to tlb 214 . tlb 214 translates this virtual address into a physical address , which is sent to l1 cache 204 . note that after an object address is translated into an encoded address l1 cache 204 , l1 cache 205 and l2 cache 206 can treat the encoded address in the same manner as a normal physical address . if a given data item ( or instruction ) is not located within l1 cache 204 or l1 cache 205 , it is retrieved from l2 cache 206 . if it is not located within l2 cache 206 , it is pulled into l2 cache 206 from main memory 210 . unlike in a conventional memory hierarchy , a translator 208 is interposed between l2 cache 206 and main memory 210 . translator 208 converts an object address , comprising an object id and an offset , into a corresponding physical address , which is sent to main memory 210 . if an object is not present within l2 cache 206 , the encoded address is forwarded to translator 208 . translator 208 uses an object table to translate the encoded address into a corresponding physical address . each object table entry associates a given object id with a corresponding physical address in main memory where the object resides . note that this object table , which contains translations for all objects , can be located in main memory 210 . when a cache miss for an object occurs in l2 cache 206 , translator 208 intercepts the encoded address and extracts the object id . translator 208 uses the object - id to search the object table for a corresponding physical address . once the physical address is found , translator 208 converts the load request for the object into a load request for a physical address in main memory 210 . the system uses the physical address and the offset to locate a specific cache line ( or cache lines ) in main memory 210 . fetching circuitry within translator 208 directs the normal load hardware to issue a load instruction to main memory 210 . this fetching circuitry subsequently receives the cache line corresponding to the physical address . the fetching circuitry then forwards the cache line to l2 cache 206 . object cache lines differ from conventional physical cache lines because object cache lines can start on arbitrary word boundaries , whereas physical cache lines are delineated by larger power - of - two address boundaries . hence , physical cache lines and object cache lines may not always align . for example , a physical cache line with a length of 64 bytes typically starts at a physical address that is a multiple of 64 . objects , however , may start on any physical address which is a multiple of four in a 32 - bit system . thus , a 64 - byte object cache line starting at address 44 includes addresses ( 44 . . . 107 ). this overlaps with physical cache lines ( 0 . . . 63 ) and ( 64 . . . 127 ). in this case , the object is split across two physical cache lines . hence , two load operations are required to retrieve the entire object cache line . once both physical cache lines have been retrieved , the portions of the cache lines containing the object cache line , ( 44 . . . 63 ) and ( 64 . . . 107 ), are concatenated together to form the object cache line ( 44 . . . 107 ). other portions of the physical cache lines are discarded . in the event of an eviction from l2 cache 206 , translator 208 converts the encoded address containing the object id and the offset into a physical address . the fetching circuitry subsequently uses the physical address to generate a store operation to store the evicted cache line in main memory 210 . for performance reasons the fetching circuitry within translator 208 makes use of an object table cache 209 , which stores object - table entries that are likely to be used to perform translations . note that object table cache 209 operates similarly to a tlb , except that instead of storing commonly used virtual - to - physical address translations , object table cache 209 stores commonly used object id - to - physical address translations . note that processors 202 and 203 are configured to handle the extended address encoding procedure described above . in one embodiment of the present invention , a platform - independent virtual machine , such as a java virtual machine , is modified to generate requests for portions of an object using an object id and an offset . moreover , in one embodiment of the present invention , processors 202 and 203 are configured to execute special instructions for performing load and store operations involving an object id and an offset — in addition to normal load and store instructions that use virtual addresses . although the present invention is described with reference to a computer system 200 with two levels of cache , the present invention can generally be used with any single - level or multi - level caching structure . furthermore , although computer system 200 includes two processors , the present invention can generally be used with any number of processors . fig3 illustrates the structure of address generation circuitry 300 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention . address generation circuit 300 processes references to a cache , such as l1 cache 204 in fig2 . as is illustrated in fig2 , address generation circuitry 300 receives an object identifier 302 that uniquely identifies an object , and an object offset 304 that specifies an offset of a target field within the object . the circuitry then retrieves a skew value 306 that is encoded in a set of bits within object identifier 302 . skew value 306 is then shifted by appropriately routing the wires carrying skew value 306 . next , the shifted skew value 306 is added to the object offset 304 . note that adding skew value 306 to object offset 304 effectively shifts the fields within the cache line . in doing so , the skew value 306 indicates the position of offset zero within the shifted cache line . the addition operation produces modified object offset 312 , the lower order portion of which is subsequently used to index a target field 330 within cache line 328 . the higher order portion of modified object offset 312 is concatenated with the lower order portion of object identifier 302 to form index 316 . index 316 is used to retrieve a tag 319 from tag array 318 . it is also used to retrieve a cache line 328 from data array 320 . the higher order bits of object identifier 302 form tag 324 , which is compared against tag 319 in comparator 322 . this produces cache hit signal 326 . note that although the present invention is described in the context of a direct - mapped cache , the present invention can also be applied to other types of caches , such as a set - associative cache . the operation of the circuitry illustrated in fig3 is described in more detail below with reference to fig4 . fig4 presents a flow chart illustrating the process of accessing a bi - directional object with a skewed layout in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention . this process starts when the system receives a request to access a target field within an object ( step 402 ). this request includes an object identifier 302 , which uniquely identifies the object , and an object offset 304 , which specifies the offset of the target field within the object . next , the system determines the skew value for the object ( step 404 ). in one embodiment of the present invention , this involves extracting the skew value from the object identifier 302 . the system then adds the skew value 306 ( after shifting ) to object offset 304 to produce modified object offset 312 ( step 406 ). the system then forms index 316 by concatenating the higher order bits of modified object offset 312 with the lower order bits of object identifier 302 ( step 408 ). index 316 is then used to retrieve cache line 328 from the cache ( step 410 ). note that index 316 is also used to retrieve tag 319 from the cache to determine if the desired cache line is contained within the cache . if so , modified cache line offset 312 is used to index the target field 330 within cache line 328 . the skew value for the object can be determined during class definition time for the object . note that the skew value can determined by considering both the amount of space in the object dedicated to references and / or the amount of space dedicated to scalars . if the object has r references and s scalars , and a cache line is c words , then the skew will be ( r mod c ) in order to place the first reference at the beginning of a cache line . to place the last scalar at the end of a cache line it would be ( c − s ) mod c . both of these options minimize the number of cache lines used , as do some other values , in some cases . note that for any particular combination of reference and non - reference fields in an object , some skew values may result in the object requiring one less cache line than the other values . for example , if cache lines are 8 words long , and valid skews are in the range 0 - 7 , then if we have an object with 5 reference fields and 2 non - reference fields , skews of 5 and 6 will result in the object fitting in one cache line ; 0 - 4 and 7 will cause the object to be split across 2 cache lines . also note that the object creation function must know about the skew in order to encode the skew into the object identifier . the present invention is suitable for an “ in - cache ” garbage collection process that only collects dynamically allocated objects in the cache . this approach increases garbage collection efficiency because there is no garbage collection performed in memory external to the cache . moreover , the present invention provides hardware support for a “ read barrier ” that facilitates incremental and / or concurrent garbage collection without requiring tagged memory . the foregoing descriptions of embodiments of the present invention have been presented only for purposes of illustration and description . they are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the present invention to the forms disclosed . accordingly , many modifications and variations will be apparent to practitioners skilled in the art . additionally , the above disclosure is not intended to limit the present invention . the scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims . | 8 |
in the detailed description of the invention , like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout . various items of equipment , such as fasteners , fittings , etc ., may be omitted to simplify the description . however , those skilled in the art will realize that such conventional equipment can be employed as desired . with specific reference to fig1 , the modular columbarium system 8 comprises a plurality of niche units 10 . in the illustrated embodiment and as specifically shown in fig1 and 2 , each niche unit 10 includes a plurality of in a stacked , modular configuration . each niche unit 10 includes a plurality of open tubes or urn niches 14 for receiving an ash urn 15 . typically , the ash urn is sealed with a lid 17 . the ash urn is placed in the urn niche 14 and secured therein with a plate 19 which is mounted on the face of the niche unit 10 by a plurality of fasteners 21 received in holes 23 . the face of the plate 19 may be engraved with information about the contents of the urn . fig2 and 3 illustrate the various parts of a modular columbarium system 8 in accordance with the present invention . the modular columbarium system 8 generally comprises modular niche units 10 and an interlocking system 22 to securing modular niche units 10 to one another . the modular niche units 10 can be secured to one another either in a stacked configuration to form a modular columbarium column ( fig7 ) or a side - by - side configuration to form a modular columbarium wall ( fig3 ) or in a combination thereof ( fig2 ). modular columbarium system 8 may further include a base unit 32 and a cap unit 34 . the base unit 32 is a foundation unit which secures and elevates modular niche units 10 for columbarium systems that are freestanding . in freestanding configurations , modular columbarium columns and walls of varying heights can be formed , as shown in fig7 , by stacking side - by - side modular niche units 10 on top of the base unit 32 and also other modular niche units 10 to form a modular columbarium column . interlocking system 22 permits adjacent individual niche units 10 to be secured to one another , either vertically or horizontally . interlocking system 22 can also function to secure modular niche units 10 to the topside of the base unit 32 , and to secure cap unit 34 to the top of modular niche units 10 . the cap unit 34 is an optional decorative piece for the tops of modular columbarium columns or relief between modular niche units 10 . fig4 illustrates a front view of a single modular niche unit 10 in accordance with the present invention . the modular niche unit 10 is a block 12 in which is defined a plurality of niches 14 extending from the face 15 of block 12 . each niche 14 is disposed for receipt of an urn 36 ( fig2 ). while block 12 may be of any dimension so long as multiple niches 14 are defined in a single block , in the preferred embodiment , face 15 of block 12 is 12 inches × 12 inches and is comprised of nine niches 14 , preferably set in a 3 inch × 3 inch pattern . in an alternative embodiment , the number of niches is selected so as to permit the niche unit to be substantially square with evenly spaced apart niches . likewise , while niches 14 can be sized to accommodate urns 36 of varying dimensions and shapes , the columbarium system 8 of the invention is particularly well suited for use with tubular shaped urns with compacted cremains disposed therein . such urns are typically no larger than six inches in diameter and range from 8 inches to 14⅝ inches in length . in such case , niches 14 are tubular in shape and uniform in dimension . as such , a greater number of niches 14 can be defined in a single modular unit 10 . in one preferred embodiment , the outside diameter of the tubular niches 14 is approximately 3 . 67 inches . it is the compact and uniform nature of the urns , and hence the small diameter of the niches , that permits meaningful modularity of niche units 10 . in any event , as shown in fig1 - 5 , each niche unit 10 includes locking fasteners 16 and niche cover 18 . niche covers 18 are individual plates that cover one or more niches 14 . for example , a niche cover 18 may be disposed to cover a single niche 14 or , groups of niches holding the cremains of couples or families . niche covers 18 may serve as a memorial plate for the cremains disposed within a niche . locking fasters 16 are preferably security head screws and metal anchors that removably secure niche covers 18 to face 15 , thereby allowing the cremation urn to be removed , viewed , and / or even transported to a different location . fig3 and 5 illustrate interlocking system 22 with more specificity . fig3 in particular , illustrates two modular niche units 10 attached side - by - side to one another utilizing interlocking system 22 to form a wall 20 , while fig5 illustrates the components of interlocking system 22 . more specifically , each modular niche unit 10 is defined by a top surface 17 and a bottom surface 19 . a plurality of locator pins 24 extend from top surface 17 , while a plurality of alignment apertures 26 are disposed in bottom surface 19 . pins 24 and apertures 26 are positioned on their corresponding surfaces 17 , 19 , respectively , so that pins 24 on the top of one unit 10 will seat in apertures 26 on the bottom of another unit 10 when the units are stacked on top of one another . in such alignment , adjacent faces 15 will be flush with one another . thus , locator pins 24 and apertures 26 are used to both align stacked units 10 with one another and secure those units to one another . in the preferred embodiment , a pin recess 28 is defined in top surface 17 around each pin 24 and extends from pin 24 to the edge of unit 10 . when adjacent units 10 are aligned to form a wall 20 , such as in fig3 , pin recesses 28 of the adjacent units 10 will be aligned such that a coextensive recess extends between adjacent pins 24 . a stabilizer strap 30 is then secured over adjacent pins 24 , thereby securing adjacent units 10 to one another . preferably , stabilizer strap 30 has a thickness that is the same as or less than the depth of recess 28 so that stabilizer trap 30 will be flush with surface 17 when disposed around pins 24 . this will in turn permit adjacent units stacked on top of one another to fit flush with one another . stabilizer strap may be rigid , semi - rigid or flexible and may be formed of any desirable material so long as the strap secures adjacent units 10 to one another . in one preferred embodiment , stabilizer strap 30 is metal . a fastener may be secured on pin 24 to ensure strap 30 remains engaged therewith . in another embodiment of the present invention , the locator pins 24 and corresponding alignment apertures 26 may also be placed on the sides of units 10 . likewise , pin recesses 28 may also be defined on the sides and back of each units 10 , thereby permitting stacked units 10 to be secured to one another along their vertical surfaces utilizing stabilizer straps 30 as described above . those skilled in the art will appreciate that while the interlocking system 22 permits the formation of a stable and sturdy columbarium system 8 , it also permits system 8 to be readily broken down and disassembled for transport or altered as necessary for expansion of the capacity of columbarium system 8 . fig6 and 7 both show a free - standing modular columbarium system . fig7 additionally shows a free - standing modular columbarium system as modular niche units 10 are added on top of an existing columbarium column so that the height of the column can be progressively increased as the need for additional niche space arises . in each of the figures , a two column free - standing columbarium system 8 having a cap unit 34 attached to a modular niche unit 10 , which is attached to another modular niche unit 10 , which is then attached to a base unit 32 . expansion of the columbarium system 8 can be easily achieved by lifting the cap unit 34 and placing a modular niche unit 10 followed by placing the cap unit 34 on top of the added modular niche unit 10 . this procedure of adding additional modular niche units 10 can be repeated until the desired height is reached . the modular columbarium system described herein provides many benefits over prior art columbaria and solves many deficiencies found in the prior art . the modular design of the niche units 10 allows columbarium systems to be built in phases , thus being truly expandable . the modular nature of the columbarium system 8 and niche units 10 also permits the columbarium system 8 to be more readily relocated or rearranged as desired . since the size of urns containing compacted cremains as described above are only about 50 % of the size of traditional urns , to the extent a columbarium system 8 of the invention is dimensioned for receipt of urns with such compacted cremains , a 12 inch × 12 inch niche space of the present invention can easily fit nine cremation urns 36 , whereas the same space in a traditional columbarium would fit only one or two urns . another advantage of the current invention is that niche covers or memorial plates 18 can be designed such that they can be fitted to cover one niche or multiple grouped niches so that couples or families can be covered by just one niche cover . this design allows family members to be placed under one cover so that they can be together even after death . the modular nature of the columbarium system 8 provides the ability to construct the system either as stand - alone units or as incorporated into some type of structure like a wall , fence or gazebo . in this same vein , the columbarium system can be easily customized in shape and size to fit in a desired space , or to increase the capacity of an existing system . still yet another benefit of modular columbarium system 8 is that the niche units 10 they can be manufactured using almost any material , non - limiting examples including without limitation , marble , granite , wood or similar traditional columbarium materials , or even non - traditional materials such as concrete or plastics , the material being selected based on the particular specifications of a system . selection criteria for materials may include the location of the system , i . e ., indoors or outdoors , the need to resist mold , mildew , mausoleum insects or various natural or man made elements , or the need to satisfy certain maximum weight requirements . while a preferred embodiment of the invention has been described , it is appreciated that variations and modifications may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the following claims . | 4 |
the present invention provides an apparatus and methods for cleaning surfaces and particularly for better controlling the high velocity airflow applied to those surfaces to entrain and remove spent cleaning fluid and dislodged debris . the improved results achieved using the apparatus and methods of the present invention are obtained by applying a vacuum only to a relatively small area about the periphery of the housing above the surface being cleaned to entrain and remove cleaning fluid and dislodged debris from the surface . accordingly , a higher velocity is developed across this smaller surface area without increasing the tendency of the slab cleaning device to suck down and become stuck on the surface being cleaned . a slab cleaner 10 in accord with the present invention is illustrated in fig1 - 5 . in general , the slab cleaner 10 of the present invention is similar in appearance to a rotary powered lawnmower . in the preferred embodiment , slab cleaner 10 includes a double - walled housing . within outer housing 12 is disposed inner housing 14 which provides the shield to define the opening for positioning adjacent a hard surface 100 to be cleaned . in the illustrated embodiment , inner housing 14 is generally concentric with but not coextensive with outer housing 12 . inner housing 14 does not extend upwardly to the top centermost portion of outer housing 12 . welded to the upper portion of inner housing 14 are a plurality of bolts 16 extending upwardly for cooperation with holes in outer housing 12 . with bolts 16 extending through the holes in outer housing 12 , nuts 18 are employed to securely fasten inner housing 14 to outer housing 12 . formed between the inner and outer housings is peripheral chamber 20 through which a vacuum may be applied to a small area of hard surface 100 about the periphery of inner housing 14 . slab cleaner 10 includes means for delivering any conventional cleaning fluid at a high velocity against surface 100 in the area to be cleaned under inner housing 14 . in the preferred embodiment illustrated in fig3 the cleaning fluid is delivered through line 30 to a rotary joint 32 bolted to the top of housing 12 . rotary joint 32 passes through housing 12 . disposed on the underside of rotary joint 32 is rotatable hub 34 having fluid passageway 36 therein . connected into a plurality of bores in hub 34 and in fluid communication with passageway 36 are a plurality of distribution arms 38 . arms 38 may be connected to hub 34 by any conventional method , e . g ., arms 38 may be welded or threaded to hub 34 . while a single arm 38 would be sufficient , a plurality of symmetrically disposed arms 38 provide better balance and more uniform and consistent operation . distribution arms 38 are preferably comprised of hollow tubes plugged at the ends thereof distal to hub 34 . alternatively , arms 38 may be comprised of hollow tubing bent to provide the desired direction of fluid flow against the hard surface . disposed near the distal end of each of arms 38 is at least one nozzle 40 for directing the flow of exiting fluid onto hard surface 100 . additional nozzles 40 may be disposed along the length of arms 38 . in the preferred embodiment , the nozzles direct the cleaning fluid against surface 100 at an angle which is neither normal to the surface nor in the plane of rotation of nozzles 40 . by disposing nozzles 40 at an angle so that the exiting fluid does not strike the surface perpendicularly , rotary motion will be imparted to arms 38 and hub 34 by the reactionary force of the exiting fluid . such an arrangement eliminates the need for a motor or other means to rotate fluid distribution arms 38 , and is , therefore , preferred . however , for some applications , it may be desirable to include a separate power source , e . g ., an air or electric motor , to independently rotate arms 38 . when using an independent motor to rotate arms 38 , nozzles 40 may be positioned to direct the exiting fluid perpendicularly against surface 100 . nozzles 40 may be of any conventional type connected to a plurality of bores disposed near the end and , optionally , along the length of arms 38 . alternatively , nozzles 40 may simply be comprised of holes drilled in arms 38 and disposed at the appropriate angle . while the cleaning fluid often merely comprises water , any conventional liquid or gaseous cleaning fluid may be employed . the cleaning fluid may also include an additive that will reduce the cohesive bond between the contaminants and the surface being cleaned . the cleaning fluid may include one or more conventional cleaning agents , e . g ., surfactants , soft abrasives , hard abrasives and mixtures thereof . in fact , the cleaning fluid may also include anti - foaming agents and the like as desired . the cleaning fluid may be drawn from a continuous source , e . g ., a fire hydrant , or a storage tank , e . g ., a conventional tank 94 , in which it is readily prepared and stored . alternatively , the fluid may be recirculated and the dislodged debris removed by conventional filters or other means . the fluid is pumped from the source , e . g ., storage tank 94 , using a high pressure pump 96 capable of developing as much as 60 , 000 psi . in operation , it has been found desirable to deliver the fluid at a pressure between about 1 , 000 psi and about 40 , 000 psi . at these pressures , water used as the cleaning fluid will exit the nozzles at about 400 ft / sec and about 2 , 400 ftusec , respectively . most preferably , the slab cleaner 10 of the present invention is operated with water at a pressure of about 10 , 000 psi . at this pressure , the water exits the nozzles at a velocity of about 1200 ft / sec . however , in some applications where the cleaning fluid comprises air with entrained particulate abrasives , it may be desirable to operate at a pump pressure as low as about 80 psi . those skilled in the art will be able to select an appropriate pump pressure to develop the ext velocity required to dislodge the contaminating materials from the surface . the fluid is delivered from tank 94 to slab cleaner 10 through conventional high pressure lines to cleaning fluid inlet 42 conveniently disposed on handle 50 of slab cleaner 10 . handle 50 is rigidly connected with housing 12 at a pair of diametrically disposed handle mounts 90 . inlet port 42 comprises one port of a three - way connector 44 disposed in handle 50 of slab cleaner 10 . fluid entering handle 50 at connector 44 is directed to nozzles 40 or returned to tank 94 depending upon the position of dump valve 54 . with dump valve 54 in the operating position , fluid entering connector 44 is directed through fluid conduit 46 , comprising a portion of one arm of handle 50 to elbow 48 connected with cleaning fluid line 30 . the presently most preferred embodiment of slab cleaner 10 includes dump valve 54 for diverting the cleaning fluid from hard surface 100 without requiring that pump 96 be shut down . by releasing handle 56 , a less restrictive flow path is created to return cleaning fluid to tank 94 . with dump valve 52 in the standby or dump position , fluid entering connector 44 is diverted through hollow hand grip 52 , dump valve 54 , line 58 and outlet 60 to a hose ( not shown ) for return to tank 94 . because this flow path will be less restrictive than the path through nozzles 40 , most of the fluid entering inlet 42 will be diverted through outlet 60 away from hard surface 100 in the standby position . this convenient feature permits the operator to temporarily halt the cleaning operation without requiring that pump 96 be shut down . spent cleaning fluid and dislodged debris are removed from under slab cleaner 10 by entrainment within a high velocity airflow created by applying a vacuum to peripheral chamber 20 . chamber 20 defines at its lower extremity an annular vacuum port 22 disposed about the periphery of inner housing 14 . annular port 22 has a relatively small cross - section through which fluid and debris are withdrawn . the cross - sectional area of annular opening 22 is substantially less than the area subtended by inner housing 14 . in fact , to provide the best results , the cross - sectional area of opening 22 should be less than about 10 percent , preferably less than about 5 percent , of the area being cleaned as defined by housing 14 . the vacuum applied to chamber 20 draws airflow through port 22 both through the interior of housing 14 and from the exterior of housing 12 as illustrated by the arrows in fig3 and 5 . near the top of chamber 20 are disposed one or more exit ports 24 to which one or more conduits 26 are affixed . attached to conduits 26 are a flexible suction line 28 in fluid communication with a conventional vacuum source 98 for applying a vacuum to chamber 20 . because the vacuum is applied to a smaller chamber and because the cross - sectional area of port 22 is significantly smaller than that subtended by inner housing 14 , high air velocity is developed across hard surface 100 adjacent annular port 22 without fear that slab cleaner 10 will suck down and become temporarily stuck on surface 100 . air velocity at annular port 22 must be sufficient to entrain and remove the spent cleaning fluid and dislodged debris . while air velocity of at least about 75 ft / sec are acceptable for many applications , it is preferred that the velocities be in the range of about 75 - 200 ftusec . most preferably the air velocity at port 22 should be about 125 - 150 ftusec . the high air velocity developed over this smaller surface area also provides improved entrainment and removal of spent cleaning fluid and dislodged debris from under slab cleaner 10 . slab cleaner 10 also includes one or more vent openings 80 through outer housing 12 directly into the cleaning chamber defined by inner housing 14 . vents 80 permit air to enter the cleaning chamber , thus minimizing the chance that the cleaner 10 will suck down on the surface being cleaned . in a simple embodiment , vent openings 80 are unadjustable . in an alternative , vent openings 80 are covered by an appropriate filter ( not shown ). in another alternative , slab cleaner 10 of the present invention may include a vent system to permit more precise adjustment of the airflow through inner housing 14 . this feature is readily seen in slab cleaner 10 illustrated in fig2 - 4 . this feature is most easily understood with reference to fig2 and 4 . a pair of fan - shaped diametrically opposed vent openings 80 are placed through outer housing 12 directly into the cleaning chamber defined by inner housing 14 . carried on the exterior surface of outer housing 12 is rotatable adjustment plate 82 characterized by a pair of similarly fan - shaped slots 84 for cooperation with openings 80 . by simple rotation of plate 82 , slots 84 cooperate with openings 80 to close , open and adjust the size of the air vent through housing 12 . rotatable plate 82 is disposed below tabs 86 which carry adjustment and locking screws 88 . when plate 82 has been adjusted to provide the desired vent opening , it may be fixed in place by tightening of screws 88 to frictionally lock it in place . a flexible skirt 70 is subtended from the lower side of exterior housing 12 to assist in retaining under slab cleaner 10 the cleaning fluid expelled from nozzles 40 and dislodged debris and to reduce the intake of air from outside the housing . flexible skirt 70 generally extends from the lower side of housing 12 to a plane defined by the lower surface of wheels 62 and 72 in order to be substantially in contact with hard surface 100 . however , skirt 70 need not form a seal with hard surface 100 but should be flexible to generally conform therewith in order to reduce the intake of air from outside of housing 12 and to contain the fluid and debris within housing 12 . those skilled in the art will be aware of convenient methods for maintaining slab cleaner 10 at a substantially fixed distance above surface 100 and providing means for moving slab cleaner 10 across that surface . the simplest means and the one illustrated in the preferred embodiment employs a plurality of wheels disposed on appropriate supports . in the illustrated embodiment , two large rear wheels 62 are disposed at opposite ends of axle 64 carried through a pair of rear axle mounts 66 projecting rearwardly from outer housing 12 . fig1 also illustrates handle support strut 68 extending upwardly from the axle mounts 66 . disposed at the front of slab cleaner 10 are one or more front wheels . in the illustrated embodiment , a pair of front wheels 72 are caster mounted from swivel yokes 74 connected to front wheel mounting platforms 76 braced with supporting struts 78 . swivel mounted front wheels 72 permit slab cleaner 10 to be both easily steered and sharply turned . the foregoing description of the invention has been directed in primary part to a particular preferred embodiment in accordance with the requirements of the patent statutes and for purposes of explanation and illustration . it will be apparent , however , to those skilled in the art that many modifications and changes in the specifically described apparatus and methods may be made without departing from the true scope and spirit of the invention . for example , while the manifold , hub , arm and nozzle assembly described provides the preferred means for directing cleaning fluid to the surface to be cleaned , any conventional arrangement which accomplishes this goal may be used . while it is presently preferred to employ the previously described system where the force of the exiting fluid provides the means for rotating the hub , there may be circumstances where it will be desirable to employ a motor to drive the hub , or even to employ a plurality of fixed nozzles in some applications . therefore , the invention is not restricted to the preferred embodiment described and illustrated but covers all modifications which may fall within the scope of the following claims . | 0 |
examples of specific analytical tests and / or instruments which are utilized at an industrial site to monitor liquids are those instruments which monitor : specific conductivity , cation conductivity , degassed cation conductivity , dissolved oxygen , dissolved hydrogen , sodium , chloride , phosphate , nitrate , fluoride , ph , silica , corrosion products ( iron , copper , zinc , and the like ), resin fragments , total organic carbon ( toc ), sulfate , ammonia , hydrazine , organic acids , turbidity , and the like . in some instances several of the analytical instruments for testing several of the parameters will be clustered in a single module , which is convenient when some parameters ( or analytes ) are monitored on - line , and others are monitored by withdrawing samples ( grab sampling ). the more automated and modularized the monitoring facility , the more difficult and inconvenient it is to calibrate each individual monitoring instrument according to its particular manufacturer &# 39 ; s calibration procedures , which usually require a pure water sample containing only the analyte of interest . thus the present invention provides a system and method which facilitates an essentially simultaneous calibration of all monitoring instruments or at least modules of monitoring instruments without having to produce separate calibration samples for each instrument and being assured that the calibration and / or validation mixture is formed from pure water and has stabilized and is not in any transient state . referring to the figure , a schematic is shown of the invention for use in the validation and / or calibration of analytical instruments . a high purity water , such as a condensate 6 , is utilized as a starting material for forming the matrix standard solution solution . the condensate is pumped by a pump 8 through a line 10 to a deoxygenator 11 , such as so 3 - form anion deoxygenation tank , to remove the dissolved oxygen . then the water is passed into a granular activated charcoal tank ( gac ) 12 to remove all organic matter . the water is then demineralized in demineralizer 13 , such as a mixed bed h + oh - demineralizer ( mb ), to remove trace ionic impurities . the water is finally purified by filtering through a fine filtration membrane 14 ( such as a 0 . 2 micron filter ) to remove suspended material . to check the purity of the treated water a water conductivity and water temperature measurement is taken at station 16 which has a conductivity probe and a resistance temperature device ( rtd ) to make these measurements and transmits them along respective lines c and t to a microprocessor 18 . the microprocessor is programmed to solve the truman - light equation which relates water temperature and conductivity to water purity in microsiemens per centimeter according to the following relationship : ( water purity = f ( t , c )). thus the water purity measurement is temperature compensated or independent thereof . the water purity signal is sent by the microprocessor 18 ( along line 19 ( a ) to a display 20 and ( along line 19 ( b ) to a difference station 22 where it is compared to a set point or predetermined level of water purity which must be maintained . should this level be exceeded , a control signal along line 24 will actuate an alarm . thus , water purity is insured prior to mixing with known chemical solutions . the pure water is then mixed with stock standards stored in stock storage tanks 26a , 26b , and 26c blanketed under an inert atmosphere , such as nitrogen . these chemicals from the tanks are injected into a static mixture tube 28 via respective precalibrated precision metering pumps 30a , 30b , and 30c , respectively . while three storage tanks 26a , 26b and 26c are shown , it is evident that more or fewer tanks may be utilized , depending on the number of stock solutions which are to be utilized . in a preferred embodiment of particular applicability to a power utility , each of the tanks will contain a plurality of stock standardized chemicals . for example tank 26a may contain a mixture of chloride , sulfate , sodium , potassium , carbon dioxide , hydrazine , ammonia , silica , fluoride and phosphate ; tank 26d may contain calcium , magnesium , formic acid and propionic acid ; and tank 26c may contain air - saturated water . the amount of each of the stock solutions in tanks 26a , 26b , and 26c which are injected into the static mixture tube 28 can be measured by the precalibrated precision metering pumps 30a , 30b , and 30c . the precision metering pumps 30a , 30b and 30c may be micrometer flow adjustable , allowing for injection of chemical species at different concentrations covering instrument operating ranges . the combination of pure water and injected solution is then sent to a heater / chiller 32 which will either raise or lower the temperature of the mixture to 77 ° f .± 1 ° f . as is appropriate depending on summer or winter conditions at the forming of the mixture . the heater / chiller thus takes the sample temperature to 77 ° f . which is the calibration temperature of the monitors or instruments verified . next , the homogeneous standard sample matrix is thoroughly mixed in mix chamber 34 and sent through a flow sensor assembly 36 . from mix chamber 34 measured amounts of the standard matrix solution are conducted to the various instruments or instrument modules to calibrate and / or validate individual devices ( not shown ). prior to being sent to the monitoring instruments ( not shown ) the standard matrix solution is sent through a station 38 having conductivity probe and an rtd , as in station 16 , which measures and sends water temperature and water conductivity signals along lines t &# 39 ; and c &# 39 ;, respectively to a microprocessor 18 &# 39 ;. the microprocessor 18 &# 39 ; is similarly programmed to solve the truman - light equation for water purity as was described with respect to microprocessor 18 . in fact , the microprocessor 18 may be shared by stations 16 and 38 on a time sharing basis instead of using two microprocessors with the solved outputs being appropriately switched to either the difference station 22 and display 20 or a sample and hold circuit 40 having a built in timer . the circuit 40 receives the water purity signal , or in the case the water impurity signal , from the microprocessor 18 &# 39 ; which is temperature compensated by virtue of the truman - light equation . thus the ± 1 ° f . variations of the heater / chiller 32 are effectively eliminated . the only variation which will occur is then due only to variations in water impurity . such variations would originate with transients in the mixing of pure water and solutions at pipe 28 . thus the circuit 40 periodically samples the output of microprocessor 18 &# 39 ; and compares it with the previous output sampled and held therein . after a predetermined period without any changes , an output signal is produced by the circuit 40 along line 42 indicating that all transients have subsided and the solution is proper for instrument calibration and / or validation . the output signal 42 is sent to go / no go display 44 , which may be a green light / red light display , and to a valve actuator controller 46 which controls valves 48a , 48b , and 48c . thus valves 48a , 48b , and 48c may be selectively closed or opened to divert fluid flow from the instruments as required . it should be noted that the alarm signal from line 24 may also be used to actuate the valve actuator controller 46 if required . this would make the valves 48a , 48b , and 48c selectively responsive to water purity in providing validation fluid to the instruments . also another equation for water purity could be used to program the microprocessors 18 and 18 &# 39 ;. one each equation is the marsh equation which is similarly a function of water temperature and conductivity . the size of the system shown in the figure may be varied depending upon the chemical species of interest , number of on - line monitors , flow rate of the high purity water system , and the like . the stock solutions which are used for tanks 26a , 26b , and 26c are themselves prepared preferably from deoxygenated , organic free , demineralized filtered water and reagent grade chemical species . aliquots of stock solutions may be then transferred into the tanks 26a , 26b , and 26c and proper concentrations calculated . preparation of the dissolved oxygen stock standard in tank 26c may be obtained by introducing filtered effluent from a high mix bed demineralizer to the reservoir 26c and allowing the water to be air equilibrated at standard temperature and pressure . after equilibration , the water is assayed for dissolved oxygen using standard titrametric procedures . the validation of dissolved oxygen analyzers ( not shown ) may be performed separately when carbon dioxide is present in the chemical test matrix since air equilibrated water will contain carbon dioxide . a separate validation for dissolved oxygen is only necessary when carbon dioxide is intentionally added to validate an instrument measuring carbon dioxide . the present system is advantageous in that it provides for validating acceptable performance of an analytical instrument , multiple instruments of the same type or multiple instruments of different types . it is further advantageous in that it provides the validation of instrument performance at any desired concentration level which may be obtained by adjusting the micrometer on the precalibrated metering pumps 30a , 30b , and 30c which meter each of the stock solutions into the standard matrix . it is further advantageous in that instrument performance may be validated and can be conducted simultaneously and at various concentration levels on various analytes such as sodium , chloride , hydrazine , ammonia , dissolved oxygen , silica and other analyzers . thus after calibration of each instrument according to the vendors &# 39 ; procedures , this calibration can be verified so that each analyzer will perform satisfactorily in the presence of the other chemical species present in the industrial liquid . the present invention provides a convenient , semiautomatic means to achieve multi - instrument validation , particular on site , of an industrial liquid . certain modifications and improvements will occur to those skilled in the art after considering the present disclosure . it will be understood that all such modifications and improvements have been deleted herein for the sake of conciseness and readability but are properly included with in the scope of the following claims . | 6 |
referring to fig1 , a computer enclosure of a preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a chassis 10 , and a bracket 30 detachably attached to the chassis 10 . the chassis 10 includes a bottom plate 12 , a side plate 14 , and a rear plate 18 . the side plate 14 and the rear plate 18 are perpendicularly formed on adjacent edges of the bottom plate 12 , and perpendicular to each other . a motherboard 20 is secured on an inner surface of the bottom plate 12 . an expansion slot 22 is disposed on the motherboard 20 and extends along a direction perpendicular to the rear plate 18 . a convex portion 122 with a mounting hole 124 defined therein is disposed on the inner surface of the bottom plate 12 between the motherboard 20 and the side plate 14 . the rear plate 18 defines an opening 182 adjacent the side plate 14 thereof . three bent flanges 1822 , 1824 , and 1826 are perpendicularly bent from a bottom and two side edges of the opening 182 respectively . a cutout 1828 is defined in a top portion of the bent flange 1826 along a direction perpendicular to the bottom plate 12 . the bracket 30 includes a holding portion 32 for receiving disk drives therein , and an expansion portion 34 extending from the holding portion 32 . the holding portion 32 includes a bottom wall 322 , a top wall 324 parallel to the bottom wall 322 , and parallel first and second side walls 326 , 328 both perpendicular to the bottom wall 322 . a rim 3222 is perpendicularly bent down from a rear edge of the bottom wall 322 . a bent piece 3282 is perpendicularly formed on a front edge of the second side wall 328 toward the first side wall 326 . a hollow restricting portion 3284 is formed on an outer surface of the bent piece 3282 . a positioning piece 3286 with a through hole 3288 defined therein is formed on the bent piece 3282 below the restricting portion 3284 . the expansion portion 34 includes a first retaining wall 342 bent perpendicularly out from the first side wall 326 of the holding portion 32 , and a second retaining wall 344 bent perpendicularly out from the first retaining wall 342 . a support flange 3422 is perpendicularly formed on a top edge of the first retaining wall 342 . a pci opening 3424 is defined in the first retaining wall 342 and the support flange 3422 . a securing hole 3426 is defined in the support flange 3422 . a post 3442 is disposed on the second retaining wall 344 , corresponding to the cutout 1828 of the bent flange 1826 of the rear plate 18 . a rim 3444 is perpendicularly formed on a rear edge of the second retaining wall 344 . a pci ( peripheral component interconnection ) card 40 has an l - shaped mounting piece 42 for securing the pci card 40 on the expansion portion 344 of the bracket 30 and shielding the pci opening 3424 , and an inserting portion 44 for inserting into the expansion slot 22 of the motherboard 20 . the mounting piece 42 defines a locking hole 422 therein , corresponding to the securing hole 3426 of the expansion portion 344 of the bracket 30 . alternatively , other expansion cards can also be used . see fig2 , the bracket 30 is placed into the chassis 10 with the rear end thereof being received into the opening 182 of the rear plate 18 . the post 3442 of the bracket 30 is slid into the cutout 1828 of the rear plate 18 . the positioning piece 3286 of the second side wall 328 is located above the convex portion 122 of the bottom plate 12 , and the through hole 3288 aligns with the mounting hole 124 of the convex portion 122 . the bottom wall 322 is supported on the bent flange 1822 of the rear plate 18 , and the second side wall 328 abuts on the bent flange 1824 , and the end of the rim 3222 abuts on the bent flange 1826 . the rims 3222 , 3444 are positioned at the exterior of the chassis 10 and abut an outer surface of the rear plate 18 . a locking member 50 , such as an elongated thumb - screw , is inserted through the restricting portion 3284 and the through hole 3288 of the positioning piece 3286 thereby being locked into the mounting hole 124 of the convex portion 122 of the bottom plate 12 . thus , the bracket 30 is stably secured into the chassis 10 . the inserting portion 44 of the pci card 40 is inserted into the pci slot 22 of the motherboard 20 . the mounting piece 42 is inserted into the pci opening 3424 of the first retaining wall 342 of the expansion portion 342 with a top portion thereof abutting on the top portion of the support flange 3422 . the locking hole 422 aligns with the securing hole 3426 of the support flange 3422 of the first retaining wall 342 . a screw 60 is inserted through the locking hole 422 of the mounting piece 42 of the pci card 40 , and locked into the securing hole 3426 of the first retaining wall 342 . thus , the pci card 40 is stably secured into the chassis 10 on the expansion portion 34 of the bracket 30 . it is to be understood , however , that even though numerous characteristics and advantages have been set forth in the foregoing description of preferred embodiments , together with details of the structures and functions of the preferred embodiments , the disclosure is illustrative only , and changes may be made in detail , especially in matters of shape , size , and arrangement of parts within the principles of the invention to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed . | 6 |
many alterations and modifications may be made by those having ordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . therefore , it must be understood that the illustrated embodiment has been set forth only for the purposes of example and that it should not be taken as limiting the invention as defined by the following claims . for example , notwithstanding the fact that the elements of a claim are set forth below in a certain combination , it must be expressly understood that the invention includes other combinations of fewer , more or different elements , which are disclosed herein even when not initially claimed in such combinations . the words used in this specification to describe the invention and its various embodiments are to be understood not only in the sense of their commonly defined meanings , but to include by special definition in this specification structure , material or acts beyond the scope of the commonly defined meanings . thus if an element can be understood in the context of this specification as including more than one meaning , then its use in a claim must be understood as being generic to all possible meanings supported by the specification and by the word itself . the definitions of the words or elements of the following claims therefore include not only the combination of elements which are literally set forth , but all equivalent structure , material or acts for performing substantially the same function in substantially the same way to obtain substantially the same result . in this sense it is therefore contemplated that an equivalent substitution of two or more elements may be made for any one of the elements in the claims below or that a single element may be substituted for two or more elements in a claim . although elements may be described above as acting in certain combinations and even initially claimed as such , it is to be expressly understood that one or more elements from a claimed combination can in some cases be excised from the combination and that the claimed combination may be directed to a subcombination or variation of a subcombination . insubstantial changes from the claimed subject matter as viewed by a person with ordinary skill in the art , now known or later devised , are expressly contemplated as being equivalently within the scope of the claims . therefore , obvious substitutions now or later known to one with ordinary skill in the art are defined to be within the scope of the defined elements . the claims are thus to be understood to include what is specifically illustrated and described above , what is conceptually equivalent , what can be obviously substituted and also what essentially incorporates the essential idea of the invention . thus , the detailed description set forth below in connection with the appended drawings is intended as a description of the presently preferred embodiments of the invention and is not intended to represent the only forms in which the present invention may be constructed or utilized . the description sets forth the functions and the sequence of steps for constructing and operating the invention in connection with the illustrated embodiments . it is to be understood , however , that the same or equivalent functions may be accomplished by different embodiments that are also intended to be encompassed within the spirit of the invention . a home entertainment system with some of the same features as the present invention is disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 721 , 951 , the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference . fig1 illustrates the basic architecture of an interactive multimedia player in accordance with the present invention . the player is housed in player chassis 10 . unlike a conventional chassis for a prior art desktop computer or laptop computer , player chassis 10 is preferably a home entertainment system chassis , meaning its dimensions will fit atop a typical television set or otherwise fit smoothly into a typical home entertainment center the player chassis 10 is preferably styled in the general fashion of a typical home entertainment system component , such as a vcr , cd player , dvd player , set top box , or game console . in other words , player chassis 10 is physically designed more or less like a vcr chassis , for convenient connection to a television set and for integration within a consumer home entertainment system . as shown further in fig1 , chassis 10 houses hardware and software sufficient to support mpc - compatible interactive multimedia (“ mpc ” is a well - known personal computer standard defined by the multimedia pc marketing council ). accordingly , processor 12 preferably includes a cpu of the 2 ghz pentium class or higher . preferably , at least 512 megabytes of internal ram storage , at least 16 megabytes of video ram storage , and standard i / o ports including ports for mouse input and for vga video output are provided . mass storage 20 preferably comprises a hard disk drive of at least 60 gegabyte capacity . cd - rom / dvd drive 18 preferably supports a sustained transfer rate of at least 300 kb / sec ., with a maximum average seek time of 400 ms , is multi - session capable , and provides cd - da output . sound circuit or card 14 is preferably a 16 bit sound circuit or card . as those skilled in the art will appreciate , these are merely preferred minimum parameters and these parameters will change over time as technology permits . thus , it will generally be desirable to use components which have state - of - the - art specifications , so as to facilitate playing of games which are as realistic as possible and which have other desired features , such as multi - player online capability . mass storage 20 stores various software for controlling the player system , including operating system 24 ( preferably a microsoft windows ® operating system , such as windows xp or greater , including any multimedia drivers and extensions ). the lookup table or database used to automate the installation process may also be stored on mass storage 20 , or may alternatively be store elsewhere , such as on a remote server accessible via a network , such as the internet . the player of fig1 also optionally includes auxiliary storage unit 30 , such as a 3 . 5 ″ diskette drive , for removable , archival storage , although this feature is not needed for mpc compatibility . as shown further in fig1 , the capabilities of interactive multimedia player are enhanced by including within chassis 10 vga - to - tv converter 16 ( such as the ads “ tv elite ” card ) for converting the vga output signal of processor 12 into television signal 34 , suitable for input to a television set ( e . g ., an ntsc or pal signal , emitted as composite , s - vhs , component , digital , or rf signal format ). indeed , thus , television signal 34 as well as audio output signals 32 may be connected via standard jacks or by any other suitable means to a desired television and audio amplifier / loudspeaker system , respectively . alternatively , video output may be provided to a projection television system , for display on a large screen , which may be particularly advantageous in the context of an institutional user needing an interactive multimedia player for purposes of an educational lecture , a product demonstration , or a similar group presentation . in that case , the projector itself may conveniently be integrated with chassis 10 , for better portability and compactness . it is important to appreciate that although the present invention is particularly well suit for use with games , it is not limited in application to games . the present invention may be used for various multimedia software programs , including both interactive and non - interactive multimedia software programs . indeed , at least some of the features of the present invention have applications in non - multimedia software programs , as well . thus , description of the present invention as being used for interactive multimedia games is by way of example only , and not by way of limitation . the present player also features an appropriate user interface , so that the consumer may view and listen to his or her entertainment system ( such as for playing games ) from a comfortable distance and in a relaxed position , without having to balance a heavy keyboard on the user &# 39 ; s lap . conventional , corded keyboards and mouse devices are designed with flat - surfaced desktops in mind and are therefore not ideal for this context . instead , as indicated in fig1 , user input is preferably entered by means of remote input device 28 , such as an infra - red mouse ( e . g ., interlink electronics &# 39 ; remotepoint ) or other hand - held , remote control device that provides cursor control - unlike standard television or vcr remote control devices - in order to support interactivity with mpc multimedia software . in addition , mass storage 20 preferably stores software 22 for implementing a virtual on - screen computer keyboard , whose keys are typed using the cursor device , when needed for a particular multimedia title . fig2 illustrates a preferred embodiment of an on - screen virtual control panel that is preferably provided in addition to a standard computer keyboard . the control panel includes one - touch virtual buttons for various playback functions , as will be described further below . an important feature of the present player enables users to play interactive multimedia titles in the same , simple “ drop and play ” manner as they are accustomed to playing non - interactive audio compact discs , video discs , cassettes , and the like . herein , we will refer to the user issuing a generic play command as meaning that initiating play of the current title requires only a generic , title - independent request by the user , such as the single - touch of a play button . by current title , we mean the title currently identified as the next title to be played , whether because the title currently resides in the system &# 39 ; s cd drive , or because it is interactively selected by the user via menus or the like , or because it is identified by the system based on other criteria . the key point is that even though many mpc - compatible titles normally require the user &# 39 ; s involvement in initialization and / or installation procedures , ranging from protocols for starting - up execution ( such as invoking a particular operating system or program name ) to complex installation procedures in accordance with the present invention , such procedures ( when needed ) are performed automatically by the system without user involvement , preferably by drop & amp ; play software 26 as now described . in a preferred embodiment of the invention , drop & amp ; play software 26 is implemented by means of an installation status table database or ist . each row of the ist stores installation information for a cd - rom / dvd title recognized by the player . fig3 shows a flow chart of procedures to be performed by drop & amp ; play software 26 , using an ist , to automate initialization and installation of the current cd - rom / dvd interactive title after a user issues a play command . at block 80 , a determination is made as to the general type or category of content in the current title to be played - e . g ., whether the cd currently placed in cd - rom / dvd drive 18 is an mpc interactive cd - rom / dvd , a ( non - interactive ) video cd , a photocd , or an audio cd , etc . if the cd is an mpc cd - rom / dvd , then block 82 derives the identifier or fingerprint of the cd - rom / dvd , preferably by computing a hash function derived from the file allocation table ( fat ) of the cd - rom / dvd disc , since all mpc - compatible cd - rom / dvd discs contain a unique fat . any other technique for uniquely identifying and indexing cd - rom / dvd titles may equivalently be used , as those of ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate . at block 84 , a determination is made as to whether the identifier derived for the current cd - rom / dvd disc matches a value stored in the ist . if so , then the player recognizes this particular cd - rom / dvd title , and at block 86 , the information stored in the ist for the matching entry is retrieved and examined further . at block 88 , a determination is made as to whether the matching entry indicates that some initialization procedure is required for this title . if no such initialization is required , then the player immediately begins to play the title at block 92 . if the matching entry in the ist indicates that some initialization is required , then at block 90 all initialization procedures specified by the matching entry are performed . these procedures may include such tasks as , for example , executing a specified run protocol ; copying files specified by the matching ist entry from the cd - rom / dvd disc to mass storage unit 20 of the player , into directories as specified by the ist entry ; or running an installation program and providing a script of specific or default responses in response to an installation program . thereafter , the cd - rom / dvd title begins to play , at block 92 . if the cd - rom / dvd title is not stored in the ist , then at block 94 the user must manually install the title the first time the title is played , following the title &# 39 ; s standard installation instructions . after this manual installation , drop & amp ; play software 26 of the present player preferably creates a new ist table entry for the title at block 96 , including a description of relevant machine and file states affected by the installation procedure , so that the new title can thereafter be played using the fully automated drop and play procedure described above in blocks 82 - 92 . non - interactive audio cd ( or video cd ) can also be played on the present player with a simple play command , just like on a conventional home entertainment compact disc audio system . if the player recognizes , at block 80 , that the compact disc placed in cd - rom / dvd drive 18 contains non - interactive material such as a conventional audio cd , then no installation is necessary , and the player can immediately begin playback of the disc . moreover , the player preferably provides additional control over playback of non - interactive titles , by means of a virtual control panel such as the control panel illustrated in fig2 . referring now to the details of fig2 , the function of play button 62 has already been described . pause button 64 , stop button 66 , fast forward button 68 , fast backward button 70 , volume control 72 , and equalizing sliders 74 are all available when playing audio cd or video cd , and are all self - explanatory for those of ordinary skill and familiarity with conventional , consumer audio / video appliances . slide bar 76 shows the current play position of the cd , preferably including a time scale for both audio cd and video cd discs , and a track scale for audio cd . slide bar 76 can also readily be used to advance the play position forward or backward along the scale displayed , in well - known scrolling manner . the control panel of fig2 also preferably includes mode button 78 , allowing users to select among various play modes for audio cd and video cd . at least four modes are preferably available for audio cd , and two modes for video cd , as follows : playlist : user selects play order of tracks . shuffle : the order of play is random . once : the order of play proceeds from the first track on the disc to the last . loop : the order of play proceeds from the first track on the disc to the last , and then repeats continually . once : the movie is played once , in order . loop : the movie is repeatedly played in order . as those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize , the virtual control panel described may readily be modified as dictated by the aesthetic or functional needs of particular applications . for example , the control panel can easily be adapted for use with a multi - disc changer , as by altering the behavior of a playlist mode to allow users to select a play order among all of the tracks stored on the multiple discs in the changer . other control panel features could also be modified in similar fashion . thus , by means of the multimedia player of the present invention , and as illustrated above by way of example with fig1 - 3 , the existing body of interactive multimedia titles written for desktop computer platforms may conveniently and comfortably be played in the preferred environment of a typical home audiovisual entertainment system . additional , enhanced embodiments of the invention can be advantageously created , as suggested and illustrated in fig4 - 10 . for example , by including mpeg decoder 36 ( such as the realmagic decoder card by sigma designs ) within the system as in fig4 , the interactive multimedia player can further be used to play full - length feature films stored as compressed mpeg data on cd - rom / dvd discs , in a true home entertainment environment . as will be illustrated in connection with fig5 - 7 , the present player may also be advantageously enhanced by including a data communications link 38 for receiving external data transmissions . external data transmissions received may then be processed using the computer power of processor 12 , and then displayed and viewed in the advantageous context of a home entertainment setting , as described earlier . in this way , the present player effectively turns the home entertainment center into a convenient access point to the information superhighway . for example , in the embodiment of fig5 , the data communications link is provided by telecommunications link 38 , e . g ., a modem connected to a telephone line . the data communications link 38 according to any embodiment of the present invention may alternatively comprise dsl , a cable modem , a network interface card , a wireless data communications link , or any other type of data communications link . thus , the data communications link 38 may be either wired or wireless . in this way , the multimedia player of the present invention can conveniently be interconnected with wide area networks such as the internet , prodigy , compuserve , america online , etc ., allowing the user to view and interact with audiovisual software products distributed through such wide area networks in the same manner as is presently done with personal computers , but with the advantage of utilizing a television and home entertainment system for viewing and interaction . software programs , such as games , can be downloaded via the data communications link 38 . control software 40 , such as the commercially available , mpc - compatible products provided by vendors like america online , control such interactions . similarly , with straightforward control software , the player system of fig5 can easily be used to support menu - driven , automatic dialing of telephone numbers in a user &# 39 ; s personal directory , and other telephone and facsimile services , but in the advantageous context of a home entertainment system rather than a conventional , desktop personal computer . similarly , in the embodiment of fig6 , the data communications link is augmented with means for receiving television transmissions ( e . g ., broadcast , cable , or satellite signals ) or radio transmissions by means of tuner 42 . this embodiment preferably includes video capture board 44 for capturing any received television transmissions that are to be processed and presenting them to processor 12 in a suitable , digitized format . telecommunications link 38 allows for transmission of data from the player to external recipients . again , by further including control software 40 ( or , equivalently , logic circuitry ) as appropriate to process the television or radio transmissions , the viewer may enjoy the benefits of interactive television from the attractive and appropriate environment of a home entertainment system . as just one example further illustrating the system of fig6 , a company called interactive network , inc . broadcasts an fm radio signal simultaneously with many sports contests , game shows , and other real - time events that contains questions and answers about the event in progress . interactive network subscribers typically receive these signals using special - purpose control unit receivers , which process the signals and permit users to , for example , make predictions about the next play to occur in a professional football contest ; ntn communications , inc . has created a popular interactive football game , qb1 , that has been used for this purpose . the correct answer to each question is transmitted shortly thereafter , and the control unit can then grade the user &# 39 ; s answer and maintain a running score , effectively allowing users to play along at home while simultaneously viewing sports or other real - time events on television . for more details , see u . s . pat . no . 4 , 592 , 546 , entitled “ game of skill playable by remote participants in conjunction with a live event ,” dated jun . 3 , 1986 , naming anthony fascenda and david lockton as inventors . the interactive player of fig7 allows users to enjoy the benefits of interactive broadcasts , such as those provided by interactive network , inc ., within the attractive and familiar environment of their existing television and home entertainment system , and without the need for a separate control unit or the like . in this example , control software 40 of the player would contain game playing application software akin to that already provided in interactive network control units for interpreting the fm signal , and for generating the screen displays and scores required by games . fig7 illustrates an alternative to the embodiment of fig6 for providing interactive television functionality . in the example of fig7 , the data communications link takes the form of two - way interactive cable video link 46 , such as provided netgame &# 39 ; s mug ( multi user game ) technology . either through this embodiment or through the embodiment of fig6 , users will be able to fully enjoy interactive television programming - such as videos on demand , multi - user real - time video games , etc .— as such programming becomes more widely available , because the player of the present invention provides the power of a complete , mpc - grade digital computer , integrated within a home entertainment system . the player &# 39 ; s computer power can be harnessed to render images , handle user interface processing , and perform other computations on each user &# 39 ; s local player , in parallel , thereby greatly reducing communications traffic , reducing the required bandwidth , and increasing system efficiency , as those of skill in the art will readily appreciate . in any event , the data communications link 38 may be used to download a game or other software program which then automatically installs itself with little or no user interaction and which is ready to play after this installation . fig8 a shows another enhanced embodiment of the present invention , including video capture board 44 , video compression codec 48 , as well as tuner 42 for receiving television signals . with this embodiment , the current portion of a televised program is compressed using video codec 48 , and cached in storage unit 20 . this process proceeds continually , thus caching the last few minutes of the television program until they are gradually overwritten by more current data . those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the amount of video programming that can be cached in this manner in storage unit 20 depends upon the capacity of the storage unit as well as on the degree of compression achieved by video codec 48 . with this video capture capability , the present player provides a revolutionary and advantageous feature of instant television replay on demand ( as well as permanent archival storage thereafter if desired ) of a short program highlight , though the user &# 39 ; s vcr was not actively recording at the actual moment the highlight occurred . a method for implementing the instant playback feature is described further in the flow diagram of fig8 b . at block 100 , tuner 42 receives a television signal ; at block 102 , the signal is presented to processor 12 by video capture board 44 in a suitable digital format . the signal is compressed by video codec 48 at block 104 , and cached in storage unit 20 ( still in compressed form ) at block 106 . at decision point 108 , if a user requests instant replay , then at block 110 the cached data is decompressed by video codec 48 and is replayed on the television at block 112 , preferably in a partitioned on - screen window if the user &# 39 ; s television supports multi - window display . concurrently , at block 114 , the cached data is immediately stored to a protected area of storage unit 20 . preferably , at block 116 , if the user requests permanent storage of the highlight , the cached data is then output to auxiliary storage unit within the home entertainment system , such as digital video tape . meanwhile , whether or not instant replay has been requested , the process of caching the most recent programming continues without significant interruption , as depicted in fig8 b . fig9 illustrates a further enhanced version of the present invention including video camera 50 , so that the present player can be used to provide video teleconferencing services . for example , if two users are both equipped with the system of fig9 , a teleconference session can be established between the users by using their respective telecommunications links 38 . video camera 50 records input images of each user , and the images are periodically captured and compressed using video capture board 44 and video codec 48 , and are transmitted across the telephone network between the respective telecommunications links 38 . the images received by each user are decompressed using video codec 48 , and displayed on the user &# 39 ; s television set by the present player concurrently with the telephone call . the audio portion of the telephone call may be output by the player through the user &# 39 ; s home audio system . fig1 illustrate a preferred embodiment of the present invention which further includes command output device 54 for controlling other appliances within a home entertainment system . command output device 54 preferably emits an infra - red signal compatible with the remote control operation of other appliances within the home entertainment system such as vcr 56 . in this way , computer software can be executed on the player providing menu - driven , interactive , remote control of vcr 56 or other entertainment appliances . as an example , the player of fig1 can advantageously control a television set and vcr if control software 40 ( and associated control logic ) of the player is equipped to receive broadcasts of television program guide information such as provided by the starsight system . in the embodiment of fig1 , control software 40 internally formulates appropriate commands for the desired appliance , depending on the menu - driven input provided by the user . command output device 54 will then output these commands so as to control the appliance , e . g , the vcr will automatically be programmed for timed recording as desired by user . thus , software can be written with the full complexity and richness supported by processor 12 and operating system software 24 ( i . e ., preferably the full potential of mpc - compatible software ) so as to facilitate centralized , user - friendly , interactive control of any desired appliance within the user &# 39 ; s home entertainment system . optionally , the title area or other non - program area of a cd - rom or dvd may be used to store an instruction set , such as a script , which facilitates automatic installation of the cd - rom or dvd . that is , an instruction set may be stored on the cd - rom / dvd in an area thereof where the entry of information is optional and where the entry of information does not directly affect the post - installation operation of the software program stored on the cd - rom / dvd . this instruction set comprises information , such as a script , which facilitates or effects , preferably with little or no user interaction , automatic installation of a software program , such as a game , stored on the cd - rom / dvd . fig1 shows a cd - rom or a dvd 1100 having an opening 1101 at the hub thereof . the cd - rom / dvd has unrecorded areas 1102 and 1103 at the outer periphery and proximate the hub thereof , respectively . a software program , such as an interactive multimedia game , is stored in a data or recorded area 1104 . the header information area , such as the title area 1105 is used according to contemporary practice , to optionally store a title and / or any other desired optional information ( such as the time / date of recording , serial number , name of the software producer , etc ). according to the present invention , at least a portion of the header information area ( such as the title area 1105 ), or any other area where information may optionally be stored , is used to store an instruction set , such as a script , for facilitating automatic installation of the software program stored on the cd - rom / dvd . fig1 shows the process for using the script for facilitating automatic installation of software . the installation script is stored in an area of the cd - rom / dvd where recording is optional , such as in the title area 1105 of fig1 , as shown in block 1201 . this is typically done by the software producer at the time that the remainder of the cd - rom / dvd is recorded . however , if suitable multi - session recording media are used , the script may be recorded at a different time with respect to the software program . a user places the cd - rom / dvd into the drive 18 of fig1 , 4 - 8 a , 9 and 10 as shown in block 1202 . the drive 18 reads the installation script from the cd - rom / dvd as shown in block 1203 . the cd - rom / dvd game is installed per the instructions contained within the installation script as shown in block 1204 and the game is then ready to play as shown in block 1205 . fig1 shows block 1204 of fig1 in greater detail . as shown in fig1 , installing the cd - rom / dvd game per the installation script typically comprises storing the installation script from the cd - rom / dvd in a memory , such as the mass storage 20 of fig1 , 4 - 8 a , 9 and 10 as shown in block 1301 . the installation script is executed by the cpu 12 of fig1 , 4 - 8 a , 9 and 10 as shown in block 1302 . preferably , the game or other software program is then automatically loaded and ready to play after installation is complete , as shown in block 1303 . thus , according to the present invention , installation of a software program , such as a game , is accomplished with little or no user interaction . in this manner , the present invention facilitates the use of pc games and the like with the ease of dedicated game consoles like the as nintindo &# 39 ; s game cube , microsoft &# 39 ; s xbox and sony &# 39 ; s play station . thus , users can have the wide variety of software available for the pc with the convenience associated with the use of such contemporary game consoles . according to one aspect , the present invention comprises a method for installing a software program , wherein the method comprises defining a known computer system for executing the software , the known computer system at least partially defining a known installation procedure for the known computer system and providing a script defined at least in part by the known installation procedure . as those skilled in the art will appreciate , a known computer system has known computer components , such as the capacity of the random access memory , the capacity of the hard drive , the speed of the cpu and the type of video display . therefore , with a known computer system a known installation procedure is implied which takes into account the known computer components . a script can thus be defined for this known installation procedure . according to one aspect , the present invention comprises a method for installing a software program , wherein the method comprises providing a database that contains installation information , updating the database via at least one of a network and portable media , and using the installation information to perform an installation of the software program . preferably , the database contains at least on installation script . preferably , the database contains a plurality of installation scripts for a plurality of software programs . thus , installation information may come from the database , a network , a portable media , or any combination of these sources . one source may be used to update another source , as desired . according to one aspect , the present invention comprises a method for installing a software program , wherein the method comprises using a script to at least partially install the software program without identifying the software program . the program need not be identified since the installation script provides sufficient information to facilitate installation without have to refer to another source , such as the database . when the software program is provided via a network , then the installation information , such as that which can be stored in the header information area of a cd - rom / dvd as described above , can be provided in a header of the data transmission and then used in a manner similar to the information stored in the header information area . although the recordable media upon which a software program such as an interactive multimedia game is described herein as being cd - rom or a dvd , those skilled in the art will appreciate that various other recordable media are likewise suitable . for example , the recordable media may alternatively be a floppy disk , a hard disk , tape , an electro - optical media , a memory stick , a usb drive , or any other desired type of media . thus , discussion of the recordable media herein as a cd - rom / dvd is by way of example only , and not by way of limitation . other embodiments and modifications within the spirit of the present invention will occur to those of ordinary skill in the art in view of these teachings , including but not limited to using additional or alternative system components ; providing support for additional or alternative computer entertainment functions ; and providing compatibility with additional or alternative platforms . such embodiments remain within the scope of the present invention , to the extent they fall within the scope of the following claims . | 7 |
referring to fig1 , a battery 10 of the described embodiment is made up of a set of thin plate cells 20 arranged next to each other . each thin plate cell 20 is rectangularly shaped , has a thin profile and includes two terminals plates , a cathode ( or negative ) terminal plate 22 and an anode ( or positive ) terminal plate 24 , both extending up from the top of the cell . the terminal plates are thin metal tabs made of copper and electroplated plated with tin to prevent corrosion . cells 20 are all arranged so that all of their terminal plates extend in the same direction , which in fig1 is upward . in this example , there are 14 thin film cells arranged within the battery so that their polarity alternates in pairs . in other words , the first two cells have their anodes on the left , the next two cells have their cathodes on the left , and that pattern repeats for the rest of the cells in the battery . as will become apparent shortly , when the electrical interconnections are described , this arrangement will produce a 2 - parallel / 7 - series configuration in which the overall voltage produced by the battery is 7 times the voltage of a single cell . battery 10 also includes a bus plate 30 that is used to retain the cells within the desired arrangement and that enables the cells to be electrically interconnected . bus plate 30 includes two columns of parallel slots 32 . in each column , the slots are arranged in pairs with a terminal form 34 located between the two slots within each pair . in this embodiment , the terminal forms are integrally formed parts of the bus plate . when the bus plate is assembled onto the cells , the terminal plates of the cells pass through the slots and extend beyond the top surface of bus plate 30 . terminal forms 34 provide a raised area over which the battery terminal tabs are folded to make an electrical connection between neighboring cells . the two terminal tabs extending through the slots on either side of the terminal form are folded one over the other onto the terminal form . the terminal forms have rounded upper edges which enable the terminal plates to be folded over the form without requiring or causing any sharp bends that might damage the terminal tabs or the plating on the terminal tabs . in this example , each column of slots includes 14 , one for each cell , and those 14 slots are arranged into 7 pairs with a terminal form for each pair . in the described embodiment , bus plate 30 is made of garolite g10 ™, which is a non - conductive glass fiber resin that is used in pcb manufacturing . one reason for using garolite is that it accepts press - fit fasteners unlike many phenolics that could be used . each terminal form includes two holes that align with two nuts ( not shown ) that are press fit into bus plate 30 . each terminal plate also includes two holes 26 , which align with the two holes in the terminal form when the terminal plate is folded over the terminal form . to secure the terminal plates to the bus plate and to electrically interconnect the battery cells , bus clamps 40 such as those shown in fig2 are used . two types of bus clamps are represented , namely , terminal bus clamps 40 a and interconnect bus clamps 40 b . terminal bus clamps 40 a provide terminals for connecting the battery to outside circuitry or systems ( not shown ). interconnect bus clamps 40 b are for electrically interconnecting groups of cells . in this example , terminal bus clamp 40 a is a solid metal piece with a u - shaped channel formed on its underside which fits down onto the terminal form and through compression forces the two folded , overlapping terminal tabs into more intimate electrical contact with each other . each terminal bus clamp 40 a includes two holes that align with the two holes in terminal form 34 and it also includes an extension tab 42 to which electrical connection can be made to the battery . when terminal bus clamp 40 a is pressed onto a terminal form , which has the two terminal tabs folded over it , the clamp is secured in place onto bus plate 30 by two screws 46 that are threaded into the nuts ( not shown ) in bus plate 30 . in this example , interconnecting clamps 40 b are used to connect one pair of cells to a neighboring pair of cells . interconnecting clamp is also a single piece of metal with two u - shaped channels formed in its backside , each channel positioned to align with a corresponding terminal form when the clamp is assembled onto bus plate 30 . clamp 40 b also includes two pairs of holes , each pair of holes aligned with a corresponding pair of holes in the terminal forms onto which the clamp is fitted . as in the case of the terminal clamps , screws that pass through the holes and are threaded into underlying nuts which are press fit into bus plate 30 . clamps 40 a and 40 b are made from a machined copper that is electroplated with tin to protect the copper from corrosion . the bus clamps and the bus plate enable one to both clamp and connect the cells together to achieve the desired series / parallel configuration . the thickness of the clamp is determined by the cross - sectional area that is needed to pass the desired current . also , its design allows for strict weight calculations for weight sensitive applications . the described bus clamps are optimal for exact weight vs . requirement applications . the u - shaped channels on the underside of the clamps are used to achieve the maximum contact to the surfaces of the terminal plates . this design utilizes a friction fit , tightly sandwiching the terminals between the terminal forms and the clamp so that there is complete contact across all surfaces of the clamp and the terminals . to improve the tightness of the clamping forces that are applied by the clamps , the depth of the channel is made to be less than the height of the terminal form . thus , the clamp will not bottom out against the bus plate before it is sufficiently tightened down over the terminal form . the hardware that is utilized to fasten the clamps to the bus plate can also be utilized to make any necessary cable / circuitry connections to the appropriate terminals of the battery pack for operation and monitoring . the battery pack wiring can be attached to the terminal extensions on the terminal clamps with hardware for charge and interface harness connections . busing of simple to complex series / parallel battery pack configurations can be achieved by using this bus clamp concept . as suggested by fig3 , all required charge , monitoring , balancing , thermal , and short circuit protection devices can be embedded in or mounted on a bus plate to create a “ smart ” bus plate 50 . in the case of the smart bus plate , a printed circuit board is used as the bus plate and terminal forms 60 are components that are separately mounted onto the smart bus plate . the battery pack is clamped using the same principles described above . the terminal forms , which are made of garolite , are separately added to the bus plate . they are placed with guide pins 62 for locating the terminal tabs evenly according to the battery cell footprint . much of the thin plate battery chemistry requires at least some form of electronic monitoring and may also require numerous safeguards in place for safety factors . the “ smart ” bus pcb will allow all of the necessary circuitry to be added when internal monitoring is required for the battery enclosure . embedding all of the electronics on the “ smart ” bus pcb enables one to minimize cabling by using a configurable connector 66 that provides the interface between the battery pack and other internal and / or external components . this reduces the amount of mounting hardware and allows for ease of installation and quick - disconnect . the bus plate design also accommodates thin blanket heaters and / or foam dampening components for shock resistance and enhanced packaging methods . the thin plate battery technology can be very sensitive and may require packaging that can protect the cell within the parameters of normal operating conditions . compression foams and other insulating materials can be placed between the cells for absorbing shock and preventing friction between cells . thin blanket heaters can be placed in between the cells to keep the cells within a desired temperature range during operation . the bus plate concept allows for the use of all of the required components to provide a functionally protected battery pack . referring to fig4 , in order to protect the battery pack , a short protection plate 70 covers the bus clamps and the other sensitive upper areas of the battery pack thereby protecting it from short - circuiting or physical damage . this plate also provides a surface to contact to the applications enclosure for containment purposes . in the described embodiment , protection plate 70 is made of a standard petp ( polyethylene terephthalate polyester ) ertalyte ™ which is used widely in the medical field . this piece can be machined or for mass production uses , it can be molded . the short protection plate serves multiple purposes . with all the sensitive components of the battery pack exposed and posing a danger for short - circuits , it offers a means to protect these components while also providing a platform which serves to facilitate mounting the battery pack into an enclosure . the battery pack typically must be contained on all sides and still be able to expand and contract in its operating environment without any shorts and damage to the cell housings and electronics . the plate allows pressure to be applied to that portion of the battery pack that normally cannot even be touched due to the sensitive interconnections . the short protection plate mounts directly to the bus plate making it a fully contained power module . | 7 |
referring now to the drawings , fig1 is a side view schematically illustrating a conventional scanning probe microscope , designated generally by the reference numeral 10 . the scanning probe microscope 10 includes a base member 12 having mounted thereon a table 14 adapted to hold a sample 16 to be scanned . a scan head 18 is also mounted to the base member 12 . the scan head 18 has a substantially planar surface 20 and a magnet 22 ( fig3 ) embedded therein adjacent the surface 20 . the scan head 18 is adapted for use with a balance beam 24 having a tipped probe 26 . as described in the aforereferenced u . s . pat . no . 5 , 307 , 693 , the balance beam 24 is adapted for constraint on the surface 20 by the magnet 22 . as is conventional , the table 14 and the scan head 18 are arranged for relative three - dimensional movement therebetween . accordingly , a three - dimensional actuator 28 may be mounted to the base member 12 for moving the table 14 relative to the scan head 18 . a position sensor 30 mounted to the base member 12 provides feedback as to the position of the table 14 . alternatively , some of the three - dimensional motion may be applied directly to the scan head 18 and , in addition , the scan head 18 may be provided with a piezoelectric transducer ( not shown ) for effecting fine movements of the probe 26 . the foregoing is conventional and does not form a part of the present invention . fig2 shows the table 14 modified according to this invention so as to have off to the side of the sample 16 a plurality of balance beam holding stations 32 each with a mechanism according to this invention . as illustrated , only the leftmost holding station 32 has a balance beam 24 held thereon . in addition , the table 14 is fitted with a cartridge loading station 34 ( shown as an empty recess in fig2 ). as shown in fig3 - 6 , the transfer mechanism mounted to the table 14 in the balance beam holding station 32 includes a non - magnetic substantially planar plate 36 parallel to the surface 20 of the scan head 18 . the plate 36 is mounted by means of springs 38 , the purpose of which will be explained hereinafter . as described in the referenced patent , the balance beam 24 includes a ferromagnetic pivot element , illustratively ball bearing 40 , and the plate 36 is formed with a concavity 42 for receiving the ball bearing 40 . the plate 36 is further formed with an aperture 44 for receiving the probe 26 . the inventive mechanism further includes a magnet 46 on the opposite side of the plate 36 from the scan head 18 . the magnet 46 has a magnetic field strength greater than that of the magnet 22 , for reasons which will become clear from the following discussion . the magnet 46 is mounted to an actuator 48 which is controllable to move the magnet 46 toward and away from the plate 36 in a linear direction substantially orthogonal to the plate 36 . fig3 - 6 illustrate the transfer of a balance beam 24 between the scan head 18 and a holding station 32 . as shown in fig3 the balance beam 24 is held on the scan head 18 by the magnet 22 . to effect a transfer , the holding station 32 is first positioned below the scan head 18 . as shown in fig4 the table 14 then moves the holding station 32 toward the scan head 18 so that the ball bearing 40 is received in the cavity 42 and the probe 26 is received in the aperture 44 . the springs 38 limit the force which can be impressed on the fragile scan head 18 . as shown in fig5 the actuator 48 is then controlled to move the magnet 46 toward and adjacent the plate 36 . as previously discussed , the magnetic field strength of the magnet 46 is greater than that of the magnet 22 so that the magnet 46 exerts a greater attractive force on the balance beam 24 than does the magnet 22 . as shown in fig6 when the table 14 is subsequently moved away from the scan head 18 , the balance beam 24 remains magnetically constrained on the plate 36 due to the greater magnetic attraction of the magnet 46 . when it is desired to transfer a balance beam from a holding station to the scan head , the above described sequence is reversed . in one embodiment of the present invention , the process described above is executed entirely automatically , without operator intervention . a computer controls the position of the table 14 , as well as the position of the retractable magnet 46 . the computer also contains software to keep track of the status of each of the holding stations 32 , i . e ., whether it contains a balance beam and the status of the probe tip on the beam . as shown in fig2 the table 14 can contain several holding stations 32 . having multiple holding stations allows the scanning probe microscope to use several types of probe tips during a scanning session . alternatively , the holding stations can be loaded with identical probes so they can be used sequentially , each probe being replaced when it is worn out . in order to load probe balance beams into , and unload probe balance beams from , the scanning probe microscope 10 , there is provided a loading station 34 adapted to receive a cartridge 50 , shown in fig7 . the cartridge 50 may be preloaded with a balance beam 24 at an assembly area where handling of the balance beam can be done in a careful and controlled manner , so that the balance beam is not damaged . the cartridge 50 includes a non - magnetic balance beam support member 52 having a plate - like extension 54 with a substantially planar surface 56 for receiving a balance beam 24 thereon . the surface 56 may be formed with a concavity 58 for receiving the ball bearing 40 of the balance beam 24 . a handle 60 is preferably provided so that an operator can insert the cartridge 50 into the recess of the loading station 34 . the recess of the loading station 34 and the support member 52 are formed with complementary features so that the support member 52 is easily and positively received in the recess with its surface 56 parallel to the surface 20 of the scan head 18 . the cartridge 50 further includes a magnet 62 held by a magnet support member 64 . like the magnet 46 , the magnetic field strength of the magnet 62 is greater than that of the magnet 22 . the magnet support member 64 holds the magnet 62 adjacent the extension 54 and on the opposite side of the extension 54 from its surface 56 . the magnet support member 64 is resiliently mounted to the support member 52 by a pair of leaf springs 66 , 68 , which are parallel to the surface 56 and are in spaced overlying relation to each other . such resilient mounting allows the magnet support member 64 to be moved relative to the support member 52 in a substantially linear direction orthogonal to the surface 56 . as part of the cartridge loading station 34 , the table 14 has a linearly movable actuator 70 extending into the recess . the magnet support member 64 has a beam 71 which is adjacent the actuator 70 when the cartridge 50 is installed in the loading station 34 . as shown in fig7 in the stable , at rest , condition of the cartridge 50 , the magnet is closely adjacent the extension 54 to magnetically constrain the balance beam 24 on the surface 56 . when the cartridge 50 is installed in the loading station 34 and the actuator 70 is controlled to move the magnet support member 64 away from the extension 54 , the magnetic attraction of the magnet 62 on the balance beam 24 is decreased . accordingly , a balance beam 24 may be transferred from the cartridge 52 by positioning the loading station 34 underneath the scan head 18 , decreasing the distance between the scan head 18 and the cartridge 50 , and controlling the actuator 70 to move the magnet 62 away from the balance beam 24 so that the magnetic attraction of the magnet 22 and the scan head 18 overcomes the magnetic attraction of the magnet 62 . in reverse , a balance beam 24 may be transferred from the scan head 18 to a cartridge 50 for subsequent removal from the scanning probe microscope 10 . the cartridge 50 may be utilized for transferring a balance beam 24 to a holding station 32 , by first making a transfer from the cartridge 50 to the scan head 18 and then making a transfer from the scan head 18 to a holding station 32 . fig9 illustrates improved structure for the scan head magnet 22 . although the magnet 22 is shown as having a circular pole face , it is not intended that this particular shape be construed as limiting . a pair of rails 72 , 74 are provided , each of the rails being made of ferromagnetic material , such as soft iron . the rails 72 , 74 are embedded in the scan head 18 in contact with the magnet 22 and extend substantially parallel to the surface 20 . they function to spread out the magnetic field provided by the magnet 22 and make it more uniform over a larger area beyond the extent of the pole face of the magnet 22 , thereby allowing the beam 24 to balance more reliably when it is placed on the scan head 18 . it has been found that a spacing of the rails 72 , 74 of about the same or greater than the distance between the pivot balls 40 of the beam 24 is effective . accordingly , there has been disclosed a mechanism for effecting the replacement of a probe balance beam on the scan head of a scanning probe microscope . while a preferred embodiment of the present invention has been disclosed herein , it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that various modifications and adaptations to the disclosed embodiment are possible and it is intended that this invention be limited only by the scope of the appended claims . | 8 |
referring now to the accompanying drawings , preferred embodiments of the invention are described in detail below . first , referring to fig1 the apparatus used in the surface treatment method of semiconductor substrate according to an embodiment of the invention is described below . a cleaning apparatus 10 has its outer circumference surrounded with a wall of a chamber 11 . an upper opening of the chamber 11 communicates with an exhaust device not shown , so that the chamber 11 may be always ventilated . in this drafter chamber 11 , five vessels 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , and 6 are arranged in series straightly in the x - axis direction . these five vessels 2 to 6 are disposed on a liquid supply unit 14 . the liquid supply unit 14 incorporates containers , pumps and piping , and is configured to supply treating solutions ( ultrapure water , solution of hydrofluoric acid , solution of hydrogen peroxide ) to the vessels 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 . in the first , third and fifth vessels 2 , 4 , 6 , ultrapure water is circulated and supplied from the liquid supply unit 14 . the vessels 2 , 4 , 6 are composed of main vessels 21 , 41 , 61 , and overflow vessels 23 , 43 , 63 , respectively , and supply ports 22 , 42 , 62 are opened in the bottom of the main vessels 21 , 41 , 61 . ultrapure water is supplied from the liquid supply unit 14 into the main vessels 21 , 41 , 61 through the supply ports 22 , 42 , 62 , overflows from the main vessels 21 , 41 , 61 into the overflow vessels 23 , 43 , 63 , returns from the overflow vessels 23 , 43 , 63 to the liquid supply unit 14 , pass through filters , ion exchangers and others , and supplied again into the vessels 2 , 4 , 6 . in the second vessel 3 , a solution of hydrofluoric acid is supplied from the liquid supply unit 14 , and the deteriorated solution of hydrofluoric acid ( low purity liquid ) is exchanged with a fresh solution of hydrofluoric acid ( high purity liquid ). in the fourth vessel 5 , a solution of hydrogen peroxide is supplied from the liquid supply unit 14 , and the deteriorated solution of hydrogen peroxide ( low purity liquid ) is exchanged with a fresh solution of hydrogen peroxide ( high purity liquid ). in the upper part of the chamber 11 , a conveying robot 12 and a guide rail 13 are provided . the conveying robot 12 has a chuck mechanism for holding a carrier 8 , and is movable in the x - axis direction along the guide rail 13 , and can also ascend and descend in the z - axis direction . a loader ( not shown ) is provided at one side of the chamber 11 , and substrates 7 are loaded into the carrier 8 by a transfer mechanism ( not shown ). an unloader ( not shown ) is provided at other side of the chamber 11 , and substrates are unloaded from the carrier 8 by a transfer mechanism ( not shown ). thus , the carrier 8 is exchanged between these transfer mechanisms and the conveying robot 12 . surface treatment of substrates 7 by such cleaning apparatus 10 is explained below . in the loader , the transfer mechanism puts plural substrates 7 into the carrier 8 at equal pitch intervals in upright position , and transfers to the conveying robot 12 . the conveying robot 12 conveys the carrier 8 into the first vessel 2 , and immerses the substrates 7 , together with the carrier 8 , in the ultrapure water in the first vessel 2 . the ultrapure water in the first vessel 2 is running from bottom to top , and particles are removed from the surface of substrates 7 by this running water . next , the conveying robot 12 conveys the carrier 8 into the second vessel 3 , and immerses the substrates 7 , together with the carrier 8 , in the solution of hydrofluoric acid in the second vessel 3 , and lifts off after holding for a specified time . by the solution of hydrofluoric acid , oxide impurities are removed from the surface of substrates 7 . then , the conveying robot 12 conveys the carrier 8 into the third vessel 4 , and immerses the substrates 7 , together with the carrier 8 , in the ultrapure water in the third vessel 4 . the ultrapure water in the third vessel 4 is running from bottom to top , and the solution of hydrofluoric acid is removed from the surface of substrates 7 by this running water . consequently , the conveying robot 12 conveys the carrier 8 into the fourth vessel 5 , and immerses the substrates 7 , together with the carrier 8 , in the solution of hydrogen peroxide in the fourth vessel 5 , and lifts off after holding for a specified time . by the solution of hydrogen peroxide , metal and carbide impurities are removed from the surface of substrates 7 . further , the conveying robot 12 conveys the carrier 8 into the fifth vessel 6 , and immerses the substrates 7 , together with the carrier 8 , in the ultrapure water in the fifth vessel 6 . the ultrapure water in the fifth vessel 6 is running from bottom to top , and the solution of hydrogen peroxide is removed from the surface of substrates 7 by this running water . in succession , the conveying robot 12 transfers the carrier 8 to the transfer mechanism of the unloader . the transfer unit then transfers the carrier 8 to a spin dryer ( not shown ). the substrates 7 are rotated by spinning , together with the carrier 8 , by the spin dryer , and remaining liquid is removed from the substrates 7 , and they are dried . referring next to fig5 and fig2 a method of example 1 is explained . as the substrates to be cleaned , ge wafers 7 were prepared . the ge wafer 7 is comprised by germanium purity of 99 . 99 mass %, plane azimuth of ( 100 ), diameter of 2 inches , and thickness of 1 . 0 mm . a plurality of ( for example , five ) wafers 7 were put in the carrier 8 at equal pitch intervals in upright position , and together with the carrier 8 , the wafers 7 were conveyed into the loader . the conveying robot 12 received the carrier 8 from the transfer mechanism of the loader , and conveyed it into the first vessel 2 . together with the carrier 8 , the ge wafers 7 were immersed in ultrapure water in the first vessel 2 , and cleaned in running water for five minutes ( step s 1 ). next , the wafers 7 , together with the carrier 8 , were immersed in solution of hydrofluoric acid in the second vessel 3 for one minute . herein , a solution of hydrofluoric acid at concentration of 5 mass % was used ( step s 2 ). then , the wafers 7 , together with the carrier 8 , were immersed in ultrapure water in the third vessel 4 , and cleaned in running water for one minute ( step s 3 ). further , the wafers 7 , together with the carrier 8 , were immersed in solution of hydrogen peroxide in the fourth vessel 3 for one minute . herein , a solution of hydrogen peroxide at concentration of 10 mass % was used ( step s 4 ). still more , the wafers 7 , together with the carrier 8 , were immersed in ultrapure water in the fifth vessel 6 , and cleaned in running water for one minute ( step s 5 ). finally , the wafers 7 , together with the carrier 8 , were conveyed into a spin dryer ( not shown ), and held by a holder . by spin rotation of wafers 7 at rotating speed of 1000 to 2000 rpm , remaining liquid was removed from wafers 7 , and the surface of wafers 7 was dried ( step s 6 ). the impurity concentration of the surface of ge wafers 7 after chemical cleaning was observed by x - ray photoelectron spectroscopy , and a microscopic photograph is shown in fig2 . as clear from fig2 on the surface of ge wafer 7 , the metal impurity was lower than 10 11 atoms / cm 2 , which was below the limit of observation , and the existence of metal impurity was decreased to a practically problem - free level . also as clear from fig2 the density of both oxygen atoms and carbon atoms was suppressed below 3 × 10 13 atoms / cm 2 , and the effect of cleaning was evident . as a result of observation of ge surface by interference microscope , disintegration of flatness due to overetching was not observed at all . the same results were obtained in sige substrates . by way of comparison , the same ge wafers 7 as in example 1 were cleaned by rca method . conditions of rca method are shown in 1 to 12 below . 2 . immersing in mixed solution of nh 4 oh , h 2 o 2 , and h 2 o ( 1 : 2 : 7 ) at 75 ° c . for five minutes . 4 . immersing in 1 % hydrofluoric acid at room temperature for one minute . 6 . immersing in mixed solution of hcl , h 2 o 2 , and h 2 o ( 1 : 2 : 7 ) at room temperature for five minutes . 8 . immersing in 1 % hydrofluoric acid at room temperature for one minute . 10 . immersing in mixed solution of h 2 so 4 , h 2 o 2 , and h 2 o ( 1 : 2 : 7 ) at room temperature for more than five minutes . fig3 is a microscopic photograph showing results of observation of the ge wafer surface of comparative example by interference microscope . as clear from fig3 the wafer surface was undulated . referring to fig5 and fig4 a method of example 2 of the invention is explained . in example 2 , explanation of same parts as in example 1 is omitted . in example 2 , the surface of ge wafers was cleaned by varying the concentration of solution of hydrofluoric acid at step s 2 . that is , at step s 2 , the concentration of solution of hydrofluoric acid was varied in six types , 1 %, 2 %, 5 %, 6 %, 7 . 5 %, and 10 %, and the surface of the substantially same ge wafers was cleaned . except for step s 2 , conditions in other steps s 1 , and s 3 to s 6 were same as in example 1 . fig4 is a microscopic photograph showing results of observation of the ge wafer surface treated in 6 % solution of hydrofluoric acid by interference microscope . as clear from fig4 when the concentration of solution of hydrofluoric acid is more than 6 mass %, disintegration of flatness probably due to overetching was observed . on the other hand , the surface of ge wafer treated in 5 % solution of hydrofluoric acid was substantially same as in fig2 . it was hence known that the concentration of solution of hydrofluoric acid at step s 2 should be 5 mass % or less . fig6 is a sectional view showing a typical hetero junction type bipolar transistor for general use . at the face side of an n type si substrate 102 , an n type si film 103 , a p type sige film 101 , and an n type si film 104 are deposited sequentially . the p type sige film 101 corresponds to the base of transistor , the n type si substrate 102 and n type si film 103 to the collector of transistor , and the n type si film 104 to the emitter of transistor . part of the n type si film 104 was lost , and the p type sige film 101 was exposed in the lost area . a base electrode 107 composed of metal terminal contacts and conducts with the exposed area of the p type sige film 101 . an emitter electrode 106 composed of other metal terminal contacts and conducts with the intact area ( emitter ) of the n type si film 104 . further , at the back side of the n type si substrate 102 , a collector electrode 105 composed of a different metal terminal is formed . in such hbt , the p type sige film 101 functioning as the base is low in input impedance , and the time constant determined by the parasitic capacitance at the junction of base and collector , and base and emitter , and the input impedance of the base is lowered , so that high speed operation is realized . the p type sige film is a mixed crystal film consisting of si crystal and ge crystal , and its crystal structure is similar to a diamond structure . usually , the p type sige film has a ge concentration of 50 atom . % or less . according to the invention , impurities ( carbide and metal foreign matter , oxide ) are removed from the surface of the substrate having a surface layer composed of ge or sige while the flatness of the surface is not deteriorated . thus the defect density on the hetero junction boundary can be lowered . also according to the invention , by defining the film thickness of impurity layer ( oxide ) and further defining an appropriate density of impurity atoms ( metal foreign matters ), the product yield of electronic devices can be enhanced . additional advantages and modifications will readily occur to those skilled in the art . therefore , the invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specific details and representative embodiments shown and described herein . accordingly , various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the general inventive concept as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents . | 8 |
as illustrated in fig1 - 3 , the present invention , hereinafter referred to as sanding cloths , indicated generally as 10 , is a line of soft flexible abrasive cloths 10 that are graded like sandpaper in their degree of coarseness , but are easily pliable and conformable to tight fine spaces that are sanded when preparing trim moldings , furniture refinishing and similar finish applications . the sanding cloths 10 of the present invention are available in varying sizes , coarseness , and flexibility of the present invention . the sanding cloths 10 of the present invention are a thin single layer cloth backing , somewhat similar to cheesecloth used for tack cloths . this material is infused , impregnated or overlain with abrasive grit 12 such as silica sand and the like . the sanding cloths 10 are manufactured in grades from coarse to extra fine . in an embodiment , the sanding cloths 10 measure approximately eight inches in width and ten inches in length and vary in thickness from one sixteenth of an inch to one eighth of an inch . the thickness of the sanding cloth 10 and type of grit 12 applied will determine the trade or industry that the end packaging targets , such as raw wood products , wood requiring refinishing , stripped of paint and / or varnish , fiberglass and metal . being soft and pliable , the sanding cloth 10 of the present invention can ball up in one &# 39 ; s hand to allow the abrasive surface 12 of this easily gripped ball to conform neatly to details of fancy woodwork such as trim moldings and scrollwork , balusters and finials , fluted posts and columns , window shutters and louvers , lattice work , furniture trim and detailing and bright work on boats . the sanding cloths 10 are easily pliable and comfortable . they have the ability to conform to the user &# 39 ; s hand and fingers allowing the user &# 39 ; s hand and fingers to become the sanding tool and aid in maneuvering and guiding the sanding cloth through and around tight , fine and fancy detailed woodwork that includes flutings , trim moldings , stair systems , ballasts , rails and furniture . because the sanding cloth 10 is soft , the edges remain intact and flexible with no folding and cracking . the sanding cloths 10 are preferably fabricated in an environmentally benign , biodegradable , disposable woven natural fabric such as cotton or hemp or from a blend of fabrics such as cotton , nylon , poly , etc . in a preferred embodiment , the sanding cloth 10 is constructed from a porous fabric allowing the sanding cloth to receive the proper adhesive for the abrasive grit 12 . furthermore , it is preferable that both sides of the sanding cloth 10 has the abrasive grit 12 . due to their softness and pliability , the sanding cloths 10 of the present invention are foldable or bailable into needed sizes without having to use scissors to cut the cloth . an alternative embodiment of the sanding cloths 10 is produced for use in auto painting , refinishing , and detailing . the sanding cloths 10 provide superior performance and results , are easier to use , and save both time and expense when compared to conventional sandpapers . thin cheesecloth - like backing for the sanding cloths 10 of the present invention receive the abrasive coatings 12 on both sides of the cloth 10 which allows the cloth 10 to be held in any way necessary to completely sand any surface in a time efficient and thorough manner . the sanding cloth 10 can be made to conform to the trickiest and finest detail work on trim , or furniture . the cloths 10 vary in thickness from one sixteenth inch to three sixteenths inch , depending on the grit of the abrasive 12 . the sanding cloths 10 of the present invention can be packaged individually or five to a package . alternatively , the sanding cloths 10 can be distributed in rolls for contactors that range between ten inches to twelve inches in width and twenty - five to fifty feet in length , allowing the cloth 10 to be cut to size . the sanding cloths 10 of the present invention can be a large diversified product line that will naturally cross over with a high demand into many trades and industries including painting , restoration , construction , auto body , marine , metal fabrication . the professional , craftsman , handyman , homeowner and hobbyist will use the sanding cloths . the sanding cloths 10 will save the user time when sanding any detailed object or project . basically , the sanding cloths 10 of the present invention are a line of soft flexible abrasive cloths that are graded like sandpaper in their degree of coarseness , but are easily pliable and conformable to tight fine spaces that are sanded when preparing trim moldings , furniture refinishing and similar finish applications . although this invention has been described with respect to specific embodiments , it is not intended to be limited thereto and various modifications which will become apparent to the person of ordinary skill in the art are intended to fall within the spirit and scope of the invention as described herein taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the appended claim . | 1 |
any suitable aromatic dianhydride may be used in the preparation of the desired imides . typical aromatic dianhydrides include those described and referenced in the patents listed above . due to their ready availability at reasonable prices and the excellent foams which result , pyromellitic dianhydride and 3 , 3 &# 39 ;, 4 , 4 &# 39 ; benzophenone tetracarboxylic acid dianhydride ( btda ) are preferred . any suitable oxoimine may be reacted with the selected dianhydride to produce the desired imides . preferably , the oxoimine has the general formula : where &# 34 ; x &# 34 ; is a positive integer from 2 to 4 . of these , best results are obtained with caprolactam . while any suitable reaction conditions may be used , we have obtained the best results where the dianhydride is added to the oxoimine and the mixture is heated to about 150 °- 200 ° c . until imidization is complete , about 5 - 90 minutes . optimum results have been obtained at about 180 ° c . for about 30 minutes . in order to produce a superior foaming material , we have found that it is essential that the mole ratio of oxoimine to dianhydride be in the range of about 1 . 5 : 1 to 0 . 05 : 1 . above this range , the material forms a coating without foaming , while below this range excessively rigid material is produced . within this range optimum results occur with a mole ratio of oxoimine to dianhydride of about 1 . 0 to 1 . 0 . the imides produced by the above reaction have the general formula : ## str2 ## wherein &# 34 ; x &# 34 ; is an integer from 2 to 4 and &# 34 ; a2 &# 34 ; is selected from the group consisting of : ## str3 ## and mixtures thereof . the imide thus produced is then esterified by dissolving it in a suitable reactive solvent at a suitable temperature . any suitable reactive solvent which acts as an esterifying agent may be used . typical of these are aliphatic alcohols having up to 7 carbon atoms and aromatic alcohols , which may have halogen or amino substitutions , and mixures thereof . best results have been obtained with methyl alcohol . the esterification reaction takes place as follows : ## str4 ## wherein &# 34 ; x &# 34 ; is an integer from 2 to 4 , &# 34 ; a2 &# 34 ; is as listed for the imide above and &# 34 ; r &# 34 ; is an aliphatic or aromatic radical which may have halogen or amino substitutions . this esterification may take place under any suitable conditions . typically , a mole ratio of imide to esterifying agent of from about 1 : 8 to 1 : 15 is preferred to assure rapid esterification at reflux temperature . this solution is heated to reflux ( about 70 °- 80 ° c .) until clear , which takes about 60 - 90 minutes . once the esterification is complete , the selected diamine or diamines are added to the solution . preferably , an approximately stoichiometric quantity of diamine is used . any suitable diamine may be used . typical diamines include meta - phenylene diamine , para - phenylene diamine ; 4 , 4 &# 39 ;- diaminodiphenyl ether , 4 , 4 &# 39 ;- diaminodiphenyl sulfone , 3 , 3 &# 39 ;- diaminodiphenyl sulfone , 4 , 4 &# 39 ;- diaminodiphenyl sulfide , 4 , 4 &# 39 ;- diaminodiphenyl methane , 3 , 3 &# 39 ; diaminodiphenyl methane and mixtures thereof . of these , best results are obtained with 4 , 4 &# 39 ; diaminodiphenyl methane which is , therefore , preferred . if desired , aliphatic diamines may be used in combination with these aromatic diamines . typical aliphatic diamines include 1 , 3 - diamino propane , 1 , 4 diamino butane , 1 , 6 - diamino hexane , 1 , 8 - diamino octaine , 1 , 12 diamino dodecane and mixtures thereof . additives to improve various characteristics of the final foam may be added as desired . any appropriate additives may be used , such as fillers , surfactants to improve uniformity of the cellular structure , ultraviolet absorbers or the like . typical surfactants include dow corning corp . 190 or 193 , ( a silicone surfactant ), fc430 from minnesota mining & amp ; manufacturing co ., zonyl fsc from e . i . depont de nemours ; & amp ; co ., brij - 78 from ici corp , and l550 from union carbide corp . while any suitable concentration may be used , from about 0 . 01 to 2 % ( by weight , based on the weight of the solution prior to drying ) is preferred . of these surfactants , best results have been obtained with brij - 78 . fillers and reinforcing additives may be added prior to drying the resin . typical fillers include kevlar aramid fibers , graphite fibers , glass fibers , carbon and graphite fibers , teflon fluorocarbon powders and mixtures thereof . the solution is then dried by any suitable method . simply heating the solution in an oven to a temperature of about 65 °- 95 ° c . until dry is satisfactory . other conventional methods , such as spray drying , rotary drying , thin film evaporation , etc . may be used as desired . the resulting free - flowing powder or flakes may be further ground or treated as desired and may be stored indefinitely at room temperature . best results are obtained with spray drying , which quickly and economically both dries the material and directly produces a powder having optimum foaming characteristics . in accordance with this invention , foaming and curing are simultaneously accomplished by the direct application of microwave energy to the powder . the powder may be placed in any suitable mold which does not interfer with the application of the microwave energy . typical micro - wave transparent materials are most glasses , ceramics , plastics or the like which do not contain any metal or other microwave absorbing or diverting material . the preferred mold material is polypropylene because it is transparent to microwave energy . any suitable microwave application device or oven may be used at any suitable power level . for best results , the powder level in the microwave cavity should be in the of 6 to 90 kw range , with best results for molds having a volume up to about 1 . 5 m 3 occurring at power levels of about 30 kw . the time necessary to achieve optimum foaming and cure depends upon the mold volume , microwave powder level and specific powder composition . generally , with a mold having a volume of about 1 . 5 m 3 and a powder level of about 30 kw , microwave application should be continued for about 10 min . the reaction which takes place is quite complex , since it may be a combined condensation and exchange reaction . when the foaming reaction is carried out at higher microwave power levels and / or prolonged heating , a polyimide foam which possesses higher density is formed . if , however , high microwave energy is avoided , a low density , flexible resilient foam is obtained having the following imideamide structure will remain : ## str5 ## where &# 34 ; x &# 34 ; is an integer from 2 to 4 and &# 34 ; a2 &# 34 ; is a radical as listed for the imide above . as the powder is heated it first melts and , as the condensation reaction begins water and alcohol are released and vaporized , causing the molten mass to expand . the resulting cellular structure becomes self supporting and finally cures to an imide - amide polymer , with proportions of the two polymers depending on heating ( time and temperature ) conditions . the resulting foam is tough , resilient and will not emit significant smoke or toxic byproducts when exposed to open flame . details of the invention will be further understood upon reference to the following examples , which describe preferred embodiments of the methods and compositions of this invention . all parts and percentages are by weight , unless otherwise indicated . about 322 . 23 g of 3 , 3 &# 39 ;, 4 , 4 &# 39 ;, - benzophenonetetracarboxylic acid dianhydride ( btda ) ( 1 m ) and about 22 . 6 g of caprolactam ( 0 . 02 m ) are charged into a 5 liter flask and about 500 g of methanol is added . the mixture is refluxed at about 75 ° c . for about 30 minutes and cooled to about 45 ° c . about 168 . 3 g ( 0 85 m ) of 4 , 4 &# 39 ; diamino diphenyl methane is added , followed by about 17 . 4 g ( 0 . 15 m ) of 1 , 6 - diamino hexane . the mixture is heated at about 60 ° c . for about 15 min . and about 8 g of brij 78 surfactant from ici corp . is added . the resulting liquid mixture is dried using a high speed atromizer spraying into a chamber preheated at about 75 ° c . the dried resin is collected and stored at room temperature . about 70 g of the powder is placed in a microwave cavity and a power of about 10 kw is applied . rapid melting and expansion result in about 3 minutes . after about 7 . 5 minutes the powder has expanded about 35 times into a polyimide foam which is resilient and flexible indicating that total cure has taken place . the steps described in example i are repeated , except that the caprolactam is omitted . the powder is heated by microwave energy as described in example i for about 7 . 5 minutes . the powder foams but little or no cure has taken place as evidenced by the brittleness of the foamed mass . exposure to the microwave energy for an additional 10 minutes improves the cure insignificantly . a polyimide foam is prepared in the manner described in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 305 , 796 . about 322 . 2 g ( 1 m ) of btda and about 500 g of methanol are charged into a 5 liter flask and refluxed for about 30 minutes at about 80 ° c . the mixture is cooled to about 45 ° c . about 32 . 7 g ( 0 . 3 m ) of 2 . 6 - diamino pyridine and about 138 . 7 g ( 0 . 7 m ) 4 , 4 &# 39 ;- diamino diphenyl methane are added and the mixture is heated at about 65 ° c . for about 5 minutes . about 8 g arlasolve 200 , a surfactant from ici corp ., is added and the liquid resin is spray dried into a chamber maintained at about 70 ° c . about 70 g of the resulting powder is placed in a microwave cavity at a power of about 10 kw for about 7 . 5 minutes . the powder expands into a polyimide foam which is friable and cannot be handled without immediately pulverizing . the time in the microwave cavity at 10 kw is extended to 45 minutes . the foam still is not cured and is very friable . the experiment of example iii is repeated in its entirety , with one change ; the addition of about 45 . 3 g ( 0 . 4 m ) caprolactam to the btda just prior to the addition of the methanol . the foam cures in about 10 minutes and is resilient , possessing a very open cellular structure . a foamable polyimide powder is prepared in the manner taught by u . s . pat . no . 4 , 346 , 182 . about 322 . 2 g ( 1 m ) of btda is mixed with about 240 ml of methanol and heated to reflux in a 2 liter flask and refluxed for about 30 minutes , then cooled to about 30 ° c . 2 , 6 diamins pyridine 32 . 8 g ( 0 . 3 m ), and 4 , 4 &# 39 ; diaminodiphenyl methane 99 . 1 g ( 0 . 5 m ) were added followed by 23 . 2 g ( 0 . 2 m ) of 1 , 6 - diamino hexane is added to the mixture which is then heated at about 65 ° c . for about 5 minutes . then about 4 . 8 g of arlasolve 200 surfactant is added and the liquid resin is spray dried at about 75 ° c . producing a free flowing powder . about 70 g of this powder is placed in a microwave oven at a power of about 15 kw for about 10 minutes . the powder foams , but is friable and breaks when touched . extending the microwave time to 45 minutes does not significantly change the foam characteristics . the experiment of example v is repeated , with the only change the addition of about 10 . 9 g ( 0 . 1 m ) caprolactam to the btda just before mixing with the methanol . the powder foams rapidly , producing a resilient , flexible foam indicating that complete cure occurs during the 15 minutes of microwave heating . about 120 . 8 g ( 0 . 375 m ) of 3 , 3 &# 39 ;, 4 , 4 &# 39 ;- benzophenonetetracarboxylic acid dianhydride ( btda ) and about 28 . 29 g ( 0 . 25 m ) caprolactam are placed in a one liter flask and heated to about 175 ° c . after about 30 minutes at this temperature the mixture is cooled to about 50 ° c . and about 100 g of ethanol is added . this mixture is heated to reflux temperature ( about 75 ° c .). reflux is continued until the mixture appears clear , about 70 minutes . the mixture is cooled to just below about 70 ° c . and about 73 . 3 g . ( 0 . 37 m ), 4 , 4 &# 39 ;- diaminodiphenyl methane and 0 . 58 g ( 0 . 005 m ) of 1 , 6 diaminohexane is added . this mixture is refluxed ( at about 75 ° c .) for about 15 minutes , then is cooled to room temperature and dried in a spray dryer . the powder is placed in a microwave oven at 10 kw . after about 7 minutes of heating at about 10 kw , the material is found to have expanded into a flexible , resilient foam sheet having a homogenous cellular structure . when exposed to an open flame , the foam produces no visible smoke . the procedure of example vii is repeated four additional times , varying only the quantity of caprolactam used . where example vii used about 28 . 29 g ( 0 . 25 m ) of caprolactam to give a molar ratio of caprolactam of bdta of about 0 . 66 : 1 , the four additional experiments use caprolactam quantities of about ; vii ( a ) 43 . 4 g ( 0 . 375 m , 1 : 1 ratio ), vii ( b ) 53 g ( 0 . 468 m , 1 . 25 : 1 ratio ), vii ( c ) 63 . 6 g ( 0 . 5625 m , 1 . 5 : 1 ratio ) and vii ( d ) 84 . 8 g ( 0 . 75 m , 2 : 1 ratio ). the foam produced in experiments vii ( a ) and vii ( b ) have excellent foam rise characteristics , while that produced in vii ( c ) has low foam rise and vii ( d ) does not foam . this demonstrates that ratios of oxoimine to dianhydride in the 0 . 05 : 1 to 1 . 5 : 1 ratios are necessary for the production of good quality foam . the procedures of example vii are repeated , except that in place of ethanol , the following solvents are used : ix ( a ) isopropyl alcohol , ix ( b ) aminoethyl alcohol , ix ( c ) benzene , ix ( d ) dimethyl acetamide and ix ( e ) zcetone . in each case ix ( a ) and ix ( b ) where a reactive solvent is used to esterify the imide , an excellent foam results . where an inert solvent is used , ix ( c ) through ix ( e ), foaming does not take place . the procedures of example vii are repeated , except that the following diamines are used in place of the 4 , 4 &# 39 ;- diaminodiphenyl methane : x ( a ) m - phenylene diamine ( 0 . 375 m ), x ( b ) 4 , 4 &# 39 ;- diaminodiphenyl sulfone ( 0 . 375 m ), and x ( c ) 4 , 4 &# 39 ;- diaminodiphenyl oxide ( 0 . 375 m ). in each case the resulting foam has a uniform cellular structure and has excellent heat and flame resistance . the flexibility and resiliency varies somewhat among the sub - examples . the procedures of example vii are repeated with the only change being the substitution of the following oxoimines for the 0 . 25 m caprolactam specified in example vii : xi ( a ) 2 - pyrrolidone ( 0 . 25 m ), xi ( b ) 2 - piperidone ( 0 . 25 m ), xi ( c ) caprolactam ( 0 . 125 m ) and 2 - piperidone ( 0 . 125 m ). the product in each case is an excellent , flame resistant foam , with slight changes in physical properties with the different oxoimines . the procedures of example vii are repeated , except that the microwave heating conditions are varied as follows : xi ( a ) 1 kw for 5 minutes , xi ( b ), 5 kw for 5 minutes , xi ( c ), 15 kw for 5 minutes , xi ( d ) 30 kw for 5 minutes , xi ( e ) 10 kw for 1 minute , xi ( f ) 10 kw for 10 minutes , xi ( g ) 10 kw for 60 minutes . results are as follows : xi ( a ) no cure , xi ( b ) fair cure , xi ( c ) good cure , xi ( d ) good cure , xi ( e ) no cure , xi ( f ) good cure , xi ( g ) good cure . best results are obtained at about 10 kw and 10 minutes , with the foam having the following characteristics : flexible , resilient and light in color . about 322 g . ( 1 m ) 3 , 3 &# 39 ;, 4 , 4 &# 39 ;- benzophenonetetracarboxylic acid dianhydride and about 226 g . ( 2 m ) caprolactam are added to a 5 liter flask and heated at about 170 ° c . for about 30 minutes . the mixture is cooled to about 70 ° c ., then about 800 g . of methanol is added . after the esterification reaction product is fully dissolved , an additional about 644 g . ( 2 m ) of 3 , 3 &# 39 ; , 4 , 4 &# 39 ;- benzophenonetetracarboxylic acid dianhydride is added . the material is refluxed until clear and then is cooled to about 45 ° c . about 297 g . ( 1 . 5 m ) 4 , 4 &# 39 ;- diaminodiphenyl methane and about 192 g . ( 0 . 96 m ) 4 , 4 &# 39 ;- diaminodiphenyl oxide are added stirred at about 50 ° c . until dissolved . about 64 g . ( 0 . 54 m ) 1 , 6 - diamine hexane is dissolved in about 100 g . of methanol and added to the mixture while maintaining the mixture at a temperature below about 55 ° c . the mixture is then heated to about 65 ° c . and held there for about 10 minutes . about 17 g . of dow corning 193 , a silicone surfactant , is added to the mixture , which is stirred while cooling to room temperature . the resulting liquid mixture is dried using a high speed atomizer spraying into a chamber preheated to about 75 ° c . the dried resin is collected and stored at room temperature . a layer of the powder is placed in a microwave oven at about 6 kw for about 25 minutes . the powder is observed to first melt , then expand into a very flexible and resilient foam sheet with very uniform cell structure . although specific components , proportions and conditions have been specified in the above examples , these may be varied with similar results , where suitable . in addition , other materials may be added to the foamable material , such as fillers , colorants , ultraviolet absorbers , or the like . other applications , modifications and ramifications of the present invention will occur to those skilled in the art upon reading the present disclosure . these are intended to be included within the scope of the invention , as defined in the appended claims . | 2 |
information bits may be serially transmitted using at least two level symbols , and there may be a one - to - one correspondence between the bits and the symbols . the one - to - one correspondence between the bits and symbols may result in a signal with significant frequency components at the bit rate frequency . communication channels may experience significant integrity degradation at higher frequencies . in some cases , communication channels may provide high quality up to a certain threshold frequency . however , at frequencies above the threshold frequency , the degradation may be very sharp , rendering communications beyond the threshold frequency impossible without providing error correction to the signals . many existing transmission infrastructures are provided with category 5 ( cat - 5 ) cabling solutions . cat - 5 cables are defined as comprising four unshielded twisted pairs of wires in a single jacket . in many networks , a cat - 5 cable may connect a transceiver and a receiver to provide 4 times parallel data transmission capabilities . in these systems , all four twisted pairs of wires in the cat - 5 cable may be employed simultaneously to provide four times the data transmission capability of a single cable having a pair of wires . communication channels having a threshold frequency may limit the data transmission rate to the threshold frequency . to overcome these shortcomings , the pulse amplitude modulation level 5 ( pam - 5 ) standard was developed for coding data words . the pam - 5 standard may be employed to encode 8 - bit data words with four five - level symbols . a number of encoders may operate in unison to achieve a high data transmission throughput rate . the symbols generated by each of the encoders may be transmitted in parallel with respect to one another . parallel transmission may be incompatible with some preexisting networks designed for serial transmissions . an embodiment according to the present invention may comprise a method of data coding to adapt a transmission infrastructure to higher speed data transmission . pam - 5 is adapted to provide greater bandwidth than binary signaling . in binary signaling , each transmitted symbol represents one bit , for example , 0 or 1 . in pam - 5 , each transmitted symbol represents one of five different levels , for example , (− 2 , − 1 , 0 , 1 , 2 ). because each symbol can represent two bits of information , ( four levels to represent two bits , plus an extra fifth level which may be used for error correction coding ), the symbol rate , and therefore also the signal bandwidth , may be reduced by a factor of two . the fifth level of coding may provide error correction to recover transmitted symbols in the presence of signal interference such as , echo , crosstalk , etc . signal equalization may also be used to compensate for signal distortion introduced by the communication channel . linear digital equalization may be provided by a finite impulse response ( fir ) filter . for pam - 5 , a five level fir filter may be employed . in order to increase data transmission rates , that is , in order to send more data over the same data channels per unit time , it may be necessary to transmit more symbols in the same amount of time or transmit more bits per symbol . in an embodiment according to the present invention , pam - 10 , i . e ., 10 level pulse amplitude modulation , may be employed to increase the rate of data transmission , i . e ., the bit rate , by transmitting more bits per symbol . pam - 10 is adapted to provide greater bandwidth than pam - 5 and binary signaling . in pam - 10 , each transmitted symbol represents one of ten different levels , for example , (− 9 , − 7 , − 5 , − 3 , − 1 , 1 , 3 , 5 , 7 , 9 ). for signal processing reasons , each symbol may represent four bits of information . because each symbol can represent four bits of information , the symbol rate , and therefore also the signal bandwidth , may be reduced . signal equalization may also be used to compensate for signal distortion introduced by the communication channel . linear digital equalization may be provided by a finite impulse response ( fir ) filter . fir filters provide echo cancellation by performing multiplications of the input signal by selected coefficients . these multiplications may produce a large number of products and additions , which may consume filter chip area and power , produce processing delays that limit symbol rate , and cause other data transmission delays . cables used for signal transmission have limited bandwidth capabilities . in order to move information at higher bit rates , more bits per symbol may be encoded . building an echo cancellation device using a greater number of bits per symbol , ordinarily would increase the delay , chip real estate , power consumption , etc . for the echo cancellation device . in an embodiment according to the present invention , booth coding may be applied to multiply the input samples by interference cancellation coefficients . booth coding may provide a reduction in the complexity of multiplication circuits by recoding the numbers being multiplied in a more compact form . one approach to perform multiplication is to shift and add , i . e ., long multiplication . for each column in the multiplier , the multiplicand is shifted the appropriate number of columns , and multiplied by the value of the digit in that column of the multiplier to obtain a product . following the conventional method of long multiplication , the number of products is exactly the number of columns in the multiplier . it may be possible to reduce the number of products by half using a technique of radix - 4 booth coding , or modified booth coding . using radix - 4 booth coding , instead of shifting and adding for every column of the multiplier term and multiplying by 1 or 0 , it is possible to take two columns at a time , and multiply by 2 , 1 , 0 , − 1 or − 2 , to obtain the same result . therefore , to multiply by 7 , for example , we can multiply the product aligned against the least significant bit ( lsb , first column ) by − 1 , and multiply the product aligned with the third column by 2 , for example : product 0 = multiplicand * − 1 , shifted left 0 bits ; product 1 = multiplicand * 2 , shifted left 2 bits . this gives the same result as the equivalent shift and add long multiplication method , shown below , but using fewer multiplication operations . product 0 = multiplicand * 1 , shifted left 0 bits ; product 1 = multiplicand * 1 , shifted left 1 bit ; product 2 = multiplicand * 1 , shifted left 2 bits ; product 3 = multiplicand * 0 , shifted left 3 bits . an advantage of this method is the halving of the number of products , resulting in a decrease in propagation delay in data transmission , reduction in the complexity of the circuit , and reduction in the power consumption of the circuit , and the ability to more compactly code information . to booth code the multiplier term , note that the bits of a block overlap adjacent blocks by one bit . grouping starts with the lsb , and the first block only uses two bits of the multiplier because there is no previous block to overlap . fig1 is a diagram illustrating a multiplier 111 according to an embodiment of the present invention . in fig1 , a set of control signals may be applied to the multiplier 111 . the values of each of the control signals causes the multiplier 111 to operate upon an incoming coded value , as discussed below , in a particular manner , ( i . e ., zero , negate , multiply / shift by one or two columns ). three digital control signal inputs ( 888 a , 888 b , and 888 c ) may be provided , wherein at each control signal input , either a 1 or 0 may be input . the three digital control signals together cooperatively determine the particular multiplication operation that is performed upon the coded input . the particular operation that the multiplier 111 performs upon the coded input signal may vary , based upon the relationship of the three control signal inputs ( 888 a , 888 b , and 888 c ) operating together as discussed below . coded input values may be multiplied by a plurality of coefficient bits ( 444 a , 444 b , and 444 c ), which may be input to a plurality of selectors 777 , and a plurality of exclusive or ( xor ) gates 666 , and a plurality of and gates 555 , to modify the coded values , and thus modify the corresponding transmitted signal . in an embodiment according to the present invention , the output of the booth coder with the input being bits from the multiplier may be as follows : bits from multiplier →[ booth coder ]→ negate bits from multiplier →[ booth coder ]→ zero bits from multiplier →[ booth coder ]→ shift ( x 1 or x 2 ) the zero signal may indicate whether the multiplicand is zeroed before being used as a product , which may be the same as multiplying by 0 . the shift signal ( x 1 or x 2 ) may be used as a control signal to a 2 : 1 multiplexer to select whether or not the product bits are shifted left zero or one position , which may be the same as multiplying by 1 or 2 . the negate signal may indicate whether or not to invert ( sign inversion ) all of the bits to create a negative product , which may be the same as multiplying by − 1 . according to an embodiment of the present invention , and illustrated in table 1 above , row 1 reveals a situation wherein regardless of what the input control signal values are at input 1 888 c and input 2 888 b , ( represented by x ), when the input control signal value at input 3 888 a is 0 , then the outputs , ( 333 a , 333 b , 333 c , and 333 d , etc ., for example ), are 0 , ( i . e ., being the same as multiplying the coded value by zero , 0 * multiplicand ). alternatively , when the input value at input 3 888 a is 1 , then the coded value is passed through unchanged , ( being the same as multiplying by 1 ). in row 2 , when input 1 888 c and input 2 888 b are both 0 , ( i . e ., meaning the coded value is passed through unchanged ), then the outputs ( 333 a - 333 d ) are 1 * multiplicand . of course , input 3 888 a must be 1 , otherwise the outputs ( 333 a - 333 d ) are 0 . in row 3 , when input 1 888 c is 1 and input 2 888 b is 0 , then the outputs ( 333 a - 333 d ) are 2 * multiplicand . this demonstrates that the corresponding operation of input 1 888 c is to pass the coded value through unchanged when input 1 888 c is 0 , ( i . e ., passing through unchanged being the same as multiplying by 1 ), and shifting the coded value 1 column or position when input 2 888 b is 1 , ( i . e ., being the same as multiplying the coded value by 2 ). of course , input 3 888 a must be 1 , otherwise the outputs ( 333 a - 333 d ) are 0 . in row 4 , when input 1 888 c is 0 and input 2 888 b is 1 , then the outputs ( 333 a - 333 d ) are − 1 * multiplicand . this demonstrates that the corresponding operations on a coded value by when input 2 888 b is 1 is a sign inverting process , ( i . e ., being the same as multiplying by a − 1 ), and when input 2 888 b is 0 , the coded value is passed through unchanged , ( i . e ., being the same as multiplying by 1 ). of course , input 3 888 a must be 1 , otherwise the outputs ( 333 a - 333 d ) are 0 . in row 5 , when input 1 888 c is 1 and input 2 888 b is 1 , then the outputs ( 333 a - 333 d ) are − 2 * multiplicand . of course , input 3 888 a must be 1 , otherwise the outputs ( 333 a - 333 d ) are 0 . in an embodiment according to the present invention , the method may comprise further reducing the number of digits required to code a particular number or value . in an embodiment according to the present invention , the method may comprise reducing the coded value by at least one digit , ( i . e ., eliminating at least one digit in the coding process ), resulting in fewer digits being necessary to be transmitted , while transmitting the same amount of data per unit time . for example , 5 bits may be required to transmit the numerical value of negative nine . however , by recognizing that − 9 =− 16 + 8 − 1 or alternatively , − 9 =(− 2 * 4 )− 1 , the coding for the value may be significantly reduced , at least reduced by one digit , for example . for an n - bit word , up to n operations are required to perform the multiplications using standard booth coding . however , according to an embodiment of the present invention , using a modified radix - 4 booth coding scheme , for an n - bit word , fewer operations are required to perform the multiplications . the operations performed may be additions , subtractions , or no operations at all , for every two bits of the original data word . according to an embodiment of the present invention , because half of the multiplication operations have been eliminated , therefore the logic is required to code the values over the standard binary multiplication method . in an embodiment according to the present invention , a method of optimized coding of a pulse amplitude modulated level 10 ( pam - 10 ) signal may be performed as follows . in pam - 10 , there are 10 levels represented by the values in the following table . applying the optimum coding scheme according to the present invention , ( modified radix - 4 booth coding ), only two digits may be used to code and represent symbolic values that would ordinarily require three digits to code or represent applying previous coding techniques . therefore , according to an embodiment of the present invention , 10 levels may be encoded employing 4 bits ( i . e ., 2 radix - 4 digits ). wherein two adders are required to calculate the product c * x , and 6 bits are needed to represent x b . the optimum code according to the present invention may be defined as follows : wherein only one adder may be used to calculate c * x , and no hardware may be required to calculate 16 * c * x b 4 , and only four bits may be required to represent x o . it is noted that only two values of the radix 4 booth coding used to express the x b 4 digit of the pam - 10 signal are non - zero ( i . e ., 9 and − 9 , as shown above ). in an embodiment of the present invention , by changing the sign of the radix 4 booth coded digit corresponding to x b 2 ( i . e ., from + to −, and from + to −) for the encoding of − 9 and + 9 , the digit corresponding to x b 4 may be eliminated . this result is possible because only a portion of the range of values , ( i . e ., − 9 and + 9 ), of x b 4 digit of a 3 digit booth coded value are needed . therefore , according to an embodiment of the present invention , because the multiplication operation has been simplified by the reduction of a term , ( i . e ., the x b 4 term having been eliminated ), the processing hardware may be simplified , the power consumption is reduced , and the circuit chip area used for the processing is reduced . although the present invention has been described herein with respect to embodiments utilizing digital filters , and in particular , finite impulse response filters , an embodiment according to the present invention may have application in other systems involving the processing of digital information in which only a portion of the range of coded digital values is used . in an embodiment of the present invention , the method comprising application of optimum coding as set forth above may provide at least one less adder for every multiplier and eliminate at least one partial product multiplier for the operation [− 1 , 0 , 1 ]* c resulting in faster data transmission than previous data transmission applications . further according to an embodiment of the present invention , the optimum coding scheme may be distributed with two bits less than previous data transmission application resulting in at least area reduction , i . e ., integrated circuit area reductions , and power savings over previous data transmission applications . according to an embodiment of the present invention , the optimum coding scheme may also be applicable to systems employing an even greater number of pulse amplitude modulation levels , for example , pam - 21 , and pam - 40 , when a restricted range of levels is used . the number of booth coded digits may be reduced through coding according to an embodiment of the present invention . for example , by coding the following values [− 10 , − 9 , − 8 , . . . 8 , 9 , 10 ] a 21 level coding scheme ( pam - 21 ) maybe realized . in an embodiment of the present invention , application of the optimum coding method may be performed when x b n and the most significant digit in a modified booth coded number uses values between [+ 1 , 0 , − 1 ] and if the following condition hold true : fig2 illustrates a finite impulse response ( fir ) filter 100 with a 10 - level input signal according to an embodiment of the present invention . in fig2 , the input 110 to fir filter 100 may be a 10 - level input signal as explained above and may be designated by the value x . encoding the signal sample may be performed by an encoder ( not shown ) using a coding process to produce symbolic values . a 10 - level input signal may comprise , for example , values as follows : the signal value x enters the fir filter 100 at input 110 . the input signal , having one of the 10 values above is passed through a plurality of multipliers 120 where the signal is multiplied by coefficients , for example c 0 , c 1 , c 2 , . . . , c n creating a plurality of products . the products may then be directed to a plurality of adders 130 . the outputs of each of the adders 130 may be delayed for a time represented by unit delay 150 before being passed to the next adder 130 and eventually to output 190 . accordingly , after processing , y may be described as a function of x , where k may be defined as a unit of time , as shown below : y ( k )= c 0 * x ( k − 1 )+ c 1 * x ( k − 2 )+ c 2 * x ( k − 3 )+. . . c n * x ( k − n + 1 ). according to an embodiment of the present invention , signal processing for a 10 level input signal x =[ x 0 , x 1 , x 2 , . . . ] may be defined as follows : time output signal k = 0 0 k = 1 x 0 * c 0 k = 2 x 1 * c 0 + x 0 * c 1 k = 3 x 2 * c 0 + x 1 * c 1 + x 0 * c 2 k = 4 x 3 * c 0 + x 2 * c 1 + x 1 * c 2 + x 0 * c 3 . . . . . . k = n x n − 1 * c 0 + x n − 2 * c 1 + x n − 3 * c 2 + x n − 4 * c 3 + ... + x n − m * c m − 1 where k is a quantity of time , x is a 10 level coded input signal , and c j , j = 0 . . . m are the coefficients . the multipliers may perform at least one of the operations discussed above based upon the values of the control signals controlling the multipliers . after the multiplication operations are performed the coded values may be directed to the plurality of adders 130 . the products may be summed and the output may be delayed by at least one unit delay 150 . the signal may then be output 190 from the filter . the input signal 110 , after multiplications , additions , etc ., makes up the output signal 190 from the filter 100 . fig3 is a flow chart 300 illustrating processing of signals using a finite impulse response filter with a 10 - level input signal according to an embodiment of the present invention . in fig3 , initially an analog signal may be received ( block 310 ). the analog signal may be converted to a digital signal using an a / d converter ( block 320 ). the signal may then be encoded using a modified booth coding procedure ( block 330 ), as discussed above . the coded signal may be input to a signal processing system ( block 340 ) which may comprise a fir filter for signal processing ( block 350 ). during signal processing in the fir filter of the signal processing system , the coded signal values may be passed to multipliers where they may be multiplied by coefficients . products resulting from the multiplications may be directed to adders . the products may be summed . the processed signal may be delayed by at least one unit delay . the signal may then be output ( block 366 ) from the signal processing system . processing signals according to the embodiment illustrated in fig3 , enables the complexity of signal processing systems to be reduced by simplifying the complexity of multiplication circuits . an advantageous result according to an embodiment of the present invention is decreasing processor chip size and therefore processor cost by processing more information with coded values comprising more information or bits per symbol . the signal processing method according to the present invention may avoid interference and signal distortion because the information is transmitted without increasing the frequency of operation to intolerable levels . signal processing activity is also reduced by recoding the signal values being processed in a more compact form thus permitting an increased throughput , or more bits per symbol being transmitted per unit time . power consumption may also be reduced because less processing is required to transmit more information with fewer coded values according to an embodiment of the present invention . in an embodiment according to the present invention , modified radix - 4 booth coding permits using only 4 digits for the encoding of a pam - 10 signal , resulting in at least a halving of the number of products to be processed . in an embodiment according to the present invention , the filter chip size may be reduced while at the same time providing a higher bit rate of transmission . the delay in transmission may also be reduced resulting in faster transmission . additionally the amount of power consumed per operation may also be decreased . in an embodiment according to the present invention , a 2 . 5 gigabit / second data transmission rate may be accomplished by applying the pam - 10 coding method and a standard cat - 5 cables . remembering that a cat - 5 cable comprises 4 unshielded twisted wire pairs , and by transmitting 3 bits per symbol at a frequency of 208 mhz , the 2 . 5 gigabit / second transmission rate may be described as follows : ( 4 wire pairs ) * ( 208 mhz transmission frequency ) * ( 3 bits per symbol ) is approximately 2 . 5 gigabits of information transmitted per second . in an embodiment of the present invention , more information , i . e ., a greater number of bits may be transmitted in the same amount of time using pam - 10 coding techniques . although pam - 10 coding has been described in the present application , pam - 21 , pam - 40 , etc ., may also be applied where appropriate to further increase the bit rate of data transmission by increasing the number of bits per symbol being coded . the invention may also be used in multipliers . the foregoing description of the exemplary embodiment of the invention has been presented for the purposes of illustration and description . it is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed . many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching . it is intended that the scope of the invention be limited not with this detailed description , but rather by the claims appended hereto . while the invention has been described with reference to certain embodiments , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted without departing from the scope of the invention . in addition , many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from its scope . therefore , it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed , but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims . | 7 |
according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention , a raw stream 1 of oil field operations waste containing hydrocarbons , water , silt and solids is fed to mixer 41 , along with a solvent - rich stream 22 coming from units downstream , to start the separation of the different phases present . the mixed stream 2 of solids , silt , hydrocarbons and solvent exits mixer 41 and is fed into first settling unit 43 . as the solvent starts acting over the solution , a top solvent stream 5 with dissolved hydrocarbons is taken from the top of the first settling tank 43 and recirculated to the bottom of the first settling tank 43 in order to help fluidize the bed within it and increase the separation . current embodiments of the invention use flow velocities from 2 to 10 ft / sec , based on the viscosity of the hydrocarbon phase and the amount of solids present ; the flow is necessarily slower with more solids and less viscous fluid . after a period of time , a solids phase flow 4 leaves from the bottom of the first settling tank 43 , after which it mixes with stream 11 to create stream 6 and enters second settling tank 45 , along with settling water 12 , which removes the remaining attached hydrocarbons and solvents from the large particle size solids remaining in the process fluid . the addition of the settling water 12 allows the formation of a light solvent - hydrocarbon layer on the top of the processing fluid in the second settling tank 45 ; the solvent - hydrocarbon layer is an intermediate aqueous phase with some silt included . the process fluid containing larger particle size solids phase at the bottom of the second settling tank 45 , from where it is discharged practically clean of hydrocarbons as disposal stream 7 . the aqueous phase is removed from the middle section of second settling tank 45 as stream 9 , which is split into a stream 10 which is sent to an emulsion breaking process outside the scope of this system and stream 11 , which is mixed with solids phase flow 4 coming from first settling tank 43 to produce stream 6 and fed into the second settling tank 45 . the solvent phase 8 leaves from the top of the exits from the top of second settling tank 45 , mixes with stream 21 coming from units downstream to produce stream 22 and is sent back to the mixer 41 to start the extraction of hydrocarbons . the solvent and hydrocarbon phase from the first settling tank 43 is extracted from the top into stream 3 and transferred to a third settling tank 47 , where phase separation occurs . the top layer is rich in solvent and hydrocarbons , essentially silt - free , and it is removed from the top of the unit into stream 14 and sent to a solvent - hydrocarbon recovery tank 53 which will be used to feed the solvent recovery unit 55 . the lower portion of the process fluid in the third settling tank 47 includes water and silt , and is removed from the unit &# 39 ; s bottom as stream 13 and sent to a fourth settling tank 49 , mixing with freshly recovered solvent from stream 28 to produce stream 15 , which is fed to the fourth settling tank 49 to be able to further remove the hydrocarbons from silt , and allowed to settle into separate phases . during this process , a solvent - hydrocarbon rich layer is formed at the top of the fourth settling tank 49 , and extracted into stream 17 , where it is mixed with stream 20 from units downstream to produce stream 21 , which is recirculated to mixer 41 . an intermediate water - silt layer forms in the middle to bottom section of the fourth settling tank 49 and exits into stream 16 to be transferred to fifth settling tank 51 . before entering fifth settling tank 51 , the water - silt stream 6 is mixed with more water coming from stream 25 coming from fifth settling tank 51 and stream 33 coming from the solvent - hydrocarbon recovery tank 53 , to further clean the silt . inside fifth settling tank 51 , a top layer rich in solvent and hydrocarbons detached from the silt is extracted from its top into stream 20 and sent back to the mixer 41 to help with the separation . stream 20 is mixed with stream 17 from fourth settling tank 49 to produce stream 21 and sent back to mixer 41 . an intermediate layer of water is formed which is extracted in stream 23 , purging excess water into stream 24 and sent to a water recovery system . the remainder water from stream 23 continues on stream 25 and mixes with stream 6 coming from s fourth settling tank 49 . and finally , a silt - rich layer , essentially free of hydrocarbons is discharged from the bottom into stream 19 and sent to waste disposal . the solvent recovery system is essential to the economic feasibility of the process . in the preferred embodiment , a ceramic membrane filtration system ( cmfs ) 55 is used for this purpose . the solvent - hydrocarbon recovery tank 53 feeds the ceramic membrane filtration system 55 , which contains solvent and hydrocarbons essentially free of silt . some water may be present in the solvent - hydrocarbon recovery tank 53 carried out by the process . if such is the case , water is allowed to settle to the bottom of the solvent - hydrocarbon recovery tank 53 , a hydrocarbon rich layer deposits on top of the aqueous layer , and a solvent - rich layer is formed at the very top of the solvent - hydrocarbon recovery tank 53 . from this top layer , a stream 26 is fed to the ceramic membrane filtration system 53 to concentrate the large - chain hydrocarbons by permeating the lighter components present in stream 26 . a solvent - rich stream 27 leaves the ceramic membrane filtration system 55 and used for the extraction process . stream 27 is divided into stream 29 which recovers the excess solvent produced in the extraction process , and stream 28 which is sent back to mix with stream 13 from fourth settling tank 49 to produce stream 15 to be fed into fifth settler tank 51 . the concentrate from the ceramic membrane filtration system 55 is sent back to the solvent - hydrocarbon recovery tank 53 and allowed to settle . water is extracted from the bottom of the solvent - hydrocarbon recovery tank 53 into stream 31 to be mixed with a fresh water stream 32 to produce stream 33 which is sent back to fifth settler tank 51 after mixing with streams 25 and 16 . the hydrocarbon rich layer is extracted from the middle section of the ceramic membrane filtration system 55 into stream 34 and transferred to transport tanks for sale . for all separators included in the described process , the equipment of pressure release valves allows for the removal of gases generated in the process , which in turn can be used to fluidize the solids - hydrocarbon - solvent mixture in the first settling tank 43 in stream 35 . gases such as carbon dioxide or nitrogen may be used to help the fluidization process , but due to the nature of the solvent , air or oxygen are to be avoided inside the units to prevent any explosive environment . waste sludge from a waste disposal site in south texas was fed to the process , along with a petroleum distillate solvent with a boiling point range between 140 ° f . and 300 ° f . the apparent composition by weight of the sludge is 35 % solids , 30 % hydrocarbons , and the water as the remainder . the solvent is fed to the unit in a proportion of 3 parts to 1 part of sludge . ( several feed ratios were experimented but only the results from the mentioned one are presented here .) the amount of solvent depends on the density and viscosity of the waste stream to be treated . in this case , since the hydrocarbon phase has a gravity around 30 ° api , a 3 : 1 ratio of solvent to sludge was used , resulting in 95 % of the hydrocarbons present in the sludge recovered in a stream with less than 1 % silt . the solvent was able to be reused in the process even though it increased its density by 10 %, and it still retained its solvency . in this example , the recovered hydrocarbon phase ended up around 36 ° api . the ceramic membrane elements used in the process were alumina - based , with pore size of 100 nm , 19 channels and 6 mm channel diameter for a 0 . 358 m2 surface area per element . without further elaboration , it is believed that one skilled in the art can , using the description herein , utilize the present invention to its fullest extent . the embodiments described herein are to be construed as illustrative and not as constraining the remainder of the disclosure in any way whatsoever . while the preferred embodiments have been shown and described , many variations and modifications thereof can be made by one skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and teachings of the invention . accordingly , the scope of protection is not limited by the description set out above , but is only limited by the claims , including all equivalents of the subject matter of the claims . the disclosures of all patents , patent applications and publications cited herein are hereby incorporated herein by reference , to the extent that they provide procedural or other details consistent with and supplementary to those set forth herein . | 1 |
with reference initially to fig1 , there is shown a printer generally indicated at 50 having a housing generally indicated at 51 . the printer 50 is portable and can be easily carried by a strap ( not shown ) on opposed posts 50 ′ ( only one of which is shown ) or used on a table or other surface . the printer 50 is lightweight and has a small footprint . the housing 51 includes a main housing section 52 , another housing section 53 which is movable relative to the housing section 52 and a third housing section 54 . the housing sections 52 and 53 open relative to each other like a clam shell . the use of the term “ main ” for the housing section 52 is only to distinguish it from the housing section 53 , not to signify dominant importance . the housing section 52 may stand on a horizontal surface such as a table and be supported at bumpers 52 ′ in the form of preferably identical feet at the four corners of the housing 51 . the housing section 54 preferably takes the form of an ink ribbon cartridge . the housing section 52 also has front bumpers 55 and 56 and rear bumpers 57 and 58 . the bumpers 55 and 56 are the same , except that the bumper 55 is a left - hand version and the bumper 56 is a right - hand version . likewise , the bumpers 57 and 58 are the same , except that the bumper 57 is a left - hand version and the bumper 58 is a right - hand version . the bumpers 52 ′ and 55 through 58 are disposed at least at the corners of the main housing section 52 and extend outwardly so that in the event the printer 50 falls on a flat surface one or more of the bumpers will impact the flat surface and not any part of the housing 51 , except for the posts 50 ′. the posts 50 ′ may project outwardly beyond the bumpers 52 ′ and 55 through 58 and thus the areas of the housing section 52 where the posts 50 ′ are mounted are made thicker . the front of the printer 50 is designated f and the rear of the printer 50 is designated r . the front f also includes a display 60 and a keypad or keys 61 to control various printer functions . the housing sections 53 and 54 are connected by a toggle mechanism 62 which has spaced gripper arms 63 . with reference to fig2 and 3 , there are shown the housing sections 52 and 53 which help define space 64 for reception of a roll r ′ of a composite web c of record members . the record members can comprise paper labels l releasably adhered to a carrier web w as illustrated , or they can comprise tags or forms . the composite web c for example can pass from the roll r ′ to between a guide wall 65 and a guide and holder member 66 . the member 66 has a dual purpose of guiding the web c and of mounting part of a sensor system s including a light source 66 ′ ( fig3 ) and a light source / sensor 66 ″. the light source 66 ′ can be a light emitting diode for example opr5200 and the light source sensor can be type opr5005 , both sold by optek technology , inc . carrollton , tex . the light from the light source 66 ′ can pass through an aperture or notch in the web c or through the web w between spaced labels l and can be detected by the sensor of the light source / sensor 66 ″ for web registration purposes or the light source / sensor 66 ″ can detect edges between spaced adjacent labels l . the light source / sensor 66 ″ can also detect registration marks on the underside of the web c by shining light from the light source portion of the light source / sensor 66 ″ onto the underside of the web c and detecting the registration mark with the sensor portion of the light source / sensor 66 ″. it is preferred to mount the light source 66 ′ and the light source / sensor 66 ″ as shown and described however , a different arrangement can be used , for example , a sensor can be mounted on the member 66 at the location where the light source 66 ′ is disposed and the light source for that sensor can be located where the light source / sensor 66 ″ is disposed . alternatively , the positions of the light source / sensor 66 ″ and the light source 66 ′ can be reversed . accordingly , because the member 66 acts as a guide it is properly termed a guide or guide member or a member , however , because the member 66 serves as a mount for part of the sensing system s it is properly called a mounting member or member . from between guides 65 and 66 the composite web c can pass to a nip between an elongate thermal print head 67 and a platen roll 68 . from there the carrier web w passes partly around a delaminator 69 and the printed label l passes through an exit opening 70 ( fig2 ) and along an exit path between the gripper arms 63 ( fig1 ). after passing about the delaminator 69 at a sharp angle , the carrier web w passes between and into contact with the platen roll 68 and a back - up or pressure roll 71 . from there the web w passes through an exit opening 72 between toggle members 73 and 74 . the housing section or specifically the ink ribbon cartridge or cassette 54 is comprised of a cartridge frame or housing generally indicated at 75 . the frame 75 includes an ink ribbon supply frame section 76 and a spent ink ribbon section 77 joined to each other . the frame section 76 mounts a supply roll spindle 78 about which an ink ribbon supply roll sr is wound . ink ribbon i passes from the supply roll sr over the composite web c to the nip between the print head 67 on the one side and the web c and the platen roll 68 on the other side . from there the spent ink ribbon i passes about a guide 79 preferably in the form of a guide plate and from there the spent ink ribbon i passes to the take - up roll tr where the spent ink ribbon i is accumulated . as the printer 50 operates and the ink ribbon i is advanced from the supply roll sr to the take - up roll tr , the size of the take - up roll tr grows until the supply roll sr is exhausted and the take - up roll tr is full as indicated by the circular phantom line pl . the take - up roll tr is wound on a take - up spindle 78 ′. the section taken to create fig2 shows the battery pack 80 including preferably a plurality of batteries 80 ′ used to power the circuitry ( not shown ) and the drive mechanism or drive assembly 81 ( fig1 ). the battery pack 80 is received in a compartment 82 in the housing section 52 . fig2 also shows one of the two axially aligned pivots 83 for the housing section 53 . the housing section 53 which functions as a door and , in particular , a front door is movable about the pivots 83 between a closed position shown in fig1 and 2 , for example , and an open position shown in fig5 and 6 . fig3 shows the upper portion of fig2 on a larger scale . fig2 and 3 show that the housing section 52 has a cantilevered support 84 which mounts a print head assembly 85 and is capable of removably receiving and supporting the ink ribbon cartridge 54 . the support 84 has a projection 86 about which the print head assembly 85 is pivotal or gimbaled . fig4 is a view taken through one of the gripper arms 63 and shows how a tooth 87 engages a gripper or gripped surface 88 on the cartridge 54 . fig4 also shows the manner in which the print head assembly 85 and in particular its print head support 89 can locate on the bearing 120 for the platen roll 68 . with reference to fig5 , the housing section or door 53 is shown to mount a label roll holder generally indicated at 90 . the label roll holder 90 can be any suitable structure to mount a label or tag roll , however , it is preferred that the holder 90 have holder members 91 engageable with the label or tag roll r ′ and which are movable relatively toward and away from each other in unison to center - justify the label roll r ′ with respect to the center of the elongate print head 67 . the holder members 91 are preferably identical and are shown to be in the form of discs have having projections or hubs or hub portions 92 capable of fitting preferably with a close fit into the inside of a core 93 of the label roll r ′. the door 53 also rotatably mounts the platen roll 68 which has a platen shaft 94 and a gear 95 secured to the shaft 94 . the gripper arms 63 are spaced outboard of the exit path 70 ( fig1 and 2 ) along which a record member , for example , label l exits the printer 50 . it is also apparent from fig5 that the printer 50 is easy to load by moving the holder members 91 apart and allowing the projections 92 to enter into the inside of the core 93 . the user may strip several labels l from the carrier web w and lay the spent web w across the platen roll 68 and then pass the web w partially around the delaminator 69 and insert the web w between the platen roll 68 and the pressure roll 71 and out through exit opening 72 . then the user can move the door 53 to its closed position as shown in fig1 for example and may tug on the web w which is beyond the exit opening 72 to remove any slack from the web w . it is evident from the figures such as fig1 that the exit openings 70 and 72 are readily accessible in open space between gripper arms 63 from the outside of the printer 50 . fig5 also shows the ink ribbon cartridge 54 ready to be inserted into the housing section 52 in the direction of arrow 100 and onto the support 84 . with reference to fig7 , there is shown the outer panel or plate 101 of the door 53 and the toggle mechanism 62 . the panel 101 mounts the delaminator 69 shown to take the form of a roller or peel roller 102 . the delaminator 69 can alternatively be a peel plate ( not shown ), however , a peel roller 102 is a preferred form of a delaminator . the preferably one - piece panel or plate 101 has a pair of space c - shaped sockets 103 which capture end portions of the roller 102 . the panel 101 has a pair of aligned holes 104 which mount a shaft 105 . one end portion 106 of the shaft 105 is knurled and is press - fitted into the hole 104 at the left side of the panel 101 . the shaft 105 passes through a through - hole 107 in the preferably one - piece toggle member 73 to mount the toggle member 73 for pivotal movement . the preferably one - piece toggle member 74 is shown to include a bar or transverse connector 108 that connects the gripper members 63 to each other . the teeth 87 are located in one direction , for example , above the connector 108 and extensions or shaft mounting members 109 extend in the other direction or below the connector 108 . the connector 108 preferably rigidly connects the one gripper member 63 to the other gripper member 63 and connects the one member 109 to the other member 109 . the members 109 have aligned holes 110 to receive a shaft 111 . the toggle member 73 is disposed between gripper arms 63 and the shaft 111 passes through a hole 107 ′ in the toggle member 73 . an end portion 112 of the shaft 111 is knurled . the end portion 112 is press - fitted into the hole 110 of the member 109 at the left side of the toggle member 174 . in order to release gripper members 63 so that teeth 87 no longer engage the gripped surfaces 88 on the cartridge 54 and so that the cartridge 54 can be removed from the remainder of the printer 50 , the user can insert a finger beneath a handle 113 ( fig2 , 3 , 4 and 7 ) and pull the toggle member 73 to move clockwise about the shaft 105 . as the toggle member 73 starts to move clockwise in fig4 for example about the shaft 105 , the gripper teeth 87 exert increased force against the gripped surfaces 88 . as the toggle member 73 continues to move clockwise even further , then the shaft 111 moves from the right side of a centerline 114 to the left side of the centerline 114 . in fig4 , the shaft 111 is overcenter with respect to the centerline 114 in one direction at a latched condition or state . when the shaft 111 has moved to the left of the centerline 114 , the shaft is overcenter in the other direction which causes loosening of the gripper teeth 87 from the gripped surfaces 88 until the gripper arms 63 are free of the cartridge 54 . now the ink ribbon cartridge 54 , the support 84 and the print head 85 can be manually pivoted slightly clockwise as viewed in fig4 to disengage guide slots 285 from bearings 119 ′ and 120 ′. the door 53 can now be moved to its open position with respect to the housing section 52 . when the door 53 is moved to the closed position , the teeth 87 are at a position over and spaced from the gripped surfaces 88 . by pushing on the handle 113 , the toggle member 73 is pivoted counterclockwise ( fig4 and 7 for example ) to bring the shaft 111 and the gripper members 63 to the closed position shown in fig4 for example , and thus the shaft 111 has moved to the right of the centerline 114 . fig2 , 7 and 8 show the panel 101 as having a recess 115 to provide ready finger access by the user to the underside of the handle 113 . the panel 101 can also be provided with a logo plate 116 . the toggle member 74 also has an on - demand sensor s ′ ( fig8 ) which can sense the presence of a label l at the exit opening 70 . with reference to fig9 , there is shown an inner panel or plate generally indicated at 116 attached to the panel or plate 101 by screws 116 ′. the preferably one - piece panel 116 has a pair of aligned c - shaped sockets 117 and 118 . ball bearings 119 and 120 are received in respective socket portions 117 ′ and 118 ′ of the sockets 117 and 118 and ball bearings 119 ′ and 120 ′ are in contact with the inboard sides of the respective sockets 117 and 118 . the shaft 94 has one end portion 121 received in the ball bearings 119 and 119 ′ and another end portion 122 received in the ball bearings 120 and 120 ′. an e - ring 120 ″ keeps the bearing 120 on the end portion 122 . the gear 95 is press - fitted onto the end portion 121 and holds the bearing 119 in place . the label roll holder 90 includes a pair of identical slides 123 and 124 . the preferably one - piece slides 123 and 124 have respective arms 125 and 126 . each arm 125 and 126 has a hole 127 into which an integral connector 128 on the disc 91 is received . the connectors 128 enable the discs 91 to rotate relative to their respective arms 125 and 126 . each arm 125 and 126 has an outwardly extending boss 129 having a hole 129 ′. handles 130 preferably in the form of washers are held onto the bosses 129 spaced from the outer surfaces of the respective arms 125 and 126 by screws 131 . either handle 130 enables the user to insert a fingernail between the handle 130 and the outer surface of the respective arm 125 or 126 and pull outwardly , thereby causing the roll mounting members 91 to move apart should it be desired , for example , to remove a spent core 93 or a guide 341 ( fig3 for example ). alternatively , either handle 130 can be grasped between two fingers to spread the holder members 125 and 126 apart . it is noted that when one holder member 125 or 126 is moved outwardly away from the other holder member 126 or 125 , a rack and pinion mechanism generally indicated at 132 moves the other holder member 126 or 125 . the panel 116 has a pair of parallel slots 133 and 134 bounded by respective flanges 135 and 136 . the slide 123 has a pair of l - shaped members 137 with flanges 138 . the members 137 extend through slots 137 ′ bounded by flanges 138 ′ having end surfaces 138 ″. the flanges 138 contact the end surfaces 138 ″. likewise , the slide 124 has a pair of l - shaped members 139 with flanges 140 , which are received in similar slots ( not shown ) that are mirror images of the slots 137 ′. the members 137 are assembled through respective slots 138 s . the slides 123 and 124 have double racks or straight gears 141 and 142 and 143 and 144 , respectively . the panel 116 has an integrally molded pin 145 on which is gear or pinion 146 can be rotatably mounted . the gear 146 is coupled to and can mesh with racks 142 and 143 . the slide 123 has a post 147 . the slide 124 was molded with a post ( not shown ) like the post 147 which can be cut off before assembly of the printer 50 . the pinion 146 assures that the slides 123 and 124 move equal distances to keep the arms 125 and 126 and the discs 91 at equal distances with respect to the centerline between the ends of the elongate print head 67 . a tension spring 149 is hooked onto the post 147 and onto a post 148 on the panel 116 . the spring 149 is under tension and acts to urge the slides 123 and 124 and their respective arms 125 and 126 toward each other . a keeper or plate 150 slidably contacts the end surface 135 ′. screws 151 pass through the plate 150 and are received in bosses 152 . likewise a keeper or plate 153 slidably contacts the end surface 136 ′. screws 154 pass through the plate 153 and are received by bosses 152 ′. the bosses 152 , the post 147 and the racks 141 and 142 travel in the slot 133 and the bosses 152 ′ and the racks 143 and 144 travel in the slot 134 . a tang or stop 155 on the plate 150 projects into the slot 133 and can contact end 156 of the slot 133 to prevent the members 137 from aligning with the slot 138 s and to thereby prevent the members 137 from coming out of the slot 137 ′ during use . a tang or stop 157 on the plate 153 projects into the slot 134 and can contact end wall 158 to prevent members 139 from coming out of their respective slot 134 during use . the panel 116 also has a post 159 for mounting a gear 160 which is coupled to and can mesh with the rack 144 . a plate or slide 161 guided in a slot 162 has a tooth 163 which can engage a tooth of the gear 160 below the axis of rotation of the gear 160 . the slide 161 is normally urged to the right as shown in fig9 by a compression spring 163 ′ that abuts against and is captive between a boss 164 and a surface 165 on the panel 116 . an arm 166 joined to the slide 161 has a cam surface 167 used to move the slide to the left as viewed in fig9 . when the door 53 is being closed , the cam surface 167 contacts the housing section wall 186 as seen in fig1 to urge the slide 161 to the left ( fig9 ) to engage the gear 160 and rotate the gear 160 clockwise ( fig9 ). this slight rotation of the gear 160 causes the pinion 146 to be moved slightly to cause the slides 123 and 124 and their respective discs 91 to move slightly apart . this causes the pressure and thus friction between the rotatable discs 91 and the arms 125 and 126 to be reduced and thus drag on motor 242 ( fig1 ) is reduced . when the door 53 is being opened , the spring 163 ′ causes the tooth 163 to disengage from the gear 160 . fig1 shows the support 84 which is pivotally mounted to the housing 52 . the front part of the housing section 52 has a panel 169 with an irregular rear edge 170 . a panel 171 with an irregular edge 172 contacts and mates with the panel 169 and captures a flange 174 ′ of the mounting plate 242 ′, thereby defining a generally rectangular aperture 173 and round holes 174 and 175 . the support 84 has an integral stud or shaft 176 pivotally received in the hole 174 . the web guide and / or holder member 66 has an integral stud or shaft 177 pivotally received in the hole 175 . the support 84 can pivot counterclockwise as viewed in fig1 until a stop face 179 contacts a stop 180 on the housing section 52 . the support 84 has a stop 181 which can bottom on a stop face 182 in the aperture 173 to limit the clockwise movement of the support as viewed in fig1 . with reference to fig1 , the support 84 is shown to have a shaft or stud 182 rigidly secured to its side 183 in axial alignment with the shaft 176 . an arm 184 having a hook - shaped connector 185 is rigidly secured to the shaft 182 . the shaft 182 , the side 183 and the arm 184 can be integrally molded . the front part of the housing section 52 has a panel 186 with an irregular rear edge 187 . a panel 188 with an irregular edge 189 which contacts and can mate with the panel or housing section wall 186 , thereby defining a generally rectangular aperture 190 and round holes 191 and 192 . the shaft 182 is pivotally received in the hole 191 and the arm 184 is located in hollow space within the housing section 52 . the preferably one - piece member 66 has a shaft or stud 193 and an arm 194 having a hook - shaped connector 195 . the shaft 193 is axially aligned with the shaft 177 . the member 66 includes a side wall 196 . a stop 197 on side wall 183 fits into the aperture 190 and can bottom on a stop surface 198 . the stops 181 and 197 are laterally aligned , the apertures 173 and 190 are laterally aligned , the holes 174 and 191 are laterally aligned , and the holes 175 and 192 are laterally aligned . with reference to fig1 , a tension spring 199 is hooked onto the connectors 185 and 195 . the arms 184 and 194 and their connectors 185 and 195 are so positioned that in the open position shown in fig1 , the support 84 can receive the cartridge 54 or the cartridge 54 can be removed . the support 84 can have limited pivotal movement about aligned shafts 176 and 182 , and the member 66 can have limited pivotal movement about aligned shafts 177 and 193 . as seen in fig1 , a centerline 200 through the axes of rotation of the support 84 and the member 66 shows that the forces exerted by the spring 199 normally keep the member 66 in the open position to enable a cartridge 54 to be loaded or unloaded . fig1 shows the cartridge partially inserted into the operating position . there are actuators or posts 201 on the cartridge 54 which can touch cam faces 202 on the member 66 . in that the posts 201 and the cam faces 202 are just touching , the member 66 continues to be held in the open position by the spring 199 . upon continued insertion of the cartridge 54 toward the operating position shown in fig1 , the actuators 201 cam the member 66 until the member 66 has rotated overcenter with respect to the centerline 200 . as soon as the member 66 is overcenter , the spring 199 urges the member 66 to the operating position . accordingly , the spring 199 can alternately hold the member 66 in either the open position ( fig1 ) or in the closed position ( fig1 ). the operating position is also shown in fig2 through 4 and 22 for example . when removing the cartridge 54 , the posts or pins 201 act on cam surfaces 202 ′ to drive the member 66 to its open position . the member 66 has projections 203 received in pockets 204 in the plate 116 , one of which is shown in fig4 . the actuators 201 cooperating with cam faces 202 are sufficient to bring the holder 66 to its operating position when the cartridge is inserted fully , without the aid of the spring 199 . the actuators 201 cooperating with cam faces 202 ′ are sufficient to bring the holder 66 to its open position during removal of the cartridge 54 . the spring 199 is useful is bring the holder 66 either into its fully open position or its fully closed position and hold the holder in either position . fig1 , 16 a and 16 b show that the cartridge 54 has a frame or housing 75 which can have frame or housing sections 206 and 207 . the frame sections 206 and 207 are preferably of one - piece construction . the frame section 206 has a supply roll mounting portion 208 and a take - up roll mounting portion 209 . the supply roll mounting portion 208 can have an arcuate frame wall 208 ′. the arcuate shape is preferred for strength and to more fully enclose the supply roll sr , however , more open shapes can be provided instead . the wall 208 ′ is integral with a side wall 210 and has a post 211 which rotatably mounts a shaft 211 ′. the position of the shaft 211 ′ which extends beyond the post 211 receives an annular , axially compressible and radially expandable elastomeric brake sleeve 212 . the side wall 210 is connected to a side wall 213 of the take - up roll mounting portion 209 . the section 206 can have an arcuate frame wall 214 if desired and post 215 joined to the wall 213 . the post 215 rotatably mounts a shaft 215 ′. the posts 211 and 215 are generally parallel . a rotatable spindle 216 can grip the take - up roll core 78 ′ to wind up the take - up roll tr and thereby advance the ink ribbon i . the spindle 216 is coupled to a driver 217 ( fig1 ) when the cartridge 54 is in the operating position in the printer 50 . a clutch 245 ( fig1 ) attempts to advance the ink ribbon i faster than the ink ribbon i is advanced by the platen roll 68 to maintain tension in the ink ribbon i between the platen roll 68 and the take - up roll tr . the portion 206 of the cartridge frame is shown to have a tear edge portion 218 of a tear edge 219 ( fig1 for example ). with reference to fig1 b , the frame section 207 includes a side wall 220 joined to a side wall 221 . the section 207 can also have arcuate frame walls 222 and 223 joined to the respective side walls 220 and 221 . the posts 224 and 225 are joined to the side wall 220 and a post 226 is joined to the side wall 221 . the post 224 is axially aligned with the spindle 216 , the post 225 is axially aligned with the post 215 , and the post 226 is axially aligned with the post 211 . the shaft 215 ′ is connected to a handle 227 ( fig1 ) which is detentable in two alternative positions . the shaft 211 ′ is connected to a handle 228 . the shaft 215 ′ has a non - circular projection 229 and the shaft 211 ′ has a non - circular projection 230 . the projection 229 can be received in a non - circular hole 231 in the post 225 and the projection 230 can be received in a non - circular hole 232 . when the handles 227 and 228 are in their locked positions shown in fig1 , the projections 229 and 230 are in the hollows of posts 225 and 226 out of alignment with holes 231 and 232 . the projections 229 and 230 extend beyond the holes 231 and 232 into hollow interior space in the posts 225 and 226 . when the handle 228 is moved to its unlocked positions at a right angle to the position shown , the handle 228 falls into a recess 228 ′ which relieves the compression force against the end 212 ′ of the brake sleeve 212 exerted by flange 211 ″ on the shaft 211 ′ in the locked condition shown in fig1 . for further details reference may be had to the ink ribbon cartridge shown in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 597 , 249 . as shown , the frame section 207 has a tear edge portion 241 aligned with the tear edge portion 218 of the tear edge when the frame sections 206 and 207 are assembled to provide a tear edge 219 that extends at least as long as the widest web w between gripper arms 63 . the walls 214 and 222 terminate at respective tear edge portions 218 and 241 . the tear edge 219 can be used to tear off the web c or the carrier web w in the strip mode in which the web c or the web w is fed out through the exit opening 70 . in the peel mode , of course , the carrier web w passes about the delaminator 69 and between the platen roll 68 and the back - up roll 71 and from there the web w passes out of the exit opening 72 . lower edge of the toggle member 74 also has a tear edge 74 ′ ( fig3 for example ) for tearing of excess carrier web w that extends beyond the exit opening 72 . with reference to fig1 , there is shown the drive mechanism 81 which is essentially the same as the drive mechanism in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 597 , 249 , except for example a guide slot 260 ( fig1 ) in the mounting plate 242 ′. fig1 shows the electric motor 242 mounted on a stand off 243 . gearing generally indicated at 244 drives the toothed driver 217 ( fig5 ) through a clutch 245 which may be of the wrapped - spring type if desired . the gearing 244 includes a compound gear 246 which includes a gear 247 rigidly coaxially connected to a gear 248 . the gear 247 meshes with a pinion on the motor shaft ( not shown ). the pinion on the motor shaft also drives a compound gear 249 which drives a gear 249 ′ and in turn a gear 250 which is part of the clutch 245 . fig1 shows the mounting plate 242 ′ as having an open - ended slot 260 which receives the bearing socket 117 ′ and the outboard bearing 119 . the slot 260 thus captures the bearing socket 117 ′ and the bearing 119 and promotes proper meshing of the gear 95 and the gear 248 . the housing section 169 has an open - ended slot 169 ′ ( fig1 ) which is larger than the slot 260 so that neither the shaft 94 nor socket 117 controls the alignment of the gear 95 with the gear 248 . it is rather the slot 260 alone which controls the meshing of the gears 95 and 248 . it is noted that when the door 53 is closed the socket portion 117 ′ preferably bottoms in the slot 260 , as shown . the slot 260 has a converging entry 261 with tapers 262 at both sides adjacent the opening in the slot 260 to guide the socket portion 117 ′ and the bearing 119 into the slot 260 when the door 53 is moved to the closed position . with reference to fig2 , there is shown the print head assembly 85 which may include support or mounting plate 89 having a socket 262 for receiving the post 86 ( fig3 for example ). the socket 262 and the post 86 enable the support 89 to pivot or gimbal to enable the print head 67 to accommodate to the platen roll 68 . the print head 67 is mounted on the underside of a metal plate or heat sink 67 ′ which helps dissipate heat from the print head 67 . the support 89 is shown to have preferably three holes 263 , 264 and 265 . the holes 263 , 264 and 265 are aligned with respective threaded holes 266 , 267 and 268 in the heat sink 67 ′. however , the holes 263 , 264 and 265 are unthreaded and may be slightly larger in diameter than the shanks 269 of screws 270 . the ribbon guide 79 which may be in the form of a guide plate 271 having a generally planar or plate - like portion 271 ′ having three holes 272 , 273 and 274 . the hole 272 is round and makes a rotatable fit around a boss 263 ′ surrounding the hole 263 . the hole 273 is oversize with respect to the boss 264 ′ and receives the boss 264 ′ that surrounds hole 264 . the hole 274 is elongate and receives the boss 265 ′ which surrounds the hole 265 . a screw 270 passes through holes 272 and 263 and is threadably received in the hole 266 . a screw 270 passes through holes 273 and 264 and is threadably received in the hole 267 , and a screw 270 passes through the holes 274 and 265 and is threadably received in the hole 268 . the guide 79 has a curved portion 275 which is at least as wide as the ink ribbon i and is joined to the planar portion 271 ′. the guide 79 also includes a flange 271 ″ with a threaded hole 276 to receive a threaded shank 277 of an adjusting screw 278 . the screw 278 can preferably have a socketed head 279 with an allen socket to receive an allen wrench ( not shown ). the head 279 is received in a socket 280 molded integrally with the support 89 . a groove 281 aligned with the head 279 in the socket 280 serves as a guide for the allen wrench . as shown , the groove 281 is open at both ends and one end opens into the socket 280 . the screw 278 is able to rotate but is not able to translate . rotation of the screw 278 will cause the guide 79 to pivot about the boss or pivot 263 ′ to adjust the guide 79 . fig2 shows that the groove 281 shown in fig2 comprises only one - half the opening 282 through which an allen wrench can extend . the other half of the opening 282 is comprised of an end wall 281 ′ in the support 84 . the opening 282 is aligned with an access opening 283 in the support 84 . while the printer of u . s . pat . no . 5 , 597 , 249 had a guide which was adjustable it was not possible to adjust the guide while the printer was advancing the record member web or the ink ribbon . it was necessary to stop operation of the printer , adjust the guide , restart the printer and possibly re - adjust the guide again , and so on until adjustment and wrinkle - free advance of the ink ribbon was attained . in the embodiment of the present invention , the web c and the ink ribbon i can be advanced upon rotation of the platen roll , and the guide 79 can be adjusted while the ink ribbon i is advancing . the support or mounting member 89 includes a pair of depending flanges 284 , each having a locating or guide slot 285 ( fig1 ). springs 286 ( fig2 ), resting in respective pockets 287 ( one of which is shown in fig1 a ) in the support 84 , bear against the flat panel 271 ′ of the guide plate 271 . when the cartridge 54 is in position and the toggle mechanism 62 is closed or latched , the toggle mechanism 62 causes the cartridge 54 to exert force against the support 84 . fig9 shows pairs of stops 117 a and 118 a . the support 84 has a pair of stop faces 84 a and 84 b which abut the respective stops 117 a and 118 a when the support 84 is in the operating position . when the support 84 is in its operating position the springs 286 are compressed to exert just the right amount of printing operating pressure or force against the ink ribbon i and the composite web c and against the platen roll 68 for effective thermal printing . it is noted that surface 292 of the heat sink 67 ′ is located on the support 89 against a pair of locating surfaces 288 ′ on locators 288 . two pairs of spring fingers 290 and 291 exert pressure against surface 293 of the heat sink 67 ′. this insures accurate positioning of print head 67 with respect to alignment slots 285 . with reference to fig2 , there is shown one of the resilient , elastomeric bumpers 52 ′, in particular a foot which can be attached to the housing section 52 easily during manufacture and which can be removed if desired . the four feet 52 ′ are shown taking fig1 and 2 together . the feet 52 ′ are preferably identical as is preferred so only one is described in detail . the foot 52 ′ has a body 52 ″ which is external to the housing section 52 and preferably has a triangular shape in horizontal section and the foot 52 ′ also has a triangular shape in vertical section . the foot 52 ′ is intended to be attached to the outside of the housing section 52 , but part of the foot 52 ′ is internal to the housing section 52 . with reference to fig2 and 25 , the housing section 52 has a pair of spaced internal ribs 300 which straddle an opening or slot 301 . the foot 52 ′ has an elongate portion 302 received in the slot 301 and a pair of flanges 303 which contact inner faces 300 ′ of the ribs 300 . the flanges 303 capture the foot 52 ′. the bumper 52 ′ has a projection 304 which cooperates with a projection 305 on the housing section 52 ( fig2 ) to prevent retrograde movement of the foot 52 ′ out of the slot 301 . with reference to fig2 , there is shown a portion of the housing section 52 with slots 306 and 307 by which a front bumper 55 can be attached . the slot 306 is open - ended , while the slot 307 has closed ends 308 and 309 . the slot 306 may have a constant width as shown , and the slot 307 has a wide portion 310 and a narrow portion 311 joined by a converging portion 312 . fig2 shows the bumper 55 as having an arcuate shape to fit the outer profile of the arcuate - shaped corner portion 313 ( fig2 ) of the housing section 52 . the underside of the bumper 55 , that is , the portion at the inner side of the bumper 55 has two flexible , cantilevered projections 314 and 315 having respective flanges 316 and 317 . to attach the bumper 55 to the curved corner 313 , the projection 315 is inserted into the wide slot portion 307 . in this position of the bumper 55 , the projection 314 is slightly beyond the open end of the slot 306 . next the bumper 55 is slid along the arcuate portion 313 so that a relatively wide neck 318 of the projection 314 enters the slot 306 and a relatively narrow neck 319 of the projection 315 starts moving along the converging slot portion 312 . when the neck 319 reaches the slot end 309 ( fig2 ) the bumper 55 is in place and the flanges 316 and 317 are against an inner surface 313 ′ of the housing 52 adjacent slot 306 and slot portion 311 , respectively . the resilient elastomeric material of the bumper 55 frictionally grips the arcuate portion 313 adjacent the slots 306 and 307 , partly due to the close fit between the necks 318 and 319 and upper sides 316 ′ and 317 ′ and the underside 313 ′ of the arcuate portion 313 . fig3 shows the bumper 57 with preferably two substantially identical , spaced , cantilevered , internal projections 325 , each including a neck 326 and a flange 327 with a face 328 . the face 328 overhangs a face 329 on the bumper body 57 ′. the housing section 52 has a curved external corner portion 330 protected by the bumper 57 . the bumper body 57 ′ has a flange 331 which covers the left side of the housing section 52 . the remainder of the body 57 ′ covers the top of the housing section 52 . the housing section 52 has slots 332 each of which as an enlarged slot portion 333 and a reduced slot portion 334 . to couple the bumper 57 to the housing section 52 , the projections 325 are lined up with respective enlarged slot portions 333 and pushed inwardly until the faces 328 are in line with the inside surface 335 of wall 336 of the housing section 52 . then the bumper 57 is slid downwardly and rearwardly as viewed in fig3 until the necks 326 abut against bottoms 337 of the slots 332 , whereby the bumper 57 is captive in the slots 332 in the housing section 52 with the housing wall 336 between faces 328 and 329 . with reference to fig3 through 36 , there is shown an arrangement by which a fan - folded web of a composite web c or a web of tags ( not shown ) can be utilized by the printer 50 . the lower portion of the door 53 is provided with a converging throat 340 provided by guide surfaces 340 ′ which provide entry into the space 64 normally used to contain the record member supply roll r ′. the space 64 is bounded by surfaces 66 a , 66 b and 66 c ( fig2 ). from there the composite web c , or the web of tags , as the case may be , is guided by a guide generally indicated at 341 and from there the web c is guided to between the print head 67 and the platen roll 68 . fig3 shows the guide 341 as including a preferably tubular shaft or tube 342 and preferably identical side edge or side guides 343 . the shaft 342 has a certain outside periphery or surface at 342 ′ with a certain diameter and one or more integral , radially outwardly extending ribs or web - contacting guide members 344 . the set of members 344 is preferably midway between terminal ends 345 and 346 of the shaft 342 . the shaft 342 has diametrically opposed , longitudinally extending grooves 347 . the grooves 347 in turn contain laterally extending closely spaced ridges 348 best shown in fig3 and 36 disposed on opposite sides of the guide members 344 . the outer surface 342 ′ also contains peripherally extending graduations 349 at preferably equally spaced or selected intervals at both sides of the guide members 344 . side guides 343 have disc - shaped members 350 and an annular or tubular hub 351 . the hub 351 has opposed slots 352 into which at least one and preferably two diametrically opposed spring fingers or projections 353 extend . the spring fingers 353 are cantilevered to the disc 350 and each spring finger 353 has a tooth 353 ′ to engage the shaft 342 between adjacent ridges 348 in the respective groove 347 . the spring fingers 353 may have a slight inward inclination toward the tube 342 in the as - molded state . the spring fingers 353 preferably do not project outwardly beyond the outer periphery of the hub 351 . it is noted that the outside diameters of the hubs 351 and the guide members 344 are preferably the same or essentially the same so that side edges of the web c are guided by the discs 350 and the marginal sides edges of the web c are supported by the hubs 351 and the guide members 344 . not only is the web c guided but the web c is well supported so that any tendency of the web c to warp or meander is eliminated . as shown in fig3 , end portions 354 of the shaft 342 receive the hubs 92 of the roll mounting members 91 . in order to mount the shaft 342 on the roll mounting members 91 , the roll mounting members 91 are manually spread apart and then the shaft 342 is aligned with the hubs 92 and released so the shaft 342 is mounted as shown in fig3 center - justified with respect to the print head 67 . even though the shaft 342 is center - justified along centerline cl midway between terminal ends 345 of the shaft 342 , the user may position the side guides 343 at equal distances from the ends 345 in order to achieve such center - justification . accordingly , the graduations 349 are provided so that the user can readily position both side guides 343 at equal distances from the centerline cl , that is , at equal distances from the terminal ends 345 and 346 . the graduations 349 may be grooves as shown or slightly raised or they may be printed , however , grooves as shown or ridges are preferred because they are molded - in and do not require a secondary operation to create them . if the graduations 349 are raised , the inside diameters of the hubs 351 need to be sized accordingly . the entire shaft 342 including its features such a guide members 344 is of one - piece molded plastics construction . it is noted that according to fig3 in particular the side guides 343 are assembled with the discs 350 outboard of the hubs 351 . this enables the guide 341 to be used with the widest webs and some narrower webs c . however , as shown in fig3 , the side guides 343 can be turned around or reversed so that the web c , shown in phantom lines , can be used to guide a narrow web c . it is to be noted that in the fig3 position , the web c is not supported at its marginal side edges but this is inconsequential because the distances between the endmost guide members 344 and the respective discs 350 is small . in either of the orientations of the side guides 343 as in fig3 or in fig3 , the user can space the guides 343 accurately visually or by feeling the graduations 349 . the entire printer is composed of molded plastics material except for the peel roller 69 , the guide 79 , shafts 94 , 105 and 111 , springs 149 , 199 and 286 bearings 119 , 119 ′ 120 and 120 ′, the display 60 , the print head 67 , the heat sink 67 ′, the motor 242 the clutch 245 and its gear 244 , the batteries 80 ′, contacts , electronics and various screws . the brake 212 and the outer part of the platen roll 68 are comprised of resilient elastomeric material , as are all the bumpers 52 ′, 55 , 56 , 57 and 58 . while the housing sections 52 , 53 and 54 are sometimes referred to respectively as first , second and third housing sections , there is no intention to thereby limit the invention , or signify importance of one housing section over any other housing section . the embodiment of fig3 through 40 is the same as the embodiment of fig1 through 36 except as otherwise indicated . accordingly , the same reference characters as used to designate components having the same construction for the sake of clarity . fig3 through 40 show an arm 184 ′ with an integrally formed flange or support 184 ″ which may extend perpendicular to the arm 184 ′ as shown . the arm 184 ′ is essentially the same in shape as the arm 184 , but the arm 184 ′ is modified to mount the flange 184 ″. a tension spring 199 ′ is similar to the spring 199 , but the spring 199 ′ is connected to the connector 185 , passes partially around and against the flange 184 ″ and is connected to the connector 195 . in the fig3 through fig4 embodiment , the support 84 is continuously urged clockwise by the spring 199 ′ and the guide or holder 66 is continuously urged counterclockwise by the spring 199 ′. thus , the support 84 is continuously urged to its raised on non - operating position by the spring 199 ′ and the guide or holder 66 is continuously urged to its open or non - operating position by the spring 199 ′. thus , when the ink ribbon cartridge 54 is inserted or loaded into the printer 50 , the guide or holder 66 is always open or in its non - operating position . the guide or holder 66 cannot be inadvertently in the closed or operating position . fig3 shows one of the actuators 201 as just touching the surface 202 and consequently the guide or holder 66 has not moved from its fig3 position . however , as the ink ribbon cartridge 54 continues to be inserted into the printer 50 , the actuators 201 push against surfaces 202 and move , and in particular pivot , the guide or holder 66 clockwise against the counterclockwise urging force of the spring 199 ′ to bring the guide or holder 66 to the intermediate position shown in fig3 . when the housing section 53 is subsequently closed , the guide or holder 66 will be cammed by the housing section 53 acting against the projection 203 until the projection 203 descends into the pocket 204 as shown in fig4 , thereby bringing the guide or holder 66 to the closed or operating position shown in fig4 and 40 . whenever the ink ribbon cartridge is not latched by gripper arms 63 , the support will be urged into its raised or non - operating position by the sprint 199 ′ as illustrated in fig3 through 39 . in this raised position of the support 84 , guide slot 285 is clear of the bearings 119 ′ and 120 ′, thereby enabling the ink ribbon cartridge 54 to be inserted or removed . other embodiments and modifications of the invention will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art , and all such of these as come within the spirit of this invention are included within its scope as best defined by the appended claims . | 1 |
aspirin or acetylsalicylic acid is a drug in the family of salicylates . the term “ statin ” refers to a class of lipid - lowering drugs that reduce serum cholesterol levels by inhibition of hmg - coa reductase . non - limiting examples of statins useful herein include the following : atorvastatin , fluvastatin , lovastatin , pravastatin , rosuvastatin , simvastatin and cerivastatin . the terms “ antiarrhythmic agent ” and “ antiarrhythmic drug ,” as used herein , include any pharmaceutically active form of a class i or class iii antiarrhythmic including , but not limited to , acids , salts , esters , polymorphs , solvates , and derivatives thereof . non - limiting examples of antiarrhythmic drugs useful herein include the following : azimilide , sotalol ( including combinations of d , 1 - sotalol , i . e ., racemic sotalol ), amiodarone , dofetilide , cibenzoline , and bunafitidine . although any form ( e . g ., salt , base or amide form ) may be used , a salt form is preferred with azimilide , sotalol and amiodarone . in one embodiment the active agent herein is azimilide dihydrochloride . a “ pharmaceutically - acceptable salt ” is a cationic salt formed at any acidic ( e . g ., hydroxamic or carboxylic acid ) group , or an anionic salt formed at any basic ( e . g ., amino ) group . many such salts are known in the art , as described in wo 87 / 05297 , by johnston et al ., published sept . 11 , 1987 . preferred cationic salts include the alkali metal salts ( such as sodium and potassium ), and alkaline earth metal salts ( such as magnesium and calcium ) and organic salts . preferred anionic salts include the halides ( such as chloride salts ), sulfonates , carboxylates , phosphates , and the like . agents that cause proarrhythmia ( proarrhythmic agents ) include but are not limited to disopyramide , procainamide , n - acetyl - procainamide , quinidine , beperdil , mexiletine , propafenone , flecainide , amiodarone , bretylium , sotalol , ibutilide , dofetilide , azimilide , aprindine , ajmaline , almokalant , mibefradil , clofilium , semantilide , erythromycin , clarithromycin , azithromycin , ampicillin , levofloxacin , moxifloxacin , sparfloxacin , gatifloxacin , grepafloxacin , trimethoprim - sulfamethoxazole , troleandomycin , pentamidine , quinine , foscarnet , fluconazole , itraconazole , ketoconazole , chloroquine , halofantrine , mefloquine , amantadine , spiramycin , astemizole , diphenhydramine , terfenadine , ebastine , hydroxyzine , doxepin , fluoxetine , desipramine , imipramine , clomipramine , paroxetine , sertralilne , venlafaxine , citalopram , ketanserin , chlorpromazine , prochlorperazine , trifluoperazine , fluphenazine , felbamate , haloperidol , droperidol , mesoridazine , pimozide , quetiapine , risperidone , thioridazine , ziprasidone , lithium , chloral hydrate , pericycline , sertindole , sultopride , zimeldine , maprotiline , felbamate , fosphenytoin , sevoflurane , bepridil , lipoflazine , prenylamine , intracoronary papaverine , isradipine , nicardipine , moexipril / hydrochlorthiazide , arsenic trioxide , tamoxifen , probucol , sumatriptan , zolmitriptan , naratriptan , indapamide thiazide , furosemide , cisapride , metoclopramide , domperidone , erythromycin , arsenic trioxide , tizanidine , tacrolimus , salmeterol , levomethadyl , pinacidil , cromakalin , aconitine , veratridine , batrachotoxin , anthopleurin a , ketanserin , vincamine , terodiline , budipine , cesium chloride , tiapride , levomethadyl acetate , cocaine , organophosphorus compounds . the amount of antiarrhythmic agent contained in the oral dosage forms of the present invention will depend on the particular antiarrhythmic agent selected and the dosing schedule upon which the antiarrhythmic is dosed to the patient . one embodiment of the invention comprises a method for treating atrial fibrillation in a mammal in need thereof comprising orally administering to said mammal a solid oral dosage form comprising a unit dose of a pharmaceutical composition comprising a antiarrhythmic or a pharmaceutically acceptable acid , salt , ester , solvate , or polymorph thereof and from about 80 mg to about 200 mg of an aspirin or from about 1 mg to about 200 mg of a statin . in one embodiment of the invention a patient is administered from about 75 mg to about 300 mg of azimilide in combination with both an aspirin and a statin . the instant formulations may be separate dosage formulations of the pro - arrhythmic agent and aspirin and / or stain administered concurrently ( at the same time ) or at different staggered times ( sequentially ) or the combination comprising an antiarrhythmic in combination with an aspirin and / or statin may be in a single pharmaceutical dosage formulation . the instant invention is understood to include all these options . the daily dosage amount of the pro - arrhythmic agent are intended to be the same or similar to those amounts which are employed for the treatment of the particular disorder and that are described in either the labels of the fda approved drugs ( for example amiodorone , dofetilide , sotolol droperidol , levomethadyl , spafloxacin , thioridazine , cisapride ) or in published papers on the drugs . in certain embodiments the daily dosage of dofetilide is about 125 mg to 500 mg and the daily dosage of amiodorone is from about 400 to about 1600 mg . in one embodiment the daily dosage of azimilide is about 50 mg to about 150 mg . the daily dosage amount of the aspirin or statins are intended to be the same or similar to those amounts which are employed for inflammation or anti - hypercholesterolemic treatment , respectively , and which are described in the physicians &# 39 ; desk reference . in one embodiment the oral dosage amount of a statin is from about 1 to 200 mg / day , preferably from about 5 to 160 mg / day . however , amounts vary depending on the potency of the statin as well as other factors . the statin may be administered from 1 to 4 times per day , preferably once per day . as examples , simvastatin may be selected from 5 mg , 10 mg , 20 mg , 40 mg , 80 mg and 160 mg ; lovastatin , 10 mg , 20 mg , 40 mg , and 80 mg ; fluvastatin , 20 mg , 40 mg , and 80 mg ; pravastatin , 10 mg , 20 mg , and 40 mg ; and atorvastatin , 10 mg , 20 mg , and 40 mg . the pharmaceutical compositions of the present invention may further comprise one or more pharmaceutically - acceptable excipients . the term “ pharmaceutically - acceptable excipients ,” as used herein , means any physiologically inert , pharmacologically inactive material known to one skilled in the art , which is compatible with the physical and chemical characteristics of the active ingredient , including but not limited to the antiarrhythmic , aspirin or statin . pharmaceutically - acceptable excipients include , but are not limited to , polymers , resins , plasticizers , fillers , lubricants , diluents , binders , disintegrants , solvents , co - solvents , surfactants , preservatives , sweetening agents , flavoring agents , pharmaceutical grade dyes or pigments , and viscosity agents . the present invention also encompasses the use of an agent that causes pro - arrhythmia for the preparation of a medicament for the combined use with an aspirin or statin for the treatment or prevention of a disorder , such as cardiac arrhythmia , with reduced incidence of tdp ; and the use of an aspirin and / or statin for the preparation of a medicament for the combined use with an agent for the treatment or prevention of a disorder , such as cardiac arrhythmia , with reduced incidence of tdp . the medicament or pharmaceutical combination comprised of the agent that may cause pro - arrhythmia and aspirin and / or statin may also be prepared with one or more additional active agents or excipients . the formulations , method and medicaments of the present invention may be used with other treatment regimens . in one embodiment , a medicament comprising azimilide and aspirin and / or statin may be administered to a person with an icd . flavoring agents and dyes and pigments among those useful herein include those described in handbook of pharmaceutical excipients ( 4th ed ., pharmaceutical press 2003 ). suitable co - solvents include , but are not limited to , ethanol , isopropanol , and acetone . suitable surfactants include , but are not limited to , polyoxyethylene sorbitan fatty acid esters , polyoxyethylene monoalkyl ethers , sucrose monoesters , sodium lauryl sulfate , tween 80 ®, and lanolin esters and ethers . suitable preservatives include , but are not limited to , phenol , alkyl esters of parahydroxybenzoic acid , benzoic acid and the salts thereof , boric acid and the salts thereof , sorbic acid and the salts thereof , chlorbutanol , benzyl alcohol , thimerosal , phenylmercuric acetate and nitrate , nitromersol , benzalkonium chloride , cetylpyridinium chloride , methyl paraben , and propyl paraben . suitable fillers include , but are not limited to , starch , lactose , sucrose , maltodextrin , and microcrystalline cellulose . suitable plasticizers include , but are not limited to , triethyl citrate , polyethylene glycol , propylene glycol , dibutyl phthalate , castor oil , acetylated monoglycerides , and triacetin . suitable polymers include , but are not limited to , hydroxypropylmethylcellulose , hydroxypropylcellulose , polyvinylpyrrolidone , and ethylcellulose . suitable lubricants include , but are not limited to , magnesium stearate , stearic acid , and talc . the kits of the present invention are particularly useful for administering one or more unit doses of a solid oral dosage form comprising a pharmaceutical composition of the invention comprising an antiarrhythmic agent and an aspirin and / or statin and an appropriate continuous dosing schedule . such kits comprise one or more unit doses of an antiarrhythmic agent and an aspirin and / or statin and a means for facilitating compliance with methods of this invention . in one embodiment , a kit of the present invention is useful for administering a unit dose of a pharmaceutical composition of the present invention according to a continuous dosing schedule . the term “ continuous ,” as used herein , means at regular specified intervals . for example , a continuous frequency of once a month means that the active is given one day each month for an unspecified period of time or for as long as treatment is necessary . the kits of the invention provide a convenient and effective means for assuring that the subject to be treated takes the appropriate active in the correct dosage in the correct manner . the compliance means of such kits includes any means that facilitates administering the actives according to a method of this invention . such compliance means includes instructions , packaging , and dispensing means , and combinations thereof . the kits can also comprise a means for aiding the memory , including but not limited to a listing of the days of the week , numbering , illustrations , arrows , braille , calendar stickers , reminder cards , or other means specifically selected by the patient . azimilide dihydrochloride film - coated tablets , 75 mg and 125 mg are as follows : unit quantity unit quantity ingredient ( mg / tablet ) ( mg / tablet ) core tablet 75 mg 125 mg azimilide dihydrochloride 75 . 0 125 . 0 lactose monohydrate nf 359 . 2 319 . 1 microcrystalline cellulose nf 133 . 7 118 . 7 crospovidone nf 18 . 0 18 . 0 talc nf 7 . 5 12 . 0 magnesium stearate nf 6 . 6 6 . 6 colloidal silicon dioxide nf 0 . 0 0 . 6 subtotal 600 mg 600 mg film coating dri - klear 14 . 18 14 . 200 chroma - tone white ( ddb - 7536w ) 3 . 82 3 . 650 ferric oxide red , nf 0 . 175 subtotal 18 mg 18 mg target total tablet weight = 618 mg clinical trials are conducted where 5375 patients receive oral doses of azimilide . patients are administered azimilide using a 3 - day , twice daily loading regimen of 150 - 250 mg / day followed by a daily maintenance regimen ( 75 - 125 mg / day ) of ½ of the loading dose , or are given daily azimilide ( 75 , 100 or 125 mg / day ) without a loading regimen . overall about 75 % of the patients are men and about 25 % are women . two cases of tdp are found in placebo - assigned patients and 54 azimilide - associated cases of tdp . lack of aspirin use or lack of statin use is more frequent in azimilide patients with tdp . a total of 1191 ( 22 %) patients ( 243 [ 16 %] females and 948 [ 25 %] males ) are taking statins and aspirin as concomitant medication . among the 54 patients ( 30 females and 24 males ) who experienced tdp , 35 % are on aspirin , 20 % are on statins and only 11 % are taking both a statin and aspirin as concomitant medication . all documents cited in the detailed description of the invention are , in relevant part , incorporated herein by reference ; the citation of any document is not to be construed as an admission that it is prior art with respect to the present invention . to the extent that any meaning or definition of a term in this written document conflicts with any meaning or definition of the term in a document incorporated by reference , the meaning or definition assigned to the term in this written document shall govern . while particular embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described , it would be obvious to those skilled in the art that various other changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . it is therefore intended to cover in the appended claims all such changes and modifications that are within the scope of this invention . | 0 |
embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings . fig1 is a schematic view showing a basic structure of a metering pump device to which at least an embodiment of the present invention is applied . fig2 is a perspective view showing a structural example of a metering pump device to which at least an embodiment of the present invention is applied . fig3 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a main body portion of the metering pump device shown in fig2 . as shown in fig1 , a metering pump device 1 in this embodiment is a pump device for discharging liquid or gas quantitatively or at a constant rate . the metering pump device 1 is provided with two reciprocating pump devices 10 a and 10 b in which inflow side valves 11 ai and 11 bi and outflow side valves 11 ao and 11 bo are respectively connected to inflow passages 12 ai and 12 bi and outflow passages 12 ao and 12 bo . a common discharge port 13 o is structured in a common outflow passage 12 o which is connected to the two reciprocating pump devices 10 a and 10 b through the outflow side valves 11 ao and 11 bo . further , in the metering pump device 1 in this embodiment , a common suction port 13 i is structured in a common inflow passage 12 i which is connected to the two reciprocating pump devices 10 a and 10 b through the inflow side valves 11 ai and 11 bi . in this embodiment , the reciprocating pump devices 10 a and 10 b are provided with the same structure as each other and all of the inflow side valves 11 ai and 11 bi and the outflow side valves 11 ao and 11 bo are provided with the same structure as each other . further , the inflow passages 12 ai and 12 bi are provided with the same structure as each other and the outflow passages 12 ao and 12 bo are provided with the same structure as each other . the metering pump device 1 in this embodiment is , for example , as shown in fig2 , provided with a main body portion 2 in a rectangular parallelepiped shape in which plural pieces of plate are laminated and a control device 3 ( control part ) which is connected with the main body portion 2 through a connector and a cable . the main body portion 2 is structured so that a bottom plate 75 , a base plate 76 , a flow passage structure plate 77 , and a top plate 78 for closing an upper face of the flow passage by covering an upper face of the flow passage structure plate 77 are laminated in this order . a pipe 781 structuring the common discharge port 13 o and a pipe 782 structuring the common suction port 13 i are connected to the top plate 78 . as shown in fig3 , each of the reciprocating pump devices 10 a and 10 b is provided with a valve element comprised of a diaphragm valve 170 , which is disposed in a pump chamber 20 , and a drive device 105 including a stepping motor ( drive source ) for driving the valve element to contract or expand an internal volume of the pump chamber 20 . when the stepping motor is rotated in one direction , the diaphragm valve 170 is driven in a direction to expand the internal volume of the pump chamber 20 and , when the stepping motor is rotated in the opposite direction , the diaphragm valve 170 is driven in the direction where the internal volume of the pump chamber 20 is contracted . in this embodiment , an amount of change of the internal volume of the pump chamber 20 corresponding to one step of the stepping motor is set to be 1 / 100 or less to the entire internal volume of the pump chamber 20 . the inflow side valves 11 ai and 11 bi and the outflow side valves 11 ao and 11 bo are respectively an active valve which is provided with a valve element ( diaphragm valve 260 ) and a linear actuator 201 and they perform an opening / closing operation independently . fig4 ( a )- 4 ( h ) are timing charts showing an operation of a metering pump device in this embodiment and its control is performed by the control device 3 shown in fig2 . fig4 ( a ) shows a state where a valve element is driven by a stepping motor in the first reciprocating pump device 10 a . in fig4 ( a ), an upward period in the waveform shows a state where the pump chamber 20 is contracted to discharge fluid and a downward period in the waveform shows a state where the pump chamber 20 is expanded to suck liquid . fig4 ( b ) and 4 ( c ) show states where the inflow side valve 11 ai and the outflow side valve 11 ao are driven for the first reciprocating pump device 10 a . when an upward signal in the waveform is inputted , after that , the valve is maintained in an open state until a downward signal in the waveform is inputted . when a downward signal in the waveform is inputted , after that , the valve is maintained in a close state until an upward signal in the waveform is inputted . fig4 ( d ) shows a state where a valve element is driven by a stepping motor in the second reciprocating pump device 10 b . in fig4 ( d ), during an upward period in the waveform , the pump chamber 20 is contracted to discharge liquid and , during a downward period in the waveform , the pump chamber 20 is expanded to suck liquid . fig4 ( e ) and 4 ( f ) show states where the inflow side valve 11 bi and the outflow side valve 11 bo are driven for the second reciprocating pump device 10 b . when an upward signal in the waveform is inputted , after that , the valve is maintained in an open state until a downward signal in the waveform is inputted . when a downward signal in the waveform is inputted , after that , the valve is maintained in a close state until an upward signal in the waveform is inputted . fig4 ( g ) shows a synthesized result of discharge amounts of liquids ( discharge amount from the common discharge port 13 o ) which are discharged from the first reciprocating pump device 10 a and the second reciprocating pump device 10 b . fig4 ( h ) shows a synthesized result of suction amounts of liquids ( suction amount from the common suction port 13 i ) which are sucked into the first reciprocating pump device 10 a and the second reciprocating pump device 10 b . although an operation for each time will be described below , in this embodiment , as shown in an upper side of fig4 ( a )- 4 ( h ), the control device 3 sets discharge periods t 1 a and t 1 b and waiting periods t 2 a and t 2 b at shifted timings for two reciprocating pump devices 10 a and 10 b . in addition , a starting time and an ending time of a discharge period ( for example , discharge period t 1 a ) of one of the reciprocating pump devices ( for example , the first reciprocating pump device 10 a ) are superposed on an ending time and a starting time of a discharge period ( for example , discharge period t 1 b ) of the other of the reciprocating pump devices ( for example , the second reciprocating pump device 10 b ). further , after a suction operation to the pump chamber 20 has been performed during the waiting periods t 2 a and t 2 b and , before the discharge periods t 1 a and t 1 b , the control device 3 performs a correcting operation in which both the inflow side valves 11 ai and 11 bi and the outflow side valves 11 ao and 11 bo are set in close states and a volume within the pump chamber 20 is contracted to eliminate a difference in pressure . in fig4 ( a )- 4 ( h ), first , up to the time “ t 0 ”, the reciprocating pump devices 10 a and 10 b are in a stop state in which liquid ( fluid ) has been sucked to the respective pump chambers 20 . further , all of the valves are in a close state . in this state , as shown in fig4 ( a ), 4 ( b ) and 4 ( c ), after the outflow side valve 11 ao for the first reciprocating pump device 10 a is opened at the time “ t 0 ”, at the time “ t 1 ”, the valve element in the first reciprocating pump device 10 a is driven in a direction so that the pump chamber 20 is contracted and , as a result , a liquid discharge is started . this discharge continues during the discharge period t 1 a ( i . e ., from time “ t 1 ” up to the time “ t 8 ”) and , during this time period , the first reciprocating pump device 10 a discharges liquid in a fixed quantity . then , at the time “ t 8 ”, the outflow side valve 11 ao for the first reciprocating pump device 10 a is set in a close state and the liquid discharge is stopped . this stopped state is continued during the waiting period t 2 a up to the time “ t 13 ”. in this waiting period t 2 a , at the time “ t 9 ”, the inflow side valve 11 ai for the first reciprocating pump device 10 a is set in an open state and , after that , from the time “ t 10 ” to the time “ t 11 ”, the valve element in the first reciprocating pump device 10 a is driven in a direction to expand the pump chamber 20 to perform a suction operation of liquid . next , at the time “ t 13 ”, the outflow side valve 11 ao for the first reciprocating pump device 10 a is set in an open state again and , after that , at the time “ t 14 ”, the valve element in the first reciprocating pump device 10 a is driven in a direction to contract the pump chamber 20 again and liquid discharge is started . this discharge is continued during the discharge period t 1 a up to the time “ t 22 ” and , during that time period , the first reciprocating pump device 10 a discharges liquid at a constant rate . at the time “ t 22 ”, the outflow side valve 11 ao for the first reciprocating pump device 10 a is set in the close state and the liquid discharge is stopped . this stop state is continued during the waiting period t 2 a ( i . e ., from time “ t 22 ” up to the time “ t 27 ”). in this waiting period t 2 a , at the time “ t 23 ”, the inflow side valve 11 ai for the first reciprocating pump device 10 a is set in the open state and , after that , from the time “ t 24 ” to the time “ t 25 ”, the valve element in the first reciprocating pump device 10 a is driven in a direction to expand the pump chamber 20 and a liquid suction operation is performed . afterwards , the above - mentioned serial operations are repeated with the valve element in the first reciprocating pump device 10 a driven in a direction between time “ t 28 ” through “ t 29 ” to contract the pump chamber 20 again and liquid discharge started again . on the other hand , as shown in fig4 ( d ), 4 ( e ) and 4 ( f ), the same operations are performed in the second reciprocating pump device 10 b but their timings are shifted . therefore , at the time “ t 6 ”, the outflow side valve 11 bo for the second reciprocating pump device 10 b is set in an open state and , after that , at the time “ t 7 ”, the valve element in the second reciprocating pump device 10 b is driven in a direction to contract the pump chamber 20 and a liquid discharge is started . the discharge is continued during the discharge period “ t 1 b ” up to the time “ t 15 ” and , during that time period , the second reciprocating pump device 10 b discharges the liquid at a constant rate . next , at the time “ t 15 ”, the outflow side valve 11 bo for the second reciprocating pump device 10 b is set in a close state and the liquid discharge is stopped . this stop state is continued during the waiting period t 2 b up to the time “ t 20 ”. in the waiting period t 2 b , at the time “ t 16 ”, the inflow side valve 11 bi for the second reciprocating pump device 10 b is set in an open state and , after that , from the time “ t 17 ” to the time “ t 18 ”, the valve element in the second reciprocating pump device 10 b is driven in a direction to expand the pump chamber 20 and a liquid suction operation is performed . afterwards , the above - mentioned serial operations are repeated . in this embodiment , in the time period “ t 7 ” through “ t 8 ” and the time period “ t 21 ” through “ t 22 ”, the ending time of the discharge period t 1 a of the first reciprocating pump device 10 a is overlapped with the starting time of the discharge period t 1 b of the second reciprocating pump device 10 b . further , in the time period “ t 14 ” through “ t 15 ”, the ending time of the discharge period t 1 b of the second reciprocating pump device 10 b is overlapped with the starting time of the discharge period t 1 a of the first reciprocating pump device 10 a . therefore , as shown in fig4 ( h ), liquid suction is intermittently performed but , as shown in fig4 ( g ), a discharge rate ( discharge amount per unit time ) is always constant which is a synthesized liquid discharge amount ( discharge amount from a common discharge port ), which is synthesized of amounts that are discharged from the first reciprocating pump device 10 a and the second reciprocating pump device 10 b . in the metering pump device 1 in this embodiment , in a case that there is a difference in pressure between the inside of the pump chamber 20 and the common discharge port 13 o side , immediately after the outflow side valves 11 ao and 11 bo have been changed into the open state , outflow of liquid occurs from the pump chamber 20 to the common discharge port 13 o side or inflow of liquid occurs from the common discharge port 13 o side to the pump chamber 20 to vary the discharge amount . in order to prevent this problem , in this embodiment , conditions are set in the control device 3 based on operating conditions of the metering pump device 1 so that a pressure in the common discharge port 13 o side is higher than a pressure within the pump chamber 20 . in other words , the control device 3 performs a correcting operation according to a previously set condition such that , in the waiting periods t 2 a and t 2 b , after a suction operation to the pump chamber 20 has been performed and before the discharge periods t 1 a and t 1 b , during the time periods “ t 5 ” through “ t 6 ”, “ t 12 ” through “ t 13 ” and “ t 19 ” through “ t 20 ”, both of the inflow side valve 11 ai and the outflow side valve 11 ao are closed , or both of the inflow side valve 11 bi and the outflow side valve 11 bo are closed , the valve element is driven in a direction contracting a volume of the inside of the pump chamber 20 in the first reciprocating pump device 10 a or the second reciprocating pump device 10 b . for example , in the waiting period t 2 a , after a suction operation to the pump chamber 20 has been performed and before the discharge period t 1 a , during the time periods “ t 5 ” through “ t 6 ” and “ t 19 ” through “ t 20 ”, both of the inflow side valve 11 ai and the outflow side valve 11 ao for the first reciprocating pump device 10 a are closed and the valve element is driven in a direction contracting the volume of the inside of the pump chamber 20 in the first reciprocating pump device 10 a to increase a pressure in the pump chamber 20 to eliminate a difference in pressure with respect to the common discharge port 13 o side . further , in the waiting period t 2 b , after a suction operation to the pump chamber 20 has been performed and before the discharge period t 1 b , during the time period “ t 12 ” through “ t 13 ”, both of the inflow side valve 11 bi and the outflow side valve 11 bo for the second reciprocating pump device 10 b are closed and the valve element is driven in a direction contracting the volume of the inside of the pump chamber 20 of the second reciprocating pump device 10 b to increase a pressure in the pump chamber 20 to eliminate a difference in pressure with respect to the common discharge port 13 o side . in the embodiment described above , since the pressure on the common discharge port 13 o side is higher than the pressure in the inside of the pump chamber 20 , the pressure within the pump chamber 20 before being discharged is increased . however , in a case that a pressure on the common discharge port 13 o side is lower than a pressure in the inside of the pump chamber 20 , as shown in fig5 ( a )- 5 ( h ), a correcting operation may be performed in which , in the waiting periods t 2 a and t 2 b , after a suction operation to the pump chamber 20 has been performed and before the discharge periods t 1 a and t 1 b , during the time periods “ t 5 ” through “ t 6 ”, “ t 12 ” through “ t 13 ” and “ t 19 ” through “ t 20 ”, both of the inflow side valve and the outflow side valve are closed and a valve element is driven in a direction expanding a volume in the inside of the pump chamber 20 . as described above , in the metering pump device 1 in this embodiment , two reciprocating pump devices 10 a and 10 b are used and a starting time and an ending time of a discharge time period of one of the reciprocating pump devices are overlapped with an ending time and a starting time of a discharge time period of the other of the reciprocating pump devices . therefore , in the reciprocating pump devices 10 a and 10 b , even when a discharge amount becomes zero at a top dead point or a bottom dead point , the entire discharge flow rate becomes always constant . further , after the suction operation and before the discharge periods t 1 a and t 1 b , the correcting operations t 3 a and t 3 b are performed in which both of the inflow side valve and the outflow side valve are closed and the volume of the inside of the pump chamber 20 is expanded or contracted to eliminate a difference in pressure . therefore , even when there is a difference in pressure on both sides of the outflow side valves 11 ao and 11 bo , discharging at a constant rate can be performed with a high degree of accuracy . further , in a case that a diaphragm valve is used as a valve element , unnecessary deformation may occur in the diaphragm valve due to a difference in pressure between an internal - pressure of the pump chamber 20 and atmospheric pressure . however , in this embodiment , suction and discharge can be performed while the above - mentioned deformation is corrected and thus high degree of accuracy for suction amount and discharge amount is obtained . further , in the reciprocating pump devices 10 a and 10 b , an operation is controlled by a signal pattern which is supplied to a stepping motor used in the drive device 105 . therefore , different from a structure in which an operation of a reciprocating pump device is controlled by a cam mechanism , a moving speed of a valve element ( diaphragm valve 170 ) can be easily changed only by changing a signal pattern which is supplied to the stepping motor . accordingly , the reciprocating pump devices 10 a and 10 b can stably deal with a condition from a little discharge amount to a large discharge amount per unit time . further , even in a case of condition that a discharge amount per unit time is large , reciprocating number of times of the diaphragm valve 170 is small and thus service life time of the metering pump device 1 is increased . further , each of the inflow side valves 11 ai and 11 bi and the outflow side valves 11 ao and 11 bo is an active valve which independently performs an opening / closing operation and thus both of the inflow side and the outflow side can be prevented from being opened . therefore , even when a pressure in the valve suction port 13 i side is higher than that in the discharge opening 13 o side , a forward flow does not occur and thus the metering pump device 1 is capable of discharging at a constant rate all the time . further , when all of the inflow side valves 11 ai and 11 bi and the outflow side valves 11 ao and 11 bo are set in the open state and the reciprocating pump devices 10 a and 10 b are operated , liquid can be drawn from the insides of the reciprocating pump devices 10 a and 10 b . as a result , freeze proofing can be easily performed . in addition , in the metering pump device 1 in this embodiment , the suction side and the discharge side are provided with the same structure and thus the suction side and the discharge side can be replaced with each other to be operated . therefore , liquid recovery can be performed from the discharge side to the suction side . in addition , a stepping motor is used as a drive source in the drive device 105 of the reciprocating pump devices 10 a and 10 b and a variation amount of the internal volume of the pump chamber 20 corresponding to one ( 1 ) step of the stepping motor is set to be 1 / 100 or less with respect to the entire internal volume of the pump chamber 20 . therefore , the resolving power of the metering pump device 1 in this embodiment is high . further , when energization is stopped , a stepping motor can hold the position of the rotor by holding power . therefore , even when a position holding of the diaphragm valve 170 is performed , continuous energization is not required which is different from a case when a solenoid or the like is used and thus low power consumption can be attained . according to this viewpoint , an ac synchronous motor may be used instead of the stepping motor . in the first embodiment , it is set in advance that the correcting operations shown in fig4 or 5 are performed . however , in the second embodiment , a monitoring device is provided which directly or indirectly monitors a difference in pressure between pressures in the insides of the pump chambers 20 in the reciprocating pump devices 10 a and 10 b and that of the common discharge port 13 o side . the control device 3 performs a correcting operation which is described with reference to fig4 ( a )- 4 ( h ) or fig5 ( a )- 5 ( h ) on the basis of a monitoring result in the monitoring device when there is a difference in pressure between a pressure in the inside of the pump chamber 20 and the common discharge port side . in this embodiment , as shown in fig6 , first pressure sensors 14 a and 14 b which monitor pressures in the respective pump chambers 20 in the reciprocating pump devices 10 a and 10 b and a second pressure sensor 14 o which monitors a pressure in the common discharge port 13 o side are used as the monitoring device . in the monitoring device structured as described above , for example , after a suction operation to the inside of the pump chamber 20 has finished , detection results of the first pressure sensors 14 a and 14 b and a detection result of the second pressure sensor 14 o are compared with each other and a difference in pressure is monitored . the control device 3 determines on the basis of the monitoring result which condition of the correcting operations is performed , in other words , which condition is performed whether the condition shown in fig4 ( a )- 4 ( h ) or the condition shown in fig5 ( a )- 5 ( h ). on the other hand , when there is no difference in pressure between the inside of the pump chamber 20 and the common discharge port side , the correcting operation is not performed . in the first embodiment , it is set in advance that the correcting operations shown in fig4 or 5 are performed . however , in the third embodiment , similarly to the second embodiment , a monitoring device is provided which directly or indirectly monitors a difference in pressure between pressures in the insides of the pump chambers 20 in the reciprocating pump devices 10 a and 10 b and that of the common discharge port 13 o side . the control device 3 performs the correcting operation which is described with reference to fig4 ( a )- 4 ( h ) or fig5 ( a )- 5 ( h ) on the basis of a monitoring result in the monitoring device when there is a difference in pressure between a pressure in the inside of the pump chamber 20 and the common discharge port side . in this embodiment , as shown in fig7 , pressure sensors 14 a and 14 b for monitoring pressures in the respective insides of the pump chambers 20 in the reciprocating pump devices 10 a and 10 b are used as the monitoring device . in the monitoring device structured as described above , for example , at the time “ t 19 ”, a detection result of the pressure sensor 14 b which is disposed in the pump chamber 20 in the reciprocating pump device 10 b where a suction operation to the inside of the pump chamber 20 has been finished and a detection result of the pressure sensor 14 a which is disposed in the pump chamber 20 in the reciprocating pump device 10 a are compared with each other and a difference in pressure between the inside of the pump chamber 20 and the common discharge port side is monitored . this is because that , at the time “ t 14 ”, a detection result of the pressure sensor 14 a in the reciprocating pump device 10 a is equal to a pressure of the common discharge port side . the control device 3 determines on the basis of the monitoring result the condition where the correcting operation is performed during the time period “ t 19 ” through “ t 20 ”, in other words , which of the condition shown in fig4 ( a )- 4 ( h ) or the condition shown in fig5 ( a )- 5 ( h ) is performed . on the other hand , when there is no difference in pressure between the inside of the pump chamber 20 and the common discharge port side , the correcting operation is not performed . a specific structural example of the reciprocating pump devices 10 a and 10 b which are used in the metering pump device in this embodiment will be described with reference to fig3 and 8 . fig8 is an exploded perspective view showing the reciprocating pump device which is longitudinally divided and is used in a metering pump device to which at least an embodiment of the present invention is applied . as shown in fig3 and 8 , the main body portion 2 of the metering pump device 1 in this embodiment is structured so that the bottom plate 75 , the base plate 76 , the flow passage structuring plate 77 and the top plate 78 are laminated in this order . the reciprocating pump devices 10 a and 10 b are structured within holes formed in the base plate 76 . in this embodiment , each of the reciprocating pump devices 10 a and 10 b include the pump chamber 20 , the diaphragm valve 170 ( valve element ) for expanding and contracting an internal volume of the pump chamber 20 to perform suction and discharge of liquid , and the drive device 105 for driving the diaphragm valve 170 . the drive device 105 includes a ring - shaped stator 120 , a rotation body 103 coaxially disposed on an inner side of the stator 120 , a movable body 160 coaxially disposed on an inner side of the rotation body 103 , and a conversion mechanism 140 for converting rotation of the rotation body 103 into a force for moving the movable body 160 in an axial direction to transmit to the movable body 160 . in this embodiment , the drive device 105 is mounted between a foundation plate 79 and the base plate 76 in a space formed in the base plate 76 . in the drive device 105 , the stator 120 is structured so that a unit including a coil 121 which is wound around a bobbin 123 and two pieces of yoke 125 which are disposed to cover the coil 121 is stacked in two layers in an axial direction . in this state , in both of the up - and - down two layers , pole teeth protruded in the axial direction from inner circumferential edges of two pieces of the yoke 125 are alternately juxtaposed in a circumferential direction to function as a stator of the stepping motor . the rotation body 103 is provided with a cup - shaped member 130 which opens upward and a ring - shaped rotor magnet 150 which is fixed on an outer peripheral face of a cylindrical drum part 131 of the cup - shaped member 130 . a center of a bottom wall 133 of the cup - shaped member 130 is formed with a recessed part 135 which is recessed upward in the axial direction . the foundation plate 79 is formed with a bearing part 751 which receives a ball 118 disposed in the recessed part 135 . further , an inside surface on an upper end side of the base plate 76 is formed with a ring - shaped stepped part 766 and an upper end portion of the cup - shaped member 130 is formed with a ring - shaped stepped part , which faces the ring - shaped stepped part 766 of the base plate 76 , comprised of an upper end portion of the drum part 131 and the ring - shaped flange part 134 . a bearing 180 comprised of a ring - shaped retainer 181 and bearing balls 182 which are held by the retainer 181 at separated positions in a circumferential direction is disposed in an annular space which is formed by these ring - shaped stepped parts . in this manner , the rotation body 103 is supported by the main body portion 2 in the state that the rotation body 103 is capable of rotating around an axial line . an outer peripheral face of the rotor magnet 150 in the rotation body 103 faces the pole teeth which are juxtaposed in the circumferential direction along an inner peripheral face of the stator 120 . in this embodiment , an “ s ”- pole and an “ n ”- pole are alternately arranged in the circumferential direction on the outer peripheral face of the rotor magnet 150 , and the stator 120 and the cup - shaped member 130 structures the stepping motor . the movable body 160 is provided with a bottom wall 161 , a cylindrical part 163 which is protruded in the axial direction from a center of the bottom wall 161 , and a drum part 165 which is formed in a cylindrical shape so as to surround the cylindrical part 163 . a male screw 167 is formed on an outer periphery of the drum part 165 . in this embodiment , in order to structure the conversion mechanism 140 for reciprocatedly moving the movable body 160 in the axial direction by using rotation of the rotation body 103 , a female screw 137 is formed on an inner peripheral face of the drum part 131 of the cup - shaped member 130 at four portions away from each other in the circumferential direction . in addition , the male screw 167 which is engaged with the female screw 137 in the cup - shaped member 130 to structure the power transmission mechanism 141 is formed on the outer peripheral face of the drum part 165 of the movable body 160 . therefore , when the movable body 160 is disposed on the inner side of the cup - shaped member 130 so as to make the male screw 167 engage with the female screw 137 , the movable body 160 is supported on the inner side of the cup - shaped member 130 . further , the bottom wall 161 of the movable body 160 is formed with six elongated holes 169 as a through hole in the circumferential direction , and six projections 769 are extended from the base plate 76 so that lower end parts of the projections are 769 are fitted into the elongated holes 169 to structure a co - rotation preventive mechanism 149 . in other words , when the cup - shaped member 130 is rotated , rotation of the movable body 160 is prevented by the co - rotation preventive mechanism 149 which is structured of the projections 769 and the elongated holes 169 . therefore , the rotation of the cup - shaped member 130 is transmitted to the movable body 160 through the power transmission mechanism 141 comprised of the female screw 137 and the male screw 167 of the movable body 160 and , as a result , the movable body 160 is linearly moved between one side and the other side in the axial direction depending on rotating direction of the rotation body 103 . the diaphragm valve 170 is directly connected with the movable body 160 . the diaphragm valve 170 is formed in a cup shape which is provided with a bottom wall 171 , a cylindrical drum part 173 which is formed upright in the axial direction from an outer peripheral edge of the bottom wall 171 , and a flange part 175 which is widened on an outer peripheral side from an upper end of the drum part 173 . a center portion of the bottom wall 171 is fixed with a fixing screw 178 and a cap 179 in a vertical direction in a state that the center portion of the bottom wall 171 is covered over the cylindrical part 163 of the movable body 160 . further , an outer peripheral edge of the flange part 175 of the diaphragm valve 170 is formed with a thick wall part functioning as a liquid - tightness and positioning portion . the thick wall part is fixed between the base plate 76 and the flow passage structuring plate 77 around the through hole 21 of the flow passage structuring plate 77 . in this manner , the diaphragm 170 defines a bottom face of the pump chamber 20 and liquid - tightness between the base plate 76 and the flow passage structuring plate 77 is secured around the pump chamber 20 . in this state , the drum part 173 of the diaphragm valve 170 is turned around in a “ u ”- shape in cross section and a shape of a turn - around portion 172 varies depending on a position of the movable body 160 . however , in this embodiment , the turn - around portion 172 of the diaphragm valve 170 which is formed in a “ u ”- shape in cross section is disposed in an annular space structured between a first wall face 168 formed of an outer peripheral face of the cylindrical part 163 of the movable body 160 and a second wall face 768 formed of inner peripheral faces of the projections 769 extended from the base plate 76 . therefore , the diaphragm valve 170 deforms to be developed or wound up along the first wall face 168 and the second wall face 768 under the state that the turn - around portion 172 is held in the annular space in every state . further , the bottom wall 133 of the cup - shaped member 130 is formed with one groove 136 over an angular range of 270 ° in the circumferential direction , and a bottom face of the movable body 160 is formed with a downward projection ( not shown ). in this embodiment , the movable body 160 does not rotate around the axial line but moves in the axial direction and , on the other hand , the rotation body 103 rotates around the axial line but does not move in the axial direction . therefore , the projection and the groove 136 function as a stopper which determines a stop position of the rotation body 103 and the movable body 160 . in other words , a depth of the groove 136 varies in the circumferential direction and , when the movable body 160 is moved downward in the axial direction , the projection is fitted into the groove 136 and the end part of the groove 136 is abutted with the projection by rotation of the rotation body 103 . as a result , the rotation of the rotation body 103 is prevented and the stop position of the rotation body 103 with the movable body 160 , i . e ., the maximum expanded position of the internal volume of the diaphragm valve 170 is determined . in the reciprocating pump devices 10 a and 10 b structured as described above , when the stepping motor in the drive device 105 is rotated in one direction , the diaphragm valve 170 is driven in the direction so that the internal volume of the pump chamber 20 is enlarged and , when the stepping motor is rotated in the other direction , the diaphragm valve 170 is driven in the direction so that the internal volume of the pump chamber 20 is reduced . in other words , when an electrical power is applied to the coil 121 of the stator 120 , the cup - shaped member 130 is rotated and the rotation is transmitted to the movable body 160 through the conversion mechanism 140 . therefore , the movable body 160 performs a reciprocating linear - motion in the axial direction . as a result , the diaphragm valve 170 deforms in conformity to movement of the movable body 160 to expand or contract the internal volume of the pump chamber 20 and thus , in the pump chamber 20 , inflow of liquid from the inflow passages 12 ai and 12 bi is performed and outflow of liquid to the outflow passages 12 ao and 12 bo is performed . as described above , in the reciprocating pump devices 10 a and 10 b in accordance with this embodiment , rotation of the rotation body 103 by the stepping motor mechanism is transmitted to the movable body 160 through the conversion mechanism 140 , in which the power transmission mechanism 141 comprised of the male screw 167 and the female screw 137 is utilized , to perform a reciprocating linear - motion in the movable body 160 to which the diaphragm valve 170 is fixed . therefore , power is transmitted from the drive device 105 to the diaphragm valve 170 with the minimum necessary members and thus the size , thickness and cost of the reciprocating pump devices 10 a and 10 b can be reduced . further , when lead angles of the male screw 167 and the female screw 137 in the power transmission mechanism 141 are set to be smaller or , when the number of the pole teeth of the stator on the driving side is increased , a minute feeding of the movable body 160 can be performed . therefore , the volume of the pump chamber 20 can be controlled strictly and thus discharging in a fixed amount can be performed with a high degree of accuracy . further , in this embodiment , the diaphragm valve 170 is used and the turn - around portion 172 of the diaphragm valve 170 is deformed to develop or wind up along the first wall face 168 and the second wall face 768 under the state that the turn - around portion 172 is held in the annular space and thus excessive sliding does not occur . therefore , a useless load does not occur and service life time of the diaphragm valve 170 becomes longer . further , the diaphragm valve 170 does not deform even when a pressure is applied by liquid in the pump chamber 20 . therefore , according to the reciprocating pump devices 10 a and 10 b in this embodiment , discharging with a fixed amount can be performed with a high degree of accuracy and reliability is also high . in addition , the rotation body 103 is rotatably supported around the axial line by the main body portion 2 through the bearing balls 182 . therefore , sliding loss is small and , since the rotation body 103 is stably held in the axial direction , a thrust force in the axial direction is stable . accordingly , the size of the drive device 105 can be reduced and improvement of the durability and discharging performance can be obtained . in this embodiment , a screw is utilized for the power transmission mechanism 141 of the conversion mechanism 140 but a cam groove may be utilized . in addition , in the embodiment described above , a cup - shaped diaphragm valve is used as a valve element . however , a diaphragm valve having another shape or a piston provided with an o - ring may be used . with reference to fig3 and fig9 , in a metering pump device in this embodiment , a specific structural example of the active valve will be described below which is used as the inflow side valves 11 ai and 11 bi and the outflow side valves 11 ao and 11 bo . fig9 is an explanatory longitudinal sectional view showing an active valve which is used as the inflow side valves 11 ai and 11 bi and the outflow side valves 11 ao and 11 bo in the metering pump device 1 to which at least an embodiment of the present invention is applied . in fig3 and fig9 , the active valve is provided with a stepping motor 301 that is a drive source , an inflow port 308 a and an outflow port 308 b . a lead screw 302 comprised of , for example , a right - hand screw is press - fitted and fixed to the rotation shaft 301 a of the stepping motor 301 . the lead screw 302 rotates in a direction which is the same as that of the stepping motor 301 . a female screw 303 a of the valve holding member 303 is threadedly fitted to the lead screw 302 . therefore , when the stepping motor 301 is rotated in a ccw direction ( counterclockwise direction ) which is viewed from the lead screw 302 side , the valve holding member 303 approaches to the stepping motor 301 and , when the stepping motor 301 is rotated in a cw direction ( clockwise direction ) which is viewed from the lead screw 302 side , the valve holding member 303 goes away from the stepping motor 301 . in other words , rotation of the lead screw 302 is converted into a linear - motion because the lead screw 302 and the valve holding member 303 are engaged with each other through screw engagement and turning of the valve holding member 303 is prevented . a spring receiving part 303 b is concentrically formed on an outer peripheral side of the valve holding member 303 and a spring 304 is held by the spring receiving part 303 b and the stepping motor 301 . the spring 304 is comprised of a compression coil spring , which urges the valve holding member 303 in a direction separating from the stepping motor 301 . in this embodiment , a compression coil spring is utilized but , for example , a tension coil spring may be utilized . in this case , a tension coil spring is held on an opposite face of the spring receiving part 303 b of the valve holding member 303 . a center portion of the valve holding member 303 is formed with a convex - shaped diaphragm holding part 303 c , which is fitted to an undercut part 260 a of the diaphragm valve 260 . in this embodiment , the diaphragm valve 260 is fixed by means of that its outer peripheral portion 260 b is pinched by the base plate 76 and the flow passage structuring plate 77 and a bead 260 e on its outer peripheral side is also pinched and fixed . the bead 260 e prevents fluid from leaking from a gap space between the base plate 76 and the flow passage structuring plate 77 to improve sealing property . further , since a film part 260 c of the diaphragm valve 260 is easily deformed , the film part 260 c is formed in a circular arc shape so that stress is not concentrated . in this embodiment , the diaphragm valve 260 is formed with a bead part 260 d in a concentric manner on an opposite side to the undercut part 260 a and on an abutting portion with the flow passage structuring plate 77 . in the active valve structured as described above , the valve holding member 303 is urged in a direction separating from the stepping motor 301 by the spring 304 . therefore , when the valve holding member 303 is linearly moved , a state is maintained in which a slant face on the stepping motor 301 side of the screw part of the lead screw 302 is contacted with a slant face on an opposite side to the stepping motor 301 side of the female screw 303 a of the valve holding member 303 . in other words , a state that the lead screw 302 and the valve holding member 303 are engaged with each other is maintained . on the other hand , when the hole 277 is closed by the diaphragm valve 260 , the urging force of the spring 304 is balanced with a force of counteraction which is applied to the diaphragm valve 260 by the flow passage structuring plate 77 , and a state is maintained in which a slant face , which is on an opposite side of the stepping motor 301 side , of the screw part of the lead screw 202 is not contacted with a slant face on the stepping motor 301 side of the female screw 303 a of the valve holding member 303 . in other words , the lead screw 302 and the valve holding member 303 are maintained in a non - engaging state with each other through a play ( backlash ), and the diaphragm valve 260 is urged by the spring 304 in a direction closing the hole 277 . therefore , the hole 277 can be closed securely . with reference to fig3 and 10 , in a metering pump device in this embodiment , another specific structural example of an active valve which is used as inflow side valves 11 ai and 11 bi and outflow side valves 11 ao and 11 bo will be described below . fig1 is an explanatory longitudinal sectional view showing an active valve which is used as inflow side valves 11 ai and 11 bi and outflow side valves 11 ao and 11 bo in the metering pump device 1 to which at least an embodiment of the present invention is applied and which is viewed from obliquely below . as shown in fig3 and 10 , an active valve which is used as the inflow side valves 11 ai and 11 bi and the outflow side valves 11 ao and 11 bo is provided with a linear actuator 201 within a hole 765 of the base plate 76 . the linear actuator 201 includes a cylindrical fixed body 203 and a roughly cylindrical movable body 205 which is disposed on an inner side of the fixed body 203 . the fixed body 203 is provided with a coil 233 circumferentially wound around a bobbin 231 , and a fixed body side yoke 235 which surrounds the coil 233 from an outer peripheral face of the coil 233 to an inner side through both sides in an axial direction of the coil 233 and whose one tip end part 236 a and the other tip end part 236 b are faced each other in the axial direction on an inner peripheral side of the coil 233 through a slit 237 . the movable body 205 includes a first movable body side yoke 251 formed in a circular plate shape and a pair of magnets 253 a and 253 b which are laminated on both sides in the axial direction of the first movable body side yoke 251 . rare earth magnet of nd — fe — b system or sm — co system , or resin magnet may be used for the pair of the magnets 253 a and 253 b . further , in the movable body 205 , second movable body side yokes 255 a and 255 b are respectively laminated on end faces on an opposite side to the first movable body side yoke 251 of the pair of the magnets 253 a and 253 b . each of the pair of the magnets 253 a and 253 b is magnetized in the axial direction , and the same poles are directed to the first movable body side yoke 251 . in this embodiment , each of the pair of the magnets 253 a and 253 b is disposed so that an “ n ”- pole is directed to the first movable body side yoke 251 and an “ s ”- pole is directed to an outer side in the axial direction . however , the magnetizing direction may be reversed . in this embodiment , the outer peripheral face of the first movable body side yoke 251 is protruded on an outer peripheral side from the outer peripheral faces of the pair of the magnets 253 a and 253 b . further , the outer peripheral faces of the second movable body side yokes 255 a and 255 b are protruded on an outer peripheral side from the outer peripheral faces of the pair of the magnets 253 a and 253 b . recessed parts are formed on both end faces in the axial direction of the first movable body side yoke 251 , and the pair of the magnets 253 a and 253 b are respectively fitted to the recessed parts and fixed with an adhesive or the like . the first movable body side yoke 251 , the pair of the magnets 253 a and 253 b and the second movable body side yokes 255 a and 255 b may be fixed to each other by adhesion , press fitting or their combination to be integrated . further , bearing plates 271 a and 271 b ( bearing member ) are fixed to opening parts on both sides in the axial direction of the fixed body 203 . support shafts 257 a and 257 b which are projected on both sides in the axial direction from the second movable body side yokes 255 a and 255 b are slidably inserted into the holes of the bearing plates 271 a and 271 b . in this manner , the movable body 205 is supported by the fixed body 203 in the state that it is capable of reciprocating in the axial direction . in this state , the outer peripheral face of the movable body 205 faces the inner peripheral face of the fixed body 203 through a predetermined gap space , and the tip end parts 236 a and 236 b of the fixed body side yoke 235 face each other in the axial direction in a gap space between the outer peripheral face of the first movable body side yoke 251 and the inner peripheral face of the coil 233 . further , a space is secured between the movable body 205 and the fixed body side yoke 235 . the second movable body side yokes 255 a and 255 b and the support shafts 257 a and 257 b may be fixed by adhesion , press fitting or their combination to be integrated . in the linear actuator 201 structured as described above , in this embodiment , a shaft body 259 is connected with a tip end part the support shaft 257 b , and a center portion of the diaphragm valve 260 disposed in a valve chamber 270 is connected with the shaft body 259 . a ring - shaped thick wall part 261 which functions as liquid - tightness and positioning is formed on an outer peripheral side of the diaphragm valve 260 . the outer peripheral side including the ring - shaped thick wall part 261 of the diaphragm valve 260 is sandwiched between the base plate 76 and the flow passage structuring plate 77 to secure liquid - tightness . in the linear actuator 201 structured as described above , during a period when an electric current flows through the coil 233 from a rear side to a front side on the right side in the paper and , the electric current flows through the coil 33 from the front side to the rear side on the left side in the paper , the movable body 205 is received with a thrust force in the axial direction by a lorentz force as shown by the arrow “ b ” to be moved . as a result , a hole 277 structuring a middle portion of the flow passage is closed and the flow passage is shut off . on the other hand , when the energization direction to the coil 233 is reversed , the movable body 205 is moved downward along the axial direction as shown by the arrow “ a ” to open the hole 277 structuring the middle portion of the flow passage . in the linear actuator 201 in this embodiment , the movable body 205 is advanced by a magnetic force and , in addition , a coil spring 291 in a truncated - cone shape is disposed between the bearing plate 271 a and the second movable body side yoke 255 a as an urging member on one side in the axial direction . therefore , when the movable body 205 is moved down , the movable body 205 is moved while the compression spring is deformed and , when the movable body 205 is moved upward , a returning force of the compression spring to its original shape assists to move it at a high speed . in this embodiment , the valve element is not limited to the diaphragm valve 260 and a bellows valve or another valve element may be used . further , the support shafts 257 a and 257 b and the valve element may be structured of separated members which are to be integrated , or one piece of member may be used which is integrally structured of the support shafts 257 a and 257 b and the valve element . as described above , in this embodiment , the pair of the magnets 253 a and 253 b in the movable body 205 is disposed so that the same pole are faced each other and thus magnetic repulsive forces are acted on each other . however , since the first movable body side yoke 251 is disposed between the magnets 253 a and 253 b , the pair of the magnets 253 a and 253 b can be fixed in the state that the same poles are directed to each other . further , the pair of the magnets 253 a and 253 b in the movable body 205 is disposed so that the same poles are directed to the first movable body side yoke 251 . therefore , a strong magnetic flux is generated from the first movable body side yoke 251 in the radial direction . as a result , when the first movable body side yoke 251 and the peripheral face of the coil 233 are faced each other , a large thrust force can be applied to the movable body 205 . in addition , magnetizing is performed on the magnets 253 a and 253 b in the axial direction and thus , different from a case that magnetizing is performed on the magnets 253 a and 253 b in the radial direction , the magnetizing is easy even when they are miniaturized and suitable for mass production . moreover , in this embodiment , the outer peripheral face of the first movable body side yoke 251 is protruded on the outer peripheral side from the outer peripheral faces of the pair of the magnets 253 a and 253 b . therefore , even when the fixed body side yoke 235 is provided , a magnetic attractive force acting on the movable body 205 in the direction perpendicular to the axial direction can be made smaller . similarly , the outer peripheral faces of the second movable body side yokes 255 a and 255 b are protruded on the outer peripheral side from the outer peripheral faces of the pair of the magnets 253 a and 253 b . therefore , even when the fixed body side yoke 235 is provided , magnetic attractive forces acting on the movable body 205 in the direction perpendicular to the axial direction can be made smaller . as a result , assembling work is easily performed and the movable body 205 is hardly inclined . further , in this embodiment , the magnets 253 a and 253 b are disposed on the inner peripheral side of the coil 33 and thus , in comparison with a case that the magnets 253 a and 253 b are disposed on the outer side of the coil 233 , the magnets 253 a and 253 b can be made smaller and the active valve can be structured at a low cost . further , since the coil 233 is disposed on the outer side , a magnetic path can be closed only with the fixed side yoke . in addition , the bearing plates 271 a and 271 b which movably support the support shafts 257 a and 257 b in the axial direction are held by the opening parts in the fixed body 203 which open in the axial direction . therefore , bearing members are not required to be disposed separately . further , since the bearing plates 271 a and 271 b can be fixed with the fixed body 203 as a reference , the support shafts 257 a and 257 b are not inclined . the metering pump device 1 to which at least an embodiment of the present invention is applied is used , for example , to quantitatively supply water to a reformer of various fuel cells . further , the metering pump device 1 to which at least an embodiment of the present invention is applied may be used for quantitatively supplying urea aqueous solution to a reformer for resolving and removing nitrogen oxides from exhaust gas of a diesel engine or used for feeding infusion liquid . especially , the metering pump device 1 is suitable to discharge at a constant rate or quantitatively in a field where a difference in pressure is large between a suction side and a discharge side . in the embodiment described above , two reciprocating pump devices 10 a and 10 b are used . however , at least an embodiment of the present invention may be applied to a metering pump device which is provided with three or more reciprocating pump devices . while the description above refers to particular embodiments of the present invention , it will be understood that many modifications may be made without departing from the spirit thereof the accompanying claims are intended to cover such modifications as would fall within the true scope and spirit of the present invention . the presently disclosed embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive , the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims , rather than the foregoing description , and all charges which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein . | 5 |
in the form of the device illustrated in fig1 the device 10 may comprise a thin walled cone 11 preferably made of a synthetic plastics material but which could be made of any other material having a density less than or not substantially greater than that of water . the cone has , through its apex an aperture 12 slightly larger than the diameter of the fishing line or trace with which it is to be used and may be of various sizes . in shown in the figure , the device 10 is threaded onto the trace 15 to which the hook 16 is to be connected , above the hook , and the hook and the free end of the trace is connected to a line 20 as is well known in the fishing art . the size of the device 10 is sufficient to overlie the hook when baited . in a second application as illustrated in fig3 to 6 the device 10 of the invention is placed on the line or trace 17 above a sinker 18 and in this case the device is preferably of a size to overlie at least the adjacent end of the sinker . preferably a knot is formed adjacent the apex to limit movement of the device . preferably the material from which the device 10 is made has , apart from the density property refered to above , a reasonable degree of flexibility . in order to obtain the desired properties , the device can be satisfactorily injection moulded . when the line 20 to which the devices are connected is to be used the hook 16 is baited in the normal way with the most desirable bait for the circumstances and the device 10 is either slid or permitted to slide to overlie the hook and bait . when the line is cast as illustrated in fig3 either by hand or mechanically it will be appreciated that the hook 16 and associated bait is drawn along by the weight of the sinker 18 and will be oriented rearwardly relative to the line . the device 10 of the invention will be caused to retain its position where it overlies the hook and bait or , if it was not in that position when the cast is started will adopt this position . this means that the bait is basically protected against displacement from the hook in that it is effectively held in position by the device of the invention which overlies it . when the sinker 18 hits the water , the trace carrying the hook and device will tend to follow behind the main line , as this would be its natural movement in any case and the device 10 of the invention provides a sea anchor type effect . again it will be seen that during this movement the device effectively shields the bait from any action by the water as the hook and its attached bait is being drawn downwardly and , it will be appreciated , that in some applications this downward movement will be relatively fast as the sinker being used can be relatively heavy . when the sinker 18 reaches the bottom or the movement of the line under the weight of the sinker otherwise ceases , then the baited hook on its trace will tend to drop relative to the line and at the same time because the device of the invention is lighter or of substantially the same weight as the water that it displaces , it will tend to move up the trace 15 , thus exposing the hook 16 and the bait , and will normally continue to move until it stikes the junction between the trace and the line . this situation is shown in fig4 . at this time it must be appreciated that , device is spaced from the hook and the bait and will have no effect on the action of the hook should it be taken by a fish . i believe that even when the device remains associated with the hook , fish can still take the bait . at the same time the device can act as an attractive device to fish and it may be of any required outer finish . for example it could be simply made of a white or coloured plastics material or it could , if required , be chromed or otherwise finished so as to be readily visible underwater . this could attract fish which would of course tend to be drawn towards the bait when they are attracted as the device would have no effective smell whereas the bait would have the appearance and smell of natural prey . when the line is to be taken in , and there is no fish on the hook , then again the upward movement of the line itself will cause the trace 15 to tend to move relative to the device which will move to a position where it overlies the hook and any bait which may still be thereon . this is shown in fig5 . this is particularly useful should there be anything on which the line can snag as , instead of there being a likelihood that the hook will snag , the hook is effectively encased within the device of the invention and because the device is effectively conically shaped this will tend to centralize in any restriction and will tend to be able to move there through . this is shown in fig6 . if the constriction is narrower in width than the maximum diameter of the device , then if the device is made of a flexible material , as was mentioned earlier , then there will be a deformation of the device whilst it moves through the restricted space and , once it becomes free of the restriction it will tend to return to its initial shape . we have not discussed the operation of a device of the invention in respect to the sinker and it will be appreciated that this is of little importance during casting and during normal fishing although , once again the device associated with the sinker would tend to move away from the sinker when the sinker reaches the bottom so i prefer to know the trace or line 17 to prevent this movement . the device can become useful in this circumstance is that , when the line is being withdrawn from the water , the device will provide a smooth tapered body which can be drawn through relatively narrow areas and which tends to prevent any snagging of the sinker . in practice even attepts to deliberately snag lines using the device of the invention have been unsuccessful . whilst i have in the foregoing described one particular form of device it is to be understood that without departing form the spirit and scope of the invention other forms could be readily used . for example the device as illustrated in fig2 is formed with small ribs or vanes 21 on its outer surface which will tend to make it track more accurately when it is being effectively used as a sea anchor , as previously described . also should it be required the actual shape of the device could be similar to a shell of a shell fish and could thus look more natural when in the water than would a perfectly conical device . the type of shell fish emululated could vary from such fish known as pipiwinkles which have an almost conical shell to a half mussel shell . the latter is probably not fully desirable as its aerodynamic property would be very much less satisfactory than those of the other types . the device of fig2 is shown as having a sponge 30 located about its internal periphery and i can place fish oil or some other attractor on the sponge . it will be seen that the device of the invention whilst very simple provides great advantages to anglers both in the area which appears to be a greater concern , the maintenance of the bait on the hook until it enters the water but also in the ease of effecting the removal of lines from areas where they might otherwise be badly snagged . | 0 |
reference will now be made in detail to the present preferred embodiments of the invention , an example of which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings . wherever possible , the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like elements or process steps . presently , many persons / customers utilize pc postage products to provide postage on their mailings . products for postage purchase and printing from a computer using standard ink jet and laser jet printers are developed by commercial providers and approved by the u . s . postal service . different companies offer product variations , but all are held to u . s . postal service requirements to ensure security and appropriate interface with postal service operations . customers are afforded options and opportunities to select the products that best meet their business needs , and such customers require assurance of compliance with postal service requirements . pc postage is a trademark owned by the u . s . postal service used on qualified pc postage products offered by approved and licensed vendors . the products purchased and printed on the mailings are generally referred to as evidence of u . s . postage . one way of providing evidence of postage is to utilize indicia on the mail piece such as a stamp , meter mark , or machine or human readable code . a machine readable code may include a barcode . currently , pc postage providers utilize a 2d barcode as evidence of u . s . postage , although other types of machine readable codes may be used . an example of such a barcode is shown in fig2 . the 2d barcode ( 40 ) is printed on the envelope with other information regarding the mailing . the entire evidence of postage is commonly called an information based indicia ( ibi ). the ibi , like other forms of postage such as stamps and meter impressions , is printed on an envelope in the upper right hand corner , or on a label for an envelope or package . it conveys evidence that postage has been paid and contains mail processing data requirements . in addition , the ibi contains security - related data elements . the indicia is made up of human readable information as well as a two dimensional barcode . fig4 is a table showing information contained in 2d barcode used by the postal service . the information includes : licensing zip code , destination delivery point , software id , ascending register , descending register , algorithm id , device id , date of mailing , postage , digital signature , rate category , reserve field , indicia version number , and certificate serial number . the code may also reflect the date the code or indicia was printed . of particular use in the present invention is the reserve field within the 2d barcode currently used by the postal service . thus , for purposes of the present invention and as embodied in fig1 it is possible for a customer using pc postage to select to include a coupon value amount in the reserve field ( step 100 ). having decided to include a coupon value , the customer may choose to include the information in one of at least two ways . the customer may choose to embed the coupon value in the machine readable code such as a 2d barcode containing the postage evidence information ( step 110 a ). alternatively , the customer may choose print the coupon value in a second machine readable code such as a upc barcode adjacent to the first machine readable code with human readable information represented by the ibi and to embed the coupon value in the first machine readable code ( step 110 b ). for example , the customer can choose to include the information that the envelope has a value of 20 % off purchase or perhaps a fixed price reduction such as a $ 20 . 00 discount . optionally the code may also reflect an expiration date for the coupon in machine or human readable form . in one optional embodiment , the discount coupons may appear in the reserve field ( step 110 a ) of the 2d barcode seen in pc postage . in addition , in some other area of the mail piece such as an area shown shaded in fig3 noted by reference number 50 , and referred to in this document as the advertising art area . for example , the customer may include information in human readable form that the envelope is worth 20 % off a purchase or a $ 20 . 00 discount off a next purchase ( step 110 b ). such information may also be included in the reserve field of the 2d barcode 40 , or in some other area of a machine readable code . it should be understood that one optional embodiment of the invention includes using software on a personal computer and printer , such as pc postage for example , to generate and print the indicia . however , other optional embodiments of this invention may include other means such as , but not limited to , large commercial printing machines to print the indicia . the machine readable indicia itself may take on a number of different forms . once the customer has input the necessary information , the postage , including the coupon value embedded within the postage , will be printed . in preparing the information input by the customer for printing as postage evidence , the pc postage product formats the applicable barcodes containing the necessary information and digitally signs the information . this aspect of pc postage is one example of how step 120 may be accomplished . thus , for ibi , a security device creates a unique digital signature that is included in the barcode of each mail piece . this unique digital signature makes it possible to detect counterfeiting , as discussed further later . after the coupon is formatted and digitally signed , the postage evidence is printed ( step 130 ). after the postage evidence is printed , the customer mails the envelopes having the postage evidence , including the embedded coupon value , to a list of recipients ( step 140 ). in this manner , the mail piece may be distributed to addresses on a mailing list . because of the use of the ibi , it is possible for the customer mailing the envelopes to obtain information regarding the recipients who redeemed their envelopes at a retailer . it should be understood that the customer originating the mailing may be , for example , an individual proprietor , a retailer , a home office of a large franchise , or a manufacturer of goods sold through a retailer . in addition , the coupon value may be for a percentage discount , a specific cash amount , or specific to a particular product . the recipient of the mailing can take the envelope to a redeeming vendor and redeem it , for example , at an individual proprietor &# 39 ; s shop if the proprietor is the originator of the coupon , or at a franchise outlet or a retail outlet ( step 150 ). the redeeming vendor scans the machine readable code to determine the coupon value amount ( step 160 ). the redeeming vendor may also verify the authenticity of the coupon by using commercially available software to decode and verify the digital signature ( step 165 ). alternatively , this authentication process may be carried out at a later time . for instance , if the redeeming vendor is not the originating customer , authenticity may not be verified until the coupon is returned to the originating customer ( step 170 ). scanning technology is used to read the machine readable information and verify its unique relationship to the mail piece . further , duplicates detected in the mail stream would indicate fraud . the digital signature is used to verify the information in the barcode has not been tampered with or changed in any way . in addition to determining the validity and value of the coupon , the redeeming vendor , or the originating customer , may extract additional marketing information from the ibi ( step 180 ). for example , it may be possible to determine how long after the mailing the coupon was redeemed , the types of products the coupon was redeemed for , and other valuable marketing information . other embodiments of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the invention disclosed herein . it is intended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary only , with a true scope and spirit of the invention being indicated by the following claims . | 6 |
fig1 is a top view of a structure 10 having a laser with a single stop cleaved facet . depicted is a semiconductor surface 11 having a laser 13 . there will , in general , be a plurality of epitaxial layers in the laser and underneath the surface . all layers are grown on a single substrate . however , the layers need not be the same as selective etching may be used to remove some layers on portions of the substrate as shown . the laser has a stop cleaved facet indicated as 15 . it also has a conventional cleaved facet indicated as 17 which runs along the entire length of one side of the substrate . the active stripe is depicted as 19 on the surface 1 . semiconductor surface 11 may be used for other devices such as an fet , a photodetector , etc . fig2 is a side view showing the structure of a stripe geometry laser fabricated with stop cleaving . the structure includes an n + ingaasp contact layer 21 approximately 1 μm thick , an n - type inp cladding layer 23 approximately 1 . 5 μm thick , an updoped ingaasp active layer 25 approximately 0 . 2 μm thick , a p - type inp cladding layer 27 approximately 1 . 5 μm thick and a p + ingaasp contact layer 29 approximately 0 . 5 μm thick . the epitaxial layers are on a semi - insulating inp substrate 31 . the p - and n - type metallizations are shown as 33 and 35 , respectively . insulator layer 37 has an opening on which metallization 33 is deposited to define the strip . the p - and n - type contact metallizations are performed with conventional lithographic lift - off procedures . the strip width was chosen to be approximately 5 μm . an expedient choice for the insulator is si 3 n 4 . the depicted structure is expediently formed by the following technique . the desired epitaxial layers are grown by conventional and well known techniques on the substrate . in one embodiment , the layers and substrate comprise semiconductors selected from the group consisting of group iii - v and group ii - vi semiconductors . the cleaving is better understood by reference to fig3 . one facet is then formed by conventional cleaving so that the cleavage plane extends along the entire length of chip while the other mirror is formed by stop cleaving . at the present time , it is believed that a single stop cleaved facet laser is preferably to a two stop cleaved facet laser as it is more convenient from a practical point of view because it is easier to couple the light out of the laser when the laser is located at a chip corner . stop cleaving is expediently performed after all of the steps required to fabricate the individual optoelectronic devices are performed . this includes photolithography , contact metallization , etc . holes are typically formed on the substrate by etching which may be either wet or dry . the hole is desirably rectangular in shape to minimize loss of surface area . a typical dimension is 75 μm × 550 μm . the holes are aligned parallel to the laser active area , i . e ., the longer edges of the hole are oriented parallel to the active area , and the distance between two neighboring holes is approximately 200 μm . this distance determines the cavity length and may be varied depending upon the desired cavity length . the hole may be etched through the substrate . alternatively , the hole may be etched partially through the substrate and then completed by lapping the substrate . the substrate containing the hole or holes is now cleaved into individual chips . this cleaving step forms one laser mirror and the cleavage plane on the chip side opposite the mirror . the second mirror is now formed using conventional cleaving techniques . however , the cleavage line does not propagate along the entire chip but is stopped by the hole . the cleaving technique is useful with other materials and , of course , the layer thicknesses as well as the laser structure may be varied . other materials include other group iii - v and group ii - vi compound semiconductors as well as other insulator materials . the sizes and shapes of the holes are not critical . however , they must be of a size and have a location so that the desired stop cleave will be stopped by a hole . as mentioned previously , rectangular holes will minimize loss of chip surface area . variations will be readily thought of by those skilled in the art . for example , forming two holes whose closest spacing is less than the desired chip width , enables lasers having two stop cleaved facets to be fabricated . it will also be appreciated that more than one laser may be fabricated on a chip . it will also be appreciated that devices other than lasers may be fabricated with cleaved facets . fig3 shows a typical shape for a substrate 38 before carrying out the stop - cleave operation . the figure shows the hole 39 used to stop the cleave so as to retain part of the substrate for other devices . more extensive substrate shapes may be used to obtain more devices . the stop cleave technique is well suited to monolithic optoelectronic integration for several reasons . first , the technique is compatible with conventional cleaving procedures and the results are relatively high - yield . second , the cavity length of the laser can be controlled very accurately and one may also cleave very short cavities . third , the lasers may be located anywhere along the edge of the chip . fourth , the technique is compatible with any type of semiconductor device and does not depend critically upon a precise choice of materials . the only additional step required to fabricate devices according to this invention is an etching following the device fabrication . an integrated laser - detector structure is depicted in fig4 . depicted in fig4 are a laser 41 , a detector 43 , and semiconductor surface 45 . the latter surface is useful for other devices such as field - effect transistors . fabrication proceeds by etching grooves on the substrate which become holes after the substrate is thinned . the facets of the laser and detector should be separated physically prior to stop cleaving although both devices remain attached to a common substrate . the laser is prepared by stop cleaving both facets although a similar procedure is not required for the detector . it is noted that ohmic separation between the devices is accomplished by locally etching the p + quaternory capped layer , and the underlying layers . thus , the n + inp layer serves as a common ground for both devices . the light versus current characteristics of a laser , such as depicted in fig4 emitting at 1 . 3 μm under pulsed operation is depicted in fig5 . the laser had a threshold current of 57 ma and a differential quantum efficiency of 17 %. the spacing between the laser and the detector facets was approximately 200 μm . | 7 |
to obtain the cell line proceeding from primary human hepatocytes the following steps were undertaken according to the invention ( which are also generally applicable to liver cells ): stimulation of a cell division round by hepatocyte growth factor ( hgf ), subsequent or simultaneous transfection of the antisense coding recombinants albasrb and albasp53 and optionally additional transfection with recombinants bringing about the expression of cyclin d1 and / or e2f . in particular , they are obtained as follows : in preliminary experiments primary human hepatocytes were cotransfected by the following plasmides : a prolongation of the life span of the cells up to 6 weeks was achieved while maintaining their morphology , yet an intensified permanent proliferation was not reached ( fig1 ). thereupon a degeneration of the cells was observed . with the aim to avoid the apoptotic death of the genetically modified primary hepatocytes the expression of gene p53 was additionally blocked . this blocking was reached in the following way : the hepatocytes extracted from the liver segment were sown with a cell density of 5 × 10 5 per 6 cm of pan and for 2 hours cultivated with wm e with growth factors and 10 % of fks . two hours after plating the medium was replaced by serum - free wm e . hgf ( 10 ng / ml ) was added to the medium . it is known that the hgf level in the serum will rise during the first hours after the partial resection of the liver . only 24 - 48 hours ( in various species ) after the operation the peak of the dna synthesis will be reached ; i . e . approx . 20 - 40 hours after the hgf effect set in . it was expected that the peak of the dna synthesis in primary human hepatocytes caused by plating and the effect of hgf should be detected also in the same period . on the day following the plating and addition of hgf the transfection of the hepatocytes was effected by means of lipofectamine with the following plasmides ( at a ratio 1 : 1 : 1 : 1 ): as the frequency of immortalizing primary human cells is very low hepatocytes were transfected in 5 pans ( total cell quantity 2 . 5 × 10 6 ). in addition , also 10 % of fks were added to the medium ( and also growth factors ) 5 hours after the transfection when replacing the medium . 18 days after the transfection the biggest part of the transfected cells was degenerated ( whereas the hepatocytes in the control pans maintained their viability up to 6 weeks ). during this time , a formation of 4 colonies was observed only in one pan . one of the colonies was transferred to a 24 &# 34 ; well &# 34 ; plate . fresh wm e and conditioned supernatant liquid of the colonies formed were added to these cells ( at a ratio 1 : 1 ). the cells grew on and after 2 days the number of cells had doubled . in the center of the colony the morphology of the cells was very similar to that of primary hepatocytes whereas the cells situated at the periphery of the colony were largely stretched out . in the second week the cells of the colony had rounded and scaled off the pan surface whereupon the cell death was observed . at the same time , a proliferation of the cells of the last colony was observed in the initial pan . sufficient asp53 was expressed presumably only at an extremely low percentage of the cells to save cells from apoptosis . after 10 days the cells reaching subconfluence were inoculated . after the passage ( inoculation ) the cells did no longer form compact colonies . the cell doubling time was short and passages were going on 2 times a week . up to 3 passages the cells depended on growth factors and serum and did not grow in the event of the cell density being low ( 3 × 10 4 cells per 6 cm of pan ). after 7 passages the growth of the cells was independent of insulin . the morphology of the cells is similar to that of human hepatocytes immortalized by sv40 t - ag ( pfeifer et al ., 1993 ) ( fig2 ). if the hepatocytes are sown at a low cell density as an individual cell suspension they show a stretched - out morphology . after cell - cell contacts formed the cells will reach a polygonal morphology similar to hepatocytes . after reaching confluence the cells will not form &# 34 ; three - dimensional foci &# 34 ; but scale off the pan surface . this points to the fact that a transformation of the cells has not taken place . by means of immunofluorescence the established cells were analysed to state their hepatocyte - specific parameters . primary human hepatocytes ( fixed 24 hours after isolation -- huprimhep ) and the cells of the human hepg2 and huh7 hepatoma lines were used for controlling . the results are presented in table 1 . table 1______________________________________hepatocyte - specific markers of established human hepatocytes ( hepz ) during immunofluorescence cells ckn8 ckn19 alb afp att______________________________________hepz + + ++ - + huprihep + + ++ - ++ huh7 + + ++ ++ - hepg2 + + ++ ++ - ______________________________________ primary human hepatocytes , hepg2 and huh7 cells , were used for controlling . the table shows that hepz ( fig3 a ) and huh7 ( fig3 b ), hepg2 cells ( fig3 c ) and primary hepatocytes ( fig3 d ) are strongly positive for albumin . after 3 passages hepz were still positive for alpha - 1 - antitrypsin ( aat ). unlike cells of the hepatoma line hepg2 ( fig3 e ) hepz are negative for fetoprotein ( afp ) ( fig3 f ). this points to the fact that the established cells come from differentiated hepatocytes . all cells ( also primary human hepatocytes ) were positive for ckn8 and for ckn19 . the hepz line was also tested for the expression of p53 and prb . the above - mentioned hepatoma lines ( tab . 2 ) served for controlling . table 2______________________________________detection of the expression of the proteins prb and p53 in hepz cells by immunofluorescence cells p53 prb______________________________________hepz + - huh7 +++ + hepg2 ++ +++ ______________________________________ hepg2 and huh7 cells served for controlling . a strong expression of the mutant p53 was detected in huh7 cells ( fig4 a ) and an expression of normal p53 in hepg2 cells ( fig4 b ). hepz cells were weakly positive for p53 ( fig4 c ). the huh7 cells were weak and the hepg2 cells were strong for prb ( fig4 d ). hepz cells were negative for prb ( fig4 e ). the elimination of prb expression ( fig5 a ) and a reduction , however not a complete inactivation of the p53 synthesis ( fig5 b ) in hepz cells , was also confirmed by means of western blot . a weak expression of p53 does not result from the incomplete elimination of the expression by means of antisense constructions . | 2 |
referring now in detail to the drawings , the reference numeral 10 denotes generally a combined book closure and page indexing device of this invention . the device 10 is intended for application with a range of different size books . with regard to the exemplary embodiment shown in fig1 the device 10 includes a page indexing loop 12 and a book closure loop 14 . each of the loops 12 , 14 is comprised of a continuous band of elastomeric material , preferably woven or braided fabric containing elastic fibers . by way of example , the loops 12 , 14 are approximately 12 - 14 inches in length and about 1 inch in width . it should be understood however , that each of the loops 12 , 14 may be of a different length and / or width e . g . the page indexing loop 12 can be as narrow as 1 / 8 inch . furthermore , the loops 12 , 14 can be formed as a continuous band or can be comprised of one or more band segments joined at their respective ends to form a continuous member . as further noted in fig1 the loop 12 lies substantially in a first plane and the loop 14 lies in a second plane displaced 90 degrees from the first plane . the purpose of this orthogonal relationship between the loops 12 , 14 is to assure that the respective loops 12 , 14 will lie parallel to and on the surfaces of the book . furthermore , the fabric construction of the loops 12 , 14 provides a medium for bearing indicia such as an advertising slogan , a company name , or other promotional material . thus , the device 10 also provides an advertising novelty for conveying messages . the loops 12 , 14 are interconnected at a point of intersection of the planes providing a common locus 16 . the connection of the respective loops 12 , 14 is accomplished by stitching 18 although alternative methods such as complementary velcro strips , buttons , ribbons , snaps or similar fasteners may be employed for accomplishing this result . fig2 illustrates the page indicating function of the device 10 and shows a book 20 having a front cover 22 and a back cover 23 and a plurality of sheets or pages 24 carried therebetween . the page indexing loop 12 encircles the front cover 22 of the book 20 and the pages 24 . it should thus be apparent that the indexing loop 12 is adaptable for separating the read pages from the unread portion of the book 20 . the elasticity of the loop 12 provides for yieldable engagement over a range of pages 24 . it should also be noted that the book closure loop 14 is secured to the page indexing loop 12 and is therefore readily available when one has completed reading a portion of the book 20 . the orthogonal arrangement of the respective loops 12 , 14 as previously mentioned , is suitable for providing contiguous encirclement of the book 20 by the closure loop 14 . as will be observed in fig3 not only is the indexing loop 12 secured in place , but the pages 24 of the book 20 are yieldably held between the respective book covers 22 , 23 and are thus protected from damage . it should thus be apparent that the book 20 can be deposited within a carry - case or other travel bag without displacement of the page indexing loop 12 or damage to the pages 24 . an alternate embodiment of the invention is illustrated in fig5 and 6 wherein a snap fastener 18a replaces the previous stitched loop connection at the common locus 16 . the snap fastener 18a includes a socket 26 and a ball member 28 adapted for snap - fit engagement within the socket 26 . furthermore , when engaged , the snap fastener 18a provides for rotational displacement to thus permit registered alignment or other non - orthogonal orientation of the respective loops 12a , 14a . as shown in fig5 the loops 12a , 14a can thus be placed around a book 20a along a coincident axis . this arrangement is particularly advantageous with books having an extensive length dimension as compared to the height dimension and therefore permits the encirclement around the height dimension as shown in fig5 . furthermore , the detachability of the loops 12a , 14a by use of the snap fastener 18a , provides additional versatility in that different size loops can be combined as may be required for accommodating a specific book . it should also be apparent that a velcro , hook and eye connection , can also be utilized for additional flexibility in combining loop members . it should thus be seen that there is provided a combined book closure and page indexing device which achieves the various objects of this invention and which is well adapted to meet conditions of practical use . since various possible embodiments might be made of the present invention or modifications might be made to the exemplary embodiments set forth , it is to be understood that all materials shown and described in the accompanying drawings are to be interpreted as illustrative and not a limiting sense . with these ends in view , the invention finds embodiment in certain combinations of elements and arrangement of parts by which the aforementioned objects and certain other objects are hereinafter attained , all as more fully described with reference to the accompanying drawings and the scope of which is more particularly pointed out and indicated in the appended claims . | 8 |
the purpose of the present invention is to provide a water circulation system that reduces the risk of growth and accumulation of micro - organisms in the pipes . the issue of micro - organism growth in circulating water systems is very important in residential , commercial and healthcare buildings such as apartment blocks , office buildings , hotels and hospitals . today most such buildings have an in - house water circulating system where the water has a temperature above 50 ° c ., usually around 57 ° c ., to avoid growth and accumulation of micro - organisms . individual water exit openings such as taps and showers heads in such systems however may be unused for periods of time and the static water in such water exit openings and their associated pipe work may encourage bacterial growth . fig1 illustrates schematically a first embodiment of a water supply system 80 according to the present invention . the system comprises a mixer unit 50 for supplying water to a water outlet head e . g . shower head 40 or a faucet or the like . the water outlet head comprises one or more water exit openings 45 . hot a and cold b water enters the mixing unit 50 and exits into the pipe 30 . when in the open position ( i . e . when someone is taking a shower ) the mixer unit operates as usual and gives a flow rate ( e . g . 0 . 2 litres per second ) which is in accordance with the building and sanitary codes for the country that it is being used in . the water flowing to the shower can have a suitable working pressure of e . g . 6 bar . the mixer unit can , depending on how it is adjusted , supply water at safe temperatures between , for example , 14 ° c . and 38 ° c . the water pressure ( and hence the flow rate ) and temperature can be altered through the flow and temperature regulators 51 respectively 52 . in a first embodiment of the present invention a pressure and / or flow sensing valve 60 , which may be mechanically , hydraulically or electronically operated , is provided prior to or inside the water outlet head 40 . additionally , a mixing valve 10 is provided and can be situated in the mixing unit 50 . the pressure and / or flow sensing valve 60 is arranged to be able to move between two extreme positions where at a first extreme position it allows all the water to flow out of the water outlet head 40 via its water exit openings 45 and at the second extreme position it allows all the water to flow into the water return pipe 70 . pressure and / or flow sensing valve 60 , is shown here schematically provided with a flap 61 but other forms of valves suitable for controlling the flow of water are also conceivable . pressure and / or flow sensing valve 60 can move the flap 61 between a first position i and a second position ii depending on the water pressure . at high pressures and / or flow rates , as when the mixer unit is fully opened , the mixing valve 10 is fully opened and the pressure and / or flow sensing valve 60 moves the flap 61 to the first position i and the water is allowed to exit through the water exit opening 45 . when the mixer unit is closed , i . e . when nobody is taking a shower for example , the mixing valve 10 allows a low pressure ( e . g . 0 . 1 bar ) low flow rate of water at a high temperature , above 55 ° c ., preferably 57 ° c . this is achieved by , for example , adjusting the mixing valves in the mixer unit 50 for incoming hot water and cold water to permit a predetermined leakage past them . the pressure and / or flow sensing valve 60 will then detect a drop in water pressure and / or the low flow rate and at a predetermined , reduced , pressure value or flow rate , the pressure and / or flow sensing valve 60 will move the flap 61 to the second position ii preventing the water from exiting through the water exit opening 45 . instead , the water flows past the water outlet head and then into the water return pipe 70 . there still is a constant water flow in the whole system , preferably including the water outlet head , but preferably no water exits through the water exit opening 45 . hence , the accumulation and reproduction of micro - organisms can be reduced in the whole system , including the water outlet head . thus in the second position ii , the pressure and / or flow sensing valve 60 will at the same time enable water to enter into return water pipe 70 while preventing water from exiting through the water exit opening 45 . the return water pipe can be connected to the overall in - house circulating water system 80 . since there is a constant flow in the system , including the water outlet head , the system can easily be disinfected through addition of disinfection chemicals or other additives . that is , if the system , for some reason , local or systematic , fails to keep the necessary temperature for example , disinfection additives may easily be added to restore the system . to avoid the risk of scalding an anti - scalding device may be provided to preventing the heated circulating water to exit from the water exit opening 40 during the first few seconds after the mixer unit is operated by a user who wishes to use the shower or faucet or the like . in a second embodiment the mixer valve 10 is provided in the mixer unit 50 . according to a third embodiment , the present invention provides a method of modifying existing water supply systems comprising the steps of providing a leaky mixer valve , preferably provided in the mixer unit , prior to a pressure and / or flow sensitive valve provided prior to or inside a water outlet head to ensure a constant flow . thus the mixer unit is connected to both hot and cold water supplies as normal . the only extra piping needed is a pipe between the valve in the shower head and the system return pipe . normally in buildings such as hospitals and hotels the system return pipe is position close to bathrooms — either in the roof space or the corridor outside the room — and thus connecting this extra piping is relatively cheap and easy . | 8 |
in the drawings only the bracket - shaped handle 10 of the external door handle appearing on the external side is illustrated . this handle , in the illustrated embodiment a so - called “ pull handle ”, is moveably supported with its two handle ends 11 , 12 in a base part , not illustrated in detail . this base part is generally provided on the inner side of the door or of the skin of the door . in addition to the handle 10 , as illustrated in dash - dotted lines in fig1 a so - called “ cylinder column ” is provided in which a closing cylinder can be received , if needed . the cylinder column 13 does not take part in the movement of the handle 10 . the handle 10 is provided with a hollow space 14 illustrated in fig2 in which a carrier 15 for electronic components is arranged . the electronic components 16 can be a ferrite rod acting as an antenna . for generating the hollow space 14 and for introducing the electronic components 16 and their carrier 15 , the handle 10 , as illustrated in the cross - section of fig2 is of a two - shell configuration . the latter is also true for the prior art which is illustrated in fig4 and 5 . here , the same reference numerals as in the first embodiment are used for identifying corresponding components but , as a differentiation , they are provided with a prime ( apostrophe ). the prior art handle 10 ′ is comprised of two shells 21 ′, 22 ′ for producing the prior art hollow space 14 ′. these include a u - shaped base shell 21 ′ whose two u - legs 23 ′ are connected by means of a cover shell 22 ′. for this purpose , a snap connection 24 ′ can be provided because both shells 21 ′, 22 ′ are made of plastic material which has a sufficient elasticity . in the connecting situation according to fig4 and 5 at the visible side 17 ′ of the handle 10 a contact seam 18 ′ results through which moisture or dirt can enter the hollow space 14 ′ via the engaged snap connection 24 . the visible side of the handle 10 ′ can be provided with an optionally rrmetallic decorative cover 19 ′. the handle 10 according to fig1 and 2 of the invention has a comparable configuration as regards the above description . the components already described in connection with fig4 and 5 are provided with corresponding reference numerals , however , without the prime ( apostrophe ) being added in these figures . accordingly , the preceding description applies . it is sufficient to only point out the differences . in the case of the handle 10 according to the invention pursuant to fig1 and 2 , a c - shaped front strip 20 is used which covers the two shells 21 , 22 at the visible side . the front strip 20 itself now forms the actual visible side 17 of the handle and covers the contact seam 18 . the c - end sections 25 of the front strip 20 cover a circumferential area of the two shells 21 , 22 where step - shaped recesses 26 are provided . finally , the two free c - ends 27 engage an upper and a lower groove 29 , 28 where they are arranged in a sunk arrangement . in the connecting situation clamping of the two shells 21 , 22 by this front strip 22 is realized . the aforementioned step 26 on the two shells 21 , 22 has a step depth which corresponds approximately to the thickness of the end sections 25 of the front strip 20 . this has the result that the handle 10 , despite the clamped - on front strip 20 , has a substantially projection - free contour 30 . the front strip 20 , in turn , can be provided with a decorative cover 19 . between the attached front strip 20 and the areas adjoining it and not covered of the two shells 21 , 22 , a “ shadow seam ” illustrated in fig2 and 3 can be provided . this shadow seam 31 only benefits the good appearance of the handle according to the invention . this shadow seam 31 does not entail the risk discussed in connection with the known contact seam 18 ′ of fig3 . moisture penetrating in the area of the shadow seam 31 cannot reach the hollow space 14 of the handle 10 according to the invention because a closed wall is arranged therebetween in the case of both shells 21 , 22 . fig3 shows a second embodiment of a handle 10 ″ according to the invention which is a space - saving arrangement in comparison to fig2 . for referencing analog components , the same reference numerals as in the first embodiment are used so that in this respect the preceding description applies . it is sufficient to point out only the differences . according to the invention , only a single u - shell 21 is provided whose u - opening 32 between the two u - legs 23 ″ is covered directly by the upper c - end section 25 ″ of the front strip 20 ″ provided thereat . this upper c - end section 25 ″ can also be provided with an inner hollow 33 . the two end sections 25 ″ provided here are arranged substantially parallel to one another and enable a sliding mounting of the two components 21 , 20 ″ in the direction of the mounting arrow 35 illustrated in fig3 . this results in an automatic snap connection 35 which is embodied in the following way . one snap element 36 is arranged at the inner surface 38 of the end section 25 ″ and is comprised of a tooth recess . the bottom area 39 of the u - shell 21 has a corresponding counter snap element 37 which is formed by a tooth projection . correspondingly , the outer u - leg 23 ″ of the shell 21 on the handle 10 ″ has such a tooth projection 37 on the leg end 40 . in this connection , the elements 37 , 38 are profiled in a special way . accordingly , the tooth flank active in the sliding direction 34 of the front strip 20 ″ has a leading slant 41 against which the stretched c - end 27 ″ will impact during mounting . this results in a slight spreading of the two c - end sections 25 ″ until the tooth recess 36 snaps onto the tooth projection 37 . detachment of the two components 21 , 20 ″ in the direction of the counter movement illustrated in fig3 by the arrow 43 is not possible easily because the oppositely positioned tooth flanks 42 active in this direction are steep . detachment 43 is thus possible only with a corresponding spreading of the two end sections 25 ″ that are snapped into place . in the second embodiment of the handle 10 ″ of fig3 the u - space 44 of a single shell 21 is the hollow space for receiving the already described carrier 15 for the electronic components 16 . in this case , the bottom area 39 and the two leg ends 40 are without steps and in areal contact with the inner surfaces 38 of the two c - end sections 25 ″. in a third embodiment of the handle 10 ′″ according to fig6 and fig1 , a base shell 21 ′″ has a transversely positioned u - shaped configuration whose u - opening faces the front strip 20 ′″ provided here . the u - shape is formed of the two legs 47 and the base 48 of the base shell 21 ′″. between the two legs 47 and the base 48 the u - space 44 ′ is formed into which the carrier 15 formed as a container of hart plastic material can be introduced via the lateral u - opening 32 ′. in the container 15 the electronic device 16 is encapsulated with a potting compound 46 in a water - tight and impact - proof way . the container 15 is open at the top so that the electronic device during manufacture can be introduced from above into the container and the encapsulation can take place also through the upper open surface of the container . the u - opening 32 ′ of the u - shaped base shell 21 ′″ is covered by the front section 45 of the front strip 20 ′″. this front strip 20 ′″ is secured on the base shell 21 ′″ by means of the hook - shaped c - ends 27 engaging in the upper groove 29 ′ and the bottom groove 28 ′ on the base shell 21 ′″. in this embodiment there is no seam on the visible side 17 of the front strip 20 ′″. the visible shadow seam 31 in this embodiment is instead provided between the c - end sections 25 and the visible outer sides of the legs 47 of the base shell 21 ′″, respectively . in fig7 through 9 it is illustrated in which operation the exit of a cable 50 of the handle 10 ′″ is arranged . this holds true also in an exemplary fashion for all further embodiments of the present invention . in the base shell 21 ′″ of the handle 10 ′″ in the area of the handle end 12 a penetration 52 is provided through which the cable 50 , which extends from the container / carrier 15 , is guided . this penetration could also be provided , for example , in the positions 52 ′, 52 ″, 52 ′″. also , several such penetrations 52 , 52 ′, 52 ″, 52 ′″ could be provided . when the handle is mounted on the door of the vehicle , the cable exit is covered and not visible to the user . the cable 50 is provided with a connecting plug 51 with which the electronic device , provided within the container 15 , is connected to the electronic system of the vehicle . 18 , 18 ′ contact seam between 21 , 22 or 21 ′, 22 ′ 24 , 24 ′ snap connection between 23 , 22 or 23 ′, 22 ′ | 8 |
the present invention relates to high performance multilayer resist structures including bilayer and top surface imaging ( tsi ) and methods of fabrication thereof . the bilayer structure is depicted in fig2 a . it is produced by depositing a thin resist on the order of 1000 - 4000 å on a thick underlayer ( on the order of 1000 å - 10 μm , more preferably 3000 å - 0 . 3 . 0 μm and most preferably 4000 å - 2 . 0 μm . the underlayer functions as a planarizing layer , an antireflective coat , and provides etch resistance for transferring the pattern into the substrate pattern . the bilayer resist contains an etch resistant functionality to act as a hard mask during the transfer of the resist process , such functionality being si , boron , tin , or other metal containing resist . this structure is referred to herein as a bilayer resist ( fig2 a ). another resist structure referred to as top surface imaging uses a conventional resist which after exposure is treated to an agent that can introduce etch resistant functionality such as silylation by vapor or liquid silylating agents . this resist structure is depicted in fig2 b and is referred to as top surface imaging ( tsi ). one specific example of tsi is carl described in hien et al in proc . spie , vol . 3333 , pt . 1 - 2 , 1998 , p . 154 - 64 ; this reference is incorporated herein by reference . both bilayer and tsi require a carefully designed underlayer — an underlayer which does not interact with the resist and exhibits no interfacial mixing with the resist . in addition , products from the underlayer can not diffuse into the resist that can contaminate the resist and components from the resist can not diffuse into the underlayer . in addition , the underlayer must provide appropriate optical properties ( n and k at a given wavelength ) to function as an antireflective coating ( arc ) and have appropriate etch resistance to allow the resist pattern to be transferred into the substrate silicon dioxide , silicon , and so on . it is well known that the effective exposure dose in optical lithography varies periodically with resist thickness due to thin film interference . the swing ratio s is defined as the fractional exposure change between an interference maximum thickness and an interference minimum thickness . s is a fundamental measure of the quality of a particular resist process . by reducing the swing ratio to near zero , the resist process is able to tolerate changes in optical phase due to resist and deposited film thickness non - uniformity . the swing ratio can be calculated by the following equation : s = 4 ( r 1 r 2 ) 0 . 5 e − αd ( 1 ) where r 1 is the reflectance at the resist air interface , r 2 is the reflectance at the top resist / arc interface , α is the resist absorption coefficient and d is the resist thickness . in this invention , we are mainly concerned in the reduction of the swing ratio by reducing r 2 through the use of a bilayer resist process with optimized underlayer layer arc . a diagram explaining the significance of the above parameters is shown in fig2 . in general , bilayer resist systems can be modeled so a to find bottom layer optical parameters ( n and k values ) as well as optimum thickness . to achieve this , a knowledge of the optical constants of the entire film structure is necessary in order to compute the swing ratio reduction . in general , underlayer thickness d varies between 1000 to 10000 a depending on film absorption . the extinction coefficient k can vary between 0 . 11 to 0 . 5 . more commonly , the k values were between 0 . 11 and 0 . 3 at duv for a 10 × reduction in swing ratio . the index of refraction n vary between 1 . 65 to 1 . 95 . the most typical underlayer used in bilayer and tsi has been cross - linked novolac / diazonapthoquinone ( dnq ) systems ( w . moreau , semiconductor lithography , 1988 , plenum , chapter 12 , pg . 591 , r . d . miller and g . m . wallraff , advanced materials for optics and electronics , vol . 4 , 95 - 127 ( 1994 )) the novolacs have many disadvantages as is described below . in particular , high temperature (& gt ; 200 c ) is needed to cross - link , the system must be carefully designed and controlled to prevent resist / underlayer interaction , its optical properties are significantly dependent on baking conditions . thus , to be able to use novolac systems in a bilayer , tsi process — the chemical composition and processing conditions must be controlled as described below otherwise significant interfacial interaction with the resist is observed limiting the ultimate resolution attained with the resist . the thermal decomposition of the dnq results in the formation of a highly reactive ketene intermediate that can form crosslinking ester functionalities with the phenolic sites of the matrix novolak . the crosslinking of this resin is essential to induce insolubilization and prevent dissolution during the solvent casting of the imaging layer . however , it was shown that underlayers formed from novolak / dnq produced an interface interaction with the imaging layer that results in gross residual material or “ scumming ” after development . this artifact of the underlayer prohibits its use within this system . in an effort to remedy this situation , we have determined that in the absence of a dnq additive , novolak can be caused to insolubilize simply by thermal curing of a solvent - removed , spin cast film . prolonged curing ( 2 - 5 min .) at elevated temperature ( 225 - 275 ° c .) is preferred . films prepared in this manner were insoluble in common casting solvent and allowed for casting of the top imaging layer without severe mixing . the severity of the residue after development was greatly diminished as compared to the dnq / novolak underlayer ; however , some residue was persistent . although the mechanism of this insolubilization has not been determined , it is proposed to occur due to densification of the glassy film after prolonged heating above its glass transition temperature ( tg ) coupled with a complex combination of thermally induced oxidation and / or electrophilic aromatic substitution , resulting in a crosslinked network . evidence for these proposals lies in the dependence of the molecular weight ( mw ) and polydispersity index ( pdi ) of the novolak polymers and the dependence of the optical properties ( n & amp ; k ) on the curing conditions shown in example 5 . for example , it was found that those polymers with higher mw values resulted in underlayers that produced less scumming . this was also the case with materials of higher pdi . it is proposed that residue is largely caused by an interaction of the imaging layer with the underlayer . it is evident that the degree and / or efficiency of crosslinking of the underlayer greatly contribute to this deleterious phenomenon . the amount of residue clearly correlates inversely with both the mw and the pdi of the novolak used in the formulation . therefore , it is desirable to have a novolac of high mw and a broad pdi for minimization of residue . the degree of crosslinking is directly dependent on the presence of polymeric chains of greater length , i . e . higher mw . it also appears that the presence of lower molecular weight species is important to the degree of crosslinking , as the increased ratio of functionalized hydroxymethyl “ end - groups ” to repeat units in these oligomers is high and leads to more crosslink sites per chain . the mw of the novolac is in the range of 2k - 50k , more preferably from 2 k - 25k and most preferably from 2 k - 15k . another problem with the novolac is that oxidation clearly occurs in these films as is apparent by the observed change in the optical density in the near uv and visible range . the optical absorption dramatically increases with increased curing temperature and time , consistent with the formation of highly absorbing quinoidal - type species . thus , since the optical properties change with a minor change in processing conditions ( example 4 ), it is very important to tightly control the processing conditions to avoid significant variations in optical properties . the best cross - link temperatures range between 200 and 300 ° c ., more preferably from 225 - 275 ° c ., and most preferably from 225 - 260 ° c . a fundamental disadvantage of all the previously described underlayer systems is that the mechanism of insolubilization , i . e . crosslinking , is not well understood . a more optimum underlayer has been designed by including specific functional groups in the polymer and formulation that can contribute a particular attribute . a formulation consisting of a polymer matrix system , a thermal acid generator , and a polyfunctionalized crosslinker was developed . each component serves its particular purpose ( optical properties , insolubilization , and etch properties ) on the basis of its chemical composition . in concert these material provide all the desired characteristics outlined above . variation of the mass percentage of these component results , as well as processing conditions , result in different performance of these materials . therefore , compositions of this type are fully tunable both on the molecular level and the formulation composition level . additionally , process latitude has been considered in the design of the components such that a robust process can be developed without concern for performance variation with slight deviation from nominal conditions . the polymeric system in these formulations consists of a copolymer or a terpolymer , or a blend of two or more homo - or copolymers . these polymers must be phase compatible , soluble in conventional casting solvents , and able to form high integrity , planarizing films . the copolymer or terpolymer or one or more of the blend components contains a covalently bonded “ chromophore ” that can be used as a means of modulating the optical properties of the material and a variety of wavelengths . for example , a poly ( hydroxystyrene ) ( phs ) based polymer that contains some portion of the aromatics rings with a substituent anthacenylmethyl or napthalene group allows for n & amp ; k modulation at 248 nm . this function group can be incorporated into the polymer structure either by direct copolymerization or by starting with a desired polymer platform ( i . e . phs ) and attaching the moiety by acid catalyzed electrophilic aromatic substitution / condensation with anthracenemethanol . it has been shown that the optical properties ( n and k ) at 248 nm can be tuned by controlling the degree of substitution of this functional group . the optical properties of the underlayer can be further modified via the polymeric system by the inclusion of other compatible polymer of differing optical properties into the aforementioned blend . for example , unsubstituted phs can be blended with anthracenemethylated phs to derive a blend with the desired optical properties . these polymer , being aromatic in nature , have a high carbon to hydrogen ratio and are thus consistent with materials that targeted for use in etch resistance applications . the addition of grafted fused - polycyclic aromatic groups , such as anthracene , add to the etch resistance properties of these copolymers . these are demonstrated in examples 8 and 9 . these polymers are rendered insoluble by an acid catalyzed reaction of an added crosslinking molecule with the polymer matrix . the thermally generated acid is provided by a thermal acid generator ( tag ) species . the crosslinking species is one of a number of previously reported ( q . lin , spie proceedings vol . 3049 974 - 987 ( 1997 ) polyfunctional species that can react with the phenolic sites of a polymer such as phs or anthracenemethylated phs . compounds which are suitable for this application include species based on mono , di , or multi hydroxy substituted methylphenols and derivatives as described in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 296 , 332 and amino plasts as described in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 212 , 046 and ibm docket y0997185 , based on urea or glycoluril resins commercially available from american cyanamid , melamines , tags are chosen from the class of compounds that undergo catastrophic decomposition at a given threshold temperature that results in the formation of one or more molecules of a strong acid . examples of these may be chosen from the class of compounds designed for the similar application of photoacid generators ( pags ) or structural similar species such as p - nitrobenzyl tosylate . particularly useful materials will decompose at a temperature that is suitable for resist underlayer processing . other materials that can be used as optimum underlayers include polyarylsulfones such as the barl material ( example 7 ), polyhydroxystyrene based derivatives , an example being a copolymer of polyhydroxystyrene and polyhydroxystyrene reacted with anthracenemethanol that contains a cross - linker , and acid catalyst ( thermal acid generator ), polyimides , polyethers in particular polyarylene ethers , polyarylenesulfides , polycarbonates such as polyarylenecarbonates , epoxies , epoxyacrylates , polyarylenes such as polyphenylenes , polyarylenevinylenes such as polyphenylenevinylenes , polyvinylcarbazole , cyclicolefins , polyesters . for the bilayer resist , the top layer resist incorporates etch resistant functionality such as silicon , boron ; tin , other metal atom . resists which are useful in practicing the current invention include si containing acrylates / methacrylates , si containing styrene derivatives , si containing norbornene type materials , silsesquioxanes , silanes , siloxanes . structures can be found in us patents am997002 and u . s . pat . nos . 5 , 296 , 332 ; 5 , 338 , 818 ; 5 , 422 , 223 ; 5 , 286 , 599 ; 5 , 238 , 773 ; 5 , 041 , 358 which are incorporated herein by reference . top surface imaging resists are based on acrylates / methacrylates , styrene based polymers , cyclic olefins and others whose structures are found in u . s . pat . nos . 5 , 322 , 765 ; 5 , 250 , 395 ; 5 , 229 , 251 ; 5 , 023 , 164 ; 4 , 908 , 298 ; 4 , 810 , 601 ; 4 , 657 , 845 ; 4 , 552 , 833 ; 4 , 613 , 398 which are incorporated herein by reference . other resist structures , cross linkers , acid catalysts useful in practicing the present invention can be found in us patents a list of resists include : uvx series ( ibm / shipley products consisting of hydroxystyrene / t - butylmethacrylate copolymers and terpolymers thereof with other polymerizable units such as styrene , methylmethacrylate , and so forth , methacrylate / acrylate polymers such as polymethylmethacrylate and derivatives thereof , snr , cgr , krs , zep , silicon containing resists , pbs ( polybutanesulfone ), organometallic resists , novolak containing resists , novolak / diazoquinone resists , and so forth . the resist can be + tone or − tone ; it can be a single layer resist or multilayer resist ; chemically amplified and non chemically amplified . the following u . s . patents describe resists useful to practice the present invention are incorporated herein by reference : u . s . pat . nos . 5 , 580 , 694 , 5 , 554 , 485 , 5 , 545 , 509 , 5 , 492 , 793 , 5 , 401 , 614 , 5 , 296 , 332 , 5 , 240 , 812 , 5 , 071 , 730 , 4 , 491 , 628 , 5 , 585 , 220 , 5 , 561 , 194 , 5 , 547 , 812 , 5 , 498 , 765 , 5 , 486 , 267 , 5 , 482 , 817 , 5 , 464 , 726 , 5 , 380 , 621 , 5 , 374 , 500 , 5 , 372 , 912 , 5 , 342 , 727 , 5 , 304 , 457 , 5 , 300 , 402 , 5 , 278 , 010 , 5 , 272 , 042 , 5 , 266 , 444 , 5 , 198 , 153 , 5 , 164 , 278 , 5 , 102 , 772 , 5 , 098 , 816 , 5 , 059 , 512 , 5 , 055 , 439 , 5 , 047 , 568 , 5 , 045 , 431 , 5 , 026 , 624 , 5 , 019 , 481 , 4 , 940 , 651 , 4 , 939 , 070 , 4 , 931 , 379 , 4 , 822 , 245 , 4 , 800 , 152 , 4 , 760 , 013 , 4 , 551 , 418 , 5 , 338 , 818 , 5 , 322 , 765 , 5 , 250 , 395 , 4 , 613 , 398 , 4 , 552 , 833 , 5 , 457 , 005 , 5 , 422 , 223 , 5 , 338 , 818 , 5 , 322 , 765 , 5 , 312 , 717 , 5 , 229 , 256 , 5 , 286 , 599 , 5 , 270 , 151 , 5 , 250 , 395 , 5 , 238 , 773 , 5 , 229 , 256 , 5 , 229 , 251 , 5 , 215 , 861 , 5 , 204 , 226 , 5 , 115 , 095 , 5 , 110 , 711 , 5 , 059 , 512 , 5 , 041 , 358 , 5 , 023 , 164 , 4 , 999 , 280 , 4 , 981 , 909 , 4 , 908 , 298 , 4 , 867 , 838 , 4 , 816 , 112 , 4 , 810 , 601 , 4 , 808 , 511 , 4 , 782 , 008 , 4 , 770 , 974 , 4 , 693 , 960 , 4 , 692 , 205 , 4 , 665 , 006 , 4 , 657 , 845 , 4 , 613 , 398 , 4 , 603 , 195 , 4 , 601 , 913 , 4 , 599 , 243 , 4 , 552 , 833 , 4 , 507 , 331 , 4 , 493 , 855 , 4 , 464 , 460 , 4 , 430 , 153 , 4 , 307 , 179 , 4 , 307 , 178 , 5 , 362 , 599 , 4 , 397 , 937 , 5 , 567 , 569 , 5 , 342 , 727 , 5 , 294 , 680 , 5 , 273 , 856 , 4 , 980 , 264 , 4 , 942 , 108 , 4 , 880 , 722 , 4 , 853 , 315 , 4 , 601 , 969 , 4 , 568 , 631 , 4 , 564 , 575 , 4 , 552 , 831 , 4 , 522 , 911 , 4 , 464 , 458 , 4 , 409 , 319 , 4 , 377 , 633 , 4 , 339 , 522 , 4 , 259 , 430 , 5 , 209 , 815 , 4 , 211 , 834 , 5 , 260 , 172 , 5 , 258 , 264 , 5 , 227 , 280 , 5 , 024 , 896 , 4 , 904 , 564 , 4 , 828 , 964 , 4 , 745 , 045 , 4 , 692 , 205 , 4 , 606 , 998 , 4 , 600 , 683 , 4 , 499 , 243 , 4 , 567 , 132 , 4 , 564 , 584 , 4 , 562 , 091 , 4 , 539 , 222 , 4 , 493 , 855 , 4 , 456 , 675 , 4 , 359 , 522 , 4 , 289 , 573 , 4 , 284 , 706 , 4 , 238 , 559 , 4 , 224 , 361 , 4 , 212 , 935 , 4 , 204 , 009 , 5 , 091 , 103 , 5 , 124 , 927 , 5 , 378 , 511 , 5 , 366 , 757 , 4 , 590 , 094 , 4 , 886 , 727 , 5 , 268 , 260 , 5 , 391 , 464 , 5 , 115 , 090 , 5 , 114 , 826 , 4 , 886 , 734 , 4 , 568 , 601 , 4 , 678 , 850 , 4 , 543 , 319 , 4 , 524 , 126 , 4 , 497 , 891 , 4 , 414 , 314 , 4 , 414 , 059 , 4 , 398 , 001 , 4 , 389 , 482 , 4 , 379 , 826 , 4 , 379 , 833 , 4 , 187 , 331 , which are described herein by reference . the multilayer resist structures described herein can be used for 248 , 193 , 157 , euv , e - beam , x - ray , and ion beam lithography . the following examples are given to illustrate the scope of the present invention . because these examples are given for illustrative purposes only , the invention embodied therein should not be limited thereto . the following example illustrates calculations for obtaining optimum bottom layer parameters of a bilayer system . parameters are optimized so as to reduce reflections at the resist / underlayer interface . computations are based on algorithms which use the fresnel coefficients as found in standard textbooks such as optics , by e . hecht and a . zajac , published in 1979 by wiley , pages 312 and 313 . these simulations can be extended to many different structures and they are not limited by the examples given below . the structure simulated in this example includes a si substrate , underlayer and photoresist . the parameters under investigation are the bottom layer optical constants n and k and film thickness d . the imaging si - containing resist index of refraction extinction coefficient k and film thickness are fixed and given by n = 1 . 78 , k = 0 . 018 and d = 2000 a at 248 nm . fig3 shows reflectivity at the underlayer / resist interface at 248 nm as a function of underlayer thickness for different values of refractive index ( n ) using a fixed value of k = 0 . 25 . the structure simulated includes a si substrate , underlayer and photoresist . these simulations show that there is no significant variation in reflectance as a function of refractive index . for instance , if 5000 a of an underlayer with 1 . 65 & lt ; n & lt ; 2 . 0 at 248 nm is chosen , a significant reflectivity reduction ( less than 0 . 01 ) can be achieved at the resist / underlayer interface . fig4 shows reflectivity at the underlayer / resist interface at 248 nm as a function of underlayer thickness , where k of the underlayer varies but n is fixed at 1 . 75 . the simulated layered structure is similar to the one described above . in this case , by increasing the extinction coefficient higher values of reflectance are obtained for a 5000 a thick underlayer . for bilayer resist structure the extinction coefficient has a stronger impact on reflectance than does the index of refraction . an underlayer material with k value of ˜ 0 . 2 or slightly below is desirable . the optimum optical properties of the underlayer are an index of refraction in a range from 1 . 65 to 2 . 0 and an extinction coefficient from about 0 . 18 to about 0 . 22 at 248 nm . thus , by using an underlayer 5000 a or thicker , the reflectance becomes insensitive to the underlying topography . the following example illustrates how to measure the optical constants n and k of the underlayer materials . this measurement technique can be applied to a variety of different processes and it is not limited by the two example above . the optical constants were measured using an n & amp ; k analyzer manufactured by n & amp ; k technology , s . clara , calif . a description of this instrument and its operation can be found in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 905 , 170 , 1990 . they use a method based on broadband spectrophotometry and equations for optical constants derived by forouhi and bloomer ( phys . rev . b , 38 , pp . 1865 - 1874 , 1988 ). their analysis is based on a physical model for the refractive index , n , and extinction coefficient , k , applicable to a wide range of semiconductor and dielectric films , and valid over the deep ultraviolet - near infrared wavelength range . the n ( l ) and k ( l ) ( l is the wavelength ) spectra of any material cannot be measured directly but they are determined from a de - convolution of a reflectance measurements r ( l ). this measurable quantity depends on film thickness , optical constants of the films and substrate . the “ n & amp ; k method ” provides an accurate , rapid , and non - destructive way to uncouple a reflectance measurement . algorithms can be generated that compare the theoretical reflectance with the measured one . from this comparison film thickness , n ( l ) and k ( l ) spectra can be determined . fig5 ( top ) show the reflectance spectra ( from 900 to 190 nm ) measured by the n & amp ; k analyzer of novolak underlayer by the method of example 6 . the corresponding n and k values are plotted in fig5 ( bottom ). fig6 ( top ) show the reflectance spectra ( from 900 to 190 nm ) measured by the n & amp ; k analyzer of barl underlayer by the method of example 7 . fig7 ( top ) show the reflectance spectra ( from 900 to 190 nm ) measured by the n & amp ; k analyzer of phs based underlayer ( 4cu5 ) by the method of examples 8 and 9 . the films analyzed are about from 7000 and to about 8000 a thick . for these particular examples n varies from ˜ 1 . 84 to ˜ 1 . 85 and k from ˜ 0 . 15 to ˜ 0 . 22 at 248 nm which is compatible with the reflectance analysis of example 1 . the following example is given to demonstrate the tuning of optical properties of novolac / diazonapthoquinone underlayers . the optical properties of the coated novolac / diazonapthoquinone materials that described in this example are : 1 ) the index of refraction ( n ) at 248 nm , 2 ) the extinction coefficient ( k ) at 248 nm and 3 ) the absorption coefficient ( a ) 248 nm was calculated from equation ( 1 ) above . shipley grade 2 novolak had been spun coated onto 8 ″ wafers then soft baked at 120 c for 30 seconds and hard baked at four different temperatures : 225 , 250 , 252 , 275 and 300 degrees c . for 90 seconds using contact hotplates . optical properties of novolac films measured by method described in example 2 and summarized in table 1 . we have found a strong correlation between the optical properties of novolak underlayers and processing conditions . novolac underlayers found hard to control due to high dependence of n and k values on process temperature . the following example is given to demonstrate the effect of n and k values of novolak underlayer on standing waves in imaging resist . shipley grade 2 novolak had been spun coated onto 8 ″ wafers then soft baked at 120 c for 30 seconds and hard baked at four different temperatures : 225 , 252 , and 300 degrees c . for 90 seconds using contact hotplates . a thin silicon containing resist ( fig1 ) is spun on a top of novolac underlayer and baked at 120 c for 60 sec . imaging silicon containing resist used in this example previously described in ibm patent docket # am997002 and 997023 and incorporated here as a reference . then , resist is exposed to a 248 nm rediation at a dose of about 38 mj / cm2 using asml micostepper and post - exposed baked at 120 c for 60 second . then resist is developed in ldd26w shipley developer . sem cross - section pictures of 150 nm l / s developed resist shown in fig8 . fig8 ( a ) shows resist profiles obtained using of novolak underlayer described in present invention and shown no “ standing waves ” which will result in good cd control of 150 nm devices . in comparison , fig8 ( b ) and ( c ) shows pictures of resist profiles fabricated using conventional novolak materials as un underlayer . clearly , standing waves can be seen on resist profiles when conventional novolak underlayers are used . the best cross - link temperatures range between 200 and 300 c , more preferably from 225 - 275 c , and most preferably from 225 - 260 c . the following example is given to demonstrate the effects of novolak resin polydispersity on the degree of residue at the underlayer interface . molecular weights ( mw ), molecular weight distributions ( mn ) and polydispersities ( pdi ) of novolak resins that described in this example summarized in table 3 . novolak resin of various molecular weights ( mw ), molecular weight distributions ( mn ) and polydispersities ( pdi ) i , ii , and iii were dissolved in pgmea ( 15 wt . %), and spin cast onto 8 ″ si wafers . the wafers were post - application baked at 120 ° c . for 60 s and subsequently cured at 252 ° c . for 90 seconds using a contact hotplate . the silicon containing imaging resist described in example 4 was applied and processed as in the example above . sem analysis demonstrated significantly lower degree of residue when the high polydispersity novolak ( i ) was employed ( fig9 ( a )) versus either of the other novolak samples ( ii and iii ) of lower polydispersity , as shown in fig9 ( b ) and ( c ). the following example is given to demonstrate how to tune the processing conditions of novolak underlayer materials to achieve device features of 150 nm and below conventional novolak materials which properties have not been tunes properly , incorporated herein by reference , can not be used as an underlayer materials for multilayer resists to form device features of 150 nm and below . specially tuned as described in examples 1 - 4 shipley grade 2 novolak resin had been spun coated onto 8 ″ wafers then soft baked at 120 c for 30 seconds and hard baked at 252 c for 90 seconds using contact hotplates . a thin silicon containing resist described in example 4 is spun on a top of novolac underlayer and baked at 120 c for 60 sec . then resist is exposed to a 248 nm radiation at a dose of about 38 mj / cm2 using asml micostepper and post - exposed baked at 120 c for 60 second . then resist is developed in ldd26w shipley developer . sem pictures of 150 mm l / s patterns of developed silicon containing resist shown in fig1 . boundary between imaging silicon resist and novolak underlayer is clearly visible . note that there is a limited amount of residue “ grass ” present at silicon resist underlayer interface due to interfacial mixing during the processing . but residue is not significant and does not effect the imaging resist resolution ( fig1 ( a )). fig1 ( b ) shows resist profiles on non tuned conventional shipley novolac / diazonapthoquinone resist spr 501 used as an underlayer . although novolac / diazonapthoquinone resist spr 501 was hard baked to suitably cross - linked the material to prevent interfacial mixing with the resist , significant residue was observed . resolution of 150 nm and below can not be attained with conventional novolac / diazonapthoquinone resists . the following example is given to demonstrate the use of barl as an underlayer material for multilayer resist system . barl had been spun coated onto 8 ″ wafers then baked at 225 c for 4 minutes using contact hotplates . a thin silicon containing resist described in example 4 is spun on a top of novolac underlayer and baked at 120 c for 60 sec . then resist is exposed to a 248 nm rediation at a dose of about 38 mj / cm2 using asml micostepper and post - exposed baked at 120 c for 60 second . then resist is developed in ldd26w shipley developer . fig1 shows sem picture of 125 / 150 nm l / s patterns of silicon containing resist on barl underlayer . the following example is given to demonstrate how a poly ( hydroxystyrene ) based underlayer is formulated . a four component poly ( hydroxystyrene ) based system is a blend of two polymers ( poly ( 4 - hydroxystyrene ) and 9 - anthracenylmethylated phs ), a crosslinking agent ( powderlink ), and a thermal acid generator ( p - nitrobenzyl tosylate ). fig1 shows chemical structures of poly ( 4 - hydroxystyrene ) ( fig1 ( a )), 9 - anthracenylmethylated phs ( fig1 ( b )), and tetrahydro - 1 , 3 , 4 , 6 - tetrakis ( methoxymethyl )- imidazo [ 4 , 5 - d ] imidazole - 2 , 5 -( 1h , 3h )- dione “ powderlink ” ( fig1 ( c )) and p - nitrobenzyl tosylate ( fig1 ( d )). the ratio of two polymers poly ( 4 - hydroxystyrene ) and 9 - anthracenylmethylated phs was 31 : 69 . this ratio may be adjusted between the ranges of 0 : 100 to 100 : 0 to deliver the desired optical properties . to this mixture , 10 wt -% ( based on the total polymer weight ) of the crosslinking agent - powerderlink and 5 wt -% ( based on the total polymer weight ) of the thermal acid generator , p - nitrobenzyl tosylate were added . the charges of these components may be adjusted to alter the performance of the underlayer . the following example is given to demonstrate the performance of silicon containing resist on polyhydroxy styrene based underlayer which was formulated as described in the example 8 . polyhydroxy styrene based underlayer had been spun coated onto 8 ″ wafers then soft baked at 120 c . for 30 seconds and then hard baked at 170 c . for 90 seconds using contact hotplates . a thin silicon containing resist described in example 4 was spun on a top of the underlayer and baked at 120 c . for 60 sec . then resist is exposed to a 248 nm rediation at a dose of about 38 mj / cm2 using asml micostepper and post - exposed baked at 120 c . for 60 second . then resist is developed in ldd26w shipley developer . fig1 shows sem picture of 150 nm l / s patterns of silicon containing resist on polyhydroxy styrene based underlayer and shows no residue at the imaging resist / underlayer interface . while the invention has been particularly shown and described with respect to preferred embodiment thereof , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing and other changes in form an details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . | 6 |
the illustrative pad box , generally indicated by reference character 3 , is suitable for use in applying pressure to the bottom of a shoe , for example a shoe s on a last l shown in fig1 . the pad box 3 comprises a framework 4 which supports other parts of the box 3 . the framework 4 comprises two side plates 6 which extend longitudinally of the box 3 and connecting members 8 which extend transversely of the box 3 interconnecting the side plates 6 ( one of the plates 6 is visible in fig1 and 2 but the other has been removed ). the pad box 3 also comprises a support generally designated 10 for shoe bottom engaging material which is mounted for pivoting movement on the framework 4 between the side plates 6 ( see fig1 ). the support 10 comprises a first supporting member 12 and a second supporting member 14 . the first supporting member 12 comprises two side plates 16 ( fig3 ) and two support bars 18 disposed between the plates 16 . secured to the upper surfaces of the two support bars 18 is a plate 20 of the member 12 which extends between the two side plates 16 . the support bars 18 and the side plates 16 have a cylindrical shaft 22 of the framework 14 passing therethrough so that they can pivot about the shaft 22 . the shaft 22 extends transversely of the box 3 and is supported by the side plates 6 . the shaft 22 also serves as the pivot about which the support 10 is mounted for pivoting movement . a forward end portion of the plate 20 is turned upwardly at 21 and is secured to a u - shaped block 24 of the member 12 ( see fig3 ) which passes over the two side plates 16 and is secured thereto . the block 24 is provided with holes 25 in an upper surface thereof and a clamping member 26 ( fig1 but omitted from fig3 ) is secured to the block 24 by screws 27 which enter the holes 25 . the clamping member 26 is also u - shaped and acts to clamp a peripheral edge of flexible material such as a leather sheet 28 to the block 24 . the leather sheet 28 constitutes the shoe bottom engaging material supported by the support 10 . the first supporting member 12 also comprises a rubber pad 30 secured to an upper surface of the plate 20 within a recess defined by the u - shaped block 24 . on top of the rubber pad 30 rests a rubber pad 32 which provides resilient backing for the leather sheet 28 . the rubber pad 32 is held on the member 12 by being fitted under two clips 34 ( fig3 ) of the member 12 which are mounted on the side plates 16 at a rearward end portion of the member 12 . the member 12 also comprises a shaft 36 which is supported by the side plates 16 and extends transversely of the box 3 . the shaft 36 has the second supporting member 14 pivotally mounted thereon so that the first and the second supporting members 12 and 14 are pivotally interconnected . the first supporting member 12 also comprises a y - shaped block 38 ( fig1 and 3 ) screwed to the underside of the plate 20 , a rearward bracket 40 also screwed to the underside of the plate 20 , a forward bracket 42 depending from the block 38 , two ears 44 which extend forwardly and upwardly one from each of the side plates 16 , and a cylindrical shaft 46 supported between the ears 44 . the purpose of the parts 38 , 40 , 42 and 46 will appear from the description below . the second supporting member 14 comprises a pair of side plates 48 which are pivotally mounted on the shaft 36 . adjacent the shaft 36 , a bar 50 ( fig3 ) of the member 14 interconnects the side plates 48 . the bar 50 has a plurality of slots 52 in an upper surface thereof ( see fig3 ), into which slots 52 an equal number of projections 54 from a bar 56 of the member 14 are received , the projections 54 being slidable in the slots 52 . opposite end portions of the bar 56 are slidable in slots 58 in the side plates 48 and the bar 56 can be moved relative to the bar 50 by means of two adjustment screws 60 . the screws 60 allow the length of a composite surface 62 provided by upper surfaces of the bars 50 and 56 , including the projections 54 , to be varied . thus the effective length of the support provided by the bars 50 and 56 can be adjusted while still providing a substantially continuous supporting surface for the leather sheet 28 . the rubber pad 32 extends from the member 12 across the surface 62 and passes around the bar 56 . a rearward end of the rubber pad 32 is secured to a spring 64 by a strap 66 ( fig1 ) so that the pad 32 is held taut around the bar 56 . the toeward end of the spring 64 passes through a slot in the upturned portion of the plate 20 and is secured to the aforementioned shaft 46 . the spring 64 rests on the plate 20 in a recess provided therefor in the rubber pad 30 . the leather sheet 28 also extends from the member 12 across the rubber pad 32 , where the latter is supported by the surface 62 , and passes around the bar 56 . thus the leather sheet 28 , which as aforesaid forms shoe bottom engaging material of the pad box 3 , has a portion thereof supported by the first supporting member 12 and a portion thereof supported by the second supporting member 14 . the pad box 3 also comprises first adjustment means by which the angle between the first and second supporting members 12 and 14 may be adjusted by pivoting the member 14 about the shaft 36 . the first adjustment means comprises a screw 68 ( fig1 ) mounted for rotation between the aforementioned brackets 40 and 42 . the first adjustment means also comprises a cog wheel 70 mounted on the screw 68 adjacent the bracket 42 , a shaft 72 mounted for rotation between the bracket 42 and one of the forwardly extending arms 74 of the aforementioned y - shaped block 38 , and a cog wheel 76 mounted on the shaft 72 and meshed with the cog wheel 70 . the shaft 72 is restrained against longitudinal movement thereof by a collar 78 thereon adjacent the bracket 42 and has a handle 80 thereon by which the shaft 72 can be turned . the first adjustment means also comprises a block 82 which has a threaded bore therein which is engaged by the screw 68 . a pair of links 84 of the first adjustment means are pivotally connected to opposite sides of the block 82 and are pivoted on a shaft 86 supported between downwardly and forwardly extending portions 88 of the side plates 48 . the arrangement is such that , because the block 82 is restrained against rotation by its connection with the links 84 , turning of the screw 68 causes the block 82 to move longitudinally of the screw 68 thereby causing the links 84 to move the shaft 86 and thereby pivoting the member 14 about the shaft 36 thus selectively altering the angle between the members 12 and 14 . the screw 68 can be turned by turning the handle 80 and therefore the shaft 72 and the cog wheel 76 . turning of the cog wheel 76 causes the cog wheel 70 and therefore the screw 68 to turn . the pad box 3 also comprises second adjustment means by which the support 10 may be adjusted pivotally relative to the framework 4 without alteration of the angle between the two supporting members 12 and 14 . the second adjustment means comprises an adjustment screw 90 ( fig1 ) extending generally upwardly and mounted for rotation between a lower block 92 pivotally mounted on a foward one of the connecting members 8 and an upper block 94 mounted on a bracket 96 supported by the block 92 . the screw 90 has a handle 98 secured thereto by which it can be turned . the second adjustment means also comprises a block 100 which has a threaded bore therethrough in which the screw 90 is engaged . the block 100 is pivotally mounted between the arms 74 so that it is restrained against rotation and , when the screw 90 is turned , moves longitudinally of the screw 90 . longitudinal movement of the block 100 on the screw 90 causes the y - shaped block 38 and therefore the entire member 12 and the member 14 to pivot about the shaft 22 without alteration of the selected angle between the members 12 and 14 . a pointer 102 is mounted on top of the block 100 so that , by reference to the pointer 102 , the tilt of the support 10 can be adjusted relative to a scale marked on the bracket 96 . at a rearward end portion of the pad box 3 ( see fig2 ), the side plates 6 support a shaft 104 which extends transversely of the pad box 3 . two supporting arms 106 ( one visible in fig2 ) are pivotally mounted on the shaft 104 and extend forwardly thereof . each of the arms 106 has a support member 108 slidably mounted thereon . the members 108 each comprise a portion 110 which rests on top of its associated arm 106 , a plate portion 112 which depends from the portion 110 and an arm portion 114 which extends generally forwardly from the plate portion 112 . each of the arm portions 114 carries a stud 116 which extends into a slot 118 in the associated arm 106 and each portion 110 has a slot 120 therein through which a locking screw 122 slidably extends . each locking screw 122 is threadedly received in a bore in the associated arm 106 and the arrangement accordingly is such that the support members 108 can each slide relative to their associated arm 106 unless locked in position by means of the associated locking screw 122 . forward end portions of the arm portions 114 support between them a transverse shaft 124 on which an adjustable supporting member generally designated 126 for shoe bottom engaging material rests for pivoting movement about the shaft 124 . the supporting member 126 is arranged to support shoe bottom engaging material in the form of a rubber pad 128 so that , when the pad box 3 is in use to apply pressure to the bottom of the shoe s , the pad 128 engages a heel portion of the bottom of the shoe s . the member 126 comprises a pair of parallel side plates 130 and a bridging plate 132 . the plate 132 is supported by the plates 130 and also by a transverse shaft 134 supported between the plates 130 . the rubber pad 128 is secured to an upper surface of the plate 132 , and a lower surface of the plate 132 rests on the shaft 124 . angle pieces 136 may depend from the plate 132 and abut the shafts 124 and 134 so that the member 126 is longitudinally restrained and does not slip off the shaft 124 . each of the side plates 130 has an arcuate rearward edge which is provided with a series of teeth 138 forming a ratchet . the member 126 is pevented from pivoting about the shaft 124 by a pair of pawls 140 which are fixedly mounted on a shaft 142 which is pivotally mounted in holes in the plate portions 112 . the pawls 140 engage the teeth 138 thereby preventing the member 126 from pivoting and are urged against the side plates 130 by a spring 144 which acts between one of the pawls 140 and one of the plate portions 112 . the arrangement is such that the position of the supporting member 126 can be adjusted longitudinally of the box 3 by loosening the locking screws 122 , sliding the support members 108 relative to the arms 106 and then tightening the screws 122 again . furthermore , the angle of the rubber pad 128 can be adjusted to conform to the inclination of the heel portion of the bottom of the shoe s , suppported by the box 3 , when clamped in operating position in the press , by disengaging the pawls 140 from the teeth 138 , pivoting the supporting member 126 about the shaft 124 and then reengaging the pawls 140 with the teeth 138 . the arms 106 each have a downwardly - extending portion 146 ( fig2 ). a block 148 is pivotally supported between the portions 146 and has a screw 150 threadedly received in a bore thereof . the screw 150 longitudinally of the pad box 3 and has a handle 152 secured thereto by which it can be turned . the screw 150 also passes through a smooth bore in a block 154 which is forward of the block 148 and abuts it . a spring 156 acts between the block 154 and a nut 158 threaded onto the screw 150 , the screw 150 threading the spring 156 , so that the spring 156 holds the block 154 against the block 148 . the arrangement is such that turning the screw 150 reduces or increases the distance between the block 154 and the nut 158 thereby reducing or increasing the influence of the spring 156 and therefore , for a purpose to be explained , increasing or reducing the force with which the spring 156 urges the block 154 against the block 148 . the block 154 is pivotally mounted between two links 160 which are pivoted on the shaft 104 between the arms 106 . nearer the shaft 104 than the block 154 , a further block 162 ( fig2 ) is pivotally mounted between the links 160 , and passing through a smooth bore in the block 162 is an adjustment screw 164 . the screw 164 is restrained against longitudinal movement relative to the block 162 by collars 166 on the screw 164 . the screw 164 extends longitudinally of the box 3 and can be turned by means of a handle 168 secured to a rearward end portion thereof . the screw 164 is threadedly received in a bore which passes through a block 170 which is pivotally mounted between two fixed confronting members 172 . the members 172 have transversely - extending portions 174 which are screwed to the side plates 6 . the members 172 are thus fixedly mounted on the framework 4 . the members 172 pass around the shaft 104 , and the screws 164 and 150 extend between the members 172 . the arrangement is thus such that , by turning the screw 164 , the links 160 are pivoted with the block 154 about the shaft 104 . as the links 160 pivot about the shaft 104 , the block 154 is pressed against the block 148 by the spring 156 thereby causing the arms 146 and 106 to pivot about the shaft 104 and the height of the shoe supporting member 126 to be altered . to use the pad box 3 to apply pressure to the bottom of the shoe s , the box 3 is mounted in a press having means for moving the box 3 heightwise relative to a toe post t ( fig1 ) and a heel post h of the press . an operator adjusts the pad box 3 so that its sheet 28 conforms to the shape of the bottom of the shoe s thereby enabling the press to apply a uniform pressure . the operator first positions the shoe s on the leather sheet 28 with its toe end pointing forwardly of the box 3 , the forepart portion of the bottom of the shoe s resting over the member 12 , and the waist portion of the bottom of the shoe s resting over the member 14 . the operator turns the handle 80 , thereby pivoting the member 14 about the shaft 36 , until the angle between the members 12 and 14 conforms to the angle between the forepart portion and the waist portion of the bottom of the shoe s so that the leather sheet 28 fits snugly against the bottom of the shoe s . a portion of the leather sheet 28 supported by the member 12 engages the forepart portion of the bottom of the shoe s and a portion of the sheet 28 supported by the member 14 engages the waist portion of the bottom of the shoe s . if necessary , the operator turns the adjustment screws 60 ( fig1 ) to bring the effective length of the member 14 into conformity with the length of the waist portion of the bottom of the shoe s . after adjusting the angle between the members 12 and 14 , the operator turns the handle 98 thereby pivoting the support 10 bodily about the shaft 22 ; this is done to bring an upper surface a ( fig1 ) of the last l parallel or substantially parallel to a pressing pad on the heel post h so that pressure can be transmitted from the post h to the last l and thereby to the shoe s . after adjusting the support 10 as aforesaid , the operator adjusts the supporting member 126 so that the rubber pad 128 rests against the heel portion of the bottom of the shoe s immediately rearwardly of the member 14 . the height of the member 126 is adjusted by means of the handle 168 , the longitudinal position of the member 126 is adjusted by sliding and clamping the support members 108 relative to the arms 106 , and the inclination of the rubber pad 128 is adjusted by means of the ratchets on the side plates 130 and the pawls 140 . if necessary , the operator also turns the handle 152 to adjust the force with which the spring 156 urges the block 154 against the block 148 ; this force is directly porportional to the force required to be exerted on the supporting member 126 to cause the arms 106 to pivot counterclockwise ( as seen in fig2 ) about the shaft 104 since the spring 156 opposes this movement . after the various adjustments have been made , the press can be operated raising the box 3 so that the shoe s is clamped between the box 3 and the posts h and t , and well distributed pressure is applied to the bottom of the shoe s . the pad box 3 can be used for applying pressure to further shoes of the same shape and size as the shoe s without further adjustment , and by using the mechanisms described can be easily and rapidly adjusted to conform to many different shapes or sizes of shoe . furthermore , if a shoe to have pressure applied thereto has a heel attached thereto , the supporting member 126 can be moved to an out - of - the - way position by turning the handle 168 . a detachable heel pad support ( not shown ) may then be mounted on the pad box 3 . the heel pad support can be mounted on the members 172 by having a portion located in a mating hole 176 in a block rigidly secured between the members 172 and held in place by a catch member 180 pivotally mounted between the members 172 and operated by a spring 182 attached to one of the members 172 . such a heel pad support may comprise a support portion , arranged to be mounted by means of the hole 176 and the catch member 180 , and an arm portion slidable relative to the support portion and carrying a heel pad arranged to support a heel during a pressing operation . | 0 |
fig1 is an exploded view of one embodiment of the present invention , spike probe 100 that consists of the probe housing 16 and the lead 19 . when assembled , probe 100 conducts current from a magnetizable contact 18 to a meter ( not shown ) to which connector 10 is attached . an operator holds the nonconductive surface of probe housing 16 in or to which the electrically conducting tip 17 is embedded , molded , threaded , or otherwise attached . the operator presses tip 17 against contact 18 , and current flows through tip 17 , permanent magnet 13 , the screw 15 that attaches magnet 13 to tip 17 , and solder ball or wire crimp 14 on one end of lead cable 12 . lead cable 12 is insulated with conformal coating or sleeve 11 . the end of lead cable 12 opposite the end attached to magnet 13 terminates in connector 10 that makes ultimate contact with a meter conductor ( not shown ). an identical probe can be used on a second contact , identical or similar to 18 , to measure the voltage differential , impedance , resistance , or current between the two contacts . the novel feature of the present invention that is illustrated in fig1 is the electrically conducting , magnetic connection made between the two permanent magnets 13 inside the probe housing 16 . that magnetic connection enables simultaneous and concurrent magnetic physical connectivity between contact 18 and tip 17 and electrical continuity between contact 18 and a conductor on a sampling device such as a meter that measures or monitors electrical or thermal properties . fig2 shows the internal construction of one embodiment of magnet 13 that permits attachment , with screw 15 , of one magnet to a tapped hole in probe tip 17 and attachment , with solder , swaging , or press fit , of an identical or similar magnet 13 to one end 14 of lead cable 12 . during assembly the end of cable 12 opposite connector 10 is led through the small diameter center hole 20 and into the larger diameter center hole 21 of a magnet 13 . the cable end is then soldered , swaged , press fit , or otherwise tightly attached inside the cavity formed by center hole 21 so that it does not protrude from the hole 21 at the end of the magnet opposite hole 20 . the lead insulation 11 is then snugged against the hole 20 end of magnet 13 , and the connector 10 end of the lead made up for completion of lead 19 . the magnets can be any of the small rare - earth permanent magnets such as the neodymium iron boron or samarium cobalt magnets that can be sintered in various shapes and purchased from magnetic component engineering , inc . of torrance , calif . the two magnets are attached in orientations that assure that ends of opposite polarity contact each other when the magnet end of lead 19 is inserted into probe housing 16 . the magnets of the present invention could also be electromagnets , which , while requiring power input , generally provide more holding power and longevity than permanent magnets . the magnetic attachment feature illustrated in fig1 permits probes of all types to be easily interchanged with the spike probe shown . clips and other types of probes can be attached to lead 19 by detaching housing 16 and replacing it with housings holding various other types of probes and a properly oriented magnet . clips , threaded tips , or other types of mechanical ( nonmagnetic ) lead attachments can augment the magnetic connection depicted in fig1 . also , in monitoring two contacts , one or both of the probes can be magnetic . the probe construction discussed above is one of many embodiments of the present invention that can be used where contact 18 is either magnetizable or nonmagnetizable . where a contact is nonmagnetizable , a mechanical attachment type of tip or operator force is required to maintain continuity . where a contact is magnetizable , the present invention &# 39 ; s preferred embodiment dispenses with the need for probe housing 16 and probe tip 17 or other types of mechanical attachment such as clips . electrical continuity required for measurements of electrical properties at a contact 18 can be established through the magnetic attachment to that contact of the magnet 13 that is integral to lead 19 . for example , if the contact 18 of fig1 were made of or coated with a ferrous material , an operator could attach lead 19 directly to it without the need for probe housing 16 or tip 17 . in circumstances where direct attachment is made difficult by the flexible nature of lead 19 , for example where the contact to be monitored is recessed in a deep receptacle , tube , or box , a loose spike probe can be used to hold and guide the magnet 13 into position on contact 18 and then removed . the same guidance could be achieved with the use of a lightweight straw slipped over the magnet end of a lead 19 . the straw would add temporary stiffness to the lead sufficient for the user to guide the magnet into position on a deeply recessed contact . another embodiment of the present invention is an adapter constructed of a flexible or rigid connector that has a magnet attached on one end and an industry - standard male or female banana plug on the other end . with the adapter &# 39 ; s magnet properly oriented , it could be attached to the magnet 13 on the end of the lead 19 of fig1 . the banana plug could then be used for connection of various contacts and probes that utilize the industry standard banana configuration . adapters using other connector types such as bnc could be constructed within the scope of the present invention . another embodiment of the present invention is a conducting lead made of a wire having magnets attached to both ends . such a device can be used for establishing electrical continuity between two contacts capable of being magnetized . such a device is sometimes called a “ jumper ” or a “ shunt .” where there is a need for joining multiple contacts into a common shunt , the present invention can take the form of a multi - armed jumper with a magnet at the end of each arm and all arms electrically joined . another embodiment of the present invention uses magnetic connections to charge devices such as capacitors and batteries . in any of the embodiments of the present invention electrical continuity can be achieved by contact between two magnets , between one magnet and a conductive means of attachment of a second magnet , between the conductive means of attachment of two magnets , between one magnet and a conductive contact , or between the conductive means of attachment of one magnet and a conductive contact . for example , when probe housing 16 and lead 19 of fig1 are joined to form probe 100 , electrical continuity can be achieved with contact between the two magnets 13 , or continuity can be achieved with contact between the conductive end 14 of lead cable 12 and the head of screw 15 or the magnet 13 attached to tip 17 . magnets 13 of fig1 can therefore perform as part of an electrical circuit , or can perform as mere conductor holding means . in the latter case , for breakdown protection of a magnet 13 , or for minimization of extraneous measurement effects , it may be desirable to isolate the magnet or magnets 13 from the electrical circuit created between the measurement device and a contact being monitored . one embodiment of the present invention utilizes a nonconductive conformal coating dipped , sprayed , painted , electroplated , molded , or otherwise applied to part or all of the exterior surface of magnet 13 . the coating is sufficiently thin such that the magnetic strength of magnet 13 is not significantly diminished . alternatively , if electrical isolation of magnet 13 is necessary , it can be achieved by mechanical design . for example , when probe housing 16 and lead 19 of fig1 are joined to form probe 100 , electrical continuity can be achieved with contact between the conductive end 14 of lead cable 12 and the head of screw 15 without involving magnets 13 in the circuit . such isolation can be achieved by ( 1 ) proper design clearance or insulation between the threads of screw 15 and the inner diameter of an annular magnet 13 , ( 2 ) a nonconductive washer between magnet 13 and the underside of the head of screw 15 , ( 3 ) a nonconductive washer between magnet 13 and tip 17 , ( 4 ) proper design clearance or insulation between the portion of cable 12 that penetrates annular magnet 13 and the inner diameter of an annular magnet 13 , and ( 5 ) proper design clearance or insulation between magnet 13 and the cable end 14 that slightly protrudes from or is flush with the end of magnet 13 on lead 19 . for minimization of arcing that may occur between a contact and a magnetic probe when the probe is positioned in initial proximity to a contact , magnets 13 can be constructed in annular shapes fitted with centrally - mounted miniature spring - loaded needle probes that in their relaxed positions protrude slightly from the face of the magnet that is put into proximity with a contact to be monitored . in operation , such a needle probe is pushed against the contact , establishes electrical continuity with minimal arcing , and , when the magnet is fully seated on or around the contact , is pushed back into a position slightly protruding from or flush with the face of the magnet adjacent to the contact . in the event of minute debris particles on the face of a magnet or a contact , the needle probe of such a configuration will provide the best possible electrical contact . some magnets may add resistance , or , in the case of an electromagnet , inductance , to an electrical circuit . any such effects can be predicted or measured , and can be calibrated out of a measurement . alternatively , such effects can be negated with the use of fixed or adjustable current , resistance , or voltage offsets built into the measuring device . one embodiment of the present invention includes means for attachment of magnets 13 such that the magnets are replaceable in the field . such convenience can be realized with , for example , the use of screws 15 instead of solder or crimp joints 14 . in various embodiments of the present invention where mating magnets are used , for example the lead 19 and probe housing 16 of probe 100 , the two magnets in one model , say the red model , can be installed so that the north polarity end of one particular magnet , say magnet 13 in probe housing 16 , faces the south polarity end of the other magnet , say magnet 13 in the lead 19 . the two magnets in another model , say the black model , can be installed with polarities arranged opposite from those of the red model . such a construction would prevent a red lead 19 from being mated with a black probe housing 16 , and vice versa . one embodiment of the present invention enables power leads or charging devices to be attached to terminals without the necessity for mechanical connections . fig3 shows one method of attachment of magnet 13 to one end of a lead 19 . annular magnet 13 is fixed to an end of lead 19 by threading female threaded post 31 onto male threaded post 33 that is crimped , soldered , or otherwise conductively attached to conductive wire lead 12 coated with insulation 11 . post 31 is tightened with drive socket or slot 30 . fig4 shows an alternate embodiment 400 of the present invention . permanent magnet 13 , attached to wire lead 12 coated with insulation 11 is made integral with flexible stress relief feature 36 in a molding or press fit process . the concave front face of magnet 13 seats with magnetic force onto the convex rear face of magnetizable tip 17 . tubular housing 44 slides along lead insulation 11 and is capable of a snug fit between its funnel - shaped front end and the mating funnel - shaped stress relief feature 36 . the snug fit enables an operator to use housing 44 as a guide or handle to position tip 17 on a contact from which a measurement is desired . when magnetic contact is made , the operator can pull housing 44 away from stress relief feature 36 and slide it away from the contact and tip area . this prevents the weight of the housing from imposing a torque on tip 17 that could force it off of the contact . it will be apparent to those with ordinary skill in the relevant art having the benefit of this disclosure that the present invention provides a method and apparatus for achieving electrical continuity . it is understood that the forms of the invention shown and described in the detailed description and the drawings are to be taken merely as presently preferred examples and that the invention is limited only by the language of the claims . while the present invention has been described in terms of one preferred embodiment and various variations thereof , it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that form and detail modifications may be made to those embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention . | 6 |
fig1 shows a circuit diagram for explaining the basic embodiment of the present invention . an n - channel junction static induction transistor q has its source grounded , and its drain connected to a positive voltage supply v b via a load resistor r . an output terminal v out is connected at the connection between the drain and said load resistor r . when light hv impinges on the static induction transistor , electron - hole pairs are generated within the channel region , and at least part of the holes thus produced are stored in the p type gate region , causing the gate potential v g to rise . the electromotive force due to this irradiation of light is indicated by a variable voltage supply v g in the equivalent circuit . the output ( drain ) voltage v out varies depending on the magnitude of the gate potential v g produced as the result of irradiation of light , so that the amount of irradiating light can be known . fig2 shows the characteristic of a static induction photo - transistor having its channel region sufficiently pinched off at zero gate bias . in fig2 lines g 1 - g 4 represent i - v curves due to variation of the amount of light received . line g 4 represents the zero bias characteristic of this photo - transistor in which the built - in potential at the pn junction between the gate region and the channel region works as a reverse bias so that the channel region is sufficiently pinched off by the depletion layer . in this case , there is required a certain drain voltage v th in order to lower the potential barrier at the intrinsic gate and to thereby cause a current to flow . namely , denoting the impurity concentration of the channel region as n d and that of the gate region as n a , the built - in potential at the junction is determined as a function of n d and n a and the depletion layer grows around the junction by this built - in voltage ( see , for example , s . m . sze &# 34 ; physics of semiconductor devices &# 34 ;, chapter 3 , published by john wiley & amp ; sons inc . new york , 1969 ). when the gate - to - gate distance is small enough , the depletion layers overlap and pinch off the channel region . when a light is irradiated onto this photo - transistor , electron hole pair generation occurs . the resulting positive holes are stored in the p type gate region which has a lower potential for the holes , to thereby bias this gate region forwardly . that is , a bias voltage is produced between the gate region and the channel region , which is the sum of the built - in potential ( reverse bias ) and the electromotive force ( forward bias ) produced as a result of irradiation by light . this electromotive force is determined by the amount of absorbed light , or in other words , by the amount of electric charge stored in the gate region and the gate capacitance . in accordance with an increase in the amount of irradiated light , the forward gate bias increases and the characteristic curves will vary in the order of lines g 3 , g 2 and g 1 . line g 2 corresponds to the state that a neutral region has begun to appear within the channel region . at line g 1 , the depletion layer has shrunk to leave neutral channel region so that a resistive characteristic appears . fig3 a , 3b and 3c show embodiments of the photo - transistor which is used in the structure shown in fig1 . in fig3 a is shown an embodiment of embeddedgate type structure . on top of an n + type silicon substrate 1 is grown an n - type epitaxial layer . on top of this epitaxial layer is formed a p + type stripe or mesh gate region 3 . furthermore , on top of this mesh gate region 3 is grown an n - type epitaxial layer 4 , and a thin n + type layer 5 is formed on the surface . an electrode 11 made of a metal or a low resistivity polysilicon is formed on the entire bottom surface of the substrate 1 , and similar electrode 15 is formed on the peripheral portions on the upper surface of the n + type layer 5 . the portion surrounded by said electrode 15 serves as the light - receiving portion . no electrode is formed for the gate region 3 . therefore , the gate region 3 is electrically isolated and can be used as a carrier storage region . the substrate 1 is used as the source region , and the n + type region 5 is used to serve as the drain region . the thickness of this n + type region 5 is selected to be sufficiently small so as to minimize the attenuation of the irradiating light , for example the thickness may be 0 . 3 - 0 . 5 μm . the n - type layer 4 is a region located between the gate region and the drain region , to determine the magnitude of the maximum drain voltage applied , the sensitivity to light or the like . the thickness of this region is selected so that the major portion of the region which absorbs the incident light becomes depleted so that the majority of the holes ionized by the incident light are able to reach the gate region 3 . in order to elevate breakdown voltage , it is only necessary to reduce the impurity concentration . for a visible light sensitive device , the impurity concentration of this region is , for example , about 10 14 cm - 3 , and the thickness thereof may be about 10 - 20 μm . the interval or mesh of the p + type gate regions is selected so that the depletion layers due to the built - in potential at the pn junction sufficiently overlap each other , so that a sufficient potential barrier is formed within the channel region . if , for example , the impurity concentration of the n - type layer which constitutes the channel region is about 1 × 10 14 cm - 3 and the impurity concentration of the gate region is about 10 18 cm - 3 , the diameter of mesh is selected to be less than about 5 μm , preferably between 2 and 3 μm . the n - type region 2 is a region located between the source region and the gate region , for determining the current level and the sensitivity to light , jointly by the n - type layer 4 . for example , the impurity concentration and the thickness of this n - type region 2 are selected so that the former is about 1 × 10 14 cm - 3 and the latter is about 2 - 3 μm . the impurity concentration of the n + type substrate is not subject to any particular limitation , but a substrate having an impurity concentration of , for example , 10 18 - 10 20 cm - 3 is selected . in order to obtain a large dynamic range of the output voltage , it is also effective to lower the impurity concentration of the n - type region 4 and to elevate the drain voltage which is applied . where the wavelength of the light to be detected is long and , accordingly , the light - absorption coefficient becomes low , the distance between the gate region and the drain region , i . e . the thickness of the n - type layer 4 , can be increased . it is also possible , in the structure shown in fig3 a , to reverse the roles of the source region and the drain region . that is , the n + type region 5 can be used as the source region and the n + type region 1 can be used to serve as the drain region . in such an instance , the distance between the source region 5 and the gate region 3 , i . e . the thickness of the n - type region 4 , is arranged to be shorter , and the distance between the gate region 3 and the drain region 1 , i . e . the thickness of the n - type region 2 , is increased . the gate region 3 is electrically floated in the n - type channel regions 2 and 4 , similar to the foregoing arrangement . when the substrate is used as the drain region , the n - type region 4 formed on the p + type mesh gate region becomes the source - side channel region and hence may be no longer thick but preferably thin . therefore , the formation of this n - type region 4 after the formation of p + type heavily doped gate region 3 can be achieved in a short period . this makes the manufacture of the device easier . the most photo - sensitive region is the drain side channel region since a strong field can be established therein . therefore , it is preferable to provide light - receiving window on the drain side . when the substrate is used as the drain , the electrode 11 may be partially removed and the n + type substrate 1 may be selectively etched thin to provide a light - receiving portion thereat . use of n - type substrate which serves as the drain side channel region is also possible . in fig3 a , thin oxide film 10 passivates the lightreceiving portion . another passivation member 10 &# 39 ; may be formed thick . in fig3 b , there is shown an embodiment of the surface - gate type structure . on top of an n + type silicon semiconductor substrate 1 is formed an n - type epitaxial layer 2 . in this epitaxial layer 2 , there are formed an n + type region 5 having a small depth and a p + type region 3 having a greater depth and substantially surrounding the n + type region 5 . if the n + type region 5 is used as the source region , it should be understood that , since the gate region 3 is preferably located close to the source region , this gate region 3 may have a structure as that illustrated . in case , however , the n + type region 5 is used as the drain region , the gate region 3 is preferably located closer to the n + type region 1 which is to serve as the source region . the n + type region 5 and the p + type gate region 3 may be formed by relying on the diffusion technique , but it is preferred to form these two regions by relying on the ion - implantation technique . the width of the channel region 14 , which is such part of the n - type region 2 that is surrounded by the p + type gate region 3 , is selected so that the channel becomes sufficiently pinched off by the built - in potential between the n - type region 2 and the p + type region 3 . by locally exposing the insulating film 10 provided on the n + type region 5 , there is formed an electrode ( not shown ). this structure has an advantage of easy manufacture , and is suited especially for normal type operation in which the substrate 1 is used as the drain region . in fig3 c , there is shown an embodiment of a recessed - gate structure . from one surface of a wafer toward the internal portion of this wafer , there is formed a recessed portion 17 , and a gate region 3 is formed on the bottom of this recessed portion 17 . this structure is effective to reduce the gate capacitance because the gate region is reduced in size , so that such structure is superior especially for the detection of weak light . it can be easily understood that , the smaller the gate region is , the smaller the gate capacitance becomes . smaller gate capacitance can provide a large gate potential by storing a small amount of electric charge . since the region between the gate and the drain region is usually subjected to depletion and used as a larger part of optically active region , it is preferable to use the n + type region ( substrate ) 1 as the drain and the n + type region 5 as the source . fig3 d schematically shows a lateral structure , in which current electrode regions are formed in the same principal surface to allow a lateral flow of charge carriers . an n - type substrate 2 is selectively etched from one surface to reduce the thickness at a middle portion . a p + type gate region 3 is formed on the other surface at the portion of reduced thickness and two n + type regions 1 and 5 are formed on the same surface on the two sides of the p + type region 3 . namely , a current path is formed between the two n + type regions 1 and 5 through the n - type region 2 . a depletion layer develops from the pn junction between the p + type gate region 3 and the n - type channel region 14 into the channel region 14 . the thickness ( width ) of the channel region 14 is so selected that the channel is sufficiently pinched off by the built - in potential of the pn junction . light is irradiated on the surface between the n + type region 1 and the p + type region 3 and the optically excited positive holes are stored in the p + type gate region 3 to vary the gate potential . the n + type region 5 may be used as the source region and the other n + type region 1 may be used as the drain region , or vice versa . the shown structure may be formed by selective etching and selective chemical vapor deposition techniques . it will be apparent that the highly doped regions 1 , 3 and 5 may be formed in the n - type region 2 by relying on diffusion , ion - implantation or selective etching / growth techniques . gate region may be provided on both surfaces to sandwich the channel region . alternatively , the whole structure can be formed in an n - type well formed in a p type region . other alterations and modifications will be apparent for those skilled in the art . in those embodiments stated and illustrated above , the potential of the gate region can be varied only for the limited range from zero up to the built - in potential . in order to vary the gate potential for a more extended range , it is effective to provide a structure as shown in fig4 . in the structure shown in fig4 it will be noted that , an extracted portion 3 &# 39 ; of the gate region 3 , and a gate electrode 7 which is insulated from the extracted gate region 3 &# 39 ; by an insulating layer 16 are further added to the structure of fig3 a . this structure allows a bias voltage to be applied externally to the gate region . such gate structure will hereinafter be called an insulated - electrode junction gate structure . in the instance shown in fig4 it is possible to apply a reverse bias to the gate electrode 7 and to thereby spread the depletion layer extending from the gate region 3 into the channel region 4 ( 2 ). accordingly , the limitation such as the distance between the gate regions can be mitigated . the proportion of the voltage component which is applied between the gate region 3 and the channel region 2 ( 4 ) to the total voltage applied to the gate electrode 7 is determined mainly by the ratio of the capacitance c 1 between the gate electrode 7 and the extracted gate region 3 &# 39 ;, to the capacitance c 2 between the gate regions 3 , 3 &# 39 ; and the source region 1 . in order to apply a larger voltage component to the gate region 3 , it is only necessary to set c 1 at a large value , and to reduce the value of c 2 . reduction in the width of the insulating layer 16 and / or increase in the opposing area between the gate electrode 7 and the extracted gate region 3 &# 39 ; leads to higher value of the capacitance c 1 . similarly , reduction in the impurity concentration of the source side channel region 2 and / or increase in the thickness of this source side channel region 2 leads to lower value of the capacitance c 2 . similar gate structure may be applied equally effectively to the examples shown in fig3 b , 3c and 3d . in fig5 is shown an equivalent circuit diagram in the instance wherein a static induction phototransistor has such insulated - electrode junction gate structure as shown in fig4 . when compared with the circuit diagram shown in fig2 there will be noted important differences in that the embodiment of fig5 includes an insulated gate type transistor , and that a reverse bias voltage supply is connected to the gate electrode . the structure of the static induction transistor shown in fig4 is similar to that shown in fig2 excepting the extracted electrode portions of the gate 7 , 16 and 3 &# 39 ;. the extracted gate region 3 &# 39 ;, the insulating layer 6 and the gate electrode 7 constitute a capacitance c 1 , and a gate bias voltage supply v g due to photo - electromotive force and an external reverse bias voltage supply v go are connected via the capacitance c 1 , so that the gate portion may be expressed as the equivalent circuit diagram indicated by the dotted line . the characteristic curve of this phototransistor is shown in fig6 which is similar to that of fig2 . in this embodiment , however , a reverse bias can be applied externally to the gate structure , so that the channel region does not need to be in its sufficiently pinched - off state at the zero gate bias state of the device . accordingly , the freedom of designing of the device increases . in the characteristic curves shown in fig6 g 1 - g 8 represent the i - v curves showing the variation of the effective gate bias which , in fact , is the sum of the externally applied reverse bias , the forward bias due to photo - electromotive force , and the builtin potential between the gate region and the channel region . it should be understood that , by increasing the externally applied reverse bias , it is possible to broaden the operation range of the device . by varying the voltage of the drain voltage supply v b , it is possible to vary the load curves in such manner as indicated by l 1 , l 2 and l 3 . for example , by varying the voltage of the drain voltage supply as v b1 , v b2 and v b3 , it is possible to measure , within a limited range of drain current , the intensity of incident light ranging from very strong light up to very weak light . the fact that sensitivity to light can be enhanced by an increase in the drain voltage applied represents a feature which can not be obtained from a conventional photo - transistor having a saturating type characteristic . in the embodiments stated above , those minority carriers which are produced in the channel region due to the irradiation of light are stored in the gate region having an opposite conductivity type . if , however , this gate region is provided in the form of a floating gate structure , the stored electric charge will be left only to discharge through a leakage resistance , so that the speed of response is delayed . in order to positively cause the stored electric charge to escape , it is only necessary to connect a conduction path between the gate region and the source region . if a resistor is connected , the speed of response will be determined by the capacitance of the gate region and the value of this resistor . this resistor or resistance may be formed within the same semiconductor chip by relying on , for example , the diffusion technique , or it may be formed by , for example , polysilicon . if a switching means , serving as a conduction path , is connected , the speed of response is determined by the on - off frequency of switching . in such an instance , however , it should be understood that , during the &# 34 ; off &# 34 ; period of this switching means , the electric charge continues to be stored . accordingly , the sensitivity to light can be elevated ( sacrificing somewhat the speed of response ), by to prolonging the &# 34 ; off &# 34 ; period of the switching means . the switching means may be formed by , for example , a transistor , and such an assembly may be integrated in a same semiconductor chip , or alternatively the switching means which is formed by , for example , a mechanical chopper may be attached externally to the device . the structure of the light - receiving portion is not limited to those structures shown in the above - mentioned examples . for example , the site at which a light - receiving surface is formed may be on the drain side or on the source side , or at any site other than these two . the point is that any site may be used so long as a sufficient amount of light can be introduced into the active channel region in the operative state of the device . the electrode structure in the instance wherein an electrode is disposed on the light - receiving side as shown in the embodiments of fig3 a to 3c and 4 is not limited to those illustrated . the electrode may be formed either in stripe or mesh form . alternatively , a transparent electrode may be provided on the entire light - receiving surface . the semiconductor material also is not limited to silicon , and it should be understood that , for the mesurement of the amount of light having a longer wavelength , there may be employed a semiconductor material having a narrow forbidden gap , such as ge , pb l - x sn x te ( s , se ), hg l - x cd x te , etc . for the measurement of the amount of light having a shorter wavelength , there can be used a semiconductor material having a broader width of forbidden gap , such as gaas . needless to say , the conductivity types of the respective regions may be reversed . as stated above , by constructing a light detector by the use of a static induction transistor structure , those minority carriers which have been ionized in the channel region by the incident light are stored in the gate region , so that it is possible to derive , as an electric signal ( drain current or drain voltage ), the intensity of the incident light as a function of the varied gate bias voltage . especially , if the gate region is provided in the form of an insulated - electrode junction gate structure , the range of operation of the device is broadened , so that such device is suitable for the detection of light covering a wide range of intensity of light . description will hereunder be made of an image pick - up device which is constructed by integrating in a semiconductor wafer a number of those semiconductor photo - detectors explained above . fig7 a is a partial sectional view of a semiconductor image pick - up device , and shows a single image pick - up element ( or unit ) which constitutes a transistor structure . on a p type silicon substrate 21 , there is formed an n + type drain region 23 surrounded by an n - type region 22 . on top of this drain region 23 , there is formed an n - type silicon epitaxial layer 24 . a p + type gate region 25 and an n + type source region 26 are formed within said epitaxial layer 24 . an electrode 27 is formed on the source region 26 . the surface of the epitaxial layer 24 is covered with a transparent insulating film 28 . as shown in fig7 b , a gate electrode 29 is formed via an insulating layer 28 , above a portion of the gate region 25 . that is , the gate structure is an insulated - electrode junction gate which is comprised of the electrode 29 , the insulating film 28 and the gate region 25 . the impurity concentration of the n - type region 24 is selected sufficiently low , so that , when a predetermined reverse bias ( including zero bias ) is applied between the source electrode 27 and the gate electrode 29 , the channel region becomes sufficiently pinched off to produce a potential barrier , and that this potential barrier can be controlled of its height also by the application of a drain voltage . in other words , there is formed a static induction transistor . the thickness of the insulating film 28 between the gate electrode 29 and the gate region 25 is selected so that the capacitance c g which is formed by this mis structure is significant as compared with the capacitance c gs between the gate region 25 and the source region 26 . if the capacitance c g which is formed is excessively small , the majority portion of the voltage applied to the gate electrode will be applied across this capacitance c g , so that the voltage component which is effectively applied between the gate region and the channel region will become small . on the other hand , the potential variation δv of the gate region 25 due to the electric charge δq which is stored in the gate region as a result of ionization by the incident light depends on the total capacitance c = c g + c gs of the gate region , so that care should be taken so that this total capacitance c does not become too large . description of the operation of this image pickup unit will be made briefly as follows . while maintaining both the drain region and the source region at a same potential , a predetermined positive voltage is applied to the gate electrode . the p + type gate region 25 is thus forwardly biased , and if an excessive amount of electrons is stored therein , they are expelled outside the gate region , so that this gate region is rendered to a predetermined state , i . e . the clear state . next , a predetermined negative voltage is applied to the gate electrode 29 , or a predetermined positive voltage is applied to the source electrode 27 and / or to the drain region 23 , to thereby reverse bias the gate region 25 . at such time , the gate region 25 and the n - type region 24 constitute a diode which is reverse biased . when , thus , the light which impinges onto this diode after passing through the transparent insulating film 28 produces electron - hole pairs , these holes flow into the gate region 5 and are stored therein . owing to the stored electric charge δq , the potential v of the gate region 5 will vary : δv ≃ δq / c . next , when a predetermined positive voltage above a certain value is applied to the drain electrode ( not shown ) with respect to the source potential , there is allowed to flow a drain current which is determined by the gate potential . the current - voltage characteristic of the static induction transistor when the channel region is in its pinched - off state due to the applied gate voltage basically follows the exponential law . accordingly , the variation of the drain current for the variation δv ≃ δq / c of the gate voltage due to the amount of incident light is very great , so that detection with a very good sensitivity can be carried out . in case it is intended to derive a signal representing an intensity proportional to the amount of the incident light again in the final stage , it is only necessary , as a matter of course , to pass the current through an amplifier which exhibits a characteristic just the reverse of the current - voltage characteristic of said static induction transistor . it should be understood that a static induction transistor is such that its gate capacitance c can be made small , and that its transconductance can be made large , so that a large output signal can be obtained . by resetting the drain voltage at the source potential , and by applying a predetermined positive voltage to the gate electrode 29 , the gate region 25 is returned to the clear state . by repeating this cycle , a continuous detection of the amount of incident light can be carried out . the potential of the gate region 25 is determined by the voltage component of the externally applied reverse bias voltage and the voltage δv ≃ δq / c due to the stored electric charge δq , and the sum of these two can not exceed the built - in potential . accordingly , in order to broaden the dynamic range , it is effective to increase the reverse bias voltage which is to be applied . by designing the device so as to have a large voltage amplification factor , the application of a reverse voltage ( in case of n type source region , positive voltage ) to the source region has an effect equal to the instance wherein a reverse voltage ( in case of p type gate region , negative voltage ) is applied to the gate region . while it is to be understood that the clear state need only be a certain constant state , ( i . e ., it may be neutral state or positively charged state or negatively charged state ), an effect equal to that of a reverse bias application will be produced if the gate region is rendered to a state of shortage of carriers . therefore , in order to broaden the dynamic range , it is desirable to arrange the clear pulse so that , in case the gate region is of a p ( n ) type , the gate region is kept in its negatively ( positively ) charged state or at least in its neutral state . the distance between the gate regions i . e . the width of the channel region , desirably is arranged so that the channel region is sufficiently pinched off in the clear state of the device . from the structural point of view , it is also possible to interchange the source region and the drain region . in the image pick - up device , it is more convenient to set the source potential and the drain potential at equal potentials during the charge storing period . then , the depletion layer from the gate region ( which is the main optically active region ) extends equally to the source side and to the drain side . the part of the channel region between the gate region and the drain region may not be totally depleted and some neutral region may exist near the drain region . for maximizing the charge storing efficiency , it is advantageous to dispose the gate region near the central portion of the channel region between the source region and the drain region and to deplete the whole channel region . such a structure is advantageous to detect an image of low intensity but may leads to a higher series resistance between the source region and the intrinsic gate ( potential barrier ) portion . in a two - dimensional image pick - up device , it may sometimes be more convenient to reverse bias the source region with respect to the gate region . in such a case , the gate region is preferably small and positioned near the source region to be wholly subjected to the influence of the source potential . when a charge transfer frame is separately provided in addition to an image pickup frame , simultaneous read - out of a multiplicity of image pick - up units can be employed . fig8 shows a schematic diagram of two - dimensional image pick - up device wherein the units shown in fig7 a and 7b are arranged in a matrix within a planar surface . at the respective crossing points of a plurality of row lines a 1 , a 2 , a 3 , . . . and a plurality of column lines b 1 , b 2 , b 3 , . . . which are arranged so as to cross each other , there are disposed the units shown in fig7 a and 7b . the respective sources of the units are connected to their corresponding row lines , and the drains are connected to their corresponding column lines . furthermore , clear lines c 1 , c 2 , c 3 , . . . are disposed in parallel with the column lines b 1 , b 2 , b 3 , . . . and they are connected to the respective gate electrodes . in order to read out an image information , there are carried out , for example , the following procedures . while maintaining the row line a 1 at zero potential , a positive voltage is applied to other row lines a 2 , a 3 , . . . for inhibiting read - out , and a read - out positive voltage pulse is applied successively to the column lines b 1 , b 2 , b 3 , . . . , so that the current flowing through the row line a 1 is detected . following the read - out pulses , an erasing positive voltage pulse is applied to the clear lines c 1 , c 2 , c 3 , . . . to successively clear the units which have completed read - out . those units located on other rows are being applied with a positive voltage to their sources , so that they are not read out nor cleared . after the read - out and clear of the first row are completed , similar operation is carried out on the second row . when the read out is performed successively up to the final row , read - out operation is resumed on the first row . the read - out may be performed on interlace . in order to detect , with a good sensitivity , a region of low degree of irradiation , it is only necessary to elevate the voltage of the read - out pulse applied . it is also possible to intensify the reverse bias by , for example , elevating the voltage of the clear pulse and the voltage assigned to the inhibition of read - out . the voltage of read - out pulse is selected so that a sufficient precision can be obtained in the operative state . if it is intended to read out at a high speed , it is also effective to reduce the width of the pulse of read - out and to thereby increase the speed of scanning and to arrange so that a clear pulse having a relatively wide pulse width traces the readout pulse . in such an instance , before the ending of a clear pulse applied to a unit , another clear pulse becomes applied to the next adjacent unit . fig9 shows a insulated - gate type image pickup device . on top of a p type substrate 21 , there is formed an n + type drain region 23 surrounded by an n - type region 22 . on top of this drain region 23 is formed an n - type region 24 which constitutes a channel region . the peripheral portions of the channel region are recessed so that the channel portion is noted to be protruding . at the apex portion of the protruding channel region , there is provided an n + type source region 26 , and a source electrode 27 is formed thereon . a gate electrode 29 is formed via an insulating layer 28 . b causing the insulating layer located beneath the gate electrode 29 to have a negative electric charge , thereby forming an inversion layer at the surface portion , the device will operate in a way similar to the insulated - electrode junction gate type structure shown in fig7 a and 7b . arrangement may be made so that a bias voltage is always applied to the gate electrode 9 . in the structure of fig9 it will be noted that the light - receiving surface is provided on the bottom surface of the device to present a rear face light incidence type structure . fig1 is a modification of the embodiments shown in fig7 a and 7b . in fig1 , the insulated gate electrode is not shown , and there is provided a switching bipolar transistor . the gate region 25 is used to serve as an emitter , and there are formed a base region 31 and a collector region 32 . on top of this base region 31 is provided a base electrode 33 . on top of the collector region 32 is provided a collector electrode 34 . the base region 31 of this example is shown as being a region separate from the channel region 24 . the depletion layer around the gate region 25 electrically isolates the channel region 24 from the other regions . this embodiment has the advantage that , because clear is carried out through a transistor , a high - speed operation can be performed . another embodiment of the image pick - up device utilizing an insulated gate transistor as a switching transistor is shown in fig1 a to 11d . in fig1 a , a stripe shaped n + type drain region 23 is formed on a p type substrate 21 . an n - type epitaxial layer 24 is grown thereon . a p + type gate region 25 is formed in the n - type region 24 to substantially surround a channel region 14 . simultaneously , another p + type region 32 is formed in the n - type region adjacent to but separated from the p + type gate region 25 . an n + type source region 26 is formed in the channel region 14 . as is seen in the plan view of fig1 b , the p + type gate region 25 surrounds the n + type source region 26 via the n - type channel region 14 . along one outer edge of p + type gate region 25 , the p + type region 32 is formed . the p + type regions 25 and 32 and the intervening n - type region 36 constitute a pair of current electrode regions and a channel region of an insulated gate transistor . a thin insulating film 28 is formed on the semiconductor surface and selectively apertured . a source electrode 27 of the photo - transistor and a drain electrode 34 of the switching transistor is formed on the respective regions 26 and 32 through apertures . an insulated gate electrode 33 is formed on the insulating film 28 above the channel region 36 of the switching transistor . this insulated switching transistor may either have a saturated characteristic or have an unsaturating characteristic . in other words , the channel region 36 may be either partially or wholly depleted by the potential of the drain region 32 . an equivalent circuit diagram of an image pick - up unit is shown in fig1 c . an insulated gate transistor q 2 is merged in the gate region of a static induction photo - transistor q 1 . when such image pick - up units are arranged in twodimensional matrix as shown in fig1 d , a two dimensional image pick up device is formed . in fig1 d , the drain electrodes of the switching transistors q 2 are wired independently . this arrangement is effective to establish charged ( depleted ) clear state of the gate region 25 . a simplified structure is shown in fig1 . in fig1 , an n + type source region 23 is formed in a p type substrate and an n - type epitaxial layer 24 is selectively formed thereon . a p + type gate region 25 is formed in the n - type region 24 to surround a channel region 14 . an n + type drain region is formed in the upper surface portion of the channel region 14 . an insulating film 28 passivates the semiconductor surface . an insulated electrode 38 is formed on the insulating film 28 to bridge the p + type gate region 25 and the p type substrate 21 . namely , an insulated gate transistor is formed by the gate region 25 , part of the n - type region 24 and the p type substrate 21 with the insulated gate structure on the n - type channel region 24 . a drain electrode 27 is formed on the drain region 26 . selective epitaxial growth may be replaced with selective etching . in this embodiment , the gate : region can be short - circuited to the source region through an insulated gate transistor which is formed only by providing an electrode on an insulating film . some embodiments of the present invention have been stated above . however , the present invention is not limited to these embodiments . it is possible to reverse the conductivity types of the respective regions , and to select other kinds of semiconductor materials , and also to combine the structures of those embodiments mentioned above , and further to incorporate various structures known in the field of semiconductor device techniques . | 7 |
halogenated alcohols are both unique in the reservoir environment and more chemically and biologically stable than corresponding molecules without halogen atoms . there are several references in the literature to the biodegradability of alcohols [ 6 ], [ 7 ], [ 8 ]. previous experience with per - deuterated butanol as partitioning tracer at ife and information found in the literature indicate that presence of halogen atoms in the molecules will lead to less biodegradation of the selected alcohols . structural formulas of examples of compounds from four groups of fluorinated benzyl alcohols tested are shown herein , including in fig1 . the compounds could be analyzed using gas chromatography with mass spectrometric detection ( gc - ms ) in produced water after clean - up and pre - concentration of the water samples . detection limits of 50 ng / l ( ppt ) could be obtained depending on the level of interferences from the sample matrix . several compounds from the four groups were selected and tested for thermal stability , flooding properties , and adsorption to rock materials . in addition , two pilot field tests were initiated . some results from the laboratory tests are shown in table 1 and in fig2 to fig1 . partition coefficients were measured at 80 ° c ., oil 2 and water 2 . a selection of compounds have been submitted for standard environmental tests and have come in the same classification as the fluorinated benzoic acids which are currently permitted for use as passive water tracers , thus allowing their use in field experiments . since the partition coefficients for these compounds are relatively low , there is little risk of bioaccumulation . isomers from the mono -, di - and trifluorobenzyl alcohols as well as the fluoromethyl benzyl alcohols have been tested successfully as representative partitioning tracers . chlorinated benzyl alcohols and combinations of chlorinated and fluorinated benzyl alcohols are predicted to function well due to similar chemical properties . the present invention relates to the use of at least one benzyl alcohol of formula i ) as a partitioning tracer in a petroleum reservoir , as well as to the corresponding compounds for that use . compounds of formula i ) have the general formula : wherein each of r 1 to r 5 is independently selected from h , f , cl , br , i , cf 3 cf 2 cl , cfcl 2 and ccl 3 and wherein at least one of r 1 to r 5 is not h . preferred r groups include those indicated herein . particular examples of compounds of formula i ) which are suitable for use in all aspects of the present invention include at least one fluorinated benzyl alcohol of formulae f1 to f24 or of formula f25 or f26 . similarly at least one of f1 to f26 may be used : wherein each r group is independently selected from h , cl , br , i , cf 2 cl , cfcl 2 and ccl 3 . preferably each r group is independently selected from h and cl . in one embodiment , all r groups in formulae f1 to f24 , as well as optionally in f25 and f26 , are hydrogen . in one embodiment 1 , 2 or 3 r groups of formulae f1 to f24 , as well as optionally f25 and f26 , are cl . the remaining r groups may be any specified herein but will preferably be h . further particular examples of compounds of formula i ) which are suitable for use in all aspects of the present invention include at least one chlorinated benzyl alcohol of formulae cl1 to cl24 or of formula cl25 or cl26 similarly at least one of f1 to f26 may be used : wherein each r group is independently selected from h , f , br , i , cf 2 cl , cfcl 2 and ccl 3 . preferably each r group is independently selected from h and f . in one embodiment , all r groups in formulae cl1 to cl24 , as well as optionally in cl25 and cl26 , are hydrogen . in another embodiment 1 , 2 or 3 r groups of formulae cl1 to cl24 , as well as optionally cl25 and cl26 , are f . the remaining r groups may be any specified herein but will preferably be h . further particular examples of compounds of formula i ) which are suitable for use in all aspects of the present invention include at least one of the following chlorinated fluorinated benzyl alcohols ; the cl and f groups in the above formulae may evidently be exchanged such that f may be present in place of cl and vice versa . in one preferred embodiment of the invention , the compounds of formula i ) which are suitable for use in all aspects of the present invention are the compounds shown in fig1 . in a further , highly effective embodiment compatible with all aspects of the invention , the benzyl alcohol is at least one selected from 2 - fluorobenzyl alcohol ( 2 - fboh ), 2 , 6 - difluorobenzyl alcohol ( 2 , 6 - dfboh ), 3 , 5 - difluorobenzyl alcohol ( 3 , 5 - dfboh ), 3 , 4 - difluorobenzyl alcohol ( 3 , 4 - dfboh ), 2 , 4 , 6 - trifluorobenzyl alcohol ( 2 , 4 , 6 - tfboh ) and 2 , 3 , 6 - trifluorobenzyl alcohol ( 2 , 3 , 6 - tfboh ). the halogenated benzyl alcohols for use in the various aspects of the present invention are typically highly stable in aqueous solution and such stability is a considerable advantage since degradation reduces the concentration of tracer available for detection . preferably , the compounds of formula i ) ( and the preferred compounds as indicated herein ) are stable in water at concentration levels typical in water samples from oil reservoirs ( typical concentration level is 50 ppt to 100 ppb ) for at least 4 weeks at reservoir temperatures . preferably such compounds are stable for at least 6 weeks , preferably at least 8 weeks under such conditions . preferably , this stability will be exhibited at temperatures of at least 80 ° c ., more preferably at least 100 ° c ., most preferably at temperatures of at least 150 ° c . “ stable ” in this context may be taken as having a concentration of tracer compound within 20 % of the starting concentration as measured by gc - ms , more preferably within 10 %. a further key feature of the compounds used in the various aspects of the present invention is their high detectability . specifically , the compounds of formula i ) ( and the preferred compounds as indicated herein ) are preferably detectable by gc - ms down to a concentration of 500 ppt ( parts per trillion ) or lower . preferably this detection limit will be 100 ppt or lower , more preferably 50 ppt or lower . it is possible for the detection limit to be still lower , such as 1 ppt or 100 ppb . a still further important feature of the compounds used in the various aspects of the present invention is their relatively low environmental impact . specifically , the compounds of formula i ) ( and the preferred compounds as indicated herein ) are preferably classified as “ red ” or better ( e . g . “ red ” or “ yellow ”) according to the hocnf ( harmonized offshore chemical notification format for chemicals released to the north sea ) testing criteria . a yet further feature of the compounds used in the various aspects of the present invention is their low reaction with and sorption onto materials typically found in oil fields such as rock , particularly limestone and / or sandstone . specifically , the compounds of formula i ) ( and the preferred compounds as indicated herein ) will typically be stable in the presence of sandstone and / or limestone for at least a month , more preferably at least two months under aqueous conditions at temperatures corresponding to oil reservoir temperatures . preferably , this stability will be exhibited at temperatures of at least 80 ° c ., more preferably at least 100 ° c ., most preferably at temperatures of at least 150 ° c . “ stable ” in this context may be taken as having a concentration of tracer compound within 20 % of the starting concentration as measured by gc - ms , more preferably within 10 %. a still further feature of the benzyl alcohol compounds used in the various aspects of the present invention is their highly suitable partition coefficients . for example , compounds of formula i ) or preferred compounds as described herein may have partition coefficients between 1 . 0 and 8 . 0 . the partition coefficients should not be too high because the partitioning tracers then will be retained too much compared to the passive water tracer . preferable values for the partition coefficients will be between 1 . 2 and 7 , preferably between 1 . 3 and 5 . the partition coefficients of two example compounds at given conditions are shown in table 1 herein . in all cases referred to herein partition coefficients are measured at 80 ° c ., oil 2 and water 2 , unless otherwise stated . one important aspect of the present invention relates to a method of assessing the oil saturation of an oil field ( petroleum reservoir ) having an injection well and a production well , said method comprising : a ) injecting at least a first tracer having a first partition coefficient and a second tracer having a second partition coefficient into said injection well ; b ) measuring the presence and / or concentration over time of said first tracer and said second tracer in produced water from said production well ; c ) determining the retention times for each of said first tracer and said second tracer d ) relating the retention times and partition coefficients of each of said first and second tracers to oil saturation of said oil field . in such a method , at least the first tracer will be a “ partitioning tracer ” and will be a halogenated benzyl alcohol such as any of those described herein . this will be a “ partitioning ” tracer and may have a partition coefficient as described herein . the second tracer may also be a benzyl alcohol , such as those described herein but will typically have a different partition coefficient from the first tracer . most commonly the second tracer ( which may be injected before , after or simultaneously with the first tracer ) will have a lower partition coefficient and may be a “ passive ” tracer . another possibility will be to inject a passive tracer ( tracer 2 ) and two or more partitioning tracers ( where at least one and optionally both may be of the invention ). the partitioning tracers will have different partition coefficients . partitioning tracers will be selected based among other things on their degree of partitioning . the distance between injector and producer as well as the assumed oil saturation between the well pair will be considered when selecting the partitioning tracers . one of the selected partitioning tracers will be a benzyl alcohol as described herein while the other partitioning tracers may be benzyl alcohols or other suitable partitioning tracers . such tracers are known in the art . in one preferred embodiment , the first tracer is a tracer of formula i as described herein and the second tracer is a “ non - partitioning ”, “ passive ” or “ passive water ” tracer . it is not essential that one tracer be a “ passive ” tracer but this forms one preferred embodiment . if one tracer is a “ passive ” tracer and if the partition coefficients for the partitioning tracers are known , the residual oil saturation can be calculated or estimated from the measured difference in the arrival times between the passive tracer and the partitioning tracer using equation 1 as described herein . where t r and t r w are the retention times of the partitioning and passive water tracer , respectively ( in this case tracer 1 and tracer 2 if the latter is a passive tracer ), s is the residual oil saturation , and k is the partition coefficient of the partitioning tracer ( e . g . see table 1 ). more general equations may be formulated for situations where all tracers are partitioning tracers and other equations and approximations which can be used in calculating residual oil saturation are well known . similarly , non - partitioning tracers are well established and will be well known to those of skill in the art . where one passive tracer and more than one partitioning tracer is used then equation 1 may be used two or more times , or a general equation developed . 1 . cooke , c . e . j ., method of determining fluid saturation in reservoirs , 1971 . 2 . jin , m ., et al , partitioning tracer test for detection , estimation and remediation performance assessment of subsurface nonaqueous phase liquids , water resources research , 1995 . 31 ( 5 ): p . 1201 - 1211 . 3 . deans , h . h ., using chemical tracers to measure fractional flow and saturation in - situ , in fitlh symposium on improved methods for oil recovery of the society of petroleum engineers of aime held in tulsa , okla ., apr . 16 - 19 , 1978 . 1978 , spe : tulsa , okla . 4 . lichtenberger , g . j ., field applications of interwell tracers for reservoir characterization of enhanced oil recovery pilot areas , in spe production operations symposium 1991 , society of petroleum engineers : oklahoma city , okla . 5 . zemel , b ., tracers in oil field 1994 , new york : elsevier . 6 . dias , f . f ., alexander , m , effect of chemical structure on the biodegradability of aliphatic acids and alcohols . applied microbiology 22 : p . 1114 - 1118 . 7 . yang , h ., et al ., aromatic compounds biodegradation under anaerobic conditions and their qsbr models . science of the total environment 358 : p . 265 - 276 . 8 . setarge , b ., et al , partitioning and interfacial tracers to characterize non - aqueous phase liquids ( napls ) in natural aquifer material . phys . chem . earth ( b ) 1999 . 24 : p . 501 - 510 . the invention will now be further illustrated by reference to the following non - limiting experimental examples : oil and gas reservoirs generally have temperatures between 50 ° c . to 150 ° c . a tracer must therefore be stable at such temperatures for an extended period of time . because of this , the tracer candidate was tested for thermal stability at different temperatures up to 150 ° c . for eight weeks . the tests were conducted by adding a solution of the tracer candidates in formation water to a vial . the vial was sealed under an argon atmosphere and heated for eight weeks . the results for 3 , 5 - dfboh are shown in fig2 the x - axis represents temperatures in ° c . and the y - axis represents the recovery compared to a reference solution stored at − 20 ° c . during the time course of the test . as shown in fig2 the tracer candidate demonstrates good thermal stability up to 150 ° c ., allowing its use in petroleum reservoirs worldwide . oil / water partitioning tracers have to follow the movement of the aqueous based fluids in an oil and gas reservoir with a predictable partitioning to the oil . it is therefore crucial that the tracer candidate follows the flow of injected water without interaction with the reservoir rock . in addition the partitioning characteristics of the tracer candidate to the oil in the reservoir must be known . to test this , the tracer candidate was subjected to a test of flow and interaction properties in an oil environment as well as tests with certain rock materials . these tests are critical because many tracer candidates may have unwanted interactions and therefore are unsuited as tracers . to test the possibility of interactions of the tracer candidate with reservoir rock , sorption tests with sandstone and limestone were performed . sandstone and limestone are typical petroleum reservoir rock materials . 2 ml of a solution of the tracer candidates in formation water were added to vials containing 0 . 5 g sandstone or 0 . 5 g limestone . the vials were sealed under an argon atmosphere and heated for eight weeks up to 150 ° c . the results are given in fig3 and fig4 . the x - axis represents temperatures in ° c . and the y - axis represents the recovery compared to a reference solution stored at − 20 ° c . during the time course of the test . the results in fig3 and fig4 show that the tested tracer candidate has low interaction with the tested rock material and may therefore be suitable as a tracer in oil and gas reservoirs . to test the dynamic properties of the tracer candidate an experimental setup containing a residual oil saturated column was used . the column had a length of 2 m and an internal diameter of 11 . 1 mm . the column was packed with 70 μm silica beads . dead crude oil was pumped through the column after which artificial formation water was pumped through the system until residual oil saturation was reached . the tracer candidate was then co - injected with tritiated water ( hto ) as a pulse into the water flow . the experiments were conducted with different oil types , different water compositions and at several temperatures . the results from some of these experiments are given in fig5 , fig6 , fig7 and fig8 . the tracer responses are plotted as a function of the accumulated water amount produced from the residual oil saturated column . the tracer responses are plotted as relative responses ; all tracer concentrations for one compound are divided by the peak concentration for that compound . the results from the dynamic flow experiments show that the partitioning tracer candidate is retained on the column compared to hto meaning that it has a partition into the oil phase . referring to fig8 , it can be seen that two different candidates show different degrees of partitioning to the oil . these tests indicate that the tested tracer candidates should act as partitioning tracers under reservoir conditions . it is important that a tracer can be detected at as low concentrations in field samples and with as much certainty as possible . a partitioning tracer is injected into a field as a pulse ( approximately 7 - 10 % tracer ( weight / weight )) into a water injection well . the amount of tracer required is a function of the total applicable reservoir volume to be traced and the limit of detection for the injected tracer . a low detection limit reduces the amount of tracer required for each field injection , giving an environmental and economic benefit . samples containing fluorinated benzyl alcohols are pre - concentrated ( solid phase extraction ) and analysed with gas chromatography mass spectrometry ( gc - ms ). the different fluorinated benzyl alcohols are separated on a gas chromatography column . specific detection is obtained using a mass spectrometer operating in single ion monitoring mode . this gives detection limits at 50 ppt concentrations . a chromatogram of a standard solution of selected fluorinated benzyl alcohols are given in fig9 . it is appreciated that further development could allow even better detection limits . a typical concentration range detected in an oil producer in a partitioning tracer test performed by ife ( institute for energy technology , norway ) is 50 ppt to 100 ppb . further analysis of blank samples from different oil fields around the world showed that the tracer candidates are not naturally present in the field and will thus not interfere with tracer studies ( data not shown ). these tests verify the fluorinated benzyl alcohols applicability as partitioning tracers for the petroleum industry worldwide . one field trial with the fluorinated benzyl alcohols have been performed in a relatively small field with short breakthrough times and one field test in a larger field is in progress . in the completed field trial a selected fluorinated benzyl alcohol was injected together with the passive water tracer 2 - fba . results from one of the production wells are given in fig1 . due to re - injection of the produced water from the well , the plot of the produced tracer is not symmetrical . the pilot shows the applicability of tracers of this type and of the method . the test was successful and the tested tracer was verified and worked satisfactory giving accurate results for calculated oil saturation . the use of halogenated compounds is generally thought to have a negative effect on the environment and / or the ability to get regulatory approval for their use . on the norwegian continental shelf ( ncs ) in particular , all compounds to be injected must be tested for their environmental impact according to stringent tests under oslo - paris commission for the protection of the marine environment of the north - east and atlantic . the results are summarized in the harmonized offshore chemical notification format ( hocnf ), which is used when applying for permit to use and discharge the chemicals to the sea on the ncs . according to the hocnf testing , a tested compound is environmentally classified with the label green , yellow , red or black according to the negative effect the compound is classified to have on the environment . it is very difficult to get permission for the use of black compounds , rendering their use unrealistic . red compounds can be used , even though they are not preferred . tracers must be stable in the harsh reservoir environment , thus their results in the seawater biodegradation component of the hocnf scheme “ oecd ( 306 1999 ) guideline for testing chemicals , biodegradation in seawater ” often show less than 20 % biodegradation ensuring that they automatically are placed in the red category . in addition to biodegradation in seawater other tests to be conducted are the toxicity test with acardia tonsa ( iso14669 ; 1999 ), providing a median lethal concentration ( lc50 ) after an exposure of 48 hr , toxicity test with skeletonema costatum ( iso 10253 ; 2006 ), providing a median effect concentration ( ec50 / el50 ) after an exposure of 72 hr , toxicity test with scophthalmus maximus ( parcom 2006 ), providing the mortality of fish after 96 hr at ec50 value and bioaccumulation potential ( oecd guidelines for testing of chemicals , 117 ), providing the logarithm of n - octanol / water partition coefficient . the most important environmental properties were tested on several example compounds . these are biodegradability in seawater and toxicity screening for skeletonema costatum . the latter gives a good general indication of the total toxicity of a chemical and in combination with the biodegradability gives a strong indication of the total impact of the environment . the results are given in table 2 . the results given in table 2 indicate that the tested fluorinated benzyl alcohols will be classified as red chemicals . this is the same category as most of the existing water tracers and thus should receive regulatory approval . accordingly , the tracer candidates of the invention may be used as partitioning tracers in oil and gas reservoirs . | 2 |
fig1 is a block diagram of a video signal recording and reproducing apparatus in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention . fig2 is a waveform diagram showing signal waveforms in the video signal recording / reproducing apparatus of video signals in fig1 . in fig1 ; element 1 is a luminance signal input terminal ; element 2 is a chrominance signal input terminal ; element 3 is a tdm encoding circuit for compressing and multiplexing the luminance signal and chrominance signal on the time axis to obtain a tdm signal ; element 4 is an emphasis circuit composed of a digital filter capable of stopping its emphasis processing operation on the time axis ; element 5 is an effective period detecting circuit for detecting an effective period of the tdm signal to be recorded ; element 6 is a signal addition circuit for adding a specific signal necessary for recording to the tdm signal ; element 7 is a recording processing circuit for converting the tdm signal from the signal addition circuit 6 to a recordable signal suited to recording ; element 8a is a recording head for recording the recordable signal on a magnetic tape 9 ; element 8b is a reproducing head for reproducing the recorded signal from the magnetic tape 9 ; element 10 is a reproduction processing circuit for processing the reproduced signal from the head 8b to obtain a tdm signal ; element 11 is a de - emphasis circuit composed of a digital filter capable of stopping its de - emphasis processing operation on the time axis ; element 12 is an effective period detecting circuit for detecting an effective period of the reproduced tdm signal ; element 13 is a tdm decoding circuit for separating the tdm signal into the luminance signal and chrominance signal ; element 14 is a synchronous signal addition circuit for adding a synchronous signal to each of the reproduced luminance and chrominance signals ; element 15 is a luminance signal output terminal , and element 16 is a chrominance signal output terminal . incidentally , the recording head 8a and reproducing head 8b may be one head used for both recording and reproducing . when recording , luminance and chrominance signals of a colorless and black level video signal , for example , as shown in waveform diagrams a and b in fig2 are fed to the luminance signal input terminal 1 and chrominance signal input terminal 2 , respectively . here , t4 is an effective period of the luminance signal , and t2 is an effective period of the chrominance signal . the luminance signal and chrominance signal are compressed and multiplexed on the time axis in the tdm encoding circuit 3 to be a tdm signal c in fig2 . here , t1 is a synchronous signal period , t2 is an effective period of the chrominance signal , t3 is a y / c guard period , and t4 is an effective period of the luminance signal . usually black level signals are inserted in t1 and t3 . the effective period detecting circuit 5 , detects the effective periods t2 and t4 of the tdm signal , and controls the emphasis circuit 4 so as to stop the emphasis processing operation on the time axis in other periods . the output signal of the emphasis circuit 4 is as shown in waveform diagramed in fig2 in which all impulse responses of the signals in the effective periods t2 and t4 are included in the effective periods t2 and t4 . the output signal of the emphasis circuit 4 is then added by the signal addition circuit 6 to a synchronous signal in t1 and a y / c guard signal in t3 to become a waveform e in fig2 . the resultant signal is converted into a signal suited to recording in the recording processing circuit 7 , and recorded on the magnetic tape 9 by the recording head 8a . when reproducing , the signal reproduced by the reproducing head 8b from the magnetic tape 9 is converted into a reproduced tdm signal by the reproduction processing circuit 10 . the reproduced tdm signal is subjected to a de - emphasis processing in the de - emphasis circuit 11 . here , the effective period detecting circuit 12 detects the effective periods t2 and t4 and controls the de - emphasis circuit 11 so as to stop its de - emphasis processing operation on the time axis in the remaining periods t1 and t3 . therefore , the parts in the effective periods t2 and t4 of the output signal of the de - emphasis circuit 11 are perfectly reproduced as shown in the waveform f in fig2 . in the tdm decoding circuit 13 , the luminance signal in the effective period t4 and the chrominance signal in the effective period t2 are separated from the tdm signal f in fig2 and time - expanded . then , a synchronous signal is added to each of the luminance and chrominance signals in the synchronous signal addition circuit 14 to obtain a luminance signal g shown in fig2 at the luminance signal output terminal 15 and a chrominance signal h shown in fig2 at the chrominance signal output terminal 16 . to stop the time axis of the emphasis circuit and de - emphasis circuit , the basic clock supplied to the digital filter , may be stopped . fig3 is a block diagram of a video signal recording and reproducing apparatus in accordance with the second embodiment of the present invention . fig4 is a waveform diagram showing signal waveforms for explaining an operation of the video signal recording and reproducing apparatus in fig3 . in fig3 element 20 is a signal addition circuit ; element 21 is an emphasis circuit element 22 is a de - emphasis circuit , and the other structural elements are the same as those in the first embodiment . when recording , luminance and chrominance signals of a colorless and black level video signal , for example , as shown in waveform diagrams a and b in fig4 are fed to the luminance signal input terminal 1 and chrominance signal input terminal 2 , respectively . here , t4 is the effective period of the luminance signal , and t2 is the effective period of the chrominance signal . the luminance signal and chrominance signal are compressed and multiplexed on the time axis in the tdm encoding circuit 3 to be a tdm signal having a waveform c in fig4 . here , t1 is the synchronous signal period , t2 is the effective period of the chrominance signal , t3 is the y / c guard period , and t4 is the effective period of the luminance signal , wherein usually black level signals are inserted in t1 and t3 . in the signal addition circuit 20 , specific signals ( described later ). as shown by a waveform d in fig4 are added to the tdm signal in the synchronous signal period t1 and y / c guard period t3 . the output signal of the emphasis circuit 21 becomes a tdm signal having a waveform e shown in fig4 increased in level in the medium and high frequency regions . the output signal of the emphasis circuit 21 is then added with to a synchronous signal in t1 and a y / c guard signal in t3 to be a waveform f in fig4 . this signal is converted into a signal suited to recording in the recording processing circuit 7 , and is recorded on the magnetic recording tape 9 by the recording head 8a . when reproducing , the signal reproduced from the magnetic tape 9 by the reproducing head 8b is converted into a reproduced tdm signal by the reproduction processing circuit 10 . the reproduced tdm signal is fed to the de - emphasis circuit 22 , and de - emphasized into a waveform g in fig4 decreased in level in the medium and high frequency regions . in the tdm decoding circuit 13 , the luminance signal in the effective period t4 and the chrominance signal in the effective period t2 are separated from the tdm signal g in fig4 and time - expanded . thereafter , a synchronous signal is added to each of the luminance and chrominance signals in the synchronous signal addition circuit 14 to obtain a luminance signal h as shown in fig4 at the luminance signal output terminal 15 and a chrominance signal i as shown in fig4 at the chrominance signal output terminal 16 . here , the specific signal to be added prior to the emphasis processing may be properly selected such that the waveform deterioration after the de - emphasis will be decreased . as shown in fig4 d , in the synchronous signal period t1 , which is sufficiently longer than the period of impulse response caused by the emphasis processing , a black level signal may be added during a longer period than the impulse response period from the trailing end of the luminance signal , and a colorless level signal may be added during a longer period than the impulse response period to the leading end of the chrominance signal . on the other hand , a signal which becomes a predetermined y / c guard signal by the emphasis processing may be added in the y / c guard signal period t3 , which is shorter than the period of the impulse response of the emphasis processing . after the emphasis processing , even if an additional specific signal necessary for recording is added to the tdm signal as shown in the waveform f in fig4 the tdm signal is not affected at the end portions of the chrominance signal effective period t2 and luminance signal effective period t4 by the emphasis and signal addition . therefore , the video signal obtained after being de - emphasized during reproducing will not have a deteriorated waveform in the end portions of the effective period t2 of the chrominance signal and the effective period t4 of the luminance signal as shown in fig4 g . in the foregoing embodiments , the emphasis circuit is the phase linear type , but the same effects can be obtained in the case of the phase nonlinear type . | 7 |
hereinafter , the present invention is concretely described with reference to some of the most preferable embodiments of the present invention . however , these embodiments are not intended to limit the present invention in scope . fig2 is a sectional view of the image forming apparatus equipped with a controlling apparatus ( device ) for controlling the fixing apparatus ( device ) in this embodiment . it shows the general structure of the apparatus . the image forming apparatus 100 is a full - color laser beam printer , which uses an electrophotographic image forming method . there are disposed in tandem the first , second , third , and fourth image forming sections pa - pd , in the main assemble of the apparatus . in the image forming sections pa - pd , monochromatic toner images , which are different in color , are formed one for one , through processes of forming a latent image , developing the latent image , and transferring the developed latent image . the image forming sections pa - pd have drum - shaped electrophotographic photosensitive components , more specifically , photosensitive drums 3 a - 3 d as their own image bearing components , respectively . the photosensitive drums 3 a - 3 d are rotationally driven in the direction indicated by arrow marks r 1 in fig2 , at a preset peripheral velocity . it is on these photosensitive drums 3 a - 3 d that monochromatic toner images , different in color , are formed one for one . there is disposed next to the photosensitive drums 3 a - 3 d , an intermediary transfer belt 130 , as an intermediary transferring component . as the toner images , different in color , are formed on the photosensitive drums 3 a - 3 d , one for one , they are transferred ( primary transfer ) onto the intermediary transfer belt 130 , in the primary transfer sections n 1 a - n 1 d , respectively . then , they are transferred ( secondary transfer ) onto a sheet p of recording paper , in the secondary transfer section n 2 . after the transfer of the toner images onto the sheet p of recording paper , the sheet p is conveyed to a fixing apparatus ( device ) 9 , in which the sheet p and the toner images thereon are subjected to heat and pressure . thus , the toner images become fixed to the sheet p . thereafter , the sheet p is discharged , as a print , from the main assembly of the apparatus . the image forming sections pa - pd are also provided with charge rollers 2 a - 2 d as charging means , and developing devices 1 a - 1 d as developing means , which are disposed in the adjacencies of the photosensitive drums 3 a - 3 d , respectively . also disposed in the adjacencies of the photosensitive drums 3 a - 3 d are primary transfer rollers 24 a - 24 d as primary transferring means , and cleaners 4 a - 4 d as cleaning means . further , there are disposed above the photosensitive drums 3 a - 3 d , laser scanners la - ld , as exposing means , which are equipped with a light source and a polygonal mirror . the photosensitive drums 3 a - 3 d are roughly uniformly charged by the charge rollers 2 a - 2 d , respectively . then , the charged portion of each photosensitive drum 3 is exposed by the laser scanner l ( la , lb , lc or ld ). a beam of laser light emitted by the light source is deflected by a rotating polygon mirror in a manner of scanning the charged portion of the photosensitive drum 3 , is changed in direction by a reflection mirror , and is focused by an f - θ lens onto the generatrix of the photosensitive drum 3 ( 3 a , 3 b , 3 c or 3 d ). consequently , four electrostatic images ( latent images ), which correspond to the image formation signals , are effected on the photosensitive drums 3 a - 3 d , one for one . the developing devices 1 a - 1 d contain a preset amount of yellow , magenta , cyan , and black toners , as developer ), respectively . they are replenished with toner , as necessary , by replenishing devices 117 a - 117 d , respectively . they develop the latent images on the photosensitive drums 3 a - 3 d into visible images , more specifically , yellow , magenta , cyan and black toner images , respectively . the intermediary transfer belt 130 is being rotationally driven , in the direction indicated by an arrow mark a , at the same peripheral velocity as the photosensitive drums 3 a - 3 d . in an operation for forming a full - color image , for example , first , a yellow toner image ( image of first color ) is formed on the photosensitive drum 3 a . this yellow toner image is transferred ( primary transfer ) onto the outward surface of the intermediary transfer belt 130 ( with reference to loop which belt forms ), while the yellow toner image is conveyed through the nip ( primary transfer nip ) n 1 a , which is the area of contact between the photosensitive drum 3 a and intermediary transfer belt 130 . while the yellow toner image is conveyed through the primary transfer nip n 1 a , the primary transfer bias is applied to the intermediary transfer belt 130 by way of the primary transfer roller 24 a . thus , the yellow toner image on the photosensitive drum 3 a is transferred onto the intermediary transfer belt 130 by the combination of the electric field generated by the primary transfer bias , and the pressure in the primary transfer nip n 1 a . similarly , the magenta toner image ( toner image of second color ), cyan toner image ( toner image of third color ), and black toner image ( toner image of fourth color ) are sequentially transferred in layers onto the intermediary transfer belt 130 . consequently , a full - color image , which reflects the image formation signals , are synthetically formed . the secondary transfer section is provided with the secondary transfer roller 11 as a secondary transferring means which is supported by a pair of bearings , in parallel to the intermediary transfer belt 130 , and also , in contact with the downwardly facing portion of the outward surface of the intermediary transfer belt 130 . to the secondary transfer roller 11 , a preset secondary transfer bias is applied by a secondary transfer bias power source . meanwhile , sheets p of recording paper are conveyed to the secondary transfer section by a recording paper supplying means . more specifically , the sheets p are conveyed one by one to the secondary transfer nip from a sheet feeder cassette 10 , by way of a pair of registration rollers 12 , an upstream transfer guide ( unshown ), etc ., with such a timing that each sheet p of recording paper arrives at a preset point in time , at the secondary transfer nip , which is the area of contact between the intermediary transfer belt 130 and secondary transfer roller 11 . while the sheet p is conveyed through the secondary transfer nip , the secondary transfer bias is applied to the secondary transfer roller 11 from a secondary transfer bias power source . thus , the synthetic full - color toner image , which is made up of the four monochromatic toner images , different in color , which were transferred in layers onto the intermediary transfer belt 130 , is transferred ( secondary transfer ) onto the sheet p or recording paper . by the way , the toner ( transfer residual toner ) which is remaining on the photosensitive drums 3 a - 3 d after the completion of the primary transfer , is removed and recovered by the cleaners 4 a - 4 d . that is , the photosensitive drums 3 a - 3 d are cleaned so that they can be used for the formation of the next latent images . as for the transfer residual toner , and other contaminants , remaining on the intermediary transfer belt 130 , they are wiped way by a cleaning web ( unwoven cloth ) which is placed in contact with the surface of the intermediary transfer belt 130 . after the transfer of the toner images onto the sheet p of recording paper , in the second transfer section , the sheet p is introduced into a fixing device 9 , which will be described later in detail . in the fixing device 9 , heat and pressure are applied to the sheet p and toner image ( s ) thereon . consequently , the toner image ( s ) becomes fixed to the sheet p . in this embodiment , the controlling apparatus ( device ) for controlling the fixing device as an image heating device is provided with an automatic mode and a user mode ( manual mode ), which will be described later . the controlling device may be a part of an image forming apparatus , like the one in this embodiment , or a part of a fixing device , like the one with which a fixing device is provided in a case where the fixing device is independent from the image forming apparatus . fig3 is a sectional view of the fixing device 9 , while it is not in the state in which it can perform neither an operation for refreshing the fixation roller , nor an operation for refreshing the pressure roller . it shows the structure of the fixing device 9 . the fixing device 9 has a fixation roller ( thermally fixing component ) 40 , which is a rotational heating component ( first rotational component ) for heating the image on a sheet p of recording paper . the fixing device 9 has also a pressure roller ( pneumatic fixing component ) 41 , which is a rotational pressure applying component ( second rotational component ). it is pressed upon the fixation roller 40 to form a nip ( fixation nip ). as a sheet p of recording paper , on which a toner image is present , is conveyed through the fixation nip , remaining pinched between the pressure roller 41 and fixation roller 40 , while the fixation roller 40 is heated by a heat source 40 a disposed in the hollow of the fixation roller 40 , the toner image becomes fixed to the sheet p . further , the fixing device 9 is provided with a fixation roller refreshing system 50 , which can be placed in contact with , or separated from , the fixation roller 40 . it is also provided with a pressure roller refreshing system 60 , which can be placed in contact with , or separated from , the pressure roller 41 . referring to fig3 , the fixation roller 40 is made up of a metallic core ( sustratative layer ) 40 b , an elastic layer 40 c , and a parting layer 40 d . the elastic layer 40 c is formed of rubber , on the peripheral surface of the metallic core 40 b . the parting layer 40 d is the surface layer of the fixation roller 40 . it covers the elastic layer 40 c . more concretely , in this embodiment , the metallic core 40 b is a piece of hollow aluminum tube which is 68 mm in external diameter . the elastic layer 40 c is formed of silicone rubber , and is 20 ° in rubber hardness ( jis - a : under 1 kg of weight ), and is 1 . 0 mm in thickness . the parting layer 40 d , which covers the outward surface of the elastic layer 40 c , is formed of fluorinated resin , and is 50 μm in thickness . thus , the fixation roller 40 is 70 mm in external diameter . the fixation roller 40 is rotatably supported by a pair of supporting components located at the lengthwise ends of the metallic core 40 b ( in terms of direction parallel to rotational axis of metallic core 40 b ). it is rotationally driven by an unshown motor as a driving means , in the direction indicated by an arrow mark in fig3 . the material for the parting layer is a piece of tube made of fluorinated resin , such as pfa resin ( copolymer of tetrafluoroethylene resin and perfluoroalkoxylethylene ), ptfe ( tetrafluoroethylene ), or the like , which is excellent in parting properties . the material for the parting layer of the fixation roller 40 in this embodiment is a piece of pfa resin tube . the parting layer 40 d , which is the surface layer of the fixation roller 40 is desired to be no less than 30 μm , and no more than 100 μm , in thickness . the fixation roller 40 internally holds a halogen heater 40 a as its heat source . its temperature is kept by a combination of a temperature sensor 42 a and a temperature control circuit , within a range of 150 - 180 ° c ., in which toner is fixable to a sheet p of recording paper . this target temperature has to be varied according to recording paper type . by the way , in this embodiment , the peripheral velocity of the fixation roller 40 was set to 220 mm / sec . this peripheral velocity of the fixation roller 40 is equivalent to the process speed ( image outputting speed ) of the image forming apparatus 100 . at this time , the changes in the surface condition of the fixation roller 40 , which are caused by a sheet p of recording medium as the sheet p is conveyed through the fixing device 9 , are described . hereafter , the portions of the peripheral surface of the fixation roller 40 , which the side edges ( lateral edges ) of a sheet p of recording paper contact , are referred to as paper edge portions . as the problem that the peripheral surface of the fixation roller 40 is gradually roughened by the side edges ( lateral edges ) of a sheet of recording paper was examined by the inventors of the present invention , the following became evident . that is , as a substantial number of sheets p of recording paper are conveyed through the fixing device 9 in such a manner that the sheets always contact the same portion of the fixation roller 40 in terms of the lengthwise direction of the fixation roller 40 , the peripheral surface of the fixation roller 40 becomes nonuniform in surface roughness , as will be described next . that is , referring to fig8 , the paper path portion ( i ), out - of - paper - path portions ( ii ), and paper edge portions ( iii ), or the borderline between the paper path portion ( i ) and out - of - paper - path portion ( ii ), of the peripheral surface of the fixation roller 40 , become different in surface roughness . when the fixation roller 40 is in the new condition , the peripheral surface of the fixation roller 40 , which is the outward surface of the parting layer formed of fluorinated resin or the like , is in the mirror - like condition ; the surface roughness rz ( jis : ten point average roughness ) is roughly in a range of 0 . 1 μm - 0 . 3 μm . in comparison , as a substantial number of sheets p of recording paper are conveyed through the fixing device 9 , the portion of the peripheral surface of the fixation roller 40 , which corresponds in position to the recording paper path ( portion which comes into contact with recording paper ) is gradually eroded by being attacked by the fibers , internal and external additives of the recording paper . thus , the surface roughness of this portion of the fixation roller 40 gradually increases to roughly 0 . 5 μm - 1 . 0 μm . the out - of - paper - path portions ( ii ) of the peripheral surface 40 d of the fixation roller 40 contact the peripheral surface 41 d of the pressure roller 41 which opposes the fixation roller 40 . thus , the surface roughness rz of the out - of - paper - path portions ( ii ) of the peripheral surface of the fixation roller 40 settles to a value in a range of 0 . 4 μm - 0 . 7 μm . thus , the peripheral surface of the fixation roller 40 is made nonuniform in surface condition , in terms of the lengthwise direction of the fixation roller 40 , by the conveyance of sheets p of recording paper through the fixing device 9 , as described above . next , the relationship between the condition of the peripheral surface of the fixation roller 40 and the nonuniformity in gloss of an image outputted from the fixation roller 40 is described . in order to fix an unfixed toner image to a sheet p of recording paper , the fixing device 9 applies pressure and heat to the sheet p and the unfixed toner image thereon . during this process , the surface condition ( presence of numerous minute peaks and valleys ) of the peripheral surface of the fixing device 9 is transferred onto the surface of the toner image as the sheet p is conveyed through the fixing device 9 . thus , the surface condition of the peripheral surface of the fixation roller 40 , more specifically , the nonuniformity of the peripheral surface of the fixation roller 40 , makes the toner image on a sheet p of recording paper nonuniform in surface condition while the sheet p is conveyed through the fixing device 9 . consequently , the image forming apparatus 100 outputs images which are nonuniform in gloss ( fig8 ). generally speaking , with regards to surface gloss , if a surface is capable of highly accurately reflecting an optical image , the surface is recognized as highly glossy , whereas if a surface is incapable of highly accurately reflecting an optical image , it is recognized as low in gloss or not glossy . for example , in a case where an image such as a silver - salt photographic image is seen under florescent illumination , not only is the light from the florescent bulb reflected by the image surface , but also , the shape of the florescent bulb can be seen in the image surface . in such a case , the image is thought to be highly glossy , whether consciously or unconsciously . this means that the surface of the photographic image is in the mirror - like condition , that is , being virtually free of visible peaks and valleys . on the other hand , if a surface is low in gloss , the opposites can be said . that is , in the case of an image which is low in gloss , the minute peaks and valleys which its surface has are relatively large . therefore , as the light from a florescent bulb hits the surface , it is randomly reflected , and therefore , the shape of the florescent bulb is not recognizable in the surface of the image . that is , there is a correlation between the surface condition ( presence of minute peaks and valleys ) of an image , and the glossiness of the image . therefore , if a fixation roller having deteriorated in surface condition is used to fix an image to highly glossy recording medium , such as coated paper , which is used to yield high quality images , an image forming apparatus ( fixing device ) is likely to output images which are nonuniform in gloss . for example , an image forming apparatus ( fixing device ) is likely to output images which have unwanted lines which are low in gloss and correspond in position to the paper edge portions of the fixation roller 40 , images which are nonuniform in gloss because of the difference in gloss between its portion corresponding to the paper - path portion of the fixation roller , and its portions corresponding to the out - of - sheet - path portions of the fixation roller , and the like images . hereafter , the difference in gloss between a portion of an image , which corresponds in position to the paper edge portion ( iii ) of the fixation roller 40 , and the portion of the image , which corresponds in position to the sheet - path portion ( i ) of the fixation roller , is referred to as a paper edge scar , and so is the difference in gloss between the portion of an image , which corresponds in position to the paper edge portion ( iii ) of the fixation roller . in comparison , the difference in gloss between the portion of an image , which corresponds in position to the paper - path portion ( i ) of the fixation roller , and the portion of the image , which corresponds in position to the out - of - sheet - path portion ( ii ) of the fixation roller is referred to as gloss nonuniformity . the sheet edge portion ( iii ) is roughly 1 - 2 mm in width . that is , it is very narrow . therefore , the difference in gloss between the portion of an image , which corresponds in position to the paper - path ( i ) of the peripheral surface of the fixation roller 40 , and the portion of the image , which corresponds in position to the out - of - paper - path portions ( ii ) of the fixation roller 40 , is more conspicuous than the paper edge scars , regardless of severity in roughness of the sheet edge portions of the fixation roller . at this time , the fixation roller refreshing system 50 is described . referring to fig4 , a refreshing roller ( abrading roller ) 52 , which is an abrading component ( first rotational abrading component ), is made up of a metallic ( stainless steel sus 304 ) core 53 which is 12 mm in external diameter , and an abrasive layer ( surface layer ) 55 which covers the peripheral surface of the metallic core 53 . more concretely , the abrasive layer 55 is formed by forming an adhesive layer ( intermediary layer ) 54 on the peripheral surface of the metallic core 53 , and then , densely adhering abrasive particles , as abrasive material , to the adhesive layer 54 ( peripheral surface of the metallic core 53 . fig7 is an enlarged schematic sectional view of the refreshing roller 52 . as the abrasive 55 of which the abrasive layer 33 ( surface layer ) of the refreshing roller 52 is formed , minute particles of one of the following substances , and their mixtures , can be listed . more specifically , minute particles of aluminum oxide , aluminum hydroxide , silicon oxide , cerium oxide , titanium oxide , zirconia , lithium silicate , silicon nitride , iron oxide , chrome oxide , antimony oxide , diamond , etc ., may be listed . in this embodiment , alumina ( aluminum oxide ) ( which is referred to as alundum or morundum ) was used as the abrasive 55 . alumina - based abrasive is the most widely used abrasive . it is substantially higher in hardness than the fixation roller 40 . further , its edges are acute - angled . therefore , it is excellent in terms of abrasiveness . thus , it is suitable as the abrasive 55 for this embodiment . the alumina - based abrasive used for this embodiment was no less than 5 μm and no more than 20 μm in particles size . thus , the abrasive layer 33 is such a layer that is no less than 5 μm and no more than 20 μm in thickness . this range ( 5 μm and no more than 20 μm in thickness ) was a range in which the refreshing roller 52 can effectively refresh the fixation roller 40 in surface condition , while keeping the fixation roller 40 satisfactory in surface properties . the refreshing roller 52 is rotatably supported by a pair of supporting components located at the lengthwise ( parallel to rotational axis of roller ) ends of the metallic core 53 . referring to fig4 , the refreshing roller 52 is rotationally drivable by a motor 54 as a driving means . further , the supporting components located at the lengthwise ends , one for one , of the refreshing roller 52 are kept under the pressure generated by a pair of compression springs ( unshown ) as pressure applying means . therefore , the refreshing roller 52 is pressed upon the pressure roller 41 by a preset amount of pressure . therefore , an abrading nip , which has a preset width in terms of the rotational direction of the refreshing roller 52 and fixation roller 40 , is formed between the refreshing roller 52 and fixation roller 40 . the refreshing roller 52 may be rotated either in such a direction that makes the refreshing roller 52 and fixation roller 40 the same , or opposite , in the direction in which their peripheral surface moves in the area of contact ( abrading section ) between the refreshing roller 52 and fixation roller 40 . further , the refreshing roller 52 is disposed so that it can be placed in contact with , or separated from , the fixation roller 40 by a refreshing roller positioning mechanism . referring to fig3 , the pressure roller 41 is made up of a metallic core ( sustrative layer ) 41 b , an elastic layer 41 c , and a parting layer 41 d . the elastic layer 41 c is formed of rubber , on the peripheral surface of the metallic core 41 b . the parting layer 41 d is the surface layer of the pressure roller 41 , and covers the elastic layer 41 c . more concretely , in this embodiment , the metallic core 41 b is a piece of hollow aluminum tube which is 48 mm in external diameter . the elastic layer 41 c is formed of silicone rubber and is 20 ° in rubber hardness ( jis - a : under 1 kg of weight ), and is 2 . 0 mm in thickness . the parting layer 41 d , which covers the outward surface of the elastic layer 41 c , is formed of fluorinated resin , and is 50 μm in thickness . thus , the pressure roller 41 is 50 mm in external diameter . the pressure roller 41 is rotatably supported by a pair of supporting components located at the lengthwise ( direction parallel to axial line of metallic core ) ends of the metallic core 40 b . the pair of pressure roller supporting components located at the lengthwise ends of the pressure roller 41 are kept pressed by a pair of compression springs ( unshown ), as pressure applying means , one for one . thus , the pressure roller 41 remains pressed upon the fixation roller 40 by a preset amount of pressure . therefore , a fixation nip , which has a preset width in terms of the direction in which the peripheral surface of the fixation roller 40 and that of the pressure roller 41 move , is formed between the fixation roller 40 and pressure roller 41 . in this embodiment , the total amount of pressure by which the pressure roller 41 is kept pressed upon the fixation roller 40 is 800 n . the pressure roller 41 internally holds a halogen heater 41 a as a heat source . its temperature is kept by a combination of a temperature sensor 42 b and a temperature control circuit , within a range of 90 - 110 ° c ., which does not make the first and second surfaces of a sheet p of recording paper different in gloss in the two - sided mode , and also , the pressure roller 41 does not substantially reduce the fixation roller 40 in temperature . if the temperature of the pressure roller 41 substantially exceeds its target level , the pressure roller 41 is cooled by an unshown cooling fan or the like to reduce the temperature of the pressure roller 41 to the target level . this target temperature level is varied according to recording paper type , or the like factor . at this time , the changes in the surface condition of the fixation roller 40 , which are caused by a sheet p of recording medium as the sheet p is conveyed through the fixing device 9 , are described . there is a problem that as the fixing device 9 increases in the cumulative number of times sheets p of recording medium were conveyed through the fixing device 9 , the peripheral surface of the pressure roller 41 is gradually roughened by the contaminants such as paper dust . thus , the inventors of the present invention studied the adhesion of paper dust to the pressure roller 41 . as a result , the following became evident . by the way , the frequency with which the pressure roller 41 comes into contact with the toner image on a sheet p of recording medium is less than the frequency with which the fixation roller 40 does . therefore , it may be said that the pressure roller 41 is smaller than the fixation roller 40 , in terms of the effect they have upon the above described paper edge scars , which results in the formation of images which are nonuniform in gloss . each time a sheet p of recording paper moves through the fixation nip , calcium carbonate , and the like , which are ingredients of the paper dust which originates from the sheet p , adhere to the surface layer of the pressure roller 41 , although by an extremely small amount . the surface layer of the pressure roller 41 , which is formed of fluorinated resin , is excellent in parting properties . normally , therefore , it is unlikely that the paper accumulates on the peripheral surface of the pressure roller 41 . however , the temperature of the pressure roller 41 is kept relatively low as described above . in the case of the fixation roller 40 , there is a toner image between the fixation roller 40 and a sheet p of recording paper . therefore , it may be said that the amount by which paper dust ingredients adhere to the fixation roller 40 will be very small . as the amount of the paper dust having adhered to the peripheral surface of the pressure roller 41 exceeds a certain value , the pressure roller 41 substantially loses its parting properties . consequently , the paper dust begins to acceleratedly accumulate on the peripheral surface of the pressure roller 41 . fig9 is an enlarged view of the paper edge portions of the peripheral surface of the fixation roller 40 and those of the pressure roller 41 , and their adjacencies , it shows the paper dust on the pressure roller 41 . more specifically , after a substantial amount of paper dust adhered to this portion of the pressure roller 41 , a sheet of glossy paper ( coated paper ) was used to form a monochromatic black toner image on both the first and second surfaces the sheet . then , the glossiness of the toner image on the first surface was measured . then , the obtained values were plotted along the points of measurement of the fixation roller 40 . as is evident from fig9 , as a given point of the peripheral surface of the pressure roller 41 reduces in surface roughness due to the paper dust adhesion , it reduces in fixation performance ( ability to conduct heat to toner ). thus , the point of the resultant image , which corresponds to the given point , is significantly less in gloss . next , a separation claw mechanism 70 , which is a sheet separating unit , is described . referring to fig5 , the fixing device 9 is provided with multiple separation claws 71 , which are disposed in the adjacencies of the pressure roller 41 , being aligned in tandem in the lengthwise direction of the pressure roller 41 , as shown in fig1 . the separation claws 71 prevent a sheet p of recording paper from wrapping around the pressure roller 41 , by being placed in contact with the peripheral surface of the pressure roller 41 , when the sheet p is discharged from the fixation nip while remaining in contact with the pressure roller 41 . a sheet p of recording paper , which is high in rigidity , is less likely to wrap around the pressure roller 41 at the sheet exit of the fixation nip . therefore , when the sheets p of recording paper which are used for an image forming operation is higher in rigidity than a certain value , it is unnecessary for the separation claws 71 to be placed in contact with the pressure roller 41 . thus , the fixing device 9 is structured so that the separation claws 7 can be placed in contact with , or separated from , the peripheral surface of the pressure roller 41 . it is impossible to accurately obtain the rigidity of a sheet of recording paper . in this embodiment , therefore , whether the separation claws 71 need to be placed in contact with , or kept separated from , the peripheral surface of the pressure roller 41 , is determined based on whether or not the recording paper is coated paper , and / or based on the basis weight of the recording paper . further , in a case where a toner image is present on the surface of a sheet p of recording medium , which is facing the pressure roller 41 , as when the image forming apparatus 100 is in the two - sided image forming mode , the adhesiveness of the toner image comes into play . therefore , it is more likely for the sheet p to wrap around the peripheral surface of the pressure roller 41 . thus , when the image forming apparatus 100 is in the two - sided mode which makes it likely for a toner image to be on the surface of a sheet p of recording medium , which is facing the pressure roller 41 , the separation claws 71 are placed in contact with , or kept separated from , the peripheral surface of the pressure roller 41 , based on table 1 ( which shows , in numerical value , conditions in which separation claws are to be placed in contact with , or kept separated , from pressure roller ), in which “ ordinary paper ” includes high quality paper with no coating , recycled paper , and the like , and “ other ” includes all the other categories of sheet of recording medium such as a sheet of plastic film for an overhead projector which does not belong to the “ coated paper ” category . next , a system 60 for refreshing the pressure roller 41 is described . referring to fig5 , a refreshing roller 62 ( roughening roller ) which is an abrading component ( second rotational abrading component ) is made up of a metallic ( stainless steel sus 304 ) core 53 which is 12 mm in external diameter , and an abrasive layer ( surface layer ) 33 which covers the peripheral surface of the metallic core 53 . more concretely , the abrasive layer 33 was formed by forming an adhesive layer ( intermediary layer ) 54 on the peripheral surface of the metallic core 53 , and then , densely adhering abrasive particles , as abrasive material , to the adhesive layer 54 ( peripheral surface of the metallic core 53 . fig7 is an enlarged schematic sectional view of the refreshing roller 62 . as the abrasive 55 of which abrasive layer 33 ( surface layer ) of the refreshing roller 62 is formed , minute particles of the following substances , and their mixtures , can be listed . more specifically , minute particles of aluminum oxide , aluminum hydroxide , silicon oxide , cerium oxide , titanium oxide , zirconia , lithium silicate , silicon nitride , iron oxide , chrome oxide , antimony oxide , diamond , etc ., may be listed . in this embodiment , alumina ( aluminum oxide ) ( which is referred to as alundum or morundum ) was used as the abrasive 55 . alumina - based abrasive is the most widely used abrasive . it is substantially higher in hardness than the pressure roller 41 . further , its edges are acutely angled . therefore , it is excellent in terms of abrasiveness . thus , it is suitable as the abrasive 55 for this embodiment . the alumina - based abrasive used for this embodiment was no less than 5 μm and no more than 20 μm in particles size . thus , the abrasive layer 33 is such a layer that is no less than 5 μm and no more than 20 μm in thickness . this range ( 5 μm and no more than 20 μm in thickness ) was in a range in which refreshing roller 61 can effectively refresh the pressure roller 41 in surface condition , while keeping the pressure roller 41 satisfactory in surface properties . the refreshing roller 62 is rotatably supported by a pair of supporting components located at the lengthwise ( parallel to rotational axis of refreshing roller ) ends of the metallic core 53 . referring to fig6 , the refreshing roller 62 is rotationally drivable by a motor 54 as a driving means . further , the supporting components located at the lengthwise ends , one for one , of the refreshing roller 62 are under the pressure generated by a pair of compression springs ( unshown ) as pressure applying means . therefore , the refreshing roller 62 is pressed upon the pressure roller 41 by a preset amount of pressure . therefore , an abrading nip , which has a preset width in terms of the rotational direction of the refreshing roller 62 and pressure roller 41 , is formed between the refreshing roller 62 and pressure roller 41 . the refreshing roller 62 may be rotated either in such a direction that makes the refreshing roller 62 and pressure roller 41 the same , or opposite , in the direction in which their peripheral surface moves in the area of contact ( abrading section ) between the refreshing roller 62 and pressure roller 41 . further , the refreshing roller 62 is disposed so that it can be placed in contact with , or separated from , the pressure roller 41 by a refreshing roller positioning mechanism 61 . 8 . difference between fixation roller 40 and pressure roller 41 in terms of surface layer condition as described above , the fixation roller 40 and pressure roller 41 are different from each other in the reason why their surface layer changes in condition . the fixation roller 40 is higher in a target temperature level for their temperature control . that is , the fixation roller 40 melts toner to fix the toner to a sheet of recording paper . therefore , the changes in the surface roughness of the fixation roller 40 is more likely to affect the gloss which the image on the sheet p will be given while the sheet p is conveyed through the fixation nip , than those of the pressure roller 41 . in other words , if paper edges scars are made by the pressure roller 41 , they are likely to be inconspicuous , but if they are made by the fixation roller 40 , they are likely to be recognized as nonuniformity in gloss . further in the case of a fixing device such as the one in this embodiment which is for forming high quality images which are highly glossy , the fixing device 9 is operated without placing the separating components in contact with the fixation roller 40 . in such a case , the accumulation of paper dust on the pressure roller 41 , and the pressure roller scars attributable to the separation claws are the primary factors which affect the nonuniformity in image gloss . the amount by which paper dust is generated by each sheet p of recording medium is extremely small . it is unlikely for paper dust to adhere to the peripheral surface of the fixation roller 40 , while it is used for toner image fixation . in comparison , the peripheral surface of the pressure roller 41 comes into contact with the surface of each sheet p of recording paper , which does not have a toner image . therefore , it is likely for paper dust to adhere to the peripheral surface of the pressure roller 41 . if paper dust collects on the peripheral surface of the pressure roller 41 , the surface layer of the pressure roller 41 reduces in parting properties , even if the paper dust layer is very thin . thus , once a paper dust layer is formed on the peripheral surface of the pressure roller 41 , it becomes easier for paper dust , toner , etc ., to adhere to the peripheral surface of the pressure roller 41 . therefore , when the image forming apparatus 100 is operated in the two - sided mode , the paper dust on the peripheral surface of the pressure roller 41 transfers onto the image on the first surface of a sheet p of recording medium , possibly reducing the image in quality . as described above , the fixation roller 40 and pressure roller 41 are different from each other in the reason why their peripheral surface changes in condition . therefore , the fixation roller 40 and pressure roller 41 are made different in the timing with which their peripheral surface ( surface layer ) is abraded ( refreshed ). that is , the operation for refreshing ( abrading ) the fixation roller 40 and that for refreshing ( abrading ) the pressure roller 41 are independently controlled from each other . in this embodiment , three types of nonuniformity in the texture of the peripheral surface of the fixation roller 40 and pressure roller 41 are eliminated with the use of the refreshing rollers 52 and 62 . the first nonuniformity is attributable to the transfer of the scars , which the peripheral surface of the fixation roller 40 sustained as the peripheral surface of the fixation roller 40 came into contact with the side ( lateral ) edges of a sheet p of recording paper , onto the image surface . the second nonuniformity is attributable to the transfer of the scars which the peripheral surface of the pressure roller 41 is made to sustain by the separation claws 71 , as the pressure roller 41 was rotated while the separation claws 71 were in contact with the peripheral surface of the pressure roller 41 , onto the image . the third nonuniformity is attributable to the deterioration of the surface properties of the pressure roller 41 , which was caused by the paper dust , etc ., having adhered to the peripheral surface of the pressure roller 41 while sheets p of recording paper are conveyed through the fixation nip . in order to prevent the image forming apparatus 100 from outputting images which suffer from one or more of the abovementioned three types of nonuniformity , the fixation roller refreshing system 50 and pressure roller refreshing system 60 are controlled by the controlling device for controlling the fixing device 9 . more specifically , the fixation roller 40 and pressure roller 41 are abraded by the refreshing rollers 52 and 62 , respectively , to cover the entirety of the peripheral surface of fixation roller 40 and the entirety of the peripheral surface of the pressure roller 41 , in terms of their lengthwise direction , to virtually eliminate the distance between the adjacent peak and valley , in terms of the direction parallel to the radius direction of the two rollers 40 and 41 . further , the minute amount of paper dust and the like contaminants having adhered to the surface layer of the pressure roller 41 are scraped away . this is how the image forming apparatus 100 is prevented from outputting images which suffer from streaks which are lower in gloss than their adjacencies , and the difference in gloss between the portion of the image , which corresponds in position to the recording paper path portion of the fixation roller 40 and / or pressure roller 41 , and the portions of the image , which correspond in position to the out - of - paper - path portions of the fixation roller 40 and / or pressure roller 41 . further , after the peripheral surface of the fixation roller 40 and that of the pressure roller 41 are given numerous minute scratches by the refreshing rollers 52 and 62 , the impression of the preexisting scars and scratches of the peripheral surface of the fixation roller 40 and those on the pressure roller 41 , on the surface of the fixed image are unrecognizable . more concretely , the fixation roller 40 and pressure roller 41 , the surface layer , that is , the parting layer , of which is formed of fluorinated resin or the like substance , is roughly 0 . 1 μm - 0 . 3 μm in surface roughness rz , across their out - of - paper - path portions , and roughly 0 . 5 μm - 2 . 0 μm in surface roughness across their paper - path portion . in comparison , the portions of the peripheral surface of the pressure roller 41 , which was made to deteriorate in surface properties , by their contact with the paper edges , separation claws , and also , the adhesion of paper dust thereto , are roughly 1 . 0 - 4 . 0 μm in surface roughness rz . therefore , the fixation roller 40 and pressure roller 41 were refreshed by the refresh rollers 52 and 62 so that their peripheral surface becomes no less than 0 . 5 μm and no more than 2 . 0 μm in surface roughness rz . by the way , the instrument used for measuring the surface roughness rz of the two rollers 40 and 41 was a surface roughness gauge se - 3400 ( product of kosaka laboratory co ., ltd .). the condition under which the surface roughness of the two rollers 40 and 41 was measured was 0 . 5 mm / s in speed , 0 . 8 mm in cutoff , and 2 . 5 mm in measurement length . it is unnecessary for the refresh rollers 52 and 62 to continuously rub ( abrade ) the fixation roller 40 and pressure roller 41 , respectively , throughout a given image forming operation . for example , the fixing device 9 may be equipped with a sheet counter so that a refreshing ( abrading ) operation will be automatically and periodically performed for every preset number of sheets p of recording paper . also , the control panel of the image forming apparatus 100 may be provided with a button for making the apparatus to start operating in the user mode , in order to enable a user to make the apparatus to perform a refreshing operation as the image nonuniformity becomes noticeable . therefore , the fixing device 9 in this embodiment is provided with a mechanism for placing the refreshing rollers 52 and 62 in contact with , or keep the refreshing rollers 52 and 62 separated from , the fixation roller 40 and pressure roller 41 , respectively . referring to fig3 and 4 , the operation of the mechanism 51 , which is for placing the refreshing roller 52 in contact with , or separating and keeping separated the refreshing roller 52 from , the fixation roller 40 , is controlled by the controller 53 ( controlling means ) of the fixation roller refreshing system 50 . further , the controller 53 controls the operation of the motor 54 which transmits rotational driving force to the refreshing roller 52 in order to rotate the refreshing roller 52 for a preset length of time . next , referring to fig3 and 5 , the pressure roller refreshing system 60 uses the controller 53 ( controlling means ) to activate the mechanism 61 for placing the refreshing roller 6 in contact with , or separating and keeping separated from , the pressure roller 41 . further , the controller 63 controls the operation of the motor 64 which transmits rotational driving force to the refreshing roller 63 , in order to rotate the refreshing roller 63 for a preset length of time . as described above , in this embodiment , the fixing device 9 is structured so that its fixation roller refreshing roller 52 can be placed in contact with , or separated , and kept separated , from , the fixation roller 40 , and also , so that its pressure roller refreshing roller 63 can be placed in contact with , or separated , and kept separated , from , the pressure roller 41 . thus , the fixation roller 40 and pressure roller 41 can be improved in peripheral surface properties by the placement of the two refreshing rollers 52 and 62 in contact with the fixation roller 40 and pressure roller 41 , respectively , for a desired length of time , with a desired timing , with the use of the fixation roller refreshing system 50 and pressure roller refreshing system 60 , when the two rollers 52 and 62 are on standby , that is , when they are remaining separated from the fixation roller 40 and pressure roller 41 , respectively . by the way , in this embodiment , the motors 54 and 64 were provided as means for transmitting rotational driving force to the refreshing rollers 52 and 62 , respectively . however , the fixing device 9 may be structured so that the rotational driving force is transmitted from the pressure roller 41 by way of a driving gear . fig1 shows the changes in surface roughness rz of the surface layer of the refreshing rollers 52 and 62 , which occurs when the refreshing operation was carried out for five seconds for every 500 sheets of recording paper while sheets of recording paper of size a4 , on each of which a monochromatic halftone image , which is roughly 0 . 5 in image data density , is present were conveyed through the fixation nip . “ fixing component - during printing ” refers to a case in which an operation for refreshing the fixation roller 40 was carried out without interrupting the on - going image forming operation . “ fixing component - on standby ” refers to a case in which the operation for refreshing the fixation roller 40 was carried out while the image forming apparatus 100 was kept on standby ( printing operation was interrupted ). “ pressing component - during printing ” refers to a case in which an operation for refreshing the pressure roller 41 was carried out without interrupting the on - going printing operation . “ pressing component - on standby ” refers to a case in which the operation for refreshing the pressure roller 41 was carried out while the image forming apparatus 100 was kept on standby ( printing operation was interrupted ). as the surface layer of the refreshing roller reduces in its surface roughness , it reduces in its refreshing performance as well . thus , in order to improve ( restore ) the refreshing rollers 52 and 62 in the surface condition of their surface layer , the refreshing rollers 52 and 62 have to be resurfaced so that their surface roughness rz becomes no less than 7 - 8 μm . this has been found out through experiments . with reference to these values , in the case of the refreshing roller 62 for the pressure roller 41 , whether the pressure roller refreshing operation was carried out without interrupting the on - going printing operation , or while the image forming apparatus 100 was on standby , made hardly any difference . in comparison , in the case of the refreshing roller 52 for the fixation roller 40 , when the refreshing operation was carried out without interrupting the on - going printing operation , the surface roughness of the fixation roller 40 fell below the referential values , as slightly less than 100 , 000 sheets of recording paper were conveyed through the fixing device 9 . this is less by ⅓ than when the refreshing operation was carried out while the image forming apparatus 100 was kept on standby . this reduction in surface roughness is attributable to the phenomenon that the peripheral surface of the refreshing roller 52 is packed with the toner having offset to the peripheral surface of the fixation roller 40 , paper dust , and the like contaminants . moreover , after the refreshing roller 52 reduced in surface roughness , the peripheral surface of the refreshing roller 52 had the same color as the toner . thus , the following are evident from these results . that is , in a case where the operation for refreshing the refreshing roller 52 is carried out without interrupting the on - going printing operation , contaminants adhere to the peripheral surface of the refreshing roller 52 . therefore , the fixation roller 40 reduces in the surface roughness . thus , in a case where the operation for refreshing the fixation roller 40 without interrupting the on - going printing operation , the fixation roller 40 reduces in surface roughness faster than in the case where the operation is carried out while the image forming apparatus 100 is kept on standby . in other words , it is evident that it is desirable that the operation for refreshing the fixation roller 40 is carried out after the on - going printing operation ends , or temporarily interrupted . that is , it is evident that it is desirable that the operation for refreshing the fixation roller 40 is carried out after the on - going job ( printing operation ) in which sheets of recording paper are conveyed through the nip ( fixation nip ) is interrupted . by the way , instead of interrupting the job in which sheets of recording paper are conveyed through the nip ( fixation nip ), the operation for refreshing the fixation roller 40 may be carried out between two jobs which are to be sequentially carried out . in comparison , as for the operation for refreshing the pressure roller 41 , whether it is carried out without interruption of the on - going printing operation , or while the image forming apparatus 100 is kept on standby , had little to do with the effectiveness of the pressure roller refreshing operation . that is , even if the operation for refreshing the pressure roller 41 is carried out without the interruption of the on - going printing operation , there will be no problem . the reason why the peripheral surface of the pressure roller 41 is not contaminated during a printing operation is thought to be as follows . that is , as the toner on a sheet of recording paper is heated in the fixation nip which the fixation roller 40 and pressure roller 41 form , it melts , and then , is fixed to the sheet p . during this process , most of the toner is fixed to the sheet p . however , it is possible that a small amount of the toner will offset onto the fixation roller 40 . this phenomenon is referred to as “ hot offset ”. regarding this “ hot offset ”, the higher in temperature the fixation roller 40 , with which toner comes into contact , the more likely for the surface of each toner particle to be excessively melted , and therefore , the smaller the adhesive force between adjacent two toner particles . therefore , the more likely for the toner to offset onto the fixation roller 40 . on the other hand , in the case of the pressure roller 41 , when the image forming apparatus 100 is in the one - sided mode , the surface of a sheet p of recording paper , on which an image is not present , comes into contact with the pressure roller 41 . therefore , “ hot offset ” does not occur . further , in a case where the image forming apparatus 100 is in the two - sided mode , the surface ( first surface ) of a sheet p of recording medium , on which a fixed toner image is present , comes into contact with the pressure roller 41 . however , the target temperature level for the pressure roller 41 is very low compared to that for the fixation roller 40 . in addition , the toner image on the first surface of the sheet p melted and solidified while it was fixed . therefore , it is unlikely for toner to hot - offset onto the pressure roller 41 . fig1 is a block diagram of the system for refreshing the fixation roller 40 and / or pressure roller 41 , which can be set to an automatic mode or a user ( manual ) mode , which will be described later . each signal is process by the cpu 81 as a part of a control system ( controlling means ), to control the aforementioned motors and heaters . this cpu 81 functions also as an obtaining portion for obtaining a command ( signal ) for making the image forming apparatus 100 ( fixing device 9 ) operate in the mode for improving the image forming apparatus 100 in terms of image glossiness . first , the refreshment sequence carried out in the automatic mode is described , with reference to the flowchart for the automatic mode , with the use of the flowchart in fig1 , and table ( which contains threshold values for deciding whether or not refreshment sequence is to be carried out ). here , the automatic mode is different from the user mode in that in the user mode , each time a refresh key , with which the control panel , as inputting means , is provided , is pressed ( touched ), the cpu 81 decides which refreshment sequence is to be carried out , and makes the fixing device 9 carry out the selected refreshment sequence , whereas in the automatic mode , each time the cpu 81 , which functions also as an executing portion , decides whether or not the fixation roller refreshing operation and / or pressure roller refreshing operation is to be carried out , each time the value in the counter which functions as a part of computing portion , reaches the threshold value . then , the cpu 81 makes the image forming apparatus 100 ( fixing device 9 ) carry out one or both of the refreshment sequences . incidentally , the calculating portion is equipped with three counters . referring to fig1 , steps ( 1 )-( 7 ) make up the refreshment sequence for nullifying the paper edge scars of the fixation roller 40 , and steps ( 1 ), ( 8 ), ( 9 ) and ( 13 )-( 15 ) make up the refreshment sequence for scraping away paper dust , and the like contaminants , from the pressure roller 41 . further , steps ( 10 )-( 15 ) make up the refreshment sequence for nullifying the separation claw scars which are attributable to the contact between the pressure roller 41 and separation claws 71 . as a printing operation is started , whether or not a sheet p of recording paper has moved through the fixing device 9 is detected , in step ( 1 ). then , the number of times a sheet p of recording paper moved through the fixing device 9 is counted by the counter 100 ( fig1 ) in step ( 2 ). this counter 100 is controlled in such a manner that the value by which the value in the counter 100 is increased is varied based on the width ( length in terms of recording paper conveyance direction ) of the sheet p . more concretely , if a sheet p of recording paper is of size a4 ( 210 mm ), the value in the counter 100 is increased by + 1 , and if a sheet p of recording paper is of size a3 ( 420 mm ), which is equivalent to two sheets of size a4 , the value in the counter 100 is increased by + 2 . then , if the value in one of the counters 100 exceeds a threshold value , step ( 4 ) is taken to initiate the fixation roller refreshment sequence . if the value is no more than the threshold value , steps ( 1 )-( 3 ) are repeated as long as the on - going printing operation continues . after the completion of step ( 1 ), step ( 8 ) also is carried out , independently from the above described steps ( sequences ), for the following reason . that is , step ( 8 ) is for dealing with the roller contamination by paper dust . thus , the number of times sheets p of recording paper which have just been heated for image fixation move through the fixing device 9 was counted regardless of sheet width ( size ). as in step ( 2 ), a value equivalent to the count of sheets of size a4 is added to the value in the counter 100 . if the value in the counter 100 is no less than the threshold value , in step ( 9 ), step ( 13 ) is taken . incidentally , steps ( 4 )-( 7 ) may be taken as they are taken from step ( 3 ). in this case , however , the on - going print job has to be interrupted , which results in the reduction in productivity of the printer . therefore , the operation for refreshing the pressure roller 41 is desired to be carried out without interruption of the on - going printing operation as long as it is possible . step ( 10 ) also is independently carried out right after the starting of a printing operation , for the following reason . that is , this step is for dealing with the separation claw scars . the reason why this step is carried out regardless of the number of times sheets p of recording paper were conveyed through the fixing device 9 is that the extent of the scars attributable to the contact between the pressure roller 41 and separation claws 71 is related to how long the pressure roller 41 rotated in contact with the separation claws . that is , in a case where the pressure roller 41 remains constant in peripheral velocity , the length the separation claws 71 moved along the peripheral surface of the pressure roller 41 in contact with the peripheral surface of the pressure roller 41 , is proportional to the progression of the deterioration ( separation claw scars ) of the peripheral surface of the pressure roller 41 . the separation claws 71 come into contact with the pressure roller 41 before a sheet p of recording paper is discharged from the fixation nip . then , they remain in contact with the pressure roller 41 until the sheet p moves out of the fixation nip . in this case , there is not the so - called proportional relationship between the number of sheets of recording paper having moved through the fixation nip and the length of time the separations claw 71 were in contact with the pressure roller 41 . instead , the extent of separation claw scar is affected by the length of time ( distance ) it takes for sequentially conveyed two sheets p of recording paper to move through the fixation nip , and / or the number of prints ( images ) to be formed in a given printing job . further , in some cases , it is only when the leading edge of a sheet p of recording paper comes out of the fixation nip that the separation claws 71 are required to be in contact with the pressure roller 41 , although it depends on the structure of a given fixing device . in such a case , the length of time the separation claws 71 are required to be in contact with the pressure roller 41 is relatively shorter , with reference to the number of sheets p of recording paper having moved through the fixation nip . a counter which is based purely on the number of sheets p of recording paper having moved through the fixation nip may be employed . however , controlling the refreshing operation based on the length of time the pressure roller 41 rotated while the separation claws 71 were in contact with the pressure roller 41 is more precise than otherwise . this is why the value in a duration counter is increased only by the length of time the pressure roller 41 rotates while the separation claws 71 are in contact with the pressure roller 41 , in step ( 11 ). then , if the value in the duration counter is no less than the threshold value in step ( 12 ), step ( 13 ) and thereafter are taken to carry out the refreshing operation while images are being formed , as they are taken from step ( 9 ). next , the sequence made up of steps ( 4 )-( 7 ), and the sequence made of steps ( 13 )-( 15 ), are described . steps ( 4 )-( 7 ) are such steps that are to be carried out after the on - going printing is interrupted . in step ( 4 ), the length of time the fixation roller 40 is to be refreshed ( abraded ) is calculated based on the value in each counter . the objective of the fixation roller refreshing operation is to deal with the paper edge scars . therefore , the length of time the fixation roller 40 is to be refreshed is set based on the condition of the portion of the peripheral surface of the fixation roller 40 which have the severest paper edge scars . in this embodiment , the threshold value is 3 , 000 . therefore , the fixation roller refreshing operation is carried out for 60 seconds . next , the length of time the pressure roller 41 is to be refreshed is calculated in step ( 5 ). in a case where the on - going printing operation is interrupted for the fixation roller refreshing operation , the pressure roller refreshing operation may be carried out at the same time , because carrying out the pressure roller refreshing operation at the same time as the fixation roller refreshing operation does not have an additional effect upon productivity . of course , it is not mandatory that the pressure roller 41 is refreshed with the above described timing . that is , the pressure roller 41 may be refreshed without interrupting the on - going printing operation . however , there are cases in which the pressure roller refreshing operation cannot be carried out during a printing operation , for example , such cases as where printing operations for outputting only a small number of prints ( images ) are carried out one after another . this is why the pressure roller refreshing operation is to be carried out whenever it can be . as soon as the length of time the fixation roller 40 is to be refreshed , and the length of time the pressure roller 41 is to be refreshed , are calculated , the on - going printing operation is interrupted in step ( 6 ). then , as soon as the sheet p of recording paper in the fixing device 9 comes out of the fixing device 9 , the fixation roller refreshing operation and pressure roller refreshing operation are carried out in step ( 7 ). in comparison , in the case of the sequence comprising steps ( 13 )-( 15 ), the refreshing operations are carried out without interrupting the on - going printing operation . more specifically , in step 13 ), the length of time necessary for the pressure roller refreshing operation is calculated based on the value in the sheet counter and duration counter . then , in step ( 14 ), it is permitted to carry out the pressure roller refreshing operation . then , the pressure roller refreshing operation is carried out in step ( 15 ). in this embodiment , a user mode is provided in addition to an automatic mode , in order to allow a user to perform a refreshing operation whenever the user notices that the image forming apparatus 100 began to output images which are nonuniform in gloss . fig1 is a drawing of the control panel 150 of the image forming apparatus 100 . a referential code 151 stands for a print start button for commanding the image forming apparatus 100 to start a printing operation ; 152 , a reset bottom for resetting the image forming apparatus 100 to the initial mode ; 153 , a numerical input section ( ten key section ) for inputting numerical values such as the number of prints to be formed ; 154 , a clear button for clearing the numerical input section of the inputted numerical value ; 155 , a stop button for interrupting the on - going printing operation ; 156 , a touch panel for setting various operational modes , and also , for showing the print condition ; and a referential code 157 is a user mode button for selecting the user mode . as a user presses the user mode button 157 , mode section bars are displayed on the touch panel 156 , as shown in fig1 . as the user selects a refresh mode bar , for example , on the touch panel 156 of the control panel , the screen displayed on the touch panel 156 turns into a refresh ui ( user interface ) screen , as shown in fig1 . then , as the user touches the refresh key 106 , a signal for the command for making the image forming apparatus 100 ( fixing device 9 ) operate in the mode for improving the apparatus ( device ) in image gloss is inputted into the cpu 81 . as soon as the cpu 81 receives this signal , it makes the image forming apparatus 100 ( fixing device 9 ) carry out the refreshing operations , which will be described later . by the way , if the user wants to go back from the refresh ui screen to the user mode , the user is to touch a cancel button 161 . next , referring to the flowchart in fig1 , the operational sequence carried out when the image forming apparatus 100 ( fixing device 9 ) is in the user mode is described . while the refresh ui screen is on the touch panel 156 in step ( 1 ), it is allowed to perform the refreshing operations , as long as the image forming apparatus 100 is on standby , in step ( 2 ). next , as the refresh key 160 as a command obtaining section ( inputting means ) for obtaining the command for making the image forming apparatus 100 operate in the mode for improving the image forming apparatus 100 in image gloss is pressed , in step ( 3 ), the following sequences , and / steps , are carried out . that is , the cpu 81 ( fig1 ), which functions also as a decision making section , confirms ( obtains ) the value in the refresh counter , in order to decide whether or not the fixation roller 40 and / pressure roller 41 is to be refreshed , in step ( 4 ). here , the refresh counter is the sheet counter 100 , the value in which is compared with the threshold value to decide whether or not the fixation roller 40 is to be refreshed in the above described first roller refreshment sequence ( automatic mode ). it is also the sheet counter , the value in which is compared with the threshold value to decide whether or not the pressure roller refreshing operation is to be carried out in the roller refreshing second operation . further , it is the duration counter , the value in which is compared with the threshold value to decide whether or not the pressure roller refreshing operation is to be carried out in the roller refreshing third sequence . if the values in all the refresh counters are no more than 10 % of the threshold values when the refresh key 160 was pressed , in step ( 5 ), the fixation roller 40 and pressure roller 41 are refreshed for the shortest length of times in table 3 . that is , the fixation roller 40 and pressure roller 41 are refreshed for 5 seconds and 2 seconds , respectively . here , the reason why both rollers 40 and 41 are refreshed ( abraded ) is that it is not clear that which of the fixation roller 40 and pressure roller 41 is to be refreshed , and also , it is thought that there is a connection between carrying out both the fixation roller refreshing operation and pressure roller refreshing operation , instead of not carrying out , and the improvement in fixation . thereafter , in step ( 6 ), the refresh key 160 on the refresh ui screen is dimmed , and the operation in the refresh mode is ended in step ( 7 ). once the refresh key 160 is dimmed , it does not occur that the image forming apparatus 100 is operated in the refresh mode , regardless of how many times and how hard the user touches the refresh key 160 , since the image forming operation has been interrupted . that is , the refreshing operations are not going to be carried out until the user mode button 157 is pressed again . if an image forming operation is carried out after the completion of the operation in the refresh mode , the refresh mode key 160 is highlighted again to allow the user to input a command for making the image forming apparatus 100 operate in the refresh mode . on the other hand , as the refresh key 160 is pressed , the value in the refresh counter is confirmed in step . if the value in one of the refresh counters is no less than the threshold value , it is decided whether or not the fixation roller 40 and pressure roller 41 are to be refreshed in step ( 4 ). that is , the sequence for deciding whether or not the value in the refresh counter for the fixation roller 40 is no more than 10 % of the threshold value is decided in step ( 8 ), and the sequence for deciding whether or not the value in the refresh counter for the pressure roller 41 is no more than 10 % of the threshold value , are carried out in step ( 9 ). if the value in the refresh counter for the fixation roller 40 is no more than 10 % of the threshold value , the fixation roller refreshing operation is prohibited , and only the pressure roller is refreshed ( abraded ). on the other hand , the value in the refresh counter for the pressure roller refreshing operation is no more than 10 % of the threshold value for the pressure roller refreshing operation , only the fixation roller refreshing operation is carried out ; the pressure roller refreshing operation is prohibited . the reason why only one of the two rollers 40 and 41 is prevented from being refreshed is that it is clear that which is to be refreshed , the fixation roller 40 or pressure roller 41 , and therefore , only the roller to be refreshed is refreshed to prevent the other roller from reduced in service life , by being subjected to a refreshing operation . on the other hand , if the values in the refresh counter for the fixation roller 40 and the value in the refresh counter for the pressure roller 41 are no less than the threshold values , both the fixation roller refreshing ( abrading ) operation , and the pressure roller refreshing ( abrading ) operation , are carried out . the lengths of time these refreshing operations are to be carried out are given in table 3 . that is , when the refresh key 160 is pressed , if value in the sheet counter based on sheet width is between 300 and 3000 , the fixation roller 40 is abraded for a length of time between 5 to 60 seconds , based on the value in the counter . further , when the refresh key 160 is pressed , if the value in the sheet counter is between 50 - 500 , or the length of time the separation claws were in contact with the pressure roller 41 is between 30 seconds to 300 seconds , the pressure roller refreshing operation is carried out for a length of time ( second ) between 2 seconds to 10 seconds , based on the value in the counter . by the way , regarding the length of time ( in second ) the refreshing operation is to be carried , the length may be set in a manner of stair steps so that the greater the value in the counter , the longer the refreshing operation is to be carried out . after the completion of the refreshing operations , the refresh counter for the roller for which the refreshing ( abrading ) operation was carried out is set to zero . that is , in a case where the rotational component for which the abrading operation is carried out is the fixation roller 40 , the paper width counter is reset to zero . on the other hand , in a case where the rotational component for which the abrading operation is carried out is pressure roller 41 , the sheet counter and separation claw contact time counter are reset to zero . then , the highlighted refresh key 160 of the refresh ui screen is dimmed ( darkened ) in step ( 6 ), and the operation in refresh mode is ended in step ( 7 ). as described above , in the user mode , the cpu 81 decides which , or both , of the fixation roller 40 and pressure roller 41 is to be refreshed . then , it automatically decides ( sets ) the length of abrading time , so that the length of abrading time matches the extent to which the roller ( s ) is to be abraded . thus , all that is necessary for the fixation roller 40 and / or pressure roller 41 to be optimally refreshed is for a user to press the refresh key 160 . thus , it does not occur that a wrong roller is selected to be refreshed , and also , the refreshing operation can be simply and accurately carried out . in this embodiment , the image forming apparatus 100 is provided with a maintenance mode in order to enable a maintenance engineer to operate the image forming apparatus 100 in the maintenance mode , which is for testing and maintaining the image forming apparatus 100 . referring to fig1 ( a ) , as a maintenance engineer inputs his or her password with the use of the numerical input section 153 , the maintenance mode is highlighted on the touch screen . a maintenance engineer is to examine the surface condition of the surface layer of the fixation roller 40 as well as the pressure roller 41 , to find out which refreshing operation is to be carried out . then , the engineer is to press the button , on the screen 170 , which indicates the roller to be refreshed , to refresh the roller . in this embodiment , the length of time each refreshing operation is to be carried out was set to the minimum length of time in table 3 . then , the engineer is to repeat the refreshing operation while examining the images outputted by the image forming apparatus 100 , in order to improve each roller in surface condition . in a case where the value in one of the counters will have reached refresh rollers 52 and / or 62 will have reached the preset value for roller replacement , the button which represents the roller to be replaced , will be dimmed , as shown in fig1 ( b ) . as described above , the image forming apparatus 100 in this embodiment is provided with the maintenance mode in order to enable a maintenance engineer to perform the refreshing operations . thus , the fixation roller 40 and pressure roller 41 can be maintained at a satisfactory level in terms of the surface condition of their surface layer . further , it can be easily decided whether the refreshing rollers 52 and 62 need to be replaced . according to present invention , all that is necessary for a user to do to decide whether or not the surface layer of the fixation roller 40 and / or pressure roller 41 needs to be refreshed is for the user to select the user mode and press a single button , that is , the button for automatically deciding which , or both , of the fixation roller 40 and pressure roller 41 need to be refreshed . therefore , it is possible to prevent the problem that the surface layer of the fixation roller 40 and / or pressure roller 41 is excessively abraded due to the error in the selection of the roller ( s ) to be refreshed , and / or excessive refreshing of the roller ( s ). in the foregoing , one of the preferable embodiments of the present invention was described . however , the preceding embodiment is not intended to limit the present invention in scope . that is , the present invention is also applicable to various modified version of the image forming apparatus , and fixing device , in the preceding embodiment , within the scope of the present invention . in the preceding embodiment described above , the user mode , which is to be selected by a user , is provided , in addition to the automatic mode which does not require an instruction from a user . however , the preceding embodiment is not intended to limit the present invention in terms of the user mode . for example , the present invention is also applicable to an image forming apparatus and its fixing device structured so that as a user inputs an instruction , with the use of the ui screen or pc screen , to make the apparatus carry out a refreshing operation , the apparatus automatically decides which roller is to be refreshed , and carries out the refreshing operation for the selected roller . for example , in a case where an image forming apparatus is a printer which does not have a control panel , a refresh mode command transmitted from a host computer is inputted into the cpu 81 of the image forming apparatus , provided that the printer is in connection to the host computer ( pc ), wirelessly or through lan cable . the operational sequences hereafter are the same as those in the above - described embodiment . regarding the mode ( refresh mode ) for improving an image forming apparatus in image gloss , it may be for restoring the image forming apparatus by 80 %- 90 %, in image gloss , relative to the initial condition , instead of restoring ( refreshing ) to 100 %. that is , all that is necessary here is that operating an image forming apparatus in the refresh mode improves the apparatus in image gloss . while the present invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments , it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments . the scope of the following claims is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent structures and functions . this application claims priority from japanese patent application no . 215387 / 2013 filed oct . 16 , 2013 , which is hereby incorporated by reference . | 6 |
the present invention may be used in conjunction with any mesh or other implant or biologically - compatible graft 10 that is implanted and where the orientation , lay or plane of the implant is desired to be seen with imaging equipment . examples of such implants 10 are found in implants used to treat pelvic conditions , including incontinence ( fecal and urinary ) and vaginal prolapse . various exemplary implants , systems and methods are disclosed in u . s . pat . nos . 7 , 500 , 945 , 7 , 407 , 480 , 7 , 351 , 197 , 7 , 347 , 812 , 7 , 303 , 525 , 7 , 025 , 063 , 6 , 691 , 711 , 6 , 648 , 921 , and 6 , 612 , 977 , international patent publication nos . wo 2008 / 057261 and wo 2007 / 097994 , and u . s . patent publication nos . 2010 / 0261955 , 2002 / 0151762 and 2002 / 0147382 . accordingly , the above - identified references are fully incorporated herein by reference in their entirety . referring generally to fig1 - 5 , a distinguishable imaging feature 12 is placed or provided around the perimeter of the implant 10 . the imaging feature can include a thin wire 12 material visible to imaging devices , such as x - rays computerized tomography machines , fluoroscopy machines , magnetic resonance imaging machines , or ultrasound machines , to name a few . other known imaging machines known to one of ordinary skill in the art can be employed to visualize the imaging features as well . in one embodiment , the wire 12 can be constructed of or include platinum - iridium , or tantalum to facilitate visual imaging to a machine employing or emitting x - rays . the wire 12 can be very thin , such as approximately 0 . 002 to 0 . 080 inches in diameter . however , other materials and wire sizes may be selected depending on the application and implant 10 without departing from the scope of the invention . for example , the wire 12 can be smaller than 0 . 002 inches or greater than 0 . 080 inches . the wire could be greater than 1 mm . further , the wire 12 can be integrated into the construct of the implant 10 , interwoven with filaments of the mesh implant , or bonded or otherwise provided along a portion of the implant 10 . the wire 12 can be generally linear , curved , undulating and the like . in certain embodiments , the imaging feature 12 can include marking ink , separately formed or differentiated filaments , or like features or indicia not constructed from a separate wire . for instance , radio - opaque ink or other known imaging substances or structures can be added along one or more portions ( e . g ., filaments or graft material ) of the implant 10 to define the imaging feature 12 . as seen in fig1 , the implant 10 can be an elongate mesh implant . the mesh implant 10 can be take on a myriad of shapes or sizes depending on the particular application and anatomical requirements for the implant 10 . the feature 12 , such as an imaging wire , can extend longitudinally along one or more edge portions of the implant 10 . the implant 10 can include anchor portions 14 . the anchor portions 14 can include the imaging feature 12 in certain embodiments . the feature or wire 12 can extend at or proximate the edge ( e . g ., longitudinal edge ) of the implant 10 . however , the feature or wire 12 can be provided or disposed only along defined portions of the implant 10 , and is not required to extend along the entire length of the implant 10 . as shown in fig2 - 5 , the implant 10 can be shaped and sized to treat prolapse or other like pelvic disorders . the implant 10 can include a support portion 15 and one or more extending arms 16 . the wire or feature 12 may trace or generally follow the outline of the shape of the implant 10 , e . g ., the support portion 15 . again , the wire 12 can follow the entire shape , or just a defined or limited portion of the implant 10 perimeter . further , the wire 12 can extend along the extending arms 16 of the implant 10 for certain embodiments ( e . g ., fig2 ). various anchors 14 , mesh portions , sheaths , and like devices , components or structures disclosed in the previously - incorporated references can be employed with the implants 10 of the present invention . the present invention provides the physician with x - ray assistance ( for example fluoroscopy ) during implantation , deployment and adjustment . the physician can see if there are any bends , bunches , or general disruptions in the length of the feature or wire 12 . if there is any bunching , the wire or feature 12 will display visually as discontinuous or otherwise disrupted , thereby confirming that the implant 10 is not laying flat or in the desired position or orientation . upon detecting any bunching , the physician can then adjust or correct the plane or positioning of the implant 10 within the patients pelvic region . as such , undesirable bunching or out - of - plane orientation for the implant 10 can be avoided , thereby reducing the chances of erosion or other unwanted tissue irritation or disruption . in certain embodiments , the wire 12 can provide a level of increased rigidity or stiffness along the perimeter or designated portion of the implant 10 to reduce edge bunching or folding . the implants 10 described herein can be implanted into a patient by use of various different types of surgical tools , including insertion tools , which generally are tools useful to engage and place a tissue anchor or a connector that is secured to an extension portion of an implant . various types of insertion tools are known , including those in the previously - incorporated references , and these types of tools and modifications thereof can be used according to the present description to install the implants 10 . the implants 10 , their various components , structures , features , materials and methods may have a number of suitable configurations and applications , as shown and described in the previously - incorporated references . various methods and tools for introducing , deploying , anchoring and manipulating implants to treat incontinence and prolapse as disclosed in the previously - incorporated references are envisioned for use with the present invention as well . all patents , patent applications , and publications cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety as if individually incorporated , and include those references incorporated within the identified patents , patent applications and publications . obviously , numerous modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the teachings herein . it is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims , the invention may be practiced other than as specifically described herein . | 0 |
in fig1 ( a ), 2 ( b ) and 2 ( c ) of the drawings which illustrate a single lens reflex camera mirror box of conventional construction , the reference numeral 10 generally designates the overall mirror box which comprises a u - shaped metal frame cross piece defining a base plate 1 and parallel side legs between which a swingable mirror 2 is mounted , an upwardly directed pivot pin or post 4 being located in base plate 1 and swingably supporting a light spring loaded locking lever 3 . the load or stress imparted to pivot pin 4 is relatively small so that pivot pin 4 as well as its mounting can be of relatively low strength . in contrast , a mirror drive lever 5 which is loaded by a heavy spring is swingably supported by a pivot pin 6 located on base plate 1 , the pivot pin 6 is relatively highly stressed and the strength of pivot pin 6 and its mounting must accordingly be great . moreover , a vertical post 8 which is likewise located on base plate 1 must be of great strength and firmly mounted since it supports a stop element defining sleeve in the path of movement of drive lever 5 . as seen in fig2 ( a ), the pins 4 , 6 and 8 are individual separate members each of which engages at its base a corresponding opening in base plate 1 and is affixed thereto by enlarging the base end of the respective pins . the pivot pin 6 swingably supports drive lever 5 by way of a bearing collar 12 secured to lever 5 and engaging pivot pin 6 and restricted with lever 5 against axial movement by a split locking or c - ring 14 engaging a peripheral groove in the outer end of pivot pin 6 . a hairpin drive spring 14 includes a helix engaging bearing 12 and arms engaging drive lever 5 and a fixed member to load lever 5 . stop member 7 is supported by pin 8 and locked thereto by split ring 14 engaging an end peripheral groove in pin 8 and the pin is anchored to base plate 1 in the manner of pin 6 . locking lever 3 is provided with a collar bearing which engages pivot pin 4 and is split ring locked thereto , the pin 4 being anchored in the manner of pins 6 and 8 . the inside face of the mounting frame including base plate 1 is covered by a high light absorbtion or low light reflective panel 9 . with the above conventional construction , each of the pins 4 , 6 and 8 must be individually attached and anchored to base plate 1 in fabrication . moreover , due to the heavy loads or stresses normally imparted to the pins 4 , 6 and 8 , there is a strong possibility of deforming these pins and of loosening the anchoring of the pins to the base plate and separating these from the base plate with the resulting impairment of the operation of the mechanism . referring now to fig3 ( a ), 3 ( b ) and 3 ( c ) which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the present invention as applied to a single lens reflex camera box of the nature shown in fig1 the sections shown in fig3 ( a ), 3 ( b ) and 3 ( c ) correspond to and serve the functions of the sections shown in fig2 ( a ), 2 ( b ) and 2 ( c ), respectively but avoid the various drawbacks and disadvantages thereof . specifically , the structure of section ( a ) includes a metal base plate 11 in which is stamped or otherwise cut a u - shaped slot or slit delineating a high strength reinforcing core defining tongue 11b which is bent outwardly to form a projecting element perpendicular to base plate 11 and leave a rectangular opening in base plate 11 . the tongue 11b is integral with base plate 11 and projects therefrom at an edge the opening therein . a synthetic organic polymeric resin 19 of any suitable composition of low frictional resistance and advantageously of low light reflectivity or high light absorbtion is molded in a known manner to overlie the inside face of base plate 11 opposite projecting tongue 11b , fill the opening in base plate 11 and completely tightly and firmly ensheath tongue 11b . the portion of resin 19 ensheathing reinforcing core 11b is of external circular cylindrical configuration coaxial with core 11b , and with core 11b defines a pivot pin or projection 16 . the base of the resin sheath of projection 16 is enlarged and the outer end of the sheath terminates in a coaxial stub of reduced diameter . the projection 16 is of great strength by reason of the high strength core 11b integrally formed with base plate 11 and is easily and inexpensively fabricated and it efficiently supports a rotating or swinging member by reason of the low friction characteristics of the resin sheath . in the application of the projection pivot 16 in mounting the lever 5 , a tubular or collar bearing 12 affixed to the lever 5 coaxially engages pivot 16 and is restricted against axial movement by a split lock ring 14 firmly engaging the end stub of pivot 16 . the coil of loading spring 16 is wound about bearing 12 as in the conventional mechanism . the stop member defining projection 27 shown in section ( b ) serves the function of the conventional stop 7 described earlier and is constructed in the manner of pivot 16 . specifically , a u - shaped slit or slot is stamped in a base plate 21 to delineate a short tongue 21b which is outwardly bent perpendicularly to base plate 21 . resin 29 is molded along the inside face of base plate 21 through the opening therein and about the reinforcing tongue or lever 21b . the resin 29 extends only for the length of core 21b and forms therewith a strong , firmly anchored shock resistant stop member . the pivot support for lever 3 is subjected to relatively low stress and need not be as strong as pivot 16 and is , accordingly , constructed without a reinforcing tongue . as seen in section ( c ), the base plate 31 has an anchoring opening 31a formed therein and the resin 39 is molded to overlie the inside face of base plate 31 fill the opening 31a and form a cylindrical axle or pivot 34 coaxial with and of greater diameter than opening 31a and having an inner annular shoulder firmly abutting base plate 31 and terminating in a short stub . in application , the collar bearing of lever 3 engages pivot 34 and is prevented from axial movement by split ring 14 engaging the pivot end stub . it should be noted that resins 19 , 29 and 39 may advantageously be common and integrally formed and the base plate sections 11 , 21 and 31 may likewise be integrally formed of a common plate . thus , fig5 ( a ) and 5 ( b ) illustrate another embodiment of the present invention in which the projections 16 , 27 and 34 shown in fig3 ( a ), ( b ) and ( c ), respectively , are mounted on the mirror box of a camera , such projections being integrally molded with the low light reflectivity wall lining the inside surface of the mirror box to provide a high reflection prevention efficiency . specifically , pivot projections 134 and 135 which require little strength are of the same type as shown in fig3 section ( c ). in contrast , projection 128 functions as a lever stop , thus requiring great strength and is of the type shown in fig3 section ( b ). in addition , projections 116 and 117 function as pivots or axles which require great strength and are of the type of construction shown in fig3 section ( a ). reference numerals 111 , 121 and 131 designate respective metal base plates , and 119 is a polymeric resin wall with a surface having a high light reflection prevention efficiency and lining the inside faces of the base plates and molded integrally with the various projections . transverse v - shaped grooves 119a and 119b are formed in the wall 119 , and when the wall is bent about these grooves in the directions of the arrows , a mirror box as shown in fig5 ( b ) may be formed . fig6 is a perspective view of still another embodiment of the present invention wherein a tongue stamped and bent from a base plate forms the reinforcing core member of a projection member and is also used as a stop member . specifically , a fork - shaped outwardly projecting tongue 25 formed by bending a stamped part of a base plate is imbedded in pivot projection 24 molded of a plastic material as described above . the fork - shaped tongue 25 is pre - formed slightly longer than the length of and projects beyond projection 24 , and after bearing 26 of lever 23 is brought into engagement with shaft 24 , the projection tip of tongue 25 is bent at substantially a right angle as shown by the arrow . since bearing portion 26 of lever 23 is engaged by the bent tip , the lever 23 is retained on the shaft 24 . accordingly , in the above embodiment , a split ring or other members for preventing the removal of lever 23 from pivot projection 24 is not required to be separately provided , thereby further reducing the required number of parts . in the above described embodiments , inasmuch as the bent or tongue portion used as the reinforcing core of the projecting member has flat circumferential surfaces , the plastic sheath should be molded so as to envelope or engage a part of the base plate together with the bent or tongue portion itself in order to prevent the molded plastic forming the projection member from coming off the tongue portion . fig7 shows another embodiment of the present invention in which there is no necessity to engage a part of base plate to prevent the separation of molded plastic . in fig7 core defining bent or tongue portion 211b , which is formed in the manner described earlier , is provided with recess portions 212 in its circumferential surface . therefore , upon forming the projection member , plastic material may be molded so as to only ensheath or envelop the bent portion 211b without enveloping or engaging any other part of base plate 211 . such molded plastic which forms the projection member cannot separate from the bent or tongue portion 211b since the plastic enters or penetrates the recess portion 212 . as described above , according to the present invention , a bent piece of a base plate projecting outwardly therefrom as a tongue has molded thereon an ensheathed reinforcing and mounting core a cylindrical envelope of polymeric resin to form a projection member like a pivot , axle or the like . this structure greatly simplifies the mounting of a projection member on a base plate . in addition , the strength of a projecting member against a load is greatly enhanced , leading to an improved assembly efficiency and cost reduction and a superior mechanism . while there have been described and illustrated preferred embodiments of the present invention , it is apparent that numerous alterations , additions and omissions may be made without departing from the spirit thereof . | 6 |
as outlined in fig1 , temporal event clustering techniques can be based on similarity analysis . this invention discloses accelerated methods for temporal event clustering of digital photographic collections . fig2 shows schematically embodiments for introducing dp or bic methods to reduce computational complexity of temporal clustering . in one embodiment of the invention , similarity analysis of a collection of digital photographs can be used to determine initial boundaries . in similarity analysis a collection of digital photographs can be represented by a matrix of scale parameter k . fig3 illustrates a process of embedding a digital photograph similarity measure ( see equation ( 1 )) based on a time stamp in a similarity matrix s k ( i , j ). s k ( i , j ) = exp ( - t i - t j k ) equation ( 1 ) in s k ( i , j ), ‘ i ’ identifies rows of a matrix and ‘ j ’ identifies columns of a matrix corresponding to entries comparing the ‘ i ’ th photograph scalar timestamp with the ‘ j ’ th photograph scalar timestamp . in this manner a family of matrices can be constructed by varying a scale parameter k over a discrete set κ , where | κ |= m , the total number of scales . as indicated in fig1 , similarity matrices are used to compute a photograph indexed kernel correlation novelty score . local maxima in a novelty score are detected as likely photograph boundaries for each k . as shown in fig1 , given a set of boundaries , b k corresponding to a scale k , a similarity based confidence score ( c s ) can be calculated according to equation ( 2 ). c s ( b k ) = ∑ l = 1 b k - 1 ∑ i , j = b l b l + 1 s k ( i , j ) ( b l + 1 - b l ) 2 - ∑ l = 1 b k - 2 ∑ i = b l b l + 1 ∑ j = b l b l + 2 s k ( i , j ) ( b l + 1 - b l ) ( b l + 2 - b l + 1 ) equation ( 2 ) the first term in equation ( 2 ) quantifies an average within - cluster similarity between photographs , while a second term quantifies average between - cluster similarity between photographs in adjacent clusters . by negating the second term in equation ( 2 ), the confidence measure combines each cluster &# 39 ; s average similarity and the dissimilarity between adjacent clusters . fig4 illustrates this idea graphically . the within - cluster similarity terms are the means of the terms of horizontal lined regions along the main diagonal . the between - cluster terms are the means of the off - diagonal vertical lined regions . finally , by determining maxima of the confidence score a list of optimized boundaries can be derived . fig2 shows a schematic outlining a flowchart for embodiments of methods for organizing data according to this invention . it should be appreciated that , in various exemplary embodiments , an extracted timestamp can be used to organize data chronologically . alternatively , if , for example , an extracted element can be a meta - data element where at least one extracted element of meta - data includes a file name or some other text string the data may be organized alphabetically using meta - data or organized according to some other predetermined rule . as shown in fig2 for one embodiment of the invention , operation of a method begins with extraction of time stamps from exif headers for each photograph in a collection of digital photographs . if exif information is not available , a modification time of a digital image file can be used instead . n photographs in a collection are then ordered in time so resulting timestamps , { t n : n = 1 , . . . , n }, satisfy t 1 ≦ t 2 ≦ . . . ≦ t n . throughout , timestamps and rows and columns of similarity matrices are indexed by photograph in time order , not by absolute time . thus , each photograph can be represented by its scalar timestamp . the computation of the score of equation ( 2 ) can incur quadratic computational cost in the number of photographs . fig2 details two alternative methods of reducing computational complexity of determining a list of boundaries for temporal event clustering . introducing either dp or bic reduces computational complexity of similarity analysis thereby more rapidly determining an optimized boundary list to organize a photograph collection . in one embodiment of the invention computational complexity can be reduced using dp . the total set of detected boundaries can be denoted by b ={ b 1 , . . . b nk } which can be the combined set of potential boundaries detected at all discrete scales k . b has cardinality β =| b |& lt ;& lt ; n . a cost of a cluster between photographs b i and b j can be defined to be an empirical variance of a corresponding timestamp according to equation ( 3 ). c f ( b i , b j ) = 1 b j - b i - 1 ∑ n = b i b j - 1 ( ( t n ) - 1 b j - b i ∑ n = b i b j - 1 ( t n ) ) equation ( 3 ) as shown in fig5 , starting with this known set of boundaries b 1 , . . . b nk a dp algorithm successively builds optimal partitions with m boundaries based on optimal partitions with m - 1 boundaries . first , optimal partitions are computed with two clusters according to equation ( 4 ), e f ( j , 2 ) = min 2 ≤ i ≤ j { c f ( 1 , b i ) + c f ( b i , b j ) } , i ≤ j ≤ β equation ( 4 ) where e f ( j , m ) can be the optimal partition of photographs with indices 1 , . . . b j with cardinality m . next , this procedure can be repeated to compute e f ( j , l ) according to equation ( 5 ). e f ( j , l ) = min l ≤ i ≤ j { e f ( i , l - 1 ) + c f ( b i , b j ) } , l ≤ j ≤ β , 3 ≤ l ≤ β equation ( 5 ) the result can be a set of optimal partitions with cardinality 3 , . . . , β . a trace back step identifies boundaries comprising each of the optimal partitions . as the number of clusters increases , the total cost of the partition decreases monotonically . a criteria for selecting the optimal number of clusters , l *, based on total partition cost can be described in equation ( 6 ). l * = arg max 2 ≤ m ≤ β - 1 { e f ( β , m ) e f ( β , m + 1 ) } equation ( 6 ) it is envisaged that one having skill in the art can utilize various other criteria to determine l *. in one embodiment of the invention , computational complexity can be reduced using bic as shown in fig2 . a bic is a method for model order selection , where model order can be the number of event clusters . in bic analysis , it can be assumed that timestamps within an event are distributed normally around an event mean . as shown in fig6 , in one embodiment of the invention , a scalar parameter k can be determined . next , a set of similarity matrices can be constructed for different values of k . then a set of novelty scores can be determined via kernel correlation . from a novelty score a set of boundaries can be determined . the basic bic process can test each boundary bεb to determine if an increase in model likelihood justifies the additional parameters used to describe the additional segment . this results in a simple test for each b , as described in expression ( 7 ). l ( b l - 1 , b l ) + l ( b , b l + 1 ) & gt ; & lt ; l ( b l - 1 , b l + 1 ) + λ 2 log ( b l + 1 , b l - 1 ) expression ( 7 ) the left hand side of expression ( 7 ) is a log - likelihood term for a two - segment model . a two - segment model splits photographs between b l + 1 and b l − 1 into two clusters , separated by boundary b l . the right hand side of expression ( 7 ) represents a log - likelihood for a single segment model , and a penalty term for additional parameters in a two - segment model . a single segment model can be a single cluster of photographs b l − 1 , . . . , b l + 1 . in expression ( 7 ), λ can be the number of parameters required to represent a segment . if a likelihood gain associated with separate models for the two segments exceeds the penalty for additional parameters , b l can be included in the final event partitioning . since each segment can be described using a sample mean ( μ l ), and variance ( σ l ) of the photographs timestamp according to equation ( 8 ), then λ = 2 . l ( b l , b l + 1 ) = b l + 1 - b l - 1 2 log 2 πσ l - ∑ ( t n - μ l ) 2 2 σ l 2 equation ( 8 ) l ( b l , b l + 1 ) = b l + 1 - b l - 1 2 ( 1 + log ( 2 πσ l ) ) equation ( 9 ) the bic for boundary selection can be applied in a coarse - to - fine framework ( i . e . as k decreases ). at each scale k , newly detected boundaries are tested using expression ( 7 ), and boundaries for which the left hand side of expression ( 7 ) is greater than the right hand side of expression ( 7 ) are added to selected boundaries as shown in fig6 . it is envisaged that one having skill in the art can utilize improved density estimates to further enhance effectiveness of bic for temporal clustering or segmentation of digital photographs . for example , bic can be used in conjunction with other probabilistic models that are more sophisticated or accurate including mixture models . table 1 compares computational run time for processing multi - scale similarity analysis ( confidence ) compared with dp and bic methods , for several values of n . in addition , table 1 gives run time required to construct a set of candidate event boundaries , b ( detection ), which is included in table 1 . table 1 illustrates variation in document run times for different size photograph collections , where event clustering has been implemented in java , and times here were produced using a personnel computer with a 2 . 66 ghz pentium 4 processor . after doubling the number of photographs processed ( n ), time for the boundary detection increases linearly , while including “ confidence ” incurs a quadratic cost . the times in table 1 are averages over 25 runs . an imprecision in timing given the short duration of calculation is responsible for producing the results for n = 500 in table 1 , where dp or bic processing takes less time than “ detection ” alone . the computational complexity of constructing a set of boundaries using multi - scale similarity analysis ( confidence ) can be compared with dp and bic methods . generally , elements of a similarity matrix are zero far from the main diagonal , that is when | i - j | is large . therefore to reduce storage and computation requirements , only a portion of a similarity matrix around the main diagonal is computed , the set of novelty scores computed using similarity matrices with varying specified values of k are then calculated . however , evaluation of “ confidence ” potentially necessitates computation of the entire similarity matrix , since the extent of events can &# 39 ; t be assumed in advance . in a worst case , this includes all n 2 terms of a similarity matrix . because a temporal similarity measure decays exponentially as time difference increase , complexity can be reduced by using a mask , which zeros out elements of a matrix corresponding to photograph pairs taken far apart in time . other heuristics can also be used to construct masks based on the number of photos taken between a pair of photos . nonetheless , a worst - case complexity of 0 ( n 2 ) using “ confidence ” is substantially greater than that of boundary detection . the methods based on dp and bic both offer significantly reduced complexity of calculation . the dp - based peak selection can be of 0 ( β 2 ) where β & lt ; n , where β is governed by the smallest scale in k . table 1 suggests that dp can be roughly ten times faster than similarity - based peak selection for all values n tested . computing costs of equation ( 3 ) accounts for two thirds of the total processing time in the dp - based method . the bic - based method offers even more substantial computational savings , where 0 ( β ) tests using expression ( 7 ) are performed . the computation of sample means and variances of 0 ( n . m ), dominates total bic method cost . both dp and bic methods perform competitively with the original similarity - based confidence score . fig7 shows the cumulative results of experimental testing using two photo collections manually clustered by the respective photographers and using measures given in equations ( 10 ), ( 11 ) and ( 12 ). precision = correctly detected boundaries total number of detected boundaries equation ( 10 ) recall = correctly detected boundaries total number of ground truth boundaries equation ( 11 ) fscore = 2 × precision × recall precision + recall equation ( 12 ) event - clustering performance for temporal ( ts ) and joint temporal and content - based similarity ( js ) are reported with each of the three boundary selection techniques ( similarity based confidence , dp and bic ). as such the js uses both a meta - data tag such as time together with a content - based parameter such as file size to generate similarity analysis based boundaries . for the js results reported here , we used low order discrete cosine transform ( dct ) coefficients as content - based features . the similarity - based confidence results are denoted by ts - c and js - c , dp - based results by ts - dp and js - dp , and bic - based results by ts - bic and js - bic . although , dp and bic accelerated versions of temporal algorithms perform at a high level , temporal - similarity - based confidence ( ts - c ) achieves a maximal cumulative f - score of all the methods examined , as shown in table 2 . of the accelerated methods , dp appears to be superior to bic - based peak selection , particularly with respect to precision . the three boundary selection techniques thus demonstrate a tradeoff between computational complexity and performance . table 2 illustrates a boundary selection performance with similarity - based confidence ( c ), bic , and dp , using temporal similarity ( ts ) and joint temporal and content - based similarity ( js ). | 6 |
with reference to the drawing fig1 and 2 : a typical plumbed hot / cold water supply fitted with the water saver system is shown . cool water source ( 38 ) and hot water source ( 39 ) are combined through a combining valve ( 40 ). this combined water is then directed to a blended water user outlet ( 20 ) ( shower head , sink tap ). the water saver of the present invention includes a “ tee ” shaped manifold ( 10 ), which in a retrofit installation would be located between the shower neck ( or valve 40 ) and the showerhead ( 20 ). the manifold would be an assembly containing a temperature - sensitive valve ( 60 ) ( bimetal , polymer , expanding wax etc .) that is closed ( fig1 ) when the supply water temperature is below a predetermined temperature . this closed valve would force the cool supply water ( 70 ) to be diverted through a check valve ( 65 ), which would allow the water to enter a waterline attached to a bladder pressure tank ( 30 ) that includes a purge valve ( 31 ). the check valve ( 65 ) would open so that the cool water from the supply ( 70 ) would flow into the pressure tank ( 30 ) and would close when the temperature - sensitive valve ( 60 ) opened . the drop in supply pressure caused by the opening of the temperature - sensitive valve ( 60 ) would cause the cool water ( 70 ) stored in the pressure tank ( 30 ) to flow back ( fig2 ) into the “ tee ” manifold ( 10 ) through a metering orifice ( 65 a ) located in the center of the check valve ( 65 ). there it would mix with the warm water supply ( 100 ). the metering orifice ( 65 a ) in the check valve ( 65 ) would allow the cool water ( 70 ) to mix with the warm supply water ( 100 ) at a rate predetermined by the orifice diameter . this would allow the cool diverted water ( 70 ) to be mixed with the warm supply water ( 100 ) at a rate that would not adversely affect the desired shower temperature ( 110 ). the functioning of these valves could be controlled mechanically or electronically depending on the desired technological sophistication and cost . the temperature sensitive valve 60 , of which many currently exist for pre - programmed shower temper selection , should be readily user adjustable so as to allow for a cool shower and , if sink used , for cool water uses . alternatively , the accumulator ( 30 ) could be plumbed using another return ( 37 ) equipped with another check valve ( 65 ) to divert the stored cool water back to the overall plumbing system ( household ) cool water source ( 38 ). this system wide return could include a supplementary pump plumbed therein to match household pressure and thus empty the pressure tank as cool water demand is made anywhere in the household system . alternatively , a balance valve could be plumbed into the return 37 to enable pressure tank accumulated water to precede household water into the household system until the tank is emptied . in this way , even if only cool water is demanded elsewhere in the overall system over a period of time , the accumulated water in pressure tank ( 30 ) can be re - cycled into the plumbed system with combining valve ( 40 ) remaining in the closed position . likewise , several user outlets through a single plumbed system can be equipped with manifolds , all of which can be connected to a single pressure tank . the pressure tank can , upon sufficient pressure drops in the household system , and pump boosted as necessary , divert accumulated cool water back into the plumbed system cool water source for the household . by providing appropriate flow restriction in the cold and hot water supply lines upstream of the device , any amount of pressure drop through the water saver ( when the shower comes on ) can be achieved . this is really the basis for how the device functions . the difference between the almost static supply pressure when the holding tank is filling , and the lower dynamic pressure when the shower comes on , allows the stored water to flow back into the system . the friction in the pipes provides most of the need restriction but more could be added , if necessary , to obtain any desired pressure differential . the alternate versions of the water saver of the present invention each include a showerhead ( 20 ) with a temperature control / diverter valve ( 60 ) in the showerhead ( 20 ). the showerhead ( 20 ) is an assembly containing a temperature - sensitive ( fig3 ) or manual control ( fig5 ) valve ( 60 ) ( the auto control version of the valve could be electronic or bimetal , polymer , expanding wax etc .) that is closed ( fig3 and 5 ) when the supply water temperature is below a predetermined temperature . this closed valve would force the cool supply water ( 70 ) to be diverted through a dual chamber shower supply hose ( 85 ) to a check valve ( 65 ), which would allow the water to enter a waterline attached to a bladder pressure tank ( 30 ). the check valve ( 65 ) would open so that the cool water from the supply ( 70 ) would flow into the pressure tank ( 30 ) and would close when the temperature - sensitive valve ( 60 ) opened . the drop in supply pressure caused by the opening of the temperature - sensitive valve ( 60 ) would cause the cool water ( 70 ) stored in the pressure tank ( 30 ) to flow back ( fig4 and 6 ) through the dual chamber hose 85 via metering orifice ( 65 ( b )) located in the center of the check valve ( 65 ). there it would mix with the warm water supply ( 100 ). the metering orifice ( 65 b ) in the check valve ( 65 ) would allow the cool water ( 70 ) to mix with the warm supply water ( 100 ) at a rate predetermined by the orifice diameter , this would allow the cool diverted water ( 70 ) to be mixed with the warm supply water ( 100 ) at a rate that would not adversely affect the desired shower temperature ( 110 ). the functioning of the showerhead ( 20 ) valves ( 60 ) could be controlled mechanically or electronically depending on the desired technological sophistication and cost . the auto temperature sensitive valve ( 60 ) used in fig3 and 4 ( battery powered or bi - metallic thermostat , etc . ), of which many currently exist for pre - programmed shower temperature selection , should be readily user adjustable so as to allow for a cool shower and , if sink used , for cool water uses . likewise , the manual version in fig5 and 6 could use color coded indicators ( 21 ) external to the showerhead ( 20 ) indicating to the user that is time to switch the water from diversion fig5 to shower on fig6 . the primary use of the fig3 - 6 versions are the retro - fits wherein the use of the system is as simple as replacing a showerhead . the system ( 11 ) is entirely self - contained and can be retrofitted to existing shower and sink equipment already in - place . the dual chamber hose 85 directly engages the sink faucet output or shower output , with the balance of the equipment ( bladder tank 30 , valve 65 ) engaged to a nearby surface , under sink , shower wall , etc ., and the showerhead ( 20 ) hung in a conventional showerhead orientation from the self - contained system ( 11 ). the ball valve versions of the water saver of the present invention each include a showerhead ( 201 ) with a temperature control / diverter ball - valve ( 601 ) installed ahead of the conventional showerhead ( 201 ). the ball valve ( 601 ) is an assembly containing a temperature - sensitive feature or a manual control feature ( the auto control version of the valve could be electronic or bimetal , polymer , expanding wax etc .) that diverts water ( fig7 ) when the supply water temperature is below a predetermined temperature . this diverted position valve would force the cool supply water ( 70 ) to be diverted to a bladder pressure tank ( 30 ). upon sufficient warming of the supply water ( 100 ) the ball valve would reposition ( fig8 ) so that the cool water from the pressure tank ( 30 ) would be returned to the water supply going to the showerhead ( 201 ). the drop in supply pressure caused by the repositioning of the ball valve ( 601 ) would cause the cool water stored in the pressure tank ( 30 ) to flow back through the ball valve 601 via metering orifice ( 651 ( b )) located in the ball valve ( 601 ). there it would mix with the warm water supply ( 100 ). the metering orifice ( 651 b ) in the ball valve ( 601 ) would allow the stored cool water ( 70 ) to mix with the warm supply water ( 100 ) at a rate predetermined by the orifice diameter . this would allow the cool diverted water ( 70 ) to be mixed with the warm supply water ( 100 ) at a rate that would not adversely affect the desired shower temperature . the functioning of the ball valve ( 601 ) could be controlled mechanically with color temperature indicators 21 or electronically depending on the desired technological sophistication and cost . as shown in fig9 a - 9 d the device could also include a “ touch switch ”, or capacitance switch that responds to an operator touch . a user could activate the shower hot 939 and cold supply 938 and await warm water as the diverter valve 910 directs water using valve elements 911 / 912 to the tank 70 as in fig9 a . get wet when the water is up to temperature as in fig9 b using water supplied from the hot 939 and the stored cool tank water 70 . halt the water supply altogether as in 9 c , lather up , and then , as in 9 d , rinse using water at a pre - set temperature from a combination of hot 939 and cold 938 supply as well as stored tank 70 supply until finished . the temperature pre - set can be set using the temp control valve element 911 to vary the mix between hot 939 and cold supply 938 . the total cut - off technique to lather and then rinse is the “ military ” shower method that yields greatest water savings . this touch switch unit could be installed , thru adaptors , etc , to existing showers and sinks . the valve 910 handle would be attached through a precision variable resistor and an on / off switch . the switch would turn the water on / off as the handle was pulled / pushed or turned left / right . the variable resistor would allow for pre - set temperatures for the water to emerge from the shower / faucet . if only cold water is demanded at the sink , water flows immediately ( teeth brushing ) from cold supply 938 , but where warm water is required ( dish rinsing , etc .) the water saver system could be engaged with cool water initially diverted to the tank 70 . whenever mixing of cool water is necessary to cool the supplied hot water for whatever purpose , stored tank water 70 is the first source used until such stored water supply is exhausted . thereafter , cool water supply 938 can be used . whenever water flow is halted altogether , when the shower / faucet is used thereafter , the temperature resistor would determine whether diversion is necessary in accord with temperature demand of the user . it may be advantageous , in some instances , to eliminate the pressurized water tank and have it fed by gravity , where possible , or in a position suspended above the faucet or showerhead or , as the case may be , even supplied with a supplementary pump 1014 operated via supplied water flow , as in fig1 , or thru a small in - line generator and electrical power storage system 1114 as in fig1 . in fig1 , the water flowing thru diverter valve 910 could run an impeller 1012 , a driving impeller , that in - turn ran a pump impeller 1010 located in the tank 70 sourced water line so as to draw water from the tank 70 and initiate a siphon / pump effect to draw stored water from tank 70 which , in this case , is non - pressurized . in fig1 , a generator 1120 is rotated by an in - line impeller 1118 . the generated energy is stored in battery / capacitor 1116 to drive an auxiliary pump 1122 inline to the storage tank 70 . the provision of a battery / capacitor 1116 charged by the inline generator 1114 could eliminate the need for a separate electrical supply for the valve electronics and the touch control system thereof . it has been determined that a 3 gallon pressure tank 30 will accommodate most cooled water amounts stored in most household plumbing systems before hot water appears at the temperature sensitive valves . in addition , it has been determined that even a short shower lasting only 7 minutes is enough , with a cooled water return rate of ½ gallon per minute , to drain even a completely filled pressure tank within the time span of a shower . in the event warm water does not arrive at the temperature sensor before the pressure tank fills , the purge ( by - pass ) valve ( 31 ), included in each installed version , can be used to bleed out water until the temperature sensor encounters warm water . the purge valve can be located on the pressure tank or at the ball valve , showerhead , etc ., i . e ., any convenient location to simply allow system disabling when necessary . the device , when used in new construction and integrated into the shower valve body , will have a temperature actuated / activated valve that allows cold water from the supply to flow only after hot water has arrived from the hot water supply at the valve fixture . this is because much of the water that is normally wasted ( or would be stored by the water saver ) results from waiting for the mixed flow ( hot and cold water from the hot and cold supply mixed together ) to reach the desired temperature . it is much more efficient to only allow the hot water supply to flow until the hot water in that line reaches the valve body , and only then allow cold water to mix with it . that way you are storing only the water residing in the hot water line that cooled between showers , not the total mixed flow from both lines that takes longer to reach the desired shower temperature . while the present invention has been described above in terms of specific embodiments , it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to these disclosed embodiments . many modifications and other embodiments of the invention will come to mind of those skilled in the art to which this invention pertains , and which are intended to be and are covered by both this disclosure and the appended claims it is indeed intended that the scope of the invention should be determined by proper interpretation and construction of the appended claims and their legal equivalents , as understood by those of skill in the art relying upon the disclosure in this specification and the attached drawings . | 8 |
the following detailed description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the subject matter of the disclosure or its uses . furthermore , there is no intention to be bound by any expressed or implied theory presented in the preceding technical field , background , brief summary or the following detailed description . in this document , relational terms such as first and second , and the like may be used solely to distinguish one entity or action from another entity or action without necessarily requiring or implying any actual such relationship or order between such entities or actions . numerical ordinals such as “ first ,” “ second ,” “ third ,” etc . simply denote different singles of a plurality and do not imply any order or sequence unless specifically defined by the claim language . additionally , the following description refers to elements or features being “ connected ” or “ coupled ” together . as used herein , “ connected ” may refer to one element / feature being directly joined to ( or directly communicating with ) another element / feature , and not necessarily mechanically . likewise , “ coupled ” may refer to one element / feature being directly or indirectly joined to ( or directly or indirectly communicating with ) another element / feature , and not necessarily mechanically . however , it should be understood that , although two elements may be described below , in one embodiment , as being “ connected ,” in alternative embodiments similar elements may be “ coupled ,” and vice versa . thus , although the schematic diagrams shown herein depict example arrangements of elements , additional intervening elements , devices , features , or components may be present in an actual embodiment . finally , for the sake of brevity , conventional techniques and components related to vehicle electrical parts and other functional aspects of the system ( and the individual operating components of the system ) may not be described in detail herein . furthermore , the connecting lines shown in the various figures contained herein are intended to represent example functional relationships and / or physical couplings between the various elements . it should be noted that many alternative or additional functional relationships or physical connections may be present in an embodiment of the invention . it should also be understood that fig1 - 2 are merely illustrative and may not be drawn to scale . fig1 illustrates a fob 10 that includes , but is not limited to , an “ unlock ” function button 12 to unlock one or more doors of the vehicle ; a “ lock ” function button 14 , which typically locks all doors of the vehicle ; and an “ alarm ” function button 16 for emergency situations . the fob 10 may also include a key attachment aperture 18 in the fob case 20 facilitating the user to attach a key ring to carry the user &# 39 ; s home , office or other keys along with the fob 10 . fig2 illustrates fob 10 interacting with a vehicle 30 . when one of the function buttons ( 12 , 14 or 16 of fig1 ) on fob 10 is activated by the user , fob 10 sends wireless signal 32 to the vehicle 30 where it is received by antenna 34 coupled to a control system 36 ( e . g ., a vehicle controller ). control system 36 interprets the signal 32 received from fob 10 and , depending upon which function has been activated by the user , causes the corresponding vehicle sub - system to respond . for example , if the “ unlock ” button ( 12 of fig1 ) has been activated , then control system 36 causes a lock 38 on door 40 to move from a locked to an unlocked position . unlocking door 40 is one of a number of triggers that cause the control system 36 to begin an authentication process by which the control system verifies that the fob is within an authentication zone , such as the passenger compartment 42 . typically , the control system 36 transmits a signal or command to the fob 10 , which , if within range ( typically limited to the passenger compartment 42 ), responds with a signal containing a valid authentication code that the control system can compare to stored authorized codes for starting and operating the vehicle 30 . other triggers causing the control system 36 to initiate the authentication process include , but are not limited to receiving signals indicating ( detecting ), the door 40 opening or closing , activation of an engine start actuator ( e . g ., button ) or an individual sitting in the driver seat ( not shown ) of the vehicle 30 . however , in an effort not to extend the authentication zone beyond the passenger compartment 42 of the vehicle 30 , most keyless ignition systems operate at relatively low power levels and in a relatively low frequency band ( e . g ., 20 - 134 khz ) rendering conventional keyless ignition systems susceptible to magnetic or electrical interference ( hereinafter “ interference ”) that may impede or prevent authentication . it is expected that either by design or usage , one or more devices capable of generating interference within the frequency band used for authentication will be operated within the passenger compartment 42 of the vehicle 30 . such devices include , but are not limited to , wireless cellular telephone charging systems , accessory 12 volt power outlets ( and user devices coupled thereto ); cigarette lighters ( and user devices coupled thereto ); and ac inverter circuits ( and user devices coupled thereto ). any one of these devices , or combinations of them , may generate enough interference to impede or prevent authentication , which may frustrate the operator of the vehicle . according to exemplary embodiments , the present disclosure reduces such interference by temporarily deactivating devices of known or potential interference . deactivation may be effected via a number of actions including , but not limited to , interruption of power to such devices ; transmitting a command signal to such devices causing them to cease transmitting or operating internal circuits producing the interference ; or , for devices coupled to a vehicle wired or wireless network , broadcasting a network message to such devices causing them to cease transmitting or operating internal circuits producing the interference . deactivation of the known or potential interfering devices is temporary ( for some time period ) or until the authentication process has completed as will be discuss below in conjunction with fig3 . in this way , interruption of the use and enjoyment of these devices is minimized and the authentication process is unimpeded . referring now to fig3 , a flow diagram illustrating a method 50 for keyless ignition in accordance with exemplary embodiments is shown . the various tasks performed in connection with the method 50 of fig3 may be performed by software , hardware , firmware , or any combination thereof . for illustrative purposes , the following description of the method of fig3 may refer to elements mentioned above in connection with fig1 - 2 . in practice , portions of the method of fig3 may be performed by different elements of the described system . it should also be appreciated that the method of fig3 may include any number of additional or alternative tasks and that the method of fig3 may be incorporated into a more comprehensive procedure or process having additional functionality not described in detail herein . moreover , one or more of the tasks shown in fig3 could be omitted from an embodiment of the method of fig3 as long as the intended overall functionality remains intact . the routine begins with decision 52 operating in a loop to determine whether an authentication trigger event has been detected . according to various embodiments , authentication events include , but are not limited to one or more of the following events : an “ unlock ” signal is received from fob 10 ; detecting door 40 opening or closing , detecting activation of an engine start actuator ( e . g ., button ) or detecting an individual sitting in the driver seat ( not shown ) of the vehicle 30 . once an authentication event is detected , step 54 disables all known or potential devices operating within the vehicle that may generate interference within the frequency band used for authentication . such devices include , but are not limited to , wireless cellular telephone charging systems , accessory 12 volt power outlets ( and user devices coupled thereto ); cigar lighters ( and user devices coupled thereto ); and ac inverter circuits ( and user devices coupled thereto ). next , step 56 transmits an authentication command signal within the authorization zone and decision 58 determines whether a valid authorization code was received . if so , the devices are reactivated ( step 64 ) to minimize the time when the devices cannot be used and enjoyed by the vehicle occupants . however , a negative determination of decision 58 result in decision 60 determining whether the time period for the fob responding has expired . if not , the routine loops back to decision 58 . however , if the time period has expired , the routine continues . in one embodiment , the devices are immediately reactivated ( step 64 ). however , in other embodiments , more than one authentication attempt ( e . g ., three or five ) may be made by including decision 62 , which queries whether the designated number of authentication attempts have been made . if not , the routine loops back to retransmit the authentication command signal ( step 56 ), however , if all designated authentication attempts have been made , the devices are reactivated in step 64 , and the routine returns again to the detection loop of decision 52 , which awaits another authentication event . accordingly , a keyless ignition system is provided for a vehicle that reduces interference during the authentication process . while at least one exemplary embodiment has been presented in the foregoing summary and detailed description , it should be appreciated that a vast number of variations exist . it should also be appreciated that the exemplary embodiment or exemplary embodiments are only examples , and are not intended to limit the scope , applicability , or configuration of the disclosure in any way . rather , the foregoing summary and detailed description will provide those skilled in the art with a convenient road map for implementing the exemplary embodiment or exemplary embodiments . it should be understood that various changes can be made in the function and arrangement of elements without departing from the scope of the disclosure as set forth in the appended claims and the legal equivalents thereof . | 1 |
referring to fig1 a magnetic tape 1 for a high density recording such as 6250 bpi comprises nine tracks of data region 2 . the tape 1 is driven in the direction shown by an arrow 4 past nine write heads and nine read heads ( not shown ). the tape 1 further comprises a region 6 marking the beginning of tape and a region 8 for automatic read amplification ( ara ) bursts between the regions 2 and 6 . the ara bursts comprise all &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; s data recorded in all nine tracks . a circuit shown in fig2 is provided for each of the tracks . the output of a read head 10 is amplified by a gain controllable amplifier 12 and the output of the amplifier 12 is differentiated and filtered by a differentiator and low pass filter circuit 14 . the analog output of the circuit 14 is converted by a limiter 16 to digital data , which is delivered to a magnetic tape controller ( not shown ). the gain of the amplifier 12 is dependent upon the voltage of the collector of a transistor 34 . the amplifier 12 may be comprised of a commercially available motorola gain control amplifier , type mc1590g . the transistor 34 , diodes d 1 through d 11 , resistances r agc and r 1 through r 7 , and inverters 26 , 28 , 30 , and 32 form a circuit for converting the digital outputs of a four - bit counter 24 to a corresponding gain control voltage for the amplifier 12 . when one of the four binary outputs of the counter 24 , for example the fourth output , is high , the output of a correspoonding inverter 32 is low , resulting in diodes d 4 and d 8 becoming conductive and nonconductive , respectively , and allows the transistor 34 to supply current determined by the resistor r 4 . when the fourth output is low , the output of the inverter 32 is high , resulting in diodes d 4 and d 8 becoming nonconductive and conductive , respectively . the situation is the same for the other binary outputs of the counter 24 and for the diodes d 5 through d . sub . 7 and d 9 through d 11 . the resistors r 4 through r 7 have resistance values 8r , 4r , 2r , and r , respectively , where r is 1kω . thus , the current flow through the transistor 34 is dependent on the digital outputs of the counter 24 . the diode d 3 is always conductive and allows the transistor 34 to supply a current determined by the resistor r 3 , whose resistance value is , for example , 8 . 2kω . the current provided by the diode d 3 determines the minimum gain of the amplifier 12 , which is the case when the digital outputs of the counter 24 are all zeros . the resistance values of the resistors r 1 , r 2 , r l , and r agc are , for example , 470 ω , 820 ω , 510ω , and 82kω , respectively . when the magnetic tape controller detects the mark 6 indicating the beginning of the tape , it provides a self - adjusting gain control ( sagc ) start signal on line 60 . the sagc start signal sets a flip - flop 20 and resets the four - bit counter 24 , resulting in the amplifier 12 having a minimum gain . the ara burst read out by the read head 10 is amplified by the amplifier 12 and supplied to the circuit 14 . as the ara burst stored in the tape 1 comprises all &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; s data and the output of the amplifier 12 for the ara burst is almost sinusoidal , the output of the circuit 14 is also sinusoidal and its amplitude is proportional to the amplitude of the output of the amplifier 12 . the output of the circuit 14 is supplied to a comparator 18 , which compares the peak amplitude of the output of the circuit 14 and a reference volatage v r . when the flip - flop 20 is set by the sagc start pulse , the high level output of the flip - flop 20 triggers an oscillator 22 which provides a clock signal of frequency 1 . 25khz . the clock signal provided by the oscillator 22 increments the counter 24 resulting in the gain of the amplifier 12 being increased . when the gain of the amplifier 12 is not high enough , the comparator 18 provides a low level signal and the flip - flop 20 remains set , resulting in oscillator 22 providing the clock signal and the gain of the amplifier 12 is increased step - by - step at a frequency of 1 . 25khz . when the gain of the amplifier 12 is sufficiently high and the peak amplitude of the output signal of the circuit 14 is equal to or greater than the voltage v r , the comparator 18 provides a high level signal to reset the flip - flop 20 . the oscillator 22 stops providing the clock signal in response to the low level signal provided by the flip - flop 20 . the counter 24 is no longer incremented and the gain of the amplifier 12 remains fixed . the data 2 is then read out of the tape 1 , amplified by the amplifier 12 with its gain thus fixed and sent to the limiter by way of the circuit 14 . the limiter 16 converts the analog output of the circuit 14 to digital data to be sent to the magnetic tape controller . thus , the read out operation of one track is now completed . the same operation is carried out with the remaining tracks at the same time . the gains of the amplifiers for all tracks are thus individually fixed and may be different . the output of the oscillator 22 is supplied to a circuit of fig3 by way of a line 22 - a during the read out operation . referring to fig3 an or gate 50 and an and gate 52 receive the output of the oscillator 22 on the line 22 - a , as well as the outputs of the oscillators ( not shown ) for the other eight tracks on lines 22b to 22i . these nine oscillators provide the clock signals of a frequency 1 . 25khz synchronously . fig4 a through 4i respectively show examples of the nine outputs of these oscillators for the first to ninth tracks . fig4 j shows the sagc start pulse as a reference . in the above example , it is assumed that the ara bursts provided by the read heads for the fourth and eighth tracks have respective minimum and maximum amplitudes . the outputs of the or gate 50 and the and gate 52 are shown in fig4 k and 4l , respectively . a four - bit counter 54 and a three - bit counter 58 are reset by the sagc start pulse on the line 60 . the output of the or gate 50 increments counter 56 which stores , in this example , data representing the number five which is equal to the maximum number of pulses on the line 22 - a through line 22 - i . when the counter 54 overflows , an overflow signal is sent to the magnetic tape controller by a line 54a . the outputs of the or gate 50 and and gate 52 are supplied to an exclusive - or gate 56 , which provides pulses whose numbers are equal to the difference between the numbers of the output pulses of the or gate 50 and and gate 52 . fig4 m shows an example of the outpul pulses of the gate 56 equal to four pulses , in this example . the output pulses of the gate 56 increment three - bit counter 58 which provides an overflow signal when the number of the output pulses of the gate 56 exceeds seven . the overflow signal provided by the counter 58 is delivered to the magnetic tape controller which , in response to this signal , stops reading the tape 1 and rewrites or rereads the ara burst in all tracks . otherwise , the controller switches on a lamp to give an alarm to the operator . thus , the overflow signal of the counter 58 indicates the difference between the two gain control signals which correspond to two read heads which have the maximum and minimum outputs and , as a result , an abnormality in the gains of the amplifiers can be detected . while we have shown and described one embodiment in accordance with the present invention , it is understood that the same is not limited thereto but is susceptible of numerous changes and modifications as known to a person skilled in the art , and we therefore do not wish to be limited to the details shown and described herein but intend to cover all such changes and modifications as are obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art . | 6 |
fig1 shows a first embodiment of a dual - purpose molding apparatus 10 according to this invention . the apparatus 10 shown is a planned modification to an existing injection molding machine used to make hollow - core bicycle wheels by overmolding cores that were formed in a separate core molding station . in the apparatus 10 of fig1 however , a core and an overmolded assembly are formed at the same time and under the same clamp tonnage . in more detail , the molding apparatus 10 of fig1 comprises a base 20 which supports a first plate 40 and a second plate 50 . the first plate 40 is stationary and fixedly secured to the base . the second plate 50 , however , is movable along main support rails 21 , 22 of the base 20 . the second platen , therefore , is movable back and forth relative to the first platen 40 . also shown is an injection assembly 30 located next to the first stationary platen 40 . the injection assembly 30 includes a source 31 of plastic pellets , a feed mechanism 32 and a heated injection barrel 33 that forces molten plastic through a “ sprue ” in the first platen 40 . as further shown in fig1 the apparatus 10 comprises a product molding region 70 containing a first product mold block 71 and a second product mold block 72 that collectively define the cavity inside of which the injection molded product is formed . ordinarily , the first and second product mold blocks 71 , 72 are secured to the first and second platens 40 , 50 so that the mold blocks 71 , 72 may be operatively opened and closed to form and inject new products . in the new dual - purpose molding apparatus 10 of fig1 however , the injection molding machine has been modified to include an additional intermediate platen 60 that divides the space between the first and second platens 40 , 50 to include a product molding region 70 and a core molding region 80 . the core molding region 80 is fed by a source of molten metal 83 as figuratively shown . the core mold , like the product mold , comprises a first core mold block 81 and a second core mold block 82 . in the embodiment shown , the first core mold block 81 is secured to the second platen 50 and the second core mold block 82 is secured to the intermediate platen 60 . the product mold block 71 , remains secured to the first platen 40 , but the second product mold block 72 is secured to the intermediate platen 60 opposite to the second core mold block 82 . in the preferred embodiment , suitable ejection mechanism for both the product mold and core mold are carried by intermediate platen 60 such that the new core 100 is picked up by one side of the gripping mechanism 92 and the new overmolded assembly 200 is picked up by the opposite side of the gripping mechanism 92 . the intermediate platen 60 is supported on a pair of support members 44 extending from the first platen 40 . each of those support members 44 includes an intermediate support rail 45 along which the intermediate platen 60 may be moved relative to the first platen 40 . for use in transporting cores and for unloading overmolded assemblies , a robot 90 having a moveable arm 91 with a suitable gripping mechanism 92 is provided adjacent to the molding apparatus 10 . the cyclical operation of the apparatus 10 will now be described with reference to fig2 - 10 . in fig2 the robot 90 is held out of the way to allow the molding apparatus 10 to close and begin the molding operation . the closing proceeds in two steps as suggested by arrows “ a 1 ” and “ a 2 .” at step “ a 1 ”, the intermediate platen 60 is moved toward the stationary platen 40 along the intermediate support rails 45 of the support members 44 . next , as suggested by arrow “ a 2 ,” the movable platen 50 is moved toward the stationary and intermediate platens 40 , 60 to provide full clamp tonnage to simultaneously apply full clamp tonnage to both the product molding region 70 and the core molding region 80 . with this clamp tonnage applied , the molten plastic is introduced into the product molding region by way of the heated injection barrel 33 and the molten metal is introduced into the core molding region 80 from the source of molten metal 83 . in fig3 after allowing the core and overmolded assembly to solidify somewhat , the molding apparatus 10 is opened as shown . in particular , the movable plate 50 is moved away from the intermediate and stationary platens 40 , 60 as suggested by “ arrow b 1 ” and then , the intermediate platen 60 is moved away from the stationary platen 40 as suggested by arrow “ b 2 ”. at this point , the core molding region 80 and the product molding region 70 are opened and accessible . fig4 shows the robot 90 diving into the core molding region 80 . in particular , a gripping mechanism 92 carried at the robot &# 39 ; s arm 91 far end is brought adjacent to a new core 100 . the gripping mechanism 92 contains suitable structure for gripping the new core 100 and lifting it out of and away from the second core mold block 82 . fig5 shows the robot 90 moving upward as suggested by arrow “ d ”. as a result , the robot &# 39 ; s gripping mechanism 92 brings the new core 100 up and out of the core molding station 80 . fig6 shows the robot 90 moving over the product molding region 70 and suggested by arrow “ e ”. at this point , the robot 90 is now ready to move downward into the product molding region 70 . fig7 shows the robot 90 diving downward into the product molding region 70 as suggested by arrow “ f ”. when the robot 90 has moved sufficiently downward that the new core 100 carried by its gripping mechanism 92 is located adjacent to the first product mold block 71 , then the robot 90 hangs the new core on suitable structure within the mold block 71 . fig8 shows the robot 90 moving sideways , as suggested by arrow “ g ” such that an opposite side of the gripping mechanism 92 is brought adjacent to the freshly made overmolded assembly 200 . at this position , suitable structure on the gripping mechanism 92 grabs the overmolded assembly 200 in order to transport it out of and away from the molding apparatus 10 . fig9 shows the robot 90 , as just suggested , moving upward in the direction of arrow “ h ” with the new overmolded assembly carried by the gripping mechanism 92 . recall that the new core 100 is left behind within the product molding region 70 back in fig7 . fig1 shows the robot moving in a direction generally indicated by arrow “ i ” in order to take the new overmolded assembly 200 to an appropriate melt - out station ( not shown ). after delivering the overmolded assembly 200 to the melt - out station , the system 10 is in the state originally shown in fig1 and the cycle may repeat . fig1 - 21 show a second preferred , dual molding apparatus 310 that uses only two platens 340 , 350 as found in a conventional injection molding machine . as shown in fig1 , the molding apparatus 310 comprises a base 320 which fixedly supports an a - side platen 340 and movably supports a b - side platen 350 . the two platens 340 , 350 each support the two halves of a core mold and a product mold as best shown in fig1 , discussed below . the core mold and product mold may be embodied in a single pair of mold blocks as shown , or may be arranged as separate mold blocks if desired . in addition , there would be one or more core mold cavities and one or more product mold cavities if desired . as with the embodiment of fig1 the apparatus 310 includes an injection assembly 330 that includes a source 331 of plastic pellets , a feed mechanism 332 , and a heated injection barrel 333 that forces molten plastic through a “ sprue ” in the a - side platen 340 . also present is a source of molten metal 383 and a suitable conduit ( not separately numbered ) for introducing molten metal into the core molding cavity ( located at the bottom side of the platens 340 , 350 in this particular case ). the particular conduit used may be any suitable arrangement such as a flexible conduit that moves with the b - side platen 350 or a conduit that is fixed in location and engages a suitable entry orifice when the b - side platen 350 is moved to the closed position . as further shown in fig1 , a robot 390 is located adjacent to the apparatus 310 . the robot 390 , like the robot 90 of the first embodiment , includes and arm 391 which supports a gripping mechanism 392 at its distal end . in this case , however , the gripping mechanism 392 is a tandem mechanism that is capable of simultaneously grabbing a new core and a new overmolded assembly as will become clear below . in fig1 , the robot 390 is held out of the way to allow the molding apparatus 310 to close and begin the molding operation . as suggested by arrow “ a ” the b - side platen 350 is moved toward the a - side platen 340 . in fig1 , as suggested by the arrow “ b 1 ” the b - side platen completes its closure and the full clamp tonnage is applied . subsequently , the injection barrel 333 of the injection assembly 330 is pressed against the entry orifice or “ sprue ” of the a - side platen as suggested by arrow “ b 2 .” at this point , therefore , with the full clamp tonnage applied , molten plastic is injected into the product mold and molten metal is simultaneously injected into the core mold . in fig1 , as suggested by arrow “ c 1 ” the b - side platen is moved leftward to open the core and product molds and the robot 390 , as suggested by arrow “ c 2 ,” dives into the space between the two platens 340 , 350 . in fig1 , the robot &# 39 ; s arm 391 is positioned such that the gripping mechanism 392 is adjacent to a new core 100 ′ and a new overmolded assembly 200 ′ that was formed during the molding operation of fig1 . in fig1 , as suggested by arrows “ d 1 ” and “ d 2 ,” the new core 100 ′ and the new overmolded assembly 200 ′ are ejected toward the tandem gripping mechanism 392 which suitably grabs the core and overmolded assembly for transport upward ( in the case of the core 100 ′) and outward ( in the case of the overmolded assembly 200 ′). in fig1 , as suggested by arrow “ e ,” the robot 390 is indexed upward such that the new core 100 ′ at the bottom of the tandem gripping mechanism 392 is brought adjacent to the now empty product cavity 373 . in fig1 , as suggested by arrow “ f ,” the core 100 ′ is placed into the product cavity 373 . in fig1 , as suggested by arrow “ g ,” the robot 390 now continues upwards such that its arm 391 and tandem gripping mechanism 392 carry the overmolded assembly upward and out of the space between the platens 340 , 350 . note , as a result of the action taken in fig1 , the core 100 ′ is left behind in the product mold 373 while the core mold 383 is empty . at this point , therefore , the product mold 373 and the core mold 383 are ready for a subsequent cycle . in fig2 , as suggested by arrow “ h ,” the robot moves away from the apparatus 310 with the new overmolded assembly 200 ′ in hand . at this point , the platens 340 , 350 could be brought together again to begin another cycle as shown beginning with fig1 above . in fig2 , as suggested by arrow “ i ,” the robot 390 “ drops ” the new overmolded assembly so that it may proceed to a suitable core melting station which melts out the core material from inside of the product . fig2 shows the overmolded assembly 200 ′ being dropped , however it is more likely that the overmolded assembly 200 ′ would be hung on a suitable mechanism for carrying the overmolded assembly 200 ′ into and through a hot oil bath or other such suitable arrangement . two presently preferred embodiments of the invention have just been described , but it should be understood that numerous other modifications are possible without departing from the claimed invention . the first embodiment shows an apparatus 10 where the product and core molding regions are in a stacked arrangement between first and second platens on either side of an intermediate platen . the second embodiment shows an apparatus 310 where the core and product molding regions are arranged in a common plane between only first and second platens . in both cases , however , a new core 100 , 100 ′ and a new overmolded assembly 200 , 200 ′ are uniquely formed with the same clamp tonnage , thereby eliminating the need for separate core and product molding stations as required in the past . in the common plane arrangement of the second embodiment , the core and product molds are shown in an integrated and vertical arrangement but they could , of course , be separate , arranged horizontally relative to one another in that same common plane , or both . it is also possible in both embodiments to use core and product molds with multiple cavities to increase overall throughput . | 1 |
illustrative embodiments of the invention will be described below in the context of a battery . however , it is to be understood that the encapsulation techniques and mechanisms described herein are more generally applicable to any power source for which it would be desirable to prevent harmful chemical leakage , reduce harm caused by ingestion , and / or other related harms caused by the power source and its components . fig1 illustrates an encapsulated battery system 100 . the system 100 includes a power source 102 having a set of power terminals 103 - 1 and 103 - 2 . in this embodiment , the power source 102 is a battery , by way of example only , a button or cylindrical type battery such as , but not limited to , a lithium cell battery . the power source 102 can also be a disposable battery or a rechargeable battery . in this example , power terminal 103 - 1 is the positively charged electrode of the battery or anode , while power terminal 103 - 2 is the negatively charged electrode of the battery or cathode . however , the power terminals can be reversed in alternate embodiments . furthermore , the power terminals do not have to be located on opposite sides of the battery as illustrated in fig1 but rather can be located in other locations on the battery . as further shown in the system 100 of fig1 , a cover 104 encapsulates the power source 102 as well as the set of power terminals 103 - 1 and 103 - 2 , thus sealing the power source 102 and the set of power terminals 103 - 1 and 103 - 2 within the cover 104 . in one embodiment , the material used for the cover 104 to encapsulate and seal the power source 102 and the set of power terminals 103 - 1 and 103 - 2 is a natural elastomer such as natural rubber or other natural polymer . in another embodiment , the cover material is a synthetic elastomer such as a synthetic rubber or other synthetic polymer . for example , the material is a rubber material or silicone gel material in certain illustrative embodiments . some of the advantages of elastomer materials include , but are not limited to , prevention of leakage of the battery chemicals into nature when they are thrown away instead of being recycled , as well as when they are ingested by a human or animal . the cover 104 can also be formed with a silk material that can be ingested without harm to the human or animal that ingests it . as is known , silk can be processed into various forms such as gels and films . as such , a gel or film - like silk material can be used to encapsulate and seal the power source 102 and the set of power terminals 103 - 1 and 103 - 2 . still further , the cover can be formed with an electrical conducting material that is harmless if swallowed by humans or animals , e . g ., gold , platinum or silver . in this case , the cover 104 could also have insulating material surrounding the power terminals 103 - 1 and 103 - 2 of the power source 102 or otherwise electrically separating the two terminals to prevent shorting of the anode and the cathode . as further shown in the system 100 of fig1 , a set of conductive contacts 106 - 1 and 106 - 2 are configured to pass through the cover 104 and contact the set of power terminals 103 - 1 and 103 - 2 , respectively , thus providing conductive access to the set of power terminals of the power source 102 from outside the cover without allowing exposure of the power source or the power terminals to an environment outside the cover 104 . this means that none of the harmful chemicals of the power source 102 are able to escape from the cover 104 when the power source leaks . note that the set of conductive contacts are made of an electrical conducting material , and are configured to be removable from the cover 104 without allowing exposure of the power source 102 or the set of power terminals 103 - 1 and 103 - 2 to the outside environment . in the embodiment shown in fig1 , the conductive contacts 106 - 1 and 106 - 2 are pin - shaped ( but can be pointed in shape in some other manner ) such that they penetrate the cover 104 but allow the cover to re - seal upon removal of one or more of the contacts . while two pin - shaped structures for each conductive contact are shown penetrating the cover 104 and contacting each of the power terminals ( 103 - 1 and 103 - 2 ), it is to be understood that more or less pin - shaped structures can be used to form each conductive contact . while the set of conductive contacts 106 - 1 and 106 - 2 are preferably removable from the system 100 , in an alternative embodiment , the conductive contacts are integrally - formed with the cover 104 . fig2 illustrates a conductive contact for an encapsulated battery system , according to an embodiment of the invention . recall that the system 100 of fig1 illustrates a set of conductive contacts 106 - 1 and 106 - 2 that are pin - shaped in form . in an alternate embodiment of a conductive contact 200 shown in fig2 , the conductive contact also includes an electrically conductive spring 201 in the form of an adjustable spiral structure . the spring 201 allows for compressive pressure to be put on the conductive contact and the corresponding power terminal ( 106 - 1 or 106 - 2 ) of the power source 102 in order to make a better electrical connection between the conductive contact 200 and the corresponding power terminal of the power source . the spring 201 is also configured to be able to penetrate the cover 104 , if needed for a given configuration , without exposing the power source or power terminals to the outside environment , both while installed and after being removed from the cover . fig3 illustrates an encapsulation structure for an encapsulated battery system , according to an embodiment of the invention . recall that the system 100 of fig1 illustrates a cover 104 that encapsulates the power source 102 as well as the set of power terminals 103 - 1 and 103 - 2 , thus sealing the power source 102 and the set of power terminals 103 - 1 and 103 - 2 within the cover . in one embodiment , a cover 300 is shown in fig3 . as mentioned , the cover can be made of various materials including , in one or more embodiments , a rubber material that encapsulates the power source and power terminals so as to seal the power source and power terminals from exposure to the outside environment . in one embodiment as shown in fig3 , a tyer 301 is included as part of the cover 300 . in this embodiment , the tyer 301 is an integral part of the cover structure that securely attaches the cover 300 to the power source . the tyer 301 , in one example , is made from the same rubber material as the cover with adhesive material on the portion of the tyer that comes into contact with the body of the power source . other tyer configurations are possible within the scope of alternate embodiment . whether or not the cover includes a tyer structure , it is to be appreciated that the power source and power terminals remain sealed from exposure to the outside environment once the power source is encapsulated within the cover . fig4 illustrates a methodology for forming and installing an encapsulated battery system , according to an embodiment of the invention . as shown in a methodology 400 , a battery ( one example of a power source and its power terminals ) is encapsulated in a rubber cover , in step 402 . one of ordinary skill in the art will realize various known rubber application processes for encapsulating and sealing a component such as a battery . it is assumed the conductive contacts ( e . g ., contacts such as shown as 200 in fig2 ) are installed by pressing the pin structures of the contact through the rubber cover in the vicinity of the power terminals of the battery . in step 404 , the contacts ( pins ) are adjusted to place the encapsulated battery in a compartment . the compartment may be , for example , the battery compartment of an electronic device that requires battery power for operation . in step 406 , the encapsulated battery is placed in the compartment . it is to be understood that when the conductive contacts each include a spring ( 201 in fig2 ), the springs are compressed on each side of the battery ( e . g ., contacts are compressed between the fingers of the installer ) so that the encapsulated battery can fit into the compartment . in step 408 , the contacts ( pins ) are released so that the contacts respectively connect with the electrical contacts of the electronic device ( located inside the compartment ). in step 410 , a check is made to verify that the battery is properly installed and sufficiently contacting the contacts of the electronic device . this may be verified by checking whether or not current is flowing through the battery , i . e ., check to see that the electronic device is getting the power it needs to operate . if yes , then the methodology ends at block 412 . however , if the electronic device is not getting the needed power from the battery , in step 414 , the encapsulated battery is removed and the penetration of the pins of the conductive contacts is increased through the rubber cover . this is to ensure that there is more sufficient contact between the conductive contacts and the power terminals of the battery sealed inside the rubber cover . once this is done , the methodology 400 returns to step 404 and repeats . it will be appreciated and should be understood that the exemplary embodiments of the invention described above can be implemented in a number of different fashions . given the teachings of the invention provided herein , one of ordinary skill in the related art will be able to contemplate other implementations of the invention . indeed , although illustrative embodiments of the present invention have been described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings , it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to those precise embodiments , and that various other changes and modifications may be made by one skilled in the art without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention . | 8 |
[ 0015 ] fig1 shows a micromechanical enclosure comprising a lower part — the substrate 14 — and the cover 5 . these parts are originally located on a substrate wafer and a cover wafer upon which wafers a plurality of identical components are attached . the two wafers are bonded as described in the following for an individual component . they are then separated to create the individual enclosure shown in the figures . to make this clear , the individual components of the individual enclosure , which is actually closed , are shown separated from each other . the lower part — the substrate 14 — largely comprises a silicone layer 11 in which the sensor structures , which are not shown , are arranged . an oxide layer 10 is applied to the silicone layer . the electrical signals from the sensor are led to the connection contacts 12 through conductor tracks 2 which run from the silicone layer 11 over the oxidation layer 10 . for this purpose , a partial metal film , of aluminum for example , is applied to the oxide layer 10 which , on the one hand , forms the conductor track 2 and , on the other , a level compensation structure 9 . the conductor track structure 2 is not in contact with the level compensation 9 at the passages 4 at which the conductor track 2 is run from the covered , hermetically sealed area to the connection contacts 12 . the level compensation structure 9 is only formed at the positions over which the metallic bond ring 1 is formed to connect with the cover 5 . a planarizing layer 8 , which levels up the main surface 7 in the area of the bond ring 1 lying above , and levels up steps in the area of the conductor track passage 4 , is located directly under the metallic bond ring 1 , so that a plane surface area of the main surface 7 is formed under the bond ring 1 . the main surface 7 of the assembly is the side surface of one wafer and / or the sensor which faces the cover 5 . in the embodiment , the planarizing layer 8 is also an insulating layer which prevents the conductor track structure 2 and the level compensation structure 9 from contacting each other or the metallic bond ring 1 . a further metal film 1 , which forms the bond ring 1 , is also located on the flat planarizing layer 8 . this metallic bond ring 1 from the lower part 14 is connected to the metallic bond ring 13 on the cover 5 . bonded , they form a ring - shaped contact area 3 which forms a hermetically sealed joint . the assembly of the cover wafer and the cover 5 is made of silicone . a ring shaped structure projects out of the silicone structure of the cover 5 on the side facing the substrate 14 . the whole surface of the silicone structure is coated with metal 6 , which serves to make the mechanical connection to the substrate 14 at the ring structure 13 . this figure also shows the lines { overscore ( ab )} and { overscore ( cd )} which represent the sections in fig2 and fig3 . in another embodiment which is not shown , the conductor track and level compensation layers may consist of different materials , which are applied in different manufacturing processes . it may also prove to be advantageous in further embodiments for the level compensation layer to have a different structural height to that of the conductor track layer . furthermore , the level compensation layer need not be continuously arranged , but may even have gaps which can , however , be compensated for by the planarizing layer . [ 0017 ] fig2 shows a cross - sectional view along the line { overscore ( ab )} in fig1 . this diagram shows the section through a micromechanical enclosure along a conductor track 2 . the lower part 14 — the substrate — has a silicone layer 11 in which the micromechanical structures of the sensor are located . a first insulating layer 10 , which primarily serves to insulate the conductor track from the silicone substrate , is located above the silicone layer 11 . the conductor tracks 2 with the contacts 12 are formed on the insulating layer 10 . a level compensation layer 9 , which serves to even out differences in the level of the height of the assembly below the bond ring , and thus simplify the attachment of the cover 5 or the cover wafer , is arranged on the same level next to this conductor track structure 2 . the conductor track structure 2 and the level compensation structure 9 are constructed from the same material , e . g . al , in a single working cycle . an insulating layer 8 , whose surface has a sealed , level , ring - shaped structure , is applied over the conductor track structure 2 and the level compensation structure 9 . the bond ring 1 , of aluminum for example , is arranged on this ring . the cover 5 is joined to this metallic bond ring 1 and protects the part of the main surface 7 of the substrate 14 which lies underneath it . a metal film 6 is applied to the whole surface of the cover 5 to join the cover 5 to the lower part 14 , this metal film bonds at temperatures of 450 ° c . with the underlying bond ring 1 to a metal ring 3 which forms a hermetically sealed joint between the lower part 14 and the cover 5 , and represents the contact area . in the embodiment , the cover has , on the underside , a ring - shaped structure 13 whose size matches the underlying ring - shaped structure 1 of the lower part 14 . in an embodiment which is not shown , the cover has a flat underside and does not have a ring - shaped elevation as in the embodiment . a metal film for bonding the semiconductor wafers or for forming the hermetically sealed joint between the cover and substrate is applied to the whole or part of the flat surface of the cover . [ 0018 ] fig3 shows a cross - sectional view along the line { overscore ( cd )} in fig1 . this diagram shows a section through a micromechanical enclosure at right angles to the conductor track . as already described , the substrate 14 consists of a silicone structure 11 which has the sensor structures . a first insulating layer 10 , on which the conductor tracks are run from the silicone structure , is located above the silicone structure 11 . on the insulating layer 10 , level compensation layers 9 are arranged on the same level left and right of this conductor track structure 2 , they serve to even up differences in the level of the height of the assembly , and thus make the attachment of the cover easier . in the area of the passage 4 of the conductor tracks 2 , the distance a between the level compensation layers 9 and the conductor track layer 2 , which are arranged under the ring - shaped arrangement , must , on the one hand , be large enough so that no electrical contacts or other interactions occur between the two layers 9 , 2 , and , on the other hand , be small enough so that the gap with the width a is filled by the application of another planarizing layer 8 , whereby the planarizing layer has a layer thickness d . the planarizing layer 8 has a flat surface in this cross - sectional view . this is always the case when the distance a is less than twice the thickness d of the planarizing layer 8 . this planarizing layer 8 , which also functions as an insulating layer , is arranged above the conductor track layer 2 and the level compensation layer 9 . the plane surface of the planarizing layer 8 forms a closed , level , ring - shaped structure . in turn , the wafer bond layer 1 is arranged on this ring . the cover 5 is bonded to this layer 1 and thus protects the part of the main surface 7 which lies underneath . a layer 6 , which bonds with the lower bond ring 1 at temperatures of 450 ° c . in the area of the cover ring 13 , is applied to the whole surface of the cover to bond with the lower part 14 and the cover 5 . in the embodiment , the cover 5 has , on the underside , a ring - shaped structure 13 whose size matches the ring - shaped structure 1 of the lower part 14 which lies underneath . in an embodiment which is not shown , the cover 5 is plane on the underside . a metal film for bonding is applied to the whole or part of the plane surface of the cover . small enclosure dimensions can be achieved with such an assembly . the height of the connecting elements required between substrate 14 and cover 5 is ca . 3 μm . of this , ca . 0 . 5 μm to 1 . 5 μm is taken up by the planarizing layer 8 , and ca . 2 μm by the hermetically sealed metal ring which forms the contact area 3 . in a further embodiment which is not shown , the planarizing layer is so thin that its surface is not plane beneath the contact area between substrate and cover , but only forms a level surface in conjunction with the layer lying above , e . g . the bond metal . the height of the assembly between the level compensation layer and conductor track layer at which a plane surface is achieved comprises two components here , these are the thickness of the planarizing layer and a portion of the thickness of the bond metal layer . furthermore , the cover may also have sensor structures which require an additional planarizing layer on the side of the cover . not only plane bonding levels can be constructed with such an assembly , which has level compensation and planarizing layers , the bonding levels may also be on different levels in order to prevent the cover wafer and the substrate wafer being joined incorrectly , for example . moreover , a level surface of the planarizing layer may not only be achieved by an appropriate height of the assembly , but also by a chemical , mechanical or chemical - mechanical polishing process . | 7 |
the following description is of the best mode presently contemplated for carrying out the invention . this description is not to be taken in a limiting sense , but is made merely for the purpose of describing one or more preferred embodiments of the invention . the scope of the invention should be determined with reference to the claims . various references are made to energizing and de - energizing a wall fan or a temperature control unit . such energizing and de - energizing refers to providing operating power , and the actual operation of the wall fan or a temperature control unit remains under the control of settings applied to the wall fan or a temperature control unit . additionally , energizing and de - energizing may also refer to sending a signal to a control element ( e . g . a thermostat ) controlling the temperature control unit which overrides any mechanical or electrical programming which turns the temperature control unit on . a temperature controlled area 10 a including a wall fan 14 cooperating with a window heating or cooling unit 16 a according to the present invention are shown in fig1 . the wall fan 14 and temperature control unit 16 a are mounted to an external wall 13 , preferably in windows 15 . a control panel 26 may be mounted to the wall or be part of wall fan 14 . the control panel 26 allows a user to select heating or cooling , and lower temperature tl and a higher temperature th determining when and if the wall fan or the heating / cooling unit will be utilized . an outdoor temperature sensor 28 a measures outdoor temperature to and in indoor temperature sensor 28 b measures an indoor temperature ti . the temperatures tl and th , to , and ti are all provided to a processor 50 ( see fig7 ). the temperature control unit 16 a may be a heating and / or cooler . the processor 50 determines if the wall fan 14 should be energized or de - energized , and if the heating / cooling unit 16 a should be de - energized or energized , based on the method of fig3 and 5 . the sensors 28 a and 28 b are connected to the control panel 26 by wires 30 a , 30 b . the control panel 26 controls the switch 27 which includes relays or the like , and the switch 27 controls power provided to the window fan 14 and the heating / cooling unit 16 a . for example , the switch 27 may include a normally open , double throw relay , and a relay contact will flip from a wall fan cord 17 a to a heater / cooling unit cord 17 b when a signal is receive from the control panel 26 . in other embodiments , the temperature sensors 28 a and 28 b may be connected to the switch 27 , and the switch 27 may include a control circuit . when the heating / cooling unit 16 a receives power , it will operate based on its normal operation . a temperature controlled area 10 b including two rooms 12 a and 12 b including the wall fan 14 cooperating with a heating , ventilating , and a temperature control unit comprising an air conditioning ( hvac ) system 16 b are shown in fig2 . the wall fan 14 is mounted to an external wall 13 of the room 12 a and the hvac system 16 b resides in or proximal to the room 12 b . the wall fan 14 may be mounted to any external wall , and is preferably mounted to an open window . the hvac system 16 b may be in either room , in a utility closet , in an attic , or on a roof of the temperature controlled area 10 . an hvac thermostat 17 normally controls the operation of the hvac system 16 b . ducting 22 connects the hvac 16 b to vents 24 a and 24 b in the rooms 12 a and 12 b respectively providing either heated or cooled air . while an hvac 16 b using ducting and vents is shown , those skilled in the art will recognize that various heating and cooling systems are known , and such systems are intended to come within the scope of the present invention . a control panel 26 may be mounted to the wall fan 14 , be part of the wall fan 14 , or mounted at any convenient location in the area 10 . the control panel 26 allows a user to select heating or cooling and the desired temperatures tl and th . an outdoor temperature sensor 28 a measures outdoor temperature to and in indoor temperature sensor measures an indoor temperature ti . the temperatures tl , th , to , and ti are all provided to a processor 50 ( see fig3 ). the processor 50 determines if the wall fan 14 should be energized or de - energized , and if the hvac 16 b should be de - energized or energized , based on the method of fig3 and 5 . the control panel 26 , sensors 28 a and 28 b , wall fan 14 and hvac 16 b may be connected by wires 30 a , 30 b , and 32 . in a partially or totally wireless embodiment , some or all of the signals may be transmitted , for example , an antenna 18 a connected to the processor 50 may transmit control signals 20 to a second antenna 18 b electrically connected to the hvac 16 b . fig3 shows a heating method according to the present invention . the method includes : setting heating mode and a low temperature tl and a high temperature th at step 100 ; measuring an outdoor temperature to and an indoor temperature ti at step 102 ; comparing to and ti at step 104 ; if to is not greater than ti at step 104 , de - energize the wall fan and energize the temperature control unit at step 112 , waiting a period of time p at step 114 , and then repeating measuring the outdoor temperature to and the indoor temperature ti , otherwise , if to is greater than ti ( i . e ., can use outdoor air to heat the room ), if tl is less than ti and ti is less than th at step 106 , energizing the wall fan and de - energizing the temperature control unit at step 108 or alternatively de - energizing the wall fan and energizing the temperature control unit at step 110 , and after the period of time p at step 114 , again measuring the outdoor temperature to and the indoor temperature ti and repeating steps 104 through 110 . the temperature tl is a lower preferred indoor temperature and the temperature th is a higher preferred indoor temperature . fig4 shows the method of fig3 controlling a wall fan in heating mode . in interval a ti is between tl and th , and to is greater than ti , so the wall fan is energized to take advantage of the outdoor air to heat the room . during interval b ti is greater than th , or to is less than ti and the wall fan is de - energize and a heater or hvac system is energized . during interval c ti remains between tl and th and to is greater than ti , so the wall fan is energized to take advantage of the outdoor air to heat the room . during interval d to is less than ti and the wall fan is de - energized and a heater or hvac system is energized . during interval e , ti remains between tl and th and to is greater than ti , so the wall fan is energized to take advantage of the outdoor air to heat the room . fig5 shows a heating method according to the present invention . the method includes : setting cooling mode and the lower temperature tl and the higher temperature at step 200 ; measuring an outdoor temperature to and an indoor temperature ti at step 202 ; comparing ti and to at step 204 ; if ti is not greater than to at step 204 , di energize the wall fan and the energize the temperature control unit at step 212 , waiting a period of time p at step 214 , and then repeating measuring the outdoor temperature to and the indoor temperature ti , otherwise , if ti is greater than to ( i . e ., can use outdoor to cool the room ), if tl is less than ti and ti is less than th at step 206 , energize the wall fan on and de - energize the temperature control unit at step 208 or alternatively de - energize the wall fan and energize the temperature control unit at step 210 , and after the period of time p at step 214 , again measuring the outdoor temperature to and the indoor temperature ti and repeating steps 204 through 210 . fig6 shows the method of fig5 controlling a wall fan in cooling mode . in interval f , either to is greater than ti or ti is greater than th , so the wall fan is de - energized . during interval g , ti is between tl and th , and to is less than ti so the wall fan is energized to take advantage of cooler outdoor air . during interval h , either ti is less than tl or to is greater than ti , so the wall fan is de - energized . during interval i , ti is between tl and th , and to is less than ti so the wall fan is energized to take advantage of cooler outdoor air . during interval j , to is greater than ti , so the wall fan is de - energized . a circuit according to the present invention for controlling the wall fan 14 and hvac is shown in fig7 . the control panel 26 , sensors 28 a and 28 b , wall fan 14 and hvac 16 b may be connected by wires or be wireless , for example bluetooth , communications . while the invention herein disclosed has been described by means of specific embodiments and applications thereof , numerous modifications and variations could be made thereto by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention set forth in the claims . | 5 |
the methods and systems in accordance with the embodiments of the present invention are directed towards detecting the presence or absence of venous or mixed venous and arterial pulsation in a blood perfused tissue . the invention is particularly applicable to and will be explained by reference to measurements of oxygen saturation of hemoglobin in arterial blood and pulse or heart rate , as in pulse oximeter monitors and pulse oximetry sensors . a typical pulse oximeter measures two physiological parameters , percent oxygen saturation of arterial blood hemoglobin ( spo 2 or sat ) and pulse rate . oxygen saturation can be estimated using various techniques . in one common technique , the photocurrent generated by the photo - detector is conditioned and processed to determine the ratio of modulation ratios ( ratio of ratios ) of the red to infrared ( ir ) signals . this modulation ratio has been observed to correlate well to arterial oxygen saturation . pulse oximeters and sensors may be empirically calibrated by measuring the modulation ratio over a range of in vivo measured arterial oxygen saturations ( sao 2 ) on a set of patients , healthy volunteers , or animals . the observed correlation is used in an inverse manner to estimate blood oxygen saturation ( spo 2 ) based on the measured value of modulation ratios of a patient . the estimation of oxygen saturation using modulation ratios is described in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 853 , 364 , entitled “ method and apparatus for estimating physiological parameters using model - based adaptive filtering ,” issued dec . 29 , 1998 , and u . s . pat . no . 4 , 911 , 167 , entitled “ method and apparatus for detecting optical pulses ,” issued mar . 27 , 1990 , which are both herein incorporated by reference in their entirety for all purposes . the relationship between oxygen saturation and modulation ratio is described , for example , in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 645 , 059 , entitled “ medical sensor with modulated encoding scheme ,” issued jul . 8 , 1997 , which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes . most pulse oximeters extract the plethysmographic signal having first determined saturation or pulse rate , both of which are susceptible to interference . fig1 is a block diagram of one embodiment of a pulse oximeter that may be configured to implement the embodiments of the present invention . the venous pulsation detection embodiments of the present invention may be implemented as a data processing algorithm that is executed by the microprocessor 122 , described below . light from light source 110 passes into a blood perfused tissue 112 , and is scattered and detected by photodetector 114 . a sensor 100 containing the light source and photodetector may also contain an encoder 116 which provides signals indicative of the wavelength of light source 110 to allow the oximeter to select appropriate calibration coefficients for calculating oxygen saturation . encoder 116 may , for instance , be a resistor . sensor 100 is connected to a pulse oximeter 120 . the oximeter includes a microprocessor 122 connected to an internal bus 124 . also connected to the bus is a ram memory 126 and a display 128 . a time processing unit ( tpu ) 130 provides timing control signals to light drive circuitry 132 which controls when light source 110 is illuminated , and if multiple light sources are used , the multiplexed timing for the different light sources . tpu 130 also controls the gating - in of signals from photodetector 114 through an amplifier 133 and a switching circuit 134 . these signals are sampled at the proper time , depending upon which of multiple light sources is illuminated , if multiple light sources are used . the received signal is passed through an amplifier 136 , a low pass filter 138 , and an analog - to - digital converter 140 . the digital data is then stored in a queued serial module ( qsm ) 142 , for later downloading to ram 126 as qsm 142 fills up . in one embodiment , there may be multiple parallel paths of separate amplifier , filter and a / d converters for multiple light wavelengths or spectra received . based on the value of the received signals corresponding to the light received by photodetector 114 , microprocessor 122 will calculate the oxygen saturation using various algorithms . these algorithms require coefficients , which may be empirically determined , corresponding to , for example , the wavelengths of light used . these are stored in a rom 146 . in a two - wavelength system , the particular set of coefficients chosen for any pair of wavelength spectra is determined by the value indicated by encoder 116 corresponding to a particular light source in a particular sensor 100 . in one embodiment , multiple resistor values may be assigned to select different sets of coefficients . in another embodiment , the same resistors are used to select from among the coefficients appropriate for an infrared source paired with either a near red source or far red source . the selection between whether the near red or far red set will be chosen can be selected with a control input from control inputs 154 . control inputs 154 may be , for instance , a switch on the pulse oximeter , a keyboard , or a port providing instructions from a remote host computer . furthermore , any number of methods or algorithms may be used to determine a patient &# 39 ; s pulse rate , oxygen saturation or any other desired physiological parameter . the brief description of an exemplary pulse oximeter set forth above , serves as a basis for describing the methods for detecting the presence of venous pulsation , which are described below . the embodiments of the present invention , which are used to detect and / or indicate the presence of venous pulsation or mixed venous and arterial pulsation are described below in conjunction with the block diagram of fig2 . the embodiments of the present invention may be implemented as a part of a larger signal processing system used to process optical signals for the purposes of operating a pulse oximeter . such a signal processing system is shown in fig2 , which is a block diagram 200 of a signal processing architecture of a pulse oximeter in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention . the signal processing architecture 200 in accordance with the embodiments of the present invention may be implemented as a software algorithm that is executed by a processor of a pulse oximeter . in addition to calculating oxygen saturation and pulse rate , the system 200 measures various signal metrics that are used to determine filter weighting coefficients . signal metrics are things that indicate if a pulse is likely a plethysmograph or noise . signal metrics may be related to , for example , frequency ( is it in the range of a human heart rate ), shape ( is it shaped like a cardiac pulse ), rise time , etc . the system shown in fig2 calculates both the oxygen saturation , and the pulse rate , as well as detecting venous pulsation and sensor off and lost pulse conditions , which are described separately below . block 202 represents the operation of the signal conditioning block . the digitized red and ir signals or waveforms are received and are conditioned in this block by : ( 1 ) taking the 1 st derivative to get rid of baseline shift , ( 2 ) low pass filtering with fixed coefficients , and ( 3 ) dividing by a dc value to preserve the ratio . the function of the signal conditioning subsystem is to emphasize the higher frequencies that occur in the human plethysmograph and to attenuate low frequencies in which motion artifact is usually concentrated . the signal conditioning subsystem selects its filter coefficients ( wide or narrow band ) based on hardware characteristics identified during initialization . inputs to block 202 are digitized red and ir signals , and its outputs are pre - processed red and ir signals . block 204 represents the operation of the pulse identification and qualification block . the low pass filtered digitized red and ir signals are provided to this block to identify pulses , and qualify them as likely arterial pulses . this is done using a pre - trained neural network , and is primarily done on the ir signal . the pulse is identified by examining its amplitude , shape and frequency . an input to this block is the average pulse period from block 208 . this function changes the upfront qualification using the pulse rate . the output of block 204 indicates the degree of arrhythmia and individual pulse quality . inputs to block 204 are : ( 1 ) pre - processed red and ir signals , ( 2 ) average pulse period , and ( 3 ) lowpass waveforms from the low pass filter . outputs from block 204 include : ( 1 ) degree of arrhythmia , ( 2 ) pulse amplitude variations , ( 3 ) individual pulse quality , ( 4 ) pulse beep notification , and ( 5 ) qualified pulse periods and age . block 206 is used to compute signal quality metrics . this block ( block 206 ) determines the pulse shape ( e . g ., derivative skew ), period variability , pulse amplitude and variability , ratio of ratios variability , and frequency content relative to pulse rate . inputs to block 206 include : ( 1 ) raw digitized red and ir signals , ( 2 ) degree of arrhythmia , individual pulse quality , pulse amplitude variation , ( 3 ) pre - processed red and ir signals , and ( 4 ) average pulse period . outputs from block 206 include : ( 1 ) lowpass and ensemble averaging filter weights , ( 2 ) metrics for sensor off detector , ( 3 ) normalized pre - processed waveforms , and ( 4 ) percent modulation . block 208 computes average pulse periods . this block ( block 208 ) calculates the average pulse period from the pulses received . inputs to block 208 include : qualified pulse periods and age . an output from block 208 includes the average pulse period . block 210 represents the functioning of the lowpass filter and ensemble averaging subsystem . block 210 low pass filters and ensemble averages normalized and preprocessed waveforms processed by block 206 . the weights for the low pass filter are determined by the signal metrics block 206 . the signal is also ensemble averaged ( this attenuates frequencies other than those of interest near the pulse rate and its harmonics ), with the ensemble averaging filter weights also determined by signal metrics block 206 . less weight is assigned if the signal is flagged as degraded . more weight is assigned if the signal is flagged as arrhythmic because ensemble - averaging is not appropriate during arrhythmia . red and ir waveforms are processed separately , but with the same filtering weights . the filtering is delayed ( e . g ., approximately one second ) to allow the signal metrics to be calculated first . the filters use continuously variable weights . if samples are not to be ensemble - averaged , then the weighting for the previous filtered samples is set to zero in the weighted average , and the new samples are still processed through the signal processing algorithm . this block tracks the age of the signal and / or the accumulated amount of filtering ( e . g ., sum of response times and delays in processing ). too old a result will be flagged , if good pulses haven &# 39 ; t been detected for a while . the inputs to block 210 include : ( 1 ) normalized pre - processed red and ir signals , ( 2 ) average pulse period , ( 3 ) low pass filter weights and ensemble averaging filter weights , ( 4 ) ecg triggers , if available , and ( 5 ) ir fundamental , for zero - crossing triggers . outputs from block 210 include : ( 1 ) filtered red and ir signals , and ( 2 ) age . block 212 represents operations that estimate the ratio - of - ratios variance for the filtered waveforms and calculate averaging weights . the variable weighting for the filter is controlled by the ratio - of - ratios variance . the effect of this variable - weight filtering is that the ratio - of - ratios changes slowly as artifact increases and changes quickly as artifact decreases . the subsystem has two response modes , including fast and normal modes . for example , filtering in the fast mode targets an age metric of 3 seconds , and the target age may be 5 seconds in the normal mode . in the fast mode , the minimum weighting of the current value is clipped at a higher level . in other words , a low weight is assigned to the newest ratio - of - ratios calculation if there is noise present , and a high weight if no noise is present . the inputs to block 212 include : ( 1 ) filtered red and ir signals and age , ( 2 ) calibration coefficients , and ( 3 ) response mode ( e . g ., user speed settings ). outputs from block 212 include an averaging weight for ratio - of - ratios calculation . the averaging weight is used as an input to block 214 along with filtered ir and red waveforms to calculate averaged ratio of ratios and age . block 216 represents operations that calculate oxygen saturation . saturation is calculated using an algorithm with the calibration coefficients and averaged ratio of ratios . inputs to block 116 include : ( 1 ) averaged ratio - of - ratios , and ( 2 ) calibration coefficients . an output from block 216 is the oxygen saturation value . block 218 low pass filters and ensemble averages the signal ( s ) conditioned by block 202 , for the pulse rate identification . the weights for the low pass filter are determined by the signal metrics block 206 . the signal is also ensemble averaged ( this attenuates frequencies other than those of interest near the pulse rate and its harmonics ), with the ensemble averaging filter weights also determined by signal metrics block 206 . less weight is assigned if the signal is flagged as degraded . more weight is assigned if the signal is flagged as arrhythmic because ensemble - averaging is not appropriate during arrhythmia . red and ir are processed separately , but with the same filtering weights . the filtering is delayed ( e . g ., approximately one second ) to allow the signal metrics to be calculated first . the filters use continuously variable weights . if samples are not to be ensemble - averaged , then the weighting for the previous filtered samples is set to zero in the weighted average , and the new samples are still processed through the signal processing algorithm . this block ( block 218 ) tracks the age of the signal and / or the accumulated amount of filtering ( sum of response times and delays in processing ). too old a result will be flagged ( if good pulses haven &# 39 ; t been detected for awhile ). inputs to block 218 include : ( 1 ) pre - processed red and ir signals , ( 2 ) average pulse period , ( 3 ) lowpass filter weights and ensemble averaging filter weights , ( 4 ) ecg triggers , if available , and ( 5 ) ir fundamental , for zero - crossing triggers . outputs from block 218 include : ( 1 ) filtered red and ir signals and ( 2 ) age . block 220 , or the filtered pulse identification and qualification block , calculates the pulse periods from the filtered waveforms , and its results are used only when a pulse is disqualified by block 204 . inputs to block 220 include : ( 1 ) filtered red and ir signals and age , ( 2 ) average pulse period , ( 3 ) front end id or noise floor , ( 4 ) and the kind or type of sensor that is used to detect the ir and red energies . output from block 220 includes qualified pulse periods and age . block 222 , or the average pulse periods and calculate pulse rate block , calculates the pulse rate and average pulse period . this block ( block 222 ) receives qualified pulse periods and age as inputs and provides ( 1 ) average pulse period and ( 2 ) pulse rate as outputs . block 224 , or the detect venous pulsation block receives as inputs the pre - processed red and ir signals and age from block 202 , and pulse rate and provides an indication of venous pulsation as an output . block 224 also provides an ir fundamental waveform in the time domain using a single - tooth comb filter which is output to the ensemble averaging filters ( e . g ., block 210 and 218 ). inputs to block 224 include : ( 1 ) filtered red and ir signals and age and ( 2 ) pulse rate . outputs from block 124 include : an indication of venous pulsation and ir fundamental . in one embodiment , block 224 measures the “ openness ” of an ir - red lissajous plot to determine the whether a flag ( e . g ., venous_pulsation ) should be set . the output flag ( e . g ., venous_pulsation ) is updated periodically ( e . g ., every second ). in addition , the ir fundamental waveform is output to the ensemble averaging filters . block 226 , or the detect sensor - off and loss of pulse amplitude block , uses a pre - trained neural net to determine whether the sensor is off the surface of the blood - perfused tissue , for example , of a patient . the inputs to the neural net are metrics that quantify several aspects of the behavior of the ir and red values over the last several seconds . samples are ignored by many of the system 200 &# 39 ; s subsystems while the signal state is either not indicative of a pulse being present , or indicative that a sensor is not on a monitoring site ( e . g ., pulse present , disconnect , pulse lost , sensor may be off , and sensor off ). inputs to block 226 include : ( 1 ) signal quality metrics , and ( 2 ) the oximeter &# 39 ; s led brightness , amplifier gain , and ( 3 ) an id indicating the oximeter &# 39 ; s hardware configuration . outputs from block 226 include a signal state including sensor - off indication . in the architecture 200 described above , the function of block 226 , pulse lost and pulse search indications , may be derived using information from several parts of the signal processing architecture . in addition , the signal processing architecture will not use the received ir and red waveforms to compute oxygen saturation or pulse rate if a valid sensor is not connected , or if the sensor - off or loss of pulse amplitude are detected by the signal processing architecture . the brief description of an embodiment of a pulse oximeter signal processing architecture in accordance with the present invention , set forth above , serves as a basis for describing the methods and devices that are directed towards detecting the presence or absence of venous or mixed venous and arterial pulsation in a blood perfused tissue , as is generally indicated by block 224 above . venous pulsation is an undesirable artifact in pulse oximetry . venous pulsation is particularly common on the head or forehead , where the vascular anatomy lacks valves to prevent venous blood from backing up and pooling . venous pulsation may be caused by the patient &# 39 ; s medical condition , or during surgical interventions that interfere with venous return . the effects of venous pulsation may include : 1 ) oxygen saturation ( e . g ., spo 2 ) readings reflecting a mix of venous and arterial blood , which would be substantially lower than the arterial oxygen saturation , thus resulting in incorrectly low oxygen saturation measurements , and 2 ) pulse rate readings that are double or even triple the patient &# 39 ; s pulse rate , due to the prominent harmonics in the venous pressure wave . in addition , in extreme cases , it is possible that an oximeter would fail to acquire oxygen saturation and / or pulse rate measurements . unlike motion artifacts that may not be present at all times , ( e . g ., they come and go ), venous pulsation can continue uninterrupted for hours . while the side effects of venous pulsation are highly visible to the clinician , their cause may not be . venous pulsation at the site of an oximetry sensor may be mitigated by applying pressure to the site , such as with a headband . the embodiments of the present invention provide methodologies , including software - based methods for detecting the venous pulsation artifact . the detection of the presence of venous pulsation enables an oximeter to display a troubleshooting message to a clinician , who could then address and / or correct the problem . mixed venous and arterial pulses may be distinguished from arterial pulses due to the following properties , described below . first , venous blood has a lower saturation than arterial blood . normoxic subjects ( i . e ., healthy subjects breathing air at sea level ) who place their head significantly below their heart may readily create spo 2 readings near 80 % at the forehead if no pressure is applied to the sensor site . second , the venous pulse occurs after the arterial pulse , and has a different shape . due to these properties , the ir and red waveforms will have a significant and persistent phase difference if they include venous pulsation , as illustrated by the lissajous plot of fig3 b , which resembles a fairly open ellipse . shown in fig3 a - b are ir and red waveforms that are ac - coupled and plotted in an x - y plot , with the ir waveform on the x - axis , and the red waveform on the y - axis . note that the trace of fig3 b does not go through the origin . on the other hand , the ir and red waveforms will be in - phase if they only include arterial pulses , as illustrated by the lissajous plot of fig3 a . other artifacts , such as motion and noise may add out - of - phase components whose phase relationship and frequency content is unstable , and not as persistent as the venous pulsation induced phase difference . a waveform that is better suited for detecting phase differences between ir and red waveforms is one that that contains just the waveform corresponding to the fundamental of the pulse rate , such as may be produced by an appropriate filter . such a waveform is better suited for detecting phase differences between the ir and red waveform that are of vascular origin . in one embodiment , the detection of the presence of venous pulsation involves detecting persistent phase differences between the ir and red waveforms . as set forth above , preferably the detection of the phase difference , involves the detection of the phase difference between the ir and red waveforms that have been filtered so as to contain just frequencies at or near the algorithm &# 39 ; s pulse - rate or harmonics . various techniques for detecting a persistent phase difference are described below . using one or a combination of these techniques , one embodiment of the present invention for detecting the presence of venous pulsation includes an algorithm that will : 1 . ac - couple the ir and red waveforms , and preferably filter them so as to pass only frequencies at or near the pulse rate . 2 . over a time - window of at least one complete pulse , quantify the phase difference by quantifying the “ openness of the ellipse ” as ( minimum distance from the origin )/( maximum distance from the x - axis ). alternatively the denominator of this ratio may be the maximum distance from the origin . a longer time - window will increase the likelihood that motion artifact or gaussian noise would eventually produce samples near the origin , and reduce the likelihood of falsely reporting venous pulsation . 3 . integrate the difference between this open - ellipse metric and a threshold . the threshold controls how open the ellipse must be to eventually notify the user of venous pulsation . the threshold preferably varies with the calculated spo 2 , because venous pulsation is less likely to be occurring if high spo 2 values are being calculated . 4 . if desired , to control how long venous pulsation must persist before notifying the user , clip the integral at pre - determined high and / or low limits , and report venous pulsation whenever a predetermined integral threshold in between the high and / or low limits is exceeded . the description below , discloses how the “ how open is the ellipse ” metric is quantified . the metric is quantified as follows : open_lissajous _axis _ratio t = min ( ( ir t 2 + red t 2 ) , ( ir t - 1 2 + red t - 1 2 ) … ( ir t - n + 1 2 + red t - n + 1 2 ) ) max ( ir t 2 , ir t - 1 2 … ir t - n + 1 2 ) where ir and red refer to waveforms that have been processed per step 1 above , and n denotes the number of samples in the time - window . in one embodiment , this metric is computed periodically ( e . g ., every second ) from the most recent time window ( e . g ., four seconds ) of data . it therefore covers a window of about several pulses . a preferred time window ( e . g ., four - second window ) assures that the waveforms have multiple pulse periods in which to come close to the origin if the waveforms are actually in - phase . an alternate embodiment of this metric involves only using the red data in the denominator . the inclusion of the red data only in the numerator makes this metric more sensitive to out - of - phase waveforms at low saturations , where the red modulation is larger , than at high saturations . because this ratio may be fairly noisy , it may be filtered , clipped and integrated before being used to announce the presence or absence of venous pulsation . the filtering , clipping and integration are described below , such that : w = min [ 0 . 005 open_lissajous _axis _ratio - open_lissajous _axis _ratio ′ , 1 . 0 ] saturation is the oxygen saturation value . open_lissajous_threshold is the threshold defined above in step 3 of the algorithm . in one embodiment , using the above approach , venous pulsation is reported if venous_pulsation_integral is at least 1 . 0 . the threshold and weights in the above equations are developed empirically , and may change depending on various conditions . it is preferred that this venous pulsation detection algorithm has a response time of tens of seconds , depending on how rapidly the integral changes . this response time is adequate for the clinician &# 39 ; s needs , as the body positions and circulatory conditions that create venous pulsation at the sensor site are not likely to change much faster than this . however , the response time can be changed to accommodate likely changes in body positions and / or circulatory conditions that create venous pulsation at the sensor site . in addition to the technique described above for quantifying a phase difference , many alternative techniques of detecting a persistent phase difference in accordance with the present invention are also available . for instance , the phase difference may be quantified by analyzing the cross - correlation function of the two waveforms as a function of a delay interval between them . or the phase difference may be quantified in the frequency domain by subtracting the phases of the waveforms at a given frequency . one way to subtract the phases of two complex numbers , without having to directly compute inverse trigonometric functions , is by taking their complex conjugate , and dividing by the product of their magnitudes . or alternatively , a persistent phase - difference may be detected at a harmonic of the pulse rate , in place of , or in combination with its fundamental . fig4 , which is s a plot 300 of % spo 2 vs . time ( hr . : min . : sec .) showing periods of venous pulsation during normoxia in a trendelenburg position ( i . e ., a supine position on the operating table , which is inclined at varying angles so that the pelvis is higher than the head ; used during and after operations in the pelvis or for shock ) shows that the method in accordance with the embodiments of the present invention detects all four episodes of venous pulsation created by deliberately placing a normoxic volunteer in a trendelenburg position . the first three episodes 402 , 404 , and 406 were created without a headband , and venous pulsation was detected in 15 - 25 seconds . the final episode 408 was created with a headband in place , so that venous pulsation developed more gradually and was announced in about one minute . a pulse oximeter having a venous pulsation detection and notification system in accordance with the embodiments of the present invention is able to identify and notify a clinician of a majority of the low ( e . g ., 80s - low 90s ) spo 2 readings as those possibly caused by venous pulsations , so that a clinician can take appropriate corrective measures , such as tightening a headband that holds an oximeter sensor against a patient &# 39 ; s forehead . likewise , a pulse oximeter having a venous pulsation detection and notification system in accordance with the embodiments of the present invention is able to , during a desaturation event ( i . e . spo 2 less than 50 %), not provide an indication of a venous pulsation event , and thus help a clinician be certain that the desaturation is real event . accordingly , as will be understood by those of skill in the art , the present invention which is related to detecting the presence of venous or mixed venous and arterial blood pulsation is tissue , may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the essential characteristics thereof . for example , while the present embodiments have been described in the time - domain , frequency - based methods are equally relevant to the embodiments of the present invention . accordingly , the foregoing disclosure is intended to be illustrative , but not limiting , of the scope of the invention , which is set forth in the following claims . | 0 |
the vehicle 11 of the present invention is for use in spraying chemicals upon vegetation to control the growth of the vegetation . more specifically , the vehicle 11 is preferably used in applying liquid herbicides to cultivated fields to inhibit the growth of undesirable plants especially along the levees of a rice field or the like . the need for such application of herbicides along the levees of a rice field is apparent to those skilled in the art . at certain stages during cultivation , rice fields are flooded . control of the flooding is obtained by throwing up earthworks in the form of dikes or levees around the area to be flooded . while the water will inhibit the growth of many undesirable plants in the flooded areas , ideal conditions for growth exist on the levees . this growth is mot merely a nuisance but rather , if the grass when harvested becomes contaminated with foreign seeds such as morning glory , cocklebur , coffee bean , indigo , or the like , its commercial value is downgraded drastically . it is , therefore , imperative from an economic standpoint that these growths be brought under rigid control if not eliminated altogether . the vehicle 11 includes , in general , a frame means 13 , first and second wheel means rotatably mounted to the frame means 13 , a motor means 15 , a transmission means for selectively rotating the first and / or second wheel means to cause the vehicle 11 to move , a tank means mounted to the frame means 13 for holding a quantity of vegetation controlling chemicals , and a sprayer means operatively coupled to the tank means for selectively spraying chemicals from the tank means upon vegetation adjacent the vehicle 11 . the frame means 13 preferably consists of a substantially flat platform - like member 17 which may be constructed in any manner apparent to those skilled in the art . for example , the platform like member 17 may be of a substantially open construction having four bar members fixedly attached together to form an open square as clearly shown in fig2 with one bar member defining the front end 19 of the platform - like member 17 , with another bar member defining another side 21 of the platform - like member , with another bar member defining a second side 23 of the platform - like member 17 , and with the last bar member defining the rear end 25 of the platform - like member 17 . additional support members may be attached to the bar members as will hereinafter become apparent . a seat member 26 is preferably provided on the frame means 13 as shown in fig1 and 2 for use by the operator of the vehicle 11 . the first wheel means preferably includes first and second rotatable wheel members 27 , 29 . each of the first and second wheel members 27 , 29 are suspended from the first side 21 of the platform - like member 17 of the frame means 13 . more specifically , the vehicle 11 preferably includes a first arm means for suspending the first and second wheel members 27 , 29 of the first wheel means to the frame means 13 . the first arm means preferably includes first and second arm members 31 , 33 . each of the first and second arm members 31 , 33 preferably has first and second ends 31 &# 39 ;, 31 &# 34 ;; 33 &# 39 ;, 33 &# 34 ; respectively . the first ends 31 &# 39 ;, 33 &# 39 ; of the first and second arm members 31 , 33 are preferably pivotally mounted to the first side 21 of the platform - like member 17 of the frame means 13 in any manner apparent to those skilled in the art . for example , a hollow cylindrical sleeve member 35 may be fixedly attached to the first end 31 &# 39 ; of the first arm member 31 as shown in fig3 . another hollow sleeve member 37 having an outside diameter somewhat smaller than the inside diameter of the sleeve member 35 may be fixedly attached to the first side 21 of the platform - like member 17 of the frame means 13 as shown in fig3 . to pivotally attach the first arm member to the first side 21 of the frame means 13 , the sleeve member 35 is merely positioned on the sleeve member as shown in fig3 . means may be provided for rotatably securing the sleeve member 35 to the sleeve member 37 . for example , the sleeve member 37 may be provided with an annular ridge 39 and the sleeve member 35 may be provided with a clamp - like member 41 for being positioned over the annular ridge 39 as shown in fig3 to rotatably attach the sleeve member 35 to the sleeve member 37 in a manner which should be apparent to those skilled in the art from fig3 . the first end 33 &# 39 ; of the second arm member 33 may be pivotally attached to the first side 21 of the platform - like member 17 of the frame means 13 in a similar manner to the first end 31 &# 39 ; of the first arm member 31 . the first and second wheel members 27 , 29 of the first wheel means are preferably rotatably mounted to the second ends 31 &# 34 ;, 33 &# 34 ; of the first and second arm members 31 , 33 in any manner apparent to those skilled in the art . for example , the wheel members 27 , 29 may be rotatably attached to the arm members 31 , 33 in a similar manner to the pivotal attachment of the arm members 31 , 33 to the frame means 13 . that is , a hollow sleeve member 43 may be fixedly attached to the second end 31 &# 34 ; of the first arm member 31 and a hollow sleeve member 45 having an outside diameter somewhat less than the inside diameter of the hollow sleeve member 43 may be fixedly attached to the first wheel member 27 as shown in fig3 . thus , when the hollow sleeve member 45 is positioned within the hollow sleeve member 43 , the wheel member 27 will be rotatably attached to the arm member 31 . means may also be provided for rotatably attaching the sleeve member 43 to the sleeve member 45 similar to the means heretofore discussed for rotatably attaching the sleeve member 35 to the sleeve member 37 . the second wheel member 29 may be likewise rotatably attached to the second end 33 &# 34 ; of the second arm member 33 . linkage means 46 ( see fig1 ) is preferably provided for linking the first and second arm members 31 , 33 together so that when one of the first or second arm member 31 , 33 pivots relative to the frame means 13 , the other arm member 31 , 33 will also pivot a substantially like amount . the linkage means 46 may be of any construction apparent to those skilled in the art . for example , the linkage means 46 may include a lug members 46 &# 39 ; fixedly attached to each of the first and second arm members 31 , 33 as shown in fig1 a bridge member 46 &# 34 ; extending between each lug member 46 &# 39 ; as shown in fig1 and a bolt means attaching the bridge member 46 &# 34 ; to each lug member 46 &# 39 ; as shown in fig1 . the second wheel means preferably includes first and second wheel member 47 , 49 . each of the first and second wheel members 47 , 49 suspended from the second side 23 of the platform - like member 17 of the frame means 13 . preferably , the vehicle 11 includes a second arm means for suspending the first and second wheel members 47 , 49 of the second wheel means to the frame means 13 . the second arm means preferably includes first and second elongated arm member 51 , 53 . each of the first and second arm member 51 , 53 has first and second ends 51 &# 39 ;, 51 &# 34 ;; 53 &# 39 ;; 53 &# 34 ; respectively . the first ends 51 &# 39 ;, 53 &# 39 ; of the first and second arm members 51 , 53 are rotatably mounted to the first and second wheel members 47 , 49 of the second wheel means in any manner apparent to those skilled in the art such as in the manner heretofore described by which the first arm member 31 is rotatably mounted to the first wheel member 27 of the first wheel means . linkage means ( not shown ) is also preferably provided for linking the first and second arm members 51 , 53 together so that when one of the first or second arm members 51 , 53 pivots relative to the frame means 13 , the other arm member 51 , 53 will also pivot a substantially like amount . the linkage means may be of any construction apparent to those skills in the art such as the construction heretofore discussed relative to the linkage means 46 . the vehicle 11 is preferably provided with a first spring means operatively coupled to the frame means 13 and to the first arm means for springably holding the first and second wheel members 27 , 29 of the first wheel means below the level of the frame means 13 . the first spring means preferably includes a leaf spring member 55 having a first end 55 &# 39 ; fixedly attached to the frame means 13 and having a second end 55 &# 34 ; fixedly attached to substantially the first end 33 &# 39 ; of the second arm member 33 of the first arm means as shown in fig1 and 2 . it should be noted that the frame means 13 may be provided with an outwardly extending support member 57 fixedly attached to the first side 21 of the platform - like member 17 for allowing the first end 55 &# 39 ; of the leaf spring member 55 to be attached thereto . ( see fig1 and 2 ) the vehicle 11 also preferably includes a second spring means operatively coupled to the frame means 13 and to the second arm means for springably holding the first and second wheel members 47 , 49 of the second wheel means below the level of the frame means 13 . the second spring means preferably includes a leaf spring member 59 having a first end 59 &# 39 ; fixedly attached to the frame means 13 and having a second end 59 &# 34 ; fixedly attached to substantially the first end 53 &# 39 ; of the second arm member 53 of the second arm means ( see fig2 ). it should be noted that the frame means 13 is preferably provided with an outwardly extending support member 61 for being fixedly attached to the second side 23 of the platform - like member 17 of the frame means 13 to allow the first end 59 &# 39 ; of the leaf spring member 59 to be attached thereto . ( see fig2 ). each of the first and second wheel members 27 , 29 , 47 , 49 , of the first and second wheel means preferably include a high - flotation type tire 62 of any type well known to those skilled in the art for making the vehicle 11 more stable and for give the vehicle 11 better traction on ground and in water . preferably , the frame means 13 of the vehicle 11 is positioned above the supporting surface s thereof a distance greater than the diameter of the high - flotation type tires 62 as clearly shown in fig1 . the motor means 15 of the vehicle 11 preferably consists of any gas - operated internal combustion engine or the like well known to those skilled in the art . a control member 15 &# 39 ; or the like is preferably provided adjacent the seat member 26 of the vehicle 11 for allowing the operator of the vehicle 11 to control the motor means 15 from the seat member 26 . the transmission means is operatively coupled to the motor means 15 and to the first and second wheel means for selectively causing both of the first and second wheel members 27 , 29 , 47 , 49 of the first and / or second wheel means to simultaneously rotate . preferably , the transmission means is adapted to selectively cause the wheel members 27 , 29 , 47 , 49 to move the vehicle 11 in a forward or reverse direction . the transmission means preferably includes a dual transmission member 63 operatively coupled to the motor means 15 by a drive belt 65 or the like . the transmission member 63 preferably has first and second output shafts 63 &# 39 ;, 63 &# 34 ;. a control member 63 &# 34 ;&# 39 ; or the like is preferably provided adjacent the seat member 26 of the vehicle 11 for allowing the operator of the vehicle 11 to control the transmission member 63 from the seat member 26 . it should be noted that borg warner corp . of 1106 e . seymour street , muncie , indiana 47302 manufactures such a transmission member under the trademark &# 34 ; skid steer &# 34 ; identified as model t20 . the transmission means also preferably includes a first drive means 67 for operatively coupling the first output shaft 63 &# 39 ; of the transmission member 63 to the first and second wheel members 27 , 29 of the first wheel means and preferably includes a second drive means 69 for operatively coupling the second output shaft 63 &# 34 ; of the transmission member 63 and the first and second wheel members 47 , 49 of the second wheel means ( see , in general , fig2 and 3 ). the first and second drive means 67 , 69 preferably consist of a first drive belt or chain 71 , a first drive shaft 73 , a second drive belt or chain 75 , and a second drive shaft 77 for operatively coupling the output shafts 63 &# 39 ;, 63 &# 34 ; of the transmission member 63 to the wheel members 27 , 29 , 47 , 49 as clearly shown in fig2 and 3 . each of the arm members 31 , 33 , 51 , 53 of the first and second arm means are preferably hollow to allow portions of the first and second drive means 67 , 69 to pass therethrough to transmit power to the wheel members 27 , 29 , 47 , 49 as shown in fig3 . the tank means of the vehicle 11 preferably includes first and second tank members 79 , 81 mounted on the frame means 13 . the first and second tank member 79 , 81 may be of any construction well known to those skilled in the art and may be fixedly mounted to the frame means 13 in any manner well known to those skilled in the art . for example , an adjustable metal band 83 or the like may be positioned around each tank member 79 , 81 for fixedly attaching the tank members 79 , 81 to the frame means 13 in any manner well known to those skilled in the art , as shown in fig1 and 2 . the sprayer means of the vehicle 11 preferably includes a pump means 85 operatively coupled to the motor means 15 in any manner well known to those skilled in the art such as by a drive belt or chain 87 . the pump means 85 is also operatively coupled to the first and second tank members 79 , 81 in any manner apparent to those skilled in the art to selectively pump chemicals from the first and second tank members 79 , 81 . for example , the pump means 85 may be operatively coupled to the first and second tank member 79 , 81 by a pair of hollow hose members 89 , 91 ( see , in general , fig2 ). the sprayer means also preferably includes a spray discharge manifold means 93 operatively coupled to the pump means 85 for receiving pumped chemicals therefrom . a hollow hose member 95 may be used to operatively couple the spray discharge manifold means 93 to the pump means 85 ( see , in general , fig2 ). the spray discharge manifold means 93 is preferably attached to and extends transversely across the platform - like member 17 of the frame means 13 as shown in fig2 and 5 . the spray discharge manifold means 93 preferably includes a plurality of downwardly directed spray discharge port members 97 for allowing the pumped chemicals received by the spray discharge manifold means 93 to be discharged therefrom beneath the vehicle 11 ( see fig5 ). to use the vehicle 11 of the present invention to spray chemicals onto the levees of a rice field or the like , the vehicle 11 is positioned with the first and second wheel means straddling a levee l and with the spray discharge manifold means 93 positioned over the levee l as shown in fig1 and 2 . it should be noted that the first and second wheel members 27 , 29 , 47 , 49 of the first and second wheel means are preferably positioned on either side , or outboard , of the frame means 13 as clearly shown in fig2 for allowing the vehicle 11 to easily straddle levees l and the like . also , it should be noted that with the pivotal mounting of the arm members 31 , 33 , 51 , 53 and with the mounting of the arm members 31 , 33 on one side of the vehicle 11 being independent from the arm members 51 , 53 on the other side , all of the wheel members 27 , 29 , 47 and 49 will remain in contact with the ground regardless of any hills , depressions , or the like encountered by vehicle 11 . additionally , it should be noted that the estimated average unit ground pressure for a &# 34 ; highboy &# 34 ; type of vehicle would be in the order of 6 p . s . i . whereas the vehicle of the present invention could be expected to exert pressures in the neighborhood of 4 p . s . i . assuming similar ground conditions . also , it should be pointed out that a tractor would exert considerably more pressure than either of the above . the operater of the vehicle 11 then drives the vehicle 11 along the levee and activates the sprayer means to spray chemicals through the spray discharge port members 97 . also though the invention has been described and illustrated with respect to a preferred embodiment thereof , it is not to be so limited since changes and modifications may be made therein which are within the full intended scope of the invention . | 1 |
the approach used here is to melt blend various base polymers used in the medical industry with hydrophilic polymers known to impart lubricity when applied on the surface as hydrophilic coatings . use of these hydrophilic polymers alone is limited by the fact that they become mechanically weak in the presence of water ; hence the approach of melt blending has been used to give a good combination of mechanical properties and surface properties . in one embodiment , the lubricious polymer compounds may be used as a single layer or as an inner layer or outer layer in a coextruded tube . the lubricious polymer compounds may contain hydrophilic polymers that are dispersed in a melt processable thermoplastic matrix . the lubricious polymer compounds as described herein may be processed using conventional thermoplastic processing equipment such as extrusion and molding . the lubricious polymer compounds may contain hydrophilic polymers , including , for example , polyethylene glycol , polyvinyl pyrrolidone , polyethyl oxazoline or ethyl cellulose . the lubricious polymer compounds containing hydrophilic polymers may be blended with a thermoplastic matrix such as thermoplastic polyurethane elastomers , polyether block copolyamide polymers , polyamide 12 and polyethylene . the lubricious polymer compounds has a static and dynamic coefficient of friction values as low as 0 . 02 . for example , the lubricious polymer compounds when applied to the inside of a tube may exhibit the characteristics common of a ptfe liner in such catheters as a guide catheter , or in a push / pull cable or in a steering cable . the lubricious polymer compounds may be extruded over a tube core , or solid or braided wire or guide wire core , and may in addition to or thereby eliminate the need for a secondary operation where a solution coating is applied . furthermore , the lubricious polymer compounds that could be used as a tie layer to improve the adhesion of a surface coating on extrusions . the lubricious polymer compounds used in a one - step coextrusion process in which the lubricated inner or outer layer is achieved in a single step and may thereby eliminate the need of a post - processing operation such as solution coating . the lubricious polymer compounds may also be used in a mono - layer extruded product in the above mentioned applications including for example , tubing or coatings used in medical applications such as catheters or tubing coatings . the lubricious polymer compounds may furthermore have sufficient integrity as not to rub off during handling , assembly and in use in the above mentioned applications . the lubricious polymer compounds may also maintain the characteristics of the thermoplastic matrix allowing for sufficient bonding in post - extrusion operations such as welding , adhesive bonding , over - molding , etc . furthermore , the lubricious polymer compounds when used in combination with a solution hydrophilic polymer coating may improve the reliability by maintaining sufficient lubricity providing redundant lubricious characteristics in the event the said lubricious coating wears off . different base polymers may be used including polyurethane , nylons and polyethylene based thermoplastic elastomers which are widely used in the medical device industry . hydrophilic polymers being used include , for example , polyethylene oxide , polyethylene glycol , ethyl cellulose and polyvinyl pyrrolidone . these polymers are known to have different degree of solubility in the presence of water or fluids containing water . the main objective here is to achieve a good combination of mechanical properties of the base polymers and beneficial biocompatible properties of the hydrophilic polymers by melt blending the two . these polymers may be melt - blended at concentrations of 25 % and 50 % using a twin screw extruder . however , various other blending techniques may be employed such as single screw extrusion , injection molding , mixing in a mixer , etc . a number of non - limiting examples of the present invention are described herein . these examples are non - limiting descriptions of the present invention and a person of ordinary skill in the art would understand that other hydrophilic material and base polymer blends may be within the scope of the present invention . table 1 gives a list of materials . the basic properties as reported for the base polymers and hydrophilic polymers are shown in table 2 and table 3 respectively . three different grades of polyethyl oxazoline were used in the ratio of 1 : 2 : 2 as shown in the table 1 . a polyurethane tpe such as pellethane is generally referred to as a polyether based thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer ranging from hard to soft and can be fabricated by a variety of methods like injection molding , extrusion and blow molding . these elastomers offer a combination of properties rarely seen in an engineering thermoplastic . it has excellent hydrolytic stability , resistance to fungus and microorganisms . it is prominently used for making catheters , tubings , drug delivery systems , etc . a polyamide tpe such as pebax resin belongs to the 33 series from atofina made up of polyether - block - copolyamide copolymers . the block types and ratios can be varied to achieve a wide range of physical and mechanical properties . basically pebax is generally considered a thermoplastic elastomer or a flexible polyamide which consists of a regular linear chain of rigid polyamide segments and flexible polyether segments . it is widely used for medical applications because of its outstanding mechanical properties and good flexibility . nylon 12 such as vestamid is generally considered a thermoplastic material . it is manufactured from the monomer laurolactam . it has one of the lower amide group concentrations among all polyamides that are commercially available . it also may have a low water absorption , excellent impact strength , good dimensional stability and mechanical properties . due to this combination it is widely used for making dilation catheters , tubings , sporting goods and mechanical applications . a polyolefin such as marlex may be a high density ethylene - hexene copolymer and is generally considered to have good toughness , processability and mechanical properties . it is known to have low coefficient of friction . a very few polymers were available which were hydrophilic in nature , as well as being fda approved . ethyl cellulose , polyethylene glycol , polyvinyl pyrrolidone and polyethyl oxazoline were selected based on their solubility in water and their availability in the market . fig1 shows a block diagram representing the methodology followed for the examples described herein . it gives step by step information on how formulation of the examples and testing was carried out . melt blending was done on a wp zsk 30 mm co - rotating twin screw extruder . the specifications for the extruder are given in table 4 . the temperature profile used for each base polymer is given in table 5 . in most cases use of water bath for cooling the strand was avoided due to the presence of hydrophilic polymers . a pelletizer was used to pelletize the strand . a general procedure for melt blending is outlined below . pellethane , pebax and vestamid were dried in a desiccant dryer for a minimum of 4 hrs at 180 ° f . prior to batching . marlex and the hydrophilic polymers were used without drying a loading level of 25 and 50 % was used for each hydrophilic polymer being added to the base polymer . a batch size of 10 lb was made for each loading level . the two polymers being used were weighed and dry blended in a tumbler for 5 min . the dry blended batch was fed to a single screw feeder placed near the hopper of a twin screw extruder . screw speed for the feeder was set such that a minimum torque level of 50 % was achieved during melt blending on the extruder so as to achieve uniform mixing . samples were injection molded in an astm test mold to make the tensile and flex bars . the specifications of the injection molding machine are shown in table 6 . a general temperature profile is shown in table 7 . tensile testing was performed on the samples using astm test method d 638 . this test is used for screening the materials , selection and quality control purposes . test results give tensile properties like elongation at yield and break , yield strength , break strength and tensile modulus . this test in a broad sense measures the ability of the material to withstand forces that tend to pull it apart , and determines to what extent the material stretches before breaking . universal testing machine was used ( model # qt / 25 from mts ). test works version 3 . 1 was used to analyze the data . injection molded test specimens of type iv were used . the specimen had a width of 0 . 125 in . and a thickness of 0 . 060 in . the distance between the grips was 1 in . and the gauge length used was 1 in . the specimens were conditioned at room temperature for a minimum of 40 hr before testing . testing was done in standard laboratory atmosphere . the test specimen was placed in the grips of the movable and fixed members . the specimen was adjusted symmetrically so as to distribute the tension uniformly over the cross section . tensile load was applied at a constant rate of speed of 5 in / min and properties like tensile modulus , elongation at yield and break , yield stress and break stress were recorded . a minimum of five samples were tested for each material . flexural properties were tested according to astm test method d790 . this test is generally understood to measure the flexural modulus or stiffness of different materials under load . flexural strength is also characterized as measuring the ability of the material to withstand bending forces applied perpendicular to its longitudinal axis . it relatively measures the stiffness of each material correlating to the outside surface of the samples . this property is calculated based on the maximum stress and strain that occurs at the surface of the sample . for samples that do not break , results are calculated when the strain in the outer fiber has reached five percent . universal testing machine was used ( model # qt / 25 from mts ). test works version 3 . 1 was used to analyze the data . injection molded test specimens were used with the dimensions of 5 by ½ by ⅛ in . tested flat wise on a support span of 16 : 1 ( span to depth ratio ). the span length used was 4 in . the specimens were conditioned at room temperature for a minimum of 40 hr before testing . testing was done in standard laboratory atmosphere . the sample was placed such that a three point load could be applied on it . the test was initiated by applying a central load to the specimen at a cross head rate of 0 . 2 in / min . modulus was calculated when the strain in the outer fibers of the specimen reached five percent . a minimum of five samples were tested for each material . charpy impact test , astm test method d 6110 was performed on the samples . this test is generally considered to determine the impact resistance of materials which is directly related to the toughness and characterizes the ability of the material to resist breaking under a shock load . molecular flexibility determines whether the material is brittle or tough . flexible materials have high impact strength due to their ability to respond rapidly to mechanical load . injection molded flex bars were used for testing impact resistance . the specimen had dimensions of 5 by ½ by ⅛ in . the specimen used was notched to provide a stress concentration point which promotes brittle failure rather than ductile failure . testing was done in standard laboratory atmosphere . after notching , the specimens were conditioned for a minimum of 48 hrs at standard laboratory conditions to relieve the stress . the specimen was supported horizontally as a simple beam with the notch facing the opposite edge of the striking pendulum . a pendulum type hammer ( 2 - 10 lb ) was used for striking the specimen so as to see a break . the pendulum was connected to a pointer and dial mechanism that indicated the excess energy remaining in the pendulum after breaking the specimen . charpy impact strength was calculated by dividing the pointer reading on the dial by the thickness of the sample . for samples that did not break , nb was reported . capillary rheometry was performed using astm d 1703 . capillary rheometer is generally characterized as measuring the apparent viscosity of the material at different shear rates . the rheometer consists of an electrically heated cylinder , temperature controlling unit and a piston which moves at a constant velocity . velocity correlates to the shear rate and the force required in moving the piston determines the shear stress . ( model # lcr 7000 from dynisco was used ). a few grams of sample were used for each test . samples containing pebax , pellethane and vestamid were dried for 4 hrs at 180 ° f . in a vacuum dryer prior to testing . the barrel was heated to a constant temperature based on the material . the sample was loaded in to the barrel , preheated for 360 seconds and then forced out of the die by the piston at a predetermined shear rate . preheating helped in melting the sample uniformly before testing . a die with lid ratio of 15 : 1 was used . pellethane was tested at 224 ° c ., marlex were tested at 190 ° c . while vestamid and pebax were tested at 235 ° c . the coefficient of friction was determined using astm test method d 1894 . this test method is generally characterized as measuring the coefficients of starting and sliding friction of a plastic when sliding over itself or any other substances at specified test conditions . universal testing machine was used . ( model # qt / 25 : mts ). a sled was attached to the load cell and the sample to be tested was placed on a supporting base . test works version 3 . 1 was used to analyze the data . a 5 in . by 5 in . sample was used and was placed on the supporting base . thickness of the sample was ⅛ in . the specimens were conditioned at room temperature for a minimum of 40 hrs before testing . the sample was taped on the supporting base and was tested against a stainless steel surface . a load cell of 5 lb was used to pull the sled against the specimen surface at a specified cross head rate and the results are recorded . differential scanning calorimetry was performed on the samples . dsc is a thermal analysis technique which is generally characterized as determining the melting behavior , melting point , glass transition temperature , degree of cross linking and degradation behavior of various polymers . astm method d - 3417 was used . 10 to 20 mg of sample was used to test the samples . ta instruments model number 2920 was used to test the samples . the sample was weighed and placed in an aluminum pan along with a reference pan which was empty . both the pans were heated at a constant rate of 10 ° c ./ min in an inert atmosphere . the change in energy required to heat the samples was plotted against temperature to get different results like glass transition temperature and melting pint . different materials were evaluated after melt blending them at concentrations of 25 and 50 % and results obtained are discussed in the following chapters . results have been divided based on different base materials used . in each section the effect of blending ratio on the mechanical properties like tensile strength , yield strength , elongation at yield , flexural strength , impact strength , viscosity , coefficient of friction and thermal properties has been analyzed . among the base polymers , based on the hydrogen bonding , it can be said that pellethane , vestamid and pebax are polar in nature while marlex which is ethylene based is non - polar in nature . for the hydrophilic polymers , based on the chemistry , these polymers can be ranked in the order as pvp being highly polar in nature , followed by ethocel and aquazol . polyox is the least polar among these hydrophilic polymers . this can be correlated to some extent to the compatibility of the blends . actual solubility parameter numbers and hydrogen bonding values would be required to make conclusions about miscibility for all the blends . to achieve a low coefficient of friction pellethane was melt blended with hydrophilic polymers and its final properties were evaluated . table 8 gives comparative data for the different blends seen relative to virgin pellethane . it can be seen that pvp , aquazol and ethocel at 25 % loading reduced both static and dynamic coefficient of friction drastically . the effect of these materials on the mechanical properties was further evaluated . due to problems in molding , like shrinkage and incompatibility of 25 % polyox with pellethane , results for this blend have been omitted during the discussion . fig1 and 18 show the effect of different hydrophilic polymers on break strength and elongation at break . it can be seen that except for ethocel at 50 % loading , break strength was reduced considerably for the other blends . break strength indicates the ability of the material to withstand forces trying to break it apart . inherently pellethane has good break strength along with high elongation , but addition of different hydrophilic polymers to it reduced these properties . it was also observed that pellethane did not yield ; hence break strength was used to analyze the data . with the exception of ethocel at 50 % loading , break strength for the blends was reduced . polyox being non polar in nature , its compatibility with pellethane was very low . this can be seen from the physical properties data and visual observation during compounding where it resulted in phase separation during compounding and molding . pellethane is known for its high elongation ; however , upon addition of different polymers it can be seen that elongation was reduced drastically . this indicates that these blends would not be as flexible as the virgin pellethane . the hydrophilic polymers being used were stiff in nature due to their chemical structure and this resulted in the reduction in elongation of pellethane . fig1 and 20 show the effect of different polymers on tensile modulus and flexural modulus for pellethane . usually blends follow an additive rule for tensile modulus and flex modulus . results showed an increase in these properties with the loading level of hydrophilic polymers . this indicated that the hydrophilic polymers being considered were more stiff than pellethane and led to an overall increase in the modulus . polyvinyl pyrrolidone and ethocel show the greatest effect on these properties . it can also be seen that a loading level of 50 % showed greater effect on these properties than when compared to 25 % loading . however , at higher loadings , elongation at break was reduced drastically , thus limiting the loading level to less than 25 %. it can be seen from fig2 and 22 that pellethane in its virgin form had high static and dynamic coefficient of friction . this was one of the most important problem associated with pellethane and limited its use in the medical industry . it is highly tacky in nature , making the surfaces stick to itself and other surfaces . different blends showed that addition of hydrophilic polymers reduced both static and dynamic coefficient of friction . it was observed that the surface became smooth in most cases . it was difficult to determine the wet friction for these materials as there was no standard to measure it . evaluation of different materials with pellethane showed that polyvinyl pyrrolidone and aquazol reduced friction to a greater extent when compared to ethocel and polyox . overall , data showed that coefficient of friction for pellethane could be reduced by the addition of hydrophilic polymers . a prediction can be made that these blends will have good lubricity when in contact with water , because of the presence of hydrophilic polymers . a further evaluation would be required to study this property in the wet state . visual observations during compounding showed that the surface of the strands for all materials became slippery when treated with water . this was a positive sign and would require supporting data to prove that these hydrophilic polymers would reduce surface roughness when in contact with water . in case of polyvinyl pyrrolidone coefficient of friction was similar at both loading levels of 25 and 50 % respectively . this indicated that a loading level of 25 % would be enough to reduce the coefficient of friction for pellethane and is worth evaluating further . viscosity of a polymer blend is dependent on the molecular weight , molecular structure , the melting point of individual components and the blend ratio . the grade of pellethane selected had a hardness value of 80 shore a and was soft in nature . it can be seen from fig2 that addition of ethocel , pvp and polyox increased the viscosity of pellethane while aquazol reduced the viscosity . the aquazol being used was a mixture of low and high molecular weight grades . low molecular weight component might have acted as a plasticizer and hence reduced the viscosity for pellethane . polyox and ethocel at 50 % loading increased the viscosity drastically . fig2 shows the plot of viscosity vs . shear rate for the different blends with pellethane . it can be seen that these blends were shear sensitive in the low shear rate region . at very high shear rates , these blends showed very little change in viscosity . dsc plot for pellethane showed a tg of − 37 ° c . which was close to what the manufacturer specified . it is amorphous in nature and behaves like rubber . comparison of pellethane and its blends is shown in fig2 . it can be seen that , with the exception of polyox , all other blends appeared miscible since none of the plots showed two individual tg &# 39 ; s corresponding to the components . pellethane being polar in nature would show some miscibility with the hydrophilic polymers because of the presence of hydrogen bonding on these polymers . it was difficult to distinguish between tg for polyox and pellethane and hence miscibility could not be studied . addition of pvp and polyox showed melting peaks indicating that these polymers formed a crystalline phase in pellethane , which was inherently amorphous . table 9 shows the crystallinity data for pellethane and its blends which indicate that ethocel , pvp and polyox formed a crystalline phase . the crystalline phase formed contributed to higher stiffness for these blends . pellethane in its virgin form had excellent impact strength . table 10 shows the results for impact strength of pellethane and its blends . it can be seen that virgin pellethane did not break nor did some other blends , indicating that they had good impact strength . however pvp , aquazol and ethocel broke at 50 % loading indicating that at such high loadings pellethane lost its flexibility and its impact strength was reduced drastically . addition of polyox to pellethane did not affect the impact strength as results showed that the samples did not break even at higher loading levels . pebax belongs to the family of nylon based thermoplastic elastomers . the grade selected was the softest , with a hardness of 25 shore d ( 75 shore a ). when compared to pellethane it can be seen that pebax had higher coefficient of friction and was more tacky in nature . this was the most ideal material to be evaluated to see the effect of different hydrophilic polymers on the coefficient of friction . it can be seen that at low loading level of 25 % pvp was the most successful material in reducing the coefficient of friction , while at 50 % loading most materials reduced this value . after achieving the primary objective of this project , these blends were later evaluated for mechanical properties . table 11 summarizes the properties seen for all the blends with pebax . as mentioned with pellethane , pebax is polar in nature due to the presence of hydrogen bonding in its backbone and would have some miscibility with the hydrophilic polymers , which were polar in nature to some extent . yield strength represents the stress at which non - elastic deformation occurs , and is important for generating specifications for particular applications like catheters and tubings . yield strength is useful for applications where force is applied on the material . it gives a limit on the force that can be applied on the material before permanent deformation occurs . it can be seen from fig2 that addition of hydrophilic polymers to pebax marginally affected the yield strength , with the exception of polyox which reduced it . fig2 shows that for most blends , elongation at yield was reduced drastically when compared to virgin pebax . overall it can be seen that pvp at 25 % loading showed good yield strength and elongation at yield , and seemed to be a promising candidate . fig2 and 29 show break strength and elongation at break for pellethane and its blends . break strength for blends gives a good idea about the compatibility of the individual components present in the blend . the trend seen was similar to the yield strength seen in these materials . overall , pvp at 25 % loading showed good ultimate break strength and elongation at break . fig3 and 31 show the effect of different hydrophilic polymers on tensile and flex modulus for pebax . addition of ethocel and aquazol resulted in an increase in tensile modulus , while flex modulus increased for all blends . a loading level of 50 % showed prominent increase in these properties . when considering these blends for different applications the loss in elongation has to be considered at higher loading levels . fig3 and 33 show that pebax had high static and dynamic coefficient of friction when used alone . addition of hydrophilic polymers resulted in a decrease in both static and dynamic coefficient of friction . results were promising even at low loadings , indicating that these blends would have a smoother surface when used for different applications . use of higher loading level reduced these values even more , but a compromise has to be achieved for different properties when considering it for practical applications . based on the visual observations for polyox - pebax blend it can be said that these polymers were compatible since they formed a phase separated blend . fig3 shows that addition of pvp and polyox to pebax increased viscosity , which may be attributed to the stiffness of pvp and the high molecular weight of polyox . a small reduction in viscosity was seen when aquazol was added to pebax , which may have been due to the presence of low molecular weight component in the blend . not much effect was seen when ethocel was added to pebax . fig3 shows the plot for viscosity vs . shear rate which indicates that , as shear rate increased viscosity decreased . all blends were sensitive to shear at low shear rates but the effect was negligible at higher shear rates . dsc plot for pebax showed a tg of − 60 ° c . comparison plots for different blends are shown in fig3 . it can also be seen that aquazol and ethocel were miscible with pebax , as we see a shift in their tg towards the tg of pebax . plot of pvp showed the formation of a small hard phase which melted around 130 ° c . ethocel showed a small peak in the similar temperature range indicating the formation of a crystalline phase . miscibility of pvp with pebax could not be analyzed as its tg was around the vicinity of the melting range for this material . dsc plot for pebax and polyox was avoided since the tg &# 39 ; s of these polymers were close to each other . like pellethane , pebax also had high impact strength and did not break even upon notching . it can be seen from table 12 that results obtained were similar to pellethane . pvp , polyox and ethocel at 50 % loading indicated a break value . this shows that these polymers reduced the impact strength for pebax at higher loading levels . polyox did not seem to affect impact strength of pebax . vestamid belongs to the family of nylon based thermoplastics but is much stiffer than pebax . when compared to pellethane and pebax it can be seen that vestamid has low coefficient of friction and is currently being used in many applications requiring lower coefficient of friction . table 13 summarizes the data obtained for all blends being considered with vestamid . it can be seen that all materials being used with vestamid reduced static and dynamic coefficient of friction . vestamid is polar in nature due to the presence of hydrogen bonding and would show some miscibility with hydrophilic polymers , similar to pellethane and pebax . inherently vestamid has good mechanical properties ; hence the main objective with this resin was to reduce the coefficient of friction without losing much of mechanical properties . fig3 and 38 show the effect of different materials on yield strength and elongation at yield of vestamid . it can be seen that , with the exception of polyox , other materials increased the yield strength of vestamid . all the blends did not lose much on elongation at yield when compared to the base resin . fig3 and 40 show the results for break strength and elongation at break for vestamid and its blends . vestamid is a semi - crystalline material and has good tensile strength along with good elongation properties . among all the blends being considered , vestamid with pvp at 25 % loading seemed to give the optimum results for tensile strength at break and elongation at break . the loss in elongation seen at 50 % loading was quite high and could be due to phase separation between the two polymers being considered . this proved that 50 % loading level would not work with vestamid for any polymer due to the loss in elongation . addition of pvp , aquazol and ethocel led to an increase in both tensile and flex modulus when compared to the base resin . there was no effect on tensile modulus when polyox was added to vestamid , but the flex modulus decreased . these results are depicted in fig4 and 42 . overall it can be said that , with the exception of polyox , other hydrophilic polymers made vestamid stiffer in nature . loss in elongation has to be considered before selecting the right blend for final applications . fig4 and 44 show the plot for static and dynamic coefficient of friction for vestamid and its blends . it can be seen that all the hydrophilic polymers reduced the coefficient of friction . based on the combination of properties , pvp at 25 % loading and aquazol at 25 % loading gave the best results . it can be seen from fig4 that addition of aquazol and ethocel reduced the viscosity of vestamid , while pvp and polyox increased the viscosity at 50 % loading without affecting it much at 25 % loading . fig4 gives the plot for viscosity vs . shear rate , where it can be seen that the viscosity for the blends was quite different at lower shear rates , but at higher shear rates the change in viscosity was quite small . this indicates that all these blends were sensitive to shear at low shear rates but the effect was negligible at higher shear rates . a dsc plot for vestamid in fig4 showed that it had a tg around 40 ° c . and a melting point of 180 ° c . addition of different hydrophilic polymers to it showed that the amount of crystallinity was reduced while polyox showed a second melting peak at around 60 ° c . it was difficult to judge whether polyox was miscible with vestamid because the melting transition seen for polyox was close to the tg of vestamid . results based on tg showed that the other polymers being considered were miscible with it . table 14 shows the data for effect of different blends on crystallinity for vestamid . it can be seen that all blends had a melting point around 180 ° c . it can also be seen that the amount of crystallinity was reduced upon addition of different hydrophilic polymers . in the case of polyox with vestamid , two peaks were observed , one for polyox and the other for vestamid , indicating two crystalline phases in the polymer matrix . fig4 shows that vestamid in its virgin form had high impact strength . inherently vestamid is a tough material and has good flexibility . however , table 15 showed that addition of different hydrophilic polymers to vestamid reduced its impact strength . this showed that these hydrophilic polymers reduced its flexibility and free volume , thus reducing the ability to resist force . marlex belongs to the family of polyolefin based thermoplastic materials . it is widely used to make inner layers of catheters and sheaths , and is considered to be a tough and versatile material . polyolefins inherently have low coefficient of friction ; hence marlex was selected so as to evaluate a wide range of base materials with different co - efficient of friction . marlex in non - polar in nature and will have very little compatibility with hydrophilic polymers selected because of their polarity . visual observations showed phase separation during compounding and molding , indicating that the blends were not compatible . table 16 summarizes the data obtained for marlex and its blends . it can be seen from the data that none of the hydrophilic polymers used succeeded in reducing the coefficient of friction . the main objective was not achieved in the case of marlex ; evaluation of wet friction would help in understanding whether these hydrophilic polymers would reduce the coefficient of friction in the wet state . a detailed discussion on the different properties for marlex is limited due to the failure in achieving the main objective . it can be seen from fig4 and 50 that marlex in its virgin form had good yield strength and elongation at yield . with the exception of ethocel addition of other polymers to marlex reduced its yield strength . elongation at yield was reduced for all materials when compared to the base resin , indicating that these blends were stiffer when compared to virgin marlex . fig5 and 52 show that the break strength for marlex increased with the addition of hydrophilic polymers , and conversely elongation at break decreased . addition of polyox to marlex reduced its tensile strength and flex modulus , while the other materials increased it . this can be seen in fig5 and 54 below . inherently marlex , which is polyolefin based material , has low coefficient of friction . this can be seen from the data obtained for the base material in fig5 and 56 . it can be seen that static coefficient of friction was reduced when different materials were added , with the exception of pvp at 25 % loading . however , dynamic coefficient of friction increased when different materials were added to marlex , with the exception of pvp at 50 % loading . this indicated that addition of different hydrophilic polymers made the surface rough which resulted in an increase in dynamic coefficient of friction . evaluation of friction in the wet state would help in judging the use of these hydrophilic polymers with polyolefins . fig5 shows the effect of different hydrophilic polymers on the viscosity of marlex . it can be seen that with the exception of polyox at 50 % loading , viscosity of the polymer blends dropped down when compared to virgin marlex . fig5 shows the plot for viscosity vs . shear rate which indicated that viscosity decreased with increasing shear rate . this plots showed that these blends were shear sensitive at low shear rates but for higher shear rates the effect was negligible . it can be seen from the dsc plot for marlex in fig5 that it had a melting point of 130 ° c . however , it was difficult to analyze the miscibility of different materials with marlex since it did not show any prominent tg values . table 17 shows the physical state data . results in fig6 show that marlex in its virgin form had good impact strength but addition of different hydrophilic polymers has reduced this value . this indicated that these blends were brittle in nature and promoted failure upon application of force . the data is shown in table 18 below . | 0 |
disclosed herein is an apparatus and method for low power sensing in a multi - port sram using pre - discharged bit lines . briefly stated , the apparatus and method pre - charges the sram read port bit lines to a logic low level of zero volts ( i . e ., “ pre - discharges ” the bit lines ). as a result , the read port bit lines of the multi - port sram do not leak dc current when pre - discharged as such . the apparatus and method holds the sram read port bit lines that are not being read at any particular point in time at ground ( zero voltage ) potential , and energizes selected read port bit lines ( i . e ., applies a potential thereto ) only when the selected read port bit lines are accessed to read or sense the stored information within the selected memory cell . in addition , the potential applied to the selectively energized read bit lines is lower in value than the full rail voltage potential ( typically + 1 volts or vdd ); that is , the applied potential is at an intermediate value between vdd and ground , thereby saving ac power due to relatively lower voltage swings on these lines . referring to fig1 , there is shown a typical multi - port ( e . g ., two port ) sram memory cell 100 . the cell 100 includes a base cell 102 that comprises six cmos transistors 104 - 114 , wherein the base cell 102 constitutes both the write port of the memory cell 100 and the basic storage element of the memory cell 100 . fig1 also shows a read port 116 in which both the true and complement read bit lines , rblt 118 , rblc 120 , are connected to a sense amp 122 ( sa ), shown in fig2 , for sensing the logic value stored in the cell 100 . a plurality of the read ports 116 may be used as part of a single memory cell 100 , if desired . the base cell 102 of fig1 includes a bistable latch 124 comprising a first pair of pmos ( e . g ., pfet ) and nmos ( e . g ., nfet ) transistors 104 , 106 connected in series as an inverter between a positive power supply potential vdd ( e . g ., + 1 volts ) and a ground potential ( e . g ., 0 volts ). the latch 124 further comprises a second pair of pmos and nmos transistors 108 , 110 , also connected in series as an inverter between the power supply potential vdd and ground . the transistors 104 , 106 have their respective gate terminals connected together at a storage node 126 , which is also connected to the drain terminals of both transistors 108 , 110 , which drain terminals are connected together . this storage node 126 is referred to as the “ complement ” node . similarly , the transistors 108 , 110 have their respective gate terminals connected together at a storage node 128 , which is also connected to the drain terminals of both transistors 104 , 106 , which drain terminals are connected together . this storage node 128 is referred to as the “ true ” node . in normal operation of the base cell 102 , the true storage node 128 and the complement storage node 126 typically store complementary logic levels ( i . e ., one node stores a binary “ 1 ” while the other node stores a binary “ 0 ”, or vice versa ). thus , the pmos transistors 104 , 108 operate as load transistors and the nmos transistors 106 , 110 operate as drive transistors within the base cell 102 . the base cell 102 also includes two nmos transistors 112 , 114 . a first transistor 112 is connected between a true write bit line , wblt 130 , and the storage node 128 . a second transistor 114 is connected between a complement write bit line , wblc 132 , and the storage node 126 . gate terminals of these transistors 112 , 114 are connected to a common write word line , wwl 134 . as such , the transistors 112 , 114 each have their respective gate potentials controlled by the write word line , wwl 134 . the read port 116 further includes four nmos transistors 136 - 142 . two of the transistors 136 , 138 are connected in series between the true read bit line , rblt 118 , and ground . another two of the transistors 140 , 142 are connected in series between the complement read bit line , rblc 120 , and ground . gate terminals of two of the transistors 136 , 140 are connected to a common read word line , rwl 144 . as such , the transistors 136 , 140 have their respective gate potentials controlled by the read word line , rwl 144 . the gate of transistor 138 is connected to the complement storage node 126 in the base cell 102 , while the gate of transistor 142 is connected to the true storage node 128 in the base cell 102 . in general , the transistors 136 - 142 within the read port 116 do not necessarily need to be long channel or sram - type high voltage threshold devices . it suffices that these transistors 136 - 142 are such that any current leakage therethrough does not degrade the signal to a large enough extent to cause any read errors . in operation of the base cell 102 and the read port 116 , when the common write word line , wwl 134 , is active , access to the cell for write or read operations is enabled . thus , when wwl 134 is active , data may be written to the storage nodes 126 , 128 via the two complementary write bit lines , wblt 130 , wblc 132 , respectively . when the common write word line , wwl 134 , is inactive , the data previously written to the storage nodes 126 , 128 is held steady by the latch 124 comprised of the transistors 104 - 110 . when the common read word line , rwl 144 , is active , data is read from the storage nodes 126 , 128 via the two complementary read bit lines , rblt 118 , rblc 120 . in a typical sram memory cell 100 , it is not necessary to periodically assert the common write word line 134 ( i . e ., apply a voltage thereto ) to refresh the data held in the latch 124 . the data will be held in a steady state in the latch 124 as long as power is continuously applied to the cell 100 . fig2 shows an exemplary embodiment of the present invention . in the multi - port sram , multiple rows 200 , 202 of sram memory cells 100 ( two rows 200 , 202 are shown , each row having a plurality of cells 100 ) may each be connected to the sense amp 122 . for each row 200 , 202 of cells 100 , the cells 100 are connected together by the respective read bit lines : rblt 0 204 and rblc 0 206 for row zero 200 ; rblt 1 208 and rblc 1 210 for row one 202 . these read bit lines 204 - 210 are the read bit lines 118 , 120 originating from the read port 116 in fig1 . each read bit line 204 - 210 is connected to the sense amp 122 through a corresponding bit switch circuit , where each bit switch circuit is comprised of an nfet pass gate transistor 212 - 218 , each having a relatively high voltage threshold . the true read bit lines 204 , 208 of each row 200 , 202 pass through the corresponding bit switch circuits 212 , 216 and connect together as a true sense line , slt 220 . similarly , the complement read bit lines 206 , 210 of each row 200 , 202 pass through the corresponding bit switch circuits 214 , 218 and connect together as a complement sense line , slc 222 . the gate terminal of each bit switch circuit nfet transistor 212 , 214 for row zero 200 is controlled ( i . e ., the nfet transistor is turned “ on ”) by a positive active signal line , bso 224 . similarly , the gate terminal of each bit switch circuit nfet transistor 216 , 218 for row one 202 is controlled by a positive active signal line , bs 1 226 . the sense lines 220 , 222 are provided to the sense amp 122 , which is enabled by a sense signal line , set_en 228 . fig2 also illustrates that , in accordance with the present invention , the apparatus further includes an nfet transistor 230 - 236 for a corresponding one of each of the read bit lines 204 - 210 . the drain terminal of each nfet transistor 230 - 236 is connected to the corresponding read bit line 204 - 210 , while the source terminal of each transistor 230 - 236 is connected to ground . the gate terminal of each transistor 230 - 236 is connected to a common positive active control signal line , pdbl 238 . as described in detail hereinafter , when one or more of the transistors 230 - 236 are turned on , the corresponding read bit line 204 - 210 is pulled down to ground potential , thereby “ pre - discharging ” the corresponding read bit line 204 - 210 , with the result being that no dc current leakage occurs on these lines 204 - 210 when pre - discharged as such . in fig2 , the sense lines , slt 220 and slc 222 , are also connected to a sense line pre - charge control circuit that comprises three pfet transistors 240 - 244 . the gate terminals of all three transistors 240 - 244 are connected to a negative active sense line pre - charge signal , xpusl 246 . when this signal , xpusl 246 , turns on each of the transistors 240 - 244 , the sense lines , slt 220 and slc 22 , are pre - charged to a high logic level of vdd ( e . g ., + 1 volts ). in the apparatus of fig2 in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention , the read bit lines 204 - 210 are pre - charged to a logic low level of , e . g ., ground or zero volts (“ pre - discharged ”), through the nfet transistors 230 - 236 , rather than to a logic high level of , e . g ., vdd or + 1 volts , as in the prior art . also , as compared to prior art dual - ended sensing apparatus and methods , the bit switch circuit transistors 212 - 218 now comprise relatively high threshold voltage ( vt ) nfets instead of pfets . in addition , the polarity of the transistor controls signals ( i . e ., the gate voltage signals ) agree with their respective transistor device - types , and the timing of the sense line pre - charge control signal , xpusl 246 , has been changed , as illustrated in fig3 . these changes do not increase the area occupied by the sram memory cell 100 . in fact , in practice it has been discovered that the area is reduced slightly . when the read bit lines 204 - 210 are pre - discharged to a logic low level , no dc leakage occurs through the read ports 116 of the sram . a slight delay in reading out the stored data occurs because the read bit lines 204 - 210 are energized to an intermediate voltage level between vdd and ground prior to their sensing or reading out of the stored values therefrom . this is done by keeping the sense line pre - charge control signal , xpusl 246 , active for a short period of time after the word line , wwl 134 , has been activated , as shown in fig3 . ac power is reduced because only selected ones of the bit lines 204 - 210 that are being read are energized at any particular point in time , and also because , even when energized , the selected bit lines 204 - 210 are not fully charged to vdd but to a voltage that is intermediate between vdd and ground . referring also to fig3 , there illustrated are several signal traces of voltage values versus time at different points in the circuit of fig2 . the respective bit switch control signals , bs 0 224 , bs 1 226 , are active high as shown in fig2 and in the top trace 300 . in the example shown , row 1 202 is activated because the pass gate transistor control signal , bs 1 226 , assumes a logic high value shortly after time t = 1 , thereby turning on nfets 216 , 218 , while the pass gate transistor control signal , bs 0 224 , remains at a low logic level , thereby keeping nfets 212 , 214 off and not allowing the read bit signal lines , rblt 0 204 and rblc 0 206 , to influence the sense lines , slt 220 and slc 222 . as shown in the next trace 302 , the pre - discharge control signal , pdbl 238 , for the nfets 230 - 236 assumes a low logic level also shortly after time t = 1 , thereby turning off the nfets 230 - 236 ( i . e ., removing the “ pre - discharge ” or zero volt state of the read bit lines 204 - 210 ). also , shortly after time t = 1 , the common read word line , rwl 144 , assumes a high logic level , thereby allowing access to the cell 100 . the sense line pre - charge control signal , xpusl 246 , stays at a logic low until approximately t = 2 , at which time it changes to a logic high , thereby turning off the pfets 240 - 244 . this delay between rwl 144 going high and xpusl 246 going high allows the selected read bit lines ( here , rblt 1 208 and rblc 1 210 ) to become energized to a voltage value intermediate between vdd and ground , as described hereinafter . the next trace 304 shows the read bit lines for the selected row , row 1 202 , in which the true read bit line , rblt 1 208 , and the complement read bit line , rblc 1 210 , are energized and start to increase in voltage beginning shortly after time t = 1 . the read lines will achieve a voltage value intermediate between vdd ( e . g ., + 1 volts and ground ). this increase in voltage is due to the aforementioned delay between rwl 144 going high and then xpusl 246 going high . that is , the sense line pre - charge pfets 240 - 244 remain turned on for a short time after rwl 144 is activated until xpusl 246 also goes high , which allows for charge - sharing from the sense lines , slt 220 and slc 222 , to the bit lines rblt 1 208 and rblt 0 210 , of the selected row 202 . one of the bit lines , rblt 1 208 , will not rise in voltage as quickly as that of the other bit line , rblc 1 210 , due to the “ 0 ” state of the selected cell 100 in this exemplary embodiment . the next trace 306 shows the sense lines , slt 220 and slc 222 , and the set enable signal , set_en 228 . as compared to the prior art , the set enable signal is delayed slightly in transitioning from logic low to logic high ( at approximately time t = 3 ) to account for the time it takes to energize the read bit lines 208 , 210 . consequently this delays the sense line resolution , which is the time at which the sense line signal , slt 220 , assumes a logic low ( i . e ., at approximately time t = 4 ). thereafter the logic bit values on the selected read bit lines can be sensed or read by the sense amp 122 . the apparatus and method of the present invention pre - charges the read port bit lines 204 - 210 to a logic low level when they are not being read or sensed so that the read ports 116 of the multi - port sram do not unnecessarily leak dc current . the bit lines 204 - 210 are held at ground and energized only when they are accessed , as shown in fig3 . hence the read port dc leakage due to the sram cells is significantly reduced , as compared to prior art schemes that pre - charge the read bit lines to vdd . there is a small amount of current leakage through the bit switch transistors 212 - 218 . however , this amount of leakage is significantly less than that of the cells for all but the smallest sram sizes . in addition , the ac power is reduced because the bit lines 204 - 210 are not fully charged to a full voltage rail potential ( e . g ., of vdd ) when they are energized ( as shown in fig3 ), and also because only the bit lines 204 - 210 that are being read are energized . when the selected read bit lines 204 - 210 are energized , some current leakage occurs . however , because typically only a selected few , and not all , of the bit lines are energized at any one point in time , the overall amount of current leakage caused by the energized bit lines is significantly lower then in the prior art where all of the bit lines are typically pre - charged to vdd . the read performance is delayed slightly to allow the bit lines to energize to some intermediate voltage lower than vdd prior to the read operation . the delay penalty is small , and depends on the technology voltage and temperature . for example , in a 65 nm cmos bulk technology at a slow process corner and low voltage , the delay penalty is about 60 ps . at a 1 ghz cycle time , this would represent a 6 % decrease in performance . with newer technologies , the write time of the cell limits the performance more than the read time , so delaying the read slightly may not affect overall performance at all . implementation of the present invention requires no additional area over current multi - port sram designs and does not change the design structure of the sense amp 122 . the expected power savings brought about by the present invention depends on the memory configuration and the operating voltage . for example , at 1v in a 65 nm cmos - bulk technology , a two - port array configured as 8 columns with 64 cells per column , a savings of approximately 654 nw per sense amp occurs . at a cycle time of 900 ps , the ac power savings are 2400 nw per sense amp . for an asic design employing 60 two - port sram macros , each with 2000 sense amps , then approximately 78 mw leakage and 0 . 29 w ac power per chip may be saved . while the invention has been described with reference to a preferred embodiment or embodiments , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the invention . in addition , many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from the essential scope thereof . therefore , it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed as the best mode contemplated for carrying out this invention , but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims . | 6 |
next , embodiments are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings . first , a mach - zehnder type optical modulator is described as an example of an optical modulator provided in an optical modulator module . fig1 a is a schematic plan view of a mach - zehnder type optical modulator 10 . fig1 b is a cross - sectional view taken along line a - a in fig1 a . as illustrated in fig1 a and 1b , the optical modulator 10 has a substrate 14 in which an optical waveguide is formed . the substrate 14 is an electro - optic substrate having an electro - optic crystal such as a linbo 3 ( ln ) substrate and a litao 2 substrate . the optical waveguide includes an incident waveguide , parallel waveguides 11 a and 11 b formed to branch from the incident waveguide , and an emitting waveguide in which the parallel waveguides 11 a and 11 b merge with each other . the optical waveguide is formed in such a manner that metal such as ti ( titanium ) is thermally - diffused into the substrate 14 . as illustrated in fig1 b , a buffer layer 15 is provided at a surface on the side of the optical waveguide of the substrate 14 . the optical waveguide is covered with the buffer layer 15 . the buffer layer 15 is provided to prevent light transmitted through the optical waveguide from being absorbed in electrodes described below . the buffer layer 15 is made of , for example , sio 2 or the like and has a thickness of about 0 . 2 through 2 μm . on the parallel waveguide 11 b , a signal electrode 12 is provided via the buffer layer 15 . on the parallel waveguide 11 a , a ground electrode 13 b is provided via the buffer layer 15 . further , on the buffer layer 15 , a ground electrode 13 a is provided on the side opposite to the ground electrode 13 b in such a manner as to sandwich the signal electrode 12 between the ground electrodes 13 a and 13 b . thus , the signal electrode 12 and the ground electrodes 13 a and 13 b form coplanar electrodes . if a z - cut substrate is used as the substrate 14 , the signal electrode 12 and the ground electrode 13 b are arranged right above the parallel waveguides to make use of refractive - index fluctuations resulting from electrolysis in a z direction . in order to drive the optical modulator 10 at high speed , the ends of the signal electrode 12 and the ground electrodes 13 a and 13 b are connected by a resistor to form a traveling wave electrode and a micro wave signal is applied on the input side of the traveling wave electrode . in this case , the refractive indexes of the parallel waveguides 11 a and 11 b fluctuate , for example , like + δn and − δn due to an electric field . thus , due to fluctuations in phase difference between the parallel waveguides 11 a and 11 b , mach - zehnder interference occurs . as a result , signal light having modulated intensity is output from the emitting waveguide . the effective refractive index of microwaves can be controlled with a change in the cross - sectional shapes of the electrodes , and high - speed light response characteristics can be obtained by matching the speeds of light and microwaves . fig2 a is a schematic plan view of an optical modulator module according to a first comparative example . fig2 b is a cross - sectional view of the optical modulator module taken along line b - b in fig2 a . as illustrated in fig2 a and 2b , the optical modulator 10 is accommodated in a metal package 20 . although not illustrated in fig2 a and 2b , a cover may be provided above the package 20 . at one end of the package 20 is provided a connector 22 a in which an optical fiber 21 a penetrates . at the other end of the package 20 is provided a connector 22 b in which an optical fiber 21 b penetrates . the incident waveguide of the optical modulator 10 is arranged to coincide with the optical axis of the optical fiber 21 a . the emitting waveguide of the optical modulator 10 is arranged to coincide with the optical axis of the optical fiber 21 b . an end of the signal electrode 12 and first ends of the ground electrodes 13 a and 13 b are connected to each other via a terminal resistor 23 . another end of the signal electrode 12 and other ends of the ground electrodes 13 a and 13 b are guided to an outside via a relay substrate 31 . at the top surface of the relay substrate 31 , a signal electrode 33 for the signal electrode 12 is formed . to the signal electrode 33 is connected a lead pin 36 by solder 34 . the lead pin 36 extends to the outside via a coaxial connector 35 that penetrates the side wall of the package 20 . note that since the lead pin 36 is harder than lead wire , it can accurately maintain an interval between ground such as the metal package 20 and the lead pin 36 . accordingly , the lead pin 36 can accurately take impedance matching as a transmission path . at the upper surface of the relay substrate 31 , a ground electrode 33 a connected to the ground electrodes 13 a and 13 b is further formed . as illustrated in fig2 c , the ground electrode 33 a is connected to a ground electrode 32 formed at the under surface of the relay substrate 31 by way of a via - hole 33 b . the ground electrode 32 has electrical continuity with the package 20 . the package 20 is grounded . in the optical modulator module according to the first comparative example , it is necessary to input an electric signal output from a driver amplifier to the lead pin 36 via an edge - mount type connector or the like . accordingly , it is difficult for the optical modulator module to be mounted . fig3 a and 3b are views for explaining an optical modulator module according to a second comparative example . the optical modulator module according to the second comparative example is a surface - mounting type module for facilitating its mounting . in the optical modulator module according to the second comparative example , an electric signal output from a driver amplifier is input from a print substrate . accordingly , the optical modulator module has improved mounting performance . fig3 a is a view corresponding to the view illustrated in fig2 b . in the second comparative example , a flexible substrate 41 is used for the purpose of improving mounting performance . the flexible substrate 41 having flexibility is made of polyimide , liquid crystal polymer , or the like . in this example , an insulative glass member 25 that penetrates a package 20 is provided at the under surface of the package 20 . the glass member 25 is formed into a cylindrical shape as an example . further , the flexible substrate 41 is provided at the under surface of the glass substrate 25 . a lead pin 36 extends to the under surface of the flexible substrate 41 while penetrating the glass substrate 25 and the flexible substrate 41 . in this example , a lead pin 37 a ( fig3 b ) connected to a ground electrode 45 a via a ground electrode 32 and a lead pin 37 b connected to a ground electrode 45 b via the ground electrode 32 are provided . the lead pins 37 a and 37 b extend to the under surface of the flexible substrate 41 while penetrating the glass member 25 and the flexible substrate 41 . the lead pins 37 a and 37 b are symmetrically arranged about the lead pin 36 . fig3 b is a view seen from the under surface side of the flexible substrate 41 . as illustrated in fig3 b , a signal electrode 43 and the ground electrodes 45 a and 45 b are formed at the under surface of the flexible substrate 41 . the lead pin 36 is connected to the signal electrode 43 via solder 42 . the lead pin 37 a is connected to the ground electrode 45 a via solder 44 a . the lead pin 37 b is connected to the ground electrode 45 b via solder 44 b . the ground electrodes 45 a and 45 b are symmetrically arranged about the signal electrode 43 . thus , a coplanar line ( cpw ) is formed . according to the configuration of the second comparative example , since the ground lead pins and the signal lead pin can be soldered at the under surface of the flexible substrate 41 , the optical modulator module has high mounting performance . this configuration is particularly effective if the optical modulator module has a large number of the lead pins . however , it is necessary to set an interval of , for example , 1 mm or more between the adjacent lead pins in order to solder the lead pins . in this case , the interval between the signal electrode and the ground electrodes becomes large . thus , an characteristic impedance locally greatly deviates from a desired value ( for example 50ω ), whereby reflecting characteristics ( fig5 a , s 11 ) are degraded . further , since contact areas between the ground lead pins and the electrodes are limited to only the parts of the lead pins , grounding cannot be sufficiently established for high frequency . thus , transmitting characteristics ( s 21 ) are degraded . the reflecting characteristics ( s 11 ) and the transmitting characteristics ( s 21 ) may present problems at a high - speed modulation band such as 20 gbps and 40 gbps . further , a modulator having plural signal lines such as a dqpsk modulator and a dp - qpsk modulator may give rise to problems in that it has a difficulty in its high density and requires a large mounting space . in view of this , the following embodiments describe optical modulator modules capable of realizing both high frequency characteristics and mounting performance while accommodating limitations in space . here , the reflecting characteristics ( s 11 ) refer to the ratio of reflecting power ( pr ) to input power pin input from a driver amplifier to an optical modulator . the transmitting characteristics ( s 21 ) refer to the ratio of output power pout to the input power pin input from the driver amplifier to the optical modulator . specifically , the reflecting characteristics ( s 11 ) are calculated by pr / pin ( db ), and the transmitting characteristics ( s 21 ) are calculated by pout / pin ( db ). fig4 a through 4c are views for explaining an optical modulator module 100 according to a first embodiment . the optical modulator module 100 is a surface - mounting type module for facilitating its mounting . fig4 a is a view corresponding to the view illustrated in fig3 a . fig4 b is a view corresponding to the view illustrated in fig3 b and seen from the under surface sides of a flexible substrate 41 and a package 20 . fig4 c is a view seen from the top surface side of the flexible substrate 41 . as illustrated in fig4 a and 4b , a lead pin 36 penetrates a glass member 25 and extends to the under surface of the flexible substrate 41 while being in contact with the side surface of the flexible substrate 41 . in this embodiment , the glass member 25 is formed into a cylindrical shape , and the lead pin 36 penetrates the substantial center of the cylindrical shape . the lead pin 36 is connected to a signal electrode 43 at the under surface of the flexible substrate 41 via solder 42 . note that since the lead pin 36 is provided to be in contact with the side surface of the flexible substrate 41 , a contact area between the lead pin 36 and the flexible substrate 41 may not be sufficiently obtained . however , if the cross section of the lead pin 36 is formed into a rectangular shape , it is possible to sufficiently ensure the contact area between the lead pin 36 and the flexible substrate 41 . on the top surface of the flexible substrate 41 , a ground electrode 45 having a predetermined width is formed . since the lead pin 36 is provided along the side surface of the flexible substrate 41 , the ground electrode 45 is formed to be away from the side surface . for example , the ground electrode 45 may be provided to avoid a semi - circular region surrounding a part at which the lead pin 36 is provided . the ground electrode 45 is connected to the external wall ( for example , the under surface ) of the package 20 via solder 44 . for example , the ground electrode 45 may be connected to the under surface of the package 20 at a part adjacent to the glass member 25 . in this embodiment , with the provision of the lead pin 36 at the side surface of the flexible substrate 41 , the side surface of the flexible substrate 41 is away from the package 20 . this enables confirmation as to whether the solder 44 flows out from the under surface side of the flexible substrate 41 . in fig4 b , flowing out of the solder is confirmed by the existence of solder 44 a and 44 b , which enables the confirmation of the connecting state between the package 20 and the ground electrode 45 of the flexible substrate 41 . accordingly , manufacturing yield can be maintained at high level . in this embodiment , without the use of a ground lead pin , the ground electrode 45 formed on the top surface of the flexible substrate 41 and the external wall of the package 20 are connected to each other . in this case , a contact area between the ground electrode 45 and the external wall of the package 20 become larger compared with a case in which the ground lead pin is used . thus , grounding can be sufficiently established for high frequency . as a result , degradation of s parameters can be suppressed . further , since there is no need to use a spacer or the like to reduce impedance mismatching , limitation in space can be suppressed . further , in this embodiment , a micro strip line ( msl ) structure is formed by the ground electrode 45 having a predetermined width on the top surface of the flexible substrate 41 and the signal electrode 43 on the under surface of the flexible substrate 41 . a characteristic impedance is controlled by the influences of the thickness of a substrate and a signal line width . therefore , controlling the thickness of the flexible substrate 41 and the line width of the signal electrode 43 in the vicinity of their desired values provides an impedance having a desired value ( for example , 50ω ). thus , the optical modulator module 100 has improved reflecting characteristics ( s 11 ). further , the provision of the signal electrode 43 on the under surface of the flexible substrate 41 facilitates the mounting of the optical modulator module 100 . note that the ground electrode 45 can extend to the under surface of the flexible substrate 41 via a via - hole or the like . accordingly , the optical modulator module 100 can be surface - mounted by the flexible substrate 41 . thus , according to this embodiment , the optical modulator module 100 can realize its high frequency characteristics and mounting performance while accommodating limitations in space . note that the solder 44 used in this embodiment may be replaced by a conductive adhesive or the like . further , as illustrated in fig4 d , in a case where a lead pin 36 having a circular cross section is used , a part of the flexible substrate 41 at which the lead pin 36 is in contact with may be cut into a semicircular shape . in this case , a contact area between the lead pin 36 and the flexible substrate 41 can be increased . moreover , the flexible substrate 41 used in this embodiment may be replaced by a substrate having high rigidity . note that although a cross - sectional shape at a connection part between the package 20 and the flexible substrate 41 preferably has a msl structure , a part of the ground electrode 45 is formed to avoid the lead pin 36 as illustrated in fig4 c . this is aimed at avoiding short - circuits and local reduction of impedance . however , if the lead pin 36 is excessively away from the ground electrode 45 , a msl mode is not established and high frequency characteristics are degraded . therefore , a shortest distance dy between the ground electrode 45 and the lead pin 36 is preferably set to be within an appropriate range . fig5 a is a graph illustrating calculation results of a relationship between the s parameters at 30 ghz and the shortest distance dy . as illustrated in fig5 a , the shortest distance dy is preferably set to be less than or equal to 260 μm in order to suppress the reflecting characteristics ( s 11 ) below − 20 db . note that in the second comparative example , the signal lead pin and the ground lead pins penetrate and protrude from the substrate . however , in this embodiment , only the lead pin 36 protrudes downward from the under surface of the flexible substrate 41 . thus , a distance from the tip end of the lead pin 36 to the ground electrode 45 becomes large . if the protruding length of the lead pin 36 becomes large , impedance mismatching may become significant . in view of this , a relationship between the protruding length of the lead pin 36 and the s parameters at 30 ghz was calculated . the calculation results are illustrated in fig5 b . as illustrated in fig5 b , in order to suppress the reflecting characteristics ( s 11 ) below − 20 db , the length of the lead pin 36 protruding from the flexible substrate 41 is preferably set to be less than or equal to 590 μm . according to the configuration illustrated in fig4 a through 4c , the contact area between the ground electrode 45 and the package 20 becomes large . in this case , when temperature or humidity changes , stress resulting from a difference in expansion coefficient between the flexible substrate 41 , the solder 44 , and the package 20 becomes high , which may bring about characteristic degradation or breakage in the modulator . this problem becomes remarkable particularly in a modulator having a large number of terminals such as a dp - qpsk modulator and may become a main factor that degrades the long - term reliability of the modulator . therefore , it is preferable that the ground electrode 45 can be observed from the under surface side of the flexible substrate 41 . fig6 a and 6b are views for explaining another example of the flexible substrate 41 . fig6 a is a perspective view illustrating the under surface of the flexible substrate 41 and the side surface of the flexible substrate 41 on the side of the lead pin 36 . fig6 b is a plan view illustrating the under surface of the flexible substrate 41 . as illustrated in fig6 a and 6b , a notch is formed in the flexible substrate 41 at a part at which the lead pin 36 is arranged . the lead pin 36 is arranged at the notch and connected to the signal electrode 43 . in the side surface of the flexible substrate 41 on the side of the lead pin 36 , notches 46 a and 46 b may be further formed . the shapes of the notches 46 a and 46 b include , but are not particularly limited to , a semi - circular shape as an example . the notches 46 a and 46 b are symmetrically provided about the notch at which the lead pin 36 is arranged . further , the notches 46 a and 46 b are provided at a part at which the ground electrode 45 illustrated in fig4 c is formed . thus , the ground electrode 45 can be confirmed from the under surface side of the flexible substrate 41 . further , flowing out of the solder 44 that connects the ground electrode 45 to the package 20 can be confirmed . fig7 a and 7b are views for explaining another example of the flexible substrate 41 . fig7 a is a perspective view illustrating the under surface of the flexible substrate 41 and the side surface 41 on the side of the lead pin 36 of the flexible substrate 41 . fig7 b is a plan view illustrating the under surface of the flexible substrate 41 . as illustrated in fig7 a and 7b , a part of the ground electrode 45 may be a flying lead that protrudes from the end part of the flexible substrate 41 . in this case , the flying lead can be confirmed from the end of the flexible substrate on the side of the lead pin 36 . thus , the ground electrode 45 can be confirmed . further , flowing out of the solder 44 that connects the ground electrode 45 to the package 20 can be confirmed . fig8 a and 8b are views for explaining another example of the flexible substrate 41 . fig8 a is a perspective view illustrating the under surface of the flexible substrate 41 and the side surface of the flexible substrate 41 on the side of the lead pin 36 . fig8 b is a plan view illustrating the under surface of the flexible substrate 41 . as illustrated in fig8 a and 8b , a part of the ground electrode 45 may extend to the side surface of the flexible substrate 41 . thus , the ground electrode 45 can be confirmed . further , flowing out of the solder 44 that connects the ground electrode 45 to the package 20 can be confirmed . fig9 a and 9b are views for explaining another example of the flexible substrate 41 . fig9 a is a perspective view illustrating the under surface of the flexible substrate 41 and the side surface of the flexible substrate 41 on the side of the lead pin 36 . fig9 b is a plan view illustrating the under surface of the flexible substrate 41 . as illustrated in fig9 a and 9b , electrodes 47 a and 47 b may be formed one on each side of a notch at the side surface of the lead pin 36 . moreover , the ground electrode 45 may be connected to the electrodes 47 a and 47 b . in this case , the ground electrode 45 can be confirmed . further , flowing out of the solder 44 that connects the ground electrode 45 to the package 20 can be confirmed . fig1 is a view for explaining another example of the package 20 . fig1 is a perspective view illustrating the under surfaces of the flexible substrate 41 and the package 20 and the side surface of the flexible substrate on the side of the lead pin 36 . as illustrated in fig1 , grooves 26 a and 26 b may be formed in the package 20 at a part at which the package 20 is connected to the ground electrode 45 . that is , at the under surface of the package 20 , a concave part may be formed at the part at which the package 20 is connected to the ground electrode 45 . in this case , when the package 20 is connected to the ground electrode 45 by the solder 44 , the solder 44 flows in the grooves 26 a and 26 b . thus , flowing out of the solder 44 can be confirmed . it is preferable that the grooves 26 a and 26 b be provided to cross the end part of the flexible substrate 41 on the side of the lead pin 36 . this is because it facilitates the confirmation of the flowing out of the solder 44 . fig1 a through 11c are views for explaining an optical modulator module 100 a according to a second embodiment . fig1 a is a view corresponding to the view illustrated in fig4 a . fig1 b is a view corresponding to the view illustrated in fig4 b and seen from the under surface side of a flexible substrate 41 . fig1 c is a view corresponding to the view illustrated in fig4 c and seen from the top surface of the flexible substrate 41 . as illustrated in fig1 a through 11c , a lead pin 36 penetrates a glass member 25 and extends to the lower surface of the flexible substrate 41 while penetrating the flexible substrate 41 . in this embodiment , the glass member 25 is formed into a cylindrical shape , and the lead pin 36 penetrates the substantial center of the cylindrical shape . the lead pin 36 is connected to a signal electrode 43 at the under surface of the flexible substrate 41 by solder 42 . as illustrated in fig1 c , a ground electrode 45 is formed to have a predetermined distance between the ground electrode 45 and a part of the flexible substrate 41 at which the lead pin 36 penetrates . thus , a short circuit of the ground electrode 45 and the lead pin 36 can be prevented . in this embodiment , since the lead pin 36 penetrates the flexible substrate 41 , the flexible substrate 41 can be connected to a package 20 to surround the glass member 25 . in this case , a contact area between the flexible substrate 41 and the package 20 is increased . thus , adhesion between the flexible substrate 41 and the package 20 can be improved . note that a gap is preferably formed between the flexible substrate 41 and the package 20 on the extension of the flexible substrate 41 . in this case , the connection part of the ground electrode 45 is exposed at the gap . thus , the connection part of the ground electrode 45 can be confirmed from the under surface side of the flexible substrate 41 . further , at a connection part between the flexible substrate 41 and the package 20 , a notch is preferably formed in the package 20 to expose the ground electrode 45 . in this case , the connection part of the ground electrode 45 can be confirmed . further , on the top surface of the ground electrode 45 , an insulative coverlay 48 is preferably provided between the solder 44 and the lead pin 36 . in this case , a short circuit of the lead pin 36 and the ground electrode 45 due to flowing out of the solder 44 is suppressed . as the coverlay 48 , polyimide or the like can be used . fig1 a through 12d are views for explaining an example of the flexible substrate 41 according to this embodiment . fig1 a through 12d are views seen from the under surface side of the flexible substrate 41 . as illustrated in fig1 a , through - holes 49 may be formed in the flexible substrate 41 at apart at which the ground electrode 45 is formed . the through - holes 49 are formed to avoid the glass member 25 . as illustrated in fig1 b , notches 49 a may be formed in the flexible substrate 41 at the part at which the ground electrode 45 is formed . the notches 49 a are formed to avoid the glass member 25 . as illustrated in fig1 c , plural through - holes 49 b may be formed in the flexible substrate 41 to surround the glass member 25 . the through - holes 49 b may be the same in shape as the through - hole of the lead pin 36 . in this case , a through - hole forming process is simplified . note that in consideration of high frequency characteristics , solder is preferably attached on the side of the lead pin 36 at the outer edge of the through - holes 49 and 49 b and the notches 49 a . further , in order to reduce stress , the solder is preferably not attached on the side far from the lead pin 36 at the outer edge of the through - holes 49 and 49 b and the notches 49 a . moreover , the through - holes 49 and 49 b and the notches 49 a are preferably covered with a transparent dielectric layer . in this case , climbing of the solder can be suppressed . as illustrated in fig1 d , vias 49 c may be formed in the under surface of the flexible substrate 41 on the side opposite to the signal electrode 43 about the lead pin 36 . in this case , straight traveling of a signal capable of being not linked to the lead pin can be suppressed . further , a ground electrode 50 may be provided on the under surface of the flexible substrate 41 to be connected to the ground electrode 45 by way of the vias 49 c . in this case , since a grounded coplanar structure is formed by the signal electrode 43 , the ground electrode 45 , and the ground electrode 50 , grounding on the periphery of the lead pin 36 is enhanced . note that the vias 49 c may be an embedded , but through - type vias can realize the enhancement of grounding and the confirmation of the solder . note that the configuration illustrated in fig1 a through 12d is also applicable to the first embodiment in which the lead pin 36 is provided along the side surface of the flexible substrate 41 . in the above respective embodiments , through - holes for fixation to the package 20 may be formed in the flexible substrate 41 . fig1 a is a plan view for explaining an example in which through - holes for fixation are formed in the flexible substrate 41 . fig1 a is a view illustrating the under surface of the flexible substrate 41 . as illustrated in fig1 a , the plural through - holes 51 for fixation may be formed in the flexible substrate 41 . fig1 b is a plan view for explaining an example in which fixation pins 52 are inserted into the through - holes 51 . fig1 c is a cross - sectional view taken along line c - c in fig1 b . as illustrated in fig1 b and 13c , insertion of the fixation pins 52 into the through - holes 51 can improve fixation strength between the flexible substrate 41 and the package 20 . further , with the provision of the fixation pins 52 so as to protrude more than the lead pin 36 on the under surface side of the flexible substrate 41 , not only the productivity of the optical modulator module but also fixation strength of the flexible substrate 41 can be improved . note that in a case where the flexible substrate 41 has a msl structure , the value of an impedance in a msl mode that transmits the flexible substrate 41 becomes important . unlike a cpw mode , the thickness of the flexible substrate 41 and the line width of the signal electrode 43 become important parameters . if the flexible substrate 41 is thin when the flexible substrate 41 is set to have an electric resistance of 50ω , it is necessary to reduce the line width of the signal electrode 43 . in this case , a conductor loss may be increased , and an impedance may be greatly changed due to a slight change in signal line width . therefore , the thickness of the flexible substrate 41 is preferably in the range of about several tens through 100 μm . however , if the flexible substrate 41 impairs flexibility due to its increased thickness , it may have a part having more flexibility than the connection part at which the flexible substrate 41 is connected to the package 20 . for example , as illustrated in fig1 a , the width of the ground electrode 45 on the flexible substrate 41 may be narrowed at a part other than the connection part . further , as illustrated in fig1 b , the ground electrode 45 may be formed into a meshed shape at a part other than the connection part . in these cases , flexibility of the flexible substrate 41 can be improved . alternatively , the ground electrode 45 may be provided only on the same surface as the signal electrode 43 at a part other than the connection part . for example , as illustrated in fig1 a , it is assumed that a connection part between the flexible substrate 41 and the package 20 is a region 1 and a connection part between the flexible substrate 41 and a print substrate 60 is a region 3 . the flexible substrate 41 is connected to the print substrate 60 at an end part on the side opposite to the lead pin 36 . it is assumed that a region between the regions 1 and 3 is a region 2 . although the regions 1 and 3 have a msl or gcpw , provision of a single - sided electrode in the region 2 can improve flexibility of the flexible substrate 41 . note that if the flexible substrate 41 has sufficient flexibility , the lead pin 36 may be provided to be perpendicular to the side surface of the package 20 and the flexible substrate 41 may be folded by 90 degrees as illustrated in fig1 b . fig1 a is a graph illustrating calculation results of s parameters of the optical modulator module according to the second comparative example . fig1 b is a graph illustrating calculation results of the s parameters of the optical modulator module 100 a according to the second embodiment illustrated in fig1 d . as illustrated in fig1 a and 16b , the reflecting characteristics ( s 11 ) and the transmitting characteristics ( s 21 ) of the optical modulator module 100 a according to the second embodiment are improved compared with the optical modulator module according to the second comparative example . fig1 a is a view for explaining an optical modulator module 100 b according to a third embodiment . fig1 a is the view corresponding to the view illustrated in fig4 a . fig1 b and 17c are views seen from the under surface side of a package 20 . in this embodiment , an external conductor 39 is provided on the periphery of a glass member 25 as illustrated in fig1 a . thus , a coaxial line ( having a resistance of , for example , 50ω ) is formed by a lead pin 36 , the glass member 25 , and the external conductor 39 . in this embodiment , the coaxial line is inserted into a concave part at the under surface of the package 20 . in this case , solder 44 is preferably connected to a flexible substrate 41 to encircle the periphery of the external conductor 39 . therefore , a groove is preferably provided along the periphery of the external conductor 39 in the package 20 as illustrated in fig1 b . in this case , the solder 44 encircles the periphery of the external conductor 39 via the groove . with the provision of an inlet for flowing the solder 44 in the groove and an outlet for confirming flowing out of the solder 44 , soldering can be effectively performed . note that the groove encircling the periphery of the external conductor 39 may have two paths as illustrated in fig1 c . in this case , since two outlets for confirming the flowing out of the solder 44 are provided , the solder flowing out from both of the paths can be confirmed . thus , confirmation as to whether the solder 44 flows in both of the paths can be made . as a result , sufficient grounding can be obtained , and degradation of the s parameters can be suppressed . note that if adhesion between the glass member 25 and the flexible substrate 41 is reduced , a gap is formed between the glass member 25 and the flexible substrate 41 . in this case , a characteristic impedance may become large at the gap . therefore , as illustrated in fig1 , the thickness ( wair ) of the lead pin 36 at a part at which the lead pin 36 is connected to a signal electrode 43 may be greater than the thickness ( wglass ) of the lead pin 36 at a part at which the lead pin 36 penetrates the glass member 25 . in this case , the impedance is corrected . note that the cross section of the lead pin 36 at the part at which the lead pin 36 is connected to the signal electrode 43 may be a circular shape or a rectangular shape but it is not particularly limited . fig1 is a block diagram for explaining the entire configuration of an optical transmitter according to a fourth embodiment . as illustrated in fig1 , the optical transmitter 200 has an optical device 210 , a data generation unit 220 , and the like . the optical device 210 is a semiconductor laser or the like having any one of the optical modulator modules described above . the data generation unit 220 transmits a driving signal for driving the optical device 210 to the optical device 210 . the optical device 210 outputs an optical modulation signal in response to the driving signal from the data generation unit 220 . the optical modulation signal is output to an outside via an optical fiber or the like . each of the embodiments described above uses the mach - zehnder type optical modulator module as an optical modulator , but the optical modulator is not limited to it . any optical modulator having a ground electrode and a signal electrode is applicable to the embodiments described above . all examples and conditional language recited herein are intended for pedagogical purposes to aid the reader in understanding the present invention and the concepts contributed by the inventor to furthering the art , and are to be construed as being without limitation to such specifically recited examples and conditions , and the organization of such examples in the specification does not relate to a showing of the superiority or inferiority of the present invention . although the embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail , it should be understood that the various changes , substitutions , and alterations could be made hereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention . | 6 |
fig1 is a schematic diagram that illustrates a two - dimensional front view of one of the embodiments with a spherical tapered textile structure . it has three components in one of the embodiments : a shape - set textile structure , a bonding zone at the region of the proximal marker band , and a delivery system or hypotube . the shape - set tapered textile structure in several embodiments has a distal tip , that in the expanded configuration has an outer diameter of less than e . g ., 0 . 017 inches ( 0 . 43 mm ) and in the collapsed configuration has an outer diameter of less than e . g ., 0 . 0125 inches ( 0 . 317 mm ). in several embodiments , the expanded configuration of the tip has a diameter in the range of about 0 . 35 - 0 . 65 mm ( e . g ., 0 . 40 - 0 . 45 mm ) in several embodiments , the collapsed configuration has a diameter in the range of about 0 . 1 - 0 . 34 mm ( e . g ., 0 . 25 - 0 . 33 mm ). in some embodiments , for larger vessels , the expanded configuration has a diameter in the range of about 1 - 40 mm and a diameter in the range of about 0 . 5 - 10 mm in a collapsed configuration . in some embodiments , the ratio of the expanded configuration to the collapsed configuration is 1 . 2 : 1 - 10 : 1 . in several embodiments , the distal neck is narrow and has similar outer diameter in the expanded and collapsed configuration as the distal tip . the distal neck has a length that ranges from about 1 - 5mm in one of the embodiments . in several embodiments , there are a total of 10 spherical bulbs in one of the embodiments with varying diameters in the expanded configuration and in the collapsed configuration has an outer diameter of less than e . g ., 0 . 0125 inches ( 0 . 317 mm ). in several embodiments , the expanded configuration of the bulbs has a diameter in the range of about 1 - 6 mm ( e . g ., 3 - 4 . 5 mm ). in several embodiments , the collapsed configuration has a diameter in the range of about 0 . 1 - 0 . 9 mm ( e . g ., 0 . 25 - 0 . 5 mm ). in some embodiments , for larger vessels , the expanded configuration has a diameter in the range of about 5 - 40 mm and a diameter in the range of about 0 . 5 - 5 mm in a collapsed configuration . in some embodiments , the ratio of the expanded configuration to the collapsed configuration is 1 . 2 : 1 - 10 : 1 . in some embodiments , the varying outer diameters of the 10 spherical bulbs in the expanded configuration are as follows in one of the embodiments : the distal three extra - small spherical bulbs have an outer diameter ( e . g ., d = 3 mm ) in the expanded configuration and corresponds to the extra - small vessel segments such as the m2 segments of the middle cerebral artery , the next three small spherical bulbs have an outer diameter ( e . g ., d = 3 . 5 mm ) in the expanded configuration and corresponds to the smaller vessel segments such as the distal m1 segment of the middle cerebral artery , the next two medium spherical bulbs have an outer diameter ( e . g ., d = 4 mm ) in the expanded configuration and corresponds to the medium vessel segments such as the proximal m1 segment of the middle cerebral artery , and the proximal two large spherical bulbs have an outer diameter ( d = 4 . 5 mm ) in the expanded configuration that corresponds to the large vessel segments such as the distal supra - clinoid segment of the internal carotid artery . this tapered configuration of the shape - set textile structure allows for adequate and safe deployment of the device across blood vessels with multiple diameters . although specific diameter numbers are provided in this paragraph , other embodiments include diameters that are +/− 5 , 10 , 15 , or 20 %. in some embodiments , 10 bulbs are used . however , in other embodiments , 1 - 9 bulbs or 11 - 30 ( or more ) bulbs may be used . in some embodiments , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 or 20 bulbs are used . in some conditions , for example in the leg , where clots can be up 20 - 40 cm , 40 - 60 bulbs may be used . in some embodiments , 1 bulb is used for every 0 . 2 - 5 cm ( e . g ., about 0 . 5 - 2 cm ). in several embodiments , bulbs of various sizes and / or shapes are provided on a single elongate support structure ( such as a neck , tube , spindle , spine , rod , backbone , etc .). the elongate support structure may be hollow , filled or partially hollow . the elongate support structure may have a length in the range of about 1 - 20 cm ( e . g ., about 4 - 8 cm , 5 - 10 cm , etc ). in larger vessels ( e . g ., outside the brain ) the length can be about 20 - 50 cm . the diameter or width of the elongate support structure is in the range of about 0 . 35 - 0 . 65 mm ( e . g ., 0 . 40 - 0 . 45 mm ) in an expanded configuration and in the range of about 0 . 1 - 0 . 34 mm ( e . g ., 0 . 25 - 0 . 33 mm ) in the collapsed configuration . in some embodiments , for larger vessels , the expanded configuration of the elongate support structure has a diameter in the range of about 1 - 40 mm ( e . g ., 5 - 20 mm ) and a diameter in the range of about 0 . 5 - 10 mm ( e . g ., 1 - 2 mm ) in a collapsed configuration . wall thickness of the elongate support structure are , in some embodiments , ranges from about 0 . 01 - 4 mm ( e . g ., about 0 . 02 - 1 mm 0 . 02 - 0 . 05 mm , e . g ., 0 . 025 mm ). the elongate support structure may be braided , knitted or weaved with two or more strands ( e . g ., about 12 - 120 strands , 12 - 96 strands , 48 strands ) in some embodiments . the pattern , in some embodiments , is one - over - one - under - two , one - over - one - under - one , two - over - two - under - two , etc . in some embodiments , the braid angle is in the range of about 45 - 179 degrees ( e . g ., about 130 - 160 degrees , 151 degrees ). the picks ( or pixels ) per inch ( ppi ) range from about 50 - 300 ppi ( e . g ., about 150 - 190 ppi , e . g ., 171 ppi ). in some embodiments , increased outward expansile force and / or compression resistance is provided by a higher braid angle and / or higher ppi . in some embodiments , the force / resistance ( e . g ., radial force ) is in a range sufficient to expand a target vessel in the range of about 0 %- 30 %. in some embodiments , the total diameter size of the treatment device is 0 . 5 mm - 1 . 5 mm greater than the target vessel diameter . in some embodiments , the total diameter size of the treatment device is oversized by 10 - 50 % with respect to the target vessel diameter . the elongate support structure may be made of shape memory alloys ( e . g ., nickel titanium ). in some embodiments , the elongate support structure is about 50 - 95 % ( e . g ., 75 %) nickel titanium and about 5 - 50 % ( e . g ., 25 %) platinum iridium or platinum tungsten or combinations thereof . the radio - opaque portions can be spaced or clustered to increase visibility under x - ray . for example , a thick band pattern may be used which can include 1 - 12 radio - opaque strands ( e . g ., filaments , wires , etc .) that are wound adjacently with one another . in several embodiments , the bulbs are integral with the elongate support structure . in other embodiments , the bulbs are coupled ( fixably or reversibly coupled ) to the elongate support structure . for example , bulbs size ( with respect to the outer diameter in an expanded configuration ) is about 0 . 5 - 3 mm ( e . g ., 3 mm ), about 3 . 1 - 3 . 9 mm ( e . g ., 3 . 5 mm ), about 4 - 4 . 4 mm ( e . g ., 4 mm ), and about 4 . 5 - 7 . 5 mm ( e . g ., 4 . 5 mm ) are provided . in some embodiments , the bulbs are sized in the range of about 1 mm - 80 mm ( e . g ., 2 mm - 12 mm ). bulbs in range of 4 - 10 mm may be particular beneficial for larger clots and / or vessels ( e . g ., in the leg ). the sizes above are reduced by 1 . 3 - 10 times in the collapsed configuration . in some embodiments , the collapsed configuration of the bulbs is about 50 - 80 % of the inner diameter of the delivery catheter ( e . g ., microcatheter ). in some embodiments , each consecutive bulb is larger than the other . in other embodiments , two sizes are used in an alternate pattern . in yet other embodiments , three or more sizes are used in a series , and each series is repeated two , three , four , five , six , seven , or more times . as an example , if a series of three sizes is alternated , twenty - one bulbs are used . in some embodiments , larger bulbs may be used at the ends , while smaller bulbs are used in the middle . bulbs may be smaller at the ends and larger in the middle . various bulb shapes may be used according to several embodiments , including spherical , oblong , egg , and elliptical ( e . g ., with respect to top view , side - view and / or cross - section ). square , rectangular and diamond - shapes ( e . g ., with respect to top view , side - view and / or cross - section ) are used in some embodiments . spiral , twisted , or helical bulbs are provided in some embodiments . for example , sphere - like bulbs and oblong bulbs may be used in a single strand . in some embodiments , shapes are alternated . in yet other embodiments , three or more shapes are used in a series , and each series is repeated two , three , four , five , six , seven , or more times . in some embodiments , bulbs of a first shape may be used at the ends , while bulbs of a second shape are used in the middle . bulbs may be a first shape at the ends and a second shape in the middle , or vice versa . the positioning of the bulbs may be beneficial for certain vessel sizes and / or clot locations , material , and / or sizes . bulbs may be touching ( e . g ., contiguous ) or non - touching . a single strand may include bulbs that are both touching and non - touching . in several embodiments , a strand includes bulbs that are all non - touching and / or are spaced apart by one or more spacers . these spacers may be of the same or different material than the bulbs . the spacers may also be shaped differently than the bulbs . the spacers may comprise , be embedded with or coated by markers or other visualization aids ( such as radio - opaque portions ). the bulbs may be separated by distances of about 0 . 1 to 50 mm , including , but not limited to , about 0 . 5 - 1 , 1 - 2 , 2 - 3 , 3 - 4 , 4 - 5 , 5 - 8 , 8 - 10 , 10 - 12 , 12 - 15 , 15 - 25 , 25 - 35 , and 35 - 50 mm apart , including overlapping ranges thereof . the spaces between all the bulbs in one strand may be constant . alternatively , the spacing between two or more ( or all ) of the bulbs may be different . in some embodiments , some bulbs are spaced the same distance from one another , while other bulbs have different spacing . fig2 is a schematic diagram illustrating the 3d perspective view of one of the embodiments with a spherical tapered textile structure . fig3 is a schematic diagram illustrating the 2d view of one of the embodiments with an oblong tapered textile structure . fig4 is a schematic diagram illustrating the 3d perspective view of one of the embodiments with an oblong tapered textile structure . fig5 is a schematic diagram illustrating the 2d view of one of the embodiments with a spherical and oblong interspersed tapered textile structure . fig6 is a schematic diagram illustrating the 2d view of one of the embodiments with a spherical non - tapered textile structure . fig7 is a schematic diagram illustrating the 2d view of one of the embodiments with an oblong non - tapered textile structure . fig8 is a schematic diagram illustrating the 2d view of one of the embodiments with a spherical and oblong interspersed non - tapered textile structure . fig9 is a schematic diagram illustrating the 2d view of one of the embodiments with cylindrical wide - mouthed distal tip textile structure . fig1 is a schematic diagram illustrating the 2d view of one of the embodiments with a cylindrical narrow - mouthed distal tip textile structure . fig1 is a schematic diagram illustrating the 2d view of one of the embodiments with a cylindrical narrow - mouthed distal tip with a spherical or oblong distal filter textile structure . fig1 is a schematic diagram illustrating the 2d view of one of the embodiments with a cylindrical narrow - mouthed distal tip with a spherical distal and proximal filter textile structure . fig1 is a schematic diagram illustrating the 2d view of one of the embodiments with a cylindrical narrow - mouthed distal tip with an oblong distal and proximal filter textile structure . fig1 a is a schematic diagram illustrating the wires positioned on the yarn to develop a biomedical textile structure in one of the embodiments . fig1 b is a schematic diagram illustrating the braid carrier set up mechanism for the position of the wires on the yarn to develop a biomedical textile structure in one of the embodiments . fig1 a is a photograph illustrating the wires being braided into a biomedical textile structure on the yarn in one of the embodiments . fig1 b is a photograph illustrating the wires being knitted into a biomedical textile structure in one of the embodiments . fig1 c is a photograph illustrating the wires being woven into a biomedical textile structure in one of the embodiments . fig1 is a photograph illustrating the primary tubular shape set textile structure in one of the embodiments . fig1 is a schematic diagram illustrating the primary shape setting into the necessary geometries needed to develop the shape - set textile structures in one of the embodiments . fig1 is a photograph illustrating the mandrel used for braiding on the yarn that is then used for primary shape setting into the necessary geometries needed in one of the embodiments . fig1 is a photograph illustrating secondary shape setting into the necessary geometries needed to develop the shape - set textile structure in one of the embodiments . fig2 is an x - ray photograph illustrating one of the embodiments where there is grouping of multiple radio - opaque filaments or wires together to form an inter - twining thick band for maximal radio - opacity during fluoroscopy . radio - opaque materials , metals or alloys , including but not limited to iridium , platinum , tantalum , gold , palladium , tungsten , tin , silver , titanium , nickel , zirconium , rhenium , bismuth , molybdenum , or combinations of the above etc . to enable visibility during interventional procedures . fig2 is an x - ray photograph illustrating single filaments inter - twined to provide radio - opacity during fluoroscopy in one of the embodiments . fig2 is an x - ray photograph illustrating double filaments inter - twined to provide radio - opacity during fluoroscopy in one of the embodiments . fig2 is a photograph illustrating the need for post - processing of the free end of the textile structure to keep the filaments or wires from fraying in one of the embodiments . post - processing of the free end of the textile structure ( e . g ., the elongate support structure and the bulbs ) in some of the embodiments includes dip coating , spray coating , sandwich welding the free end using radio - opaque marker bands . radio - opaque marker band materials , metals or alloys , including but not limited to iridium , platinum , tantalum , gold , palladium , tungsten , tin , silver , titanium , nickel , zirconium , rhenium , bismuth , molybdenum , or combinations of the above etc . to enable visibility during interventional procedures . in some of the embodiments , radio - opaque marker bands can be sandwich welded to the free end of the textile structure ( e . g ., the elongate support structure and the bulbs ), butt welded to the distal end of the delivery system / hypotube , bonded or soldered to the delivery system or hypotube at regular intervals or laser welded into the kerfs created in the laser cut pattern at regular intervals to help measure a clot length , such radio - opaque markers at regular intervals may be separated by distances of about 0 . 1 to 50 mm , including , but not limited to , about 0 . 5 - 1 , 1 - 2 , 2 - 3 , 3 - 4 , 4 - 5 , 5 - 8 , 8 - 10 , 10 - 12 , 12 - 15 , 15 - 25 , 25 - 35 , and 35 - 50 mm apart , including overlapping ranges thereof . the dip coating or spray coating may comprise a biomedical polymer , e . g ., silicone , polyurethane , polyethylene ( rexell ™ made by huntsman ), polypropylene , polyester ( hytril ™ made by dupont ), poly tetra fluoro - ethylene ( ptfe ), polyvinyl chloride ( pvc ), polyamides ( durethan ™ made by bayer ), polycarbonate ( corethane ™ made by corvita corp ), or polyethylene - terephthalate . the dip coating or spray coating may further comprise a radio - opaque material , e . g ., particles of tantalum , particles of gold , other radio - opaque agents , e . g ., barium sulfate , tungsten powder , bismuth subcarbonate , bismuth oxychloride , iodine containing agents such as iohexol ( omnipaque ™ amersham health ). fig2 is a schematic diagram illustrating the appearance of the free end of the textile structure ( e . g ., the elongate support structure and the bulbs ) after laser cutting the free end to keep the filaments or wires from fraying in one of the embodiments . fig2 is a schematic diagram illustrating the inlay bonding approach between the shape - set textile structure ( e . g ., the elongate support structure and the bulbs ) and the delivery system ( e . g ., a hypotube , wire or multi - filament hybrid ) using solder in one of the embodiments . the solder may be a silver - based lead free solder in some embodiments . the shape - set textile structure may be substantially or fully oxide free when bonding the shape - set textile structure to the delivery system when using such solder . fig2 is a schematic diagram illustrating the overall ratio of the cross - sectional area between the filaments or wires of the textile structure ( e . g ., the elongate support structure and the bulbs ) and the bonding agent in one of the embodiments . fig2 a is a schematic diagram illustrating the inlay bonding approach between the shape - set textile structure and delivery system using epoxy agents in one of the embodiments . fig2 b is a photograph illustrating the inlay bonding approach between the shape - set textile structure and delivery system using epoxy agents in one of the embodiments . fig2 is a schematic diagram illustrating the inlay bonding approach between the shape - set textile structure ( e . g ., the elongate support structure and the bulbs ) and delivery system using a pinched ring as well as a bonding agent in one of the embodiments . fig2 is a schematic diagram illustrating the inlay bonding approach between the shape - set textile structure ( e . g ., the elongate support structure and the bulbs ) and delivery system ( e . g ., a hypotube , wire or multi - filament hybrid ) using a pinched tube as well as a bonding agent in one of the embodiments . in some of the embodiments , inlay bonding approach includes laser welding , laser butt welding , laser rivet welding , and mechanical crimping of a flared distal end of the hypotube on the inlayed proximal neck of the textile structure ( e . g ., the elongate support structure and the bulbs ). fig3 is a schematic diagram illustrating the overlay bonding approach between the proximal neck of the shape - set textile structure ( e . g ., the elongate support structure and the bulbs ) and the distal end of the delivery system ( e . g ., a hypotube , wire or multi - filament hybrid ) using solder in one of the embodiments . fig3 is a schematic diagram illustrating the overlay bonding approach between the proximal neck of the shape - set textile structure ( e . g ., the elongate support structure and the bulbs ) and the distal end of the delivery system ( e . g ., a hypotube , wire or multi - filament hybrid ) using epoxy in one of the embodiments . fig3 is a schematic diagram illustrating the overlay bonding approach between the proximal neck of the shape - set textile structure ( e . g ., the elongate support structure and the bulbs ) and the non - laser cut distal tip of the delivery system ( e . g ., a hypotube , wire or multi - filament hybrid ) using epoxy in one of the embodiments . fig3 is a schematic diagram illustrating the overlay bonding approach between the proximal neck of the shape - set textile structure ( e . g ., the elongate support structure and the bulbs ) and the distal end of the delivery system ( e . g ., a hypotube , wire or multi - filament hybrid ) using epoxy and heat shrink tubing in one of the embodiments . fig3 is a schematic diagram illustrating the overlay bonding approach between the distal neck of the shape - set textile structure ( e . g ., the elongate support structure and the bulbs ) and the distal end of the delivery system ( e . g ., a hypotube , wire or multi - filament hybrid ) using bonding agent in one of the embodiments . in some of the embodiments , overlay bonding approach includes laser welding , laser butt welding , laser rivet welding , and mechanical crimping of a flared distal end of the hypotube on the inlayed proximal neck of the textile structure ( e . g ., the elongate support structure and the bulbs ). fig3 is a photography illustrating the angled flexible laser - cut hypotube delivery system in one of the embodiments . various components ( e . g ., the elongate support structure , the bulbs , the sheath or the delivery system such as the hypotube ) may be made up of materials that are biocompatible or surface treated to produce biocompatibility . suitable materials include e . g ., platinum , titanium , nickel , chromium , cobalt , tantalum , tungsten , iron , manganese , molybdenum , and alloys thereof including nitinol , chromium cobalt , stainless steel , etc . suitable materials also include combinations of metals and alloys . suitable materials also include polymers such as polylactic acid ( pla ), polyglycolic acid ( pga ), polyclycoloc - lactic acid ( plga ), polycaprolactone ( pcl ), polyorthoesters , polyanhydrides , and copolymers thereof . in some embodiments , the thrombectomy device is made of nitinol and platinum tungsten . fig3 is a schematic diagram illustrating dimensions for laser - cut pattern a in one of the embodiments . fig3 is a schematic diagram illustrating dimensions for laser - cut pattern b in one of the embodiments . fig3 is a schematic diagram illustrating the directional stagger of laser - cut pattern a and pattern b in one of the embodiments . fig3 is a schematic diagram illustrating the interspersed laser - cut pattern a and b in one of the embodiments . fig4 is a schematic diagram illustrating the interspersed laser - cut pattern a and b with the inter - pattern stagger in one of the embodiments . fig4 is a schematic diagram illustrating the edges of the kerf in the angled laser - cut delivery system or hypotube are rounded or sharp in one of the embodiments . fig4 is a schematic diagram illustrating the flexible transition points in the laser - cut pattern of the hypotube in one of the embodiments . fig4 is a photograph illustrating the degree of angled laser - cut and the degree of uncut in the angled laser - cut delivery system or hypotube in one of the embodiments . fig4 is a schematic diagram illustrating the horizontal laser - cut delivery system in one of the embodiments . fig4 is a schematic diagram illustrating the edges of the kerf in the horizontal laser - cut delivery system or hypotube are rounded or sharp in one of the embodiments . fig4 is a photograph illustrating the degree of horizontal laser - cut and the degree of uncut in the horizontal laser - cut delivery system or hypotube in one of the embodiments . fig4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a hybrid delivery system with the filaments or wires that are braided together like a hypotube in one of the embodiments . fig4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a thrombus or blood clot in the right middle cerebral artery causing an acute ischemic stroke noted during angiography with a guide catheter or a shuttle or a balloon guide catheter positioned in the right internal carotid artery in one of the embodiments . fig4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a catheter ( e . g ., microcatheter ) being advanced across the thrombus or blood clot in the right middle cerebral artery over a microwire in one of the embodiments . the microwire is then removed and the mechanical thrombectomy device is advanced through the hub of the microcatheter via an introducer sheath that is protective encasing for the flexible delivery system . in several embodiments , the catheter ( e . g ., microcatheter ) is reinforced with the laser cut hypotube so as to , in one embodiment , inherit the maneuverability advantages of the hypotube ( e . g ., to facilitate proximal support and distal flexibility ). in some embodiments , a catheter with varying pitches is used . for example , the pitch from the distal end to the proximal end varies as follows : about 0 . 005 inch , 0 . 01 inch , 0 . 02 inch , 0 . 04 inch , 0 . 08 inch and 0 . 16 inch . in some embodiments , the pitch from the distal end to the proximal end varies as follows : about 0 . 005 inch for the distal most 20 %, 0 . 01 inch for the next 15 %, 0 . 02 inch for the next 15 %, 0 . 04 inch for the next 15 %, 0 . 08 inch for the next 15 %, and 0 . 16 inch for the next ( or proximal - most ) 20 %. the introducer sheath may comprise a biomedical polymer , e . g ., silicone , polyurethane , polyethylene ( rexell ™ made by huntsman ), polypropylene , polyester ( hytril ™ made by dupont ), poly tetra fluoro - ethylene ( ptfe ), polyvinyl chloride ( pvc ), polyamides ( durethan ™ made by bayer ), polycarbonate ( corethane ™ made by corvita corp ), or polyethylene - terephthalate . combinations of two or more of these materials may also be used . the microcatheter may comprise a biomedical polymer , e . g ., silicone , polyurethane , polyethylene ( rexell ™ made by huntsman ), polypropylene , polyester ( hytril ™ made by dupont ), poly tetra fluoro - ethylene ( ptfe ), polyvinyl chloride ( pvc ), polyamides ( durethan ™ made by bayer ), polycarbonate ( corethane ™ made by corvita corp ), or polyethylene - terephthalate . combinations of two or more of these materials may also be used . fig5 is a photograph illustrating the shape - set textile structure based mechanical thrombectomy device in one of the embodiments . in several embodiments , the devices described herein can be used in the brain . in some embodiments , vasculature in the periphery can be treated . in some embodiments , coronary vessels are treated . abdominal aorta and branches are treated in several embodiments . in some embodiments , a subject having a clot is identified . an access catheter is advanced over a guidewire to a vessel proximate or containing the clot . the guidewire may be removed at this stage . a microcatheter is advanced over a microwire , but stop before or at the clot . the microwire then crosses the clot by 0 . 5 - 5 mm ( e . g ., slices through the center of the clot ). the microcatheter is then advanced over the microwire to cross the clot . the microwire is then removed or retracted . the thrombectomy device ( the elongate support structure with the bulbs bonded to a delivery system , such as a hypotube , wire or multi - filament wire / hypotube device ), as disclosed in several embodiments herein is positioned within an introducer sheath , and together are advanced through the hub of the microcatheter . the thrombectomy device is then advanced through the microcatheter , and the introducer sheath is removed . the thrombectomy device is advanced until it is at the tip of the microcatheter ( which is beyond the clot ). the thrombectomy device is kept in position , and the microcatheter is retracted ( e . g ., unsleeved , unsheathed ) until the thrombectomy device is expanded . the length of retraction is related to length of the clot in one embodiment ( e . g ., the microcatheter is retracted to or before the proximal end of the clot ). the thrombectomy device is torqued ( e . g ., in a counterclockwise motion ) to facilitate torsional rasping ( e . g ., rotationally scraping ), thereby allowing the bulb ( s ) to entrap the clot , and collect any debris ( emboli ). the sticky portions of the clot , which can be attached to the endothelium wall , can be removed by the torqueing motion . the non - laser cut braided nature of the bulbs facilaite gentle entrapment of the clot without perforating the blood vessel . in one embodiment , a 360 degree rotation on the proximal end results in a distal rotation that is less than 360 degrees ( e . g ., 90 - 180 degrees ). in several embodiments , the rotational force from the proximal end to the distal is not 1 : 1 . instead the ratio is 1 : 0 . 75 , 1 : 0 . 5 or 1 : 0 . 25 . this non - 1 : 1 ratio , in some embodiments , is beneficial because it provides a gentle rotation that reduces the risk that the blood vessel is rotated , displaced , disrupted or perforated . in several embodiments , if one bulb cannot fully entrap the clot , another bulb ( whether it is the same or different in size and / or shape ) will be able to further entrap the clot . in some embodiments , the undulations ( e . g ., the hills and valleys created by the bulbs and support structure ) facilitate clot entrapment . undulation is also provided at a micro level by the braiding pattern . this dual - undulating pattern enhances scraping and entrapment in several embodiments . the clot , once entrapped or captured by the bulbs , can then be removed as the thrombectomy device is removed from the subject . the thrombectomy device is removed as follows in some embodiments : the microcatheter and the delivery system ( e . g ., hypotube ) are retracted into the tip of the guide catheter while negative suction is applied ( e . g ., with a syringe ) at the level of the guide catheter and also while the microcatheter is retracted at a similar rate such that the microcatheter does not generally recapture any expanded portion of the thrombectomy device or expand ( or expose ) additional portions of the thrombectomy device . in other words , unexpanded bulbs remain unexpanded and expanded bulbs remain expanded until they are retracted into the guide catheter . suction can be applied for about 5 - 30 seconds using a 30 - 90 cc syringe . the steps above need not be performed in the order recited . the following references are herein incorporated by reference : ( 1 ) sarti c , rastenyte d , cepaitis z , tuomilehto j . international trends in mortality from stroke , 1968 to 1994 . stroke . 2000 ; 31 : 1588 - 1601 ; ( 2 ) wolf p a , d &# 39 ; agostino r b . epidemiology of stroke . in : barnett h j m , mohr j p , stein b m , yatsu f , eds . stroke : pathophysiology , diagnosis , and management . 3rd ed . new york , n . y . : churchill livingstone ; 1998 : 6 - 7 ; ( 3 ) adams h p , jr ., adams r j , brott t , del zoppo g j , furlan a , goldstein l b , grubb r l , higashida r , kidwell c , kwiatkowski t g , marler j r , hademenos g j . guidelines for the early management of patients with ischemic stroke : a scientific statement from the stroke council of the american stroke association . stroke . 2003 ; 34 : 1056 - 1083 ; ( 4 ) rymer m m , thrutchley d e . organizing regional networks to increase acute stroke intervention . neurol res . 2005 ; 27 : 59 - 16 ; and ( 5 ) furlan a , higashida r , wechsler l , gent m , rowley h , kase c , pessin m , ahuja a , callahan f , clark w m , silver f , rivera f . intra - arterial prourokinase for acute ischemic stroke . the proact ii study : a randomized controlled trial . prolyse in acute cerebral thromboembolism . jama . 1999 ; 282 : 2003 - 2011 . while the invention is susceptible to various modifications , and alternative forms , specific examples thereof have been shown in the drawings and are herein described in detail . it should be understood , however , that the invention is not to be limited to the particular forms or methods disclosed , but to the contrary , the invention is to cover all modifications , equivalents and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the various embodiments described and the appended claims . the ranges disclosed herein also encompass any and all overlap , sub - ranges , and combinations thereof . language such as “ up to ,” “ at least ,” “ greater than ,” “ less than ,” “ between ,” and the like includes the number recited . numbers preceded by a term such as “ about ” or “ approximately ” include the recited numbers . for example , “ about 3 mm ” includes “ 3 mm ” | 0 |
fig1 shows a method for managing documents in electronic data processing installations by means of a data bank as it is known from the prior art . data banks have comprehensive access and management mechanisms by way of which the documents filed in such data banks can be managed in a time - optimized and comfortable manner . however , for the purpose of providing application programs having no or only limited functional access to data banks with the possibility of using such comprehensive access and management mechanisms of a data bank , a communication link has to be established between the data bank , on the one hand , and the operating system and the application programs on the other . in fig1 an adaptation configured in the form of a macro is arranged for said purpose between an operating program and the data bank . the application program communicates with the data bank via the macro and a control program configured in the form of a document management system client , and is provided in this way with the capability of employing the comprehensive search and management functions of said data bank for managing the documents by means of document attributes and extended index features . for searching for a document , the user transmits a search query for a defined document attribute content to the data bank by way of the macro or the dms client . following the selection of a result data record , the document is retrieved from the data file system or the magnetic tape library system via a cross - reference , and transferred via the macro or the data file system to the application program ( see the direct arrow connection between the application program and the operating system ). some application programs also permit direct access to the data bank without having to make the detour via the adaptation and the control program . however , said type of access to a data bank , which is only rarely found in practical applications , requires that the application program permits direct access to the data bank , and that the data bank has a communications interface that can be directly addressed out of the application program , for example by means of a macro . furthermore , with both types of access to the data bank , the individual macros are strictly adapted to ( proprietarily ) the given application program , and much work and time expenditure is required for generating and maintaining the many different macros for the individual application programs . fig2 represents another method for managing documents in electronic data processing installations . said method is known from the prior art as well and widely employed at the present time . in connection with said method , the documents are filed in the individual directories of a data file system . an application program and the operating system , in the manner known , have direct access to the documents and the document attributes via the data file system . however , search or management mechanisms are hardly made available by a data file system . the search for a defined document or document attribute content in the data file system is executed sequentially ( recursively ), and is for that reason extremely time - intensive mainly in cases where documents have to be managed in large quantities . furthermore , the type and scope of the document attributes for managing the documents in the data file system are preset by the operating system and can neither be changed nor extended by the user . finally , no hierarchical management of storage media ( e . g . optical memory ) for increasing the data safety is feasible in connection with the known data file systems . the hierarchical storage unit schematically shown in fig3 of ep 0 665 499 a2 is known , for example , for counteracting the drawback of lack of data safety in connection with data file systems . a data file system is generated on said storage unit that permits a hierarchical management of storage media . an scsi - bus peripheral driver reproduces for said purpose a data file system in a magnetic tape library system . via the data file system interface of the peripheral driver , the individual application programs of the type of a data file system as shown in fig2 have direct access to the tape library system where the individual documents with the document attributes are filed . however , no search mechanisms at all are made available by the storage unit according to fig3 . said storage unit would be suitable only as a storage subsystem for a data file system or a data bank . on the other hand , fig4 shows a data file system as it is known , for example from wo 95 / 16 241 . with said system , the documents are filed in the individual directories of a data file system as known from fig2 . an application program and the operating system have direct access to the documents and document attributes via the data file system in the known way . the contents of the individual directory entries of the data file system refer for each document to a corresponding quasi - data bank , where designations and values of the extended index features are filed . however , the search for a document with a defined document attribute content from the operating system or from an application program takes place not directly but always via the alternate route of the quasi - data banks . such a two - stage search is extremely time - intensive and leads to extremely long search times in connection with a large number of documents and document attributes , because the designation of the index feature in the quasi - data bank has to be compared first before the value ( content ) can be checked . against the background of the state of the art shown in fig1 to 4 the invention proposes the method schematically shown in fig5 for optimizing the management of documents in data processing installations . in connection with said method , a data file system is reproduced by means of an operating system - specific peripheral driver in association with the data bank . the operating system and the application programs have direct access to the data bank and the document attributes filed therein by way of a data file system interface of the peripheral driver . the documents themselves are filed either in the data bank as well , or in a storage subsystem ( e . g . a magnetic tape library ). a virtual data file system is made available to the operating system ( and to the application programs ) by the peripheral driver , and the operating system and the application programs can directly access the data bank via said virtual data file system . for this purpose , the peripheral driver converts commands from the operating system or from the application programs into corresponding data bank commands , and vice versa converts commands from the data bank or data bank outputs into corresponding operating system or application program commands ( mapping ). on the other hand , the operating system and the application programs are capable also of employing the comprehensive search and management functions of a data bank , said functions being known per se . by employing a document management system interface ( dms interface ) it is possible to additionally manage the documents by means of extended index features . application programs having a suitable communications interface ( extended application programs ) can support and use the extended index features and the extended functionalities resulting therefrom . the documents in the data bank can then be optimally and particularly comfortably managed from said application programs . furthermore , the peripheral driver as defined by the invention can make available additional search and / or management functions with the help of an extended interface . it appears to the user that the additional functions are a fixed component of the operating system . said additional functions , however , are in fact made available by a corresponding function control of the peripheral driver . the additional functions permit the method as defined by the invention for managing documents in a system of data processing installations to be configured in the form of a highly optimized and comfortable process . the method as defined by the invention for managing documents in a system comprising a plurality of electronic data processing installations combined to form a network , is schematically shown in fig6 . as an example of such a network , fig6 shows a data processing installation ( client ) arranged on the user side , and a data processing installation for controlling the network ( server ). the data bank with the contents of the document attributes filed in said data bank , and with cross - references to the respective documents , is installed in the server . the documents as such are filed in a magnetic tape library installed in the network server , or filed in their own tape library server . the client has a peripheral driver as defined by the invention , and application programs ( not shown ) installed in the client can directly access the document attributes and the documents via the virtual data file system . the method as defined by the invention permits a management of documents in data processing installations in a substantially optimized manner . furthermore , the access of an operating system and of application programs to a data bank is standardized and simplified and , at the same time made significantly more comfortable for the user by virtue of the peripheral driver as defined by the invention . | 8 |
an exemplified embodiment regarding with the present invention will be explained in reference to drawings below . fig1 shows a block diagram that shows measuring means employed in the exemplified embodiment . a cardiac rate is estimated from an electrocardiogram . a cardiac sound is recorded by a microphone attached to a breast . the microphone is covered by a plastic cover having a dome shape . the cardiac sound and the cardiac electronic signal corresponding to a cardiac electrogram were taken in a personal computer through an a / d converter after amplification of the cardiac sound and the cardiac electronic signal . an output from an acceleration sensor attached to a part of body is taken in a personal computer thorough an a / d converter after amplification of the output . the acceleration sensor was attached to the lumbar part of a person being tested ( 23 years old , male , height : 173 . 5 cm , weight : 70 . 1 kg ) and used for detecting exercise condition of the person being tested . fig2 shows cycles of the person &# 39 ; s heart . waveform 1 and waveform 2 shown in fig2 correspond to a cardiac electrogram waveform and a cardiac sound waveform , respectively . the period from r 1 to r 2 corresponds to one cardiac cycle . a first heart sound s 1 appears after the appearance of r wave corresponds to a closing sound of mitral valve or eustachian valve , or an opening sound of the aortic valve . a second heart sound s 2 appears after the appearance of t wave corresponds to a closing sound of the aortic valve . a ratio of a length of a cardiac dilation period relative to a length of one cardiac cycle is estimated by dividing a value obtained by subtracting the length of the period from s 2 to s 1 from the length of the period from r 1 to r 2 by the length of the period from r 1 to r 2 . the heart may become ischemic if the ratio of the length of the cardiac dilation period relative to the length of one cardiac cycle is extremely low because oxygen is supplied to myocardium during the cardiac dilation period . the ratio should be higher than 50 % for narrowing of coronary arteries for safety &# 39 ; s sake . fig3 shows changes of amplitude of first heart sound s 1 ( mv ), ratio of a length of cardiac dilation period relative to a length of one cardiac cycle (%), epinephrine concentration ( pg / ml ) and blood lactate concentration ( mmol / l ) according to change of exercise stress intensity after 10 times of heart beats from the end of the exercise . hsbp ( heart sound break point ) where the amplitude of the first cardiac sound changes sharply appears at around 120 watt clearly . epinephrine concentration begins an upward trend in the vicinity of the hsbp . blood lactate concentration begins also an upward trend in the vicinity of the hsbp . it is can be concluded that change of the amplitude of first cardiac sound according to change of load strength of the exercise or intensity of the exercise stress correlates with changes of epinephrine concentration and blood lactate concentration according to change of load strength of the exercise or intensity of the exercise stress . this indicates that a right intensity of fitness level or exercise stress can be determined by examining change of the amplitude of the first cardiac sound , which can be observed noninvasively . as mentioned above , it is possible to determine a right intensity of fitness level or exercise stress based on change of amplitude of first cardiac sound . it is preferable to consider length of cardiac dilation period to assure safeness in addition to change of amplitude of the first cardiac sound . if a criterion ratio of the length of cardiac dilation period relative to the length of period of one cardiac cycle below which is contraindicated with a patient is known in advance , it is possible to determine a safe and right fitness level of patient based on the criterion ratio . for example , it is preferable to confirm that the criterion ratio of the length of cardiac dilation period relative to the length of the period of one cardiac cycle is higher than 50 % at a right intensity of exercise stress estimated from amplitude of first cardiac sound because this may cause ischemia of a patient with a symptom such as narrowing of coronary arteries if the ratio of length of cardiac dilation period relative to length of period of one cardiac cycle is 50 % or less . in the exemplified embodiment , a right intensity of exercise stress estimated from amplitude of first cardiac sound may be safe because a ratio of the length of cardiac dilation period relative to length of period of one cardiac cycle at ( hsbp ) is higher than 50 %. it is desirable to pay attention to a folding point of the change of the ratio of the length of cardiac dilation period relative to the length of the period of one cardiac cycle to determine an safe exercise strength . as shown in fig3 , the change of the ratio of length of cardiac dilation period relative to length of period of one cardiac cycle has a folding point ranging from 80 watt to 90 watt where a sharp change is observed . the folding , point corresponds to change of cardiac burden . it is preferable to determine intensities between 80 watt and 90 watt as a right intensity for a severe patient . a right intensity of exercise stress for the severe patient can be estimated from a folding point of the change of ratio of the length of cardiac dilation period relative to length of the period of one cardiac cycle . changes of amplitude of first heat sound and ratio of length of cardiac dilation period relative to length of the period of one cardiac cycle are useful indicators to determine a safe and appropriate intensity of exercise stress . if an intensity corresponding to a folding point of change of ratio of the length of cardiac dilation period relative to the length of the period of one cardiac cycle is lower than an intensity corresponding to folding point of change of amplitude of the first heat sound a right intensity of exercise stress can be easily determined only based on change of ratio of length of cardiac dilation period relative to length of period of one cardiac cycle . fig4 shows a comparison between a change of amplitude of the first heart sound during exercise and change of amplitude of first heart sound after exercise . change of amplitude of first heart sound during exercise was obtained by averaging amplitudes of first heart sound detected with almost no noise during 30 seconds before the end of an ergometer exercise . change of amplitude of first heart sound after exercise was obtained by averaging amplitudes of first heart sound detected during ten times of heart beats just after the ergometer exercise . a folding point obtained from amplitude of first heart sound after exercise appears more clearly than a folding point obtained from amplitude of first heart sound during exercise as shown in fig4 . it is possible to easily determine an appropriate intensity of exercise stress by inspecting amplitudes of the first heat sound just after exercise . as mentioned above , it is preferable to inspect amplitudes of first heat sound just after exercise to determine an appropriate intensity of exercise stress . an acceleration sensor can be used for inspection of exercise condition . the acceleration sensor may be attached a body of a person being tested . an acceleration sensor may be attached to a pectoral region . in this case , the acceleration sensor may be used as a microphone for detecting heat sounds . an acceleration sensor may be attached to a part of body to which a microphone is attached . it is necessary to inspect change of ratio of length of cardiac dilation period relative to length of period of one cardiac cycle during exercise to determine a right intensity of exercise stress exactly . however , it is difficult because of noise generated during exercise . however , as shown in figures form 5 to 8 , there is little difference between change of ratio of length of cardiac dilation period relative to length of period of one cardiac cycle during exercise and change of ratio of length of cardiac dilation period relative to length of period of one cardiac cycle during 10 seconds just after the end that exercise . therefore , it is proper to determine a right intensity of exercise stress based on change of ratio of length of cardiac dilation period relative to length of period of one cardiac cycle during a short period just after the exercise . if a criterion ratio of length of cardiac dilation period relative to length of period of one cardiac cycle is set to be higher than 50 %, a ratio of length of cardiac dilation period relative to length of the period of one cardiac cycle for 50 watt of intensity of exercise stress and a ratio of length of cardiac dilation period relative to length of the period of one cardiac cycle for 50 watt of intensity of exercise stress are higher than 50 % together . accordingly , a right intensity of exercise stress can be considered to be in the range from 50 watt to 100 watt . this correlates with that the folding point of change of ratio of length of cardiac dilation period relative to length of the period of one cardiac cycle as described above . | 0 |
preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings . as shown in fig1 , an image sensor head according to the present invention includes an insulating substrate 1 formed of a ceramic material , for example . the substrate 1 , which is rectangular , has an upper surface on which are mounted a plurality of ccd sensor chips 2 arranged in a row and driver chips 3 for controlling the operation of the ccd sensor chips . the substrate 1 is formed with a wiring pattern ( see fig2 ) for electrically connecting the driver chips 3 to each other . the substrate 1 is formed , at a longitudinal edge thereof , with a connector 4 as a signal connection portion for an external circuit . as shown in fig2 , each of the ccd sensor chips 2 incorporates a light receiving portion 11 capable of performing photo - electric conversion , a memory 12 for storing electric charge obtained at the light receiving portion , and a register 13 for transferring the electric charge . the light receiving portion 11 includes a plurality of photodiodes pd arranged longitudinally of the ccd sensor chip 2 at a predetermined pitch . ( see the leftmost chip 2 a in the figure . other chips 2 b – 2 n also have the same structure .) each of the driver chips 3 receives an image signal transmitted from a corresponding one of the ccd sensor chips 2 and outputs the signal to the outside . the driver chip 3 incorporates a control circuit which utilizes a cmos ( or bicmos ). the control circuit includes an amplification section , a counter section , an analog switch section and a chip select section and the like . each driver chip 3 is directly connected to the corresponding ccd sensor chip 2 via a plurality of control signal lines 15 . each of the signal lines 15 may be a wire formed of gold , for example ( see fig5 ). wire bonding is more advantageous , in various points , than forming a wiring pattern on the substrate 1 and connecting the driver chip 3 to the ccd sensor chip 2 via the wiring pattern . specifically , wire bonding can be performed at a lower cost than forming a wiring pattern . further , the direct connection of the chip 2 to the chip 3 by wire bonding effectively prevents noises from mixing into the signals exchanged between the chips 2 and 3 . the signals transmitted through the control signal lines 15 include a first trigger signal tg 1 , a second trigger signal tg 2 , an output signal vin ( or vout ), are set signal reset , a clock signal φ 1 and an inverted clock signal φ 2 . as shown in fig2 , the substrate 1 is formed with wiring patterns ( 16 a – 16 c ) which are connected to an external circuit via the connector 4 . as shown in the figure , the wiring pattern 16 a connects the plural driver chips 3 to each other and transmits the first trigger signal tg 1 , the second trigger signal tg 2 , an analog output signal ao , the reset signal reset and the clock signal φ 1 . the wiring pattern 16 b supplies a drive voltage vdd to each driver chip 3 while providing grounding for the chip 3 . similarly , the wiring pattern 16 c supplies a drive voltage vdd to each ccd sensor chip 2 while providing grounding for the chip 2 . the first trigger signal tg 1 is a timing signal for selectively operating each driver chip 3 and each ccd sensor chip 2 . as shown in fig2 , the signal line for transmitting the first trigger signal tg 1 connects the plural driver chips ( 3 a – 3 n ) to each other in the form of a daisy chain . specifically , the connector 4 has a trigger signal terminal ( tg 1 ) connected to a tg 1 - in terminal of the first driver chip 3 a . the first driver chip 3 a has a tg 1 - out terminal connected to a tg1 - in terminal of the second driver chip 3 b . similarly , with respect to other driver chips 3 , adjacent ones are connected to each other , and the signal line is finally connected to a tg 1 - in terminal of the n - th driver chip 3 n . with this arrangement , the plural driver chips 3 can be operated successively . the first trigger signal tg 1 supplied to each driver chip 3 is outputted through a tg 1 - out terminal and supplied to the corresponding ccd sensor chip 2 . the second trigger signal tg 2 is a timing signal for instructing the driver chips 3 and the ccd sensor chips 3 to start the image reading for one line . the second trigger signal tg 2 is simultaneously fed to each of the driver chips 3 through the wiring pattern 16 a . the second trigger signal tg 2 thus fed is transmitted from each driver chip 3 to the corresponding one of the ccd sensor chips 2 . the analog output signal ao is an image signal detected at each of the ccd sensor chips 2 . through a vout terminal of the ccd sensor chip 2 , the image signal is inputted into a vin terminal of the corresponding one of the driver chips 3 . thereafter , the image signal is outputted from a vout terminal of the driver chip 3 and supplied to an output signal terminal ( ao ) of the connector 4 through the wiring pattern 16 a . the clock signal φ 1 , which has a frequency of 10 – 20 mhz , is fed to each of the driver chips 3 through the wiring pattern 16 a . the frequency of the clock signal φ 1 is higher than the frequency ( about 2 – 5 mhz ) of the clock signal in the prior - art image sensor head . the clock signal φ 2 is a phase - inverted signal of the clock signal φ 1 and has a phase shifted by 180 degree relative to the clock signal φ 1 . the clock signal φ 2 is generated at each of the driver chips 3 based on the clock signal φ 1 . the clock signal thus generated is fed from the driver chip 3 to the corresponding one of the ccd sensor chips 2 . the reset signal reset is supplied through the wiring pattern 16 a to each of the driver chips 3 and then fed from the driver chip 3 to the corresponding ccd sensor chip 2 . when the reset signal reset is supplied , the residual electric charge is removed from the ccd sensor chip 2 . ( that is , the memory 12 is reset .) next , the operation of the image sensor head of the present invention will be described with reference to the timing charts shown in fig3 and 4 . the timing chart of fig3 illustrates the operation in the case where four ccd sensor chips ( and therefore , four driver chips ) are provided . as is obvious to those skilled in the art , this is just an example , and the present invention is not limited to this example . the clock signal φ 1 inputted through the connector 4 ( fig1 ) is supplied to each of the driver chips 3 through the wiring pattern 16 a . based on the clock signal φ 1 thus supplied , an inverted clock signal φ 2 is generated at each driver chip 3 ( see fig4 ). the clock signal φ 1 and the inverted clock signal φ 2 are supplied from the driver chip 3 to the corresponding ccd sensor chip 2 . the reset signal reset is supplied to each of the ccd sensor chips 2 through the driver chip 3 . as shown in fig4 , the reset signal reset is given in synchronism with the rising edge of the clock signal φ 1 . upon receiving the reset signal reset , each ccd sensor chip 2 resets the memory 12 . ( the residual electric charge is removed .) the second trigger signal t 2 ( see the reference sign a in fig3 ) is inputted into each of the driver chips 3 through the wiring pattern 16 a and then inputted from the driver chip 3 into the corresponding ccd sensor chip 2 . the supplying of the second trigger signal tg 2 means the starting of the image reading operation for one line . the first trigger signal tg 1 is inputted into the plural driver chips 3 at a predetermined time interval . ( see tg 1 - 1 , tg 1 - 2 , tg 1 - 3 and tg 1 - 4 in fig3 .) first , the first trigger signal tg 1 is inputted into the first driver chip 3 a and the first ccd sensor chip 2 a ( b in fig3 ). as a result , image reading is started at the first ccd sensor chip 2 a . after the first trigger signal tg 1 is inputted , the electric charge stored at the plural photodiodes pd in the chip 2 a is transferred via the memory 12 and the register 13 in synchronism with the clock signal φ 1 or the inverted clock signal φ 2 ( see c in fig3 ). as a result , an image reading signal vout as a serial analog output signal is outputted to the first driver chip 3 a . at the driver chip 3 a , the image reading signal vout is amplified to a predetermined level with a high - speed amplifier ( not shown ). thereafter , the image reading signal is outputted toward the terminal ao of the connector 4 ( see the reference sign d in fig3 and 4 ). the reference sign j in fig4 indicates the period during which signals are outputted from dummy pixels ( invalid pixels ). while the signal transfer is performed at the first ccd sensor chip 2 a , the first driver chip 3 a transmits the first trigger signal tg 1 ( see e in fig3 ) to the second driver chip 3 b . this transmission is performed after a predetermined time has elapsed since the first trigger signal tg 1 was supplied to the first driver chip 3 a . the second driver chip 3 b transmits the trigger signal tg 1 to the second ccd sensor chip 2 b . thereafter , similarly to the case of the first ccd sensor chip 2 a , the image reading signal vout is outputted from the second ccd sensor chip 2 b to the second driver chip 3 b . specifically , the electric charge stored at the plural photodiodes in the light receiving portion 11 is transferred via the memory 12 and the register 13 in synchronism with the clock signal ( φ 1 – 2 ) or the inverted clock signal . as a result , the image reading signal vout is serially outputted to the second driver chip 3 b . at the driver chip 3 b , the image reading signal vout is amplified to a predetermined level with a high - speed amplifier ( not shown ). thereafter , the image reading signal is outputted toward the terminal ao of the connector 4 ( see the reference sign f in fig3 ). in this way , subsequent to the image reading signal ( vout - 1 ) from the first ccd sensor chip 2 a , the image reading signal ( vout - 2 ) from the second ccd sensor chip 2 b is outputted toward the analog output signal terminal ao . while the signal transfer is performed at the second ccd sensor chip 2 b , the second driver chip 3 b transmits the first trigger signal tg 1 ( see g in fig3 ) to the third driver chip ( not shown ). as a result , the third driver chip 3 operates the third ccd sensor chip ( not shown ) so that the image reading signal vout - 3 ( see h in fig3 ) obtained by the third ccd sensor chip is outputted toward the terminal ao . the analog image reading signals vout outputted in this way are subjected to the a / d conversion process and the like . as shown in fig2 , in the image sensor head according to the present invention , the driver chips 3 are provided separately from the ccd sensor chips 2 , each driver chip incorporating a control circuit by a cmos which can operate with relatively low power consumption . moreover , the drive voltage ( vdd ) for the driver chips 3 is supplied separately from the drive voltage ( vcc ) for the ccd sensor chips 2 . with this arrangement , it is possible to supply , to the sensor chips 2 and to the driver chips 3 , a drive voltage capable of optimizing the operation performance without causing interference . moreover , as compared with the prior art structure , such individual supply of two kinds of drive voltage can reduce the power dissipation occurring in the circuit . ( it is to be noted that , in the prior art structure , necessary voltages are obtained through the transformer circuit provided in the chip .) fig5 is a sectional view illustrating the main structure of a contact - type image reading apparatus 20 incorporating the above - described image sensor head . as shown in the figure , the apparatus 20 includes a housing 21 on which a transparent document supporting panel 22 is mounted . the document supporting panel 22 has an obverse surface provided with a linear image read region 23 . a platen roller 24 for transferring a document p in the secondary scanning direction is provided above the image read region 23 . in the housing 21 is provided led light sources 25 for illuminating the image read region 23 . further , a lens unit 26 for converging light is provided directly below the image read region 23 . the light conversing lens unit 26 may be a rod lens array comprising a plurality of rod lenses connected in series . the housing 21 is provided , at the bottom thereof , with a substrate 1 ′ on which are mounted the ccd sensor chips 2 and the driver chips 3 described with reference to fig2 – 4 in addition to the light sources 25 . the light emitted from the light sources 25 is reflected by a prism 27 or a reflector 28 before it reaches the image read region 23 to impinge on the surface of the document p . the light reflected by the document p is converged by the lens unit 26 onto the light receiving surfaces of the ccd sensor chips 2 . the ccd sensor chips 2 serially output image signals corresponding to the received amount of light . the present invention being thus described , it is apparent that the same may be varied in many ways . such variations should not be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the present invention , and all such modifications as would be obvious to those skilled in the art are intended to be included within the scope of the following claims . | 7 |
the sternum closure device 1 shown in fig1 to 3 has an inner contact element 2 and an outer contact element 3 , which are connected to one another by means of two latching pins 4 , 5 , acting as a clamping element , and can be clamped relative to one another . the latching pins 4 , 5 are held on the plate - shaped inner contact element 2 , that is substantially rectangular in the embodiment shown , in such a way that they project perpendicularly from the upper side of the inner contact element 2 and this upper side forms a substantially level contact face 6 . the two latching pins 4 , 5 , above the inner contact element 2 , carry a relatively large number of peripheral ribs 7 and they form therewith a latching portion 8 , adjoined toward the free end of the latching pins 4 , 5 by a respective extending portion 9 with a smooth outer wall . placed on the extending portions 9 of the two latching pins 4 , 5 is the outer contact element 3 , which consists of metal and has an approximately rectangular , plate - like centre piece 10 with a flat lower side , and two apertures 11 , 12 which pass through the centre piece 10 and through which the extending portion 9 of the two latching pins 4 , 5 projects . radial incisions 13 emanate from the apertures 11 , 12 and divide the edge region of the apertures 11 , 12 into tabs 14 which are separate from one another and these may be bent elastically from their starting position if the outer contact element 3 is displaced in the direction of the inner contact element 2 and the tabs 14 slide along the peripheral ribs 7 in the process . as a result , the outer contact element 3 may indeed be displaced in the direction of the inner contact element 2 but not in the reverse direction . the material of the outer contact element 3 is bent approximately at right angles in the direction of the inner contact element 2 at the two longitudinal edges of the centre piece 10 and forms a row of pointed holding projections 15 there . the inner contact element 2 , on its two longitudinal sides , also carries pointed holding projections 16 pointing in the direction of the outer contact element 3 and these holding projections 16 are in each case connected to one another on one side of the centre piece 10 by means of a web 17 , which is configured in one piece with the holding projections 16 and consists of metal , for example of titanium or a titanium alloy . the web 17 in this case runs at a right angle to the direction of the holding projections 16 and lies in the plane of the contact face 6 of the inner contact element 2 . this inner contact element 2 , with the exception of the webs 17 and the holding projections 16 , is produced from plastics material , either from a biocompatible durable plastics material such as polyether ether ketone , polyethylene or polyamide or of a resorbable plastics material , such as , for example polylactide or a polylactide copolymer . the contact face 6 is part of a plastics material plate 18 , which is connected on its two longitudinal edges to the web , for example in that the material of the plastics material plate 18 is injection - moulded around the web . the web 17 is therefore embedded in the plastics material and permanently connected thereto . the connection may be configured to be particularly stable in that openings 19 , through which the plastics material passes , are provided in the web 17 ( fig3 ). the inner contact element 2 thus forms an assembled component , which , apart from the central plastics material plate 18 , on the two opposing longitudinal sides in each comprises a web 17 made of metal and provided with holding projections 16 . the plastics material plate is reinforced and stabilised by this web , so the holding projections 16 receive the necessary stability which they require when the inner contact element 2 abuts the inner side of a sternum . the two latching pins 4 , 5 , at their lower end , carry an enlarged head 20 , which engages in a complementary indentation 21 of the plastics material plate and the head and indentation are substantially rectangular so that the latching pin is non - rotatably held on the inner contact element 2 . it is basically also possible to surround the head 20 with the plastics material and to embed it completely in order to produce a connection that is as good as possible . the sternum closure device 1 is applied in a similar manner to a conventional sternum closure device with a metallic inner contact element 2 . the application takes place on the inner face of two sternum parts 22 and 23 which are separated from one another by a separating cut and spread apart . the inner contact element 2 is introduced into the thoracic cavity through the intermediate space 24 between the sternum parts , which is widened by the spreading apart of the sternum parts 22 , 23 and then , after the two sternum parts 22 , 23 have been clamped together , the holding projections 16 of the inner contact element 2 are pressed into the inner face of the sternum parts 22 , 23 in that the inner contact element 2 is clamped against the inner side of the sternum parts 22 , 23 by pulling on the latching pins 4 , 5 . by means of a clamping instrument , not shown in the drawing , the outer contact element 3 is then displaced on the latching pins 4 , 5 in the direction of the inner contact element 2 until the holding projections 15 from the outer side of the sternum parts 22 , 23 have penetrated therein and until the upper side of the inner contact element 2 and the lower side of the outer contact element 3 abut the sternum on both sides and thus durably secure the two sternum parts 22 , 23 relative to one another . in this applied state , the projecting parts of the latching pins 4 , 5 can be removed . a plurality of sternum closure devices 1 of this type can thus be applied at a spacing from one another over the length of the intermediate space 24 , so that these two sternum parts 22 , 23 are secured against one another over the entire length of the separating cut between the two sternum parts 22 , 23 . in the event of a renewed separation of the sternum possibly becoming necessary , the outer contact elements 3 are firstly removed . then a severing of the bone material of the sternum can take place with a bone saw along the latching pins 4 , 5 . during this severing , either the plastics material of the inner contact element 2 can also be severed or else this plastics material is severed with its own tool , for example with scissors or cutting pliers . as soon as the inner contact element 2 is separated into two parts , the sternum parts 22 and 23 can easily be spread apart , and it is then also possible to lift off the parts of the inner contact element 2 individually from the respective sternum part and to remove them from the rear sternum wall . in the embodiment of fig1 to 3 , a hybrid mode of construction has been used with an inner contact element 2 , which consists of a central centre part made of plastics material and of metallic holding projections . in the embodiment of fig4 and 5 , in which mutually corresponding parts have the same reference numerals , a one - piece configuration made of plastics material is selected and in this case the holding projections 16 are thus also manufactured from a plastics material . this inner contact element 2 does not contain any metallic components . it is also easily possible in this configuration , to divide the inner contact element 2 into two parts during a re - operation and to thus make it possible to spread the sternum parts 22 and 23 apart . | 0 |
reference should be made at this time to fig1 - 9 which illustrate various examples of a rotatably adjustable multi - magnet door latch assembly 10 also referred to as latch system 10 capable of latching a door 28 closed . the latch system 10 comprises two major parts , a ferro magnetic latching means 12 also referred to as latching means 12 and a multi - part multi - magnet door latch assembly 14 also referred to as a magnet assembly 14 . the latching means 12 can be fabricated from any materials having ferro magnetic capabilities so that a magnet could latch to the latching means 12 . the latching means 12 is coupled to one but not both of the following : the edge of a door stop 30 as shown in fig8 and 9 and the edge 70 of the door 28 which when closed is adjacent the edge of the door stop 30 . while the magnet assembly 14 is relatively rugged , it might be possible to injure the magnet assembly 14 by exerting sufficient force to it , but such force would probably also destroy the door 28 and door stop 30 , so it does not really matter whether the magnet assembly 14 is on the door 28 and the latching means 12 is on the door stop 30 , or just the contrary , the magnet assembly 14 is on the door stop 30 and the latching means 12 is on the door 28 . the door stop 30 may also be referred to as a door jamb 30 . the latching means 12 comprises only one part and can be coupled to the door 28 or door stop 30 by any means known to the prior art such as glue , screws , etc . the magnet assembly 14 which mates with the latching means 12 when the door 28 is closed against the door stop 30 comprises six parts plus coupling means of a type used in the prior art . the magnet assembly 14 latches with the latching means 12 with a force of for most household purposes 20 pounds or less as selected by the user . the latching force is analog adjustable by rotating rotating adjustment means 24 also referred to as adjustment means 24 . other major elements of magnet assembly 14 comprise a flux plate 16 which is generally planar and is also referred to as a magnetic flux plate 16 , an l - shaped cross - section magnet flux plate 18 also referred to as an l - plate 18 , two generally planar thin magnets 20 , 22 and non - magnetic housing 26 . the first generally planar thin magnet 20 also referred to as the concave magnet 20 has a first straight edge 54a , relatively short edges 56a , 56b adjacent the straight edge 54a and a concave edge 52c from which the concave magnet 20 receives its name . the concave edge 52c is adjacent the short edges 56a , 56b and aligned along a line 52e generally parallel to the straight edge 54a . the two sides 92a , 92b defined by the edges 54a , 56a , 56b , 52c comprise surfaces 92a , 92b , one of which is a north magnetic pole and the opposite of which is a south magnetic pole . it should be noted that the magnets 20 , 22 , are unusual . one normally expects the north and south magnet poles of a magnet to be relatively far apart , usually at opposite ends . while the north and south poles of magnets 20 , 22 are at opposite ends , they are planar , widely distributed and very close together , separated by a distance only a tiny fraction of the length of the magnets 20 , 22 . it does not matter which surface is north pole and which surface is south pole , so long as the magnets 20 , 22 are aligned in the magnet assembly 14 with the north poles coplanar and the south poles coplanar or substantially coplanar . the second generally planar thin magnet 22 also referred to as convex magnet 22 has a first edge 52b in the shape of a convex arc 52b of radius approximately equal to but in a preferred example slightly less than the radius of the concave arc 52c of the concave magnet 20 . the concave and convex arcs 52c , 52b are also referred to as edges 52c , 52b . the magnet 22 is coupled by coupling means 24 also referred to as rotating adjustment means 24 to l - plate 18 and flux plate 16 so that the convex arc 52b of the convex magnet 22 can be rotated by notches 25 , 25a adjacent the concave edge 52c of the concave magnet 20 , the arcs 52c , 52b of the two magnets 20 , 22 being of small enough angles substantially less than 180 ° that the convex magnet 22 can be rotated entirely out of the arc edge 52c of the concave magnet 20 . at least one ferro magnetic flux plate must be coupled to the magnets 20 , 22 so that the ferro magnetic flux plate can couple the door magnetically to the latching means 12 when the door 28 is closed . in the example illustrated , two flux plates 16 , 18 are utilized for greater efficiency . non - magnetic housing means 26 also referred to as housing 26 couple together the parts of the multi - part multi - magnet door latch asesmbly 14 . rotatable coupling means 24 are coupled to the center of the arc 52b of the convex magnet 22 to rotate the convex magnet 22 in relation to the arc 52c of the concave magnet 20 via notch 25 of rotatable coupling means 24 and magnet notch 25a . the convex arc 52bof the convex magnet 22 and the concave arc 52c of the concave magnet 20 are at all times concentric . the generally planar thin ferro magnetic cover flux plate 16 or flux plate 16 has a first edge 38 having the shape of a nearly linear plane segment which can couple magnetically to the ferro magnetic latching means 12 . the interior surface 32a of the generally planar thin ferro magnetic cover flux plate 16 defines a hole 32a to which adjustment means 24 are coupled . at least one other edge of the flux plate 16 has a first selected polarity which is determined by the orientation of the magnets 20 , 22 . it does not matter whether the edge 38 is north magnetic or south magnetic , so long as the magnets 20 , 22 are oriented with their north polarity surfaces parallel and their south polarity surfaces parallel . the second generally planar thin l - shaped cross - section ferro magnetic flux plate 18 must have opposite polarity to the first generally planar thin ferro magnetic cover flux plate 16 which polarity is determined by the orientation of the magnets 20 , 22 . the l - plate 18 comprises a vertical generally thin rectangular facing end 46 which has an interior facing surface 54b which is adjacent a facing edge 54c of the housing 26 . the opposite facing surface 54d of the housing 26 is adjacent straight edge 54a of concave magnet 20 and edge 38 of flux plate 16 . the rectangular facing end 46 has an even thinner generally rectangular facing edge 48 at a 90 ° angle to the rectangular facing surface 54b and adjacent thereto which edge 48 couples magnetically to the ferro magnetic latching means 12 . the l - plate has a second irregular generally planar surface 50a coupled to and generally perpendicular to the vertical generally thin rectangular facing surface 54b , the second surface 50a being generally planar and substantially larger in width than the vertical generally thin rectangular surface 54b the irregular surface 50a being defined by two concentric arcs 52a , 52a &# 39 ;, two chords , 62a , 62a &# 39 ;, one adjacent each arc 52a , 52a &# 39 ;, and a generally vertical base 63 between two generally vertically sides 56e , 56f , one adjacent each arc 52a , 52a &# 39 ;, each chord , 62a , 62a &# 39 ; being adjacent one arc 52a , 52a &# 39 ; and the other chord 62a &# 39 ;, 62a . in the preferred example , the sides 56e , 56f are at an angle of about 80 ° to the surface 54b and are generally parallel to and adjacent to sides 56a , 56b of concave magnet 20 . base 63 is generally adjacent and parallel to concave magnet edge 54a . arcs 52a , 52a &# 39 ; are of the same radius and concentric to convex magnet 22 convex arc 52c and are located to be substantially extensions of concave arc 52c so that 52a , 52a &# 39 ; begin where 52c ends although 52a , 52a &# 39 ; are convex while 52c is concave . the interior surface 50a of the second generally planar thin l - shaped cross - section ferro magnetic angle flux plate 18 defines a circular hole 32c concentric with the center defined by the two arcs 52a , 52a &# 39 ; and concentric to and of radius substantially equal to the radius of the hole 32a through the first generally planar thin ferro magnetic cover flux plate 16 , the holes 32c , 32a , and 32b all having the same radius and being generally circular in cross - section so that rotating adjustment means 24 rotates in each of said three holes , 32a , b , c , adjacent the surfaces 32a , b , c , defining said holes 32a , b , c , permitting male notch 25 to rotate convex magnet 22 via female notch 25a . the first thin generally planar magnet 22 or concave magnet 22 is bilaterially symmetric in two dimensions , parallel to the surfaces 92a , 92b and disposed equally therebetween and perpendicular to the edge 54a midway between the sides or edges 56a , b . the magnet 20 has four edges 54a , 56a , 56b and 52c and two generally planar surfaces 92a , 92b defined by the four edges 54a , 56a , 56b , 52c . the first base edge 54a defines a straight line . the second concave edge 52c is generally aligned along the line 52e parallel to the first edge 54a but the second edge 52c has the shape of a concave arc of radius about equal to the radii of the two arcs 52a &# 39 ;, 52a of the irregular surfaces 50a , 50b of the planar thin l - shaped cross - section ferro magnetic angle flux plate 18 . the other two edges 56e , 56f , the third and fourth edges of concave magnet 20 are each coupled between the straight first edge 54a and the concave edge 52c and form in a primary example an angle of about 80 ° with a base edge 54a . a first surface 92a defined by the four edges , 54a , 56a , 56b , 52c has magnetic north polarity and the second surface 92b parallel to the first surface 92a and disposed of a very small distance therefrom across the thickness of concave magnet 20 has magnetic south polarity . this is an unusual polarity for a magnet since the north and south polarities are spread out over relatively large surfaces 92a , 92b comprising the vast majority of the total surface of concave magnet 20 and are disposed close together a tiny fraction of the length of concave magnet 20 along edge 54a . a second thin generally planar partially convex magnet 22 is bilaterally symmetric in two dimensions , about a plane 90c , parallel to and midway between surfaces 90a and 90b and co - planar with plane 92c midway between surfaces 92a and 92b about which plane 92c magnet 20 is bilaterally symmetric , and additionally magnet 22 is symmetric about plane 91a which goes between the intersection of chords 53a and 53b and the center line 32e about which the holes 32a - 32d are concentric . planes 90c and 92c are the same plane . convex magnet 22 has three edges , arc 52b and chords 53a , 53b and two generally planar surfaces 90a and 90b parallel to each other and bilateral symmetry plane 90c . the first edge 52b comprises a convex arc with an arc length greater than the concave arc 52c of concave magnet 20 . chords 53a , 53b are only partial chords , sine they intersect arc 52b at one end , then intersect each other and terminate near center line 32e so that they are each slightly greater than a radius of the circle defined by arc 52b and centered on line 32e . male notch 25 has the same cross - section as female notch 25a with which it mates to rotate partially convex magnet 22 which is also referred to convex magnet 22 . concave magnet 20 which is actually only partially concave along the arc adjacent convex magnet 22 has an identical cross - section and surface 92a or b to the adjacent part of thin generally planar l shaped cross - section ferro magnet angle flux plate 18 surface 50a , set adjacent cross - section of l plate 18 being at a 90 ° angle to that cross - section of l plate 18 which has an l shape . that part of l plate surface 50a not identical in cross - section to the cross - section of concave magnet 20 surface 92a or b ( depending on orientation ) is identical except for notch 25a to surface 90 a or 90 b ( depending on magnet orientation ) of convex magnet 22 . a particular example having a particular concept , features , design criteria , arrangement and structure is described herein . changes and modifications of the design and arrangement described herein will be obvious to those skilled in the art . other applications will also be obvious such as latches for cabinets , closets , desks , cupboards , etc . the magnetic latch can , of course , be utilized with a door knob or in certain applications without a door knob . different materials , of course , can be used . changes in aesthetics , features , or decoration of the components would be obvious as would changes of the design as described at the end of the summary of the invention utilizing the concept of changing magnetic force by rotary , linear or other motions which create an air gap to reduce magnetic force . other modifications of the disclosed embodiment within the scope of the disclosed embodiment will be obvious to those skilled in the art . the invention is limited , however , only by the following claims . | 4 |
a typical geophone structure utilizing the concepts of the invention is shown in fig1 through 4 . the geophone includes a cylindrical casing 10 having a closed end 12 , and an accessible end defined by an inwardly deformable rim 14 . the casing 10 defines a chamber 16 of a generally cylindrical configuration , and the inner wall includes radial shoulders 18 and 20 , axially spaced with respect to each other . a permanent magnet 22 is concentrically mounted within the casing chamber 16 , and is a cylindrical configuration having one of its poles located within the casing end 12 , and the other pole is located at the magnet right end , as viewed in fig1 . the longitudinal axis of the magnet 22 is coincident with the primary axis of the casing , and the primary axis of motion response of the geophone . an annular mass 24 is concentrically located within the casing chamber 16 and circumscribes the major axial length of the magnet 22 . the mass 24 includes an annular bobbin 26 upon which insulated wire is wound to define a coil 28 . together , the bobbin and coil constitute a mass axially displaceable with respect to the magnet 22 , as later apparent . the mass 24 is resiliently mounted with respect to the casing 10 , and permanent magnet 22 , by a pair of diaphragm springs 30 and 32 , located adjacent opposite axial ends of the bobbin . the diaphragm springs 30 and 32 are of similar construction , but , in the illustrated embodiment , are of slight dimensional variation in that the maximum diameter of the spring 30 is greater than that of spring 32 , and the minimum diameter of spring 30 is less than the minimum diameter of spring 32 . with reference to fig3 it will be appreciated that the diaphragm spring 30 includes an outer annular rim 34 , and an inner annular rim 36 . three involute spring elements or ribbons 38 extend between the inner and outer rims interconnecting the rims , and as each element is of significant circumferential length , approximately 120 °, the highly flexible nature of the spring due to its formation of a thin sheet of beryllium copper , as is known in the art , permits the inner rim 36 to be axially displaced relative to the outer rim 34 due to bending of the involute elements 38 within the length of the elements themselves , and adjacent the ends of the elements at 40 where the elements connect with the outer rim , and at 42 where the elements connect to the inner rim 36 . as the spring 32 is similar to the spring 30 , a description thereof is unnecessary , and equivalent components are indicated by primes in fig4 . a ring 44 engages the casing shoulder 18 , and the spring outer rim 34 engages the same . a second ring 46 engages the opposite side of the outer rim 34 , and the circular cover plate 48 includes an edge engaging the ring 46 to maintain the assembly of the rings and outer rim . the casing rim 14 is deformed inwardly upon the periphery of the cover plate 48 to maintain the cover plate in firm assembly with the casing , and an o - ring 45 seals the cover plate with respect to the casing . the spring inner rim 36 is received upon the bobbin circular hub 50 against shoulder 52 , and is axially maintained in position by the resilient o - ring 54 received in groove 56 defined in hub 50 . the spring 32 is affixed to the bobbin 26 by inserting the inner rim 36 &# 39 ; upon the cylindrical bobbin shoulder 58 , and portions of the bobbin are staked at 60 against washer 62 to affix the spring to the bobbin . the outer rim of the spring 32 engages the casing shoulder 20 , fig1 . the coil 28 is electrically connected by conductors 64 to terminals 66 and 68 mounted in the cover plate 48 and extending therethrough . the conductors , not shown , connecting the geophone to the sensing apparatus are attached to the terminals 66 and 68 . from the aforedescription it will be appreciated that relative axial displacement between the mass 24 and the casing structure , including magnet 22 , may occur along the primary axis of the casing . when the geophone casing is mounted within an assembly , such as shown in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 720 , 909 , or is mounted in other structure receiving horizontal vibrations , the magnet and casing will axially move relative to the mass 24 along the primary axis , and this relative movement is sensed by the creation of the electrical signals produced . in the practice of the invention , the unoccupied void within the chamber 16 is partially filed with a damping fluid 70 . as illustrated in fig1 and 4 the preferred amount of damping fluid within the chamber 16 is approximately one third of the available void , and the upper surface of the damping fluid is represented by dotted line 72 . of course , as the casing chamber is only partially filled with damping fluid the relative portions of the involute spring elements 38 engaged by the fluid for each spring varies . for instance , with the spring 30 oriented as in fig3 the lower spring element 38 is completely immersed in the liquid , while only the portions 40 and 42 of the other two spring elements 38 are in contact with the liquid . however , as the springs 30 and 32 , as apparent in fig3 are rotationally displaced about the primary axis relative to each other , significant portions of two of the spring elements 38 &# 39 ; are immersed in the fluid . the rotational relationship between the springs 30 and 32 is random so that different portions of the involute spring elements of the spring 30 may be immersed in the damping liquid as compared with the immersed involute elements of the spring 32 . further , it is to be appreciated that when installing the geophone for use , no particular rotational orientation of the casing 10 is preferred with respect to the rotational orientation of the springs 30 and 32 to the horizontal . it is only desired that the primary axis be disposed in a substantially horizontal direction , which will insure that varying portions of the involute spring elements will be in engagement with the damping fluid . the improvement in damping undesired orthogonal responses with the practice of the invention is graphically illustrated in fig5 . the displacement of the mass due to orthogonal or cross axis responses resulting in orthogonal resonant frequencies and buckling responses occurs primarily at approximately 200 to 400 hertz , in a geophone in accord with the above description which is not damped with a fluid . when this geophone is partially filled , as described , with a damping fluid , the undesired responses are significantly subdued in the range between 200 and 400 hertz , and the restraining of the undesired orthogonal vibrations has proven most beneficial in obtaining approved sensing characteristics of this type of geophone . in determining the outputs represented in fig5 the relative instantaneous displacements between the magnets and masses of geophones constructed in accord with the disclosed embodiment were compared for unfilled and partially filled versions . for these tests a pair of identical geophones are related so that their primary axes lie in the same horizontal plane at right angles to each other . the geophones were driven by a force applied at 45 ° to both primary axes , and in this manner both orthogonal forces and forces parallel to the primary axes were sensed . as indicated , the relative displacement of the partially filled geophone elements is considerably less than in the unfilled geophones . the undamped natural resonant frequency of the buckling mode in the diaphragm springs is : ## equ1 ## where w n = the undamped natural resonant frequency in hertz , k = the spring constant in buckling mode , pounds per inch , m = suspended mass in slugs , equal to weight in pounds divided by gravity constant in feet per second squared . the damped natural resonant frequency of the spring buckling mode is : c c = critical damping constant , equal to 2w n m . from the above it is to be noted that the resonant frequency is shifted by an amount dependent upon the degree of damping . since the degree to which each involute spring element engages the damping fluid varies , the resonant frequency in the buckling mode for each spring element is different . it is believed that the undesired buckling mode responses increase in severity when two or more involute spring elements are at the same resonant frequency , and the presence of the partial filled damping fluid reduces this probability significantly . it is further believed that the improved results of the invention also partially result from the damping produced by the fluid which resists mass coil movement at right angles to the primary axis of the geophone . the resisting of this cross axis movement reduces the stress of force placed upon the involute spring elements , and as the area of the mass at right angles to the primary axis in engagement with the damping fluid is considerably greater than the area of the mass in alignment with the primary axis , or mass frontal area , the presence of the fluid tends to reduce the magnitude of the cross axis displacement on the mass . in the practice of the invention various types of damping fluid are acceptable . in one embodiment , an inert fluoro - chemical liquid is used which is chemically nonreactive and is an electrical insulator having acceptable viscosity characteristics over a wide temperature range . a suitable liquid is available from the 3m company identified as part number fc - 78 . in geophones of the described construction a partial filling of the casing void , by volume , of one third produced the optimum suppression of orthogonal vibrations occurring in the diaphragm springs . however , it is contemplated that due to design configurations in the geophone structure , such as variations in the weight of the mass , configuration thereof , and variations in the construction of the diaphragm springs , partial fillings , by volume , of the chamber between 25 % and 75 % will produce improved results . while diaphragm springs have been illustrated having three involute spring elements , it is intended that the inventive concept extend to diaphragm springs having four or more involute elements , and the inventive concepts would also be present with a diaphragm spring having only two involute elements . it will be appreciated that regardless of the number of involute elements , the partial filling of the casing void will place varying portions of the spring elements in engagement with the damping fluid to suppress resonant vibrations occurring in the spring orthogonal to the primary axis . | 6 |
the preferred embodiment is best understood by first considering a prior art latching comparator circuit . an example of a prior art cmos circuit is shown in fig1 . the circuit in fig1 is simplified for ease of analysis . fig1 shows , first of all , a fet device kp1 arranged to provide a bias current . fet kp1 is coupled to a supply voltage vdd and has its gate controlled by a predetermined bias voltage . the bias current is provided to a differential pair of fet devices kp2 and kp3 , each having a drain terminal coupled to the bias current source . the gates of fets kp2 and kp3 are coupled to receive input signals in (+) and ref (-), respectively . the outputs ( source terminals ) of fets kp2 and kp3 are coupled to the drain terminals of fets kn1 and kn2 respectively . kn1 and kn2 are arranged in a cross - coupled configuration , the gate of each device being connected to the drain terminal of the other device . the output nodes , out and nout are referred to as the latching nodes . the latching nodes are connected to an rs latch circuit to ensure adequate digital logic voltage levels at the final output node output . an additional fet device kn3 is connected across the latching nodes . the gate of kn3 is coupled to receive a binary latch clock signal clock . when clock is high , i . e . in sample state , kn3 is on , providing essentially a small resistor load between the latching nodes . this tends to balance the circuit so that the bias current is divided evenly between kn1 and kn2 , the cross - coupled amplifier pair . the latch node voltages are come together so that the rs flip - flop cannot change state . when clock goes low , to latch state , kn3 is turned off , and effectively removed from the circuit . a differential current from the input pair kp2 , kp3 results in a differential voltage at the latching nodes . this differential voltage is amplified by the positive feedback amplifier so that the latching node voltages diverge in directions determined by the input voltage relative to the reference voltage . capacitors cg1 and cg2 represent the parasitic gate capacitances of fet kn3 . where these parasitic capacitances are perfectly matched , the voltage change in the clock signal during transition will inject currents evenly to both latching nodes , so that the latching injected currents cancel each other . however , if the parasitic capacitances on kn3 are unequal , the changing voltage of the clock signal during transition will inject unequal currents through kn3 : i source = cg1 ( dv / dt )≠ i drain = cg2 ( dv / dt ). the injected current difference causes an voltage offset having a magnitude and direction dependent upon the capacitance mismatch . in known circuits , a few percent capacitance mismatch can result in offsets on the order of 20 mv , an unacceptable result . note that the comparator of fig1 suffers an offset resulting from capacitance mismatch , because the clock signal is introduced directly into the latching nodes of that single stage design . according to the present invention , a second ( latching ) stage is provided which is separate from the input stage . in the new circuit , the clock signal is decoupled from the latching nodes , as further explained below . referring now to fig2 a schematic diagram of a latching comparator circuit according to the present invention is shown . bias fets mp1 and mp2 are coupled to an analog supply voltage rail avdd . the gates of fets mp1 and mp2 are controlled by predetermined bias voltage , pbias , so as to provide a suitable bias current . a useful total bias current is on the order of 25 - 50 μa . the total supply voltage avdd - avss may be , for example , 15 volts . a first differential pair of transistors , mp3 and mp4 , are coupled to the bias transistors and have their drain terminals connected together at node v1 . the gate of mp3 is connected to receive an input voltage in and the gate of mp4 is coupled to receive a reference voltage ref . the body or substrate are connected to avdd . in operation , when the input voltage vin equals the reference voltage vref , equal currents flow in the source terminals of mp3 and mp4 . when the input voltages are unequal , a greater portion of the bias current flows in the device subjected to the greater gate voltage , and a correspondingly lesser current flows in the device having the relatively lower gate voltage . thus the input pair amplify and convert the ( differential ) input voltage to a differential current . a first cross - coupled pair of transistors , mn3 and mn4 , are disposed between the source terminals of the first differential pair and the lower analog supply rail avss . specifically , the gate of mn3 is coupled to the drain of mn4 , which also is coupled to the source of mp4 . similarly , the gate of mn4 is coupled to the drain of mn3 which is also is coupled to the source of mp3 . these nodes are labeled refd and ind , respectively . the cross - coupled pair form a positive feedback amplifier . the gain is controlled , however , as explained below . a diode - connected transistor mn1 is disposed in parallel with fet mn3 . similarly , a diode connected transistor mn2 is disposed in parallel to fet mn4 . the circuitry formed by fets mn1 , mn2 , mn3 and mn4 , i . e . the first cross - coupled pair combined with a pair of diode connected transistors disposed in parallel to the cross - coupled pair , we call a moore mirror circuit . the moore mirror circuit operates generally as follows . the moore mirror circuit provides loads to the input differential pair . the cross - coupled pair develops very large gain . however , the diode - connected transistors regulate and limit that gain , as well as shift the voltage to around 1v th above avss . the diode - connected transistors mn1 , mn2 are parallel to the amplifier pair mn3 , mn4 respectively . when turned on , the diode transistors act somewhat like resistors . current is divided between the parallel devices . for example , the current from input device mp3 is divided between mn1 and mn3 . the current ratio is proportional to the relative sizes of the devices , at least when the circuit is balanced . this allows setting the gain in the cross - coupled pair . to illustrate , if mn1 is much smaller than mn3 , most of the current flows through mn3 , and the amplifier has very high ( theoretically near infinite ) gain . a relatively larger mn3 diverts current and , therefore , reduces the positive feedback in the amplifier . this reduces the gain . the gain can be controlled by sizing the devices in a desired ratio . the moore mirror circuitry was found to be very stable when the diode - connected transistor is made slightly larger than the cross - coupling transistor . in one example of an operative embodiment , the diode - connected transistor is about 14 % larger than the cross - coupling transistor . see table below . this yields a gain of around 10 to 20 . thus , for example , a differential input voltage of 1 mv across the in and ref nodes results in a swing on the order of 10 to 20 mv at the ind and refd nodes . moreover , the diode - connected transistors being sized larger is instrumental in maintaining the stability of the input stage in the event of device mismatch during fabrication . this is achieved through preventing the circuit from becoming a positive feedback configuration unintentionally due to a device mismatch . in the moore mirror , we depend on the strength of the diode - connected transistors to limit the gain from the cross - coupled transistors . if the diode - connected transistors become too small relative to the cross - coupled transistors , this purpose might be defeated . a gain having an order of magnitude of 10 for the input stage in the two - stage design is useful . the actual value selected for any particular design depends upon several parameters , and trading off various factors . a gain around 10 or 20 is adequate in the preferred embodiment for reducing device mismatch offset and providing good signal to noise ratio . higher gains may further improve those factors , but at the expense of higher operating currents and slower operation . the ind and refd nodes form the output of the first or input stage , and are coupled to the second or latching stage as follows . the latching stage includes a second differential pair of transistors mn5 , mn6 . these devices are common source coupled to the supply rail avss . the mn5 gate is coupled to the ind node and the mn6 gate is coupled to the refd node . the drain terminals of mn5 and mn6 define nodes nout and out , respectively . a load on the second differential pair provided by a dual of the moore mirror , as follows . a second cross - coupled pair of transistors mp7 and mp8 are each coupled between a respective one of the second differential pair , mn5 , mn6 and the first supply rail avdd at node 4 . thus , the mp7 gate terminal is coupled to the out node and the mp8 gate terminal is coupled to nout . a second pair of diode - connected transistors mp5 , mp6 are each coupled between a respective one of the second cross - coupled pair and a switch node , node 5 . thus , mp5 is coupled between node 5 and nout and mp6 is coupled between node 5 and out . node 5 , the switch node , is coupled to the avdd supply rail through a pair of digital switch transistors mp9 and mp10 , connected in parallel . the gates of mp9 , mp10 are coupled to receive the latch clock signal . a single transistor may be used as the digital switch . a pair of transistors in parallel offer smaller individual device size and layout symmetry . the out signal is connected to a cmos inverter circuit 10 . the inverter circuit 10 provides an inverted output signal iout at appropriate cmos logic voltage levels . similarly , the nout signal is coupled to a second cmos inverter circuit 12 , which provides an inverted output signal inout . the output signals iout and inout are connected to an integral latch circuit 14 . details of a cmos rs latch circuit are known . for example , see u . s . pat . no . 4 , 825 , 100 , incorporated herein by this reference . the rs latch circuit 14 provides the final comparator output signals cmpout and its complement ncmpout . thus , when in is higher than ref , cmpout is a logic low , and when in is less than ref , cmpout is a logic high . as noted above , the input stage provides a voltage gain of 10 or 20 at the nodes ind and refd . these are coupled as inputs to the second or latching stage at the gates of devices of mn5 and mn6 . cross - coupled transistors mp7 and mp8 , along with the diode - connected transistors mp5 and mp6 form a dual of the moore mirror circuit of the input stage . in the latch stage , however , the diode - connected transistors mp5 and mp6 are not connected directly to the supply rail avdd . rather , they are connected to the supply rail through the digital switch devices mp9 and mp10 . during the sample state , the digital switch is closed , so the moore mirror is connected as in the input stage . when the latch clock switches to latch state , turning mp9 and mp10 off , they deprive the diode connected devices mp5 , mp6 of input current so they are effectively removed from the circuit . this leaves mp7 and mp8 to form a very high gain positive feedback amplifier for latching , without injecting current from the latch clock signal into the sensitive latching nodes . in the preferred embodiment , the latching comparator is designed to resolve 1 . 2 mv input overdrive over a 10 v common mode range , with 1 . 2 mv linearity , less than 50 mv offset error , a set - up time of 1 . 25 μsec and latching pulse width of 500 ns . the circuit may be fabricated , for example , in a 15 v , 5 micron gate , single - layer poly , single - layer metal , twin well , fully guard ringed cmos process . the individual device dimensions in the preferred embodiment are shown in the following table . ______________________________________device width length______________________________________mp1 48 11mp2 48 11mp3 200 6mp4 200 6mp5 10 6mp6 10 6mp7 10 16mp8 10 16mp9 10 6mp10 10 6mp11 5 6mp12 5 6mn1 20 11mn2 20 11mn3 20 12 . 5mn4 20 12 . 5mn5 20 11mn6 20 11mn11 5 6mn12 5 6______________________________________ as noted , the input stage gain is set to around 10 or 20 . the need for precise device and capacitance matching at the latching stage is avoided by replacing this stage with a dual of the moore mirror , as described above . the geometries stated in the table set the latch stage gain to approximately 2 or 3 , to increase the input referred gain to about 50 or 60 . thus , for example , a 1 . 2 mv overdrive develops approximately 60 + mv signal at the latching stage prior to latching . during latching , the digital switch is opened so that the diode connected transistors are essentially removed from this moore mirror . this frees the 60 mv already developed at the second cross - coupled pair to gracefully diverge into full rail - to - rail voltage swing . an important advantage of this circuit is that switching current is not injected into the circuit by the latch clock signal , because the latch clock signal is decoupled from both pairs of sensitive nodes , ind and refd , out and nout ( the latching nodes ). in fact , the current is actually reduced by opening the switch . this gives a much quieter latching environment , further reducing hysteresis . it should be noted that the moore mirror load could be used in a single - stage design . for example , to modify the prior art circuit of fig1 a pair of diode - connected transistors would be coupled to the amplifier pair kn1 , kn2 . the diode pair would be disposed between the latching nodes ( drain terminals of kn1 , kn2 ) and vss through a digital switch transistor ( or two , as per fig2 ). the clock signal would be coupled to control the diode pair , obviating kn3 . this describes essentially a dual of the moore mirror circuit employed in the latch stage of the circuit of fig2 . such a single - stage design has the advantages of fewer components , while still providing for gain selection , improved recovery and decoupling the latch clock signal from the sensitive latching nodes . it may be faster in operation than the two - stage design , but not as quiet . another advantage is that , since only p - type transistors ( mp9 and mp10 ) are used as the digital switch , there is no need to derive an inverted latch clock signal . this eliminates another source of tricky timing problems . a further advantage of the circuit described above is improved recovery time because , as soon as the latching clock pulse is removed , the reinstated diode - connected pair will quickly clamp the out and nout nodes back to a voltage approximately equal to 1 v th below the avdd rail . the cmos latching comparator described is useful for a variety of applications . for example , it is especially well - suited to adc applications . a comparator of the type described , or several of them , may be implemented on an analog integrated circuit , along with sample and hold circuitry , for sampled adc applications . having illustrated and described the principles of our invention in a preferred embodiment thereof , it should be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that the invention can be modified in arrangement and detail without departing from such principles . we claim all modifications coming within the spirit and scope of the accompanying claims . | 7 |
fig1 shows a first embodiment of the present invention and fig2 is a view looking in the direction indicated by the arrows ii -- ii of fig1 . reference numeral 1 designates a protector made of a wear - resisting cast steel ( for instance , sch21 or the like ). the protector 1 has a suitable length and is substantially semicylindrical in cross section so that the protector 1 can cover the semicylindrical surface portion of a heat transfer tube 2 in a fluidized bed . connection projections 4 and 5 u - shaped in cross section extend tangentially from both the widthwise side edge surfaces 3 of the protector 1 . the connector projections 4 and 5 are formed with pin holes 6 and 7 , respectively , and pins 8 and 9 made of a wear - resisting material are inserted into the pin holes 6 and 7 , respectively , so as to connect and support the protector 1 . one end of each connection pin 6 or 7 has a head 10 and the other end is provided with a stop 11 which is made of build up welding or by strinking a stud so that the pins 8 and 9 are prevented from being pulled out of the pin holes 6 and 7 . stoppers 12 are also attached to the inner surfaces of the connection projections 4 and 5 so that the pins 8 and 9 can be positively prevented from being pulled out of the pin holes 6 and 7 . engaging studs 13 and 13 &# 39 ; are welded to the heat transfer tube 2 adjacent to the widthwise side edge surfaces 3 of the protector 1 and adjacent to the inner end surfaces of the connection projections 4 and 5 so that the displacement of the protector 1 in the longitudinal direction of the heat transfer tube 2 as well as the rotation of the protector 1 about the heat transfer tube 2 can be prevented . as best shown in fig4 and 5 , two projections 14 , which are circumferentially spaced apart from each other , extend on the lower outer surface of the protector 1 in the axial direction of the heat transfer tube 2 . a plurality of circumferentially extending projections 21 are interposed between the axially extending projections 14 and are spaced apart from each other in the axial direction . a plurality of studs 22 made of a wear - resisting material ( for instance , sus310s or the like ) extend on the lower surface of the protector 1 at regions 20 each surrounded by the projections 14 and 21 and are arranged like matrix arrays . the fluidized bed materials , which flow upwardly in the fluidized bed as indicated by the arrows in fig2 stike against the projections 14 and 21 and the studs 22 and are decelerated , thereby decreasing wear of the protector 1 . furthermore , fluidized bed materials are caused to make into contact with the projections 14 and 21 so that the fluidized bed materials are accumulated at the corners of the recess defined by the projections 14 and 21 and the protector 1 and new fluidized bed materials strike against the fluidized bed materials accumulated at the corner . as a result , wear of the corners or joints between the projections 14 and 21 and the protector 1 can be prevented . a protector 1 &# 39 ; is adapted to be applied to a bent or curved portion of the heat transfer tube 2 . in the protector 1 &# 39 ;, the distance between the connection projections 4 and 5 is less so that only one stud 13 may be provided so as to securely hold the protector 1 &# 39 ; in position . such protection 1 &# 39 ; may be provided at its lower outer surface with the projections 14 and 21 of the studs 22 . the heat transfer tube 2 is immersed slantly in a fluidized bed of a fluidized - bed boiler as shown in fig1 . in order to apply or attach the wear preventive device of the type described above to the heat transfer tube 2 , the protector 1 is fitted over the lower half surface of the heat transfer tube 2 and the pins 8 and 9 extend through the holes 6 and 7 of the connection projections 4 and 5 . thereafter the stoppers 11 and 12 are provided so as to prevent the pins 8 and 9 from being pulled out of the pin holes 6 and 7 . thus the projector 1 is snugly fitted over the heat transfer tube 1 by means of the pins 8 and 9 . thereafter the studs 13 are welded to the heat transfer tube 2 adjacent to the widthwise side edge surfaces 3 of the protector 1 and adjacent to the connection projections 4 and 5 . as a result , the displacement of the protector 1 in the axial direction of the heat transfer tube 2 and the rotation of the protector 1 about the heat transfer tube 2 can be prevented so that the protector 1 can be securely held in position . as described above , the protectors 1 and 1 &# 39 ; are fitted over the heat transfer tube 2 so as to cover the lower half surface thereof which is most likely attacked by fluidized bed materials . therefore wear of the heat transfer tube 2 can be effectively prevented . in addition , the projections 14 and 21 and the studs 22 are provided at the lower half surfaces of the protectors 1 and 1 &# 39 ; so that fluidized bed materials are decelerated to flow in the directions indicated by arrows . as a result , the right and left side surfaces of the protectors 1 and 1 &# 39 ; and the upper right and left surfaces of the heat transfer tube 2 can be prevented from being strongly attacked by fluidized bed materials . heat in the fluidized bed is transferred to the heat transfer tube 2 through the protectors 1 and 1 &# 39 ; when fluidized bed materials strike against the protectors 1 and 1 &# 39 ;. the upper half portion of the heat transfer tube 2 is exposed so that heat from the fluidized bed can be effectively transmitted to the heat transfer tube 2 . as a result , even when the protectors 1 and 1 &# 39 ; are fitted over the heat transfer tube 2 , the heat transfer efficiency will not be greatly adversely affected . furthermore , the protectors 1 and 1 &# 39 ; can be easily attached to the heat transfer tube 2 by means of the pins 8 and 9 and the studs 13 . fig3 and 6 show a second embodiment of the present invention . protectors 15 and 15 &# 39 ; semicircular in cross section are attached to a heat transfer tube 2 by means of a plurality of bands 16 and 17 which are welded . a stud 19 for preventing the rotation of the protector 15 or 15 &# 39 ; extends from the heat transfer tube 2 so that the protector 15 or 15 &# 39 ; can be securely held in position . as is the case of the first embodiment described above , the projections 14 and 21 and the studs 22 extend from the lower outer surface of the protector 1 . fluidized bed materials strike against the protectors 15 and 15 &# 39 ; so that heat is transferred to a fluid flowing through the heat transfer tube 2 . fluidized bed materials which are made into contact with the protectors 15 and 15 &# 39 ; are caused to flow in the axial and circumferential directions and strike against the studs 22 so that fluidized bed materials are decelerated , or strike against the projections 14 . thus , wear of the heat transfer tube 2 and protectors 15 and 15 &# 39 ; themselves can be prevented . the first and second embodiments have been described as being applied or attached to the inclined heat transfer tube 2 , but it is of course possible to apply the protectors to a heat transfer tube which extends horizontally . fig7 and 8 show a third embodiment of the present invention in which protectors 28 are attached to heat transfer tubes 23 which constitute the furnace walls . the heat transfer tubes 23 vertically extend in parallel with each other and are interconnected by means of a fin 24 so that gases will not escape to the exterior 26 of a furnace . bolts 27 extend horizontally from the fins 24 toward the interior 25 of the furnace . the protectors 28 which are adapted to cover the inner surfaces of the heat transfer tubes 23 and which are made of a wear - resisting material ( for instance , sch11 or the like ) are securely attached with the bolts 27 and wear - resisting nuts 30 in recesses 29 . the protectors 28 have curved surfaces so that they can be snugly made into contact with the inner surfaces of the heat transfer tubes 23 . the protectors 28 prevent wear of the heat transfer tubes 23 and heat is transmitted through the protectors 28 to the heat transfer tubes 23 when fluidized media strike against the protectors 28 . in the third embodiment , the protectors 28 can be attached to or removed from the inner surfaces of the heat transfer tubes 23 by means of the bolts and nuts 27 and 30 so that the attachment of the protectors 28 can be much facilitated . furthermore , when the protectors 28 are worn out , new protectors 28 can be attached in a simple manner . fig9 and 10 show a fourth embodiment of the present invention in which horizontal fins 31 made of a wear - resisting material extend inwardly from the inner surfaces of the heat transfer tubes 23 and are vertically spaced from each other by a suitable distance . fig1 and 12 show a fifth embodiment of the present invention . a vertical fin 32 made of a wear - resisting material extends upwardly from the horizontal fin 31 . fig1 and 14 show a sixth embodiment of the present invention . a plurality of horizontal studs 33 made of a wear - resisting material extend inwardly from the inner surfaces of the heat transfer tubes 23 between the adjacent horizontal fins 31 . when fluidized bed materials strike against these horizontal and vertical fins 31 and 32 and the horizontal struds 33 , they are decelerated so that wear of the heat transfer tubes 23 can be prevented . that is , they serve as protectors . furthermore , the horizontal and vertical fins 31 and 32 and the horizontal studs 33 do not completely cover the inner surfaces of the heat transfer tubes 23 so that a high heat transfer efficiency can be ensured . therefore , the horizontal and vertical fins 31 and 32 and the horizontal studs 33 may be attached to portions of the surfaces of the heat transfer tubes which are less attacked by fluidized bed materials and at which the drop of heat transfer efficiency is not desired . of course it is possible to use them in combination with the protectors of the types described with reference to fig1 and 7 . as described above , according to the present invention , the device for protecting wear of heat transfer tube is very simple in construction and can prevent wear of heat transfer tubes without causing the decrease of the heat transfer efficiency so that the service life of heat transfer tubes can be considerably increased . | 8 |
embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings . [ 0038 ] fig1 is a diagram schematically illustrating a first embodiment of the present invention . reference numeral 1 is a memory embedded system lsi with memories embedded therein , and 2 is an input address a 0 - 21 to rams employing a non - multiplexed addressing scheme that does not multiplex addresses . the non - multiplexed addressing scheme is a method that executes only an address signal in one cycle and is used for srams , etc . reference numeral 3 is an address non - multiplexed ram with a memory capacity of 4 mb that uses a total of 22 address bits , of which 12 bits are assigned to a 0 - 11 on the row side and 10 bits to a 12 - 21 on the column side ; 4 is an address non - multiplexed ram with a memory capacity of 1 mb that uses 20 address bits , of which 11 bits are assigned to a 0 - 10 on the row side and 9 bits to a 12 - 20 on the column side ; and 5 is an address non - multiplexed ram with a memory capacity of 0 . 5 mb that uses 19 address bits , of which 10 bits are assigned to a 0 - 9 on the row side and 9 bits to a 12 - 20 on the column side . that is , the semiconductor memory device shown here employs the non - multiplexed addressing scheme , and comprises the plurality of rams 3 to 5 of differing memory spaces on the same substrate , plus a means for setting the number of address signals in each of the rams 3 to 5 equal to the number of address signals in the largest address space . more specifically , an external address signal and a test - only address signal are provided as ram control signals and , for the test - only address signal , the number of x , y addresses in each of the rams 4 and 5 is set equal to that in the largest capacity ram 3 , thereby making the x , y address mapping the same for all the rams 3 to 5 . as for the test method , all the rams 3 to 5 are tested simultaneously . with the above arrangement , the row / column address mapping can be made the same for all the rams . assume here that a scan test pattern for performing read / write operations by first incrementing in the row direction and then incrementing in the column direction in synchronism with the addressing of the three 4 - mb rams having the largest address space is applied simultaneously to the 4 - mb , 1 - mb , and 0 . 5 - mb rams ; in this case , when accessing an address space of a 10 = 1 , since a 10 is not assigned in the address space of the 0 . 5 - mb ram , an address space of a 10 = 0 is accessed a second time in the 0 . 5 - mb ram . likewise , in the case of a 11 = 1 , an address space of a 11 = 0 is accessed in the 1 - mb and 0 . 5 - mb rams ; therefore , data destruction or the like does not occur . in this way , with the above arrangement , rams of different capacities can be tested in parallel fashion using an ordinary scan pattern ; as a result , the rams can be tested using the same test pattern . in the prior art , the test time has increased with the number of groups classified by capacity but , by testing all the rams simultaneously as described above , a test flow independent of the number of capacity groups can be provided , and the effect of reducing the test time can thus be enhanced . [ 0044 ] fig2 is a diagram schematically illustrating a second embodiment of the present invention . reference numeral 1 is a memory embedded system lsi with memories embedded therein ; 6 is an external test input address pa 0 - 21 to rams employing a non - multiplexer scheme ; 7 is a logic circuit which transfers data to and from the respective rams ; 8 is a normal input address a 0 - 21 to the non - multiplexer type rams for the logic circuit 7 to access the respective rams ; 3 is an address non - multiplexed ram with a memory capacity of 4 mb that uses a total of 22 address bits , of which 12 bits are assigned to a 0 - 11 on the row side and 10 bits to a 12 - 21 on the column side in the case of the normal address , while in the case of the test address , 12 bits are assigned to pa 0 - 11 on the row side and 10 bits to pa 12 - 21 on the column side ; 4 is an address non - multiplexed ram with a memory capacity of 1 mb in which , of the 20 test address bits , 11 bits are assigned to pa 0 - 10 on the row side and 9 bits to pa 12 - 20 on the column side , as in the first embodiment , and of the 20 normal address bits , 11 bits are assigned to a 0 - 10 on the row side and 9 bits to a 11 - 19 on the column side ; and 5 is an address non - multiplexed ram with a memory capacity of 0 . 5 mb in which , of the 19 test address bits , 10 bits are assigned to pa 0 - 9 on the row side and 9 bits to pa 12 - 20 on the column side , as in the first embodiment , and of the 19 normal address bits , 10 bits are assigned to a 0 - 9 on the row side and 9 bits to a 10 - 18 on the column side . that is , the semiconductor memory device shown here employs the non - multiplexed addressing scheme , and comprises the plurality of rams 3 to 5 of differing memory spaces on the same substrate , plus a means for setting the number of address signals in each of the rams 3 to 5 equal to the number of address signals in the largest address space when mapping the address space for test purposes differently from the mapping of the address space for normal operation . with the above configuration , parallel testing of the respective macros can be performed at the time of testing . on the other hand , during normal operation , ram accesses by the logic circuit 7 can be performed using contiguous address signals ; therefore , the test time can be reduced without impairing the usability of the rams . [ 0047 ] fig3 is a diagram schematically illustrating a third embodiment of the present invention , wherein reference numeral 4 is an address non - multiplexed ram with a memory capacity of 1 mb in which , of the 20 bits in the internal test input address 9 ( ipa 0 - 19 ), 11 bits are assigned to ipa 0 - 10 on the row side and 9 bits to ipa 12 - 20 on the column side , the address thus being contiguous , and of the 20 bits in the normal address , 11 bits are assigned to a 0 - 10 on the row side and 9 bits to a 11 to 19 on the column side . reference numeral 6 is an external test input address pa 0 - 21 , and 10 is a diagram showing the connection relationship between the internal test input address 9 and the external test input address 6 , in which pa 0 - pa 10 are connected to ipa 0 - 10 , pa 11 is not connected , pa 12 - 20 are connected to ipa 11 - 19 , and pa 21 is not connected . otherwise , the configuration including that of the ram 3 is the same as the configuration shown in the second embodiment . that is , the semiconductor memory device shown here employs the non - multiplexed addressing scheme , and comprises the plurality of rams 3 to 5 of differing memory spaces on the same substrate , plus a means capable of changing the address connection between the external input address and the chip internal input address according to the differing memory spaces ; with the provision of this means , it becomes possible to set the number of address signals in each of the rams 3 to 5 equal to the number of address signals in the largest address space . the changing means is placed before the position at which the external input address signal is converted to the internal address signal . with the above configuration , the number of address terminals for the internal test input address 9 can be made the same as that for the normal input address 8 by changing the address connection outside the rams 3 to 5 , and the address mapping that makes parallel testing possible can thus be achieved without increasing the complexity of ram circuit designs . [ 0050 ] fig4 is a diagram schematically illustrating a fourth embodiment of the present invention , which is fundamentally the same as the third embodiment that modifies a portion of the second embodiment ; the difference is that the changing means capable of changing the address connection between the external input address and the chip internal input address is placed after the position at which the external input address signal is converted to the internal address signal . reference numeral 4 is an address non - multiplexed ram with a memory capacity of 1 mb in which the number of test addresses is different from the number of normal addresses , that is , the internal test input address 9 consists of 22 bits of ipa 0 - 21 and the normal address consists of 20 bits of a 0 - 19 , and reference numeral 6 is the external test input address pa 0 - 21 . in the above configuration , since the number of address bits for the external test input address 6 is the same as that for the internal test input address 9 , the external test input address 6 can be connected to the internal test input address 9 in a one - to - one corresponding relationship . [ 0053 ] fig5 shows one example of the configuration in which the number of address bits for the internal test input address 9 is made equal to that for the external test input address . reference numeral 11 is an address signal connection changing means for changing the connection between the internal test input address 9 ( ipa 0 - 21 ) and the internal row address 12 and internal column address 13 , and 4 is a 1 - mb ram whose internal row address 12 , r 0 - 10 , is controlled by the internal test input address ipa 0 - 10 , and whose internal column address 13 , c 0 - 8 , is controlled by the internal test input address ipa 12 - 20 . in the case of the above ram address configuration , ipa 11 and ipa 21 in the internal test input address are not used for the ram address control . therefore , ipa 11 and ipa 21 in the internal test input address are disabled by the address signal connection changing means 11 . in this way , the number of address bits for the internal test input address 9 can be made equal to that for the external test input address 6 . [ 0056 ] fig6 shows a specific example of how the address signal connection changing means 11 is implemented , wherein reference numeral 9 is the internal test input address ipa 0 - 21 , 11 is the address signal connection changing means for changing the connection between the internal test input address 9 and the internal row address 12 and internal column address 13 , and 19 designates switches for electrically switching signals ; as shown , ipa 0 - 21 in the internal test input address are each connected via a pair of switches 19 to a corresponding one of adjacent bits in the internal column address c 0 - c 8 and the internal row address r 0 - r 10 . reference numeral 20 indicates switch control signals for controlling the switches 19 , and an inverter for applying an inverted signal is provided between the switches 19 in each pair . in the above configuration , consider the case where ipa 11 in the internal test input address is put in a disabled state . signals sw 0 : h , sw 1 : l , sw 2 : l , and sw 3 : l are input as the switch control signals 20 in order to disable the internal test input address ipa 11 . with the input of these signals , the internal test input address ipa 10 is connected to the internal row address r 10 , the internal test input address ipa 12 is connected to the internal column address c 0 , and the internal test input address ipa 13 is connected to the internal column address c 1 . the internal test input address ipa 11 is not connected to any address because the corresponding switches 19 are off . here , it will be easily understood that the input of the sw control signals 20 can be accomplished by physically connecting to vdd and vss or by inputting the signals through logic circuits . [ 0059 ] fig7 shows a second specific example of how the address signal connection changing means 11 is implemented , wherein reference numeral 9 is the internal test input addresses , 11 is the address signal connection changing means for changing the connection between the internal test input address 9 and the internal row address 12 and internal column address 13 , 19 designates switches for electrically switching signals , 14 is a fuse whose electrical connection can be cut off by an external trimmer , and 15 is a pull - down resistor for fixing the node opposite from the power supply to gnd when the fuse 14 is cut off . in the above configuration , when a designated fuse 14 is cut off ( for example , indicated by mark ×), the pull - down resistor 15 corresponding to each fuse 14 disconnected from the power supply is enabled , and the connection is changed from the internal test input address 9 corresponding to each fuse 14 to the internal row and column address signals by sequentially shifting to higher order bits , thus accomplishing the same switch operating state as when the switch control signals 20 such as shown in fig6 are applied . this eliminates the need to control the logic for each switch , and the desired address signal connection can be accomplished by just cutting the fuse 14 at the position where it is desired to change the connection . in drams or the like , there are cases where a fuse 14 or an external signal or the like is used to change the memory cell refresh cycle according to the capacity . in the case of rams of such configuration , the address signal connection changing means 11 can be easily controlled by making use of , for example , a fuse node or an internal or external signal provided to recognize the capacity . [ 0061 ] fig8 is a diagram showing a test pattern in a fifth embodiment of the present invention ; in particular , fig8 - 1 illustrates the problem that occurs when simultaneously testing rams of differing capacities by using a test pattern . one of well known ram patterns is a march pattern which is used to check addressing , etc . this pattern first writes data 0 in the entire ram area , then reads data 0 , writes data 1 , and increments to the next and , after repeating this across the entire area , reads data 1 from the entire area ; here , when the march pattern is applied to rams of different capacities 1 mb and 2 mb , data 0 are written in the entire area without any problem , but in the case of the 1 - mb ram , when the data 0 read / data 1 write process proceeds beyond the 1 - mb capacity , the process returns to the starting address to repeat the data 0 read / data 1 write . since the memory cell is already written with data 1 , if the test is performed in this condition , the test cannot be done properly because the expected value does not match the actual data . that is , in fig8 in the condition ( a1 ) in fig8 ( a ), data “ 0 ” are written by incrementing the row address pa 0 - pa 11 up to ( 0 - 7ff , hex ). in both the 1 - mb ram and 2 - mb ram , the same address space is accessed . in the condition ( a2 ), data “ 0 ” are written by incrementing the row address pa 0 - pa 11 up to ( 800 - fff , hex ). in the case of the 1 - mb ram , since it does not have the address space of pa 11 = 1 , the space of pa 0 - pa 11 ( 0 - 7ff , hex ) is again accessed as in the condition ( a1 ). on the other hand , in the case of the 2 - mb ram , the space up to pa 0 - pa 11 ( 800 - fff , hex ) is accessed . in the condition ( a3 ), data “ 0 ” is read from the attention memory cell and data “ 1 ” is written to the same cell . this operation is repeated up to the row address pa 0 - pa 11 ( 0 - 7ff , hex ) by incrementing in the row direction . with the operation in ( a3 ), in both the 1 - mb ram and 2 - mb ram , the contents of the cells up to the address pa 0 - pa 11 ( 800 - fff , hex ) are changed from data “ 0 ” written by the operation in ( a1 ) to data “ 1 ”. in the condition ( a4 ), the operation in ( a3 ) is repeated up to the row address pa 0 - pa 11 ( 800 - fff , hex ). in the case of the 1 - mb ram , the above operation is performed on exactly the same address space as that in the operation performed in ( a3 ) since the ram does not have the address space of pa 11 = 1 , as earlier described in connection with the operation in ( a2 ). here , in the 1 - mb ram , data “ 0 ” is read as the expected value from the memory cell , but the data is already changed to “ 1 ” as a result of the operation in ( a3 ). since the expected value differs from the actual data , the test cannot be done correctly . this problem does not occur in the 2 - mb ram . in view of this , provision is made to inhibit access to the ram when accessing the virtual memory address space . that is , in the above configuration , provision is made so as not to perform read / write operations when accessing the virtual memory address space , as shown in ( b2 ) and ( b4 ) in fig8 ( b ) corresponding to fig8 ( a ). with this provision , the march pattern can be executed properly . furthermore , with almost all other memory test patterns , it becomes possible to simultaneously test rams of differing capacities . [ 0063 ] fig9 is a diagram showing one example of the configuration in the fifth embodiment of the invention in which access to the ram is inhibited when the ram is accessing the virtual memory address space . reference numeral 4 is the 1 - mb ram , 9 is the internal test input address ipa 0 - 10 and 12 - 20 , 18 is the internal test input address ipa 11 and ipa 21 for accessing the virtual memory address space , 23 is a row decode circuit , 24 is a column decode circuit , 25 is a row decode signal decoded from the row address signal in the internal test input address , and 26 is a column decode signal decoded from the column address signal in the internal test input address ; these decode signals are input to the memory block . further , 27 is a virtual memory space decode signal decoded from the signal of the virtual memory space accessing address 18 . the output of the virtual memory space decode signal 27 is open with respect to the memory block . according to the above configuration , when accessing the virtual memory address space , the input address 18 for accessing the virtual memory address space is input . from this input signal , the row decode circuit 23 and the column decode circuit 24 generates the virtual memory space decode signal 27 . the output of the virtual memory space decode signal 27 is not connected to anywhere . the configuration can thus be achieved that inhibits access to the internal ram . otherwise , the configuration common to the first embodiment , etc . can be employed . in fig7 the address shift means may includes means for fixing the chip internal input address to a high or a low level when it is disconnected from the external input address . the above embodiments have been described by taking the address non - multiplexed ram as an example , but it will be appreciated that the invention is not limited to this particular example . | 6 |
as discussed above , there is a need in the art for improved tns therapy methods . to satisfy this need in the art , trigeminal neurostimulation ( tns ) techniques using electrodes placed through a template are disclosed . fig1 a illustrates a patient having cutaneous electrodes 10 placed using a template 200 shown in fig2 . to provide efficacious trigeminal neurostimulation therapy without the need for daily medical facility visits , the patient first medially centers template 200 across their forehead . template 200 is constructed with apertures 205 within which the patient ( or a clinician ) applies electrodes 10 . in this fashion , each aperture 205 receives a corresponding electrode 10 . due to the configuration of template 200 , the placed electrodes 10 are then positioned over the supraorbital and / or supratrochlear trunks ( not illustrated ). to ensure the maximum coverage or stimulation of each supraorbital and supratrochlear nerve trunk , the patent may be instructed to align an inferior edge of template 200 just above their orbital arches . the anatomy for these nerve trunks will now be discussed . with reference to fig1 b and 1c , the trigeminal nerve is the largest cranial nerve and has extensive connections with the brainstem and other brain structures . the trigeminal nerve , also named the fifth cranial nerve or “ cn v ,” has three major sensory branches over the face , all of which are bilateral , and highly accessible . the ophthalmic nerve is frequently referred to as the v 1 division and includes the supraorbital and supratrochlear nerves that supply sensory information about pain , temperature , and light touch to the skin of the forehead , the upper eyelid , the anterior part of the nose , and the eye . the v 2 division includes the infraorbital and maxillary nerves . the infraorbital branch supplies sensory information about pain , temperature , and light touch sensation to the lower eyelid , cheek , and upper lip . finally , the v 3 division includes the auriculotemporal , lingual , and inferior alveolar branches of the mandibular nerves . the inferior alveolar branch supplies similar sensory modalities to the skin of the lower face ( e . g . jaw and tongue ) and lips . these branches exit the skull through three groups of foramina or notches , as shown in fig1 b and 1 c . the supraorbital and supratrochlear nerves exit at foramina 1 . in particular , the foramen ( or notch ) for the supratrochlear nerve is approximately 2 . 1 - 2 . 6 cm from the nasal midline ( in adults ), and is located immediately above the orbital ridge that is located below the eyebrow . the supratrochlear foramen is indicated as foramen 1 b . in contrast , the foramen ( or notch ) for the supraorbital nerve is located more laterally from the nasal midline : e . g ., approximately 3 . 2 cm from the nasal midline in adults . this foramen is indicated as foramen 1 a . the infraorbital branch or maxillary nerve exits at foramen 2 , approximately 2 . 4 - 3 . 0 cm from the nasal midline ( in adults ) and the mentalis nerve exits at foramen 3 , approximately 2 . 0 - 2 . 3 cm from the nasal midline ( in adults ). other sensory branches , including the zygomaticofacial , zygomaticoorbital , zygomaticotemporal , and auriculotemporal , arise from other foramina . fibers from the three major branches join together to form the trigeminal ganglion . from there , fibers ascend into the brainstem at the level of the pons to synapse with the main sensory nucleus of the pons , the mesencephalic nucleus of v , and the spinal nucleus and tract of v . pain fibers descend in the spinal nucleus and tract of v , and then ascend to the ventral posterior medial nucleus ( vpm ) of the thalamus , and then project to the cerebral cortex . light touch sensory fibers are large myelinated fibers , which ascend to the ventral posterior lateral ( vpl ) nucleus of the thalamus , and also project to the cerebral cortex . afferent sensory fibers project from the trigeminal nuclei to the thalamus and the cerebral cortex . with regard to a given supraorbital arch ( either the left or right side of the forehead ), the corresponding supraorbital nerve and the adjacent supratrochlear nerve are referred to herein as an “ ophthalmic nerve pair .” in this fashion , the ambiguity that results from referring to just the supraorbital nerve ( or the supratrochlear ) as the “ ophthalmic ” nerve is avoided . referring again to fig2 , in an embodiment in which template 200 is constructed for bilateral stimulation , an electrode 10 will thus be on located above each orbit and over the supraorbital notches / foramina such that a current pulse transmitted between the electrodes 10 will conduct across the supraorbital and supratrochlear nerve fibers as they arise from their respective orbits . moreover , these nerve branches are relatively shallow with regard to the forehead skin surface and thus readily stimulated by electrodes 10 . a pulse generator 15 drives electrodes 10 through a common cable 20 that bifurcates into individual leads 24 for driving electrodes 10 . it is important that a patient be able to correctly position each electrode 10 so that the appropriate nerves are stimulated without the risks of current penetration to the brain . because a patient can readily position template 200 medially on their forehead using a landmark such as their nasal midline , the patient needs no knowledge of anatomy in that regard yet they are positioning the template 200 in an advantageous location for tns therapy . studies have shown that tns carried out with properly - placed electrodes are significantly more efficacious than the use of conventional vns . yet tns is far less invasive , has much fewer risks , and considerably lower cost than vns . referring back to fig1 a and 1b , suppose that there is an electrode 10 over or lateral to each supraorbital nerve . a current driven through one of the contacts into the remaining electrode will thus pass across not only the supraorbital nerves but also across the supratrochlear nerves . one can see that each supraorbital nerve arises from its foramen just medially to the center of each supraorbital ridge . referring again to fig1 a , cutaneous tns excitation is thus readily achieved by lay people in that template 200 is readily centered on the forehead such that each aperture 205 is positioned over the corresponding ophthalmic nerve pair . the width of each electrode 10 may be such that it is greater than the expected spacing between the supraorbital nerve and the supratrochlear nerve in a given ophthalmic nerve pair . this is quite advantageous as compared to prior art tns approaches in which individual contacts were positioned by palpating for the supraorbital notch or foramen and attaching an electrode over or above the foramen . such an individual contact placement is problematic in that a lay person may not attach the contacts properly , which may result in excessive current exposure such that the brain itself receives appreciable currents . but with template 200 , the lay person may readily center its midline with the nasal midline . since the apertures 205 are positioned apart so that an electrode 10 placed within the aperture stimulates the underlying ophthalmic nerve pair , the problems and dangers of prior art individual electrode application are avoided . as seen in fig2 , template 200 may include a midline alignment feature on either of its longitudinal borders to assist in the alignment of template 200 with the nasal midline . for example , a midline alignment feature such as a convex angle 210 ( e . g ., an angle of 168 degrees ) may be defined by the bottom and top longitudinal edges of template 200 . alternatively , only one of the bottom or top edges of template 200 may include such an alignment feature . apertures 205 are separated by approximately 14 mm . given the chevron shaping resulting from convex angles 210 , each aperture 205 narrows by 12 degrees from a medial edge of a 27 mm to a lateral edge of 20 mm ( with regard to the template midline ) over a width of 31 . 5 mm . the lateral edge of each aperture 205 is thus 38 . 5 mm from the nasal midline . such an aperture spacing assures that each aperture 205 is positioned over an ophthalmic nerve pair so that an electrode placed within aperture 205 will then stimulate both the supraorbital nerve and the supraorbital nerve in the corresponding ophthalmic nerve pair for the vast bulk of the adult population . but some adults will require even a greater aperture / electrode width such as 34 mm to assure that the supraorbital nerves receive adequate stimulation . it will be appreciated that many alternative embodiments exist for template 200 with regard to inclusion of suitable apertures and midline alignment features . template 200 is quite advantageous in that a lay person may readily center it about their nasal midline . since the apertures 205 are spaced apart so that each aperture is positioned over an ophthalmic nerve pair on opposing sides of the forehead , a lay person may readily apply cutaneous electrodes through apertures 205 such that the applied electrodes are properly positioned over the ophthalmic nerves without requiring clinical expertise . referring again to fig1 a , once a patient or clinician has placed template 200 appropriately on the forehead and applied the electrodes 10 within apertures 205 , template 200 may then be removed so that tns therapy may ensue . in various embodiments , the stimulation is delivered at a specific pulse width or range of pulse widths ( or pulse duration ). the stimulation can be set to deliver pulse widths in any range within a lower limit of about 10 microseconds and an upper limit of about 3 seconds . in various embodiments , the stimulation can be set to deliver pulse widths in the range greater than and / or less than one or more of 50 μs , 60 μs , 70 μs , 80 μs , 90 μs , 100 μs , 125 μs , 150 μs , 175 μs , 200 μs , 225 μs , 250 μs , up to 500 μs . those of skill in the art will recognized that one or more of the above times can be used as a border of a range of pulse widths in some embodiments , the stimulation amplitude is delivered as a voltage or current controlled stimulation . in other embodiments it can be delivered as a capacitive discharge . in various embodiments , the current amplitude can be in any range within a lower limit of about 300 μa and an upper limit of about 30 ma - 35 ma , depending on the surface area of the electrodes , inter - electrode distance , the branch ( es ) stimulated , and the modeling data as described above . in various embodiments , the amplitude can be in a range greater than and / or less than one or more of 50 μa , 75 μa , 100 μa , 125 μa , 150 μa , 175 μa , 200 μa , 225 μa , 250 μa , 275 μa , 300 μa , 325 μa , 350 μa , 375 μa , 400 μa , 425 μa , 450 μa , 475 μa , 500 μa , 525 μa , 550 μa , 575 μa , 600 μa , 625 μa , 650 μa , 675 μa , 700 μa , 725 μa , 850 μa , 875 μa , 900 μa , 925 μa , 950 μa , 975 μa , 1 ma , 2 ma , 3 ma , 4 ma , 5 ma , 6 ma , 7 ma , 8 ma , 9 ma , 10 ma , 11ma , 12 ma , 13 ma , 14 ma , 15 ma , 16 ma , 17 ma , 18 ma , 19 ma and 20 ma . those of skill in the art will recognize that one or more of the above amplitudes can be used as a border of a range of amplitudes . in various embodiments , the stimulation can be delivered at one or more frequencies , or within a range of frequencies . the stimulation can be set to be delivered at frequencies in any range within an upper limit of about 500 hz and a lower limit of about 10 hz . in various embodiments , the stimulation can be set to be delivered at frequencies less than , and / or greater than one or more of 50 hz , 45 hz , 40 hz , 35 hz , 30 hz , 25 hz , 20 hz , 15 hz , or 10 hz . in various embodiments , the stimulation can be set to be delivered at frequencies greater than , and / or less than , one or more of 20hz , 30hz , 40hz , 50 hz , 60 hz , 70 hz , 80 hz , 90 hz , 100 hz , 125 hz , 150 hz , up to 300 hz . those of skill in the art will recognize that one or more of the above frequencies can be used as a border of a range of frequencies . in various embodiments , the stimulation is delivered at a specific duty cycle or range of duty cycles within a range from 100 % down to about 5 %. the duty cycle is defined with regard to a duty cycle period . in each duty cycle period , the current is pulsed during an on portion of the duty cycle period and not pulsed during a remaining off portion of each duty cycle period . the ratio of the on portion to the duty cycle period defines the duty cycle . for example , if the on portion is one half of the duty cycle period , the duty cycle would be 50 %. in various embodiments , the stimulation can be set to be delivered at a duty cycle in the range greater than and / or less than one or more of 5 %, 10 %, 15 %, 20 %, 25 %, 30 %, 35 %, 40 %, 45 %, 50 %, 55 %, 60 %, 65 %, 70 %, 75 %, 80 %, 85 %, 90 %, 95 %, or 100 %. the period used to define the duty cycle may be 60 seconds such that a 50 % duty cycle would comprise 30 seconds of pulsing and 30 seconds of quiescence in each duty cycle period . in some embodiments , to ensure preservation of the nerve , a duty cycle of 10 % to 50 % may be preferable . in some embodiments , duty cycles up to 100 % may be useful in particular circumstances . those of skill in the art will recognize that one or more of the above percentages can be used as a border of a range of duty cycles . | 0 |
referring to fig1 there is shown a cryogenic storage vessel which is generally identified by reference numeral 110 . a pipe 111 is arranged to convey liquid nitrogen at minus 196 ° c . from the cryogenic storage vessel 110 and introduce it into a freezing tunnel 112 via a spray header 113 at a flow rate which is controlled by valve 114 to maintain the temperature at a temperature sensor 128 substantially constant . the liquid nitrogen evaporates in the freezing tunnel 112 and refrigerates food 115 being transported on a conveyor 116 through the freezing tunnel 112 . heat transfer between the nitrogen vapour and the food 115 is enhanced by a turbulence inducing fan 117 which is driven by an electric motor 118 . the nitrogen vapour leaves the freezing tunnel 112 and is then blown by a fan 119 through duct 120 to a heat exchanger 121 where it is used to cool gaseous refrigerant in a mechanical refrigeration system which is generally identified by reference numeral 122 . the mechanical refrigeration system 122 comprises a compressor 123 , a heat exchanger 124 , water cooled heat exchanger 121 , an expansion valve 125 and a refrigeration coil 126 in a refrigerated space 127 . in use the pressure in the cryogenic storage vessel 110 is kept somewhere between 1 . 5 and 3 . 5 bar g by a conventional evaporator arrangement . in particular , when the pressure falls to 1 . 5 bar g a small amount of liquid nitrogen is drawn off and evaporated in a local heat exchanger ( not shown ). nitrogen expands by a factor of about 700 when it evaporates and the vapour is introduced into the top of the cryogenic storage vessel 110 . when the pressure reaches 3 . 5 bar g the flow of nitrogen to the local heat exchanger is terminated and remains terminated until the pressure in the cryogenic storage vessel 10 drops to 1 . 5 bar g when the cycle is repeated . it will be noted that the present invention does not utilise a work expander which is an essential feature of the applicants previous work described in uk 9916487 . 3 , uk 0003160 . 9 and overseas patent applications corresponding thereto ( all unpublished at the priority date hereof ). one of the problems with mechanical refrigeration is that in order to achieve a significantly low temperature it is necessary to arrange several refrigerators in cascade with the refrigeration from the first refrigerator used to cool the compressed gas of the next refrigerator prior to expansion thereof . although a single refrigeration unit is relatively inexpensive the capital cost increases significantly as the number of stages increases . by using reject cryogenic vapour to cool the compressed refrigerant in the mechanical refrigeraor prior to expansion significant refrigeration can be achieved whilst saving at least one mechanical refrigeration stage . an interesting further step is that instead of rejecting the cryogenic vapour at around the conventional temperature of − 40 ° c . it may be advantageous to reject the cryogenic vapour at a significantly lower temperature , for example − 60 ° c . or colder , or even − 70 ° c . or colder . as the temperature decreases the cryogenic freezing becomes less efficient but the temperature of the mechanical refrigeration system falls and the speed of cooling in the mechanical refrigerator increases . clearly there is a balance which can be optimised for any given set of requirements . turing now to fig2 there is shown an apparatus which is generally similar to the apparatus shown in fig1 and parts having similar functions to parts shown in fig1 have been identified by the same reference numerals in the ‘ 200 ’ series . the main differences are that the spray bar 113 has been replaced by an indirect heat exchanger 213 with the result that the fan 119 becomes redundant . in addition the refrigerated space 227 is now disposed immediately downstream of the freezing tunnel 212 and the conveyor 216 carries the food sequentially through the freezing tunnel 212 where it can obtain a crust freeze before passing through the refrigerated space 227 where it can equilibrate . the refrigerated space 227 is provided with a turbulence inducing fan 229 to enhance heat transfer to the food 215 as it passes through the refrigerated space 227 . the expanded refrigerant entering the refrigeration coil 226 will typically be at a temperature of from − 40 ° c . to − 80 ° c . various modifications to the arrangements described are available . for example , the refrigerated space 227 could be placed upstream of the freezing tunnel 212 . alternatively , a refrigerated space could be placed both upstream and downstream of the freezing tunnel 212 . each of such refrigerated spaces could be serviced by the same mechanical refrigerator or by separate and distinct mechanical refrigerators . in order to maintain high standards of hygiene many tunnel freezers are stopped and steam cleaned at frequent intervals , for example every 24 hours for a single product freezer , or every 6 or 7 hours when freezing small runs of gourmet products . before the freezing tunnel can be reused it must be cooled down . this is conventionally effected by introducing liquid nitrogen into the freezing tunnel until the desired temperature is reached . it will be appreciated that whilst the use of liquid nitrogen for initial cooldown is very quick it is also very expensive . significant cost savings can be made by using external electrical power to mechanically cool the refrigerated spaces and drawing the cold air therefrom through the freezing tunnel to achieve part of the initial cooldown . as indicated previously , liquid air may be used as the cryogenic liquid although liquid nitrogen is preferred . | 5 |
to allow software to indicate to the hardware a cache line is no longer required for further storage update , an instruction can be provided , with a way to indicate the logical address , as suited to a specific architecture . this is done with a new opcode or a new variation of an existing cache management instruction using unused fields or code - points . specific instructions which implement this invention are expected to be used in device drivers , operating system code or any application that uses common parameter blocks or semaphore blocks . the intention of this provision is that the software code will treat this as a “ done with store to this line ” instruction , now simply called “ demote instruction ”, at the end of its last storage updating instruction . it should be used for lines that contain highly utilized data across various processes that are executing in different processors and most likely at different times . one typical software example may be on the management of a cache line that contains various semaphore locks needed for multiprocessor handling . the effect of the software using this provision will be to obtain or release a software lock managed in a cache line , and then demote the line actively . by releasing the line actively , other processes can proceed more quickly to either obtain or release the same lock or other locks managed within the same cache line . an important thing is that the software application knows that this is the last point of update until some period of time later . if the software requires an update to the line soon after a “ demote ”, it would instead be bad for performance , since then the processor will take time to regain the exclusive rights . let &# 39 ; s describe how this instruction is implemented in computer system with a cache hierarchy as illustrated in fig1 . this figure , and subsequent fig2 - 5 , illustrates a bi - nodal system where the storage controller ( sc ) is made up of 2 different physical node controllers sc0 101 and sc1 102 , each having 3 processors 103 - 105 or 106 - 108 attached . fig1 indicates a typical initial state where processor 103 ( cpy ) already owns the exclusive rights to a cache line a . fig2 illustrates that when processor 107 ( cpx ) requests to have exclusive rights to same cache line a , ( e . g . when it is executing a “ store ” instruction and needs store access ) while processing a storage update instruction , the wait on getting a confirmation on the cross interrogate ( xi ) from the current owning processor 103 ( cpy ) delays this requesting processor 107 ( cpx ) from being able to start any storage update to the line a . the steps 1 - 10 are shown in fig2 . with the provision of a “ demote ” instruction , instead of having to take up the delay on the xi acknowledgement , the scs 101 or 102 would have already updated its directory to show that no processor is currently owning the line exclusively , and thus can return the line a exclusively to processor 107 cpx when processor 107 cpx requests for it in a very timely manner . this is shown in fig3 and 4 . in fig3 , when the application running on processor 103 cpy decides to “ demote ” the cache line , processor 103 cpy will send a request to sc0 101 to demote line a ( 1 ). ( there will be a decoding and execution of a program instruction calling for such a demotion ) once the demote request is received , the sc0 101 will process the request as if a “ non - existing ” processor is requesting line a exclusively . it will start up the lookup in its directory , send a cross interrogate to processor 103 cpy to request a release on exclusive rights ( 2 ). if processor 103 cpy still have storage update to that line pending in its pipeline , it can reject the cross interrogate . the sc0 101 will in turn repeat the cross interrogate until pending stores in processor 103 cpy are drained . when there is no pending stores for line a existing in processor 103 cpy , processor 103 cpy at this time should naturally be accepting the release request . processor 103 cpy will update its directory with no more exclusive rights and send back an acknowledgement to sc0 101 ( 3 ). once the acknowledgement is received , the sc0 101 will update its directory update to indicate that line a is now exclusive to “ no one ” ( 4 ). the software demote process is thus accomplished . this state of exclusive to no one is equivalent to a shared ( or read - only ) state with respect to how if affect exclusive xi activities concerning this line . now , as seen in fig4 , if another processor 107 cpx requests line a exclusively ( 1 ), the sc1 102 can quickly request the line exclusively from sc0 101 ( 2 - 4 ), and then reply to the requesting processor 107 cpx with an exclusive response ( 5 - 6 ) without acquiring any delay for cross interrogation towards processor 103 cpy . this reduction of delay could be even more apparent in a system if the storage controllers for nodes 101 , 102 are on a different chip ( s ) than the processors , where the cross - chip communication is now removed . to further describe a variant implementation of this demote instruction , we will illustrate with a system where there is one private level 2 cache ( l2 ) per processor . this is shown in fig5 . each processor 103 - 108 in this system has a private l2 200 . in this design , when processor 103 cpy sends a demote request to its private l2 200 l2y ( 1 ), the l2will lookup its directory , and then send a release exclusive cross interrogate back into the processor 103 cpy ( 2 ). if the load store unit ( lsu ) inside the processor 103 cpy still has storage update to that line pending in its pipeline , it can reject the cross interrogate . the l2 200 l2y will in turn repeat the cross interrogate until pending stores in processor 103 cpy are drained . when there is no pending stores for line a , the lsu inside the processor 103 cpy will process the interrogate request , remove its directory status of exclusive ownership , and acknowledge to l2 200 l2y that this is done ( 3 ). this private l2 200 l2y will drain any pending store to this line a , then also update its directory to indicate no exclusive ownership ( 4 ), and send a demote request to the sc0 101 ( 5 ). upon receiving the demote request , sc0 101 will update its directory to indicate the line a is now exclusive to “ no one ” ( 6 ). with this illustration , it will be appreciated that this function can be implemented with various systems having a different cache hierarchy or topology than that illustrated . because these can be implemented by those skilled in the art after learning of this teaching , all their variants are not specifically shown . fig6 illustrates how such an instruction is processed within a microprocessor core . for this description , only 3 of the key units idu 301 ( instruction dispatch unit ), fxu 302 ( fixed point unit ), and lsu 303 ( load store unit ) are depicted as part of the microprocessor cp 300 . during hardware execution of this instruction , the microprocessor pipeline will execute this instruction as a one cycle superscalar instruction that performs no architectural updates . all the work is to be performed by the cache subsystem . for an in - order microprocessor cp 300 , when the “ demote instruction ” is dispatched from the instruction dispatch unit idu 301 , the logical address calculated according to the instruction format and a decode of such instruction indicating a demote operation will be sent from idu 301 to lsu 303 ( arrow 1 ). in parallel , idu 301 will send the opcode to fxu 302 ( arrow 2 ) which will complete the instruction if this is the next to complete without waiting for any acknowledgement or doing any architectural update . lsu 303 will obtain the absolute address used in cache management by either looking up the address translation of the logical address sent from idu 301 in its translation lookaside buffer ( tlb ) 310 , or obtain a translation result through a dynamic translation process . once the absolute address is obtained ( arrow 4 ), it will arm the absolute address and a demote command in one of its available fetch address register ( far ) 312 . the demote command will be a predefined interface value on the request bus ( arrow 6 ) to the storage controller ( sc ) indicating a “ demote ” is to be performed . the lsu &# 39 ; s 303 control logic 313 will hold on to the demote request , and wait until all prior instructions complete before it send the demote request and address to the sc ( arrow 6 ). this is done by monitoring pipeline flushing interface from the fxu 302 which controls instruction completion in this example . it is important that the demote request is not sent under an incorrectly predicted branch path , or if any older instruction does not successfully complete due to processor pipeline flushing conditions . otherwise , an unnecessary performance penalty may be incurred . in an out of order microprocessor , due to the nature of the design , the actual launch of the demote request from the lsu makes use of a tag . to fit into an out of order design , the demote request sitting in the far register is tagged with an instruction id , and only launched when the global completion logic determines that this instruction id is being completed . an alternative design , not specifically shown in fig5 but illustrated thereby , will have the demote request be written into a store queue entry ( instead of a far register entry ) at 312 . by doing so , since stores have to be completed and processed in order for machines requiring a strongly - ordered memory model , the store queue logic at 312 will tagged its entries with instruction ids and receive instruction completion ordering from the global completion logic . the store queue logic can then precisely send the demote request ( through the far logic ) without being premature . additionally , any pending stores prior to the demote instruction will naturally be drained out of its pipeline before a demote request is sent . this helps in reducing the chance that the lsu needs to reject the demote cross interrogate when sent by the storage controller , or a private l2if installed . as illustrated , the present invention can help improve system performance by carefully inserting “ demote ” instructions in software code , with a hardware provision of such mechanism . it requires thoughtful implementation in software , firmware , together with hardware to be effective . the flow diagrams depicted herein are just examples . there may be many variations to these diagrams or the steps ( or operations ) described therein without departing from the spirit of the invention . for instance , the steps may be performed in a differing order , or steps may be added , deleted or modified . all of these variations are considered a part of the claimed invention . while the preferred embodiment to the invention has been described , it will be understood that those skilled in the art , both now and in the future , may make various improvements and enhancements which fall within the scope of the claims which follow . these claims should be construed to maintain the proper protection for the invention first described . | 6 |
referring now to the drawing wherein the illustrations are for the purpose of showing preferred embodiments of the apparatus according to the present invention and not for the purpose of limiting its scope . fig . 1 shows a preferred embodiment of the extracorporeal apparatus 9 according to the present invention . as with any extracorporeal apparatus , the initial step is to withdraw blood from a donor . such withdrawal of blood is generally accomplished by insertion of an exit needle 10 into a sizeable vein such as the femoral vein . a re - entry needle ( not shown ) is generally connected to another part of the body such as the other arm . a conventional hypodermic needle or catheter about size 18 - 20 gauge may be used . in the apparatus 9 according to the present invention , the exit needle 10 will transmit the blood flow from the donor through a clear plastic tube 12 such as a silastic tube equipped with regulator 15 . preferably , an anticoagulant such as heparin is mixed with the withdrawn blood . reservoir 13 supplies heparin through tube 36 to the withdrawn blood by regulator 32 . as better shown in fig2 the withdrawn blood is mixed with heparin before it is added to centrifuge 17 . the amount of heparin added is about 1000 units per liter of blood . the mixed blood is directed via line 33 to pump 15 to be charged into a first centrifuge 17 . regulator 32 delivers the withdrawn blood at a rate of 40 milliliters per minute to first centrifuge device 17 containing a flexible plastic bag 16 . this bag can also be of silastic material . when the first centrifuge 17 is filled , valve 15 prevents further addition of blood . then regulator 32 directs blood through tube 34 , and heparin through tube 35 to a second centrifuge ( not shown ) via tubing ( not shown ). likewise , when the second centrifuge is filled , the regulator 32 will direct blood to a third centrifuge ( not shown ). each centrifuge operates as an independent unit . fig2 shows centrifuge 17 which is representative of the other centrifuges used in the system . each contains a graduated flexible plastic bag . besides the inlet tube 33 each flexible plastic bag contains three exit tubes to carry the three major fractions of blood components . centrifuge 17 is operated at about 500 r . p . m . for about five minutes to produce three layers , i . e ., plasma , white blood cells / platelets and red blood cells . fig3 shows a typical radiation treatment chamber 37 of the invention as illustrated in fig1 . the radiation treatment chamber 37 may be made of thermoplastic polymers , thermoset polymers , metals or ceramic materials with the provision that the side walls separating each compartment are impenetrable to high energy electromagnetic radiation , comprising a blood fraction inlet tube 27 , inlet pump 31 , module 30 , complexing agent inlet line 22 , complexing agent outlet line 23 , and a high energy electromagnetic radiation source . referring now to fig4 a filtration component using hollow fibers membrane is shown as module 30 and includes a housing 41 in which a bundle of hollow fibers 43 , and the conical cap member 44 is fixed to collecting and fixing component 45 . a cover member 42 mounted on the opening of housing 41 in a liquid tight manner is provided with an opening communicating with an inlet for the blood fraction 53 at the center of cover member 42 . on the upper side wall of cover member 42 , an inlet 50 for the complexing agent is provided . the protruding portion 49 of conical member 44 is connected with the collecting and fixing position portion 45 , and is inserted into an opening communicating with blood fraction 53 with the joint sealed by two o rings 45 . a band 57 coupling housing 41 with cover member 42 in a liquid - tight manner with seal 58 . o ring 55 , seal 58 and complexing agent chamber 59 and blood fraction chamber form a liquid tight structure with a membrane of hollow fibers 43 between the complexing agent chamber 59 and blood fraction chamber 60 . a similar filtration component in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 547 , 289 to okam , et . al ., and is incorporated by reference herein . referring to fig1 - 4 , in the case of a blood fraction infected with the hiv virus , the blood fraction supplied by centrifuge 16 through line 27 is moved by pump 31 to inlet 53 of module 30 and is directed to the inside of the hollow fibers 43 . the hiv virus has a size about 100 nanometers ( nm ). therefore , it is necessary that the average pore diameter and the maximum pore diameter of the porous polymeric hollow fibers of the module 30 fall within respective ranges which are predetermined in accordance with the size of the virus , which is to be transferred through the membrane . the hollow fibers are designed so the hiv virus can permeate through them while the blood fraction are held inside the tubacles and exit through outlet 51 to tube 20 which is in combination with recombing tube 24 . at the same time , a complexing agent is introduced into module 30 via tube 22 through inlet 50 around chamber 59 to contact the bundle of hollow fibers 53 . the complexing agent for hiv viruses is preferably a sulfonated polysaccharide . most preferably , a sulfonated polysaccharide such as a dextran sulfate having a molecular weight of about 5000 - 8000 is slowly and continuously introduced to contact the hiv viruses . a solution of dextran sulfate at a concentration of 1 - 6 gm / ml having an average molecular weight would be suitable for the purposes of this invention . this solution attracts the hiv virus and is virioncidal without any harmful effect on the different blood components . the continuous flow of the dextran sulfate solution , the thinness of the hollow fibers and the slow blood flow allows almost every cell to be exposed to the virioncidal effect . the effect extends into the hollow tubes which contain blood fractions , e . g ., plasma , white blood cells / platelets and red blood cells . a high energy electromagnetic radiation source is positioned to emit radiation into the bundle of hollow fibers 53 to irradiate the blood fractions passing through the hollow fibers , as well as , the hiv viruses held in the dextran solution in the chamber 59 . the high energy electromagnetic radiation source may be selected from x - ray , ultraviolet , infra - red , and laser energy . helium - neon and helium - cadmium laser irradiation , at certain wavelengths have certain immunostimulative and immunosuppressive effects on blood constituents in vitro . ultraviolet radiation known to be effective in inactivating microorganisms may be used in the apparatus and method according to this invention . suitable ultraviolet radiation sources include those producing radiation in the wavelength range from 100 to nm preferably from 200 to 350 nm for example uv - a at approximately 320 to 400 nm , uv - b at approximately 254 nm . advantageously , the ultraviolet source are lamps which are connected to a timer and a control unit ( not shown ) for controlling the duration of the irradiation . as suitable ultraviolet source is in the form of a plurality of eight tubes disposed generally parallel to and around the module 30 . module 30 is constructed of , preferably , a plastic substantially transparent to a high energy electromagnetic radiation source such as polyurethane . other transparent materials which would be useful include : polytetrafluoroethylene , low density polyethylene , polyvinyl chloride , and ceramics . preferably , module 30 is a clear plastic tube which contains a plurality of micro tubules . each micro tubules is a hollow fiber about 20 - 30 microns in diameter and about 20 centimeters long . module 30 contains 20 , 000 to 30 , 000 micro tubules . thus , the plurality of hollow cores of the multiplicity of fibers within each module define numerous passageways in fluid communication with the blood fraction outlet tube 20 . further , a complexing agent such as a low molecular weight dextran , specifically dextran sulfate is slowly and continuously flowed through and around the semi - permeable membranes . the selective permeability of the micro tubules slows the transfer of material through the membrane and enables longer contact of the complexing agent with the pathogen with increased complex formation . this increased formation of the pathogen - agent complex coupled with the thinness of these micro tubules and the slow rate of flow affords a much more effective radiation treatment . such treatment conditions are maintained for approximately 2 to 20 minutes . furthermore , as pointed out above the radiation dosage can be tailored according to the content of the treatment compartment and the genotype of the hiv virus . for example , the plasma fraction can receive a higher dose of radiation than the white blood cells / platelets . the red blood cells can receive a higher dose than the white cells and less dosage than the plasma . thus , different blood components will be irradiated differently to ensure sterilization of the blood without harming the patient &# 39 ; s blood . this is the unique feature of this invention , i . e ., the radiation dosage in each chamber can be very carefully controlled to eliminate damage to the blood fraction . from tube 24 blood will be sampled to test for the presence of hiv virus by the standard available test . also , blood samples are taken to check the level of mineral and electrolyte content , thus ensuring a safer sterile blood returned back to the patient . | 0 |
the invention will now be described , by way of illustration only , with reference to the accompanying drawing which shows in vertical transverse section a croquet ball in accordance with the present invention . the croquet ball comprises a resilient structural outer casing formed of polyurethane with an external source formed to the pattern common to all croquet balls . the resilient structural outer casing ( 1 ) is formed with a smooth internal surface ( 4 ) which defines a core volume ( 2 ). the core volume ( 2 ) is provided over 40 - 70 % of its volume with core materials ( 3 ) which may comprise glass beads , water , or other low viscosity liquid , and a surface active agent such as tepol . the ball , as shown , rolls on a surface ( 5 ) without deformation due to its own weight ; the strength of the outer casing being sufficient to withstand slight deformation on contact with the croquet mallet . the balls in accordance with the present invention , and as just described , show low deviation on being struck by a standard mallet of given force , and travel much less far than an equivalent &# 34 ; hard &# 34 ; croquet ball . the outer casing of the croquet ball formed of polyurethane is formed in the usual way with a knurled outer surface and a smooth inner surface . an aperture is pierced therethrough at an appropriate point . the so formed outer casing is then allowed to set and become fully hardened . the inner core is then filled with glass beads sold under the mark ballertini ®, of a generally spherical configuration and having a size between 0 . 8 and 1 . 2 mm . salt granules having a particle size of 0 . 8 and 2 mm or , in some circumstances , sand having particle sizes of 0 . 25 mm can also be used . in the present instance the glass beads are added until the weight of the whole ball is 453 gms ( 16 ozs .). this is the standard weight of croquet balls . the percentage by volume of the ball filled will not be entirely constant but will be between 60 and 70 % by volume ( 254 gms by weight ). obviously the particle sizes of the glass beads can be selected so as to achieve the right packing density . a plug is then formed in the aperture to permanently retain the glass beads in the core . it is found that the application of a mallet stroke to a croquet ball so formed results in the ball stopping on a hard even surface . the same conditions applied to a standard ball would result in the ball going very much farther , for example about 4 times farther , or more usually hitting an interior wall . the effects of adding to a standard 198 gm shell of a croquet ball given amounts of glass beads are given below in table i . in these experiments the ball containing varying given amounts of beads is hit with a standard force and the rolling distance and deviations from a straight line are recorded . deviation per unit of rolling length is then calculated for the purposes of accurate comparison . table 1______________________________________performance of croquet ball ( 198 gm shell ) at standard striking velocity wt . of rolling average deviation beads distance deviation per unitrun gms . meters in meters rolling length______________________________________1 85 1 . 2 0 . 15 0 . 122 99 1 . 1 0 . 19 0 . 173 113 0 . 86 0 . 06 0 . 074 127 0 . 82 0 . 10 0 . 125 141 0 . 77 0 . 10 0 . 136 155 0 . 71 0 . 07 0 . 107 170 0 . 65 0 . 12 0 . 188 184 0 . 66 0 . 10 0 . 159 198 0 . 62 0 . 10 0 . 1610 212 0 . 69 0 . 04 0 . 0611 226 0 . 65 0 09 0 . 1412 240 0 . 62 0 . 11 0 . 1813 254 0 . 73 0 . 07 . 09514 269 0 . 76 0 . 23 0 . 3015 283 0 . 78 0 . 19 0 . 2416 297 0 . 93 0 . 20 0 . 21unitav . dev . 0 . 15______________________________________ from the above it will be seen that the rolling distance per stroke is high where the weight of beads is either very low or very high , but is much the same in mid range . however , surprisingly deviation only increases where large amounts of beads are used . the average deviation per unit rolling length is 0 . 15 metres for balls with only dry beads therein . in table 2 we show the effects of adding 100 gms of water to run 6 of table 1 : ( 155 gms glass beads in a shell of 198 gms ). table 2______________________________________addition of water ( and tepol ) to a croquet ball shell______________________________________shell 198 gmsglass beads 155 gmswater 100 gms ( total 453 gms ) ______________________________________ averagerolling average deviationdistance deviation per unitaverage 10 runs average 10 runs rolling length______________________________________1 . 24 m 0 . 26 m 0 . 21 mwith 1 drop tepol per 100 gms water1 . 26 m 0 . 12 m 0 . 09with 2 drops tepol per 100 gms water1 . 26 m 0 . 21 m 0 . 16 m______________________________________ it will be seen that although the average rolling distance increases a little , the average deviation , particularly with one drop of tepol , is reduced from 0 . 15 to 0 . 09 metres . further whereas with a &# 34 ; dry &# 34 ; ball occasionally very wide deviations occur , these are not recorded where a &# 34 ; wet &# 34 ; ball was used . by use of the balls in accordance with the present invention it is possible to play indoor croquet in a room of normal size . accordingly , the game may be played in small community halls or large living room without damage to the walls . similar considerations apply to golf balls and bowls &# 39 ; woods which can be similarly manufactured . it is believed that the energy absorbing cores in accordance with the present invention are a function of the following : friction between the particles forming the core and the interior of the casing , the lifting effect on the core material when the ball rolls , and the reaction to impact allowed for by a deformable core surrounded by a resilient casing . it will also be appreciated that where a core of fine particles size such as sand is utilized , it is possible to &# 34 ; hand &# 34 ; the ball by tapping the contents of the core to one side before imparting rolling motion to it . where such effects are not required , the addition of a low viscosity liquid with a surface active agent alleviates the effects . the invention relates therefore to an energy absorbant ball , particularly a croquet ball , as hereinbefore set forth ; and to an indoor game of croquet played with a ball in accordance with the present invention . | 0 |
as seen in fig2 a snow removal device 1 according to a preferred embodiment of this invention includes a first end 5 and a second opposite end 6 . the device comprises an elongate handle portion 10 generally near the first end 5 , and a snow removal portion 15 generally near the second end 6 . the snow removal portion 15 includes a snow removal body member 20 having a first end 22 and a second opposite end 23 . the preferred snow removal body member 20 includes a first , top face portion 24 and a second , bottom face portion 25 . the body member 20 further includes a first side face portion 26 and a second side face portion 27 , best shown in fig4 . as shown in fig2 the snow removal portion body member 20 includes a brushing or sweeping means 28 which extends from the body member bottom face portion 25 . the preferred brushing means 28 includes a plurality of bristles 29 attached to the body member bottom face portion 25 in any suitable manner . the brushing means 28 is generally parallel to the body member 20 . the preferred body member 20 further includes a plowing means 30 . the preferred plowing means 30 has a first end portion 31 and an opposite second end portion 32 . the plowing means 30 further includes a concave plowing member 35 . plowing member 35 defines a longitudinal recessed channel portion 40 having a first end 41 and a second opposite end 42 . the channel portion 40 extends generally parallel to the body member 20 . as shown in fig4 the preferred concave plowing member 35 includes an edge portion 45 adjacent to and generally parallel to the body member top surface face portion 24 . an upper curved portion 48 abuts edge portion 45 . a vertical back wall portion 52 abuts the upper curved portion 48 . a lower curved portion 56 is adjacent to the vertical back wall portion 52 . the vertical back wall portion 52 and the lower curved portion 56 intersect . an alternative plowing member would include an edge portion adjacent to and generally parallel to the body member top surface face portion . an upper cured portion would abut the edge portion . a vertical back wall portion would abut the upper curve portion . a lower slope wall would be adjacent to the vertical back wall portion . the vertical back wall portion in the lower slope wall would intersect and define an angle therebetween . the angle would preferably be greater than 90 °, and be most preferably between 110 ° and 160 °. the preferred plowing means 30 , as shown in fig2 includes a guarding or snow - stopping portion 75 which effectively closes off the first end portion 31 of the channel portion . in use , the guarding portion 75 inhibits snow from being channeled outward from the plowing means first end , and toward the user &# 39 ; s hand . as shown in fig4 the preferred plowing means 30 includes a second plowing member 80 substantially similar to the first plowing member 35 and oriented in an opposite or a back - to - back parallel relationship with the same . the preferred handle portion 10 shown in fig2 is elongate and substantially flat . it extends from the first end portion 22 of the snow removal body member 20 . in the preferred embodiment shown , the handle portion 10 and the body member 20 are integral . in typical use , as illustrated in fig1 the device 1 is positioned with the bristles 29 abutting the surface 90 to be cleared . the plowing means 30 will remove the upper layer of a relatively deep snow cover while the brushing means 28 removes the lower layer of snow . since the preferred snow removal portion 15 includes a second plowing member 80 parallel to the first plowing member 35 , it is to be understood that the device 1 can be used with upward or downward strokes with either the right or the left hand of either side of the vehicle . in an alternative use , the device 1 can be used with the plowing portion 30 abutting a windshield to be cleared . once heavy or deep snow has been removed from the surface 90 to be cleared , the device 1 may be rotated 180 ° on its longitudinal axis 105 , so that the brushing means bristles 29 contact the surface 90 to be cleared . light , remaining snow , may then be removed by brushing . the device 1 can also be used for removing snow from difficult - to - reach areas , such as gutters formed between windows and body parts . edge portion 45 can be inserted into these hard - to - reach areas and snow lifted therefrom . further , edge portion 45 can be used to remove ice from a surface 90 by dislodging the ice with edge portion 45 . windshield wipers frozen to a windshield may be loosened with the device 1 by placing edge portion 45 under a wiper or wiper frame and using leverage provided by the elongate handle portion 10 to lift the wiper . it will be understood that the present invention may be embodied in a variety of forms . the above descriptions , therefore , are not to be interpreted as limiting , but rather as a basis for the claims and as a basis for teaching persons skilled in the art the invention , which is defined by the following claims . | 0 |
in the embodiment shown in fig1 , msw or organic waste in the waste storage pit was dehydrated to some extent by the way of fermentation , and then through separation organic matter waste separated was fed into a spiral moisture expelling and feeding means . in the process of conveying through the screw feeder , some amount of water was removed further by extrusion . then the waste material was fed into a plasma gasifier through a co 2 gas sealed device . the msw , after dried in drying section of plasma gasifier and pyrolyzed in pyrolysis section of plasma gasifier , became msw carbon and entered the gasification section for gasification reaction with the decomposer of the water steam injected into the gasification section from a plasma torch , and completed gasification and generates hydrogen - rich syngas in which co and h 2 are the main components . the operating temperature of drying section was at between 120 to 300 ° c . ; the operating temperature of pyrolysis section is between 300 to 1000 ° c . ; the operating temperature of gasification section is at between 1000 to 1300 ° c . ; the operating temperature of melted slag zone is at between 1300 to 1600 ° c . ; the operating pressure in the gasification furnace is controlled at between 0 ˜ 5 kpa . a plasma torch is provided in the gasification section , and the heat required by the gasification in the furnace is mainly provided by the plasma torch and the exothermic reaction of plasma active chemicals and msw carbon . as the working steam for gasifying agent and the plasma torch , the water steam is heated to & gt ; 4200 ° c . by the plasma torch , so that water molecules are decomposed completely , generating h *, h 2 *, ho *, o *, o 2 * and h 2 o * that are then directly sprayed on the msw carbon in the gasification section . the msw carbon serves for hydrogen and oxygen absorber to generate co and h 2 . clinker is melted to a liquid slag at 1300 ˜ 1600 ° c . environment in melted slag zone of the furnace , and discharges via a water seal to the slag pool and becomes vitreous grains . the heat emitted when calcium oxide absorbs co 2 to produce calcium carbonate is provided as an assistant heat source for gasification and an assisting plasma gasification . a carbonization reaction chamber is provided in the gasification system . calcium oxide and co 2 were inputted into the carbonization reaction chamber for carbonization reaction . calcium oxide also serves for dechlorinator or desulfurizer that introduces the pyrolysis gas generated in pyrolysis section of the plasma gasifier into the carbonation reaction chamber . in the environment of the existence of excessive 1 . 2 times calcium oxide , dioxin precursors , chlorides and sulfides were removed . then pyrolysis gas was also used as a carrier gas to carry calcium oxide , calcium carbonate mixture and heat into the drying section of the plasma gasifier , thus providing heat for the drying and preheating of the new materials into the furnace waste . then the pyrolysis gas was led out of the furnace and into the gas - solid separator to separate calcium oxide and calcium carbonate . then pyrolysis gas was fed into the heat exchanger by the circulation fan , and after indirect heating in the heat exchanger , fed into the gasification section of the plasma gasifier . in the environment of 1000 to 1300 ° c ., methane , gaseous tar , ethylene , ethane , water steam , etc . in pyrolysis gas were pyrolyzed and chemically reacted . in addition , dioxin was thoroughly disintegrated . by circulated gasification , the waste in the furnace was completely decomposed , and produced a hydrogen - rich syngas in which hydrogen and carbon monoxide were main components . the hydrogen - rich syngas was led from the plasma gasifier into a waste heat boiler to recover waste heat to produce steam . meanwhile the syngas cooled down to about 232 ° c . and after cooling through exhaust heat boiler was fed to absorption reactor for deacidification . with calcium oxide or calcium hydroxide as the absorbent , chlorides , sulfides , fluorides , and other acidic pollutants were removed from the syngas . then through the cyclone duster , the absorber was separated and returned to the absorption reactor for recycling . then the syngas removed fly ash by using bag dust collector . after deacidification and dedusting , the syngas was fed to a co 2 absorber to absorb carbon dioxide in the syngas with potassium carbonate solution , then the potassium bicarbonate generated by potassium carbonate solution absorbing carbon dioxide was fed to a regeneration reactor . by heating , potassium bicarbonate was decomposed into potassium carbonate solution and carbon dioxide . the decomposed potassium carbonate solution was returned to co 2 absorbing tower for recycling and the decomposed carbon dioxide was fed to carbonation reaction chamber for carbonation reaction . the syngas after removing carbon dioxide was fed into a syngas tank through compressor a . out of the syngas tank , syngas was fed through the compressor to a methanol synthesis reactor to produce methanol . the hydrogen - rich syngas was catalyzed and synthesized to methanol product in the methanol synthesis reactor . then the methanol gas was fed to a mixed absorber to mix with limewater , so that the residual contaminants including dioxin and carbon dioxide was absorbed by lime . then through distillation , methanol was separated and the unreacted gas was returned to the methanol synthesis reactor for recycling reaction . limewater after decontamination was fed back to mixed absorber for recycling use by a circulating pump . the exhaust was fed by a control valve to the plasma gasifier for recycling or synthetic ammonia equipment to produce liquid ammonia to remove nitrogen gas and form a closed loop production system . in this embodiment , the leachate generated in msw pretreating process was fed into a digester to produce biogas by anaerobic fermentation . the biogas was fed into the plasma gasifier for decomposition and the biogas residue was used as fertilizer . selected inorganic materials sorted in the pretreatment process were resorted for scrap metal recycling . then non - metallic inorganic materials were ground and mixed with calcium carbonate , calcium oxide separated from the gasification system to produce non - fired bricks . the slag discharged from plasma gasifier into water sealed slag pool became vitreous particles that can be directly used as building material . the fly ash collected from the bag filter was then treated through melting kiln and the slag can be directly used as building material . the steam water mixture removed from the methanol synthesis reactor was fed into the waste heat boiler to produce steam that can serve as working steam for plasma torch and steam power generation . in the present embodiment , when the fractional ratio of hydrogen in the syngas produced in the plasma gasifier was not up to the requirements of methanol synthesis , add an operation of carbon monoxide conversion in the previous stage of co 2 absorbing tower to increase the proportion of hydrogen in the syngas , or conduct hydrogenation to meet the requirements of syngas . methanol synthesis can use conventional synthesis reactor or the electro - catalytic synthesis reactor specified in chinese patent no . 200710166618 . 5 . when using conventional synthesis reactor , the synthesis of methanol uses cu / zn / al catalyst at operating pressure of 3 to 15 mpa and at operating temperature of 210 to 280 ° c . when using electro - catalytic synthesis reactor , the synthesis of methanol uses cu / zn / al catalyst at operating pressure of 0 ˜ 1 mpa and at operating temperature 120 to 400 ° c . as shown in the system diagram of fig2 and detailed drawings in fig4 , 5 , 6 , 7 of the present invention , a msw gasification - liquefaction disposal system comprises : a msw pretreating zone ( zone i in fig2 ), a plasma gasification zone ( zone ii - a of fig2 ), a syngas purification zone ( zone iii - 1 of fig2 ) and a zone of methanol synthesis and a terminal purification zone ( zone iv of fig2 ). the system comprises a material - unloading platform ( 73 ), a waste storage pit ( 2 ), a crane grab ( 1 ), a sorting machine ( 3 ), spiral moisture expelling and feeding means ( 10 ), co 2 gas sealed feeding means ( 13 ), a plasma gasifier ( 23 ), a plasma torch ( 24 ), a gas - solid separator ( 17 ), a circulating fan ( 18 ), a carbonation reaction chamber ( 2007 ), a heat exchanger ( 20 ), a waste heat boiler ( 27 ), an absorption reactor ( 32 ), a cyclone duster ( 31 ), a bag dust collector ( 38 ), an induced - draft fan ( 40 ), a co shift reactor ( 41 ), a co 2 absorber ( 42 ), a regeneration repercussion tower ( 46 ), a compressor a ( 44 ), a syngas tank ( 48 ), a compressor ( 51 ), a methanol synthesis reactor ( 52 ), a mixed absorber ( 55 ), a distillation column ( 62 ), a compressor b ( 56 ), a methanol output tank ( 65 ), an asynthetic ammonia reactor ( 63 ) and connecting ducts . among which : the material - unloading platform comprise an unloading lane and a vehicle command room ; an unloading lane , a vehicle command room , a waste storage pit ( 2 ) and a crane grab ( 1 ) were provided in steel - concrete structure buildings ; an air curtain was provided in the entrance of garbage truck in these buildings . an air outlet of exhaust fan ( 74 ) on the roof was connected to input interface of air odor ( 2501 ) of high - temperature deodorizer ( 25 ) through air pipe ( 22 ). an outlet of deodored air ( 2503 ) of high - temperature deodorizer ( 25 ) was connected to an hot air inlet ( 2602 ) of the heat exchanger c ( 26 ). spiral moisture expelling and feeding means ( 10 ) consisted of a hopper ( 1002 ), a driving shaft ( 1001 ), a spiral shaft ( 1003 ) and a spiral shell ( 1004 ). the hopper ( 1002 ) was provided over a spiral shell ( 1004 ). the spiral shell ( 1004 ) is therein provided with a spiral shaft ( 1003 ) that can perform rotation , water squeezing and material pushing with a driving shaft ( 1001 ). the material outlet of spiral moisture expelling and feeding means ( 10 ) is provided in the front end of spiral shell ( 1004 ). co 2 gas sealed feeding means ( 13 ) consists of a storage silo ( 1304 ), a co 2 gas seal ( 1303 ), a spiral shell ( 1305 ), a spiral shaft ( 1306 ), a driving shaft ( 1307 ), a transmission case and a motor . a storage silo ( 1304 ) is provided over a spiral shell ( 1305 ) and with co 2 gas sealed material . the material outlet of storage silo ( 1304 ) communicates with the material inlet of a spiral shell ( 1305 ). the spiral shell ( 1305 ) is therein provided with the spiral shaft ( 1306 ) that performs the function of material pushing . the material outlet of co 2 gas sealed feeding means ( 13 ) is in the front end of a spiral shell ( 1305 ). the inner space of plasma gasifier ( 23 ) is divided into the drying section ( 23 - i ), the pyrolysis section ( 23 - ii ) and the gasification section ( 23 - iii ); the drying section ( 23 - i ) is provided with an inlet of waste material ( 2302 ), an inlet of heat carried gas ( 2301 ) and an outlet of pyrolysis gas ( 2303 ). the pyrolysis section ( 23 - ii ) is provided with output interface of the heat carried gas ( 2310 ) and the gasification section ( 23 - iii ) is provided with input interface a of pyrolysis gas ( 2309 ). a taphole ( 2307 ) is provided in the bottom of gasification section ( 23 - iii ) and a melted slag zone is provided between the gasification section ( 23 - iii ) and taphole ( 2307 ). syngas output interface a ( 2304 ) is provided in the joint position between the pyrolysis section ( 23 - ii ) and gasification section ( 23 - iii ). a plasma torch ( 24 ) is provided in gasification section ( 23 - iii ) in the lower part of the plasma gasifier ( 23 ). a heat exchanger a ( 20 ) consists of an atmolysis chamber ( 2002 ), a heat exchange chamber ( 2006 ) and a gas collection chamber ( 2005 ). the input interface ( 2001 ) of pyrolysis gas is provided in the atmolysis chamber ( 2002 ). the output interface ( 2003 ) of heat carried gas is provided in the heat change chamber ( 2006 ). the output interface ( 2004 ) of pyrolysis gas is provided in the gas collection chamber ( 2005 ). the carbonation reaction chamber ( 2007 ) is installed over the heat exchanger a ( 20 ). the carbonation reaction chamber ( 2007 ) communicates with the heat exchange chamber ( 2006 ) of the heat exchanger a ( 20 ). the carbonation reaction chamber ( 2007 ) is provided with the input interface ( 2010 ) of heat carried gas , calcium oxide torch ( 2009 ) of calcium oxide input interface ( 2008 ). the mixing absorber ( 55 ) consists of a mixed absorbing chamber , a venturi water inlet , a methanol gas nozzle , a methanol gas inlet ( 5501 ), a limewater inlet ( 5502 ), a mixture inlet ( 5503 ) and the shell . the mixing absorbing chamber , venturi water inlet and methanol gas nozzle are inside the shell . the mixing absorbing chamber is positioned after the venturi water inlet , and methanol gas nozzle is positioned is before the venturi inlet . the diameter of methanol gas nozzle gradually expands from spout to inlet . the length of methanol gas nozzle is 2 . 5 times the average diameter . the outer diameter of an orifice of a methanol gas nozzle is 0 . 7 to 0 . 8 times the inner diameter of venturi water inlet . the methanol gas nozzle and venturi water inlet are coaxially designed and the methanol gas nozzle extends the ⅓ length into the venturi water inlet in the shell . a methanol gas inlet ( 5501 ) is connected to the inlet of methanol gas nozzle . a limewater inlet ( 5502 ) is provided in the shell between the venturi water inlet and input interface of methanol gas . the mixture inlet ( 5503 ) is provided in the shell of mixed absorbing chamber . the waste storage pit ( 2 ) is constantly connected to a hopper ( 301 ) of a sorting machine ( 3 ) through a crane grab ( 1 ). the waste outlet ( 303 ) of a sorting machine ( 3 ) is constantly connected to the hopper ( 1002 ) of spiral moisture expelling and feeding means ( 10 ) through a belt conveyer ( 8 ). the material outlet of spiral moisture expelling and feeding means ( 10 ) is constantly connected to the material inlet of co 2 gas sealed feeding means ( 13 ) through duct a ( 12 ). the material outlet of co 2 gas sealed feeding means ( 13 ) is connected to waste material inlet of plasma gasifier ( 23 ) through duct b ( 14 ). the output interface ( 2310 ) of heat carried gas of the plasma gasifier ( 23 ) is connected to the input interface ( 2010 ) of the heat carried gas of a carbonation reaction chamber ( 2007 ). the output interface ( 2003 ) of heat carried gas of heat exchanger a ( 20 ) is connected to the inlet ( 2301 ) of heat carried gas of the plasma gasifier ( 23 ). the outlet ( 2303 ) of heat carried gas of the plasma gasifier ( 23 ) is connected to the mixture inlet ( 1702 ) of the gas - solid separator ( 17 ). the gaseous substance outlet ( 1703 ) of the gas - solid separator ( 17 ) is connected to the input interfaces ( 2001 ) of pyrolysis gas of heat exchanger a ( 20 ) through circulating fan ( 18 ). the output interface ( 2004 ) of pyrolysis gas of heat exchanger a ( 20 ) is connected to the input interface a ( 2309 ) of pyrolysis gas of the plasma gasifier ( 23 ). the solid material outlet ( 1701 ) of the gas - solid separator ( 17 ) is respectively connected to slag silo and calcium oxide torch ( 2009 ) through ducts . the interface of calcium oxide supplementation ( 19 ) and material - blowing fan ( 16 ) are provided in connecting ducts . the output interface a ( 2304 ) of syngas of the plasma gasifier ( 23 ) is connected to the syngas inlet ( 2701 ) of the waste heat boiler ( 27 ). the water supplementation interface of the waste heat boiler ( 27 ) is connected to water supplying equipment . the steam output interface of the waste heat boiler ( 27 ) is connected to steam supply pipe network . the soot door ( 29 ) of the waste heat boiler ( 27 ) is connected to fly ash returning interface ( 2306 ) in the plasma gasifier ( 23 ) through fly ash pipeline ( 29 ). the syngas outlet ( 2702 ) of the waste heat boiler ( 27 ) is connected to syngas input interface ( 3203 ) of the absorption reactor ( 32 ). the material outlet of the absorbent silo ( 33 ) is connected to absorbent input interface ( 3202 ) of the absorption reactor ( 32 ). the material pipe of absorbent input interface ( 3202 ) is also connected to the air outlet of the material - blowing fan ( 34 ). the air inlet of the material - blowing fan ( 34 ) is connected to the syngas pipeline ( 28 ). the syngas output interface ( 3201 ) of the absorption reactor ( 32 ) is connected to the mixture input interface ( 3102 ) of the cyclone duster ( 31 ). the solid substance outlet ( 3103 ) of the cyclone duster ( 31 ) is connected to the connecting ducts of the input interface ( 3203 ) of the absorption reactor ( 32 ). the solid gaseous substance outlet ( 3101 ) of the cyclone duster ( 31 ) is connected to the syngas input interface ( 3803 ) of the bag dust collector ( 38 ). the fly ash outlet ( 3802 ) of the bag dust collector ( 38 ) is connected to a melting kiln ( 35 ). the syngas output interface ( 3801 ) of the bag dust collector ( 38 ) is connected to the air inlet of the induced - draft fan ( 40 ). the air outlet of induced - draft fan ( 40 ) is connected to syngas input interface ( 4101 ) of the co shift reactor ( 41 ). the syngas output interface ( 4102 ) of the co shift reactor ( 41 ) is connected to the syngas input interface ( 4202 ) of the co 2 absorbing tower ( 42 ). the output interface ( 4204 ) of khco 3 of the co 2 absorbing tower ( 42 ) is connected to the input interface ( 4601 ) of khco 3 of the regeneration tower ( 46 ). the co 2 output interface ( 4603 ) of the regeneration tower ( 46 ) is connected to the input interface ( 2008 ) of co 2 of the carbonation reaction chamber ( 2007 ). the output interface ( 4602 ) of k 2 co 3 solution of the regenerating tower ( 46 ) is connected to the input interface ( 4203 ) of k 2 co 3 solution of the co 2 absorbing tower ( 42 ). syngas output interface ( 4201 ) of the co 2 absorbing tower ( 42 ) is connected to syngas input interface ( 4801 ) of syngas tank through compressor a ( 44 ). syngas output interface ( 4802 ) of the syngas storage tank ( 48 ) is connected to the suction port of the compressor i ( 51 ). the exhaust outlet of the compressor i ( 51 ) is connected to the material gas inlet ( 5201 ) of the methanol synthesis reactor ( 52 ). the methanol gas outlet ( 5203 ) of the methanol synthesis reactor ( 52 ) is connected to methanol gas inlet ( 5501 ) of the mixed absorber ( 55 ) through a decompression control valve . the mixture outlet ( 5503 ) of mixed absorber ( 55 ) is connected to mixture input interface ( 6201 ) of distillation column ( 62 ). unreacted gas outlet ( 6204 ) of distillation column ( 62 ) is connected to the return - air interface ( 5202 ) of methanol synthesis reactor ( 52 ) through a control valve ( 76 ), unreacted gas pipeline ( 61 ) and compressor b ( 56 ). the methanol product outlet ( 6203 ) of the distillation column ( 62 ) is connected to the methanol tank ( 65 ). the limewater outlet ( 6202 ) of distillation column ( 62 ) is connected to the input interface ( 5803 ) of decontaminator ( 58 ). sewage outlet ( 5802 ) of decontaminator ( 58 ) is connected to sedimentation tank ( 53 ). the limewater outlet ( 5801 ) of decontaminator ( 58 ) is connected to the water inlet of circulating pump ( 60 ). the water outlet of the circulation pump ( 60 ) is connected to the limewater inlet ( 5502 ) of a mixed absorber ( 55 ). suction pipe ( 5302 ) is connected to the water inlet of water pump ( 54 ) in one side of sedimentation tank ( 53 ). the water outlet of water pump ( 54 ) is connected to the connecting ducts of limewater inlet ( 5502 ) of the mixed absorber ( 55 ). unreacted gas outlet ( 6204 ) of distillation column ( 62 ) is connected to material inlet ( 6301 ) of the synthetic ammonia reactor ( 63 ) through the control valve ( 75 ) and the compressor c ( 64 ). ammonia outlet ( 6302 ) of the synthetic ammonia reactor ( 63 ) is connected to the ammonia gas input interface ( 6601 ) of the condenser ( 66 ). output interface of ammonia mixture ( 6602 ) of the condenser ( 66 ) is connected to input interface of ammonia mixture ( 6701 ) of ammonia separator ( 67 ). output interface of liquid ammonia ( 6702 ) of the ammonia separator ( 67 ) is connected to liquid ammonia tank . exhaust outlet ( 6703 ) of the ammonia separator ( 67 ) is connected to unreacted gas pipeline ( 61 ) through the control valve ( 78 ). unreacted gas pipeline ( 61 ) is connected to exhaust input interface ( 2305 ) of plasma gasifier ( 23 ) through the control valve ( 77 ), the air pump ( 69 ) and exhaust feedback pipeline ( 30 ). the leachate interfaces of the waste storage pit ( 2 ), sorting machine ( 3 ) and spiral moisture expelling and feeding means ( 10 ) are connected to the material inlet of digester ( 9 ) through ducts . biogas outlet ( 902 ) of the digester ( 9 ) is connected to biogas input interface ( 2308 ) of the plasma gasifier ( 23 ) through the biogas pipeline ( 11 ) and air pump ( 15 ). as shown in the system diagram of fig3 and detailed drawings in fig4 , 7 , 8 , 9 of the present invention , a msw gasification - liquefaction disposal system comprises : msw pretreating zone ( zone i in fig3 ), a plasma gasification zone ( zone ii - b of fig3 ), syngas purification zone ( zone iii - b of fig3 ), a zone of methanol synthesis and terminal purification ( zone iv of fig3 ). the system comprises a material - unloading platform ( 73 ), a crane grab ( 1 ), a waste storage pit ( 2 ), a sorting machine ( 3 ), a digester ( 9 ), spiral moisture expelling and feeding means ( 10 ), co 2 gas sealed feeding means ( 13 ), a plasma gasifier ( 23 ), a plasma torch ( 24 ), a circulating fan ( 18 ), a heat exchanger b ( 21 ), a waste heat boiler ( 27 ), an induced - draft fan ( 40 ), an absorption reactor ( 32 ), a cyclone duster ( 31 ), a bag dust collector ( 38 ), a compressor a ( 44 ), a syngas tank ( 48 ), a hydrogenation mixer ( 49 ), a compressor i ( 51 ), a methanol synthesis reactor ( 52 ), a mixed absorber ( 55 ), a decontaminator ( 56 ), a decontaminator ( 58 ), a circulating pump ( 60 ), a distillation column ( 62 ), a synthetic ammonia reactor ( 63 ), a compressor c ( 64 ), a methanol output tank ( 65 ), and connecting ducts . of which : an exhaust fan ( 74 ) is provided over a waste storage pit ( 2 ) and a sorting machine ( 3 ), and its air outlet is connected to air deodorizing and purifying device 25 ′ through an air pipe ( 22 ); the inner space of plasma gasifier ( 23 ) is divided into a drying section ( 23 - i ), a pyrolysis section ( 23 - ii ), a gasification section ( 23 - iii ); in the drying section ( 23 - i ) are provided a waste material inlet ( 2302 ) and a pyrolysis gas outlet ( 2303 ); the input interface a ( 2309 ) of pyrolysis gas is provided in the gasification section ( 23 - iii ); a slag hole ( 2307 ) is provided in the bottom of gasification section ( 23 - iii ); a melted slag zone is provided between and taphole ( 2307 ); an output interface a ( 2304 ) of syngas is provided the joint position of pyrolysis section ( 23 - ii ) and gasification section ( 23 - iii ); a plasma torch ( 24 ) is provided in gasification section ( 23 - iii ) in the lower part of the plasma gasifier ( 23 ); heat exchanger b ( 21 ) consists of atmolysis chamber ( 2102 ), heat exchange chamber ( 2104 ) and gas collection chamber ( 2107 ); atmolysis chamber ( 2102 ), heat exchange chamber ( 2104 ) and gas collection chamber ( 2107 ) are isolated each other with baffles ; heat exchange bundle ( 2105 ) is provided in heat exchange chamber ( 2104 ) between atmolysis chamber ( 2102 ) and gas collection chamber ( 2107 ); atmolysis chamber ( 2102 ) is connected to gas collection chamber ( 2107 ) through heat exchange bundle ( 2105 ); the input interface b ( 2101 ) of pyrolysis gas is provided in the atmolysis chamber ( 2102 ); heat change chamber ( 2104 ) is provided with syngas input interface ( 2108 ), syngas output interface b ( 2103 ), soot door ( 2110 ) and soot - blowing opening ( 2106 ). the output interface ( 2109 ) of pyrolysis gas is provided in the gas collection chamber ( 2107 ); waste storage pit ( 2 ) is constantly connected to hopper ( 301 ) of sorting machine ( 3 ) through crane grab ( 1 ); the waste outlet ( 303 ) of sorting machine ( 3 ) is constantly connected to the hopper ( 1002 ) of spiral moisture expelling and feeding means ( 10 ) through belt conveyer ( 8 ); the material outlet of spiral moisture expelling and feeding means ( 10 ) is constantly connected to the material inlet of co 2 gas sealed feeding means ( 13 ) through duct a ( 12 ); the material outlet of co 2 gas sealed feeding means ( 13 ) is connected to waste material inlet of the plasma gasifier ( 23 ) through duct b ( 14 ); pyrolysis gas outlet ( 2303 ) of plasma gasifier ( 23 ) is connected to the input interface b ( 2101 ) of pyrolysis gas of heat exchanger b ( 21 ) through circulating fan ( 18 ); the output interface ( 2109 ) of pyrolysis gas of heat exchanger b ( 21 ) is connected to input interface a ( 2309 ) of pyrolysis gas in the gasification section of the plasma gasifier ( 23 ); the output interface a ( 2304 ) of syngas in the plasma gasifier ( 23 ) is connected to input interface ( 2108 ) of syngas in of heat exchanger b ( 21 ); the soot door ( 2110 ) of heat exchanger b ( 21 ) is connected to fly ash returning interface ( 2306 ) in the plasma gasifier ( 23 ) through ash discharging valve ; syngas output interface b ( 2103 ) of heat exchanger b ( 21 ) is connected to syngas hole ( 2701 ) of waste heat boiler ( 27 ); the soot door ( 29 ) of the waste heat boiler ( 27 ) is connected to fly ash returning interface ( 2306 ) in plasma gasifier ( 23 ) through fly ash pipeline ( 29 ); the syngas outlet ( 2702 ) of the waste heat boiler ( 27 ) is connected to syngas input interface ( 3203 ) of absorption reactor ( 32 ) through induced - draft fan ( 40 ); the material outlet of absorbent silo ( 33 ) is connected to absorbent input interface ( 3202 ) of absorption reactor ( 32 ); the material pipe of absorbent input interface ( 3202 ) is also connected to the air outlet of material - blowing fan ( 34 ); the air inlet of material - blowing fan ( 34 ) is connected to syngas pipeline ( 28 ); syngas output interface ( 3201 ) of absorption reactor ( 32 ) is connected to the mixture input interface ( 3102 ) of cyclone duster ( 31 ); the solid substance outlet ( 3103 ) of cyclone duster ( 31 ) is connected to input interface ( 3203 ) of absorption reactor ( 32 ); the solid gaseous substance outlet ( 3101 ) of cyclone duster ( 31 ) is connected to syngas input interface ( 3803 ) of bag dust collector ( 38 ); fly ash outlet ( 3802 ) of bag dust collector ( 38 ) is connected to melting kiln ( 35 ); syngas output interface ( 3801 ) of bag dust collector ( 38 ) is connected to syngas input interface ( 4801 ) of syngas tank ( 48 ) through compressor a ( 44 ); syngas output interface ( 4802 ) of syngas storage tank ( 48 ) is connected to input interface ( 4903 ) of hydrogenation mixer ( 49 ); hydrogen input interface ( 4901 ) of hydrogenation mixer ( 49 ) is connected to the hydrogen supplying equipment ; the output interface ( 4902 ) of syngas of hydrogenation mixer ( 49 ) is connected to the suction inlet of compressor i ( 51 ); the exhaust outlet of the compressor i ( 51 ) is connected to material gas inlet ( 5201 ) of methanol synthesis reactor ( 52 ); the methanol gas outlet ( 5203 ) of the methanol synthesis reactor ( 52 ) is connected to methanol gas inlet ( 5501 ) of the mixed absorber ( 55 ) through a decompression control valve ; the mixture outlet ( 5503 ) of a mixed absorber ( 55 ) is connected to mixture input interface ( 6201 ) of distillation column ( 62 ); unreacted gas outlet ( 6204 ) of distillation column ( 62 ) is connected to the return - air interface ( 5202 ) of a methanol synthesis reactor ( 52 ) through a control valve ( 76 ), a unreacted gas pipeline ( 61 ) and a compressor b ( 56 ); the methanol product outlet ( 6203 ) of the distillation column ( 62 ) is connected to methanol tank ( 65 ); the limewater outlet ( 6202 ) of the distillation column ( 62 ) is connected to the input interface ( 5803 ) of decontaminator ( 58 ); sewage outlet ( 5802 ) of the decontaminator ( 58 ) is connected to the sedimentation tank ( 53 ); the limewater outlet ( 5801 ) of the decontaminator ( 58 ) is connected to the water inlet of the circulating pump ( 60 ); the water outlet of the circulation pump ( 60 ) is connected to the limewater inlet ( 5502 ) of mixed absorber ( 55 ); unreacted gas outlet ( 6204 ) of the distillation column ( 62 ) is connected to a material inlet ( 6301 ) of the synthetic ammonia reactor ( 63 ) through a control valve ( 75 ) and a compressor c ( 64 ); an ammonia outlet ( 6302 ) of the synthetic ammonia reactor ( 63 ) is connected to the ammonia gas input interface ( 6601 ) of the condenser ( 66 ); an output interface of ammonia mixture ( 6602 ) of the condenser ( 66 ) is connected to input interface of ammonia mixture ( 6701 ) of the ammonia separator ( 67 ); output interface of liquid ammonia ( 6702 ) of the ammonia separator ( 67 ) is connected to liquid ammonia tank ; exhaust outlet ( 6703 ) of the ammonia separator ( 67 ) is connected to unreacted gas pipeline ( 61 ) through the control valve ( 78 ); unreacted gas pipeline ( 61 ) is connected to exhaust input interface ( 2305 ) of the plasma gasifier ( 23 ) through control valve ( 77 ), air pump ( 69 ) and the exhaust feedback pipeline ( 30 ); the leachate interfaces of the waste storage pit ( 2 ), the sorting machine ( 3 ) and spiral moisture expelling and feeding means ( 10 ) are connected to the material inlet of digester ( 9 ) through the ducts ; biogas outlet ( 902 ) of digester ( 9 ) is connected to biogas input interface ( 2308 ) of plasma gasifier ( 23 ) through biogas pipeline ( 11 ) and air pump ( 15 ); as shown in the example of fig8 , a msw gasification - liquefaction disposal system mainly comprises a plasma gasifier ( 23 ), a plasma torch ( 24 ), a circulating fan ( 18 ), a heat exchanger b ( 21 ) and connecting ducts . among which : the plasma gasifier ( 23 ) takes high - furnace structure ; furnace wall ( 2311 ) of the plasma gasifier ( 23 ) consists of a fireproof layer , an insulating layer , a heat retaining layer and a steel shell in an order from interior to exterior ; the fireproof layer is cast with high alumina refractory bricks or bauxite cement concrete . the insulating layer is made of diatomite material . the heat retaining layer is made of alumina silicate refractory fibrous material . the insulating layer in gasification section can be replaced by the cooling layer . the cooling layer consists of a steel pipe , a steel plate , an upper header pipe and a lower header pipe to constitute a water cooling wall structure . the lower header pipe is provided with an access of cooling water . the upper header pipe is provided with an outlet of backwater interface . the cooling layer is connected with a circulating cooling water system through the cooling water interface and backwater interface ( not shown in figures ). the plasma gasifier ( 23 ) is divided into a drying section ( 23 - i ), a pyrolysis section ( 23 - ii ) and a gasification zone ( 23 - iii ) from top to bottom . the drying section ( 23 - i ), pyrolysis section ( 23 - ii ) and gasification zone ( 23 - iii ) communicate directly . a waste material inlet ( 2302 ) and a pyrolysis gas outlet ( 2303 ) are provided in the upper part of drying section ( 23 - i ). gasification section (- iii ) gasifier ( 23 ) is provided with input interface a ( 2309 ) of pyrolysis gas , the fly ash returning interface ( 2306 ) and connected with the biogas input interface ( 2308 ) and exhaust input interface ( 2305 ). a slag hole ( 2307 ) is provided in a side of lower part of the gasification section ( 23 - iii ). a melted slag zone is provided between and taphole ( 2307 ). an output interface a ( 2304 ) of syngas is provided in the joint position of pyrolysis section ( 23 - ii ) and gasification section ( 23 - iii ). the furnace walls of drying section ( 23 - i ), pyrolysis section ( 23 - ii ) and gasification section ( 23 - iii ) are provided with a temperature sensor respectively . the furnace wall of gasification section ( 23 - iii ) is also provided with a peepsight . the furnace wall of drying section ( 23 - i ) is also provided with a level sensor . the plasma torch ( 24 ) is provided in the furnace walls of gasification section ( 23 - iii ) and melted slag zone . multiple plasma torches are arranged ringwise in many layers . the plasma torch ( 24 ) is provided with working gas input interface , coolant output interface and power supply interface . working gas input interface is connected to steam pipe work through control valve and connecting ducts . coolant input & amp ; output interfaces are connected to the coolant supplying and returning interfaces of coolant equipment respectively . power supply interface is connected to the power supply output end of plasma controller . the heat exchanger b ( 21 ) consists of an atmolysis chamber ( 2102 ), a heat exchange chamber ( 2104 ), a heat exchange bundle ( 2105 ) and a gas collection chamber ( 2107 ). the atmolysis chamber ( 2102 ), heat exchange chamber ( 2104 ) and gas collection chamber ( 2107 ) are arranged into upper , middle and lower parts . the atmolysis chamber ( 2102 ), heat exchange chamber ( 2104 ) and gas collection chamber ( 2107 ) are inside a steel shell . the exterior of the steel shell is covered with insulation material . atmolysis chamber ( 2102 ) and heat exchange chamber ( 2104 ) are separated by a upper baffle . the heat exchange chamber ( 2104 ) and gas collection chamber ( 2107 ) are separated by a lower baffle . the heat exchange bundle ( 2105 ) is provided in the heat exchange chamber ( 2104 ), with both ends intersecting atmolysis chamber ( 2102 ) and gas collection chamber ( 2107 ). atmolysis chamber ( 2102 ), heat exchange bundle ( 2105 ) and gas collection chamber ( 2107 ) constitute the returning passage of pyrolysis gas . the input interface b ( 2101 ) of pyrolysis gas is provided in atmolysis chamber ( 2102 ). heat exchange chamber ( 2104 ) is provided with syngas input interface ( 2108 ), syngas output interface b ( 2103 ), soot door ( 2106 ) and soot door ( 2110 ). the output interface ( 2109 ) of pyrolysis gas is provided in gas collection chamber ( 2107 ). the pyrolysis gas outlet ( 2303 ) in drying section of plasma gasifier ( 23 ) is connected to the air inlet of a circulating fan ( 18 ). the air outlet of the circulating fan ( 18 ) is connected to the input interface b ( 2101 ) of pyrolysis gas in atmolysis chamber . the output interface ( 2109 ) of pyrolysis gas in gas collection chamber of the heat exchanger b ( 21 ) is connected to input interface a ( 2309 ) of pyrolysis gas in the gasification section of plasma gasifier ( 23 ). the output interface a ( 2304 ) of syngas in plasma gasifier ( 23 ) is connected to the input interface ( 2108 ) of syngas in the heat exchange chamber of heat exchanger b ( 21 ). syngas output interface b ( 2103 ) in the heat exchange chamber of the heat exchanger b ( 21 ) is connected into a downstream device . the soot door ( 2110 ) of the heat exchanger b ( 21 ) is connected to fly ash returning interface ( 2306 ) in the plasma gasifier ( 23 ). soot - blowing opening ( 2106 ) of the heat exchanger b ( 21 ) is connected to an ash - blowing fan . the air inlet of ash - blowing fan is connected to syngas conveying pipeline and the air outlet of ash - blowing fan is connected to soot - blowing opening ( 2106 ) of the heat exchanger b ( 21 ). as shown in fig9 of the present invention , this example has following changes on the basis of example 4 : the furnace wall of pyrolysis section ( 23 - ii ) of plasma gasifier ( 23 ) is provided with a calcium oxide torch ( 79 ); calcium oxide torch ( 79 ) is provided with co 2 input interface ( 7901 ) and input interface of calcium oxide ( 7902 ); a gas - solid separator ( 17 ) is provided between pyrolysis gas outlet ( 2303 ) in the drying section of the plasma gasifier ( 23 ) and a circulating fan ( 18 ). the pyrolysis gas outlet ( 2303 ) in the drying section of the plasma gasifier ( 23 ) is connected to the mixture inlet ( 1702 ) of the gas - solid separator ( 17 ). the gaseous material outlet ( 1703 ) of the gas - solid separator ( 17 ) is connected to the air inlet of the circulating fan ( 18 ). the solid material outlet ( 1701 ) of the gas - solid separator ( 17 ) is connected to the input interface of calcium oxide ( 7902 ) of calcium oxide torch ( 79 ). interface of calcium oxide supplementation ( 19 ) is provided in the connecting duct between the solid material outlet ( 1701 ) of amidships gas - solid separator ( 17 ) and input interface of calcium oxide ( 7902 ) of calcium oxide torch ( 79 ). co 2 input interface ( 7901 ) of calcium oxide torch ( 79 ) is connected to the co 2 gas pipeline through a material - blowing fan ( 16 ). | 8 |
briefly , in a vodsl network that allows a plurality of digital voice signals and a plurality of digital data signals to be interchanged via metallic wires , or existing telephone subscriber lines , by use of a ds ; technology , the present invention provides a band control system realizing flexible control and efficient use of communication band between iads and a dslam situated at subscriber stations and a center , respectively , and a band control method therefor . further , the system and method of the present invention measure the amount of received atm cells or the ratio of discarded atm cells vc ( virtual channel ) by vc and then send a band variation command to any one of the iads by using a frequency band not used for signal transfer in the vodsl network , e . g ., a frequency band lower than 4 khz inclusive . this dynamically optimizes the frequency band for thereby promoting efficient operation of the vodsl network . referring to fig1 of the drawings , a specific configuration of a band control system in accordance with the present invention . as shown , the band control system includes a public switched telephone network 101 , an ip ( internet protocol ) network 102 , a voice gw ( gateway ) 103 , a bas ( broadband access server ) 104 , an atm network 105 , a dslam 106 , iads 107 , telephones 108 , and personal computers or similar data terminals 109 . a band control method in accordance with the present invention is applied to the dslam 106 and iads 107 . the telephones 108 and data terminals 109 are assigned to voice telephone services and internet access and other data communication services , respectively . more specifically , the telephones 108 - 1 through 108 - m ( m being a positive integer ) and data terminals 109 - 1 through 1 - 9 - n ( n being a positive integer ) each are accommodated in one of the mds 107 - 1 through 107 - x ( x being a positive integer ). the iads 107 each are connected to the dslam 106 by one of metallic cables 111 - 1 through 111 - x . the voice gw 103 is existing network equipment that repeats , when any one of the telephones 108 effects a voice telephone service , all protocols necessary for connecting the atm network 105 and switched telephone network 101 . likewise , the bas 104 is existing network equipment that repeats , when any one of the data terminals 109 effects an internet access or similar data communication service , all protocols necessary for connecting the atm network 105 and ip network 102 . fig2 demonstrates the operation of the band control system in accordance with the present invention . as shown , the dslam 106 measures the amount of atm cells received from each iad 107 or the ratio of discarded atm cells vc by vc ( step s 1 ). the dslam 106 then commands , based on the result of measurement , the iad 107 to vary the frequency band by using a frequency band not newly occupied by signal transfer in a vodsl network , e . g ., a frequency band lower than 4 khz inclusive ( step s 2 ). in response , the iad 107 varies the frequency band of a vc newly designated by the dslam 106 ( step s 3 ). as stated above , the band control system in accordance with the present invention sends band control information to the iad 107 not by using conventional special atm cells , but by using a frequency band not occupied by signal transfer . the system therefore solves the previously stated problem particular to the conventional dsl communication system . it is therefore possible to dynamically maintain an optimal communication band between each iad 107 and the dslam 106 for thereby promoting efficient use of the vodsl network . a first embodiment of the present invention also practicable with the configuration shown in fig1 will be described hereinafter . the description on the individual blocks shown in fig1 will not be repeatedly made in order to avoid redundancy . the voice gw 103 has the previously stated function as existing network equipment . more specifically , the voice gw 103 communicates with the iads 107 with a signaling procedure using , e . g ., an les ( lop emulation service ). also , the voice gw 103 communicates with the switched telephone network 101 with a signaling procedure using an fr - 303 or similar time - division communication system . the bas 104 also has the function stated earlier as existing network equipment . more specifically , the bas 104 communicates with the atm network 105 with a signaling system using , e . g ., a pppoa ( point to point protocol over atm ) system . also , the bas 104 interchanges ip packets with the ip network 101 by using an ip signaling system . a specific configuration of the dslam 106 will be described with reference to fig3 . as shown , the dslam 106 includes an atm network interface 201 , an atm cell multiplexer / demultiplexer 202 , x ( x being a positive integer ) atm cell queues 203 ( 203 - 1 through 203 - x ) and x center dsl modems 204 ( 204 - 1 through 204 - x ) as conventional . in the illustrative embodiment , the dslam 106 additionally includes x band control information transmitters 205 ( 205 - 1 through 205 - x ) and x signal couplers 206 ( 206 - 1 through 206 - x ). each band control information transmitter 205 measures , vc by vc , the amount of atm cells received from the associated lad 107 or the ratio of discarded atm cells . assume that either the amount or received atm cells or the ratio of discarded atm cells exceeds an allowable range implementing preselected communication quality . then , to command the iad 107 to vary the communication band assigned to the corresponding vc , the transmitter 205 modulates a band control information signal to a conventional modem signal or similar signal that can be sent in a frequency band lower than 4 khz inclusive . the modulated signal is fed to the associated signal coupler 206 . the signal coupler 206 couples a dsl signal received from the center dsl modem 204 and the band control information signal received from the band control information transmitter 205 to thereby produce a signal , which will be described with reference to fig4 later . this signal is sent from the signal coupler 206 to the iad 107 connected to the dslam 106 by the associated metallic cable 111 . in addition , when the signal coupler 206 receives a dsl signal from the iad 107 , the signal coupler 206 simply transfers the dsl signal to the center dsl modem 203 without any processing . fig4 shows specific frequency bands assigned to the signals to be interchanged between each tad 107 and dslam 106 . as shown , the signals consist of a dsl signal or main information signal 121 and a band control information signal 122 . a frequency band higher than 4 khz and a frequency band lower than 4 khz inclusive are assigned to the dsl signal 121 and band control information signal 122 , respectively , by way of example . fig5 shows a specific configuration of each iad 107 . as shown , the iad 107 includes a terminal dsl modem 302 , an atm cellularizer / decellularizer 304 , a telephone interface 305 , and a data terminal interface 306 as conventional . in the illustrative embodiment , the iad 107 additionally includes a signal uncoupler 301 , and a band control information receiver 303 . the conventional telephone interface 305 allows various kinds of telephone terminals 108 available for voice telephone services to be accommodated in the iad 107 . for this purpose , the telephone interface 305 functions to terminate pots ( plain old telephone service ) interfaces assigned to traditional analog telephones and sit point interfaces assigned to isdn ( integrated services digital network ) terminal adapters . likewise , the conventional data terminal interface 306 allows various kinds of data terminals 109 available for internet access and other data communication services to be accommodated in the iad 107 . for this purpose , the data terminal interface 306 functions to terminate a usb ( universal serial bus ), 10 / 100 base - t or similar interface . the signal uncoupler 301 separates the signals shown in fig4 and received from the dslam 106 via the metallic cable 111 into the dsl signal 121 and frequency control information signal 122 that lies in the frequency band lower than 4 khz inclusive . the dsl signal 121 and band control information signal 122 separated from each other are input to the terminal dsl modem 302 and band control information receiver 303 , respectively . on the other hand , when a dsl signal is input from the terminal dsl modem 302 to the signal uncoupler 301 , the signal uncoupler 301 simply transfers the dsl signal to the metallic cable 111 without any processing . the band control information receiver 303 separates the band control information sent from the dslam 106 from the band control information signal 122 and analyzes the information . the receiver 303 then causes the atm cellularizer / decellularizer 304 to vary the communication band assigned to the corresponding vc directed toward the dslam 106 . specific operations of the illustrative embodiment will be described hereinafter . first , how signals flow when the telephone 108 accommodated in any one of the iads 107 communicates with the public switched telephone network 101 by using a voice telephone service will be described . referring again to fig1 , as for the flow of signals from the telephone network 101 toward the telephone 108 , a digital voice signal based on the time - division communication system is sent from the telephone network 101 to the voice gw 103 and transformed to atm cells thereby . the cellularized digital voice signal is sent from the voice gw 103 to the dslam 106 via the atm network 105 . in the dslam 106 , the atm cell multiplexer / demultiplexer 202 delivers the cellularized digital voice signal to the center dsl modem 204 via one of the atm cell queues 203 corresponding to the mad 107 . the office dsl modem 204 modulates the cellularized digital voice signal to a dsl signal and sends the dsl signal to the iad 107 connected thereto by the metallic cable 111 . in the iad 107 shown in fig5 , the terminal dsl modem 302 demodulates the dsl signal to thereby restore the original atm cellularized voice signal . subsequently , the atm cellularizer / decellularizer 304 decellularizes the cellularized digital signal input from the terminal dsl modem 302 . as a result , the decellularized digital voice signal is input to the telephone interface 305 . the telephone interface 305 transforms the digital voice signal to a voice signal format matching with the telephone 108 and then sends the transformed voice signal to the telephone 108 . the flow of signals from the telephone 109 toward the telephone network 101 is identical with the flow described above except that the procedure is reversed in direction and will not be described specifically . as stated above , the illustrative embodiment implements a bidirectional voice telephone service between the telephone 108 accommodated in the iad 107 and the public switched telephone network 101 . next , how signals flow when the data terminal 109 accommodated in any one of the iads 107 effects a data communication service with the ip network 102 will be described hereinafter . referring to fig1 , as for the flow of signals from the ip network 102 toward the data terminal 109 , the ip network 102 sends an ip packet or an ip - packeted digital data signal to the bas 104 . the bas 104 transforms the received ip packet or the ip - packeted digital data to an atm cell . the atm - cellularized ip packet or the ip - packeted digital data signal is sent to the dslam 106 via the atm network 105 . in the dslam 107 , the multiplexer / demultiplexer 202 , fig3 , delivers the atm - cellularized ip packet or the ip - packeted digital signal data to the center dsl modem 204 via the atm cell queue 203 corresponding to the iad 107 , which accommodates the data terminal 109 . the center dsl modem 204 modulates the atm - cellularized ip packet or the ip - packeted digital data signal to a dsl signal and sends the dsl signal to the iad 107 via the metallic cable 111 . in the iad 107 , the terminal dsl modem 302 , fig5 , demodulates the dsl signal to thereby restore the atm - cellularized ip packet or the ip - packeted digital data signal and feeds it to the atm cellularizer / decellularizer 304 . the atm cellularizer / decellularizer 304 decellularizes the atm - cellularized ip packet or the ip - packeted digital data signal and inputs the resulting ip packet or the ip - packeted digital data signal to the data terminal interface 306 . the data terminal interface 306 transforms the ip packet or the ip - packeted digital data signal to a format matching with the data terminal 109 and then sends the transformed is packet or the transformed data signal to the data terminal 109 . the flow of signals from the data terminal 109 toward the ip network 102 is identical with the flow described above except that the procedure is reversed in direction and will not be described specifically . as stated above , the illustrative embodiment implements a bidirectional data communication service between the data terminal 109 accommodated in the iad 107 and the ip network 102 . hereinafter will be described a band control procedure to be executed between each iad 107 and the dslam 106 . when a plurality of voice telephone services and a plurality of data communication services , both of which are bidirectional ; are effected at the same time , importance should be attached to the communication quality of voice telephone services . this is because voice telephone services allow information to be interchanged between persons and therefore need realtime communication more than data communication services . it is therefore necessary to reduce propagation delays as far as possible . in addition , voice quality falls with an increase in the number of atm cells discarded due to the failure of retransmission . on the other hand , data communication services should also be effected at high speed as possible for users &# 39 ; convenience . in light of the above , in the illustrative embodiment , each band control information transmitter 205 , fig3 , measures the amount of atm cells received from the associated iad 107 and present on the associated atm cell queue 203 or the ratio of discarded atm cells vc by vc ( step s 1 , fig2 ). assume that the amount of atm cells or the ratio of discarded atm cells exceeds an allowable range assigned to the communication quality of a voice telephone service , which is determined by the provider of the vodsl network beforehand . then , the band control information transmitter 205 modulates the band control information signal 122 , fig4 , to a conventional modem signal or similar signal that can be sent in the frequency band lower than 4 khz inclusive . the band control information signal 122 is sent to the iad 107 via the signal coupler 206 in order to command the iad 107 to vary the frequency band of the vc on which the corresponding data communication service is held ( step s 2 , fig2 ). in the iad 107 shown in fig5 , the band control information signal 122 is routed through the signal uncoupler 301 to the band control information receiver 303 . the receiver 303 separates the band control information signal 122 and analyzes the communication band designated by the dslam 106 . the receiver 303 then controls the atm cellularizer / decellularizer 304 in order to narrow the communication band assigned to the vc of the corresponding data communication service and directed toward the dslam 106 ( step s 3 , fig2 ). on the other hand , assume that the amount of atm cells or the ratio of discarded atm cells decreases below the allowable range assigned to the communication quality of the voice telephone - service . then , the dslam 106 sends the band control information signal 122 to the iad 107 in the previously stated manner . again , the band control information receiver 303 separates the band control information signal 122 and analyzes the communication band designated by the dslam 106 . the receiver 303 then controls the atm cellularizer / decellularizer 304 in order to broaden the communication band assigned to the vc of the corresponding data communication service and directed toward the dslam 106 . a second embodiment of the present invention will be described hereinafter . the second embodiment is essentially similar to the first embodiment except that the dslam 106 is also configured to vary the frequency band of the vc designated by the iad 107 for thereby further promoting efficient operation of the vodsl network . as shown in fig6 specifically , the dslam 106 includes signal coupler / uncouplers 501 ( 501 - 1 through 501 - x ). each signal coupler / uncoupler 501 has , in addition to the function of the signal coupler 206 , fig3 , a function of separating the signal received from the iad 107 into the dsl signal 121 and the signal 122 lying in the frequency band lower than 4 khz inclusive and feeding the signal 122 to a band control signal transmitter / receiver 502 . the band control signal transmitter / receiver 502 has the following function in addition to the function of the band control information transmitter 2051 fig3 . the additional function is to separate the band control information signal sent from the iad 107 from the signal 122 input from the signal coupler / uncoupler 501 , analyze the signal 122 , control the atm cell queue 203 in accordance with the result of analysis , and vary the communication band assigned to the corresponding vc and directed toward the iad 107 . as shown in fig7 specifically , the iad 107 includes a signal coupler / uncoupler 601 and a band control signal transmitter / receiver 602 . the signal coupler / uncoupler 601 has , in addition to the function of the signal uncoupler 301 , fig5 , a function of coupling the dsl signal 121 received from the terminal dsl modem 302 and the band control information signal 122 received from the band control information transmitter / receiver 602 and sending the resulting signal to the dslam 106 . the band control information signal transmitter / receiver 602 has the following function in addition to the function of the band control information receiver 303 , fig5 . the additional function is to measure the amount of atm cells received from the dslam 106 and input to the atm cellularizer / decellularizer 304 or the ratio of discarded atm cells vc by vc when the amount of atm cells or the ratio of discarded atm cells increases above an allowable range assigned to communication quality , the band control information transmitter / receiver 602 modulates the band control information signal to a conventional modem signal or similar signal that can be sent in the frequency band lower than 4 khz inclusive . the modulated signal is sent to the signal coupler / uncoupler 601 in order to command the signal coupler / uncoupler 601 to vary the communication band of the corresponding vc . more specifically , as shown in fig8 , the iad 107 measures the amount of atm cells received from the dslam 106 or the ratio of discarded atm cells vc by vc ( step s 11 ). the iad 107 then commands the dslam 106 to vary the frequency band by using the band lower than 4 khz inclusive ( step s 12 ). in response , the dslam 106 varies the frequency band of the vc designated by the iad 107 ( step s 13 ). as stated above , in the illustrative embodiment , the iad 107 can command , based on the amount of atm cells received from the dslam 106 or the ratio of discarded atm cells , the dslam 106 to vary the communication band vc by vc . it follows that the dslam 106 can narrow or broaden the band of the vc designated by the iad 107 accordingly . a third embodiment of the present invention will be described hereinafter . this embodiment is applicable to a dsl network configured to promote high - speed internet access and other data communication services by using metallic cables . a dsl network transforms only digital data signals to atm cells and transfer the atm cells via metallic cables . fig9 shows a band control system representative of the third embodiment . as shown , the third embodiment includes x atu - rs 701 ( 701 - 1 through 701 - x ) in place of the iads 107 - 1 through 107 - x , fig1 . the x atu - rs 701 are connected to the islam 106 by the metallic cables 111 . fig1 shows a specific configuration of one of the atu - rs 701 . as shown , the atu - r 701 includes the band control information transmitter / receiver 602 and signal coupler / uncoupler 601 in addition to the conventional terminal dsl modem 302 , atm cellularizer / decellularizer 304 , and data terminal interface 306 . how the illustrative embodiment executes bidirectional control over the communication band between the dslam 106 and each atu - r 701 will be described hereinafter . when the data terminal 109 accommodated in any one of the atu - rs effects a data communication service with the ip network 102 , signals flow in exactly the same manner as when the data terminal 109 accommodated in the iad 107 effects a data communication service with the ip network 102 . first , a specific procedure for controlling the communication band directed from the atu - r 701 toward the dslam 106 when a plurality of data communication services are held will be described . in the dslam 106 shown in fig6 , each band control information transmitter / receiver 502 measures the amount of atm cells received from the associated atu - r 701 and present on the associated atm cell queue 203 or the ratio of discarded atm cells vc by vc ( step s 1 , fig2 ). assume that the amount of atm cells or the ratio of discarded atm cells increases above an allowable range assigned to the communication quality of a voice telephone service , which is determined by the provider of the vodsl network beforehand . then , the band control information transmitter / receiver 502 modulates the band control information signal to a conventional modem signal or similar signal that can be sent in the frequency band lower than 4 khz inclusive . the band control information signal is sent to the atu - r 701 via the signal coupler / uncoupler 501 in order to command the atu - r 701 to vary the frequency band of the vc on which the data corresponding data communication service is held ( step s 2 , fig2 ). in the atu - r 701 shown in fig1 , the band control information signal is routed through the signal coupler / uncoupler 601 to the band control information transmitter / receiver 602 . the transmitter / receiver 602 analyzes the communication band designated by the dslam 106 . the transmitter / receiver 602 then controls the atm cellularizer / decellularizer 304 in order to narrow the communication band assigned to the vc of the corresponding data communication service and for transmission to the dslam 106 ( step s 3 , fig2 ). on the other hand , assume that the band control information transmitter / receiver 502 included in the dslam 106 , fig6 , determines that the amount of atm cells or the ratio of discarded atm cells has decreased below the allowable range assigned to the communication quality of the voice telephone service . then , the dslam 106 sends the band control information signal to the atu - r 701 in the previously stated manner . again , the band control information transmitter / receiver 602 separates the band control information signal and analyzes the communication band designated by the dslam 106 . the transmitter / receiver 602 then controls the atm cellularizer / decellularizer 304 in order to broaden the communication band assigned to the vc of the corresponding data communication service and adapted for transmission to the dslam 106 . next , a specific operation for controlling the communication band directed from the dslam 106 toward any one of the atu - rs 701 will be described . in the atu - r 701 shown in fig1 , each band control information transmitter / receiver 602 measures the amount of atm cells received from the dslam 106 and present in the atm cellularizer / decellularizer 304 or the ratio of discarded atm cells vc by vc ( step s 11 , fig8 ). assume that the amount of atm cells or the ratio of discarded atm cells increases above an allowable range assigned to the communication quality of a voice telephone service , which is determined by the provider of the vodsl network beforehand . then , the band control information transmitter / receiver 602 modulates the band control information signal to a conventional modem signal or similar signal that can be sent in the frequency band lower than 4 khz inclusive . the band control information signal is sent to the dslam 106 via the signal coupler / uncoupler 601 in order to command the dslam 106 to vary the frequency band of the vc on which the data corresponding data communication service is held ( step s 12 , fig8 ). in the dslam 106 , the band control information signal is routed through the signal coupler / uncoupler 501 to the band control information transmitter / receiver 502 . the transmitter / receiver 502 separates the communication band control signal and analyzes the communication band designated by the atu - r 701 . the transmitter / receiver 502 then controls the atm cell queue 203 in order to narrow the communication band assigned to the vc of the corresponding data communication service and adapted for transmission to the atu - r 701 ( step s 13 , fig8 ). on the other hand , assume that the band control information transmitter / receiver 602 included in the atu - r 701 determines that the amount of atm cells or the ratio of discarded atm cells has decreased below the allowable range assigned to the communication quality of the voice telephone service . then , the transmitter / receiver 602 sends the band control information signal to the dslam 106 in the previously stated manner . again , the band control information transmitter / receiver 502 in the dslam 106 separates the band control information signal and analyzes the communication band designated by the atu - r 701 . the transmitter / receiver 502 then controls the atm cell queue 203 in order to broaden the communication band assigned to the vc of the corresponding data communication service and adapted for transmission to the atu - r 701 . as stated above , the illustrative embodiment provides high - quality data communication services by dynamically optimizing the frequency bands between the dslam 106 and the atu - rs 701 in opposite directions , thereby promoting efficient operation of the dsl subscriber network . in summary , it will be seen that the present invention obviates uneconomical use of a communication band by preventing it from being pressed . in addition , the present invention provides high - quality data communication services by dynamically optimizing frequency bands between a dslam and zads for thereby promoting efficient operation of a vodsl network . various modifications will become possible for those skilled in the art after receiving the teachings of the present disclosure without departing from the scope thereof . | 7 |
although specific forms of the invention have been selected for illustration in the drawings , and the following description is drawn in specific terms for the purpose of describing these forms of the invention , this description is not intended to limit the scope of the invention which is defined in the appended claims . referring to the figures , fig1 shows a cover designated generally 20 for use with a multi - celled battery container . the container has side walls and cellular partitions running between two opposite side walls . the battery container is not shown in the drawings but is of conventional design well known to one skilled in the art . the cover comprises a main body designated generally 22 which is adapted to mate with the battery container side walls and cellular partitions . for example , the main body 22 may be equipped with grooves around the periphery to accept the relatively thin side walls as well as grooves which run transverse to the longest side of the main body to accept the cellular partition walls . main body 22 is , in the preferred embodiment , rectangular in shape having sides 24 and 28 , ends 26 and 30 , and top surface 32 . flanges extend away from the top surface 32 at the sides and ends ; only two flanges 34 and 36 run at side 28 and end 30 respectively are shown in the perspective view of fig1 . an elongate first recess designated generally 40 is defined in the main body by first recess bottom 42 ; first recess side walls 44 and 46 ; and first recess end walls 48 and 50 . the first recess in the preferred embodiment is generally rectangular in shape , and first recess bottom 42 is planar and parallel and spaced apart from the top surface 32 , which is also planar in the preferred embodiment . in the preferred embodiment , the cover 20 further comprises a plurality of second recesses 54 , 56 , 58 , 60 , 62 and 64 defined in the first recess bottom 42 . each recess has a plurality of side walls and a bottom 68 , 70 , 72 , 74 , 76 and 78 , which bottoms are parallel and spaced apart from both the first recess bottom 42 and the main body top surface 32 . each second recess has an opening through its bottom which provides access to the interior of each battery cell when the cover is sealed to a battery case . for example , in fig1 second recess 60 shows opening 82 . each of the second recesses is equipped with a vent well , that is , an opening with vent well walls . for example , in fig1 only opening 82 is clearly visible . in fig1 the remaining vent wells are filled with vent caps designated generally 86 , 88 , 90 , 94 and 96 . the vent cap designated generally 92 for opening 82 is shown positioned above the cover 20 in fig1 . finally , the cover comprises a recess cover plate designated generally 100 which fits with extremely close tolerance into the first recess . the plate 100 is disposed to completely seal the ends of the recess when it is in place . this seal prevents the gases which may be generated within the battery and trapped in the recesses beneath the cover plate from escaping through the ends of the first elongate recess . fig2 is a side view of the cover of fig1 with the plate 100 in place in the first recess ; a portion of the view is taken in cross section . vent wells designated generally 104 through 114 are shown in fig2 extending from the main body 22 of the cover into the battery interior . the vent wells are disposed in the second recesses of the main body . vent caps designated generally 86 and 88 are shown filling the vent wells 104 and 106 respectively . vent well 108 is shown without a cap . the underside of preferred embodiment 100 is shown in fig3 . the rectangular plate has side walls 120 and 122 and end walls 124 and 126 . adjacent and , in the preferred embodiment , parallel to end walls 124 and 126 are straight projections 130 and 132 . these projections extend from the underside of plate 100 and fit into or mate with corresponding grooves in the bottom 42 of the first recess 40 . these grooves 134 and 136 can be seen in fig1 . also shown in fig3 are attachment means for removably attaching the plate 100 to the vent caps 86 - 96 . the attachment means comprises a pair of tabular projections or tabs 140a - b through 150a - b which extend from the underside of plate 100 . each pair of tabs is disposed to slidingly engage opposite portions of a portion of a corresponding vent cap such as tabs 140a - b and vent cap 86 ; tabs 142a - b and vent caps 88 and so on . conventional design vent well openings and vent caps to fill them are circular in cross - section , and each tab has a curved surface 152 to mate with a curved portion of each vent cap . fig4 shows the design and placement of the vent cap disposed in a vent well as well as the attachment of the plate to the caps . vent well 106 has a cylindrical wall 156 , a portion of which is shown in fig4 . an elevational cross - sectional view of the wall 156 is shown in fig2 with a slot 158 contained therein which opens to the interior of the battery allowing gas to pass into the hollow of the well from the battery . the wall 156 is connected to the bottom 70 of recess 56 . the bottom 70 joins with the vent wall 156 at near right angles in the preferred embodiment . the bottom 70 joins the vertical wall 157 of the recess 56 which in turn joins the bottom 42 of the first recess 40 . finally , side walls 44 and 46 of the first recess join bottom 42 to top surface 32 of the main body 22 . each of the remaining vent wells 86 and 90 - 96 are similarly constructed . in conventional plastic case batteries , the entire structure just described is molded as one piece . the vent cap 88 comprises main body 160 having a first cylindrical wall portion 162 which fits within the well 106 and in the preferred embodiment engages the inner surface of wall 156 . wall portion 162 joins with a second cylindrical portion 164 which is concentric with wall portion 162 but wider in diameter . because it is wider in diameter , it engages second recess bottom 70 along surface 168 as the main body 160 is inserted into the well . the opening or hollow region 170 enclosed by cylindrical wall 162 is partially closed off by transverse wall 172 . communication between the hollow region 174 enclosed by wall 156 and hollow region 170 is provided by aperture 176 in transverse wall 172 . the cap 88 also comprises cap portion 180 which snaps into place in a groove 182 contained with cylindrical wall portion 164 . the cap portion 180 has a projection 184 which surrounds the cap portion and fits within groove 182 . gas generated within the battery will pass into hollow region 174 through slot 158 of fig2 and opening 159 of fig4 . from there gas passes into hollow region 170 through aperture 176 and from there out the top of the cap through the space between cap portions 180 and cylindrical wall portion 164 at groove 182 and projection 184 . the outer surface 190 of the cylindrical portion 164 of cap 88 is tapered outward from the axis of the cap and away from surface 168 where main body portion 160 engages recess bottom 70 . the diameter of the outer surface 190 increases the farther the upper cylindrical portion 164 extends from the recess bottom 70 . the pair of tabs 142a and 142b of fig3 are shown in cross - section in fig4 in sliding engagement with opposite portions of the tapered surface 190 of upper cylindrical portion 164 of cap 88 . the curved tabular portions 152 are seen to be tapered to complimentarily engage the tapered surface 190 . when the tabs are in place engaging the caps , each pair is tapered toward the axis of each cap . hence , the plate 100 though the tabs 140a - b through 150a - b is held to the main body 22 by attachment to the caps 86 - 96 in the manner described above . it is possible that only one or two such attachments are required but three , four , or five would be better . in the preferred embodiment , as seen in fig3 the plate is equipped with six pairs of tabs to attach to six vent caps . in this way , the plate is held securely by six periodic attachment points along its entire length . fig5 is a cross - section of the plate 100 and main body 22 taken between vent wells . it illustrates how the cover plate 100 lies flat on surface 42 along its entire width . it is desirable to provide a plate which fits the first recess exactly along the sides . however , in practice this is not always possible and a tolerance is allowed on the relative sizes of the first recess width and the plate width such that the slots 194 and 196 of fig4 and 5 are less than or equal to 0 . 005 inches or between 0 . 000 inches and 0 . 005 inches inclusive . fig4 illustrates that the plate 100 lies flat on bottom 42 on either side of the second recess such as recess 56 as well as lying flat on the bottom 42 between each of the recesses as in fig5 . as the gas generated within the battery passes through the vent cap , it is captured beneath the plate 100 between the plate 100 and second recess bottoms 68 through 78 . see fig1 . as best seen in fig4 as gas pressure builds in region 181 , the plate 100 lifts or bulges in the center , and the tabs pairs such as 142a and 142b grab or press against portions of the tapered surface 190 of the upper portion of the cap 88 . this acts to hold the plate in place with respect to the caps and recess 40 . to prevent the tab portion 152 from buckling or distorting and loosing contact with the cap when under pressure , each of the tabs comprise a support portion connected between the tab portion 152 and the underside of the plate 100 . in the preferred embodiment , the support portion comprises a member 200 in fig3 connected to the tab portion 152 at each end of the portions 152 and extending generally perpendicularly therefrom along the underside of plate 100 and connected thereto . at the same time gas may escape through any space that occurs between the sides 120 of plate 100 and side wall 44 of recess 40 and similarly between side 122 and side wall 46 . see fig1 and 3 . when this occurs , the pressure is thus relieved and the nature of the tapered engagement between the tabs 140a - b through 150a - b and the tapered second cylindrical portion of the caps such as that described in fig4 for vent cap 88 draws the plate back into position . however , even though the tolerances are such that a space between side walls 44 and 46 and plates sides 120 and 122 , respectively , may occur somewhere along their lenghts , it is important to the explosion resistant nature of the cap that no such space occur at the ends of the recess and plate to allow gas to leak therefrom . fig6 shows in detail the nature of the engagement between the ends 124 and 126 of the plate 100 with the end wall portions 48 and 50 , respectively , of the first recess 40 . to insure a good seal along the ends , the projections 130 and 132 are disposed to fit within grooves 134 and 136 . projection 132 and groove 136 are not shown in fig6 . even though some gap may occur between end wall 48 and plate end 124 , gas will not be able to escape because of the double protection of the seating of plate 100 on the bottom 42 of first recess 40 , and because of the seating of projection 130 and groove 134 . should distortion occur in the plate 100 due to gas pressure build - up to thereby distort the plate 100 at its ends , then the projection 130 will move to contact a wall in the groove 134 to seal off the end forcing the gas out between the sides . it will be understood that various changes in the details , materials and arrangement of parts which have been herein described and illustrated in order to explain the nature of this invention may be made by those skilled in the art within the principle and scope of the invention as expressed in the following claims . it will be further understood that the &# 34 ; abstract of the disclosure &# 34 ; set forth above is intended to provide a non - legal technical statement of the contents of the disclosure in compliance with the rules of practice of the united states patent and trademark office , and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention described and claimed herein . | 7 |
the invention will hereinafter be described in more detail in terms of example embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings . in the following example embodiments , a smart entry & amp ; push button engine start system of a vehicle will be given as one example of an electronic key system according to the invention . the basic concept , main hardware structure , operating principles , and basic control method and the like of the smart entry & amp ; push button engine start system are already known to one skilled in the art so a detailed description thereof will be omitted here . the structure and operation of the electronic key system according to the example embodiment of the invention will hereinafter be described with reference to fig1 to 4 . fig1 is a block diagram schematically showing an electronic key system 100 according to this example embodiment . the electronic key system 100 includes an onboard apparatus 101 mounted in a vehicle and an electronic key 102 carried by a user . as described above , the electronic key 102 may be a simple single mobile device or incorporated into another item that is carried around such as a mobile phone or a wristwatch . also as described above , the electronic key 102 can be classified as a master key that was registered in advance by a vehicle production worker at the time the vehicle was shipped or as an additional key that was newly registered after the vehicle was shipped . the electronic key 102 has a storage portion 103 which stores a key code unique to the electronic key 102 , and a communication portion 104 which performs two - way communication with the onboard apparatus 101 . here , the structure of the key code used in the electronic key system 100 according to this example embodiment will be described with reference to fig2 a and 2b . the key code used in the existing smart entry & amp ; push button engine start system simply contains a unique identification ( id ) code for identifying the electronic key , as shown in fig2 a . with the electronic key system 100 according to this example embodiment , however , a property code indicating whether the electronic key indicated by the key code is the master key or an additional key is added on to the beginning ( or the end ) of the key code , as shown in fig2 b , in order to make it possible to distinguish between the master key and the additional key . that is , when a vehicle production worker registers the key code of the master key with the vehicle beforehand at the plant , a property code indicating that the key is the master key is added to the id code specific to that electronic key 102 and then stored in the electronic key 102 and the onboard apparatus 101 . on the other hand , when a new electronic key 102 is registered as an additional key with the vehicle after the vehicle is shipped from the plant , a property code indicating that the key is an additional key is added to the id code specific to that electronic key 102 and then stored in the electronic key 102 and the onboard apparatus 101 . returning to the description of fig1 , a key code of this kind of structure is stored in the storage portion 103 of the electronic key 102 . when the onboard apparatus 101 receives a request signal transmitted within a predetermined detection area , the communication portion 104 extracts the local key code from the storage portion 103 and sends it to the onboard apparatus 101 . meanwhile , the onboard apparatus 101 has a communication portion 105 which sends a request signal intermittently , for example , into the predetermined detection area , as well as receives the key code of the electronic key 102 sent in response to this request signal . the onboard apparatus 101 also includes a storage portion 106 which stores the key codes of the electronic keys 102 ( i . e ., the master key and additional keys ) registered with the vehicle , i . e ., valid key codes . as described above , each of the key codes stored in the storage portion 106 includes a property code which makes it possible to identify whether the key code is a key code of the master key or a key code of an additional key . the onboard apparatus 101 further includes an authentication portion 107 which determines whether the key code of the electronic key 102 received by the communication portion 105 matches one of the key codes stored in the storage portion 106 . when the key code (= the property code + the id code ) of the electronic key 102 received by the communication portion 105 matches one of the key codes (= the property code + the id code ) stored in the storage portion 106 , that is , when one entire key code , i . e ., both the property code and the id code , matches another entire key code , the authentication portion 107 authenticates the electronic key 102 as being a valid electronic key 102 . the authentication results are then sent to , for example , a door lock ecu , an engine ecu and the like , not shown , and used to realize the smart entry & amp ; push button engine start system . for example , when the door lock ecu receives information indicating that a valid electronic key 102 has been detected , the door lock is unlocked for a predetermined period of time by the user ( grabbing ) touching the outside door handle . also , for example , when the engine ecu receives information indicating that a valid electronic key 102 has been detected , the engine is placed in a state in which it can be started or stopped by the user pushing a push button - type ignition switch , not shown . the onboard apparatus 101 also includes a control portion 108 which both functions to both comprehensively control each portion of the structural elements of the onboard apparatus 101 and rewrite the content stored in the storage portion 106 . in this example embodiment , when the user performs an additional key batch erase operation , the control portion 108 erases only the key code of the additional key , from the key codes stored in the storage portion 106 , based on the property code . also in this example embodiment , when the onboard apparatus 101 is reset , the control portion 108 checks whether a key code ( s ) of an additional key ( s ) is stored in the storage portion 106 based on the property codes , and if so , notifies the user . as one example of a structural element for realizing user notification of the existence of an additional key , the onboard apparatus 101 according to this example embodiment has a buzzer device 109 and a display unit 110 . both the buzzer device 109 and the display unit 110 may be either dedicated or used in combination with another onboard system . from the viewpoint of driver convenience , the display unit 110 is preferably also used as a display of a navigation system . with respect to the electronic key system 100 according to this example embodiment having a structure such as that described above , the routine for checking whether an additional key exists and notifying the driver if one does , as described above , will now be described with reference to fig3 . fig3 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of an additional key check and notification routine executed by the electronic key system 100 according to this example embodiment . in this routine , it is first determined whether the onboard apparatus 101 has been reset by , for example , the battery being reconnected ( step s 301 ). if the onboard apparatus 101 has not been reset ( i . e ., no in step s 301 ), the routine ends . if , on the other hand , the onboard apparatus 101 has been reset ( i . e ., yes in step s 301 ), it is next determined whether the ignition ( ig ) is turned on by the master key ( step s 302 ). if the ig is turned on by the master key ( i . e ., yes in step s 302 ), then the control portion 108 of the onboard apparatus 101 determines whether any of the key codes stored in the storage portion 106 are key codes for additional keys based on the property codes included in the key codes ( step s 303 ). if a key code for an additional key is registered ( i . e ., yes in step s 303 ), the control portion 108 then controls the buzzer device 109 to sound a buzzer in a predetermined pattern and displays textual information , such as a message reading , “ additional key registered !”, on the display unit 110 notifying the driver that an additional key exists ( step s 304 ). as is evident to one skilled in the art , instead of , or in addition to , sounding a buzzer and displaying textual information , a voiced message may also be issued . if , on the other hand , no key code for an additional key is registered , i . e ., if only the key code for the master key is registered ( i . e ., no in step s 303 ), then the notification process in step s 304 is not carried out . this kind of check and notification routine enables a user that has newly obtained ownership of a used vehicle , for example , to know whether any additional keys , other than the master key , are registered with the vehicle simply by resetting the onboard apparatus 101 , i . e ., without having to go to a specialty store such as a dealer . further , if a new user which has purchased a used vehicle , for example , becomes aware through this kind of check and notification routine that there are additional keys that the user has not received , the example embodiment enables the key codes of those additional keys to be erased and thus invalidated by an additional key batch erase routine described below . next , a routine for batch erasing only the key codes of the additional keys will be described with reference to fig4 . fig4 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of the additional key batch erase routine executed by the electronic key system 100 according to this example embodiment . first it is determined whether the ig is turned on by the master key ( step s 401 ). if it is detected that the ig is turned on by the master key ( i . e ., yes in step s 401 ), then it is next determined whether the engine has been started and the vehicle remains stopped ( step s 402 ). here , the vehicle is determined to be stopped when , for example , any one , or a combination of two or more , of the following has been detected : i ) the vehicle speed is zero , ii ) the parking brake is on , iii ) the shift lever is in the p position . if the engine has been started and the vehicle is stopped ( i . e ., yes in step s 402 ), it is next determined whether the driver &# 39 ; s side door has changed from being open to closed in order to determine whether the driver has gotten into the vehicle cabin ( step s 403 ). if the driver &# 39 ; s side door has changed from being open to closed ( i . e ., yes in step s 403 ), it is then determined whether the master key is in the vehicle cabin ( step s 404 ) by performing master key in - vehicle detection . if the master key is in the vehicle cabin ( i . e ., yes in step s 404 ), it is next determined whether a predetermined additional key batch erase operation has been performed by the driver ( step s 405 ). in this case , the predetermined additional key batch erase operation may be any operation as long as it serves to transmit the intention of the driver to erase all of the additional keys that are registered to the onboard apparatus 101 . for example , when the electronic key 102 has a wireless lock button , the additional key batch erase operation may be an operation of pushing the wireless lock button of the master key and holding in that state for a predetermined period of time or longer . if the predetermined additional key batch erase operation has been performed by the driver ( i . e ., yes in step s 405 ), the control portion 108 then controls the buzzer device 109 to sound a buzzer in a predetermined pattern and erases all of the key codes of additional keys that are stored in the storage portion 106 based on the property codes . if , on the other hand , one or more of the conditions in steps s 401 to s 405 are not satisfied ( i . e ., no in any of steps s 401 to s 405 ), the additional key batch erase step will not be performed . in this way , if a user that has purchased a used vehicle , for example , is made aware of the fact that there are additional keys that he or she has not received from the previous user through , for example , the additional key check and notification routine described above , the user can then erase the key codes of those additional keys , thus invalidating them , by the additional key batch erase routine described above . as is evident to one skilled in the art , it is also possible to erase only the key code of a specific additional key , from among the additional keys that are registered , by also taking into account the id code in addition to the property code . in this way , according to the example embodiment , because the property code which indicates whether an electronic key is the master key or an additional key is included in the key code of that electronic key , it is possible to erase only the key code of an additional key , from among the key codes registered with the vehicle , based on this property code . also according to the example embodiment , the user is notified if there are any additional keys that are registered when the onboard apparatus is started again after being reset . as a result , the user is easily able to tell if there are any additional keys . while the invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof , it is to be understood that they are merely examples and the invention is not limited to those exemplary embodiments . for example , as described above , houses are now appearing which employ electronic key systems in front doors . accordingly , the invention can also be applied to an electronic key system employed for use other than in a vehicle , such as in this kind of house or the like . in addition , as is evident to one skilled in the art , the electronic key system according to the invention can of course be employed in both a vehicle and a house , such that the electronic keys for both are incorporated into a single common key . as described above , the invention can be used in various types of electronic key systems used in vehicles and houses and the like , for example . | 6 |
fractional distillation is used commercially to separate or purify fluids , and is usually carried out in a column filled with either packing or trays . because this invention is for use in designing trayed columns , the following discussion will be limited thereto . a trayed column consists of a stack of trays inside a shell . the trays are provided with holes to permit vapor to rise and vertical channels ( downcomers ) to permit the liquid to descend . liquid and vapor are mixed on each tray , thus effecting a stage of distillation . for some columns , more than one downcomer per tray is used to reduce the liquid gradient and to provide liquid handling capacity on the tray . these are called &# 34 ; multipass &# 34 ; trays , and typical layouts of 3 and 4 - pass trays are shown more or less diagrammatically in vertical section in fig1 . it is critical in the design of a tray to assure that the liquid and vapor are mixed completely and in the right proportion and that none of the liquid or vapor is permitted to leave a tray without this mixing . this is particularly important for multipass trays , where the liquid to vapor ratio ( l / v ) can be different in each panel . frequently , some panels are bound to have l / v &# 39 ; s greater than needed for the separation and some panels have too low an l / v giving a poor separation . a benefit of this invention is to give the tray designer a convenient means for controlling the distribution of liquid and vapor to each panel . fig1 shows a more or less diagrammatic side sectional view of a conventional 3 - pass tray and fig2 shows a conventional 4 - pass tray configuration in a cylindrical housing . fig3 is a more or less diagrammatic side sectional vie of the present invention showing unequal spaces under downcomer baffles . considering first the 4 - pass tray on fig2 the flow of liquid from tray 1 to tray 2 is accomplished through the center downcomer # 3 and the two side downcomers # 4 and # 5 . liquid on tray 2 flows to tray 6 by means of two off - center downcomers # 7 and # 8 . the reason the liquid flows are split like this is to provide adequate downcomer capacity . vapor flows up through each panel by means of small holes , valves , or bubble caps . the distribution of vapor flow to each panel is determined by the size and number of holes , valves , or bubble caps on each panel , and the relative pressure drop across the panel . the distribution of liquid flow to each panel is a function of many factors . these include such items as the length and width of the liquid flow paths , the velocity of the vapor bubbling up through the liquid , the average height of liquid on the tray , the liquid surface tension and relative density of the liquid and vapor , and the relative pressure above the liquid on the different panels . the interaction of these factors makes the prediction of how much liquid will flow to each panel very difficult . however , computer models have been developed and tested that can calculate the way liquids and vapors will distribute themselves to the different panels . one of the difficulties in designing a tray of the type of fig1 or fig2 is to maintain equal l / v ratios in panels a and b . part of the reason for this is the large difference in the length of the outlet weirs on the two panels . panel a , being closer to the side of the column , has a relatively short weir ( a short chord connecting the cylindrical wall ), while panel b , being near the center , has a much longer weir . although the hydraulics of liquid flow across these panels is complex , it is evident that some design accommodations must be made because of this unbalanced geometry . several design techniques have been tried to overcome this problem , such as increasing the length of the side weirs by sweeping the ends back , or lowering the side weir height to permit a larger liquid gradient or increasing the size of the side downcomer relative to the center downcomer . in many cases these approaches are satisfactory for the designer &# 39 ; s purpose . however , frequently they have the effect of reducing the amount of vapor at the same time they are reducing the liquid flow . thus , there is generally little or no improvement in the l / v ratio . these design techniques were tried using a computer simulation of an operating column with a severe l / v balance problem , and the results were unsatisfactory . adjusting the outlet weirs up and down as much as 50 % had no noticeable effect on l / v balance . after trying these techniques with the simulator , other solutions were tried . surprisingly and contrary to what was expected , it was discovered that if the clearance under the downcomer was changed , the l / vs could be made to balance . this technique was then investigated for several other design conditions and was always successful in being able to balance the l / vs . fig2 is a side sectional view of a multipass tray system showing equal spaces &# 34 ; a &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; b &# 34 ; under the downcomers for a tray . fig3 shows how the flow can be more positively controlled by adjusting the clearance under the downcomer from the tray above . for example , if dimension &# 34 ; a &# 34 ; is made smaller than dimension &# 34 ; b &# 34 ;, below downcomer baffles 9 and 10 , as shown , the flow of liquid to panel a will be decreased , and the flow of liquid to panel b will be increased correspondingly . this change in flows will slightly reduce the height of liquid on panel a , thus reducing the relative pressure drop across this panel . the l / v of panel a can be reduced ( relative to that of panel b ) by reducing dimension &# 34 ; a &# 34 ;. conversely , the l / v can be increased by increasing dimension &# 34 ; a &# 34 ;. with this concept of controlling the l / v ratios by adjusting the clearance under the downcomers , not only is it possible to design multipass trays with balanced l / vs , but it is possible to build the trays with downcomers that are adjustable , with slotted movable plates bolted to the downcomers , so that the downcomer clearance could be adjusted after the column was placed in operation . it is possible to install sample taps in the side , off - center , and center downcomers to determine if the l / vs were balanced , and then adjust the clearance after a period of operation . these sample laps may be used to analyze the liquid on adjacent panels and trays to determine if the change in concentration was equal on each panel . although the concentration changes may usually be small from tray to tray , small differences can be detected qualitatively and in many cases this may be of sufficient accuracy to determine if the tray panels were balanced . table 1 shows an example of what happens to the flow distribution when the height of the outlet weir or the clearance under the downcomer is adjusted . the flows shown are calculated using a proprietary tray sieve rating program that was developed by fractionation research incorporated . as shown in this table , for the base case , the liquid to vapor ( l / v ) ratio on panel a is considerably higher than on panel b ( first column in table 1 ). to balance the two panels , it will be necessary to reduce the amount of liquid and / or increase the amount of vapor entering panel a . it would appear that one way to reduce the flow of liquid to panel a would be to raise the height of the weir on panel a relative to panel b . however , as shown in table 1 , this technique does not improve the l / v ratio . in fact , the liquid flow to panel a remains virtually unaffected . a tray operating with such an unbalanced flow would result in a poor separation . however , lowering the clearance under the downcomer on panel a ( column 4 in table 1 ) results not only in reducing the flow of liquid to panel a , as desired , but also increases the flow of vapor to that panel , which further corrects the unbalanced l / v ratios . this effect is inherent in the lowering of the clearance . lowering the clearance lowers the liquid level on the panel ( by lowering the crest of liquid over the weir ) and thus reduces the pressure drop across that panel . this causes more vapor to flow through that panel . if the liquid level is increased by raising the outlet weir , the pressure drop on that panel will increase , thus reducing the flow of vapor and thereby negating the reduction in liquid flow . table 2 shows the effects of adjusting the downcomer openings on a tray , all other factors being kept steady . table 1__________________________________________________________________________effect of tray design on liquid / vapor flow lower raise lower outlet outlet clearance base weir on weir on under case panel b panel a downcomer panel panel panel panelcase description a b a b a b a b__________________________________________________________________________outlet weir ht . in . 2 . 0 2 . 0 2 . 0 1 . 0 3 . 0 2 . 0 2 . 0 2 . 0clearance under 2 . 25 2 . 25 2 . 25 2 . 25 2 . 25 2 . 25 0 . 9 2 . 25downcomer in . resultsl / v ( wt . ratio ) 2 . 13 0 . 40 2 . 17 0 . 40 2 . 27 0 . 38 0 . 87 0 . 87 % vapor to each panel 27 . 0 73 . 0 26 . 4 73 . 6 25 . 6 74 . 4 36 . 2 63 . 8 % liquid to each panel 66 . 4 33 . 6 66 . 0 34 . 0 67 . 0 33 . 0 36 . 2 63 . 8__________________________________________________________________________ table 2______________________________________downcomerbaffleclearanceon side 2 . 25 2 . 00 1 . 75 1 . 5 1 . 25furthestfrom centerl / v a 1 . 244 1 . 156 1 . 059 . 952 . 832for panell / v b . 587 . 644 . 712 . 793 . 892for panell / v c 1 . 244 1 . 156 1 . 059 . 952 . 832for panell / v d . 587 . 644 . 712 . 793 . 892for panel______________________________________ | 1 |
[ 0016 ] fig1 is a block diagram of a system for camera selection tallying for multiple camera video production according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention . system 100 preferably includes an adapter 110 , a power console 120 , and a tally system 130 , which is comprised of a plurality of tally subsystems 140 that each include a belt - pack 150 , which drives one or more leds ( or “ tally lights ”), and a headset 160 . adapter 110 has a plurality of logic input leads to receive a plurality of tally signals 10 from a video switcher . each tally signal is typically a voltage across a tally led in the switcher , which is generated when a switcher operator selects a corresponding camera . adapter 110 also has a micro - controller ( microprocessor or converter circuit ) that preferably converts each tally voltage signal into a continuous tone control squelch system ( ctcss ) tone that is compatible with power console 120 . the system adapter pca model sa100 manufactured by smartsciences is one example of an adapter that could be used in a preferred embodiment of the present invention . power console 120 is preferably connected to adapter 110 via a personal computer board multiple pin edge connector such as a panduit or similar connector . power console 120 is a conventional private - line ( p - l ) voice communication system power console preferably having at least two audio frequency channels , wherein at least one channel is configured for transmitting ctcss tones on an intercom line dedicated to two - way communications between a director and a plurality of camera operators . for example , in live television production , the director uses the p - l system to give the camera operators voice audio instructions about movements such as zooming , panning , tilting and framing . power console 120 further supplies a direct current (“ dc ”) power source to adapter 110 and to each belt - pack 150 . during p - l communications , the ctcss provides a way to differentiate each camera operator since all of the camera operators use a single frequency to communicate with the director . to enable each camera operator to be identified within the system 100 , each camera operator has equipment that is assigned a different ctcss code address which corresponds to a different sub - audible ctcss tone . as set forth more fully below and as illustrated in fig2 & amp ; 3 , the present invention uses the sub - audible ctcss tones generated by adapter 110 and forwarded through power console 120 to operate the tally lights within tally system 130 , in order to indicate which camera is live . referring again to fig1 tally system 130 consists of a plurality of tally subsystems 140 for p - l communications and for tally indication . each subsystem 140 contains a belt - pack 150 that receives the sub - audible ctcss tones from power console 120 coupled to a headset 160 . system 100 contains a minimum of one tally subsystem for each camera operator . power console 120 is preferably connected in parallel to each belt - pack 150 through an industry standard three - conductor audio ( microphone ) cable and corresponding connectors . [ 0021 ] fig2 is a block diagram illustrating the elements of adapter 110 and power console 120 , of system 100 illustrated in fig1 which are used to accept a tally signal and output a corresponding encoded sub - audible ctcss tone . the elements of adapter 110 used to receive and convert the tally signals are shown in fig2 within the dotted lines . these elements include protective circuitry 111 , a tally led sense circuit 112 , a microcontroller 113 , an encoder 114 and a low pass filter 115 . fig2 also shows the elements of power console 120 used to route an encoded sub - audible ctcss tone to tally system 130 . these elements include an intercom channel 121 , an intercom channel 122 and a power source 123 . adapter 110 is a printed circuit assembly (“ pca ”) that uses conventional protective circuitry 111 to shield the pca while receiving a tally signal voltage . tally led sense circuit 112 preferably comprises ten tally input leads for receiving each of a plurality of tally signals . each tally input lead is coupled to a separate voltage output from the switcher , wherein each switcher output emits a tally signal voltage that corresponds to a particular camera being selected . more or fewer tally input leads can be used depending upon the number of cameras used to shoot an event or other production . micro - controller 113 serves as the microprocessor and controller for adapter 110 . micro - controller 113 converts the tally signal into a corresponding sub - audible ctcss tone depending upon which input lead the voltage is received from . encoder 114 then encodes the ctcss tone , using conventional methods known in the art , with data which identifies a ctcss code address corresponding to the camera selected . this encoded sub - audible ctcss tone then passes through low pass filter 115 for noise removal into either intercom channel 121 or intercom channel 122 to be forwarded to tally system 130 . intercom channels 121 & amp ; 122 are preferably line drivers and accept both verbal information that has been converted by power console 120 into an audio signal and the encoded sub - audible ctcss tone . preferably a combined encoded sub - audible ctcss tone and audio signal is sent by either intercom channel 121 or 122 down the three conductor microphone cable to each belt - pack 150 in tally system 130 . power console 120 also preferably comprises a power source 123 that supplies a 12 volt dc power source to adapter 110 and a 5 volt dc power source to each belt - pack 150 . [ 0024 ] fig3 is a block diagram illustrating the elements of a belt pack 150 , of system 100 illustrated in fig1 which is used to accept an encoded sub - audible ctcss tone and activate one or more leds coupled to the belt - pack 150 if the encoded data matches the belt - pack &# 39 ; s ctcss code address . each belt - pack 150 preferably includes a buffer 151 , talk - off filters 152 & amp ; 153 , a decoder 154 having a clock oscillator 155 , an address dipswitch 156 and a dual lamp driver 157 . the combined encoded sub - audible ctcss tone and audio signal from either intercom channel 121 or 122 of power console 120 is received into buffer 151 , which is a conventional buffer stage . the combined signal then passes through talk - off filters 152 and 153 to separate the encoded sub - audible ctcss tone from the audio signal . decoder 154 receives the encoded sub - audible ctcss tone and , with clock oscillator 155 and using conventional methods known in the art , demodulates the encoded sub - audible ctcss tone to retrieve the encoded data . decoder 154 is preferably further configured to compare the retrieved ctcss code address data with the setting of the six - position address dipswitch 156 . address dipswitch 156 sets the ctcss code address for belt - pack 150 , which is used to identify the camera associated with that belt - pack . if the retrieved ctcss code address data matches the dipswitch address , then decoder 154 activates the dual lamp driver 157 which illuminates one or more tally lights , each tally light being an led connected to belt - pack 150 . the illuminated tally lights indicate which camera was selected by the switcher and is , therefore the live camera . preferably an led is connected via a cable to a jack at the rear of belt - pack 150 , and this led is mounted on a small box which may be attached by conventional means , such as velcro , hoop , or loop fastener , to a surface on or near the camera . another led is preferably mounted on a small clip which may be clipped onto a microphone boom of headset 160 so that the camera operator may see the illuminated led through his or her peripheral vision while watching the camera viewfinder . additional leds may be used and may be located in various locations to indicate to both on - camera talent and the camera operators which camera is live . belt - pack 150 is also configured for conventional p - l communications . therefore , belt - pack 150 further preferably includes a volume control for the user to adjust headset audio levels and also includes two switches . one switch is preferably used to turn the headset microphone on to speak , or off to reduce overall ambient noise in the system . the other switch is used to switch between intercom channels 121 and 122 of power console 120 . if one channel is being used for a camera operator to communicate to the director , the other channel allows the other users on the p - l system to communicate with each other . each belt - pack 150 also preferably includes : a rear panel having a connector for connecting to the intercom channels and power supply of power console 120 ; a headset connector ; and jacks to connect the tally lights . [ 0029 ] fig4 is a flow diagram illustrating the steps for camera selection tallying for multiple camera video production performed by the preferred system illustrated in fig1 . once video production of an event begins , a switcher operator selects a given “ live ” camera from a plurality of cameras taping the event . as this occurs , the switcher simultaneously produces a voltage across an led , the “ tally signal .” at step 410 , adapter 110 receives a tally signal into one of its logic input terminals , and at step 420 , the micro - controller of adapter 110 converts this tally signal into one of a plurality of sub - audible ctcss tones depending upon which camera was selected . adapter 110 then encodes the sub - audible ctcss tone with data that identifies a ctcss code address corresponding to the camera selected , at step 430 . this ctcss code address also corresponds to the dipswitch setting of a belt - pack 150 in a given tally subsystem 140 . the dipswitch for each belt - pack 150 in tally system 130 is previously set to a different ctcss code address corresponding to a different sub - audible ctcss tone , to identify each individual camera operator . power console 120 receives the encoded sub - audible ctcss tone and couples it through an intercom line to each belt - pack 150 , at step 440 . each belt - pack 150 receives the encoded sub - audible ctcss tone , and the decoder of each belt - pack 150 separates the encoded data from the sub - audible ctcss tone , at step 450 . the decoder then compares the data retrieved with its dipswitch address , at step 455 . at step 460 , the belt - pack 150 having a dipswitch address that matches the retrieved address data activates its leds . if it is determined at step 470 that video production has ended , then process 400 ends . otherwise , process 400 repeats beginning with step 410 . in another embodiment of the present invention , each belt - pack receives the encoded sub - audible ctcss tone without the use of a three connector microphone cable . in this embodiment , the power console is configured to transmit the encoded sub - audible ctcss tone as a wireless radio frequency , and the belt - pack is configured to receive the encoded sub - audible ctcss tone as a wireless radio frequency . this wireless embodiment of the current invention functions similarly in all other respects as the preferred embodiment described above . the implementation examples of a method and system for camera selection tallying for multiple camera video production were chosen as being illustrative of the best mode of the present invention . all embodiments of the present invention described above are illustrative of the principles of the invention and are not intended to limit the invention to the particular embodiment described . accordingly , while the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been illustrated and described , it will be appreciated that various changes can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . | 7 |
further details and advantages of the invention can be discerned from the following detailed description of the possible embodiments of the invention based on the examples . the conversion of glycerin with highly concentrated aqueous naoh solutions in the concentration range 53 wt % naoh was tested at temperatures close to the boiling point of the naoh solutions . glycerin from the production of biodiesel is preferably employed as the glycerin . however , to simplify matters , pure glycerin as well as glycerin with similar water contents to crude glycerin from the biodiesel production was employed in the experiments . solid naoh pellets were mixed in various proportions with h 2 o and heated under reflux . the maximum operating temperature is given by the boiling point of the naoh — h 2 o mixture at atmospheric pressure and is concentration dependent for naoh concentrations & gt ; 50 wt % in the temperature range of ca . 140 ° c . to more than 300 ° c . glycerin was metered in below the surface of the stirred naoh solution , whereupon a rapid exothermic reaction occurred . in batch processes glycerin , water and naoh were mixed and then heated . the sole gaseous reaction products were h 2 and ch 4 with h 2 contents of more than 90 vol %. the reaction products were soda ( na 2 co 3 ) and organic sodium salts from the group consisting of formate , acetate , propionate , oxalate , lactate , butyrate , valerate , citrate , adipate , succinate and malate . the reaction could be selectively controlled such that specific salts are preferably formed . batch process under atmospheric pressure and naoh less than 54 % ( laboratory ) a saturated solution with a deposit was produced at room temperature ( 23 ° c .) by adding ca . 200 g naoh to ca . 150 ml h 2 o . the saturated solution containing nominally 47 wt % h 2 o / 53 wt % naoh ( as per the phase diagram in the literature ) was drained off from the deposit into a multi - neck glass flask . pure glycerin ( 2 ml , 99 . 6 %) was added and the mixture was slowly heated with stirring . before heating , the headspace was firstly evacuated and then purged with nitrogen . the generated gas was led over a y - piece equipped with a shut - off valve through a superposed gas cooling tube to a gas meter . the temperature of the reaction mixture was measured with an immersed thermocouple . bubble generation began at 144 ° c . which must be attributed to having attained the boiling point ( literature 147 ° c . ), as no volume increase was determined with the connected gas meter . the temperature was reduced to just below the boiling point and maintained for more than 1 hour . isolated gas bubbles could be observed with a magnifying glass , but it was not possible to determine whether they were gas from a reaction of the material or were water vapor bubbles . ion chromatographic analysis of the reaction mixture showed the absence of reaction products . a gas analysis was not possible because the quantity was too small . solid naoh ( 25 kg ), water ( 5 kg ) and glycerin ( 3 . 3 kg ) in the ratios 75 % naoh / 15 % h 2 o / 10 % glycerin were charged into a stirred reactor and mixed at room temperature under an inert gas ( n 2 ). only a part of the naoh ( max approx . 5 kg with respect to pure water ) dissolved at room temperature and there resulted a sticky slurry . this inhomogeneous mixture was slowly heated up at 2 ° c . per minute , whereby the naoh increasingly dissolved . the boiling point of the mixture increased as the naoh continued to dissolve . care was taken to ensure that the mixture did not start to boil . a homogenous liquid mixed phase was first achieved at ca . 185 ° c . before this at ca . 160 ° c . the first gas bubbles ( h 2 ) were observed , which indicated the commencement of the desired reaction . the gas generation increased with the progressive increase in temperature . the temperature was steadily increased to 218 ° c . due to the system this was the maximum temperature under normal pressure because the mixture boiled vigorously . the reaction mixture was maintained for a further 4 hours with only moderated boiling at 215 ° c . the resulting gas was led through an outlet tube and cooled together with the steam in the reflux condenser . the composition of the gas was continuously measured with a thermal conductivity cell and reached maximum values of 100 vol % hydrogen . as the reaction time progressed a solid dispersed phase was observed to increase in the liquid reaction mixture . a sample of this suspension was suctioned off for later analysis . analysis for organic sodium salts was carried out by means of capillary electrophoresis . the results are shown in the table below . the 3 . 3 kg of glycerin starting material yielded 4 . 1 kg of organic salts ; the yield in terms of weight was greater than 100 %. consequently , only the carbon balance is shown in the table , i . e . the ratio of the carbon recovered in the products ( c - salts ) to the total carbon in the glycerin starting material ( c - glycerin ). in summary , more than 70 wt % of the initial carbon is found again in the organic na salt products , principally as the acetate and oxalate . the remainder of the initial carbon is inorganically bonded in the form of na 2 co 3 . the carbon content in the methane fraction was neglected and not considered in the calculation . the conversion of the glycerin can therefore be regarded as almost complete . in a glass flask were mixed naoh ( 15 . 04 g ) with water ( 34 . 34 g ) and after purging with nitrogen the mixture was heated up to the boiling point in a sand bath . the mixture with a nominal na - content of 30 . 45 % was maintained at the boiling temperature ( measured temperature with an immersed thermocouple : 119 ° c . ), the resulting steam was condensed in a reflux condenser and the water dripped back into the solution . anhydrous pure glycerin ( 0 . 5 ml ) was injected through a capillary below the surface of the boiling mixture . this was repeated 2 minutes later and again after 10 minutes with an amount of 1 ml . the reaction mixture was maintained at the boiling temperature for 105 minutes . no evidence of any reaction could be observed , e . g . in the form of foaming , turbidity , etc .) after cooling , the whole reaction mixture was analyzed by means of ion chromatography . no reaction product whatsoever was found . solid naoh pellets ( 87 . 5 g ) and distilled water ( 14 . 6 g ), ( corresponding to naoh ( 85 . 7 wt %) and h 2 o ( 14 . 3 wt %)) were weighed into a multi - neck glass flask . the flask was purged with n 2 and then heated under reflux with stirring up to complete dissolution of the naoh ( ca . 220 ° c .). the outlet of the reflux condenser was connected to a gas meter . the temperature was then slowly increased up to the maximum possible operating temperature at atmospheric pressure , i . e . up to the nominal 230 ° c . boiling point of the mixture ( extrapolated from the literature ), in reality measured at 243 ° c . ( the difference is probably due to a shift in the concentration because of the water fraction that circulates in the reflux system ). the temperature was measured with a thermocouple that dipped into the reaction mixture . once the temperature had stabilized at the boiling point , slightly pre - heated pure ( 99 . 6 %, ca . 35 ° c .) glycerin ( 0 . 7 g ) was rapidly added at ca . 1 cm below the surface of the stirred naoh solution through a calibrated 2 ml syringe and a sealed stainless steel capillary in the neck of the glass flask . an immediate generation of gas resulted from the addition of the glycerin . about every 10 minutes a gas sample was taken through a septum by means of a gas - tight syringe and immediately analyzed by gas chromatography . the results were ca . 96 vol % h 2 and 4 vol % ch 4 . after ca . 1 hour glycerin ( 1 . 31 g ) was again added and gas samples were taken , which showed ca . 98 vol % h 2 and 2 vol % ch 4 . on adding the glycerin the immediate formation of a white solid was observed . it remained in suspension with stirring and in the course of the experiment increased the viscosity of the reaction mixture ( stirring made more difficult ). the contents of the flask were later analyzed for carbonate and organic contents . na 2 co 3 , na formate , na acetate , na propionate and na oxalate were detected , whereby , due to the method , not all substances could be determined . the individual substances were neither isolated nor quantitatively analyzed . water ( 20 kg ) was preheated to ca . 70 ° c . in the stirred reactor , such that almost no water vapor was formed . naoh was added in portions though a filling vessel and stirred , such that the increasing temperature of the solution due to the high heat of solution remained far below the boiling point of the solution and no water vapor could escape through the filling vessel . the resulting minor quantities of water vapor were condensed on a reflux condenser and absorbed by the naoh in the filling vessel , the latter being sealed with a plastic cover . under further stirring and portion - wise addition of naoh up to a total quantity of 100 kg , the temperature of the mixture was successively increased by external heating of the reactor until the naoh was completely dissolved . the liquid temperature , measured with a plurality of immersion thermocouples , lay between 180 ° c . and 190 ° c . ( literature value for 83 . 3 wt % naoh = 185 ° c .). after closing the filling vessel , the contents of the reactor were heated under reflux to the boiling temperature and then held at this temperature or up to 5 ° c . lower than this temperature . after purging with nitrogen pure glycerin ( 99 . 6 %) was preheated to 70 ° c . in a feed vessel and then added through a circular nozzle ca . 25 cm below the surface of the stirred reaction mixture . in several experimental series under analogous procedures the naoh concentration was varied between 68 wt % and 93 wt %, the reaction temperatures between 175 ° c . and 270 ° c . and the glycerin feed rate between 0 . 5 kg / h and 25 kg / h . an immediate gas generation with a rapidly increasing h 2 content began immediately after the addition . volumes and gas compositions were determined in - line or analyzed by means of a gas meter and a special thermal conductivity sensor . various gas formation rates were measured and pointed to a sequence of a plurality of secondary reactions with the formation of different products . after reaction times between ca . 30 and 90 minutes a maximum in hydrogen concentration was always reached that was never less than 97 vol % and even reached values of 100 %. for a more precise analysis , additional gas samples were taken with a sampling container from the gas stream . only minor fractions of methane and traces of additional organic substances in the ppm range were found in them by gas chromatography . the interior of the stirred reactor could be monitored visually through a sight glass , whereby in addition to the gas formation , the formation of a solid reaction product could also be observed . this was caused to float on the whole area of the surface by the gas bubbles rising from the circular nozzle and formed a loose layer of foam that became increasingly compacted into a thick cake . after the glycerin addition was ended the temperature was maintained for at least 2 hours and a subsequent reaction with gas generation was observed . when the gas generation had almost stopped ( less than 1 μmin ) the reactor was purged with nitrogen , opened and the flotation product completely skimmed off . later analyses by means of capillary electrophoresis , ion chromatography , ftir , xrd , tic , toc , tga showed a mixture of organic sodium salts ( sodium carboxylates ) each in variable fractions depending on the reaction conditions . the following sodium salts were found : formate , acetate , propionate , oxalate , n - butyrate , i - butyrate , n - valerate , i - valerate , lactate , citrate , succinate , adipate and malate , as well as some other species that could not be explicitly classified with the respective detection methods . in addition , the inorganic salt na 2 co 3 was found in the samples and the content was determined by acid titration . samples were likewise taken for analysis from the liquid melt below the floating solid . they contained qualitatively the same organic salts but in another quantitative composition . the residual melt was then poured out and left to solidify . here , various solid phases with different compositions crystallized out in various cooling phases at different temperatures . the following table shows the proportion of each na salt in the total amount i . e . including the measured amounts in the residual melt as well as the yield , expressed as the ratio of the recovered carbon in the products ( c - salts ) to the total carbon in the glycerin starting material ( c - glycerin ). it is clear that the salt fractions vary with the temperature , e . g . : the acetate fraction increases within the interval 175 - 260 ° c . from 0 wt % to about 52 wt %. the lactate fraction decreases within the interval 175 - 260 ° c . from about 98 wt % to 0 wt %. the formate fraction is at a maximum with ca . 19 % between 180 and 200 ° c . thus the reaction temperature can be used as the control parameter for selectivity , depending on which salt is preferably intended to be produced . in addition , the different distribution of the salts in the solid and the melt can be utilized for a selective production . moreover , various salts can be selectively obtained in higher purity by controlled ( fractionated ) crystallization of the residual melt . the yields of organic sodium salts ( last column ) decrease with increasing temperature . the yields of na carbonate increase at the same time . the carbon fraction missing from 100 % in the last column is predominantly covered by na carbonate . analogously to example 3 the reactor was charged with water ( 20 kg ) and solid naoh ( 60 kg ), corresponding to an naoh concentration of 75 wt %. the liquid range for this concentration is ca . 124 ° c . ( between melting point 71 ° c . and boiling point 195 ° c .). the temperature was brought to 180 ° c ., i . e . 15 ° c . below the boiling temperature . after purging with nitrogen , pure glycerin ( 99 . 6 %), preheated to 80 ° c ., was added at a rate of 14 kg / h , in total 32 . 5 kg . the reaction ran ca . 1 % hours at a constant 180 ° c . then , in spite of a maintained controller set point , the real temperature of the reaction mixture slowly began to fall . this can be explained by the fact that the reaction mixture is slowly diluted due to the formation of water of reaction ( e . g . c 3 h 8 o 3 + naoh → ch 3 ch ( oh ) coona + h 2 o + h 2 ), the concentration of the reaction mixture initially at constant temperature shifts to the boiling line and then , with additional dilution , the boiling temperature (= theoretical maximum temperature ) of the system falls . a further reduction of the reaction temperature was counteracted by a controlled removal of condensed water ( ca . 16 g / min ) from the water vapor phase . for the remaining reaction time the system was held constant in this way at its boiling point of 173 ° c ., corresponding to a normal concentration , according to the literature , of ca . 66 - 67 wt % naoh . the subsequent procedure and observations correspond to example 3 , wherein in the present case , a significantly longer secondary reaction was observed , i . e . even after 8 hours the formation of gas with ca . 9000 liters total volume and 99 . 8 % hydrogen content was still not quite finished . the solid flotation product comprised lactate , oxalate , formate and acetate in the ratio 51 : 25 : 12 : 1 . the residual melt comprised no oxalate but only lactate , formate and acetate in the ratio 54 : 11 : 1 . the following table shows the total yield based on the glycerin starting material : the test was ended probably before the reactions had completely terminated , as a total of only ca . 80 % of the glycerin had reacted . presumably , the lower conversion in comparison to other tests was firstly due to the high feed rate and secondly also that the conversion during feeding did not occur at the maximum possible system temperature (= boiling temperature ) and consequently also occurred with a lower reaction rate . | 2 |
in the following description of preferred embodiments , reference is made to the accompanying drawings , which form a part hereof , and which show by way of illustration , specific embodiments of the invention . it is to be understood by those of working skill in this technological field that other embodiments may be utilized , and structural , electrical , as well as procedural changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention . the terms “ wetness ” and “ wetness event ” are to be understood as including human urination , defecation , and other bodily discharge events . furthermore , the term “ diaper ” as used herein refers to disposable and reusable devices which absorb and contain a wetness event and may include diapers , pants - type diapers , training pants , and adult incontinence briefs which are widely used in the care of infants , toddlers , and incontinent adults . it is to be understood that a personal care monitoring system and associated methods of the present invention are applicable to a wide variety of situations where the qualitative monitoring of provided care is desired . although several implementations will be discussed in the context of the invention configured with an infant diaper , it will be appreciated that slight modifications of the system may make it even more applicable to other systems and care giving situations without the need of inventive faculty . referring now to fig1 , a block diagram of one embodiment of the present invention is shown and generally designated 10 . as shown , monitoring system 10 generally includes a monitoring unit 15 and a sensor unit 20 . control of some or all of the monitoring and sensor units 15 , 20 may be provided by an appropriate processing device , such as system controller 25 . system controller 25 may include a microprocessor , microcontroller , application specific integrated circuit ( asic ), embedded processor , or any other suitable control or processing device . controller 25 is typically configured with appropriate memory for processing , recording , and storing data relating to personal care monitoring of an individual . for example , controller 25 may be configured with internal memory 30 or removable memory 35 , or both . internal and removable memory 30 , 35 may be any type or combination of any suitable volatile or non - volatile memory device such as random access memory ( ram ), electrically erasable programmable read - only memory ( eeprom ), erasable programmable read - only memory ( eprom ), programmable read - only memory ( prom ), read - only memory ( rom ), magnetic memory , flash memory , or other similar memories . data obtained in accordance with the invention will be collectively referred to as personal care data , and may be stored using any of the just - described memory devices using any suitable technique . the monitoring unit 15 is shown in communication with the sensor unit 20 which typically comprises a human life sensor 40 and a wetness sensor 45 . a sensor port 47 may be used to facilitate an electronic coupling between the monitoring and sensor units 15 , 20 . typically , the sensor port 47 provides a detachable coupling between components , but hard - wired configurations are possible if so desired . according to some embodiments , the invention may be implemented by positioning sensor unit 20 within a diaper ( not shown in this figure ), while the monitoring unit 15 is attached to the outside of the diaper ; however , many other configurations are possible and will be described in more detail herein . human life sensor 40 may include any suitable device which can detect human presence and / or absence . for example , life sensor 40 may be configured as a heat sensor , salinity sensor , heart rate monitor , conductance device , ph measuring device , and the like . regardless of the type of sensor implemented , instances of human presence and / or absence relative to an associated diaper may be ascertained and is useful for implementing an anti - cheat feature , as will be described in more detail herein . in general , wetness sensor 45 may include any appropriate device operable with the invention and which can detect a wetness event . sensor variations include devices that can detect threshold levels of , for example , hydrogen ion ( oh -), urea , ph , ammonia , and the like . in one implementation , the wetness sensor may generate a signal whenever a threshold level of wetness has occurred , thus indicating an occurrence of a wetness event . alternatively , a wetness sensor that generates a continuous signal that indicates that some threshold level of wetness has not been reached may also be used . in this implementation , a wetness event may be detected whenever the wetness sensor has not generated a signal for some predetermined time interval . sensors 40 and 45 may be implemented in any of a variety of different manners . for instance , these sensors may be formed as a fine wire mesh or as one or more discrete sensor devices appropriately placed within or on a diaper . regardless of which type of sensor design utilized , sensors 40 and 45 may be insertable or embedded within an associated diaper . an embedded sensor configuration is typically utilized in conjunction with disposable diapers , whereas an insertable design may be used with disposable , and reusable ( e . g ., cloth ) diapers . sensors 40 and 45 are shown as discrete components ; however , the invention is not so limited and other designs can be utilized where the functionality of these sensors is integrated into a single sensor , if desired . typically , communication between the monitoring unit 15 and the sensor unit 20 is accomplished via hardwired electrical components . however , some or all of the communications between these components may be accomplished , if desired , using other signaling technologies such as radio frequencies ( rf ), infrared ( ir ), and the like . monitoring unit 15 may be optionally configured with any of a variety of devices to facilitate the monitoring of personal care . for example , the monitoring unit 15 may include one or more sensory alarms 50 , a display unit 55 , and a data port 60 . sensory alarms 50 are typically utilized to alert a caregiver , for example , that a wetness event has occurred . typical sensory alarms include auditory alarms , visual indicators such as light - emitting diodes ( led ), vibration devices , and the like . a display unit 55 may be utilized to view and recall information associated with the personal care of the person ( e . g ., infant or incontinent adult ) utilizing the device . for example , an appropriate display unit 55 may provide the time , frequency , and duration of a wetness event , as well as the time and elapsed duration of diaper replacement . appropriately configured systems can record and provide data for a number of wetness events , which is useful for monitoring personal care over an entire day , week , month , or other desired monitoring periods . in some implementations , the monitoring unit 15 may be configured with a suitable data port 60 to facilitate data communications . the inclusion of a data port 60 enables a user to access and view data obtained during one or more personal care monitoring periods using an appropriately equipped device such a general or specific purpose computer . data port 60 may be formed using any suitable device such as a serial port , universal serial bus ( usb ), and the like . fig1 b is a block diagram of an alternative embodiment of the present invention , generally designated 100 . similar to other embodiments , monitoring system 100 generally includes monitoring and sensor units 15 , 20 . however , in the illustrated embodiment , the monitoring unit 15 is configured with a transmitter 105 to support wireless communications between the unit 15 and externally configured components such as sensory alarms 50 and / or display unit 55 . wireless communication may be accomplished using any suitable signaling technology ( e . g ., rf , ir , etc .) the monitoring unit 15 may also be configured with removable memory 35 and / or a data port 60 , if desired . fig1 c is a block diagram of another alternative embodiment of the present invention , generally designated 150 . often , a personal care monitoring system may be utilized to monitor care provided by a caregiver to an infant or infirm adult . in these instances , it may not be necessary or even desirable to enable a caregiver an opportunity to view or access data obtained by the system . to accommodate these needs , a monitoring unit 15 may be implemented without an attached or integrated display unit . in these configurations , the monitoring unit 15 may be outfitted with devices , such as removable memory 35 and / or data port 60 , to enable authorized persons ( e . g . parents and guardians ) an ability to view data obtained during one or more personal care monitoring periods . fig1 c further shows a generalized example of an external display system that may be used in conjunction with monitoring and sensor units 15 , 20 . as shown , the external display system includes a computer 165 having a display 55 and optional features such as a memory interface 170 and data port 60 . computer 165 may be any suitable computational device which permits viewing of data obtained in accordance with the invention . as used herein , a “ computational device ” includes , but is not limited to , personal computers ( pc ) having an operating system such as dos , windows ™, os / 2 ™ or linux ™; macintosh ™ computers ; computers having java ™ os as the operating system ; graphical workstations such as the computers of sun microsystems ™ and silicon graphics ™, and other computers having some version of the unix operating system such as aix ™ or solaris ™ of sun microsystems ™; or any other known and available operating system , or any device , including but not limited to : laptops , hand - held computers , personal data assistant ( pda ) devices , cellular telephones , any type of wireless application protocol ( wap ) or short message service ( sms ) enabled device , and wearable computers of any sort . display 55 may be any suitable display device operable with any of the computing devices described herein . the optional data port 60 may include any suitable device supporting data communications between the monitoring unit 15 and the computer 165 ( e . g ., a serial port , universal serial bus ( usb ), and the like ). similarly , memory interface 170 may be any of a variety of appropriate devices and / or interfaces permitting data retrieval from removable memory 35 . fig2 is a flowchart showing exemplary operations for implementing a personal care monitoring system according to some embodiments of the present invention and will be described with occasional reference to system 10 shown in fig1 a . by way of example only , the following description of data acquisition in accordance with the invention will reference the following generalized scenario . a parent has outfitted their infant with diapers equipped with a personal care monitoring system in accordance with an embodiment of the invention . the parent leaves the infant in the custody of a caregiver who provides care over a period of a single day . as indicated at block 200 , the system may undergo an initialization procedure where routine or necessary procedures are executed or performed as may be required for proper operation . typical procedures include system checks , memory allocations , initialization of various system settings . in some embodiments , the initialization procedure will verify that a user is authorized to use or access the system . this verification operation may utilize , for example , a user pass code or other similar user authentication method . after initialization , control may flow to a human life detection operation , as indicated in block 205 . this operation may be accomplished using , for example , the human life sensor 40 . if no human life is detected ( e . g ., a diaper is not properly placed on the infant ), then the time and occurrence of this event may be recorded in the personal care event log , for example , and control may flow back to block 205 to complete an inner loop that continuously or periodically checks for human life . on the other hand , if the presence of human life is detected ( e . g ., a diaper is appropriately placed on the infant ), then the time and occurrence of this event may be recorded in the personal care event log , for example , and control may flow to a wetness event detection operation , as indicated in block 210 . a wetness event detection operation may be accomplished using , for example , the wetness sensor 45 . if a wetness event is not detected , then control may flow back to block 205 to complete an inner loop that continuously or periodically checks for a wetness event , as well as for the presence of human life ( e . g . to detect any instances of diaper removal prior to detection of a wetness event ). on the other hand , if a wetness event is detected , then the time and occurrence of this event may be recorded in the personal care event log , for example , and control may flow to block 215 where the wetness duration may be tracked ( e . g ., the elapsed time that the infant is in contact with a wet diaper ). if desired , one or more sensory alarms may also be activated to signal a caregiver of the wetness event . tracking the wetness duration is useful to provide parents or guardians with information as to the amount time their infant remains in a wet diaper . excessive time in a wet diaper may indicate an inattentive or even negligent caregiver . control may then flow to a human life detection operation , as indicated in block 220 . if the presence of human life is detected ( e . g ., the infant continues to have a wet diaper ), then control may flow back to block 215 so that the wetness duration may be continued to be tracked . this operation completes an inner loop that continuously or periodically checks for human life . on the other hand , if no human life is detected ( e . g ., a diaper change is in progress ), then the time and occurrence of this event may be recorded in the personal care event log , for example , and control may flow to block 225 where the diaper off duration may be tracked ( e . g ., the elapsed time that the infant does not have a diaper ). tracking the diaper off duration is useful to provide parents or guardians with information as to the amount time their infant remains without a diaper . excessive time without a diaper may indicate an inattentive or negligent caregiver , or a caregiver who may be attempting to conceal dilatory actions . control may then flow to another human life detection operation , as indicated in block 230 . if no human life is detected ( e . g ., a “ new ” diaper has not yet been placed on the infant ), then control may flow back to block 225 where the diaper off duration may be tracked ( e . g ., the elapsed time that the infant does not have a diaper ). this operation completes an inner loop that continuously or periodically checks for human life . on the other hand , if the presence of human life is detected ( e . g ., a diaper is appropriately placed on the infant ), then the time and occurrence of this event may be recorded in the personal care event log , for example , and control may flow to block 205 where the just - described operations may be repeated . notably , each iteration of the operations shown in this flowchart may be associated with a single wetness event . accordingly , data associated with a plurality of wetness events may be obtained using the illustrated ( or other similar ) operations . it is to be understood that in many embodiments , the system performs periodic or continuous checks for human life . this feature not only enables a parent , for example , to track the changing of the infant &# 39 ; s diaper , but also provides a mechanism for preventing system tampering or manipulation by a caregiver attempting to conceal negligent care . although the present invention may be implemented using the exemplary series of operations shown in fig2 , those of ordinary skill in the art will realize that additional or fewer operations may be performed . moreover , it is to be understood that the order of operations shown in fig2 is merely exemplary and that no single order of operation is required or necessary . fig3 a and 3b are block diagrams showing some of the many configurations possible for implementing the present invention . in particular , fig3 a depicts a disposable or reusable diaper 80 having human life and wetness sensors 40 , 45 which are in communication with a monitoring unit 15 . in some embodiments , sensors 40 , 45 may be manufactured as low - cost disposable devices , while in other embodiments these sensors are reusable . similarly , monitoring unit 15 can be fabricated as a disposable or reusable device to accommodate a user &# 39 ; s particular need . because these sensors and monitoring units may be configured to cooperate with disposable and reusable ( e . g ., cloth ) diapers , a wide variety of implementations are possible . accordingly , the present invention may be implemented using any combination of disposable / reusable sensors , monitoring units , and diapers . for example , in a completely disposable implementation , diaper 80 may be fabricated having disposable human life and wetness sensors 40 , 45 , and configurable with a disposable monitoring unit 15 . in these configurations , the monitoring unit 15 may be attached ( or attachable ) to the sensors 40 , 45 in a manner depicted in fig3 a . alternatively , as shown in fig3 b , the monitoring unit 15 may be completely integrated with the diaper 80 . completely integrated embodiments often include removable memory 35 so that personal care data may be retrieved by , for example , a parent or guardian . other disposable embodiments include disposable sensors 40 , 45 fabricated as discrete components adaptable to any of variety of diaper types . these implementations are useful when personal care monitoring is desired using readily available , off - the - shelf diapers . fig4 a and 4b are more detailed views of possible sensor implementations according to some embodiments of the invention . for example , fig4 a depicts a diaper 80 configured with a wire mesh wetness sensor 45 . in this example , a human life sensor 40 may be positioned at opposing ends of the diaper 80 . although the wire mesh wetness sensor 45 may be disposed on ( or integrated within ) a portion of the diaper 80 , the exact positioning or size of the sensor is not critical to the invention . for example , fig4 b shows still another alternative design where the wetness sensor 45 occupies a centralized portion of the diaper 80 . this centralized portion is often associated with the portion of a diaper most likely to experience a wetness event . it is therefore to be understood that the invention may be implemented using any of a variety of different sensor configurations , sizes , and geometries . fig5 is a diagram of a monitoring system having several integrated features in accordance with some embodiments of the present invention . as shown , a monitoring unit 15 generally includes a display unit 55 , sensory alarms 50 , and a user interface 85 . the monitoring unit 15 is shown in communication with diaper 80 and associated human life and wetness sensors 40 , 45 . sensory alarms 50 are shown implemented as a wetness buzzer and light , but additional or fewer sensory alarms may be used as desired . the user interface 85 may also include any of a variety of useful devices that permits or facilitates user / system interaction . typical user interfaces include , for example , facilities enabling one to retrieve person care data , activate / deactivate the monitoring system , and the like . in some implementations , a predetermined or user definable pass code may be required to access one or more functions of the monitoring system . utilization of a pass code is useful for those who wish to use the system to reliably monitor the level of care provided by a caregiver . since the pass code may be known only to the parent , the caregiver may not be able to readily access data acquired by the system , thus preventing system tampering by , for example , a caregiver wishing to conceal improper or negligent care . fig6 shows one of the many configurations possible for implementing display unit 55 in accordance with the present invention . it is to be understood while the illustrated features are representative of typical implementations , no particular feature , or configuration of features , is essential or required . in some embodiments , display unit 55 may generally include a series of events 90 and associated data displays 95 . the series of events 95 relate to events that a user may desire tracking so that personal care of an individual may be monitored or assessed . fig6 provides a representative list of the many possible events that may be tracked and monitored in accordance with the invention , but additional or fewer events may be tracked if desired . the base start time may be used to indicate when the monitoring system has been activated . an example of system activation may be when care of an infant is turned over to a caregiver . in this scenario , the parent may activate the system by , for example , entering a required pass code . as indicated in fig6 , the monitoring system was activated at 8 : 00 a . m . a wetness indicator may be used to track data associated with one or more wetness events . for example , it is not uncommon for an infant to have many wetness events over the course of a typical day . as such , a parent may want to track the quality of care provided by the caregiver for each of these wetness events . the first wetness event is depicted in this figure . the time of occurrence of a wetness event and when the diaper is eventually changed can also be displayed . in the example , a wetness event was detected at 9 : 15 a . m ., and the diaper was changed at 9 : 35 a . m ., indicating that the infant remained in a wet diaper for 20 minutes . this caregiver replaced the diaper at 9 : 45 a . m ., resulting in the infant being without a diaper for 10 minutes . excessive elapsed wet time or excessive diaper off time may indicate negligent care provided by the caregiver . the display unit 55 may be formed using any suitable display technology ( e . g ., lcd , led ). in some embodiments , a single display is utilized , while in other embodiments some or all of the events 95 may include individual display units . still further implementations for display unit 5 have been described with respect to fig1 c . fig7 is an example of the types of data that may be acquired and provided in accordance with the invention . this data is referred to generally as a personal care event log , and may be stored and retrieved using any of the aforementioned memory devices shown and described in fig1 a - 1c . as depicted in fig7 , a personal care event log may include , for example , data associated with a number of wetness events and associated “ diaper off ” instances . the personal care event log is shown with data relating to three separate wetness events , and is capable of supporting data associated with up to n distinct wetness events . typically , the personal care data log contains wetness event data information relating to a single day , but may easily be adapted to include data over several weeks or even months . as indicated in the event log , the caregiver appeared to be relatively diligent in providing care to the infant for the first two wetness events , but then failed miserably in the third wetness event . for example , during the first two wetness events , the infant remained in a wet diaper for 20 minutes and 6 minutes , respectively . thus , it appears that the caregiver is proving an acceptable level of care . however , after the third wetness event ( 11 : 42 a . m . ), the infant remained in wet diaper for 126 minutes ( until 1 : 48 p . m . ), thus indicating negligence and lack of care provided to the infant . fig8 is an exploded perspective view of an exemplary monitoring unit in accordance with some embodiments of the invention . monitoring unit 15 is shown having upper and lower housings 300 , 305 which may be used to contain an electronics module 310 . the electronics module 310 is shown having sensor port 47 , several sensory alarms 50 , a display unit 55 , and a user interface 85 . access to the sensor port 47 is facilitated by port cut - outs 320 , 325 respectively formed in upper and lower housings 300 , 305 . sensory alarms 50 are shown implemented as a wetness alarm and two individual leds attached to an upper surface of the electronics module 310 . if desired , auditory holes 315 may be formed in the lower housing 305 , proximate to the wetness buzzer 50 , to facilitate sound propagation . the user interface 85 is shown implemented as four discrete buttons formed on the electronics module 310 . access to the user interface 85 , once assembled , may be accomplished via user interface cut - outs 335 formed on the upper housing 300 . similarly , led cut - outs 340 may be used to expose led sensory alarms 50 . the monitoring unit 15 may be powered by any suitable power source , such as battery 330 . again , the monitoring unit shown in fig8 is but one example of the many possible implementations and embodiments of the invention , and is shown having many optional features that are not required or essential . fig9 a and 9b are perspective views showing , respectively , partially assembled and assembled views of the exemplary monitoring unit of fig8 . in fig9 a , the electronics module 310 is shown positioned within the lower housing 305 . fig9 b depicts the monitoring unit 15 as it may appear after assembly . fig1 a through 10c are top , front , and side views , respectively , of an assembled monitoring unit of fig8 . these figures provide an illustration of the relative relationship of some of the features that may be included with the monitoring unit 15 . for example , the sensory alarms 50 ( e . g ., leds ), display unit 55 , and user interface 85 buttons can be seen in the top view of fig1 a , while the sensor port 47 is viewable in the front view of fig1 c . an appropriately configured personal care monitoring system may be utilized or implemented in a variety of different manners including child care facilities , hospitals , nursing homes , private home care , “ nanny watch ” services , remote monitoring systems , and the like . those who may also benefit from the use of such systems include concerned parents , healthcare industries , medical and hospital organizations , as well as those providing convalescent and hospice care . while the invention has been described in detail with reference to disclosed embodiments , various modifications within the scope and spirit of the invention will be apparent to those of working skill in this technological field . it is to be appreciated that features described with respect to one embodiment typically may be applied to other embodiments . therefore , the invention properly is to be construed with reference to the appended claims . | 0 |
in fig1 there is shown a pickup truck box 10 having a floor 20 , a front wall 22 , a left or driver &# 39 ; s sidewall 24 , and a right or passenger &# 39 ; s sidewall 26 . pickup truck box 10 is also formed with wheel wells 28 and 30 , as is conventionally known in the art . as shown in fig2 pickup truck box 10 is comprised of three separately molded pieces or sections , including a central section 32 which defines most of the area of floor 20 and front wall 22 ( typically 60 - 100 % of the width of floor 20 and front wall 22 ); a left or driver &# 39 ; s side section 34 defining left sidewall 24 , a left wheel well 28 , a portion 36 of floor 20 and a portion 38 of front wall 22 ; and a right or passenger &# 39 ; s side section 40 defining right sidewall 26 , a right wheel well 30 , portion 42 of floor 20 and portion 44 of front wall 22 . sections 32 , 34 and 40 are separately molded from a plastic material , preferably from a plastic composite material . the term “ molded ” as used herein refers to generally any technique by which a plastic or composite having a plastic matrix is formed into a solid component having a desired shape , and encompasses various processes for converting a fluid or flowable material into a solid . examples of well known molding techniques that may be used for forming sections 32 , 34 and 40 of pickup truck bed 10 include extrusion , sheet thermoforming , injection molding , compression molding , transfer molding , and combinations of these . the term “ plastic ” as used herein refers to polymers , especially synthetic polymers , that may be combined with other ingredients such as fillers , colorants , reinforcing agents , plasticizers , antioxidants , etc . and which can be shaped or molded into solid components . plastics that can be used in forming pickup truck bed 10 include those containing thermoplastic polymers , those containing thermoset polymers , and those containing a combination of both thermoplastic polymers and thermoset polymers . the term “ composite ” as used herein refers to a mechanical combination of two or more materials that are solid in the finished state , are mutually insoluble , and differ in chemical nature . more particularly , the composites that are useful in this invention are reinforced plastics , especially fiber reinforced plastics . an advantage of this invention is that sections 32 , 34 and 40 may be made of different plastic materials , and may be formed using different molding techniques . for example , section 32 , which will typically bear most of any load exerted by cargo hauled in box 10 can be made of a plastic material having a higher strength and better load bearing properties than the material used to form side sections 34 and 40 . also , because the load bearing requirements for sections 34 and 40 are less than the load bearing requirements of section 32 , sections 34 and 40 can be made , for example , by an injection molding process , whereas panel 32 can be made by a compression molding process from sheet molding compounds or by structural reaction injection molding ( srim ), i . e ., processes that ensure better material homogeneity . thus , the invention allows greater flexibility in the selection of materials and processes , enabling fabrication of a pickup truck box having different mechanical and / or chemical properties in the different sections of the box . this allows fabrication of a plastic pickup truck box having high strength properties in selected regions where needed , while allowing lower cost materials and / or processes to be used in other regions of the box . another advantage of the ability to fabricate sections 32 , 34 and 40 from different plastic materials , is that sections 34 and 40 can be molded , such as by injection molding , with various functional features , such as with integral storage bins , anchor means , etc . further , the individual sections 32 , 34 and 40 can be stacked in a nested arrangement having excellent packing efficiency . this can reduce shipping costs from the point at which the box sections are molded to the point at which the truck box is assembled and mounted on a pickup truck . although sections 32 , 34 and 40 may be formed from a variety of different types of plastic materials , side sections 34 and 40 are preferably fabricated from nonreinforced or , more preferably , fiber filler or particulate reinforced polypropylene , polybutylene terephthalate , polyester , vinyl ester , polyurethane , polycarbonate / acrylonitrile - butadiene - styrene , or polycarbonate / polyester resins . preferred glass fiber reinforced polyurethane srim plastics have a flex modulus at 70 ° f . of from about 8 , 000 mpa to about 12 , 000 mpa , a flex strength at 70 ° f . of from about 196 mpa to about 250 mpa , a tensile strength at 70 ° f . of from about 100 to about 300 mpa ( e . g ., 200 mpa ), an impact strength ( notched izod at 70 ° f .) of about 19 . 2 foot - pound / inch ( 1 , 018 j / m ), a specific gravity of from about 1 . 4 to about 1 . 6 , and a glass fiber content of from about 42 % to about 48 % by weight . preferred long glass fiber reinforced polypropylene plastics have a fiber content of from about 30 % to about 50 % by weight , a specific gravity of from about 1 . 0 to about 1 . 3 , an impact strength ( notched izod at 23 ° c .) of from about 50 to about 85 kj / m 2 , a flex modulus of from about 6 , 300 to about 7 , 200 mpa , a tensile strength at break of from about 100 to about 130 mpa , and an ash content of from about 30 % to about 40 %. preferred materials for fabricating the central section 32 include polyurethane srim compositions and vinyl ester sheet molding compound ( smc ). desirably , conductive fillers and antioxidants are added in effective amounts . other additives may be included in effective amounts as desired when appropriate . examples of particular materials useful for fabricating side sections 34 and 40 include glass fiber reinforced epoxy terminated vinyl ester resins such as derakane ® vinyl ester resin ( available from dow chemical company ), glass fiber reinforced polycarbonate / acrylonitrile - butadiene - styrene blends , and glass fiber reinforced polycarbonate / polyester engineered thermoplastics sold by ge plastics as ge xenoy ® synthetic resins . the plastics used for fabricating sections 32 , 34 and 40 will typically contain a reinforcing fiber , typically glass fibers . however , other reinforcing fibers , such as carbon fibers , polyolefin fibers , polyester fibers ( e . g ., pet ), aromatic polyamide fibers ( e . g ., kevlar ® fibers ), etc ., may be used . also , instead of reinforcing fibers , or in combination with reinforcing fibers , other reinforcing fillers , such as ceramic , metallic , mica , etc ., may be used . in addition to reinforcing fibers , and / or reinforcing fillers , the plastics used to make the sections ( e . g ., 32 , 34 and 40 ) of the pickup truck box may include effective amounts of other additives such as ultraviolet light stabilizers and flame - retardants . sections 32 , 34 and 40 are joined together with a structural adhesive . the adhesive used to join the sections of box 10 together are selected so that adhesive failure at the interface between the individually molded sections of the box and the adhesive will not occur . it is also preferred that the adhesive have sufficient mechanical properties so that cohesive failure of the adhesive does not occur . in other words , the preferred failure mode is in the pickup truck sections ( e . g ., 32 , 34 and 40 ), not cohesive failure in the adhesive or adhesive failure at the interface between the adhesive and the sections of the pickup truck box . selection of an adhesive or combination of adhesives for bonding the sections of the truck box together is dependent on a variety of factors . adhesives should be selected to ensure a uniform bond line that resists weathering and is durable enough to withstand shear and tensile forces associated with normal movement of a typical pickup truck box . examples of suitable adhesives include betaseal ® 1870 adhesive available from essex specialty products inc ., auburn hills , michigan ( with or without a primer ), and betamate ® 73100 / 730xx also available from essex specialty products . betaseal ® 1870 adhesive is a one component , fast curing , high viscosity , high modulus polyurethane adhesive that can provide a high body stiffness in srim polyurethane substrate to srim polyurethane substrate adhesive applications . betaseal ® 1870 adhesive is resistant to extended outdoor weathering conditions without losing its adhesion and physical characteristics . betaseal ® 1870 adhesive may be used in combination with essex ® u - 413 ( u435 - 32 ) urethane adhesive pinchweld primer , which is a solvent wash for the substrate surface . betamate ® 73100 / 730xx ( e . g ., 73100 / 73002 , 73005 , 73010 and 73015 ) adhesives are structural polyurethane adhesives designed for bonding pre - painted metal to eliminate the need for mechanical fasteners . however , these adhesives are useful for bonding various thermoplastic materials and forming cross - linked polymers that are stronger than many of the bonded substrates . lap shear testing of a srim polyurethane substrate bonded to another srim polyurethane substrate with betaseal ® 1870 adhesive showed that the average break strength was 828 . 6 psi , with the mode of failure being cohesive ( not adhesive ) failure of the cured adhesive . lap shear testing of a srim polyurethane substrate to an epoxy resin coated metal substrate using betaseal ® 1870 showed an average break strength of 919 . 2 psi , with the failure mode being cohesive ( not adhesive ) failure of the cured adhesive . in general , it is desirable that the cured adhesive have a young &# 39 ; s modulus of from about 5 , 000 to about 15 , 000 psi , a tensile strength of from about 500 to about 3 , 000 psi , a shear strength of from about 500 to about 2 , 000 psi , a poissons ratio of from about 0 . 45 to about 0 . 50 , a shear modulus of from about 95 to about 600 mpa , and an elongation at failure of from about 50 % to about 300 %. the plurality of sections forming the pickup truck box of this invention can be joined together with adhesive beads ( e . g ., adhesive beads 54 , 55 and 56 of fig3 or 60 of fig4 ) that are deposited between overlapping edges of these sections . the size of the adhesive bead is dependent upon the adhesive being used , the configuration of the joint , and the material used for fabricating the sections of the pickup truck box . typically , the adhesive beads will be from about 1 millimeter to about 20 millimeters wide and from about 10 millimeters to about 40 millimeters high , and extends along the entire length of the seam . temporary mechanical fasteners may be used to hold sections of the pickup truck box together until the adhesive bead or beads joining the sections together have cured . also , snap - fit fasteners 85 integrally molded into the sections of the pickup truck box can be used to temporarily or permanently hold the sections of the pickup truck box together to compensate for any warping or inconsistency in the spatial relation of the sections being bonded together . such snap - fit fasteners may also ensure that there is a distinct uniform fit associated with each pickup truck box , and may reduce or eliminate human error associated with assembly of the pickup truck box . permanent fasteners 90 such as metal screws or rivets , or plastic pins , cones , wedges or tabs , may be used to supplement the adhesive bond and / or hold the sections of the pickup truck box together until the adhesive bead or adhesive beads have cured . the sections of the box ( e . g ., 32 , 34 and 40 ) are preferably joined together at overlapping portions of the molded sections , as adhesive butt joints generally will not provide sufficient strength when the box is subjected to high flexural loads . the joints are preferably designed to provide at least two different adhesively bonded non - parallel interfaces , and to prevent moisture from becoming trapped at the joints . preferably , the overlapping portions comprise nesting inverted channels or corrugations ( fig3 and 4 ). in fig3 sections 32 and 34 are provided with overlapping , nesting corrugations 50 , 52 , and adhesive beads 54 , 55 and 56 are deposited on each of three different non - parallel planes , whereby regardless of the type of tensile or flexural load imposed on the box , at least one of the planes is under a shear load . it is desirable that a spacer be provided , either in the adhesive or on at least one of the panels ( e . g ., 32 and 34 ), to maintain a gap having a fixed dimension ( e . g ., about 1 mm ) between the overlapping areas where the molded sections are adhesively joined together . this insures that an adequately thick layer of structural adhesive will remain between the overlapping layers when they are pressed together . for example , as shown in fig3 section 34 can be molded with standoffs 58 , 59 that maintain a uniform gap between sections 34 and 32 . in an alternative embodiment shown in fig4 an adhesive 60 may be applied in a plurality of beads in such quantity that the gap between section 32 and 34 is completely filled when the sections are pressed together . as shown in fig3 a desired gap is maintained by a plurality of spacer beads 62 uniformly dispersed in adhesive 60 . spacer beads 62 can , for example , be glass beads having a diameter corresponding to the desired gap ( e . g ., about 1 mm ). in an alternative preferred embodiment , a tongue in groove joint is utilized ( fig5 ), wherein a groove 70 is molded into section 34 . more specifically , section 34 includes at its lower edges a groove 70 defined by spaced apart upright walls 72 and 73 into which is inserted an upwardly protruding tongue 76 of section 32 , with an adhesive 80 disposed in regions between tongue 76 and walls 72 and 73 . the spacing between walls 72 and 73 is sufficient to accommodate edge 76 , and leave sufficient space between edge 76 and walls 72 and 73 to accommodate a layer of adhesive which is about 1 mm thick . although the illustrated embodiment shows a three piece construction in which sections 32 , 34 and 40 are adhesively joined , the advantages of this invention may be achieved with four , five , six , or generally any number of separately molded pieces that are adhesively joined together . the various sections of the pickup truck box can be molded with metal inserts if desired to provide attachment points , structural reinforcement , etc . also , the sections ( e . g ., 32 , 34 and 40 ) can be molded with long glass fiber pultruded stringers , such as to provide structural reinforcement . the above description is considered that of the preferred embodiments only . modifications of the invention will occur to those skilled in the art and to those who make or use the invention . therefore , it is understood that the embodiments shown in the drawings and described above are merely for illustrative purposes and not intended to limit the scope of the invention , which is defined by the following claims as interpreted according to the principles of patent law , including the doctrine of equivalents . | 1 |
a generalized fd - oct system used to collect 3 - d image data suitable for use with the present invention is illustrated in fig1 . a fd - oct system includes a light source 101 , typical sources including but not limited to broadband light sources with short temporal coherence lengths or swept laser sources . ( see for example , wojtkowski , et al ., “ three - dimensional retinal imaging with high - speed ultrahigh - resolution optical coherence tomography ,” ophthalmology 112 ( 10 ): 1734 2005 or lee et al . “ in vivo optical frequency domain imaging of human retina and choroid ,” optics express 14 ( 10 ): 4403 2006 the contents of both of which is hereby incorporated by reference ) light from source 101 is routed , typically by optical fiber 105 , to illuminate the sample 110 , a typical sample being tissues at the back of the human eye . the light is scanned , typically with a scanner 107 between the output of the fiber and the sample , so that the beam of light ( dashed line 108 ) is scanned over the area or volume to be imaged . light scattered from the sample is collected , typically into the same fiber 105 used to route the light for illumination . reference light derived from the same source 101 travels a separate path , in this case involving fiber 103 and retro - reflector 104 . those skilled in the art recognize that a transmissive reference path can also be used . collected sample light is combined with reference light , typically in a fiber coupler 102 , to form light interference in a detector 120 . the output from the detector is supplied to a processor 130 . the results can be stored in the processor or displayed on display 140 . the processing and storing functions may be localized within the oct instrument or functions may be performed on an external processing unit to which the collected data is transferred . this unit could be dedicated to data processing or perform other tasks which are quite general and not dedicated to the oct device . the interference causes the intensity of the interfered light to vary across the spectrum . the fourier transform of the interference light reveals the profile of scattering intensities at different path lengths , and therefore scattering as a function of depth ( z - direction ) in the sample ( see for example leitgeb et al . “ ultrahigh resolution fourier domain optical coherence tomography ,” optics express 12 ( 10 ): 2156 ( 2004 )). the profile of scattering as a function of depth is called an axial scan ( a - scan ). a set of a - scans measured at neighboring locations in the sample produces a cross - sectional image ( tomogram or b - scan ) of the sample . a collection of b - scans collected at different transverse locations on the sample makes up a data volume or cube . the sample and reference arms in the interferometer could consist of bulk - optics , fiber - optics or hybrid bulk - optic systems and could have different architectures such as michelson , mach - zehnder or common - path based designs as would be known by those skilled in the art . light beam as used herein should be interpreted as any carefully directed light path . in time - domain systems , the reference arm needs to have a tunable optical delay to generate interference . balanced detection systems are typically used in td - oct and ss - oct systems , while spectrometers are used at the detection port for sd - oct systems . the invention described herein could be applied to any type of oct system . the system is typically enclosed in a housing with various patient positioning components including chin and headrest . oct systems can have additional imaging modalities incorporated into the system to aid in alignment or provide additional clinical information . one example of such a system is illustrated in fig2 and described in detail in us patent application us 2007 / 0291277 hereby incorporated by reference and realized in the commercially available product cirrus hd - oct ( carl zeiss meditec , inc . dublin , calif .). in this system , an iris viewer and a line scanning opthalmoscope ( lso ) are operated in conjunction with an oct system . the lso provides a view of the fundus in parallel to the oct information . the iris camera provides a view of the iris of the patient &# 39 ; s eye and is used primarily to align the patient &# 39 ; s eye with the optical axis of the device . the iris viewer includes an led for illuminating the eye typically positioned close to the ocular lens 201 . preferably , the led generates light having a wavelength of about 700 nm . the reflected 700 nm light is captured by lens 201 and travels back through splitter bs 1 to splitter bs 2 where it is reflected back through a series of lenses to a cmos camera . the camera generates an output which is supplied to a monitor that will display an image of the iris on a user interface of the device . in a first embodiment of the present invention , the oct system is equipped with a system to detect the presence and identify the type of an add - on external lens that can be attached to the outside of the instrument to enable to system to operate in different imaging modes . in a preferred embodiment of the present invention , the external lens module is used for anterior segment scanning of human eye using an oct instrument . in the preferred embodiment it is possible to detect the presence of an add - on external lens module on the ocular housing of an oct instrument without using electrical or electro - mechanical sensors . it can be accomplished using optical components of the iris camera . this is advantageous in that it can allow upgrades to existing commercial systems without extensive hardware rework , only new software and the desired lens module need to be installed in the field . fig3 illustrates a preferred embodiment for detecting the presence and identifying add - on lenses to an ophthalmic oct system . a section of the instrument housing ( labeled ocular housing 310 ) holding the ocular lens 312 in place is illustrated . one or more lenses are mounted on an injection molded housing or fixture 314 ( add - on lens and housing ) and attached to the ocular housing , preferably using magnets though other means of attachment could be envisioned by those skilled in the art . in practice , one type of add - on lens could be used for pachymetry measurements and narrows the field of view . alternatively , sometimes a field of view wider than is available with the primary lens 312 is desired and a different add - on lens can provide that wider field of view . in a preferred embodiment , part of one or more of the add - on lenses is provided with a small diffused feature on its outer rim . the diffused feature can be created by painting a small part or area of the lens white or gray . alternatively , a small area of the injection molded housing where the lens is held in place can be painted . light from light source 318 in the ocular housing used for the iris camera 320 as described in reference to fig2 illuminates the diffused feature on or behind the lens and is imaged through a light mask 324 onto the instrument &# 39 ; s viewing camera . the mask 324 is provided with transparent regions that provide a code indicative of the type of add - on lens being used . in a most basic example , where there are two different types of add - on lenses , the mask associated with one type of lens could have a single opening and the mask associated with the second type of lens could have two openings . the diffused light pattern transmitted by these openings is imaged by camera 320 . the image is analyzed using an algorithm as will be described in further detail below to indicate the presence and type of the add - on external lens module on the instrument &# 39 ; s ocular housing . different patterns of diffuse light could be used to identify different lens elements and in response thereto the system could make automatic adjustments with account for the change in the field of view or depth . such changes could include adjusting the length of the reference arm or inserting or removing a “ flip - in ” lens in the sample arm path located within the instrument housing . in a preferred embodiment , a prism 330 can be mounted on the module &# 39 ; s housing for illuminating the patient &# 39 ; s eye when the add - on module is placed on the instrument &# 39 ; s ocular housing . the prism helps correct for the fact that module changes the working distance to the eye so that the light from source 318 would not be properly directed to the eye absent the prism . an algorithm that can be used to detect and identify the add - on lens will now be described in further detail . fig4 a and 4 b show two images collected on the ophthalmic system &# 39 ; s iris camera with two different types of external lens modules attached to the instrument . two small spots of light ( 410 , 412 ) can be seen at the bottom of the image in fig4 a . this would correspond to a mask having two openings transmitting the diffuse light . in contrast , in fig4 b , one small spot 414 can be seen at the bottom of the image , corresponding to a mask having one opening transmitting the diffuse light . an image collected without the add - on lens module attached is illustrated in fig4 c for comparison . the spots can be isolated from the image using various imaging processing techniques as would be appreciated by someone skilled in the art . here connected component analysis is used to generate an image as shown in fig5 . two distinct spots of light are evident . the centroids of the spots can be identified and used to generate vertical profiles in the image as shown in fig6 . the lines ( 610 , 612 , 614 ) are drawn through regions of maximum and minimum intensity in the image . the vertical intensity profiles of these lines are plotted as shown in fig7 a and cross - correlations between these vertical profiles can be analyzed . the normalized cross correlations between two of the profiles ( 610 , 614 ) is much higher ( 0 . 9615 ) than the others ( 0 . 2909 and 0 . 0326 ) indicating two relatively strong “ peaks ”. this is used to indicate the presence of the add - on lens with two distinct spots . in comparison the cross - correlations for the image taken without the external lens module are shown in fig7 b . in an alternative embodiment of the present invention , template matching could be also used to detect the spots . a 2 - d normalized cross - correlation function between the image and each template as shown in fig7 c can indicate the location of the templates . it is assumed that the amount of rotation , scaling or shear ( affine transform ) is not significant to affect the performance of 2 - d normalized cross - correlation . the resulting output of the 2 - d normalized cross - correlation function is a 2 - d map λ ( u , v ), which can range from − 1 and 1 . the position ( x , y ) of the maximum value γ max in this map represents the center location of the template within the image . the type and presence of the add - on lens is based on the number and locations of the spots with high γ max values ( e . g . & gt ; 0 . 9 ). here the cross correlations are relatively equal ( or high ) and indicate the absence of the external lens . as mentioned above , various patterns could be used for different lenses and more complex algorithms could be used to identify different external lens modules and imaging properties such as reference arm adjustment , scan type , and scan geometry could be automatically adjusted on the instrument based on the identification . while the preferred embodiment utilized light from the iris camera , it would be possible to use a other light sources and cameras that may be present in the system as would be appreciated by someone skilled in the art . in optical coherence tomography , the best signal to noise ratio and lateral resolution are achieved when the beam is focused to a small spot within the object of interest . in ophthalmic oct , the position of the beam focus is affected by the subjects own optics which vary widely from person to person . therefore it is typical to adjust the optical properties of the oct device to bring the desired tissue into focus such that an acceptable image is acquired . in the past , oct focus has been set in a number of ways including but not limited to : manually focusing to a criteria where the operator found the image most acceptable , systematically stepping through focal positions to build up a tomogram consisting of many well focused layers , simultaneously acquiring tomograms at multiple focal positions , automatically optimizing some external signal , for example maximizing the signal returned from a simultaneously acquired confocal scanning laser opthalmoscope with a known focal position relative to the oct , automatically optimizing a global parameter over the entire oct image such as maximizing image entropy , or peak signal intensity , and automatically optimizing a parameter such as entropy or peak signal for a particular tissue layer of interest . a second embodiment of the present invention increases the signal to noise ratio and lateral resolution of an optical coherence tomogram at a specified tissue layer . it does this by applying an offset to a focal position found by a traditional autofocus algorithm . the present solution is superior to previous solutions because it allows for focus position to be optimized for a particular tissue layer of interest , that may have weak or otherwise unsuitable signal for determining focus , in a way that takes advantage of the relative ease of finding a nearby layer . the system first automatically finds focus of an easily identified layer using either an oct beam or a probe beam of an alternate modality such as confocal imaging . a traditional algorithm may be able to precisely locate some features of a tissue such as by maximizing signal at a tissue boundary or at a tissue location known to have particularly high signal or contrast of some sort . for example , the retinal pigment epithelium ( rpe ) often provides such a bright , high contrast layer in the posterior eye . the actual layer of interest may be more difficult to find by such an algorithm because it has low signal or contrast . the choroid and vitreous are examples of such layers . the system dynamically determines an offset to the tissue of interest — either by examining preliminary oct data , or by applying a known offset for a particular tissue type . this determining of offset maybe performed before or after best focus is found at the ‘ easy layer ’. the distance offset to the actual layer of interest may be known or estimated a priori , or the offset may be measured from properties of the optical coherence tomogram . when the offset is determined , the optical path of the system can be adjusted to move the focus to provide best signal at the offset layer . the device may always optimize to the same tissue layer as determined dynamically from oct data . the system applies the offset to the oct beam away from the optimum focus at the easy layer . this may happen sequentially after first finding the easy layer and then stepping away , or may occur simultaneously such that the oct beam focused on the layer of interest is shifted away from a simultaneously acquired beam that remains focused on the easy layer . the latter method would allow for focus tracking if focus might change , such as by eye accommodation . the operator may select to have the view optimized by the device for a particular tissue from a list of possible tissue layers , or at a specified offset from a particular tissue layer . the operator may select a particular analysis from the device and the device will select to acquire tomograms at the focus position or positions best suited to make the analysis , and those analyses would then be provided to the instrument user . some image processing methods , such as interferometric synthetic aperture microscopy ( see for example ralston et al . “ interferometric synthetic aperture microscopy ” nature physics 3 , 129 - 134 2007 ) may actually have advantages when used with the oct beam slightly out of focus at the tissue layer of interest , such that the information from a single location is spread to multiple measurements which can later be combined . in such a case , the above method could be used to apply an optimal focus , which is itself at an offset from the particular layer of interest . in this case the layer of interest could be the easily found layer . in a further embodiment of the present invention , the system is able to dynamically adjust the optical output power of an oct system . commonly the optical output power of an oct system is adjusted to a fixed optical output power which is below the worst case maximum permissible exposure ( mpe ) value of all the imaging modes of the device . however , different imaging modes could benefit from different optical output powers . there are cases where the power may be reduced , for example during alignment , in case sufficient image quality is achieved also with lower power . or when highly reflective samples are scanned , which may cause the detector to saturate when imaged with too much sample power ( e . g . the central part of the cornea ). and there are other cases where the image quality is unsatisfactory while the optical output power is significantly below the mpe value for the current scan mode , for example for extremely short scans , where the probing beam is scanned very quickly over a large area on the retina . in such cases the device may use its image quality information of the alignment scans in order to set the optical output power for the acquisition . since higher optical power incident on the sample directly results in better system sensitivity , the image quality could be significantly improved . in an alternative embodiment , the device could adjust the optical output power in general to the mpe for the current imaging mode . this would ensure maximum sensitivity for each imaging mode , rather than limiting the system &# 39 ; s output power and therefore system sensitivity according to the worst case imaging mode . in one case , the mode could depend on the location of the tissue being imaged . the mpe for an anterior segment imaging mode is in general higher than the mpe for a posterior segment imaging mode so the system could be configured to image at higher powers for scans in the anterior segment . although various applications and embodiments that incorporate the teachings of the present invention have been shown and described in detail herein , those skilled in the art can readily devise other varied embodiments that still incorporate these teachings . although the description of the present invention is discussed herein with respect to the sample being a human eye , the applications of this invention are not limited to eye and can be applied to any application using oct . nassif et al . “ in vivo human retinal imaging by ultrahigh - speed spectral domain optical coherence tomography ” optics letters 29 ( 5 ): 480 2004 . choma , m . a ., et al . “ sensitivity advantage of swept source and fourier domain optical coherence tomography ” optics express 11 ( 18 ): 2183 2003 . hee et al ., “ optical coherence tomography for ophthalmic imaging ,” iee engineering in medicine and biology , january / february 1995 . wojtkowski , et al ., “ three - dimensional retinal imaging with high - speed ultrahigh - resolution optical coherence tomography ,” ophthalmology 112 ( 10 ): 1734 2005 . lee et al . “ in vivo optical frequency domain imaging of human retina and choroid ,” optics express 14 ( 10 ): 4403 2006 . leitgeb et al . “ ultrahigh resolution fourier domain optical coherence tomography ,” optics express 12 ( 10 ): 2156 ( 2004 ). ralston et al . “ interferometric synthetic aperture microscopy ” nature physics 3 , 129 - 134 2007 . | 0 |
turning now to the figures , where like numeric references are used for similar features , fig1 and 2 show stacked packages 10 of microelectronic subassemblies 12 , 14 . the microelectronic subassemblies are electronically and mechanically joined to each other by one or more interconnect structures 50 that include components that will be discussed further herein . the stacked package 10 of fig1 includes a lower assembly 12 and an upper assembly 14 . it is noted that , as used herein , the terms upper and lower , along with any other terms that refer to direction or position such as horizontal or vertical , left or right , and the like , are made with reference to the figures and to an exemplary mode of use . these terms are used for purposes of clarity in this description and are not limiting , as other positions and orientations would be understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art . each of the lower 16 and upper 18 substrates have respective lower 20 , 24 and upper 22 , 26 surfaces . the upper surfaces 22 , 26 are generally parallel to their respective lower surfaces 20 , 24 , and all surfaces 20 , 22 , 24 , 26 are generally planar . a thickness for each of the upper 14 and lower 12 substrates is defined between the respective upper 22 , 26 and lower 20 , 24 surfaces . this thickness can be substantially equal between upper 14 and lower 12 substrates or can vary . the thickness is generally less than the length and width of the substrates 12 , 14 by a factor sufficient to give the substrates 12 , 14 a substantially thin , wafer - like structure and falls within a range that is generally understood by those of ordinary skill in the art . each assembly 12 , 14 also includes a respective microelectronic element 30 , 32 . microelectronic element 30 is shown affixed to lower substrate 16 by flip - chip bonding , in which microelectronic element 30 is inverted such that its conductive contacts ( not shown ) face toward upper surface 22 . the microelectronic element is then affixed to substrate 16 using conductive projections 34 that extend from its contacts and are bonded using solder masses 36 or another conductive bonding material to second conductive projections 38 formed on substrate 16 . other arrangements are possible for connecting microelectronic element 30 to substrate 16 including face - up mounting , in which the contacts on microelectronic element 30 face away from upper surface 26 , adhesive is used to bond microelectronic element 30 to upper surface 26 , and wire leads are used to electronically connect the contacts of microelectronic element 30 to conductive features , such as traces or pads , formed on substrate 16 . microelectronic element 32 is shown affixed to substrate 18 in a similar fashion , and can alternatively be attached as described above . the interconnect structure 50 shown in fig1 includes a conductive pad 52 having a face 54 exposed on upper surface 22 of substrate 16 . the term “ exposed at ”, as used herein does not refer to any specific means of attachment for pad 52 onto substrate 16 or any relative position therebetween . rather , it indicates that the electrically conductive structure is available for contact with a theoretical point moving in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the dielectric structure toward the surface of the dielectric structure from outside the dielectric structure . thus , a terminal or other conductive structure which is exposed at a surface of a dielectric structure may project from such surface ; may be flush with such surface ; or may be recessed relative to such surface and exposed through a hole or depression in the dielectric . pad 52 can be affixed to substrate 16 by forming pad by deposition or the like directly on surface 22 , or it can be embedded within substrate 16 such that face 54 is flush with surface 22 or disposed at a height above or below the surface 22 so long as face 54 remains exposed on surface 22 . in alternative embodiments , interconnect structure 50 can include a conductive trace or a portion of a conductive trace in addition to or substitution for a conductive pad 52 . a conductive pillar 56 is formed over a portion of face 54 of conductive pad 52 . as can be seen in fig1 , the base 58 of pillar 56 covers a portion of face 54 and leaves another portion thereof , extending from the periphery of base 58 , exposed on surface 22 . pillar 56 also defines an edge surface 60 extending away from base 58 to end 62 of pillar 56 . although a conductive pillar is shown in fig1 , alternative structures forming a conductive projection can be used , including a pin , a post or the like , as would be understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art . interconnect structure 50 further includes a contact pad 64 having a face 66 exposed on lower surface 24 of substrate 18 . as with contact pad 52 , pad 64 can be embedded in substrate 18 such that face 66 is flush with , above or beneath lower surface 24 so long as face 66 remains exposed thereon . pad 64 can be connected to conductive features , such as traces or wires , formed on upper surface 26 of substrate 18 using a conductive via 68 formed through substrate 18 . in an alternative embodiment , interconnect structure 50 can include a trace or a part of a trace exposed on lower surface 24 in place of pad 64 . a solder mass 70 is used to mechanically and electronically bond pillar 56 to pad 64 . during formation and assembly of package 10 solder mass 70 can be formed initially on either pillar 56 or pad 64 and then reflowed when the assemblies 12 , 14 are aligned together to allow solder mass 70 to affix to the other of pillar 56 or pad 64 . once in place in package 10 , solder mass 70 forms an upper edge 72 and a lower edge 74 . each of upper edge 72 and lower edge 74 can form into a single line or point or a surface . as shown in fig1 , upper edge 72 is a surface that extends along a portion of surface 24 surrounding pad 64 . upper edge 72 can also form a surface that contacts pad 64 or a circular line that surrounds pad either in contact with surface 24 or remote therefrom , depending on the geometry of pad 64 . the structures and techniques disclosed herein can help reduce electromigration at an interface between pads and a solder mass connecting the pads . electromigration can pose problems in areas where two or more metallic elements that are in contact with each other exhibit different diffusion rates . in such case , voids formation can occur in the bonding interface . that is , one metal can pull away from the other , forming a gap or opening therebetween . the use of pillar 56 , or another conductive projection , in interconnect structure 50 reduces the distance between the end 62 of pillar 56 and pad 64 along a line of electronic current traveling therebetween when compared to a structure including a solder mass connecting two opposite pads . accordingly , the structure of fig1 , in which pillar 56 and pad 64 are both formed from copper , has been shown to be effective in reducing electromigration leading to void formation in a copper - solder - copper interconnect structure . when like metals are used in an electronic interconnect structure in which they are separated by a second metal , an inner - metallic compound , including the like metal , forms within the second metal . this inner - metallic compound will extend from one like metal structure toward the other like metal structure . inner - metallic compound formation is a factor in reducing void formation due to electromigration because inter - metallic compounds have a slower rate of electromigration than solder . by decreasing the like - metal to like - metal distance within the structure , the inter - metallic compound can be formed extending from one like metal structure to the other like metal structure . in the example of fig1 , where pad 64 and pillar 56 are formed from copper and solder mass 70 includes tin , the inter - metallic compound can vary in ratio from , for example cu 3 sn to cu 3 sn 5 . further , the interconnect structures shown herein can reduce the concentration gradient of the like metal throughout the interconnect structure , which has been shown to be a driving factor for reducing electromigration . the concentration gradient within a structure is the rate at which the concentration of , for example , the like metal changes spatially within a structure . the extension of post 56 into solder mass 70 increases the surface area of copper within the structure , which further increases the presence of inter - metallic compounds within the solder mass 70 . the extension of this increased amount of inter - metallic compound can lower the rate of change in presence of copper within the structure , further reducing electromigration . the graphs shown in fig3 - 6 illustrate the phenomenon described above . fig3 and 4 show the varying concentration of copper at a horizontal location in an interconnect structure similar to that of fig1 throughout its vertical distance . the graph shown corresponds to an interconnect structure 50 in which pads 52 , 64 and pillar 56 are made from copper and solder mass 70 is made from a solder compound containing tin . fig3 shows the concentration of copper when the structure is at a temperature ( t 0 ) that occurs in absence of a current passing therethrough , which indicates an absence of copper within solder mass 70 under that temperature condition . fig4 shows the concentration of copper throughout the same structure at an equilibrium temperature of the structure in presence of an electronic current . the graph of fig4 shows the presence of a copper concentration within the solder mass 70 that is present due to inter - metallic compound formation . the inter - metallic compound is shown to extend from end 62 of pillar 56 to face 54 of pad 52 . the concentration of copper along both the end and the face 54 also shows a substantial lack of void formation therealong . further , the graph of fig4 shows that the presence of pillar 56 can lower the rate of change in concentration of copper through the interconnect 50 . the line representing concentration of copper changes direction abruptly , for example , in the area immediately within solder mass 70 just adjacent pad 64 . conversely , the change in direction of the line representing concentration of copper is much less drastic in the area of solder mass 70 adjacent pillar 56 . it is noted that the graphs are merely exemplary of and , while illustrative of the behavior discussed herein , may not be to scale or exactly representative of the behavior of the specific structures shown in the figures . the graphs shown in fig5 and 6 show the concentration of copper through a prior interconnect structure having a solder mass 170 disposed between two contact pads 152 and 164 , in which the distance 190 between the pads 152 , 164 is substantially the same as the distance 90 between the pads 52 , 64 of fig3 and 4 . fig5 shows the concentration of copper within the structure at t 0 , indicating an absence of copper within solder mass 170 at that condition . fig6 shows the concentration of copper within the structure at the equilibrium temperature and shows some copper concentration within solder mass 170 due to inter - metallic compound formation , but the concentration does not extend through solder mass 170 . this results in formation of voids 186 resulting in facture . accordingly , the presence of a pillar 56 having an end 62 that extends into the solder mass 70 toward a like - metal structure on the other side of the solder mass , such as pad 64 can decrease the likelihood of void formation due to electromigration . this is particularly true in structures that extend through an overall distance 90 that is greater than the distance through which an inter - metallic compound can be expected to extend . in an embodiment where pillar 56 and pad 64 are formed from copper and the solder mass 70 includes tin , the distance 92 between end 62 and face 66 can be between about 10 % and 50 % of the distance 90 . it is noted that while in fig3 , distance 90 is defined between lower surface 24 of substrate 18 and outer surface of dielectric layer 40 , distance 90 is defined between the major surface of whatever type of structure surrounds pads 52 , 64 . in an embodiment , lower edge 74 forms a circular line or annular surface around a portion of the edge surface 60 of pillar 56 , which extends into solder mass 70 . further , lower edge 74 is spaced apart from pad 52 such that solder mass 70 does not directly contact any portion of pad 52 , including the portion that remains exposed around base 58 of pillar 56 . a treatment can be applied to pillar 56 , specifically to edge surface 60 , near base 58 that can prevent solder mass 70 from wicking along edge surface 60 into contact with face 54 or pad 52 . such treatments can include oxidation or the like . similarly a layer of material can be applied around edge surface 60 that is resistant to solder flow . in a further embodiment , lower edge 74 of solder mass 70 is held away from face 54 of pad 52 by a dielectric layer 40 that extends over face 54 and into contact with at least a portion of edge surface 68 adjacent to base 58 . in this embodiment , solder mass 70 is allowed to flow into contact with dielectric layer 40 , including surface 42 , such that lower edge 74 can extend therealong in a spaced - apart relationship with pad 52 . by keeping solder mass 70 away from pad 52 , the likelihood of void formation due to electromigration can also be reduced . an interconnect structure of this type reduced electromigration by lowering the concentration of electronic current within solder mass 70 . as shown in fig7 and 8 , a current traveling through interconnect structure 50 moves diagonally along lines from a point on one end of the structure to a point on the other end of the structure that is substantially laterally opposite the point of origin . this means that current traveling from pad 252 in fig7 will move along a path represented by line 296 that passes through solder mass 270 and back into pillar 256 . the current then leaves pillar 256 and re - enters solder mass 270 before reaching pad 264 . this path results in a current concentration in the portion of solder mass 270 near base 258 of pillar 256 . current concentration is another driving force behind electromigration that can cause void formation resulting in interconnect failure . as shown in fig8 , by interposing dielectric layer 40 between lower edge 74 of solder mass 70 and the exposed pad 52 , no current will travel out of pad 52 . rather the current will travel along a line 96 that only enters solder mass 70 once , shown in the interface between end 62 and solder mass 70 . this can reduce the current concentration gradient by a factor of between about 1 . 25 and 1 . 75 , which can , in turn reduce the likelihood of void formation . a similar path would be observed in a structure wherein solder mass 70 extends outwardly along a portion of dielectric layer 40 so long as solder mass 70 is held away from pad 52 by dielectric layer 40 . dielectric layer 40 is shown in fig1 as extending along a major portion of upper surface 22 of substrate 16 . this portion includes all of upper surface 22 that is not penetrated by other contact elements . alternatively , dielectric layer 40 can be formed in portions surrounding any pillars 56 used in interconnect structure 50 , extending away therefrom through a distance sufficient to keep solder masses away from associated contact pads 52 . in such an embodiment dielectric layer portions can be substantially the same size and shape as the contact pads or slightly larger , so as to reliably cover any otherwise exposed portions of the pads . in an embodiment , dielectric layer 40 has a thickness 42 in the areas covering pads 52 such that the lower end 74 of solder mass 70 is kept spaced apart at a distance therefrom . this distance can include compensation for any tolerance in overall material thickness to ensure that no holes or gaps are present that lead to unintended exposure of face 54 of pad 52 . the thickness 42 can be between about 10 μm and 30 μm . in such an embodiment , dielectric layer 40 will have a hole 44 or a plurality of holes 44 through which any interconnect pillars 56 extend . holes 44 form an inner surface 46 that can contact a portion of edge surface 60 extending upwardly from base 58 . as shown in fig1 , a plating layer 488 can be applied over pillar 456 including end 462 and a portion of edge surface 460 exposed over dielectric layer 440 . plating layer 488 can help ensure a reliable interconnection between pillar 456 and solder mass 470 . fig2 shows a stacked assembly 10 including a plurality of microelectronic subassemblies 12 , 14 having interconnect structures 50 . the package 10 shown in fig2 is substantially similar to that shown in fig1 , except that the interconnect structure 50 in the package 10 of fig2 includes a conductive post 76 extending from face 66 of pad 64 . post includes base 78 , affixed on face 66 , and an edge surface 80 extending to an end 82 remote from face 66 . a second dielectric layer 41 can be formed along lower surface 24 of substrate 18 covering any portion of face 66 and pad 64 exposed outside the periphery of base 78 . as with dielectric layer 40 , dielectric layer 41 keeps upper edge 72 of solder mass 70 from contacting pad 64 , which reduces the current concentration of solder mass 70 near upper edge 72 . this further reduces the likelihood of void formation within interconnect structure 50 , as described above with respect to dielectric layer 40 . fig9 and 10 illustrate the reduction in current concentration within a solder mass included in an interconnect structure that results by keeping the solder mass out of contact with an associated conductive pad . fig9 shows an interconnect structure 350 that includes a pad 352 with a pillar 356 formed thereon . a solder mass 370 attaches pillar 356 and pad 552 to an upper pad 364 and a post 376 formed thereon . current flow , represented by line 396 , passes out of contact pad 352 and into solder mass 370 , then passes back into pillar 356 and then back out into solder mass 370 . the current flow ( line 396 ) then passes into post 376 before passing back into solder mass 370 and , finally , into pad 364 . this current path 396 results in increased current concentration within the solder mass 370 in the area of the upper edge 372 and lower edge 374 of solder mass 570 . as shown in fig1 , inclusion of dielectric layers 40 , 41 , prevents the current ( line 96 ) from passing through solder mass 70 near the upper 72 or lower 74 edges thereof , reducing the current concentration gradient in each area by a factor of between about 1 . 25 and 1 . 75 . this can lead to a reduced likelihood of interconnect failure due to void formation in the interface on each end of solder mass 70 . additionally , the inclusion of post 76 in assembly 14 can further decrease the like - metal to like - metal distance within the interconnect structure 70 , as described above with respect to fig1 . in the structure of fig2 , this distance is represented by the end - to - end distance 94 . distance 94 can lead to formation of an inter - metallic compound that extends from end 62 to end 82 when distance 94 is between about 10 % and 30 % of distance 90 . post 76 can , alternatively , be any conductive projection , such as a pillar , a pin , or the like . by including conductive projections on both assemblies 12 , 14 , it is possible to achieve a connection that produces a reliable inter - metallic compound while achieving a finer pitch between adjacent interconnect structure 50 than would be possible using a pillar - to - pad arrangement , as shown in fig1 , while covering a greater overall distance 90 . further , by forming a dielectric layer 41 over pad 64 , a lower current concentration is possible than with simply a pad 64 to which solder mass 70 is formed . by including post 76 in interconnect structure 50 , the contribution of concentration gradient to electromigration can also be reduced further . in such a structure , the reduction in the rate of change of copper concentration interconnect 50 in the area of pillar 56 can also be achieved in the area of post 76 , thereby removing any abrupt changes in copper concentration at both ends of solder mass 70 . the interconnect structures 50 shown in fig1 and 2 , including dielectric layers 40 , 41 and their related structures can be used for other connection types beyond the stacked subassembly arrangement shown in fig1 and 2 . for example , they can be used in flip - chip bonding ( such as shown between microelectronic element 30 and substrate 16 in fig1 and 2 ), and in connecting a microelectronic subassembly , such as microelectronic subassembly 12 , to another substrate , either in face - up or flip - chip bonding . further , an assembly such as assembly 14 can further include an additional contact pad on upper surface 26 of substrate 18 having a pillar and dielectric layer formed thereon in the manner of pillar 56 and dielectric layer 40 to connect to an additional microelectronic assembly using an interconnect structure such as that shown in fig1 or 2 . this arrangement can be continued to attach further assemblies within a stacked package . although the invention herein has been described with reference to particular embodiments , it is to be understood that these embodiments are merely illustrative of the principles and applications of the present invention . it is therefore to be understood that numerous modifications may be made to the illustrative embodiments and that other arrangements may be devised without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims . | 7 |
the ventilator control optimizer is based on the integration of a relative humidity and temperature sensor with an electronic control system . in the examples given in this patent disclosure , a first environment , for example , a basement or crawlspace is used as an example for the location where the ventilator , or ventilation system may be installed . however , it should be apparent to a person skilled in the art that other locations may be used for the ventilator , or ventilation system . in general , a first environment of a building , for example but not limited to , a basement or crawlspace , is intended to describe an environment which is distinct to a second environment , for example but not limited to , an exterior of the building . a dew point of an environment can generally be determined using known relative humidity and temperature . the electronic control system is responsible for analyzing trends in the environmental conditions , for example , in the basement or crawlspace and altering the operation of the ventilator according to the detected trends . the ventilator or ventilation system can either plug directly into the ventilator control optimizer or have an integrated control optimizer built - in . the ventilator control optimizer can be adapted so that it is compatible with different types of fans as well as a wide range of fan control techniques , for example but not limited to triac control , capacitor control , variable voltage , pulse - width modulation ( pwm ) etc . fig1 a shows a ventilator control optimizer in accordance with one embodiment of the invention . the ventilator control optimizer includes a power cord 102 which plugs into an outlet and provides power to the ventilator control optimizer &# 39 ; s electronic control system as well as to the plugged - in ventilator and auxiliary system , for example , a dehumidifier . the electronic control system includes a microcontroller and circuitry to control power distribution to the ventilator or ventilation system . the ventilator control optimizer may further provide power outlets 104 and 106 for the ventilator and the auxiliary system , for example , the dehumidifier , respectively . the enclosure is perforated on the bottom 110 and top 108 to allow fresh air to pass through the ventilator control optimizer . the dew point and humidity sensor may be located on the bottom of the ventilator control optimizer , near 110 . the ventilator control optimizer in the embodiment shown in fig1 is generally mounted vertically to allow the dew point and humidity sensor near the bottom to have access to fresh air . this further ensures that air warmed by the electronic components rises through the top vents of the enclosure . proper ventilation through the ventilator control optimizer is needed so that the effect of the heat from the electronic components does not adversely affect the dew point and humidity sensor readings . a person skilled in the art may well envision other modifications to ensure proper dew point and humidity readings , a non - limiting example would be the placement of the dew point and humidity sensor on the surface of the enclosure of the ventilator control optimizer , or alternately the ventilator control optimizer can be wired or wirelessly linked to a sensor placed in a different area than the unit . fig1 b shows a possible embodiment of the ventilator control optimizer which includes , among the other features of the ventilator control optimizer illustrated in fig1 a , a set of light emitting diodes ( leds ) 112 integrated into the housing and configured to display operational and environmental conditions of the system . for instance , the leds might be used to display conditions such as system power , operating speed of the fan , detected dew point trends , and operating status of the dehumidifier . other conditions and parameters can also be monitored and displayed in the same manner and will be apparent to one skilled in the art . any number of leds can be integrated into the unit housing , for example 1 to 10 leds . as shown in fig1 b there are 8 leds . it is also envisioned to replace the individual leds with an led panel , or alternatively an lcd panel to display the operational and environmental conditions of the system . fig2 provides an internal view of the ventilator control optimizer as shown in fig1 a . the dew point and humidity sensor is located at 114 . the ventilator control optimizer also contains a ventilator control system 116 that can be adapted or modified to work with different types of fans as well as with different fan speed control techniques . the electronic controller system 118 reads the dew point and humidity sensor and other inputs , analyzes trends in the recorded environmental readings and controls the ventilator , or ventilation system accordingly . the electronic components and control systems may generally be integrated into a printed circuit board 120 . fig3 a shows a ventilator control optimizer in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention . the ventilator control optimizer 302 is integrated with a ventilating system 304 , for example but not limited to , a ventilator . the ventilator control optimizer 302 has a dehumidistat 306 and a switch 310 , generally used for , but not limited to , speed selection . the ventilator control optimizer may optionally include a display 308 . the display may also be used to show current environmental conditions , such as relative humidity . the ventilator has air intakes 312 that may be different from those shown in this embodiment . it should be apparent to a person skilled in the art that the ventilator control optimizer of the present invention may be used with other ventilators or ventilation systems . fig3 b shows an example of a further embodiment of the ventilator control optimizer which includes , among the other features of the ventilator control optimizer 302 integrated with the ventilating system 304 illustrated in fig3 a , a set of light emitting diodes ( leds ) 314 configured to display operational and environmental conditions of the system . for instance , the leds might be used to display conditions such as system power , operating speed of the fan , detected dew point trends , and operating status of the dehumidifier . other conditions and parameters can also be monitored and displayed in the same manner and will be apparent to one skilled in the art . any number of leds can be integrated into the unit , for example 1 to 10 leds . as shown in fig3 b there are 5 leds . it is also envisioned to replace the individual leds with an led panel , or alternatively an lcd panel to display the operational and environmental conditions of the system . fig4 shows a flow chart for an exemplary control process executed in the ventilator control optimizer . once the ventilator optimization process starts 402 the unit will acquire the temperature , humidity and dew point 404 after a predetermined time period has elapsed . if the humidity level reaches a level considered as unacceptable 406 , a secondary port is activated 408 , once the humidity is below this level the secondary port is deactivated 410 . the secondary port , for example implemented as a power outlet , can be used for optional auxiliary systems , for example a dehumidifier , to reduce the humidity to levels considered acceptable . the unacceptable humidity may be determined by a reference threshold for humidity and / or dew point value . the reference threshold may be pre - programmed into a memory . after acquiring a set number of consecutive readings , the unit will start to analyze trends 412 . it is first determined whether there is a dew point trend 414 , if there is none , the process will continue to check humidity trend 416 . if the analysis detects a rising dew point trend 418 , the ventilator control optimizer will lower the operating fan speed of the ventilator 420 and continue to check humidity trend 416 . if the analysis detects a falling dew point 422 , the unit will increase the operating speed ( fan speed ) 424 and the ventilator control optimizer continues to check humidity trend 416 . if the dew point is not consistently falling , no change 426 is needed , the ventilator control optimizer continues to check humidity trend 416 . if the humidity is increasing 428 , the ventilator control optimizer reduces the operating speed ( fan speed ) 430 and if the humidity level is decreasing 432 , the ventilator control optimizer will increase the operating speed 434 . the ventilator control optimizer repeats the process by logging a new set of temperature , humidity and dew point readings and doing another analysis 436 . in case of a conflict due to contradictory humidity and dew point trends , the dew point trends may have priority and may overwrite any changes made by the process during the humidity trend analysis . if there are no detected trends , the unit remains in its current state of operation and continues 438 to acquire readings so that it can eventually establish a trend . embodiments within the scope of the present invention can be implemented in digital electronic circuitry , or in computer hardware , firmware , software , or in combinations thereof . apparatus within the scope of the present invention can be implemented in a computer program product tangibly embodied in a machine - readable storage device for execution by a programmable processor ; and method actions within the scope of the present invention can be performed by a programmable processor executing a program of instructions to perform functions of the invention by operating on input data and generating output . embodiments within the scope of the present invention can be implemented advantageously in one or more computer programs that are executable on a programmable system including at least one programmable processor coupled to receive data and instructions from , and to transmit data and instructions to , a data storage system , at least one input device , and at least one output device . each computer program can be implemented in a high - level procedural or object oriented programming language , or in assembly or machine language if desired ; and in any case , the language can be a compiled or interpreted language . suitable processors include , by way of example , both general and special purpose microprocessors . generally , a processor will receive instructions and data from a read - only memory and / or a random access memory . generally , a computer will include one or more mass storage devices for storing data files . embodiments within the scope of the present invention include computer - readable media for carrying or having computer - executable instructions , computer - readable instructions , or data structures stored thereon . such computer - readable media may be any available media , which is accessible by a general - purpose or special - purpose computer system . examples of computer - readable media may include physical storage media such as ram , rom , eprom including but not limited to flash memory , cd - rom or other optical disk storage , magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices , or any other media which can be used to carry or store desired program code means in the form of computer - executable instructions , computer - readable instructions , or data structures and which may be accessed by a general - purpose or special - purpose computer system . any of the foregoing can be supplemented by , or incorporated in , asics ( application - specific integrated circuits ). although various aspects of the present invention have been described in several embodiments , a myriad of changes , variations , alterations , transformations , and modifications may be suggested to one skilled in the art , and it is intended that the present invention encompass such changes , variations , alterations , transformations , and modifications as fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims . | 5 |
referring to fig1 a driving lens mount 1 , carries the plus cylinder lens 2 . lens mount 1 is driven by motor 3 through drive gear 4 and idler gear 5 . driven lens mount 6 carries minus cylinder lens 7 . pin 8 extends from face 9 of driving lens mount 1 in a direction parallel to test axis 10 . driven lens mount 6 has a radially spaced recess 11 extending through a 90 ° arc . driving lens mount 1 has pin hole 12 and driven lens mount 6 as pin hole 13 which permit light from led 14 to be received by detector 15 when driving lens mount 1 and driven lens mount 6 are in the orientation shown in fig1 . in this orientation , the cylinder axis of the plus cylinder lens carried by driving lens mount 1 and the cylinder axis of the minus cylinder lens 7 carried by driven lens mount 6 are both vertical as indicated by the 90 ° meridians . this neutral position is used during the examination prior to conducting the jackson cross - cylinder tests . to practice the jackson cross - cylinder tests utilizing the cross - cylinder assembly of the invention , a selected correcting cylinder lens 16 is positioned between the patient &# 39 ; s eye and the assembly described above . the axis of correcting cylinder lens 16 is located alpha degrees from the 90 ° meridian . stepping motor 3 is activated by the practitioner and rotates driving lens mount 1 clockwise 90 ° plus alpha . after traveling 90 °, pin 8 drags driven lens mount 6 through an arc of alpha degrees . the axis of plus cylinder lens 2 is now parallel with the axis of correcting lens 16 and the axis of minus cylinder lens 7 is normal to the axis of correcting cylinder lens 16 and plus cylinder lens 2 . this position is used for checking power of the correcting cylinder lens and further actuation of stepper motor 3 by the practitioner provide the equivalent of &# 34 ; flipping &# 34 ; a conventional cross - cylinder lnes by counter clockwise rotation of plus cylinder lens 2 and minus cylinder lens 7 in stages of 90 ° from the position shown in fig2 . upon completion of the jackson cross - cylinder test for correct lens power , the cross - cylinder assembly is returned to the position shown in fig1 by clockwise rotation of driving lens mount 1 until the second signal of detector 15 receiving light through pin holes 12 and 13 from led 14 . actuation of stepping motor 3 to rotate counter - clockwise driving lens mount 1 through an arc of 135 ° plus alpha provides the proper orientation for conducting the jackson cross - cylinder test for alignment of the correcting cylinder lens axis . further incremental counter - clockwise rotations of 90 ° are used in conducting the test for axis orientation . if the practitioner changes the orientation of the cylinder axis of correcting cylinder lens 16 , driving lens mount 1 and driven lens mount 6 are rotated clockwise by stepping motor 3 until the second signal is received from detector 15 . all changes in axis of the correcting cylinder lens are conducted with cylinder lenses 2 and 7 in the orientation shown in fig1 . the practitioner would then realign the crossed - cylinder lenses as shown in fig3 by counter - clockwise rotation of the lens mounts through an arc of 135 ° plus the new alpha and the driven lens mount through an arc of 45 ° plus new alpha . since plus cylinder lens 2 and minus cylinder lens 7 have a net cylinder and / or sphere effect of zero diopter in the position shown in fig1 it is unncessary that the cross - cylinder assembly be removed from the test axis at any time during the refraction period . in addition , since stepping motor 3 drives the cross - cylinder lenses to proper orientation with correcting lens 16 , it is unnecessary to mechanically connect the cross - cylinder lens assembly with the battery of correcting cylinder lenses . referring to fig4 driving lens mount 101 is supported by carrier halves 116 and 117 to permit rotation of plus cylinder lens 102 carried by body 118 , which is carried by driving lens mount 101 . rotation of driving lens mount 101 is provided by stepping motor 103 and drive gear 104 through idler 105 . minus cylinder lens 107 is likewise carried by driven lens mount 106 which is similarly supported by carrier halves 116 and 117 . driving lens mount 101 has a radially spaced protrusion 119 extending towards driven lens mount 106 . similarly driven lens mount 106 has a radially extending protrusion 126 extending toward driving lens mount 101 . protrusions 119 and 126 have the same radial spacing and each protrusion extends through an arc of 135 °. thus the two protrusions leave a gap having an arc of 90 ° therebetween as more clearly shown in fig5 . led 114 and detector 115 cooperate to locate the neutral position of driving lens mount 101 by pin hole 112 in protrusion 119 . the fig1 shows spring washer 120 in detail . fig9 is an enlargement detailing the location of spring washer 120 between face 121 of driven lens mount 106 and face 122 of lens carrier halves 116 and 117 . this biasing means resists motion of driven mount 106 to prevent overrun and maintain accuracy of the critical cylinder positions . the cross - cylinder lenses function as previously described when operated by the practitioner . fig6 and 7 illustrate an alternate preferred embodiment . as shown in fig5 the structure and drive means of this embodiment is substantially the same as that of the embodiment shown in fig4 and 5 . however , protrusion 219 on driving lens mount 201 extends through an arc of 270 °, less the diameter of pin 208 , instead of the shorter arc shown in the embodiment of fig4 and 5 . instead of an arcuate protrusion , pin 208 extends from face 209 of driven lens mount 206 in a direction toward driving lens mount 201 . pin 208 is radially spaced to engage protrusion 219 which functions in the same manner as recess 11 in fig1 - 3 . instead of using the light operated system to locate the neutral position of the cylinder lenses , the embodiment of fig6 and 7 utilizes a pawl and notch construction , pawl 221 is pivotably mounted by pin 222 which in turn is mounted in carrier half 216 . spring 223 biases end 224 of pawl 221 inwardly toward driven lens mount 206 . driven lens mount 206 has a peripheral recess 225 which provides a radially extending face 226 . since driving lens mount 201 and driven lens mount 206 rotate counterclockwise when the practitioner is conducting the jackson cross - cylinder test , the pawl and recess do not interfere with such testing . however , when the practitioner desires to return to the neutral position of the cross - cylinder lenses , pawl 221 drops into the peripheral recess 225 and engages radially extending face 226 at the first opportunity . the gap in driving protrusion 219 permits an additional 90 ° clockwise rotation of plus cylinder lens 202 cancelling the effect of negative cylinder lens 207 . practitioners generally prefer to have cross - cylinder lenses in 0 . 25 , 0 . 375 , or 0 . 50 diopter powers . table i provides preferred optical parameters for cross - cylinder lenses used according to the present invention which is diagramatically illustrated in fig8 . all distances , spacings ( s ) thicknesses ( t ) and radii ( r ) are in millimeters , with a minus sign (-) denoting a radius having a vertex on the eye side of the lense . the radii noted are all cylinder radii and the glass has an index of refraction of 1 . 523 with an abbe number of 58 . 6 . table______________________________________lens radius thickness spacing______________________________________0 . 25 diopter ∞+ cyl 1 . 6 2105 . 37 s = 3 . 226 ∞- cyl . 1 . 6 - 2103 . 130 . 375 diopter ∞+ cyl . 1 . 6 1408 . 04 s = 3 . 226 ∞- cyl . 1 . 6 - 1405 . 800 . 5 diopter ∞+ cyl 1 . 6 1059 . 37 s = 3 . 226 ∞- cyl 1 . 6 - 1057 . 13______________________________________ | 0 |
a sige channel is effective to lower pfet v t but is accompanied with an increase in t inv resulting in a t inv delta between an nfet and the pfet . reference in this regard can be made , for example , to band - engineering low pmos vt with high - k / metal gates featured in a dual channel cmos integration scheme , h . rusty harris et al ., vlsi symposium 2007 , p . 154 - 155 . metal - induced interfacial layer scavenging is effective for t inv scaling , however the impact on v t is basically negligible for a si channel . the exemplary embodiments of this invention provide a technique that enables t inv scaling and v t lowering simultaneously for a pfet , while scaling t inv and maintaining v t for an nfet . an aspect of the embodiments of this invention deposits a metal doped tin electrode on an nfet area with a si channel and also on a pfet area with a sige channel . a further aspect of this invention deposits a ti - rich tin / m / tin electrode on a high - k gate dielectric , where m : metal ( m ) for which the gibbs free energy change of the chemical reaction , in which a silicon atom combines with a metal oxide material including the scavenging metal and oxygen to form the scavenging metal in elemental form and silicon dioxide , is positive . in these embodiments the nfet active area contains a si channel while the pfet active area contains a sige or a ge channel . a conventional self - aligned gate - first process can then be performed after the metal doped tin deposition process is completed . the metal m of the tin / m / tin electrode serves to scavenge oxygen from a sige interface with an overlying dielectric layer ( e . g ., sio 2 ) resulting in an effective reduction in t inv and v t of the pfet . this beneficially permits the v t of the pfet to be made similar to the v t of the nfet . the embodiments of this invention can use to advantage a process disclosed in commonly assigned u . s . patent application ser . no . 12 / 487 , 248 , filed 18 jun . 2009 , entitled “ scavenging metal stack for a high - k gate dielectric ”, takashi ando ; changhwan choi ; martin m . frank ; and vijay narayanan ( us patent publication 2010 / 00320547 a1 ). a description of this technique will be provided first with reference to fig1 - 6 , in which corresponding elements are referred to by like reference numerals . the figures are not drawn to scale . as is described in commonly assigned u . s . patent application ser . no . 12 / 487 , 248 , a stack of a high - k gate dielectric and a metal gate structure includes a lower metal layer , a scavenging metal layer , and an upper metal layer . the scavenging metal layer meets the following two criteria 1 ) a metal ( m ) for which the gibbs free energy change of the chemical reaction , in which a silicon atom combines with a metal oxide material including the scavenging metal and oxygen to form the scavenging metal in elemental form and silicon dioxide , is positive . 2 ) a metal that has a more negative gibbs free energy per oxygen atom for formation of oxide than the material of the lower metal layer and the material of the upper metal layer . the scavenging metal layer meeting these criteria captures oxygen atoms as the oxygen atoms diffuse through the gate electrode toward the high - k gate dielectric . in addition , the scavenging metal layer remotely reduces the thickness of a silicon oxide interfacial layer underneath the high - k dielectric . as a result , the equivalent oxide thickness ( eot ) of the total gate dielectric is reduced and the field effect transistor formed on a si channel maintains a constant threshold voltage even after high temperature processes during cmos integration . referring to fig1 , an exemplary semiconductor structure comprises a semiconductor substrate 8 and a stack of material layers formed thereupon . the semiconductor substrate 8 contains a substrate semiconductor layer 10 and shallow trench isolation structures 12 . the substrate semiconductor layer 10 has a semiconductor material , which may be selected from , but is not limited to , silicon , silicon carbon alloy , gallium arsenide , indium arsenide , indium phosphide , iii - v compound semiconductor materials , ii - vi compound semiconductor materials , organic semiconductor materials , and other compound semiconductor materials . typically , the semiconductor material of the substrate semiconductor layer 10 comprises silicon , and more typically , the semiconductor material of the substrate semiconductor layer 10 is silicon . in case the semiconductor material of the substrate semiconductor layer 10 is a single crystalline silicon - containing semiconductor material , the single crystalline silicon - containing semiconductor material is preferably selected from single crystalline silicon , a single crystalline silicon carbon alloy , a single crystalline silicon germanium alloy , and a single crystalline silicon germanium carbon alloy . the semiconductor material of the substrate semiconductor layer 10 may be appropriately doped either with p - type dopant atoms or with n - type dopant atoms . the dopant concentration of the substrate semiconductor layer 10 , and may be from 1 . 0 × 10 15 / cm 3 to 1 . 0 × 10 19 / cm 3 , and typically from 1 . 0 × 10 16 / cm 3 to 3 . 0 × 10 18 / cm 3 , although lesser and greater dopant concentrations are contemplated herein also . preferably , the substrate semiconductor layer 10 is single crystalline . the semiconductor substrate 8 may be a bulk substrate , a semiconductor - on - insulator ( sod ) substrate , or a hybrid substrate . the semiconductor substrate 8 may , or may not , have a built - in stress in the substrate semiconductor layer 10 . while the process is described below with a bulk substrate , implementation of the process on an soi substrate or on a hybrid substrate is explicitly contemplated herein . the shallow trench isolation structure 12 comprises a dielectric material such as silicon oxide or silicon nitride , and is formed by methods well known in the art . an unpatterned chemical oxide layer 20 may be formed on the exposed semiconductor surface of the substrate semiconductor layer 10 . an unpatterned high dielectric constant ( high - k ) dielectric layer 30 is formed directly on the top surface of the unpatterned chemical oxide layer 20 . even in the case the unpatterned chemical oxide layer 20 is not formed , the deposition of the unpatterned high dielectric constant ( high - k ) dielectric layer 30 and subsequent thermal processes lead to the formation of pre - existing interfacial layer between the substrate semiconductor layer 10 and the unpatterned high dielectric constant ( high - k ) dielectric layer 30 the unpatterned chemical oxide layer 20 may be formed by treatment of exposed semiconductor surfaces with a chemical . for example , the process step for this wet chemical oxidation may include treating a cleaned semiconductor surface ( such as a semiconductor surface treated with hydrofluoric acid ) with a mixture of ammonium hydroxide , hydrogen peroxide and water ( in a 1 : 1 : 5 ratio ) at a room temperature . alternately , the chemical oxide layer can also be formed by treating the hf - last semiconductor surface in ozonated aqueous solutions , with the ozone concentration usually varying from , but not limited to : 2 parts per million ( ppm ) to 40 ppm . the unpatterned chemical oxide layer 20 helps minimize mobility degradation in the substrate semiconductor layer 10 due to high - k dielectric material in the unpatterned high - k dielectric layer 30 . however , the thickness of the unpatterned chemical oxide layer 20 is thicker than necessary and increases the equivalent oxide thickness ( eot ) of a composite dielectric stack , which includes the unpatterned chemical oxide layer 20 and the unpatterned high - k dielectric layer 30 . the scalability of eot is limited by the thickness of the unpatterned chemical oxide layer 20 . in case the substrate semiconductor layer is a silicon layer , the unpatterned chemical oxide layer 20 is a silicon oxide layer . typically , the thickness of the unpatterned chemical oxide layer 20 is from 0 . 1 nm to 0 . 4 nm , although lesser and greater thicknesses are also contemplated herein . a high dielectric constant ( high - k ) dielectric layer 30 is formed on a top surface of the semiconductor substrate 8 over the chemical oxide layer 20 . the unpatterned high - k dielectric layer 30 comprises a high dielectric constant ( high - k ) material comprising a dielectric metal oxide and having a dielectric constant that is greater than the dielectric constant of silicon nitride of 7 . 5 . the unpatterned high - k dielectric layer 30 may be formed by methods well known in the art including , for example , chemical vapor deposition ( cvd ), atomic layer deposition ( ald ), molecular beam deposition ( mbd ), pulsed laser deposition ( pld ), liquid source misted chemical deposition ( lsmcd ), etc . the dielectric metal oxide comprises a metal and oxygen , and optionally nitrogen and / or silicon . exemplary high - k dielectric materials include hfo 2 , zro 2 , la 2 o 3 , al 2 o 3 , tio 2 , srtio 3 , laalo 3 , y 2 o 3 , hfo x n y , zro x n y , la 2 o x n y , al 2 o x n y , tio x n y , srtio x n y , laalo x n y , y 2 o x n y , a silicate thereof , and an alloy thereof . each value of x is independently from 0 . 5 to 3 and each value of y is independently from 0 to 2 . the thickness of the unpatterned high - k dielectric layer 30 may be from 1 nm to 10 nm , and preferably from 1 . 5 nm to 3 nm . the unpatterned high - k dielectric layer 30 may have an effective oxide thickness ( eot ) on the order of , or less than , 1 nm . an unpatterned lower metal layer 40 is deposited directly on the top surface of the unpatterned high - k dielectric layer 30 . the unpatterned lower metal layer 40 may be formed , for example , by chemical vapor deposition ( cvd ), physical vapor deposition ( pvd ), or atomic layer deposition ( ald ). the material of the unpatterned lower metal layer 40 is herein referred to as a “ first metallic compound ” which may be a conductive transition metal nitride or a conductive transition metal carbide . the first metallic compound is a compound of a first metallic element selected from transition metals and a non - metallic element . if the non - metallic element is nitrogen , the first metallic compound is a transition metal nitride . if the non - metallic element is carbon , the first metallic compound is a transition metal carbide . for example , the first metallic compound may be selected from tin , tic , tan , tac , and a combination thereof . as used herein , transition metals include elements from group 3b , 4b , 5b , 6b , 7b , 8b , 1b , and 2b and lanthanides and actinides in the periodic table of the elements . the thickness of the unpatterned lower metal layer 40 may be from 1 nm to 10 nm , and preferably from 3 nm to 10 nm , although lesser and greater thicknesses are also contemplated herein . an unpatterned scavenging metal layer 50 is deposited directly on the top surface of the unpatterned lower metal layer 40 . the unpatterned scavenging metal layer 50 may be formed , for example , by chemical vapor deposition ( cvd ), physical vapor deposition ( pvd ), or atomic layer deposition ( ald ). preferably , the first exemplary semiconductor structure is transferred from a processing chamber that deposits the unpatterned lower metal layer 40 to another processing chamber that deposits the unpatterned scavenging metal layer 50 without breaking vacuum to prevent formation of any interfacial layer by oxidation or introduction of oxygen into the unpatterned lower metal layer 40 . the material of the unpatterned scavenging metal layer 50 “ scavenges ” impurity oxygen from neighboring metallic layers during subsequent processing . for the unpatterned scavenging metal layer 50 to effectively scavenge impurity oxygen in subsequent processing steps , it is necessary that introduction of oxygen into the unpatterned scavenging metal layer 50 is suppressed during the formation step . further , it is necessary to select the material for the unpatterned scavenging metal layer 50 so that the material of the unpatterned scavenging metal layer 50 effectively scavenges impurity oxygen atoms from the unpatterned lower metal layer 40 and an unpatterned upper metal layer 60 to be subsequently formed . the unpatterned scavenging metal layer 50 may include a metal in an elemental form . typical elemental metals that may be selected for the unpatterned scavenging metal layer 50 include , but are not limited to , al , be , mg , ca , sr , ba , sc , y , la , ti , zr , hf , dy , lu , er , pr , and ce . in one embodiment , the unpatterned scavenging metal layer 50 consists of at least one alkaline earth metal . in another embodiment , the unpatterned scavenging metal layer 50 consists of at least one transition metal . in yet another embodiment , the unpatterned scavenging metal layer 50 consists of a mixture of at least one alkaline earth metal and at least one transition metal . preferably , the thickness of the unpatterned scavenging metal layer 50 may be from 0 . 1 nm to 3 . 0 nm , although lesser and greater thicknesses are also contemplated herein . an unpatterned upper metal layer 60 is deposited directly on the top surface of the unpatterned scavenging metal layer 50 . the unpatterned upper metal layer 60 may be formed , for example , by chemical vapor deposition ( cvd ), physical vapor deposition ( pvd ), or atomic layer deposition ( ald ). preferably , the first exemplary semiconductor structure is transferred from the processing chamber that deposits the unpatterned scavenging metal layer 50 to a processing chamber that deposits the unpatterned upper metal layer 60 without breaking vacuum to prevent formation of any interfacial layer by oxidation or introduction of oxygen into the unpatterned scavenging metal layer 50 . the material of the unpatterned upper metal layer 60 is herein referred to as a “ second metallic compound ” which may be a conductive transition metal nitride or a conductive transition metal carbide . the second metallic compound is a compound of a second metallic element selected from transition metals and a non - metallic element . if the non - metallic element is nitrogen , the second metallic compound is a transition metal nitride . if the non - metallic element is carbon , the second metallic compound is a transition metal carbide . for example , the second metallic compound may be selected from tin , tic , tan , tac , and a combination thereof . the thickness of the unpatterned upper metal layer 60 may be from lower from 1 nm to 100 nm , and preferably from 3 nm to 10 nm , although lesser and greater thicknesses are also contemplated herein . in one case , the first metallic compound and the second metallic compound are the same material . in another case , the first metal compound and the second metal compound are different materials . in one embodiment , the material for the unpatterned scavenging metal layer 50 is selected such that gibbs free energy per oxygen atom for formation of an oxide for the unpatterned scavenging metal layer 50 is equal to or more negative than gibbs free energy per oxygen atom for formation of an oxide of the first elemental metal within the first metallic compound for the unpatterned lower metal layer 40 . further , the material for the unpatterned scavenging metal layer 50 is selected such that gibbs free energy per oxygen atom for formation of an oxide for the unpatterned scavenging metal layer 50 is equal to or more negative than gibbs free energy per oxygen atom for formation of an oxide of the second elemental metal within the second metallic compound for the unpatterned upper metal layer 60 . for example , the first and second metallic compounds may be selected from tin , tic , tan , tac , and a combination thereof . the unpatterned scavenging metal layer 50 includes at least one of al , be , mg , ca , sr , ba , sc , y , la , ti , zr , hf , dy , lu , er , pr , and ce . in another embodiment , the material for the unpatterned scavenging metal layer 50 is selected such that gibbs free energy per oxygen atom for formation of an oxide for the unpatterned scavenging metal layer 50 is more negative than gibbs free energy per oxygen atom for formation of an oxide of the first elemental metal within the first metallic compound for the unpatterned lower metal layer 40 . further , the material for the unpatterned scavenging metal layer 50 is selected such that gibbs free energy per oxygen atom for formation of an oxide for the unpatterned scavenging metal layer 50 is more negative than gibbs free energy per oxygen atom for formation of an oxide of the second elemental metal within the second metallic compound for the unpatterned upper metal layer 60 . in one illustrative example according to this embodiment , each of the first metallic compound and the second metallic compound may be selected from tan , tac , and a combination thereof . because titanium ( ti ) has a more negative gibbs free energy per oxygen atom for formation of an oxide than tantalum ( ta ), the unpatterned scavenging metal layer 50 may comprise a metal in an elemental form and selected from al , be , mg , ca , sr , ba , sc , y , la , ti , zr , hf , dy , lu , er , pr , and ce in this illustrative example . in another illustrative example according to this embodiment , at least one of the first metallic compound and the second metallic compound may be selected from tin , tic , and a combination thereof . the unpatterned scavenging metal layer 50 may include a metal in an elemental form and selected from al , be , mg , ca , sr , ba , sc , y , la , zr , hf , dy , lu , er , pr , and ce in this illustrative example . in a preferred example , the first metallic compound of the unpatterned lower metal layer 40 and the second metallic compound of the unpatterned upper metal layer 60 are tin and the unpatterned scavenging metal layer 50 is an aluminum layer including aluminum in elemental metal form . not necessarily but preferably , an unpatterned polycrystalline semiconductor layer 70 is deposited directly on the top surface of the unpatterned upper metal layer 60 , for example , by low pressure chemical vapor deposition ( lpcvd ), rapid thermal chemical vapor deposition ( rtcvd ), or plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition ( pecvd ). the unpatterned polycrystalline semiconductor layer 70 may comprise polysilicon , a polycrystalline silicon germanium alloy , a polycrystalline silicon carbon alloy , or a polycrystalline silicon germanium carbon alloy . the unpatterned polycrystalline semiconductor layer 70 may be formed as a doped polycrystalline semiconductor layer through in - situ doping . alternately , the unpatterned polycrystalline semiconductor layer 70 may be doped by ion implantation of dopant atoms after deposition of the unpatterned polycrystalline semiconductor layer 70 and prior to patterning of a gate electrode . yet alternately , implantation of dopant ions may be performed on a remaining portion of the unpatterned polycrystalline semiconductor layer 70 after patterning of the gate electrode . the thickness of the unpatterned polycrystalline semiconductor layer 70 may be from 10 nm to 300 nm , and typically from 50 nm to 100 nm , although lesser and greater thicknesses are also contemplated herein . embodiments in which the unpatterned polycrystalline semiconductor layer 70 is not formed and the stack of the unpatterned lower metal layer 40 , unpatterned scavenging metal layer 50 , and unpatterned upper metal layer 60 constitute a gate electrode layer . a photoresist layer ( not shown ) is applied to the top surface of the unpatterned polycrystalline semiconductor layer 70 and lithographically patterned to form a photoresist portion 77 ( see fig2 ), which has the shape of a gate electrode to be subsequently formed . the pattern in the photoresist portion 77 is transferred into the stack of the unpatterned polycrystalline semiconductor layer 70 , the unpatterned upper metal layer 60 , the unpatterned scavenging metal layer 50 , the unpatterned lower metal layer 40 , the unpatterned high - k dielectric layer 30 , and the unpatterned chemical oxide layer 20 . the pattern transfer may be effected by an anisotropic etch that employs the photoresist portion 77 as an etch mask . referring to fig2 , the remaining portions of the unpatterned polycrystalline semiconductor layer 70 , the unpatterned upper metal layer 60 , the unpatterned scavenging metal layer 50 , the unpatterned lower metal layer 40 constitute a gate electrode , which include a polycrystalline semiconductor layer 70 , an upper metal layer 60 , a scavenging metal layer 50 , and lower metal layer 40 . the gate electrode ( 40 , 50 , 60 , 70 ) is typically patterned as a line having a width , which is the width of the lower metal layer 40 as shown in fig2 and is referred to as a “ gate length .” the gate length depends on the device characteristics and may be from the lithographically printable smallest dimension to 10 microns . typically , the gate length is from 32 nm to 1 micron , although lesser and greater gate lengths are also contemplated herein . the remaining portion of the unpatterned high - k dielectric layer 30 is herein referred to as a high - k dielectric layer 30 , and the remaining portion of the unpatterned chemical oxide layer 20 is herein referred to as a chemical oxide layer 20 . the high - k dielectric layer 30 and the chemical oxide layer 20 collectively constitute a gate dielectric ( 20 , 30 ). typically , the gate dielectric ( 20 , 30 ) has an equivalent oxide thickness ( but ) less than 1 . 2 nm , and may have an eot less than 1 . 0 nm . the photoresist portion 77 is subsequently removed , for example , by ashing . the sidewalls of the gate electrode ( 40 , 50 , 60 , 70 ) and the gate dielectric ( 20 , 30 ) are typically substantially vertical , i . e ., parallel to the surface normal of the exposed surface of the substrate semiconductor layer 10 . further , the sidewalls of the gate electrode ( 40 , 50 , 60 , 70 ) and the gate dielectric ( 20 , 30 ) are typically substantially vertically coincident with each other . referring to fig3 , source and drain extension regions 18 are formed by ion implantation that employs the gate electrode ( 40 , 50 , 60 , 70 ) and the gate dielectric ( 20 , 30 ) as an implantation mask . the source and drain extension regions 18 have a doping of the opposite conductivity type of the doping of the substrate semiconductor layer 10 . for example , if the substrate semiconductor layer 10 has a p - type doping , the source and drain extension regions 18 have an n - type doping , and vice versa . the dopant concentration of the source and drain extension regions 18 may be from 1 . 0 × 10 19 / cm 3 to 1 . 0 × 10 21 / cm 3 , although lesser and greater dopant concentrations are contemplated herein also . each of the source and drain extension regions 18 abut peripheral portions of the gate dielectric ( 20 , 30 ). optionally , a halo implantation may be performed at this step to introduce dopants of the same conductivity type as the doping of the substrate semiconductor layer 10 to volumes of the substrate semiconductor layer 10 located underneath peripheral portions of the gate electrode ( 40 , 50 , 60 , 70 ) and the gate dielectric ( 20 , 30 ). a gate spacer 80 laterally abutting the sidewalls of the gate electrode ( 40 , 50 , 60 , 70 ) and the sidewalls of the gate dielectric ( 20 , 30 ) is formed , for example , by deposition of a conformal dielectric material layer followed by an anisotropic ion etching . the portion of the dielectric material layer that is formed directly on the sidewalls of the gate electrode ( 40 , 50 , 60 , 70 ) and the gate dielectric ( 20 , 30 ) remain after the anisotropic etch to constitute a gate spacer 80 that laterally surrounds the gate electrode ( 40 , 50 , 60 , 70 ) and the gate dielectric ( 20 , 30 ). preferably , the gate spacer 80 includes an oxygen - impermeable material such as silicon nitride . referring to fig4 , source and drain regions 19 are formed by ion implantation that employs the gate electrode ( 40 , 50 , 60 , 70 ) and the gate spacer 80 as an implantation mask . the source and drain regions 19 have a doping of the same conductivity type as the doping of the source and drain extension regions 18 . the dopant concentration of the source and drain regions 19 may be from 1 . 0 × 10 19 / cm 3 to 1 . 0 × 10 21 / cm 3 , although lesser and greater dopant concentrations are contemplated herein also . an activation anneal is thereafter performed to activate electrical dopants implanted within the source and drain extension regions 18 and the source and drain regions 19 . such an activation anneal is typically performed in an oxidizing ambient during which the compositional integrity of the high - k dielectric layer may be compromised in prior art semiconductor structures . in the present invention , however , the thickening of the chemical oxide layer 20 , if present , is prevented in the exemplary semiconductor structure in fig4 because the scavenging metal layer 50 consumes oxygen that diffused downward from the polycrystalline semiconductor layer 70 . in case a chemical oxide layer 20 is absent in the exemplary structure of the present invention , formation of an interfacial semiconductor oxide layer between the substrate semiconductor layer 10 and the high - k dielectric layer 30 is prevented by the same mechanism . therefore , the flat band voltage of the structure including the substrate semiconductor layer 10 , the gate dielectric ( 20 , 30 ), and the lower metal gate 40 is not affected during the activation anneal or in any other thermal processing step in an oxidizing ambient . a metal layer ( not shown ) is formed over the entire exposed top surfaces of the exemplary semiconductor structure and reacted with exposed semiconductor materials to form various metal semiconductor alloy regions . the metal layer comprises a metal that reacts with the semiconductor material in the source and drain regions 19 and the polycrystalline semiconductor layer 70 . non - limiting exemplary materials for the metal layer include nickel , platinum , palladium , cobalt or a combination thereof . the formation of the metal layer may be effected by physical vapor deposition ( pvd ), chemical vapor deposition ( cvd ), or atomic layer deposition ( ald ). the metal layer may be deposited in a conformal or non - conformal manner . preferably , the metal deposition is substantially conformal . the exposed semiconductor surfaces in direct contact with the metal layer are metallized by reacting with the metal in the metal layer during a metallization anneal . the metallization is effected by an anneal at a temperature from 350 ° c . to 550 ° c ., which is typically performed in an inert gas atmosphere , e . g ., he , ar , n 2 , or forming gas . preferably , the anneal is performed at a temperature from 400 ° c . to 500 ° c . a continuous heating at a constant temperature or various ramping in temperature may be employed . the metallization may further be effected by an additional anneal at a temperature from 400 ° c . to 750 ° c ., and preferably from 500 ° c . to 700 ° c . after the metallization process , unreacted portions of the metal layer , which are present over dielectric surfaces such as the gate spacer 80 and the shallow trench isolation structures 12 , are removed selective to various metal semiconductor alloy portions by an etch , which may be a wet etch . a typical etchant for such a wet etch employs aqua regia . the metallization forms source and drain metal semiconductor alloy regions 89 directly on each of the source and drain regions 19 . further , a gate metal semiconductor alloy region 87 is formed directly on the top surface of the polycrystalline semiconductor layer 70 . a dielectric material layer 92 is deposited over the entirety of the top surfaces of the exemplary semiconductor structure . the dielectric material layer 60 comprises a dielectric material such as silicon oxide , silicon nitride , silicon oxynitride , or a combination thereof . preferably , the dielectric material layer 60 includes a mobile ion barrier layer ( not shown ). the mobile ion barrier layer typically comprises an impervious dielectric material such as silicon nitride and directly contacts the various metal semiconductor alloy regions ( 89 , 87 ). the dielectric material layer 60 may additionally include , for example , a spin - on - glass and / or chemical vapor deposition ( cvd ) oxide such as undoped silicate glass ( usg ), borosilicate glass ( bsg ), phosphosilicate glass ( psg ), fluorosilicate glass ( fsg ), borophosphosilicate glass ( bpsg ), or a combination thereof . alternately , the dielectric material layer 60 may comprise a low - k dielectric material having a dielectric constant less than 3 . 9 ( the dielectric constant of silicon oxide ), and preferably less than 2 . 5 . exemplary low - k dielectric materials include organosilicate glass ( osg ) and silk ™. the dielectric material layer 60 is subsequently planarized to form a substantially planar top surface . source and drain contact vias 93 and a gate contact via 95 are formed through the dielectric material layer 60 to provide electrical contact to the source and drain regions 19 , respectively , and to the gate electrode ( 40 , 50 , 60 , 70 ). the exemplary semiconductor structure in fig4 functions as a field effect transistor having a high - k gate dielectric and a metal gate . the presence of the scavenging metal layer 50 within the gate electrode ( 40 , 50 , 60 , 70 ) prevents oxygen atoms that diffuse down the polycrystalline semiconductor layer 70 from passing into the lower metal layer 40 because the oxygen atoms are scavenged by the scavenging metal layer 50 . therefore , the field effect transistor provides a superior reliability against oxygen diffusion that may degrade or alter the device parameters of the field effect transistor . referring to fig5 , the amount of change in gibbs free energy per oxygen atom during oxidation of various metals is shown within a temperature range from 300 k to 2 , 200 k . when a reaction having a more negative change in gibbs free energy per oxygen atom competes with another reaction having a less negative change in gibbs free energy per oxygen atom for a limited supply of reactants , the reaction with the more negative change in gibbs free energy dominates the reaction and consumes a prevailing majority of the available reactants . in the case of oxidation reactions within the gate electrode ( 40 , 50 , 60 , 70 ; see fig4 ) during a high temperature anneal in an oxidizing ambient , oxygen atoms or oxygen molecules that diffuse through the polycrystalline semiconductor layer 70 ( see fig4 ) and the upper metal layer 60 ( see fig4 ) are the reactants that are supplied in a limited quantity . within the temperature range of the activation anneal , which is typically performed at about 1 , 000 ° c ., or about 1 , 300 k , elemental metals such as al , be , mg , ca , sr , ba , sc , y , la , zr , hf , dy , lu , er , pr , and ce have more negative changes in gibbs free energy relative to typical transition metals such as ti and ta . therefore , elemental metals such as al , be , mg , ca , sr , ba , sc , y , la , zr , hf , dy , lu , er , pr , and ce effectively function as the scavenging material for the scavenging metal layer 50 ( see fig4 ). the gibbs free energy changes for some selected elemental metal atoms by reaction si + 2 / y m x o y → 2x / y m + sio 2 are given in table 1 . referring to fig6 , test data for capacitance as a function of the gate voltage is shown for three types of metal gate electrodes . a first curve 610 shows the capacitance for a reference gate electrode including an 7 nm thick tin layer and a polycrystalline semiconductor layer formed directly thereupon according to the prior art . a second curve 620 shows the capacitance for an exemplary gate electrode according to the present invention that includes a stack , from bottom to top , of a 3 . 5 nm thick tin layer as a lower metal layer , a 1 . 0 nm ti layer as a scavenging metal layer , a 3 . 5 nm thick tin layer an upper metal layer , and a polycrystalline semiconductor layer . a third curve 630 shows the capacitance for another exemplary gate electrode according to the present invention that includes a stack , from bottom to top , of a 3 . 5 nm thick tin layer as a lower metal layer , a 1 . 0 nm al layer as a scavenging metal layer , a 3 . 5 nm thick tin layer an upper metal layer , and a polycrystalline semiconductor layer . a fourth curve 640 shows the capacitance for an counterexample gate electrode that was formed against the teaching of the instant invention by includes a stack , from bottom to top , of a 3 . 5 nm thick tin layer as a lower metal layer , a 1 . 0 nm ta layer as a scavenging metal layer , a 3 . 5 nm thick tin layer an upper metal layer , and a polycrystalline semiconductor layer . ta has less decrease in gibbs free energy than ti so that use of ta as a scavenging material layer should be avoided if the lower metal layer and the upper metal layer include tin according to the present invention . thus , the structure of the counterexample gate electrode is not desirable . a hfo 2 layer was employed as a high - k dielectric layer , which was formed between a substrate semiconductor layer and each gate electrode . all four gate electrode structures were subjected to an activation anneal at a temperature about 1 , 000 ° c . in an oxidizing ambient . comparison of the four curves ( 610 , 620 , 630 ) show that the effective capacitance achieved by the gate stacks as described in commonly assigned u . s . patent application ser . no . 12 / 487 , 248 , as demonstrated by the second and third curves ( 620 , 630 ), is greater than the capacitance achieved by the reference gate stack , as demonstrated by the first curve 610 . thus , the equivalent oxide thickness ( eot ) achieved by the gate stacks of the invention described in commonly assigned u . s . patent application ser . no . 12 / 487 , 248 is less than the eot achieved by the reference gate stack , providing enhanced performance . in other words , use of the gate electrode of the invention described in commonly assigned u . s . patent application ser . no . 12 / 487 , 248 , which includes a lower metal layer , a scavenging layer , and an upper metal layer , resulted in reduction of eot compared with a prior art reference structure that employs a single metal layer instead . in contrast , the effective capacitance achieved by the counterexample gate stacks , as demonstrated by the fourth curve 640 , is less than the capacitance achieved by the prior art gate stack , as demonstrated by the first curve 610 . thus , the equivalent oxide thickness ( eot ) achieved by the counterexample gate stack is greater than the eot achieved by the prior art gate stack , providing worse performance . thus , the importance of the selection of the material for the scavenging metal layer is underscored by the counterexample . the scavenging metal layer 50 captures oxygen atoms from above and from below , i . e , the scavenging metal layer 50 captures oxygen atoms as the oxygen atoms diffuse through the polycrystalline semiconductor layer 70 and the upper metal layer 60 in the gate electrode toward the high - k gate dielectric 30 . because the scavenging metal layer is more prone to oxide formation than the lower metal layer 40 and the upper metal layer 50 , the oxygen atoms are consumed within the scavenging metal layer 50 and the oxygen atoms do not reach the high - k gate dielectric 30 . in addition , the scavenging metal layer 50 actively reduces the thickness of the chemical oxide layer 20 underneath the high - k dielectric 30 as additional oxygen atoms migrate toward the chemical oxide layer 20 from below or from the side of the chemical oxide layer 20 . such migrating oxygen atoms are captured by the scavenging metal layer 50 instead of being incorporated into the chemical oxide layer 20 . not only growth of the chemical oxide layer 20 underneath the high - k gate dielectric 30 is prevented , but the thickness of the chemical oxide layer 20 is reduced as a significant portion of the oxygen atoms in the chemical oxide layer 20 is consumed by the scavenging metal layer 50 . thus , the field effect transistor maintains a constant threshold voltage even after a high temperature anneal in oxygen ambient . by reducing and limiting the thickness of the thickness of the chemical oxide layer 20 than what is normally obtainable by conventional processing , the equivalent oxide thickness ( eot ) of a composite gate dielectric stack , which includes the chemical oxide layer 20 and the high - k dielectric 30 , is reduced , thereby enhancing the scalability of the composite gate dielectric stack and performance of the field effect transistor . fig7 a and 7b , collectively referred to as fig7 , are each a vertical cross - sectional view of the semiconductor structure after patterning of the gate dielectric and the gate electrode similar to fig2 , and show an n - type fet ( nfet 100 , left ) and a p - type fet ( pfet 200 , right ), where the pfet 200 is to be formed on an epitaxially grown island 15 a comprised of sige ( fig7 a ) or on a ge implanted or diffused region 15 b within the si substrate 10 ( fig7 b ). the sige island 15 a and the sige region 15 b each function as the channel for the resulting pfet transistor after further processing in accordance with the process shown and described for fig3 - 6 above . the sige island 15 a and the sige region 15 b can each have a thickness of up to , for example , about 100 å . the ratio of ge to si in this region can be in a range of , for example , about slightly more than zero to about 40 %. there is a ge — o bond formed in an sige interface region between the sige region 15 a , 15 b and the overlying dielectric ( e . g ., sio 2 ) layer 20 . the sige channel region can be doped n - type with , for example , arsenic . the structure of fig7 is achieved by the selective growth of the sige channel in the pfet active area ( fig7 a ) over the si substrate 10 , or by the selective introduction of ge into the si substrate 10 , such as by implantation or diffusion . in the illustrated structure of fig7 , and in accordance with the examples given above , the substrate 10 can be si , the layer 20 can be a chemical oxide layer such as sio 2 , the layer 30 can be a high dielectric constant ( high - k ) dielectric layer formed directly on the top surface of the chemical oxide layer 20 , the layer 40 can be tin ( e . g ., thickness in a range of about 20 å to about 100 å ) or tic , the layer 50 contains the scavenging metal m which can be al ( e . g ., thickness in a range of about 1 å to about 20 å ), the layer 60 can be tin ( e . g ., thickness in a range of about 20 å to about 100 å ) or tic , and the layer 70 can be a polycrystalline semiconductor layer having the photoresist portion 77 which has the shape of a gate electrode to be subsequently formed . an additional sti 12 can be location between the nfet 100 and the pfet 200 . in general the metal layer 50 can be an elemental metal layer comprised of al , be , mg , ca , sr , ba , sc , y , la , zr , hf , dy , lu , er , pr , and ce . as can be seen the same metal gate stack , as described above , is used for both the nfet 100 and the pfet 200 . fig8 and 9 present graphs ( fig8 , accumulation cv and fig9 , xps on exposed high - k dielectric ) that show the effect of oxygen scavenging at the sige interface region between the sige region 15 a , 15 b and the overlying dielectric ( e . g ., sio 2 ) layer 20 for an exemplary and non - limiting case of a si — ge ratio of 75 - 25 . the equivalent oxide thickness ( eot ) scaling ( which correlates with t inv ) and positive flat band voltage ( v fb ) shift ( i . e ., pfet v t lowering ) were obtained with the aluminum - doped tin electrode on the sige ( ge 25 %) channel 15 a or 15 b . the electrical data correlate with a reduction of the ge — o bond intensity due to scavenging by the m layer 50 . note in fig8 the approximately 200 mv shift in gate bias for a given value of capacitance between the tin - only ( without the sige layer present ) and the al - doped tin gate electrode ( with the sige layer present ). the chart in fig9 shows the reduction in the geo 2 / ge ratio in the sige interface region between the sige region 15 a , 15 b and the overlying dielectric ( e . g ., sio 2 ) layer 20 for the case of a conventional tin electrode ( ratio is 2 . 43 ) versus the enhanced tin / m / tin ( doped tin ) electrode ( ratio is 1 . 39 ) that is disclosed in the commonly assigned u . s . patent application ser . no . 12 / 487 , 248 . the sige channel can provide a roughly 350 mv shift , while an additional about 200 mv shift is obtained by the use of the sige channel with the al - doped tin gate electrode . fig1 a and 10b are graphs depicting cmos characteristics for the nfet 100 , with the si channel , and the pfet 200 , with the sige channel , and show the t inv scaling and v t lowering that are obtained for the pfet 200 ( as compared to a prior art ) while changing by only a small amount the nfet v t ( as compared to a prior art ) by the use of the al - doped tin gate electrode . fig1 clearly shows that the goal of making the vt of the nfet 100 and the pfet 200 approximately equal is achieved by the use of the exemplary embodiments of this invention . while the present invention has been particularly shown and described with respect to preferred embodiments thereof , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing and other changes in forms and details may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention . it is therefore intended that the present invention not be limited to the exact forms and details described and illustrated , but fall within the scope of the appended claims . | 7 |
referring now to fig1 a - 1c , there are shown vector diagrams of the combination of two fm signals according to the equal - gain combining technique utilized in the adaptive control present invention . one of the signals is modulated at a perturbation frequency for the purpose of determining the phase error between the two signals . in fig1 a - 1c , signal a and signal b are both fm signals with signal b amplitude modulated at specific perturbation frequency . the perturbation or dither frequency is further described herein . in fig1 a , signal a leads signal b ; in fig1 b , signal a lags signal b ; and , in fig1 c , signals a and b are aligned in phase ( co - linear ). generally , it can be seen that when signals a and b have different phases , as is illustrated in fig1 a and 1b , the resulting sum displays both amplitude and phase modulation . specifically , as seen in fig1 a , when signal leads signal b , an increase in the amplitude of signal a increases the phase of the sum of signals a and . b . the opposite occurs when signal a lags signal b as shown in fig1 b . in the case where both signals a and b are aligned , as shown in fig1 c , the phase modulation of the sum signal is zero . therefore , it will be appreciated that , by synchronously detecting the resulting phase modulation of the sum signal , it is possible to determine the phase relationship of the signals . then , by minimizing the resulting phase modulation , the phase error between the two signals can also be minimized . it is significant to note that this approach compares the phase of each input signal to the phase of the sum of all of the inputs . in using the equal - gain combining technique of modulating the amplitude of the signals received , the selection of the perturbation frequencies is critical in an fm stereo application . in one prior art system for fm stereo reception , the perturbation or dither signal was selected to be within the middle portion of the frequency spectrum near the 19 khz pilot frequency . this band of frequencies is in principle free of modulation components other than the fixed pilot frequency . the system does in fact work fine except that when used for fm stereo reception there are harmonic and intermodulating products generated which result in audible artifacts . this is depicted in fig2 . referring now to fig2 there is shown a frequency spectrum illustrating the fm stereo baseband together with perturbation tones which result in harmonics interfering with the fm stereo baseband . l + r band 50 ranges from 0 to 15 khz and is representative of the combination of left ( l ) and right ( r ) stereo signals . l + r band 50 also serves as the compatible monophonic signal . first and second l - r bands 52 and 54 are each - 15 khz in width and are collectively centered about 38 khz . first and second l - r bands 52 and 54 are representative of the difference signal , i . e ., the difference between the left and right stereo signals . as illustrated in fig2 introduction of perturbation or dither tones to one of the received signals requires careful scrutiny to avoid the introduction of interference from the dither tones . because the frequency range of 15 khz to 23 khz , the upper frequency limit of l + r band 50 to the lower frequency limit of first l - r band 52 , is relatively free of modulation components other than the 19 khz pilot signal , this frequency range might appear to be a viable candidate for dither tones . also , because this frequency band is in the middle of the baseband frequency range , if bandwidth limitations do not pose a problem . introduction of dither tones near the 19 khz pilot tone are unacceptable , however , as such placement results in the generation of unwanted harmonics , some of which interfere with first and second l - r bands 52 and 54 . specifically , due to the non - linear characteristics of the fm receiver , intermodulation results in audible spectral components falling about the 38 khz stereo carrier as illustrated . stereo demodulation of the harmonics results in audible spectral components . other schemes for placing dither frequencies tend to generate audible products through similar intermodulation paths . however one scheme has been discovered which does not generate any audible products . that is the essence of this invention . fig3 is a frequency spectrum showing the location of the perturbation tones in accordance with the invention which do not interfere with the fm stereo baseband . in this illustration , rds band 62 , representative of radio data system information for which a standard exists and centered about 57 khz , is shown . also illustrated is sca band 66 centered about 67 khz . sca band 66 at 67 khz is one of the common sca frequencies . dither tones 72 , 64 and 68 are placed at positive whole number multiples of 19 khz , i . e . 38 khz , 57 khz and 76 khz , respectively . by placing dither tones 72 , 64 and 68 at multiples of 19 khz , any harmonics or intermodulation products as previously discussed will also reside at multiples of 19 khz . therefore , neither dither tones 72 , 64 and 68 nor their intermodulation products create any audible interference . also , because these distortion products are low level , they have virtually no effect on receiver performance . note that dither tones 72 , 64 and 68 are also placed in quadrature ( 90 ° out - of - phase ) to the baseband modulation . placement of dither tones 72 , 64 and 68 in quadrature , although not a system requirement , minimizes masking of the dither tones by channel information . such placement is particularly advantageous at 38 khz where the l - r program content can be large . finally , quadrature placement avoids interference of rds with the 57 khz tone . it will be appreciated by those of skill in the art that the introduction of dither tones for purpose of improving fm stereo reception does not interfere with a monophonic signal . thus , if the receiver possesses the capability to generate both an fm stereo and an fm monophonic audio signals , neither type of audio signals is adversely affected by the presence of the dither tones . referring now to fig4 there is shown a block diagram of one embodiment of the multiple antenna system of the present invention . in this embodiment , the rf signals received by two antennas , namely first and second antennas 12 and 14 , are both used to produce an audio signal by employing the equal - gain combining adaptive control of the present invention . the system includes first and second antennas 12 and 14 , adaptive control 74 , filter 78 , and fm receiver 80 . as in prior art equal - gain combining systems , summing means 76 of adaptive control 74 sums the rf signal received by first antenna 12 with the phase adjusted rf signal received by second antenna 14 . the adjusted signal provided to summing means 76 from second antenna 14 is adjusted by phase shifting means 82 . to accomplish the introduction of amplitude modulation at the dither frequency to the signal from second antenna 14 , the 19 khz pilot tone detected by fm receiver 80 is provided to phase lock loop ( pll ) circuit 88 . the resulting 38 khz dither tone generated by tone generator 86 is locked in phase with the 19 khz pilot signal and placed in quadrature with the l - r signal modulation so that the dither tone is distinguishable from program information transmitted to antennas 12 and 14 as previously described . in accordance with the invention , the dither tone is a phase locked multiple of 19 khz . the dither tone output from pll device 88 is provided to delay adjust means 94 . delay adjust means 94 is included in adaptive control 74 to compensate for delays caused by fm receiver 80 . if fm receiver 80 were to operate having no internal delays , delay adjust means 94 would not be required as an element of adaptive control 74 . however , the filters within a typical fm receiver impart a time delay on signals entering the receiver . thus , delay adjust means 94 compensates any delay imparted by fm receiver 80 to result in a dither tone in proper phase relationship with the 19 khz pilot signal being provided to am modulator 84 . to cause the adjustment of the phase of the incoming rf signal received by second antenna 14 by phase adjusting means 82 , adaptive control 74 includes a feedback loop . the feedback loop operates on the principle that any phase error between the rf signals received by the antennas results in phase perturbation of the combined signal at the output of fm receiver 80 . the frequency of this phase perturbation is the same as the frequency of the dither tone . synchronous detection with the original dither tone results in a dc control voltage used to control the amount that one of the rf signals is shifted . minimization of the dc control voltage occurs when the two received rf signals are phase - aligned . referring to fig4 the detector output from fm receiver 80 and the quadrature dither tone output device 86 are combined by multiplier ( synchronous detector ) 92 . by multiplying the phase detector output and the dither tone output from pll device 88 , the phase error between these signals corresponds to the magnitude of the resulting signal . the output of the synchronous detector 92 is then connected back to the phase shifter 82 via integrator 90 forming a feedback loop which nulls the phase difference between the two received signals . it will also be appreciated that the fm receiver used with the adaptive control of the present invention is a conventional fm stereo receiver . the fm stereo receiver operates on the combined rf signals and therefore is readily available for use in the feedback loop described herein . fig5 is a block diagram of another embodiment of the multiple antenna system of the present invention . it is similar to fig4 except that in this embodiment , several antennas , namely , first antenna 12 , second antenna 14 , to antenna n are supported by the system and are combined by the adaptive control of the present invention to provide the fm stereo signal . to account for any phase error between first and second antennas 12 and 14 , adaptive control 100 comprises the same components as described herein in association with fig4 . with regard to the amplitude modulation of the dither tones on second antenna 14 through antenna n , multiple output tone generator 86 is used . separate delay adjust means 94 , 110 and am modulators 84 , 104 are required to support respective antennas 14 through n . the need for separate delay adjustment is predicated on the requirement to provide the correct phase relationship to each multiplier 92 , 108 , respectively . each delay adjustment made compensates the phase delay imparted by fm receiver 80 at each respective dither frequency . in the embodiment of fig5 the rf signal received by first antenna 12 may be characterized as the reference rf signal . because the rf signals received by all other antennas in the array may be at unique phase errors with respect to the reference rf signal , each antenna in the array , other than first antenna 12 , requires its own feedback loop . thus , multiplier 108 , integrator 106 , and phase adjusting means 102 are provided in support of antenna n . the perturbation or dither tones for each of antennas 2 through n are different whole number multiples greater than 1 of the 19 khz pilot tone , for example , 38 khz , 57 khz , 76 khz , etc . the detector outputs will be signals at frequencies equal to the respective perturbation frequencies and at magnitudes corresponding to the phase error between the respective rf signals and the reference rf signal from antenna 12 . it will be appreciated by those of skill in the art that there is a practical limit to the number of antennas to be supported or provided in an fm stereo system according to the present invention . first , there may be practical limitations for the number of antennas to be installed . for example , more than two or three antennas may not be practical on an automobile . also , though the audio signal improves with each successive antenna the amount of improvement diminishes . further , additional cost is incurred for each antenna supported by the system . during operation , the rf signals of second antenna 14 through antenna n are amplitude modulated by first amplitude modulator 84 through the nth amplitude modulator 104 . the modulated signals from amplitude modulator 84 , 104 are summed with the unmodulated rf signal of first antenna 12 by summing means 76 . n - 1 perturbation frequencies are generated by tone generator 86 and phase locked by pll circuit 88 . in this embodiment , the perturbation frequencies are adjusted by delay adjusting means 94 , 110 to compensate for any delay imparted by fm receiver 80 . phase signals are generated by multipliers 92 , 108 and integrators 90 , 106 and provided to phase shifters 82 , 102 . phase shifters 82 , 102 adjust the phases of the rf signals of second antenna 14 and antenna n by amounts corresponding to the magnitude of the respective phase signals to thereby eliminate the phase errors between antennas 12 , 14 and n . while this invention has been described as having a preferred design , the present invention can be further modified within the spirit and scope of this disclosure . this application is therefore intended to cover any variations , uses , or adaptations of the invention using its general principles . further , this application is intended to cover such departures from the present disclosure as come within known or customary practice in the art to which this invention pertains and which fall within the limits of the appended claims . | 7 |
the mixed metal oxide catalysts of the invention can be prepared by adding alumina , silica or zinc oxide to aqueous solution of nitrates of alkaline earth metal , followed by air drying and calcining to carry alkaline earth metal on alumina , silica or zinc oxide . the mixed metal oxide catalyst of the invention can also be prepared by coprecipitation . the air drying can be , for example , conducted at 80 °- 120 ° c . for 6 - 24 hours . the calcining can be conducted at 400 °- 750 ° c . in air for 6 - 12 hours . according to the invention , the amount of the alkaline earth metal oxide should constitute 10 - 95 percent by weight of the mixed metal oxide catalyst . the mixed metal oxide catalyst can be further fabricated into shaped articles , for example pellets with a diameter of 1 / 16 to 3 / 16 inches and a length of 0 . 05 to 2 inches , or spheres with a diameter of 1 / 16 to 3 / 16 inches . the alcoholysis can be carried out batchwise , by using a slurry reactor , or continuously , by using a fixed - bed reactor . suitable reaction temperature is between 35 ° c . and 150 ° c ., preferably from 50 °- 80 ° c . suitable reaction pressure is 1 to 10 atm , preferably 1 to 5 atm . the alcohols can be c1 - c4 alcohols , such as methanol , ethanol , isopropanol and butanol . the molar ratio of the ester end - capped polyalkylene ether and the alcohol should be in the range of 10 - 200 , preferably 40 - 100 . the examples which follow illustrate the method according to the invention without implying any limitation to the scope of the invention . γ - al 2 o 3 powder ( janssen chimica co ., ltd .) was air dried at 100 ° c . for 1 hour . to 6 ml of distilled water , 4 . 217 g of ca ( no 3 ) 2 • 4h 2 o powder was added , and allowed to dissolve to form a solution . 4 g of γ - al 2 o 3 powder was then added to the solution , and agitated . the solution was then placed in an oven for drying at 60 ° c . for 1 hour , at 100 ° c . for 1 hour , and subsequently was placed in a high temperature furnace to calcinate for 3 hours . the resulting particulate catalyst contained 20 wt % of cao and 80 wt % of al 2 o 3 . 45 . 4 g of methanol , 40 g of ptmea and 1 g of the obtained catalyst were added to a 200 ml batch type slurry reactor . the reactor was a three - neck glass flask reactor equipped with an automatic temperature controller ( rex - c400 , rkc co ., ltd . ), a k type thermocouple , and a condensor for condensing and refluxing methanol vapor . the above chemicals were agitated with a magnetic stirrer and heated with a heating mantle ( rotamantle electrothermal co ., ltd .). the average molecular weight and the molecular weight distribution of the ptmea were measured by a gel permeation chromatograph prior to the reaction . the average molecular weight was 1 , 516 g / g - mole . the temperature of the condensor was controlled at 0 ° c . while the reaction temperature was controlled at 55 ° c . sampling of the reaction products was conducted every 30 minutes , and the obtained samples were analyzed by the following procedures . 1 g of sample was placed on an aluminum foil , and placed in an oven to dry at 75 ° c . for 30 minutes to remove methanol and methyl acetate . the sample was then sandwiched with two pieces of glass and analyzed with fourier transform infra red spectrometer ( ftir , bio - rad co ., fts - 60 ). the conversion of ptmea was calculated by analyzing the peak height at 1740 cm - 1 which corresponds to the absorption of c ═ o . ptmea contains c ═ o bonds , and thus the peak at 1740 cm - 1 will gradually weaken when ptmea is gradually converted to ptmeg , and disappear when ptmea is completely converted to ptmeg . the results are summarized in table 1 . also , it was observed that the catalyst did not break down into powder . the molecular weight distribution of the obtained ptmeg is the same as the ptmea . 4 . 22 g of ca ( no 3 ) 2 • 4h 2 o powder was dissolved in 4 ml of distilled water , and 4 g of zinc oxide powder was added , well agitated , placed in an oven to dry at 60 ° c . for 1 hour , then at 100 ° c . for 1 hour , and subsequently calcined at 550 ° c . for 4 hours . the obtained catalyst contained 20 wt % of cao and 80 wt % of zno . ptmea was subjected to alcoholysis under the same reaction conditions as in example 1 and the resulting ptmeg was analyzed by the same procedures as in example 1 . the results are summarized in table 1 . after the completion of the reaction , the catalyst remained intact , and the molecular weight distribution of ptmeg remained unchanged . 4 . 217 g of ca ( no 3 ) 2 • 4h 2 o powder was dissolved in 6 ml of distilled water , 4 g of silica powder ( davison co .) was added , well agitated , placed in an oven to dry at 60 ° c . for 1 hour , then at 100 ° c . for 1 hour , and subsequently calcined at 550 ° c . for 4 hours . the obtained catalyst contained 20 wt % of cao and 80 wt % of sio 2 . ptmea was subjected to alcoholysis under the same reaction conditions as in example 1 and the resulting ptmeg was analyzed by the same procedures as in example 1 . the results are summarized in table 1 . at the end of the reaction , the catalyst remained intact and the molecular weight distribution of ptmeg remained unchanged . table 1______________________________________reactiontime conversion (%)( min ) example 1 example 2 example 3______________________________________ 30 57 . 1 -- 80 . 5 60 68 . 9 55 . 1 -- 90 -- 73 . 5 -- 120 72 . 4 87 . 8 83 . 7150 84 . 6 91 . 8 -- 180 -- 98 . 6 85 . 1______________________________________ powders of ca ( no 3 ) 2 • 4h 2 o and boehmite were intimately mixed and distilled water was added thereto to form a tackified slurry . the slurry was then extruded into pellets with a diameter of 3 / 16 inches , dried at 100 ° c . for 6 hours , and calcined at 550 ° c . the presence of air for 6 hours . the obtained catalyst contained 95 wt % of cao and 5 wt % of al 2 o 3 . batchwise alcoholysis of ptmea was carried out by using the obtained catalyst under the same reaction conditions as in example 1 except that the reaction temperature was 65 ° c . the catalyst did not break down after 3 hours . the molecular weight distribution of the obtained ptmeg remained unchanged . the conversion of ptmea is summarized in table 2 . powder of ca ( no 3 ) 2 • 4h 2 o was dissolved in distilled water , zno powder was then added , and intimately mixed to form a tackified slurry . the slurry was then extruded into pellets with a diameter of 1 / 16 inches , dried at 100 ° c . for 6 hours , and calcined at 550 ° c . in the presence of air for 6 hours . the obtained catalyst contained 50 wt % of cao and 50 wt % of zno . batchwise alcoholysis of ptmea was carried out by using the obtained catalyst under the same reaction conditions as in example 4 . the catalyst did not break down after 3 hours . the molecular weight distribution of the obtained ptmeg remained unchanged . the conversion of ptmea are summarized in table 2 . powders of ca ( no 3 ) 2 • 4h 2 o and zn ( no 3 ) 2 • 4h 2 o were dissolved in distilled water , boehmite was then added , and thoroughly mixed to form a tackified slurry . the slurry was then extruded into pellets with a diameter of 3 / 16 inches , dried at 100 ° c . for 6 hours , and calcined at 550 ° c . in air for 6 hours . the obtained catalyst contained 50 wt % of cao , 25 wt % of zno and 25 wt % of al 2 o 3 . batchwise alcoholysis of ptmea was carried out by using the obtained catalyst under the same reaction conditions of example 4 . the catalyst did not break down after 3 hours . the molecular weight distribution of the obtained ptmeg remained unchanged . the conversion of ptmea are summarized in table 2 . table 2______________________________________reactiontime conversion (%)( min ) example 4 example 5 example 6______________________________________10 40 . 7 27 . 9 48 . 930 82 . 5 56 . 7 87 . 245 83 . 7 71 . 4 94 . 760 91 . 3 81 . 4 97 . 190 96 . 1 92 . 3 97 . 6120 100 95 . 8 100150 -- 97 . 4 -- 180 -- 100 -- ______________________________________ the same reaction conditions and procedures as in example 4 were repeated except that zno ( merck co . purity : 100 %) was used as a catalyst . the conversion was only 2 % after 3 hours when measured by the same method . the same reaction conditions and procedures as in example 4 were repeated except that cao ( merck co . purity : 100 %) was used as the catalyst . the conversion was 100 % after 3 hours when measured by the same method , however , the particulate catalyst broke down into fine powder . the average particle size and the particle size range of the catalysts were measured in the reaction before alcoholysis , after the alcoholysis , and in the filtrate of the reaction after the alcoholysis . the filtrate was obtained by vacuum filtering using a 1 μm filter paper . the results are summarized in table 3 . as shown in table 3 , the catalyst particles became finer after the alcoholysis reaction , and the catalyst particles smaller than 1 μm were found in the filtrate . the reaction solution after alcoholysis was further filtered by using a 0 . 45 μm filter membrane ( gelman fp - 450 ) to remove residual cao particles . the filter cake was brown in color . the filtrate , after being standed overnight , precipitated , indicating that cao particles recrystalized and formed again . the reaction solution after alcoholysis was then filtered by a centrifugal method at a speed of 4000 rpm . no precipitates were found , indicating the catalyst particles are difficult to remove . table 3______________________________________ average particle particle size size ( μm ) distribution ( μm ) ______________________________________reaction solution 1 . 44 0 . 5 - 10before alcoholysisreaction solution 1 0 . 5 - 5after alcoholysisfiltrate 0 . 68 0 . 5 - 1______________________________________ the catalysts prepared in example 6 were used in a fixed - bed reactor for the alcoholysis of ptmea . the reactor was a jacket glass reactor having an inner pipe and an outer pipe in which the upper portion of the inner pipe was packed with catalyst and the lower portion was packed with glass beads , the outer pipe was circulated with hot water . the molar ratio of methanol to ptmea was 100 : 1 . the amount of the catalyst packed in the inner pipe , the reaction temperature and the space velocity were varied , and the conversion of ptmea in each example was measured . the results are summarized in table 4 . table 4______________________________________ catalyst space reaction con - example amount velocity temp . versionno . catalyst ( g ) ( 1 / hr ) (° c .) (%) ______________________________________ 7 pellet φ 50 0 . 2 56 93 . 9 3 / 16 &# 34 ; × 1 . 0 - 1 . 2 cm 8 pellet 50 0 . 1 60 96 . 05 3 / 16 &# 34 ; × 1 . 0 - 1 . 2 cm 9 pellet 50 0 . 05 60 99 . 16 3 / 16 &# 34 ; × 1 . 0 - 1 . 2 cm10 pellet 50 0 . 01 60 99 . 97 3 / 16 &# 34 ; × 1 . 0 - 1 . 2 cm11 pellet 54 0 . 2 63 97 . 23 3 / 16 &# 34 ; × 0 . 3 - 0 . 6 cm12 pellet 54 0 . 1 64 99 . 82 3 / 16 &# 34 ; × 1 . 0 - 1 . 2 cm______________________________________ | 2 |
fig1 illustrates an entire device for collecting articles into groups so that two groups of articles may be juxtaposed with a space , which equal to one article therebetween . beside conveyor a , which contiguously conveys articles in a direction of arrow a &# 39 ; in fig1 a pusher b is disposed movably in a lengthwise direction parallel to the conveyor a . a pusher c is disposed on the other side of the conveyor a . the pusher b as detailed in fig2 is tapered . a plurality of stages , b1 - b4 , each having a longitudinal size which is the same as the length l of articles p and lateral size as a width w of the articles p are formed on the pusher b . an omitted portion b0 is formed by cutting out the third stage in the third row from the inside of a plurality of the stages . thus , the articles p may be netered respectively into the stages b1 - b4 . preferably , each of the stages b1 - b4 is slightly larger than the article p so that the articles p will be fully entered thereon . further , such larger stages allow the pusher p to avoid catching the article p and breaking the row in during assembly operation of the articles . on an imaginary extension line e drawn from the omitted portion b0 within a moving track of the pusher b , a stopper 2 of an inverted l - shape having the same width as the width w of the article p is provided at the side ( above in fig2 ) of the second stage b2 . the stopper 2 prevents the article p from being pushed into the omitted portion b0 . further , at the side of the front edge of the pusher b , a square stopper 3 having the same width as the width w of the article p is provided . the rear end of the stopper 3 lies on the same line as the front edge of the pusher b . a pusher c can be moved over the conveyor a . it moves toward the pusher b and pushes each set of article groups conveyed by the conveyor a into the pusher b provided with stages . the pusher c has a width equal to the lateral length in fig1 which corresponds to the number of articles to be handled . in the embodiment of fig1 the width is equal to the length of four articles . further , the pusher c functions as a kind of guide during actuation of the pusher b , and thus , the articles in the actuating pusher b can move orderly . a stopper 1 is provided just before the end of the conveyor a . the articles forwarded by the conveyor a are stopped by the stopper 1 to be jammed with one another . in the figures , g indicates a pair of right and left vertical belts arranged along the running direction of the conveyor a . both vertical belts g repeat intermittent drive and stop . by this operation , a predetermined number of articles which have been randomly sent are fed to the side of the pusher c , and the succeeding articles ( e . g ., articles after the articles p4 in fig3 ( a ) through 3 ( c ) can be intercepted at the belts g . a stage base d is provided just before the pusher b . when the invention is in use , articles can be collected into a group consisting of two longitudinally , two laterally , and in total four articles , along the lateral line with one operation through the processes shown in fig3 ( a ) through 3 ( g ). in particular , as shown in fig3 ( a ), eight articles are set in advance so that the end surfaces of the articles at the left end are aligned with the end surfaces of the stages of the pusher b . four articles are preset at the side of the foremost stage b1 of the pusher b , three are preset at the side of the next stage b2 , and one is preset at the side of the stage b3 just after the next omitted portion b0 . as described above , the number of the articles before the omitted portion b0 is reduced one by one toward the omitted portion b0 . the number of articles placed in the stage b3 which is just after omitted portion b0 , is a difference between the number of articles placed in stage b2 and the number of articles engagable in the omitted portion b0 . in the stage thereafter , the number is reduced one by one towards the last stage b4 . in this case , an article is not placed in front of each of the stages b1 - b4 of the pusher b to leave them empty . the conveyor a randomly carries the articles . the front article p1 is stopped by the stopper 1 provided at the front end of the conveyor a . thus along the side of the pusher c , the following three commodities p2 - p4 are stopped adjacent to the rear of article p1 . at the instant when the articles p1 - p4 are fed to the side of the pusher c , the pusher c operates , as shown in fig3 ( b ), to push the four contiguous articles p1 - p4 lengthwise into the pusher b keeping the row . thus , the article p4 at the rear end is pushed to the rear end stage b4 and the articles p3 - p1 are respectively set in front of the article p4 . further , by such movement of the articles p3 - p1 , each of the articles placed just before the pusher b is fed in the transverse direction ( down in the drawing ) by a distance equal to one article . thus , the articles are received in the empty spaces in front of the stages . in particular , the commodity at the right end of the first row is received in the front stage b1 of the pusher b , and the article at the right end of the second row is received in the second stage b2 . in this case , since the stopper 2 is disposed just before the omitted portion b0 , the article does not enter into the omitted portion b0 , as shown in fig3 ( b ). in this instant , when the pusher b is advanced by a length l of the article b , the articles including the article p1 at the front row of the pusher b are pushed onto the stage base d or the like as shown in fig3 ( c ). since the stopper 3 is provided on the extension line of the omitted portion b0 in the trace of the pusher b , the article on the extension line e is intercepted by the stopper 3 and are not pushed out . therefore , as shown in fig3 ( d ), two commodities are collected at the right and left sides of the stopper 3 , respectively . during this process , when the pusher c moves back , the articles p5 - p8 are fed to the side of the pusher c as shown in fig3 ( d ). when the pusher c moves forward immediately after the article p8 comes to the side of the pusher c , the articles p5 - p8 are pushed sideways similarly to the previous operation made for articles p1 - p4 . thus , the articles p5 , p6 and p7 are pushed to positions adjacent to the commodity p2 at the left end of the front row , the article p3 at the left end of the second row and the article p4 at the left end of the third row , respectively . the article p8 at the rear end is pushed into the last empty stage b4 of the pusher b . further , in accordance with the movement of the articles p5 - p7 , each of the articles just before the pusher b are fed in the transverse direction . thus , they are positioned in the empty portions of the stages in such a way that the article at the right end of the first row is fed to the front of stage b1 of the pusher b and the article at the right end of the second row is fed into the second stage b2 of the pusher b . when the pusher b is advanced ( towards the right in the drawing ) again as shown in fig3 ( f ), four articles including those p2 and p6 at the front row of the pusher b except for those just behind the stopper 3 are pushed onto the storage base d similar to the last operatoin , and positioned at the rear sides of the articles pushed out during the previous operation , as shown in fig3 ( g ). therefore , the articles are separated into groups respectively consisting of two longitudinal and two lateral articles and collected on both sides of the stopper 3 along a lateral line . by repeating the above described operation , articles can be efficiently collected . as described above , it is possible to easily modify the collected number and collected pattern of articles and the space ( width f in fig3 ( h )) between the groups by changing the sizes of the pusher c , the number of the articles pushed thereby , the number of the stages of the pusher b , the sizes of the omitted portion and the sizes of the stoppers 2 and 3 . further , the articles collected as shown in fig3 ( g ), fig3 ( h ) and fig5 can be taken to in the a direction parallel to the running direction of the conveyor a . this is advantageous in relation to installation space , arrangement and disposition , i . e ., layout of a series of devices including a packing process thereafter . in the device in fig1 when the mechanisms are actuated in order as shown in fig3 ( a ) through 3 ( g ), two sets of the articles , each set of which includes two longitudinal , two lateral and in total four articles , are collected at the right and left with a space corresponding to one article therebetween . when the pusher c shown in fig3 ( g ) is reactuated to push four commodities into the pusher b , and the pusher b is reactuated , two sets of the articles , each set consisting of three longitudinally , three laterally and in total six articles , are collected with space corresponding to one article therebetween . thus , when the actuating number of the pushers c and b are changed as desired , the number of articles aligned longitudinally can be easily changed without changing the number of articles laterally aligned . in other words , the collecting number and the collecting pattern can easily be changed . when the stage base d is moved slightly forward from the position of fig3 ( g ) to form a slight space between the collected articles and the articles following as shown in fig3 ( g ), no possibility of pushing the articles by the pusher c into the pusher b may be inferred . further , the pusher b may be formed as shown in fig4 . each of the widths of the omitted portion b0 and the stoppers 2 and 3 are twice as large as that of the article . also , the pusher c is increased in size so as to push nine articles . the device shown in fig4 collects article groups respectively consisting of two longitudinally , three laterally and in total six articles along a lateral line with spaces corresponding to the length of two articles therebetween . in this case , stages b1 - b3 , b4 - b6 and b7 - b9 are formed continuously , respectively . omitted portions b0 having substantially the same width as that of two articles are formed between the three series of the stages , respectively . in front of the omitted two portions b0 of the pusher b , stoppers 2 respectively having an inverted l - shape and width which is twice as long as the width w of the article p are provided . these stoppers positioned at the side of the third stage b3 and the sixth stage b6 , respectively . further , in front of these stoppers and at the side of the front edge of the pusher b , square stoppers 3 respectively having widths twice as long as the width w of the article p are provided . the rear end surfaces of the stoppers 3 lie on the same line as the front end surface of the pusher b . the width of the pusher c corresponds to the total length of nine articles p . with this device , for example , as shown in fig5 the articles can be collected into three groups which respectively include two articles longitudinally , three articles laterally and in total six articles with spaces which are respectively equal to two articles therebetween . when the actuating number of the pushers b and c is increased it is possible to collect the articles into separate groups , in which the number of longitudinally aligned articles can vary without changing the number of articles laterally aligned . in these cases , the grouped articles can be taken out in the parallel direction to the conveyor a . therefore , the system is advantageous in installation space , arrangement and disposition , i . e ., layout , of a series of other devices including packaging processes . fig6 illustrates an embodiment of this invention for collecting two sets of articles , each set consisting of two longitudinal , three lateral and in total six articles , with a space therebetween corresponding to the size of one article . in this case , the pusher c and the pusher b operate twice to collect two groups of articles , each group consisting of two longitudinally , three laterally and six articles in total , with a space corresponding to one article therebetween . in comparison with a conventional case which requires a pusher c to operate three times , according to the present invention , the operation time of the pusher c can be reduced by one time . in this case , the collected articles can be taken out parallel to the running direction of the conveyor a similar to the previous embodiment and thus , the aforementioned advantages can be obtained in many cases . according to the method of the present invention , the articles are efficiently separated and collected in groups respectively including a predetermined number of articles with a space therebetween . the handling efficiency can be remarkably increased in comparison with conventional devices . further , since the collected articles can be taken out parallel to the running direction of the conveyor a , the system does not obstruct the installation space of the device as well as the arrangement and disposition , i . e . layout , of a series of device including a packaging process in many cases . further , according to the device of the present invention , the articles can be automatically and surely separated and collected into groups respectively including a predetermined number of articles with predetermined space therebetween . particularly , the articles fed in the transverse direction are securely received by the pusher provided with the stages , which prevents the articles from tumbling and becoming disorderly . | 1 |
fig1 illustrates in perspective view a medium duty truck 10 . truck 10 includes a forward operator &# 39 ; s cabin 12 and a rear utility section 16 which is depicted as a conventional cargo box , but which may be tow gear for a wrecker , compartmentalized garbage handling equipment , or other things . mounted to exterior 18 of truck 10 is an intercom interface unit 20 . another intercom interface unit 14 , possibly incorporated in a vehicle audio entertainment system , is located on dash 22 of forward operator &# 39 ; s cabin 12 . an individual located in forward operator &# 39 ; s cabin 12 may converse with an individual located near the rear of truck 10 over the intercom interface units 14 and 22 . referring now to fig2 , tractor 12 includes a electrical control system 25 based on an electrical system controller ( esc ) 30 and three distinct networks including a first can network 27 based on the sae j1939 standard and using the publicly defined message protocols to communicate with several drive train component controllers . the drive train component controllers include an electronic gauge cluster controller 32 , an automatic transmission controller 34 , an engine controller 36 and an anti - lock brake system controller ( abs ) 38 . the several controllers 30 , 32 , 34 , 36 and 38 are also nodes of the first can network 27 . a second can network 29 based on the j1939 standard uses manufacturer defined message codes and provides the data network over which the intercom system of the present invention is preferably implemented . among nodes which are attached to the second can network 29 are a remote intercom module 40 , a remote power module 42 and the electrical system controller 30 . an intercom unit 44 is connected to remote intercom module 40 . finally the vehicle may also include a low speed sae j1708 compatible network 31 over which electrical system controller 30 can interrogate the status of a plurality of switches in a switch pack 46 . electrical system controller directly handles a vehicle audio system 48 which in a preferred embodiment of the invention can serve , with the addition of a microphone , as an intercom station for the operator &# 39 ; s cabin . fig3 is a high level circuit schematic of the components of the intercom system . electrical system controller 30 is modified for operation as a base for an intercom station by addition of connections to an audio system 60 . if digital to analog and analog to digital conversion of signals from audio system 60 is required it is executed by a digital signal processor 54 connected between esc microprocessor 52 and audio system 60 . audio system 60 is connected to drive a loudspeaker 62 which is part of the accessible intercom station or interface 14 . audio system 60 is further connected to a microphone 64 which is also part of station 14 . audio system 60 is also connected to a mute line 58 from microprocessor 52 which cuts off sound reproduction from sources other than dsp 54 . in this way operation of an entertainment system may be interrupted if the intercom is in use . the intercom system may be activated by a switch from switch pack 46 which is connected to a j1708 protocol communications interface circuit 50 in esc 30 . interface circuit 50 may be interrogated by microprocessor 52 for the status of each of the switches in switch pack 46 . esc 30 includes a can interface circuit 56 which provides conventional mailbox and buffering functions , as well as transceiver and memory management functions , all of which are well understood in the art . the voice data packets to be transmitted on data bus 29 and those received off of data bus 29 are handled by the can interface circuit 56 . the packets include a priority indication , an arbitrary , unique header associated with voice data and a fixed length segment of digitized voice data . packets will be transmitted in order and , since no switching for routing of the packets is required , the packets may be played in the order received without loss of intelligence . intelligibility can be preserved at fairly low resolution to reduce bandwidth requirements on the network . the additional loading on the network represented by full duplex voice transmission should remain under 10 % of available capacity . since other data communications requirements of secondary or non - drive train can networks typically represent a load of under 10 % of available capacity , the total traffic load is such that minimal buffering normally prevents gaps in the voice message . typically vehicle 10 is provided with two intercom stations . the second intercom station is managed by a remote intercom module 40 which communicates with electrical system controller 30 over private data link ( j1939 bus ) 29 . remote intercom module 40 ( rim ) includes a can interface circuit 70 which is connected to data link 29 and which handles data communication . can interface circuit 70 is connected to a microprocessor 68 which identifies messages received over data link 27 for action , particularly voice data messages . remote intercom module 40 may be connected to a remote input switch 66 , which is part of the intercom station interface 20 . switch 66 may be used to activate a microphone 86 in the station interface 20 or for turning the remote intercom module 40 on . can nodes do not have addresses and accordingly a rim 40 does not require an address . rim address jumper 90 connected to microprocessor 68 is accordingly closed . microprocessor 68 is connected to a series of subsidiary devices within rim 40 including a series of fets 76 a - 76 c . fet 78 may be used to activate a light 80 indicating that microphone 86 is active . fet 72 is connected to microprocessor 68 for powering intercom station base unit 82 . base unit 82 is in turn connected to a microphone 84 and a loud speaker 86 , which form part of the intercom station interface 20 . a digital signal processor 74 is connected between intercom station base unit 82 and microprocessor 68 . dsp 74 is one possible facility for provided bi - directional analog to digital or digital to analog conversion . the present invention enables a vehicle operator to communicate by voice with an individual outside of the vehicle or located in another part of the same vehicle . the intercom stations are linked by an existing can network and require only an extension of the data link cable to the desired location of the station . the resulting intercom system exhibits minimal physical complexity and high adaptability . while the invention is shown in only one of its forms , it is not thus limited but is susceptible to various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . | 7 |
referring to fig1 , an instant win gaming ticket 10 is illustrated . the ticket 10 has a win table 20 , betting number columns 30 a , 30 b , a wager column 40 a , 40 b , player &# 39 ; s result columns 50 a , 50 b , and dealer / house result columns 60 a , 60 b . the win table 20 indicates the possible prizes or prize amounts if a given set of conditions are fulfilled by the results of the games on the ticket 10 . the betting number columns 30 a , 30 b serve as reference points by which the player can track the games being played . the wager columns 40 a , 40 b indicate the amounts being wagered for each game and , concomitantly , the distinct or specific possible prize identifiable with each game . the player &# 39 ; s result columns 50 a , 50 b indicate the game result for the player . this result is to be compared to the entry in the dealer / house result columns 60 a , 60 b to determine if the player has won a particular game . it should be noted that similar instant win gaming tickets are generally pre - printed with the results covered . players purchase or otherwise obtain the tickets not knowing the results and sequentially uncover the results to determine if their gaming ticket has won a prize or not . initially , columns 50 a , 50 b , 60 a , 60 b are covered prior to a player purchasing or obtaining the ticket . these columns may be uncovered in any sequence but preferably sequentially to effectively play the games . the ticket is divided into three areas — one area for the first set of games ( columns 30 a , 40 a , 50 a , 60 a ), a second area for a second set of games ( columns 30 b , 40 b , 50 b , 60 b ), and a third area for the win table 20 . as can be seen in fig1 , each row in a particular area denotes a single game . for the ticket illustrated in fig1 , the single game type to be played is a simulation of the well - known game of roulette . the object is for the player result ( as shown in columns 50 a , 50 b ) to match the wheel result ( as shown in columns 60 a , 60 b ). it can be seen from the ticket in fig1 that the player has not won for bet / game a — the player result is red 10 while the wheel result is black 23 . it can also be seen that the player has a similar losing result for bets / games b , c , and d . however , for bet / game e , the player result is the same as the wheel result . this therefore means that the player has won this particular game . similarly , for bets / games f and g , the player &# 39 ; s results match the wheel results . as such , the player has won 3 games in a row or 3 consecutive games have been won . because of these consecutive wins , the player thus wins more than what he would have won had he only won three non - consecutive games . the player &# 39 ; s distinct prize identifiable with a specific game is dependent on the wager . since game e had a wager of $ 5 + d prize , and since the prize for game d is zero ( due to the player losing game d ), then the wager for game e is $ 5 . assuming that the ticket pays double the wager for every game won , then the prize for winning game e is prize for game e = ( wager for game e ) × 2 = ( $ 5 + d prize ) × 2 = ( $ 5 + 0 ) × 2 = $ 5 × 2 = $ 10 prize for winning game f = ( wager for game f ) × 2 = ( $ 5 + e prize ) × 2 = ( $ 5 + 10 ) × 2 = $ 15 × 2 = $ 30 using the same logic and process , the prize for winning game g is $ 70 . it should be noted that since the player did not win game h , the player &# 39 ; s “ streak ” ends . the same rationale for awarding prizes apply to the game tickets illustrated in fig2 and 3 but applied to different types of games . as can be seen in fig2 , instead of playing a roulette type of game , the well - known card game of blackjack is played . instead of trying to match the dealer &# 39 ; s total in columns 70 a , 70 b , the player &# 39 ; s total in columns 80 a , 80 b must be greater than the dealer &# 39 ; s total . again , the prize per game / row ( the rows being denoted by a letter indicator in columns 90 a , 90 b ) is determined by the wager column 100 a , 100 b . the win table 110 will show the amount the player can win for consecutive wins . as is accepted in most card games , an ace ( represented by a letter a ) is given a value of 11 and a “ face ” card ( a king , queen , or jack as represented by the letters k , q , and j respectively ) is given a value of 10 . as can be seen , the player only wins in hand f for the game ticket in fig2 . it should be noted that the player &# 39 ; s total columns 80 a , 80 b and the dealer &# 39 ; s columns 70 a 70 b are covered prior to the player &# 39 ; s playing the game ticket . referring to fig3 , instead of a card game or another game of chance , the results of a football season or a series of football games is simulated on the game ticket . the idea behind this type of a game ticket is that the player will wager on the outcome of a sporting event . for this game ticket , the sport is american football with the teams of the national football league being represented on the ticket . each row ( denoted by a letter in columns 120 a , 120 b ) denotes a single football game . wager columns ( columns 130 a , 130 b ) denotes the wager on the game while team columns 140 a , 140 b note the teams playing the particular game for that particular row . the player &# 39 ; s bet columns ( columns 150 a , 150 b ) denote the preselected teams that the player is “ betting ” to win . this column may or may not be covered prior to the playing of the game or purchase of the ticket . the game result columns 160 a , 160 b , on the other hand , are covered prior to the purchase of the game ticket . as can be seen , the game result columns 160 a , 160 b notes who won the particular football game . similar to the roulette game ticket in fig1 , the object of the game for the fig3 ticket is for the player &# 39 ; s bet to match the game result . thus , if for a particular row , a player &# 39 ; s preselected bet entry matches the entry for a game result , then the player has won the game . for the ticket in fig3 , it can be seen that the player has won games a , c , d , e , f , and g . the player has thus had a streak of 5 consecutive wins of games c to h . using the same rationale as for the tickets illustrated in fig1 and 2 , the longer a player &# 39 ; s streak of consecutive wins , the larger is the ultimate wager per game and therefore , the larger the possible prize amount . this would be denoted in a win table 170 . in many instant win gaming tickets , the prize amount for winning a single game is double the amount wagered . thus , if the amount wagered is $ 5 as in game a of the ticket in fig3 , winning that game results in a payout of $ 10 for the player . for the same ticket , the progressive nature of the wagering , with each wager dependent on the result of the immediately preceding game , results in an increasingly larger prize amount as the number of consecutive games won increases . four consecutive games won results in cumulative winnings of $ 260 with the prize amount for the fourth game being $ 150 . the amount wagered on the fourth hand was therefore $ 75 . the given total does not include the $ 10 won in game a . to simplify matters , the individual amount won for the nth consecutive game won can be represented as in equation 1 : w = x ∑ i = 1 n y i ( 1 ) w = amount won on the nth consecutive game won n = number of games won consecutively y = multiplier applied to wager if a game is won x = fixed starting wager per game for the game ticket in fig1 , 2 , and 3 , x = 5 and y = 2 if the wager is doubled for every win . if a player wins three times his wager if he wins a game , then y = 3 . using the same logic as above , the amount wagered on the nth game can be represented as in equation 2 after ( n − 1 ) consecutive games won : b = x ∑ i = 1 n y i - 1 ( 2 ) the variables in equation 2 are as defined for equation 1 . the cumulative prize amount won after n consecutive games won can be represented as in equation 3 : c = ∑ a = 0 n ( x ∑ i = 1 a y i ) ( 3 ) using the above formulas , a sample win table ( table 1 ) can be as follows using y = 2 and x = 5 : as can be seen , the increase in the prize amounts between consecutively won games is geometric in pattern with the variable y denoting how fast or how slow the increase is in the winnings . clearly , the higher the value for y , the larger the cumulative prize amounts . the increase in prize amounts between two consecutive prize amounts is a multiple of a previous increase . the prize amount for 4 consecutive games won is $ 150 while the prize amount for 3 consecutive games won is $ 70 . the increase between these two prize amounts is $ 80 — a multiple of the prize amount increase ($ 40 ) between prize amounts for two games won ($ 30 ) and three games won ($ 70 ). this fixed multiplier between increases prize amounts is due to the geometric progression between the increases . while the game tickets in fig1 , 2 , and 3 , all use a single type of game for the individual games , this need not be the case for every gaming ticket . referring to fig4 , an alternative type of gaming ticket is illustrated which also uses a progressive type method of awarding prizes . for this gaming ticket , the object is to simulate games that may be played in a casino . as such , four types of games , blackjack , roulette , keno , and poker are represented . for keno , the object is to match all five numbers that the dealer / house is given while conventional poker need not be explained here . from fig4 , the wager columns 180 a , 180 b denote the wagers for each game with wagers increasing for consecutive wins . however , the wagers increase only for consecutive games won of the same type . as such , consecutive poker games won increase the player &# 39 ; s prize but consecutive dissimilar games won , such as blackjack and roulette , do not increase the player &# 39 ; s prize . the amount a player may win still depends on whether a previous game was won or not but a caveat exists in that the previous game has to be of the same type as the game currently being played . another alternative configuration for a gaming ticket is that illustrated in fig5 . the gaming ticket configuration in fig5 simulates a slot machine . column 190 documents the wagers for every slot game on the ticket while column 200 documents the gaming index letter . columns 210 a , 210 b , 210 c , 210 d indicate the player &# 39 ; s simulated slot machine results . the prize amount allocation for this game may be different from that of the gaming tickets illustrated in the previous figures . for the previous gaming tickets , each game was either completely won or lost . for slots , it is possible to have a partial win and be accorded a proportionate prize . the wining combinations for the slot machine may be documented in a win table 220 , an example of which is reproduced in table 2 : based on the above sample , win table and the ticket in fig5 , the player wins double his wager for game a and does not win anything for game b . for game c , the player wins triple his wager and , again , does not win for game d . for game e , the player wins one - and - a half times his wager . his total winnings for the ticket are therefore as follows : the above calculations assume that the player does not lose any of his previous winnings if he loses any games . other , more complex win tables may be used and other , more complex formulas for penalizing the player for losing games may be used . it should be noted that other games and configurations , such as other card games like pai gow , poker , high - low , and others , and numbers games may be used for the games in the gaming tickets . also , other sporting events , such as basketball games , soccer games , and hockey games may be simulated in place of the football events illustrated and explained above . furthermore , numbers games , some of which may be similar to keno , and other wagering games such as slots , can also be used for the gaming tickets . the above invention should provide increased enjoyment to instant wins game ticket players . as further inducement to purchase and play these games , one possible caveat to the wagering on the ticket is that players do not lose any prizes they win regardless of any wagers they make in subsequent games . as an example , using the game tickets in fig1 , 2 , and 3 , if a player wins games a , b , and c and , and because of the progressive nature of the wagering , the wager for game d is the amount won for game c , if the player loses game d , he does not lose his winnings for game c . the only drawback for the player is that his wager for game e is not very large since his winnings for game d is zero . an alternative to the above scheme is to have a feature in the gaming ticket such that a player loses some or all of his previous winnings if he loses a game . thus , the player must , before playing a game , decide whether to continue playing or to redeem any winnings he may already have . a person understanding this invention may now conceive of alternative structures and embodiments or variations of the above all of which are intended to fall within the scope of the invention as defined in the claims that follow . | 0 |
the example of the land network shown in fig1 comprises n stations s1 , . . . , si , . . . , sn , connected together by a bus cable formed by a pair of conductors , shielded by an electromagnetic shield . for example , the station si is connected on one side to a section ci of this shielded cable and on the other side to a section c &# 39 ; i of this same shielded cable . for this station si , the branch connector device di is formed essentially of a junction box bi and a male connector mi , the two pairs of conductors of the sections ci and c &# 39 ; i being connected in parallel to two contacts of the connector mi . the connector mi is inserted in a complementary connector fi , located on the station si and having two contacts connected to various electronic circuits , not shown . the housing of the connector box b1 also forms the housing of the connector mi . there is no branch cable to connect the connector mi to the junction of the two sections ci and c &# 39 ; i of the shielded cable . the two pairs of conductors of the sections ci and c &# 39 ; i are connected directly to the two contacts of the connector mi . the junction boxes b1 , . . . , bi , . . . , bn are provided with respective electromagnetic shields eb1 , . . . , ebi , . . . , ebn . the stations s1 , . . . , si , . . . , sn are provided with respective electromagnetic shields es1 , . . . , esi , . . . , esn which are all connected to the respective local ground connections . fig1 shows the interconnections between the various electromagnetic shields and the terminations of the transmission line formed by the bus cable . the electromagnetic shields of all the sections of the bus cable and all the junction boxes are connected together but are not connected to the electromagnetic shields of the stations , except at a single station located approximately in the center of the transmission line , being the station si for example . in all of the stations other than the station si , the electromagnetic shield of the junction box is connected to local ground through a filter . all of the stations s1 , . . . , si , . . . , sn are provided with a respective conventional filter f1 , . . . , fi , . . . , fn for this purpose . only the filter fi is short - circuited by a jumper st to make a direct connection to ground . the filters f1 and fn , for example , are not short - circuited . the stations s1 and sn in this example are at the ends of the transmission line formed by the bus cable . in order to minimize distortion of the signals transmitted on the bus cable , a conventional line termination lt1 is provided in the junction box b1 and a conventional line termination ltn in the junction box bn , associated with the stations s1 and sn respectively . the junction box b1 is connected to a single cable section cl . the line termination lt1 has two inputs connected to the two conductors respectively of the cable section cl and a third input is connected to the electromagnetic shield eb1 of the box b1 , the junction box bn is connected to a single cable section cn . the line termination ltn has two inputs connected to the two conductors respectively of the cable section cn and an input is connected to the electromagnetic shield ebn of the box bn . fig2 and fig3 are a left side view and a front view respectively of an embodiment of the branch connector device of the invention . this embodiment comprises a connector mi represented in the present invention by element 25 and a junction box bi comprising : a housing of plastics material , formed by a bottom 28 and a cover 27 linked together by a thin leaf 26 acting as a hinge ; two captive screws 21 and 22 for fixing the branch connector device to a station si . the connector mi passes through the wall of the housing 27 , 28 via an opening represented by the element 30 . two sections ci and c &# 39 ; i of the shielded cable pass into the housing through openings 29 , 29 &# 39 ;, being parallel to one another and perpendicular to the direction of insertion and withdrawal of the connector 25 . the openings 29 and 29 &# 39 ; are cut into a side of the bottom 28 of the housing , in such a manner that the sections ci and c &# 39 ; i can be placed therein when the cover 27 is open and that the cover 27 also acts as a cable clamp . the outer insulating sheath 60 , 60 &# 39 ; of the cable sections ci and c &# 39 ; i is trapped between the cover 27 and the bottom 28 when the screws 23 and 24 are screwed into the bottom . the general shape of the housing 27 , 28 is flat and the two cable sections ci and c &# 39 ; i lie in the plane of the housing . the captive screws 21 and 22 pass through the housing parallel to this plane . they are located on the two sides of the connector 25 . they are screwed into two threaded parts 35 and 37 on the station si , after the connector 25 has been inserted into a complementary connector fi represented in the present invention by element 36 located on the station si . the bus cable is covered by a conventional insulating sheath 60 , 60 &# 39 ;. when the connector 25 is inserted in the complementary connector 36 , the personnel using the network cannot come into contact with the metal parts forming the electromagnetic shields inside the housing 27 , 28 and inside the cable sections ci and c &# 39 ; i . the entry of the cable sections ci and c &# 39 ; i perpendicular to the direction of insertion and withdrawal of the connector 25 has two advantages : the size is reduced compared with entry in the direction of insertion and withdrawal , since the cable sections ci and c &# 39 ; i run parallel to the face of the station si carrying the connector 36 , instead of projecting perpendicular to this face . manipulation of the captive screws 21 and 22 is easier , because the user who is installing the screws is not hindered by the presence of the cable sections , which enter the housing between the two screws . fig4 and 5 are a left side view and a front view of some of the parts which form this embodiment . the housing 27 , 28 is assumed to be removed and the parts are exploded for greater clarity . the cable sections ci , c &# 39 ; i are each formed by an outer insulating sheath 60 , 60 &# 39 ;; a shield 59 , 59 &# 39 ; which is a metal braid ; a polyester tape 58 , 58 &# 39 ; aluminized on the inside ; and a pair of twisted conductors 56 , 56 &# 39 ; which are individually insulated . two metal parts 40 and 70 are fitted together and attached by two screws 73 , 74 , so as to form an electromagnetic shield common to the junction box bi and the connector 25 . it protects the two pairs of conductors 56 , 56 &# 39 ; at the ends of the cable sections ci , c &# 39 ; i and protects the contacts 65 , 66 of the connector 25 . the shield is formed mainly by two flat faces 44 and 53 of the part 40 and three flat faces 77 , 81 and 82 of the part 70 . one side of the shield is formed by a shield plate 61 of the connector 25 and one side is free for entry of the cable sections ci and c &# 39 ; i , this entry being protected by the shields 59 and 59 &# 39 ; of the cable sections . the part 40 has a tongue 43 of rectangular shape , cut in the flat face 44 and lug which to form a locking lug which engages in a rectangular opening 78 cut in a flat face 77 of the part 70 . when the parts 40 and 70 are assembled , the tongue 43 is retained in the opening 78 and the flat faces 44 and 77 are connected together . at the other end of the part 40 from the tongue 43 , a strap is formed by tabs 42 and 46 having threaded holes 41 and 47 respectively therethrough . at the other end of the part 70 from the face 77 , another strap formed by two tabs 72 and 75 has two holes 71 and 76 allowing passage of the two screws 73 and 74 . when the two screws are fitted , the straps 41 - 46 and 72 - 75 form a cable clamp for clamping the two cable sections ci and c &# 39 ; i at the same time , these being stripped of their outer insulating layer to expose the metal braids 59 , 59 &# 39 ; forming the shields of these cable sections . it should be noted that the strap 42 - 46 is provided with two teeth 45 and 49 and the strap 72 - 75 is provided with two teeth 79 and 80 , for penetrating the metal braids 59 , 59 &# 39 ;, so as to ensure good contact between the shields of the cable sections ci and c &# 39 ; i and the shield common to the junction box bi and the connector 25 . the connector 25 is fixed to the part 40 by means of two tubular rivets 39 . to this end the part 40 has two tabs 50 and 54 with through holes 51 and 55 and the shield plate 61 of the connector 25 has two through holes 62 and 64 . it should be noted that the tubular rivets 39 have a diameter which allows passage of the captive screws 21 and 22 shown in fig3 . the riveting is done in the factory . the connector 25 comprises an insulating body 67 with receptacles , into which contacts are inserted , namely two contacts 65 and 66 , to which are soldered the ends of the two pairs of conductors 56 and 56 &# 39 ; of the two sections ci and c &# 39 ; i of the shielded cable . the insulating body 67 is retained by a crimped metal part 68 integral with the shield plate 61 . a skirt 63 is fixed to the shield plate 61 on the face to the outside of the housing of the junction box , in order to form an electromagnetic shield protecting the contacts of the connector . this skirt 63 also forms the ground contact . in this embodiment , the contacts 65 , 66 are soldered contacts but other kinds of implementation may involve crimped contacts on the ends of the pairs of conductors 56 , 56 &# 39 ;. in neither case does the fitting need special tools . installation on site consists first of all in preparing the ends of the two cable sections ci and c &# 39 ;. then the ends of the two pairs 56 , 56 &# 39 ; are soldered to the contacts 65 and 66 . then the electromagnetic shield is closed by assembling the parts 40 and 70 , engaging the tongue 43 in the opening 78 , screwing the two screws 73 and 74 and checking that the straps 42 - 46 and 72 - 75 make good contact with the shields 59 , 59 &# 39 ;. then the whole assembly of the parts 40 , 70 and the connector 25 are enclosed in the housing by means of the two screws 23 and 24 and checking that the two parts 27 , 28 of the housing bear firmly against the insulating sleeves 60 , 60 &# 39 ;. fig6 and 7 show an embodiment of the device of the invention in a view from below and a front view respectively , for the station s1 at one end of the bus cable , comprising a junction box b1 and a connector m1 represented by the element 25 . in fig7 the top 27 of the housing is assumed to be removed to show the arrangement of the parts inside the junction box b1 . a single cable section cl enters the housing through the opening 29 , the opening 29 &# 39 ; being blocked by a thin wall 90 of plastics material . the housing is made with a wall 90 and this is removed on site by means of ordinary flat nose pliers if a second cable section is to enter the connector box . in the opposite case , the wall 90 is left in place in order to block the opening 29 &# 39 ; and prevent intrusion of foreign bodies into the junction box . the wall 90 is shown hatched in fig6 . fig7 shows that the junction box b1 contains a line termination 92 , which is fixed to the flat face 53 of the part 40 by means of a screw 93 , which also serves to establish electrical connection between one input of the termination 92 and the part 40 , which is connected to ground via the connector 25 , more specifically through the skirt 63 of the connector 25 . the other parts are identical to those described above and have the same reference numerals . fig7 also shows the form of the captive screws 21 and 22 . the screw 22 for example comprises a collar 94 which retains the screw 22 within the housing when the cover 27 is closed over the bottom 28 . the end with a thread passes through the shield plate 61 of the connector 25 , through a tubular rivet 39 . the other end of the screw 22 , which has a slot for a screwdriver , passes through the sidewall of the bottom 28 , through an opening 91 which is intersected by the parting plane of the cover 27 and the bottom 28 , in order to allow the fitting of the screw 22 in spite of the presence of the shoulder 94 . the captive screw 21 is identical to the screw 22 . the invention is not restricted to the two embodiments described above . in particular it lies within the competence of the person skilled in the art to modify the arrangement of the parts of the device to provide access for the two cable sections in a direction parallel to the direction of insertion and withdrawal of the connector , or to connect another kind of shielded cable having a number of conductor other than two . | 7 |
referring now to fig1 there is shown a heat transfer system utilizing hydrogen absorbing metals according to the invention . a hydrogen supply unit 1 includes hydrogen absorbing metal containers 1a and 1b for accommodating hydrogen absorbing metals 4a and 4b , respectively . the hydrogen absorbing metal containers 1a and 1b also include therein respective heat exchangers 3a and 3b . two hydrogen utilization units 2a and 2b also include containers 2a and 2b for accommodating hydrogen absorbing metals 6a and 6b , respectively . the containers 2a and 2b also include therein respective heat exchangers 5a and 5b , respectively . provided between the hydrogen supply units 1 and the hydrogen utilization units 2a and 2b are large hydrogen tanks 17 and 18 for storing hydrogen gas at desired pressures . the tank 17 is connected to the hydrogen supply unit 1 by a hydrogen supply tube 7 for supplying hydrogen gas from the hydrogen supply unit 1 . the tank 18 is connected to the hydrogen supply unit 1 by a hydrogen recovery tube 8 for recovering hydrogen gas from the tank 18 to the hydrogen supply unit 1 . the tank 17 is also connected to the hydrogen utilization units 2a and 2b by another set of hydrogen supply tubes 7a and 7b for delivering hydrogen gas from the tank 17 to the hydrogen utilization units 2a and 2b , which units are also connected to the tank 18 by still another set of hydrogen recovery tubes 8a and 8b for returning hydrogen gas from the hydrogen utilization units 2a and 2b back to the tank 18 . the hydrogen absorbing metal containers 1a and 1b of the hydrogen supply unit 1 are selectively connected to the hydrogen supply tubes 7 and 8 via two three - way switching valves 9a and 9b and control valves 9c and 9d . the heat exchangers 3a and 3b in the respective containers 1a and 1b are selectively connected by heat transport paths to a high - temperature heat source 11 and a low - temperature heat source 12 such as water cooled heat radiator , via a set of four three - way switching valves 13 . similarly , the hydrogen absorbing metal containers 2a and 2b in the hydrogen utilization units 2a and 2b are selectively connected by heat transport paths to the hydrogen supply tube 7a and the hydrogen recovery tube 8a via two three - way valves 10a and 10b and two control valves 10c and 10d . the heat exchangers 5a and 5b in the respective containers 2a and 2b of the hydrogen utilization unit 2a are thermally connected to a heating load 14 such as a heat radiator for heating a room and a source of disposed heat ( hereinafter referred to as disposed heat source ) 15 in different modes , via a set of four three - way switching valves 18 . the hydrogen absorbing metal containers 2a and 2b of the hydrogen utilization unit 2b are connected in the same manner as their counterparts in the 2a , except that the heat exchangers 5a and 5b in the hydrogen absorbing metals 6a and 6b , respectively , in the hydrogen utilization unit 2b are thermally connected to a cooling load 22 such as a refrigeration system and a heat radiator 23 e . g . water cooled radiator in different modes , via four switching valves 16 . the hydrogen supply unit 1 is provided with four pressure sensors 25 , 26 , 27 , and 28 , connected to the hydrogen supply tube 7 and the hydrogen recovery tube 8 , with the sensor 25 between the hydrogen absorbing metal container 1a and the three - way switching valve 9a , the sensor 26 between the hydrogen absorbing metal container 1b and the three way switching valve 9b , the sensor 27 between the valve 9c and the tank 17 , and the sensor 28 between the valve 9d and the tank 18 , as shown in fig2 . the hydrogen utilization units 2a and 2b are each provided with thermometers ( not shown ) for measuring the temperatures of respective heat transport media in the heat exchangers 5a and 5b . the preferred embodiment herein shown employs only one hydrogen supply unit and two hydrogen utilization units . however , it should be understood that the invention envisions more than one hydrogen supply unit and more than two hydrogen utilization units in a heat transfer system . in the preferred embodiment , the hydrogen tank 17 is filled with pressurized hydrogen gas of , for example , 10 atom , while the hydrogen tank 18 is filled with hydrogen gas of , for example , 1 atm . suppose now that the high - temperature heat source 11 and the low - temperature heat source 12 are connected to the heat exchangers 3a and 3b , respectively , of the hydrogen supply unit 1 by appropriately selected heat transport paths via the three - way switching valves 13 , with the valves 9c and 9d closed . this connection causes the hydrogen absorbing metal 4a in the container 1a to be heated while liberating hydrogen and causes the hydrogen absorbing metal 4b in the container 1b to be cooled while absorbing hydrogen . consequently , the pressure in the hydrogen absorbing metal container 1a becomes higher than its original pressure of 10 atm and eventually it reaches a predetermined pressure of for example 11 atm , which is higher than the pressure in the tank 17 . on the other hand , the pressure in the hydrogen absorbing metal container 1b lowers below the original pressure in the hydrogen recovery tube 8 and the tank 18 , and eventually reaches a predetermined low pressure of for example 0 . 9 atm . when the pressures reach these predetermined levels as sensed by the pressure sensors 25 , 26 , 27 , and 28 , the three - way switching valves 9a and 9b are switched and at the same time the valves 9c and 9d are opened , connecting the hydrogen absorbing metal container 1a to the hydrogen supply tube 7 and the hydrogen absorbing metal container 1b to the hydrogen recovery tube 8 , so that the hydrogen gas is transported from the hydrogen absorbing metal container 1a to the tank 17 and from the tank 18 to the hydrogen absorbing metal container 1b . as the hydrogen is transported in this manner , the pressure in the container 1a decreases and the pressure in the container 1b increases until the pressures in the tanks 17 and 18 come to equilibrium with each other . the equilibrium pressure will be detected by the use of the pressure sensors 25 , 26 , 27 , and 28 , when the valves 9c and 9d will be closed and at the same time the three - way switching valves 13 are switched so as to connect the heat exchanger 3a to the low - temperature heat source 12 and the heat exchanger 3b to the high - temperature heat source 11 . this results in cooling of the hydrogen absorbing metal 4a in the container 1a and heating of the hydrogen absorbing metal 4b in the container 1b , thereby causing the metals 4a and 4b to absorb and liberate hydrogen , respectively . thus , pressure will becomes higher in the container 1b than in the hydrogen supply tube 7 , while pressure will become lower in the hydrogen absorbing metal container 1a than in the hydrogen recovery tube 8 . when this condition is detected by the pressure sensors 25 , 26 , 27 , and 28 , the valves 9c and 9d are opened , and at the same time the three - way switching valves 9a and 9b are switched again so as to transfer hydrogen from the hydrogen absorbing metal container 1b to the hydrogen tank 17 via the hydrogen supply tube 7 , and from the tank 18 to the hydrogen absorbing metal container 1a via hydrogen recovery tube 8 . because of this hydrogen transport , the pressure in the hydrogen absorbing metal container 1b lowers and the pressure in the hydrogen absorbing metal container 1a rises until the pressures in the tanks 17 and 18 reach an equilibrium . after this equilibrium is reached , the valves 9c and 9d are closed again and the three - way switching valves 13 are switched , and at the same time the heat exchangers 3a and 3b connected to the high - temperature heat source 11 and the low - temperature heat source respectively , coming back to the original state and ready to repeat the cycle described above . thus , the cycle may be repeated in the hydrogen supply unit 1 to transfer hydrogen from the tank 18 to the tank 17 , independently of the operations of the hydrogen utilization units 2a and 2b . operation of the hydrogen utilization units 2a and 2b will be now described . the valves 10c and 10d are closed when respective hydrogen utilization units 2a and 2b are not in use . suppose now that the three - way valves 10a and 10b of the hydrogen utilization units 2a and 2b are appropriately set to connect the containers 2a and 2b to the hydrogen supply tube 7b and hydrogen recovery tube 8b , respectively , but that the valves 10c and 10d of the hydrogen utilization units 2a and 2b are closed . suppose further that in the hydrogen utilization unit 2a the heat exchanger 5a in the container 2a and the heat exchanger 5b in the container 2b are thermally connected to the heating load 14 and the disposed heat source 15 , respectively , via the three - way switiching valves 16 , while in the hydrogen utilization unit 2b the heat exchangers 5a and the 5b are thermally connected via the three - way switiching valves 18 to a heat radiator and the cooling load 22 , respectively . when the hydrogen utilization unit 2a is required to supply heat to the heating load 14 , the valves 10c and 10d are opened , which causes the hydrogen tank 17 to provide the hydrogen absorbing metal 6a in the hydrogen utilization unit 2a with hydrogen . the three - way valves 16 are set to a first mode to connect the heat exchangers 5a and 5b to the heating load 14 and the disposed heat source 15 . absorbing the hydrogen , the metal 6a generates heat , which is transported to the heating load 14 . on the other hand , the hydrogen absorbing metal 6b in the container 2b absorbs thermal energy delivered from the disposed heat source 15 and liberates hydrogen substantially equal in amount to that supplied from the tank 17 to the container 2a . the liberated hydrogen is recovered to the tank 18 . as an example , when a rare - earth metal -- ni alloy is used as the hydrogen absorbing metals 6a and 6b , equilibrium temperature of hydrogen at 10 atm is 100 ° c ., so that the hydrogen in the container 2a may be utilized as a heat source for heating rooms and water . the disposed heat source 15 can be air or water released from a factory , for example , in the range of 40 °- 50 ° c ., which may generate hydrogen at about 1 . 1 atom in the container 2b . this is a first phase of a hydrogen utilization cycle . in this first phase of a cycle an overall operation of the unit 2a is that hydrogen tank 17 supplies hydrogen to the metal 6a in the container 2a , and the metal 6a in turn provides heat to the heating load 14 , while the disposed heat source 15 provides heat to the metal 6b in the 2b and the metal 6b liberates hydrogen to the tank 18 for recovery . in this first phase the temperature of the heat exchanger 5a gradually lowers as the absorption of hydrogen by the metal 6a and and dissociation of hydrogen from 6b diminish . when the temperature of the heat exchanger 5a lowers to a predetermined level as measured by a first thermometer ( not shown ), the three - way switiching valves 16 are switched to start a second temporary phase of the cycle , in which a circulatory heat transfer path is established which connects the heat exchanger 5a , the heating load 14 , the heat exchanger 5b , the disposed heat source 15 , and the heat exchanger 5a in this order . at the same time the three - way valves 10a and 10b are also switched so as to connect the containers 2a and 2b to the hydrogen recovery tube 8a and hydrogen supply tube 7a , respectively . in this second phase , the tank 17 provides hydrogen to the container 2b , which hydrogen is absorbed by the metal 6b , liberating heat . this phase continues until the temperature of the heat exchanger 5b rises above a predetermined level as measured by a second thermometer ( not shown ) provided near the heat exchanger 5b . when the second thermometer detects the rise in temperature , three - way switiching valves 16 are switched again , ending the second phase and entering a third phase of the cycle as described below . duration of the second phase is very short compared with the overall period of the cycle . in the third phase , the heat exchangers 5b and 5a are connected to the heating load 14 and the disposed heat source 15 , respectively . the container 2b is now provided with hydrogen from the hydrogen tank 17 , which hydrogen is absorbed by the metal 6b , generating heat to the heating load 14 . at the same time heat is provided from the disposed heat source 15 to the metal 6a in the container 2a , causing the metal 6a to liberate hydrogen to the tank 18 for recovery . hydrogen thus liberated and absorbed by the metal 6a and 6b , respectively , will gradually diminish , just as in the first phase of the cycle , and hence absorption and generation of heat by the metals 6a and 6b will gradually diminish . when the second thermometer detects a predetermined rise in temperature of the heat exchanger 5b , the three - way switiching valves 16 are switched so as to end the third phase and start a fourth phase , in which a circulatory heat transfer path is established , connecting the heat exchanger 5b , the heating load 14 , the heat exchanger 5a , the disposed heat source 15 in the order described , and connecting the disposed heat source 15 back to the heat exchanger 5a . at the same time the three - way valves 10a and 10b are also switched to allow the containers 2a and 2b to be connected again to the tubes 7a and 8a , respectively . as a result of this switching , hydrogen is supplied from the hydrogen tank 17 to the hydrogen absorbing metal 6a in the container 2a , which in turn liberates heat . this phase continues until the first thermometer detects a predetermined rise in temperature of the heat exchangers 5a , when the switching valves 16 are switched to connect the heat exchanger 5a to the heating load 14 and the heat exchanger 5b to the disposed heat source 15 again . this completes the cycle , bringing the system back to its original condition . briefly restated , during provision of heat to the heating load 14 by the hydrogen utilization unit 2a , the hydrogen tank 17 selectively provides hydrogen to one of the containers 2a and 2b , extracting heat from the metal in that container and delivering the heat therefrom to the heating load 14 while recovering the hydrogen liberated from the other one of the containers 2a and 2b to the tank 18 . similarly , in the hydrogen utilization unit 2b , when the system must supply negative heat to the cooling load 22 ( i . e . cool the radiator in the unit 22 ), the valves 10c and 10d are opened . the three - way valves 10a , 10b , and 16 are controlled in response to the signals received from thermometers measuring the temperature of the heat exchangers 5a and 5b , respectively . the tank 17 selectively provides hydrogen to one of the metals in the containers 2aand 2b , while hydrogen is liberated from the other metal , absorbing heat from the heat exchanger in the container , which in turn absorbs heat from the cooling unit 22 . as an example , when the hydrogen in the tank 17 has a pressure of 10 atm , the metals 6a and 6b are a rare - earth metal -- ni alloy , and the cooling water has a temperature between 20 ° and 30 ° c ., the temperature of the hydrogen , and hence the heat exchanger for that gas , would be between 0 ° and - 10 ° c . if it is liberated at a pressure a little higher than 1 atm . as described above , the hydrogen supply unit 1 and the hydrogen utilization units 2 may operate in cooperation with the tanks 17 and 18 , compensating for a pressure drop in the tank 17 . it should be noted that the unit 1 may operate independently of hydrogen utilization units 2 . in the hydrogen utilization units 2 hydrogen is always supplied from the tank 17 and recovered to the tank 18 via the hydrogen utilization units 2 , repeatedly providing positive heat to the heating load 14 and negative heat to the heat radiator 23 . it should be also noted that each of the hydrogen supply unit 1 and the utilization units 2 may be operated independently , i . e . without being synchronized with each other , by means of a simple control system such as three - way valves , thermometers , pressure gauges , and a controller ( not shown ). this is a great benefit obtained by the invention . although tanks 17 and 18 are assumed to be sufficiently large in the foregoing example , they may be eliminated if the hydrogen supply tube and the hydrogen recovery tube have sufficiently large capacities . also , a preferred example is shown for a case in which hydrogen utilization units are controlled based on the temperatures of the heat transport media as measured by the thermometers provided for the heat exchangers . however , the invention may be alternatively controlled by measuring the pressure difference between the containers and the hydrogen transport tubes . such pressure - based control may be carried out as follows . suppose , for example , that in the hydrogen utilization unit 2a the heating load 14 and the disposed heat source 15 are connected to the heat exchangers 5a of containers 2a and the heat exchangers 5b of the containers 2b , respectively , via three - way switching valves 16 and that the containers 2a and 2b are connected to the hydrogen supply tube 7a and the hydrogen recovery tube 8a , respectively , and further that the valves 10c and 10d are closed . in this mode of connection , when heat is to be supplied to the heating load 14 , the valves 10c and 10d are opened , allowing the tank 17 to supply hydrogen to the hydrogen absorbing metal 6a in the container 2a . then the heat is generated by the hydrogen absorbing metal 6a , which heat is transported by the heat transport path connected to the heating load 14 . at the same time heat is transported to the heat exchanger 5b of the container 2b from the disposed heat source 15 via the three - way switching valves 16 , liberating hydrogen from the metal 6b to the tank 18 via the three - way valves lob and the hydrogen recovery tube 8a . as the absorption and the dissociation of the hydrogen by the metals 6a and 6b , respectively , gradually lowers and the pressures in the containers 2a and 2b approach the pressures in the hydrogen tanks 17 and 18 , respectively . the pressure differences between the container 2a and the hydrogen tank 17 and between the container 2b and the tank 18 may be measured by a set of pressure gauges connected between the containers 2a and 2b and the three - way valves 10a and another set of pressure gauges connected between the three - way valves 10b and 10c and the tanks 17 and 18 . when the pressure differences fall within predetermined ranges , the three - way valves 10a and 10b as well as the three - way switiching valves 16 are switched to connect the containers 2b and 2a to the hydrogen tanks 17 and 18 , respectively . this connection establishes a circulatory heat transfer path which connects the heat exchanger 5a of the container 2a , the heating load 14 , the heat exchangers 5 b , the heating load 14 , and the disposed heat source 15 , in the order described . thereafter , the heat exchanger 5a is connected to the disposed heat source 15 , and the heat exchanger 5b to the heat load 14 . thus , the hydrogen utilization unit 2a may be repeatedly operated as an independent unit for generating heat to the heating load 14 by monitoring the pressures in the containers 2a and 2b as well as in the hydrogen tanks 17 and 18 , while flowing hydrogen from the tank 17 to the tank 18 . it should be clear that the hydrogen utilization unit 2b may be operated in the same way as the unit 2a , but now functioning as an independent unit for removing heat from the cooling load 22 by monitoring the hydrogen pressures in the containers 2a and 2b of the unit 2b and in the hydrogen tanks 17 and 18 . | 8 |
fig1 illustrates a bicycle 10 that includes a front wheel 15 , a rear wheel 20 , a frame 25 , and a steering assembly 30 . the frame 25 includes a top tube 35 , a head tube 40 , a down tube 45 , a seat tube 50 , seatstays 55 , and chainstays 60 . a bicycle seat assembly 65 is supported by the frame 25 and provides a surface 70 upon which a rider sits while riding the bicycle 10 . referring to fig1 - 3 , the seat assembly includes a bicycle seat 75 that is supported by a seat support 80 . the illustrated bicycle seat 75 has a contoured shell 85 ( e . g ., an injected plastic base ) defining the surface 70 for supporting the rider , and a mount that has two lower rails 90 that can be secured to the seat support 80 . each rail 90 extends between a front portion 95 of the shell 85 and a rear portion 100 of the shell 85 , and is attached to the respective front and rear portions 95 , 100 within rail supports 105 disposed on the underside of the seat 75 . the rail support 105 near the front of the seat 75 defines a pocket 110 for supporting both rails 90 near the front portion 95 , and each of the two rail supports 105 near the rear of the seat 75 defines a pocket 115 for supporting one of the rails 90 near the rear portion 100 . fig2 - 8 illustrate the seat assembly 65 without the lower rails 90 . the shell 85 includes a flexible portion 120 located between the front and rear portions 95 , 100 of the seat 75 , and compression members 125 disposed along the underside of the shell 85 . as illustrated , the seat 75 has an interior opening 130 located near the center of the shell 85 and bordered by the flexible portion 120 to accommodate the anatomy of a rider , although the seat 75 can be provided without the opening 130 . also , a seat cover ( not shown ) can be wrapped around the shell 85 . the compression members 125 are disposed along and extend downward from the underside of the shell 85 . the illustrated compression members 125 are integrally formed with the shell 85 , although the compression members 125 can be provided on the seat 75 as separate elements that are attached to the shell 85 . with reference to fig3 , 5 , and 6 , the shell 85 has four compression members 125 located around the perimeter of the interior opening 130 and engaged with or coupled to the flexible portion 120 . two compression members 125 are located near the forward end of the opening 130 and spaced laterally apart from each other , and two additional compression members 125 are located near the rearward end of the opening 130 and spaced laterally apart from each other . as illustrated , each compression member 125 takes the form of a protruding tab that has a concavity or notch 135 . in some cases , elongated ribs or bars ( not shown ) can be coupled between the two longitudinally - arranged compression members 125 so that the elongated ribs are positioned along the flexible portion 120 . for example , the seat 75 can include laterally opposed elongated ribs that are integrally formed with and extend outward from the underside of the shell 85 , or elongated ribs that are separately attached to the shell 85 via the compression members 125 . furthermore , the compression members 125 can take on other forms without deviating from the scope of the invention . the seat 75 also has a front anchor point 145 located on the front portion 95 and a rear anchor point 150 located on the rear portion 100 . in some constructions , one or both of the front anchor point 145 and the rear anchor point 150 can be supported by the rails 90 . the front anchor point 145 is located generally rearward of the forwardly - located rail support 105 , and is defined by a post 155 that extends outward from an underside of the shell 85 . the post 155 can be fastened ( bolted , riveted , etc .) to the shell 85 , molded into or with the shell 85 , or secured to the underside of the shell 85 in other ways . with reference to fig5 , 7 , and 8 , the front anchor point 145 has an annular channel 160 located inward from a distal end of the post 155 . fig2 - 5 show that the rear anchor point 150 is located between and forward of the rearwardly - located rail supports 105 . the rear anchor point 150 has a wall 165 defining a recessed cavity 170 and an aperture 175 at the bottom of the cavity 170 . the illustrated wall 165 defines a substantially cylindrical cavity 170 ( i . e ., substantially circular when viewed from above ), although the cavity 170 can have other shapes ( e . g ., polygonal , elliptical , etc .) the rear anchor point 150 also has notches or passageways 180 disposed in the wall 165 , although the rear anchor point 150 can be provided without the passageways 180 . also , it should be understood that the front and rear anchor points 145 , 150 can be defined by any suitable attachment points on the shell 85 that accommodate a seat tension apparatus that selectively stiffens or relaxes the flexible portion 120 . with reference to fig2 - 8 , an exemplary seat tension apparatus 185 is coupled to the front and rear anchor points 145 , 150 . the seat tension apparatus 185 has a tensioned element 190 that extends between the front and rear anchor points 145 , 150 , and that is adjustable using an adjustment mechanism such as an adjustment dial 195 ( see fig2 - 8 ). the illustrated tensioned element 190 is a flexible element such as a cable or wire , although other tensioned elements can be used to support the flexible portion 120 . as shown in fig3 and 5 - 8 , the tensioned element wraps around and is supported on the front anchor point 145 in the annular channel 160 . as illustrated , a fastener 200 is attached to the post 155 to secure a washer 205 to the front anchor point 145 so that the tensioned element 190 remains engaged with the post 155 even if the tensioned element 190 is removed from the channel 160 ( e . g ., due to slack ). alternatively , the front anchor point 145 can be formed with a flange or other device to keep the tensioned element 190 from falling off the post 155 . furthermore , the tensioned element 190 can be coupled to the shell 85 in other ways while still being capable of stiffening and relaxing the flexible portion 120 . for example , the tensioned element 190 can be arranged along the underside of the shell 85 so that the tensioned element 190 makes more than two passes under the flexible portion 120 . in these arrangements , the tensioned element can be supported by anchor points ( e . g ., anchor points 145 , 150 ) on each end and can wrap around or otherwise engage structure on the shell 85 between the anchor points . other arrangements of the tensioned element 190 along the underside of the shell 85 relative to the flexible portion 120 are also possible and considered herein . the illustrated tensioned element 190 has opposed ends 210 that are coupled to the adjustment dial 195 and a looped support portion 215 that is located between the ends 210 and engaged with the compression members 125 to support the flexible portion 120 between the front anchor point 145 and the rear anchor point 150 . the support portion 215 extends forward from the rear anchor point 150 through the passageways 180 , and the compression members 125 are positioned between the support portion 215 and the flexible portion 120 to form a column or pillar that is acted upon by the tensioned element 190 to stiffen or relax the flexible portion 120 based on the tension applied to the tensioned element 190 . in other arrangements , the tensioned element 190 can include the compression members 125 , or the tensioned element can be engaged with the flexible portion 120 in other ways ( e . g ., without the compression members 125 ). with reference to fig4 and 5 , the adjustment dial 195 has a housing or base 220 and a cap 225 that is rotatably coupled to the base 220 to permit adjustment of the tension on the tensioned element 190 . the base 220 is disposed in the recessed cavity 170 and protrudes through the aperture 175 . a flanged portion 230 supports the base 220 within the cavity 170 . the ends 210 of the tensioned element 190 extend through access openings 235 in the base 220 and are secured to a ratchet or other tension mechanism ( not shown ) that is housed in the base 220 . a cover ( not shown ) can be placed over the base 220 or to enclose the dial 195 within the cavity 170 ( e . g ., to protect the dial 195 from the environment ). as illustrated , the cap 225 has detents 240 that assist with rotating the cap 225 relative to the base 220 . one such tension apparatus 185 is described and illustrated in detail in u . s . pat . no . 8 , 091 , 182 , assigned to boa technology , inc . with its principal place of business in steamboat springs , colorado , and which is incorporated herein by reference . the illustrated adjustment dial 195 of the tension apparatus 185 rotates in one direction ( e . g ., clockwise ) to apply tension the tensioned element 190 , and rotates in another direction ( e . g ., counter - clockwise ) to decrease tension on the tensioned element 190 . in some constructions of the tension apparatus 185 , the adjustment dial 195 can rotate ( either clockwise or counter - clockwise ) to apply or increase tension on the tensioned element 190 , and can include a pushbutton ( e . g ., a momentary pushbutton or a maintained pushbutton ) or another mechanism that is releasable ( e . g ., movable inward and outward or vertically relative to the base 220 ) to decrease or release tension on the tensioned element 190 . another adjustment mechanism can include devices that twist , turn , push , pull , ratchet , and / or screw , etc ., to increase or decrease the tension on the tensioned element 190 . although only one construction of the tension apparatus 185 is illustrated and only a few examples of tension apparatus are described herein , it will be appreciated that there are several other tension apparatus that can be used to adjust tension on the tensioned element 190 . moreover , other types of tension apparatus can be utilized to stiffen and relax the flexible portion 120 of the shell 85 . one such tension apparatus can include a lever actuator with a lever that is movable in one direction to increase tension to the tensioned element 190 , and that is movable in another direction to release tension on the tensioned element 190 . another tension apparatus can include a cam actuator that increase and decrease tension on the tensioned element 190 . yet another tension apparatus can include screw or fastener mechanisms that increase and decrease tension on the tensioned element 190 . still another tension apparatus can include a ratchet mechanism that increases and decrease tensions on the tensioned element 190 . also , certain features of the tension apparatus described herein can be combined to form still other types of tension apparatus ( e . g ., a lever - cam tension apparatus , a lever - ratchet apparatus , etc .). other tension apparatus and / or adjustment mechanisms that stiffen and relax the flexible portion 120 are also possible and considered herein . the illustrated adjustment dial 195 is located at the rear anchor point 150 , although the adjustment dial 195 ( or another adjustment mechanism ) can be located anywhere along the underside of the shell 85 and in communication with the tensioned element 190 ( e . g ., at the front anchor point 145 , between the front and rear anchor points 145 , 150 , along the side of the shell 85 , etc .). with reference to fig3 , 5 , and 6 , the tensioned element 190 extends continuously from the base 220 generally forward from the rear anchor point 150 longitudinally along the flexible portion 120 , wraps around the front anchor point 145 , and then extends rearward longitudinally along the flexible portion 120 back to the rear anchor point 150 and the adjustment dial 195 . more specifically , the tensioned element 190 extends through one passageway 180 in the rear anchor point 150 , extends along one part of the flexible portion 120 , wraps around the post 155 , extends along another part of the flexible portion 120 , and then through the other passageway 180 to the rear anchor point 150 . as illustrated , the support portion 215 is engaged with ( e . g ., nested in or rested upon ) the compression members 125 under the flexible portion 125 . the illustrated tension apparatus 185 is assembled onto the seat 75 by orienting the looped tensioned element 190 relative to the rear anchor point 150 so that the support portion 215 extends through the passageways 180 . the dial 195 is then placed in the cavity 170 so that the base 220 protrudes through the aperture 175 . the support portion 215 is then engaged with the compression members and is routed around the post 155 within the channel 160 . the fastener 200 and flange 205 , when used , can be attached to the post 155 before or after the tensioned element 190 is wrapped around the post 155 . also , the cap 225 can be attached to the base 220 before or after the tensioned element is routed around the front anchor point . fig7 illustrates the tension apparatus 185 in a non - tensioned state , whereas fig8 illustrates the tension apparatus 185 in a tensioned state . the stiffness of the flexible portion 120 can be adjusted by changing the tension on the tensioned element 190 using the adjustment dial 195 . with reference to fig6 - 8 , when the adjustment dial 195 is rotated in one direction ( e . g ., clockwise as denoted by arrow 245 in fig6 ), the tension on the tensioned element 190 increases to provide more support to the flexible portion 120 . more specifically , increasing tension on the tensioned element 190 increases the force of the support portion 215 acting on the compression members 125 , which in turn increases the pressure or force acting on the flexible portion 120 through the compression members 125 so that the flexible portion 120 becomes more rigid or taut . that is , clockwise rotation of the illustrated adjustment dial 195 stiffens the flexible portion 120 so that the seat 75 provides more support for the rider . when the adjustment dial 195 is rotated in the other direction ( e . g ., counter - clockwise as denoted by arrow 250 in fig6 ), tension on the tensioned element 190 decreases , which in turn provides less support to the flexible portion 120 . more specifically , decreasing the tension on the tensioned element 190 reduces the force of the support portion 215 acting on the compression members 125 , which in turn decreases the pressure or force acting on the flexible portion 120 through the compression members 125 so that the flexible portion 120 becomes less taut . that is , counter - clockwise rotation of the illustrated adjustment dial 195 softens the feel of the flexible portion 120 so that the seat 75 provides less support for the rider . as described , the tension in the tensioned element 190 can be incrementally or continuously adjusted using the adjustment dial 195 to increase or decrease the firmness or stiffness ( i . e ., support ) provided by the tensioned element 190 to the flexible portion 120 to provide a desired seat stiffness for the rider . the tensioned element 190 reinforces the flexible portion 120 based on the degree of tension applied to the tensioned element 190 so that the ride characteristics and feel of the seat 75 can be customized to suit different riders . more specifically , the flex of the flexible portion 120 can be tuned using the seat tension apparatus so that the seat 75 can have the same relative stiffness for riders of different weights . also , the tension apparatus 185 is arranged on the seat 75 so that a user can engage the cap 225 and adjust seat stiffness before or during a ride . while a rider may prefer a relatively stiff seat 75 for short rides and a relatively soft seat 75 for longer rides , the rider can adjust the stiffness of the seat 75 dynamically during a ride simply by rotating the cap 225 in the appropriate direction . further , a rider can customize the seat stiffness using the seat tension apparatus 185 based on whether the rider is in an early training phase or late training phase . various features and advantages of the invention are set forth in the following claims . | 1 |
in the following , the preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail by reference to the attached drawings . in fig1 , a reference numeral 1 designates a photodiode for outputting a current proportional to a photoelectric current ; a reference numeral 2 designates an operational amplifier ( hereinafter referred to as an op amp ) having a cmos structure ; and a reference numeral 3 designates an npn transistor . the collector terminal of the npn transistor 3 is connected to a power source , and the base terminal and the emitter terminal thereof are respectively connected to the output terminal and one input terminal of the op amp 2 . the base terminal and the emitter terminal constitute a feedback loop . in addition , reference numerals 4 and 6 designate a reference input terminal and an output terminal , respectively . the collector terminal of the bipolar transistor 3 is connected to a substrate in a semiconductor substrate . because the electric potential of the substrate is the voltage of the power source , the collector terminal of the npn transistor is fixed to the voltage of the power source . the base terminal and the emitter terminal constitute a p - n junction . the cathode terminal of the photodiode 1 is connected to a negative input terminal of the op amp 2 . the voltage of this terminal is the voltage of the reference input terminal 4 owing to the imaginary short between the terminals . the voltage of the reference input terminal 4 is referred to hereinafter as vc . the photodiode is reversely biased when a voltage equal to or less than the voltage vc is applied to the anode terminal of the photodiode 1 . when light enters the photodiode 1 , a photoelectric current ip proportional to the entered light flows through the photodiode 1 . the photoelectric current ip is supplied from the output terminal of the op amp 2 to flow to a constant voltage input terminal 5 through the p - n junction of the bipolar transistor 3 and the photodiode 1 in order . in this case , supposing that the voltage at the reference input terminal 4 is vc and the voltage of the output terminal of the op amp 2 is v 1 , the voltage v 1 can be expressed : that is , the op amp 2 outputs the output proportional to the logarithm of the quantity of the entered light ( the photoelectric current ip ) even if the collector terminal of the npn transistor 3 is connected to the substrate to fix the voltage of the collector to the voltage of the power supply . consequently , an input / output characteristic having a wide dynamic range can be obtained . here , the reference character is designates the reverse direction saturation current of the p - n junction of the transistor 3 . fig8 is a sectional view showing the structure of a cross section of the bipolar transistor 3 in the present embodiment . in the figure , the same components as those shown in fig9 are designated by the same reference numerals as those in fig9 , and their descriptions are omitted . a reference numeral 67 designates an n - type semiconductor substrate , which is electrically connected with an n - type diffusion layer 66 for taking out the collector region . generally , the n - type semiconductor substrate is used as a terminal of the power voltage . that is , the collector terminal of the npn transistor , which is structured in the way shown in fig8 and has a collector region 67 , a base region 63 and an emitter region 64 , is connected with the voltage of the power supply . the present embodiment is characterized in that the collector of the bipolar transistor 3 is made in common with the semiconductor substrate 67 . thereby , the number of masks in the manufacturing process of a semiconductor can be decreased and the simplification of the process is realized . according to the present embodiment , a logarithmically compressing output type photoelectric conversion apparatus capable of simplifying the manufacturing process thereof can be realized . in addition , because the photoelectric conversion apparatus has a good matching property with the cmos manufacturing process , it is also possible to realize the integration of various peripheral circuits onto a chip . fig5 is a diagram showing the most basic equivalent circuit of the circuit of the present embodiment provided by means of the cmos manufacturing process . in the figure , the components same as those in fig1 are designated by the same reference numerals in fig1 , and their descriptions are omitted . reference numerals 71 , 72 and 78 designates an n - channel metal oxide semiconductor ( nmos ) transistor severally ; reference numerals 73 , 74 , 75 , 76 and 77 designate a p - channel metal oxide semiconductor ( pmos ) transistor severally ; a reference numeral 79 designates a capacitor ; and a reference numeral 80 designates a constant current source . the embodiment uses the npn transistor 3 for logarithmic compression conversion , whose collector terminal is connected to the power supply , and the op amp 2 is composed of the nmos transistors 71 , 72 and 78 , the pmos transistors 73 – 77 and the capacitor 79 , all capable of being produced by means of the cmos manufacturing process . consequently , it is possible to simplify the manufacturing process , and it is also possible to realize the integration of various peripheral circuits onto a chip . fig2 shows a schematic circuit diagram of an photoelectric conversion apparatus of a second embodiment according to the present invention . in the figure , the same components as those in fig1 are designated by the same reference numerals , and their descriptions are omitted . the intermediate voltage v 1 can be expressed similarly to embodiment 1 . the circuit composed of resistors 21 and 22 and an op amp 24 is an inversion amplifying circuit . supposing that the resistance values of the resistors 21 and 22 are respectively r 1 and r 2 , an intermediate voltage v 2 of the op amp 24 is expressed as follows . v 2 =( r 1 / r 2 )×( vc − v 1 )+ vc supposing that r 1 = r 2 , and by putting the expression 1 in the place of v 1 , the following expression can be obtained . v 2 = vc − ( qt / k )× ln ( ip / is ) expression 3 moreover , a circuit comprising an npn transistor 26 , an op amp 25 , a constant current source 28 and an output terminal 27 is a circuit for compensating the dispersion of the reverse direction saturation current is of the p - n junction of the transistor 3 . supposing that the voltage of the output terminal 27 is designated by a reference character vout and the current flowing to the constant current source 28 is designated by a reference character iref , the following expression can be obtained . by putting the expression 3 in the place of v 2 , and by supposing that the characteristics of the two bipolar transistors 3 and 26 are the same , the following expression can be obtained . vout = ( qt / k )× ln ( iref / is )−(( qt / k )× ln ( ip / is )+ vc )= vc − ( qt / k )× ln ( ip / iref ) expression 4 consequently , the output voltage vout , which does not depend on the reverse direction saturation current is of the p - n junction of the transistor 3 , can be obtained . in the present embodiment , the polarity of the output of the photoelectric conversion section is inverted by the inverting amplifier having the gain of minus one times . after that , the reverse direction saturation current is of the bipolar transistor 3 is compensated . consequently , it is possible to compensate the reverse direction saturation current is similarly in the related art even in the case of using the npn transistor 3 having the collector terminal connected to the power supply . that is , it is possible to perform the same compensation as that in the related art even in the simplified manufacturing process . fig3 shows a schematic circuit diagram of an photoelectric conversion apparatus of a third embodiment according to the present invention . in the figure , a reference numeral 14 designates a photodiode for outputting a current proportional to corresponding to incident light ; a reference numeral 13 designates an operational amplifier ( op amp ); and a reference numeral 11 designates a pnp transistor . the collector terminal of the pnp transistor 11 is connected with the ground . the emitter terminal and the base terminal of the pnp transistor 11 are respectively connected to a negative input terminal and the output terminal of the op amp 13 . the base terminal and the emitter terminal constitute a feedback loop . in addition , reference numerals 15 and 16 designate a constant voltage input terminal and a reference input terminal , respectively . a reference numeral 12 designates an output terminal . the collector terminal of the pnp transistor 11 is connected to a substrate in a semiconductor substrate . because the electric potential of the substrate is the voltage of the power source , the collector terminal of the pnp transistor is fixed to the ground level . the base terminal and the collector terminal constitute an n - p junction . the anode terminal of the photodiode 14 is connected to the negative input terminal of the op amp 13 . the voltage of this terminal is the voltage of the reference input terminal 16 owing to the imaginary short between the terminals . the voltage of the reference input terminal 16 is referred to hereinafter as vc . the photodiode is reversely biased when a voltage equal to or less than the voltage vc is applied to the cathode terminal of the photodiode 14 . when light enters the photodiode 14 , a photoelectric current ip proportional to the entered light flows through the photodiode 14 . the photoelectric current ip is supplied to the output terminal 12 of the op amp 13 through the p - n junction of the pnp transistor 11 . in this case , supposing that the voltage at the reference input terminal 16 is vc and the voltage of the output terminal 12 of the op amp 13 is v 1 , the voltage v 1 can be expressed : that is , the op amp 13 outputs the output proportional to the logarithm of the quantity of the entered light ( the photoelectric current ip ) even if the collector terminal of the pnp transistor 11 is connected to the substrate to fix the voltage of the collector to the ground level . consequently , an input / output characteristic having a wide dynamic range can be obtained . here , the reference character is designates the reverse direction saturation current of the p - n junction of the transistor 11 . according to the present embodiment , a logarithmically compressing output type photoelectric conversion apparatus capable of simplifying the manufacturing process thereof can be realized . in addition , because the photoelectric conversion apparatus has a good matching property with the cmos manufacturing process , it is also possible to realize the integration of various peripheral circuits onto a chip . in addition , it is needless to say that an output which does not depend on the reverse direction saturation current is of the p - n junction of the transistor 11 can be obtained also in the present embodiment as well as in the embodiment 2 by adding an inversion amplifying circuit and a circuit for compensating the dispersion of the reverse direction saturation current is as shown in fig4 . a solid - state image pickup device for distance measurement and photometry equipped with one of the photometry circuit blocks described in connection with the embodiments 1 to 3 will be described . fig6 is a conceptual block diagram of a solid - state image pickup apparatus for distance measurement and photometry equipped with one of the photometry circuit blocks described in connection with the embodiments 1 – 3 . an automatic focusing ( af ) circuit block 101 is composed of seven pairs of linear sensors for automatic focusing in which automatic focusing is performed at seven positions . the automatic focusing can be implemented in a triangular distance measuring method by the use of two linear sensors . an automatic exposure ( ae ) circuit 103 is composed of sixteen logarithmic compression type ae sensors , an inversion amplification circuit , an is correction circuit and a signal amplification circuit . the ae circuit 103 enables fine exposure control by dividing an image pickup area into sixteen blocks . an analog block 105 is composed of an automatic gain control ( agc ) circuit for controlling the accumulation time of the automatic focusing sensors , a band gap circuit for generating a reference voltage , a power supply circuit for generating intermediate voltages such as vres , vgr and the like necessary for the sensor circuits , a signal amplification circuit for amplifying a signal to be output to the outside , and a thermometer circuit for observing the temperature of a substrate . a digital block 106 is composed of a timing generation ( tg ) circuit for driving the sensors , an input / output ( i / o ) circuit for performing communication with microcomputers on the outside , and a multiplexer ( mpx ) for selecting each signal to output it to the outside . because the present embodiment can provide logarithmic compression type ae output constructed with npn transistors and cmos type op amps , a solid - state image pickup apparatus for distance measurement having a photometric function with a high performance at low costs can be realized . although the af sensors are preferably cmos sensors produced in accordance with the cmos process , similar advantages can be also obtained by the use of basis &# 39 ; s , silicon intensified targets ( sit &# 39 ; s ), ami &# 39 ; s , cmd &# 39 ; s , charge coupled devices ( ccd &# 39 ; s ), or the like . an image pickup apparatus equipped with the solid - state image pickup device of the embodiment 4 will be described . fig7 is a block diagram showing a lens shutter digital compact camera ( image pickup apparatus ) of an embodiment . in fig7 , a reference numeral 201 designate a barrier used as both of a protector of a lens and a main switch ; a reference numeral 202 designates the lens for imaging an optical image of an object on a solid - state image pickup device ; a reference numeral 203 designates an iris for varying the quantity of the light which has passed through the lens 202 ; and a reference numeral 204 designates the solid - state image pickup device for picking up an object image formed through the lens 202 as an image signal . moreover , a reference numeral 205 designates the solid - state image pickup device for photometry and distance measurement described in connection with the above - mentioned embodiment 4 . hereupon , a reference numeral 205 a designates an af circuit block for performing image formation of light onto the af circuit block ; and a reference numeral 205 b designates an ae condenser lens for condensing light onto the photometry circuit block . a reference numeral 207 designates an analog / digital ( a / d ) converter for performing the analog / digital conversion of an image signal , a photometry signal , a distance measurement signal output from the solid - state image pickup devices 204 and 205 ; a reference numeral 208 designates a signal processing unit for performing various data correction and compression of the image data output from the a / d converter 207 ; a reference numeral 209 designates a timing generation unit for outputting various timing signals to the solid - state image pickup device 204 , an image pickup signal processing circuit 206 , the a / d converter 207 , the signal processing unit 208 , and the like ; a reference numeral 210 designates a system control and operation unit for controlling various operations and the camera system ; and a reference numeral 211 designates a memory unit for storing image data temporarily . furthermore , a reference numeral 212 designates an interface unit for performing recording to or reading from a recording medium ; a reference numeral 213 designates the detachable recording medium such as a semiconductor memory and the like for the use of the recording or the reading of image data ; and a reference numeral 214 designates an interface unit for communicating with an external computer and the like . next , the operation of the lens shutter digital compact camera described above at the time of photographing will be described . when the barrier 201 is opened , a main power supply is turned on . successively , the power supply of control systems and the power supply of image pickup system circuits such as the a / d converter 207 and the like are turned on in order . the system control and operation unit 210 performs the calculation of the distance to the object in accordance with the triangular distance measuring method on the basis of signals output from the af circuit block of the solid - state image pickup device 205 . after that , the feed quantity of the lens 202 is calculated , and the lens 202 is driven to a predetermined position to obtain in - focus state . next , in order to control exposure amount , a signal output from the ae sensor of the solid - state image pickup device 205 is converted by the a / d converter 207 , and then the converted signal is input into the signal processing unit 208 . then , the system control and operation unit 210 executes the operation of exposure on the basis of the input data . the system control and operation unit 210 judgers brightness on the result of the photometry , and adjust the iris 203 and a shutter speed according to the result of the judgment of brightness . subsequently , after the conditions of exposure are arranged , real exposure of the solid state image pickup device 204 begins . after the real exposure is completed , an image signal is output from the solid - state image pickup device 204 . the output image signal is converted to a digital signal by the a / d converter 207 , and then the converted digital signal is written in the memory unit 211 by the system control and operation unit 210 through the signal processing unit 208 . after that , the data stored in the memory unit 211 is recorded in the detachable recording medium 213 under the control of the system control and operation unit 210 through the recording medium control i / f unit 212 . moreover , the data can be input into a computer or the like through the external i / f unit 214 . incidentally , the solid - state image pickup device for photometry and distance measurement 205 of the present embodiment is applicable to a film - based camera and the like as well as the digital compact camera . many widely 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 the specification , except as defined in the appended claims . | 7 |
in a presently preferred embodiment of the invention , the prior practice of a b / d acting as a portal between an mmf and institutional investors is redesigned so that the client gets a higher yield than they are now receiving and the diversification and convenience that the client desires . in sum , this could be accomplished by establishing a new b / d to act as a portal for institutional mmf . it is to be understood that the portal may also be a fund company , bank , or the like . the b / d would contract with a large existing institutional mmf or a large retail fund that has slightly outperformed ( for example , by three to six basis points ) the bulk of the market share leading institutional mmf . the fee to be paid to the b / d from the mmf , under these circumstances , would be usually from three to five basis points . the b / d would then contract with the lower yielding funds in the same category on a similar basis . the b / d would then derive its income from only the higher yielding fund (“ the anchor fund ”), and the b / d would then pass along the fees received from the lagging funds in order to give the client a subsidized return or “ enhanced yield ”. referring to fig1 a diagram illustrating how the enhanced yield is provided to the client is shown . particularly , the client provides principal to the b / d 12 . the b / d 12 then places that principal among several mmf , including an anchor fund and several lagging funds . for brevity , only one mmf 14 ( a lagging fund ) is shown in fig1 . the mmf 14 then credits a yield back to the b / d 12 , based on the principal , in the well - known manner . according to a distribution contract or administrative services agreement previously entered by the b / d 12 and the mmf 14 , the mmf 14 credits a fee ( for example , five basis points ) to the b / d 12 . instead of retaining the entire fee on its own account , the b / d 12 adds at least a portion of the fee ( for example , three basis points ) to the yield that the b / d 12 had received from the mmf 14 based on the principal . the b / d 12 then conveys an enhanced yield (“ yield + ”) to the client 10 . preferably , this yield + will be equal to the standard yield produced by the higher performing anchor fund , in which the client 10 has placed another portion of its principal through the b / d 12 . in the case of the anchor fund , the fee received from the anchor fund would not be passed on from the b / d 12 to the client 10 , so that the b / d 12 may realize revenue on its own account . it should be noted that a client &# 39 ; s anchor fund may be periodically changed by the b / d , to take advantage of aberrations in outperformance of a given fund on a given day . again , only one mmf 14 and one client 10 is shown in fig1 for clarity . however , it will be understood that when operating the current system and method of the present invention , there will be numerous clients passing principal to the b / d 12 . the b / d 12 would , in turn , be placing that principal with not just one mmf 14 , but rather an anchor fund and several ( for example , 10 - 20 ) mmf 14 , which other funds might be called “ lagging funds ”. referring to fig2 a chart may be used to further illustrate the present invention . in the example of fig2 there are only four mmf 14 . the anchor fund , janus ®, outperforms the remaining mmf 14 by two to four basis points . this is detailed in the second column 16 in fig2 . this example also assumes that each fund pays the b / d 12 a distribution or administrative fee equal to five basis points . therefore , when the system and method according to the present invention is in place , janus ®, the anchor fund , produces a yield of 1 . 23 % to the client . this is then the benchmark yield for this particular grouping of mmf . the yield produced by the anchor fund , janus ®, is passed through the b / d 12 to the client 10 , with no enhancement . thus , the b / d 12 retains five basis points as a distribution fee , as set forth in the last column 18 of fig2 . moving down one line in fig2 the goldman sachs ® fund produces a yield of 1 . 19 % and is under contract to the b / d 12 to pay a distribution fee of five basis points . thus , in order to boost the yield of the goldman sachs ® fund so that it matches the benchmark anchor fund , janus ®, the b / d 12 contributes four of its five basis points and passes this directly along to the client 10 . thus , the goldman sachs ® fund produces , by means of the invention , an enhanced yield of 1 . 23 % to the client 10 . this is listed in the third column 20 of fig2 . as indicated in the last column 18 in fig2 the b / d 12 retains one basis point as its distribution fee respecting the goldman sachs ® fund . moving down yet another line in fig2 the merrill lynch ® fund produces a yield of 1 . 18 %. therefore , in order to boost the yield of this fund to equal janus ®, the b / d 12 contributes all five of its basis points and passes these along to the client 10 so that the client realizes a 1 . 23 % yield from the merrill lynch ® fund , as set forth in column 20 . in this case , the b / d 12 retains no portion of its distribution fee , as set forth in column 18 . similar logic applies to treatment of the federated ® fund , according to the invention , as set forth in the bottom line of the chart in fig2 . it is preferred that the b / d 12 not go into its own pocket to raise the yield on a given lagging fund to equal that of the benchmark fund . thus , in the last example , if merrill lynch was only yielding 1 . 17 %, then the b / d 12 would contribute 5 basis points to raise the yield to 1 . 22 %, one point short of the benchmark 1 . 23 % yield of janus . referring to fig3 a flow chart for illustrating the major steps in creating and implementing a system according to the present invention is shown . first , after the b / d is set - up , it must identify a category , as shown in block 22 . for example , the category might be all aaa rated mmf , mmf over $ 5 b in size , tax free mmf , treasury funds , government funds , commercial paper , etc . block 24 shows the next step , i . e ., identifying a yield leader in the fund category . the yield leader , or anchor fund , must be willing to give the b / d a contract to place customers ( and to rollover existing customers ) into the anchor fund . the anchor fund must typically have a strong name , such as smith barney ® or prudential ® or janus ®, they must have a high level of credibility in the market , and they must already have billions of dollars placed in their funds . importantly , the ideal anchor fund will produce a yield of roughly two to five basis points higher than the other funds in its category for one or more reasons including , but not limited to , excellent fund management , large asset base or fund , low levels of volatile trading inside the fund , etc . as set forth in block 26 , an additional 9 to 19 funds in the same category must then be identified . then , as set forth in block 28 , the b / d criteria must be applied to the additional identified funds to make a final list of funds to be coupled with the previously identified anchor fund . generally , the additional funds will be of the same general size as the anchor fund , will be classified in the same category as the anchor fund , and will have been in business approximately the same length of time as the anchor fund . importantly , all of the funds in the final list must agree with the b / d to remain under contract with the b / d for a minimum amount of time to avoid confusion among the clients . it is anticipated that the managers of the additional funds will pay a premium to the b / d , in exchange for getting the added visibility with the clients , which is provided by the system and method of the present invention . as an aside , the system and method of the present invention is particularly applicable to mmf because they are near commodities at this point in time . since they are near commodities , the main decision point in investing in mmf is the yield . however , it is also envisioned that the system and method according to the present invention could be applied to mutual funds or bond funds , as will be apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the instant specification . referring to block 30 in fig3 once the anchor fund and the additional funds have been identified , and the investment criteria applied , the b / d must complete distribution or administrative services agreements between the b / d and the anchor fund and also between the b / d and the remaining funds , as set forth in block 32 . as mentioned above , a key point in these contracts will be an agreement by the funds to remain under contract to the b / d for a minimum period of time , ( for example , three years ), to avoid confusion . it would also be helpful for the b / d to extract a promise from each fund that the fund will not enter into similar distribution or administrative services contracts with other entities . as shown in block 34 , once the b / d has all of the funds under one contract , the b / d must then go to the market and secure clients that are willing to place principal in the listed funds . this could be done via the internet , as well known in the art . it is also anticipated that the treasurers or cfo &# 39 ; s of public companies , such as fortune 500 companies , would be a target market for applying the system and method of the present invention . these persons and corporations would represent the clients 10 , as set forth in fig1 . these sorts of clients often have large cash accounts ( for example , $ 300 to $ 500 million ) which they must manage , yet their corporate investment policies require diversification . this diversification requirement mandates that , whenever cash is placed in an mmf , more than one fund ( for example , five funds ) must be utilized . the present invention provides that the client 10 may have a single , convenient source for managing its cash investments yet obtaining the diversification it requires . importantly , although diversified , the present invention provides that the yield from all of the various funds in which the cash is invested may be equal ( or close to equal ) to that of the higher performing anchor fund . as set forth in block 36 , once the b / d 12 has secured the client 10 , the principal from the client must be placed in the mmf 14 . preferably , the b / d 12 and client 10 have previously entered an agreement whereby the client 10 agrees to invest a minimum amount of its cash in the anchor fund and , more preferably , to keep a minimum balance in the anchor fund . this ensures the b / d 12 of a minimum cash flow income from the distribution fees provided by the anchor fund . as set forth in block 38 and illustrated in fig1 the b / d 12 receives a distribution fee from the mmf 14 . then , as set forth in block 40 , at least a portion of these distribution fees from each fund are credited to the client 10 by the b / d 12 , except of course the distribution fees originating from the anchor fund . as a more specific example of how the money flows according to the system and method of the present invention , the b / d 12 obtains principal of the client 10 and places that principal with the mmf 14 , as described above . on a daily basis , the b / d 12 would know how much money each client 10 had in each mmf 14 . the mmf has an annual yield ( for example , 1 . 23 %) and each day the mmf 14 declares a dividend factor . the dividend factor equals the yield divided by 365 days ( for example , 1 . 23 %÷ 365 ). the yield factor is applied by the b / d 12 each day to the account balance of the client 10 in the particular fund , and the resulting amount is credited to the client &# 39 ; s account . this is the unenhanced yield . as previously mentioned , the mmf 14 is obliged to pay a distribution or administrative fee to the b / d 12 . this is conventionally expressed in a number of basis points ( for example , five ). these basis points are figured on an annual yield basis . for example , the annual distribution fee on $ 100m in principal would be $ 50 , 000 . thus , at the end of each day , one can calculate the distribution fee owed by the mmf 14 to the b / d 12 based on a given client &# 39 ; s account balance for that day . the b / d 12 makes this calculation and , except in the case of the anchor fund , credits this daily portion of the distribution fee to the account of the client 10 . this extra amount credited to the client 10 results in the enhanced yield provided by the present invention and set forth as an example in column 20 of the chart in fig2 . it is anticipated that the b / d 12 would have a custom software package to keep track of the enhanced yield accounting . practically speaking , the mmf 14 would typically wire the distribution fees to the b / d 12 on a periodic basis . the b / d 12 would then credit this amount to the client 10 to produce the enhanced yield . it may be necessary for the b / d 12 to use a line of credit to pay the accrued enhanced yield to the client before the distribution fees are actually wired by the mmf 14 . alternatively , the b / d 12 may have a policy whereby the distribution or administrative fees are passed on to the client 10 only at the time the client &# 39 ; s account with the b / d 12 is closed . preferably , the contracts between the mmf and the b / d will have a term of at least one - year . it is also preferred that these contracts might be automatically renewable upon the b / d achieving certain performance targets ( for example , keeping an aggregate minimum average daily balance in the mmf over the course of the year ). it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the method and system of the present invention provides a winning situation for the mmf , the b / d , and the clients . while the presently preferred embodiments of the invention have been described herein , it is in no way intended to limit the invention to the particulars set forth herein . various modifications , adaptations , and alternative embodiments of the invention ( such as applying the invention to mutual funds or bond funds ) will be apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the instant specification without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention . it is intended that the invention be construed as including all such modifications , combinations , and alterations insofar as they come within the scope of the appended claims or the equivalents thereof . | 6 |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.