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referring to fig1 - 3 , an embodiment of the lure 10 of the present invention is shown built upon an elongated stiff wire support 11 comprised of a shaft portion 17 having an eyelet member 18 formed at its upper end and a looped snap member 19 formed on its lower end . said snap member is formed only after the other structural components of the lure have been threaded onto said shaft portion . a spinner unit 12 having one to eight upwardly directed blades 21 radially disposed about a hub element 22 is journaled to said shaft portion by virtue of a centered bearing bore 23 in said hub . the expressions &# 34 ; upwardly &# 34 ; or &# 34 ; forwardly &# 34 ; as employed herein are intended to denote the direction facing eyelet member 18 . when a number of blades are employed , they are of identical size and shape , and are equidistantly spaced in a circular array about the hub . the extent by which the blades are forwardly directed is indicated by the angle a of fig2 which may range between 10 and 20 degrees . in preferred embodiments , the blades are concavely curved in the upward direction , and are pitched relative to the hub in a manner of a propeller of an airplane . bore 23 is of cylindrical contour , having a length preferably at least four times its diameter , and a diameter about 0 . 004 to 0 . 020 inch greater than the diameter of shaft portion 17 . such characteristics of the bore cause the spinner unit to rotate freely and easily upon said shaft portion , yet without wobble . it is to be noted that , when the lure is allowed to fall through the water , as shown in fig3 the direction of rotation of the spinner is opposite to the direction of rotation when the line is pulled through the water , as shown in fig1 . upper and lower spherical bearing units 30 and 31 , respectively , having centered bores 32 are rotatively disposed upon said shaft portion above and below hub element 22 . a stop unit 53 is affixed to shaft portion 17 below lower bearing unit 31 for the purpose of maintaining the position of forwardly disposed components on said shaft portion . an offset , keel shaped , elongated weight member 40 having rounded extremities and an elongated axial channel 41 is mounted by virtue of said channel and affixed securely to said shaft portion below stop unit 53 . it has been found that , by affixing the weight member to the wire shaft , and by employing an offset , keel shaped weight unit , twisting of the fishing line to which the lure is attached is significantly reduced or eliminated . the weight member can be fixed to the wire via crimping , solder , adhesives , or other means . the expression &# 34 ; offset &# 34 ; is intended to denote a configuration asymmetric relative to shaft portion 17 . in particular , the keel structure is disposed on just one side of shaft 17 . a buoyant head 54 having a centered channel is rotatively mounted by virtue of said channel upon shaft portion 17 in abutment with upper bearing unit 30 and eyelet member 18 . the size , shape and degree of buoyancy of buoyant head 54 are carefully chosen so that the combined effect of the weight member , spinner unit , and buoyant head is such as to dispose the lure in a stable vertical position when falling through the water . it has been found that , in the absence of buoyant head 54 , the lure may descend in water in an orientation other than vertical with eyelet 18 upwardly directed . such is particularly the case when a lower attractor is employed comprised of feathers which create a drag force comparable to the gravitational effect of the weight element . a removable upper attractor member 55 , preferably fabricated of soft plastic material , is adapted to removably embrace said weight member . member 55 may be partially slit in a manner permitting adequate deformation for emplacement upon the weight member and wire shaft . once emplaced , attractor member 55 may be secured in place by clips , tape , wire , or other equivalent securing means . attractor member 55 may be of a shape , size and color as to resemble favorite food items of the fish being sought . numerous different attractor members may be alternatively employed on the same lure . a conventional multi - pointed fish hook 60 is held by looped snap member 19 . in order to achieve its function of concealing the fish hook without impairing its effectiveness , a lower attractor member 50 is preferably comprised of a fringed skirt element 52 or equivalent multi - stranded structure which may be fabricated of fibers , feathers , plastic tentacles and the like , and tied directly to the top of the hook . when employed in lures of the aforesaid construction , the buoyant head provides two significant effects , namely : a ) enhanced attainment of vertical posture , even without a spinner , particularly when a weight member is disposed upon the lower portion of the wire support and b ) slowed rate of descent , the magnitude of which is controllable by suitable matching of the size of the buoyant head to the size of the weight . such effects improve the efficiency of the lure in catching fish . while particular examples of the present invention have been shown and described , it is apparent that changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the invention in its broadest aspects . the aim of the appended claims , therefore , is to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention . | 0 |
a first embodiment of a gas laser oscillator according to this invention will be described with reference to fig5 . in fig5 reference character 100 designates a discharge portion comprising an insulating material 101 , an elongated anode 102 and a multi - element cathode 103 . a supply pipe 11 is employed for supplying to non - discharge portions 2a and 2b a gas including no co 2 molecules , such as a co -- n 2 -- he mixture gas . an introduction pipe 12 introduces the gas flow of co 2 molecules into a sealed container 10 . a leading pipe 13 leads , for instance , a co 2 -- co -- n 2 -- he mixture gas out of the container 10 . the flow rates of these gas flows 11g , 12g and 13g are controlled so that the mixing ratio and the total pressure in the container 10 are maintained constant at all times . as is apparent from fig5 the directions of a laser beam 5 , gas flows 7a , 7b and 7c , glow discharge are mutually perpendicular . the remaining components of the gas laser oscillator are similar to those in the prior art represented in fig3 . the output characteristic of the oscillator thus constructed has been confirmed through experiments . the output characteristic is as indicated by the straight line b in fig4 . the operating conditions of the laser oscillation are the same as those described before . the laser output of the oscillator of the invention shown in fig5 is higher by about 40 % than that of the conventional one . the oscillation efficiency is also higher by about 40 % than that of the conventional oscillator . as is clear from the figure , the output saturation phenomenon accompanying the conventional oscillator is not produced with the oscillator of the invention . when the laser output is 1 kw , the output variation percentage is about 1 % which is smaller by an order of magnitude than the output variation percentage of the conventional oscillator . as described , the performance of the laser oscillator is remarkably improved by decreasing the concentration of co 2 molecules in the non - discharge portion . the reason is that the co 2 molecule absorption coefficient is decreased in proportion to the reduction of co 2 mole fraction . if the absorption coefficient is reduced , then the gas at the non - discharge portion is protected from being heated , the output variation due to the gas temperature fluctuation is considerably reduced , and the abnormal heating action of the partial reflection mirror is not caused . in the case where no co 2 molecule is provided in the non - discharge portion , the absorption loss becomes zero , and bad influences such as for instance the above - described oscillation efficiency reduction are not caused . when the co 2 mole fraction in the non - discharge portion is 1 / 2 of that of the laser medium , the saturation output indicated by the curve a in fig4 is increased twice . in order to fully obtain the effects of the invention , the maximum co 2 mole fraction permitted under given conditions such as a desired laser output , kinds of mixture gas and the total pressure is determined . in the above - described example , the gas flow 11g including no co 2 molecules is introduced into the container 10 . however , this method may be replaced by a method in which the mixture gas in the container 10 is cooled to remove co 2 molecules therefrom so that the remaining gas , including no co 2 molecules , is introduced into the container 10 . the invention has been described with reference to the high pressure continuous oscillation co 2 laser however . it should be noted that the technical concept of the invention can be applied to other types co 2 lasers for the same effects . furthermore , the above - described oscillator is provided with the stable resonator however , the invention is not so limited . that is , the technical concept of the invention can be applied to other oscillators having unstable resonators or other type resonators , and in this case also the same effects described above can be substantially obtained . as is clear from the example of the gas laser oscillator described with reference to fig5 according to the invention , the co 2 molecule absorption loss is reduced by decreasing the co 2 molecule concentration in the non - discharge portion . therefore , the laser oscillator is high in oscillation efficiency and output stability . it can prevent the partial reflection mirror from being damaged even at the time of high output laser oscillation . a second embodiment of the gas laser oscillator according to the invention will be described with reference to fig6 . in fig6 reference characters 14a and 14b designate bypass ducts for circulating mixture gas to non - discharge portions 2a and 2b by the utilization of static pressure blowers 6 . the remaining components are similar to those in fig5 . a part of the circulating gas flow formed by the blowers 6 is allowed to flow through the bypass ducts 14a and 14b and to flow from the mirrors towards the laser medium 1 in the non - discharge portions 2 . the output characteristic of the oscillator thus constructed has been confirmed through experiments , and it is as indicated by the straight line b in fig4 . with a discharge input of 7 kw , the laser output of the oscillator of the invention is higher by about 40 % than that of the conventional one . therefore , the oscillation efficiency is also higher by about 40 % than that of the conventional oscillator . as is apparent from the figure , the output saturation phenomenon in the output characteristic accompanying the conventional oscillator does not occur . when the laser output is 1 kw , the output variation percentage is about 1 %, which is smaller by an order of magnitude than the conventional variation percentage . as described above , the performance of the laser oscillator is remarkably improved by feeding gas to the non - discharge portions . the reason is that the gas flows in the non - discharge portions prevent the light absorption and heating of the gas mixture attributing to co 2 molecules . as a result the absorption loss of the laser oscillator is reduced ( cf . fig2 ). as the gas temperature in the non - discharge portions is reduced , the output variation due to the gas temperature fluctuation is decreased , and abnormal heating action of the partial reflection mirror is prevented . the gas velocity in the non - discharge portion necessary for obtaining the effects of the invention depends on the configuration of the non - discharge portion , the kind of mixture gas , and the total pressure . for a typical example , the gas velocity to obtain the output characteristic indicated by the straight line b in fig4 was several of meters per seconds . as the gas velocity is increased , the absorption loss by co 2 molecules is decreased . if a cooler is provided at a part of the supply pipe 11 to cool the gas flowing in the non - discharge portion , the absorption loss is reduced , and the gas velocity necessary to obtain the effects of the invention can be decreased . in the above - described second embodiment , the gas flows are formed in the non - discharge portions 2 by utilizing the blowers 6a , 6b and 6c adapted to feed gas to the laser medium 1 . however , other blowers may be provided to feed the gas to the non - discharge portions . the direction of the gas flow can be selected as desired . a third embodiment of the gas laser oscillator according to the invention will be described with reference to fig7 . as is clear from fig7 the gas flows in the non - discharge portions at high speed , and therefore the same effects as described above can be obtained . the invention has been described with reference to the high pressure continuous oscillation co 2 laser , however , it should be noted that the technical concept of the invention can be applied to other co 2 laser oscillators or other gas laser oscillators , and in this case also the same effects can be obtained . furthermore , the abovedescribed oscillator is provided with the stable resonator , however , the invention is not limited thereto . that is , the technical concept of the invention can be applied to other oscillators having unstable resonators or other type resonators , and in this case also the same effects described above can be substantially obtained . a fourth embodiment of the gas laser oscillator according to the invention will be described with reference to fig8 . in fig8 reference characters 15a and 15b designate brewster windows , and reference characters 16a and 16b designates sealed chambers . a gas 16g , which slightly absorbs the oscillated laser beam , is contained in the chambers 16 , or the chambers 16 are evacuated . the remaining components are similar to those in fig5 . the surfaces , confronted with the laser medium 1 , of the brewster windows 14 are exposed to the gas flow , and therefore the heating action of the mixture gas locally left in the non - discharge portions 2 can be prevented . the output characteristic of the oscillator thus constructed has been confirmed through experiments , and it is as indicated by the straight line b in fig4 . the operating conditions in laser oscillation are similar to those described before . when the discharge input is for instance 7 kw , the laser output of the oscillator of the invention is higher by about 40 % than that of the conventional one and accordingly the oscillation efficiency is also higher by about 40 %. furthermore , as is apparent from the figure , the output saturation phenomenon in the output characteristic accompanying the conventional oscillator is not caused with the oscillator of the invention . when the laser output is 1 kw , the output variation percentage is about 1 %, which is smaller by an order of magnitude than the conventional variation percentage . the performance of the laser oscillator is remarkably improved by replacing the non - discharge portion by a gas which does not significantly absorb the oscillated laser beam or by vacuum as described above . as a result , the light absorption and heating action of the non - discharge portion can be theoretically disregarded . in the above - described fourth example , the brewster window is employed as the transmission window ; however . it may be replaced by a transmission window having anti - reflection coatings on both surfaces . the invention has been described with reference to the three orthogonal axes type co 2 laser oscillator ; however , it should be noted that the technical concept of the invention can be applied to other gas circulation type co 2 laser oscillators , such as for instance a so - called two orthogonal axes type gas laser oscillator in which the direction of the gas flow is equal to that of discharge . these directions are orthogonal with the beam axis . in this case also , the same effects described above can be obtained . as is apparent from the fourth embodiment described with reference to fig8 the absorption loss attributed to co 2 molecules can be substantially disregarded owing to the fact that the non - discharge portions are replaced by a gas which does not significantly absorb the oscillated laser beam or by vacuum . accordingly , the laser oscillator according to the invention is high in oscillation efficiency and output stability , and it can prevent the partial reflection mirror from being damaged even at the time of high output laser oscillation . fig9 shows actual measurement data . in fig9 reference characters ( a ) indicates the variations with time of the output of the conventional oscillator , and ( b ) indicates the variations with time of the output of the example of the oscillator of the invention shown in fig5 . the variations with time of the outputs of the other examples ( fig6 through 8 ) of the invention are substantially similar to that designated by the reference character ( b ). | 7 |
a description will be given of embodiments of the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings . fig1 shows the composition of a history viewing management system in an embodiment of the invention . in fig1 , a network 1 is , for example , the intranet of a company . as shown in fig1 , connected with this network 1 are : a mail server 2 which manages e - mail transmitting / receiving : a fax terminal 3 which performs fax transmitting / receiving ; a personal computer ( pc ) 4 on which a user performs the business proceeding ; a history server 5 which manages history information of e - mails , faxes and phone calls : an ip phone conversion server 6 which performs transfer of an ip ( internet protocol ) phone call ; and a wireless lan access point 7 . moreover , the network 1 is connected with the network 8 which is , for example , the internet . and a public wireless lan access point 9 is provided on the network 8 . a mobile terminal 10 is a terminal which is owned by a user , and this mobile terminal 10 can be connected with the network 1 via the wireless lan access point 7 , or connected with the network 8 via the public wireless lan access point 9 , so that it can perform a phone call ( ip phone ) and an e - mail transmitting / receiving . fig2 shows the composition of a history viewing management system in another embodiment of the invention . in this embodiment , the ip phone conversion server 6 shown in fig1 is incorporated into the history server 5 . other composition is the same as that shown in fig1 . fig3 shows the composition of a history viewing management system in another embodiment of the invention . in this embodiment , the mail server 2 shown in fig1 is incorporated into the history server 5 . other composition is the same as that shown in fig1 . fig4 shows the composition of a mobile terminal 10 in an embodiment of the invention . as shown in fig4 , the mobile terminal 10 includes a phone - call function part 101 , a registration function part 102 , and a rss reading function part 103 . the phone - call function part 101 provides a phone - call function as a telephone . the registration function part 102 provides the function of connecting the mobile terminal 10 with the history server 5 at the time of termination of a phone call , and registering history information in the history server 5 . the rss reading function part 103 provides the function of reading a rss ( rdf ( resource description framework ) site summary ) from the history server 5 in which history information of a phone call , fax , mail , etc . with a customer ( communication destination ) specified by the user at the time of viewing an address book is described as a metadata in a structured language , and provides the function of reading an rss from the history server 5 in which the details of an item of history information with the customer specified by the user from among the items of the history list , are described as a metadata in a structured language . moreover , the mobile terminal 10 further includes a display function part 104 and a voice data temporary storing function part 105 . the display function part 104 provides the function of displaying history information and provides the function of specifying a customer ( communication destination ) using a display screen interface ( to support the display capabilities of the mobile terminal 10 ). the voice data temporary storing function part 105 provides the function of temporarily storing voice data of a phone call . alternatively , the voice data temporary storing function part 105 may be omitted when the voice data accumulation function exists in the ip phone conversion server 6 . fig5 shows the composition of a mail server 2 . as shown in fig5 , the mail server 2 includes a mail transmitting / receiving function part 21 and a registration function part 22 . the mail transmitting / receiving function part 21 provides the function of e - mail transmitting and receiving . the registration function part 22 provides the function of registering history information into the history server 5 every time e - mail transmitting / receiving is performed by the mail server 2 . thus , the history server 5 retains update information of the history information of e - mail transmitting / receiving . fig6 shows the composition of a fax terminal 3 . as shown in fig6 , the fax terminal 3 includes a fax function part 31 and a registration function part 32 . the fax function part 31 provides the function of fax transmitting and receiving . the registration function part 32 provides the function of registering history information into the history server 5 every time when fax transmitting / receiving is performed by the fax terminal 3 . thus , the history server 5 retains update information of the history information of fax transmitting / receiving . fig7 shows the composition of a history server 5 . as shown in fig7 , the history server 5 includes a request receiving function part 51 , a parameter analysis function part 52 , a fax distribution function part 53 , and a history database group 54 . the request receiving function part 51 provides the function of receiving various kinds of requests ( a history - information registration request , a history - information acquisition request , etc .) from any of the mobile terminal 10 , the mail server 2 , and the fax terminal 3 . the parameter analysis function part 52 provides the function of analyzing the parameters contained in a received request . the fax distribution function part 53 provides the functions of requesting to the user distribution of a fax the destination of which cannot be detected and distributing the fax . the history database group 54 includes a history database 541 , a user database 542 , a destination database 543 , and a content database 544 . moreover , the history server 5 includes a rss creation function part 55 and a response output function part 56 . the rss creation function part 55 provides the function of creating an rss which is transmitted to the mobile terminal 10 as a response . the response output function part 56 provides the function of outputting a response to one of various kinds of requests from the mobile terminal 10 , the mail server 2 and the fax terminal 3 . in the case of the composition shown in fig2 , the ip phone conversion server 6 is provided within the history server 5 . in the case of the composition shown in fig3 , the mail server 2 in which the mail transmitting / receiving function part 21 is included therein is provided within the history server 5 . fig8 shows the composition of an ip phone conversion server 6 . as shown in fig8 , the ip phone conversion server 6 includes a phone call transfer function part 61 which provides the function of transferring an ip phone call . the ip phone conversion server 6 includes a voice data accumulation function part 62 which provides the function of accumulating voice data of phone calls . alternatively , the voice data accumulation function part 62 may be omitted from the ip phone conversion server 6 . fig9 a to fig9 d show an example of a history database group 54 . fig9 a shows an example of the history database 541 , and this history database 541 includes a plurality of items , including “ user id ”, “ destination id ”, “ content id ”, “ date / time ”, “ kind ” and “ title ”. fig9 b shows an example of the user database 542 , and this user database 542 includes a plurality of items , including “ user id ”, “ name ”, “ fax number ”, “ mail address ”, and “ terminal number ”. fig9 c shows an example of the destination database 543 , and this destination database 543 includes a plurality of items , including “ destination id ”, “ name ”, “ phone number ”, “ fax number ” and “ mail address ”. fig9 d shows an example of the content database 544 , and this content database 544 includes a plurality of items , including “ content id ” and contents . fig1 is a flowchart for explaining the processing when viewing of the address book in the mobile terminal 10 is performed . as shown in fig1 , when a user wants to view the history of latest exchanges with a customer , such as phone calls , faxes and mails , in a place away from the office of the user , the user opens the address book of the mobile terminal 10 ( step s 1 ), selects a destination from among the destinations of the address book ( step s 2 ), and presses a history button of the mobile terminal 10 ( step s 3 ). fig1 a to fig1 d show examples of display screens in the mobile terminal 10 when the address book is viewed . fig1 a shows the state in which the destination ( the customer ) is selected from the address book ( the shaded portion in fig1 a ). fig1 b shows the state in which the detailed data ( phone number , e - mail address , fax number , etc .) of the selected destination is displayed and the history button appears on the screen . referring back to fig1 , when the history button is pressed by the user , the request of history acquisition is transmitted to the history server 5 from the mobile terminal 10 ( step s 4 ). the mobile terminal 10 receives a response including an rss of history information from the history server 5 ( step s 5 ). fig1 a to fig1 f show examples of rss contained in the request and the response exchanged between the mobile terminal 10 and the history server 5 . fig1 a shows an rss which is contained in the request transmitted from the mobile terminal 10 to the history server 5 . fig1 b shows an rss which is contained in the response transmitted from the history server 5 to the mobile terminal 10 . this rss includes the history information for each item element . referring back to fig1 , a history list is displayed in the mobile terminal 10 based on the received rss ( step s 6 ). fig1 c shows an example of a display screen of the history list . alternatively , the history list may be processed in a calendar form and such a list may be displayed as shown in fig1 d . referring back to fig1 , when a desired item of the history list which the user wants to check its detailed information is selected from the history list ( step s 7 ), the request of detailed data acquisition with respect to the selected item is transmitted to history server 5 from the mobile terminal 10 ( step s 8 ). and the mobile terminal 10 receives a response containing any of image data , voice data and text data , from the history server 5 ( step s 9 ). fig1 c shows an example of a voice data acquisition request which is transmitted to the history server 5 from the mobile terminal 10 , and fig1 d shows an example of a response which is received in that case . fig1 e shows an example of a mail text data acquisition request which is transmitted to the history server 5 from the mobile terminal 10 , and fig1 f shows an example of a response which is received in that case . referring back to fig1 , the detailed data of the selected item is displayed in the mobile terminal 10 ( step s 10 ). fig1 a to fig1 c show examples of display screens in the mobile terminal 10 when detailed item information is displayed . fig1 a shows an example of a display screen when detailed data of the phone call history information is selected ( the phone call voice will be reproduced if the playback button is pressed ). fig1 b shows an example of a display screen when detailed data of the e - mail history information is selected ( the mail text data will be displayed if the display button is pressed ). fig1 c shows an example of a display screen when detailed data of the fax history information is selected ( the thumbnail image is displayed and the detailed image will be displayed if the expand button is pressed ). fig1 is a flowchart for explaining the processing when a phone call is performed by the mobile terminal 10 . as shown in fig1 , when a user performs transmission or reception of a phone call in the mobile terminal 10 ( step s 11 ), the voice data of the contents of the phone call is stored in the mobile terminal 10 or the ip phone conversion server 6 ( step s 12 ). after the phone call is completed ( step s 13 ), a confirmation screen for phone call history information is displayed ( step s 14 ), and the user inputs comments ( step s 15 ). fig1 shows an example of a display screen on the mobile terminal 10 after a phone call is terminated . as shown in fig5 , the state in which history information , including a destination name , a phone number , an elapsed time of phone call , and a box for inputting comments are displayed . referring back to fig1 , after the comments are inputted by the user , the mobile terminal 10 transmits the history data and the voice data ( when the voice data is temporarily stored in the mobile terminal 10 ) to the history server 5 ( step s 16 ). fig1 a to fig1 c show examples of a request and a response exchanged between the mobile terminal 10 and the history server 5 . fig1 a shows a history registration request which is transmitted from the mobile terminal 10 to the history server 5 . fig1 b shows a description when the voice data is transmitted by a multi - part transmission . fig1 c shows a response which is transmitted from the history server 5 to the mobile terminal 10 . fig1 a and fig1 b are flowcharts for explaining the processing when a fax transmission is performed by the fax terminal and the processing when a fax reception is performed by the fax terminal . upon start of the processing shown in fig1 a , a user inputs a transmission destination on the fax terminal 3 ( step s 21 ). after scanning of the document being transmitted is performed ( step s 22 ), the fax terminal 3 requests the user to perform the manual input of the title or automatic extracting of the title ( by an optical character reader ( ocr )) ( step s 23 ). the fax terminal 3 performs fax transmission ( step s 24 ). then , the fax terminal 3 transmits history information ( including the title inputted by the user or the information obtained through the automatic extracting ) to the history server 5 ( step s 25 ). upon start of the processing shown in fig1 b , the fax terminal 3 performs fax receiving ( step s 31 ). the fax terminal 3 performs automatic extracting of the title ( step s 32 ) and outputs the received image to paper ( step s 33 ). then , the fax terminal 3 transmits history information ( including the title obtained through the automatic extracting ) to the history server 5 ( step s 34 ). fig1 a to fig1 c show examples of a request and a response exchanged between the fax terminal 3 and the history server 5 . fig1 a shows an example of a request for registration of fax transmission history information transmitted from the fax terminal 3 to the history server 5 . fig1 b shows an example of a request for registration of fax receiving history information transmitted from the fax terminal 3 to the history server 5 . fig1 c shows an example of a response to the request of fig1 a or fig1 b transmitted from the history server 5 to the fax terminal 3 . fig1 a and fig1 b show examples of display screens in the mobile terminal 10 when a fax distribution is performed . when the transmission destination cannot be detected correctly through the automatic extracting , this fax distribution is performed in order to request the user to set up the transmission destination . if the user chooses one item from among items of the list of the non - distributed fax shown in fig1 a , the display screen of the fax terminal 3 is changed to a display screen of detailed data of the selected item as shown in fig1 b . if the user chooses one item from the registered destinations in the display screen , then the transmission destination can be set up . fig2 a and fig2 b are flowcharts for explaining the processing when a mail transmission is performed by the mail server and the processing when a mail reception is performed by the mail server . as shown in fig2 a , when an e - mail is transmitted from the client ( the pc 4 in fig1 ) to the mail server 2 ( step s 41 ), the mail server 2 receives this e - mail ( step s 42 ) and performs e - mail transmission ( transfer ) ( step s 43 ). then , the mail server 2 transmits the history information ( data ) to the history server 5 ( step s 44 ). as shown in fig2 b , when the mail server 2 transmits an e - mail ( step s 51 ), the mail server 2 transmits the history information ( data ) to history server 5 ( step s 52 ). then , the client ( the pc 4 in fig1 ) received the e - mail from the mail server 2 ( step s 53 ). fig2 a , fig2 b and fig2 c show examples of a request and a response exchanged between the mail server 2 and the history server 5 . fig2 a shows an example of a request for registration of mail transmission history information transmitted from the mail server 2 to the history server 5 . fig2 b shows an example of a request for registration of mail receiving history information transmitted from the mail server 2 to the history server 5 . fig2 c shows an example of a response to the request of fig2 a or fig2 b transmitted from the history server 5 to the mail server 2 . fig2 a and fig2 b are flowcharts for explaining the processing when a mail transmission is performed by the history server and the processing when a mail reception is performed by the mail server . suppose that the history server 5 has the composition in which the mail server 2 is provided in the history server 5 as shown in fig3 . as shown in fig2 a , when an e - mail is transmitted from the client ( the pc 4 in fig3 ) to the history server 5 ( step s 61 ), the mail server 2 of the history server 5 receives this e - mail ( step s 62 ) and performs e - mail transmission ( transfer ) ( step s 63 ). at the same time , the history server 5 stores the history information ( data ) in the history database group 54 ( step s 64 ). the e - mail transmission of the step s 63 and the data storage to the history database group 54 of the step s 64 may be processed in parallel simultaneously , or they may be processed sequentially . as shown in fig2 b , when the mail server 2 of the history server 5 transmits an e - mail ( step s 71 ), the history server 5 stores the history information ( data ) in the history database group 54 ( step s 72 ). then , the client ( the pc 4 in fig3 ) receives the e - mail from the mail server 2 of the history server 5 ( step s 73 ). fig2 is a flowchart for explaining the processing when a history registration request is received by the history server . as shown in fig2 , when the history server 5 receives the information for history information registration from any of the mobile terminal 10 , the mail server 2 and the fax terminal 3 ( step s 81 ), the history server 5 acquires a user id from the terminal id , the fax sender name or the e - mail address ( step s 82 ), and acquires a destination id from the fax destination number , the phone number or the e - mail address ( step s 83 ). subsequently , the history server 5 acquires the contents of the phone call from the ip phone conversion server 6 , if needed ( step s 84 ), and stores the acquired contents into the content database 544 and acquires a content id ( step s 85 ). subsequently , the history server 5 stores the user id , the destination id , the content id , the date / time and the kind into the history database 541 ( step s 86 ). and the history server 5 transmits a response of history registration completion to the requesting terminal ( step s 87 ). accordingly , the above - mentioned embodiment of the invention allows a user to view communication history with a customer in a place away from the office of the user , and the operating activities of the user can be effectively supported by the mobile terminal of the invention . the present invention is not limited to the above - described embodiments , and variations and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention . the present application is based on and claims the benefit of priority of japanese patent application no . 2006 - 247237 , filed on sep . 12 , 2006 , and japanese patent application no . 2007 - 220251 , filed on aug . 27 , 2007 , the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference . | 7 |
the novel process can use an alpha olefin such as propylene , butene , hexene , octene , ethylene , polyethylene or other linear or branched alpha olefins . the polymerization of the alpha olefin can preferably occur at a temperature in the range between 20 ° c . and 160 ° c ., although for certain alpha olefins , a temperature range between 40 ° c . and 120 ° c . can be used . low temperature polymerization between 60 ° c . and 90 ° c ., can also be performed and the novel advantage of the present invention can be obtained . in the inventive process , the polymerization catalyst can be an unsupported catalyst for olefin polymerization . this unsupported catalyst can contain titanium , chromium , vanadium , zirconium , cobalt or a mixture thereof . titanium halide is an unsupported catalyst usable within the scope of the present invention . alternatively , it is possible to carry out the present invention using a supported catalyst such as a polymerization catalyst on a support of a magnesium halide . magnesium chloride is a preferred magnesium halide support . the support for a polymerization catalyst useful within the scope of the present invention can be either a titanium halide , a silica , a magnesia , an alumina , a mixed metal oxide , a non - chemically reactive organic polymer or a non - chemically reactive inorganic polymer . the preferred titanium halide support is titanium chloride . other supported catalysts usable within the present invention include chromium , vanadium , zirconium and cobalt containing supported catalyst . supported catalysts which are mixtures of titanium , chromium , vanadium , zirconium and cobalt supported catalysts are also usable within the scope of the present invention . the cocatalyst usable within the scope of the inventive process can be either a metal alkyl , a metal alkyl alkoxide , a metal alkyl halide , a metal alkyl hydride or mixtures thereof . a selectivity control agent can be used in the inventive process . aromatic esters , amines , hindered amines , esters , phosphites , phosphates , aromatic diesters , alkoxy silanes , aryloxy silanes , silanes , hindered phenols and mixtures thereof may be useful as the selectivity control agent in the inventive process . the present invention provides a novel process for polymerizing alpha olefins by eliminating the costly traditional method of changing melt flow of the reactor contents during polymerization from high to low by venting . the present inventive process reduces the hydrogen concentrations in the reactor contents containing alpha olefins to a level wherein the reactor contents have the desired melt flow index in less time than is currently required by conventional procedures . this novel method involves reacting the hydrogen with an alpha olefin , such as propylene in the reactor using a novel catalyst system . the novel polymerization or copolymerization of the alpha olefin preferably occurs in the range of 20 ° c . to 160 ° c ., for the polymerization or copolymerization of higher olefins , such as poly - 4 - methyl - 1 pentene and hexene , and decene . it is also possible to polymerize or copolymerize alpha olefins in the novel process using temperatures in the range of 40 ° c .- 120 ° c ., when olefins such as 1 - butene are used . use of this more narrow temperature range with olefins like 1 - butene in the novel process provide a product with certain desirable isotacticities . in this process it is possible to polymerize or copolymerize an alpha olefin such a propylene in the range of 60 ° c .- 90 ° c . and obtain the desired results . in another embodiment of the present invention , the reactor can be heated to temperatures in the range of about 25 ° c . to about 100 ° c . which facilitates polymerization . given the above parameters , polymerization or copolymerization of the alpha olefin can be carried out by known alpha olefin polymerization processes . the reactor usable in the present invention can be either a liquid phase reactor a gas phase reactor , a solvent slurry reactor or a or a solution polymerization reactor . these kind of reactors have been described in u . s . pat . nos . 3 , 652 , 527 , 3 , 912 , 701 , 3 , 922 , 322 , 3 , 428 , 619 , 3 , 110 , 707 and 3 , 658 , 780 and reference to these types of reactors is incorporated herewith . during polymerization or copolymerization , such as by the above described process , it has been discovered that the catalytic reduction of the hydrogen to carry out the transition from high to low melt flow can be performed by direct injection of one of the several hydrogenation catalysts into the polymerization or copolymerization reactor . hydrogenation catalysts useful for olefin hydrogenation , including nickel , platinum , palladium catalysts are preferred for use in this inventive process . a more extensive list of hydrogenation catalysts usable within the present invention follows . it is preferred to minimize the deleterious effects that the hydrogenation catalyst will have on the polymerization catalyst activity and on polymer quality when the novel process using direct injection of the hydrogenation catalyst approach is carried out . the hydrogenation catalyst can be in a carrier of hydrocarbon solvent , such as toluene , prior to direct injection of the catalyst into the reactor . alternatively , it has been discovered that catalytic reduction of the hydrogen can be carried out outside the polymerization reactor by circulating the reactor contents or part of the reactor contents through a fixed , external catalytic bed containing a hydrogenation catalyst , such as the nickel hydrogenation catalyst . an advantage of the external fixed bed system is that it is not necessary to deactivate or remove the hydrogenation catalyst from the fixed bed following the catalytic reduction of the hydrogen concentration , thus potentially saving even more money and steps in polymerization or copolymerization reactions . in the novel process , the hydrogen concentration of the reactor contents can be adjusted to be in the range of about 0 . 01 mole percent to about 20 mole percent to provide a melt flow of polymerized product between about 0 . 01 and 2 , 000 dg / min . the novel process can be used to adjust the hydrogen concentration of the reactor contents such that the melt flow of polymerized product is between about 0 . 1 to about 1 , 000 dg / min and in some cases between about 0 . 1 to about 700 dg / min . the hydrogenation catalysts useful to obtain the fast reduction in transition time from high melt flow to low melt flow can be a transition metal catalyst useful for the hydrogenation of alpha olefins ( such as benzenetricabonylchromium , dibenzenechromium , dihydridochlorotris ( triphenylphosphine iridium ( iii ), hydridodichlorotirs ( triphenylphosphine ) iridium ( iii ) and dicarbonylcyclopentadienylcobalt ). when a transition metal catalyst is used as the hydrogenation catalyst , a preferred catalyst of this type is a supported nickel catalyst . supported platinum catalyst and supported palladium catalyst can also be used within the scope of this invention . it is preferred to use transition metal catalysts supported on either alumina , silica , carbon or carborundum . the most preferred nickel catalyst usable within the scope of the present invention is bis - 1 , 5 - cyclooctadiene nickel . nickel octanoate is another preferred nickel catalyst usable within the scope of the present invention . when the hydrogenation catalyst is directly added to the reactor , the preferred amount of hydrogenation catalyst , in parts per million can extend from about 0 . 01 to about 3 , 000 parts per million down to 0 . 01 to 100 parts per million . between 1 to about 20 parts per million of hydrogenation catalyst has been found useful within the scope of the present invention depending on which hydrogenation catalyst is used in the polymerization . in the most preferred embodiment of the present invention , using the bis - 1 , 5 - cyclooctadiene nickel between about 5 to about 15 parts per million of the nickel catalyst can be added to the reactor to provide the desired results . other hydrogenation catalysts that may be effective within the scope of the present invention , include other nickel hydrogenation catalysts , nickel in graphite , such as graphimet ni - 10 ; palladium in graphite such as graphimet pd - 1 ; benzenetricarbonylchromium , c 6 h 6 cr ( co ) 3 ; dibenzenechromium , ( c 6 h 6 ) 2 cr ; dicarbonylcyclopentadienylcobalt , ( c 5 h 5 ) co ( co ) 2 ; dihydridochlorotris ( triphenylphosphine ) iridium ( iii ), ir ( h 2 ) cl [ p ( c 6 h 5 ) 3 ] 3 ; hydridodichlorotris ( triphenylphosphine ) iridium ( iii ), ir ( h ) cl 2 [ p ( c 6 h . . . ; bis ( 1 , 5 - cyclooctadiene ) nickel , ( ch 8 h 12 ) 2 ni ; bis ( cyclopentadienyl ) nickel , dry , ni ( c 5 h 5 ) 2 ; tetrakis ( diethylphenylphosphonite ) nickel , [ c 6 h 5 p ( oc 2 h 5 ) 2 ] 4 ni ; tetrakis ( methyldiphenylphosphine ) nickel , [( c 6 h 5 ) 2 pch 3 ] 4 ni ; tetrakis ( triethylphosphine ) nickel , [( c 2 h 5 ) 3 p ] 4 ni ; tetrakis ( triphenylphosphine ) nickel , [( c 6 h 5 ) 3 p ] 4 ni ; tetrakis ( trifluorophosphine ) nickel , ( pf 3 ) 4 ni ; tetrakis ( triphenylphosphine ) palladium , pd [( c 6 h 5 ) 3 p ] 4 ; bis ( triphenylphosphine ) platinum ( ii ) chloride , ptcl 2 [( c 6 h 5 ) 3 p ] 2 ; dichloro ( cycloocta - 1 , 5 - diene ) platinum ( ii ), pt ( c 8 h 12 ) cl 2 ; tetrakis ( triphenylphosphine ) platinum , pt [( c 6 h 5 ) 3 p ] 4 chloro ( norbornadiene ) rhodium ( i ) dimer , [ rhcl ( c 7 h 8 )] 2 ; dihydridotetrakis ( triphenylphosphine ) ruthenium ( ii ), [( c 6 h 5 ) 3 p ] 4 ruh 3 ; potassium hexachlororuthenate ( iv ), k 2 rucl 6 ; and tris ( triphenylphosphine ) ruthenium ( ii ) chloride , [( c 6 h 5 ) 3 p ] 3 rucl 2 . a nickel catalyst is the preferred catalyst within the scope of the present invention since it is both insensitive to the presence of tri - ethyl aluminum ( tea ), peeb and si ( or ) x ( r &# 39 ;) 4 - x wherein 0 & lt ; x ≦ 4 , but capable of being poisoned by reagents containing reactive chloride . sensitivity to active chloride or water can serve to limit the life of such a hydrogenation catalyst in the reactor , especially when the catalyst contains a transition metal olefin polymerization catalyst containing titanium , chromium , vanadium , zirconium or cobalt . poisoning of the hydrogenation catalyst can permit continuation of the polymerization reaction at the desired lower polymer melt flow without further loss of hydrogen ( h 2 ). additionally , hydrogenation catalysts such as nickel octanoate can be used in the novel process since they are easily poisoned by compounds such as , di - ethyl aluminum chloride ( deac ), and thereby provide a reaction wherein the hydrogen consumption can be controlled . hydrogenation catalysts which are supported transition metal catalysts , supported on a component consisting of alumina , silica , clay , carbon , layered clay , are also effective . in the above described direct injection process , it has been found that removal of the hydrogenation catalyst from the reactor or deactivation of the hydrogenation catalyst once the hydrogen concentration is reduced to the desired level is very helpful to achieve good polymerization and copolymerization results . another process for deactivating hydrogenation catalysts involves poisoning the hydrogenation catalyst in the reactor by adding a reactive chlorine containing compound , such as deac , ( diethyl aluminum chloride ), silicon tetrachloride , ethyl aluminum dichloride , chlorine gas or combination thereof to the reactor to stop any unwanted consumption of hydrogen after the desired level of hydrogen concentration is achieved . in a continuous polymerization or copolymerization process , the depletion or removal of the hydrogenation catalyst can be achieved by gradually exchanging the reactor contents . the present invention can be carried out in a variety of reactors such as gas phase reactors , liquid phase reactors , solvent slurry reactors or solution reactors , to achieve the novel rapid transition time of polymer product from high melt flow to low melt flow is less than 50 % of the conventional transition time for reducing melt flow of product . it has been found that the novel process can reduce high to low melt flow transition time as much as 1 % to 10 % of the transition time traditionally required . to a one ( 1 ) gallon polymerization reactor , 2700 cc of liquid propylene was added . the liquid propylene was initially maintained at ambient temperature , 20 °- 24 ° c . in the reactor . the reactor was then heated to about 60 ° c . and hydrogen gas was directly injected into the reactor . hydrogen was injected into the reactor in an amount to establish an initial liquid phase concentration of hydrogen in the reactor at about 0 . 15 % mol . about 0 . 14 mmole of diphenyl dimethoxy silane , 0 . 56 mmole of triethylaluminum and 0 . 008 mmole titanium equivalent of a polymerization catalyst were added to the reactor . the temperature in the reactor was then allowed to increase to 67 ° c . for 20 - 30 minutes , additional hydrogen was directly added to the reactor until a liquid phase concentration of hydrogen , of around 0 . 5 % mol was obtained . a nickel containing solution was added to the reactor , to a level of 4 ppm ni ( basis -- total weight of reactor contents ). the nickel solution contained nickel octanoate , cyclohexane and triethyl aluminum ( tea ), ( tea stabilized the solution ). immediately following the addition of the nickel solution a temperature exotherm occurred , between about 2 ° and 4 ° c . indicating a significant increase in energy being evolved from the reactor . gas chromatographic analysis of the nonpolymerized liquid contents indicated that an immediate reduction in hydrogen concentration occurred . after 25 minutes , the hydrogen concentrations were reduced , essentially to zero . a substantial increase in molecular weight of the product formed after the initial injection of the nickel solution ( containing nickel hydrogenation catalyst ) was confined by gel permeation chromatography . the final yield was about 1 . 08 million grams polypropylene per gram titanium , indicating no significant loss in catalyst performance . the novel control of hydrogen during melt flow transition in an alpha olefin polymerization reaction was tested in a continuous gas phase reactor . during normal operation , the reactor was continuously fed with propylene , a ti supported shell shac ® catalyst ( shell high activity catalyst ) with an aluminum alkyl as cocatalyst , a selectivity control agent ( sca ) and hydrogen to maintain a desired but high polymer melt flow . the experiment started by first establishing a base line for hydrogen consumption during the reaction . this base line was established by stopping the catalyst / cocatalyst , sca and hydrogen flows and blocking the reactor vent . the hydrogen concentration in the reactor was monitored by gas chromatography ( gc ). the gc analysis showed that the hydrogen concentration was reduced from 2 . 8 % mole to 2 . 1 % mole after 1 . 5 hours . this change in rate suggests that under normal polymerization , hydrogen is being consumed or lost at a rate of 0 . 008 %/ min . the process described in example 2 was repeated , however , instead of stopping the catalyst and cocatalyst feed as well as the hydrogen feed , the polymerization reaction was maintained as a continuous flow . a steady state of hydrogen concentration was maintained by continuously feeding hydrogen into the reactor . when a steady reactor operation was achieved , the hydrogen feed and the reactor vent were shut down and the &# 34 ; initial &# 34 ; hydrogen concentration was recorded as shown in table 1 . this was followed with an injection of the hydrogenation catalyst ( bis 1 , 5 - cyclooctadiene ni ( o ) stabilized with aluminum alkyl ). the catalyst was injected into the reactor in a single shot to achieve a calculated value of 5 ppm ni ( basis -- the polymer weight in the reactor bed ). during this process the polymer production was maintained at a constant rate by continuously feeding propylene catalyst , cocatalyst and the selectivity control agent into the reactor . the changes in the hydrogen concentrations were monitored by gc . the experimental data is summarized in table 1 . the process described in example 2 was repeated with the injection of same the hydrogenation catalyst but at a 10 ppm ni concentration ( basis -- the polymer weight in the reactor bed ). this data is summarized in table 2 . the process described in example 3 was repeated with the injection of the same hydrogenation catalyst but at 15 ppm ni concentration ( basis -- the polymer weight in the reactor bed ). this data is summarized in table 3 . the data summarized in table 4 shows that the injection of the hydrogenation catalyst had no deleterious effect on the polymerization catalyst performance . the lower than theoretical levels of ni in the polymer appears to be due to the normal polymer bed exchange that occurs during the polymerization reaction . table 1______________________________________hydrogen control ( injection of 5 ppm ( ni ) catalyst ) 1 time 2 bed 3 inletmins temp ° c . temp ° c . 4 mol h . sub . 2 % 5 mol c . sub . 3 h . sub . 8 % ______________________________________0 65 . 0 61 . 0 5 . 270 1 . 0145 65 . 8 60 . 5 5 . 080 1 . 02610 64 . 0 59 . 5 4 . 500 1 . 02615 63 . 5 59 . 5 4 . 280 1 . 50720 65 . 5 60 . 2 4 . 140 1 . 50725 65 . 3 60 . 3 3 . 850 1 . 73230 65 . 0 60 . 1 3 . 850 1 . 86135 65 . 1 60 . 0 3 . 700 1 . 86140 65 . 7 60 . 0 3 . 700 1 . 95545 65 . 2 59 . 5 3 . 550 2 . 01950 64 . 5 59 . 5 3 . 460 2 . 01955 64 . 0 59 . 5 3 . 460 2 . 09660 65 . 1 59 . 0 3 . 360 2 . 09670 65 . 0 59 . 7 3 . 040 2 . 13780 64 . 5 60 . 1 3 . 000 2 . 11590 65 . 5 60 . 0 2 . 930 2 . 119100 64 . 0 60 . 0 2 . 850 2 . 180110 64 . 8 60 . 0 2 . 790 2 . 204120 65 . 0 60 . 3 2 . 790 2 . 175______________________________________ table 2______________________________________hydrogen control ( injection of 10 ppm ( ni ) catalyst ) 1 time 2 bed 3 inletmins temp ° c . temp ° c . 4 mol h . sub . 2 % 5 mol c . sub . 3 h . sub . 8 % ______________________________________0 65 . 6 60 . 5 4 . 890 0 . 9955 66 . 5 58 . 5 4 . 890 0 . 99510 64 . 8 59 . 3 4 . 890 0 . 97115 65 . 0 59 . 5 4 . 890 0 . 97120 65 . 3 59 . 3 4 . 190 1 . 50025 64 . 8 59 . 5 3 . 410 2 . 05030 65 . 0 60 . 0 3 . 410 2 . 05035 65 . 6 59 . 7 3 . 030 2 . 42040 65 . 2 59 . 3 3 . 030 2 . 42045 64 . 9 59 . 8 2 . 760 2 . 60050 65 . 1 59 . 9 2 . 570 2 . 69055 65 . 5 59 . 6 2 . 570 2 . 69060 65 . 4 59 . 5 2 . 370 2 . 79070 64 . 9 59 . 8 2 . 370 2 . 79080 65 . 6 58 . 8 2 . 160 2 . 86090 64 . 6 60 . 2 1 . 970 2 . 840100 65 . 6 59 . 8 1 . 970 2 . 890110 64 . 9 60 . 3 1 . 920 2 . 860120 65 . 5 59 . 5 1 . 850 2 . 910______________________________________ table 3______________________________________hydrogen control ( injection of 15 ppm ( ni ) catalyst ) 1 time 2 bed 3 inletmins temp ° c . temp ° c . 4 mol h . sub . 2 % 5 mol c . sub . 3 h . sub . 8 % ______________________________________0 65 . 0 60 . 5 3 . 340 1 . 0605 65 . 2 58 . 9 3 . 270 1 . 05310 64 . 8 58 . 0 1 . 960 2 . 18715 64 . 2 58 . 0 1 . 960 2 . 18720 63 . 5 58 . 0 1 . 430 2 . 66825 63 . 0 58 . 2 1 . 430 2 . 66830 64 . 8 60 . 5 1 . 100 2 . 96235 65 . 1 60 . 6 1 . 100 2 . 96240 65 . 0 60 . 8 0 . 881 2 . 96945 66 . 0 60 . 8 0 . 686 2 . 96450 65 . 1 60 . 0 0 . 686 2 . 96455 65 . 0 60 . 0 0 . 605 3 . 05560 64 . 9 59 . 8 0 . 605 3 . 05570 64 . 9 60 . 1 0 . 469 3 . 14680 65 . 2 60 . 0 0 . 444 3 . 17390 64 . 9 60 . 0 0 . 398 3 . 168100 64 . 9 60 . 0 0 . 369 3 . 175110 65 . 0 60 . 2 0 . 344 3 . 125120 65 . 3 60 . 4 0 . 283 3 . 007______________________________________ table 4______________________________________hydrogen control ( product analysis ) ni catalyst total ni injection . sup . ( 1 ) total in polymerrun # ( ppm ) ti ( ppm ) xs . sup . ( 2 ) ash ( ppm ) ( ppm ) ______________________________________1 5 2 . 7 5 . 1 150 2 . 02 10 2 . 4 4 . 6 210 2 . 13 15 2 . 7 4 . 25 290 4 . 9______________________________________ . sup . ( 1 ) basis reactor polymer bed weight . . sup . ( 2 ) % wt xylene solubles . | 8 |
it is to be understood that the figures and descriptions of the present invention have been simplified to illustrate elements that are relevant for a clear understanding of the present invention , while eliminating , for the purposes of clarity , many other elements which may be found in the present invention . those of ordinary skill in the pertinent art will recognize that other elements are desirable and / or required in order to implement the present invention . however , because such elements are well known in the art , and because such elements do not facilitate a better understanding of the present invention , a discussion of such elements is not provided herein . turning now to fig1 and 4 , fig1 shows a plan view of active side 401 of wafer 10 , which during at least one embodiment of the bevel etching process of this invention is facing downward . numeral 401 depicts active protected area of wafer 10 which is not etched . referring now to fig4 , areas 402 , 403 ( comprising areas 403 a , 403 b , and 403 c ), and 404 are the areas where etching takes place , while area 401 is the active feature area of wafer 10 which is not etched . fig2 depicts a bevel edge spin chuck 20 in accordance with one embodiment of the invention , showing retaining pins 202 , fluid channel 204 , gas channel 206 , and separation barrier 208 . in preferred embodiments , a fluid such as an etching solution is provided to fluid channel 204 and an inert gas such as nitrogen is provided to gas channel 206 . fig3 a is a cross section of chuck 20 taken along a path leading to fluid channel 204 . a wafer 10 is placed on the chuck with the active surface facing down onto a cushion of inert gas 304 . preferably , inert gas 304 is nitrogen , provided in a conventional manner from a source ( not shown ) at a relatively low flow rate . retaining pins 202 are used to center the wafer and prevent it from floating sideways off the chuck . in a preferred embodiment , stream nozzle 302 delivers an etching solution below the wafer into lower channel 303 in chuck 20 while the chuck is rotating . preferably , stream nozzle 302 is stationary and pointed toward lower channel 303 . centrifugal force carries the etching solution to fluid channel 204 , where the solution contacts the edge of the wafer . excess fluid flows out radially away from the wafer . preferably , fluid channel 204 delivers etching solution so that a portion of area 402 ( up to separation barrier 208 ) and areas 403 a and 403 b are affected , while areas 403 c and 404 are not . the placement and size of separation barrier 208 determine the portion of area 402 that is affected by the etching solution in fluid channel 204 . those skilled in the art will recognize that other embodiments of the invention may be used so that the etching solution affects either or both of area 403 c and a portion of area 404 . in this embodiment , an inert gas 305 is provided to lower channel 306 in chuck 10 while the chuck is rotating . preferably , inert gas 305 is also nitrogen , provided in a conventional manner at a relatively high flow rate and in relatively high volume so that it flows through lower channel 306 to gas channel 206 . in this way , inert gas 305 is used to purge the active side 401 of wafer 10 to ensure that vapors from the etching solution do not affect active side 401 . fig3 b is a cross section of chuck 20 , slightly rotated from the cross section of fig3 a , taken along a path leading to gas channel 206 . a high volume of inert gas 304 is introduced at the edge of wafer 10 , inward from the area to be etched by the etching solution in fluid channel 206 . inert gas 304 is allowed to escape toward the bottom of chuck 20 through gas openings 308 . ( although only one gas opening 308 is depicted in fig3 b , preferably a number of gas openings 308 are provided at intervals around chuck 20 .) by maintaining , in a conventional manner , a slightly positive pressure in air channel 310 next to separation barrier 208 , fumes from the etching solution flowing to fluid channel 204 are prevented from migrating to active side 401 of wafer 10 . in another embodiment , this invention generally comprises a method and apparatus for removing unwanted material from the edge and bevel areas of a wafer , by : placing the wafer ( having a feature side and non - feature side ), feature - side down on a cushion of gas above a spin chuck , wherein the chuck has a bevel flow ring ; vertically setting the size of the flow ring ; rotating the spin chuck and supported wafer at a rate in order to create a centrifugal force affecting any fluid applied to the wafer ; and applying a chemical etching fluid to the non - feature - side of the wafer , in amount sufficient to fill a gap between the wafer and the flow ring as the etching fluid flows over the edge of the wafer onto the flow ring , and into a space between the wafer and the flow ring , wherein the feature side of the wafer is substantially protected from exposure to the etching fluid and the areas etched are determined by an overlap between the wafer and the ring . fig5 depicts the cross section of a bevel etch spin chuck 30 in accordance with another embodiment of this invention . chemical etching fluid is dispensed above wafer 10 and as spin chuck 30 rotates , the etching fluid flows to the outside periphery or edge of wafer 10 . fig6 shows a detail of the cross section of spin chuck 30 of fig2 . wafer 10 is placed on chuck 30 with the active area 401 facing down and protected by a continuous flow of nitrogen or other gas 603 which creates a cushion between wafer 10 and the chuck 30 . the gas is fed through channel 604 to create gas cushion 603 . an outside ring 607 can be adjusted in the vertical orientation by adjusting screw 601 . the adjustment is made so there is a gap 605 between ring 607 and active area 401 of wafer 10 . the fluid dispensed above wafer 10 fills gap 605 , with the excess overflowing into area 606 . wafer 10 is processed feature side 401 down on a rotating chuck 30 . wafer 10 floats on nitrogen or other gas cushion 603 that prevents contact with chuck 30 and prevents chemical etching fluid or other chemistry from reaching active area 401 of wafer 10 . chuck 30 contains bevel flow ring 607 that can be set to a fixed gap 605 between flow ring 607 and wafer 10 . chemical etching fluid or other chemistry is dispensed from above on the backside or non - active area 404 of wafer 10 . due to the centrifugal force , the chemistry flows to the outer edge of wafer 10 . the chemistry then flows off wafer 10 edge and down onto flow ring 607 . the chemistry fills bevel flow ring 607 and contacts the outer edge ( typically by about several millimeters ) on feature side 401 of wafer 10 . with a relatively slow rotational velocity ( typically between about 50 rpm and about 1200 rpm ), chemistry is held by surface tension in gap 605 between wafer 10 and flow ring 607 . the etch distance from the edge of wafer 10 is determined by the distance that flow ring 607 overlaps with wafer 10 . the fluid in gap 605 also acts as a seal and prevents fluid from splashing onto active area 401 of wafer 10 . once the etching process is complete , the rotational velocity is increased ( typically from between about 500 rpm to about 2000 rpm ) to force the chemistry out of gap 605 . if multiple layers are present , several chemistries may be required to etch down to the desired surfaces of wafer 10 . when the etching process is complete , wafer 10 may be rinsed and spun dry . in the instant embodiment , gap 605 varies between about 0 . 001 ″ and about 0 . 015 ″ depending on the viscosity and surface tension of the etching fluid . also in this embodiment , wafer 10 and flow ring 607 may overlap by about 0 . 5 to about 5 mm which determines the distance from the edge of the etched area of wafer 10 . another embodiment of the invention concerns backside and bevel edge cleaning . bevel etch control for 300 mm wafers allows oxide , nitride , poly silicon , and copper removal from backside and bevel exclusion zone . proprietary spindle tooling enables specific bevel and side edge etching , independent of the wafer backside using a simple , mechanically determined etching area . this capability includes programmable flow rate for the bevel etch and the ability for di rinse of the bevel area . the process can be used for all wafer sizes , including notched and flat wafers , with bevel 0 . 8 - 5 mm . the disclosure herein is directed to certain features of the elements and methods of the invention disclosed as well as others that will be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the disclosure herein . thus , it is intended that the present invention covers all such modifications and variations of this invention , provided that those modifications come within the scope of the claims granted herein and the equivalents thereof . | 7 |
with reference now to the drawings , fig1 shows the bariatric toilet seat support apparatus 6 in use with a floor mounted toilet 2 . similarly , fig2 shows the bariatric toilet seat support apparatus 6 in use with a wall mounted toilet 2 . referring now to both fig1 and fig2 , the bariatric toilet seat support apparatus of the current invention can be designed for use with any conventional toilet 2 . the toilet 2 may be either floor mounted , as demonstrated in fig1 , or wall mounted , as demonstrated in fig2 . the toilet 2 has a seat 4 . the seat 4 receives a portion of the body of a user , thus the seat receives the weight of the user . the bariatric toilet seat support apparatus 6 is comprised of a weight distributing frame 8 positionable on a floor surface 10 , and a pair of toilet seat support members 12 are integral to the frame 8 . alternatively , the toilet seat support members 12 may be attached to the frame 8 , preferably by welding , but may be attached using any other conventional means . preferably , the bariatric toilet seat support apparatus 6 is constructed of stainless steel . however , one of skill in the art will recognize that other material may be used to construct the apparatus . for example , and without limitation , the bariatric toilet seat support apparatus may be constructed of aluminum , carbon fiber , plastic , titanium or similar weight - bearing materials , or a combination thereof . preferably , the support apparatus 6 is powder coated to prevent rusting or other deterioration of the material . the toilet seat support members 12 are of a thickness such that the support members 12 may be placed between the toilet seat 4 and a toilet bowl 14 of a toilet 2 . fig3 , 4 and 5 , in addition to fig1 and 2 , demonstrate this arrangement . although fig3 , 4 and 5 demonstrate the support apparatus 6 in conjunction with a wall mounted toilet , it is understood that the apparatus may be used in the same manner with a floor mounted toilet . the bariatric toilet seat support apparatus 6 is designed such that the toilet seat 4 rests on top surfaces 16 of the support members 12 , rather than on a top surface 15 of the toilet bowl . often toilet seats 4 have support knobs ( not shown ) on the bottom surface of the toilet seat 4 for engaging the top surface of the toilet bowl 15 . with the present invention , the toilet seat 4 is capable of being raised from or lowered onto top surfaces 16 of the support members 12 , and if support knobs exist on the toilet seats , the current invention is designed such that the knobs rest on the top surfaces 16 of the support members 12 . thus , the support members 12 are suitable to be positioned under the toilet seat 4 to receive the weight of the user so that the weight is distributed onto the frame 8 and relieved from the toilet bowl 14 . with reference now to fig1 , 2 , 4 and 6 , the weight distributing frame 8 preferably has several components that provide the advantage of redistributing a user &# 39 ; s weight from a toilet to the support apparatus of the present invention . a pair of support member braces 18 are located parallel with the toilet seat support members 12 , and at least four post members 22 are positioned perpendicular to the support member braces 18 to engage the floor surface 10 . preferably , the toilet seat support members 12 , the support member braces 18 , the post members 22 and a back plate brace 20 integral with the support members 12 are of a unitary construction , for durability and ease of construction . alternatively , the support member braces 18 may be attached in a parallel fashion along the outside edges of the bottom surfaces of the respective toilet seat support members 12 , preferably by welding . the back plate brace 20 , in this alternative embodiment , is attached to and extends between the support member braces 18 and is located perpendicular to the back edges of the support members 12 , while the post members 22 are attached to the support member braces 18 , preferably by welding , and are adapted to engage the floor surface 10 . in the alternative embodiment , the weight distributing frame 8 includes angled braces 46 attached to post members 22 . a first pair of angle braces 46 is attached to the front post members 22 and to the lower surfaces of the support members 12 . the second pair of angle braces 46 is attached to the back post members 22 and the lower surface of the back plate brace 20 . in this manner , the angle braces 46 provide additional support to the support members 12 and to add overall strength to the support apparatus 6 . the frame is secured and / or constructed preferably by welding , however , the frame may be assembled using other conventional means which will accomplish the weight distributing function of the frame 8 . referring now to fig4 and 6 , in the preferred embodiment of the current invention , the support member braces 18 and the post members 22 contain a weight bearing , threaded tube insert 50 to allow for attachment of threaded attachments such as wall location members 26 or adjustable base members 36 . the threaded tube insert 50 is placed in the braces 18 or post members 26 and fixedly secured such that a threaded bore 52 is accessible . accordingly , the support member braces 18 are adapted to receive adjustable wall locator members 26 . the adjustable wall locator members 26 engage the bore 52 of the threaded tube insert 50 . the adjustable wall locator members 26 are adjusted to engage a wall 28 proximate to the toilet . the wall locator members 26 are further adjustable to position the seat support members 12 at a proper location so that the seat support members 12 are properly positioned to engage the toilet seat 4 and receive the weight of the user . as demonstrated in fig4 and 6 , the adjustable wall locator members 26 are preferably constructed of a threaded rod 30 having a rubber stopper 32 attached to the end of the rod adapted to engage a wall 28 . the threaded tube insert 50 most preferably comprises a stainless steel member adapted to engage the threaded rod 30 wherein the member comprises a cylindrical upper portion and a generally cuboid lower portion , with a threaded bore passing therethrough . the cuboid lower portion is designed to be fixedly attached to the inner surface of the member into which it is placed . alternatively , the threaded rod 30 may directly engage a bore otherwise displaced in the interior area 24 of brace 18 or a nut may be displaced in the interior area 24 to engage the threaded rod 30 . the adjustable wall locator members preferably further include a locking nut 34 to maintain the proper position of the support apparatus 6 when in use . it will be appreciated by one of skill in the art that other embodiments of adjustable wall locator members exist , including slidably adjustable wall locator members , locking lever adjustable wall locator members , and the like . referring now to fig1 , 2 and 3 , the bariatric toilet seat support apparatus 6 of the current invention may further comprise adjustable base members 36 adapted to engage the floor surface 10 . the base members 36 may be removably attached to the frame 8 . preferably , the base members 36 are removably threaded to threaded tube inserts 50 fixedly attached within the post members 22 of the weight distributing frame 8 . the threaded tube insert 50 is also shown in fig6 in conjunction with wall locator member 26 . the adjustable base members 36 comprise height adjustment members for changing the height of the support frame 8 relative to a particular toilet . in the preferred embodiment , the height adjustment members of the support frame 8 comprise a threaded rod 38 adapted to engage a bore 52 in a threaded tube insert placed in the respective post members 22 . alternatively , the threaded rod 38 may directly engage a bore formed in the inner surface of the post members 22 . as the threaded rod 38 is adjusted relative to the post member 22 , the height of respective post members 22 is adjusted . in this manner , the height of the support apparatus 6 can be modified to fit toilets of varying heights and may also be adjusted to account for sloping or uneven floors . preferably , the height of the support apparatus 6 is adjusted such that the support members 12 , the toilet seat 4 and the top surface of the toilet bowl 15 , are substantially parallel to one another when the toilet seat 4 is in a lowered position . the adjustable base members 36 further comprise a floor member 42 adapted to engage the floor surface 10 . the floor member has a non - slip bottom surface , preferably of neoprene . the adjustable base members further comprise a means for leveling coupled to the floor member 42 and engaging the adjusting means . the leveling means is adapted to adjust for uneven floors . preferably , the leveling means comprises threaded rod 38 coupled to the floor member 42 by swivel bolt 43 . in the most preferred embodiment , the adjustable base members are stainless steel based swivel leveling mounts available from wt hight of weymouth , mass . the most preferred embodiment further comprises knurled lock nuts 44 to lock the adjustable base members 36 in place . the knurled lock nuts 44 are available from endries international , inc ., milwaukee , wis . referring to fig1 , 2 and 4 , it is recognized by those with skill in the art that conventional toilets vary their dimensions depending upon the manufacturer of the toilet . the bariatric toilet seat support apparatus 6 of the current invention can be adapted for use on any conventional toilet . preferably , the widest dimension of the toilet with which the bariatric toilet seat apparatus 6 is to be used in conjunction with is determined . the distance 50 between support member braces 18 corresponds to this widest dimension of a toilet . correspondingly , as distance 50 narrows , distance 52 , which corresponds to the width of the seat support member 12 , will narrow as well . it will be recognized by one skilled in the art that the dimensions of the frame 8 will vary with the particular toilet that the bariatric toilet seat support apparatus 6 is to be used in conjunction with . accordingly , it is contemplated that the overall dimensions , i . e ., height and width of the apparatus 6 , may be varied according to the particular toilet that the bariatric toilet seat support apparatus 6 of the current invention is to be used in conjunction with . further , the overall dimensions may be varied to accord with applicable regulatory requirements . referring now to fig1 – 6 , it will be recognized by one of skill in the art that the bariatric toilet seat support apparatus 6 of the current invention is capable of supporting a toilet seat 4 such that when the toilet seat receives the weight of a user , the weight is distributed onto the frame 8 of the support apparatus 6 and the weight is relieved from the toilet bowl 14 of the toilet 2 . it will be further appreciated by one of skill in the art that the addition of adjustable base members and adjustable wall locator members aid in positioning the seat support members 12 between the toilet seat 4 and the toilet bowl 14 such that the toilet seat rests in a substantially parallel manner on the top surfaces of the respective support members 12 . it should be further apparent to those skilled in the art that the bariatric toilet seat support apparatus of the current invention , as described herein , contains several features , and that variations to the preferred embodiment disclosed herein may be made which embody only some of the features disclosed herein . for example , it may be desirable to construct the apparatus having a frame of a different configuration but which ultimately achieves the object of relieving the weight from the toilet 2 . also , it may be desirable to construct a bariatric toilet seat support apparatus in accordance with the current invention without adjustable base members 36 , or with base members 36 fixedly attached to the frame 8 . additionally , it may be desirable to construct a bariatric toilet seat support apparatus without adjustable wall locator members 26 . furthermore , it may be desirable to add bores in the toilet seat support apparatus to engage a locking mechanism , such as a lock and chain to secure the apparatus at a location . even further , grab bars or other types of assistance features may be added to the apparatus for those individuals who need assistance in moving to and from a toilet , particularly when such structures are not present in the room where the toilet is located . various other combinations , and modifications or alternatives , may also be apparent to those skilled in the art . such various alternatives and other embodiments are contemplated as being within the scope of the following claims , which particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter regarded as the invention . | 0 |
referring to fig1 substrate 1 is used as a base and for electrical connections . an integrated circuit is fabricated into substrate 1 . alternatively , an integrated circuit is contained on another circuit assembly to which substrate 1 is connected . actuator 2 is mounted on substrate 1 by using glue . led lamp 3 is soldered to substrate 1 . image strip 4 is placed around actuator 2 and led lamp 3 and is held in place by the spacing of actuator 2 and led lamp 3 . right angle optics 5 is fixedly attached to substrate 1 . a series of images are carried on image strip 4 and are guided between led lamp 3 and right angle optics 5 . cover 6 is placed over substrate 1 and fixedly attached . cover 6 has screen 7 which mounts adjacent to right angle optics 5 so that the images are projected ( in focus ) onto screen 7 . referring to fig2 actuator 2 has three inputs which are labeled a , b , and c . these inputs are the delta connection points of the three stator coils 10 . referring to fig3 a truth table describes the relationship between actuator 2 inputs ( a , b , and c ) and the rotational position ( or output ) of magnet 8 . the inputs have either a high ( h ), a low ( l ) or a floating input (−). by using three inputs for a , three inputs for b , and three inputs for c ; six output positions for actuator 2 are obtained . note that additional output positions may be obtained by using other binary or tri - state combinations for a , b , and c ; thus providing more than six output selections . the example of six positions is used here for clarity of description and should not be taken to limit the scope of the invention . referring to fig4 actuator 2 is shown with power off and the brake on . when no current is flowing in stator coils 10 , brake disc 9 attracts magnet 8 and causes magnet 8 to move axially until contact occurs between magnet 8 and brake disc pad 11 . referring to fig5 actuator 2 is shown with power on and the brake off . when power is applied , the brake is released because the magnetic field of the stator coils 10 overcomes the magnetic brake force and causes magnet 8 to center itself ( axially ) on the stator coils 10 . magnet 8 is then free to rotate to the requested position ( according to the truth table in fig3 ) and the brake reapplies when the input power is removed . fig6 is a block diagram of an exemplary logic circuit used to control the actuator 2 and the led lamp 3 . the inputs levels are monitored for indication of a fault or warning at block 13 . optionally , block 12 provides serial data input through communications with other monitoring devices . block 14 processes and stores the input change according to a user defined priority . the combination logic 15 and timers 16 then apply the appropriate signals to actuator 2 for a sufficient period of time to ensure the image is in place . the timers 16 then remove power from actuator 2 and power is applied to led lamp 3 . total elapsed time from input changes to the light source being powered is generally in the order of 0 . 3 to 0 . 5 seconds . the preferred embodiment would contain the logic circuitry of fig6 in a single integrated circuit package to reduce assembly costs and space . referring to fig7 substrate 1 is the base for the assembly and contains electrical connections . the stator coils 10 and led lamp 3 are soldered to substrate 1 . the integrated circuit may also be soldered to substrate 1 or may be part of another circuit assembly to which substrate 1 is connected . magnet 8 is placed around the stator coils 10 and is attached to the image strip 4 such that both are free to rotate about the stator coils 10 . into light box 17 which is fixedly attached to substrate 1 . housing 18 and cover 19 are used to enclose the rotating members ( magnet 8 and image strip 4 ) and to provide window opening 20 through which the selected image is viewed . those skilled in the art will recognize that substrate 1 , housing 18 and cover 19 may individually be incorporated into larger multifunction components within an instrument cluster . referring now to fig8 the embodiment of fig7 is shown with a plurality led lamps 3 and 3 ′, a plurality of light boxes 17 and 17 ′ cooperating with a plurality of window openings 20 and 20 ′. this configuration allows multiple warnings to be displayed or the use of led lamps 3 and 3 ′ that are different colors . alternately , different color led lamps 3 and 3 ′ could be mounted for use with just one light box 17 . a second alternative embodiment of the tell - tale module , image display arrangement or apparatus is shown in fig9 - 15 and is generally indicated by the numeral 100 . because many of the details of the second alternative embodiment are similar to those other embodiments of the present invention already described herein , similar or like numerals or similarly ending numerals are used for like parts and further description is deemed unnecessary except as included below to clarify and describe any modifications . referring to fig9 - 10 , the image display arrangement or apparatus 100 includes a substrate 101 . the substrate 101 acts a base having an integrated circuit and electrical connections . the image display apparatus 100 further includes a driver 102 mounted on the substrate 101 and electrically connected to the integrated circuit contained thereon . the driver 102 includes a controllable rotatably positionable drive 120 and drive shaft 121 extending from the drive 120 . the driver 102 and drive shaft 121 provides a plurality of drive rotational positions in response to electrical signal inputs . the electrical signal inputs may be transferred from the integrated circuit contained on the substrate 101 to the driver 102 . in a preferred embodiment , the driver 102 is an air core gauge having at least two coils 10 ( shown in fig1 ) electrically connected to the substrate 101 and having inputs of plus (“+” or a positively biased voltage ), minus (“−” or a negatively biased voltage ) and no voltage (“ 0 ”). the gauge may also include a magnet 8 mounted on the drive shaft 121 as previously described and shown in fig4 and 5 . referring to the table below , the relationship between the coil 10 inputs a and b in fig1 and the rotational position of the drive 120 wherein the rotational movement of the drive 120 or drive shaft 121 is measured in degrees of rotation from a default or home position is shown . the default or home position of the drive 120 or drive shaft 121 is identified as zero degrees . by using the three inputs a plus (+), minus (−) and no voltage ( 0 ) for each of the two coil inputs a and b , eight rotational positions for the drive 120 or drive shaft 121 can be obtained . the drive 120 or drive shaft 121 is positioned into the default or home position ( 0 degrees ) by applying a positively biased voltage or plus (+) to the coil input a while not supplying voltage ( 0 ) to coil input b . to position the drive 120 or drive shaft 121 forty five degrees from the home or default position , the plus (+) would be applied to both coil inputs a and b . in a similar manner , the six remaining rotational positions may be obtained . referring to fig9 , and 12 , the image display apparatus 100 further includes a generally planar image disc 104 having at least one radially disposed indication 122 on a generally planar portion thereof . the image disc 104 is rotatably driven by the drive 120 . the image disc 104 is illustrated as being mounted on the drive shaft 121 for rotational movement with the drive shaft , however alternative drive arrangements become apparent to one skilled in the art . in other words , the image disc 104 moves in a rotational fashion relative to the substrate 101 . the disc 104 may be constructed from a metal material , i . e . the disc 104 may be made of full , hard 316 stainless steel material . however , it will be appreciated that any metal material with similar properties may be used . alternatively , the disc 104 may be made of a transparent material which allows light to pass through the disc 104 . for example , disc 104 may be made of a clear plastic material . in the embodiment illustrated , the thickness of the disc 104 is generally 0 . 002 inches . the disc 104 includes a centrally located aperture 124 . the aperture 124 has a non - circular cross section . the disc 104 includes one or more tabs 126 adjoining the centrally located aperture . if the disc 104 is made of metal , commercially available and known chemical etching techniques may be used to etch the indications or translucent icons 122 into the disc 104 . referring to fig1 , a close - up enlarged view of an indication 122 is shown formed by the process of chemical etching . connectors 128 are used to hold the centers 130 of the indications or icons 122 in place and connected to the remaining portions of the disc 104 . typically , the connectors 128 about 0 . 002 inches wide making them virtually invisible to the naked eye . the metal image disc 104 may include a non - reflective coating on its surface . the non - reflective coating may be paint , ink or a chemically deposited oxide . a disc 104 made of a transparent material , may be coated with an opaque coating or have an applique applied to form the indication 122 to prevent light from passing through the image disc 104 in selected areas . whereas the indications 122 of a chemically - etched metal disc 104 is formed by etching holes in the disc 104 , the indications 122 of the clear plastic disc 104 are formed by those areas of the disc 104 which are covered . again referring to fig1 , the image display apparatus 100 further includes a light source or illuminator 103 electrically connected to the integrated circuit of the substrate 101 for illuminating the indication 122 upon juxtaposition with the light source 103 via rotational positioning of the image disc 104 and illuminating of the light source 103 . although a light emitting diode is preferred , any light source may be used for the present invention , i . e . a directional light source such as a light emitting diode or laser or a diffusing light source such as a conventional incandescent lamp . the image display apparatus 100 further includes a light absorbing shield or cover 132 . the light absorbing shield 132 includes a light opening 134 for allowing the illumination cast by the light source 103 to pass therethrough . the shield 132 is connected to the substrate 101 and is disposed around or about the light source 103 . the light opening 134 is positioned and sized relative to the light source 103 and the image disc 104 to provide illumination of the indication 122 . the light shield 132 is internally constructed to absorb light not directed through the light opening 134 and also to control of the angle of light emitted from the opening 134 . in other words , the shield 132 prevents light cast by the light source 103 from being cast on any other area of the disc 104 other than the area defined by the indication 122 to be illuminated . the image display apparatus 100 further includes a light sheet 136 extending in spaced relationship relative to the image disc 104 for viewing the indication 122 through the light sheet 136 . the light opening 134 is positioned and sized to direct light from the light source 103 to strike the light sheet 136 at an angle generally less than forty five degrees , and hereinafter more fully described , to allow the light to pass through the sheet 136 without being reflected and captured within the sheet 136 . the light opening 134 of the light shield 132 is positioned as close as possible to the image disc 104 without contacting the disc 104 so that the gap between the light shield opening 134 and the image disc 104 is as small as practical . this positioning of the light opening 134 relative to the disc 104 ensures that the light exiting the opening 134 comes into direct contact with the indication 122 disposed on the image disc 104 . by placing the shield 132 as close as practical to disc 104 , “ glowing ” or diffusing light from the shield 132 is prevented . such close placement also prevents stray light from illuminating the indication 122 . additionally , the non - reflective coating on the image surface of the image disc 104 prevents the image disc 104 from reflecting and thereby interfering with light waves from the light source 103 or the light sheet 136 . referring to fig1 , light sheet 136 is shown positioned just above the light opening 134 of the light shield 132 . the light sheet 136 includes an upper surface 135 and a lower surface 137 . the light sheet 136 is constructed from a material capable of transmitting light between its outer upper and lower surfaces 135 , 137 , respectively . for example , light sheet 136 may be constructed from conventional optical materials including , but not limited to glass , polycarbinate or acrylic . the light emitted by light source 103 may be cast at many different angles and travel different paths through the light sheet 136 . for example , the light cast by light source 103 may follow the angles and paths designated by light rays b or c in fig1 . any light which strikes the upper surface 135 at an angle less than the critical angle ( depicted by angle a ) will pass through the upper surface 135 and exit the light sheet 136 as represented by rays tt 1 and tt 2 . any light ray which strikes the upper surface 135 at an angle greater than or equal to angle a will be reflected by the upper surface 135 back toward the lower surface 137 . in other words , the light rays will be internally reflected within the sheet 136 as depicted by light rays b and c . in the present invention , the critical angle , a , is calculated by the following formula : n = index of refraction of light sheet ( glass 1 . 5 , acrylic 1 . 45 , air 1 . 0 ) for example , in an air environment the critical angle is 41 . 8 % for a light sheet made from glass and 43 . 6 % for a light sheet made from an acrylic material . with continued reference to fig1 , light from a second light source ( not shown ) is transmitted within the light sheet 136 such that the light is internally reflected within the light sheet 136 . typically , the light from light source 103 is of one color , such as red and the light from the second light source used to illuminate the light sheet 136 is of another color , such as white . other graphic images 139 may be displayed on the light sheet upper surface 135 and may be located near the image formed by the indications 122 . the graphic images 139 may use a third color , such as green . light from the second light source strikes a diffusive surface or extractor pass 141 and causes a portion of the diffused light having an angle less than the critical angle , a , to exit through the graphic image 139 . if light rays b and c are not contained by light shield 132 , then rays b and c will cause the graphic image 139 to change color to a greenish - red color when the light source 103 is lit . to prevent this from occurring , light shield 132 may be designed to have a light opening 134 which directs the light cast by the light source 103 to strike the light sheet upper surface 135 at an angle less than angle a so that light rays from the light source 103 are not internally reflected within the light sheet 136 . in other words , the light shield 132 absorbs or traps and thereby prevents those light rays cast by the light source 103 which may interfere with or mix with the light source of the surrounding graphic images 139 . that is , the only light that exits the light shield 132 is the light passing through the light opening 134 . referring again to fig9 - 10 , the image display apparatus 100 further includes an attachment hub 138 secured to the drive shaft 121 for mounting the image disc 104 thereto . the attachment hub 138 includes an axially extending drive shaft engaging portion 140 and a generally radially extending image disc engaging flange portion 142 . the drive shaft engaging portion 140 has a non - circular cross section corresponding to the non - circular cross section of aperture 124 in the image disc 104 for cooperable engagement of the image disc 104 on the axially extending drive shaft engaging portion 140 . the axially extending drive shaft engaging portion 140 further includes one or more notches 144 for receiving the tabs 126 of the image disc 104 in a locking , snap - fit arrangement upon assembly of the image disc 104 onto the hub 138 . fig1 depicts the hub 138 and notch 144 of the axially extending drive shaft engaging portion 140 prior to snap - fit engagement with the tab 126 of the image disc 104 . fig1 depicts the hub 138 and notch 144 of the axially extending drive shaft engaging portion 140 in snap - fit engagement with the tabs 126 of the image disc 104 . as seen in fig1 and 15 , the tabs 126 are bent back into spring tension as the image disc 104 is slipped onto the axially extending drive shaft engaging portion 140 via the aperture 124 of the image disc 104 . thus , the tabs 126 exert a spring force on the drive shaft engaging portion 140 and cause the disc 104 to lie flat against the flange portion 142 of the hub 138 . in this manner , the image disc 104 is secured to the hub 138 in a flush manner . the tabs 126 of the image disc 104 and the notches 144 of the hub 138 act as a locking mechanism to lock or fixedly mount the image disc 104 to the flange portion 142 of the hub 138 so that the image disc 104 rotates with the hub 138 as the drive shaft 121 rotates . one skilled in the art will recognize that the device embodiments disclosed above may be used with or without optical elements to form virtual image displays and so called head - up - displays the preferred actuator design has an input impedance of approximately 20 ohms . this equates to a peak current of 250 ma at + 5 vdc . input power pulses should be from 200 ms to 500 ms in duration . led lamp 3 requires typically 20 ma to 70 ma to provide the required intensities . the air core gage gauge generally uses 220 ohms per coil . although the invention has been described by reference to a specific embodiment , it should be understood that numerous changes may be made within the spirit and scope of the inventive concepts described . accordingly , it is intended that the invention not be limited to the described embodiment , but that it have the full scope defined by the language of the following claims . | 1 |
according to the present invention , the c 20 dialdehyde compound of the chemical formula 3 is newly devised to efficiently produce the conjugated polyene chain of carotenoids by the sulfone - mediated coupling and elimination reactions , and is expeditiously and economically synthesized from readily available starting materials as the following process in scheme 3 . geranyl sulfone ( i ) can be deprotonated in thf using the base selected from alkyllithium such as n - buli , s - buli , t - buli , ch 3 li or the grignard reagent such as ch 3 mgbr , etmgbr , bumgbr , et 2 mg , bu 2 mg , or metal alkoxide such as t - buok , etona , meok , and then reacted with geranyl halide to give the c 20 sulfone compound ( j ). this coupling reaction proceeds smoothly at the temperatures between − 78 ° c . and 0 ° c ., and geranyl bromide or geranyl chloride can be used as the electrophilic geranyl halide . when t - buok is used as a base , it is more appropriate to run the coupling reaction at the temperatures between − 40 ° c . and 0 ° c ., preferably at − 20 ° c . in dmf as a solvent . since the allylic oxidation reaction of the above c 20 sulfone compound ( j ) should be regio and stereoselective to produce the bis ( allylic alcohol ) compound ( k ) with e - configurations , the conditions using seo 2 and t - buooh as oxidants were selected ( umbreit , m . a . ; sharpless , k . b . j . am . chem . soc . 1977 , 99 , 5526 - 5528 ). the oxidations should be proceeded both at the terminal allylic positions of the compound ( j ). when a catalytic amount of seo 2 was used , the mono - allylic alcohol ( the mono - oxidation product ) was obtained as a major product regardless of the amount of t - buooh , while a significant amount of the starting compound ( j ) was recovered with less than one equivalent of t - buooh . the c 20 dialdehyde compound of the chemical formula 3 can be directly obtained by the oxidations of the compound ( j ) using excess oxidants ( more than two equivalents of each oxidant , seo 2 and t - buooh ) at room temperature , however , the yield of the desired c 20 dialdehyde never reached to 20 %, and highly polar side products were obtained as major products . therefore , it was more appropriate to run the oxidation reaction at the temperatures between − 10 ° c . and 10 ° c ., preferably at 0 ° c . with excess oxidants ( for example , more than 2 equivalents of seo 2 and more than 4 equivalents of t - buooh ) to synthesize the bis ( allylic alcohol ) compound ( k ) as the major product . the oxidation reaction of the bis ( allylic alcohol ) compound ( k ) produce the c 20 dialdehyde of the chemical formula 3 , in which various conditions can be utilized such as the swern oxidation ( dmso / oxaly chloride / et 3 n ), mno 2 , pcc ( pyridinium chlorochromate ), and pdc ( pyridinium dichromate ). in order to efficiently synthesize the c 20 dialdehyde compound of the chemical formula 3 , it is necessary to run the allylic oxidation reaction of the c 20 coupling product ( j ) at 0 ° c . using seo 2 and t - buooh , and then to oxidize the resulting reaction mixture by the swern oxidation without purification of the initial oxidation product , the bis ( allylic alcohol ) compound ( k ). this increases the yield of the c 20 dialdehyde of the chemical formula 3 by converting the hydroxy - aldehyde , the further oxidation product in the initial oxidation step into the desired c 20 dialdehyde in the swern oxidation step . according to the present invention , lycopene , represented by the chemical formula 1 , can be efficiently and economically synthesized by the coupling reaction of the above c 20 dialdehyde of the chemical formula 3 with two equivalents of geranyl sulfone ( i ) and the double elimination reaction as the following process in scheme 4 . in the above formulas , ar , ar ′, and x are defined as before . geranyl sulfone ( i ) can be deprotonated using the base selected from alkyllithium such as n - buli , s - buli , t - buli , ch 3 li or the grignard reagent such as ch 3 mgbr , etmgbr , bumgbr , et 2 mg , bu 2 mg , or metal amide such as lda , mda , lhmds , nahmds , and then reacted with the above dialdehyde of the chemical formula 3 to provide the diol compound ( l ) containing the required carbon skeleton for the lycopene synthesis . the above coupling reaction should be carried out at the temperatures below − 20 ° c ., and quenched by adding a proton ( h + ) source at the same temperature . geranyl sulfone ( i ) and the dialdehyde of the chemical formula 3 can be regenerated from the coupling product ( l ) by the retro - aldol type reaction at the temperatures higher than − 20 ° c . the diol of the above c 40 coupling product ( l ) can be protected by transforming either to halides or to ethers under acidic conditions . the c 40 diol ( l ) reacted with ( cocl ) 2 , socl 2 or pbr 3 in the presence of pyridine to give the corresponding dichloride or the dibromide ( m - 1 ), respectively . on the other hand , the etherification reactions with 3 , 4 - dihydro - 2h - pyran or ethyl vinyl ether in the presence of p - toluenesulfonic acid or 10 - camphorsulfonic acid catalyst produced the corresponding thp or eoe ethers ( m - 2 and m - 3 , respectively ) of the c 40 diol ( l ). the mom protection ( m - 4 ) of the c 40 diol ( l ) can be carried out by the reaction with dimethoxymethane in the presence of p 2 o 5 . finally , the double elimination reaction , which has been utilized in the synthesis of retinol by otera ( otera , j . ; misawa , h . ; onishi , t . ; suzuki , s . ; fujita , y . j . org . chem . 1986 , 51 , 3834 - 3838 ), can be applied for the protected c 40 compounds ( m ) to give rise to lycopene . the double elimination reaction can be carried out using the metal alkoxide base such as meok , etok , t - buok , meona , etona , and t - buona in the solvent selected from cyclohexane , hexane , thf , dioxane , benzene , toluene , and xylenes at the temperatures between 25 ° c . to 150 ° c . it is desirable to carry out the reaction at the temperatures higher than 60 ° c . in order to produce the conjugated polyene chain of ( e )- configurations by thermal isomerization . the double elimination reaction of the compound ( m ) removed the arenesulfonyl groups ( ar ′ so 2 and arso 2 ) and the group x &# 39 ; s , representing halide or ether functional groups , at the same time to produce the fully conjugated polyene chain of lycopene , represented by the chemical formula 1 . according to the present invention , β - carotene , represented by the chemical formula 2 , can be efficiently and economically synthesized by the coupling reaction of the above c 20 dialdehyde of the chemical formula 3 with two equivalents of cyclic geranyl sulfone ( n ) and the double elimination reaction as the following process in scheme 5 . in the above formulas , ar , ar ′, and x are defined as before . cyclic geranyl sulfone ( n ) can be deprotonated using the base selected from alkyllithium such as n - buli , s - buli , t - buli , ch 3 li or the grignard reagent such as ch 3 mgbr , etmgbr , bumgbr , et 2 mg , bu 2 mg , or metal amide such as lda , mda , lhmds , nahmds , and then reacted with the above dialdehyde of the chemical formula 3 to provide the diol compound ( o ) containing the required carbon skeleton for the β - carotene synthesis . the above coupling reaction should be carried out at the temperatures below − 20 ° c ., and quenched by adding a proton ( h + ) source at the same temperature . cyclic geranyl sulfone ( n ) and the dialdehyde of the chemical formula 3 can be regenerated from the coupling product ( o ) by the retro - aldol type reaction at the temperatures higher than − 20 ° c . the diol of the above c 40 coupling product ( o ) can be protected by transforming either to halides or to ethers under acidic conditions . the c 40 diol ( o ) reacted with ( cocl ) 2 , socl 2 or pbr 3 in the presence of pyridine to give the corresponding dichloride or the dibromide ( p - 1 ), respectively . on the other hand , the etherification reactions with 3 , 4 - dihydro - 2h - pyran or ethyl vinyl ether in the presence of p - toluenesulfonic acid or 10 - camphorsulfonic acid catalyst produced the corresponding thp or eoe ethers ( p - 2 and p - 3 , respectively ) of the c 40 diol ( o ). the mom protection ( p - 4 ) of the c 40 diol ( o ) can be carried out by the reaction with dimethoxymethane in the presence of p 2 o 5 . finally , the double elimination reaction can be applied for the protected c 40 compounds ( p ) to give rise to β - carotene . the double elimination reaction can be carried out using the metal alkoxide base such as meok , etok , t - buok , meona , etona , and t - buona in the solvent selected from cyclohexane , hexane , thf , dioxane , benzene , toluene , and xylenes at the temperatures between 25 ° c . to 150 ° c . it is desirable to carry out the reaction at the temperatures higher than 60 ° c . in order to produce the conjugated polyene chain of ( e )- configurations by thermal isomerization . the double elimination reaction of the compound ( p ) removed the arenesulfonyl groups ( ar ′ so 2 and arso 2 ) and the group x &# 39 ; s , representing halide or ether functional groups , at the same time to produce the fully conjugated polyene chain of β - carotene , represented by the chemical formula 2 . according to the present invention , the aryl groups in the definition of the compounds are aromatic cyclic systems , which include the cases where more than two cyclic structures are coupled or fused . the heteroaryl groups in the definition of the compounds denote the aryl groups , in which one or more of the carbon atoms is ( are ) replaced by an atom or atoms selected from n , o , s , and p . one or more of the hydrogen atoms in the above aryl or heteroaryl groups can be replaced by a group or groups selected independently from f , cl , br , cn , no 2 , oh ; unsubstituted or f —, cl —, br —, cn —, no 2 — or ho - substituted c 1 - c 20 alkyl ; unsubstituted or f —, cl —, br —, cn —, no 2 — or ho - substituted c 1 - c 20 alkoxy ; unsubstituted or c 1 - c 20 alkyl , c 1 - c 20 alkoxy , f —, cl —, br —, cn —, no 2 — or ho - substituted c 6 - c 30 aryl ; unsubstituted or c 1 - c 20 alkyl , c 1 - c 20 alkoxy , f —, cl —, br —, cn —, no 2 — or ho - substituted c 2 - c 30 heteroaryl ; unsubstituted or c 1 - c 20 alkyl , c 1 - c 20 alkoxy , f —, cl —, br —, cn —, no 2 — or ho - substituted c 5 - c 20 cycloalkyl ; and unsubstituted or c 1 - c 20 alkyl , c 1 - c 20 alkoxy , f —, cl —, br —, cn —, no 2 — or ho - substituted c 5 - c 30 heterocycloalkyl . preferably , the substituent ( s ) is ( are ) selected from the groups of c 1 - c 5 alkyl , halogen , c 1 - c 5 alkoxy , oh , nh 2 , and no 2 . more specifically , the substituents ar and ar ′ of the compounds according to the present invention are independently selected from the groups of phenyl , c 1 - c 10 alkylphenyl , c 1 - c 10 alkoxyphenyl , halophenyl , cyanophenyl , dicyanophenyl , trifluo - romethoxyphenyl , o -, m -, or p - tolyl , o -, m -, or p - cumenyl , mesityl , phenoxyphenyl , ( α , α - dimethylbenzene ) phenyl , ( n , n ′- dimethyl ) aminophenyl , ( n , n ′- diphenyl ) aminophenyl , ( c 1 - c 10 alkylcyclohexyl ) phenyl , biphenyl , c 1 - c 10 alkylbiphenyl , c 1 - c 10 alkoxybiphenyl , pentarenyl , indenyl , naphthyl , c 1 - c 10 alkylnaphthyl , c 1 - c 10 alkoxynaphthyl , halonaphthyl , cyanonaphthyl , biphenylrenyl , c 1 - c 10 alkylbiphenylrenyl , c 1 - c 10 alkoxybiphenylrenyl , anthracenyl , c 1 - c 10 alkylanthracenyl , c 1 - c 10 alkoxyanthracenyl , azurenyl , heptarenyl , acenaphthylrenyl , phenarenyl , fluorenyl , methylanthryl , phenanthrenyl , triphenylrenyl , pirenyl , crycenyl , ethylcrycenyl , picenyl , perylrenyl , chloroperylrenyl , pentaphenyl , pentacenyl , tetraphenylrenyl , hexaphenyl , hexacenyl , rubicenyl , coronenyl , trinaphthylrenyl , heptaphenyl , heptacenyl , piranthrenyl , obarenyl , carbazolyl , c 1 - c 10 alkylcarbazolyl , thiophenyl , indolyl , purinyl , benzimidazolyl , quinolinyl , benzothiophenyl , parathiazinyl , pyrrolyl , pyrazolyl , imidazolyl , imidazolinyl , oxazolyl , thiazolyl , triazolyl , tetrazolyl , oxadiazolyl , pyridinyl , pyridazinyl , pyrimidinyl , pyrazinyl , and thianthrenyl . however , the selection is not restricted to the above examples by any means . the c 1 - c 20 substituted or unsubstituted alkoxy group in the substituent of the compounds according to the present invention can be branched or strait hydrocarbons containing the r — o ( alkyl - oxygen ) moiety . the groups of thpo ( tetrahydropyranyloxy ), eeo ( 1 - ethoxyethoxy ), and momo ( methoxymethoxy ) are preferable examples . one or more of the hydrogen atoms in the above alkoxy group can be replaced in the same pattern as the hydrogen ( s ) of the above aryl groups . the invention is described in more detail by referring to the examples below , but it should be noticed that those examples are described only to specifically describe the present invention , so that the present invention is not restricted to the examples by any means . to a stirred solution of geranyl sulfone ( i ) ( 5 . 00 g 17 . 93 mmol ) in dmf ( 50 ml ) at − 20 ° c . was added t - buok ( 2 . 33 g , 19 . 72 mmol ). the resulting orange mixture was stirred at that temperature for 30 min , and a solution of geranyl bromide ( 4 . 28 g , 19 . 72 mmol ) in dmf ( 10 ml ) was added . the mixture was stirred at − 20 ° c . for 1 h , and quenched with 1 m hcl solution ( 20 ml ). the mixture was extracted with etoac ( 50 ml ), washed with 1 m hcl ( 10 ml × 3 ), dried over anhydrous na 2 so 4 , filtered , and concentrated under reduced pressure . the crude product was purified by silica gel column chromatography to give the coupling product ( j ) ( 7 . 10 g , 17 . 12 mmol ) in 95 % yield . 1 h nmr ( 300 . 40 mhz , cdcl . sub . 3 ) δ 1 . 19 ( d , j = 1 . 3 hz , 3h ), 1 . 57 ( s , 3h ), 1 . 59 ( s , 3h ), 1 . 60 ( s , 3h ), 1 . 65 ( s , 3h ), 1 . 68 ( s , 3h ), 1 . 90 - 2 . 07 ( m , 8h ), 2 . 35 ( ddd , j = 14 . 0 , 10 . 9 , 7 . 4 hz , 1h ), 2 . 89 ( ddd , j = 14 . 0 , 7 . 2 , 3 . 3 hz , 1h ), 3 . 73 ( ddd , j = 10 . 9 , 10 . 5 , 3 . 3 hz , 1h ), 4 . 97 ( t , j = 7 . 3 hz , 1h ), 5 . 02 ( d , j = 10 . 5 hz , 1h ), 7 . 47 - 7 . 55 ( m , 2h ), 7 . 58 - 7 . 66 ( m , 1h ), 7 . 82 - 7 . 88 ( m , 2h ) ppm . 13 c nmr ( 75 . 45 mhz , cdcl . sub . 3 ) δ 16 . 3 , 16 . 4 , 17 . 6 , 17 . 6 , 25 . 6 , 25 . 6 , 26 . 2 , 26 . 3 , 26 . 5 , 39 . 6 , 39 . 6 , 64 . 7 , 116 . 9 , 118 . 5 , 123 . 5 , 123 . 9 , 128 . 6 , 129 . 1 , 131 . 4 , 131 . 9 , 133 . 3 , 138 . 0 , 138 . 5 , 145 . 1 ppm . hrms ( fab + ) m / z calcd for c 26 h 39 o 2 s 415 . 2671 , found 415 . 2665 . to a stirred suspension of seo 2 ( 0 . 54 g , 4 . 82 mmol , 2 equiv ) and salicylic acid ( 0 . 34 g , 2 . 41 mmol , 1 equiv ) in ch 2 cl 2 ( 20 ml ) at 0 ° c . was added a 3 . 0 m solution of t - butyl hydrogen peroxide ( tbhp ) in toluene ( 5 . 0 ml , 14 . 46 mmol , 6 equiv ). the mixture was stirred at that temperature for 1 . 5 h , and a solution of the compound ( j ) ( 1 . 00 g , 2 . 41 mmol , 1 equiv ) in ch . sub . 2cl . sub . 2 ( 5 ml ) was slowly added for 10 min . the reaction mixture was stirred at 0 ° c . for 3 h , diluted with ch 2 cl 2 ( 30 ml ), washed with 10 % naoh solution ( 10 ml × 3 ) and then saturated na 2 s 2 o 3 solution ( 10 ml × 3 ), dried over anhydrous na 2 so 4 , filtered , and concentrated under reduced pressure . the crude product was purified by silica gel column chromatography to give the diol compound ( k ) ( 0 . 47 g , 1 . 06 mmol ) in 44 % yield , together with the hydroxyl - aldehyde ( 0 . 13 g , 0 . 29 mmol , 12 % yield ), which was derived from further oxidation . both of these two compounds can provide the dialdehyde of the chemical formula 3 after the swern oxidation reaction . 1 h nmr ( 300 . 40 mhz , cdcl 3 ) δ 1 . 24 ( d , j = 1 . 3 hz , 3h ), 1 . 58 ( s , 3h ), 1 . 63 ( s , 3h ), 1 . 65 ( s , 3h ), 1 . 92 - 2 . 24 ( m , 8h ), 2 . 36 ( ddd , j = 14 . 3 , 10 . 0 , 7 . 3 hz , 1h ), 2 . 77 ( ddd , j = 14 . 3 , 7 . 4 , 3 . 7 hz , 1h ), 3 . 76 ( ddd , j = 10 . 3 , 10 . 0 , 3 . 7 hz , 1h ), 3 . 95 ( s , 2h ), 3 . 97 ( s , 2h ), 5 . 00 ( d , j = 10 . 3 hz , 1h ), 5 . 00 ( t , j = 7 . 3 hz , 1h ), 5 . 33 ( br s , 2h ), 7 . 48 - 7 . 67 ( m , 3h ), 7 . 80 - 7 . 89 ( m , 2h ) ppm . 13 c nmr ( 75 . 45 mhz , cdcl . sub . 3 ) δ 13 . 6 , 13 . 6 , 16 . 1 , 16 . 4 , 25 . 4 , 25 . 8 , 26 . 7 , 39 . 1 , 39 . 2 , 64 . 6 , 68 . 5 , 68 . 6 , 116 . 9 , 118 . 8 , 124 . 6 , 125 . 2 , 128 . 7 , 128 . 9 , 133 . 4 , 134 . 8 , 135 . 3 , 137 . 9 , 138 . 1 , 144 . 8 ppm . ir ( kbr ) 3413 , 1447 , 1301 , 1144 , 1084 , 1013 cm − 1 . hrms ( ci + ) m / z calcd for c 26 h 39 o 4 s 447 . 2569 , found 447 . 2568 . to a stirred solution of the diol compound ( k ) ( 0 . 30 g , 0 . 68 mmol ) in ch 2 cl 2 ( 20 ml ) was added mno 2 ( 1 . 77 g , 20 . 4 mmol ). the mixture was stirred at room temperature for 48 h , and filtered . the filter cake was rinsed with ch 2 cl 2 , and the combined organic layer was concentrated under reduced pressure . the crude product was purified by silica gel column chromatography to give the dialdehyde of the chemical formula 3 ( 0 . 18 g , 0 . 41 mmol ) in 60 % yield . to a stirred suspension of seo 2 ( 0 . 54 g , 4 . 82 mmol , 2 equiv ) and salicylic acid ( 0 . 34 g , 2 . 41 mmol , 1 equiv ) in mecn ( 15 ml ) at 0 ° c . was added a 3 . 0 m solution of tbhp in toluene ( 5 . 0 ml , 14 . 46 mmol , 6 equiv ). the mixture was stirred at that temperature for 1 . 5 h , and a solution of the compound ( j ) ( 1 . 00 g , 2 . 41 mmol , 1 equiv ) in mecn ( 5 ml ) was slowly added for 10 min . the reaction mixture was stirred at 0 ° c . for 3 h , diluted with etoac ( 30 ml ), washed with 10 % naoh solution ( 10 ml . times . 3 ) and then saturated na 2 s 2 o 3 solution ( 10 ml × 3 ), dried over anhydrous na 2 so 4 , filtered , and concentrated under reduced pressure to give the crude allylic oxidation product ( 1 . 50 g ). to a stirred suspension of seo 2 ( 2 . 14 g , 19 . 27 mmol , 2 equiv ) in ch 2 cl 2 ( 35 ml ) was added a 70 % aqueous solution of tbhp ( 5 . 3 ml , 38 . 6 mmol , 4 equiv ). the mixture was stirred at room temperature for 30 min , and a solution of the compound ( j ) ( 4 . 00 g , 9 . 64 mmol , 1 equiv ) in ch 2 cl 2 ( 5 ml ) was slowly added . the reaction mixture was stirred at room temperature for 14 h , diluted with etoac ( 60 ml ), washed with 1 m naoh solution ( 20 ml . times . 3 ) and then saturated na 2 s 2 o 3 solution ( 20 ml × 3 ), dried over anhydrous na 2 so 4 , filtered , and concentrated under reduced pressure . the crude product was purified by silica gel column chromatography to give the dialdehyde of the chemical formula 3 ( 0 . 73 g , 1 . 59 mmol ) in 16 % yield . 1 h nmr ( 300 . 40 mhz , cdcl 3 ) δ 1 . 27 ( d , j = 1 . 3 hz , 3h ), 1 . 63 ( s , 3h ), 1 . 72 ( d , j = 1 . 1 hz , 3h ), 1 . 73 ( d , j = 0 . 9 hz , 3h ), 2 . 15 ( t , j = 7 . 4 hz , 4h ), 2 . 30 - 2 . 46 ( m , 5h ), 2 . 86 ( ddd , j = 14 . 4 , 7 . 2 , 3 . 7 hz , 1h ), 3 . 77 ( ddd , j = 10 . 3 , 10 . 3 , 3 . 7 hz , 1h ), 5 . 02 ( dt , j d = 1 . 1 , j t = 7 . 4 hz , 1h ), 5 . 06 ( dd , j = 10 . 3 , 1 . 2 hz , 1h ), 6 . 39 ( dt , j d = 1 . 3 , j = 7 . 0 hz , 1h ), 6 . 41 ( dt , j d = 1 . 3 , j t = 7 . 2 hz , 1h ), 7 . 48 - 7 . 68 ( m , 3h ), 7 . 81 - 7 . 87 ( m , 2h ), 9 . 36 ( s , 1h ), 9 . 38 ( s , 1h ) ppm . 13 c nmr ( 75 . 45 mhz , cdcl 3 ) δ 9 . 2 , 9 . 2 , 16 . 2 , 16 . 4 , 26 . 7 , 26 . 9 , 27 . 1 , 37 . 9 , 38 . 0 , 64 . 4 , 118 . 0 , 119 . 7 , 128 . 8 , 128 . 9 , 133 . 5 , 137 . 2 , 137 . 9 , 139 . 4 , 139 . 6 , 143 . 8 , 152 . 8 , 153 . 7 , 194 . 8 , 195 . 0 ppm . ir ( kbr ) 2944 , 1686 , 1447 , 1303 , 1145 , 1084 cm − 1 . hrms ( fab + ) m / z calcd for c 26 h 35 o 4 s 443 . 2256 , found 443 . 2248 . to a stirred solution of geranyl phenyl sulfone ( i ) ( 2 . 41 g , 8 . 65 mmol , 2 . 2 equiv ) in thf ( 30 ml ) at − 78 ° c . was added 1 . 6 m solution of n - buli in hexane ( 6 . 14 ml , 9 . 83 mmol , 2 . 5 equiv ). the resulting orange solution was stirred at that temperature for 1 h , and a solution of the dialdehyde of the chemical formula 3 ( 1 . 74 g , 3 . 93 mmol , 1 equiv ) in thf ( 10 ml ) was added for 5 min . the resulting mixture was stirred at − 78 ° c . for 1 h , and quenched with 1 m hcl solution ( 10 ml ). the mixture was warmed to room temperature , extracted with etoac ( 30 ml × 2 ), washed with 1 m hcl solution ( 20 ml × 2 ), dried over anhydrous na 2 so 4 , filtered , and concentrated under reduced pressure . the crude product was purified by silica gel column chromatography to give the c 40 diol compound ( l ) ( 3 . 65 g , 3 . 66 mmol ) in 93 % yield . 1 h nmr ( 300 . 40 mhz , cdcl 3 ) δ 1 . 07 ( s , 3h ), 1 . 12 ( s , 3h ), 1 . 19 ( d , j = 1 . 5 hz , 3h ), 1 . 45 ( s , 3h ), 1 . 47 ( s , 3h ), 1 . 56 ( s , 6h ), 1 . 58 ( s , 3h ), 1 . 67 ( s , 3h ), 1 . 68 ( s , 3h ), 1 . 80 - 2 . 07 ( m , 16h ), 2 . 24 - 2 . 40 ( m , 1h ), 2 . 77 - 2 . 90 ( m , 1h ), 3 . 71 ( br t , j = 9 . 5 hz , 1h ), 3 . 93 ( dd , j = 9 . 1 , 7 . 0 hz , 1h ), 3 . 96 ( dd , j = 9 . 1 , 6 . 6 hz , 1h ), 4 . 59 ( d , j = 9 . 2 hz , 1h ), 4 . 60 ( d , j = 8 . 9 hz , 1h ), 4 . 68 ( d , j = 10 . 1 hz , 1h ), 4 . 72 ( d , j = 9 . 0 hz , 1h ), 4 . 90 - 5 . 05 ( m , 5h ), 5 . 30 - 5 . 43 ( m , 2h ), 7 . 45 - 7 . 68 ( m , 9h ), 7 . 78 - 7 . 90 ( m , 6h ) ppm . 13 c nmr ( 75 . 45 mhz , cdcl 3 ) δ 10 . 5 , 10 . 5 , 13 . 0 , 15 . 8 , 15 . 9 , 16 . 2 , 16 . 4 , 16 . 5 , 17 . 6 , 25 . 7 , 25 . 7 , 25 . 8 , 26 . 0 , 26 . 2 , 26 . 2 , 26 . 5 , 39 . 0 , 39 . 5 , 39 . 8 , 64 . 7 , 67 . 7 , 68 . 4 , 72 . 4 , 76 . 4 , 112 . 0 , 114 . 2 , 117 . 1 , 119 . 0 , 123 . 3 , 123 . 6 , 128 . 7 , 128 . 7 , 128 . 8 , 129 . 0 , 129 . 1 , 129 . 2 , 129 . 3 , 129 . 5 , 130 . 1 , 131 . 9 , 132 . 0 , 132 . 0 , 133 . 1 , 133 . 4 , 133 . 6 , 133 . 7 , 133 . 9 , 137 . 4 , 138 . 1 , 144 . 4 , 144 . 5 , 144 . 7 ppm . ir ( kbr ) 3497 , 2930 , 1447 , 1300 , 1143 , 1083 cm − 1 . hrms ( fab + ) m / z calcd for c 46 h 65 o 3 s [ c 58 h 79 o 8 s 3 - 2 ( c 6 h 6 so 2 )— h 2 o ] 697 . 4654 . found 697 . 4645 . to a stirred solution of the c 40 diol compound ( l ) ( 3 . 68 g , 3 . 69 mmol ) in ch 2 cl 2 ( 50 ml ) at 0 ° c . were added pyridine ( 1 . 5 ml , 18 . 45 mmol ) and pbr 3 ( 0 . 43 ml , 4 . 42 mmol ). the mixture was stirred at 0 ° c . for 1 h , diluted with ch 2 cl 2 ( 30 ml ), washed with 1 m hcl solution ( 10 ml × 3 ), dried over anhydrous mgso 4 , filtered , and concentrated under reduced pressure to give the di - bromination product ( m - 1 ) ( 3 . 99 g , 3 . 54 mmol ) in 96 % crude yield . this compound was not purified and directly utilized in the elimination reaction to produce lycopene ( see example 9 - a ). 1 h nmr ( 300 . 40 mhz , cdcl 3 ) δ 1 . 06 - 1 . 36 ( m , 9h ), 1 . 42 - 1 . 73 ( m , 21h ), 1 . 80 - 2 . 22 ( m , 16h ), 2 . 22 - 2 . 50 ( m , 1h ), 2 . 74 - 2 . 93 ( m , 1h ), 3 . 63 - 4 . 02 ( m , 2h ), 4 . 08 - 4 . 40 ( m , 1h ), 4 . 53 - 4 . 86 ( m , 2h ), 4 . 86 - 5 . 16 ( m , 4h ), 5 . 16 - 5 . 72 ( m , 4h ), 7 . 43 - 7 . 68 ( m , 9h ), 7 . 75 - 7 . 97 ( m , 6h ) ppm . ir ( kbr ) 2920 , 1663 , 1447 , 1375 , 1304 , 1145 , 1083 , 955 cm − 1 . hrms ( fab + ) m / z calcd for c 52 h 72 bro 4 s 2 [ c 58 h 77 br 2 o 6 s 3 —( c 6 h 5 so 2 )— br ] 903 . 4055 , found 903 . 4055 . to a stirred solution of the c 40 diol compound ( l ) ( 0 . 74 g , 0 . 74 mmol ) in ch 2 cl 2 ( 30 ml ) were added 3 , 4 - dihydro - 2h - pyran ( 0 . 35 ml , 3 . 7 mmol ) and 10 - camphorsulfonic acid ( 0 . 09 g , 0 . 37 mmol ). the reaction mixture was stirred at room temperature for 14 h , diluted with ch 2 cl 2 ( 40 ml ), washed with saturated nahco 3 solution ( 20 ml × 2 ), dried over anhydrous k 2 co 3 , filtered , and concentrated under reduced pressure . the crude product was purified by silica gel ( deactivated by et 3 n ) column chromatography to give the bis ( tetrahydropyranyl ) ether ( m - 2 ) ( 0 . 85 g , 0 . 73 mmol ) in 98 % yield . 1 h nmr ( 300 . 40 mhz , cdcl 3 ) δ 1 . 02 - 1 . 22 ( m , 9h ), 1 . 32 - 1 . 71 ( m , 21h ), 1 . 71 - 1 . 83 ( m , 12h ), 1 . 83 - 2 . 08 ( m , 16h ), 2 . 26 - 2 . 40 ( m , 1h ), 2 . 68 - 2 . 83 ( m , 1h ), 3 . 32 - 3 . 61 ( m , 2h ), 3 . 61 - 3 . 90 ( m , 2h ), 4 . 06 - 4 . 38 ( m , 3h ), 4 . 48 - 4 . 55 ( m , 2h ), 4 . 72 - 5 . 10 ( m , 8h ), 5 . 30 - 5 . 52 ( m , 2h ), 7 . 41 - 7 . 66 ( m , 9h ), 7 . 77 - 7 . 91 ( m , 6h ) ppm . ir ( kbr ) 2942 , 1447 , 1303 , 1144 , 1077 , 1021 cm − 1 . hrms ( fab + ) m / z calcd for c 46 h 63 o 2 s [ c 68 h 95 o 10 s 3 - 2 ( c 6 h 6 so 2 )- 2 ( c 5 h 10 o 2 )] 679 . 4549 , found 679 . 4550 . to a stirred solution of the c 40 diol compound ( l ) ( 1 . 00 g , 1 . 00 mmol ) in ch 2 cl 2 ( 10 ml ) at 0 ° c . were added ethyl vinyl ether ( 0 . 80 ml , 8 . 00 mmol ) and pyridinium p - toluenesulfonate ( 0 . 13 g , 0 . 50 mmol ). the mixture was stirred at 0 ° c . for 1 h , and warmed to and stirred at room temperature for 14 h . the mixture was then diluted with ch 2 cl 2 ( 30 ml ), washed with saturated nahco 3 ( 10 ml × 3 ), dried over anhydrous k 2 co 3 , filtered , and concentrated under reduced pressure . the crude product was purified by silica gel ( deactivated by et 3 n ) column chromatography to give the bis ( 1 - ethoxyethyl ) ether ( m - 3 ) ( 1 . 09 g , 0 . 84 mmol ) in 95 % yield . 1 h nmr ( 300 . 40 mhz , cdcl 3 ) δ 1 . 00 - 1 . 42 ( m , 24h ), 1 . 43 - 1 . 74 ( m , 18h ), 1 . 76 - 2 . 10 ( m , 16h ), 2 . 25 - 2 . 46 ( m , 1h ), 2 . 78 - 2 . 95 ( m , 1h ), 3 . 24 - 3 . 44 ( m , 11h ), 3 . 44 - 3 . 62 ( m , 1h ), 3 . 62 - 3 . 85 ( m 4h ), 4 . 05 - 4 . 22 ( m 1h ), 4 . 45 - 4 . 90 ( m , 5h ), 4 . 90 - 5 . 10 ( m , 5h ), 5 . 27 - 5 . 52 ( m 2h ), 7 . 42 - 7 . 68 ( m , 9h ), 7 . 77 - 7 . 92 ( m , 6h ) ppm . ir ( kbr ) 2929 , 1447 , 1305 , 1146 , 1093 , 1026 cm − 1 . hrms ( fab + ) m / z calcd for c 46 h 63 o 2 s 3 [ c66h 6 o 10 s 3 - 2 ( c 6 h 6 so 2 )- 2 ( c 4 h 10 o 2 )] 679 . 4549 , found 679 . 4536 . to a stirred solution of the c 40 diol compound ( l ) ( 1 . 73 g , 1 . 73 mmol ) in dimethoxy methane ( 6 . 2 ml , 40 equiv ) at room temperature was added p 2 o 5 ( 0 . 50 g , 3 . 46 mmol , 2 equiv ). the resulting yellow solution was stirred for 9 h , and p 2 o 5 ( 0 . 25 g , 1 . 73 mmol , 1 equiv ) was added again . stirring for another 3 h , the reaction mixture was diluted with toluene ( 40 ml ), washed with saturated nahco 3 solution ( 10 ml × 3 ), dried over anhydrous na 2 so 4 , filtered , and concentrated under reduced pressure . the crude product was purified by silica gel ( deactivated by et 3 n ) column chromatography to give the bis ( methoxymethyl ) ether ( m - 4 ) ( 1 . 71 g , 1 . 58 mmol ) in 91 % yield . 1 h nmr ( 300 . 40 mhz , cdcl 3 ) δ 1 . 00 ( s , 3h ), 1 . 10 - 1 . 26 ( m , 6h ), 1 . 35 - 1 . 38 ( m , 3h ), 1 . 49 - 1 . 68 ( m , 18h ), 1 . 76 - 2 . 11 ( m , 16h ), 2 . 26 - 2 . 45 ( m , 11h ), 2 . 78 - 2 . 93 ( m , 1h ), 3 . 48 ( s , 3h ), 3 . 50 ( s , 3h ), 3 . 68 - 3 . 87 ( m , 2h ), 4 . 08 - 4 . 21 ( m , 1h ), 4 . 50 - 4 . 87 ( m , 4h ), 4 . 58 ( s , 2h ), 4 . 61 ( s , 2h ), 4 . 88 - 5 . 08 ( m , 4h ), 5 . 30 - 5 . 52 ( m , 2h ), 7 . 44 - 7 . 69 ( m , 9h ), 7 . 78 - 7 . 90 ( m , 6h ) ppm . hrms ( fab + ) m / z calcd for c 46 h 63 o 2 s [ c 62 h 87 o 10 s 3 - 2 ( c 6 h 6 so 2 )- 2 ( c 2 h 6 o 2 )] 679 . 4549 , found 679 . 4563 . to a stirred suspension of the crude ( see example 5 ) c 40 dibromide compound ( m - 1 ) ( 0 . 31 g , 0 . 27 mmol ) in cyclohexane ( 10 ml ) and benzene ( 5 ml ) was added kome ( 0 . 58 g , 8 . 27 mmol ). the mixture was heated to 70 ˜ 80 ° c . for 11 h , cooled to room temperature , and 1 m hcl ( 20 ml ) was carefully added . the reaction mixture was extracted with a 9 : 1 ( v : v ) solution ( 60 ml ) of hexane and benzene , dried over anhydrous na 2 so 4 , filtered , and concentrated under reduced pressure . the resulting red solid was diluted with hexane ( 30 ml ) and washed with ch 3 cn ( 10 ml × 3 ). the combined ch 3 cn solution was extracted again with hexanes . the hexane layers were combined and concentrated under reduced pressure to give lycopene of the chemical formula 1 ( 0 . 11 g , 0 . 21 mmol ) in 76 % crude yield . the crude product was purified by recrystallization from meoh and thf to provide all -( e )- lycopene ( 0 . 083 g , 0 . 15 mmol ) in 57 % yield as a dark red crystal . to a stirred suspension of the bis ( tetrahydropyranyl ) ether ( m - 2 ) ( 0 . 44 g , 0 . 38 mmol ) in cyclohexane ( 20 ml ) and benzene ( 10 ml ) was added kome ( 0 . 79 g , 11 . 3 mmol ). the mixture was heated to 70 ˜ 80 ° c . for 13 h , cooled to room temperature , and 1 m hcl ( 20 ml ) was carefully added . the reaction mixture was extracted with a 9 : 1 ( v : v ) solution ( 40 ml ) of hexane and benzene , dried over anhydrous na 2 so 4 , filtered , and concentrated under reduced pressure . the resulting red solid was diluted with hexane ( 30 ml ) and washed with ch 3 cn ( 10 ml × 3 ). the combined ch 3 cn solution was extracted again with hexanes . the hexane layers were combined and concentrated under reduced pressure to give lycopene of the chemical formula 1 ( 0 . 20 g , 0 . 37 mmol ) in 97 % crude yield . the crude product was purified by recrystallization from meoh and thf to provide all -( e )- lycopene ( 0 . 16 g , 0 . 29 mmol ) in 79 % yield as a dark red crystal . to a stirred suspension of the bis ( 1 - ethoxyethyl ) ether ( m - 3 ) ( 0 . 70 g , 0 . 61 mmol ) in cyclohexane ( 20 ml ) and benzene ( 5 ml ) was added kome ( 1 . 28 g , 18 . 30 mmol ). the mixture was heated to 70 ˜ 80 ° c . for 18 h , cooled to room temperature , and 1 m hcl ( 25 ml ) was carefully added . the reaction mixture was extracted with a 9 : 1 ( v : v ) solution ( 50 ml ) of hexane and benzene , dried over anhydrous na 2 so 4 , filtered , and concentrated under reduced pressure . the resulting red solid was diluted with hexane ( 30 ml ) and washed with ch 3 cn ( 10 ml × 3 ). the combined ch 3 cn solution was extracted again with hexanes . the hexane layers were combined and concentrated under reduced pressure to give lycopene of the chemical formula 1 ( 0 . 24 g , 0 . 45 mmol ) in 73 % crude yield . the crude product was purified by recrystallization from meoh and thf to provide all -( e )- lycopene ( 0 . 17 g , 0 . 32 mmol ) in 52 % yield as a dark red crystal . to a stirred solution of the bis ( methoxymethyl ) ether ( m - 4 ) ( 1 . 67 g , 1 . 54 mmol ) in cyclohexane ( 15 ml ) and benzene ( 25 ml ) was added kome ( 3 . 78 g , 53 . 9 mmol ). the mixture was heated to 70 ˜ 80 ° c . for 15 h , cooled to room temperature , and 1 m hcl ( 60 ml ) was carefully added . the reaction mixture was extracted with a 9 : 1 ( v : v ) solution ( 60 ml ) of hexane and benzene , dried over anhydrous na 2 so 4 , filtered , and concentrated under reduced pressure . the resulting red solid was diluted with hexane ( 30 ml ) and washed with ch 3 cn ( 10 ml × 3 ). the combined ch 3 cn solution was extracted again with hexanes . the hexane layers were combined and concentrated under reduced pressure to give lycopene of the chemical formula 1 ( 0 . 61 g , 1 . 14 mmol ) in 74 % crude yield . the crude product was purified by recrystallization from meoh and thf to provide all -( e )- lycopene ( 0 . 46 g , 0 . 86 mmol ) in 56 % yield as a dark red crystal . the 1 h nmr spectra of all -( e )- lycopene , which were prepared according to the above methods a - d , were identical to that of the authentic sample . to a stirred solution of β - cyclogeranyl phenyl sulfone ( n ) ( 0 . 46 g , 1 . 63 mmol ) in thf ( 10 ml ) at 0 ° c . was added 1 . 6 m solution of n - buli in hexane ( 1 . 22 ml , 1 . 97 mmol ). the resulting orange solution was stirred at that temperature for 1 h , and cooled to − 78 ° c . the solution of the dialdehyde of the chemical formula 3 ( 0 . 29 g , 0 . 66 mmol ) in thf ( 5 ml ) was then added for 5 min . the resulting mixture was stirred at − 78 ° c . for 1 h , and quenched with 1 m hcl solution ( 5 ml ). the mixture was warmed to room temperature , extracted with etoac ( 20 ml × 2 ), washed with 1 m hcl solution ( 10 ml × 2 ), dried over anhydrous na 2 so 4 , filtered , and concentrated under reduced pressure . the crude product was purified by silica gel column chromatography to give the c 40 diol compound ( o ) ( 0 . 56 g , 0 . 56 mmol ) in 86 % yield . 1 h nmr ( 300 . 40 mhz , cdcl . sub . 3 ) δ 0 . 67 ( s 3h ), 0 . 70 ( s , 3h ), 0 . 90 ( s , 3h ), 0 . 93 ( s , 3h ), 1 . 21 ( s , 3h ), 1 . 34 - 1 . 75 ( m , 8h ), 1 . 50 ( s , 3h ), 1 . 53 ( s , 3h ), 1 . 56 ( s , 3h ), 1 . 88 - 2 . 25 ( m , 12h ), 1 . 99 ( s , 3h ), 2 . 02 ( s , 3h ), 2 . 25 - 2 . 46 ( m , 1h ), 2 . 73 - 2 . 90 ( m , 1h ), 3 . 20 - 3 . 70 ( br m , 2h ), 3 . 73 ( br t , j = 9 . 6 hz , 1h ), 4 . 00 ( d , j = 9 . 5 hz , 1h ), 4 . 01 ( d , j = 9 . 5 hz , 1h ), 4 . 90 - 5 . 10 ( m , 4h ), 5 . 23 - 5 . 39 ( br s , 2h ), 7 . 45 - 7 . 65 ( m , 10h ), 7 . 78 - 7 . 87 ( m , 2h ), 8 . 00 - 8 . 07 ( m , 3h ) ppm . 13 c nmr ( 75 . 45 mhz , cdcl 3 ) δ 9 . 1 , 13 . 1 , 13 . 4 , 16 . 1 , 16 . 4 , 16 . 4 , 16 . 4 , 18 . 8 , 18 . 8 , 24 . 1 , 24 . 1 , 26 . 0 , 26 . 0 , 26 . 5 , 27 . 5 , 27 . 5 , 29 . 7 , 34 . 4 , 35 . 5 , 38 . 7 , 38 . 7 , 39 . 7 , 39 . 7 , 64 . 5 , 73 . 6 , 73 . 7 , 75 . 7 , 75 . 8 , 116 . 9 , 118 . 8 , 127 . 8 , 128 . 0 , 128 . 1 , 128 . 3 , 128 . 4 , 128 . 6 , 128 . 6 , 128 . 8 , 132 . 6 , 132 . 7 , 133 . 3 , 133 . 7 , 133 . 7 , 134 . 4 , 137 . 8 , 138 . 0 , 139 . 2 , 139 . 3 , 139 . 4 , 143 . 6 , 143 . 6 , 144 . 6 ppm . ir ( kbr ) 3501 , 2930 , 1683 , 1447 , 1300 , 1141 , 1083 , 756 cm − 1 . hrms ( fab + ) m / z cacld for c 52 h 71 o 5 s 2 ( c 58 h 79 o 8 s 3 — c 6 h 6 so 2 — h 2 o ) 839 . 4743 , found 839 . 4730 . to a stirred solution of the c 40 diol compound ( o ) ( 0 . 13 g , 0 . 15 mmol ) in ch 2 cl 2 ( 5 ml ) at 0 ° c . were added pyridine ( 0 . 054 ml , 0 . 60 mmol ) and pbr 3 ( 0 . 011 ml , 0 . 12 mmol ). the mixture was stirred at 0 ° c . for 40 min , diluted with ch 2 cl 2 ( 20 ml ), washed with 1 m hcl solution ( 10 ml × 3 ), dried over anhydrous mgso 4 , filtered , and concentrated under reduced pressure to give the di - bromination product ( p - 1 ) ( 0 . 17 g , 0 . 15 mmol ) in 100 % crude yield . this compound was not purified and directly utilized in the elimination reaction to produce β - carotene ( see example 15 - a ). to a stirred solution of the c 40 diol compound ( o ) ( 0 . 55 g , 0 . 55 mmol ) in ch 2 cl 2 ( 10 ml ) were added 3 , 4 - dihydro - 2h - pyran ( 0 . 26 ml , 2 . 75 mmol ) and 10 - camphorsulfonic acid ( 80 mg , 0 . 33 mmol ). the reaction mixture was stirred at room temperature for 15 h , diluted with ch 2 cl 2 ( 20 ml ), washed with saturated nahco 3 solution ( 10 ml × 2 ), dried over anhydrous k 2 co 3 , filtered , and concentrated under reduced pressure . the crude product was purified by silica gel ( deactivated by et 3 n ) column chromatography to give the bis ( tetrahydropyranyl ) ether ( p - 2 ) ( 0 . 58 g , 0 . 49 mmol ) in 90 % yield . 1 h nmr ( 300 . 40 mhz , cdcl 3 ) δ 0 . 76 ( s 3h ), 0 . 78 ( s , 3h ), 1 . 05 ( s , 3h ), 1 . 08 ( s , 3h ), 1 . 20 ( s , 3h ), 1 . 30 - 2 . 25 ( m , 47h ), 2 . 25 - 2 . 47 ( m , 1h ), 2 . 73 - 2 . 92 ( m , 1h ), 3 . 28 - 3 . 28 ( m , 2h ), 3 . 58 - 3 . 92 ( m , 2h ), 3 . 92 - 4 . 25 ( m , 3h ), 4 . 38 ( br s , 1h ), 4 . 85 ( br s , 1h ), 4 . 97 ( br s , 1h ), 5 . 00 ( br s , 1h ), 5 . 10 ( d , j = 9 . 4 hz , 1h ), 5 . 12 ( d , j = 9 . 3 hz , 1h ), 5 . 30 ( br s , 1h ), 5 . 35 ( br s , 1h ), 7 . 43 - 7 . 65 ( m , 10h ), 7 . 77 - 7 . 87 ( m , 2h ), 7 . 98 - 8 . 15 ( m , 3h ) ppm . ir ( kbr ) 2943 , 1684 , 1447 , 1304 , 1143 , 1083 , 1028 cm − 1 . to a stirred solution of the c 40 diol compound ( o ) ( 0 . 12 g , 0 . 13 mmol ) in ch 2 cl 2 ( 5 ml ) at 0 ° c . were added ethyl vinyl ether ( 0 . 71 ml , 0 . 73 mmol ) and pyridinium p - toluenesulfonate ( 10 mg , 0 . 05 mmol ). the mixture was stirred at room temperature for 20 h . the mixture was then diluted with ch 2 cl 2 ( 20 ml ), washed with saturated nahco 3 ( 10 ml × 3 ), dried over anhydrous k 2 co 3 , filtered , and concentrated under reduced pressure . the crude product was purified by silica gel ( deactivated by et 3 n ) column chromatography to give the bis ( 1 - ethoxyethyl ) ether ( p - 3 ) ( 0 . 13 g , 0 . 12 mmol ) in 90 % yield . 1 h nmr ( 300 . 40 mhz , cdcl 3 ) δ 0 . 74 ( t , j = 6 . 1 hz , 6h ), 0 . 98 - 1 . 32 ( m , 20h ), 0 . 98 - 1 . 79 ( m , 20h ), 1 . 79 - 2 . 26 ( m , 16h ), 2 . 26 - 2 . 46 ( m , 1h ), 2 . 77 - 2 . 90 ( m , 1h ), 3 . 26 ( dq , j d = 15 . 9 , j q = 7 . 7 hz , 1h ), 3 . 44 ( dq , j d = 15 . 5 , j t = 7 . 8 hz , 1h ), 3 . 65 - 3 . 87 ( m , 3h ), 4 . 05 ( d , j = 10 . 3 hz , 1h ), 4 . 07 ( d , j = 9 . 9 hz , 1h ), 4 . 46 - 4 . 59 ( m , 1h ), 4 . 59 - 4 . 72 ( m , 1h ), 4 . 72 - 4 . 82 ( m , 1h ), 4 . 90 - 5 . 12 ( m , 3h ), 5 . 22 - 5 . 38 ( m , 2h ), 7 . 42 - 7 . 62 ( m , 10h ), 7 . 77 - 7 . 88 ( m , 3h ), 7 . 98 - 8 . 10 ( m , 2h ) ppm . to a stirred solution of the c 40 diol compound ( o ) ( 0 . 30 g , 0 . 30 mmol ) in dimethoxy methane ( 1 . 1 ml , 12 . 12 mmol ) at room temperature was added p 2 o 5 ( 61 mg , 0 . 44 mmol ). the resulting yellow solution was stirred for 12 h , and p 2 o 5 ( 28 mg , 0 . 36 mmol ) was added again . stirring for another 4 h , the reaction mixture was diluted with toluene ( 30 ml ), washed with saturated nahco 3 solution ( 10 ml × 3 ), dried over anhydrous na 2 so 4 , filtered , and concentrated under reduced pressure . the crude product was purified by silica gel ( deactivated by et 3 n ) column chromatography to give the bis ( methoxymethyl ) ether ( p - 4 ) ( 0 . 31 g , 0 . 28 mmol ) in 93 % yield . 1 h nmr ( 300 . 40 mhz , cdcl 3 ) δ 0 . 73 ( s , 3h ), 0 . 75 ( s , 3h ), 0 . 84 - 2 . 27 ( m , 20h ), 1 . 11 ( s , 3h ), 1 . 13 ( s , 3h ), 1 . 18 ( s , 3h ), 1 . 41 ( s , 3h ), 1 . 44 ( s , 3h ), 1 . 56 ( s , 3h ), 2 . 05 ( s , 3h ), 2 . 08 ( s , 3h ), 2 . 27 - 2 . 47 ( m , 1h ), 2 . 60 - 2 . 94 ( m , 1h ), 3 . 44 ( s , 3h ), 3 . 64 - 3 . 78 ( m , 1h ), 4 . 05 ( d , j = 9 . 9 hz , 1h ), 4 . 07 ( d , j = 10 . 3 hz , 1h ), 4 . 50 - 4 . 72 ( m , 4h ), 4 . 72 - 5 . 10 ( m , 4h ), 5 . 32 ( br s , 2h ), 7 . 42 - 7 . 67 ( m , 10h ), 7 . 75 - 7 . 90 ( m , 3h ), 7 . 93 - 8 . 07 ( m , 2h ) ppm . ir ( kbr ) 2931 , 1446 , 1301 , 1141 , 1083 , 1021 cm − 1 . hrms ( fab + ) m / z cacld for c 54 h 75 o 6 s 2 ( c 62 h 87 o 10 s 3 — c . sub . 6h . sub . 6so . sub . 2 - ch 3 och 2 oh ) 883 . 5005 , found 883 . 4999 . to a stirred suspension of the crude ( see example 11 ) c 40 dibromide ( p - 1 ) ( 0 . 15 g , 0 . 13 mmol ) in cyclohexane ( 10 ml ) and benzene ( 5 ml ) was added kome ( 0 . 28 g , 3 . 99 mmol ). the mixture was heated to 70 ˜ 80 ° c . for 21 h , cooled to room temperature , and 1 m hcl ( 10 ml ) was carefully added . the reaction mixture was extracted with a 9 : 1 ( v : v ) solution ( 30 ml ) of hexane and benzene , dried over anhydrous na 2 so 4 , filtered , and concentrated under reduced pressure . the resulting red solid was diluted with hexane ( 30 ml ) and washed with ch 3 cn ( 10 ml × 3 ). the combined ch 3 cn solution was extracted again with hexanes . the hexane layers were combined and concentrated under reduced pressure to give β - carotene of the chemical formula 2 ( 56 mg , 0 . 10 mmol ) in 77 % crude yield . the crude product was purified by recrystallization from meoh and thf to provide all -( e )- β - carotene ( 36 mg , 0 . 067 mmol ) in 50 % yield as a dark red crystal . to a stirred suspension of the bis ( tetrahydropyranyl ) ether ( p - 2 ) ( 0 . 55 g , 0 . 47 mmol ) in cyclohexane ( 20 ml ) and benzene ( 10 ml ) was added kome ( 0 . 66 g , 9 . 40 mmol ). the mixture was heated to 70 ˜ 80 ° c . for 18 h , cooled to room temperature , and 1 m hcl ( 20 ml ) was carefully added . the reaction mixture was extracted with a 9 : 1 ( v : v ) solution ( 40 ml ) of hexane and benzene , dried over anhydrous na 2 so 4 , filtered , and concentrated under reduced pressure . the resulting red solid was diluted with hexane ( 30 ml ) and washed with ch 3 cn ( 10 ml × 3 ). the combined ch 3 cn solution was extracted again with hexanes . the hexane layers were combined and concentrated under reduced pressure to give . beta .- carotene of the chemical formula 2 ( 0 . 25 g , 0 . 47 mmol ) in 100 % crude yield . the crude product was purified by recrystallization from meoh and thf to provide all -( e )- β - carotene ( 0 . 20 g , 0 . 38 mmol ) in 81 % yield as a dark red crystal . to a stirred suspension of the bis ( 1 - ethoxyethyl ) ether ( p - 3 ) ( 0 . 10 g , 0 . 09 mmol ) in cyclohexane ( 10 ml ) and benzene ( 5 ml ) was added kome ( 0 . 18 g , 2 . 60 mmol ). the mixture was heated to 70 ˜ 80 ° c . for 17 h , cooled to room temperature , and 1 m hcl ( 5 ml ) was carefully added . the reaction mixture was extracted with a 9 : 1 ( v : v ) solution ( 20 ml ) of hexane and benzene , dried over anhydrous na 2 so 4 , filtered , and concentrated under reduced pressure . the resulting red solid was diluted with hexane ( 30 ml ) and washed with ch 3 cn ( 10 ml × 3 ). the combined ch 3 cn solution was extracted again with hexanes . the hexane layers were combined and concentrated under reduced pressure to give β - carotene of the chemical formula 2 ( 46 mg , 0 . 086 mmol ) in 99 % crude yield . the crude product was purified by recrystallization from meoh and thf to provide all -( e )- β - carotene ( 32 mg , 0 . 059 mmol ) in 70 % yield as a dark red crystal . to a stirred solution of the bis ( methoxymethyl ) ether ( p - 4 ) ( 0 . 16 g , 0 . 14 mmol ) in cyclohexane ( 10 ml ) and benzene ( 5 ml ) was added kome ( 0 . 19 g , 2 . 76 mmol ). the mixture was heated to 70 ˜ 80 ° c . for 18 h , cooled to room temperature , and 1 m hcl ( 10 ml ) was carefully added . the reaction mixture was extracted with a 9 : 1 ( v : v ) solution ( 30 ml ) of hexane and benzene , dried over anhydrous na 2 so 4 , filtered , and concentrated under reduced pressure . the resulting red solid was diluted with hexane ( 30 ml ) and washed with ch 3 cn ( 10 ml × 3 ). the combined ch 3 cn solution was extracted again with hexanes . the hexane layers were combined and concentrated under reduced pressure to give β - carotene of the chemical formula 2 ( 67 mg , 0 . 13 mmol ) in 91 % crude yield . the crude product was purified by recrystallization from meoh and thf to provide all -( e )- β - carotene ( 53 mg , 0 . 10 mmol ) in 71 % yield as a dark red crystal . the 1 h nmr spectra of all -( e )- β - carotene , which were prepared according to the above methods a - d , were identical to that of the authentic sample . the novel c 20 dialdehyde compound of the chemical formula 3 according to the present invention can be expeditiously prepared from the readily available geraniol , and can be efficiently utilized in the syntheses of the conjugated polyene chains of the carotenoid compounds such as lycopene and β - carotene by the sulfone - mediated coupling and double elimination reactions . the processes of the coupling reaction between the above c 20 dialdehyde and two equivalents of geranyl sulfone or cyclic geranyl sulfone , the protection of the resulting c 40 diols , and then the double elimination reactions of the protected c 40 compounds are highly efficient in producing lycopene and β - carotene in much shorter steps with great economical values than the previous sulfone - mediated methods . therefore , the syntheses of lycopene and β - carotene according to the present invention have several advantages over the existing methods especially in the fast preparation of the starting materials for the coupling reaction , the efficiency of the reaction steps , and the easy handling of the intermediates , by - product , and the product , not to mention of the formation of ( e )- configuration in the carbon - carbon double bonds . | 2 |
the following description represents one of the inventors &# 39 ; current preferred embodiments . the description is not meant to limit the invention , but rather to illustrate its general principles of operation . examples are illustrated with the accompanying drawings . a variety of drawings are offered , showing the present invention with various activated character sets . fig1 is a top view of the present invention , an integrated keyboard and mouse 1 . the integrated keyboard and mouse 1 has a top surface 1 . the integrated keyboard and mouse 1 has a defined perimeter 4 . the keyboard portion of the invention has eighteen keys 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 . the version shown in fig1 is for right - handed typing . the right - hand index finder controls five keys : 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 . the right - hand middle finger controls five keys : 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 . the right - hand ring finger controls five keys : 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 . the right - hand pinkie finger controls three keys : 20 , 21 , 22 . the present invention , an integrated mouse and keyboard 1 , has two joysticks 2 , 3 , controlled by the thumb . either joystick 2 , 3 may be designated joystick # 1 . for this embodiment , the upper joystick 3 will be designated as joystick # 1 . traditional mouse functionality is achieved by moving joystick # 1 3 . for example , in this embodiment , moving joystick # 1 to the right emulates a right mouse click on a traditional pc mouse . moving joystick # 1 to the left emulates a left mouse click on a traditional pc mouse . the mouse functionality can be configured to work with other operating systems . in the present embodiment , joystick # 2 2 controls other functions , such as activating the alt keys . by moving joystick # 2 2 to the right , the user activates the alt keys on the right - hand side of a traditional qwerty keyboard . by moving joystick # 2 2 to the left , the user activates the alt keys on the left - hand side of a traditional qwerty keyboard . the remaining positions for joystick # 2 2 are left undefined . it is intended that the end user program the remaining positions with frequently used words , phrases , or character sets ( e . g ., cyrillic character set for scientific notation ) to speed up the users typing - rate . fig2 is a bottom view of the present invention . the perimeter 4 of the present invention is apparent . fig2 shows a traditional track - ball type mouse , but the present invention can be integrated onto any type of mouse : track - ball , no track - ball , wireless , etc . the track - ball 23 is in the center of the bottom side . there are also four nubs 24 which keeps the mouse from being tilted so that the perimeter 4 hits . the bottom has a face 25 . fig3 shows a side - view of the present invention , an integrated mouse and keyboard 1 . the perimeter 4 of the mouse is visible , as are the track - ball 23 and nubs 24 of the bottom side . the two joysticks 2 , 3 are visible . a user would grasp the integrated keyboard and mouse 1 , resting the right - hand thumb just above the two joysticks 2 , 3 . in rest position , the user &# 39 ; s wrist would be in a neutral position . looking at fig1 , the thumb would rest near the joysticks 2 , 3 . the index finger would rest near keys 5 , 6 . the middle finger would rest near keys 10 , 11 . the ring finger would rest near keys 15 , 16 . the pinkie finger would rest near keys 20 , 21 . fig4 shows the activated keys with joystick # 1 3 in the neutral position . fig5 shows the activated keys with joystick # 1 3 in the down position . fig6 shows the activated keys with joystick # 1 3 in the up position . fig7 shows the activated keys with joystick # 1 3 in the up and depressed position . | 6 |
fig1 shows a device layout of a mems metrology device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention . fig2 is a detail view of the complementary measuring combs 102 of the device of fig1 . fig2 also shows the complementary comb - drive 104 that is used for increasing measurement sensitivity . in the device of fig1 , capacitance changes across the measuring combs 102 correspond with the lateral translation of the shuttle 106 as it is actuated by the comb - drives ( e . g ., drives 108 and 110 ). the device of fig1 can be a compact device , fitting inside a 1 mm by 1 mm square or smaller , that can accurately measure in - plane over - or under - cut , effective young &# 39 ; s modulus , and the comb - drive force for the material and process in which it is made . this device is useful for nanoscale calipers , manipulators , and force gauges , as well as for the scientific exploration of physical forces , developing fabrication processes , calibrating simulations of devices , and automatically recalibrating mems devices for environmental changes . details of the complementary measuring combs 102 are shown in fig2 . as used herein over - or under - cut refer to a deviation of a fabricated gap from its designed value . in one embodiment , the procedure for measuring over - or under - cut , young &# 39 ; s modulus , and the comb - drive force involves displacing the central cantilevered suspension 112 with the comb - drives 108 and 110 and measuring the deflection amount ( x ) with the complementary measuring combs 102 . for example , in connection with fig1 , two of the comb - drives 108 and 110 are actuated , which causes the cantilevers 112 to deflect and translate in the lateral direction 114 by deflection amount ( x ). cantilevers 112 may act as springs that bias the shuttle 106 back to its original position after each displacement driven by the comb - drives . using the measuring combs 102 to measure the deflection amount ( x ), the over - or under - cut can be determined . in order to increase the sensitivity of the measuring combs 102 , they can be driven closer together with the secondary measuring comb drive 104 . then , by actuating one of the comb - drives ( e . g ., drive 108 ) and measuring the capacitance change with the other comb - drive ( e . g ., drive 110 ), the fringing field correction factor can be obtained for accurately determining the comb - drive force . and , by assuming a uniform over - or undercut , the effective young &# 39 ; s modulus of the system can be obtained . when over - or under - cut varies as a function of beam width and beam gap , then the same measurements may be repeated for several different comb - drives each with varying beam width and gaps . fig2 a - f show simplified drawings of the relative movement of the complementary measuring combs 102 and the varying capacitance vs . displacement for the combs 102 . as is shown in fig2 a - f , as the central suspension 102 a is displaced ( corresponding to the displacement of shuttle 106 ), the capacitance value of the combs 102 varies from a maximum value ( fig2 a ) to a minimum value ( fig2 c ) and back to a maximum value ( fig2 f ). as is shown in fig2 f , the spacing between comb fingers 202 can be measured as the displacement corresponding to the peak capacitance values . fig2 g is a simplified drawing that extends the concept of fig2 a - f to demonstrate that differential capacitance of the complementary comb drive can be measured as the difference in capacitance between two sets of measuring combs 102 - 1 and 102 - 2 . a more detailed description of the method described above follows . first , the measuring combs 102 are used to find what applied voltages , v 1 and v 2 , on two separate comb drives 108 and 110 , will allow the cantilever 112 to displace by a fixed amount , ( x ). the comb drives 108 and 110 can have different gap sizes between comb fingers , g 1 and g 2 , and possibly different number of drive finger gaps , n 1 and n 2 . e =( n 1 v 1 2 g 2 − n 2 v 2 2 g 1 )/( n 1 v 1 2 − n 2 v 2 2 ). alternatively , ( e ) can be determined by finding the scale factor , ( s ), applied to v 2 , to match the measuring comb &# 39 ; s capacitive profile for the second comb drive ( e . g ., drive 110 ) with that of the first comb drive ( e . g ., drive 108 ). then , e =( s 2 n 1 g 2 − n 2 g 1 )/( s 2 n 1 − n 2 ). the fringing field factor ( a ) can then be determined by driving the second comb drive ( e . g ., drive 110 ) to ( x ) and measuring the change of capacitance , ( c ), on the first comb drive ( e . g ., drive 108 ): a = c ( g 1 − e )/( xn 1 ε 0 ε air h ), where ( h ) is the thickness of the silicon . next for a uniform over - or under - cut , the effective young &# 39 ; s modulus , ( e ), of the silicon is found by : e = cv 1 2 ( l − e ) 3 /( 4 x 2 h ( w + e ) 3 ), where ( w ) is the width of the cantilever beams 112 and ( l ) is the length of the cantilever beams 112 . multiple comb drives ( e . g ., drives 108 , 110 ) may be used to verify the over - or under - cut for beams and gaps of different sizes . to improve the accuracy of the pair of complementary combs 102 for measuring capacitance changes , one set of the complementary combs 102 ( shown in fig2 ) can be offset ( as shown in fig2 g ). with the one offset pair of complementary combs 102 - 2 , the capacitance of one pair of combs can reach a maximum when the other pair ( e . g ., combs 102 - 1 ) reaches a minimum as the shuttle 106 is actuated . this allows a differential sense circuit to be used to measure the capacitance difference between the pair of complementary combs 102 - 1 and 102 - 2 . a design layout , circuits , and measurement steps used for characterizing over - or under - cut , effective young &# 39 ; s modulus , and comb - drive forces using the mems metrology device in accordance with the embodiments of the present invention is described below . the components of the characterization device are labeled in design layout section . the measurement circuit and set - up are shown in the circuit layout section . the measurement procedures are shown in measurements section . fig3 shows an exemplary schematic diagram of an embodiment of the device of fig1 . in fig3 - 9 , electrical terminals are shown as cross - hatched boxes ( e . g ., terminals a 1 , s 1 , and s 2 of fig3 ). as can be seen , the design includes the following components or subsystems : a . an anchored guided suspension 112 with cantilever width , cw , and cantilever length , cl , b . a shuttle 106 that joins the suspension 112 and the driving and sensing apparatus , c . a set of driving and sensing comb - drives 108 / 110 , d . measuring combs 102 to sense displacement of the shuttle 106 , and e . an optional gap - closing sense array 302 for further assessing cut - error . the following guidelines can be used in the overall design of the device . the width of the guided suspension 112 , cw , can be chosen as small as possible to keep the required length of the guided suspension , cl , as low as possible . when the beam - anchor compliance is being studied , the second structure should contain another guided suspension of a different width , a good value may be cw * 1 . 25 ( this doubles the stiffness ) but the optimal value may depend on the process . the length of the guided suspension 112 , cl , should be chosen small enough that processing steps will not break it , stiction will not immobilize it , and it will fit in the desired amount of space . cl should be chosen large enough that the shuttle 106 may move far enough ( without breaking the suspension ) that the measuring combs 102 senses a capacitive peak . also , cl should be chosen large enough that the required voltage to achieve the desired displacement ( x ) of the shuttle 106 is kept small enough for the equipment to handle . the shuttle 106 should be kept as stiff as possible while still being releasable . for improved sensitivity and simplicity , driving and sensing comb - drives ( e . g ., drives 108 / 110 ) should be matched on both sides of the shuttle 106 . when measuring cut - errors for many different geometries , it may be more economical to use differing comb - drive dimensions for comb - drives located on opposite sides . fig4 shows an exemplary schematic diagram of one embodiment of the measuring combs 102 of fig3 . vertical members 102 a in fig4 correspond with the vertical members 102 a of fig3 . electrical terminals c 1 and c 2 are located adjacent anchors 410 and 420 , respectively . terminal c 3 is located within comb drive 104 . as shown in fig4 , the design of the measuring combs 102 includes the following : f . one set of matched teeth 102 - 1 , g . one set of mismatched teeth 102 - 2 , h . suspensions 402 that allow the teeth sets to be moved towards each other by moving combs 102 b , and i . comb - drive 104 to actuate the suspensions 402 . the following guidelines can be used in the overall design of the device of fig4 . the set of matched teeth 102 - 1 and mismatched teeth 102 - 2 should have the same spacing between comb teeth . in addition , the suspension drive 104 may be joined or separated depending on whether more simplicity or flexibility is needed . fig5 shows an exemplary schematic diagram of a second embodiment of a measuring combs 102 of fig3 . in the alternative configuration of fig5 , four teeth sets , 502 - 1 , - 2 , - 3 , and - 4 , may be used having four different alignments , the alignment of each set shifted by a quarter of the distance between adjacent comb teeth . the sinusoidal - like capacitance function is then shifted by 90 degrees , and a hariharan type algorithm may be applied to find the displacement ( x ) ( described in the measurements section below ). fig6 shows an exemplary schematic diagram of an embodiment of the gap closing sense array 302 of fig3 . an optional gap - closing sense array 302 may be used to further refine the measurements of cut - error and also measure layer thickness . each gap - closing sensor has two fixed gaps 601 and 602 , each defined between a beam of the gap sensor and a beam carried on the shuttle 106 . for gap 602 , beam 604 of the gap sensor overlaps with beam 606 of the shuttle by a set distance . the second set of beams 603 and 605 overlap by an additional distance , dw , compared to the overlap distance between beams 604 and 606 . the differential capacitance between the two sets of beams 604 / 606 and 603 / 605 can be used to determine the value of gaps 601 and 602 , and therefore cut - error , the method of which is discussed in further detail below . with reference to fig6 , g 1 and g 2 can be tied to a 1 if gap - closing sensing is not used ( to avoid charging effects ). in general , a 1 &# 39 ; s dc offset ( if used ) should also be applied to g 1 and g 2 . fig7 shown an exemplary schematic diagram of the drive / sense comb drives ( e . g ., such as drives 108 / 110 ) of fig3 . in a balanced configuration , such as that shown in fig7 , comb - drives 702 / 703 / 704 / 705 are disposed on both sides of shuttle 106 , one of which may be driven while the differential capacitance is sensed between them by combs 102 ( not shown ). each comb - drive ( e . g ., 702 and 703 ) may have different finger widths , w , and gap spacings , g , between fingers . the finger overlap can be kept small to reduce levitation effects . comb - drives 704 and 705 on the opposite side of the shuttle 106 may have fewer comb - fingers but more overlap to reduce tilt , or may be identical to the opposing comb - drives 702 and 703 , respectively . fig8 shows an exemplary circuit diagram of the differential sense portion of the device of fig3 , and which does not include capacitive bypassing of the power supply . in one characterization procedure , sensitive differential capacitance measurements ( with a resolution around or below 10 af ) are made while a voltage sweep is supplied to the driving comb - set . there are two variations for measuring the differential capacitance — one using a charge - integrator scheme and another using a differentiation scheme , both of which can be used by changing capacitors and resistors . in fig8 , resistor values are denoted with an “ r ” and capacitor values are denoted with a “ c ”. in connection with fig8 , the signal from the dc biasing ( vb 1 and vb 2 ) is low - pass filtered through resistor , r 1 , and capacitor , c 1 ( large ). when an integrator is desired , c 2 is set to a small capacitive value and r 2 is set to a large resistive value . the gain ( v /| vac |) is roughly 2 * d / c 2 . when a differentiator is desired , c 2 is not used , and r 2 is set to around a 100 kohm level . the gain ( v /| vac |) is roughly 2 * d * r 2 * omega ( where omega is the frequency of vac ). the second stage amplifier can further be used to amplify the signal . the gain is roughly r 4 / r 3 . additionally , the alternating signal can be converted to a dc signal through an rms to dc converter . fig9 shows an exemplary overall circuit diagram for the device of fig3 . using the terminal notation from the previous figures , terminals not shown are grounded . vac is an alternating signal (& gt ; 200 khz ) applied to the suspension and vdc is a bias applied to the suspension ( and other components ) to correct for the levitation effect . using the systems and circuits of fig1 - 9 described above , the mems metrology in accordance with the embodiments of the present invention are described below . a first measurement methodology is described first , followed by alternative methodologies that are used to counteract the levitation effect , refine the measuring comb measurements , and refine the measurement of cut error . the description below shows how the comb - drive force ( f ), cut error ( e ), and then effective young &# 39 ; s modulus ( e ) are measured using capacitance and voltage measurements based on an known layer thickness ( h ). this methodology includes the following steps : step a : the differential sense circuit shown in fig8 is calibrated so that the capacitance , d , is known from a measurement of v ( note that there is a factor of 2 ). an lcr meter such as an hp4824a may be used for this purpose . step b : the suspension sweeping v_bias is moved and v_comp as well as v_sense (*) are measured . the v_bias and v_sense values associated with the first peak of v_comp ( either a max or min value ) are found ( it can be more accurate to do this measurement by curve - fitting ). corrections can be made when the output is shifted ( due to imperfectly matched capacitances ). the values for v_comp may be shifted such that the max and min are equidistant from the origin . vc_bias is adjusted until the maxima and minima are known to the desired accuracy . the shuttle moves a distance of half the distance ( x ) between successive complementary - comb teeth . the change of capacitance ( dc ) can then be determined from the calibration data and v_sense . the force ( f ) exerted on the suspension is then v_bias 2 dc /( 2 * x ). step c : by using a model of the comb - drive force ( f ) allows the determination of the cut error ( e ) from two different comb - drive sets . f is related to the number of fingers ( n ) of the comb - drive side with fewer comb fingers , finger gap ( g ) ( for simplicity , let g e = g − e ), finger width ( w ), layer thickness ( h ), and fringing field factor ( α ) as assuming α and e remain nearly constant , two different comb - drive sets can be used with varying layout gaps , g 1 and g 2 , and number of fingers , n 1 and n 2 . using step b , the v_bias bias voltages , v 1 and v 2 , are found for the two sets that generate the same force ( same displacement ). cut error is then computed as e = f ( l + e ) 3 2 x h ( w - e ) 3 it should be noted that in step b , if and when the complementary teeth are tightly packed in the configuration in fig4 , then set vc_bias = 0 and measure the complementary - comb signal , v_comp 0 , as v_bias is swept . as vc_bias is adjusted , the sweep data is subtracted from the original sweep ( this subtraction will remove global effects ), ( v_comp − v_comp 0 ). to measure the actual young &# 39 ; s modulus , two separate suspensions may be used , one with a differing cantilever width . the stiffness due to beam - anchor compliance and webbing effects can then be determined using the relationship : k = kweb_compliance + ksuspension . to correct for levitation effects , the optional comb - sets ( b in fig7 ) can be used . for each biasing voltage , v_bias , the following steps are taken to remove levitation effects . a . apply bias to v 2 _bias until | v_comp | is maximized . b . apply bias to vdc until | v_comp | is maximized . the cut error for differing geometries can also be measured using a gap - closing actuator shown in fig6 . this arrangement can provide for more accuracy . the measurement includes the following steps : a . as v_bias is swept , measure v_gap . b . use the calibration data to convert v_gap to capacitance , c_gap . c . use the complementary - comb data to convert v_bias to the translation , x . d . fit the data to c_gap = αε 0 ε air a /( g model − x ). ( αε 0 ε air a is constant ) e . cut error is then g model − g . f . a short set ( 3 - 5 microns in length ) of gap - closing sensors may be used as gap stops to allow the determination of the sidewall angle . the cut - error determined in step e is near the midpoint of the layer . actuate the shuttle until the gap is reached . measure the displacement , g bottom , using the v_sense data . the sidewall angle is approximately ( g bottom − g model )/( h / 2 ). g . similarly , as the gap is closed , the fringing - field effect is reduced . at the point where the fringing - field effect is sufficiently reduced , the layer thickness , h , may be measured by finding the area a ( from step d ) and dividing by the layout protruding length ( it is not affected by cut error ). when the alternative approach shown in fig5 is taken , then refinements can be made to the comb - drive sensing device . v_comp and v_comp 2 will be 2 periodic functions ( of displacement which is proportional to v_bias 2 ). they will also be 90 degrees out of phase with one another . the minima and maxima can be found when the function atan ( v_comp 2 / v_comp ) crosses multiples of pi . near these regions , the data can be linearly fit to determine this crossing value precisely . note that the atan function must be unwrapped ( when values cross pi , they jump to − pi ) and at that point , 2 * pi is added to the results to make them continuous ). the mems metrology device in accordance with the embodiments of the present invention can be fabricated using a silicon - on - insulator substrate from a single mask , as shown in fig1 a - e . as is shown in fig1 a - e , the fabrication process includes the following steps . the fabrication of the device starts with a handling layer 1002 that has disposed on it an oxide layer 1004 that in turn has a device layer 1006 disposed on it ( fig1 a ). next , a photoresist layer 1008 is deposited on the device layer 1006 ( fig1 b ). next , the photoresist layer 1008 is patterned ( fig1 c ). then the device layer 1006 and the oxide layer 1004 are etched ( fig1 d ) and then the device layer 1006 is released by the removal of the oxide layer 1004 ( fig1 e ), to form the finger - like structures of fig1 . for example , the device shown in fig1 is approximately 25 - 50 μm thick , has a foot print of approximately 1 . 5 mm by 1 . 0 mm , or preferably less than 1 . 0 mm by 1 . 0 mm . the mems metrology device in accordance with the embodiments of the present invention can be fabricated during the same fabrication process and formed adjacent to the mems device which will be monitored by the metrology device . the metrology device can then be used to measure both the under or over - cut of the device and also monitor its material , process , geometry and dynamic properties of mems device . prototype mems metrology devices have been demonstrated to be inexpensive , reliable and accurate , having resolutions better than or similar to the resolution of optical microscopy device and nearing sem device resolutions . furthermore , due to the symmetric nature of over - or under - cut the deflection measurements of the mems metrology devices are resilient to the variation of comb tips . such comb - tip variations include variations due to cut error resulting in narrower or wider combs ; variations due to the filleting where combs are shortened and rounded ; and cross - sectional variations . as will be understood by those skilled in the art , the present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the essential characteristics thereof . these other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention , which is set forth in the following claims . | 1 |
referring to the drawings in detail , reference character 10 generally indicates a connector device for connecting a wire rope 12 to a chain 14 . the wire rope 12 may be of any suitable type , and as shown herein comprises a plurality of individual strands 16 wound around a centrally disposed longitudinally extending fiber core 18 ( fig2 ). the chain 14 may also be of any suitable type , and as shown herein comprises a plurality of individual link members 20 , with one link member 20a being engaged by the connector device 10 , and another link member 20b being connected with a suitable hook member 22 , or the like . the connector device 10 comprises a socket member 24 of a generally elongated conical configuration , and having a central bore 26 extending longitudinally therethrough . the bore tapers downwardly and inwardly as viewed in fig2 through 5 , for a purpose as will be hereinafter set forth . a reduced diameter neck portion 28 is provided at one end of the socket 24 and is externally threaded as shown at 30 . an outwardly directed annular shoulder 32 is provided around the outer periphery of the socket 24 at the terminus of the threaded neck member 28 . in addition , the portion 31 of the bore 26 in alignment with the neck member 28 is substantially straight sided for a purpose as will be hereinafter set forth . a wedge member generally indicated at 34 is provided with a downwardly and inwardly tapered outer periphery as viewed at 36 in the drawings , said tapered configuration of the wedge 34 being complementary to the tapered configuration of the bore 26 . a reduced diameter longitudinally extending neck portion 38 is provided at one end of the wedge member 34 extending in an opposite direction with respect to the tapered portion 36 and is externally threaded for a purpose as will be hereinafter set forth . the wedge member 34 is adapted for insertion within the bore 28 of the socket member 24 in order to securely clamp the strands 16 of the wire rope 12 therebetween as will be hereinafter set forth in detail . a connector member generally indicated at 40 ( fig4 and 5 ) is provided for the device 10 and comprises a sleeve member 42 having a central threaded bore 44 extending longitudinally therein for threaded connection with the threaded portion 30 of the socket member 24 . an inwardly directed circumferential flange or shoulder 46 is provided at one end of the sleeve 42 for providing a central bore 48 in communication with the bore 44 . a yoke member comprising a pair of spaced longitudinally extending arm members 50 and 52 project from the sleeve member 42 for receiving a portion of the link member 20a therebetween . the arms 50 and 52 are provided with aligned bores 54 and 56 for receiving a locking pin 58 therethrough , and the pin 58 is locked or securely retained in position within the bores 56 and 58 by a locking sleeve 60 . whereas the locking sleeve 60 may be of any suitable type , it is preferable that it be of the split tension sleeve type as shown in my prior u . s . pat . no . re27 , 620 . the pin 58 and locking sleeve 60 securely retain the link member 20a in position between the arms 50 and 52 of the yoke member . the outer or open end of the sleeve 42 is provided with a pair of diametrically opposed longitudinally extending grooves or recesses 62 and 64 ( fig4 and 5 ). in addition , a pair of diametrically opposed recesses 66 and 68 are provided on the outer periphery of the socket member 34 conterminous with the shoulder 32 as particularly shown in fig4 . the grooves 62 , 64 , 66 and 68 cooperate with a lock ring 70 for locking the connector member 40 with the socket member 24 in the assembled clamping position of the device 10 as will be hereinafter set forth . the lock ring 70 is of a generally annular configuration as shown in fig7 and is provided with a first pair of diametrically opposed , outwardly extending tab members 72 and 74 , and a second pair of diametrically opposed outwardly extending tab members 76 and 78 . the tabs 72 and 74 are preferably substantially perpendicularly arranged with respect to the tabs 76 and 78 in order that the tabs may be utilized for locking the socket member 34 and connector member 40 in an assembled position as will be hereinafter set forth . in order to connect the wire rope 12 to the chain 14 by the connector device 10 , the connector member 40 may be secured to the chain link 20a by inserting the link between the arms 50 and 52 of the yoke member and passing the pin 58 through the apertures 54 and 56 , through the locking sleeve 60 , and across the interior of the link 20a as particularly shown in fig1 and 5 . in this manner the connector 40 is secured or fastened to the chain link 20a . in order to connect the wire rope 12 to the socket 24 it is preferable to initially insert one end of the rope through the bore 26 of the socket member 24 as particularly shown in fig2 . a sufficient length of the rope 12 should extend beyond the socket 24 in order to permit the unwinding or unravelling of a portion of the rope end to separate the individual strands 16 and expose the core 18 . a length of the core member 18 may then be cut away or otherwise removed from the unravelled portion of the rope 12 , and the wedge member 34 may be positioned between the individual strands 16 in the position formally occupied by the core member 18 . the strands 16 may then be positioned around the outer periphery of the wedge 34 , and the socket member 24 may be moved longitudinally along the rope 12 and over the wedge member 34 until the outer ends of the rope strands 16 are positioned at approximately the longitudinal center of the straight sided portion 31 of the bore 26 , as shown in fig3 . in this position , the strands 16 will be clamped between the outer periphery of the wedge 34 and the bore 36 , and the threaded neck portion 38 of the wedge 34 will extend longitudinally outwardly from the neck portion 30 of the socket member 24 . the lock ring 70 may then be placed on the shoulder 32 of the socket 24 , with one pair of tabs , such as the tabs 72 and 74 being in substantial alignment with the recesses 66 and 68 of the socket 24 . the connector member 40 may be secured to the socket 24 by threadedly securing the sleeve 42 to the neck 30 as shown in fig4 . in order to facilitate threading of the sleeve 42 onto the neck 30 , it is preferable to place the socket 24 in a vise 71 , or the like , for holding the socket securely during the connecting operation . as the threads of the sleeve 42 and neck 30 are engaged , the outer periphery of the chain link member 20a is brought into engagement with the exposed end of the stem or neck 38 of the wedge member 34 for exerting a longitudinal force on the wedge 34 and urging the wedge 34 longitudinally into the bore 26 . of course , as the sleeve 42 is tightened onto the neck 30 , the wedge 34 is pressed into the bore 26 . of course , as the sleeve 42 is tightened onto the neck 30 , the wedge 34 is pressed into the bore 26 to the limit of the engagement of the link 20a as shown in fig5 thus assuring an efficient pressure clamping of the strands 16 between the wedge 34 and bore 26 . it has been found that initially chain link 20a is tightly forced against the end of the neck 38 of the wedge member 34 , once a tension load is placed on the sling further wedging movement takes place leaving link 20a freedom to move about pin 58 and locking sleeve 60 . when the connector member 40 is completely threaded onto the socket member 24 , the outer end of the sleeve 42 will be in engagement with the lock ring 70 disposed on the shoulder 32 . when this occurs , the sleeve 42 is preferably orientated with respect to the socket 24 and lock ring 70 so as to position the recesses 62 and 64 in substantial alignment with the other pair of tabs , such as the tabs 76 and 78 . a suitable tool , such as pliers or the like ( not shown ), may then be utilized in the usual manner for bending the tabs 72 and 74 into engagement with the recesses 66 and 68 , respectively , and the tabs 76 and 78 into the recesses 62 and 64 , respectively . this precludes relative rotation between the connector member 40 and socket member 24 for securely retaining the connector device 10 in the assembled position , with the strands 16 of the wire rope 12 clamped therein , and the chain link 20a secured thereto . when it is desired to disconnect the chain 14 from the wire rope 12 for any reason , the tabs 72 , 74 , 76 and 78 may be straightened by a pry bar or the like ( not shown ) in order to unlock the connector 40 from the socket 24 . the sleeve 42 may then be unthreaded or backed off from the neck 30 , and the connector may be removed from the socket 24 . additionally , the pin 58 may be removed from the bores 54 and 56 , and the connector 40 may be released from engagement with the chain link 20a , if desired . a suitable washer member 80 may be placed on the outer end of the neck 30 and around the stem member 38 as shown in fig6 and a suitable nut 82 may be screwed onto the neck 38 , thus backing the wedge 34 out of the bore 26 to the position indicated in broken lines in fig6 . the wedge 34 may then be removed from the bore 26 , and the wire rope 12 may be pulled from the socket 24 . from the foregoing it will be apparent that the present invention provides a novel means for connecting wire rope to a chain which comprises a socket member having an internal bore adapted to receive a wedge member therein for clamping the individual strands of the wire rope therebetween . a connector is threadedly engageable with the socket member and adapted for connection with one link of the chain in such a manner that the chain link engages the wedge member for securely wedging the strands of the wire between the wedge and the socket . locking ring means is provided for cooperating between the connector member and socket member to preclude accidental disengagement therebetween , and releasing means is provided for disconnecting the connector member from the socket and backing the wedge away from the pressure engagement in order to permit removal of the wire rope from the apparatus . the novel connector device is simple and efficient in operation and economical and durable in construction . whereas the present invention has been described in particular relation to the drawings attached hereto , it should be understood that other and further modifications , apart from those shown or suggested herein may be made within the spirit and scope of this invention . for instance , when the wire rope is of the type having a metal core therein a wedge of the type shown in fig8 is used in lieu of wedge 36 . in this embodiment wedge 134 includes the tapered periphery 136 and threaded neck portion 138 as heretofore described . the wedge , however , includes a longitudinal and central bore 140 which is adapted to receive the inner metal core of the wire rope . additionally , the sleeve is divided into two portions , preferably longitudinally split partially by a slit 142 , e . g . 0 . 02 &# 34 ; to 0 . 04 &# 34 ; wide . in the embodiment of fig9 connector member 150 is modified to include a shoulder 156 that extends across the connector which intersects the neck end of wedge 34 instead of link 20a of chain 14 . | 5 |
embodiments of the invention and the various features and advantageous details thereof are explained more fully with reference to the nonlimiting embodiments that are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and detailed in the following description . descriptions of well known starting materials , processing techniques , components and equipment are omitted so as not to unnecessarily obscure the embodiments of the invention in detail . it should be understood , however , that the detailed description and the specific examples , while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention , are given by way of illustration only and not by way of limitation . various substitutions , modifications , additions and / or rearrangements within the spirit and / or scope of the underlying inventive concept will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure . within this application several publications are referenced by arabic numerals , or principal author &# 39 ; s name followed by year of publication , within parentheses or brackets . full citations for these , and other , publications may be found at the end of the specification immediately preceding the claims after the section heading references . the disclosures of all these publications in their entireties are hereby expressly incorporated by reference herein for the purpose of indicating the background of embodiments of the invention and illustrating the state of the art . the below - referenced u . s . patents and u . s . patent applications disclose embodiments that are useful for the purposes for which they are intended . the entire contents of u . s . pat . no ( s ). 6 , 452 , 708 ; 6 , 501 , 871 ; and 6 , 618 , 522 are hereby expressly incorporated by reference herein for all purposes . the entire contents of patent cooperation treaty publication nos . wo 01 / 052455 ; wo 02 / 021736 ; wo 02 / 021737 ; wo 02 / 091031 ; and wo 03 / 081302 are hereby expressly incorporated by reference herein for all purposes . the entire contents of u . s . ser . nos . 09 / 657 , 996 , filed sep . 8 , 2000 ; and 10 / 197 , 016 , filed jul . 17 , 2002 are hereby expressly incorporated by reference herein for all purposes . in general , the context of an embodiment of the invention can include a data network . the context of an embodiment of the invention can include a cable television network . the context of an embodiment of the invention can also include ethernet networking . the invention can include an optical network architecture for transporting forward analog signals in baseband digital form after analog to digital conversion and converting them to native analog signal at a location close to the customer , whether on premises or in the hybrid fiber coaxial and fiber networks . the invention can thereby provide low incremental cost digitized downstream distribution . the invention can include baseband / wideband converting the forward analog optical signal to digital at a hub and converting the forward digital optical signal to analog at a node , optionally in the context of a hybrid fiber coax network . the baseband / wideband conversion can be defined as including a plurality of frequency octaves , preferably many frequency octaves . the invention can forward digitalize signals , for example , from approximately 50 mhz to approximately 550 mhz or from approximately 50 mhz to approximately 870 mhz . thus , this aspect of the invention includes digital - to - analog forward conversion at the node ( minifibernode ). in one embodiment , the invention can include conveying from approximately 15 to approximately 30 forward channels . in another , or the same , embodiment , the invention can includes carrying reverse digital data up to approximately 100 mhz . although this extended reverse upper frequency range may involve more attenuation is has the significant advantage of less noise . it is important to note that the same extended bandwidth reverse chips found in some legacy nodes ( minifibernodes ) can provide the digital - to - analog downstream conversion . the baseband / wideband forward digitalization of the invention provides significant commercial advantages and is much more than just qam digitalization . the invention can include the use of alternative sub - division schemes . the invention can include sub - dividing the forward throughput into multiple bandwidths ( aka chunks ). in one embodiment , the invention can sub - divide the forward throughput into one or more portion ( s ) that is ( are ) baseband digitized and one or more portion ( s ) that is ( are ) analog . in this fractional forward baseband digitalization embodiment , these portions are subsequently recombined at the node . for instance , an embodiment of the invention can divide an input from approximately 50 mhz to approximately 870 mhz into a first portion of from approximately 50 mhz to approximately 550 mhz for forward baseband digitalization and a second portion of from approximately 550 mhz to approximately 870 mhz for analog . the invention can include reducing the required forward digital bandwidth by a ) under sampling ; b ) space division multiplexing ; and / or c ) frequency down conversion or broadband conversion . for instance , given a forward signal domain of from approximately 0 mhz to approximately 200 mhz , the invention can reduce the necessary sampling frequency from approximately 400 mhz to approximately 200 mhz by defining two sub - sections including a first sub - section of from approximately 0 mhz to approximately 100 mhz corresponding to the domain of from approximately 0 mhz to approximately 100 mhz and a second sub - section of from approximately 0 mhz to approximately 100 mhz corresponding to the domain of from approximately 100 mhz to approximately 200 mhz . this embodiment of the invention provides significant advantages with respect to expense , the required speed of the implementation circuitry and / or software , the required bandwidth to implement the embodiment , and the necessary sampling frequency , thereby yielding major efficiency improvements . the invention can include subdividing the forward throughput into bandwidth portions that are equal to the reverse bandwidth of one or more minifibernodes ( that may already be deployed ). for instance , an embodiment of the invention can subdivide the forward throughput into multiple portions of from approximately 0 mhz to approximately 42 mhz , or from approximately 0 mhz to approximately 45 mhz , or from approximately 0 mhz to approximately 96 mhz , or from approximately 0 mhz to approximately 100 mhz . this embodiment of the invention is very efficient with regard to utilizing existing legacy equipment ( e . g ., previously deployed minifibernodes ) and is , therefore , a commercially important aspect of the invention . the invention can optionally include providing ethernet in the forward direction via the forward digitized signals . the invention can include alternative ways to allocate the ethernet data at the hub and alternative ways to recover it at the node . referring to fig1 , a downstream transmitter block 1000 is coupled to a digital return transceiver block 1065 . the digital return transceiver block 1065 is coupled to a digital return receiver block 1155 . still referring to fig1 , a processing block 1010 is coupled to a serializer block 1020 . a monitoring block uc 1030 is also coupled to the processing block 1010 . the serializer block 1020 is coupled to an optical transmitter block 1040 . the optical transmitter block 1040 is coupled to fan - out ( e . g ., splitter , router , etc .) block 1050 . the fan - out block 1050 is coupled to an optical link 1055 . the optical link 1055 is coupled to an optical receiver block 1060 . the optical receiver block 1060 is coupled to a deserializer block 1070 . the deserializer block 1070 is coupled to a processing block 1080 . an upstream data signal is provided to a low pass filter 1090 . the low pass filter 1090 is coupled to an analog - to - digital converter 1100 . a clock 1110 is also coupled to the analog - to - digital converter 1100 . the analog - to - digital converter 1100 is coupled to the processing block 1080 . a monitoring block uc 1120 is also coupled to the processing block 1080 . the processing block 1080 is coupled to a serializer block 1130 . the serializer block 1130 is coupled to an optical transmitter block 1140 . the optical transmitter 1140 is coupled to an optical link 1145 . the optical link 1145 is coupled to an optical receiver block 1150 . the optical receiver block 1150 is coupled to a deserializer block 1160 . the deserializer block 1160 is coupled to a processing block 1170 . a monitoring block uc 1180 is also coupled to the processing block 1170 . the processing block 1170 is coupled to a digital - to - analog converter 1190 . a clock 1200 is also coupled to the digital - to - analog converter 1190 . the digital - to analog converter 1190 is coupled to a low pass filter 1210 , thereby providing a regenerated upstream signal . referring to fig2 , a downstream digital transmitter 2000 is coupled to a digital return transceiver 2095 . the digital return transceiver 2095 is coupled to a digital return receiver 2205 . still referring to fig2 , a downstream data signal including ntsc ( national television system committee ) channels is provided to a band pass filter 2010 . the band pass filter 2010 is coupled to an analog - to - digital converter 2020 . a clock 2030 is also coupled to the analog - to - digital converter 2020 . the analog - to - digital converter 2020 is coupled to a processing block 2040 . the processing block 2040 is coupled to a serializer block 2050 . a monitoring block uc 2060 is also coupled to the processing block 2040 . the serializer block 2050 is coupled to an optical transmitter block 2070 . the optical transmitter block 2070 is coupled to fan - out ( e . g ., splitter , router , etc .) block 2080 . the fan - out block 2080 is coupled to an optical link 2085 . the optical link 2085 is coupled to an optical receiver block 2090 . the optical receiver block 2090 is coupled to a deserializer block 2100 . the deserializer block 2100 is coupled to a processing block 2110 . the processing block is coupled to a digital - to - analog converter 2120 . the digital - to - analog converter 2120 is coupled to a band pass filter 2130 , thereby providing regenerated ntsc channels . the digital - to - analog converter 2120 is also coupled to a clock 2140 . an upstream data signal is provided to a low pass filter 2150 . the low pass filter 2150 is coupled to an analog - to - digital converter 2160 . the clock 2140 is also coupled to the analog - to - digital converter 2160 . the analog - to - digital converter 2160 is coupled to the processing block 2110 . a monitoring block uc 2180 is also coupled to the processing block 2110 . the processing block 2110 is coupled to a serializer block 2170 . the serializer block 2170 is coupled to an optical transmitter block 2190 . the optical transmitter 2190 is coupled to an optical link 2195 . the optical link 2195 is coupled to an optical receiver block 2200 . the optical receiver block 2200 is coupled to a deserializer block 2210 . the deserializer block 2210 is coupled to a processing block 2230 . a monitoring block uc 2220 is also coupled to the processing block 2230 . the processing block 2230 is coupled to a digital - to - analog converter 2240 . a clock 2250 is also coupled to the digital - to - analog converter 2240 . the digital - to analog converter 2240 is coupled to a low pass filter 2260 , thereby providing a regenerated upstream signal . an embodiment of the invention can also be included in a kit . the kit can include some , or all , of the components that an embodiment of the invention includes . the kit can be an in - the - field retrofit kit to improve existing systems that are capable of incorporating an embodiment of the invention . the kit can include software , firmware and / or hardware for carrying out an embodiment of the invention . the kit can also contain instructions for practicing an embodiment of the invention . unless otherwise specified , the components , software , firmware , hardware and / or instructions of the kit can be the same as those used in an embodiment of the invention . embodiments of the invention , can be cost effective and advantageous for at least the following reasons . the invention enables longer range communications . the invention justifies accounting the capital costs of the components to more subscribers . the invention avoids loss of fidelity . the invention permits targeting data to particular subscribers . embodiments of the invention improves quality and / or reduces costs compared to previous approaches . the term plurality is defined as two or more than two . the term another is defined as at least a second or more . the terms “ consisting ” ( consists , consisted ) and / or “ composing ” ( composes , composed ) are defined as close language that does not leave the recited method , apparatus or composition to the inclusion of procedures , structure ( s ) and / or ingredient ( s ) other than those recited except for ancillaries , adjuncts and / or impurities ordinarily associated therewith . the recital of the term “ essentially ” along with the terms “ consisting ” ( consists , consisted ) and / or “ composing ” ( composes , composed ), is defined as modified close language that leaves the recited method , apparatus and / or composition open only for the inclusion of unspecified procedure ( s ), structure ( s ) and / or ingredient ( s ) which do not materially affect the basic novel characteristics of the recited method , apparatus and / or composition . the term coupled is defined as connected , although not necessarily directly , and not necessarily mechanically . the term proximate , as used herein , is defined as close , near adjacent and / or coincident ; and includes spatial situations where the specified functions and / or results can be carried out and / or achieved . the phrase radio frequency , as used herein , is defined as including infrared , as well as frequencies less than or equal to approximately 300 ghz . the term any is defined as all applicable members of a set or at least a subset of all applicable members of the set . the term approximately is defined as at least close to a given value ( e . g ., within 10 % of ). the term substantially is defined as largely but not necessarily wholly that which is specified . the term generally is defined as at least approaching a given state . the term deploying is defined as designing , building , shipping , installing and / or operating . the term means , when followed by the term “ for ” as used herein , is defined as hardware , firmware and / or software for achieving a result . the terms program or computer program are defined as a sequence of instructions designed for execution on a computer system ( e . g ., a program , or computer program , may include a subroutine , a function , a procedure , an object method , an object implementation , an executable application , an applet , a servlet , a source code , an object code , a shared library / dynamic load library and / or other sequence of instructions designed for execution on a computer or computer system ). as used herein , the terms “ comprises ,” “ comprising ,” “ includes ,” “ including ,” “ has ,” “ having ” or any other variation thereof , are intended to cover a non - exclusive inclusion . for example , a process , method , article , or apparatus that comprises a list of elements is not necessarily limited to only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process , method , article , or apparatus . further , unless expressly stated to the contrary , “ or ” refers to an inclusive or and not to an exclusive or . for example , a condition a or b is satisfied by any one of the following : a is true ( or present ) and b is false ( or not present ), a is false ( or not present ) and b is true ( or present ), and both a and b are true ( or present ). also , use of the “ a ” or “ an ” are employed to describe elements and components of the invention . this is done merely for convenience and to give a general sense of the invention . this description should be read to include one or at least one and the singular also includes the plural unless it is obvious that it is meant otherwise . unless otherwise defined , all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs . in case of conflict , the present specification , including definitions , will control . in addition , the materials , methods , and examples are illustrative only and not intended to be limiting . all the disclosed embodiments of the invention disclosed herein can be made and used without undue experimentation in light of the disclosure . an embodiment of the invention is not limited by theoretical statements recited herein . although the best mode of carrying out embodiments of the invention contemplated by the inventor ( s ) is disclosed , practice of an embodiment of the invention is not limited thereto . accordingly , it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that an embodiment of the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein . it will be manifest that various substitutions , modifications , additions and / or rearrangements of the features of an embodiment of the invention may be made without deviating from the spirit and / or scope of the underlying inventive concept . it is deemed that the spirit and / or scope of the underlying inventive concept as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents cover all such substitutions , modifications , additions and / or rearrangements . all the disclosed elements and features of each disclosed embodiment can be combined with , or substituted for , the disclosed elements and features of every other disclosed embodiment except where such elements or features are mutually exclusive . the appended claims are not to be interpreted as including means - plus - function limitations , unless such a limitation is explicitly recited in a given claim using the phrase ( s ) “ means for ” and / or “ step for .” subgeneric embodiments of the invention are delineated by the appended independent claims and their equivalents . specific embodiments of the invention are differentiated by the appended dependent claims and their equivalents . | 7 |
it is a particular objective of the present invention to provide modified polypeptides with reduced capacity for presentation to the immune system by the mhc class u pathway . in a first embodiment , the polypeptide is modified by amino acid substitution and the substitution concerned is for one or more specific amino acid residues within the polypeptide chain to be changed for their respective d - isomeric forms . inclusion of a single d - amino acid within a polypeptide is known to disrupt binding to the mhc class ii binding groove . u . s . pat . no . 5 , 679 , 640 shows that substitution for a d - amino acid is required to be made at a critical contact site for the peptide mhc complex and substitution to a d - amino acid at non critical sites is tolerated within the mhc / peptide complex . the intent of the present invention is to exploit substitution of a d - amino acid to disrupt binding within the mhc class ii binding pocket such that the peptide fails to be presented to the tcr . this is distinct from the methods taught by u . s . pat . no . 5 , 679 , 640 where substitution occurs at a non critical binding residue in a strategy seeking to displace an auto - antigenic peptide with a auto - antigen surrogate retaining a high affinity for the mhc but which fails to enable recognition and binding with the tcr . in the art there are a number of examples where polypeptide therapeutics have been described and which feature one or more d - amino acid residues within the primary structure . these would include u . s . pat . no . 5 , 182 , 261 ; u . s . pat . no . 5 , 668 , 109 ; u . s . pat . no . 4 , 764 , 504 ; u . s . pat . no . 5 , 948 , 764 ; u . s . pat . no . 5 , 545 , 618 ; u . s . pat . no . 5 , 877 , 156 ; u . s . pat . no . 5 , 932 , 545 ; u . s . pat . no . 6 , 087 , 441 and others where wholly synthetic peptide entities containing one or more d - amino acid residues have been produced . usually such substitutions are in combination with additional modifications to the n and or c terminal residues with the intention of conferring stability in vivo through a reduced propensity to undergo peptidase degradation . d - amino acids themselves show a reduced propensity to enzymatic attack thereby contributing to in vivo stability but in the contexts of the above cited examples , the d - amino acids have been included at particular positions to confer antagonistic activities to their constituent synthetic peptides usually by providing enhanced binding to a biological target and blockade of some biological activity for potential or actual therapeutic benefit . thus u . s . pat . no . 5 , 985 , 242 discloses synthetic beta - amyloid peptide analogues featuring d - amino acids which are proposed to bind the naturally occurring beta - amyloid peptide component of the nascent neurofibrilary tangles present in amyloidogenic diseases such as alzheimers disease . by so binding , the peptide analogues inhibit further aggregation . similarly , peptide analogues of human myelin basic protein ( mbp ) containing d - amino acids have been described . in one embodiment of u . s . pat . no . 5 , 948 , 764 peptides of at least 7 amino acids and preferably encompassing residues 86 - 99 of the human mbp are described . peptides including residue 87 which would otherwise be an l - valine are modified to include a d - amino acid at this position such that the peptide analogue achieves increased binding to mhc relative to the native mbp 87 - 99 . a typical modification will include l - valine to d - valine or another d - amino acid . it is a common practice in the art and especially in the field of synthetic peptide therapeutics to include “ capping ” structures at the n and or c terminus of the peptide and serve to increase the in vivo half - life of the peptide . thus from the examples above , in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 985 , 242 terminal modifications in addition to the inclusion of d - amino acids within the sequence tract include c - terminal amidation , alkylation or addition of aryl amide or hydroxyl groups . modifications to the n - terminus are also disclosed and include addition of cyclic , heterocyclic , polycyclic and or branched alkyl groups and in the art numerous other chemical groups or linkages have been contemplated with the purpose of rendering the polypeptide termini stable within the in vivo milieu . exploitation of a non - natural enatiomeric form of amino acids such as a d - amino acid is a strategy available for therapeutics produced by chemical synthesis . incorporation of d - amino acids into polypeptide therapeutics with large molecular mass as produced using recombinant expression systems is not achievable . whilst a number of microbial derived fermentation systems and purified enzymes from bacterial , fungal and other biological sources are able to inter - convert racemic forms of free amino - acids , the enzymology to enable racemisation of an amino - acid residue within a polypeptide chain to the inventors knowledge is not known in the art . the discovery of such enzymatic capability would have obvious utility under the scheme of the present invention . a second embodiment of the invention encompasses covalent attachment of a chemical group to the polypeptide therapeutic protein . the appended attachment will hinder one or more of the antigen processing steps outlined herein above and will culminate in a reduced propensity for the segment of polypeptide sequence to which the attachment is coupled to become represented in the mhc / peptide repertoire on the surface of an apc . it is most preferred that the incoming chemical group is attached to the polypeptide chain at a single desired site . alternative configurations are also contemplated whereby modification by covalent attachment occurs at a number of desired sites and or at sites specified by particular primary structural contexts of the polypeptide . in the art methods exist for the modification of polypeptides by covalent attachment of large chemical groups or appendages such as glycan derivatives , polyethylene glycol derivatives lipid moieties and the like [ for examples see u . s . pat . no . 5 , 885 , 570 ; wo0026230 ; wo90 / 13590 and others ]. other modifications such as attachment of a single carbon acetyl group have also been disclosed [ wo0035427 ], and have been conducted with the intent of enhancing the bioavailability of the therapeutic by steric blockade of particular receptor sites on the molecule and or via a generalised mechanism of immune surveillance escape . a particular example of one such envisaged chemical modification which for the purpose of the invention is considered especially suited , is the addition of an asn - linked glycosylation to the polypeptide chain . the consensus signal sequence for providing an asn - linked glycosylation is well defined as asn - x - ser / thr where x is any amino acid except pro ( three letter codes ). it is of course recognised that the generation of an asn - x - ser / thr motif by single amino acid substitution within any defined epitope will be an unlikely practical possibility for most epitopes as their core sequence will be far different from this motif . in this regard multiple substitution of amino acids to give rise to this signal sequence are proposed and fall within the scope of the present invention . other glycosylation linkages are understood in the art such as o - linked glycosylation which involves either simple oligosaccharide chains or glycosamino glycan chains [ alberts . b . et al ( 1990 ) molecular biology of the cell 2 nd edition , garland publishing inc . new york pp 433 - 475 ] and fall within the scope of the invention . it is recognised that glycosylated peptides ( e . g . asn - linked glycan ) are stable and are not able to be exported from the cytosol to the er lumen by tap [ momburg f . m . et al ( 1994 ) j . exp . med . 179 : 533 ] a critical component of mhc class i processing pathway . moreover most naturally processed peptides do not contain an n - linked glycan consensus sequence , there is reasonable expectation that processing and trafficking of glycan peptides within the mhc class ii pathway will be influenced by the presence of the glycose determinant and further augment the inability for the peptide to associate with the mhc class ii binding groove . it is understood therefore that glycosylation of a polypeptide may result in a species less immunogenic than a non - glycosylated species of otherwise identical structure . a further embodiment of the present invention is to provide a polypeptide species in which a glycosylation signal or a site of glycosylation is removed such that the resultant polypeptide species is more immunogenic than its non - glycosylated counterpart . this situation may be desired for example in the case of vaccine molecules whereby the intent is to focus an immune response to a particular molecular species . it is preferred that covalent modification of a polypeptide using the present invention occurs at a minimum number of sites . it is particularly preferred that covalent modifications are directed to defined residues within the primary structure of the polypeptide . methods for directing chemical attachments to particular residues or classes of amino acid residue within a polypeptide molecule are well known and may be exploited under the scope of the present invention to achieve modification according to the preferred embodiments . thus chemical modification schemes to enable targeted linkage to available amide groups on lys residues , or to carboxylic groups carried on asp or glu residues or activation of sulphydryls on cys residues are well documented [ see for example bioconjugate techniques , ( 1996 ) hermanson g . t . acedemic press inc ; aslam m . & amp ; dent a . bioconjugation ( 1998 ) macmillan , london ] and may be exploited under the scheme of the present invention . similarly , methods for the activation and coupling of polymeric molecules such as peg are intensively described in the art [ for example schemes see u . s . pat . no . 5 , 349 , 001 and wo90 / 13590 ] and analogous schemes for coupling other moieties of lipid or amide or glycose or other chemical character can be identified in the art as suitable for exploitation under the scheme of the present invention . where the present invention relates to methods for the reduction in immunogenic potential of a therapeutic protein , a fourth general modality by which this is achieved includes an embodiment whereby the therapeutic polypeptide is modified at one or more specific regions within its sequence of amino acid residues . the modification may be substitution , deletion or addition of an amino acid residue and the result of such a modification is to alter the recognition of the polypeptide by one or more of the critical proteases involved in peptide degradation whereby a processed peptide epitope ultimately may become associated with an mhc class ii binding groove . it is a specific embodiment of this invention to mutate or modify residues that are flanking peptides with the proven or predicted potential to bind to the mhc class ii molecules hla - dr , dq and dp , such that these peptides can no longer be excised from the antigenic protein by the proteases involved in protein processing in the mhc class ii pathway . a further embodiment is the modification of protein sequences that have the proven or predicted potential to bind to hla - dr , dq and dp molecules , such that these sequences will become susceptible to proteases involved in the nhc class ii processing pathway . this also is achieved by making amino acid changes such that motifs are created that can be recognised and cut by proteases involved in the mhc class ii pathway . in a yet further embodiment the information about proteolytic processing sites in a protein of interest is of itself valuable data that can be used in a predictive manner to identify peptides with the potential to bind to hla - dr , dq or dp and are therefore likely to be found on the surface of the apc . the protease asparagine endopeptidase plays a crucial role in the processing of antigens taken up by b - cells . the enzyme was shown to play a crucial role in the degradation of a tetanus toxin domain in disrupted lysosomes from human b - cells [ manouri et al ., ( 2000 ) nature 396 : 695 - 699 ]. the cleavage sites of the b - cell asparaginyl endopeptidase are dependent on both the sequence and the structure of the target protein . there is an appreciation that the polypeptide antigen is first digested with this protease , to result in the disclosure of sites sensitive to other proteases like cathepsins , which are necessary for further processing . the processing of the tetanus toxin c fragment by the asparaginyl endopeptidase could be inhibited by n - glycosylation of asn - residues of the antigen . the enzyme also plays a role in protein processing in thymic apcs [ mannoury et al ., ( 2002 ) nat . immunol 3 : 169 - 174 ; anderton et al ., ( 2002 ) nat . immunol . 3 : 175 - 181 ], where it has been shown to remove a cryptic epitope of myelin basic protein , containing a central apsarigine . accordingly , a polypeptide under the scheme of the present may be rendered less immunogenic by the removal of surface exposed asparagines residues . removal is achieved by amino acid substitution and most conveniently using the techniques of recombiant dna manipulation although other schemes may be contemplated for example chemical deamidation or chemical synthesis . in the first instance a particularly good substitution would be to replace asparagines with gluatamine although other replacements such as aspartic acid or glutamic acid may equally be considered . another protease , which was solely found in the thymus , is thymus - specific serine protease . the gene encoding this protein is located in the mhc class i region . expression of this protein was not observed in other apcs . the exclusive expression of this enzyme and the specific role of cathepsin l in thymic cells ( see above ) indicate that the proteolytic environment in thymic cells is rather unique . because several of the above - mentioned proteases are involved in other physiological processes as well , the mechanism and specificities of some these proteases have been analysed . table 1 summarises the specificities for a number of significant cathepsins . where it is an object of the current invention to modify antigenic proteins such that sites processed by proteases involved in the proteolytic pathway of mhc class ii presentation will be made insensitive to these proteases , leading to a reduction in the presentation of antigenic peptides on the surface of antigen presenting cells ; another object is to introduce additional protease sites in t - cell epitopes of antigenic proteins such that these epitopes will be further processed in the endocytic vesicles and no longer can be presented to the immune system . such mutations are distinct from those directed to the removal or disruption of the epitope per se , but rather results in a decreased likelihood for a potential mhc class ii ligand to emerge from the processing pathway and become presented on the surface of the apc . thus under the scheme of the present , it is not an objective necessarily to mutate mhc anchor residues of the antigenic peptides although mutations of the present may be conducted in combination with such a strategy . a number of approaches have been adopted to identifying the nature of the peptides presented on the surface of apc via the mhc class ii systems herein outlined . by way of example , it has been possible to purify antigenic peptides from the surface of antigen charged apcs and apply protein sequencing techniques to the extracted peptides . alternatively libraries of synthetic ( overlapping ) peptides , that constitute a certain protein of interest , have been bound to antigen presenting cells or purified hla - dr , dq or dp molecules , followed by elution and sequence analysis of those peptides that interact with these proteins . a further approach has been to predict which peptides of a certain protein of interest are likely to bind to hla - dr molecules , on the basis of consensus binding motifs or by x - ray diffraction / structure modelling of hla - dr molecules or other in silico based techniques such as peptide docking . in principle all of these approaches are able to yield information about the sequence of peptides with the potential to bind to mhc molecules and such data can be used to make mutations in peptides or in the proteins from which the peptides were derived , such that the interactions with mhc molecules are severely hampered . the mutations that can be made in proteins to achieve this are usually restricted to those residues of antigenic peptides that tightly bind in the peptide - binding groove of hla - dr , dq or dp , the so - called anchor residues . although these mutations for most epitopes are sufficient to reduce antigenicity , some epitopes are more difficult to remove since mutations at these positions seriously affect the functional activity of the protein . the present invention is conceived to overcome this limitation . when use is made of peptide libraries for the selection of dr binding peptides , peptides may be found that have the potential to bind to dr molecules , but that will never occur in antigen presenting cells because the proteolytic pathways in these cells do not allow this peptide to emerge from the antigenic protein . the same can be said about peptides that are predicted to bind to dr or dq molecules by computer algorithms . as a consequence , both methods can lead to an overprediction of the number of peptides that may play a role in the immune response against a protein . the ability to determine which of these predicted potential t - cell epitopes are likely to be presented on antigen presenting cells requires additional information about protease sites in the protein . according to the present invention a preferred method for the removal of protease processing sites is as follows : 1 . for a given protein of interest ( part of ) the sequence is determined . 2 . peptides that have the potential to bind to hla - dr , hla - dq or hla dp molecules are identified . 3 . stretches of amino acids flanking these epitopes are analysed for the presence of motifs that may be recognized by proteases involved in the mhc class ii processing pathway , especially proteases detailed in table 1 . 4 . mutations are designed such that proteases can no longer recognise and cut at these positions . 5 . mutations are introduced in the protein of interest by any of the now standard molecular biological techniques . 6 . optionally , modified molecules are re - analysed to verify loss of protease sensitivity at the desired region ( s ) and reduced ability of the peptide to be presented at the cell surface in association with mhc class ii . in the practice of the above method , step 3 may optionally be conducted exploiting proteolytic protein extracts from antigen presenting cells . the protein of interest is incubated with the extract and it this can be done under a range of conditions ( e . g . multiple ph points ). digestion products of the protein of interest may be analysed for example using hplc purification of various fragments , followed by identification of their sequence using edman degradation and / or mass spectrometry . according to this scheme , alignment of the sequence of the fragments found with the sequence of the protein of interest indicates the positions at which proteases have cut to enable design of rational mutations such that proteases can no longer recognise and cut at these positions . according to the present invention a preferred method for the reduction of immunogenicity by the introduction of additional processing sites is as follows : 1 . for a given protein of interest ( part of ) the sequence is determined . 2 . peptides that have the potential to bind to hla - dr , hla - dq or hla dp molecules are identified . 3 . in the peptides that are identified as t - cell epitopes mutations are designed that introduce protease recognition motifs , such that digestion with that protease can take place between the first and the last anchor residue of that t - cell epitope 4 . mutations are introduced in the protein of interest by any of the now standard molecular biological techniques . 5 . optionally , modified molecules are re - analysed to verify loss of protease sensitivity at the desired region ( s ) and reduced ability of the peptide to be presented at the cell surface in association with mhc class ii . the practice of the above method may be particularly preferred in a situation where multiple overlapping t - cell epitopes are detected . the requirement according to step 3 of the above method whereby a de novo processing site is introduced between the first and last anchor residue of a defined epitope may not be practicable to define unless a fine detail epitope map has been drawn up to the point whereby the critical nonamer peptides are identified . in all practicality , it is recognised that where a multitude of mhc class ii allotypes ( especially hla dr ) are to be considered , the nonomer sequence for one allotype may “ slip ” in register with the nonomer sequence for a similar allotypic specificity binding the same epitope , and a series of overlapping nonomers can be defined within a sequence exceeding 9 residues in length . in such a situation the de novo cleavage site so defined in step 3 may fall outside the region between the first and last anchor residue for the epitope and yet cleavage will still result in a loss of peptide presentation via mhc class ii . such mutational change will be considered to fall under the scope of the present . in a yet further embodiment the information about proteolytic processing sites in a protein of interest is of itself valuable data that can be used in a predictive manner to identify peptides with the potential to bind to hla - dr , dq or dp . as described above , t - cell epitope prediction algorithms and the selection of peptides from libraries of overlapping peptides for their ability to bind to hla - dr , dq or dp molecules , will almost inevitably lead to an overprediction of the number of t - cell epitopes . when potential t - cell epitopes are predicted that contain a recognition motif for cleavage by a protease involved in the mhc class ii processing pathway , the chance that this epitope will be found in nature is reduced and hence removing this epitope from the protein of interest is not essential . also , when potential t - cell epitopes are predicted that are not flanked by protease recognition sites , the chance that such an epitope is excised from the protein and is presented on the surface of the antigen presenting cell is reduced and hence removing this epitope from the protein of interest is not essential . according to this further embodiment of the present invention a preferred method for targeting critical t - cell epitopes for removal is as follows : 1 . for a given protein of interest the sequence is determined . 2 . potential t - cell epitopes are predicted in the sequence 3 . all potential t - cell epitopes are scrutinised for the presence of motifs within the binding region , that are likely to be recognised by proteases involved in the mhc class ii proteolytic pathway . 4 . all potential t - cell epitopes found to contain a protease cleavage site within 10 amino acids c - terminally or n - terminally of the potential t - cell epitope are considered critical for epitope removal . all potential epitopes that lack these motifs are considered less critical and may be excluded from the set of epitopes requiring removal from the protein of interest . where the present invention relates to methods for the reduction in immunogenic potential of a therapeutic protein , a fourth general modality by which this is achieved includes an embodiment whereby the therapeutic polypeptide is modified at one or more specific regions within its sequence of amino acid residues . the modification may be substitution , deletion or addition of an amino acid residue and the result of such a modification is to alter the efficiency in which the critical hla - dm catalysed reaction where a processed peptide epitope becomes associated with an mhc class ii binding groove . although the main determinant for peptide exchange of an epitope by hla - dm is the affinity of the peptide for hla - dr , there is increasing evidence that amino acid residues that do not determine the binding affinity for hla - dr can also have an effect on the exchange reaction . it has been shown that the presence of hla - dm in in vitro peptide exchange reactions using synthetic peptides with hla - dr - clip can have a large influence on the choice of peptides that will replace the clip peptide . lightstone et al . [ lightstone et al ( 1997 ); proc . natl . acad . sci . usa 94 : 9255 - 9260 ] compared the expression of self - peptide on the surface of normal , ii − , hla - dm − and la - dm / ii − antigen presenting cells , and noticed a profound difference in the array of peptides that were presented on cells with or without hla - dm expression . kropshofer et al . [ kropshofer et al ( 1996 ); embo j . 15 : 6144 - 6154 ] used an affinity purification method to obtain hla - dr molecules ( dr2 and dr3 allotypes ) from ebv - transformed lymphoblastoid cells and incubated these for 16 hrs at ph 5 in the presence or absence of hla - dm . the peptides that remained complexed were eluted off and analysed by mass spectrometry . when the spectra were compared it was clear that some peptides were efficiently removed by hla - dm , whereas others were not affected . in another experiment , when a mixture of six different self - peptides , previously eluted from hla - dr1 was tested in a binding assay , five of them bound efficiently to dr1 in the absence of dm and in the presence of dm , only two of these remained associated . these and other experiments have led to the idea that hla - dm has the potential to function as a peptide editor that selects a certain subpopulation of peptides for presentation at the cell surface . it has become evident that some other factor than the affinity of these peptides for hla - dr plays a role : the kinetic stability of the complex . although stability and affinity are related ( k d = k off / k on ), the k off has a profound effect on the efficiency of the hla - dm catalysed exchange reaction . this is exemplified by the clip peptide , which has an exceptionally high k on and also a high k off . as a consequence , the affinity is relatively high , but the stability ( in the presence of dm ) is low . the role of hla - dm can thus be described as kinetic proofreading . several attempts have been made to analyse which amino acids at certain positions of a potential t - cell epitope will influence the efficiency of the hla - dm catalysed exchange reaction . kropshofer et al . [ kropshofer et al ( 1996 ); embo j . 15 : 6144 - 6154 ] analysed the effect of mutations at anchor positions of the ha ( 307 - 319 ) peptide on in vitro binding to hla - dr1 . a tyrosine at anchor residue 1 fits very well in the first pocket of the binding groove . replacing this by an aspartic acid abolishes binding . a methionine or valine at this position can still give good binding , but in the presence of hla binding is reduced . hence ( sub ) optimal residues at anchor positions can be selected against by hla - dm . a similar observation was made for pocket residue 9 . in pocket 6 a moderate opposite effect was observed : hla - dm allowed the binding of residues that were disfavoured in its absence . hla - dm also selects against epitopes shorter then 11 amino acids , reflecting the size of dr - bound peptides found in nature . raddrizzani et al . [ raddrizzani et al ( 1999 ); eur . j . immunol . 29 , 660 - 668 ] showed that ( synthetic ) peptides that are most likely to be released from hla - dr by hla - dm in vitro which are rich in glycine and proline residues . a possible explanation may be the fact that glycines and prolines can have a relatively large effect on the secondary structure of a peptide . indeed when peptides with a high affinity for hla - dr1 were compared with variant peptides in which glycines or prolines either were introduced or removed , a significant effect on the hla - dm catalysed exchange reaction in vitro was observed . the foregoing is to be taken as introduction to a yet further important embodiment of the present invention wherein there is a method concerned with modifying polypeptides such that one or more species of processed peptides from the polypeptide antigen are hindered or at least show reduced ability to participate in an hla - dm catalysed peptide exchange reaction . this is achieved by mutating a protein of interest in such a way that certain peptides that have the ability to bind to hla - dr , dq and dp will become unfavourable in this exchange reaction . a general method under this embodiment of the invention is as follows : 1 . for a given protein of interest ( part of ) the sequence is determined . 2 . peptides that have the potential to bind to hla - dr , hla - dq or hla - dp molecules are identified . 3 . mutations are designed in these ( potential ) t - cell epitopes that will reduce the efficiency of the hla - dm catalysed exchange reaction with the hla - dr - clip complex . 4 . mutations are introduced in the protein of interest by any of the now standard molecular biological techniques . mutations that are designed to reduce the efficiency of the hla - dr catalysed exchange reaction with clip peptide bound to hla - dr complexes may be made at any position in the ( potential ) t - cell epitopes . this includes positions that are likely to bind in the pockets of the antigen - binding groove of hla - dr . some mutations at these positions may not influence the affinity of the peptide for hla - dr , but may reduce the efficiency of the hla - dr catalysed exchange reaction . furthermore such mutations may be made at non - anchor positions . in a yet further embodiment of the present invention , and , as an alternative to manipulation of peptide sequences to influence hla - dm catalysed exchange , such exchange could be altered via manipulation or mimickry of hla - dm or hla - do molecules themselves . for example , hla - do molecules or other molecules which mimic the action of hla - do could be introduced into apcs other than b cells ( where they are present ) either by endocytosis of exogenously supplied hla - do ( or its mimics ) or by introduction of genes encoding hla - do or by activation of resident hla - do genes . such hla - do molecules might , in practice , be subject to modifications ( such as by amino acid changes ) which alter the ph - dependant behaviour of hla - do such that , for example , the molecule might inhibit hla - dm activity at ph5 or lower thus blocking hla - dm catalysed exchange of peptides . similarly , hla - dm molecules or other molecules which mimic the action of hla - dm could be introduced into apcs in order to improve the efficiency of peptide exchange or , with appropriate modifications to hla - dm , to resist the inhibitory action of hla - do or to change the specificity for peptides bound by hla - dm or to change the ph sensitivity of hla - dm . thus , manipulation or mimicry of hla - do or hla - dm could either enhance the presentation of specific peptides on hla - dp , dq or dr or reduce / eliminate such presentation . in a yet further still embodiment of the invention , specific protease recognition sites can be included adjacent to or within a specific hla binding peptide such that the protease site is differentially susceptible to cleavage in different apc &# 39 ; s . by this method , peptides may be preferentially released from within a protein sequence by specific apc &# 39 ; s in order to influence the type t cells response resultant from subsequent presentation of peptides on the apc &# 39 ; s . for example , preferential release of peptides from dendritic cells ( e . g . by preferential inclusion of flanking cathepsin s sites ) might then induce a different type cellular response ( e . g . th1 biased ) compared to that induced by processing of the same protein in macrophages . thus , the balance of th0 , th1 and th2 responses induced by the same protein might be influenced by judicious inclusion of flanking or internal protease sites . similarly , the differential pattern of proteases within different apc &# 39 ; s might be utilised to influence the trafficking of peptides within the apc &# 39 ; s . a particularly favourable scheme to disturb the dynamics of peptide presentation at the surface of the apc is to provide in with the therapeutic polypeptide antigen , peptide sequences which by virtue of their sequence and abundance , are able to preferentially gain presentation to the outside surface via the mhc system . in so doing these preferentially presented peptides will out - compete those other peptides present in the antigenic protein and so those peptides will not be available for initiating an immune response . critical to the usefulness of such an approach of course is that the preferentially presented peptides themselves are incapable of evoking an immune response . implicit in the design of such a scheme therefore is the use of a self peptide antigen , i . e . a peptide from the host organism to which the organism has established high level immunological tolerance . in addition to the need for a self tolerant sequence , a peptide with efficacy in such a scheme that may be termed “ immune quenching ” should also have the property of high affinity for broad range of mhc and preferably hla - dr allotypes , also high kinetic stability in the presence of hla - dm . a peptide that has the above - mentioned characteristics is termed self - peptide sp3 with the sequence in single letter code : aileframaqfsrktd ( seq id no : 1 ). under the scheme of the present invention , sp3 or a functionally equivalent peptide sequence is linked to either the c - terminus and or the n - terminus of a therapeutic protein of interest . the peptide is preferably flanked on either side by a recognition motif for a protease involved in the mhc class ii processing pathway such as any or more depicted in table 1 . the peptide may be linked in tandem repeat to the n and or c - terminus of the therapeutic protein . the means to engineer such a construct are readily available in the art and structures featuring any number of repeating units could be envisaged and fall under the scope of the present . | 2 |
the polymer backed non - slip products , of the present invention , may be prepared by girt coating preferably a polyvinyl chloride backer material with an inorganic mineral particles . the preferred polyvinyl chloride material may be any commercially available polyvinyl chloride , but preferably is sheeting or film , and should be preferably of a thickness which will enable sufficient structural integrity for handling , but which is also sufficiently flexible and pliable to be continuously fed through radiation curing equipment , e . g ., electron beam curing equipment , adapted to produce non - slip sheet products . the preferred polyvinyl chloride backing material , preferably sheet or film , is preferably about 10 mils or less in thickness , more preferably about 6 mils or less in thickness , although the present invention is not limited to applications wherein the polyvinyl chloride backing , or other backing material , is 10 mils or less in thickness . a variety of mineral particles may be employed which will provide adequate frictional contact in use to prevent , or aid in the prevention of , slippage or skidding . examples of suitable mineral particles are aluminum oxide and silicon carbide fumed silica and silica gel ; other mineral materials which are adaptable to radiation curing , in particular electron beam curing , may also be utilized . a maker and size coating comprising at least one resin system which is radiation curable , preferably electron beam curable , and provides a durable size coating for the intended use of the product is utilized . a maker coat is the resin coat onto which the particles are deposited . a size coat is the coat which is placed over the particles to aid in holding them onto the substrate during flexing and wear applications , usually in combination with some form of pressure or other applied physical force . a second size coat , sometimes referred to as an &# 34 ; over &# 34 ; or &# 34 ; super size &# 34 ; coat , may also be applied , if desired , although in many cases this is not necessary . the amount of the maker and size coats applied are whatever is sufficient to adequately hold and secure the to the polyvinyl chloride substrate , of the present invention , in subsequent use , i . e ., as a stand - alone product or by bonding and / or lamination to some other substrate , and in final application , e . g ., a floor or a floor mat surface , a hand tool grip or other non - slip applications , as are well known to those skilled in the art . the methods of applying the coatings of the present invention may be selected from those which are conventionally used with the electron beam curing methods of forming coated abrasive products . among typical methods , for examples , are knife coating , roll pressure coating , transfer roll coating and doctor blade coating . the preferred method of coating used for the present invention is pressure roll coating . the resin system is chosen to match , in its preferred electron beam cured form , certain physical properties of the preferred polyvinyl chloride backer . the properties of the systems which are deemed to be significant are those described above , i . e ., such as flexibility , stretchability , yield , tensile , elongation , deformability , rate of softening , melt point , corrosion resistance , durability , capability of securely bonding to both the mineral particles and the preferred polyvinyl chloride backer of the present invention and , of course , the capability of being readily radiation cured , preferably electron beam cured , as applied to a preferred polyvinyl chloride backer . it is quite important to ensure that the physical properties of the preferred electron beam cured resin system ( s ), bonded to both the preferred polyvinyl chloride backer and to the mineral particles , is ( are ) capable of being deformed and bonded and / or laminated , in unison with the preferred polyvinyl chloride backer of the present invention , to substrates , either of polyvinyl chloride material or otherwise . to ensure this , it is important that the flexibility of the resin system ( s ) is ( are ) generally complimentary to that of the backer material being used . a resin system ( or systems ) which is ( or are ) deemed complimentary , within the scope of the present invention , is one ( or more ) which produces a linear tensile strength , in the product of the present invention , which is at least as great as that of the backer used , and which reduces ( or reduce ) the elongation potential of the product of the present invention to no less than 25 % of that of the backer material , as such , which is being used , but in no case produces an elongation capability of less than 125 % of the original dimension of that product , in any given direction , on stretching , before tearing . in particular , in the preferred embodiment of the present invention , it is important that the resin system ( s ), in its ( their ) preferred electron beam cured form , is ( are ) capable of a bonding strength , in respect to both the preferred polyvinyl chloride backer and the mineral particles of the present invention , which is at least as great as the bonding and / of lamination strength between the preferred polyvinyl chloride backer of the present invention and the substrates to which that polyvinyl chloride substrate is to be bonded , as the case may be . the preferred resin system or systems to be used is ( are ) a unique combination of resin components , made from commercially available resins , with diluents and other components , which re notable for their ability to be blended together . more specifically , the resin system ( s ) preferably comprise a blend of two or more grades of urethane oligomers , both of which are polyester urethane acrylates , and these are further blended with a combination of ethoxyethoxyethyl acrylate and stabilized n - vinyl - 2 - pyrrolidone monomers , this latter combination being radiation curable and comprising a diluent . in addition , one or more surfactants , preferably containing fluorocarbon material , may be added as wetting agents . diluents are added to adjust the viscosity of the coating mixture , adjusting that viscosity , and the sag resistance of the resin system ( s ), to best suit the application method thereof , such as , e . g ., knife coating , roll pressure coating , transfer roll coating or doctor blade coating , techniques which are well known to those skilled in the art of making coated abrasive products . further , the diluents may be used to modify the radiation curing properties of the resin system ( s ) and the flexibility of both the radiation , e . g ., electron beam , cured resin system ( s ) and of the products of the present invention . among suitable diluents for the electron beam curable resins are the vinyl pyrrolidones and the multifunctional and mono - functional acrylates , including , but not limited to , n - vinyl - 2pyrrolidone ; 1 , 6 hexanediol diacrylate ; tetraethylene glycol diacrylate ; and trimethylolpropane triacrylate . the preferred diluent material is n - vinyl - 2 - pyrrolidone monomer , in a stabilized form . these materials , in addition to adjusting viscosity , tend to modify flexibility and reduce the energy level . of the preferred electron beam radiation energy required for curing . the preferred product of the present invention , in the form of an electron beam cured coated abrasive with mineral particles on a polyvinyl chloride backer , may be readily co - extruded with a polyvinyl chloride compound , as normally used to form floor mating material , as that compound is being formed into floor mating ; the standard floor mating then acts as a substrate , having the same composition as the grit coated polyvinyl chloride backer . alternatively , the application of sufficient heat and pressure can be utilized to laminate the two together . once in a formed state the mineral particles should remain thoroughly secured in and to the stretched film . furthermore , the product is tough and flexible enough to offer good slip - resistance , skid - resistance and durability , in the form of wear - resistance , to heavy pedestrian traffic normally encountered in restaurants , kitchens , service stations , checkout counters and the like . the following example illustrates the preferred embodiment and best presently known mode of the present invention and is in no way intended to be limiting . it is understood that many other embodiments may be readily devised , by those skilled in the art , without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention . two different grades of polyester urethane acrylate resin were used in forming the preferred resin system of the present invention , the first being uvithane ® uv - 782 nd the second being uvithane ® uv - 783 , both as supplied by morton thiokol , inc ., morton chemical division of moss point , miss ., u . s . a . the uv - 782 resin grade , having cas number 64060 - 30 - 6 . the uv - 783 resin grade , having cas number 64060 - 31 - 7 . both of these resin grades , in their respective shipping containers , were placed into and oven at 160 ° f . and held at that temperature for 24 hours to preheat them . concurrent with the latter period of the preheating of the two grades of polyester urethane acrylate resin , a mixing and blending kettle was preheated with hot water to 90 ° f ., in a manner , and using equipment , common to the coated abrasive manufacturing industry . initially added to the kettle , at 90 ° f ., was 192 lbs . of stabilized n - vinyl - 2 - pyrrolidone monomer , specifically v - pyrol ®/ rc as supplied by gaf corporation of new york , n . y ., u . s . a ., having cas number 88 - 12 - 0 , and containing at least 98 . 5 weight percent of c 6 h 16 o 4 . while holding the stabilized n - vinyl - 2 - pyrrolidone monomer in the kettle at 90 ° f ., 192 lbs . of ethoxyethoxyethyl acrylate was added , mixed , and blended into that n - vinyl - 2 - pyrrolidone monomer . specifically rc - 20 ethoxyethoxyethyl acrylate was used , being supplied by the same source as the uv 782 and uv 783 . the rc - 20 bears cas number 7328 - 17 - 8 and with essentially the formula c 6 h 16 o 4 . care was taken in adding the rc - 20 material to the v - pyrol ®/ rc in the kettle to ensure that the mix temperature did not drift below 85 ° f . after the rc - 20 and the v - pyrol ®/ rc were thoroughly mixed and blended together , and the temperature was stabilized at 90 ° f ., 450 lbs . of uv - 782 , at a temperature of 160 ° f ., were added , being mixed in and blended in such a manner that the kettle contents temperature did not exceed 95 ° f . then , likewise , 450 lbs . of uv - 783 , also at a temperature of 160 ° f ., were added , being mixed in and blended in such a manner that the kettle contents temperature did not exceed 95 ° f . finally , 3 lbs . of fluorocarbon surfactant , namely fc - 171 , were added in , mixed and blended , and the temperature of the batch in the kettle was stabilized at 90 ° f . the mixing and blending were accomplished using a variation of mixer speeds , as is quite common in the art , and the batch mixture was circulated into and out of the kettle to further assure fully mixed and blended uniformity and a stabilized uniform batch temperature , also as is quite common in the art . thus , the preferred resin system was formulated and prepared . in the example described herein , the preferred resin system was applied to the dull side of 6 mil thickness polyvinyl chloride film , 40 inches wide , weighing the equivalent of 13 . 7 lbs ./ ream , and processed through the electron beam curing equipment , in accord with the equipment and procedures specified in the above published references which have been specifically incorporated herein by reference , using a radiation energy range of 1 to 10 mrad , preferably 3 mrad ( used for the present example ), within a range of 250 to 325 kv , preferably at 285 kv ( used for the present example ), in an inerting atmosphere of nitrogen , having an oxygen content of less than 2000 ppm . the polyvinyl chloride film used in the present example was product no . 39 - 44 - 0001 - 00 - 4 , vinyl film , as supplied by rjf international corporation ( formerly the bfgoodrich company , engineered products group ), akron , ohio , u . s . a . the application of the resin , in the example , to the 6 mil thickness polyvinyl chloride film was accomplished by use of a standard transfer roll coating system for both the make and the size coats ; the make coat and size coat were both identical , being of the preferred resin system as described above . the weight of the electron beam cured end product of the example was the equivalent of 43 . 5 lbs ./ ream ,± 4 . 0 lbs ./ ream . the mineral particles used were standard aluminum oxide grits , having a standard grit size of 100 . the applied grit may be within the weight range of about 10 to 25 lbs ./ ream , and in the present example , comprised the overall preferred equivalent weight of 20 . 0 lbs ./ ream ,± 2 . 0 lbs ./ ream , while the overall weight of electron beam cured resin in the final product may be within the range of about 4 to 5 lbs ./ ream , and in the present example comprised the preferred equivalent of 10 . 5 lbs ./ ream ,± 1 . 0 lbs ./ ream . the finished non - slip sheet product was bonded to an otherwise standard ribbed polyvinyl chloride floor mat material , as produced by rjf international corporation of akron , ohio , u . s . a . under the keroseal ® trademark , by co - extrusion during the otherwise normal production of that floor mat material . the bonded floor mat material exhibited excellent bonding between the coated abrasive product of the present invention and the floor mat material , without use of any separate bonding agents or adhesives . the finished product of the instant example was tested for tensile strength and elongation by an instron ® tensile tester , using a sample size of 1 &# 34 ;× 8 &# 34 ; with a 6 &# 34 ; gauge length , a cross - head speed of 1 &# 34 ; per minute and a chart speed of 1 / 2 &# 34 ; per minute ( full chart scale = 20 lbs .). the results of those substantially all of the abrasive particles remained firmly bonded to the test pieces after being subjected to the foregoing tensile and elongation tests . as a general proposition for the products of the present invention , the tensile strength , in lbs ./ linear inch , should be at least as great as that exhibited by the particular backer material used , as measured in its uncoated state . also , as a general proposition for the non - slip product of the present invention , the elongation , in inches , should not be less than 25 % of that which is exhibited by the particular backer material used , as measured in its uncoated state , however , at the same time , the product of the present invention should be capable of being linearly stretched ( elongated ), in any given direction , to a dimension which is at least 110 % of the original unstretched ( unelongated ) dimension , in that same direction , before tearing occurs . observation has indicated that the limitations of the foregoing general propositions are necessary to ensure the desired physical properties , in particular , flexibility , as discussed above , of the non - slip sheet product of the present invention . because the sheet material of the invention is thermoformable , the thermal softening and decomposition temperatures of the backing and the radiation curable urethane polymer used to bond the abrasive particles to the backing should be such as to permit thermoforming of the finished sheet product and lamination to a desired substrate . the preferred embodiment of the product of the present invention has been carefully examined in comparison to the virgin 6 mil thick polyvinyl chloride sheet on which it is preferably formed , and both were noted to exhibit the desired physical properties as set forth and discussed above . in use , the preferred embodiment of the coated abrasive product of the present invention , as bonded to a standard ribbed polyvinyl chloride floor mat material , appears to exhibit good wear characteristics as well as providing relatively outstanding resistance to slipping and skidding . while the invention has been described with specific embodiments , there are modifications that may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention . the scope of the invention is not to be limited by specific illustrations or by the preferred embodiment and best mode , but is defined by the claims . | 1 |
embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings . fig1 is a block diagram of one embodiment of the center - of - gravity determining circuit for pulse generation according to the present invention . referring to fig1 fuzzy buses 7 are connected to a simple summing integration circuit 5 , and branch lines from the fuzzy buses 7 are similarly connected to a weighted summing circuit 2 . a comparator 6 is supplied with outputs from the simple summing integration circuit 5 and the weighted summing circuit 2 . reference numeral 8 denotes a trigger means ( not shown ) for resetting the integration circuit 5 . the arrangement of the embodiment will be further explained with reference to the detail view of fig2 . the simple summing integration circuit 5 is connected to the fuzzy buses 7 through respective resistances r , and a capacitor 10 and a transistor 11 are connected in parallel between a minus terminal and output terminal of an operational amplifier 9 inside the simple summing integration circuit 5 . the output terminal is connected to a minus terminal of the comparator 6 . in the meantime , the weighted summing circuit 2 is connected to the fuzzy buses 7 through respective weighting resistances r 1 . . . r n , and a resistance r f is connected between a minus terminal and output terminal of an operational amplifier 12 inside the weighted summing circuit 2 . the output terminal is connected to a plus terminal of the comparator 6 . in addition , the plus terminal of each of the operational amplifiers 9 and 12 is grounded through a resistance r 0 . the operation will next be explained by using the time chart of fig3 . first , in the simple summing integration circuit 5 the capacitor 10 is opened by the trigger means 8 to reset the circuit 5 . as a result , the output of the comparator 6 shifts to l level . since the transistor 11 turns off instantaneously , the simple summing integration circuit 5 executes simple summation of the voltages on the fuzzy buses 7 and delivers an inverted integration output v 1 which is proportional to the time constant determined by the resistance r and the capacitance c of the capacitor 10 : ## equ4 ## the weighted summing circuit 2 sums the voltages μ i . . . μ n on the fuzzy buses 7 in accordance with the weighting resistances r 1 . . . r n and delivers an inverted output v 2 in a predetermined ratio determined by the resistance r f : ## equ5 ## in this case , when the output v 1 of the simple summing integration circuit 5 becomes not higher than the output v 2 of the weighted summing circuit 2 , the output of the comparator 6 shifts to h level . therefore , the time t during which the comparator 6 is outputting the l - level signal is converted into a pulse width as a determined value . the time t at which v 1 = v 2 is reached is expressed by equation ( 6 ), and it corresponds to the center of gravity of the fuzzy quantities on the fuzzy buses 7 : ## equ6 ## it should be noted that the gradient of the waveform v 1 can be changed as desired by weighting . fig4 is a block diagram of another embodiment of the present invention , and fig5 is a detail block diagram . in this embodiment , the simple summing integration circuit 5 and the weighted summing circuit 2 shown in fig1 are replaced with a weighted summing integration circuit 13 and a simple summing circuit 14 , respectively . accordingly , fuzzy information that is output onto the fuzzy buses 7 is input to both the weighted summing integration circuit 13 and the simple summing circuit 14 , and an output v 1 from the weighted summing integration circuit 13 and an output v 2 from the simple summing circuit 14 are input to the comparator 6 . since the operation of he circuit can be analogized from the first embodiment , description thereof is omitted . in this embodiment , the determined value is output in the form of a reciprocal as follows : ## equ7 ## assuming that when v 1 = v 2 , t = t , ## equ8 ## according to this embodiment , it is possible to obtain an output in the form of a pulse width which is equal to the reciprocal of the time t . thus , according to the present invention , the result of weighted summation of the elements of fuzzy information and the result of simple summation of them are compared in a comparator . accordingly , the comparator output itself can be delivered as a pulse width without requiring a converter , thus enabling direct control of the actuator . | 8 |
in various implementations , a given piece of virtual equipment has one or more associated “ sweet spots ”. a sweet spot translates into a margin of error that a user &# 39 ; s interaction with a piece of virtual equipment will cause an intended outcome in a virtual universe . in one implementation , a large sweet spot corresponds to a greater deviation on a normalized distribution curve and a small sweet spot corresponds to a lesser deviation on a normalized distribution curve . for example , there are different types of golf clubs for golfers of differing abilities , each golf club having various sized and located sweet spots . generally speaking , a golfer can select a club based on the golfer &# 39 ; s swing speed and power , and based on the golf club &# 39 ; s sweet spot . a club with a large sweet spot tends to be very forgiving since the club &# 39 ; s face has been designed with a large surface area in which to make contact with the ball and has a perimeter weigh distribution to balance a miss hit . a golfer &# 39 ; s swing of a club with a large sweet spot can be several standard deviations from the mean — the mean being a perfect swing — and still result in an acceptable shot . however , in having a large sweet spot the golfer usually forgoes some level of control , power and feel . for a professional golf club , the sweet spot is much smaller and requires a greater amount of skill to correctly hit the ball but the rewards for hitting a proper shot usually result in farther distance , control , precision , and accuracy . a golfer &# 39 ; s swing of a club with a small sweet spot must be closer to the mean in order to be an acceptable shot . in real life , as users become more skilled with equipment , their existing equipment is easier to use and they can select new equipment that gives them an increased level of control . this observation forms the basis for automatically adjusting a piece of virtual equipment &# 39 ; s sweet spot ( s ) according to a user &# 39 ; s skill level . graph 202 in fig2 illustrates standard deviation curves 202 b , 202 c , 202 d for variables associated with the same or different pieces of virtual equipment . for example , curve 202 b could represent the power of a virtual golf club swing , curve 202 c could represent the orientation of the virtual golf club face when it impacts a virtual golf ball , and curve 202 d could represent the trajectory of a kick or a punch for a virtual fighter . a zero deviation represents the ideal value of a variable ( e . g ., a small sweet spot ) for a piece of virtual equipment , such as the ideal power of a virtual golf club swing or the ideal aim of a virtual gun . each standard deviation away from zero represents increasingly less than ideal values for a given variable . in one implementation , values above a threshold 202 a ( which can be different for each curve ) have a higher probability of causing a successful outcome ( e . g ., achieving a goal such as landing a virtual golf ball where the user intended ) than values below the threshold . the sweet spot can be viewed as the area of a distribution curve above the threshold and within the requisite standard deviation from the mean . for instance , even with a large sweet spot , it may still be possible to cause a successful outcome if the value for a given variable is above the threshold , although the outcome may not be ideal . moreover , sweet spots can be varied by the type of virtual equipment . for example , curve 202 b could represent a professional forged golf iron club with a very small sweet spot ( e . g ., +/− 1 standard deviation ) and curve 202 c could represent a hollow back off set beginner iron club with a much larger sweet spot ( e . g ., +/− 1 . 8 standard deviation ). as a user becomes more adept at using a piece of virtual equipment , the sweet spot for one or more of the virtual equipment &# 39 ; s variables is adjusted to require the user &# 39 ; s interaction with the virtual equipment to achieve values for those variables closer to their means in order to cause a successful outcome . likewise , as a user &# 39 ; s skill level decreases , the sweet spot for one or more of the virtual equipment &# 39 ; s variables can be adjusted to allow the user &# 39 ; s interaction with the virtual equipment to achieve values for those variables farther from their means and still have a chance of causing a successful outcome . accuracy is the probability that a given piece of virtual equipment will perform as a user intended . the probability that a swing of a virtual golf club will cause a virtual golf ball to follow an intended trajectory and land where it was aimed is an example of accuracy . by way of another illustration , accuracy can be the probability that a virtual gun will hit a virtual target when fired . precision is the probability that user interaction with a given piece of virtual equipment will result in the same outcome time after time . for example , precision can be the probability that the same swing of a golf club will result in the same outcome . in one implementation , the accuracy and precision of a given piece of virtual equipment can be automatically increased as a user &# 39 ; s skill level increases . similarly , the accuracy and precision of a given piece of virtual equipment can be automatically decreased as a user &# 39 ; s skill level decreases . these relationships are illustrated in exemplary graphs 204 and 206 of fig2 . in summary , a user &# 39 ; s ability to control virtual equipment increases commensurate with their skill level as shown in graph 208 . although the exemplary graphs 204 , 206 and 208 in fig2 illustrate roughly linear relationships , other relationships are possible and can be defined by a virtual equipment model , as described below . fig3 is a diagram of a virtual equipment model ( vem ) system 300 for a computer game application or other simulation . the functionality encompassed in system 300 can be distributed to fewer or more components than those illustrated . the system 300 includes a vem 306 which models a piece of virtual equipment . a piece of virtual equipment may comprise more than one object in the virtual universe , such as a set of virtual balls that are juggled by the user in a computer juggling game . in one implementation , there is a vem 306 for each piece of virtual equipment a user may interact with in a virtual universe . in a further implementation , the vem 306 maintains a nonempty set of variables and a nonempty set of relationships among two or more of the variables for modeling the behavior of the piece of virtual equipment . in one implementation , a sweet spot for a piece of virtual equipment is inversely related to the precision and accuracy of the virtual equipment . in one implementation , the vem 306 minimally includes variables , as described above , representing precision , accuracy , one or more distribution curves ( e . g ., 202 b , 202 c ), thresholds ( e . g ., 202 a ), and sweet spots . if the virtual equipment is a golf club , for instance , variables can include stroke power , club face trajectory , distribution curves and associated sweet spots and thresholds for stroke power and club face trajectory , club accuracy , and club precision . generally speaking , a vem 306 variable &# 39 ; s value can be based on a user input , a user &# 39 ; s skill level at using the virtual equipment , the attribute of the virtual equipment itself , the state of the virtual universe ( e . g ., weather , emotional and physical stresses on the player ) as determined by a game engine 310 , configuration information , the value of one or more other variables , and combinations of these . an input model 302 maps user inputs ( e . g ., button presses , voice commands , sounds , gestures , eye movements , body movements , brain waves , other types of physiological sensors , and combinations of these ) to one or more variable values for variables in the set of variables associated for vem 306 . the vem 306 interprets user input provided by the input model 302 using the set of relationships . the vem 306 has an associated representation 304 of the virtual equipment that is presented to a user , such as through a graphical display means ( e . g ., a liquid crystal or plasma display device ), sound generation means , haptic technology , odor generation means , and combinations of these . for example , in a first person shooter game a virtual gun can have a graphical representation consisting of cross hairs indicating where the gun is currently pointed and sound feedback to indicate when the virtual gun is fired . a joystick or other user input device can be used to aim the virtual gun and a button can be pressed to fire the virtual gun . the vem 306 communicates with a game engine 310 to affect changes to the virtual universe based on user interaction with the vem 306 . the set of variables , their values , and relationships associated with the vem 306 can change based the state of a virtual universe , or the context or purpose for which a piece of virtual equipment is used . for example , if the virtual equipment is a sword in a sword fight computer game , successful use of the sword requires a user to perform certain offensive and defensive actions that are appropriate given the actions of the user &# 39 ; s opponent . in addition to sweet spot ( s ) associated with the virtual sword , each virtual sword action may have its own sweet spot ( s ) associated with it , which can change based on the type of offensive or defensive action the user is attempting . the sword &# 39 ; s sweets spot could also vary based on the type of sword being used which would also affect the threshold level . a skill level monitor 306 monitors changes to user skill level . a change in user skill level can be detected by the user &# 39 ; s proficiency at using a given piece of virtual equipment to achieve one or more goals in the virtual universe ( e . g ., such as an improved score ), the ability to perform relatively advanced tasks with the virtual equipment , an achieved accuracy rate using the virtual equipment , an achieved precision rate using the virtual equipment , time spent using the virtual equipment , combinations of these , and other factors . in one implementation , user skill level is quantified as a number . if the skill level increases or decreases beyond a certain threshold , a change is communicated to the vem 306 , which in turn can communicate the change to the input model 302 and the representation 304 . using a non - zero threshold value can prevent the vem 306 from changing too rapidly . based on a change in skill level , one or more of the vem 306 , the input model 302 , and the representation 304 can adapt to reflect the change . adapting the vem 306 can include changing the value of one or more variables in the set of variables , changing one or more relationships in the set of relationships , adding or removing one or more variables in the set of variables , adding or removing one or more relationships in the set of relationships , and combinations of these . in the case of an increased user skill level , for example , the virtual equipment model 306 could add additional variables for controlling the virtual equipment that were not available at a lower skill level and change variables representing distribution curves , thresholds and sweet spots . adapting the input model 302 can include changing the way a user interacts with the representation 304 by adding or removing required and optional user inputs , changing the order of user inputs , changing the semantics of user input , and changing the mappings of user input to one or more variables in the set of vem 306 variables . by way of illustration , if the virtual equipment is a golf club , the user input at one skill level could include two mouse button clicks : the first click to set the power of a stroke and the second click within a preset time limit from the first click to determine the trajectory of the golf club face as strikes a virtual golf ball . user input at a more advanced skill level could add a third mouse click to determine the loft of the virtual golf ball . adapting the representation 304 can include changing the virtual equipment appearance , the user interface , sound , haptics , odors , or combinations of these . for example , if the input model 302 or the vem 306 has been adapted , the representation can be modified to provide an indication of such to the user . a virtual golf club &# 39 ; s appearance could be changed to indicate that a user is playing with a more advanced club , for instance . a game engine 310 maintains state for the virtual universe based on user input and the interaction of objects in the virtual universe . the game engine 310 can include a renderer for rendering graphical views of the virtual universe that can be presented on a display device . the game engine can also artificial intelligence capabilities for determining one or more future states for the virtual universe . objects in the virtual universe such as virtual equipment are associated with assets 312 ( e . g ., content , models , sounds , physics , artificial intelligence ). assets are used by the game engine 310 to represent objects and render the computer game . the game engine 310 communicates with the skill level monitor 308 to convey user skill level information , such as detected changes to user skill level . the vem 306 communicates with the game engine 310 to affect changes to the virtual universe based on user interaction with the vem 306 . fig4 illustrates a virtual equipment model adaptation process . a user skill level for a piece of virtual equipment is determined by , for example , the skill level monitor 308 ( step 402 ). it is then determined whether the skill level has increased or decreased beyond a threshold ( step 406 ). if the user skill level has not increased or decreased beyond the threshold , the user skill level is determined again at a later point in time ( step 402 ). otherwise , the vem 306 associated with the virtual equipment is adapted based on the user skill level ( step 406 ), for example by changing the value of one or more sweet spots associated with the virtual equipment , or other variables . the input model 302 and representation 304 can be optionally adapted based on the user skill level ( step 408 ), for example by depicting the head of a golf club differently to emphasize the golf club &# 39 ; s changed properties . fig5 is a block diagram of exemplary system architecture 500 for automatically adapting virtual equipment model . the architecture 500 includes one or more processors 502 ( e . g ., ibm powerpc ®, intel pentium ® 4 , etc . ), one or more display devices 504 ( e . g ., crt , lcd ), one or more graphics processing units 506 ( e . g ., nvidia ® quadro fx 4500 , geforce ® 7800 gt , etc . ), one or more network interfaces 508 ( e . g ., ethernet , firewire , usb , etc . ), one or more input devices 510 ( e . g ., keyboard , mouse , game controller , camera , microphone , etc . ), and one or more computer - readable mediums 512 ( e . g . sdram , optical disks , hard disks , flash memory , l1 or l2 cache , etc .). these components can exchange communications and data via one or more buses 514 ( e . g ., eisa , pci , pci express , etc .). the term “ computer - readable medium ” refers to any medium that participates in providing instructions to a processor 502 for execution , including without limitation , non - volatile media ( e . g ., optical or magnetic disks ), volatile media ( e . g ., memory ) and transmission media . transmission media includes , without limitation , coaxial cables , copper wire and fiber optics . transmission media can also take the form of acoustic , light or radio frequency waves . the computer - readable medium 512 further includes an operating system 516 ( e . g ., mac os ®, windows ®, linux , etc . ), a network communication module 518 , computer game assets 520 , and a computer game application 522 . the computer game application 522 further includes a game engine 524 , a skill level monitor 526 , one or more vems 528 , one or more input models 530 , and one or more representations 532 . in some implementations , the electronic game application 522 can be integrated with other applications 534 or be configured as a plug - in to other applications 534 . the operating system 516 can be multi - user , multiprocessing , multitasking , multithreading , real - time and the like . the operating system 516 performs basic tasks , including but not limited to : recognizing input from input devices 510 ; sending output to display devices 504 ; keeping track of files and directories on computer - readable mediums 512 ( e . g ., memory or a storage device ); controlling peripheral devices ( e . g ., disk drives , printers , gpus 506 , etc . ); and managing traffic on the one or more buses 514 . the network communications module 518 includes various components for establishing and maintaining network connections ( e . g ., software for implementing communication protocols , such as tcp / ip , http , ethernet , etc .). the application 522 , together with its components , implements the various tasks and functions , as described with respect to fig2 - 4 . the user system architecture 500 can be implemented in any electronic or computing device capable of hosting the application 502 , or part of the application 502 , including but not limited to : portable or desktop computers , workstations , main frame computers , personal digital assistants , portable game devices , mobile telephones , network servers , etc . all of these component may by physically remote to each other . embodiments of the invention and all of the functional operations described in this specification can be implemented in digital electronic circuitry , or in computer software , firmware , or hardware , including the structures disclosed in this specification and their structural equivalents , or in combinations of one or more of them . embodiments of the invention can be implemented as one or more computer program products , i . e ., one or more modules of computer program instructions encoded on a computer - readable medium for execution by , or to control the operation of , data processing apparatus . a computer program ( also known as a program , software , software application , script , or code ) can be written in any form of programming language , including compiled or interpreted languages , and it can be deployed in any form , including as a stand - alone program or as a module , component , subroutine , or other unit suitable for use in a computing environment . a computer program does not necessarily correspond to a file in a file system . a program can be stored in a portion of a file that holds other programs or data ( e . g ., one or more scripts stored in a markup language document ), in a single file dedicated to the program in question , or in multiple coordinated files ( e . g ., files that store one or more modules , sub - programs , or portions of code ). a computer program can be deployed to be executed on one computer or on multiple computers that are located at one site or distributed across multiple sites and interconnected by a communication network . the processes and logic flows described in this specification can be performed by one or more programmable processors executing one or more computer programs to perform functions by operating on input data and generating output . the processes and logic flows can also be performed by , and apparatus can also be implemented as , special purpose logic circuitry , e . g ., an fpga ( field programmable gate array ) or an asic ( application - specific integrated circuit ). processors suitable for the execution of a computer program include , by way of example , both general and special purpose microprocessors , and any one or more processors of any kind of digital computer . generally , a processor will receive instructions and data from a read - only memory or a random access memory or both . the essential elements of a computer are a processor for performing instructions and one or more memory devices for storing instructions and data . generally , a computer will also include , or be operatively coupled to receive data from or transfer data to , or both , one or more mass storage devices for storing data , e . g ., magnetic , magneto - optical disks , or optical disks . however , a computer need not have such devices . moreover , a computer can be embedded in another device , e . g ., a mobile telephone , a personal digital assistant ( pda ), a mobile audio player , a global positioning system ( gps ) receiver , to name just a few . computer - readable media suitable for storing computer program instructions and data include all forms of non - volatile memory , media and memory devices , including by way of example semiconductor memory devices , e . g ., eprom , eeprom , and flash memory devices ; magnetic disks , e . g ., internal hard disks or removable disks ; magneto - optical disks ; and cd - rom and dvd - rom disks . the processor and the memory can be supplemented by , or incorporated in , special purpose logic circuitry . to provide for interaction with a user , embodiments of the invention can be implemented on a computer having a display device , e . g ., a crt ( cathode ray tube ) or lcd ( liquid crystal display ) monitor , for displaying information to the user and a keyboard and a pointing device , e . g ., a mouse or a trackball , by which the user can provide input to the computer . other kinds of devices can be used to provide for interaction with a user as well ; for example , feedback provided to the user can be any form of sensory feedback , e . g ., visual feedback , auditory feedback , or tactile feedback ; and input from the user can be received in any form , including acoustic , speech , brain waves , other physiological input , eye movements , gestures , body movements , or tactile input . embodiments of the invention can be implemented in a computing system that includes a back - end component , e . g ., as a data server , or that includes a middleware component , e . g ., an application server , or that includes a front - end component , e . g ., a client computer having a graphical user interface or a web browser through which a user can interact with an implementation of the invention , or any combination of one or more such back - end , middleware , or front - end components . the components of the system can be interconnected by any form or medium of digital data communication , e . g ., a communication network . examples of communication networks include a local area network (“ lan ”) and a wide area network (“ wan ”), e . g ., the internet . the computing system can include clients and servers . a client and server are generally remote from each other and typically interact through a communication network . the relationship of client and server arises by virtue of computer programs running on the respective computers and having a client - server relationship to each other . while this specification contains many specifics , these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the invention or of what may be claimed , but rather as descriptions of features specific to particular embodiments of the invention . certain features that are described in this specification in the context of separate embodiments can also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment . conversely , various features that are described in the context of a single embodiment can also be implemented in multiple embodiments separately or in any suitable subcombination . moreover , although features may be described above as acting in certain combinations and even initially claimed as such , one or more features from a claimed combination can in some cases be excised from the combination , and the claimed combination may be directed to a subcombination or variation of a sub combination . similarly , while operations are depicted in the drawings in a particular order , this should not be understood as requiring that such operations be performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order , or that all illustrated operations be performed , to achieve desirable results . in certain circumstances , multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous . moreover , the separation of various system components in the embodiments described above should not be understood as requiring such separation in all embodiments , and it should be understood that the described program components and systems can generally be integrated together in a single software product or packaged into multiple software products . thus , particular embodiments of the invention have been described . other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims . for example , the actions recited in the claims can be performed in a different order and still achieve desirable results . | 0 |
the preferred embodiment of the present invention is the experimental plasma research facility ( prf ) configured for the gasification of solid waste materials . with reference to fig1 it consists of a 150 kw plasma heating system , a refractory lined reactor vessel , a material feeding subsystem and a process control subsystem . in addition , a product gas burner subsystem was added for this project . the major components of the prf are described below . the maximum throughput of the experimental prf is 400 pounds per hour of &# 34 ; as - received &# 34 ; msw . plasma heating system ( phs ): the phs consists of a power supply which converts three phase ac into dc to feed a single 150 kw non - transferred plasma arc torch . the normal operating range of the plasma arc torch is 300 - 400 vdc at 400 - 500 amps . the power supply consists of a transformer , three saturable core reactors , a rectifier , a low energy plasma starter and a ballast resistor . the plasma starter , commonly referred to as the low - energy plasma ( lep ) igniter , is used to provide a very high step voltage to ignite the plasma and start the torch . the plasma gas is generated from air , with the flowrate continually varied by an air modulator to vary the arc attachment point on both electrodes , thereby increasing the useable life of these electrodes . standard city water is used to cool the torch . a water cooled ballast resistor is used in series with the torch power to eliminate great fluctuations in the torch operating current and voltage . torch power , plasma gas flow and torch cooling are controlled through interlocks on the process control console to turn off the torch when parameters are not maintained within certain prescribed limits . reactor vessel : the reactor vessel is tubular , with a height of 1 . 17 meters ( m ) and a diameter of 1 . 12 m , mounted in a tiltable frame . its 19 . 1 centimeters ( cm ) of refractory lining can withstand a temperature of up to approximately 1850 deg c . material feeding is accommodated through a 40 cm square opening on one side and , directly opposite , slag extraction is accommodated through a 20 cm square opening covered by a swinging door . directly above the slag opening is a 10 cm circular opening for product gas extraction . a 20 cm circular port is situated near the bottom of the vessel and on one side to accommodate the insertion of a gas burner for preheating . the torch enters the top of the vessel at an angle through a 15 cm circular port . water cooled viewing ports are installed on the top and side of the vessel for visual inspection inside the vessel ; nitrogen or air can be injected on the inside of these viewing ports to keep them free of carbon deposition . a 2 . 5 cm inlet to the vessel provides a capability to inject steam should it be required by the process . thermocouples are installed to monitor the temperature of the product gas at exit , the vessel outside wall , and the inside of the refractory at the top , middle and bottom of the vessel . material feeding subsystem : the material feeding subsystem consists of a rectangular feedhopper 40 cm wide , 75 cm long and 1 m high , slightly diverging towards the bottom to diminish the possibility of material blockage . the feed chute leading into the vessel is 40 cm square to match the vessel feed opening . a hydraulic assisted ram , 40 cm wide by 7 . 5 cm high with the top completely covered to prevent material falling behind the plunger , is used to push material from the feedhopper into the vessel through the feed chute . a gate is installed in the middle of the feed chute to act as a heat barrier between the vessel and the feedhopper . a lid is installed on the top of the feed hopper to provide a seal from the ambient environment . the feeder is totally enclosed so that gases do not leak back into the work space ; however , relief valves have been installed to circumvent the sudden buildup of pressure within the feeder . limit switches on the feeder control the length of the ram stroke so that the amount of material fed into the vessel with each stroke can be controlled . product gas handling subsystem : the product gas exits the vessel through a 10 cm diameter section of flexible stainless steel piping to permit the vessel to be tilted without breaking the integrity of the gas handling subsystem . the product gas then passes through a cyclone , which removes particulate matter , and into a spray quencher . the quencher consists of a tank , 90 cm in diameter and 3 m high , with ten layered nozzles to ensure that all of the product gas is sprayed to remove acids and other constituents . the quencher water is pretreated with lime , to neutralize the acids and facilitate later disposal , and circulated through a series of filters and a chiller to maintain a relatively clean and cool spray . after passing through the quencher the product gas passes through a baffle and a series of condenser evaporator coils to ensure as dry a product gas as possible for subsequent quantitative analyses . the product gas is then sampled for on - line gas chromatograph analyses and passed through an orifice for flowmeter printout . a blower is used to draw the product gas through the gas handling subsystem to maintain a slight negative pressure within the vessel to further prevent gas leaks into the lab work space . the product gas is then vented to the atmosphere through a 5 cm pipe and flared immediately upon exit . slag handling subsystem : the molten slag is allowed to accumulate at the bottom of the vessel through the full duration of the experiment . slag accumulation up to 20 cm deep can be accommodated before it is necessary to empty the vessel . the entire vessel is then hydraulically tilted and the slag is allowed to pour into a bed of silica sand . process control subsystem : the process control subsystem consists of a series of on / off switches and instruments . the operator has instantaneous and continuous readout of critical operational parameters of the process such as : several interlocks are incorporated in the instruments which trigger shutdown of the torch when certain parameters exceed preset values . the operator has the ability to instantaneously change operating parameters such as the material feedrate , the air flowrate through the torch and the power delivered to the torch , as well as instantaneously turn the torch on and off depending on other requirements of the process . product gas burner subsystem : a 3600 cubic feet per hour ( cfh ) sparkproof blower draws product gas from the main product gas line just before its exit to the atmosphere and passes it through an 8 cm reducing to 2 cm pipe to a 10 - 50 , 000 btu / hr burner mounted in a 30 cm diameter by 100 cm stainless steel combustion chamber . a 15 cm flue conveys the products of combustion directly to the atmosphere . the heat supplied by the phs pyrolyzes the input material , as opposed to incinerating it , since air is excluded from the process . there is always some air which enters the process with the input material ; however , this can be minimized by particular attention to feeding procedures , such as compression of the material to exclude most of the air or by partially vacuumizing the input hopper after it is filled and closed . the only other air available to the process is through the gas system used to generate the plasma in the torch and this source provides less than 2 % of the oxygen required for stoichiometric combustion . this level of oxygen can be reduced even further by recycling the product gas from the gasification process or by using an inert gas to generate the plasma . pyrolysis provides for virtual complete gasification of all volatiles in the source material , while non - combustile material is reduced to a virtually inert slag . the free carbon produced through the gasification of the volatiles reacts with the water in the input material forming additional combustible gases . in a typical gasification application , the source material is fed into the reactor vessel with no preprocessing except possibly for the shredding of very large and bulky objects to enable trouble free feeding into the vessel . the reactor vessel is lined with refractory to permit the high temperatures required for processing to be achieved and for the retention of the heat within the vessel . the source material is gasified at a temperature of approximately 1100 deg c . ( dependent on the source material ). steam can be injected directly into the process or water can be added directly to the input material as required to provide additional oxygen to react with the free carbon . the resultant products are a product gas with a heating value one - quarter to one - third the heating value of natural gas , and a virtually inert slag . the product gas can be fed directly to other equipment and / or processes for combustion , or if immediate use is not required , it can be stored or flared directly . this product gas has a high hydrogen content and it contains a high enthalpy directly from the high temperature pyrolysis process ; therefore , it burns very cleanly and efficiently . the slag must be cooled and then it can be disposed of very easily . depending on the type and composition of input material the slag can also have commercial application . the slag from the gasification of municipal solid waste , for example , can be used in applications similar to crushed stone or it can be molded into building type blocks directly from its liquor state . the pps is a closed loop system ; therefore , it forms an environmental control in itself . the high process temperatures achievable by plasma processing ensure rapid and complete breakdown of chemical bonds and avoid the particulates and partially combusted hydrocarbons normally associated with combustion processes . total gasification can be achieved very efficiently . the general absence of oxygen results in significantly less air pollution from contaminants such as nitrogen oxides ( nox ) and sulphur dioxide ( so2 ) than is associated with conventional gasification processes . the size of the plasma arc torch utilized in the pps is normally selected on the basis of the type and quantity of input material which must be processed in a specific period of time . this in turn dictates the size of the reactor vessel required and the capacity of the electrical power source . plasma arc torches are available in varying sizes with power ratings from 50 kw to 6mw . ( i ) municipal solid waste ( msw ) is fed into the reactor vessel with special precautions to minimize the amount of air which enters the vessel at the same time . the reactor vessel has been preheated to a minimum inside wall temperature of / 100 degrees c . ( ii ) the volatile content of the input material begins to decompose and is expelled from the input solid mass as gases as soon as the material enters the vessel because its temperature rises sharply due to heat radiation from the inside walls of the vessel and the direct radiation from the plasma arc torch flame . ( iii ) when these gases encounter the higher temperatures around the plasma flame they completely ionize within milliseconds because their temperature rises very rapidly due to heat acquired from the hot plasma flame gases . this rapid ionization can be described as the molecules literally being torn apart as they acquire massive amounts of heat in a very short period of time . ( iv ) the non - decomposed material is forced to move around the vessel as the gases from the plasma torch suddenly acquire the high temperatures encountered around the plasma arc andexpand very rapidly . motion is also due to the geometry of the inside of the reactor vessel which forces the material to flow through the plasma flame to a different level as it becomes molten . ( v ) as the solids pass under the plasma arc torch flame , which is through the highest temperature profile , the volatile content is completely expelled , the free carbon is converted to mostly carbon monoxide with small amounts of carbon dioxide , and the solid residue becomes completely molten and subsequently combines chemically to form metal silicates . the vessel floor temperature is also at a temperature of 1100 degrees c ., the same as the vessel inside wall and ceiling temperature , but as the glass , metals and dirt become molten and chemically combine , they remain in a molten pool over the floor of the vessel and are subjected to the higher temperature profile directly radiated from the plasma arc flame . this temperature can be upwards of 1400 degrees c . and even higher where the torch plasma flame is concentrated . ( vi ) this molten bed of solid residue acts as a secondary heat source for new material entering the vessel so that this new material is heated from all sides , including the bottom . ( vii ) the solid residue is permitted to remain in the vessel until it reaches a preset volume , at which time it is tapped and permitted to flow from the vessel into a catch container . the physical properties of this solid residue can be altered by varying the temperature of the melt and by the amount of water content in the input material . increasing the temperature of the melt will make it more fluid and increase its fragility . decreasing the water content will increase the carbon content in the melt and increase the hardness of the final product . ( viii ) some uncombined metal globules are encapsulated by the silicates previously formed in the solid residue . this occurs either because these metals , or metal alloys , have a higher melting temperature than what they are being subjected to , or there is no additional silica with which they can combine to form additional silicates . ( ix ) all other non - volatile and unreacted material is encapsulated by the silicate mass which results in the entire mass having extremely low leachability characteristics . the solid residue has the structural integrity to be considered a monolith . ( x ) upwards of 98 % of the metals in the input material are trapped in the very tight matrix of the solid residue . digestion of this solid residue in aqua regia , a solution of hydrochloric and nitric acids , results in 50 to 54 % of the original material remaining as a solid mass . carbon bearing materials which can be efficiently gasified in this manner include coal , peat , wood and municipal solid waste ( city refuse ), as well as incinerator ash . the system may be operated by a single operator monitoring critical parameters of the process through meter readouts on the control console . all critical parameters are interlocked to automatically shutdown the operation should any of these parameters exceed predetermined tolerances . the operator also has instantaneous control of the operation and can shutdown the process and bring it back up virtually at will . these operator functions are quite straight forward and no more demanding than those found in most industrial control systems . input materials handling will normally require a materials handler . the input process and design complexity will be dictated by the quantity and type of input material to be processed . mostly manual operation may be possible with a very low quantity input volume . output slag handling will normally require a slag handler . again , the output process and the design complexity will be dictated by the volume and physical composition of the slag to be handled . the system heat input process can be turned on and off virtually at the will of the operator . vernier controls on torch input power also permits a varying input load to be readily catered to up to the maximum capacity of the system while maintaining the optimal heat transfer rate to the process . conversion of a system to one of a larger size can also be accommodated very easily ; a larger size torch can be used , a second torch can be added to the reactor vessel , or an additional pps can be added . the cost of either of these options would normally be small compared to the initial cost outlay . the energy aspects of the experimental plasma gasification of msw was conducted . a summary of the results obtained and extrapolated to a 50 - 75 tonne per day commercial size system is as follows : __________________________________________________________________________ laboratory commercial size results extrapolation__________________________________________________________________________conversion ratio ( energy out / in ) 1 . 65 : 1 4 . 30 : 1overall efficiency 56 . 0 % 72 . 2 % product gas / refuse hv ratio 0 . 847 0 . 868product gas hhv ( btu / scf ) 282 . 15 282 . 15 ( max ) dry refuse / slag weight reduction 5 . 37 : 1 5 . 37 : 1wet refuse / slag weight reduction 8 . 06 : 1 8 . 06 : 1refuse / slag volume reduction 154 : 1 154 : 1e1 energy per tonne refuse ( kwhrs ) 1595 612__________________________________________________________________________ commercial size extrapolation includes known improvements obtainable through the use of a larger size and more efficient plasma arc torch , the use of additional refractory lining in the wall of the reactor vessel and economies of scale for heat losses . conversion ratio is defined as the energy available in the product gas compared to the electrical energy input to the process which created the product gas . a conversion ratio of 4 . 3 : 1 , therefore , means that for every btu of thermal energy input to the process through the plasma arc torch there are 4 . 3 btus of usable energy in the product gas . this ratio does not consider any energy recovery from the sensible heat in the hot product gas , the hot slag or the torch cooling water , which account for the majority of the 28 % losses in the process . the product gas obtained through this experimentation had the following chemical composition at the maximum heating value obtained : ______________________________________hydrogen 41 . 2 % carbon dioxide 8 . 3 % ethylene 0 . 1 % acetylene 0 . 2 % oxygen 0 . 3 % nitrogen 17 . 0 % methane 3 . 2 % carbon monoxide 29 . 7 % heating value 282 . 2 btu / scf______________________________________ experiments were undertaken to assess the environmental quality , following the parameters and procedures established by the ontario ministry of the environment , of the following products from the plasma gasification of msw : a . the product gas for organics , acid gases and trace metals ; b . the condensate from drying the product gas ( and quencher water ) for organics , acid gases and trace metals ; c . the combustion gases from burning the product gas for organics , acid gases and trace metals ; and product gas and gas borne particulate samples were obtained after the quencher outlet and after the burner , and analysed for semi - volatile organic compounds ( svoc ), metals , and acid gases , including nitrogen oxide and sulphur dioxide . combined quencher and condensate water samples were analysed for svocs , metals and acid gas anions . samples of slag were analyzed for chemical composition and leachate toxicity . acid insoluble portions of the slag were also analysed . the results summarized in the following tables include typical incinerator results , where available from environment canada &# 39 ; s national incinerator testing & amp ; evaluation program ( nitep ) publications , for comparison purposes , from the prince edward island ( pei ) incinerator ( 2 ), quebec urban community ( quc ) incinerator ( 3 )( 4 ), victoria hospital efw facility ( london ), london , ontario ( 5 ), and solid waste reduction unit ( swaru ), hamilton , ontario ( 6 ). in addition , where applicable , ontario regulation 309 ( 7 ) and quebec ( 8 ) limits are specified . tables 1 & amp ; 2 show svoc emissions during the two tests . table 1 relates the amount of contaminant measured in the emissions to the amount of material fed during the test run in micrograms ( ug ), or milligrams ( mg ), of emission per tonne of input material . table 2 shows the concentration of the contaminants emitted per normal cubic meter ( ncum ) at standard conditions of 25 degc , 101 . 3 kilopascals ( kpa ) and dry . the following abbreviations are used throughout tables 1 & amp ; 2 . table 1__________________________________________________________________________svoc emission data ( emissions per tonne of 35 % wet feed ) experiment no 1 experiment no 2 existing quencher burner quencher burner incineratorscompound outlet outlet outlet outlet pei ( 2 ) quc ( 3 ) __________________________________________________________________________teq values ( 9 ) pcdd ( ug ) 0 . 03 0 0 . 3 0pcdf ( ug ) 3 . 8 0 1 . 0 0 . 8actual valuespcdd ( ug ) 16 nd 26 nd 228 - 516 59 - 148pcdf ( ug ) 148 10 47 15 340 - 570 171 - 174cp ( ug ) 18900 nd 5800 nd 10800 - 29000cb ( ug ) 8500 6900 1360 980 12800 - 22000pcb ( ug ) nd nd nd nd nd - 3400pah ( mg ) 28000 5300 187000 24000 27 - 55__________________________________________________________________________ nd -- not detected . table 2__________________________________________________________________________svoc emission data ( concentration per ncum )* experiment no 1 experiment no 2 existing quencher burner quencher burner incineratorscompound outlet outlet outlet outlet pei ( 2 ) quc ( 3 ) __________________________________________________________________________teq values ( 9 ) pcdd ( ng ) 0 . 02 0 0 . 3 0pcdf ( ng ) 2 . 8 0 1 . 3 0 . 5actual valuespcdd ( ng ) 12 nd 27 nd 62 - 123 19 - 298pcdf ( ng ) 109 3 49 10 95 - 156 44 - 306cp ( ug ) 14 nd 6 nd 3 - 7 5 - 24cb ( ug ) 6 3 1 0 . 6 3 - 5 3 - 10pcb ( ug ) nd nd nd nd nd - 0 . 8 2 - 7pah ( ug ) 21000 1900 195000 15000 7 - 12 4 - 22__________________________________________________________________________ * normalized to 11 % oxygen at the burner outlet . existing incinerator concentrations are normalized to 12 % carbon dioxide and contain 9 - 13 % oxygen . tables 3 & amp ; 4 summarize the emissions for selected metals analysed for , again under the same comparison conditions . table 3__________________________________________________________________________emission data for selected metals ( gram per tonne of 35 % wet feed ) experiment no 1 experiment no 2 existing quencher burner quencher burner incineratormetal outlet outlet outlet outlet pei ( 2 ) __________________________________________________________________________antimony 2 0 . 1 1 0 . 03 2 . 1 - 9 . 6arsenic 0 . 6 0 . 1 0 . 2 0 . 01cadmium 0 . 6 0 . 1 0 . 2 0 . 01 2 . 6 - 3 . 8chromium 0 . 2 0 . 2 0 . 1 0 . 02 0 . 1 - 0 . 4copper 29 1 6 0 . 2lead 49 2 18 0 . 3 34 - 60mercury 0 . 014 nd 0 . 001 nd 2 . 0 - 3 . 6nickel 0 . 3 0 . 2 0 . 1 0 . 04 1 . 0 - 2 . 2__________________________________________________________________________ table 4__________________________________________________________________________emission data for selected metals ( concentration , mg / ncum )* experiment no 1 experiment no 2 existing quencher burner quencher burner incineratormetal outlet outlet outlet outlet pei ( 2 ) __________________________________________________________________________antimony 2 0 . 05 1 0 . 02 0 . 5 - 2 . 6arsenic 0 . 5 0 . 02 0 . 3 0 . 01cadmium 0 . 5 0 . 03 0 . 2 0 . 004 0 . 6 - 0 . 9chromium 0 . 2 0 . 08 0 . 1 0 . 02 0 . 03 - 0 . 1copper 22 0 . 5 7 0 . 1lead 37 0 . 6 19 0 . 2 8 . 4 - 15mercury 0 . 01 nd 0 . 001 nd 0 . 5 - 0 . 9nickel 0 . 2 0 . 08 0 . 1 0 . 02 0 . 2 - 0 . 5__________________________________________________________________________ * normalized to 11 % oxygen at the burner outlet . existing incinertor concentrations are normalized to 12 % carbon dioxide and contain 9 - 13 % oxygen . tables 5 & amp ; 6 summarize the acid gas emissions for the two tests , again under the same comparison conditions . table 6 includes nitrogen oxide and sulphur dioxide emissions in parts per million ( ppm ). the chloride , fluoride and bromide acid gases were measured as individual ions but reported as the corresponding acids . table 5__________________________________________________________________________acid gases emission data ( gram per tonne of 35 % wet feed ) experiment no 1 experiment no 2 existing quencher burner quencher burner incineratoracid gas outlet outlet outlet outlet pei ( 2 ) __________________________________________________________________________hydrogen chloride 223 2 49 0 . 2 3930 - 4480hydrogen fluoride 0 . 3 2 0 . 1 0 . 1hydrogen bromide nd nd nd nd__________________________________________________________________________ table 6__________________________________________________________________________acid gases emission data ( concentration )* experiment no 1 experiment no 2 existing quencher burner quencher burner incineratoracid gas outlet outlet outlet outlet quc ( 3 ) __________________________________________________________________________hydrogen chloride ( mg / ncum ) 146 0 . 6 45 0 . 1hydrogen fluoride ( mg / ncum ) 0 . 2 0 . 7 0 . 1 0 . 07hydrogen bromide ( mg / ncum ) nd nd nd ndnitrogen oxide ( ppm ) 1710 305 210 158 169 - 246sulphur dioxide ( ppm ) 67 66 52 69 128 - 225__________________________________________________________________________ * normalized to 11 % oxygen at the burner outlet . existing incinerator concentrations are normalized to 12 % carbon dioxide and contain 9 - 13 % oxygen . table 7 summarizes the analyses of the slag samples for the two tests in micrograms ( ug ) of metal per gram ( g ) of slag . the actual analyses were performed on both an acid solution obtained by digesting the slag in a solution of aqua regia , a mixture of hydrochloric and nitric acids , and the insoluble portion remaining after the aqua regia digestion . this insoluble portion represented 50 % of the slag sample in experiment no 1 and 54 % of the slag sample in experiment no 2 . table 7__________________________________________________________________________metals in slag ( ug / g ) analyses experiment no 1 experiment no 2element solution insoluble solution insoluble__________________________________________________________________________aluminum * 97 , 000 101 92 , 000 3109antimony 9 2 . 36 6 1 . 86arsenic 2 . 5 nd 1 . 5 0 . 37barium 1 , 260 nd 2 , 400 54beryllium 1 -- 1 -- bismuth nd -- nd -- boron 170 -- 240 -- cadmium 1 nd nd ndcalcium * 107 , 000 nd 103 , 000 1 , 428chromium 350 1 . 2 220 18 . 2cobalt 16 0 . 1 11 . 5 0 . 58copper 980 nd 640 60iron * 53 , 000 70 22 , 000 1 , 358lead 164 -- 73 -- lithium 42 -- 35 -- magnesium 20 , 000 nd 24 , 000 366manganese * 1 , 810 0 . 7 1 , 100 100mercury 0 . 3 nd 0 . 28 ndmolybdenum 3 . 5 nd 1 . 5 ndnickel 62 nd 26 ndphosphorus * 5 , 000 -- 3 , 500 -- potassium * 12 , 800 nd 15 , 400 539selenium nd nd nd ndsilicon * 560 225 , 630 600 232 , 223silver nd nd nd ndsodium * 43 , 000 23 37 , 000 948strontium 320 nd 280 ndtellurium nd nd nd ndtin 40 nd 8 ndtitanium * 5 , 900 677 5 , 400 964vanadium 43 0 . 14 36 2 . 94zinc 430 nd 300 13total ug / g * 349 , 964 226 , 506 308 , 280 241 , 186 % metals in slag 35 23 31 24 % of slag sample 50 50 46 54 % of total metals 61 39 56 44gram / tonne refuse 63 , 715 60 , 065 % of total i / p metals 96 . 9 97 . 2__________________________________________________________________________ * the quantities recorded for these metals would increase fairly substantially if they were assumed to exist in their more common oxide form . table 8 summarizes the metals found in the leachate derived from the slag samples in milligrams ( mg ) of metal per liter ( l ) of leachate . table 8__________________________________________________________________________metals in slag leachate ( mg / l ) ontario % of quebecanalyses experiment experiment reg 309 ontario regelement no 1 no 2 ( 7 ) reg 309 ( 8 ) __________________________________________________________________________aluminum 0 . 18 0 . 03antimony nd 0 . 006arsenic nd nd 5 . 0 --/-- barium 0 . 03 0 . 1 100 . 0 0 . 03 / 0 . 1beryllium nd ndbismuth nd ndboron nd nd 500 . 0 --/-- cadmium nd nd 0 . 5 --/-- 0 . 1calcium 3 . 3 1 . 15chromium nd nd 5 . 0 --/-- 0 . 5cobalt nd ndcopper 0 . 07 0 . 09 1 . 0iron 0 . 57 1 . 79 17 . 0lead 0 . 01 0 . 02 5 . 0 0 . 2 / 0 . 4 0 . 1lithium nd ndmagnesium 0 . 2 0 . 15manganese 0 . 02 0 . 01mercury nd nd 0 . 1 --/-- 0 . 001molybdenum nd ndnickel 0 . 005 0 . 01 1 . 0phosphorus nd ndpotassium 0 . 1 0 . 05selenium nd nd 1 . 0 --/-- silica 1 . 16 0 . 68silver nd nd 5 . 0 --/-- sodium 0 . 1 1 . 3strontium nd ndtellurium nd ndtin nd ndtitanium nd ndvanadium nd 0 . 015zinc 0 . 05 0 . 02 1 . 0__________________________________________________________________________ table 9 contains comparative data on leachate analyses for selected metals from various incinerator sources obtained from recent nitep publications . table 9__________________________________________________________________________comparison of selected metals in slag leachate ( mg / l ) swaru quc london ontario quebecanalyses exp exp bottom bottom bottom boiler reg 309 regelement no 1 no 2 ash ( 6 ) ash ( 4 ) ash ( 5 ) ash ( 5 ) ( 7 ) ( 8 ) __________________________________________________________________________aluminum 0 . 18 0 . 03 0 . 11 1 . 29 3 . 04antimony nd 0 . 006 nd nd ndarsenic nd nd 0 . 29 0 . 01 0 . 03 5 . 0barium 0 . 03 0 . 1 100 . 0boron nd nd 1 1 . 4 2 . 1 1 . 6 500 . 0cadmium nd nd nd 0 . 05 0 . 14 43 . 2 0 . 5 0 . 1chromium nd nd nd 0 . 06 0 . 18 nd 5 . 0 0 . 5cobalt nd nd nd 0 . 20 0 . 27copper 0 . 07 0 . 09 0 . 5 0 . 39 0 . 87 16 . 1 1 . 0lead 0 . 01 0 . 02 nd 8 . 0 6 . 83 4 . 15 5 . 0 0 . 1mercury nd nd 0 . 1 0 . 001nickel 0 . 005 0 . 01 0 . 8 0 . 64 0 . 59 0 . 87 1 . 0selenium nd nd 1 . 0silver nd nd 5 . 0zinc 0 . 05 0 . 02 32 27 55 1340 1 . 0__________________________________________________________________________ table 10 summarizes energy balance characteristics both in the lab and extrapolated for a 50 - 70 tonne per day commercial size system . commercial size extrapolation includes known improvements obtainable through the use of a larger size and more efficient plasma arc torch , the use of additional refractory lining in the wall of the reactor vessel and economies of scale for heat losses . conversion ratio is defined as the energy in the product gas compared to the electrical energy input to the process which created the product gas . complete details are contained in volume 2 . table 10__________________________________________________________________________energy balance characteristics experiment no 1 experiment no 2performance lab commercial lab commercialcharacteristic results size results size__________________________________________________________________________conversion ratio ( energy out / in ) 1 . 52 : 1 3 . 03 : 1 1 . 92 : 1 3 . 54 : 1overall efficiency (%) 53 . 6 65 . 2 54 . 5 62 . 7product gas / refuse hv ratio 0 . 83 0 . 83 0 . 76 0 . 76wet refuse / slag weight reduction 8 . 93 : 1 8 . 93 : 1 8 . 89 : 1 8 . 89 : 1wet refuse / slag volume reduction 184 : 1 184 : 1 183 : 1 183 : 1e1 energy per tonne refuse ( kwhrs ) 1607 806 1171 635__________________________________________________________________________ table 11 shows the change in performance by combining the product gas enthalpy and heating value energies , which is a very logical extension since the hot product gas will normally be provided directly to a combustion process for the immediate utilization of the available energy . table 11__________________________________________________________________________energy balance characteristics ( combining product gas enthalpy and heating value ) experiment no 1 experiment no 2performance lab commercial lab commercialcharacteristic results size results size__________________________________________________________________________conversion ratio ( energy out / in ) 1 . 91 : 1 3 . 80 : 1 2 . 30 : 1 4 . 24 : 1overall efficiency (%) 67 . 2 81 . 7 65 . 5 75 . 3product gas / refuse hv ratio 1 . 04 1 . 04 0 . 92 0 . 92wet refuse / slag weight reduction 8 . 93 : 1 8 . 93 : 1 8 . 89 : 1 8 . 89 : 1wet refuse / slag volume reduction 184 : 1 184 : 1 183 : 1 183 : 1e1 energy per tonne refuse ( kwhrs ) 1607 806 1171 635__________________________________________________________________________ table 12______________________________________product gas chemical composition______________________________________hydrogen 33 . 0 % carbon dioxide 9 . 2 % ethylene 0 . 1 % acetylene 0 . 0 % oxygen 3 . 8 % nitrogen 32 . 1 % methane 1 . 8 % carbon monoxide 20 . 0 % heating value 202 . 5 btu / scf______________________________________ table 13__________________________________________________________________________mass balance characteristics experiment no 1 experiment no 2 december 12 , 1990 december 14 , 1990mass element ( 90 min duration ) ( 150 min duration ) __________________________________________________________________________wet refuse input ( kg ) 125 . 1 262 . 3air input - torch ( kg ) 16 . 3 27 . 2air input - viewing port ( kg ) 4 . 9 8 . 2air input through feeder ( kg ) 128 . 7 86 . 3 ( found by difference ) total mass input ( kg ) 275 . 0 384 . 0product gas output ( kg ) 228 . 9 323 . 3slag output ( kg ) 13 . 8 29 . 0cyclone ash output ( kg ) 0 . 2 0 . 7water in product gas ( kg ) 7 . 1 13 . 0water condensed ( kg ) 25 . 0 18 . 0total mass output ( kg ) 275 . 0 384 . 0condensed water / refuse ratio 0 . 20 0 . 069__________________________________________________________________________ potential uses of the slag from the plasma gasification process were reviewed by energy , mines and resources personnel , and their findings are contained in volume 2 . the following potential uses were considered feasible in the indicated order of priority : | 2 |
referring to fig3 , a termination 8 of the invention has a body 10 containing a wedge gripper 12 having a larger diameter end 34 abutting a washer 13 that is pressed against the wedge gripper 12 by a threaded cap 14 that is screwed into the body 10 . a stem 15 extends through a hole 64 in the cap 14 and is trapped inside the body 10 and a median barrier cable 16 is trapped by jaw sections 18 of the wedge gripper 12 . referring to fig4 , 5 , and 6 , the wedge gripper 12 has an outer surface 20 that tapers and , in the example embodiment , is formed by machining a piece of suitable metal , for example tool steel or other steel , to that shape and then drilling a hole in it and tapping the hole so that the hole has teeth , as shown in fig6 , that serve to grip the cable 16 . the cable 16 has a nominal effective diameter of 19 mm ( ¾ inches ), even though the cross - sectional profile of it as shown in fig2 is not round . however , the circle defined by the outer points of the lobes 22 of the cable 16 define a circle that would be approximately three - quarter inch or 19 mm in diameter . preferably , the major diameter of the teeth formed on the inside diameter of the wedge gripper 12 is less than the nominal effective diameter of the cable . for example , for the median barrier cable that is ¾ inches nominal effective diameter , the hole in the wedge gripper 12 is preferably smaller than the effective diameter of three - quarters of an inch . in particular , the major diameter , i . e . to the bottoms of the valleys between the teeth , is less than three - quarter inch ( 19 mm ). for example , for a three - quarter inch wire rope , the major diameter could be 0 . 716 inches . this would be the result of using a tap of 0 . 716 - 26 to form the teeth , which means 0 . 716 inches major diameter and 26 threads , or teeth , per inch . in addition , when assembling the cable 16 to the termination 8 , the lobes 22 should be oriented relative to the sections 18 as shown in fig5 , with each lobe roughly centered on each section 18 at the larger diameter end 34 of the wedge gripper 12 . since the lobes 22 are twisted along their length , the position of the lobes relative to the sections 18 will change along the length of the wedge gripper 12 , but at the large diameter end they should be centered relative to the sections 18 as shown in fig5 . in addition , as shown in fig4 and 6 , the taper angle x ° of the wedge gripper 12 is preferably four degrees . this differs from typical taper angles for the wedges in common post - tension terminations . in addition , the tooth angles of the teeth on the inner diameter of the wedge sections 18 , that is , angles y ° and z °, may be 60 and 20 degrees , respectively , as shown in fig6 , with the 20 - degree angle resisting pull - out of the cable , to try to maximize the pull - out forces necessary to dislodge the cable from the termination 8 . the body 10 has a mating frusto - conical surface 30 of the same angle as the frusto - conical outer surface 20 of the wedge gripper 12 , in the preferred embodiment , four degrees . thus , as the wedge gripper 12 is moved leftwardly as viewed in fig3 , in other words toward the cable opening 32 or smaller diameter end of the surface 30 , the wedge sections 18 collapse inwardly on the cable 16 to bite the teeth of the wedge gripper 12 into the outer surface of the cable 16 and thereby hold the cable 16 firmly to the termination 8 . the seating force to bite the teeth of the wedge gripper 12 into the cable 16 can be very large , often requiring that the wedges be “ seated ” by applying a hydraulic load to the cable to apply the seating force . this operation is most commonly done with a post - tensioning jack system , which includes a jack , hose , gauge , and pump . in the present invention , to minimize or avoid the use of such hydraulic equipment , the wedge gripper 12 may be at least partially seated using a threaded connection . the washer 13 ( shown in fig3 and 10 ) resides generally between the larger diameter end 34 of the wedge gripper 12 and the end 72 of the cap 14 . the washer 13 has an enlarged head 38 that resides in this position , and a reduced diameter shank 40 that extends into a bore 42 in the cap 14 . an o - ring 17 in a groove 70 ( best shown in fig3 and 10 ) of the shank 40 loosely secures the washer 13 inside the bore 42 . the washer 13 can rotate relative to the cap 14 to reduce the transmission of rotary force from the cap 14 to the wedge gripper 12 as the cap 14 is rotated . the cap 14 is threaded into the end of the body 10 to bear against the washer 13 and the washer 13 to bear against the larger diameter end 34 of the wedge gripper 12 to force the wedge gripper 12 axially against the tapered surface 30 . in addition , the cap 14 mechanically retains the wedge gripper 12 and the washer 13 within the body 10 , thereby inhibiting vibrations of the cable 16 , such as those encountered during a collision , from substantially loosening the engagement of the wedge gripper 12 with the cable 16 . the cap 14 ( also shown in fig1 and 12 ) has a hex 48 in conventional fashion , and the body 10 ( also shown in fig7 and 8 ) is also formed with a hex 50 at its cable end that can be gripped by a wrench or other tool . thus , a significant torque can be placed on the cap 14 while holding the body 10 with a wrench to force the wedge gripper 12 against the surface 30 and collapse the inside diameter of the wedge gripper 12 against the cable 16 . a threaded stem 15 ( shown in fig3 and 9 ) extends through a hole 64 in the cap 14 and has an enlarged head 66 trapped in the body 10 by the cap 14 . the head 66 may be flat as shown , or may have a ball surface that mates against a similar socket - shaped surface of the cap 14 so that the stem 15 can be articulated relative to the cap 14 . the stem 15 has threads 68 to attach the termination 8 to a suitable foundation , turnbuckle , or other structure so that a high tension can be induced in the cable 16 . the wedge gripper 12 is initially made in one piece , by forming the tapered outer side and drilling and tapping the inside diameter , and then it is cut into the three sections 18 . there must be enough space between the sections 18 so that the wedge gripper 12 can collapse to the full extent onto the cable 16 . also , when fully compressed against the cable 16 , the wedge gripper 12 preferably does not extend beyond the left end of the body 10 , as viewed in fig3 . a groove 19 is formed in the outer surface 20 so an o - ring ( not shown ) can be used to hold the wedge sections 18 together when the wedge is placed around a cable , prior to inserting the wedge into the body . as best shown in fig3 , the wedge gripper 12 is preferably of sufficient length such that the teeth of the each of the three sections 18 each grip at least two of the lobes 22 of the cable 16 when the cap 14 is tightened to the body 10 . for example , a wedge gripper 12 having a length of approximately two and one - half inches is sufficient to engage multiple lobes 22 of cable 16 having a nominal effective diameter of approximately ¾ inches . in addition , an opening 60 can be formed in the side of the body 10 , and if desired , the opening 60 can be tapped and a zerc fitting 62 installed . the opening 60 and if a zerc fitting 62 is used , are used for introducing a potting compound into the interior of the body 10 , and particularly into the interior of the wedge gripper 12 to fill the spaces between the lobes 22 of the cable 16 and the inside diameter of the wedge gripper 12 . it would also fill all void spaces inside the body 10 , including any spaces between the lobes 22 and spaces between the individual wires of the lobes 22 to fix the connection between the cable 16 and the body 10 . the potting compound may be , for example , an epoxy resin that bonds well to metal surfaces and hardens solid . the potting compound would help hold the barrier cable 16 inside the body 10 , help prevent it from flattening into the voids which would otherwise be there , and also reduce corrosion inside the body 10 . it could be introduced either directly through the opening 60 , or through a zerc or other suitable fitting screwed into the opening 60 . preferred embodiments of the invention have been described in considerable detail . many modifications and variations to the preferred embodiments described will be apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art . therefore , the invention should not be limited to the embodiments described but by the claims which follow . | 5 |
the concepts incorporated in this invention , together with the details of operation may be more fully understood by considering together the following description taken in cooperation with the drawing . in fig1 element 101 constitutes a cross section of a reflector surface taken on a plane including the axis of the reflector . more specifically , the reflector 101 , as drawn in fig1 comprises a cross section view of a deep - dish parabolic reflector having a surface generated by revolving the line 101 about the axis 102 . in addition , it should be understood that other classical reflector shapes , such as spherical , may be used in association with the invention described herein . a reflector 101 of the type which is typically used with signal lights has a focal point which is designated &# 34 ; f &# 34 ;. for the purposes of this description , the focal point may be defined as a point on the optical axis 102 of the reflector 101 through which any rays of light parallel to the optical axis converge after being reflected on the reflector surface 101 . for example , light ray a impinges on the reflector surface at point a1 and through the focal point f to impinge of the reflective surface 101 at point a2 from which it is reflected out on line a3 which is parallel to the optical axis 102 . in a similar manner , light ray b reflects at point b1 , passes through focal point f and reflects at point b2 for reflection out along line b3 . however , it will be seen that light ray c which is parallel to the optical axis 102 impinges on the reflector at point c1 and is reflected through the focal point f and out along ray c3 . that is , the light reflected from point c1 does not impinge on the reflector 101 a second time and is reflected out of the system at an angle other than parallel to the optical axis 102 . accordingly , light ray c3 is not visible within the normal viewing angle of the signal light and thus does not contribute to an objectionable phantom signal . it should be observed that in accordance with laws of optics , the angle of incidence is always equal to the angle of reflection . by way of explanation , this means , for example , that light ray e . which reflects at point e1 is reflected therefrom such that the angle 103 which is formed between the line e - e1 and a tangent to the arc a1 - c1 at the point of e1 is exactly equal to the angle 104 formed between the line e1 - e2 and the same tangent line . in like manner , the angled formed between the ray of incidence , and the ray of reflection and the plant tangent to the reflector 101 at the point of reflection are equal . from the above it will be evident that all light rays between rays a and b and which are parallel to the optical axis 102 are reflected out of the reflector 101 essentially parallel to their original direction . it is the reflected rays such as a3 , b3 and e3 which cause phantom signals . more specifically , traffic signals are usually oriented so that the viewer , who is supposed to see the signal , is approximately on the optical axis or a relatively few degrees therefrom . accordingly , a traffic light which is situated such that light rays may enter parallel to the optical axis will have light reflected out and parallel to the optical axis thereby creating a phantom signal . it should be understood , of course , that normal signals are created by means of an incandescent bulb which is located at approximately the focal point f and light rays emitted therefrom reflect on the surface 101 and out parallel to the optical axis 102 . it will be apparent that phantom signals could be avoided by employing a reflector 101 which extends only from point b1 to point b2 . with such a reflector , any light ray such as e . would reflect on the reflector at point e1 , pass through the focal point f and , since there is no reflector portion past point b2 , the light ray will not be reflected and will not extend along the line e3 to create a phantom signal . however , light signals of this type are not energy efficient and give a weak signal or require a higher input signal to provide the desired light level . accordingly , since phantom signals are created only when the light signal has a predetermined orientation and only at selected times and / or dates , it is common practice to provide energy efficient deep - dish reflectors and to modigy the system at least those situations wherein phantom signals may be produced . it will be evident that if a mask 105 , which serves to absorb or intercept light rays , is placed as illustrated in fig1 that all light rays parallel to the optical axis 102 and between light rays a and b will be intercepted and will not be able to be reflected out and parallel to the optical axis 102 . for example , light ray d will strike the mask 105 and be intercepted or stopped there instead of extending through the point d1 where it would otherwise be reflected through the focal point f and reflected again at point d2 to emerge from the system parallel to the optical axis . it will also be apparent that instead of employing the mask 105 , a mask 106 could be used with similar results . in this case , the light ray d reflects at points d1 and d2 but is stopped by the mask 106 as point d3 . as may be seen from fig1 the mask 106 extends between light rays a3 and b3 . it will be evident that a wide variety of other masks could be employed in other locations to achieve identical results . for example , mask 107 could be placed parallel to the optical axis 102 , or mask 108 could be used at an angle relative to the optical axis 102 . 109 and 110 indicate 2 additional mask locations which would provide the same general effect as mask 105 . fig2 comprises a front view of the mask 105 . from this view , it may more readily be seen that the mask 105 comprises a planar disk similar to a washer having an axis which is concentric with the optical axis 102 which passes through the focal point f . 105 &# 39 ; and 105 &# 34 ; comprise the outer and inner limits , respectively , of the mask 105 . fig3 a shows , on a reduced scale with respect to fig1 a view of the mask 107 as seen when looking along the axis 102 . fig3 b comprises a side view of the same mask 107 . accordingly , as may be seen , the mask 107 comprises a portion of a right circular cylinder having an axis coincident with the optical axis 102 . in a similar manner , fig4 a and 4b comprise front and side views , respectively , of the mask 108 illustrated in fig1 . consideration should now be given to fig5 wherein certain symmetrical and non - symmetrical relationships will be observed . the reflector 101 , shown in cross section , is illustrated as a parabolic reflector comprising the surface generated by revolving the line 101 about its axis 102 . as with fig1 light rays a , b and c , together with their points of incidence and reflection , are illustrated . it should be observed that light ray a , which enters the reflector 101 at a maximum distance from the axis 102 , leaves the reflector 101 parallel to the axis 102 but much closer thereto . conversely , light ray c , which enters the system relatively close to the axis 102 , as compared with light ray a , leaves the system after being reflected at points c1 and c2 parallel to the axis 102 but at a greater distance therefrom . examination will show that the minimum distances between the axis 102 and light rays a and c3 are identical and that the distance between the axis 102 and the light rays a and c3 are identical and that the distance between the axis 102 and the light rays c and a3 are identical . if light ray b is chosen as that ray which has its reflection points b1 and b2 on the same line with the focal point f , it will be seen that light rays b and b3 are equidistant from the axis 102 . if a mask of the type illustrated as 105 in fig1 and 2 is used in conjunction with the system of fig5 it will be evident that the net result is that the system of fig5 will , in effect , be converted from a deep - dish reflector to a shallow - dish reflector . for the purposes of this discussion , a deep - dish reflector may be defined as one wherein the limits of the reflector 101 extend beyond a plane which is at right angles to the axis 102 and includes the point f . a shallow - dish reflector may be defined as a reflector which has no portion extending beyond a plane at right angles to the axis 102 and including the point f . as may be seen , if a shallow - dish reflector is used , there will be no phantom signal , as any light ray entering the system between rays b and b3 will be reflected from the surface 101 through the focal point f and will not again encounter the reflector 101 for reflection out parallel to the axis 102 . however , as already mentioned , shallow - dish reflectors do not provide an energy efficient system and therefore it is expedient to provide deep - dish reflectors in at least those situations wherein the occurrence ot phantom signals is not expected to occur . for those few situations wherein phantom signals may be expected to occur , a standard deep - dish reflector may be employed and converted to a shallow - dish reflector by means of a mask such as that described in connection with fig2 . however , as stated , the conversion of the reflector from a deep - dish reflector to a shallow - dish reflector results in certain energy inefficiency , and the brilliance of the beam emerging from the signal in response to the illumination of an interior incandescent light bulb ( not shown ) will result in a weaker signal . considering now more specifically fig6 there will be seen a view looking toward the reflector 101 of fig5 and along the axis 102 . the outer circle designated a and c3 comprises the outer limits of the reflector 101 and the many different points at which a light ray a may be received or a light ray c3 reflected therefrom . in a similar manner , the inner circle designated c and a3 represents the many points at which a light ray c may enter the system or a light ray a3 be reflected therefrom ; and the center circle designated b and b3 constitutes the many points at which a light ray b may enter the system or a light ray b3 may be reflected therefrom . it should be evident that a mask which will convert the reflector 101 to a shallow - dish reflector may comprise a ring or washer which will intercept all the incoming light rays between the outermost and center circles . such a mask is shown in fig5 and , for convenience of illustration , displaced outward from the reflector 101 and designated 121 in fig5 and 6 . there is also shown an alternate mask 122 in fig5 and 6 which , while different in size and placement , may be seen to have the same results as the mask 121 . more specifically , if mask 122 is considered to be in place and mask 121 removed , it will be seen that any ray of light entering the system between rays and and b will be reflected on the surface 101 and through the focal point f to again be reflected from the reflecting surface 101 and be intercepted by the mask 122 . in a similar manner , any light rays entering the system between rays b3 and c3 will reflect from the surface 101 through the focal point f and again be reflected from the reflecting surface 101 to be intercepted by the upper portion of the mask 122 . in summary , either of the masks 121 or 122 will intercept the same light rays and therefore should be equally effective in preventing phantom signals . however , since mask 122 intercepts an intermediate ring of rays , it will be evident that the signal from internally - generated light rays ( from a light bulb not shown ) may be perceived as different by a viewer . this mask 122 permits signal dispersion over a larger field , albeit with a weak ring portion . it will also be apparent that if a sun shade is used and external light can never enter selected portions of the signal , corresponding portions of the mask 121 or 122 could be eliminated , thereby again increasing the energy efficiency . furthermore , if a weak phantom is not objectionable , the mask area may be selectively reduced to enhance the normal signal . empirical tests will help to determine optimum mask size and orientation . once it is recognized that the masks 121 and 122 can provide similar intercept service , it may be seen that a wide variety of masks may be designed which will be equally serviceable for intercepting the light rays which are effective to produce the undesired phantom signal . for example , one such alternate mask 123 is shown in the shaded section of fig6 a . considering fig6 a , which is drawn to a reduced scale , with respect to fig5 it will be seen that any light rays entering the upper half of the system between the boundaries of the locus of light rays a and b will be intercepted by the portion of the mask 123 between the outer two circles . similarly , any light rays entering the lower half of the system between the locus of point b3 and c3 will be intercepted by that portion of the mask 123 residing between the inner and central circles of fig6 a . another suitable form of mask 124 is illustrated in fig6 b . another mask 125 is shown in fig6 c . an analysis will show that it offers the same theoretical results . quite obviously , a wide variety of mask designs could be employed . while each of these designs may have the same theoretical results with respect to prevention of phantom signals , it will be appreciated that they are not identical with respect to the signals produced in response to the illumination of the internal incandescent lamp . experimentation with different forms of masks and different conditions has revealed that they have somewhat different effectiveness in eliminating phantoms and / or that they have different effects on the light beam as projected from the system in response to illumination of the internal lamp and as perceived by the viewer . the reasons for the difference may be a variety of factors including , but not limited to , accuracy of mask design and placement , the efficiency of the mask in absorbing light rays , the area of the mask , imperfections in the reflecting surface 101 , lack of accurate alignment of the incandescent lamp source , the idiosyncracies of the human eye in responding to signals of varying brilliance and area , and / or a variety of other factors . all of the masks illustrated in fig6 through 6c comprised masks lying in a single plane . however , as mentioned in connection with fig1 a , 3b , 4a and 4b , the mask may take cylindrical or conical shapes . considering now fig7 it will be seen that it is similar to fig5 . as suggested with respect to fig1 a and 3b , a cylindrical mask might be employed . for example , all of the rays entering the system between rays a and b or between rays b3 and c3 can be prevented from introducing a phantom signal by including a cylindrical mask having an axis 102 coincident with the axis 102 of the reflecting surface 101 and having the left - most boundary determined by a plane at right angles to the axis 102 and pasing through the focal point f and having a right - hand boundary lying in a plane normal to the axis 102 and including the points x and z &# 39 ; wherein x is the locus of all possible light rays a intersecting with the last - named plane and which is also coincident with the intersection of the locus of all points of light ray c after reflection at point c1 with the last - named plane . it may also be seen that similar results may be obtained by a cylindrical mask generated by revolving the rectangle y , z , x &# 39 ;, y &# 39 ; about the axis 102 . furthermore , the described cylindrical masks may have different radii of curvatures and different lengths with the length increasing as the radius of curvature increases . in connection with fig5 through 6c , it was shown that various combinations of the two disk masks 121 and 122 could be used to make a mask . in a similar fashion , different portions of the cylinders to the left of the line b1 - b2 and to the right of the same line of fig7 may be used to make a mask . for example , fig8 illustrates one form of mask which might be used . by analogy with fig6 through 6c , other cylindrical masks may be readily envisioned . a choice of which style of mask is used in any particular application may depend upon the variety of factors already listed as well as personal preference and / or mounting or supporting techniques . in addition to providing masks as illustrated , it will be evident that segmented conical masks could be provided . furthermore , the reflector surface 101 could be treated to prevent reflections therefrom . for example , and referring now to fig5 it would be apparent that by treating the reflecting surface 101 between points a1 and b1 a mask corresponding to mask 121 could be produced ; and by selectively treating various portions of the reflecting surface 101 , a mask corresponding to any of those illustrated in fig6 a to 6c and / or many others could be created . since the cylindrical masks are the full equivalent of selected planar disk masks , it is also evident that treating the reflecting surface 101 could provide results similar to any of the cylindrical or conical masks . as thus far described , all masks have been considered opaque for preventing the transmission of light rays . however , it will be apparent that if circumstances permit , a mask may be made which is not entirely opaque . furthermore , masks could be made of light polarizing material with appropriate orientation such that light rays which produce phantom signals pass through first and second mask portions before and after first and second reflections , respectively , and which are oriented at 90 ° with respect to each other whereby such light rays entering the system are prevented from leaving and thereby preventing phantom signals . such a mask could comprise , for example , a mask of the type illustrated in fig6 wherein the first light polarizing element comprises element 121 and the second light polarizing element comprises element 122 . such a mask would have relatively little effect on light rays emitted from the internal source . another type of mask for eliminating phantom signals without significantly reducing the signal level would comprise an electrically controlled optical shutter instead of an opaque mask . such a shutter could take any of the aforedescribed configurations or could comprise a planar or curved surface covering the entire reflector . an electrical shutter might be fabricated of a liquid crystal electrically controlled by the same energy which lights an internal incandescent bulb . when the bulb is lit , the mask will become transparent , and when the bulb is off the mask becomes opaque , thereby preventing the entry of light rays which might generate phantom signals . the shutter may be opened when the internal bulb is lit as , at such time , the production of a phantom signal merely reinforces the desired signal . while there has been shown and described what is considered at present to be a preferred embodiment of the invention , modification thereto will readily occur to those skilled in the related arts . for example , in another structure the same principles of mask design and placement could be applied for use in systems having reflectors which are not entirely symmetrical about an optical axis . it is believed that no further analysis or description is required and that the foregoing so fully reveals the gist of the present invention that those skilled in the applicable arts can adapt it to meet the exigencies of their specific requirements . it is not desired , therefore , that the invention be limited to the embodiments shown and described , and it is intended to cover in the appended claims all such modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention . | 5 |
the biomarker panels and associated methods and products were identified through the analysis of analyte levels of various molecular species in human blood serum drawn from subjects having ovarian cancer of various stages and subtypes , subjects having non - cancer gynecological disorders and normal subjects . the immunoassays described below were courteously performed by our colleagues at rules - based medicine of austin , tex . using their multi - analyte profile ( map ) luminex ® platform ( www . rulesbasedmedicine . com ). while a preferred sample is blood serum , it is contemplated that an appropriate sample can be derived from any biological source or sample , such as tissues , extracts , cell cultures , including cells ( for example , tumor cells ), cell lysates , and physiological fluids , such as , for example , whole blood , plasma , serum , saliva , ductal lavage , ocular lens fluid , cerebral spinal fluid , sweat , urine , milk , ascites fluid , synovial fluid , peritoneal fluid and the like . the sample can be obtained from animals , preferably mammals , more preferably primates , and most preferably humans using species specific binding agents that are equivalent to those discussed below in the context of human sample analysis . it is further contemplated that these techniques and marker panels may be used to evaluate drug therapy in rodents and other animals , including transgenic animals , relevant to the development of human and veterinary therapeutics . the sample can be treated prior to use by conventional techniques , such as preparing plasma from blood , diluting viscous fluids , and the like . methods of sample treatment can involve filtration , distillation , extraction , concentration , inactivation of interfering components , addition of chaotropes , the addition of reagents , and the like . nucleic acids ( including silencer , regulatory and interfering rna ) may be isolated and their levels of expression for the analytes described below also used in the methods of the invention . the set of blood serum samples that was analyzed to generate most of the data discussed below contained 150 ovarian cancer samples and 150 non - ovarian cancer samples . the ovarian cancer sample samples further comprised the following epithelial ovarian cancer subtypes : serous ( 64 ), clear cell ( 22 ), endometrioid ( 35 ), mucinous ( 15 ), mixed , that is , consisting of more than one subtype ( 14 ). the stage distribution of the ovarian cancer samples was : stage i ( 41 ), stage ii ( 23 ), stage iii ( 68 ), stage iv ( 12 ) and unknown stage ( 6 ). the non - ovarian cancer sample set includes the following ovarian conditions : benign ( 104 ), normal ovary ( 29 ) and “ low malignant potential / borderline ( 3 ). the sample set also includes serum from patients with other cancers : cervical cancer ( 7 ), endometrial cancer ( 6 ) and uterine cancer ( 1 ). analyte levels in the samples discussed in this specification were measured using a high - throughput , multi - analyte immunoassay platform . a preferred platform is the luminex ® map system as developed by rules - based medicine , inc . in austin , tex . it is described on the company &# 39 ; s website and also , for example , in publications such as chandler et al ., “ methods and kits for the diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome , u . s . patent application 2007 / 0003981 , published jan . 4 , 2007 , and a related application of spain et al ., “ universal shotgun assay ,” u . s . patent application 2005 / 0221363 , published oct . 6 , 2005 . this platform has previously been described in lokshin ( 2007 ) and generated data used in other analyses of ovarian cancer biomarkers . however , any immunoassay platform or system may be used . in brief , to describe a preferred analyte measurement system , the map platform incorporates polystyrene microspheres that are dyed internally with two spectrally distinct fluorochromes . by using accurate ratios of the fluorochromes , an array is created consisting of 100 different microsphere sets with specific spectral addresses . each microsphere set can display a different surface reactant . because microsphere sets can be distinguished by their spectral addresses , they can be combined , allowing up to 100 different analytes to be measured simultaneously in a single reaction vessel . a third fluorochrome coupled to a reporter molecule quantifies the biomolecular interaction that has occurred at the microsphere surface . microspheres are interrogated individually in a rapidly flowing fluid stream as they pass by two separate lasers in the luminex ® analyzer . high - speed digital signal processing classifies the microsphere based on its spectral address and quantifies the reaction on the surface in a few seconds per sample . skilled artisans will recognize that a wide variety of analytical techniques may be used to determine the levels of biomarkers in a sample as is described and claimed in this specification . other types of binding reagents available to persons skilled in the art may be utilized to measure the levels of the indicated analytes in a sample . for example , a variety of binding agents or binding reagents appropriate to evaluate the levels of a given analyte may readily be identified in the scientific literature . generally , an appropriate binding agent will bind specifically to an analyte , in other words , it reacts at a detectable level with the analyte but does not react detectably ( or reacts with limited cross - reactivity ) with other or unrelated analytes . it is contemplated that appropriate binding agents include polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies , aptamers , rna molecules and the like . spectrometric methods also may be used to measure the levels of analytes , including immunofluorescence , mass spectrometry , nuclear magnetic resonance and optical spectrometric methods . depending on the binding agent to be utilized , the samples may be processed , for example , by dilution , purification , denaturation , digestion , fragmentation and the like before analysis as would be known to persons skilled in the art . also , gene expression , for example , in a tumor cell or lymphocyte also may be determined . it is also contemplated that the identified biomarkers may have multiple epitopes for immunoassays and / or binding sites for other types of binding agents . thus , it is contemplated that peptide fragments or other epitopes of the identified biomarkers , isoforms of specific proteins and even compounds upstream or downstream in a biological pathway or that have been post - translationally modified may be substituted for the identified analytes or biomarkers so long as the relevant and relative stoichiometries are taken into account appropriately . skilled artisans will recognize that alternative antibodies and binding agents can be used to determine the levels of any particular analyte , so long as their various specificities and binding affinities are factored into the analysis . a variety of algorithms may be used to measure or determine the levels of expression of the analytes or biomarkers used in the methods and test kits of the present invention . it is generally contemplated that such algorithms will be capable of measuring analyte levels beyond the measurement of simple cut - off values . thus , it is contemplated that the results of such algorithms will generically be classified as multivariate index analyses by the u . s . food and drug administration . specific types of algorithms include : knowledge discovery engine ( kde ™), regression analysis , discriminant analysis , classification tree analysis , random forests , proteomequest ®, support vector machine , one r , knn and heuristic naive bayes analysis , neural nets and variants thereof . the following discussion and examples are provided to describe and illustrate the present invention . as such , they should not be construed to limit the scope of the invention . those skilled in the art will well appreciate that many other embodiments also fall within the scope of the invention , as it is described in this specification and the claims . correlogic has described the use of evolutionary and pattern recognition algorithms in evaluating complex data sets , including the knowledge discovery engine ( kde ™) and proteomequest ®. see , for example , hitt et al ., u . s . pat . no . 6 , 925 , 389 , “ process for discriminating between biological states based on hidden patterns from biological data ” ( issued aug . 2 , 2005 ); hitt , u . s . pat . no . 7 , 096 , 206 , “ heuristic method of classification ,” ( issued aug . 22 , 2006 ) and hitt , u . s . pat . no . 7 , 240 , 038 , “ heuristic method of classification ,” ( to be issued jul . 3 , 2007 ). the use of this technology to evaluate mass spectral data derived from ovarian cancer samples is further elucidated in hitt et al ., “ multiple high - resolution serum proteomic features for ovarian cancer detection ,” u . s . published patent application 2006 / 0064253 , published mar . 23 , 2006 . when analyzing the data set by correlogic &# 39 ; s knowledge discovery engine , the following five - biomarker panels were found to provide sensitivities and specificities for various stages of ovarian cancer as set forth in table i . specifically , kde model 1 [ 2 — 0008 — 20 ] returned a relatively high accuracy for stage i ovarian cancer and included these markers : cancer antigen 19 - 9 ( ca 19 - 9 , swiss - prot accession number : q9bxj9 ), c reactive protein ( crp , swiss - prot accession number : p02741 ), fibroblast growth factor - basic protein ( fgf - basic , swiss - prot accession number : p09038 ) and myoglobin ( swiss - prot accession number : p02144 ). kde model 2 [ 4 — 0002 - 10 ] returned a relatively high accuracy for stage iii , iv and “ advanced ” ovarian cancer and included these markers : hepatitis c ns4 antibody ( hep c ns4 ab ), ribosomal p antibody and crp . kde model 3 [ 4 — 0009 — 140 ] returned a relatively high accuracy for stage i and included these markers : ca 19 - 9 , tgf alpha , en - rage ( swiss - prot accession number : p80511 ), epidermal growth factor ( egf , swiss - prot accession number : p01133 ) and hsp 90 alpha antibody . kde model 4 [ 4 — 0026 — 100 ] returned a relatively high accuracy for stage ii and stages iii , iv and “ advanced ” ovarian cancers and included these markers : en - rage , egf , cancer antigen 125 ( ca125 , swiss - prot accession number : q14596 ), fibrinogen ( swiss - prot accession number : alpha chain p02671 ; beta chain p02675 ; gamma chain p02679 ), apolipoprotein ciii ( apociii , swiss - prot accession number : p02656 ), cholera toxin and ca 19 - 9 . kde model 5 [ 4 — 0027 — 20 ] also returned a relatively high accuracy for stage ii and stages iii , iv and “ advanced ” ovarian cancers and included these markers : proteinase 3 ( canca ) antibody , fibrinogen , ca 125 , egf , cd40 ( swiss - prot accession number : q6p2h9 ), thyroid stimulating hormone ( tsh , swiss - prot accession number : alpha p01215 ; beta p01222 p02679 , leptin ( swiss - prot accession number : p41159 ), ca 19 - 9 and lymphotactin ( swiss - prot accession number : p47992 ). it is contemplated that skilled artisans could use the kde analytical tools to identify other , potentially useful sets of biomarkers for predictive or diagnostic value based on the levels of selected analytes . note that the kde algorithm may select and utilize various markers based on their relative abundances ; and that a given marker , for example the level of cholera toxin in model iv may be zero but is relevant in combination with the other markers selected in a particular grouping . skilled artisans will recognize that a limited size data set as was used in this specification may lead to different results , for example , different panels of markers and varying accuracies when comparing the relative performance of kde with other analytical techniques . these particular kde models were built on a relatively small data set using 40 stage i ovarian cancers and 40 normal / benigns and were tested blindly on the balance of the stage ii , iii / iv described above . thus , the specificity is of the stage i samples reflects sample set size and potential overfitting . the drop in specificity for the balance of the non - ovarian cancer samples also is expected given the relatively larger size of the testing set relative to the training set . overall , the biomarker panel developed for the stage i samples also provides potentially useful predictive and diagnostic assays for later stages of ovarian cancer given the high sensitivity values . however , these examples of biomarker panels illustrate that there are a number of parameters that can be adjusted to impact model performance . for instance in these cases a variety of different numbers of features are combined together , a variety of match values are used , a variety of different lengths of evolution of the genetic algorithm are used and models differing in the number of nodes are generated . by routine experimentation apparent to one skilled in the art , combinations of these parameters can be used to generate other models of clinically relevant performance , a preferred analytical technique , known to skilled artisans , is that of breiman , random forests . machine learning , 2001 . 45 : 5 - 32 ; as further described by segel , machine learning benchmarks and random forest regression , 2004 ; and robnik - sikonja , improving random forests , in machine learning , ecml , 2004 proceedings , j . f . b . e . al ., editor , 2004 , springer : berlin . other variants of random forests are also useful and contemplated for the methods of the present invention , for example , regression forests , survival forests , and weighted population random forests . since each of the analyte assays is an independent measurement of a variable , under some circumstances , known to those skilled in the art , it is appropriate to scale the data to adjust for the differing variances of each assay . in such cases , biweight , mad or equivalent scaling would be appropriate , although in some cases , scaling would not be expected to have a significant impact . a bootstrap layer on top of the random forests was used in obtaining the results discussed below . in preferred embodiments of the present invention , contemplated panels of biomarkers are : a . cancer antigen 125 ( ca 125 , swiss - prot accession number : q14596 ) and epidermal growth factor receptor ( egf - r , swiss - prot accession number : p00533 ). b . ca 125 and c reactive protein ( crp , swiss - prot accession number : p02741 ). d . any one or more of ca 125 , crp and egf - r , plus any one or more of ferritin ( swiss - prot accession number : heavy chain p02794 ; light chain p02792 ), interleukin - 8 ( il - 8 , swiss - prot accession number : p10145 ), and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases 1 ( timp - 1 , swiss - prot accession number : p01033 ), e . any one of the biomarker panels presented in table ii and table f . any of the foregoing panels of biomarkers ( a - e ) plus any one or more of the other biomarkers in the following list if not previously included in the foregoing panels ( a - e ): alpha - 2 macroglobulin ( a2m , swiss - prot accession number : p01023 ), apolipoprotein a1 - 1 ( apoa1 , swiss - prot accession number : p02647 ), apolipoprotein c - iii ( apociii , swiss - prot accession number : p02656 ), apolipoprotein h ( apoh , swiss - prot accession number : p02749 ), beta - 2 microglobulin ( b2m , swiss - prot accession number : p23560 ), betacellulin ( swiss - prot accession number : p35070 ), c reactive protein ( crp , swiss - prot accession number : p02741 ). cancer antigen 19 - 9 ( ca 19 - 9 , swiss - prot accession number : q9bxj9 ), cancer antigen 125 ( ca 125 , swiss - prot accession number : q14596 ), collagen type 2 antibody , creatine kinase - mb ( ck - mb , swiss - prot accession number : brain p12277 ; muscle p06732 ), c reactive protein ( crp , swiss - prot accession number : p02741 ), connective tissue growth factor ( ctgf , swiss - prot accession number : p29279 ), double stranded dna antibody ( dsdna ab ), en - rage ( swiss - prot accession number : p80511 ), eotaxin ( c — c motif chemokine 11 , small - inducible cytokine a 11 and eosinophil chemotactic protein , swiss - prot accession number : p51671 ), epidermal growth factor receptor ( egf - r , swiss - prot accession number : p00533 ), ferritin ( swiss - prot accession number : heavy chain p02794 ; light chain p02792 ), follicle - stimulating hormone ( fsh , follicle - stimulating hormone beta subunit , fsh - beta , fsh - b , follitropin beta chain , follitropin subunit beta , swiss - prot accession number : p01225 ), haptoglobin ( swiss - prot accession number : p00738 ), he4 ( major epididymis - specific protein e4 , epididymal secretory protein e4 , putative protease inhibitor wap5 and wap four - disulfide core domain protein 2 , swiss - prot accession number : q14508 ), insulin ( swiss - prot accession number : p01308 ), insulin - like growth factor 1 ( igf - 1 , swiss - prot accession number : p01343 ), insulin like growth factor ii ( igf - ii , somatomedin - a , swiss - prot accession number : p01344 ), insulin factor vii ( swiss - prot accession number : p08709 ), interleukin - 6 ( il - 6 , swiss - prot accession number : p05231 ), interleukin - 8 ( il - 8 , swiss - prot accession number : p10145 ), interleukin - 10 ( il - 10 , swiss - prot accession number : p22301 ), interleukin - 18 ( il - 18 , swiss - prot accession number : q14116 ), leptin ( swiss - prot accession number : p41159 ), lymphotactin ( swiss - prot accession number : p47992 ), macrophage - derived chemokine ( mdc , swiss - prot accession number : 000626 ), macrophage inhibotory factor ( swiss prot ), macrophage inflammatory protein 1 alpha ( mip - 1alpha , swiss - prot accession number : p10147 ), macrophage migration inhibitory factor ( mif , phenylpyruvate tautomerase , glycosylation - inhibiting factor , gm , swiss - prot accession number : p14174 ), myoglobin ( swiss - prot accession number : p02144 ), ostopontin ( bone sialoprotein 1 , secreted phosphoprotein 1 , spp - 1 , urinary stone protein , nephropontin , uropontin , swiss - prot accession number : p10451 ), pancreatic islet cells ( gad ) antibody , prolactin ( swiss - prot accession number : p01236 ), stem cell factor ( scf , swiss - prot accession number : p21583 ), tenascin c ( swiss - prot accession number : p24821 ), tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases 1 ( timp - 1 , swiss - prot accession number : p01033 ), tumor necrosis factor - alpha ( tnf - alpha , swiss - prot accession number : p01375 ), tumor necrosis factor rii ( tnf - rii , swiss - prot accession number : q92956 ), von willebrand factor ( vwf , swiss - prot accession number : p04275 ) and the other biomarkers identified as being informative for cancer in the references cited in this specification . using the random forests analytical approach , a preferred seven biomarker panel was identified that has a high predictive value for stage i ovarian cancer . it includes : apoa1 , apociii , ca125 , crp , egf - r , il - 18 and tenascin . in the course of building and selecting the relatively more accurate models for stage i cancers generated by random forests using these biomarkers , the sensitivity for stage i ovarian cancers ranged from about 80 % to about 85 %. sensitivity was also about 95 for stage ii and about 94 % sensitive for stage iii / iv . the overall specificity was about 70 %. similarly , a preferred seven biomarker panel was identified that has a high predictive value for stage ii . it includes : b2m , ca125 , ck - mb , crp , ferritin , il - 8 and tempi . a preferred model for stage ii had a sensitivity of about 82 % and a specificity of about 88 %. for stage iii , stage iv and advanced ovarian cancer , the following 19 biomarker panel was identified : a2m , ca125 , crp , ctgf , egf - r , en - rage , ferritin , haptoglobin , igf - 1 , il - 8 , il - 10 , insulin , leptin , lymphotactin , mdc , timp - 1 , tnf - alpha , tnf - rii , vwf . a preferred model for stage iii / iv had a sensitivity of about 86 % and a specificity of about 89 %. other preferred biomarker or analyte panels for detecting , diagnosing and monitoring ovarian cancer are shown in table ii and in table iii . these panels include ca - 125 , crp and egf - r and , in most cases , ca 19 - 9 . in table ii , 20 such panels of seven analytes each selected from 20 preferred analytes are displayed in columns numbered 1 through 20 . in table iii , another 20 such panels of seven analytes each selected from 23 preferred analytes are displayed in columns numbered 1 through 20 . other preferred biomarker panels ( or models ) for all stages of ovarian cancer include : ( a ) ca - 125 , crp , egf - r , ca - 19 - 9 , apo - a1 , apo - ciii , il - 6 , il - 18 , mip - 1a , tenascin c and myoglobin ; ( b ) ca 125 , crp , ca19 - 9 , egf - r , myoglobin , il - 18 , apo ciii ; and ( c ) ca 125 , crp , egf - r , ca19 - 9 , apo ciii , mip - 1a , myoglobin , il - 18 , il - 6 , apo ai , tenascin c , vwf , haptoglobin , il - 10 . optionally , any one or more of the following biomarkers may be added to these or to any of the other biomarker panels disclosed above in text or tables ( to the extent that any such panels are not already specifically identified therein ): vwf , haptoglobin , il - 10 , igf - i , igf - ii , prolactin , he4 , ace , asp and resistin . it is contemplated by the present inventors that additional , informative sets of analytes ( or biomarkers ) include any one or more , two or more , three or more and four or more of the analytes presented below in table iv , as well as any of the biomarker sets in tables i , ii or iii combined with any one or more of the analytes in table iv , and any one or more of the markers in table iv combined with any of the other biomarker sets discussed in paragraphs 70 - 75 , above , or identified elsewhere in this specification . additional set of informative analytes for use in the test kits and methods of the present invention include any one or more of ca - 125 , crp , ecg - r and he - 4 together with any one or more of the biomarkers in table iv . thus , contemplated sets of biomarkers include combinations such as : ca - 125 , crp and one or more ( or two or more ) of the biomarkers in table iv ; ca - 125 , egf - r and any one or more ( or two or more ) of the biomarkers in table iv ; ca - 125 , he - 4 and any one or more ( or two or more ) of the biomarkers in table iv ; crp , egf - r and any one or more ( or two or more ) of the biomarkers in table iv ; crp , he - 4 and any one or more ( or two or more ) of the biomarkers in table iv ; and egf - r , he - 4 and any one or more ( or two or more ) of the biomarkers in table iv . it is contemplated that markers of informative value in the foregoing biomarker sets according to the present invention include vcam - 1 , il - 6r , il - 18r and sortillin . additionally , biomarker panels comprising any one or more ( or two or more ) of the biomarkers in table iv together with any two or more , three or more and four or more of these three sets of biomarkers : ( a ) ca 125 , transthyretin , apoa - i , b2 - microglobulin and transferrin ; ( b ) ca125 and leptin , prolactin , osteopontin , and insulin - like growth factor - ii ; and ( c ) ovaplex : ca125 , c - reactive protein , serum amyloid a , il - 6 and il - 8 . in general , soluble forms of these analytes are contemplated , including protein and peptide fragments and domains that are shed into the circulating blood and lymph streams . these analytes may be detected and analyzed in blood , lymph , serum , urine and other bodily fluids . also contemplated in the compositions and methods of the present invention are autoantibodies against any of the disclosed biomarkers , as well as nucleotides that encode these biomarkers , and that may be detected and quantified as another indirect way to assess the levels of these markers . aptamers and other compounds useful for the detection of such molecular species are well known to persons skilled in the art . any two or more of the preferred biomarkers described above will have predictive value , however , adding one or more of the other preferred markers to any of the analytical panels described herein may increase the panel &# 39 ; s predictive value for clinical purposes . for example , adding one or more of the different biomarkers listed above or otherwise identified in the references cited in this specification may also increase the biomarker panel &# 39 ; s predictive value and are therefore expressly contemplated . skilled artisans can readily assess the utility of such additional biomarkers . it is contemplated that additional biomarker appropriate for addition to the sets ( or panels ) of biomarkers disclosed or claimed in this specification will not result in a decrease in either sensitivity or specificity without a corresponding increase in either sensitivity or specificity or without a corresponding increase in robustness of the biomarker panel overall . a sensitivity and / or specificity of at least about 80 % or higher are preferred , more preferably at least about 85 % or higher , and most preferably at least about 90 % or 95 % or higher . the results of the disclosed diagnostic may be output for the benefit of the user or diagnostician , or may otherwise be displayed on a medium such as , but not limited to , a computer screen , a computer readable medium , a piece of paper , or any other visible medium . the foregoing embodiments and advantages of this invention are set forth , in part , in the preceding description and examples and , in part , will be apparent to persons skilled in the art from this description and examples and may be further realized from practicing the invention as disclosed herein . for example , the techniques of the present invention are readily applicable to monitoring the progression of ovarian cancer in an individual , by evaluating a specimen or biological sample as described above and then repeating the evaluation at one or more later points in time , such that a difference in the expression or disregulation of the relevant biomarkers over time is indicative of the progression of the ovarian cancer in that individual or the responsiveness to therapy . all references , patents , journal articles , web pages and other documents identified in this patent application are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties . 1 . ahmed , n ., et al ., proteomic - 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a cooling system 100 of the present disclosure , includes a spouting device 1 that sprays water mist into the air , a dehumidifier 3 that dehumidifies the air , and a compressor 4 which pressurizes the compressed air , as shown in fig1 and 2 . the air conditioner also includes a water tank 5 that supplies the pressurized water to a spray device 1 a for spraying water mist , a pressurized water feed pump 7 , and associated conduits 51 , 52 . the spouting device 1 includes a nozzle 1 a that spouts the water mist into the air and one or more air spouting nozzles 1 b that spout the dehumidified air into the air . spray nozzle 1 a is pressurized by water feeding pump 7 which receives water from a water tank 5 by conduit 51 . air spouting nozzle 1 b ejects compressed air from the compressor 4 via conduit 52 which has been dehumidified via an air dehumidifier 3 . spouting device 1 may include a fan “ f ” to mix the fine water droplets and dehumidified air . using a fan , the pressure of dehumidified air can be as little as 1 psi . different types of dehumidifiers can be used . a membrane dryer dehumidifier is shown in fig4 , an adsorption type dehumidifier is shown in fig5 and a desiccant type dehumidifier is shown in fig6 . the desiccant type dehumidifier is an effective dehumidification structure for use in the cooling system . in the membrane dryer dehumidifier ma in fig4 , compressed air ca passes through the inside of a hollow thread membrane ps ( plastic fine thread membranes ). moisture runs off from the fibrous air holes to the outer part of the surface of hollow thread membranes ps . moisture that adheres to the surface of the fibers is spouted by compressed air ca 1 . thus , moisture is removed and evacuated with air purge pa . the humidity level of the air that passes inside the hollow thread membranes ps is adjusted according to the method described above . the hollow thread membranes ps is adapted to pass inside the purging air ducts . water vapor removal air purge pa is adapted to pass through the clearance between the surface of hollow thread membranes positioned within the duct and is discharged along with the water droplets removed from the air . the adsorption type dehumidifier in fig5 includes two towers 15 that are selectively cycled to achieve the desired dehumidification in the pressurized air stream . as can be seen in fig5 , four way valves 17 , 18 are placed in front and in back of the towers 15 a , 15 b which are filled with moisture adsorbent materials such as silica gel , zeolite , and active alumina and the like . check valves 21 , 22 prevent the reverse flow of air , and filters 19 , 20 , 23 remove impurities from the air . in dehumidifier 3 , while humid air passes through one tower 15 a to be dehumidified , the absorbent material in the other tower 15 b can be renewed . by switching the towers 15 alternatively , the dehumidification can be done continuously . impurities in the air compressed by the compressor 4 , is removed when the compressed air passes through a dust filter 10 and a drain water filter 20 . adjusted dehumidified air passes through the air filter 23 by a four way valve 18 . compressed air that passes through the dust filter 19 and drained water filter 20 goes through a discharge port 45 by the four way valve 17 . desiccant type dehumidifier in fig6 includes a desiccant rotor 30 , a motor 32 and a drive belt 31 that transmits the drive power of motor to the desiccant rotor 30 . the desiccant dehumidifier also includes fans 33 , 34 and an electric heater 35 . the disk shaped desiccant rotor is made of adsorbent materials such as silica gel , zeolite and active alumina and the like , and the front surface is partitioned into lattice or honeycomb shapes . the desiccant rotor 30 is partitioned into a treatment zone that adsorbs the moisture from the air and a renewal zone that removes the moisture that was adsorbed during air treatment . the desiccant rotor 30 rotates at a fixed speed while humid air passes through the treatment zone and the moisture that is absorbed by the media that makes up the desiccant rotor 30 is removed . by using this arrangement continuous dehumidification and renew can be accomplished . another embodiment of the cooling system is shown in fig3 . the cooling system includes a conical body 8 that is provided with a fan 8 b . the conduit 8 is structured to mix the sprayed water mist from nozzles 8 c and the dehumidified air from conduit 54 , as shown in fig3 . the cooling system includes conical conduit 8 that sprays water mist , an air dehumidifying dehumidifier 9 that that gradually sends air to conical body 8 . the system also includes spray nozzle 8 c , a water tank 5 , and a pump 7 . the cooling system of fig3 is a fan - type spray device in which a fan 8 b is positioned within a rear part of conical body 8 a . in the front end of the conical body 8 a , along its periphery , a water header 8 d is connected to duct 53 , which supplies water from a water tank 5 . the water header 8 d includes nozzles 8 c that allow water mist to be ejected in a forwardly direction . behind fan 8 b , conduit 54 is positioned and is used to send the dehumidified air , adjusted by the air dehumidifying dehumidifier 9 , to the spouting device 8 . this embodiment of the cooling system may exclude a compressor which would use less power than the first embodiment . during testing of the first embodiment , six spray nozzles were used having flow rate of 60 cc / min per unit and the water temperature of 19 ° c . the dehumidified air was introduced at a volume of about 2 m 3 / min at a temperature of 26 . 5 ° c ., a relative humidity of 3 . 3 %, and absolute humidity 0 . 7 g / kg . the outer air temperature during testing was 28 . 8 ° c . using the above parameters the surrounding air temperature , about 2 meters in front of the spray spout nozzle and dehumidified air spout nozzle , was 14 . 7 ° c . the outside air temperature during the test was 28 ° c . and the relative humidity was 82 %. the wet bulb temperature , which was calculated from a psychometric diagram , was 25 . 5 ° c . wet bulb temperature is the lowest temperature by which vaporization can occur and corresponds to the surrounding air temperature . during testing of the second embodiment , six spray spouting nozzles were used rated at 60 cc / min per unit with a water temperature of 19 ° c . the dehumidified air was introduced at a volume of 2 m 3 / min , a temperature of 28 . 6 ° c ., a relative humidity of 2 . 9 %, and an absolute humidity 0 . 7 g / kg . the outside air temperature during testing was 31 . 5 ° c . using above parameters the air temperature , at a position about 2 meters in front of the spray spout nozzle and dehumidified air spout nozzle , was lowered from 31 . 5 ° c . to 16 . 2 ° c . during the test the outside air temperature was 33 . 5 ° c . and the relative humidity was 68 %. the wet bulb temperature , obtained from a psychometric diagram , was 28 . 3 ° c . during a third test only dehumidified air was spouted from the cooling system . during the test the outside air temperature was 12 . 5 ° c . and the relative humidity was 75 %. no water misting was used for this test . the dehumidified air temperature was the same as the outside air temperature , and when only dehumidified air was discharged into the air , the surrounding temperature at 2 meters in front of the dehumidified air spout nozzle 6 , was 5 ° c . and had a relative humidity of 43 %. the reason for the cooling is the surrounding air is cooled by the adiabatic expansion of the dehumidified air spray . the oversaturated water vapor gets mixed with dehumidified air and evaporates . this causes vaporization heat to be taken from the surrounding air causing a temperature drop . the outer air temperature was 12 ° c . and the relative humidity was 75 % during the test . the wet bulb temperature obtained from a psychometric diagram was 9 . 69 ° c . 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 . | 5 |
referring to fig1 - 3 , a preferred three - phase , two - way , submersible loadbreak vacuum interrupter switch assembly 5 constructed in accordance with the invention is illustrated . the assembly comprises of an outer case 10 , formed from a sturdy , corrosive - resistant material . the preferred material is stainless steel . the dimensions of case 10 are preferably approximately 16 . 7 inches wide by 39 inches high by 25 inches deep to fit within existing access holes and underground spaces available for switching assemblies . each switch assembly case 10 is filled with dry air . neither oil nor sf 6 gas is used . case 10 preferably has sides 11 a - d , bottom 13 , and cover 12 welded together along the abutting edges . front side 11 b has viewing window 55 and the back side 11 d has viewing window 55 . as will become clear later , the viewing window permits personnel to view power interruption switches inside the sealed case in order to determine if the switches are open or closed , with the interior of the case 10 being illuminated through the rear window by exterior daylight , a room light , a flashlight , or other source of illumination . it is foreseeable that the vacuum interrupter switch assembly 5 will be placed against a wall , however , rendering the backside window useless , and it may accordingly be desirable to have a second window installed on the front side 11 b to enable a flashlight to be shined into the case via the second window while the first front window is used to view the illuminated power interruption switch . viewing window 55 on the back side can accordingly be moved to the front side , if necessary , or a third window or larger window can simply be used on the front of the illustrated case . two sets of three power bushings ( 302 a , 302 b , 302 c and 102 a , 102 b , 102 c ) extend out from cover 12 . as illustrated in fig1 - 3 , power bushings 302 a , 302 b , and 302 c extend from the left region of the cover , while power bushings 102 a , 102 b , and 102 c extend from the right region of the cover . in use , the incoming three - phase power feeder cable is electrically coupled to power bushings 302 a , 302 b , and 302 c . the power bushings 102 a , 102 b , and 102 c are electrically coupled to branch circuits to provide three - phase power . for this invention , the preferred power bushings are manufactured under the elastimold trademark by thomas & amp ; betts corporation ( memphis , tenn .). fig4 is a cut - away left side elevation view of the switch assembly 5 illustrating the preferred layout of the assembly &# 39 ; s preferred internal disconnect switch assemblies 300 a , 300 b , and 300 c . fig5 is a cut - away right side elevation view of the preferred vacuum interrupter switch assembly 5 illustrating the preferred internal layout of the vacuum interrupter bottle switch assembly components 100 a , 100 b , and 100 c . fig6 is a cut - away front elevation view of the preferred vacuum interrupter switch assembly illustrating the preferred internal layout of the preferred components for the disconnect switch assemblies 300 a , 300 b , and 300 c and vacuum interrupter bottle switch assemblies 100 a , 100 b , and 100 c . fig7 is a side elevation view , in schematic , of a preferred vacuum interrupter bottle switch assembly constructed in accordance with the invention , with its operating mechanism shown in cut - away schematic form . as illustrated in fig7 and 12 , vacuum interrupter bottle switch assemblies 100 a , 100 b , and 100 c each generally comprise a power bushing 102 a - c , an insulation shield 104 a - c , a vacuum interrupter bottle switch 108 a - c , a common bus connector 110 a - c , a push - pull insulator 116 a - c , and an operating mechanism assembly 150 a - c . for the sake of brevity , it will be understood that a description of a component having an “ a ” suffix following its reference numeral will also serve as a description of a corresponding component having a “ b ” or “ c ” suffix service unless otherwise stated in the specification or as evident from the figures . likewise , all three corresponding components may be referred to with the suffix “ a - c ” following the reference numeral . as illustrated in fig5 and 6 , vacuum interrupter bottle switch assembly 100 a extends vertically upward and out of cover 12 . vacuum interrupter bottle switch assembly 100 b extends vertically upward and out of cover 12 , behind vacuum interrupter bottle switch assembly 100 a and generally parallel thereto . vacuum interrupter bottle switch assembly 100 c extends vertically upward and out of cover 12 , behind vacuum interrupter bottle switch assembly 100 b and generally parallel thereto . fig8 is a front partially - sectioned elevation view in schematic of a preferred disconnect switch assembly constructed in accordance with the invention . disconnect switch assemblies 300 a , 300 b and 300 c are all represented in fig8 , with the nomenclature 300 a - c . corresponding elements of the respective disconnect switch assemblies are denoted similarly . disconnect switch assembly 300 a - c is generally comprised of a power bushing 302 a - c , an insulating shield 304 a - c , a transparent insulating shield 318 a - c , top contact 306 a - c and bottom contact 312 a - c , a contact rod 308 a - c , an insulating shield 314 a - c , and a push - pull insulator 316 a - c . as illustrated in fig4 and 6 , internal disconnect switch assembly 300 a extends vertically upward and out of cover 12 . internal disconnect switch assembly 300 b extends vertically upward and out of cover 12 behind internal disconnect switch assembly 300 a and generally parallel thereto . internal disconnect switch assembly 300 c extends vertically upward and out of cover 12 behind internal disconnect switch assembly 300 b and generally parallel thereto . as illustrated in fig6 , each vacuum interrupter bottle switch assembly 100 a - c is mechanically and electrically coupled to a corresponding disconnect switch assembly 300 a - c through bus 140 a - c . bus 140 a - c is connected to l - bracket 310 a - c ( best shown in fig8 ) of disconnect switch assembly 300 a - c and to connector 110 a - c ( best shown in fig7 ) of vacuum interrupter bottle switch assembly 100 a - c . as illustrated in fig4 , disconnect switch assemblies 300 a , 300 b , and 300 c ( shown in the open position ) are connected to drive shaft 363 which is mechanically coupled to operating mechanism 350 . coupling to drive shaft 363 allows the disconnect switch assemblies 300 a - c to be controlled in unison . turning drive shaft 363 clockwise will push contact rods 308 a - c through guides 305 a - c from the shown “ open ” position into top contacts 306 a - c , the “ closed ” position where upper contacts 306 a - c and bottom contacts 312 a - c are electrically coupled through contact rods 308 a - c . from the closed position , turning drive shaft 363 counter clockwise pulls contact rods 308 a - c out from top contacts 306 a - c and back down to bottom contacts 312 a - c and into the open position . as illustrated in fig1 , vacuum interrupter bottle switch assemblies 100 a , 100 b , and 100 c are mechanically coupled to drive shaft 60 through operating mechanisms 150 a , 150 b , and 150 c , respectively . coupling to drive shaft 60 allows the vacuum interrupter bottle switch assemblies 100 a - c to be controlled in unison . referring to fig6 , the vacuum interrupter bottle switch assemblies 100 a - c are seen in the open position . turning drive shaft 60 clockwise results in pushing up the moveable contact of vacuum interrupter bottle switch 108 a - c such that the internal contacts are pushed together . this is the closed position for the vacuum interrupter bottle switch assembly . from the closed position , turning drive shaft 60 counterclockwise pulls the moveable contact of vacuum interrupter bottle switch 108 a - c downwards so that the internal contacts are pulled apart and into the open position . fig9 is an exploded right side perspective view of the vacuum interrupter switch assembly of fig1 , illustrating the preferred interlocking control assembly . as illustrated in fig9 , interlocking control assembly 40 is preferably affixed to front side 11 b . drive shafts 60 and 363 are mechanically connected to interlocking control assembly 40 via control shafts 41 a and 41 b , respectively . interlocking control assembly 40 ensures proper and safe operation of the switch by preventing the internal disconnect switch assemblies 100 a - c from opening or closing unless the vacuum interrupter bottle switches 108 a - c are open . if an underground vault has a 30 - inch diameter access hole , then switch assembly 5 described above can fit through the hole , bottom side first , and into the vault . if smaller dimensions are desired , then a variety of dielectric materials can be utilized . oil or sf 6 could also be used , but would re - introduce environmental hazards to the disclosed assembly and negate some of its features and benefits . a variety of grounding methods are available for the switch assembly 5 . one can , for example , weld ground rods to the case 10 so that a grounding wire can be connected to the rods . alternatively , a bracket can be used so that a grounding wire with a terminal can be bolted on . once positioned inside the vault , the vacuum interrupter switch can be grounded and synthetic power cables attached to power bushings 102 a - c and 302 a - c through power cable elbows such as those manufactured under the elastimold trademark by thomas & amp ; betts corporation ( memphis , tenn .) and under the cooper trademark by cooper power systems ( waukesha , wis .). for this invention , elastimold is the preferred brand . the assembly of the preferred vacuum interrupter switch assembly will now be discussed . the construction and operation of a vacuum interrupter bottle switches are known to those of ordinary skill in the art , and are not discussed here for the sake of brevity . fig1 is an exploded view of the components fastened to the inside of the cover of the vacuum interrupter switch assembly , and fig1 is a left side elevation view of the preferred components fastened to the bottom of the preferred vacuum interrupter switch assembly . referring to fig1 and 11 , support bars 14 a - d , 15 a - c , and 16 are bolted into place onto cover 12 and bottom 13 through threaded holes . floor mounting brackets 21 are fastened with bolts , nuts , and lock washers to the underside of bottom 13 at points 98 . cylindrical support rods 404 and 406 are bolted to bottom 13 through threaded holes . as best illustrated in fig5 and 11 , rectangular support rod 408 is laid on support rods 404 . support stand 410 is laid on rectangular support rod 408 and support rods 406 . support stand 410 is bolted to support rods 406 and , through rectangular support rod 408 , to support rods 404 . power bushing 102 a , 102 b , and 102 c are inserted in respective holes in the cover and welded to cover 12 . power bushing 302 a , 302 b , and 302 c are inserted in respective holes in the cover and welded to cover 12 . nut 128 a and a lock washer are installed on the threaded portion of stud adapter 130 a which is then threaded into power bushing 102 a . similarly , nuts and lock washers are installed on the threaded portion of stud adapters threaded into power bushing 102 b and 102 c . a lock washer and connector 320 c are threaded onto the stud of power bushing 302 c . the large end of top contact 306 c clasps onto the small end of connector 320 c . spring 321 c is placed onto top contact 306 c to hold it firmly onto connector 320 c . spacer 322 c is placed into a small groove inside the small end of top contact 306 c . spring 323 c is placed around the small end of top contact 306 c . the same is done for the other two power bushings . as best shown in fig1 , the right ends of shields 104 a - c have holes 105 . the ends of shields 104 a - c without the holes 105 are installed onto power bushing 102 a , 102 b , and 102 c , respectively . similarly , the ends of shields 304 a - c without holes 303 are installed onto power bushing 302 a , 302 b , and 302 c , respectively . guides 305 a - c are each cylindrically - shaped with an interior that is slanted so that one end has a smaller interior cross - section than the other end . guides 305 a , 305 b , and 305 c are inserted smaller end first into power bushings 302 a , 302 b , and 302 c , respectively . all holes 307 are aligned with holes 303 and inserted with a peg 309 . assembly of the preferred vacuum interrupter bottle switch assembly is best understood with reference to fig1 and 13 . a lock washer 106 is installed onto the stationary contact for vacuum interrupter bottle switches 108 a , 108 b , and 108 c which are then threaded into stud adapters 130 a , 130 b , and 130 c , respectively . four insulating cylinders 119 cover the four short studs surrounding the moveable contact of vacuum interrupter bottle switch 108 a . a short threaded cylindrical spacer 121 and a long threaded cylindrical spacer 120 are screwed onto the moveable contact for vacuum interrupter bottle switch 108 a and tightened against one another . the same is done to vacuum interrupter bottle switches 108 b and 108 c . a threaded rod 127 a with metal spacer 126 a has lock washers 131 placed on both ends and is screwed into the internal threads of the movable contact for vacuum interrupter bottle switch 108 a . the same is done to vacuum interrupter bottle switches 108 b and 108 c . insulation cover tops 132 a , 132 b , and 132 c are loosely installed over vacuum interrupter bottle switches 108 a , 108 b , and 108 c , respectively . assembly holder 129 is loosely installed over vacuum interrupter bottle switches 108 a , 108 b , and 108 c through respective holes 129 a , 129 b , and 129 c . an o - ring 122 is fitted around the movable contact end of vacuum interrupter bottle switches 108 a , 108 b , and 108 c . from openings 135 a , 135 b , and 135 c , insulating covers 134 a , 134 b , and 134 c are fitted over vacuum interrupter bottle switches 132 a , 132 b , and 132 c , respectively . bus connector 110 a - c , as illustrated in fig1 and 14 , comprises a generally cylindrical body with a rectangular flange at one end that has holes 107 . the other end of the connector 110 a - c has four holes 109 on the other end with internal grooves 111 . within groove 111 is a disposed band of torsion or leaf spring contact material 112 . contact elements of this type are sold , for example , under the multilam trademark . c - clips 113 secure the multilam contact 112 within groove 111 . as best illustrated in fig1 , bus connector 110 a is inserted into insulating cover 134 a through the slotted opening end , around metal spacer 126 a , and installed onto vacuum interrupter bottle switch 108 a by aligning its four holes 109 with the four studs ( not shown ) surrounding the movable contact of vacuum interrupter bottle switch 108 a . an insulating spacer 118 is inserted into bus connector 110 a , and around metal spacer 126 a , with its holes 117 aligned with holes 109 . four screws 125 are inserted through holes 117 and 109 and screwed into the four studs surrounding the movable contact for vacuum interrupter bottle switch 108 a . the same is done with corresponding components to respect to vacuum interrupter bottle switches 108 b and 108 c . fig2 - 28 show right side and front perspective views of a preferred operating mechanism assembly 150 ( fig7 ) constructed in accordance with the invention . fig2 is an internal view of the operating mechanism assembly 150 . the operating mechanism assembly 150 comprises a drive shaft assembly 151 , push - pull assembly 152 , and damper assembly 153 , and framing components . three identical operating mechanisms are preferably used , and are designated as 150 a , 150 b , and 150 c herein . referring to fig3 , 37a - q , and 38 a - h , the drive shaft assembly 151 is assembled with spring shaft 167 secured between the arms of rotating clevis 165 ( fig3 b ) by inserting pin 166 through holes 165 a and hole 167 a of spring shaft 167 . spring 169 is slid onto spring shaft 167 and held in place with screws at points 167 c . spring 169 is important since it controls the opening and closing speed of vacuum interrupter bottle switch 108 . pin 166 is held in place with cotter pins inserted into holes 166 a . lever arm 161 is fitted onto rotating clevis 165 with an end of pin 166 inserted into curved slot 161 a and shaft opening 161 b aligned with shaft opening 164 of rotating clevis 165 . pivot point 161 c protrudes away from rotating clevis 165 . lever arm 162 is fitted onto rotating clevis 165 with the other end of pin 166 inserted into curved slot 162 a and shaft opening 162 b aligned with shaft opening 164 of rotating clevis 165 . pivot point 162 c protrudes away from rotating clevis 165 . end 170 c of toggle link 170 a is fastened to pivot point 161 c with a retaining washer . end 170 d of toggle link 170 a along with end 171 c of toggle link 171 a are fastened by retaining washers to pivot point 173 a of clevis 172 . toggle link 170 b is substantially identical in structure to toggle link 170 a . end 170 c of toggle link 170 b is fastened to pivot point 162 c with a retaining washer . end 170 d of toggle link 170 b along with end 171 d of toggle link 171 b is fastened by retaining washers to pivot point 173 b of clevis 172 . ( note : toggle link 171 b is substantially identical in structure to toggle link 171 a ( fig3 n , o )). a threaded spacer 183 ( fig3 a ) is fitted between toggle links 170 a and 170 b and screwed into place at point 170 e of both toggle links . referring to fig2 - 33 and 38a - h , the push - pull assembly 152 is assembled with bolt 176 inserted through hole 179 d of spring support rod 179 , bottom spring holder 178 , over - travel spring 177 , and top spring holder 178 . a spring washer , two nuts , and a second spring washer are screwed onto bolt 176 . referring to fig2 , 29 , 36 and 39 , a damper assembly 153 includes a stopper 188 which is inserted through spacer 189 , through hole 186 on support 185 and held in place with a cotter pin . drive shaft assembly 151 is connected to push - pull assembly 152 by fastening the end 171 d of toggle link 171 a to the end 179 a of spring support rod 179 with a retaining washer , and fastening the end 171 d of the toggle link 171 b to the end 179 b of spring support rod 179 with a retaining washer . in fig3 and 33 , toggle links 171 a - b of drive shaft assembly 151 are shown attached to push - pull assembly 152 . referring to fig3 and 40 , flanged spacers 200 are inserted into hole 202 a on frame 202 and hole 201 a on frame 201 from the non - flanged side . spring support rod end 179 b is inserted into slot 202 b on frame 202 . bolt 197 is inserted into hole 202 c of frame 202 and screwed into threaded spacer 184 a at end 184 d . a second bolt 197 is inserted into hole 202 e of frame 202 and screwed into threaded spacer 184 b at end 184 d . pivot rod 175 is inserted into pivot shaft 174 of clevis 172 with end 175 b inserted into hole 202 g and fastened in place with a retaining washer . damper assembly 153 is installed onto spacer 184 b through hole 185 a and positioned between the arms of clevis 172 and on pivot shaft 174 at support point 185 b . spring support end 179 a is inserted into slot 201 b on frame 201 . a bolt 197 is inserted into hole 201 c of frame 201 and screwed into threaded spacer 184 a at end 184 c . another bolt 197 is inserted through hole 201 e of frame 201 and screwed into threaded spacer 184 b at end 184 c . end 175 a of pivot rod 175 is inserted through hole 201 g and fastened into place with a retaining washer . pin 168 is inserted through hole 202 d , slot 167 b , and hole 201 d and fastened in place with retaining washers . the screws in points 167 c are removed . a support screw is fitted with a flat washer , nut , and spring washer and then screwed into hole 179 f at spring support rod end 179 b . a support screw is fitted with a flat washer , nut , and spring washer and then screwed into hole 202 f of frame 202 . spring end 182 c of spring 182 is hooked onto the support screw at support rod end 179 b . spring end 182 d of spring 182 is hooked on the support screw at hole 202 f of frame 202 . a support screw is fitted with a flat washer , nut , and spring washer and then screwed into hole 179 e at spring support rod end 179 a . a second support screw is fitted with a flat washer , nut , and spring washer and then screwed into hole 201 f of frame 201 . spring end 182 c of another spring 182 is hooked onto the support screw at support rod end 179 a . spring end 182 d of the second spring 182 is hooked on the support screw at hole 201 f of frame 201 to complete the assembly of an operating mechanism designated as 150 a . two more operating mechanisms are assembled in the same manner and designated as 150 b and 150 c . the small end of push - pull insulator 116 a ( fig7 ) is screwed onto threaded rod 127 a ( fig1 ). the large end of push - pull insulator 116 a is screwed onto bolt 176 a ( fig3 , 33 ) of operating mechanism 150 a . the small end of push - pull insulator 116 b is screwed onto threaded rod 127 b . the large end of push - pull insulator 116 b is screwed onto bolt 176 b of operating mechanism 150 b . the small end of push - pull insulator 116 c is screwed onto threaded rod 127 c . the large end of push - pull insulator 116 c is screwed onto bolt 176 c of operating mechanism 150 c . turning to fig1 and 15 , assembly holder 129 is fitted onto insulating covers 134 a , 134 b , and 134 c through respective holes 129 a , 129 b , and 129 c . insulation cover tops 132 a , 132 b , and 132 c are fitted onto insulating covers 134 a , 134 b , and 134 c , respectively , with assembly holder 129 held firmly between them . the vacuum interrupter bottle switches 108 a - c are mechanically linked together for operation in unison by driveshaft 60 . a holding bar 217 is placed in slots 60 a , 60 b , and 60 c of drive shaft 60 . end 60 d of drive shaft 60 is slid through operating mechanism 150 c through its flanged spacer 200 of frame 202 . end 60 d of drive shaft 60 is then slid through operating mechanism 150 b through its flanged spacer 200 of frame 202 . end 60 d of drive shaft 60 is then slid through operating mechanism 150 a through its flanged spacer 200 of frame 202 . operating mechanism 150 a is positioned over hole 60 a . operating mechanism 150 b is positioned over hole 60 b . operating mechanism 150 c is positioned over hole 60 c . drive shaft 60 is rotated until the holding bars 217 in slots 60 a , 60 b , and 60 c fall into notches 216 of each operating mechanism . drive shaft 60 is held in place with retaining washers at grooves 60 f ( fig3 ). a lever rod 199 ( fig2 ) is inserted through drive shaft hole 60 g . fig1 best illustrates the assembled three - phase vacuum interrupter bottle switch assemblies 100 a , 100 b , and 100 c . fig1 is a side view of disconnect switch assembly operating mechanism 350 . fig1 is an internal view of operating mechanism 350 . fig1 a through 18 t illustrate the components of the operating mechanism 350 . fig1 and 20 are front and side views , respectively , of disconnect switch assembly drive shaft 363 . as illustrated in fig1 , pin 366 ( fig1 l ) is inserted through spring rod hole 370 a ( fig1 n ), clevis holes 361 a ( fig1 g ), and fastened to clevis 361 with retaining washers 391 at grooves 366 a ( fig1 l ). end 370 b ( fig1 n ) of spring rod 370 is inserted into spring tube 367 ( fig1 j ) through opening 367 a . spring 369 ( fig1 q ) is fitted over spring tube 367 and pin 368 ( fig1 o ) is inserted through holes 367 b . pin 368 is inserted into hole 401 d of frame 401 ( fig1 c , d ) and hole 402 d of frame 402 ( fig1 a , b ) and fastened with retaining washers 391 at grooves 368 a ( fig1 o ). flanged spacers 400 ( fig1 h ) are fitted onto drive shaft 363 ( fig1 ) and at both ends of clevis 361 with the flanged ends butting against the ends of clevis 361 . end 400 a of flanged spacers 400 ( fig1 i ) is inserted into hole 401 a of frame 401 ( fig1 c ) and hole 402 a of frame 402 ( fig1 a ). openings 400 c of flanged spacers 400 ( fig1 h ) are aligned with opening 361 d of clevis 361 ( fig1 g ). end 363 a of drive shaft 363 ( fig1 ) is fitted through retaining ring 384 ( fig1 j ), opening 400 c in frame 402 ( fig1 a ), clevis shaft opening 361 d of clevis 361 ( fig1 g ) and openings 400 c in frame 401 ( fig1 c ) and fastened with retaining rings 384 ( fig1 j ) at grooves 363 e ( fig1 ). holes 361 c ( fig1 f ) and hole 363 c ( fig1 ) are aligned , and tapered pin 378 ( fig1 e ) is inserted slit end 379 first . frames 401 and 402 are held a desired distance apart by spacer tubes 374 . the openings of spacer tubes 374 ( fig1 r ) are aligned with holes 401 c of frame 401 ( fig1 c , d ) and holes 402 c of frame 402 ( fig1 a , b ). bolts are inserted through holes 401 c , spacer tubes 374 , and 402 c and fastened with lock washers and nuts . guide rod 372 controls the degree of movement of the clevis 361 . guide rod 372 ( fig1 s ) is inserted through slot 401 b of frame 401 ( fig1 c ), holes 361 b of clevis 361 , and slot 402 b of frame 402 ( fig1 a ). holes 373 of guide rod 372 ( fig1 s ) are positioned between the arms of clevis 361 . straight end 381 of retaining pins 380 ( fig1 t ) are inserted through holes 373 until section 382 of pins 380 surrounds guide rod 372 . referring to fig1 , 42 , and 43 , end 363 b of driveshaft 363 is fitted through hole 403 a of frame 403 and frames 401 , 402 , and 403 are fastened to bottom 13 through mounting nuts 401 e , 402 e , and 403 b , respectively . as illustrated in fig6 , 21 , 40a , and 40c , each operating mechanism 150 a is bolted to support stand 410 through mounting nuts 201 h and 201 i at points 411 a and 202 h and 202 i at points 411 b . operating mechanism 150 b is bolted to support stand 410 through mounting nuts 201 h and 201 i at points 412 a and 202 h and 202 i at points 412 b . operating mechanism 150 c is bolted to support stand 410 through mounting nuts 201 h and 201 i at points 413 a and 202 h and 202 i at points 413 b . as illustrated in fig6 and 22 , l - bracket 310 a is bolted through hole 311 a to insulating shield 314 a at point 313 a . connector 325 a - c are similarly shaped as connector 320 a - c , except shorter and wider in diameter . the large end of bottom contact 312 a clasps onto the small end of connector 325 a . spring 326 is placed onto bottom contact 312 a to hold it firmly onto connector 325 a . spacer 327 is placed into a small groove inside the small end of bottom contact 312 a . spring 328 is placed around the small end of bottom contact 312 a . bolts are inserted through support holes ( not shown ) in l - bracket 310 a through holes 142 a of connection bus 140 a , and into holes at the bottom of connector 325 a . similarly , l - bracket 310 b is bolted through hole 311 b to insulating shield 314 b at point 313 b . the large end of bottom contact 312 b clasps onto the small end of connector 325 b . spring 326 is placed onto bottom contact 312 b to hold it firmly onto connector 325 b . spacer 327 is placed into a small groove inside the small end of bottom contact 312 b . spring 328 is placed around the small end of bottom contact 312 b . bolts are inserted through support holes ( not shown ) in l - bracket 310 b through holes 142 b of connection bus 140 b , and into holes at the bottom of connector 325 b . likewise , l - bracket 310 c is bolted through hole 311 c to insulating shield 314 c at point 313 c . the large end of bottom contact 312 c clasps onto the small end of connector 325 c . spring 326 is placed onto bottom contact 312 c to hold it firmly onto connector 325 c . spacer 327 is placed into a small groove inside the small end of bottom contact 312 c . spring 328 is placed around the small end of bottom contact 312 c . bolts are inserted vertically through support holes ( not shown ) in l - bracket 310 c through holes 142 c of connection bus 140 c , and into holes at the bottom of connector 325 c . as illustrated in fig4 and 8 , a gasket 319 is placed around the small end of each push - pull insulator 316 . contact rod 308 a is threaded into the top side of push - pull insulator 316 a and clevis - shaped connector 330 a is bolted to the bottom side of push - pull insulator 316 a . a peg 329 is inserted and fastened to connector 330 a and rod 332 a through arm holes 331 and 333 , respectively . similarly , contact rod 308 b is threaded into the top side of push - pull insulator 316 b and clevis - shaped connector 330 b is bolted to the bottom side of push - pull insulator 316 b . a peg 329 is inserted and fastened to connector 330 b and rod 332 b through arm holes 331 and 333 , respectively . contact rod 308 c is threaded into the top side of push - pull insulator 316 c and clevis - shaped connector 330 c is bolted to the bottom side of push - pull insulator 316 c . a peg 329 is inserted and fastened to connector 330 c and rod 332 c through arm holes 331 and 333 , respectively . contact rod 308 a is inserted into insulating shield 314 a and through bottom contact 312 a . contact rod 308 b is inserted into bottom contact 312 b and insulating shield 314 b . contact rod 308 c is inserted into bottom contact 312 c . referring to fig6 , and 23 , tank side 11 a is bolted to support bar 15 a and to support bar 16 . transparent cylinder 318 a is fitted on top of the slotted end for insulating shield 314 a . the top end of transparent cylinder 318 a is fitted to the bottom end of insulating shield 304 a and insulating shield 314 a is bolted to tank side 11 a at bolting points 18 a . similarly , transparent cylinder 318 b is fitted on top of the slotted end for insulating shield 314 b . the top end of transparent cylinder 318 b is fitted to the bottom end of insulating shield 304 b and insulating shield 314 b is bolted to tank side 11 a behind insulating shield 314 a and generally parallel thereto at bolting points 18 b . likewise , transparent cylinder 318 c is fitted on top of the slotted end for insulating shield 314 c . the top end of transparent cylinder 318 c is fitted to the bottom end of insulating shield 304 c and insulating shield 314 c is bolted to tank side 11 a behind insulating shield 314 b and generally parallel thereto at bolting points 18 c . as illustrated in fig4 , and 19 , a peg 329 is inserted and fastened to rod 332 a and drive shaft lever arms 364 a through arm holes 334 and 365 , respectively . a peg 329 is inserted and fastened to rod 332 b and drive shaft lever arms 364 b through arm holes 334 and 365 , respectively . a peg 329 is inserted and fastened to rod 332 c and drive shaft lever arms 364 c through arm holes 334 and 365 , respectively . when properly assembled , and as best illustrated in fig4 , and 8 , turning drive shaft 363 clockwise will move contact rods 308 a - c through bottom contacts 312 a - c , up through guide 305 a - c and into top contacts 306 a - c . this is referred to as the closed position . top contact 306 a will be electrically coupled to bottom contact 312 a through contact rod 308 a . top contact 306 b will be electrically coupled to bottom contact 312 b through contact rod 308 b . top contact 306 c will be electrically coupled to bottom contact 312 c through contact rod 308 c . contact rods 308 a - c can be seen through transparent insulating shields 318 a - c and viewing windows 55 . from the closed position , turning drive shaft 363 counterclockwise will move contact rods 308 a - c out of top contacts 306 a - c , through guides 305 a - c , and down into bottom contacts 312 a - c as illustrated in fig8 . this is the open position . top contacts 306 a - c are not electrically coupled to bottom contacts 312 a - c and contact rods 308 a - c are not visible inside transparent insulating shields 318 a - c . as best illustrated in fig6 , connection bus 140 a is bolted to bus connector 110 a ( fig1 ) through holes 143 and holes 107 , respectively . connection bus 140 b is bolted to bus connector 110 b through holes 143 and holes 107 , respectively , behind connection bus 140 a and generally parallel thereto . connection bus 140 c is bolted to bus connector 110 c through holes 143 and holes 107 , respectively , behind connection bus 140 b and generally parallel thereto . referring to fig5 , 21 and 24 , two long cylindrical spacer rods 414 are bolted onto bottom 13 at points 415 and extend vertically upwards to cover 12 where they are bolted at points 416 . two each long cylindrical spacer rods 417 are bolted onto support bars 15 c and 16 on bottom 13 and extend vertically upwards to support bars 15 a and 15 b on cover 12 . two long cylindrical spacer rods 418 are bolted onto support bars 14 c and 14 d on bottom 13 and extend vertically upwards to support bars 14 a and 14 b on cover 12 . as best illustrated in fig1 , and 23 , a rubber cushion 52 is fitted into hole 62 of the tank &# 39 ; s front side lib . a window 55 with an o - ring 56 fitted along the edge is placed over hole 62 of tank side 11 b . window holder 57 is placed over window 55 and o - ring 56 from the outside of tank side 11 b and window backplate 58 is placed over hole 62 from the inside of tank side 11 b . window backplate 58 is bolted through holes 58 a and 59 to window holder 57 at threaded holes 57 a ( not shown ). the same method is used to place a window 55 onto tank side 11 d as shown in fig3 and 24 . it may now be appreciated that the viewing windows 55 ( fig1 - 3 ) allow an operator to look inside vacuum interrupter switch assembly 5 to see whether or not disconnect switch assemblies 300 a - c are in the open or closed position . in the closed position , contact rods 308 a - c will be seen inside transparent insulating shields 318 a - c . in the open position , contact rods 308 a - c will not be seen inside transparent insulating shields 318 a - c . as illustrated in fig2 , 0 - rings 23 are fitted into grooves 24 on gas vent plug 22 and inserted into gas vent 17 . holes 26 of gas vent 17 and holes 25 of gas vent plug 22 are aligned and cotter pin 27 is inserted . proper integration of a visible disconnect switch should preferably include proper procedures for opening and closing the vacuum interrupter switch assembly . the interlocking control assembly preferably used herein ensures that correct procedures are taken to open and close the vacuum interrupter switch assembly 5 . interlocking control assembly 40 accordingly prevents the internal disconnect switch assemblies 100 a - c from opening or closing unless the vacuum interrupter bottle switches 108 a - c are open . fig2 illustrates an expanded view of the preferred interlocking control assembly 40 . threaded cover spacers 30 and spacer guides 64 a and 64 b are welded into place on backplate 54 . referring to fig9 , and 26 , control assembly backplate 54 is bolted to front side 11 b through holes 63 and 31 , respectively . o - rings 50 are fitted into grooves 51 of control shafts 41 a and 41 b . control arm 42 has studs 44 a and 44 b inserted in holes 42 b . control arm 43 has studs 44 c and 44 d inserted in holes 43 b . referring to fig1 , 9 , 23 and 25 , the slotted end of control shaft 41 a for vacuum interrupter bottle switch assemblies 100 a - c is inserted through control shaft well 29 a of front side 11 b , through hole 28 a of backplate 54 , and into control arm 42 at opening 42 a . hole 45 of control shaft 41 a is aligned with hole 42 c of control arm 42 and bolted together . the slotted end of control shaft 41 b for disconnect switch assemblies 300 a - c is inserted through its control shaft well 29 b of front side 11 b , through hole 28 b of backplate 54 , and into control arm 43 at opening 43 a . hole 47 of control shaft 41 b is aligned with hole 43 c of control arm 43 and bolted together . spring 74 is placed around threaded spacer 73 . spring 75 is placed around spacer 46 . rod 71 is inserted through the large hole of blocker guide bar 68 and fastened near the middle with retaining washers . blocker 66 is screwed to blocker guide bar 68 through holes 66 b and 68 b , respectively , with rod 71 being inserted through hole 66 a of blocker 66 . pivot rod 72 is inserted through hole 69 a of blocker guide bar 69 , through slot hole 70 b of toggle bar 70 , and through hole 67 a of blocker 67 and fastened near the middle with retaining washers . a peg 70 d is installed into peg hole 70 c with peg 70 d extending inwards . toggle bar 70 is placed onto spacer 46 through pivot hole 70 a and fastened with a retaining washer . guide bar 69 is placed between spacer guides 64 b and end 72 b of pivot rod 72 is inserted into slot 54 b of backplate 54 . after installation , the flat portion of control arm 43 will be between blocker 67 and guide bar 69 . the back end of rod 71 is inserted into slot 54 a of backplate 54 and guide bar 68 is placed between spacer guides 64 a . after installation , the flat portion of control arm 42 will be between blocker 66 and guide bar 68 . as best illustrated in fig2 , a screw and washer is screwed into holes 48 a and 48 b on backplate 54 . as best illustrated in fig2 , spring end 74 a pushes against rod 71 . spring end 74 b pushes against the screw at hole 48 a and held down by the washer . spring end 75 a pushes against the screw at hole 48 b and held down by the washer . spring end 75 b pushes against peg 70 d of toggle bar 70 . when properly assembled , fig2 illustrates the positions of the interlocking control assembly 40 components when the disconnect switch assemblies 300 a - c are in the closed position and the vacuum interrupter bottle switch assemblies 100 a - c in the open position . as shown , control arm 42 can only rotate clockwise and control arm 43 can only rotate counterclockwise . when control arm 42 is rotated clockwise , stud 44 b will push toggle bar 70 so that it rotates counterclockwise around spacer 46 and pushes guide bar 69 downwards towards control arm 43 guided by spacers 64 b . once the rotation is completed , blocker 67 covers hole 43 a of control arm 43 to prevent access with handle 220 ( fig4 - 46 ). guide bar 69 is also positioned to prevent control arm 43 from rotating counterclockwise by blocking stud 44 d of control arm 43 . from this point , control arm 42 must be rotated counterclockwise first before control arm 43 can rotate counterclockwise . after control arm 42 is rotated counterclockwise , spring end 75 b pushes against peg 70 d so that toggle bar 70 rotates clockwise and guide bar 69 is pulled upwards to allow movement for control arm 43 . when control arm 43 is rotated counterclockwise , stud 44 c of control arm 43 will push guide bar 68 upwards towards control arm 42 guided by guide spacers 64 a . once the rotation is completed , blocker 66 covers hole 42 a of control arm 42 to prevent access with handle 220 . guide bar 68 is also positioned to prevent control arm 42 from rotating clockwise by blocking stud 44 a of control arm 42 . from this point , control arm 43 must be rotated clockwise first before control arm 42 can rotate clockwise . after control arm 43 is rotated clockwise , spring end 74 a pushes against pivot rod 71 so that guide bar 68 is pulled downwards to allow movement for control arm 42 . as best illustrated in fig6 and 23 , tank side 11 c is bolted to support bars 15 b and 15 c through threaded holes . control shafts 41 a and 41 b are aligned and fitted over ends 60 d of drive shaft 60 and end 363 b of drive shaft 363 , respectively . tank side 11 b is bolted to support bars 14 a and 14 c through threaded holes . tank side 11 d is bolted to support bars 14 b and 14 d through threaded holes . tank sides 11 a , 11 b , 11 c , and 11 d are bolted together at bolting nuts 37 . as best illustrated in fig5 , rectangular support bar 408 is bolted to tank side 11 b and 11 d at points 79 and 78 , respectively . as best illustrated in fig2 , cylindrical rods 419 are bolted to tank side 11 d at points 420 a and 420 b and to corresponding points on tank side 11 b . interlocking control assembly cover 53 is aligned and secured to threaded cover spacers 30 with washers and bolts . as illustrated in fig9 , the front end of rod 71 will extend into slot 53 a and the front end of pivot rod 72 will extend through slot 53 b of cover 53 . the front ends of spacer guides 64 a and 64 b will extend out of holes 53 c and 53 d , respectively , and fastened with retaining washers . the slotted openings for control shafts 41 a and 41 b can be accessed through holes 53 e and 53 f , respectively , of cover 53 . vacuum interrupter switch 5 is operated with handle 220 ( fig4 - 46 ) by inserting the slotted end of handle shaft 220 a into the slotted openings of either control shafts 41 a or 41 b and turning clockwise or counterclockwise . the specific components illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are presently preferred components , and there is no intention to limit the scope of the invention to an assembly using these specific components to achieve the intended result . it is recognized that those skilled in the art may be able to change or modify the specifically described hardware , and that various changes , substitutions and alterations can be made herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by appended claims . it is accordingly intended that the claims be interpreted as broadly as possible in light of the prior art , and that the full advantage of the doctrine of equivalents be employed in such interpretation . | 7 |
the health supplement disclosed in the invention is made from a material selected from grape skin , grape seeds , grape stems , or a mixture thereof , from which the fruit flesh has been removed ; the material is further processed in order to result in the health supplement that may lower plasma glucose and plasma triglyceride . because the health supplement is made from the natural material , and does not have adverse side effects or toxicity , the health supplement may be taken in order to alleviate the symptoms of diabetes , high plasma glucose , and high plasma triglyceride . the health supplement for lowering plasma glucose and plasma triglyceride disclosed in the invention is made via a method comprising the following steps : a . using a material selected from grape skin , grape seeds , grape stems , or a mixture thereof , from which residual fruit flesh and foreign substances have already been removed ; the material is rinsed , dried , and then ground into a dark purple powder ( abbreviated as the 3sg powder ). use grape skin , grape seeds , and grape stems in a ratio of volume found in naturally available grapes as the material , and rinse the material with fresh water three times in order to remove foreign substances and residual fruit flesh , then the material is left in a drying oven at 45 ° c . for three days until it becomes crisp . subsequently , the dried material is ground into powder in an automatic grinding machine , and has coarser xylem fiber removed by using a fine sieve . finally , a dark purple powder is obtained , and is called the 3sg powder , wherein the 3s stands for skin , seed , and stem , and g stands for grape . b . ethanol is added to the 3sg powder obtained in the step ( a ) at a ratio of 1 ml of ethanol to every 1 g of the 3sg powder ; the 3sg powder and ethanol are mixed together and stirred in order to release lipid - soluble flavonoids from cells in the 3sg powder ; because plant cells are enclosed by cell walls made of cellulose , it prevents cell contents within the plant cells from being easily absorbed into human digestive tracts . to solve this problem , the 3sg powder is immersed in a proportionally equal amount of ethanol in this invention . in a preferred embodiment of the invention , 99 . 8 % ethanol is used to immerse the 3sg powder for one hour , so as to release lipid - soluble flavonoids from cells in the 3sg powder into the ethanol solution . c . allowing ethanol in the mixture resulted in the step ( b ) to completely evaporate , so that the flavonoids that have been released into the ethanol solution may be adsorbed to surfaces of the 3sg powder , thereby obtaining the health supplement of the invention . after the lipid - soluble flavonoids in the 3sg powder have been released into the ethanol solution , the mixture is left in an environment of negative pressure at 37 ° c . for two days , so that ethanol may evaporate completely . in the process , the flavonoids that have been released into the ethanol solution is allowed to be absorbed to the external surface of the 3sg powder , thereby giving rise to the 3sga powder , wherein the “ a ” on “ 3sga powder ” stands for the “ 3sg powder ” having been processed by alcohol . the 3sga powder of the invention may be easily absorbed into human digestive tracts because most of the flavonoids had been released from the cells in the 3sg powder and absorbed to the external surface of the 3sg powder , and may lower plasma glucose more effectively than the 3sg powder . a . animal experiments to show the 3sga powder provided function to reduce plasma glucose and plasma triglyceride 1 . animals used to test levels of plasma glucose and plasma triglyceride : normal sd ( sprage - dawley ) rats , normal c57bl / 6 rats , sick insulin - dependent diabetes mellitus rats ( abbreviated as sick iddm rats hereafter ), and sick non - insulin dependent diabetes mellitus rats ( abbreviated as sick niddm rats hereafter ). 100 mg of 3sg powder or 3sga powder is evenly mixed with 1 ml sterilized water , and the resulted mixture is fed to the animals via a gastric tube every 8 hours ( 8 am , 4 pm , and 12 am , three times daily ). the amount fed to the animals is 25 mg / kg bw ( 25 mg of mixture to every kg of body weight ), 50 mg / kg bw , or 100 mg / kg bw . between the time of feeding the 3sg powder or the 3sga powder , the animals may eat freely , but the animals are put on fasting for 24 hours before drawing blood and testing plasma glucose and plasma triglyceride levels . on the night prior to the experiments , the normal sd rats , the sick iddm rats , and the sick niddm rats are put on fasting . on the next day , the animals are anesthetized with pentobarbital 30 mg / kg bw via intraperitoneal injection . 0 . 2 - 0 . 6 ml of blood samples are drawn from the rats on empty stomach , then the 3sg powder or the 3sga powder is fed into the stomach of the animals . separate blood samples are drawn 60 mins , 90 mins , and 120 mins after feeding , and all of the blood samples are centrifuged ( 13 , 000 rpm , 3 mins ) in order to separate plasma from blood cells . 10 μl - samples are taken from the plasma at the upper layer , to which 1 ml of reactants from the glucose kit is added , the mixture is then mixed evenly before being allowed to react in a 37 ° c . water bath for 10 mins . subsequently , a plasma glucose analyzer ( quick - lab , chemistry analyzer ) is used to calculate the level of plasma glucose ( mg / dl ) according to differences in light absorption and comparison with the standard . 1 . changes in plasma glucose and plasma triglyceride levels after the sick iddm rats had taken the 3sg powder and the 3sga powder : the sick iddm rats are divided into eight groups , and there are eight rats in each group . four groups of the sick iddm rats are fed with the 3sg powder of 0 , 25 , 50 , or 100 mg / kg bw in dosage . the other four groups of the sick iddm rats are fed with the 3sga powder in 0 , 25 , 50 , or 100 mg / kg bw in dosage . after feeding , blood samples are drawn from each group of rats to test the levels of plasma glucose and plasma triglyceride . the changes in the levels of plasma glucose of rats after taking the 3sg powder and the 3sga powder is shown in fig1 , while the changes in the levels of plasma triglyceride of rats after taking the 3sg powder and the 3sga powder is shown in fig2 . it can be observed from fig1 and 2 that the levels of plasma glucose and plasma triglyceride in the sick iddm rats had been lowered , but the feeding of the 3sga powder is more effective for lowering the levels of plasma glucose and plasma triglyceride than that of the 3sg powder . 2 . changes in the plasma glucose levels of sick iddm rats in relation to time after taking the 3sga powder : 10 sick iddm rats are fed with the 3sga powder in dosages of 100 mg / kg bw , and the plasma glucose level of the rats is tested after 30 , 60 , 90 , and 120 mins ; the results are shown in fig3 . it can be seen from fig3 that the effect of lowering the plasma glucose level in the sick iddm rats is the best 60 mins after taking the 3sga powder . 3 . effects of normal sd rats and sick iddm rats taking the 3sg powder or the 3sga powder on glucose tolerance : the normal sd rats are divided into three groups , and there are eight rats in each group ; each rat is fed with the 3sg powder or the 3sga powder of 100 mg / kg bw in dosage , or an equal volume of fresh water . after one hour , the rats are injected with 60 mg / kg bw of glucose solution via intravenous injection , and the levels of plasma glucose are tested by taking blood samples at 0 , 5 , 10 , 15 , 20 , 25 , 30 , 60 , and 90 mins , and the results are shown in fig4 . from fig4 , it may be noted that after feeding the rats the 3sg powder and the 3sga powder , the glucose tolerance of the normal sd rats is strengthened , and the effect of the 3sga powder is stronger than that of the 3sg powder . the same experiment is carried out by using the sick iddm rats , and the results are shown in fig5 . from fig5 , it should be noted that after feeding the rats the 3sg powder and the 3sga powder , the glucose tolerance of the sick iddm rats is enhanced , and the effect of the 3sga powder is better than that of the 3sg powder . 4 . changes in the plasma glucose levels of normal c57bl / 6 rats and sick niddm rats after taking the 3 sga powder : each of the normal c57bl / 6 rats and the sick niddm rats are divided into two groups ; respectively , and there are eight rats in each group . one group of the sick niddm rats and the normal rats are fed with the 3sga powder of 100 mg / kg bw in dosage , whereas the other group of the sick niddm rats and the normal rats are fed with an equal volume of fresh water . after 60 mins , blood samples are drawn from each group of rats to test the plasma glucose levels , the outcome is shown in fig6 . it may be observed from fig6 that the plasma glucose level of the sick niddm rats dropped 26 % at 60 mins after taking the 3sga powder , but there is no significant change in the plasma glucose level of the normal rats . 5 . effect of the sick niddm rats taking the 3sga powder on the glucose tolerance : the sick niddm rats are divided into two groups , and there are eight rats in each group . the rats are fed with the 3sga powder of 100 mg / kg bw in dosage or an equal volume of fresh water . the rats are fed with 1 g / kg bw of glucose solution 30 mins later , and then blood samples are taken from the rats at 0 , 5 , 10 , 15 , 20 , 25 , 30 , 60 , and 90 mins in order to test the plasma glucose level , the outcome is shown in fig7 . from fig7 , it can be seen that after taking the 3sga powder , the glucose tolerance of the sick niddm rats is significantly enhanced . the results from the short term tests indicated that the feeding of the 3sga powder achieved better effects than that of feeding the 3sg powder , thus only the 3sga powder is used for carrying out the long term tests . 1 . the plasma glucose and plasma triglyceride levels are lowered in the sick iddm rats after taking the 3sga powder : the normal sd rats and the sick iddm rats are divided into two groups ; respectively , and each group has 10 rats . the rats are fed with the 3 sga powder of 100 mg / kg bw in dosage or an equal volume of fresh water every 8 hours . blood samples are taken every two days in order to test the levels of plasma glucose and plasma triglyceride . the blood samples are taken approximately 1 to 2 hours after the feeding of the 3sga power . the reduction in plasma glucose levels in normal sd rats and sick iddm rats that has taken the 3sga powder for a period of time is shown in fig8 , while the reduction in plasma triglyceride levels in normal sd rats and sick iddm rats that has taken the 3sga powder for a period of time is shown in fig9 . comparing fig8 with fig9 , it has been found that the levels of plasma glucose and plasma triglyceride of the sick iddm rats were significantly reduced in the two weeks the rats were fed the 3sga powder . however , there are no significant changes in the levels of plasma glucose and plasma triglyceride in the normal sd rats . 2 . the sick iddm rats showed decreased fluid intake after taking the 3sga powder for a period of time : when the normal sd rats and the sick iddm rats are fed the 3sga powder , the daily fluid intake of the normal sd rats and the sick iddm rats is observed and measured , and the results are shown in fig1 . from fig1 , it may be observed that there is significant reduction in the fluid intake of the sick iddm rats when taking the 3sga powder , but not for the normal sd rats . 3 . the sick iddm rats showed decreased food intake after taking the 3sga powder for a period of time : when the normal sd rats and the sick iddm rats are on the diet of the 3sga powder , the daily food intake of the normal sd rats and the sick iddm rats is observed and measured , and the results are shown in fig1 . from fig1 , it may be noted that there is significant reduction in the food intake of the sick iddm rats when taking the 3sga powder , but not for the normal sd rats . 4 . weight loss is effectively prevented in the sick iddm rats taking the 3sga powder for a period of time : when the normal sd rats and the sick iddm rats are on the diet of the 3sga powder , changes in the weight of the normal sd rats and the sick iddm rats are observed and measured , and the results are shown in fig1 . from fig1 , it may be seen that weight loss is prevented in the sick iddm rats taking the 3sga powder , and the weight of the sick iddm rats is increased slowly . moreover , the growth of the normal sd rats taking the 3sga powder is not affected . because flavonoids are allowed to be absorbed on the external surface of the 3sga powder of the invention , and the 3sga powder had been shown to be effective for lowering levels of plasma glucose and plasma triglyceride from the above - mentioned animal experiments , without any adverse side effects or toxicity . as a result , the 3sga powder of the invention may be used as a health supplement for sufferers of diabetes , high plasma glucose , high plasma triglyceride , and metabolic disorders . although a preferred embodiment of the invention has been described for purposes of illustration , it is understood that various changes and modifications to the described embodiment can be carried out without departing from the scope and the spirit of the invention as disclosed in the appended claims . | 0 |
the tube bursting concept , as previously described in u . s . pat . nos . 6 , 308 , 809 and 6 , 437 , 570 , operates on the principal that the energy associated with the initiation and propagation of cracks along the length of a tube can be carefully controlled and utilized to dissipate the energy of an impacting vehicle . this concept incorporates a tapered mandrel that is forced inside a tube of slightly smaller dimensions . as the tapered mandrel is forced inside the tube , hoop stresses develop in the tube , and these stresses then initiate and propagate cracks along the length of the tube . the cracks propagate in front of the mandrel such that there is no direct contact between the mandrel and the crack surfaces , thereby limiting friction . when the crash cushion is impacted end - on by an errant vehicle , the impact head engages and interlocks mechanically with the front of the vehicle . as the vehicle proceeds forward , the impact head is pushed forward along the box - beam rail element . the impact head then contacts the post breaker beam and breaks off the first ( end ) steel breakaway post , thus releasing the cable anchorage . shortly after the fracture of the first ( end ) post , the tapered mandrel contacts the end of the stage one energy - absorbing tube and is forced inside the tube . cracks are initiated at the corners of the tube , the locations of which are controlled by notches cut into the end of the tube . as the vehicle proceeds forward and pushes the impact head into the tube , the cracks continue to propagate in front of the impact head until a ) the vehicle comes to a controlled and safe stop ; b ) the vehicle yaws away and loses contact with the tubes ; or c ) the entire length of the stage one tube is used up . upon complete bursting of the stage one energy - absorbing tube , the process is repeated with the stage two energy - absorbing tube until , again , a ) the vehicle comes to a controlled and safe stop ; b ) the vehicle yaws away and loses contact with the tube / terminal ; or c ) the stage two tube is used up . for impacts that are end - on but at an angle , bursting of the tubular rail element proceeds until the vehicle yaws out and / or buckles the rail element and gates behind the crash cushion . similarly , for impacts near the end of the crash cushion ( e . g ., between post nos . 1 and 2 ), the impacting vehicle breaks off the end post , buckles the rail element , and gates behind the crash cushion . for impacts into the side of the crash cushion downstream of the beginning of the length - of - need ( selected to be post no . 3 or 2 . 9 m ( 9 ft - 6 in .) from the end of the crash cushion ), the crash cushion contains and redirects the impacting vehicle . the cable attachment provides the necessary anchorage to resist the tensile forces acting on the rail element to contain and redirect the vehicle . as will be described further below , for impacts into the side of the tubular frame shielding the bridge piers in the present inventive system , the tubular frame contains and redirects the impacting vehicle . anchorage for the tubular frame is provided by two cable anchorage mechanisms , one on each side of the frame . in addition , the tubular frame is stiffened by a double rail , a reduced post spacing around the bridge piers , and diagonal end struts . turning to the figures , the present inventive crash cushion system is shown generally in several configurations . fig1 a and 1b illustrate the application of the guardrail envelope of the present invention , with a typical single pier ( fig1 a ) configuration 100 a and a typical multiple pier ( fig1 b ) configuration 100 b . in fig1 a and 1b , the piers 105 are cylindrical . each configuration discloses two energy - absorbing crash cushions 102 combined with a modular , tubular envelope structure 106 around the bridge pier ( s ) 105 . fig2 a and 2b show a cushion system of the present invention enveloping two rectangular concrete bridge piers 105 . the cushion system of fig2 a and 2b is approximately 7 . 9 m ( 26 ft ) in length from the nose of the impact head 104 to the end of the stage two energy - absorbing tube 103 where the crash cushion connects to the tubular frame for the bridge piers . the major components of the crash cushion system are as follows : ( a ) an impact head assembly 104 ; ( b ) a 2438 - mm ( 8 - ft ) long section of 152 - mm × 152 - mm × 3 . 2 - mm ( 6 - in .× 6 - in .× ⅛ - in .) box - beam rail for the stage one energy absorber 101 ; ( c ) a 4940 - mm ( 16 - ft 2½ - in ) long section of 152 - mm × 152 - mm × 4 . 8 - mm ( 6 - in .× 6 - in ×{ fraction ( 3 / 16 )}- in ) box - beam rail for the stage two energy absorber 103 ; ( d ) a steel breakaway end post 111 ; ( e ) five steel breakaway posts 2 through 6 ; ( f ) a cable anchorage system 114 ; ( g ) a post breaker 115 attached to the end post 111 ; and ( h ) a restraining cable 122 ( see fig6 ). the impact head assembly as fully described in the aforementioned patents includes : a front impact plate , a mandrel tube that inserts into the energy - absorbing tube , and a tapered mandrel . the front impact plate has a dimension of 508 × 508 mm ( 20 × 20 in .) with 51 - mm ( 2 - in .) wide protruded edges to provide a mechanical interlock with the impacting vehicle and to distribute the impact load . the mandrel tube may be fabricated from a 1168 - mm ( 46 - in .) long section of 114 - mm × 114 - mm × 4 . 8 - mm ( 4½ - in .× 4½ - in .×{ fraction ( 3 / 16 )}- in .) tube . the upstream end of the mandrel tube may be welded to the back of the impact plate . the downstream end of the mandrel tube is inserted into the stage one energy - absorbing tube 101 for a distance of approximately 559 mm ( 22 in .). a tapered end is formed on the downstream end of the mandrel tube by welding 9 . 5 - mm ( ⅜ - in .) thick bent plates to the end , which acts like a plunger to shear off bolts at connections to the posts and at splices . two sets of 12 . 7 - mm ( ½ - in ) thick straps are welded around the mandrel tube to control the clearance of the mandrel tube within the energy - absorbing tube ) and the second set approximately 559 mm ( 22 in .) upstream from the plunger end . the cross - sectional dimension of the mandrel increases from 114 mm × 114 mm ( 4½ in .× 4½ in .) to a maximum of 168 mm × 168 mm ( 6 . 6 in .× 6 . 6 in .). the inside dimensions of the energy - absorbing tube is 146 mm × 146 mm ( 5¾ in .× 5¾ in .). the stage one energy - absorbing tube 101 is approximately a 2438 - mm ( 8 - ft ) long section of 152 - mm × 152 - mm × 3 . 2 - mm ( 6 - in .× 6 - in .× ⅛ - in .) box - beam rail . a cable anchor bracket 119 for one end of the anchor cable 117 is welded to the bottom of the rail . the cable anchor bracket consists of a 12 . 7 - mm ( ½ - in .) thick plate with a 29 - mm ( 1⅛ - in .) diameter hole for the cable anchor and reinforced with gussets . two 64 - mm × 64 - mm × 6 . 4 mm ( 2 . 5 - in .× 2 - 5 - in .× ¼ - in .) angles are welded 51 mm ( 2 in .) upstream from the downstream end of the tube for connection to the standard box - beam rail section . the stage two energy - absorbing tube 103 is approximately a 4940 - mm ( 16 - ft 2½ - in ). long section of 152 - mm × 152 - mm × 4 . 8 - mm ( 6 - in .× 6 - in .×{ fraction ( 3 / 16 )}- in .) box - beam rail . fig3 a - 3c illustrate a unique splice mechanism 120 used to connect the one box - beam rail to a second rail . presently , the standard splice mechanism ( fig3 d ) for a box - beam guardrail system consists of two plates ( a and b ) bolted to the inside of the bottom and top of the separate box - beam rails ( c and d ). fig3 d illustrates such prior art splice mechanism . this splice design is not suitable for use with beat applications . in order for the bursting process to continue through a splice , it is necessary to shear off the splice bolts and release the splice plates in advance of the mandrel . the energy and the associated force level required to shear off all eight splice bolts e simultaneously is too high for this design to be a viable alternative . fig3 e illustrates an early design for a splice mechanism for use with beat applications . the splice mechanism consists of two angles f and f ′ welded 50 - mm ( 2 in .) for the downstream end e of the upstream tube h , one on top f and one on the bottom f ′. the angles are 63 . 5 × 63 . 5 × 6 . 4 mm ( 2 . 5 × 2 . 5 × ¼ in .) in dimension and reinforced with gusset plates . two special splice plates t and t ′ were used to connect the upstream tube h and the downstream tube k . the splice plates are fabricated from 13 - mm ( ½ in .) a36 steel plates and welded together to form a l - shape reinforced with gusset plates . the overall dimensions of the splice plates are 406 - mm ( 16 in .) long , 102 - mm ( 4 in .) wide , and 63 . 5 - mm ( 2 . 5 in .) high . the longer legs l and l ′ of the splice plates are bolted to the upstream end m of the downstream tube k with two 16 - mm ( ⅝ in .) diameter grade 5 bolts each , again one on top and one on the bottom . the shorter legs n and n ′ of the splice plates on the upstream end are then bolted to the angles on the upstream tube , also with 16 - mm ( ⅝ in .) diameter grade 5 bolts . this initial splice mechanism requires the mandrel to shear off only two bolts at one time , thus greatly reducing the energy and associated force level . also , the splice plates are outside of the tubers and do not interfere with the mandrel . however , the moment capacity of this splice mechanism is limited by the bolts connecting the splice plates to the angles , rendering the beat terminal design somewhat sensitive to redirectional type of impacts . the present invention maintains the advantages of the early design , but provides a greater moment capacity of the splice and improving the performance of the barrier or crash system for redirectional types of impacts . the splice mechanism of the present invention , shown in fig3 a , 3b , and 3 c , consists of two 464 - mm ( 18¼ - in .) long , 121 - mm × 51 - mm × 6 . 4 - mm ( 4¾ - in .× 2 - in .× ¼ - in .) bent plate channels 121 and 121 ′. the channels 121 and 121 ′ are welded to the top and bottom of the downstream end 125 of the stage one tube for a length of 152 mm ( 6 in .). the upstream ends 127 and 127 ′ of the channels are tapered to minimize the potential for snagging by the vehicle . two 267 - mm ( 10½ - in .) long 102 - mm × 38 - mm × 7 . 9 - mm ( 4 - in .× ½ - in .×{ fraction ( 5 / 16 )}- in .) channel splice plates 123 and 123 ′, again one on top and the other on the bottom , are used to connect stage one tube to the stage two tube . the channel splice plates 123 and 123 ′ are each bolted to the upstream end 130 of the stage two tube with two 15 . 9 - mm ( ⅝ - in .) diameter a325 bolts 131 . the channel splice plates were then bolted to the bent plate channels with 19 - mm ( ¾ - in .) diameter bolts 133 . the first post 1 in the system is a steel breakaway end post consisting of an upper section 1 a and a lower section 1 b ( see fig4 a - 4d ). the upper section 1 a ( fig4 a and 4b ) is a 546 - mm ( 21½ - in .) long section of standard w152 × 13 . 4 ( w6 × 9 ) steel post used with w - beam guardrail systems . the lower section 1 b ( fig4 c and 4d ) is a 2438 - mm ( 8 - ft ) long section po standard w152 × 22 . 3 ( w6 × 15 ) steel post with a 102 - mm ( 4 - in .) wide u - shaped collar 1 c welded to the top of the post . the upper post 1 a is bolted to the collar 1 c of the lower post 1 b using a 15 . 9 - mm ( ⅝ - in .) diameter a325 bolt . a 23 - mm ( 1¼ - in .) wide , 82 - mm ( 3¼ - in .) long slot 1 d ( fig4 a ) is cut through the web of the upper post at the bottom to allow attachment of one end of the cable anchor . the box - beam rail is attached to the end post using an angle support bracket with 7 . 9 - mm ({ fraction ( 5 / 16 )}- in .) diameter a307 bolts . post nos . 2 through 6 are standard 1829 - mm ( 6 - ft ) long breakaway steel posts ( see fig5 ). the rail elements 134 are attached to support brackets 135 with 7 . 9 - mm ({ fraction ( 5 / 16 )}- in .) diameter bolts . the support bracket 135 is fabricated from 4 . 8 - mm ({ fraction ( 3 / 16 )}- in .) thick bent plate and reinforced with gusset plates . the 152 - mm ( 6 - in .) long 152 - mm × 152 - mm × 4 . 8 - mm ( 6 - in .× 6 - in .×{ fraction ( 3 / 16 )}- in .) box - beam rail sections 136 are welded to the support brackets to serve as blockout tubes to the posts , as shown in fig5 . the support brackets are in turn attached to the posts with 15 . 9 - mm ( ⅝ - in .) diameter bolts . the post spacing between post nos . 1 and 2 is 1981 mm ( 6 ft - 6 in . ), and the post spacing from post nos . 2 to post 6 is 1219 mm ( 4 ft ). turning to fig6 , it may be seen that a cable anchor assembly 114 is used to transmit the force from the box - beam rail element 116 to the end post 1 . the cable 117 is anchored to the end post 1 through a hole in the base of the upper section 1 a of the end post and attached with a cable anchor bearing plate 116 , washer , and nut . the other end of the cable is attached to the cable anchor bracket 119 on the bottom of the box - beam rail 116 with washer and nut . unlike many existing energy - absorbing terminals , there was no need for a mechanism to release the cable anchor assembly 114 from the rail 116 since the rail is bursted into four strips . a post breaker 115 , as shown in fig6 , is fabricated from 51 - mm × 51 - mm × 5 . 4 - mm ( 2 - in .× 2 - in .× ¼ - in .) tubes . the post breaker is attached to the end post using a 19 - mm ( ¾ - in .) diameter a325 bolt . a second 6 . 4 - mm ( ¼ - in .) diameter bolt is also used to keep the post breaker from rotating . the post breaker is designed to facilitate the separation of the upper section 1 a from the lower section 1 b of the end post 1 by either shearing the attachment bolt or tearing the metal above the attachment bolt in the collar . the post breaker 115 is designed to function for both head - on impacts as well as reverse direction impacts into the side of the terminal . in head - on impacts , the impacting vehicle pushes the impact head 104 into the upstream end of the post breaker 115 . for side impacts into the terminal in the reverse direction , the impacting vehicle directly contacts the post breaker 115 at its downstream end . the 6096 - mm ( 20 - ft ) long by 6 . 4 - mm ( ¼ - in .) diameter steel cable 122 is used to retain the impact head 104 in case of a reverse direction impact . one end of the cable 122 is attached to the impact head and the other end of the cable is attached to the upstream end of the anchor cable 117 at the end post . the cable 122 is bundled and tied to the impact head to eliminate dangling of the cable . shielding of the bridge piers is provided by a tubular envelope or frame 106 , as shown in fig1 a , 1b , 2 a , and 2 b . the tubular frame was modular in nature . the design will handle any number , size , and spacing of bridge piers . earlier prototypes of the present invention concentrated on a tubular frame that was 1 , 829 - mm ( 72 - in .) wide and butted up directly against a 1 , 219 - mm ( 48 - in .) square bridge pier . as discussed above , based on observations of snagging of the engine hood and fender on the bridge pier during the initial crash tests , the tubular frame of the system was significantly and uniquely redesigned . the redesigned tubular frame was widened to 2 , 540 mm ( 100 in .) in order to reduce the potential for snagging of the engine hood and fender on the bridge pier . increasing the width of the frame allowed for an at least 203 - mm ( 8 - in .) gap g between the envelope 106 and a 1 , 219 - mm ( 48 - in .) square bridge pier 105 . this 8 inch gap was quite effective . it should be understood that a gap of greater than ½ ″ may be effective in reducing snagging , but having the frame abutting against the pier is not recommended . a preferred gap range may be approximately 5 inches to 10 inches . as shown in fig2 a and 2b , the major components of the tubular frame 106 are as follows : ( a ) a double rail section 110 or 110 ′ at bridge pier ; ( b ) a connecting rail section 112 or 112 ′; ( c ) an angled end strut 114 or 114 ′; and ( d ) a y - shape connector 116 or 116 ′. ( e ) a frame cable anchorage 118 or 118 ′. the tubular frame forms an envelope 106 around the bridge piers . for each bridge pier , there is a double rail section 110 and 100 ′ on each side . the double rail sections are joined by connecting rail sections 112 and 112 ′ to form a continuous rail in front the bridge piers . again remember that more than one double rail section maybe used . the two rails are then joined by angled struts 114 or 114 ′ on both ends to form a parallelogram . this may readily be seen in fig1 a . the end struts 114 are angled so that errant vehicles that go behind the crash cushion will not impact the end strut at a right angle . instead , the angled strut is intended to redirect the vehicle away from the bridge piers . the double rail sections 110 and 110 ′, as shown in fig1 a , 1b and 2 a , are placed laterally in front of and spaced apart ( by gap g ) from each bridge pier . as previously stated , the gap g should be at least ½ ″ from the face of the pier . the front rail section 130 is 4940 - mm ( 12 - ft 2½ - in .) long , and the extended block rail section 132 is 3048 - mm ( 10 - ft ) long . both sections are fabricated from ts 152 - mm × 152 - mm × 4 . 8 - mm ( 6 - in .× 6 - in .×{ fraction ( 3 / 16 )}- in .) structural tubing . the two rail sections are held together by bolting the sections between a special support bracket on the bottom and tie plates on top with 7 . 9 - mm ({ fraction ( 5 / 16 )}- in .) diameter bolts . the support brackets , fabricated from a 4 . 8 - mm ({ fraction ( 3 / 16 )} in .) thick bent plate and reinforced with gusset plates , are in turn attached to the posts with 15 . 9 - mm ( ⅝ in .) diameter bolts . each double rail section has four standard 1829 mm ( 6 ft .) long , w152 × 13 . 4 ( w6 × 9 ) guardrail line posts ( posts 9 through 12 shown in fig2 a and 2b ). the double rail sections 110 at the bridge piers are joined with connecting rail sections 113 and 113 ′, also fabricated from ts 152 - mm × 152 - mm × 4 . 8 - mm ( 6 - in .× 6 - in .×{ fraction ( 3 / 16 )}- in .) structural tubing . the length of the connecting rail sections may vary , depending on the spacing between the bridge piers . standard box - beam rail splice plates 110 are used to join the rail sections . each connecting rail section has one or more supporting posts ( post nos . 13 and 14 shown in fig2 a ). these posts are standard 1829 - mm ( 6 - ft ) long , w152 × 13 . 4 ( w6 × 9 ) guardrail line posts . the same support brackets with box - beam rail blockouts or extended blockout support brackets and tie plates are used for attaching the rail section to the posts . the post spacing for the posts in the connecting rail section was 914 mm ( 3 ft ). the two sides of the envelope 106 rails are joined by angled struts 114 and 114 ′ on both ends to form a parallelogram . the angle has been selected to be approximately 34 degrees . the angled strut is connected to the back rail with a bent splice 134 or 134 ′. the bent splice is fabricated from welding two short sections of ts 127 - mm × 127 - mm × 4 . 8 - mm ( 5 - in .× 5 - in .×{ fraction ( 3 / 16 )}- in .) structural tubing together . the welded end of each section have an angle of approximately 17 degrees for a total of approximately 34 degrees . the length on the short side of the section is 328 mm ( 12 . 9 in .). the angled strut 114 is attached to the front rail section 112 or 112 ′ and the stage two energy - absorbing tube 103 of the crash cushion with a y connector 116 or 116 ′. the y connector 116 , as shown in fig7 , consists of a 292 - mm ( 11½ - in .) long , ts 152 - mm × 152 - mm × 4 . 8 - mm ( 6 - in .× 6 - in .×{ fraction ( 3 / 16 )}- in .) center tube 137 . two 948 - mm × 102 - mm × 12 . 7 - mm ( 37 - in . { fraction ( 4 / 16 )}- in × 4 × ½ - in .) splice plates 139 a are welded to the top and bottom of the center tube 137 . the stage two energy - absorbing tube from the crash cushion is attached to the upstream end 141 of the splice plates and the double rail section is attached to the downstream end 143 . a ts 114 - mm × 114 - mm × 4 . 8 - mm ( 4½ - in .× 4½ - in .×{ fraction ( 3 / 16 )}- in .) structural tubing 142 with a length of 357 mm ( 14 in .) on the short side is welded to one side of the center tube at an angle of 34 degrees and for bolting of the angled end strut 114 or 114 ′. anchorage for the tubular frame is provided by a pair of cable anchorage 118 and 118 ′. the cable anchors are located inside of the tubular frame and attach to the box - beam rail 132 260 - mm ( 10¼ - in .) downstream of post no . 10 ( fig2 a and 2b ) in order to provide the necessary capacity upstream of the end terminals for impacts on the terminal ends of the system . as may be seen in detail ( fig2 c ), the additional anchorages consist of the same lower end post 150 used on the end terminal anchorages , a steel cable 152 , and an anchor bracket 154 mounted underneath the box - beam rail . the lower end post 150 is a 2438 - mm ( 8 - ft ) long section of standard w152 × 22 . 3 ( w6 × 15 ) steel post with a 102 - mm ( 4 - in .) wide u - shaped collar 153 welded to the top of the post . a 31 . 75 - mm diameter hole is drilled in the u - shaped collar in order to attach the cable 152 . the other end of the cable is attached to a cable anchor bracket 154 on the bottom of the box - beam rail with washer and nut . the cable anchor bracket 154 consists of a 12 . 7 - mm ( ½ - in .) thick plate 155 with a 30 - mm ( 1⅛ - in .) diameter hole for the cable anchor and reinforced with gussets . the overall system shown in the fig2 a and 2b has two 1219 - mm ( 48 - in .) square bridge piers spaced 6096 mm ( 20 ft ) apart . for different number of bridge piers , each bridge pier is shielded by the double rail system with the four supporting posts . the double rail sections are then joined by connecting rail sections to form a continuous rail . the standard setup accommodates bridge pier sizes of up to 1219 - mm ( 48 - in .) square , which is generally adequate for most situations . for larger bridge piers , the structural frame may be customized to accommodate the specific size of the bridge pier . finally , different spacing between the bridge piers may be accommodated by adjusting the length of the connecting rail sections . although the invention has been described with reference to a specific embodiment , this description is not meant to be construed in a limiting sense . on the contrary , various modifications of the disclosed embodiments will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reference to the description of the invention . it is therefore contemplated that the appended claims will cover such modifications , alternatives , and equivalents that fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention . | 4 |
in the descriptions below , specific designs for bronchial flow restrictors are described . the restrictors can be placed in any bronchial airway , but generally the airways between and including the lobar bronchus and sub - sub - segmental bronchi are the desired airways to restrict . the restrictor is intended to impede air flow in both the inspiratory and expiratory direction usually about equally , and either permanently or temporarily . flow limitation can be from 10 % to 99 . 99 % reduction of flow , usually being from 99 % to 99 . 9 % of the unrestricted flow , depending on the clinical need . the flow limitation will have at least one of two physiologic effects . in instances where the lung region distal to the restrictor is generally free from collateral ventilation , the restrictor will induce a controlled atelectasis . the distal lung region will collapse , although at a significantly slower rate of collapse than would be the case with complete occlusion of air flow into the region , and the risk of pneumothorax will be significantly reduced . in other instances where the lung region downstream from the flow restrictor is exposed to significant levels of collateral ventilation , the restricted air flow into and from the region will induce hypoxia . the resulting reduced oxygen concentrations distal to the restrictor will catalyze the von euler reflex to shunt pulmonary perfusion to other , usually more healthy and functional , bronchopulmonary regions of the lung that have not been treated with a restrictor , and thus improve the ventilation - perfusion efficiency of the lung . fig1 a and 1b illustrate a bronchial flow restrictor ( bfr ) 10 constructed of an elastic wire frame 12 which is laminated with an elastomeric membrane 14 . on the proximal end 16 of the bfr , the membrane 14 is incomplete or perforated , creating at least one vent hole 18 . on the distal section 20 of the bfr , apertures 22 are formed in the membrane 14 to create a path for the gas flow . the size and shape of the vent hole 18 and apertures 22 can vary in order to provide a desired flow resistance within the range defined elsewhere herein . this general design permits collapsibility of the bfr for insertion into a small catheter for delivery into the lung , allowing self - expansion of the bfr when released from the catheter . the stepped configuration of this particular design allows the bfr to be placed at or near an airway bifurcation or airway narrowing . for example , the larger proximal end may be placed in a proximal airway so that the distal smaller section 20 extends into the next generation airway which is smaller because it is distal to the proximal airway . the flow restrictions can be fabricated by the techniques described for fabrication of fully occlusive elements and one - way valves set forth in u . s . pat . no . 6 , 527 , 761 and commonly assigned , copending application ser . no . 11 / 280 , 592 , the full disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference . fig2 a - 2d describe a modified configuration 10 ′ of the previously described bfr in which distal gas flow apertures 24 are positioned to be within the lumen of the distal airway da after the bfr has been expanded from a radially constrained diameter in the airway to an unconstrained diameter which creates a dilated pocket dp ( fig2 d ) in the airway . thus , the gas flow through apertures 24 is not obstructed by the bronchial wall . fig3 is a cross - sectional view of bfr 30 in which a housing 32 includes a gas flow orifice tube 34 on its distal end 36 . the housing can have a “ uni - body ” construction , typically being molded or cast from silicone or another biocompatible elastomer . in some instances , the housing 32 can have composite construction of wire frame with silicone membrane coating , or be formed from a variety of materials and construction methods . it can be collapsible and self expanding for a catheter based delivery . in other designs , the bfr can be malleable to allow plastic deformation and expansion by a balloon or other expandable deployment on the delivery catheter . fig4 illustrates a bfr 40 in which a housing 42 comprises a plurality of windows 44 in a wall of a distal section 46 in order to permit gas flow in and out of the housing . an orifice 48 at the opposite proximal end completes the gas flow path such that the device restricts but does not obstruct gas flow . as with previously described embodiments , the housing 42 can have a uni - body construction or comprise a wire frame with silicone or other membrane covering . it can be either collapsible and self expanding or balloon expandable . fig5 a and 5b illustrate bfr 50 which has gas or fluid transport channels 52 shaped or formed into an outer surface or periphery of the housing body 54 . the channels 52 will leave a space or gap between the airway wall in which the bfr is implanted and the surface of the bfr , thus providing a path for fluid flow in both directions . as mentioned previously , the housing 54 can have a uni - body or composite construction . the housing 54 can be collapsible and self expanding or balloon expandable . fig6 illustrates a bfr 60 in which a housing 62 houses a funnel - shaped ( or hourglass - shaped ) diaphragm 64 which provides a gas flow orifice 66 in the center of the diaphragm . distal and proximal apertures 68 and 69 , respectively , allow air flow into and out of the housing 62 , and the tapered orifice 66 defined by the diaphragm 64 restricts the flow . the diameter of the orifice 66 can be selected to provide a desired flow resistance . the housing 62 can have a uni - body construction or be a wire braided structure encapsulated with silicone or other elastomere . the diaphragm can be a flexible silicone material or other elastomere in order to facilitate compressibility of the bfr 60 for insertion into the lung via a delivery catheter lumen . fig7 illustrates bfr 70 in which a gas flow tube 72 is axially aligned in a housing 74 . construction of the housing 74 can be similar to any of the concepts previously described . the gas flow tube 72 can be constructed of any tubular material , preferably being a flexible polymer . flexibility is advantageous since a flexible tube will facilitate insertion into the lung . the housing 74 can have any of the constructions described previously . fig8 a and b and 9 a and b illustrate non - covered , tightly packed wire braid flow restrictors 80 and 90 . the tight backing of the wire braid can eliminate the need for a membrane cover to achieve occlusion while providing a perforate or foraminous surface 82 and 92 , respectively , to permit a controlled flow of air therethrough . referring now to fig1 , the respiratory system of a patient starts at the mouth and extends through the vocal cords and into the trachea where it then joins the main stem bronchi b which leads into the right lung rl and the left lung ll . the bronchi going into the right lung divide into the three lobar bronchi which lead into the upper lobe rul , the middle lobe rml and the lower lobe rll . the lobes of the right lung include a total of ten segments ( three in the rul , two in the rml , and five in the rll ) which are discrete units of the lung separated from each other by a fibrous septum generally referred to as a lung wall . the left lung ll includes only an upper lobe lul and a lower lobe lll , where the individual lobes include four to five segments each each lung segment , also referred to as a bronchopulmonary segment , is an anatomically distinct unit or compartment of the lung which is fed air by a tertiary bronchus and which oxygenates blood through a tertiary artery . normally , the lung segment and its surrounding fibrous septum are intact units which can be surgically removed or separated from the remainder of the lung without interrupting the function of the surrounding lung segments . in some patients , however , the fibrous septum separating the lobes or segments may be perforate or broken , thus allowing air flow between the segments , referred to as “ collateral ventilation .” use of a delivery catheter 100 for placement of a bfr in accordance with the principles of the present invention is shown generally in fig1 and 12 . the catheter 100 is advanced through the mouth , down through the trachea t , and through the main bronchus into the left lung ll . a distal end 102 of catheter 100 is advanced into the left lung ll , and further advanced to an airway aw which feed a diseased lung region dr . the catheter 100 may be introduced through the main bronchus b and into the left lung ll without the use of a bronchoscope or other primary introducing catheter , as illustrated in fig1 . alternatively , the catheter 100 may be introduced through a conventional bronchoscope ( not shown ) which is positioned in the main bronchus above the branch between the right and left lungs . alternatively , the catheter 100 may be introduced into the lung through a scope , such as a visualizing endotracheal tube ( not shown ) which is capable of advancing into the branching airways of the lung is advantageous in that it facilitates positioning of the delivery catheter 100 at the desired airway leading to a target lung segment . construction and use of a visualizing endotracheal tube is taught , for example , in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 285 , 778 , the full disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference . it would be possible , of course , to utilize both the bronchoscope and the endotracheal tube in combination for positioning the delivery catheter 100 in the desired lung segment airway . after the distal end 102 of the delivery catheter 100 has been positioned in the main airway or bronchus feeding the diseased region dr , the catheter can optionally be immobilized , for example by inflating a balloon or cuff 104 . after immobilizing the distal end of the catheter , a pusher or other element 106 can be advanced in order to eject the bronchial flow restrictor bfr in the bronchus , where it optionally self - expands to anchor in place . although not illustrated , it would also be possible to use an inflatable balloon or other deployment device on the catheter 100 in order to position a plastically deformable restrictor at a desired location . referring now to fig1 a and 13b , after the bronchial flow restrictor bfr has been placed in the airway leading to a diseased region dr , illustrated as a first lung segment ls 1 , air flow into and out of the segment as the patient inhales and exhales will be restricted by placement of the bfr , as generally described above . as shown in fig1 a and 13b , the first lung segment ls 1 is surrounded by a fibrous septum fs which is generally intact so that little or no collateral ventilation with adjacent lung segments ls 2 and ls 3 will occur . thus , as shown in fig1 b , the reduced air flow into and out of the treated lung segment ls 1 will induce atelectasis and cause the treated segment to deflate . deflation of the treated segment ls 1 , in turn , allows the adjacent , healthier lung segments ls 2 and ls 3 to expand and provide improved patient blood oxygenation . moreover , the slower rate of atelectasis reduces the risk to the patient of pneumothorax , as discussed above . referring now to fig1 a and 14b , in other instances , the diseased lung region dr may have a perforated or otherwise damaged region of the fibrous septum dfs which permits collateral ventilation between the diseased region ( ls 1 ) and an adjacent lung region ls 2 . in those instances , air entering via the collateral channels is already low in oxygen and placement of the bronchial flow restrictor bfr will significantly reduce the amount of oxygenated air entering the diseased region ls 1 / dr via the feeding bronchus . as shown in fig1 b , over time , the reduced and non - oxygenated air exchange with the diseased region dr will induce hypoxia in the region ( shown with the cross - hatching ) which will catalyze the von euler reflex to shunt pulmonary perfusion to other healthier regions of the lung , such as adjacent healthy segments ls 2 and ls 3 . it will be appreciated , however , that the induced lung collapse and induced hypoxia may occur to differing degrees in even the same treated region . in particular , the shift between lung collapse and hypoxia may depend , at least in part , on the degree to which collateral ventilation exists between the diseased region and adjacent healthier lung regions . thus , although it may be desirable to perform a diagnostic on the patient to determine whether or not a particular diseased region is subject to collateral ventilation ( as taught , for example , in commonly owned , copending application ser . no . 11 / 296 , 951 , filed on dec . 7 , 2005 , the full disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference ), it would not be necessary . treatment of diseased lung regions using the bronchial flow restrictors of the present invention may be advantageous regardless of the collateral ventilation status of a particular region . while the above is a complete description of the preferred embodiments of the invention , various alternatives , modifications , and equivalents may be used . therefore , the above description should not be taken as limiting the scope of the invention which is defined by the appended claims . | 0 |
while this invention may be embodied in many different forms , there are described in detail herein specific embodiments . this description is an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit it to the particular embodiments illustrated . for the purposes of this disclosure , like reference numerals in the figures shall refer to like features unless otherwise indicated . shown in prior art fig1 and 2 , as the product 2 arrives in feed tracks 12 , it begins to bunch up . the product 2 is stopped via the stop block 14 . although the product 2 is stopped via the stop block 14 , a low speed conveyor ( not shown ) continues to operate in order to supply new product to the pick - up area 4 , where the product 2 is picked - up from the product line 5 . further , the low speed conveyor is in contact with the base of the product 2 , moving the product 2 in the direction of arrow 15 . as a result , where the products 2 have a smaller base than top , they tend to tilt or “ shingle ,” as illustrated in fig1 . this shingling , in turn , can make it difficult for a pick - up head ( not shown ) to pick the product 2 from the pick - up area 4 . with regard to fig3 , a product stabilizer 10 is shown in conjunction with a product line 5 , wherein product 2 travels along the product line 5 . as further shown in fig3 , the product stabilizer has four feed tracks 12 , however , any desired number of feed tracks 12 is permissible ( e . g ., 1 - 30 or more ). turning to fig4 , the product 2 is shown in an upright configuration , where it has been acted upon by the product stabilizer 10 . with regard to fig5 , the product stabilizer 10 is shown from the bottom - up . in some embodiments , the product stabilizer 10 includes an actuator 16 and a plurality of elongate members 18 extending from an end plate 20 . in some embodiments , the elongate members 18 are spaced apart to arrange products 2 between the elongate members 18 in adjacent single - file rows . extending from some of the elongate members 18 are arms 22 . as shown in the embodiment of fig5 , the arms extend from every - other elongate member 18 . the arms 22 are configured to contact the products 2 to prevent shingling . with regard to fig6 , in some embodiments , the product stabilizer includes one or more elongate members 18 with arms 22 and one or more elongate members without arms . in fig6 , one of the elongate members 18 having arms 22 is shown in cutaway . the arms 22 are positioned in a first configuration 24 , wherein the arms 22 are retracted within the housing 26 . in some embodiments , the elongate member 18 further comprises a tie rod 28 , which is attached to the actuator 16 . in some embodiments , the arms 22 are coupled to the tie rod 28 . as shown in fig1 , for example , the arms 22 are coupled to the tie rod 28 via elongate hole 34 and fastener 36 . the fastener 36 can comprise any suitable configuration or type , for example , bolt , screw , pin , needle bearing . returning to fig6 , in some embodiments , the arms 22 are pivotally engaged to the frame 30 of the elongate member 18 via pivots 32 . in this way , the actuator 16 can move tie rod 28 in the direction of arrow 38 and extend the arms 22 outwardly from the first ( retracted ) configuration 24 . fig7 , in turn , shows the arms 22 in a second configuration 42 wherein the arms 22 are extended as the tie rod 28 continues to move in the direction of arrow 38 . in particular , in some embodiments , as the tie rod 28 moves in the direction of arrow 38 , the arms 22 pivot around pivots 32 . further , the arms 22 extend into the space 40 between adjacent elongate members 18 in order to maintain proper separation of the products ( not shown in fig7 ) at their bases and prevent shingling . fig8 shows the arms 22 in a third configuration 44 wherein the arms 22 are further extended as the tie rod 28 travels in the direction of arrow 38 . turning to fig9 , the arms 22 are shown in a fourth or extended configuration 46 . in the fourth configuration , the arms 22 are positioned to provide the desired amount of separation between the product bases ( not shown in fig9 ) and prevent shingling . as will be appreciated , the amount of separation can be set by adjusting the throw of the actuator and / or the size of the arms 22 and / or the shape of the arms 22 and / or the orientation of the pivots 32 and fasteners 36 . with regard to fig1 , in some embodiments , the arms 22 a located on the bottom side 48 of the tie rod 28 while arms 22 b are located on the top side 50 ( fig9 ) of the tie rod 28 . additionally , in some embodiments , the fastener 36 extends through elongate holes 34 in both arms 22 a and 22 b . this arrangement of arms 22 a , 22 b results in a compact design which can be readily maintained . as further shown in fig1 , in some embodiments , the frame 30 has cut - outs 52 to provide adequate clearance for the arms 22 to rotate . as the tie rod 28 moves , the arms 22 swing between the retracted configuration 24 ( fig6 ) and the extended configuration 46 ( fig9 ), or vice - versa , and the fastener 36 translates within the elongate hole 34 . this translation of the fastener 36 within the elongate hole 34 results because the fastener 36 moves linearly with the tie rod 28 while the arms 22 arc around their pivots 32 . fig1 shows an embodiment of the product stabilizer 10 in a partial cutaway view . as shown , the actuator 16 is attached to the frame 30 of the elongate member 18 . additionally , the arms 22 have a rectangular shape with rounded edges . in the embodiment of the product stabilizer 10 shown in fig1 , the product stabilizer 10 includes a plurality of paddle members 54 . the paddle members 54 are configured to prevent shingling of the products 2 and to “ un - shingle ” products 2 that have become shingled . in fig1 , the products 2 are illustrated in a shingled configuration , wherein tops or lids of the products 2 are partially stacked or overlapping . further , the paddle members 54 are shown in a first or retracted configuration 24 . as illustrated in fig1 , however , the paddle members 54 have been moved to contact the products 2 and separate the products 2 at their bases . turning to fig1 , the product stabilizer 10 having paddle members 54 is shown in greater detail . as shown , the paddle members 54 are in a first or retracted configuration 24 , wherein , for example , the paddle members 54 are arranged in an upright position . as further illustrated in fig1 , in some embodiments , the product stabilizer 10 comprises an elongate member 18 having a frame 30 . the frame 30 has a length 47 and an actuator 16 attached thereto . the actuator 16 , in turn , is attached to a driven member 56 . in some embodiments , the driven member 56 comprises a connecting member 58 and a cam member 60 . in some embodiments , the actuator 16 is a linear actuator that pushes and / or pulls connecting member 58 , translating the connecting member 58 relative to the guide 62 , on which the connecting member rests . the guide 62 further provides lateral support for the connecting member 58 via opposing sides 64 . in some embodiments , the product stabilizer 10 further comprises a torque rod 68 , which is supported by one or more support members 70 . attached to the torque rod 68 are paddle members 54 , which rotate in conjunction with the torque rod 68 . the torque rod 68 has a guide pin 70 attached thereto ( fig1 a ), which resides in helical slot 66 of cam member 60 . as further illustrated in fig1 - 17 and 15a - 17a , the cam member 60 transforms the linear motion of the actuator 16 into rotational motion of the torque rod 68 . in some embodiments , the product stabilizer 10 further comprises a housing 72 attached to the frame 30 . at least a portion of the cam member 60 is located within the housing 72 . the housing 72 provides a stable environment within which the cam member 60 can translate . further , the housing 72 shields the helical slot 66 from dust and debris . with regard to fig1 and 15a , the paddle members 54 are rotated to a second configuration as the actuator 16 pushes the connecting member 58 . in fig1 and 16a , the paddle members 54 have rotated to a third configuration , upon further linear movement of the connecting member 58 . finally , in fig1 and 17a , the paddle members 54 have rotated to a fourth configuration , wherein the paddle members 54 provide the desired separation between the bases of adjacent products ( not shown ). although the cam member 60 is shown in fig1 - 17 having helical slot 66 and the torque rod 68 comprises guide pin 70 , it will be appreciated that the relationship can be reversed — the torque rod 68 has a helical slot 66 , while the cam member 60 comprises a guide 70 . other suitable arrangements are also permissible . for example , the actuator 16 can comprise a rotational actuator , which , in some embodiments , directly or indirectly , actuates the torque rod 68 . in some embodiments , the product stabilizer 10 has paddle members 54 extending into the space 40 between adjacent elongate members 18 from only one of the elongate members , as shown for example in fig1 . in some embodiments , however , the paddle members 54 can extend from both of the adjacent elongate members 18 into the space 40 therebetween . any other suitable arrangement is also permissible . returning to fig1 , the paddle members 54 define a perimeter 74 . in some embodiments , the perimeter 74 of at least one of the paddle members 54 has a portion thereof that is concave and a portion thereof that is convex . as will be evident , the shape of the paddle members 54 can be optimized to prevent shingling or un - shingle shingled products . in some embodiments , the paddle members 54 can be swapped , for example by removing bolts 76 ( or other fastener ), and replaced with a different shape paddle member , depending upon the shape of the product . in some embodiments , the torque rod 68 is supported along its length by one or more supports 78 . the above disclosure is intended to be illustrative and not exhaustive . this description will suggest many variations and alternatives to one of ordinary skill in this art . the various elements shown in the individual figures and described above may be combined or modified for combination as desired . all these alternatives and variations are intended to be included within the scope of the claims where the term “ comprising ” means “ including , but not limited to ”. further , the particular features presented in the dependent claims can be combined with each other in other manners within the scope of the invention such that the invention should be recognized as also specifically directed to other embodiments having any other possible combination of the features of the dependent claims . for instance , for purposes of claim publication , any dependent claim which follows should be taken as alternatively written in a multiple dependent form from all prior claims which possess all antecedents referenced in such dependent claim if such multiple dependent format is an accepted format within the jurisdiction ( e . g . each claim depending directly from claim 1 should be alternatively taken as depending from all previous claims ). in jurisdictions where multiple dependent claim formats are restricted , the following dependent claims should each be also taken as alternatively written in each singly dependent claim format which creates a dependency from a prior antecedent - possessing claim other than the specific claim listed in such dependent claim below . this completes the description of the invention . those skilled in the art may recognize other equivalents to the specific embodiment described herein which equivalents are intended to be encompassed by the claims attached hereto . | 1 |
a rotary atomizer 20 according to the present invention includes a housing assembly 21 which can be releasably secured to a manifold assembly 22 . the housing assembly 21 includes an outer casing or shroud 23 having a larger diameter end for attachment to the manifold assembly 22 and tapering to an opposite smaller diameter front end . abutting the opening in the smaller diameter end of the shroud 23 is an annular shaping air cap 24 . attached to the cap 24 is an annular shaping air ring 25 which forms an opening in which is centered an atomizer bell 26 . the housing assembly 21 can be releasably attached to the manifold assembly 22 by a plurality of latches having a first portion 27 attached to an outer surface of the shroud 23 and a second portion 28 attached to an outer surface of the manifold assembly 22 . as shown , three generally equally spaced latching mechanisms are utilized , but any convenient number and spacing of conventional latching mechanisms are suitable . the manifold assembly 22 includes a generally cylindrical manifold body 29 to which the second latch portions 28 are affixed to the outer curved surface thereof . also attached to the curved surface of the manifold body 29 is a radially extending stud assembly 30 for attachment to a device for positioning the rotary atomizer 20 at a work station such as an industrial robot or reciprocating mechanism ( not shown ). the manifold body 29 has a central aperture 31 formed therein for the delivery of coating fluid to the housing assembly 21 as will be discussed below . also , a plurality of fittings extend from the surface of the manifold body 29 which faces the larger diameter end of the shroud 23 . these fittings include a shaping air fitting 32 , an exhaust air fitting 33 , a bearing air fitting 34 , a turbine air fitting 35 and a brake air fitting 36 . also formed in the manifold body 29 is a speed monitor access port 37 utilized to carry signals representing the speed of the air turbine motor . for example , the air turbine motor can be fitted with a magnetic pickup for generating pulses representing the revolutions of the turbine . signal - carrying wires from the pickup can be extended through the access port 37 to a high voltage isolation device and then to suitable monitoring and display equipment ( not shown ). the rotary atomizer 20 of fig1 is shown in a fragmentary , cross - sectional side elevational view in fig2 . the housing assembly 21 and the manifold assembly 22 are shown connected by the first latch portions 27 and the second latch portions 28 . the manifold body 29 has an outer planar face 38 and a generally parallel inner planar face 39 between which extend a plurality of apertures forming passages for the various fluids which are supplied to the housing assembly 21 . an aperture 40 is representative of five such passages , one for each of the shaping air , exhaust air , bearing air , turbine air , and brake air . the end of the passageway 40 adjacent the face 38 is threaded to receive a connection to a source of shaping air ( not shown ). typically , a conventional source of pressured air is connected to a line having a threaded fitting on the end thereof to threadably engage the passageway 40 . the end of the passageway 40 adjacent the inner planar face 39 is also threaded and threadably receives one end of the fitting 32 . the protruding end of the fitting 32 retains an &# 34 ; o &# 34 ; ring 41 in a suitable groove and extends into an aperture 42 formed in a mounting ring 43 which extends around the inner periphery of the larger diameter end of the shroud 23 . a planar face 44 of the mounting ring 43 abuts the face 39 of the manifold body 29 . the opening of the aperture 42 to the face 44 is tapered so as to guide the fitting 32 and the &# 34 ; o &# 34 ; ring 41 into the aperture 42 whereupon the &# 34 ; o &# 34 ; ring seals against the walls of the aperture 42 . thus , the manifold body 29 , the fitting 32 , the &# 34 ; o &# 34 ; ring 41 and the mounting ring 43 cooperate to seal the shaping air path from its source through the manifold assembly 22 and into the housing assembly 21 . a sealed path for each of the brake air , exhaust air , turbine air , and bearing air is formed in a similar manner to the rear cover of the housing . when the latch portions 27 and 28 are released , the housing assembly 21 can be easily separated from the manifold assembly 22 which can remain attached to the robot or reciprocator . the mounting ring 43 engages a flange 45 formed on one end of an air bearing turbine motor 46 . the mounting ring 43 is attached to the motor 46 with one or more threaded fasteners 47 extending through a radial aperture formed in the mounting ring 43 and into threaded engagement with a threaded aperture formed in the flange 45 . a plurality of apertures ( not shown ) are formed in a rear cap 48 of the motor within the center area of the ring 43 and receive the protruding ends of the fittings 33 , 34 , 35 and 36 . thus , the end cover 48 and the ring 43 cooperate as a rear cover plate for the shroud 23 . the opposite end of the turbine motor 46 extends through an annular shaping air manifold 49 . the shaping air manifold 49 is attached to the motor 46 with one or more threaded fasteners 50 extending through a radial aperture formed in the manifold 49 and into threaded engagement with a threaded aperture in the outer surface of the motor 46 . the radially extending aperture for the fastener 50 is formed in a larger diameter portion 51 of the manifold 49 . the larger diameter portion 51 is connected to a smaller diameter portion 52 which is located closer to the forward end of the motor 46 . the smaller diameter portion 52 has external threads formed thereon for engaging internal threads formed on an inner surface of the annular shaping air cap 24 . the cap 24 includes a smaller diameter rear portion 53 , which threadably engages the portion 52 of the manifold 49 , and a smaller diameter front portion 54 connected on opposite sides of a larger diameter central portion 55 . a rearwardly facing outer edge of the central portion 55 has a circumferential notch 56 formed therein for engaging and retaining a leading edge of the shroud 23 . the smaller diameter front portion 54 has external threads formed thereon for engaging internal threads formed on an inner wall of the annular shaping air ring 25 . the turbine motor 46 includes a front cover plate 57 which cooperates with the motor housing to form a radially extending groove 58 . the groove 58 retains an inner edge of a flexible annular shaping air cap retainer 59 . an outer edge of the cap retainer 59 engages an inner surface of the shaping air cap 24 . extending from the cover plate 57 is a forward end of a threaded drive shaft 60 upon which is mounted the atomizer bell 26 . a source of pressured air ( not shown ) is connected to the piston chamber of a conventional fluid valve 61 which in turn is connected to a valve fluid assembly 62 . the valve fluid assembly 62 includes one or more radially extending threaded apertures 63 for connection to a source of coating fluid ( not shown ). the valve fluid assembly 62 extends into and is threadably engaged in the central aperature 31 formed in the manifold body 29 . the valve piston assembly 61 includes a stem 61a which extends through the valve fluid assembly 62 and terminates in a sealing element 61b which cooperates with a sealing surface formed in the aperture 31 . thus , when air pressure exceeding a predetermined value is applied to the valve 61 , the valve will open to admit the coating fluid from the valve fluid assembly 62 thereby forcing coating fluid through the central aperture 31 in the manifold assembly 22 . the end of the central aperture 31 adjacent the face 39 receives one end of a rigid fluid feed tube or line 64 . the fluid line 64 retains an &# 34 ; o &# 34 ; ring 65 in an external &# 34 ; o &# 34 ; ring groove to seal against the inner surface of the central aperture 31 . the fluid line 64 extends through the flange 45 , the center of the fluid motor 46 and the drive shaft 60 and terminates at the forward end of the drive shaft . attached to and extending from the interior of the fluid line 64 is a fluid nozzle 66 . the atomizer bell 26 has a central aperture formed therein which is closed by a circular splash plate 67 . as will be discussed below , the splash plate 67 has an inwardly facing conical center which extends into the open end of the fluid nozzle 66 which end is internally tapered to match the taper on the splash plate 67 . the aperture 42 in the mounting ring 43 is connected to one end of a barbed fitting 68 . the barbed end of the fitting 68 is inserted into one end of a length of flexible tubing 69 . a second barbed fitting 70 has its barbed end inserted into the opposite end of the piece of tubing 69 . the barbed fitting 70 is connected to an aperture 71 formed in the larger diameter portion 51 of the shaping air manifold 49 . the aperture 71 extends longitudinally through the shaping air manifold 49 and is open to an annular cavity 72 defined by the shaping air manifold 49 , the shaping air cap 24 , the shaping air cap retainer 59 and the housing of the turbine motor 46 . a longitudinally extending passageway 73 is formed through the smaller diameter front portion 54 and the larger diameter central portion 55 of the shaping air cap 24 to connect the cavity 72 with a cavity 74 formed between the exterior surface of the smaller diameter front portion 54 of the shaping air cap 24 and the interior surface of the shaping air ring 25 . as the shaping air ring 25 is threaded onto the shaping air cap 24 , the outer surface of the shaping air ring 25 forward of the cavity 74 will engage or abut the inner surface of the forward end of the shaping air cap 24 to prevent the shaping air from exiting from the cavity 74 . however a plurality of grooves or slots 75 ( shown in fig4 ) are formed in the outer surface of the forward end of the front portion 54 and are generally equally spaced about the periphery . these slots 75 permit the shaping air to exit the cavity 74 between the cap 24 and the ring 25 and flow into an annular space 75a between the spaced apart forward ends of the cap 24 and the ring 25 . the cavity 74 and the slots 75 cooperate to distribute the air to the annular space 75a uniformly about the perimeter of the bell 26 . the shaping air exits the annular space 75a at the forward edges thereof adjacent an outer edge 76 of the atomizer bell 26 . the slots 75 are formed at an angle to the longitudinal axis of the housing assembly 21 to provide an inwardly directed stream of shaping air about the circumferential edge 76 . the slots 75 and the annular space 75a deliver the shaping air as a thin ring to offset the momentum of the atomized coating fluid particles which escape in a radial direction from the edge of the bell 26 . the inwardly directed shaping air provides a small pattern and greater efficiency to the shaping air for controlling the radial pattern of the atomized fluid . the angled surface in which the slots 75 are formed and the abutting surface on the ring 25 are conical about the axis for the bell 26 to precisely align the ring 25 on the air cap 24 . this construction assures that the annular space 75a will be uniform about the axis to provide a uniform flow of shaping air about the bell 26 . the exhaust air from the turbine motor 46 is normally expelled from an aperture ( not shown ) in the planar end 48 , into the fitting 33 and through the manifold body 29 to an exhaust air line ( not shown ). however , the exhaust air can be expelled from one or more apertures 45a in the flange 45 into a cavity 77 formed between the motor 46 and the shroud 23 . a passageway 78 extends through the larger diameter central portion 55 of the shaping air cap 24 to connect the cavity 77 with a cavity or chamber 79 formed between the inner surface of the shaping air cap 24 and the outer surface of the atomizer bell 26 . the retainer 59 extends between the shaping air cavity 72 and the exhaust air chamber 79 to prevent the flow of air therebetween . as the exhaust air passes through the cavity 77 , it cools the turbine motor 46 and reduces the heat generated by the internally mounted air bearings . the exhaust air exits the cavity 79 between the forward end of the shaping air cap 24 and the outer edge 76 of the atomizer bell 26 to aid the shaping air exiting the annular space 75a . this air prevents coating fluid from wrapping back around the outside of the shroud 23 as well as entering the chamber 79 . also , since the exhaust air exits in a forward direction , it reduces the amount of shaping air required to drive the coating fluid toward the target . also , more shaping air is normally required to offset the increased momentum of the coating particles as the atomizer speed increases . since the volume of exhaust air increases as the speed of the turbine motor 46 increases , the exhaust air helps to meet the need for more shaping air . in fig3 the surface 38 of the manifold body 29 and the stud assembly 30 are shown in more detail . the stud assembly 30 includes a generally cylindrical post 80 extending in a radial direction from a semi - circular mounting bracket 81 secured to the outer circumferential surface of the manifold body 29 by a pair of fasteners 82 . as stated above , the stud assembly 30 is adapted to be attached to an arm of a robot or a reciprocator . also shown in fig3 are the threaded passageway 83 for connection to an exhaust line , a threaded passageway 84 for connection to a source of bearing air , a threaded passageway 85 for connection to a source of turbine air , and a threaded passageway 86 for connection to a source of brake air . the exhaust aperture 83 can be blocked or provided with a restrictor valve ( not shown ) to direct the exhaust air into the cavity 77 . fig4 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the forward ends of the cap 24 , the ring 25 , the bell 26 , and the splash plate 67 and a portion of the cavity or chamber 79 of fig2 in cross - section . the body of the splash plate 67 is disk - shaped with a v - shaped groove 90 formed in the circumferential edge thereof . the groove 90 engages a radially extending flange 90a formed in the opening in the atomizer bell 26 . thus , the splash plate 67 is a snap fit in such opening . a rearwardly facing surface 91 of the splash plate 67 has a conical extension 92 centrally located thereon . a pair of diametrically opposed passageways 93 are formed through the conical extension 92 to connect with an aperture 94 formed in a forwardly facing surface 95 of the splash plate 67 . during rotation of the atomizer bell 26 and the splash plate 67 , coating fluid will exit the fluid nozzle 66 and spread over the surface of the conical extension 92 . under centrifugal force , the coating fluid will flow out onto the rearwardly facing surface 91 of the splash plate 67 and onto a rearwardly facing surface 96 of the atomizer bell 26 . the fluid will then flow through passageway 97 which represents one of a plurality of such passageways equally spaced in a circular pattern and connecting the surface 96 to the forwardly facing surface of the atomizer bell . a small portion of the coating fluid will also flow through the passages 93 and into the aperture 94 . this fluid will flow from the aperture 94 over the forwardly facing surface 95 of the splash plate 67 and onto the forwardly facing surface of the atomizer bell 26 toward the passageway 97 . therefore , a thin film of wet coating fluid will be maintained on the central portions of the atomizer bell 26 and splash plate 67 as an aid to cleaning those parts with solvent as well as the internal and external surfaces of the bell 26 which are wet when the coating job has been completed . as shown in fig2 one or more generally radially extending apertures 98 are formed in the outer surface of the shaping air ring 25 . the aperture 98 are adapted to be engaged by a suitable tool for threading the ring 25 into and out of engagement with the cap 24 . similar apertures can be formed in the outer surface of the cap 24 for threading into and out of engagement with the manifold 49 . fig5 is a schematic diagram of the speed monitoring circuit for the rotary atomizer of fig1 . the motor 46 includes a turbine wheel 101 attached to the drive shaft 60 . a pair of permanent magnets 102 are mounted at diametrically opposed locations on the turbine wheel . although one magnet is sufficient to generate a speed signal , two or more magnets are typically utilized to maintain the balance of the turbine wheel 101 . a pickup coil 103 including a magnetic core 104 is located adjacent the path of the magnet 102 . the ends of the pickup coil 103 are connected to opposite ends of a single loop of dielectrically insulated high voltage wire 105 in a series loop . the pickup coil 103 and the magnetic core 104 are positioned inside the motor 46 . the high voltage wire 105 extends through an aperture ( not shown ) formed in the end cover 48 and through the aperture 37 formed in the manifold body 29 . typically , the high voltage wire 105 extends approximately two or more feet from the rotary atomizer 20 and passes through the center of a toroidal coil 106 . the ends of the isolation coil 106 are connected to a conventional speed monitoring device 107 . each time one of the magnets 102 passes the pickup coil 103 , an electrical pulse is generated in the coil 103 and is conducted through the high voltage wire 105 . the pulse is inductively coupled to the toroidal coil 106 and is sensed by the speed monitoring device 107 . the high voltage wire 105 and the toroidal isolation coil 106 provide high voltage isolation of the speed monitoring circuit from the high voltage power supply ( not shown ) which is connected to the rotary atomizer in a conventional manner to electrostatically charge the particles of coating fluid . the fluid valve 61 and valve fluid assembly 62 shown in fig2 can be utilized to control the flow of multiple colors of paint and cleaning solvent to the rotary atomizer 20 . there is shown in fig6 a schematic diagram of a valve control circuit in which a multiple color paint source 111 supplies paint to a rotary atomizer 20 . the paint source 111 is conventional and typically includes a plurality of paint reservoirs , one for each color to be sprayed , connected through valves to a manifold . the outlet from the paint source 111 is in fluid communication with a valve 112 representing the combination of the fluid valve 61 and the valve fluid assembly 62 described above . the valve 112 in turn is in fluid communication with one inlet of an adapter 113 which has an outlet in fluid communication with the rotary atomizer 20 . the outlet of the adapter 113 is threaded to engage the central aperture 31 formed in the manifold body 29 . another valve 114 is connected between a dump reservoir 115 and the line between the paint source 111 and the valve 112 . the valve 114 can be the combination of the fluid valve 61 and the valve fluid assembly 62 . a similar valve 116 is connected between the adapter 113 and a source of solvent 117 . when the rotary atomizer 20 is being utilized to paint an object such as an automobile , the selected color of paint is forced under pressure from the paint source 111 through the valve 112 which is actuated to the open position under air pressure . the paint flows through the adapter 113 to the rotary atomizer 20 . typically , the next automobile body to be sprayed is to receive a different color of paint . the paint source 111 disconnects the color being utilized and injects a bead of solvent through the line toward the valve 112 . however , the valve 112 is closed and the dump valve 114 is opened to the dump reservoir 115 . thus , the end of the color which has just been sprayed flows to the dump reservoir and the bead of solvent cleans the lines . the bead of solvent is followed by the new color to be sprayed and the timing is such that the dump valve 114 is not closed and the first valve 112 is not opened until the bead of solvent has passed and the second color is available to be directed to the rotary atomizer . at the same time the color is being changed , the valve 116 is opened and a high pressure , short duration burst of solvent from the solvent reservoir 117 is forced through the adapter 113 and the rotary atomizer 20 to clean the paint flow path and the atomizer bell . the valve 116 is then closed before the valve 112 is reopened for the new color . in accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes , the present invention has been described in what is considered to represent its preferred embodiment . however , it should be noted that the invention can be practiced otherwise than as specifically illustrated and described without departing from its spirit or scope . | 1 |
various embodiments of the present invention are described in detail with reference to the drawings . while the following description will generally discuss each embodiment separately , two or more embodiments may be combined to increase the accuracy of diseased or cancerous tissue detection . further , while the present description will generally use only two bands of ir wavelengths , the use of three or more bands of ir wavelengths will further increase system sensitivity to diseased tissue . fig1 illustrates an area of tissue and skin 100 , of which a portion is diseased , such as by a cancerous lesion . this area of tissue and skin 100 is imaged by a diagnostic system 110 employing the methodology of the present invention . the diagnostic system 110 comprises a dual - band ir imager 112 and a computer 114 . in the healthy portion of the area of tissue and skin 100 , the body regulates its temperature using neuronal modulation of blood perfusion 120 . the neuronal modulation of blood perfusion 120 includes vasodilation to cool the body and vasoconstriction to warm the body in the body &# 39 ; s effort to maintain a desired temperature 122 . this results in normal temperature oscillations 124 about the desired temperature 122 . the body uses the skin as a radiator to remove excess heat causing the skin temperature 126 to oscillate . the skin temperature 126 oscillates over a band of neuronal thermoregulatory frequencies ( trfs ) 128 . the skin therefore radiates an ir flux 130 as excess heat is given off by the skin in the body &# 39 ; s effort to maintain the desired temperature 122 . while this process is generally discussed in terms that the tissue underlying the skin is cancerous , this method lends itself to the detection of skin cancer as well . for that reason , while the term tissue and skin may be used separately , skin will also be considered tissue for the purposes of this description . the diagnostic system 110 takes a series of infrared images of the tissue and skin 100 using the dual - band ir imager 112 and processes the resultant images using the computer 114 . the actual images will be composed of many individual pixels , each corresponding to a different portion of the imaged tissue and skin 100 . the dual - band ir imager 112 may be based upon a 256 pixel by 256 pixel or 480 pixel by 640 pixel dual - band ir photodetector array . to increase sensitivity , the dual - band ir imager 112 images the tissue and skin 100 in two different bands of ir wavelengths resulting in two different series of ir images . by using the two different series of ir images , the occurrence of false positives and false negatives may be reduced . the second series of ir images in the second band of ir wavelengths may serve as a check on the first series of ir images in the first band of ir wavelengths , thereby increasing overall diagnostic system i 10 sensitivity depending upon the data analysis method . the use of n independent bands of ir wavelengths generally leads to a √ n increase in sensitivity . with the two bands used throughout this description , this increase in sensitivity leads from a single band ir diagnostic system having a sensitivity of 30 m ° c . to a dual - band ir diagnostic system 110 having a sensitivity of 21 m ° c . alternatively , if 30 m ° c . is the desired diagnostic system 110 sensitivity , then the dual - band ir imager 112 can incorporate two single - band ir photodetector arrays each having a sensitivity of 42 m ° c ., thereby improving manufacturability . the increased sensitivity of the dual - band ir imager 112 over a single - band ir imager decreases the occurrence of false positive and false negatives due to tissue and skin variations . different portions of the skin may radiate different levels of ir flux , even though both the skin and the underlying tissue are healthy . as an example , a birthmark will likely radiate heat differently than normal skin . similarly , a tattoo may create a false positive or false negative , as it too will radiate heat differently than normal skin . for a very sensitive single - band ir imager , a large freckle may lead to a false positive or false negative . however , by using two series of ir images , each taken in different bands of ir wavelengths , false positives and false negatives due to variations in skin color will be minimized . variations in the underlying tissue can also affect detection of diseased tissue . while a breast may have relatively uniform tissue , an arm will include areas of significant muscle tissue adjacent to bony regions such as the elbow and wrist , resulting in ir image variations . the nitric oxide ( no ) modulation of blood perfusion 140 will be described next . a diseased portion of the tissue and skin 100 , due to a cancer 142 in this discussion , provokes an immune response 144 within the tissue and skin 100 . this immune response 144 results in increased macrophage activity 146 , which produces no 148 . some cancers , such as breast cancer , are known to elevate the local level of ferritin 150 within the diseased tissue . elevated levels of ferritin 150 further increases the amount of no 148 produced within the diseased tissue . nitric oxide causes vasodilation 152 of the capillary bed leading to enhanced blood perfusion 156 within the diseased tissue . a side effect of the presence of no is that neuronal control ( vasodilation and vasoconstriction ) of the capillary bed is impaired 154 . the net result is that temperature in the diseased tissue will be controlled more by no - based blood perfusion rather than by neuronal processes . that is , no controlled temperature oscillations 158 will dominate over the attenuated neuronal temperature oscillations 160 . a second side effect of no controlled blood perfusion is an increase in spatial homogeneity of skin temperature 162 . that is , there will be less temperature variation in the skin surface temperature due to the no - induced vasodilation of the capillary bed . no controlled blood perfusion will occur at non - neuronal trfs 164 , as will be discussed in detail below . as with healthy tissue , the temperature of the skin overlying diseased tissue will create an ir flux 166 that can then be imaged by the dual - band ir imager 112 . the first embodiment of the present invention is based upon the average temperature of the imaged tissue . the first embodiment converts the first and second series of ir images into thermal images , i . e ., converts each pixel from the ir image to a corresponding temperature . each individual thermal image therefore is a two - dimensional array of temperatures and each of the first and second series of thermal images is a series of two - dimensional arrays of temperatures . at the preferred imaging rate of 30 to 60 images per second and a 10 to 60 second series of images , the first and second thermal images can readily include over 1000 individual thermal images . the first embodiment next subdivides the tissue area imaged into a number of subareas . these subareas correspond to two pixel by two pixel portions of the thermal images or larger . a preferred upper limit on the subarea size is an eight pixel by eight pixel subarea as larger areas will tend to average out any local variations that might indicate the presence of diseased tissue . the first embodiment then finds the average temperature value for each of these subareas . this is done for each individual thermal image in both the first and the second series of thermal images resulting in first and second pluralities of average temperature values . these first and second pluralities of average temperature values are then analyzed in view of fig2 . fig2 illustrates a histogram showing all of the average temperature values for the first plurality of average temperature values 200 . curve 202 is the composite curve showing the average temperature values for skin overlying both healthy and diseased tissue . curve 204 corresponds to the average temperature values for the skin overlying a healthy region of tissue . curve 204 therefore corresponds to skin whose underlying tissue is thermally regulated by neuronal control of blood perfusion . the peak temperature value for this healthy tissue is denoted t h . in regions of skin overlying diseased or cancerous tissue , the average temperature value curve 206 is formed . due to the generally vasodilated state of the capillary bed in diseased tissue , the average temperature value for these regions is greater . the higher peak average temperature value for these diseased regions is denoted by t d . a preliminary determination that a cancerous lesion may be present requires that a cluster of six adjacent subareas each have abnormal average temperature values . a first average temperature value for the first series of thermal images is calculated . this first average temperature value is preferably found by proportionately weighting each of the subareas based upon their size . in particular , when a spatial distribution of the first average temperature values within the cluster of six adjacent subareas is less than about 20 % or more than about 100 % of the first average temperature value , tissue corresponding to the cluster of six adjacent subareas is preliminarily determined to be diseased . this preliminary determination is confirmed if the same series of calculations and comparisons on the second series of thermal images yields the same cluster of six adjacent subareas . as each of the first and second series of ir images is preferably taken periodically , trfs can be determined . the second embodiment of the present invention makes use of these trfs . fig3 illustrates a trf histogram for both healthy and diseased tissue 300 . curve 302 is a composite for both the healthy and diseased tissue while curve 304 corresponds to healthy tissue and curve 306 corresponds to diseased tissue . curve 304 for healthy tissue reflects neuronal control blood perfusion and generally has a frequency of between 10 and 700 millihertz . in contrast , curve 306 for diseased tissue reflects no - based control of blood perfusion and has a higher frequency , generally in the range of 0 . 8 to 2 . 0 hz . the second embodiment makes use of the differences in trfs by finding the contributing frequency for each subarea in the first series of thermal images . this contributing frequency may be determined by analyzing the average temperature value for a subarea based on the known periodic nature of the first series of thermal images . the preferred method to determine the contributing frequency is to subject the average temperature values to a fast fourier transform that rapidly finds the frequency components or ranges of frequencies for a time varying signal . as shown in fig3 , while more healthy tissue subareas had a trf of f h , there is some variation about this frequency . however , very few healthy tissue subareas had a trf as high as f d , the strongest of the diseased tissue trfs . once the contributing frequency for each subarea using the first series of thermal images is determined , first lower and upper threshold frequencies are found , preferably by weighting each subarea based upon their size . as before , a cluster of six adjacent abnormal subareas leads to a preliminary diseased tissue diagnosis . in particular , when a spatial distribution of the contributing frequency of the cluster is less than the first lower threshold frequency or more than the first upper threshold frequency , tissue corresponding to the cluster is preliminarily diagnosed as being diseased . this preliminary diagnosis is confirmed if the same series of determinations and comparisons on the second series of thermal images yields the same cluster of six adjacent subareas . the third embodiment is similar to the second embodiment in that it uses the contributing frequency of each subarea . in particular , the third embodiment uses the amplitude of the contributing frequencies . as shown in fig3 , the diseased tissue curve 306 has only a small frequency amplitude at f h , thus providing another means for cancer discrimination . the third embodiment therefore searches for a cluster in which a spatial distribution of the amplitude of the contributing frequency is less than a first lower threshold amplitude or more than a first upper threshold amplitude . the first lower and upper threshold amplitudes are determined using the first series of thermal images and is preferably weighted by subarea size . as with the previous embodiments , the use of the second series of thermal images is used to confirm a preliminary diseased diagnosis from the first series of thermal images . in contrast to the first three embodiments that use the two series of thermal images sequentially , the fourth embodiment uses the two series of thermal images in parallel . fig4 illustrates a series of correlation curves 400 for two different bands of ir wavelengths , the two bands centered around λ 1 and λ 2 . the fourth embodiment includes taking a baseline radiance measurement of known healthy skin and tissue in the two different bands of ir wavelengths , thereby generating a healthy skin and tissue correlation curve 402 . this healthy correlation curve 402 can be mathematically defined most simply in terms of a slope and an intercept , that is λ 2 = m h λ 1 + b h . it should be noted that depending upon the wavelengths within the two bands of ir wavelengths , the properties of the skin and underlying tissue , etc ., additional terms might be required to more accurately describe the correlation . in the simple slope and intercept form , the precise values for m h and b h will likely be a function of the skin and the underlying tissue . for example , the m h and b h values for a breast cancer screening will likely be different from the m h and b h values for a bony structure such as the wrist or ankle . once the appropriate healthy correlation curve 402 is determined , the subareas within the first and second series of thermal images will also be correlated . this correlation may produce subareas having diseased correlation curve 404 or 406 . diseased correlation curve 404 may be described as λ 2 = m d1 λ 1 + b d1 , while diseased correlation curve 406 may be described as λ 2 = m d2 λ 1 + b d2 . the fourth embodiment then compares the slope m d1 or m d2 with m h . if a spatial distribution of the m d1 or m d2 values for a cluster are different than m h , then the tissue corresponding to the cluster is determined to be diseased . how different the slope values will be will depend upon the types of underlying tissue as noted above , as well as the specific wavelengths λ 1 and λ 2 chosen . the radiance measurements of healthy skin taken for the fourth embodiment may be made as a function of integration time for the dual - band ir imager 112 , the temperature of the skin and tissue being imaged , or a combination thereof . the temperature of the skin and tissue can be varied by directing either a warming or a cooling stream of air on the skin and tissue resulting in thermal stress to the skin and tissue . alternatively , this thermal stress may be induced by directing a flow of water vapor to the skin and tissue . while this thermal stress finds particular application with the fourth ( and fifth ) embodiments , it can readily be used in conjunction with the other embodiments as well . due to the oscillatory nature of thermal regulation , the sensitivity of the fourth ( and fifth ) embodiments can be increased . by finding the contributing frequency for each of the subareas , the correlation between the two series of thermal images can be made at neuronal frequencies or at no modulation frequencies . it is anticipated that correlations made at no modulation frequencies will be especially sensitive for discriminating healthy versus diseased skin and tissue regions . while the fourth embodiment uses the slope of the correlation between the two series of thermal images , the fifth embodiment uses the intercept of the correlation between the two series of thermal images . to this end , the fifth embodiment compares b d1 or b d2 with b h . when the spatial distribution of b d1 or b d2 for a cluster are different from b h , tissue corresponding to the cluster is diagnosed as being diseased . as before , this difference is a function of the underlying tissue and the specific wavelengths chosen . the sixth embodiment of the present invention is based upon detectable differences in the hst between healthy and diseased skin and tissue . the hst for a subarea is found by determining both the average temperature value and the temperature standard deviation and then dividing the average temperature value by the temperature standard deviation . the hst is found for each subarea for each of the first series of thermal images . fig5 shows the resultant histogram 500 of hst values from the first series of thermal images for the skin overlying both healthy and diseased tissue . curve 502 is the overall hst curve while curve 504 corresponds to healthy skin and tissue while curve 506 corresponds to diseased skin and tissue . the temperature standard deviation found in diseased tissue is lower than that of healthy tissue due to the overall vasodilated state of the capillary bed . this lower standard deviation results in higher hst values for diseased skin and tissue regions , centered about hst d as shown in fig5 . in contrast , healthy skin and tissue temperature is controlled by neuronal processes that include both vasodilation and vasoconstriction . this results in wider variations in skin temperature , larger temperature standard deviations and therefore smaller hst values . fig5 shows the healthy skin and tissue regions to have hst values centered about hst h . an overall first average hst for the first series of thermal images is also computed . a preliminary diseased tissue diagnosis is made when spatial distribution of a cluster of six adjacent subareas have hst values of less than about 20 % or more than about 100 % of the first average hst . this preliminary diagnosis is confirmed if the same series of calculations and comparisons on the second series of thermal images yields the same cluster of six adjacent subareas . the seventh embodiment makes use of the differences in trfs of the hst values by finding the contributing frequency for each subarea in the first plurality of hst values . the seventh embodiment will generate a frequency histogram similar to that of fig3 in that healthy tissue subareas will have a trf of hst values with some variation about a healthy tissue center frequency . likewise , diseased tissue subareas will have trf of hst values with some variation about a higher diseased tissue center frequency . once the contributing trf of hst values for each subarea using the first series of thermal images is determined , a first average contributing frequency is found . a cluster of six adjacent abnormal subareas leads to a preliminary diseased tissue diagnosis . in particular , when a spatial distribution of the magnitude of the contributing trf of hst values of the cluster is less than about 20 % or more than about 100 % of the first average contributing frequency , tissue corresponding to the cluster is preliminarily diagnosed as being diseased . this preliminary diagnosis is confirmed if the same series of determinations and comparisons on the second series of thermal images yields the same cluster of six adjacent subareas . fig6 illustrates a temperature standard deviation histogram 600 employed by the eighth embodiment of the present invention . the eighth embodiment requires determining the temperature standard deviation for each of the subareas for each one of the first series of thermal images . curve 602 corresponds to the resultant overall histogram for the temperature standard deviations and is a combination of a curve 604 representing the temperature standard deviations for healthy skin and tissue and curve 606 representing the temperature standard deviations for diseased skin and tissue . the standard deviation for diseased skin and tissue will be lower as noted above due to the generally vasodilated state of the capillary bed leading to more constant temperatures relative to skin and tissue under neuronal controlled blood perfusion . a preliminary diagnosis of diseased skin and tissue corresponding to a cluster of six adjacent subareas requires the cluster to have a spatial distribution of temperature standard deviation of less than about 20 % or more than about 100 % of a first average temperature standard deviation based upon the first series of thermal images . the preliminary diagnosis based upon temperature standard deviation is confirmed if the same series of determinations and comparisons on the second series of thermal images yields the same cluster of six adjacent subareas . each of the embodiments will now be described in reference to fig7 through 10 . the first through third embodiments are illustrated by the block diagram shown in fig7 . in each of the first through third embodiments , two series of ir images of the tissue are recorded in two corresponding different bands of ir wavelengths by the dual - band ir imager 112 . the two series of ir images are then converted by a converter 704 into two series of thermal images . an averager 706 then determines a series of average temperatures for each of the subareas using both series of thermal images . the averager 706 also determines an overall average temperature using both series of thermal images . all of this average temperature information is then analyzed by an analyzer 708 in the first embodiment . in the second embodiment , the two series of thermal images undergo frequency analysis , i . e ., the contributing frequencies for the subareas are determined , by a frequency analyzer 710 . the contributing frequencies are then analyzed by the analyzer 708 to determine if any clusters indicate the presence of diseased tissue based upon contributing frequencies . like the second embodiment , the third embodiment uses the frequency analyzer 710 . the third embodiment requires the analyzer to analyze the amplitude of the contributing frequencies and any clusters having unusual frequency amplitudes may be diagnosed as corresponding to diseased tissue . the fourth and fifth embodiments are illustrated in the block diagram of fig8 . as with the first three embodiments , two series of ir images of the tissue are recorded in two corresponding different bands of ir wavelengths by the dual - band ir imager 112 . the two series of ir images are then converted by the converter 704 into two series of thermal images . the averager 106 then determines a series of average temperatures for each of the subareas using both series of thermal images . the dual - band ir imager 112 also records radiance images in both bands of ir wavelengths , which are subsequently converted into thermal images . both sets of average temperature data and the radiance image data are correlated by a correlator 722 . an analyzer 724 then analyzes the correlation data produced by the correlator 722 . in the fourth embodiment , the analyzer 724 analyzes the slope of the correlation data while in the fifth embodiment the analyzer 724 analyzes the intercept of the correlation data . fig8 also illustrates an element 726 for subjecting tissue to a thermal stress . as noted above , the element 726 can create this thermal stress by directing a stream of warm or cool air over the tissue or by directing a mist at the tissue . while the element 726 is illustrated only in fig8 corresponding to the apparatus for implementing the fourth and fifth embodiments , it can readily be included apparatuses for implementing the first through third and sixth through eighth embodiments . an apparatus for implementing the sixth and seventh embodiments is illustrated in block fashion in fig9 . as with the first five embodiments , two series of ir images of the tissue are recorded in two corresponding different bands of ir wavelengths by the dual - band ir imager 112 . the two series of ir images are then converted by the converter 704 into two series of thermal images . in the sixth embodiment , the two series of thermal images are then processed by the processor 744 . the processor 744 determines average temperatures and standard deviations for each of the subareas using both series of thermal images . the processor 744 then determines hst values for each of the subareas for both series of thermal images . lastly , the processor 744 determines the average hst value for both series of thermal images . an analyzer 746 then analyzes this hst data to determine if any clusters correspond to diseased tissue . in the seventh embodiment , the two series of thermal images undergo frequency analysis by the frequency analyzer 710 . the resultant frequency analyzed data is then analyzed by the analyzer 746 to determine of diseased tissue is present . fig1 illustrates the various blocks required for implementing the eighth embodiment of the present invention . two series of ir images of the tissue are recorded in two corresponding different bands of ir wavelengths by the dual - band ir imager 112 . the two series of ir images are then converted by a converter 704 into two series of thermal images . these two series of thermal images then undergo a series of processes by the processor 744 described above . the various averaged data is then analyzed by an analyzer 764 . in the eighth embodiment , the analyzer 764 determines if any clusters have abnormal standard deviations that would indicate the presence of diseased tissue . the diagnostic system 110 , and in particular , the dual - band ir imager 112 will now be described in greater detail . the first and second bands of ir wavelengths detected by the dual - band ir imager 112 are preferably within the long wavelength ir ( lwir ), which corresponds to radiation having a wavelength of eight to twelve microns . for example , the first band of ir wavelengths might cover the wavelength range of eight to nine microns while the second band of ir wavelengths might cover from ten to eleven microns . the lwir is preferred as the human body ir emissions peak within this range of wavelengths . the first and second bands of ir wavelengths could alternatively be in the middle wavelength ir ( mwir ) corresponding to radiation having a wavelength of three to five microns . as a further alternative , the two bands of ir wavelengths could include one in the lwir and one in the mwir . the dual - band ir imager 112 may be formed in one of several ways . the dual - band ir imager 112 could include two single - band ir photodetector arrays , each sensitive to different bands of ir wavelengths . alternatively , the two single - band ir photodetector arrays could be identical with the different bands of ir wavelength response due to filters . using two single band ir photodetectors will require the use of a beam splitter to cause spatially registered images to be focused on each of the single - band ir photodetector arrays . while the use of two single - band ir photodetector arrays will probably decrease the cost of each single - band ir photodetector array , the overall system cost will likely increase . such a two photodetector array - based dual - band ir imager 112 will require the aforementioned beamsplitter , and probably two separate coolers as each single - band ir photodetector array will require cooling . such a two photodetector array - based dual - band ir imager will also require very tight tolerances to ensure that the image is truly spatially registered on both photodetector arrays , thereby reducing manufacturability . a single dual - band ir photodetector array appears more feasible and manufacturable . several dual - band photodetector technologies have been demonstrated including those using hgcdte and gaas - based multiple quantum well ( mqw ) semiconductor materials . dual - band photodetectors using hgcdte semiconductor materials have high quantum efficiencies , but place strict requirements on the hgcdte manufacturing process . while dual - band hgcdte photodetectors operating in the mwir and lwir have shown excellent performance , the use of hgcdte semiconductor material for the preferred lwir - lwir configuration places extremely strict requirements on the starting hgcdte semiconductor material . for these reasons , it appears unlikely that a commercial hgcdte dual - band ir camera is feasible using current manufacturing technology . gaas - based mqw semiconductor material appears to be a more manufacturable technology and is thus preferable for the present invention . the gaas - based starting material is commercially available from several sources and the fabrication processes are in use in a number of facilities . gaas - based mqw semiconductor material may be fabricated into quantum well ir photodetectors ( qwips ) and enhanced qwips ( eqwips ). dual - band qwips and eqwips have been demonstrated to date with the eqwip offering better sensitivity due to its resonant optical cavity and reduced noise . various embodiments of the eqwip are described and claimed in u . s . pat . nos . 5 , 539 , 206 , 6 , 133 , 571 , 6 , 157 , 042 , and 6 , 355 , 939 and are hereby incorporated by reference . additional preferred embodiments of the eqwip are described in copending application number 21201 and 21301 . the present invention , by imaging a human being , encounters problems should the patient move during the image taking portion of the process . to minimize this effect , the images for the two different series of ir images are preferably taken in an alternating fashion . that is , first an ir image is taken from the first band of ir wavelengths and then an ir image is taken from the second band of ir wavelengths . by alternating the ir wavelength bands , the correlation between the first image in both series of ir images increases when compared to taking all of the first series of ir images over the course of 10 to 60 seconds and then taking all of the second series of ir images . to further minimize problems due to patient motion , the imaging rate should be relatively high , preferably in the range of 30 to 60 hz or greater . an added benefit of the increased imaging rate is that any of the embodiments using frequency - based analysis will have increased frequency resolution . the computer 114 within the diagnostic system 110 will be required to store significant quantities of data and undertake substantial numerical processing . the computer 114 will need to store several thousands of individual ir images and thermal images for each patient . as each of these could include 640 pixels by 480 pixels - worth of data , a rather sizeable hard disk drive and large amount of ram will be beneficial . due to the substantial amount of numerical processing that will be undertaken , a separate numerical processing board may be advantageous . although the present invention has been fully described by way of examples with reference to the accompanying drawings , it is to be noted that various changes and modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art . therefore , such changes and modifications should be construed as being within the scope of the invention . | 0 |
various aspects of the present invention will evolve from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments thereof , which should be taken in conjunction with the heretofore described drawings . with reference to the drawings , fig1 shows the device of the present invention and is identified herein by reference character 10 . device 10 includes a frame member 12 which may be constructed of any light weight and rigid , or semi - rigid material such as aluminum , fiberglass , and the like . frame member may include a first hoop 14 and a second hoop 16 . hoop 14 and 16 attach to one another at connection points 18 and 20 . frame 12 includes means 22 for attaching frame 12 to a user 24 , fig2 . means 22 is depicted on fig1 and 2 as a pair of brackets 26 and 28 which fit over shoulders of user 24 . brackets 26 and 28 are extensions of hoop 16 but may be formed separately and be connected to other portions of frame 12 . means 22 may also include a belt strap 30 which buckles around the waist of the user . it may be seen that a portion 32 of frame 12 extends below the waist of user 24 . device 10 also includes an air foil 34 which may be a fabric covering 36 constructed of nylon , cotton , and the like . fabric covering 36 attaches to hoop 14 by the means of a plurality of fasteners 39 . with reference to hoop 16 , it may be seen that a fabric covering 38 attaches thereto by the use of fasteners 40 . although the device of the present invention may include a single air foil , such as the one found attached to hoop 14 , the embodiments shown in fig1 and 2 shows an air foil having fabric coverings 36 and 38 . the fabric covering associated with hoop 16 includes an orifice 42 which regulates the flow of air passing from fabric covering 38 to fabric covering 36 connected to hoop 14 . orifice 42 may be closed or opened with draw strings 44 or other suitable means . the lower portion 32 of frame 12 includes wings 46 and 48 which help balance the force created by the air resistance above the waist on air foil 34 thereabove . zippers 50 and 52 , as well as zippers 54 and 56 , may divert air from air foil 34 and thereby control the drag created on user 24 by the use of device 10 . zippers 50 , 52 , 54 , and 56 may be opened or closed by the user while moving by the use of strings which extend to the front of user 24 ( not shown ). in operation , the user attaches device 10 to himself by the use of shoulder bracket 26 and 28 in waist belt strap 30 . zippers 50 , 52 , 54 , and 56 may be open or closed as desired to regulate the drag force created by device 10 . in addition , orifice 42 may be opened or closed by the use of drawstrings 44 to fine tune the drag force on the user . the user then runs , walks , cycles , or otherwise moves with device 10 attached . the user derives a greater amount of exercise from traveling a shorter distance with device 10 then he would otherwise without using the same . thus , a smaller or more restricted environment for exercising may be employed by the user than normally is needed in his training . another embodiment of the present invention is shown in fig3 of the drawings . the device 10a includes a flexible frame member 60 which is constructed of a tubular member 62 , bent into a roughly horseshoe shaped configuration . tubular member 62 retains a degree of resiliency in this mode . means 64 is provided for attaching flexible frame member 60 to user 24 . means 64 may include an over - the - shoulder support 66 having a neckbar 68 and bent gripping bars 70 and 72 straps 74 and 76 aid the user in holding gripping bar 70 . cables 78 and 80 extend from tubular member 62 to based yoke 82 . the user slips between backbend 84 and strap 86 when using the device 10a . legs 88 and 90 extend to either side of user and connect to the ends 92 and 94 of tubular member 62 . an air foil 96 may be connected to flexible frame member 60 . device 10a also provides means for permitting the user 24 to deform flexible frame member 60 . such means may take the form of handles 98 and 100 which permit the user to pull in or push out thus deforming tubular member 64 . such activity , of course , requires physical excursion on the user 24 . thus , it may be seen that the user could exercise his legs and arms at the same time . while on the foregoing embodiments of the present invention has been set forth in considerable detail for the purpose of making a complete disclosure of the invention , it may be apparent to those of skill in the art that numerous changes may be made in such detail without departing from the spirit and principle of the invention . | 0 |
hereinafter , various embodiments according to the present invention will be explained with reference to the drawings . although the present invention provides an information processing which is capable of transferring clipped picture data via a transmission device , the following embodiments are explained by referring to an information processing apparatus which transfers the clipped picture data as an information terminal apparatus and by referring to an information processing apparatus which receives the transferred picture data as a portable information terminal apparatus . the information terminal apparatus shown in fig1 includes a display unit 1 for displaying characters and figures , an auxiliary memory unit 2 which is nonvolatile and is capable of writing - in or reading - out data , a memory unit 3 such as a semiconductor memory device , a control unit 4 , a transmission line 5 , and an input unit 6 using a key board , a mouse , a pen , and so forth . moreover , the control unit 4 includes a microprocessor , a memory and programs , and comprises an input control part 41 , a memo editing part 42 , a display control part 43 , a file management part 44 , a picture data clipping part 45 , a transmission control part 46 , and a clock control part 47 . the input control part 41 sends data representing characters , figures , or information indicating a display position on a screen , which data is input via the input unit 6 , to the memo editing part 42 or the picture data clipping part 45 . the information indicating display positions of input areas or buttons of a work menu on the screen , which are input by clicking on the work menu or on the buttons with a mouse , are processed as selection inputs of the work menu or operation inputs of the buttons . the memo editing part 42 executes editing processing of new memo data and renewal processing of the contents in a memo note stored in the auxiliary memory unit 2 . the display control part 43 controls the display of characters or figures on the display unit 1 in response to a display command received from the memo editing part 42 or the picture data clipping part 45 . the file management part 44 effects a reading - out of date from a file stored in the auxiliary memory unit 2 and a writing - in of data into a file in the auxiliary memory unit 2 . the picture data clipping part 45 clips picture data designated in the information terminal apparatus in response to one input operation for designation of clipped picture data , and transfers the clipped picture data to the portable information terminal apparatus connected thereto via the transmission line 5 under control of the transmission control part 46 . the transmission control part 46 executes transmission of file data by accessing a memory in the external portable information terminal apparatus via the transmission line 5 . the clock control part 47 manages the present date and time ( year , month , day , hour , minute , second ), and can change the present date and time . thus , the present date and time are obtained from this part . the contents of the memory unit 3 are shown in fig3 and will be explained later . the control unit 4 executes a processing for clipping picture data , as shown by the flow diagram in fig2 . in this processing , at first , if clipping of picture data is designated in the work menu , the menu of clipping modes shown in fig3 is displayed ( in step 201 ). in this menu of clipping modes , the following picture sizes for displaying clipped picture data are available : that is , the size 301 of a screen in the portable information terminal apparatus , by which clipped picture data is displayed ; an arbitrary size 302 by which clipped picture date of an arbitrary size is displayed on a screen in the portable information terminal apparatus ; a window size 303 by which picture date displayed in an active application window of the information terminal apparatus is clipped ; and a full screen size 304 by which all picture data displayed on the screen in the information terminal apparatus is clipped . it is possible to process the clipped picture data according to a picture size selected in the menu of clipping modes . in step 202 , the displaying of the menu in step 201 is continued , and an input for selecting a picture size is waited for until one of the clipping modes is selected . in step 203 , when one of the clipping modes is selected , the selected clipping mode is stored in a clipping mode storing area 801 in the memory unit 3 , and the picture data is clipped according to the clipping mode stored in the clipping mode storing area 801 . moreover , the clipped picture data is stored in a picture data storing area 810 in the memory unit 3 . as shown in fig8 the memory unit 3 includes the clipping mode storing area 801 for storing the modes for setting a clipped region of picture data , a flag 802 indicating the presence of a designation of a transferred file writing - in area in the portable information terminal apparatus , an area 803 for storing holder ( user ) names of transferred file writing - in holders , an area 804 for storing file names of transferred file writing - in files , an area 805 for storing the x direction picture size of the portable information terminal apparatus , an area 806 for storing the y direction picture size of the portable information terminal apparatus , an area 807 for storing information on names of transferred files ( referred to as transferred file names ) in a memo note holder of the portable information terminal apparatus , an area 808 for storing the serial number added to each transferred file in naming the file , a date information ( yyyy : year , mm : month , dd : day ) storing area 809 , which is obtained from the clock control part 47 , the picture data storing area 810 in which the clipped picture data is stored , and an area 811 for storing information concerning the presence of a memo note holder in the portable information terminal apparatus . as shown in fig9 the transferred file name is composed of a string of four year designating characters ( yyyy ) 901 , a string of two month designating characters ( mm ) 902 , and a string of two day designating characters ( dd ) 903 , indicating the year , the month , and the day , respectively , when the picture data is clipped , a serial number ( nnn ) 904 , a string of two characters ( pc ) 905 indicating a file transferred from the terminal information apparatus , and an extension symbol ( zzz ) 906 . the serial number ( nnn ) 905 is the ordering number assigned to each of the memo files managed on the same day , which is a number between “ 001 ” and “ 999 ”. after the clipped picture data is stored in the picture data storing area 810 in the memory unit 3 in step 203 , in step 204 , information as to the presence of a memo note holder in the portable information terminal apparatus connected vie the transmission line 5 is obtained via the transmission control part 46 , and the obtained information is set to the area 811 for storing information on the presence of a memo note holder . in step 205 , by checking the contents of the area 811 for storing information on the presence of a memo note holder , it is determined whether a memo holder exists or not . if the result of the checking indicates that a memo note holder does not exist , a memo note holder is created in the portable information terminal apparatus by the transmission control part 46 in step 206 , and the processing then goes to step 207 . conversely , if the result of the checking indicates that a memo note holder exists , processing directly goes to step 207 . in step 207 , it is checked to see whether a flag 802 indicating the presence of a designation of a transferred file writing - in area indicates “ yes ” or “ no ”. if the result of the checking indicates “ yes ”, a dialog box for inputting a transferred file writing area is displayed as shown in fig4 in step 208 . the dialog box for inputting a transferred file writing - in area is composed of an area 401 for designating a holder name , and an area 402 for designating a file name in the portable information terminal apparatus to which a file of the clipped data is to be transferred , and an ok button 403 for inputting the designated holder name and the file name . in step 209 , display of the dialog box of fig4 is continued until inputting of the holder name 401 and the file name 402 is completed and the ok button 403 has been clicked . when the holder name 401 and the file name 402 have been designated and the ok button 403 has been clicked , in step 210 , the holder name 401 designated in the dialog box of fig4 is set to the area 803 for storing holder names of transferred file writing - in holders in the memory unit 3 . furthermore , in step 211 , the file name 401 designated in the dialog box of fig4 is set to the area 804 for storing file names of transferred file writing - in files in the memory unit 3 , and then processing goes to the next step 214 . if the result of the checking in step 207 indicates “ no ”, in step 212 , a holder name of a memo note in the portable information terminal apparatus connected via the transmission line 5 is set to the area 803 for storing holder names of transferred file writing - in holders . furthermore , processing for creating a file name of a transferred file writing - in file , which is shown in fig1 , is executed in step 203 , and then processing goes to step 214 . the processing for creating a file name of a transferred file writing - in file in step 213 is shown by the flow chart in fig1 . when this processing is invoked , in step 1001 , the date information ( yyyy , mm , dd ) is read out from the clock control part 47 and is set to the area 804 for storing file names of transferred file writing - in files in the memory unit 3 . moreover , in step 1002 , a file name “ yyyymmdd *. *” is set to the area 804 for storing file names of transferred file writing - in files in the memory unit 3 . the symbol * means that any character string described here can be matched . furthermore , in step 1003 , all files in the memo note in the portable information terminal apparatus , whose names match file names set to the area 804 for storing file names of transferred file writing - in files , are stored in the area 807 for storing information on file names in the memory 3 . in step 1004 , the maximum one of the serial numbers of all files whose names are stored in the area 807 for storing information on file names in the memory unit 3 is read out , and the number ( nnn ) which is increased by one from the read - out maximum number is set to the area 808 for storing a file serial number in the memory unit 3 . in step 1005 , the file name , “ yyyymmddnnnpc . zzz ” is set to the area 804 for storing file names of transferred file writing - in files in the portable information terminal apparatus connected via the transmission line 5 by using the transmission control part 46 . after the process of step 214 is finished , it is checked to see whether the flag 802 indicating the presence of a designation of a transferred file writing - in area in the memory unit 3 indicates “ yes ”. if the result of checking for the flag 802 indicates “ yes ”, in step 216 , the dialog box which is shown in fig5 for indicating information on the file which was transferred , is displayed . this dialog box for indicating information concerning the file which was transferred is displayed when the transferring of the clipped picture data to the portable information terminal apparatus is completed , and it is composed of an holder name 501 and a file name 502 in the portable information apparatus , and an ok button for inputting a confirmation of the holder name and the file name . in step 217 , the display of the dialog box indicating information on a file to be transferred in step 206 is continued until the ok button 503 is clicked , and when the ok button 503 is clicked , processing for clipping the picture data is finished . on the other hand , if the result of checking for the flag 802 in step 215 indicates “ no ”, processing for clipping the picture data is ended ( it is also possible to remove the above - mentioned step 215 of checking the content of the flag ). in the following , the setting of the environment conditions for clipping picture data will be explained in detail with reference to fig6 . if a menu for setting of the environment conditions for clipping picture data is demanded , in step 601 , the environment setting dialog box shown in fig7 is displayed . the environment setting dialog box is composed of an area 701 for indicating whether to designate a transferred file writing - in area in the portable information terminal apparatus connected via the transmission line 5 , an area 702 for designating the size of a picture displayed on a screen of the portable information terminal apparatus when the selected clipping mode designates the size of the screen of the portable information terminal apparatus , and an ok button 703 for inputting the completion of designation of the contents of the areas 701 and 702 . the contents of the areas 701 and 702 displayed in the environment setting dialog box are the last set contents . in invoking processing for clipping picture data , default contents are set to the area 701 for designating a transferred file writing - in area and the area 702 for designating the size of a picture displayed on the screen of the portable information terminal apparatus : that is , “ no ” has been set to the area 701 , and the standard size ( for example , the x direction size : 480 , and the y direction size : 190 ) has been set to the area 702 . by using this environment setting dialog box , in step 602 , a transferred file writing - in area is set , and the size of a picture displayed on the screen of the portable information terminal apparatus is input , and the display of this dialog box is continued until the ok button 703 for inputting the completion of designation of the contents of the areas 701 and 702 is clicked in step 602 . if the ok button 703 is clicked , the input information concerning the designation of a transferred file writing - in area is set to the flag 802 indicating the presence of a designation of a transferred file writing - in area in the memory unit 3 in step 603 , and further , in steps 604 and 605 , the input x direction size and y direction size of a picture displayed on a screen of the portable information terminal apparatus are set to the area 805 for storing the x direction picture size and the area 806 for storing the y direction picture size of the portable information terminal apparatus , respectively . thus , the setting of the environment conditions for clipping picture data is finished . | 8 |
the following examples are intended to illustrate but not to limit the scope of the invention , although the compounds named are of particular interest for our intended purposes . these compounds have been designated by underlined numbers in the examples where their preparations are described and where their systematic names are given . the compounds are later on referred to by a number code , a : b , where a means the number of the example wherein the preparation of the compound in question is described , and b refers to the order of the compounds prepared according to that example . thus , compound 1 : 2 means the second compound prepared according to example 1 . the structures of the compounds found in examples 1 - 21 are confirmed by nmr and elementary analysis . the nmr data are obtained using a 60 mhz instrument ( perkin - elmer r 12 ). most of the compounds prepared in the examples below have been isolated in free form . some of them have been transformed into their salts with pharmaceutically acceptable cations or into acid addition salts by using conventional methods and appropriate reagents . a mixture of 1 , 2 - dihydro - 4 - hydroxy - 1 - methyl - 2 - oxo - quinoline - 3 - carboxylic acid ethyl ester ( 10 parts ), aniline ( 4 parts ), and pyridine ( 40 parts ) is heated at 125 ° c . for 3 h . the ethanol formed is distilled off continuously . the product , n - phenyl - 1 , 2 - dihydro - 4 - hydroxy - 1 - methyl - 2 - oxo - quinoline - 3 - carboxamide ( 1 ), precipitates on cooling to room temperature and is filtered off and recrystallized from pyridine . m . p . 199 °- 200 ° c . in essentially the same manner the following compounds are obtained from the corresponding starting materials . a mixture of n - phenylcarbamoyl - dimethylmalonate ( 14 parts ) and 4 - methoxy - n - methyl - aniline ( 7 parts ) is heated at 200 ° c . for 3 h . the methanol formed is distilled off continuously . the reaction mixture is poured into warm acetic acid , and the product , n - phenyl - 1 , 2 - dihydro - 4 - hydroxy - 6 - methoxy - 1 - methyl - 2 - oxo - quinoline - 3 - carboxamide ( 1 ) ( the same compound as 1 : 2 ), precipitates and is filtered off . m . p . 192 °- 3 ° c . in essentially the same manner the following compounds are obtained from n - phenylcarbamoyl - dimethylmalonate and indoline and 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 - tetrahydroquinoline , respectively : to a mixture of 27 parts of n - phenylcarbamoyl acetic acid ethyl ester in 75 parts of dimethylformamide are added 5 . 3 parts of a 60 % suspension of sodium hydride in mineral oil . the mixture is heated at 80 ° c . for 15 minutes . a solution of 22 parts of n - methyl isatoic anhydride (= 1 - methyl - 2h - 3 , 1 - benzoxazine - 2 , 4 ( 1h ) dione ) in 125 parts of dimethylformamide is added . the reaction mixture is then heated at 110 ° c . for 30 minutes and cooled to room temperature . the crystalline precipitate is filtered off , and methylene chloride and aqueous hydrochloric acid are added . after shaking until clear phases are obtained , the methylene chloride phase is washed with water and evaporated to dryness in vacuo . the residue is crystallized from pyridine to give n - phenyl - 1 , 2 - dihydro - 4 - hydroxy - 1 - methyl - 2 - oxo - quinoline - 3 - carboxamide ( 1 ) ( the same compound as 1 : 1 ). m . p . 199 °- 200 ° c . a mixture of 46 parts of 1 , 2 - dihydro - 4 - hydroxy - 1 - methyl - 2 - oxo - quinoline - 3 - carboxylic acid methyl ester and 240 parts of phosphorous oxychloride is heated at 80 ° c . for 2 h . the excess of phosphorous oxychloride is distilled off in vacuo . the residue is cooled to 0 ° c . and dissolved in methanol . ice and water are added . the crystals of 1 , 2 - dihydro - 4 - chloro - 1 - methyl - 2 - oxo - quinoline - 3 - carboxylic acid methyl ester precipitate are filtered off and dried . m . p . 108 ° c . a mixture of 65 parts of 1 , 2 - dihydro - 4 - chloro - 1 - methyl - 2 - oxo - quinoline - 3 - carboxylic acid methyl ester , 17 . 3 parts of 63 % aqueous hydrobromic acid , and 36 . 3 parts of acetic anhydride is heated at 65 ° c . for 4 h and then left overnight at room temperature . the crystals formed are filtered off and then dissolved in aqueous sodium hydroxide solution and extracted with methylene chloride . the aqueous phase is acidified . the crystals of 1 , 2 - dihydro - 4 - chloro - 1 - methyl - 2 - oxo - quinoline - 3 - carboxylic acid precipitate are filtered off and dried . m . p . 228 ° c . a mixture of 13 . 8 parts of 1 , 2 - dihydro - 4 - chloro - 1 - methyl - 2 - oxo - quinoline - 3 - carboxylic acid , 60 parts of methylene chloride , and 12 . 4 parts of triethylamine is cooled to - 10 ° c ., and a solution of 7 . 3 parts of thionyl chloride in 18 parts of methylene chloride is added dropwise while stirring the reaction mixture . the stirring is continued at 0 ° c . for 1 . 5 h whereafter 6 . 3 parts of aniline are added dropwise at - 10 ° c ., and the temperature is then allowed to rise to room temperature . ice - water is added , and the crystals of n - phenyl - 1 , 2 - dihydro - 4 - chloro - 1 - methyl - 2 - oxo - quinoline - 3 - carboxamide are filtered off and dried . m . p . & gt ; 260 ° c . a mixture containing one part of each of anhydrous sodium acetate , dimethylformamide , and n - phenyl - 4 - chloro - 1 , 2 - dihydro - 1 - methyl - 2 - oxo - quinoline - 3 - carboxamide is heated at 150 ° c . for 3 h . the reaction mixture is cooled to room temperature , aqueous hydrochloric acid is added , and thereafter extracted with ethyl acetate . from the extract is obtained after evaporation to dryness and crystallization from pyridine n - phenyl - 1 , 2 - dihydro - 4 - hydroxy - 1 - methyl - 2 - oxo - quinoline - 3 - carboxamide ( 1 ) ( the same compound as 1 : 1 ). m . p . 199 °- 200 ° c . a mixture of one part of n - phenyl - 1 , 2 - dihydro - 4 - methoxy - 1 - methyl - 2 - oxo - quinoline - 3 - carboxamide ( prepared according to example 6 ) and 5 parts of 5 molar aqueous hydrochloric acid is refluxed for 2 . 5 h , cooled to room temperature and then neutralized with aqueous sodium hydroxide solution . the crystalline product obtained is filtered off and recrystallized from pyridine to give n - phenyl - 1 , 2 - dihydro - 4 - hydroxy - 1 - methyl - 2 - oxo - quinoline - 3 - carboxamide ( 1 ) ( the same compound as 1 : 1 ). m . p . 199 °- 200 ° c . the same result is obtained if in the example given above the 5 molar aqueous hydrochloric acid solution is replaced by 63 % aqueous hydrobromic acid solution . the same result is also obtained if one part of n - phenyl - 1 , 2 - dihydro - 4 - methoxy - 1 - methyl - 2 - oxo - quinoline - 3 - carboxamide is refluxed with 5 parts of aqueous 5 molar sodium hydroxide solution for 1 h and the reaction mixture is neutralized with aqueous hydrochloric acid and worked up as described above . a mixture of 20 parts of 1 , 2 - dihydro - 4 - chloro - 1 - methyl - 2 - oxo - quinoline - 3 - carboxylic acid methyl ester ( see example 4 ), 5 . 2 parts of sodium methoxide , and 200 parts of methanol is stirred at 40 ° c . for 3 h and then allowed to cool to room temperature and filtered . the filtrate is evaporated to dryness in vacuo , and the residue is dissolved in methylene chloride and extracted with aqueous 2m sodium hydroxide solution and with ice - water . the methylene chloride solution is evaporated to dryness in vacuo . the residue solidifies and consists of 1 , 2 - dihydro - 4 - methoxy - 1 - methyl - 2 - oxo - quinoline - 3 - carboxylic acid methyl ester . m . p . 80 ° c . a mixture consisting of 12 . 3 parts of 1 , 2 - dihydro - 4 - methoxy - 1 - methyl - 2 - oxo - quinoline - 3 - carboxylic acid methyl ester , 2 parts of sodium hydroxide , 2 . 5 parts of water , and 50 parts of dioxane is refluxed for 2 . 5 h . the precipitate formed is filtered off and dissolved in water . the aqueous solution is washed with methylene chloride and then acidified with aqueous hydrochloric acid . the precipitate formed consists of 1 , 2 - dihydro - 4 - methoxy - 1 - methyl - 2 - oxo - quinoline - 3 - carboxylic acid . m . p . 177 ° c . a solution of 4 . 7 parts of 1 . 2 - dihydro - 4 - methoxy - 1 - methyl - 2 - oxo - quinoline - 3 - carboxylic acid , 4 . 2 parts of triethylamine in 45 parts of chloroform is cooled to - 6 ° c ., and a solution of 2 . 6 parts of thionyl chloride in 9 parts of chloroform is added dropwise with stirring . the temperature is allowed to rise to 0 ° c ., and after 1 h 2 . 1 parts of aniline are added dropwise . the reaction mixture is allowed to warm up to room temperature and is then extracted with water and aqueous sodium hydrogen carbonate solution . the chloroform solution is evaporated to dryness in vacuo , and the residue is crystallized from butanone to give n - phenyl - 1 , 2 - dihydro - 4 - methoxy - 1 - methyl - 2 - oxo - quinoline - 3 - carboxamide ( 1 ). m . p . 232 °- 4 ° c . in essentially the same manner the following compounds are obtained from the corresponding starting materials . a mixture of 1 , 2 - dihydro - 4 - hydroxy - 1 - methyl - 2 - oxo - quinoline - 3 - carboxylic acid methyl ester ( 5 parts ), 2 - aminothiazole ( 2 . 5 parts ), and pyridine ( 20 parts ) is heated at 125 ° c . for 4 h . the methanol formed is distilled off continuously . the product , n -( 2 - thiazolyl )- 1 , 2 - dihydro - 4 - hydroxy - 1 - methyl - 2 - oxo - quinoline - 3 - carboxamide ( 1 ), precipitates on cooling to room temperature and is filtered off and recrystallized from pyridine . m . p . 251 °- 3 ° c . in essentially the same manner the following compounds are obtained from the corresponding starting materials . a mixture consisting of 34 . 5 parts of n -( 4 - nitrophenyl )- 1 , 2 - dihydro - 4 - hydroxy - 1 - methyl - 2 - oxo - quinoline - 3 - carboxamide ( 1 : 20 ), 0 . 3 parts of platinic oxide , and 330 parts of toluene is hydrogenated at 50 ° c . and at 5 atm . the catalyst is filtered off and the filtrate is evaporated to dryness in vacuo . the residue crystallizes to give n -( 4 - aminophenyl )- 1 , 2 - dihydro - 4 - hydroxy - 1 - methyl - 2 - oxo - quinoline - 3 - carboxamide ( 1 ). m . p . 300 ° c . a mixture of 2 parts of n -( 4 - aminophenyl )- 1 , 2 - dihydro - 4 - hydroxy - 1 - methyl - 2 - oxo - quinoline - 3 - carboxamide , 5 parts of pyridine , and 10 parts of acetic anhydride is left overnight at room temperature . water is added and the precipitate is filtered off and washed with 2m aqueous hydrochloric acid , water , methanol and ethylether to give n -( 4 - acetylaminophenyl )- 1 , 2 - dihydro - 4 - hydroxy - 1 - methyl - 2 - oxo - quinoline - 3 - carboxamide ( 1 ). m . p . 231 °- 4 ° c . ( the same compound as 1 : 41 .) in essentially the same manner the following compounds are obtained from the corresponding starting materials : a reaction mixture consisting of n - phenyl - 4 - chloro - 1 , 2 - dihydro - 1 - methyl - 2 - oxo - quinoline - 3 - carboxamide ( 12 parts ), concentrated aqueous ammonia ( 25 parts ), and methanol ( 60 parts ) is heated in an autoclave at 100 ° c . for 48 hours . after cooling to room temperature the precipitate formed is filtered off and recrystallized from pyridine and dried to give n - phenyl - 4 - amino - 1 , 2 - dihydro - 1 - methyl - 2 - oxo - quinoline - 3 - carboxamide ( 1 ). m . p . 248 ° c . in essentially the same manner the following compounds are obtained from the corresponding starting materials . a reaction mixture consisting of n - methyl - isatoic anhydride ( 18 parts ), n - phenyl - cyano - acetamide ( 18 parts ), pyridine ( 100 parts ), and triethylamine ( 10 parts ) is stirred at room temperature for five days . water is added and the precipitate formed is removed by filtration . the filtrate is acidified and extracted with methylene chloride . after drying and evaporation to dryness in vacuo the extract gives a crystalline residue which consists of n - phenyl - 1 , 2 - dihydro - 4 - hydroxy - 2 - imino - 1 - methyl - quinoline - 3 - carboxamide ( 1 ). m . p . 275 °- 277 ° c . in essentially the same manner the following compounds are obtained from the corresponding starting materials . a mixture of 1 , 2 - dihydro - 1 , 8 - ethylene - 4 - hydroxy - 2 - oxo - quinoline - 3 - carboxylic acid ethyl ester ( 10 parts ), aniline ( 5 parts ), and pyridine ( 40 parts ) is heated at 125 ° c . for 3 h . the ethanol formed is distilled off continuously . the product , n - phenyl - 1 , 2 - dihydro - 1 , 8 - ethylene - 4 - hydroxy - 2 - oxo - quinoline - 3 - carboxamide ( 1 ) ( the same compound as 2 : 2 ), precipitates on cooling to room temperature and is filtered off and recrystallized from pyridine . m . p . 215 °- 17 ° c . in essentially the same manner the following compounds are obtained from the corresponding starting materials . a mixture of 1 , 2 - dihydro - 4 - hydroxy - 2 - oxo - 1 , 8 - trimethylene - quinoline - 3 - carboxylic acid ethyl ester ( 10 parts ), aniline ( 5 parts ), and pyridine ( 40 parts ) is heated at 125 ° c . for 3 h . the ethanol formed is distilled off continously . the product , n - phenyl - 1 , 2 - dihydro - 4 - hydroxy - 2 - oxo - 1 , 8 - trimethylene - quinoline - 3 - carboxamide ( 1 ) ( the same compound as 2 : 3 ), precipitates on cooling to room temperature and is filtered off and recrystallized from pyridine . m . p . 177 °- 8 ° c . in essentially the same manner the following compounds are obtained from the corresponding starting materials . a mixture of 1 , 2 - dihydro - 1 , 8 - ethylene - 4 - hydroxy - 2 - oxo - quinoline - 3 - carboxylic acid ethyl ester ( 10 parts ), aniline ( 4 parts ), and pyridine ( 40 parts ) is heated at 125 ° c . for 3 h . the ethanol formed is distilled off continuously . the product , n - phenyl - 1 , 2 - dihydro - 1 , 8 - ethylene - 4 - hydroxy - 2 - oxo - quinoline - 3 - carboxamide ( 1 ) ( the same compound as 2 : 2 ), precipitates on cooling to room temperature and is filtered off . m . p . 215 °- 17 ° c . in substantially the same manner the following compounds are obtained from the corresponding starting materials . to a mixture of 27 parts of n - phenylcarbamoyl acetic acid ethyl ester in 75 parts of dimethylformamide are added 5 . 3 parts of a 60 % suspension of sodium hydride in mineral oil . the mixture is heated at 80 ° c . for 15 minutes . a solution of 22 parts of n - methyl isatoic anhydride (= 1 - methyl - 2h - 3 , 1 - benzoxazine - 2 , 4 ( 1h ) dione ) in 125 parts of dimethylformamide is added . the reaction mixture is then heated at 110 ° c . for 30 minutes and cooled to room temperature . the crystalline precipitate is filtered off and washed with water , methanol , and ethyl ether and consists of n - phenyl - 1 , 2 - dihydro - 4 - hydroxy - 1 - methyl - 2 - oxo - quinoline - 3 - carboxamide sodium salt ( 1 ). the general method described in example 6 above is used for the preparation of the following compounds from the corresponding starting materials . the general method described in example 6 above is used for the preparation of the following compounds from the corresponding starting materials . the general method described in example 6 above is used for the preparation of the following compounds from the corresponding starting materials . a reaction mixture consisting of n - methyl malonanilic acid methyl ester ( 13 parts ), sodium methoxide ( 4 , 2 parts ) and dimethyl formamide ( 62 parts ) is heated to 100 ° c . under vacuum for 40 minutes and methanol formed is distilled off , whereafter 1 , 8 - trimethylene - isatoic anhydride (= 6 , 7 - dihydro - 1h , 3h , 5h - pyrido ( 3 , 2 , 1 - ij )( 3 , 1 )- benzoxazine - 1 , 3 - dione ) ( 6 , 4 parts ) is added at 80 ° c . the reaction mixture is then heated at 110 ° c . while stirring under vacuum for 40 minutes . water is added after cooling to room temperature , and the solution so obtained is extracted with ethyl ether . the aqueous phase is acidified with hydrochloric acid solution and extracted with methylene chloride . the extract is washed with water , dried and evaporated to dryness . the crystalline residue is washed with acetone and , dried , consists of n - methyl - n - phenyl - 1 , 2 - dihydro - 4 - hydroxy - 2 - oxo - 1 , 8 - trimethylene - quinoline - 3 - carboxamide ( 1 ). m . p . 234 ° c . in essentially the same manner the following compounds are obtained from the corresponding starting materials . phosphorous trichloride ( 1 . 73 parts ) is added dropwise to a solution of 8 . 1 parts of n - methylaniline in 40 parts to dry toluene while stirring the reaction mixture . stirring is continued at room temperature for 30 minutes , whereafter 6 . 15 parts of 1 , 2 - dihydro - 4 - hydroxy - 1 - allyl - 2 - oxo - quinoline - 3 - carboxylic acid are added . the reaction mixture is heated at 100 ° c . for two hours and then cooled down . the reaction mixture is extracted with a 2m sodium hydroxide solution and the extract obtained is neutralized and clarified by filtration . the filtrate is acidifed and the precipitate formed is filtered off and dissolved in methylene chloride and the solution is clarified by filtration and evaporated to dryness . the crystalline residue is washed with acetone and dried . the product so obtained consists of n - methyl - n - phenyl - 1 , 2 - dihydro - 1 - allyl - 4 - hydroxy - 2 - oxo - quinoline - 3 - carboxamide , ( 1 ). m . p . 204 ° c . in essentially the same manner the following compounds are obtained from the corresponding starting materials . a mixture consisting of indoline ( 19 parts ) and methanetricarboxylic acid triethylester ( 37 parts ) is heated at 100 ° c . ( under vacuum ) for 5 hours while the ethanol formed is distilled off . the crystalline precipitate formed is filtered off and dissolved in ethyl ether . the ethereal solution is evaporated to dryness and diphenylether ( 25 parts ) is added to the residue and the mixture so obtained is heated at 200 ° c . for 8 h . after cooling to room temperature the reaction mixture is poured into aqueous sodium hydroxide solution . this mixture is washed with ethyl ether and the aqueous phase is acidified and extracted with methylene chloride . the extract is dried and evaporated to dryness . the residue is purified by liquid chromatography to give 1 , 2 - dihydro - 1 , 8 - ethylene - 4 - hydroxy - 2 - oxo - quinoline - 3 - carboxylic acid ethyl ester ( 1 ). m . p . 150 ° c . the ethylester ( 1 ) described above ( 3 , 4 parts ) is dissolved in a solution consisting of acetic acid ( 14 , 3 parts ) and 63 % aqueous hydrobromic acid ( 5 , 8 parts ). the solution so obtained is heated at 120 ° c . for 20 minutes . after standing over night at room temperature a crystalline precipitate is formed which is filtered off . the crystals are reprecipitated by dissolving in aqueous alkali and acidification to give 1 , 2 - dihydro - 1 , 8 - ethylene - 4 - hydroxy - 2 - oxo - quinoline - 3 - carboxylic acid ( 2 ). m . p . 260 ° c . n , n - dicyclohexylcarbodiimide ( 2 , 6 parts ) is added to a mixture consisting of 1 , 2 - dihydro - 1 , 8 - ethylene - 4 - hydroxy - 2 - oxo - 3 - carboxylic acid ( 2 ) ( 2 , 3 parts ), n - methylaniline ( 1 , 1 parts ) and dry toluene ( 20 parts ) while stirring . thereafter the stirring is continued at 90 ° c . for one hour . the reaction mixture is cooled to room temperature and the precipitate formed is filtered off . the precipitate is extracted with 2m sodium hydroxide solution . the extract is neutralized and clarified by filtration and acidified with hydrochloric acid solution and then extracted with methylene chloride . the methylene chloride extract is dried and evaporated to dryness in vacuum . the crystalline residue is washed with acetone and dried to give n - methyl - n - phenyl - 1 , 2 - dihydro - 1 , 8 - ethylene - 4 - hydroxy - 2 - oxo - quinoline - 3 - carboxamide ( 3 ). m . p . 260 ° c . in essentially the same manner the following compounds are obtained from the corresponding starting materials . this example illustrates the effect of the compounds of the general formula i in the carrageenan edema test in rats . a modification of a method described in ( 5 ) was used . female sprague - dawley rats weighing 110 - 120 g were used . at least 10 animals were used in each experimental group . foot edema was induced by injecting carrageenan in 0 . 9 % nacl into the plantar surface of the right hind paw of the rats . the substances suspended in aqueous methocel solution 10 ml / kg were administered intragastrically 30 minutes before the injection of carrageenan . the control groups were given methocel solution 10 ml / kg . three hours after carrageenan injection the animals were killed . the hind feet were cut off and weighed . the difference in weight of the injected right paw and the uninjected left paw was called edema weight . some of the results obtained are given in table 1 below . the compounds are named by a number code , a : b , as described above before example 1 . the effect of the substances was assessed by the edema weight expressed in percent after comparison with the control groups . table 1______________________________________carrageenan edema test in rats - preliminary resultsdose 80 mg / kg , p . o . potentiation of thecompound carrageenan edema , % ______________________________________1 : 1 401 : 2 611 : 3 411 : 5 281 : 8 211 : 9 48 1 : 10 68 1 : 11 76 1 : 12 29 1 : 15 30 1 : 17 43 1 : 18 36 1 : 19 67 1 : 21 22 1 : 22 58 1 : 23 29 1 : 43 84 1 : 45 47 1 : 46 322 : 2 432 : 3 616 : 1 606 : 3 327 : 1 847 : 2 447 : 3 477 : 4 34 7 : 10 2410 : 1 3611 : 1 4612 : 8 5114 : 9 2121 : 6 3821 : 9 52______________________________________ the following additional compounds potentiate significantly the carrageenan edema in the foregoing test in a dose within the range 10 - 160 mg / kg p . o . : 8 : 1 , 9 : 1 , 12 : 7 , 13 : 3 , 14 : 7 , 14 : 12 , 16 : 1 , 17 : 1 , 18 : 1 , 18 : 2 , 18 : 3 , 20 : 5 , 20 : 9 , 20 : 10 , 20 : 16 , 20 : 29 , 20 : 34 , 20 : 35 , 20 : 39 , 21 : 3 , 21 : 5 , 21 : 7 , 21 : 8 , 21 : 10 , 21 : 12 , 21 : 14 , 21 : 16 , 21 : 20 , 21 : 21 , 21 : 35 this example illustrates the effect of the compounds of the general formula i in the adjuvant arthritis test in rats . the adjuvant arthritis test in rats produces a delayed hypersensitivity reaction and can be used for a determination of variations of the delayed hypersensitivity reaction upon drug administration to the host . an increase in the extent of the delayed hypersensitivity reaction upon drug administration consequently indicates enhanced cell - mediated immunity in the host . a modification of a method described in ( 12 ) was used . male lister hooded rats weighing 250 - 275 g were used . at least 9 animals were used in each experimental group . a single intradermal injection of 0 . 5 mg / 0 . 1 ml heat killed mycobacterium butyricum suspended in sterile liquid paraffinum was given into the right hind foot of all rats . after this injection , day 0 , the volume of the left hind paw , measured by water displacement , was followed to the end of the experiment . the substances suspended in aqueous methocel solution 10 ml / kg were given intragastrically . the control group was given methocel solution 10 ml / kg . the different groups of animals were thus treated once daily from day - 4 to day 14 . the effect of the substances was assessed by the left foot volume expressed in percent after comparison with the control groups . some of the results are given in table 2 below . compounds of the general formula i are compared with the known compounds levamisole and penicillamine which are considered to have immunostimulant activities ( 3 ). table 2______________________________________preliminary results from the adjuvant arthritis test in rats increase of the volume dose , mg / kg of the left footcompound p . o . % ______________________________________1 : 1 40 41 &# 34 ; 20 507 : 1 40 35 &# 34 ; 20 44 1 : 11 40 45 1 : 43 10 482 : 2 40 402 : 3 &# 34 ; 396 : 1 &# 34 ; 347 : 4 &# 34 ; 2921 : 6 10 4121 : 9 10 51penicillamine 40 0levamisole 10 12 &# 34 ; 5 4______________________________________ the following additional compounds have a significant potentiating effect in the adjuvant arthritis test in rats in a dose of 40 mg / kg p . o . : 1 : 2 , 1 : 9 , 1 : 10 , 1 : 12 , 1 : 19 , 1 : 22 , 13 : 3 , 21 : 4 , 21 : 5 , 21 : 7 , 21 : 11 , 21 : 14 , 21 : 17 , 21 : 19 , 21 : 23 , 21 : 24 , 21 : 26 , 21 : 28 , 21 : 30 , 21 : 31 , 21 : 33 , 21 : 35 . the toxicity of the compounds of the general formula i is low . the ld50 values which have been determined in mice p . o . are higher than 1000 mg / kg . the acute ld50 of levamisole in mice is 285 mg / kg p . o . ( 13 ). this example shows that the new compounds enhance cell - mediated immunity ( 3 ). this example illustrates the effect of the compounds of the general formula i in the pertussis vaccine pleurisy test . pertussis vaccine pleurisy is a useful test for the evaluation of the effect of chemical compounds on the immune system . compounds which enhance the response in this delayed hypersensitivity reaction are considered to stimulate cell - mediated immunity . a modification of a method described in ( 4 ) was used . male sprague - dawley rats weighing 250 - 275 g were used . at least ten animals were used in each group . equal volumes of freund &# 39 ; s incomplete adjuvant and a suspension of heat killed bordetella pertussis organisms were mixed . to sensitize animals , day 0 , 0 . 2 ml of a mixture containing 0 . 036 × 10 10 organisms / ml was injected into the dorsal surface of one hind paw and one forepaw . the animals were challenged on day 12 with 0 . 1 ml of a mixture containing 0 . 25 × 10 10 organisms / ml that was injected intrapleurally . 48 hours after challenge , day 14 , the volume of the exudate in the pleural cavity was measured . the substances suspended in aqueous methocel solution 10 ml / kg were given intragastrically once daily from day 10 to day 13 . the control groups were given methocel solution 10 ml / kg . the effect of the substances was assessed by the exudate volume expressed in percent after comparison with the control groups . some of the results are given in table 3 below . the compounds of the general formula i are compared with the known compounds levamisole and penicillamine ( 4 ). table 3______________________________________pertussis vaccine pleurisy test in rats - preliminary resultsdose 10 mg / kg , p . o . enhancement of the delayed hypersensitivity reaction assessed by the exudate vol . compound % ______________________________________1 : 1 551 : 5 471 : 8 27 1 : 10 30 1 : 11 37 1 : 12 65 1 : 43 70 1 : 50 462 : 2 642 : 3 666 : 1 917 : 1 817 : 4 27 7 : 10 41 7 : 28 6112 : 8 2913 : 7 2114 : 17 2721 : 5 2921 : 6 9021 : 7 2121 : 9 8421 : 11 34penicillamine 17levamisole 13______________________________________ the following additional compounds have a significant enhancing effect in the pertussis vaccine pleurisy test in rats in a dose of 10 mg / kg p . o . : 1 : 2 , 1 : 9 , 1 : 13 , 1 : 19 , 1 : 22 , 9 : 1 , 10 : 5 , 10 : 6 , 10 : 12 , 10 : 13 , 10 : 17 , 10 : 20 , 12 : 7 , 13 : 3 , 19 : 1 , 19 : 2 , 20 : 1 , 20 : 2 , 20 : 3 , 20 : 4 , 20 : 5 , 20 : 9 , 20 : 10 , 20 : 16 , 20 : 20 , 20 : 21 , 20 : 29 , 20 : 34 , 20 : 35 , 20 : 39 , 20 : 54 , 20 : 74 , 20 : 78 , 21 : 3 , 21 : 8 , 21 : 10 , 21 : 12 , 21 : 13 , 21 : 14 , 21 : 16 , 21 : 17 , 21 : 19 , 21 : 20 , 21 : 21 , 21 : 23 , 21 : 24 , 21 : 26 , 21 : 28 , 21 : 30 , 21 : 31 , 21 : 33 , 21 : 35 ______________________________________i active compound , mesh . sup .+ 70 20 g lactosum , ph . nord . 210 gii amylum maidis , ph . nord . 75 g kollidon 25 , b . a . s . f . 3 . 5 giii aqua purificata q . s . talcum , ph . nord . 15 g magnesii stearas , ph . nord . 1 . 5 g weight of 1000 tablets 325 g______________________________________ (+) the mesh standard is according to the international system of code din 4189 / 1968 . mix the screened substanes i thoroughly and then moisten with ii , whereupon the mixture is granulated through a stainless sieve no . 10 ( mesh 25 ). dry the granulate in an oven at a maximum temperature of 40 ° c . then repeat sieving through sieve no . 10 . add the substances under iii and mix thoroughly . punch tablets with a gross weight of about 325 mg . ______________________________________active compound , mesh 100 20 mgsodium chloride 8 mgcarboxy methylcellulose 1 mgbenzyl alcohol 1 mgdistilled water to make 1 ml______________________________________ ______________________________________active compound , mesh 100 20 mgsorbitol 600 mgflavouring compound q . s . colour q . s . water to make 1 ml______________________________________ ______________________________________active compound 2 gtriethanolamine 1 gglycerol 7 gcetanol 2 . 5 glanoline 2 . 5 gstearic acid 20 gsorbitan monooleate 0 . 5 gsodium hydroxide 0 . 2 gmethyl paraben 0 . 3 gpropyl paraben 0 . 1 gethanol 0 . 9 gwater to make 100 g______________________________________ 20 mg sterile powder to be dissolved in water for injection ______________________________________watersoluble active compound 10 mgsodium chloride 4 mgmethyl paraben 0 . 7 mgpropyl paraben 0 . 3 mg______________________________________ ______________________________________watersoluble active compound 20 mgascorbic acid 1 mgsodium bisulfite 1 mgsodium chloride 6 mgmethyl paraben 0 . 7 mgpropyl paraben 0 . 3 mgdistilled water to make 1 ml______________________________________ in the foregoing examples 25 - 32 relating to compositions the active compounds are those covered by the general formula i above or their addition salts with pharmaceutically acceptable inorganic or organic acids . watersoluble active compounds are such addition salts or salts with a pharmaceutically acceptable inorganic or organic cations . those active compounds which are disclosed in the foregoing examples 1 - 21 are preferred as active compounds as such or in the form of their salts . also , it is to be noted that two or more active compounds of the invention may be used in combination in the compositions illustrated , and also , if desired , in combination with other pharmacologically active agents . various modifications and equivalents will be apparent to one skilled in the art and may be used in the compounds , compositions , and methods of the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope thereof , and it is therefore to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the specific examples and embodiments disclosed herein . 1 . rocklin , r . e ., ann . repts . med . chem . 8 ( 1973 ) 284 . 2 . eisen , h . n ., immunology , harper & amp ; row publishers , inc ., p . 558 - 70 ( 1974 ). 4 . dieppe , p . a . et al , agents and actions 6 / 5 ( 1976 ) 618 . 5 . winter , c . a . et al , proc . soc . exp . biol . med . 111 ( 1962 ) 544 . 6 . jones , g . ( ed . ), quinolines , part 1 , john wiley and sons ( 1977 ) p . 93 - 318 . 7 . coppola , g . m . et al , j . org . chem . 41 ( 1976 ) 825 . 8 . coffey , s . ( ed . ), rodd &# 39 ; s chemistry of carbon compounds , elsevier scientific publishing company , amsterdam , 2nd ed ., vol . iii part b ( 1974 ) p . 219 - 44 . 10 . hardtmann , g . e . et al , j . heterocycl . chem . 12 ( 1975 ) 563 . 14 . mcomie , j . f . w ., protective groups in organic chemistry , plenum press , london 1977 . | 2 |
this invention is generally applicable to the vibration - testing of cantilevered electrically - conductive articles by electromagnetically inducing eddy currents therein . for brevity , the invention will be illustrated as employed in the non - destructive or destructive testing of aluminum - alloy airfoils , or blades , designated for use in axial - flow compressors . in experiments conducted with blade - vibrators of the eddy - current type , i have found that heating of the blade under test is reduced significantly if the varying electromagnetic field used to generate the eddy currents does not reverse polarity . as will be described , i have found that this mode of operation can be achieved in various ways . fig1 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of this invention comprising a solid - state electromagnetic blade tester designed for operation in a closed - loop , constant - power mode . blade vibration is self - starting and smoothly adjustable over a relatively wide range of amplitudes . the tester is designed to operate at bending - or torsional - mode frequencies . as shown in fig1 an aluminum - alloy blade 3 is cantilevered from any suitable holder 5 , which is mounted to a high - mass support by means of springs ( not shown ), so as to vibrate with the blade . the blade is vibrated by a generally e - shaped electromagnet 10 , whose outer legs are respectively provided with windings 7 and 9 . the windings are connected in parallel through separate transistor switches to a grounded d . c . power supply 11 . the free end of the blade is aligned with and extends close to the center leg of the electromagnet , as shown . mounted to the block 5 is an accelerometer 13 or other suitable vibration transducer for generating an a . c . signal whose frequency is equal to the frequency of vibration of the blade and whose amplitude is proportional to the amplitude of vibration of the blade . in this particular illustration , the electromagnet 10 and the vibrated assembly are mounted within a housing 14 which is evacuated to similate the normal process environment for the blade . the signal from the accelerometer 13 ( fig1 ) is increased by amplifiers 15 and 17 and then impressed on similar parallel - connected channels 1 and 2 . the channels respectively include phase - shifters 19 and 19 &# 39 ;; trigger - pulse generators including wave shapers 21 and 21 &# 39 ; and drivers 23 and 23 &# 39 ;; and grounded circuits 25 and 25 &# 39 ; for exciting the windings . as shown , the exciting circuits are respectively connected to the windings 7 and 9 . the inputs to channels 1 and 2 are sinusoidal , in - phase voltages . the phase - shifters 19 and 19 &# 39 ; are adjusted so that their output voltages differ in phase by 180 °. in this particular example , the output voltage of shifter 19 leads its input voltage by 90 °, whereas the output voltage of shifter 19 &# 39 ; lags its input by 90 °. the wave shapers 21 and 21 &# 39 ; convert their respective inputs to square waves , which are amplified and stabilized in the driver circuits 23 and 23 &# 39 ;. the square - wave outputs from the drivers are respectively fed to the exciting circuits 25 and 25 &# 39 ;, which serve as power switches for the coils 7 and 9 . fig2 illustrates the wave shapes of the voltages at points a , b , c , and d of channel 2 , fig1 . the wave shape at point c &# 39 ; of channel 1 also is shown to illustrate that it is displaced 180 ° from the voltage c . on reception of each voltage square wave d from driver 23 , the exciting circuit 25 connects the electromagnet winding 7 in series with the d . c . supply 11 for the duration of that square wave . thus , during that half - period the winding 7 is charged with an exponentially rising current . the square - wave voltage d terminates long before this current reaches the knee of the &# 34 ; charging curve &# 34 ;, and thus the charging current is substantially linear . the exciting circuit 9 is operated in an analogous manner by its driver 25 &# 39 ;. because of the phase difference in the outputs of the drivers 23 and 23 &# 39 ;, winding 7 is charged during one half - period , whereas winding 9 is charged during the next half - period . in accordance with this invention , when the driver output d drops to zero , the exciting circuit 25 disconnects winding 7 from the supply 11 and immediately connects it across a discharge circuit , to be described . the discharge circuit is designed so that the decaying current generated in winding 7 by self - induction has a wave shape similar to that of the charging current for the winding . thus , as shown in idealized form in fig3 the current through winding 7 is pulsating d . c ., each waveform of which consists of an increasing &# 34 ; charging &# 34 ; ramp i c and a decreasing &# 34 ; discharging &# 34 ; ramp i d . the current through the other winding 9 of the electromagnet is controlled in analogous fashion by its exciting circuit 25 &# 39 ;. that is , the current through winding 9 also is pulsating d . c . because of the aforementioned phase difference in the inputs to the exciting circuits , the d . c . currents through the windings 7 and 9 differ in phase by 180 °. since the inputs to both windings of the electromagnet 10 are pulsating d . c ., the magnetic fields effecting vibration of the blade 3 vary in magnitude but do not change polarity . ( the fields may , for example , maintain the particular polarity shown in fig7 ). consequently , the amount of electrical power dissipated in the blade corresponds essentially to the eddy current resistive losses , and thus comparatively little heating of the blade occurs . similarly , heating of the core of the electromagnet is reduced . the reasons for the reductions in heating are not well understood , but presumably less heat is generated because the use of unidirectional fields eliminates polarity reversals of the atomic and / or molecular moments in the blade and core . fig4 illustrates various waveforms for the windings 7 and 9 . these are shown as related to a line 58 serving as a common reference for the waveforms as well as blade displacement . in this figure , the subscripts 7 and 9 represent the windings 7 and 9 ; v a and v i represent applied voltage and induced voltage , respectively ; i c and i d represent charging current and discharging current , respectively ; 60 represents the phase - shifted waveform ; and 62 represents the waveform in phase with the output of the accelerometer 13 , and the motion of the blade 3 . while current is decaying in winding 7 , current is rising in winding 9 , and vice versa . the resultant magnetic field is represented by the diagonal line m of the parallelogram formed by the rising and decaying currents . blade displacement follows m . the individual components of the system shown in fig1 may be of standard design and preferably are of the solid - state type . referring to fig5 and 6 , the typical exciting circuit -- e . g ., circuit 25 -- may comprise a pair of control transistors 27 and 29 . these are connected in a darlington configuration to provide a high - current base drive to a pair of parallel high - power transistors 31 and 22 . these four transistors can be considered to be the equivalent of a single transistor , designated as q d in fig6 . transistor q d is alternately turned full &# 34 ; on &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; off &# 34 ; by the driver 23 . conduction of q d connects the winding 7 across the d . c . supply 11 , with the result that an increasing charging current flows through the winding , building up a magnetic field . when q d is turned &# 34 ; off &# 34 ; this field collapses and the resulting self - induced voltage across the winding , which is in series with the power supply voltage , charges the capacitor 39 to twice the value of the terminal voltage of supply 11 and turns diode 35 &# 34 ; on .&# 34 ; when this diode conducts , twice the supply voltage exists at the collector of q d . fig6 indicates the discharge paths for the current induced in the winding . the induced current discharges at a rate determined by resistors 37 , r c , and the parallel combination of r1 and r2 . in this figure , r c represents the winding resistance ; r1 represents the power supply resistance ; and r2 represents the principal discharge path resistance . the discharge circuit is designed to have an impedance and time constant ensuring that the waveform of the discharge ramp i d approximates that of the charging ramp i c ( see fig3 ) in order to completely discharge the winding in one half - cycle of the waveform and to maintain symmetry of the resultant magnetic field . thus , the rate of increase of the charging current and the rate of decrease of the discharging are approximately the same . when q d is fully &# 34 ; on &# 34 ;, power dissipation is at a minimum , and when fully &# 34 ; off &# 34 ; it is zero . thus , the transistor power disdipitation is optimum . referring again to fig5 the diodes 47 and 49 are provided to bypass inverse - polarity voltage transients appearing at the transistor bases . the diode 41 serves to bypass inverse - polarity voltage transients appearing at the collectors . the capacitor 39 is provided to ensure an induced square - wave voltage across winding 7 at discharge , for even the lowest frequency of blade vibration . a square - wave voltage is desired to ensure the desired wave form for the discharge current . an eddy - current tester designed in accordance with fig1 - 6 was employed for the fatigue - testing of cast and forged aluminum - alloy compressor blades . the vibration - transducer 13 was accelerometer model no . ina10 - 1 , manufactured by columbia research laboratories , woodlyn , pa . the electromagnet 10 comprised a laminated iron core , and the windings 7 and 9 comprised copper tubing : coolant was circulated through the tubing to remove power dissipated in the windings . in one series of tests , blades were vibrated to destruction with a ± 3 / 8 inch tip amplitude displacement . the heat rise in the typical blade was less than 10 ° f . in other tests , conducted at minimum - stress amplitudes , there was virtually no increase in the temperature of the blades under test . much larger temperature rises were incurred in blade - vibration tests conducted with conventional eddy - current testers utilizing a . c . drive for the windings . various modifications in the above - described embodiment of the invention will be apparent to those versed in the art . for example , as indicated in fig8 the electromagnet 10 may consist of a single winding on a suitably shaped core . in this instance a single channel and exciting circuit would be employed . fig9 illustrates typical waveforms for this embodiment of the invention . in fig9 v a and v i represent applied voltage and induced voltage , respectively . the phase - shifted waveform is represented by 64 , and the waveform in phase with the accelerometer output and blade motion is represented by 66 . the charging and discharging currents are represented by i c and i d , respectively . the coil current through the winding is in phase with the magnetic field . it will be apparent to those versed in the art that , if desired , the switching portions of the exciting circuits 25 and 25 &# 39 ; may be replaced by scr circuits which are alternately turned on and off by conventional circuitry to accomplish the above - described objectives . the scr &# 39 ; s may be turned &# 34 ; on &# 34 ; by any suitable short - duration pulse . | 6 |
the print screens used prior to the present invention consist of a mesh material stretched taut over a frame with a thin emulsion attached to selected areas . the emulsion acts to direct deposition of inks through selected areas of the screen mesh as well as form a cell thickness which controls the amount of ink deposited . ordinary emulsion thicknesses range from 1 to 2 mils up to about 5 mils . in the present invention , modified screens were used to control ceramic slurry or ink deposition thickness . the modified screens consist of a plastic sheet 1 that contains preformed passage ways 2 . the plastic sheets are glued to a screen mesh 3 . the thickness of the plastic sheet and the image formed by selecting passageway locations control the thickness of the deposited ink and the area over which the ink is deposited , and therefore , the penetration into the fibrous mat . use of a fibrous mat as the material upon which ink is deposited serves to direct and restrict ink movement during penetration and subsequent drying / fusion steps . the deposited ceramic ink penetrates the fibrous matrix of the mat 4 and is supported as individual elements 5 . the fibrous network also plays a role in manufacturing a desirable ceramic element configuration , especially to minimize rupturing or fissuring of the ceramic prior to or during fusion . the composite ceramic veneer island structure includes a grout 6 surrounding the distinct ceramic elements 5 . the ceramic elements are about 40 mils thick and are of controlled shape and size . fabrication procedures involve printing onto a fibrous mat ( use of special print screens ), handling during fusion and flooding a liquid or powder to grout the fused ceramic elements . the composite may be laminated to a substrate 7 . a non - woven fiberglass scrim , designated agf , was purchased from the manville corporation . the fibrous mat was approximately 15 mils thick with one smooth side suitable for achieving high quality printing . the fibrous mat was lightly attached to a thin aluminum plate with 3m spray adhesive # 75 . the aluminum plate created a nonporous surface capable of being held down by vacuum . the scrim / aluminum plate assembly was placed onto the bed of a conventional print table and the vacuum turned on . special screens were fabricated to deposit thin ceramic ink layers . a 31 . 5 mil thick acetal sheet purchased from ain plastics of lancaster , pa ., was covered on one side with three layers of 5 mil adhesive film from 3m company . the adhesive film had the release carrier still attached to the outside of the last layer . this adhesive covered acetal sheet was converted into a stencil with a 14 &# 34 ;× 14 &# 34 ; pattern consisting of 3 / 8 &# 34 ; squares on 7 / 16 &# 34 ; centers by laser cutting , a 25 mesh polyester silk screen fabric was stretched over a nominal 30 × 40 &# 34 ; frame . the laser cut stencil was then bonded to the silk screen fabric through the removal of the release carrier covering and using epoxy 2216 from the 3m company around the perimeter . the screen was mounted onto the print station and loaded with ink . the inks were either solvent or water - based systems . the viscosity of a water reducible ceramic ink was adjusted to 40 , 000 centipoise by the addition of conventional glycol based polymer medium . a conventional rubber squeegee was used to execute a flood stroke followed by a print stroke with a squeegee in a nearly vertical position . the off - contact distance was approximately one quarter of an inch . the ceramic slurry did not completely penetrate the fiberglass scrim . the printed fibrous mat still attached to the aluminum plate was loaded into a conventional convection air oven heated to approximately 200 ° f . after approximately 15 minutes of drying , the printed fibrous mat was stripped from the aluminum plate and returned to the even for another hour of drying . the dried printed fibrous mat was placed onto a cordierite setter approximately 15 &# 34 ;× 15 &# 34 ; by 3 / 4 &# 34 ; thick . the setter and fibrous mat assembly was processed through the radiant technology corporation ( rtc ) furnace at 5 &# 34 ; per minute . the four heating zones , 10 &# 34 ;, 20 &# 34 ;, 20 &# 34 ; and 10 &# 34 ; in length were set to 350 ° c ., 500 ° c ., 650 ° c . and 775 ° c . , respectively to provide a desirable burnout and ramp up to the fusion temperature . a conventional pvc plastisol was prepared and reduced to a viscosity in the region of 4 , 000 centipoise . the plastisol was drawn down onto a release surface , specifically a release coated flooring felt with a 40 mil drawn down bar . the fused ceramic fiberglass sheet was slid onto a teflon coated cookie sheet in a careful manner so as not to disrupt what has become a rather mechanically fragile sheet . the sheet was then lowered into the plastisol by sliding the sheet off one edge of the cookie sheet . two minutes were allowed to elapse to permit uniform and adequate saturation of the plastisol into the fibrous network around the fused ceramic squares . the entire assembly , fused sheet , plastisol , and release felt was placed into an oven treated to 385 ° f . for 2 minutes . upon removal , the assembly was placed onto a flat surface and allowed to cool . the sheet of fused plastisol / ceramic squares was stripped off the release felt and cut to final size . an overall resilient structure with regimes of hard inflexible ceramic was produced . sheets as prepared in example 1 were laminated to a variety of substrates . among these were limestone filled , plasticized pvc ranging in thickness from 40 - 125 mils ; gypsum board ; plywood ; and 1 / 4 &# 34 ; aluminum plate . adhesives used were either a pressure - sensitive one commonly used for the installation of &# 34 ; peel and stick &# 34 ; floor tiles or 3m 2216 , a flexible epoxy . the lamination step was unnecessary when a nonrelease flooring felt was used on which to draw down the pvc plastisol . the felt remained as part of the final product upon removal from the plastisol fusion oven . multi - colored samples were produced by two methods to generate either through color or surface color decoration of the ceramic islands . method 1 involved forming a multicolor array of through - color elements by printing different colored islands in selected areas : method 2 involved over printing of selected elements from example 1 with different single colors . in method 1 , three full pattern deep - well screens were mounted , and each of the screens was coated with silk screen emulsion in such a way that the cells not to be printed by the color from that particular screen were blocked off . the screens were then used in order with careful registration such that the closed cells of the second and third printing accommodate the ink deposited by the previous printing or printings . drying was carried out after each color was printed as described in example 1 . the subsequent processing steps were the same as those described in example 1 . in method 2 , the overprint method , a full single through - color pattern was printed with a first screen . then three additional standard silk screens using 60 mesh fabric , each with an open pattern corresponding to the islands that were to be printed with the desired color were used in turn to overprint the dried ceramic ink deposited with the first screen . a drying step was again executed between each color print as described in example 1 . the subsequent processing steps were the same as those described in example 1 . an attractive four colored image in registration was produced . the final fused surface characteristics of the ceramic elements were modified by adding 200 mesh alumina at approximately a 30 % level to a ceramic overprint ink or sprinkling a dusting of alumina over the top of the just - printed undried sample , and then firing the ink or alumina . samples with coefficient of frictions ranging from 0 . 4 to 1 . 1 were produced in this manner . by applying the alumina to the surface , rather than adding it to the printed ceramic islands , less alumina is used . the pvc plastisol used in example 1 was substituted with a variety of liquid polymers such as uv curable urethane ( clear ), polyester , molding urethane , epoxy and silicone . the procedures of example 1 were followed and produce satisfactory composites . powdered polymers were used to fill the regions between the ceramic elements . when the powdered polymers were applied to the liquid polymer already in place surrounding the ceramic islands and the liquid polymer heat cured such that the powder was not completely melted , a granular effect was produced in the grout . therefore , powder controlled the topological features , mainly texture , in the region between the discrete ceramic elements . pvc , polyester , urethane , epoxy and nylon powders were used either alone or in combination with sticking aids . these materials can be brought into the product from the face by either masking the ceramic elements or removing the excess from the ceramic elements through blowing or brushing . when used alone , the back surface was free of polymer , leaving the ceramic elements exposed for bonding with a lamination adhesive . alternatively , a powder layer was formed , and the fused sheet as discussed in example 1 was laid into the powder . fusion of each polymer was accomplished in an oven using time and temperature appropriate for each polymer . the discrete ceramic elements may be of various shapes and sizes . designs incorporating 3 / 16 &# 34 ; and 3 / 8 &# 34 ; squares , a mixture of various size squares , random irregular shapes , and a combination of squares and rectangles were used . the size and shape of the islands are not limiting . samples were made where the non - woven glass fibrous mat used in example 1 was substituted with woven fabrics , inorganic scrims , and stainless steel fabric . also used were organic / inorganic mixed scrims , and totally organic fibrous mat ( cellulose ). each produced satisfactory composites . a layer of natural rubber approximately 20 mils thick was placed to the back of the composite samples employing the filled pvc substrate to provide increased conformability . rigid tile were produced by using a high modulus epoxy material surrounding the ceramic elements . alternatively , a sample as prepared in example 1 was laminated to a conventional tile base with high modulus epoxy . ease of installation / removal was achieved by using a conventional pressure sensitive adhesive which was tacky at room temperature or two - faced tape . samples installed via two - faced tape survived severe trafficking and stair - tread environments . removal was similar to resilient flooring systems . epoxy adhesives similar to grout systems are acceptable . a larger structure was made by seam joining individual cvi composite structures using silicone or epoxy . rotary screen printing also extended the length and width of the ceramic element array , which when grouted , generated large area cvi composites . scrims composed of high temperature fibers were used as the substrate for the ceramic ink . ceramic slurry 30 to 45 mils thick was printed onto nextel - fiber fibrous mat and fused at 750 ° c . as described in example 1 . break strength was increased to 6 , 400 psi for the nextel scrim / ceramic element composite compared to 2 , 500 psi for the composites described in example 1 . a transparent material was used to grout the ceramic veneer elements to produce 3 - d effects and / or permit visualization of the substrate beneath the grout . one sample was made using a transparent pvc plastisol incorporating metallic flakes . other samples were made with a transparent pvc ( fused with heat ) and a urethane acrylate ( cured with uv radiation ) atop a substrate with color or decorative backgrounds . perception of depth results in the grout regions . cementitious grouts were substituted for the polymeric grouts of examples 1 and 5 . ceramic elements described in example 1 were made using stencils without screens . stencils were made from plastic or metal sheets 30 to 45 mils thick . samples were made as in example 4 and the profile of the fused ceramic elements modified by rolling the partially dried ceramic slurry to level the upper surface of the ceramic islands . in this manner , the slightly concave upper surface of the ceramic islands were flattened . samples were made as per example 1 and the fused ceramic elements laid into a continuous grout . a wide / long cvi composite structure was formed from these smaller cvi element structures . a cvi sheet was prepared as in example 1 except that the fused ceramic elements with the fibrous mat was saturated upside down in the pvc plastisol . the perpendicular pull out force was measured for this product and the example 1 product . the results showed that only a nominal force of 0 . 1 to 0 . 2 lbs . was required to extract one ceramic chip from the example 19 product , whereas an average force of 4 . 0 lbs . was required to remove a chip from the example 1 product . therefore , the presence of a fibrous mat enhanced adhesion of the plastisol to the ceramic elements without chemical bonding . | 8 |
fig1 is a block diagram showing the arrangement of an image reconstructing apparatus according to the present invention . in the image reconstructing apparatus of the invention , projection means 1 detects the projection data pd in the direction of irradiation , and summing means 4 integrates the reconstructed image which has been optically read out by optical reading means 3 in the direction corresponding to the direction of irradiation , to provide sum data rd . in a comparison and correction means 5 , the projection data pd and the sum data rd in the prescribed irradiation direction are subjected to comparison , and for instance the difference therebetween is divided by the distance between a ray source and a measuring instrument for the purpose of normalization so as to be outputted as correction data ad . the correction data ad is converted into an optical correction function image . in the conversion , the optical writing means 6 rotates the correction function image so that its direction may become in correspondence with the direction of irradiation , and optically writes the correction function image into the image storing means 2 so that it may be laid over the reconstructed image previously stored therein to correct the latter , thereby to reduce the difference between the reconstructed image and the internal information of the object under examination . thereafter , the direction of irradiation is slightly rotated in the projection means 1 , and in association with this rotating operation , the direction in which the summing means sums the reconstructed image is accordingly rotated . under this condition , correction data ad and a correction function image are formed again , to correct the reconstructed image . in this case , the correction function image is also optically rotated as much as an angle corresponding to the rotation of irradiation by the optical writing means 6 . in this manner , the direction of irradiation is gradually changed , and the reconstructed image stored in the image storing means 2 is successively optically corrected so that it may sufficiently approximate the internal information of the object under examination . if the apparatus is provided with display means 7 , then the state of the reconstructed image can be recognized . if the apparatus has a judging and ending means 8 , then it can be judged whether the reconstructed image satisfactorily approximates the internal information of the object , and when the reconstructed image satisfactorily approximates the internal information of the object , the image reconstructing operations may be terminated . one embodiment of this invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings . in the embodiment , the image reconstructing operations according to the iterative approximation method as describe above is carried out in an analog mode by using optical means such as a spatial light modulator . fig2 is an explanatory diagram , partly as a block diagram , showing one example of an image reconstructing apparatus according to the invention . as shown in fig2 in the image reconstructing apparatus , a main control unit 10 controls whole image reconstructing operation ; the above - described image storing means 2 in fig1 comprises a spatial light modulator 11 for storing the reconstructed image ; the optical reading means 3 comprises a light source 12 and an analyzer 13 ; the summing means 4 comprises a light intensity detecting unit 14 and a drive section 15 ; the comparison and correction means 5 comprises a comparator 16 and a correction function generator 17 ; and the optical writing means 6 comprises the main control unit 10 , drive sections 18 and 19 , a light spatial distribution control unit 20 , a spatial light modulator 21 , the light source 12 , and an analyzer 22 . in the projection means 1 , as shown in fig3 a ray source 80 which emits x - rays , gamma rays or the like is spaced by a predetermined distance l from a measuring instrument 82 , so that the dose which originates from the ray source 80 and has passed through an object 81 under examination is detected with the measuring instrument 82 , and the internal information of the object 81 is projected in the direction of irradiation so as to be outputted as the projection data pd . the projection data pd have analog values and are provided to a comparator 24 . the projection datum pd may be an electrical signal or optical signal . the main control unit 10 receives a projection start signal pss . in response to the projection start signal pss , the main control unit 10 starts the image reconstructing operations and judges the direction of irradiation of the projection data to be inputted . that is , in response to the projection start signal pss , a computing operation is performed in synchronization with the inputting of the projection data pd , so that the image reconstruction is carried out in realtime . the spatial light modulator 11 , as shown in fig4 comprises a photocathode 30 , focusing electrodes 31 , a microchannel plate 32 , a mesh electrode 33 , and an electro - optic crystal 34 , and it may be a microchannel spatial light modulator ( mslm ) manufactured by hamamatsu photonics kabushiki kaisha . to the spatial light modulator 11 , the correction function image provided from the spatial light modulator 21 through the analyzer 22 is provided , as a writing image wb , to the photocathode 30 thereof , where it is subjected to photoelectric conversion . a converted electron image from the photocathode 30 is provided through the focusing electrodes 31 , the microchannel plate 32 and the mesh electrode 32 to the electro - optic crystal 34 , where it is laid over the reconstructed image which has been already stored as an electric charge image therein , to correct the reconstructed image . at this time , depending on a potential v of the mesh electrode 32 , the writing image wb and the reconstructed image stored previously are subjected to addition or subtraction in a parallel operation and in an analog mode . a refractive index distribution of the electro - optic crystal 34 is changed by the reconstructed image which is stored as the electric charge image . therefore , when a reading light beam rb having a predetermined polarization component is made incident on the electro - optic crystal 34 , a reflected reading light beam is obtained , which has experienced variation in its polarization in accordance with the refractive index distribution of the electro - optic crystal 34 . the reconstructed image is outputted in the form of light intensity distribution by extracting with the analyzer 13 a light beam having a predetermined polarization component from the reflected reading light beam rb . the light source 12 may be a he - ne laser which outputs a linearly polarized light beam . the linearly polarized light beam is divided into two parts by the half - mirror 36 : one of the two parts is provided , as the reading light beam rb , to the spatial light modulator 11 through the mirrors 37 and 38 and the half - mirror 39 , while the other is used to form the correction function image which is provided to the spatial light modulator 11 . the light intensity detecting unit 14 may comprise a movable slit and a light intensity detector ( such as a photomultiplier tube ) which are not shown , or may comprise , as shown in fig3 an array detector ( such as a silicon strip detector s2458 manufactured by hamamatsu photonics kabushiki kaisha ) and an integrator . the drive section 15 comprises for instance a motor control section and a motor , and controls a rotation angle of the light intensity detecting unit 14 according to an angle datum ω which is provided from the main control unit 10 in response to the projection start signal pss . that is , in the case where the light intensity detecting unit 14 comprises the movable slit and the light intensity detector , in order to obtain the sum of light intensities in the direction corresponding to the direction of irradiation of the projection means 1 the drive section 15 rotates the movable slit in the direction corresponding to the direction of irradiation , so that the light intensity detector detects all the output light beams from the movable slit . in the case where the array detector 70 and the integrator 70 are used in combination as shown in fig3 the drive section 15 rotates the array detector 70 in the direction corresponding to the direction of irradiation , and the integrator 71 integrates the outputs , in the form of electric charge , of the array detector 70 one - dimensionally in the direction of irradiation . the comparator 16 compares the projection data pd of the object under examination with the sum data rd of the light intensity detecting unit 14 to obtain the difference values ( rd - pd ) therebetween . the correction function generator 17 produces as a correction function , namely , correction data ad which are obtained by dividing the difference values ( rd - pd ) by the distance l between the ray source 80 and the measuring instrument 82 in the projection means 1 . the main control unit 10 divides the correction data ad into absolute value data abs and a sign datum sb ( positive or negative ). after being evaluated , the sign datum sb is provided to the drive sections 18 and 19 and the absolute value data abs are provided to the light spatial distribution control unit 20 , in which sections 18 and 19 and unit 20 form the optical writing means 6 . furthermore , the main control unit 10 provides the angle datum ω of the direction of irradiation based o the projection start signal pss not only to the drive section 15 as was described above but also to the light spatial distribution control unit 20 . depending on the sign datum sb of the correction data ad , an instruction as to whether to perform image addition or image subtraction is provided to the drive section 18 from the main control unit 10 . in response to the instruction , the drive section 18 adjusts the potential of the mesh electrode 33 so as to perform addition or subtraction of the correction function image with respect to the reconstructed image . as was described above , the absolute value data abs of the correction data ad , and the angular datum ω are supplied to the light spatial distribution control unit 20 . the unit 20 forms a correction function image according those data , and writes it into the spatial light modulator 21 . the formation of the correction function image is carried out as follows : the linearly polarized light emitted from the light source 12 is applied through the half - mirrors 36 and 40 and the mirrors 41 , 42 and 43 to the light spatial distribution control unit 20 , where it is modulated and made to scan the spatial light modulator 21 . the spatial light modulator 21 is similar in construction to the spatial light modulator 11 , and serves as a buffer for temporarily storing the correction function image provided from the light spatial distribution control unit 20 , to improve picture quality of the image . therefore , in the case where the image may be allowed to be relatively low in picture quality , the spatial light modulator 21 may be eliminated ; that is , the correction function image produced by the light spatial distribution control unit 20 may be directly applied to the spatial light modulator 11 . in fig2 the display means 7 is used to display the reconstructed image sent through a half - mirror 44 from the analyzer 13 . the display means 7 may be an image memory ( such as an electrical memory , photographing means or hologram ) which merely stores the reconstructed image , or it may be a screen , display unit or printer which actually displays a visible image . on the other hand , the reconstructed image is sent from the analyzer 13 through a half - mirror 45 and a mirror 46 to the judging and ending means 8 . the means 8 judges whether or not the reconstructed image satisfactorily approximates the internal information of the object under examination , and terminates the image reconstruction operations when it is determined that the reconstructed image satisfactorily approximates the internal information of the object . fig5 shows the optical reading means 3 , the optical writing means 6 , and the judging and ending means 8 in more detail . as shown in fig5 the linearly polarized light from the light source 12 is divided into two parts by a half - mirror 50 . one of the two parts is provided , as the correction function image , to the spatial light modulator 21 through mirrors 41 and 55 and a polygon mirror 56 . the mirror 55 is rotated by a control section 57 according to an instruction from the main control unit 10 so as to make the linearly polarized light beam reflected from the mirror 41 scan the spatial light modulator 21 . in response to instructions from the main control unit 10 , a motor control section 58 controls motor 59 to control rotation speed and an angle of the polygon mirror 56 . more specifically , according to the absolute value data abs , the motor control section controls the rotation speed thereby to control the quantity of light ; and according to the angular datum ω , the motor control section controls the angle thereby to control the scanning direction corresponding to the direction of irradiation . that is , the light spatial distribution control unit 20 comprising the mirror 55 , the control section 57 , the polygon mirror 56 , the motor 59 and the motor control section 58 converts the light spatial distribution corresponding to the correction data produced by the correction function generator 17 into the correction function image which is provided to the spatial light modulator 21 . the other part of the linearly polarized light divided by the half - mirror 50 is converted into a parallel coherent light beam about 20 mm in diameter by means of lenses 51 and 53 and an aperture member 52 . the parallel coherent light beam is divided into two parts by a half - mirror 54 . one of the two parts is employed as a reading light beam for the spatial light modulator 21 and a writing light beam for the spatial light modulator 11 , and the other is further divided into two parts by a half - mirror 60 which are employed as a reading light beam for the spatial light modulator 11 and a reading light beam for a spatial light modulator 61 ( described later ) in the judging and ending means 8 , respectively . the parallel coherent light beam is as large as about 20 mm in diameter . therefore , with the parallel coherent light beam , the correction function image in a range of about 20 mm in diameter can be read out of the spatial light modulator 21 and written into the spatial light modulator 11 . the parallel coherent light beam also becomes the reading light beam for the spatial light modulator 11 as was described above . therefore , the reading light beam is also about 20 mm in diameter , and it is made incident on the light intensity detecting unit 15 with this range . fig3 shows the range ar of the reading light beam applied to the array detector 70 which is employed in the light intensity detecting unit 14 , and the reconstructed image rc . referring back to fig5 the judging and ending means 8 comprises the spatial light modulator 61 , a drive control section 62 , a half - mirror 63 , an analyzer 64 , a photomultiplier tube 65 , an amplifier 66 , a discriminator 67 , and a relay 68 . the spatial light modulator 61 is similar in arrangement to the spatial light modulators 11 and 21 . the reconstructed image from the analyzer 13 is provided through the half - mirror 45 and the mirror 46 to the spatial light modulator 61 , and is stored therein . the spatial light modulator 61 compares the reconstructed image thus written - into with the reconstructed image which has been previously stored therein , to provide an image difference under the control of the drive control section 62 . the image difference is read out with the reading light beam provided through the half - mirrors 60 and 63 . the image difference thus read out is provided through the half - mirror 63 , the analyzer 64 , the photomultiplier tube 65 and the amplifier 66 to the discriminator 67 , where it is judges whether it has become lower than a predetermined threshold difference . when the image difference has become lower than the threshold difference , it is determined that the reconstructed image satisfactorily approximates the internal information of the object under examination . therefore , the relay 68 is driven to suspend the operation of the main control unit 10 . thus , the image reconstructing operations are ended . the operations in the image reconstructing apparatus thus organized will be described with reference to time charts of fig6 . first , initial conditions are given to the image reconstructing apparatus as follows : optional initial values are written into the spatial light modulator 11 ( for instance , nothing is written into ), and for instance the maximum light quantity values are written into the spatial light modulator 61 . when , under this condition , input of the projection data pd is started , the projection start signal pss is generated as shown in fig6 ( a ). as a result , the reconstructed image is read out of the spatial light modulator 11 as shown in fig6 ( b ); and in the spatial light modulator 61 , as shown in fig6 ( e ), the reconstructed image thus read out of the spatial light modulator 11 is compared with the reconstructed image which has been stored in the spatial optical modulator 61 , to obtain the image difference . the reconstructed image read out of the spatial light modulator 11 is supplied to the light intensity detecting unit 14 . in the unit 14 , a one - dimentional image in the direction corresponding to the direction of irradiation of the projecting means 1 is cut out of the reconstructed image therein , and the sum of the light intensities thereof is obtained . the sums of the light intensities are provided , as the sum data rd , to the comparator 16 . the light intensity detecting unit 14 is so designed as to obtain the one - dimensional image in the direction corresponding to the direction of irradiation according to the angular datum ω provided from the main control unit 10 . in the first reading operation of the spatial light modulator 11 , the reconstructed image of an optional initial values preset therein is read out . the comparator 16 operates with the timing as shown in fig6 ( f ) when both the sum data rd and the projection data pd are outputted , to subject those data to comparison thereby to obtain the difference ( rd - pd ) therebetween . the difference ( rd - pd ) is provided to the correction function generator 17 , which outputs the correction data ad . the correction data ad are provided to the main control unit 10 , where it is divided into the absolute value data abs and the positive or negative sign datum sb , which are subjected to evaluation . the sign datum sb is provided to the drive sections 18 and 19 , while the data abs is applied to the light spatial distribution control unit 20 , to which the main control unit 10 supplies the angular datum ω of the direction of irradiation based on the projection start signal pss . the light spatial distribution control unit 20 modulates the output light beam from the light source 12 and make it scan the spatial light modulator 21 according to the angular datum ω of the direction of irradiation and the absolute value data abs of the correction data ad with the timing as shown in fig6 ( c ), to form the correction function image . the correction function image thus formed is written into the spatial light modulator 21 as shown in fig6 ( d ). in this operation , the correction function image is applied to the spatial light modulator 21 so that the corresponding parts of the correction function image and the reconstructed image may coincide with each other . after the reconstructed image has been written into the spatial light modulator 21 , the image difference is read out of the spatial light modulator 61 as shown in fig6 ( e ), and the discriminator 67 judges whether or not the image difference thus read out is lower than the predetermined threshold difference . when the image difference becomes lower than the threshold difference , it is determined that the reconstructed image satisfactorily approximates the internal information of the object under examination , and the image processing operations are ended . when the image difference is not lower than the threshold difference , the iterative approximation is carried out again . for this purpose , the reconstructed image is read out of the spatial light modulator 11 and written into the spatial light modulator 61 as shown in fig6 ( e ). thereafter , for the purpose of correcting the reconstructed image stored in the spatial light modulator 11 , the correction function image is read out of the spatial light modulator 21 as shown in fig6 ( d ), and is written into the spatial light modulator 11 in such a manner that it is laid over the previous reconstructed image . when , in this operation , the positive ( or negative ) sign datum sb is provided to the spatial light modulator 11 from the drive section 18 , the correction function image is written into with the writing condition of the spatial light modulator 11 switched for addition ( or subtraction ). as was described above , the image adding or subtracting operation , being carried out in the spatial light modulator 11 in a parallel operation with controlling the writing condition , can be achieved in a short time . furthermore , it is carried out in an analog mode , and therefore the reconstructed image is high both in accuracy and in resolution . thus , one operation cycle has been accomplished . the next operation cycle is started when the next projection start signal pss is provided to the main control unit 10 . in the next cycle , the direction of irradiation of the projection means 1 is slightly rotated and the main control unit 10 produces the angular datum ω corresponding to the rotation . according to the angular datum ω thus produced , the light spatial distribution control unit 20 in the optical writing means 6 rotates the correction function image by the angle corresponding to that of the direction of irradiation , the light intensity detecting unit 14 is rotated by the corresponding angle , and the above - described operation is carried out again . when the direction of irradiation is rotated , the image rotating operation is optically carried out in its entirety as was described above . therefore , even when the image has large size , the image reconstructing apparatus of the invention , being free from the problem of memory capacity , can achieve the image rotating operation quickly and very easily . furthermore , in the image reconstructing apparatus of the invention , the image processing operation is carried out in an analog mode , and therefore the image is high both in accuracy and in resolution . the reconstructed image is iteratively approximated in the above - described manner , to approximate the internal information of the object under examination . the reconstructed image thus processed is displayed on the display means 7 for observation of the internal information of the object . in the above - described embodiment , the difference value ( rd - pd ) produced by the comparator 16 is divided by the distance l to output the correction data ad ; however , the division may be performed with the difference values ( rd - pd ) weighted as required . as was described above , in the image reconstructing apparatus of the invention , the image reconstructing operations including the image adding or subtracting operation and the image rotating operation is optically carried out in an analog mode , with the result that the reconstructed image high both in accuracy and in resolution can be readily and quickly obtained by realtime processing . | 0 |
the locking system 2 shown in fig1 - 3 has of a locking part 4 of the female type and a locking part 6 of the male type , which locking parts 4 and 6 each includes end parts 8 , respectively , with connecting holes 9 that provide the ability for passing through a carrier cord for a piece of jewelry , or for example a string of pearls . the locking parts 4 and 6 are internally fitted with magnets 10 and 12 which are polarized so that they attract each other when the locking parts 4 and 6 are joined , as shown in fig1 and 2 . the end parts 8 and the locking parts 4 and 6 may be designed with complementary screw threads or glued faces shown in fig1 . in fig2 is shown with dotted lines that the locking system 2 may include a tubular part 14 which is for disposition between the end parts 8 externally of the locking parts 4 and 6 , and which has a radial connecting eyelet 16 . in fig4 - 12 , respective parts are designated with the same reference number as in fig1 - 3 . the locking system 18 shown in fig1 - 15 is constructed in principle entirely corresponding to the above described locking system 2 , as the locking system 18 has a locking part 20 of the female type and a locking part 22 of the male type . both locking parts 20 and 22 are provided with loose end parts 8 with connecting holes 9 serving for passing through a carrier cord for a piece of jewelry , for example , a string of pearls . both locking parts 20 and 22 have internal holding magnets 10 and 12 . furthermore , the locking part 20 is provided with or designed with supplementing internal locking pins 24 which are disposed diametrically opposite each other , and which are adapted to interact with external locking grooves 26 formed in the locking part 22 , so that the locking parts 20 and 22 may be interlocked by mutual rotation . in fig1 - 22 , respective parts are designated with the same reference number as in fig1 - 15 . the locking system 28 in fig2 - 25 has a locking part 30 of the female type and a locking part 32 of the male type . each of the locking parts 30 and 32 are connected by screw threads with loose end parts 36 with a centrally projecting tubular connecting part 38 . each of these are intended for externally receiving a part of jewelry , for example , a first pearl of a pearl string and a carrier cord which runs through the tubular connecting part 38 into locking parts 30 and 32 and is fastened in end parts 36 by a suitable fastening mechanism , for example , glue or knots or a combination thereof . the locking parts 30 and 32 are provided with internal holding magnets 10 and 12 and with a supplementing lock in the form of an external locking pin 40 on the locking part 32 and a complementary internal locking groove 42 on the locking part 30 . the male locking part 30 carries the pin 40 which projects radially outward and the female locking part 32 carries the groove 42 which receives the pin 40 to prevent the parts from being pulled apart . the locking system 44 shown in fig2 has a locking part 46 of the female type and a locking part 48 of the male type . the locking parts 46 and 48 are for example made of noble metal , for example gold or silver . this is why the locking parts 46 , 48 are provided with inserts 50 and 52 , of which the insert 50 is made of stainless steel with a locking groove 54 and a locking position with a locking hole 56 , respectively , in which the insert 56 of stainless steel may engage with an external locking pin 58 . the locking parts 46 and 48 furthermore have internal holding magnets 10 and 12 disposed in the inserts 50 and 52 . besides , the locking parts 50 and 52 have loose end parts 60 with relatively large connecting holes 62 for leather straps having loose ends which may be fastened in the end parts 60 by locking pins inserted through transverse holes 64 of the end parts 60 . the male locking part 48 carries the pin 58 which projects radially outward and the female locking part 50 carries the groove 54 which receives the pin 58 to prevent the parts from being pulled apart . fig2 shows a locking system 62 which comprises a magnetic locking part 63 of the female type , a magnetic locking part 66 of the male type and an intermediate piece 67 which at opposite ends is provided with complementing locking parts 63 and 66 so that the intermediate piece 67 may be fixed in a secure way between the locking parts 65 and 68 . the intermediate piece 67 may , for example , be used to connect a separate part of jewelry by contact with one or more pieces of jewelry , for example , in the form of necklaces , bracelets , ankle bands , headbands , belts or the like . the intermediate piece 67 may have several lesser intermediate pieces so that the length may be adjusted thereby . fig2 shows a locking system 70 where a jewelry part 72 having two hingedly connected halves 74 in which is formed a mainly cylindrical hollow 76 adapted for receiving a locking part 78 of the female type and a locking part 80 of the male type in such a way that the locking parts 78 and 80 may be fixed in the hollow 76 when the halves 74 are joined together . the jewelry part 72 is a magnetic material so that the holding magnets in the locking parts 78 and 80 also can hold the jewelry part 72 closed around the locking parts 78 and 80 . if the jewelry part 72 is made of non - magnetic material , there may , as shown in fig2 , be provided an external lock 82 for holding the jewelry part 72 closed around the locking parts 78 and 80 . the locking system 84 shown in fig3 includes a larger jewelry part 86 which at one side is fitted with a locking part 88 of the male type that interacts with a locking part 90 of the female type which is mounted at the end of a jewelry cord 92 , which at the opposite end is provided with a locking part 94 of the male type interacting with a locking part 96 of the female type which is fitted in the jewelry part 86 diametrically opposite the locking part 88 . | 8 |
referring to fig1 a container ( 10 ) has a body ( 12 ) with a standard twist - off cap ( 14 ) threaded to the cap open end of the body , also having a detachable base ( 16 ) attached to the base open end of the body . fig1 shows the detachable base in its closed , sealed and / or locked position . the preferred embodiment of the invention has all three of the elements present in fig1 . the body may be made of any rigid material such as glass or plastic . the material may , for example , be blown or molded . the body may be made of one single piece of rigid material , or be comprised of several pieces fused together . fig2 is a view of one assembly of the detachable base ( 16 ) showing the locking of the bottom closure to the container bottom . disassembly is designed to occur when the tear - off locking band ( 20 ) is stripped off using the pull tab ( 22 ). the detachable base ( 16 ) is attached to the body ( 12 ) using a detent or similar stabilizing mechanism , such as a tongue - in - groove lock . in fig2 the body has a tongue for the detent ( 24 ), which is compressed to a mating detent , or groove , on the detachable base ( 26 ). a compressible seal ( 28 ) is compressed between the tongue of the body ( 24 ) and the groove of the detachable base ( 26 ) to prevent leaking of materials from the container . the tear - off locking band ( 20 ) circumferentially encloses the detent of the body and the base to provide stability for the whole container before conversion to a vessel or during transport . the tear - off locking band is attached to the body at an integrated locking ridge shown in fig3 . the locking ridge helps to provide further stability for the container . also shown is a centrally disposed threaded socket ( 30 ) with internal threads for engagement to the threads located at the cap open and ( 14 ) of the body ( 12 ) when converting the container to an open mouthed vessel or back again . the detent mechanism is shown more fully in fig4 . fig3 shows an assembled open mouthed vessel ( 40 ) set on its base ( 16 ) after conversion from a container . the body ( 12 ) has a locking ridge ( 42 ) for attachment to the tear - off locking band shown in fig2 . the locking ridge is only decorative once the container has been converted to the open mouthed vessel in fig3 . fig4 illustrates another system for engaging the detachable base closure to the body . a tongue ( 24 ) on the body ( 12 ) mates with a groove ( 26 ) on the base ( 16 ). this closure is then circumferentially enclosed by the tear - off band ( 20 ) shown in fig2 . this closure provides the necessary strength to engage the base to the body until the container is converted to an open mouthed vessel . fig5 a shows the cap open end of a body of a container ( 12 ) attached to a cap ( 14 ) using threads ( 52 ). the cap ( 14 ) is modified with external threads ( 54 ) to engage the suitably matched threads at the socket ( 30 ) centrally disposed in the detachable base ( 16 ). the external threads at the cap open end ( 54 ) may have cross - hatching , as shown in fig5 b , to facilitate gripping . the cap may also be modified with some other locking device , such as are well known and commonly found on aspirin bottles , for example . another of the many possible body shapes where the cap open end has a smaller substantially circular area than the base is shown in fig5 a . fig5 a can also be used to illustrate a configuration that eliminates the requirement for a cap . assume the external threads or locking device ( 54 ) at the cap open end of the container ( 14 ) are an integral part of the cap open end of the body and there is no opening present at the cap open end . the cap open end may still be threaded or locked into its matching receptacle socket ( 30 ) in the detachable base . in this configuration , the only access to fill or evacuate the container is through its bottom . fig5 b shows a full view of fig5 a . the body of the container ( 12 ) may take on any number of shapes such as tumblers , schooners , snifters , and goblets . the cap open end closure ( 14 ) has external threads or a locking device ( 54 ) as discussed in fig5 a . the external threads or locking device may be cross - hatched to facilitate gripping when removing the cap open end closure ( 14 ) or the base ( 16 ) at the base open end . the cap open end closure mates with an opposite half in the central socket ( 30 ) of the base . fig6 shows another possible embodiment for attachment of the base to the body of the container . the body ( 12 ) at the base open end might be threaded ( 60 ). as shown here , the threads may be non - continuous ( 60 ) non - continuous threads provide a more tactilely pleasing surface when the base open end is used as the lip of a drinking vessel . the base ( 16 ) is attached to the body ( 12 ) with a threaded sleeve ( 62 ). the threaded sleeve ( 62 ) threads onto the threads ( 60 ) at the base open end of the body with matched threads ( 64 ). this compresses the base ( 16 ) to the body . when a threaded sleeve is employed as the closure mechanism for the base open end of the body , there would be a need for a tamper evident seal to wrap around the threaded sleeve . the tamper evident seal would improve purchaser confidence when the base is attached with a threaded sleeve . fig7 a depicts yet another embodiment for attaching the base to the body . the base ( 16 ) may be threaded to the body ( 12 ) at the base open end . the body ( 12 ) may have external threads ( 70 ) for engagement to internal threads ( 72 ) on the base ( 16 ). if the base is attached to the body as shown in this figure , the closure would require a tamper evident seal , as discussed in relation to fig6 . the tamper evident seal would increase purchaser confidence , and prevent tampering , when the base is attached in this manner . the base is removed by dis - engaging the base ( 16 ) from the body ( 12 ) using the threaded closure ( 70 , 72 ). once the base has been removed from the body , it is re - attached to the body at the cap open end with the central socket ( 30 ), as shown in fig3 and 5b . fig7 b depicts a similar closure mechanism to the one depicted in fig7 a . the base ( 16 ) may be threaded to the body ( 12 ) at the base open end . the body ( 12 ) may have internal threads ( 74 ) for engagement to external threads ( 76 ) on the base ( 16 ). if the base is attached to the body as shown in this figure , the closure would require a tamper evident seal , as discussed in fig6 . the tamper evident seal would increase purchaser confidence , and prevent tampering , when the base is attached in this manner . the base is removed by dis - engaging the base ( 16 ) from the body ( 12 ) using the threaded closure ( 74 , 76 ). once the base has been removed from the body , it is re - attached to the body at the cap open end with the central socket ( 30 ), as shown in fig3 and 5b . fig8 shows another possible embodiment for the shape of the body . once the container has been converted to an open mouthed vessel ( 40 ), it rests on its base ( 16 ). the base open end ( 80 ) serves as the mouth for the vessel , and the cap open end ( 82 ) is engaged to the base . virtually any shape of the body is possible . the only limitation is that the base open end be larger than the cap open end . it is apparent from the foregoing discussion that the invention includes conversion of a container into a vessel . for example , the container may contain a beverage ; after the cap is removed , and the contents consumed , the tapered , formerly capped end can be attached to the base to form a drinking glass , vase or any other vessel . other variations abound , including one in which the cap is not removable , the container is inverted so that the base - end is up , the base is then removed , the base is attached to the opposite , preferably tapered end of the container , thereby forming a drinking vessel from which the fluid contents may be consumed . while advantageous embodiments have been chosen to illustrate the invention , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims . | 8 |
this invention will be described in detail with reference to the preferred embodiment thereof . like elements are identified by like reference numerals throughout the drawings and specification . now , with reference to fig1 the prior art illustrating a micro adjust seat post 40 is shown as it operatively connects to the saddle clamps of a bicycle saddle . the micro adjust seat post 40 is well known in the art and is generally a hollow tubular structure made of aluminum , titanium or other metal alloys . one end of this tubular seat post 40 is inserted into a tubular portion of the bicycle frame having a diameter slightly larger than the diameter of the seat post 40 and designed to receive the seat post 40 . on the end of seat post 40 opposite the end inserted into the frame , an essentially horizontal platform 44 is integrally attached such that the seat post 40 and the platform 44 form a modified and inverted &# 34 ; l &# 34 ; &# 34 ; shaped configuration . this platform 44 has a concave recession 46 formed in its top outer surface . this concave surface commonly has a radius of approximately 30 mm . this surface declines at an angle of approximately 3 ° on each side of a longitudinal centerline . these two angled surfaces are serrated with a 0 . 25 mm deep sine wave pattern having a 1 mm pitch cut transverse to a longitudinal centerline . the saddle is attached to the seat post 40 by an upper and lower saddle clamp 60 and 70 respectively . the lower saddle clamp 60 has a convex serrated bottom surface 66 which interfaces with the serrations on the concave surface 46 of seat post 40 . an 8 mm socket head cap screw 50 passes first through aperture 48 in micro adjust post 40 and subsequently through apertures 62 and 72 in lower and upper saddle clamps 60 and 70 . screw 50 is held in place by nut 80 . aperture 62 and 72 in lower and upper saddle clamps are elongated to permit the clamp assembly to be positioned at various angles relative to seat post 40 . standard bicycle saddles or seats generally have one steel bar on each side of the seat &# 39 ; s longitudinal axis . each bar passes through and is held in place by the clamp assembly . these standard bicycle saddles permit a longitudinal adjustment of the seat relative to the frame of up to about 25 mm . the present invention , generally 10 comprises a platform or adapter which increases the adjustability of a standard bicycle seat . this is accomplished by relocating the original seat position relative to the seat post . fig2 discloses the device 10 in a perspective view . device 10 is an elongated structure wherein the length is substantially greater than the corresponding width or thickness . device 10 has an upper surface comprising a planar section 22 and a concave , generally arcuate surface 12 . planar section 22 and arcuate surface 12 intersect at a line generally transverse to the longitudinal axis . arcuate surface 12 has serrations , cut transverse to the longitudinal axis , to assist in gripping . device 10 has a lower surface comprising two convex , essentially arcuate surfaces 16 and 18 which intersect at an approximate midline , transverse to the longitudinal axis . arcuate surface 18 may have transverse serrations to assist in gripping . arcuate surface 12 and arcuate surface 16 intersect at a common point to define the front portion 14 of device 10 . planar surface 20 intersects planar section 22 at an essentially right angle along the upper surface and intersects arcuate surface 18 to define the rear of device 10 . the present invention is a platform or adapter 10 which may be forged , cast or machined from various metal materials . aluminum and related alloys are the preferred composition but steel , titanium and other alloys are contemplated . device 10 is to be installed between micro adjust seat post 40 and lower saddle clamp 60 . the present invention significantly increases the forward and backward adjustability of the bicycle seat along the bicycle &# 39 ; s longitudinal axis from about 10 mm up to about 50 mm . device 10 accomplishes such adjustablility by offering alternative positions for relocating the seat relative to the seat post 40 . such adjustment is desirable to increase the rider &# 39 ; s comfort , aerodynamic posture and stability especially in bicycle racing . often times during the course of a bicycle race , the rider will not be seated with his / her full weight on the seat . instead the rider will be almost standing on the pedals and relying on the seat merely to maintain his / her weight centered over the bicycle &# 39 ; s longitudinal axis . therefore , a seat which has been relocated forward towards the bicycle &# 39 ; s handlebars is desirable . this is achieved by placing arcuate surface 18 of device 10 on corresponding arcuate surface 46 of seat post 40 such that front portion 14 of device 10 points toward the front of the bicycle as illustrated in fig4 . a rearward adjustment of the seat &# 39 ; s position may be equally desirable in certain circumstances . although bicycles can be purchased in various sizes , no two riders have the exact same measurements . however , few people can afford to have a bicycle custom designed for their measurements , but must instead choose from among one of the standard bicycle sizes . an individual with long legs and / or a long torso may require a bicycle seat which can be adjusted towards the rear of the bicycle further than a standard seat will allow . the present invention accomplishes such adjustments by positioning arcuate surface 18 of device 1 on corresponding arcuate surface of seat post 40 in such a way that front portion 14 points toward the rear of the bicycles as illustrated in fig5 . while device 10 provides a desirable increase in the range of saddle or seat mounting positions , excessive adjustment forward or backward must be avoided . a correctly positioned saddle is positioned such that its nose just brushes the back of the riders legs during climbs and sprints . if the front edge of the saddle is farther forward than a vertical line running through the bicycle &# 39 ; s crank center , the saddle may interfere with the back of the rider &# 39 ; s legs when standing up . additionally , a platform device 10 of excessive length may weaken or be unable to support the weight of a rider when stressed . device 10 is secured to seat post 40 by a standard bolt . bolt 50 is inserted into aperture 48 from the bottom and into threaded aperture 26 in device 10 . aperture 26 is shown in fig4 and 5 as having open ends on surfaces 18 and 22 and cut generally transverse to the longitudinal axis of device 10 . aperture 26 is threaded and has a diameter slightly larger than the diameter of bolt 50 such that bolt 50 threadably engages threads of aperture 26 . an alternative embodiment has aperture 26 as having one open end in surface 18 and being cut through a substantial portion of device 10 . still a further embodiment contemplates bolt 50 as passing through aperture 26 and extending a substantial length above surface 22 . a seat is contemplated as being formed on surface 22 which receives and retains a nut which threadably engages bolt 50 . the bicycle seat is installed by passing the bars of the seat between the upper and lower saddle clamps 60 and 70 . the clamp assembly is placed on device 10 such that surface 66 of lower clamp 60 rests on corresponding arcuate surface 12 of device 10 . lower saddle clamp 60 may have serrations which will interlock with serrations on the arcuate surface 12 to prevent moving or slipping of the seat once it has been secured to device 10 . upper and lower saddle clamps 70 and 60 are secured to device 10 by a standard nut 80 and bolt 50 assembly . bolt 50 is inserted up through aperture 24 and through elongated apertures 62 and 72 in the lower and upper saddle clamps 60 and 70 respectively . aperture 24 has a first bore with a diameter slightly larger than the diameter of bolt 50 to allow the shaft of bolt 50 to pass through it . aperture 24 , in fig4 and 5 is shown as being cut transverse to the longitudinal axis of the device and having open ends on surfaces 12 and 16 . aperture 24 has a second bore of slightly greater diameter than the first bore . second bore of aperture 24 is dimensioned to receive the head of bolt 50 such that bolt 50 is seated securely therein . the bicycle seat can be adjusted parallel to the bicycle &# 39 ; s longitudinal axis , above or below its horizontal axis by loosening nut 80 from bolt 50 . apertures 62 and 72 in lower and upper saddle clamps are elongated to permit clamp assembly to be pitched from a horizontal axis relative to the seat post 40 . aperture 28 shown in fig3 and 5 is cut into device 10 essentially parallel to planar section 22 of the devices upper surface . aperture 28 has one open end in back wall 20 and longitudinally into device 10 . such aperture 28 is threaded and dimensioned so as to provide a securing site for the attachment of bicycle accessories including but not limited to water bottle cage , saddle bags , reflectors and lights . fig8 illustrates device 10 as installed with a bicycle seat , seat post and water bottle cage . fig6 discloses an alternative embodiment of device 10 has a shorter overall length and is designed for use on road racing bicycles . fig7 discloses another alternative embodiment of device 10 which has a shorter overall length , but has an increased height to allow the saddle to be located further above the seat post 40 . while in accordance with the patent statutes the best mode and preferred embodiment of the invention has been described , it is to be understood that the invention is not limited thereto , but rather is to be measured by the scope and spirit of the appended claims . | 8 |
while preferred embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described herein , it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that such embodiments are provided by way of example only . numerous variations , changes , and substitutions will now occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the invention . it should be understood that various alternatives to the embodiments of the invention described herein may be employed in practicing the invention . it is intended that the following claims define the scope of the invention and that methods and structures within the scope of these claims and their equivalents be covered thereby . referring to the drawings in detail , fig1 shows a barebones sales matching system . lead supply 10 and one or more raw sales data source 11 may communicate over the internet 12 with a sales matching service provider . the lead supply 10 may include web sites of lead suppliers 13 , 14 that may identify a group of prospective customers or may include customers that provide leads directly . the raw sales data sources 11 may include sellers and other sources of sales data 15 , 16 . for instance , in the case of automobile sales , raw sales data sources may include car dealers , loan originators , insurance carriers , and so forth . the sales matching service provider may include a data normalization and matching engine 17 , a sales matching application 18 , and financial systems 19 . the data normalization and matching engine 17 may receive the information from multiple sources , comprising lead supply 10 and raw sales data sources 11 , over the internet 12 . it may normalize all of the data from the multiple sources so that the information has a standard format , which may make it easier to compare and match leads and sales . the data normalization and matching engine 17 may also clean up the data to remove duplicates and other unnecessary information . it may then take the normalized data and match the leads with the sales . it may also assign a confidence for each match , which may help to determine whether a matched sale is an approved sale . the data normalization and matching engine 17 may be in communication with databases that store the information . the sales matching application 18 may the matched sales that are not obviously an automatically approved sale . the sales matching application 18 may look more carefully at matched sales data and may also look at additional information to determine whether the matched sale reaches the threshold for an approved sale . the financial systems 19 may create an invoice which may use the approved sale data . the invoice may depend on the business arrangement between the sales matching service provider and the sellers . for example , if there is a pay - per - sale arrangement , the seller may pay the sales matching service provider depending on invoice - able sales . invoice - able sales may be approved sales , which are matched sales that meet a certain confidence threshold , that also fit the business arrangement . in another example , a sales matching service provider and seller may have a subscription arrangement , where the seller may pay to use the sales matching service provider . if there are uncertainties , there may be mechanisms to deal with conflicts and exceptions and edge cases . the financial systems 19 may keep track of invoices that have been provided to sellers as well as anything that has been collected from a seller . the financial systems 19 may keep a general accounting for the sales matching service provider . it shall be understood that any reference to the term leads in the foregoing and following could be interpreted generally and include purchase requests or other communications from a potential buyer . fig2 illustrates leads and sales data sources and how data may be stored in a sales matching system . there may be lead supply 20 and raw sales data sources 21 that communicate with a sales matching service provider . an input / output communication port 22 may enable communication between the lead supply 20 and raw sales data sources 21 and the sales matching service provider . the input / output communication port 22 may communicate with a central processing unit ( cpu ) 23 . the cpu 23 may also communicate with an input device 24 , rom 25 , ram 26 , a clock 27 , and databases 28 . the databases 28 may store information relevant to the sales matching . data received from lead supply 20 and raw sales data sources 21 may be stored in lead supply and raw sales data sources databases 28 a , 28 b . there may also be raw normalized datasets 28 c , which may include the data received from the lead supply 20 and raw sales data sources 21 that have been normalized and cleaned up so that data may be in a standard format , and any unnecessary information may have been removed . a historical matched dataset 28 d may keep track of matched sales , which may include duplicates from multiple sources . an approved sales database 28 e may include matched sales that reach a certain confidence threshold and are not duplicates . if there are matches that are exceptions or edge cases , they may have to undergo another approval process . if the confidence threshold is met , the matched sale may be an approved sale which may be stored in the approved sales databases 28 e . there may also be a set of databases devoted to financials 28 f , 28 g . this may include information about invoices and collections . an invoices database 28 f may include invoices generated that may include invoice - able sales . matched sales may have been processed to determine whether they meet the confidence threshold to become approved sales and fit in the business arrangement to constitute invoice - able sales . a collections database 28 g may include accounting information , such as which sellers have paid off their invoices , and so forth . there may also be a data warehouse 28 h . the data warehouse 28 h may enable buyer relationship managers to conduct effective business offline , based on reporting . the data warehouse 28 h may store records that may be part of a reporting system that can provide dealers with feedback or analysis based on sales information . fig3 illustrates data flow within a sales matching system . there are several ways that data can get to a matching engine . a sales matching service provider may receive data from lead supply or from raw sales data sources . for lead supply , the source may be a website which provides leads to customers , or may be customers generating the leads directly . at the first step , a lead may be submitted from a web site or a customer 30 . this may become the lead supply data , which may be stored in a lead supply database 31 . for raw sales data sources , the process may start when a data provider submits sales data 32 . the data provider may be one of multiple sources ( seller , insurance , etc .). this submitted data may become the raw sales data , which may be stored in a raw sales data sources database 33 . the sales data may then go through a data normalizer 34 , which may normalize and clean the data . this normalized data may be stored in a raw normalized dataset 35 . in one embodiment of the invention , both the lead and sales data may go through the data normalizer , and both sets of normalized data may be stored in the raw normalized dataset . the normalized lead supply data and the normalized sales data may go through a matching engine 36 , which may match the leads and sales . a confidence may be assigned to each match . if the confidence is so great that a sale definitely came from a lead , the match may be approved automatically and may be stored in an approved sales database 37 . if the confidence is not automatically approved , then a sales matching application 38 may conduct additional analysis on the match . if , following the sales matching application &# 39 ; s 38 analysis , the match reaches a sufficiently high confidence threshold , then the match may be approved and stored in the approved sales database . if it is still unclear whether the match confidence is enough 39 , then the match may undergo additional manual review 40 . the approved sales data may go through a financial system adapter 41 , which may create invoices that may be stored in financial invoices databases 42 . whether an approved sale constitutes and invoice - able sale may depend on the business relationship between the sales matching service provider and the seller . also , based on the invoices , the system may account for payments made , which may be stored in financial collections databases 43 . the approved sales data may also go through a data adapter 44 which may prepare the data to be placed into a format that goes with the data warehouse database 45 . the data warehouse 45 may store records that may be part of a reporting system that can provide dealers with feedback or analysis based on their sales information . fig4 illustrates seller interactions with a sales matching system . a seller may communicate with a sales matching service provider by providing raw sales data 50 , requesting sales credit 52 , or requesting to reject sales 53 . a seller may also interact with a sales matching service provider by receiving reporting data such as invoices 61 or historical reports 62 . a seller may be one of the sources that may provide a sales matching service provider with raw sales data 50 . the raw sales data may be stored in a raw sales database 51 . the sales data may go through a sales matching application 56 , which may match sales with leads . a confidence may be assigned to each match . if a match reaches a sufficiently high confidence threshold , then the match may be approved and stored in an approved sales database 59 . the approved sales data may also be used to generate invoices , which may be stored in a financial invoices database 57 . whether an approved sale constitutes an invoice - able sale may depend on the business relationship between the sales matching service provider and the seller . also , based on the invoices , the system may account for payments made , which may be stored in a financial collections database 58 . a seller may request sales credit 52 or may request to reject sales 53 from a sales matching service provider . such seller requests may be stored in a request queue database 54 . the requests may undergo a manual request review 55 , which may determine whether to grant or not grant the requests for sales credit or to reject sales . decisions whether to grant requests may be communicated to the sales matching application 56 . a granted request for sales credit 52 may result in a match that automatically becomes an approved sale , while a granted request to reject a sale 53 may result in automatically preventing a match from becoming an approved sale , no matter the confidence . the sales matching system may also include a reporting data database 60 , which may include any data that the sales matching service provider may wish to provide to the seller . for instance , the sales matching service provider may provide the seller with invoices 61 , which may include invoice - able matches and compensation that a seller may owe for a consummated sale from a lead . if a seller disagrees with an item on an invoice , the seller may make a request for sales credit 52 or request to reject sales 53 accordingly . the sales matching service provider may also provide the seller with historical reports 62 , which may include information that may provide sellers with performance feedback or analysis based on their sales information . it should be understood from the foregoing that , while particular implementations have been illustrated and described , various modifications can be made thereto and are contemplated herein . it is also not intended that the invention be limited by the specific examples provided within the specification . while the invention has been described with reference to the aforementioned specification , the descriptions and illustrations of the preferable embodiments herein are not meant to be construed in a limiting sense . furthermore , it shall be understood that all aspects of the invention are not limited to the specific depictions , configurations or relative proportions set forth herein which depend upon a variety of conditions and variables . various modifications in form and detail of the embodiments of the invention will be apparent to a person skilled in the art . it is therefore contemplated that the invention shall also cover any such modifications , variations and equivalents . | 6 |
the following detailed description , the accompanying drawings are intended to describe some , but not necessarily all , examples or embodiments of the invention . the contents of this detailed description and accompanying drawings do not limit the scope of the invention in any way . fig1 - 2b show one example of a catheter device 10 of the present invention . this catheter device 10 comprises an elongate catheter body 12 ( e . g ., a catheter shaft ) having an atraumatic distal tip member 46 on its distal end de and a handpiece 14 on its proximal end . as shown specifically in fig2 b , the catheter body 12 comprises a core member 44 , a braid layer 42 surrounding the core member 44 and an outer layer 40 surrounding the braid layer 42 . these components 40 , 42 , 44 of the catheter body 12 may be formed of materials that provide the desired strength and torque transmission while minimizing the overall diameter of the catheter body 12 . for example , the core member 44 may comprise machined or extruded polyethylene ( hdpe ), ultra - high molecular weight polyethylene ( uhmwpe ) or polypropylene ( pp ). the braid layer 42 may be formed of stainless steel flat ribbon , ultra - thin wire or polymer fibers such as aramid fiber ( kevlar ® available from e . i . dupont de nemours , inc ., wilmington , del .). the outer layer 40 may be formed of polymeric materials , metal or woven material including the same or different material as the first braid layer . in embodiments where the core member 44 is formed of hdpe , uhmwpe or pp , the inner surfaces of lumens 38 , 40 are sufficiently smooth and lubricious as not to require disposition of a lubricious liner ( such as a polytetrofluoroethylene / polyimid liner ) therein . because no liner is required , the overall diameter of the core member 44 may be smaller than would be possible if lumen liner ( s ) were required . a first lumen 38 extends from a port 16 on the proximal end of the handpiece 14 , through the handpiece 14 , through the core member 44 , through distal tip member 46 , terminating in an opening in the distal end of the distal tip member 46 . first lumen 38 may be used as a guidewire lumen for over - the - wire placement of the catheter 10 and / or it may be used for infusion / aspiration of substances via a syringe 32 , infusion tube or other suitable infusion or aspiration device attached to port 30 . a valve , cap or other closure apparatus ( not shown ) may be associated with port 16 to deter backflow of fluids out of port 16 when fluids are being infused through port 30 . in rapid exchange embodiments of the catheter 10 , it will be appreciated that , instead of lumen 38 extending proximally to port 16 on the proximal end of the handpiece 14 , the lumen 38 may terminate proximally in a side port ( not shown ) formed in the side wall of catheter body 12 . a second lumen 40 extends from sidearm 28 on handpiece 14 , through handpiece 14 and through the core member 14 at least to a side outlet opening 22 that is formed in the catheter body 12 . as seen in fig2 , a curved tubular housing 36 is positioned within the second lumen 38 with the distal end of the needle housing 36 being positioned within or immediately adjacent to the side outlet opening 22 . a laterally deployable member is moveable back and forth between a retracted position and an extended position . in the particular embodiment shown in the drawings , this laterally deployable member comprises a hollow cannula such as a needle 24 formed of elastic or supereleastic material ( e . g ., nickel - titanium alloy ). a distal portion of this needle 24 is biased to a curved configuration . the needle 24 may have a maximum internal diameter of 0 . 017 inch ( 0 . 43 mm ). a second guidewire 28 , such as a 0 . 014 inch ( 0 . 36 mm ) non - hydrophilically coated guidewire , may be advanced through sidearm 28 , through the lumen of the needle 24 and out of the distal end of the needle 24 . alternatively , diagnostic or therapeutic substances , articles or devices may also be passed through the lumen of the needle 24 . examples of the types of substances , articles and devices that may be delivered through the lumen of the needle 24 include but are not limited to those described in u . s . pat . nos . 6 , 602 , 214 ( makower , et al .) or in copending u . s . patent application ser . no . 10 / 411 , 891 ( lamson , et al .) and ser . no . 11 / 279 , 771 ( lamson et al . ), each such patent and patent application being expressly incorporated herein by reference . when the needle 24 is in its retracted position , it is within the catheter body 12 with the curved distal portion of the needle 24 being situated within the curved housing 36 . the curvature to which the needle 24 is biased may mate with the curvature of the housing 36 , thereby deterring rotation of the distal portion of the needle 24 while it resides within the housing 36 . in this manner , if the needle 24 has a side opening or bevel , such side opening or bevel may be maintained in a desired , known orientation . when the needle 24 is moved to its extended position , it will advance out of side outlet opening 22 , as indicated in dotted lines on fig2 . a knob 18 on handpiece 14 controls movement of the needle 24 between its retracted position and its extended position . an adjustable or non - adjustable limiting member may also be provided to limit the distance to which the needle 24 extends out of side outlet opening 22 . in some embodiments , the knob 18 may operate to advance the needle 18 in preset increments , for example up to seven 1 mm increments to a pre - determined mavimum extension of 7 mm . in some embodiments , the curved housing 36 may be formed of metal or other imageable or radiopaque material and may additionally function as an imageable indicator marking the radial location of side outlet opening 22 and / or indicating the direction or trajectory on which the needle 24 will advance . in this manner , an image of the curved housing 36 may be used by the operator to adjust the position and rotational orientation of the catheter body 12 in situ to ensure , or at least improve the probability that , subsequent advancement of the needle 24 will cause the needle to advance in the direction of a desired trget location ( e . g ., into the true lumen of an adjacent artery ) rather than to some other undesired location . optionally , the catheter 10 may include other imageable markers and / or imaging apparatus and / or other orientation - indicating elements may be included to mark the radial location of side outlet opening 22 and / or to indicate the direction or trajectory on which the needle 24 will advance , examples of which are described in united states patent nos . u . s . pat . no . 5 , 830 , 222 ( makower ), u . s . pat . no . 6 , 068 , 638 ( makower ), u . s . pat . no . 6 , 159 , 225 ( makower ), u . s . pat . no . 6 , 190 , 353 ( makower , et al . ), u . s . pat . no . 6 , 283 , 951 ( flaherty , et al . ), u . s . pat . no . 6 , 375 , 615 ( flaherty , et al . ), u . s . pat . no . 6 , 508 , 824 ( flaherty , et al . ), u . s . pat . no . 6 , 544 , 230 ( flaherty , et al . ), u . s . pat . no . 6 , 655 , 386 ( makower et al . ), u . s . pat . no . 6 , 579 , 311 ( makower ), u . s . pat . no . 6 , 602 , 241 ( makower , et al . ), u . s . pat . no . 6 , 655 , 386 ( makower , et al . ), u . s . pat . no . 6 , 660 , 024 ( flaherty , et al . ), u . s . pat . no . 6 , 685 , 648 ( flaherty , et al . ), u . s . pat . no . 6 , 709 , 444 ( makower ), u . s . pat . no . 6 , 726 , 677 ( flaherty , et al .) and u . s . pat . no . 6 , 746 , 464 ( makower ), which are incorporated herein by reference . in comparison to the currently available pioneer ™ catheter ( medtronic vascular , inc ., santa rosa , calif . ), the catheter body 12 is constructed in a manner that allows the outer diameter of the catheter body 12 to be reduced to approximately 0 . 067 inch , while maintaining the needed torque transmission capability for use in cto procedures , such as the procedure shown in fig4 a - 4g , described in detail herebelow . typically , catheters 10 of this invention will have outer diameters of from about 0 . 067 inch to abut 0 . 080 . in this regard , the use of material such as hdpe , uhmwpe or pp , but still with the braided layer 42 , allows the diameter of the catheter body 12 to be reduced as much as 1 french size while still providing all the other relevant properties that are desired for the performance of this catheter . also , the catheter body 12 construction shown in fig4 eliminates the need for expensive composite structure liners while still providing desirable flexibility . additionally , the materials used in the construction of this catheter body 12 are highly processible making it feasible for the attachment of a distal tip member 46 that comprises a composite structure ( e . g ., a flexible thermoplastic ( e . g ., pebax ® polyether block amide disposed on a rigid platinum housing ). because of its reduced outer diameter , the catheter 10 may be inserted through a standard 6 french introducer sheath ( e . g ., a 6 fr . avanti ™ introducer sheath available from johnson & amp ; johnson / cordis , miami , fla . or a 6 fr . super sheath ™ introducer available from boston scientific , inc ., boston , mass .) to a 7 to 8 fr . sheath as required of some prior art devices , thereby resulting in less patient trauma , greater flexibility and fewer post - procedure bleeding complications at the percutaneous puncture site . fig3 - 4g show an example of a procedure in which the above - described catheter device 10 is used to treat a cto of an artery of the lower extremity of a human subject . as specifically shown in fig4 , the wall of an artery typically consists of three layers , the tunica intima i (“ intima ”), tunica media m (“ media ”) which is the thickest layer of the wall and the tunica adventitia a ( adventitia ). in some arteries an internal elastic membrane iem is disposed between the media m and adventitia a . initially , a percutaneous puncture is made into the femoral artery and a 6 french ptfe introducer is inserted in the direction of normal bloodflow through the artery . as seen in fig4 a , a guidewire 26 is advanced into a subintimal space adjacent to the obstruction o such that the distal end of the guidewire 26 is within the subintimal space , distal to the obstruction o . thereafter , as seen in fig4 b , the catheter 10 of the present invention is advanced over the guidewire 26 while the needle 24 is in its retracted position within housing 36 . the catheter 10 is advanced to a position where the side outlet opening 22 is distal to the obstruction o . thereafter , fluoroscopy is used to image the curved radiopaque housing 36 ( and / or other imageable marker ( s ) which indicate the radial position of the side outlet opening 22 and / or the direction or trajectory on which the needle will subsequently advance ). this fluoroscopic image is then used to guide rotation of the catheter body 12 to cause the side outlet opening 22 and the needle 24 to be directed toward the true lumen tl of the artery . then , as seen in fig4 c , the needle 24 is advanced through adjacent tissue and into the true lumen tl of the artery , distal to the obstruction o . thereafter , as shown in fig4 d , a , 014 inch guidewire 28 is advanced through the lumen of needle 24 and into the true lumen tl of the artery . subsequently , as seen in fig4 e , the needle 24 is withdrawn to its retracted position and the catheter 10 as well as the first guidewire 26 are removed , leaving the second guidewire 28 in place such that it extends through the true lumen tl of the artery proximal to ( i . e ., upstream of ) the obstruction o , through the subintimal space , and back into the true lumen tl of the artery distal to ( i . e ., downstream of ) the obstruction o . one or more tract modifying devices ( e . g ., balloon catheters , atherectomy catheters , etc .) may then be advanced over the guidewire 28 and used to enlarge ( e . g ., dilate , debulk , bore , etc .) the subintimal space . thereafter , as seen in fig4 f , after the subintimal space has been enlarged to a desired diameter , a stent delivery catheter 50 may be advanced over the remaining guidewire 28 to position a stent 52 such that it extends from the true lumen tl of the artery proximal to ( i . e ., upstream of ) the obstruction o , through the subintimal space , and back into the true lumen tl of the artery distal to ( i . e ., downstream of ) the obstruction o . then , as shown in fig4 g , the stent 52 is allowed to self expand , or is plastically deformed to an expanded configuration , and the stent delivery catheter 50 and guidewire 28 are removed , leaving the expanded stent in place . thus , a stented , subintimal bloodflow channel is formed around the obstruction o . it is to be further appreciated that the invention has been described hereabove with reference to certain examples or embodiments of the invention but that various additions , deletions , alterations and modifications may be made to those examples and embodiments without departing from the intended spirit and scope of the invention . for example , any element or attribute of one embodiment or example may be incorporated into or used with another embodiment or example , unless to do so would render the embodiment or example unsuitable for its intended use . also , where the steps of a method or process are described , listed or claimed in a particular order , such steps may be performed in any other order unless to do so would render the embodiment or example not novel , obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the relevant art or unsuitable for its intended use . all reasonable additions , deletions , modifications and alterations are to be considered equivalents of the described examples and embodiments and are to be included within the scope of the following claims . | 0 |
although the disclosure hereof is detailed and exact to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention , the physical embodiments herein disclosed merely exemplify the invention which may be embodied in other specific structure . while the preferred embodiment has been described , the details may be changed without departing from the invention , which is defined by the claims . as shown in fig1 the preferred embodiment of the surgical device 11 includes an elongated wand 12 with a front end 14 and a back end 16 . the wand front end 14 and back end 16 serve as reference points for this discussion , so that “ forward ” and “ front ” refer to those movements or locations toward the front end 14 and “ backward ” and “ back ” refer to those movements toward the back end 16 . the surgical device 11 further includes an elongated rod 18 that has a handle portion 24 connected to a flexible portion 22 . the handle portion 24 lies close and generally parallel to the wand 12 and may be coupled to the wand 12 in some fashion . the flexible portion 22 includes a pivot end 20 and a second end 21 . the second end 21 of the flexible portion 22 is connected to the handle portion 24 , and the pivot end 20 is coupled to the wand &# 39 ; s front end 14 using a disengaging connector 80 . the surgical device further comprises a removable bag 50 that may be sterilized and reused . in the preferred embodiment a slot system serves as a connector for holding the handle portion 24 close to the back end 16 of the wand and to set the transition point 26 where the flexible portion 22 transitions from lying close to the wand 12 to bowing out from the wand 12 . this transition point 26 may be anywhere on the flexible portion 22 between the pivot end 20 and the second end 21 . however , designing a surgical device 11 with the transition point 26 very close to the pivot end 20 would give little longitudinal distance in which the flexible portion could bow . therefore , the connector preferably extends forward to about the middle of the flexible portion 22 . as shown in fig1 the slot system includes a channel 28 and a lip 32 . the channel 28 extends along the longitudinal axis of the wand 12 from the back end 16 and forward preferably to the corresponding location of the rod &# 39 ; s pivot end 20 . the rod 18 is received in the channel 28 . the lip 32 extends partially over the channel 28 for slidably holding the rod 18 in the channel 28 forward up to the location of the front extremity 30 . at the front extremity 30 , the rod 18 may come out of the channel system as illustrated in fig1 . as shown in fig6 the channel 28 preferably extends all the way to the location where the pivot end 20 attaches to the front end 14 , so that when the flexible portion 22 straightens , it may be received in the channel 28 to form a seal 34 ( fig5 ) between the front end 14 and the flexible portion 22 , or between the first portion 160 and the second portion 162 of the bag 50 . other designs may be used to allow the front end 14 and the flexible portion 22 to cooperate to form a seal 34 , such as the embodiment in fig9 and 10 in which the front end 14 and flexible portion 22 inner surfaces 40 , 42 are flat . to bow out the flexible portion 22 , the surgeon pushes the handle portion 24 forward , preferably using a thumb grip 44 or some other means that aids comfortable operation . because it is anchored at the pivot end 20 , the rod 18 responds to being pushed by bowing out . to straighten the flexible portion 22 and the bring it closer to the wand 12 , the surgeon pulls the handle 24 backwards . alternatively , the flexible portion 22 may be biased in the closed or unbowed position by allowing the flexible portion 22 to spring back to the unbowed position when pressure on the thumb grip 44 is released . regarding the flexibility of the wand 12 , there are several options . the wand front end 14 may be rigid in some embodiments and somewhat flexible in other embodiments . for example , the front end 14 may be somewhat flexible for operations in which the surgeon needs to temporarily bend the wand to reach a particular location in the body cavity 70 at a particular angle . however , the wand 12 should be less flexible than the flexible portion 22 of the rod 18 , so that the flexible portion 22 bows out from the wand 12 when the handle portion 24 is pushed , rather than the flexible portion 22 and the wand front end 14 bending together in the same direction and thus producing either no opening of the bag 50 or a partial and difficult - to - control opening . regarding the flexibility of the rod 18 , there are also several options . the flexible portion 22 should be of a flexibility in the outward direction that causes it to bow out relative to the wand 12 when it is pushed . the rod 18 may have a rigid handle portion 24 which may be held close to the wand 12 either by the hand of the person using it or by the laparoscopic sleeve 64 . the rod 18 may also be flexible back to and including the handle portion 24 , as long as a connector is included to hold and guide the handle portion 24 when it is being pushed and as long as the handle portion 24 flexibility is limited to a range which does not cause buckling and binding of the rod 18 inside the connector . in other words , the rod 18 may have a flexible portion 22 near the pivot end 20 and a relatively rigid handle portion 24 , or may be a flexible rod with a flexible portion 22 and a flexible handle portion 24 which cooperates with a connector that holds and guides the handle portion 24 . optionally , embodiments with a rigid handle portion 24 may also include a connector , such as the collar 66 shown in fig1 and 7 , for additional guiding of the handle portion 24 . fig1 shows an example of the optional adjustable feature for a connector , the adjustable feature being for changing the longitudinal location of the connector front extremity 30 to change the rod transition point 26 . the collar 66 may be moved forward or backward to select a transition point 26 and then may be locked into place , for example with a set screw ( not shown ), in such a way that the rod 18 may still slide through the collar . an adjustable connector such as the collar 66 may also be added to embodiments having a slot system , as shown in fig6 . with reference to fig1 and 13 , an improved embodiment of the invention is depicted . the improvement includes a longitudinally extending collar 66 a as illustrated . the collar 66 a has a slot 68 substantially coextensive of its length and surrounds both the wand 12 and the rod 18 illustrated in previous figures . the collar 66 a may be moved forward or backward to select a transition point 26 a and may be locked into place , for example , with a setscrew 60 . a thumb loop 74 may also be provided for ease in positioning . with an adjustable connector , a surgeon may use a wand 12 and rod 18 with differently - sized bags or bags with differently - shaped entryways . the preferred materials for the wand 12 and rod 18 are any materials that fulfill the various flexibility and rigidity requirements while also being safe for sterilization and internal surgery use . surgical steel could be machined to meet those needs . in the preferred embodiment , the pivot end 20 of the flexible portion 22 is attached to the front end 14 of the wand 12 by a disengaging connector 80 . preferably , the disengaging connector 80 comprises the front end 14 of the wand having a longitudinal slot 82 forming a first prong 84 and a second prong 86 . a first notch 94 is formed in the first prong 84 , and a second notch 96 is formed in the second prong 86 . the flexible portion 22 of the rod 18 includes a first perpendicular spur 90 and an opposing second perpendicular spur 92 . as shown in fig3 to engage the disengaging connector 80 , the first and second spurs 90 , 92 are pressed into the first and second notches 94 , 96 respectively . as the handle portion 24 is pushed forward , preferably using a thumb grip 44 , and the flexible portion 22 bows out , spurs 90 and 92 rotate in notches 94 and 96 , respectively , creating a hinge action . to disengage the connector 80 , one pops out the spurs 90 , 92 from the notches 94 , 96 by applying pressure to the underside 88 of the connector 80 as shown in fig5 a . although the preferred embodiment includes a disengaging connector 80 with a hinge action , any connector may be used to connect the front end 14 to the pivot end 20 so long as the disengaging connector 80 will not disengage under the stress necessary to bow out the flexible portion 22 , yet may be efficiently disengaged to remove the bag 50 for disposal or sterilization . other such connectors may include a snap , a slot and groove arrangement , other notch and spur configurations , or other comparable cooperating systems . the preferred embodiment includes a bag 50 for enclosing a mass 52 , which may be opened and closed by bowing and straightening action of the flexible portion 22 . the bag 50 has a wall 54 for surrounding an interior space 56 , and an edge 38 that surrounds the entryway 58 . the bag 50 can be disposable or reusable . the preferred materials for the bag 50 should also meet sterility and safety requirements for internal surgery . transparent plastics , flexible fabrics , and netting could be used . the preferred materials have some memory for tending to stay in a somewhat expanded state rather than tending to collapse , because this feature aids in the quick opening or unwrapping of the bag 50 . the preferred materials are impermeable to liquid or are liquid - resistant , for containing infected liquids , but netting or loosely - woven materials could also be of benefit for some surgical procedures . where morcelating is necessary , a bag 50 may include a fine denier brand fiber that is puncture resistant and able to withstand the cutting of a mass . in one embodiment having a detachable bag 50 , the bag 50 includes a sleeved rim 152 with at least one opening 154 . in the preferred embodiment , the bag 50 includes a sleeved rim 152 divided into a first part 160 and a second part 162 , each part having a first opening 164 and a second opening 166 . the first part 160 and second part 162 are divided by an unsupported section 62 . the unsupported section 62 allows the flexible portion 22 to slide forward without tearing the bag 50 and to slide backward without pulling the bag 50 underneath the lip 32 . as shown in fig2 to attach the bag 50 , one slips the flexible portion 22 into the first opening 164 of the first part 160 of the sleeved rim 152 , and slips the front end 14 of the wand 12 into the first opening 164 of the second part 162 of the sleeved rim 152 . the flexible portion 22 and the front end 14 of the wand 12 slip through the sleeved rim 152 and out the second opening 166 of the sleeved rim 152 at which time the disengaging connector 80 is engaged as shown in fig3 by applying pressure to the underside 88 and topside 89 of the connector 80 . the method of using the surgical device 11 includes attaching a bag 50 to the front end 14 of the wand 12 and the flexible portion 22 of the rod 18 , and directing the surgical device 11 into a body cavity 70 , preferably through a laparoscopic sleeve 64 , so that the back end 16 and handle portion 24 are accessible by the surgeon . as shown in fig4 the bag 50 is opened by pushing the handle portion 24 forward , preferably using a thumb grip 44 . the bag 50 is directed relative to the mass 52 so that the mass 52 moves through the entryway 58 into the interior space 56 of the bag 50 . this may be done by moving the bag 50 to the mass 52 and scooping it up or by inserting the mass 52 into the bag 50 with another tool 72 . the bag 50 may be closed for further manipulation of the mass 52 or for removal of the surgical device 11 and mass 52 from the body cavity 70 . to facilitate removal from the laparoscopic sleeve 64 , the bag 50 may be wrapped around the front 14 flexible portion 22 to form a compact and smooth unit . optionally , a grinding , cutting , or other surgical tool 72 may be inserted into the interior space 56 of the bag 50 for further manipulation of the mass 52 , for example , to cut a large mass into pieces that will fit through the laparoscopic sleeve 64 . the surgical tool 72 may be inserted before the bag 50 is closed , or after the bag 50 is closed if the flexible portion 22 , front end 14 , or bag 50 is adapted to allow a surgical tool 72 to pass through the seal 34 . preferably , the flexible portion 22 , front end 14 , or bag 50 would also be adapted to maintain a good seal around the inserted surgical tool 72 to prevent escape of mass and liquid . optionally , a surgical tool 72 could be inserted into the body cavity 70 through the same laparoscopic sleeve 64 as the surgical device 11 , or through a hollow passage in the wand 12 . another alternative embodiment surgical device 11 may be viewed in fig1 - 25 , inclusive . for convenience , the surgical device 11 seen in fig1 - 25 has been separated into its two main components , a pre - loaded cartridge member 11 a and handpiece 11 b . it is further noted that like elements are referenced by like numerals throughout this disclosure . as seen in fig1 , the cartridge member 11 a is preferably pre - loaded with a bag 50 , which is furled about the front end 14 of wand 12 and the flexible portion 22 of rod 18 . the wand 12 and rod 18 each include an attachment end , which is modified to provide means for coupling to the cooperating attachment means of wand 12 and rod 18 in the handpiece 11 b . as seen particularly in the views of fig1 , 17 , 20 - 25 the means for coupling located at the attachment ends of the wand 12 and rod 18 located in cartridge 11 a , is illustrated as cup - like sockets 220 . cooperating ball members 230 are located at the attachment ends of the wand 12 and elongated rod 18 in the handpiece 11 b . the socket 220 includes a socket opening smaller than the corresponding ball 230 dimension to provide a snap fit . in the preferred embodiment , and as seen in these views , the ball members 230 are preferably mounted on the attachment ends of the wand 12 and the elongated rod 18 in the handpiece 11 b , while the sockets 220 are located on the attachment ends of the wand 12 and rod 18 located in the cartridge 11 a . this arrangement is preferred due to the greater resilience of the ball members 230 to wear during cleaning for reuse . the ball members 230 are less likely to wear or crack during repeated use , and are therefore better suited for position in the reusable handpiece 11 b . it is presently believed preferable that the cup - like sockets 220 be positioned on the disposable cartridge 11 a thereby eliminating the need for cleaning and reuse of the more fragile sockets 220 as the cartridge 11 a is preferably a disposable item . although it is preferable that the ball members 230 and the sockets be located on the handpiece 11 b and cartridge 11 a , respectively , it is to be understood that an alternative arrangement wherein the ball members 230 and the sockets 220 are located on the cartridge 11 a and the handpiece 11 b respectively , is within the scope of this disclosure . as seen particularly in fig2 - 24 , the ball 230 and socket 220 arrangement allows the cartridge member 11 a and handpiece 11 b to be securely coupled during laparoscopic procedure ( as seen in fig2 ) but allow for disengagement if a differently sized bag 50 is needed during surgery , if the bag 50 being used is full , or after completion of surgery . this feature allows the medical technician the flexibility of discarding the cartridge member 11 a after use or cleaning and reusing the entire device 11 . while the ball 230 and socket 220 arrangement is the preferred attachment configuration , it is to be understood that other configurations having snap - fit connection may be contemplated . with reference to fig1 and 17 , it can be seen that , during operation , the surgical device 11 with its pre - loaded cartridge 11 a is inserted into a laparoscopic port 64 , wherein the cartridge 11 a travels into the body cavity 70 ( seen in fig2 ). as seen particularly in fig1 , the cartridge 11 a with pre - loaded bag 50 is pushed through the port 64 until it reaches narrowed area 210 at which point the leading edge 215 of cartridge 11 a abuts the narrowed area 210 and further forward motion of the cartridge 11 a is stopped . as may be further seen in fig1 , as the technician continues to urge the rod 18 and wand 12 forward , the furled bag 50 is pushed past the abutted leading edge 215 of cartridge 16 , out of the port 64 and into the body cavity 70 ( not seen in this view ) being accessed . with reference to fig1 , the bag 50 is seen unfurled while fig1 depicts the bag 50 in the open position and presenting an entry way 58 to the interior space 56 , used for collection of masses ( not seen in this view ). the method of using the surgical device 11 shown in fig1 - 25 includes providing a handpiece 11 b having a snap fitting attachment member , providing a cartridge 11 a having a preloaded , furled bag 50 and a snap fitting attachment member , snap fitting the cartridge 11 a to the handpiece 11 b in snap fit engagement , directing the device 11 into a body cavity 70 , preferably through a laparoscopic port or sleeve 64 , so that the handle portion 24 is accessible by the surgeon , pushing a handle portion 24 forward , preferably using a thumb grip 44 to open a bag 50 , and directing a mass 52 through the entry way 58 and into the interior space 56 of the bag 50 . the above - described embodiments of this invention are merely descriptive of its principles and are not to be limited . the scope of this invention instead shall be determined from the scope of the following claims , including their equivalents . in describing the embodiments disclosed herein the inventor has also described all the various alternative structures which are equivalent to one or more elements or limitations of the claimed invention . beyond what is expressly described herein the inventor has no prior knowledge of any other structures which are equivalent to the invention claimed . accordingly , the determination of structures , methods , or compositions of matter which are equivalent to the claimed invention shall not be limited to only the alternative structures identified herein , but shall include other structures whether or not they are presently known or unknown . | 0 |
in its preferred embodiments , particular aqueous dispersions of the essential components for the marking ink are prepared having superior heat - curing characteristics along with chemical stability and a useful degree of thixotropy . the preferred liquid dispersions are formulated to provide a coating composition which is sufficiently stable during the machine handling which takes place in the high speed production of incandescent lamps and which can be heat - cured on the lamp manufacturing equipment at lower tempratures and shorter time periods than previously experienced . proper machine handling ability of these dispersions at such high speeds requires control of both thixotropy and viscosity with certain components being included in the dispersions for this purpose . the liquid phase in these dispersions comprise an aqueous solution of the essential aluminum salt and phosphoric acid components along with ethylene glycol and glycerine which help provide thixotropy and viscosity control , respectively . the disperse phase of said dispersions is made up of an inorganic filler providing additional thixotropic behavior along with one or more color pigments which can also influence the rheological characteristics of the final dispersion . for example , a black marking ink may contain a black oxide pigment along with carbon black in sufficient amounts to provide the desired coloration in the heat - cured film . the carbon black has been found to provide rheological action which helps when the dispersion is being applied by preventing or minimizing skid of the rollers in the application equipment . as will be more apparent from the specific examples given hereinafter for the preferred aqueous dispersions , the useful range of the essential aluminum salt and phosphoric acid components in the marking ink can be varied in accordance with certain general principles . the weight percent of the aluminum salt component in said dispersions can be varied from about 5 - 15 % of the total weight depending upon the physical characteristics and amounts of the particular pigments being employed for color appearance in the heatcured product . a significant excess in weight percent of the phosphoric acid component is employed beyond that needed for chemical conversion of the aluminum salt to the alpo 4 binder with the maximum amount of this component in the heat - cured product being dictated by the general hygrosopic nature of phosphoric acid . more particularly , while excess meta - phosphoric acid and / or ortho - phosphoric acid is desirable in the preferred formulations to achieve faster and lower temperature curing of the marking ink product , it has also been found that a weight ratio of this component with respect to the aluminum salt component in a liquid dispersion beyond about 2 . 5 to 1 can result in a heat - cured film which is partially water - soluble , hence , not adequately permanent for commercial lamp applications . accordingly , preferred liquid dispersions , according to the present invention , are illustrated in the examples below . useful aluminum salt and phosphoric acid components are commercially available and can be used within the guidelines above provided . the aluminum salts of weak organic acids which can be used include aluminum stearate in the mono , di and tri stearate forms ; aluminum tri palmitate ; aluminum tri octoate ; aluminum tri hydroxy stearate ; aluminum acetylacetonate ; and others including 2 - 4 pentanedione ; 2 - 4 hexanedione ; 2 - 4 heptanedione ; and 2 - 4 octanedione . suitable weak organic acids contain at least five carbon atoms since aluminum salts of lower carbon containing acids such as acetic acid , fumaric acid , formic acid or propionic acid would enhance the corrosive effect of the marking ink upon the lamp manufacturing equipment . a commercial grade of the meta - phosphoric acid which can be employed in the present marking ink is that containing up to 35 % by weight of napo 3 . the useful fillers are generally inorganic oxides in a particulate form which can be suspended in the liquid dispersions to provide thixotropy and other rheological behavior thereto such as body and the like . for example , a silica powder having an average particle size in the range 325 mesh provides a useful rheological agent in the liquid dispersion which aids in transferring the coating composition during machine handling . a finer size grade of silica can also be included to further provide abrasion resistance in the heat - cured film for greater permanency . in the following examples of typical liquid formulations , the compositions are given in percentages by weight . a black marking ink can be prepared with the following composition : ______________________________________component weight percent (%) ______________________________________glycerine 6 . 8ethylene glycol 12 . 1ortho - phosphoric acid 25 . 3deionized water 7 . 2meta - phosphoric acid 12 . 1aluminum acetylacetonate 10 . 1silica 3 . 2carbon black 1 . 5black pigment ( copper / 21 . 7 chromium oxide ) ______________________________________ the above composition was prepared by mixing the glycerine , ethylene glycol , ortho - phosphoric acid , and deionized water components in a glass jar . the mixture was stirred at room temperature with an air mixer having a stainless steel impeller and the meta - phosphoric acid component was added with continuous stirring until this acid component had been completely dissolved . with continued stirring , the aluminum acetylacetonate component was added to the mixture over 2 - 3 hours . the final silica , carbon black , and black pigment components were then suspended in the solution with continued stirring for an additional 2 - 3 hours to produce the final stable dispersion . the above prepared dispersion was applied by conventional means to provide a marking ink upon incandescent lamps being manufactured upon high - speed automatic lamp manufacturing equipment . after the liquid dispersion was picked up with rollers , it was then transferred to a stamp or platen for deposition upon the outside surface of the lamp envelopes . the applied liquid dispersion was then heated on said glass envelopes to temperatures up to approximately 300 ° c . for six ( 6 ) seconds whereupon a heat - cured product was obtained having the filler and color pigments adhesively bonded together and to the glass substrate surface with an insoluble vitreous alpo 4 cement . a red marking ink was prepared in approximately the same manner having the following composition : ______________________________________component weight percent (%) ______________________________________glycerine 3 . 5ethylene glycol 7 . 7ortho - phosphoric acid 14 . 0water 5 . 1meta - phosphoric acid 6 . 4aluminum acetylacetonate 5 . 5silica 1 . 7red pigment ( cadmium sulfur - 56 . 1 selenide ) ______________________________________ it will be noted from the above formulation that a substantial decrease took place in the binder components compared with the relative ratios employed in the preceding example . as a further comparison between said formulations , it can be further noted that relatively more red pigment was employed in the present formulation to provide a desired color appearance in the final heat - cured product . it will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the foregoing description that a general purpose marking ink has been disclosed having a novel adhesive binder system . it will also be appreciated that various changes can be made in the composition of the marking ink without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention . for example , still other additives such as thinners , thickeners , solubilizers , and tinting agents can be incorporated in the liquid dispersions to provide comparable results . it is therefore intended to limit the present invention only by the scope of the following claims . | 7 |
fig1 illustrates a toilet flush valve 10 which controls the flow of water from a water closet 12 in the direction of arrow 14 to a toilet bowl ( not shown ) to flush waste out of the bowl . the valve includes a valve seat device 16 that forms a seat 18 and a pivot mount 20 that is spaced largely horizontally from the seat . a valve member 22 includes an arm 24 with an inner end 26 pivotally mounted about an axis 28 on the pivot mount of the valve seat device . the valve member also includes a seal portion 30 that can seal against the valve seat 18 , and a tank ball 21 lying within the seal portion . the tank ball forms a chamber 34 and is closed at the top 36 and sides , but the chamber has an open bottom end 40 . a closing delay cup device 42 can be mounted on the top 36 of the tank ball . in the absence of the cup device 42 , the flush valve 10 is of generally the same configuration and operates in substantially the same manner as a prior art flush valve . to flush the toilet 44 which includes the water closet and toilet bowl , a user pivots a handle ( not shown ) to lift strap 46 that pivots open the valve member 22 by a limited angle . the high degree of buoyancy of the tank ball 32 causes it to rapidly rise , or &# 34 ; pop &# 34 ; up , despite the forces of water rapidly emptying through the valve seat 16 and a mounting conduit 50 that tend to push down the valve member . the valve member pivots to the position 22a at which the open bottom end 40a of the tank ball faces primarily horizontally rather than vertically down . in the open position 22a of the valve number , a stop portion 52a on the valve member abuts a limitor 54 on the pivot mount 22 of the valve seat device . during such opening of the valve member , about half of the air trapped in the tank ball 32a is lost . however , the tank ball and valve member are still positively buoyant because of trapped air above level 55 . as water empties from the water closet and reaches a first level 56 , the tank ball starts to fall while it floats on the water surface ( in the absence of the cup device 42 ). when the water reaches a second lower level 58 , the water rushing out of the valve seat drags the valve member down until it seats on the valve seat 18 . water from an inlet valve ( not shown ) gradually fills the water closet again to its original level . when the above flush valve ( without the cup device ) is used in a common older water closet containing about 5 to 7 gallons of water , it is not generally detrimental that a substantial amount of water lies along the height h between a rim 60 around the valve seat and the second water level 58 . actually , with water conservation now generally being desirable , leaving this amount of water is advantageous . however , when this flush valve is used in some more recently - installed water closets which may have a capacity of about 31 / 2 gallons , to conserve water and / or allow a water closet of reduced height to be used , the fact that substantial water remains after flushing may sometimes be deleterious . depending upon the size of the toilet bowl , the size and configuration of the pipes leading to and from it , and the type and quantity of waste most commonly to be flushed , the flush valve ( without the cup device ) may or may not flush properly . it is often not possible to determine this until after the flush valve is installed and has been used for a while . improper flushing generally leads to double flushing , which wastes a considerable amount of water . in accordance with the present invention , if the flush valve , without the cup device 42 thereon , has been installed in a smaller water closet and is found to not flush properly because of insufficient flush water discharged in each cycle , the closing delay cup device 42 can be installed to enhance flushing . the cup device 42 includes a cylindrical lower portion 62 that amount at the top 36 of the tank ball , and an upper portion forming a cup 64 . the basic idea of a closing delay cup is known in the prior art , as shown in u . s . pat . nos . 2 , 773 , 268 ; 3 , 142 , 846 ; and 4 , 365 , 365 . when the valve member pivots to the open position 22a , the cup at 64a can hold water and also lies on a second horizontal side 67 of a vertical plane 68 passing through the pivot axis 28 , which is opposite a first side 69 on which the valve seat 18 lies . as the water lever rapidly drops in the water closet during flushing , water is left in the cup at 64a and drains out through a drainage hole 66a more slowly than the water level falls in the water closet . the weight of water in the cup at 64a prevents the valve member from pivoting to the closed position until some of the water has drained out through the drain hole 66a . when the valve member then closes , the height of water above the valve seat rim 60 will be less than h , and generally will be substantially zero . as shown in greater detail in fig3 - 5 , the lower portion 62 of the cup device is substantially cylindrical and centered on a generally vertical axis 71 of the tank ball . the middle 64 m of the cup lies substantially on this vertical axis . the lower portion of the cup device has a radially outwardly - extending flange 70 at its lower end . the flange in annular and extends around almost the entire periphery of the cylindrical lower portion 62 , being interrupted only at a slot 72 . the tank ball 32 ( fig5 ) includes an upwardly projecting tubular extension 74 that forms a radially - extending groove 76 that can closely receive the annular flange 70 on the cup device . to install the cup device on the tank ball , a person aligns the slot 72 ( fig4 ) in the cup device with a stop 80 ( fig2 ) formed at one side of the tubular extension , and deforms the tubular extension 74 to seat the flange 70 in the annular groove 76 . the tank ball 32 ( and the rest of the valve member ) is formed of a soft resilient material , preferably rubber of low shore hardness such as 55 . the cup device 62 is formed of a stiffer material such as a molded rigid plastic , and once installed on the tank ball will reliably remain in place . it may be noted that the slot 72 ( fig4 ) is wider than the stop 80 , which facilitates installation by allowing a person to radially squeeze the bottom of the tubular portion 62 of the cup device to slightly reduce its diameter during installation of the flange in the groove . thereafter , the bottom of the cup device tends to return to its expanded position . any water lying in the lower portion 62 of the cup device can drain out through slot 72 at the same time as water drains out of the cup 64a ( fig1 ), the lower portion 62 being provided with another hole 73 above slot 72 that can allow air to enter the lower portion as water drains out of slot 72 . the valve member 22 is a one - piece integral molded part of soft rubber , that includes the tank ball 32 , the seal portion 30 , and the arm 24 , which includes three vertical beams 81 - 83 . since the tank ball 32 has a fairly large diameter and its largely vertical center line or axis 71 lies far from the horizontal pivot axis 28 , the mounting of the cup device 42 on top of the tank ball provides several advantages . only a small tubular extension 74 has to be added at the top of the tank ball to provide a wide mounting platform for the cup device . the tubular extension has a diameter more than half the tank ball diameter at the widest point of its chamber . at the mounted position the cup device lies far from the pivot axis 28 . by forming the cup device with the cup 64 spaced above the top of the tank ball ( by its lower portion 62 ) by over half the horizontal distance of the pivot axis 28 to the cup middle 64m , the cup moves a considerable distance horizontally when the valve member opens and the cup moves to the position 64a ( on the side 67 of the pivot axis 28 ). the fact that the cup device is a separate part that can be detachably mounted in the field , without the need for screws or other fasteners , reduces the number of parts and simplifies installation . applicant provides three stop portions 52 ( fig2 ) on the arm of the arm of the valve member , to limit the angle by which the valve member pivots in moving to its open position . the stop portions 52 are located on a cross beam 86 of the valve member and project upwardly therefrom . the projecting parts of the stop portions 52 can be easily trimmed with a scissors or knife to increase the angle of pivoting of the tank ball . the angle a of pivoting is generally over 45 ° and may be adjustable from 60 ° ( seen in fig1 ) to a maximum of 85 ° . in some toilets the valve seat 18 must be mounted with its sealing surface inclined from the horizontal , and trimming of the stop portions enables some control of the angle of the open valve member to assure proper operation for such water closets . the trimmable stop portions which enable control of valve member pivoting , are preferably trimmed only after the cup device 42 is installed . when the cup device is installed , it is desirable to close the flush valve very close to the time when the water level in the water closet drops to the level of the top of the seat rim 60 . if there is a further delay , then new water entering the water closet to refill it will be drained out of the valve seat . such new water flows slowly enough that it does not really aid flushing , and yet causing wastage of water from a water closet intended to save water . although it would be possible to enable a change in the size of the drainage hole 66a ( fig1 ) of the cup to control the time when the valve closes , this is difficult to do properly in the field . instead , by trimming the stop portions 52 , a person can control the torque or moment ( weight of the cup device with water in it times the horizontal distance between the center of gravity of the cup and the pivot axis 28 ) applied by the cup device to keep the valve member . the cup device is constructed so that when the stop portions 52 are not trimmed the valve member will close slightly before the water drops to the level of the seat rim . if it is found that in a particular installation the valve is closing too early and additional flush water is required , the top parts of the stop portions 52 can be trimmed away to keep the valve open longer ( the valve will close when there is still some water in the cup at 66a ). thus , the invention provides a flush valve which can be constructed reliably and at low cost to operate well in larger water closets and some smaller water closets , but which enables a controllable delay in closing for smaller water closets where such delay is necessary to increase the flushing water for proper flushing . this is accomplished by providing a cup device that is field - installable on a valve member that operates reliably but leaves a moderate amount of water in the tank without the cup device . the tank ball of the valve member is provided with an upwardly projecting tubular extension with a groove that receives a flange at the bottom of the cup device . the cup device includes a cylindrical lower portion that holds the cup a distance above the top of the tank ball so the cup moves to an opposite side of the axis when the valve member pivots open . although particular embodiments of the invention have been described and illustrated herein , it is recognized that modifications and variations may readily occur to those skilled in the art and consequently it is intended to cover such modifications and equivalents . | 4 |
viewing the drawings and particularly fig1 to 3 , an illuminated membrane switch matrix assembly 10 is illustrated generally including a cup - shaped transparent housing 11 with an indicia bearing graphics overlay 12 attached to its outer surface , a plurality of transparent plungers 14 mounted in recesses in the housing 11 , a forward flexible membrane film 16 and a rear flexible membrane film 17 , normally separated by a spacer film 18 , and a rigid backing plate 20 that supports light bulb units 22 , 23 , 24 and 25 with their bulb axes centered in recesses 26 in the side walls of the cup - shaped housing 11 . as seen in the exploded fragmentary view of fig3 each switch in the membrane switch sub - assembly includes portions of the forward membrane film 16 , the spacer membrane film 18 and the rear membrane film 17 . conductors are deposited on the rear surface of the forward film 16 and forward surface of the rear film 17 . the conductors may be formed by a plurality of metallic deposition techniques such as electro - chemical deposition or sputtering . the conductors on the forward surface of the rear film 17 include parallel conductor fingers 29 , 30 , 31 and 32 connected together by a common semi - circular conductor 33 , all positively biased by an input conductor 35 fed from a positive d . c . source . the inner surface of film 17 has a second set of conductor fingers 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 and 40 interconnected by a common semi - circular conductor 41 having an output conductor 43 . conductors 29 , 30 , 31 and 32 are interleaved with but spaced from conductors 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 and 40 . the rear surface of the forward film 16 has a plurality , in this case five , of parallel conductor bars 46 , 47 , 48 and 49 thereon each having a length approximately equal to the diameter of the conductive area defined by the arcuate conductors 33 and 41 on film 17 and having a cummulative width slightly less than that diameter . the conductor bars 46 , 47 , 48 and 49 are sometimes referred to as &# 34 ; short bars &# 34 ; since when the switch is depressed engaging bars 46 , 47 , 48 and 49 with the conductive area on film 17 the conductors 29 , 30 , 31 and 32 are shorted to the conductors 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 and 40 making the switch and causing an output at conductor 43 . the spacer 18 has an aperture 52 therein for each switch as seen in fig5 usually circular , somewhat greater in diameter than the conductive areas on the films 16 and 17 so that it normally spaces film 16 from film 17 but permits engagement therebetween upon relatively small movement of the forward film 16 under finger pressure applied to graphic overlay 12 . as seen in fig2 there is an input conductor 35 and an output conductor 43 provided for each of the nine switches shown in the matrix . as seen in this view there are three input conductors , each for one of the three horizontal lines of conductive switches , and three output conductors each for one of the three vertical rows of switches , making a total of six conductors that extend through a flexible terminal strip 56 . housing 11 is constructed of a rigid clear plastic such as an acrylic or polycarbonate . as seen in fig4 and 5 , the housing 11 includes a forward flat plate portion 53 with depending side walls 54 , 55 , 56 and 57 . the forward plate portion 53 has a plurality of rectangular apertures 15 aligned with the switches on the membrane films that slidably receive the plungers 14 for short reciprocating movement . the apertures 15 and the plungers 14 are arranged in grid fashion aligned with the nine switches but there may be any number of switches depending upon the application desired . the flexible graphic overlay 12 may be a flexible vinyl or polycarbonate sheet that is opaque except for the functional symbols shown in fig2 and their rectangular borders and these are translucent areas which pass light so that the functional indicia and the borders are illuminated . sheet or overlay 12 is bonded pressure sensitive adhesive on the rear surface of the film to the forward face of the housing front plate 53 using a pressure sensitive adhesive on the rear surface of the overlay . the backing plate 20 is a rigid flat plastic plate fixed within the housing by fasteners ( not shown in the drawings ) and it serves to hold membrane films 16 , 17 and 18 in position within housing 11 with the forward surface of membrane 16 against the rear surface of the forward housing plate 53 as shown clearly in fig5 . backing plate 20 also supports the bulb units 22 , 23 , 24 and 25 by brackets 58 fixed to the rear surface of the backing plate 20 . the bulb units 22 , 23 , 24 and 25 are positioned on the backing plate 20 so that the optical axes of the bulbs are aligned with the center of the side walls 54 , 55 , 56 and 57 in recesses 26 . the housing 11 acts as an optical conductor to transmit light from the bulb units to the interior of the plungers 14 . as seen in fig5 light is transmitted forwardly in the direction of arrow 60 in the side walls and is reflected transversely by an opaque oblique corner surface 61 at each of the junctures between the side walls 54 , 55 , 56 and 57 and the front plate 53 . the oblique surfaces 61 may be coated for example with a white paint or other reflective coatings . light reflected transversely by the surfaces 61 , as well as light bent through the housing corner itself without impinging on the reflective surfaces 61 , is transmitted transversely in the direction of arrow 63 throughout the forward face of the front plate 53 into and around all of the plungers 14 . the plungers 14 are constructed of a rigid , clear plastic such as an arcylic or polycarbonate and they are bonded to the rear surface of the graphic sheet 12 by a suitable adhesive . plungers or pistons 14 are preferably rectangular or circular in configuration but can be any geometric shape and are complementary to the housing apertures 45 and each has a rear surface 65 that is frosted , roughed or serrated or painted white to diffuse light passing transversely through the body of the plunger generally in a forward axial direction to improve the indicia illumination . the pistons 14 as shown are rectangular and have light transmissive side walls 66 that do not inhibit light passing into the plunger body . for the purpose of defining the conductive areas on films the conductive areas shown in fig3 on the forward face of rear film 17 are designated area 68 while the conductive areas defined by the short bars on the 46 , 47 , 48 and 49 on the rear surface of the forward film 16 are designated area 69 and both are seen to be slightly less in the width than the plunger 14 . as seen in fig6 the intensity of light across the plunger may be varied by modifying the rear surface of the plunger . the switch and its plunger illustrated in fig6 are identical to that illustrated in fig5 except for the rear surface of plunger 70 . plunger 70 as seen in both fig6 and 7 has a plurality of circular serrations 71 arranged in a cup - shaped semi - spherical recess 72 in the rear surface of the plunger 70 . serrations 71 concentrate the diffusion of light toward the center forward surface of the plunger 70 . this becomes necessary because the middle button ( plunger ) gets robbed of some of the light by the buttons on either side of it . other configurations of the rear surface of the plungers will concentrate light on other portions of the forward surface of the plungers and will be dictated by the type of indicia on the graphic sheet 12 . a somewhat modified form of the invention shown in fig1 to 5 is illustrated in fig7 . in this embodiment the housing has a front plate 74 and depending sides 75 , and the front plate 74 has an integral coplanar portion 76 that extends outwardly from the side walls with a plurality of recesses 77 therein which receive the bulb units 78 mounted on the outside of the side walls 75 , with the optical axes of the bulbs on the centerline of the front plate 74 . in this embodiment light is transmitted in a straight line through front wall 74 into the side walls of the plungers 14 . another embodiment of the invention is illustrated in fig9 to 13 and is generally similar to the embodiments ( prime invention ) illustrated in fig1 to 8 except that the switches are illuminated from the rear through the membrane films . as seen in fig9 to 12 , an illuminated membrane switch assembly 80 is illustrated consisting of a cup - shaped housing 81 identical to housing 11 described in connection with the fig1 to 8 embodiments , a graphic indicia bearing overlay 82 carried on the forward surface of the housing 81 identical to the film 12 described above , a plurality of light transmissive plungers 83 reciprocable in apertures in the housing 81 , a membrane switch sub - assembly 84 , a rigid wear backing plate 85 , and a bulb assembly 86 mounted behind the membrane switch 84 . the plungers 83 are bonded to the rear surface of the graphic overlay or film sheet 82 as in the fig1 to 8 embodiments . as seen in fig1 , the bulb assembly 86 has a clip 88 press - in socket in metal case that clamps on housing side wall 89 positioning its bulb 90 centrally in the rear of the housing 81 just to the rear of the backing plate 85 . the bulb 90 and clip 88 assembly will actually be further behind the rigid backing plate 85 than is shown in fig1 so that the proper amount of light can be evenly dispersed to all plungers 83 . the membrane switch sub - assembly 84 is identical to that described above with respect to fig2 and 5 and includes a forward film 92 , a rear film 93 and a spacer film 94 all of which are transparent except for the conductive areas . the rear surface of the forward film 92 has a conductive area 96 identical to conductive area 69 in fig5 and the forward surface of film 94 has a conductive area 97 identical in size and configuration to conductive area 68 in the fig5 embodiment . the plungers 83 are constructed of a rigid clear light transmissive plastic such as a transparent acrylic or polycarbonate and as seen in fig1 and 13 are frusto - pyramidal in configuration and received in complementary recesses 99 in the housing 81 . plungers 83 have a square rear surface 100 and a smaller front surface 101 interconnected by oblique side walls 103 , 104 , 105 and 106 that each have an included angle of approximately 45 degrees with the rear wall 100 . it should be understood that the backing plate 85 is constructed of a clear plastic material so that light from the bulb 90 may pass freely therethrough and through the films 92 , 93 and 94 , except of course in the area of the conductive areas 96 and 97 . the rear surfaces 100 of the plungers 83 are significantly wider than the conductive areas 96 and 97 so that light may pass peripherally directly around the conductive areas 96 and 97 from the light source in the direction of arrows 108 and 109 illustrated in fig1 directly into the rear surface of the plunger and the body of the plungers . after axially entering the plungers , light is reflected or diffused transversely within the plunger by the oblique side walls 103 , 104 , 105 and 106 which may have a reflective coating applied thereto . the rear surfaces 100 of the plungers have a square opaque , preferably white in color , reflective layer 110 applied thereto which masks any shadowing that might be caused by light rays passing partly through the conductive areas 96 and 97 , and also serves to diffuse light passing generally transversely through the body of the plunger forwardly toward the indicia to be illuminated on the graphic overlay 82 . | 7 |
referring now to the drawings wherein the showings are for purposes of illustrating the preferred embodiment of the invention only and not for purposes of limiting same , the figures show a rejection apparatus or pin a formed of a dielectric or electrically non - conductive material such as a glass - filled nylon or a suitable plastic . more particularly , the rejection apparatus is adapted for insertion into a female sleeve type electrical socket b , which is adapted for mating contact with a compatible pin - type male plug c . with particular reference to fig3 the female socket b includes an outer shell or housing 10 having a dielectric or electrically non - conductive material 12 disposed at one end thereof . the housing and dielectric material define a receiving or end face 14 adapted to receive the pin - type male plug c . an opening or aperture 16 extends from the end face 14 completely through the dielectric material 12 to define a plug receiving means . as shown , the opening 16 is of stepped configuration having a narrowed diameter section 18 adjacent the end face and wide diameter section 20 extending rearwardly therefrom . the female socket includes a contact sleeve 26 that is rigidly mounted in the housing with end 28 extending into the wide diameter section 20 of the opening . a second end 30 is provided with means , such as terminal screw 32 , to allow it to be connected to an associated electrical lead line . the male plug c includes an outer housing 38 having a dielectric or electrically non - conductive material 40 disposed therein . the housing 38 and dielectric material define an end face 42 adapted for facing , mating relation with a compatible female socket b . the male plug includes an aperture or opening 44 extending through the dielectric material that closely receives and rigidly mounts a contact member 46 . the inner end 48 of contact member 46 carries a terminal screw 50 for permitting connection to an associated electrical lead line . a contact member second end 52 extends generally normally outward from the end face 42 for potential mating relation with a female socket . in a mating connection , the female socket b , particularly contact sleeve 26 , closely receives the male plug c , particularly contact member 46 . the contact member 46 has a cross - sectional dimension slightly less than the opening narrowed diameter section 18 of the female socket . additionally , a contact sleeve first end 28 of the female socket has an inner dimension adapted to closely and frictionally receive the contact member second end 52 of the male plug . in a compatible female socket / male plug connection , the contact sleeve 26 and contact member 46 establish a secure mechanical , as well as electrical , connection . the end faces 14 , 42 are disposed in facing relation and define the innermost receipt of the male plug in the female socket . with continued reference to fig3 and additional reference to fig1 and 2 , the rejection apparatus a of the subject invention will be described in greater detail . the rejection apparatus includes an elongated body 60 having a first or retaining end 62 at one end thereof . the body is preferably generally cylindrical and has a blocking or rejection end 64 defined at the opposed end of the apparatus . the first end 62 includes a generally cylindrical section 66 of slightly greater diameter than the body 60 . a generally tapered section 70 extends between cylindrical section 66 and a generally spherical head portion 76 . the merging area between the tapered section and the spherical head portion defines a radially extending shoulder 78 . the spherical head portion 76 is arranged to be radially compressible and for this purpose the subject embodiment comprises four segment portions 80 , 82 , 84 and 86 ( see fig2 ). each segment portion has a pair of radially extending faces 88 , 90 . the first radially extending face 88 of one segment portion is parallel and in spaced relation with the second radially extending face 90 of an associated segment portion . moreover , axially extending and radially intersecting grooves 96 , 98 extend between the parallel faces 88 , 90 of the segment portions . as particularly seen in fig1 the grooves extend axially from the spherical head portion 76 into the tapered cylindrical section 70 of the rejection apparatus . fig2 particularly illustrates the radial intersection of the grooves 96 , 98 as well as u - shaped portions 100 . the segment portions of the spherical surface 76 permit radial inward compression of the segment portions when forced axially into contact sleeve 26 . in its normal , relaxed position the spherical head portion 76 has a diameter greater than the inner diameter of contact sleeve 26 . as shown in fig3 and 5 , the rejection apparatus a is centered and retainingly inserted into a female socket b . the rejection apparatus material is sufficiently resilient to allow the segment portions to move radially toward one another upon exertion of a compressive force , for example , as imposed by the reduced diameter of the contact sleeve 26 . the contact sleeve also has an inner end surface 102 adapted for operative engagement with the radial shoulder 78 of the rejection apparatus . upon sufficient , relative axial movement between the rejection apparatus and the contact sleeve , the segment portions snap radially outwardly after passing inner end surface 102 . the resiliency of the rejection apparatus material , coupled with the release of the compressive force , urges the segment portions to generally return to their original , unstressed condition . the tapered section 70 tightly engages the inner diameter of the contact sleeve once the spherical segment portions have generally attained their original configuration . the abutting engagement between shoulder 78 and end surface 102 of the contact sleeve defines a retaining means that prevents axial removal of the rejection apparatus from the contact sleeve once inserted . the u - shaped portions 100 of the spherical head portion cooperate with the threads of terminal screw 32 at one end while the shoulder 78 abuts the inner end surface 102 of the contact sleeve . in this manner , movement of the rejection apparatus longitudinally is prohibited without requiring disassembly of the female socket b . as illustrated in fig3 a compatible male plug c is adpated for mating mechanical and electrical connection with the female socket b . the inner diameter of the contact sleeve 26 and the elongated rejection end 64 of the apparatus a define a generally annular opening 104 therebetween . it is contemplated that a compatible male plug , particularly contact member 46 , may assume any of a number of configurations adapted for free receipt between the rejection apparatus and contact sleeve of the female socket . of course , one preferred form for the compatible contact member is an annular shape having an outer diameter slightlyless than the inner diameter of the contact sleeve 26 . the inner diameter of the contact member 46 , in turn , must have a dimension slightly greater than the diameter of elongated body 60 of the rejection apparatus . close fitting mechanical and electrical contact is thereby achieved between compatible members . the surface 68 of the rejection apparatus defines the innermost insertion of the male plug c into the contact sleeve 26 . accordingly , in order that complete mating of the components can take place , shoulder or surface 68 must be located inwardly of the end face 14 a distance greater than the maximum length of contact member 46 extending outwardly from face 42 . fig4 a and 4b exemplify non - compatible contact members of associated male plugs . in fig4 a , the contact member 46 &# 39 ; is shown as a solid pin - like construction that , in the absence of the rejection apparatus , would be closely received in the contact sleeve 26 of the female socket . more particularly , the contact sleeve 26 is disposed a first predetermined axial dimension from the end face 14 . as shown in fig3 the contact member 46 of a compatible male plug c must extend outwardly from end face 42 a second dimension greater than the first dimension of contact sleeve 26 relative to its end face . additionally , the cross - sectional dimension of contact member 46 must be less than the narrow diameter section 18 of the female socket as well as the contact sleeve 26 inner diameter . to prevent mating electrical connection between incompatible male and female connectors , the rejection end 64 of the rejection apparatus should preferably extend outwardly past the contact sleeve end 28 . the apparatus rejection end 64 could conceivably extend beyond end face 14 to prevent any axial insertion of contact member 46 &# 39 ; into opening 16 , but in the preferred embodiment the rejection end 64 is axially disposed between the contact sleeve and end face . the rejection end of the apparatus , therefore , abuttingly engages the contact member 46 &# 39 ; of a non - compatible connector and prevents further insertion into the female socket . fig4 b shows an alternative contact member 46 &# 34 ; having a generally rectangular cross - sectional configuration . once again , in the absence of the rejection apparatus a , this contact member 46 &# 34 ; could be received in contact sleeve 26 of the female socket . since the cross - sectional configuration of contact member 46 &# 34 ; does not satisfy the dimensional constraints of the rejection apparatus and contact sleeve , i . e ., annular opening 104 , mating connection is prevented . still other cross - sectional configurations are prevented from establishing electrical , as well as mechanical , connection between non - compatible connectors . as indicated above , only compatible connectors having a cross - sectional configuration that matches the dimensional parameters defined by the contact sleeve and rejection apparatus will be received in the female socket . a further modification of the rejection apparatus is directed to a ready visual indication means of the rejection apparatus in a female socket . the rejection end 64 may be provided with a visual indication means such as a color coding 106 or the like . preferably , the visual indicating means is distinct or easily contrasted with the color of the end face 14 of the female socket . for example , a female socket may utilize a material of dark brown or black color coding so that a white - tipped color coding 106 on the rejection apparatus will be easily distinguished therefrom . this readily signifies to a consumer that only a compatible male plug may be used with this female socket . insertion of the rejection apparatus a into an electrical connector , such as a female wall socket , is facilitated through use of an installation tool d as shown in fig5 - 9 . the installation tool d is formed from a dielectric or electrically insulated material . the tool includes an elongated generally cylindrical handle 110 having a releasable grasping means 112 defined at one end thereof . a tapered neck portion 114 is disposed intermediate to the handle 110 and the releasable grasping means 112 of the tool . in the embodiment of fig6 and 7 , the releasable grasping means includes a tubular portion 116 having an inner diameter closely approximating the outer diameter of the elongated body 60 of the rejection apparatus . the tubular portion forms a cavity 118 adapted to releasably grasp the rejection apparatus while an outer end 120 abuts the stop surface 68 of the rejection apparatus . a worker can insert a rejection apparatus into the releasable grasping means of the tool whereupon the spherical head portion 76 is thereafter aligned with an opening in the female socket b . exertion of a predetermined force positions the rejection apparatus in retaining engagement with the contact sleeve 26 as described above . the insertion tool may thereafter be removed for repeated use . an alternative insertion tool embodiment is shown in fig8 and 9 wherein like elements are identified by like numerals and new elements are identified by new numerals . the tool includes a handle 110 &# 39 ; at one end and a releasable grasping means 112 &# 39 ; at its opposed end . the releasable grasping means is modified and includes a depression or groove 12 formed on a tubular portion 116 &# 39 ; of the releasable grasping means . the depressions require a predetermined force for insertion and withdrawal of the rejection apparatus into the cavity 118 &# 39 ; of the tool . in all other respects , the alternative insertion tool embodiment is identical to the embodiment of fig6 and 7 . typically , an electrical wall socket will have three openings or terminals . namely , hot 132 , neutral 134 , and ground 136 ( fig5 ). the ground terminal 136 is oftentimes of different cross - sectional configuration than the hot and neutral terminals to assure proper orientation of the plug and socket connectors . it is possible , therefore , to use predetermined patterns to inhibit mechanical and electrical connection between incompatible connectors . for example , only the hot terminal 132 and / or the neutral terminal 134 may be provided with a rejection apparatus . the combinations may be increased through provision of a rejection apparatus for the ground terminal . alternatively , the size and configuration of the rejection apparatus may be altered to further assure a mating connection between only compatible connectors . the invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiment . obviously , modifications and alterations will occur to others upon a reading and understanding of this specification . it is intended to include all such modifications and alterations insofar as they come within the scope of the appended claims or the equivalents thereof . | 8 |
the present invention relates to a process for preparing oligomers comprising the steps of : ( a ) preparing vegetable oil derivative by reacting vegetable oil with a peroxyacid ; ( b ) reacting the product from step ( a ) with an alcohol to form oligomer ; ( c ) esterification said oligomer of step ( b ) with an acid to form polyester oligomer . in the preferred embodiment of the present invention , said vegetable oil is palm oil comprising any one or combination of palm oil , palm sterin , palm olein , palm kernal oil , palm kernal stearin , palm kernal olein , or all of which could be refined or crude . the alcohol of step ( b ) is a monohydric or polyhydric alcohol including ethylene , glycol , propylene glycol , glycerol , diethylene glycol , diproylene glycol , dipropylene glycol , trimethylopropene and pentaerythritol . the peroxyacid of step ( a ) is peroxyacetic acid and butyl methacerylic acid . in another embodiment of the present invention , the process may further comprising the step of adding catalyst to accelerate the process of oligomer forming . the process may be used to produce oligomers with different combination of alcohol and acid . further , the present invention relates to a composition for lowering the pour point and cloud point of fatty alkyl esters comprising of ( a ) about 95 % to about 99 % by weight of hydrocarbon fluid preferably fatty alkyl esters ; and ( b ) about 1 % to about 5 % by weight of any one or combination of oligomer a , oligomer b , oligomer c and oligomer d according to the aforementioned process . oligomer a , oligomer b , oligomer c and oligomer d is produced with the same process but different on the type of alcohol and the acid used for esterification . in another embodiment of the present invention , the composition may further comprising about 0 . 5 to 1 % by weight of co - additive preferably pour point depressant and cloud point reducer . further , the present invention relates to a method for lowering the pour point and cloud point of fatty alkyl esters by mixing of afore - mentioned composition at a temperature in the range of about 25 ° c . to about 90 ° c . the fatty alkyl esters in the present invention are derived from vegetable oil , mineral oil or marine oil which containing 8 to 20 carbon atoms . the following examples are intended to further illustrate the invention , without any intent for the invention to be limited to the specific embodiments described therein polyhydric alcohol , ph ( 1 mole equivalent , gm ) and phenothiazine ( 1 ppm ) were placed in a liter multineck reactor with an attached mechanical stirrer . the reactor was heated in an oil bath . 1 % ( mole equivalent weight ) of catalyst bf3 was added dropwise to reaction mixture . at the same time , this resulted the temperature increased . peroxyacid reacted palm oil ( equivalent weight , gm ) was slowly added in reaction mixture into the reactor once the temperature reached about 80 ° c . the completion of reaction time took 4 hours . the reaction mixture was allowed to cool , thin and purified . purification method was performed by reaction mixture was washed with hot water to remove unreacted polyhydric alcohol , phenothiazine and the catalyst . the obtained oligomer was viscous liquid . the oligomers were produced in pilot plant scale . peroxyacid reacted palm oil was prepared by reacting appropriate amount of refined bleached palm oil or palm olein with tn - situ prepared peracetic acid or performic acid at about 45 - 60 ° c . the oligomers were then produced by reacting the peroxyacid reacted palm oil and the pre - mixed polyhydric alcohols and bf3 at about 60 - 90 ° c . after which esterified with methacrylic acid . the products were then labeled as oligomer a , oligomer b , oligomer c and oligomer d , depending on the type of alcohol and the acid used for esterification . typical properties of these oligomers are : light yellow liquid to paste appearance ( at 25 ° c . ), specific gravity ranging from 0 . 93 - 0 . 96 , acid value ranging from 0 . 5 to 8 . 0 and hydroxyl value ( mgkoh / g ) ranging from 5 to 280 . 7 in the present invention , the palm oil methyl ester consists of methyl esters of chain length of fatty acyl groups are in the range of about 14 to about 20 carbon atoms , preferably containing 16 to 18 carbon atoms . typical composition of these esters are shown in table 1 . about 95 to 99 % by weight of any one or combination of palm oil methyl esters and palm kernel methyl esters as described in example 2 is mixed with about 1 to 5 % by weight of at least one of the oligomers and co - additive described below the components may be mixed purely mechanically . for example , no chemical reaction takes place in stirring . mixtures having particularly good low temperature properties . pour point tests were done according to astm method d97 showed that addition of oligomers is effective in depressing the pour points of fatty alkylesters . for example , addition of 2 % of one of the oligomers signifantly reduced the pour point of palm oil methyl from 15c to about − 24c . the pour point of the methyl esters can be further depressed by increasing the dosage of one of the oligomers and a coadditive selected from sorbitan esters . with these , the pour point of methyl esters could be successfully reduced by about 45 ° c ., from 15 c to about minus 30 ° c . and cloud point from 9c to 2c . it is to be understood that the present invention may be embodied in other specific forms and is not limited to the sole embodiment described above . however modification and equivalents of the disclosed concepts such as those which readily occur to one skilled in the art are intended to be included within the scope of the claims which are appended thereto . | 2 |
referring to fig1 and 2 of the drawings , the reactor of the present invention is shown , in general , by the reference numeral 10 and includes a vertically extending rectangular upright furnace enclosure 12 defined by a front wall 14 , a rear wall 16 , and two side walls 18 and 20 ( fig2 ). the walls 14 , 16 , 18 and 20 are formed by a plurality of panels of finned tubes extending vertically from a perforated grate 22 to a penthouse , or roof 24 . an air plenum 26 is disposed immediately below the grate 22 and receives air from an external source ( not shown ), which air passes upwardly through the grate for reasons to be described in detail . a partition 28 divides the enclosure 12 into two chambers 12a and 12b and extends into the air plenum 26 to divide it into two portions 26a and 26b . two beds of particulate material 30a and 30b are disposed in the chambers 12a and 12b , respectively , and extend from the grate 22 to a point intermediate the height of the furnace 12 , with the beds being separated by the partition 28 . it is understood that the particulate material contains a fuel material such as coal , and an absorbent for absorbing the sulphur generated during combustion of the coal , which absorbent could be in the form of limestone or the like . it is also understood that a feeder , or the like , ( not shown ), is associated with the enclosure 12 to distribute fresh particulate material into the chambers 12a and 12b to replace the particulate material burned and used during operation , and that a burner , or the like , can be provided for igniting the combustible material , all in a conventional manner . an opening 28a is provided in the partition 28 at a point just above the upper surface of the beds 30a and 30b to permit the air and gaseous products of combustion in the chamber 12b to pass to the chamber 12a for reasons that will be described . in a similar manner , an opening 28 is provided in the upper portion of the partition 28 to permit the air and gaseous products of combustion to pass from the chamber 12b to the chamber 12a , also for reasons to be described in detail later . a pair of banks 32 and 34 of heat exchange tubes are disposed in the chamber 12a and a bank 36 of heat exchange tubes are disposed in the chamber 12b . a screen 40 is disposed in the chamber 12b below the tube bank 36 , and a solid partition 42 is disposed in the chamber 12b below the screen 40 . the screen 40 and the partition 42 extend at a angle to the horizontal and their corresponding end portions define an opening 16a in the wall 16 . a vertical duct 44 is disposed adjacent the wall 16 in communication with the opening 16a , and connects to a horizontal duct 46 extending above the penthouse 24 in a slightly spaced relation thereto . as shown in fig2 two cyclone separators 50 and 52 extend adjacent the rear wall 16 , while two separators 54 and 56 extend adjacent the front wall 14 . the separators 52 and 56 are connected to the respective ends of the duct 46 and a pair of multi - louver control dampers 58 and 60 are disposed in the end portions of the duct 46 , respectively , to control the flow through the duct and into the separators 52 and 56 as will be described further . an outlet duct 62 extends above the separators 52 and 56 and is connected thereto by vertical duct sections 64 and 66 associated with the separators 52 and 56 , respectively . a shutoff damper 68 is disposed in each of the vertical duct sections 64 and 66 . it is understood that vertical ducts and horizontal ducts identical to the ducts 44 , 46 and 62 and the components associated therewith are provided for the separators 50 and 54 in a manner identical to that discussed in connection with the separators 52 and 56 . as shown in fig3 the separator 52 includes a separating section 52a and two hopper sections 52b and 52c extending integral with , and downwardly from , the separating section 52a . a pair of diplegs 70 and 72 extend from the hopper portions 52b and 52c and are connected to a pair of seal pots 74 and 76 , respectively . a pair of injection needles 78 and 80 extend from the seal pots 74 and 76 , and through the wall 16 and into the bed 30b in the chamber 12b at spaced locations as shown in fig2 . since the separators 50 , 54 and 56 are constructed identically to the separator 52 and have identical diplegs , seal pots and injection needles associated therewith , they will not be described in any further detail . the operation of the reactor 10 will be described in connection with its use as a steam generator in which water is passed through the finned tubes forming the walls 14 , 16 , 18 and 20 , and through the tube banks 32 , 34 and 36 . the heat generated in the furnace enclosure 12 is thus added to the water as it passes through the system , it being understood that suitable piping ( not shown ) can be provided to provide for the circulation of the water in a conventional manner . pressurized air is introduced into the plenum 26 whereby it passes upwardly through the plenum sections 26a and 26b , through the grate 22 and into the chambers 12a and 12b , whereby it fluidizes the particulate material forming the beds 30a and 30b . the gaseous products of combustion from each fluidized bed 30a and 30b combine with the air passing through the beds and the mixture entrains the relatively fine particulate material from the beds . the mixture of air , gas and entrained material from the bed 30b passes through the opening 28b and into the chamber 12a whereby it combines with the mixture of air , gas and entrained material from the bed 30a . the resulting mixture passes upwardly in the chamber 12a , over the tube banks 32 and 34 , through the opening 28b in the partition 28 , and then downwardly across the tube bank 36 . from the tube bank 36 , the mixture continues to pass downwardly in the chamber 12b and over the screen 40 before exiting , via the opening 16a , and into the vertical duct 44 . the portion of the mixture in the duct 44 then passes upwardly into the horizontal duct 46 whereby it passes through the control dampers 58 and 60 , and into the separators 52 and 56 , respectively . the separators 52 and 56 operate to separate the fine particulate material from the mixture of air and gas , with the latter mixture passing upwardly through the vertical outlet ducts 64 and 66 and into the horizontal outlet duct 62 , whereby it is discharged to an economizer or the like ( not shown ). the remaining portion of the mixture passes through the vertical and horizontal ducts and associated components ( not shown ) associated with the separators 50 and 54 and is separated and then treated in the manner described in connection with the separators 52 and 56 . the fine particulate material separated in the separator 52 , passes downwardly through the hopper sections 52b and 52c , the diplegs 70 and 72 , the fluidized seal pots 74 and 76 , and the injection needles 78 and 80 , before being injected into the fluidized bed 30b . in the chamber 12b . air or gas may be provided to assist the flow of material through the injection needles . the operation of the separators 50 , 54 , and 56 are identical to that of the separator 52 and , as a result , the particulate material from the separators 50 and 52 are injected at four spaced points ( fig2 ) in the fluidized bed 30b , while the separated particulate material from the separators 54 and 56 are injected at four spaced points into the bed 30a . several advantages result from the foregoing . for example , a uniform distribution of particle material in the fluidized beds is achieved along with a resulting higher total fuel burn - up efficiency . also this multiple reinjection is achieved utilizing fewer moving parts and lower air and power consumption , while almost eliminating material clogging . it is understood that several variations may be made in the foregoing without departing from the scope of the invention . for example , the injection points in the respective fluidized bed portions can be made above the upper surface of the beds rather than into the beds as shown in the drawings . also , it is understood that fluidizing air or gas can be provided to each seal pot by a distribution grid ( not shown ) so that , at any time during operation , the free space pressure in the seal pot is equal to the back pressure exerted by the fluidized bed plus the resistance in the transfer line . also the pressure drop across each of the separators can be measured and then equalized by a control system with the help of the dampers 58 and 60 in the horizontal duct 46 to ensure equal gas flow to each of the separators . further the reinjection needles associated with the separators can be protected from the high temperature of the bed by a refractory - covered air - cooled jacket arrangement , with the cooling air being obtained from the air plenum 26 or another suitable source . other modifications , changes and substitutions are intended in the foregoing disclosure and , in some instances , some features of the invention can be employed without a corresponding use of other features . accordingly , it is appropriate that the appended claims be construed broadly and in a manner consistent with the scope of the invention therein . | 1 |
referring again to the drawings , wherein like features are designated by like reference characters , fig3 is a circuit diagram schematically illustrating a preferred embodiment 20 of rf amplifier circuitry in accordance with the present invention . circuitry 20 is similar to circuitry 10 of fig1 with a major difference being that dc power is connected at the high impedance ( 50ω ) output side of the impedance matching network formed by inductor l 1 and capacitor c 1 instead of being connected directly to the low impedance ( typically about 12ω ) output ( drain d ) of mosfet q 1 . inserting the dc power at the 50 ohm output side of the l 1 - c 1 matching network has several benefits . one benefit is that the dc power supply is now rendered relatively insensitive to the rf output of the mosfet by decoupling rfc l 2 and by - pass capacitor c 3 from the drain of the mosfet . another advantage is that capacitor c 1 can function as a composite capacitor which can serve both to tune the impedance matching network to the required value , here , nominally 50ω , and to resonate the rfc inductor l 2 to the operating frequency of the amplifier . by resonating the rfc to the amplifier frequency , the inductance of the rfc can be less than that required in the prior - art circuitry , which means that the choke can be correspondingly smaller , lighter and less expensive , in addition to providing performance advantages such as reduced pulse ringing and spurious oscillation . normal convention is to select an inductance reactance for the rfc to be , say 20 times 50ω , i . e ., 1000ω . at a frequency of 81 mhz ( see fig2 ), for example , the inductance required to obtain an impedance of 1000 ohms is approximately 2 micro - henrys ( μhy ). there is a high probability that this value of inductance would be self resonant at a frequency other than the desired operating frequency , wherever the mosfet has gain . each undesired resonance can lead to spurious oscillation or amplifier instability . at 81 mhz an inductor of 100 nano henrys ( nhy ) has a reactance of 50ω which is equal to the design impedance of the preamplifier . the desired impedance of the matching network is obtained by adjusting the value of the composite capacitor c 1 once the inductance of inductor l 1 is selected . the capacitor c 1 is tuned to be in resonance with the choke at the rf frequency which helps to minimize any unwanted resonances . by way of example at 81 mhz , a 69 . 7 picofarad ( pf ) capacitor is required to resonate with a value of 42 . 0 nhy selected for inductor l 1 of the impedance matching network . optionally , an additional capacitance can be added in parallel to c 1 so that the composite c 1 capacitor can also resonate with the rfc at the amplifier operating frequency while still providing variable matching for the l 1 - c 1 impedance matching circuit . by way of example , for a value of l 2 equal to 100 nhy , the amount of added capacitance is 38 . 8 pf for a total capacitance of 108 . 5 pf for c 1 . fig4 is a graph schematically illustrating transmission in db as a function of frequency in mhz for one example ( bold curve ) of a , 40 w - output preamplifier stage constructed according to the inventive circuit arrangement of fig3 and having an operating frequency chosen as 81 mhz represented by circle 1 . a dashed curve shows , for comparison , the performance of the prior art example of fig2 . the transmissions at the second harmonic ( 162 mhz - circle 2 ) and third harmonic ( 243 mhz - circle 3 ) are attenuated by approximately − 11 . 5 and − 19 . 7 db respectively . these vales are an appreciable improvement over the − 9 db and − 16 . 75 db values obtained for the prior - art example . at 1 mhz the transmission for the inventive circuitry was found to be − 25 . 8 db compared with − 18 db for the prior - art circuitry . the bandwidth of the inventive circuitry is somewhat less than that of the prior - art circuitry but is still more than adequate for most applications , such as dual frequency discharge ignition and maintenance , where some limited tunability of the output frequency is desirable . in table 1 are listed assumed values for components and parameters used to generate the graphs of fig2 and 4 . of particular note is the 2 . 5 times reduction in inductance of the rfc for the inventive circuitry . the value of the tuning capacitor ( c 1 ) is approximately 45 % larger when compared with the value for the prior - art invention circuitry . the advantages incurred by c 1 resonating both with l 1 and the rfc at the operating frequency of the amplifier , however , are an excellent trade - off with the increased value of c 1 in the inventive circuitry . a comparison of the transmission versus frequency improvements between the prior - art circuitry and the inventive circuitry of table 1 is provided in table 2 . it can be seen that the inventive circuitry provides a 27 . 8 % improvement in transmission reduction at the second harmonic of 81 mhz , namely 162 mhz ; a 17 . 6 % improvement at the third harmonic ( 243 mhz ); and a 43 . 3 % improvement at 1 mhz . these performance improvements are obtained while also providing lower costs and smaller size for the rfc and more stable amplifier characteristics attendant on that smaller size . those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains will recognize that while the circuitry in accordance with the present invention is discussed in the context of a pre - amplifier stage of an rf power supply , the circuitry can also be used as a stand alone rf power stage to drive a laser having sufficiently low output power . those skilled in the art will also recognize that any single electronic component of the above - described inventive circuitry may be replaced with a combination of two or more like components to provide a particular value or function . in summary present invention is described above in terms of a preferred embodiment . the invention is not limited , however , to the embodiment described and depicted . rather , the invention is limited only by the claims appended hereto . | 7 |
fig1 illustrates a motorcycle front end 10 including a pair of telescopic forks 12 rotatably coupled to a frame steering tube 14 by an upper triple clamp 16 and a lower triple clamp 18 . the forks include trail adjustment blocks 20 which secure the front axle 22 to the forks at a predetermined offset with respect to the axis of the steering tube , which in turn dictates a predetermined amount of trail . a wheel 24 and tire 26 are coupled to the front axle . fig2 – 4 illustrate the front end with three different trail blocks installed , producing three different amounts of trail . in fig2 , the fork 12 is equipped with a first trail adjustment block 20 a which provides a first amount of trail . for the sake of convenience , the trail is represented simplistically as the distance from the axial center of the front axle to the back of the trail adjustment block , rather than as a distance on the ground , but the reader will readily appreciate that the two are interrelated . in the instance of fig2 , the trail block offset is 1 . 37 inches , corresponding to 3 . 5 inches of trail . the brake caliper 28 is mounted to the fork with a set of first caliper mounts 30 a , which are sized to provide a particular distance from the center of the front axle to the brake pads ( not shown ). in fig3 , the fork 12 is equipped with a second trail adjustment block 20 b with a trail block offset of 1 . 58 inches , corresponding to 3 . 75 inches of trail . the brake caliper 28 is mounted with a set of second caliper mounts 30 b which are sized to provide the same distance from the center of the front axle , which has been moved forward relative to its position in fig2 , to the brake pads , so the brake pads maintain the same relative position with respect to the brake rotors ( not shown , but which will have moved forward along with the front axle ). in fig4 , the fork 12 is equipped with a third trail adjustment block 20 c with a trail block offset of 1 . 83 inches , corresponding to 4 . 0 inches of trail , and the brake caliper is mounted with a set of third caliper mounts 20 c to keep the same distance from the axle to the brake pads . it should again be noted that , in one embodiment , the trail adjustment blocks and their mating surface of the fork lower are configured such that the front axle is moved , by the various trail adjustment blocks , in a direction parallel to the ground , such that the front ride height is not changed by swapping out the different trail adjustment blocks . in one embodiment , this is accomplished by providing the trail adjustment block with a top surface and a bottom surface which are parallel , and by positioning the front axle hole at various positions , for the various trail adjustment blocks , which are a same distance from the bottom surface , for example . in other embodiments , other geometries may accomplish the same result . the trail adjustment block may be tightened onto the axle , and the fork lower may be tightened onto the trail adjustment block , by one or more pinch bolts ( not shown ) which may advantageously be inserted upward through the bottom end of the fork lower through coaxial holes ( not shown ) through the portion of the fork lower which is below the trail adjustment block , the portion of the trail adjustment block which is below the pinch split , the portion of the trail adjustment block which is above the pinch split , and the portion of the fork lower which is above the trail adjustment block . in this instance , only the topmost or two topmost of these need to be threaded . in one embodiment , the brake caliper is mounted not only “ radially ”, but also with its radius parallel to the plane in which the various trail adjustment blocks move the front axle , to maintain a constant positioning of the brake pads and the brake rotor across the various trail settings . in one embodiment , the radius of the brake caliper mount is parallel to the ground . fig5 illustrates further details of the trail adjustment block 30 and the lower end of the fork 12 , specifically illustrating one mechanism by which axial alignment can be achieved . the fork is illustrated in a truncated fashion , for simplicity . the trail adjustment block includes a top surface 40 and a parallel bottom surface ( not visible ) which , respectively , mate with a top surface ( not visible ) and a parallel bottom surface 42 of the fork . the back surface 44 of the trail adjustment block mates with a back surface 46 of the fork lower . these matings provide up - and - down and forward - backward alignment of the trail adjustment block with respect to the fork lower . in one embodiment , in order to provide positive and consistent lateral alignment ( with respect to the front axle , not shown , but centered in the axle mounting hole 48 ), the upper and lower surfaces of the trail adjustment block are adapted with parallel grooves 50 which mate with corresponding parallel ridges 52 on the lower and upper surfaces of the fork . other embodiments are certainly viable , such as swapping the grooves and the ridges , or one of each , or by using mounting pins and holes , or simply by using the corresponding pinch bolt holes 54 , and the pinch bolt ( not shown ). fig6 and 7 illustrate yet another advantageous feature of this front end . the brake caliper 28 is mounted to the fork 12 by a pair of caliper mounts 30 which can pivot with respect to the fork . nuts 60 fasten the brake caliper onto the caliper mounts . in fig6 , the brake caliper is shown in a “ straight back ” configuration , such as it would be when the wheel and brake rotor are in place and the brake caliper is engaged with the rotor . in fig7 , the brake caliper is shown in a “ swung out ” configuration , which enables removal of the wheel / tire assembly ( not shown ), which will typically be wider than the distance between the left and right ( not shown ) brake calipers . to install the wheel / tire / rotor assembly , the calipers are swung outward , the wheel / tire assembly is inserted from the front of the motorcycle ( in a direction coming out of the page in fig6 and 7 ) until the tire and / or wheel have cleared the rearward edge of the calipers but the rotors have not yet reached the calipers , the calipers are swung back straight , and the wheel / tire / rotor assembly is inserted the rest of the way into position , with the rotors correctly entering the calipers between the pads , until the trail adjustment blocks encounter the back of their mating surface on the fork lowers . then the pinch bolts can be inserted and tightened , and the assembly is complete . fig8 illustrates one exemplary embodiment of a caliper mount 30 . the caliper mount includes a first cylindrical post 70 which mates with a corresponding hole in the fork ( not shown ) up flush with the face 72 , and a second cylindrical post 74 which mates with a corresponding hole in the brake caliper ( not shown ) up flush with the face 76 . in one embodiment , the two posts are at right angles to each other . in one embodiment , the brake caliper includes two parallel holes for accepting the posts 74 of two caliper mounts , and the fork lower includes two coaxial holes for accepting the posts 70 of the two caliper mounts , to facilitate pivoting of the brake caliper about the common axis of the posts 70 of the two caliper mounts . the post 74 may be adapted with threads or other suitable mechanism for retaining the caliper mount in engagement with the brake caliper , such as with the nut ( not shown ) mentioned above . the distance from the axis of the first post 70 to the flush mounting surface 76 of the second post dictates the trail adjustment provided by the caliper mount . in the example shown , the distance is 1 . 26 inches . when a “ longer trail ” adjustment block is used , such as when swapping from fig2 to fig4 , a correspondingly shorter caliper mount will be used , to maintain correct alignment of the pads and rotor . the skilled reader will readily appreciate that the various components of the caliper mount are not necessarily shown to any particular scale , and that they may be resized and adapted according to the needs of the application at hand . for example , the two posts need not necessarily be of the same diameter , or the post 70 could be made longer than shown , and so forth . fig9 illustrates one embodiment of a motorcycle 100 equipped with a front end 10 having forks 12 equipped with the trail adjustment mechanism of the present invention , including the fork trail adjustment block 20 . while the invention has been described with reference to its use in a motorcycle , the invention is not limited to motorcycles , but can be used in bicycles , automobiles , and other vehicles . and while the invention has been shown as using an “ upside - down ” fork , it may alternatively be used with a “ right - side - up ” fork . some components have been illustrated as being of monolithic construction , while other components have been illustrated as being separate components coupled together . the skilled reader will readily appreciate that the designer may elect , within the scope of this invention , to split some components into separate sub - components , or to combine various components into a monolithic whole . the skilled reader will further appreciate that the invention may be practiced in a “ single - sided ” front end , such as that found on some bicycles which have only a single fork . the term “ triple clamp ” should not necessarily be interpreted to mean that two forks are required with the steering tube . the presence of one or more suspension components coaxial with the steering axis does not necessarily prohibit the additional presence of one or more suspension components elsewhere , such as within the forks . the fork and the trail adjustment block have been illustrated in a configuration in which the trail adjustment block slips into the front of the fork . in other embodiments , a different mating system could be employed . for example , instead of a void or indentation formed into the front of the fork , the fork could have a hole extending laterally through it , or , in other words , there could be fork material in front of the void , and the trail adjustment block would be inserted laterally rather than longitudinally . when one component is said to be “ adjacent ” another component , it should not be interpreted to mean that there is absolutely nothing between the two components , only that they are in the order indicated . the various features illustrated in the figures may be combined in many ways , and should not be interpreted as though limited to the specific embodiments in which they were explained and shown . those skilled in the art having the benefit of this disclosure will appreciate that many other variations from the foregoing description and drawings may be made within the scope of the present invention . indeed , the invention is not limited to the details described above . rather , it is the following claims including any amendments thereto that define the scope of the invention . | 1 |
meixnerite of the present invention is synthesized from a metal hydroxide compound or a layered double hydroxide compound . more specifically , the meixnerite is a mixed magnesium - aluminum oxide prepared from one or more hydrotalcite compounds . a preferred way of comparing such materials uses the brunauer - emmett - teller ( or b . e . t .) surface area measurement method . this invention provides an activated synthetic meixnerite having a b . e . t . surface area of about 290 m 2 / g or greater and an unactivated synthetic meixnerite having an ability to adsorb co 2 at a high rate . typical activation of a hydrotalcite material between about 500 ° to 1000 ° c . produces a material with a b . e . t . surface area in the range of about 140 to 230 m 2 / g . the following table lists actual b . e . t . surface area measurements of one of the hydrotalcites used in the examples of this invention . table 1______________________________________hydrotalcite a activation surface areas activation b . e . t . temperature surface area (° c .) ( m . sup . 2 / g ) ______________________________________ 100 26 150 24 200 25 . 5 300 30 . 5 400 83 425 134 450 139 . 5 500 178 550 213 . 5 600 210 . 5 650 220 . 5 700 226 . 5 800 231 . 5 900 202 . 5 1000 140______________________________________ the method of this invention includes first activating the hydrotalcite to about 600 ° c . and then hydrating the activated material in a substantially carbon dioxide - free environment . the resulting material is then activated at one or more temperatures between about 500 ° and 800 ° c . in a substantially carbon dioxide - free environment to produce a mixed metal oxide having a surface area that exceeds about 290 m 2 / g . during the first step of hydrotalcite activation , most of the physi - sorbed and chemi - sorbed water and carbon dioxide from the hydrotalcite structure are desorbed or removed . this reaction preferably proceeds at one or more temperatures between about 500 ° and 850 ° c . when this activated material is hydrated in a substantially carbon dioxide - free environment , the reaction which is believed to take place may be summarized by the following formula : mixed metal oxide + h . sub . 2 o !→ mg . sub . ( l - x ) al . sub . x ( oh ). sub . 2 ! ( oh ). sub . x · y h . sub . 2 o ( meixnerite ). following hydration , the resulting meixnerite is activated to yield a high surface area mixed metal oxide , that is , an activated meixnerite . experiments were conducted using two representative hydrotalcites ; namely , hydrotalcites a and b for starting material when processed by the preferred hydration mechanisms summarized above . both materials were synthesized by alcoa . hydrotalcite a , as manufactured by the process set forth in u . s . reissue no . 34 , 164 , the disclosure of which is fully incorporated by reference herein , has an mg / al molar ratio of 2 . 0 . hydrotalcite b , as manufactured by the process set forth in u . s . application ser . no . 290 , 220 , filed aug . 15 , 1994 ( abandoned ) the disclosure of which is fully incorporated herein by reference , has an mg / al molar ratio of 1 . 9 . both of these hydrotalcites resulted in a meixnerite - based end product with a b . e . t . surface area greater than 300 m 2 / g . other hydrotalcites may also be suitable as a base material . at elevated temperatures , these high surface area meixnerites should have excellent catalytic activity because of the large surface area . such properties make the products of this invention suitable for many end uses . for example , these meixnerites may be used as co 2 gas adsorbents or for catalytic reactions . the hydrotalcites for the following examples were activated by heating . various hydration methods were also employed using both vapor and liquid mediums for the substantially carbon dioxide - free environments employed herein . for comparison purposes , examples 1 through 6 were conducted using alternate base materials as well as varying hydration mediums . as demonstrated in the experiments reported by e . dimotakis et al in inorganic chemistry , vol . 29 , no . 13 ( 1990 ), when using a liquid hydration medium , the material prior to hydration had a solid weight ratio of 2 %. however , it is expected that other weight ratio percentages will also work in accordance with this invention . hydrotalcite a was activated to about 600 ° c . activation was performed in air in a fisher scientific ashing furnace with a ramp rate of 10 ° c ./ minute . after reaching a temperature of 600 ° c ., the material was held for one additional hour at 600 ° c . the activated material was then cooled to room temperature in a substantially carbon dioxide - free environment . once cooled , the material was hydrated in a vapor phase environment that was also substantially carbon dioxide - free . this was accomplished by placing cooled activated hydrotalcite in a closed , carbon dioxide - free vessel filled with a nitrogen or argon gas saturated with water vapor . this resulted in a flowable meixnerite material . the xrd pattern of the resulting material is shown in fig1 . on an activated weight basis , this meixnerite material readsorbed approximately up to 120 % of its original weight in water . following hydration , the meixnerite material was activated to a temperature of 600 ° c . and held there for 10 minutes using an altamira instruments ami - 1 (&# 34 ; ami - 1 &# 34 ;). in this device , the activated sample is not exposed to air between activation and taking of surface area measurements . fig2 shows a temperature programmed reaction ( tpr ) scan done on the ami - 1 using a 10 ° c ./ min ramp rate . from this scan , the significant difference between hydrated original hydrotalcite and meixnerite can be seen . specifically , the meixnerite gives up water at a substantially lower temperature than the hydrotalcite . the activated meixnerite &# 39 ; s b . e . t . surface area was measured after cooling to be 334 m 2 / g using the ami - 1 . experiments were performed varying the time of vapor hydration . the surface area was also measured on three of the samples . results are presented in table 2 . table 2______________________________________vapor rehydration dataactivated rehydration % water % chemisorbedhydrotal - length pickup act . water act . wt . post 600 ° c . cite used ( hrs .) wt . basis basis surface area______________________________________a 2 17 11a 8 25 . 5 18 274a 24 43 30a 50 53 41a 100 64 63 293a 200 76 . 5 58 . 5a 300 93 66a 600 124 75 335______________________________________ for this variation on example 1 , a substantially carbon dioxide - free , liquid phase environment was used for hydrating the activated material produced in accordance with the procedure described above . this liquid phase hydration involves plunging 600 ° c . activated hydrotalcite material into a container of double deionized water which is treated deionized water that is virtually carbon dioxide - free . the hydration was allowed to continue for 16 hours after which time the sample was filtered and dried by evaporation in a substantially carbon dioxide - free environment . the xrd pattern of the resultant meixnerite is shown in fig3 . the meixnerite was activated to 600 ° c . and held for 10 minutes , cooled on the ami - 1 without exposure to co 2 , after which its surface area was measured . the resulting activated meixnerite had a measured b . e . t . surface area of 344 m 2 / g . the experiment of example 1 was repeated using hydrotalcite b as a base material rather than hydrotalcite a . the xrd of the resulting meixnerite is shown in fig4 . the activated meixnerite had a measured b . e . t . surface area of 341 m 2 / g . for this variation on example 3 , a substantially carbon dioxide - free , liquid phase environment was used for hydration of the activated material . liquid phase hydration involves plunging the cooled activated hydrotalcite material into a container of double deionized water . the hydration process was performed for 16 hours after which time the sample was filtered and allowed to dry at room temperature in an evaporating dish in a substantially carbon dioxide - free environment . the xrd pattern of the meixnerite is shown in fig5 . the meixnerite was activated to 600 ° c . and had its surface area measured after cooling on the ami - 1 . the b . e . t . surface area of the resulting material was measured at 349 m 2 / g . the meixnerite of example 4 was activated to 800 ° c . rather than 600 ° c . the resulting meixnerite had a measured b . e . t . surface area of 333 m 2 / g . the same experiment as that conducted in example 5 was rerun except that the meixnerite material was held for 120 minutes rather than 10 minutes at an activation temperature of about 800 ° c . even with such a drastic increase in activation soak hold time , there was very little effect observed on the final b . e . t . surface area of the activated meixnerite , which was measured at 319 m 2 / g . examples 1 through 6 are summarized in the following table 3 . table 3______________________________________surface area summary b . e . t . normalex - hydro - hydra - activation activation surface hydrotalciteam - talcite tion temp . soak hold area sa afterple used method (° c .) ( min .) ( m . sup . 2 / g ) activation______________________________________1 a vapor 600 10 334 2112 a liquid 600 10 344 2113 b vapor 600 10 341 190 - 2104 b liquid 600 10 349 190 - 2105 b liquid 800 10 3336 b liquid 800 120 319______________________________________ hydrotalcite b was activated to 600 ° c . for 60 minutes . the activated material was then cooled to a room temperature in a substantially carbon dioxide - free environment . once cooled , the material was hydrated in a substantially carbon dioxide - free glycerol solution for 16 hours . as in the dimotakis et al experiments , two volumes of glycerol were added to the carbon dioxide - free double deiorized water directly before hydration commenced . following hydration , the resulting material was filtered to remove excess water , then dried to a powder at room temperature in a evaporating dish using a substantially carbon dioxide - free environment . the material was then reactivated to 600 ° c . within the ami - 1 machine . the resulting activated material had a b . e . t . surface area measured at 288 m 2 / g . thus , it appears that using a glycerol solution as the medium for hydration negatively affects the b . e . t . surface area of the resulting material . four samples utilizing hydrotalcite b were packed in beds and analyzed with the ami - 1 . the samples were sized 15 - 30 mesh and packed in a 0 . 25 inch diameter tube . pure 50 cc per minute helium flow was replaced with a 5000 ppm ( 50 cc per minute ) co 2 in helium certified gas blend . carbon dioxide adsorption amounts were then determined . all four samples totally adsorbed the 5000 ppm of co 2 initially . adsorption results are tabulated in the following table 4 . the first sample was original hydrotalcite b . the second sample was hydrotalcite b tested after a 600 ° c . activation . the third sample was a meixnerite sample prepared according to the method described in example 4 without activating the meixnerite . the fourth sample was prepared according to the method described in example 4 including the 600 ° c . activation of the meixnerite before co 2 adsorption was commenced . the last column of table 4 shows that the unactivated meixnerite picked up significantly more co 2 than the other three samples . however , the activated meixnerite also picked up significantly more co 2 than either the unactivated or activated hydrotalcite . the purpose of these experiments was to determine if the meixneritic structure would facilitate the adsorption of co 2 or like gases . the results indicate that this is indeed the case . the fact that the activated and unactivated meixnerite also adsorbed more co 2 than either the hydrotalcite or activated hydrotalcite demonstrates that the carbon dioxide - free rehydration does produce a unique layered double hydroxide ( meixnerite ). this layered double hydroxide thus could be used to adsorb trace amounts of co 2 from process gas streams . also , it is expected that other dioxides may also be adsorbed in similar fashion . it should be noted that while the invention picked up co 2 from a fluid consisting essentially of a helium gas stream in the aforementioned example , it is expected that co 2 removal from liquid streams or solutions would also be accomplished hereby . meixnerite made via vapor rehydration of hydrotalcite a was packed as a powder in a 0 . 25 inch diameter tube . the pure 20 cc per minute helium flow was replaced with a 5000 ppm ( 20 cc per minute ) co 2 in helium certified gas blend . carbon dioxide adsorption amounts were then determined . the sample initially adsorbed the 5000 ppm co 2 . adsorption results are tabulated in table 4 . the sample was prepared according to the method described in example 1 , except for further reactivation . thus , the unactivated meixnerite , as also shown in example 8 , had a high co 2 adsorption rate . note that the adsorption rate is affected by both the particle size and the co 2 - helium flow rate . thus , this material could be used , for example , as a secondary co 2 adsorber when residual co 2 needs to be adsorbed . this would be economically beneficial when a less expensive primary co 2 scrubber could be used to adsorb most of the co 2 , and this type of material could be used as the tail - end co 2 scrubber to trap any co 2 residual . table 4______________________________________co . sub . 2 adsorption data co . sub . 2 co . sub . 2 pickup charge post ad - activated particle wt . activation sorbed wt . material size ( gms ) wt . ( gms ) ( ml ) ( ml / g ) ______________________________________hydrotalcite b 15 - 30 0 . 4752 0 . 2509 0 . 5304 2 . 113 meshhydrotalcite b 15 - 30 0 . 4803 0 . 2757 1 . 379 5 . 001activated to mesh600 ° c . meixnerite from 15 - 30 0 . 4826 0 . 286 4 . 2432 14 . 84hydrotalcite b meshmeixnerite from 15 - 30 0 . 4992 0 . 2836 2 . 1236 7 . 841hydrotalcite b meshactivated to600 ° c . meixnerite from 1 - 5 0 . 1248 0 . 0734 1 . 803 24 . 56hydrotalcite a microns______________________________________ having described the presently preferred embodiments , it is to be understood that the invention may be otherwise embodied within the scope of the appended claims . | 2 |
the present invention relates to an apparatus and method for remote calibration of electrofusion controllers , as described in detail below with reference to fig1 - 11 . as used herein , the term “ control box ” is also used to refer to an electrofusion controller . furthermore , the terms “ remote ” and “ portable ” are used interchangeably throughout the application . fig1 is a block diagram showing a typical electrofusion control system implemented in a typical installation , indicated generally at 10 . the installation 10 includes an input power source 12 connected via a input cable 14 to a electrofusion controller 16 , which is connected via an output cable 18 to fitting adaptors 20 a - 20 b placed on a fitting 22 . of course , the arrangement and number of components shown in fig1 could be varied as desired without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention . the electrofusion controller 16 provides the required energy to properly heat the element embedded in the fitting 22 . as described below , the electrofusion controller 16 could be programmed to output a certain voltage and current , or it could select the appropriate outputted voltage and current based on programmed instructions . the appropriate outputted parameter could be a function of , among other variables , ambient temperature . fig2 is a block diagram showing the portable calibration system of the present invention , indicated generally at 30 . the calibration device 30 includes an enclosure 32 ( which could be in the form of a plastic , durable , suitcase - style enclosure , a metal enclosure , etc . ), an aluminum enclosure 34 positioned within the enclosure 32 , a power supply sub - system 36 , a power receptacle and / or battery connector 38 , a cooling fan 40 , a data port 42 , an ethernet connection 44 , a microcontroller sub - system 46 , a measurement sub - system 48 , and a high - power load enclosure 50 . it is noted that the enclosures 34 and 50 need not be manufactured from aluminum , and that other materials could be used , such as materials with high temperature resistances . aluminum is advantageous because it facilitates cooling the calibration device 30 . the electronics , specifically the measurement sub - system 48 need to be kept cool . the power supply sub - system 36 is connected to a standard wall plug 52 ( e . g ., 120 or 240 volts ac ) via the a power supply input cable 56 , to provide power to the system . the electrofusion controller 16 is connected to the power receptacle 38 through the input cable 14 , and is further in communication with the data port 42 . the electrofusion controller 16 is also connected to a control box adaptor 54 via the output cable 18 . the control box adapter is further connected with the measurement sub - system 48 via input cable 58 . the data port 42 could be an rs232 serial connection , or any other suitable type of data connection ( e . g ., parallel cable , twisted pair wire , coaxial cable , etc .) which allows for bidirectional communication between the system 30 and the controller 16 . fig3 is a block diagram showing the power supply sub - system 36 of fig2 in greater detail . the power supply sub - system 36 includes a fuse 72 connected to power supply input cable 56 and further connected to cooling fan 40 , the transformer having a primary winding 62 and power receptacle 38 b . primary winding 62 is further connected to secondary winding 64 of the transformer which is connected to a full wave bridge rectifier 66 which , in turn , is connected to voltage regulator 68 which is further connected to the measurement sub - system 48 to provide power to the measurement sub - system 48 . secondary winding 64 is further in communication with the measurement sub - system so that measurement sub - system 48 can measure the input voltage for calibration . additionally , the full wave bridge rectifier 66 is connected to a voltage regulator 68 for providing dc power ( e . g ., 3 . 3 volts dc ) to the microcontroller sub - system 46 . optionally , a battery connector 38 a can be connected to measurement sub - system 48 , so that the voltage of control box battery 74 can be measured if required for calibration . the battery connector 38 a is also used to provide power to a dc control box 70 during the calibration process . fig4 is a block diagram showing the microcontroller sub - system 46 of fig2 in greater detail . the microcontroller sub - system 46 includes an embedded computer 80 ( e . g ., a microcontroller , microprocessor , etc .) receiving various supply voltages from the power supply sub - system 36 and connected to a memory 82 , a real - time clock 84 , the ethernet connection 44 , the data port 42 , and an lcd touchscreen 86 . in one embodiment embedded computer 80 may be coldfire derivative mcf52223caf80 microprocessor manufactured by freescale semiconductor , inc . the memory 82 could be in the form of non - volatile memory , such as eprom , eeprom , flash memory , etc ., and could be programmed to include the processing logic discussed below in connection with fig9 as well as the calibration history of calibration device 30 . alternatively , such logic could be coded directly into the embedded computer 80 . the embedded computer 80 is in communication with the measurement sub - system 48 and executes the processing logic stored in the memory 82 . data port 42 allows for bidirectional communication between the electrofusion controller 16 and the calibration device 30 . ethernet connection 44 allows for bidirectional communication with an external computing device such as a pc , pda , etc . additionally , ethernet connection 44 allows the calibration device 30 to be interconnected with a communications network if desired , for downloading or logging of data from the system as well as for allowing remote access to , and control of , the calibration device 30 . lcd touchscreen 86 directs the operator of the calibration device 30 through the calibration process , for example , by directing the operator to connect different components together , turn on the control box , etc . in an alternate embodiment of the present invention , the microcontroller sub - system 46 maybe substituted with an external computer ( e . g ., a stand alone computer , personal digital assistant , or any other suitable device , etc .). fig5 is a block diagram showing the measurement sub - system 48 of fig2 in greater detail . the measurement sub - system 48 includes a first independent measurement device 92 and a second independent measurement device 94 , both of which could be in the form of analog - to - digital ( adc ) converters . the first independent measurement device 92 includes a voltage and current measurement device 104 , resistance measurement circuit 120 , temperature gage 106 , ac input voltage 112 in communication with secondary transformer connector 64 a , and , battery voltage 114 in communication with battery connector 38 a . the second independent measurement device 94 contains a voltage and current measurement device 102 , wire resistance measurement device 120 , 1 - wire resistance 108 , ac input voltage 110 in communication with secondary transformer connector 64 a , and battery voltage 116 in communication with battery connector 38 a . the 1 - wire resistance 108 is further in communication with id resistance standards 100 , which are pre - defined standards stored in memory . the voltage current measurement devices 102 and 104 connected with various resistors , described below , positioned in high power load enclosure 50 , which operate as dummy loads to mimic resistive elements of fitting 22 . microcontroller sub - system 46 directs the electrofusion controller 16 to fuse an appropriate resistor based on the electrofusion controller &# 39 ; s fusing capacity . wire resistance measurement device 120 is connected with fitting resistance standards 98 . the high power load 50 , fitting standard 98 , and id resistance standard 100 are further connected with computer controlled switching relays 96 . the switching relays 96 are controlled by the microcontroller sub - system 46 . the microcontroller sub - system 46 also directly communicates with the first independent measurement device 92 and the second independent measurement device 94 . fig6 is a drawing showing a perspective view of the calibration unit of the present invention . the calibration unit includes an enclosure 32 having an upper housing portion 132 , a touchscreen 86 , a temperature gage 106 , ethernet connection 44 , data port 42 , power supply input connection 56 a , the power receptacle 38 b ( shown with an optional cover plate in position over the receptacle 38 b ), the control box adapter connection 54 a , a fuse holder 138 , and an on / off switch 136 . the fuse holder 138 houses a fuse that prevents overloading of the power supply sub - system 36 . a lower housing portion 134 is also provided , which includes the cooling fans 40 used to cool the high power load resistors enclosed in the lower housing portion 134 ( not visible in this view ). fig7 is a drawing showing the lower housing portion 134 . the lower housing portion 134 includes a plurality of high power load resistors 140 , 142 , 144 and 146 within the high power load enclosure 50 . as discussed above , the load resistors 140 , 142 , 144 and 146 provide dummy fusion loads for use in calibrating an electrofusion controller . as can be seen in fig8 , air flow vents 148 are provided in lower housing portion 134 to facilitate cooling of the load resistors 140 , 142 , 144 and 146 . fig9 is a flowchart showing processing steps according to the present invention , indicated generally at 150 , for controlling calibration . in step 152 , the calibration system 30 is connected with the electrofusion controller 16 , power is turned “ on ,” and the calibration system 30 communicates with the electrofusion controller 16 to determine the fusion load that the electrofusion controller 30 requires . in step 154 , the calibration system 30 selects the appropriate high power load resistor 140 , 142 , 144 or 146 which matches the fusion load required by the electrofusion controller 16 . in step 156 , the microcontroller sub - system 46 directs the electrofusion controller 16 to fuse the high power load resistor selected in 154 . in step 158 , the first independent measurement device 92 measures a selected output parameter and in step 160 , that measured parameter is stored in flash memory 82 . in step 162 , the embedded computer 80 calculates the difference between the value of the parameter stored in step 160 and the electrofusion controller &# 39 ; s preset parameter value . in step 164 , if the calculated value in step 162 is greater than allowable error , a pre - defined error threshold established by the manufacturer of the control box 16 and programmed into the nonvolatile memory of the calibration device 30 , step 166 is performed , alternately step 168 is performed . in step 166 , the microcontroller sub - system 46 communicates with the electrofusion controller through data port 42 and calibrates the electrofusion controller &# 39 ; s circuitry to match the stored value for the parameter . in step 168 , the microcontroller sub - system 46 directs the electrofusion controller 16 to fuse the high power load resistor of step 154 . in step 170 , the second independent measurement device 94 measures the previously selected output parameter and stores that measured parameter is stored in flash memory 82 . in step 172 , the embedded computer 80 calculates the difference between the value of the parameter stored in step 168 and the electrofusion controller &# 39 ; s preset value . in step 176 , if the calculated value in step 172 is greater than allowable , step 174 is performed and the operator receives an error message on lcd touchscreen 86 informing them that there was an error in the calibration process and suggesting that the device be sent to its manufacturer for calibration . fig1 is a block diagram showing the wire resistance measurement device 120 of fig5 in greater detail . in this embodiment , the wire resistance measurement device 120 uses a standard 4 - wire resistance measurement system to calibrate control box &# 39 ; s 16 resistance measurement device . the wire resistance measurement device 120 attaches to fitting adaptors 20 a and 20 b and includes switches 182 , 184 , 186 , 188 and 190 , standard resistors 192 , 194 , and 196 , 198 and 200 , an excitation voltage 68 a , and ground 210 . the values of the standard resistors 192 , 194 and 196 and resistor 198 are stored in nonvolatile memory . switches 182 , 184 and 186 each connect with standard resistors 192 , 194 , and 196 respectively . resistors 198 and 200 in combination with the excitation voltage 68 a and ground 210 by the 4 wire resistance measurement system to independently measure the standard resistors 192 , 194 and 196 and verify the values stored in nonvolatile memory are correct . initially , switches 182 , 184 or 186 are then closed to , one at a time , present standard resistors 192 , 194 or 196 , one at a time , to control box 16 to measure . control box 16 is calibrated to ensure its measured resistance matches that stored in nonvolatile memory . switch 190 and 180 are then closed to allow independent measurement device 92 and 94 to measure the standard resistors 192 , 194 or 196 . when switches 190 and 188 are closed , current flows from the excitation voltage 68 a through resistors 200 , 198 and one of the standard resistors that is selected in turn 192 , 194 and 196 to ground 210 . the voltage drop across the resistance standard that is selected 192 , 194 or 196 ( v std ) is measured directly by independent measurement device 94 . the electrical current flowing through the resistance standard that is selected 192 , 194 or 196 ( i std ) is calculated by the embedded computer 80 using the value of resistor 198 and the voltage measurement supplied by independent measurement device 92 . the value of the standard resistor that is selected 192 , 194 or 196 ( r std ) is then calculated by the embedded computer 80 using the formula r std = v std / t std . each of the standard resistors , 192 , 194 and 196 are measured by the above process . fig1 shows the 1 - wire resistance 108 used to produce id resistance standard 100 of fig5 in greater detail . if needed , the 1 - wire resistance 108 measures and calibrates the control box &# 39 ; s 16 ability to measure an additional resistor in fitting 22 through fitting adaptor 20 a . 1 - wire resistance 108 attaches to fitting adaptor 20 a and includes switches 222 , 224 , 226 , 228 and 230 , standard resistors 232 , 234 , 236 and 238 , an excitation voltage 68 b and ground 240 . the values of the standard resistors 232 , 234 , 236 and 238 are stored in nonvolatile memory . switches 222 , 224 , 226 and 230 connect to standard resistors 232 , 234 , 236 and 238 respectively . resistor 238 in combination with excitation voltage 68 b and ground 240 are used by the 1 - wire resistance measurement system to independently measure the standard resistors 232 , 234 and 236 and verify the values stored in nonvolatile memory are correct . initially switches 222 , 224 or 226 are closed in turn to present one of standard resistors 232 , 234 or 236 to control box 16 to measure . control box 16 is then calibrated to ensure its measured resistance matches that stored in nonvolatile memory . switch 230 and 228 are then closed to allow independent measurement device 94 to measure the standard resistors 232 , 234 or 236 . when switches 238 and 228 are closed , current flows from the excitation voltage 68 b through resistor 238 and standard resistor 232 , 234 or 236 to ground 240 . the voltage drop across the resistance standard 232 , 234 or 236 ( v std ) is measured directly by independent measurement device 94 . the electrical current flowing through the resistance standard 232 , 234 or 236 ( i std ) is calculated by the embedded computer 80 using the value of resistor 238 and the voltage measurement supplied by independent measurement device 94 . the value of the standard resistor 232 , 234 or 236 ( r std ) is then calculated by the embedded computer 80 using the formula r std = v std / i std . it should be noted that excitation voltage 68 a and 68 b of fig1 and 11 could be supplied from voltage regulator 68 . the controller may be programmed to calibrate different parameters in the following sequence : resistance , ac input voltage and / or battery voltage , output current , output voltage , temperature , and id resistance . it should be noted that the sequence of calibration could be varied , or other parameters could be included , without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention . having thus described the invention in detail , it is to be understood that the foregoing description is not intended to limit the spirit or scope thereof . what is desired to be protected by letter patent is set forth in the appended claims . | 1 |
throughout this description , embodiments and variations are described for the purpose of illustrating uses and implementations of the invention . the illustrative description should be understood as presenting examples of the invention , rather than as limiting the scope of the invention . fig1 a is an isometric view of a binocular system or loupes 10 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention . fig1 b is a sectional view of the binocular loupes 10 shown in fig1 a taken along the line aa . fig1 c is a top view of the binocular loupes 10 shown in fig1 a . the binocular loupes 10 include a telescope or barrel pair 20 , a housing 50 , a right barrel to housing arm 30 , a left barrel to housing arm 40 , an ipd adjustment mechanism 60 , and a mount 80 . the loupes 10 may adorned by a user via the mount 80 where the mount 80 is coupled to device ( s ) that enable the user to place the loupes 10 in their vision pathway , e . g ., the devices may include spectacles or a head band . the mount 80 is coupled the housing 50 . in an embodiment the mount 80 may be incorporated in the housing 50 . in an embodiment each barrel 20 has a front 22 , a back 24 , and a housing arm extension 26 , and screw openings 28 . the barrel or telescope 20 may include one or more lens located between , near , or at the barrel or telescope front 22 and back 24 . in fig1 a , a lens 21 is shown in right barrel front 22 and in fig1 b a lens 23 is shown in the right barrel rear 23 . lens are not shown in the left barrel in these figures for the sake of clarity . the right barrel to housing arm 30 moveably couples a barrel 20 via its extension 26 to the housing 50 . the left barrel to housing arm 30 moveably couples the other barrel 20 via its extension 26 to the housing 50 . in an embodiment the right arm 30 includes a rail having an end 32 , a gear rack 38 , a partial radial screw slot 34 , and a pivot screw slot 36 . in this embodiment the left arm 40 also includes a rail having an end 42 , a gear rack 48 , a partial radial screw slot 44 , and a pivot screw slot 46 . in this embodiment 10 the barrel extension 26 includes a rear and a front screw hole 28 . as shown in fig1 c , the right rail 30 partial radial screw slot 34 is oriented to a barrel front 22 to engage the barrel 20 extension 26 front screw hole 28 . the right rail 30 pivot screw slot 36 is oriented to a barrel rear 24 to engage the barrel 20 extension 26 rear screw hole 28 . similarly , the left rail 40 partial radial screw slot 44 is oriented to a barrel front 22 to engage the barrel 20 extension 26 front screw hole 28 . the left rail 40 pivot screw slot 46 is oriented to the barrel rear 24 to engage the barrel 20 extension 26 rear screw hole 28 . in another embodiment the pivot screw slot 36 , 46 may be oriented to a barrel front 22 or adjacent the slot 34 , 44 to engage the barrel 20 extension 26 front screw hole 28 and the partial radial screw slot 34 , 44 may be oriented to a barrel rear 22 or adjacent the slot 36 , 46 to engage the barrel 20 extension 26 rear screw hole 28 . in an embodiment different mechanical elements may be employed in the slots 34 , 36 , 44 , 46 and the extension 26 holes 28 including a threaded bolt and the screw or bolt could be coupled to a cam based element that is rotated from a free , non - compressive state to an active , compressive state . the radial section of the slot 34 and 44 of the arms 30 , 40 is selected to permit about 4 to 8 degrees of movement of the barrel front 22 relative the barrel rear 24 via the pivot slot 36 , 46 . this enables a user to adjust or set the convergence angle between the barrel or telescope pair 20 and then stably lock each barrel 20 via its extension 26 to an arm 30 , 40 via a first screw passing the arm 30 , 40 pivot screw slot 36 , 46 into the barrel extension 26 screw hole 28 and a second screw passing through the arm 30 , 40 partial radial screw slot 34 , 44 into the barrel extension 26 other screw hole 28 . in an embodiment the binocular loupes 10 ipd adjustment mechanism 60 includes an adjustment knob 62 having a plurality of teeth 74 , a pinion gear 64 coupled to the knob 62 , spring 66 , washer 68 , and spring retaining screw 72 . the pinion gear 64 simultaneously engages the right arm 30 gear rack 38 and the left arm 40 gear rack 48 . in an embodiment the right and left gear racks have the same gear spacing . in this embodiment rotation of the pinion gear 64 via the knob 62 in either direction causes both arms 30 , 40 to move approximately equal distances relative to the knob , inward to outward to change the distance between the barrels and effective ipd for a user adorning the loupes 10 . in this embodiment both the housing 50 and knob 62 have mating teeth 56 , 74 respectively . in an embodiment each have 20 teeth spaced 18 degrees apart . in the loupes 10 the spring 66 is biased against the housing 50 bottom 54 and washer 68 where the washer is coupled to the knob 62 via the retaining screw 72 . in stasis the spring 66 causes the knob teeth 74 to stably mate to the housing teeth 56 to lock the ipd between the barrel or telescope pair 20 . to change the ipd , a user pulls the knob axially upward relative to the spring 66 axis to disengage the knob teeth 74 from the housing teeth 56 , rotates the knob 62 about the axis in a direction to cause the arms 30 , 40 to move inward or outward approximately equal distances simultaneously , and then releases the knob 62 . the spring 66 bias then exerts sufficient axial downward force to reengage the knob teeth 74 to the housing teeth 56 , securing the selected ipd distance and preventing unintentional ipd modification . in an embodiment the spring constant is about 9 to 11 pounds per inch . fig2 a is an isometric view of a partial binocular system 100 in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention and fig2 b is a sectional view of the partial binocular system or loupes 100 shown in fig2 a . the binocular system 100 includes an ipd mechanism 160 and housing 150 according to another embodiment of the present invention . the barrel pair 20 is not shown for clarity . in this embodiment the ipd mechanism 160 includes a locking lever 166 with at least one locking tab 168 . the housing 150 includes support arms for rotatably holding the locking lever 166 and at least one housing opening 159 that corresponds with the at least one locking tab 168 . in this embodiment the arms or rails 30 , 40 each include sleeves 39 , 49 where arms 30 , 40 may slide within each other . similar to the ipd mechanism 60 , the mechanism 160 also includes a pinion gear 164 coupled to a knob 162 . the ipd mechanism 160 may also include teeth and the housing 150 corresponding mating teeth such as shown in fig1 a . when the locking lever 166 of the ipd mechanism 160 is engaged by moving toward the barrel rear 24 , the tabs 168 engage the lower , right arm 30 causing the right arm to move upward and compress against the upper , left arm 40 and housing 150 . in this embodiment , after lever 166 engagement the ipd between the arms 30 , 40 is stably fixed . the adjustment knob 162 would also be substantially immovable . when the locking level 166 of the ipd mechanism 160 is disengaged by moving it toward the barrel front 22 , the tabs 168 via the housing 150 openings 159 release their compression force against the arms 30 , 40 . a user may then adjust the ipd via the adjustment knob 162 and lock the ipd by moving the lock lever 166 toward the rear . fig3 a is an isometric view of another partial binocular system 200 in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention and fig3 b is a sectional view of the partial binocular system or loupes 200 shown in fig3 a . the binocular system 200 includes an ipd mechanism 260 and housing 250 according to another embodiment of the present invention . the barrel pair 20 is not shown for clarity . in this embodiment the ipd mechanism 260 includes a radially activated locking lever 268 . the housing 250 includes a radial cam 258 that engages the radially activated locking lever 268 . the locking lever 268 is coupled to the pinion gear 264 via a retaining screw 272 . the ipd mechanism 260 may also include teeth and the housing 250 corresponding mating teeth such as shown in fig1 a . when the locking lever 268 of the ipd mechanism 260 is engaged by rotating the lever about the pinion gear axis , the lever 268 engages the housing cam 258 causing a downward force on the retaining screw 272 and thereby compressing the adjustment knob 262 against the housing 250 top 252 . after lever 268 engagement , the adjustment knob 262 is substantially immovable . when the locking level 268 of the ipd mechanism 260 is disengaged by radially moving lever 268 away from the housing cam 258 , the compression against the adjustment knob 262 is released . a user may then adjust the ipd via the adjustment knob 262 and lock the ipd by radially moving the lock lever 268 toward the housing cam 258 . fig4 a is a view of a partial binocular system 300 in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention and fig4 b is a sectional view of the partial binocular system or loupes 300 shown in fig4 a . the binocular system 300 includes an ipd mechanism 360 and housing 350 according to another embodiment of the present invention . the barrel pair 20 is not shown for clarity . in this embodiment the ipd mechanism 360 includes a locking cam lever 368 and rail locking member 376 . the housing 350 includes support arms 358 for rotatably holding the locking cam lever 368 . in this embodiment the arms or rails 30 , 40 each include sleeves 39 , 49 where arms 30 , 40 may slide within each other . similar to the ipd mechanism 60 , the mechanism 360 also includes a pinion gear 364 coupled to a knob 362 . the ipd mechanism 360 may also include teeth and the housing 350 corresponding mating teeth such as shown in fig1 a . when the locking lever 368 of the ipd mechanism 360 is engaged by moving toward the right arm 30 , the cam lever 368 pushes the rail locking member upward against the lower , right arm 30 causing the right arm to move upward and compress the upper , left arm 40 against the housing 350 . in this embodiment , after cam lever 368 engagement the distance between the arms 30 , 40 is stably fixed and thus , the ipd . the adjustment knob 362 would also be substantially immovable . when the locking cam level 368 of the ipd mechanism 360 is disengaged by moving toward the left arm 40 , the rail locking member 376 is released , releasing its compression force against the arms 30 , 40 and housing 350 . a user may then adjust the ipd via the adjustment knob 362 and lock the ipd by moving the locking cam lever 368 toward the right arm 30 . while this invention has been described in terms of a best mode for achieving the objectives of the invention , it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that variations may be accomplished in view of these teachings without deviating from the spirit or scope of the present invention . for example in another embodiment a single user rotatable screw may be coupled to the housing top 52 or bottom 54 so that upon rotation the screw tip may engage the right or left rail 30 , 40 with sufficient force to prevent accidental movement of the rails 30 , 40 . | 6 |
the present invention will now be described more fully in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings , in which the preferred embodiments of the invention are shown . this invention should not , however , be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein ; rather , they are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art . the present invention pertains to a system and method for demagnetization of a magnetic structure region . certain described embodiments may relate , by way of example but not limitation , to systems and / or apparatuses comprising magnetic structures , methods for using magnetic structures , magnetic structures produced via magnetic printing , magnetic structures comprising arrays of discrete magnetic elements , combinations thereof , and so forth . example realizations for such embodiments may be facilitated , at least in part , by the use of an emerging , revolutionary technology that may be termed correlated magnetics . this revolutionary technology referred to herein as correlated magnetics was first fully described and enabled in the co - assigned u . s . pat . no . 7 , 800 , 471 issued on sep . 21 , 2010 , and entitled “ a field emission system and method ”. the contents of this document are hereby incorporated herein by reference . a second generation of a correlated magnetic technology is described and enabled in the co - assigned u . s . pat . no . 7 , 868 , 721 issued on jan . 11 , 2011 , and entitled “ a field emission system and method ”. the contents of this document are hereby incorporated herein by reference . a third generation of a correlated magnetic technology is described and enabled in the co - assigned u . s . patent application ser . no . 12 / 476 , 952 filed on jun . 2 , 2009 , and entitled “ a field emission system and method ”. the contents of this document are hereby incorporated herein by reference . another technology known as correlated inductance , which is related to correlated magnetics , has been described and enabled in the co - assigned u . s . pat . no . 8 , 115 , 581 issued on feb . 14 , 2012 , and entitled “ a system and method for producing an electric pulse ”. the contents of this document are hereby incorporated by reference . material presented herein may relate to and / or be implemented in conjunction with multilevel correlated magnetic systems and methods for producing a multilevel correlated magnetic system such as described in u . s . pat . no . 7 , 982 , 568 issued jul . 19 , 2011 which is all incorporated herein by reference in its entirety . material presented herein may relate to and / or be implemented in conjunction with energy generation systems and methods such as described in u . s . patent application ser . no . 12 / 895 , 589 filed sep . 30 , 2010 , which is all incorporated herein by reference in its entirety . such systems and methods described in u . s . pat . no . 7 , 681 , 256 issued mar . 23 , 2010 , u . s . pat . no . 7 , 750 , 781 issued jul . 6 , 2010 , u . s . pat . no . 7 , 755 , 462 issued jul . 13 , 2010 , u . s . pat . no . 7 , 812 , 698 issued oct . 12 , 2010 , u . s . pat . nos . 7 , 817 , 002 , 7 , 817 , 003 , 7 , 817 , 004 , 7 , 817 , 005 , and 7 , 817 , 006 issued oct . 19 , 2010 , u . s . pat . no . 7 , 821 , 367 issued oct . 26 , 2010 , u . s . pat . nos . 7 , 823 , 300 and 7 , 824 , 083 issued nov . 2 , 2011 , u . s . pat . no . 7 , 834 , 729 issued nov . 16 , 2011 , u . s . pat . no . 7 , 839 , 247 issued nov . 23 , 2010 , u . s . pat . nos . 7 , 843 , 295 , 7 , 843 , 296 , and 7 , 843 , 297 issued nov . 30 , 2010 , u . s . pat . no . 7 , 893 , 803 issued feb . 22 , 2011 , u . s . pat . nos . 7 , 956 , 711 and 7 , 956 , 712 issued jun . 7 , 2011 , u . s . pat . nos . 7 , 958 , 575 , 7 , 961 , 068 and 7 , 961 , 069 issued jun . 14 , 2011 , u . s . pat . no . 7 , 963 , 818 issued jun . 21 , 2011 , and u . s . pat . nos . 8 , 015 , 752 and 8 , 016 , 330 issued sep . 13 , 2011 , and u . s . pat . no . 8 , 035 , 260 issued oct . 11 , 2011 are all incorporated by reference herein in their entirety . various methods for printing maxels are described in u . s . parent application ser . no . 13 / 240 , 355 , field sep . 22 , 2011 and titled magnetic structure production , which is incorporated by reference herein it its entirety . in accordance with the present invention , a region of a magnetic structure is demagnetized ( or erased ) by successive overwriting of the region with magnetic sources having alternating polarities and decreasing field strengths . more specifically , the magnetic field sources , which are often called maxels , are produced using a pulsed magnetizer where a very short current pulse is passed through a magnetizing coil located adjacent to a location on the surface of a magnetizable material . each maxel has a size , shape , depth , polarity , field strength , angle relative to the magnetization surface , and various other maxel characteristics that are in accordance with material characteristics such as material type ( e . g ., nib ), grade , thickness , shape ( e . g ., flat ), etc ., magnetizing coil characteristics such as metal type , layer thickness , number of turns , aperture width , coil width , coil shape , aperture shape , etc ., and magnetizing characteristics such as the amount of current passed through the coil , and the direction of the current through the coil , distance between the coil and the surface , angle of the coil relative to the surface , etc ., where one skilled in the art will understand that any of these magnetizing coil characteristics and / or magnetizing characteristics can be varied to effect demagnetization in accordance with the invention . as such , one or more magnetizer coils having the same or different magnetizing coil characteristics can be used with the same or different magnetizing characteristics to overwrite and demagnetize one or more regions on one or more magnetic structures . fig2 depicts exemplary discreet current values 202 of current used to drive a magnetizer coil in order to produce ( or write ) overwrite alternating polarity maxels at a given location on a material , where each discreet current value 202 has a corresponding discreet flux value 204 of magnetic flux produced by the magnetizer coil . as shown , the current values 202 used to drive the magnetizer coil change polarity and decrease with each printed maxel to produce a sequence of alternating polarity maxels with decreased field strength in order to demagnetize the location on the material . the discrete current values 202 and flux values 204 , for example , correspond to the peak current and peak flux values of the current and flux curves 104 and 106 of fig1 . however , the discrete current values 202 can decrease in accordance with some other desired decrement pattern such as a uniform decrement pattern . generally , the starting discrete current value 202 of a demagnetization process can be selected based on the field strength of the region of the magnetic structure as determined prior to demagnetization . for example , a measurement of the field to be erased could be made , and a current value 202 could be selected such that the starting demagnetizing magnetic field would be of opposite polarity of the field being erased and somewhat lower in field strength . however , an alternate approach would be to select a starting current value 202 based on material characteristics that will result in a near saturating field . however , if only partial demagnetization is desired , the starting demagnetizing field may be selected that is substantially lower than the field strength of the region of the magnetic structure prior to demagnetization . because the printing of each maxel is substantially a discreet event as opposed to demagnetization using a continuous alternating current , all sorts of combinations are possible for demagnetizing a region on a magnetic structure including use of multiple print heads to demagnetize one or more regions on one or more magnetic structures , where characteristics of a given print head and the use of such print head can be controlled to control the demagnetization process . for example , one or more print heads can be used to demagnetize a region on a magnetic structure , where the location of at least one print head is fixed . alternatively , one or more movable print heads may be used . combinations of different print head sizes ( e . g ., aperture diameters ), maxel shapes , maxel depths , and the like can be used . many patterning choices are available such as maxel print order , the amount of overlapping of maxels ( or spatial density ), the spacing between maxels , etc . moreover , instead of alternating polarity with each overwriting maxel , multiple maxels of the same polarity may overwrite successively . in other words , a region may be overwritten one or more times with a magnetizing field having the same polarity before being overwritten one or more times with a magnetizing field having the opposite polarity . generally , one skilled in the art will recognize that all sorts of variations of the invention are possible . fig3 a through 3d are provided to illustrate an exemplary demagnetization process for demagnetizing a region 306 on a magnetic structure 303 corresponding to its outer boundary ( i . e ., outer edge or outer perimeter ). referring to fig3 a , a first maxel pattern 300 a of first polarity maxels 302 a and second polarity maxels 304 a have been printed onto a magnetizable material 303 having an outer boundary 306 . the maxels 302 a and 304 a have been printed in columns from the bottom of the magnetizable material 303 to the top of the magnetizable material 303 and from the left side to the right . as such , the first maxel printed is in the lower left corner and the last maxel printed is in the upper right corner . a field scan 308 a shows the resulting magnetic field , where the outer boundary 306 of the magnetizable material 303 is shown . fig3 b shows a second maxel pattern 300 b comprising overlapping first polarity maxels 302 b having a first field strength that are printed by magnetizing coils 305 ( and a pulsed magnetizer 307 ) along the outer boundary 306 , which corresponds to a demagnetization region 310 on the magnetizable material 303 . the resulting field scan 308 b shows the outer boundary 306 and demagnetization region 310 of the magnetizable material 303 . in fig3 c , a third maxel pattern 300 c comprising overlapping second polarity maxels 304 c having a second field strength less than the first field strength that are printed by magnetizing coils 305 ( and a pulsed magnetizer 307 ) along the outer boundary 306 , which corresponds to a demagnetization region 310 c on the magnetizable material 303 . as seen in the field scan 308 c of fig3 c , the demagnetization region 310 c is becoming more and more demagnetized on the magnetizable material 303 . in fig3 d , a fourth maxel pattern 300 d comprising overlapping first polarity maxels 302 d having a third field strength that are printed by magnetizing coils 305 ( and a pulsed magnetizer 307 ) along the outer boundary 306 , which corresponds to a demagnetization region 310 c on the magnetizable material 303 . as seen in the field scan 308 d of fig3 d , the demagnetization region 310 is substantially demagnetized on the magnetizable material 303 . in accordance with one method 400 shown in fig4 , a maxel can be demagnetized by successively printing maxels having reversing polarity and decreasing field strength at the same location . at step 402 , the demagnetizing process is started . at step 404 , establish first magnetizing polarity . at step 406 , establish first magnetizing field strength . at step 408 , move material and / or magnetizing coil to location coordinate for demagnetization . at step 410 , magnetize maxel with established magnetizing field having established magnetic field strength . at step 412 , determine if region has been demagnetized . if result of step 412 is no , then at step 414 reverse established magnetizing polarity and decrease established magnetizing field strength then return to step 410 . if result of step 412 is yes , then at step 416 stop the demagnetizing process . in accordance with another demagnetizing method 500 shown in fig5 , the demagnetization of a region can involve magnetization of an entire region by printing a plurality of maxels of the same polarity and field strength over the region , rewriting the region with opposite polarity maxels having a lesser field strength , and repeating the previous two steps until the region is demagnetized . at step 502 , the demagnetizing process is started . at step 504 , establish first magnetizing polarity . at step 506 , establish first magnetizing field strength . at step 508 , move material and / or magnetizing coil to first location coordinate for demagnetization . at step 510 , magnetize maxel with established magnetizing polarity with magnetizing field having established magnetic field strength . at step 512 , determine if all locations have been demagnetized . if result of step 512 is no , then at step 514 move material and / or magnetizing coil to next location coordinate for demagnetization and then return to step 510 . if result of step 512 is yes , then at step 516 determine if region has been demagnetized . if result of step 516 is no , then at step 518 reverse established magnetizing polarity and decrease established magnetizing field strength then return to step 508 . if result of step 516 is yes , then at step 520 stop the demagnetizing process . yet another demagnetizing method 600 is shown in fig6 , this demagnetizing method 600 involves demagnetizing a region by demagnetizing each maxel location one at a time . at step 602 , the demagnetizing process is started . at step 604 , establish first magnetizing polarity . at step 606 , establish first magnetizing field strength . at step 608 , move material and / or magnetizing coil to first location coordinate for demagnetization . at step 610 , magnetize maxel with established magnetizing polarity with magnetizing field having established magnetic field strength . at step 612 , determine if region has been demagnetized . if result of step 612 is no , then at step 614 reverse established magnetizing polarity and decrease established magnetizing field strength then return to step 610 . if result of step 612 is yes , then at step 616 determine if all locations have been demagnetized . if result of step 616 is no , then at step 618 move material and / or magnetizing coil to next location coordinate for demagnetization and then return to step 604 . if result of step 616 is yes , then at step 620 stop the demagnetizing process . in accordance with the invention , a material can be demagnetized on one side and then demagnetized on the other , or both sides may be demagnetized at the same time . under another arrangement , only one side may be demagnetized . the depth of demagnetization may or may not correspond to the depth that a material was previously magnetized . demagnetization can involve printing maxels of alternating polarity with a different magnetization direction then a material was originally magnetized . in accordance with the invention , maxels of a given polarity may overwrite a given region a plurality of times before the polarity of the overwriting maxels is changed . the maxels of the given polarity may be printed by the same print head or multiple print heads as necessary to efficiently overwrite the region . a region to be demagnetized may correspond to an outer boundary of a material such as depicted in fig3 a - 3d , which might be done to limit side interaction between two magnetic structures in which case the width of the demagnetized region can be selected to achieve a desired minimum attractive force between the two structures . a region may be internal to the structure . more generally , demagnetization of a region in accordance with the invention does not have to be complete demagnetization . instead , the demagnetization process may be used to partially magnetize so as to lower the field strength of a given region . as such , the present invention enables a way of weakening a maxel or a group of maxels . demagnetization in accordance with the invention can enable conveyance of information , where a sensor can detect demagnetized regions , which can be in accordance with a predefined pattern corresponding to the information . while particular embodiments of the invention have been described , it will be understood , however , that the invention is not limited thereto , since modifications may be made by those skilled in the art , particularly in light of the foregoing teachings . | 7 |
fig1 is a schematic plan view of a windshield wiper support frame 10 wherein highly compliant , integrally formed coupling portions 11 - 16 are utilized for interbeam coupling , as will be described hereinbelow . a primary beam 20 is coupled to a secondary beam 21 via coupling portion 13 . similarly , the primary beam is coupled to a further secondary beam 22 via coupling portion 16 . coupling portion 11 couples secondary beam 21 to a tertiary beam 23 . similarly , on the other half of the windshield wiper support frame , coupling , portion 14 couples secondary beam 22 to a further tertiary beam 26 . coupling portions 12 and 15 are shown to couple their respectively associated secondary beams 21 and 22 to tertiary beams 24 and 25 . in this specific illustrative embodiment of the invention , output forces , which correspond to predeterminable proportions of an input force that is represented by vector 30 , are provided at tertiary beams 23 - 26 , and at secondary beams 21 and 22 . more specifically , the output forces , that are represented by vectors 31 - 36 , sum up to the magnitude of vector 30 . vectors 31 - 36 therefore represent a distribution of the input force represented by vector 30 . the force represented by vector 30 is supplied in this embodiment by a windshield wiper actuator arm ( not shown ) that is conventionally coupled to the windshield wiper motor ( not shown ) of a vehicle ( not shown ) and to the windshield wiper support frame , illustratively al aperture 40 through primary beam 20 . although not specifically shown in this figure , the terminations of the secondary and tertiary beams where the output forces are provided are adapted ( not shown in this figure ) in a conventional manner to be coupled to a windshield wiper blade . the windshield wiper blade may be of the conventional single blade type , or of the dual blade type as indicated , the primary , secondary , and tertiary beams , along with their respectively associated compliant coupling portions , are formed integrally with one another . the coupling portions , such as coupling portions 13 and 16 , permit their respectively associated secondary beams to pivot . moreover , terminations of the secondary and tertiary beams where the output forces are produced are translatable along paths that are parallel to the input force vector . persons of skill in the art will readily recognize that the magnitudes of the forces represented by vectors 31 - 36 can be made not to be equal to one another , as required by the particular application . proportions of the force magnitudes amongst the vectors are responsive to the location of the coupling portions along the respective beams , the mechanical properties of the compliant coupling portions , and the mechanical properties of the beams themselves . persons of skill in the art can configure these characteristics in light of the teaching herein . fig2 is a schematic plan view of a windshield wiper support frame 50 wherein resilient , hinge - like portions 51 - 56 are integrally formed with the beams , there being provided eight equally spaced force distribution points . as shown , a primary beam 60 is resiliently coupled via integrally formed resilient coupling portions 52 and 55 to respective secondary beams 61 and 62 . each secondary beam is coupled via respective integrally formed resilient coupling portions 51 and 53 , and 54 and 56 , to respective tertiary beams 64 - 67 . in this specific illustrative embodiment of the invention , the tertiary beams are coupled to a windshield wiper blade , which is schematically represented in the figure by structural element 69 . the windshield wiper blade can , in certain embodiments , be coupled to the force output points of the tertiary beams using any of several known wiper blade coupling arrangements ( not shown ), or it can be formed integrally with the windshield wiper support frame . fig3 is a schematic plan representation of the configuration of a small resilient , hinge - like portion 70 which corresponds to coupling portions 51 , 53 , 54 , and 56 , shown in fig2 . fig4 is a schematic plan view of the configuration of a larger resilient , hinge - like portion 80 , which corresponds to coupling portion 55 in fig2 . coupling portion 52 in fig2 is the mirror image of coupling portion 55 . referring once again to fig3 hinge - like portion 70 is formed with first and second resilient members 71 and 72 , that couple beams 74 and 75 resiliently to one another . when beam 75 is urged in the direction of arrow 77 , first resilient member 71 is subjected to a compression force , and second resilient member 72 is subjected i : o tension . conversely , when beam 75 is urged in the direction of arrow 78 , first resilient member 71 is subjected to a tensile force , and second resilient member 72 is subjected to compression force . in this regard , without limitation , the present invention is distinguishable from the mere pivoting function of the interbeam couplers of the conventional windshield wiper support frames . the larger resilient , hinge - like portion 80 of fig4 that corresponds to coupling portion 55 in fig2 functions in a manner similar to the hinge - like portion described with respect to fig3 . more specifically , when beam 85 is urged in the direction of arrow 87 , first resilient member 81 is subjected to a compression force , and second resilient member 82 is subjected to tension . conversely , when beam 85 is urged in the direction of arrow 88 , first resilient member 81 is subjected to a tensile force , and second resilient member 82 is subjected to compression force . fig5 is a schematic plan view of a windshield wiper support frame 100 embodiment of the invention wherein resilient , hinge - like portions are integrally formed with the beams , with eight equally spaced force distribution points , and with greater flexibility than the embodiment of fig2 . as shown in this figure , windshield wiper support frame 100 is provided with resilient , hinge - like portions 101 - 106 are integrally formed with the beams . a primary beam 110 is resiliently coupled via integrally formed resilient coupling portions 102 and 105 to respective secondary beams 111 and 12 . each secondary beam is coupled via respective integrally formed resilient coupling portions 101 and 103 , and 104 and 106 , to respective tertiary beams 114 - 117 . the embodiment of fig5 achieves a greater degree of compliance over that of fig2 in that the resilient coupling portions are not only longer , but thinner . thus , when materials having relatively high stiffness characteristics are employed in the manufacture of the product , desired compliance characteristics can be achieved by controlling the size and thickness of the resilient coupling portions . in this specific illustrative embodiment of the invention , the force output portions ( not specifically designated in this figure ) are shown schematically to be coupled to a windshield wiper blade 120 . as previously noted , the windshield wiper blade can , in certain embodiments , be coupled to the force output points using any of several known wiper blade coupling arrangements , or it can be formed integrally with the windshield wiper support frame . fig6 is a schematic plan view of a windshield wiper support frame 130 , which is a specific illustrative embodiment of the invention wherein resilient , hinge - like portions 131 , 132 , 133 , and 134 are integrally formed with the beams . in this embodiment , there are provided an odd number of unequally spaced force distribution points for each half of the support frame . more specifically , a primary beam 136 is resiliently coupled via integrally formed resilient coupling portions 132 and 133 to respective secondary beams 137 and 138 . each secondary beam is coupled via respective integrally formed resilient coupling portions 131 and 134 to respective tertiary beams 140 and 141 . in this specific illustrative embodiment of the invention , the tertiary beams are coupled to a windshield wiper blade , which is schematically represented in the figure by structural element 143 . as previously stated , the windshield wiper blade can , in certain embodiments , be coupled to the force output points of the tertiary beams using any of several known wiper blade coupling arrangements ( not shown ), or it can be formed integrally with the windshield wiper support frame . fig7 is a schematic plan view of an illustrative embodiment of a windshield wiper support arrangement 150 constructed in accordance with the invention as shown , a primary beam 151 which in this specific illustrative embodiment of the invention is curved is shown to be coupled resiliently to a flexible working beam 153 by a plurality of resilient coupling elements 161 - 167 . in this specific illustrative embodiment of the invention flexible working beam 153 functions to support a windshield wiper blade ( not shown ). the resilient coupling elements are distributed over the length of the primary beam and are coupled thereto on the concave side of the curvature . flexible working beam 153 is shown in this specific illustrative embodiment of the invention to be straight when undisturbed . the variations in the distance between the curved primary beam and the straight flexible working beam is accommodated by employing resilient coupling elements of varying sizes . thus , resilient coupling , elements 161 and 167 are smaller than resilient coupling elements 162 and 166 , etc ., resilient element 164 being the largest in this embodiment . fig8 is a schematic plan view of the embodiment of fig7 showing the flexure of the resilient coupling elements 161 - 167 in response to a bending flexure in the central region of flexible working beam 153 toward primary beam 151 . as shown , as the distance between the primary beam and the flexible working beam is decreased by the application of force ( not shown ) on the flexible working beam toward the primary beam , resilient coupling elements 16214 166 are shown to become compressed and somewhat elongated along the direction of the primary beam . in this specific illustrative embodiment of the invention , the flexible working beam separates away from the primary beam at its extremities as it is urged toward the primary beam in its central region . in the embodiment of fig7 and 8 , primary beam 151 is formed so as to be fairly rigid , i . e ., that it will not bend significantly in response to the forced contemplated by the designer to be applied thereto and to flexible working beam 153 . resilient coupling elements 161 - 167 are formed of a resilient material , such as polypropylene , polystyrene , and polyethylene , as described above . fig9 is a schematic plan view of a further illustrative embodiment of a windshield wiper support arrangement 180 constructed in accordance with the invention as shown , a primary beam 181 which in this specific illustrative embodiment of the invention is curved is shown to be coupled resiliently to respective first ends of a plurality of resilient coupling elements 183 - 188 . in this specific illustrative embodiment of the invention , the resilient coupling elements are distributed over the length of the primary beam and are coupled thereto on the concave side of the curvature of primary beam 181 . each of the resilient coupling elements is coupled at a second end thereof to a respective one of end pads 190 - 195 , shown from the side thereof in this figure . each of the end pads has extending therefrom , in this specific illustrative embodiment of the invention , a pair of blade engagement members , such as engagement members 200 and 201 , which will be described in greater detail hereinbelow with respect to fig1 . in the embodiment of fig9 each of end pads 190 - 195 , shown from the side thereof in this figure , is coupled to a sequentially adjacent one of the end pads by a coupling element , in the form of , for example , coupling element 203 which is connected at one end to end pad 192 , and at its other end to end pad 193 . primary beam 181 has a first end 205 and a second end 206 . in this specific illustrative embodiment of the invention , the respective ends are coupled to their inwardly proximal end pads by coupling elements 208 and 209 , respectively . that is , coupling element 208 couples first end 205 to end pad 190 , and coupling element 209 couples second end 206 to end pad 195 . the end pads are shown in this embodiment to be arranged in a substantially straight - line relation to one another . as shown in fig9 coupling elements 203 , 208 , 209 , and other such coupling elements disposed between end pads 190 - 191 , 191 - 192 , 193 - 194 , and 194 - 195 ( all of which coupling elements are not specifically designated in the figure ), with their respectively associated ones of end pads 190 - 195 form a continuous elongated compliant support element ( not specifically designated ) that is fixedly coupled at its distal ends ( i . e ., at the distal most ends of coupling elements 208 and 209 ) to respective distal ends 205 and 206 of continuous primary beam 181 . this facilitates installation of conventional windshield wiper blades . however , curved arrangements for specialized windshield contours can be provided within the scope of the invention . in such specialized embodiments , the windshield wiper blades can themselves be fabricated to have a predetermined curvature that easily would be installed in the correspondingly curved windshield wiper support arrangement . the variations in the distance between the curved primary beam and the straight flexible working beam is accommodated by employing resilient coupling elements of varying sizes . thus , resilient coupling elements 183 and 188 are smaller than resilient coupling elements 184 and 187 , which are smaller than resilient coupling elements 185 and 186 which are the largest in this embodiment . fig1 is an enlarged , fragmented schematic isometric representation of a portion of the embodiment of fig9 showing certain illustrative details of end pad 190 with blade coupling elements 200 and 201 extending therefrom . as shown , end pad 190 , as arc the other end pads in this embodiment , is wider than the coupling elements , illustratively coupling element 208 which couples end pad 190 to first end 205 of primary beam 181 . the blade coupling elements are shown in this specific illustrative embodiment of the invention to be arranged axially offset from one another on the end pad , and are provided with respective inwardly directed protuberances 210 and 211 which engage with an elongated support ( not shown ) of a conventional windshield wiper blade ( not shown ). resilient element 183 is shown to have a substantially v - shaped configuration , wherein a first end thereof is coupled to primary beam 181 , and a second end is coupled to end pad 190 . the structure of the resilient element of this specific illustrative embodiment of the invention is comprised of two resilient beams 213 and 214 which are resiliently coupled to one another at a resilient coupling 215 . as end pad 190 is displaced toward primary beam 181 by the application of a force in the direction of arrow 220 , resilient beams are urged toward one another , effectively counter - rotating about their respective couplings to the primary beam and the end pad . the effective displacement path ( not shown ) of the end pad in response to the application of the force is substantially linear . in this embodiment , the entire structure is integrally formed by any of a variety of known manufacturing techniques , such as injection molding . a practicable embodiment has been formed of xenoy , a compound that is commercially available from ge plastics . fig1 is an enlarged fragmented schematic isometric representation of a portion of a further specific embodiment of the invention showing certain details of the end pads with the blade coupling elements extending therefrom and a single - beam resilient element . elements of structure that are analogous to those discussed hereinabove with respect to fig1 are similarly designated . fig1 shows , as does fig1 , certain illustrative details of end pad 190 with blade coupling elements 200 and 201 extending therefrom . as shown in fig1 , end pad 190 as are the other end pads ( not shown ) in this embodiment , is wider than the coupling elements , illustratively coupling element 208 which couples end pad 190 to first end 205 of primary beam 181 . as previously discussed , the blade coupling elements are shown in this specific illustrative embodiment of the invention to be arranged axially offset from one another on the end pad , and are provided with respective inwardly directed protuberances 210 and 211 which engage with an elongated support ( not shown ) of a conventional windshield wiper blade ( not shown ). in the various embodiments of the invention , a plurality of apertures , such as aperture 250 , are be provided through primary beam 181 to permit high speed air to flow therethrough during vehicle operation . such air flow will impinge upon the windshield wiper blade urging same toward the windshield ( not shown ). a resilient element 241 is shown in the embodiment of fig1 to have a substantially s - shaped configuration , wherein a first end thereof is coupled to primary beam 181 , and a second end is coupled to end pad 190 . the structure of the resilient element of this specific illustrative embodiment of the invention is comprised of two resilient bends 243 and 244 which are resiliently interconnected by a resilient beam 246 . as end pad 190 is displaced toward primary beam 181 by the application of a force in the direction of arrow 220 , resilient beam 246 is caused to bend resiliently . in this embodiment , the entire structure is integrally formed , as previously noted . in addition , persons of skill in the art can configure multiple - tier resilient beam arrangements , similar in appearance to the embodiment shown in fig2 but instead of relying on the integrally formed resilient coupling portions ( e . g ., 51 and 53 ) to provide the necessary compliance to the relatively firm subordinate beams ( e . g ., 61 and 64 ), resilient beams of the type described in connection with fig9 - 11 can be tiered ( not shown ), whereby , as previously stated , the overall compliance characteristic of the windshield wiper blade support arrangement is responsive to the resilience characteristics of the beams themselves . in still further embodiments , the resilient coupling elements , such as coupling element 208 which couples end pad 190 to first end 205 of primary beam 181 in fig9 - 11 , can themselves be configured to distribute force to the windshield wiper blade ( not shown ), in regions intermediate of the end pads . in such embodiments , the resilient connectors between the end pads , or between an end pad and an end of the primary beam , has a preformed curvature that applies a resilient force to the windshield wiper blade . although the invention has been described in terms of specific embodiments and applications , persons skilled in the art can , in light of this teaching , generate additional embodiments without exceeding the scope or departing from the spirit of the claimed invention . accordingly , it is to be understood that the drawing and description in this disclosure are proffered to facilitate comprehension of the invention , and should not be construed to limit the scope thereof . | 1 |
the following provides exemplary embodiments of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings . fig1 is a block diagram showing a channel data setting circuit according to one embodiment of the present invention . with reference to fig1 , a channel data signal as shown in ( a ) of fig2 is input into a counter 11 from an input terminal 10 . a clock having a pulse speed sufficiently faster than the channel data setting signal is also input into the counter 11 . the counter 11 counts the clock pulses to measure a low level period and a high level period , and outputs the measured data to t 1 detector 12 a - t 4 detector 12 d of four channels . the t 1 detector 12 a generates a reset signal upon detecting a low level period of a length tsd ( e . g . 2 msec or more ), generates a countdown signal upon detecting a low level period of a length t 1 ( e . g . within a range of 1 - 125 μsec ), and generates a preset signal upon detecting a high level period of a length t 4 ( e . g . within a range of 750 - 875 μsec ) or greater . the signals generated by the t 1 detector 12 a are supplied to a counter 13 a . the t 2 detector 12 b generates a reset signal upon detecting the low level period of the length tsd ( e . g . 2 msec or more ), generates a countdown signal upon detecting a low level period of the length t 2 ( e . g . within a range of 250 - 375 μsec ), and generates a preset signal upon detecting the high level period of the length t 4 or greater . the signals generated by the t 2 detector 12 b are supplied to a counter 13 b . the t 3 detector 12 c generates a reset signal upon detecting the low level period of the length tsd , generates a countdown signal upon detecting a low level period of the length t 3 ( e . g . within a range of 500 - 625 μsec ), and generates a preset signal upon detecting the high level period of the length t 4 or greater . the signals generated by the t 3 detector 12 c are supplied to a counter 13 c . the t 4 detector 12 d generates a reset signal upon detecting the low level period of the length tsd , generates a countdown signal upon detecting a low level period of the length t 4 ( e . g . within a range of 750 - 875 μsec ), and generates a preset signal upon detecting the high level period of the length t 4 or greater . the signals generated by the t 4 detector 12 d are supplied to a counter 13 d . the counters 13 a - 13 d , which are 2 - bit counters , reset the count to “ 0 ” upon receiving the reset signal , preset the count to “ 4 ” upon receiving the preset signal , and decrement the count by “ 1 ” upon receiving the countdown signal . accordingly , in response to the channel data setting signal as shown in ( a ) of fig2 , the count of the counter 13 a is preset to “ 4 ” upon detection of a high level period of the length t 4 or greater , sequentially decremented every time a low level period of the length t 1 is detected , and then preset to “ 4 ” upon detection of a high level period of the length t 4 as shown in ( b ) of fig2 . referring to ( c ) of fig2 , the count of the counter 13 b is preset to “ 4 ” upon detection of the high level period of the length t 4 or greater , sequentially decremented every time a low level period of the length t 2 is detected , and then preset to “ 4 ” upon detection of the high level period of the length t 4 . similarly , as shown in ( d ) of fig2 , the count of the counter 13 c is preset to “ 4 ” upon detection of the high level period of the length t 4 or greater , sequentially decremented every time a low level period of the length t 3 is detected , and then preset to “ 4 ” upon detection of the high level period of the length t 4 . referring to ( e ) of fig2 , the count of the counter 13 d is preset to “ 4 ” upon detection of the high level period of the length t 4 or greater , sequentially decremented every time a low level period of the length t 4 is detected , and then preset to “ 4 ” upon detection of the high level period of the length t 4 . in this way , data items corresponding to four channels can be set in the counters 13 a - 13 d , respectively , in accordance with the signal input from the single input terminal 10 . in an alternative embodiment , the counters 13 a - 13 d may have the count unchanged while the high level period does not exceed tsd , and preset the count when the high level period reaches tsd . further , the counters 13 a - 13 d may increment the count instead of decrementing the count . fig3 is a block diagram showing a light emitting element drive circuit according to one embodiment of the present invention . the light emitting element drive circuit uses the channel data setting circuit of fig1 . in fig3 , components identical to those in fig1 bear the same reference numerals . with reference to fig3 , a boosting circuit 20 increases a voltage supplied from a battery 21 to about 5v , and supplies the increased voltage to each of current control circuits 22 a - 22 d . the current control circuits 22 a - 22 d determine current values to be applied to corresponding white light emitting diodes 23 a - 23 d in accordance with the counts supplied from the corresponding counters 13 a - 13 d . the white light emitting diodes 23 a - 23 d emit light with luminances that are generally in proportion to the applied current values . a channel data signal as shown in ( a ) of fig2 is input to a counter 11 from an input terminal 10 . a clock having a pulse speed sufficiently faster than the channel data setting signal is also input to the counter 11 . the counter 11 counts the clock pulses to measure a low level period and a high level period , and outputs the measured data to t 1 detector 12 a - t 4 detector 12 d of four channels . the t 1 detector 12 a generates a reset signal upon detecting a low level period of the length tsd ( e . g . 2 msec or more ), generates a countdown signal upon detecting a low level period of the length t 1 ( e . g . within a range of 1 - 125 μsec ), and generates a preset signal upon detecting a high level period of the length t 4 ( e . g . within a range of 750 - 875 μsec ) or greater . the signals generated by the t 1 detector 12 a are supplied to a counter 13 a . the t 2 detector 12 b generates a reset signal upon detecting the low level period of the length tsd ( e . g . 2 msec or more ), generates a countdown signal upon detecting a low level period of the length t 2 ( e . g . within a range of 250 - 375 μsec ), and generates a preset signal upon detecting the high level period of the length t 4 or greater . the signals generated by the t 2 detector 12 b are supplied to a counter 13 b . the t 3 detector 12 c generates a reset signal upon detecting the low level period of the length tsd ( e . g . 2 msec or more ), generates a countdown signal upon detecting a low level period of the length t 3 ( e . g . within a range of 500 - 625 μsec ), and generates a preset signal upon detecting the high level period of the length t 4 or greater . the signals generated by the t 3 detector 12 c are supplied to a counter 13 c . the t 4 detector 12 d generates a reset signal upon detecting the low level period of the length tsd ( e . g . 2 msec or more ), generates a countdown signal upon detecting a low level period of the length t 4 ( e . g . within a range of 750 - 875 μsec ), and generates a preset signal upon detecting the high level period of the length t 4 or greater . the signals generated by the t 4 detector 12 d are supplied to a counter 13 d . the counters 13 a - 13 d , which are 2 - bit ring counters , reset the count to “ 0 ” upon receiving the reset signal , preset the count to “ 4 ” upon receiving the preset signal , and decrement the count by “ 1 ” upon receiving the countdown signal . accordingly , in response to the channel data setting signal as shown in ( a ) of fig2 , the count the counter 13 a is preset to “ 4 ” upon detection of a high level period of the length t 4 or greater , sequentially decremented every time a low level period of the length t 1 is detected , and then preset to “ 4 ” upon detection of a high level period of the length t 4 as shown in ( b ) of fig2 . referring to ( c ) of fig2 , the count of the counter 13 b is preset to “ 4 ” upon detection of the high level period of the length t 4 or greater , sequentially decremented every time a low level period of the length t 2 is detected , and then preset to “ 4 ” upon detection of the high level period of the length t 4 . similarly , as shown in ( d ) of fig2 , the count of the counter 13 c is preset to “ 4 ” upon detection of the high level period of the length t 4 or greater , sequentially decremented every time a low level period of the length t 3 is detected , and then preset to “ 4 ” upon detection of the high level period of the length t 4 . referring to ( e ) of fig2 , the count of the counter 13 d is preset to “ 4 ” upon detection of the high level period of the length t 4 or greater , sequentially decremented every time a low level period of the length t 4 is detected , and then preset to “ 4 ” upon detection of the high level period of the length t 4 . the counts of the counter 13 a - 13 d are supplied to the corresponding current control circuits 22 a - 22 d . the current control circuit 22 a applies current to make the luminance of the white light emitting diode 23 a 100 % when the count is “ 4 ”, applies current to make the luminance of the white light emitting diode 23 a 75 % when the count is “ 3 ”, applies current to make the luminance of the white light emitting diode 23 a 50 % when the count is “ 2 ”, applies current to make the luminance of the white light emitting diode 23 a 25 % when the count is “ 1 ”, and applies no current when the count is “ 0 ”. the current control circuits 22 b - 22 d operate in the same manner as the current control circuit 22 a . in this way , data items corresponding to four channels can be set in the counters 13 a - 13 d , respectively , in accordance with the signal input through the single input terminal 10 . the luminances of the white light emitting diodes 23 a - 23 d are thus set and adjusted individually . in an alternative embodiment , a channel data signal as shown in fig4 may be supplied to the input terminal 10 . in this case , the t 1 detector 12 a generates a reset signal upon detecting a low level period of the length tsd ( e . g . 2 msec or more ), generates a countdown signal every time the t 1 detector 12 a detects a low level period of the length td ( e . g . within a range of 1 - 50 μsec ) after detecting a low level period of the length t 1 ( e . g . within a range of 1 - 125 μsec ), and generates a preset signal upon detecting a high level period of the length tsd or greater . the signals generated by the t 1 detector 12 a are supplied to the counter 13 a . the t 2 detector 12 b generates a reset signal upon detecting a low level period of the length tsd , generates a countdown signal every time the t 2 detector 12 b detects a low level period of a length td after detecting a low level period of the length t 2 ( e . g . within a range of 250 - 375 μsec ), and generates a preset signal upon detecting a high level period of the length tsd or greater . the signals generated by the t 2 detector 12 b are supplied to the counter 13 b . the t 3 detector 12 c generates a reset signal upon detecting a low level period of the length tsd , generates a countdown signal every time the t 3 detector 12 c detects a low level period of the length td after detecting a low level period of the length t 3 ( e . g . within a range of 500 - 625 μsec ), and generates a preset signal upon detecting a high level period of the length tsd or greater . the signals generated by the t 3 detector 12 c are supplied to the counter 13 c . the t 4 detector 12 d generates a reset signal upon detecting a low level period of the length tsd , generates a countdown signal every time the t 4 detector 12 d detects a low level period of the length td after detecting a low level period of the length t 4 ( e . g . within a range of 750 - 875 μsec ), and generates a preset signal upon detecting a high level period of the length tsd or greater . the signals generated by the t 4 detector 12 d are supplied to the counter 13 d . with this configuration , the number of low level periods t 1 , t 2 , t 3 , and t 4 is reduced by a partial replacement by the low level period td , which is shorter than each of the low level periods t 1 , t 2 , t 3 , and t 4 . it is therefore possible to reduce the time required for setting the multiple channel data items . although the above described embodiments focus on the operations for setting the data items in four channels , the number of channels is not limited to four . further , light emitting elements other than the white light emitting diodes may be used . the above embodiments employ the counter 11 as a component corresponding to a clock unit in the appended claims , the counters 13 a - 13 d as components corresponding to counter units , the t 1 detector 12 a - t 4 detector 12 d as components corresponding to period detector units , and the current control circuits 22 a - 22 d as components corresponding to current control units . the present application is based on japanese priority application no . 2005 - 071546 filed on mar . 14 , 2005 , with the japanese patent office , the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference . | 7 |
one category of down hole equipment is artificial lift systems , for use in wells where there is insufficient pressure in the reservoir to lift the well &# 39 ; s fluid ( e . g . oil , water or gas ) to the surface . types of artificial lift systems include hydraulic pumps , rod pumps , electric submersible pumps ( esps ), jet pumps , progressing - cavity pumps ( pcps ) and gas lift . reference is initially made to fig1 of the drawings which illustrates a typical esp completion in a wellbore . an esp motor 10 is coupled through a seal 12 to a centrifugal pump 14 and used to lift the fluids through a tubing 16 to a surface 18 of the well 20 in a manner known to those skilled in the art . in order to monitor the operation , sensors or gauges 22 are located below the esp 10 . typically , the motor 10 is a three phase y configuration . the motor is driven by a variable speed drive system 24 and is connected via a three phase power cable 26 having three connectors . the system can be considered to comprise two distinct parts , a surface system , generally indicated by reference numeral 28 , and a down hole system , generally indicated by reference numeral 30 . these two parts 28 , 30 communicate using the esp power cable 26 . surface equipment relating to the gauge system is shown in fig1 where there is a hv unit 13 connected directly to the three phase power supply and to the down hole motor . there is a further lv or low voltage unit 8 which is safely isolated from the high voltage system . the lv system is primarily for data recovery and processing and data display etc . the hv unit is used to inject ac power and also make recovery of raw data from the three phase power system . referring now to fig2 of the drawings there is illustrated a functional block diagram of a data transmission system , generally indicated by reference numeral 40 , according to an embodiment of the present invention . in this arrangement data can be transmitted onto the three phase power cable 26 in either direction between the surface equipment 28 and subsurface or down hole equipment 30 . at surface 28 the equipment is divided into a high voltage side 32 and a low voltage side 34 . the high voltage side 32 provides the power to the down hole system 30 . tuned high - voltage ac coupling 36 is used to connect to each of the phases in the power cable 26 . thus a tripling of circuitry is used in the high - voltage equipment 32 . a microprocessor 38 controls the power distribution on to the three - phase cable 26 and is linked to a corresponding microprocessor 41 on the low voltage side 34 . additionally the high - voltage side 32 uses tuned high - voltage ac coupling 35 c , in parallel to pick off the data signals on the three - phase cable 26 . these signals are then filtered 42 and de - modulated 44 by known methods . data signals then pass via the microprocessor 41 for display 46 or transport to a data logger or scada system . additionally , the process can work in reverse where microprocessor 41 provides data on to the power lines 26 via the tuned high - voltage ac coupling 36 on the high - voltage side 32 as is known in the art . this can be achieved by modulation of the power frequency with a data pattern ( fm ), it could also be achieved with amplitude modulation of the power supply , and can be further enhanced by start and stop sequences of different amplitude and / or frequency to indicate start and end of messages . frequency of surface power could be sequenced through a particular frequency pattern to differentiate the commands from normal power frequency adjustments . simple communication could be achieved by short interruptions to the power supply creating power pulses , which can be of differing pulse widths ( pwm ) or alternatively arranged in a particular pattern to signify particular commands . power interruptions can be long enough to be detected at the down hole location but short enough so that power is not lost at the gauge . down hole an esp system 48 is provided as described herein with reference to fig1 . like parts have the same reference numerals to aid clarity . below the motor 10 is a standard y - point connector 50 . at the y - point connector 50 is arranged a down hole system 52 . the down hole system 52 provides monitoring in the form of measurement devices sensors or gauges 54 , hooked up via a microprocessor 56 . power to drive the gauges 54 is provided via tuned hv ac coupling circuits 37 to a power regulator 58 . similarly , data from the measurement devices 54 is processed in the microprocessor 56 . using a signal driver 60 and tuned hv ac coupling circuits 39 , the data is transmitted on to the power line 62 for transmission to the y - point 50 and onward transmission up the three - phase power cable 26 to the surface units 28 . in the present invention , a first ac power signal is generated at the drive system 24 . this is a three phase power signal which is typically large e . g . 2 - 3000 volts and 70 - 100 amps and at a low frequency , in the range 20 to 60 hz . it is used to power the motor 10 . a second ac power signal is generated at the power driver 33 in the surface hv system 32 . this second ac power signal is modulated with any required data signal and passed onto each of the three conductors of the power cable 26 . the second ac power signal is at a single phase in contrast to the three phase first ac power signal . the second ac power signal is of a lower voltage and current with a higher frequency in the range 500 hz to 5 khz . the second ac power signal will pass through the wye point 50 and pass into the down hole system 52 . a tuned hv ac coupling circuit 37 at the input is tuned to prevent transmission of the first ac power signal which could damage the down hole instrumentation 54 . the power regulation circuit 58 will convert the second ac power signal into an appropriate form for powering the instrumentation 54 . using this power , sensors and gauges 54 monitor conditions at and below the motor 10 . data collected from the sensors and gauges 54 is modulated back onto each conductor of the cable 26 for return to the surface . reference is now made to fig3 of the drawings which illustrates an isolation unit 71 incorporated in the drive system 33 according to an embodiment of the present invention . drive system 33 provides the first ac power signal 64 onto the three cable conductors 26 a , 26 b , 26 c of the three phase power cable 26 via a star point 70 . this is a three phase supply as is known in the art . each conductor 26 a , 26 b and 26 c is provided with a current sensor 72 a , 72 b , 72 c , an isolator mechanism 74 a , 74 b , 74 c which in this case are each a relay , and coupling components 76 a , 76 b , 76 c respectively before being input to create high voltage cable connection 26 . in addition , to enable signal recovery , the conductors 26 a , 26 b and 26 c each feed into a signal recovery system 34 via independent passive tuned circuits 35 a , 35 b and 35 c respectively . the signal recovery system 35 , 42 , 44 may comprise components such as filters , amplifiers and demodulators ( not shown ) as is appropriate . in use , a first ac power signal sufficient to power the motor 10 , is applied as a voltage at a selected frequency from the drive system 24 . also coupled to each conductor 26 a , 26 b , 26 c is a second ac power signal , tuned to a second frequency and applied as a voltage from the power driver 33 . this is a single phase supply . the surface star point 70 enables the gauge system voltage 64 to be applied to each conductor 26 a , 26 b and 26 c of the cable 26 . the current sensors 72 a , 72 b , 72 c measure the current fed into each conductor 26 a , 26 b , 26 c of the cable 26 . this second ac power signal is used to drive the gauges and sensors 54 down hole . the voltage applied will be identical on each conductor 26 a , 26 b , 26 c . further the surface low voltage system 34 is also connected to each conductor 26 a , 26 b , 26 c via tuned hv coupling circuits 35 a , 35 b , 35 c . system 34 recovers the data from the gauges and sensors 54 . the data signal is modulated onto each conductor of the cable 26 downhole , via coupling circuits 39 and demodulated at surface as described herein before with reference to fig2 . if a fault in the esp power system , such as a fault in the ground insulation , exists , an excessive load can be created on one of the conductors 26 a , 26 b or 26 c . upon detection of such an excessive load by current sensors 72 a , 72 b and 72 c the associated isolator mechanism 74 a , 74 b or 74 c is activated thus isolating the associated conductor 26 a , 26 b or 26 c which the fault is affecting . in doing so , power is still provided to the sensors and gauges 54 and a data signal is still provided to signal recovery system 34 via the remaining two conductors from 26 a , 26 b or 26 c and sufficient data is carried on the remaining two conductors to enable a data signal to be recovered whilst damage to the esp system from the occurrence of an excessive load is minimised if not eliminated . indeed , as the second ac power signal and the data signal is identical on each conductor 26 a , 26 b , 26 c data can still be recovered if only a single conductor is operational . such data could be important in determining the effect of the fault in the down hole environment . as the signal recover circuit 34 and power driver 33 are provided with independent passive tuned circuits 76 , 35 , the power and data signal coupling can be optimised for the frequency in use thus minimising interference between the power and data signal systems ensuring sufficient data signal is present to be recovered and converted into data . the current sensors 72 a , 72 b and 72 c may further be arranged to detect the occurrence of an insulation fault prior to the actual current levels of the system being affected . the current sensed 73 is also recorded at the microprocessor 38 so that the operation of an isolation mechanism 74 a , 74 b or 74 c is recorded as an alert that a fault has occurred . such an isolation unit 71 is of particular use if an insulation fault is low resistance creating a ground short on one conductor effectively . when such a fault occurs , the load across the down - hole signal driver 60 increases thus attenuating the power and recovered data signal resulting in the gauge power failing and / or signal level dropping below a recoverable level . by detecting an effect of the shorting action occurring at the star point 70 , the appropriate conductor connection 26 a , b , c can be isolated by isolator mechanism 74 a , 74 b or 74 c thus reducing demand on the power supply and improving signal amplitudes and thus recoverable signal . the principle advantage of the present invention is that it provides a system and method of data transmission over a three phase power system where isolating a conductor on which a system overload or ground fault has occurred can be implemented to protect the system whilst maintaining system operation . a further advantage of the present invention is that it provides a system and method of data transmission over a three phase power system where system overload or ground fault occurrences are detected and isolation of the associated conductor is actioned to ensure ongoing operation of the system even in fault conditions . various modifications may be made to the invention herein described without departing from the scope thereof , for example whilst the isolation mechanism has been detailed as being a relay , it will be appreciated that a solid state switch or other similar component or components may be used . while the invention has been described with reference to exemplary 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 . | 7 |
fig1 and 2 show perspective views of the present invention , with a box portion 2 situated below a car body portion 4 . the box portion 2 is preferably similar to a conventional mailbox with a lid portion 6 on one end that is hinged so that it can be opened and closed in a conventional manner . inside box portion 2 is preferably a compartment 5 , partially shown in fig3 , in which mail , including envelopes , letters , packages , etc ., can be placed . the lid portion 6 is preferably designed so that it can be closed and stay shut without accidentally being opened . this can be accomplished by any conventional means . for example , lid portion 6 can be made to have a friction fit around an opening 8 extending around one end of box portion 2 , so that friction prevents lid portion 6 from inadvertently opening . a handle ( not shown ) or any other means for holding lid portion 6 to make it easier to grasp can be provided . the hinges ( not shown ) can be located on any side - wall of box portion 2 , to allow lid portion 6 to be opened and closed . the box portion 2 can be like any conventional mailbox , and is preferably rectangular in shape , although not necessarily so . the embodiment shown has a rectangular shaped box portion 2 extending longitudinally in the fore and aft direction , with lid portion 6 located on one end ( which preferably faces the street ). box portion 2 preferably has side walls 10 , 12 , an end wall 14 at the front , and a bottom wall 16 , along with opening 8 on the back end on which lid portion 6 is located . box portion 2 also preferably has an upper wall or portion 18 , on which the car body portion 4 can be mounted , as will be discussed . bottom wall 16 preferably has means for providing rigidity and stability , such as ribs 22 extending horizontally across the bottom thereof , as shown in fig3 . it also preferably has connecting means ( not shown ), to allow the mailbox to be mounted onto a conventional mailbox post . preferably , multiple wheel - like formations 20 are extended from upper portion 18 of box portion 2 , and along parts of the side walls 10 , 12 . in this respect , each wheel - like formation 20 is preferably extended up from upper portion 18 of box portion 2 so that about one half of each wheel - like formation 20 extends above the upper portion 18 . from a top view , each wheel - like formation 20 preferably extends above the top surface of upper portion 18 , so that the top half of each formation 20 is visible . the other lower half of each wheel - like formation 20 is preferably extended downward , along side walls , 10 , 12 , such that the exterior portion or side of each wheel - like formation 20 extends outward from the sides of side walls 10 , 12 , beyond the exterior dimension of box portion 2 , and the lower interior portion of each wheel - like formation 20 is hidden from view . in this last respect , each wheel - like formation 20 is preferably located on box portion 2 such that they have the appearance of having the lower interior portion embedded or otherwise buried inside box portion 2 . in the embodiment shown , box portion 2 is molded from plastic , and the wheel - like formations 20 are molded directly into box portion 2 , as an integral part thereof for example , a single injection mold can be used to form box portion 2 , along with wheel - like formations 20 , which are incorporated into box portion 2 . this allows the wheel - like formations 20 to be easily formed and molded , at the same time that box portion 2 is formed and molded , which simplifies the manufacturing steps , and therefore , has the potential of reducing the manufacturing costs thereof . in the embodiments shown in fig4 - 9 , the car body portion 4 is also capable of being separated from box portion 25 , but in these embodiments , wheel - like formations 30 are formed separately and adapted to be snapped into or otherwise connected to the box portion 25 . each wheel - like formation 30 can essentially be identical and formed from a single mold . the box portion 25 , in such case , is preferably designed with attachment means 32 , as shown in fig7 - 9 , which allow wheel - like formations 30 to be easily snapped in or connected thereto . for example , attachment means 32 can be a round peg - like formation extending from box portion 25 , and a reciprocal hole or bore can be provided on the inside surface of wheel - like formations 30 , such that they can easily be mounted thereon . any conventional means of mounting the wheel - like formations 30 onto box portion 25 is contemplated . car body portion 4 is preferably in the shape of a miniature vehicle , such as a nascar racing car , although any wheeled vehicle , such as a standard automobile , truck , van , motorcycle , etc ., can be replicated . when other types of vehicles are contemplated , the present invention preferably incorporates the appropriate number of wheel - like formations , 20 or 30 , on box portion , 2 or 25 , to match the particular type of vehicle involved . for example , if a motorcycle is used , box portion , 2 or 25 , would have only two wheel - like formations , 20 or 30 , extending from the middle of upper portion 18 . car body portion 4 is preferably formed in the shape of a car body , but without wheels , to allow car body portion 4 to be mounted on top of box portion , 2 or 25 , above the wheel - like formations , 20 or 30 , such that the wheel - like formations , 20 or 30 , have the appearance of being connected to car body portion 4 . the car body portion 4 preferably has open fender areas 24 with the appropriate size and spacing , which are lined up to match the four wheel - like formations , 20 or 30 , such that when car body portion 4 is mounted on box portion , 2 or 25 , the wheel - like formations , 20 or 30 , are positioned respectively within the appropriate open fender areas 24 . this way , when car body portion 4 is mounted on box portion , 2 or 25 , there is the appearance that the wheel - like formations , 20 or 30 , form the wheels that are part of the car body portion 4 . a plurality of connectors 26 , as shown in fig3 , are preferably provided on the inside of car body portion 4 , which allow car body portion 4 to be easily mounted onto box portion 2 and removed when necessary . for example , the four connectors 26 can be extended vertically down from inside car body portion 4 , wherein each connector 26 can be provided with a female screw mounting hole 27 for mounting onto the upper portion 18 of box portion 2 . a male screw mount with a hole ( not shown ) can be extended up on reciprocal areas from upper portion 18 , so that a screw can be inserted from inside box portion 2 and into the mounting holes 27 on connectors 26 , to mount car body portion 4 onto box portion 2 , i . e ., by tightening the screws from inside compartment 5 . fig5 - 9 show upper portion 18 of box portion 25 with connecting surfaces 34 extended thereon , wherein the connecting surfaces 34 are adapted to enable car body portion 4 to be mounted thereon at a predetermined height and position . any conventional means of mounting car body portion 4 onto box portion 25 is contemplated . in these embodiments , it can be seen that the four connecting surfaces 34 are situated on extended areas 35 on top of box portion 25 , wherein the extended areas 35 are adapted to form the four attachments means 32 , on which the four wheel - like formations 30 can be secured . car body portion 4 is preferably formed from plastic , although not necessarily so , from a single injection mold . because there are no wheels that have to be formed with car body portion 4 , the car body portion 4 is easier to manufacture , i . e ., than had the wheels been formed on car body portion 4 . this way , the cost of producing replacement car body portions 4 is reduced , to make it easier for car body portions to be replaced , such as when a fan wants to place a new car on the mailbox . in the preferred nascar embodiment , the car body portion 4 is preferably provided with the same logos , emblems , and / or other designs that would normally be found on a real nascar racing car . for example , they can be provided with not only the driver &# 39 ; s name and car number , but also the typical forms of printed advertisements that are normally found on nascar cars , such as those sponsored by stp , honda , goodyear , etc . in this respect , any sponsor or promoter who ordinarily uses nascar racing cars to promote their products and services could also use the mailboxes of the present invention to promote their products and services , using similar promotional methods , but on mailboxes in miniature form . | 0 |
referring to the drawings and particularly fig1 and 2 there is shown a framework system 11 in accordance with an embodiment of the invention , which is particularly for use in construction of a climbing frame or play enclosure for children by a final consumer on behalf of the children . the framework system comprises a number of lengths of circular cross sectional hollow cylindrical rods and novel connectors . the fingers are sized to fit within the end of hollow ended connecting cylindrical rods . the rods have a circular cross section and the fingers are formed to fit within the circular cross section . in particular the framework system 11 has a plurality of first cylindrical connector rods 31 having a first length ; a plurality of second cylindrical connector rods 32 having a second length ; and a plurality of third adjustable connector rods 33 having an adjustability of length around a third length . the framework system also includes a plurality of connectors including first connectors 21 with six ( 6 ) equi - angular spaced radially extending fingers ; a plurality of second connectors 22 being interconnection connectors with angular spaced radially extending fingers ; a plurality of third connectors 23 being base connectors having a plurality of angular spaced radially extending fingers emanating from one side of the connector ; and a plurality of fourth connectors 24 being top connectors having a plurality of angular spaced radially extending fingers . each connector has a central shaped body which is a substantially hollow hemispherical shape having a plurality of emanating fingers with each finger having a shape able to interfit with the end of a connecting cylindrical rod . from above such as in fig3 each finger appears to protrude from a circumferential part of the central circular shaped body . however , from below as shown in fig4 the fingers include a portion of ribbing extending radially from a central opening of the inner side of the hemispherical shape . in this way the linear radially extending fingers including the ribbing and the hemispherical shape form a strong low weight connector with strength both along the radial direction and between the radial directions of the fingers . the various connectors have various angularly spaced radially extending fingers . the angles ( to the nearest degree ) between them are as follows : the fingers further extend at a constant camber angle to a plane normal to the axis of the connector , the fingers allowing connection to the connector rods . as shown in fig3 each of the fingers extends partially downwards at a constant angle . that camber angle is about 20 degrees . there are other ancillary connectors 25 , 26 27 and 28 , which perform ancillary functions . for example ancillary connector 25 is an elbow joint such as shown in fig9 and in effect only comprises the camber angle and allows for insertion in central body opening as shown in fig8 for providing an extension element . that extension element can be an addition of a box on top of the shaped framework 12 as shown in fig1 . other ancillary connectors can complete the addition of triangular or rectangular extensions . each finger further has a spring mounted detent allowing for sliding of the finger into engagement with the end of the connecting cylindrical rod and receiving of the detent into a recess or opening at the end of the connecting cylindrical rod for selectively retaining the connection of the connecting cylindrical rod with the connector . the detent means will prevent the connector rod slipping off the finger to cause accidental disassembly . therefore the connector allows construction of a safe climbing frame for children . the detent is achieved by means of a resilient means mounted between radially extending ribbing of the fingers and connected to the protruding button which extends outwardly from the cylindrical circumferential extremities of the finger to engage an opening in the side of a hollow cylindrical end of connecting rod , thus preventing relative sliding movement of the rod and finger of the connector for accidental disassembly . the resilient means is a spring means in the form of a folded plastic element having an acute expanded angle as the rest position but the material allowing resilient compression to a compressed angle until released . each finger can include a ribbing structure for receiving therebetween in sliding mode said folded plastic element . in use the final consumer uses the framework system to form a framework shape 12 by the following steps : 1 . a plurality of first connector rods of first constant length are attached to a first 6 fingered connector with each finger equally radially separated but with constant camber to form a spider arrangement ; 2 . two of the second base connectors connect to two separate adjacent unattached distal ends of the connected spider arrangement to form a ground engaging base of the spider arrangement ; 3 . two of the third interconnecting 5 finger connectors connect to the two laterally opposite unattached distal ends of the connected spider arrangement to allow attachment to adjacent spider arrangements ; 4 . and two of the fourth top connectors connect to the ends of adjacent top unattached distal ends of the connected spider arrangement ; 5 . six of the first connector rods having second length are connected between the connectors at the unattached distal ends of the connected spider arrangement to form a geometric hexagonal shaped unit with connectors able to interconnect with other adjacent connector rods ; 6 . steps 1 to 5 are repeated to form an identical structure ; 7 . the two structures are leant back to back such that the camber forms two concave shapes closing together like a clam shell but remaining spaced at the top 8 . the spaced tops are connected together by two first connector rods to maintain the two concave shapes a fixed distance at the top ; 9 . steps 1 and 2 are repeated twice more to form two further spider forms with concave forms ; 10 . the two adjacent base connectors of each spider are each respectively joined by a second connector rod of second length to form ground engaging base ; 11 . the two separate adjacent unattached top distal ends of each of the connected spider arrangements are attached to opposite top connectors of the first and second joined geometric hexagonal shaped units ; 12 . the two separate adjacent unattached lateral distal ends of each of the connected spider arrangements are attached to opposite lateral interconnecting connectors of the first and second joined geometric hexagonal shaped units to thereby form four concave geometric hexagonal shaped units leaning towards each other and joined at a top position in a rectangular shape and joined at a lateral mid point to each other ; 13 . the spaced bases of each of the four concave geometric hexagonal shaped units due to the lean are then joined by third connectors of third length to form a continuous base ; however to ensure tightness of the link and not rely on the flexibility of the connector rods the third connectors are extendible to be able to be placed between base connectors and then expanded ; 14 . other ancillary shapes can be added . the connectors each include an opening for receiving a plug or extension member , centrally located in the connector body with peripherally emanating fingers . the plug as shown in fig1 is inserted into the connector opening and has a cover disc mounted on a neck portion that can frictionally interfit in the centrally located connector opening . the plug further has a cylindrical body sized smaller than the cover disc and the frictional engaging neck and having spaced longitudinal slits to form resilient deformable legs . the legs can assist in resiliently holding material in the connector opening such that the framework provides a skeleton , which is covered and provides shaped play enclosure for children . by particular printed material a theme structure can be readily constructed . it can be seen in this embodiment that the fourth connector uses the second connector with an extension joiner from the centre . further the third base connectors have a left or right orientation dependent on whether the large angle is to the left or right . the base connectors in this embodiment need to be fitted alternatively with either a left or right orientation third base connectors around the base . it should be understood that the above description is of a preferred embodiment and included as illustration only . it is not limiting of the invention . clearly variations of the framework system would be understood by a person skilled in the art without any inventiveness and such variations are included within the scope of this invention as defined in the following claims . | 0 |
the thin film transistor controlled display panel 10 is seen in fig1 and 2 . the display panel 10 is fabricated on an insulating substrate 12 , which is here a planar glass plate . a matrix of rows and columns of display elements 14 is arrayed on the insulating substrate . the exact details of the display elements 14 will be described later with respect to fig3 and 4 . each of the display elements 14 constitutes a separate video information point . the size or area of the panel is more a function of the fabricating equipment , i . e . vacuum deposition equipment , than an inherent characteristic of the panel structure . the panel which is illustrated here has been fabricated as a 6 inch by 6 inch size panel with the size of the display elements 14 such as to provide 20 line per inch resolution . the display elements 14 are disposed between intersections of the parallel information signals buses 16 , and the switching signal buses 20 . the information signal buses 16 are spaced apart parallel conductors with an individual bus for each column of display elements . the power buses 18 are parallel spaced apart conductors which are also parallelly disposed relative to the information buses 16 again with one bus per column of display elements . the switching signal buses 20 are parallel spaced apart conductors which are disposed orthogonal to the information buses 16 and the power buses 18 . one switching bus is provided per row of display elements . the information signal buses 16 as seen as being fed from the top periphery of panel 10 , with connection to the video signal input means 22 via individual bus connectors . the video signal input means is here shown as analog video signal register 24 and line write scan means 26 to which the video information signal is fed . the video signal input means 22 can be varied in complexity depending upon the video . for alpha - numeric information requiring only on - off operation of the individual display elements the input means 22 can be relatively simple , while for grey scale video at tv rate the input means 22 is a complex of conventional elements . the power buses 18 are brought out at the bottom periphery of the panel and are here shown as connected to a common ground . the switching signal buses 20 are brought out the right hand side of the display panel and are connected to the vertical scan control means 30 . the display panel 10 structure can be more readily appreciated by reference to fig2 - 4 . the addressing thin film circuitry 32 is deposited at each display element upon the glass substrate 12 by vacuum depositing in sequence selected thin layers of semiconductive material , conductive drain , source , and gate electrodes , insulating material , conductive capacitor members , and electroluminescent electrode . the deposition sequence and arrangement of the deposits is such as to form the repetitive elemental circuit layout as seen in fig3 and 4 , with the electrical elements being interconnected to each other and to the bus bars . the bus bars in fact are just overlapped conductive layers of adjacent elementary circuits . also deposited on the substrate within the area defined by each unit cell defined by the intersection of the information bus 16 , power bus 18 , and switching bus 20 is a conductive electrode 34 . an insulative layer 36 is disposed over each thin film circuitry array at each display element with openings provided in layer 36 over electrodes 34 . a relatively thick electroluminescent phosphor layer 38 covers the entire display panel area over the electrodes 34 and the insulative pads 36 . the top surface of the electroluminescent phosphor layer 38 is planar and a thin semi - transparent conductive layer 40 is disposed atop the phosphor to serve as a common front electrode for the electroluminescent phosphor . a transmissive insulative faceplate 42 of glass may be provided over the common electrode for protection and to permit hermetic sealing of the display panel at the peripheral edges , with the faceplate 42 sealed to the substrate 12 . the electroluminescent ( el ) phosphor layer 38 may typically be about 0 . 7 mils thick , with a thin 0 . 2 mil sprayed methylmethacrylate film over the layer 38 to ensure a smooth top surface for deposition of the conductive thin electrode 40 . the elemental thin film circuit is seen in detail in fig3 and 4 . the thin film switching transistor t 1 has its source connected to the information signal bus x i for the column of that particular display element . the gate of t 1 is connected to the switching signal bus y j for the row of the particular display element . the drain of t 1 is connected to one side of capacitor c s and also to the gate of power transistor t 2 . the other side of capacitor c s is connected to the power bus 18 . the source of power transistor t 2 is also connected to the power bus 18 . the drain of t 2 is connected to the lower conductive electrode 34 for the electroluminescent phosphor layer . the common top electrode layer 40 is connected to the high frequency power supply 28 . the thin film transistors t 1 and t 2 comprise thin layers of cadmium selenide semiconductive rectangular blocks with conductive source and drain contacts of indium - copper as described more fully in copending application ser . no . 609 , 139 , filed aug . 29 , 1975 now abandoned . the bus bars and gate electrodes as well as the capacitor conductive members and the lower electrode for the electroluminescent material are all aluminum . the aluminum thickness depends on the conductor function , being typically about 600 angstroms thick for low current uses , with all buses being about 3 mils wide . the aluminum layer for the power bus is about 1000 angstroms thick . the capacitor conductors and the lower el electrode are about 600 angstroms thick . the top el planar common electrode is lead oxide - gold composite . the electroluminescent phosphor layer is first smoothed with an organic surface coating and then lead oxide is laid down about 300 angstroms thick , and gold laid down atop the lead oxide about 50 angstroms thick . it is essential to accurate operation of the display panel that the electroluminescent layer be excited only by the electrodes provided for this purpose . the top electrode is a common electrode and the excitation signal is applied between it and the bottom electrode 34 which is connected to the drain of the power transistor t 2 . it is important that the entire thin film circuitry and the bus bars be well insulated from the electroluminescent phosphor layer to prevent unwanted phosphor excitation . a unique way of insulating the thin film circuitry has been devised which contributes to the ease of panel fabrication . at this stage of fabrication the panel is as seen in fig4 with the thin film circuit elements t 1 , t 2 , c s interconnected by the buses 16 , 18 , 20 . the lower electrode 34 for each display cell is deposited directly on the glass substrate and the circuit elements t 1 , t 2 , c s and portions of the buses are built up some distance from the substrate because of the successive layers of materials . the problem then is to effectively insulate the electrical components from the electroluminescent phosphor layer which must now be deposited , and at the same time ensure good contact of the phosphor layer with the bottom electrode 34 . after the thin film circuitry 32 and lower electrode 34 are deposited upon the substrate 12 , the partially fabricated panel has a laminated photoresist layer pressed over the circuitry and electrode . the laminated photoresist by way of example comprises &# 34 ; riston ,&# 34 ; a dupont trademarked material . the laminated photoresist is a three layer structure which is a carrier or support sheet of 1 mil thick polyester film , a layer of photoresist which is from 0 . 5 to 5 mils thick , and a cover - separator layer of 1 mil polyolefin . the unexposed photoresist is soft and plastic so that it is easily deformed into the uneven surface presented by the thin film circuitry . the polyolefin cover layer is peeled off and the photoresist is pressed over the entire panel with the planar carrier or support sheet facilitating this operation . the photoresist is laminated under pressure by heating to about 220 ° f . a photomask is used to expose the photoresist only over the thin film circuitry areas . the photoresist is negative acting and thus polymerizes under ultraviolet with the exposure time being several minutes . after exposure the protective polyester carrier sheet is removed . the unexposed area above the bottom electrode 34 is then removed by developing the panel in a 1 , 1 , 1 - trichloroethane bath for several minutes . this leaves in place the polymerized photoresist as a thick insulator layer covering the thin film circuitry and conforming to the uneven surface of such circuitry . the operation of the display panel will now be explained . a portion of the x - y addressable tft - el matrix circuit is illustrated in fig3 . transistor t 1 functions as a voltage - controlled &# 34 ; switch ,&# 34 ; the on impedance of this &# 34 ; switch &# 34 ; being controlled by the potential applied to the gate bus bar y j . the drain electrode of t 1 is connected to bus bar x i . the devices are biased such that t 1 conducts when positive potential is applied to the gate . video information appearing at x i is then transferred to a storage capacitor c s , located at ( x i , y j ), when t 1 conducts . transistor t 2 functions as a voltage - controlled &# 34 ; resistor ,&# 34 ; in that its impedance is determined by the potential stored on c s . the value of this impedance determines the level of ac excitation appearing across the electroluminescent element , denoted c el . a sketch of the elemental matrix circuit layout is illustrated in fig4 . the thin - film transistors which utilize cdse as the semiconductor , along with the storage capacitor , metal interconnects , and bus bars are vacuum deposited . the electroluminescent layer is applied after the tft matrix circuit is completed . each active picture element occupies an area of approximately 40 mils × 40 mils located on 50 mil centers and the entire 6 inch × 6 inch panel contains an array of about 100 × 100 elements or more . the addressing system shown is a line - at - a - time system . in contrast to normal &# 34 ; raster &# 34 ; type addressing in which each element in the display field is scanned in sequence at megahertz rates , line - at - a - time addressing permits the display of video information at conventional tv rates , but with only modest performance requirements imposed upon the tft devices . with this method video signals ( grey scale ) for an entire line of display elements are first stored sequentially in an analog video register . the outputs of this register are supplied to the display panel on the vertical information buses ( x i ) and transferred to the corresponding element storage capacitors , all at one time , when a switching pulse on the selected horizontal bus ( y j ) actuates all the element signal gates in that line . introduction of the intermediate storage register relaxes the bandwidth requirements of the display element signal gates , as well as that of the information buses , by a factor approximately equal to the number of elements in a display line . the vertical scan frequency may be 60 hz and thus each horizontal line is then refreshed every 16 . 7 ms , corresponding to the field scan time in normal tv format . the analog video register cycle period is 127 μs ; one half this period being allocated for entering sampled video information into the register and the other half for transferring the video levels to the storage capacitors in a given line on the display panel . the following sequence of events describes the complete line - at - a - time addressing process : ( 1 ) sample brightness information at a 2 mhz rate for 60 microseconds and enter in all 120 analog video register stages . ( 2 ) disable sampling circuit and apply a 60 microsecond switching pulse on the corresponding horizontal bus ( y j ). this transfer stored potential levels from vertical information buses ( x i &# 39 ; s ) to the element storage capacitors ( c sj &# 39 ; s ). ( 3 ) sample brightness information for the next horizontal line and continue the sequence until the whole field is stored . returning to the circuit schematic associated with each elemental picture &# 34 ; point &# 34 ; is given in fig3 the video storage capacitor c s , connected between the gate and source of t 2 , has a capacitance of 20 pf . at an excitation frequency of 10 khz , the electroluminescent element can be modeled as a pure capacitance ( c el ) of value 8 pf . the parasitic capacitance , c p , appearing in the drain circuit owing to gate overlap , etc . is approximately 0 . 1 pf . the power bus supplies a 150 volt peak - to - peak ac signal at 10 khz to the panel . the electroluminescent phosphor exhibits increased brightness at increased applied voltage . in simplest terms , the function of t 1 is to transfer the potential v x appearing at its drain electrode to the storage capacitor c s , whenever the gate potential v y is positive . the potential v s stored on c s then controls the conduction level of t 2 , which in turn modulates the effective ac potential across the electroluminescent layer . the resultant ac component appearing across the electroluminescent layer is a complex function . it has been found that the grey scale is essentially only a function of the effective on resistance of t 2 , while the on - off contrast ratio depends upon both the t 2 on resistance and the off - leakage current . the display panel and its operation is more fully described in &# 34 ; a 6 × 6 - in 20 - lpi electroluminescent display panel ,&# 34 ; published in ieee transactions on electron devices , vol . ed - 22 , no . 9 , september 1975 . operation of the display panel as an alpha - numeric display device is described therein in detail . | 6 |
in the drawings , fig1 shows a side plate 10 formed according to the principles of the present invention . the plastic side plate 10 is adapted for inclusion as a side member in a modular plastic conveyor belt , particularly such a belt as used in a spiral conveyor belt system . the side plate 10 as conventionally used on a spiral conveyor belt system provides a surface 12 for engagement against the driving cage bars of the driving cage or driving tower . in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 901 , 844 , for example , these side plates were disclosed as having recesses or countersink bores for receiving the plastic rod heads of the modular conveyor belt , in order to prevent excessive wear on the rod heads in the spiral system . in the present invention , as shown in fig1 the rod bore 14 of the side plate 10 also has a countersink or recess 16 . this is formed in the outer cage - engaging surface 12 , which is on an outer leg 18 of the side plate as shown . a second leg 20 is inwardly offset and has a slot 22 which provides for expansion and collapse of the plastic conveyor belt in straight and curving paths . a central angled portion 24 of the side plate 10 connects the two offset legs 18 and 20 together . in the side plate and system of the present invention , a groove o slot 26 is formed generally vertically in the driving engagement face 12 of the side plate , i . e . generally transverse to the length of the side plate . as indicated , the groove 26 preferably is formed on a common center with the rod bore and countersink 16 . preferably the groove is rounded as illustrated , for smooth entry and exit of a cage bar protrusion or a protrusion or ridge formed on a cage bar cap . it should be understood that one or more additional grooves or slots 26 , similar to the groove 26 shown , can be provided in the outer surface 12 of the side plate 10 . such additional groove would be spaced from and parallel to the groove 26 , although not formed at the location of any bore or countersink . the groove not located at the countersink could be the sole groove . fig2 shows another side plate 30 in accordance with the principles of invention . the side plate 30 , which may be of a longer length or pitch than the side plate 10 of fig1 is shown with a groove or slot 32 similar to that of the side plate 10 , that is , the groove 32 is formed on a common center with a rod bore 34 and countersink or recess 36 . however , fig2 also shows an additional groove or slot 38 , similar in shape , spaced from and parallel to the groove 32 . this groove 38 , as mentioned above , is not formed at the location of any bore or countersink . the groove 38 could be the only groove if desired , or several grooves can be located outside the countersink . fig3 is a sectional plan view , showing a series of side plates 10 of the type shown in fig2 engaged against a cage bar 40 according to the present invention . the side plates 10 are part of a modular plastic conveyor belt , the remainder of the belt not being shown in fig3 . the side plates 10 are at the inside of a curve of the conveyor belt , i . e . that side of the belt which engages against the driving tower or cage as the conveyor progresses in a curving and spiral path around the driving tower . in fig3 a driving cage bar is shown generally identified by the reference number 40 . the cage bar 40 has one or more bumps or vertical extending protrusions or ridges 42 , which may advantageously be formed in a cage bar cap 44 which is fitted over and secured to a metal cage bar 46 inside . as indicated , the protrusions 42 of the cage bars engage in the generally vertical grooves 26 of the side plates 10 , which may be rounded as shown . generally , the spacing between cage bars 40 is greater than the spacing between successive side plates 10 in the conveyor belt ; thus , not every side plate 10 will be engaged by a driving cage bar at any given instant . often even a pair of successive cage bars such as the cage bar 40 and the cage bar 40a shown in fig3 will have bumps 42 that do not both engage side plate grooves simultaneously . however , a sufficient number of the bumps or ridges 42 will be engaged in side plate grooves at any given instant , that a significant driving engagement assistance results . since the driving cage is used in an &# 34 ; overdrive &# 34 ; condition , wherein the driving cage rotates slightly faster than the movement of the spiral conveyor belt itself , the bumps 42 will engage in grooves 26 only momentarily , and will engage in different side plate grooves successively over time . this momentary engagement is different from the engagement over a prescribed dwell time as in the roinestad patents described above , with the resulting tension forces such dwell induces in an overdriven belt . in fig3 two grooves 26 and 48 are shown in each side plate . in this case , the cage bar cap 44 can have either one or two ridges or protrusions 42 . if two are included they should be at the same spacing as the grooves 26 and 48 . the cage bar caps 44 may be produced from plastic , for optimum frictional engagement with minimum wear . however , other appropriate plastics may be used if desired . fig4 shows another embodiment of the invention , wherein integral side plates 50 of conveyor belt modules 52 are used and are each provided with at least one cage bar driving engagement groove 54 . the module 52 with the integral side plate 50 may be as described in copending application ser . no . 594 , 623 , filed oct . 9 , 1990 and commonly owned with the present invention , now u . s . pat . no . 5 , 181 , 602 . the module 52 includes oppositely extending projections 53 and 55 . it should be understood that &# 34 ; side plate &# 34 ; as used herein and in the claims refers to the side plate 10 or 30 , or the side plate 50 . as indicated , the generally vertical grooves 54 on the integral side plates 50 are preferably positioned across and concentrically with rod bores 56 and countersink recesses 58 . the operation of the embodiment of fig4 is similar to that described above . the groove 54 may be located other than over the countersink bore if desired , provided the side plate has sufficient thickness at the selected location . fig5 shows another spiral conveyor driving arrangement involving a belt with similar side plates 10 to those shown in fig1 with a single groove 26 positioned concentrically with the rod bore . in this driving arrangement , the cage bars 60 of the driving cage are positioned angularly , such that a vertical edge 62 of each bar acts as a protruding ridge for engagement with the conveyor belt . the protruding edge 62 may be rounded or radiused ( as shown at 62a ) for engagement in the side plate grooves 26 of the conveyor , in accordance with the principle of momentary engagement and smooth entry and exit of the edges or driving protrusions in the grooves . the angling of the driving cage bars 60 eliminates the need for any cage bar capping having ridges or protrusions . fig6 shows a cage bar cap 44 in perspective , indicating that the protrusions 42 may be in the form of continuous vertical ridges , formed by extrusion of the cap 44 . as noted above , these ridges have smooth , generally rounded exterior contours in the lateral direction , i . e . as viewed from above or in sectional plan view . this in combination with the generally rounded grooves in the side plates 10 or 50 assures smooth entry and exit of the ridges with the grooves , for momentary engagement , without hard snagging and with a simplicity and smoothness of operation . even if the cage bar ridges or protrusions are used with a belt not having the illustrated grooves the rounded contour of the ridges will engage gaps between successive side plates or plastic modules ( see the gap 64 in fig3 ) with smooth , non - snagging entry and exit . fig7 shows in perspective an alternative form of cage bar cap 65 , similar to the cap 44 of fig6 but having a single vertical ridge or protrusion 66 . it is therefore seen that the improved cage bar and cage bar cap construction and the system of the invention , including both the side plates and the cage bar caps , significantly improve the driving engagement between a driving cage and a modular plastic spiral conveyor belt . the engagement apparatus of the invention is used in an overdriving spiral system , and it makes less critical the speed relationship between the overdriven cage and the belt . overdrive is required , but the degree of overdrive is more flexible with the system of the invention . the above described preferred embodiments are intended to illustrate the principles of the invention , but not to limit its scope . other embodiments and variations to these preferred embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art and may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the following claims . | 1 |
in the following figures , the same reference numerals are used to refer to the same components . in the following description , various operating parameters and components are described for one constructed embodiment . these specific parameters and components are included as examples and are not meant to be limiting . several technologies exist to provide the same general function of provided early pelvis engagement in side impacts . many of these existing technologies are mounted in the door trim and structure . door mounted side impact technologies have limitations on the position and coverage of the countermeasure to the occupant due to the multitude of occupant sizes and seating positions along the seat track . in general , the solution presented by the disclosed invention as shown in the various figures and as discussed in relation thereto offers advantages over other technologies because it is resettable and because it maintains the same position and coverage relationship to the occupant , being mounted to the seat and not the door trim . with particular reference to fig1 through 4 , a reversible pelvic bolster seating system , generally illustrated as 10 , is shown . the system 10 includes a vehicle seat 12 which includes a vehicle seat back 14 and a vehicle seat base 16 . it is to be understood that the vehicle seat 12 is only provided for illustrative purposes and is thus not intended as being limiting . the system 10 of the disclosed invention may find multiple applications , such as use in conjunction with vehicle bench seats ( not shown ). the reversible pelvic bolster seating system 10 includes a reversible ( and resettable ) side impact pelvic bolster 18 . the pelvic bolster 18 includes a first end 20 which is pivotably attached to the vehicle seat 12 ( preferably but not necessarily to the vehicle seat back 14 ) and a second end 22 generally opposite the first end 20 . the configuration of the reversible pelvic bolster 18 may be generally an elongated oblong shape as shown in fig1 or may have a more oval shape as shown in fig2 , 3 and 4 as a reversible pelvic bolster 18 ′. in any event , the general oblong shape of the reversible side impact pelvic bolster 18 as illustrated is a preferred shape due to the rotational deployment path and the package space available for this particular embodiment , but it is to be understood that other shapes may be adapted while still providing an effective absorber of pelvic loads under lateral crash conditions . with reference to fig2 , 3 and 4 , the pelvic bolster 18 ′ includes a first end 20 ′ attached to the vehicle seat 12 ( preferably but not necessarily to the vehicle seat back 14 ) and a second end 22 ′ generally opposite the first end 20 ′. as shown in fig2 , the pelvic bolster 18 ′ is in its stowed or generally upright position with respect to the vehicle seat back 14 . in the event of a sensed impact , the pelvic bolster 18 ′ is rotated forward to its deployed position as shown in fig3 and 4 . in this position the pelvic bolster 18 ′ is positioned generally between the occupant &# 39 ; s pelvic area and the vehicle door ( not shown ). as shown in fig4 , a recessed area 40 is formed in the side of the vehicle seat back 14 . the pelvic bolster 18 ′ substantially fits within the recessed area 40 when in its stowed position . regardless of the shape of the reversible pelvic bolster as illustrated in the figures , its general function is the same . particularly , the occupant protection strategy behind side impact tends to promote early engagement combined with load limiting , in order to reduce potentially injurious peak forces . the reversible side impact pelvic bolster 18 ( or 18 ′ as the case may be ) may enhance occupant performance in side impacts by enabling positioning of a countermeasure prior to impact for improved occupant coverage / positioning and improved control of strength / stiffness characteristics . by nature of its shape , size and location , the reversible side impact pelvic bolster 18 fills the empty space between an occupant &# 39 ; s pelvis and the door trim ( as shown in fig5 and discussed in relation thereto ), enabling early engagement of the pelvis . the reversible nature of this technology allows for conservative deployment thresholds for maximum benefit with minimal risk / inconvenience because the reversible side impact pelvic bolster 18 automatically resets itself to the design position once a threat condition has passed . referring to fig5 , a diagrammatic front view of the reversible pelvic bolster seating system 10 is illustrated in relation to a vehicle door and an impacting force “ f .” a motor 30 is provided to move the reversible side impact pelvic bolster 18 between the stowed position shown in fig2 and the deployed position shown in fig1 , 3 , 4 and 5 . the motor 30 includes a motor drive shaft 32 . due to the package space and occupant seating comfort , a 4 - bar linkage ( not shown ) may be used to connect the motor drive shaft 32 with the reversible side impact pelvic bolster 18 . however , it is to be understood that the reversible pelvic bolster seating system 10 may alternatively rely up the seat recline motor located in the same general vicinity as the motor 30 required to power the reversible pelvic bolster 18 . the seat 10 is shown in relation to a vehicle door trim 34 and an outer door sheet metal 36 . a pelvic bolster 38 is provided between the vehicle door trim 34 and the outer door sheet metal 36 as is known in the art . upon a voltage signal from a seat controller ecu 42 , the reversible side impact pelvic bolster 18 will rotate into position so that the bolster 18 will be pre - deployed prior to impact . if an impact occurs , the reversible side impact pelvic bolster 18 will provide early contact to the occupant , providing a more effective pelvic push and reducing peak forces . cae modeling showed that loading the pelvis early could reduce the peak pelvic loads by ˜ 39 %. in addition to its described function to absorb pelvic loads during a side impact event , the reversible side impact pelvic bolster 18 can also serve as an armrest when in its deployed position as shown in fig1 , 3 and 4 . as most clearly illustrated in fig3 , the top of the reversible side impact pelvic bolster 18 is at an acceptable height for an armrest . this surface can be used by an occupant ( not shown ) as the armrest . if it is desired that the reversible side impact pelvic bolster 18 be used as an armrest , an arrangement would be required such that the operator could selectively effect movement of the reversible side impact pelvic bolster 18 by such means as a switch which would override the deployment system and specifically the voltage signal from the seat controller ecu 42 . the reversible side impact pelvic bolster 18 is intended to deploy when a threat condition is detected . detection of threat conditions may be made with sensor information from existing technologies ( rsc or high yaw ) or with future sensor technologies ( radar , cv sensors , camera , etc .). the reversible nature of this technology allows for conservative deployment thresholds for maximum benefit . unlike conventional airbags , the reversible side impact pelvic bolster 18 will retract into its stowed position after the threat passes . should an occupant out - of - position ( oop ) situation arise , the reversible side impact pelvic bolster 18 will contact the occupant and retract . the reversible pelvic bolster seating system 10 disclosed herein provides an early pelvic push , lowering peak load on the occupant . the reversible pelvic bolster seating system 10 uses available motors and fastening locations , thus minimizing assembly cost and time . the foregoing discussion discloses and describes an exemplary embodiment of the present invention . one skilled in the art will readily recognize from such discussion , and from the accompanying drawings and claims that various changes , modifications and variations can be made therein without departing from the true spirit and fair scope of the invention as defined by the following claims . | 1 |
the disk drive apparatus according to the present invention will be explained with reference to the accompanying drawings . as shown in fig2 and 3 , a rotary shaft 25 is vertically mounted on an upper surface of a substrate 20 , via a bearing 22 inserted onto a lower end of the rotary shaft 25 . a turntable 35 having an upper surface on which a disk may be mounted is inserted onto an upper end of the rotary shaft 25 . therefore , the rotary shaft 25 and the turntable 35 are integrally rotatable . a clamp 30 which fixes the disk is installed at an upper portion of the turntable 35 . a ring shaped ball casing 50 is extended from a lower end portion of the turntable 35 on a lower surface of the turntable 35 and is bent and extended inwardly toward the center of the turntable 35 and is bent back upwardly toward the lower surface of the turntable 35 and is extended to the lower surface of the turntable 35 for implementing an auto balancing operation which is capable of automatically balancing the disk . the ball casing 50 defines a space 51 into which a plurality of balls 52 which form an auto balancing unit together with the ball casing 50 are provided , and the space 51 formed in the interior of the ball casing 50 is rounded at its outer lateral portions , so that a smooth movement of the balls 52 is implemented . the balls 52 are made of a metal , magnetic material , ceramic , etc . and are movable in the space 51 . the balls 52 are moved in a radial direction in the space 51 for thereby balancing the disk when an unbalanced state occurs during rotation of the disk . the space 51 has a width which does not exceed two times the diameter of each of the balls 52 , and an outer side inner surfaces serves as a racing face 51 i which guides the flow of the balls 52 during the auto balancing operation . a spindle motor 40 is installed at a lower center portion of the turntable 35 for rotating the turntable 35 . the spindle motor 40 is formed of a stator 45 , and a rotor 41 which is rotated based on an electromagnetic co - operation with the stator 45 . the rotor 41 includes a yoke 42 which is formed to surround a region from a part of the lower portion of the ring shaped ball casing 50 to a part of the lower surface of the turntable 35 via an inner outer surface of the ball casing 50 and contacts with the above - described region , and a magnet 43 engaged to a portion which is parallel to an inner outer portion of the ball casing 50 at the inner surface of the yoke 42 and installed opposite the stator 45 . as shown in fig2 the yoke 42 is fixed to a lower surface of the turntable 35 by a caulking work . the ball casing 50 is installed integrally with the yoke 42 which forms the rotor 41 of the spindle motor 40 and is rotated together with the rotor 41 , and the balls 52 are rotated together with the rotor 41 . an outer upper end portion of the ball casing 50 is inserted into a shoulder 37 of the turntable 35 , so that the turntable 35 and the ball casing 50 are integrally rotated . the stator 45 is installed at an outer surface of the bearing 22 and is opposite to the magnet 43 . the magnet 43 is positioned laterally horizontal to the balls 52 , so that when the apparatus is driven at a low speed , or the apparatus is not driven , the balls 52 are prevented from freely moving in the interior of the space . the engaging portion structure of the turntable 35 and the ball casing 50 will be further explained . as shown in fig3 as a roundness maintaining portion for maintaining a roundness of the ball casing 50 , there are provided a first shoulder portion 55 formed at an outer upper portion of the ball casing 50 , and a second shoulder portion 37 formed at an outer lower portion of the turntable 35 and engaged with the first shoulder portion 55 . the second shoulder portion 37 of the turntable 35 which is formed by cutting a portion formed of a metallic material ( for example , brass ) supportedly contacts with the first shoulder portion 55 of the ball casing 50 fabricated by molding , so that the ball casing 50 which is fabricated by molding is not deformed . fig4 illustrates another engaging portion structure of the turntable and the ball casing according to the present invention . an engaging groove 137 is formed in a lower surface of the turntable 135 , and an outer upper portion of the ball casing 150 is inserted into the engaging groove 137 . as shown in fig4 the outer end portion of the ball casing 150 is tightly inserted into the engaging groove 137 of the turntable 135 for thereby preventing any deformation of the ball casing 150 , so that it is possible to maintain a roundness at an outer wall of the space 51 formed in the interior of the ball casing 150 . in the thusly constituted disk drive apparatus according to the present invention , the balls 52 are directed to compensate for any unbalanced state of the disk which may occur during the high speed rotation of the turntable 35 for thereby implementing a balanced state of the disk drive . in more detail , when the above - described disk unbalance state occurs at the disk , the balls 52 are moved in the space 51 to the portion opposite to the portion which is deflected in the upward direction for thereby balancing the disk . in the present invention , the ball casing 50 is installed radially outwardly of the spindle motor 40 for thereby decreasing the distance between the substrate 20 and the turntable 35 compared to the conventional art in which the ball casing is provided between the spindle motor and the turntable . in addition , since the ball casing 50 for the auto balancing operation and the rotor 41 of the spindle motor 40 are integrally formed , the installation structure is cooperatively used . since the size of the ball casing 40 is small , the total weight of the elements which are driven by the spindle motor 40 is decreased . as an example of the cooperative - use of the installation structure , the upper surface of the ball casing 50 is formed by the lower surface of the turntable 35 . therefore , the load applied to the spindle motor 40 is decreased , and the power consumption is decreased , so that the present invention is well applicable to a portable apparatus which uses a disk drive . in addition , since an outer upper portion of the ball casing 50 is stably fixed by the shoulders 37 and 55 or the engaging groove 137 , the outer portion of the ball casing 50 , in particular the shape of the racing face 51 i is not easily deformed . in other words , since the roundness of the racing face 51 i is maintained , it is possible to accurately control the movements of the balls 52 for thereby implementing an accurate auto balancing operation of the disk . the ball casing 50 which is formed by molding is stably supported by the metallic turntable 35 formed by a cutting process for thereby preventing any deformation of the ball casing so . in another embodiment of the present invention , the auto balancing unit may be installed radially inwardly of the spindle motor 40 . in the disk drive apparatus according to the present invention , since the ball casing including the balls for implementing an auto balancing operation is installed at a lower portion of the turntable corresponding to an outer portion of the spindle motor , the space occupied by the turntable , ball casing and spindle motor is decreased . in addition , since the installation structure is cooperatively - used by the above - described elements , the load applied to the spindle motor is decreased . therefore , the disk drive apparatus may be fabricated to be light and compact , and the power consumption is decreased . since the outer upper portion of the ball casing which is formed by molding is supported by the turntable which is formed by the cutting process , it is possible to implement a roundness of the racing face of the ball casing which is capable of guiding the movements of the balls for the auto balancing operation , so that it is possible to effectively prevent any unbalance of the disk which is rotated at a high speed . although the preferred embodiment of the present invention have been disclosed for illustrative purposes , those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications , additions and substitutions are possible , without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as recited in the accompanying claims . | 6 |
embodiments of the invention relate to the positive effects of applying filters to tightly organize and label web visit log data as a necessity to automating communications and incrementing lead and prospect quality scores based visits to user websites . real time url unification ( rtuu ) is the process of automatically combining a multitude of redundant url instances that occur from web logging into a single easily understood link name and assigning them to a category . redundant urls commonly occur in web logs due to application of tracking codes or other information appended to linking url &# 39 ; s syntax . rtuu is achieved with a filtering tool . the work of unifying urls into a link name , page type , and quality score is used by a connected marketing automation system that allows businesses to automatically send email , direct mail , sales alerts and increment quality scores based on web visit profiles . marketing automation relies heavily on real time url unification because the redundant instances of urls that occur in visitor tracking and web logging cause automation execution orders to be missed . for example , if a business user wants to automatically trigger a direct mail piece to be sent to a visitor to “ www . mybusiness . com / products ”, the trigger will be missed if the visitor &# 39 ; s visit to the page is tracked and logged as “ www . mybusiness . com / products & amp ; k87 ”. with rtuu , the business user applies a rule that specifies any tracked url containing “ www . mybusiness . com / products ” be logged and assigned a link name “ products ”. what &# 39 ; s more , they can categorize link names under a page type and further specify the quality score of visitors to page types be incremented or decremented . the visit activity of that individual is automatically stored to their web activity record . the capability to assign link names and page types give the business users full assurance that the automation triggers they set , such as sending email , direct mail , sales alerts , and incrementing lead scores when a particular web page is visited , will not be missed . this results in improved business performance . for example , emails that are triggered based on visitor actions can be over 100 % more effective than emails that are sent as part of a general non - triggered broadcast . what &# 39 ; s more , businesses save on resources when not having to manually compile segmented lists of individuals who meet preferred behavior profiles and broadcast to those lists . with regard to direct mail , users of this system can automatically order direct mail advertisements to be produced and sent to any qualifying visitor without the expense of minimum print runs and manual labor associated with tracking what visitors should receive the direct mail and processing the individual pieces for mailing . luxury real estate , inc . in new york , n . y . may wish to send a 12 page color brochure to individuals that visit a web page featuring luxury rentals and increase the individual &# 39 ; s quality score , for example , by 300 points . the web page is located at the url www . luxuryrealestate . com / luxuryrentals . by sending a brochure quickly after a visit to a luxury rentals page , luxury real estate may be able to make a positive impression on the individual . and by maintaining a quality score for the individual , luxury real estate may be able to trigger multiple other actions , such as sending an alert to a sales agent and sending an email to the individual requesting an appointment . luxury real estate may advertise luxury rentals it offers by purchasing keywords on google and affiliate networks . the company tracks which traffic sources work best by providing each source a “ tracking code ” that is added to the end of linking urls . the results of applying a tracking codes to linking urls and having multiple sources of visitor traffic to www . luxuryrealestate . com / luxuryrentals may cause many different instances of the page www . luxuryrealestate . com / luxuryrentals to occur in web logs . for example , the web visits they see in their logs are www . luxuryrealestate . com / luxuryrentals ? pmc = 123 and www . luxuryrealestate . com / luxuryrentals ? pmc = 345 . the consequence may be that luxury real estate &# 39 ; s marketing team cannot ensure that all visitors to www . luxuryrealestate . com / luxuryrentals will be sent a brochure because if they set an automation rule to “ send brochure to a visitor to www . luxuryrealestate . com / luxuryrentals ” a visitor who &# 39 ; s visit is logged as www . luxuryrealestate . com / luxuryrentals ? pmc = 123 may not be recognized as visiting “ www . luxuryrealestate . com / luxuryrentals ”. to address this problem the company may access a marketing automation solution that is equipped with the invention via the internet and applies a link filter to apply a link name to the page www . luxuryrealestate . com / luxuryrentals . the filter enables allow luxury real estate to assign all visits to that page , regardless of source and url syntax , to a single link name . what &# 39 ; s more , they can assign that link name to a page type and increment quality scores for individuals who visit pages assigned the page type . the luxury real estate user applies a link filter that assigns all visits to any page containing “/ luxuryrentals ” to the link name “ luxury rentals ”. and , they use the link filter to further specify that a visit to any pages with the link name “ luxury rentals ” be categorized as a “ high value ” page type and that an individual who visits a “ high value ” page have their score incremented by 300 . the score increase will bring the score for that individual to greater than 200 , which may be a trigger point for sending an automated email to individuals that invite them to tour properties . in addition , the sales agent assigned to the individual may automatically be sent an alert that the tour request email has been sent and instructs him to call the individual . positive commercial impact of real time url unification , scoring , and marketing automation the result of filtering is that all visitors who visit the luxury rentals web page will have their visit logged and stored as having visited the link name “ luxury rentals ”. therefore the marketing team is assured any visit that &# 39 ; s logged as a permutation of the www . luxuryrealestate . com / luxuryrentals will be associated with the “ luxury rentals ” link name and will not be missed by rules specified in their automation . this in turn assures the marketers that the quality score of the individual visitor will incremented , an email requesting a tour request will be sent , and a brochure will be sent . certain details are set forth below to provide a sufficient understanding of embodiments of the invention . however , it will be clear to one having skill in the art that embodiments of the invention may be practiced without these particular details . moreover , the particular embodiments of the present invention described herein are provided by way of example and should not be used to limit the scope of the invention to these particular embodiments . in other instances , well - known hardware and / or software operations have not been shown in detail in order to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the invention . the block diagram of fig1 provides a high level system architecture according to an embodiment of the present invention . the server 120 may include one or more processing units 121 and computer readable media 130 , 150 . herein , the term computer readable media is used to refer to a single computer readable medium in some embodiments , and in other embodiments multiple computer readable media in communication with one or more processing units , such as the one or more processing units 121 . the computer readable media 130 may be configured to store executable instructions for a data analysis and write model 121 ( hereinafter “ write model ”) and executable for a mailing , emailing , sms , or lead score increment request engine 124 ( hereinafter “ request engine ”). the executable instructions for a data analysis and write module 121 may include instructions for identifying a visitor , determining what user table 152 and visitor profile 154 to write visit activity data to , and whether identification data corresponding to a visitor meets certain criteria , further examples of which are provided below . although the executable instructions for the data analysis and write module 122 and the executable instructions for the mailing , emailing , sms , and lead score increment engine 124 are shown on a same computer readable media 130 , in some embodiments any or all sets of instructions may be provided on multiple computer readable media , and may not be resident on the same media . computer readable media herein may include any form of computer readable storage or computer readable memory , including but not limited to externally or internally attached hard disk drives , solid - state storage ( such as nand flash or nor flash media ), tiered storage solutions , storage area networks , networked attached storage , and / or optical storage . a user 106 may access the write model by logging into an application executing on the server 120 . the user 106 may , for example , access the application through the tcp / ip network 110 . in at least one embodiment , the tcp / ip network 110 may comprise the internet . moreover , the client may include a graphical user interface , such as a pc running a web browser 107 . embodiments of the present invention relate to a url consolidation , organization and labeling functions whereby a user may use the write model to enter and store instructions 134 , in order to create a single labeled representation 135 , and / or assign a group 136 , and / or increment / decrement lead quality score values 137 of multiple redundant url web log entries 132 stored on computer readable media 130 . when a web visitor 105 visits a user &# 39 ; s website 170 and / or web page 171 containing a behavior tracking code 172 through the internet 110 using a client that may include a graphical user interface such as a pc running a web browser 107 , to the write model may log the visit into storage 132 , then apply the rules created and / or stored in the write model . the write model may further query stored instructions 134 to analyze , label and write the visit information to the visitors profile 154 in the appropriate user table 152 of the database 150 . the block diagram 200 of fig2 provides a high - level architecture of an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure for creating url unification , normalization and scoring instructions that may , for instance , be used to implement the instructions of 134 and / or 135 and / or 136 and / or 137 of fig1 . the user 210 logs into a web application 221 , for example , through the tcp / ip network 205 . the client may include a graphical user interface , such as a pc running a web browser 211 . the user navigates to a link filter wizard 230 and chooses to add a new filter 232 . the web application 221 has the user &# 39 ; s login session stored in running memory 260 and will write ensuing instructions to the users account 250 . the user 210 may then enter text for a link name 236 , group 238 , score value 240 , and filter criteria 242 . per the aforementioned example , if the user 210 wanted to consolidate and label web log visits to a luxury rental web page 271 on his website 270 and containing a web tracking snippet 272 , the user 210 would enter link name 236 “ luxury real estate ” then assign a visit to that link name to a group 238 “ high value visit ” apply a lead score value 240 of “ 500 ” and then set filter criteria 242 to be “ any url ” “ containing ” “ luxury rentals ”. the user 210 may click a save link 244 and the criteria set in the link filter wizard 230 is written into storage 250 . if the user 210 wishes to edit the setting created in the link filter wizard 230 , he may do so by clicking a link name 236 that is displayed and choose to edit 246 . this enables the user 210 to modify settings 236 , 238 240 , 242 previously applied . upon completing the edit , the user 210 clicks a save link to write the new instructions into storage 250 . the block diagram of fig3 provides a high - level system architecture for applying url unification and normalization to automate marketing communication and increment lead scores using a workflow automation engine 315 . the user 350 logs into a web application 311 through the tcp / ip network 301 . the client may include a graphical user interface , such as a pc running a web browser 351 . the user 350 then accesses a workflow automation engine 315 . the web application 311 has the user &# 39 ; s login session stored in running memory 370 and will write ensuing automation instructions for that user &# 39 ; s account 371 in on a machine readable drive dedicated to storing the automation instructions 385 . the user 350 may specify the number of action steps in an automation routine 320 , and further may specify a link name 325 for when actions , such as sending email from an email delivery engine 386 and / or ordering production and postage of a direct mailing from a print and post partner 390 , should be triggered for delivery to a member 355 stored in the users 350 database 370 . for example , the criteria may be to trigger a luxury real estate direct mail piece to a member 355 who made a web visit through a tcp / ip network 301 to the user &# 39 ; s web page 365 on the user &# 39 ; s website 360 and has an assigned link name “ luxury real estate ” 365 . during the process of creating the automation flow , the user 350 chooses from an assortment of actions 331 to take when link name visit criteria 325 is met . these actions include send email 332 and / or direct mail 333 and / or update lead score 334 . the user 350 will save the workflow 340 and click a “ play ” icon to activate the workflow rules and automation . when a visitor 355 visits a “ luxury real estate ” page 365 which contains a web tracking snippet 366 , the web tracking engine logs the visit and run a query against the url filter criteria 380 that &# 39 ; s held in machine readable memory and will write the visit to the visitor &# 39 ; s 355 record 356 in the database 370 . after the visit is recorded in the visitor &# 39 ; s record , the workflow automaton engine 315 will query the automation rules 385 to determine if an automated action should be executed against the vistor &# 39 ; s 355 web visit activity . if there is a rule to send a direct mail piece 333 to the individual 355 stored in the user automation instructions 385 , the system will trigger an order 333 to a print and post vendor 390 to print and post the mail piece . the direct mail order 333 instruction includes contact information of the individual 355 , a catalog number to identify which piece to print , and any variable data about the individual 355 that should be printed on the direct mail piece . the flow chart diagram 400 in fig4 provides a method for creating url unification , normalization and scoring instructions and using rules to trigger lead score updates and / or generate automated direct mailings according to an embodiment of the present invention . the system receives a log file 405 then makes a query to determine if the logged url matches a link filter rule . if not , the process ends . if there is a match with a link filter rule 410 , the system writes the visit activity to that link name page to the visitor record 410 . the system will also write the page type visited to the visitor &# 39 ; s record 415 . the system then updates the visitors lead score 420 . they system then makes a query to determine if a visit matching that link name is set to trigger an automated mailing 430 . the screen shot diagram 500 shown in fig5 is a screen shot of execution of a workflow automation wizard according to an embodiment of the present invention . users of the system may choose if they will send email 501 and / or increment lead scores 502 and / or send direct mail 503 when criteria are met . the user can specify when the email action 506 and / or direct mail order 507 will be triggered . the user elects to create and apply an advanced filter 505 to specify a link name as provided in diagram 600 in fig6 . when the user has completed the workflow setup , he clicks a play button 510 to activate the workflow for ongoing processing of queries with web site visits . the screen shot diagram 600 shown in fig6 is a screen shot of where a user specifies that a link filter 610 and link name 620 be used to trigger actions specified in diagram 500 in fig5 . the screen shot diagram 700 in fig7 provides a screen shot of where a user specifies link name 701 , then group / page type 702 , then lead score increment value 703 . the assignment rules are setup by using a comparison operator / match type 705 that will be used to compare the syntax of the url written in the web log to the text provided at 710 . if the combined setting rule of 705 and 710 are met , then the visit will be labeled according to the instruction in 701 , assigned to the group specified at 702 , and the lead score of the member / visitor will increment by the value provided 703 . a summary of current link filters is provided to the user 715 for review and editing 720 . fig8 illustrates a flow diagram 800 according to an embodiment of the present invention . the intention is to provide further context and how embodiments of the invention may be applied in broad marketing context . from the foregoing it will be appreciated that , although specific embodiments of the invention have been described herein for purposes of illustration , various modifications may be made without deviating from the spirit and scope of the invention . accordingly , the invention is not limited except as by the appended claims . | 6 |
a crossbar array includes an upper set of parallel wires which is placed perpendicular to a lower set of parallel wires . an intersection where an upper wire intersects a lower wire within the crossbar array is called a “ crosspoint ” or simply an “ intersection .” at each crosspoint , a programmable electrical component is interposed between the upper and lower wires at each cross point . according to one illustrative embodiment , the programmable electrical component is designed to hold a data value . that data value can be read or written by applying various programming or reading voltages across the programmable electrical component . one component able to a store a value which has been used is a memristor . a memristor is a programmable resistor which utilizes the motion of dopants within a matrix to change the value of its resistance and hold that value until it is changed again . thus it retains a memory of experienced electrical conditions . there are several challenges to implementing a crossbar array using memristive junctions at the cross - points . the cross - point resistance cannot be too small or a large electrical current will cause joule heating and electromigration when even a moderate voltage difference is applied across the memristor . the resistance cannot be too large as higher resistance will cause a higher reading or writing latency in the crossbar system . the present specification relates to principles and methods for using nonlinear capacitors between the junctions of a crossbar array . nonlinear capacitive junctions have a number of advantages over resistive junctions , including reduced power loss and heating . these nonlinear capacitors exhibit an increased capacitance as the applied reading voltage is increased . a number of nonlinear capacitors with various geometries and configurations could be used within the crossbar array . for example , micro electrical mechanical system ( mems ) capacitors could be used . these mems capacitors can mechanically move conductive plates closer together as a function of applied voltage , thereby generating the desired nonlinearity within the capacitors . additionally or alternatively , solid state capacitors could be used which exhibit capacitive nonlinearity . throughout the specification , a capacitor which contains mobile dopants in a semiconducting matrix ( a “ memcapacitor ”) is used as an illustrative example of a nonlinear solid state capacitor . memcapacitors are non - linear capacitive components which are able to alter and retain the value of their capacitance based on experienced electrical conditions . according to one illustrative embodiment , the use of memcapacitors in a crossbar array can reduce power consumption and improve the speed at which the circuitry is able to operate . in the following description , for purposes of explanation , numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present systems and methods . it will be apparent , however , to one skilled in the art that the present apparatus , systems and methods may be practiced without these specific details . reference in the specification to “ an embodiment ,” “ an example ” or similar language means that a particular feature , structure , or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment or example is included in at least that one embodiment , but not necessarily in other embodiments . the various instances of the phrase “ in one embodiment ” or similar phrases in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment . fig1 a is a diagram of an illustrative crossbar array ( 100 ) with nonlinear capacitive junctions ( 106 ). a crossbar array comprises an upper set of parallel wires ( 104 ) which cross a lower set of parallel wires ( 102 ) at a nonzero angle . according to one illustrative embodiment , the nanowires of the upper layer ( 104 ) are roughly perpendicular , in orientation , to the nanowires of the lower layer ( 102 ), although the orientation angle between the layers may vary . at each cross - point , a two terminal capacitive device is interposed between the intersecting wires . for purposes of illustration , only the memcapacitor ( 106 ) on the bottom right of the crossbar array ( 100 ) is labeled in the figure . one terminal ( 110 ) of the capacitor is attached to a wire which is among the lower set of parallel wires ( 102 ). the other terminal ( 108 ) of the capacitor is attached to a wire which is among the set of upper parallel wires ( 104 ). though only four wires are shown in each set of parallel wires ( 102 , 104 ), there will typically be a much greater number of wires in each set . between any set of conducting material including wires , there will be a stray capacitance ( 112 ), even if that capacitance is very small . the stray capacitance ( 112 ) between parallel wires will typically be much smaller than the capacitance of the capacitors used at each cross - point . as a result , any stray capacitance ( 112 ) between parallel wires will be neglected in the following description . in circumstances where stray capacitance is significant , the principles described below can be utilized to determine an optimum operating state for the device . the capacitive junctions ( 106 ) may be used to store a value . in one simple example , a high capacitive state could represent a value “ 0 .” similarly , a low capacitive state could represent the value “ 1 .” as discussed above , one embodiment of a nonlinear capacitor is a memcapacitive junction . the internal operation of a memcapacitive junction is described in more detail in fig3 a and 3b . in order to set a specific memcapacitive junction to a particular state , a certain electrical condition may be applied to the junction . throughout this specification and appended claims , electrical conditions applied to a memcapacitive junction to change its state will be referred to as programming conditions . in one embodiment , the programming condition could be a voltage pulse . one technique for applying a programming voltage may be referred to as the half bias technique . this technique involves the application of a voltage pulse ( 114 ) which is half the intended strength to one wire in the first set of parallel wires ( 102 ) and a similar voltage pulse ( 118 ) but with opposite polarity applied to a wire in the second set of parallel wires ( 104 ). all other wires in both sets of parallel wires ( 102 , 104 ) which have not been selected will have a zero voltage bias . according to one illustrative embodiment , a buffer amplifier ( 116 ) may be used on the input end . this could be a standard op - amp ( operational amplifier ) having unity gain . when reading the state of a specific memcapacitive junction , an electrical condition which is different from the programming condition may be applied . throughout this specification and appended claims , the electrical condition applied to read the capacitive state of a memcapacitive junction will be referred to as a reading condition . in one embodiment , the reading condition may be a sinusoidal or ac ( alternating current ) voltage with the amplitude of the full read voltage , for example specified below for the considered device , which is applied to one input end of a wire ( 103 ). an inverting op - amp ( 120 ) may be placed on an output end of a wire ( 102 ). in one embodiment , the op - amp will provide virtual ground to the wire ( 102 ) with a negative value of the half read voltage and may have a feedback loop ( 122 ). all wires which were not selected are biased at zero voltage . when the sinusoidal voltage runs through a selected wire ( 103 ) and into memcapacitors attached to the selected wire ( 103 ), an electrical current is generated on the intersecting wire ( 105 ). the electrical current has characteristics which are determined by the capacitive state of the memcapacitor which links the two intersecting wires ( 103 , 105 ). the inverting op - amp ( 120 ) receives this electrical current from the upper wire ( 105 ). the voltage across the resistor is proportional to the current passing through the resistor multiplied by the resistance of the resistor . in this case , the resistance in the feedback loop ( 122 ) is constant while the current varies . thus , the voltage across the feedback loop ( 122 ) will vary proportionately to the current generated in the upper line ( 105 ). this voltage may be measured to determine the state of the nonlinear capacitor ( 106 ). fig1 b is a diagram of an illustrative crossbar array ( 100 ) with memcapacitive junctions ( 106 ). for purposes of description and clarity , it is useful to distinguish between what will be referred to throughout this specification and appended claims as selected and semi - selected devices . when an electrical condition is applied to a wire ( 103 , 105 ) from each set of parallel wires ( 102 , 104 ), there will be other devices along those wires which are not at the crosspoint . throughout the specification and appended claims , devices which are connected to active wires but not at the crosspoint will be referred to as semi - selected devices ( 124 , 126 ). there will typically be two groups of semi - selected devices ( 124 , 126 ), one group ( 124 ) along a wire ( 103 ) from the lower set of parallel wires ( 102 ), and the other group ( 126 ) along a wire ( 105 ) from the upper set of parallel wires ( 104 ). it will be readily apparent to those familiar with the relevant art that a set of capacitive devices in parallel will be equivalent to the sum of the capacitances of each individual device . for reasons which will be detailed below , in order for the crossbar array circuit to function properly , it is desirable for the total capacitance of the semi - selected devices ( 124 , 126 ) to be much smaller than the capacitance of the selected device ( 106 ). fig2 is an illustrative depiction of a circuit diagram ( 200 ) modeling a path through selected ( 106 , fig1 ) and semi - selected ( 124 , 126 ; fig1 ) devices in a crossbar array ( 100 , fig1 ). the circuit diagram ( 200 ) described below is a simplified model . it does not take into account every electrical characteristic which may be present in the crossbar array ( 100 , fig1 ). the circuit diagram ( 200 ) models the path between an input end ( 214 ) and an output end ( 216 ) on a capacitive crossbar array ( 100 , fig1 ). as mentioned above , a buffer op - amp ( 116 ) may be placed on the input end ( 214 ) of a selected wire ( 103 ) to be used as a buffer . every conducting element , including the selected wire ( 103 ) will have some resistance even if that resistance is very small . the resistors ( 204 ) in the circuit diagram ( 200 ) represent the resistance of the lower active wire ( 103 ). similarly , the resistors on the left ( 205 ) represent the resistance of the upper active wire ( 105 ). the capacitor ( 206 ) on the left represents the lumped capacitance of the first group of semi selected devices ( 124 , fig1 ) which are attached to the lower active wire ( 103 ). the middle capacitor ( 106 ) represents the capacitance of the selected device ( 106 , fig1 ). the capacitor ( 210 ) on the right represents the lumped capacitance of the second group of semi - selected devices ( 126 , fig1 ) which are attached to the upper active wire ( 105 ). an op - amp ( 120 ) may be placed on the output end ( 216 ) to be used as a buffer . according to one illustrative embodiment , the lumped capacitances ( 206 , 210 ) of the semi - selected devices ( 124 , 126 , fig1 b ) are less than the capacitance ( 208 ) of the selected device ( 106 , fig1 ). as discussed above , nonlinear capacitors are used at each crosspoint . the lumped capacitance of the semi - selected devices ( 206 , 210 ) are less than the capacitance of the selected device because the selected devices are biased to zero , then voltage equal to the negative of one half of the maximum reading voltage is applied on the upper line ( 105 ). the sinusoidal reading voltage is then applied to the input line ( 214 ). this generates a maximum voltage across the semi - selected devices ( 206 , 210 ) of one half the reading voltage , while the maximum bias across the selected capacitor ( 106 ) will be the full reading voltage . because the capacitance is nonlinear , the capacitance at one half the reading voltage can be much smaller than the capacitance at the full bias . in one embodiment , a memcapacitor could be used between the cross - points on a crossbar array . a memcapacitor is a capacitor which is able to change and hold its state based on experienced electrical conditions . in one illustrative embodiment , the capacitance of the memcapacitors is nonlinear as a function of applied voltage . although memcapacitors may take any of a number of possible embodiments , one illustrative description of basic operational principles of memcapacitors is presented in this specification for purposes of explanation . a typical capacitor comprises two conducting surfaces with a dielectric material in between . one equation for capacitance is as follows : c = capacitance measured in farads , ∈ r = relative permittivity , ∈ 0 = permittivity of free space , a = area of conducting surfaces measured in square meters , and d = distance between conducting surfaces measured in meters . fig3 a is an illustrative diagram of a memcapacitor ( 300 ) in a low capacitive state . the memcapacitor ( 300 ) is made up of a memcapacitive matrix ( 304 ) interposed between with two electrodes ( 314 , 315 ). according to one illustrative embodiment , the left and right electrodes ( 314 , 315 ) are intersecting wires within a crossbar array . the memcapacitive matrix ( 300 ) is a semiconducting material which contains a number of mobile dopant ions ( 306 ). the ions ( 306 ) are considered mobile because they can be repositioned throughout the semiconducting region ( 304 ) as a result of an applied programming condition . throughout the specification and appended claims , the term “ memcapacitor ” or “ memcapacitive ” is used to describe a combination of an insulating / semiconductor matrix and a dopant which exhibits dopant motion in the presence of a programming electrical field and the desired long term dopant stability within the matrix when the programming field is removed . the memcapacitive effect is most strongly evident in nanometer scale devices and allows the device to “ remember ” past electrical conditions . throughout the specification and appended claims , the term “ memcapacitive matrix ” describes a weakly ionic conductive material which is capable of transporting and hosting ions that act as dopants to control the flow of electrons through the memcapacitor . the definition of a weakly ionic conductive material is based on the application for which the memcapacitive device is designed . in general , it is desired for the memcapacitive device to stay in a particular state , either low or high capacitance , for an amount of time that may range from a fraction of a second to years , depending on the application . thus , the diffusion constant for such a device is , in one embodiment , low enough to ensure the desired level of stability . at the same time the mobility of the ions can be greatly enhanced ( with respect to the mobility given by einstein - nersnt relation ) by increasing internal temperature , e . g . due to joule heating , or applying very high electric fields during write operation . this desired level of stability avoids inadvertently turning the device from low capacitance to a high capacitance state or vice versa via ionized species diffusion , but allows the intentionally setting the state of the switch with a voltage pulse . therefore , a “ weakly ionic conductor ” is one in which the ion mobility , and thus the diffusion constant , is small enough to ensure the stability of the state of the device for as long as necessary under the desired conditions ( e . g ., the device does not change state because of diffusion of the dopants ). in contrast , “ strongly ionic conductors ” would have large ionized species mobilities and thus would not be stable against diffusion . a number of matrix / dopant combinations may be used , depending on the manufacturing process and the application . for example , silicon may be used as a memcapacitive matrix and lithium ions may be used as the mobile dopant species . alternatively , titanium dioxide may be used as the memcapacitive matrix and oxygen vacancies may be used as the mobile dopant species . in a memcapacitor , the two electrodes ( 314 , 315 ) act as the capacitive plates and the mobile dopants ( 306 ) effectively alter the distance d between the plates by creating a highly conductive region which extends from one of the electrodes into the matrix ( 304 ). the farther the mobile dopants ( 306 ) extend from the electrode into the matrix , the smaller d becomes and the greater the capacitance of the memcapacitor . a graph ( 312 ) shows the density of mobile dopants ( n d ) through the memcapacitor matrix ( 304 ). in the low capacitive state illustrated in fig3 a , the mobile dopants ( 306 ) are concentrated in the right hand portion of the semi - conducting matrix ( 304 ). this dramatically increases the electrical conductivity of the matrix ( 304 ) where the mobile dopants ( 306 ). in this state , the effective distance d in eq . 1 is fairly large , leading to a lower overall capacitance of the memcapacitor ( 304 ). at the interface between the undoped portions of the matrix ( 304 ) and the electrode ( 314 ), there is a large difference in the electrical conductivity and other properties of the across the interface . this creates an interface which exhibits behavior similar to a schottky barrier . a schottky barrier is a potential barrier which forms at a metal - semiconductor interface and has diode - like rectifying characteristics . schottky interfaces are different than a p - n interface in that it has a much smaller depletion width in the metal . in multilayer thin films , the interface behavior may not be exactly the same as a traditional schottky barrier . consequently , various interfaces between the illustrative thin films are described as “ schottky - like .” at moderate voltages , the schottky - like barrier ( 309 ) allows electrical current to flow in only one direction . the characteristics of the schottky - like barrier ( 309 ) are dependent on a number of factors , including the metal &# 39 ; s work function , the band gap of the intrinsic semiconductor which makes up the memcapacitive matrix , the type and concentration of dopants in the semiconductor , and other factors . the bottom graph ( 316 ) shows the electrical potential ( 307 ) through the matrix ( 304 ). a schottky barrier ( 309 ) exists at the interface ( 309 ). because the mobile dopants ( 306 ) are concentrated in the right side of the matrix ( 304 ), the potential barrier is high and wide at the interface between the left electrode ( 314 ) and the matrix ( 304 ). as discussed above , this produces a relatively low capacitance junction ( 300 ) because the conducting surface of the mobile dopants ( shown by a dotted line which extends across the matrix ) is relatively far away from the left electrode ( 314 ). as shown above in eq . 1 , the larger the distance between conducting surfaces ( all other factors remaining constant ) the lower the capacitance will be . fig3 b is an illustrative diagram of a memcapacitor ( 300 ) in a high capacitance state . the mobile dopants ( 306 ) have been distributed through the matrix ( 304 ) by a programming voltage or condition such that the mobile dopants ( 306 ) are much closer to the left electrode ( 314 ). this brings the conducting surfaces of the capacitor ( 300 ) much closer together . the middle graph ( 318 ) of fig3 b shows a more uniform distribution of mobile dopants ( 306 ) through the matrix . the bottom graph ( 320 ) shows that the schottky barrier ( 309 ) is much narrower and possibly lower at the interface . as discussed above , once the mobile dopants have been distributed by the application of a programming condition , they remain stable for a desired duration and through one or more read cycles . according to one illustrative embodiment , the programming conditions may include a voltage which exceeds the breakdown voltage of the schottky barrier . the barrier then becomes conductive and allows current to flow through the matrix . this heats the matrix and increases the mobility of the dopants . this breakdown process is non - destructive and reversible , so long as the amount of current flowing does not reach levels that cause the semiconductor material to overheat and cause thermal damage . the dopants then move under the influence of an applied electrical field to the desired location . the programming condition is removed and the matrix cools . the mobile dopants then remain in substantially the same position . according to one illustrative embodiment , the memcapacitive junctions exhibit significant nonlinear capacitance in the high capacitance state . this nonlinear capacitance is generated by the interaction of the schottky barrier with the reading voltage . the schottky barrier ( or other interface , such as p - n junction or metal - oxide - semiconductor interface ) creates a depletion region . the depletion region is empty of conducting electrons and holes , but may contain a number of mobile dopants . the depletion region with its dopants inside behaves like a capacitor . by varying the voltage applied to the interface it is possible to vary the depletion width , and consequently the capacitance of the interface . the nonlinear capacitance across a schottky barrier ( or other interface containing a depletion region ) is nonlinear and is given by eq . 2 below . c ( n d , v ) = ɛ r ɛ 0 n d q ( v bi - v ) eq . 2 c = capacitance measured in farads , ∈ r = relative permittivity of the insulator between the charged plates , ∈ 0 = permittivity of free space , n d = the number of dopants , q = charge , which is a function of applied voltage , v bi = built in voltage of the schottky barrier , and v = applied voltage fig4 is a graph which shows an illustrative nonlinear relationship between charge and applied voltage across a schottky interface within a memcapacitor . the horizontal axis represents voltage applied to the interface . the vertical axis represents the resulting charge . two curves are shown , a dash - dot curve ( 414 ) represents the charge as a function of voltage for the low capacitance state and a solid curve ( 420 ) represents the charge as a function of voltage for the high capacitance state . these two curves ( 414 , 420 ) correspond to the states shown in fig3 a and 3b , respectively . the arrows between the dash - dot line and the solid line illustrate the change in the charge / voltage relationship as the mobile dopants are reconfigured from the low capacitance state to the high capacitance state . the low capacitance curve ( 414 ) shows little non - linearity and less sensitivity to changes in applied voltage . however , the high capacitance curve ( 420 ) shows significant nonlinearity in the number of charges present at a particular voltage applied voltage . for example , a relatively small charge is present when a voltage of v r / 2 is applied to the interface , but a much greater charge is present when a voltage of v r is applied . as discussed above , a voltage of v r / 2 is applied across a first intersecting line and a second voltage of − v r / 2 is applied over the second intersecting line . the memcapacitive junction which is interposed between the two intersecting line then sees a voltage of v r . the vertical dashed line labeled v bi represents the breakdown voltage ( or built - in voltage ) of the memcapacitive junction . according to one illustrative embodiment , the breakdown voltage ( 410 ) may be approximately three volts . when the applied voltage exceeds the breakdown voltage , the memcapacitive junction becomes conductive and electrical current passes through the junction . as discussed above , this can result in resistive heating of the matrix and a corresponding increase in the mobility of the mobile dopants . consequently , the reading voltage across any given junction does not typically exceed the breakdown voltage . however , in some circumstances it can be desirable for the programming conditions to be such that the breakdown voltage is exceeded . this can significantly reduce the write time of the device because of the increase in dopant mobility . similar to the application of the reading voltage above , the programming voltage is applied by dividing the programming voltage into two portions , v / 2 and − v / 2 . these voltages are applied to two intersecting lines so that only the selected device which is at the intersection is reprogrammed by the programming voltage v +. fig5 is a graph depicting a nonlinear relation between applied voltage and capacitance of a memcapacitor . in general , the capacitance of the memcapacitor is related to the slope ( the derivative ) of the charge / voltage curve shown in fig4 . in the graph , the horizontal axis represents voltage ( 404 ) while the vertical axis represents capacitance ( 402 ). the curve ( 420 ) showing the capacitance as a function of voltage is shown on the graph ( 400 ). it can be seen that for most voltage values , the capacitance curve is relatively constant . only as the applied voltage approaches v r does the capacitance get higher in value . the label “ v r / 2 ” refers to half of the voltage applied to a selected memcapacitor ( 106 , fig1 ). likewise , the label “− v r / 2 ” refers to a negative polarity of half of the voltage applied to a selected memcapacitor ( 106 , fig1 ). as mentioned above , it is desirable that the lumped capacitance of semi - selected devices ( 124 , 126 ; fig1 ) be less than the capacitance of the selected memcapacitor ( 106 , fig1 ). this statement may be summed up in the following relation : n = the number of semi - selected memcapacitors , c j = the capacitance of the memcapacitors in the crossbar array as a function of voltage v r = the reading voltage the left side of the eq . 3 represents the lumped capacitance of the semi - selected memcapacitors at one half the reading voltage and the right side represents the capacitance of the selected device at the full reading voltage . as mentioned above , a half - bias technique may be used in which “ v r / 2 ” is applied to one wire on the first set of parallel wires and “− v r / 2 ” is applied to one wire on the second set of parallel wires . this will ensure that all semi - selected devices have only half the voltage applied to them as is applied to the selected memcapacitor . as can be seen from fig5 , the capacitance of the junction in the high capacitance state ( 420 ) is relatively small at v r / 2 compared with the capacitance at v r due to the nonlinearity of the capacitance / voltage behavior of the memcapacitor . this nonlinearity allows eq . 3 to be satisfied with a larger number of semi - selected devices . consequently , larger crosspoint arrays can be built . the exact number of semi - selected devices able to be placed into a crossbar array may vary depending on various characteristics of the crossbar array and memcapacitive junctions . fig6 is an illustrative diagram ( 600 ) depicting an exemplary frequency window within a memcapacitive crossbar array ( 100 , fig1 ) could operate in . as mentioned above , to read the state of a selected memcapacitive junction ( 106 , fig1 ), a sinusoidal voltage could be applied through the system . due to its electrical characteristics , the selected memcapacitor acts as a high pass filter , allowing only higher frequencies through while cutting off lower frequencies . the semi - selected devices act as a low pass filter , allowing lower frequencies to pass while cutting off higher frequencies . when the relationship given by eq . 3 is satisfied there will always be a frequency window in which a selected nonlinear capacitor in a high capacitance state passes the reading pulse from one of the intersecting wires to another . conversely , the low capacitance state would not exhibit this window of transparency . this allows the state of the nonlinear capacitor to be determined through the application of voltage pulse or pulses which have a given frequency . each graph in fig6 has a horizontal axis denoting frequency . the vertical axis illustrates the strength of the signal transmitted through the filter . the top graph ( 604 ) shows a high pass filter ( 610 ). as mentioned above , the high pass filter cuts off the lower frequencies ( 616 ). according to one illustrative embodiment , this high pass filter may formed by the resistance in the wires and the capacitance of the selected memcapacitor ( 106 , fig1 ). the cutoff frequency of the filter is based upon a time constant . the time constant is determined by the equation below : t = the time constant , r = the resistance of the wires in the cross bar array , and c j = the capacitance of the memcapacitors in the crossbar array as a function of voltage v r = the reading voltage the middle graph ( 606 ) shows a low pass filter ( 612 ). as mentioned above , a low pass filter ( 612 ) cuts off the higher frequencies ( 618 ). the time constant for the low pass filter is determined by the following equation : t = the time constant , r = the resistance of the wires in the cross bar array , and c j ( v r / 2 )= the capacitance of the semi - selected devices as a function of half the applied voltage , n = number of semi - selected devices . the bottom graph ( 608 ) shows the frequency window ( 614 ) which is the result of combining the filters shown in the upper and middle graphs . this window is between the cutoff frequency of the high pass filter and the cutoff frequency of the low pass filter . according to one illustrative embodiment , the sinusoidal reading voltage has a frequency within the frequency window ( 614 ). eq . 6 describes the frequency of the reading voltage as a function of the nonlinear capacitances of the memory devices which are within the crossbar array . 1 /( r * c j ( v r ))≦ f ≦ 1 /( r * n * c j ( v r / 2 )) eq . 6 r = the resistance of the wires in the cross bar array , c j ( v r )= the capacitance of the selected device as a function of applied voltage . f = the frequency of an applied sinusoidal signal , and c j ( v r / 2 )= the capacitance of the semi - selected devices as a function of half the applied voltage . n = number of semi - selected devices . in one illustrative example , the high pass filter formed by the selected memcapacitor may cut off all frequencies below 900 mhz ( megahertz ) and the low pass filter formed by the semi - selected memcapacitors will cut off all frequencies above 1 ghz ( gigahertz ). this means that the applied sinusoidal signal used to read the capacitive state of the selected memcapacitor should be above 900 mhz and below 1 ghz . fig7 is an illustrative flow diagram ( 700 ) depicting the process for writing and then reading values in a memcapacitive crossbar array . first , whatever addressing method used by the system employing a crossbar array identifies a nonlinear capacitive device to store a particular value ( step 702 ). that value is set by altering the capacitive state of the nonlinear capacitive device . the programming voltage needed to alter the capacitive state of a memcapacitor already known by the system . to set the capacitive state , a voltage pulse half the needed strength is applied to a wire from a first set of parallel wires , the wire being connected to the selected nonlinear capacitor ( step 704 ). next , a voltage pulse opposite in polarity and half the needed strength is applied to a wire from a second set of parallel wires , the wire being connected to the other side of the selected nonlinear capacitor ( step 706 ). the combined voltage from both directions alters the capacitive state of the selected nonlinear capacitor ( step 708 ). the programming voltages are then removed and the recently programmed nonlinear capacitor will remain in a stable state and hold its value for a period of time ( step 710 ). to read the value stored by a memcapacitive device , a sinusoidal signal may be applied to a wire from the first set of parallel wires , the wire being connected to the device intended to be read ( step 712 ). the same half biasing scheme similar to write operation is applied to ensure the proper reading of the selected device , as described above . the frequency of the sinusoidal signal should be within a range specified by the characteristics of the crossbar array . the sinusoidal signal is then measured from a wire on a second set of parallel wires , the wire being connected to the other side of the nonlinear capacitor . the signal may be measured through any appropriate means . the value stored in the intended memcapacitor can then be determined ( step 714 ). in sum , a variety of nonlinear capacitance devices may be interposed between intersecting wires in a crossbar array . these nonlinear capacitive devices may be memcapacitors , mems capacitors , p - n junction devices , mosfet devices or other suitable devices . the nonlinear capacitance of the devices allows the state of a selected junction to be read without being obscured by capacitance of semi - selected devices . the advantages of using nonlinear capacitive junctions may include a reduction in power consumption ( compared to resistive crossbar arrays ) and improvement in operational speed . the preceding description has been presented only to illustrate and describe embodiments and examples of the principles described . this description is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit these principles to any precise form disclosed . many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching . | 6 |
the present invention is applicable to monitoring a fiber transmission system , and is believed to be particularly suited to monitoring challe wavelength and power in a wavelength division multiplexed ( wdm ) optical communication system . the system may also permit the monitoring of interchannel noise levels . [ 0094 ] fig1 shows a cross - sectional sketch of a ray - tracing simulation of a single channel including a transparent body 31 in a preferred transmission spectrometer embodiment . the transmission signal guiding means 15 ( here an optical fiber connected to the optical transmission system ) is positioned in front f of the transparent body 31 and is guiding transmission signal to the transmission signal entrance aperture means 30 , positioned at the entrance surface 311 . in this example the entrance aperture means is defined by the circular aperture of the core of the end face of the optical fiber 15 . inside the transparent body 31 the transmission signal propagates towards a reflecting surface 313 of the back side at which a diffractive optical element 32 ( here a blazed grating ) diffracts the transmission signal towards a reflective surface 312 of the front side , in this preferred embodiment an aspheric mirror 33 . the aspheric mirror focuses the diffracted wavelengths across the plane of the transmission signal detecting means 34 , in this example comprising an array detector ( here a linear array detector of type su512lx - 1 . 7t30250 supplied by sensors unlimited ) and placed opposite the entrance means at the back side b of the transparent body . the transmission signal detecting means is placed at a distance from the exit surface 314 , which is tilted to correct for chromatic aberrations . the array detector is configured to define pixels for transmission signals of predefined wavelength and pixels for optical noise at wavelengths therebetween . this apparatus was used for monitoring transmission signal wavelength , power and noise , both alone and in combination . [ 0097 ] fig2 shows a cross - sectional sketch of a ray - tracing simulation of a single channel including a transparent body 31 in a preferred transmission spectrometer embodiment . the transmission signal guiding means 15 ( here an optical fiber connected to the optical transmission system ) is positioned in front f of the transparent body 31 and is guiding transmission signal to the transmission signal entrance aperture means 30 , positioned at the entrance surface 311 . in this example the entrance aperture means is defined by the circular aperture of the core of the end face of the optical fiber 15 . inside the transparent body 31 , the transmission signal propagates towards a further reflecting surface 313 b of the back side at which a planar mirror 35 a directs the transmission signal towards a further reflective surface 312 b of the front side at which a planar mirror 35 b directs the transmission signal towards the reflective surface 313 a of the back side , at which a diffractive optical element 32 ( here a blazed grating ) diffracts the transmission signal towards the reflective surface 312 a of the front side , in this preferred embodiment an aspheric mirror 33 . the aspheric mirror 33 focuses the diffracted wavelengths across the plane of the transmission signal detecting means 34 , in this example comprising an array detector and placed opposite the entrance means at the back side b of the transparent body . the transmission signal detecting means is placed at a distance from the exit surface 314 a . in this preferred embodiment the diffractive optical element 32 and the transmission signal detecting means 34 are arranged in parallel planes or coinciding planes . also , the entrance surface 311 a and the exit surface 314 a are parallel . other preferred transmission spectrometer geometry &# 39 ; s will be shown in the following , but will not be substantiated by ray - tracing simulations . [ 0100 ] fig3 a shows a three dimensional sketch of a preferred embodiment in which the reflective surfaces ( i . e ., the planar mirrors 35 a , 35 b , the diffractive optical element 32 , and the aspheric mirror 33 ) are positioned below the respective surfaces of the front side and back side . this is clearly illustrated in fig3 b , which shows a cross - sectional sketch taken at the plane c from fig3 a . the principle of the ray - tracing simulations is illustrated in fig2 with the exception that that the aspheric mirror 33 now focus the diffracted wavelengths across the detecting means 34 which is now positioned at the exit surface . [ 0102 ] fig4 shows a three dimensional sketch of a preferred embodiment in which the spectrometer body is a composed body ( 31 a , 31 b ) and in which light absorbing material 315 is placed between said composed bodies . the spectrometer is similar to the transmission spectrometer illustrated in fig3 and described above . the composed body comprising a front part 31 a and a back part 31 b . the front part is incorporating a transmission signal entrance aperture means 30 , a further planar mirror 35 b , and the focusing means 33 . the back part is incorporating a further planar mirror 35 a , the diffractive optical element , and the exit surface . this preferred embodiment is composed of two parts ( 31 a , 31 b ). in another preferred embodiment , the transparent composed body further comprises an intermediate part . [ 0106 ] fig5 shows a three dimensional sketch of a preferred embodiment that consists of two parallel spectrometer channels . in the preferred embodiment shown in fig5 the dual channel spectrometer comprises a first channel 41 a to monitor transmission signals from the first transmission signal guiding means 15 a from an optical transmission system and a second channel 41 b to monitor transmission signals from the second transmission signal guiding means 15 b from the optical transmission system . the transmission signal enters each spectrometer channel through an aperture , in this example defined by the cores of end faces of the optical fibers ( 40 a , 40 b ), and each channel is an independent transmission spectrometer working according to the ray - tracing simulation illustrated in fig1 with the exception that that the aspheric mirrors ( 43 a , 43 b ) now focus the diffracted wavelengths across the transmission signal detecting means ( 44 a , 44 b ) which is now positioned at the exit surface . the transmission signals from the first channel 41 a are focused onto the transmission signal detecting means 44 a whereas the transmission signals from the second channel are focused onto the transmission signal detecting means 44 b . preferably the transmission signal detecting means ( 44 a , 44 b ) comprises a dual line sensor , said line comprising an array sensor . multiple channels with 2d array image sensor to provide for a cost effective solution . as noted above , the present invention is applicable to methods and apparatus for monitoring the output from a fiber communications system . it is believed to be particularly useful for monitoring the wavelength and power of different channels in a multiple channel system , such as a wavelength division multiplexed ( wdm ) system . the present invention should not be considered limited to the particular examples described above , but rather should be understood to cover all aspects of the invention as fairly set out in the attached claims . various modifications , equivalent processes , as well as numerous structures to which the present invention may be applicable will be readily apparent to those of skill in the art to which the present invention is directed upon review of the present specification . the claims are intended to cover such modifications and devices . | 6 |
the disclosure comprises a hollow plastic ball . the ball is adapted to be thrown and hit . one ball is about the size of a regulation baseball , which is approximately 2 . 86 inches in diameter . a second ball has a very similar design but is about the size of a softball , approximately 3 . 775 inches in diameter . the balls could be smaller or larger than this . the balls have two hemispheres . there are a plurality of depressions in one hemisphere , and no depressions in the second hemisphere . the depressions cause the ball to curve , sink , and move erratically like a knuckleball , and exhibit other movements when thrown that cannot be accomplished with a ball with a smooth outer surface . two exemplary , non - limiting examples of the ball are described . the two balls are both hollow and made from plastic , and have essentially the same design , but different dimensions . the relative dimensions of the depressions of the two balls are preferably but not necessarily the same ( relative to the overall size of the ball ). ball 8 includes a number ( preferably , but not necessarily , eight ) of identical elongated depressions ( only depressions 13 , 14 , and 16 are numbered ) symmetrically arranged about the center of one hemisphere 50 . preferably , but not necessarily , all of the depressions are in one hemisphere , and there are no depressions in the other hemisphere 60 . hemispheres 50 and 60 are delineated by diameter 14 . the depressions preferably but not necessarily fall along circumferential planes ( circumferences ) that intersect the center of the hemisphere in which the depressions reside . for example , depressions 13 and 14 fig2 are bilaterally symmetric about circumference 12 that passes through hemisphere 50 center 10 . in this non - limiting example , each of the depressions has a length along the circumference on which it lies of about 1 and 1 / 16 inch , which is about 1 / 8th of the approximate nine - inch circumference of the ball . this length is labeled “ b ” in fig2 . in this example , the depression begins at a distance “ a ” from hemisphere center 10 of about 11 / 16th inch . each depression has a width “ c ” of about 1 / 4 ″, and a maximum depth of about 1 / 8 ″. as can be seen in the section ( fig4 ), the depressions at their bottom have a relatively straight wall section 18 ( which follows the spherical contour of the outer wall of the ball ), and an upwardly - curved distal end wall section 20 . this contour gives the depressions a gradually increasing depth along their length , moving away from center 10 . preferably , but not necessarily , the depressions are most shallow closest to the hemisphere center , and deepest very close to their distal ends , which are farthest from the hemisphere center . also , preferably but not necessarily , the depressions are equally spaced radially about the center of the hemisphere . for example , as best shown in fig2 , the eight depressions are equally spaced radially about center 10 , with one depression every 45 degrees about the center . the inventive ball is preferably blow molded of a polyethylene plastic material . because the ball is blow molded ( and thus integral ), the ball is relatively strong and is less likely to tear or crack than is a ball with openings in it , or one that is made of two hemispheres welded together . also , because the ball has depressions rather than openings , it is less affected by the air as it travels , which increases the distance over which it can be thrown and hit . at the same time , however , the depressions , and the pattern of depressions , still provide the types of movement that can be accomplished in a ball with openings rather than depressions . as shown in the drawings , the depressions are preferably equally spaced radially about hemisphere center 10 . however , the depressions do not need to be equally spaced . the ball can comprise two or more depressions , preferably equally spaced radially about the hemisphere center . the number , size , location , arrangement , and shape of the depressions are not limitations of the disclosure , however . rather , two or more depressions in one hemisphere of a hollow molded plastic ball will accomplish at least some aspects of the disclosure , and thus are considered to be within the scope of the invention . a number of implementations have been described . nevertheless , it will be understood that additional modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the inventive concepts described herein , and , accordingly , other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims . | 0 |
in general , the instant invention relates to a remotely - controllable retractable covering for architectural openings 10 . as depicted in fig1 and 1a , the apparatus comprises a control system mounted in a head rail 12 for extending , retracting , and otherwise adjusting a covering 14 attached between the head rail 12 and a bottom rail 16 , wherein the control system mounted in the head rail may be operated using a remote control 18 . in a preferred embodiment , two main mounting brackets 20 attach the head rail 12 to a desired mounting surface ( e . g ., a wall above the opening ), two battery pack mounting brackets 22 attach a power supply 24 to the head rail 12 , and two limit stops 26 prevent over - retraction and over - extension of the covering 14 . a particularly preferred covering 14 for use with the present invention comprises a first flexible sheet 28 and a second flexible sheet 30 with vanes 32 attached between these first and second flexible sheets 28 , 30 , respectively . the first and second flexible sheets 28 , 30 , respectively , are secured to the bottom rail 16 . left and right end caps 34 , 34 ′, respectively , support components , aesthetically shield various internal components from view , and include auxiliary support pockets 36 that may be used in select applications to position the head rail 12 above an architectural opening to be covered . as depicted in fig2 the power supply 24 is hidden from view in the preferred embodiment when the head rail 12 is attached to a mounting surface . referring next to fig3 , 5 , 6 , 7 , and 8 , details concerning the elements comprising each main mounting bracket 20 are described . fig3 depicts the main mounting bracket 20 supporting the right end of the apparatus as depicted in fig1 . as shown in fig3 and 4 , each main mounting bracket 20 includes an upper break away tab 38 and a lower break away tab 40 . these upper and lower break away tabs 38 , 40 , respectively , may be used to properly distance the head rail 12 from the mounting surface . if the tabs 38 , 40 are not required , they may be broken away from the remainder of the main mounting brackets 20 . as shown to best advantage in fig3 each main mounting bracket 20 comprises four adjustable mounting slots 42 , two on a top surface 43 and two on a back surface 45 . mounted in the center of each main mounting bracket 20 is a pressure strip 44 , which , in the preferred embodiment , is metallic . the pressure strip 44 is shown to best advantage in fig5 and 8 . in fig8 it is clearly shown that the pressure strip 44 includes a pair of holes including a locking tab hole 46 and a second hole 48 . near a distal end 50 of the pressure strip 44 , a notch 52 is formed on each side of the pressure strip 44 , and the pressure strip 44 is slightly bent downward adjacent the notches 52 on the side of the notches 52 closest to the second hole 48 . fig8 also includes an isometric view of a retention clip 54 . the retention clip 54 comprises a downward projecting portion 56 , which snaps over the front of a top edge 58 of an arcuate cover 60 ( fig1 ) when the mounting bracket 20 is positioned on the arcuate cover 60 ( see fig3 , and 6 ). the retention clip 54 also includes a first upper guide 62 , a second upper guide 64 , and a lower guide 66 . when the retention clip 54 is slid onto the distal end 50 of the pressure strip 44 , the portion of the pressure strip 44 between its distal end 50 and the notches 52 is guided into the slot defined between the lower guide 66 , and the first and second upper guides 62 , 64 , respectively , ( see fig5 and 6 ). fig5 shows the first and second upper guides 62 , 64 , respectively , in position over the top surface of the section between the distal end 50 and the notches 52 . fig6 shows the same relationship between the first and second upper guides 62 , 64 , respectively , and the section between the distal end 50 and the notches 52 ; and fig6 also depicts the lower guide 66 of the retention clip 54 riding on the bottom surface , as depicted , of the pressure strip 44 between its distal end 50 and the notches 52 in the pressure strip 44 . as seen to best advantage in fig5 and 8 , a pair of detents 68 are formed in the retention clip 54 beneath the first upper guide 62 . when the pressure strip 44 is inserted into the retention clip 54 , these detents 68 snap into the notches 52 in the pressure strip 44 . once the retention clip 54 is thereby retained on the distal end 50 of the pressure strip 44 , the opposite end of the pressure strip 44 is inserted under a retention bridge 69 and into a slot 70 formed in the top surface 43 of the main mounting bracket 20 . this slot 70 in the top surface 43 of the main mounting bracket 20 may be seen to best advantage in fig3 and 5 . when the pressure strip 44 is inserted completely into the slot 70 in the top surface 43 , a locking tab 72 snaps through the locking tab hole 46 in the pressure strip 44 ( see fig3 and 7 ), thereby retaining the pressure strip 44 in the slot 70 in the top surface 43 of the main mounting bracket 20 . once the main mounting bracket 20 is assembled by slipping the distal end 50 of the pressure strip 44 into the retention clip 54 , and then slipping the opposite end of the pressure strip 44 into the slot 70 in the top surface 43 of the main mounting bracket 20 , the main mounting bracket 20 may be attached to the head rail 12 . as may be seen to best advantage in fig4 and 6 , the main mounting bracket 20 attaches to a mounting lip 74 of the arcuate cover 60 . each main mounting bracket 20 includes an upper leg 76 and a lower leg 78 defining a slot 80 therebetween ( fig6 ). as seen to best advantage in fig5 both the upper leg and the lower leg ( shown in phantom ) extend laterally from side - to - side of the main mounting bracket 20 . when the main mounting bracket 20 is forced onto the arcuate cover 60 , it snaps into and retains its position thereon . in order to more clearly understand how each main mounting bracket 20 snappingly attaches to the arcuate cover 60 , several features of the arcuate cover 60 must first be described . referring to fig4 , and 21 , the elements of the arcuate cover 60 ( labeled in fig1 ) are described . each of these figures shows the cross section of the arcuate cover 60 . the arcuate cover 60 includes a top edge 58 that is substantially perpendicularly joined to a front surface 82 that is curved toward the covering 14 at the arcuate cover &# 39 ; s 60 bottom edge 84 . moving toward the rear of the head rail 12 ( to the right in fig4 , and 21 ) from the intersection of the top edge 58 with the front surface 82 of the arcuate cover 60 along the bottom or inside portion of the top edge 58 , a downward ridge 86 is first encountered . continuing toward the rear of the head rail 12 , the top edge 58 slopes downward at a shoulder 88 to the mounting lip 74 , which extends along the full longitudinal length of the back side of the top edge 58 of the arcuate covering 60 . the lowest point of the downward ridge 86 and the under side of the mounting lip 74 are substantially coplanar as seen to best advantage in fig6 . moving downward , as depicted , along the front surface 82 of the arcuate cover 60 from the intersection of the front surface 82 with the top edge 58 , a support ledge 92 is encountered on the inside , as depicted , of the front surface 82 . continuing substantially horizontally from the support ledge 92 , a support ridge 94 is next encountered . the support ledge 92 and the support ridge 94 are substantially coplanar . a sloped channel 96 is defined between the support ledge 92 and the support ridge 94 . an upper trough 98 is defined below the support ledge 92 between the back side of the front surface 82 and one side of the sloped channel 96 . near the bottom edge 84 of the front surface 82 of the arcuate cover 60 a lower trough 100 is defined . the left and right end caps 34 , 34 ′, respectively , each has an arcuate portion ( not shown ) defined on its inside surfaces that engages the upper and lower troughs 98 , 100 , respectively , on the inside of the front surface 82 of the arcuate cover 60 . thus , the end caps 34 , 34 ′ are frictionally held onto the arcuate cover 60 by the upper and lower troughs 98 , 100 , respectively . referring again to fig4 and 6 , attachment of the main mounting brackets 20 to the arcuate cover 60 is now described . the lower leg 78 of each main mounting bracket 20 includes a split tongue 102 having a compression slot 104 across its entire width . in other words , the compression slot 104 shown in cross section in fig4 and 6 extends through the lower leg 78 from one lateral edge of the lower leg 78 to the other lateral edge . when the mounting bracket 20 is forced onto the arcuate cover 60 , the split tongue 102 portion of the lower leg 78 is inserted into the “ pocket ” formed by the underside of the mounting lip 74 , the downward ridge 86 , the support ledge 92 , and the support ridge 94 . since the top - to - bottom thickness of the split tongue 102 of the lower leg 78 is slightly greater than the vertical distance between the plane defined by the downward ridge 86 and the inside of the mounting lip 74 , and the plane defined by the support ledge 92 and the support ridge 94 , the split tongue 102 is compressed slightly as it is inserted into the previously defined pocket . the compression slot 104 thereby decreases in size as the split tongue 102 is forced into the pocket . since the upper and lower portions of the split tongue 102 resist this compression , this resistance helps maintain the main mounting bracket 20 in position . while the split tongue 102 is being inserted into the above - defined pocket , the slot 80 defined between the upper leg 76 and the lower leg 78 of the main mounting bracket 20 slides over the mounting lip 74 on the top edge 58 ( see fig6 ). when the mounting lip 90 is completely seated into the slot 80 , the downward projecting portion 56 of the retention clip 54 snaps over the corner of the top edge 58 . the main mounting bracket 20 is thus held securely in position by the split tongue 102 , slot 80 , and retention clip 54 . in particular , the main mounting bracket 20 cannot move further leftward in fig6 because the base of the mounting lip 74 is pressing against the bottom of the slot 80 , and the main mounting bracket 20 will not move rightward in fig6 because of the downward projecting portion 56 of the retention clip 54 . similarly , up - and - down motion of the main mounting bracket 20 is inhibited by the interaction between the lower leg 78 , the upper leg 76 , the retention clip 54 , and the arcuate cover 60 . if it becomes desirable to remove the main mounting bracket 20 from the arcuate cover 60 , the downward bias generated by the pressure strip 44 that keeps the retention clip 54 clipped over the arcuate cover 60 may be overcome by lifting upward on the retention clip 54 , for example , by pressing a thumb upward against the downward projecting portion 56 of the retention clip 54 to force it onto the top edge 58 of the arcuate cover 60 . when the downward projecting portion 56 of the retention clip 54 is thus disengaged from the arcuate cover 60 , the main mounting bracket 20 may be pulled rightward in fig4 and 6 with sufficient force to completely remove the main mounting bracket 20 from the arcuate cover 60 . referring next to fig1 , 9 a , 9 b , 21 , 22 , 23 , and 24 , construction of a limit stop 26 and attachment of the limit stop 26 to the arcuate cover 60 is described next . as clearly depicted in the preferred embodiment of fig1 and 3 , the present invention includes two limit stops 26 that prevent over - retraction and over - extension of the covering 14 . fig9 a is an exploded , isometric view of one limit stop 26 . as shown in this figure , each limit stop 26 comprises four main components : a mounting half 106 , a working half 108 , a biasing spring 110 , and a hinge pin 112 . looking first at the working half 108 , one edge comprises a plurality of alternating hinge portions 114 . in the preferred embodiment , these hinge portions 114 each comprise approximately half of a hinge section . corresponding hinge portions 116 are located on the mounting half 106 . the hinge portions 114 on the working half 108 interlock with the hinge portions 116 on the mounting half 106 , thereby forming a hinge channel to accommodate the hinge pin 112 . when the mounting half 106 and the working half 108 of the limit stop 26 are assembled , the hinge pin 112 is slid through the channel defined by the hinge portions 114 , 116 , and the hinge pin 112 is slid through a loop in the central portion of the biasing spring 110 to maintain the spring &# 39 ; s position between the mounting half 106 and the working half 108 . a spring groove 118 is cut in the top portion , as depicted , of the main body 113 of the working half 108 , and a similar spring groove ( not shown ) may be formed in the middle one of the retention fingers 122 on the mounting half 106 . two pivot stops 124 are mounted on the working half 108 of the limit stop 26 . these pivot stops 124 comprise plate - like surfaces near the hinge edge of the working half 108 . two of the hinge portions 116 on the mounting half 106 comprise extensions 126 that impact the pivot stops 124 if the assembled limit stop 26 starts to flex too greatly in one direction about the hinge pin 112 . for example , in fig9 a and 21 , if the mounting half 106 were held stationary and the working half 108 were rotated far enough counter - clockwise , the extensions 126 on the mounting half 106 would impact the pivot stops 124 on the working half 108 of the limit stop 26 , thereby preventing excessive upward or counter - clockwise rotation of the working half 108 of the limit stop 26 . referring to fig9 a , the mounting half 106 of the limit stop 26 includes three retention fingers 122 in the preferred embodiment . the retention fingers 122 are suspended above the main body 128 , thereby forming a “ pocket ” between the main body 128 and the retention fingers 122 . on a distal edge of the main body 128 is a substantially vertical projection 130 . referring now to fig2 , when the mounting half 106 of the limit stop 26 is slid onto the top edge 58 of the arcuate cover 60 , the substantially vertical projection 130 on the distal edge of the main body 128 snaps into an upper channel 132 ( clearly visible in fig4 and 6 ) defined by the front surface 82 of the arcuate cover 60 and the downward ridge 86 on the underside of the top edge 58 of the arcuate cover 60 , while the retention fingers 122 frictionally engage the top surface of the mounting lip 74 and the main body 128 slides under the mounting lip 74 and the downward ridge 86 . the limit stop 26 is thereby attached to the arcuate cover 60 in close frictional engagement therewith . as shown in fig9 a , 9 b , and 21 , the working half 108 of the limit stop 26 includes two bottom rail stop arms 134 . the function of the bottom rail stop arms 134 will be described further below with reference to fig2 . the underside of the working half 108 ( see fig9 b ) includes two curvilinear portions 136 , which ride on the outer surface of the covering 14 as it is rolled onto a roll bar 138 ( see fig2 ). where these curvilinear portions 136 intersect the main body 113 , a pocket 140 is defined ( most clearly visible on the right - hand edge of fig9 a ). as shown in fig2 , this pocket 140 helps prevent over - rotation of the roll bar 138 and over - extension of the covering 14 . if , for some reason , the apparatus attempts to over extend the covering 14 , a forward extending stop rib 142 of the roll bar 138 gets trapped in the pocket 140 defined behind the curvilinear portions 136 ( fig2 ). when the forward extending stop rib 142 is thus captured by the pocket 140 , a motor 144 ( fig1 ) rotating the roll bar 138 is stalled , preventing over - rotation of the roll bar 138 . from the direction depicted in fig2 , the roll bar 138 rotates clockwise during extension of the covering 14 and counter - clockwise during retraction of the covering 14 . starting from the position shown in fig2 , when it is time to retract the covering 14 , the roll bar 138 is caused to rotate counter - clockwise by the gear motor 144 ( the gear motor is clearly visible in fig1 , for example ). the curvilinear portions 136 of the working half 108 of the limit stop 26 are designed to permit retraction of the covering 14 even after the apparatus has attempted to overly extend the covering 14 . the shape of the forwarding extending stop rib 142 also helps in this regard since it has an arched back surface that impacts the curvilinear portions 136 during retraction of the covering 14 ( i . e ., during the first counterclockwise rotation of the roll bar 138 as depicted in fig2 ). referring now to fig1 , 11 a , 11 b , 11 c , and 11 d , attachment of the power supply 24 to the head rail 12 is described next . referring first to fig3 a , and 11 b , the portions of each battery pack mounting bracket 22 that mounts it to the arcuate cover 60 are described next . first and second upper legs 146 , 148 , respectively , extend over a substantially longer tongue 150 having a substantially rectangular port or window 152 in it ( fig1 a ). a pair of slots 154 are formed where the first and second upper legs 146 , 148 , respectively , intersect the base of the tongue 150 ( fig1 a ). a flexible arm 156 ( fig1 b ) extends from the side of the port 152 nearest the base of the tongue 150 and substantially fills the port 152 . near the free end of the flexible arm 156 , a pair of ridges 158 , 160 on the underside of the flexible arm 156 define a channel 162 . when the battery mounting bracket 22 is in position on the arcuate cover 60 , the tip 151 ( see fig1 a ) of the tongue 150 extends into the “ pocket ” defined by the downward ridge 86 , the underside of the mounting lip 74 , the support ledge 92 , and the support ridge 94 ( the support ledge 92 and the support ridge 94 are clearly shown in fig6 ). the two slots 154 between the first and second upper legs 146 , 148 , respectively , and the tongue 150 frictionally engage the mounting lip 74 , and the channel 162 in the flexible arm 156 captures the support ridge 94 , with the second ridge 160 of the flexible arm 156 being accommodated by the sloped channel 96 integrally formed in the arcuate cover 60 ( fig1 b ). referring next to fig1 , 10 , 11 a , 11 c , and 11 d , the power supply 24 and hardware for mounting it to the head rail 12 are next described . as shown to best advantage in fig1 and 2 , the power supply 24 is mounted on the back side of the head rail 12 and is thereby substantially hidden from view . fig1 a is an exploded view of the components comprising the power supply 24 . the battery pack mounting brackets 22 are attached to the arcuate cover 60 as previously described . the appropriate distance , which is a function of the length of the battery tube ( or battery pack ) 206 which itself is a function of the energy requirements of the control system , is established between the mounting brackets 22 using a distancing strip 164 ( see fig1 and 11 a ). as shown in fig1 and 11a , the distancing strip 164 has a lip 166 on each end of it and a hole 168 near each end of it . the lip 166 on one end of the distancing strip 164 clips over one mounting bracket 22 , while the lip 166 on the opposite end of the distancing strip 164 clips over the edge of the other battery pack mounting bracket 22 . the distancing strip 164 in position with the lips 166 so arranged with respect to the battery pack mounting brackets 22 is most clearly shown in fig1 . a strip bed 170 ( fig1 a ) is defined in the bottom of each battery pack mounting bracket 22 , and a placement pin 172 projects from the bottom of the strip bed 170 . the strip bed 170 is approximately as deep as the distancing strip 164 is thick . thereby , when the distancing strip 164 is properly placed , the placement pin 172 in each battery pack mounting bracket 22 is accommodated by the holes 168 in the distancing strip 164 , and the strip bed 170 in each battery pack mounting bracket 22 is substantially filled by the distancing strip 164 . once the first and second battery pack mounting brackets 22 are attached to the arcuate cover 60 , and are arranged the appropriate distance apart by the distancing strip 164 , the remainder of the power supply 24 may be assembled . a first conductor terminal plate 174 is attached to a conductor plate bed 176 in an adjustable , conductor - end anchor piece 178 ( fig1 a and 11 c ). the first conductor terminal plate 174 is metal , while the adjustable , conductor - end anchor piece 178 is plastic in the preferred embodiment . the first conductor terminal plate 174 may be snapped onto pins extending from the conductor plate bed 176 , or it may be bolted onto the conductor plate bed 176 , or the first conductor terminal plate 174 may be glued directly onto the conductor plate bed 176 . subsequently , a battery tube support piece 180 is attached to the adjustable , conductor - end anchor piece 178 ( best seen in fig1 c ). in the preferred embodiment , the battery tube support piece 180 snaps onto the adjustable , conductor - end anchor piece 178 . the battery tube support piece 180 includes a conductor port 182 ( fig1 a ). a second conductor terminal plate 184 is riveted to the battery tube support piece 180 in the preferred embodiment ( see fig1 c ). once the adjustable , conductor - end anchor piece 178 and the battery tube support piece 180 are fixed to one another in the manner described further below , a first locking lug 186 is attached to the adjustable , conductor - end anchor piece 178 . the locking lug 186 is inserted into a lug hole 188 in the adjustable , conductor - end anchor piece 178 . the first locking lug 186 includes a screwdriver slot 190 in a cylindrical portion 192 , and an irregular , enlarged portion 194 is adjacent the cylindrical portion 192 . the lug hole 188 includes an expansion slot 196 through the center of it . when the first locking lug 186 is rotated using a screwdriver inserted into the screwdriver slot 190 , the enlarged portion 194 of the first locking lug 186 tends to expand the expansion slot 196 , thereby preventing the adjustable , conductor - end anchor piece 178 from sliding in the first battery pack mounting bracket 22 . the adjustable , conductor - end anchor piece 178 includes a first lip 198 and a second lip 200 near its bottom surface ( fig1 c ). once the first locking lug 186 is inserted into the lug hole 188 in the adjustable , conductor - end anchor piece 178 , and after the first conductor terminal plate 174 has been attached to the adjustable , conductor - end anchor piece 178 , and the battery tube support piece 180 has been attached to the adjustable , conductor - end anchor piece 178 , the first lip 198 may be slid into a first groove 202 of the first battery pack mounting bracket 22 , while the second lip 200 is slid into a second groove 204 of the first battery pack mounting bracket 22 . when the adjustable , conductor - end anchor piece 178 is thus slid into the first battery pack mounting bracket 22 , the anchor piece 178 rides on top of the distancing strip 164 , thereby keeping the distancing strip 164 in its strip bed 170 , and keeping the first locking lug 186 in the lug hole 188 in the anchor piece 178 . once the anchor piece 178 is positioned at a desired location , the first locking lug 186 may be rotated to expand the expansion slot 196 and thereby nonpermanently fix the anchor piece 178 to the first battery pack mounting bracket 22 . the power supply 24 on the preferred embodiment also includes a side - by - side battery tube 206 , which , in the preferred embodiment , holds eight aaa batteries 208 . one end of the battery tube 206 includes a fixed end cap 210 having two external conductor strips on it . the second external conductor 212 is visible in fig1 a . the opposite end of the battery tube includes a removable end cap 214 having a conductive strip 216 on its inner surface to connect the four batteries 208 in one side of the battery tube 206 in series with the four batteries 208 on the opposite side of the battery tube 206 . the removable end cap 214 also includes a figure eight portion 218 , which fits into an end of the side - by - side battery tube 206 until the conductive strip 216 contacts the batteries 208 in the battery tube 206 . the removable end cap 214 also includes a cylindrical portion 220 that is cradled by a compression spring slider piece 222 ( see fig1 d ). when the fixed end cap 210 of the battery tube 206 is properly inserted into the battery tube support piece 180 , the external conductors on the fixed end cap 210 make electrical contact with the first and second conductor terminal plates 174 , 184 , respectively ( both may be seen in fig1 c ). in particular , the second external conductor 212 on the fixed end cap 210 makes electrical contact with the second conductor terminal plate 184 , which is riveted to the conductor port 182 in the battery tube support piece 180 . similarly , the first external conductor on the fixed end cap 210 makes electrical connection with the first conductor terminal plate 174 mounted in the conductor plate bed 176 of the adjustable , conductor - end anchor plate 178 . as shown in fig1 c , a first wire lead 224 is soldered to the first conductor terminal plate 174 , and a second wire lead 222 is soldered to the second conductor terminal plate 184 . the cylindrical portion 220 of the removable end cap 214 is supported by the compression spring slider piece 222 ( fig1 and 11 d ). the compression spring slider piece 222 includes an arcuate support surface 228 that cradles the cylindrical portion 220 of the removable end cap 214 . an arcuate outer wall 230 also engages the cylindrical portion 220 of the removable end cap 214 . an abutment surface 232 extends between the arcuate support surface 228 and the arcuate outer wall 230 , and this abutment surface 232 presses against the end of the removable end cap 214 , holding it in position . one side of the compression spring slider piece 222 includes a range - limiting bracket 234 . the range - limiting bracket 234 extends around and behind an upright wall 236 of a compression spring anchor piece 238 . a compression spring 240 maintains pressure between the compression spring anchor piece 238 and the compression spring slider piece 222 . the compression spring slider piece 222 and the compression spring anchor piece 238 each includes a spring - mounting pin 242 having an outside diameter that is substantially the same size as the inside diameter of the compression spring 240 . the compression spring 240 may be thereby slid onto the spring - mounting pins 242 . to assemble the three primary components that support the removable end cap 214 , a second locking lug 244 ( which is the same as the first locking lug 186 in the preferred embodiment ) is inserted into a lug hole 246 in the compression spring anchor piece 238 . this lug hole 246 ( visible in fig1 a and 11d ) similarly is divided by an expansion slot 248 in the base of the compression spring anchor piece 238 . the compression spring anchor piece 238 includes a first lip 250 and a second lip 252 . the first lip 250 is slidably engaged in a first groove 254 of the second battery pack mounting bracket 22 , while the second lip 252 of the compression spring anchor piece 238 is slidable engaged in a second groove 256 of the second battery pack mounting bracket 22 . since the first and second battery pack mounting brackets 22 are the same in the preferred embodiment , the first groove 254 of the second battery pack mounting bracket is the same as the first groove 202 of the first battery pack mounting bracket . similarly , the second groove 256 of the second battery pack mounting bracket is the same as the second groove 204 of the first battery pack mounting bracket . when the anchor piece 238 is thus slid into the second battery pack mounting bracket 22 , the underside ( not labeled ) of the anchor piece 238 keeps the distancing strip 164 in the strip bed 170 of the second battery pack mounting bracket 22 , and the second locking lug 244 is held in the lug hole 246 . the compression spring slider piece 222 also includes a first lip 258 and a second lip 260 . the compression spring 240 is slid over the mounting pin 242 of the anchor piece 238 , and then the first and second lips 258 , 260 , respectively , of the compression spring slider piece 222 are slid into the first and second grooves 254 , 256 , respectively , of the second battery pack mounting bracket 22 , while ensuring that the range - limiting bracket 234 is placed around the upright wall 236 of the compression spring anchor piece 238 . once the anchor piece 238 and the slider piece 222 are each inserted into the grooves 254 , 256 of the second battery pack mounting bracket 22 , and the compression spring 240 is properly placed between these two pieces 238 , 222 , they may be placed in a desired position along the first and second grooves 254 , 256 , respectively . once the anchor piece 238 is properly positioned , a screwdriver blade is inserted into the screwdriver slot of the second locking lug 244 , and the second locking lug 244 is rotated to spread the expansion slot 248 and thereby hold the compression spring anchor piece 238 in the desired position in the first groove 254 and second groove 256 of the second battery pack mounting bracket 22 . the compression spring anchor piece 238 thereby also keeps the compression spring slider piece 222 from falling out of the first groove 254 and second groove 256 of the second battery pack mounting bracket 22 . if the slider piece 222 slides in a first direction , it eventually compresses the compression spring 240 enough that the slider piece 222 cannot slide any further in the first direction . if , on the other hand , the slider piece 222 slides in the opposite direction , the range - limiting bracket 234 eventually gets caught by the upright wall 236 of the compression spring anchor piece 238 . when the removable end cap 214 is properly mounted to the end of the battery tube 206 , it may be slid into the compression spring slider piece 222 . in order to insert the battery tube 206 into position , it may be necessary to manually force the slider piece 222 toward the anchor piece 238 , thereby compressing the compression spring 240 to provide sufficient space to slip the cylindrical portion 220 of the removable end cap 214 into frictional engagement with the arcuate support surface 228 and the arcuate outer wall 230 of the compression spring slider piece 222 . when the compression spring 240 is permitted to force the compression spring slider piece 222 away from the compression spring anchor piece 238 , the pressure generated by the spring 240 maintains the battery tube 206 in the desired position between the battery tube support piece 180 and the compression spring slider piece 222 . fig1 c and 11d show details concerning the hardware that support the ends of the battery tube 206 depicted in fig1 a . referring first to fig1 c , details concerning the adjustable , conductor - end anchor plate 178 and the battery tube support piece 180 are described next . fig1 c shows details of the two pieces that support the fixed end cap 210 of the battery tube 206 , namely the adjustable , conductor - end anchor piece 178 and the battery tube support piece 180 . the conductor - end anchor piece 178 includes a conductor plate bed 176 integrally formed therein ( see fig1 a for a clear view of the conductor plate bed 176 ). as shown in fig1 c , the first conductor terminal plate 174 is mounted in the conductor plate bed 176 , and a first wire lead 224 is soldered to the first conductor terminal plate 174 . near the mid section of the conductor end anchor piece 178 are two upright support arms 262 , each having a hole in its distal end ( see fig1 c ). these substantially vertical upright support arms 262 flex outward slightly so that the holes in the support arms 262 will snap over the mounting pins 264 on the battery tube support piece 180 when the battery tube support piece 180 is snapped into position . on the left end of the conductor - end anchor piece 178 , as depicted in fig1 c , is a lug hole 188 and expansion slot 186 , which are both integrally formed in the conductor - end anchor piece 178 . the lug hole 188 rotatably accommodates the cylindrical portion 192 of the first locking lug 186 . the bottom side ( not shown ) of the conductor - end anchor piece 178 , below the lug hole 188 shown in fig1 c , is cut out to accommodate the enlarged portion 194 of the first locking lug 186 . the cylindrical portion 192 has a screwdriver slot 190 formed therein . when the first locking lug 186 is positioned in the lug hole 188 and a screwdriver is used to rotate the locking lug 186 , the enlarged portion 194 of the locking lug 186 expands the expansion slot 196 in a known manner to force the first lip 198 and second lip 200 apart . thus , when the first lip 198 of the conductor - end anchor piece 178 is in the first groove 202 of the first battery pack mounting bracket 22 and the second lip 200 is in the second groove 204 of the first battery pack mounting bracket 22 , rotation of the locking lug 186 nonpermanently fixes the position of the conductor - end anchor plate 178 relative to the first battery pack mounting bracket 22 . the battery tube support piece 180 includes a pair of mounting pins 264 that are pivotally accommodated by the substantially vertical upright support arms 262 of the conductor - end anchor piece 178 . the mounting pins 264 are positioned below the conductor port 182 ( visible in fig1 a ) of the battery tube support piece 180 . the mounting pins 264 , which define the pivot axis of the battery tube support piece 180 are also mounted below the center of the abutment surface 266 of the support piece 180 ( the center of the abutment surface 266 roughly corresponds to the position of the conductor port 182 , which has the second conductor terminal plate 184 riveted to it in fig1 c ). thus , when the fixed end cap 210 of the battery tube 206 is positioned against the abutment surface 26 of the battery tube support piece 180 , pressure exerted by the fixed end cap 210 against the abutment surface 266 tends to rotate the battery tube support piece 180 , if at all , counterclockwise about the mounting pins 264 depicted in fig1 c . this counterclockwise rotation of the battery tube support piece 180 in the holes in the upright support arms 262 of the conductor - end anchor piece 178 rotates the trailing edge 268 of the support piece 180 against the surface of the conductor - end anchor piece 178 . as clearly shown in fig1 c , the second conductor terminal plate 184 is riveted in the conductor port 182 ( visible in fig1 a ), and the second wire lead 226 is soldered to the second conductor terminal plate 184 , which is visible in fig1 c . when the battery tube 206 is correctly positioned in the battery tube support piece 180 , and the battery tube support piece 180 is snapped into position in the conductor - end anchor piece 178 , the batteries 208 in the battery tube 206 are connected in series with the first wire lead 224 and the second wire lead 226 . the first and second lead wires 224 , 226 , respectively , are then connected to a plug 270 , which may be seen in fig3 . once the power supply 24 is positioned on the back of the head rail 12 , the plug 270 on the end of the first wire lead 224 and the second wire lead 226 is plugged into a power connection port 272 visible in , for example , fig3 and 14 . focusing now on fig1 d , the details concerning the hardware components that support the removable end cap 214 of the battery tube 206 are described next . the compression spring anchor piece 238 includes a lug hole 246 divided by an expansion slot 248 . the lateral edges of the bottom portion of the anchor piece 238 comprises a first lip 250 and a second lip 252 . when the anchor piece 238 is correctly positioned in the second battery pack mounting bracket 22 ( fig1 a ), the first lip 250 rides in the first groove 254 and the second lip 252 rides in the second groove 256 . once the anchor piece 238 is correctly positioned in the second battery pack mounting bracket 22 , the locking lug 244 is rotated in the lug hole 246 to expand the expansion slot 248 and frictionally bind the anchor piece 238 in the second battery pack mounting bracket 22 . the anchor piece 238 also includes a substantially vertical upright wall 236 that has a spring mounting pin 242 integrally formed thereon . once the anchor piece 238 is properly positioned , the compression spring 240 may be slipped onto the spring mounting pin 242 of the anchor piece 238 . the spring mounting pin 242 is designed to frictionally fit into the inside of the compression spring 240 . the compression spring slider piece 222 is next positioned in the second battery pack mounting bracket 22 by placing the range - limiting bracket 234 around the upright wall 236 of the compression spring anchor piece 238 and slipping the first lip 258 and the second lip 260 on the bottom lateral edges of the slider piece 222 into the first groove 254 and second groove 256 on the second battery pack mounting bracket 22 . the side of the abutment surface 232 that is not visible in fig1 d has a spring mounting pin like the pin 242 integrally formed on the compression spring anchor piece 238 . this spring mounting pin rides inside the opposite end of the compression spring 240 , thereby trapping the compression spring 240 between the compression spring anchor piece 238 and the compression spring slider piece 222 . when thus mounted , the compression spring slider piece 222 is prevented from sliding off the second battery pack mounting bracket 22 by the interaction between the range - limiting bracket 234 and the upright wall 236 , and the interaction between the first lip 258 and second lip 260 of the slider piece 222 in the first groove 254 and second groove 256 , respectively , of the second battery pack mounting bracket 22 . the slider piece 222 may , however , slide toward and away from the compression spring anchor piece 238 a predetermined amount by applying varying amounts of pressure to the abutment surface 232 and thereby compressing the compression spring 240 or permitting it to expand . the arrangement depicted in fig1 d thereby maintains longitudinal pressure on the battery tube end caps 210 , 214 , which enhances the battery tube &# 39 ; s ability to maintain a complete electrical circuit . fig1 shows a cross - sectional view of the gear motor 144 and the circuit board housing 274 , which protects a circuit board 276 ( see fig1 ) that controls operation of the gear motor 144 . in the preferred embodiment , the gear motor 144 , which is powered through first and second power terminals , 145 , 147 , respectively , is a reversible , direct current ( dc ) motor . also shown in fig1 is a signal receiver 278 and a manual operation switch 280 . as shown in fig1 , the circuit board housing 274 includes ports that accommodate the signal receiver 278 and a plug 282 . depending upon the particular mounting of the retractable covering 14 , the signal receiver 278 and the plug 282 may be interchanged to facilitate the clearest line of sight from the remote control 18 to the signal receiver 278 . referring now to fig1 and 15 , additional details concerning the drive end of the head rail 12 are visible . a power connection port 272 is visible in fig1 . when the power supply 24 is properly mounted on the head rail 12 as previously described , a plug 270 ( visible in fig3 ) connected to the first wire lead 224 and the second wire lead 226 is plugged into the power connection port 272 shown adjacent the circuit board housing 274 in fig1 . the power connection port 272 is connected by a ribbon cable 284 to the circuit board 276 inside of the circuit board housing 274 . the gear motor 144 shown in fig1 has a gear shaft 286 attached to it . the gear shaft 286 is clearly visible in fig1 . the distal end of the gear shaft includes a pair of locking tabs 288 . surrounding a portion of the gear shaft 286 is a motor gear 290 . in the preferred embodiment , the motor gear 290 comprises fifteen teeth or splines . in the preferred embodiment , three orbiting transfer gears 292 slide onto corresponding dowels or pivot pins 294 mounted at equal intervals around the motor gear 290 so as to meshingly engage the motor gear 290 . in the preferred embodiment , the orbiting transfer gears 292 each comprises twenty - one teeth or splines . subsequently , an internal gear 296 is slid over the orbiting transfer gears 292 so that the internal gear 296 meshes with the three orbiting transfer gears 292 . in the preferred embodiment , the internal gear 296 comprises fifty - eight teeth or splines . when the internal gear 296 is sufficiently slid onto the orbiting transfer gears 292 , the pair of locking tabs 288 on the distal end of the gear shaft 286 retain the internal gear 296 in position . as shown to good advantage in fig1 and 15 ( see also fig2 and 22 ), the internal gear 296 has extended ribs 297 on its outer surfaces 299 . these extended ribs 297 ride in an alignment channel 301 comprising part of the roll bar 138 . thus , when the gear motor 144 drives the internal gear 296 , that in turn drives the roll bar 138 through the interaction between the extended ribs 297 and the alignment channel 301 . a plurality of smaller ribs 303 ride on the inner surface of the roll bar 138 when it is mounted on the internal gear 296 . fig1 is an exploded isometric view of the circuit board 276 in the circuit board housing 274 . clearly visible in fig1 is the signal receiver 278 and the signal receiver wiring 298 shown in two selectable positions . the signal receiver 278 may be mounted in either side of a circuit board housing cover 300 , depending upon the intended mounting location for the covering 14 . in the preferred embodiment , the signal receiver wiring 298 has a plug 302 soldered to it that plugs into an appropriate socket 304 on the circuit board 276 . the ribbon cable 284 that joins the circuit board 276 to the power connection port 272 ( fig1 ) may be seen in fig1 . also , a rotator counter 306 that provides required position information to the electronics may be seen in fig1 . fig1 , 18 , 19 , and 20 show the primary features of the remote control 18 . fig1 is an isometric view of the top surface of the remote control 18 . clearly visible in fig1 is a frequency selection switch 308 . in the preferred embodiment , it is possible to select one of two control frequencies so that more than one retractable covering 14 may be separately controlled by a single remote control 18 . mounted just below the frequency selection switch 308 , as depicted , is a control rocker switch 310 . also shown in fig1 is a control signal 312 emanating from the end of the remote control 18 . fig1 is an exploded isometric view of the back side of the remote control 14 showing a battery housing cover 314 and a locking tab 316 that holds the battery housing cover 314 in position over the three aaa batteries 318 used by the remote control 18 in the preferred embodiment . fig1 is a top view of the remote control 18 and shows further details of the control switches . in particular , the control rocker switch 310 includes a raised up arrow 320 and a recessed down arrow 322 . since the up arrow 320 is slightly raised and the down arrow 322 is slightly recessed , it is possible to use the remote control 18 in low light or no light conditions . also visible in fig1 is a transmission indicator led 324 . when the up arrow 320 or down arrow 322 on the rocker switch 310 is pressed , the transmission indicator led 324 lights so that the user knows that the remote control 18 is attempting to transmit a signal 312 to the receiver 278 mounted in the head rail 12 . finally , fig2 shows an end view of the remote control 18 along line 20 — 20 of fig1 . clearly visible in fig2 is the control signal transmitter port 326 ( this port is also shown in phantom in fig1 ). the control signal 312 emanates from the transmitter port 326 . thus , the transmitter port 326 must be aimed at the receiver 278 during transmission . fig2 depicts the limit stop 26 operating to prevent the roll bar 138 from over - rotating and thereby over - extending the covering 14 . as previously discussed , if the gear motor 144 attempts to over - extend the covering 14 , the forward extending stop rib 142 will engage the pocket 140 defined by the main body 113 and the curvilinear portion 136 of the working half 108 of the limit stop 26 . the locking engagement between the forward extending stop rib 142 and the pocket 140 prevents the roll bar 138 from continuing to rotate . when the roll bar 138 is thus stopped from rotating , the electronics continue to command the drive motor 144 to rotate the roll bar 138 , but no rotation results . after a short duration , the electronics realize that the gear motor 144 is stalled and command the gear motor 144 to stop attempting to extend the covering 14 . fig2 also clearly shows a first sheet - retention channel 305 retaining the first flexible sheet 28 , and a second sheet - retention channel 307 retaining the second flexible sheet 30 . when the control system is commanded to retract the covering 14 , the forward extending stop rib 142 is easily rotated out of engagement ( counterclockwise in fig2 ) with the pocket 140 on the underside of the limit stop 26 and , as the covering 14 is wound around the roll bar 138 , it rolls over the top of the forward extending stop rib 142 , thereby covering it . when the covering 14 is not fully extended , the forward extending stop rib 142 is covered or concealed by the covering 14 . thus , if the system is commanded to extend the covering 14 , and the covering 14 is not yet fully extended , the curvilinear portions 136 of the stop limit 26 slide over the exterior surface of the covering 14 , and the forward extending stop rib 142 does not and cannot become trapped in the pocket 140 behind the curvilinear portions 136 . when the control system is operating properly , the forward extending rib 142 does not get caught in the pocket 140 since the control system commands extension of the covering 144 to stop before it attempts to over - rotate the roll bar 138 and over - extend the covering 14 . this latter , more typical , operation of the control system is shown in fig2 . the general operation of the remotely - controllable the retractable covering 10 of the present invention is described next . the covering 14 may be in the configuration depicted in fig2 , which is in its most retracted configuration . from this fully retracted configuration , the operation of the remotely - controllable retractable covering 10 proceeds as follows . if the down arrow 322 on the remote control 18 is pressed and released one time , the gear motor 144 begins to drive the roll bar 138 to extend the covering 14 ( i . e ., clockwise as depicted in fig2 - 24 ). if no additional buttons are pressed on the remote control 18 , the motor 144 continues to drive the roll bar 138 until the covering 14 is fully extended , but in a minimum transmissivity configuration ( i . e ., the vanes 32 between the first flexible sheet 28 and the second flexible sheet 30 are blocking the maximum amount of light and air transmission through the covering ). this configuration is not shown separately in the figures , but the bottom rail 16 would be in a position similar to that depicted in fig2 , and the covering 14 would be otherwise filly extended . then , if the down arrow 322 is pressed and released a second time while the covering 14 is in the fully extended configuration , the gear motor 144 again rotates the roll bar 138 ( clockwise as depicted in fig2 ) until the bottom rail 16 is horizontal and the transmissivity through the covering 14 is at a maximum ( i . e ., the vanes 32 between the first flexible sheet 28 and the second flexible sheet 30 are in a substantially horizontal configuration ). this configuration of the covering 14 is shown in fig2 . when the blind is in the resulting “ fully opened ” configuration , any further pressing of the down arrow 322 on the remote control 18 has no effect on the configuration of the covering 14 . if , instead , the up arrow 320 on the remote control 18 is pressed and released one time while the covering 14 is in its fully opened configuration ( the fig2 configuration ), the gear motor 144 rotates the roll bar 138 until the covering 14 is in its “ fully closed ” configuration ( i . e ., until the vanes 32 between the first flexible sheet 28 and the second flexible sheet 30 are substantially vertical and block the maximum amount of light or air attempting to pass through the covering 14 ). this latter configuration change involves rotating the roll bar 138 in a counterclockwise direction as depicted in fig2 . the covering 14 then remains in its fully extended but minimally transmissive configuration until another button 320 , 322 is pressed on the remote control 18 . if the up arrow 320 is again pressed and released , the gear motor 144 is commanded to drive the roll bar 138 until the covering 14 is in its fully retracted configuration ( shown in fig2 ), which is the configuration from which operation of the retractable covering commenced in this example . whenever the covering 14 is in motion , that motion may be interrupted by pressing and releasing either the up arrow 320 or the down arrow 322 on the remote control 18 . the up - and - down operation of the covering 14 and the transmissivity - adjustment of the covering 14 may both be interrupted by pressing either the up arrow 320 or the down arrow 322 on the remote control 18 . for example , if the gear motor 144 has been commanded to extend the covering 14 , and the bottom rail 16 is traveling downward but has not yet reached its lowest point of travel ( see fig2 ), if either the up arrow 320 or the down arrow 322 on the remote control 18 is pressed and released , the gear motor 144 is commanded to cease all motion of the covering 14 . if the down arrow 322 is then pressed and released , the gear motor 144 will be commanded to continue extending the covering 14 . if , on the other hand , the up arrow 320 is pressed and released after the covering 14 was stopped , the gear motor 144 will be commanded to reverse the direction of rotation of the roll bar 138 , and will begin to retract the covering 14 onto the roll bar 138 ( i . e ., the roll bar 138 will be rotated in the counterclockwise direction as depicted in fig2 - 24 ). similarly , if the covering 14 is being retracted and the up arrow 320 or the down arrow 322 is pressed and released , retraction of the covering 14 stops . then , if the up arrow 320 is pressed and released again , retraction of the covering 14 commences . if , on the other hand , the down arrow 322 is pressed and released after stopping the retraction of the covering 14 , the gear motor 144 will begin to rotate the roll bar 138 so as to extend the covering 14 . transmissivity of the extended covering 14 is also fully adjustable using the remote control 18 . when the covering 14 is in its fully extended configuration , the transmissivity of the covering 14 ( i . e ., the amount of light or air that is permitted to pass through the covering 14 ) may be adjusted by selectively pressing and releasing either the up arrow 320 or the down arrow 322 . when the covering 14 is in its fully extended configuration , the gear motor 144 operates in a second , slower speed . therefore , the transmissivity adjustments take place at the slower speed . the counter 306 used to determine the position of the covering 14 commands the gear motor 144 to operate at the slower speed for a predetermined number of counts from the fully extended configuration of the covering 14 . the counter 306 is thus able to inform the gear motor 144 via the circuit board 276 when the covering 14 is configured for maximum transmissivity , minimum transmissivity , or any desired level of transmissivity between the maximum and the minimum . the control system of the present invention uses counting as a primary means of controlling the position and orientation of the bottom rail 16 relative to the head rail 12 . in certain situations , the control system may place the gear motor 144 into a stall as a means of determining what configuration the covering 14 is in . for example , if the gear motor 144 attempts to over - extend the covering 14 , as depicted in fig2 , the forward extending stop rib 142 on the roll bar 138 will engage the pocket 140 behind the curvilinear portion 136 of the working half 108 of the limit stop 26 . if such capture of the forward extending stop rib 142 occurs , the gear motor 144 is thereby placed in a stall , which informs the circuitry that the gear motor 144 is attempting to over - rotate the roll bar 138 and over - extend the covering 144 . after being in a stall for a short period , the gear motor 144 is instructed to stop attempting to rotate the roll bar 138 . a second scenario where the gear motor 144 may be placed into a stall occurs when the covering 14 is fully retracted , as shown in fig2 . as shown , in the fully retracted configuration , an edge of the bottom rail 16 strikes the bottom rail stop arms 134 on the working half 108 of the limit stop 26 . this interaction between the bottom rail 16 and the stop arms 134 accomplishes two goals . first , when the gear motor 144 rotates the roll bar 138 sufficiently to drive an edge of the bottom rail 16 into the stop arms 134 , the curvilinear portions 136 on the underside , as depicted in fig9 b , of the working half 108 of the limit stop 26 are thereby raised off the roll bar 138 and the covering material 14 that has collected thereon . second , when the bottom rail 16 is captured by the bottom rail stop arms 134 , the gear motor 144 ultimately goes into a stall , and the control electronics recognize the stall and shut down the gear motor 144 . thus , the covering 14 takes on its fully retracted configuration , wherein the bottom rail 16 holds the working half 108 of the limit stop 26 off of the actual covering material 14 , which prevents the curvilinear portions 136 which ride on the covering material 14 as it is retracted or extended from creasing or denting , which may otherwise occur if the covering 14 is kept in a fully retracted configuration over an extended period of time . it is also possible to control the retractable covering apparatus of the present invention without using the remote control 18 . a manual operation switch 280 is mounted to the circuit board housing 274 and circuit board housing cover 300 ( see fig1 and 13 , for example ). selective pressing of the manual operation switch 280 permits a user to configure the covering 14 in any desired configuration that is obtainable through use of the remote control 18 . in general , with each press of the manual operation switch 280 , the control electronics on the circuit board 276 treat each press of the manual operation switch 280 as first a press of the up arrow 320 on the remote control 18 followed by a press of the down arrow 322 on the remote control 18 , or vice versa . in other words , each time the manual operation switch 280 is pressed , the control electronics interpret that as alternating presses of the up arrow 320 and down arrow 322 on the remote control 18 . an exception to this general rule by which the control electronics interpret the presses of the manual operation switch 280 occurs when the covering 14 is in its fully extended configuration . when the covering 14 is in the fully extended configuration , the control electronics must determine whether the user is attempting to retract the covering 14 or merely adjust the transmissivity of the fully extended covering 14 . for example , if the covering 14 is in its fully extended configuration and its minimally transmissive configuration ( i . e ., the covering 14 has just reached its fully extended configuration and stopped ), a subsequent press of the manual operation switch 280 is interpreted by the control electronics as a command to “ open ” the extended covering 14 , increasing the transmissivity thereof by rotating the roll bar 138 to move the vanes 32 to a more horizontal configuration . if the manual operation switch 280 is again pressed during adjustment of the transmissivity , the gear motor 144 is signaled to stop movement . if the covering 14 is thus placed in a configuration somewhere between its maximally transmissive configuration and its minimally transmissive configuration , a subsequent press and release of the manual operation switch 280 will either increase the transmissivity or decrease the transmissivity depending upon whether the transmissivity was increasing or decreasing when the manual operation switch 280 was pushed to stop motion of the gear motor 144 . if the transmissivity was being increased when the gear motor 144 was commanded to stop rotating the roll bar 138 , a subsequent press and release of the manual operation switch 280 will instruct the control electronics to command the gear motor 144 to continue increasing the transmissivity as long as the maximum transmissivity configuration had not yet been achieved . if , on the other hand , the transmissivity was being reduced when the manual operation switch 280 was pressed to stop rotation of the roll bar 138 , a subsequent press and release of the manual operation switch 280 will cause the control electronics to instruct the gear motor 144 to rotate the roll bar 138 to continue decreasing the transmissivity until the minimum transmissivity configuration is obtained or the manual operation switch 280 is again pressed , whichever occurs first . in summary , if the manual operation switch 280 is pressed while the gear motor 144 is rotating the roll bar 138 and the covering 14 has not yet reached a fully extended or fully retracted configuration , the gear motor 144 will be commanded to stop rotating the roll bar 138 . a subsequent press and release of the manual operation switch 280 will reverse the direction of rotation of the roll bar 138 . for example , if the covering 14 was being extended before the gear motor 144 was instructed to stop rotating the roll bar 138 , a subsequent press and release of the manual operation switch 280 will result in the gear motor 144 rotating the roll bar 138 so as to retract the covering 14 . on the other hand , if the gear motor 144 was driving the roll bar 138 so as to retract the covering 14 when the manual operation switch 280 was pressed to stop retraction of the covering 14 , a subsequent press and release of the manual operation switch 280 will cause the control electronics to command the gear motor 144 to rotate the roll bar 138 so as to extend the covering 14 . when the covering 14 is in the fully extended configuration ( see fig1 and 22 ), pressing and releasing the manual operation switch 280 does not necessarily reverse the direction of rotation of the roll bar 138 . the direction of rotation of the roll bar 138 is only reversed if the transmissivity has reached a maximum before the manual operation switch 280 is pressed and released two times . for example , if the transmissivity is being increased , but has not yet reached the maximum transmissivity configuration , when the manual operation switch 280 is pressed and released , rotation of the roll bar 138 stops . if the manual operation switch 280 is again pressed and released , the roll bar 138 is rotated in the same direction that it was previously rotating until the maximum transmissivity configuration is obtained . thus , the direction of rotation of the roll bar 138 is not always reversed following an interruption or stopping of the motion of the roll bar 138 while adjusting transmissivity ( i . e ., while the covering 14 is in its fully extended configuration ). fig2 a is a block diagram of the control system electronics . fig2 b and 25c are schematic diagrams of the control system electronics . the electronics are described next using fig2 a , 25 b , and 25 c . input power for the electronics is supplied by one or more batteries 208 connected in series . connected between the battery 208 and the microprocessor 328 is circuitry 330 that provides battery reversal protection , a voltage regulator , noise filters , and a fuse to an h bridge . the voltage regulator is always on , and the quiescent current for the regulator is about one micro amp . a resistor r 1 and two capacitors c 2 and c 5 together filter motor noise and prevent it from affecting the voltage regulator . a third capacitor c 3 provides additional power filtering . finally , the fuse f 1 provides fault protection to the h bridge circuit . the microprocessor 328 has a built in “ watch dog ” timer that is used to wake up the microprocessor from sleep mode . resistor r 2 and capacitor c 4 form an oscillator at nominally 2 . 05 mh (± 25 %). resistor r 0 allows for in - circuit programming . the receiver 278 in the preferred embodiment is a 40 khz infrared receiver connected to terminals p 3 and p 4 . power is supplied to the receiver directly from the microprocessor 328 . the output from the receiver 278 ( high when idle , low when a valid signal is being received ) is connected to the microprocessor 328 . an external photo - eye may be connected to terminal p 2 ( to board via jumper j 1 - 2 ). it is automatically used as soon as it is connected ( and the internal photo - eye is then ignored ). switch s 1 is the manual operation switch 280 , which is shown , for example , in fig1 . a slotted optical sensor 306 is mounted for rotation with the roll bar 138 . a light emitter used in conjunction with the slotted optical sensor 306 is on only when the microprocessor 328 needs to check the sensor 306 , and is driven by the microprocessor 328 with current limiting resistor r 3 . the output of the sensor ( an open collector transistor ) is connected to a microprocessor pin with an internal pull - up resistor . three leads from the microprocessor 328 control the h bridge : left ( left n mosfet ), right ( right n mosfet ), and run ( which turns on the appropriate p mosfet ). the n mosfets ( q 1 a and b ) are turned on by placing five volts on the gate . a p mosfet ( q 2 a or b ) will be turned on when the run signal is high and either left or right is low . when this happens , q 3 a or b will turn on and pull the gate of q 2 a or b to ground , which turns it on ( r 4 a or b pulls the gate to the same level as the source , and keeps the p mosfet off ). this setup only allows a p mosfet to be on if the n mosfet on the same side is off . if both left and right are low when run is active , then both p mosfets will turn on and act as a brake . diodes internal to the p mosfets provide protection from back emf from the motor . the output of the h bridge connects to the motor via jumper j 3 - 4 , then via connector p 5 or p 6 depending on left versus right - hand operation . capacitor c 5 filters some of the high frequency noise from the motor . all times discussed in the present specification are nominal ; actual times vary by ± 25 %. also when the ir receiver is turned on , during the first millisecond ( msec ) of the interval the output is ignored to allow the unit to settle . the following discusses the modes of operation of the microprocessor 328 . normal sleep / wake operation : microprocessor 328 wakes up and checks the override button . if it is not pushed , the ir receiver 278 is turned on for 5 . 5 msec . any active ir signal will cause the receiver 278 to be turned on again for 55 msec looking for a valid signal . in sleep , the n mosfets are both on ( brake ), the p mosfets are off , the opto - sensor led is off , the ir receiver 278 power and signal leads are driven low , and the option and manual switches are driven low . this is the minimal power state . sleep lasts nominally 300 msec ( 210 minimum - 480 maximum ). this time is set by an rc timer inside the microprocessor 328 and is independent of the clock . if the override button was pushed , then the ir receiver 278 is not turned on yet . the motor will be activated in the opposite direction from the last movement , and then the ir receiver 278 will start cycling ( see below ). if any signals are present during the 5 . 5 msec test interval , then the receiver 278 stays off for 9 . 5 msec ( during this time no other components are on besides the microprocessor 328 ). then the receiver 278 is turned on for 55 msec . during this time , the receiver 278 is checked every 160 μsec . this data is checked by a state machine . at the end of the interval , the receiver 278 is shut off . if a valid sequence ( our channel either up or down ) was not received , then the microprocessor 328 goes back to a sleep mode . if a valid up ( down ) command was received , and the upper ( lower ) limit has not been reached , then the motor 144 is turned on going up ( down ). if the command was up ( down ), and the upper ( lower ) limit has been reached , then the remote button is checked to determine if it is held for more than 1 . 7 seconds . if so , then the limit is over - ridden and the motor 144 starts in the appropriate direction . if it later stalls , a new limit will be set . during this check , the microprocessor 328 stays on the entire time , and the receiver 278 is cycled 9 . 5 msec off , 55 msec on . motor running : the receiver 278 is cycled 9 . 5 msec off , 55 msec on . after the on time , the status is checked : ( 1 ) the button is still held from when the motor 144 started ( leave motor running ); ( 2 ) the button has been released ( leave motor running ); or ( 3 ) the button has been re - pushed which means stop ( see below ). in a similar fashion the manual override button is checked every cycle . if the opto - sensor 306 changes state , then the stall timer is reset and the revolution counter is updated depending on the direction the motor 144 and hence the covering are moving . if the covering is moving up , then it is checked to determine if it reached the upper limit , and if so , then the motor 144 is stopped . if the lower limit is reached and the covering is moving down , then the motor 144 is stopped . finally , the stall timer is checked . if it expires , then the motor is stopped and a new limit is set . stop : the p mosfets are turned off , and after 1 msec , the n mosfets are both turned on ( brake ), then the manual pushbutton and the ir remote are checked to determine that they are no longer pushed , then the microprocessor 328 reverts to a sleep mode . fig2 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , and 32 together comprise a flow chart representation of the logic used by the control system of the present invention . the logic may be implemented in software or firmware for execution by the microprocessor 328 . all times shown in the flow chart are nominal . actual times may vary in the preferred embodiment by ± 25 %. items in a box are actions that are performed . items in a diamond are tests that are made and the possible outcomes are written next to the arrows leaving the diamond . an arrow to a number goes to that number on another figure . the following ten scenarios provide insight into how the control system electronics follow the logic depicted in fig2 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , and 32 . batteries 208 first inserted , no buttons pushed . execution starts with item 400 in fig2 , then 402 to initialize the system . the system then stays in the idle loop with items 404 , 410 , 416 , and 420 . covering 14 not fully closed , motor 144 is stopped , the down button 322 on the transmitter 18 is pushed and released , and the user lets it go to the transition point . we are somewhere in the idle loop 404 , 410 , 426 , 420 when item 412 completes , the result of the test will be yes , moving to condition 2 ( i . e ., from element 414 on fig2 to element 432 on fig2 . item 434 ( fig2 ) will cycle the ir sensor 278 , which will decode the button , and we move to condition 4 ( i . e ., from element 448 on fig2 to element 458 on fig2 ), which executes items 460 and 462 , which starts the motor 144 going down , full speed , and we move to condition 7 ( i . e ., from element 464 on fig2 to element 490 on fig3 ). we are now in a loop doing item 492 . as the motor 144 turns , the rotating sensor 306 will change , causing us to go to condition 8 ( i . e ., from element 496 on fig3 to element 512 on fig3 ), and item 520 where we decrement the rotation counter . assuming we do not reach the transition point , we move back to condition 7 ( i . e ., from element 546 on fig3 to element 490 on fig3 ) and the loop doing item with the motor 144 running at full speed . task number 1 in item 492 will cause the system to check if the button 310 on the transmitter 18 is still pushed . when it is released , this is noted . the motor 144 continues , and we go back to the loop doing item 492 . finally , the covering 14 reaches the transition point . we go through items 514 , 520 , 524 , 532 , 536 ( fig3 ) and condition 10 ( i . e ., we move from element 542 of fig3 to element 506 of fig3 ), and item 508 which stops the motor 144 and puts us back in the idle loop 404 , 410 , 416 , 420 ( fig2 ). covering 14 not fully closed , motor 144 is stopped , the down button 322 on the transmitter 18 is pushed then released , and the user lets it go awhile , then pushes the button 322 again to stop the covering 14 partially closed . we got to the loop doing item 492 ( fig3 ) the same as scenario 2 . task number 1 in item 492 will cause the system to check if the button 322 on the transmitter 18 is still pushed . when it is released , this is noted . the motor 144 continues , and we go back to the loop doing item 492 . when the button 322 is re - pushed , this same task takes us to condition 10 where we go to item 508 , where we stop the motor 144 . we stay in item 508 until the button is released . then we go back to the idle loop 404 , 410 , 416 , 420 ( fig2 ). covering 14 not fully closed , motor 144 is stopped , the up button 320 on the transmitter 18 is pushed and released , and the user lets it go to the top limit . we are somewhere in the idle loop 404 , 410 , 416 , 420 ( fig2 ). when item 410 completes , the result of the test in item 412 will be “ yes ,” moving to condition 2 ( i . e ., we move from element 414 of fig2 to element 432 of fig2 ). item 434 will cycle the ir sensor 278 , which will decode the button 320 , and we move to condition 3 ( i . e ., we move from element 452 in fig2 to element 454 of fig2 ), which executes items 456 and 462 , which starts the motor 144 going up , full speed , and we now transfer from element 464 of fig2 to element 490 of fig3 . we are now in a loop doing item 492 . as the motor 144 turns , the rotation sensor will change , causing us to go to condition 8 ( i . e ., from element 496 of fig3 to element 512 of fig3 ) and item 518 , where we increment the rotation counter 306 . assuming we do not reach the top , we go back to the loop doing item 492 ( fig3 ) with the motor 144 running at full speed . task number 1 in item 492 will cause the system to check if the button 320 on the transmitter 18 is still pushed . when it is released , this is noted . the motor 144 continues and we go back to the loop doing item 492 . finally , the covering 14 reaches the upper limit . we go through items 514 , 518 , 526 ( fig3 ) and condition 10 ( i . e ., from element 530 of fig3 to element 506 in fig3 ), and item 508 , which stops the motor 144 and puts us back in the idle loop 404 , 410 , 416 , 420 . covering 14 not fully open , motor 144 is stopped , the up button 320 on the transmitter 18 is pushed then released , and the user lets it go awhile , then pushes the button 320 again to stop it partially open . we get to the loop doing item 492 ( fig3 ) the same as scenario 4 . task number 1 in item 492 will cause the system to check if the button 320 on the transmitter 18 is still pushed . when it is released , this is noted . the motor 144 continues , and we go back to the loop doing item 492 . when the button 320 is re - pushed , this same task takes us to condition 10 where we go to item 510 , where we stop the motor 144 . we stay in item 510 until the button 320 is released . then we go back to the idle loop 404 , 410 , 416 , 420 ( fig2 ). covering 14 at top limit , motor 144 is stopped , the up button 320 on the transmitter 18 is pushed and held until the limit is over - ridden , and the user lets it go to the top stall ( or stalls it partially open to set a new upper limit ). we are somewhere in the idle loop 404 , 410 , 416 , 420 ( fig2 ). when item 410 completes , the result of the test in item 412 will be “ yes ,” moving to condition 2 ( i . e ., from element 414 in fig2 to element 432 in fig2 ). item 434 will cycle the ir sensor 278 , which will decode the button 320 , and we move to condition 4 ( i . e ., from element 448 in fig2 to element 458 in fig2 ), which executes item 460 and 462 , which starts the motor 144 going down , full speed . we are now in a loop doing item 492 ( fig3 ). as the motor 144 turns , the rotation sensor will change , causing us to go to condition 8 ( i . e ., from element 496 on fig3 to element 512 on fig3 ) and item 520 , where we decrement the rotation counter 306 . assuming we do not reach the bottom , we go back to the loop doing item 492 with the motor 144 running at full speed . when the motor 144 reaches the top , or for any other reason stops rotating ( stalls ), the stall timer will time - out , and we go to condition 9 ( i . e ., from element 500 in fig3 to element 548 in fig3 ). we execute item 552 to set the new upper limit , then go to item 508 ( fig3 ), where we stop the motor 144 . then we go back to the idle loop 404 , 410 , 416 , 420 ( fig2 ). task number 1 in item 492 ( fig3 ) will cause the system to check if the button on the transmitter 18 is still pushed . when it is released , this is noted . the motor 144 continues and we go back to the loop doing item 492 . brand new covering 14 not at bottom , motor 144 is stopped , the down button 322 on the transmitter 18 is pushed and released , and the user lets it go to the bottom stall . we are somewhere in the idle loop 404 , 410 , 416 , 420 ( fig2 ). when item 410 completes , the result of the test in item 412 will be “ yes ,” moving to condition 2 ( i . e ., from element 414 in fig2 to element 432 of fig2 ). item 434 will cycle the ir sensor 278 , which will decode the button 322 , and we move to condition 4 ( i . e ., from element 448 of fig2 to element 458 of fig2 ) which executes item 460 and 462 , which starts the motor 144 going down , full speed . we are now in a loop doing item 492 ( fig3 ). as the motor 144 turns , the rotation sensor will change , causing us to go to condition 8 ( i . e ., from element 496 of fig3 to element 512 of fig3 ) and item 520 , where we decrement the rotation counter 306 . assuming we do not reach the bottom , we go back to the loop doing item 492 ( fig3 ) with the motor 144 running at full speed . when the motor 144 reaches the bottom , or for any other reason stops rotating ( stalls ), the stall timer will time - out , and we go to condition 9 ( i . e ., from element 500 of fig3 to element 548 of fig3 ). we execute item 554 ( fig3 ) to set the new lower limit and transition point , then go to item 508 ( fig3 ) where we stop the motor 144 . then we go back to the idle loop 404 , 410 , 416 , 420 ( fig2 ). task number 1 in item 492 ( fig3 ) will cause the system to check if the button 322 on the transmitter 18 is still pushed . when it is released , this is noted . the motor 144 continues and we go back to the loop doing item 492 . covering 14 fully closed , motor 144 is stopped , the down button 322 on the transmitter 18 is pushed unintentionally and released quickly . we are somewhere in the idle loop 404 , 410 , 416 , 420 ( fig2 ). when item 410 completes , the result of the test in item 412 will be “ yes ,” moving to condition 2 ( i . e ., from element 414 of fig2 to element 432 of fig2 ). item 434 will cycle the ir sensor 278 , which will decode the button 322 , and we move to condition 5 ( i . e ., from element 446 of fig2 to element 466 of fig2 ), which starts the loop running item 468 . when the user realizes the covering 14 is already down and releases the button 322 , we go to the idle loop 404 , 410 , 426 , 20 ( fig2 ). covering 14 fully open , motor 144 is stopped , the up button 320 on the transmitter 18 is pushed unintentionally and released . we are somewhere in the idle loop 404 , 410 , 416 , 420 ( fig2 ). when item 410 completes , the result of the test in item 412 will be “ yes ,” moving to condition 2 ( i . e ., from element 414 of fig2 to element 432 of fig2 ). item 434 will cycle the ir sensor 278 , which will decode the button 320 , and we move to condition 6 ( i . e ., from element 450 in fig2 to element 478 in fig2 ), which starts the loop running item 480 . when the user realizes the covering 14 is already down and releases the button 320 , we go to the idle loop 404 , 410 , 416 , 420 ( fig2 ). same as scenarios 2 - 6 but the manual button 280 is pushed instead of the ir button 310 . instead of moving to condition 2 we go to condition 1 ( i . e ., from element 408 in fig2 to element 422 in fig2 ). we then go the opposite way that we moved last time . we then go to condition 3 ( i . e ., from element 428 in fig2 to element 454 in fig2 ) or 4 ( i . e ., from element 430 in fig2 to element 458 in fig2 ) just like we pushed the appropriate button on the remote 18 . we get to loop doing item 492 ( fig3 ), and the scenarios are the same except we note the manual button 280 is released instead of the remote button 310 . if the manual button 280 is re - pushed ( as in scenario 3 or 5 ), then we execute item 508 , which stops the motor 144 , and then we go to the idle loop 404 , 410 , 416 , 420 ( fig2 ). although preferred embodiments of this invention have been described above , those skilled in the art could make numerous alterations to the disclosed embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of this invention . further , all directional references ( e . g ., up , down , leftward , rightward , bottom , top , inner , outer , above , below , clockwise , and counterclockwise ) used above are to aid the reader &# 39 ; s understanding of the present invention , but should not create limitations , particularly as to the orientation of the apparatus . it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not limiting . | 8 |
a pulse generator 9 provides various timing pulses to other elements of the system , including a master pulse which determines the frequency and duration of the power pulses . an automatic relay control 10 generates outputs responsive to the period of the master pulse . a pulse amplifier 11 responds to the master pulse to energize pulse drivers 13 . these drivers transmit power from a source 14 to turn on power output transistors in a power output control 15 . the power output control delivers d . c . pulses to the workpiece 17 and and tool 18 . the energy level of the pulse is controlled by resistor banks in the power output control inserted into the circuit by relays energized by relay drivers 19 , which are in turn controlled by signals from the relay control 10 . the emf across the tool - workpiece gap 21 is transmitted through lines 22 , 23 and 25 to a servo control 26 and the current cutoff control 27 . the current cutoff control also receives the master pulse from the pulse generator 9 and control signals from the relay control 10 . it acts through the pulse amplifier 11 to control power feed to the gap in the event of abnormal conditions . the servo control 26 may incorporate an electrohydraulic valve controlling a cylinder in the head feed 29 , which is mechanically connected to the tool 18 . the servo controlled feed may be interrupted by an interrupt circuit 30 responsive to a signal from the power output control . the interrupt circuit 30 also acts through a job circuit 31 to move the tool to or from working position . a transistor fail - pulse loss control 33 is provided to safeguard the machine and work against damage due to electrical system failures . this receives inputs from the pulse generator , the relay control , and the power output control and acts through a shutdown control 34 to put the system on stand - by , shutting off delivery of power from the output control 15 . this general description of a preferred edm control system should provide sufficient background for understanding the preferred environment of the servo control . referring now to fig2 this is a diagram of the preferred embodiment of the servo control circuit . this responds primarily to inputs of desired gap emf , actual gap emf , and the master pulse which controls the timing of the machining pulses . in the preferred embodiment , it delivers a variable reversible emf to a coil controlling a servo valve which directs hydraulic fluid to a tool feed cylinder . lines 22 and 23 connected respectively to the negative and positive sides of the machining gap enter fig2 at the upper left to provide an input of gap emf . line 22 provides a floating servo common for circuits to be described . line 23 is connected through 1 kilohm resistor 50 , 220 ohm resistor 51 , and 100 kilohm resistor 52 to the base of a transistor 54 and to common line 22 , as shown . the collector of this transistor is energized from plus 100 v . d . c . through 10 ohm resistor 55 , and its emitter is connected to common line 22 through 47 kilohm resistor 56 . a diode 58 is a clamp to protect the emitter - base circuit . emitter follower transistor 54 provides a stiff signal of increased power to a junction 59 . gap emf line 25 to the current cutoff control 27 is taken off from this junction . it also provides the input to a second emitter follower circuit which scales the signal down to about 1 / 3 level for the servo control . junction 59 connects through 10 kilohm resistor 60 , diode 62 , and 1 kilohm resistor 63 to the base of transistor 64 . the collector of 64 is energized from + 35 v . d . c . ( referred to line 22 ) through a 10 ohm resistor 66 , and the emitter connects to line 22 through a 4 . 7 kilohm resistor 67 . diode 68 protects the transistor . the input is filtered by 750 picofarad capacitor 70 and 10 kilohm resistor 71 . a 22 kilohm resistor 72 grounds the cathodes of diodes 62 and 68 to line 22 . the output of emitter follower 64 , at a junction 74 , is a stepped - down reproduction of gap emf . this control emf at junction 74 is directed through several circuits . that leading to the servo valve control runs through a diode 75 , type 1n4935 , having a maximum drop of 0 . 6 volts , and a 47 ohm resistor 76 to a 0 . 05 microfarad ceramic capacitor 78 the other side of which is grounded to common line 22 . the plus side of this capacitor is coupled through a 47 kilohm resistor 79 to a terminal 80 . this feeds into a high - impedance input of servo circuits to be described , which can drain the capacitor at a rate of only about 4 to 12 microamperes . it should be emphasized that small capacitor 78 is not an integrating device . it provides for temporary storage of the gap emf signal , and holds a relatively constant emf during the &# 34 ; off &# 34 ; or zero emf portion of the pulse cycle . in the event of abnormal gap conditions , it is very quickly drained , as will be explained after the description of the servo control output circuits . lines 80 and 22 are continued in the lower part of fig2 . the gap emf responsive potential between these lines proceeds through two concatenated emitter follower stages including transistors 82 and 83 . these are very small transistors , type 2n3903 . transistor 82 is a low drain emitter follower , transistor 83 is a signal power boost emitter follower . the collectors of these are energized from + 35 v . through 10 ohm resistor 84 . the base of 82 is directly connected to line 80 , and its emitter is grounded to line 22 through 33 kilohm resistor 86 and connected to the base of transistor 83 through 1 kilohm resistor 87 . diode 88 acts as an emitter - base clamp . the emitter of transistor 83 is grounded through 4 . 7 kilohm resistor 90 . the emitter provides a stiff master control signal to the input of differential output circuits , to be described , through a diode 91 and a 100 ohm resistor 92 . this control signal input goes to the base of an emitter follower transistor 93 . transistor 93 and a transistor 94 are in identical parallel circuits of a differential output control . transistor 93 receives a gap emf signal , transistor 94 a desired gap emf command signal . the output control energizes the tool feed control servo to maintain a match between these signals . the collectors of transistors 93 and 94 are energized in parallel from + 35 v . through a 10 ohm 1 / 2 watt resistor 95 . the base of transistor 93 receives a feedback signal as described above . the base of transistor 94 receives a potential representing a command input from a potentiometer 96 settable by the machine operator . this potentiometer is energized from + 35 v . through the potentiometer and a 5 . 1 volt zener diode 98 to common line 22 . the diode provides a 5 . 1 volt floor to the voltage taken from the slider of the potentiometer . this command signal is fed through 100 ohm resistor 99 and a diode 100 to the base of transistor 94 . as previously stated , transistors 93 and 94 are connected in identical parallel emitter follower circuits , energized from + 35v . through resistor 95 . the emitters of these transistors are connected through diodes 103 and 104 and 1 . 5 kilohm resistors 105 and 106 , respectively , to a junction 107 . this junction is grounded to common line 22 through the collector - emitter circuit of a transistor 108 and a diode 110 when gap conditions are normal . the emitters are connected to the bases through 10 kilohm resistors 111 and 112 . obviously , the emitters of transistors 93 and 94 follow the inputs on their bases , so the difference between potential levels at the emitters reflects the discrepancy or error between the control signal and the command signal . this is the output of the circuit . it is fed from line 114 through valve controlling solenoid 115 to the movable tap of a 2 . 5 kilohm potentiometer 116 connected between line 114 and line 117 . potentiometer 116 serves to attenuate the output under control of the machine operator to adjust the speed and acceleration of the tool feed servomechanism to the requirements of the particular machining operation . the potentiometer and coil are located on the machine remote from the control circuits . clearly the potential across coil 115 is substantially proportional to the difference between the inputs to transistors 93 and 94 . solenoid 115 , which is a 1200 ohm coil , drives a servo valve 120 , which may be of suitable known type , and which controls operation of a hydraulic cylinder ( not illustrated ) in head feed 29 which drives the tool 18 . what has been described would suffice as a servo control . however , this invention overcomes substantial defects of such a basic servo control by incorporation of circuits responsive to reverse bias on either diode 103 or 104 to provide a relatively low resistance shunt to the resistor 105 or 106 in the other side of the differential output control . referring first to the circuit through transistor 93 , its emitter is connected to the input circuit of an opto - coupler 125 of type til - 119 , the input circuit being completed to line 117 through a 10 ohm resistor 126 . the emitter is also connected through 100 ohm resistor 128 to the output of the opto - coupler , which is also connected to junction 107 . the other terminal of the output is connected through 100 ohm resistor 130 to line 117 . opto - coupler 125 is a known device commercially available from texas instruments , inc . it incorporates an infra - red emitting diode in the input circuit and a phototransistor in the output circuit . the connections to it are as indicated on fig2 . the opto - coupler acts as a transducer without any electrical coupling between input and output circuits . an identical opto - coupler is connected in the same way in the circuit of transistor 94 , through resistors 137 , 138 and 140 . in each case , terminals 1 and 2 connect to the anode and cathode , respectively , of the diode , and terminals 4 and 5 to the emitter and collector , respectively , of an npn phototransistor circuit . thus , the diode is forward - biased away from line 114 or line 117 . now , to explain the operation of this circuit , let us assume that the command signal fed to the base of transistor 94 is constant , which it normally is unless the machine operator adjusts potentiometer 96 to change the gap voltage setting . now , if gap voltage increases above the setting , base voltage on transistor 93 increases , becoming greater than the input to transistor 94 . the higher base voltage is followed by the emitter , increasing accordingly the potential on line 117 and the drop through resistor 105 . the higher potential feeds through potentiometer 116 and solenoid 115 to line 114 . with emitter potential of transistor 94 remaining substantially constant , diode 104 is backbiased , and the light - emitting diode in 136 is forwardbiased and conducts current from line 114 through resistors 137 and 138 to junction 107 . this turns on the transistor dircuit from line 114 through resistor 140 and the opto - coupler to junction 107 . as a result , 1500 ohm resistor 106 is shunted by 100 ohm resistor 140 and the output circuit of the coupler , which has a low drop . therefore , solenoid current flows through a roughly 100 ohm path to junction 107 instead of a 1500 ohm path , the heat losses are much reduced , and small resistors may be used . in the preferred embodiment , resistors 112 , 137 , and 140 are 1 / 4 watt , and resistors 106 and 105 are 2 watt . besides reducing heat generation in the solenoid control circuit , the reduction in resistance increases the flow through the solenoid 115 for a given differential between the two inputs at transistors 93 and 94 , increasing sensitivity and performance . if the control signal decreases below the command signal , operation will be obvious from the foregoing , since the circuits are symmetrical . in either case , the solenoid 115 operates through valve 120 to increase , decrease , or reverse the tool feed as required . it will be clear that the servo control circuit just described is usable with other types of servomechanisms which respond to an electrical input as , for example , electric motor servos . we now consider further refinements of the gap emf feedback circuit which provides the input to transistor 93 . as previously stated , a small capacitor 78 is charged through circuits including transistors 54 and 64 . the emf on this capacitor is fed to transistor 93 through transistors 82 and 83 . capacitor 78 is charged during machining cycle &# 34 ; on &# 34 ; period , and normally retains most of the charge during &# 34 ; off &# 34 ; time of the cycle . it is discharged rapidly to reverse servo feed if gap voltage during the &# 34 ; on &# 34 ; period becomes abnormally low . for these purposes , the servo control receives an input of the master pulse developed by pulse generator 9 , which master pulse also controls the duration of machining pulse on and off time . the master pulse enters the servo control at terminals 160 and 162 , which connect through 330 ohm resistor 163 to the input ( light - emitting diode ) terminals of a high - frequency opto - coupler 164 type 6n137 available from hewlett - packard . this coupler receives five volt energization from + 35 v . through a conventional circuit of resistors 166 and 167 and zener diode 168 . terminal 8 of the opto - coupler is connected to the output terminals through 1 kilohm resistor 170 and 0 . 01 mfd capacitor 171 as shown . output terminal 5 connects directly to the floating ground 22 and output terminal 6 to line 172 and thence through 2 . 2 kilohm resistor 174 and 10 kilohm resistor 175 to the floating ground . this provides an input through line 176 to the base of a transistor 177 , to be explained . line 172 also provides an input to logic circuits including four type dm7400 nand gates 180 , 182 , 184 and 186 . the signal on lines 160 and 162 is high when the machining gap is &# 34 ; on &# 34 ;, low when it is &# 34 ; off &# 34 ;. coupler 164 inverts this signal . gate 180 re - inverts the signal , which it receives through a 100 ohm resistor 187 . the output of gate 180 is grounded through one kilohm resistor 188 and connected through 220 ohm resistor 190 to one input 191 of nand gate 184 . junction 74 , which carries the stepped - down gap emf signal , is connected by line 192 , resistors 193 ( 3 . 3 kilohm ), 194 ( 4 . 7 kilohm ) 195 ( 220 ohms ) and 196 ( 1 kilohm ) and zener diode 198 , as shown , to both inputs of gate 182 and to ground at 22 . the zener limits the input to gate 182 to 5 volts . gate 182 is an inverter . during the &# 34 ; on &# 34 ; portion of the pulse cycle its input is high , and during the &# 34 ; off &# 34 ; period its input is low . it provides the inverse signal to the input 201 of nand gate 184 . a 1 kilohm resistor 202 connects this input to ground . since the input on line 191 to gate 184 is high during the pulse &# 34 ; on &# 34 ; period , and the input on line 201 is high when gap emf is low , gate 184 delivers a high signal except when gap emf is low during the &# 34 ; on &# 34 ; portion of the cycle . this output is then inverted by gate 186 , which delivers a high signal only when gap emf is low during the &# 34 ; on &# 34 ; portion of the cycle . gate 184 is connected to the inputs of gate 186 by a 470 ohm resistor 204 , and the inputs are grounded through 2 . 2 kilohm resistor 205 . this input is also connected through a 100 picofarad capacitor 206 to the inputs of inverter 180 . this feedback improves the output wave form of the logic circuits . the output from inverter 186 , which is high when gap emf is low during the machining pulse , is conducted through line 210 and diode 211 to a junction 212 for a purpose to be described . line 210 is grounded through 4 . 7 kilohm resistor 214 . this brings us to circuits involving transistors 177 and 217 for affecting the emf stored in capacitor 78 in response to abnormal gap conditions . the inputs to these circuits are ; first , stepped - down gap emf at junction 74 ; second , a signal on line 176 to transistor 177 , which is high when the master pulse is &# 34 ; off &# 34 ;; and third , one on line 210 from the logic circuits , which is high when gap emf is low . junction 74 is connected through 3 . 3 kilohm resistor 220 to the collector of transistor 177 , the emitter of which is grounded through diode 221 . this transistor acts as a clamp when the master pulse is &# 34 ; off &# 34 ;. the high signal to the base turns this transistor on to pull the potential at its collector down . this turns transistor 217 off . the collector of transistor 177 is connected through diode 224 and 2 . 2 kilohm resistor 225 to junction 212 . a 200 picofarad capacitor 226 bridges components 224 and 225 . junction 212 is grounded through 10 kilohm resistor 228 and coupled to the base of transistor 217 through a 470 ohm resistor 230 . junction 212 also receives an input from the logic circuits through diode 211 . therefore , if either of the inputs to junction 212 is high , transistor 217 is turned on . current then flows from a junction 234 through 4 . 7 kilohm resistor 236 , transistor 217 , and diode 238 to common line 22 . if transistor 217 is turned off , small storage capacitor 78 may discharge only slowly into the transistor 82 . however , when transistor 217 conducts , there is a low - resistance discharge path for capacitor 78 through resistor 236 . transistor 217 conducts when gap emf is low during the &# 34 ; on &# 34 ; time of the cycle . it is held off during the &# 34 ; off &# 34 ; time of the cycle . thus , if gap voltage drops to an abnormally low level during the metal - removing portion of the cycle , capacitor 78 is drained to cause the servo to back off ; but the normal drop in gap voltage during the &# 34 ; off &# 34 ; time of the cycle does not affect the capacitor which loses only a slight portion of its charge . since a drop in potential of capacitor 78 indicates to the servo valve control circuits that the tool is too close to the work , the servo circuits will react to stop or back off the tool in this case . however , when conditions at the gap are stable and satisfactory , the input to transistor 93 remains nearly constant . the machine operator may set the desired gap voltage at potentiometer 96 , and the servo will maintain it , responding when needed to low gap emf which may be caused by chips in the gap . gap emf may be indicated to the operator by a slowresponse voltmeter ( not shown ) connected to the emitter of transistor 83 . now to an additional feature of the servo control , which relates to control during traverse of the tool head . in brief outline , this involves means operative during traverse or jogging of the machine tool head to turn off the differential emitter follower circuit control of the servo valve 120 , and also means responsive to abnormally low gap emf to re - establish servo control . such abnormally low gap emf could be due to control between the tool and workpiece . a line 250 leading from the emitter of transistor 83 conducts a gap emf signal through a blocking diode 251 and 6 . 8 kilohm resistor 252 to the base of a transistor 254 , which is grounded to the common through 10 kilohm resistor 256 . the collector is energized from + 35 v . through 2 . 2 kilohm resistor 257 . the base is connected through diode 258 to the base of transistor 94 . a diode 259 connects the emitter of transistor 254 to the base . the emitter is connected to common through the input circuit of another opto - coupler 260 , type til - 119 , for a reason to be explained . if gap voltage is high , transistor 254 will turn on and pull its collector voltage down to about 2 volts , lower than can be set on potentiometer 96 . however , low gap voltage , turning the transistor off , sends a substantially 35 v . signal through diode 258 , overriding the signal from potentiometer 96 . this tells the servo control that gap emf is too low , and the servo will retract the tool . the maximum signal from transistor 254 or from the potentiometer is higher than the maximum input to transistor 93 , so that the machine is instructed that the gap is too short . the above assumes that the differential servo control circuit is operative . it is only when transistor 108 is conductive to allow flow to the floating common through the differential control circuit . transistor 108 normally is held conductive by an input from + 35 v . through a 1500 ohm resistor 264 , a blocking diode 265 , and a 100 ohm resistor 266 to its base . a 1 kilohm resistor 268 normally couples this base circuit to common . however , the base of transistor 108 is normally grounded during head traverse by an input from the cycle interrupt circuit 30 ( fig1 ). this circuit proceeds from an input connection 270 through the output circuit of opto - coupler 260 , a 100 ohm resistor 271 , a line 272 , and the input circuit of opto - coupler 274 of type til - 119 to ground . line 276 is a current return line to the cycle interrupt circuit 30 . capacitors 278 and 280 are 0 . 1 mfd and 6 . 8 mfd , respectively . these filter the circuits to ground . when the input of opto - coupler 274 is energized , its output circuit grounds the base of transistor 108 , turning it off and thus disabling the servo control valve 120 . this occurs in response to the input on line 270 from the cycle interrupt circuit . however , transistor 108 is turned back on during head traverse if a short circuit or other abnormally low gap condition occurs . if transistor 254 turns off in response to low gap emf , it deenergizes the input circuit of opto - coupler 260 , thereby opening its output circuit . this opens the input circuit of opto - coupler 274 , and thus breaks the ground on the base of transistor 108 . the differential circuit is thus restored to control of the servo valve . this function is very useful to terminate traverse of the tool to the work at the moment a proper machining gap is established . the utility , novelty , versatility , and economic practicability of the servo control system described above should be apparent to those skilled in the relevant arts . the precise description of the preferred embodiment is not to be considered as limiting the scope of the invention . | 1 |
there are generally two types of waves in the tow cable : transverse waves and longitudinal waves . the transverse waves tend to have very short wavelengths since their propagation speed is approximately where t is the tension , w is the weight per unit length , and g = 9 . 81 m / s 2 . in many applications , the tow cable is often very long ( a mile or more ) to reduce the noise radiated from the tow ship so that there are typically on the order of hundreds to thousands of transverse wavelengths in a tow cable . because of this large number of wavelengths , there is a tremendous amount of damping on any individual wave as it travels from one end of the cable to the other . this damping prevents the establishment of standing waves ( except in localized regions near reflective boundaries ) because each wave will be almost completely attenuated by the time it is reflected back to its original location . therefore , tuning the tow cable on the basis of transverse waves is all but impossible . longitudinal waves , on the other hand , have wavelengths that are much longer by virtue of a propagation speed governed by where e is the cable young &# 39 ; s modulus and ρ is the cable density . for longitudinal waves , there are only on the order of 1 to 10 wavelengths contained by a typical tow cable . because of this fact , standing waves over the length of the cable should be easily established , and therefore , tuning should be easily achieved . the amplitude of vibration at a towed streamer , array , or any other component is usually dominated by the longitudinal vibration component , which can be generated along the tow cable in two ways . the first way involves cable curvature : on any point on the cable , curvature causes some of the transverse component of motion to be converted into the longitudinal component and vice versa . the second way occurs due to the fact that the transverse component creates a localized region of curvature in the cable , which shortens the cable . this shortening , which generates longitudinal waves , occurs twice for each transverse wave cycle . therefore , the frequency of the longitudinal wave is double that of the transverse wave . note that the second wave of generating longitudinal waves usually leads to much greater amplitudes than the first . this fact is especially true for “ critical angle tow ” in which there is essentially no curvature since virtually the entire tow cable is at its critical angle ( the angle that the weight and drag balance ). the boundary conditions seen by the cable longitudinal waves are the winch ( which can be modeled as a rigid boundary ) and the towed component on the other end ( which can be modeled as a free boundary ). at the free boundary , the displacement is maximized while the tension approaches zero . if there are approximately an integral number of longitudinal wavelengths contained in the cable , the vibration at the aft end will be minimized . if , on the other hand , there are approximately an odd integral number of half wavelengths contained in the cable , the longitudinal vibration at the aft end will be maximized . referring to fig1 the generation of transverse waves according to this invention is illustrated in which a tow cable is shown at 10 . there is also shown the direction of tow 12 and a transverse wave 14 . the maximum positive and negative amplitudes of the transverse wave are shown at 16 and 18 , and another maximum positive amplitude is shown at 20 . directions of propagation are respectively at 22 and 24 in opposite directions coaxial with tow cable 10 . referring to fig2 a , there is shown a tow cable 26 and the direction of tow 28 . compressed region 30 is shown in which the strain is negative . a stretch region 32 is also shown where the strain is positive . referring to fig2 b , a graph of amplitude of the longitudinal wave against position is shown . the longitudinal wave 34 has a maximum positive amplitude 36 , a maximum negative amplitude 38 and another maximum amplitude 40 . directions of propagation are coaxial with the cable at opposite directions 42 and 44 . referring to fig3 a ship 46 is shown as well as a body of water 48 and atmosphere 50 . mounted on the deck of the ship 46 there is a winch 52 . tow cable 34 extends from winch 52 from a rigid boundary 56 and its proximate end to a free boundary 58 at its distal end . beyond the free boundary 58 there is a tow component 60 and an accelerometer 62 . the accelerometer 62 is in communication with a display 64 , which is in communication with a processor 66 which controls the operation of the winch 52 to let out or take in additional tow cable 34 . a display at the stop shows acceleration levels . the cable length can be changed at the winch in predetermined amounts ( e . g ., 100 feet ). a history of acceleration levels at each length is built up until the optimal length is obtained which minimizes the acceleration seen by the towed component . the entire process can easily be automated with a personal computer ( pc ) or some other processor that contains an algorithm that stores the history of acceleration levels vs . cable length and controls the winch to change the cable length until the optimal length is reached . it will be appreciated that a method has been provided which effectively reduces strum in tow cables . while the present invention has been described in connection with the preferred embodiments of the various figures , it is to be understood that other similar embodiments may be used or modifications and additions may be made to the described embodiment for performing the same function of the present invention without deviating therefrom . therefore , the present invention should not be limited to any single embodiment , but rather construed in breadth and scope in accordance with the recitation of the appended claims . | 6 |
referring now to the figures , wherein like reference numerals represent like parts throughout the several views , exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail . throughout this description , various components may be identified having specific values , these values are provided as exemplary embodiments and should not be limiting of various concepts of the present invention as many comparable sizes and / or values may be implemented . application ser . no . 62 / 168 , 250 filed may 29 , 2015 entitled “ automated helmet air bladder maintenance system and method ” is incorporated by reference in its entirety . application ser . no . 62 / 318 , 851 filed apr . 6 , 2016 also entitled “ automated helmet air bladder maintenance system and method ” is also incorporated by reference in its entirety . it should be further understood that the present invention is preferably directed to gas bladders used in football helmets . however , it is within the broadest scope of the invention to include any helmet that utilizes gas bladders to fit properly on a wearer &# 39 ; s head . fig2 shows the key components of the first embodiment system 120 of the present invention . in particular , the system 120 comprises a hand - held electrical pump 122 having wireless ( e . g ., bluetooth , ultra wideband , induction wireless , etc .) capability for communication 123 ( see fig2 h ) with a conventional wireless device 124 ( e . g ., a smartphone , a computer tablet , etc .) that is physically received within an adjustable wireless device cradle 122 b . the wireless device 124 comprises a software application ( as will be discussed in detail later ) that permits the operator to interface with the pump 122 to effect helmet air bladder inflation and maintenance . the wireless device 124 comprises a touch screen display 124 a that may include a variety of virtual buttons , keys and other icons that suffice for user input / output . it should be noted that it is within the broadest scope of the present invention that the wireless device 124 may also comprise a “ hard ” keypad as alternative , or in addition to , the touch screen display 124 a . the important feature is the ability to provide user input / output at the wireless device 124 . the pump 122 comprises a housing 122 a ( e . g ., an injection - molded pump enclosure ) that contains the pump hardware and electronics ( see fig2 h ). a keypad 122 c is included on the housing 122 a that is used by the operator , in conjunction with the wireless device 124 , to control the pump 122 , as will also be discussed later . a pump hose 122 d and related inflation needle 122 e for inserting into the gas bladder valve 3 is pneumatically interfaced with the pump hardware . the pump hose 122 d can be stowed on the back side of the cradle 122 b for compactness ( see fig2 d ). indicators ( generally shown by reference number 122 f ) provide the operator with general purpose status ( e . g ., bluetooth paring , pumping , key presses , battery status , etc . ; these may comprise 1 - 2 × led indicators ( rgb color )). as shown in fig2 a - 2c , the present invention 120 utilizes the accelerometer function of the wireless device 124 to determine the labels to be associated with the keys k 1 - k 4 on the keypad 122 c . in particular , fig2 a depicts a “ right - handed use ” whereby the operator holds the pump 122 in his / her left hand and operates the keypad 122 c using his / her right hand ; conversely , fig2 b depicts a “ left - handed use ” whereby the operator holds the pump 122 in his / her right hand and operates the keypad 122 c using his / her left hand . as shown most clearly in fig2 c , the keypad 122 c itself has no labels ; instead the labels appear in the corresponding display keypad 122 c ′ on the wireless device touch screen 124 a . the keys k 1 - k 4 are hard - wired to a microcontroller 130 ( see fig2 h , discussed later ). the microcontroller 130 also receives a variable from the wireless device 124 indicative of the orientation of the wireless device display 124 a . as such , depending on which key ( k 1 - k 4 ) is activated by the user and depending on the orientation of the display 124 a , the microcontroller 130 is able to assign the function to be achieved by the depression of the particular key . as such , if the pump 122 a and wireless device 124 are held in the orientation for right - handed use , depression of any key , k 1 - k 4 , will cause the microcontroller 130 to implement the function indicated in the display 124 a . if , on the other hand , the pump 122 a / wireless device 124 assembly are inverted as shown by the left - handed use orientation in fig2 c , the microcontroller 130 will implement the functions assigned to keys k 1 - k 4 shown in the display 124 a . as such , the upper key , whether its key k 1 in the right - handed orientation , or key k 2 in the left - handed orientation , the “ upper - oriented ” key will always implement an “ up ” or “ inflate ” function . the other keys k 3 - k 4 operate similarly . thus , no matter how the wireless device 124 is mounted within the cradle 122 b , the keys of the keypad 122 c always have the functions indicated , as shown in fig2 c . the keypad 122 c ( e . g ., 4 × tactile user interface buttons , momentary - on ) is centered and symmetric such that the pump 122 can be held by the left or right hand . fig2 d - 2e show the reverse side and front sides , respectively , of the present invention 120 without the wireless device 124 coupled thereto . in particular , as shown most clearly in fig2 e , the cradle 122 b comprises a platform section 122 h that couples to the pump housing 122 a . the platform 122 h comprises a raceway 1221 in which a displacement element 122 j slides in order to permit the cradle 122 b to accommodate differently - sized wireless devices 124 . a pair of springs 122 l / 122 m are secured within the raceway 1221 at their looped ends over platform hooks 122 q / 122 r and hooks 122 s / 122 t on the displaceable element 122 j ( see fig2 d ). to open the cradle 122 b , or to release the wireless device 124 therefrom , the operator displaces the element 122 j in the direction of the arrow 122 k in opposition to the springs &# 39 ; 122 l / 122 m bias ; the spring - bias ( e . g ., 5 lbs . of spring force ) then captures the right side of the wireless device 124 to hold the device securely in the cradle 122 b . fig2 d shows the reverse side of the pump housing 122 a and the cradle 122 b . as can be seen , the reverse side of the cradle 122 b also comprises air hose hooks 122 g that permit the gas hose 122 d to be wrapped therearound and , as such , stowed against the reverse side of the cradle 122 b ; a compartment 122 p stores the inflation needle 122 e therein . a spare inflation needle 122 n is also stored in a portion on the back of the platform 122 h , as shown in fig2 d . fig2 f shows an alternative wireless device 124 , i . e ., a computer tablet , releasably secured within the cradle 122 b , thereby demonstrating the versatility of the present invention 120 in that it is adjustable for a variety of wireless device sizes . moreover , the wireless device cradle 122 b comprises a modular subassembly that permits air hoses of different types to used and stowed against the reverse side of the cradle 122 b but to also stow additional items , e . g ., needle lubrication containers ( not shown ). fig2 g shows the present invention 120 coupled to an example gas bladder valve 3 on a conventional football helmet and the operator using the invention 120 accordingly . it should be understood that the operator would connect consecutively to each air bladder valve 3 on the helmet 1 until all the bladders are filled properly . in addition , the present invention 120 may further comprise a remote database 1000 ( e . g ., icloud , etc .) for storing and retrieving particular helmet gas bladder data for different players . for example , gas bladder data for every player may be remotely stored whereby the operator &# 39 ; s wireless device 124 communicates 1002 with the remote database 1000 via the wireless link 1000 b coupled to the database 1000 a . the database 1000 a not only stores / retrieves air bladder - related data but a variety of analytics can be performed on the air bladder data for not only optimizing the readiness of each player &# 39 ; s helmet , but trends in player head injury , reduction in player head injuries , etc . all of this can then be transmitted back to the operator for display on his / her wireless device 124 . by way of example only , each team may have an account and each player on the team have a sub - account with respective user logins / passwords , and various hierarchies , where the coaches may have administrative authority to enter each player &# 39 ; s account . thus , all of the bladder preferred levels , as well as all associated data , can be stored in respective player accounts or sub - accounts . it should be further noted that , as will be discussed later , all of the data related to the team , players , the gas bladder preferred fill levels for each player &# 39 ; s helmet , etc . can be stored in the software application of the wireless device 124 , or it can be remotely - stored in the remote database 1000 and retrieved when required . all of this data can be organized by the software application into spreadsheets for the team , individual players , etc . fig2 h is a block diagram of the electronic pump 122 . the control portion of the electrical pump 122 is a microcontroller 130 ( e . g ., arm cortex m0 ) including analog - to - digital ( a / d ) converters and a real - time clock . the microcontroller 130 communicates with a wireless interface module 132 ( e . g ., bluetooth smart / ble module ) for communicating with the wireless device 124 . it should be understood that the microcontroller 130 and wireless interface module 132 may comprise an integrated ic 130 a , as indicated by the dotted line . the microcontroller 130 controls a motor driver 134 ( e . g ., a power field effect transistor ( fet )) for activating and deactivating a positive displacement pump 150 ( pdp , e . g ., dc motor - operated , ajk - b1201 pdp ). the pump 150 is controlled to a maximum pressure of 20 psi to prevent injuries to the head of the helmet wearer . the output of the pdp 150 is pneumatically coupled to the hose 122 d ( e . g ., 12 - 24 ″ length , ¼ ″ diameter flexible hose ) at a first end and the inflation needle 122 e is coupled to the other hose 122 d end ( in a manner discussed previously with regard to the hose 4 / inflation needle 5 ). with regard to the third embodiment ( fig4 a - 4c ) discussed later , the output of the pdp 150 is pneumatically coupled to the inflation needle 325 since no hose is used in that embodiment . furthermore , gas bladder pressure is monitored using a pressure sensor 136 ( e . g ., a combined absolute pressure and temperature sensor , with an onboard a / d converter , such as the te connectivity ms5637 - 02ba03 pressure / temperature sensor ). the pressure sensor 136 is pneumatically coupled to the output of the pdp 150 and electrically coupled to the microcontroller 130 . in addition , a gas valve 138 ( a solenoid air valve , two position , one way ; e . g ., ajk - f0501 valve ) is pneumatically coupled between the output of the pdp 150 and an exhaust / inlet 140 . this valve 138 provides a path to vent air in case the pressure becomes too high in the helmet 1 . the exhaust / inlet valve 140 is necessary so that air can be supplied to the pump 122 , as well as relieving air from the pump casework when the solenoid air valve 138 is active ; alternatively a hydrophobic vent may be used . the air valve 140 is activated / deactivated by a solenoid driver 142 ( e . g ., a power fet ) which in turn is controlled by the microcontroller 130 to which the driver 142 is electrically coupled . the pdp 150 is also pneumatically - coupled to the exhaust / inlet valve 140 . the pump 122 also includes a power management integrated circuit ( pmic ) 144 which includes circuitry for battery charging and voltage regulation of a battery 146 ( e . g ., rechargeable battery , such as 3 . 7 vdc , 2000 mah , li - ion 18650 battery ). a power input 148 ( e . g ., a through - hole mount , usb connector , etc .) is coupled to the pmic 144 . the electronic portion of the pump 122 is located on a circuit board cb . fig3 depicts a second embodiment 220 of the present invention . in particular , the wireless interface between the pump 122 and the wireless device 124 is replaced with a wired connection ( e . g ., wire 222 , such as an iphone lightning cable , etc .). as a result , the pump 122 and the wireless device communicate over the wired connection 222 . fig3 a depicts the block diagram of the second embodiment electronic pump 122 . other than the wired interface 222 , the second embodiment 220 operates similarly to the first embodiment 120 . fig4 a - 4c depict a third embodiment 320 of the present invention . in the third embodiment 320 , the hose 122 d is eliminated and replaced with an inflation needle 325 that is coupled to the output of the positive displacement pump 150 . as such , the pump portion 322 a of the third embodiment 320 is manipulated to align the needle 325 with the valve 3 on the helmet 1 and inserted therein . the pump 322 a is similar in all aspects to pump 122 a except that no hose 122 d is used and there is no keypad 122 c on the pump 322 a housing . as such , as is described below , virtual keys that appear on the wireless device 124 display are used to control the pump 322 a . furthermore , because the pump 322 a needs to be manipulated in order to insert the inflation needle 325 into the valve 3 , there is no cradle 122 b . it should be noted that the inflation needle 325 is similar in operation to the inflation needle 122 e of the first embodiment 120 but is longer since it forms the only passageway between the positive displacement pump 150 and the valve 3 . in addition , to protect the inflation needle 325 when the pump 322 a is not being used , a displaceable needle guard 327 is slidably positioned on the pump 322 a . fig4 b shows the needle guard 327 deployed over the inflation needle 325 whereas fig4 c depicts the needle guard 327 displaced downward along the pump housing body to expose the inflation needle 325 for coupling to the port 3 . other than that , the third embodiment 320 operates similarly to the first embodiment 120 . a fourth embodiment 400 of the present invention is to eliminate the need for the wireless device 124 . in particular , as shown in fig5 a - 5b , the pump 400 comprises a pump housing 404 having a display 402 and the keypad 122 c . unlike the first and second embodiments , the keypad 122 c is not centered on the pump housing 404 in order to accommodate the display 402 . fig5 c provides a block diagram of the pump 400 hardware that is similar to hardware of fig2 h except that the short range wireless interface module 132 is replaced with a communications processor 406 and rf transceiver 408 ( including a wifi interface 410 ) to replace the wireless device 124 communication capability , e . g ., to the remote database 1000 . in addition , the microcontroller 130 ′ also functions as an application processor to support the user interface and control the touch screen 402 and backlighting 412 for the display 402 . furthermore , the microcontroller 130 ′ includes the software application and controls the display 402 accordingly . as with the wireless device 124 , the display 402 is a touchscreen , thereby allowing the operator to make selections and enter data as described earlier with regard to the previous embodiments . the reverse side of the pump housing 404 ( fig5 b ) includes the hose hooks 122 g for stowing the air hose 122 d . unlike the first two embodiments , because there is no wireless device 124 used with the fourth embodiment , the keypad 122 c does not reconfigure during use and thus keys k 1 - k 4 do not change function based on orientation of the pump housing 404 . the user interface of the present invention is now discussed . it should be understood that the user interface is operational in any of the previously disclosed embodiments . as such , the following detailed discussion of the user interface uses the first embodiment 120 only by way of example , it being understand that the software application is also applicable to the second , third and fourth embodiments . as mentioned previously , the wireless device 124 comprises a software application that configures the device 124 for interaction with the pump 122 . it should be understood that , as discussed below , the user interface prompts / instructs the operator on what to do . when the pump 122 is to be operated , the user interface may instruct the user to use the pump keypad 122 c to effect an operation . alternatively , as in the third 320 and fourth 400 embodiments , the virtual keys in the wireless device touch screen 124 a or pump display touch screen 402 , may also operate the pump 322 a . thus , the verb “ control ” is meant to convey the meaning that where the operator is being instructed by the user interface to use the keys on the keypad 122 c , or the virtual keys 122 c ′ ( or any other virtual keys / icons shown in the touch screen display 124 a / 402 ), the user interface is considered “ controlling ” the pump 122 a / 220 / 322 a / 400 operation . the administrative mode 500 comprises a pair wireless device with pump module 502 , a team setup module 504 , a player setup module 506 and a settings module 508 . the operator interacts with these modules using the wireless device 124 alone in the first , second and third embodiments ; with respect to the fourth embodiment , the operator uses the display 402 to interact with these modules . in particular , the pairing module 502 prompts and guides the user through the pairing process so that the wireless device 124 and the pump 122 communicate with each other . the team setup module 504 and the player setup module 506 basically provide for data entry pertinent to the team or individual player . by way of example only , the team setup module 504 or the player setup module 506 may comprise data fields such as those shown in fig6 a - 6b that permit the operator to add a team player and then to enter pertinent information about the player . as shown in fig6 b , those modules also permit the operator to enter particular data about a player &# 39 ; s helmet . the user is provided with a plurality of manufacturer &# 39 ; s football helmets to choose from ( see fig6 c ) and can select which particular helmet is about to be checked / filled ( viz ., in this case the ridell x model football helmet has been selected ). in particular , entry of the player &# 39 ; s particular helmet causes the software application to generate a graphic ( fig6 d ) which identifies the particular air bladder / valve configuration for that helmet . thus , as can be seen fig6 e , the graphic informs the operator of the particular air valve locations ( i . e ., “ 1 ”, “ 2 ” and “ 3 ”) for that manufacturer &# 39 ; s helmet ; the graphic even indicates where no air valve ( i . e ., “ na ” for “ not applicable ”— see fig6 d ) is present that may be present in other manufacturer &# 39 ; s helmets . it should be understood that the software application comprises the details of the various football helmet manufacturers &# 39 ; air bladder ports and thereby generates the graphic of fig6 d . in addition , should a new helmet come on the market whose gas valve locations are not available in the software application , the software application comprises a function that allows the operator to enter each gas valve location for that “ new helmet ” and thereby store those locations for that helmet , as shown most clearly in fig6 e . the settings module 508 is a catch - all module that includes such functions as user login / logout , reminder preferences or any other type of user customizable settings . the functional mode 600 effects the actual air bladder inflation and helmet adjustments . the fit helmet module 602 and the adjust helmet module 604 are used to initially set the player &# 39 ; s helmet to his or her optimal respective air bladder settings ; the fit helmet module 602 is a linear process that steps the operator through each air bladder to ensure none are missed . once the respective air bladder settings are saved for a particular player &# 39 ; s helmet , any subsequent maintenance of the air bladders is accomplished using the measure off - head module 606 or the inflate helmet module 608 . it should be noted that in fig7 - 7z where a virtual button is shown with hatched indicia , this means that the user has selected that particular virtual button . when the player has been given his football helmet and he / she is present with the operator , the player places his helmet on and the operator attaches the wireless device 124 within the cradle 122 b . the device 124 is turned on and communication with the pump 122 is verified by the operator . the operator unwraps the cord and lubricates the inflation needle 122 e . the operator then selects the particular player that is present ( fig7 ) and selects the fit helmet module 602 . this action then prompts the operator to insert the needle into the indicated air bladder valve / port , as shown in fig7 a . once the inflation needle 122 e is inserted , the device 124 display indicates the current pressure in that air bladder ( fig7 b ), along with accompanying guidance as to how the related portion of the helmet should be optimally positioned if that particular air bladder is optimally filled . it should be noted that the displayed pressure ( viz ., 0 . 2 psi ) is psi gauge pressure for consistent user experience ( no variation with altitude ). the user then uses the “ up / inflate ” hard key ( fig2 c ) or the “ down / deflate ” hard key to adjust the displayed pressure until that particular air bladder is filled to its proper level ( fig7 c ); or , alternatively , where the virtual keys 122 c ′ are active in the display 124 a / 402 , the appropriate virtual keys are used . this can be achieved by asking the player “ how it feels ” and depending on whether the player responds “ too loose ” or “ too tight ” the operator can use the up / inflate key or the down / inflate keys ( fig2 c ) on the keypad 122 c ( or virtual keys 122 c ′) to adjust the gas pressure level to the preferred level . it should be noted that by pressing and holding either key a continuous inflation or deflation is provided , whereas a momentary activation of either key results in an interval inflation or deflation . if the inflation level is satisfactory to the player , the operator selects the option of “ confirm ” and that air bladder &# 39 ; s proper inflation level ( hp level , meaning “ head pressure level ” in that the proper pressure level is set with the player wearing the helmet ) is now set in the wireless device 124 , indicated as shown in fig7 d . once confirmed , the module 602 then sends the operator to the next air bladder valve or port as shown in fig7 e . the operator then removes the inflation needle 122 e from the air bladder valve of fig7 a and inserts it into the air bladder valve indicated in fig7 e . the operator then goes through the same series of steps as shown in fig7 f - 7h to save the hp level setting for the second air bladder . once this last air bladder hp level is stored , the operator removes the inflation needle from that valve 3 . the fit helmet module 602 then brings the operator to the last air bladder valve / port , as shown in fig7 i . the operator then removes the inflation needle 122 e from the second port and inserts it into the third air bladder valve / port as instructed in fig7 i . again , the operator then goes through the same steps as shown in fig7 j - 7l . once the hp level setting for the last air bladder is set , the fit helmet module 602 allows the operator several options ( fig7 m ) at this point . the operator can exit the module 602 altogether and move to the next player ; or , the operator can go back and adjust a hp level for a particular air bladder ( via the adjust fit module 604 ) without having to go through each air bladder again ; or , the operator can move to another option : measure off - head module 606 . after removing the inflation needle 122 e from the last air bladder valve 3 , the operator can physically manipulate the helmet 1 on the player &# 39 ; s head to verify a proper fit . if the fit is good , the operator selects the “ done ” button ( fig7 m ) and moves to the next player . however , if the manipulation has the operator or player requiring a further adjustment of a particular air bladder hp level , the operator can select the “ adjust fit ” virtual button ( fig7 m ) which brings the operator to a menu ( fig7 n ) that allows the operator to select one of the air bladders to operate on . by way of example only , the operator has chosen to revisit the second air bladder in fig7 n . the operator is then brought to the display shown in fig7 o instructing the operator to insert the inflation needle 122 e in the appropriate air bladder valve / port . at that point , the operator goes through a process similar to the one in the fit helmet module 602 , discussed above . once the new hp level setting ( e . g ., 1 . 2 psi ) is saved , the operator is brought to a completion display ( fig7 p ). at that point , the operator removes the inflation needle 122 e from that air bladder valve / port and the device 124 display returns to fig7 m . once all of the hp level values are set in every air bladder of a particular helmet , the operator can select the measure off - head module 606 . this module allows the operator to measure the air pressure in each bladder with the helmet removed from the player . as can be appreciated , with the helmet removed , the air pressure in each air bladder will be slightly reduced than when it was being worn . this off - head pressure ( ohp ) level can be stored and associated with the previously - stored hp level when the helmet was worn . as such , if the helmet air bladders need to be re - inflated when the player is not available , the operator can inflate each bladder to the associated ohp level . because this module is only detecting an ohp level , all inflation / deflation keys are not active to the operator . in particular , fig7 q - 7t show the sequence of displays on the wireless device 124 ( or display 402 ) that are occur as the operator moves through the measure off - head module 606 . as can be seen in fig7 q , the operator removes the helmet from the player and is instructed to insert the inflation needle 122 e into a particular air bladder valve / port . once inserted , the ohp level is displayed below the associated hp level when the helmet is worn . once this ohp level is confirmed , the operator is moved to the next air bladder and the procedure is repeated until an ohp level is associated with every air bladder in the helmet . once both the hp level and its associated ohp level are stored for each air bladder in every player &# 39 ; s helmet , any subsequent or periodic checking and maintenance of the air bladder pressure levels can be implemented using the inflate helmet module 608 . this can be accomplished with the player wearing the helmet or without the player wearing the helmet . in particular , by selecting this inflate helmet module 608 , the device 124 displays the choice shown in fig7 u - 7v . if the operator selects the option “ inflate on player ”, the operator is instructed to insert the inflation needle 122 e in the proper air bladder valve / port and goes through the shown in fig7 w - 7x . as shown by the center display in fig7 w - 7x , when the inflation needle 122 e is inserted into the top port , the currently - detected hp level is only 0 . 9 psi , which below the previously - stored hp level of 1 . 3 psi . the operator need only select the “ inflate to fit ” button and the pump 122 automatically restores that air bladder to the proper hp level . it should be noted that if , for some reason , the player wants to change the proper hp level at that point , instead of selecting the “ done ” button in the display of fig7 x , the operator can use the hard keys on the keypad 122 c to adjust the hp level up or down , accordingly . by doing so , the device 124 then displays what is shown in fig7 y , allowing the operator to save a new hp level . therefore , after operator either selects the “ done ” button , or alternatively , saves a new hp level , the user is stepped through the other air bladder valve / port maintenance in accordance with what was just described for the first air bladder valve / port until all the air bladders for that helmet are checked . if , on the other hand , the operator selects the “ inflate off player ” selection ( fig7 u ) in the inflate helmet module 608 , the same sequence of displays are provided as shown in fig7 w - 7x . however , the option of fig7 y is not available in the “ inflate off player ” selection because the player is not wearing the helmet . as such , the up / inflate and down / deflate keys are not active in this mode . thus , using the “ inflate off player ” selection , only permits the operator to refill each air bladder in accordance with the previously - stored ohp levels . once the hp levels / ohp levels are established for a particular player &# 39 ; s helmet , or where the subsequent check / maintenance of that player &# 39 ; s helmet is completed , the software application moves the display on the wireless device 124 ( or display 402 ) to the next player in the team roster , as shown in fig7 z . the software application implements a time and date stamp for each use of the various functional modes 602 - 608 and various analytics can be performed by the software application , e . g ., how much air was released between each measurement and variables such as time , weather , ambient air pressure can be used to even predict when refills may need to be done . the software application can be programmed to provide the user with reminders of when to check the various players &# 39 ; helmets &# 39 ; air bladders . as mentioned earlier , the air bladder data can be transmitted to a remote database 1000 which comprises the database itself 1000 b via wireless communication link 1002 . in particular , players &# 39 ; air bladder helmet data is transmitted via a wireless signal 1002 to the remote database 1000 a . similarly , the data can be recalled from the remote database 1000 a when required , such as for carrying out a re - inflation of the teams &# 39 ; helmets . as a result , the remote database 1000 a acts as a remote storage , similar to the function of the icloud ® database . furthermore , the remote database 1000 a comprises a greater processing power to support more complex analyses than is resident in the software application on the wireless device 124 ; as such , the remote database 1000 a can carry out the analyses and then transmit that analyzed data back to the wireless device 124 . for example , the remote database 1000 a can also conduct analytics on the air bladders of the helmets on the overall team , not just for individual players , and then provide the operator with customized adjust fit helmet module 604 implementations . for example , the collected data may have special teams not requiring air bladder checks as often as defensive linemen or offensive linemen . an even further variation 800 ( fig8 ) on the present invention is the positioning of respective pressure sensors 802 within each bladder of the helmet 1 that transmit pressure data on a frequent basis to a remotely located receiver ( e . g ., the wireless device 124 , or pump 400 ). in particular , a pressure sensor 802 is located within each helmet bladder . the pressure sensors 802 are coupled to a power supply ps ( e . g ., battery ) within the helmet 1 along with a transmitter 804 . the pressure sensors provide respective pressure levels within each air bladder to the transmitter 804 which then transmits the air bladder data on a regular basis . the wireless device 124 , upon receiving this data , alerts the user with visual and or audible warnings . the user can then plan to take appropriate actions to refill particular bladders when the opportunity permits and in accordance with procedures discussed above . it should also be understood that the specification makes reference to air pressure sensors and helmet bladders being filled with air . it is within the broadest scope of the present application to include any other type of gas that is used to fill these bladders and that air is being used by way of example only . it should be noted that the hose 122 d / inflation needle 122 e and the needle 325 each form a “ coupling means ” which is meant to cover any known way of pneumatically coupling the electronic pumps 122 a , 322 a , 404 to the helmet valve 3 . while the invention has been described in detail and with reference to specific examples thereof , it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope thereof . | 0 |
a calculator constructed in accordance with a preferred aspect of the invention is illustrated in fig6 and generally designated 10 . the calculator includes a body or housing 12 supporting a keypad 13 and a display 14 . the display includes a number section 16 , a numerical display section 18 , a letter grade section 20 , and a plurality of annunciator / indicators . the calculator 10 is illustrated in block form in fig7 in a configuration that is conventional in the art . specifically , the keypad 13 and the display 14 are both connected to a processor 15 . a storage device 17 is also connected tot he processor 15 . the processing and / or conversion functions described in this application are carried out by the processor 15 ; and storage functions are accommodated in storage device 17 . the keys supported within the body of the calculator are as follows : ______________________________________ designatingkey numeral______________________________________on / ce / c 22set 24whole grade only 26grade scale 28off 30grade display 32enter number grade 34individual letter grades 36student average 38subtotal average 40maximum points 42minimum points 44individual numbers 46 % 48class average 50m + 52m [ r / c ] 54 / 56 × 58 + 60 - 62 · 64 = 66no grade 68weight 70______________________________________ the function of these keys is explained in conjunction with the flow charts of fig1 - 5 . internally , the calculator includes a weight table that will store the weight of up to seven grades . the weight table is used to accommodate test scores that are of varying importance . for example , the user may program the calculator to make a final exam worth five times the weight of a weekly quiz . by appropriately adjusting the weight table , the user can cause the calculator to automatically process the grades accordingly . to adjust the weight table the set 24 and weight 70 keys must be depressed in succession . the first entry in the weight table will be displayed by the calculator . to traverse through the table the set key 24 must be depressed . an individual entry can be adjusted by entering the desired weight before depressing the set key 24 . each entry in the weight table has a default setting of one , thereby assigning each grade equal value unless modified by the user . also internally , the calculator includes a break point table . this table is used to store the break points between the individual letter grades . each letter grade is assigned a numerical break point that represents the lowest numerical score that will achieve that particular letter grade . by reference to this table , the calculator can easily convert between letter and numerical grades . the default setting of this table is based on a hundred point scale with one hundred being the maximum points and sixty being the minimum points ( table 1 ). the break points are derived by dividing the range defined by the high and low score into four subranges . these subranges define the whole grade break points . for example , the default whole grade break points are : 90 for an a , 80 for a b , 70 for a c , and 60 for a d . the subranges are further divided into three segments . these segments define the signed grade break points . for example , the signed grade break points for an a become : 96 . 66 for an a +, 93 . 33 for an a , and 90 . 00 for an a -. table 1______________________________________letter grade break point______________________________________a + 96 . 6a 93 . 3a - 90 . 0b + 86 . 6b 83 . 3b - 80 . 0c + 76 . 6c 73 . 3c - 70 . 0d + 66 . 6d 63 . 3d - 60 . 0______________________________________ although these break points are permanently embodied in read - only memory ( rom ), the user can edit them to implement his own linear or non - linear scale using the nonvolatile area of random - access memory ( ram ) by incorporating the set 24 and grade scale 28 keys or the set 24 and seven ( 7 ) keys 46 . the set 24 and grade scale 28 keys are used to edit only the whole grade break points . when depressed , the calculator will display a whole grade and its corresponding break point . if that break point requires adjustment , the desired break point is entered followed by depression of the set key 24 . this stores the new break point and displays the next default whole grade break point for editing . to store the next displayed default break point without adjusting the displayed break point , only the set key 24 should be depressed . the calculator automatically separates the whole grade ranges into three equal segments . these segments represent the signed grade ranges . for example , if the whole grade break point for an a is 92 and the whole grade break point for a b is 80 , the signed grade break points become : 80 for a b -, 84 for a b , and 88 for a b +. the signed grade break points can be adjusted in a manner identical to one discussed immediately above , except that the set 24 and seven ( 7 ) 46 keys should be depressed rather than the set 24 and grade scale 28 keys . the user - implemented break points table constitutes a second separate table from the default break points table . in addition , if the user alters either the maximum points ( default 100 ) or minimum points ( default 60 ), the calculator creates a third break point table to reflect that change . the new break points are computed in such a manner that the new grade ranges are proportionately equal to the user break point table , if implemented , or the default break point table . the following formula is used to convert the break points to the new break points of the third scale : ## equ1 ## program flow of the main routine 100 is illustrated in fig1 . the calculator is powered on by depressing the on / ce / c key 22 . likewise , the calculator is powered off by depressing the off key 30 . the weight table is reset to the default values , and the max and min values are reset to the ( a ) user defined values , if implemented , or ( b ) the default values ( 100 , 60 ) each time the calculator is powered on . however , the user - defined break point table containing any modified break points is not reset to default , and the display format is not reset , unless the batteries are removed or the user performs a hard reset . a hard reset is performed by depressing the set key 24 immediately followed by the times ( x ) 58 key . the main routine 100 will process letter grades , numerical grades , or standard calculator functions . in order to facilitate a precise description of the operation of the calculator , the following internal variables will be used : ______________________________________variable description______________________________________maxpts maximum points achievable on a testminpts minimum points acceptable on a testwttot individual student weight factor totalgptot individual student grade point totalave individual student grade point averagegd - pts current grades total grade points ( after weighting ) wf weight factor ( internal table ) no - gds individual student number of gradesno - st number of students processedcl - pts summation of the grade points earned by each studentnum numerical representation of the current gradelet - gr letter grade corresponding with to cur - rent grade______________________________________ the main routine 100 transfers control to the numerical grade subroutine 200 when the enter number grade key 34 is depressed . this subroutine processes the number stored in the key register . if the key register does not contain a number the control is immediately returned to the main program 209 . the calculator permits the entry of numeric grades or points off / negative grading . to accommodate the negative grading aspect of this invention , the subroutine compares the number in the key register to zero 205 . if the number entered was negative , then that number is subtracted from maxpts to produce the corresponding grade point score 208 . if the number in the key register is not negative then that number is determined to be the grade point score . at this point , the calculator weights the grade point score by multiplying the grade point score by the appropriate weight factor 206 . this product is the current grade &# 39 ; s total grade points , gd - pts . the appropriate weight factor is either retrieved from the weight table or manually entered . an individual student &# 39 ; s first seven grades will automatically be weighted according to the internal weight table . however , the weight factor of a single entry can be altered by inputting the desired weight factor and depressing the weight key . this feature also allows the user to weight grades beyond the seven entries in the weight table . the numerical grade subroutine 201 processes the grades by storing a summation of the current student &# 39 ; s weight factors in wttot and total grade points in gptot 206 . the subroutine also stores the number of grades entered for the current student in no - gds 206 . these summations are retained until the student average key 38 or off key 30 is depressed . the subroutine displays the number of grades for the current student , the current grade &# 39 ; s numerical score , and the current grade &# 39 ; s letter score 206 . finally , control is returned to the calling routine 211 . the main routine 100 transfers control to the letter grade subroutine 301 when any of the letter grade keys are depressed . this subroutine utilizes the internal break point table to convert each letter grade to a numerical grade . the break point for the current letter grade and the break point for the next highest grade are retrieved from this table 302 . if the current letter grade is the highest grade achievable , maxpts is deemed to be the upper break point . the subroutine computes the median of these two scores by summing them and then dividing this sum by two 302 . this median score is treated as the numerical grade representation of the letter grade and is processed by the numerical grade subroutine 303 . in a preferred embodiment of the present calculator a means for processing a missing grade is included . the no grade key 68 allows a user to advance through the weight table in the event that a particular grade is missing . upon depression of the no grade key 68 , the main routine 100 simply increments no - gds 114 . grade weights are retrieved from the internal weight table using no - gds as an index . therefore , incrementing no - gds results in skipping an entry in the weight table . the calculator will display the student &# 39 ; s subtotal average , the student &# 39 ; s final average , and the class average . the main routine 100 transfers control to the subtotal average subroutine 400 when the subtotal average key 40 is depressed . this subroutine will display the current student &# 39 ; s average numerical grade , average letter grade , and number of grades entered 403 . this subroutine differs from the student average subroutine in that it does not signal the end of the current student &# 39 ; s processing . therefore , subsequently entered grades are processed as a continuation of the previously entered grades . depressing the subtotal average key 40 also has the effect of depressing the enter number grade key 34 . immediately upon entering the subtotal average routine 401 , control is temporarily passed to the numerical grade subroutine 200 . if the key register is not empty its contents will be processed and included in the current output . in any case , control returns to the subtotal average subroutine 400 . after return from the numerical grade subroutine 200 , the calculator displays the number of grades processed for the current student , no - gds ; the average numerical grade , gptot divided by wttot ; and the average letter grade , retrieved from the internal break point table based on the average numerical grade 403 . immediately following display , control is returned to the calling program 404 . the student average subroutine 500 performs several functions . first , it indicates that the last grade for the current student has been entered . secondly , it maintains the class average variables . and finally , it displays the current student &# 39 ; s total number of grades , average numerical score , and average letter score . the student average subroutine 500 is called by the main routine 100 when the student average key 38 is depressed . the student average subroutine 500 transfers control to the subtotal average subroutine 400 . the subtotal average subroutine 400 processes any grade in the key register , displays the proper output 403 , and then returns control to the student average subroutine 404 . subsequently , the student average subroutine 500 maintains the class average variables . no - st is incremented to reflect the number of students in the class 503 . the student average , or gptot divided by wttot , is added to cl - pts to facilitate later calculation of the class average 503 . lastly , the current student variables are cleared ; gptot , wttot , and nogds 503 . the class average subroutine is called by the main routine 100 when the class average key 50 is depressed . this subroutine displays the total number of students processed , the average numerical grade , and the average letter grade of those students . the number of students processed is stored in the variable no - st . the numerical grade average is calculated by dividing cl - pts by no - st and the letter grade average is retrieved from the internal break point table . the calculator accommodates the following grading systems : raw score (&# 34 ; pts &# 34 ;), 4 point (&# 34 ; 4 &# 34 ;), 5 point (&# 34 ; 5 &# 34 ;), 12 point (&# 34 ; 12 &# 34 ;), percent (&# 34 ;%&# 34 ;), and scaled grade percent (&# 34 ; g %&# 34 ;). the user selects the appropriate display format by repeatedly depressing the grade display key 32 to cycle through the stated display formats . the current display format is identified by one of a series of annunciators present in the display window . internally , the calculator processes grades based on a raw score . therefore , unless raw score format has been selected , the grade must be converted prior to display . the conversion between grading systems is achieved by the following algorithms : in addition , the following foreign grading systems can be incorporated into the calculator based on the following algorithms : the present calculator quickly and easily processes student grades in either numerical or letter format . the calculator is powered on by depressing the on / ce / c key 22 . the weight table is reset to default automatically , and the student and class counters are cleared . as example 1 , a maximum score of 100 and minimum score of 60 establish the break points listed above in table 1 . the entry of the following scores results in the following display : table 2______________________________________numberofgrades % g % 4 5 12 pts ltr______________________________________86 1 86 86 3 . 10 4 . 10 9 . 3 86 ba 2 95 95 4 5 12 95 a - 25 3 75 75 2 3 6 75 c74 4 74 74 2 3 6 74 c - 39 5 61 61 0 . 6 1 . 6 1 . 8 61 d - b + 6 88 . 33 88 . 33 3 . 33 4 . 33 10 88 . 33 b + avg 6 79 . 88 79 . 88 2 . 49 3 . 49 7 . 47 79 . 88 c + ______________________________________ all grades are converted to numeric form before processing . once processed , the numeric scores are converted to the desired display format . as example 2 , a test having a maximum score of 65 and a minimum acceptable score of 25 results in the following break points and illustrates the scaling up of the grade from true % ( a -= 87 . 18 %) to grade % ( a -= 91 . 67 g %) due to the fact that minimum points is below 60 % ( the default scale minimum %): table 3______________________________________letter grade break point______________________________________a + 61 . 6a 58 . 3a - 55 . 0b + 51 . 6b 48 . 3b - 45 . 0c + 41 . 6c 38 . 3c - 35 . 0d + 31 . 6d 28 . 3d - 25 . 0______________________________________ table 4______________________________________ % g % 4 5 12 pts letter______________________________________a - 1 87 . 18 91 . 67 3 . 67 4 . 67 11 56 . 67 a -- 12 2 81 . 53 88 . 00 3 . 30 4 . 30 9 . 90 53 . 00 b + 39 3 60 . 00 74 . 00 1 . 90 2 . 90 5 . 70 39 . 00 cno grade 4c + 5 66 . 66 78 . 33 2 . 33 3 . 33 7 . 00 43 . 33 c + avg 5 73 . 84 83 . 00 2 . 80 3 . 80 8 . 40 48 . 00 b - ______________________________________ in example 3 , the user has offered 4 tests , each of varying weight : to automatically process the grades based upon the above - listed weights , the user depresses the set key 24 and wt key 70 in succession . next , each weight is individually entered , followed by depression of the set key 24 . once the weights are entered , the calculator automatically weights the corresponding grades . the following table demonstrates the processing of weighted grades based on maximum points = 100 and minimum points = 60 . table 6______________________________________ ( max pts = 100 and min pts = 60 ) numberofgrades % g % 4 5 12 pts ltr______________________________________b + 1 88 . 33 88 . 33 3 . 33 4 . 33 10 . 00 88 . 33 b + c - 2 71 . 67 71 . 67 1 . 67 2 . 67 5 . 00 71 . 67 c -- 15 3 85 . 00 85 . 00 3 . 00 4 . 00 9 . 00 85 00 b98 4 98 . 00 98 . 00 4 . 30 5 . 30 12 . 90 98 . 00 a + avg 4 88 . 58 88 . 58 3 . 36 4 . 36 10 . 08 88 . 58 b + ______________________________________ table 7 demonstrates the use of the no grade key 68 in conjunction with the internal weight table described in table 5 . table 7______________________________________ ( max pts = 100 and min pts = 60 ) numberofgrades % g % 4 5 12 pts ltr______________________________________b + 1 88 . 33 88 . 33 3 . 33 4 . 33 10 . 00 88 . 33 b + no 2grade - 15 3 85 . 00 85 . 00 3 . 00 4 . 00 9 . 00 85 00 b98 4 98 . 00 98 . 00 4 . 30 5 . 30 12 . 90 98 . 00 a + avg 4 94 . 22 94 . 22 3 . 92 4 . 92 11 . 77 94 . 22 a______________________________________ as example 4 , a negative grading model is demonstrated . a 5 - page test has been graded by determining the points off per page . to automatically compute the total points off and process this score , the user simply depresses the minus (-) key 62 followed by the points off for each page . after entry of the final page &# 39 ; s points off , the enter number grade key 34 is depressed to process the test score . the following table demonstrates points off grading and its appropriate displays . the maximum points = 100 and minimum points = 60 : table 8__________________________________________________________________________ ( max pts = 100 and min pts = 60 ) points off total % g % 4 6 12 pts ltr__________________________________________________________________________ - 3 , - 2 , - 5 , - 1 , - 0 1 - 11 89 89 3 . 4 4 . 4 10 . 2 89 b +- 7 , - 6 , - 5 , - 8 , - 1 2 - 27 73 73 1 . 8 2 . 8 5 . 4 73 c -- 1 , - 0 , - 0 , - 2 , - 1 3 - 4 96 96 4 . 10 5 . 10 12 . 30 96 a - 9 , - 13 , - 4 , - 8 , - 4 4 - 38 62 62 0 . 7 1 . 7 2 . 10 62 d - __________________________________________________________________________ the above description is that of a preferred embodiment of the invention . various changes and alterations can be made without departing from the spirit and broader aspects of the invention as set forth in the appended claims , which are to be interpreted in accordance with the principles of patent law , including the doctrine of equivalents . | 6 |
reference is first made to fig1 to 3 , which show a building brick 10 having an upper face 12 , a lower face 14 , side faces 16 and 18 , and end faces 20 , 22 . these faces are all substantially rectangular , except for the interlocking features to be described . the upper face 12 has a pair of longitudinally extending engagement ridges 24 which extend the entire length of the brick , one at each side of the brick . the ridges 24 are triangular in shape and define between them a flat recessed area 26 . the lower face 14 has a pair of depressed surfaces 28 , one at each side of the brick and each also extending the entire length of the brick . located between the depressed surfaces 28 is a raised or projecting portion 30 having a flat lower surface 32 and sides 33 which slope at the same angle as the angle of the interior sides of the ridges 24 . as shown in fig3 the ridges 24 and depressed surfaces 28 are complementary . when one brick 10 is placed atop another , the ridges 24 of the lower brick engage within the depressed surfaces 28 of the upper brick . the sides 33 of the raised portion 30 lie against the inner surfaces 34 of the ridges 24 and the flat depressed surfaces 28 rest and are supported on the tips of the ridges 24 . this aligns the side faces of the bricks and prevents sideways movement of one brick relative to the other . in addition , the forces exerted by one brick on another are substantially purely compressive . it will also be seen , as best shown in fig3 that the projection d1 of the portion 30 beyond the depressed surfaces 28 is less than the projection d2 of the ridges 24 beyond the recessed surface 26 . this provides a space 36 between the bricks . the space 36 helps to prevent small particles present during the laying of the bricks from causing misalignment of the assembled bricks . for this purpose the width d3 of the space 36 is quite large , typically at least 40 percent of the width of the brick . the space 36 is also useful for containing mortar to bind the bricks together , and for this purpose the space 36 should be at least 0 . 3 cm deep . preferably the space 36 is at least 0 . 5 cm deep , and will commonly be 0 . 8 cm or more deep . when the bricks are assembled , a recess 38 is visible extending along the sides of the bricks at the locations where they join . the recess 38 is produced by the sloping outer surface of the ridges 24 , which diverge from the flat depressed surfaces 28 . the recess 38 provides an apparent visual gap between the rows of bricks , for decorative purposes . mortar or sealant may be inserted into the recess 38 if desired . as shown in fig1 to 3 , one end face 20 may be flat and the other end face 22 may be recessed as shown at 40 , to provide a space for mortar between the ends of the bricks , to bond the end faces together . reference is next made to fig4 to 6 , which show a brick similar to that of fig1 to 3 . in fig4 to 6 , primed reference numerals indicate parts corresponding to those of fig1 to 3 . the differences between the brick 10 &# 39 ; of fig4 to 6 and the brick 10 of fig1 to 3 are as follows . firstly , the recessed area 26 &# 39 ; has been recessed more deeply , so the inner faces 34a &# 39 ; of the ridges 24 &# 39 ; are now longer than the outer faces 34b &# 39 ; of the ridges . the angles &# 34 ; a &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; b &# 34 ; remain ( as in the brick 10 ) 45 °. this provides a deeper space 36 &# 39 ; for mortar . the outer faces 34b &# 39 ; of the ridges 24 &# 39 ; have not been deepened since too deep a recess 38 &# 39 ; is undesirable ( typical dimensions will be given shortly ). secondly , a flat strip 42 is provided at the top of each ridge 24 &# 39 ;. the flat strip 42 , although narrow , reduces the likelihood of chips occurring at the apices of the ridges 42 . thirdly , the end faces 20 &# 39 ;, 22 &# 39 ; are now formed almost exactly like the upper and lower faces 12 &# 39 ;, 14 &# 39 ;. the end face 22 &# 39 ; has a pair of vertical ridges 44 one at each side thereof , each having a sloping inner surface 46a . the ridges 44 are exactly the same as the ridges 34 &# 39 ;, except that their outer surfaces 46b do not slope fully like surfaces 34b &# 39 ;, but instead have only a bevel 48 at their edges . located between the ridges 44 is a recessed area 49 . the end face 20 &# 39 ; has a pair of vertically oriented depressed surfaces 50 one at each side thereof , with a projecting portion 52 therebetween . the end face 20 is exactly like the lower face 14 , except that its side edges are bevelled as indicated at 54 . when two bricks 10 &# 39 ; are placed end to end as shown in fig5 the combined width of the two bevels 48 , 54 , is equal to the depth of the recess 38 &# 39 ;. this provides a recess of uniform width ( as viewed from the side ) around each brick in a wall formed from the bricks . the end faces 20 &# 39 ;, 22 &# 39 ; also define between them a space 56 for mortar . the space 56 has the same cross - sectional dimensions as the space 36 &# 39 ;. it will be seen that since end face 20 &# 39 ; is complementary to top face 12 &# 39 ;, and end face 22 &# 39 ; is complementary to bottom face 14 &# 39 ;, an end face can be placed against its complementary top or bottom face while preserving the interlocking features of the bricks . the final difference between the bricks 10 , 10 &# 39 ; is that the projecting portion 30 &# 39 ; on the bottom face 14 &# 39 ; is divided in two by a transverse valley 58 having sides 60 which slope outwardly and downwardly the same as the side surfaces of the portion 30 &# 39 ;. with this feature , one brick can be placed crosswise atop another brick and will still interlock therewith . the two parts of the bottom portion 30 &# 39 ; are each identical and each have a central vertical axis of symmetry 61 . for slightly curved walls , the two parts of the bottom portion 30 &# 39 ; may be circular , as indicated in dotted lines 61a . typical dimensions for the fig4 to 6 brick are as follows : it will be appreciated that the above dimensions can of course be varied , but the feature described above ( at least 0 . 3cm thick spaces 36 &# 39 ;, 56 &# 39 ; for mortar and as wide as possibe , and wide spacing of the support points at which one brick rests on another ) should be retained . in addition , the angle b can be varied , although a substantial slope is preferred , and angles b and b1 can also be different ( i . e . angle b1 can be less than angle b ), if desired . a corner brick 62 is shown in fig7 to 9 for use with the brick 10 &# 39 ;. the corner brick 62 is the same as brick 10 &# 39 ; except for the following differences . one side ridge 24a &# 34 ; and one depressed surface 28a &# 34 ; are extended along one end face 20 &# 34 ; of the brick . the end face 20 &# 34 ; between the ridge 24a &# 34 ; and depressed surface 28a &# 34 ; is flat . in addition at the other side of the brick , a receiving face 64 is formed in side face 18 &# 34 ;. the receiving face 64 is the same as end face 20 &# 39 ; of brick 10 &# 39 ;, having a pair of ridges 44 &# 34 ; and a recessed area 49 &# 34 ; therebetween . the receiving face 64 is therefore complementary to the end face 20 &# 39 ; of brick 10 &# 39 ; so that a brick 10 &# 39 ; can be laid with its end face 20 &# 39 ; interlocked in the receiving face 64 . the corner brick 62 is a right hand brick ( the receiving face 64 opens to the right as viewed looking toward the flat end face 20 &# 34 ;, and left hand corner bricks 66 are also provided , as shown in fig1 . the corner brick 66 is the same as corner brick 62 except that its receiving face 68 opens to the left as viewed looking toward the flat end of brick 66 . if desired , a corner brick may also be made having its receiving face 68 formed exactly like end face 20 &# 39 ;, i . e . having a projecting portion the same as portion 52 , projecting from side face 18 &# 34 ; in place of the recessed area 49 &# 34 ;. however this is less desirable for manufacturing , shipping and storage purposes . in use , the corner bricks are assembled as shown in fig1 , with left and right hand corner bricks 62 , 66 alternating vertically , and with ordinary run bricks 10 &# 39 ; abutting the end faces of each corner brick . a wall shown at 70 in fig1 is thus formed . in the construction of a wall such as wall 70 , each brick can be mortared when it is laid . because the space 36 or 36 &# 39 ; is wide , if it is necessary to adjust the height of the wall under e . g . a windowsill , this can be done by adding thick mortar in the space 36 , 36 &# 39 ; to raise the upper brick slightly . the width of sapce 36 , 36 &# 39 ; is sufficient that enough mortar can be placed in it to support the weight of the upper brick . alternatively a substantial portion of a wall can be assembled ( the bricks will hold together since they interlock ) and then a low viscosity mortar mixture can be poured down one of the spaces 56 between the end faces of two of the bricks in the wall . as shown in the sectional view of fig1 , all of the vertical spaces 56 and the horizontal spaces 36 &# 39 ; inteconnect . tests have shown that a thin mortar mixture 72 poured down a vertical space 56 will fill the horizontal spaces 36 &# 39 ;, 56 in a large portion of the wall . if pumped under pressure , the fill range may be extended further . thus , a large section of a wall may be assembled without mortar , and may then be mortared in a single simple operation . provided that the bricks are laid tightly together in end to end relation , little or no mortar will leak out , because it will be seen that the spaces 36 , 36 &# 39 ; are sealed at their sides by engagement of the ridges 24 against the surfaces of the next brick , and the spaces 56 at the ends of the bricks are similarly sealed . if no mortar is used , any water which penetrates the wall will run out of the interconnecting spaces , so the wall is self - weeping . further variations of the brick of the invention are shown in fig1 , 14 and 15 . in fig1 the recessed portion 100 between the ridges 102 is curved , and the sides of the raised portion 104 on the lower face of the brick are similarly curved . in fig1 the bevel 105 to provide an edge recess is located at the edges of the depressed surfaces 106 instead of at the edges of the ridges 108 . in fig1 the angle &# 34 ; c &# 34 ; of the inner surface of the ridges 110 has been steepened to increase the width of the space 112 between the bricks . fig1 and 17 show a corner brick 120 similar to that of fig7 and 8 , the only difference being that the bevel 122 ( which forms the exterior side recess between adjacent rows of bricks ) is located on the major contact face which contains the raised portion 124 , instead of being on the other major contact face 126 . fig1 , 19 and 20 show a pillar brick 130 according to the invention . the pillar brick 130 is similar to the brick 10 &# 39 ; but is formed so that it can be stacked in pairs ( as shown in fig2 ) about a pillar 132 . the pillar brick 130 has one side face 134 which may be simply flat , and which contains a semi - circular opening 136 for the pillar 132 . the upper major contact face 138 of brick 130 contains ridges 140 ( which are the same as ridges 24 &# 39 ; of brick 10 &# 39 ;) along its remaining three edges , with a recessed surface 142 between the ridges . the lower major contact face 144 of brick 130 contains depressed surfaces 146 along all of its sides , with raised portions 148 within the depressed surfaces 146 . the interlocking fit of the pillar bricks is exactly the same as that of the bricks 10 previously described , and the assembly produces a square with the pillar 132 at its centre . | 4 |
as illustrated in fig1 an electron beam controlled switch 10 according to the present invention includes a block 12 of semiconductor material with ohmic contacts 15 - 16 operatively connectable to the electrical conductors 17 and 18 . a space of a micron to a few centimeters may be used to separate contact 15 from contact 16 . an electron beam 20 is used to initiate and maintain conductivity in the switch 10 . the electron beam 20 may be generated in a vacuum tube diode 22 which emits electrons from a cathode 24 through an anode foil 26 . the electron beam 20 passes through the vacuum chamber wall and strikes the surface of the semiconductor block 12 through contact 15 . energization of the diode 22 may be controlled in a conventional manner . a pulsing circuit 30 as illustrated in fig1 as including a spark gap switch 32 , pulse forming network 34 and pulse transformer 36 . a pulsing circuit like that illustrated in fig1 has been used to produce a one microsecond pulse . when the block 12 of semiconductor material is formed of a highly resistive direct semiconductor material , such as semi - insulating gallium arsenide ( gaas ), the electron beam 20 has a maximum energy for gaas of approximately 200 kev since gaas can suffer damage if the electron energy exceeds 220 kev . the lower limit of the electron energy in the embodiment illustrated in fig1 is determined by the fact that the electron beam has to pass through the anode foil 26 and the contact 15 . however , where the semiconductor contact 15 forms the anode of the electron beam diode 26 , electrons with much lower energies , even as low as 10 kev can potentially be used . low energy electron beams are more easily used if , as illustrated in fig2 a and 2b , a ring - shaped contact 15 &# 39 ; is used instead of the solid contact illustrated in fig1 . use of a ring - shaped contact requires that the highly conductive region formed by the electron beam at the surface of the block 12 of semiconductor material be able to serve as the inner portion of contact 15 . the range of electron energy for a device constructed according to the present invention is between the range of electron beams used in diffuse discharge switches ( 150 - 300 kev ) and those used in electron - bombarded semiconductor ( ebs ) devices ( 10 - 15 kev ). the capabilities of an electron - beam controlled bulk semiconductor switch according to the present invention is more similar to a diffuse discharge switch than an ebs device , because the space charge limited current condition is exceeded . the space charge limitation is overcome in the present invention by converting the electron energy in the electron beam 20 into photon energy and x - rays ( bremsstrahlung ). the photon energy is produced by band edge radiation due to radiative recombination of electron hole pairs produced by the electron beam . the x - rays and photon energy is then used to ionize the bulk of the semiconductor instead of only a shallow surface layer . the electron beam 20 penetrates the semiconductor material 12 to a relatively shallow depth . for example , a 10 kev electron beam will penetrate silicon to a depth of 1 . 5 micrometers . however , the x - rays and photon energy which is produced by higher energy electron beams can penetrate to a depth of one - half to one millimeters or more . the majority of the ionization in the semiconductor material 12 outside the electron - beam activated layer is preferably caused by photon energy . unlike bremsstrahlung which produces x - rays in a linear relationship to electron energy , photon energy produced by cathodoluminiscence is independent of the energy of the electron beam 20 . preferably , the semiconductor material is a highly resistive direct semiconductor material such as semi - insulating gallium arsenide ( gaas ). a shallow donor or acceptor layer 40 ( fig2 b ) may be formed at the surface of the semiconductor material 12 adjacent to the electrode 15 to increase the number of photons produced by the electron beam 20 . the depth of doped layer 40 should be approximately equal to the depth the electrons penetrate the semiconductor 12 . for example , a gaas wafer 0 . 5 millimeter thick can be doped by diffusing zinc for 20 minutes at a temperature of 750 ° c . to produce a p - type layer of about 10 micrometers with an acceptor concentration of 10 19 / cm 3 . in experiments performed using semiconductor material 12 formed as described above , the undoped semi - insulating gaas exhibited current densities far above the space charge limited current density for a trap free insulator which represents the optimum condition for space charge limited current flow . the characteristics exhibited by the undoped semi - insulating gaas indicate that the bulk of the semiconductor was ionized due to x - ray bremsstrahlung . the experimental results using zinc - doped gaas had a slower rise time than the undoped semi - insulating gaas , but had approximately twice the current gain of the undoped semi - insulating gaas . the concentration , depth and composition of the doped layer can be varied to produce switches with varying characteristics using known semiconductor technology . in comparison to a diffuse discharge switch , the present invention is capable of higher current density in the switch , e . g ., 10 3 to 10 4 a / cm 2 , compared to less than 100 a / cm 2 in a diffuse discharge switch . also , the forward voltage during conduction may be less than 100 volts , while the minimum forward voltage in a diffuse discharge switch is 1 , 000 volts and over 100 volts in an ebs device . most importantly , the current gain of an electron - beam controlled bulk semiconductor switch according to the present invention is 10 4 to 10 5 , depending upon the source function and recombination rate of the semiconductor material 12 . the source function s b defines the number of electron - hole pairs created per volume and time by the electron beam and is defined by equation ( 1 ). in equation ( 1 ), dw / dx is the differential energy loss , j b is the electron - beam current density , e is the electron charge and w i is the effective ionization energy which is 4 . 3 ev for gaas . many of the features and advantages of the present invention are apparent from the detailed specification , and thus , it is intended by the appended claims to cover all such features and advantages which fall within the spirit and scope of the invention . a switch constructed according to the present invention has many possible applications , a few of which include high power switching in , e . g ., an inductive storage unit , and a bistable electronic device in , e . g ., a high power circuit . further , since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art , from the disclosure of the invention , it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation illustrated and described . accordingly , suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to , all falling within the scope and spirit of the invention . | 7 |
the preferred embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention is configured to tin the bonding surfaces 12 of 40 lead frame units such as are shown at 10 in fig1 . fig5 is illustrative of the preferred embodiment of the apparatus of the invention . fig2 shows a typical cross section of the apparatus of fig5 . lead frame assembly 10 is shown positioned with bonding pads 12 in close contact with heater block 20 . heater block 20 is heated by heaters 21 which may be electric heaters . total assembly 22 may be considered to comprise two basic parts ; heater block 20 assembly together with the remainder of the structure as shown in fig2 . backplate 24 is slideably mounted ( not shown ) so that it may slide in the vertical directions shown by arrows 25 . solder spools 26 are mounted on axle 28 which is supported from backplate 24 . in the preferred embodiment of the invention there are 40 solder spools 26 , each feeding one of 40 bonding pads 12 which are part of lead frame assembly 10 . solder wire 30 is fed from spool 26 between block 32 and switch 34 . in the absence of solder wire 30 the actuator of switch 34 is allowed to move into the recess of block 32 thereby turning on switch 34 and actuating alarm 36 . solder wire 30 proceeds through holes in mounting block 31 for blocks 32 and switches 34 to pinch roller pair 38 , 40 . pinch roll 38 is a relatively soft rubber roller . pinch roller 40 is a metal roller with 40 grooves therein ( not shown ) for guiding each of the solder wires 30 respectively . solder wire 30 is then fed into the upper end of one of 40 tubes 44 which is shaped to guide solder wire 30 onto one of the bonding pads 12 . it will be clear that only two of 40 bonding pads 12 are shown in fig2 . these bonding pads are fed by solder wires 30a and 30b through tubes 44 . of course it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the position of the lower end of tube 44 may be adjustable in order to assure that solder wire 30 is properly guided to the center of bonding pad 12 , in each case . gear motor 42 drives pinch roller 40 . pinch roll 38 is an idling roller and requires no separate drive . gear motor 42 , in turn , is controlled by control timer 52 . backplate 24 which supports all of the solder wire 30 feed mechanism is vertically positioned by cam 46 . as before stated , backplate 24 may be raised and lowered in the directions of arrows 25 by cam 46 . cam 46 is driven by gear motor 48 . gear motor 48 is controlled by control timer 52 . the excentricity of cam 46 controls the distance and position of backplate 24 , and in turn , the rest of the solder feed mechanism . in operation , an operator positions lead frame 10 beneath feed mechanism 22 . the operator may be aided by a stop detent ( not shown ). the operator then begins operation of the preferred embodiment of the invention by initiating start mechanism 50 . start mechanism 50 starts control timer 52 . control timer 52 first energizes gear motor 42 for a predetermined length of time to feed a predetermined length of solder wire 30 into tubes 44 . initial apparatus set up assures that solder wires 30 do not contact the surfaces of bonding pads 12 . when gear motor 42 is timed off by control timer 52 , gear motor 48 starts to turn . when one - half cycle of cam 46 is accomplished , the solder wire previously advanced by gear motor 42 contacts and is driven into the hot surface of each of bonding pads 12 . fig3 shows a top view of bonding pads 12 , part of lead frame 10 assembly . short fingers 60 which are mounted on flat sided rotating shaft 62 are driven downward against bonding pads 12 by air operated actuator 64 . long fingers 66 , also driven by flat shaft 62 , are driven down between bonding pads 12 , thereby having no effect . the clamping action of short fingers 60 holds bonding pads 12 tight against heating block 20 during the soldering cycle . ( see also fig4 a .) when the soldering cycle is complete as determined by control timer 52 and gear motor 48 , fingers 60 and 66 are rotated 67 upward away from bonding pads 12 . this is accomplished by deactuating air actuator 64 . air actuators 70 are then used to drive flatted shafts 62 in direction b of arrows 68 . this longitudinal motion of flatted shaft 62 carries fingers 60 and 66 with it . the total distance travelled is equal to approximately one - half the spacing between adjacent bonding pads 12 . this positions long fingers 66 over bonding pads 12 . actuators 64 are then again actuated to rotate long fingers 66 down into the hot solder area of bonding pads 12 . ( see also fig4 b .) long fingers 66 are made of a material to which solder will not adhere . long fingers 66 thereby perform a patting action on the surfaces of bonding pads 12 , thus spreading out and flattening the solder on bonding pads 12 . at the conclusion of the patting cycle of long fingers 66 control timer 52 deactuates air actuators 64 to release lead frame assembly 10 from heated block 20 . air actuators 70 are then operated by control timer 52 to return flatted shafts 62 to their original position denoted by arrow 68a . meanwhile the operator physically removes lead frame assembly 10 from the apparatus and replaces it with a new lead frame 10 . the operator then begins the cycle again by initiating start activation mechanism 50 . this completes the operational and structural description of the preferred embodiment of the invention . it may be seen that the preferred embodiment of the invention provides for tinning 40 bonding pads 12 of lead frames 10 ( see fig1 ) simultaneously . feeding of solder wire 30 may be accomplished during a portion of the cylce usually used for loading the machine with lead frame 10 assemblies . solder wire 30 is accurately measured by the mechanism of the invention . an empty solder wire spool 26 is brought to the attention of the operator by means of alarm 36 . various other modifications and changes may be made to the present invention from the principles of the invention described above without departing from the spirit and scope thereof as encompassed in the accompanying claims . | 7 |
as shown in fig1 and 2 , a three - port ( one input , two output ) optical switching arrangement 10 ( fig1 ) or 20 ( fig2 ) has a mirror m which is positioned either out of the optical path ( fig1 ) or in the optical path ( fig2 ). in both situations ( fig1 and 2 ), the switching arrangement 10 , 20 has first , second and third optical ports p1 , p2 , and p3 , which are formed by respective proximate ends of first , second , and third optical fiber segments f1 , f2 , and f3 . the switching arrangement 10 , 20 further comprises first , second and third lenslets l1 , l2 , and l3 which serve to collimate the respective optical beams emanating from the first fiber f1 , entering into the second fiber f2 ( fig1 ), or entering into the third fiber f3 ( fig2 ). optical radiation for the optical beams is supplied by a light source l and is collected by utilization means u1 ( fig1 ) or u2 ( fig2 ). the mirror m ( fig2 ) has a frontal planar reflecting surface msi and may also have another reflecting surface parallel thereto , such as rear planar reflecting surface ms2 . the switching arrangement 10 , 20 can advantageously be integrated in a silicon workbench technology assembly , to form an optical switching assembly 30 ( fig3 ). here the same reference labels are used as were used in fig1 and 2 to refer to the same or similar elements or piece - parts . on a major planar surface ps of a silicon substrate s , for alignment purposes there is a plurality of recesses ( indentations or grooves ) that are cut into the substrate s , including a mirror recess mr into which fits the mirror m . other recesses cut into the substrate s include : first , second , and third fiber recesses fr1 , fr2 , fr3 ; first , second , and third lenslet recesses lr1 , lr2 , and lr3 ; and first and second substrate ball recesses sbr1 and sbr2 for receiving and holding in place a pair of identical ball - bearings b1 and b2 . the mirror m is integral with a silicon header ( holder ) h . this header has a pair of mirror ball - bearing recesses mbr1 and mbr2 that are registerable with a pair of identical substrate ball - bearing recesses sbr1 and sbr2 for receiving and holding in place the ball - bearings b1 and b2 . to prevent scratching of the mirror surface ms1 , the mirror recess mr is made sufficiently wide to prevent the reflecting surface ( s ) of the mirror from touching the sides of this mirror recess mr especially when the mirror moves in and out of this recess . the mirror recess mr and the ball - bearing recesses sbr1 , sbr2 , mbr1 , and mbr2 are all mutually located for desired mutual alignment of the mirror surface ms1 , the lenslets l1 , l2 , and l3 , and the fiber segments f1 , f2 , and f3 . fig4 is a cross section view of the portion the header h and substrate s indicated by the line 4 - 4 in fig3 . here in fig4 the front header surface cross section fhs is typically a & lt ; 110 & gt ; plane of a mono - crystalline silicon body of which the header h is composed , and the mirror m is an integral part of the same silicon body , as formed by known lithographic masking and anisotropic etching techniques . the front substrate surface fss cross section of the substrate s is typically a & lt ; 100 & gt ; plane of a monocrystalline silicon body of which the substrate s is composed . the header h can move in a rotary motion about the axis formed by joining the centers of the ball - bearings b1 and b2 . hence the planar surface ms1 ( and ms2 ) of the mirror m is constrained to move parallel to itself , i . e ., with no lateral displacement . thus the right - hand edge of the mirror m ( fig3 and 4 ) can move smoothly into an out of the mirror recess mr , depending upon a suitable force g ( or distribution of forces ) applied at a point ( or region ) at the top of the header h located to the left of the aforementioned axis through the ball - bearings b1 and b2 . this force g is applied in accordance with a function of time that is suitable for the desired switching . the force g gives rise to a counterclockwise torque when g is directed downward as shown in fig4 and hence tends to move the relevant part of the mirror m ( where the light beam is incident ) out of the optical path in the switching arrangement 10 , 20 ; and this force g gives rise to a clockwise torque when g is directed upward ( not shown ), and hence tends to move the mirror m into the optical path . thus , during switching operations , the direction of g determines the movement of the mirror m to produce the condition of the switching arrangement 10 vs . 20 ( fig1 vs . fig2 ). it should be noted that jittering ( random ) motion of the mirror m upward or downward does not impair optical alignment , because the alignment is completely determined by the identical ball - bearings b1 and b2 fitting into the identical recesses sbr1 and sbr2 which are located and aligned such that the mirror is constrained to move in a direction perpendicular to the place defined by the fibers f1 , f2 , and f3 . in this way , mechanical vibrations which tend to produce relative motion between the substrate and the mirror do not adversely affect the optical transmission , because the otherwise adverse transverse relative motion is suppressed by the rigidity of ball - bearings b1 and b2 in the recesses sbr1 and sbr2 . the lenslets l1 , l2 , and l3 are typically made of sapphire ( n = 1 . 7 ) or of high index ( about 1 . 7 to 1 . 9 ) glass . the ball bearings b1 and b2 are conveniently made of the same material as are the lenslets . fig5 shows an assembly view of a four - port ( two input , two output ) optical switching assembly 50 suitable for use in a lan . the assembly 50 can be viewed as being derived from the previously described optical switching assembly 30 by the addition of a fourth port formed by fiber segment f4 fitting into fiber recess fr4 , together with lenslet l4 fitting into lenslet recess lr4 , plus a second mirror surface ms2 of the mirror m parallel to the first surface ms1 . fig6 shows a top view of the assembly 50 when the mirror m is out of the optical path ( off - line , by - pass mode ). as indicated in fig6 when the mirror m is located in a position which is thus outside of the optical path , optical radiation exiting from the first fiber segment f1 then passes the switching arrangement 60 into the second fiber f2 . at the same time , an optical beam propagating in the fourth fiber segment f4 from another light source ( not shown ) passes into the fiber segment f3 but with an attenuated optical intensity ( indicated by a dotted line ), owing to a deliberately selected offset distance d of fiber segment f3 relative to fiber segment f4 ( together with the same offset in their respective lenslets l3 and l4 ). the thus attenuated beam entering into the fiber segment f3 , is useful for self - testing operations as more fully described below . an absorber a can be added , if need be , to absorb the ( excess ) light coming from the fiber segment f4 , i . e ., to absorb the light which does not enter into the fiber segment f3 . fig7 shows a top view of the switching assembly 50 ( fig5 ) when the mirror is in the path of the optical beam ( active mode ). as indicated in fig7 when the mirror m is thus moved into the optical path , the optical beam exiting from the fiber segment f1 is passed into the switching arrangement 70 where it is reflected by the first surface ms1 of the mirror m and directed into the third fiber segment f3 . at the same time , light exiting from the fiber segment f4 is reflected by the second surface ms2 of the mirror m and enters into the fiber segment f2 . by making the thickness ( distance between frontside and backside ) of the mirror m equal to d /√ 2 (= d cos 45 ° ), if the arrangement 60 is aligned properly , so also will the arrangement 70 be aligned properly . in particular , in fig6 substantially all of the beam exiting from f1 will enter into f2 , and only a portion of the cross section of the beam exiting from f4 will enter into f3 ; whereas in fig7 substantially all of the beam exiting from f1 will enter with f3 ; and substantially all of the beam exiting from f4 will enter into f2 . fig8 shows a lan loop 800 composed of a plurality of similar local stations exemplified by a typical local station composed of node 80 together with the four - port optical switching assembly 50 described above . for example , there are a total of six such local stations interconnected by six fiber segments . one of the stations may typically function as a main station , but in any event it operates in similar manner as the others insofar as relevant here . fig9 shows a typical local station which is in the off - line condition ( by - pass mode ). as indicated in fig9 when the mirror ( not shown ) in the switching assembly 50 is not in the optical path , a transmitter tx , such as a light emitting diode ( led ), sends a light beam into fiber segment f4 which is partially propagated by the switching assembly 50 ( as per fig6 ) into fiber segment f3 and ultimately to a utilization means , such as a pin photodiode receiver rx , whereas optical radiation propagating through fiber segment f1 passes through the switch 50 undisturbed and enters into the fiber segment f2 . the beam thus propagating from f1 to f2 goes on to the next local station , whereas the beam propagating from f4 to f3 can be used for testing the photo - electronics of the node 80 . thus the situation of the node 80 in fig9 is the off - line ( by - pass ) mode . fig1 shows the typical local station in its on - line condition ( active mode ), i . e ., with the mirror in the optical path . as indicated in fig1 , when the mirror m ( not shown ) is moved into the optical path , the optical beam emanating from fiber segment f1 enters into the receiver rx , whereas the optical beam emanating from the transmitter tx enters into the fiber segment f2 . thus , the situation depicted in fig1 is the on - line mode of the node 80 , wherein the electronics of the node 80 utilizes and processes the information on the beam emanating from the fiber segment f1 , and in response thereto the node 80 then transmits its own processed information to the fiber segment f4 . fig1 is a design of an optical coupling arrangement , for coupling together a pair of fiber segments , such as f1 and f2 , to their respective lenslets l1 and l2 in the above - described switching arrangements . more specifically , for example , the space between the fiber segment f1 and its lenslet l1 is filled with a transparent medium r1 , such as silicone rubber , having a refractive index which is approximately equal to that of the segment f1 , typically about 1 . 5 . in this way , unwanted reflections at the interface of f1 with r1 are avoided . at the same time the more desirable collimated beam optics ( parallel beam between l1 and l2 ) is achieved rather than converging beam optics ( rays coming to a focus between l1 and l2 ). similarly , the space between l2 and f2 is filled with a similar transparent medium r2 . note that in fig6 and 7 , the offset distance d arises in the switching assembly 60 because of the non - vanishing thickness of the mirror m . this offset causes optical loss into the absorber a , which can be undesirable in cases where the redirection of optical intensity , as is desired in self - testing , is not desired . to avoid this possibly undesirable situation , the optics of the assembly can be modified , for example , as shown in fig1 - 13 or 14 or 15 - 16 or 17 - 18 or 19 - 20 . in all these figures , the same reference labels are used to denote elements that are similar to those described above . in particular , all the lenslets are set in respective recesses in the substrate s ( fig5 ) as are the associated fibers , the recesses being located at respective positions that are determined by silicon workbench technology . fig1 - 13 depict the lenslets l1 , l2 , l3 , and l4 in a configuration for use in a switching assembly of the kind described above ( fig5 ). the remainder of the assembly ( not shown in fig1 - 13 ) should be understood to be the same as the switching assembly 50 shown in fig5 . here in fig1 - 13 , a pair of auxiliary mirrors am1 and am2 are fixedly attached either to the substrate s ( fig5 ) or to the header h and are oriented parallel to the mirror m , whereby the optical path between the fibers f4 and f3 does not suffer from any offset , as is desired . fig1 depicts a mirror 140 which , when used as the mirror m attached to the header h in the switching assembly 50 ( fig5 ), likewise avoids the offset . here in fig1 , the mirror 140 includes a silicon parallel slab 144 having its front surface ms1 coated with a thin layer 141 made of suitable transparent material , typically silicon dioxide , having a thickness such that it acts as an anti - reflection coating . the bottom half of the rear surface ms2 of the slab 144 is likewise coated with a similarly thin layer 142 of the transparent material , whereas the top half of the rear surface ms2 is coated with a thin reflecting layer 143 , made of suitable optically reflecting material , such as a metal having a thickness of about 100 nm . this mirror 140 can then be used in the switching assembly 50 in the following manner . to put the assembly with the mirror 140 into the by - pass mode depicted in fig6 the mirror 140 is moved upward into a position such that the optical paths among the lenslets pass through bottom ( transparent ) half of the mirror 140 . in this way , the dielectric portion of merely the mirror deflects ( refracts ) the beam slightly and directs the beam along the appropriate optical path . to achieve the active mode ( fig7 ), the mirror 140 is moved downward such that the optical paths pass through the top ( reflecting ) half of the mirror 140 -- while the bottom half of the mirror is situated in the mirror recess mr ( fig5 ). in this way the mirror 140 reflects the optical beams incident upon the front and rear surfaces of the reflecting layer 142 , which has negligible thickness and hence introduces negligible offset . fig1 - 16 depict an arrangement of lenslets and fibers to avoid the offset , in accordance with yet another embodiment . here in fig1 - 16 , the fibers f1 , f2 , f3 , and f4 serve the same respective functions as in fig6 - 7 , but they are all located on the same ( front ) side of mirror m . on the other ( rear ) side of the mirror m , auxiliary fibers af1 , af2 , and af3 -- together with auxiliary lenslets al1 , al2 , and al3 -- are located ( fig1 ) in respective alignment with these fibers f1 , f2 , and f3 . note that only three main lenslets l1 , l2 , and l3 are required , the lenslet l1 doing double duty by passing two mutually orthogonal beams simultaneously . the auxiliary fiber af1 is connected at its rear end by a connecting fiber cf1 to the rear end of the auxiliary fiber af3 , and the auxiliary fiber af2 is connected at its rear end by a connecting fiber cf4 to the rear end of the auxiliary fiber af4 . in this way , when the mirror m is moved into a position located in the paths of the optical beams , as shown in fig1 , the by - pass ( off - line ) mode is obtained . in particular , light exiting from f1 goes to f2 by way of path through l1 , reflection by mirror m , and through l2 ; and light exiting from f4 goes to f3 by way of a path through l1 , reflection by mirror m , and through l3 . and when the mirror m is moved into a position located outside of the paths of the optical beams , as shown in fig1 , the active ( on - line ) mode is achieved . that is , light exiting from f1 goes to f3 via l1 , al1 , af1 , cf1 , af3 , al2 , and l3 ; and light exiting from f4 goes to f2 via l1 , al4 , af4 , cf2 , af2 , al2 , and l2 . it should be understood that the location of all the lenslets and fibers shown in fig1 - 16 again are determined by recesses in the substrate s ( fig5 ), advantageously in accordance with silicon workbench technology , and that the position of the mirror m in fig1 - 16 is determined by ball - bearings ( not shown in fig1 - 16 ) located in recesses , i . e ., in the same way as the position of the mirror m in fig5 . it should also be understood that in fig1 - 16 the positions of the fibers f2 and f3 can be interchanged , and at the same time the respective lenslets l2 and l3 are interchanged . in that case , the active ( on - line ) mode is obtained in the configuration shown in fig1 , whereas the by - pass ( off - line ) mode is obtained in the configuration shown in fig1 . instead of the reflecting mirror m , an optically refracting element can be used , for example , in the form of a parallel refracting slab ( plate ) rs , i . e ., a parallel plate composed of an optically refracting medium -- as illustrated , for example , in the three - port configuration shown in fig1 - 18 ( fibers f1 , f2 , f3 not shown ) and in the four - port configuration shown in fig1 - 20 ( fibers f1 , f2 , f3 , f4 not shown ). it should be understood here that optical fibers ( not shown in fig1 - 18 or fig1 - 20 ) should be aligned as shown in fig3 and 5 . in particular ( fig1 - 18 ), refracting slab rs is designed -- for example , as to thickness and refractive index -- such that , when it is moved into the optical path as constrained by ball - bearings b1 and b2 in their respective recesses ( fig4 ), it refracts the optical beam by an amount sufficient to deliver the beam to a different lenslet -- e . g ., to the lenslet l3 ( fig1 ) instead of l2 ( fig1 ). note that the front and rear planar surfaces of the refracting slab rs are both constrained to move parallel to themselves , respectively . in fig2 , al1 and al2 are auxiliary lenslets connected by a connecting fiber cf , whereby the arrangement ( fig1 - 20 ) can be used in a four - port optical switching assembly similar to the one depicted in fig6 - 7 . notice that in connection with all cases described above , the position and orientation of the mirror m or 140 ( fig1 ), or of the parallel refracting slab rs ( fig1 ), is determined by the positions of ball - bearings b1 and b2 which fit into the recesses sbr1 and sbr2 . these positions of these ball - bearings in these recesses reliably determine an axis around which the mirror m rotates in response to the applied force ( s ) g indicated in fig4 . the silicon workbench technology , in which the recesses for the mirror , ball - bearings , fibers , and lenslets are all simultaneously formed by reliable lithography , ensures precise relative alignment of all fibers , lenslets , and the mirror on a mass productive basis -- i . e ., the simultaneous manufacture of a plurality of substrates with all their recesses aligned by means of conventional lithographic techniques . likewise it should be understood that the position and orientation of the refracting slab rs ( fig1 and 20 ) is similarly determined by ball bearings ( not shown ) which fit into recesses in the substrate s as depicted in fig3 - 5 , for example . although the invention has been described in detail in terms of specific embodiments , various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention . for example , the lenslets can be omitted by making the edges of the fiber segments spherical , rather than flat , to collimate the exiting optical beam . also , a single mirror m or refracting slab rs can simultaneously be used in conjuction with more than the single set of three ( or four ) ports -- i . e ., with an array of fibers containing a plurality of sets of such fibers , each set comprising three ( or four ) fibers operating similarly to f1 , f2 , f3 ( and f4 ). instead of offsetting ( fig6 and 7 ) the fiber segments f3 and f4 ( together with lenslets l3 and f4 ) by the distance d , the ( center of the ) mirror could be offset , in order to reduce the amount of optical radiation entering into the fiber segment f3 from the fiber segment f4 during the off - line mode . at some sacrifice of long - term stability , reliability , and optical insertion loss , the header h can be a stamped metal or molded plastic body having projections that fit into recesses in the silicon substrate , while the ball - bearings are omitted . instead of optical signals , other forms of electromagnetic radiation signals can be used , spanning from optical to millimeter waves with appropriate changes in the materials of the lenslets , mirror , and waveguides . | 6 |
referring now to the drawings , wherein like components are identified by similar numbers , a preferred embodiment of the improved golf club shaft and grip are shown in fig1 - 12 . as illustrated in fig7 a typical golf club 75 comprises a head 45 , a hosel 55 and a shaft 65 . the shaft 65 has a top end 67 and a bottom end 69 . the bottom end 69 of the shaft 65 is attached to the hosel 55 . the club head 45 is attached to the hosel 55 opposite the shaft 65 . a grip 85 surrounds a portion of the shaft 65 , generally starting at the top end 67 of the shaft 65 and extending along the shaft 65 to a position intermediate the top end 67 and the bottom end 69 of the shaft 65 . as shown in fig1 a golfer 25 typically holds the golf club 75 by grasping the golf club 75 at the grip 185 . the club shaft 165 shown in fig1 - 6 comprises three parts : an upper part u , a lower part b and a middle part m intermediate that upper and lower parts u , b . the upper and lower parts u , b comprise cylinders having circular cross - sections of a defined and uniform diameter . the middle part m of the shaft 165 comprises a plurality of alternating rectangular 165 b and circular 165 a and cross - sectional areas . the circular cross - sections 165 a are uniformly cylindrical and have the same diameter as that of the upper and lower parts u , b of the shaft 165 . the rectangular cross - sections 165 b have a length l , a width w and a height h . as seen in fig4 and 5 , the length l of the rectangular cross - sections 165 b is approximately the same as the diameter of the circular cross - sections 165 a . the width w of the rectangular cross - sections 165 b is less than the length l . further , the width w and the height h of the rectangular cross - sections 165 b are of a size to allow a golfer to easily position the rectangular cross - sections 165 b between two fingers , as shown in fig2 . the grip 185 covers the upper part u , the middle part m , and a portion of the lower part b of the shaft 165 , as shown in fig2 - 6 . within the middle part m of the shaft 165 , the grip 185 has a convex profile relative to the circular cross - sectional areas 165 a . such a profile allows the portions of the grip 185 covering the circular cross - sectional areas 165 a in the middle part m of the shaft 165 to have the same outer diameter as the portions of the grip 185 covering the upper part u and the portion of the lower part b , hence providing a familiar gripping area for the golfer . as illustrated in fig4 and 5 , the portions of the grip 185 covering the rectangular cross - sectional areas 165 b of the middle part m of the shaft 165 are less dense than those portions of the grip 185 covering the circular cross - sectional areas 165 a . this lack of density provides a level of comfort and security to the golfer without impeding the placement of the rectangular cross - sectional areas 165 b between two fingers of the golfer &# 39 ; s hand , as shown in fig2 . in a preferred embodiment , transitions between the circular cross - sectional areas 165 a and the rectangular cross - sectional areas 165 b of the middle part m and the transitions between the upper u and lower b parts with the middle part m may be conical shaped to prevent excessive wear or abrasion at the transitions . [ 0032 ] fig7 as discussed above , illustrates and typical golf club 75 with a shaft 65 and grip 85 . in other preferred embodiments , as illustrated in fig8 - 11 , the shaft 65 ( as shown in fig7 ) maintains a uniform , cylindrical , shape from the top end 67 to the bottom end 69 while the grip 85 changes contour . in fig8 - 11 , the grip 285 , 385 , 485 , 585 comprises a first part 287 , 387 , 487 , 587 and a second part 289 , 389 , 489 , 589 . the first parts 287 , 387 , 487 , 587 of each grip 285 , 385 , 485 , 585 comprise a contour similar to a conventional grip of a golf club 75 , as shown in fig7 . the second parts 289 , 389 , 489 , 589 of each grip 285 , 385 , 485 , 585 comprises at least one contoured area having a profile different than that of a conventional grip . as shown in fig8 the first part 287 of the grip 285 covers the shaft 65 starting at the top end 67 and extending to abut the second part 289 of the grip 285 . the second part 289 of the grip 285 extends between the abutting - first part 287 and the bottom end 69 of the shaft 65 . the second part 289 of the grip is convex . [ 0034 ] fig9 and 10 illustrate grips 385 , 485 in which the second parts 389 , 489 each has a conventional portion 389 a , 489 a and a protruding portion 389 b , 489 b . in fig9 the conventional portion 389 a of the second part 389 is located intermediate the first part 387 of the grip 385 and the protruding portion 389 b of the second part 389 of the grip 385 . the protruding portion 389 b surrounds the shaft 65 in a uniform , geometric shape . in fig9 the protruding portion 389 b resembles a vertical hexagonal . in fig1 , the protruding portion 489 b is intermediate the conventional portion 489 a of the second part 489 and the first part 487 of the grip 485 . the protruding portion 489 b surrounds the shaft 65 in a uniform , geometric shape . in fig1 , the protruding portion 489 b is convex . as shown in fig1 , the second part 589 b of the grip 585 may include multiple contours . the first part 587 of the grip 585 extends from the top end 67 of the shaft 65 to abutting proximity to the second part 589 . the second part 589 extends from a terminus of the first part 587 toward the bottom end 69 of the shaft 65 . the second part comprises protruding portions 589 b connected by a short conventional portion 589 a . the protruding portions 589 b may be the same or different shapes . in fig1 , the protruding portions 589 b are the same shape . further , the protruding portions 589 b may be of any geometric shape . in fig1 , the protruding portions 589 b are barrel shaped . [ 0037 ] fig1 illustrates a preferred embodiment combining elements of the contoured golf club shaft 665 as shown in fig1 - 6 , and of the contoured grip 685 , as shown in fig8 . the shaft 665 comprises three sections : an upper section u and a lower section b , both of which have a conventionally cylindrical shape ; and a middle section m intermediate the upper and lower sections u , b of the shaft 665 . the middle section m of is cylindrically shaped with a circular cross - section having a diameter between about 0 . 25 and 0 . 5 that of the diameter of the upper and lower sections u , b . transitions between the sections may be abrupt or gradual . as illustrated in fig1 , the transition between the upper section u and the middle section m is substantially an abrupt , square - edged demarcation , while the transition between the middle section m and the lower section b is a gradual , conically shaped transition . the grip 685 comprises a first part 687 and a second part 689 . the first part 687 comprises a contour similar to a conventional grip of a golf club 75 , as shown in fig7 . the second part 689 of the grip 685 comprises at least one contoured area having a profile different than that of a conventional grip . as shown in fig1 , the first part 687 of the grip 685 covers the shaft 665 starting at the top end 667 and extending to abutting engagement with the second part 689 . the second part 689 of the grip 685 extends between the abutting first part 687 and the bottom end 669 of the shaft 665 . the second part 689 of the grip 665 may have any geometric shape . the second part 689 of the grip 665 shown in fig1 is convex . fig1 - 18 illustrate a preferred method for gripping the golf club 75 shown in fig1 - 6 . the golfer 25 first positions the golf club 75 with the head 45 of the golf club 75 adjacent to a striking surface ( e . g ., a greens area on a golf course ) and a golf ball 35 and perpendicular to the golfer 25 , as shown in fig1 . the golfer 25 positions a first hand 27 in proximity to the golf club 75 , fingers of the first hand 27 oriented toward one of the rectangular cross - sectional areas 165 b of the shaft covered by and identified by the corresponding grip 185 b , as illustrated in fig1 . the golfer then inserts the rectangular cross - sectional area 185 b of the shaft 165 between two fingers of the first hand 27 , as illustrated in fig1 and 25 . as shown in fig1 , 16 and 17 , the rectangular cross - sectional area 185 b of the shaft 165 is insertable between any two fingers of the first hand : between index and middle fingers ( fig1 ); between middle and ring fingers ( fig1 ); and between ring and little fingers ( fig1 ). once the shaft 165 is properly positioned between fingers of the first hand 27 , the fingers of the first hand are closed about the shaft 165 , enclosing the shaft 165 within a fist made of the first hand 27 , as shown in fig1 . fingers of a second hand 29 are wrapped around the shaft 165 , at least partially overlapping the first hand 27 . a thumb of the first hand 27 may be covered by the second hand 29 or situated atop the second hand 29 after the second hand 29 is wrapped around the shaft , as illustrated in fig1 and 18 . once the first and second hands 27 , 29 are properly positioned , the golfer 25 may address the golf ball 35 , as shown in fig1 and prepare for swinging the golf club 75 . another embodiment of the method described above is shown in fig1 , wherein the shaft 165 is positioned between fingers of the first hand 27 and of the second hand 29 . the first and second hands 27 , 29 may either utilize the same rectangular cross - sectional area 185 b ( illustrated in fig1 ), or different rectangular cross - sectional areas 185 b . after properly positioning the shaft between fingers of both hands , the first and second hands 27 , 29 are closed about the shaft 165 , completing the gripping method . another embodiment of the method of gripping a golf club is illustrated in fig2 and 21 , wherein the first hand 27 is positioned as discussed above and illustrated in fig1 - 18 . the second hand 29 is closed about the shaft 165 at a position spaced apart from the first hand 27 . preferably , the second hand 29 is positioned intermediate the first hand 27 and the top end 67 of the shaft 165 . a feature of the method as described above is illustrated in fig2 - 24 , wherein any of the above grips is employed with a conventional golf club ( shown in fig7 ). it will therefore be readily understood by those persons skilled in the art that the present invention is susceptible of broad utility and application . many embodiments and adaptations of the present invention other than those herein described , as well as many variations , modifications and equivalent arrangements , will be apparent from or reasonably suggested by the present invention and the foregoing description thereof , without departing from the substance or scope of the present invention . accordingly , while the present invention has been described herein in detail in relation to its preferred embodiment , it is to be understood that this disclosure is only illustrative and exemplary of the present invention and is made merely for purposes of providing a full and enabling disclosure of the invention . the foregoing disclosure is not intended or to be construed to limit the present invention or otherwise to exclude any such other embodiments , adaptations , variations , modifications and equivalent arrangements , the present invention being limited only by the claims appended hereto and the equivalents thereof . | 0 |
a preferred embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to the drawings . the external structure of a text processing system to which the preferred embodiment of the invention is applied as shown in fig5 and was described above prior to the detailed description of the display supporting device of the related art . therefore , another explanation will be omitted . fig1 is a partially cutaway sectional view of the text processing system provided with a display supporting device 30 in the preferred embodiment according to the invention . fig2 is an exploded perspective view of the display supporting device 30 . referring to fig1 a generally u - shaped frame 10 of the display supporting device 30 is fixed by screws 9 to a lower cover 8 of a body 5 of the text processing system . an arm shaft 6 is fixed to the frame 10 . a joint 2 is rotatably supported on the arm shaft 6 and a display 1 is supported , through an arm pipe 3 , on the joint 2 . the joint 2 is prevented from axially disengaging from the arm shaft 6 by inserting a screw 40 through the joint 2 into a circumferential groove 41 formed on the arm shaft 6 . a first friction plate 22 is rotatably supported on the arm shaft 6 to the immediate left of and adjacent to ( as viewed in fig1 ) the joint 2 . as shown in fig2 the first friction plate 22 is provided at its central portion with a through hole through which the arm shaft 6 is inserted . the first friction plate 22 is further provided , at its outer peripheral portion , with two through holes 31a , 31b through which shoulder bolts 25 , to be described later , are inserted . the two through holes 31a , 31b are located at diametrically opposite positions with respect to the central portion of the first friction plate 22 . a left side surface of the first friction plate 22 , adjacent to a first cork plate 12a to be hereinafter described , is recessed at its central portion around the central through hole . owing to the recess of the first friction plate 22 , only the outer peripheral portion of the left side surface of the first friction plate 22 is maintained in frictional contact with the first cork plate 12a , the recess not being in frictional contact with first cork plate 12a . a right side surface of the first friction plate 22 , adjacent to the joint 2 , is provided with four projections 28 . as shown in fig1 the four projections 28 are respectively engaged with four holes formed through a left end of the joint 2 so that the first friction plate 22 is rotatable together with the joint 2 . the first friction plate 22 is provided at its outer periphery , near the through hole 31a , with a rotation stopper 29 projecting leftwardly so as to be able to contact the frame 10 . an angle of rotation of the first friction plate 22 , in association with rotation of the joint 2 , is limited to about 100 degrees between a position where the rotation stopper 29 contacts an upper portion of the frame 10 , above the arm shaft 6 , and another position where the rotation stopper 29 contacts a lower portion of the frame 10 below the arm shaft 6 . the limitation of the rotational angle of the first friction plate 22 permits a limited movement of the display 1 , connected through the joint 2 and the arm pipe 3 to the first friction plate 22 , between a first position where a display surface of the display 1 faces an upper cover 19 of the body 5 at a substantially central portion thereof and a second position where the display 1 is located above and just behind the body 5 ( see fig3 dash - dot line ). the first cork plate 12a , having an annular shape , is rotatably mounted on the arm shaft 6 between the first friction plate 22 and a right vertical portion of the frame 10 . an axial stopper 27 is fixed by a screw 18 to the arm shaft 6 between the right and left vertical portions of the frame 10 . a second friction plate 23 and a second cork plate 12b , having an annular shape , are rotatably supported on the arm shaft 6 between the axial stopper 27 and the right vertical portion of the frame 10 . as shown in fig2 the second friction plate 23 is provided at its central portion with a through hole through which the arm shaft 6 is inserted . the second friction plate 23 is further provided at its outer peripheral portion with two through holes 32a and 32b through which the shoulder bolts 25 are respectively inserted . the through holes 32a and 32b are located at diametrically opposite positions with respect to the central portion of the second friction plate 23 so as to be respectively aligned with the through holes 31a and 31b of the first friction plate 22 . a right side surface of the second friction plate 23 , adjacent to the second cork plate 12b , is recessed at its central portion around the central through hole . owing to the recess of the second friction plate 23 , only the outer peripheral portion of the right side surface of the second friction plate 23 is maintained in frictional contact with the second cork plate 12b , the recess not being in frictional contact . the frictional force generating portion , according to the invention , comprises the contact surfaces of the first friction plate 22 and the first cork plate 12a , the contact surfaces of the second friction plate 23 and the second cork plate 12b , the contact surfaces of the frame 10 and the first cork plate 12a , and the contact surfaces of the frame 10 and the second cork plate 12b . as shown in fig1 one of the shoulder bolts 25 is inserted through the through hole 31a of the first friction plate 22 and the through hole 32a of the second friction plate 23 , and the other shoulder bolt 25 is inserted through the through hole 31b of the first friction plate 22 and the through hole 32b of the second friction plate 23 . a compression spring 26 is mounted on each shoulder bolt 25 in such a manner as to be interposed between a head portion of each shoulder bolt 25 and the first friction plate 22 . each shoulder bolt 25 is tightened at its tip portion with a nut 24 to be fixed to the second friction plate 23 . accordingly , the second friction plate 23 is rotatable together with the first friction plate 22 . the first friction plate 22 is normally biased by a known biasing force of the two compression springs 26 in the axial direction of the arm shaft 6 toward the second friction plate 23 . the biasing force of the compression springs 26 defines the strength of maximum frictional force to be generated between the contact surfaces ( the frictional force generating portion ) of the frame 10 and the first cork plate 12a , between the contact surfaces ( the frictional force generating portion ) of the frame 10 and the second cork plate 12b , between the contact surfaces ( the frictional force generating portion ) of the first cork plate 12a and the first friction plate 22 , and between the contact surfaces ( the frictional force generating portion ) of the second cork plate 12b and the second friction plate 23 . the frictional force generated acts in a direction opposite to any rotating direction of the display 1 as rotated by the user , thus preventing undesired rotation of the display 1 . the arm shaft 6 is provided at its right end portion with external threads 14 . a knob 4 having internal threads is fastened to the external threads 14 so as to axially urge the joint 2 leftwardly via a washer 15 . by adjusting the degree of screw fastening of the knob 4 to the external threads 14 , the first friction plate 22 , the first cork plate 12a , the frame 10 , the second cork plate 12b and the second friction plate 23 can be maintained in frictional contact with each other by a fastening force produced by the knob 4 which is larger than the biasing force of the compression springs 26 . the fastening force of the knob 4 defines the strength of frictional forces to be generated between the contact surfaces of the frame 10 and the first cork plate 12a , between the contact surfaces of the frame 10 and the second cork plate 12b , between the contact surfaces of the first cork plate 12a and the first friction plate 22 , and between the contact surfaces of the second cork plate 12b and the second friction plate 23 . the frictional force generated upon fully screw fastening the knob 4 are larger than those due to the biasing force of the compression springs 26 and enough to fix the display 1 in position . the biasing means according to the invention is comprised of the nuts 24 , the shoulder bolts 25 , the compression springs 26 , the axial stopper 27 , the external threads 14 of the arm shaft 6 , the internal threads of the knob 4 , the washer 15 , and the joint 2 . the operation of the display supporting device 30 having the above structure will now be described . fig3 is a side view of the text processing system in the condition where the display 1 is located in a forward tilted position over the text processing system body 5 which is disposed horizontally , that is , in a working posture , on a surface 21 . fig4 is a side view of the text processing system in the condition where the display 1 is located at the forward tilted position over the body 5 which is disposed vertically , that is , in a storing posture , on the surface 21 . it is assumed that the display supporting device 30 is in an initial condition where the knob 4 is fully fastened in a direction as depicted by an arrow a of fig5 . in this condition , the fastening force of the knob 4 is greater than the biasing force of the compression springs 26 that is applied to the contact surfaces of the frame 10 and the first cork plate 12a , the contact surfaces of the frame 10 and the second cork plate 12b , the contact surfaces of the first cork plate 12a and the first friction plate 22 , and the contact surfaces of the second cork plate 12b and the second friction plate 23 . accordingly , even when external force for rotating the display 1 is applied by the user to the display 1 , the display 1 is kept non - rotatable relative to the body 5 by the frictional force generated in the display supporting device 30 owing to the fastening force of the knob 4 . the contact surfaces of the first friction plate 22 and the first cork plate 12a and the contact surfaces of the second friction plate 23 and the second cork plate 12b are formed as annular surfaces because of the recesses of the first and second friction plates 22 and 23 . therefore , assuming the fastening force of the knob 4 is fixed , the frictional force to be generated between the contact surfaces of the invention acts as resistance against rotation of the display 1 about the arm shaft 6 more effectively than would be generated in the case where the friction plates 22 , 23 would have circular , or complete , contact surfaces contacting the cork plates 12a , 12b . when the knob 4 is rotated in a direction reverse to the direction of the arrow a , shown in fig5 by the user , the fastening force of the knob 4 applied to the contact surfaces of the frame 10 and the first cork plate 12a , the contact surfaces of the frame 10 and the second cork plate 12b , the contact surfaces of the first cork plate 12a and the first friction plate 22 , and the contact surfaces of the second cork plate 12b and the second friction plate 23 is reduced down to the biasing force produced by the compression springs 26 alone . accordingly , the frictional force generated on all the contact surfaces is reduced so that the display 1 may be rotated about the arm shaft 6 by the operator . when the proper external force is applied by the user to rotate the display 1 , the display 1 is rotated about the arm shaft 6 within the given rotatable range mentioned previously and may be located at a desired position . after thus obtaining a desired position for the display 1 , the user may operate the text processing system to perform text processing . if no appropriate external force is applied by the user , or any other source , to the display 1 , the display 1 will remain held in the desired position by the frictional force generated by the biasing force of the compression springs 26 . alternatively , the user may tighten the knob 4 in the direction of the arrow a ( fig5 ) and tightly fix the display 1 at the desired position . after completing text processing , it is assumed that the body 5 is set on a surface 21 , with its front , or keyboard , end oriented upward , that is it is stored vertically , as shown in fig4 . in this case , should the operator forget to store the display 1 in the forward position shown in fig3 the display supporting device 30 continues to support the display 1 relative to the body 5 and keeps the previous position of the display 1 owing to the frictional force generated by the biasing force of the compression springs 26 or , even more securely , by the fastening force of the knob 4 . that is , a rotation moment w1 toward the surface 21 due to the weight of the display 1 and the arm pipe 3 and the force exerted by torque spring 16 is at least in balance with a moment f1 due to the frictional force of the compression springs 26 . therefore , the display 1 does not rapidly rotate toward the surface 21 . accordingly , the display supporting device 30 can prevent striking of the display 1 against the surface 21 and possible breakage of the display 1 when moving or storing the text processing system . it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific embodiment illustrated above , but various modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention . for example , the cork plates 12a and 12b employed in the above preferred embodiment may be replaced with rubber plates having a shape similar to that of the cork plates 12a and 12b . as is apparent from the above description , in the display supporting device according to the invention , even in the condition where the display is movable relative to the body of the text processing system , the display can be prevented from rapidly moving in any direction to thereby avoid possible breakage of the display due to the rapid movement thereof . | 4 |
in the following discussion , reference will be made to mi - cmc &# 39 ; s . however , the present invention is not limited to melt - infiltration cmc &# 39 ; s , and is applicable to all cmc &# 39 ; s , regardless of their processing . in addition , while the discussion below refers to silicon - containing fibers , for example silicon carbide , it will be understood that the invention is not limited to such fiber materials . thus , other materials with high temperature resistance and properties may be used . examples include oxides , carbides and nitrides of silicon , tungsten , chromium , iron , titanium , boron , zirconium and aluminum . fibers fabricated from mullite may also be employed . referring to the drawings , fig1 shows , generally , the sealing concept of the invention , with four options for seal attachment ( described in more detail in fig2 , 3 , 4 and 5 ). in fig1 , a metallic mounting structure i is shown for a stage 1 turbine shroud component , including an outer shroud connected to the casing ( not shown ) of a turbine and an inner shroud 7 connected to the outer shroud . the outer shroud 1 is attached to a damper block 2 which acts as a loading feature and a gas path pressure pulse damping mechanism onto the inner shroud component 7 . the inner shroud is made of mi - cmc material . fig2 shows silicon carbide fibers ( coated and / or uncoated ) 8 attached to the damper block 2 by a metallic seal attachment device 3 using a bolt 4 that is threaded and retained ( typically by staking ) onto the seal attachment device 3 . another high temperature bolt ( a ) mechanically retains the fiber seal 8 into the seal attachment device 3 . the over - arch of the fiber seal e between adjacent inner shrouds 7 prevents the gas turbine hot gases that are flowing between the inner shroud 7 from entering the cavity behind the inner shroud 7 and coming into contact with the lower temperature capable metal components ( 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ). the attachment device 3 also functions to provide structural support , as well as compliance with manufacturing tolerances , shroud damping due to blade passing and loading of shroud onto the attachment , and pressure ( hot gas ) containment rather than seal actuation . the &# 39 ; device 3 in intended to cover various bonding techniques for sealing the fibers , typically silicon carbide fibers , within a metallic structure which can be mounted to turbine structure 2 . thus , in an alternative embodiment , device 3 may be configured to guide a shaped fiber packs circumferentially within grooves identified by “ b ” ( see fig3 ). in such an embodiment , along the circumference of device 3 , sections are provided between fiber packs which provide structural support for device 3 and the fiber packs . the fiber packs are bonded in place with a silicon carbon matrix to insure full sealing within the device . fig3 shows an alternative seal attachment mechanism 5 . this alternative is a bonded approach , which chemically bonds the fiber seal 8 ( sic ) into the seal attachment 5 , which is then mechanically attached to the damper block 2 using a bolt 6 similar to that shown in fig2 . the seal attachment device 5 may be fabricated from monolithic ceramic or another block of mi - cmc using minimal fibers . the seal 8 may be bonded into the attached device 5 in situ or by using any interface block b . fig4 is similar to fig3 except that , in fig4 , dissimilar material is employed for the interface block c and the attachment device 5 which could be metal or another appropriate material . the embodiment of fig5 employs a different approach for the fiber seal 8 attached to the seal attachment device 3 . this approach is very similar to conventional metal brush seal design where bristles 9 are mechanically pressed and retained by a seal holder d and a bolt 4 into the seal attachment device 3 . the unique aspect of this embodiment in fig5 uses fibers 9 to not only touch the inner shroud 7 on the backside , but also in between the adjacent shrouds . this further reduces the amount of hot gases that can bypass the turbine bucket and go down the area between adjacent shrouds 7 . this improved sealing helps to improve gas turbine efficiency and also facilitates shroud damping mentioned above . the basic operation of the seal of the invention is similar to conventional metallic brush seals . a unique feature of the present invention when mi - cmc components are involved is the material compatibility of sic fibers sealing against the sic matrix surface of the mi - cmc components . a further unique feature relates to the method of manufacture of these sic fibers into a mounting structure in view of the material capability ( sic versus metal ) of the fibrous seal , the cmc component - sealing surface and the seal mechanism mounting structure . careful control of silicon carbide to metal contact and / or interaction is critical in minimizing cost , and forming ease of sic components which may be in contact with metal . fig2 - 5 discussed above relate to static applications . however , the invention is not limited to static applications , and also contemplates high speed rotation sealing between static and rotating components . many static components within combustion turbomachinery such as nozzles or diaphragms or vanes typically have sealing mechanisms on their inner diameter which is in close proximity to rotating components such as blades , buckets and / or turbines . these vital seals prevent the cooling flow intended to cool the rotating blades from . escaping into the main hot gas path flow before fulfilling their cooling objective . the alternative of hot gases leaking into the cavities between blades and vanes and causing detrimental damage to components which are not specifically designed to have high temperature hot gas path flow directly on their surfaces is clearly not desired . the invention additionally contemplates an intra - seal ( between fibers ) structure , which provides support and seal integrity and would , advantageously , be placed inside the fiber pack , thereby improving sealing and structural support . fig5 may represent a more complex departure from conventional static seal design since it embeds the sealing fibers directly into a cavity requiring the seal due to the necessity of material compatibility with sic fibers sealing on sic matrix components . this embodiment effectively traps all of the deleterious hot gases within the high temperature components which are specifically designed to accommodate the hot gases without active cooling flow . the only challenge will this embodiment rests in the relatively large about of exposed fiber surface contact with metallic components d and 3 . while the invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiment , it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the disclosed embodiment , but on the contrary , is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims . | 8 |
fig1 shows an operating device 11 according to the invention , as it can be used on the anterior side in a control panel 12 of an electrical appliance , for instance an electric oven . the control panel 12 has a correspondingly formed recess 13 which , as shown in fig2 also , has a round and stepped form for flush insertion of the operating device 11 in the control panel 12 . the operating device 11 has a rotary knob 15 as a control element . the rotary knob 15 has a grip part 16 that projects beyond the control panel 12 and which is mounted on a base part 17 . the operating device 11 and / or rotary knob 15 are in the form of retractable knobs so that , as shown in fig3 and 4 , the grip part 16 can be displaced onto the base part 17 by pressing and then projects to only a very minor extent beyond the control panel 12 . the corresponding mechanism for this will be familiar to a person skilled in the art and does not need to be explained further . the rotary knob 15 is mounted or fixed in a receiving cup 19 . the receiving cup 19 has an outer jacket 20 that is advantageously cylindrical and round circumferential , as well as a corresponding inner jacket 23 . the lower part of the grip part 16 or , substantially the entire grip part 16 corresponding to fig4 , is in the space between the outer jacket 20 and inner jacket 23 . the outer jacket 20 and inner jacket 23 are connected to each other , are advantageously a single part and in particular are manufactured at the same time and / or with one another . to the front the receiving cup 19 or the outer jacket 20 has a collar - like extension 24 , which forms a circular ring . this can be seen in the top view in fig2 . the circular ring - like , collar - like extension 24 is divided into 4 fields of illumination 25 a to 25 d . this is described in more detail below . a rotary switch device 28 is secured to a posterior end 26 of the receiving cup 19 in a usual manner in accordance with the afore - mentioned ep 1 318 534 a1 . the rotary switch device 28 also has the usual form , for instance in accordance with ep 1 898 184 a1 . in particular it is a so - called grey code switch . a support 29 is disposed on the rear - facing end 26 of the receiving cup as known from the afore - mentioned ep 1 318 534 a1 . an axle stub 30 is mounted on this support 29 so that it can rotate , but is fixed in an axial direction . this axle stub 30 ensures transfer of the rotation from the grip part 16 to the rotary switch device 28 . a lighting means 32 d is arranged on the left and a lighting means 32 b is arranged on the right in the rotary switch device 28 , especially leds . reference is made to these in the aforementioned ep 1 898 184 a1 , wherein the lighting means 32 either have the same control / same plug connection as the rotary switch device 28 or a separate one . the light from the left lighting means 32 d is coupled on the left into the outer jacket 20 of the receiving cup 19 . for this it comprises light - conducting material 21 , as well as the corresponding illuminated field 25 d . the inner jacket 23 can also comprise light - conducting material , but this is of secondary importance . the largest part of the outer jacket 20 can be substantially of light - conducting material 21 . as is clearly seen in fig2 , both the outer jacket 20 and the illuminated fields 25 a to d can be subdivided into four regions or sectors . this subdivision is formed through separating strips 22 of non - light - conducting material . these separating strips 22 may be manufactured as a single piece with the rest in the region of the collar - like extension 24 , in particular through two - component injection moulding . they can extend from the collar - like extension 24 , i . e ., between the illuminated fields 25 , through the outer jacket 20 of the receiving cup 19 to the posterior end in front of the lighting means 32 . the separating strips 22 therefore bring about a division into four of the light - conducting material 21 as shown in fig2 in a direction in the drawing plane . a lighting means 32 , arranged behind each light - conducting region in accordance with section b - b , which can be seen in the sectional view in fig1 , sits approximately centrally when viewed in a circumferential direction and radiates light into one of the light guides formed so to speak as a result and which then exits frontally at the illuminated fields 25 a to 25 d . a greater or smaller number of divisions may be provided in place of the division into four shown here . a corresponding number of lighting means then has to be provided , wherein in a further development of the invention , more than one lighting means , for instance more than one led , is provided per illuminated field 25 . in the side view shown in fig3 it can be seen how two regions of the receiving cup 19 and / or its outer jacket 20 comprise light - conducting material 21 . they are , however , separated through a separating strip 22 , which also extends seamlessly through the collar - like extension 24 and therefore also separates the illuminated fields 25 from one another and prevents over - illumination . in the sectional view shown in fig4 according to section a - a in fig2 , the cut goes directly through the plane of two separating strips 22 . this is also recognisable through the different hatching in the region of the separating strips 22 and on the outer jacket 20 as well as on the collar - like extension 24 . furthermore , it can be seen that the separating strips 22 are also provided on the inner jacket 23 to bring about complete separation of adjoining circular ring segments . if the grip part 16 , however , is of non - light - transmitting material , then it does not matter if it is illuminated through the inner jacket 23 extending within it . through any desired control of the lighting means 32 , in principle also fully independently of whether the rotary knob 15 is pressed in or is in an out position , it is possible to control whether one or more of the illuminated fields 25 a to 25 d is illuminated . as already described , some of the lighting means 32 can be coloured , so that the illuminated fields 25 may be illuminated in different colours . whilst the afore - mentioned two - component injection moulding is the preferred manufacturing method for such a receiving cup 19 , of corresponding light - conducting material 21 with separating strips 22 in between , other possibilities are also conceivable . for instance , a plurality of parts of the same type can be grouped together to form a receiving cup 19 , with possible interspersion of non - light - conducting layers or parts . alternatively , for instance , laser irradiation of the receiving cup manufactured from actual light - conducting material along the separating strips could change it such that light is no longer conducted here or that sectors so to speak can no longer be overcome . the spring 34 , recognisable in the sectional views , of metal and connected to a metal button disposed on the anterior side of the grip part 16 , can be electrically contacted through an axle stub 30 that is also electrically conducting . this enables a capacitive touch switch to be created in accordance with us 2007 / 0181410 a1 . reference is also drawn to the german patent application de 102009006421 . 4 lodged at the same priority date by the same applicant . an alternative operating device 111 is shown in fig5 , in which a rotary knob 115 is again disposed in a control panel 112 or cut - out section 113 . this rotary knob 115 is also in the form of a rotary retractable knob and is only shown in a retracted state , a grip part 116 is therefore pushed onto a base part 117 . the receiving cup 119 here is without a collar - like extension as before , and instead has only its front face 137 in the cut - out section 113 . this yields , through the front face 137 , a narrow ring that encircles the grip part 116 . a collar - like extension 124 is displaced a little downwardly and serves to secure the receiving cup 119 in a stabile and non - tiltable manner to the control panel 112 . it cannot , however , be seen from the front . it can also be seen that an outer jacket 120 , that becomes the afore - mentioned collar - like extension 124 , is substantially of pipe section form and is not manufactured as a single part with an inner jacket 123 of the receiving cup 119 , but instead is disposed on top of it and is advantageously connected to it or bonded to it . here too , a rear - facing end 126 of the receiving cup 119 , in this case within the outer jacket 120 , is connected to a rotary switch device 128 . an axle stub 130 is mounted in a support 129 and in turn engages in the base part 117 of the rotary knob 115 . in addition , it should further be noted that the rotary switch device 128 is disposed on a circuit board 131 and in particular is also electrically connected . the circuit board 131 also bears lighting means 132 , advantageously in the form of leds and / or smd leds . not shown in fig5 are corresponding separating strips between the light - conducting material , which substantially forms the outer jacket 120 and the inner jacket 123 . this can , however , have a form analogous to the previous embodiments . above all , however , it is possible or envisaged with an operating device 111 according to fig5 for the outer jacket 120 and inner jacket 123 of the receiving cup 119 to be connected to one another in a non - light - conducting manner , and for this reason different lighting means 132 are provided . they can be separated by a coating or intermediate layers . so , for instance , the coupling of light into the outer jacket 120 can bring about a narrow , circular segment - like light appearance at the front faces 137 on the control panel 112 , with a division that embraces a 90 ° elbow angle similar to fig2 , or less or more . the illumination of the inner jacket 123 can be used to create an optical display through lights on the anterior side of the grip part 116 . for this the anterior side of the grip part 116 can be formed from corresponding light - transmitting material . so , for example , different functional states of the operating device 111 can also be shown on the rotary knob 115 . illumination of the knob on the one hand or the control panel on the other hand can , in line with the general concept of the invention , be achieved together or only individually . above all , different illuminations and different colours can thus be generated . furthermore , a segmentation of the inner jacket 123 and outer jacket 120 through corresponding separating strips can be different , in particular through angular displacement , relative to one another . this enables any desired illuminated representation to be achieved . | 7 |
according to the embodiment shown in the drawings , the firearm replica of the invention is in the form of an automatic pistol 1 , with a removal magazine 2 . the firearm replica 1 comprises a fixed frame 3 constituted by an elongated body 4 extending rearwardly , with a downwardly elbowed portion 5 , which serves as a grip . a trigger guard 6 extends between the lower surface of the elongated body 4 and the front surface of the grip 5 , to receive a trigger 7 . the upper portion of the elongated body 4 is surmounted by a longitudinally movable slide 8 . the elongated body 4 of the frame 3 comprises a guide rod 9 which extends forwardly . a return spring 10 is mounted coaxially on the guide rod 9 and bears , with one end turn , on a fixed abutment 4 a on the frame 3 , and by the opposite end turn against a tongue 11 which projects downwardly from the slide 8 . the elongated body 4 and the frame 3 carry , above the guide rod 9 , the barrel 12 to eject the projectiles . the barrel 12 can be provided in metallic material . in rearward prolongation of the barrel 12 , there is provided an ejection mechanism 13 for projectiles in the form of small light plastic balls 14 . the ejection mechanism 13 comprises within the elongated body 4 of the frame 3 , a piston 15 , at the center of which is provided a pressure pin 16 which projects in the direction of the barrel 12 . a helicoidal ejection spring 17 bears , on the one hand , against the surface of the piston 15 opposite the pin 16 , and on the other hand , against a flange 18 which projects above the elongated body 4 . a guide pin 19 extends longitudinally from this projecting flange 18 to serve to guide the ejection spring 17 , in the course of its cocking , and in the course of ejection . as in a real firearm , the slide 8 has on its upper surface a rear sight 21 and a front sight 22 . to simulate a real firearm , an indentation 23 is provided on the other side of the slide 8 , substantially at its center , said indentation 23 serving , in a real firearm , to eject cartridge cases after firing . of course , in this case the slide 8 does not undergo a recoil movement during firing , because the ejection energy of the projectiles is too low . in the elongated body 4 is also provided an actuating mechanism connected , on the one hand , to the trigger 7 , and , on the other hand , to the ejection mechanism 13 . this actuating mechanism comprises a lever 24 secured to the trigger 7 , at its articulation axle 25 on the frame 3 . the opposite end of the lever 24 is articulated to a bar 26 which is adapted to move substantially in its longitudinal direction under the actuation of the trigger 7 . as shown in fig3 the bar 26 is secured by an articulated connection 26 b to a leg 27 a of a sear 27 , to cause the sear 27 to swing about its pivot point 27 c ( see fig3 ) during movement of the bar 26 . the sear 27 comprises another leg 27 b which is adapted to coact with a notch 50 of a tongue 51 secured to the piston 15 , to retain the piston 15 in its retracted position , shown in fig2 . the leg 27 a of the sear 27 moreover comprises a hook adapted to coact with a hammer 28 which is articulated at the rear of frame 3 . the hammer 28 hooks onto the leg 27 a of the sear 27 , when the hammer 28 is swung downwardly , under the action of the rear edge of the slide 8 which is moved rearwardly in the direction of the arrow f , as shown in fig2 . the hammer 28 in this case has only the function of giving a sound , because the firearm replica does not use percussion . the grip 5 of the firearm replica 1 is hollow and open at its base to define a receptacle for receiving the magazine 2 . the grip 5 comprises a pushbutton 29 extending transversely and adapted to coact with a notch 30 in the magazine 2 to block it in the receptacle of the grip . one of the surfaces of the grip 5 comprises a slot 31 ( see fig3 ) of substantially inverted l shape , in which engages a lug 26 a projecting from the bar 26 . the projecting lug 26 a is adapted to move substantially longitudinally in the base of the l , during actuating movement of the trigger 7 . a safety 32 is articulated on said surface of the grip 5 and is provided with an angular return spring 33 at the level of its axle of articulation 32 a . the safety 32 comprises a lug 32 b which projects into the slot 31 and is adapted to move along the substantially vertical leg of the l . in the upper position of the safety 32 , the projecting lug 32 b blocks the movement of the lug 26 a projecting from the bar 26 , which prevents movement of the trigger 7 . the grip 5 is covered on each of its surfaces with a protective cover 34 . one of the covers 34 covers the safety 32 , except its free end 35 which extends beyond the cover 34 to permit swinging of the lever between an active position blocking the trigger 7 and a lower inactive position . a retaining tongue 36 is provided on each side of the frame 3 to retain the upper edge of each cover 34 . once assembled , the two covers 34 define along the rear edge of the grip 5 a substantially vertical recess 5 a in which is disposed a metallic counterweight 37 . each cover 34 is fixed on the grip 5 by two small screws 38 . the magazine 2 comprises a body 39 extending substantially vertical with a slight inclination to correspond to that of the grip 5 , and a substantially horizontal base 40 , which is adapted to close the open bottom of the receptacle of the grip 5 . the body 39 of the magazine 2 comprises a substantially u shaped recess 41 extending substantially in the plane of symmetry of the firearm replica , a compression spring 42 being disposed within the recess 41 , so as to be able to occupy all the internal space of this recess . the recess 41 opens at its upper front end through an opening 41 a , to permit the introduction of balls 14 into the magazine 2 and the exit of the balls during the cocking of the firearm replica . the balls 14 contained in the recess 41 press back the spring 42 and are urged by the spring 42 toward an upper flange 43 of the magazine 2 which is in line with the outlet opening 41 a , which prevents the untimely exit of the balls 14 . a proportion of the magazine 2 comprises a longitudinal slot in which an active portion of the slide 8 engages during recoil , said active portion thus pressing back the balls into the recess 41 , to cause the uppermost ball to coincide with the outlet opening 41 a , thereby permitting the loading of a ball 14 into the barrel 12 . a guide ramp 44 is provided in the elongated body 4 of the frame 3 , to guide the ball 14 between the outlet opening 41 a of the magazine 2 and the inlet of the barrel 12 . the slide 8 moreover comprises a pressing ramp 20 , seen in fig2 which is adapted , during return of the slide 8 toward its rest position , to press the ball 14 toward the ramp 44 , until the ball 14 reaches the inlet of the barrel 12 . as seen in fig1 between the legs of the u shaped recess 41 of the magazine 2 , is disposed a metallic counterweight 45 . similarly , a metallic counterweight 46 is disposed in the elongated body 4 of the frame 3 , substantially in vertical alignment with the trigger guard 6 . the counterweights 37 , 45 and 46 have the purpose of balancing the firearm replica 1 , so as to simulate real firing conditions and the heft of a real firearm . in general , the mass of the firearm replica is less than that of a real firearm , but it tends to approach it . an essential characteristic of the invention is that the assembly of the frame 3 , the slide 8 , the magazine 2 and the protective covers 34 is a transparent plastic material . thus , the user can control the good operation of the actuating mechanism and of the ejection mechanism of the firearm replica , and particularly , immediately locate the site of possible blockage of a ball 14 in the slide and / or the frame . moreover , the user can immediately determine the size and number of balls available in the magazine 2 . the fact of providing the firearm replica 1 in transparent plastic material also permits visualizing the animation of the mechanisms of the firearm replica . of course , as a modification , it could be provided that only a portion of the firearm replica 1 be in transparent plastic material , to obtain the desired effects of controlling possible malfunction and the identification of the number and size of the balls . finally , it will be noted that the ejection mechanism of the firearm replica can be of the compressed air type , with gas , or with electrical actuation , with or without a spring . by way of example , the balls can have a dimension of the order of 6 mm . the operation of the firearm replica will now be described with reference to fig1 and 2 . in the rest position shown in fig1 with the magazine 2 engaged in the receptacle of the grip 5 , the safety 32 is in a downwardly swung position to permit operation of the trigger 7 . then , a longitudinal force is exerted in the direction of the arrow f in fig2 to press rearwardly the slide 8 relative to the frame 3 , which has the effect of uncovering the forward portion of the barrel 12 , and free end of the guide rod 9 . simultaneously , the piston 5 is pressed rearwardly against the ejection spring 17 and the hammer 28 is swung downwardly . the hammer 28 is maintained in downwardly swung position by the sear 27 which retains the piston 15 in retracted position by means of the tongue 51 . the rearward movement of the slide 8 also causes the ejection of a ball 14 as shown in fig2 . the return of the slide 8 to its rest position is ensured by the return spring 10 at the level of the guide rod 9 . this return movement of the slide 8 moves the ball 14 along the ramp 44 to the inlet of the barrel 12 , under the action of the pressure ramp 20 . in this position , the pin 16 of the piston 15 is spaced from the ball 14 , because the piston 15 is retained by the sear 27 . when the user pulls the trigger , the bar 26 is driven forwardly , by means of the lever 24 , which causes the sear 27 to pivot and frees the tongue 51 from the piston 15 which is propelled forwardly under the action of the ejection spring 17 . the swinging of the sear 27 also frees the hammer 28 which strikes the rear of the frame 3 with a clapping sound . the piston 15 is projected forwardly , until its pin 16 strikes the ball 14 which is ejected through the barrel 12 to the exterior . it should be noted that during firing ball 14 , a ball 14 does not automatically replace the ball which has been projected . it is necessary , for this purpose , again to retract the slide 8 . although the invention has been described in connection with a particular embodiment , it is evident that it is in no way thereby limited and that it comprises all technical equivalents of the means described , as well as their combinations if the latter enter into the scope of the invention . the firearm replica of the invention can particularly be adapted for its use as a plaything . | 5 |
cross - sectionally illustrated in schematic form in fig1 is a fuel - fired heating appliance , representatively a gas - fired water heater 10 , embodying principles of the present invention . water heater 10 rests upon a horizontal support surface , such as the illustrated floor 11 , and has a vertically oriented tubular inner wall structure 12 . inner wall structure 12 defines , along an upper portion thereof , a tank 14 adapted to hold a quantity of water 16 to be heated and having a domed bottom end wall 18 , a combustion chamber 20 extending downwardly from a peripheral portion of the end wall 18 , and an annular skirt wall 22 extending downwardly from the periphery of the combustion chamber 20 to the floor 11 and circumscribing a plenum 24 disposed beneath the combustion chamber 20 . a circumferentially spaced series of air transfer openings 26 extend through the skirt wall 22 into the plenum 24 . extending upwardly from the bottom tank end wall 18 , through the stored water 16 , is a flue pipe 28 that communicates at its lower end with the interior of the combustion chamber 20 . a vertically oriented tubular metal outer wall structure , representatively in the form of a metal jacket 30 , outwardly circumscribes the inner wall structure 12 and forms therewith an annular space , an upper portion of which is filled with a suitable insulation material 32 , and a lower end portion of which forms an annular air inlet or receiving space 34 which outwardly circumscribes the skirt wall 22 . a circumferentially spaced series of combustion air inlet openings 36 extend through a lower end portion of the jacket 30 into the annular space 34 . water heater 10 also includes a radiant gas burner 40 , the hollow body of which is formed from abutting upper and lower metal pan structures 42 , 44 having circular peripheral edge flange portions supportingly received in a circumferentially rolled portion 46 of the inner wall structure 12 . as can be seen in fig1 , a peripheral flange portion of the burner 40 defines the bottom wall of the combustion chamber 20 , with an upper or outlet portion of hollow body of the burner 40 projecting upwardly from such bottom wall into the interior of the combustion chamber 20 , and a lower or inlet portion of the hollow body of the burner 40 projecting downwardly from such bottom wall into the skirt plenum 24 . on the top side of the burner 40 is a metal mesh burner screen structure 48 ( see . fig1 – 4 ) which functions as a perforate flame - holding surface or wall structure during firing of the burner . the screen structure 48 may be removed from the balance of the burner 40 and withdrawn from the combustion chamber , for inspection and cleaning purposes , through suitable aligned access openings ( not illustrated herein ) formed in the outer wall structure 30 and a vertical side wall portion of the combustion chamber 20 . during firing of the burner 40 , as later described herein , the burner generates hot combustion products which flow upwardly through the flue 28 and heat the stored water 16 to maintain it at a predetermined heated temperature . as can best be seen in fig2 – 4 , the removable screen structure 48 ( which may be of an alternative perforate construction such as a porous ceramic material ), has a partially annular configuration as viewed from the top , and has opposite , circumferentially spaced apart ends 50 , 52 . removable screen 48 circumscribes a generally circular , non - screened central area 56 of the upper burner pan structure 42 that underlies the open lower end of the flue 28 , with the screen 48 sloping downwardly and radially inwardly toward the non - screened central area 56 . in this manner , scale falling from the interior of the flue 28 tends to land in the central area 56 and thus does not tend to plug the screen 48 . additionally , scale landing on the screen 48 tends to fall down its inwardly sloped surface onto the non - screened central area 56 . the burner screen 48 provides the water heater 10 with flammable vapor ignition resistance ( fvir ) to substantially prevent flames within the combustion chamber 20 ( caused , for example , by ignition of extraneous flammable vapors ingested into the combustion chamber ) from downwardly exiting the combustion chamber 28 , the various small openings in the screen area 48 serving as flame quenching openings that permit fuel and air to upwardly traverse the screen , but preclude the passage of flames downwardly therethrough . as illustrated in fig1 , the lower burner pan structure 44 forms within the skirt plenum 24 a burner venturi inlet opening 58 that is an integral portion of the burner 40 and communicates the interior of the plenum 24 with the interior of the burner 40 . a fuel gas supply tube 60 is connected to a thermostatic gas valve 62 and extends downwardly therefrom through a portion of the combustion chamber 20 and into the interior of the burner 40 . a suitable gas discharge nozzle 64 is connected to the lower outlet end of the tube 60 within the interior of the burner 40 adjacent its integral inlet opening 58 . during firing of the burner 40 , fuel gas 66 is discharged from the nozzle 64 into the interior of the burner 40 , and combustion air 68 from outside the water heater 10 sequentially flows inwardly through the combustion air inlet openings 36 into the annular space 34 , from the annular space 34 into the skirt plenum area 24 via the skirt wall openings 26 , and from the skirt plenum area 24 into the interior of the burner 40 through its integral venturi inlet opening 58 . combustion air 68 entering the interior of the burner 40 in this manner is mixed with the discharged fuel gas 66 to form a fuel / air mixture that passes upwardly through the removable burner screen 48 and is suitably ignited to form the previously mentioned hot combustion products within the combustion chamber 20 and heat the stored tank water 16 . as can be seen , all of the primary combustion air supplied to the burner 40 comes from outside the water heater 10 . accordingly , the nox emissions generated by the burner 40 are quite low . thus , the representatively illustrated water heater 10 , in a simple , efficient and economical manner , integrates a low nox fuel burner with a flammable vapor ignition resistance structure . a first alternate embodiment 10 a of the previously described water heater 10 is schematically shown in fig5 and 6 . for ease in comparing the water heaters 10 and 10 a , components in the water heater 10 a similar to those in the previously described water heater 10 have been given the same reference numerals to which the subscripts “ a ” have been added . water heater 10 a is similar in construction and operation to the previously described water heater 10 with the following exceptions . in the water heater 10 a , the removable burner screen 48 a has a fully domed configuration , and the combustion air inlet openings 36 a formed in the jacket wall 30 a are particulate filtering perforations operative to filter out , for example , lint , dirt and oil from combustion air 68 a entering the annular space 34 a to reduce potential clogging of the burner screen 48 a . as an alternative to these filtering perforations in the jacket wall 30 a , a separate filtering structure could be appropriately installed in a suitable mounting opening in the jacket wall 30 a . the integral burner venturi inlet opening 58 a disposed within the skirt plenum 24 a faces downwardly and forms a portion of a combustion shutoff system 70 incorporated in the water heater 10 a . the combustion shutoff system 70 functions to terminate combustion in the combustion chamber 20 a , representatively by precluding further combustion air flow to the burner 40 a , in response to the detection of an undesirably high temperature in the combustion chamber 20 a which may be caused , for example , by the combustion therein of ingested extraneous flammable vapors from outside the water heater 10 a . combustion shutoff system 70 representatively includes a temperature sensing structure 72 disposed within the combustion chamber 20 a and linked to a spring - loaded shutoff damper assembly 74 which is normally held in its indicated open position in which it permits combustion air 68 a to flow into the interior of the burner 48 a through its integral venturi inlet opening 58 a . upon detecting a predetermined , undesirably high temperature within the combustion chamber 20 a , the temperature sensing structure 72 permits the damper structure 74 to be spring - driven upwardly in a manner causing the damper structure 74 to close off the burner inlet opening 58 a . the temperature sensing structure 72 is located over a perforated arrestor plate 76 ( see fig6 ) inset into peripheral portions of the upper and lower burner pan structures 42 , 44 . the perforated arrestor plate 76 serves to prevent outflow of flames from the interior of the combustion chamber 20 a ( augmenting the flame outflow prevention of the burner screen 48 a ), and additionally functions to provide combustion chamber pressure relief during normal ignition and operation of the burner 40 a . temperature sensing structure 72 and its associated spring - loaded shutoff damper structure 74 may be similar in construction and operation to any of those shown in u . s . pat . no . 6 , 715 , 451 which is hereby incorporated by reference herein . like the previously described water heater 10 , the water heater 10 a desirably integrates a low nox fuel burner with an fvir platform in a simple , efficient and economical manner . cross - sectionally illustrated in schematic form in fig7 and 8 is a second alternate embodiment 10 b of the previously described water heater 10 shown in fig1 . water heater 10 b , with the exceptions noted below , is similar in construction and operation to the previously described water heater 10 a shown in fig5 and 6 . to facilitate the comparison of water heaters 10 b and 10 a , components in the water heater 10 b similar to those in water heater 10 a have been given identical reference numerals to which the subscripts “ b ” have been added . water heater 10 b representatively does not incorporate the previously described combustion shutoff system 70 therein , and , compared to the water heater 10 a , has a somewhat modified burner configuration . specifically , as shown in fig7 and 8 , the burner 40 b has a generally horizontally extending venturi inlet conduit 78 formed as an integral portion of the bottom burner pan 44 b and disposed within the skirt plenum area 24 b , the venturi inlet conduit 78 having , at its horizontally outer end , the inlet opening 58 b as illustrated in fig7 . the fuel gas tube 60 b extends horizontally into the conduit 78 through its inlet opening 58 b . the removable burner screen structure 48 b is withdrawable from the combustion chamber 20 b , for inspection and cleaning , through an appropriately covered combustion chamber side wall access opening 80 and a corresponding jacket side wall access opening ( not visible ). like the previously described water heaters 10 and 10 a , the water heater 10 b desirably integrates a low nox fuel burner with an fvir platform in a simple , efficient and economical manner . a third alternate embodiment 10 c of the previously described water heater 10 shown in fig1 is schematically depicted in cross - sectional form in fig9 . water heater 10 c , with the exceptions noted below , is similar in construction and operation to the previously described water heater 10 b shown in fig7 and 8 . to facilitate the comparison of water heaters 10 c and 10 b , components in the water heater 10 c similar to those in water heater 10 b have been given identical reference numerals to which the subscripts “ c ” have been added . in the water heater 10 c shown in fig9 , the burner 40 c does not have peripheral portions which are supportingly received in the roll portion 46 c . instead , the body of the operatively installed burner 40 c extends downwardly through a central circular opening 82 formed in a separate circular metal plate 84 forming the bottom wall of the combustion chamber 20 c and having a peripheral edge portion supportingly received in the roll portion 46 c . diametrically opposite notches 86 are formed in the plate 84 and extend radially outwardly from the periphery of its central opening 82 . a pair of corresponding diametrically opposite tabs 88 project radially outwardly from an upper peripheral portion of the burner 40 c . horizontally extending outwardly from a lower portion of the burner 40 c which projects downwardly into the skirt plenum area 24 c is a venturi conduit 90 having , at its outer end , the venturi inlet 58 c . conduit 90 extends outwardly through an access opening 92 in the skirt wall 22 c , with an outer end portion of the conduit 90 being fixedly secured within a removable access cover 94 extending across the access opening 92 . as illustrated , the inlet opening 58 c of the venturi conduit 90 is disposed within the annular space 34 c for receiving fuel 66 c from the discharge orifice 64 c . an access opening 96 is formed through the jacket 30 c , in alignment with the combustion chamber access opening 92 , with a removable cover 98 extending across the access opening 96 . with the covers 94 , 98 removed , the burner 40 c is installed within the water heater 10 c by inserting the burner body inwardly through the aligned access openings 96 , 92 in an orientation in which the burner tabs 88 underlie the plate notches 86 and the access cover 94 is closely adjacent the access opening 92 . the burner 40 c is then moved upwardly to place an upper burner portion within the combustion chamber 20 c and move the burner tabs 88 upwardly through the plate notches 86 . finally , the inserted burner 40 c is rotated about the indicated vertical axis 100 to cause the tabs 88 to overlie the plate 84 and operatively support the burner 40 c within the water heater 40 c . this also brings the cover member 94 into a covering relationship with the access opening 92 . the other removable cover 98 is then installed over the jacket access opening 96 . to remove the installed burner 40 c for inspection and cleaning , this process is simply reversed . the wire mesh top side section 102 of the installed burner 40 c , in conjunction with the indicated perforated flame arrestor plates 76 c installed in the plate 84 , provides the water heater 10 c with flammable vapor ignition resistance . the indicated particulate filtering perforations 68 c formed in the jacket 30 c are positioned diametrically oppositely from the venturi conduit inlet 58 c and communicate with an enclosed passageway 104 extending through annular space 34 c and opening into the skirt plenum area 24 c . during firing of the water heater 10 c , combustion air 68 c from outside the water heater 10 c flows sequentially through the combustion air inlet perforations 36 c into the interior of the skirt plenum area 24 c via the enclosed passageway 104 , outwardly from the skirt plenum area into the annular space 34 c through the air transfer openings 26 c , and then into the venturi conduit inlet 58 c for mixture with fuel 66 c being discharged from the fuel nozzle 64 c to form the fuel / air mixture ignited by the burner 40 c . like the previously described water heaters 10 , 10 a and 10 b , the water heater 10 c desirably integrates a low nox fuel burner with an fvir platform in a simple , efficient and economical manner . while various principles of the present invention have been representatively illustrated and described herein as being incorporated in a fuel - fired water heater , it will be readily appreciated by those of skill in this particular art that the present invention is not limited to water heaters , but could also be advantageously incorporated in other types of fuel - fired heating appliances such as , for example , boilers and fuel - fired air heating furnaces . additionally , while the various water heater embodiments representatively illustrated and described herein have been indicated as incorporating radiant fuel burners therein , it will also be readily appreciated by those of skill in this particular art that other types of fuel burners could alternatively be utilized if desired without departing from principles of the present invention . the foregoing detailed description is to be clearly understood as being given by way of illustration and example only , the spirit and scope of the present invention being limited solely by the appended claims . | 5 |
the embodiments of the invention , described in detail below , use the same numbers shown in the fig1 drawing of the prior art connector to designate similar elements or structures . moreover , similar elements or structures shared with adapters , as shown in fig4 , are also designated with the same numbers used for the connectors shown in fig2 and 3 . fig2 shows one embodiment of the present invention applied to a computer cable connector assembly . a conventional connector plug 12 , with pins or pin receptacles ( not shown ), is designed to be plugged into a conforming port in a component ( not shown ). the connector plug 12 is attached to the housing 14 . the housing 14 is most commonly a metal structure intended to provide electromagnetic shielding to the electrical conductors 21 within . conventional housings are sometimes formed from more than one piece , such as upper and lower halves ( not shown ), or as one piece . the embodiment shown in fig2 shows a single - piece , molded metal housing 14 . a cable 13 , having several electrical conductors or wires 21 , enters the housing 14 through a back end 19 . the drawings show only two conductors 21 , but this is merely illustrative ; usually , more conductors 21 are involved . the conductors 21 are connected to the inward projections 23 of the pins or receptacles ( not shown ) by soldering or crimping . a raised portion 17 of the housing 14 extends above the outer surface of the housing 14 . in the embodiment shown in fig2 , the raised portion 17 is formed as part of the molded metal housing 14 . it is also contemplated that the raised portion 17 could be applied to the housing 14 in other ways . for example , the raised portion 17 could be glued or soldered to the housing 14 , or the raised portion 17 of the housing 14 could be formed as part of a stamping process . in any event , persons skilled in the art will recognize that a raised portion 17 may be incorporated into or formed onto a housing 14 . once the connector 12 , housing 14 , and cable 13 are assembled , plastic is usually injection molded over the assembly to form an outer plastic covering 11 . according to the present invention , the raised portion 17 will not be covered by the injection molded plastic covering 11 , but will be exposed . the raised portion 17 may be higher than the outer covering 11 , or it may even be a little lower , but the idea is that it is exposed after the outer covering 11 is placed over the housing . the raised surface 17 provides a place where logos or information may be placed . for example , fig3 shows a completed cable connector with a logo 18 molded into the raised portion 17 . thus , after manufacturing and assembly , the cable connector will have a clearly visible area on the raised portion 17 , not covered by the injection molded plastic covering 11 , where a logo or information may be seen . also , the raised portion 17 can also provide a surface , above the injection molded plastic covering 11 , for a gripping surface ( not shown ). fig4 shows one embodiment of the present invention applied to a computer adapter assembly . adapters are used for many purposes in the computer industry , such as adapting one plug configuration to a different plug configuration , or as “ gender changers ”, or to provide adapting circuitry or electronics . an adapter is shown generally at 27 . a first conventional connector plug 12 , with pins or pin receptacles ( not shown ), is designed to be plugged into a conforming port in a component or cable ( not shown ). the first connector plug 12 is attached to the housing 14 . the housing 14 is most commonly a metal structure intended to provide electromagnetic shielding to the electrical conductors 21 within . conventional housings are sometimes formed from more than one piece , such as upper and lower halves ( not shown ), or as one piece . a second conventional connector plug 26 is attached to the other end 25 of the housing 14 . conductors or wires 23 are connected , usually by crimping or soldering , to extensions 23 from the pins or receptacles ( not shown ) of the first connector 12 . the conductors 23 are then connected , directly or indirectly , to extensions 24 from the pins or receptacles ( not shown ) of the second connector 26 . in the embodiment shown , the conductors 23 are wires connected directly from the first connector 12 to the second connector 26 . however , conventional adapters use many different methods of for making these connections . for example , one common method is to use a printed circuit board ( not shown ) between the connectors . additionally , adapters sometimes have more than two connectors . the present invention does not concern the method for providing an electrical connection between plug connectors of adapters or cable connectors , and the structures shown are merely illustrative . a raised portion 17 of the housing 14 extends above the outer surface of the housing 14 . in the embodiment shown in fig4 , the raised portion 17 is formed as part of the molded metal housing 14 . it is also contemplated that the raised portion 17 could be applied to the housing 14 in other ways , as mentioned above . once the connectors 12 and 26 , housing 14 , and conductors 23 are assembled , plastic is usually injection molded over the assembly to form an outer plastic covering 11 . according to the present invention , the raised portion 17 will not be covered by the injection molded plastic covering 11 , but will be exposed . the raised portion 17 may be higher or a little lower than the outer covering 11 , as described above . as with the cable connector 10 described above , the raised portion 17 of the adapter 27 , shown in fig4 , may be used as a surface for molded logos or designs 18 , labels ( not shown ), or a gripping surface ( not shown ). the drawings and description set forth here represent only some embodiments of the invention . after considering these , skilled persons will understand that there are many ways to make an electrical connector or adapter structure according to the principles disclosed . the inventor contemplates that the use of alternative structures , which result in an electrical connector or adapter structure using the principles disclosed and the invention claimed , will be within the scope of the claims . | 7 |
referring first to fig3 - 5 in order to understand the parts with which the present tool is used , a section of flexible conduit is shown at 11 . the internally threaded nut 12 fits closely around the exterior of the conduit 11 , and the metal ferrule 13 is placed on the end of the conduit after the nut has been slipped onto the conduit as shown in fig4 . at its rear end , the nut 12 has an inwardly directed radial flange extending circumferentially around the periphery of the conduit 11 in close proximity thereto , the inner edge of this flange being rounded as illustrated in fig3 so that when the nut is forcibly pressed axially against the rear end of the ferrule 13 , the rounded flange 15 of the nut will crimp the rear end of the ferrule inwardly tightly against the material of the conduit 11 , deforming it from the position shown in fig4 to the position shown in fig5 . by this action the material of the conduit is tightly clamped between the inner and outer portions of the metallic ferrule , which thereby becomes firmly fastened to the end of the conduit . this construction of the parts illustrated in fig3 - 5 , together with the crimping action above described in connection therewith , are well known and form no part of the present invention . the conduit may be , for example , what is known in the industry as a &# 34 ; sealtite &# 34 ; conduit , with &# 34 ; appleton &# 34 ; connectors ( nut and ferrule ) although the present invention is applicable to other makes or brands of conduits and connectors which operate in approximately the same way . referring now to fig1 , and 6 - 9 , the tool of the present invention comprises two elongated members 21 and 22 pivoted to each other at 23 . when viewed as in fig1 and 2 , the lower portions of the members 21 and 22 , below the pivot 23 , constitute elongated handle portions , and the upper portions , above the pivot 23 , constitute the jaw portions which perform the work on the nut and ferrule to provide the crimping action , when manual pressure is applied to the lower or handle portions . convenient grip portions 25 and 26 may be applied to the handle portions of the members 21 and 22 , respectively , for comfortably fitting the hand of the user . above the pivot 23 one of the two main members , such as the member 21 , is expanded laterally to form a hollow or box - like structure with a bottom wall 31 , sidewalls 32 , and top wall 33 , enclosing a central opening or space 34 , as illustrated especially in fig2 . in the particular form here shown , this structure is of approximately square outline , although it could be circular or of any other desired shape , so long as it had sufficient open space in the center . a pivot 36 extends across this structure , from one side wall 32 to the other , the axis of this pivot 36 being parallel to the axis of the pivot 23 which pivots the two main arms to each other . pivotally mounted on this pivot 36 , for limited swinging movement thereon , is a fixture 37 having the shape best shown in fig7 . this fixture 37 has a central plug - like portion or extension 38 of cylindrical shape and of proper size to fit snugly within the ferrule as indicated in fig8 and 9 . around this plug - like portion 38 is an annular recess 39 shaped to receive and fit closely against the curved forward end of the ferrule , as illustrated . a flange 40 on the fixture 37 snugly surrounds the outer wall of the ferrule but terminates short of the rear end of the ferrule , so as not to interfere with the crimping action of the nut on the rear end of the ferrule . the outer surface of this flange 40 is of slightly smaller diameter than the internal threads on the nut , as seen in fig9 so the threads do not make appreciable contact with the fixture 37 . a shoulder 41 on the fixture forms a stop for the forward end of the nut , limiting the extent to which the nut can move relative to the ferrule during the crimping operation . the other arm 22 of the tool has its upper end formed as a fork or yoke with a bottom wall 51 and two sidewalls 52 ( fig6 ) spaced from each other just far enough to admit the diameter of the conduit between them . these arms 52 of the yoke will engage the rear face of the nut when the end of the conduit , with the nut and ferrule mounted thereon , is placed in proper position in the tool , and then the clamping action of the tool , when the handles are brought together to cause the jaw portion to tend to close , will press the yoke arms 52 against the rear face of the nut , forcing the nut against the ferrule and causing the inwardly extending flange 15 of the nut to crimp the ferrule in the desired manner . if the manipulating arms of the tool are spread apart or swung from the position shown in fig1 to an open position , this will open the jaw end of the tool from the closed position shown in fig9 to the open position shown in fig8 . in this open position , the end of the conduit with the ferrule loosely applied thereto , is placed on the plug portion 38 of the fixture 37 , in the loading position shown in fig8 . at this time , the nut is loose on the conduit , fairly close to the ferrule , as illustrated . this assembly of conduit end and ferrule and nut is swung down , counterclockwise from the position shown in fig8 toward the position shown in fig9 and the handle portions of the tool are then brought together by manual force applied by the person using the tool , so that the upper end or jaw end of the member 22 swings clockwise on its pivot 23 relative to the other member 21 , engaging the rear face of the nut and forcing the nut rightwardly to crimp the ferrule in the desired manner . when the crimping operation has proceeded far enough , the forward face of the nut comes in contact with the shoulder 41 on the fixture 37 , as illustrated in fig9 and the nut can move no further . the operator feels this contact , while performing the operation , and thus is made aware , through the sense of feeling , that the motion has been completed and the crimping action is finished . the tool may then be opened up by swinging the members 21 and 22 on the pivot 23 , to the open position , whereupon the end of the conduit may be removed from the tool , and is now ready to have the nuts screwed onto a nipple or junction box or any other part to which it is to be attached . it is to be noted that the mounting of the fixture 37 on a pivot , rather than mounting it rigidly on an arm of the tool , is advantageous for two reasons . first , it enables easier loading of the conduit into the tool and removal of the completely crimped conduit from the tool , since the fixture 37 can pivot or swing upwardly to a position where the conduit and the nut thereon has minimum interference with the pressure yoke 52 . second , the pivoting is advantageous because it enables the pressure of the yoke 52 to be applied to the nut evenly in a line along the axis of the conduit and the nut , with the line of pressure properly centered . it avoids eccentric loading or offset loading which would be likely to occur if the fixture were not pivoted , since in that case the pressure would be applied at first near the bottom of the rear face of the nut , with a tendency to skew or twist the axis of the nut relative to the axis of the conduit , thereby producing more crimping on one side of the ferrule than on the opposite side , and resulting in a faulty joint . it will be noted from fig2 that where the two arms 21 and 22 of the tool cross each other in the vicinity of the pivot 23 , they are arranged side by side , but both above and below the pivot the arms are offset laterally so as to be in the same plane with each other , for smoothly aligned operation of the jaw portion and for easy and convenient grasping of the handle portion . a conduit made of plastic material has been mentioned as an example . the invention is equally useful in crimping ferrules on conduits of the ferrule metallic type . | 1 |
while the present invention will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings , in which particular embodiments and methods of implantation are shown , it is to be understood at the outset that persons skilled in the art may modify the invention herein described while achieving the functions and results of this invention . accordingly , the descriptions which follow are to be understood as illustrative and exemplary of specific structures , aspects and features within the broad scope of the present invention and not as limiting of such broad scope . like numbers refer to similar features of like elements throughout . first , the patient spine is exposed through an anterior approach ( i . e . the surgeon creates an access hole which permits direct interaction with the anterior and / or anterio - lateral portion of the intervertebral bodies ). in the case of scoliosis , as well as in other disorders in which the intervertebral space requires distraction and / or repositioning , the surgeon removes the intervertebral disc material , usually leaving some portion of the annulus ( the cylindrical weave of fibrous tissue which normally surrounds and constrains the softer cartilage cushion of the disc material ). the surgeon then , in succession , inserts a series of intervertebral trial spacers of defined width . each of the series of spacers is of a progressively wider thickness , resulting in the continual widening of the space until restoration of the proper disc height has been achieved . proper disc height restoration is determined by surgical experience , and by observation of the annulus . ( often , the tightening of the annulus indicates that the proper disc height has been reached , inasmuch as the annulus is much less likely to be distorted by the same disruption that caused the intervertebral disc to collapse in the first place .) more particularly , with respect to the specific instruments disclosed herein , a series of solid trial spacer elements and an instrument for their insertion and removal is now provided . each trial spacer is a generally cylindrical disc having a deep annular groove at its midpoint , which forms a central trunk and radial flanges at each end of the trunk . stated alternatively , two cylindrical upper and lower halves of the disc are held in a closely coaxial spaced apart association by the central trunk , which forms a coaxial bridge between the upper and lower halves . the annular groove is particularly useful for holding the spacer using the spacer insertion instrument of the invention , described below , in that the holding end of the insertion instrument fits within the groove . a variety of features of embodiments of the trial spacer elements are disclosed . in some embodiments , such as the first and second embodiments described below , support portions ( the portions that are in contact with the adjacent vertebral bodies when the spacer is disposed between the bodies ) of the top and bottom surfaces are parallel . spacers having this feature are generally described herein as “ constant thickness ” trial spacers . in other embodiments , such as the third and fourth embodiments described below , the support portions are not parallel , providing an overall taper to the spacer at an angle . spacers having this feature are generally described herein as “ tapered thickness ” trial spacers . the tapered thickness trial spacers are particularly useful for treating scoliosis , as described below . other features of embodiments of the trial spacer elements include beveled flanges and non - parallel annular groove walls . more specifically , in some embodiments , such as the second and fourth embodiments described below , the flanges are radially beveled in that an outer edge of the top surface of the disc is tapered toward an outer edge of the bottom surface of the disc . in other embodiments , such as the first and third embodiments described below , the flanges are not radially beveled in this manner . the radial beveling feature can be particularly useful for easing the insertion of the spacer in between collapsed vertebral bodies , as described below . further , in some embodiments , such as the first and third embodiments described below , the walls of the annular groove are parallel , such that the floor of the groove is as wide as the opening of the groove . in other embodiments , such as the second and fourth embodiments described below , the walls of the annular groove are tapered toward one another with the increasing depth of the groove , such that the floor of the groove is narrower than the opening of the groove . each type of annular groove is useful , depending on the particular surgical application and on the particular embodiment of the spacer insertion instrument that is used to insert the spacer . collections of trial spacer elements are provided by the invention . preferably , each spacer in a particular set maintains the same diameter as the other spacers in the set . ( it shall be understood that different collections of spacers may be provided such that the diameter of the selected collection of trial spacers is appropriate for the specific patient being treated . for example , the diameters of the trial spacers in a collection that is suitable for use with pediatric patients would be smaller than the diameters of the trial spacers in a collection that is suitable for use with adult patients .) also preferably , each spacer in a particular set has a predetermined depth that differs from the depth of the other spacers in the set . the predetermined depth is provided in that while each spacer in the set shares the same annular groove dimensions ( so that each can be held by the same insertion instrument ), each spacer has a different flange thickness ( in sets where the spacers are constant thickness spacers ). for sets of tapered thickness spacers , the predetermined maximum depth and predetermined minimum depth ( the two depths providing the overall taper ) are provided in that while each spacer in the set shares the same annular groove dimensions ( so that each can be held by the same insertion instrument ), each spacer has a different maximum flange thickness and a different minimum flange thickness . preferably in sets of tapered thickness spacers , the overall taper angle is the same for each spacer in the set . the usefulness of providing sets of spacers similar in most respects except for the depth dimension will be described in greater detail below . referring now to fig1 a - c , a first embodiment of an intervertebral trial spacer 100 of the invention is illustrated in side , top and side cutaway views , respectively . the spacer 100 is a cylindrical disc with an annular groove 102 that forms a central trunk 103 and radial flanges 104 , 106 at each end of the trunk 102 . in this embodiment , support portions 108 , 110 of the top and bottom surfaces 112 , 114 of the disc are parallel . further in this embodiment , the walls 120 , 122 of the annular groove 102 are parallel , such that the floor 124 of the groove 102 is as wide as the opening 126 of the groove 102 . further in this embodiment , the spacer 100 has a central bore 128 . referring now to fig1 d , a set of intervertebral spacers 100 a - l of the invention are illustrated in a side view . each spacer 100 a - l is formed generally similarly to the intervertebral spacer 100 of fig1 a - c , except that each spacer 100 a - l has a predetermined depth ( denoted by the preferred dimension identified adjacent each spacer ) provided in that while each spacer 100 a - l shares the same annular groove dimensions as the other spacers , each spacer 100 a - l has a different flange thickness dimension . for example , the flanges 104 l , 106 l are thicker than the flanges 104 a , 106 a . referring now to fig2 a - c , a second embodiment of an intervertebral spacer 200 of the invention is illustrated in side , top and side cutaway views , respectively . similarly to the spacer 100 , the spacer 200 is a cylindrical disc with an annular groove 202 that forms a central trunk 203 and radial flanges 204 , 206 at each end of the trunk 202 . however , in this embodiment , the flanges 204 , 206 are radially tapered in that support portions 208 , 210 of the top and bottom surfaces 212 , 214 of the disc are parallel , while an outer edge 216 of the top surface 212 is tapered toward an outer edge 218 of the bottom surface 214 . further in this embodiment , in contrast to the spacer 100 , the walls 220 , 222 of the annular groove 202 are tapered toward one another with the increasing depth of the groove 202 , such that the floor 224 of the groove 202 is more narrow than the opening 226 of the groove . further in this embodiment , the spacer 200 has a central bore 228 . referring now to fig2 d , a set of intervertebral spacers 200 a - l of the invention are illustrated in a side view . each spacer 200 a - l is formed generally similarly to the intervertebral spacer 200 of fig2 a - c , except that each spacer 200 a - l has a predetermined depth ( denoted by the preferred dimension identified adjacent each spacer ) provided in that while each spacer 200 a - l shares the same annular groove dimensions as the other spacers , each spacer 200 a - l has a different flange thickness dimension . for example , the flanges 204 l , 206 l are thicker than the flanges 204 a , 206 a . with regard to the instrument for the insertion and removal of the trial spacer elements , a first embodiment ( particularly useful for inserting constant thickness trial spacers ) of a spacer insertion tool includes an elongated shaft and a handle at one end of the shaft . the distal end of the shaft includes semi - circular hook that is adapted to hold a trial spacer within an enclosure formed by the hook . the angle swept out by the hook is slightly greater than 180 degrees , but the inner diameter of the hook is only slightly larger than the central trunk of the trial spacer . therefore , the trial spacer may be snapped into the enclosure , but maintains complete rotational freedom within its grasp . a loading tool may be provided to assist in the loading and unloading of the trial spacer from the trial spacer insertion instrument of this embodiment . this loading tool comprises a forked hook having two tines separated by a notch that engages the shaft of the insertion tool as the tines engage the flanges of the trial spacer , to force the trial spacer into the enclosure . alternatively and / or additionally , the same device may be utilized to remove the spacer from the enclosure , by reversing the position of the forked hook relative to the insertion tool and the spacer . referring now to fig5 a , a first embodiment of a spacer insertion tool 500 of the invention is illustrated in a side view . the insertion tool 500 includes an elongated shaft 502 and a handle 503 at one end of the shaft 502 . at the other end of the shaft 502 , the insertion tool 500 includes a semi - circular hook 504 that is adapted to hold an intervertebral spacer of the invention within an enclosure 506 of the hook 504 . the central trunk of the spacer can be snapped into the enclosure 506 of the hook 504 so that the extent of the hook 504 fits loosely within the annular groove of the spacer and is flanked by the flanges of the spacer . the central trunk of the spacer can also be snapped out of the enclosure 506 . in this regard , the hook 504 has an opening 508 that temporarily expands when the central trunk of the spacer is forced through the opening 508 . that is , the outer diameter of the central trunk is greater than the width of the opening 508 , so that the central trunk cannot pass through the opening 508 without force . the application of a force sufficient to cause the opening 508 to expand when confronted with the central trunk causes the central trunk to pass through the opening 508 . after the central trunk has cleared the opening 508 , the opening 508 will contract . the temporary expansion in this embodiment is provided by the hook 504 being formed of a material having a low elasticity and the hook 504 being provided with a stress notch 510 on the extent ( preferably located opposite the opening 508 for maximum efficiency ) to ease the expansion . once the spacer is loaded into the enclosure , the opening 508 , having contracted back to its resting width , prevents the central trunk from exiting the enclosure radially through the opening , because , as stated above , the outer diameter of the central trunk is greater than the width of the opening 508 . further , by flanking the extent of the hook 504 , the flanges of the spacer prevent the spacer from exiting the enclosure laterally . the hook 504 therefore holds the spacer loosely in the enclosure so that the spacer can rotate about the cylindrical axis of the central trunk while being held by the hook 504 . referring now to fig5 b , a cutaway view of the insertion tool 500 of fig5 a holding the spacer 100 of fig1 a - c shows the extent of the hook 504 in cross - section and fitting within the annular groove of the spacer . it can be seen that to enable the spacer 100 to be loosely held in the enclosure , the width of the extent is smaller than the width of the annular groove , and the depth of the extent is less than the depth of the annular groove if it is desirable for the flanges to fully flank the extent . preferably , as shown , the outer diameter of the hook 504 is substantially equal to the outer diameter of the spacer 100 . referring now to fig6 a - b , an embodiment of a loading accessory 600 for a spacer insertion tool of the invention is illustrated in side and top views , respectively . the loading accessory 600 can be used to ease the passing of the central trunk of the spacer through the opening of the spacer insertion tool , both for loading the spacer into the enclosure and unloading the spacer from the enclosure . the loading accessory 600 includes an elongated shaft 602 and a forked hook 604 at an end of the shaft 602 . a notch 606 having a base 608 separates the tines 610 , 612 of the forked hook 604 . the width of the notch 608 separating the tines 610 , 612 is wide enough to accommodate the width of the hook 504 of the insertion tool 500 and the width of the shaft 502 of the insertion tool 500 , but narrow enough so that the tines 610 , 612 can engage the edges of the flanges of the spacer . preferably , as shown , the curvature of the tines 608 , 610 follows the curvature of the edges of the flanges . referring now to fig6 c , the loading accessory 600 of fig6 a - b is shown in operation to load the spacer 100 of fig1 a - c into the spacer insertion tool 500 of fig5 a . initially , the spacer 100 is positioned adjacent the opening 508 of the insertion tool 500 . then , the tines 610 , 612 of the loading accessory 600 are passed on either side of the shaft 502 of the insertion tool 500 such that the notch 606 accommodates the shaft 502 and until the base 608 of the notch 606 contacts the shaft 502 . then , the loading accessory 600 is rotated , using the contact between the shaft 502 and the base 608 as a fulcrum , to cause the tines 610 , 612 to engage the flanges 104 , 106 of the spacer 100 and push them into the enclosure 506 of the tool 500 . applying a force to the rotation , sufficient to cause the opening 508 of the tool 500 to expand when confronted with the central trunk of the spacer , causes the central trunk to pass through the opening 508 . referring now to fig6 d , the loading accessory 600 of fig6 a - b is shown in operation to unload the spacer 100 of fig1 a - c from the spacer insertion tool 500 of fig5 a . initially , with the spacer 100 held by the tool 500 , the tines 610 , 612 of the loading accessory 600 are passed on either side of the shaft 502 of the insertion tool 500 such that the notch 606 accommodates the shaft 502 and until the base 608 of the notch 606 contacts the shaft 502 . then , the loading accessory 600 is rotated , using the contact between the shaft 502 and the base 608 as a fulcrum , to cause the tines 610 , 612 to engage the flanges 104 , 106 of the spacer 100 and push them out of the enclosure 506 of the tool 500 . applying a force to the rotation , sufficient to cause the opening 508 of the tool 500 to expand when confronted with the central trunk of the spacer , causes the central trunk to pass through the opening 508 . the width of the notch 606 accommodates the width of the hook 504 as the spacer 100 is being pushed out of the enclosure 506 . the insertion tool of this first embodiment can be used to insert a series of constant thickness trial spacers ( some of which may have beveled flange edges for easing the insertion between the collapsed bones and into the space to be distracted ). more specifically , thinner trial spacers can initially be inserted into the spacer , followed successively by thicker trial spacers until the desired spacing is achieved . once the appropriate spacing has been achieved , immobilization of the spine by fixation , fusion , or non - fusion techniques and devices , such as those set forth in co - pending u . s . patent application ser . nos . 09 / 906 , 117 and 09 / 906 , 118 , entitled “ an intervertebral spacer device having a wave washer force restoring element ” and “ an intervertebral spacer device having a spiral wave washer force restoring element ”, respectively , as well as u . s . pat . no . 5 , 989 , 291 , entitled “ an intervertebral spacer device ”, may be desirable . while simple distraction to a constant height across the intervertebral space is appropriate for standard disc compression pathologies , in the case of scoliosis , simple constant thickness distraction is insufficient to remediate the pathological condition . what is necessary is the distraction of the sequence of spaces , each to an appropriate angle and height , such that the overall spinal configuration is anatomically correct . tapered trial spacers , such as those disclosed in the present application , are the first such distraction tools to provide such a tailored correction of the misangulation of the spinal bones . more particularly , the surgeon inserts the tapered trial spacers into the intervertebral space ( presumably from the anterior , or anterio - lateral , approach ) with the narrow edge of the trial spacer forming a wedge and sliding between the adjacent bones . by utilizing either a second or third embodiment of the spacer insertion tool , described more fully hereinafter with respect to fig7 a - c and 8 a - c respectively , the surgeon may turn the spacer around its axis within the intervertebral space to find the most appropriate rotational position ( corresponding to the most desirable straightening effect on the spinal column ). stated alternatively , each of the tapered trial spacers has an overall wedge shape that generally corresponds to the pathological tapering of the adjacent bones that characterizes scoliosis . by rotating the wedge - shaped spacer after it has been placed between the adjacent bones , the overall disc alignment may be compensated , restoring appropriate anatomical status . it should be understood that additional rotation of the spacer may restore lordosis to the spine , and that over - rotation ( if the particular spine is flexible enough ) of the spacer would result in a pathological curvature in the opposite direction . referring now to fig3 a - c , a third embodiment of an intervertebral spacer 300 of the invention is illustrated in side , top and side cutaway views , respectively . similarly to the spacer 100 , the spacer 300 is a cylindrical disc with an annular groove 302 that forms a central trunk 303 and radial flanges 304 , 306 at each end of the trunk 303 . however , in this embodiment , support portions 308 , 310 of the top and bottom surfaces 312 , 314 of the disc are not parallel , providing an overall taper to the spacer 300 at an angle . still , similarly to the spacer 100 , the walls 320 , 322 of the annular groove 302 are parallel , such that the floor 324 of the groove 302 is as wide as the opening 326 of the groove 302 . further in this embodiment , the spacer 300 has a central bore 328 . referring now to fig3 d , a set of tapered intervertebral spacers 300 a - j of the invention are illustrated in a side view . each spacer 300 a - j is formed generally similarly to the intervertebral spacer 300 of fig3 a - c , except that each spacer 300 a - j has a predetermined maximum depth ( denoted by the preferred maximum depth dimension identified adjacent each spacer ) and a predetermined minimum depth ( denoted by the preferred minimum depth dimension identified adjacent each spacer ), each provided in that while each spacer 300 a - j shares the same annular groove width dimension as the other spacers , each spacer 300 a - j has a different maximum flange thickness dimension and a different minimum flange thickness dimension . for example , the flanges 304 j , 306 j have a thicker maximum flange thickness dimension and a thicker minimum flange thickness dimension than the flanges 304 a , 306 a . referring now to fig4 a - c , a fourth embodiment of an intervertebral spacer 400 of the invention is illustrated in side , top and side cutaway views , respectively . similarly to the spacer 200 , the spacer 400 is a cylindrical disc with an annular groove 402 that forms a central trunk 403 and radial flanges 404 , 406 at each end of the trunk 403 . however , in this embodiment , support portions 408 , 410 of the top and bottom surfaces 412 , 414 of the disc are not parallel . still , similarly to the spacer 200 , the flanges 404 , 406 are radially tapered in that an outer edge 416 of the top surface 412 is tapered toward an outer edge 418 of the bottom surface 414 . further in this embodiment , similarly to the spacer 200 , the walls 420 , 422 of the annular groove 402 are tapered toward one another with the increasing depth of the groove 402 , such that the floor 424 of the groove 402 is more narrow than the opening 426 of the groove . further in this embodiment , the spacer 400 has a central bore 428 . referring now to fig4 d , a set of tapered intervertebral spacers 400 a - j of the invention are illustrated in a side view . each spacer 400 a - j is formed generally similarly to the intervertebral spacer 400 of fig4 a - c , except that each spacer 400 a - j has a predetermined maximum depth ( denoted by the preferred maximum depth dimension identified adjacent each spacer ) and a predetermined minimum depth ( denoted by the preferred minimum depth dimension identified adjacent each spacer ), each provided in that while each spacer 400 a - j shares the same annular groove width dimension as the other spacers , each spacer 400 a - j has a different maximum flange thickness dimension and a different minimum flange thickness dimension . for example , the flanges 404 j , 406 j have a thicker maximum flange thickness dimension and a thicker minimum flange thickness dimension than the flanges 404 a , 406 a . it should understood that the various features of the different embodiments of the intervertebral spacer of the invention discussed above can be used in various combinations and permutations to form the illustrated embodiments and other embodiments of the intervertebral spacer of the invention . in some embodiments , the walls of the annular groove are parallel . in other embodiments , they are not parallel . in some embodiments where they are not parallel , they are tapered toward one another with the increasing depth of the groove . in other embodiments where they are not parallel , they are tapered toward one another with the decreasing depth of the groove . in some embodiments , the support portions of the top and bottom surfaces are parallel . in other embodiments , they are not parallel . in some embodiments , the flanges are radially tapered in that the outer edge of the top surface is tapered toward an outer edge of the bottom surface . in other embodiments , the flanges are not radially tapered . in some embodiments , the spacer has a central bore . in other embodiments , the spacer does not have a central bore . it should be understood that while in the illustrated embodiments where spacers in a set have an overall taper , the angle of the overall taper of each spacer in the set is the same as the angle of the overall taper of the other spacers in the set , the invention encompasses a set of spacers in which the angle of the overall taper of each spacer in the set is different than the angle of the overall taper of at least one other spacer in the set . it should be understood that while in the illustrated embodiments where the spacer has an overall taper , the angle of the overall taper can be predetermined , such that the maximum flange thickness and the minimum flange thickness can be selected to achieve a desired overall taper angle . it should be understood that while in the illustrated embodiments the spacers are shown as having a cylindrical shape , it should be understood that in other embodiment , the spacers can have oval , square , or rectangular cross - sections , or cross - sections of other shapes , provided that any corners are rounded as necessary to prevent damage to surrounding tissue . as suggested previously , the insertion , rotation and removal of the tapered trial intervertebral spacers requires an alternate spacer insertion tool . this second embodiment of the spacer insertion tool includes a handle and an elongated dual shaft , the dual shaft culminating in a trial spacer grasping pincer , rather than the simple hook of the first embodiment . this pincer differs from the hook of the first embodiment of the trial spacer insertion tool described above , inasmuch as the dual shaft includes a fixed shaft and a selectively engagable shaft which , together , form pincer . more specifically , the fixed shaft includes a semicircular hook portion of the pincer at its distal end , having an enclosure within which a trial spacer can be placed . the selectively engagable shaft includes the complementary portion of the pincer , which moves toward the hook portion to grasp and hold the trial spacer when the engagable shaft is engaged , and moves away from the hook portion to release the trial spacer when the engagable shaft is disengaged . ( the spacer can be unloaded and loaded when the engagable shaft is disengaged .) the engagement action prevents the spacer from moving relative to the tool , and therefore permits the surgeon to rotate the tapered spacer in between the vertebral bodies ( by contrast , the first embodiment of the trial spacer insertion instrument permitted the spacer to rotate freely in the enclosure of the hook ). referring now to fig7 a , another embodiment of a spacer insertion tool 700 of the invention is illustrated in a side view . the insertion tool 700 includes an elongated shaft 702 and a handle 704 at one end of the shaft 702 . the insertion tool 700 further includes a compression assembly that is adapted to hold an intervertebral spacer of the invention at the other end of the shaft 702 so that the spacer cannot move when held . the insertion tool 700 further includes a release assembly that is adapted to release the spacer from being held . the compression assembly includes a semicircular hook 706 at the other end of the shaft 702 and a compression surface 708 adjacent the hook 706 . the hook 706 has an enclosure 709 defined by the extent of the hook 706 and an opening 710 through which the central trunk can pass freely to be placed into the enclosure 709 . that is , the width of the opening 710 is greater than the diameter of the central trunk . when the central trunk is placed within the enclosure 709 , the extent of the hook 706 fits loosely within the annular groove of the spacer . the compression assembly further includes a compression trigger 712 mechanically connected to the hook 706 such that as the compression trigger 712 is placed in an engaged position , the hook 706 is pulled toward the compression surface 708 . the mechanical connection includes a rod 714 connected at one end to the hook 706 and at the other end to a plate 716 . a rod 718 protruding from the plate 716 is engaged by a slot 720 in a lever 722 attached to the compression trigger 712 . when the compression trigger 712 is engaged , the rod 714 of the lever 722 pulls the plate 716 by the slot 720 . the plate 716 in turn pulls the rod 714 , which in turn pulls the hook 704 toward the compression surface 708 . when the hook 706 is pulled toward the compression surface 708 when the central trunk of the spacer is in the enclosure 709 , the central trunk is compressed within the enclosure 709 between the hook 706 and the compression surface 708 so that the spacer cannot move . the release assembly includes a spring 724 biasing the compression trigger 712 to a disengaged position . therefore , after the compression trigger 712 is released , it moves to the disengaged position . however , so that the central trunk remains compressed within the enclosure even after the compression trigger 712 is released ( e . g ., so that the surgeon does not need to continue holding the compression trigger 712 to effect the compression ), the compression assembly further includes teeth 726 on the rod 714 and corresponding teeth 730 that confront the rod teeth 726 to prevent the rod 714 from retreating , to maintain the compression . the release assembly further includes a release trigger 732 that can be engaged to release the rod teeth 726 from the corresponding teeth 730 to allow the rod 714 to return to its rest position , thereby alleviating the compression . more specifically , the release trigger 732 has the corresponding teeth 730 and the release assembly further includes a spring 734 that biases the release trigger 732 toward a position in which the corresponding teeth 730 engage the rod teeth 726 . this arrangement allows the release trigger 732 to be engaged by pressing the release trigger 732 with a force great enough to overcome the bias of the spring 734 , so that the corresponding teeth 730 are disengaged from the rod teeth 726 . therefore , when the release trigger 732 is pressed , the compression is alleviated , and the central trunk of the spacer can be freely passed through the opening 710 to be taken out of the enclosure 709 . referring now to fig7 b , a cutaway view of the insertion tool 700 of fig7 a holding the spacer 400 of fig4 a - c shows the extent of the hook 706 in cross - section and fitting within the annular groove of the spacer as the spacer is compressed between the compression surface 708 and the hook 706 . it can be seen that the width of the extent of the hook 706 is smaller than the width of the annular groove , and the depth of the extent is less than the depth of the annular groove if it is desirable for the flanges to fully flank the extent . preferably , as shown , the outer diameter of the hook 706 is substantially equal to the outer diameter of the spacer 400 . referring now to fig8 a - b , yet another embodiment of a spacer insertion tool 800 of the invention is illustrated in open and closed side views , respectively . the insertion tool 800 includes an elongated shaft 802 and a handle 804 at one end of the shaft 802 . the insertion tool 800 further includes a compression assembly that is adapted to hold an intervertebral spacer of the invention at the other end of the shaft 802 so that the spacer cannot move when held . the insertion tool 800 further includes a release assembly that is adapted to release the spacer from being held . the compression assembly includes a claw 806 at the other end of the shaft 802 having opposing pincers 807 a , 807 b , each providing one of opposing compression surfaces 808 a , 808 b . the claw 806 has an enclosure 809 defined by the extents of the pincers 807 a , 807 b and an opening 810 through which the central trunk can pass freely to be placed into the enclosure 809 when the claw 806 is open ( i . e ., when the opposing pincers 807 a , 807 b are separated ). that is , the width of the opening 810 is greater than the diameter of the central trunk when the claw 806 is open . when the central trunk is placed within the enclosure 809 , the extents of the pincers 807 a , 807 b fit loosely within the annular groove of the spacer . the compression assembly further includes a compression slide 812 that when moved to an engaged position ( here , a forward position shown in fig8 b ) closes the claw 806 . the closure of the claw 806 by the compression slide 812 is effected as follows . one of the pincers 807 a is in a fixed position relative to the elongated shaft 802 whereas the other pincer 807 b is adapted to rotate about an axis transverse to the shaft 802 . in this embodiment , the rotation is provided by a pin 813 passing through each pincer at a rotation point along the transverse axis . one position of the movable pincer 807 b along the rotation path ( shown in fig8 a ) defines the opened claw 806 in that the pincers 807 a , 807 b are separated . another position of the movable pincer 807 b along the rotation path ( shown in fig8 b ) defines the closed claw 806 in that the pincers 807 a , 807 b are brought together . when the pincers 807 a , 807 b are separated , an engagement surface 814 of the movable pincer 807 b is placed in an available compression path of an engagement surface 816 of the compression slide 812 . the engagement surface 814 is tapered so that when the compression slide 812 is moved to the engaged , the engagement surface 816 of the compression slide 812 moves along the available compression path and engages the tapered surface 814 to push the surface 814 aside and thereby cause a rotation of the movable pincer 807 b to the position defining the closed claw 806 . when the pincers 807 a , 807 b are thereby brought together to close the claw 806 when the central trunk of the spacer is in the enclosure 809 , the compression surfaces 808 a , 808 b come to bear on the central trunk to compress it within the enclosure 809 so that the spacer cannot move . the release assembly includes a spring 818 biasing the movable pincer 807 b to the rotation path position defining the open claw 806 . therefore , when the compression slide 812 is moved to a disengaged position ( here , a backward position ), the engagement surface 816 of the compression slide 812 moves along an available release path ( here , a backtracking along the compression path ) and frees the engagement surface 814 of the movable pincer 807 b to allow the engagement surface 814 to return to a place in the available compression path by the biasing action of the spring 818 . when the claw 806 is open , the compression is alleviated and the central trunk of the spacer can be freely passed through the opening 810 to be taken out of the enclosure 809 . the release assembly further includes at least one barrier 820 a , 820 b that limits the biasing action of the spring 818 by preventing the movable pincer 807 b from rotating beyond the position that places the engagement surface 814 in the available compression path . in this embodiment , confrontation surfaces 822 a , 822 b on the movable pincer 807 b confront the barriers 820 a , 820 b as the pincer 807 b rotates toward the rotation path position defining the open claw 806 under the biasing force of the spring 818 . when the engagement surface 814 is returned to the place in the available compression path , the barriers 820 a , 820 b prevent the confrontation surfaces 822 a , 822 b from advancing further . the spring 818 and the barriers 820 a , 820 b maintain the movable pincer 807 b in this position until the compression slide 812 is advanced toward the engaged position by a force great enough to overcome the biasing force of the spring 818 . referring now to fig8 c , a cutaway view of the insertion tool 800 of fig8 a - b holding the spacer 400 of fig4 a - c shows the extents of the pincers 807 a , 807 b in cross - section and fitting within the annular groove of the spacer as the spacer is compressed between the compression surfaces 808 a , 808 b . it can be seen that the width of each extent is smaller than the width of the annular groove , and the depth of each extent is less than the depth of the annular groove if it is desirable for the flanges to fully flank the extents . preferably , as shown , the outer diameter of the claw 806 is substantially equal to the outer diameter of the spacer 400 . there are alternative insertion and rotating instruments that may be designed , so long as they selectively and alternatingly release or hold the trial spacer securely against rotation ( the spacer can &# 39 ; t rotate freely if it is to be turned in the intervertebral space ). the tapered trial spacers themselves can include angle markers that clearly indicate to the surgeon the amount of rotation that was necessary for the correction of the spinal deformity . such angle markers can also serve as a guide for the implantation of a secondary bone graft ( e . g ., a femoral ring ) or another intervertebral spacer device . once the surgeon has determined the appropriate geometry for the surgical implants via the trial spacers , he or she is ready to immobilize the spine in that position . while multiple ways for immobilizing the spine are disclosed in the prior art , any one of which may be suitable for the specific surgical patient &# 39 ; s treatment , three alternative ways are herein described . first , the trial spacers may be left in the patient while rod fixation apparatuses ( anterior or posterior ) are mounted to the spine , thereby holding the spine in its desired orientation even after the trial spacers are subsequently removed . alternatively , surface plating and / or intervertebral cage devices may be mounted to the spine to promote fusion without the need for bulky rod assemblies . ( while this approach may seem more surgically desirable , questions regarding the long - term stability of these constructs have led to some surgeons to choose combinations of rodding and cages .) a third approach to immobilizing the corrected spine is to insert a shaped bone graft , or suitably contoured porous metal spacer , into the properly distracted intervertebral space , and either plating or using rod fixation to hold the construct stable as the spine fuses . the insertion of a femoral ring allograft , or porous metal implant , into an intervertebral space is described more fully in co - pending u . s . patent application ser . nos . 09 / 844 , 904 and 09 / 906 , 123 , entitled “ a porous interbody fusion device having integrated polyaxial locking interference screws ” and “ porous intervertebral distraction spacers ”. the tapered trial spacers may also serve as precursors ( measuring instruments ) for another spacer ( e . g ., a porous metal spacer ), similarly shaped , which is inserted into the intervertebral space by the same instrument . 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 . | 0 |
referring now to the drawing there is shown the preferred embodiment of the present invention . various other embodiments may be constructed without departing from the spirit of the invention . as best seen in fig1 a conventional furnace 10 has a central cavity 12 surrounded by a front wall , a rear wall and two opposed side walls . the side walls ( not shown ) are disposed in spaced relationship and join the front wall and the rear wall . each of these walls is a waterwall 11 comprising a plurality of substantially parallel , substantially coplanar tubular members . the furnace 10 is vertically disposed and has an outlet for combustion gases at its upper end extending from the rear wall thereof . extending from this outlet is a lateral gas pass 13 which connects with the upper end of a vertically extending gas pass 15 that extends downwardly in parallel relation with the cavity 12 . combustion gases sequentially pass through the cavity 12 , the lateral gas pass 13 , the vertically extending gas pass 15 and a stack ( not shown ). it will be understood the present invention may be incorporated in a wide variety of furnace structures and that the illustrated furnace 10 is only one such furnace . the furnace 10 includes windbox assemblies 14 at each of the four corners of the central cavity 12 . adjacent windbox assemblies are coupled by a plenum 16 . thus , the entire furnace includes four such plenums 16 coupling adjacent windbox assemblies 14 . each such plenum is coupled by a duct 25 which is coupled to a fan ( not shown ) which supplies air for the combustion process in the cavity 12 . an object of the invention is to provide modules that weigh three tons or less and which have an envelope small enough to allow passage of individual modules through a fossil fuel power plant structure without having to make temporary changes to the power plant structure . for example , the size of individual modules must not require changes in the furnace and building openings . the arrangement of components within individual modules as well as the relative positions of different modules requires arrangements of particular components that differs from the usual and customary arrangement to achieve the noted object . one technique to achieve the stated object is the elimination of auxiliary air that would customarily be fed along the sides of the coal nozzle . instead auxiliary air is fed either from above or below each coal nozzle . referring now to fig2 - 6 there is shown , in partially schematic form , the construction of one of the windbox assemblies 14 . each such windbox assembly includes five modules in the illustrated embodiment . the five modules are : first and second air modules 18 , 20 ; first and second ignition and coal compartment modules 22 , 24 and an air compartment 21 . the first and second air modules 18 , 20 are identical . each of the air modules 18 , 20 includes two air compartments 21 , 21 that are substantially identical . in each of the air modules 18 , 20 the air compartments 21 , 21 are separated by a removable division plate 23 that is constructed to permit removal from the nonfurnace side of the compartment . the first and second ignition and coal compartment modules 22 , 24 are identical . each of these modules 22 , 24 includes first and second coal compartments 26 . 26 and an ignitor and an auxiliary air compartment 28 . each ignitor and auxiliary air compartment 28 includes a central conduit 30 for oil or gas . in the conventional manner the oil or gas is fed through the conduit 30 during start up of the boiler . as in the conventional tangential fired boiler a fireball is produced in the cavity 12 . the conduit 30 is concentric with a pipe 32 for auxiliary air . tilting nozzles 36 face the cavity 12 to direct auxiliary air into the cavity 12 . disposed at the very bottom of the windbox assembly 14 is the fifth module that is referred to herein as a third air module 25 . that third air module 25 is merely a single air compartment 21 . ( although there may be minor differences between the air compartment 21 in the third air module 25 and the air compartments 21 in the first and second air modules 18 , 20 , the difference is not material to describing the invention so that one skilled in the art can understand the invention .) it will be seen that each coal nozzle 36 is in between at least one air compartment 21 and one pipe 32 supplying auxiliary air . although the illustrated embodiment is a preferred embodiment of the invention , those skilled in the art will recognize that various other modular forms and numbers of various module types may be utilized in other embodiments of the invention . as best seen in fig3 - 6 the windbox assembly 14 includes a vertically elongated truss assembly 44 . the truss assembly 44 has a triangular cross - section as will be apparent from fig3 - 5 . those skilled in the art will recognize that the truss assembly 44 is a rigid framework capable of supporting a substantial load . in the apparatus in accordance with a preferred form of the invention the truss assembly 44 provides substantially all of the support for the windbox assembly 14 . a small part of the total support for the windbox assembly 14 is provided by the waterwall 11 . the preferred form of the invention does not rely on spring hangers ( not shown ) extending from the very top of the boiler structure to support the waterwall 11 . the truss assembly 44 is particularly advantageous for support of the windbox assembly 14 because the support inherently must extend through the windbox assembly 14 . the truss assembly 44 is preferably dimensioned to be disposed close to the walls of the windbox assembly 14 that the truss assembly 44 supports . the relatively small size of the members in the truss assembly 44 minimizes the restriction of fluid flow in the windbox assembly 14 . the truss assembly 44 directly supports the duct work of the windbox assembly 14 . in the conventional manner each plenum 16 is coupled to two windbox assemblies 14 as shown in fig1 . the body 48 of the windbox assembly 14 acts as a plenum to direct air entering from the duct 25 and passing through the plenum 16 to ( 1 ) the first and second air modules 18 , 20 ; ( 2 ) respective pipes 32 in the auxiliary air compartments 28 in the ignitor and auxiliary air compartments 22 , 24 and ( 3 ) the third air module 21 . as best seen in fig6 the coal compartments 26 are each connected to respective coal pipes 31 . each of the coal compartments 26 has a coal nozzle inlet and a coal nozzle outlet section mounted on a thick walled ignitor box of the ignitor and auxiliary air modules . the inlet and outlet portions are coupled by a coupling 37 which is constructed to provide both coupling and an intermediate gap to limit transfer of forces due to coal pipe loading . similarly , the ignitor and auxiliary air modules 22 are each connected to an air pipe 32 . the support provided by the truss assembly 44 to the housing of the windbox assembly 14 inherently is a support for the air modules 18 , 20 , the first and second ignitor and auxiliary air compartments 28 and the first and second ignition and coal compartment modules 22 , 24 . more specifically , a flange 34 on each ignitor and auxiliary air compartment 28 is carried on the truss 44 as best seen in fig4 . as best seen in fig2 and 5 each ignitor and auxiliary air compartment 28 includes four legs 46 extending upwardly and four legs 46 extending downwardly . the four legs 46 extending upwardly are connected to a coal compartment 26 as are the legs 46 that extend downwardly . thus , the truss assembly 44 also supports each ignitor and auxiliary air compartment 28 . each of these compartments 28 supports two coal compartments 26 , 26 . in the preferred embodiment the support for the ignitor and auxiliary air compartment 28 is almost completely provided by the truss assembly 44 . there is however some slight support provided by a connection 42 between the ignitor module 20 and the waterwall 11 . referring specifically to fig3 and 6 it will be further seen that the truss assembly 46 passes directly through the portion of the windbox 14 that directs air to the air modules 18 , 20 . accordingly the truss supports the air modules 18 , 20 . in a typical embodiment dampers 40 are provided within the windbox assembly 14 to allow modulation of the flow through the air modules 18 , 20 . the location is closer to the cavity 12 than in conventional apparatus . although the invention has been described in terms of a truss to support the windbox and other elements of the apparatus , it will be understood that other support structure may be provided without departing from the invention . the invention has been described with reference to its illustrated preferred embodiment . persons skilled in the art of such devices may upon disclosure to the teachings herein , conceive other variations . such variations are deemed to be encompassed by the disclosure , the invention being delimited only by the following claims . | 5 |
embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings . fig1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a torque control device according to the present invention . the torque control device according to the present invention includes a common power supply 1 , a controller 2 , a first motor control unit 3 , a second motor control unit 4 , a first motor 5 , a second motor 6 , a first mechanical unit 7 , a second mechanical unit 8 , and connecting members 9 . the controller 2 generates a first reference and a second reference by executing stored programs according to a command from a host system . the first motor control unit 3 controls the first motor 5 according to the first reference . the second motor control unit 4 controls the second motor 6 according to the second reference . the first motor 5 drives the first mechanical unit 7 . the second motor 6 drives the second mechanical unit 8 . the connecting members 9 connect the first mechanical unit 7 to the second mechanical unit 8 . the common power supply 1 generates direct - current power by rectifying three - phase alternating - current power to supply electrical power to the first motor control unit 3 and the second motor control unit 4 . moreover , the controller 2 includes a reference generation unit , a first communication unit , a second communication unit , and programs . the first communication unit receives a command from the host system and sends a response . the reference generation unit generates the first reference for the first motor control unit 3 and the second reference for the second motor control unit 4 on the basis of the stored programs and the command from the host system . the second communication unit converts the first and second references to commands to send the commands to the first motor control unit 3 and the second motor control unit 4 and receives a response from each of the first motor control unit 3 and the second motor control unit 4 . each of the first and second references generates a control mode reference that defines which of position control , speed control , and torque control a corresponding one of the first motor control unit 3 and the second motor control unit 4 performs , a position reference , an external speed reference , and an external torque reference . fig2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of each of the first motor control unit 3 and the second motor control unit 4 in the torque control device according to the present invention . each of the first motor control unit 3 and the second motor control unit 4 includes a position control unit 31 , a speed reference add unit 32 , a speed control unit 33 , a torque reference add unit 34 , a current reference generation unit 35 , a current control unit 36 , an electrical power conversion unit 37 , a speed signal generation unit 38 , and a communication unit 39 . moreover , the first motor control unit 3 and the second motor control unit 4 drive a motor 51 that includes a position detector 52 . the communication unit 39 receives , using serial communication , a command generated by the controller 2 and sends the status of the motor control unit as a response . position control , speed control , or torque control is selected on the basis of the control mode reference of the command . when position control is defined , the position control unit 31 generates a speed reference by performing a proportional - integral - derivative ( pid ) control operation on position variation that is the difference between the position reference and a position signal . the speed reference add unit 32 generates a new speed reference by adding the speed reference to the external speed reference . the speed control unit 33 generates a torque reference by performing a pid control operation on speed variation that is the difference between the speed reference and a speed signal . the torque reference add unit 34 generates a new torque reference by adding the torque reference to the external torque reference . the current reference unit 35 generates a current reference by dividing the torque reference by the torque constant of the motor 51 . the current control unit 36 generates a voltage reference by performing a pid control operation on current variation that is the difference between the current reference and a current signal . the electrical power conversion unit 37 generates a pulse - width modulation ( pwm ) signal from the voltage reference to drive an inverter ( not shown ). the inverter generates modulated voltage from direct - current voltage supplied from the common power supply 1 , using the pwm signal , and applies the modulated voltage to the motor 51 . the position detector 52 generates a position signal of the motor 51 . the speed signal generation unit 38 generates a speed signal by obtaining the time difference of a position signal . fig3 is a time chart showing the speed profile of a position reference in the torque control device according to the present invention . the control mode is the position control mode . in this time chart , in order to improve the accuracy of tightening torque by eliminating the influence of static friction torque in a state in which a nut and a bolt are rotated and tightening the bolt and the nut against each other with low relative rotational speed difference between the nut and the bolt , several revolutions per minute , the nut and the bolt in a state in which the bolt is screwed into the nut are first synchronously accelerated to predetermined rotational speed . subsequently , when the predetermined rotational speed is reached , the rotational speed of the nut or the bolt is increased to predetermined rotational speed to produce tightening torque between the nut and the bolt . subsequently , when the tightening torque reaches a predetermined value , the higher rotational speed is reduced in response to the torque to be synchronized with the initial rotational speed . then , after a predetermined time period elapses , the rotational speed is reduced , so that the rotation is stopped . assuming that first rotational speed time is t , the first and second references accelerate the rotation to first rotational speed with acceleration α . when the first rotational speed is reached at a time t 1 , the first rotational speed is kept until a time t 2 . at the time t 2 , only the second reference accelerates the rotation to second rotational speed with acceleration α . when the second rotational speed is reached at a time t 3 , the second rotational speed is kept . when the torque reference reaches first torque at a time t 4 , the rotation is decelerated to third rotational speed with deceleration β . when the third rotational speed is reached at a time t 5 , the third rotational speed is kept . when the torque reference reaches second torque at a time t 6 , the rotation is decelerated to fourth rotational speed with the deceleration β . when the fourth rotational speed is reached at a time t 7 , the fourth rotational speed is kept . when the torque reference reaches third torque at a time t 8 , the rotation is decelerated to the first rotational speed with the deceleration β . when the first rotational speed is reached at a time t 9 , the first rotational speed is kept . after a predetermined time period elapses , the rotation is decelerated to be stopped . in this case , since torsional torque is almost proportional to the phase difference between the first motor 5 and the second motor 6 , instead of the speed profile , the profile of the phase difference between the first motor 5 and the second motor 6 may be used . for example , the first motor 5 and the second motor 6 are first synchronously accelerated . when the first rotational speed is reached , torsional torque is produced by changing the phase difference between the first motor 5 and the second motor 6 according to a predetermined profile by setting the rotational speed of the second motor 6 higher than the first rotational speed . subsequently , when the torsional torque reaches the first torque , the phase difference between the first motor 5 and the second motor 6 is changed according to the predetermined profile . subsequently , when the third torque is reached , the phase difference between the first motor 5 and the second motor 6 is fixed . after a predetermined time period elapses , the respective rotational speeds of the first motor 5 and the second motor 6 are synchronized with each other and then reduced , so that the first motor 5 and the second motor 6 are stopped . a result of a simulation in the torque control device according to the present invention will next be described . fig4 is a simulation block diagram . fig5 is a simulation control block diagram . fig6 shows the result of the simulation . members that have a tightening torque of zero until an angle θ and have spring properties when the angle θ is exceeded are used as the connecting members 9 . moreover , it is assumed that the moment of inertia on the first motor 5 side is j 1 , the moment of inertia on the second motor 6 side is j 2 , and the spring constant of a connecting portion is ks . the conditions of the simulation are as follows : the position control gain kp = 200 ( s − 1 ), the speed control proportional gain kv = 1 ( nms / r ), and the speed control integral time constant tvi = 10 ( ms ) for each of the first motor control unit 3 and the second motor control unit 4 , the first - motor - side moment - of - inertia j 1 = 0 . 001 ( kgm 2 ), the second - motor - side moment - of - inertia j 2 = 0 . 001 ( kgm 2 ), and the connecting portion spring constant ks = 10 ( nm / r ). the speed profile is as follows : the first rotational speed n 1 = 1260 ( rpm ), the second rotational speed n 2 = 1386 ( rpm ), the third rotational speed n 3 = 1283 ( rpm ), the fourth rotational speed n 4 = 1268 ( rpm ), and the angular accelerations α = 1320 ( rad / s 2 ) and β =− 1320 ( rad / s 2 ). the first torque tq 1 = 11 ( nm ), the second torque tq 2 = 14 ( nm ), and the third torque tq 3 = 15 ( nm ) are given . as is clear from the result of the simulation in fig6 , the first motor 5 produces braking torque in reaction to torque produced by the second motor 6 and functions as an electric generator . in this case , in order to cancel driving power and generated power , direct - current power supplied to the inverter of the electrical power conversion unit 37 is common . the controller 2 receives torque references from the first motor control unit 3 and the second motor control unit 4 as response information at each control time . thus , the inversion value of the torque reference of the first motor control unit 3 ( for example , when the torque reference of the first motor control unit 3 is a negative torque reference , the inversion value represents a positive torque reference ) or the torque reference of the second motor control unit 4 may be used as detected torsional torque . moreover , when the moment of inertia of the first motor 5 and the first mechanical unit 7 is substantially the same as the moment of inertia of the second motor 6 and the second mechanical unit 8 , the respective torques of the first motor 5 and the second motor 6 during acceleration and deceleration are offset against each other by using a value obtained by subtracting the torque reference of the first motor control unit 3 from the torque reference of the second motor control unit 4 and then dividing the result by two , and thus torsional torque can be detected . the detected torsional torque in fig6 has a value obtained by subtracting the torque reference of the first motor control unit 3 from the torque reference of the second motor control unit 4 and then dividing the result by two . when further accurate torsional torque needs to be detected , a non - contact torque sensor may be provided in the first mechanical unit 7 or the second mechanical unit 8 to directly detect torsional torque . fig7 is a block diagram showing another configuration of the torque control device according to the present invention . this is an example in which a non - contact torque sensor 10 and a non - contact torque sensor 11 are respectively provided in the first mechanical unit 7 and the second mechanical unit 8 . the first motor control unit 3 or the second motor control unit 4 receives a torsional torque signal and sends the torsional torque signal to the controller 2 . methods according to the present invention for controlling a torque control device will next be described . a method according to the present invention for controlling a torque control device performs processing in the following steps : the first motor 5 and the second motor 6 are synchronously accelerated ( step 1 ), when the first rotational speed is reached , the rotational speed of the second motor 6 is changed according to a predetermined speed profile in which the rotational speed of the second motor 6 is higher than the first rotational speed to produce torsional torque in the connecting members 9 ( step 2 ), when the torsional torque reaches a predetermined value , the second motor 6 is decelerated to the first rotational speed ( step 3 ), and after a predetermined time period elapses , the first motor 5 and the second motor 6 are synchronously decelerated to be stopped ( step 4 ). moreover , another method according to the present invention for controlling a torque control device performs processing in the following steps : the first motor 5 and the second motor 6 are synchronously accelerated ( step 10 ), when the first rotational speed is reached , the rotational speed of the second motor 6 is increased to the second rotational speed , which is higher than the first rotational speed , to produce torsional torque ( step 11 ), when the torsional torque reaches the first torque , the second motor 6 is decelerated to the third rotational speed where the first rotational speed & lt ; the third rotational speed & lt ; the second rotational speed ( step 12 ), when the torsional torque reaches the second torque , the second motor 6 is decelerated to the fourth rotational speed where the first rotational speed & lt ; the fourth rotational speed & lt ; the third rotational speed ( step 13 ), when the torsional torque reaches the third torque , the second motor 6 is decelerated to the first rotational speed ( step 14 ), and after a predetermined time period elapses , the first motor 5 and the second motor 6 are synchronously decelerated to be stopped ( step 15 ). the torque control device and the methods for controlling the same according to the present invention can control torque even when a motor is rotating and thus can be applied to not only a screw tightening device but also a testing device , such as a motor testing device , a machine testing device , or a simulated load device . moreover , the torque control device according to the present invention can perform highly accurate control of torsional torque by eliminating the influence of static friction torque and setting relative rotational speed difference between connecting members to low speed , several revolutions per minute . | 1 |
the fig1 is a section view of a lateral double - diffused field effect transistor , or ldmos , in accordance with one embodiment of the invention . field oxide 1 defines a device region in the surface of a p + substrate 2 . a n + source region 3 is formed in a p + base region 4 by double - diffusion processing with base region 4 having a p − doped extension 5 which defines a channel region of the transistor . n − doped region 6 and n + doped region 7 define the drain of the transistor . an active gate 8 is formed over channel 5 with a gate oxide 9 electrically separating the active gate 8 from channel 5 and substrate 2 . in accordance with the invention , a dummy gate 10 is provided between active gate 8 and the n + doped region 7 of the drain , on top of the n − region 6 . the gate oxide 9 is electrically isolating the dummy gate 10 from the n − region 6 . the active gate 8 and the dummy gate 10 are composed of a stack having a first layer of polysilicon 11 , 12 . on top of this polysilicon layer , metal contacts 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 and metal layers 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 are alternatively disposed . dielectric material 21 ( e . g ., silicon - nitride ) is provided on the surface of the device with openings there through for forming a source contact 22 , a gate contact 23 and a drain contact 24 . superimposed on the section view of the structure , the equivalent electrical circuit is represented in fig2 . the equivalent electrical circuit of this structure is composed of the transistor 30 with its source s , gate g and drain d . by providing the dummy gate 10 between the active gate 8 and the n + doped region 7 of the drain , i . e . on top of the drain region 6 , the dummy gate 10 and the active gate 8 form a capacitance 31 . therefore , the dummy gate 10 is being electrically connected to the active gate 8 through this capacitance 31 . the dummy gate 10 and the n − region 6 are forming a second capacitance 32 with the gate oxide 9 forming the dielectric part of the capacitance 32 . the n − region 6 is equivalent , fig2 or 3 , to a variable resistor 33 controlled by the capacitance 32 as it is explained below . in an igfet , the electrical conduction is normally from drain to source , in a conduction direction which is transverse to the direction of elongation of the gate conductor 8 . therefore , in a ldmos such as the one described here , the source voltage is always at the lowest voltage , generally at ground level and the drain voltage is , in dc mode , at the supply voltage v cc . in a static view of operation of this transistor , two modes can be distinguished : a first mode where the voltage v g applied to the active gate 8 is higher than the threshold voltage v t of the transistor and a second mode where the voltage v g applied to the active gate 8 is below this threshold voltage v t . in the first mode , fig4 , the channel region is electrically conducting . due to the capacitive coupling between the capacitors 31 and 32 , the voltage applied to the n − region 6 by the dummy gate 10 is of the same order of magnitude as the drain voltage v d . therefore , the dummy gate 10 has almost no effect on the electrical conduction of the n − region 6 . in the second mode , fig5 , the channel region 5 is electrically open . the voltage applied to the n − region 6 by the dummy gate 10 is roughly at ground level and substantially different to the drain voltage v d . this voltage difference induces an increase of the depleted area 40 of the n − region 6 . consequently the electrical sectional area of this n − region 6 , in which conduction takes place , is reduced and the resistance is increased . advantageously , the resistance of the n − region 6 is varying with the gate voltage : the resistance is low when the gate voltage v g is above the threshold voltage v t and the transistor is conducting and the resistance is high when the gate voltage v g is below the threshold voltage v t and the transistor is open . a classical ldmos structure is described , for instance , in m . d . pocha , a . g . gonzales , and r . w . dutton , ieee trans . on electron devices , ed - 21 , 778 ( 1974 ). compared to this structure , the variable resistance of the above described transistor boasts high - frequency operation as the transistor has a low resistance between drain and source when it is conducting . at the same time , the transistor has a high drain - breakdown voltage as the resistance is high when the transistor is open . fabrication of the device of fig1 requires no complex or costly processing and is based on standard mosfet technology . the fig6 is a section view of the device with the basic transistor structures already implemented . conventional polysilicon fabrication processes are used to obtain this structure . the first layer 12 of the dummy gate and first layer 11 of the active gate are made simultaneously of polysilicon . the fig7 is a section view of the device at the next step of the manufacturing process . metal contacts 13 , 15 are formed on top of the layers 11 , 12 after the deposition and planarization of a dielectric material 21 . then a metal layer is deposited and etched , fig8 , to form the first level of metal interconnection as well as a first metal stack 17 , 19 on the metal contacts 13 , 15 . a dielectric material 21 is deposited , fig9 , and planarized to protect the underlying structure and prepare the structure to receive a new metal interconnection level . depending on the technology used , more than 2 metal interconnection layers are commonly manufactured . from the description here above , the person skilled in the art understands that any standard mos technology with two or more conductive interconnection layers such as aluminum , copper or polysilicon layers and the like , can be used to implement the invention . the choice of technology defines the number of metal layers which can be stacked as well as the distance between the layers of the active gate and the layers of the dummy gate . these two parameters and the characteristics of the dielectric material define the value of the capacitance formed by the active gate and the dummy gate and , consequently , the behavior of the transistor . for instance , a 0 . 18 μm technology sees an improvement of the breakdown capability in rf from 7 volts to over 12 volts . for a 0 . 13 μm , an improvement is from 3 or 4 volts to 8 volts . the description of this embodiment of the invention is based on a ldmos transistor . however , the invention is not limited to this type of field - effect transistors but is useful in all types of igfet . for instance , another embodiment of this invention is illustrated in fig1 with a mosfet in which the dummy gate 10 is implemented along the drain region 7 , where the n - region is realized with the nwell implantation . for illustrative purposes , the stack of contacts and metal layers has been represented on top of each other above the transistor active area . however , some design rules for specific technologies forbid the implementation of a contact , or a via , directly above the polysilicon gate . the person skilled in the art understands that the shift of the contacts used to create the active and dummy gates outside the active area will not modify the operation of the transistor . such an implementation is illustrated in fig1 . in the fig1 , only the polysilicon layers 11 , 12 and the first contacts 13 , 15 on top of the gate oxide 9 and the field oxide 1 are shown with an objective of clarity . the person skilled in the art understands that the figures were drawn to illustrate the different embodiments and are not representative of the real dimension of the transistors or of the specificity of a particular technology . for instance , the gate oxide 9 of fig1 could be limited to the area under the gate polysilicon without modifying the operation of the transistor . the description is illustrative of the invention and is not to be construed as limiting the invention . various modifications and applications may occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the invention as defined in the claims . | 7 |
referring now to the drawings in detail wherein like reference numerals have been used throughout the various figures to designate like elements , there is shown in fig1 an antenna raising and lowering device constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention and designated generally as 10 . antenna raising and lowering device 10 is comprised of a substantially box - shaped housing including upstanding side walls 12 and 14 , real wall 16 and front wall 18 . a cover member 20 is secured to the upstanding walls by way of a plurality of screws 22 . both front wall 18 and the cover 20 have a substantially rectangularly - shaped cutout portion therein as shown at 24 and 26 , respectively . each of the cutout portions are formed adjacent the corner of the housing and in line with each other so that the housing is open at the front and top thereof as is clearly shown in fig1 . mounted within this opening in the housing in a manner to be more clearly described hereinafter is a metal antenna mounting plate 28 . plate 28 is mounted so as to be pivotable between a first position wherein the same is substantially vertically oriented ( fig1 ) to a second position wherein the plate 28 is substantially horizontal ( fig2 ). secured to the central part of mounting plate 28 is a two - way communication antenna 30 . antenna 30 is shown to be of the bottom loading type including a loading coil 32 and a whip element 34 extending therefrom . it should be understood , however , that this is by way of example only and that the present device may be used for raising and lowering numerous other types of antennas . as is well known in the art , two - way mobile communication antennas normally need a ground plane for proper operation . normally if the antenna is mounted directly on the top of a vehicle , the vehicle itself functions as the ground plane . however , if the antenna is mounted a distance above the top of the vehicle , the ground plane effect of the vehicle itself is lost . with respect to the present invention , if the housing is comprised of metal and the same is mounted directly on the top of a vehicle , the housing and vehicle , in most cases , would function as a ground plane . there may , however , be instances when the ground plane effect from the vehicle would not be present . this would be particularly true if the housing of the present invention were constructed from a nonconductive material . in order to ensure an adequate ground plane , the present invention includes ground plane elements . these are comprised of a plurality of elongated rigid wire or tubular members 36 which are arranged around the opening 26 in the cover member 20 and are oriented so as to extend outwardly from the opening 26 parallel to the cover 20 . ground plane elements 36 are secured to the cover 20 by way of metallic clips 38 . the lowermost part of the clips 38 extend downwardly into the interior of the housing . as shown most clearly in fig2 when the plate 28 is pivotted into its uppermost horizontal position , i . e . when the antenna 30 is in its operative mode , the upper surface of plate 28 contacts the clips 38 thereby completing the electrical circuit between the ground plane elements 36 and the plate 28 for effecting a proper ground plane . as should be readily apparent to those skilled in the art , the length , diameter and number of ground plane elements 36 will be selected so as to be compatible with the particular antenna 30 and so as to provide a proper ground plane . the mechanism for moving the plate 28 from its inoperative vertical position to its operative horizontal position is most clearly shown in fig3 and 4 . it can there be seen that plate 28 is connected to hinge element 40 which , in turn , is pivotally associated with rod 42 which extends between left side wall 24 and intermediate wall 44 . intermediate wall 44 is a partial wall which separates the housing into two basic compartments : the antenna compartment and the motor mechanism compartment . mounted in the housing in the motor mechanism compartment is a reversible electric motor 46 . as shown in fig1 a grill 48 may be provided in the side wall 14 adjacent the motor 46 for cooling purposes . mounted adjacent the motor 46 and extending lengthwise of the housing between front wall 18 and rear wall 16 is an elongated screw 50 . screw 50 is mounted to the walls 16 and 18 by way of bearings 52 or the like so as to allow free rotational movement of the screw . securely attached to the end of the screw 50 is a gear 54 which is engaged by gear 56 attached to the drive shaft of motor 46 . screw 50 is thereby caused to rotate in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction depending on the selected rotational direction of motor 46 . a substantially rectangularly - shaped block 58 has a bore there through in which is formed an internal screw thread complementary to the screw 50 . block 58 is threaded onto the screw 50 with the bottom surface of block 58 in close proximity to the bottom wall 60 of the housing . adjacent the block 58 on the side near the motor 46 is an upstanding guide rail 62 secured to the bottom wall 60 . guide rail 62 and the bottom wall 60 , being in close proximity to the block 58 , prevent rotational movement of the block and guide the same longitudinally . it should be readily apparent that as a result of the threaded engagement between screw 50 and block 58 , block 58 moves linearly forwardly or backwardly depending on the direction of rotation of screw 50 . securely attached to the block 58 and on the side thereof remote from motor 46 and adjacent intermediate wall 44 is a second block 64 . the forward edge of block 64 has a cam surface 66 formed thereon . in the embodiment shown , the cam surface 66 is continuous and convex arcuately formed . block 64 , being secured to block 58 , moves linearly as block 58 is moved linearly . intermediate wall 44 being in close proximity to block 64 also functions as a guide for the block . secured to the outer edge of the plate 28 and at a position remote from the hinge 40 is a tab 68 . tab 68 extends from the plate 28 through the opening in the intermediate wall 44 and into the motor mechanism compartment . the free end of tab 68 lies in front of and is engageable with the cam surface 66 . fig3 shows the antenna raising and lowering device 10 of the present invention with the antenna 30 in its inoperative position and with plate 28 substantially vertically oriented . it can there be seen that block 64 is in its rearwardlymost position and tab 68 engages the lowermost portion of cam 66 . when the motor is energized , screw 50 rotates and block 58 moves linearly forwardly carrying with it block 64 and cam 66 . tab 68 , therefore , functions as a cam follower and moves upwardly staying in contact with the surface of cam 66 . upward movement of tab 68 also causes upward or rotational movement of plate 28 . this movement of block 64 , tab 68 and plate 28 continues until the antenna is in its raised position as shown in fig4 . as shown most clearly in fig3 and 4 , limit switches 70 and 72 are positioned at the remote ends of screw 50 and function to interrupt the electrical circuit to the motor 46 when the antenna is in its full operative or full inoperative position . the complete electrical system for controlling operation of motor 46 should be readily apparent to those skilled in the art and accordingly it is not believed that a detailed description is necessary . an example of such a system is shown in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 224 , 003 . however , any equivalent system could also be used . the advantages of the present antenna raising and lowering device 10 over the prior art are manifold . in addition to the ground plane feature described above , the antenna 30 of the present invention can be raised manually in the event that a defect occurs in the motor , electrical system or gears . in other words , if the antenna is in the down position shown in fig1 and 3 and the motor fails to operate to move the cam surface 66 for raising the antenna , all that is necessary is to manually lift the antenna and plate 28 and temporarily rest some support beneath plate 28 for maintaining the same at its upwardly position . furthermore , although the linear movement of blocks 58 and 64 may be constant with constant rotation of screw 50 , the speed of upward movement of plate 28 can be varied , if desired , by changing the shape of the cam surface 66 . the present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof and , accordingly , reference should be made to the appended claims rather than to the foregoing specification as indicating the scope of the invention . | 7 |
in the preferred exemplary embodiments of the present invention , the order book display tool for trading financial instruments is implemented on a computer or a fixed electronic terminal . the computer communicates with the market exchange host computer to receive various market information including prices and volumes of the different bids and offers . an exemplary and illustrative embodiment of the order book display tool comprises two main components . the order book display tool comprises a market order book display component and an order display component . fig1 shows an illustrative and exemplary embodiment of a market order book display component . the orders outstanding in the market order book display component are represented as a histogram chart . the y - axis represents volume of contracts currently outstanding in the market . the x - axis represents the price . each individual bar , therefore , represents the volume of contracts available in the market at a particular price . each individual bar is dynamically updated as the market condition fluctuates due to multiple traders simultaneously placing and executing orders . as mentioned above , fig1 is only an illustrative and exemplary embodiment of a market order book display component , and therefore , the histogram chart can be represented in other illustrative ways . for example , alternatively , the histogram chart can be represented with the vertical y - axis indicating the price and the horizontal x - axis indicating the volume of contracts available in the market . further , the y - axis representing the volume of contracts may be represented in a non - linear manner . for example , the y - axis volume can be represented in a logarithmic scale to accommodate different magnitude of volumes depending on the scale of magnitude of trade volumes in the market . in the illustrative and preferred embodiment of the market order book display component , buy orders and sell orders are distinguishingly color - coded . for example , buy orders can be represented in blue , and sell orders can be represented in red . in the illustrative and preferred embodiment of the market order book display component , solid bars are used to represent orders in the market from participants other than the trader - user , and outline bars are used to represent the trader - user &# 39 ; s own orders . for example , an outline bar stacked on top of a solid bar represents that the trader - user &# 39 ; s own orders and orders from other participants exist at the same price level . as stated previously , the market order book display component is dynamically updated to reflect the current status of the market . fig2 shows an illustrative and exemplary embodiment of an order display component . the order display component displays the volume of orders that have been placed with the broker either directly by the client or on behalf of a client . as it was the case for the market order display component , a histogram is used to intuitively represent the volume of orders for each client . in the illustrative and preferred embodiment of the order display component , the horizontal x - axis indicates individual client identification , and the vertical y - axis indicates the volume of orders outstanding for each client . each individual bar , therefore , represents the volume of orders for a particular client , and the order display component is dynamically updated as the volume of orders changes over time . fig3 shows an exemplary illustration of the order book display tool showing the relative positions of the market order book display component and the order display component on a computer screen of the trader . as a way of an example , the order display component can be placed on the top - half of the trader - user &# 39 ; s computer screen and the market order book display component can be place on the bottom - half of the trader - user &# 39 ; s computer screen . whenever the electronic trader decides to place an order in the market , the order can be placed in the market by moving it from the order display component to the market order book display component . more specifically , the placing of orders involves the following operations : 1 ) moving the user &# 39 ; s mouse to the order display component and particularly to the desired orders to be placed in the market ; 2 ) clicking the user &# 39 ; s mouse button on the order ; 3 ) moving the user &# 39 ; s mouse to the desired price - level location in the market order book display component (“ drag ”); 4 ) releasing or clicking the user &# 39 ; s mouse button to place and execute an order at the desired price - level within the market order book display component (“ drop ”). the operations described above can accommodate a process known as “ click and stick .” in such process , a trader can click on a desired order in the order display component with his or her mouse , and the order clicked on remains anchored to the mouse pointer (“ click ”). in other words , the clicked and anchored order moves with the mouse movement of the trader and is released only when the mouse button is pressed again (“ stick ”). therefore , the trader placing the order utilizing such “ click and stick ” process does not need to continually press down on the mouse once having clicked on the order . it is to be noted that the “ stick ” operation is the equivalent of the aforementioned “ drop ” operation in that they both place the selected order in the market order book display component . the particular price level at which the order is “ dropped ” indicates the limit price at which the order will be entered into the market . prior to the “ drop ” operation of placing an order , there is provided a “ preview ” of the order being placed . when the order is placed on top of the desired price level within the market order book display component prior to the “ drop ” operation , the order volume bar of the particular price level is automatically reflected to preview how the bar would appear in case the placement of orders is executed . a number of different scenarios can potentially play out while placing orders in the market using the order book display tool . electronic markets typically support a number of execution styles for orders . for example , styles including but not limited to , “ good until cancelled ,” “ immediate or cancel ( fill or kill ),” “ complete volume ”, “ stop loss ”, “ profit lock ”, one order cancels another ( oco ) can be implemented . an aspect of the order book display tool is to afford the user - trader a range of choices regarding which execution style he or she wises to apply prior to placing orders into the market . both the preview displayed when an order is dragged over the market order book window , and the execution of that order once it is placed in the market will intelligently reflect both the selected execution style and the size of the order relative to the volume available in the market . differences particularly pertaining to three exemplary execution styles (“ good until cancelled ,” “ immediate or cancel ,” and “ complete volume ”) will now be described in detail . for illustrative purposes , a situation where an order for 1000 lots is placed over a market price level where only 800 lots are available is assumed . for an execution style of “ good until cancelled ,” a preview display will redraw the price level bar as a hatched area equivalent to 800 lots , topped by an outline bar for the 200 lots that will remain working in the market after the order has executed . subsequent to the market order execution , the remaining 200 lots will be displayed as an outline bar at the selected price level . for an execution style of “ immediate or cancel ,” a preview display will redraw the price level bar as a hatched area equivalent to 800 lots . however , no outline bar will be shown as any remaining volume will automatically be pulled from the market after the order has executed . therefore , subsequent to the market order execution , the unfilled order of 200 lots will be left attached to the user &# 39 ; s mouse pointer , allowing the user to continue to trade the remainder of the order . for an execution style of “ complete volume ,” a preview will leave the price level bar unchanged as the market volume is insufficient to completely fill the order . no order will be executed in the market , and the 1000 lots will be continuously attached to the user &# 39 ; s mouse pointer , thereby allowing the user to continue to trade the entire 1000 lots . now , following exemplary scenarios are described in detail with reference to fig4 - 8 . it is to be noted that there can be other potential scenarios facing the trader while placing an order using the order book display tool , and that the scenarios described herein are exemplary and illustrative in nature . for illustrative purposes , an execution style of “ good until cancelled ” is assumed . fig4 shows an exemplary illustration of a scenario where a trader is adding an order as a limit order to the market order book at a single price level . there is no pre - existing volume in the market at the particular price level of 102 . 5 at which the trader is placing an order of 800 . once the trader clicks and drags the order over to the market order book display component at the desired price level of 102 . 5 , the order of 800 volume can be previewed in the price level of the market order book display component . once the trader drops and thereby executes the placement of order , the order volume of 800 is summarily added as a limit order to the market order book display component at the price level of 102 . 5 . fig5 shows an exemplary illustration of a scenario where a trader is adding an order , and the order fully matches and executes against a single best price level shown in the market order book display component . the matching volume at the price level of 102 . 00 is shown as a hatched area on the matching market order . the portion of the market volume that will remain after the execution of the order ( trade ) is previewed as a solid bar with a numerical value within the bar representing the precise remaining market volume . as it is the case with all other scenarios , the expected price and volume of the resultant trade are previewed prior to the actual execution of orders and “ drop ” operation by the trader . fig6 shows an exemplary illustration of a scenario where a trader is adding an order , and the order partially matches and executes against a single best price level shown in the market order book display component . as it is shown in the market order book display component , the price level of 104 . 5 had 937 pre - existing outstanding market orders . therefore , if the order volume of 1800 orders are to be placed at the price level of 104 . 5 , a volume of 863 would be left unfilled by the market . again , the matching volume that can be met by the market is displayed as a hatched area of the bar at the price level of 104 . 5 . the portion of the order volume unable to be filled by the market and remaining after the execution of the order is shown as an outline bar with a numerical value within the bar representing the precise unfilled order volume ( e . g ., 863 ). as it is the case with all other scenarios , the expected price and volume of the resultant trade are previewed prior to the actual execution of orders and “ drop ” operation by the trader . fig7 shows an exemplary illustration of a scenario where a trader is adding an order , and the order fully matches and executes against multiple best price levels shown in the market order book display component . as it is shown in the market order book display component , the price level of 104 . 5 had 937 pre - existing outstanding market orders . therefore , if the order volume of 1800 orders are to be placed at the price level of 104 . 5 , 863 orders would still be left unfilled by the market . however , such unfilled orders may be met by market offers at a higher price level . for example , the trader may elect to fill the remaining 863 orders at a higher price level of 105 . 00 . the trader can simply drag the order volume of 1800 to the right from the price level of 104 . 50 to 105 . 00 , once the hatched area appears during the preview at the price level of 104 . 50 . the matching volume is shown as a hatched area on the matching market order . any portion of the pre - existing market volume remaining after the execution of the order is shown as a solid bar with a numerical value within the bar representing the precise remaining market volume . as it is the case with all other scenarios , the expected price and volume of the resultant execution of orders are previewed prior to the actual execution of orders and “ drop ” operation by the trader . fig8 shows an exemplary illustration of a scenario where a trader is adding an order , and the order partially matches and executes against multiple best price levels shown in the market order book display component . the matching volume is shown as a hatched area on the matching market order . any portion of the order volume unfilled and remaining after the execution of the order is shown as an outline bar . as it is the case with all other scenarios , the expected price and volume of the resultant trade are previewed prior to the actual execution of orders and “ drop ” operation by the trader . in addition to all the illustrative scenarios described above , it is to be noted that once an order has been entered , but has not yet been executed , in the market order book display component , the trader may later elect to move the order to a different price level within the market order book display component . a trader may effect such change by simply clicking and dragging the previously entered order to a new price level within the market order book display component as long as the previously entered order has not yet been executed . further , a previously entered order may be removed from the market by clicking and dragging the order to the area outside the histogram chart of the market order book display component . prior to the execution of either of the operations , the market order book display component can be previewed to see how it would appear in case the operation is executed . in addition , the user will be able to create a virtual market order book that combines the bids and offers of two different instruments such as a derivative contract and its corresponding asset ( e . g . microsoft stock with an microsoft future or options contract ). this type of trading is sometimes referred to as pairs trading or synthetic strategies . when configured this way , the trader / user manipulates and executes such pairs or synthetic strategies in the same way as if they were individual orders . while the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments and illustrations thereof , it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes in forms and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the following claims . | 6 |
as illustrated in fig5 , a device 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention includes a substantially cylindrical support surface 30 coupled to an elastic ring 8 . a central bore 3 which extends through the support surface 2 and the elastic ring 8 , in operation , receives the distal end of an endoscope 6 . a plurality ( 8 in this case ) of ligating bands 4 are received around the support surface 30 with a trigger line 20 wrapping around each of the ligating bands 4 in a repeating pattern . the support surface 30 and the support surface 30 ′ of fig7 for receiving 8 ligating bands 4 thereon will preferably be between 0 . 5 and 0 . 8 inches in length and may preferably be between 0 . 65 and 0 . 75 inches in length . while the support surface 30 ″ of fig8 may preferably be between 0 . 45 and 0 . 65 inches in length and is more preferably between 0 . 5 and 0 . 6 inches in length . of course , those skilled in the art will understand that the length of the support surface may need to be varied depending on the thickness of the ligating bands ( in a direction distal to proximal ) received thereon . the ligating bands 4 are received on the support surface 30 so that a distal - most band 4 is separated from a distal end 14 of the support surface 30 by an area 15 which is , except for the trigger line 20 , substantially free from visual obstructions . the support surface 30 is preferably substantially transparent . however , those skilled in the art will understand that at least the area 15 , which preferably extends 0 . 2 – 0 . 3 ″ should be transparent . the trigger line 20 extends from a proximal end accessible to a user , through a lumen 22 in the endoscope 6 to pass through the centralbore 3 and out to the support surface 30 via a first one of a plurality of grooves 24 . the trigger line 20 then extends across the support surface 2 , passes over the distal - most of the ligating bands 4 and wraps underneath this ligating band 4 to extend back into the first groove 24 . the trigger line 20 then loops under the distal end 14 of the support surface 30 and passes through a second groove 24 adjacent to the first groove , passes under the distal - most band 4 , wraps around this band 4 and passes under and around a second band immediately proximal to the distal - most band 4 . the trigger line 20 continues over the second band 4 and passes back under the distal - most band 4 to extend to the second groove 24 , returning from the second groove 24 to wrap over and around the second band 4 , under the third band 4 , etc . this pattern is repeated until the trigger line 20 extends around each of the ligating bands 4 received on the support surface 30 . of course , the arrangement of the trigger line 20 may be varied substantially so long as it is arranged so that a user is permitted to release each of the plurality of ligating bands 4 one at a time at each of a corresponding plurality of locations within the patient . thus , for example , a separate trigger line 20 may be provided for each of the ligating bands 4 or a single line 20 may be divided at some point between the user and the support surface 30 into a plurality of filaments each of which is coupled to a respective ligating band 4 . the endoscope 6 extends past the juncture between the ring 8 and the support surface 30 to a shoulder 10 formed at a portion of the central bore 3 within the support surface 30 . this shoulder 10 may preferably be located beneath one of the distal - most of the ligating bands 4 and is most preferably located so that , prior to releasing any ligating bands , the shoulder is beneath the third ligating band ( counting distal to proximal ) preferably between 0 . 35 and 0 . 5 ″, and more preferably approximately 0 . 38 ″ from the distal end of the support surface 30 . this shoulder 10 prevents the endoscope 6 from moving past a distal - most position within the central bore 3 , to create a substantially unobstructed space 18 extending from the distal end 14 proximally to the distal end of the endoscope 6 . this space 18 , which is dimensioned similarly to that of the support surface 2 described above , is separated at the shoulder 10 from an increased diameter endoscope receiving portion 31 of the bore 3 which preferably has a diameter of between 0 . 4 and 0 . 5 inches depending upon the diameter of the endoscope 6 which is to be received therein . the space 18 provides an area into which tissue to be ligated may be drawn so that a ligating band 4 released from the support surface 30 will encircle and grip the tissue to the extent necessary for the band 4 to be maintained in position on the tissue after the tissue has been released . that is , the tissue is drawn into the space 18 by known means such as , for example suction or a gripping mechanism ( not shown ) provided via the lumen 22 . thus , the placement of the endoscope 6 within the rigid support surface 30 and the extension of the support surface 30 distally beyond the distal - most ligating band 4 allow the space 18 to extend distally of the distal - most band 4 . as noted above , the distal end of the endoscope 6 includes an optical device 16 and a light source 26 which allow a user to view the area adjacent to the distal end of the device 1 . the placement of the endoscope 6 within the rigid support surface 30 and the consequent placement of the tissue receiving space 18 distally toward the distal - most band 4 ( or distally past all of the ligating bands 4 ), allows the field of vision of the optical device 16 ( shown by the dotted lines in fig6 ) to be increased relative to that obtained with an endoscope 6 seated proximal to the juncture between the ring 8 and the support surface 30 . those skilled in the art will understand that an increase of nearly 2 to 1 over prior placement positions of the endoscope may be obtained with this arrangement . of course , this increase of the field of vision is achieved only when the support surface 30 is formed of a transparent material which may preferably be polycarbonate . as described above , the elastic ring 8 of the support surface 30 grips the endoscope 6 to prevent if from becoming separated from the support surface 30 . however , those skilled in the art will understand that in order to maintain a proper fit of the endoscope 6 within the rigid support surface 2 , or to accommodate larger endoscopes 6 , sizing the endoscope receiving portion 31 of the central bore 3 to correspond to the diameter of the distal end of a particular endoscope 6 will provide a more secure and stable mating with the support surface 30 . in operation , a plurality of ligating bands 4 are placed on the support surface 30 with the trigger line 20 threaded between the bands 4 as described above . then an endoscope 6 is passed into the endoscope receiving portion 31 of the central bore 3 via an opening formed in the proximal end of the elastic ring 8 until a distal end of the endoscope 6 contacts the shoulder 10 and the trigger line 20 extended from the proximal end of the endoscope 6 through the central bore 3 to the ligating bands 4 ( preferably via the lumen 22 ). the endoscope 6 is then inserted into a patient and advanced , under visual observation ( via optical device 16 ) until the distal end 14 of the support surface 30 is adjacent to a portion of tissue to be ligated . the user then draws the tissue into the space 18 by , for example , advancing a gripping device ( not shown ) through the lumen 22 and grasping the tissue , or by applying suction through the lumen 22 . when the tissue is in a desired position within the space 18 , a user draws the trigger line 20 proximally through the lumen 22 until the distal - most ligating band 4 is released from the support surface 30 to ligate the tissue . as described in the zaslavsky patent , the trigger mechanism of a ligating device incorporating a support surface according to the present invention will preferably provide the user with a tactile indication that a band 4 has been released . thereafter , the user releases the tissue by withdrawing the gripping device or stopping application of the vacuum pressure and then visually guides the endoscope 6 to a second location within the patient . when the support surface 30 is located adjacent to a second portion of tissue to be ligated , the user repeats the process described above , releasing a second of the plurality of ligating bands 4 . the second of the plurality of ligating bands 4 is preferably , after release of the first of the plurality of ligating bands 4 , the distal - most ligating band 4 received on the support surface . the remaining ligating bands 4 may then be released one at a time , starting with the distal - most remaining ligating band 4 and progressing to the proximal - most band 4 . thus , the device 1 allows a user to ligate 8 or more portions of tissue without removing the device 1 from the patient while providing the user with improved control of the endoscope 6 resulting from the expanded visual field . the support surface 30 ″ of fig8 differs from the support surfaces 30 and 30 ′ only in that it is shorter as it is intended to receive only 5 ligating bands thereon . of course , those skilled in the art will understand that increased numbers of ligating bands 4 may be received on a support surface as described simply by lengthening the endoscope receiving portion 31 of support surface to the extent that the increase in length of the support surface does not result in excessive irritation to the patient or to difficulties in inserting the device into a body lumen . there are many modifications of the disclosed embodiments which will be apparent to those of skill in the art . it is understood that these modifications are within the teaching of the invention which is to be limited only by the claims appended hereto . | 0 |
the present invention is described in the environment of a processor that maps instructions of a first instruction set to a predetermined instruction width format (“ piwf ”) that is sufficiently wide to , and does , accommodate two or more instruction sets . in a first embodiment , the piwf is wider than the instruction width formats of the plurality of instructions sets supported by the host computer system . the extra width may be used to support functionality that is unique and exclusive to each respective instruction set . that is , a first instruction set may have unique functionality not available in one or more other instruction sets . further , a second instruction set may have unique functionality that is not available in the first instruction set . in a second embodiment , the piwf is the same width as at least one of the instruction width formats of the instruction sets supported by the computer system . in this embodiment , the piwf could be identical to one of the supported instruction sets . for example , if one of the supported instruction sets has an instruction width of 32 bits , the piwf would be identical to such set if the piwf also had a width of 32 bits and had the same encoding ( with no additions or deletions ) as the supported instruction set . the piwf is a format with a sufficient number of bits to provide a corresponding representation for each instruction in the plurality of instruction sets supported by the host computer system . each instruction in the plurality of instruction sets is mapped to a piwf configuration representing that instruction . the piwf may itself be an instruction set ( if identical to a supported instruction set ) or it may be an intermediate instruction representation ( if different from all the supported instructions sets ). in either case , a decoder is required to decode the piwf for execution by a processor core . in an exemplary embodiment described below , 16 - bit instructions are mapped to a 34 - bit piwf configuration that support 16 - bit and 32 - bit instructions . however , in alternative embodiments , the piwf may have fewer or more than 34 bits . this environment is used for purposes of illustration . the invention , however , is not so limited . a person skilled in the art will recognize that the invention has applicability for mapping instructions ( or , more generically , “ data ”) from any first format to any piwf configuration . additionally , although not discussed below , each 32 - bit instruction in the exemplary embodiment must also be mapped to a piwf configuration . this may be achieved through a mapper scheme ( as described below ), bit stuffing , or any other mapping method known to those skilled in the art . the invention is now described with reference to fig1 - 5 . referring first to fig1 the system architecture of a traditional serial mapping system utilized by a processor executing a computer instruction fetch operation is shown . as an example , consider a read operation executed by a processor or central processing unit ( cpu ) 100 . in a typical read operation executed by cpu 100 , a cache set is accessed from a cache memory 102 by a cache controller 110 . in this example , each cache set is comprised of a set of sixteen byte fields or lines plus respective tag components . in this example , the cache set includes four cache lines . each cache line comprises a data component 140 a - d and a tag component 145 a - d . for example , data component 140 a and its corresponding tag component 145 a combine to form one cache line . data component 140 b and tag component 145 b combine to form a second cache line . data component 140 c and tag component 145 c combine to form a third cache line . data component 140 d and tag component 145 d combine to form a fourth cache line . this configuration is present for each line in the cache . in each data component 140 of a cache line , an instruction is stored , i . e . an opcode value and operand description . thus , for example , data component 140 a contains instruction 0 . data component 140 b contains instruction 1 ; data component 140 c contains instruction 2 ; data component 140 d contains instruction 3 , and so forth . note , however , that instructions in multiple lines of the same set ( i . e ., instructions 0 - 3 ) are not sequential instructions . the numbering convention 0 , 1 , 2 and 3 is used simply for convenience and does not imply an ordering . memory management unit ( mmu ) 160 generates a sought address . a tag component of the sought address is used to determine if the instruction being sought is actually stored in cache memory 102 . if the instruction sought resides in cache memory 102 , the cache is said to contain a “ hit .” if not , a miss occurs and the instruction sought must be read into cache memory 102 from main memory 104 . for example , tag component 145 a contains tag 0 . tag 0 represents the tag associated with instruction 0 , stored in data component 140 a ; tag 1 represents the tag associated with instruction 1 , stored in data component 140 b ; tag 2 represents the tag associated with instruction 2 , stored in data component 140 c ; and tag 3 represents the tag associated with instruction 3 , stored in data component 140 d , etc . as explained above , each sixteen bit instruction must be mapped to a piwf configuration . to accomplish this mapping feature , the cache controller 110 of the serial mapping system depicted in fig1 contains a mapper 120 for mapping each instruction of a first instruction set to a corresponding piwf configuration ; a multiplexor 115 ; and a tag comparator 125 . continuing with the example of the read operation , the cache line comprising data component 140 a and tag component 145 a is accessed . instruction 0 , stored in data component 140 a is read into multiplexer 115 . likewise , instruction 1 , stored in data component 140 b is read into multiplexor 115 . instruction 2 , stored in data component 140 c is read into multiplexor 115 . instruction 3 , stored in data component 140 d is read into multiplexor 115 , and so forth . tag comparator 125 performs a tag comparison operation on all of the tags stored in the tag components 145 . more specifically , tag comparator 125 compares tag 0 , associated with instruction 0 , to the address generated by mmu 160 , the “ sought address .” likewise , tag comparator 125 compares tag 1 , associated with instruction 1 , to the tag of the sought address . tag comparator 125 compares tag 2 , associated with instruction 2 , to the tag of the sought address . tag comparator 125 compares tag 3 , associated with instruction 3 , to the tag of the sought address . these tag comparison operations are executed in parallel . if the tag of the sought address does not match any of the tags associated with the instructions stored in data components 140 of the cache memory , the cache does not contain a hit , and the value sought must be read from main memory . if the tag of the sought address matches a tag associated with any data stored in any particular cache line , the cache contains a hit . for example , if the sought address is equal to tag 2 , the cache contains a hit because tag 2 is the value stored in tag component 145 c , which is associated with data component 140 c . thus , instruction 2 , stored in data component 140 c , is the desired instruction because its associated tag , tag 2 , matches the tag of the sought address . tag comparator 125 then transmits an indicator signal to multiplexor 115 to select the desired instruction . multiplexor 115 then selects the desired instruction . in the above referenced example , where the tag comparison device located instruction 2 , the desired instruction , tag comparator 125 transmits an indication to multiplexor 115 to select instruction 2 . multiplexor 115 receives the indicator signal from tag comparator 125 , selects the desired instruction , and then transmits the desired instruction to mapper 120 . mapper 120 maps the desired instruction of the first instruction set to a piwf configuration and transmits a mapped instruction 150 to a decoder 152 . decoder 152 decodes the mapped instructions and provides control signals to execution core 155 for execution . in one embodiment , fill buffer 130 is present and serves as a staging point for cache memory . fill buffer 130 comprises a tag component 131 and its associated data component or instruction 132 . if the processor determines that there was a “ miss ” upon reading instruction cache 102 , the processor accesses bus interface 103 to obtain instruction 132 from memory 104 ( interconnection of bus interface 103 and memory 104 not shown ). the processor supplies the memory address 133 of the instruction that was not identified in the cache memory 102 to memory 104 via bus interface 103 . next , just as a cache line is accessed upon the data read operation , fill buffer 130 is accessed . tag 131 of fill buffer 130 is compared to the tag of the sought address . if there is a hit , tag comparator 125 transmits a signal to multiplexor 125 to select data 132 because its associated tag 131 was the hit . multiplexor 125 then passes the selected instruction to be processed to mapper 120 and transmits it downstream to the execution core , just as if the selected instruction had been stored in cache memory . the term “ downstream ” is used throughout this document to reference the direction that data flows through processor 100 over time ( i . e ., heading away from the cache controller to the execution core , etc .). thus , the term “ upstream ” is used to reference the reverse direction ( i . e ., heading away from the execution core to the cache controller ). [ 0036 ] fig2 illustrates the system architecture of a parallel mapping system utilized by a cpu or processor 200 initiating a computer instruction fetch operation . in a typical read operation executed by cpu 200 , a cache set is accessed by cache controller 210 . each cache set is comprised of four sixteen byte lines or fields plus respective tag components . each cache line comprises a data component and a tag component , as described above . instruction fetch begins as described above with respect to fig1 . however , the mapping and selection processes are different . continuing with the example of the read operation , each of the data components 140 is read in parallel into a corresponding one of a plurality of mappers 211 - 214 . for example , instruction 0 stored in data component 140 a is read into corresponding mapper 211 . simultaneously , instruction 1 stored in data component 140 b is read into corresponding mapper 212 . instruction 2 , stored in data component 140 c , is simultaneously read into corresponding mapper 213 . instruction 3 stored in data component 140 d is simultaneously read into mapper 214 . as further described below , an instruction is provided to mapper 215 via line 244 . thus , each instruction of a first instruction set stored in cache memory 102 is read into a corresponding one of the plurality of mappers 211 - 214 in parallel . each of the plurality of mappers 211 - 214 maps an instruction of a first instruction set to a piwf configuration . each of the mapped instructions is then provided to multiplexer 220 for selection . in parallel with the mapping operation , tag comparator 125 performs a tag comparison operation on all of the tags stored in tag components 145 . more specifically , tag comparator 125 compares tag 0 , associated with instruction 0 , to the tag of the sought address . likewise , tag comparator 125 compares tag 1 , associated with instruction 1 , to the tag of the sought address . tag comparator 125 compares tag 2 , associated with instruction 2 , to the tag of the sought address . tag comparator 125 compares tag 3 , associated with instruction 3 , to the tag of the sought address . these tag comparison operations continue until the tag associated with the last line of data in the cache is compared to the tag of the sought address . if the tag of the sought address does not match any of the tags associated with the instructions stored in the cache lines , the cache does not contain a hit , and the value sought must be read from main memory . if the tag of the sought address matches the tag associated with the instruction stored in any particular cache line , the cache contains a hit . for example , if the tag of the sought address is tag 2 , the cache contains a hit because tag 2 is the value stored in tag component 145 c , which is associated with data component 140 c . thus , instruction 2 , stored in data component 140 c , is the desired instruction because its associated tag , tag 2 , matches the tag associated with the instruction sought . tag comparator 125 provides an indicator signal to multiplexor 115 to select the value located in the cache ( i . e ., the desired instruction ). multiplexor 115 then selects the desired instruction . in the above referenced example , where tag comparator 125 identified instruction 2 , the desired instruction , tag comparator 125 transmits an indicator signal to multiplexor 115 to select instruction 2 . multiplexor 220 selects the desired instruction and transmits the selected instruction to the execution core for further processing ( i . e ., for instruction decoding and execution ). it should be noted that the operations of mapping , tag comparing , and selecting a desired instruction each occur in a single pipeline stage in the present invention . by performing tag comparison in parallel with mapping , processing time is improved . in one embodiment , fill buffer 130 is present and serves as a staging point for cache memory 102 . fill buffer 130 comprises a tag component 131 and its associated data component 132 . if the processor determines that there was a “ miss ” upon reading instruction cache 102 , the processor accesses bus interface 103 to obtain instruction 132 from memory 104 ( interconnection of bus interface 103 and memory 104 not shown ). the processor supplies the memory address of the instruction that was not identified in the cache memory 102 to memory 104 via bus interface 103 . next , just as a cache line is accessed upon the data read operation , fill buffer 130 is accessed . thus , data 132 is read into corresponding mapper 215 . data component 132 , containing an instruction , is then mapped to a piwf configuration . tag comparator 125 compares tag 131 of fill buffer 130 to the tag of the sought address . if there is a hit , tag comparator 125 transmits a signal to multiplexor 115 . multiplexor 115 then selects data 132 if its associated tag 131 is the hit . multiplexor 115 then passes the selected instruction to be processed downstream to the execution core , just as if the instruction was stored in a cache line of cache 102 . [ 0046 ] fig3 is a timing diagram comparing timing of the serial system ( processor 100 ) in fig1 with timing of the parallel system ( processor 200 ) of fig2 . fig3 shows three time lines , t 1 , t 2 , and t 3 . time line t 1 illustrates the timing tag comparison by tag comparator 125 . time line t 2 illustrates the timing of instruction fetch and mapping operations by cache controller 110 of processor 100 ( i . e ., the serial system ). time line t 3 illustrates the timing of instruction fetch and mapping operations by cache controller 210 of processor 200 ( i . e ., the parallel system ). referring now to time line t 1 , a tag of an instruction is fetched during period p 1 ( between t 0 and t 1 ). tag comparison then occurs during period p 2 ( between t 1 and t 3 ). during period p 3 ( between t 3 and t 5 ), instruction selection occurs . that is , during period p 3 , comparator 125 produces the select signal and provides it to multiplexor 115 . note that the data path through multiplexor 115 is much faster than the select path through comparator 125 . if data arrives at multiplexor 115 prior to arrival of the select signal , the data will wait for the select signal . referring now to time line t 2 ( illustrating the timing of instruction fetch and mapping operations in the serial system ), note that the data or instructions are fetched during period p 4 ( between t 0 and t 2 ). then , during period p 5 ( between t 2 and t 4 ), selection by multiplexor 115 awaits completion of tag comparison at period p 2 . eventually , the select signal is generated at time t 5 and selection occurs . mapping then occurs during period p 6 ( between t 5 and t 8 ) and ends by time t 8 in contrast to time line t 2 , note the absence of a wait state in time line t 3 . in time line t 3 ( illustrating the timing of instruction fetch and mapping operations in the parallel system ), data or instructions are fetched during period p 7 ( between t 0 and t 2 ). then , during period p 8 ( between t 2 and t 6 ), mapping occurs . note that mapping occurs substantially in parallel with tag comparison . thus , while tag comparison is being done , mapping is also being done . mapping may complete before or after tag comparison is complete . in the example depicted in fig3 mapping ends at time t 6 after completion of tag comparison . after mapping is complete , the select signal is used during a period p 9 ( between t 6 and t 7 ) to select the appropriate data / instruction fed to multiplexor 115 . as illustrated , time line t 3 is shorter than t 2 . because of the wait period p 5 in the serial system , valuable time is wasted while the system waits for the tag comparison operation to complete . the time saved by the parallel system of the invention is illustrated in fig3 as the difference in time between t 7 and t 8 . this time can be significant . [ 0052 ] fig4 is a flowchart representing the general operational flow of the steps executed in the parallel mapping system of the present invention . in a step 410 , each sixteen bit instruction and its corresponding tag of the first instruction set is read from the instruction cache into a corresponding one of a plurality of mappers and tag comparator , respectively . in a step 420 , each sixteen bit instruction of the first instruction set is mapped to a 34 - bit piwf configuration . in a step 430 , while the mapping of step 420 is occurring , the tag comparator compares a tag of each sixteen bit instruction to the tag of the address being sought . in a step 440 , the tag comparator transmits a signal to the multiplexor indicating the desired instruction to be selected . in step 450 , the multiplexor selects the desired instruction and transmits it to the execution core . specifically , fig5 shows a cpu 500 that is substantially identical to cpu 200 of fig2 . however , mappers 211 - 215 of fig2 have been replaced with partial mappers 511 - 515 in fig5 . furthermore , a mapper 520 has been added to fig5 . each of partial mappers 511 - 515 maps only a portion of an instruction to a portion of a mapped instruction of a piwf configuration . for example , the mapped portion may be only the portion necessary to identify operand registers . other , less time critical , mapping can occur later . the partially mapped instructions are then provide to multiplexor 115 for selection . once the desired instruction is selected , mapper 520 completes the task of mapping the remainder of the selected instruction to a piwf configuration . an advantage of this partial - mapping embodiment of the invention is that each of partial mappers 511 - 515 can be implemented in silicon so that it occupies only a fraction of the area required to implement a full mapper . this can result in a savings of total area required to implement the mapper function as compared with the previously described embodiment which requires five full mappers . while various embodiments of the present invention have been described above , it should be understood that they have been presented by way of example , and not limitation . it will be apparent to persons skilled in the relevant art ( s ) that various changes in form and detail can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . for example , in addition to mapping system implementations using hardware ( e . g ., within a microprocessor or microcontroller ), implementations also may be embodied in software disposed , for example , in a computer usable ( e . g ., readable ) medium configured to store the software ( i . e ., a computer readable program code ). the program code causes the enablement of the functions or fabrication , or both , of the systems and techniques disclosed herein . for example , this can be accomplished through the use of general programming languages ( e . g ., c or c ++), hardware description languages ( hdl ) including verilog hdl , vhdl , and so on , or other available programming and / or circuit ( i . e ., schematic ) capture tools . the program code can be disposed in any known computer usable medium including semiconductor , magnetic disk , optical disk ( e . g ., cd - rom , dvd - rom ) and as a computer data signal embodied in a computer usable ( e . g ., readable ) transmission medium ( e . g ., carrier wave or any other medium including digital , optical , or analog - based medium ). as such , the code can be transmitted over communication networks including the internet and intranets . it is understood that the functions accomplished and / or structure provided by the systems and techniques described above can be represented in a core ( e . g ., a microprocessor core ) that is embodied in program code and may be transformed to hardware as part of the production of integrated circuits . also , the system and techniques may be embodied as a combination of hardware and software . thus , the present invention should not be limited by any of the above - described exemplary embodiments , but should be defined only in accordance with the following claims and their equivalents . | 6 |
fig1 a thru fig1 c show a longitudinal cross section of the apparatus of the present invention , as the major components . the outer case or main housing 1 , which may include multiple sections 1 ′, 1 ″ and 1 ′″ along its length , is shown to have a threaded tubular connection 2 at its upper end , for connection to other elements of a drill string above this apparatus indicated generally at 2 a . a stator 3 and a rotor 4 for a “ moineau ” or progressive - cavity type motor operated by the flow of drilling fluids pumped down through the drill string from the surface , are shown . see also u . s . pat . no . 1 , 8982 , 217 to moineau . a torsion bar or flexible shaft 6 is used to connect the eccentric output motion of the motor rotor 4 to the lower elements of the apparatus . see shaft connection 6 a . the lower end of the shaft 6 is connected as at 6 b to a rotary tubular shaft 10 which drives a bit attached to the threaded connection 11 at the lower end of the apparatus . the bit is diagrammatically indicated at 40 and receives drilling fluid via passages 80 , 81 , 82 and 83 . a bent tubular subassembly including tubular members 7 and 8 houses a radial and thrust bearing assembly 9 that transfers load from the bit at the lower end of the assembly , and shaft 10 , to the case 8 ′. bending of the torsion shaft 6 as shown accommodates both the eccentric motion of the motor rotor 4 and the bend angle between the axis 41 of the housing 1 , and the bent axis 42 of the bent subassembly 7 , 8 and 8 ′. case 8 ′ is connected to member 8 via a pin 85 and box 86 connection . as shown , axis 42 is concave toward axis 41 , and convex radially away from axis 42 . for suitable drilling operations , the bend angle a , ( delta ), between the housing axis 41 and the bent subassembly axis 42 typically lies in the range of 0 to 3 degrees . one major objective is to combine these features in a downhole adjustable direction defining mechanism that can be drilling directional control initiated at the surface to command the drilling motor by means of short range transmission while drilling is in process , permitting full control of the motor to drill straight ahead , or by articulation , cause the drive of the motor rotary output to initiate a precision rate of turn achieving a planned drilling direction programmed into the control computer , without requiring extraction of the tool from the hole for external adjustment . during the directional drilling , drilling control parameters from near bit sensors indicated schematically at 89 and 89 ′ may typically be transmitted real time to the surface by a short range data transmission , if provided , allowing for fine and precise incremental control adjustments in the bend angle of the mechanism , resulting in changes in the drill path as deemed necessary . features of the adjustable bend angle subassembly are shown in fig1 b . the upper housing 7 is connected to the lower housing 8 by a flexure or hinge member 45 at one side by axis 41 . a hydraulic ram assembly 46 is shown at the opposite side of axis 41 , as having three pistons 22 in mechanical force series and in hydraulic input pressure parallel to drive actuator 22 ′ linearly . see also fig2 . this mechanism provides a mechanical force to bend the flexure or hinge member 45 , and also the shaft 6 . the number of such series pistons and their diameter can be selected to obtain the desired force within an allowable diameter . in effect , the force of the shown three pistons is three times the force that a single piston of the same diameter would provide . as shown , one of the two housings 7 and 8 defines an axis , as for example at 41 , and the other member defines axis 42 as during bending ; the flexure 45 extends at one side of that axis , and force exerting means includes the hydraulic ram assembly 46 located at the opposite side of that axis , and is carried by said one housing member 7 . the torsion bar extends within said one housing member . also , the ram assembly includes a linear actuator 21 operatively connected 21 a to the other of the two sections 7 and 8 ( for example section 8 ), to effect controlled relative pivoting of section 8 relative to section 7 , at or proximate the flexure . a highly compact , reliable assembly of elements is thereby provided . the control system for the hydraulic ram 46 is shown in fig2 , and includes a piston assembly 20 driving an output linear actuator or rod 21 , three pistons 22 , a solenoid electrically controlled valve 23 , a fill valve 24 and a piston position transducer 25 . the control input pressure port is labeled p 1 . the fill valve 24 is a normally open valve , that remains open until high ( standpipe ) pressure ( p 1 ) provided by mud pumps at the surface is applied . it remains open until the high pressure fluid primes or fills the lines and both cavities of the hydraulic ram piston assembly 20 . when there is no more fluid flow , the pressure on the fill valve piston 29 overcomes the force of spring 32 holding the valve open . oil is slowly pumped out of the spring cavity around a controlled fitting shaft ( orifice ) into an expanding bladder shown diagrammatically at 30 a connected to port 30 . as long as there is standpipe pressure applied , the differential piston configuration keeps the spring 32 compressed , forming a shut - off valve at the seat 27 a . the oil is used as an “ hydraulic fuse ” and the expansion bladder also acts as a temperature expansion compensator . when the fill valve shuts off , with p 1 in all lines , the closed loop pressure is now designated as p 2 . when the solenoid valve 23 is activated ( opened ) using solenoid coil 31 , it dumps the pressure p 2 into the bypass line p 3 , forcing the ram pistons to move to the right . this motion of the pistons is sensed by the position transducer 25 . when the desired linear motion distance of 21 ( corresponding to controlled bending of 8 relative to 7 ) has been achieved , the solenoid valve 23 is closed and the piston position remains fixed , having achieved the desired bend angle of the housings 7 and 8 at the flexure or hinge member 45 . the fill valve also acts as a failsafe safety device . when pumps are shut down ( i . e . no standpipe pressure ), the spring 23 ′ opens the valve 23 , returning the hydraulic ram to neutral . this happens even if there is an electrical , signal or battery failure . thus , there is no problem in trying or having to withdraw a bent angle mechanism from the borehole in a bent condition . the fig2 control assembly is typically located in association with the ram assembly . although the flexure or hinge member 45 accommodates the bend angle of the assembly , mechanisms are required to support both the axial and torsional forces between the upper housing 6 an the lower housing 7 in fig1 b . fig3 shows the upper housing 6 , the lower housing 7 , flexure or hinge member 45 and interlocking sliding fingers or pins 50 and 51 to provide axial and torsional load capability and guiding of bending . fig4 a and fig4 b show the relationship of the parts of fig1 b for both a straight , non - bent condition and a bent condition . a surface control electronics assembly is employed to accomplish the controlled functions needed for the bend angle mechanism . see box 90 in fig2 . the required functions for this assembly are to receive a desired bend angle command from the surface or other equipment and to control the solenoid valve that controls the bend angle . further , various sensors may be added near the drill bit at the bottom of the bent - angle mechanism to sense and transmit data to the surface . the transmission of bend angle commands from the surface to the downhole mechanism may be performed as by a series of links , some from the surface to intermediate locations and then others for a final link . see representative links 91 . one example for a final link in such a chain is shown in another application for a reduced - length measure while drilling apparatus using electric field short range date transmission as described in u . s . patent application ser . no . 11 / 820 , 790 filed jun . 21 , 2007 and published as u . s . patent application publication no . us2008 / 0034856 on fig1 , 2008 . electrical details of the short hop communication method are provided in u . s . patent application ser . no . 11 / 353 , 364 , electric field communication for short range date transmission in a borehole . similarly , the published u . s . patent application , publication no . us2008 / 0034856 , describes the use of a number of sensor types that may be provided in a sensor and data transmission element for the present invention . these applications and publications are incorporated herein , by reference . accordingly , the invention provides preferred highly effect method of sub - surface directional drilling that includes : b ) providing and operating a sub - surface drilling fluid driven motor for rotating the bit , c ) providing and operating a fluid pressure responsive bit deflector assembly carried by the string proximate the bit location , to locally and controllably increase and decrease the angularity of bit deflection relative to the string . b ) a sub - surface drilling fluid driven motor having an eccentric output , c ) a torsion shaft rotated by the rotor to rotate the bit , d ) a tubular housing for the motor and shaft , the housing having sections , and there being a flexure inter - connecting two of the sections , e ) and a ram assembly for angularly deflecting a lower one of the sections relative to an upper section , to angularly deflect the bit , the steps that include , and the steps of the method include f ) operating the ram assembly in one mode to angularly deflect the lower housing and the bit to one position for rotary drilling a relatively wider hole , and g ) operating the assembly in another mode to enable operation of the bit at a relatively reduced angular deflection for rotary drilling of a less wider hole . | 4 |
one embodiment of a distributed network resistive film attenuator element , generally indicated by the numeral 10 , is shown in fig2 . the attenuator element 10 comprises a dielectric substrate 12 . the dielectric substrate 12 , which may be sapphire , is preferably rectangular and has a substantially flat surface . still referring to fig2 the attenuator element 10 further comprises a resistive film 14 on the dielectric substrate 12 . the resistive film 14 is provided on the surface of the dielectric substrate 12 in spaced relationship along an axis 17 . a distributed element attenuation ladder network is provided by configuring the resistive film 14 on the dielectric substrate 12 in the conventional pattern described earlier in conjunction with fig1 . the resistive film 14 may be selectively deposited on the dielectric substrate 12 in the indicated pattern . alternatively , the indicated pattern may be etched into a continuous deposited film . preferably , the resistive film 14 may be formed of a metal , such as tantalum nitride , on the surface of the dielectric substrate 12 using known thin or thick film techniques . a nominal value of attenuation is provided by selecting an appropriate length &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; of series portions 14a of the resistive film 14 . because the resistivity of the resistive film 14 then varies proportionally with the ratio of the width &# 34 ; w &# 34 ; of series portions 14a to the width &# 34 ; ww &# 34 ; of shunt portions 14b thereof , the resistivity may be adjusted by varying the ratio of the widths &# 34 ; w &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; ww &# 34 ; of the resistive film deposited to provide an exact desired attenuation value . however , the widths &# 34 ; w &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; ww &# 34 ; also affect the impedance of the attenuator element 10 when it is incorporated into a fixed coaxial line attenuator or cascade attenuator , and , accordingly , the widths &# 34 ; w &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; ww &# 34 ; may also be further adjusted by an equal percentage amount to provide a desired impedance , for example , 50 ohms . the resistive film 14 is contiguously interposed between two pairs of highly conductive electrodes 16 and 18 provided on the surface of the dielectric substrate 12 . the outboard longitudinal edges of the shunt portions 14b of the resistive film 14 are disposed in electrical contact with the pair of conductive electrodes 16 . the pair of conductive electrodes 18 is disposed along the axis 17 and has a width &# 34 ; www .&# 34 ; the second pair of conductive electrodes 18 is in electrical connection with the outboard lateral edges of the series portions 14a of the resistive film 14 . the conductive electrodes 16 and 18 may be formed by deposition of a thin layer of a conductive metal , such as gold , on the dielectric substrate 12 prior to deposition in contact therewith of the metal which preferably forms the resistive film 14 . the attenuator element 10 further comprises tuning stubs 20 . the tuning stubs 20 are disposed on the surface of the dielectric substrate 12 intermediate the shunt portions 14b of the resistive film 14 . the tuning stubs 20 are connected at one end to the conductive electrodes 16 to which the shunt portions 14b of the resistive film 14 are connected and extend toward the respective series resistive film portions 14b of the resistive film . the frequency response of the attenuator element 10 is adjusted by varying the length &# 34 ; 11 &# 34 ; of the tuning stubs 20 . the tuning stubs 20 are selectively deposited on the dielectric substrate 12 . thereafter , adjustment of the length of the tuning stubs 20 can be achieved by scratching away the deposited material with a diamond scribe , for example . the tuning stubs 20 can be formed from the same material as the resistive film 14 , such as tantalum nitride . alternatively , the tuning stubs 20 can be formed from a thin layer of a conductive metal , such as gold , on the dielectric substrate 12 as extensions of the conductive electrodes 16 . the attenuator element 10 in accordance with the invention can be incorporated into a fixed coaxial line attenuator , as shown in fig3 . referring now to fig3 there is shown a fixed coaxial attenuator 100 comprising a cylindrical outer conductor 110 with the attenuator element 10 supported therein . the dielectric substrate 12 is sufficiently wide so that the lengthwise edges thereof are contiguous with substantially diametrically opposed portions on the outer conductor 110 . the axis 17 ( see fig1 ) of the dielectric substrate 12 is aligned with the central axis 117 of the sections of coaxial inner conductor 120 . the conductive electrodes 16 are disposed between the outer conductor 110 and the outboard longitudinal edges of the shunt portions 14b of the resistive film 14 along the full length thereof to provide a good electrical signal connection between the resistive film and outer conductor 110 . the conductive electrodes 18 are disposed between the sections of coaxial inner conductor 120 and central portions of the outboard lateral edges of the series portions 14a of the resistive film 14 to provide a good electrical signal connection between these central portions and the sections of the coaxial inner conductor for forming a continuous conductive path between inner conductor sections 120 . the attenuator element 10 in accordance with the invention can also be incorporated into a cascade attenuator , as shown in fig4 . referring now to fig4 there is shown a body 209 which forms the ground plane conductor of a strip line . coaxial connectors 211 , 213 at the ends of the body 209 each include a center conductor 215 which is matched coupled to a strip line conductor 217 and an outer conductor 219 which is connected to the body 209 . the strip line conductor 217 is supported on a dielectric slab 221 which is mounted in longitudinal grooves in the side walls of the body 209 . at selected intervals along the length of the strip line conductor 217 , a parallel pair of signal conductive elements 225 and 227 are disposed within the body 209 above and below the plane of the strip line conductor 217 . the lower conductive element 225 forms a straight - through transmission path and includes a conductive strip line 229 supported by a dielectric slab 231 which is mounted in the longitudinal grooves in the side walls of the body 209 . the width of the strip line 229 is decreased to maintain the characteristic impedance of the transmission line which is formed with closer spacing to the ground plane conductor . the upper conductive element 227 forms an attenuating transmission path and includes the attenuator elements 10 mounted in additional longitudinal grooves in the side walls of the body 209 and which is connected to the body 209 along its longitudinal edges . the strip line conductor 217 includes a flexible portion 247 at each side of the parallel pair of signal transmission paths , which serves as a switching element . the switching element 247 is actuated either magnetically by suitable electromagnetic means 249 and programming power source 250 or mechanically by an actuator 251 and programming cam assembly 253 . the actuator 251 may be any dielectric material which passes through an aperture in the body 209 that has dimensions which cause the aperture to operate as a waveguide beyond cutoff at the frequencies of signal applied to the attenuator so that signal leakage is negligible . a selected step of attenuation is provided by switching the strip line conductor 247 at both ends of the parallel pair of signal transmission paths to the attenuator element 10 path . when a plurality of such paths are provided , each with an attenuator element 10 of selected value , such as 5 db , 10 db , 20 db , and 40 db , a number of attenuation steps in 5 db increments from 5 db to 75 db may be provided by selectively switching in either an attenuation transmission path or a straight - through transmission path . this selection is provided in a conventional manner either by the programmed power supply 250 ( used with the magnetic actuators ) or the cam assembly 253 ( used with the mechanical actuator 251 ) in response to the positions of an attenuation selector dial 255 . fig5 a illustrates the frequency response of a conventional cascade attenuator set at 40 db . fig5 a evidences a decrease in attenuation with increasing frequency . fig5 b illustrates the frequency response of the cascade attenuator shown in fig4 set at 40 db with the attenuator elements 10 having tuning stubs 20 at a maximum length , such that the tuning stubs have a minimum clearance from the series portions 14a of the resistive film 14 . fig5 b evidences reversal of the trend toward decreasing attenuation illustrated in fig5 a , such that attenuation can be increased with increasing frequency by providing the tuning stubs 20 . finally , fig5 c illustrates the frequency response of the cascade attenuator shown in fig4 set at 40 db with attenuator elements 10 having tuning stubs 20 at a length adjusted to provide an optimally flat response characteristic . the foregoing description is offered primarily for purposes of illustration . while a variety of embodiments has been disclosed , it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that numerous other modifications and variations not mentioned above can still be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed below . | 7 |
before proceeding with the detailed description of the preferred embodiments , several comments should be made about the applicability and the scope of the present invention . first , while venetian - type blinds are shown in certain of the figures , the types of materials from which the blinds are made or the relative widths , heights and the configuration of the headrail , bottom rail and slats may vary widely . the present invention has applicability to a variety of such blinds . the present invention is also useful with window shades of various types since many shade designs also use lifting cords and would benefit from the features of this invention . whenever blinds are mentioned herein , shades should be considered a suitable alternative . second , while preferred types of springs are shown , one varying in width , another varying in thickness and a third being of constant cross - section , a combination of the three could be employed . other spring configurations could also be used , in addition to those having a rectangular cross - section . for example , springs with round or oval cross - sections , decreasing along its length ( for a variable force spring ) or a laminated spring could also be employed . third , while one example is given of how to interconnect a plurality of spring motors , other techniques can be employed . for example , a gear system can be employed instead of the illustrated bar . the object of illustrative fig3 is to show how the spring motors can be made to operate in unison for level raising or lowering of the blind or shade , even if the lifting forces are applied off center . ideally , however , the user should be instructed to apply the lifting or lowering force at , or relatively near , the center of the bottom rail to maintain desirable balance and to prevent slack from being created in the lifting cords . proceeding now to a description of the figures , fig1 is a perspective view of one storage drum 10 useful in the preferred embodiment . storage drum 10 includes an axial hole 12 , a cylindrically - shaped spring storage area 14 , and a pair of walls 16 and 18 which taper upwardly and outwardly from area 14 . this particular storage drum is especially suitable for a spring which varies in width , as will be described later in this specification . drum 10 will be referred to herein as a storage drum , i . e . the drum on which the spring is initially coiled . the drum 10 would have parallel walls 16 and 18 for other embodiments such as for the springs illustrated in fig5 a , 5 b , 8 a , and 8 b . proceeding next to fig1 b , an output drum is shown generally at 20 to include an axial hole 22 , a cylindrical body 24 , and a pair of walls 26 and 28 . a hole 29 is provided on body portion 24 , the purpose of which will become apparent shortly . output drum 20 also includes a cord spool 30 having a central aperture ( not shown ) coaxial with hole 22 , a body portion 32 , and a pair of parallel side walls 34 and 36 defining an area therebetween for storage of the lifting cords . proceeding next to fig2 the arrangement of the devices in fig1 a and 1b in a spring motor unit 40 is shown . motor unit 40 includes a bracket having a planar back wall 42 onto which the storage drum 10 and output drum 20 are rotatably mounted in a spaced apart orientation . axles 43 and 44 pass respectively through the apertures 12 and 22 of the drums 10 and 20 . from fig2 it will be appreciated that output drum 20 is located adjacent wall 42 , with the cord spool 30 located outwardly therefrom . a spring is illustrated at 45 and is coupled between storage drum 10 and output drum 20 . the spring itself will be described later . the spring motor unit 40 also includes a pair of surfaces 46 and 47 , which are parallel to one another and perpendicular to surface 42 , defining a generally u - shaped enclosure for the two drums and the cord spool . a hole 49 is provided in surface 46 and a hole 50 is provided in surface 47 , with lifting cords 52 shown passing through each toward the cord spool 30 . the illustrated motor unit 40 also includes another bracket component 55 spaced apart from surface 47 and including a plurality of slots 56 in its upper edge . solid and dashed lines illustrate how the slots 56 may be used to increase the tension on the cord 52 traveling through portion 47 toward cord spool 30 . finally , two attachment areas 57 and 59 are shown in fig2 with holes 58 and 60 , respectively . the latter are used for attachment of the bracket to the blind head bracket . obviously , the location of the mounting holes can vary widely , depending on the overall configuration of the blind with which the spring force motor unit 40 is to be used . before proceeding to more detailed descriptions of the springs 45 , reference should now be made to fig3 showing schematically how a plurality of spring motor units 40 may be coupled together , e . g . by an elongate bar 62 rotatably coupled to each of the respective cord spools 30 ( or by gearing on the drums 10 and 20 , not shown ). it will be appreciated from this drawing , which is from a reverse perspective compared to that shown in fig2 that the three spring motor units 40 will work in unison and the bar 62 will compensate for minor variations in spring forces which may exist for the individual springs 45 and ensure an even winding of the cords 52 , even if the force to raise or lower the blind is applied off - center . proceeding next to the descriptions of fig4 a and 4b , a preferred spring 70 is shown , again in perspective form . spring 70 includes a first narrower end 72 , a second wider end 74 and a coupling extension 75 having a hole 76 therein . the illustrated spring has a constant thickness . spring 70 , in use , is wound onto the storage drum in the configuration illustrated in fig4 b , i . e . with its narrower end coupled to body portion 14 , and its wider end toward the outside . the extension 75 is attached to the body portion 24 of output drum 20 using hole 76 and any suitable fastener . the spring is wound from one drum to the other in an opposite coil orientation . in other words , as spring 70 is transferred from the storage drum 10 to the output drum 20 , the width of the spring 70 between the two drums will decrease and the spring will be wound oppositely to its original coil shape . another embodiment of a spring useful in the invention is shown in fig5 a and 5b , i . e . a spring 80 having a varying thickness . spring 80 has a thinner first end 82 , a thicker second end 84 having a width equal to that of end 82 , and a coupling extension 85 having a hole 86 therein . the preferred coil orientation for spring 80 is shown in fig5 b , this time with the thinner end 82 at the core of the storage drum 10 and the thicker end 84 extending onto and around the output drum 20 , using coupling extension 85 and hole 86 . again , the orientation of the spring , as it is transferred from the storage drum 10 to the output drum 20 , is reversed . while it has been mentioned earlier that springs of different configurations may be employed for variable force spring motors , it will now be more fully appreciated that one variation would be to use a spring which varies both in width and thickness . also , a coil spring of circular cross - section or a laminated spring could be employed . the cross - section increasing from the end attached to the storage drum 10 to the end attached to the output drum 20 . proceeding now to fig6 the use of a spring motor unit 40 for a blind system 90 is shown . blind system 90 includes a bottom bar 92 , a headrail 94 , and a plurality of slats 95 located therebetween . the ladders are not illustrated in these figures but are conventional and , in and of themselves , do not form part of the present invention . the cords for raising and lowering bottom bar 94 are illustrated at 96 and 97 and are shown extending through the slats and toward the cord spool 30 , which will be fully wound with cord when the blind is in the position illustrated in fig6 . moreover , the storage drum would be wound with most of spring 45 and the output drum would be wound only to the extent desirable to attach its end and to provide the desired holding force . referring now to fig7 the bottom bar 92 is shown in its fully lowered position with the individual slats 95 spaced from one another and with the cords 96 and 97 unwound from cord spool 30 . at this point , the slats would be individually suspended from ladders ( not shown ) attached to the headrail 94 , so that their weight is not being carried by the spring motor unit 40 . it can be observed that the spring 45 has been substantially transferred from the storage drum 10 to the output drum 20 , thereby decreasing the amount of force exerted on the bottom bar . in an ideal situation , the spring force will be just sufficient to prevent bottom bar 92 from self - raising . when it is desired to open blind system 90 , the bottom bar 92 is urged toward headrail 94 , resulting in a spring driven rotation of the cord spool to wind cords 96 and 97 . the spring will rewind back to storage drum 10 , with an ever increasing level of force as the weight of the bottom bar 92 and accumulating slats 95 continues to increase . the operation is completed when the fig6 configuration is achieved . while the present invention has been described in connection with several illustrated embodiments , further variations may now be apparent . for example , instead of using only two cords ( illustrated as 96 and 97 in fig6 - 7 ), additional cords could be used for wider blinds , as required . in connection with experiments done to date , one suitable spring is made from type 301 high - yield stainless steel and has a length of 87 inches and a constant thickness of 0 . 005 inches . its width increased from 0 . 110 inches at its narrow end to 0 . 312 inches at its wide end . for a coil diameter of 0 . 540 inches , a theoretical maximum torque of 0 . 650 pounds per inch was created , and the theoretical torque minimum was 0 . 230 pounds per inch . in another example , a spring strip of the same length and material varied in thickness from 0 . 0029 inches to 0 . 0054 inches with the same coil diameter . the theoretical maximum torque was 0 . 819 pounds per inch , while the torque at the bottom ( minimum ) is reduced to 0 . 140 pounds per inch . it can be seen from these examples that the spring motor provides a variable force which is consistent in application , depending upon the particular position of the bottom rail or member with respect to the headrail . the theoretical forces may be readily calculated using formulas which are available from spring manufacturers in which the output force is determined by the formula : f = e · b · s 3 24 · r 2 it then becomes apparent that as the width or thickness varies from end to end of the strip , so also will the resultant force . fig8 a and 8b show yet another embodiment of the present invention , this time where the spring 45 is a constant cross - section spring 110 having a first end 112 , a second end 114 , an extension 115 extending from the second end , and a hole 116 in the extension . the coiled form of spring 110 is shown in fig8 b . it has been found that in some applications , for example applications where the blinds are short , or are made from very light materials , or where friction imparting devices are used with the cords that a constant force spring may be entirely suitable . this is true because while the weight exerted on the lifting cords 94 and 96 will vary as the blind is raised and lowered , frictional forces are present which can be sufficient to maintain the shade in any desired position without free fall . this particular embodiment could be enhanced using the friction imparting devices discussed in connection with fig2 . accordingly , it can be readily seen that the present invention has extremely wide application and that the designer may make numerous choices depending upon the particular size of the blind , its construction materials , etc . as with the other embodiments , several spring motors employing springs 110 can be coupled together , e . g . as is shown in fig3 . alternatively , a plurality of such motors may be used which are not interconnected to one another . fig9 is a view , similar to fig6 showing in schematic form a motor system for raising and lowering a blind . in order to facilitate understanding of the invention , like elements will be identified by like reference numerals in fig9 and fig6 . accordingly , in fig9 a blind system 90 is illustrated having a spring motor unit 40 and cords 96 , 97 for raising and lowering bottom bar 92 . also shown in fig9 are a drive motor 110 , and a control unit 112 for controlling operation of drive motor 110 . drive motor 110 is preferably an electrical motor which can drive in two directions and is operatively coupled with spring motor unit 40 by a coupling 111 to apply a drive force in either of two directions to move bottom bar 92 up or down . it is advantageous to use both spring motor unit 40 and drive motor 110 so that the force applied to blind system 90 by spring motor unit 40 augments and assists drive motor 110 . drive motor 110 may be operatively coupled anywhere in the driving mechanism of blind system 90 . by such an arrangement a smaller , cheaper , and more energy - efficient drive motor 110 may be more advantageously employed with blind system 90 than could be employed alone without spring motor unit 40 . control commands may be provided to control unit 112 for controlling operation of drive motor 110 from a remote position by hard - wired connection ( not shown in fig9 ) to a remote control unit such as remote control unit 114 . in the alternative , remote control unit 114 may wirelessly communicate with control unit 112 by any of several methods , such as sonic coded signal patterns or optic coded signal patterns . the coding patterns may be coded transmission patterns , or coded frequency patterns , or combinations of such patterns . in environments where there are a plurality of blind systems 90 which should be individually wirelessly controllable by one or more remote control units 114 , respective blind systems 90 must be individually addressable . the required distinction among such a plurality of blind systems 90 may be encoded in each respective control unit 112 and recognized by remote control unit ( s ) 114 in any of several manners . for example , respective control units 112 may be user - coded by individual digital switches to assign a user - determined code to each respective blind system 90 . further , similar coding may be effected by embedding code in a read only memory ( rom ) in each respective control unit 112 , or by programming a code into a random access memory ( ram ) in each control unit 112 . a pin grid array or a jumper wire arrangement would also accomplish the desired coding , but such arrangements are susceptible to error and occupy large amounts of space . remote control unit 114 may similarly be encoded to selectively address a particular blind system 90 : digital switch coding , rom , ram , and jumper - wiring may all be appropriate . yet another approach involves factory preprogramming of systems . for example , a factory - provided library of codes may be programmed into a rom in a remote control unit 114 . a user may select a code from the library of codes for assignment to a respective blind system 90 by any of the above - described encoding mechanisms : e . g ., digital switches , ram , or the like . the user - selection may involve merely a two - digit entry or selection to identify an eight - digit ( for example ) digital code . by such an arrangement , the security of eight - digit coding and its protection against inadvertent operation of blinds is achieved with significantly less opportunity for errors in user - coding since the user needs only to enter two digits to identify / encode a particular blind system 90 . so while the invention has been described in connection with certain illustrative examples , it is not to be limited thereby but is to be limited solely by the scope of the claims which follow . | 8 |
the currently preferred embodiments of the invention are now described with reference to the figures where like reference numbers indicate like elements . also in the figures , the left most digit of each reference number corresponds to the figure in which the reference number is first used . while the invention is described in the context of an electronic fare collection system for rapid transit or toll applications , it would be apparent to one skilled in the relevant art that the principles of the invention have considerably broader applicability to other systems in which contactless proximity information / data / message is exchanged , collected , or otherwise used . the improved target and tag of the invention can be used advantageously in a fare collection system similar to that described in international application number pct / us92 / 08892 , titled “ non - contact automatic fare collection system ,” filed oct . 19 , 1992 , wo 93 / 09516 , which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety . thus , only the features of the invention that differ from the system disclosed in wo 93 / 09516 are described in detail herein . fig1 is a high level block diagram of a contactless proximity automated data collection system 100 in accordance with the principles of the invention . system 100 includes a plurality of hosts 102 , targets 104 , and tags 106 . as would be apparent to one skilled in the art , the number of these devices depends on the requirements of the application . target 104 communicates with both host 102 and tag 106 . target 104 and tag 106 communicate messages and data over rf signals 110 and 112 . in operation , target 104 responds to commands from host 102 and acts primarily as a simple serial data pass - through with bit rate conversion and collision resolution between host 102 and tag 106 . in this embodiment , host 102 is positioned at a point of sale machine . alternatively , for this type of application , host 102 can be located at an entrance / exit gate of a train station at a ticket vending or issue machine . in general , host 102 can be located remotely or locally with respect to target 104 . host 102 communicates with target 104 over a standard rs - 232 serial link 108 , but any known links ( e . g ., a rs422 link ) can be used with the invention . in this preferred embodiment , host 102 is an intel ® pentium ® based computer system running windows nt ®. however , any sufficiently powerful computer system ( e . g ., intel ® pentium ® pro or pentium ® ii based computer systems ) and operating system ( e . g ., microsoft ® windows ®) can be used . for example , a dedicated controller using a motorola ® 68332 microprocessor with a real - time operating system or any other appropriate microprocessor can be used . host 102 contains predetermined executable programs ( software or code ) that achieve the functionality of the specific application . these programs correspondingly invoke ( call ) functions within a carcg go card ® subroutine library , provided by cubic corporation . the subroutine library provides the necessary control to facilitate low level message and data input / output processing . fig2 is a block diagram of target 104 in accordance with the principles of the invention . target 104 includes an antenna 200 , a modulator / demodulator 202 , a microcontroller 204 , and a rs - 232 serial interface port 208 . microcontroller 204 receives a clock signal from quartz crystal ( not shown ). in this embodiment , microcontroller 204 is a ds87c520 microcontroller commerically available from dallas semiconductor , interface port 208 is a rs - 232 interface from linear technology , and antenna 200 is a 3 μhy , pc board coil , which are all available from numerous sources . any commercially available parts , however , can be employed for these components . as with host 102 , microcontroller 204 has predetermined programs , residing therein , to facilitate the overall functionality of target 104 . that is , the predetermined programs are written in suitable code with any known programming language , to implement the logic carried out in the protocols discussed below ( including the collision resolution protocol ) with reference to fig4 a - c , 6 a - b , and 7 a . in general , host 102 controls and coordinates the exchange of messages / data between target 104 and tag 106 . these exchanges are conducted with a half - duplex communication protocol . rf signals 110 and 112 have a carrier frequency of 13 . 56 mhz per iso / iec 14443 standard and are amplitude modulated at 115 . 2 kbps for data transmission . as would be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the relevant art , other well known protocols , transmission rates , and various modulation techniques can be utilized with the invention . in operation , target 104 receives modulated tag messages / data over rf signals 112 . antenna 200 receives these messages / data and conveys them ( over interconnection 210 ) to modulator / demodulator 202 for demodulation . in turn , each tag message / data is conveyed ( over interconnection 212 ) to microcontroller 204 , whereupon , depending on the message / data type , it is either processed or relayed ( over interconnection 214 ) to serial interface port 208 and then to host 102 ( via serial link 108 ). in similar manner , target 104 transmits modulated target messages / data to tag 106 over rf signals 110 . target messages / data can originate solely from microcontroller 204 or from microcontroller 204 in conjunction with host 102 . modulator / demodulator 202 modulates the messages / data , and antenna 200 transmits the corresponding rf signals 110 to tag 106 . microcontroller 204 and host 102 process the tag and target messages / data in accordance with the particular configured application ( e . g ., in this embodiment , a rapid transit application ). fig3 is a high level block diagram of tag 106 in accordance with the principles of the invention . in this preferred embodiment , tag 106 includes an antenna 300 and a tag application specific integrated circuit ( asic ) 302 ( tag asic 302 ), which will be commercially available from cubic corporation . the following discussion includes only a very high level discussion of tag 106 with respect to the system level features of the invention . the tag detailed description section below provides a more detailed discussion of tag 106 . tag asic 302 is partitioned into a digital subsystem 304 and an analog subsystem 306 . digital subsystems 304 includes a controller 308 and a data memory bank 310 . analog subsystem 306 includes a modulator / demodulator 312 . similar to the operation of target 104 , messages / data are transmitted to and from tag 106 via rf signals 110 and 112 , respectively . target messages / data ( modulated on rf signals 110 ) are received by antenna 300 . once received , target messages / data are conveyed ( via interconnection 314 ) to modulator / demodulator 312 for demodulation . each target message / data is then conveyed via interconnection ( interface ) 316 to controller 308 and processed in accordance with the configuration of controller 308 . data memory bank 310 is used to hold application data which is accessed over interconnection 318 . tag messages / data ( modulated on rf signals 112 ) are transmitted from antenna 300 . controller 308 provides both message generating and data accessing functions . each message / data is then conveyed to modulator / demodulator 312 for modulation . messages are finally conveyed to antenna 300 , whereupon they are transmitted to target 104 as rf signals 112 . although the invention has many other applications , an overriding performance requirement imposed on a go card ® system when used for automatic fare collection , especially in a transit environment ( e . g ., subway , bus , parking lot , toll road , etc . ), is that a fare transaction must be completed in less than approximately 0 . 1 second . this requirement has been established as the result of human factors studies and extensive field trials . as such , the 0 . 1 second transaction period does not allow the extra time required to insert a tag into a target so that it can be captured until the transaction is complete . if the tag cannot be captured , the system must be able to handle the withdrawal of the tag from the vicinity of the target at any time during the transaction without the tag non - volatile data being corrupted . the invention satisfies this and other requirements by utilizing a high communication rate ( 115 . 2 kilobits / second ), an efficient communication protocol ( including implied acknowledgments ), ensured state transitions ( after transmitting a message , the tag enters a predetermined state and is prepared to receive the next incoming byte without the overhead of any extra synchronization bytes ), an intelligent collision avoidance protocol ( which includes sending application type information within an “ imawake ” message to avoid the extra overhead of a separate request message from the target ), and fram for non - volatile tag buffer and permanent data memory ( 0 . 6 μs write time verses up to 10 , 000 μs for eeprom ). the use of fram for non - volatile data buffering also reduces transaction time ( and memory required ) when used to prevent data corruption . preventing data corruption is addressed by the use of fram for tag non - volatile buffering of received write - data ( including automatic write completion on power - up ), by the tag &# 39 ; s monitoring of its available rf and dc power ( to guarantee that any write to the fram will complete before power can be lost ), using a combination of missing clock detection , hysteresis , and pulse stretching in the reset circuit to provide a fast , sufficiently wide and stable reset ( to avoid unstable or inadvertent fram writes and also avoid the size and power inefficiencies of a phase - locked loop ), and by using a message digest as a check of the integrity of the received message . additional operational constraints / regulatory requirements imposed on the system are that there be no cross - talk between adjacent targets ( because of the required close placement of targets in some fare collection systems ) and that the system be capable of being certified ( fcc and other regulatory requirements ). cross - talk between adjacent targets is eliminated by using impedance ( or load ) modulation from tag to target . for example , the tag must be close to the target which has powered it up and only modulates the rf field of that target . the rf field provided by the target to the tag decreases as the cube of the distance between them when that distance is greater than the radius of the target antenna . regulatory certification is aided by the target using a small amount less than 20 %) of amplitude modulation ( am ) for communicating with the tag ( thus producing small amplitude sidebands ) and by increasing rather than decreasing the carrier amplitude during modulation ( thus reducing the required average carrier power ). the target also has the capability of operating at significantly reduced average carrier power ( either by detecting the presence of a tag and only operating at full power for the 0 . 1 second transaction time or by pulsing the rf carrier to full amplitude with a short duty cycle until a tag responds for the 0 . 1 second transaction time ). several other operational factors determine whether a system can meet the above requirements . they include : the complexity of the transaction and the amount of data that must be updated , the time required for the tag to write the received data to non - volatile memory , the overhead involved in assuring that no data corruption can occur , the overhead involved in authenticating that a valid tag is being used , fig1 - 3 illustrate a high level block diagram of a host - target - tag system in accordance with he principles of the invention the host - target - tag protocol includes a series of predetermined message exchanges . in general , target messages are generated by either a microcontroller 204 or a host 102 and tag messages by a controller 308 in accordance with the software or logic residing therein . a message is typically , but not necessarily , approximately one byte or greater in length , and may represent control information for controlling the operation of a target 104 or a tag 106 , message identification information , authentication information , or other information desired for each particular application in which the invention is employed . the messages / data are exchanged to provide the following general functionality : allow host 102 to set the operating mode of target 104 and / or determine the current state of target 104 ; allow target 104 to detect initial entry of tag 106 into the rf field and mediate between multiple tags that enter the rf field simultaneously ; and allow host 102 to exchange data with tag 106 in a manner that provides resistance to tampering . table 1 summarizes the general function of each field for particular messages . fig4 a illustrates a typical host - to - target message exchange . host - to - target message exchanges occur when host 102 has need to modify the operating state of target 104 . host 102 may initiate this type of exchange at any time , assuming the previous exchange has either completed or a time - out has occurred . host 102 sends two message types (“ command ” and “ wakeup ”) to target 104 . in response , target 104 sends a “ status ” message type to host 102 . host 102 may optionally send a third message type (“ diagreq ”) to target 104 . in response , target 104 will reply with a “ diagrsp ” message type to host 102 . host 102 sends the “ command ” message to target 104 to set the operating state of target 104 . upon receiving a valid , correctly addressed “ command ” message , target 104 takes the actions specified by the various data fields of the “ command ” message . host 102 also sends the “ wakeup ” message type to direct target 104 to begin broadcasting “ wakeup ” messages into the rf field . target 104 sends the “ status ” message to host 102 to confirm correct reception of either a “ command ” or a “ wakeup ” message . the “ status ” message contains the same data fields that are present in the “ command ” message . the “ status ” message reports the current setting of these data fields in the target 104 memory , which were set by the previously received “ command ” and / or “ wakeup ” messages . host 102 also sends the “ diagreq ” message type to direct target 104 to perform one of several diagnostic routines , then report the result in a “ diagrsp ” message . in response , target 104 sends the “ diagrsp ” message to host 102 to confirm correct reception and report the results of processing the “ diagreq ” message . target - to - tag message exchanges generally fall into two cases : a single tag attempting communication with a target ( a normal case 500 ); and two or more tags concurrently attempting communication with a target ( collision resolution case 514 ). fig4 b illustrates a target - to - tag exchange for both cases . target - to - tag message exchanges occur after host 102 has sent a valid “ wakeup ” message to target 104 , as described above . target 104 sends three message types (“ wakeup ,” “ pongvalid ,” and “ ponginvalid ”) to tag 106 , and tag 106 sends two message types (“ ping ” and “ imawake ”) to target 104 . target 104 forwards the “ imawake ” message to host 102 . fig5 a illustrates a single tag 502 attempting to communicate with a single target 504 before fare data is transferred between target 504 and tag 502 ( normal case 500 ). before target 504 establishes communication with tag 502 , target 504 lies in a pulsing mode in which it periodically transmits , under the control of microcontroller 204 , a “ wakeup ” message ( modulated on an rf signal 506 ). fig6 a illustrates a flow diagram for a communication protocol between target 504 and tag 502 for normal case 500 depicted in fig5 a . at powerup , host 102 engages target 504 ( step 602 ). host 102 then sends the “ wakeup ” message type to direct target 504 to begin broadcasting “ wakeup ” messages into the rf field . the “ wakeup ” message contains a sync or start of message character , a message identification character , a random number ( generated by host 102 and previously sent to target 104 ), and error check bytes . target 504 transmits “ wakeup ” signals periodically ( step 604 ) and waits for a “ ping ” ( step 606 ). when tag 502 is presented in proximity to target 504 , tag 502 powers up ( step 603 ) and then awaits the next “ wakeup ” message from target 504 ( step 605 ). after receiving the “ wakeup ” message and a random wait period , tag 502 responds with a “ ping ” message ( step 608 ). the random wait period of tag 502 is a random multiple of a “ slot time ,” preferably , but not limited to , an integer from 0 - 3 . the slot time is typically chosen to be greater than the round - trip communication time , from tag 502 and back to tag 502 , of the “ ping ” and “ pongvalid ” messages discussed below . a “ ping ” message may be two characters ( bytes ) in length and contains a randomly generated number followed by its duplicate exclusive - ored ( xored ) with the value hexadecimal 55 ( binary “ 01010101 ”). although this specification is not limited to such a method of creating a collision check , this method is preferred because it can detect collision of any two tags so long as they send different random numbers . microcontroller 204 verifies that the “ ping ” message contains a random number followed by its check byte ( step 610 ), and generates a “ pongvalid ” message ( step 612 ). the “ pongvalid ” message may be one character in length . target 504 then awaits the “ imawake ” message from tag 502 ( step 618 ). meanwhile , tag 502 awaits the “ pongvalid ” message from target 504 ( step 613 ). upon receiving this message , tag 502 checks its validity ( step 614 ) and responds with an “ imawake ” message ( step 616 ). the “ imawake ” message includes a synchronizing or start of message character , a message identification character , a tag identification number and directory of blocks , a pseudo - random number generated by tag 502 for authentication , and a message digest . communication between host 102 and tag 502 is established . thereafter , fare data residing in the memory of tag 502 is read and transmitted to an application program of host 102 , which manipulates the fare data in accordance with its software and generates new fare data to be written onto the memory of tag 502 . fig5 b illustrates two or more tags 502 , 510 attempting to establish communication with a single target 504 ( collision resolution case 514 ). in other words , multiple tags 502 , 510 are placed in proximity to a target 504 at or near the same time . for example , this may occur if two train passengers exit or enter a station and present their respective tags 502 , 510 to target 504 at the same time , or if a single passenger is carrying two or more tags 502 , 510 in a wallet or purse . because rf signals 506 from target 504 are capable of providing power to multiple tags 502 , 510 , such simultaneous attempts to communicate with target 504 are possible . each tag 502 , 510 transmits rf signals 508 , 512 that may collide with each other and prevent successful communication . in this scenario , target 504 , in accordance with the principles of the invention , detects potential collisions and performs resolution . the collision resolution feature of the invention is also discussed in related , commonly owned , co - pending u . s . application ser . no . 08 / 825 , 940 , filed apr . 1 , 1997 , which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety . target microcontroller 204 is programmed to administer the collision resolution protocol of the invention . fig6 b illustrates a flow diagram for the execution of the collision resolution protocol by target 504 and tag 502 , 510 for collision resolution case 514 depicted in fig5 b . before communications are established between target 504 and any tag ( e . g ., 502 , 510 ) ( step 602 ), microcontroller 204 controls target 504 to periodically generate and transmit a “ wakeup ” message ( step 604 ) originating from host 102 , via rf signals 506 ( shown in fig5 b ). target 504 then awaits a “ ping ” message from any tag ( step 606 ). if multiple tags 502 , 510 are in the proximity of target 504 , each tag 502 , 510 powers up ( steps 603 , 603 a ) and awaits a “ wakeup ” message ( steps 605 , 605 a ). upon receiving the “ wakeup ” message , each tag 502 , 510 independently responds ( steps 608 , 608 a ), after a random wait period , with a “ ping ” message via rf signals 508 , 512 , respectively ( shown in fig5 b ). the random wait period of each tag 502 , 510 , is a random multiple of a “ slot time ,” preferably , but not limited to , an integer from 0 - 3 . the slot time is typically chosen to be greater than the round - trip communication time , from a tag and back , of the “ ping ” and “ pongvalid ” messages discussed above . in this preferred embodiment , the slot time is 0 . 35 milliseconds . the value of the first byte of the “ ping ” message is also chosen randomly by each tag 502 , 510 . if tags 502 , 510 generate equivalent random wait periods , but different random “ ping ” values , and collide by responding simultaneously and transmitting a response in the form of a “ ping ” message via rf signals 508 , 512 , target 504 does not receive a coherent “ ping ” message ( step 610 ). as discussed above , this should consist of a random number followed by its “ inverse .” the incoherent “ ping ” message resulting from the simultaneous reception of two “ ping ” messages ( rf signals 508 , 512 ), is not recognized as valid by microcontroller 204 of target 504 . in the case of non - recognition , microcontroller 204 directs target 504 to transmit , via rf signal 506 , a “ ponginvalid ” message to tags 502 , 510 ( step 612 ). in this preferred embodiment the “ ponginvalid ” message is one character in length . target 504 then awaits a “ ping ” message ( step 616 ). the colliding tags 502 , 510 await a “ pongvalid ” message ( steps 613 , 613 a ). upon receiving the “ ponginvalid ” message ( steps 614 , 614 a ), each tag 502 , 512 again prepares to transmit a “ ping ” message via rf signals 508 , 512 , after another randomly generated random wait period ( step 615 ). if microcontroller 204 of target 504 receives a recognizable “ ping ” message ( step 618 ), it immediately replies with a “ pongvalid ” message ( step 620 ), via rf signal 506 . then target 504 waits the “ imawake ” signal ( step 624 ). both tags 502 , 510 await a “ pongvalid ” message ( steps 622 , 622 a ). upon receiving the “ pongvalid ” message , tags 502 , 510 check its validity ( steps 626 , 630 ). any tag that has yet to transmit a “ ping ” message as a result of its randomly generated wait period , remains silent ( step 632 ). the tag that transmitted the “ ping ” message engages in communication with host 102 by responding with an “ imawake ” message ( step 628 ). finally , if host 102 does not recognize the “ imawake ” message transmitted by the chosen tag , collision is again assumed and host 102 transmits a “ wakeup ” message to be transmitted by target 504 periodically , under control of microcontroller 204 . collision in this instance is caused by both tags 502 , 510 selecting the same random slot number and the same random “ ping ” value . when both tags receive a “ wakeup ” message after transmitting simultaneous “ imawake ” messages , both tags select new random slot times and “ ping ” values and wait for another “ wakeup .” host 102 recognizes this type of collision by detecting an incorrect message digest on the received “ imawake ” message , the digest of which results from the two tags &# 39 ; individual “ imawake ” messages merging in the rf field . because each tag includes both its unique eight byte identification value and a randomly generated six byte number , the six byte message digest will not be correct on arrival at host 102 . tag 106 sends the “ imawake ” message once only , after the successful completion of the collision avoidance exchange described above . fig7 a illustrates the collision resolution protocol for a target state machine . after start up ( step 702 ), target 104 transmits a “ wakeup ” message ( step 704 ) and waits for a “ ping ” message ( step 706 ). if a timeout occurs ( step 708 ), target 104 transmits another “ wakeup ” message ( step 704 ). if a “ ping ” arrives before a timeout , then target 104 checks to make sure the “ ping ” message is valid ( step 710 ). if the “ ping ” is invalid , target 104 sends a “ ponginvalid ” message ( step 712 ) and again waits for a “ ping ” message . if the “ ping ” is valid , target 104 sends a “ pongvalid ” message ( step 714 ) and awaits an “ imawake ” message ( step 716 ). upon receiving a valid “ imawake ,” target 104 enters a pass - through mode ( step 718 ). in pass - through mode , target 104 passes data or instructions between host 102 and tag 106 while waiting for a command from host 102 ( step 720 ). host - to - tag message exchanges are illustrated in fig4 c . host - to - tag message exchanges begin when a target - to - tag exchange , including the collision resolution process described above , results in tag 106 sending an “ imawake ” message to target 104 . target 104 passes the “ imawake ” message on to host 102 , then simply passes all bytes received from host 102 through to tag 106 and all bytes received from tag 106 through to host 102 . this continues until host 102 sends another “ wakeup ” message to target 104 to start searching for another tag . assuming host 102 receives a valid “ imawake ,” the serial number and directory information from the “ imawake ” message is passed to the application logic , which will decide to read one or more tag pages , and optionally write one or more tag pages . host 102 reads tag 106 data pages by transmitting a “ readpage ” command to tag 106 , and expects to receive a “ sendingpage ” response containing the requested data . host 102 sends the “ readpage ” message to tag 106 to request the current contents of a specific 16 - byte page of tag 106 &# 39 ; s memory . tag 106 sends the “ sendingpage ” message to host 102 to satisfy a received “ readpage ” request . host 102 writes tag 106 data pages by transmitting a “ writepage ” command to tag 106 containing the new data , and expects to receive an “ ack ” response confirming receipt by tag 106 . tag 106 responds with a “ nak ” message if a “ readpage ” or “ writepage ” command is received with an incorrect mac . with the first several “ nak ” reply , the host can assume the message was received with error and was not accepted . beyond this the host may be using the wrong key . if tag 106 receives a “ wakeup ” message at any time after transmitting its “ imawake ” message and receiving at least one “ readpage ” or “ writepage ”( with either correct or incorrect mac ), tag 106 will enter a dormant state . this allows any other tags in the rf field to begin their own target - to - tag and host - to - tag message exchanges . if tag 106 receives a “ wakeup ” message after transmitting its “ imawake ” message , but before a “ readpage ” or “ writepage ” message is received , tag 106 will revert to waiting for a “ wakeup ” message as though it had just entered the rf field . this allows the system to deal gracefully and transparently with the collision avoidance described above . the preferred emobodiment of the invention also includes features such as linked data page writes and message authentication . in this preferred embodiment of the invention , host 102 may execute as many as four “ writepage ” commands and specify that the several requested data page writes be executed as a single logical write by tag 106 . however , the invention can be practiced with a larger number of linked writes . host 102 specifies this linking of data page writes by inserting non - zero values in the “ write sequence number ” field of all but the last “ writepage ” command , and inserting the zero value in the last “ writepage ” command . tag 106 uses the “ write sequence number ” to determine which of four temporary buffers the “ writepage ” commands will be stored in , and maintains validity flags for each of the four temporary buffers . when a “ writepage ” command with a non - zero value in the “ write sequence number ” field is received by tag 106 , the mac is checked , and an “ ack ” or “ nak ” response message is sent to host 102 based on the results of the check , but the data bytes of the “ writepage ” command are not transferred to the designated page number . if the mac was correct , the validity bit for the temporary buffer is set before the “ ack ” message is sent . when a “ writepage ” command with the zero value in the “ write sequence number ” field is received , tag 106 again checks the mac . if the mac is incorrect , tag 106 responds with a “ nak ” message . if the mac is correct , tag 106 sets the validity bit for temporary buffer numbered zero and copies the data bytes from the temporary buffer numbered zero to the addressed page . then , if the validity bit for the temporary buffer numbered one is set , tag 106 copies the data bytes from the temporary buffer numbered one to the page number addressed by that command . the same check is applied to temporary buffers numbered two and three , in that order , until a temporary buffer with its validity bit not set is encountered , or until all four temporary buffers have been copied , at which time tag 106 clears all four validity bits and responds to host 102 with the “ ack ” message . if tag 106 is removed from the rf field at any time after setting the validity bit for temporary buffer zero , but before completing the transfer ( s ) of data from the temporary buffer ( s ) to the designated page ( s ) and clearing the validity bits , tag 106 will complete the transfer ( s ) on its next entry into the rf field , before beginning the collision resolution process . host 102 can therefore assume that either all of the linked “ writepage ” commands will be completed , or none will be started , relieving host 102 of substantial overhead to accomplish the equivalent multiple page write coherence through other techniques , and ensuring that the data in the linked pages of tag 106 will be in either the original condition or in the completely updated condition . thus , a declining balance in one page , for instance , can be linked positively with a transaction record in another page , such that if tag 106 is removed from the rf field at any arbitrary point in the life of a transaction , its linked pages will either reflect the new ( decremented ) balance and the associated transaction detail or the original ( undecremented ) balance and no record of the incomplete current transaction . in the absence of the foregoing technique , host 102 typically would reserve multiple data pages for storage of successive versions of each of the linked pages , then alternate in the use of the pages . host 102 is then required to perform additional data page reads at the start of a transaction to discern which of the linked data pages are the most current versions and additional data page writes to update the currency information . the use of temporary buffers in tag 106 is made practical by the speed at which the fram data memory of tag 106 may be written . if tag 106 were implemented with a memory technology with a relative long write time , such as eeprom , the use of temporary buffers in tag 106 would add substantial delays to every “ writepage ” command processed five of the six message types exchanged between tag 106 and host 102 (“ imawake ,” “ readpage ,” “ sendingpage ,” “ writepage ,” and “ ack ”) end with a message authentication code ( mac ), which performs two functions . any size of mac can be used depending upon the security required . in the preferred embodiment , the mac is a six byte value computed from the preceding message content , the two random numbers ( from the “ wakeup ” and “ imawake ” messages exchanged during collision resolution ), the appropriate secret key ( except in the “ imawake ” message ), and a message sequence number . the properties of the mac computation result in a mac value that will , statistically , change half of its bits if one bit of any of the input bits is changed . due to this property , the mac is used both to check for transmission errors and to check for message authenticity . an incorrect mac can be due to either corruption of message bits during transmission from sender to receiver or due to sender and receiver not supplying the same data to the mac computation algorithm . if an incorrect mac is received due to corruption of message bits during transmission , a retry of the failed exchange will result in a correct mac . if an incorrect mac is received due to the sender or receiver not providing the correct inputs to the mac computation algorithm , all retries of the failed exchange will continue to fail . host 102 can therefore deduce the cause of a mac failure by retrying the failed operation enough times to rule out transmission error as the cause of the problem . if an incorrect mac is received due to the sender or receiver not providing the correct inputs to the mac computation algorithm , all retries of the failed exchange will continue to fail . from the foregoing , it can be appreciated that the invention also constitutes a protocol for providing contactless proximity automated data collection . fig7 b shows a flow diagram illustrating the tag &# 39 ; s side of a protocol 721 in accordance with the principles of the invention . in this preferred embodiment , upon release of the reset , the tag clears its flags ( step 724 ), checks for and completes any valid but uncompleted writes to tag memory ( step 726 ), checks whether it has received a “ wakeup ” message ( step 728 ) ( it has not ) and proceeds to begin the wakeup procedure . for this procedure , tag 106 chooses a random number ( step 730 ) and awaits a valid “ wakeup ” message from the target ( step 732 ). a “ wakeup ” message is deemed valid if both copies of the target random number sent in “ wakeup ” match . if the “ wakeup ” was invalid , tag 106 continues to wait until a valid “ wakeup ” is received . following reception of a good “ wakeup ,” tag 106 resolves any collisions in the rf channel ( step 734 ) by methods previously explained . assuming tag 106 has won any collision resolution , tag 106 sends an “ imawake ” message ( step 736 ). at this point , tag 106 is ready to receive authenticated read or write messages from the target ( step 738 ). tag 106 receives the next message from target 104 . tag 106 checks if the message is a “ wakeup ” ( step 740 ). if it is , tag 106 assumes that target 104 is trying to communicate with a different tag . if target 104 has not yet done a successful read or write to tag 106 ( step 742 ), tag 106 participates again in the wakeup procedure . otherwise , tag 106 goes to sleep to avoid blocking the communication channel ( step 744 ). assuming the message is a “ readpage ” or “ writepage ,” tag 106 stores the full message in scratch non - volatile memory ( step 746 ). tag 106 calculates its own mac and compares it to the mac of the message ( step 748 ). this result is checked ( step 750 ). if the message contained a bad mac , a nak message is sent to target 104 ( step 752 ) and tag 106 goes back to waiting for a message from target 104 ( step 738 ). if the mac is valid , the awake flag is set , the sequence number is incremented , and the message is checked for whether it is a “ readpage ” or “ writepage ” ( step 752 ). if a “ writepage ,” a validity flag is set ( step 754 ) according to the conventions of the multi - page write capability described earlier . next this flag is checked ( step 726 ) and the write completed if necessary . then the awake flag is checked ( 728 ). because tag 106 is now awake , control passes to the send ack or page ( step 756 ) where an acknowledge signal is sent to target 104 and control passes to wait for another message ( step 738 ). if the message was a “ readpage ” ( step 752 ), the writepage loop is skipped and control goes to the send ack or page ( step 756 ) where the requested page is sent to target 104 . control then passes to host 102 while tag 106 waits for another message ( step 738 ). the architecture of tag 106 , particularly tag asic 302 , is instrumental in realizing many of the overall advantages of the invention . that is , tag 106 communication protocol and hardware / software implementation have been specifically designed for fast transaction rates , low power consumption , improved security , and ensured data integrity , while providing application flexibility . in addition , the tag &# 39 ; s compact circuitry advantageously leads to a low profile . as discussed with reference to fig4 tag 106 includes tag asic 302 and antenna 300 . in this embodiment , tag asic 302 was designed using a full - custom design methodology to implement the specific circuit features discussed below . that is , each feature was implemented using very large scale integration ( vlsi ) polygons to define the requisite operation of each circuit separately and in such a way as to optimize the area of each circuit . circuit interconnections were also minimized through custom placement and routing . as indicated above , tag asic 302 is partitioned into digital subsystem 304 and analog subsystem 306 . fig8 illustrates signal interconnection ( interface ) 316 , between digital subsystem 304 and analog subsystem 306 in greater detail . interface 316 includes clock signal 800 , a reset signal 802 , a from_target signal 804 , and a to_target signal 806 . v dd 810 and v ss 812 are also provided by analog system 306 for power ( i . e ., 5 volts for this embodiment ) and ground , respectively . clock 800 is derived by analog subsystem 306 from the rf signals received over interconnection 314 and is used to drive the digital logic of digital subsystem 304 . in this embodiment , clock 800 is derived from the carrier frequency of 13 . 56 mhz . reset 802 is also controlled by analog subsystem 306 . reset 802 is asserted at power - up and de - asserts once the rf power conditions are suitable for communication with target 104 . from_target 804 and to_target 806 signals convey the target and tag message / data , respectively . in the preferred embodiment , the normal marking ) state is a binary “ 1 ” for from_target signal 804 . digital subsystem 304 is particularly optimized in terms of transaction speed , chip area , power consumption , data integrity , security , and cost . in general , digital subsystem 304 utilizes serial techniques to transfer ( move ) messages / data throughout digital subsystem 304 to realize significant savings in chip area . while such an approach generally requires longer transfer and process times than a bit parallel approach , the invention provides a dual speed clocking feature ( discussed below ) for compensation . fig9 is a detailed schematic diagram of digital subsystem 304 . digital subsystem 304 includes a state machine memory 900 , a data memory 902 operably interconnected via a 1 - bit bus 904 to a transmitter 905 , a receiver 906 , a flag register 912 , a validity register 914 , a checker circuit 916 , a message authentication code ( mac ) register 918 , and a key stream register 946 . bus 904 is used to transfer information ( messages / data ) throughout digital subsystem 304 . digital subsytem 304 also includes a clock circuit 930 . state machine memory 900 provides the overall control for tag 106 . as is well known , a finite - state machine is generally a circuit whose outputs at any given time are a function of external inputs ( typically stimuli from circuits being controlled by the state machine or other inputs ), as well as of the stored information at that time ( or its state ). state machines have been conventionally implemented with discrete digital circuits , programmable logic arrays ( pla ), and general purpose microprocessors with program memory . in this embodiment , however , state machine memory 900 is primarily implemented as a predetermined lookup table stored in read only memory ( rom ) to further optimize chip area utilization . as such , each rom address is a “ state ” of the machine , and the data stored at the addressed ( indexed ) location defines the corresponding outputs . additionally , because roms are sexed ( asymmetrical for power consumption and speed purposes where either ones or zeros are the preferred state ), this preferred embodiment was optimized to only 19 . 85 % binary ones within the state machine . alternatively , state machine memory 900 can be implemented in other well known nonvolatile memory technologies such as programmable read only memory ( prom ), erasable programmable read only memory ( eprom ), and ferroelectric random access memory ( fram ), etc . in this embodiment , state machine memory 900 is implemented as a 256 × 32 - bit ( 4 bytes ) rom and is addressed by an 8 - bit state address register 922 by an 8 - bit connection 936 . state machine memory 900 outputs to a 32 - bit connection 938 operably connected to a 32 - bit control register 920 . as would be apparent to one skilled in the relevant art , varies sized roms , buses , and registers can be utilized in accordance with the invention . another feature of the invention is that state address register 922 is implemented as a linear feedback shift register ( lfsr ) circuit . the addressing functionality of state machine memory 900 is thus achieved with less chip area and cost than a conventional incrementer ( counter ). in addition , the critical path of the resulting circuit is reduced by an order of magnitude over such conventional circuits . in general , an lfsr is a n - bit right - shifting register with taps at m of the n bit locations . these bit locations are identified as position “ 0 ” being the least significant bit ( lsb ) of the address and n - 1 being the most significant bit ( msb ). at the beginning of a clock cycle ( i . e ., clock signal 934 ), all of the taps input to a m - way exclusive - nor ( xnor ) circuit . at the next corresponding clock cycle , the output of the xnor circuit is shifted into the n − 1 bit location . in operation , if initialized correctly , the lfsr will generate a repeating sequence of bit patterns , the period of which is dependent upon n , m , and the location of the taps . fig1 illustrates a detailed schematic diagram of state address register 922 , which includes an lfsr 1000 , an xnor circuit 1002 , and a two - to - one multiplexor ( mux ) 1004 . in this embodiment , an 8 - bit ( n = 8 ) lfsr with 4 taps ( m = 4 ) is used . mux 1004 receives input from signal 944 driven by state machine memory 900 ( ivalue field 1120 , discussed below ) or xnor circuit 1002 via a feedback signal 1008 . feedback signal 1008 is determined as the inverse of the parity of the values in specific positions in state address register 922 . in operation state address register 922 , once initialized ( to state “ 00000000 ”), will cycle through all possible 8 - bit values except one (“ 11111111 ”). this extra state is used as a “ sleep ” state . when the state address register 922 is in the sleep state it will always step back to the sleep state . with reference to fig9 the contents of each addressed ( indexed ) location of state machine memory 900 is a 32 - bit very long instruction word ( vliw ) that is loaded into control ( register 920 via connection 938 . in this embodiment , the overall control of tag 106 is achieved using only 256 32 - bit state instructions . fig1 illustrates a state instruction word 1100 in accordance with invention . state instruction word 1100 is partitioned into distinct instruction fields including istep 1102 , icntl 1104 , iflag 1106 , itcd 1108 , itna 1110 , imac 1112 , ikey 1114 , ibus 1116 , ispeed 1118 , and ivalue 1120 . each field controls one or more circuits ( i . e ., registers and bus drivers ) of digital subsystem 304 . table 2 summarizes the general function of each field of instruction word 1100 . in general , each instruction word 1100 is executed in three phases . first , requisite data movements are made among the registers ( including state address register 922 and data address register 926 ). if required , data memory 902 and / or state machine memory 900 are accessed . any data from data memory 902 or state machine memory 900 is then latched into data register 924 or control register 920 , respectively . the operation of digital subsystem 304 is now discussed with reference to instruction 1100 . with respect to state machine memory 900 , indexing is provided by state address register 922 and icntl 1104 . table 3 illustrates the values of the icntl field 1104 and their effect primarily on the next access of state machine memory 900 . state address register 922 normally increments in accordance with its predetermined lfsr pattern ( as discussed above ). when a branch condition occurs , however , a new 8 - bit address , from ivalue 1120 , is serially loaded ( requiring eight steps or clock cycles ). conditional branches are based upon data values or events , such as a time - out condition or a loop expiration . as will be discussed below , checker circuit 916 , timer register 908 , and counter register 910 are used in conjunction with conditional branching . as illustrated in fig9 clock circuit 930 generates a system clock 934 , which is operably interconnected with all digital subsystem 304 registers and other clocked circuitry . clock circuit 930 is controlled by ispeed 1118 which is received over interconnection 935 . in this embodiment of the invention , clock circuit 930 provides a dual speed clocking feature . clock circuit 930 receives clock signal 800 ( 13 . 56 mhz ) from analog subsystem 306 and generates system clock signal 934 with a frequency of 1 . 7 mhz ( fast clock mode ) or a frequency of 115 . 2 khz ( slow clock mode ) in accordance with particular operation of digital subsystem 304 . however , other clock rates can be used with the invention . fast mode ( ispeed 1118 =“ 0 ”) is normally used for all instruction words 1100 execution and processing other than conducting communications with target 104 . as such , 1 . 7 million state instructions 1100 are executed per second ( assuming istep 1102 = 1 ). slow mode ( ispeed 1118 =“ 1 ”) is used for data communication between target 104 and tag 106 . that is , digital subsystem 304 operates at the same transmission rate as the 115 . 2 kbps data communication rate between target 104 and tag 106 . accordingly , data can be transferred to / from tag 106 with the identical circuitry as normally used in the fast mode . this dual speed clocking feature further eliminates the need for special purpose circuitry , such as a conventional universal asynchronous receiver transmitter ( uart ). a related feature of the invention is the getedge field ( see table 3 ) of instruction word 1100 . the getedge field , in conjunction with timer register 908 , suspends operation of digital subsystem 304 until a falling edge is received from the start bit of each asynchronous incoming byte ( from target 104 ). digital subsystem 304 can thus synchronize itself to each incoming byte . for transmission , digital subsystem 304 sends a start bit , message byte ( serially ), and all stop bits required for communications of each transmitted byte . timer register 908 runs even throughout the suspension of state machine memory 900 and causes an associated timeout event if no edge is detected . timer register 908 is an lfsr - based down counter . checker circuit 916 serially compares data value on bus 904 with ivalue 1120 and stores the resulting condition for branching on the next state instruction word 1100 . repeat counter register 910 is a down counter used to control loop execution ( one level of nesting ). in this embodiment , repeat counter register 910 , like state address register 922 and timer register 908 , is implemented as a lfsr . repeat counter register 910 can be both decremented and checked explicitly by state machine memory 900 for branch control . in operation , istep 1102 controls how many bits are operated upon with each state instruction word 1100 . with each instruction word 1100 access , the 5 - bit value of istep 1102 is loaded from the state machine memory 900 ( via control register 920 ). with each subsequent clock cycle , this value is lfsr - shifted to another value . upon reaching a predetermined value , the next state instruction word 1100 is fetched . istep 1102 can effect from 1 to 31 steps thus causing the machine to execute a given instruction word 1100 up to 31 times . as illustrated in fig9 bus 904 has eight bus drivers . each bus driver is associated with a source ( e . g ., control register 920 , data register 924 , receiver 906 , etc .) for proper operation , only one bus driver , at any given time , is enabled by its respective driver_enable signal 944 . state instruction word 1100 the corresponding ibus 1116 field determines which bus driver is enabled . as would be apparent to one skilled in the relevant art , driver_enable signals 944 can be generated by an appropriate address decoder circuit implemented in combinatorial logic or a conventional 1 - out - of - 8 decoder functionally similar to the commercially available lntel ® 8205 decoder . the following is an example of a typical data flow . when eight bits from data register 924 are to be copied ( not moved ) to temporary address register 928 , the ibus 1116 field specifies that data register 924 will drive bus 904 . concurrently , field itcd 1108 also specifies that data register 924 loads from bus 904 ( thus data will cycle out of data register 924 and back around into data register 924 to restore the value that was just shifted out ). itna 1110 field is also loaded into temporary address register 928 with data ( from data register 924 ) on bus 904 . the operation of a digital subsytem 304 often depends upon process status ( or flags ). in this embodiment , the process status system occupies the data path for operational flexibility and efficiency . there are two registers dedicated to process status , flag register 912 and validity register 914 . flag register 912 is used for general purpose status ( e . g ., true or false conditions ) and validity register 914 for application specific status . data memory 902 is the nonvolatile storage area for application data ( e . g ., passenger fare data , image data , medical records , etc .). in this embodiment , data memory 902 is implemented with a 2048 × 8 - bit ( 1 byte ) fram interfaced with 11 - bit data address register 926 and 8 - bit data register 924 via interconnections 940 and 942 , respectively . the contents of data register 924 are loaded from / to data memory 902 for read / write operations , respectively . data memory 902 is controlled by field itna 1110 , which controls the operation of both data address register 926 and temporary address register 928 . fig1 illustrates a memory map 1200 for data memory 902 for independent multi - purse transit applications . the memory is organized into 128 16 - byte pages 1202 ( pages “ 0 ”-“ 127 ”). in operation , host 102 ( via target 104 ) facilitates transfers to / from data memory 902 on a page basis ( i . e ., a page is the smallest unit of memory accessed by host 102 ). pages 1202 are further organized into 16 blocks 1204 ( blocks “ 0 ”-“ 15 ”). each block 1204 consists of eight pages 1202 . in this embodiment , block “ 0 ” 1204 ( pages “ 0 ”-“ 7 ”) is reserved for tag 106 internal use only . in particular , block “ 0 ” 1204 includes a tag identifier buffer 1206 , a tag random number buffer 1208 , a host random number buffer 1210 , a temporary variables buffer 1212 , and a temporary data buffer 1214 . temporary data buffer 1214 consists of four pages 1202 to accommodate the mac and header data . the remaining 15 blocks 1204 ( blocks “ 1 ”-“ 15 ”) are available for storage of data by the applications running on host 102 . for each block 1204 , one page 1202 is reserved , which includes an application type buffer 1216 , a read key 1218 , and a write key buffer 1220 . the secret keys , stored in buffers 1218 and 1220 , are needed to read or write the other seven data pages 1202 of the same block 1204 . the significance of each of these elements is discussed above . data integrity and security is further enhanced with the message authentication features of the invention . for each transaction , host 102 and tag 106 must authenticate each other in a given transaction . in this embodiment , message authentication code ( mac ) register 918 is controlled by field imac 1112 and the keystream generator 946 is controlled by field ikey 1114 . together , these registers are utilized to create / check the authentication macs that pass back and forth during a transaction . analog subsystem 306 contains the power supply circuitry and rf communication mechanisms for tag asic 302 . fig1 and 14 illustrate a detailed block diagram and a detailed schematic of analog subsystem 306 , respectively . in general , analog subsystem 306 generates a 5v supply for digital subsystem 304 and analog subsystem 306 , generates a 13 . 56 mhz clock signal ( clock signal 800 ) from rf signal 110 ( from target 104 ), demodulates incoming am messages / data on rf signal 110 and passes the data in bit - serial form to digital subsystem 304 ( digital subsystem 304 performs all data framing and other processing of the data ), modulates data from digital subsystem 304 onto rf carrier signal 112 using impedance modulation techniques , and generates reset signal 802 to ensure correct start - up and shut - down operation of digital subsystem 304 and analog subsystem 306 . with reference to fig1 , analog subsystem 306 includes an antenna 300 , a full wave bridge rectifier 1300 , a dock recovery circuit 1380 , a power - up circuit 1390 , an 8v shunt regulator ( shunt 8 ) 1310 , a series regulator 1320 , a 5v shunt regulator ( shunt 5 ) 1330 , a transmitter 1340 , a receiver 1350 , a reset generator 1360 , and a reference generator 1370 . antenna 300 receives energy from rf field 110 ( from target 104 ) and transmits two signals v a 1302 and v b 1304 to bridge rectifier 1300 and dock recovery circuit 1380 . full wave bridge rectifier 1300 receives ac input signals , v a 1302 and v b 1304 , from antenna 300 and generates a dc output voltage ( v raw 1306 ) to power tag 106 . rectifier 1300 also connects to v ss 812 . clock recovery circuit 1380 also monitors v a 1302 and v b 1304 and generates clock 800 ( 13 . 56 mhz ) which is an input to digital subsystem 304 . as is well known in the relevant art , various logical gate circuits can be used to implement clock recovery circuit 1380 . this preferred embodiment uses a cross coupled nor latch circuit for clock recovery and prevention of short clock pulses . clock recovery circuit 1380 also provides a noclk 1440 signal ( missing carrier signal ) for use by reset generator 1360 . noclk 1440 is generated using a retriggerable one shot , which is one of many methods known by those skilled in the art . reference generator 1370 ( a bandgap voltage reference ) produces a v ref signal 1470 as well as reference currents for other analog circuits of analog subsytem 306 . in operation , tag asic 302 is held in a reset state until v ref 1470 has stabilized . power - up circuit 1390 ensures that regulators 1310 , 1320 , and 1330 do not start operating before v ref 1470 has reached approximately its final value . if regulators 1310 , 1320 , and 1330 start shunting early , it is possible that v dd 810 might be held to a voltage at which v ref 1470 cannot rise to its true value . it would then be possible to achieve a stable state where v dd 810 is held to a low voltage at which point the chip would not function . power - up circuit 1390 prevents this from happening . power - up circuit 1390 , during power - up , disables regulators 1310 , 1320 , and 1330 and shorts the dc input voltage , v raw 1306 , to v dd 810 until v raw 1306 has reached approximately the power - up threshold voltage . this ensures that v dd 810 is charged as fast as possible , so that v ref 1470 stabilizes before the regulator control loops are enabled . digital subsystem 304 is held in a reset state when v raw 1306 is below the power - up threshold voltage . if v raw 1306 exceeds the power - up threshold voltage , an output signal , pwrupl 1442 , is de - asserted ( active low ). once v ref 1470 stabilizes , v raw 1306 rises to a voltage near the breakdown voltage of asic 302 . the invention thus provides as wide a modulation voltage step as possible for message / data transmission , because it operates reliably near the breakdown voltage of tag asic 302 . this embodiment of the invention creates the wide step using transmitter 1340 . the 8v shunt regulator ( shunt 8 1310 ) detects incoming messages / data and protects the tag asic 302 from short term over - voltage transients . fabricated silicon devices , such as tag asic 302 , inherently have breakdown voltages . accordingly , it is necessary that the operating voltage kept from exceeding the tag asic 302 breakdown voltage while receiving am signals from target 104 . a well known clamping device designed to allow slow amplitude variations can be placed across tag 106 antenna to overcome voltage breakdown problems . this solution , however , assumes that tag 106 enters rf field ( rf signal 110 ) of target 104 at a slow enough rate so that the slow - responding clamp circuit can effectively respond . this is usually true if a person is holding tag 106 and moving it into target 104 &# 39 ; s rf field . there are , however , other applications where it is advantageous to have tag 106 mechanically positioned at a fixed location near target 104 and where its rf field 110 is electrically switched on and off (“ pulsed rf ”). in such instances , rf field 110 changes much faster than the slow clamp circuit can effectively respond , and an asic ( such as tag asic 302 ) can experience over - voltage and latch - up . while this is unlikely to permanently damage , it can keep tag 106 from operating in the desired pulsed rf scheme . in order to overcome this voltage breakdown problem , as well as providing other benefits , the invention teaches the use of shunt 8 1310 . shunt 8 1310 removes am voltage fluctuations and is fast enough to react to switched / pulsed rf . shunt 8 1310 also removes the am voltage fluctuation from the rectified carrier . a second benefit of shunt 8 1310 is that the clamping voltage can be accurately determined and adjusted slightly below the asic breakdown voltage , allowing for a smaller tag asic 302 with lower breakdown processes . more specifically , shunt 8 1310 operates as follows in this embodiment . when tag 106 is not transmitting messages / data , shunt 8 1310 regulates v raw 1306 to 8v . in so doing , shunt 8 1310 generates a ctl 8 1412 signal ( shunt 8 control voltage ) by dividing v raw 1306 with a resistive divider 1414 and generating a s ref 1416 signal . a data recovery comparator 1418 ( a transconductance amplifier ) compares s ref 1416 with reference voltage v ref 1470 ( nominally 1 . 25v ) and outputs ctl 8 1412 . if s ref 1416 is greater than v ref 1470 , ctl 8 1412 increases , thereby causing more current to flow through shunt 8 1310 and , in turn , causes v raw 1306 to decrease . similarly , if s ref 1416 is less than v ref 1470 , ctl 8 1412 and the shunt current are reduced , allowing v raw 1306 to increase once again . this control loop has a very small time constant of approximately 2 μs to ensure proper operation . in this embodiment , series regulator 1320 monitors ctl 8 1412 signal ( which contains am messages / data ) to ensure that shunt 8 1310 pulls a minimum of 100 μa . this is desirable , because during reception of long bursts of modulation , the series impedance adapts in an attempt to maintain 500 μa through shunt 8 1310 . without ensuring a minimum shunt 8 current , when incoming modulation stops , shunt 8 may turn off completely , making reception of subsequent messages / data difficult . ctl 8 1412 is used for several other purposes as further described below . in particular , series regulator 1320 controls the ratio of currents dissipated by shunt 8 1310 and shunt 5 1330 . series regulator 1320 monitors the current through shunt 8 1310 and adjusts the series impedance , so that the average current in the steady - state ( no modulation ) through shunt 8 1310 is about 500 μa . the series control loop has a longer time constant of approximately 1 ms , so that the average shunt currents do not substantially change during message / data reception . this ensures that incoming data causes ctrl 8 1412 to provide the best possible signal to receiver 1350 . during message / data transmission from tag 106 to target 104 , transmitter 1340 shorts out series impedance 1420 , and a series impedance control circuit 1422 is disabled , so that the series impedance will return to its previous value when outgoing modulation ends . the controlled voltage difference between v raw 1306 ( 8v ) and v dd 810 ( 5v ) provides a fixed 3v modulation depth for transmitting messages / data from tag 106 to target 104 . a resistor 1424 , in parallel with series regulator 1320 , ensures that ample current flows into v dd 810 from v raw 1306 . shunt 5 1330 regulates v dd 810 to 5v . v dd 810 powers digital subsystem 304 and most of the analog circuits . shunt 5 1330 dissipates most of the excess current coming into tag asic 302 with a fast control loop and can rapidly respond to 2 ma load transients on v dd 810 within approximately 10 to 15 μs ( with a 10 nf fram reservoir capacitor across the supply ). shunt 5 1330 operates as follows in this embodiment . a comparator 1430 of shunt 5 1330 compares v dd 810 ( sampled through a resistive divider 1482 to generate a sv dd 1432 signal ) with the bandgap reference voltage , v ref 1470 , to produce a ctrl 5 1434 signal . ctrl 5 1434 , in turn , controls the current flowing through shunt 5 1330 so as to maintain a constant voltage at v dd 810 . if sv dd 1432 is less than v ref 1470 , ctrl 5 1434 decreases and the current through shunt 5 1330 decreases , thereby allowing v dd 810 to increase . similarly , if sv dd 1432 increases beyond v ref 1470 , ctrl 5 1434 increases and shunt 5 1330 pulls more current . if pwrupl 1442 is high ( i . e ., de - asserted ), ctrl 5 1434 is shorted to ground , disabling any shunt action . this prevents shunt 5 1330 from operating before the v ref 1470 has reached steady - state . shunt 5 1330 also includes a comparator 1436 that detects when the rail of v dd 810 drops below a low voltage threshold ( about 4 . 7v in this embodiment of the invention ). comparator 1436 compares v dd 810 ( sampled through a resistive divider 1484 to generate a sv dd lo 1435 signal ) with v ref 1470 and generates a lowv dd 1438 signal . the lowv dd 1438 signal indicates that v dd 810 is too low to allow fram access by the digital subsystem 304 and triggers a rstl 1460 signal . transmitter 1340 shorts out the series impedance for outgoing messages / data ( from tag 106 to target 104 ) in accordance with a txd 1446 signal ( to_target 806 ). when input signal , txd 1446 , is taken low , v raw 1306 shorts to v dd 810 as indicated above . as v raw 1306 shorts to v dd 810 , shunt 8 1310 and series regulator 1320 are disabled so that their control voltages do not change , allowing the steady state point to be maintained once modulation ends . series impedance control circuit 1422 monitors ctl 8 1412 and adapts accordingly , so that shunt 8 1310 shunts only 500 μa . when an input signal , outen 1444 ( output enable ), is de - asserted , the output drive to ctl 8 1412 is disabled . ctl 8 1412 is therefore held at its current value by the stray capacitance on this node . when outen 1444 is asserted , shunt 8 1310 operates normally . in operation , outen 1444 is connected to txd 1446 signal , which signal enables modulation from tag 106 to target 104 by shorting v raw 1306 to v dd 810 as explained above . during modulation from tag 106 to target 104 , ctl 8 1412 is held constant . when the modulation ceases , ctl 8 1412 returns to approximately the same value it had before modulation started . receiver 1350 detects incoming messages / data ( from target 104 to tag 106 ) by monitoring ctl 8 1412 . ctl 8 1412 increases as rf field 110 increases and decreases when rf field 110 falls back into an idle state . in this embodiment , ctl 8 1412 typically varies by 150 to 200 mv as messages / data are received . receiver 1350 extracts messages data by comparing ctl 8 1412 to the average value of ctl 8 1412 . as would be apparent to one skilled in the relevant art , the average value of ctl 8 1412 can calculated by several well known circuit configurations . txd 1446 resets comparator 1418 during periods when tag 106 is modulating to ensure that receiver 1350 remains in the correct state after transmission from tag 106 to target 104 . comparator 1418 is reset when ctl 8 1412 is low ( i . e ., while outgoing modulation is occurring ). a rxd signal 1450 ( from_target 804 ), goes low when ctl 8 1412 increases from steady - state ( i . e ., when the rf field 110 increases in strength ) and goes high when ctl 8 1412 decreases ( i . e ., when the rf field 110 falls back to its idle state ). reset generator 1360 produces two reset signals , a rstl 1460 signal and reset 802 signal . rstl 1460 is active low and used by the analog circuitry . rstl 1460 is de - asserted after power - up when shunt 5 1310 begins to pull current ( if v ref 1470 is powered - up ) and is asserted when the v dd 810 rail drops below about 4 . 7v , or when v raw 1306 drops below the power - up threshold ( approximately 3v ). while rstl 1460 is asserted , clamp circuit of shunt 8 1310 is disabled ( i . e ., the minimum current pulled by shunt 8 1310 can be zero ). when rstl 1460 is de - asserted , clamp circuit or comparator 1418 is enabled , and shunt 8 1310 will pull at least the 100 μa minimum current . reset 802 is active high and output to digital subsystem 304 . reset 802 is asserted during power - up so that digital subsystem 304 does not begin to operate until the circuit has reached a stable state . reset generator 1360 monitors ctl 8 1412 and asserts reset 802 until shunt 8 1310 starts to pull current when v raw 1306 reaches 8v . when shunt 8 1310 begins to draw current , comparator 1418 of shunt 8 1310 asserts ctl 8 1412 , which in turn de - asserts reset 802 . after reset 802 is de - asserted , shunt 5 1330 monitors v dd 810 during operation with comparator 1436 . when v dd 810 drops below 4 . 7 volts , comparator 1436 asserts lowv dd 1438 , which in turn asserts reset 1462 to again inhibit operation of digital subsystem 304 . reset generator 1360 also monitors the state of noclk 1440 . if rf field 110 from target 104 is interrupted , causing noclk 1440 to be asserted , reset 802 is generated . this guarantees a fast reset 802 when used in conjunction with a target operating in the “ pulsed rf ” mode . while the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to several preferred embodiments thereof , it will be understood by those skilled in the relevant art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims . | 6 |
many of the problems of growing high temperature superconducting materials , and especially single crystal materials , are addressed by the process of the present invention . a first embodiment of the new process uses novel ceramic powders produced using a combustion spray pyrolysis process as starting materials for the growth of htsc . this combustion spray pyrolysis ( csp ) process is disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 061 , 682 . the overall csp process consists of four main steps : ( 1 ) solution preparation , which involves formulation of a metal / fuel solution of appropriate concentration and composition , ( 2 ) spray pyrolysis , which includes solution atomization , droplet dehydration , and fuel combustion to produce partially reacted precursor powders , ( 3 ) calcination , which involves reaction of the precursor powder constituents to form the desired final oxide composition ( s ), and ( 4 ) milling , which deagglomerates the calcined powders to yield a fine - particle product . the high degree of molecular homogeneity and the precisely controlled stoichiometry make these powders well suited as starting materials for the growth of large htsc single crystals . an advantage over previous csp produced powders is the incorporation of a platinum source within the solution . sources of barium , copper , and the lanthanide metals include , but are not limited to , their nitrates , oxides , organometallics such as formates and acetates , and carbonates . in order to improve the mixing in y - 123 + y - 211 + pt powders for example , excess yttrium was included in the spray pyrolysis solution so as to form both y - 123 and y - 211 during pyrolysis . the platinum source can be pt metal , pto 2 hydrate or ptcl 2 . fuels are selected from carbohydrates including mono -, di -, and poly - saccharides , alcohols , peg , peo , pva , and other combustable organics . for some ybco samples , powders manufactured by combustion spray pyrolysis were obtained from seatle specialty ceramics ( currently known as praxair specialty ceramics of praxair surface technologies , inc .). the csp produced ybco powders were calcined at temperatures between 926 ° and 944 ° c . samples grown with powders calcined at about 942 ° c . displayed significantly lower (& lt ; 8 wt %) liquid losses during crystal growth . differential thermal , x - ray diffraction and optical microscopic characterizations indicate that along with higher temperature calcination , platinum is reacted with the 123 and 211 particles and thus achieving a higher degree of homogeneity . calcination was performed in a box furnace with bed depths of less than one inch in magnesia trays . calcination temperatures for lanthanide - bco powders are optimized to obtain a desirable balance between high phase purity and small particle size . powders containing platinum added as the metal or pto 2 hydrate were indistinguishable in appearance from the other powders without pt . for platinum containing powders fabricated using ptcl 2 , however , the calcined powders were a bluish - green color rather than the normal black color . a second embodiment of the present invention is a process for producing htsc crystals in which the compact of starting materials is placed on a setting powder having the formula : ba 4 cu 2 pto x . the setter powder is placed on the substrate , for example mgo , on which the htsc material will be grown . the setter powder - covered substrate is then pre - soaked in heptane at 1035 ° c . for about 16 hours , eliminating moisture from the setter powder . a compact of starting powders is then placed on the layer of setter powder . this assembly is then placed in the furnace for growth . the setter powder was made by the reaction of y - 123 + pt at 1035 ° c . the mixtures are first made by suspending y - 123 in heptane . platinum at 25 wt % is then added to the suspension and the mixed powders are allowed to dry . after drying , the powders are pressed into small pellets . the pellets are heated to 1035 ° c . and held at that temperature for one hour , the pellets are then rapidly cooled to room temperature . the pellet is ground and the powder is then pressed into a pellet , reheated at 1035 ° c . for about 17 hours , and then cooled . the quenched pellets were ground into a coarse powder and this powder was used as the bed powder . the setter powder was used for crystal growth experiments and problems with the nucleation of crystals from the base of samples and with sample adherence to substrates were minimized . following a crystal growth experiment , the setter powder that did not stick to the bottom of the sample was removed and reused . a third embodiment of this invention incorporates an isothermal growth method for single crystals ; such an approach is more amenable to mass production , a critical consideration in promoting commercialization of the technology for many applications . the ideal isothermal growth temperature would allow for the heterogeneous nucleation of the crystal on a seed while keeping the probability of homogeneous nucleation in the melt to a minimum . the probability of homogeneous nucleation is dependent on the extent of undercooling of the sample ( i . e ., the difference between the equilibrium solidification temperature and the actual temperature at which the sample is crystallized ). for example , within the phase field for y - 123 solidification , decreasing the temperature of the melt would increase the free energy difference between the y - 211 + liquid mixture and y - 123 . large undercoolings thus provide a greater driving force for crystallization . when nuclei begin to form homogeneously in the melt , their stability is decreased by the large number of imperfectly coordinated atoms near the edge of the nucleus compared to the relatively small number of stably coordinated atoms near the center of the nuclei . small nuclei will be unstable with respect to the melt , but as the nuclei grow larger the boundary effects become less important compared to the free energy change of forming the equilibrium solid phase . the nuclei will thus become stable if they reach some critical size during growth . heterogeneous nucleation on a seed with a small lattice mismatch will require a smaller undercooling than is necessary to promote homogeneous nucleation because the seed provides appropriate order to the liquid and there will be fewer unstably coordinated atoms in small nuclei . as an example , the lattice mismatch between y - 123 and sm - 123 is about 1 %, the y - 123 should form a nearly epitaxial layer over a sm - 123 seed , resulting in a very low lattice strain . the energy difference between the heterogeneous nucleation process and homogeneous nucleation of y - 123 in the melt should therefore be significant , and it should be possible to find a range of temperatures where heterogeneous nucleation takes place but the rate of homogeneous nucleation is very small . 1008 ° c . evidently represents an upper limit of the desired temperature range for y - 123 . for proper implementation of the isothermal growth process , a furnace must first be calibrated for the process . this calibration is performed individually for each furnace used and then again for each compact size and powder composition , as the calibration results will differ for different compacts . the calibration process is used to determine the isothermal hold temperature for crystal growth . a compact of the desired size and composition is prepared and placed in the furnace to be calibrated . the compact is then heated to about 5 ° c . to about 25 ° c ., preferably about 25 ° c ., above the peritectic temperature of the powders in the compact and held at this temperature for about 15 minutes to about 1 hour , preferably about 1 hour . the sample is then cooled at a rate of about 0 . 2 ° c ./ hour to about 1 . 0 ° c ./ hour , preferably from about 0 . 5 ° c ./ hour to 0 . 7 ° c ./ hour . during the cooling process the sample is monitored by a video camera . the video camera must be capable of high contrast expansion , preferably a dage nuvicon or plubicon . the cooling process is then monitored and observed to determine when crystallization begins . this temperature , the crystallization initialization temperature , is then used as the holding temperature for the calibrated furnace when growing crystals incorporating the starting products in the size compact used in the calibration process . a preferred monitoring method uses a recording means for preserving the monitoring on video tape to allow for &# 34 ; time - shifted &# 34 ; observation . the recording means must be capable of providing enough information to determine the temperature at which crystallization in the sample commences . this can range from simple elapsed time indication -- where the temperature is then calculated based on the cooling rate -- or may incorporate a means of recording the furnace temperature on the video tape itself . one such recording means is a dedicated time lapse video recorder which includes an elapsed time reference and allows the user to set the period , for example from 2 to 48 hours , for which recording will take place . changes in the furnace , the make up of starting powders , or the size of the compact require new calibration . the crystallization initialization temperature determined by the calibration designates the upper range of the holding temperature and can vary plus or minus 5 ° c . the isothermal growth process also incorporates monitoring to determine the actual hold time . the temperature in the furnace is held at the crystallization initialization temperature until it is determined by monitoring that the crystal has fully formed . a preferred method of monitoring uses an optical monitoring , preferably via video camera . thus , a video camera can be set up for the calibration step and left in position for crystal growth monitoring . precise determination of crystal growth completion is not as important . extra time , up to 48 hours , at the crystallization initialization temperature will not effect crystal growth , whereas premature cooling from the crystallization initialization temperature will result in incomplete growth of the htsc crystal . a number of samples were prepared using various combinations of the novel embodiments of this invention . some of these are illustrated in the following examples . these samples are provided for illistration only , and are not a limitation on the scope of the invention . process batches calculated to produce stoichiometric 123 and 211 ybco compositions after calcining , as well as composite two - phase 123 / 211 materials containing up to 16 wt % excess 211 , both with and without additions of platinum in various forms , were prepared using the following raw materials : ______________________________________y . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 : 99 . 99 % yttrium oxideba ( no . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 : acs gradecuo : acs gradehno . sub . 3 : 70 % by wt , electronic gradept metal : 0 . 2 - 0 . 45 micron particle size , 99 . 9 % ptpto . sub . 2 hydrate : & lt ; i micron particle size , 99 - 9 % pto . sub . 2 hydrateptcl . sub . 2 solution : 1 mg / ml in 20 % hci solutionsucrose : carbohydrate fuel______________________________________ a ) solution preparation : solutions were prepared by digesting the batched raw materials in a mixture of nitric acid ( hno 3 ) and water . the solution was stirred until all of the main constituents were fully dissolved and present as cations in solution . for solutions containing platinum added in an insoluble powder form as pt metal or pto 2 hydrate , the powders were dispersed by mixing for a period of at least 12 hours prior to spray drying . solutions containing pt were added as a soluble salt ( ptcl 2 ) and the required platinum addition was made in liquid form . after all of the metallic constituents were completely digested or dispersed , the carbohydrate fuel was added and dissolved . the solutions were then diluted to a standard concentration of 0 . 4m based on the total dissolved metal cation content , or to half the standard concentration for some batches to evaluate any effects of such a change in concentration on certain characteristics of the powders produced . in solutions containing either excess nitrates or carbohydrates -- additional batch variations made to evaluate the effects on powder characteristics -- the total dissolved metal concentration was always 0 . 2m , half the standard concentration . this concentration was dictated by the limited solubility of barium in the presence of excess nitrate ion . batches having the following solution variations were formulated and used in subsequent powder preparation experiments : ( 1 ) solution concentrations of 0 . 4m ( the standard ) and 0 . 2m , ( 2 ) hno 3 oxidizer content at standard and 2 × standard amounts , and ( 3 ) carbohydrate fuel at standard and 2 × standard amounts . solutions containing pt additions had pt contents of 0 . 1 %, 0 . 5 %, or 1 . 0 % by weight . b ) spray pyrolysis : following solution preparation and mixing , the liquid was spray pyrolyzed in a commercial spray dryer . solution atomization was accomplished using an air driven rotary atomizer with a solution feed rate of 4 liters / hour . during this step , the atomized droplets are rapidly dehydrated in a large chamber continuously fed with heated dry air ; dryer inlet temperature ranged from 295 °- 310 ° c . the dehydrated granules that form ( typically 10 60 microns in diameter ) are entrained in the hot air stream and subsequently dispersed in a cyclone separator . the dispersed powder is then routed into a furnace operating at 350 ° c . to induce combustion of the fuel ; promote initial reaction of the powders to form oxide , carbonate , and nitrate phases ; and induce particle fragmentation . the only process parameter varied in this step was the atomizer air pressure : values of 5 . 1 kg / cm 2 ( standard pressure and atomizer maximum capability ) and 4 . 0 kg / cm 2 were used . c ) calcination : the precursor powders recovered from the spray dryer were placed in mgo trays and calcined in a small box furnace ( lindberg , model 51828 ) at a temperature of about 940 ° c . for 6 hours to produce fully reacted ybco materials . for all of the batches produced the powder mass per tray was held constant . d ) milling : calcined powders were ball milled using polyethylene jars and stabilized zirconia milling media . milling time was 12 hours for all of the powders , and mill powder loads were held constant in all cases . the resulting powders were characterized after spray pyrolysis , after calcining , and after milling using standard x - ray diffraction analysis , scanning electron microscopy ( jeol model 5200 ), and bet surface area measurements ( quantichrome quantisorbe qs - 10 ). selected ybco powders were subsequently used in single crystal experiments . characterization of the various powders at the same three stages of formation using standard xrd analysis provided analogous results . for all of the powders , xrd characterization data revealed the main byproducts of the reactions occurring during spray drying to be y 2 o 3 , baco 3 , and cuo , together with lesser amounts of ba ( no 3 ) 2 . no significant variations in the intensities of individual peaks attributable to the imposed process variations were noted . after calcining , only the desired htsc oxide phases were detected ( 123 or 211 in single phase powders , and both 123 and 211 phases in composite powders ). examination of the appearance of a composite 123 / 211 composition ( 7 % excess 211 by weight ) containing 1 . 0 wt % platinum added to the batch solution as metal powder shows particles which are individual oxide , carbonate , or nitrate grains that typify the initial reaction products of the csp process . numerous small ( up to about 20 microns in diameter ) unexploded spherical granules formed during the spray drying process were evident . the irregular particles comprising most of the material are the byproducts of combustion - induced fragmentation of the many other , larger spherical granules that formed during droplet dehydration . in the examination of a similar composite powder ( 15 % excess 211 by weight ; 1 . 0 wt % platinum introduced as pto 2 hydrate ) after calcining ( 940 ° c ., 6 hours ) all of the spherical granules have disintegrated during the calcining reactions to form the desired 123 and 211 oxide phases . the individual particles appear to be smaller than about 5 microns , but clustered as hard agglomerates . after milling , most of these agglomerates are reduced to individual 123 and particles ranging from sub - micron size to a few microns . three setter powders were made . the three powders consisted of 123 + 25 wt % pt with no added 211 , 123 + 10 wt % pt with no added 211 , and 123 + 7 wt % 211 + 10 wt % pt . the powders were pressed into pellets , heated to 1035 ° c . for one hour , cooled , and then ground back into powders . the reground powders were placed back in the furnace and heated to 1035 ° c . again for approximately 17 hours . crystal samples were processed using the 25 wt % pt with no 211 , 10 wt % pt with no 211 , and 10 wt % pt + 7 wt % 211 setter powders . no crystals grew from the bottom of samples using the 25 wt % pt with no 211 powder and the crystal did not stick to the substrate , while crystal did grow from the bottom of samples using the 10 -% pt with no 211 powder and samples using the 10 wt % pt and 7 wt % 211 powder stuck to the substrate . sm - 123 seed crystals , used for growing ybco crystals , were prepared by pressing sm 123 powder into pellets . sm - 123 pellets were loaded into a horizontal tube furnace . the pellets were heated at 2 ° c ./ min to 1085 ° c . and held for one hour . pellets were then cooled at 0 . 02 ° c ./ min to 1040 ° c . to form sm - 123 seeds crystal . the ybco powders were formed into cylindrical compacts by pouring approximately 25 grams of starting material into a 1 - inch steel die and lightly compressing it by hand . a small sm - 123 crystal was then placed in the center of the compact and pressed into the soft powder until it was flush with the top surface . the seeded compact was subsequently pressed to 19 , 000 psi in a carver uniaxial hand press , then further compacted at a pressure of 30 , 000 psi using a cold isostatic press . the compact was then placed on a relatively inert mgo substrate to protect it from contamination during the crystal growth process ; an additional barrier to contamination was provided using a setter powder consisting of coarse (& gt ; 0 . 5 mm ) powder . this layer also facilitated removal of the sample from the substrate after the growth process was completed . the mgo substrate was placed on a circular porous alumina base plate and suspended in a vertically oriented tube furnace ( lindberg model 51314 ; 3 - inch diameter ) using nickelchromium wires . two different melt processes were then employed to grow 123 single crystals : ( 1 ) a slow - cooling , temperature - gradient process , and ( 2 ) an isothermal growth process . for the temperature - gradient process , the sample was heated in the tube furnace at a rate of 2 ° c ./ min to a maximum temperature of 1035 ° c . after holding at 1035 ° c . for one hour to ensure the complete incongruent melting of the 123 material , the sample was slowly cooled at a rate of 0 . 01 &# 39 ; c ./ min to a temperature of 950 ° c . the cooling rate was then increased to 2 ° c ./ min for cooling to room temperature . an initially similar schedule was followed for the isothermal process . however , on cooling from 1035 ° c ., the slow cooling was terminated at temperatures of 1008 ° c ., 990 ° c ., 980 ° c ., and 970 ° c . and held at the chosen temperature for 24 to 60 hours . following this isothermal hold , slow cooling at a rate of 0 . 01 &# 39 ; c ./ min was continued until the sample temperature reached 950 ° c . ; subsequent cooling to room temperature was at the faster rate of 2 ° c ./ min . a furnace ( lindberg model 51314 ; 3 - inch diameter ) was calibrated for the growth of ybco crystals . the crystalization initiation tempeature was determined to be 1008 ° c . a ybco sample was held at 1008 ° c . for 24 hours . and a crystal began to grow a the center of the sample but did not grow completely . another sample was held at 1008 ° c . for 48 hours , but the crystal still did not grow completely . additonal growing crystals were monitored with a video camera and the cooling step did not begin until the single crystal had fully formed . samples were processed and monitored and the central crystal grew to the full dimensions of the sample . monitoring was performed using a 1175 mm shallow watch glass ( fischer ) and a cold mirror ( for reflecting vis and transmitting ir ) ( edmund scientific ). the watch glass should be replaced due to bax coating after the 1035 ° c . hold . a dage video camera with a nuvicom or plubicon tube was used to observe the samples . crystal growth begins near 1008 ° c . and the sample is held between 1008 ° and 1003 ° c . until the crystal is fully grown . liquid losses from powder samples containing different levels of platinum ( 0 , 0 . 1 , 0 . 5 , and 1 . 0 wt %) were measured by comparing the mass of quenched samples with the pre - melt values . the samples were quenched following four different treatments at temperatures above the y - 123 peritectic temperature (˜ 1010 ° c .). the first quench was after heating for 5 min at 1035 ° c . the homogenization temperature used for crystal growth experiments . the second quench was made after an isothermal dwell at 1035 ° c . for 1 hour . the final two quenches were made after cooling from 1035 ° c . for 1000 and 2000 minutes at a rate of 0 . 01 ° c ./ min , which gave quench temperatures of 1025 ° c . and 1015 ° c ., respectively . results of these experiments showed that the rate at which the barium cuprate liquid is lost from the samples is dependent on the concentration of platinum in the sample . for samples containing 0 or 0 . 1 wt % pt , liquid losses were found to occur rapidly after reaching the 123 peritectic temperature . the initial rate of weight loss for these samples was 0 . 45 % per minute ; at this rate , more than 25 % of the sample mass would be lost in one hour . for samples containing 0 . 5 wt % pt , however , a much lower initial liquid - loss rate of 0 . 1 % per minute was observed . measurement of the initial liquid loss rate for samples containing 1 wt % pt was not made , but a further reduction in the rate seems likely . additional liquid - loss experiments made using platinum containing powders produced by the csp process showed a dramatic advantage compared to mechanically mixed materials in this regard . for the solution - mixed csp powders , a significantly lower liquid losses were observed over the same range of pt additions . in a series of experiments made using solution - mixed composite csp powders containing 7 wt % excess 211 and 1 . 0 wt % platinum ( added as the metal or pto 2 hydrate ), the total sample weight lost during processing was found to be between 4 % and 8 %, which is much lower than the corresponding 30 % loss associated noted with mechanically mixed powders . using improved precursor powders fabricated by the csp process , liquid losses have been reduced dramatically compared to losses occurring during crystal growth from powders prepared by mechanical mixing . ebma analysis of samples quenched from 1035 ° c . shows that once the platinum - doped samples pass the 123 peritectic temperature , ba 4 cu 2 pto x becomes the major platinum - bearing , phase and very little ba 2 . 6 cupto x or y 2 ba 3 cu 2 pto 10 can be identified . dta evidence for the conversion of ba 2 . 6 cupto x and y 2 ba 3 cu 2 pto 10 to ba 4 cu 2 pto x is obscured by the 123 melting peak . as the samples are cooled back below the 123 peritectic temperature and the 123 crystal starts to grow , it traps pt -- ba rich particles as well as 211 particles . the final single crystal will thus consist of a 123 matrix containing 211 and pt -- ba rich inclusions . the pt -- ba rich inclusions in the 123 crystals mostly consist of ba 4 cu 2 pto x , but small amounts of ba 2 . 6 cupto x , and y 2 ba 3 cu 2 pto 10 are also present . as the melt is cooled and ba 4 cu 2 pto x comes into contact with solidifying 123 , the reverse of the ba 4 cu 2 pto x - forming reaction may occur . this would account for the presence of ba 2 . 6 cupto x , and y 2 ba 3 cu 2 pto 10 in the trapped platinum - bearing inclusions . ebma data collected from 123 csp crystal growth samples indicate that in addition to large platinum - rich inclusions in the 123 matrix , both 123 and 211 particles also contain trace amounts of platinum . a measured magnetization hysteresis loop for a ybco - 123 single crystal sample containing 0 . 1 wt % platinum was determined . the large magnetic fields ( up to 5 t ) used in the measurements and the high magnetization of the sample ( up to 800 emu / cm3 ) exerted torques on the small crystal specimen that were large enough to fracture the plastic sample holder and allow the sample to rotate during the measurements . although this rotation ( may have ) caused anomalous results at high sample magnetization , the results obtained in applied fields above 2 t were reproducible . estimates of the critical current densities ( jc ) in the small samples were made by applying bean &# 39 ; s theory 32 to the magnetization measurements . critical current densities of over 20 , 000 a / cm 2 were calculated for fields up to 4 t . thus , the existence of pt -- ba rich inclusions does not appear to have adversely effected the superconducting properties of the 123 matrix . in fact , the sample maintains a high magnetization level even in large applied fields . all embodiments of the invention may be incorporated individually or in combination in the htsc growth process a preferred improved htsc growth process incorporates all three embodiments in combination , producing vast improvements in htsc products produced by earlier processes and especially in the growth of single crystal htsc products . | 2 |
an embodiment of the present invention provides a method for processing a “ raw ” or filtered intracardiac signal , which may be unipolar or bipolar . typically the processing comprises fitting the intracardiac signal to a predetermined waveform , and deriving an annotation time of the signal from the fitted signal , rather than from the raw signal . typically , a unipolar signal is fitted to an equation representative of a single complete oscillation . a bipolar signal may be fitted to an equation representative of a difference of two single complete oscillations , typically separated by a temporal difference . in some embodiments the single complete oscillation corresponds to a differential of a gaussian function . an asymmetry factor may be applied to the differential , and in some embodiments the asymmetry factor corresponds to a gaussian function . the inventors have found that fitting raw or filtered signals to a predetermined equation , and measuring an annotation time from the fitted signals , reduces variation of the annotation times , as compared to annotation times determined directly from the raw or filtered signals . reference is now made to fig1 , which is a schematic illustration of an electrocardiograph ( ecg ) analysis system 20 , according to an embodiment of the present invention . system 20 receives at least one , and typically a plurality , of electrical signals from one or more electrodes positioned within an organ of a human patient . typically , the signals are received from a multiplicity of electrodes placed on one or more probes in the organ . for example , during an invasive procedure on a heart , a first probe with one or more electrodes may be positioned in a reference region of the heart , and used to sense a reference ecg signal from the region . a second probe having multiple electrodes may be used to detect and record other ecg signals from other regions of the heart . for simplicity and clarity , the following description , except where otherwise stated , assumes an investigative procedure that senses electrical signals from a heart 34 , using a single probe 24 . furthermore , a distal end 32 of the probe is assumed to have two substantially similar electrodes 22 a . 22 b . electrodes 22 a , 22 b , may be referred to herein as electrodes 22 . those having ordinary skill in the art will be able to adapt the description for multiple probes having one or more electrodes , as well as for signals produced by organs other than a heart . typically , probe 24 comprises a catheter which is inserted into the body of a subject 26 during a mapping procedure performed by a user 28 of system 20 . in the description herein user 28 is assumed , by way of example , to be a medical professional . during the procedure subject 26 is assumed to be attached to a grounding electrode 23 . in some embodiments , electrodes 29 may be attached to the skin of subject 26 , in the region of heart 34 . system 20 may be controlled by a system processor 40 , comprising a processing unit 42 communicating with a memory 44 . processor 40 is typically mounted in a console 46 , which comprises operating controls 38 . controls 38 typically include a pointing device 39 , such as a mouse or a trackball , that professional 28 uses to interact with the processor . the processor uses software , including a probe navigation module 30 and an ecg module 36 , stored in memory 44 , to operate system 20 . ecg module 36 comprises a reference ecg sub - module 37 and a map ecg sub - module 41 , whose functions are described below . results of the operations performed by processor 40 are presented to the professional on a display 48 , which typically presents a graphic user interface to the operator , a visual representation of the ecg signals sensed by electrodes 22 , and / or an image of heart 34 while it is being investigated . the software may be downloaded to processor 40 in electronic form , over a network , for example , or it may , alternatively or additionally , be provided and / or stored on non - transitory tangible media , such as magnetic , optical , or electronic memory . ecg module 36 is coupled to receive electrical signals from electrodes 22 . the module may also be coupled to receive signals from one or more of electrodes 29 . the ecg module is configured to analyze the signals and may present the results of the analysis in a standard ecg format , typically a graphical representation moving with time , on display 48 . probe navigation module 30 tracks sections of probe 24 while the probe is within subject 26 . the navigation module typically tracks both the location and orientation of distal end 32 of probe 24 , within the heart of subject 26 . in some embodiments module 30 tracks other sections of the probe . the navigation module may use any method for tracking probes known in the art . for example , module 30 may operate magnetic field transmitters in the vicinity of the subject , so that magnetic fields from the transmitters interact with tracking coils located in sections of the probe being tracked . the coils interacting with the magnetic fields generate signals which are transmitted to the module , and the module analyzes the signals to determine a location and orientation of the coils . ( for simplicity such coils and transmitters are not shown in fig1 .) the carto ® system produced by biosense webster , of diamond bar , calif ., uses such a tracking method . alternatively or additionally , navigation module 30 may track probe 24 by measuring impedances between electrode 23 , electrodes 29 and electrodes 22 , as well as the impedances to other electrodes which may be located on the probe . ( in this case electrodes 22 and / or electrodes 29 may provide both ecg and tracking signals .) the carto3 ® system produced by biosense webster uses both magnetic field transmitters and impedance measurements for tracking . fig2 shows schematic graphs of typical ecg signals processed by system 20 , according to an embodiment of the present invention . graphs 100 , 102 show exemplary potential vs . time plots of “ raw ” ( i . e ., unprocessed ) bipolar intracardiac ecg signals . the signals are assumed to be derived from the potential differences between electrode 22 a and electrode 22 b while the electrodes contact a wall of the heart . as is known in the art , intracardiac ecg signals are noisy , the noise typically being generated by a number of factors , such as line radiation , the proximity of other electrical equipment , and other electrical sources derived from patient 26 , such as patient muscular contraction ( apart from heart muscles ). the noise typically causes problems in making quantitative measurements of annotation times from the raw signals . for example , an annotation time , t p , comprising the time of the “ r ” peak of the signal , may be required , the time being measured from the onset of the signal . graph 100 illustrates that t p is measured to be approximately 30 ms , whereas graph 102 illustrates that t p is measured to be approximately 25 ms . as is illustrated in the graphs , the measured value of t p varies . as stated above , graphs 100 , 102 illustrate bipolar graphs generated by difference signals between electrode 22 a and 22 b . the signal on each electrode 22 a or 22 b , when measured relative to a common reference electrode , is a unipolar signal , so that the bipolar signal may be considered as a difference between two unipolar signals . the reference electrode may be any convenient electrode , such as grounding electrode 23 , and / or one or more of skin electrodes 29 , and / or one or more other electrodes in contact with the heart . fig3 and 4 show schematic graphs produced by equations used for fitting to ecg signals , according to embodiments of the present invention . embodiments of the present invention fit a predetermined equation to signals such as the ecg signals illustrated in fig2 . the equation corresponds to a predetermined oscillating waveform , typically a waveform that is in the form of a single complete oscillation , i . e ., a waveform that has beginning and end points that have a substantially zero signal level , and that encompasses all the electrical activity between the two points . typically , the graph of a single complete oscillation has a single local minimum and a single local maximum . the local maximum and local minimum may be separated by a single inflection . in some embodiments , and as exemplified herein , the predetermined equation fitted to the signals is derived from the first differential of a gaussian function , skewed by an asymmetry factor . thus , for unipolar ecg signals received from electrodes 22 a or 22 b , processor 40 fits an equation having the general form given by equation ( 1 ) below to the signals : where v unipolar ( t ) represents the varying unipolar potential signal measured at the electrode at a time t ; t i is a temporal displacement of the signal , with respect to the time t = 0 . t i corresponds to the time when an activation wave passes through the electrode position ; t s is a parameter defining an asymmetry of the signal ; and inspection of equation ( 1 ) shows that the asymmetry factor provided by the equation corresponds to a gaussian function . thus , equation ( 1 ) sums a gaussian function and a first differential of a gaussian function . in the description below , parameters t i1 , a 1 , t s1 , and w 1 , are also referred to collectively as the unipolar fitting parameters of equation ( 1 ). graphs 110 , 112 , and 114 ( fig3 ) illustrate the effects of values of parameters t s and w on the waveform generated by equation ( 1 ). for simplicity , the units of the ordinate and the abscissa of each graph are assumed to be arbitrary . as shown by graph 110 , for t s = 0 , the graph has two - fold symmetry , having a center of symmetry at ( 3 , 0 ). ( in other words , under a rotation of 180 ° in the plane of the graph the graph transforms into itself .) graph 112 shows that for a positive value of t s = 3 , the graph becomes asymmetric . the asymmetry increases with increasing t s . as shown by graph 114 , the value of w changes the overall width of the graph , so that increasing the value of w reduces the width . if the ecg signal is a bipolar signal , it may be assumed to be generated by the difference between a unipolar signal v unipolar ( t ) 1 on electrode 22 a and a unipolar signal v unipolar ( t ) 2 on electrode 22 b . for bipolar signals such as these the processor fits an equation ( 2 ), derived from equation ( 1 ), to the signal : where v bipolar ( t ) represents the varying bipolar potential signal measured at the electrode at a time t ; v unipolar ( t ) 1 , v unipolar ( t ) 2 , also termed v 1 and v 2 , are as defined above for equation ( 1 ); t i1 , t i2 are temporal displacements of v 1 , v 2 ; t s1 , t s2 define asymmetries of v 1 , v 2 ; and for a bipolar signal there is a temporal difference , δt i = t i1 − t i2 , equal to a difference between the temporal displacements of the two unipolar signals v unipolar ( t ) 1 and v unipolar ( t ) 2 . the temporal difference between the two unipolar signals is typically a function of the spatial separation of the two electrodes generating the bipolar signal , and of an electrode orientation relative to a propagation direction of the activation wave . thus , in the case of two electrodes , at least a component of the propagation direction of the activation wave may be determined from the temporal difference of the unipolar signals . it will be appreciated that for more than two electrodes , the temporal differences between the respective unipolar signals detected by the more than two electrodes , as well as the positions of the electrodes , typically allow multiple components of the propagation direction to be found . from the multiple components , the propagation direction ( not just a component ) of the activation wave may be estimated . in the description below , parameters t i1 , t i2 , a 1 , a 2 , t s1 , t s2 , and w 1 , w 2 are also referred to collectively as the bipolar fitting parameters of equation ( 2 ). graphs 120 , 122 , and 124 ( fig4 ) illustrate the application of equation ( 2 ). graphs 120 and 122 are graphs of two unipolar equations of voltage vs . time , respectively having temporal displacements ( in arbitrary units ) of t = 3 and t = 4 . 5 , and widths of 4 and 2 . graph 124 is the graph of the difference of the two expressions , illustrating a bipolar voltage vs . time function having a temporal difference of δt = 4 . 5 − 3 = 1 . 5 . generated intracardiac unipolar and bipolar signals depend , inter alia , on the positions of the electrodes used to measure the signals . the generated signals also depend on the condition of the heart being measured , i . e ., whether the heart is functioning in a healthy or unhealthy manner . if a heart is unhealthy because of a specific defect , it also produces standard intracardiac signals , different from those of a healthy heart ( similar differences may be used in diagnoses using skin ecg signals , i . e ., body surface signals ). in the case of a specific defect , the unhealthy heart generates standard deficient unipolar or bipolar signals , the deficiency in the signals being caused by the respective heart defect . fig5 is a flowchart 200 showing steps performed by processor 40 in analyzing intracardiac signals , according to an embodiment of the present invention . in the following description the signals are assumed to comprise bipolar signals . those having ordinary skill in the art will be able to adapt the description , mutatis mutandis , for unipolar signals . in an initial step 202 , professional 28 inserts probe 24 into heart 34 , so that electrodes 22 a and 22 b are in contact with a section of the heart wall . processor 40 acquires intracardiac bipolar ecg signals from the electrodes , each ecg signal comprising ordered pairs of potentials v and times t : {( v , t )}. in a heartbeat selection step 204 , one complete heartbeat is selected . thus , if the duration of the selected heartbeat is t , and the acquisition in step 202 is performed at a sample rate samplerate , there are approximately t / samplerate samples of bipolar signals in the selected heartbeat . in an analysis step 206 , the processor fits equation ( 2 ) to the selected heartbeat to derive a set of values of the fitting parameters of equation ( 2 ) that give a best fit to the selected heartbeat . in a comparison step 208 , the processor uses navigation module 30 to check if electrodes 22 a and 22 b are in the same position with respect to the heart . if the comparison returns a positive result , so that the electrodes are in the same position , then in an averaging step 210 the processor averages the fitting parameters for all the heartbeats at the position , to generate a set of averaged fitting parameters . the flowchart then continues at an annotation time step 212 . if the comparison returns a negative result , so that the electrodes have moved , then no averaging is performed , and the flowchart continues directly to step 212 . in annotation time step 212 , the fitting parameters derived either in step 210 ( if averaging has occurred ) or in step 206 ( if there has been no averaging ) are used to estimate an annotation time . the annotation time is a reference time of occurrence of a characteristic of the ecg signal . the annotation time may be defined with respect to the body surface ecg , or with respect to an intracardiac reference ecg , for example from a catheter placed in the coronary sinus . typical signal characteristics used to define the reference annotation time include , but are not limited to , the time at which the r - peak maximum of the qrs complex occurs , the time at which the minimum derivative of the qrs complex occurs , the time at which a center of energy of the complete signal occurs , or the time at which a first indication of the complete signal occurs . the reference annotation time is typically dependent on the position in the heart at which the signal is measured . definitions for the reference annotation times and their values are stored in reference ecg sub - module 37 . in a map building step 214 , the processor constructs a point of an electro - anatomical map of heart 34 . to construct the map point , the processor incorporates the difference of annotation times estimated in step 212 and the relevant reference annotation time ( stored in sub - module 37 ) into a map of the heart ( using navigation module 30 ) ( fig1 ). sub - module 41 is also used in this step . the repetition of steps 202 - 214 is indicated by a continuation condition 216 returning a positive result . if condition 216 returns a negative result , typically by professional 28 deciding to stop the mapping procedure of step 214 , the flowchart ends . as stated above , steps 202 - 214 can be typically performed for different situations comprising different positions of the electrodes in healthy hearts and in unhealthy hearts with known defects . fig6 shows schematic graphs illustrating the results of applying the methods described above , according to an embodiment of the present invention . intracardiac ecg signals were recorded from several different cases , to create a data pool . approximately 5 , 900 heartbeats were extracted from the data pool . all heartbeats were organized into eleven groups , each group containing a heartbeat with an amplitude less than a pre - determined threshold . the threshold is a measure of the noise of the signal , so that signals having lower thresholds have higher noise levels . for each heartbeat in a specific group the time of occurrence t rk of the r - peak maximum , and the time of occurrence t ck of the passing of the activation wave , were estimated . k is an index representing a number of the heartbeat being measured . t ck was estimated using a fitting analysis similar to that described for flowchart 200 , herein also referred to as a fit annotation method . the method for estimating t rk is also referred to herein as the maximum annotation method . where σ ( δt ) is a standard deviation of all δt values , and the expressions of equations ( 4 ) give a measure of the variability of the annotation times by the maximum annotation method or by the fit annotation method of heartbeats within a given group . a graph 300 plots the variability var r vs . the threshold of a group , and a graph 302 is a linear regression of graph 300 . a graph 310 plots the variability var c vs . the threshold of a group , and a graph 312 is a linear regression of graph 310 . by comparison of the two sets of graphs , it is apparent that for low values of the threshold , i . e ., for signals with high noise values , the variability of the signals processed according to methods described herein , i . e ., using the fit annotation method , is less than the variability of signals that have not been processed with these methods . it will be appreciated that the embodiments described above are cited by way of example , and that the present invention is not limited to what has been particularly shown and described hereinabove . rather , the scope of the present invention includes both combinations and subcombinations of the various features described hereinabove , as well as variations and modifications thereof which would occur to persons skilled in the art upon reading the foregoing description and which are not disclosed in the prior art . | 0 |
preferred embodiments according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings hereinafter . a photorefractive material such as linbo3 crystal doped with tb is transparent with no coloring . this photorefractive crystal exhibits the light induced absorption ( photochromism ) by illuminating with an ultraviolet ray with a wavelength of about 313 nm at the irradiated portion thereof and resulting in coloring . in this time , the illuminated hologram portion is erased or initialized because the distribution of electric charges is homogenized by the ultraviolet rays in the recording material . when a visible light having a wavelength of 436 nm is irradiated to the colored portion of the recording material , then a light induced absorption or recording sensitivity appears in the near infrared ray band . on the other hand , when no light irradiation of wavelength of 436 nm , the recording sensitivity is extremely reduced with respect to the near infrared light . therefore such a visible light beam is so called gate light beam , and the ultraviolet light beam which is previously illuminated is so called pre - irradiation light . in addition , the near infrared ray beam used for the recording is used for signal light and reference light . therefore an operation that the gate light beam or the pre - irradiation light is used properly realizes a development of the recording sensitivity or the initialization in only a specific portion of the recording material , so that the recording channel and the reproduction channel are formed distinctly in separate portions of the medium . the present invention includes such a memory system in that , by using two kinds of light having different wavelengths from each other , the holographic recording is carried out within the recording material made of the photorefractive material exhibiting the photochromism . this recording is so called two - color holographic recording . in the two - color holographic recording , the gate light beam of the second wavelength different from the first wavelength of the signal and reference light beams is introduced into the medium for increasing the photo - sensitivity thereof , while the signal and reference light beams are irradiated thereto , so that interference fringes of refractive index are recorded at a site in which the signal and reference light beams as well as the gate light beam intersect with each another . as shown in fig2 a laser light source 11 of e . g ., a wavelength of 532 nm for generation of signal light and reference light is a combination of a yag laser and a shg device . the laser light beam 12 emitted from the light source 11 is split into a signal light beam 12 a and a recording reference light beam 12 b by a beam splitter 13 . the signal light beam 12 a and the recording reference light beam 12 b are irradiated to the same position p in a recording medium 10 by way of different optical paths , respectively . on the optical path of the signal light beam 12 a , arranged are a shutter 31 a , mirrors 111 and 112 , a beam expander 14 , an slm 15 e . g ., a transparent lcd device , a half mirror 310 , and a fourier transforming lens 16 e . g ., a converging lens . the shutter 31 a is provided to open and close the optical path of the signal light beam 12 a , and also shutters 31 b and 31 c are provided to open and close the optical paths of light beams 12 b and 12 c , respectively . these shutters are driven to open and close by the corresponding drivers ( not shown ) in response to signals forwarded from a controller 32 . the beam expander 14 magnifies the diameter of the signal light beam 12 a which passes through the shutter 31 a and mirrors 111 and 112 to make a collimated ray to be incident at a predetermined angle e . g . right angle on the slm 5 . the slm 5 is connected to the controller 32 including an encoder to receive the electric data in a unitary page series corresponding to a two - dimensional page received by the latter , and then forms a bright and dark dot pattern on its plane panel corresponding to the image data . the passed signal light beam 12 a is optically modulated by the slm 5 , to contain data as a dot - matrix component . the fourier transforming lens 16 performs fourier transformation on the dot - matrix component of the signal light beam 12 a passing through the half mirror 310 and focuses it slightly in the front or back of a recording channel at a position p in the recording medium 10 . the slm 5 is disposed at the other focal point of the fourier transforming lens 16 . the optical path on which the beam expander 14 , the slm 15 , the half mirror 310 and the fourier transforming lens 16 are disposed is so - called a recording optical path . a beam splitter 177 , a shutter 31 b and a galvanic mirror 18 are disposed on the optical path of the recording reference light beam 12 b split by the beam splitter 13 . the recording reference light beam 12 b reflected through the beam splitter 177 is guided by the galvanic mirror 18 into the position p of the recording medium 10 in a similar manner as the signal light beam 12 a . the galvanic mirror 18 regulates the recording axis of the recording reference light beam 12 b . the shutter 31 b is driven to open and close by a driver in response to a signal sent from the controller 32 . as shown in fig2 the irradiation light source 21 including a filter replaceable system , e . g ., photocure 200 ( hamamatsu - photomics ltd .) is used for both the pre - irradiation light in the ultraviolet ray wavelength - band and the gate light beam in a shorter wavelength of the visible light wavelength - band . the irradiation light source 21 generates ultraviolet light of a wavelength of 313 nm with a sufficient power to develop light induced absorption , i . e ., coloring of the recording medium 10 by its irradiating light , by exchanging the filter . light 22 generated from the irradiation light source 21 is irradiated through an optical fiber 412 to the recording channel of the recording medium 10 , i . e ., the recording position p . the irradiations of the gate light beam and the pre - irradiation light 22 are on / off controlled in response to a signal sent by a controller 32 . the gate light beam is limitedly irradiated to the position p within the recording material at which the signal and reference light beams intersect with each another . alternatively the pre - irradiation light source 21 may be a light source capable of converge the light beam onto the position p within the entire recording medium 10 while decreasing the diameter of its light spot . in the recording medium 10 illuminated with the pre - irradiation light 22 , a light interference pattern is formed by the reference light and the signal light in a region at the position p within the recording medium 10 , and information is recorded therein as a change in refractive index . a shutter 31 c and a galvanic mirror 44 are disposed on the optical path of the reproducing reference light beam 12 c in which the beam splitter 177 splits the reproducing reference light beam 12 c from the recording reference light beam 12 b to guide it to the shutter 31 c . the shutter 31 c is driven to open and close by a driver in response to a signal sent from the controller 32 . the galvanic mirror 44 guides the passed reproducing reference light beam 12 c into the position p of the recording medium 10 . the galvanic mirror 44 regulates the reproduction axis of the reproducing reference light beam 12 c . during the holographic recording and rewriting , the shutter 31 c is opened and the reproducing reference light beam 12 c is irradiated to the recording medium 10 with a predetermined orientation . in the reproducing method using a phase conjugate wave , there is a need to make the recording and the reproducing reference light beams 12 b and 12 c in a symmetric nature . for the both the two light beams , planar waves or spherical waves are used which symmetrically propagates opposite to each other in an axis . thus , the reproducing reference light beam 12 c is supplied so as to illuminate the region p of the recording medium 10 at the opposite side of the recording medium 10 through the optical path of the shutter 31 c and the galvanic mirror 44 . namely , the reproducing reference light beam 12 c is made incident on the recording medium 10 by the galvanic mirror 44 so as to propagate in the reverse propagating direction and parallel to the recording reference light beam 12 b , thereby causing a phase conjugate wave from the refractive - index grating of region p corresponding to the light interference pattern of the medium . consequently , reproductive light from the region p appears at the same side of the recording medium 10 as the side illuminated by the signal light beam 12 a . the interference pattern light ( phase conjugate wave ) propagates to a fourier transforming lens 19 of a receiving lens . the fourier transforming lens 19 receives and forwards the interference pattern light through the half mirror 320 to the photoelectric converting elements of a photodetector 20 using a ccd 20 on which the bright and dark dot pattern is reproduced . the fourier transforming lens 19 is disposed in the reproduction axis so that focuses light slightly in the front or back of the reproduction channel at a position pa in the recording medium 10 . that is , the fourier transforming lens 19 reconstructs the bright and dark dot pattern on the ccd 20 . the ccd 20 converts the dot pattern into an electric digital data signal . then the ccd 20 forwards the data to the decoder 26 by which the original data is reproduced . the half mirror 320 is disposed in a reproduction optical path so as to divide a parallel light beam of the phase conjugate wave converted by the fourier transforming lens 19 into two beams , i . e ., one half being introduced to the ccd 20 , the half being reflected back to the reproduction optical path through a common image - formation plane 201 . in the reproduction optical path , the fourier transforming lens 19 , the half mirror 320 and the ccd 20 are aligned . the fourier transforming lenses 16 and 19 and the half mirrors 310 and 320 are disposed such that the common image - formation plane 201 becomes an image - formation plane of the fourier transforming lens 19 reflected by the half mirror 320 and , at the same time , also an image - formation plane of the fourier transforming lens 16 reflected by the half mirror 310 . that is , the recording optical path in which the signal light beam propagates to the recording position rc of the recording material and the reproduction optical path in which the phase conjugate wave generated from the reproduction position pc propagates back to the ccd 20 are disposed to be symmetric with respect to the common image - formation plane 201 to each other together with optical components thereof . in the case that the recording material has a parallel plate shape which has a front and rear major surfaces parallel to each other defining the medium form , the recording optical path and the reproduction optical path are disposed to be parallel to each other . thus , in a single piece type light pickup head constructed for the holographic recording , the fourier transforming lenses 16 and 19 are fixed in the same plane on a lens support , and the slm 15 and the ccd 20 are fixed in the same plane on the opposite support parallel to the lens support . the half mirrors 310 and 320 are fixed in the recording optical path and the reproduction optical path respectively in such a manner that the half mirror 310 between the fourier transforming lens 16 and the slm 15 and the half mirror 320 between the fourier transforming lens 19 and the ccd 20 are inclined at angles of 45 degrees to the corresponding optical paths such that the one piece type light pickup head has a plane of symmetry with respect to the common image - formation plane 201 . there will be described the steps of recording , reproducing and partially rewriting of data in the holographic recording and reproducing method . [ 0048 ] fig3 shows the recording step in which the recording medium 10 is mounted to the n - axis movable stage device 30 ( where n denotes 1 or 2 ) serving as a support portion , and a target recording channel rc thereof is moved to a recording position p in response to a control signal forwarded from the controller 32 . the pre - irradiation light beam is sufficiently converged to prevent the pre - irradiation light from leaking to an undesired portion of the recording medium . upon providing a light shielding member and mask made of the absorbing material absorbing the pre - irradiation light , the light shielding member is mounted around the light outlet portion of the irradiation light source 21 and also the recording material is masked so as to avoid unnecessary illuminating of the pre - irradiation light . a 313 nm bandpass filter ( not shown ) is mounded on the irradiation light source 21 to generate a pertinent light beam for the pre - irradiation light . the irradiation of the pre - irradiation light for 30 sec . to the recording material performs an initialization of the recording channel to make the photochromism appear . then , the 313 nm bandpass filter is replaced with a 436 nm bandpass filter ( not shown ) for the gate light beam in the irradiation light source 21 . the controller 32 forwards the desired two - dimensional digital data to the slm 15 , at the same time or after a predetermined time delay for the illumination of the gate light beam 22 , the shutter 31 a for the signal light beam and the shutter 31 b for the recording reference light are opened to irradiate the signal light beam 12 a and the recording reference light beam 12 b into the recording medium 10 to start on the two - holographic recording to form an interference pattern of changes in refractive index within the light intersected portion thereof . after that , both the shutters are opened for a recording time period in accordance with the scheduling and at the same time the gate light beam is irradiated to the medium . last , both the shutters are closed and the irradiation of the gate light beam is ended . in this way , a holographic recording on a first page is finished for a certain incident angle . as a matter of course , the shutter 31 c for reproducing reference light is kept close during the recording . in carrying out of angle - multiplexed holographic recording , the galvanic mirror 18 is rotated a predetermined angle and parallel moved in position a predetermined amount so that the incident angle of the recording reference light beam 12 b on the recording medium 10 is changed and both the shutters are opened for desired recording time every incident angle . in this way , the angle - multiplexed holographic recordings are carried out one after another at one of the recording channels . next , fig4 shows the reproduction step in which the shutters 31 a and 31 b are closed but the shutter 31 c for the reproducing reference light is opened to irradiate the reproducing reference light beam 12 c to the recording medium 10 at the reproduction position . the recording medium 10 mounded on the n - axis movable stage device 30 is moved with a parallel displacement to the predetermined position by the controller 32 such that the reproduction channel pc having data to be reproduced is disposed face to face with the pickup head . in this time , the rotation and the parallel movement of the galvanic mirror 44 are previously controlled in a such manner that the reproducing reference light beam 12 c is incident on a position immediately opposite to the recording light beam 12 b upon recording the page to be reproduced . namely , the reproducing reference light beam 12 c is made incident on the recording medium 10 so as to propagate in the reverse propagating direction of the recording reference light beam 12 b , since the reproducing and the recording reference light beams 12 c and 12 b are parallel to each other . as a result , a phase conjugate wave ( diffraction light ) appears from the refractive - index grating of region p and propagates through the same side of the recording medium 10 as the side illuminated by the signal light beam 12 a in the opposite propagating direction of the signal light beam 12 a to the fourier transforming lens 19 . the fourier transforming lens 19 receives the phase conjugate light and images a real image on the ccd 20 through the half mirror 320 . that is , the fourier transforming lens 19 reconstructs the recorded bright and dark dot pattern on the ccd 20 . the ccd 20 converts the dot pattern into an electric digital data signal . then the ccd 20 forwards the data to the controller 32 by which the original data is reproduced . in addition , the reflecting plane of the half mirror 320 partly reflects the phase conjugate light to the common image - formation plane 201 on which another real image is reconstructed . in other words , the phase conjugate wave reflected by the half mirror 320 is partly provided to the recording channel rc of the medium . however there is no damage of recorded data of the recording channel rc on the medium due to the phase conjugate wave . this because the gate light beam and recording reference light for the two - color holographic recording are not illuminated to the medium , so that the photorefractive phenomenon of the recording medium 10 does not occur with only the irradiation of the phase conjugate wave . furthermore , a shutter ( not shown ) controlled by the controller 32 may be provided between the half mirrors 310 and 320 to prevent the phase conjugate wave from leaking to the recording optical path during the reproduction step . this configuration is useful for the two - color holographic recording without using the gate light beam in another embodiment of the invention . next , fig5 shows a rewriting step in which the recorded data in a channel is rewritten to another channel . the n - axis movable stage device 30 is driven by the controller 32 so that the recording medium 10 moves and the reproducing reference light beam 12 c is incident on the recording channel rc to be rewritten . then the ultraviolet rays of pre - irradiation light is illuminated to a predetermined portion adjacent to the recording channel rc to form a recording channel rc 2 initialized so as to face the lens 16 . as shown in fig5 only the shutter 31 a is closed to cut of f light entering the slm 15 and the galvanic mirror 44 is driven in the same manner as the reproduction step . through the shutter 31 c opened , the reproducing reference light beam 12 c is irradiated to the reproduction channel pc to generate the phase conjugate wave to reconstruction a real image on the common image - formation plane 201 . the reproduced real image is used for an input image and provided through the half mirror 310 and the fourier transforming 16 to the initialized channel rc of the recording medium 10 . namely , light appearing from the reproduced real image on the common image - formation plane 201 is used as a signal light and is incident on the recording medium 10 similar to the recording step , so that an interference pattern of changes in refractive index in the recording channel rc 2 is formed within the light intersected portion of the reproduced signal light and the recording reference light beam 12 b supplied through the shutter 31 c opened . those conditions are kept until a predetermined target page i . e ., the target image data to be rewritten appears . in this way , the real image reconstructed from the reproduced phase conjugate wave is used as modulated light for the holographic recording instead of the slm 15 . when the target page appears , the operation is switched by the controller 32 to a condition that the shutter 31 c is closed to cut off the reproducing reference light beam 12 c and the shutter 31 a is opened in the same manner as shown in fig3 . in this case , the slm 15 displays a new image data to be rewritten . modulated light supplied from the slm 15 is used as a signal light beam . in this way , the original and new image data are continuously recorded on the recording channel rc 2 . after recording the new image data on the target page , the operation is switched again by the controller 32 back to the first stage to close the shutter 31 a and open the shutter 31 c as shown in fig5 so that the remaining data is recorded on the basis of the reproduced real image obtained from the phase conjugate wave in succession . the image data supplied from the slm 15 is used for the data to be rewritten and the data supplied from the reproduced real image by the phase conjugate wave is used for the data not to be rewritten i . e ., original settled data as it is . in this embodiment , since the recording material has a high response speed , the recording is processed from light to light at a high speed response . therefore , the user will recognizes the random access of data in the holographic recording and reproducing apparatus photoelectric conversion while reducing the required volume per channel and increasing the total number of the channels in a recording material with a constant volume , the recording capacity per channel decreases . the embodiment of the invention provides the reduction of the refresh operations required for the rewriting and the convenient usage equal to a general recording system capable of random access such as a hard disk and an optical disk . further , the reduction of the required volume per channel may be obtained by the magnification of numerical apertures of the fourier transforming and inverse fourier transforming lenses in the invention . in addition , a tag corresponding to the type of a particular of photo - refractive crystal may be previously attached to the recording medium 10 , such that the tag is automatically read by a suitable sensor as the recording medium 10 is mounted on the movable stage device to allow the controller 32 to control predetermined movements and rotation of the recording medium 10 . the signal processing from light to light provides a direct rewriting operation in holographic recording and reproducing apparatus of the invention . therefore the device configuration is simplified because any buffer memory is required for unnecessary data to be rewritten by the invention . since there is no need to the conversion path of from light to electricity or from electricity to light in the invention , a high speed processing is achieved for the holographic rewriting . therefore , the users enjoy the convenient usage equal to other general recording systems capable of random access in the holographic recording and reproducing apparatus of the invention though it is a sequential recording system . it is understood that the foregoing description and accompanying drawings set forth the preferred embodiments of the invention at the present time . various modifications , additions and alternative designs will , of course , become apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the foregoing teachings without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosed invention . thus , it should be appreciated that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments but may be practiced within the full scope of the appended claims . this application is based on a japanese patent application no . 2000 - 332825 which is hereby incorporated by reference . | 6 |
fig1 a to 1 f illustrate the steps of connection between a chip 10 and an antenna 6 . the interconnection assembly formed by the chip 10 and antenna 6 is intended to be inserted in a contactless smart card with ultrafine thickness less than the standard iso thickness , or in any other electronic device having an antenna . for reasons of clarity , the figures and the description which follow refer to a chip and an antenna . however , the present invention also applies to a method of manufacturing a contactless inset circuit containing a plurality of chips and a plurality of antennae . referring to fig1 a , an impression 3 is produced in an insulating support 1 , with a size slightly greater than the size of a chip . the insulating substrate 1 can consist , for example , of plastic sheets made of polyvinyl chloride ( pvc ) or polyethylene ( pe ). according to the embodiment , this impression 3 can be machined in the insulating support 1 or created by gluing or laminating two insulating sheets 1 and 2 on each other , the sheet 1 having an impression 3 in it . these sheets 1 and 2 are preferentially cut to the format of the card or circuit which it is wished to produce . fig1 b illustrates the transfer of a chip 10 into the impression 3 in the sheet 1 . this transfer is effected , with the active face upwards , according to any known technique . the contacts 11 of the chip 10 appear on the surface of the insulating sheet 1 . a preliminary step of the manufacturing method according to the invention consists of forming metallised protrusions 10 on contact pads 11 of the chip 10 . the protrusions 12 are intended to provide the electrical connection between the chip 10 and the antenna 6 . they are consequently necessarily produced from a conductive material . they can for example be produced from gold , or from a polymer material loaded with metallic particles . preferably the protrusions 12 are produced on the two contact pads 11 of the chip 10 in order to be able to produce a connection on conductive areas of the antenna 6 situated at its ends . given that the protrusions 12 are intended to be embedded in the thickness of the antenna 6 , they preferably have a thickness approximately equal to , or slightly less than , that of the antenna . in addition , to allow good penetration of the protrusions 12 into the thickness of the antenna 6 , it is preferred that they have a substantially conical shape . if the edge of the chip 10 is conductive , it is advantageous to effect an insulation of its sides . this step is not necessary when a type of chip 10 is used whose edges are not conductive by nature , and are consequently already insulated . fig1 c and 1 d illustrate a particular method for effecting the insulation of the sides of the chip 10 . according to this embodiment , a sheet 4 is hot laminated on the assembly consisting of insulating sheets and chip . this sheet 4 is advantageously of such a nature as not to adhere to the insulating sheets 1 and 2 defining the impression 3 . it may be envisaged using a lamination mat in place of the sheet 4 . according to a particularity of the invention , the hot lamination on the assembly consisting of insulating sheets and chip , effected by a mat or by a sheet 4 , makes it possible to assist the spreading of the partially melted material of the insulating sheet 4 so as to insulate the sides of the chip 10 . this is because a pouring 13 of the material of the sheet 1 makes it possible to block the gap left between the chip 10 and the impression 3 , slightly larger than the latter . the chip 10 is thus embedded in an insulating substrate consisting of the two sheets 1 and 2 , with the contact pads 11 and its protrusions 12 appearing on the surface of the sheet 1 . according to a variant embodiment , it is possible to effect the insulation of the sides of the chip 10 by the distribution or spraying of an insulating material filling the gap between the edges of the impression 3 and the sides of the chip 10 . referring to fig1 e , an antenna 6 is produced on an insulating support 5 . the insulating support 5 consists for example of a plastic sheet to a format of the smart card or of the circuit to be produced . it may for example be composed of polyvinyl chloride ( pvc ) or polyethylene ( pe ). the antenna 6 is produced from a conductive material able to be softened at the time it is connected to the chip 10 , to allow better penetration of the protrusions 12 . its shape is of little importance , and may for example represent a spiral or any other pattern . a first embodiment consists of producing the antenna 2 from a thermoplastic material containing metallic particles . the antenna is formed in this case by screen printing with conductive ink based on thermoplastic . the metallic particles consist for example of small balls of silver . the sheet 5 is hot laminated on the sheets 1 and 2 the addition of heat softens the thermoplastic material constituting the antenna 6 , and the lamination facilitates the penetration of the protrusions 12 in the thickness of the antenna with a view to effecting the connection of the chip 10 to the antenna 6 . when the lamination operation is terminated , the interconnection assembly obtained is left to cool in ambient air to enable the material of the antenna to regain its solid state and its initial shape . the thermoplastic antenna generally has adhesive properties during its softening which make it possible to fix the chip . in a variant embodiment , the antenna 6 is produced from a conductive thermosetting polymer material , that is to say one containing metallic particles . in this case , it is ensured that the antenna material is not polymerised before the step of connecting the chip to the antenna , so that this material is in a viscous state . the hot lamination then on the one hand facilitates the penetration of the protrusions 12 into the thickness of the material of the antenna 6 , and on the other hand polymerises the thermosetting material constituting the antenna 6 in order to harden it . fig1 f illustrates the interconnection assembly obtained by the method according to the present invention . by virtue of the manufacturing method according to the invention , it is possible to manufacture electronic devices such as labels or contactless smart cards with ultrafine thickness . the thickness of the device obtained is in fact equal to the sum of the thicknesses of the three plastic sheets 1 , 2 and 5 , and of the antenna 6 , the chip 10 being embedded in the sheet 1 , and the protrusions 12 being embedded in the thickness of the antenna 6 . in addition , the protrusions 12 being completely embedded in the thickness of the antenna 6 , there is no risk of their being damaged by mechanical stresses . the interconnection assembly obtained therefore has very good mechanical strength and increased life . in addition , it is possible , using the method of the present invention , not to work solely to the format of a card , but to a larger format and then to cut out a plurality of cards . it is thus possible , in a single operation , to connect a matrix of chips to a matrix of antennae and to effect their insetting . the method according to the invention , implemented using large insulating sheets 1 , 2 , 5 , allows a precise positioning of the sheets with respect to each other , and therefore a precise positioning of the contact pads on the chips with respect to the connection pads on the antennae . | 7 |
other characteristics and advantages of the invention will appear in the following description , with reference to the figure of the appended drawing . this description is given purely as an illustration and is not limiting . the sole figure is a flowchart summarizing the steps of a particular implementation of a method according to the invention . for simplification , the term “ image ” is used to denote the photographic images captured by the camera and also to denote the digital data or digital file corresponding to the image . a first step 10 of the method comprises the capture of a first image 12 . the image is captured in response to a shot release and corresponds to a framing and shooting field defined by the user . the framing , more or less fortuitous , can be controlled using the camera &# 39 ; s viewer or a small control screen . the shooting field is also determined by the user who can move closer or further from the scene to be photographed or can use the adjustment of the camera &# 39 ; s zoom . the zoom acts on the focal length , based on the lens &# 39 ; s field of view . the image supplied by the camera &# 39 ; s image sensor 13 is sent to a central processing unit 14 where it is analyzed to extract the interest zones 16 a , 16 b . as previously mentioned this means determining zones having strong spatial gradients of light intensity in the image , to detect faces , or predetermined forms , etc . however , it is also possible to look for zones 19 of uniform color or low contrast , and to retain zones complementary to these as interest zones . the step of automatically looking for interest zones is shown on the figure as reference 20 . it enables , in the illustrated example , two interest zones to be determined corresponding to a face and a tree . the zones are shown on the figure by a dot - and - dash line . for each of the interest zones detected , additional shots 22 a and 22 b , respectively , are made automatically . the second images captured have references 24 a and 24 b . although the frame of second images does not necessarily correspond with the whole field of the image supplied by the sensor , it surrounds the interest zone which thus profits from larger optical enlargement because of the increase in focal length and the reduction of the field of view of the lens . indeed , the camera 13 is equipped with a lens 26 with variable focal length and possibly variable optical axis . this lens is controlled by the central processing unit 14 , in response to the detection of interest zones , so as to tighten the framing , and thus the shooting field , around each of the interest zones detected . the second images 24 a , 24 b are captured . actuators modifying the lens axis or the orientation of an optical wedge can also be controlled by the central processing unit 14 . the purpose of this is to point the optical axis to the interest zones , so as to center the framing on these zones during the capture of the second images . as far as the maximum focal length available allows , the interest zones are captured “ full frame ” so as to occupy the greatest possible surface area on the image sensor . this measure enables the maximum useful digital data corresponding to the interest zones to be obtained . the data of the first image 12 and the second images 24 a and 24 b are collected by the central processing unit 14 to establish in a last step 30 a composite image 32 in which the digital data of the interest zones 16 a , 16 b of the first image are replaced by the digital data of the second images 24 a and 24 b . the replacement is performed following the adjustment of the dimensions of the images 24 a , 24 b . the composite image 32 finally obtained thus has zones of lower resolution and zones of higher resolution . the latter correspond to the interest zones . when the composite image finally obtained is enlarged , it remains highly detailed in the interest zones . thus , and despite a more limited resolution around the interest zones , enlargement of the image 32 does not prejudice its overall apparent quality . thus the image can be displayed on a large screen , or be the subject of a photographic hardcopy . an appropriate analysis of the geometrical and / or colorimetric differences between the images 16 a and 24 a as well as 16 b and 24 b enables , if necessary , the images 24 a and 24 b to be modified to produce a composite image 32 of optimal quality . indeed , an additional step 28 , prior to creating the final composite image , can comprise various formatting operations of the data of the second images captured . one of these operations consists , for example , in recalculating a prior position of the iconic content of the second images to correct any movement due to the displacement of the iconic content or any movement by the camera user . the operation comprises , for example , the establishment of displacement vectors obtained from the two images , adjusted to the same baseline and resolution , representing the same interest area and corresponding respectively to one of the second images and the related area in the first image . there then follows a point - by - point correction phase of the second images , or possibly the first image . the degree of correction depends directly on the amplitude and direction of the previously estimated displacement vectors . the operation can also comprise the shift of the iconic elements of the second images en bloc in order to best superimpose them on the corresponding iconic elements of the interest zones of the first image . this can take place by minimizing a correlation function between the interest zones of the first and second images . the additional step 28 can also be used to possibly remove second images which turn out to be accidentally out - of - focus or whose iconic contents are accidentally too different from that of the first image to allow insertion . in this case the data of the corresponding interest zone of the first image are conserved in the final image . in the figure , the camera 13 is represented as a photographic camera . however , it can be replaced by any digital camera equipment and especially by a phonecam that includes the functions mentioned . ( 4 ) “ super - resolution image reconstruction ” ieee signal processing magazine 1053 / 5888 / 03 may 2003 pages 21 - 36 ( 6 ) ming - hsuan yang , david kriegman , and narendra ahuja , “ detecting faces in images : a survey ”, ieee transactions on pattern analysis and machine intelligence ( pami ), vol . 24 , no . 1 , pp . 34 - 58 , 2002 . ( 7 ) jiebo luo , amit singhal , stephen r etz , robert t gray , “ a computational approach to determination of main subject regions in photographs ”, image and vision computing , 2001 | 7 |
in the following description , numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention . however , it will become obvious to those skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details . the descriptions and representations herein are the common means used by those experienced or skilled in the art to most effectively convey the substance of their work to others skilled in the art . in other instances , well - known methods , procedures , components , and circuitry have not been described in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring aspects of the present invention . reference herein to “ one embodiment ” or “ an embodiment ” means that a particular feature , structure , or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment can be included in at least one embodiment of the invention . the appearances of the phrase “ in one embodiment ” in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment , nor are separate or alternative embodiments mutually exclusive of other embodiments . further , the order of blocks in process flowcharts or diagrams representing one or more embodiments of the invention do not inherently indicate any particular order nor imply any limitations in the invention . to facilitate the description of the present invention , it deems necessary to provide definitions for some terms that will be used throughout the disclosure herein . it should be noted that the definitions following are to facilitate the understanding and describe the present invention according to an embodiment . the definitions may appear to include some limitations with respect to the embodiment , the actual meaning of the terms has applicability well beyond such embodiment , which can be appreciated by those skilled in the art : design variable is defined as any quantity or choice directly under the control of the designer . in structural design , plate thickness , loading direction , dimension of a components are the exemplary design variables . design experiment is defined as a structural configuration with specific combination of design variables . it usually denotes the specific combination as follows : x =& lt ; x 1 , x 2 . . . x n & gt ;. bifurcation is defined as a solution splitting into two or more valid solutions . buckling is a structure failure due to instability . buckling is a well known bifurcation in structural mechanics . metamodel is an approximation to the behavior of a model such as fea model . it may be derived from a number of techniques such as least squares fitting , taylor series expansion , neural net , kriging approximations , etc . the present invention uses least squares fitting to create a metamodel or a response surface . outlier is defined as an observation whose value differs from the value expected or predicted for the specific combination of design variable values ( i . e ., a specific design experiment ). the expected or predicted value of the observation is computed using a metamodel . the actual value of the observation is computed using fea software . standard deviation is the standard statistical term used to represent the dispersion of the sample . range is the difference between the maximum and minimum value of a fea response of an outlier . embodiments of the present invention are discussed herein with reference to fig1 - 7 . however , those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the detailed description given herein with respect to these figures is for explanatory purposes as the invention extends beyond these limited embodiments . referring now to the drawings , fig1 shows a flow chart for the present invention . at 110 , a plurality of finite element analyses ( fea ) is conducted for a plurality of structural design experiments each with a specific combination of design variables values ( e . g ., a set of different car crash simulations with different crash angles , a set of different wall thickness of a tubular column ). at 120 , a plurality of metamodels is constructed using the fea solutions obtained in 110 . any fea solution components can be used to construct a metamodel . in one embodiment , the metamodels are based on the nodal displacement . in another embodiment , the metamodels are based on the acceleration time history . the metamodel constructed with the least squares fitting technique is called a response surface . at 130 , the outliers are identified . the fea solutions that are not expected or predicted by the metamodel are classified as outliers . outliers are the high likelihood candidates for bifurcation . finally , one can verify the bifurcation by examining the fea solutions . in one embodiment , two following tasks are performed to verify the existence of bifurcation in a fea solution : 1 ) identify the region having high standard deviation has the higher likelihood of solution bifurcation by plotting the indicating quantity of the fea responses of the outliers on a fea model mesh at 160 ; 2 ) examine the fea solution for the maximum and the minimum outlier — the bifurcation can be identified easily with the fea solutions of two extreme cases at 170 . in one embodiment , the indicating quantity may be the standard deviation . in another embodiment the indicating quantity is the range . fig2 shows an exemplary plot of a plurality of design experiments 230 basing on two design variables , x 1 210 and x 2 220 . each design experiment 230 has a specific combination of design variables x =& lt ; x 1 , x 2 & gt ; in this case . there is no limit on the number of the design variables . the general form of design variable is as follows : x =& lt ; x 1 , x 2 , . . . x n & gt ;. the finite element analysis ( fea ) is conducted for each of all design experiments 230 . the corresponding fea responses obtained from a plurality of design experiments are plotted in fig3 . the exemplary x - y plot has a vertical axis 360 to represent the fea responses and a horizontal axis 370 representing a design variable value . in one embodiment , the fea response may be one of the six components of the nodal displacement . in another embodiment , the fea responses may be acceleration time history . referring now to fig4 , the metamodel 410 and outliers 420 are illustrated and superimposed on the exemplary x - y plot in fig3 . the enlarged circle 430 shows that outliers 420 are those design experiments whose value are not predicted by the metamodel 410 . in one embodiment , the metamodel is called a response surface which is constructed using the least squares fitting technique . the metamodel is used to approximate average expected fea responses . depending on which fea responses of interest , the metamodel may be nodal displacement or acceleration time history . the fea responses of outliers are far away from the expected value predicted by the metamodel ; therefore outliers are the high likelihood candidates for bifurcation . one can plot an indicating quantity of the fea responses of outliers to identify the region of bifurcation . the indicating quantity may be standard deviation of particular fea responses of the outliers in one embodiment . in another embodiment , the range of particular fea responses may be the quantity . we now refer to fig5 , which shows a nodal displacement plot of standard deviation of outliers on a three dimensional fea mesh model . the region 510 shows high standard deviation indicating high likelihood of bifurcation , while the region 520 shows the responses are due to design variable changes because the standard deviation is in a normal range . engineers may examine the fea results of two extreme cases to verify the bifurcation . to show an exemplary maximum outlier , we now refer back to fig4 . the fea response at 420 is a maximum outlier in this case . the minimum outlier is one of the responses on the metamodel 410 . to further illustrate the different buckling modes for two extreme cases , fig6 shows one buckling mode in maximum outlier 610 and another one in minimum outlier 620 . with reference now to fig7 , a block diagram illustrates a computing device 700 in which the present invention may be implemented , and in which code or instructions implementing the processes of the present invention may be located . the exemplary computer system in fig7 is discussed only for descriptive purposes . it should not be considered a limitation of the invention . although the following descriptions related to a particular computer system , the concepts apply equally to other computer systems that are dissimilar to that shown in fig7 . computer system 700 includes at least one processor 710 and main random access memory ( ram ) 720 connecting to a local bus 705 through a bridge 715 . additional connections to local bus 705 may be made through direct component interconnection or through add - in boards . in the depicted example , network adapter 725 , small computer system interface ( scsi ) adapter 730 , and expansion bus interface 735 are directly connected to local bus 705 . in contrast , audio adapter 740 , graphics adapter 745 , and video adapter 750 are connected to local bus 705 by add - in boards inserted into expansion slots . expansion bus interface 735 provides a connection for a keyboard and mouse adapter 755 , modem 760 , and additional memory 765 . scsi adapter 730 provides a connection for hard disk drive 770 , tape drive 775 , and cd - rom drive 780 . in order to communicate with other computer systems via a network , the computer system 700 connects to the network via network adapter 725 . the network , internet or intranet , connects multiple network devices utilizing general purpose communication lines . those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the hardware shown in fig7 may vary depending on the implementation . other internal hardware or peripheral devices , such as flash rom ( or equivalent nonvolatile memory ) or optical disk drives and the like , may be used in addition to or in lieu of the hardware depicted in fig7 . also , the processes of the present invention may be applied to a multiprocessor computer system . in general , computer system 700 is controlled and coordinated by operating system ( os ) software , which performs tasks such as process scheduling , memory management , networking and i / o services . exemplary os includes linux ™, microsoft windows ™. although an exemplary embodiment of invention has been disclosed , it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made to achieve the advantage of the invention . it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that some components may be substituted with another component providing same function . the appended claims cover the present invention . | 6 |
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