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the following discussion of the embodiments of the invention directed to a system and method for making payments using onboard vehicle wireless communication technologies is merely exemplary in nature , and is in no way intended to limit the invention or its applications or uses . wireless communication systems have become an important part of everyday life . modern vehicles have embraced this trend by incorporating onboard wireless communication systems — both systems which are fully embedded in the vehicle and systems which can link with portable consumer electronic devices carried by a driver or passenger . integrated cell phones and satellite - based safety and information systems are common in many vehicles today . other relatively new technologies known as dedicated short range communications ( dsrc ) and near field communication ( nfc ) are also beginning to penetrate the vehicle market . dedicated short range communications ( dsrc ) are one - way or two - way short - range to medium - range wireless communication channels specifically designed for automotive use . regulatory authorities in the united states , europe , and elsewhere have allocated a bandwidth spectrum in the 5 . 9 ghz ( gigahertz , or 10 9 cycles / second ) frequency band for dsrc , to be used by the intelligent transportation systems ( its ). the decision to use the spectrum in the 5 . 9 ghz frequency range is due to its spectral environment and propagation characteristics , which are suited for vehicular environments . waves propagating in this spectrum can offer high data rate communications for suitably long distances , up to 1000 meters , with low weather dependence . dsrc can be used in both public safety and private operations , in vehicle - to - vehicle and vehicle - to - infrastructure communication environments . dsrc is meant to be a complement to cellular communications by providing very high data transfer rates in circumstances where minimizing latency in the communication link and isolating relatively small communication zones are important . alternatively , standard wi - fi systems can be used in place of the dsrc for many applications with only a minor reduction in overall system performance . another wireless technology which is rapidly gaining acceptance is near field communication ( nfc ). nfc is a very - short - range wireless connectivity technology that evolved from a combination of existing contactless identification and interconnection technologies . products with built - in nfc can simplify the way consumer devices interact with one another , helping speed connections , receive and share information , and make fast and secure payments . operating at 13 . 56 mhz ( megahertz , or 10 6 cycle / sec ), and transferring data at up to 424 kilo - bits per second , nfc provides intuitive , simple , and safe communication between electronic devices . nfc is both a “ read ” and “ write ” technology . communication between two nfc - compatible devices occurs when they are brought within about two to four centimeters of one another . a simple wave or touch can establish an nfc connection , which is then compatible with other known wireless technologies , such as bluetooth , wi - fi , or dsrc . the underlying layers of nfc technology follow universally implemented standards of the international organization for standardization ( iso ) and other standards organizations . because the transmission range is so short , nfc - enabled transactions are inherently secure . also , physical proximity of the device to the reader gives users the reassurance of being in control of the process . nfc can be used with a variety of devices , from mobile phones that enable payment or transfer information to digital cameras that send their photos to a tv set with just a touch . nfc read - only tags are very inexpensive , and are small enough to be placed almost anywhere . the nfc tag is a passive device with no internal power source of its own . when an nfc tag is used , a user passes an nfc enabled reader / writer device near the nfc tag , or vice versa . a small amount of power is taken by the nfc tag from the reader / writer to power the tag electronics . the tag is then enabled to transfer a small amount of information to the reader / writer . many bluetooth enabled devices , such as cell phones , now include nfc reader / writer capability , and contactless “ smart ” credit and debit cards may include an nfc read - only tag which contains account information . in any typical purchase transaction , a consumer must present some form of payment to a retailer from whom the consumer is purchasing a product or service . the payment could be in the form of cash , a credit or debit card , a mobile phone with fund transfer capability , or otherwise . however , the goal of the present invention is to avoid the direct face - to - face interaction between the consumer and the retailer , to allow the consumer to remain within his or her vehicle , to securely authorize a payment through the vehicle &# 39 ; s information systems , while the vehicle is moving or is stationary , and allow the vehicle to wirelessly conduct a payment transaction with the retailer . fig1 is a block diagram of a vehicle - to - infrastructure architecture 10 . the consumer would provide a source of funds in the form of a contactless smart card 12 , or a mobile phone 14 , which includes fund transfer capability . the contactless smart card 12 is a credit or debit card with a built - in electronic chip or tag which enables wireless transfer of account information , usually using either radio frequency identification ( rfid ) or near field communication ( nfc ) technology . the mobile phone 14 can include fund transfer capability in one of at least two possible modes — including making purchases through an account with the wireless carrier , and using the phone as a surrogate for a regular credit card , debit card , or other secure element 16 . in either case , the mobile phone 14 can serve as a source of funds to complete a purchase . the phone 14 must have nfc capability in the form of an nfc transceiver 18 . onboard a vehicle 20 , an nfc reader 22 is needed to wirelessly read the payment account information from either the smart card 12 or the phone 14 . the vehicle 20 can store the payment account information in memory 24 , for later use if appropriate . the vehicle 20 must also be equipped with a radio transceiver , such as a dsrc radio 26 , for wirelessly communicating with the public or private infrastructure . it is envisioned that dsrc transceivers will be standard equipment in many vehicles in the near future , to allow the vehicles to take advantage of intelligent transportation system capabilities . in another embodiment , the wireless transceiver could be a wi - fi radio 28 , or some other type of radio . the dsrc radio 26 can communicate with any entity which has its own dsrc communications capability or is connected to the dsrc infrastructure 30 , including both public services and private enterprises . these entities , shown generically as a seller 32 , could include retailers such as fast food restaurants , public infrastructure pay points such as toll booths , or any other operation which is set up for drive - thru payment for goods or services . fig2 shows the vehicle 20 approaching a toll booth 34 which represents the seller 32 described previously . fig3 is a flow chart diagram 40 showing the communication between the vehicle 20 and the toll booth 34 . at box 42 , the toll booth 34 recognizes the vehicle 20 approaching with dsrc capability . at box 44 , the toll booth 34 anticipates the customer &# 39 ; s intent to pass through the toll booth 34 , based on the vehicle &# 39 ; s position and velocity . at box 46 the toll booth 34 notifies the vehicle 20 of the cost of passage . this communication would take place between the dsrc infrastructure 30 and the vehicle &# 39 ; s dsrc radio 26 . the vehicle 20 would then notify the customer of the payment request at box 48 . the driver would authorize the payment if so desired at box 50 , the payment transaction would be completed wirelessly at box 52 , and the vehicle 20 would be permitted passage through the toll booth 34 without stopping . the toll authority would then process the payment transaction with the appropriate credit card company , just as would be done for any other credit card purchase . although systems are currently available which allow automatic payment of road and bridge tolls , these systems require a dedicated hardware device onboard the vehicle . a key advantage to the present invention is that it eliminates the need for extra purpose - dedicated hardware , and instead leverages the dsrc and other systems already onboard the vehicle . other use cases can be readily envisioned . examples include automatic payment for entrance to parks , and payment for drive - thru food purchases without the customer having to handle cash or even lower a window , which is an advantage for personal security or comfort in the case of adverse outside weather conditions . all of these use cases would take advantage of the existing dsrc communication capabilities of the vehicle to make payment transactions faster and easier for the driver . fig4 is a partial interior view of the vehicle 20 , showing how a driver would interact with the onboard systems to approve a payment . in the flow chart diagram 40 described previously , a point is reached where the vehicle 20 must notify the customer of a payment request , and the customer must authorize the payment . a touch - screen information system and display 60 , of the type commonly found on modern vehicles , displays the payment request information as shown . the content of the display could vary based on the type of purchase , but at a minimum the display would include the amount of the payment request , and touch - screen buttons to accept or decline the payment . in addition , the customer must provide a source of funds . as described previously , either the smart card 12 or the phone 14 could be used for this purpose . the card 12 or the phone 14 must have nfc capability to transmit its charge account information . the card 12 or the phone 14 would be waved past the nfc reader 22 , which would be placed in a convenient location in the vehicle interior or even behind the touch - screen display 60 itself . the combination of accepting the payment request on the touch - screen display 60 , and waving the card 12 or the phone 14 past the nfc reader 22 , would serve as customer authorization of the payment . at that point , the vehicle 20 would send payment authorization to the seller , and the transaction would be completed . it would also be possible for the customer to set up an account with an allocation of funding , and this account would be pre - approved for a prescribed type of purchase transaction . this method could be used by a driver who regularly passes through a certain toll booth , or who regularly parks in a certain parking lot or garage , for example . with this method , no waving of the card 12 or the phone 14 past the nfc reader 22 is required for each individual payment , since the funding has already been allocated . pre - approvals could be established with a total account funding allocation , a per - transaction limit , and other parameters . in the simplest case , no customer action at all would be required for an individual payment , as the touch - screen 60 would simply display the amount of a current charge , along with account balance information . when setting up a pre - approved account , the customer could also elect to be prompted to accept or decline each payment request , as shown previously on the screen 60 . the foregoing discussion discloses and describes merely exemplary embodiments 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 spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the following claims . | 7 |
hereinafter , the preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the appended drawings . fig1 is a perspective view of an example of an ink jet recording head in this first embodiment . fig2 is a sectional view of the ink jet recording head shown in fig1 . fig2 ( a ) and 2 ( b ) are sectional views at planes parallel to the widthwise and lengthwise directions , respectively , of the ink jet recording head . referring to fig1 , the ink jet recording head 20 in this embodiment comprises a substrate 1 formed of a piece of a single crystal of silicon , and an orifice plate 3 having a plurality of ejection orifices and solidly glued to the substrate 1 . the substrate 1 has : a common liquid chamber 9 from which ink is supplied to the ejection orifices ; and a beam 1 a which is on the back side of the substrate 1 , being inside the common liquid chamber 9 . referring to fig2 , the common liquid chamber 9 extends from one end of the substrate 1 to the other . the orientation of the side walls ( internal wall ) of the common liquid chamber 9 formed of a single crystal of silicon ( substrate 1 ) matches that of the ( 111 ) face of the silicon crystal . more specifically , the common liquid chamber 9 is formed by isotropically etching the substrate 1 so that the top and bottom sides of its side walls , which are parallel to the ( 111 ) face of the silicon crystal , meet at the center of the substrate 1 in terms of the thickness direction ( direction z in drawing ) of the substrate 1 . thus , the common liquid chamber 9 is shaped so that the closer to the center of the substrate 1 , in terms of the thickness direction of the substrate 1 , the wider ; the common liquid chamber 9 is widest at the center of the substrate 1 in terms of the thickness direction of the substrate 1 . referring to fig2 , the beam 1 a is a structural member for reinforcing the entirety of the ink jet recording head . the beam 1 a has a roughly triangular cross section , and its bottom surface , that is , one of its three lateral surfaces , coincides with the back surface of the substrate 1 . there is no limit for the number of the beam 1 a ; two or more beams 1 a may be provided . the ink jet recording head 20 in the drawing is provided with only one beam 1 a . the beam 1 a is formed so that it extends in the y direction in the drawing , which is parallel to the front and rear surfaces of the substrate 1 , and is supported by the substrate 1 , by both of its lengthwise ends . the other two of the three lateral surfaces of the beam 1 a , that is , the two surfaces on the top side , face the common liquid chamber 9 , and there are parallel to the ( 111 ) face of the silicon crystal . referring to fig2 ( b ), the height of the beam 1 a , that is , the measurement of the beam 1 a in terms of the thickness direction ( z direction in drawing ) of the substrate 1 is set to be less than the thickness of the substrate 1 . in other words , the two surfaces of the beam 1 a on the top side constitute parts of the walls of the common liquid chamber 9 , the top side of which is open as an ink supplying hole . the bottom surface of the beam 1 a is covered with a protective layer 14 formed of a substance resistant to alkalis . further , the beam 1 a is provided with a projection 14 a ( protective member ), which is formed of the same substance as the material for the protective layer 14 , and extends in the direction perpendicular to the bottom surface of the beam 1 a . the top end of the projection 14 a roughly coincides with the top ( peak ) of the beam 1 a . more precisely , the projection 14 a extends slightly beyond the peak of the beam 1 a . firstly , this beam protecting layer 14 and projection 14 a have the effect of preventing the beam 1 a from being etched from its peak during the formation of the common liquid chamber 9 , which will be described later . secondly , they prevent the beam 1 a from being corroded from the peak , by ink . the above described ink jet recording head 20 in the first embodiment of the present invention is provided with a beam 1 a ( reinforcement structure ), which is in the common liquid chamber 9 . therefore , the it is greater in mechanical strength than an ink jet recording head in accordance with the prior art . thus , even if the ink supplying opening is substantially increased in length , the substrate 1 is prevented by the beam 1 a from deforming . therefore , it does not occur that the ejection orifices deviate in position due to the deformation of the substrate 1 . further , the two lateral surfaces of the beam 1 a , on the top side , are parallel to the ( 111 ) face of the silicon , being slower in the rate at which they are etched by water solution of alkali . in other words , the beam 1 a is less likely to be corroded by alkaline ink . therefore , the ink jet recording head 20 is superior in terms of corrosion resistance . a beam such as the above described reinforcement beam 1 a , and the manufacturing method therefor , are useful for various microscopic structures provided with such a beam , in particular , when an anisotropic etching method is used for the manufacturing process for a given microscopic structure . referring to fig1 or 2 ( b ), the ink jet recording head 20 is structured so that the ink supplying opening 2 of its common liquid chamber 9 is on the top surface side of the substrate 1 . therefore , the ejection orifices ( unshown ) are uniform in the distance from the ink supplying opening 2 . in addition , this distance is relatively short . therefore , the problematically slow ink refill attributable to the length of the ink passages ( distance ) is not likely to occur . further , the side walls of the common liquid chamber 9 are parallel to the ( 111 ) face of the silicon substrate 1 . therefore , it is not likely to be corroded by the alkaline ink , making the ink jet recording head superior in corrosion resistance . referring to fig2 , in the case of the ink jet recording head 20 , in terms of the cross section parallel to the top and bottom surfaces of the substrate 1 , the common liquid chamber 9 is greater at the mid point of the common liquid chamber 9 , in terms of the thickness direction of the substrate 1 , than the sum of the openings of the common liquid chamber 9 located at the bottom surface of the substrate 1 . in comparison , in the case of an ink jet recording head in accordance with the prior art , the common liquid chamber 9 is trapezoidal in vertical cross section , being wider at the bottom ; in other words , it gradually reduces in horizontal cross section starting from the bottom side . therefore , in order to increase the volume of the common liquid chamber 9 , the common liquid chamber 9 had to be increased in the size of its bottom opening . in the case of this ink jet recording head 20 , however , the common liquid chamber 9 is as large in volume as that of an ink jet recording head in accordance the prior art , while being smaller in the size of its bottom opening . in other words , the back side portion of the substrate 1 remains intact by a greater amount than in the case of the ink jet recording head in accordance with the prior art , leaving a greater portion of the substrate 1 as the area to which the liquid passage plate ( fig3 ) is glued . next , referring to fig3 , what occurs as the ink jet recording head in accordance with the present invention is solidly bonded to the liquid passage plate , and the effects thereof , will be described in detail . fig3 is a schematic drawing for describing the increase in the mechanical strength of the ink jet recording head attributable to the provision of the beam 1 a . the ink jet recording head in fig3 ( a ) is virtually identical in structure to the ink jet recording head 20 shown in fig2 , and is provided with a beam 1 a , which is located on the back side of the substrate 1 . the ink jet recording head in fig3 ( b ) is also provided with a beam 1 b , which is located roughly in the middle of the head in its thickness direction . both the ink jet recording heads in fig3 ( a ) and 3 ( b ) are pasted to the corresponding liquid passage plates 15 , respectively , formed of resin . as the glue for bonding the ink jet recording heads to the corresponding liquid passage plates 15 , adhesive made of thermosetting resin is used . since the ink jet recording heads are bonded to the liquid passage plates with the use of adhesive made of thermosetting resin , the liquid passage plate gradually contracts as its temperature returns to the normal one after the bonding . since the material for the substrate 1 is silicon , whereas the material of the liquid passage plate is resin , a substantial amount of shearing stress is generated between the substrate 1 and liquid passage plate 15 , and this stress sometimes causes the substrate 1 to deform or break . to compare in structure the ink jet recording head in fig3 ( a ) and ink jet recording head in fig3 ( b ), in the case of the head in fig3 ( a ), one of the lateral surfaces of the beam 1 a coincides with the back surface of the substrate 1 . therefore , the head in fig3 ( a ) is greater in the size of the area by which it is bonded to the liquid passage plate 15 than the head in fig3 ( b ), being therefore more resistant to the abovementioned shearing stress . regardless of the presence or absence of shearing stress , being greater in the size of the bonding area is desirable from the standpoint of increase in bond strength . in comparison , in the case of the ink jet recording head in fig3 ( b ), the head is greater in strength compared to the one which is not provided with the beam 1 b . however , compared to the head in fig3 ( a ), it is smaller in the size of the bonding area , being therefore less resistant to the shearing stress . hereinafter , the manufacturing methods for the reinforcement beam for an ink jet recording head , and an ink jet recording head , in accordance with the present invention will be described with reference to the second to seventh embodiments of the present invention . in the following embodiments of the present invention , in order to simplify the descriptions thereof , the structural components , members , portions , etc ., identical in function , will be given the same referential symbols as those given in fig1 and 2 , and will not be described in detail . further , the heat generating members , wiring for driving the heat generating members , and ink passages to the ejection orifices , which are on the substrate , in the following embodiments , will not be illustrated , and the steps for forming the heat generating members and wiring will not be described . first , referring to fig4 and 5 , “ angular etching method ”, or the technology to be used in the seventh embodiment , that is , the method for etching a substrate at an angle relative to the primary surface of the substrate , will be described . fig4 is a schematic drawing of the apparatus used for performing “ angularly etching method ” used for the ink jet head manufacturing method in accordance with the present invention . fig5 is a sectional view of the substrate 1 etched by such an etching method . the etching apparatus 30 , shown in fig4 , for angularly etching the substrate 1 comprises : an ordinary etching apparatus , which uses plasma to etch an object in a vacuum container 32 for forming a vacuumed space ; and a jig ( holder ) 31 placed in the ordinary etching apparatus in order to hold an object ( substrate 1 ) at an angle . the etching apparatus 30 is structured so that the plasma generated in the plasma generating portion 33 , in the upper portion of the internal space of the vacuum container 32 advances downward . the object is etched in the direction in which the plasma advances . the substrate holding jig 31 is structured so that it can hold the object ( substrate 1 ) at an angle of árelative to the plasma advancement direction . the substrate 1 covered with a mask 11 is placed on the substrate holding jig 31 as shown in the drawing , and plasma is generated to etch the substrate 1 . as the plasma advances , the substrate 1 is etched at an angle , as shown in fig5 , by the plasma which comes into contact with the substrate 1 through the hole 18 of the mask 11 . as a result , a groove 19 is formed . the side walls of the groove 19 hold the angle of árelative to the primary surface of the substrate 1 , and the groove 19 is roughly uniform in width ( w ). the substrate 1 formed of silicon can be etched at a predetermined angle with the use of atoms of any of carbon , chloride , sulfur , fluorine , oxygen , hydrogen , and argon , or reactive gaseous molecules of any of the preceding elements . next , referring to fig6 and 7 , the method for manufacturing the ink jet recording head and the reinforcement beam therefor , in the first embodiment of the present invention will be described . the manufacturing method , which will be described next , is the manufacturing method for the ink jet recording head 21 shown in fig6 ( i ). the ink jet recording head 21 comprises a substrate 1 , and an orifice plate 3 having a plurality of ejection orifices ( unshown ) and placed on the substrate 1 , as does the ink jet recording head shown in fig1 - 3 . the substrate 1 of the ink jet recording head 21 is provided with three reinforcement beams 1 a similar in configuration to the one shown in fig2 ( b ). the common liquid chamber 9 extends from one end of the substrate 1 to the other , and has one opening ( ink supplying hole 2 ), which faces the front side of the substrate 1 . the ink supplying hole 2 is connected to the ink passages ( unshown ) on the inward side of the orifice plate 3 . with the provision of this structural arrangement , the ink supplied from the common liquid chamber 9 is supplied to each of the ejection orifices ( unshown ) through the corresponding ink passage . the side walls of the common liquid chamber 9 are formed of the same substance as that of which the substrate 1 is formed , and are parallel to the ( 111 ) face of the substrate material . on the front and back surfaces of the substrate 1 , there partially remain the layers used during some of the manufacturing steps . the back surface of the substrate 1 is covered with a beam protecting layer 14 , and the front surface of the substrate 1 is covered with the passivation layer 12 , which is between the substrate 1 and orifice plate 3 . the passivation layer 12 is a layer needed during the formation of the ink passages 6 , and is resistant to certain types of etching . the ink jet recording head 21 structured as described above is manufactured through the following steps . first , a precursor 21 a such as the one shown in fig6 ( a ) is formed . the precursor 21 a comprises : the substrate 1 ; the passivation layer 12 formed on the front ( top ) surface of the substrate 1 ; a dissolvable resin layer 13 partially covering the passivation layer 12 ; and the orifice plate 3 placed on the passivation layer 12 in a manner of covering the dissolvable resin layer 13 . the precursor 21 a also comprises a first mask 11 a having three holes 18 a and placed on the back surface of the substrate 1 . the distances among the three holes 18 a have been adjusted so that they roughly match the width of the bottom surface of the beam 1 a . to describe in more detail , the precursor 21 a is formed through the following steps . first , a silicon substrate is prepared , which has a predetermined thickness , and the primary surface of which is parallel to the ( 100 ) face of the silicon crystal . then , the entire surface of the substrate 1 is oxidized using oxidization gas , forming a silicon dioxide layer across both the front ( top ) and back ( bottom ) surfaces of the substrate 1 . then , the silicon dioxide layer is removed in entirety from the back side of the substrate 1 with the use of buffered hydrofluoric acid . during this process , a portion of the layer of the thermally oxidized silicon on the front surface of the substrate 1 , more specifically , the portion corresponding to the ink supplying hole 2 , is removed by the buffered hydrofluoric acid . then , a film of silicon nitride is formed as the passivation layer 12 on the front side of the substrate 1 by lpcvd ( low pressure chemical vapor deposition ). during this process , a silicon nitride film is also formed on the back side of the substrate 1 . however , this silicon nitride film ( unshown ) on the back side is removed ; it can be removed by the etching method which uses reactive gaseous ions of cf 4 , for example . next , the resin layer 13 is formed in the pattern of ink passages ( unshown ), on the passivation layer 12 . next , the orifice plate 3 is solidly attached to the substrate 1 ( passivation layer 12 ), being precisely positioned so that it covers the resin layer 13 . next , the first mask 11 a is formed of photosensitive resist , on the back surface of the substrate 1 , from which silicon is exposed , and the first holes 18 are formed . the precursor 21 a is completed through the above described sequential steps . next , first grooves 19 a are formed as shown in fig6 ( b ). more specifically , first , the substrate 1 is etched with the use of reactive gaseous ions of sf 6 from the back side , to form the first grooves 19 a having a predetermined depth . incidentally , the opposing two lateral surfaces of each first groove 19 a are parallel to each other . thereafter , the first mask 11 a is removed by ashing , which uses o 2 gas . next , silicon nitrate is formed by the plasma cvd , in each first groove 19 a and across the entirety of the back surface of the substrate i , forming the projections 14 a and beam protection layer 14 , as shown in fig6 ( c ). each projection 14 a in fig6 is formed by filling each first groove 19 a with silicon nitride . however , it may be formed by covering the surfaces of each first groove 19 a with silicon nitride ( protective member 14 ) as shown , in enlargement , in fig7 ( a ) and 7 ( b ). fig7 ( a ) is an enlarged sectional view of one of the first grooves 19 a and its adjacencies in the state shown in fig6 ( b ), and fig7 ( b ) is an enlarged sectional view of the first groove 19 a and its adjacencies in the state shown in fig6 ( c ). next , a second mask 11 b is formed of photoresist , on the beam protection layer 14 , and the portions of the beam protection layer 14 exposed through the patterned second mask 11 b are removed with the use of solution , the primary ingredient of which is phosphoric acid , in order to form four second holes 18 b , as shown in fig6 ( d ). next , the substrate 1 is etched from the back side , with the use of reactive gaseous ions of sf 6 , forming four second holes 19 b having a predetermined depth , as shown in fig6 ( e ). the remaining second mask 11 b is removed by ashing , with uses o 2 gas . next , referring to fig6 ( f ), the substrate 1 is anisotropically etched from the walls of each second groove 19 b with the use of water solution of tmah ( tetra - methyl ammonium hydroxide ). as a result , the substrate 1 is etched in a manner to expose the ( 111 ) face of the substrate 1 , leaving the portions 8 a , which are triangular in cross section , above the beams 1 a . next , referring to fig6 ( g ), as this etching process is allowed to continue , only the portions 8 a are etched , whereas the beams 1 a are scarcely etched for the following reason . that is , each beam 1 a has the projection 14 a , which is in the center of the beam 1 a , and once the tip of each projection 14 a is exposed by etching , it prevents the beam 1 a from being etched further . the occurrence of this phenomenon means that the completed beam 1 a is resistant to corrosion ; the beam 1 a is unlikely to be etched , because the tip of the projection 14 a is exposed at the top of the beam 1 a . in the last step , the portions 8 a are entirely removed , leaving only the beams 1 a standing on the back side of the substrate 1 , as shown in fig6 ( h ). as a result , the common liquid chamber 9 , which extends from one end of the substrate 1 to the other , is formed . the opening of the common liquid chamber 9 , on the front side of the substrate 1 , serves as the ink supplying hole 2 . next , the passivation layer 12 is etched away through the ink supplying hole 2 , with the use of the reactive gaseous ions of cf 4 , and the resin layer 13 is dissolved away with the solvent capable of dissolving the resin layer 13 . as a result , ink passages ( unshown ) are formed , as shown in fig6 ( i ) . through the above described sequential steps , the ink jet recording head 21 is manufactured . to describe in more detail , each of the structural portions of the ink jet recording head 21 , and each of the above described steps for manufacturing the ink jet recording head 21 , may be as follows : the configuration and size of the beams 1 a can be controlled by modifying the configurations of the first groove 19 a or second mask 11 b . when a substrate , the primary surface of which is parallel to the ( 100 ) face of the silicon crystal of which the substrate is made , is used to manufacture the ink jet recording head , there is the following relationship between the depth d of the first groove 19 a and the width w of the second mask 11 b , because the angle between the ( 100 ) face and ( 111 ) face is 54 . 7 °: 2 d = wùtan 54 . 70 °. thus , the configuration and size of the beam 1 a can be adjusted by calculating the measurements of the first groove 19 a and second mask 11 b . further , even when a substrate ( 1 ), the primary surface of which is parallel to the ( 110 ) face of the silicon crystal , is used , the configuration and size of the beam 1 a , in which the beam 1 will be after the anisotropic etching , can be controlled based on the angle between the ( 110 ) face and ( 111 ) face of the substrate ( 1 ). further , although the beam 1 a has the beam protection layer 14 and projection 14 a , they may be removed if necessary . the removal of the beam protection layer 14 and projection 14 a makes it possible to divide a single beam 1 a into multiple beams 1 a ( two in the case of ink jet recording head 21 in fig6 ). the material for the first mask 11 a has only to be resistant to the step for forming the first groove 19 a . for example , inorganic film such as thermally oxidized film may be used in place of such organic film as photoresist . as for the etching method for forming the first groove 19 a and second groove 19 b , any of the following methods may be used : wet etching , plasma etching , sputter etching , ion milling , laser abrasion based on excimer laser , yag laser , or the like , sand blasting , etc ., instead of reactive ion etching . the materials for the beam protection layer 14 and projection 14 a do not need to be limited to the aforementioned substances , as long as the substances are resistant to anisotropic etching . in particular , when the beam 1 a having the beam protection layer 14 is formed in an ink jet recording head , it is desired that a substance resistant to ink is selected as the material for the beam protection layer 14 and projection 14 a . as for such materials , there are film of inorganic substance such as metal , oxide , nitride , etc ., and film of organic substance such as resin . more specifically , ti , zr , hf , v , cr , mo , w , mn , co , ni , ru , os , rh , ir , pd , pt , ag , au , ge , silicon compound , and polyether - amide resin , can be used . the beam protection layer 14 and projection 14 a may be formed by thermally oxidizing the surface of the substrate 1 after the formation of the first groove 19 a . further , they may be formed with the use of such film forming methods as vapor deposition , sputtering , plating , spin coating , burr coating , dip coating , etc ., instead of the abovementioned cvd . the material for the passivation layer 12 does not need to be limited to the abovementioned one , as long as it is resistant to the etching method for forming the common liquid chamber 9 . further , in consideration of the fact that the second groove 19 b reaches the passivation layer 12 , the passivation layer 12 needs to be resistant to the etching process for forming the second groove 19 b . as for the method for forming the passivation layer 12 , such a conventional method as the vapor deposition , sputtering , chemical vapor phase epitaxy , plating , or thin film forming technology such as thin film coating , or the like , may be used . as for the etching method for forming the common liquid chamber 9 , the method for anisotropically etching the silicon substrate 1 with the use of water solution of alkali as etchant may be used . instead of tmah , one among such etching liquids as koh , edp , hydrazine , or the like , the etching rate of which are affected by the face orientation of crystal , may be used . in any case , the ink supplying opening 2 can be precisely formed in terms of width ( configuration ) by using an etching method capable of anisotropically etching the silicon crystal . as the method for forming the common liquid chamber 9 which extends through the substrate 1 , a sacrifice layer , the pattern and size of which matches the desired pattern and size of the ink supplying opening 2 , may be formed on the bottom surface of the passivation layer 12 . in such a case , in order to assure that while the silicon substrate 1 is etched for the formation of the common liquid chamber 9 , the sacrifice layer and the silicon ( residual portion ) immediately below the sacrifice layer are simultaneously etched , the sacrifice layer is to be formed of a substance that is isotropically etched by the etching liquid for forming the common liquid chamber 9 . when the abovementioned process is used , in which the sacrifice layer , which determines the shape in which the opening of the common liquid chamber 9 is formed , is formed on the substrate 1 , and then , the passivation layer 12 is formed on the sacrifice layer , it is possible to prevent the problem that when the substrate 1 is etched from the back side thereof , the ink supplying opening of the common liquid chamber 9 is inaccurately formed in shape and size , because of the deviation in the thickness of the substrate 1 , crystalline defects in the silicon crystal of which the substrate 1 is made , deviation in of angle , deviation in the density of the etching liquid , or the like factors ; in other words , it is possible to control the shape and size of the ink supplying hole 2 by controlling the pattern of the sacrifice layer . as the material for the sacrifice layer , various substances , for example , semiconductive substances , dielectric substances , metallic substances , etc ., can be used , as long as they are isotropically etched by the etchant used for anisotropically etching silicon crystal , and also , can be formed into thin film . more specifically , such semiconductors as polycrystalline silicon , porous crystalline silicon , and the like , such a metallic substance as aluminum , such a dielectric substance as zno , and the like , which are dissolvable into water solution of alkali , are preferable . in particular , polycrystalline silicon film is preferable as the material for the sacrifice layer , because it is superior in terms of the compatibility with an lsi process , and is higher in reproducibility . the sacrifice layer may be as thin as the thinnest film formable with the use of a selected material . for example , when the sacrifice layer is formed of polycrystalline silicon , in a thickness of roughly several hundreds of angstroms , the sacrifice layer can be isotropically etched at the same time as the substrate 1 is anisotropically etched . referring to fig8 , the method for manufacturing the ink jet recording head and the reinforcement beam therefor , in another embodiment of the present invention , will be described . the manufacturing method which will be described next is for the ink jet recording head ( unshown ) similar to the ink jet recording head 21 shown in fig6 ( i ) , except that the beam protective layer 14 and projections 14 a of the ink jet recording head in this embodiment are formed of silicon dioxide instead of silicon nitride . the precursor 22 a shown in fig8 ( e ) is identical in configuration to the precursor 21 a shown in fig6 ( c ); the former is different from the latter only in the material for the beam protection layer 14 . thus , the manufacturing steps performed after the step for forming the beam protection layer 14 are the same as the steps performed after the step used for forming the intermediate product shown in fig6 ( d ), and therefore , they will not be described . the process for manufacturing the precursor 22 a is as follows : first , the substrate 1 is prepared , and the first mask 11 a is formed on the back surface of the substrate 1 , as shown in fig8 ( a ), through the same step as the step used for forming the precursor 21 a shown in fig6 ( a ). next , the first grooves 19 a are formed , as shown in fig8 ( b ), through the same step as the step used for forming the intermediate product shown in fig6 ( b ). next , the entirety of the surfaces of the substrate 1 are thermally oxidized with the use of oxidization gas . as a result , not only is a film 14 of silicon dioxide formed on both the front and back surfaces of the substrate 1 , but also , the projection 14 a is formed of silicon dioxide , in each of the first grooves 19 a , as shown in fig8 ( c ). next , the portion of the film 14 on the front surface of the substrate 1 , which corresponds to the ink supplying opening ( unshown ), is removed with the use of buffered hydrofluoric acid , as shown in fig8 ( d ). next , the passivation layer 12 , resin layer 13 , and orifice plate 3 are sequentially formed , as shown in fig8 ( e ), through the same manufacturing steps as those used for preparing the precursor 21 a shown in fig6 ( a ). through the above described sequential steps , the precursor 22 a ( fig8 ( e )), the state of which is virtually identical to that of the precursor 21 a shown in fig6 ( c ), is formed . this precursor 22 a is used to manufacture the ink jet recording head ( unshown ) in this embodiment , through the same steps as those carried out after the step used for forming the intermediate product shown in fig6 ( d ). next , referring to fig9 , the method for manufacturing the ink jet recording head and the reinforcement beam therefor , in another embodiment of the present invention will be described . the manufacturing method which will be described next is for the ink jet recording head ( unshown ), which has the first mask 11 a between the substrate 1 and beam protection film 14 . the process for manufacturing the precursor 23 a shown in fig9 ( e ) is for forming this ink jet recording head ( unshown ), and is in the same state as the state of the precursor 21 a shown in fig6 ( e ), that is , the first mask 11 a has been formed between the substrate 1 and beam protection layer 14 . the manufacturing steps carried out after the step used for forming the intermediate product shown in fig9 ( e ) are the same as those carried out after the step used for forming the intermediate product shown in fig6 ( e ), and therefore , will not be described . first , referring to fig9 ( a ), the precursor 23 a is prepared through the same steps as those used for forming the precursor 21 a shown in fig6 ( a ). the precursor 23 a is identical in configuration to the precursor 21 a shown in fig6 ( a ). however , the first mask 11 a of this precursor 23 a is formed of polyether - amide resin , which is resistant to the anisotropic etching . the first mask 11 a is used as the mask for the anisotropic etching process , which will be described later . next , the first grooves 19 a are formed , as shown in fig9 ( b ), through the same step as the step used for forming the intermediate product shown in fig6 ( b ). next , the projections 14 a are formed of resin inside of each first groove 19 a , and the beam protection film 14 is formed of resin film on the first mask 11 a , by a bar code method , as shown in fig9 ( c ). in the step used for forming the intermediate product shown in fig6 ( c ), which was described in the description of the second embodiment , the projections 14 a and beam protection layer 14 are formed of silicon nitride , with the use of cvd . in comparison , the projections 14 a and beam protection layer 14 in this embodiment are formed of resinous substance as described above . next , the second mask 11 b having the second holes 18 b is formed on the beam protection layer 14 , as shown in fig9 ( d ), through the same steps as those used to form the intermediate product shown in fig6 ( d ). next , the second grooves 19 b are formed , as shown in fig9 ( e ), through the same step as the one used for forming the intermediate product shown in fig6 ( e ). through the above described sequential steps , the precursor 23 a ( fig9 ( e )), the state of which is roughly the same as that of the precursor 21 a shown in fig6 ( e ), is formed . then , the precursor 23 a is used to manufacture the ink jet recording head ( unshown ) in this embodiment through the same steps as the steps carried out after the step used for forming the intermediate product shown in fig6 ( e ). as will be evident from the above description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention , the beam protection layer 14 and projections 14 a can be varied in material . the material for beam protection layer 14 and projections 14 a may be a metallic substance ( pt , for example ), instead of being one of the resins mentioned above . when the beam protection layer 14 and projections 14 a are formed of a metallic substance , they may be formed by sputtering . the shape in which the beam in this embodiment is form can be controlled by modifying the shapes of the beam protection film and projections . next , examples of beams different in shape from the beams in the preceding embodiments will be described . it is possible to form a beam , which is pentagonal in cross section , by adjusting the first grooves in depth , and the width of the bottom of the beam . next , referring to fig1 , the method usable for manufacturing an ink jet recording head , the beams of which are pentagonal in cross section , will be described . the manufacturing method , which will be described next , is for manufacturing the ink jet recording head 24 shown in fig1 ( e ). first , a precursor 24 a in the state shown in fig1 ( a ) is formed through the steps similar to the steps used for forming the intermediate products shown in fig6 ( a ) and 6 ( b ). compared to the grooves 19 a of the precursor 21 a in the state shown in fig6 ( b ), the grooves 19 a of the precursor 24 a in the state shown in fig1 ( a ) are shallower , being 150 μm , for example , in depth . next , the precursor 24 a in the state shown in fig1 ( b ) is formed through the same steps as the steps used to form the precursor 21 a into the states shown in fig6 ( c ) and 6 ( d ). the state of the precursor 24 a shown in fig1 ( b ) is the same as the state of the precursor 21 a shown in fig6 ( d ); in other words , the second holes 18 b have been formed . the distance between the adjacent two holes 18 a , that is , the width of the portion of the mask 11 b for controlling the width of the bottom of each beam 1 c , is 300 μm , for example . next , the second grooves 19 b shown in fig1 ( c ) are formed through the step used for forming the precursor 21 a into the state shown in fig6 ( e ). next , the substrate 1 is anisotropically etched from the walls of each of the second grooves 19 b through the same steps as those used for forming the precursor 21 a into the states shown in fig6 ( f ) and 6 ( g ). as a result , the beams 1 c , shown in fig1 ( d ), which are pentagonal in cross section , are formed . the reason why the beams 1 c are formed so that they become pentagonal in cross section is that the height of each projection 14 a is less than the width of the bottom of the corresponding beam 1 c . in other words , one of the characteristics of the anisotropic etching that the anisotropic etching progresses in the direction of exposing the ( 111 ) face of the silicon crystal , is utilized to form the beams 1 c which are pentagonal in cross section . next , the same step as the step used for forming the precursor 21 a shown in fig6 ( h ) is continued to form the precursor 24 a in the state shown in fig1 ( e ), which has the beams 1 a which are roughly triangular in cross section , and the common liquid chamber 9 . as a result , the ink jet recording head 24 , which is identical in structure to the ink jet recording head 21 shown in fig6 ( i ) , is formed . as will be evident from the description of the preceding embodiments , the shape in which each beam 1 a is formed in terms of cross section can be varied by adjusting in width the corresponding first groove and the width of the beam . next , referring to fig1 , the method for forming beams 1 d , the cross sections of which are in the form of letter w placed upside down , will be described . the manufacturing method which will be described next is for manufacturing the ink jet recording head 25 shown in fig1 ( d ), the cross section of the beams 1 d of which are in the form of letter w placed upside down . more specifically , the precursor of each of the beams 1 d is triangular in cross section , and its two base angles are 54 . 7 °. during the step for forming the beams 1 d , the precursor of each beam 1 d , which is triangular in cross section ( fig1 ( c )), is etched at an angle of 54 . 7 °, starting from its peak . as a result , a recess is formed between the two projections in the precursor of each beam 1 d . the surfaces of each beam 1 d , other than the bottom surface thereof , are roughly parallel to ( 111 ) face of the substrate 1 . first , the precursor 25 a shown in fig1 ( a ) is formed through the steps similar to the steps used for forming the precursor 21 a into the states shown in fig6 ( a )- 6 ( c ). the precursor 25 a is virtually the same as the precursor 21 a shown in fig6 ( c ). it has the beam protection layer 14 , which is on the back surface of the substrate 1 , and two pairs of projections 14 a , which have a predetermined depth and have been extended into the substrate 1 . the paired projections 14 a are positioned a predetermined distance apart from each other . next , the second grooves 19 b shown in fig1 ( b ) are formed through the steps similar to the steps used for forming the precursor 21 a into the states shown in fig6 ( d ) and 6 ( e ). the second grooves 19 b are formed so that the distance between the adjacent two second grooves 19 b becomes roughly the same as the width of the bottom of the beam 1 d . next , in order to form the precursor 25 a into the state shown in fig1 ( c ), the substrate 1 is etched through the steps used for forming the precursor 21 a into the state shown in fig6 ( f ). the beams 1 d in the precursor 25 a in the state shown in fig1 ( c ) are triangular in cross section , and the peak of each beam 1 d is at the center between the corresponding pair of projections 14 a , in terms of the direction parallel to the primary surface of the substrate 1 . next , the etching process is allowed to progress through the step similar to the step through which the precursor 21 a is formed into the state shown in fig6 ( f ) to form the beams 1 d in the shape shown in fig1 ( d ). as a result , the etching begins from the top of the precursor of each beam 1 d , yielding the beam 1 d , the cross section of which is in the form of letter w placed upside down . further , at the same time as the precursor of each beam 1 d is etched starting from its peak , the common liquid chamber 9 is completed . as a result , the ink jet recording head 25 in this embodiment is yielded . the beam 1 d in this embodiment has only one recess , which is located between the two peaks . however , the number of the recesses can be increased by increasing the number of the projections 14 a in each set of projections 14 a . a recess such as the one described above functions as a means for trapping the gas which adversely affects the ink ejection from an ink jet recording head . in the above described preceding embodiments , the projections 14 a are formed perpendicular to the substrate 1 . however , it is possible to form the projections 14 a at an angle with the use of the “ angular etching method ” shown in fig4 and 5 . therefore , with the use of this etching method , the number of the various shapes in which each beam is formed in terms of cross section can be substantially increased . next , referring to fig1 , the method for manufacturing an ink jet recording head provided with inclined projections will be described . the manufacturing method which will be described next is for manufacturing the ink jet recording head 26 shown in fig1 ( d ), the projection 14 a in each beam 1 e is tilted relative to the primary surface of the substrate 1 . first , the precursor 26 a shown in fig1 ( a ) is formed through the steps roughly similar to the steps used for forming the intermediate products shown in fig6 ( a )- 6 ( c ), except that the first grooves ( which corresponds to projection 14 b in fig1 ( a )) are formed with the use of the angularly etching apparatus 30 shown in fig4 . next , the intermediate product shown in fig1 ( b ) is formed by forming the second holes 18 b through the step similar to the step used for forming the intermediate product shown in fig6 ( d ), and then , forming the second grooves 19 b through the step similar to the step used for forming the intermediate product shown in fig6 ( e ). next , the substrate 1 is etched as shown in fig1 ( c ) through the step similar to the step used for forming the intermediate product shown in fig6 ( f ). as a result , the beams 1 e are formed so that their peaks will coincide with the corresponding tips of the projections 14 b . next , the etching is allowed to continue through the steps similar to the steps carried out after the step used for forming the intermediate product shown in fig6 ( g ). as the etching is allowed to continue , the beams 1 e and common liquid chamber 9 are formed , yielding the ink jet recording head 26 in this embodiment shown in fig1 ( d ). the ink jet recording heads 21 - 26 ( fig6 - 12 ) in the second to seventh embodiments , respectively , were manufactured , and were tested to confirm their characteristics . for the purpose of confirming their mechanical strength , the ink jet recording heads 21 - 26 ( fig6 - 12 ) were compared to an ink jet recording head in accordance with the prior art . the ink jet recording head in accordance with the prior art was identical in the measurement of the ejection element to the ink jet recording heads 21 - 26 , but was not provided with the beam . all the ink jet recording heads were subjected to destruction tests in which load is applied to them in the direction parallel to the width direction of the ink supplying hole until the substrates 1 were damaged . none of the ink jet recording heads 21 - 26 in accordance with the present invention were damaged by the minimum amount of load which damaged the ink jet recording head in accordance with the prior art . in other words , these tests proved that all of the ink jet recording heads 21 - 26 in the preferred embodiments of the present invention were superior in mechanical strength to the ink jet recording head in accordance with the prior art . when images were printed with the ink jet recording heads 21 - 26 , they were uniform in refill characteristic ; they were roughly identical in the distance from the ink supplying hole to the heat generating member , and refilling time . when the beams with which the ink jet recording heads 21 - 26 were provided were kept in ink for three months , none of the beams changed in shape , and also , the beams 1 c of the intermediate product ( fig1 ( d )) derived from the precursor 24 a of the ink jet recording head 24 shown in fig1 did not change in shape . in the above described preferred embodiments of the present invention , the beams were formed so that they extended in the width direction ( direction y in fig1 ) of the substrate . however , the direction in which the beams extend does not need to be limited . for example , they may be formed so that they extend in the lengthwise direction of the substrate . further , the beams may be formed so that they form a grid . when forming the beams in a grid pattern , they may be formed at a narrow pitch in one direction or both directions so that they collectively function as a filter to prevent the foreign particles having mixed into ink from entering the common liquid chamber 9 . when the beams are applied to microscopic structures other than ink jet recording heads , it is not mandatory that they are held to the mother member by both of their lengthwise ends ; they may be held to the mother member by only one of the their lengthwise ends . the beams may be in various forms different from those in the above described embodiments . for example , by shifting the position of the center of each of the first grooves from the center of the second mask in terms of the widthwise direction of the mask , it is possible to form asymmetrical beams . further , by forming the first grooves , the walls of which are perpendicular to the substrate 1 , at the edge of the second mask , it is possible to form beams , the cross section of which are in the form of a right - angled triangle . in order to form such beams , the projection formed in each of the first grooves becomes the wall of the corresponding beam , which is perpendicular to the bottom surface of the beam . further , by controlling in shape the first grooves and second mask , it is possible to form such beams that are u - shaped in cross section . further , as described above , the vertical measurement in which each of the above described beams is formed can be easily changed by forming the first grooves so that they extend from the bottom to the peak of the beam . therefore , the beam can be formed in various shapes . similarly , the width in which the bottom of each beam is formed can be easily changed by changing the shape of the masking member . the structure of each of the ink jet recording heads in the above described embodiments of the present invention is effective when applied to ink jet recording heads which employs the “ liquid ejection method of bursting bubble type ”, or “ bursting bubble liquid ejecting method ”. the “ bubble bursting liquid ejection method ” means an ink jet recording method in which the bubbles generated by the film boiling triggered by the heating of ink are allowed to burst into the external air in the adjacencies of the ejection orifices , and has been proposed in japanese laid - open patent applications hei 4 - 10940 , 4 - 10941 , 4 - 10942 and 4 - 12859 ( japanese patent application nos . hei 2 - 112832 , 2 - 112833 , 2 - 112834 and 2 - 114472 , respectively ), and the like . the “ bubble bursting liquid ejecting method ” ensures that the bubbles rapidly grow toward an ejection orifice . therefore , the “ bubble bursting liquid ejecting method ” makes it possible to highly reliably record at a high speed , while being assisted by the high rate of ink refilling performance achieved by the provision of the ink supplying hole with no blockage . further , allowing the bubbles to burst into the external air eliminates the process in which the bubbles shrink . therefore , the heaters and substrates are not damaged by cavitation . further , one of the characteristic aspects of the “ bubble bursting liquid ejection method ” is that , in principle , all the ink on the ejection orifice side of the location , at which bubbles are formed , is ejected in the form of an ink droplet . therefore , the amount by which ink is ejected per ejection is determined by such factors as the distance from the ejection orifice to the bubble generation point , recording head structure , and the like . therefore , the abovementioned “ bubble bursting liquid ejection method ” is stable in the amount by which ink is ejected ; it is less likely to be affected by the changes in ink temperature or the like . in the case of an ink jet recording head of the side shooter type , the distance between an ink ejection orifice and the corresponding heat generating member can be easily controlled by controlling the thickness of an orifice plate , and this distance is one of the most important factors that determine the amount by which ink is ejected . therefore , the ink jet recording heads in accordance with the present invention are well suited in structure for the “ bubble bursting liquid ejection method ”. to sum up , not only is the beam in accordance with the present invention well suited for ink jet recording apparatuses , but also , various microscopic structures employing beams . further , not only is the beam forming method in accordance with the present invention useful for manufacturing an ink jet recording apparatuses , but also , various microscopic structures employing beams . in particular , they are useful when the anisotropic etching method is used during the manufacturing process for a microscopically structured product . lastly , referring to fig1 and 14 , a typical ink jet recording apparatus and a typical ink jet head cartridge , which are compatible with an ink jet recording head in accordance with the present invention , will be described . the ink jet recording apparatus shown in fig1 comprises : a recording sheet feeding portion 1509 from which recording papers are fed into the main assembly of the ink jet recording apparatus ; a recording portion 1510 which records on the recording sheet fed from the record sheet feeding portion 1509 ; a delivery tray portion 1511 into which the recording sheet is discharged after an image is recorded thereon . recording is made by the recording portion 1510 , on the recording sheet fed from the recording sheet feeding portion 1509 , and then , the recording sheet is discharged into the delivery tray portion 1511 after the completion of the recording . the recording portion 1510 is supported by a guiding shaft 1506 so that it is allowed to freely slide along the shaft 1506 . it comprises : a carriage 1503 structured so that it can be freely shuttled in the direction parallel to the width direction of the recording sheet ; a recording unit 1501 removably mountable on the carriage 1503 ; and a plurality of ink cartridges 1502 . the ink jet head cartridge 1501 shown in fig1 is the combination of a holder 1602 and a recording head 1601 attached to the holder 1602 . the recording head 1601 is provided with a plurality of ejection orifices 104 . the holder 1602 is provided with ink passages ( unshown ) for supplying the ejection orifices 104 of the ink jet recording head 1601 , with the ink from the ink cartridges 1502 . while the invention has been described with reference to the structures disclosed herein , it is not confined to the details set forth , and this application is intended to cover such modifications or changes as may come within the purposes of the improvements or the scope of the following claims . this application claims priority from japanese patent application no . 416843 / 2003 filed dec . 15 , 2003 , which is hereby incorporated by reference . | 1 |
fig1 illustrates a simplified model of a drive train which includes an electric machine 1 which drives drive wheels 5 , 6 of the motor vehicle via a transmission 2 and side shafts 3 , 4 . transmission 2 is not shiftable , and thus has only one gear and continually establishes a frictional connection between electric machine 1 and drive wheels 5 , 6 . the rotor of electric machine 1 is stationary when drive wheels 5 , 6 are at a standstill . the basic concept of the present invention is that a dynamic model or partial model of the vibratory drive train of the motor vehicle is computed . a vibratory simulation of the electric drive train from fig1 is illustrated in fig2 . the rotatory inert masses of electric machine 1 and of transmission 2 are simulated in equivalent inertia mass eim . equivalent inertia mass eim is connected via a torsion spring / damper element 7 to an equivalent inertia mass 8 of the motor vehicle which simulates the reduced inertias of drive train parts , wheels , and the translationally moved vehicle mass . torsion spring / damper element 7 simulates elasticities in the drive train , which are usually characterized by stiffness in side shafts 3 , 4 . for the sake of simplicity , all inertias , angular velocities , and torques as well as other parameters having actual gear ratios of 2 , and the tire radii , are converted and reduced , so that gear ratios of i = 1 are assumed in fig2 . equivalent inertia mass eim of electric machine 1 and of transmission 2 illustrated in fig2 rotates at angular velocity ω eim , which is ascertained by a rotational speed sensor , not illustrated , and communicated to a vehicle control system . equivalent inertia mass eim has moment of inertia j eim , which is composed of the inertias of the rotor of electric machine 1 and of rotating parts of transmission 2 . air gap torque m eimag generated by electric machine 1 as well as torque m sd instantaneously transmitted by torsion spring / damper element 7 act on equivalent inertia mass eim . with the aid of moment of inertia j veh of the motor vehicle , equivalent inertia mass 8 simulates other drive train parts , wheels , and the translationally moved vehicle mass , and rotates at angular velocity ω veh . in the actual drive , angular velocity ω veh may be computed , for example , from the signals of wheel speed sensors at the two drive wheels by averaging , taking the gear ratio into account . angular velocity ω veh is available in the vehicle control system . torque m sd , which is instantaneously transmitted by torsion spring / damper element 7 , and a tractional resistance torque m d which simulates the rolling resistance , air resistance , and climbing resistance act on equivalent inertia mass 8 . fig3 illustrates a signal flow chart for one aspect of the method according to the present invention . the actual vibratory drive train is simulated in top part a of fig3 . a block 9 specifies a setpoint torque m des which is ascertained from the position of a gas pedal and / or is predefined by a driver assistance system or a vehicle stability control system . in general , setpoint torque m des may also be influenced by an idle speed control or an automatic transmission . setpoint torque m des may be formed as a function of the operating state of the drive train , for example low pass - filtered or gradient - limited , so as not to excite drive train vibrations . dynamic effects in the control behavior of electric machine 1 , which result from a current regulation , for example , as well as inductances are stored in block 10 . the following description assumes a transmission , with a first - order delay ( pt 1 ), from a setpoint torque m deseim to air gap torque m eimag . air gap torque m eimag corresponds to the actual torque of electric machine 1 which actually acts , and follows setpoint torque m deseim with a delay . air gap torque m eimag generated by electric machine 1 as well as torque m sd instantaneously transmitted by torsion spring / damper element 7 act on equivalent inertia mass eim . both torques m eimag and m sd are combined in node 11 . division by moment of inertia j eim of equivalent inertia mass eim in block 12 and integration in block 13 yields angular velocity ω eim of equivalent inertia mass eim . a corresponding operation in blocks 16 and 17 yields angular velocity ω veh of equivalent inertia mass 8 . torque m sd instantaneously transmitted by torsion spring / damper element 7 is ascertained in block 14 , and tractional resistance torque m d is simulated in block 15 . bottom part b of fig3 shows an exemplary embodiment of the method according to the present invention having the dynamic model or partial model of the drive train . angular velocities ω eim of equivalent inertia mass eim and ω veh of equivalent inertia mass 8 ascertained at the actual drive train as well as setpoint torque m des are communicated to the dynamic model . the control dynamics of electric machine 1 are modeled as a first - order delay in block 18 . modeled air gap torque m eimagobs which is computed in this way is combined in node 20 with a torque m sdobs of the torsion spring / damper element , which is modeled in block 19 , and divided by estimated moment of inertia j eimobs of equivalent inertia mass eim ( block 21 ). an integrator 22 computes therefrom an estimated value ω eimobs of angular velocity ω eim of equivalent inertia mass eim . estimated angular velocity ω eimobs of equivalent inertia mass eim and angular velocity ω veh of equivalent inertia mass 8 are used by a model of the torsion spring / damper element , illustrated in block 19 , to ascertain modeled torque m sdobs . under ideal conditions , angular velocity ω eim ascertained at the actual drive train and estimated angular velocity ω eimobs of equivalent inertia mass eim coincide . if there is an undesirable torque output of electric machine 1 , for example due to an error in the data communication or a software error or component defect , the two variables ω eim and ω eimobs differ from one another . an undesirable torque output of electric machine 1 acts only on the actual drive train , and thus , on ascertained angular velocity ω eim , but not on the dynamic model , and thus , not on estimated angular velocity ω eimobs . an undesirable torque output of electric machine 1 is simulated by a disturbance torque m z in block 23 in fig3 . disturbance torque m z acts on the actual drive train , but is not measured there . to estimate disturbance torque m z , within the meaning of a disturbance variable observer , difference δω obs between the two variables ω eim and ω eimobs is formed in node 24 , and via a proportional - integral feedback 25 as a disturbance variable observer correction torque δm obs , is supplied to modeled air gap torque m eimagobs in node 28 . estimated angular velocity ω eimobs is thus provided to ascertained angular velocity ω eim . disturbance variable observer correction torque δm obs required for this purpose then corresponds to an estimated value of disturbance torque m z . it is assumed that disturbance torque m z acts on air gap torque m eimag at the actual drive train with control dynamics of electric machine 1 ( block 10 ), for which reason the disturbance torque is supplied in node 27 prior to block 10 . disturbance variable observer correction torque δm obs is intended to represent an estimation of disturbance torque m z , i . e ., to approximately conform to disturbance torque m z . since disturbance torque m z acts prior to the control dynamics of electric machine 1 , disturbance variable observer correction torque δm obs is supplied for the most part ( up to 80 %, for example ) in node 28 to the model prior to the modeled control dynamics ( block 18 ). the two variables m z and δm obs may be directly compared to one another in the simulations . to avoid an upswing in the disturbance variable observer , a small portion ( 20 %, for example ) of disturbance variable observer correction torque δm obs upstream from the modeled control dynamics is supplied after block 18 in node 26 to the disturbance variable observer path , which has a damping effect . to avoid stability problems due to the interaction of an integrating characteristic in the model of the torsion spring / damper element ( block 19 ) with the integral component of disturbance variable observer correction torque δm obs , stabilizing feedback ( block 29 ) is used for the integral component . disturbance variable observer correction torque δm obs is compared to torque thresholds , resulting in torque reduction or switch - off of electric machine 1 if the disturbance variable observer correction torque exceeds an upper threshold or is below a lower threshold . in this case , an intervention into the braking system is also possible . the torque thresholds are modified , for example , expanded for a very dynamic and / or high - value setpoint torque m des as a function of the operating state of the drive . in the dynamic model , setpoint torque m des is limited to the torque limits of electric machine 1 , since actual electric machine 1 is also able to provide only torques within its unit limits . such limitation is not illustrated in fig3 for the sake of simplicity . in the present exemplary embodiment , use is made of the vibration capability of the actual drive . when there is an undesirable torque output of electric machine 1 , angular velocity ω eim which is ascertained at the actual drive train responds even before significant effects result on angular velocity ω veh of equivalent inertia mass 8 , i . e ., before the vehicle starts to move . this allows an early response . the method is effective in particular at low rotational speeds or when the vehicle is at a standstill , and at high gradients , i . e ., very dynamic behavior of disturbance torque m z , which represent a high safety risk . the driver may independently respond to a slowly developing disturbance torque m z at low gradients . the parameters of the actual drive train may not be precisely known , or may change over the service life . to provide realistic conditions , the delay ( pt 1 time constant ) of the modeled control dynamics of electric machine 1 ( block 18 ) is decreased by 25 % relative to the actual control dynamics of electric machine 1 ( block 10 ). the spring stiffness and damping in the model of the torsion spring / damper element ( block 19 ) are reduced by 10 % relative to actual torsion spring / damper element 7 ( i . e ., block 14 ). during operation , an adaptation of the model parameters to the parameters of the actual drive is meaningful , and a deviation of 10 % therefore appears to be realistic . fig4 shows simulation results for a starting operation of the vehicle with the aid of a ramp - shaped setpoint torque m des predefined by the driver . disturbance variable observer correction torque δm obs initially drops slightly due to the above - described parameter deviation . at point in time t = 0 . 2 s , disturbance torque m z jumps from 0 nm to 150 nm . a corresponding disturbance may result on the actual drive , for example due to an error in the data communication or a component defect . the response of disturbance variable observer correction torque δm obs , which represents an estimated value of disturbance torque m z , is clearly apparent . thus , for example , electric machine 1 may be switched off as soon as disturbance variable observer correction torque δm obs exceeds a torque threshold of 40 nm . the switching - off instruction may be set for less than 5 ms after the disturbance , i . e ., in a time period in which angular velocity ω veh , and thus the vehicle movement , has not yet responded to the disturbance . fig4 illustrates the variations in angular velocities ω eim , ω eimobs , and ω veh over time . angular velocity ω veh acts equally on the actual drive and on the dynamic model . this results in a high level of robustness of the method against vibration excitations due to unevennesses of the roadway or an icy roadway , or during brake , abs , or esp interventions . as described above , for comparison with disturbance variable observer correction torque δm obs , the torque thresholds are modified as a function of the operating state of the drive . in addition , the integral component of disturbance variable observer correction torque δm obs may be modified or initialized as a function of the operating state of the drive . disturbance variable observer correction torque δm obs represents an estimated value of disturbance torque m z , and thus describes a deviation of the actual torque of electric machine 1 from the setpoint torque . the model may also be used to detect a torque on a drive unit which is too low in value , and to take measures , for example in that another drive unit compensates for the missing torque component . in addition , an excessively delaying torque may be detected , and , for example , electric machine 1 may be switched off if there is a risk of excessive delay or locking of drive wheels 5 , 6 . fig5 shows an exemplary design of a device for carrying out the method , in a first control unit 30 which is designed as a vehicle control unit , setpoint torque m des being determined and transmitted to a second control unit 31 via a bus system 32 , second control unit 31 being designed as an electric machine control unit . first control unit 30 receives angular velocities ω eim and ω veh , which are likewise communicated via bus system 32 . for safety reasons , first control unit 30 may also directly read in the sensor signals which are necessary for ascertaining angular velocities ω eim and ψ veh . dedicated sensors associated with first control unit 30 may also be installed . signal propagation times of the data transmission are simulated in blocks 33 , 34 , and 37 . the dynamic model is computed in first control unit 30 . the signal propagation times are compensated for in first control unit 30 . this is carried out by delaying setpoint torque m des , with the aid of a block 35 , in such a way that the response of the model in the form of angular velocity ω eimobs temporally matches the delayed values of angular velocities ω eim and ω veh available in control unit 30 . in the event of a detected undesirable torque output of electric machine 1 , electric machine 1 and / or a power supply 36 is / are switched off . this switch - off preferably occurs with the aid of a hardware signal , and for safety reasons is redundantly designed . for this purpose , first control unit 30 sends a switch - off signal for electric machine 1 to second control unit 31 . alternatively or additionally , first control unit 30 outputs an appropriate switch - off signal to power supply 36 . in another exemplary design , a first dynamic model is computed in first control unit 30 , and at the same time a second dynamic model is computed in second control unit 31 . if an undesirable torque output of electric machine 1 is detected with the aid of the first dynamic model , first control unit 30 switches off power supply 36 . if an undesirable torque output of electric machine 1 is detected with the aid of the second dynamic model , second control unit 31 switches off the electric machine . these two separate dynamic models and two switch - off paths result in a high level of redundancy and security against , for example , a software error or hardware defect in one of the two control units 30 or 31 , which would prevent a necessary switch - off . the redundancy may be further increased by associating different sensors with first control unit 30 and second control unit 31 . in this way , the detection of input and output variables of the drive train or of the motor vehicle and / or of electric machine 1 which are supplied to the two dynamic models is also carried out redundantly . the dynamic model or partial model of the drive train may simulate drive units such as electric machines and hydraulic engines or internal combustion engines , or units such as clutches , torque converters , converter lockup clutches , transmissions , and universal joint shafts , the chassis together with the braking system , and the tires , as well as associated control systems . inertias , elasticities , mechanical play , friction , losses , dynamic behavior , limits , and the control dynamics may be modeled from drive units , other units , and the chassis or their suspensions . an adaptation of the model parameters to the parameters of the actual drive train is meaningful . the described method may be used for hybrid , electric , or hydraulic vehicles , as well as for vehicles having a conventional internal combustion engine drive . | 1 |
referring first to fig1 a laser diode array generally indicated by reference numeral 2 and described in more detail hereinafter , is pulsed by pulses of current having an amplitude which is approximately 25 to 30 amperes and which lasts for a duration of approximately 80 nanoseconds . laser radiation emitted from laser diode array 2 is directed upwardly towards any clouds which may be present . in the event that clouds are present , some of the laser radiation from laser diode array 2 will reflect off the clouds and eventually impinge upon avalanche photodiode 4 . by use of a microprocessor which includes a signal processor 6 and a timer 8 , the period of time between emission of pulses from laser diode array 2 and receipt of pulses at avalanche photodiode 4 can be computed . this period of time is a measure of cloud height , and can be used to generate cloud height information that is out of the device and used to drive a digital display ( not shown ) or a tape recorder ( not shown ) or both . in practice , as cloud height increases , intensity of laser radiation on avalanche photodiode 4 decreases . as a result , it may be necessary to integrate the output of avalanche photodiode 4 in integrator 10 after more than one pulses has been applied to laser diode array 2 . techniques for synchronizing integration of the output of avalanche photodiode 4 with pulses of current applied to laser diode array 2 are known in the art as gating techniques , and will not be described further , since such techniques are already known and in use . an array driver 12 is connected to laser diode array 2 and drives all laser diodes therein . as a result , output from laser diode array 2 is made less dependent upon failure of any individual laser diode . laser radiation from laser diode array 2 is caused to be incident upon reference detector 14 , which is connected to the microprocessor . the microprocessor computes the power output of laser diode array 2 and determines , in low power detector 16 , whether or not the output from laser diode array 2 is sufficiently intense . in the event that such output is too low , that information can be used to inform a user of a malfunction of laser diode array 2 by any suitable indicator , such as a lamp ( not shown ). in a similar fashion , avalanche photodiode 4 can be tested by periodically energizing test light source 18 , to likewise indicate proper or improper operation of avalanche photodiode 4 . it is known to those skilled in the art that laser diodes only operate properly if they are kept within a suitable temperature range . in order to maintain laser diode array 2 , within this range ( which here is approximately 30 ° to 35 ° c . in order to keep the wavelength of laser radiation from laser diode array 2 to approximately 908 nanometers ) a heater and thermostat 20 is placed in intimate thermal contact with laser diode array 2 . unless laser diode array 2 is kept within this temperature range , array driver 12 will prevent any pulsing of laser diode array 2 by pulser 22 . inasmuch as direct sun light can damage laser diode array 2 if the sun light is sufficiently intense , radiation emitted from laser diode array 2 is caused to pass through a shutter 24 . shutter 24 has an open state and a closed state , and is opened and closed by shutter solenoid 26 . shutter solenoid 26 operates in response to the output of sun sensor 28 , which may be a photoresister , a photocell , a photodiode , or any other suitable photosensitive element . sun sensor 28 will cause shutter solenoid 26 to close shutter 4 in the event that directly vertical sun light is sufficiently intense to damage laser diode array 2 . otherwise , shutter 24 is kept open so that radiation emitted from laser diode array 2 can be emitted out of the ceilometer and used to measure cloud height . as is known in the art , ceilometers of the type in question here measure cloud height in a stepwise fashion by gating avalanche photodiode 4 in such a fashion that the microprocessor awaits an output therefrom during predetermined intervals of time . thus , this ceilometer ( which measures from the top of its range to the bottom of its range ) only registers radiation incident upon avalanche photodiode 4 if that radiation is detected within a certain maximum interval of time . if an output from avalanche photodiode 4 is not so detected within this interval of time , the interval of time is shortened and the process repeated once again . this process continues to take place until such time as a cloud has been detected . for example , when low clouds have been detected , their measurement is completed already within 2 - 3 seconds . thereafter , the laser diode array is automatically disconnected and only after a time interval of 15 seconds minus 2 or 3 seconds that with after 12 or 30 seconds , the laser array 2 is reactivated so that the prescribed four measurements per minute are fulfilled . if no cloud has been detected , cloud height is above the maximum range of the ceilometer and a cloudless condition is therefore assumed to exist . in the event that clouds are either non - existent or located above the maximum range of the ceilometer ( which here is approximately 5 , 000 feet ) it is unlikely that clouds will suddenly appear . as a result , it is not necessary to monitor cloud height with the same continuity that would be necessary if clouds were indeed detected . the ceilometer here in question executes a measuring operation from the top of its range to the bottom of its range in 15 seconds . each measuring operation from top to bottom takes place in 50 foot intervals , i . e . the ceilometer first determines if clouds are located 4950 - 5000 feet above ground , and then determines if clouds are located between 4900 - 4950 feet above ground , and so forth until clouds have or have not been detected . in a cloudless condition , the repeated pulsings of laser diode array 2 are superfluous , since it is unlikely that cloudiness will change from cloudlessness to cloudiness under 5 , 000 feet with any great speed . in order to prevent superfluous pulsing of laser diode array 2 , the microprocessor is programmed so that if no clouds are detected or if clouds are only very infrequently detected , laser diode array 2 will be pulsed in a repeated sequence , in which laser array diode 2 is pulsed twice at 30 - second intervals and then is pulsed four times at 15 - second intervals . this further reduces the demands on laser diode array 2 . however , since such operation may come into conflict with regulations and statutes promulgated by administrative agencies or governmental entities , this program in the microprocessor can be overridden so that laser diode array 2 carries out measurements every 15 seconds . turning to fig2 it can be seen that a large number of gaas laser diodes 30 are all located in a horizontal plane and are spaced apart from each other to facilitate cooling . fiber optics 32 extend between each individual laser diode 30 to a beam output window 34 which has dimensions of 250 micrometers by 230 micrometers . inasmuch as the area of beam output window 34 is comparatively large ( as compared with the area of beam emission from a single laser diode of about 350 micrometers by 2 micrometers ) alignment of avalanche photodiode 4 is not critical and a single avalanche diode with a diameter of about 1 millimeter can be utilized . the avalanche photodiode is protected against bright daylight by an optical narrow - band filter the bandwidth of which is great enough to allow the transmission of the chirping laser diode pulses resulting from the spontaneous temperature rise in the laser diodes . the laser diode array 2 is a single replaceable unit which can be attached to a suitable heat sink ( not shown ) to insure that overheating does not take place . in the preferred embodiment of this invention , the laser diode array including the associated pulse driving circuitry is a replaceable unit with such narrow mechanical tolerances that its play is smaller than 1 / 1000 of the focal length of the engaged optical lens - or mirror system . in another modification , there is provided an additional optically reflecting or refracting element 2 &# 39 ; ( fig3 ) between the laser diode array and the optical transmitting system , for projecting a small amount of the laser radiation into a side lobe towards a narrow zone ahead of the receiver / transmitter preferably below about 30 meters to illuminate the dark zone before intersection of the two narrow beam radiation patterns of projector and receiver , to enable the system to receive and evaluate reflections from very low cloud patches and fog , filling the gap between zero and 30 meter cloud altitude . it is alternatively possible to utilize laser diode arrays other than the one shown in fig2 . so - called &# 34 ; stacked arrays &# 34 ; or &# 34 ; stepped arrays &# 34 ; may be also be utilized . however , these alternative constructions are not preferred at this time due to heat dissipation considerations . without further analysis , the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can , by applying current knowledge , readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that , from the standpoint of prior art , fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention . what is claimed as new and desired to be protected by letters patent is set forth in the appended claims . | 6 |
in accordance with the present invention , a process for improving the wear resistance of conventionally nitrided steels has been discovered . the material treated in accordance with this invention has improved wear resistance compared to steels which have been only thermally nitrided or only nitrided by ion implantation . the process according to this invention provides for the production of a relatively thick nitrided layer extending inwardly from one or more surfaces of a steel component . typically , this layer is at least approximately 10 to 160 microns thick , and preferably about 20 to 40 microns thick . the maximum nitrogen concentration in this layer may be controlled between about 600 and 15 , 000 ppm . any of the conventional thermal diffusion techniques , known to those skilled in the art , may be used to produce this nitrided layer . these techniques include both liquid and gas nitriding . after the forming of the thermal diffusion nitride layer , a thin layer of carbon is implanted into the nitrided surface . preferably , the carbon is implanted by bombarding a thin surface film containing carbon with a high energy ion specie so that a thin zone enriched in both carbon and nitrogen is formed beneath the steel surface . the layer containing carbon may be applied to the surface to be treated either during thermal nitriding ( e . g . by carbonitriding techniques ), in a separate step after thermal nitriding , during ion implantation itself , or by a combination of these techniques . a film of the elemental carbon may be applied to the surface during the ion implantation step by controlling the level of the vacuum in the target chamber containing the component to be implanted . it has been found that when the vacuum is maintained between about 10 - 4 to 10 - 3 pa a layer of elemental carbon is placed on the surface due to the cracking of vacuum diffusion pump oil . a portion of this carbon is implanted into the surface of the steel . preferably , nitrogen ions having an energy of 20 to 200 kev and most preferably 50 to 150 kev , are utilized to implant the carbon . the nitrogen ion fluence is preferably about 0 . 5 × 10 17 to 2 × 10 17 nitrogen ions / cm 2 . in addition to the above , an optional layer of oxygen may be implanted in the steel surface in much the same manner as the carbon was implanted , that is by recoil implantation . however , it is preferred that the oxide layer first be formed on the surface of the steel during thermal nitriding or during cooling from the thermal nitriding temperature . in this manner , a wear resistant steel surface is formed having a zone extending inwardly from it , of about 300 to 1000 angstroms wide which is enriched in carbon , oxygen and nitrogen . the products produced by this process are characterized by significantly improved lubricated sliding wear resistance under pressures exceeding 300 to 400 psi . these products have an enriched zone beneath the surface containing carbon , nitrogen preferably up to about 15 atomic percent , optionally oxygen , and including iron and other elements contained in steel body . a number of friction and wear test specimens were machined from 17 - 4 ph stainless steel ( a registered trademark of armco steel corp .) base stock . the specimen configurations , a cylinder 1 and disc 2 are shown in fig1 . the cylinder 1 had an outside diameter of 1 / 2 inch and an inside diameter of 1 / 4 inch . the disc had an outside diameter of slightly less than 3 / 4 inch and a - 3 / 32 diameter centrally located axial hole . some of the specimens were gas nitrided as follows : 2 . ten hours at 524 ° c . in 30 % dissociated ammonia ; and each step of the above treatment was performed at atmospheric pressure . this treatment yields a calculated nitrided depth of approximately 25 microns . a thin surface film containing oxygen and carbon was also produced during this treatment . some of the specimens in the untreated condition and some of the specimens in the nitrided condition were then ion implanted under the following conditions : ______________________________________fluence , n . sup .+ / cm . sup . 2 1 × 10 . sup . 17ion n . sup .+ beam current , μa 500current density , μa / cm . sup . 2 5 . 5beam voltage , kev 100beam coverage , cm . sup . 2 ( rastered ) 91implantation time , sec . 2919target chamber 7 - 8 × 10 . sup .- 4pressure , pa ( pascals ) estimated maximum specimen & lt ; 50temperature , ° c . ______________________________________ as indicated by the following examples , machines having components , each having surfaces treated in accordance with this invention , and which are in sliding , lubricated contact with each other under a load , should offer distinct advantages from a wear and friction standpoint . sliding friction and wear tests were conducted on untreated , thermally nitrided , n + implanted and nitrided plus n + implanted disc and cylinder couples ( i . e . having the same treatment history ). the stationary disc 2 , shown in fig1 was fixed in a spring floated solid copper base cylinder ( not shown ). a chuck arrangement ( not shown ) allowed the rotating cylinder specimen 1 to be pressed down against the stationary disc specimen ( race ) 2 under a load ( f n ) which could be varied at will . a transducer ( not shown ) attached to the copper base measured frictional force ( f f ) which was continually recorded . all tests were run under lubricated conditions using chevron brb - 2 - sri , a standard petroleum lubricant containing a polyurea thickener and additives for improved oxidation stability and anti - wear characteristics . each specimen couple was lubricated once , at the beginning of the test , which usually ran for 30 minutes . all tests were run by rotating the cylinder - shaped specimen at a speed of 1000 rpm . the wear specimens were ultrasonically cleaned in acetone , before and after the tests , and weight changes recorded . in addition to measuring the wear damage by weight change , the specimens were examined by surface profilometer . the wear and friction test results have indicated that these properties in the thermally nitrided and implanted material are superior to those found in the other conditions of the material . fig2 presents the frictional force variations between similarly treated specimen couples as a function of time and load , f n . each column represents one surface condition and each row represents a different load . two couples were utilized for some conditions ( e . g ., nitrided with f n = 229 n ( newtons )). in general , the nitrided and n + implanted condition shows a reduction in the friction force compared to the untreated surface . erratic variations in the frictional force are also largely absent for the nitrided and implanted condition , and improvements over the other surface conditions are most pronounced at the higher loads . fig3 and 4 show the weight loss in milligrams as a function of pressure after 30 minutes of testing for the rotating cylinder and stationary disc , respectively . overall , the specimen couples having a nitrided and ion implanted surface had superior wear resistance in comparison with any of the other surface treatments . this conclusion finds further support in the profilometer traces of the wear tracks produced in the stationary disc specimens tested at 416 psi . typical traces are shown in fig5 where ( a ) is the nitrided plus ion implanted surface , ( b ) is the thermally nitrided surface , ( c ) is the ion implanted surface , and ( d ) is the untreated surface . the oxygen , nitrogen and carbon contents of the near surface regions of the 17 - 4 ph stainless steel specimens were semiquantitatively determined by auger electron spectroscopy ( aes ) in conjunction with sputtering . surfaces with each of the four treatment histories were analyzed . an argon ion beam was used to mill the surface at a rate of about 8 nanometers per minute . spectra were taken at various depths . it was found that the nitrogen implantation did not produce a significant effect on the nitrogen concentration but did serve to recoil implant at least a portion of the oxygen and carbon atoms existing as a surface film about 300 to 500 angstroms wide on the thermally nitrided surface . the maximum nitrogen concentration beneath the surface did not significantly differ between the ion implanted , thermally nitrided and thermally nitrided plus ion implanted specimens , and was about 10 to 15 atomic percent . with respect to the carbon and oxygen contents , layers enriched significantly above the near surface carbon and oxygen concentrations produced by the other treatments were found in the nitrided and ion implanted material . these layers of enriched carbon and oxygen extended from the steel surface to depths of about 2500 angstroms and about 500 angstroms , respectively . the layer of nitrogen enrichment extended to depths significantly beyond those of the oxygen and carbon enriched layers . analysis of the materials which were only thermally nitrided or nitrogen ion implanted showed no subsurface layers of significant thickness having a significant enrichment in oxygen or carbon . the thermally nitrided only material had an oxide and carbon containing film on its surface . the concentration of carbon in this carbon and oxygen containing film was approximately twice that found in the steel substrate . the ion implanted only material and the thermally nitrided and ion implanted material had a film of carbon on their implanted surfaces . while the present invention has been described with respect to steel in general , and more particularly , with respect to stainless steel alloy 17 - 4 ph , it should be understood that this invention is also applicable to the other grades of stainless steel , including those which are of the precipitation hardening type . these embodiments are intended to be illustrative and are not intended as limitations on the scope of the coverage provided by the following claims . | 8 |
referring to fig1 a and 1b , the window carrier and balance assembly 100 of the present invention is shown . the carrier and balance assembly 100 consists of a carrier 102 , a hanger 104 non - permanently secured to carrier 102 and a balance 106 that is secured to the hanger . the balance shown in fig1 a through 7b is a conventional inverted block and tackle balance . however , within the context of the present invention , other balance designs may be used , some examples of which are shown in fig8 a - 8c . the carrier 102 has a first end 102 a and a second end 102 b . at the first end 102 a are retention shoulders 108 having an axis ii - ii and locking means that consists of a conventional rotatable cam 105 having a central opening 107 for engagement with a guide pin located on each stile of the sash ( not shown ). once the guide pin is inserted into the opening 107 and then rotated by tilting the sash , the cam also rotates . the rotation of the cam causes the locking means to exert an outwardly biasing force against both side walls of jamb channel or , alternatively , against both the back wall and flanges of the side walls , depending on the design of the locking means to temporarily secure the sash in place along the jamb channel . referring to fig1 b , at the second end 102 b of carrier 102 is an integral locking tab 110 for insertion into the hanger 104 to non - permanently but securely connect the carrier 102 and the hanger 104 together . hanger 104 has a first end 104 a and a second end 104 b . at the first end 104 a are shoulders 114 which have an axis iii - iii and a locking channel 112 . the shoulders 114 retain the hanger within jamb channel 120 . a first end 118 of the containment shaft 111 of balance 106 is connected to extension 103 located at the second end 104 b of hanger 104 . using a conventional inverted block and tackle balance , the hanger 104 and balance 106 may secured together by connection means 116 , which might include , for example , a screw , a rivet , a locking pin or resilient snaps . if the retention means is a screw , the hanger 104 can easily be disconnected from the balance 106 by simply removing the screw . if a locking pin which joins the opposing walls of the balance is used , the second end 104 b of the hanger 104 may include a cut - out on its side walls to enable the hanger to be angled under the locking pin and snapped into place . removal is relative easy and is achieved by simply reversing the installation process . if resilient snaps are used , outwardly extending tabs on each of the side walls of the hanger 104 would non - permanently engage mating holes in the side walls of the balance 106 . in this case , removal would require forcing the tabs inward through the holes in the walls of the balance . if , however , a rivet is used as the connection means , the hanger and balance are permanently engaged and removal would require cutting through the rivet . the types of balances 106 that may be used with the carrier and balance assembly 100 of the invention is not limited and are well known in the art . examples of conventional balances include ( see fig8 a ) inverted block and tackle mechanisms , spiral rod / torsion spring mechanisms ( see fig8 b ), constant force spring mechanisms ( see fig8 c ), elastomeric devices , linear slides or electric powered mechanisms , such as those that might employ a stepper motor . the carrier and balance assembly 100 may be inserted into the jamb channel 120 as a single assembly or as two separate components . if installation is performed as a single assembly , the carrier 102 , hanger 104 and balance 106 are pre - assembled together prior to being installed in the jamb channel 120 . in this process , the entire carrier and balance assembly 100 is inserted through either end of the jamb channel 120 prior to assembly of the window frame . however , referring to fig2 a and 2b , the preferred means of assembly is by first joining the hanger 104 and the balance 106 into a hanger - balance subassembly 109 and then installing the carrier 102 and hanger - balance subassembly 109 separately into the jamb channel 120 . this method allows for the complete assembly of the entire window frame before the installation of the separate components of the carrier and balance assembly 100 into the jamb channel 120 . this installation method is performed by orienting the axis ii - ii of shoulders 108 of the carrier 102 parallel to the axis i - i of the jamb channel 120 , inserting the carrier into the jamb channel and then rotating the carrier 90 degrees so that the shoulders 108 are now substantially perpendicular to the axis i - i of jamb channel 120 . the jamb channel 120 is substantially “ u ” shaped , having two opposing side walls 122 a and 122 b and a back wall 124 . each of the open edges of the side walls 122 a and 122 b have an integrally formed flange 126 a and 126 b , respectively , each of which are bent substantially at a 90 degree angle to the plane of its adjoining side wall . the flanges 126 a and 126 b run the length of and overhang the opening of the jamb channel 120 . referring to fig3 , as the carrier 102 is rotated 90 degrees after being inserted into the jamb channel 120 , the flanges 126 a and 126 b abut the shoulders 108 to prevent the carrier 102 from disengagement with the jamb channel 120 . similarly , the hanger - balance subassembly 109 is oriented so that the axis iii - iii of the shoulders 114 of the hanger 104 is substantially parallel to the axis i - i of the jamb channel 120 . after hanger 104 is inserted into the jamb channel 120 , it is rotated approximately 90 degrees so that the flanges 126 a and 126 b of the side walls abut shoulders 114 to prevent the hanger 104 from disengagement with jamb channel 120 . once the respective shoulders 108 and 114 of carrier 102 and hanger 104 are inserted into the jamb channel 120 , the two components are ready to be locked together . the first step is to incline the carrier 102 so that it lies against the back wall 124 of the jamb channel 120 with its locking tab 110 oriented toward the hanger 104 ( fig4 ). the two parts are then urged together such that the locking tab 110 engages the locking channel 112 . referring to fig5 , once locking tab 110 is inserted into locking channel 112 , the hanger - balance subassembly 109 is fully inclined into the jamb channel 120 until the full length of balance 106 rests against the back wall 124 . referring now to fig6 a , at least one resilient snap 130 on carrier 102 begins to engage a mating protrusion 132 on hanger 104 . fig6 b is a cross section view of the carrier and balance assembly 100 after the carrier 102 is connected to hanger 104 . a projection 133 on carrier 102 begins to engage a ledge 135 on hanger 104 . referring now to fig7 b , as the hanger and balance subassembly 109 is fully inclined , the full engagement of the projection 133 with the ledge 135 acts as a fulcrum to facilitate the locking of the resilient snaps 130 with its corresponding protrusion 132 to non - permanently lock together the carrier and the hanger ( see fig7 a ). once the carrier and balance assembly 100 abuts the back wall 124 of the jamb channel 120 , the outer ends of shoulders 108 and 114 of the carrier 102 and hanger 104 , respectively , may establish a 4 - point contact with the side walls 122 a and 122 b of the jamb channel if the lengths of shoulders 108 and 144 are substantially the same . a 4 - point contact may be desirable to substantially reinforce the stability of the carrier and balance assembly 100 with respect to the axis i - i of the jamb channel 120 . the elimination of unnecessary motion helps to keep the various components properly aligned when the carrier is locked . however , if the lengths of the shoulders 108 and 144 are substantially different for reasons that might include harmonization of various components to reduce inventory complexity , then a 4 - point contact may not be achieved . fig8 a shows a bobbin 202 of an optional conventional block and tackle balance 200 connected to the hanger 104 of the carrier and balance assembly 100 by connecting means 208 . cord 204 connects the bobbin 202 to other components of the block and tackle balance ( not shown ). fig8 b shows the carrier and balance assembly 100 of the invention connected to the spiral rod 302 of a conventional spiral rod balance 300 by the appropriate connecting means 308 . fig8 c shows the inventive carrier and balance assembly 100 connected to one end of the spring 402 of a conventional constant force spring balance 400 by appropriate connecting means 408 . in the event that one or more of the component parts of the carrier and balance assembly 100 becomes defective or for some reason must be replaced , the assembly method described above can be reversed so that the individual defective part can be removed without damaging the jamb channel 120 . this makes repair of the carrier and balance assembly 100 relatively inexpensive since only the defective part need be removed . the method of installation and removal of the carrier and balance assembly 100 is easy enough so that the average homeowner ( or building maintenance personnel ) can perform the necessary repair himself or herself , thus ultimately saving the window manufacturer the expense of having to send a service technician to the location of the installed window to perform the required repair . accordingly , it is to be understood that the embodiments of the invention herein described are merely illustrative of the application of the principles of the invention . reference herein to details of the illustrated embodiments is not intended to limit the scope of the claims , which themselves recite those features regarded as essential to the invention . | 4 |
referring to fig1 , a filter 160 filters fluid from a source of fluid 150 to generate a batch of sterile replacement fluid 130 . the filter 160 may be , and preferably is , a microporous filter that blocks all materials except dissolved electrolytes and water . thus , the result of the filtration process is to sterilize the raw fluid from the source of fluid 150 . the source of fluid 150 may be a container of sterile or non - sterile replacement fluid , one or more containers of constituents which , when combined , form a proper replacement fluid . any of the latter may include a continuous source such as a water tap . one or more conduit elements form a line 120 to convey the source fluid 150 through the filter 160 and into a batch container 147 . the latter may be any type of sterile , preferably disposable container , for example , a large iv bag . it may also include a number of such containers appropriately interconnected to permit flow into and out of them in the fashion of container 147 . included in the conveyance from source fluid 150 to sterile replacement fluid 130 may be a pump 190 , such as a peristaltic pump . the pressure at an outlet of the filter 160 may be sensed by a pressure sensor 162 and the pump 190 controlled by a controller 170 to insure a predefined transmembrane pressure ( tmp ) threshold of the filter 160 is not breached . the tmp may be maintained at a maximum safe level to maximize throughput . note that complexity may be avoided if the source fluid 150 is arranged such as to maintain a desired tmp at the filter 160 without the need of a pump 190 or pressure sensor 162 . for example , the source fluid 150 may be provided by a batch container elevated at a certain height to provide a desired head . note that a control valve 165 or a speed of the pump 190 may be used to regulate the flow rate to maintain desired tmp limits . a control / shutoff valve 180 may provide the controller 170 the ability to stop the flow of fluid through the filter 160 once a desired volume is reached . a heater 185 may be provided to warm the sterile replacement fluid 130 to prepare it for use . an insulated container 145 may be used to reduce heat loss so that heater 185 can be a relatively low power type . the heater 185 may be controlled by the controller 170 to ensure the replacement fluid 130 is at a desired temperature when required to be used . alternatively the heater 185 can be controlled by an independent device actuated by , for example , a pressure sensor ( not shown ) triggered by the flow of fluid into the batch container 147 , a timer ( not shown ) settable to trigger based on a predefined treatment time , or some other means . preferably , in either case , a temperature regulator ( e . g ., a temperature sensor 183 combined with logic in controller 170 ) regulates power to the heater to ensure a required temperature is maintained and not exceeded . the temperature sensor 183 may be used to sense the quantity of sterile replacement fluid by the rate of detected temperature increase versus heater output . the temperature sensor 183 , heater 185 , and sterile replacement fluid 130 can be modeled in any desired fashion . for example one may neglect all but the thermal mass of the rf , assume perfect heat transfer ( including assuming the rf fluid to be isothermal ). then , the mass would be given by the product of the temperature change , the thermal capacitance of the fluid , and the heat output rate of the heater . more complex theoretical or empirical algorithms would be a simple matter to derive and implement . once the mass of fluid is calculated to be below a certain level , the controller 170 may be programmed to respond in accord with the assumption the sterile rf is exhausted . equivalently , the controller 170 may simply respond to some predefined rate of temperature rise of the temperature sensor 183 . when the temperature of the sterile replacement fluid 130 is raised , dissolved gas may come out of solution . this may cause bubbles to accumulate inside the replacement fluid container 247 , which is undesirable because of the risk of infusing bubbles into the patient &# 39 ; s bloodstream . to help ameliorate that problem , a vibrator or ultrasonic transducer may be provided 183 to cause bubbles to coalesce and rise to a top of the container 147 . as a result , bubble - free replacement fluid may be drawn through the outlet 148 . a connector 195 may be provided for connecting the source fluid to the line 120 . the connector may be a luer , spike , threaded adapter , or any other suitable type . although the various controls indicated above are shown to be controlled an automatic controller 170 , each may be controlled also by manual mechanisms . the fig1 embodiment allows replacement fluid to be prepared in batch for later use . thus , the rate of filtration of replacement fluid need not match the requirements of the treatment process or preparatory steps such as priming . as a result , a low capacity filter may be used for the filter 160 . for example , typically only a small quantity of expensive media is required to make a small - capacity filter and as such , the cost of a low capacity filter can be much smaller than a high capacity filter . also , other features found in high capacity filters , such as a large ratio of media surface to volume of the filter module are achievable only by means of folding or forming media into shapes that can be difficult to manufacture , such as tubes . thus , savings can be achieved in simplification of the configuration of the filter as well . relatively small filters with simple planar media held in plastic casings are available and suitable for this purpose . the configuration of fig1 may be retrofitted for use with an existing treatment system . for this purpose , the outlet 148 may provide with any required connection adapter . a user interface 175 for entering data into the controller 170 may be provided as well . referring now to fig2 , a control algorithm for controlling the heater 185 , pump 190 , valves 165 / 180 , etc . begins with the a setting of a time for treatment s 10 , for example by entering a time into the controller 170 via a user interface ( ui ) 175 . the time can be entered manually or automatically by means of , for example , a data signal from a remote source via a switched or network circuit . the time for treatment may be obtained from a treatment calendar entered into the controller 170 , which also may be obtained from a remote source . in the present simple algorithm , first and second time intervals t 1 and t 2 are defined representing the interval required for filtration of rf and the interval required for heating of rf , respectively . these values may be obtained from any of the above means ( e . g ., local manual or remote entry via ui / interface 175 ) or from data encoded on one of the consumables involved in the process . for example , the filter 160 , the rf fluid container 147 , the source fluid 150 container ( s ), or any other consumable may be provided with one or more bar - codes , rfid tags , or other suitable encoding device . such devices may provide values for t 1 and t 2 , tables of values that depend upon other factors , or other data from which t 1 and t 2 may be derived . the controller 170 waits until it is time to start the flow of raw rf fluid from source fluid 150 toward container 147 by comparing a current time ( indicated by a clock internal to the controller 170 , which is not shown ) to a difference between a scheduled treatment time and t 1 , which represents the lead time ( ahead of the scheduled treatment ) required for the filtering process . a loop through step s 20 is exited to step s 30 when the clock reaches the treatment time minus t 1 . at step s 30 , the flow of source fluid 150 through the filter 160 is initiated . if the pump 190 is present , it may be started and regulated according to a specified tmp . the latter may be provided to the controller 170 manually or automatically through ui / interface 175 . automatic entry may be by way of a data store such as bar - code or rfid attached to the filter , for example which may be read when the filter 160 is installed in a chassis with a corresponding reader device ( not shown ). note , as mentioned above , the source fluid may be sterile and the filtration process provided as a guarantee against contamination , for example by accidental touching . once the flow of source fluid 150 is initiated , the controller waits for the required time for applying power to the heater 185 . the delay and the initiation are controlled by step s 40 which is exited to step s 50 only when the treatment time minus the predefined interval t 2 is reached . as mentioned above , alternatively , the heater may be triggered by detecting fluid such as by means of a sensor ( not shown ) triggered by the presence of sterile replacement fluid 130 in the container 147 . the sensor may be any of a variety of types , such as an ultrasonic sensor , capacitance sensor , mass sensor , optical sensor , etc . once the heater is started , the controller 170 may wait for the source fluid to be exhausted at step s 60 . step s 60 exits to step s 70 when the source fluid is determined to be exhausted . the latter may be detected by integrating the flow rate to measure the total volume ( the rate may be determined by the pumping rate , for example , or by a flow meter ( not shown )). the exhaustion of the source fluid 150 may also be indicated by a quantity indicator ( e . g ., a level indicator ) in the sterile replacement fluid container 147 or an intermediate container supplied through a drip chamber , for example . alternatively , the exhaustion of the source fluid 150 , if supplied from a fixed - volume container , may be indicated by a sensor such as an ultrasonic sensor , capacitance sensor , mass sensor , optical sensor , a scale , etc . yet another alternative is to sense gas or a precipitous rise in negative pressure ( sensed by a pressure sensor which is not shown ) at the pump 190 inlet . at step s 70 , the line 120 may be clamped by actuating shutoff / control valve 180 . additionally , if appropriate , the pump 190 may be deactivated at the point where the exhaustion of the source fluid 150 is detected at step s 70 . according to an embodiment , as the fluid is pumped , the tmp of the filter , as indicated by pressure sensors 162 , may be monitored . if the tmp is determined by the controller 170 to be , at any point , below a predetermined nominal value or to have changed precipitously during filtration , the controller 170 may trigger an alarm or take some other action to insure that the resulting replacement fluid is handled appropriately . for example , a back - up filter could be added during treatment as discussed with respect to fig5 . the tmp results could trigger an alarm at any point during filtration or could be assessed and reported at step s 70 , before treatment would begin . the controller 170 pauses again at step s 80 to wait for the sterile fluid to be exhausted . this may be indicated by a signal from the treatment machine ( e . g ., received via ui / interface 175 ) or by direct measurement by a sensor , such as an ultrasonic sensor , capacitance sensor , mass sensor , optical sensor , a scale , etc . as mentioned above , the controller 170 , or the heater 185 itself , may be provided with a threshold temperature - rise rate that indicates the mass of fluid in the replacement fluid container 147 has fallen below a minimum level . the loop of step s 80 is exited to step s 90 where power to the heater 185 is terminated . note that all the functionality attributed to the controller 170 may be provided , via a control interface , by a controller ( not shown ) internal to a treatment machine . for example , the apparatus of fig1 could be provided as an optional module for such a treatment machine rather than a retrofit module . referring now to fig3 , a combination blood treatment system and sterile replacement fluid device 310 has a replacement fluid preparation subsystem 305 configured substantially as the device of fig1 . a filter 260 filters fluid from a source of fluid 250 to generate a batch of sterile replacement fluid 230 as in the embodiment of fig1 . again , the source of fluid 150 may be a container of sterile or non - sterile replacement fluid , one or more containers of constituents which , when combined , form a proper replacement fluid and any of the latter may include a continuous source such as a water tap . a line 220 conveys the source fluid 250 through the filter 260 and into a batch container 247 , which may be any type of sterile , preferably disposable container , for example , a large iv bag . it may also include a number of such containers appropriately interconnected to permit flow into and out of them in the fashion of container 247 . again , a pump 290 may be provided and pressure at an outlet of the filter 260 may be sensed by a pressure sensor 262 . the pump 290 may be controlled by a controller 270 to insure a maximum safe tmp to maximize throughput . again , the pump 290 is not required and the source fluid 150 may be arranged such as to maintain a desired tmp at the filter 160 without the need of the pump 290 or pressure sensor 262 by elevation . a control valve 265 or a speed of the pump 290 may be used to regulate the flow rate to maintain desired tmp limits . a control / shutoff valve 280 may provide the controller 270 the ability to stop the flow of fluid through the filter 260 once a desired volume is reached . a heater 285 may be provided to warm the sterile replacement fluid 130 to prepare it for use . an insulated container 245 may be used and the heater controlled as discussed with respect to the fig1 embodiment . bubbles may be controlled , as discussed above , by means of a vibration or ultrasonic transducer 230 as discussed above with regard to the previous embodiment . a connector 295 may be provided for connecting the source fluid to the line 220 . the connector may be a luer , spike , threaded adapter , or any other suitable type . although the various controls indicated above are shown to be controlled an automatic controller 270 , each may be controlled also by manual mechanisms . other aspects of the control mechanisms for the embodiment of fig3 may be provided as discussed with respect to fig1 and 2 . the benefits of the fig2 embodiment are similar to those of the fig1 embodiment in that it allows replacement fluid over a time period that is not driven by the speed of supply to the treatment process . as a result , a low capacity filter may be used for the filter 260 with the attendant benefits identified above . note that the ui / interface 275 and controller 270 are shared in the present embodiment by the treatment machine . thus , any information required for control of both the treatment and preparation of sterile replacement fluid 230 would not need to be communicated to a separate controller such as controller 170 . note also that the communications among the illustrated components is provided by a channel 202 which may be wire harness , separate wires , a bus , a wireless channel or any suitable communications / power transmission device . in the embodiment of fig3 , a predicted quantity of replacement fluid may be filtered and stored for use during treatment . if , however , for some reason , more is required , the treatment machine controller 270 could be configured to identify that situation and control the subsystem 305 components to provide it . many blood treatment process employ a filter 220 to filter blood and into which replacement fluid is supplied to a patient 225 . more details on preferred embodiments of the treatment machine are discussed below . in either of the above embodiments , the rate of flow of fluid during preparation of the batch of replacement fluid may be substantially less than the rate of consumption during treatment . in an exemplary embodiment of an application for hemofiltration , the amount of replacement fluid consumed is between 9 and 181 . and the rate of consumption is approximately 200 ml ./ min . also , the media used for sterile filtration may be any suitable media that insures the quality of the replacement fluid is as desired . in the embodiments discussed above , it was assumed that the end sought was preparation of sterile replacement fluid employed microfiltration to prevent the passage of pathogens . however , the invention could be used with other types of filtration or treatment processes to produce a batch of fluid consumed by a medical treatment process , for example , dialysate for hemodialysis treatment . the benefits accrue in particular when the time scale of preparation may be longer than the time scale of consumption . moreover , the benefits are more appreciable when some sort of energy - consuming process is required , such as heating , before consumption . here , not only is the time scale of preparation compatible with a small inexpensive filter , but the long time scale permits heating of the replacement fluid over a long interval . to support this benefit , the batch container may be insulated to minimize heat loss so a small heater will be adequate . also , the preferred application for the present invention is in the context of hemofiltration because the quantity of fluid required for such treatment is relatively small . note that other motivations for filtering the fluid , in addition to or as an alternative to sterilization of a non - sterile fluid , is ( 1 ) removal of air bubbles and / or ( 2 ) as a safety net for ensuring against accidental contamination . if bubble removal is the only concern , a drip chamber may be used instead of a filter . for removing bubbles , the filter preferably is of a type that permits the passage of fluid , but which blocks the passage of bubbles , for example due to its media pore size and the surface tension of the fluid . referring now to fig4 a , a preferred type of filter for some of the present embodiments has an inlet port 415 providing an inlet channel 410 communicating with an inlet chamber 440 . an outlet leading port 405 provides an outlet channel 420 communicating with an outlet chamber 445 . a piece of filter media 425 separates the inlet and outlet chambers 440 and 445 . the fluid to be sterilized enters the inlet chamber 440 , is sterilized by passing through the filter media 425 , and exits via the outlet chamber 445 . a gas relief gasket 425 allows gas accumulating in the inlet chamber 440 to be released to the ambient atmosphere . internal supports and structural details are not shown in the illustration for clarity , but a practical embodiment of the filter of fig4 may have ribs for strength and internal supports for the media 425 and gasket 425 so that the filter 400 may be capable of tolerating a substantial tmp . the gas relief gasket 425 may be of a porous hydrophobic material such as ptfe . air bubbles trapped in the inlet chamber 440 can coalesce in the inlet chamber 440 and exit via the air relief gasket 425 . it may be , depending on the type of gas relief gasket 425 used , that a substantial tmp will be required to eliminate air . an alternative to the gas relief gasket 425 is a gas relief valve 426 as shown in fig4 b . since the inlet chamber 440 is connected to the non - sterile side of the filtration system , there is little risk of contamination if microbes were to enter through a mechanical device such as the gas relief valve 426 . the latter is illustrated figuratively and allows only gas to escape . other features of the embodiment of fig4 b are labeled with the same numerals as features of the embodiment of fig4 a where they serve substantially identical functions and , thus , their descriptions are not repeated here . referring now to fig5 , the filters of fig4 a and 4b may be used for filtration of replacement fluid in the embodiment of fig5 as discussed presently . replacement fluid 360 , which may or may not be sterile , is supplied to a hemofiltration machine 490 . a replacement fluid pump 360 pumps the replacement fluid into a balancing mechanism 330 which meters the replacement fluid before it is introduced , via a junction 485 , into the venous ( return ) line 480 and ultimately into the blood stream of a patient 225 . waste fluid is drawn through a waste line 470 from a filter 395 and pumped via a waste pump 365 through the fluid balancing mechanism 330 . the fluid balancing mechanism 330 meters the replacement fluid to match the rate of withdrawal of waste fluid so that the patient &# 39 ; s fluid balance is maintained during treatment . actually , the rate of withdrawal of waste fluid may be less than the rate of metering of replacement fluid by pumping waste fluid through a bypass pump called an ultrafiltration pump 339 . the latter sends some of the waste fluid directly to a waste fluid sump 380 , thereby bypassing the fluid balancing mechanism 330 . the fluid balancing mechanism is depicted figuratively and may operate in accord with any suitable control device . preferably it meters replacement fluid on an equal — volume or equal — mass basis . a preferred mechanism is described in u . s . patent application ser . no . 09 / 513 , 911 , filed feb . 25 , 2000 , entitled :“ synchronized volumetric fluid balancing systems and methods ,” which is hereby incorporated by reference as if fully set forth in its entirety herein . various sensors and line clamps , indicated figuratively at 335 , 355 , 320 , 385 , and 390 , may be provided to control flow and ensure safe operation . a filter 337 , is provided in the replacement fluid line 338 just upstream of the junction 485 . the filter 337 may serve as a last chance safety net for ensuring that replacement fluid is sterile and / or that all bubbles are removed before flowing into the venous line 480 . to ensure that air is not infused into the patient &# 39 ; s body , an air sensor 390 is often provided in hemofiltration systems , but detection of air normally triggers an alarm , automatic shutdown , and skilled intervention to restart the hemofiltration treatment . obviously , this is undesirable so the system should , as effectively as possible , insure that air or other gas is not injected into the venous line 480 . although in the embodiment of fig5 , a hemofiltration machine was discussed , other types of treatment processes may be provided a last - chance filter similar to filter 337 . for example , hemodiafiltration , hemodialysis , or other treatments may require the infusion of replacement fluid and thereby benefit from a filter such as filter 337 . preferably , the filter 337 is substantially as in the embodiment of fig4 a . thus , the filter 337 removes both air and pathogens . instead of employing a filter at the location indicated at 337 , a drip chamber may be used . suitable drip chambers are currently available with air vents and microfilters effective to remove pathogens , so they may be substituted for the filter 337 . also , in some cases , it may be that there is very little risk that the replacement fluid is contaminated with pathogens , the filter 337 may serve as a mechanism for removing only air or other gases . in such cases , drip chambers which remove gas ( either with or without a vent ), could be employed at the above location in the fluid circuit . referring now to fig6 , 7 , and 8 the last chance filter or drip chamber ( or combination device ) 510 may be installed in a cartridge 520 that holds and orients blood and fluid circuits for a hemofiltration machine 540 . in the embodiment shown , which is described substantially in u . s . patent application ser . no . 09 / 513 , 773 filed feb . 25 , 2000 and entitled :“ fluid processing systems and methods using extracorporeal fluid flow panels oriented within a cartridge ,” hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety as if fully set forth herein , fluid circuit components may be held in a cartridge 520 and clamped ( as shown in fig8 with the machine closing as illustrated by the arrow 665 ) within a receiving gap 530 in a blood treatment machine such as hemofiltration machine 540 . the cartridge 520 may have a preferred orientation which may insure a correct orientation for the last chance filter or drip chamber ( or combination device ) 510 if required by the particular device chosen . to insure orientation of the last chance filter or drip chamber ( or combination device ) 510 , the latter is preferably held by the cartridge 520 in a fixed orientation with respect to the cartridge 520 . in an alternative embodiment , the last chance filter or drip chamber ( or combination device ) 520 may be accompanied by a device 660 for measuring the quality of the replacement fluid , such as conductivity or density . this may provide a last - chance check that the replacement fluid is of the correct type . for example , where such fluids are derived from mixtures , if the proportion is not exactly what is required , infusion could be harmful to the patient 225 . an example of a device 660 to test the fluid could be a wettable pair of contacts ( not shown ) formed in a tubing set 650 of the cartridge may be used in conjunction with a resistance measurement device to measure the ion concentration of the fluid . alternatively , a non - wettable sensor , such as an ultrasonic conductivity cell could be used . other kinds of fluid quality sensors could be employed such as new types of specific - molecule detectors built on silicon wafers . preferably , the tubing set 650 and cartridge 620 of which it is a part form a disposable component that is used for one treatment and disposed of . note that the fluid quality sensor 660 may used alone or together with the last chance filter or drip chamber ( or combination device ) 510 . note , although fig6 and 7 are detailed , they are intended to show various components figuratively and do not reveal the details of the routing necessary to achieve the flow paths discussed with respect to them or as illustrated elsewhere . referring now also to fig9 , the tubing set and cartridge assembly 610 , discussed previously , may incorporate the batch replacement fluid container 625 as part of a sterile replaceable set 690 . the filter 615 may have a tube 622 with a connector 620 for attachment to a source fluid 250 . a tube 635 may connect the filter to the batch replacement fluid container 625 , which may be fitted with another tube 630 to convey fluid to the tubing set and cartridge assembly 610 . referring now also to fig1 , the batch replacement fluid container 625 may also be fitted with additional connectors 670 and / or extensions ( not shown ) to permit the batch replacement fluid container to be used for priming blood , replacement fluid , and / or waste lines . for example , as discussed in u . s . patent application ser . no . 09 / 905 , 246 , filed jul . 12 , 2001 , entitled :“ devices and methods for sterile filtering of dialysate ,” which is hereby incorporated by reference as if fully set forth in its entirety herein , replacement fluid is circulated through a replacement fluid container 740 to flush air out of all the fluid circuiting ( not all shown ) of a blood treatment apparatus 710 . as described in detail in the &# 39 ; 246 application incorporated by reference above , the venous ( return ) and arterial ( supply ) blood lines 725 and 730 may be temporarily connected via connectors 750 to the replacement fluid container 740 and fluid circulated through the container 740 until gas bubbles are substantially purged from the relevant circuits . note , the replacement fluid container 740 corresponds to the containers 147 ( fig1 ), 247 ( fig3 ), and 625 ( fig9 ) in the foregoing figures and to respective containers in the application incorporated by reference immediately above . the air and other gases may settle in the replacement fluid container 740 as the fluid circulates . liberation of the gases would ordinarily be promoted by the application of heat from a heater 775 ( with power source 770 ), which may be employed as discussed with regard to the embodiments of fig1 - 3 or in any suitable way to bring the temperature of the replacement fluid to body temperature . replacement fluid circuits including line 735 , blood circuits including lines 725 and 730 , and waste fluid circuits including line 780 may all be flushed with fluid from the container 740 . the details of the blood treatment apparatus and its internal plumbing can vary . replacement fluid may be transferred from the replacement fluid line 735 or from the blood line 735 to the waste line , for example through a filter , to flush the waste portion of the circuit including the waste line 780 . replacement fluid may circulate through the blood circuit including lines 725 and 730 as indicated to flush the blood circuit , at least a portion of which may be closed as indicated by the arterial and venous lines 730 and 735 . disposable components , such as the circuit sets of fig8 and 9 or the batch replacement fluid container 625 alone , or other components that may be used with the embodiments disclosed may be packaged with instructions for preparing infusible replacement fluid . for example , the source fluid 150 / 1250 or a concentrate which may be mixed to make the same ( fig1 and 3 ) may be supplied with instructions for sterile filtering the fluid as described in the instant specification . such may constitute packages of consumables or reusable components . note that benefits of the filtering method and apparatus discussed above may best be achieved by performing the filtration just prior to treatment , although this is not required . the filtering method may be performed at the treatment site . for example , non - sterile concentrate may be stored at the residence of a patient . the concentrate may be diluted with distilled water in a source fluid container ( e . g ., 196 of fig1 ) at the residence and processed as discussed in the instant application . because the infusible fluid is generated at the treatment site , the need for regulatory - cleared fluids , such as might be obtained from a manufacturer , is not avoided . cost savings and storage - space economies can thus be realized by the patient . this is particularly important in view of the fact that renal replacement therapies are often administered many times per week and storage and cost of consumables can present a serious problem in a residence or any other facility . referring now to fig1 , a blood treatment machine , a portion of which is illustrated figuratively at 810 , may permit a pump 845 that , during treatment , conveys replacement fluid to a patient , to be used for filtering a sterile filtering a non - sterile source fluid . here , the machine 810 has a common guide 850 that accommodates a fluid line 815 through which fluid is conveyed by the pump 845 , for example a peristaltic pump . during treatment , the line 815 - 825 may be guided by a first selected guide 830 in a first direction toward other components of an internal fluid circuit ( not shown ) as indicated at 825 . during sterile - filtering , fluid may be pumped by the same pump 845 through a line 815 - 820 that is allowed to pass out of the blood treatment machine 810 via a different guide 835 . this allows the line 815 - 820 to be fed to an external connection to the sterile fluid container ( not shown ) as indicated at 820 . referring now to fig1 , another embodiment of a replacement fluid container portion of a disposable tubing set includes a replacement fluid container 1 , a break - off female luer lock connector 4 , a y - connector , 5 , a pinch clamp 6 , a male luer 8 , a female luer 26 , a 0 . 22 micron pore anti pyrogen filter 11 , a non reopenable tubing clamp 13 , a non - breathing cap 14 on a femal luer 9 , an in - line check valve 16 , a pinch clamp 18 , a break - off male luer cap and female luer 19 , and a female luer 21 and tubing branches 3 , 7 , 10 , 12 , 15 , 17 , and 20 . the replacement fluid container 1 is delivered to a patient treatment setting as a sealed sterile container with all terminals sealed . the replacement fluid container contains , as delivered , a concentrate solution sufficient to create a treatment batch of replacement fluid when water is added . concentrate may be added by means of the luer connector 21 . in the deliverable to the treatment site , the tubing branch 20 may be sealed and cut after the concentrate is added . water is added at the treatment site through connection to a water source via luer 19 . the water is preferably metered to provide a predefined quantity . the 0 . 22 micron filter is sufficient to protect against contamination before water is added to the replacement fluid container 1 . a sample of diluted replacement fluid may be drawn through the luer 19 before treatment . the check valve 16 prevents any contamination due to backflow from the sampling procedure . after water is added to the replacement fluid container 1 , the luer 9 is disconnected from the male luer 8 and the male luer connector connected to the blood treatment system . to supply suitable water that is substantially free of unwanted dissolved and undissolved materials , a combination of permanent and replaceable components may be provided at the treatment site . fig1 illustrates such a set up in overview fashion . a pretreatment module 900 provides primary filtration from a raw water supply , for example tap water and feeds prefiltered water to a controller module 905 which provides various control functions , a pump , pressure detection and control , and permanent filtering capabilities which are not shown separately here . water is metered by the control module into a consumable disposable module 910 which may provide deionization , adsorption filtration , microporous filtering , chemical pretreatment , etc . and any other types of filtering that may require replacement of components . the purified water is finally conveyed to the replacement fluid container circuit 915 discussed with reference to fig1 . referring to fig1 , pretreatment module 900 is shown in more detail . a check valve 955 prevents backflow . an air vent 953 removes air from the primary supply and a sediment filter 951 ( which may be replaceable ) provides substantial filtering of solids . referring to fig1 , the control module 905 is shown in greater detail . a shutoff valve 1010 is provided for safety . pressure indicators 1015 and 1025 may be provided for monitoring the respective pressures in and out of a pump 1020 . feedback regulation may be provided to ensure that consistent metering is provided if the pump is relied upon for measuring the total quantity of water supplied to the replacement fluid container 1 . a high intensity ultraviolet ( uv ) lamp 1030 provides a sterilization mechanism . preferably , the uv lamp 1030 is ov such intensity and wavelength as to provide disintegration of chloramines . in a preferred embodiment , the lamp is characterized by a 245 nm wavelength and an output power of 750 mj / cm2 up to 1500 mj / cm2 which is sufficient to remove chloramines . referring to fig1 , the replaceable ( disposable or remanufacturable ) filter module 910 contains a first stage filter 1007 copper - zinc alloy which is used to subject the water to a reduction / oxidation process to remove ions . this removes ions through a chemical reaction . an embodiment is kdf 85 media where about on pound is used for a flow rate of 150 ml ./ min water flow rate . a activated carbon filter 1005 follows which is a well - known adsorption type filter . next three stages of strong acid cation 1011 and strong base anion 1009 filters follow in series . a sensor 1022 detects ion concentration by contact testing of the conductivity of the water . a signal is generated to indicate that this is the last allowed batch before replacement of the replaceable module 910 . a mixed bed deionization filter 1030 is provided next and a safeguard conductivity test is provided with an audible alarm at 1025 as a back up safety measure . if the conductivity it detects is above a certain level , the pump 1020 may be shut off and an alarm sounded . this may come into play if an operator ignores the tester 1022 which may provide a visual signal or if the tester 1022 fails . tp is a hydrophobic membrane air vent which allows air in an ultrafilter 1035 to be purged . the ultrafilter 1035 may be a microtubular filter such as used for dialysis . a 1 . 2 micron air vent may also be provided as shown at 1047 . note the final conductivity sensor / alarm 1025 may control the pump , as noted . a controller 1090 may be connectable to the disposable filter module 910 and configured to stop the pump 1020 . the trigger resistivity safety level to cut - off the pump 1020 may be 1 megohm , but may be raised to 2 megohm to allow the use of required temperature compensated resistivity probes ( an fda & amp ; aami requirement ) this does allow use of low cost in - line resistivity probes in the disposable filter module 910 . the following is a procedure for using the above devices discussed with reference to fig1 - 16 . 1 . remove the dialysate concentrate tubing set 915 and remove the cap 14 from the tubing line 7 that contains the filter 11 . ( the 0 . 22 micron filter 11 provides additional protection from inadvertent contamination .) 2 . connect the water source to the concentrate bag luer connection 9 . 3 . break the frangible luer connector 4 which connector is configured to form a permanent seal on the side facing the y - junction 5 when disconnected . 4 . add 3 liters of water into the concentrate bag using the purification plant through tubing branch 7 through luer connector 9 . 5 . write on the bag label the date and time water was first added to the concentrate bag , to assist in ensuring that it is used within 24 hours . 6 . shake the replacement fluid container 1 well to mix . 7 . confirm solution conductivity prior to use . remove the break - off cap 1 and draw sample from this branch 16 . after removing the sample , clamp the line using the pinch clamp 18 provided . 8 . ( the following is normative according to a preferred embodiment and not limiting of the invention ) conductivity must be in the range 13 . 0 to 14 . 4 ms . nominal conductivity for the dialysate solution is 13 . 7 ms at 25 c . if conductivity does not meet this specification do not use it . verify that the results are accurate . if conductivity is high additional water may be added to bring it within specification . if conductivity is low then the solution must be discarded . 9 . using the non re - opening clamp 13 provided , clamp the line that is connected to the water purification plant . 10 . using the clamp 6 is next clamped on the line that is connected to the dialysate bagi . 12 . connect the bag of dialysate solution to the dialysis circuit at the connection 8 . this leaves the filter 11 and permanent clamp 13 in place to protect the water supply source . 13 . unclamp the line going to the dialysate bag ( red clamp ), and initiate treatment after verifying that dialysate will be used within 24 hours from when water was added . although the foregoing invention has , for the purposes of clarity and understanding , been described in some detail by way of illustration and example , it will be obvious that certain changes and modifications may be practiced that will still fall within the scope of the appended claims . for example , the devices and methods of each embodiment can be combined with or used in any of the other embodiments . | 2 |
this invention consists of different elements that aim to increase the efficiency of the tubular solar tower receivers . for this purpose , different strategies are applied to reduce energy losses in the form of heat by radiation . a visor , will reduce the exposure of the panels of the receiver to the sky , also reducing thermal radiation losses . placing the tubes of the solar receiver in different rows with regard to the outside , it could be achieved that solar radiation reflected by the tubes of the inner rows would mostly end up at the rear of the tubes they had opposite , thus reducing losses by reflection of solar radiation . a large proportion of the thermal radiation emitted by the inner tubes would also , in the same manner , end up in the rear of the tubes located opposite , thus reducing losses due to thermal radiation . there is the possibility of using appropriate selective surfaces to strengthen this effect , according to the predominant type of incident radiation ( solar or thermal ), in each tube area . with regard to the aforementioned fins connecting the tubes , it would be necessary to pay special attention to the selective behaviour of the fins for their efficiency with regard to radiation and to how they are attached to the tubes , so that good contact is compatible with expansion and thermal gradients between different areas of the receiver . other details and features will be detailed in the description given below , which illustrate several examples of the invention shown for illustrative but not limiting purposes , with the help of the corresponding drawings . below is a list of the different parts of the invention , which are indicated in the following drawings with their respective numbers : ( 1 ) receiver cavity , ( 2 ) tubular tubes or conduits through which the heat - transfer fluid circulates and which , also act as an absorbent surface , ( 3 ) absorber , ( 4 ) visor , ( 7 ) central area of the receiver , ( 8 ) fins , ( 9 ) receiver , ( 10 ) heliostats , ( 11 ) tower in which the receiver is placed , ( 12 ) front selective surface , ( 13 ) rear selective surface , ( 17 ) bundle of tubes . fig1 is a schematic diagram of a solar tower power plant in which the field of heliostats ( 10 ) concentrates the solar energy on the receiver ( 9 ), which is located at the top of a tower ( 11 ), this field of heliostats ( 10 ) can be facing south for non - circular type power plants , with the tower ( 11 ) located at the southern end of the field , or distributed around the tower ( 11 ) for circular type power plants , according to the current state of the art . fig2 is a schematic diagram of the plan of the receiver cavity ( 1 ) in a solar tower power plant with a non - circular type receiver , with tubes ( 2 ) through which the heat - transfer fluid circulates attached to an absorber ( 3 ), according to the current state of the art , although the tubes themselves are actually the absorber , which can be in different configurations , as shown on the right side of the figure . fig3 is a schematic diagram of the plan of the receiver cavity ( 1 ) in a solar tower power plant , with a non - circular type receiver , to which a visor ( 4 ) is incorporated . fig4 is a schematic diagram of the plan of the receiver cavity ( 1 ) in a solar tower power plant ( 18 ), with a non - circular type receiver , to which the absorber tubes ( 2 ) are placer in bundles ( 17 ) aligned in two or more columns or rows , each with their own vertical or horizontal movement according to the layout of the tubes ( 2 ), in this figure they are horizontal , the absorbent surface are the tubes ( 2 ) themselves , and the absorber ( 3 ) would be a final closure element that would also act as an absorbing fin . fig5 is a schematic diagram of the receiver ( 9 ) in a solar tower power plant , with a circular type receiver , where the tubes ( 2 ) through which the heat - transfer fluid circulates are in different panels around the tower ( 11 ), according to the current state of the art . fig6 is a schematic diagram of the receiver ( 9 ) in a solar tower power plant , with a circular type receiver , where the tubes ( 2 ) through which the heat - transfer fluid circulates are in different panels around the tower ( 11 ), with a visor ( 4 ) around the tower ( 11 ) in this embodiment . fig7 is a top schematic diagram view of the receiver in a solar tower power plant , with a circular type receiver , where the tubes ( 2 ) through which the heat - transfer fluid circulates are placed around the central area of the receiver ( 7 ) in different panels , and are distributed in bundles ( 17 ), forming two or more columns , each one staggered with regard to the neighbouring columns . fig8 is a schematic diagram of a tube ( 2 ), with selective surfaces that are different at the front ( 12 ) and the rear ( 13 ) with regard to the direction of incidence of solar radiation ( arrows ). fig9 is a schematic diagram of placement of the fins ( 3 ) between the tubes ( 2 ) through which the heat - transfer fluid circulates , for non - circular type receivers . fig1 is a schematic diagram of placement of the fins ( 3 ) between the tubes ( 2 ) through which the heat - transfer fluid circulates , for circular type receivers . in fig2 - 4 , the tubes ( 2 ) are shown horizontally for greater clarity . although this horizontal layout is possible , in solar tower power plants , tubes ( 2 ) are normally placed vertically . one of the preferred embodiments of this invention for solar tower power plants has non - circular type receivers , as can be seen in fig3 , in which there is a visor ( 4 ) over the receiver cavity ( 1 ) with the purpose of redirecting part of the infrared radiation back to the tubes ( 2 ). another preferred embodiment shown in fig4 , refers to a receiver cavity ( 1 ) of a solar tower power plant with no type receivers , to which tubes ( 2 ) are placed in bundles ( 17 ) aligned in two or more columns or rows , each with their own vertical or horizontal movement according to the layout of the tubes ( 2 ), the absorbent surface are the tubes themselves , and the absorber ( 3 ) would be a final closure element that would also act as an absorbing fin . there is the possibility of using appropriate selective surfaces to strengthen this effect , according to the predominant type of incident radiation ( solar or thermal ), in each tube area , as can be seen in fig8 . another preferred embodiment , as can be seen in fig6 , refers to a receiver ( 9 ) in a solar tower power plant with a circular type receiver where the tubes ( 2 ) through which the heat - transfer fluid circulates are in different panels around the tower ( 11 ), a visor ( 4 ) around the tower ( 11 ) is added in this layout with the purpose of redirecting part of the infrared radiation hack to the tubes ( 2 ). another preferred embodiment ( see fig7 ) refers to a receiver ( 9 ) in a solar tower power plant , with a circular type receiver , where the tubes ( 2 ) through which the heat - transfer fluid circulates are placed around the central area of the receiver ( 7 ) in different panels , and are distributed in bundles ( 17 ) ( see fig9 ), forming two or more columns , each one staggered with regard to the neighbouring columns . there is the possibility of using appropriate selective surfaces to strengthen this effect , according to the predominant type of incident radiation ( solar or thermal ), in each tube area , as can be seen in fig8 . although in all preferred embodiments the receiver is in vertical position , the inclination thereof can be any from vertical until completely horizontal . | 5 |
a cellular system composed of cells 21 and 22 , base stations ( bs ) 15 - 17 , and mobile stations ( ms ) 18 - 20 , is shown in fig3 . as illustrated , two of the bss are connected to a common radio network controller 23 , whereas a third bs 17 is operated by a non co - operating operator ( not shown ). for a cdma system , isolation among cells is achieved largely by spreading codes and distance , and somewhat by frequency and time . however , isolation among cells is not ideal , and causes intra - and inter - cell interference . furthermore , the existence of cooperating or non - cooperating multiple operators in the same geographical area worsens the problem of multiuser interference . multiuser interference from non - cooperating operators , such as interference from bs 17 to bs 16 and to ms 20 ( if bs 17 belongs to a non - cooperating operator ); multiuser interference from different cells of the same cellular system , such as between ms 19 and bs 16 . even though ms 19 and bs 16 may desire to communicate , such as during some form of handover to a new cell , the signal from ms 19 may cause interference at bs 16 when bs 16 detects the signal from ms 20 . multiuser interference within a cell of some cellular system , such as at bs 15 . for example , bs 15 must detect the signal from ms 18 , which is corrupted by the signal from ms 19 . bs 15 must also detect the signal from ms 19 , which is corrupted by the signal from ms 18 . fig4 shows a general block diagram of a direct - sequence cdma ( ds / cdma ) communications system model . in this model , a common additive white gaussian noise ( awgn ) channel is shared by synchronous or asynchronous users ( 1 , 2 , . . . , k ) whose transmitted power is attenuated by different values . without loss of generality , the attenuation levels w 1 , w 2 , . . . , w k have been lumped together with the corresponding data symbols b 1 ( n ), . . . , b k ( n ). furthermore , the existence of despreading circuitry 40 , 44 , 45 at the receiver side has been assumed . this despreading circuitry comprises a despreader 40 and integrate and dump units 44 , 45 . the transmitter of each user consists basically of a spreading and modulation unit 41 . for transmitters located in mobile stations ( ms ) the delay units 42 represent the relative delay ( τ 1 , . . . , τ k ) in transmission among the different ms users . the summation unit 43 then indicates the process of superposition of signals when transmitted through the physical medium . on the other hand , if the transmitters are located in the base station ( bs ), then there is no relative delay between the different users and the corresponding units 42 can be eliminated . in this case , the summation unit 43 is a part of the bs transmitter . the data sequence { b k ( n )} of the k th user is represented by the d - transform ## equ1 ## where k = 1 , 2 , . . . , k and n is an integer . in vector notation represents the data sequence vector and b ( d ) the corresponding d - transform . the symbols are transmitted at rate 1 / t , are uncorrelated , and have an average energy of unity . to each user corresponds a signature waveform ## equ2 ## where p c ( t ) is the chip pulse shape , n = t / t c is the spreading factor , and c k 1 ={ c k ε (- 1 , 1 )} i = 9 n - 1 is the spreading code of the k th user . usually , the spreading function at the transmitter of a bs or ms terminal is performed by multiplying the transmitted data sequence { b k ( n )} with the signature waveform s k ( t ). an alternative implementation of the spreader 41 ( and despreader 40 ) is by making the spreading code the impulse response of a filter . therefore , the transmitted spread signal is the result of a convolution operation as opposed to a multiplication operation . the advantage of the latter approach is that it allows for spreading codes which are longer ( or shorter ) than one symbol period , while maintaining time - invariant properties of the multiuser equalizers involved at the receiver . for the sake of notational simplicity , spreading via multiplication , as illustrated in fig4 has been assumed in the following . the receiver observes the superposition r ( n ) of the k user signals in the presence of additional white gaussian noise η ( t ) ( awgn ) with variance σ 2 , i . e ., ## equ3 ## where w k 2 denotes the received power of the k th user and 0 ≦ τ 1 τ 2 . . . τ k ≦ t represent the relative time delays . after matched filtering ( by means of 40 , 44 , and 45 ) and symbol - rate sampling at the samplers 45 , the set of sufficient statistics { y ( n )} are obtained , where denotes the output of the k th matched - filter . in vector notation the matched - filter outputs can be written as ( see also the above mentioned article &# 34 ; minimum probability of error for asynchronous gaussian multiple access channels &# 34 ;, by s . verdu ). the essential system parameters are therefore represented by the k × k cross - correlation matrices r ( i ), i =- 1 , 0 , 1 , and the diagonal matrix w = diag ( w 1 , w 2 , . . . , w k ). the ki th element of r ( i ) is computed by note that r ( 0 ) is symmetric and r ( 1 ) is upper triangular with zero diagonal elements . furthermore , r (- 1 )= r ( 1 ) t , where t denotes the complex conjugate transpose . it can also be shown that the autocorrelation matrix of the noise vector at the output of the matched - filters 40 , 44 is given by equations ( 7 ) and ( 9 ) give rise to an equivalent discrete - time multiple - input / multiple - output model for a cdma system . fig5 shows a block diagram of this model . using equation ( 7 ), it can be shown that the transfer function matrix of the equivalent channel 50 is given by similarly , the spectrum of the discrete - time noise vector η ( n ) is given by ## equ4 ## equations ( 7 ) and ( 9 ), or equivalently ( 10 ) and ( 11 ), translate the joint detection problem of k asynchronous or synchronous cdma users to a problem of estimating a vector sequence emerging from a multiple - input / multiple - output discrete - time channel in the presence of additive colored vector noise . it is also clear from the same equations the deterministic nature of the multiuser interference and its dependence on the auto - and cross - correlation properties of the short spreading codes . thus , some of the equalization techniques developed for multiplexed signals over multiple - input / multiple - output channels with intersymbol interference ( isi ) and crosstalk ( see the already mentioned article &# 34 ; equalizers for multiple input / multiple output channels and pam systems with cyclostationary input sequences &# 34 ;, a . duel - hallen , ieee j . select . areas commun ., vol . 10 , no . 3 , pp 630 - 639 , april 1992 , and the references therein ) can in principle be applied , to solve similar problems in cdma systems . if further processing of the matched - filter outputs { y ( n )} is restricted to be linear , then we arrive at a linear receiver structure which takes the form of a network of k × k , t - spaced , infinite - length transversal equalizers followed by a bank of k memoryless detectors . let c ( d ) denote the k × k equalizer transfer matrix . the mean squared error criterion is where x ( n ) denotes the output of the multiuser equalizer 60 , as illustrated in fig6 . applying the orthogonality principle , one obtains the transfer matrix c ( d ) of this multiuser equalizer 60 which gives the mmse . that is , c ( d ) is selected such that equation ( 13 ) leads to r xy ( i )= r wby ( i ), or equivalently using the cross - spectra in the d - domain s xy ( d )= s wby ( d ). hence , where i represents the k × k identity matrix . therefore , the transfer matrix c ( d ) of the multiuser equalizer 60 , based on the mmse criterion , is an equalizer / detector structure , in accordance with the present invention , for the first user is shown in fig7 . in this case the transfer function c 11 ( d ), . . . , c 1k ( d ) are the elements of the first row of the transfer matrix c ( d ). three units 61 of this first row are schematically shown in fig7 . let η &# 39 ;( d )= x ( d )- wb ( d ) denote the d - transform of the noise and residual interference vector at the output of the multiuser equalizer 60 . then , where the first term represents the spectrum of the residual interference and the second term represents the spectrum of the output noise . using the matrix inversion lemma , it can be shown that thus , the mmse of the k th user can be computed by simply integrating the kk th diagonal element of the matrix s . sub . η &# 39 ; ( d ) on the unit circle , i . e ., ## equ5 ## in contrast to a zf multiuser equalizer , the relative power levels of the different users appear explicitly in the mmse equalizer &# 39 ; s transfer matrix c ( d ). their effect on the mmse has been studied via numerical computation . it has been found that an infinitely long mmse multiuser equalizer is almost insensitive to the different power levels . this result demonstrates the inherent &# 34 ; near - far &# 34 ; resistance of the present mmse multiuser linear equalizer 60 . the mse of the noise and residual interference vector η &# 39 ;( d ) at the output of a linear multiuser equalizer can be further reduced by multivariate prediction . the idea is to use a multivariate predictor which operates as a whitening multiple - input / multiple - output filter on the vector η &# 39 ;( d ). this argument motivates the multivariate noise - predictive decision - feedback equalizer structure shown in fig8 . it consists of a forward zf or mmse linear multiuser equalizer 80 , as has been defined in the previous section , followed by a multivariate predictor 81 . this section describes the basic principles of this approach . let p ( d ) denote the general multivariate predictor k × k transfer matrix , i . e ., ## equ6 ## where p ( 0 ) is a lower diagonal matrix with zero diagonal elements . let also η ( n ) represent the multivariate predictor output vector . then η ( n )= p ( d ) η &# 39 ;( n ). note that the i th component of the predictor output vector η ( n ) depends not only on the past vectors η &# 39 ;( n - 1 ), η &# 39 ;( n - 2 ), . . . , but also on the present values η &# 39 ; i + 1 ( n ), . . . , η &# 39 ; k ( n ). thus , the multivariate prediction process in accordance with the present invention , can be viewed as exploiting both past information and user - order . the error vector e ( d ) at the input of the memoryless detector 82 can be expressed as is the multivariate prediction error . the inverse spectral matrix of the wide sense stationary stochastic process { η &# 39 ;( n )} admits the following factorization : where , h ( d )= h ( 0 )+ h ( 1 ) d + h ( 2 ) d 2 . . . , and h ( 0 ) is a lower triangular nonsingular matrix . equivalently , where h d ( 0 ) is a diagonal matrix whose elements are the diagonal elements of h ( 0 ) and h &# 39 ;( d )= h d ( 0 ) - 1 h ( d ). using equation ( 22 ), one obtains thus , the mmse at the input of the k th memoryless detector , i . e ., the mmse of the k th user , is the kk th diagonal element of the diagonal matrix in equation ( 27 ). the equivalence in performance of the conventional multiuser dfe and the noise - predictive multiuser dfe can be established as follows . define ## equ7 ## one can easily see now that , f ( d ) and b ( d ) are the transfer matrices which define forward and feedback sections of an mdfe ( see the above cited ieee j . select . areas article of a . duel - hallen ). thus an infinite long mnp - dfe and an infinite long mdfe have the same performance . from an implementation point of view though , those two schemes are different . fig9 shows the basic principle of a multivariate predictor structure . the multiuser interference part of the signal vector x ( d ) is being isolated by using the decision vector b ( d ). the isolation of said multiuser interference part is carried out by means for extracting interference signals 83 . the multivariate predictor 81 operating both in time and user order produces an output vector η ( d ) which is as close as possible in mmse sense to the multiuser interference vector η &# 39 ;( d ). subtracting the multivariate predictor output η &# 39 ;( d ) from the input vector x ( d ) results in a minimization of the multiuser interference at the input of the quantizer 82 . details of the multivariate prediction theory are given in the two papers of n . wiener and p . masani , published in : acta math ., vol . 98 , pp . 112 - 150 , november 1957 , and acta math ., vol . 99 , pp . 93 - 137 , april 1958 . in the following section some general aspects of the present cdma system are discussed . in practical applications the mmse multiuser linear equalizer and multivariate predictor have finite lengths . for finite lengths and known cross - correlation matrices , the coefficients of the multiuser equalizer can be obtained by simply solving a set of linear equations . in the case of a multiuser noise - predictive decision feedback equalizer the solution begins by obtaining first the coefficients of the forward linear multiuser equalizer . the coefficients of the multivariate predictor are then the solution of a set of generalized normal equations . adaptive equalizers have the property of converging dynamically to the correct set of coefficients without explicitly solving a system of equations . note that the implementation of the equalizers -- and embodiments of the present invention -- do not depend on whether transmission to and from the base station is asynchronous or synchronous . synchronous transmission will improve the orthogonality properties of the spreading codes and will marginally improve the performance of a multiuser equalizer . the linear mmse multiuser equalizer , in accordance with the present invention , can be implemented as a network of , k × k , t - spaced equalizers , or as a bank of k fractional - chip spaced equalizers . in the latter case , there is no need to explicitly implement the despreading function separately . the fractional - chip spaced equalizer has the property of synthesizing both the despreading and the equalizing functions . the practical advantage of mmse equalizers is that they lend themselves to simple adaptive implementation . thus , for a fading channel and unknown cross - correlation functions , standard adaptation algorithms can be applied . the adaptation algorithms can operate in reference - directed or decision - directed mode . in environments where the channel changes very slowly relative to the symbol rate , it will be easier for the equalizer to track the variations . in rapidly changing environments , additional techniques such as channel sounding may be necessary . however , note that a multiuser equalizer does not invert the channel frequency response but rather the spectrum of the correlation matrices which are formed from the different spreading codes . hence , in this regard the tracking problem of a multiuser equalizer should be in general easier than the tracking problem of a conventional single - input single - output equalizer over a fast - fading frequency selective channel . one of the major practical advantages of the present multiuser noise - predictive decision feedback equalizer is that the adaptation of the forward linear multiuser equalizer is decoupled from that of the multivariate predictor . as a consequence , the multivariate predictor can always be disconnected or connected without affecting the normal operation of the system . for example , it may be desirable to disconnect completely the multivariate prediction operation if high error propagation due to feedback in a fast fading situation is observed . on the other hand , in a heavy shadowing situation applying partial multivariate noise prediction on users with relatively large power could substantially improve the performance of weak users who would otherwise suffer high error rates . the base station ( bs ) usually has knowledge of the spreading codes of all users ( ms ) in a particular cell and can afford receivers with higher complexity for implementing joint multiuser equalization / detection schemes . therefore , the present multiuser noise - predictive decision feedback equalization is a promising approach for joint equalization / detection at the base station . the knowledge of the spreading codes can be used to aid fast convergence and / or retraining of the equalizers if necessary . this can be achieved by simply presetting the forward multiuser equalizer coefficients with the corresponding known spreading codes , or possibly by calculating the values of the multiuser linear equalizer coefficients using knowledge of the spreading codes , delays , powers and multipath profiles . multipath reception at the base station ( bs ) can be achieved by a rake receiver in combination with the despreaders followed by a multiuser noise - predictive decision feedback equalizer . in the case of fractional - chip spaced implementation of the joint equalization / detection receiver , multipath reception is inherently and automatically performed by the forward fractional - chip spaced multiuser equalizer . the multiuser equalizer then automatically gives the optimum combining of multipath components in the sense that it adapts to the mmse solution . for convolutionally encoded data the problem of reliable delayed decisions from the path memory of the viterbi decoders for decision feedback can efficiently be solved by choosing judiciously the parameters of the interleaver / deinterleaver pairs . fig1 a and b show an exemplary embodiment of the structure of a multivariate noise - predictive decision - feedback equalizer ( mnp - dfe ) for joint equalization / detection of k = 3 simultaneous users . the forward section 90 consists of a bank of k = 3 fractional - chip spaced equalizers . the nine delay elements 92 , of said forward section 90 , provide for a delay of t c / q . the coefficients of the multiuser equalizer are spaced at t c / q intervals , where q is a ratio of integers . the multivariate feedback predictor , see fig1 b , consists of a bank 91 of k 2 = 9 fir ( finite impulse response ) t - spaced filters . each of said t - spaced filters comprises two delay elements 93 providing for a delay t . the same figures also show the error signals e 11 ( n ) and e 21 ( n ), i = 1 , 2 , 3 which can be used for updating the forward multiuser linear equalizer coefficients and the multivariate feedback predictor coefficients , respectively . an important feature of the mnp - dfe is that it allows interference prediction and subtraction not only in time but also in user order . note that in a synchronous cdma system , interference prediction takes place only in user order . in this case , the feedback multivariate predictor consists of k ( k - 1 )/ 2 single - tap filters . this is also the case in an asynchronous cdma system ( see fig1 a , 10b ) if one assumes that only the rightmost column of coefficients in the bank of feedback filters 91 are present . except for the time 0 coefficients , all coefficients of the present mnp - dfe are adapted in a conventional manner , i . e ., by use of techniques like the lms algorithm . an example of how the time 0 coefficients are different is shown in fig1 a , 10b for the detection over the user order 1 , 2 , then 3 . in this case , the only time 0 coefficients that are adapted are the prediction coefficients p 21 , p 31 , and p 32 . the coefficients labelled 0 are always zero , whereas the coefficients labelled 0 m are presently zero , and only for this particular detection order . however , the last non - zero values are stored elsewhere so that they can be restored if there is an appropriate change in the order of the users . the determination of the user order can be based on estimations of various criteria among the users , such as received signal powers , or mean - square errors ( mses ) at the output of the bank of linear filters 91 . in any case , the determined user order will likely change due to channel impairments such as fading or noise . changes in user order are implemented by saving the current prediction coefficients and loading in a new set , corresponding to the new user order . the present invention is also applicable in cdma infrared ( ir ) networks . a cdma based ir system is shown in fig1 . the mobile stations 110 are equipped with spreading circuitry 111 and opto - electronic transmission units 112 . at the base station after photodetection , by means of an opto - electronic receiver 113 , and spreading , carried out by despreaders 40 , the signals of the different users are processed by an mnp - dfe 115 in order to reduce multiuser interference . | 7 |
for the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles in accordance with the disclosure , reference will now be made to the embodiments illustrated in the drawings and specific language will be used to describe the same . it will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the disclosure is thereby intended . any alterations and further modifications of the inventive features illustrated herein , and any additional applications of the principles of the disclosure as illustrated herein , which would normally occur to one skilled in the relevant art and having possession of this disclosure , are to be considered within the scope of the disclosure claimed . before the devices , systems , methods and processes for providing and reclaiming single use imaging devices are disclosed and described , it is to be understood that this disclosure is not limited to the particular embodiments , configurations , or process steps disclosed herein as such embodiments , configurations , or process steps may vary somewhat . it is also to be understood that the terminology employed herein is used for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting since the scope of the disclosure will be limited only by the appended claims , if any , and equivalents thereof . in describing and claiming the subject matter of the disclosure , the following terminology will be used in accordance with the definitions set out below . it must be noted that , as used in this specification and the appended claims , the singular forms “ a ,” “ an ,” and “ the ” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise . as used herein , the phrase “ optic mount ” contemplates a structure to which optics , such as an endoscope , may be mounted or coupled thereto and a structure that may accept other optic mounting or coupling systems , such as changeable mounting systems as commonly seen in the industry . as used herein the phrase “ electrically isolate ,” and any derivative thereof , contemplates electric shielding sufficient to comply with regulations in the fields of art , and must not be construed as requiring absolute isolation . for example , the phrase “ electrically isolate ,” when used in the medical , electrical equipment field , contemplates electric shielding sufficient to comply with international electrotechnical commission standard 60601 - 1 , including editions 1 , 2 and 3 . as used herein , the terms “ comprising ,” “ including ,” “ containing ,” “ characterized by ,” and grammatical equivalents thereof are inclusive or open - ended terms that do not exclude additional , unrecited elements or method steps . as used herein , the phrase “ consisting of ” and grammatical equivalents thereof exclude any element , step , or ingredient not specified in the claim . as used herein , the phrase “ consisting essentially of ” and grammatical equivalents thereof limit the scope of a claim to the specified materials or steps and those that do not materially affect the basic and novel characteristic or characteristics of the claimed disclosure . with reference primarily to fig1 , an embodiment of the features of the disclosure will be discussed generally . fig1 illustrates a system 100 for providing a digital image using a remote imaging device 110 that may be tethered electronically and physically to a control unit 120 . the control unit 120 may be configured to exchange data with imaging device 110 in order to provide single use functionality and safety in a sterile environment , such as an operating room , a doctor &# 39 ; s office or dental office . additionally , the control unit 120 may be electrically connected to a computer 130 or external monitor 140 for increased functionality . referring now to fig2 where the imaging system 100 will be discussed in greater detail . as is illustrated in fig2 , the imaging device 110 can be connected or disconnected from the control unit 120 by way of an electronic connector 114 on the imaging device 110 that is configured to electronically and physically interact with a corresponding electronic connector 126 on the control unit 120 . the ability to disconnect the imaging device 110 from the control unit 120 provides the ability to easily replace a used imaging device 110 for a sterilized , renewed imaging device 110 . the imaging device 110 may have a head portion 112 generally positioned remotely from the electronic connector 114 , thereby allowing greater mobility of the head portion 112 during use . also illustrated in fig2 is an embodiment of the control unit 120 having an electronic connector 126 therein for receiving the corresponding electronic connector 114 of the imaging device 110 . the control unit 120 may also have a display 128 for conveying information during a procedure to an operator or user . the display 128 may also comprise interactive functionality allowing an operator to enter commands or change what information is being displayed . such functionality may be provided by a touch screen system as is commonly known . the control unit may also have video inputs 122 and video outputs 124 for transferring image data to other apparatuses for increased functionality . as illustrated in fig1 , common apparatuses may be a computer 130 or an external monitor 140 . referring now to fig3 an imaging system 300 will be discussed having wireless capability and features . as is illustrated in fig3 , the imaging device 310 may communicate with a control unit 320 by way of wireless transmissions such as wifi , infrared , bluetooth etc . other forms of wireless non - tethered connectivity may also be used for providing communication between the imaging device 310 and control unit 320 , including but not limited to , radio frequency from any available spectrum , infrared of all configurations , ultrasonic , and optical . the imaging device 310 may comprise a head portion 312 that houses an imaging sensor , memory and associated circuitry , which will be discussed in greater detail below . the head portion 312 may further comprise a wireless transceiver 314 for communicating with a corresponding wireless transceiver 322 housed in the control unit 320 . the ability to separate the head portion 312 from the control unit 320 via wireless transmissions may provide for the easy replacement of used imaging devices for sterilized and renewed imaging devices . in other words , the wireless communication may be enabled by an electronic communication circuit that is a wireless communication transceiver configured to communicate wirelessly with a corresponding transceiver on said control unit using any of the above noted wireless technologies . the wireless functionality also allows for greater mobility of the head portion 312 during use . it will be appreciated that the wireless features and functionality may be incorporated into any of the embodiments disclosed herein or embodiments that fall within the scope of this disclosure . also illustrated in fig3 is an embodiment of the control unit 320 having wireless capabilities and features . a transceiver 322 may be provided in or as part of the control unit 320 for receiving and transmitting wireless data to the imaging device 310 . the control unit 320 may also have a display 328 for conveying information during a procedure to an operator or user . the display 328 may also comprise interactive functionality allowing an operator to enter commands or change what information is being displayed . such functionality may be provided by a touch screen system as is commonly known . the control unit 320 may also have video inputs 321 and video outputs 324 for transferring image data to other apparatuses for increased functionality . as illustrated in fig1 common apparatuses may be a computer 130 or an external monitor 140 . it is within the scope of this disclosure to include an imaging system comprising both wired and wireless communication capabilities . illustrated in fig4 is an embodiment of the control unit 420 disconnected from an imaging device that is illustrated as being connected to complementary apparatuses . a connector 426 may be provided therein for transferring data to and from an imaging device . the ability to separate the imaging device may provide for the easy replacement of used imaging devices with sterilized and renewed imaging devices . the control unit 420 may also have a display 428 for conveying to an operator information during a procedure . the display 428 may also comprise interactive functionality allowing an operator to enter commands or change what information is being displayed . such functionality may be provided by a touch screen system as is commonly known . the control unit may also have video inputs 421 and video outputs 424 for transferring image data to other apparatuses for increased functionality . common apparatuses may be a computer 430 or an external monitor 440 there by increasing the technical functionality of the system 400 . a computer 430 may be used for storing the digital output from the imaging system or may be used to enhance and provide further adjustment within the system . an external monitor 440 may be used to show real time digital images to aid an operator in the use of the system , or later review and study the recorded digital imagery . referring now to fig5 an embodiment of a control unit display 428 that may be part of a control unit 420 will be discussed in greater detail . the display 428 may be a digital display of liquid crystal design ( lcd ), or the display may be some other technology beside lcd , and may have touch screen functionality and capability for an operator or user to input commands into the system 400 . the embodiment discussed herein may have input portions 428 a and 428 b whereby an operator or user may input commands into the system 400 . the embodiment may further comprise a status portion 428 c informing a user about the operational status of the components of the system 400 . for example , display portion 428 c may display an error message related to the condition of an attached imaging device 410 if the imaging device 410 has already been used or has been deemed unfit for a procedure . the display 428 may also have a dedicated message portion 428 d providing instructions and further information to an operator or user . the configuration of the display 428 may change during use to accommodate further functionality . a plurality of displays 428 is contemplated by , and falls within the scope of , this disclosure and may be used alternatively or in conjunction with this embodiment . an embodiment may comprise a key pad or a button pad for control purposes within a control unit . illustrated in fig6 and 6a is an embodiment of a retractable display 428 of a control unit 420 . the display 428 may have a first or retracted position within the control unit 420 ( illustrated best in fig6 ) that may be used to protect the display 428 when it is not being used . the display 428 ′ of fig6 a illustrates how the display may be deployed into a more user readable position , as it has been extended and rotated outward . as illustrated in fig6 and 6a , the display may be slid in and out of a passage and rotated about an axis to orient the display 428 in a wide range of positions . illustrated in fig7 is a cross - sectional view of an embodiment of an imaging device head 712 . the imaging device head 712 may comprise a housing 710 made of a suitably rigid material , such as plastic or metal . the housing 710 may be sealed against fluids and gases so as to protect the internal circuitry and provide a suitable surface for sterilization and renewal . the imaging device head 712 may further comprise a user input panel 720 having buttons 721 and 722 for operation of the imaging device head 712 . additional , buttons may be provided and the functionality of the buttons can be customized for a given procedure or a given operator . the control panel 720 may be internally connected to other circuitry of the imaging device head 712 by an electrical connector 726 . as illustrated further in fig7 , imaging device head 712 may comprise an optical mount system 750 , such as a c - mount system for receiving threaded accessories , for example one inch threaded accessories . a window 755 may also be incorporated into the embodiment for facilitating the transmission of light from an optical accessory to an image sensor 775 . the image sensor 775 may be mounted to a supporting printed circuit board or supportive substrate 770 . an electronic connector 778 may be incorporated to electronically connect the image sensor 775 to a main circuit or main printed circuit board 760 . a main wiring harness 782 may be incorporated into a wired tether 780 thereby electrically connecting the components of the imaging device head 712 to a control unit . the imaging device head 712 may further comprise a memory 788 or memory circuit allowing the storage of data within the imaging device head 712 . it will be appreciated that memory may be any data storage device that is capable of recording ( storing ) information ( data ). data that may be stored or written into memory 788 may include an identifying serial number that uniquely identifies an imaging device . other data that maybe stored or written into memory 788 may include data such as the amount of the time the imaging device has been used , i . e ., the hours of operation , or the amount of time the imaging device has been powered on . data that may be written into memory 788 may include sterilization data or renewal data , representing the working condition of the imaging device . data that may be stored or written into memory 788 may include data such as manufacturing date , date of last verification or quality control check , location of manufacture , i . e ., may include name , city , state , street address and so forth , last control unit that the imaging device head was attached to , imaging device head diagnostic information , specific procedural settings for the imaging device head , or preferred settings for an operator or user , such as a surgeon . data representing the above characteristics , or other indicia , of the imaging device may be recorded into memory within the imaging device . the memory 788 may be encryption protected so as to avoid tampering or unintended use and foreseeable misuse . it should be noted that a memory 788 may be placed anywhere in the imaging device and not just the imaging device head without departing from the scope of the disclosure . the memory 788 may comprise a permanent or semi - permanent portion allowing varying degrees of data durability . illustrated in fig8 is a cross - sectional view of an embodiment of an imaging device head 812 . the imaging device head 812 may comprise a housing 810 made of a suitably rigid material such as plastic or metal . the housing 810 may be sealed against fluids and gases so as to protect the internal circuitry and provide a suitable surface for sterilization and renewal . the imaging device head 812 may further comprise a user input panel 820 having buttons 821 and 822 . additional , buttons may be provided and the functionality of the buttons can be customized for a given procedure and or a given operator . the control panel 820 maybe internally connected to other circuitry of the imaging device head 812 by an electrical connector 826 . as illustrated further in the embodiment of fig8 , the imaging device head 812 may comprise an optical mount system 850 , such as a c - mount system for receiving threaded accessories , for example one inch threaded accessories . a window 855 may also be incorporated into the embodiment for facilitating the transmission of light from an optical accessory to an image sensor 875 . the image sensor 875 may be mounted to a supporting printed circuit board or supportive substrate 870 . an electronic connector 878 maybe incorporated to electronically connect the image sensor 875 to a main circuit or main printed circuit board 860 . in order to provide heat dissipation from the image sensor 875 and other circuitry , a heat sink 861 may be provided . the heat sink 861 may be physically connected to the image sensor 875 and it may also be connected to the housing 810 , such that heat energy can be conducted or transferred to the external portion of the imaging device head 812 . the heat sink 861 may be a neutral sensor heat sink exposed externally to ensure the camera head meets cardiac floating ( cf ) and body floating ( bf ) iso standards . an embodiment of the heat sink 861 may be made of aluminum and have fins for added heat transfer surface area . a main wiring harness 882 may be incorporated into a wired tether 880 thereby electrically connecting the components of the imaging device head 812 to a control unit . the imaging device head 812 may further comprise a memory 888 or memory circuit allowing the storage of data within the imaging device head 812 . data that may be stored or written into memory 888 may include an identifying serial number that uniquely identifies an imaging device . other data that may be stored or written into memory 888 may include data such as the amount of the time the imaging device has been used , i . e ., the hours of operation , or the amount of time the imaging device has been powered on . data that may be written into memory 888 may include sterilization data or renewal data , representing the working condition of the imaging device . data that may be stored or written into memory 888 may include data such as manufacturing date , date of last verification or quality control check , location of manufacture , i . e ., may include name , city , state , street address and so forth , last control unit that the imaging device head was attached to , imaging device head diagnostic information , specific procedural settings for the imaging device head , or preferred settings for an operator or user , such as a surgeon . data representing the above characteristics , or other indicia , of the imaging device may be recorded into memory within the imaging device . the memory 888 may be encryption protected so as to avoid tampering or unintended use and foreseeable misuse . it should be noted that a memory may be placed anywhere in the imaging device and not just the imaging device head without departing from the scope of the disclosure . the memory 888 may comprise a permanent or semi - permanent portion allowing varying degrees of data durability . illustrated in fig9 is a cross - sectional view of an embodiment of an imaging device head 912 . the imaging device head 912 may comprise a housing 910 made of a suitably rigid material such as plastic or metal . the housing 910 may be sealed against fluids and gases so as to protect the internal circuitry and provide a suitable surface for sterilization and renewal . the imaging device head 912 may further comprise a user input panel 920 having buttons 921 and 922 . additional , buttons maybe provided and the functionality of the buttons can be customized for a given procedure and or a given operator . the control panel 920 maybe internally connected to other circuitry of the imaging device head 912 by an electrical connector 926 . as illustrated further in the embodiment of fig9 , the imaging device head 912 may comprise an optical mount system 950 , such as a c - mount system for receiving threaded accessories , for example one inch threaded accessories . a window 955 may also be incorporated into the embodiment for facilitating the transmission of light from an optical accessory to an image sensor 975 . the image sensor 975 may be mounted to a supporting printed circuit board or supportive substrate 970 . an electronic connector 978 may be incorporated to electronically connect the image sensor 975 to a main circuit or main printed circuit board 960 . in order to provide heat dissipation from the image sensor 975 and other circuitry , a heat sink may be provided , similar to the heat sink provided in fig8 . the heat sink may be physically connected to the image sensor 975 and it may also be connected to the housing 910 , such that heat energy can be conducted or transferred to the external portion of the imaging device head 912 . a main wiring harness 982 may be incorporated into a wired tether 980 thereby electrically connecting the components of the imaging device head 912 to a control unit . the imaging device head 912 may further comprise a memory 988 or memory circuit allowing the storage of data within the imaging device head 912 . data that may be stored or written into memory 988 may include an identifying serial number that uniquely identifies an imaging device . other data that may be stored or written into memory 988 may include data such as the amount of the time the imaging device has been used , i . e ., the hours of operation , or the amount of time the imaging device has been powered on . data that may be stored or written into memory 988 may include data such as manufacturing date , date of last verification or quality control check , location of manufacture , i . e ., may include name , city , state , street address and so forth , last control unit that the imaging device head was attached to , imaging device head diagnostic information , specific procedural settings for the imaging device head , or preferred settings for an operator or user , such as a surgeon . data representing the above characteristics , or other indicia , of the imaging device may be recorded into memory within the imaging device . the memory 988 may be encryption protected so as to avoid tampering or unintended use and foreseeable misuse . it should be noted that a memory may be placed anywhere in the imaging device and not just the imaging device head without departing from the scope of the disclosure . the memory 988 may comprise a permanent or semi - permanent portion allowing varying degrees of data durability . the imaging device head 912 may comprise a ball joint 990 with a corresponding seal and socket , thereby providing increased mobility between the housing 910 and the tether 980 during articulation of the imaging device by an operator or user . with reference primarily to fig1 , an embodiment of an imaging device ball joint 990 will be discussed in further detail . fig1 is illustrative of a cross - sectional view of a ball joint 990 , which provides greater freedom of articulation for an operator when moving the imaging device head 912 relative to the wiring tether 980 . the ball joint 990 may comprise a substantially spherical rotatable portion or ball 991 . the ball 991 may be configured to mechanically operate in communication with a corresponding socket 992 , such that the ball 991 may substantially freely rotate while being retained within the socket 992 . a seal may be provided withing the ball joint 990 by the inclusion of a seal ring 993 . the seal ring 993 may also provide mechanical resistance within the ball joint 990 . the ball 991 may further include an opening 994 therethrough allowing wiring 995 to pass through the ball joint 990 . with reference to fig1 , an embodiment of an imaging device 1100 comprising wireless transmission functionality will be discussed . a cross - sectional view of an embodiment of an imaging device head 1112 is shown in fig1 . the imaging device head 1112 may comprise a housing 1110 made of a suitably rigid material such as plastic or metal . the housing 1110 may be sealed against fluids and gases so as to protect the internal circuitry and provide a suitable surface for sterilization and renewal . the imaging device head 1112 may further comprise a user input panel 1120 having buttons 1121 and 1122 . additional , buttons may be provided and the functionality of the buttons can be customized for a given procedure and or a given operator . the control panel 1120 may be internally connected to other circuitry of the imaging device head 1112 by an electrical connector 1126 . the imaging device head 1112 may communicate with a control unit by way of wireless transmissions such as wifi , infrared , bluetooth etc . other forms of wireless non - tethered connectivity may also be used for providing communication between the imaging device head 1112 and the control unit , including but not limited to , radio frequency from any available spectrum , infrared of any configuration , ultrasonic , and optical . as illustrated further in the embodiment of fig1 , the imaging device head 1112 may comprise an optical mount system 1150 , such as a c - mount system for receiving threaded accessories , for example one inch threaded accessories . a window 1155 may also be incorporated into the embodiment for facilitating the transmission of light from an optical accessory to an image sensor 1175 . the image sensor 1175 may be mounted to a supporting printed circuit board or supportive substrate 1170 . an electronic connector 1178 may be incorporated to electronically connect the image sensor 1175 to a main circuit or main printed circuit board 1160 . the circuitry of the imaging device head 1112 may electrically be connected to a wireless transceiver 1111 for transmitting and receiving data from a wirelessly configured control unit as illustrated in fig3 . the imaging device head 1112 may further comprise a memory 1188 or memory circuit allowing the storage of data within the imaging device head 1112 . data that may be stored or written into memory 1188 may include an identifying serial number that uniquely identifies an imaging device . other data that may be stored or written into memory 1188 may include data such as the amount of the time the imaging device has been used , i . e ., the hours of operation , or the amount of time the imaging device has been powered on . data that may be stored or written into memory 1188 may include data such as manufacturing date , date of last verification or quality control check , location of manufacture , i . e ., may include name , city , state , street address and so forth , last control unit that the imaging device head was attached to , imaging device head diagnostic information , specific procedural settings for the imaging device head , or preferred settings for an operator or user , such as a surgeon . data representing the above characteristics , or other indicia , of the imaging device may be recorded into memory within the imaging device . the memory 1188 may be encryption protected so as to avoid tampering or unintended use and foreseeable misuse . it should be noted that a memory may be placed anywhere in the imaging device and not just the imaging device head without departing from the scope of the disclosure . the memory 1188 may comprise a permanent or semi - permanent portion allowing a varying degrees of data durability . it will be appreciated that the ball joint illustrated in fig9 and 10 may be used by any embodiment of the disclosure without departing from the spirit or scope of the disclosure . thus , for example , the ball joint 990 may be used with imaging device head 712 , 812 , 912 , or 1112 . similarly , it will be appreciated that the heat sink 861 ( illustrated in fig8 ) may be used by any embodiment of the disclosure without departing from the scope of the disclosure . referring now to fig1 an embodiment of a system for acquiring imagery in a sterilized environment will be discussed . the system may comprise an imaging device 1201 having a memory 1202 , an image sensor 1204 , and supporting circuitry 1206 . the system may further comprise and control unit 1220 having a processor 1221 , time circuit or realtime clock 1222 , a counting or incrementing circuit 1224 and a control unit memory 1226 . the components will generally be provided in a housing , but are shown hear in block diagram form for simplicity and discussion purposes . it is contemplated that any of the above circuits can operate from either a control unit or an imaging device . as can be seen in fig1 the memory 1202 of the imaging device 1201 may comprise the following arrays of data storage : i . procedural specific camera head settings ( i . e . video settings , button settings , etc . ); additional data may be stored within the memory 1202 that would enhance the imaging device and is considered to be within the scope of the disclosure . with reference to fig1 , a method of using an imaging system consistent with the embodiments disclosed herein will be discussed . in use , a sterilized single use imaging device 1201 will be provided that may comprise memory 1202 at 1410 . at 1420 a user may connect the single use imaging device 1201 to a complementary control unit 1220 both electronically and physically . at 1430 the control unit 1220 may initiate a process of reading memory 1202 and registers the serial number of the imaging device 1201 . at 1440 the system causes a value to be recorded into memory 1202 indicating that the imaging device 1201 has been used . at 1450 the system records into memory 1202 the date and time the imaging device 1201 is connected to the control unit 1220 . at 1460 a timing process is initiated by the control unit from the base line time recorded at 1450 and tracks or times the duration that the imaging device 1201 is used and the duration is recorded into memory 1202 at 1470 . after use , the imaging device 1201 is disconnected from the control unit 1220 at 1480 and then discarded for renewal or reclamation . referring now to fig1 , a method of renewing and reclaiming a single use imaging device 1201 will be discussed . at 1510 the imaging device 1201 may be connected to a testing control unit or a master control unit . at 1520 the testing control unit or master control unit causes the data stored in memory 1202 to be recorded into storage on the testing control unit or master control unit as stored , in order for the specific imaging device 1201 to be renewed . at 1525 a value is placed in memory 1202 indicating that the imaging device has been renewed and is ready for use such that when connected to another control unit for use it will operate . the location and date of the renewal may then be recorded into memory 1202 at 1530 . at 1540 the imaging device 1201 can be sterilized and ( at 1550 ) placed in a protective sterilized package . with reference to fig1 an alternative embodiment of a method of use will be discussed illustrating safety settings of the embodiment . at 1610 the memory imaging device head may be stamped with time of manufacture when it is plugged into the master control unit or master console after assembly in the field , i . e ., in an operating room , and after a quality control check has been performed . at 1620 a check may be made to determine if the imaging device has been powered off for a predetermined number of minutes , such as a time frame that is close to what a typical sterilization cycle would last . at 1630 , if the imaging device has been powered off the predetermined amount of time the control unit will display an onscreen message telling the user the imaging device has already been used , and will not allow further operation , such that no image will be produced through video feed . this feature will ensure the imaging device , i . e ., the camera , will not be used more than one time per sterilization cycle . this feature also protects the patient and the doctor from an invalid or unsafe use and foreseeable misuse . referring to fig1 an embodiment of a method of use will be discussed . during use , an imaging device may be connected to a control unit . upon connection , an electronic communication connection is formed between the imaging device and the control unit . at 1702 the imaging device may be powered on by power supplied by the control unit . at 1704 a processor in the control unit may cause data regarding imaging device identification that may be stored in a memory within the imaging device to be read . at 1706 a processor in the control unit may cause data regarding the manufacturing date of the imaging device to be read from memory within the imaging device . the processor in the control unit may then compare the data to a predetermined data value range . at 1707 an error message may be displayed if the read data is outside the predetermined data value range and the imaging device will be stopped from operating . at 1708 a processor in the control unit may cause data regarding the reclamation of the imaging device to be read from memory within the imaging device . the data regarding reclamation of the imaging device may include data representing whether or not the imaging device has been previously used . the processor may then compare the data to a predetermined data value range . at 1709 an error massage may be displayed if the read data is outside the predetermined data value range and the imaging device will be stopped from operating . at 1710 a processor in the control unit may cause data regarding the reclamation date of the imaging device to be read from memory within the imaging device . the processor may then compare the data to a predetermined data value range . at 1711 an error massage may be displayed if the read data is outside the predetermined data value range and the imaging device will be stopped from operating . at 1712 a processor in the control unit may cause usage information of the current procedure to be monitored to note whether imaging device has been unpowered for a predetermined period of time and then re - powered . if this condition occurs it is possible that the imaging device has been tampered with or that an attempt has been made to sterilize the imaging device and use it a second time . the predetermined period of time may correspond to the amount of time a typical sterilization process would normally take . the processor then compares the data to a predetermined data value range . at 17013 an error massage may be displayed if the data read is outside the predetermined data value range and the imaging device will be stopped from operating . at 1714 a processor in the control unit may cause a value to be placed in memory in the imaging device indicating that the imaging device has been used . at 1716 a processor in the control unit may cause the date and time of use to be recorded in memory in the imaging device . additional information may be recorded into the memory of the imaging device such as , for example , duration of use , procedure settings , and user settings and any other data suitable for recording to memory . the imaging device may be disconnected from the control unit and thereby powered off at 1718 . referring now to fig1 a method of reclaiming an image device after use will be discussed . it should be noted that a single use imaging device may comprise the durability to be used a plurality of times , however sterilization requirements may prevent an imaging device from being used more than once without a process for reclaiming the imaging device , thereby returning it to a sterilized condition . a method of reclamation for an imaging device may comprise the process of powering on the imaging device at 1802 , when the imaging device is electrically connected to a control unit . at 1804 a processor in the control unit may cause data representing identification information for the imaging device to be stored in storage in the control unit . a control unit maybe a master control unit configured for reclaiming the imaging devices . the master control unit may track a plurality of imaging devices thereby keeping a catalog of associated information such as use and condition of the device or devices . at 1806 a processor in the control unit may cause that data representing a manufacturing date to be read and compared to a predetermined value or range of values . if the read data is out of the predetermined range value , an error report may be issued at 1807 . at 1808 a processor in the control unit may cause data representing use data written in memory of the imaging device to be read and recorded into storage in the control unit . at 1810 a processor may cause data representing a date and time of reclamation to be recorded into memory in the imaging device . at 1812 a processor in the control unit may cause that data representing the number of uses of the imaging device to be read and recorded into storage in the control unit . the processor may compare the read data to a predetermined value or range of values to determine whether the imaging device is fit for continued use . if the predetermined value is exceeded an error message may be displayed ( at 1813 ) and the imaging device may be retired . at 1814 a processor in the control unit may initiate a test or quality control check of all the circuitry in the imaging device to ensure that the device is functional . at 1815 it may be determined that the imaging device failed the quality control check and an error massage may be displayed . at 1816 the imaging device can be reset for use . the resetting process may comprise writing data to the memory of the imaging device indicating that the imaging device has been reclaimed and sterilized . at 1816 the device may be disconnected from the control unit and physically sterilized and repackaged . with reference primarily to fig1 an embodiment of a method for making an imaging device having memory therein for use in a sterilized environment will be discussed . at 1902 an imaging device may be powered on upon being connected to a control unit . the control unit may be a master control unit configured for the manufacturing process . at 1904 a processor in the control unit may cause that data representing an identification serial number for the imaging device to be written into memory of the imaging device . at 1906 a processor in the control unit may cause that data representing the location of manufacture be recorded to memory in the imaging device . at 1908 a processor may cause that data representing the date of manufacture may be recorded into memory on the imaging device . at 1910 a processor in the control unit may initiate a test or quality control check of all the circuitry in the imaging device to ensure that the device is functional . at 1912 the imaging device may be unplugged from the control and sterilized for packaging . referring to an embodiment illustrated in fig2 , a system having a security code or some other means of identifying , and validating for use , an imaging device by a control unit , in order to verify that the imaging device is authorized for use will now be described . a validating security code or procedure of validation may be distributed to control units from a central database over the internet , by direct transfer from portable storage device such as usb device containing memory , another computer , or other storage device . with reference to fig2 an embodiment of a method for providing updates with in a medical imaging system will be discussed . at 2002 a control unit may be powered on to receive a security update . at 2004 security update data may provided comprising validation codes that correspond to imaging devices to be connected to the control unit . such validation codes may enable the system to insure that users of the system may be prevented from using imaging devices that have been selected for non - use by a manufacturer or distributor . selection criteria for non - use may include safety considerations , recall considerations , anti counterfeit measures , and sales and contract considerations . at 2006 the data may be transferred into storage or memory of the control unit in order to provide that data for later comparison to security codes provided by imaging devices . it is within the scope of this disclosure to include all means for transferring data , including but not limited to , transmission over a network , transfer via on site transmission from a storage medium that is portable , such as a disk , memory drive , or short distance wireless transmission . at 2008 the system may be powered off . with reference primarily to fig2 an embodiment of an imaging system have the feature of updating data will be discussed . an imaging system 2100 may comprise a control unit 2102 and a data server 2104 . the control unit 2106 may be electronically in communication with the data server 2104 over a network such as the internet 2106 . the control unit 1202 may receive update data over the internet 2106 from data server 2104 . the control unit 2102 may also receive update data directly from a memory transfer device 2108 such as a memory stick , thumb drive , jump drive , hard drive , optical disk to name a few . the control unit 2102 may also receive update data from another computer or portable device 2110 such as a pda or laptop that is presented to the control unit 2102 on site . data transfer may be made with a physical connection and or by a wireless transfer of data . with reference to fig2 , an embodiment of an imaging device 2200 comprising a heat sink 2277 having a thermal pad 2278 will be discussed . a cross - sectional view of an embodiment of an imaging device head 2212 is shown in fig2 . the imaging device head 2212 may comprise a housing 2210 made of a suitably rigid material such as a plastic or metal . the housing 2210 may be sealed against fluids and gases so as to protect the internal circuitry and provide a suitable surface for sterilization and renewal . the imaging device head 2212 may further comprise a user input panel 2220 having buttons 2221 and 2222 . additional , buttons may be provided and the functionality of the buttons can be customized for a given procedure and / or a given operator . the control panel 2220 may be internally connected to other circuitry of the imaging device head 2212 by an electrical connector 2226 . the imaging device head 2212 may communicate with a control unit by way of wireless transmissions such as wifi , infrared , bluetooth etc . other forms of wired and wireless non - tethered connectivity may also be used for providing communication between the imaging device head 2212 and the control unit , including but not limited to , hard wired , radio frequency from any available spectrum , infrared of any configuration , ultrasonic , and optical . as illustrated further in the embodiment of fig2 , the imaging device head 2212 may comprise an optical mount system 2250 , such as a c - mount system for receiving threaded accessories , for example one inch threaded accessories . a window 2255 may also be incorporated into the embodiment for facilitating the transmission of light from an optical accessory to an image sensor 2275 . the image sensor 2275 may be mounted to a supporting printed circuit board or supportive substrate 2270 . an electronic connector 2278 may be incorporated to electronically connect the image sensor 2275 to a main circuit or main printed circuit board 2260 . the circuitry of the imaging device head 2212 may electrically be connected to a wireless transceiver 2211 for transmitting and receiving data from a wirelessly configured control unit as illustrated in fig3 . the imaging device head 2212 may further comprise a memory 2288 or memory circuit allowing the storage of data within the imaging device head 2212 . data that may be stored or written into memory 2288 may include an identifying serial number that uniquely identifies an imaging device . other data that may be stored or written into memory 2288 may include data such as the amount of the time the imaging device has been used , i . e ., the hours of operation , or the amount of time the imaging device has been powered on . data that may be stored or written into memory 2288 may include data such as manufacturing date , date of last verification or quality control check , location of manufacture , i . e ., may include name , city , state , street address and so forth , last control unit that the imaging device head was attached to , imaging device head diagnostic information , specific procedural settings for the imaging device head , or preferred settings for an operator or user , such as a surgeon . data representing the above characteristics , or other indicia , of the imaging device may be recorded into memory within the imaging device . the memory 2288 may be encryption protected so as to avoid tampering or unintended use and foreseeable misuse . it should be noted that a memory may be placed anywhere in the imaging device and not just the imaging device head without departing from the scope of the disclosure . the memory 2288 may comprise a permanent or semi - permanent portion allowing varying degrees of data durability . in order to provide protection to a user against electrical contact an embodiment may be electrically sealed or electrically insulated from a user . it will be appreciated that a user may be a surgeon , a surgical assistant , a technician , a patient , or any other person who may come in contact with the device . such insulation may provide for heat transfer while at the same time electrically insulating the user from the electronics of the camera head 2200 . illustrated in fig2 is a heat sink 2277 having a thermal pad 2278 . the thermal pad 2278 maybe configured to allow the transfer of thermal energy from circuit board 2270 and image sensor 2275 to the heat sink 2277 , while electrically insulating the components from the heat sink 2277 , thereby dissipating heat generated by the circuitry without risk of electrical contact with the user . the thermal pad 2278 may be substantially rigid or may be deformable . the thermal pad 2278 may be configured to cover substantially all of the surface contact area between the heat sink 2277 and any heat generating circuitry . the thermal pad may be configured to cover a portion of the surface contact area between the heat sink 2277 and any heat generating circuitry . the thermal pad 2278 may be configured to cover a plurality of surface contact areas . an embodiment may comprise a plurality of thermal pads 2278 working on a single surface contact area . an embodiment may comprise a plurality of thermal pads 2278 working on a plurality of surface contact areas . an embodiment may comprise a thermal pad 2278 having areas of varying thickness configured to accommodate the structure and geometry of surrounding components . an embodiment may comprise a thermal pad 2278 comprising a plurality of materials . an embodiment may comprise a thermal pad 2278 comprising fold lines . as illustrated further in the embodiment of fig2 , the imaging device head 2312 may comprise an optical mount system 2350 , such as a c - mount system for receiving threaded accessories , for example one inch threaded accessories . a window 2355 may also be incorporated into the embodiment for facilitating the transmission of light from an optical accessory to an image sensor 2375 . the image sensor 2375 may be mounted to a supporting printed circuit board or supportive substrate 2370 . an electronic connector 2378 may be incorporated to electronically connect the image sensor 2375 to a main circuit or main printed circuit board 2360 . the imaging device head 2312 may further comprise a memory 2388 or memory circuit allowing the storage of data within the imaging device head 2312 . data that may be stored or written into memory 2388 may include an identifying serial number that uniquely identifies an imaging device . other data that may be stored or written into memory 2388 may include data such as the amount of the time the imaging device has been used , i . e ., the hours of operation , or the amount of time the imaging device has been powered on . data that may be stored or written into memory 2388 may include data such as manufacturing date , date of last verification or quality control check , location of manufacture , i . e ., may include name , city , state , street address and so forth , last control unit that the imaging device head was attached to , imaging device head diagnostic information , specific procedural settings for the imaging device head , or preferred settings for an operator or user , such as a surgeon . data representing the above characteristics , or other indicia , of the imaging device may be recorded into memory within the imaging device . the memory 2388 may be encryption protected so as to avoid tampering or unintended use and foreseeable misuse . it should be noted that a memory may be placed anywhere in the imaging device and not just the imaging device head without departing from the scope of the disclosure . the memory 2388 may comprise a permanent or semi - permanent portion allowing a varying degrees of data durability . in order to provide protection to a user against electrical contact an embodiment may be electrically sealed or electrically insulated from a user . such insulation may provide for heat transfer while at the same time electrically insulating the user from the electronics of the camera head 2300 and camera control unit ( ccu ). illustrated in fig2 is a heat sink 2377 having a thermal pad 2378 . the thermal pad 2378 may be configured to allow the transfer of thermal energy from circuit board 2370 and image sensor 2375 to the heat sink 2377 while electrically insulating the components from the heat sink 2377 , thereby dissipating heat generated by the circuitry without risk of electrical contact with the user . the thermal pad 2378 may be substantially rigid or may be deformable . the thermal pad 2378 may be configured to cover substantially all of the surface contact area between the heat sink 2377 and any heat generating circuitry . the thermal pad may be configured to cover a portion of the surface contact area between the heat sink 2377 and any heat generating circuitry . the thermal pad 2378 may be configured to cover a plurality of surface contact areas . an embodiment may comprise a plurality of thermal pads 2378 working on a single surface contact area . an embodiment may comprise a plurality of thermal pads 2378 working on a plurality of surface contact areas . an embodiment may comprise a thermal pad 2378 having areas of varying thickness configured to accommodate the structure and geometry of surrounding components . an embodiment may comprise a thermal pad 2378 comprising a plurality of materials . an embodiment may comprise a thermal pad 2378 comprising fold lines . illustrated in fig2 is a detailed view of an embodiment of a thermal pad 2440 with corresponding heat sink 2430 as assembled in thermal communication with surrounding heat generating components . the assembly 2400 may comprise an imaging sensor or chip 2410 , a printed circuit board 2420 , a heat sink 2430 and a thermal pad 2440 . referring to fig2 and 25 , the printed circuit board 2420 may comprise an opening 2422 for receiving the heat sink 2430 and may comprise a plurality of electrical contacts 2424 for contacting corresponding sensor contacts 2414 on the imaging sensor 2410 . referring to fig2 and 26 , the imaging sensor 2410 comprises a thermal pad 2415 used to dissipate and direct heat from the imaging sensor 2410 . the thermal interface material 2440 illustrated in fig2 is located between the heat sink 2430 and the thermal pad 2415 . the thermal interface 2440 is a material that is thermally conductive , but electrically non - conductive or insulating . the insulating properties of the material 2440 prevent electrical current from flowing from the electronics in the imaging device or camera head to the heat sink 2430 , which may be in contact with the patient or user of the device or both . it will be appreciated that thermal energy may be dissipated from the imaging sensor 2410 through the thermal pad 2415 and through the thermal pad 2440 to the heat sink 2430 where the heat is quickly dissipated without the flow of electricity . the heat sink 2430 may be any heat sink known in the art and may be made of a thermally conductive material to quickly distribute and dissipate the heat from the sensor 2410 . the thermal pad 2440 may be substantially rigid or may be deformable . the thermal pad 2440 may be configured to cover substantially all of the surface contact area between the heat sink 2430 and any heat generating circuitry . the thermal pad may be configured to cover a portion of the surface contact area between the heat sink 2430 and any heat generating circuitry . the thermal pad 2440 may be configured to cover a plurality of surface contact areas . an embodiment may comprise a plurality of thermal pads 2440 working on a single surface contact area . an embodiment may comprise a plurality of thermal pads 2440 working on a plurality of surface contact areas . an embodiment may comprise a thermal pad 2440 having areas of varying thickness configured to accommodate the structure and geometry of surrounding components . an embodiment may comprise a thermal pad 2440 comprising a plurality of materials . an embodiment may comprise a thermal pad 2440 comprising fold lines . illustrated in fig2 is a cross - sectional view of an embodiment of an imaging device head 2712 . the imaging device head 2712 may comprise a housing 2710 made of a suitably rigid material , such as plastic or metal . the housing 2710 may be sealed against fluids and gases so as to protect the internal circuitry and provide a suitable surface for sterilization and renewal . the imaging device head 2712 may further comprise a user input panel 2720 having buttons 2721 and 2722 or electrical communication mechanisms for operation of the imaging device head 2712 . additional buttons or electrical communication mechanisms may be provided and the functionality of the buttons or electrical communication mechanisms can be customized for a given procedure or a given operator . the control panel 2720 may be internally connected to other circuitry of the imaging device head 2712 by an electrical connector 2726 . as illustrated further in fig2 , imaging device head 2712 may comprise an optical mount system 2750 , such as a c - mount system for receiving threaded accessories , for example one inch threaded accessories . a window 2755 may also be incorporated into the embodiment for facilitating the transmission of light from an optical accessory to an image sensor 2775 . the image sensor 2775 may be mounted to a supporting printed circuit board or supportive substrate 2770 . an electronic connector 2778 may be incorporated to electronically connect the image sensor 2775 to a main circuit or main printed circuit board 2760 . a main wiring harness 2782 may be incorporated into a wired tether 2780 thereby electrically connecting the components of the imaging device head 2712 to a control unit . the imaging device head 2712 may further comprise a memory 2788 or memory circuit allowing the storage of data within the imaging device head 2712 . it will be appreciated that memory may be any data storage device that is capable of recording ( storing ) information ( data ). data that may be stored or written into memory 2788 may include an identifying serial number that uniquely identifies an imaging device . other data that may be stored or written into memory 2788 may include data such as the amount of the time the imaging device has been used , i . e ., the hours of operation , or the amount of time the imaging device has been powered on . data that may be written into memory 2788 may include sterilization data or renewal data , representing the working condition of the imaging device . data that may be stored or written into memory 2788 may include data such as manufacturing date , date of last verification or quality control check , location of manufacture , i . e ., may include name , city , state , street address and so forth , last control unit that the imaging device head was attached to , imaging device head diagnostic information , specific procedural settings for the imaging device head , or preferred settings for an operator or user , such as a surgeon . data representing the above characteristics , or other indicia , of the imaging device may be recorded into memory within the imaging device . the memory 2788 may be encryption protected so as to avoid tampering or unintended use and foreseeable misuse . it should be noted that a memory 2788 may be placed anywhere in the imaging device and not just the imaging device head without departing from the scope of the disclosure . the memory 2788 may comprise a permanent or semi - permanent portion allowing varying degrees of data durability . an embodiment may further comprise a heat sink 2777 for transferring heat away from circuitry and said image sensor 2775 , and a thermal pad 2778 configured to be in physical contact with said image sensor 2775 and said circuitry and said heat sink 2777 . the thermal pad 2778 may be configured to electronically isolate the image sensor 2775 from the patient and operator while enhancing the dissipation of heat generated by the image sensor 2775 . as can be seen in the figure , the thermal pad 2778 may be disposed between the image sensor 2775 , or the non - light sensing portion of the image sensor 2775 , and the heat sink 2777 . as illustrated , the thermal pad 2778 may contact the image sensor 2775 or the heat sink 2777 at a plurality of points . it is within the scope of this disclosure to contemplate a multi piece thermal pad that may be place under the plurality of contact areas between the heat sink 2777 and the image sensor 2775 . the thermal pad 2778 may also contact the image sensor 2775 at less than the entirety of the surface area of the image sensor . the thermal pad 2778 may be larger than the area of either the heat sink 2777 or the area of the image sensor 2775 . an embodiment of a single use imaging device for use with and communicating with a control unit may comprise a housing , an image sensor , an opening proximate to an optic mount that has been configured to facilitate the transmission of light from any attached optics to said image sensor . the imaging device may further comprise a memory for storing data representing any characteristics of the imaging device . in order to manage the heat created by the electronics in the imaging device , the embodiment may further comprise a heat sink for transferring heat away from circuitry and said image sensor , and a thermal pad configured to be in physical contact with said image sensor and said circuitry and said heat sink . wherein said thermal pad is further configured to electrically isolate said image sensor and said circuitry from said heat sink , and is further configured to thermally conduct heat generated by said circuitry and said image sensor . the thermal pad may be disposed between said image sensor and said heat sink , such that the image sensor is electrically isolated from said heat sink . the thermal pad may also be in substantial contact with said image sensor across substantially all of the surface area defined by the image sensor . in other configurations the thermal pad may be in substantial contact with said image sensor at a portion that is less than the surface area defined by the imaging sensor . illustrated in fig2 is a cross - sectional view of an embodiment of an imaging device head 2812 . the imaging device head 2812 may comprise a housing 2810 made of a suitably rigid material , such as plastic or metal . the housing 2810 may be sealed against fluids and gases so as to protect the internal circuitry and provide a suitable surface for sterilization and renewal . the imaging device head 2812 may further comprise a user input panel 2820 having buttons 2821 and 2822 for operation of the imaging device head 2812 . additional , buttons may be provided and the functionality of the buttons can be customized for a given procedure or a given operator . the control panel 2820 may be internally connected to other circuitry of the imaging device head 2812 by an electrical connector 2826 . as illustrated further in fig2 , imaging device head 2812 may comprise an optical mount system 2850 , such as a c - mount system for receiving threaded accessories , for example one inch threaded accessories . a window 2855 may also be incorporated into the embodiment for facilitating the transmission of light from an optical accessory to an image sensor 2875 . the image sensor 2875 may be mounted to a supporting printed circuit board or supportive substrate 2870 . an electronic connector 2878 may be incorporated to electronically connect the image sensor 2875 to a main circuit or main printed circuit board 2860 . a main wiring harness 2882 may be incorporated into a wired tether 2880 thereby electrically connecting the components of the imaging device head 2812 to a control unit . the imaging device head 2812 may further comprise a memory 2888 or memory circuit allowing the storage of data within the imaging device head 2812 . it will be appreciated that memory may be any data storage device that is capable of recording ( storing ) information ( data ). data that may be stored or written into memory 2888 may include an identifying serial number that uniquely identifies an imaging device . other data that may be stored or written into memory 2888 may include data such as the amount of the time the imaging device has been used , i . e ., the hours of operation , or the amount of time the imaging device has been powered on . data that may be written into memory 2888 may include sterilization data or renewal data , representing the working condition of the imaging device . data that may be stored or written into memory 2888 may include data such as manufacturing date , date of last verification or quality control check , location of manufacture , i . e ., may include name , city , state , street address and so forth , last control unit that the imaging device head was attached to , imaging device head diagnostic information , specific procedural settings for the imaging device head , or preferred settings for an operator or user , such as a surgeon . data representing the above characteristics , or other indicia , of the imaging device may be recorded into memory within the imaging device . the memory 2888 may be encryption protected so as to avoid tampering or unintended use and foreseeable misuse . it should be noted that a memory 2888 may be placed anywhere in the imaging device and not just the imaging device head without departing from the scope of the disclosure . the memory 2888 may comprise a permanent or semi - permanent portion allowing varying degrees of data durability . an embodiment may further comprise a heat sink 2877 for transferring heat away from circuitry and said image sensor 2875 , and a thermal pad 2878 configured to be in physical contact with said image sensor 2875 and said circuitry and said heat sink 2877 . the thermal pad 2878 may be configured to electronically isolate the image sensor 2875 from the patient and operator while enhancing the dissipation of heat generated by the image sensor 2875 . as can be seen in the figure , the thermal pad 2878 may be disposed between the image sensor 2875 and may conform or be conformed to contact many surfaces of the heat sink 2877 or the image sensor 2875 . the thermal pad 2878 may cover substantially all of the facing surfaces between the heat sink 2877 and image sensor 2875 . it is within the scope of this disclosure to contemplate a multi piece thermal pad that may be place under the plurality of contact areas between the heat sink 2877 and the image sensor 2875 . the thermal pad 2878 may also contact the image sensor 2875 at less than the entirety of the surface area of the image sensor . the thermal pad 2878 may be larger than the area of either the heat sink 2877 or the area of the image sensor 2875 . an embodiment of a single use imaging device for use with and communicating with a control unit may comprise a housing , an image sensor , an opening proximate to an optic mount that has been configured to facilitate the transmission of light from any attached optics to said image sensor . the imaging device may further comprise a memory for storing data representing any characteristics of the imaging device . in order to manage the heat created by the electronics in the imaging device the embodiment may further comprise a heat sink for transferring heat away from circuitry and said image sensor , and a thermal pad configured to be in physical contact with said image sensor and said circuitry and said heat sink . wherein said thermal pad is further configured to electrically isolate said image sensor and said circuitry from said heat sink , and is further configured to thermally conduct heat generated by said circuitry and said image sensor . the thermal pad may be disposed between said image sensor and said heat sink such that image sensor is electrically isolated from said heat sink . a thermal pad may be configured to be in substantial contact with a single surface of said heat sink or maybe in substantial contact with a plurality of surfaces of said heat sink . in an embodiment the thermal pad may be in substantial contact with said heat sink across substantially all of a surface area defined by the heat sink surfaces facing said thermal pad , or at a portion that is less than the surface area defined by the heat sink surfaces facing said thermal pad . the thermal pad have a plurality of portions that are less than the surface area defined by the heat sink surfaces facing said thermal pad . the thermal pad may be of rigid configuration or may be flexible to conform to the surfaces of the image sensor and / or the heat sink with primary reference to fig2 a method for electrically isolating an image sensor within an imaging device while concurrently dissipating heat generated by the circuits therein . at 2900 the imaging device and system may be powered on for use . this may include the imaging device and system being initialized rather than actually being powered on . during operation electronic components , primarily the imaging sensor , will produce heat that may be dissipated . at 2910 heat is transferred from the imaging sensor to a heat sink via a thermal pad that may be optimized for transferring heat while insulating against electricity transmission . at 2920 the connection or contact of the imaging sensor and heat sink via a thermal pad is maintained . at 2930 the thermal condition of the imaging sensor and system may be monitored . monitoring may be automatic with internal sensors and a control system , or monitoring may comprise observation by a user . at 2940 the system may be powered off if the monitoring returns a condition out side of predetermined range of parameters . the range of parameters may be electronic values or may comprise operational considerations such as resistance , inductance , perceived heat and the like . at 2950 the imaging device continues use until the procedure is finished . the imaging device may be powered down or place in a non - use state . communication may be initiated with a control unit , wherein the data of the communication may comprise thermal related data . at 2960 any thermal related data my be recorded into memory on the imaging device . such thermal data may be used to ensure quality control and operational fitness of the imaging device by preventing an over heated unit from continued use . in the foregoing detailed description , various features of the disclosure are grouped together in a single embodiment for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure . this method of disclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed disclosure requires more features than are expressly recited in each claim . rather , as the disclosure reflects , inventive aspects lie in less than all features of a single foregoing disclosed embodiment . it is to be understood that the above - described arrangements are only illustrative of the application of the principles of the disclosure . numerous modifications and alternative arrangements may be devised by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure and the disclosure is intended to cover such modifications and arrangements . thus , while the disclosure has been shown in the drawings and described above with particularity and detail , it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that numerous modifications , including , but not limited to , variations in size , materials , shape , form , function and manner of operation , assembly and use may be made without departing from the principles and concepts set forth herein . | 0 |
fig1 and 2 show in general an apparatus 10 for tenderizing meat , located in a first room 12 . suitable apparatus 14 is provided primarily in a second room 16 for transferring the meat from a storage or delivery location to the tenderizing apparatus 10 . a third room 18 is provided for storage of explosive and for monitoring and control of the tenderizing process and apparatus . in more detail , and still with reference to fig1 and 2 , the apparatus 14 in the room 16 comprises a conveyor belt system 20 including a delivery belt 20a and a removal belt 20b for the movement of meat to be tenderized from an exterior location , e . g . a delivery port or a storage room , to the room 16 , and for removal of unused materials therefrom ; an assembly table 22 on which the meat is prepared ; a steam and wash rack 24 ; and a hoist 26 for movement along a rail 28 for transport of the prepared meat from the room 16 to the room 12 . the control and storage room 18 contains a control console 30 with a tv monitor 32 . in addition , there may be provided storage facilities 34a and 34b for separate storage of solid and liquid components of a suitable explosive to be used in the tenderizing operation . in addition , there may be optionally provided a chair 36 and desk 38 . the main part of the present apparatus is the tenderizing apparatus in the room 12 as illustrated in fig1 and 2 and in more detail in fig3 - 5 , and as explained in more detail below . the room 12 also contains a tv camera 40 electronically / optically connected to the monitor 32 . also provided is a work table 42 for assembly of the explosive . a water delivery pipe 44 for rapid filling of the tank and a water vacuuming pipe 46 for water removal are also provided , these pipes being mounted for pivotal movement so that they can swing over and engage with the tank . the key elements of the tenderizing apparatus are the water and meat holding tank 50 properly supported as described below , and a water deflecting cone or shield 52 properly supported in an explosion resisting manner by a recoil mechanism , e . g . an hydraulic recoil cylinder 54 . as best shown in fig1 the water deflecting cone 52 and the hydraulic recoil cylinder 54 are supported for a lateral movement on suitable rails 56 , carried by wheels 58 which support suitable struts 60 . adjacent to and surrounding the tank 50 is provided a suitable splash and collection gutter 62 of annular configuration , and an annular splash collector 64 therebetween . as can be seen in fig2 and 3 , the upper part of the tank 50 may be provided with a cylindrical configuration whereas the lower part of the tank importantly has a shape , preferably hemispherical , which places its wall equidistant from the explosive charge location 66 . because of the substantial force generated by the explosion , it is important that the tank 50 , desirably of stainless steel , be adequately supported . in the embodiment of fig3 the tank 50 is supported by a bed of sand 70 which is in turn supported within a concrete pit 72 . in accordance with fig2 the support is provided by an appropriate hydraulic recoil cylinder 68 similar to , but even stronger than , the recoil cylinder 54 . it will be understood that the force of the explosion is very great , and will tend to cause both recoil mechanisms 54 and 68 to give , effecting some separation of the shield 52 from the tank 50 , and this causes an extension of the impulse over a longer term and a decrease in the force per unit of time . fig4 and 5 provide enlarged views of the superstructure for supporting the water deflecting cone 52 and the hydraulic recoil cylinder 54 . in addition to what is shown in fig2 fig4 shows guide rods 59 to help maintain the water deflecting cone 52 in its proper position immediately following the explosion . like the tank 50 , the water deflecting cone 52 is preferably formed of stainless steel , most preferably of heavy duty stainless steel having reinforcing ribs 53 on its outer surface . fig6 - 8 merely show convenient containers 80 and 82 , respectively for holding the solid component and the liquid component of the preferred two component explosive used in the present invention . the container 80 is suitably formed of a frangible material and is provided with a depression or recess 81 into which a blasting cap may be inserted . the liquid component from the explosive is merely poured from the container 82 into the container 80 which already contains the solid component , and the container 80 is then ready for placement along with the meat to be tenderized in the tank 50 . when the explosive charge is detonated , a pulse or pressure wave is generated . the pulse time at 1 . 5 to 2 ft . from the explosive center is about 250 microseconds . if the pulse travels at 20 , 000 ft . per second , the pulse length at a two - foot distance from the explosion center would be 5 ft . the pulse passes through the meat , is reflected back by the meat supporting wall and then crosses the incoming pulse . when the reflected pulse intersects the incoming pulse , it doubles the pressure . for the meat to be tenderized uniformly , it should be exposed equally to shock energy . the meat at 2 ft . from the explosion receives only about one - half the energy of the meat at 1 . 5 ft . from the explosion center . it is the reflection from the meat supporting tank wall which tends to even out the shock energy throughout the thickness of the meat . the theory on which the present invention is based is known . thus , in shock hydrodynamics , a shock wave generated in a fluid will be reflected from an object in its path unless the properties of that object are such that they are an acoustic match with the fluid in which the shock wave is generated . an acoustic match between the fluid and the object will occur when the bulk modulus divided by the density of each substance is nearly equal . if there is such a match between the object in the fluid and the fluid itself , the shock wave is not reflected but passes through the object in the same manner that it progresses through the fluid . the flesh of mammals , fish , fowl , and reptiles all exhibit a reasonable acoustic match with water . therefore a shock wave generated in water , instead of being reflected from the flesh , passes through the flesh . in advance of the shock wave pressures are developed in the range of several thousand pounds per square inch . thus , the flesh in advance of the shock wave is rapidly compressed . as the wave passes , a rarefaction occurs resulting in a rapid stretching of the flesh . this action produces the desired tenderizing . however , because the object must exhibit a reasonable acoustic match with water , the present system does not work as well with meat which contains bones , i . e . there is no close acoustic match between bones and water . thus , comparative examples carried out according to the present invention but using unboned sides of beef were not fully successful . the bones , being a poor acoustic match for the water , reflected the shock wave , and as a result the tenderizing was not sufficiently uniform to meet commercial standards . another requirement is that the meat be wrapped and sealed in plastic and / or rubber , with all air being evacuated between the wrapping and the meat ; this is in any event a pre - existing condition for most meat to be used which is already vacuum packed at the processing plant . comparative examples showed that uncontained meat exposed to water and shock changed color to a grayish white , rendering the meat commercially unacceptable . when wrapped in plastic and / or contained in a rubber bag , there was no change in appearance . in addition , it will be understood that the meat must be isolated from the water in which the explosion takes place from the standpoint of possible contamination from explosive by - products . other comparative examples showed that failure to evacuate air from between the rubber bag containing the meat and the meat resulted in high compression and heating of the trapped air which tended to burn holes in both the bag and the meat . most desirably , the meat is protected from the water in the tank by two membranes , namely an inner plastic wrapping and an outer rubber bag . important features of the present invention involve , as partly already explained above , providing the tank with a proper shape , placing the meat against a hard reflective wall , preferably the tank wall , so that it is supported at its back side by the reflective wall and so that a substantial doubling of the shock wave effect is achieved , and proper placement of the explosive in the tank so that all the meat is placed approximately equidistant from the explosive charge . in addition , it is necessary to properly select the amount of the explosive charge and the distance of the meat from the explosive center so as to produce the desired tenderization . the substantial doubling of the shock wave by reflecting the wave from the tank wall back through the meat is particularly important in achieving uniform tenderizing of the meat ; for example , a slab of beef six inches thick has its back side subjected to 28 % pressure drop as compared to its front side in the absence of a reflected shock wave , whereas the same slab has its back side subjected to only 7 . 6 % pressure drop as compared to its front side when the wave is reflected back through the meat . although examples are given below , the above noted parameters can be determined experimentally for each particular installation , bearing in mind that the explosive effect decreases as the cube of the distance from the explosive charge . doubling the distance from the explosive charge produces 1 / 8 the energy , i . e . 2 3 . for example , to produce the same effect at a distance of 2 feet that is produced at 1 foot distance of the meat from the explosive charge requires eight times the quantity of the same explosive charge . in one example using the particular explosive described below , the diameter of the tank 50 was selected to be 48 inches with the explosive placed at location 66 as shown in fig3 and the tank filled with water 92 . six hundred pounds of meat 94 protected within an evacuated rubber container was then placed along the hemispherical floor of the tank 50 as shown in fig3 in a layer of approximately six inches thickness . the front face of the meat was thus approximately 18 inches from the explosive center while the back of the meat was approximately 24 inches from the explosive center . as indicated above , it is preferred that a two - part explosive be used in the practice of the present invention , although it will be understood that any explosive may be used , e . g . 100 grams of composition b or of composition c - 4 plastic explosive detonated in water at a distance of one foot from the meat in the apparatus of fig3 produces a fully satisfactory product . the preferred two - part explosive is available from thermex energy corp . and is composed of components which are separately inert and not classified as explosives . for purposes of shipping , the solid component is classified as an oxidizer and the liquid component is classified as a flammable liquid . when the two components are mixed , the result is a class a explosive the energy released of which is 130 % of tnt per unit of weight , a yield almost exactly equal to composition b , a well known explosive . the solid component is a specially prepared ammonium nitrate composition with glass microballoons and plastic resin , and the liquid component is nitromethane . the shelf life of the solid component in a sealed container such as the container 80 is indefinite . the shelf life of the mixed components is quoted by thermex to be one year in a sealed container , degradation of the mixed components being due to the volatility of the liquid component and the fact that the mixture is slightly hygroscopic . a container such as the container 80 , filled with the solid component , has a packing fraction of approximately 66 %, leaving about one - third of the volume as void capable of accepting the liquid component which fills the interstices between the particles of the solid component . mixing of the two components takes from about two minutes to about thirty minutes , depending on the size and geometry of the container . there are a number of advantages in utilizing a two - part explosives , these falling within the three general categories of safety , ease of handling and storage , and overall economy . because the two components are relatively safe when unmixed , special facilities required for the normal handling of explosives are not necessary , e . g . there are no requirements for explosion proof switches and lights , special wiring , special floor covering , spark proof equipment , etc . as regards shipping , the separate components can be shipped as normal freight by truck , ship and air , and even by united parcel ; the special and costly requirements for the shipping of explosives are not necessary . until the two components are mixed , no precautions , otherwise required of other high explosives , need be used . other advantages of the preferred two - part explosive are that even after it is mixed it is less sensitive than tnt or composition b , and can be submerged in water for up to six hours without adverse effect . moreover , the preferred two - part explosive is inexpensive and produces only gaseous by - products , predominantly carbon dioxide and nitrogen dioxide along with some carbon monoxide and hydrogen . in examples carried out according to the present invention , the container 80 had a diameter of 27 / 8 inches and had a capacity sufficient for one - half pound of mixed explosives . the weight of the solid component was 169 grams and the weight of the liquid component was 58 grams corresponding to 51 . 5 cc . a series of examples were carried out using the parameters as pointed out above , using frozen blocks of boned meat as well as non - frozen meat . the boned meat was sealed in a plastic container and evacuated , and the sealed plastic container was placed in a sealed rubber bag and the air evacuated from the space between the bag and plastic container . the meat , thus contained , was submerged in water and placed as shown in fig3 against the tank wall with the explosive charge , as described above , placed in position 66 . the explosive charge was then detonated . after detonation , the rubber bag containing the tenderized meat was removed from the water , the plastic wrapped meat removed from the rubber bag , and both the bag and the plastic wrapped meat washed in fresh water . the meat was ready for shipment and the rubber bag ready for reuse . the meat was removed from its wrapping and tested . the meat produced was markedly more tender than non - tenderized control meat . the flavor and texture of the tenderized meat remained unchanged from the control meat . the results were equal with frozen meat and non - frozen meat . a pathological examination of flesh through which a shock wave had passed was made . normal flesh seen under a microscope shows numerous small white ropes , connecting tissue linking groups of cells . flesh through which a shock wave had passed showed the majority of the connecting tissues to be ruptured . the appearance of the meat to the eye was unchanged . however , a two inch thick steak after being shocked seemed much more limber . based on the examples carried out , the following conclusions are to be drawn : the meat should be at a uniform distance from the explosive center , and the meat preferably should be about six inches thick with nothing interposed between the explosion center and the meat other than the wrappings and the water in which the meat is placed . if the meat is more than about eight inches thick , the back side becomes noticeably less tenderized than the front side . if the thickness is less than about four inches , the economics become less favorable . to insure proper coupling of the shock wave in water with the meat to be tenderized , a density match is required . meat is a good density match , but bones are not . consequently , meat containing bones will not be uniformly affected by the shock wave ; the bones reflect the shock wave producing regions partly untenderized and other regions almost entirely untenderized . it is important that the meat be supported against a hard wall which will reflect the shock wave , preferably the wall of the tank . this prevents damage to the meat and also provides a substantial doubling effect of the shock wave as it is reflected from the wall of the tank . the present system has the advantage of being very inexpensive on a per pound basis . it has the further advantage of not changing either the texture or the flavor of the meat , and it effects tenderizing of the meat from older animals which results in tenderized meat which is both flavorful and less expensive . it also tenderizes the meat uniformly . the foregoing description of the specific embodiments will so fully reveal the general nature of the invention that others can , by applying current knowledge , readily modify and / or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments without departing from the generic concept , and , therefore , such adaptations and modifications should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments . for example , the tank can be provided in other shapes , e . g . an elongated shape with the meat supported against steel plates and with plural explosive charges placed equidistantly along the tank between equally spaced meat supporting plates . it is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation . | 0 |
reference will now be made in detail to various embodiments of the present invention ( s ), examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described below . while the invention ( s ) will be described in conjunction with exemplary embodiments , it will be understood that present description is not intended to limit the invention ( s ) to those exemplary embodiments . on the contrary , the invention ( s ) is / are intended to cover not only the exemplary embodiments , but also various alternatives , modifications , equivalents and other embodiments , which may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims . an exemplary embodiment of the present invention will hereinafter be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings . fig1 is a schematic diagram showing a fuel supplying system of a liquid propane fuel ( lpi ) engine according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention . as shown in fig1 , a fuel tank 100 , a regulator unit 200 , and an engine are connected to each other through a fuel supply line s and a fuel return line r so as to feed liquid - state fuel in the fuel tank 100 to the engine via the regulator unit 200 , and then unused liquid - state fuel is returned to the fuel tank 100 through the regulator unit 200 . the regulator unit 200 , as a conventional device , maintains supply pressure of the liquid - state fuel supplied to the engine . further , a fuel return line r connecting the engine and the fuel tank 100 is connected to the regulator unit 200 so as to return unused fuel to the fuel tank 100 . in addition , a pressure sensor detecting fuel pressure of fuel returning to the fuel tank 100 may be mounted in the fuel return line r connected to the regulator unit 200 , and furthermore a pressure regulator may be mounted therein so as to return the fuel to the fuel tank 100 only when the fuel pressure exceeds a predetermined pressure . although not shown in the drawings , the fuel supplying system can be controlled by an ecu . further , a main fuel pump 300 is mounted at the fuel supply line s disposed between the fuel tank 100 and the regulator unit 200 so as to continuously forcedly feed the fuel in the fuel tank 100 to the engine . herein , the main fuel pump 300 may be an external fuel pump disposed outside the fuel tank 100 . further , a pressure detecting sensor 110 may be mounted at the fuel tank 100 for detecting internal pressure of the fuel tank 100 . the pressure sensor 110 can be controlled by the ecu . in addition , a sub - fuel pump 120 is mounted inside the fuel tank 100 . the sub - fuel pump 120 is operated only when pressure detected by the pressure sensor 110 is less than 0 . 5 bar . at this time , the fuel supplied from the sub - fuel pump 120 is supplied to the exterior portion of the fuel tank 100 through a sub - fuel pump connecting pipe 121 . herein , a one - way check valve 130 is provided to prevent backflow of the fuel before the fuel flows from the fuel tank 100 to the exterior thereof . during the fuel supply , if the fuel supply line s is blocked or the regulator unit 200 malfunctions resulting in deterioration of the fuel flow , pressure of the fuel supply line s is greater than pressure of the sub - fuel pump 120 . at this time , the fuel flows backward into the sub - fuel pump 120 through a recirculation line provided from the outlet of the main fuel pump to the inlet thereof due to the high pressure of the fuel supply line s . to avoid the backflow resulting in damage to the sub - fuel pump 120 , a one - way check valve 130 preventing the backflow should be provided therewith . meanwhile , a separate exhaust pipe 122 that is diverged from the sub - fuel pump connecting pipe 121 supplies the fuel to the engine . that is , the sub - fuel pump connecting pipe 121 and the exhaust pipe 122 are joined at the one - way check valve 130 . thus , the fuel in the fuel tank 100 is supplied to the main fuel pump 300 through the exhaust pipe 122 only by using internal pressure thereof , and the fuel in the fuel tank 100 is supplied to the main fuel pump 300 through the sub - fuel pump connecting pipe 121 by an operation of the sub - fuel pump 120 in the case that the internal pressure of the fuel tank 100 is less than 0 . 5 bar . the operation of a fuel supplying system of an lpi engine according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be hereinafter described in detail . during driving , when pressure detected by the pressure sensor 110 is greater than 0 . 5 bar , the fuel flows into the main fuel pump 300 through the exhaust pipe 122 in a state in which a control valve of the fuel supply line s is disposed between the one - way check valve 130 mounted inside the fuel tank 100 and the main fuel pump 300 . the main fuel pump 300 is operating continuously during driving , at this time , the main fuel pump 300 pressurizes the liquid - state fuel from the fuel tank 100 by a predetermined pressure in comparison with the pressure of the fuel tank 100 . for example , a pressure of 5 bar is added to a pressure of the fuel pump 100 that is 3 bar , and thereby pressure of liquid - state fuel that is 8 bar is supplied by the fuel supply line s . meanwhile , if pressure detected by the pressure sensor 110 is less than 0 . 5 bar , the ecu controls the sub - fuel pump 120 disposed inside the fuel tank 100 to be operated . and then , the fuel is supplied to the main fuel pump 300 through the sub - fuel pump connecting pipe 121 and the one - way check valve 130 by using a pumping operation of the sub - fuel pump 120 . while the liquid - state fuel is supplied to the engine through the regulator unit 200 , a portion of the fuel is injected by the injector and ignited , and a remaining portion thereof is returned to the fuel tank 100 through the regulator unit 200 via the fuel return line r . in this way , the liquid - state fuel returned through the fuel return line r is passed through the regulator unit 200 via an opened return valve , and then it is stored in the fuel tank 100 . meanwhile , the liquid - state fuel flowing into the fuel return line r is expanded according to an increase in temperature . at that time , the pressure is increased to 8 bar as described above , and then the fuel flows into the fuel tank 100 again since the pressure adjuster of the regulator unit 200 and a return valve in the fuel return line r closed are sequentially opened . in case of malfunction of the main fuel pump 300 , only the main fuel pump 300 needs to be disassembled from the fuel supply line s for being repaired or replaced in a state that the control valve mounted at the fuel supply line s between the fuel tank 100 and the main fuel pump 300 is closed for a cut - off from the fuel tank 100 , and thus the repair is simplified regardless of working place . further , because it is unnecessary to extract all the fuel from the fuel tank 100 , a loss of the fuel in the process is minimized . further , during the fuel supply , if the fuel supply line s between the main fuel pump 300 and the regulator unit 200 is blocked or malfunctions by sludge mixed in the liquid - state fuel , pressure of the fuel supply line s is greater than pressure of the sub - fuel pump 120 . however , a one - way check valve prevents backflow of the supplied liquid - state fuel in order to reduce damage to the sub - fuel pump 120 . further , because the sub - fuel pump 120 is operated only when internal pressure of the fuel tank 100 is lower than a predetermined pressure , malfunction of the sub - fuel pump 120 is minimized , and thereby longevity thereof is improved . for convenience in explanation and accurate definition in the appended claims , the term “ exterior ” is used to describe features of the exemplary embodiments with reference to the positions of such features as displayed in the figures . the foregoing descriptions of specific exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and description . they are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed , and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings . the exemplary embodiments were chosen and described in order to explain certain principles of the invention and their practical application , to thereby enable others skilled in the art to make and utilize various exemplary embodiments of the present invention , as well as various alternatives and modifications thereof . it is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the claims appended hereto and their equivalents . | 5 |
as illustrative of the application of the method and sealing apparatus 1 of the present invention generally depicted in fig1 a portion of an oil well casing joint structure has been generally indicated in fig1 comprised of an externally threaded pin section 2 which is to be screwed into a corresponding internally threaded box section ( not shown ) in threadedly mating engagement . it will be recalled that with respect to such joints , it is frequently desirable to install a plug - type sealing element 6 , comprised of a resilient plastic material or the like , into a press - fit engagement within a radial blind bore 4 for purposes of preventing leakage of fluids past the element 6 and through the spiral clearance formed between the thread crests of the external threads 3 and the opposing recess space in the opposing threads of the box ( not shown ). the purpose of the sealing apparatus 1 of the present invention is three - fold . first apparatus 1 serves to provide a drilling jig for establishing such a radial blind bore 4 at a desired location and depth . secondly , the apparatus serves the purpose of cutting the sealing element plug 6 from a sealing element strip 18 , and thirdly , the apparatus 1 serves to press - fit this plug 6 into the radial blind bore 4 . to better understand the present invention , first a general description of the main components thereof will be given followed by a general description of the operation of the sealing apparatus 1 . this will thence be followed by a more detailed discussion of the construction of the apparatus 1 and the plugs 6 which are thereby formed and installed . first as to the main components of the sealing apparatus 1 , with continued reference to fig1 a clamping guide assembly 10 is provided which includes an upper jaw 12 and lower jaw 14 preferably of an arcuate construction ( see fig4 ) so as to fit about the curved contour of section 2 when clamped thereabouts . a first grip member 26 and second grip member 20 provide a clamping force so as to bring the upper and lower jaws 12 and 14 together about the wall of the pin section 2 . a guide 64 interconnected to the upper jaw 12 has a vertical punch shaft guide aperture 16 disposed therein . the purpose of this aperture 16 is two - fold . first , it guides a twist drill bit 73 ( fig5 ) when drilling the radial blind bore 4 . secondly , this aperture 16 serves to guide a punch shaft 102 as it moves vertically downward through aperture 16 when punching a sealing plug 6 from strip 18 and when , upon further downward motion , forcing the plug 6 into the radial blind bore 4 as shown in fig1 . a punch guide cylinder 101 is provided having on opposing sides thereof a pair of cylinder grooves 72 ( see fig4 ). a flat punch guide cylinder support 66 , disposed on top of the guide 64 , defines two opposed horizontally parallel support lips 70 which slidingly and matingly are received by the cylinder grooves 72 . in this manner , the cylinder 101 may be moved horizontally from the position shown in fig1 in the direction of the arrow in fig5 to the position depicted therein and vice - versa . it will be readily apparent in the position of fig5 that aperture 16 is thereby exposed to receive drill bit 73 after which cylinder 101 is moved to the position depicted in fig1 for the operation of punching sealing plug 6 and pressing it into the radial blind bore 4 . with reference to fig4 cylinder 101 will further preferably define a horizontal sealing element strip receiving slot 69 for receiving the sealing element strip 18 which slides therethrough . a lever 104 pivots about the uppermost end of a vertical standoff member 103 and is interconnected to punch shaft 102 by means of a linkage arm 106 . in this manner , lever 104 may be brought to a position vertically above cylinder support 66 , sealing element strip 18 , and receiving slot 69 , as shown in fig5 by sufficient vertical rotation of lever 104 . in this position , strip 18 may be slid horizontally out of the way to expose aperture 16 for the drilling operation . however , when cylinder 101 is slid back to the position shown in fig1 lever 104 may thence be rotated downwards as shown therein . this forces a sealing plug 6 to be punched from the strip 18 ( as evidenced by holes 125 in strip 18 ). the plug 6 is thence forced downwards along aperture 16 further downward rotation of lever 104 and downward movement of punch shaft 102 until sealing plug 6 is press - fit into radial blind bore 4 . in summary then , in a brief description of the sealing apparatus 1 of the present invention , lever 104 is moved to the upward position of fig5 so that strip 18 may be inserted in strip receiving slot 69 . cylinder 101 is thence slid into position as shown in fig5 on cylinder support 66 . the apparatus 1 is thence disposed in a position shown in fig5 with upper and lower jaws 12 and 14 clasp about pin section 2 by means of first and second grip members 26 and 20 . it will be noted that stops 62 may be provided on jaws 12 and 14 if desired ( see fig4 ) which will abuttingly engage the end of pin section 2 when sealing apparatus 1 is clamped about pin section 2 . the horizontal position of these stops 62 relative to aperture 16 may be selected so as to position aperture 16 a desired distance from the end of pin section 2 . in this manner , counterbore 4 will accordingly be drilled a desired like distance from the pin section to end , and sealing plug 6 will also be positioned this distance from the pin section 2 end . continuing with a description of the general operation of the sealing apparatus 11 , when the apparatus 1 has been clamped as shown in fig5 the drill bit 73 is inserted in the aperture 16 and the counterbore 4 is drilled . a stop , such as that provided by chuck shoulder 65 may be employed to insure that radial blind bore 4 is drilled to a desired depth . upon drilling counterbore 4 , drill bit 73 is removed , and cylinder 101 is slid from the position depicted in fig5 to that in fig1 . lever 104 is thence rotated downwards whereby punch shaft 102 punches the sealing plug 6 from strip 18 and forces this plug 6 downwards through aperture 16 so as to seat in the radial blind bore 4 in a press - fit fashion , whereupon clamping guide assembly 10 is released . for a next installation operation , cylinder 101 and lever 104 are returned to the position shown in fig5 . the apparatus 1 is thence clamped over a next pin section 2 in which a sealing plug 6 is desired in the aforementioned manner and a next radial blind bore 4 is drilled . upon removal of the drill bit 73 , the cylinder 101 is moved into the position of fig1 and strip 18 is advanced along strip receiving slot 69 so that the aperture 16 is again covered by the material of strip 18 . upon movement of lever 104 downwards to the position of fig1 a next sealing plug 6 is thereby formed and installed in the radial blind bore 4 . now that a general discussion of the construction and operation of the apparatus 1 of the present invention has been given , a more detailed description of some additional features of the preferred construction will herein after follow . still referring to fig1 the clamping guide assembly 10 preferably further includes a lower jaw support 22 pivotally pinned by means of pins 24 and 28 to grip members 20 and 26 , respectively . a spring 34 is further provided terminating at opposed ends in an aperture 36 in the lower jaw support 22 and an extension 38 carried by the grip member 20 . a locking arm 30 is further provided which pivots about a pin 32 disposed in the first grip member 26 . the end of locking arm 30 opposite the pin 32 terminates in a locking arm end 52 which abuttingly enages an end 54 of a set screw 50 . the screw 50 includes external threads 48 received by the grip member 20 whereby , by adjusting the screw 50 the locking arm end 52 may be rotated about the pin 32 . a release lever 40 pivots about a pin 42 and has a lever end 44 in contact with a nub 46 of the locking arm 30 . from the foregoing , it will be apparent that in a conventional manner the set screw 50 may be adjusted for the desired clamping force and wall thickness of the pin section whereby when the grip members 20 and 26 are brought towards one another , the jaws 12 and 14 will tightly clamp about the wall of the pin section upon moving the end of the release lever 40 away from the set screw 50 , the locking arm end 52 is moved upwards so as to disengage from the set screw end 54 , thus releasing the clamping action of the jaws 12 and 14 . closer inspection of the upper jaw 12 reveals that it will preferably include internal threads 56 so as to more securedly attach the sealing apparatus 1 to the pin section 2 wherein these threads 56 will matingly engage the external threads 3 of the pin section 2 . it will further be noted from fig1 that a punch shaft guide insert 63 carried by and within the guide 64 actually defines the punch shaft guide aperture 16 , and that by preselecting the insert 63 to have the same outer diameter by a different inner diameter , different diameter drill bits 73 and resulting radial blind bores 4 may thus be provided for . it will also be noted that the insert 63 terminates in a shoulder 58 whereby when the sealing apparatus 1 is clamped against the pin section , an outer recess 119 is thereby defined for purposes of accommodating the cuttings resulting from drilling of the radial blind bore 4 . still referring to fig1 a stop pin 74 is preferably carried by the guide 64 . the purpose of this pin 74 is to prevent further movement of the cylinder 101 , such that when the cylinder 101 abuttingly engages the stop pin 74 , the aperture 16 in the guide is in coaxial vertical alignment with the corresponding vertical aperture extending through the cylinder 101 , whereby the punch shaft 102 may be slidingly receiving by both apertures in the cylinder 101 and the guide 64 in the manner depicted in fig1 . the lever 104 preferably terminates in a lever end 112 which is pinned by means of pin 114 to the standoff member 103 . the linking arm 106 is further pinned at opposing ends by means of lever pin 110 and punch shaft pin 108 to the lever 104 and the punch shaft 102 , respectively . in this manner , upon angular rotation of the lever 104 about the pivot point defined by pin 114 , this angular movement is translated into a vertical movement of the punch shaft 102 in the desired manner . with respect to fig2 the cylinder support member 66 may be seen more clearly depicted therein and the manner in which the cylinder 101 is made to slide therealong . fig3 is a bottom view of the upper jaw 12 which depicts additional features of the present invention . more particularly , fig3 depicts an end view of the punch shaft 102 and accordingly discloses the end surface of the punch shaft 102 which acts in the manner of a die for die cutting the desired shape of the sealing plug 6 . more particularly , in the embodiment depicted in fig3 a pair of parallel lips 118 are provided in the die end of the punch shaft 102 , and disposed therebetween in a groove 120 . in this manner , the upper and radially outwardmost surface of the plug 6 may take a sloping form such as that depicted in fig6 , or 11 , to be hereinafter described in greater detail . reference to fig4 and 5 will disclose yet additional features of the present invention . it will be noted that in the embodiment being described , the cylinder 101 will also be provided with support lips 75 which are matingly received by support grooves 71 disposed in the support 66 so as to further effect the sliding of the cylinder 101 in a preselected direction along the lower surface 68 of the cylinder 101 . with reference to fig5 it will further be appreciated that the lever 104 may be provided with a stop 116 having a generally angular configuration whereby when the lever is attempted to be moved counter clockwise beyond the position depicted in fig5 the free end of the stop 116 will contact the stand off member 103 so as to prevent such further movement . with reference now to fig6 - 12 , the characteristics of the sealing plug 6 itself will be hereinafter discussed in greater detail . fig6 , 9 , 10 , 11 , and 12 depict alternate embodiments of the sealing plug 6 which may be employed . it will be readily appreciated that with reference to fig3 virtually any desired shape of sealing plug 6 as well as the outer surface thereof may be formed by a selection of the configuration of the radially inwardmost or a lower surface of the punch shaft 102 . accordingly , with respect to fig6 a sealing plug 120 is shown having a generally curved surface 122 and a flat base 124 . in like manner , with respect to fig8 yet an additional embodiment of a plug 128 is shown comprised of a flat base 136 , flat shoulders 134 , a flat upper face 130 , and sloping edges 132 interconnecting the surfaces defined by shoulders 134 and the upper surface 130 . it will further be appreciated , with reference to fig7 that in addition to preselecting the configuration of the lowermost portion of the shaft 102 to effect a forming of a sealing plug 6 having the desired shape , it may further be possible to perform the sealing element strips 18 in a desired geometric shape so as to further enhance formation of the plugs 6 into a desired shape . accordingly , with respect to fig7 in comparison with fig8 a sealing element strip 18 is shown depicted therein from which the plug 128 of fig8 may be fashioned by simply providing for a circular die cut end in the punch shaft 102 . in fig9 an alternate embodiment of a sealing plug 138 is shown comprised of a ring - like member 140 having a central annulus 142 extending therethrough . in like manner , with respect to fig1 , yet another plug 144 is shown depicted therein which may be fashioned in the shape of a small disc 146 concentrically aligned with a larger disc 148 . fig1 depicts yet an additional configuration of a sealing plug 150 in the form of a truncated frusto - conical section having a generally upper flat surface 152 , pyramidal sloping outer surfaces 154 and a generally flat base 156 . finally , in fig1 , a plug 162 is depicted therein having two generally parallel grooves 166 and 168 defining a generally flat strip 164 disposed therebetween . whereas , only a few alternate embodiments of plugs 6 may have thus been disclosed with reference to fig6 - 12 , the invention fully contemplates adjusting , alone or in combination , the geometric configuration of the sealing element strip 18 and / or the endmost or die portion of the punch shaft 102 as desired to effect the desired geometric shape of the sealing element plug 6 . with respect to the desired material for the sealing element strip 18 , the invention further admits of a number of resilient materials and is not intended to be so limited to any one particular composition of matter for the strip 18 . however , it has been found that strips 18 and resultant plugs 6 fashioned out of a nylon or teflon material provide the necessasary resilience for effecting the desired sealing and retention of the plug 6 in a press - fit within the radial blind bore 4 . with respect to all sealing plugs of the present invention , it will be appreciated that the surfaces thereof defining the maximum height or thickness of each plug , when the plug is seated in the radial blind bore 4 , will preferably extend slightly above or radially outwards of the external threads . the purpose of this is such that when the mating sections of pipe are threadedly joined , the internal threads of the female or box joint will cut into these radially outwardmost surfaces upon make up so as to effect the desired sealing . accordingly , the thickness of the plugs must be adjusted in functional relation to the depth of radial blind bore and the height of the external threads so that an outer sealing surface of the plug will extend radially outwards from the outermost edges of the external threads . moreover , it will further be appreciated that in a preferred embodiment it is desirable for the outer dimension of the punch shaft 102 and the die end thereof be of a slightly smaller dimension than the width of the sealing element strip 18 . in this manner , as the sealing strip 18 is advanced as additional plugs are cut , the edges thereof will remain intact with holes punched inwards thereof so that it will remain as a strip notwithstanding presence of the holes 125 , as depicted in fig1 . it is therefore apparent that the present invention is one well adapted to obtain all of the advantages and features hereinabove set forth , together with other advantages which will become obvious and apparent from a description of the apparatus itself . it will be understood that certain combinations and subcombinations are of utility and may be employed without reference to other features and subcombinations . moreover , the foregoing disclosure and description of the invention is only illustrative and explanatory thereof , and the invention admits of various changes in the size , shape and material composition of its components , as well as in the details of the illustrated construction , without departing from the scope and spirit thereof . | 4 |
this description covers three features relating to ( 1 ) bayonet and receiver assemblies , ( 2 ) a fixed - angle ceiling mount installation , and ( 3 ) an adjustable - angle ceiling mount installation . fig1 shows a bayonet assembly 10 and cooperating receiver assembly 12 , which holds a lens 14 . these three components are essential parts of the light pipe fixture of the invention . by way of example , lens 14 may be a plano - convex lens , an aspherical lens , a holographic lens , a fresnel lens or a flat lens , made from either glass or plastic . light pipe 16 is received into bayonet assembly 10 and secured in such assembly by an adhesive . as shown in connection with fig2 a – 2 c , bayonet assembly 10 uses an internal lip 18 ( fig2 c ) to stop the inserted light pipe at a precise location . as shown in connection with fig3 a – 3 b , receiver assembly 12 utilizes an internal shelf 20 ( fig3 c ) and radial snaps 22 ( fig3 c ) to lock the lens into a precise location . with receiver assembly 12 being molded from acrylonitrile butadiene styrene ( abs ), for instance , radial snaps 22 , preferably two in number , preferably occupy between about 5 and 20 degrees of circumference about a longitudinal axis 24 of such assembly , and more preferably between about 5 and 15 degrees . preferably , the abs for the receiver assembly is “ platable ” in that it can accept such coatings as chrome or brass , for reflective purposes . fig4 a – 4 c show respective , initial relative positions of bayonet assembly 10 and receiver assembly 12 for achieving light beam spreads exiting lens 14 of degrees of 15 , 25 and 40 , respectively , by way of example . in the positions shown , a notch 28 or other mark on receiver assembly 12 is aligned with markings on the bayonet assembly 10 for a desired degree of beam spread ; for instance , fig4 a showing notch 28 aligned with “ 15 ” for a 15 - degree beam spread . each of the various beam spread adjustment locations is clearly marked on bayonet . in more detail , a user inserts bayonet assembly 10 into receiver assembly 12 as shown in any of fig4 a – 4 c until the bayonet assembly reaches a full stop within receiver assembly 10 . the user then rotates the bayonet assembly relative to the receiver assembly in the direction of an arrow 30 until a full rotational stop is reached , at which point the bayonet assembly becomes locked to the receiver assembly . for the embodiment shown , the rotation of bayonet assembly 10 relative to receiver assembly 12 is 1 / 12 th turn , or 30 degrees . the foregoing lock - in adjustment location ability of the bayonet & amp ; receiver assembly arrangement is made possible by appropriate contouring of the confronting surfaces of the bayonet assembly 10 and receiver assembly 12 . with reference to fig5 , bayonet assembly 10 uses an axial stop ledge 32 and circumferential lock flange 34 that extend radially outwards from a substantially cylindrical surface 36 , which is a surface that radially bears against cooperating surfaces of receiver assembly 12 . axial stop ledge 32 is axially aligned with lock flange 34 . the additional geometric structures on the bayonet assembly ( e . g ., 37 ) allow for clearance for different beam - spread positions and may also block contaminants , as described below . at this point , it should be noted that the described radially outwardly facing surface of bayonet assembly 10 forms a pattern from about 180 degrees about a longitudinal axis 38 of the assembly , which pattern repeats for the other approximately 180 degrees about such longitudinal axis . this same approximately 180 - degree repeating of patterns applies also to receiver assembly 12 . now , referring to receiver assembly 12 of fig6 a and 6 b , receiving channels 40 , circumferential flange stops 42 and axial positioning pads 44 are shown extending radially inwardly from a generally cylindrical surface 46 . flange stops 42 and positioning pads 44 are mounted on a radial bearing region 45 , which extends towards axis 38 from surface 46 . radial bearing surface 45 supports radial bearing loads when the bayonet assembly is inserted into the receiver assembly , and structurally supports positioning pads 44 . another function of radial bearing surface 45 will be described below . during insertion of bayonet assembly 10 ( fig5 ) into receiver assembly 12 ( fig6 a ), circumferential lock flange 34 ( fig5 ) is guided into a receiving channel 40 ( fig6 a ), such as vertically middle - shown channel 40 , until axial stop ledge 32 ( fig5 ) abuts the vertically lowermost - shown positioning pad 44 ( fig6 a ). at this point , bayonet assembly 10 is then turned 30 ° clockwise relative to receiver assembly 12 so that circumferential lock flange 34 ( fig5 ) passes a cam lock point ( or projection ) 48 ( fig6 b ) to lock the circumferential lock flange against a circumferential flange stop . in this position ( not shown ), a positioning pad 44 ( fig6 a ) is sandwiched in the axial space between circumferential stop flange 34 and axial stop ledge 32 . this operation can be more easily understood with reference to fig7 a – 7 b and 8 a – 8 c . as in fig5 , fig7 a shows bayonet assembly 10 with axial stop ledge 32 , circumferential lock flange 34 and additional structure 37 . as in fig6 a , fig7 a also shows receiver assembly 12 with circumferential flange stops 42 and axial positioning pads 44 . however , fig7 a has been simplified by omitting the mounting surface for these stops 42 and pads 44 , as is shown at 45 in fig6 a ; and fig7 b shows these structures as six stops 42 a – 42 f and six pads 44 a – 44 f . for practicality , it is preferred that the number of stops and pads be four , six ( as shown ) or eight . with the foregoing structure in mind , the selection of a 15 - degree beam spread is shown in fig8 a – 8 c . fig8 a shows the insertion of circumferential lock flange 34 into the receiving channel 40 between axial positioning pads 44 a and 44 b . fig8 b shows the final extent of insertion of lock flange 34 , when axial stop ledge 32 abuts axial positioning pad 44 a . then , bayonet assembly 10 is then rotated 30 degrees clockwise relative to receiver assembly 12 , as shown in fig8 c , at which point axial positioning pad 44 b is sandwiched between axial stop ledge 32 and circumferential lock flange 34 . at this point , also , axial stop ledge 32 stops rotating since it then abuts circumferential flange stop 42 a . at this point , finally , as shown in the detail view of fig8 d , lock flange 34 has rotated past a cam lock projection 54 on positioning pad 44 b , which locks in the bayonet assembly relative to the receiver assembly at the 15 - degree beam spread position . fig8 e shows bayonet assembly 10 and receiver assembly 12 . this figure shows assembly 10 partially in cross section and with an outer portion removed to show more clearly radial - bearing region 45 , described above in connection with fig6 a . the enlarged view of fig8 f shows radial - bearing region 45 of receiver assembly 12 supporting positioning pads 44 a and 44 b . it further shows circumferential lock flange 34 of bayonet assembly 10 extending axially past positioning pad 44 b , and circumferentially positioned so that it has started to pass under positioning pad 44 b . surface 32 a of axial stop ledge 32 of the bayonet assembly axially abuts positioning pad 44 b , similar to the position shown in fig8 b . part of surface 32 a , shown broken away , also abuts a portion of an annular shelf 55 of radial - bearing region 45 . upon rotating bayonet assembly 10 clockwise in relation to receiver assembly ( such rotation not shown in fig8 f ), when viewing from right to left in fig8 f , surface 32 a of stop ledge 32 continues to abut , and be supported by , annular shelf 55 . preferably , annular shelf 55 of radial - bearing region 45 forms a continuous annular surface with positioning pad 44 b , which continuous annular surface fully supports the entire surface 32 a of ledge 32 . this provides a stable coupling between the bayonet and receiver assemblies , and help assure that the locking action described above in connection with fig6 b will reliably occur . in the embodiment illustrated herein , annular shelves such as that shown in fig8 f at 55 are associated with positioning pads 44 b and 44 c ( fig7 b ), but not with positioning pad 44 a . the above - described bayonet assembly 10 and receiver assembly 12 were designed as molded components , with bayonet assembly 10 of polycarbonate plastic and receiver assembly of platable abs , as mentioned above . this provides low cost and an easily reproducible product . in addition , in the one of the three beam - spread positions in which the bayonet assembly is inserted the furthest into the receiver assembly , the present design blocks contaminants from reaching the light pipe . in particular , such interstices are configured to block any direct path for contaminants to reach the light - dispensing end of the light pipe when the bayonet assembly is locked in position with the receiver assembly . this is shown in fig8 g , wherein structure 37 of bayonet assembly cooperates with radial - bearing region 45 of the receiver assembly to block a direct path for contaminants to reach the light pipe when the bayonet and receiver assemblies are locked together . fig8 g shows interstice 56 a between circumferentially adjacent surfaces of 37 and 45 , interstice 56 b between axially adjacent surfaces of 37 and 45 , and interstice 56 c between radially adjacent surfaces 56 c . thus , although not sealed , the foregoing design is considered closed , since it does not allow a direct path for dust , spray , or insects to reach the light pipe end . many earlier designs were abandoned because the components were not easily moldable . the receiver assembly , in particular , was the most difficult to design for molding as a component that was closed to contaminants as described above . the small bore size of the receiver assembly &# 39 ; s area for receiving the bayonet assembly — typically about 20 mm — made any common undercut ( or snap pocket ) impossible to mold . although the use of exterior inserted slide cores in a mold would have made the bayonet and receiver assemblies easy to make and effective , the receiver assembly &# 39 ; s bore size needed to be kept small to keep the costs of the components and associated tooling reasonable and practical , as well to allow for mounting practical component sizes . the illustrated design of the bayonet and receiver assemblies allows for the successful molding of these components , as well as maintaining the small bore size and closure of any direct path for contaminants to reach the light pipe end . the light pipe fixture described above , including bayonet assembly and receiving assembly , is the base unit to a fixed - angle ceiling mount installation shown in fig9 a . fig9 a shows a compression fitting 60 for holding bayonet assembly 10 to a sled 62 that is mounted on a pair of rails 64 and 65 , which may be conventional part no . 512hd sold by erico international corporation of solon , ohio . these rails have clamps 64 a and 65 a for attaching to the a standard “ t ” bar grid ( e . g ., 66 a , 66 b ) for supporting ceiling tiles 67 and 70 , for instance . rails 64 and 65 , in turn , are mounted above a ceiling tile 67 , which may be a conventional ceiling tile used in office buildings . light pipe 16 is supplied from a protective feeder pipe 68 , mounted on a bracket 69 , which in turn is mounted above another ceiling tile . in the foregoing arrangement , compression fitting 60 compresses against bayonet assembly 10 , rather than against light pipe 16 as is traditional . beneficially , this prevents kinking of light pipe 16 with resulting light output loss and damage upon installation fig9 b shows details of compression fitting 60 and associated structure , including bayonet assembly 10 , receiver assembly 12 and light pipe 16 . compression fitting has a cylindrical shank 60 a with threads above a fixed nut 60 b on which a threaded compression nut 60 c is received , and threads below fixed nut 60 b for receiving a nut 60 d . as is conventional , the upper portion 60 e of shank 60 a is not threaded , but rather has vertically extending slots ( not shown ). the vertical slots form a generally cylindrical structure that is compressed against the upper portion of bayonet assembly 10 to fix compression fitting 60 in relation to the bayonet assembly . nut 60 d then torques an annular portion of sled 62 against fixed nut 60 b , so as to fix compression fitting 60 in relation to sled 62 . referring to fig9 a , bayonet assembly 10 holds receiver assembly 12 in place , due to their mutual lock - in arrangement described above . with the mounting arrangement of fig9 a , the angle of receiver assembly 12 and its lens remains fixed relative to the associated ceiling tile 67 . the height of bayonet assembly 10 can be adjusted vertically along the longitudinal axis of compression fitting 60 . this is important to be able to accommodate ceiling tiles of different thicknesses , as shown in fig1 a – 10 c . these figures , which use the same reference numerals as in fig9 a , show three different height adjustments of bayonet assembly 10 , for accommodating ceiling tiles 67 a , 67 b and 67 c of different thicknesses ; for instance , thickness 84 a ( fig1 a ) of 0 . 5 inch , 84 b ( fig1 b ) of 1 inch , and 84 c ( fig1 c ) 1 . 5 inch . in fig1 c , sled 62 is inverted from its position in fig1 a and 10 b . referring to fig9 a , sled 62 is shown mounted on rails 64 and 65 . the sled can attach to other mounting means such as a so - called butterfly mount . such butterfly mount is sold , for instance , by rsa lighting llc of chatsworth , calif ., as part light fixture assembly part no . co111str . other mounting means will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art based on the present specification . such other mounting means may allow sled 62 to slide to different positions or to otherwise be mounted in different position , or may only allow mounting in a fixed position . in some light - fixture installations , it may be desirable to have the ability to repeatedly adjust the angle of the light . thus , fig1 shows a flexible gooseneck 90 , which , once bent , retains its position . the flexible portion of gooseneck 90 , numbered 90 a , may comprise helically wound metal ( not shown ) as is conventional , and the ends 90 b and 90 c of the gooseneck may include cylindrical sleeves . sleeve 90 b mounts about bayonet assembly 10 and is held with adhesive . gooseneck 90 may be a conventional part no . 96070 sold by moffatt products , inc . inc . of watertown , s . dak . compression fitting 61 , which is typically larger than compression fitting 60 of fig9 a , compresses against flexible portion 90 a of gooseneck 90 , rather than against light pipe 16 as is traditional . beneficially , this prevents kinking of light pipe 16 and resulting light output loss and damage upon installation . by using the gooseneck 90 and compression fitting 61 of fig1 instead of compression fitting 60 of fig9 c , the angle of direction of receiver assembly 12 can be easily , and repeatedly , manipulated as desired . as will be shown in the further drawing figures , the receiver assembly described herein may be designed to accommodate various beauty rings and an optional filter ( not shown ). optional filters may comprise a beam - filtering lens , a coloring lens or a diffusing lens , by way of example . thus , fig1 a shows a beauty ring 120 affixed to receiver assembly 12 tightly ; that is , without clearance required for a typical optional filter of about 4 mm thickness . ring 120 has a pair of similar , axially extending first and second latches 130 a and 130 b ( behind assembly 12 ). as shown best in fig1 b , the lower end of receiver assembly 12 has similar first and second recesses 136 a and 136 b ( behind assembly 12 ) for receiving first and second latches 130 a and 130 b . as shown in fig1 b , recess 136 a has a central path 137 a extending axially , and first and second paths 137 b and 137 c extending in opposite circumferential directions from the central path at respectively different axial positions . the entranceways to first and second paths 137 b and 137 c have respective cam lock ramps 138 and 139 , for locking beauty ring 120 onto receiver assembly 12 . as shown in fig1 a and 12 b , with latch 130 a received in path 137 c , beauty ring 120 fits close to receiver assembly 12 . in such position , there is insufficient space between ring and assembly for a optical filter that typically is about 4 mm thick . in contrast , as shown in fig1 c and 12 d , with latch 130 received in path 137 b , sufficient clearance 142 between ring and assembly exists for receiving an optical filter ( not shown ) of typically 4 mm thickness . however , as shown in fig1 a and 12 b , without clearance for a typical 4 mm filter , the beauty ring can be easily mounted to the receiver assembly , and light output is maximized since more light can pass through the beauty ring that when clearance is provided for an optical filter . fig1 a shows bayonet assembly 10 , receiver assembly 12 and lens 14 , and a beauty ring 150 that can be used instead of ring 120 shown in fig1 a – 12 d . ring 150 includes a pair of axially extending mounting arms 152 a and 152 b ( shown behind beauty ring 150 ). receiver assembly 12 includes a pair of mounting apertures 154 a and 154 b for respectively receiving the mounting arms 152 a and 152 b . as better seen in fig1 b and 13 c , in which there is insufficient clearance for a typical approx . 4 mm optical filter , mounting arm 152 a includes a pair of axially spaced mounting valleys 156 a and 156 b that face radially and preferably radially outwards from a longitudinal axis of receiver assembly 12 . correspondingly , mounting aperture 154 a includes a mounting ridge 157 for selectively being received in one or the other of mounting valley 156 a or 156 b . in fig1 c , mounting ridge 157 is received in mounting valley 156 a , leaving insufficient space to accommodate an optional 4 mm thick filter . as such , however , the beauty ring can be easily mounted to the receiver assembly , and light output is maximized since more light can pass through the beauty ring that when clearance is provided for an optical filter . fig1 d and 13 e correspond to fig1 b and 13 c except that , as shown in fig1 e , upper mounting valley 156 b receives mounting ridge 157 a . this provides a clearance 150 for a typical optical filter of about 4 mm thickness . the receiver assembly of fig1 beneficially incorporates both the structures shown in fig1 a – 12 d and in fig1 a – 13 e so improve its versatility and thus reduce the need to stock different receiver assemblies for using the different beauty rings . while the invention has been described with respect to specific embodiments by way of illustration , many modifications and changes will occur to those of ordinary skill in the art . it is , therefore , to be understood that the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications and changes as fall within the true scope and spirit of the invention . | 6 |
the fascia hanger of applicant &# 39 ; s invention will now be described with reference to the drawings . fig1 illustrates one embodiment of applicant &# 39 ; s fascia hanger , which is generally indicated by reference no . 1 , and is shown connected to rafter 2 . as in the case of a home , rafter 2 extends beyond exterior wall 3 at a conventional angle for a conventional length . the hanger is attached to rafter 2 with a saddle or bracket 4 . a holder portion 5 of the hanger swivels about pivot point 7 in accordance with the end cut of rafter 2 . fig2 illustrates assembly of the major components of applicants fascia hanger . as shown in the drawing , holder 5 is formed of adjusting channel 8 and catch 9 . catch 9 is attached to channel 8 with studs 14 and 15 which are attached to catch 9 and secured to respective cinching levers 12 and 13 through slot 16 formed in channel 8 . the relative position of catch 9 with respect to channel 8 can be changed by releasing cinching levers 12 and 13 and moving catch 9 along slot 16 . catch 9 can then be secured in the relocated position by cinching levers 12 and 13 . bracket 4 is attached to channel 8 by hand knob 17 . knob 17 is internally threaded to receive stud 11 attached to bracket 4 through hole 10 formed in adjusting channel 8 . knob 17 also may be replaced by a nut and washer combination . ideally , the size of the nut will correspond to the tools and wrenches which craftsmen normally carry . slot 16 in channel 8 is marked with a graduated scale in increments of inches and fraction of inches as shown in fig3 . the graduations permit catch 9 to be repeatedly set to different positions accurately . where two or more fascia hangers are used to hang fascia board , the graduated scale allows the catches in each hanger to be set to the same relative position with respect to channel 8 . fig5 illustrates the various components which are used to form cinching levers 12 and 13 . the components include retaining ring 20 , lever 21 , acorn nut 22 , stop washer 23 , retainer ring 24 and washer 25 . studs 14 and 15 are threadedly received in acorn nut 22 which is tightened by lever 21 to thereby hold catch 9 in rigid connection with channel 8 . cinching levers 12 and 13 also may be replaced by nut and washer combinations as discussed above with respect to knob 17 . the fascia hanger of applicant &# 39 ; s invention can be fabricated from a variety of materials . it has been found that 1 / 8 &# 34 ; thick 1018 steel provides the ideal strength while at the same time being light in weight . other dimensional consideration , such as the height and width of catch 9 , will depend on the size of fascia board that the hanger is intended to be used to hang . applicant has found that the dimensions shown in fig4 and 6 accommodate typical fascia hanging jobs . as shown in the drawings , the outer side of catch 9 is outwardly angled to provide a funnel effect . it has been found that angling the outer edge in this manner eases the placing of fascia board into catch 9 . it is not absolutely necessary , however , that the outer edge be angled in order to practice the inventive features of applicant &# 39 ; s invention . the outer side may also be made substantially straight . fig7 illustrates another embodiment of applicants fascia hanger . as shown in the drawing , holder 5 is formed of adjusting channel 8 and catch 9 . catch 9 is attached to channel 8 with bolts 20 and corresponding wing nuts 21 . catch 9 also is attached to ratchet rod 22 through ratchet collar 23 . a ratchet device 24 is mounted on top of holder 5 and receives racket rod 22 . ratchet device 24 has a pair of handles 25 . when the position of catch 9 needs to be relocated , handles 25 can be used to adjust the vertical position of ratchet rod 24 and thus the relative position of catch 9 with respect to channel 8 . catch 9 can then be secured in its new location by bolts 20 and corresponding wing nuts 21 through slot 16 . fig8 illustrates still further embodiment of applicants fascia hanger . in this embodiment , catch 9 is attached to eye - bolt 26 through threaded collar 27 . the vertical position of catch 9 can be adjusted by eye - bolt 26 . once adjusted , catch 9 can be secured in its new location by bolts 20 and corresponding wing nuts 21 through slot 16 . fig9 and 10 illustrate another embodiment of the present invention . in this embodiment , collar 27 includes a quick release mechanism 28 which , when released , allows catch 9 to be easily moved along eye - bolt 26 to the desired vertical position . release mechanism 28 , which is further illustrated in fig1 , includes a pivot arm 29 which pivots about a pivot pin 31 and a spring 30 which normally holds pivot arm 29 in an engaged position with respect to eye - bolt 26 . the mechanism is released by pushing pivot arm 29 toward eye - bolt 26 . applicant &# 39 ; s hanger has application beyond the hanging of fascia board . for example , it may be used to assist in the routing of long water pipes and electrical conduit . any suitable temporary attachment point for saddle 4 may be used to see the hanger to a structure to which pipes or other elongated elements are to be attached . the hanger may also be used as a temporary holder for electrical cables during their initial routing until they can be permanently secured in place . holding of light duty scaffolding bars and work and material rests also represent potential uses of applicant &# 39 ; s hanger . although an illustrative embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings , it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the precise embodiment shown and that various changes or modifications may be effected therein by one skilled in the art without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention . | 8 |
fig4 shows a graphics processing system employing a geometry translation processor according to an embodiment of the present invention . the system has a processor unit 1 , a graphics processor unit ( gpu ) 3 , and a main memory 5 , which are connected to one another through a main bus 7 . the gpu 3 is connected to a graphics memory 9 through a graphics bus 11 . the gpu 3 has a pre - process part 13 and a main process part 15 . the main process part 15 employs digital differential analyzers ( ddas ), to read texture information from the graphics memory 9 , carry out rendering on pixels , and write a resultant image in a frame buffer in the graphics memory 9 . the pre - process part 13 calculates parameters such as initial and differential values for the ddas of the main process part 15 . the processor unit 1 has a processor core 17 , which reads a program from the main memory 5 and executes the same . according to the program , the processor core 17 generates gpu command information such as the two - dimensional coordinates and color information of each vertex of a polygon to draw . the processor core 17 employs the geometry translation processor 19 for translating three - dimensional coordinates into two - dimensional coordinates . according to the program , the processor unit 1 adds , to the gpu command information , an identification command indicating the kind of the polygon to draw . according to the gpu command information and additional information , the processor unit 1 generates a gpu command and sends it to the gpu 3 through the main bus 7 , so that the gpu 3 may draw the polygon . the gpu command may be sent through a dedicated bus instead of the main bus 7 . a speed of sending the gpu command of the processor unit 1 may not be equal to a speed of drawing the polygon of the gpu 3 . in this case , the main memory 5 buffers the gpu command , to absorb the speed difference . fig5 shows the details of the geometry translation processor 19 . the processor 19 has operation units 5 x , 5 y , and 5 z incorporating clipping comparators 4 x , 4 y , and 4 z , respectively . the processor 19 also has an operation unit 5 w and a clipping register 6 . the other arrangements of the processor 19 are the same as those of the prior art of fig1 . fig6 shows the details of any one of the clipping comparators 4 x , 4 y , and 4 z . the clipping comparator compares an element xn ( yn , zn ) of an output coordinate vector ( xn , yn , zn , wn ) of a vertex n of a given polygon after translation with an element wn of the same output coordinate vector , to see if xn & gt ;| wn |, xn & lt ;−| wn |, xn & gt ;=| wn |, or xn & lt ;=−| wn |( yn & gt ;| wn |, yn & lt ;−| wn |, yn & gt ;=| wn |, or yn & lt ;=−| wn |, or zn & gt ;| wn |, zn & lt ;−| wn |, zn & gt ;=| wn |, or zn & lt ;=−| wn |) and provide a comparison result in response to a single comparison instruction . the clipping comparator has input registers 51 and 52 , a comparator 53 , and and gates 54 and 55 . the input register 51 stores the vector element xn ( yn , zn ) with the sign thereof . the input register 52 stores the vector element wn with the sign thereof . the comparator 53 compares the vector elements stored in the input registers 51 and 52 with each other . the and gate 54 receives the output of the comparator 53 and an inversion of the sign stored in the input register 51 and checks to see if xn ( yn , zn )& gt ; wn , or xn ( yn , zn )& gt ;= wn . the and gate 55 receives the output of the comparator 53 and the sign stored in the input register 51 and checks to see if xn ( yn , zn )& lt ;− wn or xn ( yn , zn )& lt ;=− wn . fig7 shows the details of the clipping register 6 . the clipping register 6 has a shift register 61 and an or gate 62 . the or gate 62 provides an or of right 18 bits of the shift register 61 . in response to the comparison instruction , the shift register 61 carries out a 6 - bit left shift and receives the outputs of the clipping comparators 4 x , 4 y , and 4 z . namely , the shift register 61 shifts the coordinates ( xn − 1 , yn − 1 , zn − 1 ) of the preceding vertex ( n − 1 ) of a given polygon to the left and receives latest six bits from the clipping comparators 4 x , 4 y , and 4 z . after data for n vertexes ( three vertexes in the case of a triangle ) are stored in the shift register 61 , the or gate 62 checks to see if each vertex is within a display area . if some vertex must be clipped , the or gate 62 provides a branching instruction to carry out a clipping process . the input registers 51 of the clipping comparators 4 x , 4 y , and 4 z receive elements x , y , and z , respectively , of a given output coordinate vector ( x , y , z , w ) while the input register 52 of each clipping comparator receives an element w of the same vector . for example , in the clipping comparator 4 x , the input register 51 stores a numeric field of the element x and a sign thereof separately , and the input register 52 stores a numeric field of the element w and a sign thereof separately . the input registers 51 and 52 provide the comparator 53 with the numeric fields as inputs 1 and 2 . each numeric field represents a floating - point number consisting of an exponential part and a mantissa part . the comparator 53 provides 1 if input 1 & gt ; input 2 or input 1 & gt ;= input 2 , and 0 , if not so . an inversion of the sign of the element x is transferred to the and gate 54 , and the sign of the element x is transferred as it is to the and gate 55 . if | x |& gt ;| w | and x & gt ;= 0 , i . e ., if x & gt ; w , the and gate 54 provides an output + x clipping info . of 1 . if | x |& gt ;| w | and x & lt ; 0 , i . e ., if x & lt ;− w , the and gate 55 provides an output − x clipping info . of 1 . here , the element w is supposed to be positive . the outputs + x clipping info ., + y clipping info ., + z clipping info ., − x clipping info ., − y clipping info ., and − z clipping info . of the clipping comparators 4 x , 4 y , and 4 z are supplied to the clipping register 6 . the clipping comparators 4 x , 4 y , and 4 z are simultaneously operated in response to an instruction fclip . the instruction fclip executes 6 - bit left shift , comparison , and clipping test . this will be explained in detail . the shift register 61 carries out a 6 - bit left shift . the clipping comparator 4 x compares r0 ( x ) with r4 ( w ), the clipping comparator 4 y compares r1 ( y ) with r4 ( w ), and the clipping comparator 4 z compares r2 ( z ) with r4 ( w ). the clipping test is carried out . if any one of lower 18 bits of the shift register 61 is 1 , a signal true is sent to the main processor . the first and second operations are independent of each other , and therefore , are carried out simultaneously . in fig7 the shift register 61 is of 32 bits and lowest six bits are connected to the outputs of the clipping comparators 4 x , 4 y , and 4 z . namely , bits 0 to 5 thereof are connected to the outputs + x clipping info ., − x clipping info ., + y clipping info ., − y clipping info ., + z clipping info ., and − z clipping info ., respectively . whenever the instruction fclip is carried out , the shift register 61 carries out a 6 - bit left shift . accordingly , the bits 0 to 5 thereof store clipping information about the latest vertex of a given polygon , the bits 6 to 11 store clipping information about the first preceding vertex of the polygon , the bits 12 to 17 store clipping information about the second preceding vertex of the polygon , the bits 18 to 23 store clipping information about the third preceding vertex of the polygon , and the bits 24 to 29 store clipping information about the fourth preceding vertex of the polygon . in the case of a triangle , there are three vertexes , and each of which is subjected to the clipping test . namely , the or gate 62 determines whether or not any one of the bits 0 to 17 of the register 61 is 1 . if any one of the bits is 1 , a signal true is sent to the main processor , and a branching instruction is executed to carry out the clipping process . the clipping comparators 4 x , 4 y , and 4 z of the present invention reduce the number of comparison instructions required for the clipping test to one , thereby improving an operation speed . the clipping register 6 is capable of always holding clipping information about latest five vertexes . namely , it can handle a triangle to a pentagon . the clipping comparators 4 x , 4 y , and 4 z and clipping register 6 can shorten the program list 1 of the prior art to the following program list 2 , thereby reducing the number of steps of the clipping test . fclip r32 - r34 , r35 , store clipping information about vertex 1 in clipping register fclip r36 - r38 , r39 ; store clipping information about vertex 2 in clipping register fclip r40 - r42 , r43 ; store clipping information about vertex 3 in clipping register bct label ; jump to clipping process according to latest information about three vertexes since the clipping register 6 stores all pieces of clipping information about a given polygon , it is easy to see if the polygon is within a display area . in the case of a triangle , the clipping information + x of each of the vertexes 1 to 3 of the triangle is 1 if it is entirely out of a display area . in this case , there is no need of drawing the triangle . to test a triangle , the or gate 62 may be replaced with one that provides an or of the information + x of each of the vertexes 1 to 3 of the triangle . the present invention is applicable not only to a triangle having three vertexes but also to a polygon having an optional number ( n ) of vertexes , where n & gt ;= 3 , by properly increasing the number of bits supplied to the or gate 62 as well as the number of bits of the shift register 61 . as explained above , the present invention compares elements ( xn , yn , zn ) of an output coordinate vector after geometry translation with an element ( wn ) of the same vector according to a single comparison instruction . the present invention is capable of carrying out a clipping test in a short time with a reduced number of instructions in a program having a reduced number of steps . the present invention employs a dedicated register for storing comparison information to efficiently carry out the clipping test . | 6 |
data recording has been employed in the medical and engineering fields , for example see zantos et al ., us patent application publication no . 2007 / 0161916 and soto et al ., u . s . pat . no . 6 , 782 , 298 the contents of each of which are incorporated herein by reference , to collect / record data obtained from sensors over a period of time of interest . it can be desired to initiate a data recording event only upon a trigger signal achieving one or more triggering criterion , to conserve the memory of the data recording system for the time period of interest and obviate the need to analyze or parse data that is not of interest . fig1 is a schematic block diagram of a channel 100 of an exemplary data recording apparatus . a data recording apparatus generally comprises multiple channels 100 , each channel comprising a sensor 102 monitoring a parameter such as temperature , acceleration , force , strain , pressure , flow rate , electrical continuity etc . the output of sensor 102 can be processed by signal conditioning circuits 104 and analog to digital (“ a / d ”) converter 106 . a logic device 108 such as a processor , microprocessor , gate array or programmable logic device , can be employed to monitor the digitally converted output of the sensor 102 from the a / d 106 , and control the overall functionality of the channel 100 . logic device 108 can for example , monitor the level of the output signal of the sensor 102 to determine when the level of the output signal from the sensor meets a trigger criterion to subsequently initiate recording of the sensor &# 39 ; s output for example , by storing the sensor &# 39 ; s output in a memory device 110 . generally the signal level output by the sensor ( digitized by the a / d 106 ) will be stored as a function of time or sample number in the memory device 110 . a bus 112 ( e . g . serial , parallel , usb etc .) can be incorporated in the apparatus to download data to an external processor ( e . g . computer , pc or laptop ) for processing and analysis of the recorded data . it can occur that the output signal of a sensor 102 being monitored to trigger a data recording event can drift , that is , the level of the output signal can change due to extraneous effects ( e . g . such as temperature effecting the output of an acceleration sensor ) even though the environmental parameter the sensor is monitoring is not necessarily changing . the output level of a sensor sensing a non - changing ( i . e . steady state ) parameter is said to be the quiescent signal level of the sensor and ideally , this does not change due to extraneous effects . fig2 a illustrates the ideal case wherein the quiescent level of the output signal 204 of a sensor 102 sensing a non - changing , steady state parameter , is itself essentially non - changing . in the ideal case , the quiescent level of the output signal 204 is constant over time . by constant , it is meant that deviations in the output signal 204 are insignificant with respect to trigger threshold levels such as an upper trigger threshold level 202 u and a lower trigger threshold level 202 l . fig2 a additionally illustrates the non - ideal case wherein the quiescent level of the output signal 206 of a sensor 102 sensing a non - changing , steady state parameter is changing , due to the effect of an extraneous variable ( e . g . such as temperature , aging and charging effects in an acceleration sensor ). this effect is referred to as drift in the quiescent level of the output signal 206 . drift in the quiescent level of the output signal 206 can be severe enough to cause the quiescent level of the sensor to meet or exceed a fixed trigger threshold criterion , such as exceeding the upper trigger threshold 202 u at point 208 in the exemplary diagram . this undesirable situation can cause a data recording channel 100 to falsely trigger and initiate the data recording event . a problem that the present invention cures is that this undesirable situation can be avoided if the triggering criterion , for example the upper and lower trigger threshold limits 202 u and 202 l are adjusted to compensate for the drift in the quiescent level of the output signal 206 . fig2 b illustrates how the methods of the present invention can be utilized to avoid a false triggering situation due to drift in the quiescent level of the output signal 206 , by adjusting the upper and lower trigger threshold limits 202 u ′ and 202 l ′. upper and lower trigger threshold limits 202 u ′ and 202 l ′ are periodically or continuously adjusted by a computed amount ( e . g . offset ) based upon the magnitude of the computed drift in the signal 206 . by adjusting the upper and lower trigger threshold limits 202 u ′ and 202 l ′, the drift in the quiescent level of the output signal 206 does not cause the quiescent level to meet or exceed a triggering criterion , i . e . the quiescent level 206 does not “ cross ” 202 u ′ or 202 l ′. as described below , the methods of the present invention allow ( inter alia ) for continuously adjusting trigger threshold values , e . g . triggering criterion , up or down to track drift that may occur in the quiescent output signal 206 of a sensor 102 . the present methods are applicable where a trigger criterion is based upon a singular threshold value , for example , in monitoring a trigger signal level for a high or low condition , or where a trigger criterion is based upon multiple threshold values , for example , in monitoring a signal level for achieving a value outside of a range established about the quiescent level for example , as illustrated by the criterion 202 u ′ and 202 l ′. the methods of the present invention can be utilized in data recording apparatus and systems , as exemplified by fig1 , to avoid false triggering situations caused by drift in the trigger signal quiescent level . fig3 is a schematic flow diagram of an embodiment of a method 300 , according to the present invention . in this non - limiting exemplary embodiment , a data recording channel such as illustrated in fig1 can be initialized at step 302 with parameters establishing a trigger criterion . in this example , trigger threshold range and qualification width parameters can be downloaded or otherwise input for each trigger channel in a data recording apparatus . a trigger threshold range parameter can be a value added to and subtracted from the quiescent level of a trigger signal to create high and low trigger thresholds , effectively creating a threshold window . the triggering criterion being that upon a measured value of the signal level exceeding the upper or dropping below the lower limit , a trigger condition exists . a qualification width parameter can additionally be used to establish a minimum number of signal level measurements meeting a triggering criterion that must be met prior to initiating a data recording event . in typical practice , for each occurrence where a trigger criterion is met a counter ( e . g . a qualification width counter ) can be incremented and conversely the counter can be decremented for an occurrence when the signal is within the threshold window . the use of a qualification width parameter can prevent a false triggering event due to noise or other spurious signal in the trigger channel . at step 304 initial trigger threshold values are computed or determined . this can be accomplished by obtaining one or more measurements of the quiescent signal level in the trigger channel , or by direct input of a starting value . the trigger threshold values can be computed based upon quiescent signal level and threshold range parameter . typically , this can involve taking an average of measurements of the quiescent signal level and adding and subtracting the threshold range parameter from the averaged quiescent signal level to obtain high and low trigger threshold values . at step 306 a measurement ( e . g . one or more ) of the signal level in the trigger channel is obtained . at step 308 the measurement obtained in step 306 is compared to the computed trigger threshold values . at step 310 if a trigger criterion has been met at , a qualification width counter can be incremented at 312 . at step 314 the value in the qualification width counter is compared to the qualification width parameter and if the qualification width is exceeded , a data recording event is initiated at step 316 . if at step 310 a trigger criterion has not been met , a trigger adjustment counter can be incremented at step 318 . at step 320 the value in the trigger adjustment counter is compared to a trigger adjustment parameter and if the value is not exceeded , the method returns to step 306 and one or more new measurements of the signal level are obtained . if at step 320 the value in the trigger adjustment counter is compared to a trigger adjustment parameter and the value is exceeded , the trigger threshold values are re - computed at step 322 . typically this is accomplished by averaging the current measurement of the quiescent signal level with a number of previously obtained quiescent signal level measurements . a trigger adjustment parameter and counter or a timer can be used in this manner to periodically re - compute the trigger threshold values therefore compensating the trigger threshold values for quiescent level drift that may occur in the monitored signal level . in a similar loop , if the qualification width is not exceeded at step 314 , the method progresses to step 318 and continues as described above . in a typical application , it has been found that a plurality of periodic adjustments can be made to the trigger threshold values at step 322 prior to a qualification width being exceeded and a data recording event initiated . the present methods have been used to adjust trigger threshold values and provide for the trigger threshold values to “ track ” the drift in the quiescent level output from an environmental sensor ( e . g . an accelerometer due to the effects of a change in temperature ) as illustrated in fig2 b thereby avoiding false triggering of a data recording apparatus . the above described exemplary embodiments present several variants of the invention but do not limit the scope of the invention . those skilled in the art will appreciate that the present invention can be implemented in other equivalent ways . the actual scope of the invention is intended to be defined in the following claims . | 6 |
the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings . it is understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described . the structural elements of the embodiments described below may include those to which design alterations may typically be performed by the person skilled in the art . fig1 and 2 are side elevational cross - sectional views showing the primary part and its vicinity of a wrist - wearable apparatus in the form of a wristwatch 1 in accordance with an embodiment of this invention . fig1 shows a state where a scale ring 103 , as an internal rotational ring , is locked and fig2 shows a state where the above - described lock is released . fig3 is an enlarged perspective view showing a clutch 2 of the wristwatch 1 described in fig1 and 2 . fig4 a – 4 b are a plan view and a side elevational cross - sectional view , respectively showing an intermediate wheel 3 described in fig3 . fig5 a – 5b are a frontal view and a side elevational view respectively , showing an operation or operating shaft 4 described in fig3 . note that , in fig1 to 5 , the same reference numerals are used to indicate the same elements as those of the above - described conventional wristwatch 100 and further explanation therefor will be omitted . in fig1 , a stem 5 made of metal material and provided to the wrist watch 1 has a cup - shaped outer shell 6 and a cylindrical shaft 8 formed integrally with a bottom portion 7 of the above - described outer shell . a cylindrical operating shaft 4 made of metal material and having a diameter that is substantially half that of this shaft 8 is screwed and mounted coaxially with a rotary shaft of the stem 5 at a tip end of the shaft 8 of the above - described stem 5 . this operating shaft 4 has a bulged portion 11 having a regular octagonal cross - section in the vicinity of its tip end portion 10 ( see fig5 ). a step between this bulged portion 11 and a cylindrical side surface portion 12 is smoothened by a gently tapered slant surface 13 . the above - described operating shaft 4 and the shaft 8 of the stem 5 are inserted into a tubular member comprised of a metal pipe 14 fixed and disposed through a watch case 101 . this pipe 14 and the shaft 8 of the above - described stem 5 are kept in a gap fitting relation . accordingly , the shaft 8 of the stem 5 may be rotated freely to the pipe 14 for enabling the push - in operation or the draw operation . a tip end portion 10 of the operating shaft 4 inserted into the pipe 14 is located in the interior of the watch case 101 through this pipe 14 . an annular intermediate wheel 3 made of metal material is fitted around the tip end portion 10 of the operating shaft 4 . note that , in order to prevent the situation in which the operation shaft 4 is pulled apart from the intermediate wheel 3 by the draw operation of the stem 5 , the stop ring 15 is fitted around at the tip end portion 10 of the operating shaft 4 . the inner circumferential surface of the intermediate wheel 3 has a regular octagonal shape that may engage with the bulge portion 11 of the above - described operating shaft 4 in a gap fitting manner ( see fig3 ). accordingly , the intermediate wheel 3 is engaged with the bulged portion 11 of the above - described operating shaft 4 but not engaged with the cylindrical its surface portion 12 . the intermediate wheel 3 and the bulged portion 11 of the operating shaft 4 form a clutch assembly for transmitting rotation of the operating shaft 4 to the scale ring 103 . also , the intermediate wheel 3 has a hook - shaped engagement portion 16 on its , top surface and , at this engagement portion 16 , is engaged with an engagement piece 17 formed at an end portion of the above - described pipe 14 and held rotatably . on the other hand , the scale ring 103 provided within the watch case 101 has a rack 116 on its back surface circumferential portion 115 . this rack 116 is engaged with teeth 18 of the above - described intermediate wheel 3 . thus the intermediate wheel 3 and teeth 18 constitute a gear wheel . note that , an annular member 118 provided on a bottom surface portion 115 of the scale ring 103 is a cushion 118 made of a rubber - like material for preventing any displacement of the scale ring 103 upon the rotation . also , an annular member 119 provided on an outer circumferential surface of the operating shaft 4 is an annular waterproof packing 119 made of rubber - like material for sealing a gap between the operating shaft 4 and the pipe 4 . also , in this wristwatch 1 , the stem 5 has a screw groove 19 on the inner wall surface of its cup - shaped outer shell 6 . the pipe 14 has screw crests 20 at an end portion projecting from the watch case 101 . this screw groove 19 is fitted with the screw crests 20 of the pipe 14 so that the stem 5 may be fixed to the watch case 101 . also , these screw grooves 19 and screw crests 20 are cut into such a width that the stem 5 may be fixed or released before the bulged portion 11 of the operating shaft 4 and the intermediate wheel 3 are fitted with each other . fig1 is a side elevational cross - sectional view showing the fixed state and fig2 is a side elevational cross - sectional view showing the released state . on the other hand , a coil spring 21 is assembled into the interior of the pipe 14 while being kept in the elastically compressed condition . this coil spring 21 biases its one end portion to the engagement piece 17 at the tip end of the pipe 14 and the other end portion to a tip end portion of the shaft 8 of the stem 5 , and works in a direction in which the stem 5 is drawn out from the watch case 101 . in fig1 , the stem 5 is kept under the fixed condition by the screw structure 19 , 20 to the pipe 14 . under this condition , the operating shaft 4 passes through the intermediate wheel 3 before its bulged portion 11 ( i . e ., the operating shaft 4 is in a pushed - in position ). accordingly , in the same drawing , since the stem 5 and the scale ring 103 are separated from each other , even if the stem 5 is rotated , the scale ring 103 is not rotated . also , since the stem 5 per se is firmly fixed by means of the screw , even if the watch is brought into contact with the body or the like when the watch is worn , the stem 5 is not easily rotated . when the scale ring 103 is to be adjusted , the outer sheet 6 of the stem 5 is pinched by the fingers and is rotated in a direction in which the screws 19 , 20 are removed . then , the screws 19 , 20 are disengaged before the bulged portion 11 of the operating shaft 4 is fitted with the intermediate wheel 3 . subsequently , the stem 5 is drawn to from the watch case 101 while seeking by the fingertips so that the bulged portion 11 of the operating shaft 4 is fitted with the intermediate wheel 3 ( i . e ., the operating shaft is in a drawn - out position ). note that , at this time , the coil spring 21 works in a direction in which the stem 5 is drawn from the watch case 101 . accordingly , the stem 5 is only sought while being lightly rotated to fit the bulged portion 11 of the operating shaft 4 in the intermediate wheel 3 . when the bulged portion 11 of the operating shaft 4 in the intermediate wheel 3 . when the bulged portion 11 is fitted in the intermediate wheel 3 , the stem 5 is rotated in the axial direction . then , the operating shaft 4 is also rotated , and the intermediate wheel 3 is rotated together with this . then , the rack 116 of the scale ring 103 is fed by means of the teeth 18 of the intermediate wheel 3 and the scale ring 103 is rotated ( see fig2 ). thus , it is possible to adjust the scale ring 103 to a desired position while watching the scale ring 103 through the glass 112 of the watch by the stem 5 . furthermore , when the scale ring 103 is to be locked , the stem 5 is pushed into the watch case 101 straightly without any rotation from this condition . then , the bulged portion 11 of the operating shaft 4 is removed from the intermediate wheel 3 without any feed of the rack 116 of the scale ring . the screw groove 19 of the stem 5 is screwed and fitted with the screw crests 20 of the pipe 14 while being pushed into the watch case 101 and fixed . according to this wristwatch 1 , in the mounted condition of the watch , the stem 5 may be fixed to the watch case 101 by the screw structure 19 , 20 . under this condition , even if the watch is brought into contact with the body or the like , there is no fear that the stem 5 would be drawn out of the watch case 101 . also , under the condition that the stem 5 is also fixed to the watch case 101 , the operating shaft 4 and the intermediate wheel 3 are separated from each other ( see fig1 ). accordingly , under this condition , there is no fear of displacement of the scale ring 103 . thus , according to this wristwatch 1 , it is possible to effectively prevent the malfunction of the scale ring 103 . note that , in the wristwatch 1 according to this mode of embodiment , the shaft 8 of the stem 5 is a discrete part from the operating shaft 4 but these may be formed integrally with each other as in the modification example to be described later ( see fig6 ). also , the inner circumferential surface shape of the intermediate wheel 3 and the bulged portion 11 of the above - described operating shaft 4 are not limited to the regular octagonal shape as described above . also , the shape of the bulged portion 11 of the above - described operating shaft 4 is not limited to the angular post shape but may be an angular conical shape , a truncated angular conical shape , a conical shape , a truncated conical shape or any other tapered shape . also , the materials of the bulged portion 11 of the above - described operating shaft 4 and the intermediate wheel 3 are not limited to the metal material but may be rubber - like material or any other frictional material . also , in the mode of this embodiment , the structure of direct engagement of the intermediate wheel 3 and the rack 116 of the scale ring 103 is taken but it is possible to arrange one or more discrete gears ( not shown ) in the midway of these and to splice the intermediate gear 3 and the rack 116 of the scale ring 103 with each other . also , in the mode of this embodiment , the rack 116 of the scale ring 103 is formed on the back surface circumferential edge portion of the scale ring 103 . however , the structure is not limited thereto but the rack 116 may be formed on a side surface portion or a top surface portion . furthermore , in the mode of this embodiment , the cushion 118 of the above - described internal rotational ring is installed between the bottom surface portion of the scale ring 103 and the clockface 102 but the invention is not limited thereto . it is possible to install the cushion 118 between the side surface portion 114 of the scale ring 103 and the inner wall of the watch case 101 ( see fig6 ). also , the fastening structure of the stem 5 is not limited to the above - described screw structure 19 , 20 but may be a structure with a bayonet structure ( not shown ). also , a discrete stop screw ( not shown ) is provided to the stem 5 separately from the above - described screw structure 19 , 20 so that the stem 5 may be fixed by means of this stop screw . the reason for this is that , if it may prevent the draw operation of the stem 5 due to the unintended operation , the malfunction of the scale ring 103 may be prevented . also , the structure is not limited to the case where the coil spring 21 is provided within the pipe 14 but the coil spring 21 may be installed within the outer shell 7 of the stem 5 ( see fig6 and 7 ). fig6 and 7 are side elevation cross - sectional view showing a modification example of a wristwatch 1 in accordance with the mode of the embodiment described in fig1 to 5 . fig6 shows the locked state of the scale ring 103 and fig7 shows the released state thereof , respectively . note that , in fig6 and 7 , the same reference numerals are used to indicate the same elements as those in the above - described prior art and the mode of embodiment and the explanation therefor will be omitted . in fig6 and 7 , the wristwatch 22 has the stem 5 on the side surface of the watch case 101 and has the scale ring 103 in the interior of the watch case 101 . this stem 5 is made of metal material and has a cup - shaped outer shell 7 . also , a cylindrical shaft 8 is formed integrally with an inner bottom surface portion of the outer shell 7 . furthermore , a cylindrical operating shaft 23 having a diameter that is substantially half of that of this shaft 8 is formed integrally with the tip end portion of this shaft 8 . also , the wristwatch 22 has a pipe 14 fixed and provided passing through the watch case 101 from the side surface direction . the shaft 8 of the stem and the operating shaft 23 are inserted into the pipe 14 . the tip end of the operating shaft 23 is introduced into the interior of the watch case 101 , passing through the pipe 14 . the shaft 8 of the stem 5 and the pipe 14 are kept under the gap fitting condition with each other . the stem 5 may perform the rotational operation , the draw operation and the push - in operation to the pipe 14 as desired . also , a bevel gear 24 made of metal material is fitted in the tip end portion of the operating shaft 23 , with its engagement portion 26 in the draw direction of the operating shaft 23 and fixed by means of a stop ring 15 made of metal material . on the other hand , a rack 116 engaging with the above - described bevel gear 24 is formed in the back surface circumferential edge portion of the scale ring 103 . note that , an annular water - proof packing 119 made of rubber - like material is provided on the outer circumferential surface of the shaft 8 of the stem 5 . also , an annular cushion 25 made of rubber - like material for preventing any displacement upon the rotation is provided on a side surface portion 114 and a bottom surface portion 113 of the scale ring 103 . in the wristwatch 22 described in fig6 , since the stem 5 is fixed to the watch case 101 by means of the screw structure 19 , 20 and the bevel gear 24 and the rack 116 are kept under the separated condition from each other , the scale ring 103 is not rotated under this condition . here , when the scale ring 103 is to be adjusted , the stem 5 is pinched and rotated by the fingers to thereby disengage the screw structure 19 , 20 and separate from the pipe 14 . then , the stem 5 is drawn out of the watch case 101 so that the operating shaft 23 is shifted in the draw direction . then , the bevel gear 24 fixed to the tip end of the operating shaft 23 is also shifted to engage with the rack 116 of the scale ring 103 ( see fig7 ). under this condition , when the stem 5 is rotated , the bevel gear 24 is also rotated , the rack 116 is fed , and the scale ring 103 is also rotated . thus , it is possible to adjust the scale ring 103 to a desired position while watching the scale ring 103 through the glass 112 of the watch . according this wristwatch 1 , under the mounted condition of the watch , the stem 5 is fixed to the watch case 101 by the screw structure 19 , 20 and the operating shaft 23 and the intermediate wheel 3 are separated from each other ( see fig1 ). accordingly , even if the watch is brought into contact with the body or the like , the stem 5 would not be readily rotated . also , even if the stem is erroneously rotated , there is no displacement in position of the scale ring 103 . thus , according to this wristwatch 22 , it is possible to effectively prevent the malfunction of the scale ring 103 . also , the rotational transmission means to the scale ring 103 is formed by a bevel gear 24 , the engagement surface of the gear is directed in the draw direction of the stem 5 . accordingly , the separation operation from , and the engagement operation with the rack 116 may be performed more easily than those of the post - shaped gear ( not shown ). note that , in the wristwatch 22 that is the present modification example , the bevel gear 24 and the rack 116 are used as the engagement means with the scale ring 103 but these may be frictional members having conical shapes or truncated conical shapes . as described above , according to the wrist - portable equipment that is this invention , since under the mounted condition of the instrument , the stem and the internal rotational ring may be separated from each other at the clutch , it is possible to effectively prevent the malfunction of the internal rotational ring caused by the contact between the stem and the body or the like . also , according to the wrist - portable equipment that is this invention , since the bulged portion of the operating shaft has a polygonal cross - section and is engaged on at least one surface with the inner circumferential surface of the intermediate wheel , the bulged portion is engaged firmly with the inner circumferential surface of the intermediate wheel also in the case where the operating shaft is made of non - frictional material such as metal material or the like . also , according to the wrist - portable equipment that is this invention , since the bulged portion of the operating shaft is formed of frictional material , it is unnecessary to seek the engagement surface of the clutch by rotating the stem for bringing this bulged portion into contact with the inner circumferential surface of the intermediate wheel . thus , it is possible to release the lock of the stem with ease . also , according to the wrist - portable equipment that is this invention , since the stem may be fixed to the case , it is possible to prevent the situation where the stem is erroneously drawn out under the condition that the internal rotational ring is locked . thus , it is possible to completely prevent the malfunction of the internal rotational ring . also , according to the wrist - portable equipment that is this invention , since the cushion member is installed also on the side surface of the internal rotational ring , it is possible to prevent the displacement upon the rotation of the internal rotational ring more effectively than in the case of the conventional wrist - portable equipment . | 6 |
fig1 shows the major mechanical components of a marine vessel 10 according to the present disclosure . the marine vessel 10 includes an operator &# 39 ; s station 35 where the major controls of the vessel are located . such controls include control levers 36 , a joystick 37 , thruster controls 38 , a keypad 120 , and a display 160 . the controls may be connected via a control area network ( can ) 155 . the can is of the type that is commonly known in the art , such as j1939 . some or all of the controls may also be located at redundant locations such as a fly bridge 40 or a remote operator &# 39 ; s station 45 . the marine vessel 10 includes at least one propulsion unit 68 . the propulsion unit 68 includes , at least in part , an engine 50 , a transmission 55 , a propeller 80 , and an electronic propulsion unit controller 130 . the propulsion unit controller 130 may control both the engine 50 and transmission 55 , or there may be separate propulsion unit controllers 130 for the engine 50 and transmission 55 . multiple propulsion units 68 may be controlled by a master controller 150 by connecting master controller 150 to propulsion unit controllers 130 via a control area network ( can ) 155 . the transmission 55 serves to connect the output of the engine 50 to the propeller 80 . the transmission 55 has gearing and can operate in forward , reverse , or neutral modes . alternatively , the propulsion unit 68 may include a pod 60 instead of a transmission 55 . the pod 60 is driven by the engine 50 through a driveshaft 75 . the pod 60 , also known as an azimuth thruster , contains gearing , steering , and propulsion functions . the pod 60 is made up of two units . the first , the pod upper unit 64 , connects to the engine 50 via the driveshaft 75 and contains the gearing and steering functions . the second , the pod lower unit 66 , mounts a propeller 80 and provides an exhaust outlet for engine 50 . the pod lower unit 66 is external of the hull of the marine vessel 10 and rotates to provide steering . the marine vessel 10 includes a thruster system 90 . the thruster system 90 includes , at least in part , a bow thruster 70 , an optional stern thruster 71 , and the controllers and systems needed to control and power the thrusters 70 , 71 . the bow thruster 70 and stern thruster 71 may be powered by motors and may be electrically driven by a controller , such as master controller 150 . the master controller 150 controls the thruster system 90 in response to inputs from the control levers 36 , the joystick 37 , or the thruster controls 38 . in another example , the thruster system 90 may be powered by a hydraulic system 100 . the hydraulic system 100 includes , at least in part , a pump driven by the engine 50 , and valves that control hydraulic flow to the thrusters 70 , 71 . the thrusters 70 , 71 would be driven by a hydraulic motor which may be integrated into the thrusters 70 , 71 . the master controller 150 controls the thruster system 90 in response to inputs from the control levers 36 , the joystick 37 , or the thruster controls 38 . the marine vessel 10 contains at least one operator &# 39 ; s station 35 that contains the helm and other functions of the vessel 10 . the operator &# 39 ; s station 35 includes a set of control levers 36 that provide input for steering and propulsion functions . the control levers 36 include a left control lever 32 and a right control lever 34 . a joystick 37 is also included that provides fine steering and propulsion functions for operations such as docking . the speed of the engine ( s ) 50 is limited to a low idle setting during such operations . the joystick 37 is a two - axis input device that can control the speed of the engine 50 , gear selection in either the transmission 55 or pod 60 , and the thruster system 90 . moving the joystick 37 to the right commands lateral movement of the marine vessel 10 to the right . moving the joystick 37 to the forward and right commands movement of the marine vessel 10 both forward and to the right , and so on . thruster controls 38 are also provided to control the thruster system 90 . the thruster controls 38 are typically single - axis input devices that provide individual control of the bow thruster 70 or the stern thruster 71 . the speed of the engine ( s ) 50 is not limited during operation of the thrusters 70 , 71 . a keypad 120 provides keys or buttons or switches for various functions of the marine vessel 10 . such functions could include engine start , engine mode , fuel system controls , lighting , fire suppression , hvac , radio , blowers , anchor , bilge pump , generator control , external power , etc . the functions of the keypad 120 could also be fulfilled by a touch screen display or other input device known in the art . the operator &# 39 ; s station 35 also includes a display 160 that shows that status of the various functions of the marine vessel 10 . such functions could include engine status , engine mode , navigation , sonar , etc . the functions of the display 160 could also be fulfilled by a touch screen display . it is also conceived that functions of the keypad 120 and display 160 could be combined into a touch screen display . the control levers 36 include a left control lever 32 and right control lever 34 configured to control each of a left and right side propulsion unit 68 . the control levers 36 are multi - axis input devices that can control the speed of the engine 50 and the gear selection in either a transmission 55 or pod 60 . the control levers 36 can be used to control the propulsion units 68 to rapidly turn the marine vessel 10 by providing a differential turning moment in addition to the rudder . the propulsion units 68 can provide a turning moment even when the marine vessel 10 is stationary and flow forces are insufficient to allow the rudder to steer the marine vessel 10 . the control levers 36 provide an output that corresponds to a requested speed for engine ( s ) 50 to master controller 150 . the range is defined as 0 - 100 % with the first half roughly corresponding to reverse and the second half corresponding to forward . the neutral position is typically located at 50 % but can be varied according to the application . for instance , the forward / reverse according to the current disclosure is 50 / 50 % but could also be 70 / 30 %. a neutral deadband may be included that allows for approximately 15 % movement from the neutral position ( 50 %) in either direction without shifting out of neutral . for example , the output ranges may be 0 - 34 % for reverse , 35 - 65 % neutral deadband , and 66 - 100 % forward . the commanded speed of the engine 50 would be proportional to the distance in either direction from the neutral deadband . the output ranges can vary according to the application . according to the present disclosure , the control levers 36 are configured to additionally control the thruster system 90 when a sportfishing mode key 170 is activated and the control levers 36 are split in their setting . the master controller 150 is configured to detect when the left control lever 32 and the right control lever 34 are moved to different positions relative to each other , thereby commanding a turning moment . the master controller 150 , upon detecting the different positions , then commands the thruster system 90 in order to provide an additional turning moment to augment the turning moment provided by the propulsion systems 68 . unlike the joystick 37 commands used for docking maneuvers , the sportfishing mode allows for operation of the thruster system 90 when the speed of the engine ( s ) 50 is higher than idle . combining the engine 50 , transmission 55 or pod 60 , and thruster system 90 controls into the control levers 36 at elevated engine speeds provides a level of response not possible with previous systems . the operator can steer the marine vessel 10 by moving the control levers 36 to different positions thereby commanding different speeds from the engines 50 and possibly a different gear ( forward or reverse ) from the transmissions 55 or pods 60 . the propulsion units 68 provide a turning moment that is equal to the force of the thrust from the propulsion unit 68 multiplied by the distance on the lateral axis 210 from the center of mass 220 of the marine vessel 10 . greater thrust is available when the engine 50 is at a higher speed . greater thrust means more response in maneuvering the marine vessel 10 . activating the thruster system 90 further increases response . the thrusters 70 , 71 provide a turning moment that is equal to the force of the thrust from the thrusters 70 , 71 multiplied by the distance on the longitudinal axis 200 from the center of mass 220 of the marine vessel 10 . the marine vessel 10 may also have more than one operator &# 39 ; s station . for instance , a redundant set of controls could be located on a fly bridge 40 . the function of the fly bridge 40 is to give a view advantageous for navigation or pleasure viewing . another set of controls could be located at a remote operator &# 39 ; s station 45 . the function of the remote operator &# 39 ; s station 45 could be to give a view advantageous for docking maneuvers . the fly bridge 40 or remote operator &# 39 ; s station 45 could therefore have at least one of a set of control levers 36 , joystick 37 , thruster controls 38 , keypad 120 , or display 160 . a fisherman , or angler 20 , typically fishes from the deck at the stern of the marine vessel 10 . typical angling equipment includes a rod and reel . the reel includes a fishing line with an angled hook at the end for holding bait and hooking a fish 22 . the angler 20 may fish from either a seated or standing position . the sportfishing mode is activated by pressing the sportfishing mode key 170 . fig3 shows the process for activating sportfish mode and providing an indication that the sportfishing mode is active . the process shown in fig3 is executed in master controller 150 . the process starts with box 300 and proceeds to decision box 310 where the process checks to see if sportfishing mode is already active . if yes the process proceeds to action box 320 and a light on the keypad 120 is activated . the process could also activate an icon on display 160 . if no at decision box 310 , the process proceeds to decision box 330 where the process checks to see if the sportfishing mode key 170 has been pressed . the sportfishing mode key 170 could be a key on the keypad 120 or a soft key on display 160 or an icon on display 160 . if yes at decision box 330 , the proceeds to action box 340 where a light on the keypad 120 is activated and the sportfishing mode is activated . if no at decision box 330 , the process proceeds to decision box 310 . from action box 430 , the process proceeds to decision box 350 where the process checks to see if the sportfishing mode key 170 has been pressed . if yes , the process proceeds to action box 360 where the sportfishing mode is deactivated and the light on keypad 120 is turned off . the process then proceeds to decision box 310 . if no at decision box 350 , the process proceeds to decision box 310 . the sportfishing mode key 170 may be configured to be activated when pressed for at least 100 ms and deactivated when pressed for another 100 ms . fig4 shows the process for activating the thruster system 90 in response to the signals from control levers 36 . the process shown in fig4 is executed in master controller 150 . the process starts at box 370 and proceeds to decision box 380 where the process checks to see if the signals from control levers 36 are above the threshold 190 . the signals from control levers correspond to the engine speed and transmission setting requested by the operator . if yes at decision box 380 , the process proceeds to decision box 400 where the process checks to see if the left control lever 32 and right control lever 34 signals are split . if yes at 400 the process proceeds to action box 410 where the control levers 36 control both the propulsion units 68 and the thruster system 90 . the process then returns to decision box 380 . if no at decision box 380 , the process proceeds to action box 390 , where the control levers 36 control only the propulsion units 68 . the process then returns to decision box 380 . the present disclosure relates to a method and control system for steering a marine vessel 10 . the marine vessel 10 is a vessel that is specially equipped for sport fishing , or angling . the marine vessel 10 includes a small crew , including a captain , in addition to the angler 20 . the captain of the ship often serves as the operator of the marine vessel 10 . the captain operates the vessel from the helm while the angler 20 is typically located at the stern of the marine vessel 10 . the operator will typically operate the marine vessel 10 in a low speed cruise mode while the angler 20 is actively fishing . if a fish 22 is hooked , the operator will typically use control levers 36 , which control the speed of the engines 50 and the direction of the transmission 55 or pod 60 . the operator can move the control levers 36 separate from each other in order to command a turning moment for the marine vessel 10 in order to keep the stern pointed at the fish 22 . the turning moment is provided by differential thrust by the propulsion units 68 . sportfishing maneuvers require maximum maneuverability from the marine vessel 10 and therefore require large amounts of power from the engines 50 . it can be seen that the maneuverability of the marine vessel 10 would benefit from the thruster system 90 during sportfishing maneuvers . therefore , according to the present disclosure , command of the thruster system 90 is integrated into the control levers 36 . in order to enable control of the thruster system 90 , the operator will push a sportfishing mode key 170 on the keypad 120 or the display 160 . once the sportfishing mode is active , the controllers 130 , 140 , or 150 may check to determine whether any sensor faults are active . if any faults are active , the sportfishing mode will be deactivated . when sportfishing mode is enabled , the propulsion units 68 and thruster system 90 work together in order to increase the steering response of the marine vessel 10 . if sport fishing mode is active and the master controller 150 detects a split , or different signal levels , between the left control lever 32 and the right control lever 34 , the master controller 150 commands the thruster system 90 to provide a turning moment to augment the turning moment provided by the propulsion units 68 . if the signal from the left control lever 32 is greater than the signal from the right control lever 34 , the thruster system 90 will provide an additional clock - wise ( cw ) turning moment . if the signal from the right control lever 34 is greater than the signal from the left control lever 32 , the thruster system 90 will provide an additional counter - clock - wise ( ccw ) turning moment . in one aspect of the disclosure , the master controller 150 may only activate the thruster system 90 if the signal from the left control lever 32 and the right control lever 34 differ by a tolerance . the tolerance may be pre - programmed into the master controller 150 or maybe user - definable and input through either keypad 120 or the display 160 . the additional turning moment from the thruster system 90 may be accomplished by using only the bow thruster 70 . a stern thruster 71 , if equipped , may provide an additional turning moment . table 1 below further illustrates the function of the sportfishing mode according to the current disclosure . signals are represented as percentages and are defined as in a previous portion of this disclosure . “ cw ” is clock - wise and “ ccw ” is counter - clock - wise . if the master controller 150 detects a split , or different signal levels , between the left control lever 32 and the right control lever 34 , the master controller 150 may compare the highest of the two signals to a threshold 190 . if the highest of the two signals is above the threshold 190 , then the master controller 150 commands the thruster system 90 to provide a turning moment to augment the turning moment provided by the propulsion units 68 . the magnitude of the threshold 190 is measured by determining the distance of the signal from either of the control levers 36 from the center of the neutral position , typically 50 %. for instance , a 30 % signal from the left control lever 32 would be equivalent to a 70 % signal from the right control lever 34 . the threshold 190 ensures that the thruster system 90 will not activate during sportfishing mode unless the speed of the engine ( s ) 50 requested by the operator is above a certain level . the threshold 190 may be factory programmed into the master controller 150 . the threshold 190 may also be user selectable by the threshold selector 180 . the threshold selector 180 may be an input on keypad 120 , a soft key on display 160 , or an icon on display 160 if the display 160 uses touch screen technology . the threshold 190 may therefore be set by the operator according to his confidence or preference . | 1 |
further objects of the present invention and more practical merits obtained by the present invention will become more apparent from the description of the embodiments which will be given below with reference to the accompanying drawings . for explanation purposes , components with equivalent or similar functionalities are represented by the same symbols . hence components of different embodiments with the same symbol are not necessarily identical . here , it is to be noted that the present invention is not limited thereto . fig2 is a diagram illustrating one embodiment of power source board 30 a of the present invention . power source board 30 a comprises a flyback power source converter used for converting the electrical energy received from ac power source v ac to output power source v out with desired specification . bridge rectifier 304 roughly rectifies ac power source v ac to generate rectified high - voltage power source v in . power switch sw is coupled to gate terminal gate of power management integrated circuit ( ic ) 306 to control the current of primary winding l p of the transformer . when power switch sw is turned on , the electrical energy stored in the transformer increases ; when the power switch sw is turned off , the electrical energy stored in the transformer is released via secondary winding l s and auxiliary winding l a . the electrical energy released by secondary winding l s is transmitted via the rectifier to be stored in an output capacitor so as to generate output power source v out . the electrical energy output by auxiliary winding l a is transmitted to power source terminal vcc of power management ic 306 to supply the operational power source v cc required by power management ic 306 . feedback circuit 308 monitors the amplitude ( i . e . the amplitude may be current , voltage , or power ) of output power source v out and provides feedback signal s fb to feedback terminal fb of power management ic 306 . high - voltage terminal hv of power management ic 306 is coupled to rectified high power source v in via start resistor r strt . the peak voltage of rectified high power source v in may be ranged from 90 to 700 volts . here in this specification , a “ high - voltage ” represents a voltage equal to or higher than 90 volt . current detecting terminal cs of power management ic 306 is utilized to detect the current flowing through power switch sw by detecting voltage v cs across detection resistor r cs . photo coupler 310 is coupled to standby control terminal sd . when standby signal s sdo is at a logic high level , standby signal s sd is at a logic low level , deemed to be “ deasserted ”. consequently power management ic 306 operates normally to turn on / off power switch sw to generate output power source v out . when standby signal s sdo is at a logic low level , standby signal s sd is at a logic high level , deemed to be “ asserted ”. consequently power management ic 306 enters standby state ( off mode ), turning and keeping off power switch sw . taking standby signal s sd at a logic high level as to be deasserted may have the following advantage . when power source board 30 is not coupled to the load , i . e . mother board 40 is not coupled to power source board 30 , standby signal s sdo is at a logic low level , and standby signal s sd is at a logic high level . accordingly , power source board 30 enters standby state directly , which reduces power consumption . fig3 is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of power management ic 306 of fig2 . as illustrated in fig3 , power management ic 306 a has a high - voltage startup function , realized by startup circuit 414 . startup circuit 414 receives a rectified voltage signal of rectified high power source v in from high - voltage terminal hv . within a startup period , prior the voltage of operational power source v cc has reached a predetermined voltage level ( for instances , 20v ), startup circuit 414 supplies a current to charge filter capacitor c vcc via power source terminal vcc to generate operational power source v cc . switch controller 427 and clock generator 406 may start to operate after the voltage of operational power source v cc is higher than the predetermined voltage level . switch controller 427 comprises pulse width modulator ( pwm ) controller 428 and driving circuit 430 . pwm controller 428 controls driving circuit 430 according to feedback signal s fb from feedback terminal fb , current detecting signal s cs from current detecting terminal cs , and the clock signal from clock generator 406 . driving circuit 430 controls power switch sw in fig2 via gate terminal gate so as to control the electric energy of the transformer to be increased or released . in fig3 , pwm controller 428 controls the duty cycle of power switch according to the constant frequency of the clock signal provided by clock generator 406 . in yet another embodiment , the pwm controller may fix the on time ( constant on time ) but vary the off time or clock frequency of power switch sw . in yet another embodiment , the pwm controller may fix the off time ( constant off time ) but vary the on time or clock frequency of power switch sw . standby controller 426 is coupled to high - voltage terminal hv and powered by rectified high - voltage power source v in . through standby control terminal sd , standby controller 426 determines whether standby signal s sd is asserted or deasserted . in the embodiments of fig2 and fig3 , when standby controller 426 determines standby signal s sd is asserted , standby controller 426 makes startup circuit 414 and pwm controller 428 disabled through signals en - stup and en - pwm respectively . in a disabled state , pwm controller 428 keeps driving circuit 430 turning off power switch sw ; startup circuit 414 does not provide charge current for generating operational power source v cc no matter the voltage of operational power source v cc is . therefore , in the disabled state , the voltage of operational power source v cc possibly gradually decreases because switch controller 427 and clock generator 406 may still consume some electrical energy but operational power source v cc cannot be supplied from startup circuit 414 or auxiliary winding l a . if the voltage of operational power source v cc is lower than a certain level , switch controller 427 and clock generator 406 even possibly stop operating , while power switch is still turned off . in one embodiment , when standby controller 426 determines that standby signal s sd is asserted , standby controller 426 disables not only startup circuit 414 and pwm controller 428 but also clock generator 406 , which is stopped from outputting the clock signal . moreover , when standby signal s sd is asserted , driving circuit 430 can also be optionally disabled such that power switch sw is turned off continuously . it is worth of mentioning that the said disabled state of a device indicates that the output of the device is kept on a fixed digital logic level , and / or that the direct current in the device is substantially stopped . for example , when in the disabled state , clock generator 406 stays outputting the clock signal on logic level “ 0 ”, and , optionally , stops from being powered by a power source . when standby controller 426 determines standby signal s sd is deasserted , both of startup circuit 414 and switch controller 427 are enabled , and switch controller 427 and clock generator 406 may start to operate normally for controlling power switch sw , depending on the voltage of operational power source v cc . fig4 a is a diagram illustrating one embodiment of standby controller 426 in fig3 . standby controller 426 a is coupled to high - voltage terminal hv , powered by rectified high - voltage power source v in . current source 502 provides power required by logic determining device 506 and resistor 504 . a zener diode is coupled between resistor 504 and ground line gnd for clamping the highest voltage level of standby signal s sd . standby terminal sd is coupled to resistor 504 for making the default voltage of standby signal s sd to be the high voltage logic level . logic determining device 506 generates signals en - stup and en - pwm according to standby signal s sd from standby terminal sd . for example , when standby signal s sd is asserted ( logic high level ), both signals en - stup and en - pwm are deasserted ; when standby signal s sd is deasserted ( logic low level ), both signals en - stup and en - pwm are asserted . fig4 b is a diagram illustrating one embodiment of startup circuit 414 in fig3 . startup circuit 414 a comprises a controllable current source 508 coupled between high - voltage terminal hv and power source terminal vcc . signal en - stup is transmitted to the control terminal of controllable current source 508 . when signal en - stup is asserted , controllable current source 508 provides charge current to power source terminal vcc . deasserted signal en - stup disables controllable current source 508 , such that substantially no current or power is drained from high - voltage terminal hv to supply operational power source v cc . voltage detector 510 is coupled between power source terminal vcc and the control terminal of controllable current source 508 . if the voltage on power source terminal vcc is approximately higher than a first predetermined value , voltage detector 510 may turn off controllable current source 508 to stop charging power source terminal vcc ; if the voltage on power source terminal vcc is approximately lower than a second predetermined value , which is not higher than the first one , voltage detector 510 may turn on controllable current source 508 to start charging power source terminal vcc . please refer to fig2 - 4a and 4 b . when power source board 30 a is only coupled to ac power source v ac but not coupled to any mother board , standby signal s sdo is at a logic low level and standby signal s sd is at a logic high level , so startup circuit 414 is turned off . without current supplied from auxiliary winding or high - voltage terminal hv , the voltage of operational power source v cc is kept at a low - voltage level , and therefore pwm controller 428 and driving circuit 430 cannot operate to turn on power switch sw . power management ic 306 a enters the standby state , which means only standby controller 426 consumes a very little current and other parts of power management ic 306 a can be deemed as consuming no power . therefore , the overall power consumed by power management ic 306 a , in the standby state , will be very little . when power source board 30 a is coupled to ac power source v ac and the mother board , and the mother board requires power , standby signal s sdo will is deasserted , being raised to the logic high level , and causing standby signal s sd at the logic low level . thus , startup circuit 414 starts to charge operational power source v cc . when the voltage of operational power source v cc reaches a certain high level , pwm controller 428 and driving circuit 430 start turning on / off power switch sw and meanwhile supply power to operational power source v cc and output power source v out . furthermore , voltage detector 510 turns off startup circuit 414 timely so that operational power source v cc is solely supplied by auxiliary winding l a . when power source board 30 a is coupled to ac power source v ac and the mother board , but the mother board requires no power , standby signal s sdo is then asserted , being at a logic low level and causing standby signal s sd at a logic high level . consequently , startup circuit 414 is turned off , and driving circuit 430 is forced to keep turning off power switch sw . thus , power management ic 306 a enters the standby state , consuming very little power . those skilled in the art will readily observe that numerous modifications and alterations of the device and method may be made while retaining the teachings of the invention . | 6 |
hereinafter , an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings . fig1 is an external perspective view showing a waterproof device 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention . the waterproof device 1 comprises a combination of a plug connector ( waterproof connector ) 10 and a receptacle connector ( target connector ) 80 , which are adapted to be connected together . fig2 is an exploded perspective view showing only the plug connector 10 . fig3 a horizontal sectional view showing the plug connector 10 and the receptacle connector 80 , taken along an axis of the waterproof device , and fig4 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line b - b in fig3 . for convenience of illustration , fig1 shows a state before connection between the plug connector 10 and the receptacle connector 80 , and fig3 and 4 show a state after connection therebetween . the receptacle connector 80 may be used , for example , under a condition that it is fixed to a wall ( not shown ) by a screw ( not shown ) provided to penetrate through a screw hole 85 formed therein . in this case , in order to prevent formation of a gap between the wall and the receptacle connector 80 , an o - ring 83 may be installed in an annular - shaped recess 92 formed in a r shell 82 thereof . the o - ring 83 makes it possible to close a gap between the wall and the receptacle connector 80 so as to more reliably keep out water . the plug connector 10 and the receptacle connector 80 are fixed to each other by a bayonet connection , so as to maintain a connected state therebetween . in order to establish the fixing based on the bayonet connection , a pair of fixing grooves 90 are formed in an outer surface of a cylindrical portion 86 of the receptacle connector 80 to be located in opposed relation to each other . correspondingly , a pair of protrusions 36 are formed on an inner peripheral surface of an end of a joining member 18 of the plug connector 10 to be located in opposed relation to each other . the cylindrical portion 86 is formed to protrude toward a connector member 12 while surrounding a periphery of an lc adapter ( adapter member ) 81 of the receptacle connector 80 . in an operation of fixing the plug connector 10 to the receptacle connector 80 by the bayonet connection , the protrusions 36 of the joining member 18 are pushed into and along the corresponding ones of the fixing grooves 90 of the cylindrical portion 86 in the arrowed direction “ c 1 ” in fig1 , and then the joining member 18 is rotated in the direction “ d ” in fig1 along an outer surface of the cylindrical portion 86 to allow the protrusions 36 of the joining member 18 to be put into respective recesses 98 of the cylindrical portion 86 . the lc adapter 81 is provided with four fitting spaces 84 . each of the fitting spaces 84 is adapted to allow the connector member 12 of the plug connector 10 and a connector member of the receptacle connector 80 formed in the same configuration as that of the connector member 12 to be fittingly inserted thereinto from opposite sides in such a manner that they are butted against each other . specifically , a target ferrule ( not shown ) supported by a connector member ( not shown ) of the receptacle connector 80 is disposed in a region of the fitting space 84 on the side of the receptacle connector 80 , and then the connector member 12 of the plug connector 10 is fitted into a region of the fitting space 84 on the side of the plug connector 10 , so that a ferrule 23 supported by the connector member 12 of the plug connector 10 can be butted against the target ferrule through a connection sleeve 91 provided in the lc adapter 81 , to establish an optical connection . an optical fiber 22 is fixed to an end face of the ferrule 23 , while exposing a fiber core thereof . the optical fiber 22 is , for example , led out from a jacket 29 of a cable 28 covering it together with a tension member ( rigid cord member ) 21 , to extend inside the connector member 12 . the plug connector 10 primarily comprises a cord tube ( housing body ) 14 formed in a cylindrical - shaped body , a plurality of components arranged along the arrowed direction “ f ” in fig2 and attached to the cord tube 14 , such as a rubber hood 11 , the connector member 12 , an lc knob 62 , a scroll wave ring 24 and a holding member 13 , and a plurality of components arranged along the arrowed direction “ g ” in fig2 and attached to the cord tube 14 , such as the joining member 18 , a fastener 17 , a cord clamp 16 and a gasket 15 . each of the rubber hood 11 , the gasket 15 , the cord clamp 16 and the fastener 17 is formed in a generally cylindrical shape in conformity to the cord tube 14 . in this embodiment , the connector member 12 is shown as a type including two connector members 12 a , 12 b each having the same configuration , by way of example . alternatively , the number of connector members may be only one , or may be three or more . each of the connector members 12 a , 12 b has the same configuration as that of a conventional commercially - available lc connector . this means that the present invention can be widely used in the conventional lc connector . the connector segment 12 ( 12 a , 12 b ) has a cantilever beam portion ( lock operation portion ) 61 ( 61 a , 61 b ) formed to extend rearwardly and obliquely upwardly . the cantilever beam portion 61 ( 61 a , 61 b ) has a lock protrusion 73 ( 73 a , 73 b ) formed on a lateral surface thereof . the lock protrusion 73 ( 73 a , 73 b ) is adapted , when the connector member is fitted into the lc adapter 81 , to be latched by a complementary shaped portion of the lc adapter 81 ( a corresponding one of two concave - shaped lock portions provided in the lc adapter 81 ( indicated by the reference numeral 87 in fig1 )), to allow the connector member 12 to be locked . this makes it possible to maintain butting between the ferrule 23 and the target ferrule . as is well known , the lock by the cantilever beam portion 61 is automatically achieved by allowing the connector member 12 to be moved closer to the lc adapter 81 , without a particular operation . more specifically , along with an operation of inserting the cantilever beam portion 61 ( 61 a , 61 b ) into the fitting or receiving space 84 ( 84 a , 84 b ) ( see fig3 ) of the lc adapter 81 , the cantilever beam portion 61 ( 61 a , 61 b ) is automatically displaced downwardly through a collision with the lc adapter 81 . then , after the lock protrusion 73 ( 73 a , 73 b ) is received in the corresponding lock portion 87 , the cantilever beam portion 61 ( 61 a , 61 b ) is automatically returned upwardly to automatically lock the connector member 12 . differently , in an operation of pulling the connector member 12 away from the lc adapter 81 , it is necessary to pulling the connector member 12 out of the lc adapter 81 , while displacing the cantilever beam portion 61 ( 61 a , 61 b ) downwardly by an external operation to release the locked state between the lc adapter 12 and the lock protrusion 73 ( 73 a , 73 b ) of the connector member 12 . typically , the downward displacement of the cantilever beam portion 61 ( 61 a , 61 b ) is performed through a manual operation by a user . in this embodiment , the lc knob ( unlocking means ) 62 is provided in such a manner as to be automatically operated in conjunction with movement of other members to perform the downward displacement , as described in detail later . thus , the plug connector 10 in this embodiment can be connected to the receptacle connector 80 and released from the connection with the receptacle connector 80 , through a single - step operation . the connector member 12 ( 12 a , 12 b ) is coupled to the lc knob 62 in such a manner as to be freely moved within a given distance along a butting direction of the ferrule and the target ferrule ( a fitting direction of the connector member 12 and the lc adapter 81 ). more specifically , in order to couple the connector member 12 to the lc knob 62 in a freely movable manner , a certain level of play is provided between the gasket 15 and the connector member 12 . the lc knob 62 generally comprises a flange 65 provided on a front side thereof , and a tubular portion 75 provided on a rear side thereof . a rear surface of the flange 65 is in contact with the scroll wave ring 24 as an elastic member disposed between the lc knob 62 and the cord tube 14 , so that the lc knob 62 is constantly biased frontwardly , i . e ., in a direction causing the fitting between the connector member 12 and the lc adapter 81 . the flange 65 of the lc knob 62 is formed with a through - hole 69 communicated with an inside of the tubular portion 75 . a rear end region 68 of the connector member 12 is inserted into and supported by the through - hole 69 and the tubular portion 75 . the connector member 12 can be freely moved with respect to the lc knob 62 along the fitting direction of the connector member 12 and the lc adapter 81 , while being inserted into and supported by the through - hole 69 and the tubular portion 75 . however , a frontward movement ( i . e ., a movement toward the receptacle connector 80 ) of the connector member 12 is restricted through a collision between a plate - shaped collision spacer 64 provided at a rear end of the connector member 12 and a rear wall 74 of the lc knob 62 defining a rear opening of the through - hole 69 . further , a rearward movement ( i . e ., a movement toward a side opposite to the receptacle connector 80 ) of the connector member 12 is restricted through a collision between a protrusion 66 provided on a lower region of an outer surface of the connector member 12 and a front wall 72 of the lc knob 62 defining a front opening of the through - hole 69 . thus , the connector member 12 is never pulled out of the lc knob 62 . the collision spacer 64 can be attached to the connector member 12 in the arrowed direction “ e ”, as shown in fig2 . the lc knob 62 has a tab 67 provided on a front side of an upper portion of the flange 65 . the tab 67 is formed to protrude frontwardly and have a front end region protruding downwardly , i . e ., toward the cantilever beam portion 61 , so that the tab 67 generally has a shape capable of wrapping around a free end of the cantilever beam portion 61 . thus , when the lc knob 62 is moved rearwardly with respect to the connector member 12 , the cantilever beam portion 61 ( 61 a , 61 b ) is pushed downwardly through a contact between the tab 67 and the free end 76 of the cantilever beam portion 61 , so that the locked state between the connector member 12 and the lc adapter 81 is released . this means that the locked state between the connector member 12 and the lc adapter 81 can be released by moving the lc knob 62 rearwardly with respect to the connector member 12 . the cord tube 14 can be classified into a small - diameter portion 50 , an intermediate - diameter portion 51 , and a large - diameter portion 52 , for convenience of explanation . the small - diameter portion 50 has the gasket 15 , the cord clamp 16 and the fastener 17 which are attached thereto while allowing the cable 28 to penetrate therethrough . this makes it possible to achieve a more reliable waterproof structure . a rear end of the small - diameter portion 50 is formed to have an increased inner diameter . the gasket 15 is inserted into the increased - diameter portion , and the cord clamp 16 is attached to compress the gasket 15 having the cable 28 penetrating therethrough . then , the fastener 17 is attached to compress an elastic portion 58 provided at a rear end of the cord clamp 16 , to reduce a diameter of the elastic portion 58 . specifically , a rear end of the fastener 17 is formed as a tapered portion 57 having an inner diameter which gradually decreases toward a rear edge thereof , so that the elastic portion 58 is compressed by the tapered portion 57 , to allow the cable 28 to be fixed . in order to facilitate positioning of the cord clamp 16 relative to the small - diameter portion 50 , a positioning cutout ( not shown ) may be formed in an inner wall of the small radius portion 50 , and correspondingly a positioning protrusion 56 may be formed on the cord clamp 16 . in a state after all the above components are attached to the small - diameter portion 50 , an outer surface of the small - diameter portion 50 , and an outer surface of the elastic portion 58 provided at the rear end of the cord clamp 16 to protrude from the small - diameter portion 50 , are fully covered by the fastener 17 . the intermediate - diameter portion 51 is formed and arranged to support the tubular portion 75 of the lc knob 62 . the tubular portion 75 has an outer diameter approximately equal to an inner diameter of the intermediate - diameter portion 51 . thus , the cord tube 14 supports the lc knob 62 while allowing the lc knob 62 to be slidingly moved within a given distance along the butting direction of the ferrule 23 and the target ferrule ( along the arrowed direction “ c ” in fig2 ). further , the plate - shaped holding member 13 is received in the intermediate - diameter portion 51 . the holding member 13 has an outer diameter less than an inner diameter of the intermediate - diameter portion 51 , so that the holding member 13 is fully inserted into the intermediate - diameter portion 51 . the holding member 13 is provided with a slit 63 which allows an end of the tension member 21 to be inserted thereinto . the tension member 21 can be inserted into the slit 63 , and fixed to the holding member 13 using a screw ( not shown ) provided to penetrate through a screw hole 26 formed therein . the tension member 21 is fixed to the holding member 13 in the above manner . thus , for example , even if the tension member 21 is pulled along the butting direction and toward the side opposite to the receptacle connector 80 , a rear surface 45 of the holding member 13 is brought into contact with an inner wall 47 of a rear end of the cord tube 14 , so that a pulling force can be transmitted to the cord tube 14 to reduce a force to be applied to the optical fiber 22 . a rear plate 35 of the joining member 18 is positioned around a boundary between the intermediate - diameter portion 51 and the large - diameter portion 52 , and then a c - shaped retainer member ( spring washer ) 19 is attached to an outer peripheral surface of a front end of the intermediate - diameter portion 51 . the retainer member 19 is adapted to collide with the rear plate 35 of the joining member 18 supported by the intermediate - diameter portion 51 , to prevent pull - out of the joining member 18 from the intermediate - diameter portion 51 . the retaining member 19 is elastically fitted into a circular c - shaped concave portion 32 formed in the intermediate - diameter portion 51 . a c - shaped spring washer ( coupling member ) 20 is attached to an inner peripheral surface of the front end of the intermediate - diameter portion 51 at a position adjacent to an inner surface the retainer member 19 . the spring washer 20 is elastically attached as with the retainer member 19 . specifically , the spring washer 20 is disposed to extend over a space 60 defined by an annular - shaped outer concave portion 30 formed in an outer wall 38 of the tubular portion 75 of the lc knob 62 and an annular - shaped inner concave portion 33 formed in an inner wall 39 of the cord tube 14 , to couple the lc knob 62 and the cord tube 14 together . the annular - shaped outer concave portion 30 and the annular - shaped inner concave portion 33 define two recesses communicated in a direction intersecting with the butting direction ( in the arrowed direction “ h ” in fig4 ). in particular , the annular - shaped outer concave portion 30 defines a recess having a length greater than that of the spring washer 20 in the butting direction ( the arrowed direction “ c ”). the recess of the annular - shaped outer concave portion 30 having such a length allows the lc knob 62 to be slidingly moved within a given distance with respect to the cord tube 14 . a part of a rear end of the intermediate - diameter portion 51 is formed as a pair of flat portions 53 located in opposed relation to each other to perform a tightening operation using a tool such as a spanner . the fastener 17 is also formed with a pair of flat portions . the large - diameter portion 52 has a tubular portion 25 formed to protrude toward the cylindrical portion 86 of the receptacle connector 80 along the butting direction . the connector member 12 , and the flange 65 of the lc knob 62 coupled to the connector member 12 , can be slidingly moved inside the tubular portion 25 within a given distance along the butting direction . in an operation of fixing the plug connector 10 to the receptacle connector 80 , the tubular portion 25 can be brought into contact with an inner peripheral surface 97 of the cylindrical portion 86 to form an overlapping region 88 with the cylindrical portion 86 along the butting direction . the formation of the overlapping region 88 makes it possible to more effectively keep out water . further , the generally cylindrical - shaped joining member 18 after penetrating the intermediate - diameter portion 51 is freely fitted onto the large - diameter portion 52 . the joining member 18 is a generally cylindrical - shaped member which protrudes toward the receptacle connector 80 along the butting direction of the ferrule 23 and the target ferrule and covers an outer periphery of the large - diameter portion 52 . in the operation of fixing the plug connector 10 to the receptacle connector 80 , the joining member 18 is connected to the cylindrical portion 86 of the receptacle connector 80 by the bayonet connection , in the aforementioned manner . in the operation of fixing the plug connector 10 to the receptacle connector 80 , the cylindrical portion 86 of the receptacle connector 80 is disposed while being inserted into a gap 99 defined between the joining member 18 and the tubular portion 25 of the plug connector 10 . the joining member 18 can cover an outer peripheral surface 96 of the cylindrical portion 86 and form an overlapping region 87 with the cylindrical portion 86 along the butting direction , as with the tubular portion 25 . this makes it possible to reliably keep out water . the rubber hood 11 provided in the gap 99 defined between the joining member and the large - diameter portion 52 can also enhance the waterproof effect . the rubber hood 11 is positioned in such a manner that it is received in an annular - shaped positioning recess 54 formed in the tubular portion 25 , and a rear surface thereof is butted against a flange 27 of the tubular portion 25 constituting a part of the large - diameter portion 52 . in an operation of connecting the plug connector 10 to the receptacle connector 80 , a raised portion 41 formed at a front end of the rubber hood 11 is brought into close contact with a thin - walled region 89 of the cylindrical portion 86 , so that the gap can be more reliably closed . with reference to fig5 ( a ) to 20 , a function of the waterproof device 1 will be described . fig5 ( a ) to 12 show a sequence of operation for connecting the plug connector 10 to the receptacle connector 80 , i . e ., a sequence of operation for fitting the connector member 12 into the lc adapter 81 . fig1 ( a ) to 20 show a sequence of operation for releasing the connection between the plug connector 10 and the receptacle connector 80 , i . e ., a sequence of operation for pulling the connector member 12 away from the lc adapter 81 . in fig5 ( a ) and 5 ( b ) to fig1 ( a ) to 19 ( b ), the figure suffixed with ( a ) indicates a section line in the vertical sectional view of the figure suffixed with ( b ), and shows a state during the operation of connecting the plug connector 10 to the receptacle connector 80 ( fitting the connector member 12 into the lc adapter 81 , for convenience of illustration . in the vertical sectional views taken along the section line located at the same position in the figure suffixed with ( a ), each component is defined by a common reference numeral or code . for example , a position of the line a - a indicated in fig5 ( a ) is the same as that of the line a - a indicated in fig7 ( a ), but it is different from that of the line d - d indicated in fig9 ( a ). fig6 , 8 , 10 , 12 , 14 , 16 , 18 and 20 are fragmentary enlarged views of respective regions shown in fig5 ( b ), 7 ( b ), 9 ( b ), 11 ( b ), 13 ( b ) 15 ( b ), 17 ( b ) and 19 ( b ). more specifically , fig6 is a fragmentary enlarged view of a region b in fig5 ( b ), and fig8 is a fragmentary enlarged view of a region c in fig7 ( b ). fig1 is a fragmentary enlarged view of a region e in fig9 ( b ), and fig1 is a fragmentary enlarged view of a region g in fig1 ( b ). fig1 is a fragmentary enlarged view of a region h in fig1 ( b ), and fig1 is a fragmentary enlarged view of a region i in fig1 ( b ), and fig1 is a fragmentary enlarged view of a region j in fig1 ( b ). fig2 is a fragmentary enlarged view of a region k in fig1 ( b ) with reference to fig5 ( a ) to 12 , a movement during operation of connecting the plug connector 10 to the receptacle connector 80 will be described below . 1 ) as shown in fig5 ( a ), 5 ( b ) and 6 , the cord tube 14 is moved toward the receptacle connector 80 ( the arrowed direction “ c 1 ”) along the fitting direction of the connector member 12 and the lc adapter 81 , to allow the joining member 18 supported by the cord tube 14 to be moved closer to the cylindrical portion 86 , and allow a rear surface 77 of an inner wall of the concave portion 33 of the cord tube 14 to be brought into contact with a rear surface of the spring washer 20 , so that the spring washer 20 is integrally moved together with the cord tube 14 . 2 ) as shown in fig7 ( a ), 7 ( b ) and 8 , the cord tube 14 is further moved toward the receptacle connector 80 , to allow a front surface 49 of the spring washer 20 to be brought into contact with a front surface 70 of an inner wall of the concave portion 30 of the lc knob 62 , so that the lc knob 62 supported by the cord tube 14 is moved toward the connector member 12 through the spring washer 20 . 3 ) as shown in fig9 ( a ), 9 ( b ) and 10 , the cord tube 14 is further moved toward the receptacle connector 80 , to allow the protrusion 66 provided on the outer surface of the connector member 12 to be brought into collision with the front wall 72 of the lc knob 62 defining the front opening of the through - hole 69 , so that the connector member 12 supported by the lc knob 62 is moved closer to the lc adapter 81 through the collision . 4 ) as shown in fig1 ( a ), 11 ( b ) and 12 , the cord tube 14 is further moved toward the receptacle connector 80 , to allow the cantilever beam portion 61 of the connector member 12 to be engaged with the corresponding lock portion 87 of the lc adapter 81 through elastic displacement thereof , so that the connector member 12 is fitted into the lc adapter 81 and locked thereto . 5 ) finally , the joining member 18 is rotated in a clockwise direction ( the arrowed direction “ d ”) and fixed to the cylindrical portion 86 in a bayonet manner . with reference to fig1 ( a ) to 20 , a movement during the operation of releasing the connection between the plug connector 10 and the receptacle connector 80 will be described below . 1 ) the joining member 18 is rotated in a counterclockwise direction ( the arrowed direction “ d ”) to release the fixing of the cylindrical portion 86 . 2 ) then , as shown in fig1 ( a ), 13 ( b ) and 14 , the cord tube 14 is moved toward the side opposite to the receptacle connector 80 ( the arrowed direction “ c 2 ”) along the fitting direction of the connector member 12 and the lc adapter 81 , to allow the joining member 18 supported by the cord tube 14 to be moved away from the cylindrical portion 86 , and allow the a front surface 78 of the inner wall of the concave portion 33 of the cord tube 14 to be brought into contact with the front surface 49 of the spring washer 20 , so that the spring washer 20 is integrally moved together with the cord tube 14 . 3 ) as shown in fig1 ( a ), 15 ( b ) and 16 , the cord tube 14 is further moved toward the side opposite to the receptacle connector 80 , to allow a rear surface 48 of the spring washer 20 to be brought into contact with a rear surface 71 of the inner wall of the concave portion 30 of the lc knob 62 , so that the lc knob 62 supported by the cord tube 14 is moved away from the connector member 12 . 4 ) thus , as shown in fig1 ( a ), 17 ( b ) and 18 , the tab 67 of the lc knob 62 is brought into contact with the free end 76 of the cantilever beam portion 61 , so that the cantilever beam portion 61 is pushed downwardly ( in the arrowed direction “ h ”) through the contact , and the locked state between the lc adapter 81 and the connector member 12 is released . 5 ) as shown in fig1 ( a ), 19 ( b ) and 20 , the cord tube 14 is further moved toward the side opposite to the receptacle connector 80 , to allow the collision member 64 provided at the rear end of the connector member 12 to be brought into collision with the rear wall of the lc knob 62 defining the rear opening of the through - hole 69 , so that the connector member 12 supported by the lc knob 62 is moved away from the lc adapter 81 through the collision , and the fitting between the connector member 12 and the lc adapter 81 is released . in the waterproof device according to this embodiment , in the operation of connecting the plug connector 10 to the receptacle connector 80 , the connector member 12 can be fitted into the lc adapter 81 , and the joining member 18 can be connected to the cylindrical portion 87 ( or fixed to the cylindrical portion 87 by a bayonet connection ), through a single - step operation of moving the cord tube 14 with respect to the connector member 12 . further , in the operation of releasing the connection between the plug connector 10 and the receptacle connector 80 , the bayonet connection between the joining member 18 and the cylindrical portion 86 can be released , and the fitting between the connector member 12 and the lc adapter 18 can be released , through a single - step operation of moving the cord tube 14 with respect to the connector member 12 . as above , in the above embodiment , although it is necessary to rotate the joining member in order to release the bayonet lock , the plug connector 10 can be connected to the receptacle connector 80 , and the connection therebetween can be released , through a single - step operation . particularly , the unlocking of the connector member 12 provided in the plug connector 10 can be achieved only by a “ pull - out operation ”. thus , it can be said that the waterproof device according to the above embodiment has excellent operating efficiency . in addition , the fitting between the connector member 12 and the lc adapter 81 can be released in a usual manner , although it is performed using the lc knob 62 . this also provides an advantage of being able to facilitate checking the release of the locked state . the present invention can be applied to not only a waterproof connector but also various other types of connectors . | 6 |
referring now to fig1 a sheet supply section 1 has stacks of sheets such as securities each including 100 sheets or notes , for example , set in an upstanding state . when the sorting operation starts , the supply section supplies the notes to a take - out device 2 which is comprised of a suction rotor , for example . the take - out device 2 successively takes notes from the sheet supply section 1 sheet by sheet at given intervals and deposits them on a transfer or conveying means 3 which may be made of a pair of conveyor belts to firmly hold the notes . the transfer means 3 transfers the notes to a detecting section 4 and a sorting section 5 . the detecting section 4 is provided in the midportion of the conveying means 3 , and functions as follows . the first function is to accurately count the number of the incoming notes and to verify that the actual number of the notes corresponds to the number of notes assumed to be in the stack . a second function is to detect whether or not more than one note has been taken out at a time . when two more sheets are taken out at one time , that is , the notes are taken out in a superposed manner , it is impossible to accurately detect and count the notes . the detector for this function may be an optical means in which a change of the light transmitted through the notes is detected or a mechanical means which mechanically detects the thickness of the notes . the third function is to detect when adjacent notes taken out by the take - out device 2 are too close . when adjacent notes are taken out too close , it is impossible to accurately detect and count the notes . for detecting this problem , a detector detects the interval between adjacent notes and compares the interval with a normal value . the fourth function is to separate unidentifiable notes ( foreign notes , false notes , invalid notes and other related notes ) and worn - out notes unfit for reuse . a detector for this function may be a known optical or mechanical detecting means . an optical character reader may further be used . in this case , the character reader reads the given information on the notes such as serial numbers to sort the older notes . thus , the detecting means may be constructed by a set or sets of detectors . in this case , the detecting means normally classifies the notes as either unidentifiable ( including false notes , foreign notes , worn - out notes and those other than the worn - out notes and the normal notes ), worn - out , i . e ., unsuitable for recirculation and normal , i . e ., qualified for recirculation . on the basis of the classification , each note is judged in accordance with the priority order as given below . ______________________________________order final decision reason______________________________________1st invalid any of the members of the detecting device decides the note to be invalid . 2nd worn - out though none of the members of the detecting device decides the note to be invalid at least one member thereof judges the note to be undesirably worn - out . 3rd normal none of the members of the detecting device decides the note to be invalid or worn - out , but all the members thereof judge the note to be normal . ______________________________________ the sorting device 5 , provided at the terminal portion of the conveying means 3 , directs the notes to a first or second conveying path 6 or 7 in accordance with a judging result signal derived from the detecting device 4 . when the detecting device 4 judges the notes to be unidentifiable , the corresponding note is led to the second transfer path 7 . when it judges the note to be worn - out or normal , the corresponding note is led to the first transfer path 6 . the first transfer path 6 is branched into a transfer path 8 for transferring normal notes to a note collecting section to be described later and another transfer path 9 for transferring worn - out notes . provided at the branching point of those transfer paths , a branching means 10 is controlled by a signal derived from a note shift circuit to be described later . the transfer path 8 is further branched into a transfer path 8 1 , for transferring normal notes into a first normal note collecting section 11 1 , and a transfer path 8 2 for transferring normal notes to a second normal note collecting section 11 2 . provided at the branch point of these transfer paths , a sorting means 12 is controlled by a signal from a counter circuit to be described later . the transfer path 9 is branched into a transfer path 9 1 for transferring worn - out notes to a first worn - out note collecting section 13 1 , and a transfer path 9 2 for transferring worn - out notes to a second worn - out note collecting section 13 2 . a sorting means 14 provided at the branching point is controlled by a signal derived from the counter circuit . each of the collecting sections 11 1 , 11 2 , 13 1 and 13 2 , which collect the notes in a stacked manner , is provided with a bottom plate vertically movable under control of a signal from the counter circuit . a normal - note - stack transfer section 15 is located at the lower portion of the normal note collecting sections 11 1 and 11 2 and is used commonly for them in order to transfer the note stacks taken out from the normal note collecting sections 11 1 and 11 2 to a bundling section 16 where those note stacks are bundled by a string so as to keep it in shape . the normal - note - stack transfer section 15 then transfers the bundled stacks from the bundling section 16 to a stack inverting section 17 . the stack inverting section 17 sets the note stacks transferred to be in an erect position and then transfers them to a stack transfer section 21 . the stack transfer section 21 transfers the note stacks to a bundled stack check section 22 . the bundled stack check station 22 is provided in the midportion of the stack transfer section 21 and checks whether the stack is properly bundled or not . a stack reject collecting section 25 is disposed at the terminal portion of the stack transfer section 21 . the stack reject collecting section 25 collects the note stacks which are judged to be improperly bundled by the bundled stack check section 22 . a pushing device 23 , with a gate 24 , provided in the midportion of the stack transfer section 21 , pushes out of the stack transfer section 21 the note stacks which are judged to be reliably bundled by the bundled stack check section 22 . the gate 24 retains the note stacks until the pushing device 23 pushes out the note stacks . the next stack is laid on the note stack which was pushed out and laid down by the pushing device 23 . the two stacks laid one upon another are transferred to the stack collecting section 27 by means of the stack transfer section 26 . the stack collecting section 27 collects a given number of stacks , for example , 10 stacks , by the cooperation of a pushing device of a stack collecting section 27 . a bundle of 10 normal stacks are pushed out of the stack collecting section 27 by a 10 - stack pushing device 28 and transferred to a waiting section 29 . the waiting section 29 feeds the 10 - stack bundle into a bundling supply section 30 . the bundling supply section 30 feeds the 10 - stack bundle fed from the waiting section 29 into a bundling stage 31 . the bundling stage ties the bundle of 10 stacks by a proper strip or string in a crossing manner by means of a 90 ° inverting device to be described later . the 10 - stacks ( referred to as a bundle ) are transferred by a bundle transfer device 32 to a bundle detecting section 33 . the bundle detecting device measures the weight or thickness of the bundle to check whether the bundle has 10 stacks or not . the bundles after being checked are pushed out by a pushing device 34 1 or 34 2 and are collected in a bundle collecting section 35 . the bundles having an insufficient number of stacks are fed to a bundle reject collecting section 37 by means of a bundle transfer device 36 . the worn - out - note stacks transferred from the worn - out note collecting section 13 1 or 13 2 are transferred to the invalidating section 19 by means of the worn - out - note - stack transferring device 18 . the invalidating section 19 may be a shredder , but it may be any means , such as burning means or chemical means , for melting the notes by chemicals if the means can invalidate the notes . the remnants of the worn - out notes from the invalidating section 19 are collected by a box 20 . the collecting box 20 is removable so that when it is fully filled with the shreds , it may be exchanged with a new one . the shreds may be bagged when the collecting box 20 is additionally provided with a proper compressing means and a bagging means . in this case , fully bagged shreds are taken out from the box quickly . the terminal portion of the transfer path 7 , which is located near the supply section 1 , is provided with the unidentifiable note collecting device 38 . the collecting device 38 successively collects the unidentifiable notes ( including the invalid notes and the superposed notes ) transferred by the transfer path 7 into another collecting box . when the sorting of the given number of notes in the supply section 1 is completed , the collecting box having the notes collected is moved to an operator in preparation for the next sorting . a take - back box 39 , which is removably provided near the collecting device 38 , accommodates the notes taken back from the collecting section 11 1 or 11 2 when an abnormality takes place . a detector 40 is provided in the sheet supply section 1 to detect when the notes set in the sheet supply section 1 are completely taken out . the time until this detecting occurs provides a reference of the comparison made every given number of the notes which will subsequently be described . detectors 40 to 52 properly located are used to detect the presence of the notes transferred . those detectors 40 to 52 are each comprised of the combination of a light source and the light receiving element which are disposed oppositely . a bundle collecting box 35 , a key input device 54 and a printer 55 are provided near the sheet supply section 1 . the bundle collecting box 53 accommodates the bundles of the note stacks each including 100 notes . the key input device 54 is comprised of ten keys 85 by which an operator counts the number of the invalid notes and the superposed notes collected in the unidentifiable note collecting device 38 and keys in the result of the counting , a display device 90 for displaying the data inputted by the ten keys 85 , another display device 87 for displaying the invalid and superposed notes included in a stack or batch of notes that an operator now operates , a receipt outlet of a pringer 55 and a note outlet of the unidentifiable collecting device 38 . when there is a stack including an insufficient or excessive number of the notes , the printer 55 prints out such information on a receipt or the like . a counter circuit of the sorting apparatus will be described . the counter circuit , which is constructed as shown in fig2 a to 2c , counts the number of notes collected in the normal note collecting sections 11 1 and 11 2 and worn - out note collecting sections 13 1 and 13 2 , temporarily stores the number of these notes , compares the sum of the number of these notes and the number of invalid and the superposed notes inputted from the key input device 54 with a set value h as a specified number ( 100 ) of notes . when the counted number of notes equals the set value h , the sum of the notes collected in the unidentifiable note collecting section 38 , the normal note collecting sections 11 1 and 11 2 , and the worn - out note collecting sections 13 1 and 13 2 in accordance with the result of the sorting , is h . an output of a detector circuit 61 connected to the detector 46 is applied to total number counters 63 1 and 63 2 through and circuits 62 1 and 62 2 . an output of a detector circuit 64 connected to the detector 47 is applied to total number counters 56 1 and 56 2 through and circuits 65 1 and 65 2 . an output of a detector circuit 67 connected to the detector 48 is applied to total number counters 69 1 and 69 2 through and circuits 68 1 and 68 2 . an output of a detector circuit 70 connected to the detector 40 is applied to a timing signal generating circuit 71 . a given timing signal is applied from the timing signal generating circuit 71 to count control circuits 72 , 73 and 74 . and circuits 62 1 , 62 2 , 65 1 , 65 2 , 68 1 and 68 2 are controlled by those control circuits 72 , 73 and 74 so that counters 63 1 , 56 1 and 69 1 and the counters 63 2 , 56 2 and 69 2 alternately operate . once a given period of time has lapsed after the detector 40 detects that a given number of notes have been taken out , the contents of the counter 56 1 ( 56 2 ) and the counter 69 1 ( 69 2 ) are applied to an adder 76 through a gate circuit 75 where those are added to each other , the result of the addition is applied to a comparator 77 . the contents of the counter 63 1 ( 63 2 ) are applied through a gate circuit 78 to the comparator 77 where those are compared with the output of the adder 76 . if both are not coincident with each other as a result of the comparison , the sorting apparatus is in normal condition . therefore , in this case , the noncoincidence between them is displayed by a noncoincident display unit . on the other hand , if both are coincident with each other , the sorting apparatus obtains a difference between the contents of the counter 63 1 ( 63 2 ) and the set value h by an arithmetic logic circuit 80 and stores the difference in a memory circuit . the gate circuits 75 and 78 are controlled by the timing signal generating circuit 71 . the timing signal from the timing signal generating circuit 71 is applied to a counter 84 through the count control circuit 83 . the counter 84 counts the batch or stack of the notes sorted . the contents of the counter , together with the results of the computation by the arithmetic logic circuit 80 , is stored in the memory circuit 81 . the operation that the arithmetic logic circuit 80 calculates a difference between the contents of the counters 63 1 and 63 2 and the set value h and stores the result of the operation into the memory unit 81 is performed every given time lapse after the batch of notes is taken in . in this case , two sets of the counters 63 1 , 56 1 and 69 1 and 63 2 , 56 2 and 69 2 are used , the verification may be continued without the stoppage of the transfer of the notes . the detailed explanation of the memory unit 81 will be described referring to fig3 . as shown , the memory unit 81 includes memory addresses ranging from address 1 to address n and address n + 1 to address n + 9 . the memory area from address 1 to addres n stores correspondingly the contents of a counter representing what batch is sorted , that is , the number of the batch , and differences between the contents of the counters 63 1 ( 63 2 ) which is the sum of the notes collected in the normal note collecting sections 11 1 and 11 2 and those collected in the worn - out note collecting sections 13 1 and 13 2 and the set value h , that is to say , the result of the operation of the arithmetic logic circuit 80 . more specifically , when the first batch is stored , a value &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; representing the sorting of the first batch and the result q1 of the arithmetic logic circuit 80 are stored in the first address . when the second batch is sorted , a value &# 34 ; 2 &# 34 ; representing the sorting of the second batch and the result q of the operation by the circuit 80 at that time , are stored in the second address . in this way , those data are successively stored in the memory locations up to the address n . when the storing of those data into the address n is completed , the storing operationg returns to the operation to the first address . at this time , the contents previously stored in the address 1 is cleared and then a value ( n + 1 ) representing the ( n + 1 ) th batch and the result qn + 1 of the arithmetic logic circuit 80 are stored in the address 1 . the memory contents of the address 1 is not necessary since the comparison of the sum of the invalid notes and the superposed notes inputted by the ten key 85 with the memory contents of the address 1 will be completed in the comparator 86 before the memory contents in the address n + 1 is necessary . subsequently , the data of the ( n + 2 ) and the succeeding batches will be stored in the second and succeeding addresses in a similar manner . the memory area from address 1 to address n has a memory capacity enough to cover a time difference between the sorting of the normal and worn - out notes and the verification by the ten key 85 , so as not to stop the sorting operation . the number of the batch which is now verified by the ten key 85 is stored in the address n + 1 and the memory contents is displayed by the display unit 87 . for example , when the invalid notes and the superposed notes included in the first batch is inputted by the ten key 85 , the numeral &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; is stored in the address n + 1 . &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; is added to the contents of the address n + 1 every time the numbers of the invalid notes and the superposed notes of the succeeding batch are inputted . the addresses n + 2 , n + 3 and n + 4 store the sum of the invalid notes and the superposed notes inputted by the ten key 85 , the number of the notes reapplied because of erroneous inputting , the total sum of the invalid notes and the superposed notes of the previous batch . similarly , the addresses n + 5 , n + 6 and n + 7 store the number of the invalid notes , the invalid notes which had been processed fill the previous storing operation . the numbers of the invalid notes and the superposed notes thus keyed in by the ten key 85 is supplied to the comparator 86 through the input control circuit 88 , and also to the memory unit 81 where the above - mentioned storing operation is performed . upon the keying in , the memory unit 81 selects the number corresponding to the contents of the address n + 1 from the addresses 1 to n and reads out the result of the operation stored corresponding to the number selected and supplies the result of the operation to the comparator 86 . the comparator 86 compares the operation result supplied from the memory unit 81 with the numbers of the invalid and superposed notes already inputted thereby to effect the count and the verification . in the verification , if there is noncoincidence therebetween , the numbers of the invalid notes and the superposed notes included in the next stack are keyed in by the ten keys 85 . when those are keyed in , the memory unit 81 adds the contents of the addresses n + 3 and n + 6 to the contents of the addresses n + 4 and n + 7 and again stores the result of the addition into the addresses n + 4 and n + 7 . at this time , the memory unit 81 adds &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; to the contents of the address n + 1 and stores the result of the addition , while at the same time stores the sum of the numbers of the invalid and superposed notes and the number of the invalid notes in the addresses n + 2 and n + 5 . the operation as mentioned above will be repeated . when the comparing operation provides that the stack includes incorrect number of notes , the display unit displays ( not shown ) to that effect . also at this time , the key input lock circuit 89 operates to electrically lock the key input device . at this time , the value representing the number of the notes keyed in by the ten key 85 is displayed by the display 90 . after seeing the display , an operator reinputs the correct number of the notes , if an erroneous keying in is found . the reinput number of the notes is applied to the comparator 86 where it is again compared with the result of the operation . when both are coincident with each other , the printer 55 operates to print out on the printing receipt the contents ( the number of the stacks ) of the address n + 1 of the memory unit 81 , the numerical value inputted by the ten key 85 , that is , the contents of the address n + 2 , and the numerical value reinputted , that is , the contents of the address n + 3 . when the number of the notes previously inputted is correct and the reinput provides only noncoincidence , the key input device 47 is locked . when the supervisor release the lock of the key input device , the printer 48 operates to print out the contents of the addresses n + 1 and n + 6 . the key input device 54 is also locked when the contents of the addresses n + 1 , n + 2 and n + 6 and a numerical value other than &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; are inputted as a result of the judgement by the comparator that the invalid note is included the note stack . after the storing operations are all completed and the count and verification by the input from the ten key 85 is completed , depression of a button ( not shown ) operates the printer 55 to print out the contents of the addresses n + 1 , n + 4 and n + 7 of the memory unit 81 , that is , the number of the notes included in a stack , the total number of the invalid and superposed notes , and the total number of the invalid notes . the operator can check the numbers of the invalid notes and the superposed notes by the print . how to check the number of the notes collected in the respective collecting sections will be described . when the contents of a counter 91 for counting the output signal from the detector 47 coincides with a set value d ( 100 in this example ), a coincident signal is produced by a comparator 92 . in response to the coincident signal , the sorting control circuit 93 and the drive circuit 94 drive the sorting apparatus . at this time , the notes transferred are collected in another normal note collecting section . let us consider a case that 100 notes are first collected in the first normal collecting section 11 1 and the sorting device 12 is switched to collect the notes in a second normal collecting section 11 2 , the contents of the counter 95 selected through a gate circuit 97 by the control circuit 93 and the set value d are compared with each other by the comparator 98 . when both are coincident with one another as a result of the comparison , a collecting control circuit 99 and a drive circuit 100 1 drives the first normal note collecting section 11 1 and the stacks each including 100 notes are carried out . the operations of the comparator 98 and the control circuit 99 are performed in response to a given timing signal produced from a timing signal generating circuit 101 . the timing signal generating circuit 101 operates in response to an output signal from the comparator 92 . at the time that the operation of the first normal note collecting section 11 1 ends simultaneously with the carry - out of the stack of 100 notes , the normal note stack counter 102 is incremented by &# 34 ;+ 100 &# 34 ;. when the result of the comparator 98 is the noncoincidence , the error sorting display 103 operates and the sorting apparatus is in an abnormal mode . the counters 95 and 96 perform the count operations when receiving the output from the detecting circuits 104 and 105 connected to the detectors 49 and 50 . the control circuit controls the collecting circuit 106 as a selecting circuit by which the drive circuit 106 selects the counters 95 and 96 through the gate circuit 107 . the contents of the counter is supplied to the comparator 108 . the comparator 108 compares the contents of the counter 91 with the contents of the counter 95 or 96 . when both are not coincident with each other , the noncoincident display is driven . the contents of the counter 95 or 96 selected by the selecting circuit 106 is stored into a memory unit 110 . when the normal note stack counter 102 is incremented by &# 34 ; 100 &# 34 ;, the address n + 9 of the memory unit 81 stores data with &# 34 ;+ 1 &# 34 ;, that is , it stores the number of the normal stacks processed . in the case of the worn - out note , in response to the signal from the timing generating circuit 71 , the sorting control circuit 11 1 and the drive circuit 11 2 drive the sorting apparatus 14 . the worn - out notes of a given number ( h ) are collected in another worn - out notes collecting section . for example , the first worn - out notes of the given number ( h ) is collected in the first worn - out note collecting section 13 1 . then , the sorting device is switched so that the second worn - out notes are collected in the second worn - out note collecting section 13 2 . the contents of the counter 113 selected through the gate circuit 115 by the control circuit 111 is compared with the contents of the counter 69 1 selected through the gate circuit 75 by means of a comparator 116 . incidentally , a delay circuit provided in the comparator 116 time - adjusts the signals from the counters 113 and 114 so that those are coincident with each other in the timing . when both are coincident with each other as a result of the comparison , the collecting control circuit 117 and the drive circuit 118 1 immediately drive the first worn - out note collecting circuit 13 1 . as a result , the first damaged note of the given number ( h ) are carried out and the first worn - out notes of the given number ( h ) are transferred to the shredder 19 by the worn - out note stack transfer device 18 . the operations of the comparator 116 and the control circuit 117 are performed in response to a given timing signal outputted from the timing signal generating circuit 119 which is driven by the output signal from the control circuit 111 . when both are not coincident with each other in the comparison , the noncoincident display 120 operates , so that the sorting apparatus is in the abnormal condition . when supplied with the outputs of the detecting circuits 121 and 122 connected to the detectors 51 and 52 , the counters 113 and 114 perform the counting operations . with respect to the counters 113 and 114 , when both are not coincident with each other , the contents of the counter 113 or the counter 114 selected by the control circuit 111 is stored in the memory circuit 123 . the collection selecting circuit 124 , which is controlled by the control circuit 111 , selects the drive circuits 118 1 or 118 2 . when both are coincident with each other , the contents of the counter 113 or 114 is added to the number of the worn - out notes at the previous stage and the added one is stored in place of the contents stored in the address n + 8 of the memory unit 81 ( third time ). this is for the reason that since the worn - out notes are shredded to lose its original shape , it can not confirm the number of the worn - out notes . for avoiding this , the number of the worn - out notes processed are stored and after a given time , the total number of the worn - out notes having been processed at that time is printed out for the check of it . when an abnormal state such as jam , shift error or counting nonverification , takes place , all the normal notes and the worn - out notes are not taken out from all the normal and worn - out note collecting sections but the number of the notes collected in the unidentifiable note collecting section 38 ae totaled to check the used number of the notes supplied . the number q of the notes within an unidentifiable collecting section 38 when the sorting apparatus is in a normal condition is given where g1 ( g2 ) is the contents of the counter 63 1 ( 63 2 ). when an abnormality takes place in the apparatus , the total number of the notes taken out from the normal and damaged note collecting sections 11 1 , 11 2 , 13 1 and 13 2 and the notes in the unidentifiable notes are given below . ( 1 ) when an abnormality takes place under a condition that only one stack is supplied : ( 2 ) when an abnormality takes place under a condition that the nth and the ( n + 1 ) th bundles are supplied : gn . . . the contents of the counter 53 1 ( 53 2 ) for the nth stack gn + 1tr . . . the number of the notes of the ( n + 1 ) th stack supplied during a period from an instant that the abnormality takes place till it is cleared ( the contents of the counter 53 2 ( 53 1 )) through the operation as mentioned , the counting and verification may be performed . accordingly , by the circuit shown in fig4 for example , the number of the notes sorted into the normal notes collecting sections 11 1 and 11 2 and the worn - out sheet collecting sections 13 1 and 13 2 are obtained and the number of the notes obtained , together with the signal when the abnormality takes place , is stored into the addresses 1 to n of the memory unit . in fig4 the memory circuit 131 stores those when the abnormality occurs . the set value h , 56 the contents of the counters 63 1 , 63 2 , 102 and the memory circuits 110 and 123 are supplied to an operation control circuit 132 and the arithmetic logic circuit 133 . then , those circuits cooperate to perform the above - mentioned operation and to provide the results of the operation ( q1 , qn , qn + 1 ). the detail of the note locating circuit utilized in the apparatus of this invention will now be described with reference to fig5 . the note locating circuit is constructed to shift a signal produced by the aforementioned detecting device 4 and representing the result of judgement in accordance with the conveyance of corresponding notes and utilized to control the sorting devices 5 and 10 for sorting the notes into normal notes , damaged notes and rejective notes . as shown , detectors 41 , 42 , 43 and 44 are connected to timing signal generators 141 , 142 , 143 and 144 , respectively . the timing signals t1 , t2 , t3 , and t4 produced by these timing signal generators are respectively supplied to j - k flip - flop circuits 145 1 , 145 2 , 145 3 , 146 1 , 146 2 , 146 3 and 146 4 which constitute shift registers 145 and 146 , and also to shift checking circuits 147 1 , 147 2 and 147 3 ; and shift checking circuits 148 1 , 148 2 , 148 3 and 148 4 . in the detecting device 4 an invalid note judging circuit 149 and a worn - out note judging circuit 150 are provided . the output of the invalid note judging circuit 149 is connected to the input of shift register 146 , that is the j and k input terminals of the first stage flip - flop circuit 146 1 , whereas the output of the damaged note judging circuit 150 is coupled to the j and k input terminals of the first stage flip - flop circuit 146 1 of the shift register 146 . where the conveyed notes are not the invalid notes , the invalid note judging circuit 149 sets the flip - flop circuit 145 1 to an &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; state . when the leading edge of a note reaches the detector 71 located at the exit of the detecting device 4 , the timing signal generator 141 generates a timing signal t1 which functions to clear the flip - flop circuit 146 1 of the shift register 146 . this flip - flop circuit 146 1 is triggered by the timing signal t2 to set the data produced by the invalid note judging circuit 149 in the first stage flip - flop circuit 145 1 of the shift register 145 . in response to the timing signal t3 the shift checking circuit 147 1 checks whether this data has been positively set in the flip - flop circuit or not . where the result of the check shows that a different data has been set , the shift register 145 would be cleared . when the leading edge of the note reaches the next note detector 42 , the timing signal generator 142 generates timing signals t1 through t4 in the same manner as above described to shift the content of the first stage flip - flop circuit 145 1 to the second stage flip - flop circuit 145 2 . the timing signal t4 is used to clear the first stage flip - flop circuit 145 1 after its content has been shifted to the second stage flip - flop circuit 145 2 . the flip - flop circuit 145 3 is arranged to be set when the leading edge of the note reaches the note detector 43 located immediately before the next sorting device 5 , and the drive circuit 151 of the sorting device 5 is controlled in accordance with the content of the flip - flop circuit 145 3 . more particularly , where the output of the flip - flop circuit 145 3 is a &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ;, the sorting device 5 is controlled such that the notes would be conveyed to the rejective note collector 38 . on the other hand , where the notes being conveyed are not damaged notes , the damaged note judging circuit 248 sets the flip - flop circuit 146 1 to the &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; state . more particularly , by the timing signal t2 which is generated by the timing signal generator 141 after the leading edge of the note has reached the note detector 41 , the flip - flop circuit 146 1 would be set to the &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; state if the note is a damaged one . thereafter the content of the shift register 146 is shifted in the same manner as above described . when the leading edge of a note reaches a note detector 46 located immediately before the normal / damaged sorting device 10 , and when data are set in the flip - flop circuit 146 4 , the drive circuit 152 of the sorting device 10 would be controlled in accordance with the output of the flip - flop circuit 146 4 . in other words , when the output of the flip - flop circuit 146 4 is &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ;, the sorting device 10 would be controlled so that the notes would be conveyed to the damaged note collector 13 1 ( 13 2 ). in fig5 reference characters 154 1 through 154 8 designate or gate circuit . the &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; set state of shift registers 145 and 146 is determined by considering the accuracy at the time of sorting the notes . more particularly , while a signal &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; is being shifted through the shift registers , even when this signal is caused to disappear due to external noise or the like , the notes would be sorted into a collector having a higher degree or priority . for example , when the note with a worn - out signal loses its signal , the note is sorted into the invalid note collecting device 26 . for example , when the ff circuit 145 3 of the shift register 145 is &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ;, that is , when the sorting device 5 is directed so as to transfer the notes to the unidentifiable note collecting section 38 , the shift miss check circuit 153 operates to check the notes when the notes pass the detector 44 . the shift miss check circuit 153 is also connected to the detector 47 and similarly performs the check when the worn - out notes are transferred to the normal note collecting sections 11 1 and 11 11 . the jam detecting circuit used in the sorting apparatus will be described . the jam detecting circuit quickly detects some trouble occurring in the midway of transferring a single note . this circuit is constructed as shown in fig6 for example . as shown , detecting circuits 161 , 162 and 163 are connected to the detectors 43 , 44 and 45 , respectively . the output from the detecting circuit 161 is connected to a jam check circuit 164 . the outputs from the detecting circuits 162 and 163 are supplied to the jam check circuit 164 through an or circuit 165 . the jam check circuit 164 is also coupled with the output signal from a timer circuit 166 . in part of the sorting device 5 , the jam check circuit 164 checks the arrival time of a note at the detector 44 or 45 after it passed the detector 43 . when the arrival time checked is longer than a time set by the timer circuit 164 , the jam check circuit judges that the note is jammed in the sorting device 5 , thereby to produce a signal . the jam signal then is displayed by a jam display 167 . a detecting circuit connected to the detector 46 is coupled for application with jam check circuits 169 1 to 169 3 which are coupled for receiving with the outputs from the timers 170 1 to 170 3 . the outputs from the jam check circuits 169 1 to 169 3 are applied through an or circuit 171 to a jam display 172 . accordingly , in the part of the sorting apparatus , the jam check circuit 169 1 checks a time the note passes the detector 46 . when the time checked is longer than a fixed time set by the timer 170 1 , the jam check circuit judges that jam occurs in the sorting device 10 or that two or more notes are continuously transferred , whereby it produces a signal representing it . when the jam check circuit 169 2 checks the time the note passes the detector 169 2 , if the time checked is shorter than the fixed time , the jam check circuit judges that the note is skewed or that something other than the note is transferred . as a result , the jam check circuit 169 2 produces a signal representing the judgement . further , the jam check circuit 169 3 checks a time interval between two successive notes passing the detector 46 . in the check , when the time interval is shorter than a fixed time set by the timer 170 3 , the jam check circuit judges that the interval of the note therebetween is too short and produces a signal . those signals produced by the jam check circuits 169 1 to 169 3 are applied to the jam display 172 for display them . the circuit connection and operation as mentioned above relating to the detector 46 are correspondingly applied to the remaining detectors 47 to 52 . fig7 a to 7h illustrate the stack collecting section of the apparatus shown in fig1 . in fig7 a , the normal note transferred by the stack transfer device 26 is stopped by a stopper 181 . a microswitch ( not shown ) of the stopper 181 detects that the normal notes arrives at the pushing device 182 to produce a signal to drive the pushing device 182 . fig7 b illustrates a state that the pushing device 182 pushes up the stacks . the stacks pushed up opens a gate 183 which opens upwardly to both sides . as shown in fig7 c , when the stacks are pushed up to a position where it does not interfere with the gate 62 , the gate 183 closes . the pushing device is vertically movable through the gate 183 without interfering with the gate . as shown in fig7 d , the pushing device 182 descends below the gate 183 leaving the stacks on the gate . at this time , a counter ( not shown ) advances by one in response to the operation of the pushing device . when the contents of the counter becomes 5 , the 10 - stack pushing device 28 operates to send the 10 stacks to the waiting section 29 . fig7 e to 7h illustrate an operation of the stack collecting section 27 when the next stacks reach . the above - mentioned operation is correspondingly applicable for this operation . therefore , no elaboration of this will be given . fig8 shows a cross sectional view of the bundle supply section 30 , the bundling section 31 and the bundle carry - out section 32 . the bundle supply section 30 is comprised of a bundle supply truck 190 , a bundle supply rail 191 , and a bundle receiving portion 192 . the bundle supply truck 190 moves on the bundle supply rail 191 to put the bundle receiving portion 192 up to the midportion in the bundling section 31 and to supply the bundle of 10 stacks thereto . when 10 stacks are supplied to the bundling section 31 , a gear mechanism ( not shown ) rotates a gear 193 which in turn rotates a shaft 194 to push up a pushing table 195 . then , a lowr chuck 196 is pushed up to compress the 10 - stack bundle by the chucks 196 and 197 . a vertical slider 198 includes a shaft fixed to the lower chuck 196 and a linear bearing , rectilinearly moves up and down by the rotational force of the pushing table 195 without the rotation of the lower chuck . after the 10 - stack bundle is compressed , a band arm 199 is rotated around the 10 - stack bundle to wind it by a large strip . following the completion of the strip winding , a cutter and a pasting means ( both not shown ) are driven to cut the strip and paste it . when the lower chuck is lowered , the 90 ° inverting mechanism 202 is raised by an inverting vertical mechanism 203 . the 90 ° inverting mechanism 202 is provided on the inner part of the lower chuck 196 so as to hook the strip tying the bundle . the mechanism 202 , when rotating for bundling the bundle , descends so as not to interfere with the band arm 199 . when the 90 ° rotating mechanism 202 rises to catch the bundle , the inverting arm 204 rotates the inverting mechanism 202 by 90 ° to rotate the bundle by 90 °. this is for the reason that the inverting arm 204 is moved by a cam mechanism ( not shown ) since the vertical shaft has a groove allowing a vertical movement of the 90 ° inverting mechanism 202 but prohibiting its rotation . when the 90 ° rotation is completed , the inverting vertical mechanism 203 lowers the 90 ° mechanism 202 . when the mechanism 202 is lowered , the inverting arm 204 moves , so that the mechanism returns to its original state . when the mechanism 202 is lowered , the band arm 199 rotates to wind the bundle by a strip and to cut and paste the strip wound by the cutter and the pasting means . at this point , the cross bundling of the 10 stacks is completed . following this , the conveyor vertical mechanism 205 of the bundle carry - out section 32 puts the conveyor 206 into the bundling section 31 and carries out the cross - tied bundle with the drive of the conveyor 205 . the conveyor 206 is usually placed on the lower side so as not to avoid the interference of the bundling work . fig9 illustrates a principle of a weight measuring device 210 as an example of the bundle detecting section 33 . the bundle is conveyed by the weighing belt 211 to a weighing table 212 , so that the weight of the weighing table 212 is lowered due to the weight of the bundle x . a differential transformer 213 measures the amount of the lowering of the weighing table . when the bundle reaches a position detector 214 , the differential transformer responds to the signal from the position detector 214 to produce an output signal for transmission to a judging circuit ( not shown ) where it is compared with a predetermined value . a preloading spring 216 is adjustable in the strength of spring by means of a measuring reference value setting dial through a warm gear 218 . in measuring the weight of the bundle , the spring strength of the preloading spring 216 is set to the weight of a reference bundle . the weight - measured bundle is pushed onto the bundle collecting section 35 by means of the pushing device 34 1 or 34 2 . the pushing devices 34 1 and 34 2 alternately operate to arrange the bundles in two lines . when the output signal exceeds the upper or lower limits , the pushing device 34 1 and 34 2 do not operate and the bundles are transferred to the bundle reject collecting section 37 by the conveyor 211 of the bundle detecting section 33 and the bundle transfer device 36 . the operation of the sorting apparatus with such a construction will be described referring to fig1 a and 10b . the meaning of the flow chart symbols used in fig1 a and 10b are given on the left hand portion of the fig1 a . for a clearer understanding , a bunch of 100 notes bundled is called a stack and a bundle of ten stacks bundled is called a bundle , although these terms have frequently been used in the foregoing description . the contents of the respective blocks with reference numerals attached thereto are as follows : 402 . . . bundles with the numbers on the large strips , including 1 , 000 notes 405 . . . stacks with the numbers on the small strips , including 100 notes 471 . . . count the number of notes taken out from take - back note box by the note counter ( 1 ) the bundle is taken out and the large strip of it is numbered . ( 3 ) one of the ten bundles are taken out and its small strip is numbered . then , the small strip is removed and put into the bundle collecting box . the note is placed on the supply section . ( 4 ) the small strip is numbered and removed . the small strip is put into the band collecting box 53 in order . the notes is put into the supply section 1 in order . ( 5 ) the supply section 1 pushes the notes of the first stack toward the take - out device 2 . ( 6 ) the notes are taken out from the supply section 1 sheet by sheet . ( 7 ) the notes taken out is detected of a state of the sheet when it passes the detecting section 4 whereby the notes are sorted into superposed , false , foreign , invalid , normal and worn - out notes . ( 8 ) the judgement of the detecting result of the notes provides a judging signal for the sheet - like material in accordance with the priority . ( 9 ) the judging signal is shifted by the note shift circuit and the sorting direction of the sorting device is decided in accordance with the signal before the sorting devices 5 and 10 . ( 10 ) in the sorting device 5 , the unidentifiable notes ( other than the normal and worn - out notes ) are led to the unidentifiable note collecting section 38 . ( 11 ) the normal and worn - out notes reach the sorting device 10 and those are sorted into the normal and worn - out notes in response to a shift signal as in the above case . ( 12 ) the note passing the sorting device 10 is counted by the counter 63 1 ( 63 2 ). ( 13 ) the notes sorted as the normal notes by the sorting device 10 are counted by the counter 91 at the preceding stage of the sorting device 12 and the sorting directions of the sorting device 12 , that is , the normal sheet collecting sections 11 1 and 11 2 , is switched every 100 notes . ( 14 ) at the entrance of the normal sheet collecting section 11 1 ( 11 2 ) the number of the notes led thereto are counted by the counter 95 ( 96 ). ( 15 ) the notes sorted as the worn - out notes by the sorting device 10 are subjected to a situation that the direction of the sorting device 14 , that is , the worn - out note collecting sections 13 1 and 13 2 , switched every stack of the notes . at the entrance of the worn - out note collecting section 13 1 ( 13 2 ), the number of the notes led thereto are counted by the counter 113 ( 114 ). ( 16 ) when none of shift miss or counting miss is confirmed at the end of the supply of one stack of notes , the contents of the counter 63 1 ( 63 2 ), together with the number of the stack , are stored in the memory unit 81 , through the arithmetic logic circuit 80 . ( 17 ) when the normal note collecting section to which the notes are led is switched every 100 notes and the collecting section having 100 notes collected is driven , a stack of 100 notes is transferred to the normal note stack transfer device 15 and further to the bundling device 16 . when the collecting section is switched , it is stored with + 1 in the memory unit 81 , that is to say , the number of the normal notes thus far collected is stored . ( 18 ) the stack which arrives at the bundling section 16 is bundled so as not to be lost in its shape , and is transferred to the stack transfer section 21 by the stack inverting device 17 . the bundling check device 22 checks as to if the bundling of the stack is reliable or not . ( 19 ) the stack judged as the reliably bundled one by the check device 22 is pushed out by the pushing device 23 and the gate 24 from the stack transfer device 21 and is laid down . the succeeding normal note stack is laid on the preceding one . ( 20 ) the unreliably bundled note stack judged so by the check device 23 is transferred by the stack transfer device 21 to the stack reject collecting section 25 . ( 21 ) a set of two stacks superposed is transferred to the stack collecting section 27 at the stack transfer speed 26 to the stack collecting section 27 where 10 stacks are collected . ( 22 ) a bundle of 10 normal note stacks are pushed out by the pushing device 28 to the waiting section 29 . the waiting section 29 transfers the bundle to the bundle supply section 30 . ( 23 ) the bundle transferred to the bundle supply section 30 is further transferred to the bundling section 31 where it is cross - tied . the cross - tied bundle is carried out of the bundling section 31 by the transfer device 32 . the bundle carried out from the bundling section is transferred to the bundle detecting section 33 . ( 24 ) the bundle is checked by the bundle detecting section 33 as to if it has 10 stacks or not . the bundle judged good is collected in the bundle collecting section 35 by the pushing device 34 1 or 34 2 . the bundle judged bad is transferred to the bundle reject collecting section 37 by the bundle transfer device 36 . ( 25 ) when none of shift error or counting error is checked at the end of one bundle supply , the contents of the counter 113 ( 114 ), that is , the number of the present worn - out notes is added to the worn - out notes counted at the previous stage and is stored in the memory unit 81 . ( 26 ) when the worn - out note collecting section to which following one bundle supply , the next bundle is supplied , is switched , the notes are led to the worn - out note transfer device 18 is carried out to the invalidating section 19 . ( 27 ) the bundle is shredded in the invalidating section 19 and the shredded ones are into the worn - out note shreds collecting box 20 . ( 28 ) the notes which are judged as the superposed notes , the false notes , the foreign notes and the invalid notes by the detector section 4 and are led to the unidentifiable note collecting section 38 by the sorting device 5 , are taken out from the collecting device 38 by an operator and counted by him . the false , foreign and invalid notes are checked again by the operator . ( 29 ) the operator keys in the total number of the notes collected by the unidentifiable note collecting device 38 and the number of foreign , false and invalid notes by the ten key 85 . ( 30 ) when the number of notes are keyed in , a difference between the number of the normal notes and the worn - out notes counted by the counter 63 1 ( 63 2 ) at this time and the set value h is taken out from the memory unit 81 . the taken out one is compared by the comparator 86 with the number of the keyed in notes . the comparison checks if the number of notes is correct or not . ( 31 ) when the correct number of the notes of the stack is keyed in with the false , foreign and invalid notes of &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ;, the next superposed , false , foreign and invalidation notes are taken out from the collecting device 38 and the above - mentioned operation is repeated . ( 32 ) when the comparison shows the incorrect number of the notes , the numeral inputted is displayed by the display 90 . this is visually checked by an operator . when erroneous input is made , the correct number of notes is reinputted by the ten key 85 . with the keying in of the correct number of the notes , the printer 55 prints the number of the stack , the number of the erroneous inputtings , and the number of the reinputtings . the key input device which has been locked due to erroneous inputting is released . the processing of the next stack is performed . ( 33 ) when there is the incorrect number of notes but no erroneous input and when there is the incorrect number of the notes though the reinputting is made , the key input device is locked . the locking state may be unlocked by using only the key of a supervisor . when the key input device 54 is locked , the supervisor takes out the small strip corresponding to the stack having an incorrect number of notes on the bases of the number displayed on the display 87 . when the lock is released , he receives the number of the stack and the total number of the stacks , which are printed by the printer 55 . ( 34 ) when the ten key 85 inputs the false , foreign and invalid notes with numeral other than &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ;, the key input device is also locked , as in the previous case . also in this case , an operator transfers the false , foreign and invalid notes , and the corresponding small strip to a supervisor for unlocking the key input device . after unlocking , the number of the false notes , foreign notes and invalidating notes and the number of the stack including them are printed out by the printer 55 . ( 35 ) the number of the notes keyed in is stored in the memory unit 81 . before the number of the next notes in inputted , it is stored with addition of the total number of the notes collected in the unidentifiable note collecting section 38 and the total number of the foreign , false and invalid notes . ( 36 ) when jam takes place in the sorting device or the collecting section or shift error occurs in the sorting device , the jam detecting circuit detects it to stop the transfer of the notes . by checking the display of a location of the jam , the notes at the location is adjusted or picked out and then all the notes on the transfer path are collected . at this time , the take - out device 2 is in stop condition . ( 37 ) an incorrect number of notes , a undesirable result of the verification or a shift error stops the take - out of the notes and collects the notes on the transfer path in the collecting section . ( 38 ) after the steps ( 36 ) and ( 37 ), all the notes are taken out from the respective collecting sections and collected in the take - back box 39 . ( 39 ) after the process of ( 38 ), the note supply starts again . after the sorting of one stack , the number of the notes after the end of the ( 32 ) process is counted by the counter 63 1 ( 63 2 ) and the above - mentioned operation is performed . the result of the operation , together with an abnormal code , is stored in the memory unit 81 . ( 40 ) to count and verify the notes of the stack in step ( 39 ) in the unidentifiable note collecting device 38 , as in the case of no jam , incorrect number of the notes , or shift error , the notes are taken out from the unidentifiable note collecting device 38 the total number of the notes , the numbers of the false , foreign and invalid notes are keyed in , so that the key input device is locked . then , the number of the notes in the take - back box 39 is counted by an ordinary counter and is keyed in by the ten key 85 . after this operation , if the apparatus provides the judgement of the correct number of the notes , the lock of the key input device is released . at this time , the printer 55 prints the number of the notes within the take - back note box 39 . ( 41 ) when the incorrect number of the notes is found in the step ( 33 ), a similar process is performed . ( 42 ) of the large and small strips of the bundles after the verifications thereof are completed , those having the incorrect number of the notes , and the false , foreign and invalid notes are discarded . ( 43 ) after the verifications by using the sorting operation and the key input device 54 are completed , the printer 55 prints the sum of the total number of the notes in the unidentifiable note collecting device 38 , and the numbers of the false , foreign and invalid notes . seeing this , an operator may check again the number of these notes . ( 44 ) after the sorting operation and the verification by using the key input device 54 are completed , the printer 55 prints out the total number of the worn - out notes and the total number of the normal notes . the total number of the worn - out notes may be reached by the total number of the normal notes and the total number of the notes in the unidentifiable note collecting section 38 . | 1 |
referring to fig1 there is shown a basic structure of a movement guiding device according to one embodiment of the present invention . in this embodiment , the invention is applied to a linear guide for guiding linear movement of a movable table 19 as a first member relative to a base 17 as a second member along a path extending in a direction perpendicular to the sheet of fig1 . fixedly provided on the base 17 are a pair of parallel guide rails 20a and 20b having horizontally extending guide surfaces . disposed on the guide surfaces of the guide rails 20a and 20b are linear roller bearings 22a and 22b each having a plurality of substantially cylindrical rollable elements arrayed equidistantly by means of an unshown retainer . each linear roller bearing may be replaced by a linear ball bearing having similarly arrayed spherical rollable elements . on the other hand , the table 19 has , on its lower portion , a pair of fixedly provided guide shoes 21a and 21b which are arranged to ride on the roller bearings 22a and 22b , respectively . these guide rails , roller bearings and guide shoes co - operate with each other to constitute first guide means . while in this embodiment both the guide rails 20a , 20b and the guide shoes 21a , 21b protrude such as shown in fig1 this is not a requirement . for example , one of the pair of the guide rails and the pair of the guide shoes may have surfaces coplanar with the upper surface of the base 17 or the lower surface of the movable table 19 . the device further includes second guide means which is comprised of another rail 24 fixedly provided on the base 17 , extending in parallel to the guide rails 20a and 20b and having vertical guide surfaces , a sliding guide shoe 25 mounted on the lower part of the table 19 , and a pressing roller unit 27 . the guide rail 24 has the guide surfaces formed on its opposite side faces , to provide vertical guide surfaces for guiding movement of the table 19 in a direction perpendicular to the sheet of fig1 while preventing displacement of the table 19 in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the table 19 , i . e . prohibiting displacement of the table 19 in a lateral direction as viewed in fig1 . while in fig1 only one sliding guide shoe 25 is shown , the device actually has two such sliding guide shoes fixedly secured to the table 19 along the guide rail 24 so that their sliding surfaces are in sliding contact with one of the guide surfaces i . e ., right - hand side guide surface as viewed in fig1 of the guide rail 24 . it is a possible alternative to provide an integral sliding guide shoe having separate sliding surfaces . in any case , it is preferable to provide plural sliding surfaces which are in sliding contact with the guide surface of the guide rail 24 . each of the sliding surfaces of the sliding guide shoes 25 is formed by a material having a low coefficient of friction , such as a hardwearing metal ( e . g . phosphor bronze ), a sintered metal , an organic compound ( polytetrafluoroethylene ) or a composite of these materials . also as for the pressing roller unit 27 , the device actually has two such pressing roller units , though only one is shown in fig1 which are mounted on the table 19 along the guide rail 24 and at positions corresponding to the sliding guide shoes 25 . it is a possible alternative to dispose only one pressing roller unit 27 at a position corresponding to the middle of the two sliding guide shoes 25 . as a further alternative , three or more pressing roller units may be provided . each pressing roller unit 27 has a pressing roller which is biased by an unshown spring toward the guide rail 24 , such that the pressing roller unit 27 is adapted to sandwich the guide rail 24 between its pressing roller and an associated one of the sliding guide shoes 25 . the biasing force applied to the pressing roller of each pressing roller unit 27 is adjustable by a bias adjusting means , diagrammatically shown in fig1 which includes an adjusting screw arranged to adjust the biasing force of the spring when it is rotated . by adjusting the biasing force of the spring , it is possible to set or establish , as desired , an apparent coefficient of friction at the sliding contact portion between the guide rail 24 and the sliding guide shoe 25 in the direction of movement of the table 19 . it is a possible alternative to provide a piezoelectric device or the like , in place of the adjusting screw , to automatically and continuously control the biasing force of the spring to be applied to the pressing roller . this is preferable because the pressing force of the pressing roller applied to the guide rail 24 and therefore to the sliding guide shoe 25 can be variably controlled in accordance with the movement of the table 19 . in the embodiment of fig1 as described above , the guide means for preventing relative displacement in the vertical direction is provided by a combination of a flat plane and a roller . thus , the weight of the table is supported through rolling friction which is smaller than sliding friction . also , the guide means for preventing relative displacement in the lateral direction is provided by a sliding element which is in sliding contact with a portion of the moving table with a sliding contact pressure . further , the biasing force applied to the sliding element to determine the sliding contact pressure is adjustable or variably controllable as desired . as described , the movement guiding device of fig1 includes , in combination , sliding guide means utilizing sliding friction which is advantageous to reduce the time required for the positioning and roller guide means utilizing rolling friction which assures high accuracies in the positioning . in addition thereto , the apparent coefficient of friction of the sliding guide in the direction of movement of the table can be adjustable as desired or be made variably controllable . with the above arrangement , the movement guiding device of fig1 shows characteristics such as shown in fig1 and 12 by numeral ○ 1 . also , by changing the sliding contact pressure of the sliding guide , it is possible to change , as desired , the characteristics of the movement guiding device within a range denoted by a hatched area in each of fig1 and 12 . this adjustment will be made at the time of manufacture of the device , in view of the use of the device , needs or the like . of course , such adjustment may be made by an operator when the device is actually used . the movement guiding device of fig1 requires a starting torque which is greater than a steady - state torque , because upon initiation of movement there exists a substantial static friction due to the rolling friction as well as the sliding friction . if desired , however , the torque curve of the drive source can be flattened by variably controlling the pressing force of the pressing roller in such manner that the pressing force is decreased upon initiation of the movement while it is increased to a predetermined level when the steady - state speed is reached . the movement guiding device of the present invention can be suitably applied to a wafer moving system of an exposure apparatus . fig2 shows an example of such application . in fig2 arrangement , there are provided two movement guiding devices combined with each other to allow precise movement of a table in two orthogonal directions x and y . more particularly , the fig2 arrangement includes a y - direction guide mechanism , as a first movement guiding system , provided between a base 31 which is a first member and a y - stage 32 which is a second member , and an x - direction guide mechanism , as a second movement guiding system , provided between the y stage 32 which is a first member of the second movement guiding system and an x stage 33 which is a second member . mounted on the x stage 33 is a workpiece carrying table 34 which is arranged to be displaced through a minute distance in the direction of the z - axis , perpendicular to the x and y directions , and which is rotatable through a minute angle in a rotational direction θ about the z - axis . a wafer ( not shown ), after it is conveyed onto the table 34 , is moved by means of the x stage 33 and y stage 32 to a desired position in a plane of the x - y co - ordinates . the base 31 has a pair of parallel guide rails 35a and 35b having horizontal guide surfaces and another guide rail 36 extending in parallel to the guide rails 35a and 35b and having a vertical guide surface , all of which are fixedly secured to the base 31 . disposed respectively on the horizontal guide surfaces of the guide rails 35a and 35b are linear roller bearings 37a and 37b . fixedly provided on the lower surface of the y stage 32 are a pair of guide shoes 38a and 38b which are adapted to ride on the roller bearings 37a and 37b , respectively , of the guide rails 35a and 35b . also , a sliding guide shoe 39 and a pressing roller unit 40 are provided on the lower surface of the y stage 32 so as to oppose each other , such that the guide shoe 39 and the pressing roller unit 40 are in contact with the opposite vertical side surfaces ( guide surfaces ) of the guide rail 36 , respectively . while in fig2 only one sliding guide shoe and only one pressing roller unit are shown , the device actually includes two sliding guide shoes and two pressing roller units , as in the case of the fig1 arrangement , which are disposed along the guide rail 36 . the movement of the y stage 32 in the y direction is effected by a drive and transmitting mechanism including a motor 41 , a feed screw 42 ( which are provided on the side of the base 31 ), a feed nut ( not shown ) which is provided on the side of the y stage 32 and which is in mesh - engagement with the feed screw 42 . fixedly mounted on the upper surface of the y stage 32 are a pair of guide rails 43a and 43b and another guide rail 44 , all of which extend in parallel to each other . the guide rails 43a and 43b have horizontal guide surfaces and extend perpendicularly to the guide shoes 38a and 38b formed on the lower surface of the y stage 32 , and thus perpendicularly to the guide rails 35a , 35b and 36 of the base 31 . the guide rail 44 has two vertical guide surfaces formed on the opposite side faces thereof . similarly to the y - direction guide mechanism , linear roller bearings 45a and 45b are disposed on the horizontal guide surfaces of the guide rails 43a and 43b . fixedly mounted on the lower surface of the x stage 33 are a pair of guide shoes 46a and 46b which are adapted to ride on the roller bearings 45a and 45b , respectively , of the guide rails 43a and 43b formed on the upper surface of the y stage 32 . also , a sliding guide shoe 47 and a pressing roller unit 48 are mounted on the lower surface of the x stage 33 so as to oppose to each other , such that they are in contact with the vertical guide surfaces of the guide rail 44 , respectively . similarly , the x - direction guide mechanism actually includes two sliding guide shoes ( only one is shown at 47 ) and two pressing roller units ( only one is shown at 48 ), the shoes and units being disposed along the guide rail 44 as in the case of those provided on the lower surface of the y stage 32 . movement of the x stage 33 in the x direction is effected by a drive and transmitting mechanism including a motor 49 , a feed screw 50 ( which are provided on the side of the y stage 32 ), a feed nut ( not shown ) which is provided on the side of the x stage 33 and which is in mesh - engagement with the feed screw 50 . in this embodiment of the wafer moving system , each of the motors 41 and 49 is a step motor . by applying a predetermined amount of drive to each of the y stage 32 and x stage 33 from an associated one of the motors 41 and 49 and at a predetermined repetition timing , the y stage 32 is moved in the y direction while the x stage 33 is moved in the x direction , both relative to the base 31 . during such movements in the y direction and x direction , each of the y direction guide mechanism and the x - direction guide mechanism operates to guide the movement of the table 34 in accordance with the positioning characteristics which have been preset or selected , as has been described with reference to fig1 and 12 . namely , each of the y - direction guide mechanism and the x - direction guide mechanism is operative to guide the movement of the table 34 exactly in accordance with the positioning characteristics which have been set at the time of manufacture of the wafer moving system . of course , this adjustment may be made by an operator when he uses the device . it is also possible to variably control the positioning characteristics of the wafer moving system by variably controlling the pressing force of each of the pressing roller units , as has been described with reference to fig1 . in accordance with the present invention , as has hitherto been described , there is provided a movement guiding device which includes , in combination , first guide means using rolling friction and second guide means using sliding friction , to thereby assure both a satisfactory positioning accuracy and a satisfactorily reduced time for the positioning . also , the basic structure of the movement guiding device of the present invention allows adjustment of the apparent coefficient of friction in the direction of movement , which is equal to the frictional force in the moving direction as divided by the pressing force produced by the pressing roller unit . thus , the movement guiding device of the present invention is particularly suitable for use in a moving system in which repetition of quick starts and prompt stops as well as high positioning accuracies are required . while the invention has been described with reference to the structures disclosed herein , it is not confined to the details set forth and this application is intended to cover such modifications or changes as may come within the purposes of the improvements or the scope of the following claims . | 5 |
fig1 is a system - level schematic diagram of the preferred embodiment of the present invention . in fig1 an apparatus 10 is illustrated as situated on a single substrate 12 . apparatus 10 includes a computer processing unit 14 , a connection 16 for an s - bus ( not shown ) and supportive peripheral devices 18 comprising an s - bus interface circuit 20 and a bus master support circuit 22 . s - bus supportive peripheral devices 18 are preferably configured to accommodate direct connection of an s - bus to apparatus 10 with no additional peripheral devices required for an effective operative connection . similarly , a connection 24 for an m - bus ( not shown ) has associated therewith m - bus supportive peripheral devices 26 , including a dynamic random access memory ( dram ) control unit 28 and a shadow random access memory ( ram ) control unit 30 . preferably , m - bus supportive peripheral devices 26 are configured to allow direct connection of the m - bus to m - bus connection 24 with no additional supportive peripheral devices required for an effective operative connection . a connection 32 with an x - bus ( not shown ) is also provided for apparatus 10 . associated with x - bus connection 32 are x - bus supportive peripheral devices 34 , including an x - bus interface 36 . x - bus supportive peripheral devices 34 are preferably configured to allow direct connection of the x - bus to x - bus connection 32 with no additional peripheral devices required for an effective operative connection . in the environment in which it is anticipated the preferred embodiment of the present invention would be employed , i . e ., an at - configured computing system , the s - bus is intended for use as a system - expansion bus to which would be connected industry - standard signal generators , timing devices , and other expansion cards and subsystems . similarly , in such a preferred at system configuration , the m - bus is used for communication to direct dram interfaces , while the x - bus is employed as an expansion bus to effect connection with such devices as read - only memories ( roms ), keyboard controllers , numeric co - processors , and the like . apparatus 10 further comprises a plurality of core peripheral devices 38 which include , by way of example , a direct memory access ( dma ) unit 40 , an interrupt unit 42 , a counter / timer device 44 , and a real time clock and static ram device 46 . the various core peripheral devices 38 are operatively connected to input - output pins in order to perform their intended function . thus , dma unit 40 is operatively connected with input - output pins 48 in order to receive data request signals ( dreq ) and transmit data acknowledgement signals ( dack ), interrupt unit 42 is operatively connected with input - output pins 50 in order to receive interrupt signals ( ints ), counter / timer device 44 is operatively connected with input - output pins 52 to provide operative connection with a system speaker ( spkr ), and real time clock and static ram device 46 is operatively connected to input - output pins 54 in order to receive power from a power supply , such as vbatt . while roms and keyboard controllers are connectable to apparatus 10 by x - bus connection 32 , the preferred embodiment of apparatus 10 illustrated in fig1 also provides for direct rom connection to a rom interface 56 through an input - output pins 58 . similarly , a keyboard interface 60 is also provided for access to apparatus 10 via input - output pins 62 . also illustrated in the system - level diagram of fig1 are additional supportive peripheral devices 64 , including a co - processor interface 66 , a reset circuit 68 , a power control circuit 70 , and a clock multiplexer and divider unit 72 . input - output pins are provided for access to the various additional supportive peripheral devices 64 so that co - processor interface 66 is connected with input - output pins 74 , reset circuit 68 is connected with input - output pins 76 , and clock multiplexer divider unit 72 is connected with a plurality of input - output pins 78 . an internal bus 80 is provided to effect communications among the various components of apparatus 10 , including s - bus supportive peripheral devices 18 , m - bus supportive peripheral devices 26 , x - bus supportive peripheral devices 34 , core peripheral devices 38 , and computer processing unit 14 . computer processing unit ( cpu ) 14 is operatively connected with internal bus 80 via memory management unit ( mmu ) 82 and its associated address latch 84 and data buffer 86 . computer processing unit 14 is responsive to a cpu control device 88 , which cpu control device 88 is in intimate communicational relation with a bus control device 90 . bus control device 90 is operatively connected with internal bus 80 and includes a refresh generator 92 which i responsive to counter / timer 44 to periodically refresh specified components of apparatus 10 , such as dynamic rams ( drams ) through dram control unit 28 . internal supportive peripheral devices 94 are situated intermediate internal bus 80 and bus control circuit 90 , including a non - maskable interface ( nmi ) port 96 , an input - output decode circuit 98 , and configurable registers 100 . thus , apparatus 10 provides appropriate bus - accommodating means such as s - bus supportive peripheral devices 18 , m - bus supportive peripheral devices 26 , and x - bus supportive peripheral devices 34 , as well as rom interface 56 and keyboard interface 60 , to support direct connection of peripheral devices via data buses to apparatus 10 with no additional supportive peripheral devices required . effective and efficient internal communications within apparatus 10 are provided by internal bus 80 , access to which is controlled by bus control circuit 90 so that computer processing unit 14 may provide information to or receive information from any of the several supportive external buses via internal bus 80 . further , information may be exchanged among the various external buses according to bus control circuit 90 , as dictated by the program driving computer processing unit 14 , all via internal bus 80 . in its preferred embodiment , apparatus 10 is configured on a single substrate 12 as an integrated digital circuit , thereby providing the advantages of higher operating speed , lower power consumption , and reduced occupancy of &# 34 ; real estate &# 34 ; in its physical embodiment . in order to facilitate understanding of the present invention , like elements will be indicated by like reference numerals in the various drawings . fig2 is a schematic perspective drawing illustrating the employment of the present invention with a host computing system . in fig2 a host processing system 10 ( described in detail in connection with fig1 ), including a computer processing unit 14 , is carried with associated devices 15 on a substrate 12 . the apparatus 210 of the present invention is carried on a substrate 212 . also carried on substrate 212 are additional devices in support of apparatus 210 , such as erasable programmable memories ( eproms ) 214 , dynamic random access memories ( drams ) 216 , and peripherals 218 , 219 . for purposes of clarity , as well as to facilitate understanding of the present invention , similar buses associated with apparatus 10 and with apparatus 210 will be denoted similarly , with buses associated with apparatus 210 being further denoted with a &# 34 ; prime &# 34 ; annotation . thus , eprom 214 and peripherals 218 , 219 are associated with x &# 39 ;- bus 220 ; drams 216 are associated with m &# 39 ;- bus 222 ; and s &# 39 ;- bus 224 is operatively connected with apparatus 10 at its s - bus interface 20 ( see fig1 ), not shown in detail in fig2 . in its preferred embodiment , s &# 39 ;- bus 224 is connected to s - bus 16 ( see fig1 ) via a pin connector 223 . host processing system 10 of fig2 and apparatus 210 of fig2 may both be configured as illustrated in fig1 . fig3 is a schematic diagram of the preferred embodiment of the present invention . in fig3 a bus master support circuit 22 is illustrated . bus master support circuit 22 illustrated in fig3 is integrally incorporated in a local computing system 10 as illustrated in fig1 . apparatus 22 is comprised of a page register 230 which receives address information from local processing unit 10 via local internal data bus 80 ( not shown ) at bus connector 232 , and receives read / write control information local processing unit 10 via local internal data bus 80 ( not shown ) at input 234 . page register 230 produces an address page output signal at output 236 and applies that signal at an input 238 to a memory hit compare device 240 , as well as at an input 242 to an input - output hit compare unit 244 . address information relating to memory operations , which is identified by the particular address bits provided , is provided from local processing unit 10 indicating the address location currently addressed by local processing unit 10 as input 246 to memory hit compare unit 240 . similarly , address information relating to input - output operations , likewise identifiable by the particular bits provided , is applied from local processing unit 10 indicating the address location currently addressed by local processing unit 10 as input 248 of input - output hit compare unit 244 . thus , one of the memory hit compare unit 240 and input - output hit compare unit 244 will produce an output indicating a &# 34 ; hit &# 34 ;, i . e ., an equality of comparison of address page output signal from page register 230 and address information received at input 246 or input 248 . thus , either output 250 from input - output hit compare unit 244 or output 252 from memory hit compare unit 240 will be positive , but not both . outputs 250 , 252 are applied as inputs to hit detect unit 254 . bus master support apparatus 22 also includes a control register 260 for receiving information from local processing unit 10 via local internal data bus 80 ( not shown ) at bus connector 262 and for receiving read - write signals from local processing unit 10 via local internal bus 80 ( not shown ) at input 264 . control register 260 has a number of outputs , including data type indicators hie at output 266 and hme at output 268 . thus , page register 230 and control register 260 cooperate whereby page register 230 sets a window address by its address page output signal 236 and control register 260 sets a window type : input - output type operation ( output signal hie 266 ); or memory - type operation , ( output signal hme 268 ). note that signal hie is provided at input 270 and signal hme is provided at input 272 of hit detect unit 254 . in such manner , hit detect unit 254 ascertains the window address as well as window type associated with a given operation by receiving inputs 250 , 252 , 270 , 272 . local computer processing unit 10 status is provided to detect unit 254 at bus connector 274 . additional outputs of control register 260 are also applied as inputs to hit detect unit 254 : acquire bus output 276 from control register 260 is applied to control and status unit 294 to indicate whether access to s - bus 16 ( fig1 ) is desired ; signal bcon at output 280 of control register 260 and signal bmm at output 282 of control register 260 control whether bus master support circuit 22 is engaged or not engaged . signal bmm is applied as input 284 of hit detect unit 254 . input 278 provides an indication to hit detect unit 254 when s - bus 16 ( fig1 ) is acquired . thus , when there is a match as to desired window type ( indicated by signal hie at input 270 and signal hme at input 272 ) with desired window address ( indicated at inputs 250 , 252 ), and the local computer processing unit is effecting the correct type of transfer , such as memory read , memory write , input - output read , or input - output write , ( indicated by input 274 ), and bus master support circuit 22 is engaged ( indicated by inputs 284 and 278 ), then a &# 34 ; hit &# 34 ; is detected and an output hit - detect signal is applied to output 290 from hit detect unit 254 ., the hit - detect signal at output 290 is applied to local buffer or local bus control unit 90 ( see fig1 ), as well as provided as an input 292 to control and status circuit 294 . control and status unit 294 is a programmable logic unit or state machine responsive to its various inputs , which include outputs 276 , 280 , 282 from control register 260 and output 292 from hit detect unit 254 to produce outputs responsive to those various inputs according to a program in either the form of pin signals 296 or the form of an intervention signal at output 298 , or both . pin signals 296 relate to communicating to the host computer processing unit to inquire whether the local processing unit may take control of the host computer processing unit &# 39 ; s internal bus and comprise a bus request signal 300 which is issued by control and status unit 294 when it is desired that bus master support circuit 22 take control of s - bus interface 20 of the host computing system ( not shown ). the host computing system indicates that such control by bus master support unit 22 will be allowed by issuing a bus acknowledge signal which is received by control and status unit 294 at input 302 . once a bus acknowledge signal is received at input 302 , an enabling signal is passed on control line 304 to s - bus interface 20 ( fig1 ) to enable data transfer on s - bus 16 ( fig1 ). an intervention signal 298 is produced by control and status unit 294 when it is desired to take control of s - bus interface 20 of a host device and , in such case ( as manifested by receipt of a bus acknowledge signal at input 302 ), intervention signal 298 is applied to local s - bus buffer control unit 308 in order to modify normal buffer control signals received from local bus control unit 90 ( not shown ) on bus connector 310 to produce modified buffer control signals to local s - bus interface 20 on output bus connector 312 . it is to be understood that , while the detailed drawings and specific examples given describe preferred embodiments of the invention , they are for the purpose of illustration only , that the apparatus of the invention is not limited to the precise details and conditions disclosed and that various changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention which is defined by the following claims : | 6 |
it is therefore an object of the invention to provide a method for machining a gas turbine rotor , with which in the case of crack - prone cooling air slots with partially overlapped bridges the slot base and the slot flanks of the cooling air slots are made free of cracks by forming a new slot contour without welds with subsequent heat treatment in conjunction with the bridge renewal being necessary . a further object of the invention is based on using a slot shape with which operationally induced component reaction cracks are avoided . the object is achieved by the entirety of the features of claim 1 . it is an essential feature for the solution that a material - removing tool , particularly a milling tool , is lowered in the gaps between the bridges one after the other into the cooling air slot , and in this way the slot base of the cooling air slot is machined over the entire circumference , and that the slot base of the cooling air slot is widened in width as a result of the material removal in such a way that it has a tear - shaped cross - sectional contour with a constriction which lies at the level of the bridges . according to one development of the invention a specific section of the cooling air slot is machined through each of the gaps , wherein the machining sections which are associated with adjacent gaps overlap . a further development of the method is that the material - removing tool is moved in a programmed controllable manner in the cooling air slot in a plurality of planes , in that the gas turbine rotor is rotatably supported around its axis , and that once the associated section of the cooling air slot is machined through a gap the material - removing tool is withdrawn from the cooling air slot , the gas turbine rotor is rotated around its axis by a predetermined angle , and the material - removing tool is lowered in a new gap into the cooling air slot for machining . another development is that the machining of the slot base is conducted in such a way that the cooling air slot in the slot base has a crack - resistant slot shape with a notch factor of & lt ; 1 . 5 . the material - removing tool for machining the slot base is preferably controlled according to a numerical control program ( nc - program ). in particular , a component - specific cross - sectional final profile of the slot base is determined in this case from the individual operating data of the gas turbine rotor , wherein the cross - sectional final profile can be produced from one or more cross - sectional master profiles by the use of distortion parameters which are determined , a corresponding nc - program for controlling the material - removing tool is associated with each cross - sectional master profile , and the determined distortion parameters are used for adapting the nc - program for the creation of the cross - sectional final profile . the adapting of the nc - program is preferably undertaken by the distortion parameters offline with a postprocessor , or online in the machine control system . if the gas turbine rotor , before the machining in the cooling air slot , has cracks of a specific crack depth , the cross - sectional final profile which is to be achieved as a result of the machining is preferably influenced by the type and state of the cracks . in fig4 , a cooling air slot 13 , as it is also shown in fig2 and as it is before the machining , is drawn in with broken lines . the cooling air slot 13 has a very narrow slot base 16 which leads to the compressed air which flows in through the cooling air holes 14 locally heating the opposing slot flanks in specific operating states and causing thermal stresses in the cooling air slot . it is the aim of the machining method , without intervention into the structure of the bridges 36 ( fig3 ), to widen the cooling air slot which lies beneath them , starting from the cross - sectional contour of the cooling air slot 13 in fig4 , so that the harmful effects of the cooling air which flows into the slot can be substantially alleviated . for this purpose , according to fig4 a material - removing tool , especially with a longish milling body 22 , which rotates around an axis 23 , is lowered in the gaps 38 between the bridges 36 one after the other into the cooling air slot , and the slot base 16 of the cooling air slot is widened over the entire circumference so that a cross - sectional profile according to the slots which are shown in fig4 as a cooling air slot 19 or cooling air slot 19 ′ results . the milling tool 22 in this case must not only be rotated the axial direction but also in the circumferential direction . as a result of this type of machining , the slot base of the cooling air slot is widened in width ( b 1 , b 2 ) by material removal in such a way that it has the tear - shaped cross - sectional contour which is shown in fig4 with a constriction 20 which lies at the level of the bridges 36 . furthermore , as a result of the rotation in the circumferential direction , a specific circumferential section of the cooling air slot is machined through each of the gaps 38 , wherein the machining sections which are associated with adjacent gaps overlap . a uniformly widened slot base cross section over the circumference , as is to be seen in fig4 , altogether results in this way despite the geometric limitation during the individual machining steps . the rounded transition between slot flanks and slot base in this case preferably has the shape of an elliptical section ( ellipse 24 ). the slot shape in this case is determined by a slot width ( b 1 , b 2 ) as a flow path length which alleviates the effect of the air from the compressor , which flows in through the cooling air holes , in such a way that this does not bring about impermissible heat yield into the slot flanks . for this purpose the slot base has a tear - shaped formation with a constriction 20 and a transition 21 between a widened section and a section of constant width with the aim of a notch factor of & lt ; 1 . 5 as a design feature of the crack - resistant slot shape . from the individual operating data of each gas turbine rotor the component - specific shape of the slot base is determined by known mathematical methods . the new slot shape is defined according to fig5 by a flow diagram 40 by the current damage state first being determined . taking into consideration the manner of use of the generator ( from operating data 26 ), a new final profile 29 , 31 is generated . for describing the final profile 29 , 31 , a master profile 28 , 30 is used which is distorted with specific distortion parameters 27 . a plurality of master profiles 28 , 30 can be given from which a profile which is specific for this rotor is selected . an nc - program , which was previously manually generated , is associated with each master profile . the determined distortion parameters 27 are used in order to also adapt the nc - program in an nc - control system 32 . re - programming is therefore dispensed with . the necessary coordinate transformations are converted either offline in a postprocessor or online directly in the machine control system . the nc - control system 32 then controls a milling machine 25 with the milling body 22 which is introduced through the gaps 38 into the cooling air slot 13 of the gas turbine rotor 10 which is to be machined . a rotary drive 33 , which can measure the rotational angle at the same time , is connected to the nc - control system 32 . the tool 22 is guided through the gaps 38 between the bridges / support elements 36 which cover the slot opening so that these are not affected by the cutting process . the tool 22 , as described above , by a suitable drive unit which is fastened outside the slot , is moved in a programmed controllable manner in the slot in a plurality of planes . by variable equipping of the tool with different cutting bodies or different tool shapes the surface roughness of the machining zones and the surface milled profile can be varied . the drive unit can be an externally seated ( above the slot ) speed - controllable motor . the component surface , which is milled in a defined manner in contour and depth , is the aim of the milling process , wherein the surface depth which is to be milled is predetermined by the crack depth which is determined before or during the milling process , or by a new slot shape configuration . the tool in this case machines a slot surface which is delimited as a result of the movement space of the window between the bridges over the slot . in order to free the entire slot circumference of cracks by milling by metal cutting , a stepwise repositioning of the construction of rotor and tool is carried out until the slot surfaces which are freed of cracks or are to be newly contoured are covered . | 8 |
fig1 shows a plan view of an end region of a drawn out leached fiber bundle . the optical fibers 2 and spacers 1 are not completely fused together , so that interstices 3 are located between them . the figure does not illustrate the fact that the optical fibers 2 usually comprise a light - conducting core and a sheath . the interstices 3 are subsequently filled with at least one adhesive . the pitch 4 between the optical fiber ends 2 is determined by the diameter of the spacers 1 , if the diameter 5 of the optical fibers 2 is less than or equal to the smallest interstice diameter . if the diameter 5 is smaller than the smallest interstice diameter , it can be adapted by a spacer tube around the optical fibers 2 . fig2 shows the longitudinal section through the end region of a drawn - out optical fiber bundle with end faces which are not completely fused . the rigid end region 11 is provided with a sleeve 10 made , for example , from metal , glass , plastic , ceramic or composite . in the rigid end region 11 there are optical fibers and spacers , and the interstices are filled with adhesive . an interlayer 12 , which protects the sensitive end region from damage caused be mechanical loads and / or forms a positively locking connection between end region 11 and sleeve 10 , may be introduced between sleeve 10 and end region 11 . this interlayer 12 may , for example , be formed of a wax . the rigid end region 11 is filled with at least one adhesive up to a filling height ( h ). of course , it is possible for the end region to be completely filled . the filling height ( h ) is measured from the end face of the rigid end region 11 towards the flexible region 13 . the end region 11 is adjoined by the transition region 14 between rigid end region 11 and flexible region 13 . according to the invention , at the transition region the adhesive or adhesives for protection of the transition region are introduced . fig3 shows the transition region 14 from fig2 on a larger scale . in this region , the flexible optical fibers 21 meet the rigid region 20 , not all of which is shown . the rigid region 20 includes both optical fibers and spacers . adhesive 22 which protects the transition region from mechanical loads has been introduced into the spaces between the optical fibers 21 . in the following exemplary embodiments , optical fiber bundles with a pitch of 250 μm were produced using the process according to the invention . in tests , adhesives from the vitralit ® series produced by panacol - elosol have proven particularly suitable for filling the interstices , in this case in particular vitralit ® 1508 containing 15 % of nanoparticles and vitralit ® 1605 ( viscosity : 0 . 3 - 0 . 75 pa · s at 25 ° c .). the adhesives from the araldite ® series from ciba specialty chemicals can also advantageously be used , in this case in particular ay 103 and hy 956 ( viscosity : 3 pa · s at 25 ° c .). vitralit ® is based on one component epoxy , and araldite ® is based on two component epoxy . the abovementioned adhesives were used to produce fiber bundles according to the invention using the process of the invention . all the adhesives mentioned had only a very low polishability and also had a very good resistance to the production process described above . in particular during the application of a wax layer 12 at 150 ° c . to protect the end region 11 from the removal of the spacers and the subsequent etching for removal of the spacers using hot acids , lyes and deionized water , no changes occurred to the mechanical strength of the adhesives , and also no gaseous components were released . at the pitch 4 of 250 μm used and an optical fiber diameter 5 of 100 μm , the interstices 3 were filled by first of all applying a pressure reduction , generated by a vacuum pump , to one end of the fiber bundle and filling the other end with adhesive to a filling height ( h ) of 2 cm . then , the drawn - out , still rigid fiber bundle was heated with the aid of a hot - air drier ( setting : 450 ° c . for 60 s ), and the as yet unfilled end was immersed in the adhesive and then cooled . the contracting gas volumes in the interstices 3 ensured that the adhesive was drawn into the rigid fiber bundle ends to a filling height ( h ) of 2 cm . it is also possible , instead of filling the interstices of the first end region with the aid of a vacuum pump , for the first end region also to be filled with adhesives by exploiting the contraction of preheated gas volumes , if the other end is at least temporarily closed , for example using a teflon film , before the end region is immersed in the adhesives . of course , it is also possible for the interstices of one rigid end of the fiber bundle first of all to be filled with adhesives using the capillary forces . in this case , however , the introduction of the adhesives into the other end has to be effected with the aid of a pressure reduction as described . the fiber bundle ends which had previously been filled with adhesive were then provided with end sleeves made from metal , polished , the end regions were protected with wax and the spacers were removed as described , so that the middle region was flexibilized . in bending tests with a bending radius of 25 mm , 24 , 000 bends and a lower end load weighing 20 g , it was found that even with the pitch 4 of 250 μm and an optical fiber diameter 5 of 100 μm , more than half of all the optical fibers 21 broke in the transition region 14 . this means a high scrap rate in the production process or a low service life for optical fiber bundles in use . to protect the optical fibers 21 in the transition region 14 , additional adhesives 22 were introduced with the aid of syringes with thin needles . to ensure sufficient distribution of the adhesives , they were introduced dropwise from a plurality of locations in the transition region 14 of the fiber bundle . the adhesives sylgard ® 184 ( hardness : shore a50 ) produced by dow corning and eccobond ® uv 9501 ( hardness : shore d43 ) produced by emerson & amp ; cuming have proven particularly suitable for protecting the transition region 14 . neither of these adhesives transmits excessively high stresses to the sensitive optical fibers 21 during mechanical load either through their thermal expansion or through an excessively high strength . also , they are both equally 30 able to withstand climatic tests . sylgard ® is based on silicone and eccobond ® is based on acrylate . eccobond ® uv 9501 can be cured using uv light within 3 to 8 seconds and is therefore distinguished by particularly simple processing . sylgard ® 184 is thermally curable , e . g . by heating to 100 ° c . for one hour , and is therefore more complex to handle . comparative bending tests under the same conditions as those described above , applied to fiber bundles with the transition regions protected in this way , showed that there were no longer any broken fibers . | 6 |
embodiments of the invention will now be described with references to the accompanying drawings . fig1 and 2 are plan views illustrating an example of a structure of a tape carrier 100 according to one embodiment of the invention . specifically , fig1 indicates a state of the tape carrier 100 before stamping the tape carrier along cut lines 51 that demarcate a production region . the double dotted lines in fig1 are the cut lines 51 and regions surrounded thereby are product regions . moreover , fig2 indicates the tape carrier 100 divided into individual products by stamping the tape carrier 100 along the cut lines 51 . as shown in fig1 , the tape carrier 100 includes , in a state prior to being stamped , a long base film 1 , sprocket holes 2 provided on a side edge in the longitudinal direction of the base film 1 , inner and outer leads ( hereafter referred to as “ leads ”) 3 , and solder resists 5 coated on the tape carrier 100 so as to cover these leads 3 . the base film 1 is formed with an insulating material such as polyimide , and the leads 3 are formed with metallic thin film such as copper film . as shown in fig1 , the internal product region includes regions in which ic devices are installed ( ic installation regions 53 ), and regions on which resin for sealing the ic devices is coated ( resin regions 55 ). when manufacturing a semiconductor device using this tape carrier 100 , an ic device 11 ( refer to fig2 ) is installed in each of the ic installation regions 53 , and thereafter an epoxy resin 12 ( refer to fig2 ) is coated on each of the resin regions 55 , so as to seal the ic device 11 with resin . subsequently , the tape carrier 100 is stamped along the cut lines 51 using a die , so as to be divided into individual products . this tape carrier 100 includes , similar to the related art described above , a bendable region ( bending region ) for storing the divided tape carrier into a case of electric product and the like . in this embodiment , this bending region includes an improvement in a structure that the solder resists 5 protrude outward from within the product region to the outside along the bending line 61 described above . in other words , the solder resists 5 overlapping with the bending region are formed protruding outward from the two sides of the product region . each distance l protruding outward from each of the two sides of the product region is sufficiently long enough for each of the thick film portions 5 a at the edge of the solder resists 5 to be formed , by curing , only in a region outside of the product region which overlaps with the bending region , and not inside of the product region . for instance , according to an experiment carried out by the inventor , the thick film portions sa were completely excluded from the bending region after dividing the tape carrier , by setting the distance l to be equal to or greater than 0 . 8 mm . the optimal value of the distance l changes in accordance with the type of the solder resists 5 and the condition of curing . therefore , when embodying the aspects of the invention , it is preferable that the optimal value of the distance l is obtained by carrying out experiments for various types of solder resists in various curing conditions . as described , according to the embodiment , the bending region does not include the core parts ( i . e . the thick film portions 5 a of the solder resists 5 ) which become resistant to the bending of the already - divided tape carrier 100 . therefore , the tape carrier 100 is bended easily . moreover , this improves the uniformity of the film thickness of the solder resists 5 in the product region , thereby reducing the irregularities of the film thicknesses . further , improving the evenness of stress distribution during the bending of the solder resists 5 a reduces the difference in how the tape carrier 100 is bended . according to the embodiment , the thick film portions 5 a of the solder resists 5 are formed , by curing , also in the product regions positioned away from the bending region as shown in fig1 . the thick film portions 5 a deviated from this bending region remain on the base film 1 as is , after dividing the tape carrier 100 as shown in fig2 . here , the thick film portions 5 a positioned away from this bending region are parallel to the bending line 61 . therefore , when a force works to bend the tape carrier 100 in a direction orthogonal to the bending line after the tape carrier 100 is divided , the thick film portions 5 a function as resisting bodies ( i . e . cores ) against bending . as described , the resisting force of the tape carrier 100 against bending can be weakened in the direction of bending , and strengthened in the direction in which the bending should be avoided , since the thick film portions 5 a remain parallel to the bending line . in the first embodiment , each of the cut lines 51 correspond to ‘ a cutting line ’ according to the aspects of the present invention , and each of the leads 3 correspond to ‘ a wiring pattern ’ according to the aspects of the present invention . in the above embodiment , the solder resists 5 are formed on the base film 1 before stamping , so as to space the two adjacent production regions , as shown in fig1 . however , the alignment of the solder resists 5 in plan view is not limited thereto . for instance , as shown in fig3 , the solder resists 5 may be formed continuously without spaces between the product regions , along the longitudinal direction of the base film 1 . the thick film portions 5 a of the solder resists 5 are not formed in the bending region in this structure . therefore , an advantage similar to that of the tape carrier 100 shown in fig1 and 2 is obtained . in the above embodiment , as shown in fig1 , the ic installation regions 53 are aligned along the longitudinal direction of the base film 1 , and the leads 3 are aligned in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the base film 1 . in other words , the product regions are aligned in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the base film 1 . however , the ic installation regions 53 may be extended to a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the base film 1 , and the leads 3 may be aligned in a longitudinal direction of the base film 1 . in other words , the product regions are aligned along the longitudinal direction of the base film 1 . | 7 |
it has now been determined that a partially refined vegetable oil suitable for use in industrial applications such as in making urethane foams can be obtained from a physical refining process . it should be understood that the refining process of the present invention is performed on crude oil which has already been extracted from the oil - bearing vegetable matter , and is not applied to the oil - bearing vegetable matter itself . although the process is applicable to a variety of crude vegetable oils , its predominant commercial concern is directed to soybean oil and will be particularly discussed with reference to this oil . the crude soybean oil obtained from extraction is put into a storage tank and allowed to settle for a period of time sufficient to allow the fines and other insoluble impurities from the extraction process , as well as the hydratable and non - hydratable phospholipids or gums present in the crude oil , to settle to the bottom of the tank . in general , this settling step takes about 20 days . during this time , the phosphorous content of the crude oil decreases because the gums settle to the bottom of the tank . after settling , the crude oil is then pumped into a blowing tank , taking care not to pump off the bottom layer which contains the gums and other impurities . the degummed crude oil is then heated in the blowing tank to a temperature sufficient to cause the excess moisture present in the oil to bubble up through the oil to the top of the tank . a sufficient heating temperature is in the range of about 260 - 270 ° f ., with 270 ° f . being an optimum temperature . temperatures above 270 ° f . tend to cause darkening or scorching of the oil , while temperatures below about 260 ° f . are not hot enough to efficiently cause the excess moisture to move through the oil . as the oil is heated it is continuously agitated to promote movement of the moisture through and out of the oil . the equipment used to accomplish the heating and agitation of the oil can be any heating and agitation equipment known to those knowledgeable in soybean processing . for example , it has been found useful in the present process to equip the blowing tank with steam coils positioned near the bottom of the tank to accomplish the heating of the oil and to equip the blowing tank with an impeller to accomplish the agitation . once the temperature of the oil in the blowing tank reaches about 270 ° f ., the heat and agitation are turned off , and the oil is then aerated by introducing air under pressure into the blowing tank . although a variety of aeration equipment could be used to accomplish the aeration step , one useful design is to equip the tank with perforated pipe that is placed near the bottom of the blowing tank . the air is introduced into the oil at a sufficient pressure and at a sufficient rate to cause the air to contact and penetrate all the crude oil in the tank . an optimum air pressure for the introduced air is about 120 pounds per square inch and an optimum rate is about 30 cubic feet per minute . another useful design of aeration equipment for accomplishing the aeration step is to employ fritted tube spargers in the blowing tank . such spargers are commercially available . one source is chand eisenmann in burlington , conn . the spargers result in a much finer size of air bubbles , on the order of 200 microns , compared to air bubbles on the order of about 3 . 175 millimeters using the perforated pipe . the smaller sized bubbles advantageously permit the air to more thoroughly contact and penetrate the crude oil , which can reduce the cycle time for the aeration step . it is desirable to have a small amount of moisture present in the oil , such as about 0 . 03 to 0 . 05 % moisture . during the heating and agitation step , too much moisture can be evaporated from the oil such that the moisture content drops below the range of about 0 . 03 - 0 . 05 %. it is then necessary to bring the moisture level up to the optimum range , and this can be accomplished by utilizing humid air in the aeration step . the amount of humidity is not critical ; ambient air at ambient temperature typically contains sufficient humidity to raise and maintain the moisture level of the oil at about 0 . 05 %. if additional moisture does not need to be added to the oil , i . e . the moisture level is already at about 0 . 05 %, the air can be dried in a dryer prior to being introduced into the blowing tank . while the oil is being aerated , the heat is turned off and the temperature of the oil is allowed to drop . when the oil temperature reaches about 170 ° f ., the amount of air introduced into the oil is increased to about 300 cubic feet per minute to insure thorough contact and penetration of the air into the oil . the temperature of the oil is then maintained within the range of 170 - 180 ° f . during the remainder of the aeration step . in order to maintain a temperature within this range , the heating coils may be turned on as needed to increase the temperature . alternatively , if the temperature rises above 180 ° f ., water can be introduced into the coils to lower the temperature to the desired range of 170 - 180 ° f . although the oil could be maintained at temperatures outside the 170 - 180 ° f . range , such temperatures are not optimum . at temperatures below 170 ° f ., the viscosity of the oil is higher and the air does not disperse as well through the oil . if the oil is maintained at temperatures higher than 180 ° f . there is a danger that the oil will polymerize and darken in color . during the aeration step it is desirable to agitate the oil to promote thorough mixing of the air with the oil . however , care must be taken to make sure that the oil does not reach temperatures over about 270 ° f . because such temperatures can lead to scorching of the oil . therefore , before air is introduced during the aeration step , the agitator is turned off , since the combination of agitation and aeration could lead to increases in the temperature of the oil above about 270 ° f . due to natural friction . as the temperature of the oil drops during the aeration step , the agitator can be turned on intermittently to insure mixing of the air with the oil while minimizing the risk of increased temperatures . in general , an agitation time of about 5 minutes every hour is sufficient . once the oil temperature drops to about 170 ° f . the agitation can be constant because the danger of the oil reaching too high of a temperature as a result of the frictional forces is minimal . alternatively , the oil can be actively cooled during heating and agitating by introducing the cooling water or other cooling fluid into the coils . it has been found that active cooling can reduce the cycle time for the oil during its conversion . moreover , utilization of the coils in such a manner ( i . e ., active heating and active cooling ) decreases the need for additional equipment resulting in a further cost savings . thus , it should be understood by those skilled in the art that the design of the coils can be modified in any manner necessary such that the coils can be switched from active heating to active cooling as a single device . however , it should also be understood by those skilled in the art that the presently described technology also contemplates the use of multiple devices to complete the active heating and cooling steps . aeration and agitation of the oil are continued until the oil reaches a desired viscosity . in general , the desired viscosity will depend upon the desired use for the partially refined oil . viscosities ranging from about 30 - 40 poise are typical desired viscosities . once the oil reaches the desired viscosity , the aeration and agitation are stopped and the oil is allowed to cool , either passively , or by actively cooling it . the oil tends to polymerize as it is cooling and thereby increase in viscosity . to prevent the oil from polymerizing , a blanket of nitrogen gas can be introduced into the blowing tank . the oil resulting from the process of the present invention has the following characteristics : the oil resulting from the process of the present invention is a low cost oil suitable for use in industrial applications . unlike prior art chemical and physical refining processes , the process of the present invention avoids the addition of chemicals to refine or pretreat the crude oil , thereby eliminating expensive equipment such as centrifuges and eliminating additional processing steps . in some production situations there may be a demand for the partially refined oil product that makes it impractical to utilize a lengthy settling period such as 20 days . in such situations , an alternative degumming procedure can be utilized in the present invention instead of using a settling period to remove the gums and other impurities . in the alternative degumming procedure , the extracted crude oil is pumped directly into the blowing tank . once in the blowing tank , the crude oil is heated with live steam introduced through the perforated pipes . an optimum steam pressure is about 150 p . s . i . the oil is heated to a temperature that is sufficient to reduce the viscosity of oil such that the phospholipids , free fatty acids and other impurities can settle out of the oil . in general , a temperature in the range of about 270 - 300 ° f . is a sufficient heating temperature , with 300 ° f . being preferred . temperatures within this range provide an optimum oil viscosity and typically do not result in scorching or darkening of the oil because of the presence of all the impurities . as the crude oil is heated , it is continuously agitated to insure thorough mixing of the steam and the oil . once the temperature reaches about 300 ° f ., the heat and agitation are turned off and the oil is allowed to settle in the tank . during settling , the phospholipids , free fatty acids and other impurities drop to the bottom of the blowing tank where they can be drained off . in general , it takes about five hours for the impurities to settle to the bottom of the tank . after the phospholipids , free fatty acids and other impurities are drained off , the oil is then subjected to the same aeration step discussed previously in connection with the crude oil that is allowed to settle for 20 days . again , the air is introduced at an air pressure of about 120 pounds per square inch , and at a rate of about 30 cubic feet per minute . in order to insure that the moisture level in the oil is in the range of about 0 . 03 - 0 . 05 %, it may be necessary to use dried air rather than humid air in the aeration step . when the temperature of the oil reaches about 170 ° f ., the amount of air introduced is increased to about 300 cubic feet per minute so that the air can thoroughly contact and penetrate the oil . the temperature of the oil is maintained within the range of 170 - 180 ° f . for the remainder of the aeration step . as previously discussed , it is desirable to agitate the oil during the aeration step . again , the oil is agitated intermittently as the temperature is allowed to drop from about 300 ° f . to a temperature in the range of 170 - 180 ° f ., and continuously agitated while the oil temperature is maintained within the range of 170 - 180 ° f . the oil can also be actively cooled while the oil is aerated and agitated . once the oil reaches a desired viscosity , the aeration and agitation are stopped and the oil is allowed to cool , either passively or actively . as discussed previously , if the oil is actively cooled , the cooling step is accelerated in a controlled manner which further decreases the cycling time of the oil during its conversion . the oil resulting from the process employing the alternative degumming procedure has the following characteristics : free fatty acid 2 . 75 to 2 % moisture . 05 to . 006 acid value 2 to 3 . 6 hydroxyl value 50 to 72 phosphorus 5 ppm to 15 ppm gardner color 5 utilizing the alternative degumming procedure results in oil having lower phosphorus content because the steam used in the degumming procedure draws more phosphorus out of the oil than if the oil is degummed through settling alone . numerous modifications may be made to the foregoing process without departing from the basic teachings thereof . although the present invention has been described in substantial detail with reference to one or more specific embodiments , those of skill in the art will recognize that changes may be made thereto without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as set forth in the appended claims . | 0 |
as shown in fig1 - 3 , the suit is a garment where a pair of trousers 10 and a body - piece 20 , which are preferably made of leather , are inseparably joined together , with a conventional elastic insert 13 limited to the bottom of the back . various zip fasteners are provided , in particular that indicated by 21 , along the vertical middle axis of the body - piece 20 , on the front of the latter , and those ( not shown for the sake of simplicity ) at the bottom ends of the calves 12 and the sleeves 22 . according to the invention , elastic inserts are incorporated in the suit and joined by means of perimetral stitches ( for the sake of simplicity not shown ) to the adjacent parts of the suit . the ring - shaped inserts 15 form part of the legs of the pair of trousers 10 , while the inserts 25 in the form of an overturned “ l ” form part of the body - piece 20 . all the said inserts are made using a technique which is well - known to specialists in the sector , namely by joining a layer of very thin elastic fabric to a layer of leather — and if necessary also to an intermediate layer of reinforced fabric : a series of closely arranged transverse stitches s are performed when the layer of very thin elastic fabric is fully tensioned with the result that a plurality of folds f are created when the suit is in rest condition . the ring - shaped inserts 15 which form part of the pairs of trousers 10 extend in fact continuously on either side of the knees 16 , namely the articulation between the thighs 18 and the calves 12 . each of these inserts comprises in fact — as can be seen from their plan view extension shown in fig6 a : a central strip 152 designed to be arranged at the bottom of the thighs 18 above the knee 16 ; two connecting parts 154 which are designed to extend along the sides of the calf 12 ; two tapered wings 156 which extend further downwards and backwards along the calf until the respective end edges are located closely to one another . in this way the configuration assumed by a suit according to the invention in the rest conditions ( which are those shown in fig1 to 4a ) is such that the angle formed by the axis of each calf 12 with the axis of the respective thigh 18 is between 80 and 100 degrees and preferably about 90 degrees — see fig5 b . if it is considered that the angle formed by the axis of each calf 12 with the axis of the respective thigh 18 in the most common riding condition , namely non - competitive riding , of a motorcycle is precisely between 80 and 100 degrees , and preferably about 90 degrees , the present invention offers ergonomic characteristics such as to fully satisfy the requirements of the wearer during the first of the abovementioned conditions of use . in this configuration the inserts 15 have a plurality of folds f which are spaced by grooves and are more or less equidistant , as can be seen particularly well in fig4 a and 5b . moreover , this does not adversely affect in any way other conditions of use of the suit , as shown : in fig5 a , relating to the walking — or in any case erect — position of the person wearing the suit , where the abovementioned angle is close to 180 degrees , for example 165 degrees ; in fig5 c , relating to a first condition of competitive riding of the motorcycle , where the abovementioned angle is about 60 degrees ; and in fig5 d , relating to a second condition of competitive riding of the motorcycle , where the abovementioned angle is even less than 45 degrees , for example 36 degrees . as is clear when comparing fig5 b with fig5 a , the folds f of the insert 15 are more compact above the knee 16 and more spaced out along the calf 12 , while in fig5 c and 5d the folds f of the insert are more spaced out above the knee 16 and more or less compact along the calf 12 . fig7 is a variant of the invention where the tapered wings 156 b of the insert 15 extend as far as the bottom end of the trousers 10 of the suit , practically as far as the zone in the immediate vicinity of the heel . other variations envisage the incorporation of ring - shaped elastic inserts in the sleeves 22 of the body - piece 20 of the suit and on either side of the elbows , namely the articulation between the arms and forearms , so that the configuration of the body - piece in the rest condition of the suit is more or less the same as that already described for the trousers and also corresponds to the most frequent riding condition of the motorcycle . in the suits of conventional design , the inserts applied above the knees ( as for example indicated by the reference number 17 in fig4 b ) generally have a limited extension and in any case do not extend on either side of the knees , but only above them . as shown in fig4 b , the angle formed by the axis of each calf 12 with the axis of the respective thigh 18 is about 130 degrees , namely quite different from the angle assumed in any other position when riding a motorcycle , thereby demonstrating the less ergonomic design of conventional suits which do not satisfy fully the first of the abovementioned conditions of use . as shown in fig8 - 10 , the elastic inserts 25 incorporated in the body - piece 20 of a suit according to the invention have a first side 252 which extends along the sides of the trunk underneath the armpits , and a second side 254 inclined upwards , namely towards the shoulders 24 a . over the whole of the extension of the inserts 25 the folds f assume , a position which is inclined at an angle . alpha . of about 45 degrees with respect to the longitudinal axis t of the body - piece 20 and , in particular ; favours raising of the arms 22 a — see fig8 — and arching of the back 26 a — see fig9 — during riding of the motorcycle . this is due to the fact that the inserts 25 are able to withstand vertical and horizontal tensile stresses represented by the double pointed arrows in the drawing . as shown in fig8 - 10 , each insert comprises a plurality of longitudinal folds f that are substantially parallel to each other and uniformly spaced to each other each of the folds is inclined at an angle of substantially 45 degrees with respect to an axis of the body - piece and extending downwardly from the back toward the front on both the first and second sides ; the plurality of folds favors the raising of arms and arching of a back in the common riding position wherein the folds are in such uniformly spaced position , but able to withstand both vertical and horizontal stresses . other variations and embodiments may be developed within the scope of protection defined by the appended claims . in particular , it must be pointed out that the object of the invention also includes the trousers on their own and body - piece on its own and not only a suit . | 0 |
as shown in the figures , and in a manner that is known in the art , the overall aim is to use a box 11 to install a device , not shown , alongside trunking 10 projecting from a wall , also not shown . although it is not in itself relevant to the present invention , the trunking 10 is shown diagrammatically in dashed outline in fig1 . in the embodiment shown , and in a manner that is known in the art , it includes a base section 12 which is attached to the wall and has an open cross section and a cover section 13 which is attached to the base section 12 , for example clipped to it , to close it . the box 11 is located between two lengths 13 ′ of the cover section 13 . in a manner that is known in the art , it includes a body 14 which is attached to the wall alongside the trunking 10 to accommodate the device concerned , more particularly the mechanism of that device , and which has an opening 15 along the side adjoining the trunking 10 . a canopy 16 extends from the body 14 , in corresponding relationship to the opening 15 therein ( in practice in corresponding relationship to only the upper part of the opening 15 ), to cover the trunking 10 locally . the canopy extends transversely to the trunking 10 , in practice extending over the base section 12 between the two lengths 13 ′ of the cover section 13 . the body 14 of the box 11 has a lateral wall 18 and a front wall 19 . in the embodiment shown , the lateral wall 18 is the shape of a truncated pyramid , for example , and the front wall 19 has an opening 20 in its central area through which a portion of the device concerned that is accessible to the user passes . as shown here , for example , the lateral wall 18 and the front wall 19 are in one piece , forming a single generally bell - shaped component . the corresponding arrangements are well known in the art in themselves and are not relevant to the present invention . for this reason they are not described here . in the embodiment shown , and in a manner that is not relevant to the present invention either , and therefore not further described here , the box 11 is completed by a plate 22 for attaching it and its contents to the wall and which incorporates four projecting columns 23 and by a device support 24 which is designed to receive the mechanism of the device concerned and adapted to be clipped onto the columns 23 on the plate 22 , the resulting assembly being capped and covered by the body 14 . in accordance with the invention , the canopy 16 has at least two separate parts 16 a , 16 b which are staggered in the lengthwise direction across the width or height of the trunking 10 , namely , starting from the body 14 , a fixed part 16 a which is fastened to the body 14 and at least one mobile part 16 b which is inter - engaged with the fixed part 16 a and adjustable in position relative to it . in practice , the canopy 16 has only one mobile part 16 b in the embodiment shown . in the embodiment shown in continuous outline in fig1 and 2 and shown diagrammatically in dashed outline in fig3 which is the preferred embodiment of the invention , the fixed part 16 a of the canopy 16 is separate from the body 14 of the box 11 and attached to the body 14 . for example , the fixed part 16 a of the canopy 16 is removable so that the canopy 16 can , if required , be replaced with a blanking plate for blanking off the opening 15 in the body 14 . the corresponding arrangements are well known in the art in themselves and are not relevant to the present invention . for this reason they are not described here . alternatively , the fixed part 16 a of the canopy 16 can be in one piece with the body 14 , if required , forming a single component with at least the portion thereof in which the opening 15 is formed , in this instance its lateral wall 18 . in either case , the fixed part 16 a of the canopy 16 has a front wall 26 a and two lateral walls 27 a in the embodiments shown . the front part 26 a is in line with the top part of the opening 15 in the body 14 and the lateral walls 27 a extend over only a fraction of the height of the opening 15 , leaving a passage to the trunking 10 below them . the total length of the fixed part 16 a of the canopy 16 , as measured from the body 14 , is preferably chosen to correspond substantially to the minimum width or height of the trunking 10 likely to be encountered , being slightly less than that minimum width or height , allowing for the associated mobile part 16 b . in the embodiments shown , the mobile part 16 b of the canopy 16 is engaged in its fixed part 16 a . like the latter , it has a front wall 26 b and two lateral walls 27 b , but it is completed by a front wall 28 which is extended beyond the lateral walls 27 b to cover the base section 12 of the trunking 10 laterally . the front wall 26 b of the mobile part 16 b of the canopy 16 engages under the front wall 26 a of the fixed part 16 a and is substantially in contact with it and its lateral walls 27 b engage between the lateral walls 27 a of the fixed part 16 a and are substantially in contact with them . in the embodiments shown , the mobile part 16 b of the canopy 16 can occupy any of a number of clearly defined positions relative to its fixed part 16 a . to this end , and as is the case in these embodiments , locating means 30 are preferably provided for the fixed part 16 a and the mobile part 16 b of the canopy 16 . as shown here , for example , the locating means 30 take the form of nesting means . to be more precise , in the embodiments shown , the locating means 30 include at least one transverse rib 31 projecting from either part 16 a or 16 b of the canopy 16 and at least one transverse groove 32 in the other of the parts 16 a and 16 b and whose profile in cross section is at least partly complementary to that of the previously mentioned rib 31 . in the embodiments shown , the rib 31 is part of the mobile part 16 b of the canopy 16 and extends over at least a portion of its transverse profile and the groove 32 is part of the fixed part 16 a of the canopy 16 and extends over at least a portion of its transverse profile in corresponding relationship to the rib 31 on the mobile parts 16 b . in practice , the rib 31 projects from the outside surface of the mobile part 16 b of the canopy 16 and the groove 32 is in the inside surface of its fixed part 16 a . in the embodiments shown , the rib 31 extends over the whole of the transverse profile of the mobile part 16 b of the canopy 16 , continuously with its front wall 26 b , and over all of its width , and with its lateral walls 27 b , and over all of their height , and the groove 32 extends over the whole of the transverse profile of the fixed part 16 a of the canopy 16 , continuously with its front wall 26 a , and over the whole of the width thereof , and with its lateral walls 27 a , and over the whole of their height . in practice , the rib 31 is in the vicinity of the free edge of the mobile part 16 b of the canopy 16 and the fixed part 16 a of the canopy 16 includes a plurality of spaced staggered grooves 32 along its length . finally , in the embodiments shown , the rib 31 on the mobile part 16 b of the canopy 16 and the groove 32 on the fixed part 16 a of the canopy 16 each have a rectangular profile in cross section . also , in the embodiments shown , and as can be seen in fig4 the mobile part 16 b of the canopy 16 has internal ribs 34 projecting from its front wall 28 for clipping it onto the base section 12 of the trunking 10 . it further includes thinner portions 35 which extend from its lateral walls 27 b in the corner area of the front wall 28 , for reasons that will become apparent hereinafter . at assembly time , the rib 31 on the mobile part 16 b of the canopy 16 is nested in one or other of the grooves 32 on the fixed part 16 a of the canopy 16 , by means of a movement in translation substantially perpendicular to its front wall 26 b , as shown by the arrow f in fig4 . of course , the groove 32 on the fixed part 16 a in which it nests is chosen to suit the width or height of the trunking 10 to be covered . as shown diagrammatically in fig1 the front wall 28 of the mobile part 16 b of the canopy 16 is then pressed substantially laterally against the base section 12 of the trunking 10 , continuously with the length 13 ′ of its cover section 13 , and its thinner portion 35 covers the latter . of course , the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described and shown , and encompasses any variant execution thereof . in particular , the number of parts of the canopy can be greater than two and the ribs and grooves can be interchanged between the parts . retaining the mobile part ( s ) of the canopy by means of a simple telescopic assembly of the various parts of the canopy is also within the scope of the invention . | 7 |
the particulars shown herein are by way of example and only for purposes of illustrative discussion of the embodiments of the invention . the particulars shown herein are presented to provide what is believed to be the most useful and readily understood description of the principles and conceptual aspects of the invention . in this regard , no attempt is made to show structural details of the invention in more detail than is necessary for the fundamental understanding of the invention . the description taken with the drawings should make apparent to those skilled in the art how the several forms of the present invention may be embodied in practice . referring now to fig1 - 6 , a compression limiter 10 of the present invention includes a body 12 that defines a passageway 14 to accommodate a fastener ( not shown ). the passageway 14 extends from an upper surface 16 to a lower surface 18 in a longitudinal direction 20 defined by a distance between the upper and lower surfaces 16 , 18 . an inner surface 22 and an outer surface 24 opposite the inner surface 22 provide the compression limiter 10 with a generally open - cylindrical shape . one or more retainers 26 project outwardly from the outer surface 24 to secure the compression limiter 10 to the fastened component ( i . e ., a component in which the compression limiter 10 is press fitted , over - molded , or the like to prevent deformation due to the load applied by the fastener ). these structures are described in further detail in the following paragraphs , beginning with the upper surface 16 and concluding with the retainers 26 . still referring to fig1 - 6 , the upper and lower surfaces 16 , 18 are preferably planar surfaces that are identical to one another . such identical surfaces , as well as other structures described in further detail below , provide the compression limiter 10 with a symmetric shape over a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction 20 and bisecting the compression limiter 10 . that is , the compression limiter 10 may be symmetric over a horizontal plane . the upper and lower surfaces 16 , 18 may further include inner shoulder surfaces 28 and outer shoulder surfaces 30 ( both of which are mostly easily seen in fig6 ) proximate the inner and outer surfaces 22 and 24 , respectively . the inner shoulder surfaces 28 help position the fastener within the passageway 14 . the outer shoulder surfaces 30 provide additional features to assist in securing the compression limiter 10 within the fastened component . the inner and outer surfaces 22 , 24 are preferably arcuate surfaces or include arcuate portions to provide the overall generally open - cylindrical shape of the compression limiter 10 . however , it is also contemplated that the shapes of the inner and outer surfaces 22 , 24 may vary to provide a different compression limiter shape . as yet another alternative , the inner and outer surfaces 22 , 24 may have an additional opening ( not shown ) extending from the upper surface 16 to the lower surface 18 to provide a horseshoe - shaped compression limiter 10 . in a preferred embodiment , a distance between the inner and outer surfaces 22 , 24 , or simply the thickness of the body 12 , defines a radial direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction 20 . referring specifically to fig1 and 2 , the outer surface 24 includes arcuate surfaces 32 adjacent planar surfaces 34 from which the retainers 26 project . the width of the arcuate and planar surfaces 32 , 34 may be varied to change the distance between the retainers 26 as viewed in fig2 and 4 . referring again to fig1 - 4 , the compression limiter 10 preferably includes two retainers 26 that are diametrically opposed to one another . as such , the compression limiter 10 may have a symmetric shape over planes in the longitudinal direction 20 that bisect the compression limiter 10 ( e . g ., the vertical planes 42 and 44 of fig2 ). each retainer 26 includes an undercut surface 36 disposed between an upper retention surface 38 and a lower retention surface 40 . the upper and lower retention surfaces 38 , 40 are preferably planar surfaces that are perpendicular to the radial direction . as such , the upper and lower retention surfaces 38 , 40 help secure the compression limiter 10 within the fastened component and prevent the compression limiter 10 from rotating relative to the fastened component . the undercut surface 36 is disposed radially inwardly relative to the retention surfaces 38 , 40 and may have a arcuate shape . alternatively , the undercut surface 36 may have a different shape that forms corners between the undercut surface 36 and the retention surfaces 38 , 40 that are greater than 90 degrees ( e . g ., a curved shape , a diagonal surface , or the like ). such a corner is easier to manufacture than a sharp corner and reduces wear on the manufacturing tools described below . in any case , a portion of the fastened component extends between the retention surfaces 38 , 40 and engages the undercut surface 36 . this helps secure the compression limiter 10 within the fastened component and prevents the compression limiter 10 from moving longitudinally relative to the fastened component . each of the surfaces 36 , 38 and 40 of the retainer 26 may have a uniform shape as viewed along the surfaces 36 , 38 and 40 and in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction 20 . alternatively , the undercut surface 36 may extend in a direction with only a component perpendicular to the longitudinal direction 20 ( e . g ., the undercut surface 36 may extend diagonally ). each retainer 26 also includes retention edges 39 between which the retention surfaces 38 , 40 are disposed . the retention edges 39 are preferably perpendicular to the retention surfaces 38 , 40 and extend in the longitudinal direction 20 . however , in some embodiments the retention edges 39 may extend in a direction with only a component parallel to the longitudinal direction 20 ( e . g ., the retention edges 39 may extend diagonally ). furthermore , the corner between each retention edge 39 and adjacent retention surfaces 40 is preferably disposed radially inwardly relative to a projection 41 of the arcuate surfaces 32 having the same radius and center as the arcuate surfaces 32 . such a feature permits the compression limiter 10 to be presented by typical automated feeding systems . in any case , the retention edges 39 help prevent the compression limiter 10 from rotating relative to the fastened component . the aforementioned surfaces may vary from the shapes described above without departing from the scope of the invention . for example , in a second embodiment shown in fig7 - 11 , the compression limiter 110 includes a body 112 that defines a passageway 114 as described above . the body 112 also includes an upper surface 116 , a lower surface 118 , an inner surface 122 , and an outer surface 124 from which one or more retainers 126 project . as shown most clearly in fig1 and 11 , outer shoulder surfaces 130 are spaced apart from axial surfaces 146 of the retainers 126 . in addition , each retainer 126 includes an undercut surface 136 disposed between an upper retention surface 138 and a lower retention surface 140 . referring specifically again to fig1 and 11 , each undercut surface 136 includes a planar surface 148 disposed between an upper arcuate surface 150 and a lower arcuate surface 152 . in a third embodiment shown in fig1 - 15 , the compression limiter 210 includes a body 212 that defines a passageway 214 as described above . the body 212 also includes an upper surface 216 , a lower surface 218 , an inner surface 222 , and an arcuate outer surface 224 from which one or more retainers 226 project . that is , unlike the previously - described embodiments , the outer surface 224 does not include planar surfaces from which the retainers 226 project . each of the embodiments described above may include additional undercut surfaces . for example , the compression limiters 10 , 110 , and 210 may include undercut surfaces extending along lower surfaces 18 , 118 , and 218 , respectively . referring now to fig1 - 22 , the compression limiter 210 is preferably manufactured as follows . the compression limiters 10 , 110 are also preferably manufactured as follows , but only the compression limiter 210 and its features are referenced for simplicity . referring to fig1 - 18 , powder metal 360 ( made from a carbon steel , stainless steel , aluminum alloy , bronze alloy , or the like ) is filled into a die cavity 364 of a die 366 . several different components are disposed within the die cavity 364 and interact with the powder metal 360 . for example , the powder metal 360 is positioned about core rods 368 and 370 . the powder metal 360 is also supported by lower punches 372 and 374 ( fig1 and 18 ). some of the powder metal 360 is disposed between a right side punch 376 and a central punch 378 . the rest of the powder metal 360 is disposed between the central punch 378 and a left side punch 380 . referring now to fig1 , 19 , and 20 , the powder metal 360 is next pressed by the lower punches 372 and 374 and upper punches 382 and 384 . this action causes an inner surface 386 of the die cavity 364 ( fig1 ) to shape the outer surfaces of the compression limiters 210 . the core rods 368 , 370 simultaneously shape the inner surfaces 222 of the compression limiters 210 . further still , the side punches 376 , 380 and the central punch 378 simultaneously shape the retainers 226 of the compression limiters 210 . specifically , the right side punch 376 shapes a first retainer 226 on a first compression limiter 210 , the central punch 378 shapes a second retainer 226 on the first compression limiter 210 , the central punch 378 shapes a first retainer 226 on a second compression limiter 210 , and the left side punch 380 shapes a second retainer 226 on the second compression limiter 210 . as shown most clearly in fig1 , each of the side punches 376 , 380 includes a protrusion 388 to shape an undercut surface 236 on one of the retainers 226 , and the central punch 378 includes two protrusions 388 to shape an undercut surfaces 236 on each of the retainers 226 . referring now to fig1 , 21 , and 22 , the compression limiters 210 are removed from the die cavity 364 by lowering the die 366 in the compression direction relative to the side punches 376 , 380 and the central punch 378 . the compression limiters 210 may be collected by sliding them laterally relative to the longitudinal direction 20 ( i . e ., in the direction permitted by the protrusions 388 ). finally , a coating may be applied to the compression limiters 210 , such as a zinc and clear chromate coating as provided by astm b633 type 3 class 1 or the like . those skilled in the art will appreciate changes to the apparatus described above that permit three or more compression limiters 210 to be manufactured during each cycle . furthermore , those skilled in the art may appreciate that the compression limiter 210 may be formed by a simplified process wherein a single compression limiter 210 is manufactured during each cycle . however , it is preferred to manufacture two or more compression limiters 210 during each cycle so that the net transverse load applied to the die 366 is reduced . that is , a single upper punch may apply a transverse load ( e . g ., towards one of the side punches 376 , 380 ) in addition to the load in the compression direction . the transverse load must be resisted by the die 366 and can cause wear on the punches and the die 366 . however , the transverse loads applied by two or more upper punches 382 , 384 operating simultaneously may cancel each other and thereby reduce the net transverse load applied to the die 366 . from the above disclosure , it should be apparent that the present invention provides a compression limiter with retention features that resist both translational and rotational motion . in addition , the compression limiter is easily shaped in a single tooling assembly . a preferred embodiment of the invention has been described in considerable detail . many modifications and variations to the preferred embodiment described will be apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art . therefore , the invention should not be limited to the embodiment described , but should be defined by the claims that follow . | 5 |
the count mechanism is illustrated as being part of a coin dispenser section of a coin wrapping machine . coins are deposited upon a horizontal , rotating disc 10 which forms the coins c into a single file and delivers them to the entrance of a track 11 . the coins in the track 11 are forced along the track by a driven conveyer belt 12 to a discharge chute 13 which directs the coins to the open top of a stacking tube 14 . the wrapping machine illustrated is similar to that disclosed and described in the application of charles t . bergman and robert l . zwieg for coin wrapper machine filed contemporaneous herewith . as the coins are forced along the track 11 by the conveyer belt 12 , they will encounter the teeth or points 15 of a star wheel 16 . the star wheel 16 is journaled on a vertical shaft 17 mounted adjacent an edge of the track 11 . as illustrated in the drawings , the trailing side 18 of each point 15 is provided with a gently curved surface . this is the surface which is engaged by a coin being forced past the star wheel 16 . the leading edge of each point 15 has a flat surface 19 which forms an obtuse angle at its junction with the periphery of the star wheel 16 . the flat surface 19 functions as an abutment and is engageable by a latch 20 in the form of a bell crank lever having its free end positioned where it can abut the front edge 19 of a point 15 of the star wheel 16 . the latch lever 20 is pivoted intermediate its ends on a vertical axis and has its opposite end connected to the actuator of a latch solenoid 21 . a compression spring 22 is biased between the free end of the latch lever 20 and a bracket 23 to urge the latch lever 20 into a position in which it engages a tooth on the star wheel 16 . when the latch lever 20 is in engagement with the star wheel 16 , the star wheel 16 cannot rotate on the shaft 17 and coins cannot pass the star wheel . to assist in releasing the latch lever 20 from engagement with the star wheel 16 , a power release solenoid 25 is connected to one end of a release bell crank lever 26 which has its free end bearing against the actuator connected end of the latch lever 20 . whenever the release solenoid 25 is energized , the release lever 26 is pivoted about its vertical axis and moves the actuator of the latch solenoid 21 inwardly to pivot the latch lever 20 out of engagement with the star wheel 16 . the latch lever 20 is held out of engagement against the urgings of the spring 22 by energizing the latch solenoid 21 . a compression spring 27 is biased between the release lever 26 and a bracket 28 and urges the free end of the release lever away from the actuator connected end of the latch lever 20 . a detent pawl in the form of a large roller 30 is mounted on the free end of an arm 31 which is pivoted about a vertical axis . the pawl 30 is adapted to ride the periphery of the star wheel 16 and to rest in the space between adjacent points 15 on the star wheel . the pawl 30 is urged to this position by a compression spring 32 biased between the arm 31 and a bracket 33 . the pawl 30 functions to prevent free rotation of the star wheel 16 so that the star wheel 16 is indexed only by the passage of a coin . the star wheel 16 is formed with a plurality of cut - outs or openings 35 equal in number to the points 15 on the wheel 16 . the circumferential width of the openings 35 is equal to the width of the spokes between the openings 35 . the upper surface 36 of the wheel 16 is plated or otherwise treated to provide a highly reflective surface . the reflective surface 36 is employed in connection with a pair of optical sensors 37 and 38 to provide electrical pulses which are used to register the counts of coins passing the star wheel 16 . each of the optical sensors includes a source of light in the form of a light emitting diode 39 and a light sensitive receiver such as a photoelectric cell 40 . the sensors 37 and 38 are mounted on opposite sides of a mounting block 41 which in turn is secured to the upper projecting end of the shaft 17 . as shown in fig4 the light from each light emitting diode 39 is directed against the top surface 36 of the wheel 16 so that when the reflective surface 36 is present , the light beam will reflect upwardly to the photoelectric cell 40 . obviously , when an opening 35 is at the point of focus there is no reflection of the light beam . the two sensors 37 and 38 are so arranged relative to the spacing between the openings 35 and with respect to each other that the signals which they produce are out of phase from each other . fig5 illustrates the ideal signals from the two sensors beginning with the star wheel at rest . when the star wheel 16 is at rest , reflective surfaces of the star wheel will be at the focus point of both sensors 37 and 38 . a logic low signal is produced when reflected light is received by the photocells 40 , and a logic high is produced when no light is reflected to a receiver 40 . it can be seen from fig5 that the electrical pulses are 90 ° out of phase . as shown in fig3 the out of phase signals results from the spacing between the sensors 37 and 38 in relation to the spacing between the opening 35 . that is , the focus of the first sensor 37 in fig3 is adjacent the leading edge of a reflective spoke area between adjacent openings 35 while the focus of the second sensor 38 is adjacent the trailing edge of a reflective area . since the star wheel 16 will index one point for each coin , during each indexing the first sensor 37 will pass over most of one reflective area , an entire opening , and a small portion of another reflective area . during the same indexing , the second sensor 38 will pass over a small portion of one reflective area , an entire opening 35 and most of another reflective area . it will be appreciated that the sensors are spaced apart a distance which is not a whole multiple of the space between adjacent openings . the combination of the two signals are employed to provide an accurate count of coins . referring to fig6 the two signals from the sensors 37 and 38 are fed to an electronic totalizer 43 . the totalizer 43 is of known construction and may take the form , for example , of the series 3500 bi - directional totalizer manufactured by durant digital instruments , watertown , wis . the totalizer 43 is operable in a known manner to receive the two out of phase signals from the sensors 37 and 38 and to count up when the signal from the second sensor 38 goes high when the first sensor 37 is low and to count down when the signal from the second sensor 38 goes low when the first sensor 37 is also low . the ability to count down is necessary to guard against an incorrect count if the coin should happen to only partially rotate the star wheel and the star wheel then moves backward under the urgings of the pawl 30 . in that case the coin has not passed the star wheel and ought not to be counted . in a known manner , when a predetermined count has been accumulated a signal is fed to a controller 44 which is connected to a power interface module 45 which controls the operation of the latch solenoid 21 , the release solenoid 25 , and other solenoids and motors of the machine such as a motor 46 for driving the rotating disc 10 and the conveyer belt 12 . because of the environment in which the coin dispenser is operated there is the likelihood that dirt will accumulate in front of either the light emitting diode 39 or the photoelectric cell 40 of the sensor . it is also possible that dirt will accumulate on the upper reflective surfaces 36 of the star wheel 16 . if it does , the optical sensors may not go to a logic low voltage and there would be improper signals provided to the totalizer 43 such that coins would be missed in the count . the actual output of the photocells 40 is analog rather than digital so that as reflected light is reduced the output signal will tend to rise above logic low even if a reflective surface is present . provision is made to test the optical sensors during static conditions and dynamic conditions to insure that they are operating properly and do not require cleaning or other maintenance . as indicated in fig5 when the star wheel 16 is at rest both signals from the two sensors 37 and 38 should be at a logic low voltage . the circuitry for the totalizer 43 and for the sensors is typically 12 volt level logic . the components used have a guaranteed high and low voltage range . for example , the totalizer may guarantee that any signal between zero volts and 3 . 6 volts will be recorded as a logic low while any signal from 8 . 4 volts to 12 volts will be recorded as a logic high . as reflection is diminished , the output of the photo cells will rise above the minimum of about 1 volt towards the upper level of the guaranteed low voltage . when dirt accumulates to the point of rendering the count mechanism functionally inoperative , the low voltage signal from the photo cells 40 will be above the guaranteed low of 3 . 6 volts . the control circuitry in the controller 44 uses a different voltage level , such as a 5 volt level logic . that voltage level also has guaranteed highs and lows . for example , the guaranteed high of the 5 volt level logic will be typically 3 . 5 volts whereas the guaranteed low would be 1 . 5 volts . to determine whether the sensors are operating properly in a static condition for the star wheel , the output of the sensors is fed to the controller 44 as well as to the totalizer 43 , as shown in fig6 . if dirt is accumulating on the sensors or the star wheel thereby reducing the amount of reflected light which reaches the photoelectric cells , the low voltage output will creep upwardly towards the 3 . 6 volt guaranteed low for the 12 volt logic system of the totalizer . however , that will be recognized by the 5 volt level logic of the controller 44 as a logic high signal . thus , even though the totalizer reads a logic low the control system will read a logic high . that condition is used to signal the operator by lighting a warning light 47 that maintenance is required on the machine , or it can be used to have the controller 44 prevent energization of the release solenoid 25 and therefore prevent the rotation of the star wheel . when the sensors are functioning properly , both the totalizer 43 and controller 44 will read a logic low . the operation of the static condition test of the count mechanism is graphically illustrated in fig7 . during dynamic operating condition , the length of time that a high signal is received from the two sensors 37 and 38 is also monitered by the controller 44 . if either signal is high for too long a period in relation to the normal throughput speed of coins , it indicates that dirt is preventing proper low signals or that something is wrong with the rotation of the star wheel . a signal to the operator that maintenance is required is also given by lighting the warning light 47 and by deenergizing the latch solenoid 21 and the disc motor 46 to stop the star wheel 16 and halt the flow of coins . in the preferred embodiment the absence of a reflective surface is provided by openings 35 in the star wheel 16 . this has the advantage of reducing the mass of the star wheel thereby helping to insure that it will be stopped at the correct point . however , the nonreflective portions could also be provided by a darkened matte surface in the areas where the openings are provided . | 6 |
a schematic block diagram of a preferred flame control apparatus of the invention is illustrated in fig1 . the apparatus comprises an optical coupling element 2 which functions to collect light emitted from a flame 8 . preferably , element 2 is an optical fiber . optical coupling element 2 is preferably an integral part of a burner 4 , the optical element and burner preferably housed in a single unit 6 ( boxed area ). after the light emission is collected it is transported by an optical transport system 10 , which can either be one or more optical fibers or a plurality of lenses . optical processing is performed in an optical processor 12 to obtain characteristic information on specific spectral regions of the flame . for example , optical processor 12 may be an optical filter that allows only radiation of selected wavelengths to pass . this radiation may be monitored by either a photodiode or photomultiplier detector . preferred optical processors of the apparatus of the invention employ one or more optical beam splitters , optical filters , and optical detectors . this allows one to simultaneously monitor multiple regions of the flame light emission spectrum . alternatively , a dispersion element could preferably be used in the optical processor to monitor complete spectral regions of the flame . dispersion elements can be employed in a manner similar to an optical filter by tuning the dispersion element to a specific wavelength ( or range of wavelengths ) and monitoring the flame emission spectrum in a narrow spectral wavelength range , or by scanning the element ( similar to a spectrometer ) to collect a much larger spectral wavelength range . in this case a photodiode or photomultiplier that is sensitive to the wavelength range of interest can be used to convert the optical wavelength into an electrical signal that can be further processed . an array detector can also be used in conjunction with the dispersion element , allowing real - time detection of an entire spectral wavelength range of interest . finally , all of the above mentioned detection methods can be used in combination with one another by using optical beam splitters or multiplexed optical fibers , with the appropriate number of multiple detection methods as described above . after optical processing of the flame radiation , the electrical signal ( s ) obtained is ( are ) sent to one or more signal processors 14 which preferably comprise analog / digital converters , amplifiers , line drivers , or any other typical signal processing circuit device ( fig1 ). the electrical signal is then transmitted to a burner logic controller ( blc ) 16 that determines operating conditions of burner 4 . blc 16 may accept other input signals from external process controls 18 , such as a furnace supervision system ( not shown ). blc 16 generates control signals that change the burner operating parameters ( such as flow of fuel 20 , and / or flow of oxidant 22 ) according to the information transmitted by signal processors 14 . suitable programmable logic controllers usable as blcs are available from siemens co . process control software , such as that available from ocean optics , inc . may be employed to program the blc . this preferred combustion control apparatus can advantageously be implemented on every burner installed on an industrial furnace in order to more precisely control the combustion ratio of the whole furnace . as previously noted , all of the components illustrated in fig1 may be integrated into a so - called smart burner . in this aspect of the invention , the burner may be equipped with a fuel control valve and an oxidant control valve . solid - state proportioning valves , such as those disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 222 , 713 , may be employed for controlling flow , but the use of the valves is not necessary to the present invention . the previous patent is incorporated herein by reference . fig2 illustrates a prior art pipe - in - a - pipe burner 100 with inlets for fuel 1 and oxidant 3 . in fig2 burner 100 includes a fuel pipe 24 within an oxidant pipe 26 . a flange and bolt arrangement 28 is typically employed . a support 30 is used to maintain the position of pipe 24 inside pipe 26 , preferably concentric . a schematic of a burner 102 modified to allow optical coupling with a window according to the present invention is illustrated in fig3 . in this embodiment , a window 32 is mounted on the rear of the burner such that optical access is provided through fuel injector pipe 24 , as indicated in the detailed view of fig4 . the window material selected is preferably specific to the spectral region of interest . for example , if the ultraviolet region of the spectrum is of interest , then a quartz window would be applicable . however if infrared emission is of interest , then a sapphire window material would be suitable . an optical component , such as a combination of lenses , can be used to collect either the integrated emission along the length of the flame , or the emission from a selected point in the flame . in the preferred embodiments illustrated in fig5 and 6 , the flame emission is collected by an optical fiber 34 that is positioned in one of the burner injectors ( fuel ( fig5 ) or oxidant ( fig6 )). the choice of fiber material used depends on the spectral region of interest . useable optical fibers preferably have core diameters varying from about 50 to about 1500 micrometers , more preferably from about 175 to about 225 micrometers , and are made from silica with a stainless steel cladding outer layer . a seal ( not shown ) provided between the fiber and burner housing can be a simple o - ring compression seal . optical connector 36 connects optical fiber 34 to a second optical fiber 38 in each of these two exemplary embodiments . for the embodiments of fig5 and 6 , the collected emission may also be integrated over the flame length or collected from a selected focused point in the flame for improved spectral resolution . in the preferred embodiments in fig7 a , 7b , 8a , and 8b , the flame emission is collected through the refractory material 39 . burner 100 is attached to the refractory block 39 with the combustion gases exiting at opening 40 . in fig7 a and 7b , the flame radiation is collected through a hole 41 by a reflecting device 42 , e . g ., a prism or mirror , and is further transported to a detection system ( not shown ) by a lens or system of lenses 43 and / or fiber optic . the position of the hole 41 can be set anywhere within the area where gas is flowing , as indicated by arrows 45 , 46 , with the optimum position being at the location where maximum flame radiation is detected . this position can vary depending on the burner and refractory block design . in addition the angle of the view port 41 can be adjusted to any suitable position , as illustrated at 41a . similarly , a fiber optic 44 can be directly inserted in to the refractory block as shown in fig8 . the location of the fiber 44 and / or the hole 41 an be set in any useable position through the top of the refraction block , sides , bottom , or back end near burner 100 . by adapting the burner housing with a window and / or optical fiber positioned with respect to the fuel injector and / or oxidant injector , the flame emission may be collected through the burner housing . by adapting the burner refractory block with an optical access port either by a combination of a hole and / or reflectors , and / or fiber optic , the flame emission may be collected through the refractory block . in addition , a combination of an adapted burner housing and an adapted refractory block can be used for collecting flame emission at multiple points . for either case the gas flow over the window 34 or optical fiber 44 provides cooling while also keeping the optical surface free of dust . as stated previously , the radiation emitted from a flame is one of the fundamental characteristics that provides information on the chemical and physical process involved . the capability to monitor this flame radiation can provide numerous applications useful for optimizing the furnace operation . here we cite a number of examples of how the flame emission can be used to control the combustion . a specific region or regions of the spectrum may be monitored to provide information on the flame stoichiometry . for example , in the combustion of natural gas ( ng ) and oxygen , a strong continuum in the wavelength range of 350 - 700 nm is present with a maximum occurring near 650 nm . part of this continuum is thought to result from chemiluminescence from the recombination reaction of co + o = co 2 . the strength ( intensity ) of this continuum has been observed to be related to whether the burner is operating near stoichiometric conditions . when operating under fuel - rich conditions the observed continuum intensity is weaker as compared to slightly fuel - lean or stoichiometric operating conditions . the effect of stoichiometry on the flame emission spectrum is shown in fig9 and 10 . these spectra were obtained using a fiber optic and lens positioned externally to the burner . flame emission was collected through the natural gas ( ng ) injector and window mounted on the burner as shown in fig3 . the fiber optic was coupled to a 0 . 5 micrometer acton monochromator with a hamamatsu 1p28a photomultiplier ( pmt ) detector . the emission spectra was obtained by scanning the monochromator over a specified wavelength region , in this case from 300 to 700 nm . the signal from the pmt was then processed in a eg & amp ; g 4402 boxcar averager . fig9 represents the visible emission of a flame generated by an oxygen - natural gas burner similar to the one illustrated in fig2 when there is an excess of fuel ( fuel rich ). fig1 represents the visible emission spectrum of the same flame with flow rates of natural gas and oxygen such that there is an excess of oxygen of 10 % ( fuel lean ). at 530 nm , there is a weaker signal when the combustion mixture is fuel rich ( fig9 ) than when the mixture is fuel lean ( fig1 ). the signal obtained can then be compared to a calibration curve relating signal intensity to firing stoichiometry . depending on the desired operating conditions , control action on the fuel and oxidant flows can be performed to adjust the burner fuel and / or oxidant flows to optimize the flame . for example , if a reducing atmosphere is desirable one would want to adjust the fuel and / or oxidizer such that the observed continuum intensity decreases . again using the apparatus illustrated in fig1 every burner used in the process could be individually monitored . toward the infrared region of the spectrum , flame emission related to soot could also be monitored . since soot is a particle , it behaves as a black body , with broadband emission , as opposed to gaseous species emission which occurs in specific regions ( lines ). in certain applications a sooty flame which increases the luminosity may be desirable . on the other hand , soot formation in a flame can be an indication of incomplete combustion of the fuel , which requires an adjustment of the combustion ratio . monitoring of the appropriate spectral region will provide information for the process control action required . experiments were conducted using a burner and optical coupling as illustrated in fig3 . the optical coupling device was attached to a standard burner known under the trade designation alglass available from air liquide america corp ., houston , tex . the burner had an output of 1 . 2 mmbtu / hr ( using oxygen 99 % pure as oxidant ) allowing flame emission spectra to be collected through the natural gas ( ng ) injector . ultraviolet and visible flame radiation covering a spectral rage of 300 - 700 nm were collected for different combustion stoichiometries defined in terms of equivalence ratio ( φ ), wherein : ## equ1 ## for stoichiometric operating conditions , φ = 1 , whereas for fuel - lean conditions φ & lt ; 1 , and for fuel - rich conditions φ & gt ; 1 . results showing the variation of the flame emission spectra for different values of φ are graphically illustrated in fig1 . the spectra were obtained using a fiber optic and lens positioned externally to the burner . flame emission was collected through the natural gas ( ng ) injector and window mounted on the burner as shown in fig3 . the fiber optic was coupled to a 0 . 5 meter acton monochromator with a hamamatsu 1p28a photomultiplier ( pmt ) detector . the emission spectra shown in fig1 was obtained by scanning the monochromator over a specified wavelength region , in this case from 300 to 700 nm . the signal from the pmt was then processed in a eg & amp ; g 4402 boxcar averager . from fig1 , a number of distinct differences relative to the stoichiometric spectra ( φ = 0 . 98 ) were seen . first , for φ = 0 . 75 the continuum below 550 nm and the oh ( hydroxyl radical ) band were noticeably stronger , but above 550 nm the distinction was not so clear when compared to the φ = 0 . 98 spectra . second , for φ = 1 . 17 the continuum below 425 nm was only slightly different from the φ = 0 . 98 case , but a significant difference was seen near 550 nm . these results suggested that the spectral region near 400 nm and 550 nm could be used for relating the observed flame emission to the stoichiometry . both regions are necessary to account for fuel - lean and fuel - rich operating conditions . by manipulating the data , a relationship between these spectral regions and the stoichiometry was developed , ## equ2 ## where b is the average signal from 540 - 560 nm and a is the average signal from 390 - 410 nm . a graphical representation of x for different φ values is shown in fig1 . in this case the burner power was constant at 1 . 2 mmbtu / hr while the o 2 flow was adjusted to change stoichiometry , hence changing the value of φ . from fig1 , x has a maximum at φ slightly on the fuel - lean side of stoichiometric conditions with a sharp decrease on either side of the maximum as fuel - lean or fuel - rich operating conditions were approached . applying this expression into an algorithm in the blc or similar control device , the burner can be maintained at near stoichiometric conditions by adjusting fuel and oxidizer flows to achieve a maximum value of x . the intensity of the emitted flame radiation detected depends on the wavelength region that is being observed . this wavelength dependence results from chemiluminescence of excited state chemical species , continuum emission from atom molecule reactions , and continuum emission from the presence of particles either being entrained or formed in the flame . these effects can be classified as purely chemical , i . e ., the observed flame radiation is only a result of the chemical process taking place with no external influences . in addition to the pure chemical effects , other factors can influence the spectrum intensity such as characteristics of how the fuel and oxidizer are mixed , burner , background contributions , entrainment of chemical species into the flame , furnace , and the method used to collect the radiation , e . g . optical system . therefore the flame radiation intensity observed in a process can be expressed as a multivariable function : where i . sub . λ is the observed intensity at wavelength λ integrated over the sample volume . this intensity is a function of the burner ( b ) characteristics , combustion stoichiometry ( s ), burner power ( p ), and optical detector ( od ), optical collection system ( oc ), fuel ( f ), oxidizer ( o ), and process ( p ) disturbances . in addition these variables can also be time dependent . for example , in turbulent diffusion flames the mixing between fuel and oxidizer at a fixed location in the flame will vary with time , i . e ., the local stoichiometry ( s ) and power ( p ) change randomly within some range . the variable ρ may also be considered time dependent , e . g ., when particle entrainment into the flame is not constant . a more general expression for the observed intensity becomes i . sub . λ ( t )=∫∫∫ ƒ ( b , s ( t ), p ( t ), oc , od , f , o , ρ ( t )) dv ( 2 ) in general the variables b , od , oc , f , o can be considered time invariant . of course , burner or collection optic degradation can occur , which can result in i . sub . λ changing . however , these effects can usually be considered long term , i . e ., the time scale for i . sub . λ to change from changes in b , od , and oc is much greater than that for the variables s , p , and ρ . the variables f ( fuel ) and o ( oxidizer ) may change from day - to - day because of the source being changed . in this case , the sensitivity of i . sub . λ to changing f or o would need to be determined . because most industrial processes are stochastic in nature , an average value of i . sub . λ is more practical to work with . here the time - averaged value of i . sub . λ ( t ), denoted by & lt ; i . sub . λ ( t )& gt ;, is defined as the integral on time over a time interval t , divided by the time interval : ## equ3 ## where the magnitude of the time interval t needs only to be long enough to average out the fluctuations . for practical applications such as process control of a burner , the variables oc , od , b , f , and o are generally constant , e . g ., the burner configuration , collection optics , and optical detector are not changed once the system is in place . as stated above , these variables may also be considered time invariant . then eq . ( 2 ) reduces to the following : where ρ ( t ) was assumed negligible . furthermore the total integrated intensity observed over a wavelength range can be expressed as ## equ4 ## where the subscript i is an index for referencing a γ i value to a specific spectral region from λ 1 , i to λ 2 , i . therefore single or multiple values of γ i values can be used in the burner monitoring system . for the case where multiple γ i values are used , individual regions and / or combinations of linear and / or nonlinear terms may be applied in the monitoring system . since & lt ; i . sub . λ ( t )& gt ; is a function of both stoichiometry and power , f ( s , p ), then it follows that γ i = f i ( s , p ). the change in the integrated intensity can then be related to the changes in s and p by the relation ## equ5 ## a solution to the above equation for a specific spectral region can be obtained once the partial derivatives are determined . evaluation of the partial derivatives can be obtained by performing a calibration over a range of operating conditions at constant p and then at constant s . this will give the relationships γ p = f ( s ) and γ s = f ( p ) that can be used to evaluate eq . ( 6 ), where the subscript denotes the constant variable . this calibration can then be used for controlling and monitoring the burner stoichiometry and power . the following example illustrates how these partial derivatives can be obtained from experimental measurements . in this example the flame emission is monitored using the configuration shown in fig3 i . e ., the flame emission was observed through the ng injector . flame radiation was transported by a 12 ft long 100 μm diameter fiber optic attached at the rear of the burner . at the other end the fiber was attached to an ocean optics model pc1000 pc spectrometer board with a spectral range of 290 - 800 nm . the variables oc , od , o , f , b , and ρ were held constant and only p and s were changed . the influence of the furnace , which is lumped into ρ , can be neglected provided the flame emission is observed below 400 nm . at longer wavelengths background radiation from the furnace walls would have to be included . in the spectral region between 300 and 400 nm the changes in stoichiometry and power can be observed by either monitoring the oh band observed between 290 and 325 nm or part of the continuum , e . g ., between 340 - 360 nm . in this example the fuel was natural gas and the oxidizer was oxygen ; therefore , the theoretical stoichiometric ratio was 2 , where the stoichiometric ratio is defined as ( moles of oxygen / moles of fuel ). here ch 4 + 20 2 → 2h 2 o + co 2 . fig1 shows the integrated oh intensity ( λ 1 = 290 nm and λ 2 = 325 nm in eq . ( 5 )) at different stoichiometries and burner powers . for further reference the value of γ will refer to ## equ6 ## which represents the integrated oh emission intensity observed by the detection system . for a given power level a linear fit can be obtained over the stoichiometric range tested . similarly , for fixed stoichiometries a linear fit can be obtained over the power range tested , as shown in fig1 . the linear regressions for both p and s result in a family of curves . changes in s and p can be determined by solving eq . ( 6 ), first along paths of constant p , then along a path of constant s , as illustrated in fig1 , where the partial derivatives are evaluated from the linear calibration functions shown in fig1 and 14 . the following illustrates how the above method can be used for controlling and / or monitoring stoichiometry in a burner at constant power . in this example , the same configuration as discussed above is used and all variables are fixed except the stoichiometry ( s ). thus the power ( p ) is fixed . prior to the test a calibration was performed to determine γ p = f ( s ) by monitoring the integrated oh emission intensity at different stoichiometric ratios and a constant power of 1 . 5 mmbtu / hr . in this case the power was fixed and determined by knowing the fuel composition and flow rate . with the fuel variables held constant , the o 2 flow was varied to allow measurement of oh emission at different stoichiometries . the calibration provides a good linear fit over the stoichiometric ratio range of 1 . 88 - 2 . 22 tested , as shown in fig1 . in fig1 the error bars represent the standard deviation for 180 samples at each stoichiometric condition . where a and b are constants and can be determined from the calibration . incorporating eq . ( 7 ) into a computer algorithm for real - time processing of the integrated oh signal allows the stoichiometry to be monitored at a high sampling rate as shown in fig1 . in fig1 the integrated intensity is sampled at 3 hz . the sampling rate is only exemplary , and is limited only by the computer hardware used . higher sampling rates may also be used . the dashed line shows the result of a 50 point moving average that is applied to remove temporal fluctuations . these results show good agreement with the stoichiometric ratios based on flow rate measurements of both ng and oxygen , shown as the solid line in fig1 . to adapt this methodology for process control applications of a burner , e . g ., programming eq . ( 7 ) into the blc or similar process control device , requires knowledge of the power . the power can be determined by knowing the flow rate and composition of the fuel . an alternative method for determining the power is by optical means that will be discussed in example 2 . 2 . measurements of the fuel flow rate by devices such as mass flow meters and orifice plates can be input into the blc or similar device . an algorithm in the blc can interpret this information and choose the appropriate function in the form of equation ( 7 ) for determining the stoichiometry . as stated above , a family of curves over a range of stoichiometry exist for each power level . the blc can then select the appropriate curve to use based on the fuel flow rate information , or interpolate between curves if the exact expression for a particular power is not in the program data base . this application is similar to example 1 , in that the emission intensity is related to the firing rate of the burner . in this case a calibration is performed to relate the observed signal at some selected wavelength to the burner firing rate . once this information is known , control of the firing rate can be adjusted accordingly by programming the blc or similar process control device . as discussed in example 1 . 2 , the power and stoichiometry are coupled . therefore the methodology illustrated in example 1 . 2 requires that either the stoichiometry or the power be know to determine the other . the power can be determined by using a calibration curve , e . g ., fig1 , at constant stoichiometry . here a linear function of the form where a and b are constants determined from the calibration . incorporating eq . ( 8 ) into a computer algorithm , e . g ., in the blc or similar control system , the power can be both monitored and controlled . the above example illustrates a method for monitoring and controlling the burner power , but with the condition that the stoichiometry is known . in this example a methodology for determining the burner power independent of stoichiometry is described . this example also illustrates the use of eq . ( 5 ) of example 1 . 2 for the case of multiple γ i values . in examples 2 . 1 and 1 . 2 , only a single γ value was monitored for determining the burner stoichiometry or power . a single γ value is used because the optical access shown in fig3 , or 6 allows only monitoring either oh omission or part of the emission continuum , and both are functions of stoichiometry and power . to increase the number of variables to monitor from the burner the flame emission is collected perpendicular or diagonally across the flame as shown in fig7 - 8 . using the configuration as shown in fig7 a , the flame radiation was transported by a 12 ft long 100 μm diameter fiber optic . at the other end the fiber was attached to an ocean optics model pc1000 pc spectrometer board with a spectral range of 290 - 800 nm . a typical spectra obtained with this configuration is shown in fig1 , for 1 . 5 mmbtu / hr ng and oxygen flame . from the spectrum in fig1 , combustion intermediate radicals oh , ch , and two bands related to c 2 , labeled c2 ( a ) and c2 ( b ) on fig1 , are detected . therefore this spectrum has four unique peaks that are related to the chemical and physical processes taken place in the flame . using a computer algorithm for real - time processing , the integrated area of the four peaks with background removed were simultaneously collected at a frequency of 5 hz . this sampling rate is merely exemplary , and is only limited by the computer hardware and software used . higher or lower sampling rates may also be used . collecting the integrated area of the peaks provides four values of γ i , thus i = 4 in eq . ( 5 ). with the γ i values a statistical model was constructed using multivariable regression that minimized the effect of stoichiometry changes for predicting the burner power . the resulting expression from the statistical model that predicts the power for this example has the following form power = β . sub . a γ . sub . 1 . sup . 2 + β . sub . b γ . sub . 2 . sup . 2 + β . sub . c γ . sub . 1 γ . sub . 2 + β . sub . e γ . sub . 1 γ . sub . 4 + β . sub . f γ . sub . 2 γ . sub . 3 + β . sub . g γ . sub . 2 γ . sub . 4 + β . sub . h γ . sub . 1 + β . sub . i γ . sub . 2 + β . sub . j γ . sub . 3 + β . sub . k γ . sub . 4 + β . sub . 1 where γ 1 , γ 2 , γ 3 , and γ 4 represent the integrated intensity for the oh , ch , c 2 ( a ), and c 2 ( b ) peaks on fig1 and the β values are constants . to determine the β constants , real - time values of γ i were collected at different burner powers and stoichiometry ratios . a reduced model , i . e ., less terms can also be used , if the resulting fit is satisfactory for use on a particular process . higher order terms may also be added to the model , but for this example the improvement is not significant . results from the model are shown in fig1 comparing the predicted and actual burner power . at each power level in this example the stoichiometric ratio was adjusted between 1 . 95 and 2 . 15 with the exception of the 1 . 55 mmbtu / hr range where the stoichiometry varied between 2 and 2 . 15 . overall the model predicts the power within ± 5 %. a combination of the method discussed in examples 1 . 2 and 2 . 2 can be applied to provide complete control of the burners stoichiometry and firing rate . in this case the blc would process input signals from two separate optical measurement locations . one signal would pertain to determination of burner power by means similar to the above example . once the power is determined this information would be used for determining the stoichiometry by means discussed in example 1 . 2 . output signals from the blc could then adjust the appropriate operating conditions of the burner , e . g ., oxidant or fuel flow rates . alternative methodologies for predicting the power from selected optical signals can be applied , such as neural networks ( nn ). in this case the multiple γ i values would be the input processing elements of the nn . the nn would then be trained to produce the desired output signal . complete control of the burner stoichiometry and power can be achieved by constructing a nn with the appropriate input information . the design and use of neural networks is described in nelson , m . and illingworth , w ., &# 34 ; a practical guide to neural nets , &# 34 ; addison - wesley , 1991 . detection of the flame radiation can be used to identify the presence or absence of the flame . if the signal level drops below a set - point level an alarm can be triggered , indicating a problem with the burner . for this case a region in the ultraviolet , for example below 300 nanometers ( nm ), would be best to discriminate against visible and infrared emission from the furnace walls . typically furnaces use uv flame monitors for detection of the flame . this application would provide not only a secondary backup detection system , but could also alert the operator of other problems . for example , conditions which can severely damage the burner , such as material build - up causing the flame to deflect , or a piece of refractory blocking the burner exit , can be detected . for these cases , the emission characteristics could change , setting off an alarm indicating a potential problem . in general , commercial uv flame monitors are presently used only to indicate the presence or absence of flame radiation . in this application chemical tracers may be added to fuel and / or the oxidant streams directly , or entrained into the flame from the surrounding environment . for example , the introduction of particles into the flame , such as titanium dioxide , can be used to monitor the temperature by using a two - color optical pyrometer technique . in this case the temperature is being determined from the radiation of light emitted by the particle . two or more wavelengths are required to be monitored since the particle &# 39 ; s emissivity is often unknown . the detection of pollutants such as nox or sox may be directly or indirectly monitored . however , it is difficult to quantify these pollutants because the observed signal is both temperature and concentration dependent , but gross changes in the observed signal levels can be monitored . for example , nox could be directly monitored in the ultraviolet spectra region near 226 nm . alternatively , nox may be indirectly monitored from the oh ( hydroxyl radical ) emission signal . a strong oh emission signal has been discovered to indicate a corresponding increase in measured nox ( provided n 2 is present ) levels from the exhaust stack of a pilot furnace . in either case the method provides a means of determining gross changes in pollutant formation occurring for an individual burner . the co level in a high temperature process can be monitored by the addition of an oxidant , where the oxidant can be air , oxygen enriched air , or pure oxygen . when co is burned the reaction co + o → co 2 occurs , as discussed in example 1 , resulting in the emission of a continuum of radiation in the wavelength region from below 300 to beyond 600 nm . the observed radiation intensity emitted by the reaction is related to the amount of co present . the co concentration may be measured and / or used as an alarm . the numerous examples described above using the inventive burner - mounted optical flame control apparatus illustrates the variety of applications where such a device can be found useful for industrial application . certainly this list of applications is not all inclusive and additional applications could be thought of , depending on the process requirements . for the industrial user , fuel and / or oxidant compositions can change , depending on the source from the supplier . the change in fuel and / or oxidant composition can effect both the stoichiometry and power of the burner . generally , changes in fuel and / or oxidant composition are detected by global changes in the process , such as changes in temperature and / or flue gas composition . in either case , the time to observe these changes in the process can be very long and can depend on the volume of the process and the degree the fuel and / or oxidant composition changed . once a parameter ( e . g ., temperature or fuel gas composition ) has been identified to have changed , the appropriate adjustments can be performed on the burner , such as changes in fuel and oxidant flow rates . according to the present invention , a change in fuel composition can be identified by the change in the flame emission . alternatively , on - line gas analysis can be performed on the fuel and oxidant using gas chromatography or mass spectrometry . these latter two methods have the disadvantage of requiring frequent calibrations and maintenance . by monitoring the flame emission using any of the configurations shown in fig3 - 8b , changes in the fuel composition can be detected at the point of use . point of use monitoring eliminates the time to observe global changes , e . g ., temperature and / or flue gas composition , in the process due to fuel composition changes . in the example illustrated in fig2 , optical access was obtained using the apparatus illustrated in fig3 . the second example , illustrated in fig2 , used the apparatus illustrated in fig7 . in both examples , the flame radiation was transported by a 12 ft . long , 100 μm diameter fiber optic leading to an ocean optic model pc1000 pc spectrometer board with a spectral range of 290 - 800 nm . in these examples natural gas ( ng ) and oxygen were the standard fuel and oxidant . for changes in the fuel composition , propane was added to the ng stream with flow rates of both ng and oxidant held constant . results from monitoring the flame radiation through the ng injector ( using the apparatus illustrated in fig3 ) are illustrated in fig2 . fig2 illustrates that the addition of 67 scfh propane resulted in increased emissions in the visible region ( 390 - 790 nm ) of the spectrum due to the formation of soot , which increases flame luminosity . accompanying the soot formation , an increase in co is also observed . the co would , however , be detected in the flue gas after some residence time . results from monitoring the flame radiation through the burner block ( using the apparatus illustrated in fig7 ) are illustrated in fig2 . fig2 illustrates only the integrated area from the ch peak ( see fig1 ). with the addition of propane at about 70 seconds , the signal level of the ch peak increases along with an increase in co as discussed above with respect to fig2 . using any of the apparatus illustrated in fig3 - 8b for process control , the detection of changes in the emission spectrum may be correlated to changes in the fuel and / or oxidant . these changes are detected , transported to the process control system , e . g ., the blc , which can then make appropriate adjustments to the burner . typically these adjustments involve changing the oxidant and / or fuel flow rate , although other process parameters can also be adjusted as will be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art . various modifications to the described preferred embodiments will be envisioned by those skilled in the art ; however , the particular embodiments herein should not be construed as limiting the scope of the appended claims . | 5 |
all patent applications , patents , and literature references cited in this specification are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety . in the case of conflict , the present description , including definitions , is intended to control . 1 . “ nucleic acid ” or “ polynucleotide ” as used herein refers to purine - and pyrimidine - containing polymers of any length , either polyribonucleotides or polydeoxyribonucleotides or mixed polyribo - polydeoxyribo nucleotides . this includes single - and double - stranded molecules , i . e ., dna - dna , dna - rna and rna - rna hybrids , as well as “ protein nucleic acids ” ( pna ) formed by conjugating bases to an amino acid backbone . this also includes nucleic acids containing modified bases ( see below ). 2 . “ complementary dna or cdna ” as used herein refers to a dna molecule or sequence that has been enzymatically synthesized from the sequences present in a mrna template , or a clone of such a dna molecule . a “ dna construct ” is a dna molecule or a clone of such a molecule , either single - or double - stranded , which has been modified to contain segments of dna that are combined and juxtaposed in a manner that would not otherwise exist in nature . by way of non - limiting example , a cdna or dna which has no introns is inserted adjacent to , or within , exogenous dna sequences . 3 . a plasmid or , more generally , a vector , is a dna construct containing genetic information that may provide for its replication when inserted into a host cell . a plasmid generally contains at least one gene sequence to be expressed in the host cell , as well as sequences that facilitate such gene expression , including promoters and transcription initiation sites . it may be a linear or closed circular molecule . 4 . nucleic acids are “ hybridizable ” to each other when at least one strand of one nucleic acid can anneal to another nucleic acid under defined stringency conditions . stringency of hybridization is determined , e . g ., by a ) the temperature at which hybridization and / or washing is performed , and b ) the ionic strength and polarity ( e . g ., formamide ) of the hybridization and washing solutions , as well as other parameters . hybridization requires that the two nucleic acids contain substantially complementary sequences ; depending on the stringency of hybridization , however , mismatches may be tolerated . typically , hybridization of two sequences at high stringency ( such as , for example , in an aqueous solution of 0 . 5 × ssc , at 65 ° c .) requires that the sequences exhibit some high degree of complementarity over their entire sequence . conditions of intermediate stringency ( such as , for example , an aqueous solution of 2 × ssc at 65 ° c .) and low stringency ( such as , for example , an aqueous solution of 2 × ssc at 55 ° c . ), require correspondingly less overall complementarily between the hybridizing sequences . ( 1 × ssc is 0 . 15 m nacl , 0 . 015 m na citrate .) 5 . an “ isolated ” nucleic acid or polypeptide as used herein refers to a component that is removed from its original environment ( for example , its natural environment if it is naturally occurring ). an isolated nucleic acid or polypeptide contains less than about 50 %, preferably less than about 75 %, and most preferably less than about 90 %, of the cellular components with which it was originally associated . 6 . a “ probe ” refers to a nucleic acid that forms a hybrid structure with a sequence in a target region due to complementarily of at least one sequence in the probe with a sequence in the target region . 7 . a nucleic acid that is “ derived from ” a designated sequence refers to a nucleic acid sequence that corresponds to a region of the designated sequence . this encompasses sequences that are homologous or complementary to the sequence , as well as “ sequence - conservative variants ” and “ function - conservative variants ”. sequence - conservative variants are those in which a change of one or more nucleotides in a given codon position results in no alteration in the amino acid encoded at that position . function - conservative variants of c2 / 4gnt are those in which a given amino acid residue in the polypeptide has been changed without altering the overall conformation and enzymatic activity ( including substrate specificity ) of the native polypeptide ; these changes include , but are not limited to , replacement of an amino acid with one having similar physico - chemical properties ( such as , for example , acidic , basic , hydrophobic , and the like ). 8 . a “ donor substrate ” is a molecule recognized by , e . g ., a core - β1 , 6 - n - acetylglucosaminyltransferase and that contributes an n - acetylglucosaminyl moiety for the transferase reaction . for c2 / 4gnt , a donor substrate is udp - n - acetylglucosamine . an “ acceptor substrate ” is a molecule , preferably a saccharide or oligosaccharide , that is recognized by , e . g ., an n - acetylglucosaminyltransferase and that is the target for the modification catalyzed by the transferase , i . e ., receives the n - acetylglucosaminyl moiety . for c2 / 4gnt , acceptor substrates include without limitation oligosaccharides , glycoproteins , o - linked core 1 - and core 3 - glycopeptides , and glycosphingolipids comprising the sequences gal 1 - 3galnac , glcnac 1 - 3galnac or glc 1 - 3galnac . the present invention provides the isolated dna molecules , including genomic dna and cdna , encoding the udp - n - acetylglucosamine : n - acetylgalactosamine 1 , 6 n - acetylglucosaminyltransferase ( c2 / 4gnt ). c2 / 4gnt was identified by analysis of est database sequence information , and cloned based on est and 5 ′ race cdna clones . the cloning strategy may be briefly summarized as follows : 1 ) synthesis of oligonucleotides derived from est sequence information , designated tshc27 ( seq id no : 3 ) and tshc28 ( seq id no . 4 ); 2 ) successive 5 ′- rapid amplification of cdna ends ( 5 ′ race ) using commercial marathon - ready cdna ; 3 ) cloning and sequencing of 5 ′ race cdna ; 4 ) identification of a novel cdna sequence corresponding to c2 / 4gnt ; 5 ) construction of expression constructs by reverse - transcription - polymerase chain reaction ( rt - pcr ) using colo205 human cell line mrna ; 6 ) expression of the cdna encoding c2 / 4gnt in sf9 ( spodoptera frugiperda ) cells . more specifically , the isolation of a representative dna molecule encoding a novel second member of the mammalian udp - n - acetylglucosamine : β - n - actylgalactosamine β1 , 6 - n - acetylglucosaminyltransferase family involved the following procedures described below . database searches were performed with the coding sequence of the human c2gnt sequence ( 12 ) using the blastn and tblastn algorithms against the dbest database at the national center for biotechnology information , usa . the blastn algorithm was used to identify ests representing the query gene ( identities of 95 %), whereas tblastn was used to identify non - identical , but similar est sequences . ests with 50 - 90 % nucleotide sequence identity were regarded as different from the query sequence . one est with several apparent short sequence motifs and cysteine residues arranged with similar spacing was selected for further sequence analysis . est clone 178656 ( 5 ′ est genbank accession number aa307800 ), derived from a putative homologue to c2gnt , was obtained from the american type culture collection , usa . sequencing of this clone revealed a partial open reading frame with significant sequence similarity to c2gnt . the coding region of human c2gnt and a bovine homologue was previously found to be organized in one exon (( 13 ), and unpublished observations ). since the 5 ′ and 3 ′ sequence available from the c2 / 4gnt est was incomplete but likely to be located in a single exon , the missing 5 ′ and 3 ′ portions of the open reading frame was obtained by sequencing genomic p1 clones . p1 clones were obtained from a human foreskin genomic p1 library ( dupont merck pharmaceutical co . human foreskin fibroblast p1 library ) by screening with the primer pair tshc27 ( 5 ′- ggaagttcatacagttcccac - 3 ′) ( seq id no : 3 ) and tshc28 ( 5 ′- cctcccattcaacatcttgag - 3 ′) ( seq id no : 4 ). two genomic clones for c2 / 4gnt , dpmc - hff # 1 - 1026 ( e2 ) and dpmc - hff # 1 - 1091 ( f1 ) were obtained from genome systems inc . dna from p1 phage was prepared as recommended by genome systems inc . the entire coding sequence of the c2 / 4gnt gene was represented in both clones and sequenced in full using automated sequencing ( abi377 , perkin - elmer ). confirmatory sequencing was performed on a cdna clone obtained by pcr ( 30 cycles at 95 ° c . for 15 sec ; 55 ° c . for 20 sec and 68 ° c . for 2 min 30 sec ) on total cdna from the human colo 205 cancer cell line with the sense primer tshc54 ( 5 ′- gcagaattcatggttcaatggaagagactc - 3 ′) ( seq id no : 7 ) and the anti - sense primer tshc45 ( 5 ′- agcgaattcagctcaaagttcagtcccatag - 3 ′) ( seq id no : 5 ). the composite sequence contained an open reading frame of 1314 base pairs encoding a putative protein of 438 amino acids with type ii domain structure predicted by the tmpred - algorithm at the swiss institute for experimental cancer research ( isrec ) ( http :// www . isrec . isb - sib . ch / software / tmpred_form . html ). the sequence of the 5 ′- end of c2 / 4gnt mrna including the translational start site and 5 ′- utr was obtained by 5 ′ rapid amplification of cdna ends ( 35 cycles at 94 ° c . for 20 sec ; 52 ° c . for 15 sec and 72 ° c . for 2 min ) using total cdna from the human colo 205 cancer cell line with the anti - sense primer tshc48 ( 5 ′- gtgggaactgtatgaacttcc - 3 ′) ( seq id no . 6 ) ( fig2 ). an expression construct designed to encode amino acid residues 31 - 438 of c2 / 4gnt was prepared by pcr using p1 dna , and the primer pair tshc55 ( 5 ′- cgagaattcaggttgaagtgtgactc - 3 ′) ( seq id no : 8 ) and tshc45 ( seq id no : 5 ) ( fig2 ). the pcr product was cloned into the ecori site of pacgp67a ( pharmingen ), and the insert was fully sequenced . pacgp67 - c2 / 4gnt - sol was co - transfected with baculo - gold ™ dna ( pharmingen ) as described previously ( 14 ). recombinant baculo - virus were obtained after two successive amplifications in sf9 cells grown in serum - containing medium , and titers of virus were estimated by titration in 24 - well plates with monitoring of enzyme activities . transfection of sf9 - cells with pacgp67 - c2 / 4gnt - sol resulted in marked increase in glcnac - transferase activity compared to uninfected cells or cells infected with a control construct . c2 / 4gnt showed significant activity with disaccharide derivatives of o - linked core 1 ( galβ1 - 3galnacα1 - r ) and core 3 structures ( glcnacβ1 - 3galnacα1 - r ). in contrast , no activity was found with lacto - n - neotetraose as well as glcnacβ1 - 3gal - me as acceptor substrates indicating that c2 / 4gnt has no ignt - activity . additionally , no activity could be detected wih α - d - galnac - 1 - para - nitrophenyl indicating that c2 / 4gnt does not form core 6 ( glcnacβ1 - 6galnacα1 - r ) ( table i ). no substrate inhibition of enzyme activity was found at high acceptor concentrations up to 20 mm core1 - para - nitrophenyl or core3 - para - nitrophenyl . c2 / 4gnt shows strict donor substrate specificity for udp - glcnac , no activity could be detected with udp - gal or udp - galnac ( data not shown ). table i substrate specificities of c2 / 4gnt and c2gnt c2 / 4gnt a c2gnt 2 mm 2 mm nmol / nmol / substrate h / mg 10 mm h / mg 10 mm β - d - gal -( 1 - 3 )- α - d - galnac 2 . 8 7 . 3 9 . 6 19 . 0 β - d - gal -( 1 - 3 )- α - d - galnac - 1 - p - 16 . 1 21 . 8 16 . 2 23 . 6 nph β - d - glcnac -( 1 - 3 )- α - d - galnac - 5 . 2 7 . 4 & lt ; 0 . 1 & lt ; 0 . 1 1 - p - nph α - d - galnac - 1 - p - nph & lt ; 0 . 1 & lt ; 0 . 1 & lt ; 0 . 1 & lt ; 0 . 1 d - galnac & lt ; 0 . 1 & lt ; 0 . 1 & lt ; 0 . 1 & lt ; 0 . 1 lacto - n - neo - tetraose & lt ; 0 . 1 & lt ; 0 . 1 & lt ; 0 . 1 & lt ; 0 . 1 β - d - glcnac -( 1 - 3 )- β - d - gal - 1 - me & lt ; 0 . 1 & lt ; 0 . 1 & lt ; 0 . 1 & lt ; 0 . 1 a enzyme sources were partially purified media of infected high five ™ cells ( see “ experimental procedures ”). background values obtained with uninfected cells or cells infected with an irrelevant construct were subtracted . b me , methyl ; nph , nitrophenyl . controls included the pacgp67 - galnac - t3 - sol ( 15 ). the kinetic properties were determined with partially purified enzymes expressed in high five ™ cells . partial purification was performed by consecutive chromatography on amberlite ira - 95 , deae - sephacryl and cm - sepharose essentially as described ( 16 ). human multiple tissue northern blots containing mrna from healthy human adult organs ( clontech ) were probed with a c2 / 4gnt - probe . northern analysis with mrna from sixteen organs showed expression of c2 / 4gnt in organs of the gastrointestinal tract with high transcription levels observed in colon and kidney and lower levels in small intestine and pancreas ( fig4 a ). to investigate changes in expression of c2 / 4gnt in cancer cells derived from tissues normally expressing c2 / 4gnt , mrna levels in a panel of human adenocarcinoma cell lines were determined . analyses of c2 / 4gnt transcription levels revealed differential expression in pancreatic cell lines : capan - 1 and aspc - 1 expressed the transcript , whereas panc - 1 , capan - 2 , and bxpc - 3 did not ( fig4 b ). of the colonic cell lines , only ht - 29 expressed transcripts of c2 / 4gnt . the size of the predominant transcript was approximately 2 . 4 kilobases , which correlates to the transcript size of 2 . 1 kilobases of the smallest of three transcripts of human c2gnt ( 12 ). additionally , transcripts of approximately 3 . 4 kilobases and 6 kilobases were obtained in mrna from healthy colonic mucosa ( fig4 a ). the two additional transcripts may resemble the 3 . 3 kilobase and 5 . 4 kilobase transcripts of c2gnt , which have not yet been characterized . multiple transcripts of c2gnt have been suggested to be caused by differential usage of polyadenylation signals , which affects the length of the 3 ′ utr ( 12 ). the present invention also provides isolated genomic dna molecules encoding c2 / 4gnt . a human genomic foreskin p1 library ( dupont merck pharmaceutical co . human foreskin fibroblast p1 library ) by screening with the primer pair located in the coding exon yielding a product of 400 bp . two genomic clones for c2 / 4gnt , dpmc - hff # 1 - 1026 ( e2 ) and dpmc - hff # 1 - 1091 ( f1 ) were obtained from genome systems inc . the p1 clone was partially sequenced and introns in the 5 ′- untranslated region of c2 / 4gnt mrna identified as shown in fig6 . all exon / intron boundaries identified conform to the gt - ag consensus rule . the present invention also discloses the chromosomal localization of the c2 / 4gnt gene . fluorescence in situ hybridization to metaphase chromosomes using the isolated p1 phage clone dpmc - hff # 1 - 1091 ( f1 ) showed a fluorescence signal at 15q21 . 3 ( fig7 ; 20 metaphases evaluated ). no specific hybridization was observed at any other chromosomal site . the c2 / 4gnt gene is selectively expressed in organs of the gastrointestinal tract . the c2 / 4gnt enzyme of the present invention was shown to exhibit o - glycosylation capacity implying that the c2 / 4gnt gene is vital for correct / full o - glycosylation in vivo as well . a structural defect in the c2 / 4gnt gene leading to a deficient enzyme or completely defective enzyme would therefore expose a cell or an organism to protein / peptide sequences which were not covered by o - glycosylation as seen in cells or organisms with intact c2 / 4gnt gene . described in example 6 below is a method for scanning the coding exon for potential structural defects . similar methods could be used for the characterization of defects in the non - coding region of the c2 / 4gnt gene including the promoter region . in practicing the present invention , many conventional techniques in molecular biology , microbiology , recombinant dna , and immunology , are used . such techniques are well known and are explained fully in , for example , sambrook et al ., 1989 , molecular cloning : a laboratory manual , second edition , cold spring harbor laboratory press , cold spring harbor , n . y . ; dna cloning : a practical approach , volumes i and ii , 1985 ( d . n . glover ed . ); oligonucleotide synthesis , 1984 , ( m . l . gait ed . ); nucleic acid hybridization , 1985 , ( hames and higgins ); transcription and translation , 1984 ( hames and higgins eds . ); animal cell culture , 1986 ( r . i . freshney ed . ); immobilized cells and enzymes , 1986 ( irl press ); perbal , 1984 , a practical guide to molecular cloning ; the series , methods in enzymology ( academic press , inc . ); gene transfer vectors for mammalian cells , 1987 ( j . h . miller and m . p . calos eds ., cold spring harbor laboratory ); methods in enzymology vol . 154 and vol . 155 ( wu and grossman , and wu , eds ., respectively ); immunochemical methods in cell and molecular biology , 1987 ( mayer and waler , eds ; academic press , london ); scopes , 1987 , protein purification : principles and practice , second edition ( springer - verlag , n . y .) and handbook of experimental immunology , 1986 , volumes i - iv ( weir and blackwell eds .). the invention encompasses isolated nucleic acid fragments comprising all or part of the nucleic acid sequence disclosed herein as set forth in seq id no : 1 and fig2 . the fragments are at least about 8 nucleotides in length , preferably at least about 12 nucleotides in length , and most preferably at least about 15 - 20 nucleotides in length . the invention further encompasses isolated nucleic acids comprising sequences that are hybridizable under stringency conditions of 2 × ssc , 55 c , to the nucleotide sequence set forth in seq id no : 1 and fig2 ; preferably , the nucleic acids are hybridizable at 2 × ssc , 65 ° c . ; and most preferably , are hybridizable at 0 . 5 × ssc , 65 ° c . the nucleic acids may be isolated directly from cells . alternatively , the polymerase chain reaction ( pcr ) method can be used to produce the nucleic acids of the invention , using either chemically synthesized strands or genomic material as templates . primers used for pcr can be synthesized using the sequence information provided herein and can further be designed to introduce appropriate new restriction sites , if desirable , to facilitate incorporation into a given vector for recombinant expression . the nucleic acids of the present invention may be flanked by natural human regulatory sequences , or may be associated with heterologous sequences , including promoters , enhancers , response elements , signal sequences , polyadenylation sequences , introns , 5 ′- and 3 ′- noncoding regions , and the like . the nucleic acids may also be modified by many means known in the art . non - limiting examples of such modifications include methylation , “ caps ”, substitution of one or more of the naturally occurring nucleotides with an analog , internucleotide modifications such as , for example , those with uncharged linkages ( e . g ., methyl phosphonates , phosphotriesters , phosphoroamidates , carbamates , etc .) and with charged linkages ( e . g ., phosphorothioates , phosphorodithioates , etc .). nucleic acids may contain one or more additional covalently linked moieties , such as , for example , proteins ( e . g ., nucleases , toxins , antibodies , signal peptides , poly - l - lysine , etc . ), intercalators ( e . g ., acridine , psoralen , etc . ), chelators ( e . g ., metals , radioactive metals , iron , oxidative metals , etc . ), and alkylators . the nucleic acid may be derivatized by formation of a methyl or ethyl phosphotriester or an alkyl phosphoramidate linkage . furthermore , the nucleic acid sequences of the present invention may also be modified with a label capable of providing a detectable signal , either directly or indirectly . exemplary labels include radioisotopes , fluorescent molecules , biotin , and the like . according to the present invention , useful probes comprise a probe sequence at least eight nucleotides in length that consists of all or part of the sequence from among the sequences as set forth in fig2 or sequence - conservative or function - conservative variants thereof , or a complement thereof , and that has been labelled as described above . the invention also provides nucleic acid vectors comprising the disclosed sequence or derivatives or fragments thereof . a large number of vectors , including plasmid and fungal vectors , have been described for replication and / or expression in a variety of eukaryotic and prokaryotic hosts , and may be used for gene therapy as well as for simple cloning or protein expression . recombinant cloning vectors will often include one or more replication systems for cloning or expression , one or more markers for selection in the host , e . g . antibiotic resistance , and one or more expression cassettes . the inserted coding sequences may be synthesized by standard methods , isolated from natural sources , or prepared as hybrids , etc . ligation of the coding sequences to transcriptional regulatory elements and / or to other amino acid coding sequences may be achieved by known methods . suitable host cells may be transformed / transfected / infected as appropriate by any suitable method including electroporation , cacl 2 mediated dna uptake , fungal infection , microinjection , microprojectile , or other established methods . appropriate host cells included bacteria , archebacteria , fungi , especially yeast , and plant and animal cells , especially mammalian cells . of particular interest are saccharomyces cerevisiae , schizosaccharomyces pombe , pichia pastoris , hansenula polymorpha , neurospora , sf9 cells , c129 cells , 293 cells , and cho cells , cos cells , hela cells , and immortalized mammalian myeloid and lymphoid cell lines . preferred replication systems include m13 , cole1 , 2 , ars , sv40 , baculovirus , lambda , adenovirus , and the like . a large number of transcription initiation and termination regulatory regions have been isolated and shown to be effective in the transcription and translation of heterologous proteins in the various hosts . examples of these regions , methods of isolation , manner of manipulation , etc . are known in the art . under appropriate expression conditions , host cells can be used as a source of recombinantly produced c2 / 4gnt derived peptides and polypeptides . advantageously , vectors may also include a transcription regulatory element ( i . e ., a promoter ) operably linked to the c2 / 4gnt coding portion . the promoter may optionally contain operator portions and / or ribosome binding sites . non - limiting examples of bacterial promoters compatible with e coli include : β - lactamase ( penicillinase ) promoter ; lactose promoter ; tryptophan ( trp ) promoter ; arabinose bad operon promoter ; lambda - derived p 1 promoter and n gene ribosome binding site ; and the hybrid tac promoter derived from sequences of the trp and lac uv5 promoters . non - limiting examples of yeast promoters include 3 - phosphoglycerate kinase promoter , glyceraldehyde - 3 phosphate dehydrogenase ( gapdh ) promoter , galactokinase ( gal1 ) promoter , galactoepimerase ( gal10 ) promoter , ( cup ) copper cch and alcohol dehydrogenase ( adh ) promoter . suitable promoters for mammalian cells include without limitation viral promoters such as that from simian virus 40 ( sv40 ), rous sarcoma virus ( rsv ), adenovirus ( adv ), and bovine papilloma virus ( 13pv ). mammalian cells may also require terminator sequences and poly a addition sequences and enhancer sequences which increase expression may also be included ; sequences which cause amplification of the gene may also be desirable . furthermore , sequences that facilitate secretion of the recombinant product from cells , including , but not limited to , bacteria , yeast , and animal cells , such as secretory signal sequences and / or prohormone pro region sequences , may also be included . these sequences are known in the art . nucleic acids encoding wild type or variant polypeptides may also be introduced into cells by recombination events . for example , such a sequence can be introduced into a cell , and thereby effect homologous recombination at the site of an endogenous gene or a sequence with substantial identity to the gene . other recombination - based methods such as nonhomologous recombinations or deletion of endogenous genes by homologous recombination may also be used . the nucleic acids of the present invention find use , for example , as probes for the detection of c2 / 4gnt in other species or related organisms and as templates for the recombinant production of peptides or polypeptides . these and other embodiments of the present invention are described in more detail below . the present invention encompasses isolated peptides and polypeptides encoded by the disclosed genomic sequence . peptides are preferably at least five residues in length . nucleic acids comprising protein - coding sequences can be used to direct the recombinant expression of polypeptides in intact cells or in cell - free translation systems . the known genetic code , tailored if desired for more efficient expression in a given host organism , can be used to synthesize oligonucleotides encoding the desired amino acid sequences . the phosphoramidite solid support method of matteucci et al ., 1981 , j . am . chem . soc . 103 : 3185 , the method of yoo et al ., 1989 , j . biol . chem . 764 : 17078 , or other well known methods can be used for such synthesis . the resulting oligonucleotides can be inserted into an appropriate vector and expressed in a compatible host organism . the polypeptides of the present invention , including function - conservative variants of the sequence disclosed in seq id no : 2 , may be isolated from native or from heterologous organisms or cells ( including , but not limited to , bacteria , fungi , insect , plant , and mammalian cells ) into which a protein - coding sequence has been introduced and expressed . furthermore , the polypeptides may be part of recombinant fusion proteins . methods for polypeptide purification are well known in the art , including , without limitation , preparative discontiuous gel elctrophoresis , isoelectric focusing , hplc , reversed - phase hplc , gel filtration , ion exchange and partition chromatography , and countercurrent distribution . for some purposes , it is preferable to produce the polypeptide in a recombinant system in which the protein contains an additional sequence tag that facilitates purification , such as , but not limited to , a polyhistidine sequence . the polypeptide can then be purified from a crude lysate of the host cell by chromatography on an appropriate solid - phase matrix . alternatively , antibodies produced against a protein or against peptides derived therefrom can be used as purification reagents . other purification methods are possible . the present invention also encompasses derivatives and homologues of polypeptides . for some purposes , nucleic acid sequences encoding the peptides may be altered by substitutions , additions , or deletions that provide for functionally equivalent molecules , i . e ., function - conservative variants . for example , one or more amino acid residues within the sequence can be substituted by another amino acid of similar properties , such as , for example , positively charged amino acids ( arginine , lysine , and histidine ); negatively charged amino acids ( aspartate and glutamate ); polar neutral amino acids ; and non - polar amino acids . the isolated polypeptides may be modified by , for example , phosphorylation , sulfation , acylation , or other protein modifications . they may also be modified with a label capable of providing a detectable signal , either directly or indirectly , including , but not limited to , radioisotopes and fluorescent compounds . the present invention encompasses antibodies that specifically recognize immunogenic components derived from c2 / 4gnt . such antibodies can be used as reagents for detection and purification of c2 / 4gnt . c2 / 4gnt specific antibodies according to the present invention include polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies . the antibodies may be elicited in an animal host by immunization with c2 / 4gnt components or may be formed by in vitro immunization of immune cells . the immunogenic components used to elicit the antibodies may be isolated from human cells or produced in recombinant systems . the antibodies may also be produced in recombinant systems programmed with appropriate antibody - encoding dna alternatively , the antibodies may be constructed by biochemical reconstitution of purified heavy and light chains . the antibodies include hybrid antibodies ( i . e ., containing two sets of heavy chain / light chain combinations , each of which recognizes a different antigen ), chimeric antibodies ( i . e ., in which either the heavy chains , light chains , or both , are fusion proteins ), and univalent antibodies ( i . e ., comprised of a heavy chain / light chain complex bound to the constant region of a second heavy chain ). also included are fab fragments , including fab ′ and f ( ab ) 2 fragments of antibodies . methods for the production of all of the above types of antibodies and derivatives are well known in the art . for example , techniques for producing and processing polyclonal antisera are disclosed in mayer and walker , 1987 , immunochemical methods in cell and molecular biolog , ( academic press , london ). the antibodies of this invention can be purified by standard methods , including but not limited to preparative disc - gel elctrophoresis , isoelectric focusing , hplc , reversed - phase hplc , gel filtration , ion exchange and partition chromatography , and countercurrent distribution . purification methods for antibodies are disclosed , e . g ., in the art of antibody purification , 1989 , amicon division , w . r . grace & amp ; co . general protein purification methods are described in protein purification : principles and practice , r . k . scopes , ed ., 1987 , springer - verlag , new york , n . y . anti c2 / 4gnt antibodies , whether unlabeled or labeled by standard methods , can be used as the basis for immunoassays . the particular label used will depend upon the type of immunoassay used . examples of labels that can be used include , but are not limited to , radiolabels such as 32 p , 125 i , 3 h and 14 c ; fluorescent labels such as fluorescein and its derivatives , rhodamine and its derivatives , dansyl and umbelliferone ; chemiluminescers such as luciferia and 2 , 3 - dihydrophthalazinediones ; and enzymes such as horseradish peroxidase , alkaline phosphatase , lysozyme and glucose - 6 - phosphate dehydrogenase . the antibodies can be tagged with such labels by known methods . for example , coupling agents such as aldehydes , carbodiimides , dimaleimide , imidates , succinimides , bisdiazotized benzadine and the like may be used to tag the antibodies with fluorescent , chemiluminescent or enzyme labels . the general methods involved are well known in the art and are described in , e . g ., chan ( ed . ), 1987 , immunoassay : a practical guide , academic press , inc ., orlando , fla . core 2 o - glycans are involved in cell - cell adhesion events through selectin binding , and the core 2 beta6glcnac - transferase activity is required for synthesis of the selectin ligands ( 11 ). the core 2 beta6glcnac - transferase activity therefore plays a major role in selectin mediated cell trafficking including cancer metastasis . since at least two different core 2 synthases exist it is required to define which of these are involved in synthesis of o - glycans in different cell types and in disease . development of inhibitors of individual or all core 2 synthase activities may be usefull in reducing or eliminating core 2 o - glycans in cells and tissues , and hence inhibiting the biological events these ligands are involved in . inhibition of transcription and / or translation of core 2 beta6glcnac - transferase genes may have the same effect . compounds with such effects may be used as drugs with anti - inflammatory activity and / or for treatment of cancer growth and spreading . the following examples are intended to further illustrate the invention without limiting its scope . [ heading - 0074 ] a : identification of cdna homologous to c2 / 4gnt by analysis of est database sequence information . database searches were performed with the coding sequence of the human c2gnt sequence ( ) using the blastn and tblastn algorithms against the dbest database at the national center for biotechnology information , usa . the blastn algorithm was used to identify ests representing the query gene ( identities of 95 %), whereas tblastn was used to identify non - identical , but similar est sequences . ests with 50 - 90 % nucleotide sequence identity were regarded as different from the query sequence . composites of all the sequence information for each set of ests were compiled and analysed for sequence similarity to human c2gnt . est clone 178656 ( 5 ′ est genbank accession number aa307800 ), derived from a putative homologue to c2gnt , was obtained from the american type culture collection , usa . sequencing of this clone revealed a partial open reading frame with significant sequence similarity to c2gnt . the coding region of human c2gnt and a bovine homologue was previously found to be organized in one exon ( 13 ) and unpublished observations ). since the 5 ′ and 3 ′ sequence available from the c2 / 4gnt est was incomplete but likely to be located in a single exon , the missing 5 ′ and 3 ′ portions of the open reading frame was obtained by sequencing genomic p1 clones . p1 clones were obtained from a human foreskin genomic p1 library ( dupont merck pharmaceutical co . human foreskin fibroblast p1 library ) by screening with the primer pair tshc27 ( 5 ′- ggaagttcatacagttcccac - 3 ′) ( seq id no : 3 ) and tshc28 ( 5 ′- cctcccattcaacatcttgag - 3 ′) ( seq id no : 4 ). two genomic clones for c2 / 4gnt , dpmc - hff # 1 - 1026 ( e2 ) and dpmc - hff # 1 - 1091 ( f1 ) were obtained from genome systems inc . dna from p1 phage was prepared as recommended by genome systems inc . the entire coding sequence of the c2 / 4gnt gene was represented in both clones and sequenced in full using automated sequencing ( abi377 , perkin - elmer ). confirmatory sequencing was performed on a cdna clone obtained by pcr ( 30 cycles at 95 ° c . for 15 sec ; 55 ° c . for 20 sec and 68 ° c . for 2 min 30 sec ) on total cdna from the human colo 205 cancer cell line with the sense primer tshc54 ( 5 ′- gcagaattcatggttcaatggaagagactc - 3 ′) ( seq id no : 7 ) and the anti - sense primer tshc45 ( 5 ′- agcgaattcagctcaaagttcagtcccatag - 3 ′) ( seq id no : 5 ). the composite sequence contained an open reading frame of 1314 base pairs encoding a putative protein of 438 amino acids with type ii domain structure predicted by the tmpred - algorithm at the swiss institute for experimental cancer research ( isrec ) ( http :// www . isrec . isb - sib . ch / software / tmpred 13 form . html ). the sequence of the 5 ′- end of c2 / 4gnt mrna including the translational start site and 5 ′- utr was obtained by 5 ′ rapid amplification of cdna ends ( 35 cycles at 94 ° c . for 20 sec ; 52 ° c . for 15 sec and 72 ° c . for 2 min ) using total cdna from the human colo 205 cancer cell line with the anti - sense primer tshc48 ( 5 ′- gtgggaactgtatgaacttcc - 3 ′) ( seq id no : 6 ) ( fig2 ). an expression construct designed to encode amino acid residues 31 - 438 of c2 / 4gnt was prepared by pcr using p1 dna , and the primer pair tshc55 ( 5 ′- cgagaattcaggttgaagtgtgactc - 3 ′) ( seq id no : 8 ) and tshc45 ( seq id no : 5 ) ( fig2 ). the pcr product was cloned into the ecori site of pacgp67a ( pharmingen ), and the insert was fully sequenced . plasmids pacgp67 - c2 / 4gnt - sol and pacgp67 - c2gnt - sol were co - transfected with baculo - gold ™ dna ( pharmingen ) as described previously ( 14 ). recombinant baculo - virus were obtained after two successive amplifications in sf9 cells grown in serum - containing medium , and titers of virus were estimated by titration in 24 - well plates with monitoring of enzyme activities . controls included the pacgp67 - galnac - t3 - sol ( 15 ). standard assays were performed using culture supernatant from infected cells in 50 μl reaction mixtures containing 100 mm mes ( ph 8 . 0 ), 10 mm edta , 10 mm 2 - acetamido - 2 - deoxy - d - glucono - 1 , 5 - lacton , 180 μm udp -[ 14 c ]- glcnac ( 6 , 000 cpm / nmol ) ( amersham pharmacia biotech ), and the indicated concentrations of acceptor substrates ( sigma and toronto research laboratories ltd ., see table i for structures ). semi - purified c2 / 4gnt was assayed in 50 μl reaction mixtures containing 100 mm mes ( ph 7 ), 5 mm edta , 90 μm udp -[ 14 c ]- glcnac ( 3 , 050 cpm / nmol ) ( amersham pharmacia biotech ), and the indicated concentrations of acceptor substrates . reaction products were quantified by chromatography on dowex agi - x8 . total rna was isolated from human colon and pancreatic adenocarcinoma cell lines aspc - 1 , bxpc - 3 , capan - 1 , capan - 2 , colo 357 , ht - 29 , and panc - 1 essentially as described ( 17 ). twentyfive μg of total rna was subjected to electrophoresis on a 1 % denaturing agarose gel and transferred to nitrocellulose as described previously ( 17 ). the cdna - fragment of soluble c2 / 4gnt was used as a probe for hybridization . the probe was random primer - labeled using [ α 32 p ] dctp and an oligonucleotide labeling kit ( amersham pharmacia biotech ). the membrane was probed overnight at 42 ° c . as described previously ( 15 ), and washed twice for 30 min each at 42 ° c . with 2 × ssc , 0 . 1 % sds and twice for 30 min each at 52 ° c . with 0 . 1 × ssc , 0 . 1 % sds . human multiple tissue northern blots , mtn i and mtn ii ( clontech ), were probed as described above and washed twice for 10 min each at room temperature with 2 × ssc , 0 . 1 % sds ; twice for 10 min each at 55 ° c . with 1 × ssc , 0 . 1 % sds ; and once for 10 min with 0 . 1 × ssc , 0 . 1 % sds at 55 ° c . human genomic clones were obtained from a human foreskin genomic p1 library ( dupont merck pharmaceutical co . human foreskin fibroblast p1 library ) by screening with the primer pair tshc27 ( 5 ′- ggaagttcatacagttcccac - 3 ′) ( seq id no : 3 ) and tshc28 ( 5 ′- cctcccattcaacatcttgag - 3 ′) ( seq id no : 4 ). two genomic clones for c2 / 4gnt , dpmc - hff # 1 - 1026 ( e2 ) and dpmc - hef # 1 - 1091 ( f1 ) were obtained from genome systems inc . dna from p1 phage was prepared as recommended by genome systems inc . the entire coding sequence of the c2 / 4gnt gene was represented in both clones and sequenced in full using automated sequencing ( abi377 , perkin - elmer ). intron / exon boundaries were determined by comparison with the cdna sequences optimising for the gt / ag rule ( breathnach and chambon , 1981 ). [ heading - 0086 ] chromosomal localization of c2 / 4gnt : in situ hybridization to metaphase chromosomes p1 dna was labeled with biotin - 14 - datp using the bio - nick system ( life technologies ). the labeled dna was precipitated with ethanol in the presence of herring sperm dna . precipitated dna was dissolved and denatured at 80 c for 10 min followed by incubation for 30 min at 37 c and added to heat - denatured chromosome spreads where hybridization was carried out over night in a moist chamber at 37 c . after posthybridization washing ( 50 % formamide , 2 × ssc at 42 c ) and blocking with nonfat dry milk powder , the hybridized probe was detected with avidin - fitc ( vector laboratories ) followed by two amplification steps using rabbit - anti - fitc ( dako ) and mouse - anti - rabbit fitc ( jackson immunoresearch ). chromosome spreads were mounted in antifade solution with blue dye dapi . primer pairs as described in fig8 have been used for pcr amplification of individual sequences of the coding exon iii . each pcr product was subcloned and the sequence of 10 clones containing the appropriate insert was determined assuring that both alleles of each individual are characterized . from the foregoing it will be evident 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 . 1 . clausen , h . and bennett , e . p . a family of udp - galnac : polypeptide n - acetylgalactosaminyl - transferases control the initiation of mucin - type o - linked glycosylation . glycobiology , 6 : 635 - 646 , 1996 . 2 . piller , f ., piller , v ., fox , r . i ., and fukuda , m . human t - lymphocyte activation is associated with changes in o - glycan biosynthesis . j . biol . chem ., 263 : 15146 - 15150 , 1988 . 3 . yang , j . m ., byrd , j . c ., siddiki , b . b ., chung , y . s ., okuno , m ., sowa , m ., kim , y . s ., matta , k . l ., and brockhausen , i . alterations of o - glycan biosynthesis in human colon cancer tissues . glycobiology , 4 : 873 - 884 , 1994 . 4 . yousefi , s ., higgins , e ., daoling , z ., pollex - kruger , a ., hindsgaul , o ., and dennis , j . w . increased udp - glcnac : gal beta 1 - 3galnac - r ( glcnac to galnac ) beta - 1 , 6 - n - acetylglucosaminyltransferase activity in metastatic murine tumor cell lines . control of polylactosamine synthesis . j . biol . chem ., 266 : 1772 - 1782 , 1991 . 5 . fukuda , m . possible roles of tumor - associated carbohydrate antigens . cancer res ., 56 : 2237 - 2244 , 1996 . 6 . brockhausen , i ., yang , j . m ., burchell , j ., whitehouse , c ., and taylor - papadimitriou , j . mechanisms underlying aberrant glycosylation of muc1 mucin in breast cancer cells . eur . j . biochem ., 233 : 607 - 617 , 1995 . 7 . brockhausen , i ., kuhns , w ., schachter , h ., matta , k . l ., sutherland , d . r ., and baker , m . a . biosynthesis of o - glycans in leukocytes from normal donors and from patients with leukemia : increase in o - glycan core 2 udp - glcnac : gal beta 3 galnac alpha - r ( glcnac to galnac ) beta ( 1 - 6 )- n - acetylglucosaminyltransferase in leukemic cells . cancer res ., 51 : 1257 - 1263 , 1991 . 8 . higgins , e . a ., siminovitch , k . a ., zhuang , d . l ., brockhausen , i ., and dennis , j . w . aberrant o - linked oligosaccharide biosynthesis in lymphocytes and platelets from patients with the wiskott - aldrich syndrome . j . biol . chem ., 266 : 6280 - 6290 , 1991 . 9 . saitoh , o ., piller , f ., fox , r . i ., and fukuda , m . t - lymphocytic leukemia expresses complex , branched o - linked oligosaccharides on a major sialoglycoprotein , leukosialin . blood , 77 : 1491 - 1499 , 1991 . 10 . springer , g . f . t and tn , general carcinoma autoantigens . science , 224 : 1198 - 1206 , 1984 . 11 . kumar , r ., camphausen , r . t ., sullivan , f . x ., and cumming , d . a . core2 beta - 1 , 6 - n - acetylglucosaminyltransferase enzyme activity is critical for p - selectin glycoprotein ligand - 1 binding to p - selectin . blood , 88 : 3872 - 3879 , 1996 . 12 . bierhuizen , m . f . and fukuda , m . expression cloning of a cdna encoding udp - glcnac : gal beta 1 - 3 - galnac - r ( glcnac to galnac ) beta 1 - 6glcnac transferase by gene transfer into cho cells expressing polyoma large tumor antigen . proc . natl . acad . sci . u . s . a ., 89 : 9326 - 9330 , 1992 . 13 . bierhuizen , m . f ., maemura , k ., kudo , s ., and fukuda , m . genomic organization of core 2 and i branching beta - 1 , 6 - n - acetylglucosaminyltransferases . implication for evolution of the beta - 1 , 6 - n - acetylglucosaminyltransferase gene family . glycobiology , 5 : 417 - 425 , 1995 . 14 . almeida , r ., amado , m ., david , l ., levery , s . b ., holmes , e . h ., merkx , g ., van kessel , a . g ., rygaard , e ., hassan , h ., bennett , e ., and clausen , h . a family of human beta4 - galactosyltransferases . cloning and expression of two novel udp - galactose : beta - n - acetylglucosamine beta1 , 4 - galactosyltransferases , beta4gal - t2 and beta4gal - t3 . j . biol . chem ., 272 : 31979 - 31991 , 1997 . 15 . bennett , e . p ., hassan , h ., and clausen , h . cdna cloning and expression of a novel human udp - n - acetyl - alpha - d - galactosamine . polypeptide n - acetylgalactosaminyltransferase , galnac - t3 . j . biol . chem ., 271 : 17006 - 17012 , 1996 . 16 . wandall , h . h ., hassan , h ., mirgorodskaya , e ., kristensen , a . k ., roepstorff , p ., bennett , e . p ., nielsen , p . a ., hollingsworth , m . a ., burchell , j ., taylor - papadimitriou , j ., and clausen , h . substrate specificities of three members of the human udp - n - acetyl - alpha - d - galactosamine : polypeptide n - acetylgalactosaminyltransferase family , galnac - t1 , - t2 , and - t3 . j . biol . chem ., 272 : 23503 - 23514 , 1997 . 17 . sutherlin , m . e ., nishimori , i ., caffrey , t ., bennett , e . p ., hassan , h ., mandel , u ., mack , d ., iwamura , t ., clausen , h ., and hollingsworth , m . a . expression of three udp - n - acetyl - alpha - d - galactosamine : polypeptide galnac n - acetylgalactosaminyltransferases in adenocarcinoma cell lines . cancer res ., 57 : 4744 - 4748 , 1997 . | 2 |
fig1 a is a block diagram showing a system 7 for providing remote interactive access to a real estate information database 14 ( database ) using a portable computing device ( pcd ) 9 in accordance with the present invention . there are two principal sets of components : the pcd 9 and a real estate information system 8 . the real estate information system 8 includes a database server 12 operatively coupled to the database 14 . as further described below , the database server 12 includes a random access memory ( ram ) ( not shown ) into which is loaded and executed a search engine 13 . the search engine 13 interfaces to the database 14 for the storage , retrieval , and searching of listing records stored within the database 14 . in addition , the database server 12 includes serial ports ( not shown ), a modem bank 21 and a network hub 25 . as also further described below , the pcd 9 is a special purpose computing device and includes a single general purpose ram 10 configured for both transient and persistent storage of both program code and data . the ram 10 is used exclusively by the pcd 9 for both program code and data storage , although the operating system , core libraries , and configuration information could be stored in a specialized read only memory ( rom ) ( not shown ), as is known in the art . a remote client 11 ( rc ) is loaded and executed in the ram 11 for interactively accessing the real estate information database 14 , as further described below with reference to fig3 . the pcd 9 can be connected to the database server 12 via three types of communications links . first , the pcd 9 can be directly interfaced to a serial port of the database server 12 using a serial connection 15 . second , the pcd 9 can be connected to the database server 12 through a wireless server 18 , which is the preferred mode in connection . with this type of communication link , the pcd 9 can be equipped with a wireless modem ( not shown ) which transmits to a receiver 17 coupled to the wireless server using a radio frequency connection 16 . alternatively , the pcd 9 can be equipped with a conventional modem and an adapter for connection to a cellular telephone . in turn , the wireless server 18 is equipped with a modem 19 that is interconnected with the modem bank 21 via a modem link 20 . finally , the pcd 9 can be connected to the database server 12 via a network 23 , such as an internetwork , including the internet , or an intranetwork . the pcd 9 is connected to the network 23 via a network link 22 , which could be via analog modem , internetwork protocol ( ip ) modem , wireless modem , and the like . in turn , the network 23 is connected to the network hub 25 of the database server 12 via a high speed network link 24 . the database server 12 is a general purpose , programmed digital computing device consisting of a central processing unit ( cpu ), ram , nonvolatile secondary storage , such as a hard drive or cd rom drive , network interfaces , and peripheral devices , including user interfacing means , such as a keyboard and display . program code , including software programs , and data are loaded into the ram for execution and processing by the cpu and results are generated for display , output , transmittal , or storage . in the described embodiment , the database server 12 is a legacy - type data processing system consisting of a traditional mainframe computer system , such as manufactured by tandem computers , inc ., cupertino , calif . the database system 8 provided by the re infolink multiple listing service , santa clara , calif ., is a typical multiple listing service database form . the database 14 includes a set of listing records which each contain a set of characteristics describing the real estate property listing . there are ten classes of properties : single family residential , common interest development , multi residential , mobile homes , residential lots and lands , commercial lots and lands , commercial / industrial , business opportunity , commercial rental , and residential rental . within each class , a listing record includes various sets of characteristics , including characteristics pertaining to interior , exterior , additional information , including mortgage rate , pricing and tax information , and remarks . within each of these sets of characteristics , further specifics can be specified , such as , for an interior , type , style , bedrooms , bathrooms , and so on . the database 14 can be searched by specifying these individual characteristics . the pcd 9 is a special purpose , programmed digital computing device consisting of a cpu , the single general purpose ram , and limited peripheral devices , including a communications port and user interfacing means , such as a data input interface and display . typically , these devices are highly portable and are designed for handheld use . the primary difference between a conventional computer system and a pcd is the storage subsystem : to conserve on battery life , size and weight , a single general purpose ram is used for substantially all program code and data storage , instead of using non - volatile secondary storage . the ram can include conventional dynamic and static access memory devices , as well as flash memory and related electronic integrated circuit storage technologies , as would be recognized by one skilled in the art . in the described embodiment , the pcd 9 is a personal data assistant ( pda ), such as the palm iii connected organizer , or any similar member of the palm connected organizer family , manufactured by 3com corporation , santa clara , calif . an exemplary wireless modem is the ricochet modem , provided along with the ricochet mobile internet access service , by metricom , inc ., los gatos , calif . an alternate pda that has in integral wireless modem is the palm vii connected organizer , also manufactured by 3com corporation . a cellular telephone modem adapter suitable for use with a palm iii connected organizer is the snap - on gsm modem adapter , manufactured by option international , leuven , belgium . the pcd 9 could also be a handheld personal computer ( hpc ) running the windows ce operating system , such as the cassiopeia hpc , manufactured by casio computer company ltd ., tokyo , japan ; the compaq aero 8000 hpc , manufactured by compaq computer , houston , tex . ; and the jornada hpc , manufactured by the hewlett - packard company , palo alto , calif . other types of personal computing devices are feasible . finally , the pcd 9 could be incorporated as part of the new generation of cellular telephones , known as smart phones and similar devices , which integrate the functionality of a pda with the features of a cellular telephone . the pdq telephone , manufactured by qualcomm , san diego , calif ., in particular incorporates the palm operating system and connected organizer into a cellular telephone . these types of devices export an application programming interface ( api ) for interfacing telephony features with client functionality . thus , the remote client 11 can be loaded and executed using one of these cellular telephones and the database server 12 interactively accessed through the wireless connection afforded by the cellular telephone . fig1 b is a block diagram showing a system 7 for providing remote interactive access to multiple real estate information systems 5 a , 5 b , 5 c using the pcd 9 of fig1 a . the pcd 9 can be connected to any number of real estate information systems 5 a , 5 b , 5 c using either the same or different type of communications link 6 a , 6 b , 6 c , respectively . each communications link 6 a , 6 b , 6 c could be any of the three types of communications links described above with reference to fig1 a , that is , a serial connection , a wireless connection , or a network connection , through various protocol configurations of the remote client 11 , further described below with reference to fig3 . preferably , the pcd 9 is only connected to one real estate information system 5 a , 5 b , 5 c at one time . fig2 is a block diagram showing a further embodiment 26 of the present invention introducing a local server 27 into the system 7 of fig1 a . the local server includes a network hub 29 and a random access memory ( ram ) ( not shown ) into which is loaded and executed a paging module 28 . as further described below with reference to fig1 , the paging module 28 provides a “ push ” notification of a new or changed real estate property listing to a remote pcd 9 on a regularly scheduled basis . the local server 27 and database server 12 are both connected to a network 31 via high speed network link 30 using network hubs 29 and 25 , respectively . fig3 is a functional block diagram showing the remote client 11 used in the system 8 of fig1 a . the remote client 11 is a computer program written as source code in a conventional programming language , such as the c or java programming languages , and is presented for execution by the cpu as object or byte code , as is known in the art . the various implementations of the source code and object and byte codes can be held on a computer - readable storage medium , including the general purpose ram 10 of the pcd 9 , or embodied on a transmission medium in a carrier wave . in the described embodiment , the remote client is written in the c programming language with the code warrior c compiler and 3com macintosh system development kit for the palm 3 . 0 operating system . the remote client 11 consists of three primary modules : session manager 32 , search method 33 , and display method 34 . the session manager 32 provides the low level communications interface to the database server 12 , including identifying the remote client 11 and managing an on - going interactive session between the remote client 11 and the search engine 13 . the search method 33 processes search queries by sending sets of search parameters 35 to the search engine 13 via the session manager 32 . in response , the search method 33 receives back search results 36 in the form of real estate property listing records that the search engine 13 has retrieved from the database 14 . finally , the display method 34 displays the real estate property listing records to the user . the steps performed by the respective modules of the remote client 11 are further described below beginning with reference to fig4 a and 4b . in one embodiment , the remote client 11 interfaces directly to the search engine 13 . the search results 36 are pre - filtered into a format designed for presentation within the limited size of the display of the pcd 9 . in an alternate embodiment , the search results 36 are returned in a page display format , such as would be acceptable for viewing on a conventional personal computer display . the session manager 32 stores these search results 36 into a receive buffer 37 configured in the general purpose ram of the pcd 9 . a parser 38 reads in the page display formatted search results from the receive buffer 37 and breaks the search results down into “ tokens ” for use by the display method 34 . in a further embodiment of the present invention , the remote client 11 includes a daemon method 39 for periodically providing a “ pull ” notification of a new or changed real estate property listing , as further described below with reference to fig1 . an alert timer 40 within the daemon method 39 “ wakes up ” the pcd 9 and initiates a connection to the database server 12 . the search method 33 issues a new query to the search engine 13 and processes any new or changes search results received from the database server 12 . fig4 a and 4b are flow diagrams showing a process 41 for providing remote interactive access to a real estate information database 14 using a pcd 9 in accordance with the present invention . first , a set of preferences for the interactive session is set ( block 42 ). referring to fig5 , a screen shot of a preferences specification screen 60 generated , by way of example , by the method 41 of fig4 a and 4b is shown . in the described embodiment , four preferences need be specified , a department of real estate ( dre ) license number 61 , a password 62 , a phone number 63 and a modem initialization string 64 , although other preferences are also feasible . upon the completion of the specification of preferences , the preferences can be saved by pressing the virtual “ save ” button 65 or discarded by pressing the virtual “ cancel ” button 66 . referring back to fig4 a and 4b , next , the remote client 11 is initialized ( block 43 ) for serial communications by the session manager 32 ( shown in fig3 ) as further described below with reference to fig8 . a set of search parameters 35 is specified ( block 44 ) using the search method 33 ( shown in fig4 ). referring to fig6 a , a screen shot of a search parameter specification screen 70 generated , by way of example , by the method 41 of fig4 a and 4b is shown . in the described embodiment , four search parameters need be specified , a search area or neighborhood 71 , a class 72 , such as “ single family residential ,” the status of the property 73 , such as “ active ,” and a “ search by ” characteristics 74 . here , a pull down menu of characteristics 74 is presented . the search parameters 35 correspond to the set of characteristics describing the real estate property listings stored in the database 14 . upon the completion of the specification of search parameter specification , the search can be initiated by pressing the virtual “ search ” button 75 or more search parameters specified by pressing the virtual “ more ” button 76 . referring to fig6 b , a screen shot of a search status screen 66 generated , by way of example , by the method 41 of fig4 a and 4b is shown . the number of successful search matches 67 is indicated . the search can be canceled by pressing the virtual “ cancel ” button 68 . referring back to fig4 a and 4b , a search is executed ( block 45 ), as further described below with reference to fig7 . search results 36 ( shown in fig3 ) are received ( block 46 ). if the search results 36 indicate a match between the search parameters 35 and one or more listing record in the database 14 ( block 47 ), the search results 36 are displayed ( block 48 ). referring to fig7 , a screen shot of a search results screen 80 generated , by way of example , by the method 41 of fig4 a and 4b is shown . the search results 36 are displayed as a simple list of properties 81 . referring back to fig4 a and 4b , if there is no match ( block 47 ), further search parameters 35 can be specified ( block 44 ) and the search and review process ( blocks 45 - 47 ) repeated . select search results 36 can be saved for later review ( block 49 ) using , for instance , check boxes next to each of the search results 36 . if more details of a found property listing are requested ( block 50 ), a detailed search request is executed ( block 51 ), as further described below with reference to fig1 . otherwise , if details are not requested ( block 50 ), a new search can be specified ( block 44 ) and the search and review process ( blocks 45 - 47 ) repeated . finally , the detailed search results are received ( block 52 ) and displayed ( block 53 ), as further described below with reference to fig1 . the process 41 then ends . fig8 is a flow diagram showing the routine 42 for initializing the remote client 11 for use in the method 41 of fig4 a and 4b . the purpose of this routine is to prepare the session manager 32 for an interactive serial communications session with the database server 12 . first , the receive buffer 37 ( shown in fig3 ) is allocated ( block 90 ). a search parameter structure is allocated for storing the search parameters 35 ( block 91 ). a receives parameters structure is allocated for storing the search results 36 ( block 92 ). the receive parameters structure can include a data structure for use in reading page display formatted search results stored in the receive buffer 37 . next , a serial library is allocated ( block 94 ). the modem parameters are initialized ( block 95 ), such as baud rate , data bits , and parity bits . finally , the serial port is opened ( block 96 ) and a session with the database server 12 is initiated . the routine 42 then returns . fig9 is a flow diagram showing the routine 45 for executing a search for use in the method 41 of fig4 a and 4b . the purpose of this routine is to send the search parameters 35 to the search engine 13 . if the remote client 11 is not connected to the database server 12 ( block 100 ), a connection is initiated ( block 101 ). once connected , the search parameters 35 are sent ( block 102 ). in the described embodiment , the remote client 11 interacts with the search engine 13 in two ways . first , using a modem access proxy , such as via a wireless connection , the search parameters 35 are sent to the search engine 13 as if remote client 11 were a conventional character - based terminal . the search results 36 are returned in a page display format , which is then parsed , into tokens by the parser 38 ( shown in fig3 ). second , the search method 33 invokes a remote function call to the search engine 13 and the search parameters 35 are sent as function call parameters . for example , a structured query language ( sql ) or extensible markup language ( xml ) function call could be used . upon completion of the sending of the search parameters 35 , the routine 45 returns . fig1 is a flow diagram showing the routine 49 for executing a detail search for use in the method 41 of fig4 a and 4b . the purpose of this routine is to send a further request for more detailed information about one or more particular property listings from the set of search results 36 . if the remote client 11 is not connected to the database server 12 ( block 110 ), a connection is initiated ( block 111 ). once connected , detailed search parameters are sent ( block 112 ). in the described embodiment , each listing record describing a real estate property listing in the database 14 includes a unique identifier , called an mls number . unique identifiers for particular properties , such as those shown in the example properties list 81 ( shown in fig7 ), are sent to the search engine 12 to retrieve specific detailed information . upon completion of the sending of the detailed information request , the routine 49 returns . fig1 is a flow diagram showing the routine 51 for displaying detailed search results for use in the method of fig4 a and 4b . the purpose of this routine is to present detailed property listing information in a user - friendly format on the limited display area of the pcd 9 . first , the detailed listing is displayed ( block 120 ). additional listings can be reviewed ( block 121 ) by pressing appropriate navigation virtual buttons . finally , more detailed information can be shown ( block 122 ). referring to fig1 a - 12e , screen shots showing search result details screens 130 , 135 , 140 , 145 , 150 generated by the routine 51 of fig1 are shown . per screen 130 , detailed listing information 131 is presented . additional property listings can be accessed by pressing the “→” virtual button 132 . the previous search screen can be accessed by pressing the “ back ” virtual button 133 . per screen 135 , office information 136 is presented . additional property listings can be accessed by pressing the “→” virtual button 137 . the previous search screen can be accessed by pressing the “ back ” virtual button 138 . per screen 140 , financial information 141 is presented . additional property listings can be accessed by pressing the “→” virtual button 142 . the previous search screen can be accessed by pressing the “ back ” virtual button 143 . per screen 145 , other information 146 is presented . additional property listings can be accessed by pressing the “→” virtual button 147 . the previous search screen can be accessed by pressing the “ back ” virtual button 148 . finally , per screen 150 , comments 151 are presented . additional property listings can be accessed by pressing the “→” virtual button 152 . the previous search screen can be accessed by pressing the “ back ” virtual button 153 . upon completion of the displaying of the detailed information , the routine 51 returns . fig1 is a flow diagram showing a routine for a paging module 160 which provides a “ push ” notification as a further embodiment of the present invention . this routine operates in the paging module 28 in the remote server 27 ( shown in fig2 ). the paging module 28 is periodically waken up ( block 161 ) using an internal timer . if there are new or changed listing records in the database 14 ( block 162 ), a short messaging service ( sms ) message is sent to the remote client 9 ( block 163 ). sms messages are short alphanumeric messages limited to around 200 characters . other messaging technologies could also be used , including the wireless markup language ( wml ), wireless application protocol ( wap ), and other related push - type notification protocols , as would be recognized by one skilled in the art . the method 160 then returns to sleep ( block 164 ) until the next periodic awakening . the sleeping period can be set to any reasonable interval , such as one hour . fig1 is a flow diagram showing a routine for a daemon method 170 for periodically providing a “ pull ” notification as a further embodiment of the present invention . the remote client 9 is periodically waken up ( block 171 ) using the alert timer 40 ( shown in fig3 ). a connection to the database server 12 is initiated ( block 172 ) and a search query is issued to the search engine 13 ( block 173 ). if there are new or changed listing records in the database 14 ( block 174 ), the search results 36 are received and displayed ( block 175 ). the method 170 then returns to sleep ( block 176 ) until the next periodic awakening . the sleeping period can be set to any reasonable interval , such as one hour . the present invention provides a highly portable solution to providing remote , interactive access to an real estate information database . this approach provides multiple means of connecting to the real estate information database , including via a direct connection , using a proxy or local server , and via a network connection . in addition , the search method is flexible and provides can interact with the search engine either as a pseudo terminal or using remotely invoked function calls . moreover , the present invention is based on a portable computing device which differs from personal computer - based solutions by efficiently relying upon a single primary storage subsystem within which both program code and data are stored and executed . this approach provides the practical benefits of dramatically increased battery life , low weight , and minimal form factor . moreover , the capability to be integrated into a variety of information and communication appliances , such as intelligent and pdq cellular telephones . while the invention has been particularly shown and described as referenced to the embodiments thereof , those skilled in the art will understand that the foregoing and other changes in form and detail may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . | 6 |
[ 0021 ] fig1 shows in perspective a printing plate producing system 30 which incorporates a method of and an apparatus for adjusting an amount of light in an image exposure recording system according to the present invention . as shown in fig1 the printing plate producing system 30 directly produces a printing plate 32 on which image information for producing a printed material is recorded , from digital image data . the printing plate producing system 30 basically comprises a plate supplying device 34 for supplying an unexposed printing plate 32 , a light beam scanning device 36 for scanning an unexposed printing plate 32 with a light beam modulated by image information to record an image on the printing plate 32 , and a developing device 38 for developing the image recorded on the printing plate 32 . the plate supplying device 34 holds a plurality of unexposed printing plates 32 and supplies one at a time of the unexposed printing plates 32 to the light beam scanning device 36 . the light beam scanning device 36 feeds the unexposed printing plate 32 by the exposure stage 40 supplied from the plate supplying device 34 in an auxiliary scanning direction indicated by the arrow y , and at the same time scans the unexposed printing plate 32 with a laser beam l , which has been modulated by image information supplied from an image recording unit 42 , in a main scanning direction indicated by the arrow x that is perpendicular to the auxiliary scanning direction , thereby recording a two - dimensional image on the printing plate 32 . the developing device 38 develops the image recorded on the printing plate 32 that is supplied from the light beam scanning device 36 . [ 0024 ] fig2 shows in perspective the light beam scanning device 36 together with its control circuit shown in block form . as shown in fig2 the light beam scanning device 36 has a recording light source 46 energizable by a laser driver 44 for outputting a continuously oscillating laser beam l for recording an image on a printing plate 32 , and a synchronizing light source 50 energizable by a laser driver 48 for outputting a synchronizing laser beam s for generating a synchronizing clock signal used when the laser beam l scans the printing plate 32 in the main scanning direction . the light beam scanning device 36 includes a mechanical shutter 52 , a variable - transmittance nd filter 54 as a means for coarsely adjusting an amount of light , an acousto - optic modulator ( aom ) 56 as a means for finely adjusting an amount of light or a modulating means , a resonant scanner 58 , a scanning lens 59 , reflecting mirrors 60 , 62 , and a mechanical shutter 63 which are successively disposed in the light path of the laser beam l that is outputted from the recording light source 46 . the mechanical shutter 52 is movable into and out of the light path of the laser beam l by a displacing unit 64 for selectively supplying and blocking the laser beam l to the printing plate 32 . as shown in fig3 the variable - transmittance nd filter 54 has an arcuate stepped edge 55 whose transmittance varies stepwise in an area thereof which transmits the laser beam l therethrough . the arcuate stepped edge 55 can be changed in position with respect to the light path of the laser beam l by an nd filter drive motor 66 that can be energized by an nd filter driver 57 . the arcuate stepped edge 55 coarsely adjusts the amount of light of the laser beam l depending on its position with respect to the light path of the laser beam l . as shown in fig4 the means for coarsely adjusting an amount of light may alternatively comprise a variable - transmittance nd filter 69 having a linear stepped edge 67 whose transmittance varies stepwise in an area thereof which transmits the laser beam l therethrough , the variable - transmittance nd filter 69 being movable by a displacing unit 71 . if the laser beam l outputted from the recording light source 46 is a linearly polarized beam , then the means for coarsely adjusting an amount of light may comprise a rotatable polarizing filter for coarsely adjusting the amount of light of the laser beam l depending on its angular displacement . the aom 56 turns on and off the laser beam l depending on image information to be recorded , and finely adjusts the amount of light of the laser beam l that passes through the aom 56 according to a controlled variable determined by an amount - of - light adjusting process to be described later on . the image information is read from an image memory 68 , and converted into an on / off modulation signal by an image signal controller 70 . the on / off modulation signal is supplied to an aom driver 72 . the aom driver 72 supplies the aom 56 with a drive signal whose intensity is finely adjusted by the controlled variable and which is turned on and off depending on the image information . the means for finely adjusting an amount of light or modulating means may comprise , rather than the aom 56 , an electro - optic modulator ( eom ) or a magneto - optic modulator ( mom ). it is also possible to finely adjust the amount of light of the laser beam l by adjusting a drive signal supplied from the laser driver 44 to the recording light source 46 , directly with a light source control circuit . the resonant scanner 58 oscillates a mirror at a high speed with a drive signal supplied from a scanner driver 74 , and deflects the laser beam l from the aom 56 in the main scanning direction indicated by the arrow x and supplies the deflected laser beam l to the scanning lens 59 . the laser beam l that has passed through the scanning lens 59 is adjusted in its scanning speed with respect to the main scanning direction , and is then reflected by the reflecting mirrors 60 , 62 toward the printing plate 32 . the mechanical shutter 63 is positioned between the reflecting mirror 62 and the printing plate 32 and is elongate in the main scanning direction indicated by the arrow x . the mechanical shutter 63 is movable into and out of the light path of the laser beam l by a displacing unit 76 . the mechanical shutter 63 has a reflecting mirror 78 disposed centrally therein . when the mechanical shutter 63 is in the light path of the laser beam l , the reflecting mirror 78 reflects the laser beam l toward a photodiode 80 for monitoring an amount of light . the photodiode 80 , which serves as a means for detecting an amount of light , may be replaced with a phototransistor . [ 0034 ] fig5 shows in block form an amount - of - light adjusting circuit 96 for adjusting the amount of light of the laser beam l outputted from the recording light source 46 . as shown in fig5 the amount - of - light adjusting circuit 96 includes the variable - transmittance nd filter 54 ( means for coarsely adjusting an amount of light ), the aom 56 ( means for finely adjusting an amount of light ), the photodiode 80 ( means for detecting an amount of light ), an i / v converter ( gain control circuit ) 81 for converting a current into a voltage , and an a / d converter 82 for converting an analog voltage signal from the i / v converter 81 into a digital voltage signal . the laser driver 44 , the nd filter driver 57 , the aom driver 72 , the i / v converter 81 , and the a / d converter 82 are connected to a cpu 84 which serves as a means for calculating detected values of a target amount of light and a means for setting an adjustment quantity . to the cpu 84 , there is connected a data storage unit 89 for storing various data for adjusting an amount of light for exposure . the data storage unit 89 serves as a first storage means and a second storage means . the variable - transmittance nd filter 54 , which serves as the means for coarsely adjusting an amount of light , may be replaced with an optical filter such as a polarizing filter . further , the acousto - optic modulator ( aom ) 56 , which serves as the means for finely adjusting an amount of light , may be replaced with an optical filter such as an electro - optic modulator and a magneto - optic modulator . alternatively , it is possible to adjust the amount of light directly by the laser driver 44 . the i / v converter 81 comprises a pair of series - connected front - and rear - stage amplifiers 83 , 85 , a plurality of resistors r 1 , r 2 , r 3 connected parallel to and between input and output terminals of the front - stage amplifier 83 , and a plurality of switches sw 1 , sw 2 , sw 3 connected in series to the respective resistors r 1 , r 2 , r 3 . the switches sw 1 , sw 2 , sw 3 can be controlled by the cpu 84 for controlling a gain , i . e ., an amplification factor , of the i / v converter 81 . as shown in fig2 the resonant scanner 58 , the scanning lens 59 , the reflecting mirror 60 , a reflecting mirror 87 , a reference grating 86 , a light guide rod 88 , and photodiodes 90 a , 90 b for generating a synchronizing signal are successively disposed in the light path of the synchronizing laser beam s that is outputted from the synchronizing light source 50 . the synchronizing light source 50 is positioned to apply the synchronizing laser beam s to the resonant scanner 58 at an angle different from the laser beam l . the synchronizing laser beam s is reflected and deflected in main scanning direction indicated by the arrow x by the resonant scanner 58 . the synchronizing laser beam s deflected by the resonant scanner 58 travels through the scanning lens 59 to the reflecting mirror 60 . the synchronizing laser beam s is reflected by the reflecting mirror 60 toward the reflecting mirror 87 , which reflects the synchronizing laser beam s toward the reference grating 86 . the synchronizing laser beam s passes through the reference grating 86 . the reference grating 86 is elongate in main scanning direction indicated by the arrow x , and has a linear succession of slits 92 along its longitudinal direction , the number of the slits depending on the resolution . the light guide rod 88 , which is substantially cylindrical in shape , is disposed behind the reference grating 86 to receive the synchronizing laser beam s that has passed through the reference grating 86 . the light guide rod 88 is made of a material capable of transmitting light therethrough . the synchronizing laser beam s that has entered the light guide rod 88 is repeatedly reflected therein and travels therethrough to the photodiodes 90 a , 90 b which are disposed on the respective ends of the light guide rod 88 . to the photodiodes 90 a , 90 b , there is connected a synchronizing clock generator 94 for generating a synchronizing clock signal from the synchronizing laser beam s . the synchronizing clock signal generated by the synchronizing clock generator 94 is supplied , as a recording timing signal for the image information to be recorded with respect to the main scanning direction indicated by the arrow x , to the image signal control circuit 70 . the printing plate 32 is positioned on and held by an exposure stage 40 , which can be fed in the auxiliary scanning direction indicated by the arrow y by a ball screw 100 that is rotatable about its own axis by an auxiliary scanning motor 98 . the auxiliary scanning motor 98 is energizable by an auxiliary scanning motor driver 104 based on a motor driving reference clock signal that is supplied from an auxiliary scanning motor driving clock generator 102 . the motor driving reference clock signal is generated by the auxiliary scanning motor driving clock generator 102 based on a scanning clock signal which is a main scanning start timing signal supplied from the scanner driver 74 . the printing plate producing system 30 is basically constructed as described above . operation of the printing plate producing system 30 will be described below . first , an image recording process carried out by the printing plate producing system 30 will be described below with reference to fig1 and 2 . when the printing plate producing system 30 is turned on , the plate supplying device 34 supplies an unexposed printing plate 32 to the exposure stage 40 of the light beam scanning device 36 . the exposure stage 40 which has been supplied with the unexposed printing plate 32 is displaced in the auxiliary scanning direction indicated by the arrow y by the ball screw 100 that is rotated by the auxiliary scanning motor 98 , thus feeding the printing plate 32 to a given position in the image recording unit 42 . in the light beam scanning device 36 , the scanner driver 74 supplies a drive signal to the resonant scanner 58 , whose mirror starts to oscillate at a high speed . at this time , the scanner driver 74 also generates a scanning clock pulse each time the mirror of the resonant scanner 58 oscillates in one main scanning cycle , and supplies the scanning clock pulse to the image signal controller 70 . then , the laser driver 48 supplies a drive signal to the synchronizing light source 50 , which outputs a synchronizing laser beam s . the synchronizing laser beam s outputted from the synchronizing light source 50 is reflected and deflected by the resonant scanner 58 , and guided by the scanning lens 59 and the reflecting mirrors 60 , 87 to the reference grating 86 . the synchronizing laser beam s applied to the reference grating 86 successively passes through the slits 92 as the synchronizing laser beam s moves along the reference grating 86 in the main scanning direction indicated by the arrow x , and enters as a pulsed light signal into the light guide rod 88 . the pulsed synchronizing laser beam s is repeatedly reflected in the light guide rod 88 and travels therethrough to the photodiodes 90 a , 90 b on the respective ends of the light guide rod 88 . the photodiodes 90 a , 90 b convert the pulsed synchronizing laser beam s into an electric signal and supplies the electric signal to the synchronizing clock generator 94 . the synchronizing clock generator 94 shapes the waveform of the electric signal and multiplies its frequency thereby to generate a synchronizing clock signal . the synchronizing clock signal generated by the synchronizing clock generator 94 is supplied to the image signal control circuit 70 . based on the scanning clock pulse from the scanner driver 74 and the synchronizing clock signal from the synchronizing clock generator 94 , the image signal control circuit 70 converts image information read from the image memory 68 into an on / off modulation signal , which is supplied to the aom driver 72 . based on the on / off modulation signal , the aom driver 72 supplies a drive signal , which has been finely adjusted by a controlled variable determined by an amount - of - light adjusting process to be described later on , to the aom 56 . the recording light source 46 energized by the laser driver 44 outputs a continuously oscillating laser beam l for recording an image . the laser beam l is guided to the aom 56 via the variable - transmittance nd filter 54 which is angularly moved by the nd filter drive motor 66 to coarsely adjust the amount of light of the laser beam l . in this image recording mode , the mechanical shutter 52 that is positioned in front of the variable - transmittance nd filter 54 is retracted out of the light path of the laser beam l by the displacing unit 64 . further , the mechanical shutter 63 positioned between the reflecting mirror 62 and the printing plate 32 is retracted out of the light path of the laser beam l by the displacing unit 76 . the laser beam l that is applied to the aom 56 is turned on and off by the aom 56 depending on the image information , and the amount of light of the laser beam l is finely adjusted by the aom 56 . the laser beam l is then supplied from the aom 56 to the resonant scanner 58 . the resonant scanner 58 reflects and deflects the laser beam l , which is guided by the scanning lens 59 and the reflecting mirrors 60 , 62 to the printing plate 32 . the scanner driver 74 also supplies a scanning clock signal generated in each main scanning cycle to the auxiliary scanning motor driving clock generator 102 . based on the supplied scanning clock signal , the auxiliary scanning motor driving clock generator 102 generates and supplies a motor driving reference clock signal to the auxiliary scanning motor driver 104 . based on the supplied motor driving reference clock signal , the auxiliary scanning motor driver 104 generates a drive signal and applies the drive signal to energize the auxiliary scanning motor 98 , which rotates the ball screw 100 about its own axis . the exposure stage 40 is now displaced in the auxiliary scanning direction indicated by the arrow y in synchronism with the scanning clock signal . therefore , the laser beam l modulated with the image information is applied to the printing plate 32 in the main scanning direction indicated by the arrow x while the printing plate 32 is being fed in the auxiliary scanning direction indicated by the arrow y , thereby forming a two - dimensional image on the printing plate 32 . the printing plate 32 with the two - dimensional image formed thereon is delivered to the developing device 38 , which develops the image recorded on the printing plate 32 . thereafter , the printing plate 32 is fed to a printing process . a process of adjusting the amount of light of the laser beam l in the printing plate producing system 30 will be described below with reference to fig6 and 7 . first , the displacing unit 76 is actuated to displace the mechanical shutter 63 to a closed position to allow the laser beam l outputted from the recording light source 46 to be reflected by the reflecting mirror 78 toward the photodiode 80 in step s 1 . then , the switch sw 1 of the i / v converter 81 is turned on to set the amplification factor thereof to a minimum level , and an offset value ofs of the a / d converter 82 is measured in step s 2 . if no ambient light is applied to the photodiode 80 at this time , then the processing in step s 1 may be dispensed with . the measured offset value ofs is stored in the data storage unit 89 . then , amount - of - light control characteristic data of the variable - transmittance nd filter 54 is measured in step s 3 . specifically , the recording light source 46 outputs a laser beam l having a constant amount of light , and the laser beam l is guided by the variable - transmittance nd filter 54 , the aom 56 , the resonant scanner 58 , the scanning lens 59 , and the reflecting mirror 78 to the photodiode 80 . the amount of light of the laser beam l is detected by the a / d converter 82 . at this time , the nd filter drive motor 66 is energized to displace the stepped edge 55 of the variable - transmittance nd filter 54 stepwise , and amounts of light ad ( n , g ) at respective step numbers n of the stepped edge 55 are detected with respect to respective gains g (= 1 , 2 , 3 ) of the i / v converter 81 . the detected amounts of light ad ( n , g ) are stored as amount - of - light control characteristic data ( see fig8 ) in the data storage unit 89 . the gains g represent a parameter for determining an amplification factor when the switches sw 1 , sw 2 , sw 3 of the i / v converter 81 are successively turned on . the cpu 84 calculates detected values adt ( i , g ) ( i = 1 , 2 , . . . ) of a target amount of light for respective set amounts of light p ( i ) for exposure in step s 4 . specifically , if the reflecting mirror 78 has a reflectance r , the photodiode 80 has a sensitivity s , and the i / v converter 81 has a signal amplification factor m ( g ), then the detected value adt ( i , g ) of a target amount of light is calculated as follows : adt ( i , g )= p ( i )· r · s · m ( g )+ ofs ( 1 ) where ofs is the offset value determined in step s 2 . [ 0062 ] fig7 shows a detailed process of calculating detected values adt ( i , g ) of a target amount of light in step s 4 . first , i = g = 1 in steps s 4 a , s 4 b , s 4 c , and a detected value adt ( 1 , 1 ) of a target amount of light is calculated in step s 4 d . if the calculated detected value adt ( 1 , 1 ) of a target amount of light is smaller than 300 in step s 4 e , then the gain g is set to g = 2 to increase the amplification factor m ( g ) in step s 4 c . then , a detected value adt ( 1 , 2 ) of a target amount of light is calculated again in step s 4 d . the loop is repeated until the calculated detected value adt ( i , g ) of a target amount of light becomes equal to or greater than 300 , whereupon the detected value adt ( i , g ) of a target amount of light and the gain g are stored in the data storage unit 89 in step s 4 f . the gain g is adjusted to make the detected value adt ( i , g ) of a target amount of light equal to or greater than 300 for the following reason : if the a / d converter 82 has a resolution of 12 bits , then the detected value adt ( i , g ) of a target amount of light is of a value in the range from 0 to 4095 . by setting the detected value adt ( i , g ) of a target amount of light to a value in the range from 300 to 3000 , for example , good linearity is obtained for increased detection accuracy . the above process is carried out for each of the set amounts of light p ( i ) for exposure in step s 4 g . the set amounts of light p ( i ) for exposure may be spaced at intervals of 2 ⅓ , i . e ., may be 10 mw , 10 · 2 ⅓ mw , 10 · 2 ⅔ mw , . . . , for example . then , using the amount - of - light control characteristic data ( see fig8 ) determined in step s 3 , step numbers nd ( i ) of the variable - transmittance nd filter 54 capable of obtaining detected values ad ( n , g ) of an amount of light closet to the detected values adt ( i , g ) of a target amount of light are determined in step s 5 ( see fig6 ). then , the nd filter driver 57 actuates the nd filter drive motor 66 to insert the stepped edge 55 at the respective step numbers nd ( i ) of the variable - transmittance nd filter 54 into the light path of the laser beam l , and the switches sw 1 , sw 2 , sw 3 are set to equalize the gain g of the i / v converter 81 to the gains g of the detected values adt ( i , g ) of a target amount of light . thereafter , the photodiode 80 measures detected values ad ( nd ( i ), g ) of an amount of light of the laser beam l at the respective settings in step s 6 . since the amount of light of the laser beam l has been coarsely adjusted by the variable - transmittance nd filter 54 , the detected values ad ( nd ( i ), g ) of an amount of light obtained in step s 6 are close to the detected values adt ( i , g ) of a target amount of light . in order to equalize the detected values ad ( nd ( i ), g ) an amount of light to the detected values adt ( i , g ) of a target amount of light , the intensity of the drive signal supplied from the aom driver 72 to the aom 56 is adjusted to finely adjust the amount of light in step s 7 . a controlled variable aom ( i ) for the drive signal of the aom driver 72 adjusted to satisfy the equation : after coarse adjustment quantities ( step numbers nd ( i )) and fine adjustment quantities ( controlled variables ( aom ( i )) for the laser beam l with respect to the respective detected values adt ( i , g ) of a target amount of light have been determined , the displacing unit 76 is actuated to retract the mechanical shutter 63 to an open position out of the light path of the laser beam l in step s 8 , and a test pattern is recorded on the printing plate 32 by exposure to the laser beam l in step s 9 . specifically , the stepped edge 55 of the variable - transmittance nd filter 54 is set to a step number nd ( i ), and the drive signal supplied from the aom driver 72 to the aom 56 is set to a controlled variable aom ( i ). then , the laser beam l is applied to the printing plate 32 for thereby producing a patch 91 at each of the set amounts of light p ( i ) for exposure , as shown in fig9 . below each of the patches 91 , there are simultaneously printed a patch number i , a set amount of light p ( i ) for exposure , a detected value adt ( i , g ) of a target amount of light , a step number nd ( i ), and a controlled variable aom ( i ). the operator then visually observes the test pattern thus formed as shown in fig9 selects a patch 91 that is considered to have an optimum density , and determines the step number nd ( i ) and the controlled variable aom ( i ) relative to the selected patch 91 as a coarse adjustment quantity for the variable - transmittance nd filter 54 and a fine adjustment quantity for the aom 56 in step s 10 . alternatively , such a coarse adjustment quantity and a fine adjustment quantity can automatically be determined by the cpu 84 when the patch number i of the selected patch 91 is entered into the printing plate producing system 30 . according to another process of selecting a coarse adjustment quantity and a fine adjustment quantity , a patch 91 positioned at a boundary where a density starts to be applied is selected , and the step number nd ( i ) and the controlled variable aom ( i ) relative to a patch 91 with a density which is spaced from the selected patch 91 by a certain number of patches are determined as adjustment quantities . this process is effective to avoid a selection mistake and ensure more reliable adjustments . although certain preferred embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described in detail , it should be understood that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the scope of the appended claims . | 7 |
referring to the block diagram of fig1 a digital oscilloscope 10 according to the present invention uses an external clock signal ( ext clk ) 12 to trigger and clock the acquisition of an input signal ( input ) 14 . a preamplifier ( preamp ) 16 receives the input signal , amplifies it to within an appropriate range , and provides the resulting amplified signal 20 to a sampling analog - to - digital converter ( adc ) 18 . the sampling adc 18 samples and converts the preamplified input signal 20 to an n - bit digital number in response to each pulse in the external clock signal 12 , and provides the resulting number to write logic 24 . the write logic 24 clocks the digital data into successive locations of a record memory 26 . a counter 28 receives the external clock signal 12 and counts the pulses contained therein . when the counter 28 reaches a user - settable value n , it provides a trigger signal 30 to trigger logic 32 . the trigger signal 30 also causes the counter 28 to be reloaded . preferably a reload register 34 contains the settable value n . this value is loaded into the counter 28 . thereafter , each pulse in the external clock signal 12 decrements the counter 28 . when the counter 28 underflows , it provides the trigger signal 30 . the trigger signal 30 also causes the contents of the reload register 34 to be loaded into the counter 28 . the trigger logic 32 accepts the trigger signal 30 and responds as though it came from a time - based auto trigger circuit . the trigger logic 32 provides a trigger signal 36 to the write logic 24 , and enables successive records to be aligned , as is well known in the art . the trigger logic 32 can include hold - off circuitry , as is well - known in the art , to allow the oscilloscope 10 to ignore some trigger signals and have enough time to process acquired records in record memory 26 before acquiring new records . the counter 28 continues to decrement and reload , allowing subsequent records to align correctly . a microprocessor ( μp ) 38 controls the operation of the digital oscilloscope 10 . the microprocessor 38 controls the value in the reload register 34 . the microprocessor 38 reads the data from the record memory 26 , processes it , and shows the results on a display 40 . the microprocessor also accepts input 42 from the user . the user is able to set the value n that is loaded into the reload register 34 . the value n should correspond to the number of samples in one period of the input signal 14 . the user is also able to move the trigger point within the input signal period by decreasing or increasing the value n in the reload register 34 for one or more trigger cycles . referring now to fig2 an exemplary oscilloscope 10 includes a display 40 showing a trace 102 representing the input signal 14 . a portion of the display 40 shows the function of function keys 105a - 105e adjacent to the display 40 . the first function key 105a enables the user to decrease the value n in the reload register 34 by one for a single cycle of the counter 28 . this moves the trigger point earlier in the cycle . the second function key 105b enables the user to increase the value n in the reload register 34 by one for a single cycle of the counter 28 . the third function key 105c enables the user to set the value n user either a numeric keypad 110 or a thumb wheel 108 . adjacent to the third function key 105 , the display 40 shows the current value of n . the terms and expressions which have been employed in the foregoing specification are used therein as terms of description and not of limitation , and there is no intention , in the use of such terms and expressions , of excluding equivalents of the features shown and described or portions thereof , it being recognized the scope of the invention is defined and limited only by the claims which follow . | 6 |
referring now to fig3 , an exemplary imposition system in accordance with this invention is described . exemplary imposition system 40 includes imposition application 44 , which receives print file 42 and nominal imposition template 46 , and generates imposition flat 48 for printing . imposition application 44 may be hardware and / or software that implements imposition processing in accordance with this invention , as described in more detail below . print file 42 may be an electronic file that describes a print job in a page description language , such as portable document format (“ pdf ”), postscript , page command language (“ pcl ”) or other similar page description language . print file 42 includes a parameter that specifies finished page size ( referred to herein as “ actual page size ” or “ ps a ”). for example , if print file 42 includes letter - size pages , actual page size ps a = 8 . 5 ″× 11 ″. alternatively , if print file 42 includes custom - size pages ( e . g ., 8 ″× 12 ″), actual page size ps a = 8 ″× 12 ″. persons of ordinary skill in the art will understand that other actual page sizes also may be used . referring now to fig4 , an exemplary nominal imposition template 46 for use with imposition system 40 is described . in particular , nominal imposition template 46 may include a nominal layout description 50 and output parameters 52 . nominal layout description 50 includes nominal pages 24 and mark objects 28 , and also may include binding edges 30 or center axes 32 , and their respective locations . output parameters 52 include information describing various parameters used during printing and finishing of the print job . for example , output parameters 52 may include sheet size ( e . g ., 25 ″× 19 ″), finished page size ( referred to herein as “ nominal page size ” or “ ps n ”) ( e . g ., 8 . 5 ″× 11 ″), the number of rows and columns per sheet ( e . g ., 2 rows and 4 columns ), binding style ( e . g , perfect , saddle stitch ) and work style ( e . g ., sheetwise , work and turn , work and tumble ). persons of ordinary skill in the art will understand that different or additional printing and finishing parameters may be included in output parameters 52 . referring now to fig5 a and 5b , exemplary nominal layout descriptions 50 a and 50 b , respectively , for use in nominal imposition template 46 are described . in particular , nominal layout description 50 a illustrates an exemplary layout for a document that uses book binding , and nominal layout description 50 b illustrates an exemplary layout for a document that uses a binding style other than book binding ( e . g ., gangup binding ). nominal layout description 50 a includes binding edges 30 , and layout description 50 b includes vertical and horizontal center axes 32 v and 32 h , respectively . each nominal page 24 may include associated mark objects 28 , such as bleed marks 28 a and trim marks 28 b , a corresponding page location reference , such as a nominal page center (“ pc n ”), and four page edges 58 ( top , bottom , left and right ). each nominal page 24 a in nominal layout description 50 a also includes a page spine 56 that indicates the page edge 58 that will be bound during finishing . the separation between each page spine 56 and an adjacent binding edge 30 is designated as δ s . in nominal layout description 50 b , the separation between vertical center axis 32 v and an adjacent parallel page edge 58 is designated as δ c , the horizontal separation between all other adjacent vertical page edges 58 is designated as δ x , and the vertical separation between all other adjacent horizontal page edges 58 is designated as δ y . for each page 24 a and 24 b in exemplary nominal layout descriptions 50 a and 50 b , respectively , the locations of associated bleed marks 28 a and trim marks 28 b depend on nominal page size ps n . in this regard , bleed marks 28 a and trim marks 28 b are referred to herein as “ page - dependent marks .” in contrast , the locations of registration marks 28 c are not page - dependent , because their locations do not depend on page size . in accordance with this invention , imposition application 44 may be used to automatically modify imposition template 46 to accommodate a print file 42 whose actual page size ps a does not match the nominal page size ps n specified in nominal imposition template 46 . referring now to fig3 and 6 , an exemplary imposition process 60 implemented by imposition application 44 is described . in particular , beginning at step 62 , print file 42 is received . for example , a user may select print file 42 from a file directory via a graphical user interface ( not shown ) or other similar print file submission mechanism . next , at step 64 , nominal imposition template 46 is received . for example , a user may select nominal imposition template 46 from a directory of previously - created imposition templates . at step 66 , actual page size ps a is retrieved from print file 42 , and nominal page size ps n is retrieved from nominal imposition template 46 . at step 68 , actual page size ps a is compared to nominal page size ps n . for example , the width and height of ps a , referred to as ps a ( width ) and ps a ( height ), respectively , may be compared to the corresponding parameters of nominal page size ps n , referred to as ps n ( width ) and ps n ( height ), respectively . if actual page size ps a equals nominal page size ps n ( i . e ., if ps a ( width )= ps n ( width ) and ps a ( height )= ps n ( height )), the process proceeds to step 72 , and nominal imposition template 46 is applied to print file 42 without change to create imposition flat 48 . if , however , actual page size ps a does not equal nominal page size ps n ( e . g ., if ps a ( width ) ≠ ps n ( width ) or ps a ( height )≠ ps n ( height )), the process proceeds to step 70 , wherein nominal imposition template 46 is automatically modified based on actual page size ps a to create modified imposition template 46 ′. modified imposition template 46 ′ includes the same number of pages and mark objects as nominal imposition template 46 , but the locations of actual pages 24 ′ and associated page - dependent mark objects 28 are modified based on actual page size ps a . finally , at step 72 , the modified imposition template 46 ′ from step 70 is applied to print file 42 to create imposition flat 48 . referring now to fig7 , an exemplary process 70 for automatically modifying nominal imposition template 46 is described . beginning at step 74 , the location of the actual page center (“ pc a ”) of each actual page 24 ′ is determined . as described in more detail below , the determination of the location of each actual page center pc a depends on the binding style and finishing parameters specified in nominal imposition template 46 , and the actual page size ps a specified in print file 42 . next , at step 76 , for each actual page 24 ′, the locations of the associated page - dependent mark objects 28 are determined based on the location of the corresponding actual page center pc a determined in step 74 and the actual page size ps a . finally , at step 78 , nominal imposition template 46 is modified to position actual pages 24 ′ and their associated page - dependent mark objects 28 at the locations determined in steps 74 and 76 . as previously mentioned , the determination of the actual page center pc a for each actual page 24 ′ depends on the binding style and finishing parameters specified in nominal imposition template 46 . in particular , if the specified binding style is book binding , a first process 74 a may be used to determine the location of each actual page center pc a . alternatively , if the specified binding style is anything other than book binding ( e . g ., gangup ), a second process 74 b may be used to determine the location of each actual page center pc a . processes 74 a and 74 b each will be described in turn . referring now to fig8 a and 9 , an exemplary process 74 a is described for determining the location of each actual page center pc a for a nominal imposition template 46 that specifies book binding . in particular , fig9 a illustrates an exemplary layout description 50 a 1 that includes vertical binding edges 30 v and actual pages 24 a 1 ′, and fig9 b illustrates an exemplary layout description 50 a 2 that includes horizontal binding edge 30 h and actual pages 24 a 2 ′. for illustrative purposes , fig9 a and 9b also show corresponding nominal pages 24 a and 24 b , respectively , and nominal page centers pc n ( a ) and pc n ( b ), respectively . for clarity , bleed marks 28 a and trim marks 28 b associated with pages 24 a and 24 b are not shown . referring again to fig8 a , beginning at step 80 , the spine - binding edge separation δ s is retrieved from nominal imposition template 46 . next , at step 82 , one of binding edges 30 is selected for processing . at step 84 , a determination is made whether the selected binding edge 30 is vertical or horizontal . if the selected binding edge 30 is vertical , the process proceeds to step 86 , wherein for each actual page 24 a ′ adjacent to the selected binding edge 30 v , the y - coordinate of the actual page center pc a ( a ) is set to the y - coordinate of the corresponding nominal page center pc n ( a ). if , however , the selected binding edge 30 is horizontal , the process proceeds to step 88 , wherein for each actual page 24 a ′ adjacent to the selected binding edge 30 h , the x - coordinate of the actual page center pc a ( a ) is set to the x - coordinate of the corresponding nominal page center pc n ( a ). next , at step 90 , for each actual page 24 a ′, the remaining coordinate ( i . e ., the x - coordinate if step 86 was used , or the y - coordinate if step 88 was used ) of the corresponding actual page center pc a ( a ) is determined based on the location of the selected binding edge , the spine - binding edge separation δ s and the actual page size ps a . in this regard , the spine 56 of each actual page 24 a ′ is aligned to the spine 56 of the corresponding nominal page 24 a to preserve spine - binding edge separation δ s . at step 92 , a determination is made whether modified layout description 50 a ′ includes any more binding edges 30 . if so , at step 94 , a binding edge 30 is selected that has not yet been processed , and then the process returns to step 84 to process the new binding edge as described above . if , however , there are no additional binding edges 30 , the process terminates . examples of the operation of steps 82 - 92 are now described using the exemplary layout description 50 a 1 and 50 a 2 illustrated in fig9 a and 9b , respectively . in particular , referring now to fig8 a and 9a , at step 82 , one of binding edges 30 v 1 and 30 v 2 is selected . for example , binding edge 30 v 1 , which is surrounded by adjacent actual pages 24 a 1a ′- 24 a 1d ′, may be selected . at step 84 , binding edge 30 v 1 is identified as vertical , and therefore the process proceeds to step 86 , wherein for each actual page 24 a 1a ′- 24 a 1d ′, the y - coordinate of the actual page center pc a ( a 1a )- pc a ( a 1d ), respectively , is set to the y - coordinate of the corresponding nominal page center pc n ( a ): pc a ( a 1a ) y = pc n ( a 1a ) y ( 1a ) pc a ( a 1b ) y = pc n ( a 1b ) y ( 1b ) pc a ( a 1c ) y = pc n ( a 1c ) y ( 1c ) pc a ( a 1d ) y = pc n ( a 1d ) y ( 1d ) where pc a ( a 1a ) y is the y - coordinate of pc a ( a 1a ), pc n ( a 1a ) y is the y - coordinate of nominal page center pc n ( a 1a ), and so on . next , at step 90 , the x - coordinates of actual page centers pc a ( a 1a )- pc a ( a 1d ) are determined based on the locations of selected binding edge 30 v 1 , the spine - binding edge separation δ s , and actual page size ps a . in this regard , the spine 56 1 of each actual page 24 a 1 ′ is aligned to the spine 56 1 of the corresponding nominal page 24 a 1 to preserve spine - binding edge separation δ s . thus , the x - coordinates of actual page centers pc a ( a 1a )- pc a ( a 1d ) are determined as follows : pc a ( a 1 a ) x = pc a ( a 1 c ) x = 30 v 1 x - δ s - ps a ( width ) 2 ( 2 a ) pc a ( a 1 b ) x = pc a ( a 1 d ) x = 30 v 1 x + δ s + ps a ( width ) 2 ( 2 b ) where 30 v 1x is the x - coordinate of binding edge 30 v 1 , and ps a ( width ) is the width of actual page size ps a . thus , after completing step 90 , the x - and y - coordinates of each actual page center pc a ( a 1a )- pc a ( a 1d ) are known . next , at step 92 , because layout description 50 a 1 includes an additional binding edge 30 v 2 , the process returns to step 84 to process binding edge 30 v 2 . referring now to fig8 a and 9b , an example of process steps 82 - 92 is described using exemplary layout description 50 a 2 . beginning at step 82 , binding edge 30 h , which is surrounded by adjacent actual pages 24 a 2a ′- 24 a 2d ′, is selected . next , at step 84 , binding edge 30 h is identified as horizontal , and therefore the process proceeds to step 88 , wherein for each actual page 24 a 2a ′- 24 a 2d ′, the x - coordinate of the actual page center pc a ( a 2a )- pc a ( a 2d ), respectively , is set to the x - coordinate of the corresponding nominal page center pc n ( a ): pc a ( a 2a ) x = pc n ( a 2a ) x ( 3a ) pc a ( a 2b ) x = pc n ( a 2b ) x ( 3b ) pc a ( a 2c ) x = pc n ( a 2c ) x ( 3c ) pc a ( a 2d ) x = pc n ( a 2d ) x ( 3d ) next , at step 90 , the y - coordinates of actual page centers pc a ( a 2a )- pc a ( a 2d ) are determined based on the locations of selected binding edge 30 h , the spine - binding edge separation δ s , and actual page size ps a . in this regard , the spine 56 2 of each actual page 24 a 2 ′ is aligned to the spine 56 2 of each corresponding nominal page 24 a 2 to preserve spine - binding edge separation δ s . thus , the y - coordinates of pc a ( a 2a ) and pc a ( a 2b ) are determined as follows : pc a ( a 2 a ) y = pc a ( a 2 b ) y = 30 h y + δ s + ps a ( height ) 2 ( 4 a ) pc a ( a 2 c ) y = pc a ( a 2 d ) y = 30 hy - δ s - ps a ( height ) 2 ( 4 b ) where 30 h y is the y - coordinate of binding edge 30 h , and ps a ( height ) is the height of actual page size ps a . therefore , after completing step 90 , the x - and y - coordinates of each actual page center pc a ( a 2a )- pc a ( a 2d ) are known . next , at step 92 , because layout description 50 a 2 includes no more binding edges , the process terminates . referring now to fig8 b and 10 , an exemplary process 74 b is described for determining the location of each actual page center pc a for a nominal imposition template 46 that specifies a binding style other than book binding ( e . g ., gangup ). in particular , fig1 a - 10d illustrate various exemplary layout descriptions 50 b 1 , 50 b 2 , 50 b 3 and 50 b 4 that include actual pages 24 b 2 ′. for illustrative purposes , fig1 a - 10d also show corresponding nominal pages 24 b . for clarity , however , bleed marks 28 a , trim marks 28 b and nominal page centers pc n associated with pages 24 b are not shown . referring again to fig8 b , beginning at step 100 , the center axis - page edge separation δ c , the horizontal page separation δ x , and the vertical page separation δ y are retrieved from nominal imposition template 46 . next , at step 102 , for each actual page 24 b ′ located in the centermost rows and columns , the x - and y - coordinates of the actual page center pc a ( b ) are set to values that are centered symmetrically about vertical and horizontal center axes 32 v and 32 h , respectively , while preserving center axis - page edge separation δ c , horizontal page separation δ x and vertical page separation δ y . next , at step 104 , for all other actual pages 24 b ′, the x - and y - coordinates of the each actual page center pc a ( b ) are determined relative to the centermost actual pages 24 b ′, while preserving horizontal page separation δ x and vertical page separation δ y . examples of the operation of steps 102 - 104 are now described using the exemplary layout descriptions 50 b 1 - 50 b 4 illustrated in fig1 a - 10d , respectively . in particular , referring now to fig8 b and 10a , actual pages 24 b 1a ′- 24 b 1h ′ are all located in the centermost rows and columns of layout description 50 b 1 . thus , at step 102 , the x - and y - coordinates of actual page centers pc a ( b 1a )- pc a ( b 1h ), respectively , are set to values that are centered symmetrically about vertical and horizontal center axes 32 v and 32 h , while preserving center axis - page edge separation δ c , horizontal page separation δ x and vertical page separation δ y , as follows : pc a ( b 1 b ) x = pc a ( b 1 f ) x = 32 v x - δ c - ps a ( width ) 2 ( 5 a ) pc a ( b 1 a ) x = pc a ( b 1 e ) x = 32 v x - δ c - δ x - 3 2 [ ps a ( width ) ] ( 5 b ) pc a ( b 1 a ) y = pc a ( b 1 b ) y = pc a ( b 1 c ) y = pc a ( b 1 d ) y = 32 h y + δ y 2 + ps a ( height ) 2 ( 5 c ) pc a ( b 1 c ) x = pc a ( b 1 g ) x = 32 v x + δ c + ps a ( width ) 2 ( 5 d ) pc a ( b 1 d ) x = pc a ( b 1 h ) x = 32 v x + δ c + δ x + 3 2 [ ps a ( width ) ] ( 5 e ) pc a ( b 1 e ) y = pc a ( b 1 f ) y = pc a ( b 1 g ) y = pc a ( b 1 h ) y = 32 h y - δ y 2 - ps a ( height ) 2 ( 5 f ) where 32 v x is the x - coordinate of vertical center axis 32 v , 32 h y is the y - coordinate of horizontal center axis 32 h , ps a ( width ) is the width of actual page size ps a , and ps a ( height ) is the height of actual page size ps a . referring again to fig8 b , at step 104 , because there are no remaining actual pages 24 b 1 ′, process 74 b terminates . referring now to fig8 a and 10b , exemplary process steps 102 - 104 are described using the exemplary layout description 50 b 2 , in which actual pages 24 b 2a ′- 24 b 2f ′ are all located in the centermost rows and columns . thus , at step 102 , the x - and y - coordinates of corresponding actual page centers pc a ( b 2a )- pc a ( b 2f ) are set to values that are centered symmetrically about vertical and horizontal center axes 32 v and 32 h , while preserving center axis - page edge separation δ c ( which is zero in this instance ), horizontal page separation δ x and vertical page separation δ y , as follows : referring again to fig8 b , at step 104 , because there are no remaining actual pages 24 b 2 ′, process 74 b terminates . referring now to fig8 b and 10c , exemplary process steps 102 - 104 are described using the exemplary layout description 50 b 3 , in which actual pages 24 b 3b ′, 24 b 3c ′, 24 b 3e ′, 24 b 3f ′, 24 b 3g ′, 24 b 3h ′, 24 b 3j and 24 b 3k ′ are all located in the centermost rows and columns . thus , at step 102 , the x - and y - coordinates of corresponding actual page centers pc a ( b 3b ), pc a ( b 3c ), pc a ( b 3e ), pc a ( b 3f ), pc a ( b 3g ), pc a ( b 3h ), pc a ( b 3j ) and pc a ( b 3k ) are set to values that are centered symmetrically about vertical and horizontal center axes 32 v and 32 h , respectively , while preserving center axis - page edge separation δ c , horizontal page separation δ x and vertical page separation δ y , as follows : referring again to fig8 b , at step 104 , for remaining actual pages 24 b 3a ′, 24 b 3d ′, 24 b 3i ′ and 24 b 31 , the x - and y - coordinates of corresponding actual page centers pc a ( b 3a ), pc a ( b 3d ), pc a ( b 3i ) and pc a ( b 3l ) are determined relative to centermost actual pages 24 b 3b ′, 24 b 3c % 24 b 3e ′, 24 b 3f ′, 24 b 3g ′, 24 b 3h ′, 24 b 3j ′ and 24 b 3k ′, while preserving horizontal page separation δ x and vertical page separation δ y , as follows : pc a ( b 3a ) x = pc a ( b 3i ) x = pc a ( b 3b ) x − δ x − ps a ( width ) ( 8a ) pc a ( b 3a ) y = pc a ( b 3d ) y = pc a ( b 3e ) y + δ y + ps a ( height ) ( 8b ) pc a ( b 3d ) x = pc a ( b 3l ) x = pc a ( b 3c ) x + δ x + ps a ( width ) ( 8c ) pc a ( b 3i ) y = pc a ( b 3l ) y = pc a ( b 3e ) y − δ y − ps a ( width ) ( 8d ) referring now to fig8 b and 10d , another example of process steps 102 - 104 will be described using the exemplary layout description 50 b 4 , in which actual pages 24 b 4b ′, 24 b 4d ′, 24 b 4f ′ and 24 b 4h ′ are all located in the centermost rows and columns . thus , at step 102 , the x - and y - coordinates of corresponding actual page centers pc a ( b 4b ), pc a ( b 4d ), pc a ( b 4e ), pc a ( b 4f ) and pc a ( b 4h ) are set to values that are centered symmetrically about vertical and horizontal center axes 32 v and 32 h , respectively , while preserving center axis - page edge separation δ c ( which is zero in this instance ), horizontal page separation δ x and vertical page separation δ y , as follows : pc a ( b 4b ) x = pc a ( b 4e ) x = pc a ( b 4h ) x = 32 v x ( 9a ) pc a ( b 4b ) y = 32 h y + δy + ps a ( height ) ( 9b ) pc a ( b 4d ) x = 32 v x − δx − ps a ( width ) ( 9c ) pc a ( b 4d ) y = pc a ( b 4e ) y = pc a ( b 4 f ) y = 32 h y ( 9d ) pc a ( b 4f ) x = 32 v x + δ x + ps a ( width ) ( 9e ) pc a ( b 4h ) y = 32 h y − δ y − ps a ( height ) ( 9f ) next , at step 104 , for remaining actual pages 24 b 4a ′, 24 b 4c ′, 24 b 4g ′ and 24 b 4i , the x - and y - coordinates of corresponding actual page centers pc a ( b 4a ), pc a ( b 4c ), pc a ( b 4g ) and pc a ( b 4i ) are determined relative to centermost actual pages 24 b 4b ′, 24 b 4d ′, 24 b 4e ′, 24 b 4f ′ and 24 b 4h ′, while preserving horizontal page separation δ x and vertical page separation δ y , as follows : pc a ( b 4a ) x = pc a ( b 4g ) x = pc a ( b 4b ) x − δ x − ps a ( width ) ( 10a ) pc a ( b 4a ) y = pc a ( b 4c ) y = pc a ( b 4d ) y + δ y + ps a ( height ) ( 10b ) pc a ( b 4c ) x = pc a ( b 4i ) x = pc a ( b 4b ) x + δ x + ps a ( width ) ( 10c ) pc a ( b 4g ) y = pc a ( b 4i ) y = pc a ( bd ) y − δ y − ps a ( height ) ( 10d ) referring again to fig7 , at the completion of step 74 , the location of the actual page center pc a of each actual page 24 ′ has been determined . next , at step 76 , the locations of page - dependent marks 28 ′ associated with each actual page 24 ′ are determined based on the actual page size ps a and actual page center pc a . persons of ordinary skill in the art will understand that any suitable technique may be used to determine such locations . finally , at step 78 , nominal imposition template 46 is modified by locating actual pages 24 ′ and associated page - dependent marks 28 ′ at the locations determined in steps 74 and 76 . in this regard , nominal pages 24 and associated page - dependent mark objects 28 may be deleted from nominal imposition template 46 and actual pages 24 ′ and associated page - dependent marks 28 ′ may be added to nominal imposition template 46 , or nominal pages 24 and associated page - dependent mark objects 28 may be resized and repositioned as actual pages 24 ′ and associated page - dependent marks 28 ′. exemplary modified imposition layouts 50 a 1 ′ and 50 a 2 ′ including actual pages 24 a 1a ′- 24 a 1d ′ and 24 a 2a ′- 24 a 2d ′, respectively , and their associated page - dependent mark objects 28 ′, are illustrated in fig1 a and 11b , respectively . likewise , exemplary modified imposition layouts 50 b 1 ′, 50 b 2 ′, 50 b 3 ′ and 50 b 4 ′, including actual pages 24 b 1a ′- 24 b 1h ′, 24 b 2a ′- 24 b 2f ′, 24 b 3a ′- 24 b 3l ′ and 24 b 4a ″- 24 b 4i ′, respectively , and their associated page - dependent mark objects 28 ′, are illustrated in fig1 a - 12d , respectively . the foregoing merely illustrates the principles of this invention , and various modifications can be made by persons of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of this invention . | 6 |
this invention preferably relates to a multiple coiled filament and system of supports . the filament consists of a single strand wire , coreless , coiled coil filament for an incandescent lamp . the supports allow a simple , inexpensive and efficient coil to be constructed . fig1 represents an example of an incandescent lamp 10 , in this embodiment being of the tungsten halogen variety , prepared in accordance with the teachings of conventional lamp technology . as illustrated , lamp comprises a tubular envelope 12 , prepared from a suitably hard , light transmissive material , such as quartz , or aluminosilicate glass . a pair of lead in wires 14 and 16 , portions of which serve as mounting means , are press sealed in envelope 12 at press seal 18 . lead in wires 14 and 16 can be formed from any suitable material , for example , molybdenum , which will form a relatively strain free hermetic seal with glass envelope 12 . a refractory metal , such as tungsten , is used to form the filament 20 . the filament 20 is provided with legs 21 at each end thereof during its formation . in this embodiment , envelope 12 is contains a fill gas , comprising an inert gas and a suitable halogen or halide . preferred examples of fill gases useful herein include the inert gases ; argon , krypton , xenon , and / or nitrogen ; plus the halogen or halide . as set forth above , the present invention is directed to an improved filament for use in incandescent lamps such as that depicted in fig1 . fig2 and 3 illustrate enlarged views of the preferred tungsten filament of the present invention and its coiled and coiled coil stages , respectively . each stage has a pitch or percent pitch , which is equal to s , the center to center spacing of the turns , divided by d , the diameter of the wire or coil , multiplied by 100 . specifically , fig2 illustrates the primary pitch of a filament 20a having a center to center spacing of s 1 , wire diameter d 1 , and outer diameter d 1 . in the present invention , the primary pitch p 1 is equal to s 1 / d 1 and the secondary pitch p 2 is equal to s 1 / d 2 ( note : d 2 d 1 ) also , p 1 has a value that does not exceed about 1 . 55 ( or 155 %). in fig3 s 2 is the center to center spacing of the coiled coil filament , d 2 ( d 2 = d 1 ) is the primary coil diameter , and bl is the body length of the coiled coil ( or secondary ) filament . in preferred embodiments , the secondary pitch of the filament is in the range of from about 1 . 40 to about 1 . 75 . the method of forming the coiled coil filament of the present invention is represented by fig4 - 6 . with reference to fig4 the present method comprises the steps of ( a ) providing a strand of fibrous filament wire 19 having a particular length l and a diameter d ( for a particular wattage , voltage and efficiency ) and ( b ) winding filament wire 19 around a primary mandrel 30 having a diameter of m 1 to produce a primary coil 20a . with reference to fig5 the method of the present invention further includes the step ( 3 ) of winding the primary coil 20a around a secondary mandrel 40 having a secondary mandrel diameter of m 2 to produce a coiled coil filament configuration , where ; as illustrated in fig4 and 5 respectively , the primary winding diameter d 1 and the secondary winding diameter d 2 of the filament are defined as follows : d 1 = d ( a + 2 ) where d equals the filament wire diameter and 1 . 40 ≦ a ≦ 3 . 00 and 3 . 0 ≦ b ≦ 10 . 0 and where the section length , sl , between the supports satisfies the equations , sl ≦ 1 / 2 bl and sl ≦ 20d 2 ( bl = filament body length ) such that the filament exhibits an increase in compactness and retains or exhibits an increase in structural rigidity . surprisingly it has been discovered that b can range from about 3 . 0 to about 10 . 0 ( when a satisfies the equation 1 . 4 ≦ a ≦ 3 . 0 and when the primary pitch is decreased so that the inner pitch ( ip ) satisfies the condition 1 . 04 ≦ ip ≦ 1 . 35 and where : ## equ1 ## and where the winding is further improved by decreasing the primary pitch ( pp ) from about 155 % to as low as about 125 %, and by selecting the value of b such that ip is kept as close as possible to the center of the range given by the equation 1 . 04 ≦ ip ≦ 1 . 35 . the method of the present invention further includes the step of ( 4 ) removing substantially all of the core of the coiled coil filament 20 except for the core in the filament legs 21 . the core in legs 21 is preferably left intact in order to preserve the structural integrity of filament when it is mounted within the envelope and crimped or attached by the legs to a mounting means . fig6 illustrates the outer diameter d 2 of the filament winding illustrated in fig5 wherein the primary mandrel diameter m 1 is greater than the diameter of filament wire 19 and the secondary mandrel diameter m 2 is greater than the diameter of the primary filament coil 20a . the most preferred coil configuration is centered in the bulb ( cc8 configuration ) to equalize bulb wall temperature . at the higher wattages , this allows bulb wall loading to be minimized . at the lower wattages , this allows the minimum bulb wall temperature ( required for operation of the tungsten halogen cycle ) to be achieved without cold spots . centering the coil in the bulb is also important for filaments focused in reflectors since this equalizes the light distribution about the central axis of the reflector . fig7 illustrates the preferred arrangement and spacing of the intermediate filament supports 22 and 26 in the most preferred embodiments of the present invention the distance ( sl 1 ) from leg 21 to support 22 ( and sl3 , the distance from leg 21 to support 26 ) is approximately equal to the distance ( sl 2 ) from support 22 to support 26 , although other support spacing may be used if desired . as illustrated , supports 22 and 26 are preferably mounted directly in the press seal 18 of lamp 11 at positions 24 and 28 , respectively . advantageously , the preferred intermediate filament supports 22 and 26 are small , generally less than about 10 mils in diameter , thus minimizing heat conduction from the lighted filament . advantageously , the preferred supports are not in contact with the outer bulb , thereby minimizing thermal conduction from the lighted filament . the intermediate filament supports 22 and 26 are clamped to the filament , preferably so as to provide approximately equal sections of filament . coil sag is thus minimized over a number of smaller sections of filament . advantageously , the intermediate filament supports are stiff enough to dampen most coil vibrations and to serve as nonmovable supports for the filament . it is preferred that the support routing ( from the clamped filament to the press ) be distributed angularly about the circumference of the circular cross - section of the outer envelope so as to tend to equalize the scattered light from these supports . the preferred system of supports described herein allows the use of a sufficient number of supports so that ( especially for those cases where an extremely long filament is needed to provide the watts and lumens at a predetermined voltage ) a high degree of compacting becomes possible through the use of large mandrel ratios . the shorter coil achieved in this manner should preferably be axially centered in the glass envelope for the reasons given above when the filament is to be utilized in a reflector . this shorter axial coil can result in a more efficient and simpler reflector and lens design since stray light is reduced , that is , channeled into the central angular region in front of the reflector where it can be more easily controlled . the present invention will be further illustrated with reference to the following examples which aid in the understanding of the present invention , but which are not to be construed as limitations thereof . to illustrate the improvement in coil or filament compactness through the use of larger mandrel ratios , particularly where the secondary mandrel ratio is greater than the primary mandrel ratio , two lamps having a visible difference in value and wattage and voltage will be used : a 105 watt lamp operated at 245 volts and a 35 watt lamp operated at 84 volts . each example illustrates first a filament which was wound using low mandrel ratios , which was thought to be the preferred method of developing a filament which exhibits a high degree of structural rigidity but instead the rigidity is between the supported portions of the filament ( see &# 34 ; sample winding &# 34 ;). when subjected to shock , the long filaments tend to vibrate excessively . this is due in part to their length and to the fact that these filaments are heated less uniformly due to the closer or smaller inner pitch that results from small mandrel ratios . each example then describes the improved method of winding the filament with the use of larger values of mandrel ratios in order to achieve a high degree of compactness and thereby channel the light emitted therefrom into the central angular regions of the reflector of the lamp ( see , &# 34 ; improved winding &# 34 ;). ______________________________________105 watts / 245 voltsstarting wire length ( l / d ) = 25026 improved improved improved sample winding winding winding winding # 1 # 2 # 3______________________________________a 1 . 50 2 . 00 2 . 00 2 . 00b 1 . 50 2 . 40 3 . 58 4 . 50primary 1 . 55 1 . 55 1 . 50 1 . 50pitch ( pp ) secondary 1 . 50 1 . 50 1 . 50 1 . 50pitch ( sp ) factor 325 762 1392 2091inner 1 . 14 1 . 21 1 . 21 1 . 17pitch ( ip ) bl / d 77 : 1 33 : 1 18 : 1 12 : 1bl 77d . sub . 2 33d . sub . 2 18d . sub . 2 12d . sub . 2 ( 41 . 7 mm ) ( 25 . 5 mm ) ( 17 . 7 mm ) ( 13 . 8 mm ) sl 38 . 5d . sub . 2 16 . 5d . sub . 2 9d . sub . 2 6d . sub . 2 ( 1 support ) sl 25 . 7d . sub . 2 11d . sub . 2 ( 2 supports ) sl 19 . 3d . sub . 2 8 . 3d . sub . 2 ( 3 supports ) ______________________________________ where bl / d . sub . 2 = ( l / d /( factor )) bl = body length d . sub . 2 = outer length factor = ( pi . sup . 2 / pp * sp )( a + 1 )( a + 2 )( b + 1 )( b + 2 ) where pi = 3 . 14159 referring to the 105 watt / 245 volt lamp , it is noted , first of all , that such a lamp will utilize an extremely long wire of thin diameter , as exhibited by the high value obtained from the ratio of length to wire diameter ( l / d ), therefore , optimum winding of such a wire will be extremely important in such a lamp . in the sample winding where the mandrel ratios are low , the resulting body length ( bl ) to outer diameter ( d 2 ) ratio is about 77 : 1 , this results in a long flimsy filament which will ultimately require at least two or more additional filament supports to support such a filament within a small incandescent lamp envelope . the improved windings on the other hand , utilize larger mandrel ratios , particularly a secondary mandrel ratio that is larger than a primary mandrel ratio , which results in successively smaller body length to outer diameter ratios of 33 , 18 and 12 to 1 . illustratively , improved filament designs # 2 and # 3 are much more compact and should require either 1 or no supports compared to 3 or 4 supports needed by the sample winding . if these filaments are to be used in a reflector lamp such as the par38 with a focal length of about 11 . 4 mm then the total length of an axially mounted filament must be no longer than twice the focal length or 23 mm . improved winding # 1 has a length that will just fit if we have a slight recess in the base but the sample winding will have to be installed in a double or triple hung configuration which will result in a significant focus loss due to its length and off axis configuration . in each of the above examples , compacting is achieved by greater mandrel ratios and the upper limit in the mandrel ratio values is determined by the body length ( bl ) of the ultimate filament design being greater than or equal to the outer diameter ( d 2 ) of the resulting filament . a reflector type lamp having a reduction in focus loss and in reflector collection efficiency includes , among other things , a light source having a filament design that has a primary winding diameter , d 1 , and the secondary winding diameter , d 2 , where d 1 = d ( a + 2 ) and d 2 = d 1 ( b + 2 ) wherein d is equal to the filament wire diameter and due to the compactness of such a filament within the light source , more of the light emitted therefrom is channeled into the central angular region of the reflector , which in turn results in an increase in candle power of the beam of the lamp . the following comparative test should be illustrative in clarifying the present invention . the test was conducted with two hard glass halogen ( hgh ) capsules having wattages close to 45 watts and operating at a voltage of about 84 volts but having filaments of different lengths . a 0 . 45 inch focal length , continuous contour ( no rear cup recess ) aluminum , parabolic reflector was used with a par38 flood lens having a center filled with a continuous pattern . ______________________________________par38 flood lamps - hgh capsules a b______________________________________ 45 watt / 84 volts 46 . 6 watt / 84 voltsstarting wire length ( l ) / diameter ( d ) 334 . 4 mm / 1 . 92 mils 355 . 5 mm / 1 . 96 mill / d 6857 7141envelope size t 3 t 4primary mandrelratio ( a ) 1 . 95 1 . 78secondary mandrelratio ( b ) 2 . 44 1 . 40filament length 0 . 305 in ( 7 . 5mm ) 0 . 520 in ( 13 . 21mm ) outer diameter 33 . 68 mils 25 . 24 mils ( d . sub . 2 ) factor 364 756b1 / d . sub . 2 9 . 5 : 1 18 . 8 : 1efficiency of 67 % 62 % utilization ( reflector ) lower output 900 lumens 790 lumens ( of capsule ) primary pitch 1 . 55 1 . 55secondary pitch 1 . 50 1 . 50______________________________________ the candlepower versus angle from center of the two lamps was next measured . lamp a had a beam angle of about 24 ° and a flood angle of about 41 °, while lamp b had a beam angle of about 26 ° and a flood angle of about 48 °. without the lens , the longer filament gave a minimum beam size of 40 ° while the shorter filament gave a minimum beam size of 27 °. these were the relatively sharp visual edges when adjusted to minimum beam size . the longer filament produces more spread into the tails of the pattern and consequently has a lower efficiency of utilization , 62 % compared to 67 % for the shorter filament . this illustrates the advantage of improved collection for the shorter , more compact filament design of the present invention . the aforementioned example also illustrates that in designing filament configurations for reflector - type lamp applications it is preferable to utilize a filament design that evenly spreads out the light energy throughout the central angular region , while maintaining a reasonable amount of compactness , in order to simplify the task of shaping the light emitted from the lamp with an appropriate lens . a long filament ( low mandrel ratios ) on the other hand spreads the light out too much , beyond the desired central region , such that portions of the reflector will be hit which will greatly disperse the light , making it much more difficult to shape the beam with a lens . a filament design that has a small diameter also tends to have a hot spot in the middle which creates a bright spot in the middle of the filament that makes it difficult to disperse the light effectively with a lens . with respect to designing reflector type lamps for operating at high voltages , especially for overseas operation e . g ., at 225 and 245 volts , such lamps typically require starting off with extremely long filament wires . in addition , filaments designed to operate at line voltage such as 120 or 130 volts also require starting with a long filament wire . thus , the improved method for reducing focus loss and improving collection efficiency of the present invention will provide for winding a filament wire into a compact coil which is especially useful for these applications and can lead to enhanced operation at high voltages since typical winding techniques have led to extremely long filaments requiring larger envelopes , more complex mounting arrangements and a greater dispersion of light . furthermore , the aforementioned filament design can also lead to operation without voltage reducing or rectifying means ( e . g ., a diode ) voltage reducing or modulation of the light and power fluctuations that result from the use of such rectifying means . elimination of the rectifying means is particularly important in the 225 and 245 volt range since the small filament mass leads to greater thermal fluctuations and useful where small reflector lamp designs are sought due to the heat generated by the lamp capsule that the rectifier is exposed to . the more compact coil that results from the use of this support system also leads to a smaller capsule size which provides the following heretofore unavailable advantages : 1 . allows for the operation of lower wattage tungsten halogen capsules at higher voltages since the bulb wall loading is increased ; 2 . allows for the use of high pressure tungsten halogen capsules , which in turn leads to lower capsule energy and thus improved containment during lamp arc - out at lamp failure ; and 3 . allows for lower overall material costs for lamp parts such as glass , fill gas , and outer jacket . the present invention has been described in detail , including the preferred embodiments thereof . however , it will be appreciated that those skilled in the art , upon consideration of the present disclosure , may make modifications and / or improvements on this invention and still be within the scope and spirit of this invention as set forth in the following claims . | 7 |
turning to fig4 , a cycler 30 includes a dialysate container 11 connected to a pump 31 . the pump 31 is connected to a pressure sensor 32 . the pump 31 and pressure sensor 32 are disposed in - line in a lumen 33 that connects the dialysate container 11 to a catheter 34 . control valves are provided at 35 , 36 . a drain container 13 is also connected to a pump 36 which is connected to a sensor 37 . the pump 36 and sensor 37 are also connected in - line to a lumen 38 which connects the drain container 13 to the catheter 34 . control valves are again provided at 41 , 42 . during the fill , the pump 31 pumps dialysate from the container 11 through the lumen 33 and catheter 34 into the peritoneum ( not shown ) of the patient 12 . during this time , the sensor 37 monitors and measures the intraperitoneal pressure . a signal is sent to the controller of the cycler 30 shown schematically at 43 . a control panel is indicated generally at 44 . during the drain , the sensor 31 can accurately monitor and measure the intraperitoneal pressure of the patient 12 . in the embodiment illustrated in fig4 , no pumps or control valves are disposed between the sensor 32 and the patient 12 . turning to fig5 , a cycler 50 is illustrated which includes reversible pumping chambers 51 , 52 with sensors 53 , 54 disposed between the reversible pumping chambers 51 , 52 and the patient 12 respectively . control valves 55 and 56 are disposed on another side of the reversible pumping chamber 51 and the sensor 53 and control valves 57 , 58 are provided on either side of the reversible pumping chamber 52 and sensor 54 . the sensors 53 , 54 actually measure the pressure on the diaphragms of the reversible pumping chambers 51 , 52 . turning to fig6 , a cycler 60 is illustrated with a chamber 61 for accommodating the drain container 13 and a chamber 62 for accommodating the dialysate container 11 . each chamber 61 , 62 is equipped with an integrated valve assembly and pressure sensor shown at 63 , 64 . in the embodiment 60 shown in fig6 , the chamber 61 must be capable of being evacuated . dialysate may flow from the dialysate container 11 by way of gravity or pressure fill . again , the sensors of the valve assembly / sensor combinations 63 , 64 monitor the intraperitoneal pressure of the patient 12 as discussed above . in the embodiment 70 illustrated in fig7 , the dialysate container 11 and drain container 13 are both connected to integrated control valves and pressure sensors 71 , 72 . each of the integrated control valves and pressure sensors 71 , 72 are connected to lumens 73 , 74 respectively which are connected to the catheter 75 a by way of a y - connection . the details of all the y - connections and clamps are not shown but are known to those skilled in the art . flow from the dialysate container 11 to the patient is carried out under the gravitational head shown at 75 while flow from the patient to the drain container 13 is carried out under the gravitational head shown at 76 . fig8 illustrates one in - line pressure sensor 80 that is suitable for use with the present invention . redundant load cells 81 , 82 are connected to the flexible pressure sensing membrane 83 by a vacuum connected by the line 84 , 85 . a lumen connecting the cycler to the patient is shown at 86 . fig9 illustrates a dual - pumping chamber cassette 87 which includes an output line 88 which connects the cassette 87 to the patient and an input line 89 connecting the patient to the cassette 87 . the line 90 connects the cassette 87 to the dialysate container ( not shown ). each pumping chamber 91 , 92 is in communication with all three lines 88 , 89 and 90 . thus , every line can be connected to either pumping chamber 91 , 92 . the pumping chambers 91 , 92 are bound on one side by a common diaphragm shown at 93 . flow is controlled by the use of diaphragm valves shown at 94 , 95 , 96 and 97 . pressure sensors are shown at 120 , 121 , 122 , 123 , 124 and 125 . however , pressure sensors 123 and 120 are the sensors used to measure intraperitoneal pressure in accordance with the present invention . the remaining sensors 121 , 122 , 124 , 125 are used to monitor the operation of the pumps 126 , 127 . when the left diaphragm pump 126 is pushing dialysate to the patient , the sensor 123 can measure the intraperitoneal pressure through the line 89 . when the left diaphragm pump 126 is draining fluid from the patient through the line 89 , the sensor 120 can measure intraperitoneal pressure through the line 88 and while the right pump 127 is pumping fluid to the drain container ( not shown ) through the drain line shown schematically at 128 . when the right diaphragm pump 127 is being used to drain fluid from the patient , the sensor 120 can measure intraperitoneal pressure while the left diaphragm pump 126 is pumping fluid to the drain container ( not shown ) through the drain line shown schematically at 129 . fig1 and 11 illustrate a dual - lumen catheter 100 which includes separate passageways 101 , 102 . the employment of a dual lumen catheter 100 as compared to a dual lumen patient line can move the point at which the pressure is measured to within the peritoneum itself by way of communication through the separate flowpaths 101 , 102 . the dual lumen catheter 100 installs like a single lumen catheter , yet will function either as a flow through or a standard catheter . both fluid pathways 101 , 102 are used to withdraw and deliver fluid during the drain and fill . while one pathway delivers fluid , the other pathway drains . the end section , shown generally at 103 , is perforated . a comparison of an apd therapy for a prior art apd cyclers and one manufactured in accordance with the present invention are summarized as follows : inspection of table 1 shows that cycler 1 woke the patient at around 4 : 30 in the morning with a negative uf alarm at the beginning of fill 5 . the patient bypassed the alarm because he did not feel overfull and immediately fell back asleep . he woke up about minutes later when he had difficulty breathing and felt extremely overfull . he manually drained about 1500 ml but was unable to go back to sleep . he filed a formal product complaint with the manufacturer . the data of table i shows that cycler 2 ran a completely normal therapy but the total therapy clearance ( calculated based upon the sum of the night patient volumes ) was only 84 . 5 % of that obtained by cycler 3 , which was using the cycler that used the method of the current invention . the data of table 1 shows that cycler 3 ran a completely normal therapy and that the fill volume was limited on one occasion by the maximum fill volume but on four occasions by the patient &# 39 ; s intraperitoneal pressure . this patient never felt any discomfort and had no alarms during the night . the limit on the ipp prevented him from being overfilled even though he had successive drains that were not complete . the volume of fluid in his peritoneum never exceeded 3 liters . the patient on cycler 1 had an intraperitoneal pressure in excess of 14 mm hg during dwells 3 and 4 . his breathing may have been impaired and his heart may have had to work harder but the discomfort was not enough to wake him up from a sound sleep until it peaked at 4 , 099 ml during dwell 5 . in conclusion , the method of the present invention provides for optimum fills and therefore more clearance while preventing overfills that bring discomfort and inhibit the function of vital body organs . a negative uf alarm would seldom occur because overfills of the required magnitude would be prevented by the ipp sensors . in order to calculate the ipp , one may first calculate the patient head height correction using conservation of energy : the velocity v of fluid through the patient line is the same at both ends of the line as is the fluid density , so this equation can be written as ( p 2 − p 1 )− pa g ( h 2 h )+ frictional losses = 0 frictional losses = 39130 ( gram / cm )/( cm 2 - sec 2 ) with flow of 197 cm / min in a 4 mm id line at a velocity of approximately 172 cm / sec , wherein frictional losses = 39130 ( gram / cm )/( cm 2 - sec 2 ) with flow of 197 cmn / min in a 4 mm id line at a velocity of approximately 172 cm / sec , wherein the patient head height can be established at the beginning of each fill . any changes in the head height that occur during the fill can be attributed to an increase in intraperitoneal pressure ( ipp ) since the patient is asleep . turning to fig1 , the concentration gradient between the urea concentration 110 in the patient &# 39 ; s blood and the urea concentration 111 in the dialysate for typical apd cyclers is illustrated graphically . comparing the results illustrated in fig1 and 14 , it is evident that apd cyclers equipped with the sensors of the present invention provide superior results . specifically , the data illustrated graphically in fig1 was obtained using a prior art apd cycler . the data obtained in fig1 was obtained using an apd cycler utilizing two sensors for monitoring intraperitoneal pressure . note that the urea concentration 110 in the bloodstream is lower in fig1 than in fig1 . further note , the dialysate volume or fill volume is lower for the therapy illustrated in fig1 than the therapy illustrated in fig1 . thus , the present invention provides improved urea clearance with lower fill volumes . it should be understood that various changes and modifications to the presently preferred embodiments described herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art . such changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention and without diminishing its attendant advantages . it is , therefore , intended that such changes and modifications be covered by the appended claims . | 0 |
fig1 , 2 , 3 and 4 depict a dtv transmitter apparatus generating cofdm signals designed for reception by dtv receivers . fig1 depicts apparatus for generating baseband frames ( bbframes ) at a bit - interleaved coding and modulation ( bicm ) interface . fig2 depicts apparatus for generating forward - error - correction ( fec ) coding and subsequent frames of cofdm symbol blocks responsive to the bbframes supplied at the bicm interface . fig3 depicts apparatus for generating bit - wise forward - error - correction ( fec ) coding and subsequent cofdm symbol blocks responsive to first layer ( l1 ) conformation specifications and to dynamic scheduling information ( dsi ). fig4 depicts apparatus for generating and transmitting radio - frequency cofdm signals . fig4 further depicts apparatus for inserting baseband metadata including master information blocks ( mibs ) into frames of cofdm symbol blocks before subsequently generating and transmitting radio - frequency cofdm signals . except for the insertion of baseband metadata signals into cofdm symbols to augment or to replace the preambles of t2 frames , the dtv transmitter apparatus depicted in fig1 , 2 , 3 and 4 is essentially the same as specified in european telecommunications standards institute ( etsi ) standard en 302 755 v1 . 3 . 1 published in april 2012 , titled “ digital video broadcasting ( dvb ); frame structure channel coding and modulation for a second generation digital terrestrial television broadcasting system ( dvb - t2 )”, and incorporated herein by reference . for convenience , this specification uses the term “ t3 frames ” when referring to t2 frames modified to skip over baseband metadata portions of cofdm symbols as well as portions of cofdm symbols reserved for scattered pilot carriers and dummy tones . a scheduler 10 for interleaving time - slices of services to be broadcast to stationary dtv receivers is depicted in the middle of fig1 . the scheduler 10 schedules transmissions of time slices for a number ( n + 1 ) of physical layer pipes ( plps ), n being a positive integer at least zero . fig1 and 2 identify these plps by the letters “ plp ” followed respectively by consecutive positive integers of a modulo -( n + 1 ) numbering system . as depicted in fig2 the scheduler 10 also generates and schedules dynamic scheduling information ( dsi ) for application to an additional plp depicted in fig3 , which additional plp generates ofdm symbol blocks that convey the dsi and first layer conformation specifications . recommended practice is that at least the physical layer pipe plp 0 is a so - called “ common ” plp used for transmitting data , such as a program guide , relating to the other “ data ” plps . the common plp or plps are transmitted in each t3 frame following the p1 and p2 symbols , if such be maintained rather than omitted , but before the data plp or plps . a data plp may be of a first type transmitted as a single slice per t3 frame , or a data plp may be of a second type transmitted as a plurality of sub - slices disposed in non - contiguous portions of each t3 frame to achieve greater time diversity . fig1 depicts the ( n + 1 ) th physical layer pipe plp 0 comprising elements 1 - 6 in cascade connection before the scheduler 10 and further comprising elements 7 - 9 in cascade connection after the scheduler 10 , but before a plp 0 bit - interleaved coding and modulation ( bicm ) interface . more specifically , fig1 indicates that a plp 0 stream of logical digital data is supplied to the input port of an input interface 1 , the output port of which connects to the input port of an input stream synchronizer 2 . the output port of the input stream synchronizer 2 connects to the input port of a compensating delay unit 3 , the output port of which connects to the input port of a null - packet suppressor 4 . the output port of the null - packet suppressor 4 connects to the input port of a crc - 8 encoder 5 operative at user packet level , the output port of which connects to the input port of an inserter 6 of headers for baseband ( bb ) frames . the output port of the bbframe header inserter 6 connects to a respective input port of the scheduler 10 . the physical layer pipe plp 0 continues following the scheduler 10 , with fig1 showing a respective output port of the scheduler 10 connecting to the input port of a delay unit 7 for delaying baseband ( bb ) frames . fig1 shows the output port of the bbframe delay unit 7 connecting to the input port of an inserter 8 for inserting in - band signaling into bbframes , which in - band signaling essentially consists of dynamic scheduling information ( dsi ) generated by the scheduler 10 , and / or for inserting padding into the bbframe . padding is inserted in circumstances when the user data available for transmission is not sufficient to completely fill a bbframe , or when an integer number of user packets is required to be allocated to a bbframe . fig1 shows the output port of the inserter 8 connecting to the input port of a bbframe scrambler 9 , which data randomizes bits of the bbframe supplied from the output port of the bbframe scrambler 9 as the plp 0 bicm interface . in practice the delay unit 7 , the inserter 8 and the bbframe scrambler 9 are realized by suitable configuration of a random - access memory . fig1 depicts the first physical layer pipe plp 1 comprising elements 11 - 16 in cascade connection before the scheduler 10 and further comprising elements 17 - 19 in cascade connection after the scheduler 10 , but before a plp 1 bit - interleaved coding and modulation ( bicm ) interface . more specifically , fig1 indicates that a plp 1 stream of logical digital data is supplied to the input port of an input interface 11 , the output port of which connects to the input port of an input stream synchronizer 12 . the output port of the input stream synchronizer 12 connects to the input port of a compensating delay unit 13 , the output port of which connects to the input port of a null - packet suppressor 14 . the output port of the null - packet suppressor 14 connects to the input port of a crc - 8 encoder 15 operative at user packet level , the output port of which connects to the input port of an inserter 16 of headers for bbframes . the output port of the bbframe header inserter 16 connects to a respective input port of the scheduler 10 . the physical layer pipe plp 1 continues following the scheduler 10 , with fig1 showing a respective output port of the scheduler 10 connecting to the input port of a delay unit 17 for delaying bbframes . fig1 shows the output port of the bbframe delay unit 17 connecting to the input port of an inserter 18 for inserting in - band signaling into bbframes , which in - band signaling essentially consists of dsi generated by the scheduler 10 , and / or for inserting padding into the bbframe . fig1 shows the output port of the inserter 18 connecting to the input port of a bbframe scrambler 19 , which data randomizes bits of the bbframe supplied from the output port of the bbframe scrambler 19 as the plp 1 bicm interface . in practice the delay unit 17 , the inserter 18 and the bbframe scrambler 19 are realized by suitable operation of a random - access memory . fig1 depicts the ( n ) th physical layer pipe plpn comprising elements 21 - 26 in cascade connection before the scheduler 10 and further comprising elements 27 - 29 in cascade connection after the scheduler 10 , but before a plpn bit - interleaved coding and modulation ( bicm ) interface . more specifically , fig1 indicates that a plpn stream of logical digital data is supplied to the input port of an input interface 21 , the output port of which connects to the input port of an input stream synchronizer 22 . the output port of the input stream synchronizer 22 connects to the input port of a compensating delay unit 23 , the output port of which connects to the input port of a null - packet suppressor 24 . the output port of the null - packet suppressor 24 connects to the input port of a crc - 8 encoder 25 operative at user packet level , the output port of which connects to the input port of an inserter 26 of headers for bbframes . the output port of the bbframe header inserter 26 connects to a respective input port of the scheduler 10 . the physical layer pipe plpn continues following the scheduler 10 , with fig1 showing a respective output port of the scheduler 10 connecting to the input port of a delay unit 27 for delaying bbframes . fig1 shows the output port of the bbframe delay unit 27 connecting to the input port of an inserter 28 for inserting in - band signaling into bbframes , which in - band signaling essentially consists of dynamic scheduling information ( dsi ) generated by the scheduler 10 , and / or for inserting padding into the bbframe . fig1 shows the output port of the inserter 28 connecting to the input port of a bbframe scrambler 29 , which data randomizes bits of the bbframe supplied from the output port of the bbframe scrambler 29 as the plpn bicm interface . in practice the delay unit 27 , the inserter 28 and the bbframe scrambler 29 are realized by suitable operation of a random - access memory . the input stream synchronizers 2 , 12 , 22 etc . are operable to guarantee constant bit rate ( cbr ) and constant end - to - end transmission delay for any input data format when there is more than one input data format . some transmitters may not include ones of the input stream synchronizers 2 , 12 , 22 etc . or ones of the compensating delay units 3 , 13 , 23 etc . for some transport - stream ( ts ) input signals , a large percentage of null - packets may be present in order to accommodate variable bit - rate services in a constant bit - rate ts . in such a case , to avoid unnecessary transmission overhead , the null - packet suppressors 4 , 14 , 24 etc . identify ts null - packets from the packet - identification ( pid ) sequences in their packet headers and remove those ts null - packets from the data streams to be scrambled by the bbframe scramblers 9 , 19 , 29 etc . this removal is done in a way such that the removed null - packets can be re - inserted in the receiver in the exact positions they originally were in , thus guaranteeing constant bit - rate and avoiding the need for updating the programme clock reference ( pcr ) or time - stamp . further details of the operation of the input stream synchronizers 2 , 12 , 22 etc . ; the compensating delay units 3 , 13 , 23 etc . ; and the null - packet suppressors 4 , 14 , 24 etc . can be gleaned from etsi standard en 302 755 v1 . 3 . 1 for dvb - t2 . fig2 depicts the ( n + 1 ) th physical layer pipe plp 0 further comprising elements 31 - 36 in cascade connection after the plp 0 bicm interface , but before a respective input port of an assembler 30 for assembling a serial stream of ofdm symbols . more specifically , fig2 depicts an encoder 31 for bose - chaudhuri - hocquenghem ( bch ) coding with its input port connected to receive the plp 0 bicm interface signal from the output port of the bbframe scrambler 9 and with its output port connected to the input port of an encoder 32 for ldpc coding . fig2 depicts the output port of the encoder 32 for ldpc coding connected to the input port of a bit interleaver 34 . the output port of the interleaver 34 connects to the input port of a mapper 35 for mapping successive bits of the interleaved fec coding to successive qam symbol constellations . in the case of transmissions broadcast for reception by stationary dtv receivers , these qam symbol constellations are apt to be square 256qam symbol constellations or possibly cruciform 512qam symbol constellations , by way of specific examples . in the case of transmissions broadcast for reception by mobile dtv receivers , these qam symbol constellations are apt to be square 16qam symbol constellations , square 64 qam symbol constellations or possibly cruciform 128qam symbol constellations , by way of specific examples . the mapper 35 parses the successive bits of the interleaved fec coding supplied to its input port into consecutive segments or “ cells ”, each having as many bits as in the labeling of each of the lattice points in the particular qam constellations to which the fec coding is mapped in the physical layer pipe plp 0 . gray mapping is preferred for square qam symbols such as 16qam , 64qam , 256qam , 1024 qam etc . in gray mapping the labels associated with various modulation levels of the carrier change by one bit at most for each small change in modulation level . gray mapping is not possible for cruciform qam constellations , but a close - to - gray mapping is possible in which the labels associated with various modulation levels of the carrier change by one or at most two bits for each small change in modulation level . such close - to - gray mapping is preferred for cruciform qam symbols such as 32qam , 128qam , 512qam etc . the mapper 34 responds to the consecutive segments of the interleaved fec coding to generate the complex coordinates of successive qam constellations . the complex coordinates of the qam symbol constellations are supplied from the output port of mapper 34 to the input port of a further “ cell ” interleaver 35 that shuffles the order of the qam symbols in each successive time - interleaver ( ti ) block . this shuffling implements cyclic delay diversity ( cdd ) that helps the fec coding to overcome frequency - selective fading . the output port of the cell interleaver 35 connects to the write input port of a dual - port random - access memory ( ram ) 36 . the ram 36 is capable of temporarily storing each fec block for a number of ofdm symbol intervals to facilitate the time - interleaving of cofdm symbols from the ( n + 1 ) th physical layer pipe plp 0 with cofdm symbols from the other plps in the response of the assembler 30 . the read output port of the ram 36 connects to a respective input port of the assembler 30 for assembling t3 frames . the function of the cell interleaver 35 can be subsumed into the operation of the ram 36 in actual practice , by using suitable write addressing and read addressing of the ram 36 . fig2 depicts the first physical layer pipe plp 1 further comprising elements 41 - 46 in cascade connection after the plp 1 bicm interface , but before a respective input port of the assembler 30 for assembling a serial stream of ofdm symbols . more specifically , fig2 depicts an encoder 41 for bch coding with its input port connected to receive the plp 1 bicm interface signal from the output port of the bbframe scrambler 19 and with its output port connected to the input port of an encoder 42 for ldpc coding . fig2 depicts the output port of the encoder 42 for ldpc coding connected to the input port of a bit interleaver 44 . the output port of the interleaver 44 connects to the input port of a mapper 45 for mapping successive bits of the interleaved fec coding to successive qam symbol constellations . the mapper 45 parses the successive bits of the interleaved fec coding supplied to its input port into consecutive segments or “ cells ”, each having as many bits as in the labeling of each of the lattice points in the particular qam constellations to which the fec coding is mapped in the physical layer pipe plp 1 . the mapper 44 responds to the consecutive segments of the interleaved fec coding to generate the complex coordinates of successive qam constellations . the complex coordinates of the qam symbol constellations are supplied from the output port of mapper 44 to the input port of a further “ cell ” interleaver 45 that shuffles the order of the qam symbols in each successive time - interleaver ( ti ) block . this shuffling implements cyclic delay diversity ( cdd ) that helps the fec coding to overcome frequency - selective fading . the output port of the cell interleaver 45 connects to the write input port of a dual - port random - access memory ( ram ) 46 . the ram 346 is capable of temporarily storing each fec block for a number of ofdm symbol intervals to facilitate the time - interleaving of cofdm symbols from the first physical layer pipe plp 1 with cofdm symbols from the other plps in the response of the assembler 30 . the read output port of the ram 46 connects to a respective input port of the assembler 30 for assembling t3 frames the function of the cell interleaver 45 can be subsumed into the operation of the ram 46 in actual practice , by using suitable write addressing and read addressing of the ram 46 . fig2 depicts the ( n ) th physical layer pipe plpn further comprising elements 51 - 56 in cascade connection after the plpn bicm interface , but before a respective input port of the assembler 30 for assembling a serial stream of ofdm symbols . more specifically , fig2 depicts an encoder 51 for bch coding with its input port connected to receive the plpn bicm interface signal from the output port of the bbframe scrambler 29 and with its output port connected the input port of an encoder 52 for ldpc coding . fig2 depicts the output port of the encoder 52 for ldpc coding connected to the input port of a bit interleaver 54 . the output port of the interleaver 54 connects to the input port of a mapper 55 for mapping successive bits of the interleaved fec coding to successive qam symbol constellations . the mapper 55 parses the successive bits of the interleaved fec coding supplied to its input port into consecutive segments or “ cells ”, each having as many bits as in the labeling of each of the lattice points in the particular qam constellations to which the fec coding is mapped in the physical layer pipe plpn . the mapper 54 responds to the consecutive segments of the interleaved fec coding to generate the complex coordinates of successive qam constellations . the complex coordinates of the qam symbol constellations are supplied from the output port of mapper 54 to the input port of a further “ cell ” interleaver 55 that shuffles the order of the qam symbols in each successive time - interleaver ( ti ) block . this shuffling implements cyclic delay diversity ( cdd ) that helps the fec coding to overcome frequency - selective fading . the output port of the cell interleaver 55 connects to the write input port of a dual - port random - access memory ( ram ) 56 . the ram 56 is capable of temporarily storing each fec block for a number of ofdm symbol intervals to facilitate the time - interleaving of cofdm symbols from the ( n + 1 ) th physical layer pipe plpn with cofdm symbols from the other plps in the response of the assembler 30 . the read output port of the ram 56 connects to a respective input port of the assembler 30 for assembling t3 frames . the function of the cell interleaver 55 can be subsumed into the operation of the ram 56 in actual practice , by using suitable write addressing and read addressing of the ram 56 . there is usually a number of other physical layer pipes besides plp 0 , plp 1 and plpn , which other physical pipes are identified by the prefix plp followed by respective ones of consecutive numbers three through ( n − 1 ). each of the plps , n in number , may differ from the others in at least one aspect . one possible difference between these n plps concerns the natures of the concatenated bch - ldpc coding these plps respectively employ . etsi standard en 302 755 v1 . 3 . 1 for dvb - t2 specifies a block size of 64 , 800 bits for normal fec frames as a first alternative , and a block size of 16 , 200 bits is specified for short fec frames as a second alternative . also , a variety of different ldpc code rates are authorized . plps may differ in the number of ofdm carriers involved in each of their spectral samples , which affects the size of the dft used for demodulating those ofdm carriers . another possible difference between plps concerns the natures of the qam symbol constellations ( or possibly other modulation symbol constellations ) they respectively employ . each of the interleavers 35 , 45 , 55 etc . in the data plps can by way of specific example , be composed of a cell interleaver ( as specified in §§ 6 . 4 of etsi standard en 302 755 v1 . 3 . 1 ) followed in cascade connection by a time interleaver ( as specified in §§ 6 . 4 of etsi standard en 302 755 v1 . 3 . 1 ). etsi standard en 302 755 v1 . 3 . 1 defines the ofdm cell as being the modulation value for one ofdm carrier during one ofdm symbol , e . g . a single modulation constellation point . the pseudo - random cell interleaving spreads the cells uniformly in each fec codeword to ensure an uncorrelated distribution of channel distortions and interference along the fec codewords in the receiver . furthermore the cell interleaving “ rotates ” the interleaving sequence differently in each of the fec blocks of one time interleaver ( ti ) block . if used , time interleaving operates at plp level , and the parameters of the time interleaving may differ for different plps within a t2 system or the t3 system disclosed herein . the function of the assembler 30 is to assemble the complex coordinates of qam symbol constellations read from the memory units 36 , 46 , 56 etc . for each of the plps into arrays of ofdm symbols to be conveyed successively within respective ones of t3 frames , analogously to what is prescribed for the t2 frames of dvb - t2 in etsi standard en 302 755 v1 . 3 . 1 . successive ones of these t3 frames , possibly with future extension frame ( fef ) parts interspersed among them , make up super - frames in the overall frame structure . the assembler 30 comprises respective buffer memories for the n plps and means for time - division multiplexing t3 frames from the various plps into an ofdm generation interface signal to be supplied to the fig6 portion of the transmitter apparatus for broadcasting dtv signals . the buffer memories included in the assembler 30 are usually dual - ported random - access memories ( rams ). the time interleaving procedures described in §§ 6 . 5 of etsi standard en 302 755 v1 . 3 . 1 are subsumed into the addressing of these rams . designs are possible in which the buffer memories for the assembler 30 are subsumed within the memory units 36 , 46 , 56 etc . the operation of the assembler 30 for assembling a serial stream of ofdm symbols takes into account the configuration of the frame structure and is further controlled responsive to the dynamic scheduling information produced by the scheduler 10 . fig2 does not explicitly show the connections for applying these control signals to the assembler 30 . the assembly of the serial stream of cofdm symbols by the assembler 30 , and the scheduling of time - slices by the scheduler 10 are performed in concert responsive to control signals from a master controller not explicitly depicted in fig1 , 2 , 3 and 4 . fig2 shows the assembler 30 connected for receiving at an input port thereof coordinates of p2 modulation symbols supplied from apparatus depicted in fig3 . the coordinates of p2 modulation symbol constellations supplied from the fig3 apparatus convey the conformation of the frame structure and also convey the dynamic scheduling information ( dsi ) produced by the scheduler 10 . fig3 depicts a first - layer signal generator 20 with two input ports and two output ports . the first of the two input ports is connected for receiving dsi from the scheduler 10 , and the second of the two input ports is connected for receiving digital indications specifying the conformation of the frame structure . responsive to these control signals received at its first and second input ports , the first - layer ( l1 ) signal generator 20 generates l1 - pre signaling at its first output port and l1 - post signaling at its second output port . fig3 depicts an encoder 57 for bch coding having its input port connected for receiving l1 - pre signaling supplied from the first output port of the first - layer ( l1 ) signal generator 20 . the output port of the encoder 57 for bch coding connects to the input port of an encoder 58 for ldpc coding . the output port of the encoder 58 connects to the input port of a puncturer 59 , the output port of which connects to the input port of a mapper 60 for mapping the coded l1 - pre signaling to bpsk symbol constellations . the output port of the mapper 60 connects to a first of two input ports of a time - division multiplexer 61 . details of the processing of l1 - pre signaling are essentially as described in §§ 7 . 3 . 1 . 1 of etsi standard en 302 755 v1 . 3 . 1 for dvb - t2 . fig3 depicts a bit scrambler 62 having its input port connected for receiving l1 - post signaling supplied from the second output port of the first - layer ( l1 ) signal generator 20 . the bit scrambler 62 provides data bit randomization similar to that provided by the bbframe scramblers 9 , 19 and 29 . the output port of the bit scrambler 62 connects to the input port of an encoder 63 for crc - 8 coding , the output port of which connects to the input port of an encoder 64 for bch coding . the output port of the encoder 64 for bch coding connects to the input port of an encoder 65 for ldpc coding . fig3 shows the output port of the encoder 65 connected to the input port of a puncturer 66 , the output port of which connects to the input port of a bit interleaver 67 similar to the bit interleavers 33 , 43 and 54 . the output port of the bit interleaver 67 connects to the input port of a mapper 68 for mapping the coded l1 - post signaling to bpsk , qpsk , 16qam or 64qam symbol constellations . the output port of the mapper 68 connects to the second input port of the time - division multiplexer 61 . the puncturer 66 is optional and can be replaced by a direct connection from the output port of the encoder 65 for ldpc coding to the input port of the bit interleaver 67 . details of the processing of l1 - post signaling are essentially as described in §§ 7 . 3 . 2 and §§ 7 . 3 . 3 of etsi standard en 302 755 v1 . 3 . 1 for dvb - t2 . the time - division multiplexer 61 is configured for generating a response therefrom that time - interleaves complex coordinates of the bpsk symbol constellations mapping respective segments of coded l1 - pre signaling supplied to its first input port from the mapper 60 with the complex coordinates of the bpsk , qpsk or qam symbol constellations mapping respective segments of coded l1 - post signaling supplied to its second input port from the mapper 68 . fig3 indicates that the time - division multiplexer 61 supplies the complex coordinates of p2 symbols in its response to a respective input port of the assembler 30 of ofdm symbols depicted in fig2 . a transmission signal in an ofdm broadcast system is transmitted in successive segments called ofdm symbol blocks . each ofdm symbol block includes an interval during which an effective symbol is supplied for inverse discrete fourier transformation ( i - dft ), and further includes a guard interval into which the waveform of a concluding portion of the latter half of this effective symbol will be directly copied . this guard interval is provided at the beginning of the initial half of the ofdm symbol block . in an ofdm system , such a guard interval is provided to improve performance during multi - path reception . a plurality of ofdm symbol blocks are collected to form one ofdm transmission frame , which dvb - t2 denominates a t2 frame . fig4 depicts apparatus that generates and transmits radio - frequency cofdm signals responsive to the stream of ofdm symbols supplied via an ofdm generation interface from the output port of the assembler 30 for assembling a serial stream of ofdm symbols , which assembler 30 is depicted in fig2 . the output port of the assembler 30 connects to the input port of a parser 60 for effective ofdm symbol blocks , which parser 60 is depicted in fig4 . the block parser 60 parses the serial stream of ofdm symbols into uniform - length sequences of samples , each of which sequences is associated with a respective effective ofdm symbol . the output port of the block parser 60 is connected to a first input port of a unit 61 for reserving dummy tones and for inserting pilot carriers and baseband metadata into the effective ofdm symbols . etsi standard en 302 760 v1 . 3 . 1 identifies a number of different patterns regarding the insertion of pilot carriers into the frequency spectrum of the transmission channel , any one of which may be used for a plp in dvb - t2 . patterns of pilot carriers to be used in transmitter apparatus embodying aspects of the invention are modified from those prescribed in the dvb - t2 standard , so as to allow for the 64 or so central cofdm carriers in the rf channel conveying baseband metadata . apparatus 62 for generating baseband metadata generates complex coordinates prescribing the modulation of these central cofdm carriers and supplies those coordinates from its output port to a second input port of the unit 61 for reserving dummy tones and for inserting pilot carriers and baseband lte signals into the effective ofdm symbols . an output port of the unit 61 is connected for supplying ofdm symbols to an input port of an ofdm modulator 63 . fig4 depicts the ofdm modulator 63 as having 2k , 4k , 8k , 16k or 32k carriers capability . that is , nominal dft size can be 2k , 4k , 8k , 16k or 32k . the 2k size is used solely for the preambles of data frames . the 16k and 32k sizes of dft are particularly suitable for transmissions to stationary dtv receivers . transmissions to mobile receivers are apt to employ smaller dft size , 8k generally being preferred . when 4k dft is used , the central 64 cofdm carriers conveying baseband metadata can be contiguous within the frequency spectrum , with no intervening ofdm carriers . when a larger - size dft is used , preferable practice is for the “ central ” 64 cofdm carriers to be spaced apart slightly , to admit a few intervening ofdm carriers . when 8k dft is used the central 64 cofdm carriers conveying baseband metadata alternate with ofdm carriers that convey baseband data or alternatively are pilot carriers . when 16k dft is used the central 64 cofdm carriers conveying baseband metadata are separated from each other by three ofdm carriers that convey baseband data or alternatively are pilot carriers . when 32k dft is used the central 64 cofdm carriers conveying baseband metadata are separated from each other by seven ofdm carriers that convey baseband data or alternatively are pilot carriers . i . e ., the central 64 cofdm carriers conveying baseband metadata are located at the same positions in an rf channel irrespective of whether 4k , 8k , 16k or 32k dft is used . this facilitates dtv receivers being re - tuned from one rf channel to another without being previously informed as to whether 4k , 8k , 16k or 32k dft will be used in the rf channel to which the receiver is being re - tuned . ( the respective spacings between the central 64 cofdm carriers conveying baseband metadata may be doubled from those earlier described in this paragraph , however , better to accommodate pilot carriers for use in channel equalization , etc .). e . g ., the ofdm modulator 63 includes a serial - to - parallel converter for converting the serially generated complex digital samples of the effective ofdm symbols to parallel complex digital samples for inverse discrete fourier transformation ( i - dft ). such ofdm modulator 63 further includes a parallel - to - serial converter for converting the parallel complex digital samples of the i - dft results to serial complex digital samples of the i - dft results . fig4 shows a connection for applying digital samples supplied from the output port of the ofdm modulator 63 to the input port of a peak - to - average - power - ratio ( papr ) reduction unit 64 . etsi standard en 302 760 v1 . 3 . 1 includes two methods for reducing papr in dvb - t2 that allow about a 20 % reduction in peak amplifier power rating , which can save significantly on electricity costs for operating a broadcast station . in the first method , called “ tone reservation ”, 1 % of the ofdm carriers are reserved and do not carry any data , but instead may be used for inserting values that will counteract the peaks in the signal . in the second method , called “ active constellation extension ”, the values of certain of the edge constellation points are moved “ outward ” in such way as to reduce the signal peaks . since only edge constellation points are ever moved outward , their movement has no significant impact on the ability of the dtv receiver to decode the data . the output port of the papr reduction unit 64 is connected to the input port of a guard - interval - and - cyclic - prefix - insertion unit 65 . the output port of the guard - interval - and - cyclic - prefix insertion unit 65 connects to the input port of a digital - to - analog converter 66 , the output port of which is connected for supplying analog cofdm carriers to the input port of an up converter 67 . the up converter 67 converts the analog cofdm carriers in the dac 66 response to final radio frequencies and is connected for supplying them from its output port to the input port of a linear power amplifier 68 . fig4 shows the output port of the linear power amplifier 68 connected for driving rf analog cofdm signal power to a transmission antenna 78 . fig4 omits showing some details of the dtv transmitter , such as band - shaping filters for the rf signals . fig5 illustrates a preferred format for each “ half ” metadata frame in the e - ultra signal that the apparatus 62 for generating cofdm metadata supplies to the unit 61 for reserving dummy tones and for inserting pilot carriers and cofdm metadata , through the connection from apparatus 62 to unit 61 depicted in fig4 . the metadata frames are transmitted using 64 adjoining carriers located mid - band in the rf channel . the ofdm carriers conveying the metadata frames have the same spacing as the ofdm carriers in dtv signal designed for 8k fft , regardless of whether the currently transmitted dtv signal is designed for 4k , 8k , 16k or 32k fft . this allows a dtv receiver to decode the metadata without having foreknowledge as to whether a currently received dtv signal is designed for 4k , 8k , 16k or 32k fft . each “ half ” metadata frame begins with a preamble lasting two cofdm symbol intervals . a 63 - element primary synchronization signal ( pss ) is transmitted along with a single - element repeat flag in the first of these two cofdm symbol intervals , and a 62 - element secondary synchronization signal ( sss ) is transmitted in the second of these two cofdm symbol intervals . the pss is transmitted via 63 adjoining cofdm carriers , each modulated with a respective one of the 63 elements of a zadoff - chu sequence . preferably , a sixty - fourth adjoining cofdm carrier transmits a repeat flag during the first cofdm symbol interval in the preamble of the metadata frame . this flag has a first value if the current metadata frame will be repeated in the next metadata frame interval and has a second value if the current metadata frame will not be so repeated . during the second cofdm symbol interval in the preamble of the metadata frame , two interleaved 31 - element maximum - length pseudo - random noise ( prn ) sequences , as additively scrambled in accordance with the zadoff - chu sequence in the pss , modulate the central 62 of the 64 adjoining cofdm carriers at mid - band of the rf channel . the remaining portion of the “ half ” metadata frame that follows its preamble is composed of a plurality of metadata sub - frames , each extending over eight cofdm symbol intervals . fig6 depicts the defining equations for the zadoff - chu sequence used as a primary synchronization signal ( pss ) in “ half ” metadata frames as illustrated in fig5 . depending on the choice of the variable m to be 25 , 29 or 34 , one of three different primary synchronization signals pss 1 , pss 2 and pss 3 is generated . e . g ., pss 1 can be used to indicate that the metadata for the next t3 frame is transmitted in the ensuing metadata frame ; pss 2 can be used to indicate that the metadata for the next future - extension frame ( fef ) frame is transmitted in the ensuing metadata frame ; and pss 3 can be used to indicate when that next frame begins , whether it be a t3 frame or an fef . fig7 depicts the defining equations for the interleaved 31 - element pseudo - random noise ( pn31 ) sequences that are additively scrambled in accordance with an immediately preceding zadoff - chu sequence ( zc ) to generate a second synchronizing signal ( sss ). the phase of each pn31 signal as mapped to the circumference of a circular cylinder can be varied so as to convey 31 respective signaling conditions . slipping phase of both pn31 sequences generates 61 × 61 = 3721 possible sss signaling conditions . the ranges in value of sss are used to determine whether or not the metadata pertains to a t3 frame and , if not , what sort of fef the metadata pertains to . it is useful to code fft sizes and guard interval lengths using different sss conditions . the value of sss is used as a key for interpreting patterns of pilot carriers in the resource blocks within the metadata frame . fig8 illustrates in more detail the format of resource blocks within metadata frames per fig5 . each resource block is conveyed in 8 consecutive ofdm symbol intervals by 8 adjoining ones of the 64 adjoining ofdm carriers mid - band in the rf channel . each resource block is depicted as a frequency - versus - time grid , many elements of which grid are vacant as their respective ofdm carriers are for the moment zero - valued . the elements of the grid that are shaded denote the temporary presence of energized pilot carriers . the information - conveying mechanism in the resource block is the pattern of energized pilot carriers . the specific pattern depicted in fig8 is but one of many possible patterns of energized pilot carriers . each group of eight contemporaneous resource blocks in a metadata sub - frame can convey 512 bits of information if the ofdm carriers are simply keyed on and off . the pattern of energized pilot carriers in the first metadata sub - frame can be repeated in subsequent metadata sub - frames to provide delay diversity that can help overcome corruption from noise in the rf channel . fig9 illustrates one way in which the metadata channel can be placed at mid - band of the rf channel in frequency - division multiplex with the lower - frequency cofdm carriers of a dtv signal and with the higher - frequency cofdm carriers of the dtv signal . ( fig9 is suggestive of the sixty - four cofdm carriers conveying metadata not separated by intervening carriers . however , as noted supra other cofdm carriers may be intermingled amongst them .) each metadata frame beings before the t3 frame or fef conveying the dtv signal to which the metadata pertains . a metadata frame that pertains to a t3 frame begins with a pss 1 so a dtv receiver is signaled early on as to have the metadata are to be processed for describing the t3 frame . a metadata frame that pertains to an fef begins with a pss 2 so a dtv receiver is signaled early on as to how the metadata are to be processed for describing the fef . some period of time after the beginning of the metadata frame a pss 2 signals the beginning of the t3 frame or fef frame to which the metadata in that metadata frame pertains . the beginning of a t3 frame or fef is assumed to include p1 and l1 signaling that corresponds to the p1 and l1 signaling at the beginning of a t2 frame or fef as prescribed by the dvb - t2 standard . such p1 and l1 signaling may be corrupted by noise at the beginning of a t3 frame or fef . in the metadata transmission scheme illustrated in fig9 the information in the p1 and l1 signaling is apt already to be available from the metadata frame before the beginning of t3 frame or fef containing the corrupted p1 and l1 signaling . if that information is not already available it may become available from later in the metadata frame permitting portions of the t3 frame or fef following the corrupted p1 and l1 signaling still to be salvaged . if the preamble at the beginning of the metadata frame is corrupted by noise , the p1 and l1 signaling at the beginning of a t3 frame or fef to which its metadata pertains possibly may not be corrupted by noise . in such case processing of the t3 frame or fef can proceed based on that p1 and l1 signaling . alternatively , when the preamble at the beginning of the last “ half ” of the metadata frame is not also corrupted by noise , it can direct the processing of patterns of pilot carriers in the resource blocks to provide the basis for processing of the t3 frame or fef to which the metadata frame pertains . this alternative has to be resorted to in dtv broadcast systems in which the dtv signals do not include p1 and l1 signaling . while fig9 shows an initial half of the metadata frame preceding the start of the t3 frame or fef that it describes and a final half following that start , in alternative designs larger portions of the metadata frame precede the start of the t3 frame or fef it describes . in still other alternative designs a metadata frame not only contains information pertaining to the t3 frame or fef beginning during that metadata frame , but further contains further information specific to at least one subsequent t3 frame or fef . providing that the t3 data frames and any fef data frames are of uniform size with regard to the number of ofdm symbols in each of them , the similar size and relative positioning of the metadata frames respective to the t3 or fef data frames is quite easy to establish and maintain . knowing the beginning of one of the uniform - size data frames , the beginning of the next metadata frame is later by one - half the number of ofdm symbols in each data frame . conversely , knowing the beginning of a metadata frame , the beginning of the next one of the uniform - size data frames is later by one - half the number of ofdm symbols in that data frame . a dtv receiver watches for a zadoff - chu sequence in the baseband metadata signal that signals the beginning of a metadata frame , from which beginning the beginnings of later data frames and metadata frames can be inferred . if the uniform size of data frames and metadata frames is not standardized industry - wide to just one length of time , the size of data frames is preferably signaled in the metadata signal . if the data frames vary in size with regard to the number of ofdm symbols in each of them , the relative positioning of successive metadata frames respective to successive data frames is more difficult to establish and maintain . knowledge of the size of each successive data frame permits the beginning and conclusion of each successive metadata frame to be determined in the dtv receiver apparatus , as well as in the dtv transmitter apparatus . the size of each successive data frame is signaled early in the data frame , either in its preamble , or shortly thereafter in so - called “ in - band ” signaling . responsive to this signaling , dtv receiver apparatus can calculate the beginning of the next metadata frame respective to the beginning of the current data frame . alternatively , the size of each successive data frame is signaled near the beginning of the metadata frame beginning before that data frame . in a belt - and - suspenders approach both forms of signaling would be provided . a preferred arrangement is to begin each metadata frame a prescribed number of cofdm symbol periods before the start of the ensuing data frame . the prescribed number of cofdm symbol periods preferably spans an integral number of sub - frames of a metadata frame . this number is preferably more than one , so as to provide redundant transmission of metadata for the ensuing data frame . such arrangement allows a receiver sometimes to infer when the next data frame begins , even though the beginning is corrupted by burst noise or lost owing to momentary fade . such arrangement is particularly attractive when the data frames each have a preamble also conveying metadata . fig9 shows metadata frames interlacing perfectly in time with the t3 frames or fefs to which they respectively pertain . a dtv broadcast engineer may consider inserting some sort of padding in one set of frames or the other to maintain a preferred temporal relationship between each metadata frame and a t3 frame or fef to which it pertains . the padding is preferably inserted in the succession of metadata frames , so as not to reduce digital payload in the t3 frames and fefs , and can be provided simply by continuing the repeating metadata sub - frames . a dtv receiver can determine the number of metadata sub - frames between the beginning of the initial “ half ” of a frame of metadata , as marked by a pss 1 or pss 2 signal , and the beginning of the final “ half ” of that frame of metadata , as marked by a pss 3 signal . knowing the ratio of the duration of the final “ half ” of the metadata frame to the duration of its initial “ half ”, the dtv receiver can determine when the metadata frame concludes and any padding that is needed begins . the next pss 1 or pss 2 signals when padding ends . the maximum number of sub - frames permitted in a metadata frame is subject to variation depending on the number of cofdm symbols in adjoining t3 frames or adjoining t3 frame and fef . if dvb - t2 protocol is followed quite closely , t3 frame duration will be limited to 250 milliseconds . when 32k fft is used , cofdm symbol rate is relatively low , and the resulting t3 frame size is of the order of 60 cofdm symbol intervals . if metadata sub - frame size extends over 8 cofdm symbol intervals , as few as only six metadata sub - frames per frame may have to be used . when 16k fft is used , cofdm symbol rate is doubled , and the maximum number of metadata sub - frames per frame can be doubled . when 8k fft is used , cofdm symbol rate is doubled again , and the maximum number of metadata sub - frames per frame can be doubled again . having more metadata sub - frames per frame allows the metadata to be repeated more times , reducing the possibility that pattern information will be lost owing to occasional burst noise . however , while data rate for 32k fft of dtv signals has to be reduced about four times compared to the data rate for 8k fft of dtv signals , the spacing of the 64 mid - band carriers used to convey metadata remains similar to that for dtv signals using 8k fft . so it is possible ( indeed desirable ) to maintain the cofdm symbol rate for metadata to be the same as for dtv signals using 8k fft , even when the dtv signals use 16k fft or 32k fft instead . this allows as many as 24 metadata sub - frames per frame to be used , regardless of which size of fft is used for dtv signals . the fact of the metadata using the same cofdm symbol rate , irrespective of the cofdm symbol rate for dtv signals , facilitates the metadata being processed without having to proceed on a trial - and - error basis . fig1 shows the initial portion of a dtv receiver designed for iterative - diversity reception of cofdm signals as transmitted at vhf or uhf by a dtv transmitter , such as the one depicted in fig1 , 2 and 3 . a reception antenna 79 captures the radio - frequency cofdm signal for application as input signal to a front - end tuner 80 of the receiver . the front - end tuner 80 can be of a double - conversion type composed of initial single - conversion super - heterodyne receiver circuitry for converting radio - frequency ( rf ) cofdm signal to intermediate - frequency ( if ) cofdm signal followed by circuitry for performing a final conversion of the if cofdm signal to baseband cofdm signal . the initial single - conversion receiver circuitry typically comprises a tunable rf amplifier for rf cofdm signal incoming from the reception antenna , a tunable first local oscillator , a first mixer for heterodyning amplified rf cofdm signal with local oscillations from the first local oscillator to obtain the if cofdm signal , and an intermediate - frequency ( if ) amplifier for the if cofdm signal . typically , the front - end tuner 80 further includes a synchronous demodulator for performing the final conversion from if cofdm signal to baseband cofdm signal and an analog - to - digital converter for digitizing the baseband cofdm signal . synchronous demodulation circuitry typically comprises a final local oscillator with automatic frequency and phase control ( afpc ) of its oscillations , a second mixer for synchrodyning amplified if cofdm signal with local oscillations from the final local oscillator to obtain the baseband cofdm signal , and a low - pass filter for suppressing image signal accompanying the baseband cofdm signal . in some designs of the front - end tuner 80 , synchronous demodulation is performed in the analog regime before subsequent analog - to - digital conversion of the resulting complex baseband cofdm signal . in other designs of the front - end tuner 80 , analog - to - digital conversion is performed before synchronous demodulation is performed in the digital regime . simply stated , the front - end tuner 80 converts radio - frequency cofdm signal received at its input port to digitized samples of baseband cofdm signal supplied from its output port . typically , the digitized samples of the real component of the baseband cofdm signal are alternated with digitized samples of the imaginary component of the baseband cofdm signal for arranging the complex baseband cofdm signal in a single stream of digital samples . fig1 shows an afpc generator 81 for generating the automatic frequency and phase control ( afpc ) signal for controlling the final local oscillator within the front - end tuner 80 . the output port of the front - end tuner 80 is connected for supplying digitized samples of baseband cofdm signal to the input port of a cyclic prefix detector 82 . the cyclic prefix detector 82 differentially combines the digitized samples of baseband cofdm signal with those samples as delayed by the duration of an effective cofdm symbol . nulls in the difference signal so generated should occur , marking the guard intervals of the baseband cofdm signal . the nulls are processed to reduce any corruption caused by noise and to generate better - defined indications of the phasing of cofdm symbols . the output port of the cyclic prefix detector 82 is connected to supply these indications to a first of two input ports of timing synchronization apparatus 83 . a first of two output ports of the timing synchronization apparatus 83 is connected for supplying gating control signal to the control input port of a guard - interval - removal unit 84 , the signal input port of which is connected for receiving digitized samples of baseband cofdm signal from the output port of the front - end tuner 80 . the output port of the guard - interval - removal unit 84 is connected for supplying the input port of discrete - fourier - transform computer 85 with windowed portions of the baseband cofdm signal that contain effective cofdm samples . a second of the output ports of the timing synchronization apparatus 83 is connected for supplying the dft computer 85 with synchronizing information concerning the effective cofdm samples . the indications concerning the phasing of cofdm symbols that the cyclic prefix detector 82 supplies to the timing synchronization apparatus 83 are sufficiently accurate for initial windowing of a baseband cofdm signal that the guard - interval - removal unit 84 supplies to the dft computer 85 . a first output port of the dft computer 85 is connected for supplying demodulation results for at least all of the pilot carriers in parallel to the input port of a pilot carriers processor 86 , and a second output port of the dft computer 85 is connected for supplying demodulation results for each of the cofdm carriers to the input port of a frequency - domain channel equalizer 87 . to implement a simple form of frequency - domain channel equalization , the pilot carriers processor 86 measures the amplitudes of the demodulated pilot carriers to determine basic weighting coefficients for various portions of the frequency spectrum . the pilot carriers processor 86 then interpolates among the basic weighting coefficients to generate respective weighting coefficients supplied ( via wiring depicted as a dashed - line connection ) to the frequency - domain channel equalizer 87 with which to multiply the complex coordinates of qpsk or qam constellations supplied from the dft computer 85 . various alternative types of frequency - domain channel equalizer are also known . the frequency - domain channel equalizer 87 is connected for supplying demodulation results for central cofdm carriers in parallel from its output port to the respective input ports of plural banks 88 of parallel - to - series converters for 64 of those central cofdm carriers . a first of the four parallel - to - series converters in each bank of the plural banks 88 of parallel - to - serial converters converts to a serial format the complex coordinates of the 64 central cofdm carriers in 4k dft originating from the dft computer 85 . the second of the four parallel - to - series converters in the each bank of the plural banks 88 of parallel - to - serial converts to a serial format the complex coordinates of alternate ones of the 144 central cofdm carriers in 8k dft originating from the dft computer 85 . the third of the four parallel - to - series converters in each bank of the plural banks 88 of parallel - to - serial converts to a serial format the complex coordinates of 64 selected ones of the 288 central cofdm carriers in 16k dft originating from the dft computer 85 . the fourth of the four parallel - to - series converters in each bank of the plural banks 88 of parallel - to - serial converts to a serial format the complex coordinates of 64 selected ones of the 576 central cofdm carriers in 32k dft originating from the dft computer 85 . the output port of the plural banks 88 of parallel - to - series converters is connected for serially supplying the complex coordinates of 64 cofdm carriers to the input port of a qam de - mapper 89 . the qam de - mapper 89 is further connected for supplying baseband metadata signal to the input port of a controller 90 that controls many of the functions in the receiver apparatus depicted in fig6 and 7 . the controller 90 responds to primary synchronization signal ( pss ) in the baseband metadata signal to supply the dft computer 85 with indications of ofdm symbol timing , as a first control signal from the controller 90 . these indications determine the size of the fft to be processed by the dft computer 85 . the indications of ofdm symbol timing supplied as a first control signal from the controller 90 also control the bank 188 of parallel - to - series converters , activating the appropriate one of the bank 91 of parallel - to - series converters for selecting the complex coordinates of the 64 central cofdm carriers that are currently generated by the dft computer 85 . when the front - end tuner 80 is initially tuned to an rf channel , the controller 90 supplies a start - up first control signal . the start - up first control signal conditions the dft computer 85 to use a particular size fft , preferably the smallest size . the controller 90 is preferably designed to restore the previous value of first control signal if there is a momentary loss in the operating power for the controller 90 . the indications of ofdm symbol timing supplied as a first control signal from the controller 90 also control a bank 91 of parallel - to - series converters , a selected one of which de - shuffles the complex coordinates of the outer cofdm carriers supplied serially from the output port of the frequency - domain channel equalizer 87 to the input port of the bank 91 of parallel - to - series converters . more specifically , these indications activate just the one of the bank 91 of parallel - to - series converters that will deshuffle the complex coordinates of the number of outer cofdm carriers currently generated by the dft computer 85 . the output port of the bank 91 of parallel - to - series converters connects to the input port of a bank 92 of qam de - mappers , the output port of which connects to supply de - mapping results to the input port of a bank 93 of de - interleavers for the soft bits of those de - mapping results . the controller 90 further responds to primary synchronization signal ( pss ) in the baseband metadata signal from the qam de - mapper 89 to supply the timing synchronization apparatus 83 with coarse estimates of carrier - frequency offset , as a second control signal from the controller 90 . this second control signal further conveys information concerning the length of guard interval to the timing synchronization apparatus 83 . the controller 90 responds to primary synchronization signal ( pss ) and secondary synchronization signal ( sss ) in the baseband metadata signal to supply the afpc generator 81 with fine estimates of carrier - frequency offset , as a third control signal from the controller 90 . the controller 90 responds to a pattern of reference symbols conveyed in amplitude modulation of 64 of the central ones of the ofdm carriers to specify 512 different conditions of reception . in accordance with an aspect of the invention these specified conditions are used for addressing read - only memories that more completely specify control signals associated with each of those 504 different conditions of reception . responsive to current reception conditions , the controller 90 updates the first control signal to specify the fft appropriate to the currently received cofdm signal . the controller 90 responds further to current reception conditions , to supply a fourth control signal therefrom both to the bank 92 of qam de - mappers and to the subsequent bank 93 of de - interleavers for soft bits of de - mapping results . this fourth control signal conditions the bank 92 of qam de - mappers to activate just the one of them that is appropriate for the de - shuffled outer cofdm carriers currently generated by the dft computer 85 . this fourth control signal conditions the bank 93 of de - interleavers for soft bits to activate just the one of those de - interleavers that is appropriate for the de - mapping results currently supplied from the output port of the bank 92 of qam de - mappers . the output port of the bank 93 of de - interleavers is connected for supplying de - interleaved soft bits of de - mapping results to the input port of a bank 94 of soft - input / soft - output decoders for ldpc coding . the controller 90 responds still further to current reception conditions , to supply a fifth control signal therefrom to the bank 94 of siso decoders for ldpc coding . the bank 94 of siso decoders for ldpc coding is depicted in fig1 of the drawings and is conditioned by the fifth control signal from the controller 90 in fig1 to activate just the siso decoder appropriate for the current condition of reception . fig1 and 11 show the cascade connection of bank 92 of qam de - mappers , bank 93 of soft bits de - interleavers and bank 94 of siso decoders for ldpc coding in simpler connection than is apt to obtain in actual practice . in actual practice the selected qam de - mapper , soft bits de - interleaver and siso decoder for ldpc coding are likely to be in turbo connection for facilitating iterative operation of them as a group , rather than iterative processing being pursued in just the selected siso decoder for ldpc coding . the output port of the bank 94 of siso decoders is connected for supplying the results of decoding ldpc coding to the input port of a decoder 95 for bch coding . fig1 shows the decoder 95 connected for feeding back indication of successful decoding to the bank 94 of siso decoders so iterative decoding of ldpc coding can be concluded before reaching a maximum number of iterations of decoding ldpc coding that is allowed . the output port of the decoder 95 is connected for supplying the results of decoding bch coding to the write input port of a random - access memory ( ram ) 96 connected to receive write addressing , read addressing , write - enable signal and read - enable signal from a memory control unit 97 that operates the ram 96 for descrambling baseband ( bb ) frames . the read output port of the ram 96 connects to the input port of a parser 98 for internet - protocol ( ip ) packets . the controller 90 shown in fig1 ( or in fig1 ) is connected for supplying a sixth control signal to the memory control unit 97 and to the parser 98 for ip packets . this sixth control signal provides indications as to when bb frames are to begin . indications as to when bb frame begin enable the memory control unit to time the generation of write addressing in a first prescribed order and the subsequent generation of read addressing in a prescribed second order , so as to descramble bb frames . the memory control unit 97 is connected for also receiving the fifth control signal from the controller 90 . the specification of the code rate of the ldpc coding in this fifth control signal is used by the memory control unit 97 to control timing of its provision of write - enable signal and write addressing to the ram 96 . the ip packet parser 98 uses the indications in the sixth control signal as to when bb frames are to begin to establish an absolute time reference for the outsets of the preambles of some ip packets . the ip packet parser 98 calculates the outset of the preamble of each other ip packet based on offset information contained in the preamble of a preceding ip packet . the output port of the ip packet parser 98 is connected to supply ip packets to the input port of a packet sorter 99 for sorting them according to their pids . fig1 shows a first output port of the ip packet sorter 99 connected for supplying audio data packets to the input port of apparatus 100 for utilizing audio data packets , a second output port of the ip packet sorter 100 connected for supplying video data packets to a first input port of apparatus 101 for utilizing video data packets , a third output port of the ip packet sorter 99 connected for supplying ancillary data packets to the input port of apparatus 102 for utilizing ancillary data packets , and a fourth output port of the ip packet sorter 99 connected for supplying smt data packets to the input port of apparatus 103 for extracting service map tables . the apparatus 103 has an output port connected for supplying the service map tables in video signal format to a second input port of the apparatus 101 for utilizing video data packets . this arranges for the smt tables to be displayed to a viewing person . as noted supra , each sub - frame of metadata extended to include eight sample periods can convey up to 512 bits of information concerning system parameters of a dtv receiver conditioning it for receiving dtv signals transmitted in accordance with a particular standard for broadcasting . the controller 90 is apt to provide , in addition to the six control signals explicitly described supra , still other control signals used by the dtv receiver . for example , the controller 90 specifies the base sampling rate ( bsr ) for the dtv receiver , which bsr is selected depending on the bandwidth of the rf channel to be received . the combined numbers of bits in all the control signals supplied from the controller 90 is apt to exceed 512 bits . not all combinations of system parameters are of practical use , however , since various ones of the system parameters are apt to have some degree of interdependency with another or other of those system parameters . some combinations of system parameters are not of practical use since they provide poorer overall performance than other combinations of system parameters . presuming the combinations of system parameters that are of practical use number no more than 512 for any transmissions made in accordance with a particular broadcast standard , all or part of the system parameters may be sent in signature form . such signature , as augmented by the identification of the broadcast standard provided by the zadoff - chu sequence , can be used as addressing for a plurality of read - only memories ( roms ), each of which stores various values of a respective one of the control signals supplied from the controller 90 . if there be a shortage of different signatures , only one of otherwise practical combinations of system parameters that have substantially the same overall performances need be used in practice . fig1 depicts modified fig1 cofdm receiver apparatus . the modification is the replacement of cascade connection of the bank 92 of qam de - mappers and the bank 93 of de - interleavers for soft bits by a bank 104 of cascade connections each composed of a respective qam de - mapper followed by a subsequent respective de - interleaver for soft bits . the preferred embodiments of the invention described supra adapt dtv systems as prescribed by the dbt - t2 broadcast standard to incorporate e - utra modulation to convey metadata descriptive of the processing a receiver has to do in regard to the dtv signals . other embodiments of the invention can put the metadata to other use , such as the transmittal of program guides . an alternative approach for designing embodiments of aspects of the invention is to use e - utra modulation with metadata frames configured similar to the long term evolution ( lte ) signals used in cell telephony , modifying the dtv signals to suit . the t3 frames are made uniform in duration , which duration is the same as the metadata frames . this duration can be 10 milliseconds to correspond with lte frames used in cell telephony . the p1 and l1 signaling used in dvb - t2 can be omitted . these embodiments of aspects of the invention facilitate the design of small portable receivers for both dtv and cell telephone signals , which receivers can use some of the same hardware for receiving dtv signals and for receiving and cell telephone signals . if both this alternative approach for broadcasting dtv and the one previously described are used , the question arises as to how a receiver can quickly ascertain to which approach the currently received dtv signal conforms . this question is further complicated when the alternative approaches both use the primary synchronization signals pss 1 , pss 2 and pss 3 . one way to address this problem is by applying successive components of the zcs to decreasingly lower - frequency ofdm carriers in a first of the two approaches , but applying successive components of the zcs to increasingly higher - frequency ofdm carriers in the second of the two approaches . in cell telephony successive components of the zcs are applied to increasingly higher - frequency ofdm carriers and this may be desirable to do in the alternative approach for dtv broadcasting that uses fixed - duration frames for dtv signal . fig1 is a schematic diagram of the general structure of the controller 90 of cofdm receiver functions , as used in the cofdm receiver apparatus depicted in fig1 and 11 , or as used in the cofdm receiver apparatus depicted in fig1 and 11 . fig1 is intended to convey an overall idea of such general structure to one unfamiliar with e - utra receiver design and accordingly omits depiction of some of the details of this general structure , such as various data latches , readily filled in by designers of average skill familiar with the design of e - utra receivers . fig1 shows that bits of de - mapped metadata from the qam de - mapper 89 are supplied serially to the input port of a serial - to - parallel converter 105 . fig1 specifies the serial - to - parallel converter 105 having a 63 - bit - wide output port , which is connected to the 63 - bit - wide input port of a bank 106 of match filters for detecting which sort of zadoff - chu sequence begins each metadata frame . the bank 106 of match filters responds to its detecting a zadoff - chu ( zc ) sequence in the metadata from the qam de - mapper 89 to generate a 3 - value code indicative of which of three sorts of zc sequence it has last detected in the continuing metadata from the qam de - mapper 89 . this 3 - value code is maintained in a data latch ( not explicitly shown ) until the bank 106 of match filters detects a next zadoff - chu sequence in the metadata from the qam de - mapper 89 . the 63 - bit - wide output port of the serial - to - parallel converter 105 also connects to the 63 - bit - wide input port of a bank 107 of descramblers of pn31 sequences in each successive metadata symbol in a metadata frame that begins with a respective zadoff - chu sequence . the pn31 sequences in each successive metadata symbol supplied to the 63 - bit - wide input port of the bank 107 of descramblers are additively scrambled in accordance with the zc sequence beginning the metadata frame including that metadata symbol . the bank 107 of descramblers of pn31 sequences includes a respective descrambler for each of the sorts of zc sequence that can begin a metadata frame . the appropriate one of the bank 107 of descramblers is selected for each metadata frame responsive to which of three sorts of zc sequence begins that metadata frame . the data - latched 3 - value code from the bank 106 of match filters detecting zc sequences is supplied via a connection 108 to the bank 107 of descramblers to control that selection . a 32 - bit - wide pair of descrambled pn31 sequences from the selected one of the bank 107 of descramblers supplied after data latch from the output port of the bank 107 of descramblers to the input port of a bank 109 of match filters for detecting the phasing and polarity of each of the pair of descrambled pn31 sequences . there are 31 possible phasings of each of the two polarities of each one of the pn31 sequences to support a respective 62 - bit positional code for that pn31 sequence . the pair of pn31 sequences together support a respective 124 - value code for each metadata symbol . the respective 124 - bit positional codes for all the metadata symbols in a data frame are held in data latch at the output port of the bank 109 of match filters , to supply partial read addressing to a bank 110 of similarly addressed read - only memories . each read - only memory ( rom ) in the bank 110 of them stores possible values of one of the control signals that the controller 90 supplies for controlling operations of the cofdm receiver apparatus of fig1 and 11 or of fig1 and 11 supply partial read addressing to a bank 110 of similarly addressed read - only memories . the data - latched 3 - value code from the bank 106 of match filters for detecting zc sequences is supplied to the bank 110 of roms as partial read addressing that identifies which of three broadcast systems governs the transmissions of rf signal to the cofdm receiver apparatus including the controller 90 . the data - latched 124 - value code supplied from the output port of the bank 109 of match filters to the bank 110 of roms as partial read addressing identifies which particular modes of broadcasting are employed in the broadcast system specified as governing the transmissions of rf signal to the cofdm receiver apparatus including the controller 90 . suppose the bank 110 of roms uses conventional off - the - shelf designs in its component roms . in such case , the 3 - value code from the bank 106 of match filters will be expressed in a 2 - bit sequential binary code , and each 124 - value code from the bank 109 of match filters will be expressed in a 7 - bit sequential binary code . suppose the banks 106 and 109 of match filters are included together with the bank 110 of roms in a monolithic integrated circuit . in such case , the 3 - value code from the bank 106 of match filters is apt to be transmitted to the bank 110 of roms in three respective addressing busses , and the 124 - value code from the bank 109 of match filters is apt to be transmitted to the bank 110 of roms in 124 respective addressing busses i . e . the 3 - value and 124 - value codes can be transmitted to the bank 110 of roms without being subjected to sequential binary coding . in actual practice the bank 110 of similarly addressed roms is apt to be replaced by a set of roms for respective control signals , at least some of which roms use only portions of the full read addressing supplied to all the roms in the bank 110 of them . such practice can provide substantial reductions in overall memory size . alternative ways of supplying metadata to the input ports of the bank 110 of roms and of the bank 107 of descramblers avoid the need for the serial - to - parallel converter 105 in the controller and for the bank 88 of parallel - to serial converters before the controller , but require respective qam de - mappers for each of the 64 central carriers used to convey metadata . these embodiments of the aspect of the invention concerning receiver apparatus provide operation equivalent to that of the preferred embodiments , but require quite a bit of memory for the 64 separate qam de - mappers . provision for receiving additional other broadcast systems newly developed over time can be made further extending the design of receivers along the lines described with reference to fig1 . while root zadoff - chu sequences 63 samples long are only three in number , the zadoff - chu sequences are cyclic , and each of them can be transmitted can be transmitted in any of a number of phases up to 63 . so , in theory , up to 189 different broadcast systems can be identified by the three different general types of 63 - sample - long zc sequences . identifying the different broadcast systems by different respective phasings of a single type of zc sequence can offer economy in match filtering at the cost of somewhat slower identification of the particular broadcast system used for the transmissions being received . the controller 90 or 190 is replaced with a controller designed to accommodate the reception of the newly added broadcast system by including a plurality of different match filters for at least one of the zc sequences . in cases where transmission standards evolve in such way that newer dtv receivers are able to usefully receive an older standard as well as a newer standard , preferably capability to receive transmission per the newer standard will be evaluated before evaluating whether there be capability to receive transmission per the older standard . data frames are apt to have preambles , since a preamble that is one cofdm symbol long can convey substantially more than the 512 bits of information concerning system parameters of a dtv receiver that is the most that can be conveyed by each sub - frame of metadata extended to include eight sample periods . certain types of system parameter data , such as patterns of the occurrences of future data frames , do not compress very well for being transmitted as parts of data frame signatures within the sub - frames of metadata frames . such system parameter data is better transmitted in the preambles of data frames . fig1 depicts a modification of the fig1 cofdm receiver apparatus to enable useful reception of metadata conveyed in the preambles of data frames in addition to the metadata conveyed in metadata frames . the controller 90 responsive to the set of metadata conveyed in metadata frames is replaced by a controller 190 responsive both to that set of metadata and to a further set of metadata conveyed in the preambles of data frames . the controller 190 is connected for receiving at a first input port thereof the set of metadata conveyed in metadata frames from the output port of the qam de - mapper 89 for sixty - four ones of the central cofdm carriers . a parallel - to - serial converter 191 receives the complex coordinates of the cofdm carriers in data frame preambles from the channel equalizer 87 in parallel and converts those complex coordinates to serial format for application to the input port of a de - mapping and decoding unit 192 . the de - mapping and decoding unit 192 responds to the complex coordinates of the cofdm carriers in data frame preambles supplied to it in series to recover p1 , l1 - pre and l1 - post signals supplied to the controller 209 as the further set of metadata conveyed in the preambles of data frames . the de - mapping and decoding unit 192 can be similar in design to what has been used in receivers for broadcasts made in accordance with the dvb - t2 standard . if this be the case , the parallel - to - serial converter 191 is designed to convert the complex coordinates of cofdm carriers for 2k - fft - size data - frame preambles to serial form for application to the de - mapping and decoding unit 192 . data frame preambles using a larger fft size have been proposed , requiring re - design of the parallel - to - serial converter 191 . such data frame preambles are apt to include error - correction coding to secure better signal - to - noise ratio after their reception . the de - mapping and decoding unit 192 must also be re - designed , and the modified design is apt to include error correction responsive to that error - correction coding . fig1 depicts a modification of the fig1 cofdm receiver apparatus to enable useful reception of metadata conveyed in preambles of data frames in addition to the metadata conveyed in metadata frames . the fig1 modification of the fig1 cofdm receiver apparatus is similar to the fig1 modification of the fig1 cofdm receiver apparatus . the controller 90 is replaced by the controller 190 . the controller 190 is connected for receiving at its first input port the metadata supplied from the output port of the qam de - mapper 89 for sixty - four ones of the central cofdm carriers . the parallel - to - serial converter 191 receives the complex coordinates of the cofdm carriers in data frame preambles from the channel equalizer 87 in parallel and converts those complex coordinates to serial format for application to the input port of the de - mapping and decoding unit 192 . the de - mapping and decoding unit 192 responds to the complex coordinates supplied to it in series to recover p1 , l1 - pre and l1 - post signals that are supplied to the controller 190 as the metadata from preambles of data frames . the metadata from a metadata frame is usually less likely to be in error than that from a data frame preamble , owing in part to the metadata in the metadata frame being transmitted in each of its sub - frames . however , a frequency - selective fade of the mid - band cofdm carriers or co - channel interference with them can disrupt reception of sub - frames of one or more metadata frames , while leaving substantially unscathed the initial and final portions of a data - frame preamble one cofdm symbol long . so , very critical metadata may be transmitted in the initial and final portions of a single - cofdm - symbol data - frame preamble as well as in the subframes of each related metadata frame . the controller 190 is preferably designed to recover this critical metadata as best possible . the system parameter data information contained in the preambles of data frames is apt in some degree to be quite specific to one standard for transmitting dtv signals . rather than the preambles of data frames assigning specific bits of transmission - system - parameter data information for each of a plurality of possible standards , the meanings of preamble bits can differ for different standards to conserve the number of bit places required in each data frame preamble . dictionary look - up of the meanings of preamble bits is done , page selection being responsive to the reception of transmissions per a particular standard being signaled by a signature sequence transmitted in the sub - frames of metadata frame . typical structure for performing such dictionary look - up in the controller 190 comprises a plurality of roms , each of which stores various values of a respective one ( or ones ) of the transmission system parameters . the read addressing of each these roms comprises first and second partial addresses . the first partial address is the signature sequence transmitted in the sub - frames of metadata frame for identifying a particular transmission standard . the second partial address is the group of bits from the data preamble to be interpreted as to their meaning . the read - out from each rom provides bits of the transmission system parameters according to the current meaning of the bits in the second partial address for that rom . newer forms of ldpc coding have been developed with improved error - correction properties , so there is less need for data to be bch - coded before ldpc coding . when newer forms of ldpc coding are employed , the rather lengthy bch codes are apt to be replaced by error - detection codes , such as cyclic redundancy check ( crc ) codes , that include fewer parity bits and thus are more concise . metadata frames can be time - interleaved with data frames , rather than being frequency - interleaved therewith . this permits the number of ofdm carriers used to convey metadata to be increased without encroachment on the number of ofdm carriers used to convey data , which increase facilitates shortening the duration of each metadata frame . the construction of various forms of receiver apparatus has been described in terms of dedicated hardware . however , persons skilled in the art of designing similar receiver apparatus will understand that in practice much of such apparatus may be provided by a suitably programmed microcomputer . persons skilled in the art of designing dtv systems are apt to discern that various other modifications and variations can be made in the specifically described apparatuses without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention in some of its important aspects . accordingly , it is intended that these modifications and variations of the specifically described apparatuses be considered to result in further embodiments of the invention , which are included within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents . in the appended claims , the word “ said ” rather than the word “ the ” is used to indicate the existence of an antecedent basis for a term being provided earlier in the claims . the word “ the ” is used for purposes other than to indicate the existence of an antecedent basis for a term appearing earlier in the claims , the usage of the word “ the ” for other purposes being consistent with customary grammar in the american english language . | 7 |
with reference to fig7 to 15 , preferred embodiments of the present invention are particularly explained as followings . referring to fig7 and 8 , a pdp according to a first embodiment of the present invention includes a pair of trigger electrodes ty and tz formed on a upper substrate 50 to be located at the central part of a discharge cell ; a pair of sustaining electrodes sy and sz formed or . the upper substrate 50 to be located at the edge part of the discharge cell having the pair of trigger electrodes ty and tz therebetween , a data electrode 62 x formed below barrier ribs of a lower substrate 60 to perpendicularly cross with the pair of trigger electrodes ty and tz and the pair of sustaining electrodes sy and sz , having an auxiliary address electrode 62 xa formed at its one side . the pair of trigger electrodes ty and tz and the pair of sustaining electrodes sy and sz are formed in parallel on the upper substrate 50 , each of which has a transparent electrode with a wide width and a metal bus electrode with a narrow width . the pair of trigger electrodes ty and tz are set to have a narrow gap between them . the pair of sustaining electrode sy and sz have the pair of trigger electrodes ty and tz located therebetween and their gap is set to be a wider than that of the pair of trigger electrodes ty and tz . the pair of sustaining electrode sy and sz causes a long path discharge by using space charges and wall charges formed by a discharge between the pair of trigger electrodes ty and tz . an upper dielectric layer 56 and a protective film 58 are disposed on the upper substrate 50 in such a manner to cover the pair of trigger electrodes ty and tz and the pair of sustaining electrode sy and sz . the wall charges generated upon plasma discharge are accumulated in the upper dielectric layer 56 . the protective film 58 prevents a damage of the upper dielectric layer 56 caused by a sputtering during the plasma discharge and improves the emission efficiency of secondary electrons . a lower dielectric layer 64 and barrier ribs 66 are formed on the lower substrate 60 . the surfaces of the lower dielectric layer 64 and the barrier ribs 66 are coated with a fluorescent material layer 68 . the barrier ribs 66 separate adjacent discharge spaces in the horizontal direction to thereby prevent optical and electrical crosstalk between adjacent discharge cells . the fluorescent material layer 68 is excited by an ultraviolet ray generated during the plasma discharge to generate any one of red , green and blue visible light rays . the auxiliary address electrode 62 xa of the address electrode 62 is extended from one side of the address electrode 62 in the direction parallel to the pair of trigger electrodes ty and tz and the pair of sustaining electrodes sy and sz , and perpendicularly overlaps with the first trigger electrode ty playing a role of a scanning electrode while having the discharge space of the discharge cell therebetween . an inactive mixture gas of he + xe , ne + xe or he + xe + ne is injected into the discharge space defined between the upper and lower substrate 50 and 60 and the barrier rib 66 . a pdp according to a first embodiment of the present invention drives one frame , which is divided into various sub - fields with a different discharge frequency , so as to realize gray levels of a picture . each sub - field is again divided into a reset interval for uniformly causing the discharge , an address interval for selecting a discharge cell and a sustaining interval for realizing the gray level in accordance with a discharge frequency . herein , the reset interval and the address interval are the same in each sub - field , whereas the sustaining interval has its light - emission frequency and its interval set different from one another in accordance with the weighted value of brightness . in the reset interval , the discharge cells of an entire screen are initialized . in the address interval , a scanning pulse and a data pulse are supplied to the first trigger electrode ty and the data electrode 62 x respectively . at this moment , an address discharge occurs within the discharge cell to which data is supplied by a voltage difference between the first trigger electrode ty and the auxiliary address electrode 62 xa of the address electrode 62 x . in the sustaining interval , a pulse is alternately applied to each of the pair of trigger electrodes ty and tz , and at the same time , a pulse is alternately applied to each of the pair of sustaining electrodes sy and sz . ap this moment , a trigger discharge between the pair of trigger electrodes ty and tz occurs first , then a long path discharge occurs between the pair of sustaining electrodes sy and sz by using the priming charged particles generated by the trigger discharge . in the pdp as in fig7 and 8 , because most address electrode 62 x is located below the barrier ribs 66 except the auxiliary address electrode 62 xa , the wall charges generated upon the address discharge are concentrically accumulated on the first trigger electrode ty and the auxiliary address electrode 62 xa of the address electrode 62 x . thereby , the influence of the address electrode 62 xa is minimized to make the long path discharge between the pair of sustaining electrodes sy and sz occur with a high efficiency . in other words , heretofore by the influence of the wall charges accumulated on the address electrode 62 x upon the long path discharge between the pair or sustaining electrodes sy and sz , the efficiency and brightness of the long path discharge are deteriorated by the discharge between the address electrode 62 x and at least one of the pair of sustaining electrodes sy and sz . on the contrary , in the pdp as in fig7 and 8 , because the address discharge occurs only between the first trigger electrode ty and the auxiliary address electrode 62 xa formed at one side on the address electrode 62 x , the influence of the wall charges formed on the address electrode 62 x is minimized upon the long path discharge between the lair of sustaining electrodes sy and sz . also , because the overlapping area between the auxiliary address electrode 62 xa of the address electrode 62 x and the trigger electrode ty overlapped having a discharge space therebetween can be formed to be broader than before , the address discharge can occur stably . [ 0074 ] fig9 and 10 represent a pdp according to a second embodiment of the present invention . in fig9 and 10 , the same numbering will be given and detail explanation will be omitted with regard to an upper plate equal to the upper plate of the pdp shown in fig7 and 8 . regarding to fig9 and 10 , a lower plate of the pdp according to the second embodiment of the present invention includes auxiliary barrier ribs 76 a and 76 b extended from both sides of barrier ribs 76 that are located below the pair of trigger electrodes ty and tz . the pair of trigger electrodes ty and tz and the pair of sustaining electrodes sy and sz are formed on the upper substrate 50 perpendicularly crossing with the address electrode 72 x of the lower substrate 70 . the barrier ribs 76 where the auxiliary barrier ribs 76 a and 76 b separate adjacent discharge spaces in the horizontal direction to thereby prevent optical and electrical crosstalk between adjacent discharge cells . the fluorescent material layer 78 is formed on the surface of the lower dielectric layer 74 and the barrier ribs 76 . the auxiliary barrier ribs 76 a and 76 b are perpendicularly overlapped with the pair of trigger electrodes ty of the upper substrate 50 having the discharge space of the discharge cell therebetween . the auxiliary barrier ribs 76 a and 76 b are respectively projected toward the discharge space to play a role of physically narrowing the short path discharge space between the pair of trigger electrodes ty and tz . the cross section of the discharge space of the discharge cell becomes ‘ i ’ shape , as in fig1 , by the auxiliary barrier ribs 76 a and 76 b . therefore , the discharge space of the upper and lower part of the discharge cell is broader than that of the central part of the discharge cell where the auxiliary barrier ribs 76 a and 76 b are located . an inactive mixture gas of he + xe , ne + xe or he + xe + ne is injected into the discharge space defined between the upper and lower substrate 50 and 70 and the barrier rib 76 . the pdp drives one frame , which is divided into various sub - fields with a different discharge frequency , so as to realize gray levels of a picture . each sub - field is again divided into a reset interval for uniformly causing the discharge , an address interval for selecting a discharge cell and a sustaining interval for realizing the gray level in accordance with a discharge frequency . herein , the reset interval and the address interval are the same in each sub - field , whereas the sustaining interval has its light - emission frequency and its interval set different from one another in accordance with the weighted value of brightness in the reset interval , the discharge cells of an entire screen are initialized . in the address interval , a scanning pulse and a data pulse are supplied to the first trigger electrode ty and the data electrode 72 x respectively . at this moment , an address discharge occurs within the discharge cell to which data is supplied by a voltage difference between the first trigger electrode ty and the address electrode 72 x . in the sustaining interval , a pulse is alternately applied to each of the pair of trigger electrodes ty and tz , and at the same time , a pulse is alternately applied to each of the pair of sustaining electrodes sy and sz . at this moment , a trigger discharge between the pair of trigger electrodes ty and tz occurs first , then a long path discharge occurs between the pair of sustaining electrodes sy and sz by using the priming charged particles generated by the trigger discharge . in the pdp as in fig9 and 10 , because the short path discharge space between the pair of trigger electrodes ty and tz is limited to be small by the auxiliary barrier ribs 76 a and 76 b , the short path discharge between the pair of trigger electrodes ty and tz occurs weakly . whereas , the long path discharge between the pair of sustaining electrodes sy and sz occurs strongly with high efficiency because the discharge between the pair of the trigger electrodes ty and tz occurs weakly [ 0086 ] fig1 represent a pdp according to a third embodiment of the present invention . referring to fig1 , a lower plate of the pdp according to the third embodiment or the present invention includes auxiliary barrier ribs 86 a and 86 b extended from both sides of barrier ribs 86 that are located only below one electrode of the pair of trigger electrodes ty and tz . the pdp has the width and position of its auxiliary barrier ribs set different from the pdp shown in fig9 and 10 . because the pdp shown in fig9 and 10 also has the auxiliary barrier ribs formed under the first trigger electrode ty that acts as a scanning electrode , the address discharge space is limited to make the address discharge unstable . on the contrary , because the pdp shown in fig1 does not have the auxiliary barrier ribs 86 a and 86 b formed under the first trigger electrode ty that acts as the scanning electrode , the address discharge space is obtained as much . thereby , the address discharge occurs in bigger scale and enough amount of wall charges can be used in the sustaining discharge . on the other hand , in the pdp according to the second and the third embodiment of the present invention , the area where the fluorescent material is spread is increased as much by the auxiliary barrier ribs 76 a , 76 b , 86 a and 86 b of the barrier ribs 76 and 86 , thereby increasing the brightness . [ 0090 ] fig1 and 13 represents a pdp according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention . referring to fig1 and 13 , the pdp according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention includes a pair of trigger electrodes nty and ntz formed on a upper substrate 90 to be located at the central part of a discharge cell ; a pair of sustaining electrodes wsy and wsz formed on the upper substrate 90 to be located at the edge part of the discharge cell , having the pair of trigger electrodes nty and ntz therebetween and having the width of each electrode set to be wider than that of the pair of trigger electrodes nty and ntz ; a data electrode 102 x formed on a lower substrate 100 to perpendicularly cross with the pair of trigger electrodes nty and ntz and the pair of sustaining electrodes wsy and wsz . the pair of trigger electrodes nty and ntz and the pair of sustaining electrodes wsy and wsz are formed in parallel on the upper substrate 90 , each of which has a transparent electrode with a wide width and a metal bus electrode with a narrow width . the pair of trigger electrodes nty and ntz are set to have a narrow gap between then . the pair of sustaining electrode wsy and wsz have the pair of trigger electrodes nty and ntz located therebetween and their gap is set to be a wider than that of the pair of trigger electrodes nty and ntz . the pair of sustaining electrode wsy and wsz causes a long path discharge by using space charges and wall charges formed by a discharge between the pair of trigger electrodes nty and ntz . each electrode width ws of the pair of sustaining electrodes wsy and wsz is set to be wider than that wt of the pair of trigger electrodes nty and ntz . due to this , even though the sane voltage is applied to the pair of sustaining electrodes wsy and wsz and the pair of trigger electrodes nty and ntz , much higher voltage can be applied to the pair of sustaining electrodes wsy and wsz than to the pair of trigger electrodes nty and ntz , and much more amount of wall charges can be accumulated at the pair of sustaining electrode wsy and wsz . on the other hand , the total width wtot of an upper electrode group including all the pair of trigger electrodes nty and ntz , the pair , of sustaining electrodes wsy and wsz , and the gap therebetween can be set to be equal to or wider than that of the conventional five - electrode . an upper dielectric layer 96 and a protective film 98 are disposed on the upper substrate 90 where the pair of trigger electrodes nty and ntz and the pair of sustaining electrodes wsy and wsz , in such a manner to cover the pair of trigger electrodes nty and ntz and the pair of sustaining electrode wsy and wsz . a lower dielectric layer 104 and barrier ribs 106 are formed on the lower substrate 100 . the surfaces of the lower dielectric layer 104 and the barrier ribs 106 are coated with a fluorescent material layer 108 . an inactive mixture gas of he + xe , ne + xe or he + xe + ne is injected into the discharge space defined between the upper and lower substrate 90 and 100 and the barrier rib 106 . the pdp drives one frame , which is divided into various sub - fields with a different discharge frequency , so as to realize gray levels of a picture . each sub - field is again divided into a reset interval for uniformly causing the discharge , an address interval for selecting a discharge cell and a sustaining interval for realizing the gray level in accordance with a discharge frequency . herein , the reset interval and the address interval are the same in each sub - field , whereas the sustaining interval has its light - emission frequency and its interval set different from one another in accordance with the weighted value of brightness . in the reset interval , the discharge cells of an entire screen are initialized . in the address interval , a scanning pulse and a data pulse are supplied to the first trigger electrode nty and the data electrode 102 x respectively . at this moment , an address discharge occurs within the discharge cell to which data is supplied by a voltage difference between the first trigger electrode nty and the address electrode 102 x . in the sustaining interval , a pulse is alternately applied to each of the pair of trigger electrodes nty and ntz , and at the same time , a pulse is alternately applied to each of the pair of sustaining electrodes wsy and wsz . at this moment , a trigger discharge between the pair of trigger electrodes nty and ntz occurs first , then a long path discharge occurs between the pair of sustaining electrodes wsy and wsz by using the pruning charged particles generated by the trigger discharge . herein , because the width of each electrode included in the pair of sustaining electrodes wsy and wsz is set to be wider than that of the pair of trigger electrodes nty and ntz , the long path discharge between the pair of sustaining electrodes wsy and wsz occurs more strongly than the short path discharge of the pair of trigger electrodes nty and ntz . in other words , the long path discharge between the pair of sustaining electrode occurs dominantly in the sustaining interval . [ 0104 ] fig1 and 15 represents a pdp according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention . referring to fig1 and 15 , the pdp according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention includes a pair of trigger electrodes nty and ntz formed on a upper substrate 110 to be located at the central part of a discharge cell ; a pair of sustaining electrodes wsy and nsz formed on the upper substrate 110 to be located at the edge part of the discharge cell , having the pair of trigger electrodes nty and ntz therebetween and having the width of each electrode set to be wider than that of the pair of trigger electrodes nty and ntz ; a data electrode 122 x formed on lower substrate 120 to perpendicularly cross with the pair of trigger electrodes nty and ntz and the pair of sustaining electrodes wsy and nsz . the pair of trigger electrodes nty and ntz and the pair of sustaining electrodes wsy and nsz are formed in parallel on the upper substrate 110 , each of which has a transparent electrode with a wide width and a metal bus electrode with a narrow width . the pair of trigger electrodes nty and ntz are set to have a narrow gap between them . the pair of sustaining electrodes wsy and nsz have the pair of trigger electrodes nty and ntz located therebetween and their gap is set to be a wider than that of the pair of trigger electrodes nty and ntz . the pair of sustaining electrodes wsy and nsz causes a long path discharge by using space charges and wall charges formed by a discharge between the pair of trigger electrodes nty and ntz . the width ws of the first sustaining electrode wsy that acts as the scanning electrode among the pain of sustaining electrodes wsy and nsz is set to be wider than that wt of the second sustaining electrode nsz . because the first sustaining electrode wsy has a wider electrode width than the conventional five - electrode pdp due to this , the long path discharge between the pair of sustaining electrodes occurs more dominantly than the discharge between the pair or trigger electrodes nty and ntz , as well as much more wail charges are accumulated upon the address discharge . also , because the width of the first sustaining electrode wsy is set to be wide and the width or the second sustaining electrode nsz is set to be narrow relatively , the increase of its power consumption resulted from its electric current increase can be suppressed by minimizing the increment portion of an electrode area than the conventional five - electrode pdp . therefore , in the pdp according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention , only the electrode width of one of the pair of sustaining electrodes wsy and nsz is increased to make the long path discharge occur dominantly upon the sustaining discharge and the electric current increase suppressed to the highest degree , thereby minimizing the increment portion of the power consumption . on the other hand , the total width wtot of an upper electrode group including all the pair of trigger electrodes nty and ntz , the pair of sustaining electrodes wsy and nsz , and the gap therebetween can be set to be equal to or wider than that of the conventional five - electrode . an upper dielectric layer 116 and a protective film 118 are disposed on the upper substrate 110 where the pair of trigger electrodes nty and ntz and the pair of sustaining electrodes wsy and nsz , in such a manner to cover the pair of trigger electrodes nty and ntz and the pair of sustaining electrodes wsy and nsz . a lower dielectric layer 124 and barrier ribs 125 are formed on the lower substrate 120 . the surfaces of the lower dielectric layer 124 and the barrier ribs 126 are coated with a fluorescent material layer 128 an inactive mixture gas of he + xe , ne + xe or he + xe + ne is injected into the discharge space defined between the upper and lower substrate 110 and 120 and the barrier rib 126 . as described above , the pdp according to the present invention locates the address electrode below the barrier ribs and has the auxiliary address electrode formed at one side of the address electrode in the overlapping position with the scanning electrode , thereby minimizing the influence of the address electrode . or it has the auxiliary barrier ribs formed at both side of the barrier ribs , thereby physically reducing the discharge between the pair of trigger electrodes , also , the pdp according to this invention has the width of the sustaining electrode wider than the trigger electrode , thereby causing the long path discharge between the pair of sustaining electrodes occur more dominantly than the short path discharge between the pair of trigger electrodes upon the sustaining discharge . as a result , the pdp of this invention has the discharge between the pair of sustaining electrodes occur strongly with a high efficiency , thereby increasing the discharge efficiency and brightness . it should be understood to the ordinary skilled person in the art that the invention is not limited to the embodiments , but rather that various changes or modifications thereof are possible without departing from the spirit of the intention . accordingly , the scope of the invention shall be determined only by the appended claims and their equivalents . | 6 |
one of many possible systems provided for by the present invention , host computer system api comprises a data processor 11 , memory 13 , input / output ( i / o ) devices 15 , bus 17 , firmware 18 , and power supply 19 . associated with each of these components is a respective power monitor 21 , 23 , 25 , 27 , 29 . in the case of power supply 19 , the respective power monitor 29 is built in . in the case of bus 17 , the respective power monitor 27 is permanently associated . processor 11 , memory 13 , and i / o devices 15 , which are modularly designed for easy installation and replacement , have power monitors associated with host system connectors , e . g ., processor socket 31 , memory slots 33 , and i / o card slots 35 . thus , system api provides for processors , memory , and i / o devices without dedicated power monitors . alternative embodiments of the invention employ such components with built - in power monitors . memory 13 includes both solid - state and disk - based memory ; power monitor 23 monitors the power consumed by solid - state memory in memory slots 33 , of which there are four in system api . in other embodiments , the number of slots differs ; also , some embodiments have memory that is not connected to the system via memory slots . in another embodiment , each memory slot has its own power monitor ; in another alternative embodiment , memory slots are grouped , with each group having a power monitor . also , the invention provides for power monitors for hard disks and other disk - based devices . i / o devices 15 include disk interfaces , network interfaces , printer ports , display ports , keyboard ports , etc . each of these has its own power monitor . in some cases , e . g ., for a display , the device to which the interface connects has its own power supply . however , some interfaces connect to devices that draw power from the interface , e . g ., some usb ( universal serial bus , available from intel corporation ) devices draw power via a usb connector on a usb i / o card . memory 13 stores data 41 to be manipulated by processor 11 , an operating system 43 , power budget arbiter software 45 , other programs 47 of instructions for manipulating data 41 , and a program registry 49 . programs 47 includes applications that provide user interfaces ; other included programs are hidden , e . g ., drivers . power budget software 45 normally runs in the background except when it issues a warning or offers the user options for power budgeting . power budgeter arbiter software 45 cooperates with power arbiter firmware 50 to constitute a power - budget arbiter 51 . arbiter 51 gathers power - consumption data from the power - consumption monitors and issues warnings when a power budget reaches some threshold close to 100 % of the power allocated to the monitored devices . arbiter software 45 responds to the warning by reading data from arbiter firmware 50 and generating a human - readable warning . arbiter software 45 can be configured to change the mode of one or more monitored devices to address a warning automatically . otherwise , arbiter software 45 gives guidance to a user on options for responding to the warning . processor 11 , memory 13 , and i / o devices 15 communicate with each other via bus 17 . while bus 17 is illustrated as a unitary bus , it represents a collection of buses through which devices communicate . the buses can include a pci bus , a cache bus , and a dedicated graphics bus . power monitors 21 - 29 communicate with arbiter 51 via dedicated buses indicated by dotted lines to power budget firmware 50 in fig1 . this provides the capability to access information even when a failure has occurred in the subsystem and brought the interface down . power budget software 45 can access power - consumption information from power - budget firmware 50 , or by accessing power monitors 21 - 29 individually via bus 17 . power monitors 21 - 29 differ to match the requirements of the devices they monitor . processor 11 has over a hundred power and ground nodes . power monitor 21 monitors a subset of these to obtain a statistical representation of the overall power consumption by processor 11 . in an alternative embodiment , all power nodes of a processor are monitored . power monitor 21 provides total power consumption data ; alternative embodiments , break down the power consumption by node . power monitor 21 associates power consumption data with time ( e . g ., date plus time of day ) and configuration data for processor 11 , including a multiplier setting and an indication of which parallel functional units of processor are active . the associated data is stored by power monitor 21 , which has memory in the address space for processor 11 . accordingly , arbiter 51 can access power data for processor 11 using conventional read operations . in addition , arbiter 51 can write configuration data to power monitor 21 , e . g ., indicate which thresholds should be use to trigger warnings . memory power monitor 23 monitors four memory slots . it generates power data for each slot and associates it with the capacity and type of memory installed ( if any ), as well time data . i / o monitors 25 indicate the nature of any device connected to the interface . also , if the connected device draws power from the interface , that contribution to power consumption is recorded . power supply monitor 29 and bus monitor 27 both time - stamp power - consumption data . of the many possible methods provided by the invention , method m 1 , flow charted in fig2 , begins with power - consumption monitors 21 - 29 monitoring power consumption by their respective devices at method segment s 1 . each monitor includes one or more sensors that are coupled to ground and to power ; each sensor outputs an analog voltage corresponding to a rate of power consumption . each analog voltage is converted to digital form to provide power - consumption data at step s 2 . in an alternative embodiment , some processing and combining of signals occurs in the analog domain . in the illustrated embodiment , analog sensor outputs are amplified but otherwise not processed or combined before being digitized . at method segment s 3 , monitors 21 - 29 associate power - consumption data with context data such as time and device configuration . the device configuration data is , of course , device dependent . if there are multiple modes of operation , the mode can be indicated . in the case of an interface device , the nature of any connected device can be indicated . method segment s 3 can performed periodically so that , at any given time a power monitor can store several sets of associated power - consumption data that collectively define a recent power - consumption history for the monitored device . method segment s 4 provides for determining whether a warning criterion is met . if the criterion is met , a warning can be issued at method segment s 5 . the criterion can be as simple as exceeding a predetermined power - consumption level once . alternatively , the warning can involve exceeding a power - consumption for a predetermined number of sample times . more complex criteria are also provided for : e . g ., different threshold levels can be applied for different devices modes . for example , high power consumption by a processor in a low - power mode might trigger a warning at a lower level than high power consumption by a processor in a high - performance mode . the warning can involve an interrupt signal or some digital data message . whether or not a warning is issued , power arbiter 51 accesses power consumption data from the various monitors at method segment s 6 . accesses can be periodic and preferably are slightly staggered across devices . if a power monitor issues a warning , power budget arbiter 51 can be configured to respond immediately by collecting a power - consumption profile . also , power data can be obtained in response to a user command — e . g ., in preparation for a reconfiguration or upgrade to determine whether there is headroom for an upgraded or additional device . in an alternative embodiment , some power monitors are accessed more frequently than others since some devices , e . g ., some i / o devices , are more variable in the amount of power they consume . the power consumption profiles are analyzed at method segment s 7 . the power consumption data can be combined to determine total power consumption . nominal or expected values can be added for devices that are not monitored . successive profiles can be analyzed to obtain trend data . also , power data can be analyzed so that power consumption can be evaluated as a function of device configuration , for example . the analysis at method segment s 7 can lead to detection of a problem at method segment s 8 . for example , if the total power - consumption reported by the monitors hovers near the system maximum for some predetermined duration , a failure can be predicted . according , some action can be taken at method segment s 9 ; for example , in response to a warning , a system or derivative clock rate can be lowered , some device or functional component of a device inactivated , and / or a warning displayed to a user or administrator . in response to a user query in anticipation of an upgrade , a message can be displayed indicated whether there is sufficient spare capacity for the additional power consumption that would be expected if the upgrade is performed . automatic actions and user or administrator actions are provided for . other possible method segment s 9 actions can involve setting new thresholds within power budget arbiter 51 so that it responds differently to specific power consumption data . also , power budget arbiter 51 can reconfigure one or more power monitors , e . g ., to change the criterion for issuing a warning . for example , if an additional i / o device is added , less power may be available for a pre - existing i / o device ; in this case , the warning threshold for the corresponding power monitor can be lowered . the invention provides for devices ( processors , memory modules , interface modules ) with built - in power monitors . having a power monitor built in ensures the greatest accuracy and the best match between device features and context data associated with power consumption data . in addition , connections between the power monitor and the rest of the device are not constrained by the limited number of interface pins ( or other conductors ) available . the invention also provides for power monitors that are distinct from the devices they monitor . separate monitors can monitor interconnects such as pins and other connectors between a device and a host motherboard , daughterboard , or other mating device . the use of distinct monitors allows the use of standard components that typically lack built - in power monitors , resulting in greater choice in selecting components . an economic savings can result as the devices can be less expensive to manufacture and may take advantage of the economies of scale . since the distinct monitors are less tailored to individual devices , they can be more standardized , making easier for power budgeter software to accommodate their data . of course , this advantage is greatly reduced in systems with mixed discrete and integrated power monitors . another advantage of discrete monitors is that one monitor can be used to monitor multiple devices . for example , one monitor can serve multiple memory modules . this can simplify design and save space , e . g ., on a motherboard . also , it is easier to coordinate data collection from a single monitor versus multiple monitors . the invention provides for a mix of monitored and unmonitored devices . of course , if the power supply is monitored , some inference can be made regarding power consumption by unmonitored devices . also , nominal power ratings can be used as expected power consumption values . on the other hand , the more devices that are monitored , the more flexibility there is to budget power as a function of actual usage . the invention provides for more flexible computer design . for example , rather than limit a design to ensure demand for power does not exceed supply , additional capability and expandability can be provided for as demand can be regulated in use . thus , for example , additional processors , memory modules , and interface modules can be permitted as long as they are not all run at maximum power at the same time . when the system approaches available maximum power , steps can be taken to reduce power consumption . for example , certain functionality can be reduced or performance limited ( e . g ., by lowering clock rates ). while there is a penalty associated with such measures , such penalties may be preferable to permanent limits on performance . while the invention applies to computers with relatively few components , it provides a greater advantage for systems with greater numbers of monitored components as there is more flexibility in shifting power budgets among components , e . g ., multiple processors , several memory modules , redundant interface modules , etc . these and other variations upon and modifications to the present invention are provided for by the present invention as defined by the following claims . | 8 |
the process and apparatus of the present invention are also suitable for use in aerobic processes and other processes such as therapeutic processes advantageously employing oxygen containing liquids . as used throughout the specification and the claims , reference to an “ aerobic ” process generally includes all chemical and microbiological processes in which such a process is carried out or is promoted in a liquid medium in the presence of oxygen . as used throughout the specification and the claims “ therapeutic ” processes involve the oxygenation of the body or its parts by treatment with an agent in a liquid vehicle containing dissolved oxygen . suitably aerobic processes in which water oxygenated in accordance with the present invention can be employed include , for example , processes in which heretofore water has been aerated such as by bubbling air thereinto , and also in situ or ex situ bioremediation of contaminated ( e . g . with petroleum products ) surface and ground waters ; wastewater , sludge , and animal waste treatment , both by fixed film and by suspended growth methods ; rehabilitation of atrophying lakes ; biochemical oxygen demand ( bod ) measurement techniques ; fresh water aquaculture ( e . g . fish farming ); odor suppression barriers for anaerobic processes ; and insolubilization of dissolved contaminants ( e . g . fe ., and mn ions ) for removal by filtration or sedimentation . in view of the particularly good oxygen retention of liquids oxygenated by the present invention kept in containers , a particularly advantageous new aerobic use of those liquids was discovered . in accordance with a further feature of the present invention , such oxygenated liquids can be advantageously employed as the fermentation liquor of all kinds of fermentation processes , such as drug production or food processing by microorganisms . microorganisms , such as bacteria , consume massive quantities of oxygen in the process of assimilating or breaking down waste . the rate at which oxygen can be introduced into the biomass is a substantial limiting factor on how quickly a breakdown by oxygenation can be achieved . the problem with known process technologies is that oxygen introduction by aeration is highly inefficient because air contains only 21 % percent oxygen . thus , 79 % percent of the energy used by aerators is wasted in pumping useless nitrogen . therefore , the use of highly oxygenated water , in accordance with the present invention , in such aerobic processes is expected to be about 5 times more efficient , also to obtain thereby a like extent of energy efficiency improvement . the dissolved oxygen content of water treated with embodiments of the present invention can be greater than 20 ppm , can be greater than 40 ppm , can be greater than 60 ppm , can be greater than 80 ppm , can be greater than 100 , ppm , can be greater than 120 ppm , and can be greater than 140 ppm . thus , the infusion of water with 40 - 50 mg / l of oxygen allows for a considerably more efficient and much more rapid aerobic treatment , compared to 7 - 10 mg / l for the normal oxygen content of water , and just slightly more when a conventional bubbling aerator is used with 20 % oxygen containing air . furthermore , as the equilibrium oxygen content of water is used up , its dissolved oxygen content rapidly decreases . another property of embodiments of the water involves its increased density . the increased density can be described using the term “ cluster factor ”, that can be defined by relative density to double distilled water minus 1 . 0 , then multiplied by 100 , 000 . the cluster factor of water treated with embodiments of the present invention can be greater than 150 , can be greater than 200 , can be greater than 250 , can be greater than 300 , and can be greater than 350 . another property of embodiments of the water involves its ph . the ph of water treated with embodiments of the present invention , as measured by litmus paper , can be between 7 . 5 and 8 . 5 . the ph of water treated with embodiments of the present invention , as measured by a standard glass electrode ph meter , can be between 9 . 2 and 9 . 5 . suitable therapeutic processes in which liquids made in accordance with the present invention can be advantageously employed include , for example , increasing the oxygen content of blood and tissues ; oxygenation of wounds to increase the rate of healing and to reduce infections ; oxygenated organ transplant storage media ; tumor oxygenation for radiation therapy and chemotherapy ; lung bypass by oxygenated liquids in case of pulmonary deficiencies ; carbon monoxide poisoning ; mouthwashes ; dentifrices ; topical , including cosmetic , treatment media ; contact lens treating solutions ; and cell level therapeutic applications . in view of the especially good oxygen retention of liquids oxygenated by the present invention kept in containers , a particularly advantageous new therapeutic product of those liquids was discovered . in accordance with a further feature of the present invention , such oxygenated liquids can be employed as solvents for physiological saline isotonic solutions , especially , when kept in sealed , sterile containers . in cosmetics and toiletries , the liquids of the present invention may be incorporated into a beauty product in process by addition , mixing , wetting and other methods in the course of production of the beauty product . in this case , the state and form of the cosmetics and toiletries are not specifically limited . for example , the liquids of the present invention may be used as is , may be used in a state diluted with double distilled water , alcohol or the like , and may be used in a gel or paste state obtained by adding a thickener , which processing are conducted for improvement on handle - ability , and in other states and forms in use . the water may be mixed into a beauty product in a liquid state as is , or it may be diluted or concentrated prior to the use as desired . the state and form as a commodity of a beauty product in the present invention is not specifically limited as far as the beauty product is a beauty product into which a liquid of the present invention is mixed , and a beauty product of the present invention has only to be processed in a similar state and form to those of a known beauty product . concrete examples thereof in which the liquid can be used include a non - drug product , a skin - care product , a makeup product , a hair care product , fragrance , a body care product , an oral care product and the like . examples thereof further include a face cleansing cream , a toilet lotion , a milky lotion , cream , gel , essence , pack , mask , foundations , lip sticks , cheek rouges , a brow , eye beauty product , manicure enamels , a shaving lotion , a hair washing product , a hair raising agent , a hair makeup product , a perfume , cologne , soap , a liquid body cleaning agent , a sun care product , a hand care product , a bath product , a tooth paste , and an oral cleaning agent . the cosmetics and toiletries of the present invention contain a liquid of the present invention mixed therein as a feature , while no specific limitation is placed on other components , and additives currently used in cosmetics and toiletries can be properly mixed in . concrete examples of other components include hydrocarbons , such as squalane , liquid paraffin and the like ; animal / vegetable oils , such as olive oil , beef tallow and the like ; esters , such as isopropyl myristate , cetyl octate and the like ; natural animal / vegetable waxes , such as carnauba wax , beeswax and the like ; surfactants , such as glycelyl stearate , and sorbitan stearate ; silicone oils , such as dimethylpolysiloxane , methylphenylpolysiloxane and derivative thereof ; fluorine containing resins , such as perfluoropolyether and the like ; alcohols , such as ethanol , ethylene glycol , glycerin and the like ; water - soluble polymers , such as carboxyvinyl polymer , carrageenan , carboxymethyl cellulose sodium and the like ; proteins , such as collagen , elastin and the like and hydrolyzates thereof ; powders of titanium dioxide , zinc oxide , talk , mica , silicic anhydride , nylon powder , alkyl polyacrlylate , powder of alumina , iron oxide and the like ; an ultraviolet absorbent ; vitamines ; an antiphlogistic agent ; amino acids and derivative thereof ; lecithin ; a colorant ; a perfume ; an antiseptic agent ; an antioxidant and the like . the extent of cosmetics and toiletries in the sense of words has been extended because of recent diverse requirements therefor , and cosmetics and toiletries of the present invention are not necessarily strictly restricted in respect of the definition thereof . that is , cosmetics and toiletries of the present invention means cosmetics and toiletries in a general sense into which an activating agent of the present invention is properly mixed . therefore , cosmetics and toiletries of the present invention include all products by which a liquid of the present invention is taken into the body of an organism in a manner of transdermal or endermic absorption . food additives related to the present invention are characterized by that in which a liquid of the present invention is mixed thereinto and a food additive is added , mixed or incorporated by wetting or similar method into a food or a beverage in the course of production of the food or the beverage for the purpose of processing or preservation of the food or the beverage . a state and a form of a food additive is not specifically restricted to a particular pair and , for example , the water may be used in mixing into a sweetner , a sourness flavoring , a bitterness flavoring , a deliciousness flavoring , an oiliness flavoring and the like at a proper content . the water may also be used in a gel or paste state processed by adding a thickener or the like for improvement on handle - ability , may be used in a liquid state of 100 %, or may be used in a dilute or concentrated state as well . to be more detailed , a food additive related to the present invention can be to satisfy a person &# 39 ; s preference and to prevent modification , or rotting of a food . that is , the food additives may be necessary for production , improvement on quality , preservation of quality and nutrition enhancement , while a state and a form in processing may be similar to those of known food additives . concrete examples thereof include flavorings , such as a saline solution , salt , a sauce , drips , a soupe , an original broth and the like ; a preserving agent ; a production auxiliary ; a filtering auxiliary ; a clarificant ; a quality sustaining agent ; a sterilizing agent ; an antimicrobial agent ; a disinfectant and the like . note that in order to further improve a quality of a food additive of the present invention , the inventive water agent is preferably processed into the food additive in a working condition , in which the intermediate is brought into contact to the external air ( oxygen ) on the lowest possible level or in a low temperature condition . for example , the processing is preferably conducted in a condition in which no activity of mineral components is degraded , such as in a nitrogen atmosphere , at a low temperature or in a freeze drying condition . the food additive as processed is preferably immediately and in a short time packed , so as to be brought into contact with oxygen on the lowest possible level , for example in a vacuum package , in a nitrogen - filled package or in gas - tight package with an antioxidant therein . such packages are preferably adopted , since the beneficial effects of the inventive water can be sustained over a long term . a food related to the present invention is a food in which a liquid or a food additive of the present invention is added as a feature . since foods can be mixed with a liquid or a food additive under various categories , such as an agricultural food , a livestock food , a fishery food , a fermented food , a canned food , an instant food and the like , according to states and forms of respective food additives described above , no specific limitation is imposed on a kind , and state and form of food related to the present invention . concrete examples of foods that can be named include breads , noodles , bean curd , a dairy product , a meat processed product , soy source , miso , edible fat and oil , an oil and fat processed product , a fish paste product , sweet stuff , vegetables , pickles and the like . concrete examples of addition methods and products applied therewith that can be named include : soy source obtained by mixing inventive water into soybean , wheat and seed koji to ferment them and miso obtained by mixing processed inventive water into soybean , rice and barley to ferment them . further examples of foods of the present invention include bean curd obtained by using the inventive water as a brine for coagulation of soybean milk , pickles obtained by using the inventive water as a salty component in a solution , a food added with an inventive liquid or a food additive for retaining freshness and a food immersed in an inventive liquid or a food additive for retaining freshness . still further examples of foods of the present invention include nutritional supplements and the like such as health foods in states and forms including liquid , powder , a tablet , a capsule , in which the inventive liquid or food additive is incorporated . a beverage related to the present invention is a beverage in which a water of the present invention and / or a food additive of the present invention is added as a feature . since , as to a kind , state and form of beverages related to the present invention , a inventive liquid or a food additive can be added to various kinds of beverages according to a kind , state and form thereof , no specific limitation is imposed on a kind , state and form of beverage . examples thereof that can be named include alcoholic beverages such as brewed sake , synthetic sake , shochu , sweet sake , beer , whisky , liqueur , fruit liquor and the like , and favorite soft beverages or refreshing beverages such as fruit juice , concentrated fruit juice , nectar , soda pop , cola beverage , teas , coffee , black tea and the like . note that in order to further improve a quality of a food and a beverage related to the present invention , the inventive liquid is preferably processed into foods or beverages in a working condition in which the intermediate is brought into contact to the external air ( oxygen ) on the lowest possible level or in a low temperature condition . for example , the processing is preferably conducted in a condition in which no activity of mineral components is degraded , such as in a nitrogen atmosphere , at a low temperature or in a freeze drying condition . preferably , the food additive as processed is immediately and in a short time packed so as to be brought into contact with oxygen on the lowest possible level , for example in vacuum package , in nitrogen - filled package or in gas - tight package with an antioxidant therein . such packages are preferably adopted since the benefits of the inventive liquid can be sustained over a long term . the boundaries between a food additive , a food and a beverage in the sense of words have been ambiguous because of recent diverse requirements for foods . for example , since , miso , soy source and the like are flavorings ( food additives ) and foods , sake classified in alcoholic beverages is a food and a beverage , and sweet sake classified in alcoholic beverage is also flavoring ( food additive ). therefore , the boundaries in a food additive , a food and a beverage related to the present invention are not necessarily strictly restricted in respect of the definition thereof . that is , food additives , and foods and beverages of the present invention in principle means food compositions in a general sense into which a liquid of the present invention is properly mixed . accordingly , food compositions of the present invention include all products through which an inventive liquid is taken into the body of an organism in a manner of oral uptake . it will be recognized by those skilled in the art that the water / liquids of the present invention can be further modified in any number of ways . for example , following formation of structured water , the water may be oxygenated as described herein , further purified , flavored , distilled , irradiated , or any number of further modifications known in the art and which will become apparent depending on the final use of the water . in another embodiment , the present invention provides methods of modulating the cellular performance of a tissue or subject . the inventive water ( e . g ., oxygenated microcluster water ) can be designed as a delivery system to deliver hydration , oxygenation , nutrition , medications and increasing overall cellular performance and exchanging liquids in the cell and removing edema . it is also contemplated that the water of the present invention provides beneficial effects upon consumption by a subject . the subject can be any mammal ( e . g , equine , bovine , porcine , murine , feline , canine ) and is preferably human . the dosage of the water ( or oxygenated water ) will depend upon many factors recognized in the art , which are commonly modified and adjusted . such factors include , age , weight , activity , dehydration , body fat , etc . typically 0 . 5 liters / day of the water of the invention provide beneficial results . in addition , it is contemplated that the water of the invention may be administered in any number of ways known in the art including , for example , orally , topically , buccally , sublingually , parenterally , intramuscularly or intravenously , either alone or mixed with other agents , compounds and chemicals . it is also contemplated that the water of the invention may be useful to irrigate wounds or at the site of a surgical incision . the water of the invention can have use in the treatment of infections . for example , infections by anaerobic organisms may be beneficially treated with the oxygenated forms of the water . in another embodiment , the water of the invention can be used to lower free radical levels and , thereby , inhibit free radical damage in cells . in one embodiment , the water may contain a sweetener ( i . e ., a compound that imparts a sweet taste but does not increase the blood glucose levels of the patient ). examples include a sugar alcohol and non - nutritive sugars . as used herein , the term sugar alcohol refers to reduced sugars . the preferred sugar alcohol are mono - saccharide alcohols and disaccharide alcohols . the monosaccharide alcohols have the formula ho — ch2 ( choh ) n — ch2oh , wherein n is 2 - 5 . they also include tetritols , pentitols , hexitols and heptitols . examples of sugar alcohols include erythritol , theritol , ribitol , arabinitol , xylitol , allitol , dulcitol , glucitol , sorbitol , mannitol , altritol , iditol , maltitol , lactitol , isomalt , hydrogenated starch hydrolysate and the like . the sugar alcohols , especially the monosaccharide alcohols , may be utilized as a racemic mixture or in the d or l form . the non nutritive sweeteners are patentably sweet but are non - caloric . examples include l - sugars , aspartame , alitame , acesulfame - k , cyclamate , stevioside , glycyrrhizin , sucralose , neohesperidin , dihydrochalcone , thaumatin saccharin and its pharmaceutically acceptable salts ( e . g ., calcium ), and the like . in one embodiment of the present invention , it is preferred that the sweetener be present in the water in amounts ranging from about 40 % to about 80 % by weight and more preferably from about 50 % to about 70 % and most preferably from about 55 % to about 65 %. in addition , it is preferred that the weight ratio of sweetener to alkyl hydroxyethyl cellulose , when present , ranges from about 400 to about 800 , and , most preferably , from about 500 to about 600 . other optional ingredients which may be present in certain waters of the present invention include buffers , such as citric acid or its corresponding salts or acetic acids and its salts , flavoring agents , such as peppermint , oil of wintergreen , orange , or cherry flavoring , and the like , surfactants , thickeners , preservatives , such as methyl and propyl parabens , and the like , anti - oxidants , such as benzoate salts , and the like , chelating agents , such as edta and its salts and the like . in certain embodiments , the waters of the present invention can be administered to a mammal in need thereof by topical , systemic , subscleral , transscleral , or intravitreal delivery . intravitreal delivery may include single or multiple intravitreal injections , or via an implantable intravitreal device that releases the water in a sustained capacity . intravitreal delivery may also include delivery during surgical manipulations in treatment for retinal detachments , diabetic retinopathy , or macular degenerations as either an adjunct to the intraocular irrigation solution or applied directly to the vitreous during the surgical procedure . minimally invasive transscleral delivery can be used to deliver an effective amount of the water to the retina with negligible systemic absorption . transscleral delivery utilizes the sclera &# 39 ; s large and accessible surface area , high degree of hydration that renders it conductive to water - soluble substances , hypocellularity with an attendant paucity of proteolytic enzymes and protein - binding site , and permeability that does not appreciably decline with age . an osmotic pump loaded with the inventive water can be implanted in a subject so that the active compounds are transsclerally delivered to the retina in a slow - release mode . ( ambati , et al ., invest . ophthalmol . vis . sci ., 41 : 1186 - 91 ( 2000 )). the inventive waters may also be administered topically by administering the active compounds to a patient by any suitable means , but are preferably administered by a liquid or gel suspension of the water in the form of drops , spray or gel . alternatively , the water may be applied , for example to the eye , via liposomes . further , the water may be infused into the tear film via a pump - catheter system . another embodiment of the present invention involves the water contained within a continuous or selective - release device , for example , polymeric ocular inserts for the administration of drugs . ( alza corp ., palo alto , calif . ), or in the intra - vitreal implant for the gradual release of pharmaceuticals for the treatment of eye conditions ( bausch & amp ; lomb , claremont , calif .). as an additional embodiment , the inventive water can be contained within , carried by , or attached to contact lenses that are placed on the eye . another embodiment of the present invention involves the water contained within a swab or sponge that can be applied to the desired surface . another embodiment of the present invention involves the water contained within a liquid spray that can be applied to any desired surface , such as the ocular surface . the inventive water may be administered systemically . the term “ systemic ” as used herein includes subcutaneous injection , intravenous , intramuscular , intraesternal injection , infusion , inhalation , transdermal administration , oral administration , and intra - operative instillation . liquid formulations containing water of the present invention may be sterile and non - sterile injectable formulations . for instance , the formulation may be an aqueous or oleaginous suspension . the suspensions may be formulated according to techniques known in the art using suitable dispersing or wetting agents and suspending agents . the injectable formulation may also be a sterile injectable solution or suspension in a non - toxic parenterally - acceptible diluent or solvent . suitable diluents and solvents for injectable formulations include 1 , 3 - butanediol , ringer &# 39 ; s solution and isotonic sodium chloride solution . sterile , fixed oils are conventionally employed as a solvent or suspending medium . suitable fixed oils include , but are not limited to , synthetic mono - or di - glycerides , fatty acids , such as oleic acid and its glyceride derivatives , and natural pharmaceutically - acceptable oils , such as olive oil , castor oil , and polyoxyethylated derivatives thereof . ( sigma chemical co . ; fisher scientific ) according to a preferred embodiment , oil containing injectable formulations contain a long - chain alcohol diluent . topical formulations of the present invention are typically in the form of an ointment or suspension . such formulations may be administered for diseases of the eye , the skin , and the lower intestinal tract . suitable suspending agents , diluents , and dosing vehicles for such formulations include , but are not limited to , mineral oil , liquid petrolatum , white petrolatum , propylene glycol , polyoxyethylene , polyoxypropylene compound and emulsifying wax . ( sigma chemical co . ; fisher scientific ) alternatively , the topical formulation can be in the form of a lotion or cream . suitable suspending agents , diluents , and dosing vehicles for such formulations include , but are not limited to , mineral oil , sorbitan monostearate , polysorbate 60 cetyl esters wax , cetearyl alcohol , 2 - octyldodecanol , and benzyl alcohol . ( sigma chemical co . ; fisher scientific ) topical application for the lower intestinal tract can be effected in a rectal suppository formulation or in a suitable enema formulation . the formulation may also be administered via a transdermal patch as known in the art . the liquid formulation containing the inventive water may also be applied ophthalmically . a preferred ophthalmic formulation of the present invention is a micronized suspension in isotonic , ph adjusted sterile saline . a preservative , such as benzalkonium chloride , may be included in the formulation but is not necessary as a preservative due to the nature of the invention . alternatively , the ophthalmic formulation is in an ointment , for example , containing petrolatum . nasal aerosol and inhalation formulations of the invention may be prepared by any method in the art . such formulations may include dosing vehicles , such as saline , preservatives , such as benzyl alcohol , absorption promoters to enhance bioavailability , fluorocarbons used in the delivery systems , e . g ., nebulizers , etc ., solubilizing agents , dispersing agents , or any combination of any of the foregoing . the formulations of the present invention may be administered systemically . the term “ systemic ” as used herein includes parenteral , topical , oral , spray inhalation , rectal , nasal , bucal , and vaginal administration . the term “ parenteral ” as used herein includes subcutaneous , intravenous , intramuscular , intra - articular , intra - synovial , intrasternal , intrathecal , intrahepatic , intralesional and intracranial administration . preferably , the compositions are administered orally , intraperitoneally or intravenously . one systemic method involves an aerosol suspension of respirable particles comprising the inventive water , which the subject inhales . the water would be absorbed into the bloodstream via the lungs , and subsequently contact the lacrimal glands in a pharmaceutically effective amount . the respirable particles are preferably liquid , with a particle size sufficiently small to pass through the mouth and larynx upon inhalation . in general , particles ranging from about 1 to 10 microns , but more preferably 1 - 5 microns , in size are considered respirable . another method of systemically administering the active compounds to the eyes of a subject involves administering a liquid / liquid suspension in the form of eye drops or eye wash or nasal drops of a liquid formulation , or a nasal spray of respirable particles that the subject inhales . liquid pharmaceutical compositions containing the inventive water for producing a nasal spray or nasal or eye drops may be prepared by combining the inventive water with a suitable vehicle , such as sterile pyrogen free water or sterile saline by techniques known to those skilled in the art . the inventive water may also be systemically administered to eyes through absorption by the skin using transdermal patches or pads . in this embodiment , the inventive water is absorbed into the bloodstream through the skin . other methods of systemic administration of the inventive water involves oral administration , in which compositions containing the inventive water are in the form of lozenges , aqueous or oily suspensions , viscous gels , chewable gums , emulsion , soft capsules , or syrups or elixirs . additional means of systemic administration of the inventive water to the eyes of the subject would involve a suppository form of the water , such that a therapeutically effective amount reaches the eyes via systemic absorption and circulation . further means of systemic administration of the inventive water involve direct intra - operative instillation of a gel , cream , or liquid suspension form of a therapeutically effective amount of the water . for topical application , a solution containing the inventive water may contain a physiologically compatible vehicle , as those skilled in the ophthalmic art can select , using conventional criteria . the vehicles may be selected from the known ophthalmic vehicles which include , but are not limited to , saline solution , polyethers such as polyethylene glycol , polyvinyls such as polyvinyl alcohol and povidone , cellulose derivatives such as methylcellulose and hydroxypropyl methylcellulose , petroleum derivatives such as mineral oil and white petrolatum , animal fats such as lanolin , polymers of acrylic acid such as carboxypolymethylene gel , vegetable fats such as peanut oil , polysaccharides such as dextrans , glycosaminoglycans such as sodium hyaluronate , and salts such as sodium chloride and potassium chloride . for systemic administration , such as injection and infusion , the pharmaceutical formulation is prepared in a sterile medium . the inventive water , depending on the vehicle and concentration used , can either be suspended or dissolved in the vehicle . adjuvants such as local anaesthetics , preservatives and buffering agents can also be dissolved in the vehicle . the sterile injectable preparation may be a sterile injectable solution or suspension in a non - toxic acceptable diluent or solvent . among the acceptable vehicles and solvents that may be employed are saline solution or ringer &# 39 ; s solution . for oral use , an aqueous suspension may be prepared by addition of the inventive water to dispersible powders and granules with a dispersing or wetting agent , suspending agent , one or more preservatives , and other excipients . suspending agents include , for example , sodium carboxymethylcellulose , methylcellulose and sodium alginate . dispersing or wetting agents include naturally - occurring phosphatides , condensation products of an allylene oxide with fatty acids , condensation products of ethylene oxide with long chain aliphatic alcohols , condensation products of ethylene oxide with partial esters from fatty acids and a hexitol , and condensation products of ethylene oxide with partial esters derived from fatty acids and hexitol anydrides . preservatives include , for example , ethyl , and n - propyl p - hydroxybenzoate . other excipients include sweetening agents ( e . g ., sucrose , saccharin ), flavoring agents and coloring agents . those skilled in the art will recognize the many specific excipients and wetting agents encompassed by the general description above . formulations for oral use may also be presented as soft gelatin capsules wherein the inventive water is administered alone or mixed with an oil medium , for example , peanut oil , liquid paraffin or olive oil . formulation for oral use may also be presented as chewable gums by embedding the active ingredient in gums so that the inventive water is slowly released upon chewing . for rectal administration , the compositions in the form of suppositories can be prepared by mixing the inventive water with a suitable non - irritating excipient that is solid at ordinary temperatures but liquid at the rectal temperature and will therefore melt in the rectum to release the water . such excipients include cocoa butter and polyethylene glycols . fig1 a is a block diagram of a system for making and tuning super - oxygenated and structured water , in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention . the system 1 includes system 10 for producing or making super - oxygenated and structured water coupled via pipe 27 to a system 20 for tuning super - oxygenated and structured water . the term pipe refers to any component configured to provide fluid or gaseous communication between two components . the pipe may be , for example , a pvc pipe , a crystal pipe , flexible tubing , or other type of conduit . system 10 includes a water preparation system 103 coupled to an oxygen / water combining system 113 via a holding tank 109 . oxygen / water combining system 113 is in turn coupled to a cone system 121 via holding tank 109 . system 20 for tuning super - oxygenated and structured water includes a coil system 123 coupled to a structured ozone machine 125 and multi - coil system 127 . water preparation system 103 includes a water preconditioning system 100 and an electrolysis machine 101 coupled by a pipe 75 , which together comprise a system for preparing water with a stable negative oxidation reduction potential ( orp ). output of system 103 , in particular , from electrolysis machine 101 , is either alkaline water , which is output via a pipe 105 to holding tank 109 , or acidic water , which is output via a pipe 107 to an acid water tank 110 . both the alkaline water output via pipe 105 and the acidic water output via pipe 107 have a stable negative oxidation reduction potential ( orp ). the alkaline water is input to holding tank 109 , which is in turn output via a pipe 111 to the oxygen / water combining system 113 . holding tank 109 may be a single tank or a plurality of tanks , for example , three tanks arranged in series . a pump 523 and pressure gauge 519 are preferably provided between the holding tank 109 and the oxygen / water combining system 113 to control the flow of water from the holding tank 109 to the oxygen / water combining system 113 . the oxygen / water combining system 113 includes a structured oxygen generating machine 600 and a diffusion chamber 115 . the structured oxygen generating machine 600 outputs oxygen via a pipe 117 , which is coupled to pipe 111 and pipe 118 by a valve 119 . water and oxygen flow together from valve 119 to the diffusion chamber 115 via pipe 118 . the oxygen / water combining system 113 outputs oxygen enriched water to cone system 121 via pipe 25 . as set forth above , the system for tuning super - oxygenated and structured water 20 is coupled to the system for producing super - oxygenated and structured water 10 via pipe 27 . the system for tuning super - oxygenated and structured water 20 includes coil system 123 , structured ozone machine 125 , and multi - coil system 127 . coil system 123 receives the oxygen enriched water from system 10 via pipe 27 , and combines and outputs oxygen enriched water via a pipe 29 . structured ozone machine 125 outputs structured ozone via a pipe 31 , which is coupled to pipe 29 and pipe 35 by a valve 33 . the structured ozone from structured ozone machine 125 is combined with the super - oxygenated and structured water in pipe 29 at valve 33 and the combination of structured ozone and super - oxygenated and structured water is directed via pipe 35 to multi - coil system 127 . coil system 123 tunes water received via pipe 27 , and multi - coil system 127 tunes the combined water and ozone received via pipe 35 to yield super - oxygenated and structured water that is output via pipe 37 . pipe 37 returns the super - oxygenated and structured water to holding tank 109 , from which the water may be , for example , bottled for human consumption or other uses . water preconditioning system 100 , oxygen / water combining system 113 , including structured oxygen generating machine 600 and diffusion chamber 115 , cone system 121 , coil system 123 , structured ozone machine 125 , and multi - coil system 127 will be described in more detail below . fig1 b is a flow chart of a method for producing super - oxygenated and structured water , in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention , and fig1 c is a flow chart of a more detailed method for producing super - oxygenated and structured water , in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention . referring to fig1 b , step s 202 involves receiving water from pipe 148 by system 103 for preparing water with stable negative orp . water preconditioning system 100 in system 103 preconditions water for electrolysis at step s 204 . electrolysis machine 101 performs electrolysis at step s 206 . system 103 for preparing water with a stable negative orp outputs alkaline water with its stable negative orp via pipe 105 into holding tank 109 at step s 208 . at step s 210 water with a stable negative orp is received from holding tank 109 and is combined with oxygen at oxygen / water combining system 113 . at step s 212 , the combined oxygen / water is received and spun by cone system 121 . finally , at step s 214 , oxygen enriched structured water is output from cone system 121 . fig1 c is a flow chart of a more detailed method for producing super - oxygenated and structured water , in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention . in particular , step s 204 from fig1 a includes two substeps s 204 a and s 204 b for preconditioning water . in particular , step s 204 for preconditioning water involves adding ozone to the water at step s 204 a , followed by subjecting the water to magnetic fields at step s 204 b . step s 210 of fig1 b , during which water is combined with oxygen , is subdivided in fig1 c into step s 210 a , in which ozone treated alkaline water is combined with oxygen , followed by step s 210 b , in which oxygen enriched ozone treated alkaline water is forced through the diffusion chamber 115 . step 212 of fig1 b , during which water is spun , is shown in fig1 c as step s 212 ′, in which oxygen enriched structured water is received from the diffusion chamber 115 and input into the cone system 101 . the system for tuning super - oxygenated and structured water 20 performs the steps shown in fig1 d as follows . at step s 224 spun water is received from the system for producing super - oxygenated and structured water 10 , and is input into coil system 123 . the water output from the coil system 123 via pipe 29 is then combined with structured ozone received from structured ozone machine 125 via pipe 31 at step s 228 . the combination of water from coil system 123 and the structured ozone from structured ozone machine 125 is input to multi - coil system 127 via pipe 35 at step s 232 . finally , at step s 236 , super - oxygenated , tuned , and structured water is output from the system 20 and , in particular , from multi - coil system 127 . fig2 a is a block diagram of the system for preparing water with a stable negative orp 103 . system 103 , includes water preconditioning system 100 and electrolysis machine 101 . as discussed above , water preconditioning system 100 outputs water preconditioned for electrolysis machine 101 via pipe 75 . a cut off valve 75 a may be provided on pipe 75 to control the flow of the water . the preconditioned water is , in turn , received by electrolysis machine 101 , and electrolysis is performed thereon to yield both alkaline water output through pipe 105 to holding tank 109 and acidic water output through pipe 107 to acidic water tank 110 . as discussed above , both the alkaline water and acidic water have a stable negative orp . the acidic water output via pipe 107 is not designed for consumption , but it has many other uses and advantages . for example , acidic water can be used for cleaning many things , such as pipes , etc . it can also be mixed with hair rinse . the mixture can vary from ph 4 . 0 to ph 6 . 5 ( 6 . 7 ) and preferably between ˜ 4 parts per volume of water to ˜ 1 part per volume of hair rinse all the way to ˜ 1 part per volume of water to ˜ 4 parts per volume of hair rinse , and more preferably ˜ 1 part per volume of water with ˜ 1 part , per volume of hair rinse . it can also be used in the same manner mixed with shampoo because it acts as a reagent and helps clean oils out of hair . typically , when water is output from an electrolysis system , the negative orp that is created does not stay very long . it typically only remains for minutes at a time . the negative orp of water treated with embodiments of the present invention can be less than − 100 . for both the alkaline and the acidic water at pipes 105 and 107 , respectively , typically the negative orp begins at ˜ 183 orp . however , as the water settles out , some of the electrons are given off due to a variety of reasons , and it ultimately settles out at approximately ˜− 170 orp to ˜− 173 orp . both the alkaline and acidic water can maintain ˜− 170 to ˜− 173 orp for 6 months to up to ˜ 2 years or more depending on the electromagnetic environment next to or near the storage area . water in this state gives a multitude of free electrons which then can become an antioxidant in the blood . at this point the water , both the alkaline water and the acidic water , have structure . if the water in holding tank 109 is not processed within ˜ 24 hours , the structure begins to deteriorate , although the negative orp remains , as discussed above . accordingly , for structure purposes , it is advantageous to continue processing the alkaline water in holding tank 109 as quickly as possible . that is , it is advantageous to proceed to output the alkaline water in holding tank 109 via pipe 111 to the oxygen / water combining system 113 as quickly as possible . fig2 b is a flow chart of a method for preparing water with a stable negative orp , in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention . system 103 for preparing water with a stable negative orp performs the following steps : at step s 412 , water is preconditioned for electrolysis , and at step s 414 electrolysis is performed before outputting alkaline and / or acidic water at , step s 416 . water preconditioning system 100 performs step s 412 and electrolysis machine 101 performs step s 414 . at step s 412 , system 103 outputs alkaline water to holding tank 109 via pipe 105 and acidic water to acid water tank 110 via pipe 107 . step s 412 for preconditioning water involves performing steps s 402 , s 404 , s 406 , s 408 , and s 410 , discussed below in connection with fig2 d . fig2 c shows a water preconditioning system 100 for conditioning water for electrolysis , according to one embodiment of the present invention . water preconditioning system 100 includes a filter system 104 , a uv system 108 , a circulating tank 112 , an ozone machine 116 , and a magnetic structuring stage 120 . system 100 for preconditioning water operates generally as follows . first , high quality water is received by filter system 104 . high quality water may be water received from water source 152 , for example , an aquafier well , preferably an aquafier well located in certain geographic areas throughout the world , such as northern new mexico and , more specifically , new mexico , missouri and hawaii . for example , a pump 140 , such as a pressure pump , can be used to pump the water from a well house 144 to filter system 104 via a pipe 148 . the aquafier well 152 may be deep , for example , ˜ 850 feet deep . water received by filter system 104 via pipe 148 is then filtered by filter system 104 and output via a pipe 156 to uv system 108 . water output from uv system 108 via pipe 146 is then input to circulating tank 112 , which in turn is coupled via a pipe 136 to an ozone machine 116 . pipe 1063 is provided to allow water to circulate between the circulating tank 112 , the ozone machine 116 and the magnetic structuring stage 120 . the ozone machine 116 is selectively activatable . a valve 186 and bypass pipe 1062 are provided for selective bypass of the magnetic structuring stage 120 . after passing through magnetic structuring stage 120 , preconditioned water may be output via a pipe 164 . filter system 104 may be , for example , a four - stage filtering system which includes a ˜ 10 μm filter 124 , followed by a ˜ 5 μm filter 128 , followed by a ˜ 0 . 5 μm filter 132 , followed by a carbon filter 134 . uv system 108 preferably includes a uv chamber carbon block filter ( 10 ″ 0 . 5 micron ), and a uv # 10 lamp ( 120v , 0 . 420 amp unit ). the operation of system 100 will be explained with reference to fig2 d , which is a flow chart of a method for preconditioning water . water from water source 152 is received by system 100 for preconditioning water at step s 402 . the water is filtered by filtering system 104 at step s 404 . step s 406 involves subjecting the water to ultraviolet radiation with uv system 108 . steps s 408 - s 410 involve circulating water between circulating tank 112 , ozone machine 116 to add ozone to the water , and magnetic structuring stage 120 to preferably subject the water to a series of magnetic fields . ozone machine 116 can be set between 1 mm / liter 10 scfh and 1 . 2 mm / liter 15 scfh , and the water is preferably exposed to ozone less than ˜ 15 seconds per ˜ 100 gallons to prevent burning , more preferably approximately between ˜ two and 10 seconds per ˜ 109 gallons , and most preferably ˜ 5 - 8 seconds per 100 gallons . step s 412 involves outputting water from magnetic structuring stage 120 as preconditioned water , which can then be input to electrolysis machine 101 . a residual of 0 . 1 - 0 . 4 ppm of ozone is typically left in the treated water . as discussed above , circulating tank 112 is coupled via pipe 136 to ozone machine 116 , which is in turn coupled to magnetic structuring stage 120 via pipe 160 . pipe 1063 connects magnetic structuring stage 120 to circulating tank 112 to form a complete circulation loop . as discussed above , ozone machine 116 is preferably operated for ˜ 5 - 8 seconds for every ˜ 100 gallons contained in circulating tank 112 . however , ozone machine 116 may operate for up to ˜ 15 seconds for every ˜ 100 gallons in circulating tank 112 . however , operation should not exceed ˜ 15 seconds for every ˜ 100 gallons of water in circulating tank 112 in order to prevent burning . this essentially saturates and shocks the water . typical ozone machine operations are between ˜ 0 . 08 to ˜ 0 . 8 mm per liter , which is not sufficient to saturate / shock the water . exceeding ˜ 15 mm per liter results in essentially “ burning ” the water as mentioned above , so that the water tastes as if it were boiled . burned water has an unnatural taste and , when one drinks it , is so caustic that it can strip out saliva from the mouth . it has utility in that it can “ clear out ” one &# 39 ; s pipes and has very powerful antibacterial effect in that it can strip bacteria out that most people have a difficult time ridding from their system . for example , iron bacteria in domestic wells is a significant problem . many believe that the only way to kill them is with excessive chlorine , but that really does not do a complete job . with this system , ˜ 12 seconds per 100 gallons of ozonated water kills iron bacteria . magnetic structuring stage 120 is shown in fig3 a . water flows from pipe 160 into pipe 162 at location 200 and flows out at location 204 . pipe 162 includes a series of magnetic donut rings 163 . according to a preferred embodiment of the invention , other magnet shapes might include north pole bar magnets or other magnets . in this embodiment , there are preferably 14 such donut rings 163 a - 163 n evenly spaced over a distance “ d ” of approximately 7 feet , such that their central longitudinal axis are spaced apart a distance “ a ” of ˜ 0 . 6 . 46 ″. donut ring 163 a preferably has a magnetic field strength of ˜ 350 gauss , while the magnetic field strength of donut ring 163 b linearly increases by a difference of ˜ 91 . 66 gauss to ˜ 441 gauss . further , the magnetic field strength of each subsequent donut ring preferably increases by the same amount linearly until it reaches a maximum value of ˜ 900 gauss . the magnetic field strength of donut rings 163 g and 163 h are both preferably ˜ 900 gauss . the remaining magnets 163 i through 163 n preferably have magnetic field strengths or flux that are also linearly decreased by ˜ 91 gauss . fig3 b is a graph showing the magnetic flux of the magnetic donut rings of an exemplary magnetic structuring stage plotted versus distance or position of the donut rings . in fig3 b , the lowest value “ lgauss ” of magnetic flux for a donut ring is 350 gauss , while the highest value “ hgauss ” of magnetic flux is ˜ 900 gauss . however , hgauss value can be varied , for example to ˜ 1200 gauss . when hgauss is ˜ 1200 gauss , the water can become too clarifying to the colon . in another embodiment of the invention , hgauss can be varied as high as ˜ 1800 gauss . the value of hgauss depends on the flow rate of the water through pipe 162 . as hgauss is increased , the maximum flow rate is preferably decreased . if the flow rate is too slow , the water breaks down . the purpose of magnetic structuring stage 120 is to structure the water as it passes through the series of magnets 163 . the number and shape of magnets 163 can be varied . the flow rate is controlled by the pressure of the water entering location 200 of pipe 162 , which pressure can vary anywhere from ˜ 22 psi up to ˜ 30 psi . at ˜ 31 psi , there is a break over point . water output at location 204 is considered structured water . when hgauss is ˜ 1200 gauss , the water can hold more oxygen . the flow rate of the water preferably increases as the value of hgauss is increased in order to maintain equilibrium pressure / gauss . fig4 a is a block diagram of an oxygen / water combining system , according to one embodiment of the present invention . ozone treated alkaline water input to holding tank 109 via pipe 105 is then output from holding tank 109 to oxygen / water combining system 113 via pipe 111 . a pump 523 and pressure gauge 519 are preferably provided on pipe 111 to control water flow . oxygen / water combining system 113 includes a structured oxygen generator 600 , which outputs structured oxygen via pipe 117 , which is combined and coupled to pipe 111 at valve 119 . the ozone treated alkaline water is mixed with the structured oxygen from pipe 117 at valve 119 , and both are then directed via pipe 118 to diffusion chamber 115 . structured oxygen generating machine 600 outputs high pressure oxygen at pipe 117 . for example , structured oxygen generating machine 600 may output structured oxygen at up to ˜ 300 psi changing pressures change electron ring formulation in molecule via pipe 117 before combining with the ozone treated alkaline water in pipe 111 . pipe 111 may be , for example , an ˜ 1 inch pipe . the combination of water and oxygen in pipe 118 is then sprayed into the diffusion chamber 115 via a pipe 504 in fluid communication with a spray nozzle 503 . the spray nozzle 503 has a very small orifice , for example , less than ˜ 0 . 1 inches and preferably less than ˜ 0 . 01 inches and more preferably ˜ 0 . 0078 inches in diameter . diffusion chamber 115 includes a cylinder 507 capable of generating a type of tornado or vortex 511 in diffusion chamber 115 . diffusion chamber 115 may be , for example , a modified water filter rated to 250 psi with the top of the water filter replaced with a small set of fittings , for example , ˜ ⅜ inch brass fittings , that go through a ˜ 1 inch orifice , where a pipe for the water filter would normally be located . at the end of pipe 504 is spray nozzle 503 . spray nozzle 503 may be ˜ ¼ inch in diameter and preferably has a spray fan which is designed to have a spray fan angle that creates a strong vortex of the oxygen - water combination in chamber 115 . the resulting spray fan angle is preferably ˜ 15 °. the oxygen - water combination at the input of pipe 504 is preferably under a pressure of ˜ 60 psi . the tornado 511 is essentially a clockwise vortex that is created in cylinder 507 . the tornado 511 has a cream - like appearance due to the fine oxygen bubbles . that is , the tornado 511 is essentially white because all of the oxygen is pulled into the center of the vortex . the width of the tornado or vortex 511 is preferably ˜ ¾ inch and extends all the way to the bottom of the preferably 18 ″ to 24 ″ cylinder 507 . at the bottom of cylinder 507 is a pressure escape valve 513 which is coupled to a pipe 515 a which , in a preferred embodiment , is ˜ ½ inch in diameter . the pipe 515 a which is coupled to holding tank 109 . pipe 515 b also couples diffusion chamber 115 to holding tank 109 . pipe 25 connects oxygen / water combining system 113 to cone system 121 , with a pressure gauge 25 a and cut off valve 25 b ( see fig1 a ) provided on pipe 25 to control water flow . pressure escape valve 513 and pipe 515 a provide pressure relief for the system . oxygen is mixed with water at location 119 . it is desirable to saturate the water with oxygen so that there is an abundance of oxygen . because there is a saturation of oxygen , it can actually add oxygen to the water rather than pull oxygen out of the water . fig4 b is a flow chart of an oxygen / water combining method , according to one embodiment of the present invention , performed by the oxygen / water combining system 113 . step s 531 involves receiving ozone treated alkaline water via pipe 111 . step s 533 involves mixing oxygen with ozone treated alkaline water at valve 119 . step s 535 involves forcing the mixture of oxygen and ozone treated alkaline water through spray nozzle 503 in diffusion chamber 115 to create tornado / vortex 511 . step s 537 involves outputting oxygen enriched structured water from diffusion chamber 115 . step s 539 involves outputting the oxygen enriched structured water from oxygen / water combining system 113 via pipe 25 . fig5 a is a block diagram of a structured oxygen generating machine 600 according to one embodiment of the present invention . structured oxygen generating machine 600 includes a compressor 604 , which is coupled via a pipe 608 to an oxygen generator 612 . compressor 604 may be , for example , a ˜ 25 horsepower compressor which outputs refrigerated and cleaned air at ˜ 250 psi to oxygen generator 612 . oxygen generator 612 may be , for example , an ogs oxygen generator . oxygen generator 612 outputs oxygen via a pipe 614 at , for example , ˜ 70 psi to an oxygen storage tank 616 . oxygen storage tank 616 in turn outputs oxygen at high pressure ( up to ˜ 300 psi ) through a high pressure pipe 620 to an oxygen enhancer 622 . the oxygen is then directed to a valve 624 , which in turn directs the oxygen through either a first magnetic structuring stage 628 or a second magnetic structuring stage 632 . when valve 624 is in a first position , oxygen output from oxygen enhancer 622 passes through pipe 626 to first magnetic structuring stage 628 , shown in more detail in fig6 a . that is , oxygen from oxygen enhancer 622 is input to first magnetic structuring stage 628 via pipe 626 and , after passing through first magnetic structuring stage 628 , is output through pipe 631 to pipe 117 as structured oxygen . when valve 624 is in a second position , oxygen from oxygen enhancer 622 passes through pipe 630 to the second magnetic structuring stage 632 , shown in more detail in fig6 b . that is , oxygen from oxygen enhancer 622 is input to second magnetic structuring stage 632 via pipe 630 and is output via pipe 634 to pipe 117 as structured oxygen . fig5 b is a flow chart of a method for producing structured oxygen , according to one embodiment of the present invention . at step s 670 , refrigerated and cleaned air is input to the oxygen generator 612 under pressure . oxygen generator 612 , in turn , outputs highly pressurized oxygen to oxygen storage tank 616 via pipe 614 at step s 674 . at step s 678 , highly pressurized oxygen is input to either first magnetic structuring stage 628 or second magnetic structuring stage 632 . at step s 682 , magnetically structured oxygen is output from either the first magnetic structuring stage 628 or the second magnetic structuring stage 632 . fig5 c is a longitudinal cross sectional view of the oxygen enhancer 622 shown in fig5 a . the oxygen enhancer 622 preferably has a substantially tubular body portion 6200 , and is preferably formed of a non - conductive material , such as , for example , high pressure plastic . in one embodiment of the present invention , the body portion 6200 may be between 14 and 17 inches long , and approximately 3 inches in diameter . however , other dimensions for the body portion 6200 may also be used . ends of the body portion 6200 are preferably tapered so as to form an inlet 6210 and an outlet 6220 , which accommodate incoming and outgoing pipes 6215 and 6225 , respectively . in one embodiment of the present invention , the incoming and outgoing pipes 6215 and 6225 preferably have a ½ inch diameter , and some length thereof ( e . g ., ½ inch ) may extend into the body portion 6200 . however , other diameters may also be used . ring type devices 6230 and 6240 , such as , for example , a washer , are preferably positioned at the inlet 6210 and outlet 6220 to secure and properly align the pipes 6215 and 6225 , respectively , in place . the body portion 6200 are preferably filled with a filtering material 6250 , such , as , for example , carbon , to scrub the oxygen processed therethrough and absorb any contaminants that may be present . the carbon chips 6250 may vary in size , and preferably fall within an average size of between ⅛ and 1 / 32 inch . carbon creates a pure , clean oxygen that is readily accepted into the water . first and second mesh screens 6270 and 6280 , respectively , are preferably positioned in the body portion 6200 as shown in fig5 c , preferably with a void 6290 formed therebetween . the screens 6270 and 6280 may be made of any type of suitable metallic material , such as silver , platinum or gold . in one embodiment of the present invention , the screens 6270 and 6280 are preferably made of a gold mesh material . however , other materials , such as , for example , copper and brass , could also be used . the mesh size of the screens 6270 and 6280 may also be varied . in one embodiment of the present invention , the mesh size may preferably fall within a range of between 150 and 200 microns , and is most preferably 200 microns . a plurality of magnets are provided on each of the first and second screens 6270 and 6280 , with a first set of magnets 6275 preferably provided on a surface of the first screen 6270 facing the inlet 6210 , and a second set of magnets 6285 preferably provided on a surface of the second screen 6280 facing the outlet 6220 . wires 6260 , preferably made of a conductive material , such as , for example , copper , extend from the first set of magnets 6275 to the inlet ring 6230 , and from the second set of magnets 6285 to the outlet ring 6240 . the wires 6260 may be attached to the rings 6230 and 6240 by any suitable means such as , for example , soldering . a front view of an exemplary mesh screen 6300 is shown in fig5 d . this exemplary mesh screen 6300 is shown with nine magnets attached thereto , with a center magnet 6310 being preferably slightly larger than surrounding magnets 6320 . however , other numbers of magnets , relative sizes , strengths , and arrangements on the mesh screen 0 . 6300 may also be used . the magnets may be made of any appropriate magnetic material . in one embodiment of the present invention , the magnets are preferably button magnets , and most preferably germanium button magnets , that are less than ½ inch in diameter , and preferably ⅜ inch in diameter , and with a strength of between 300 and 550 gauss . based on this type of magnet arrangement on each of the first and second screens 6270 and 6280 shown in fig5 c , an appropriate width for the void 6290 is approximately ½ inch . however , the number , arrangement , and strength of the magnets may be varied , and an appropriate width of the void 6290 may be determined based on the resulting strength of the magnetic flux produced by the magnets . in fig5 c , the first set of magnets 6275 is preferably oriented with a north side 6276 facing the inlet 6210 , and a south side 6277 adjacent the first screen 6270 , while the second set of magnets 6285 is preferably oriented with a north side 6286 facing the outlet 6220 , and a south side 6287 adjacent the second screen 6280 . this opposing polarity arrangement causes the oxygen to “ snap ” as it passes through the void 6290 , thus initiating the structuring process by aligning and preparing the oxygen for further structuring as it subsequently passes through either the first or second structuring stages 628 or 632 . fig5 e and 5f are front and side views , respectively , of a ring 6291 which is preferably positioned within the void 6290 . the ring 6291 preferably includes a plurality of magnets 6292 positioned along a circumference of the ring 6291 , adhered to the ring 6291 by any suitable means . in one embodiment of the present invention , fourteen germanium magnets 6292 are preferably adhered along a circumference of the ring 6291 with a silicone based compound . in this embodiment , each of the magnets 6292 may be between ½ and ⅜ inch in diameter , and each have a strength of approximately 200 gauss . however , it should be understood that many other combinations of type , number , and strength of the magnets may be used to provide a suitable effect . similarly , a width w of the ring 6291 may be varied based on a corresponding width of the void 6290 formed between the screens 6270 and 6280 . as shown in fig5 e - 5g , a south pole s of each of the magnets 6292 is preferably flush with an outer circumference 6293 of the ring 6291 , while a north pole n of each of the magnets 6292 preferably extends from an inner circumference 6294 of the ring 6291 and toward the center of the ring 6291 . accordingly , when configured as such and positioned in the void 6290 formed between the screens 6270 and 6280 , the south poles s of the magnets 6292 and the outer circumference 6293 of the ring 6291 contacts an inner surface of the body portion 6200 , while the left and right faces 6295 and 6296 , respectively , of the ring 6291 contact the screens 6270 and 6280 , respectively . in one embodiment of the invention , the width w of the ring 6291 is approximately ½ inch to match the corresponding width of the void 6290 . fig6 a is a schematic side view of a first magnetic structuring stage for a structured oxygen generating machine , according to one embodiment of the present invention . first magnetic structuring stage 628 includes n donut magnets 1 , 2 , 3 . . . n all arranged along pipe 626 . each of the donut magnets 1 ˜ n preferably has a strength of up to ˜ 3 , 300 gauss . the spacing between central longitudinal axes of the donut magnets 1 and 2 of first magnetic structuring stage 628 is preferably ˜ 2 inches , and gradually increases to the middle 636 of first magnetic structuring stage 628 at which point the spacing is preferably ˜ 12 inches , and then the spacing between the subsequent donut magnets decreases until the spacing between central longitudinal axes of donut magnets n - 1 and n is preferably ˜ 2 inches . the middle 636 of first magnetic structuring stage 628 is preferably located ˜ 4 . 5 feet from each end of the first magnetic structuring stage 628 . alternatively , as discussed above , oxygen can be directed by the valve 624 to the second magnetic structuring stage 632 . fig6 b is a schematic side view of the second magnetic structure stage for a structured oxygen generating machine , in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention . in this embodiment , there are m central longitudinal axes of donut magnets which are spaced apart distances d1 , d2 . d m , where distances d i all represent a fibonacci sequence in inches . hence , d i = 1 , 1 , 2 , 3 , 5 , 8 , 13 , . . . , whereby d i = d j - 2 + d j - 1 . in a preferred embodiment , m is an integer between 1 and 21 . the structured oxygen , which is output from either the first magnetic structuring stage 628 or the second magnetic structuring stage 632 , may be used to enrich water with oxygen according to processes described herein . when the structured oxygen output from first magnetic structuring stage 628 is mixed with properly prepared water , the resulting water may provide energy to the person or mammal that ingests the water . on the other hand , structured oxygen output from second magnetic structuring stage 632 , when used to enrich water , yields oxygen enriched water which may produce a sedating effect for people or mammals that ingest the oxygen enriched water . fig7 a is a block diagram of a cone system , in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention . combined oxygen / water is input via pipe 25 to cone system 121 . a medical grade oxygen machine 803 is coupled to pipe 25 via a pipe 805 at a valve 807 . medical grade oxygen is output from the medical grade oxygen machine 803 and mixed with the combined oxygen / water from the system 10 at valve 807 , and together are directed via a pipe 523 to a series of cones 809 . the series of cones 809 are shown in fig7 a to be 6 cones 811 , 813 , 815 , 817 , 819 and 821 , according to one embodiment of the present invention . however , the number of cones in the series of cones 809 can vary from 1 to n where n can be as high as 24 . the combined water / oxygen from system 10 and the medical grade oxygen 803 are mixed by each of cones 811 through 821 , which individually spin the combination , and output a resulting spun water via pipe 27 . in this embodiment , cone 811 is coupled to cone 813 by a pipe 812 , cone 813 is coupled to cone 815 by a pipe 814 , cone 815 is coupled to cone 817 by a pipe 816 , cone 817 is coupled to cone 819 by a pipe 818 , and cone 819 is coupled to cone 821 by a pipe 820 . fig7 b is a schematic side view of an exemplary cone 811 , and fig7 c is a schematic top view of the exemplary cone 811 . referring to fig7 b , pipe 523 is coupled to a tube 831 , for example , a double - bent tube , near the top of cone 811 . in this embodiment , tube 831 is preferably a crystal tube . tube 831 preferably includes two ˜ 90 ° bends 833 and 835 . bends 833 and 835 are preferably ˜ 90 °, but can vary by plus or minus 45 °. also , bends 833 and 835 are preferably configured so as to impart a clockwise spin 837 in cone 811 . the combination of oxygen and water input to tube 831 is under high pressure of at least ˜ 30 psi and more preferably of at least ˜ 34 psi in order to create clockwise spin 837 in cone 811 . pipe 812 is coupled to cone 813 in the same manner as pipe 523 is coupled to cone 811 , and this is also true for cones 813 through 821 as well . clockwise spin vortex 837 of the oxygen / water combination will be referred to herein as a clockwise vortex spin 837 . the ratio of the oxygen from medical grade oxygen machine 803 and the oxygen / water combination , together with the water pressure at tube 831 , determines the efficiency of the mixing of oxygen with water at cone 811 , as well as the rest of cones 813 - 821 . lines 841 in vortex 837 disappear if oxygen from medical grade oxygen machine 803 is turned off . that is , clockwise vortex spin 837 remains but lines 841 disappear . in the embodiment discussed above , the inner diameter of tube 523 is preferably ˜ ¼ ″ and the outer diameter is preferably ˜ ½ ″, the inner diameter of tube 831 is preferably ˜ ⅛ ″ and the outer diameter is preferably ˜ ¼ ″. the tube 831 is preferably ˜ 1¾ ″ long and preferably extends to a position ˜ ⅜ ″ from the edge of cone 811 , and is preferably attached to cone 811 by , for example , a solder joint 811 a . further , cone 811 preferably has a diameter d i at a top portion of ˜ 6 ″ and a diameter d b at a bottom portion of ˜ ⅛ ″. fig7 d is a flow chart of a method for spinning water with oxygen using a cone system , according to one embodiment of the present invention . step s 861 involves receiving the oxygen / water combination . step s 863 involves combining the oxygen / water combination with medical grade oxygen . step s 865 involves inputting the combination of oxygen / water and the medical grade oxygen into cone series 809 . finally , step s 867 involves outputting spun water as super - oxygenated and structured water , with its negative orp further enhanced and locked into the water . fig8 a is a schematic side view and fig8 b is a schematic top view of a coil system , according to one embodiment of the present invention . coil system 123 includes a coil 871 with an outer diameter d . in this embodiment , coil 871 is preferably a crystal coil . the outer diameter d of coil 871 can vary from ˜ 4 ′ to ˜ 12 ″, and is preferably between ˜ 5 ″ and ˜ 9 ″, and more preferably ˜ 7 inches . pipe 27 is coupled to tube 871 to form a bend 875 with an angle between ˜ 45 ° and ˜ 130 ° and preferably between ˜ 65 ° and ˜ 95 ° and more preferably ˜ 90 °. in particular , pipe 27 is coupled to tube 871 to form bend 875 and water flows through pipe 27 until it reaches bend 875 at which point it is abruptly redirected to the right to begin a clockwise flow down tube 871 until it is output at pipe 29 , as shown in fig8 a . in this embodiment , tube 871 is preferably cylindrical with a round cross - section . however , other shapes , such as octagonal , hexagonal , or oval , for example , can also be used . a crystal 881 is preferably arranged approximately in the center of coil 871 , as shown in fig8 a . the size of crystal 881 is preferably 3 ″ or 12 ″, but is more preferably 7 ″. however , other crystal sizes may be used . the crystal 881 is arranged in a container 883 , which may contain a tincture or solution 885 . a battery 887 is preferably coupled via a wire 889 to crystal 881 and the other pole of battery 887 is preferably grounded in tincture or solution 885 via a wire 891 . as the water travels in a clockwise pattern down coil 871 it cuts through magnetic flux lines 893 created by the battery 887 and crystal 889 combination . the right hand or clockwise flow of the water pulls electrons into its orbit . if coil 871 is reversed , so as to provide a counterclockwise flow or a left hand spin of the water , then the left hand spin throws electrons out of the orbit . the water resulting from a left hand spin is beneficial for a short time because of detoxifying effects in the body . independent of crystal 881 , a motion of the water in either a clockwise or counterclockwise fashion creates an electromagnetic field which can be measured , such as any charged particle in motion would create an electromagnetic field . in this embodiment , crystal 881 is preferably a vogel crystal . solution 885 may contain herbs or any substance depending on the tint for the water . by placing different substances in solution 885 or by changing solution 885 , water output from pipe 29 can be tuned to that particular substance or solution . “ tune ” can refer to the modification of the structure , character and / or property of the water . crystal 881 oscillates at a particular resonance frequency , which can modify the water . these frequencies can vary from ˜ 5 to ˜ 9 hz , and preferably from ˜ 6 to ˜ 8 hz , and more preferably from ˜ 6 . 8 to ˜ 7 . 8 hz , and even more preferably from ˜ 7 . 2 to ˜ 7 . 8 hz . fig8 c is a flow chart of a method performed by the coil system of fig8 a - 8b . in particular , fig8 c shows step s 893 , which involves creating a magnetic flux , and step s 895 , which involves passing water in a spiral fashion through the magnetic flux . the magnetic flux is preferably created using a crystal , as discussed with respect to fig8 a . also , as water is passed in a spiral fashion , it can be passed in a clockwise spiral fashion through the magnetic flux in order to maintain free electrons in the water or in a counterclockwise fashion in order to give off electrons from the water . fig9 a and 9c are , respectively , schematic top and side views of a multi - coil system , according to one embodiment of the present invention . multi - coil system 127 preferably includes coil sets 901 , 903 , 905 , and 907 . coil sets 901 and 907 are preferably single coils , while coil sets 903 and 905 preferably contain inner coils 903 a and 905 a , respectively , and outer coils 903 b and 905 b , respectively . super - oxygenated and structured water mixed with structured ozone is input via pipe 35 to multi - coil system 127 . a series of magnets 912 may be optionally placed on pipe 35 prior to entry into multi - coil system 127 . these magnets can be any shape , but are preferably donut magnets and preferably north field magnets surrounding or placed directly on the pipe 35 . as shown in fig9 a , coil set 901 is coupled to coil set 905 via a pipe 914 , coil set 905 is coupled to coil set 907 via pipe 916 , and coil set 907 is coupled to coil set 903 via pipe 918 . in this embodiment , water preferably enters coil set or coil 901 at a top portion , spirals down to a bottom portion of coil 901 and then passes via pipe 914 to coil set 905 . at coil set 905 , water preferably enters a bottom portion of inner coil 905 a and spirals up against gravity to a top portion of inner coil 905 a . the water then passes into outer coil 905 b and spirals down outer coil 905 b to a bottom portion , where it exits coil set 905 via pipe 916 . the water then preferably passes into a top portion of coil set or coil 907 and spirals downward to a bottom portion , where it exits coil 907 via pipe 918 . the water next preferably enters coil set 903 at a bottom portion of inner coil 903 a , spirals up ( against gravity ) to a top portion of inner coil 903 a , where it passes into outer coil 903 b before spiraling downward to a bottom portion of 903 b , where it exits coil set 903 and multi - coil system 127 via pipe 37 . the super - oxygenated , tuned and structured water is then directed to holding tank 109 via pipe 37 . as shown in fig9 c , multi - coil system 127 includes an outer box 941 and an inner box 943 with mica 945 contained in between inner box 943 and outer box 941 . coil sets 901 - 907 are preferably between ˜ 5 ″ and ˜ 17 ″ inches wide and preferably between ˜ 14 ″ and ˜ 33 inches long , and more preferably ˜ 7 inches wide and ˜ 17 inches long . inner coils 903 a and 905 a preferably have a diameter in the range of ˜ 2 ″ to ˜ 9 ″, and more preferably , between ˜ 3 ″ and ˜ 5 ″, and most preferably ˜ 3 ″. fig9 b is a schematic side view of coil set 905 of fig9 a . coil set 905 , includes outer coil 905 b and inner coil 905 a . as viewed from the top , the water spirals up the inner coil 905 a in a clockwise fashion until it reaches a top portion and then spirals down the outer coil 905 b where it exits the coil system 905 . inner coil 905 a is preferably supported by one or more supports 1070 a , preferably two dowel rods , and the outer coil 905 b is preferably supported by one or more supports 1070 b , preferably a plurality of dowel rods . the supports 1070 a and 1070 b are preferably connected to coils 905 a and 905 b using plastic ties . as shown in fig9 d and 9e , the various pipes are connected to the various coils via a tube , preferably with a bend . in this embodiment , the tube is a glass tube with an ˜ 90 ° bend . as can be seen in fig9 b , a crystal 923 may be placed at a base of the coil set 905 . crystal 923 is preferably a double terminated quartz crystal , but is not limited to clear quartz . the crystals are centered at the base and extend up inside the coil . extending the crystal further up into the coil reduces the effects . coil set 903 also has an arrangement like that shown in fig9 b with respect to the coil set 905 . each coil set 903 , 905 , and 907 also includes a crystal arranged as shown in fig9 b . as shown in fig9 c , magnets 912 may be arranged on pipe 35 prior to entry into multi - coil system 127 , and serve to cancel frequencies that have been input or are otherwise contained in the water prior to input to multi - coil system 127 . although multi - coil system 127 in this embodiment is shown with four coil sets , it can contain one , two , three or more than four coil sets , with various combinations of single and double coil sets . the inner diameter of the inner and outer coils for coil sets 901 - 907 is preferably ˜ 5 / 16 inches . the coils for coil sets 901 - 907 are preferably made of crystal and not pyrex . crystal 923 , as well as the crystals for the other three coil sets , preferably have dimensions of ˜ 17 ″ט 18 ″ to ˜ 3 ″ט 1 ″, and more preferably ˜ 8½ inches long and ˜ 3½ inches across double terminated . fig9 f is a flow chart of a method performed by the multi - coil system of fig9 a - 9e . step s 951 involves inputting water and structured ozone into a top portion of a first coil set or coil arranged in a first magnetic flux . step s 953 involves passing the water / ozone combination clockwise down the first coil set . step s 955 involves coupling the water / ozone combination into the bottom of an inner coil of a second coil set arranged in a second magnetic flux . step s 957 involves passing the water / ozone combination clockwise up the inner coil of the second coil set . step s 959 involves coupling the water / ozone combination into the outer coil of the second coil set . step s 961 involves passing the water / ozone combination clockwise down the outer coil of the second coil set . step s 963 involves coupling the water / ozone combination into a top portion of a third coil set arranged in a third magnetic flux . step s 965 involves passing the water / ozone combination clockwise down the third coil set . step s 967 involves coupling the water / oxygen combination into a bottom portion of an inner coil of a fourth coil set arranged in a fourth magnetic flux . step s 969 involves passing the water / ozone combination clockwise up the inner coil of the fourth coil set . step s 971 involves coupling the water / ozone combination into the outer coil of the fourth coil set . step s 973 involves passing the water / ozone combination clockwise down the outer coil of the fourth coil set . step s 975 involves outputting super - oxygenated , tuned , and structured water . fig1 a is a block diagram of a structured ozone machine , according to one embodiment of the present invention . structured ozone machine 125 includes a medical grade oxygen source 746 coupled via a pipe 749 to a standard ozone machine 751 . medical grade oxygen is output from medical grade oxygen source 746 to ozone machine 751 , which in turn produces ozone , which is output via pipe 31 . pipe 31 may be , for example , ˜ ⅛ inch flex tubing . two low gauss magnets 753 are arranged on pipe 31 . although the two low gauss magnets are shown in this embodiment , a single low gauss or more than two , including three , four , five , and so forth , low gauss magnets can be arranged along pipe 31 . where two low gauss magnets are arranged on pipe 31 , they are preferably spaced between ˜ ½ ″ and ˜ 3 inches apart , and more preferably 1 inch apart . in this case , the low gauss magnets 753 are preferably magnets which are below ˜ 1 , 000 gauss , and more preferably below ˜ 500 gauss and most preferably ˜ 200 gauss each . fig1 b is a flow chart of a method performed by the structured ozone machine of fig1 a to produce structured ozone . step s 761 involves inputting medical grade oxygen into structured ozone machine 125 . step s 763 involves generating ozone using the medical grade oxygen . step s 765 involves passing the ozone generated from the medical grade oxygen through a magnetic flux to yield structured ozone . the water flow throughout the system is preferably controlled to enhance the system &# 39 ; s performance . that is , pipe diameters and pressures at each point p in the system are preferably configured to ensure proper functioning . referring to fig1 a , pipe diameters and water pressure at each point p are preferably as follows . at point p 1 : pipe diameter is preferably ˜ ½ to ˜ 3 inch ( es ), more preferably 1 to ˜ 1¼ inch ( es ), most preferably ˜ 1¼ inches . pressure is preferably ˜ 17 to ˜ 36 psi , more preferably ˜ 18 to ˜ 30 psi , most preferably ˜ 27 psi . at point p 2 : pipe diameter is preferably ˜ ⅜ to ˜ 1½ inch ( es ), more preferably ˜ ¾ to ˜ 1¼ inch ( es ), most preferably ˜ 1 inch . pressure is preferably ˜ 17 to ˜ 36 psi , more preferably ˜ 18 to ˜ 26 psi , most preferably ˜ 22 psi . at point p 3 : pipe diameter is preferably ˜ ⅜ to ˜ 1½ inch ( es ), more preferably ˜ ¾to ˜ 1¼ inches ( es ), most preferably ˜ 1 inch . pressure is preferably ˜ 12 to ˜ 20 psi , more preferably ˜ 12 to ˜ 15 psi , most preferably ˜ 15 psi . at point p 4 : pipe diameter is preferably ˜ ⅜ to ˜ 1¼ inch ( es ), more preferably ˜ ½ to ˜ 1 inch ( es ), most preferably ˜ 1 inch . pressure is preferably ˜ 12 to ˜ 20 psi , more preferably ˜ 12 to ˜ 15 psi , most preferably ˜ 15 psi . at point p 5 : pipe diameter is preferably ˜ ¾ to ˜ 1½ inch ( es ), more preferably ˜ ¾ to ˜ 1 inch ( es ), most preferably ˜ 1 inch . pressure is preferably ˜ 40 to ˜ 80 psi , more preferably ˜ 40 to ˜ 60 psi , most preferably ˜ 69 psi . at point p 6 : pipe diameter is preferably ˜ ¼ to ˜ ¾ inch ( es ), more preferably ˜ ¼ to ˜ ⅜ inch ( es ), most preferably ˜ ⅜ inch . flow rate should be preferably 5 liters per minute . ( pressure preferably ˜ 22 to ˜ 60 psi , more preferably ˜ 30 to ˜ 45 psi , most preferably ˜ 44 psi .) at point p 7 : pipe diameter is preferably ˜ ¼ to ˜ 1¼ inch ( es ), more preferably ˜ ½ to ˜ ¾ inch ( es ), most preferably ˜ ½ inch . pressure is preferably ˜ 50 to ˜ 75 psi , more preferably ˜ 49 to ˜ 69 psi , most preferably ˜ 69 psi . at point p 8 : pipe diameter is preferably ˜ ¼ to ˜ ¾ inch ( es ), more preferably ˜ ½ to ˜ ⅝ inch ( es ), most preferably ˜ ½ inch . pressure is preferably ˜ 5 to ˜ 25 psi , more preferably ˜ 5 to ˜ 10 psi , most preferably ˜ 7 - 10 psi . at point p 9 : pipe diameter is preferably ˜ ½ to ˜ 1 inch ( es ), more preferably ˜ ⅝ to ˜ ¾ inch ( es ), most preferably ˜ ¾ inch . pressure is preferably ˜ 18 to ˜ 35 psi , more preferably ˜ 18 to ˜ 25 psi , most preferably ˜ 25 psi . at point p 10 : pipe diameter is preferably ˜ ¼ to ˜ ¾ inch ( es ), more preferably ˜ ¼ to ˜ ½ inch ( es ), most preferably ˜ ½ inch . pressure is preferably ˜ 18 to ˜ 35 psi , more preferably ˜ 30 to ˜ 42 psi , most preferably ˜ 40 - 42 psi . at point p 11 : pipe diameter is preferably ˜ ¼ to ˜ ¾ inch ( es ), more preferably ˜ ⅜ to ˜ ½ inch ( es ), most preferably ˜ ½ inch . pressure is preferably ˜ 15 to ˜ 50 psi , more preferably ˜ 20 to ˜ 40 psi , most preferably ˜ 34 psi . at point p 12 : pipe diameter is preferably ˜ 1 / 16 to ˜ ¼ inch ( es ), more preferably ˜ 1 / 16 to ˜ ⅛ inch ( es ), most preferably ˜ ⅛ inch . flow rate is preferably ⅛ liter per minute . at point p 13 : pipe diameter is preferably ˜ 1 / 16 to ˜ ¾ inch ( es ), more preferably ˜ ⅜ to ˜ ½ inch ( es ), most preferably ˜ ½ inch . pressure is preferably ˜ 10 to ˜ 25 psi , more preferably ˜ 10 to ˜ 18 psi , most preferably ˜ 15 - 18 psi . at point p 14 : pipe diameter is preferably ˜ 1 / 16 to ˜ ¾ inch ( es ), more preferably ˜ ⅜ to ˜ ½ inch ( es ), most preferably ˜ ½ inch . pressure is preferably ˜ 15 to ˜ 35 psi , more preferably ˜ 18 to ˜ 22 psi , most preferably ˜ 22 psi . at point p 15 : pipe diameter is preferably ˜ 1 / 16 to ˜ ¾ inch ( es ), more preferably ˜ ⅜ to ˜ ½ inch ( es ), most preferably ˜ ½ inch . pressure is preferably ˜ 15 to ˜ 75 psi , more preferably ˜ 22 to ˜ 60 psi , most preferably ˜ 30 - 40 psi . the present example is provided to demonstrate the utility of the present invention for maintaining and / or restoring a desired physiological fluid oxygen level in an animal . in particular aspects , the present example will also demonstrate the utility of the present compositions for maintaining , and in some aspects normalizing , a reduced oxygenated blood level in an animal subsequent to a blood oxygen - lowering effect activity , such as what typically occurs in an animal , such as a human , after an oxygen - consuming activity , such as exercise . changes in these physiologically measurable parameters are typically attendant an increase in physical activity , stress or other fatigue - inducing event . the parameters that were measured in the present study were changes in subjects consuming the oxygen - enriched , microstructured water preparations verses subjects consuming conventional bottled water . the changes in these two subject populations were monitored for changes in heart rate , changes in oxygen saturation , changes in blood lactate , changes in oxygen consumption , and changes in fatigue assessment by a patient in response to a defined exercise regimen after having consumed a defined quantity of the oxygen - enriched , structured and / or microstructured water , or after consuming a conventional bottled water . the present study was a randomized , double blind crossover study . subjects were recruited from training facilities in montreal . subjects were tested on four different days during a two - week period . the subjects comprised a group of males and females of at least 18 years in age in good physical condition . none of the test subjects had any history of serious chronic disease . each of the test subjects had been in physical training during the previous year , training at least 2 times per week , during the time preceding their participation in the present study . the test subjects were randomly assigned to a group to receive the oxygen enriched , structured and microstructured water preparation verses a preparation of conventional tap or bottled water ( placebo ). the total duration of the study was 14 days , comprised of four ( 4 ) evaluation visits . each subject , depending on the group assigned , was asked to drink 500 ml of the oxygen - enriched structured and microstructured water or 500 ml of the bottled santa fe municipal city water . each subject was then asked to sit for 5 minutes . after 5 minutes , a baseline physiological set of measurements were recorded for each subject . these measurements included heart rate , blood pressure , blood oxygen , blood oxygen saturation , and blood lactate . once recorded , the subject began a 5 - minute warm - up on a treadmill . after this warm - up period , the subject began a multi - stage vo 2 - max test . each subject then underwent a standardized five - step exercise tolerance test to fatigue . during this test , each subject was asked to consume 500 ml of the oxygen - rich , microstructured water or bottled spring water , according to the initial test group to which they were originally assigned . ( total consumption by each test subject was between ½ and ¾ liter ). the multi - stage vo 2 - max test commenced at a speed of 11 . 3 km / hr ( 7 . 02 miles / hr ) and a slope of 2 degrees . the slope was then progressively increased by 2 degrees every minute . at the end of each stage , heart rate , blood pressure and blood oxygen saturation were measured . upon maximal exertion , vo 2 max was calculated and blood lactate was measured . a visual analog scale was used to assess perceived fatigue ( i . e ., maximal exertion ), at the end of the vo2 max . for this determination , the subject was asked to place an “ x ” on a 10 cm line indicating how tired they felt at the end of the vo 2 max test with one end of the line indication no fatigue ( 0 ), and the other end indication exhaustion ( 10 ). this routine was repeated with the same product 2 days later . a third visit took place one week later when subjects were asked to return to the gym . each subject then completed the same protocol of exercise a second time , this time consuming the opposite product ( i . e ., group 1 - bottled santa fe municipal city water ( placebo ) consumed ( ½ to ¾ liter ) during exercise test session 1 ; group 1 - oxygen - enriched , structured and microstructured water ( agfw ) consumed ( ½ to ¾ liter ) during exercise test session 2 ) ( group 2 - bottled spring water ( placebo ) consumed ( 1 liter ) during exercise test session 1 ( 1 liter ); group 2 - oxygen - enriched , microstructured water ( agfw ) during exercise test session2 ). as demonstrated in the data presented at tables 1 , 2 and 3 , the performance parameters that were assessed and compared in response to consumption of the oxygen - enriched , microstructured water preparations were heart rate , oxygen saturation , blood lactate , and oxygen consumption and fatigue assessment . as used in this study and others described throughout this application , “ fatigue ” is defined as the length of physical exertion needed for the subject to assess subjectively an exhaustion level of at least 7 on a scale of 0 to 10 . table 1 presents the data collected from the subjects at a first visit and at a second visit . table 2 presents the change demonstrated in each of the performance parameters . table 3 presents an analysis of the differences between the changes observed in each of the performance parameters examined . the following efficacy outcome measures were defined to assess the effect of consuming the oxygen - enriched water preparations on exercise performance in the subject participants . for each parameter , the measurement at each visit was determined as pl1 ( placebo , first visit ), pl2 ( placebo , visit 2 ), agfw1 ( oxygen - enriched water , visit 1 ), and agfw2 ( oxygen - enriched water , visit 2 ). the primary outcome variable for the studies was the latter variable that measures the percent difference in the effect between the oxygen - enriched water and the placebo . given that each subject used both the placebo and the oxygen - enriched preparations , and the fact that the distribution of the study outcomes deviated from normal due to the small sample size , the kolmogorov - smirnov paired , non - parametric tests were used to assess the statistical significance of the different water regimens . the null hypothesis tested was the mean change between the oxygen - enriched preparations ( agfw ) and the placebo was zero . two tailed significance testing was used . when the distribution of the variable deviated from the normal , the non - parametric was used . at visit one , a significant difference was observed in the heart rate of patients consuming the oxygen - enriched , structured and microstructured water , compared to subjects who consumed conventional tap water . at visit 1 , a significant difference was observed in heart rate . heart rate ( hr ) is proportional to the work rate in physical activities with anaerobic energy supply . the relationship between hr and workload is highly reproducible for any individual ( 1 ). the simple way of registering hr has made it the most widely used estimate of metabolic strain in training or competition for many types of exercise ( 2 - 4 ). the measurement of heart rate in this study was based on the change in pulse between the beginning and the end of the exercise test defined as 80 % maximum capacity . the reduction of change in heart rate during exercise until fatigue indicates that subjects who consumed the oxygen - enriched water increased their endurance by significantly reducing the increase of pulse by 65 %. the mean ( sd ) percent change was 0 . 65 ( 4 . 95 ), indicating that when subjects consumed the oxygen - enriched water , the change in heart rate during exercise to fatigue was reduced by 65 % when compared to placebo . the present example demonstrates the utility of the present compositions and methods for inhibiting and / or onset of fatigue in a human . the maintenance of oxygen saturation levels ( i . e ., decreasing the change in oxygen saturation levels attendant exercise ) in response to exercise is also demonstrated . oxygen saturation measurements were taken during the exercise periods . the change in oxygen saturation between beginning of the exercise and the end was used for the determination of effect on oxygen saturation . when subjects consumed the oxygen - enriched water product , the change in blood oxygen saturation after a period of exercise was significantly less than the dramatic drop in blood oxygen saturation demonstrated after exercise in subjects that consumed the bottled santa fe municipal city water ( placebo ). the results show that when the subjects used the oxygen - enriched preparations , the drop in oxygen saturation was less by a factor of 1 . 5 ( 150 %), in comparison to the drop in oxygen saturation demonstrated in subjects consuming the santa fe municipal city bottled water preparations ( placebo ). this effect is statistically significant ( p = 0 . 041 ). the present example demonstrates the utility of the present compositions and methods for inhibiting and / or reducing the increase in levels of blood lactate attendant exercise in a human . in addition , and because blood lactate level may be directly correlated with lactic acid accumulation in muscle attendant exercise , the present example also demonstrates the utility of the presently described methods and compositions for reducing muscle soreness , and for reducing lactic acid accumulation in muscle as indicated by blood lactate levels . the present study demonstrates that consumption of the defined oxygen enriched preparation significantly inhibited ( i . e ., reduced ) the typical increase in blood lactate levels saturation typically attendant exercise . patients were treated and monitored as outlined in example 1 . blood lactate levels were obtained from all subjects . the data from these studies is presented in tables 1 , 2 and 3 . blood lactate levels were at least 89 . 95 % lower in subjects consuming the oxygen - enriched water preparations , compared to blood lactate levels in subjects consuming the bottled water preparation ( placebo ), after the defined exercise regimen . this difference is statistically significant ( p = 0 . 010 ). lactate in the blood can be correlated with the accumulation level of lactic acid in muscle tissue ; the present data also provides indication that the consumption of the oxygen - enriched water preparations as defined herein can significantly reduce lactic acid accumulation in tissues . it is thus further expected that the use of the oxygen - enriched water preparations as herein defined can significantly reduce the muscle soreness / burning typically attendant periods after extreme exercise . the present example is presented to demonstrate the utility of the present methods for reducing and / or inhibiting the significant and sudden increase on oxygen consumption attendant exercise n a human . subjects were treated according to the regimen outlined in example 1 . the oxygen consumption data collected from the subjects that consumed the oxygen - enriched microconstructed water ( agfw ) or the bottled spring water ( placebo ) is presented at tables 1 , 2 and 3 . the study demonstrated that consumption of the defined oxygen enriched preparation significantly inhibited ( i . e ., reduced ) the characteristic increase in oxygen consumption levels saturation typically attendant exercise . over a period of three days of consumption the oxygen - enriched water preparations , a much more static , conservative and constant amount of oxygen consumption was achieved by the body . this is contrasted by the significant increase in oxygen consumption illustrated by the significant increase in oxygen consumption . oxygen consumption was reduced by 50 %. this change was also statistically significant ( p = 0 . 004 ). the present example is presented to demonstrate the utility of the present methods and compositions for reducing and / or inhibiting the onset of fatigue in response to exercise in a human . subjects were treated according t the regimen outlined in example 1 . the fatigue assessment data from the subjects that consumed the oxygen - enriched microstructured water ( agfw ) or the bottled santa fe municipal city water ( placebo ) is presented at tables 1 , 2 and 3 . the mean standard deviation ( sd ) percent change was 0 . 65 ( 4 . 95 ), indicating that when subjects consumed the oxygen enriched preparations , the change in heart rate during exercise to fatigue was reduced by 65 % when compared to placebo . a statistically significant difference with respect to subjective assessment of fatigue by a factor of 59 % in subjects consuming the oxygen - enriched preparations . ( p = 0 . 04 ). the present example is presented to demonstrate the utility of the present methods and compositions for increasing and / or replenishing available oxygen in the blood stream by consuming the oxygen - enriched microstructured water preparations . the present studies were conducted on humans using a medical oximeter . in these studies , it was demonstrated that consumption of the oxygen - enriched , microstructered component containing water compositions of the present invention greatly increased the availability of oxygen in the bloodstream . using the oximeter , it is shown that a person &# 39 ; s blood oxygen levels taken at high altitude ( over 5 , 000 feet ) can be increased within two minutes of consuming the enriched oxygen , microstructured water . the overall increase in oxygen in the blood at high altitudes usually increases from three ( 3 ) to six ( 6 ) points after drinking either ounces of the oxygen enriched , microstructured water . a medical grade oximeter provides an accurate analysis of blood oxygen levels that is not invasive to the patient and that is immediately detectable . the accuracy of the device is +/− 2 %. the device is slipped over the top of , for example , a finger , and allowed to moniter and take a reading of the patient / subject both before and after consuming the appropriate amount of the oxygen enriched , microstructured water . the medical grade oximeter used in the present example demonstrated a measurable increase in the blood hemoglobin levels of the patient . these results demonstrate the utility of using the presently disclosed methods and compositions for the treatment of a variety of conditions associated and / or linked with low blood oxygen , such as altitude sickness . in addition , it is anticipated that the present compositions are also useful as a preferred beverage for consumption by professional athletes and / or those persons involved in any competitive sport , and provide for an enhancement of the persons endurance and performance as a result of the increase in available blood oxygen . the present example demonstrates that the oxygen - enriched preparations herein are capable of retaining a higher concentration and / or amount of oxygen under open - air ( i . e ., open container ) conditions . absent the microstructured nature of the present preparations , the oxygen concentration would decrease and leak / evaporate away . a wtw 300 do meter was used to test and determine oxygen content and stability in the oxygenated alkaline structured water ( this water was 6 months old ). the oxygen content was tested at 76 ppm and tested every hour on the hour for three days . the water was placed in a 4 inch open beaker in a warehouse that had no air conditioning . temperatures ranged from 74 ° f . at night to 101 ° f . during the day . even after agitating the water in the four inch wide beaker every hour after three days , the first hour of the fourth day there was approximately 30 ppm of oxygen in the water . when the water was subsequently boiled , frozen and shaken , the water still was just as effective biologically even though the oxygen was reduced to 30 % of its original levels using a do meter . the foregoing embodiments and advantages are merely exemplary and are not to be construed as limiting the invention . the present teaching can be readily applied to other types of apparatuses . the description of the invention is intended to be illustrative , and not to limit the scope of the claims . many alternatives , modifications , and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art . in the claims , means - plus - function clauses are intended to cover the structures described herein as performing the recited function and not only structural equivalents but also equivalent structures . | 0 |
with reference to fig1 and 2 of the drawings , an edger 8 is illustrated to include a housing assembly 10 , which has been constructed in accordance with the teachings of the present invention . the edger 8 is also shown to include a shroud 20 , a rotary power source 22 , front and rear wheels 24 and 26 , respectively , a blade 28 and a handle 30 . the shroud 20 conventionally houses the rotary power source 22 and serves as the means by which the front and rear wheels 24 and 26 and the handle 30 are coupled to the rotary power source 22 . in the particular embodiment illustrated , the shroud 20 is an integrally formed portion of the housing assembly 10 , but those skilled in the art will understand that the housing assembly 10 may be discrete and separate from other portions of the edger 8 , including those that house a rotary power source . the rotary power source 22 is illustrated to be an electric motor in the example provided and includes an output shaft 34 that is rotatable about a rotary axis 36 . the blade 28 is fixedly but removably coupled to the output shaft 34 such that it is rotatable about the rotary axis 36 . at least one of the front and rear wheels 24 and 26 is preferably movably coupled to the shroud 20 of the housing assembly 10 to permit the height of the blade 28 to be adjusted relative to the ground . the handle 30 is coupled to the shroud 20 via an attachment socket 38 that is integrally formed into the shroud 20 . the housing assembly 10 is also illustrated to include a housing 40 , a door 42 , a hinge pin 44 and a latch mechanism 46 . with reference to fig2 and 3 , the housing 40 includes a first wall member 50 , a guard 52 , a latch securing structure 54 , a first labyrinth member 56 and a first hinge structure 58 . the housing 40 defines a blade cavity 60 in which the blade 28 is rotatably disposed and a generally vertical portion 62 that is oriented generally perpendicular the rotary axis 36 of the output shaft 34 . the guard 52 extends generally perpendicularly from the first wall member 50 in a direction that is generally parallel the rotary axis 36 such that the guard 52 bounds the outer perimeter of the blade cavity 60 . the guard 52 is illustrated to include a confronting portion 68 having a leading end 70 at the forward end of the housing 40 and a trailing end 72 that is located rearwardly of the leading end 70 . the confronting portion 68 is defined by an angle of at least 90 ° and preferably by an angle of at least 120 °. the confronting portion 68 is also characterized by a radius 74 that is centered at a point along the rotary axis 36 . the radius 74 is not constant , but rather increases in a smooth manner in the direction in which the blade 28 rotates between a leading end 70 and a trailing end 72 . the increasing sweep of the radius 74 therefore provides an increasing amount of clearance between the tip 28 a of the blade 28 and the inner surface 68 a of the guard 52 between the leading end 70 of the confronting portion 68 and the trailing end 72 of the confronting portion 68 . preferably , the amount of clearance between the leading end 70 and the trailing end 72 increases by a factor of between about 2 to about 10 . those skilled in the art will understand that while the rate by which the radius 74 increases may correspond to any mathematical model , the rate by which the radius 74 increases is dependent upon numerous considerations , including the maximum overall size of the housing assembly 10 and the capability of the blade 28 to circumferentially shed the dirt and debris encountered by the blade 28 during the operation of the edger 8 . in the particular embodiment illustrated , the guard 52 is shown to include a trailing portion 78 that is coupled to the trailing end 72 of the confronting portion 68 , extending therefrom in a direction that is generally tangent the radius 74 at the trailing end 72 . the trailing portion 78 is configured to maintain an increasing amount of clearance between the guard 52 and the tip 28 a of the blade 28 while permitting the overall size of the housing assembly 10 to be maintained within a predetermined size envelope . in this regard , the trailing portion 78 extends rearwardly by an amount that is relatively smaller than the amount the confronting portion 68 otherwise would have extended had the radius 74 been extended downwardly to the bottom edge of the housing 40 . the extremely smooth configuration of the inner surface 68 a of the guard 52 generally , and of the confronting portion 68 in particular , tends to resist the build - up of dirt and debris that is centrifugally directed at the housing assembly 10 by the rotation of the blade 28 . as such , the frequency and / or duration of routine cleaning events are reduced as compared with other known edger housing assemblies . the latch securing structure 54 is illustrated to be integrally formed with a forward portion of the housing 40 . the latch securing structure 54 includes a ramp portion 80 , a first debris collar 82 and a latch aperture 84 . in the example provided , the ramp portion 80 is formed on a helix having an axis that is generally parallel the axis 36 . the helix has an inner most point 88 that is positioned on a side of the latch aperture 84 and an outer most point 90 that is rotated in a counterclockwise direction relative to the inner most point 88 . the first debris collar 82 surrounds both the ramp portion 80 and the latch aperture 84 , extending generally perpendicularly from the forward portion of the first wall member 50 . in the particular example provided , the latch aperture 84 is illustrated to have a key - hole shape that includes a cylindrical portion 92 and a slotted portion 94 . with reference to fig3 and 5 , the first labyrinth member 56 is a generally l - shaped structure that is coupled to at least a portion of the outer perimeter of the first wall member 50 . the first labyrinth member 56 includes a base portion 100 , which extends from the first wall member 50 , and a leg portion 102 that extends generally perpendicular to the base portion 100 . the first labyrinth member 56 is spaced radially outwardly from the guard 52 and in the particular embodiment illustrated , does not extend outwardly from the generally vertical portion 62 of the first wall member 50 to the same extent as the guard 52 . with renewed reference to fig2 and 3 , the first hinge structure 58 is located rearwardly of the guard 52 and includes first and second hinge bosses 110 and 112 , respectively . each of the first and second hinge bosses 110 and 112 extends generally perpendicularly from the generally vertical portion 62 of the first wall member 50 . a hinge pin aperture 114 extends completely through the first hinge boss 110 and partially through the second hinge boss 112 . the first hinge boss 110 also includes a slotted tab aperture 116 that intersects the hinge pin aperture 114 . with reference to fig2 and 6 , the door 42 is illustrated to include a second wall member 118 , a guard lip 120 , a second labyrinth member 122 , a latch housing structure 124 and a second hinge structure 126 . the second wall member 118 is sized to cover the open end of the housing 40 and includes a generally vertically extending structure 128 that is configured to abut a side of the blade cavity 60 opposite the first wall member 50 . the guard lip 120 is coupled to the generally vertically extending structure 128 and extends generally perpendicularly therefrom . the inner edge 129 of the guard lip 120 is configured to mirror the outer edge 130 of the guard 52 ( fig5 ). with additional reference to fig5 the second labyrinth member 122 is coupled to at least a portion of an outer edge of the second wall member 118 . in the embodiment illustrated , the second labyrinth member 122 is generally u - shaped , having a pair of furcations 144 that extend generally perpendicular the generally vertically extending structure 128 are which are spaced apart from one another to define a void 146 therebetween . with renewed reference to fig2 and 6 , the latch housing structure 124 is illustrated to be formed into a forward portion of the door 42 . an aperture 150 , similar in configuration and size to the latch aperture 84 formed in the housing 40 , extends through the second wall member 118 . a second debris collar 152 extends circumferentially around the aperture 150 on the inner side of the second wall member 118 . a collar ( not specifically shown ) is formed on the outer side of the second wall member 118 radially outwardly of the aperture 150 . with reference to fig7 the latch mechanism 46 is illustrated to include a knob 160 and a spring 162 . in the particular embodiment illustrated , the knob 160 includes a grip portion 166 , a spindle 168 and a latch member 170 . the grip portion 166 includes a flange member 172 and is configured to receive a rotary input from the thumb and forefinger of the operator of the edger 8 . the flange member 172 forms a relatively large surface which supports the loads that are exerted onto the knob 160 by the spring 162 and the operator of the edger 8 . the flange member 172 is sized larger than the aperture 150 so as to prevent the knob 160 from being pushed completely through the door 42 . the spindle 168 is fixedly coupled to the grip portion 166 at a first end and to the latch member 170 at a second end . in the example provided , the spindle 168 is sized to rotate within the cylindrical portions 92 of the latch aperture 84 and aperture 150 that are formed into the housing 40 and the door 42 , respectively . an attachment aperture 176 is formed through the spindle 168 proximate the flange member 172 on an axis that is generally perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the spindle 168 . the latch member 170 extends generally perpendicularly the longitudinal axis of the spindle 168 and is sized to be received through the slotted portion 94 of the latch aperture 84 and aperture 150 . the spring 162 is illustrated to be a combination torsion and tension spring having first and second end members 180 and 182 , respectively . the first end member 180 is configured to engage a portion of the knob 160 , while the second end member 182 is configured to engage the door 42 . the spring 162 fits over the collar that is formed on the outer surface of the door 42 ; the collar serves to position the spring 162 in a radial direction relative to the aperture 150 . in the example provided , the first end member 180 is a post that extends through the attachment aperture 176 that is formed through the spindle 168 while the second end member 182 is generally u - shaped , being configured to extend partially through the slotted portion 94 of the aperture 150 and engage the second wall member 118 . the torsional aspect of the spring 162 biases the knob 160 in a predetermined rotational direction , which , in the particular embodiment illustrated , is counterclockwise , when looking at the outer surface of the door 42 , such that the knob 160 is positioned toward a neutral position as shown in fig1 . the tension aspect of the spring 162 generates a biasing force that tends to push the knob 160 inwardly toward the outer surface of the door 42 . with renewed reference to fig2 and 6 , the second hinge structure 126 extends outwardly from the second wall member 118 , being sized in length to fit between the first and second hinge bosses 110 and 112 on the housing 40 . a hinge pin aperture 188 that is sized to receive the generally cylindrically shaped hinge pin 44 extends through the second hinge structure 126 . as shown in fig8 the door 42 is coupled to the housing 40 such that the second hinge structure 126 is disposed between the first and second hinge bosses 110 and 112 and the hinge pin 44 is inserted into the hinge pin apertures 114 and 188 . a retaining tab 190 is inserted into the slotted tab aperture 116 in the first hinge boss 110 to prevent the hinge pin 44 from becoming dislodged from the hinge pin apertures 114 and 188 . once coupled by the hinge pin 44 , the door 42 is pivotally coupled to the housing 40 about an axis that is defined by the hinge pin 44 . the door 42 is movable between a closed position , as illustrated in fig1 and an open condition , as illustrated in fig2 . with reference to fig2 and 7 , as the door 42 is rotated from the open position to the closed position , the side of the latch member 170 on the knob 160 is brought into contact with the ramp portion 80 that is formed into the latch securing structure 54 of the housing 40 . further rotation of the door 42 about the hinge pin 44 toward the housing 40 causes the latch member 170 to both slide along the ramp portion 80 and rotate in a rotational direction opposite the biasing direction of the spring 162 . when the door 42 has been closed sufficiently to align the latch member 170 to the slotted portion 94 of the latch aperture 84 , the force applied by the spring 162 causes the latch member 170 and a portion of the spindle 168 to shoot through the latch aperture 84 . the knob 160 , no longer being constrained by the ramp portion 80 , thereafter rotates in the predetermined biasing direction in response to the torsional biasing aspect of the spring 162 to rotate the latch member 170 relative to the slotted portion 94 of the latch aperture 84 so that the latch member 170 is no longer aligned to the slotted portion 94 of the latch aperture 84 . from the foregoing , it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the operator of the edger 8 need not manipulate any portion of the latch mechanism 46 to latch the door 42 to the housing 40 . rather , all that is needed to actuate the latch mechanism 46 to latch the door 42 to the housing 40 is to rotate the door 42 and the housing 40 together . with reference to fig5 when the door 42 is placed in a closed position , the guard lip 120 is illustrated to engage the outer perimeter of the guard 52 and the leg portion 102 of the first labyrinth member 56 is shown to engage the void 146 between the furcations 144 of the second labyrinth member 122 . as thus configured , the first and second labyrinth members 56 and 122 cooperate when the door 42 is in the closed position to form a labyrinth seal 200 around at least a portion of the housing assembly 10 that inhibits dust and debris from exiting the housing assembly 10 . further , the guard lip 120 and guard 52 cooperate to form a secondary seal 202 that is located radially inwardly of the labyrinth seal 200 . the secondary seal 202 additionally assists in inhibiting the transmission of dust and debris outwardly of the housing assembly 10 . the secondary seal 202 also tends to inhibit the transmission of dust and debris to other portions of the housing assembly 10 , such as the first and second hinge structures 58 and 126 and the latch mechanism 46 . with reference to fig4 and 7 , when the door 42 is positioned in the closed position , the first and second debris collars 82 and 152 engage or nest to form a supplemental debris guard ( not specifically shown ) around the latch mechanism 46 . the supplemental debris guard tends to inhibit the transmission of any dirt and debris that are expelled past the secondary seal 202 into the latch mechanism 46 . while the invention has been described in the specification and illustrated in the drawings with reference to a preferred embodiment , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the claims . 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 illustrated by the drawings and described in the specification as the best mode presently contemplated for carrying out this invention , but that the invention will include any embodiments falling within the foregoing description and the appended claims . | 0 |
referring initially to fig1 it will there be seen that the reference number 10 denotes a prior art embodiment that will be described to better illustrate the need for an improvement in the means for changing the lateral spacing between guide rails . the prior art conveyor , apparatus having adjustable guide rails includes a hand - rotatable knob 12 that is keyed to shaft 14 . an aperture is formed in frame extension 16 to receive said shaft . a drive gear 18 is mounted to the distal end of shaft 14 and said gear 18 is in meshing engagement with control gear 20 that is keyed for conjoint rotation to longitudinally disposed drive shaft 22 . a bore is formed in mounting block 24 to accommodate said drive shaft 22 . accordingly , manual rotation of knob 12 in a clockwise direction effects clockwise rotation of longitudinal shaft 22 and manual rotation of knob 12 in a counterclockwise direction effects rotation of drive shaft 22 in a counterclockwise direction . pinion gear 26 is also keyed to drive shaft 22 for conjoint rotation therewith ; it is longitudinally spaced from gear 20 as depicted . rack gear 28 is formed in a first or upward - facing side of transverse rod 30 and rack gear 32 is formed in a second or downward - facing side of transverse rod 34 . rack gears 28 and 32 respectively engage pinion gear 25 in diametrically opposing relation to one another when the novel assembly is in its assembled configuration . accordingly , clockwise rotation of knob 12 effects clockwise rotation of pinion gear 26 . both rack gears 30 and 34 are thus displaced in converging relation to one another , i . e ., in the respective directions of arrows 31 and 35 , respectively . counterclockwise rotation of said knob 12 effects counterclockwise rotation of pinion gear 26 and displacement of rods 30 , 34 in diverging relation to one another , i . e ., in the respective directions indicated by arrows 29 and 33 . this converging and diverging of rods 30 and 34 results in reducing and increasing the space between guide rails 40 and 42 , respectively , because said guide rails are rigidly connected to upstanding rail supports 44 and 46 . pins 43 and 45 secure the respective lowermost ends of said rail supports 44 , 46 , to the outboard ends of rods 30 and 34 . more particularly , pins 45 and 47 respectively secure the uppermost ends of rail supports 44 , 46 to guide rails 40 , 42 . each rail support 44 , 46 has a vertically - extending slot 49 , 51 formed therein to allow height adjustability of said guide rails and a bushing 53 , 55 is positioned between the uppermost end of each rail support and its associated guide rail as depicted . guide rails 40 , 42 may be of any length . accordingly , the same rack and pinion structure just described is provided along the longitudinal extent of a conveyor apparatus at predetermined longitudinal intervals . the parts in fig1 that correspond to the just - described parts are denoted by the same reference numeral having the letter “ a ” appended thereto . the remaining parts depicted in fig1 are industry standard conveyor parts . for example , the reference numeral 60 denotes a conveyor belt made of individual parts as depicted but the construction has utility in connection with conveyor means of any type , including air - jet conveyor means having no belt . vertical frames 62 , 64 are also of conventional design , modified as needed to facilitate attachment thereto of the novel parts . mounting blocks 66 , 68 are mounted on the respective inboard sides of frames 62 , 64 to provide support for rods 30 and 34 and are secured by pins collectively denoted 67 . it is worth noting that the novel apparatus can be used to change the position of only one guide rail in those situations , such as on timing screws , where two guide rails are not needed . fig2 provides an assembled view of the rack and pinion assembly . the only reference numeral in fig2 that does not appear in fig1 is reference numeral 11 which collectively designates wiper seals at each location where rack gears 30 and 34 extend through frames 62 and 64 . in the alternative prior art embodiment of fig3 the output shaft of reversible motor 70 is secured for conjoint rotation to drive shaft 22 . motor 70 is of the reversible type to enable clockwise and counterclockwise of said shaft 22 . in this way , motor 70 replaces knob 12 , shaft 22 , and gear 20 of the first embodiment . fig4 provides a perspective view of the prior art apparatus when a curve is formed in the conveyor apparatus . the structure is substantially the same as in the above - described embodiments where the conveyor is straight , with the exception that a section of guide rails 40 , 42 ( only one of which is depicted to simplify the drawing ) and frames 62 , 64 are curved . the rack and pinion - based structure for positioning the guide rails is not changed . note that expansion slots 42 a are formed in the respective ends of the guide rail sections adjacent to the curve and that the curved section of guide rail 42 has a tongue 42 b protruding from each of its ends for sliding reception within said slots 42 a . the respective lengths of the tongue and slots is sufficient to enable the tongues to remain within their respective slots as the distance between the guide rails 40 , 42 is varied by the rack and pinion arrangement described above . fig5 a , 5 b , and 5 c are the first figures of this disclosure that relate directly to the present invention . said figures depict a means for alternately moving guide rails 40 , 42 toward and away from one another that does not include the above - described rack and pinion arrangement . moreover , as will be understood in connection with fig6 a - c , this novel embodiment does not require use of control knob 12 or motor 70 . more particularly , this embodiment employs drive shaft 22 a and said shaft can be rotated clockwise and counterclockwise as in the preceding embodiments by any suitable means such as manually rotatable control knob 12 and related assembly or reversible motor 70 , although such manipulation means are not the preferred means as aforesaid . instead of having a circular cross - section , drive shaft 22 a has a non - circular cross section to thereby facilitate its connection to center link 80 . center link 80 is keyed to drive shaft 22 a for conjoint rotation therewith and is pivotally connected at its opposite or outboard ends as at 81 , 83 to first and second links 82 , 84 . said first and second links are pivotally connected at their respective outermost or outboard ends as at 85 , 87 to mounting blocks 86 , 88 , respectively . mounting blocks 86 , 88 are slideably mounted upon upper and lower rods 90 , 92 . it should therefore be understood that prior art rail supports 44 , 46 and hence prior art guide rails 40 , 42 are mounted to said mounting blocks 86 , 88 , respectively . accordingly , when center link 80 is positioned as depicted in fig5 a , guide rails 40 , 42 are spaced apart from one another by a distance that is almost their maximum distance ; all three links would lie in a horizontal straight line at said maximum distance . clockwise rotation of drive shaft 22 a over a sixty degree or so angle brings center link 80 to its fig5 b position ; this represents an intermediate spacing for guide rails 40 , 42 . further rotation of about another thirty degrees in the clockwise direction brings the links to their fig5 c position ; this position is the position where guide rails 40 , 42 are at their closest spacing relative to one another . fig5 d , 5 e , and 5 f respectively provide a top , front , and an end view that further reveal the preferred structure of this embodiment . links 80 , 92 and 84 are collectively in a horizontal plane in these figures , representing their respective positions when guide rails 40 , 42 , not depicted , are at their maximum spacing with respect to one another . upstanding elements 94 , 96 are a part of a conventional conveyor frame . center blocks 98 a , 98 b are mounted on longitudinal shaft 22 a and are spaced from one another by pivot yoke 99 . center blocks 98 a , 98 b , and pivot yoke 99 are supports and thus perform the same function as pillow blocks . as mentioned earlier , rotation of drive shaft 22 a may be under the control of a manual knob , a reversible motor , or other suitable prior art control means . fig6 a , 6 b , and 6 c depict a novel manually operable means for accomplishing rotation of said drive shaft 22 a . this embodiment includes an elongate crank arm 100 having a free end 102 that is grasped by a machine operator when it is desired to change the spacing between guide rails 40 , 42 . crank arm 100 is pivotally connected as at 104 to bell crank 106 having a drive shaft engaging first end and a second end that is angularly disposed with respect to the first . beginning in the position of fig6 a , the machine operator pushes crank arm 100 in the direction indicated by single - headed directional arrow 103 . such motion causes drive shaft 22 a to rotate about its axis of rotation in a clockwise direction until the position of fig6 b is reached . if it is desired to reduce the distance between the guide rails even more , crank arm 100 is again pushed , in the direction of arrow 105 , until it attains the position of fig6 c , which final position represents the closest possible spacing of the guide rails . note that center link 80 in fig6 c is in substantially the same position as center link 80 in fig5 c . crank arm 100 is simply moved in the opposite direction to increase the spacing between the guide rails . free end 102 of control arm 100 may be pivotally and slideably connected as at 108 to a straight , elongate rail 110 . there are an infinite number of positions of functional adjustment between the closest and the furthest spacing of the guide rails . an operator can push or pull on crank arm 100 and thereby reposition the guide rails as needed much faster than when using a control knob or a motor that rotates drive shaft 22 a . moreover , the operator can see the instantaneous response of the guide rails so fine adjustments are easy to make . one drawback of the adjustment means of fig6 a - c is that it is not easily lockable . thus , to maintain a selected rail spacing , an operator must continue to hold crank arm 100 or must rig up something to hold control arm 100 in place when it is not manually held . this problem is solved by the embodiments of fig7 a , 7 b , 7 c and fig8 a and 8b . an elongate screw actuator 112 is employed in the embodiment of fig7 a - c , said screw actuator being pivotally secured to the free end of control arm 100 at pivot point 108 . the guide rails are at their narrowest spacing when control arm 100 is in its fig7 a position and at an intermediate spacing when said control arm is in its fig7 c position . the fig7 b position provides a spacing less than said intermediate spacing . there are an infinite number of spacings between the narrowest and broadest spacings . including a worm gear , screw actuator 112 is substantially self - lockable . the embodiment of fig8 a and 8b includes a pneumatic cylinder 114 having an actuator 116 pivotally connected as at 108 to the distal free end of control arm 100 . the guide rails are at their narrowest spacing when actuator 116 is filly extended as depicted in fig8 a and at their broadest spacing when said actuator is filly retracted as depicted in fig8 b . control arm is clearly lockable into either of said maximum and minimum positions but there are no intermediate positions . fig9 provides a perspective view of a curved section of the novel conveyance means . it should be understood that changing the spacing between guide rails 40 , 42 necessitates changing the length of the curved sections , i . e ., the curved sections have their greatest extent when said guide rails are at a maximum spacing and their least extent when said guide rails are at a minimum spacing . the novel means for accomplishing this change in length includes straight guide rail extensions 40 a , 40 b and 42 a , 42 b that are respectively slideably secured to opposite ends of curved guide rail sections 40 and 42 . a stop block 40 c , 40 d is respectively fixedly secured to each extension 40 a , 40 b and a stop block 42 c , 42 d is respectively fixedly secured to each extension 42 a , 42 b as depicted . curved guide rails 40 , 42 are axially bored to respectively slideably receive rods 40 e , 40 f and 42 e , 42 f that are respectively secured to said stop blocks 40 c , 40 d and 42 c , 42 d . in this way , the effective length of curved guide rail 40 is lengthened by displacing extensions 40 a , 40 b in the direction of arrows 120 and said effective length is shortened by displacing said extensions in the opposite direction . similarly , the effective length of curved guide rail 42 is shortened by displacing extensions 42 a , 42 b in the direction of arrows 122 and said effective length is lengthened by displacing said extensions in the opposite direction . the novel linkage is free of gears and motors . it does not require frequent maintenance or adjustment and thus reduces conveyor system downtime . the spacing between the guide rails can be changed quickly and easily , in both straight and curved sections thereof . it has utility with all types of conveyance systems , whether of the belt , gravity , or air type . it also has utility in connection with machines or tools other than conveyance systems . it will be seen that the objects set forth above , and those made apparent from the foregoing description , are efficiently attained . since certain changes may be made in the above construction without departing from the scope of the invention , it is intended that all matters contained in the foregoing description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense . it is also to be understood that the following claims are intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described , and all statements of the scope of the invention which , as a matter of language , might be said to fall therebetween . | 1 |
the disclosed projectiles of the present invention will be more fully understood by reference to the following description . both the projectiles and a process for the making of the projectiles will be described . variations and modifications of both the projectiles and the process can be substituted without departing from the principles of the invention , as will be evident to those skilled in the art . the projectiles are produced from a cold compacted iron based powder . “ cold compaction ” is used in its customary meaning , that is , that the compaction is carried out at substantially ambient conditions , without applied heat . anchorsteel 1000 b , which is commercially available from hoeganes corp ., is one product that , due to its particle size distribution , is well suited for use as iron powder in the projectiles . however , other iron based powders with similar particle size distributions may also be used . anchorsteel 1000 b and other similar products will provide the advantage of integrity of the projectile before and during firing and frangibility upon impact with a target media . once the powder is compacted into projectile cores , the cores are sintered at a temperature between 850 ° f .- 1550 ° f . ( 454 ° c .- 788 ° c .). the projectiles may be provided with a jacket surrounding the core . the jacket material can be selected from materials customarily used in the art , for example , metal or polymeric material . metals which can be used include aluminum , copper , brass and zinc , with copper being a particularly suitable choice . polymeric materials which can be used include polyethylene and polycarbonate , with a low density polyethylene material being particularly suitable . the projectiles can have a variety of configurations , including shot and bullets , but are preferably formed into bullets for use with firearms . the bullets can have noses of various profiles , including round nose , flat point , or hollow point . either the bullet or the jacket , if so provided , can include a driving band which increases the ballistic accuracy and reduces bullet dispersion . the projectiles can be manufactured by a process wherein the powdered iron mixture of the desired particle sizes is admixed to provide a mixture with the desired particle size distribution . the powdered iron can also preferably be mixed with a lubricant . this lubricant aids in removing the projectiles from the mold after compaction is complete . if a lubricant is to be added , it can be added to the powdered iron admixture . zinc stearate and lithium stearate are suitable lubricants . other lubricants that are compatible with iron particles can be used . up to about 1 . 0 % by weight of zinc stearate can be beneficially added to the powdered iron prior to compaction . about 0 . 5 % has been found to be particularly satisfactory . the admixture is then placed in a die which is designed to provide the desired shape of the projectile . a wide variety of projectiles can be made , including shot and bullets . the invention is particularly beneficial in bullet manufacture , and especially those having a generally elongated configuration in which a leading end has a smaller circumference than a trailing end . the admixture of iron based powder is cold compacted at a pressure of about from 50 , 000 to 120 , 000 psi , with a pressure of about 100 , 000 psi being particularly preferred . compacting at a pressure of about 100 , 000 psi provides the best combination of projectile integrity before and during firing and frangibility upon impact with a target . the compaction step can be performed on any mechanical press capable of providing at least about 50 , 000 psi pressure for a dwell time which can be infinitesimally small . presently available machinery operates with dwell times of about from 0 . 05 to 1 . 5 seconds . a conventional rotary dial press is well suited for performing compaction . after compaction , the resulting projectile core is sintered at a temperature between 850 ° f .- 1550 ° f . ( 454 ° c .- 788 ° c .). after the projectile core is sintered , a jacket can be formed around the projectile , if so desired . such a jacket is preferred for a number of reasons . the jacket isolates the powdered iron based material of the projectile from the gun barrel , preventing accelerated erosion of the rifling of the gun barrel which might result from direct contact between the interior surface of the barrel and the powdered metal of the projectile , the jacket also helps provide additional integrity of the projectile before and during firing , as well as improving the ballistics and accuracy of the projectile upon firing . in the case of metal jackets , the jacket can be applied by any number of conventional processes , including acid or cyanide electroplating , mechanical swaging , spray coating , and chemical adhesion . electroplating is a particularly suitable method for applying the jacket . a variety of electroplating techniques can be used to apply the jacket , as will be evident to those in the plating art . in general , the projectiles are first cleaned , generally with an acid wash , and then sealed before the final plating . the sealing can be accomplished by impregnating the projectile core with a silicone solution ( such as imprex 95 - 1000a or chemence anaseal hc90 ), or by dipping the projectile in a solution of metal , such as copper , nickel or zinc , prior to the final plating . when sealing the surface with metal , copper is preferred . in a preferred method of plating , a vacuum impregnation is performed after the acid wash . this impregnation involves infusion of the formed projectile cores in a silicone based material in a large batch type operation . the impregnation step reduces the porosity of the projectile cores by filling voids at or near the surface of the cores . these voids can contain impurities which might cause corrosion and plate fouling . the impregnation step also provides a barrier to prevent collection of plate bath chemicals in the recesses . such collected chemicals could leach through the plating , discoloring and changing the dimensions of the projectile . after sealing the surface of the projectile cores , the projectile cores are plated with jacketing material . if the jacketing material is copper or other metal , a desired thickness of the copper or other plating metal is deposited on the projectile . for copper jackets , acid copper plating is preferably used , which is faster and more environmentally friendly than alternative techniques , such as cyanide copper plating . after jacketing , the projectile can be sized using customary techniques and fabricated into a cartridge . in addition to the protective benefits obtained by adding a jacket to the sintered powdered iron based projectile cores , the additional mass of the jacket aids in the functionality and reliability of the projectiles when used with semi - automatic and fully automatic firearms . such firearms require that a minimal impulse be delivered to the gun slide for operation , and the mass added by a jacket ( approximately 5 - 10 % increase ) provides enough mass for the use of the projectiles with these firearms . the novel projectiles are further illustrated by the following specific example , in which parts and percentages are by volume , unless otherwise indicated . iron powders are blended with other metals like copper and / or tin . the blend is pressed to form 9 mm small arms bullet cores at ambient temperature and a pressure of 100 , 000 psi ( 7030 kg / cm 2 ) and sintered at 850 ° f .- 1450 ° f . ( 454 ° c .- 788 ° c .). a copper jacket is applied to the bullet cores by washing with acid , impregnating with silicone solution ( either imprex 95 - 1000a or chemence anaseal hc90 ), or dipping in a nickel solution , and then electroplating the cores with copper to provide an outer jacket having a thickness of 5 mils ( 0 . 13 mm ). the resulting bullets are fabricated into cartridges with appropriate explosive charges , and tested for frangibility on firing . the bullets fracture on impact to fine iron powder of 1 - 2 grains or less . the copper jacketing also fractures , but with pieces no larger than 5 . 0 grains . | 5 |
as indicated above , the polymers of this invention are prepared by the reaction of ( a ) a homopolymer of an n - vinyl lactam , ( b ) a half - acid monoester of an unsaturated dicarboxylic acid , and ( c ) an ethylenically unsaturated compound . the polymeric n - vinyl lactams utilized in the preparation of the compositions of this invention are characterized by the following general structural formula : ## str1 ## wherein r represents an alkylene bridge group necessary to complete a 5 , 6 or 7 - membered heterocyclic ring system , r 1 represents either hydrogen or a methyl group , and n represents a number indicative of the extent of polymerization and is usually at least 3 or 4 . all of the specific polymeric materials characterized by the foregoing general formula are commercially available and called polymeric n - vinyl lactams . they are obtained by polymerizing organic 5 , 6 or 7 - membered ring compounds containing in their rings the -- nh -- co - group , such as , for example , n - vinyl - 2 - pyrrolidone , n - vinyl - 2 - piperidone , n - vinyl - 2 - caprolactam , n - vinyl - 3 - methyl - 2 - pyrrolidone , n - vinyl - 3 - methyl - 2 - piperidone , or n - vinyl - 3 - methyl - 2 - caprolactam , n - vinyl - 4 - methyl - 2 - pyrrolidone , n - vinyl - 4 - methyl - 2 - piperidone or n - vinyl - 4 - methyl - 2 - caprolactam , n - vinyl - 5 - methyl - 2 - pyrrolidone , n - vinyl - 5 - methyl - 2 - piperidone , n - vinyl - 3 - ethyl - 2 - pyrrolidone , n - vinyl - 4 , 5 - dimethyl - 2 - pyrrolidone , n - vinyl - 5 , 5 - dimethyl - 2 - pyrrolidone , n - vinyl - 3 , 3 , 5 - trimethyl - 2 - pyrrolidone , n - vinyl - 5 - methyl - 5 - ethyl - 2 - pyrrolidone , n - vinyl - 3 , 4 , 5 - trimethyl - 3 - ethyl - 2 - pyrrolidone , n - vinyl - 6 - methyl - 2 - piperidone , n - vinyl - 6 - ethyl - 2 - piperidone , n - vinyl - 3 , 5 - dimethyl - 2 - piperidone , n - vinyl - 4 , 4 - dimethyl - 2 - piperidone , n - vinyl - 7 - methyl - 2 - caprolactam , n - vinyl - 7 - ethyl - 2 - caprolactam , n - vinyl - 3 , 5dimethyl - 2 - caprolactam , n - vinyl - 4 , 6 - dimethyl - 2 - caprolactam and n - vinyl - 3 , 5 , 7 - trimethyl - 2 - caprolactam . of these several compounds , n - vinyl - 2 - pyrrolidone is most preferred as it is readily available and provides products having excellent properties . depending upon the extent of polymerization , they have molecular weights ranging from at least 400 up to 2 , 000 , 000 or more . viscosity measurements are commonly used as an indication of the average molecular weight of polymeric compositions , the instant polymers being characterized by a chain of carbon atoms to which the lactam rings are attached through their nitrogen atoms : ## str2 ## the k value ( fikentscher ) of any particular mixture of polymers is calculated from viscosity data and is useful as an indication of the average molecular weight of such mixture . its determination is fully described in &# 34 ; modern plastics &# 34 ;, 23 , no . 3 , 157 - 61 , 212 , 214 , 216 , 218 ( 1945 ). the number of recurring polymer units enclosed by brackets in the foregoing general structural formula , indicated by n , or the extent of degree of polymerization , corresponds to a chain of roughly 4 to 20 , 000 monomer units or more . in actual practice , a mixture of polymeric molecules , each containing a different number ( n ) of monomer units , is always produced . the polymers are readily prepared by the procedural steps given in u . s . pat . nos . 2 , 265 , 450 ; 2 , 317 , 804 ; and 2 , 335 , 454 in which working examples of all the species characterized by the above formula are given and all of which are incorporated herein by reference thereto . the half esters of the unsaturated dicarboxylic acids used as copolymers in accordance with the present invention are generally half esters of lower unsaturated dicarboxylic acids , specifically half esters of such acids as : maleic , fumaric , itaconic , citraconic , mesaconic , etc . a preferred unsaturated dicarboxylic acid half ester in the half ester of maleic acid . the ester portion of the half ester of the unsaturated dicarboxylic acid employed as a copolymer in the polymerization process of the present invention is the residue of an aliphatic , cycloaliphatic , aromatic , or heterocyclic alcohol . thus , the ester moiety of the half ester of the unsaturated dicarboxylic acid can comprise any of the following exemplary radicals : aliphatic - methyl , ethyl , isopropyl , n - propyl , n - butyl , t - butyl , n - amyl , n - hexyl , n - heptyl n - octyl , iso - octyl , 2 - ethyl - hexyl , oxo - octyl , n - nonyl , oxo - nonyl , n - decyl , iso - decyl , n - dodecyl , n - tridecyl , lauryl , stearyl , n - hexadecyl , n - octadecyl , eicosyl , etc . ; cycloaliphatic - cylohexyl , etc . ; aromatic - benzyl , etc . ; heterocyclic - tetrahydrofurfuryl , furfuryl , etc . of the above , lower alkyl radicals derived from lower aliphatic alcohols are preferred . the monoesters of the unsaturated dicarboxylic acids employed as one monomer in the polymerization of the present invention can be prepared by any process well known in the art . thus , for example , such esters can be readily prepared by heating essentially equimolar amounts of the appropriate alcohol and the unsaturated dicarboxylic acid or anhydride at about 40 ° to 80 ° c until the monoester is prepared by esterification of one of the carboxylic groups of the unsaturated dicarboxylic acid or anhydride . again , such process and similar processes are well known in the art . the most highly preferred half esters for use in the present invention are the derivatives of maleic acid of the following formula : ## str3 ## wherein r is a substituted or unsubstituted hyrocarbon group . a . alkyl groups and substituted alkyl groups of 1 to about 18 carbon atoms , either straight or branched chain , e . g . methyl , ethyl , n - propyl , isopropyl , n - butyl , isobutyl , n - pentyl , n - hexyl , nonyl , decyl , didecyl ; hydroxylalkyl , e . g . hydroxymethyl , 2 - hydroxyethyl 3 - hydroxypropyl ; haloalkyl , e . g . chloromethyl , 2 - chloroethyl , 3 - chloropropyl , etc . and the like ; as well as unsaturated carbon chains such as alkenyl ( e . g . ethenyl , propenyl , etc .) and alkynyl ( e . g . propynyl , butynyl , etc . ): b . cycloalkyl groups of 3 to about 8 carbon atoms such as cyclopropyl , cyclobutyl , cyclopentyl , cyclohexyl , cycloheptyl and cyclooctyl ; c . aryl groups and substituted aryl groups ( e . g . alkaryl ) of about 6 to about 15 carbon atoms , e . g . phenyl , o -, m - and p - xylyl , tolyl , phenyl substituted by one or more alkyl groups of 1 to 7 carbon atoms , 1 - naphthyl , 2 - naphthyl and the like ; and d . aralkyl groups of 6 to 15 carbon atoms such as benzyl , phenethyl and the like . especially preferred maleates which may be used are those where r is an alkyl group of 1 to about 10 carbon atoms , such as , for example , 2 - ethylhexyl maleate , because of their ease of preparation , ready availability , and the properties of products produced therefrom . the invention will be described hereinafter with respect to the maleates . the third reactant , the ethylenically unsaturated compound , may be described as one which contains a vinyl (-- c = c --) linkage in the molecule capable of undergoing vinyl polymerization . suitable compounds useful as such monomers ae of the following formula : ## str4 ## wherein x is an aromatic hydrocarbon group , an aliphatic or cycloaliphatic hydrocarbon group , a nitrile group , a carboxylic acid ester group , an alcoholic ester group , an aldehyde group , a ketone group , an amide group , a heterocyclic ring group and the like . exemplary of x as an aromatic hydrocarbon group there may be mentioned aryl , alkaryl and arylalkyl of 6 to about 20 carbon atoms such as phenyl , biphenyl , naphthyl , alkylphenyl , e . g . tolyl , p -, m - and o - xylyl , benzyl , phenethyl and the like . representative aliphatic hydrocarbon groups for x are alkyl of 1 to 7 carbon atoms , e . g . methyl , ethyl , n - propyl , isopropyl , n - butyl , etc . as well as cycloalkyl and carbon chains which contain additional double bond unsaturation . exemplary of x as an acid ester group is x of the formula : wherein r 3 is alkyl of 1 to 10 carbon atoms , cycloalkyl of 3 to 8 carbon atoms or aryl , aralkyl or alkaryl of 6 to 15 carbon atoms . any of these groups may also be substituted with nitro , amino , halogen , nitrile , etc ., groups . alcoholic ester groups for x are those of the formula : wherein r 3 is as above . aldehyde groups which may be mentioned include those of the formula : where r 4 is a single bond or the same as r 3 as defined above . similarly , ketone groups are of the formula : ## str5 ## wherein r 4 and r 3 are as defined above . as amide groups , there are intended those of the formula : wherein r 3 and r 4 are as defined above . as heterocyclic groups there are mentioned ring structures of 4 to 8 carbon atoms which also contain one or more nitrogen atoms , sulfur atoms or oxygen atoms in the ring , e . g . pyrrolidine , piperidine , pyridine , piperazine , indole , imidazole , pyran , furan , thiopyran , thiofuran and the like . it is therefore to be understood that , in general , the ethylenically unsaturated reactant is inclusive of those monomers which contain a vinyl grouping which is subject to vinyl polymerization under the reaction conditions . especially preferred reactants of this class are α - mono - olefins of 1 to 7 carbon atoms , e . g . ethylene , propylene , 1 - butylene , 1 - pentylene , etc . ; arylalkenes of 8 to 15 carbon atoms , e . g . styrene , vinyl toluene , phenylethylene , etc . ; the alkyl acrylates , e . g . methylacrylate , ethylacrylate , etc . ; acrylonitrile , alkyl vinyl ketones , e . g . methyl vinyl ketone , ethyl vinyl ketone , etc . acrylamide and dialkyl - substituted acrylamides . mixtures of these compounds may also be used . while not wishing to be bound by any particular theory or mechanism of reaction , it is believed that the arrangement of the monomeric units , that is , the mono or half ester of the unsaturated dicarboxylic acid and he ethylenically unsaturated compound is an important part of the invention in relation to the polymeric n - vinyl lactam . with respect to the graft copolymers of the present invention , the above units are not situated in the main polymer chain but rather they form a more or less alternating side chain on the preformed n - vinyl lactam , such as polyvinyl pyrrolidone , which forms the skeletal chain for the addition of such monomeric units . as pointed out above , it is believed that the arrangement of the monomer units in the final graft polymer structure , as side chains composed of said units pendant from the skeletal chain of the preformed n - vinyl lactam such as , polyvinyl pyrrolidone , represents an important aspect of the present invention and as such , the novel graft polymers can be readily and conveniently prepared by subjecting a suitable mixture of an n - vinyl lactam , such as poly n - vinylpyrrolidone and monomeric units to polymerization conditions whereby vinyl - type polymerization occurs through the ethylenically unsaturated groups of the monomers . such means of vinyl - type polymerizations are well known in the art and include inducing means for initiating polymerization such as the use of high energy radiation including gamma radiation , x - rays and the like or by the use of a free radical type catalyst such as a free radical producing redox - system , which is preferred . broadly speaking , the invention includes the provision of a graft copolymer of a monomer mixture comprising approximately by weight a . 5 to 50 % of a monomer having the formula ## str6 ## wherein r is a substituted or unsubstituted hydrocarbon group ; and wherein x is an aromatic , aliphatic or cycloaliphatic hydrocarbon group , a nitrile group , a carboxylic acid ester group , an alcoholic acid ester group , an aldehyde group , a ketone group , an amide group or a heteroryclic ring group , graft polymerized on a poly ( n - vinyl lactam ) substrate ; a stable aqueous emulsion containing same , a latex derived therefrom and a process for producing both the emulsion and the graft copolymer . the graft copolymer system described in the present invention can be varied over a wide range by : c . using various ethylenically unsaturated compounds with different substituents on the -- ch = ch 2 group ; and it will be seen therefore that the resulting graft copolymer with units containing the carboxylic acid group as well as the ethylenic compound provide functionalities through which the polymers may be subjected to various chemical reactions to yield a variety of products . thus , the polymers of the invention provide a wide and flexible range of properties for film - forming polymers . the ratio of each of these reactants may be varied as desired over a wide range consistent with attainment of the desired properties . however , for obtaining optimum properties of the polymers , the following ratios by weight of the monomers are preferred : ______________________________________monomer parts by weight______________________________________poly ( n - vinyl lactam ) 10 to 90dicarboxylic acid half ester 5 to 50ethylene compound 5 to 85______________________________________ for the preparation of the graft polymers of the invention , the polymer first has to be activated with a water soluble activator ( e . g ., ammonium persulfate ) at elevated temperatures . this treatment creates active sites along the polymer chain , rendering it suitable for the attachment of monomeric units by grafting . the monomer is introduced into the reaction system containing the activated polymeric n - vinyl lactam , such as poly n - vinyl pyrrolidone . where permissible , it is preferred to carry out the reaction by dissolving or dispersing the reactants in an aqueous solution in the desired concentrations in the presence of a catalyst for initiation of polymerization . in addition to free radical producing redox catalyst systems , which are preferred for use herein , other catalysts can be employed and include per - compounds such as organic and inorganic peroxides , for example , benzoyl peroxide , cumene hydroperoxide , hydrogen peroxide , acetyl peroxide , lauroxyl peroxide or persulfates , for example , alkali metal persulfates such as sodium and potassium persulfates , ammonium persulfate and the like , perborates , such as , sodium , potassium and ammonium perborates as well as azobisnitriles , such as azo bis - isobutylnitrile . if desired , mixtures of catalysts can be employed . the catalyst concentration in the reaction system is not necessarily a critical feature of the invention . the amount of catalyst can be varied over a wide range , but , advantageously , an amount of catalyst of from about 0 . 01 to 2 . 0 weight percent or more can be employed , based on the total weight of reactants being polymerized . the temperature at which the reaction is advantageously carried out can be varied over a wide range of from about - 10 ° c and lower to about 180 ° c and higher , however , it is preferred to conduct the graft polymerization reaction at a temperature of about 70 °- 95 ° c in order to avoid an undesirably violent reaction . graft polymerization temperatures of about 80 ° c provide products having the desirable physical characteristics of latex viscosity and molecular weight . the graft polymerization reaction is normally carried out in a reaction vessel under the pressure of the monomers at any given reaction temperature , however , if desired , the pressure may be increased by the introduction of an inert gas such as nitrogen or argon and the like . additionally , the reaction is preferably carried out in the absence of free oxygen in order to provide optium conditions for the graft polymerization reaction . if desired , an activating agent such as an alkali metal sulfite or bisulfite , e . g ., sodium , potassium , etc ., sulfites and metabisulfites can be added to the polymerization reaction mixture in about the same amount as the polymerization catalyst in which case lower polymerization temperatures may be used . chain regulators such as hexyl , cetyl , dodecyl , myristyl , etc ., mercaptans can also be employed in the polymerizations . suitable surface - active agents include fatty acid soaps , fatty alcohol sulfates such as sodium lauryl sulfate , potassium lauryl sulfate , etc ., alkali metal salts of aromatic sulfonic acids , e . g ., sodium isobutylnaphthalene sulfonate , etc ., sulfosuccinic esters , a - stearaminopropyl , dimethyl β - hydroxyethyl ammonium chloride , and the like . the emulsions can be compounded with additives such as pigments , salts , wetting agents , resins , waxes and the like , thus providing a wide spectrum of products having wide industrial application . it has also been found that stable emulsions of the class described above can be prepared without the use of emulsifying agents or protective colloids , although it has been observed that it is preferable to add such materials to the emulsion recipe in order to obtain high conversions and greater stability of the resultant emulsions . these polymers , as indicated above , are useful as coatings , sizes , polishes , adhesives and in similarly related applications . the following examples illustrate the invention but are not to be considered as limiting the same . in the examples , parts and percentages are by weight unless otherwise designated . apparatus : a two - liter kettle equipped with thermometer , mechanical stirrer , reflux condenser , gas inlet tube and dropping funnel . procedure : to a solution made by dissolving 192 g of pvp ( k - 30 ) in 715 g distilled water , 12 g nonylphenoxy poly ( ethyleneoxy ) ethanol ( igepal co - 630 ) and 3 g sodium acetate are added . the system is purged with nitrogen , and the temperature is raised to 60 ° c . at this point , 2 . 2 g ammonium persulfate are added , and the heating is continued . the mixture is kept at 100 ° c for 30 minutes , after which the temperature is lowered to 70 ° c . a mixture consisting of 260 g ethylacrylate , 28 g 2 - ethylhexyl maleate and 12 g igepal is placed in a dropping funnel . ten weight percent of this mixture is added to the kettle at 70 ° c in 5 minutes . the mixture is stirred for another 10 minutes . after that , 5 g of 5 % ammonium persulfate is added . the addition of the rest of the monomers is started immediately and is completed in 1 hour . the temperature is maintained for another hour , then the temperatures are lowered to 25 ° c and the latex is discharged through cheesecloth . ______________________________________ingredients : 715 g distilled water 192 g pvp / k - 30 24 g igepal co - 630 3 g sodium acetate 2 . 2 g ammonium persulfate ( 100 %) 5 g ammonium persulfate ( 5 %) 260 g butylacrylate 28 g amyl maleate______________________________________ ______________________________________ingredients : 600 . 0 g distilled water 120 . 0 g pvp / k - 30 5 . 6 g gafac re - 610 3 . 6 g sodium acetate 1 . 8 g ammonium persulfate 100 % 0 . 8 g ammonium persulfate 5 % 84 . 0 g monoethyl maleate 196 . 0 g vinylacetate______________________________________ procedure : a solution made by dissolving pvp , surfactant and sodium acetate in distilled water is placed in the reaction vessel . the system is purged with nitrogen , then it is heated to 60 ° c . at this temperature , 1 . 8 g ammonium persulfate is introduced , and the heating is continued up to 100 ° c . the latter temperature is maintained for 30 minutes . after that , the temperature is lowered to 70 ° c , and addition of the monomer mixture is started . one - third of the monomers is added in 40 minutes , the mixture is agitated for 10 minutes , and then 0 . 8 g of 5 % ammonium persulfate is added . the mixture is allowed to react for 10 minutes , then addition of the monomers is resumed . the addition of monomers and catalyst is repeated two more times . when addition is over , the temperature is held for 1 hour , then another 0 . 8 g of 5 % catalyst solution is added . one hour later the system is cooled to 25 ° c and the product - a milky , white emulsion - is discharged through a cheese - cloth . ______________________________________ingredients : 600 . 0 g distilled water 120 . 0 g pvp / k - 30 8 . 0 g igepal co - 970 2 . 8 g sodium acetate 1 . 4 g ammonium persulfate 100 % 1 . 8 g ammonium persulfate 5 % 168 . 0 g mono - butylmaleate 216 . 0 g styrene______________________________________ procedure : pvp / k - 30 , igepal co - 970 and sodium acetate are dissolved in the distilled water . the system is purged thoroughly with nitrogen , and then the contents of the kettle are heated to 60 ° c . at this temperature , 1 . 4 g ammonium persulfate is introduced . the temperature is raised to 100 ° c , which is maintained for 30 minutes . after that , the temperature is lowered to 90 ° c , and addition of the monomers is started . about one - third of the latter is introduced over a 45 minute period . then the mixture is stirred for 15 minutes . five percent ammonium persulfate , 1 . 8 g is added , and the monomer addition is resumed . the addition of monomers and catalyst is repeated twice more . when the addition is over , the mixture is allowed to react for 2 hours . finally the emulsion is cooled to 25 ° c , and is discharged through a cheese - cloth . in a similar manner other polymeric n - vinyl lactams and monomeric substituents of the class described , supra , can be employed with similar results obtaining . apparatus : 2 - liter resin kettle equipped with thermometer , mechanical stirrer , reflux condenser , gas inlet tube and dropping funnel . procedure : to a solution made by dissolving 192 g pvp ( k - 30 ) in 686g . distilled water , 14g . &# 34 ; igepal &# 34 ; co - 630 and 2 . 4g . sodium acetate are added . the system is purged with nitrogen and the temperature raised to 60 ° c . at this temperature , 2 . 0g solid ammonium persulfate is introduced , and the heating continued to 100 ° c . this temperature is held for 30 minutes , and then the system is cooled to 70 ° c . a mixture of 242 . 4g . styrene , 45 . 6g 2 - ethyl - hexylmaleate and 10g igepal co - 630 is placed in a dropping funnel . ten percent of this solution is added to the pvp solution over a 5 minute period ; and the mixture is thereafter agitated for 10 minutes . then 4 . 8g of a 5 % ammonium persulfate solution is added thereto . the addition of the monomer mixture is started and added over a 1 hour period at 70 ° c . the temperature is increased to 90 ° c , and the reaction is finished by three consecutive additions of 1g di - t - butyl peroxide ( introduced 3 hours apart ). procedure : to a solution of 192g pvp ( k - 30 ) in 715g distilled water , 14g igepal co - 630 and 2 . 4g sodium acetate are added . the system is purged and the temperature raised to 60 ° c . at this temperature , 2 . 0g ammonium persulfate is added , and the temperature raised to 100 ° c . it is so held for 30 minutes , and then the temperature is lowered to 70 ° c . from a mixture consisting of 192g vinyltoluene , 96g mono - amyl maleate and 10g igepal co - 630 , 30g thereof is added to the pvp - solution over a 5 minute period . the mixture is stirred for 15 minutes , then 0 . 5g di - t - butyl peroxide is added , and the mixture is maintained at 70 ° c for one - half hour . then the rest of the monomers are added over a 1 hour period . after the addition is over , the temperature is raised to 90 ° c and 1g di - t - butyl peroxide is added . the catalyst addition is repeated 1 hour later . after one more reaction hour , the resultant milky , white latex is discharged through cheese - cloth . in a similar manner , other polymeric n - vinyl lactams , half esters and arylalkene compounds of the class described , supra , can be employed with similar results obtaining . it is obvious that numerous changes and modifications can be made in the invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof , and all such obvious modifications are considered to be within the scope of the invention . | 2 |
in order to better understand the present invention , a description of the enhanced goal tree will be followed by a description of the enhanced process as applied to equipment modeling . finally , a preferred embodiment of the present invention will demonstrate the workings and advantages of the instant inventive process . a standard artificial intelligence goal tree , or decision tree , is made up of nodes and branches ( see p . h . winston , artificial intelligence , 2nd ed ., addison - wesley , reading , ma - 1984 ). the first node is referred to as the &# 34 ; root &# 34 ; node , and subtending branches to other nodes , then the child nodes also act as &# 34 ; parent &# 34 ; nodes to their subtending child nodes , etc . nodes with no subtending child nodes are known as &# 34 ; leaf &# 34 ; nodes . a standard &# 34 ; and / or goal tree &# 34 ; has two types of branches . the parent node defines the type of branches connecting the parent node with the child nodes . goal tree nodes represent goals , and an &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; nodes means that all of the child nodes , or goals , must be met before the parent node goal is met . if the parent node is an &# 34 ; or &# 34 ; node , then any one of the child node goals must be ralized before the parent node goal is met . a standard and / or tree would not be practical to model an assembly of equipments , because the and / or choices of parent nodes would be inadequate to capture the complexitites of many equipment assembly permutations . in order to enhance the standard goal tree to allow for the modeling of complex equipment assemblies , the present invention utilizes an expanded goal tree with , illustratively , six types of branching configurations . this enhanced process allows for the modeling of the attributes of the interrelationships of complex equipment assemblies . the configurations , along with a brief description of each in equipment terms , are listed below : 1 . tandem - this type node requires all of the child nodes in order to function properly , similar to the &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; node of the and / or goal tree . 2 . dedicated - this type node requires just one of the child nodes in order to function properly , similar to the &# 34 ; or &# 34 ; node of the and / or goal tree . 3 . growth - this type node defines in which order the child nodes must be placed as the assembly is augmented . 4 . mixed - this type node allows any permutation of child nodes . 5 . mixed by subshelf - this type node defined separate groupings of child equipment , with a pre - defined number of equipments in each grouping . 6 . limited mixed - this type node defines the maximum number of separate groupings of child equipment , but does not limit the number of equipments in each grouping . in accordance with the present invention , the user can reflect the modularity of network equipment as well as structures which house the modular equipment . this capability is based upon modeling parent / child relationships where the parent equipment represents larger units ( i . e ., housings ) and the child equipment represents smaller subunits that are placed in the housings . this relationship can be expanded via the present inventive process to result in a true structure where child equipment units , in turn , become the parent equipment units of smaller child equipment units . the resultant tree represents an equipment assembly . in addition , the present invention models the operations performed by each individual equipment or subassembly , which results in the ability to derive the overall operations of the assembly . by specifying the inputs and outputs of subassemblies , the process compiles the input and output data into assembly input and output models , checks for internal consistency , and meets any requirements of downstream processing . the preset invention determines the operation of a general purpose computer as shown in fig1 with user interaction illustratively occurring at keyboard 50 , which actions are echoed on screen 40 while simultaneously transmitted to processor 30 . processor 30 then transmits updated information to the screen in order to direct the user on further inputing . processor 30 builds the equipment configuration in the form of an enhanced and / or tree by directing the user to specify the makeup and interrelationships of the various nodes and branches . the following embodiment illustrates the present inventive process . it is not necessary to be familiar with the equipment assembly described below in order to undestand the invention . all that is required is to understand how the equipment assembly is modeled by utilizing the instant process with an enhanced and / or goal tree . the equipment assembly modeled is a portion of a telecommunications transmission network known as a d4 digital terminal . six d4 banks are housed in a d4 bay , which assembly constitutes a d4 digital terminal . fig2 is a functional diagram of a d4 bank . the following cursory description of a d4 bank will aid in the subsequent description of the invention . up to forty - eight voice frequency ( vf ) circuits 61 that originate in various customer locations terminate in d4 bank 60 at channel units ( illustratively 62 and 63 ). if a circuit carries ordinary voice communications , a message channel unit ( cum ) is used , such as cum 62 . if a special type circuits terminates at d4 bank 60 , then a special channel unit ( cus ) is employed , such as cus 63 . channel units such as 62 and 63 can be placed in any combination , and convert the communications on circuit group 61 to digital pulses and transmit the pulses over circuit groups 64 and 65 to transmitter / receivers ( t / r ) 66 and 67 . the digital pulses are referred to as ds - 0 coding . twenty - four of the channel units are connected to t / r 66 and twenty - four with t / r 67 . t / r 66 combines the twenty - four ds - 0 signals on group 64 into one dsu - 1 signal carried on circuit 68 . the dsu - 1 signal is a multiplexed digital bit stream of uni - polar pulses . t / r 67 performs the identical function on the twenty - four ds - 0 signals on circuit group 65 and outputs a dsu - 1 signal on circuit 69 . line interface unit ( liu ) 70 , type m2 , combines the two dsu - 1 signals on circuits 68 and 69 , converts the uni - polar pulses to bipolar , and transmits the combined signal on output line 71 , which now carried all of the original forty - eight communications from group 61 . an m3 type liu could have been used in place of the m2 unit 70 . the m3 would also convert from uni - polar to bipolar , but would output two dsx - 1 lines , each carrying twenty - four channels of communications . a diagram in tree form of the working d4 bay of fig2 is shown in fig3 . the branching below d4 bank 1 is tandem because all three child nodes are required ( d4 cu &# 39 ; s , d4 tr &# 39 ; s , and d4 liu ) in a working d4 bank . pseudo d4 cu 2 is required to allow for a mixture of d4 cu &# 39 ; s ( d4cum &# 39 ; s 5 and d4cus &# 39 ; s 6 ). because there are no constraints on the mixture , the mixed branching control is chosen to subtend pseudo d4 cu node 2 . the dedicated branch control is used subtending pseudo d4 liu 4 because only one of the child nodes ( m2 7 or m3 8 ) is allowed . the input to d4 cu components is vf and the output is ds - 0 . the input to a d4 tr is ds - 0 and the output is dsu - 1 . the input to an m2 or an m3 is dsu - 1 . the output of an m2 is dsx - 1c , and the output of an m3 is dsx - 1 . these signals are depicted on the associated boxes of fig3 with the input on the left of the associated box and the output on the right . from this model , it can be determined that the derived input to the d4 band is vf , and the derived output is either dsc - 1c or dsx - 1 , depending on which d4 liu is installed ( m2 or m3 ). in order to input the information of fig3 into the computer , the instant inventive process may be utilized as follows : the first frame displayed on the screen upon start - up of the enhanced modeling program is the create / edit frame ( fig4 ), which displays an equipment table listing the defined pieces of equipment along with an indication as to the attributes or parameters or each piece of equipment that have been specified ( to be discussed in more detail subsequently ). the table is initially blank because no equipment has yet been defined . the bottom line lists the options ( menu ) available to the user at this stage of the process . the options may be illustratively invoked by typing the first letter of the option name on the computer keyboard ( eg ., &# 34 ; t &# 34 ; for tree ). by invoking eqnode , processor 30 will request , via the screen , the equipment id . the user arbitrarily specified &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ;. processor 30 will next request the equipment name , whereupon the user will input d4bay . the screen will then look like fig5 . the u &# 39 ; s under the tree , i / o , param , and costs headings show that those attributes of the d4 bay have not yet been specified . the next selection made from the bottom of fig5 is tree , whereupon processor 30 will display fig6 on the screen . the zero near the center of the screen represents the id of the root equipment . subtending branches and child nodes will be added to the zero as the inputing process progresses . the table at the right of the screen shows that id zero is a d4bay . the menu at the bottom of the screen represents choices that the user can make to direct processor 30 for further modeling activities . by invoking addch ( add child ) from the menu , processor 30 will then request the parent id , which in this case is 0 . processor 30 then displays the create child equipment frame ( fig7 ) and requests the id and name of the first child equipment and the number of children allowed of that type . the user responds with &# 34 ; 2 &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; d4 bank &# 34 ;, and &# 34 ; 6 &# 34 ;, respectively . by then specifying end from the menu , processor 30 determines that the branch control need not be specified , because only one child node was defined . processor 30 then displays the updated equipment tree ( fig8 ). by again invoking addch , processor 30 will request the parent id , whereupon &# 34 ; 2 &# 34 ; is inputed by the user . the create child equipment frame is again displayed , whereupon the user inputs the pseudo d4cu child . when write is selected , processor 30 will blank out the entry lines so that another child node can be entered . after the second child node ( d4tr ) is inputed , the pseudod4liu is similarly inputed as the third child node . now when end is selected , processor 30 will display the branch configuration control frame ( fig9 ) on the screen , in order to determine how the three child nodes are to be installed . since all three child equipments are needed for a working d4 bank , the tandem branch control is invoked by the user by inputing a &# 34 ; 6 &# 34 ; after the statement &# 34 ; enter the branch configuration control &# 34 ;. processor 30 then returns to the equipment tree frame where the above process is continued until the entire equipment assembly of fig3 has been inputed . after this is complete , the equipment tree frame appears as fig1 . next , create / edit is invoked by the user , which causes the create / edit frame to be displayed ( fig1 ). by selecting i / o in this frame , processor 30 will display the input / output frame ( fig1 ). by specifying the known inputs and outputs ( in this case there are none , as seen from fig3 ), the input / output of the working d4 bay is modeled . when end is selected , processor 30 saves the inputs , converts from a &# 34 ; u &# 34 ; to an &# 34 ; s &# 34 ; in the i / o column for d4 bay on fig1 , and returns to the create / edit frame . the user then invokes param , whereupon processor 30 displays the parameters frame ( fig1 ). the questions displayed are answered by the user . by selecting end , processor 30 saves the inputs , converts from a &# 34 ; u &# 34 ; to an &# 34 ; s &# 34 ; in the param column for d4 bay on fig1 , and returns to the create / edit frame . the user similarly calls up the costs frame ( fig1 ). after the appropriate costs are inputed by the user , and end is selected , processor 30 returns to the create / edit frame ( fig & gt ; 15 ), which depicts the information inputed with an &# 34 ; s &# 34 ;, and the missing data with a &# 34 ; u &# 34 ;. by continuing this inputing process , the final create / edit frame will be as shown in fig1 . if instead of the above example it was required that the first five d4 cu &# 39 ; s be d4cum &# 39 ; s and the remaining ones be d4cus &# 39 ; s , then the appropriate branch control would be growth . when this control is selected by the user from fig . 9 , processor 30 will display the expansion strategy frame ( fig . 17 ). the user would input &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ;, &# 34 ; 5 &# 34 ;, and &# 34 ; 6 &# 34 ; after from , up to , and assign to eqid , respectively . the user would next select write , causing processor 30 to save those values and display fig . 17 again . the user would then input &# 34 ; 6 &# 34 ;, &# 34 ; 48 &# 34 ;, and &# 34 ; 7 &# 34 ; respectively to complete the growth scenario . the user would next select end , which would signal processor 30 to return to the equipment tree frame . the last two branch controls on fig9 to be discussed are mixed by subshelf and limited mixed . if each d4 bank had two shelves to hold the 48 d4 cu &# 39 ; s , the first shelf could hold 20 , the second shelf could hold 28 , but the two types of d4 cu / s ( d4cum and d4cus ) could not be mixed on any one shelf , then the following process would take place . the user selects mixed by subshelf when choosing the branch configuration control ( fig9 ) of the pseudo d4 cu , whereupon processor 30 displays fig1 . the user inputs &# 34 ; 20 &# 34 ;, then selects write . processor 30 then returns fig1 to the display . the user next inputs &# 34 ; 28 &# 34 ; and selects write . when fig1 is next displayed , the user selects end , whereupon processor 30 displays the equipment tree frame . the limited mixed branch control of fig9 is employed if a parent equipment can only have a limited number of types of child equipments , but within that limitation , the types can be mixed in any manner . for example , if in addition to d4cum &# 39 ; s and d4cus &# 39 ; s , there was another type of d4 cu &# 39 ; s called d4cut &# 39 ; s , but the d4 bank could only accommodate up to two of the three types , then the user would select limited mixed as a branch control for the pseudo d4 cu node , whereupon processor 30 would display the limited mixed frame ( fig1 ). the user would input &# 34 ; 2 &# 34 ; and select write , whereupon processor 30 would display the equipment tree frame . the inventive process is depicted in flow diagrams in fig2 - 22 . in fig2 , the first step 210 is the displaying of the create / edit frame on the screen . any equipment descriptions stored in data file 760 are utilized in step 220 to populate the create / edit frame . step 230 is to accept user input . if the user inputs a &# 34 ; t &# 34 ;, the equipment tree frame is generated by step 240 on fig2 ( as discussed in detail above ). if the user inputs an &# 34 ; i &# 34 ;, then step 250 calls for the generation and display of the input / output frame . subsequent step 260 is to read the user &# 39 ; s inputs on the input / output frame , and step 270 is to store the inputed data in data file 760 . step 280 is to await the next user choice . if &# 34 ; w &# 34 ; is inputed , processor 30 returns to step 250 . if &# 34 ; e &# 34 ; is chosen , the processor returns to step 210 . if the user chooses &# 34 ; p &# 34 ; after step 230 , then step 290 is accomplished by generating the parameters frame . the user &# 39 ; s inputs to this frame are read in at step 310 . step 320 is to store the inputed data in data file 760 . step 330 is to await the next user choice . if &# 34 ; w &# 34 ; is selected , processor 30 returns to step 290 . if &# 34 ; e &# 34 ; is chosen , processor 30 returns to step 210 . if the user chooses &# 34 ; c &# 34 ; in response to the create / edit frame , then step 340 , generating the costs frame , is performed . step 350 is to read the user &# 39 ; s inputs to this frame , and step 360 is to store the inputs in data file 760 . step 370 is to await the user &# 39 ; s next selection . if &# 34 ; w &# 34 ; is chosen , then the costs frame is regenerated . if &# 34 ; e &# 34 ; is selected , the create / edit frame is generated in step 210 . if the user selects &# 34 ; e &# 34 ; in response to the create / edit frame , processor 30 will request the equipment id in step 380 . the equipment name is requested in step 390 , the id and name are read in step 410 , and are stored in data file 760 in step 420 . processor 30 then would regenerate the create / edit frame after step 420 . fig2 portrays the process beginning with the generation of the equipment tree frame . thus far in the description , this is requested by the user inputing a &# 34 ; t &# 34 ; in response to the create / edit frame . step 430 loads the equipment tree frame from data file 760 . step 450 is to await the user selection . if &# 34 ; c &# 34 ; is selected , the create / edit file is generated ( step 210 of fig2 ). if &# 34 ; a &# 34 ; is selected , step 460 requests the parent id . step 470 generates the create child frame with the selected parent node as the root node displayed . the user inputs are read in step 480 and stored back to data file 760 in step 490 . the inputs are added to the tree and data block of the create child frame in step 510 . step 520 is to await the next user selection . if &# 34 ; w &# 34 ; is selected , then step 530 blanks out the entry lines so that more inputs can be entered . if &# 34 ; e &# 34 ; is selected , processor 30 asks if there is only one child . if the answer is &# 34 ; yes &# 34 ;, the inputs are stored in data file 760 in step 550 , and the create / edit frame is displayed ( step 210 of fig2 ). if &# 34 ; no &# 34 ; is selected , the process continues as depicted in fig2 , with the generation of the branch configuration control frame in step 560 . step 570 populates the tree and data block of the frame . step 580 is to await the next user selection . if &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; is selected , step 590 is to generate the expansion strategy frame . the inputs are read in step 610 . step 620 is to store the inuts in data file 760 . step 630 is to await the user &# 39 ; s next selection . if &# 34 ; w &# 34 ; is chosen , the expansion strategy frame is regenerated in step 590 . if &# 34 ; e &# 34 ; is chosen , the equipment tree frame is displayed in step 240 of fig2 . if the user selects &# 34 ; 2 &# 34 ; from the branch configuration control frame , step 650 generates the mixed by subshelf frame . step 660 reads the user &# 39 ; s inputs to this frame , and step 670 stores the inputs in data file 760 . step 680 accepts the user &# 39 ; s next choice . if &# 34 ; w &# 34 ; is chosen , the mixed by subshelf frame is regenerated by step 650 . if &# 34 ; e &# 34 ; is selected , the equipment tree frame is displayed in step 240 of fig2 . if the user selects &# 34 ; 3 &# 34 ; from the branch configuration control frame , step 690 generates the limited mixed frame . the user inputs are read by step 710 and stored in data file 760 in step 720 . processor 30 then displays the equipment tree frame in step 240 of fig2 . if the user selects &# 34 ; 4 &# 34 ;, &# 34 ; 5 &# 34 ;, or &# 34 ; 6 &# 34 ; from the branch configuration control frame , associated steps 730 , 740 , or 750 store the response in data file 760 and display the equipment tree frame in step 240 of fig2 . it should be clear to one ordinarily skilled in the art that sub - combinations of the six branch controls might be adequate for any given modeling situation . it should also be apparent that such situations as &# 34 ; working &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; standby &# 34 ; equipment configurations can be modeled by classifying the working units as one child node and the standby equipment as another , and the growth branch control may be employed to define the ratio of working to standby units as units are added . finally , it should be apparent that very simple or very complex equipment assemblies can be modeled using the enhanced tree and branch controls , as well as accommodating any change in the interrelationships of the piece - parts of the assembly . the above embodiment is illustrative only , and variations would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope of the invention . | 8 |
the following description is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make and user the invention and sets forth the best modes contemplated by the inventors of carrying out their invention . various modifications , however , will remain readily apparent to those skilled in the art , since the general principles of the present invention have been defined herein specifically to provide a coin dispensing apparatus with an adjustable dispenser unit for accommodating different size coins . the coin dispenser apparatus of the present invention can utilize some of the common elements disclosed in the prior art , such as the storage container , coin selector , and escalator or coin passageway , as shown , for example , in fig5 . accordingly , the common elements will be described with the same reference numbers as utilized in the background of the invention . the present invention , as shown in fig1 - 4 , includes the base plate 11 which can mount the appropriate spacers 12 a and 12 b and the maintenance boards 13 a and 13 b . the spacers and the maintenance boards can be adjusted or additional spacers of a different size can be utilized to accommodate different diameter coins . the terminology “ coin ” as used in the present invention includes medallions , tokens , and other articles in addition to monetary coins that can be stored in bulk and dispensed through a guide passageway . as can be seen in fig3 the base member 11 can mount the spacers 12 a and 12 b and the guide piece 21 with the overlying maintenance boards 13 a and 13 b . an adapter plate 40 that is aligned parallel with the base 11 can support a fixation shaft 26 . a cover member 46 having an upper left hand notch can be mounted by appropriate screws directly on the maintenance boards 13 a and 13 b , as shown in fig2 . an elongated slot at the bottom of the cover member 46 can accommodate different spacing of the maintenance boards 13 a and 13 b . holes 46 a and 46 b are provided along an upper edge . as can be seen in fig1 a contact roller at the end of the lever arm 23 is juxtapositioned to extend into the exit aperture and accommodated by the notch in the upper left hand corner of cover plate 46 . an installation alignment base member 45 having a pair of elongated holes 45 a and 45 b is adapted to be releasably mounted to and laterally slid across the face of a cover member 46 . a dispensing unit 29 includes a lever 23 that can be pivotedly moved for placing the coin contacting control roller 22 across the exit aperture of the guide passage 15 . a spring 28 can bias the rotation of the lever 23 about its fixation shaft 26 and also can provide an ejection force in assisting the coin 3 u to be ejected in a leftward direction . an adapter plate 40 can interconnect the operation of the lever 23 and a sensor unit 27 that can be mounted on an l - shaped bracket 41 . a fixation shaft 26 is fixed in the adapter plate 40 to permit the rotation or pivoting of the lever 23 . the lever arm rotates in a plane parallel to a plane containing a base 11 . the shaft 24 supports rotation of the contact roller 22 . at a distal end of the lever 23 , a detection edge 23 b is provided . the sensor unit 27 includes a groove 27 a , as shown in fig1 which is aligned with the plane of movement of the lever 23 so that the detection edge 23 b can operatively pass into and out of the detection groove 27 a . as can be determined , a positional alignment of the lever 23 and the sensor unit 27 can be established with its mounting on the adapter plate 40 . the adapter plate 40 can also support a stopper 30 which extends at a perpendicular angle to the plane of the base 11 to limit the movement of the lever arm 23 . fasteners 42 can secure the sensor unit 27 and the l - shaped bracket 41 . the adapter plate 40 can be fixed to the installational alignment base 45 which is also aligned in parallel with the plane containing the base 11 . fasteners 43 a and 43 a can pass through holes of 40 a and 40 b ( 40 b overlaps with the hole 41 b , shown in fig3 ). the fasteners can be secured within threaded holes in the mounted base member 45 . the fastener 43 b which can extend through the hole 41 b , shown in fig3 sets the fixing bracket 41 that supports the sensor unit 27 on the installation alignment base 45 . an elongated hole 41 a is aligned in the vertical plane in an arc configuration and is formed on the mounting bracket 41 . the hole 41 b is centrally aligned with the elongated arc opening and a fastener 44 can extend through the elongated hole 41 a to be screwed into the adapter plate 40 . the bracket 41 is then fixed by the fastener or screw 44 and the fastener or screw 43 b . as can be appreciated , the bracket 41 can rotate or pivot about the anchor location of the screw 43 b . thus , by rotation of the bracket 41 it is possible to adjust the mounting angle of the sensor unit 27 on the adapter plate 40 . this permits a positional relationship between the detector edge 23 b of the lever 23 and the groove in the sensor unit 27 to be relatively adjusted . fasteners 47 a and 47 b can screw within threaded holes 11 a and 11 b in the base 11 . the fasteners 47 a and 47 b are thereby removably attached to fix the base 45 , the cover 46 , and the guide piece 21 . the position of the control roller 22 on the lever arm 23 can be horizontally adjusted by movement along the length of the elongated holes 45 a and 45 b . this adjustment is accommodated by the notch at the upper left hand corner of the cover 46 . the guide board or cover 46 guides coins 3 which pass through the maintenance board 13 a and 13 b to form the final exit aperture for the coins . referring to fig4 an example is shown wherein the uppermost coin 3 u of a certain diameter is accommodated . by loosening the fasteners 47 a and 47 b , the base member 45 can be moved traverse to the longitudinal axis of the guide passage 15 in a horizontal direction by the length of the elongated holes 45 a and 45 b . thus , the desired position of the control roller 22 can be adjusted so that it is in the path of the uppermost coin 3 u but the distal end 23 b of the lever end 22 is not being displaced to interact with the sensor unit 27 . when this desired position is reached , the fasteners 47 a and 47 b are tightened so that the alignment based 45 is then fixed for the particular diameter of the coins . in this condition , when a coin is discharged by the selector unit or rotating disk 2 into the guide passage 15 , the highest coin 3 u is then guided by the curved plane 12 au and the guide plane 21 g . the highest coin is then ejected in a left traverse direction and during this action , the lever 23 is rotated in a clockwise rotation since the control roller 22 is pushed up by the coin 3 u . the detection edge 23 b is then lowered into the detection groove 27 a of the sensor unit 27 . the lever arm 23 is biased by the spring force of the spring 28 so that when the coin 3 u begins passing the leftward of the control roller 22 , the control roller 22 is then biased downward to further urge the coin 3 u to be ejected in the leftward direction . the next coin then becomes the highest coin 3 u and the condition of fig4 is repeated with the sensor unit 27 monitoring a predetermined number of coins that are to be ejected . referring again to fig4 if the guide passage 15 is dimensioned to accept a larger size as shown by the dash lines of coin 3 ub , then it is necessary for the base 45 to be moved traverse to the longitudinal axis of the passage guide 15 along the elongated holes 45 a and 45 b towards the right in a horizontal direction . accordingly , the fasteners 47 a and 47 b are untightened so that the control roller 22 is then moved to the desired position which will be close to the uppermost coin 3 ub . in fig4 only the movement of the control roller 22 is illustrated by a dash line to ensure clarity in the drawing description . as can be seen , this adjustment for a larger coin does not vary the vertical height of the combined escalator and coin dispenser since the alignment plate 45 is slid in a horizontal plane and in a direction traverse to a longitudinal axis of the guide passage 15 . when the desired position is achieved , so that the sensor unit 27 is not activated , but the control roller 22 is appropriately positioned within the exit aperture to engage the coin 3 ub when it is being ejected , the fasteners 47 a and 47 b are again tightened so that the alignment base 45 becomes fixed . as can be determined , by combining the sensor unit 27 with the dispenser unit 29 which includes the control roller 22 , the pivoting lever 23 , and the biasing springs 28 as a fixed group , it can be integrally moved by simply sliding in the horizontal direction which the alignment base 45 . it is not necessary for a service person in the field to adjust again the positional relationship between the detection edge 23 b and the sensor unit 27 . as can be understood , the position of the spacer 12 b and the guide base 21 can be changed to adjust for coins of different diameter sizes . as can be further appreciated , the present invention need not have elongated holes in the base member 45 , but rather a plurality of holes which will accommodate the fasteners 47 a and 47 b can be formed in the base 11 . needless to say , the sensor unit 27 can employ a photoelectric , magnetic , resistance , or other conventional sensor units that detect the position of coins . it is also possible to use for the dispenser unit 29 , a modified roller 22 that may move along a guide rail . in this case , the modified roller 22 can adopt a structure in which an installation alignment is integrally possible with the provision of a guide rail . as can be appreciated , other variations of the present invention can be accomplished within the scope of the present disclosure without altering the housing equipment that accommodates a coin dispenser unit of the fixed vertical dimension . those skilled in the art will appreciate that various adaptations and modifications of the just - described preferred embodiment can be configured without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention . therefore , it is to be understood that , within the scope of the appended claims , the invention may be practiced other than as specifically described herein . | 6 |
a sequence encoding a biosynthetic enzyme for increasing the tissue content of daidzein and / or daidzein derivatives may be a genomic or cdna clone , or a sequence which in proper reading frame encodes an amino acid sequence which is functionally equivalent to the amino acid sequence of the biosynthetic gene encoded by the genomic or cdna clone . a functional derivative can be characterised by an insertion , deletion or a substitution of one or more bases of the dna sequence , prepared by known mutagenic techniques such as site - directed mutagenesis or derived from a different species . for the performance of the present invention any nucleotide sequences encoding an enzyme with the biological function of a chalcone reductase , isoflavone synthase or chalcone isomerase may be used in the transformation of a suitably selected plant to increase these enzyme activities with said plant or part thereof . biological function of a nucleotide sequence encoding a chalcone reductase can be assessed by a standard assay ( welle et al ., 1988 febs letter 236 : 221 - 225 ; welle et al ., 1991 eur j biochem 196 : 423 - 430 ; welle and schroder , 1992 arch . biochem . biophys 293 : 377 - 381 ). to obtain protein , the nucleotide sequence is sub - cloned into a prokaryotic expression vector , such as ptz19r ( pharmacia ), and transformed into escherichia coli . selected e . coli clones harbouring the nucleotide sequences of interest are grown to a culture density of a 600 = 0 . 6 - 1 before inducing expression with 1 mm isopropyl β - d - thiogalctopyranoside ( iptg ) for 2 . 5 hours . following induction , bacteria are harvested by centrifugation and resuspended in 0 . 1m potassium phosphate , 0 . 6 mg / ml lysozyme and 1 . 2m edta and placed on ice for 45 min to lyse . the lysate is centrifuged at 16000 g for 20 min and an aliquot of supernatant used in the chalcone reductase assay . chalcone reductase activity is assayed in a final volume of 120 μl , comprising 80 μl chalcone reductase protein extract , 10 μmol potassium phosphate ph 5 . 0 , 0 . 12 μmol nadph , 1 nmol 4 - coumaroyl coa , 1 . 5 nmol [ 2 - 14 c ] malonyl - coa , 22 . 2 fkat pure soybean chs (˜ 3 μg ). reactions are run for 60 min at 30 ° c . before the reaction products are extracted in 200 μl ethyl acetate . the organic phase is separated by centrifugation , concentrated in vacuo and separated by thin layer chromatography using 15 % acetic acid ( presence of chalcone isomerase ) or chcl 3 / acetic acid / water ( 10 : 9 : 1 ) ( absence of chalcone isomerase ). the identity of 6 ′- deoxychalcone is established by co - chromatography with a reference sample . suitable chr encoding sequences already known in the art comprise ; alfalfa ( medicago sativa ): accession numbers chr1a - x82366 , chr1b - x82367 , chr2a - x82368 , chr7 - u13925 , chr12 - u13924 ; chickpea ( cicer arietinum ) accession number ab024989 ; soybean ( glycine max ) accession number x55730 ; liquorice ( glycyrrhiza glabra ) accession numbers chra - d86558 , chrb - d86559 ; alternatively suitable chr encoding sequences may be isolated from other species . sequence alignment of chr &# 39 ; s already known in the art , show two conserved regions met - pro - val - val - gly - met - gly - ser - ala ( seq . id no . 7 ) and ala - ile - ile - glu - ala - ile - lys - gln ( seq . id . no . 8 ) identified toward the 5 ′ end of the coding sequence . degenerate primers 327 and 328 ( see fig4 ) are designed to each of these coding sequences respectively . sequences encoding chr are isolated by polymerase chain reaction using primers 327 and 328 in conjunction with a dt 17 primer and using a 3 ′ cdna library target . the resulting fragments were cloned into a pt7 vector and sequenced . alignment of these sequences with those known in the art would allow provisional identification . to obtain full - length coding sequence , 5 ′ and 3 ′ sequence can be obtained using standard 5 ′ race and 3 ′ race procedures as disclosed in example 1 ( 1 . 3 . 3 ). a nucleotide sequence encoding an enzyme with isoflavone synthase activity may also be determined by a standard assay , wherein yeast microsomes are prepared from control wht1 and strains expressing a cytochrome p450 cdna according to the methods of pompon et al ., ( methods enzymol . 272 , 51 - 64 ). the assay is carried out according to jung et al ., ( nature biotech 2000 , vol 18 february 200 , p208 - 212 ). the protein content of each microsome preparation is assayed using the bradford protein micro assay ( bio - rad . hecules . ca ). from 30 to 150 μg of microsomal proteins are incubated at room temperature in 80 mm k 2 hpo 4 , 0 . 5 mm glutathione . 20 % ( wt / vol ) sucrose , ph 8 . 0 with 100 μm naringenin or 100 μm liquiritigenen substrate and 40 nmol of nadph added per each 100 μl of final reaction volume . following incubation , reactions are extracted with ethyl acetate . samples assayed on a hewlett - packard 1100 series hplc system using either a lichrospher rp - c18 column ( 5 m 250 × 3 mm ) or a phenomenexz luna c18 ( 2 ) column ( 3 u ; 150 × 4 . 6 mm ). on the first column samples in ethyl acetate of candidate cdna assays are isocratically separated for 5 min employing 65 % methanol as a mobile phase . for the second column samples are evaporated and resuspended in 80 % methanol and then separated using a 10 min linear gradient from 20 % methanol / 80 % 10 mm ammonium acetate , ph 8 . 3 to 100 % methanol at a flow rate of 1 ml min − 1 or using 65 % methanol as mobile phase for isocratic elution . genistein and daidzein are monitored by the absorbance of 260 nm . using authentic naringinen , liquiritigen , genistein and daidzein ( indofine chemical , somerville ni ) dissolved in ethanol as standards for calibration peak areas are converted to nanograms . to confirm the identity of genistein and daidzein , samples are evaporated and resuspended in 25 % acetonitrile in water and assayed on a hewlett - packard / micromass lc / ms by running 25 μl on a zorbax eclipse xdb - c8 reverse - phase column ( 3 × 150 mm 3 . 5 μm ) isocratically with 25 % solvent b ( 0 . 1 % formic acid in acetonitrile ) in solvent a ( 0 . 1 % formic acid in water ). mass spectrometry is done by electrospray scanning from 200 to 400 m / e , using − 6 volt cone voltage . the diode array signals were monitored between 200 and 400 nm in both instruments . suitable ifs sequences already known in the art include mung bean accession number af195807 ; red clover accession number af195811 ; and snow pea accession number af195812 . alternatively suitable ifs cdnas may be isolated from other species . jung et al . ( nature biotech 2000 , vol 18 february 200 , p208 - 212 ) describe how mung bean sprouts and snow pea sprouts were obtained from the grocery store . seeds for alfalfa , red clover , white clover , hairy vetch and lentil can be obtained from pinetree garden seeds ( new gloucester , me .) seeds for lupine cv . russel mix were obtained from botanical interests ( boulder , colo . ), and seeds for sugarbeet were obtained from a commercial source . seedlings were grown and rna prepared using trizol reagent ( gibco brl ) and first - strand cdna was prepared as described above . oligodt was used as the reverse transcription primer in all cases except with white clover for which random hexamers were used as the reverse transcription primer : polymerase chain reaction amplifaction was carried out using advantage - gc cdna polymerase mix ( clontech ) using primer set one 5 ′ atgttgctggaacttgcactt - 3 ′ ( seq id . no . 9 ) and 5 ′ ttagaaaggagtttagatgcaacg - 3 ′ ( seq . id . no . 10 ) or the nested primer set two : 5 ′ tgtttctgcattgcgtcccac - 3 ′ ( seq . id . no . 11 ) and 5 ′- ccgatccttgcaagtggaacac - 3 ′ ( seq . id . no . 12 ) as follows : mung bean and red clover pcr products amplified using primer set one were cloned directly into pcr2 . 1 . for white clover , lentil , hairy vetch , alfalfa , lupine , and beet a first pcr with primer set one was followed by a second primer set two , and the resulting fragments cloned . for snow pea , a first pcr with primer set one was followed by a second pcr with high annealing temperature ( 60 ° c .) using primer set one . the expected size product was gel purified and used as a template in a third pcr with the high annealing temperature and primer set one . the resulting product was cloned into pcr2 . 1 . all pcr fragments in pcr2 . 1 were sequenced . all alignments were carried out using dnastar megalign software version 4 . 05 and the clustal algorithm set to default parameters . the coding regions for accession numbers af195807 ( mung bean ). af195811 ( red clover ), and af195812 ( snow pea ) were amplified and cloned into prs315 - gal using “ gap repair ” and microsomes were produced and assayed as described above . a nucleotide sequence encoding an enzyme with chalcone isomerase activity capable of catalysing the conversion of 4 , 2 ′, 4 ′- trihydroxychalcone to 7 , 4 ′- dihydroxyflavanone may be determined by a standard assay ( dixon et al ., 1982 biochem . biophys acta 715 : 25 - 33 ; mol et al ., 1985 phytochemistry 24 : 2267 - 2269 , terai et al ., 1996 protein expression and purification 8 : 183 - 190 ). to obtain protein , the nucleotide sequence is sub - cloned into a prokaryotic expression vector , such as pet vectors ( invitrogen ), and transformed into escherichia coli . selected e . coli clones harbouring the nucleotide sequences of interest are grown to a culture density of a 600 = 0 . 6 - 1 before inducing expression with 1 mm isopropyl β - d - thiogalctopyranoside ( iptg ) for 2 . 5 hours . following induction , bacteria are harvested by centrifugation and resuspended in 0 . 1m potassium phosphate , 0 . 6 mg / ml lysozyme and 1 . 2m edta and placed on ice for 45 min to lyse . the lysate is centrifuged at 16000 g for 20 min and an aliquot of supernatant used in the chalcone isomerase assay . chalcone isomerase activity is assayed in a final volume of 1 ml , comprising either 18 . 4 μm tetrahydroxychalcone ( naringenin chalcone ) or 12 . 7 μg trihydroxychalcone ( isoliquiritigenin ) substrate , chalcone isomerase protein extract , 5 % ( w / v ) bovine serum albumin and 0 . 1m potassium phosphate buffer ( ph5 . 8 ). chalcone isomerase activity against both tri - and tetra - hydroxychalcone substrates is detected by a decrease in absorption at 385 nm . suitable chi sequences already known in the art comprise those derived from ; french bean ( phaseolus vulgaris ) accession number x16470 ; kudzu vine ( pueraria montana var . lobata ): accession number d63577 ; soybean ( glycine max ): accession number af276302 ; alfalfa ( medicago sativa ): accession number m910079 ; garden pea ( pisum sativum ): accession number u03433 . alternatively the well - established correlation between chi function and structure enables suitable chi sequences to be isolated from other sources . numerous cloning strategies have been shown in the art to be effective at isolating chi cdnas and may be adopted by the person skilled in the art to identify alternative chi encoding sequences . shirley , b . w ., et al ., ( plant cell , vol . 4 , 333 - 347 1992 ) describes a pcr based approach to obtaining chi cdna from arabidopsis wherein the identification of consensus sequences for primer design as well as pcr reaction conditions are disclosed . sparvoli , f . et al ., ( plant mol . biol . 24 : 743 - 755 , 1994 ) describes the cloning of chi from a cdna library by using heterologous antirrhinum chi cdna probes . grotewold e . et al ., ( mol . gen . genet . ( 1994 ) 242 : 1 - 8 ) describes the isolation and characterisation of a maize gene encoding chi , the cloning strategy and suitable primers . the literature outlined above clearly demonstrates that corresponding chi sequences from other plants ; alternative cloning strategies for other chi genes ; knowledge of consensus sequences for the generation of primers ; appropriate pcr conditions are known in the art . the person skilled in the art is therefore able to identify and use alternative chi sequences for the transformation according to the present invention . gene constructs according to the invention either comprise one or more nucleotide sequences encoding chalcone reductase and isoflavone synthase , or comprise one or more nucleotide sequences encoding chalcone reductase , isoflavone synthase and chalcone isomerase depending on the magnitude of increase sought . the gene sequences of interest will be operably linked ( that is , positioned to ensure the functioning of ) to one or more suitable promoters which allow the dna to be transcribed . suitable promoters , which may be homologous or heterologous to the gene ( that is , not naturally operably linked to a gene encoding an enzyme for flavonoid biosynthesis ), useful for expression in plants are well known in art , as described , for example , in weising et al ., ( 1988 ) ann . rev . genetics 22 : 421 - 477 . promoters for use according to the invention may be inducible , constitutive , or tissue - specific or have various combinations of such characteristics . useful promoters include , but are not limited to constitutive promoters such as carnation etched ring virus ( cerv ) promoter , cauliflower mosaic virus ( camv ) 35s promoter , or more particularly the enhanced cauliflower mosaic virus promoter , comprising two camv 35s promoters in tandem ( referred to as a “ double 35s ” promoter ). these would have the effect of increasing isoflavonoid levels throughout a plant . accordingly , the invention provides in a further aspect a gene construct in the form of an expression cassette comprising as operably linked components in the 5 ′- 3 ′ direction of transcription , one or more units each comprising a suitable promoter in a plant cell , a plurality of nucleotide sequences selected from the group comprising sequences encoding a chr and ifs and a suitable transcriptional and translational termination regulatory region . more preferably said group comprises sequences encoding chr , ifs and a chi capable of catalysing the conversion of 4 , 2 ′, 4 ′- trihydroxychalcone to 7 , 4 ′- dihydroxyflavanone . the promoter and termination regulatory regions will be functional in the host plant cell and may be heterologous or homologous to the plant cell and the gene . suitable promoters which may be used are described above . the termination regulatory region may be derived from the 3 ′ region of the gene from which the promoter was obtained or from another gene . suitable termination regions , which may be used , are well known in the art and include agrobacterium tumefaciens nopaline synthase terminator ( tnos ), agrobacterium tumefaciens mannopine synthase terminator ( tmas ), the rubisco small subunit terminator ( trbcs ) and the camnv 35s terminator ( t35s ). particularly preferred termination regions for use according to the invention include the tnos and trbcs termination regions . such gene constructs may suitably be screened for activity by transformation into a host plant via agrobacterium tumefaciens co - transformation and screening for daidzein levels . conveniently , the expression cassette according to the invention may be prepared by cloning the individual promoter / gene / terminator units into a suitable cloning vector . suitable cloning vectors are well known in the art , including such vectors as puc ( norrander et al ., ( 1983 ) gene 26 : 101 - 106 ), pembl ( dente et al ., ( 1983 ) nucleic acids research 11 : 1645 - 1699 ), pbluescript ( available from stratagene ), pgem ( available from promega ) and pbr322 ( bolivar et al ., ( 1977 ) gene 2 : 95 - 113 ). particularly useful cloning vectors are those based on the puc series . the cloning vector allows the dna to be amplified or manipulated , for example by joining sequences . the cloning sites are preferably in the form of a polylinker , that is a sequence containing multiple adjacent restriction sites , to allow flexibility in cloning . preferably the dna construct according to the invention is comprised within a vector , most suitably an expression vector adapted for expression in an appropriate host ( plant ) cell . it will be appreciated that any vector which is capable of producing a plant comprising the introduced dna sequence will be sufficient . suitable vectors are well known to those skilled in the art and are described in general technical references such as pouwels et al ., cloning vectors . a laboratory manual , elsevier , amsterdam ( 1986 ). particularly suitable vectors include the ti plasmid vectors . transformation techniques for introducing the dna constructs according to the invention into host cells are well known in the art and include such methods as micro - injection , using polyethylene glycol , electroporation , or high velocity ballistic penetration . a preferred method for use according to the present invention relies on agrobacterium tumefaciens mediated co - transformation . after transformation of the plant cells or plant , those plant cells or plants into which the desired dna has been incorporated may be selected by such methods as antibiotic resistance , herbicide resistance , tolerance to amino - acid analogues or using phenotypic markers . various assays within the knowledge of the person skilled in the art may be used to determine whether the plant cell shows an increase in gene expression , for example , northern blotting or quantitative reverse transcriptase pcr ( rt - pcr ). whole transgenic plants may be regenerated from the transformed cell by conventional methods . such transgenic plants having improved daidzein levels may be propagated and crossed to produce homozygous lines . such plants produce seeds containing the genes for the introduced trait and can be grown to produce plants that will produce the selected phenotype . plants or parts thereof which have been modified in accordance with the present invention may be the used as a source of daidzein and / or one or more of its derivatives in the form of an enriched extract or a substantially pure form . food products which comprise the plants , plant parts or extracts thereof in accordance with the present invention enable the consumer to take full advantage of the health benefits associated with increased isoflavone uptake while at the same time avoiding the adverse flavour associated with soy derived isoflavones in the prior art . salad leaves are particularly suited to genetic transformation by the process of the invention and therefore species of lettuce ( lactuca sp .) such as lactuca sativa e . g . ‘ red oak leaf ’, ‘ red leprechaun ’; lactuca sativa group butterhead lettuce e . g . mira , redcross ; lactuca sativa group cos lettuce e . g . ‘ romaine red cos ’, four seasons red ’, seville ; lactuca sativa group crisp lettuce e . g . ‘ red salad bowl ’, red grenoble ’; lactuca sativa group cutting lettuce e . g . ‘ lollo rosso ’, revolution transformed in accordance with the present invention provide a ideal means of supplementing dietary needs and may be provided washed and pre - packed to the consumer . fruit containing snack bars or breakfast cereals provide a convenient means of supplementing the human diet with isoflavones . fruit pieces derived from a plant according to the invention are suitably dried to from 10 to 90 %, preferably 20 to 60 %, most preferably about 40 % of their fresh weight to give shelf stability and incorporated into a bar or cereal product . fruits with high levels of daidzein and / or daidzein derivatives in accordance with the invention are also be ideally incorporated into yoghurts and ice creams or to flavour fruit drinks . suitable fruits for these food products would include raspberries , strawberries , blackcurrants , red currants , blueberries and blackberries . plants or parts thereof which have been genetically modified in accordance with the present invention may also provide a source of an extract rich in daidzein and / or its derivatives or a purified form thereof for inclusion in products such as nutritional supplements , calorie controlled drinks and low fat spreads . a large body of evidence supports the cosmetic and medical health benefits that can be attributed to human dietary consumption of isoflavones and in particular daidzein . these include : activity as both estrogenic and anti - estrogenic agents ( coward et al ., 1993 ; martin , et al ., 1996 ); anticancer effects associated with phytoestrogenic activity ( lee et al ., 1991 ; adlercreutz et al ., 1991 ); anticancer effects associated with inhibition of several enzymes including dna topoisomerase and tyrosine protein kinase ( akiyama , et al ., 1987 ; uckun , et al ., 1995 ); suppression of alcohol consumption ( keung and vallee , 1993 ; keung et al ., 1995 ); antioxidant activity ( arora et al ., 1998 ; tikkanen et al ., 1998 ); increasing bone remineralisation ( tomonaga et al ., 1992 ; draper et al ., 1997 ); and beneficial cardiovascular effects ( wagner et al ., 1997 ). the present invention may be more fully understood by reference to the accompanying figures in which : fig1 : shows the pea chalcone reductase dna sequence ( seq id no . 1 ) and its corresponding protein sequence ( seq id no . 2 ). fig2 : shows the soy isoflavone synthase dna sequence ( seq id no . 3 ) and its corresponding protein sequence ( seq id no . 4 ) fig3 : lotus corniculatus chalcone isomerase dna sequence ( seq id no . 5 ) and its corresponding protein sequence ( seq id no . 6 ) fig4 : provides primer sequences used in accordance with the invention . fig5 : illustrates plasmid maps of ppv5ln , ppe2 , ppe5 , ppe9 , ppe11 , ppe15 , ppe51 , ppe120 and ppe125 . fig6 : illustrates gc - ms analysis of tobacco petal extracts from representative tobacco transfomants , ppe120 / 24 , ppe120 / 26 and ppe51 spiked with an authentic daidzein standard . a . peak with retention time corresponding with authentic daidzein ( rt = 19 . 60 ) is present i ppe120 / 24 and ppe120 / 26 transformants . b . selected ion monitoring of ppe120 / 24 and ppe51 / 9 spiked with an authenitc daidzein standard shows characteristic peaks in ppe120 / 24 . fig7 : illustrates accumulation of daidzein in petal tissue from tobacco transformants harbouring constructs encoding chalcone reductase and isoflavone synthase ( ppe120 ) activitites with controls ( ppe51 ). ethanol extracts from petals were hydrolysed and analysed by hplc . fig8 : illustrates accumulation of daidzein in petal tissue from tobacco transformants harbouring constructs encoding chalcone reductase , chalcone isomerase and isoflavone synthase ( ppe125 ) activitites with controls ( ppe51 ). ethanol extracts from petals were hydrolysed and analysed by hplc . cdna cloning of chalcone reductase , chalcone isomerase and isflavone synthase and the generation and analysis of transgenic n . tabacum all experiments can be performed using normally available tobacco ( nicotiana tabacum ) genotypes as the starting material . n . tabacum cultivar sr1 is such a genotype . plants of n . tabacum cultivar sr1 were grown in controlled temperature growth rooms with a 16 - hour photoperiod at a temperature of 25 ° c . escherichia coli strain xl1 - blue : reca1 , enda1 , gyra96 , thi - 1 , hsdr17 , supe44 , rela1 lac [ f ′ proab lacl q zδm15 tn10 ( tet r )] ( stratagene europe , the netherlands ). transformation of e . coli xl1 - blue was performed using the method of hanahan ( 1983 ). agrobacterium tumefaciens lba4404 ( hoekema , 1985 ). transformation of agrobacterium tumefaciens lba4404 was performed according to shen and forde ( 1989 ). rna was isolated from lotus corniculatus ( lotus ), glycine max ( soybean ), pisum sativum ( pea ) and medicago sativa ( alfalfa ) leaf tissue using a purescript rna isolation kit ( pharmacia ) according to manufacturer &# 39 ; s instructions . 5 ′ cdna library construction : 2 μg of rna isolated from either lotus , soybean , pea or alfalfa tissue was heated to 65 ° c . for 10 minutes , then snap cooled on ice . the rna was reverse transcribed in a 20 μl reaction for 90 minutes at 42 ° c . using 10 units of stratascript ( gibco - brl ) in 1 × rt buffer ( gibco brl ), 30 mm dntps ( datp , dctp , dttp , dgtp ) ( pharmacia ), 0 . 1m dtt , 1 u / μl rnasin ( roche ) and 50 pmoles random hexamers . the random primed cdna was then purified using a gibco - brl pcr purification kit ( according to manufacturer &# 39 ; s instructions ). the purified cdna was then poly a tailed in 50 μl of 1 × tailing buffer ( roche ), 1 mm datp ( roche ), 1 unit terminal transferase ( roche ) at 37 ° c . for 5 minutes then denatured at 80 ° c . for 15 minutes . 3 ′ cdna library construction : 2 μg of rna isolated from either lotus , soybean , pea or alfalfa tissue was heated to 65 ° c . for 10 minutes , then snap cooled on ice . the rna was reverse transcribed in a 20 μl reaction for 90 minutes at 42 ° c . using 10 units of stratascript in 1 × rt buffer 30 mm dntps , 0 . 1m dtt , 1 u / μl rnasin and 5 pmoles oligo dt 17 . library pcr amplification : song of 3 ′ cdna was pcr amplified in 50 μl of 1 × pcr buffer ( roche ), 20 mm dntps 25 pmoles 5 ′ primer , 25 pmoles 3 ′ primer , 2 . 5 units taq dna polymerase ( roche ), 0 . 25 units pfu turbo dna polymerase ( stratagene ). cycling conditions were ; 30 cycles of 94 ° c . for 30 seconds , 55 ° c . for 30 seconds , 72 ° c . for 2 minutes , using a perkin elmer pcr machine . the initial denaturing step ( 94 ° c .) was extended to 2 minutes . vector pcr amplification : 1 ng of a vector was pcr amplified in 50 μl of 1 × pcr buffer ( stratagene ), 20 mm dntps 25 pmoles 5 ′ primer , 25 pmoles 3 ′ primer , 5 units pfu turbo dna polymerase . cycling conditions were ; 30 cycles of 94 ° c . for 30 seconds , 55 ° c . for 30 seconds , 72 ° c . for 2 minutes . the initial denaturing step ( 94 ° c .) was extended to 2 minutes . 5 ′ rapid amplification of cdna ends ( 5 ′ race ): 50 ng of 5 ′ cdna was complemented in 50 μl of 1 × pcr buffer , 20 mm dntps , 5 pmoles oligo dt 17 , 1 . 25 units taq dna polymerase , 0 . 125 units pfu turbo dna polymerase . conditions were 94 ° c . for 2 minutes , 42 ° c . for 2 minutes , 72 ° c . 45 minutes . the cdna was amplified by adding the following ; 25 pmoles 5 ′ r o primer , 25 pmoles primer r o , 1 . 25 units taq dna polymerase , 0 . 125 units pfu turbo dna polymerase to the reverse transcription reaction . cycling conditions were ; 30 cycles of 94 ° c . for 30 seconds , 55 ° c . for 30 seconds , 72 ° c . 2 minutes . the initial denaturing step was extended to 2 minutes . 1 μl of this pcr reaction was re - amplified in 50 μl of 1 × pcr buffer , 20 mm dntps 25 pmoles 5 ′ r o primer , 25 pmoles r o primer , 2 . 5 units taq dna polymerase , 0 . 25 units pfu turbo dna polymerase . cycling conditions were ; 30 cycles of 94 ° c . for 30 seconds , 55 ° c . for 30 seconds , 72 ° c . 30 seconds . the initial denaturing step was extended to 2 minutes . 3 ′ rapid amplification of cdna ends ( 3 ′ race ): 50 ng of 3 ′ cdna was amplified in 50 μl of 1 × pcr buffer , 20 mm dntps , 25 pmoles 5 ′ r o primer , 25 pmoles primer r o , 2 . 5 units taq dna polymerase , 0 . 25 units pfu turbo dna polymerase . cycling conditions were ; 30 cycles of 94 ° c . for 30 seconds , 55 ° c . for 30 seconds , 72 ° c . 2 minutes . the initial denaturing step was extended to 2 minutes . 1 μl of this pcr reaction was re - amplified with 5 ′ r i primer and r i as before with cycling conditions : 30 cycles of 94 ° c . for 30 seconds , 55 ° c . for 30 seconds , 72 ° c . i minute . the initial denaturing step was extended to 2 minutes . fragments generated by pcr were analysed on an etbr - 1 . 2 % agarose tbe ( 45 mm tris - borate , 1 mm edta ) gel . dna fragments were isolated from the gel using a gibco - brl gel extraction kit according to manufacturer &# 39 ; s instructions and cloned into a pt7 ta cloning vector ( novagen ). pcr amplifications or 2 μg of plasmid dna were digested with 10 units of each appropriate restriction enzyme ( roche ) in the recommended buffer at 37 ° c . for 2 hours . digests were separated on etbr - 1 . 2 % agarose tbe gel : the desired fragments were excised and purified using the gibco - brl gel extraction kit according to manufacturer &# 39 ; s instructions . 1 μg of sense and anti - sense oligonucleotides were annealed together by heating to 94 ° c . for 5 minutes in 1 × ligation buffer and then cooled to room temperature over a period of 30 minutes . vector dna fragments were incubated in 50 μl of 1 × sip ( roche ) buffer with 0 . 5 units shrimp intestinal phosphorylase ( roche ) at 37 ° c . for 15 minutes and then denatured at 80 ° c . for 5 minutes . dna fragments of interest were ligated into appropriate vectors in a ratio of 5 : 1 in a final volume of 20 μl containing 1 × ligation buffer ( roche ), 2 units of t4 dna ligase ( roche ) at 4 - 8 ° c . for 16 hours . to prepare competent cells a culture of xl1 - blue ( from a single colony ) was grown up overnight at 37 ° c ., 225 r . p . m . in 10 ml lennox broth containing 12 . 5 μg / ml tetracycline . 1 ml from this overnight culture was transferred into 100 mls of fresh , pre - warmed , lennox broth and cultured for a further 2 hours until the od 600 was in the range 0 . 3 to 0 . 6 . the cells were then recovered by centrifugation at 4500 g for 10 minutes at 4 ° c . the cells were washed in 50 ml 100 mm cacl 2 , before resuspending in a final volume of 5 ml 100 mm cacl 2 . the cells were then placed on ice for 1 hour . transformations were performed as follows : one - fifth ( 4 μl ) of the ligation reaction was added to 200 μl competent cells . the mixture was incubated on ice for 30 minutes then heat shocked at 42 ° c . for 40 seconds . 300 μl of 2yt was then added to the mixture before incubating at 37 ° c ., 225 r . p . m . for 30 minutes . the transformations were then plated out on lennox agar containing 100 μg / ml carbenicillin or 50 μg / ml kanamyicin and incubated at 37 ° c . overnight . positive transformants were identified by amplifying dna from a single colony in a 50 μl reaction containing the following mixture , 1 × pcr buffer , 0 . 2 mm dntps , 25 pmoles 5 ′ primer , 25 pmoles 3 ′ primer , 1 . 25 units taq dna polymerase . cycling conditions were 94 ° c . for 30 seconds , 55 ° c . for 30 seconds , 72 ° c . 1 minute , for 30 cycles . the initial denaturing step was extended to 2 minutes . the pcr amplifications were then analysed on etbr - 1 . 2 % agarose tbe gels . selected colonies were grown up overnight in 50 mls of 2ty broth containing either 100 μg / ml carbenicillin or 50 μg / ml kanamycin ( as appropriate ) at 225 r . p . m . at 37 ° c . the cells were recovered by centrifugation at 4500 g for 10 minutes at 4 ° c . the bacterial pellet was resuspended in 4 ml of solution 1 ( 25 mm tris . cl ph8 . 0 , 10 mm edta ), then 8 ml of solution 2 ( 0 . 2n naoh , 1 % sds ) was added , and left at room temperature for 5 minutes to lyse the cells . 6 ml of ice - cold solution 3 ( 3m potassium , 5m acetate ) was added and the mixture incubated on ice for 15 minutes . the bacterial lysate was then centrifuged at 15000 g , 4 ° c . for 20 minutes , and the supernatant was filtered through 4 layers of miracloth ( calbiochem ). 10 mls of isopropanol was added to precipitate the dna and the precipitate spun for 15 minutes at 15000 g , at room temperature . the pellet was resuspended in 1 ml of te ( 10 mm tris . cl ph7 . 6 , 1 mm edta ) with 10 μg / ml rnase a and incubated at 50 ° c . for 30 minutes to remove contaminating rna . the solution was extracted twice with an equal volume of phenol / chloroform ( 1 : 1 ) then once with an equal volume of chloroform . the dna was re - precipitated with 0 . 1 volume 3m naac ph5 . 2 and 0 . 7 volume isopropanol , then spun for 5 minutes at 10000 g , at room temperature . the pellet was washed in 70 % etoh then air dried and resuspended in te at a final concentration of 1 μg / μl . expression vectors were generated containing chalcone reductase ( chr ), chalcone isomerase ( chi ) and isoflavone synthase ( ifs ) cdna &# 39 ; s from pisum sativum , lotus corniculatus and glycine max respectively . chr , chi and ifs transgenes were placed under the control of the double 35s promoter to give high levels of expression in tobacco tissues . to construct ppv5ln , puc19 was modified as follows . firstly , plasmid ppv3 was constructed by removing the hindiii / ecori multiple cloning site from puc19 and replacing it with a synthetic dna fragment , destroying the original ecori and hindiii sites and introducing sgfi , hindiii , kpni , ecori and xbai restriction sites . this synthetic fragment was constructed by annealing the oligonucleotides 624 and 625 ( fig4 ). this resulted in plasmid ppv3 . the kpni / ecori insert from psj30 containing the 2 × 35s - promoter sequence upstream of an ˜ 1 . 9 kb coding sequence , followed by the nos terminator sequence was ligated with ppv3 restricted with kpni / ecori . this resulted in plasmid ppv5 . the ˜ 1 . 9 kb coding sequence was then removed from ppv5 as a sali / saci fragment and replaced by a synthetic dna fragment introducing ncoi , nhei and muni restriction sites , while leaving the original sali / saci sites intact . this synthetic fragment was constructed by annealing the oligonucleotides 626 and 627 ( fig4 ). this resulted in plasmid ppv5l . the sequence immediately 5 ′ of the start codon atg in ppv5l ( ccacc ) was replaced by the plant kozak sequence taaacc using pcr . oligonucleotides 640 and 641 ( fig4 ) were used to amplify the 189 bp 3 ′ fragment of the 2 × 35s promoter from vector pcp031 ( van engelen et al ., 1994 ), modifying the kozak sequence via oligonucleotide 641 . pcp031 and the amplified fragment were then restricted with hindiii / ecorv and ecorv / ncoi respectively before ligation with ppv5l restricted with hindiii - ncoi to replace the promoter . this resulted in plasmid ppv5ln ( fig5 ). to construct the plasmid ppe - 2 , the multiple cloning site of ppv5ln was modified by the insertion of three oligonucleotide adapters . first , oligonucleotides 331 and 332 ( fig4 ) were annealed together and ligated with plasmid ppv5ln restricted with ecori - xbai . this resulted in plasmid p5lna . next , the multiple cloning site from ppv5ln was amplified using oligonucleotides 248 and 191 ( fig4 ) and the amplification product restricted with xbai and ecori . this product was then ligated , in conjunction with the annealed product of oligonucleotides 333 and 334 ( fig4 ) with p5lna restricted with ncoi - ecori . this resulted in plasmid p5lnb . to construct plasmid ppe - 2 , oligonucleotides 329 and 330 were annealed together and ligated with plasmid p5lnb restricted with sfii - hindiii . this resulted in plasmid ppe - 2 ( fig5 ). to construct the plasmid ppe - 5 , the multiple cloning site of psj34 was modified by the insertion of an oligonucleotide adapter . first , oligonucleotides 337 and 338 ( fig4 ) were annealed together and ligated with plasmid psj34 restricted with hindiii - ecori . this resulted in plasmid ppe - 5 ( fig5 ). psj34 is a derivative of the binary vector pgptv - kan ( becker et al ., 1992 plant mol . biol . 20 : 1195 - 1197 ) in which the bamhi site between the nptii selectable marker and the gene7 poly ( a ) signal was destroyed by ‘ filling - in ’ with klenow polymerase . lotus chi cdna was amplified from the lotus 3 ′ and the 5 ′ cdna library using primers 160 / 323 and 160 / 321 respectively ( fig4 ); the amplification products were then re - amplified using primers 198 / 324 and 198 / 322 respectively ( fig4 ). the amplified fragments were separated by electrophoresis and products 5a . 3 . 19 and 2 . 11 respectively were cloned into the vector pt7 and sequenced with primers 152 and 191 ( fig4 ). to verify the dna sequence of the amplified fragments primers 386 and 387 were used to amplify the complete coding region of the chi gene ( in triplicate ) from a lotus 3 ′ cdna library . the resultant fragments lchi - a , lchi - b and lchi - c were cloned into vector pt7 and sequenced with primers 152 and 191 . clone lchi - a was re - amplified with primers 386 / 403 and 402 / 387 , the resultant fragments were digested with ncoi - psti and psti - nhei respectively and ligated into ncoi - xbai opened pe - 2 to create the vector pe - 9 ( 2 × 35s + kozak - lotus chi - tnos in pe - 2 ) ( fig5 ). the chalcone reductase cdna was amplified from a pisum sativum leaf tissue 3 ′ cdna library using primers 384 and 385 . the resulting 0 . 98 kb product was ligated with the pcr cloning vector pt7blue [ novagen ] and the sequence verified before further sub - cloning . the chalcone reductase sequence was then amplified from the pt7blue vector using oligonucleotides 384 / 362 , 363 / 398 , 399 / 400 and 401 / 385 ( table 1 ). the resulting amplification products were restricted with ncoi - nari , nari - bamhi , bamhi - muni , and muni - nhei respectively before ligation with ppe - 2 restricted with ncoi - xbai . this resulted in plasmid ppe - 11 ( fig5 ). the isoflavone synthase cdna was amplified from a glycine max leaf tissue cdna library using primers 339 / 340 , 341 / 342 , and 343 / 344 ( table 1 ). the resulting amplification products were restricted with ncoi - apai , apai - sali , and sali - nhei respectively before ligation with ppe - 2 restricted with ncoi - xbai . this resulted in plasmid ppe - 15 ( fig5 ). the single gene constructs described above were used to construct the plasmid ppe120 as follows . plasmids ppe - 11 and ppe - 15 were restricted with sali - ecori and hindiii - sali respectively . the 2 × 35s + kozak - pea chr - tnos and 2 × 35s + kozak - soy ifs - tnos fragments were then ligated with ppe - 5 restricted with hindiii - ecori . this resulted in plasmid ppe120 ( fig5 ). to construct the plant transformation vector ppe125 , plasmids ppe - 9 and ppe - 120 were restricted with sali . the resulting 2 × 35s + kozak - lotus chi - tnos fragment ( from ppe - 9 ) was then ligated with sali linearised ppe - 120 . this resulted in plasmid ppe - 125 ( fig5 ). a gptv - based binary plasmid , ppe51 ( fig5 ), containing the double camv 35s promoter and the nos poly ( a ) signal ( pd35s - tnos ) was used as control plasmid . this allows direct comparison between transformed control plants and plants containing the chr , chi and ifs constructs generated via a tissue culture procedure . ppe51 was constructed by restricting ppe2 with ecori - hindiii . the 2 × 35s + kozak - tnos fragment was then ligated with ppe5 restricted with hindiii - ecori . this resulted in plasmid ppe51 ( fig5 ). binary plasmids of ppe120 , ppe125 , ppe130 and ppe51 were introduced into agrobacterium tumefaciens strain lba4404 by high voltage electroporation as described by shen and forde ( 1989 ). briefly , electrocompetent cells of a . tumefaciens were prepared by inoculation of 50 ml of 2 × yt medium ( sambrook et al ., 1989 ) and culturing with shaking at 100 rpm at 28 ° c . until the culture reached an od 600 of 0 . 5 - 0 . 7 . the cells were cooled on ice , harvested by centrifugation and the supernatant discarded . the cells were then washed successively in 50 , 25 , 1 and 1 ml of cold 10 % ( v / v ) glycerol before re - suspension in 0 . 5 ml 10 % glycerol . for transformation , 40 μl of cells were transferred to a pre - cooled 0 . 2 cm electroporation cuvette ( bio - rad laboratories ). one μl of either ppe120 or pcj102 plasmid dna was mixed with the cell suspension on ice and an electric pulse applied immediately using a gene pulser with pulse controller unit ( bio - rad ). for transformation , the field strength was 12 . 5 kv / cm , a capacitance of 25 μf and resistors of 400 - 600 ohms in parallel , giving time constants of 8 - 12 msec . the cells were immediately transferred to 1 ml 2 × ty and shaken at 29 ° c . for 2 hours . aliquots were then plated onto lb agar supplemented with kanamycin and incubated for 2 - 3 days at 29 ° c . the presence and integrity of the plasmids in kanamycin resistant clones was established by pcr analysis using ppe120 ( gptv2 and 30035s ; 340 - gptv1 ), ppe51 ( 30035s and gptv2 ), ppe125 ( gptv2 and 30035s ; 340 - gptv1 ; 248 - 403 ; 402 - 398 ), ppe130 ( gptv2 - 30035s ) specific primers respectively ( fig4 ). a . tunefaciens cells from pcr positive colonies were used to inoculate a 10 ml lennox media broth containing kanamycin 50 : g / ml and rifampicin 50 : g / ml and incubated overnight with shaking ( 120 rpm ) at 29 ° c . the overnight culture was centrifuged at 3000 g and the cell pellet resuspended in an equal volume of ms media ( 3 % sucrose ). leaf segments were cut from young nicotiana tabacum l . cv . sr1 leaves from plants grown in tissue culture . the leaf segments were placed directly into the a . tumefaciens suspension and co - incubated for 10 minutes . the leaf segments were then transferred , axial surface down , to feeder plates ( 10 per plate ) and placed at 22 ° c . for 2 days in low light . the leaf segments were then transferred , axial surface up , to tobacco shooting media supplemented with hormones , cefotaxime 500 : g / ml and kanamycin 50 : g / ml and placed in a growth room at 24 ° c . with a 16 hr photoperiod . after three weeks , callusing segments were transferred to fresh tobacco shooting media in vitro - vent [ melford laboratories ltd .] tissue culture vessels . shoots were then excised from callused leaf segments and placed on tobacco shooting media without hormones containing cefotaxime 500 : g / ml and kanamycin 50 : g / ml . genomic dna was isolated from shoots that had rooted and transgenic plants harbouring the constructs were selected following specific amplification of the chr , chi , ifs transgenes respectively . transgene positive plants were then potted up into a 50 % perlite 50 % compost mixture and placed in a propagator in a growthroom at 25 ° c . with a 16 h photoperiod ( 3000 lux ). after 1 week the plants were removed from the propagator and subsequently potted up into 5 - inch pots . petal tissue was harvested from each independent transformant and stored for subsequent analysis . when flowering had finished , each plant was cut - back and allowed to re - grow to form new flowers , from which seeds were harvested for propagation and analysis . flavonoids and isoflavonoids were determined as their glycosides or as aglycones by preparing non - hydrolysed and hydrolysed extracts , respectively . for extraction , tobacco petal tissues were harvested from fully open , mature flowers . to ensure representative analyses , all of the flowers (& gt ; 10 per plant ) were harvested at a similar developmental stage from each ppe120 , ppe125 and corresponding ppe51 ( control ) plants . the flower was fractionated to remove stamen , carpel and corolla tube tissue and the remaining petal tissue was then flash frozen in liquid nitrogen before being stored at − 80 ° c . the petal tissues (& gt ; 10 ) from each plant were then ground to a fine powder to ensure a homogeneous mix . an aliquot from this mixture was then extracted for 30 min at room temperature (˜ 22 ° c .) in 80 % ( v / v ) ethanol at 100 mg / 700 μl . following extraction , the cell debris was removed by filtration through a 0 . 45 μm millex - hv filter unit ( millipore corp , usa ). the filtrate was stored at − 20 ° c . prior to hplc analyses . for hydrolysed extracts , 40 μl of 12m hcl was added to 360 μl from each petal extract , before incubating at 90 ° c . for 40 min . daidzin / genistin standards were hydrolysed under the same conditions as the petal extracts providing a control for the hydrolysis process . after hydrolysis , an aliquot from each extract was filtered through a 0 . 2 μm ptfe disposable filter ( whatman ). the filtrate ( 20 μl ) from was injected into the hplc system ( hp1100 , agilent ) via an autosampler maintained at 4 ° c . the analytical column ( prodigy phenyl - 3 , 4 . 6 × 150 mm , particle size 5 μm , ( phenomenex ) was held at 30 ° c . detection was by diode array , monitoring at 262 , 280 , and 370 nm . observed peaks were scanned from 210 - 550 nm to obtain spectra . chemstation software ( rev . a . 8 . 03 ) was used to control the system and collect and analyse data . separation of flavonoid and isoflavonoid components within the extracts was performed using a gradient of acetonitrile in 1 % acetic acid , at a flow rate of 0 . 8 ml / min . the gradient of acetonitrile was : 15 - 37 % linear in 22 min , then 37 - 80 % in 2 min , before a hold at 80 % for 2 min . then the acetonitrile was reduced from 80 - 15 % in 2 min and held at 15 % for 2 min prior to next injection . absorbance spectra ( corrected for baseline spectrum ) and retention time of peaks were compared with those of commercially available flavonoid and isoflavonoid standards . calibration curves for quercetin , kaempferol , genistein , daidzein , isoliquiritigenin and liquiritigenin were established to permit quantitation in the hydrolysed tobacco extracts . levels were calculated on a fresh weight ( μg / g f . wt .) basis . with the hplc system and software used , detection limits in tobacco extracts was about 0 . 1 μg / ml , corresponding with ˜ 1 . 5 μg / g fresh weight . variation between replicate injections was less than 5 %. after hydrolysis , 5 ml of 10 % na 2 so 4 was added to an aliquot from each tissue extract before extraction with 2 ml ethyl acetate . the sample was then centrifuged at 1600 g for 1 min . the ethyl acetate layer was decanted to a fresh tube and evaporated to dryness under n 2 (& lt ; 45 ° c .) samples were dissolved in 30 μl pyridine and derivatised by heating with 20 μl bis - trifluoroacetamide ( bstfa ) at 45 ° c . for 15 min ., 1 μl of sample was injected onto a cp - sil 8 cb / ms ( 25 m × 0 . 25 mm × 0 . 25 μm film ) gc capillary column ( chrompack ) through a splitless injector port at 280 ° c . ( hewlett packard 5890 gas chromatograph ). the oven temperature was set at a linear temperature gradient from 100 - 320 ° c . at 10 ° c ./ min with a helium gas flow rate of 1 ml / min . the mass spectrum was monitored using a hewlett packard 5972a quadruple mass - selective detector set at 300 ° c . ( ei ) and mass ranges of 175 , 184 , 383 , 398 daltons for daidzein ( selective ion mode ); 228 , 399 , 371 , 486 daltons for genistein ( selective ion mode ); ( 219 , 307 , 371 , 457 and 472 daltons for isoliquiritigenin ( selective ion mode ) and 151 , 179 , 192 , 235 , 385 , and 400 daltons for liquiritigenin ( selective ion mode ). in addition , mass ranges of 170 - 400 daltons for daidzein , 130 - 480 daltons for isoliquiritigenin , 130 - 410 daltons for liquiritigenin and 180 - 490 for genistein were selected for full scan mode . 1 . 9 accumulation of daidzein in transgenic n . tabacum ectopically expressing chalcone reductase and isoflavone synthase : to determine whether ectopic expression of both chalcone reductase and isoflavone synthase in the non - leguminous plant n . tabacum was able to redirect flavonoid synthesis toward daidzein and / or genistein synthesis , the flavonoid and isoflavonoid profile of petal tissues was determined . this analysis was performed by hplc using hydrolysed extracts of petal tissue from nineteen ppe120 and six ppe51 transformants . in the hplc analysis comparison between hydrolysed petal extracts from flowers of n . tabacum transformed with either ppe120 or ppe51 indicated that in several of the ppe120 transformants a small peak with the same retention time as the daidzein standard was detected . by contrast , this hplc peak was not present in control ( ppe51 ) transformants . to confirm our preliminary identification , this peak was collected from the hplc and analysed using gc - ms assay . in addition , fractions with the corresponding retention time were collected from a typical ppe51 transformant and from a daidzein standard as controls . gc - ms analysis showed that the retention time and the relative abundance of the measured ions ( 175 , 184 , 383 , and 398 [ m + ]) from the ppe120 fraction were similar to those from the authentic daidzein standard ( fig6 ). furthermore , the fraction from ppe51 showed no gc peak with a similar retention time or with a similar relative abundance of the measured ions confirming the absence of daidzein in the control transformants ( fig6 ). quantitation , based on comparison with authentic standards showed that levels of daidzein accumulation in ppe120 petal tissues reached up to ˜ 2 . 75 μg / gfwt ( fig7 ). 1 . 10 daidzein accumulation in transgenic n . tabacum expressing chalcone reductase , isoflavone synthase and chalcone isomerase . to determine whether concomitant expression of chalcone reductase and isoflavone synthase in conjunction with a legume chalcone isomerase in the non - leguminous plant n . tabacum was able to enhance the level of daidzein accumulation , the flavonoid and isoflavonoid profile of petal tissues was determined . this analysis was performed by hplc using hydrolysed extracts of petal tissue from twelve ppe125 and six ppe51 transformants . in the hplc assay comparison between hydrolysed petal extracts from flowers of n . tabacum transformed with either ppe125 or ppe51 indicated that for several of the ppe125 transformants a peak with the same retention time as the daidzein standard was detected . by contrast , this peak was not present in control ( ppe51 ) transformants . to confirm our preliminary identification , the peak corresponding to daidzein was collected from the hplc and analysed using gc - ms assay . in addition , fractions with the corresponding retention time were collected from a typical ppe51 transformant and from a daidzein standard as controls . gc - ms analysis showed that the retention time and the relative abundance of the measured ions ( 175 , 184 , 383 , and 398 [ m + ]) from the ppe125 fraction were similar to those from the authentic daidzein standard . furthermore , the fraction from ppe51 showed no peak with a similar retention time or with a similar relative abundance of the measured ions confirming the absence of daidzein . quantitation , based on comparison with authentic standards showed that levels of daidzein accumulation in ppe125 petal tissues reached up to 246 . 7 μg / gfwt (˜ 4934 μg / gdwt ) ( fig8 ). stable transformation of lactuca sativa l . cv lollo rossa , bijou , muscara & amp ; revolution a . tumefaciens cells from pcr positive colonies were used to inoculate a 10 ml lennox media broth containing kanamycin 50 μg / ml and rifampicin 50 μg / ml and incubated overnight with shaking ( 120 rpm ) at 29 ° c . the overnight culture was centrifuged at 3000 g and the cell pellet resuspended in an equal volume of um media and a 1 : 10 ( v / v ) dilution used for transformation . cotyledons were cut from 7 - day old lactuca sativa l . seedlings grown in tissue culture . the abaxial surface of the cotyledons was scored with a scalpel - blade before placing directly into the a . tumefaciens suspension and co - incubated for 10 minutes . the cotyledons were then transferred , abaxial surface down , to solidified um media supplemented with 3 % ( w / v ) sucrose overlayed with one filter paper ( 8 per plate ) and placed at 25 ° c . for 2 days . the cotyledons were then transferred , axial surface up , to solidified ms media supplemented with 3 % ( w / v ) sucrose , 0 . 04 mgl − 1 naa , 0 . 5 mgl − 1 bap , 100 μg / ml cefotaxime , 500 μg / ml carbenicillin and 50 μg / ml kanamycin and placed in a growth room at 25 ° c . with a 16 hr photoperiod . the explants were transferred to fresh medium every 14 days . after eight weeks , regenerating explants were transferred to solidified ms media supplemented with 0 . 11 % ( w / v ) mes , 100 μg / ml cefotaxime and 50 μg / ml kanamycin . genomic dna was isolated from shoots that had rooted and transgenic plants harbouring the constructs were selected following specific amplification of the chr , chi & amp ; ifs transgenes respectively . transgene positive plants were then transferred to 9 cm diameter pots containing levington m3 compost mixed with john innes no . 3 & amp ; perlite ( 3 : 3 : 2 ) and placed in a propagator in a growthroom at 25 ° c . with a 16 hr photoperiod . after 1 week the plants were removed from the propagator and maintained at 25 ° c . with a 16 hr photoperiod . leaf tissue harvested from each independent transformant and is stored at − 80 ° c . for subsequent flavonoid and isoflavonoid analyses as previously described . a . tumefaciens cells from transgene positive ( pcr ) colonies were used to inoculate a 20 ml lennox media broth containing kanamycin 50 μg / ml and rifampicin 50 μg / ml and incubated for 3 - days with shaking ( 120 rpm ) at 29 ° c . following incubation , this culture was centrifuged at 3000 g and the cell pellet resuspended in 25 ml ms media ( ph5 . 8 ) supplemented with 3 % ( w / v ) sucrose . leaves were cut from 4 - week old solanum tuberosum l . plants , grown in tissue culture , and placed axial surface up onto solidified l3 medium [ ms basal salts supplemented with 1 . 6 % glucose , 0 . 8 % agar , ph5 . 8 ] supplemented with 0 . 02 mg / l naa , 20 mg / l ga 3 , 2 mg / l zeatin riboside ] and placed at 23 ° c . for 2 days . the excised leaves were then placed directly into the a . tumefaciens suspension and co - incubated for 10 minutes . following co - incubation , the leaves were ‘ blotted - dry ’ and transferred , axial surface up , to feeder plates ( solidified l3 media overlayed with 2 ml of tobacco cells suspension over which one filter paper was placed ) and placed in darkness at 23 ° c . for 2 days . the leaf explants were then transferred , axial surface up , to solidified l3 media supplemented 0 . 02 mg / l naa , 20 mg / l ga3 , and 500 μg / ml cefotaxime and placed in a growth room at 23 / c with a 16 hr photoperiod for four days . the leaf explants were then transferred to fresh l3 medium supplemented with 0 . 02 mg / l naa , 20 mg / l ga3 , and 500 μg / ml cefotaxime and 100 mg / l kanamycin every 14 days . after approximately eight weeks , shoots (˜ 1 . 5 cm ) were excised from the regenerating explants and transferred to solidified ms media supplemented with 1 % ( w / v ) sucrose , 0 . 8 % agar , 500 μg / ml cefotaxime and 100 μg / ml kanamycin . genomic dna was isolated from shoots that had rooted and transgenic plants harbouring the constructs were selected following specific amplification of the chr , chi & amp ; ifs transgenes respectively . minitubers were initiated from each transgene positive plant by transfer of ˜ 3 cm long leaf node to ms media supplemented with 8 % ( w / v ) sucrose and 0 . 8 % agar and maintaining in darkness at 25 ° c . minitubers were harvested from each independent transformant and stored at − 80 ° c . for subsequent flavonoid and isoflavonoid analyses . the investigation was designed as a double blind placebo controlled study with 33 female post - menopausal volunteers . the participants were randomised in a parallel design into two groups to receive foods with and without functional ingredients for a period of 12 weeks in total . for the duration of the study the subjects had to avoid soya containing foods and stop taking vitamins , minerals or other dietary supplements . the study comprised two phases . firstly , a “ run - in ” or “ washout ” phase when subjects consumed placebo foods for two weeks . secondly , an intervention phase when subjects were randomly allocated to consume foods ( 2 low - calorie food bars per day ) containing functional ingredients or placebo foods for a further 10 weeks . study foods were provided as a low - calorie bar , the bars were small ( serving size 29 g ) and provided on average 108 calories and 3 . 1 g fat . soya isoflavones 20 mg green tea polyphenols 100 mg gamma - linolenic acid 240 mg carotenoids 0 . 25 mg vitamin a 300 μg vitamin c 60 mg vitamin e 7 . 5 mg vitamin b2 0 . 55 mg vitamin b3 7 mg vitamin b6 0 . 75 mg vitamin d 5 μg folate 200 μg zinc 7 . 5 mg calcium 600 mg paba 120 mg the placebo foods contained the paba ( para - aminobenzoic acid ) but none of the functional ingredients . paba was added as a compliance marker to all the bars . consumption of the bars containing micronutrients of which the isoflavones are considered to most efficacious , resulted in a range of skin health and appearance benefits : i . improved skin appearance and reduced signs of ageing due to reduced wrinkle height ; ii . improved firmness and skin tone ; iii . softer and smoother skin ; iv . a less sensitive skin , that makes one feel better about their skin ; v . improved overall antioxidant status of the body and skin . the statistical significance of each of the skin benefits or serum changes after ten weeks intervention is listed below : week 10 ‘ p ’ parameter value i . wrinkle height ( replicas ) & lt ; 0 . 078 ii . firmness ( indent value ) & lt ; 0 . 075 iii . softness / smoothness ( coefficient of restitution ) & lt ; 0 . 15 iv . sensitive skin ( questionnaire ) & lt ; 0 . 05 v . serum antioxidant status ( teac ) & lt ; 0 . 065 | 2 |
now the present invention will be described in a greater detail hereunder with reference to the accompanying drawings which illustrate preferred embodiments of the invention . first , fig1 schematically illustrates a preferred embodiment of the invention . in this embodiment a fuel injection apparatus for a diesel engine essentially comprises an open type injection nozzle 3 with a push rod or plunger 2 incorporated in a nozzle body 1 , an actuating force extracting mechanism 8 including a cam 5 fixedly fitted onto a cam shaft 4 adapted to be rotated by a crankshaft ( not shown ) in synchronization with the latter , said cam shaft 4 extending in parallel to the crankshaft , an actuating rod 6 adapted to be vertically displaced by means of the cam 5 and a rocker arm 7 pivotally driven by means of the actuating rod 6 so as to extract actuating force from the cam shaft 4 for actuating the push rod 2 , and a push rod actuating timing determining means 9 . specifically , the open type injection nozzle 3 includes a suck hole 10 located at the lower end part of the nozzle body 1 , a fuel passage 11 in communication with said suck hole 10 by way of a metering orifice 12 and an injection hole 13 drilled through the wall surrounding the suck hole 10 . further , the open type injection nozzle 3 includes a coil spring 14 disposed between the nozzle body 1 and a flange portion of the push rod 2 so as to normally urge the latter in the upward direction . the push rod actuating timing determining means 9 comprises a compressive coil spring 15 disposed between the one free end of the rocker arm 7 and the top end of the push rod 2 , an electromagnetic coil 16 fixedly mounted on the flange portion of the push rod 2 and a magnetic core 17 capped on the top end part of the push rod 2 , said magnetic core 17 being projected above from the flange portion of the push rod 2 . when the electromagnetic coil 16 is energized , the magnetic core 17 is displaced upward so that push rod 2 is kept open . in fig1 reference numeral 18 designates a cylinder , reference numeral 19 does a combustion chamber and reference numeral 20 does a piston . next , operation of the fuel injection apparatus for a diesel engine in accordance with the above - described embodiment of the invention will be described below . during upward stroke of the piston 20 the push rod 2 is energized in the upward direction by means of the coil spring 14 and the electromagnetic coil 16 is excited at a predetermined time . as the piston 20 continues its upward movement , the actuating rod 6 is raised up by means of the cam 5 and the rocker arm 7 is in turn rotated in the anticlockwise direction by means of the actuating rod 6 . thus , the coil spring 15 is increasingly compressed by means of the rocker arm 7 during the anticlockwise rotation of the latter . since the electromagnetic coil 16 is excited during the compressive movement of the coil spring 15 , the push rod 2 is kept in firm contact with the electromagnetic coil 16 whereby the coil spring 15 continues to be compressed . while the piston 20 continues its upward movement until it reaches a position in the proximity of the upper dead point , fuel delivered from a fuel feed pump ( not shown ) flows into the suck hole 10 via the fuel passage 11 and the metering orifice 12 so that it is stored therein . next , when the piston 20 reaches the upper dead end point or a position in the proximity thereto , the electromagnetic coil 16 is demagnetized so as to release the push rod 2 from the strained state . thus , the push rod 2 is depressed by expansive force of the coil spring 15 and thereby fuel stored in the suck hole 10 is injected into the combustion chamber 19 through the injection hole 13 . as injected fuel is burnt in the combustion chamber 19 , the piston 20 moves downward and the push rod 2 is restored upward by expansive force of the coil spring 14 . this causes the rocker arm 7 to be rotated in the clockwise direction by way of the coil spring 15 . subsequently , the actuating rod 6 is displaced downward . when it is displaced to the lowermost position , its lower end comes in contact with the peripheral surface of the cam 5 where the latter has the shortest radial distance from the center axis of the cam shaft 4 . in the illustrated embodiment and coil spring 14 is disposed between the upper surface of the nozzle body 1 and the flange portion of the push rod 2 so that the latter is restored upward by expansive force of the coil spring 14 , as described above . alternatively , the push rod 2 may be restored by exciting the electromagnetic coil 16 . in this case the coil spring 14 is not required . next , fig2 schematically illustrates a fuel injection apparatus for a diesel engine in accordance with a modified embodiment of the invention . in this embodiment the fuel injection apparatus essentially comprises an open type injection nozzle 33 with a push rod or plunger 32 incorporated in a nozzle body 31 , an actuating force extracting mechanism 34 for actuating the push rod 32 in the nozzle body 31 and a push rod actuating timing determining means 35 for transmitting actuating force to the push rod 32 in a specific timing relation . the open type injection nozzle 33 includes a suck hole 36 at the lower end part of the nozzle body 31 , a fuel passage 37 extending along the side wall of the nozzle body 31 , said fuel passage 37 being in communication with said suck hole 36 via a metering orifice , and an injection hole 39 formed on the wall surrounding the suck hall 36 . the actuating force extracting mechanism 34 includes an auxiliary cylinder 42 opened toward a combustion chamber 41 of a main cylinder 40 , an auxiliary piston 43 slidably fitted into said auxiliary cylinder 42 and a rocker arm 45 in operative connection with said auxiliary piston 43 via a rod 44 . further , the rocker arm 45 is in operative connection with a push rod 32 which is located opposite to the piston rod 44 relative to a pivotal shaft 46 and it is normally urged to turn in the clockwise direction under resilient force caused by means of coil spring 47 . the push rod actuating timing determining means 35 includes an electromagnetic coil 48 disposed at the upper part of the push rod 32 and a magnetic core 49 capped on the top end part of the push rod 32 so that the push rod 32 is kept open by exciting the electromagnetic coil 48 and thereby displacing the magnetic core 49 upward . in this embodiment an auxiliary electromagnetic coil 50 adapted to be operated in the reverse manner relative to the electromagnetic coil 48 is disposed below the latter in a spaced relation . in the drawing reference numeral 51 designates a main piston . next , operation of the fuel injection apparatus for a diesel engine in accordance with the above - described embodiment of the invention will be described below . during upward stroke of the main piston 51 the electromagnetic coil 48 is energized , whereas the auxiliary electromagnetic coil 50 is deenergized . thus , the push rod 32 is kept open under attractive force caused by means of the electromagnetic coil 48 whereby the auxiliary piston 43 in operative connection with the push rod 32 via the rocker arm 45 and the piston rod 44 stands still against increased pressure in the combustion chamber 41 . while the main piston 51 continues its upward movement and reaches a position in the proximity of the upper dead point , fuel delivered from a fuel feed pump ( not shown ) flows into the suck hole 36 via the fuel passage 37 and the metering orifice 38 so that it is stored in the suck hole 36 . when the piston 51 reaches the upper dead end or a position in the proximity thereto , the electromagnetic coil 48 is deenergized and at the same time the auxiliary electromagnetic coil 50 is energized . thus , the push rod 32 is released from the restrained state so that the auxiliary piston 43 is displaced upward under increased pressure in the combustion chamber 41 , causing the piston rod 44 to be displaced upward . as a result the rocker arm 45 is turned in the anticlockwise direction as seen in the drawing and the push rid 32 is then depressed instantaneously by means of the rocker arm 45 so that fuel stored in the suck hole 36 is forcibly injected into the combustion chamber 41 through the injection hole 39 . during fuel injection the auxiliary electromagnetic coil 50 assists in downward displacement of the push rod 32 caused by increased pressure in the combustion chamber 41 and the aforesaid fuel injection is maintained for a predetermined period of time with the push rod 32 depressed until the injection hole 39 is fully closed . when fuel injected into the combustion chamber 41 in that way is burnt completly therein , the main piston 51 is caused to move downward . when the auxiliary electromagnetic coil 50 is deenergized , the push rod 32 is restored to the original position ( valve opened state ) together with the auxiliary piston 43 , the piston rod 44 and the rocker arm 45 under resilient force of the coil spring 47 and negative pressure in the combustion chamber 41 caused by the downward displacement of the main piston 51 . next , fig3 schematically illustrates a fuel injection apparatus for a diesel engine in accordance with another modified embodiment of the invention . in this embodiment the fuel injection apparatus essentially comprises a fuel holding section 62 with a push rod or plunger 61 incorporated therein , an actuating force extracting mechanism 63 for actuating the push rod 61 and a push rod actuating timing determining means 64 for transmitting actuating force to the push rod 61 in a specific timing relation . the fuel holding section 62 is defined between a check valve 68 in a fuel feed system 67 and a suck hole 66 in a nozzle body 65 , said fuel feed system 67 extending from a fuel feed pump ( not shown ) to said suck hole 66 in the nozzle body 65 . the lower end part of the push rod 61 is exposed to the fuel holding section 62 . further , the fuel holding section 62 is equipped with a differential valve 69 which is located above the suck hole 66 , said differential valve 69 comprising a valve disc 70 which is adapted to be urged downward by means of a coil spring 71 so that a fuel delivery port 72 to the suck hole 66 is normally closed . the actuating force extracting mechanism 63 includes an auxiliary cylinder 74 formed at the upper part of a main cylinder 75 , said auxiliary cylinder 74 being exposed to a combustion chamber 73 , an auxiliary piston 76 slidably fitted in the auxiliary cylinder 74 , a pressure chamber 77 in the auxiliary cylinder 74 defined above the auxiliary piston 76 and another pressure chamber 78 in the nozzle body 65 defined above the push rod 61 , said pressure chamber 77 and said pressure chamber 78 being filled with working hydraulic oil 79 so that they are in hydraulic communication with one another . the push rod actuating timing determining means 64 includes an electromagnetic coil 80 disposed above the push rod 61 and a movable magnetic core which is constituted by the upper part of the push rod 61 , said magnetic core being adapted to be displaced upward under attractive force caused by energizing the electromagnetic coil 80 . further , the push rod actuating timing determining means 64 includes an auxiliary electromagnetic coil 81 disposed below the push rod 61 , said auxiliary electromagnetic coil 81 being adapted to be operated in the reverse manner relative to the electromagnetic coil 80 . specifically , the auxiliary electromagnetic coil 81 serves to assit in downward movement of the push rod 61 and hold the latter at the lowered position while it is energized . in the drawing reference numeral 82 designates a main piston , reference numeral 83 does a metering valve and reference numeral 84 does an injection hole . next , operation of the fuel injection apparatus for a diesel engine in accordance with the above - described embodiment of the invention will be described below with reference to fig4 which is a typical time chart representing characteristic features of the apparatus . in addition the structure of the apparatus will be described in more details . fuel delivered from a fuel feed pump ( not shown ) flows into the fuel holding section 62 via the metering valve 83 and the check valve 68 at a certain time in the course of upward stroke of the main piston . while fuel flows into the fuel holding section 62 , a rate of fuel feed is determined by means of the metering valve 83 . after flowing through the metering valve 83 , fuel enters the fuel holding section 62 by opening a ball 85 in the check valve 68 against resilient force of the coil spring 86 whereby the push rod 61 is raised up . when the push rod 61 reaches a position in the proximity of the upper dead point , the electromagnetic coil 80 is excited so that the push rod 61 is kept at the elevated position . as the main piston 82 continues its upward movement to increase pressure in the combustion chamber 73 , the auxiliary piston 76 is exposed to the increased pressure in the combustion chamber 73 which is in turn exerted on the upper surface 87 of the push rod 61 by way of the working hydraulic oil 79 . however , the push rod 61 is held at the elevated position under magnetic force caused by means of the eletromagnetic coil 80 . when the main piston 82 moves upward further and reaches the upper dead point or a position in the proximity thereof , the electromagnetic coil 80 is demagnetized and at the same time the auxiliary electromagnetic coil 81 is magnetized . since the push rod 61 is released from the restrictive magnetic force , the push rod 61 is depressed by the increased pressure in the combustion chamber 73 transmitted to the upper surface 87 of the push rod 61 via the auxiliary piston 76 and the working hydraulic oil 79 . thus , fuel in the fuel holding section 62 is injected from the suck hole 66 into the combustion chamber 73 through the injection hole 84 by means of the push rod 61 . it should be noted that during the fuel injection the check valve 68 serves to inhibit any backflow of fuel in the fuel holding section 62 into the metering valve 83 . after completion of fuel injection the valve disc 70 in the differential valve 69 closes the fuel delivery port 72 whereby leakage of residual fuel in the fuel holding section 62 is completely prevented , said leakage being caused by reduced pressure in the combustion chamber 73 during downward stroke of the main piston 82 . it should be of course understood that the present invention has been described above with respect to three preferred embodiments of the invention as illustrated in the accompanying drawings but it should be not limited only to them and various changes or modifications may be made within any departure from the spirit and scope of the invention . | 5 |
referring now more particularly to the drawing , like numerals denote like features and structural elements in the various figures . fig2 shows a part of an embodiment of an optical disk drive according to the invention . in the figure , an optical head 10 is composed of a coarse actuator 20 and a fine actuator 30 . the coarse actuator 20 is supported by a rail 22 so that it can move freely in the radial direction of an optical disk 100 ( in the direction of a seek operation ), and is driven in the direction of the seek operation by a coarse actuator vcm ( voice coil motor ) 24 . the fine actuator 30 is supported by the coarse actuator 20 through a shaft 32 so that it can move in the focusing and tracking directions and is driven in the focusing direction and in the tracking direction by a focus vcm 34 and a tracking vcm 36 , respectively . the fine actuator 30 has a fixed objective lens 38 which a laser beam 40 is projected onto optical disk 100 . also , coarse actuator 20 is provided with a relative position error ( rpe ) detecting sensor 25 , a focus error signal ( fes ) detecting sensor 27 , and a tracking error signal ( tes ) detecting sensor 29 . the relative position error ( rpe ) detecting sensor 25 is , for example , a photo sensor with two split sensitive parts to detect the quantity of a relative deflection ( rotational deflection from a neutral position ) of the fine actuator 30 from the coarse actuator 20 . the focus error signal ( fes ) detecting sensor 27 is , for example , a photo sensor with four split sensitive parts to detect a positional difference of a spot of the laser beam 40 from a focusing point on the optical disk 100 . the tracking error signal ( tes ) detecting sensor 29 is , for example , a photo sensor with two split sensitive parts to detect a positional difference of a spot of laser beam 40 from the center of a track on the optical disk 100 . fig1 shows another part of said embodiment . in the figure , an output of the relative position error ( rpe ) detecting sensor 25 is input to a rpe calculator 52 . the rpe calculator 52 , if the rpe detecting sensor 25 is a photo sensor with two split sensitive parts , calculates the difference between detecting signals from the two photo - sensitive parts and then outputs an unadjusted or a raw rpe . when the gain or offset of unadjusted rpe is adjusted to a rpe adjuster 54 , an adjusted rpe can be obtained and the adjusted rpe thus obtained is provided to a coarse servo controller 56 and a tracking servo controller 76 . the rpe , to which low - pass filtering and compensation for phase lead have been applied by the coarse servo controller 56 , is provided to a coarse actuator vcm driver 58 from which the driving current , according to the amplitude and sign of the rpe , that is , the quantity and direction of a deflection of the fine actuator 30 relative to the coarse actuator 20 , is provided to the coarse actuator vcm 24 . an output of the fes detection sensor 27 is input to a fes calculator 62 . the fes calculator 62 , if the fes detecting sensor 27 is a photo sensor with four split sensitive parts , calculates the difference between a sum of detecting signals from a pair of photo sensitive parts and a sum of detecting signals from another pair of photo - sensitive parts and then outputs an unadjusted or a raw fes . when the offset of the unadjusted fes is adjusted by a fes adjuster 64 , an adjusted fes can be obtained . the fes thus obtained is provided to a focus servo controller 66 . the fes , which low - pass filtering and compensation for phase lead have been applied by the focus servo controller 66 , is provided to a focus vcm drive 68 from which the driving current , according to the amplitude and sign of the fes , that is , a positional difference and direction of a spot of the laser beam 40 from the focus point , is provided to the focus vcm 34 . an output of the tes detecting sensor 29 is input to a tes calculator 72 . the tes calculator , if the tes detecting sensor 29 is a photo sensor with two split sensitive parts , calculates the difference between detecting signals from a pair of photo sensitive parts and outputs an unadjusted or a raw tes . when the gain and offset of the unadjusted tes are adjusted by the tes adjuster 74 , an adjusted tes can be obtained and provided to the tracking servo controller 76 , a tracking vcm driver 78 providing a driving signal for tracking to the tracking vcm 36 . the adjusted tes is also input to a window comparator 300 for zero cross detection in which a tes is checked to see whether the tes is within a predetermined range including an electric reference level ( zero level ). a zero cross pulse is output if the tes is within said range and a zero cross pulse is not generated if the tes is not within said range . as is obvious from the above , the window comparator 300 is used to detect whether the tes has crossed said zero level . the zero cross pulse is input to a pulse discriminator 301 , a digital low - pass filter which outputs only a pulse with a time width greater than or equal to a predetermined value within zero cross pulses . the pulse outputted from the pulse discriminator 301 is called hereafter a discriminated zero cross pulse . the discriminated zero cross pulse is inputted to a track count logic 500 which is a logic circuit that generates an output pulse , or counts the number of tracks only if predetermined pulses are input in predetermined order . further , the adjusted tes is input to a filter circuit ( peak detecting filer ) 400 . the filter circuit 400 is a high - pass filter for passing the tes of high frequency with high gain and passing the tes of low frequency with low gain . in other words , the filter circuit 400 is a filter having an amplitude of tes during a low - velocity seek operation is smaller than the amplitude of tes during a high - velocity seek operation . an output signal from the filter circuit 400 is called hereafter a peak detection track cross signal to distinguish the output signal from the tes . the peak detection track cross signal is input to a positive peak level comparator 401 in which the peak detection track cross signal is compared with a constant value approaching a positive peak and changes to a positive peak pulse whose state changes near the appropriate level , and , at the same time , is input to a negative peak level comparator 402 in which the peak detection track cross signal is compared with a constant value approaching a negative peak and change to a negative peak pulse whose state changes near the appropriate level . the positive peak pulse and the negative peak pulse output from positive peak level comparator 401 and negative peak level comparator 402 , respectively , are input to track count logic 500 . the track count logic 500 functions in two types of count operation modes , high - velocity mode and low - velocity mode . in high - velocity mode , an output pulse is generated if the positive peak pulse and the negative peak pulse have been alternately input and , on the other hand , in low - velocity mode , an output pulse is generated if the positive peak pulse , the discriminated zero cross pulse , and the negative peak pulse have been input in this order . each time the track count logic 500 outputs an pulse , the content of a track counter 84 is decreased by one . accordingly , the track counter 84 is decreased when the positive peak pulse changes to the negative peak pulse and vice versa in high - velocity mode and is discriminated zero cross pulse changes in the predetermined order in low - velocity mode . a change of track count logic 500 from high - velocity mode to low - velocity mode and vice versa takes place by means of a servo system controller ( cpu and logic circuit ) 200 . the controller 200 can determine whether a current seek velocity is high or low , based on positional information as well as velocity information obtained from the tes , or the content of track counter 84 . the seek velocity can be determined based on the content of track counter 84 since the relationship between the seek velocity and the number of tracks is indicated by a velocity profile rom 86 so far as a seek velocity is under the control of the velocity profile rom 86 . the controller 200 is provided with the velocity profile rom 86 in which information used for controlling the seek velocity , for example , the relation between a track distance from a current position to a target position and a desirable velocity , as in fig3 used for controlling the seek velocity is stored . when information about the current position is provided based on the value of the track counter 84 , the velocity profile rom 86 outputs a desirable velocity , represented as a digital value , at the current position to a velocity profile generator 88 in which the digital value is converted to an analog value to output the analog value to a seek block 90 . the seek block 90 compares the value obtained from the velocity profile generator 88 with the current velocity information conveyed by the tes to product a positioning error signal ( pes ) which is an integrated value of the result of the comparison . the pes is provided to a selector 92 to which the tes as well as the pes is provided . in seek operation mode , the selector 92 provides the pes to the fine servo controller 76 and , on the other hand , in tracking operation mode , the selector 92 provides the tes to the fine tracking servo controller 76 . in seek operation mode , the selector 92 may provide pes to not only the fine tracking servo controller 76 but the coarse servo controller 56 . in the following , the operation of this embodiment is described by reference to fig4 to fig6 . fig4 shows the trajectory of a laser beam on the optical disk 100 during a high - velocity seek operation . if a seek operation is performed at a high - velocity , a laser beam crosses more than one track over a defect portion 150 . as the result of the effect due to the defect portion 150 on the tes during such a high - velocity seek operation , the amplitude of tes decreases while the laser beam moves through the defect portion 150 . if the tes ( whose amplitude has decreased ) is input , as it is , to the level comparators 401 and 402 , the amplitude of tes does not reach the reference levels of the level comparators 401 and 402 and the positive and negative peak pulses cannot be detected . in the embodiment , the tes ( whose amplitude has decreased ) is relatively amplified only during a high - velocity seek operation by the filter circuit 400 before inputting the tes to the level comparators 401 and 402 , so as to be able to detect the positive and negative peak pulses . the amplitude of tes , as described above , is relatively amplified only during a high - velocity seek operation , since the effect due to the defective portion 150 on the tes appears as a decrease in the amplitude of tes only during the high - velocity seek operation . the amplitude of tes during a low - velocity seek operation results in a decrease in the reference levels of the level comparators 401 and 402 and as a result of the decrease in the reference levels , extra undesired noises , which are apt to generate a peak and negative pulses , are picked up . during the high - velocity seek operation , the content of the track counter 84 is decreased only when a positive peak pulse and a negative peak pulse have been alternately generated . during a low - velocity seek operation , the effect due to the defective portion 150 on the tes , as shown in fig1 , appears as the generation of a noise that exceeds the window level ( reference range ) of the window comparator 300 . the tes containing such a noise , as shown in fig6 causes a pulse with short time width in a zero cross pulse , however , such a pulse with short time width is removed from the zero cross pulse by the pulse discriminator 301 and then a discriminated zero cross pulse is generated , as shown in fig6 by the pulse discriminator . during the low - velocity seek operation , the track count logic 500 may decrease the content of the track counter 84 in response to the discriminated zero cross pulse . however , to count the number of tracks with a high accuracy , the track count logic 500 decreases the content of the track counter 84 in response to the generation of three types of pulses , a positive peak pulse , a negative peak pulse , and a discriminated zero cross pulse , in a predetermined order by means of the level comparators 401 and 402 . the pulse discriminated 301 is used only during the low - velocity seek operation since if the pulse discriminator 301 is used when the high - velocity seek operation , during which the res of high frequency is generated , is performed , the window comparator 300 generates only a pulse with short time width and an output from the pulse discriminator 301 remains a zero level . at the start of a seek operation , the number of tracks from a seek start position to a target position 0 is stored in the track counter 84 and the stored value is decreased by subtraction for each track crossing during the seek operation . a seek velocity is determined based on the value stored in the track counter 84 by reference to velocity profile ( fig3 ) in the velocity profile rom 86 . for a short time after the seek operation starts , as is obvious from the velocity profile ( fig3 ), the seek operation is performed at a high velocity . during a period of such a high - velocity seek operation , said track count means are in high - velocity mode in which a count is made based on transition in the states of a positive peak pulse and a negative peak pulse . if the controller 200 detects that the value contained in the track counter 84 is a predetermined value at a time when the seek operation is nearly completed , the controller 200 changes said tack count means from high - velocity mode to low - velocity mode in which a count is made based on transition in the states of a positive peak pulse , a negative peak pulse , and a discriminated zero cross pulse . further , according to the peak detecting filter 400 , the detection levels of a positive peak and a negative peak are equivalently decreased during the high - velocity seek operation and , on the other hand , the detection levels of the positive peak and the negative peak are increased during the low - velocity seek operation to always generate proper positive and negative pulses . further , the pulse discriminator 301 generates a zero cross pulse independent of noise . in said embodiment , a pulse with short time width caused by noise can be removed by the pulse discriminator 301 , however , it will be recognized that the noise may be removed directly from the tes by placing the low - pass filter ahead of the window comparator 300 instead of using the pulse discriminator 301 . it will be appreciated that if the pulse discriminator 301 or the low - pass filter as not used , as shown in fig7 the number of tracks may be counted based on a zero cross pulse or three types of pulses , a zero cross pulse , a positive peak pulse , and a negative peak pulse , during the high - velocity seek operation and based on two types of pulses , a positive peak pulse and a negative peak pulse during the low - velocity seek operation . it will also be appreciated that if the filter circuit 400 is not used , as shown in fig8 the number of tracks may be counted based on a zero cross pulse during the high - velocity seek operation and based on a positive peak pulse and a negative peak pulse during the low - velocity seek operation . referring to fig9 it will also be appreciated that the first positive peak level comparator 421 generates a positive peak pulse when the tes is above a predetermined first positive level , the first negative peak level comparator 422 generates a negative peak pulse when the tes is below a predetermined first negative level , the second positive peak level comparator 431 generates a positive peak pulse when the tes is above a predetermined second positive level lower than said predetermined first positive level , and the second negative peak level comparator 432 generates a negative peak pulse when the tes is below a predetermined second negative level higher than said predetermined first negative level being used . the number of tracks may be counted during a low - velocity seek operation if said positive peak pulse and said negative peak pulse have been alternately input from said first positive peak level comparator 421 and negative peak level comparator 422 , respectively and , on the other hand , the number of tracks may be counted during a high - velocity seek operation if said positive peak pulse and negative peak pulse have been alternately input from said second positive peak level comparator 431 and negative peak level comparator 432 , respectively . instead of using the filter circuit 400 to equivalently vary the detection levels of the positive and negative peak pulses in accordance with the frequency of the input tes , the levels to be compared may be varied according to seek velocity information or a stored value in the track counter 84 . it will be appreciated also that the number of tracks may be counted , as shown in fig1 , based on two types of pulses , a positive peak pulse and a negative peak pulse whether the seek operation is performed at a high velocity or a low velocity and further , as shown in fig1 , without using the filter circuit 40 . a tes indicating the deviation of a beam from the center of a track in the radial direction of the disk has been described as a tes shown in fig1 ( b ). however , it will be appreciated that a signal shown in fig1 ( c ) may be used as a signal indicating the deviation . the signal shown in fig1 ( c ) is sometimes called a tcs ( track cross signal ). as is obvious from the figure , the polarity of the tcss corresponding to the land part 110 and the groove part 120 are opposite to each other . while the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to a preferred embodiment thereof , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . | 6 |
in the following detailed description , certain specific terminology will be employed for the sake of clarity and a particular embodiment described in accordance with the requirements of 35 usc 112 , but it is to be understood that the same is not intended to be limiting and should not be so construed inasmuch as the invention is capable of taking many forms and variations within the scope of the appended claims . referring to fig1 the fuel activating apparatus according to the present invention here takes the form of a fuel injector 10 , and is shown installed in a combustion device 12 , i . e ., in the head 14 of an internal combustion engine having a combustion chamber 16 . the injector 10 may be held in place by means of well known clamping devices ( not shown ) acting on a clamping flange 18 to force a tapered sleeve 20 into a tapered seat 22 . a coolant passage 24 may be provided to directly expose sleeve 20 to cooling fluid , in a manner well known in connection with diesel engine fuel injectors . an oxidizer , such as atmospheric air , is admitted to the combustion chamber 16 during each engine cycle , and the products of combustion expelled after each cycle as by conventional valving means ( not shown ). vaporized fuel is supplied under pressure from a source 26 . the fuel may be vaporized gasoline or diesel fuel , or a gas such as methane under sufficient pressure to be injected into air compressed in the combustion chamber 16 . suitable compressors are well known in the field able to supply vapor or gaseous fuel at 1500 - 3000 psig , with 40 - 50 scfm required for a typical multicylinder engine , and will not be described here . the fuel is adapted to be injected from the tip end 28 of the injector 10 , properly timed with respect to the engine cycle by means of electromechanical valving ( described herein ) contained within the injector 10 controlling communication between an internal fuel passage 30 with the combustion chamber 16 to control the flow of fuel thereinto . the injector 10 is constructed of two major pieces , an upper housing member 36 having the holding flange 18 integral therewith , and an outer retainer sleeve 38 threaded at 40 onto the housing member 36 . a tapered sleeve 20 is received over the exterior of the retainer sleeve 38 and held in position by the clamping mechanism ( not shown ), preferably constructed of copper to have good thermal conductivity . housing member 36 is formed with three lengthwise bores , a first bore 30 constituting a fuel passage , a second bore 42 receiving a segmented valve operating rod assembly 44 and a third bore 46 through which a power cable 48 passes to be connected to an electrode 50 . the fuel passage 30 connects to a port 52 adapted to receive a suitable fitting ( not shown ), while electrode passage 46 extends to a cross bore 54 exiting the housing member 36 . the second bore 42 enters into an enlarged bore 56 receiving a bushing 58 , which retains high pressure seal , 59 in turn guiding movement of a plunger pin 60 threaded at 62 to the segmented valve operator rod 44 . a compression spring 64 bears against a flange piece 66 held with a snap ring 68 to urge the plunger pin 60 and operator rod 44 upwardly . as shown in fig1 and 2 , the segmented actuator rod 44 is threaded at 70 to the stem 74 of a generally conical valve member 76 which seats against an annular surface 78 of a valve seat 80 under the urging of the compression spring 64 . a solenoid 82 has an operator rod 84 bearing against the plunger pin 60 and is advanced downward upon energization thereof , so that the force of the compression spring 64 is overcome and the valve member 76 lifted off surface 78 to allow fuel to pass by . the solenoid 82 is mounted to a plate 86 secured to an end flange 88 by studs 90 and nuts 92 . a cap 94 is secured over the solenoid 82 by capscrews 96 which are received in the end flange 88 . cap 94 includes a pilot bore 98 receiving the opposite end of the operator rod 84 . leakage of fuel vapor past the actuator rod 44 and from bore 46 are collected via cross passage 104 and port 106 by a return fuel device 108 to prevent vapors passing the seals from reaching the solenoid 82 . the valve stem 74 includes a land slidably mounted in bore 42 , and a reduced diameter portion 112 creating an annular clearance space 114 communicating with a cross bore 116 extending from bore 30 supplied with fuel . the land 110 creates a pressure balance , when the valve member 76 is closed , reducing the actuating forces , but biases the valve member 76 closed when opened to increase the speed of closing . the configuration of the converging surface 81 of the valve member 76 and diverging section 79 of a bore 118 downstream of the seat 78 is preferably designed to provide a uniform flow area to preclude a restriction effect on flow and resulting shock wave reflections and pressure losses . thus , when the valve member 76 is moved downwardly , pressurized fuel enters bore 118 formed in an electode holder 120 , constructed to be electrically insulating as of 5030 torlon . bore 118 terminates in a spirally shaped recess 122 ( fig3 ) which converges about a bore 124 formed in a fitting 126 abutting against the electrode holder 120 . a first electrode 128 is fixed at one end in the electrode holder 120 , receiving conductor 130 from cable 48 in socket 132 , secured therein with set screw 134 . the first electrode 128 protrudes down into the bore 124 with an annular clearance space 136 defining an axial fuel flow passage . the spiral shape of recess 122 insures a uniform axial -- tangential component of the fuel flow into the passage 136 to maintain the vortical flow therein to the maximum extent possible . a second axially aligned electrode 138 has an upwardly extending tubular skirt portion 140 telescoped over the first electrode 128 , with a clearance space 142 therebetween , also defining an annular fuel flow passage . a shoulder formed by the rim 144 of an open - ended recess 154 is formed within the second electrode 138 and contacts the rim 145 of an open ended cavity 152 extending axially into the free end of the fixed electrode 128 . an encircling spring 146 acts between a flange portion 148 and an interior end wall 150 of the retainer sleeve 38 to urge the second electrode upwardly to position rim 145 of the first electrode 128 into engagement with rim 144 of the second electrode 138 . the cavity 154 of the second electrode 138 terminates in end wall 156 , and a series of tangential orifices 158 enable outflow of activated fuel into the combustion chamber 16 . the tangential geometry takes advantage of the momentum of the vortical flow of the fuel ( described below ) to cause a forceful exit of the activated fuel into the combustion chamber 16 . upon energization of the solenoid 82 and lowering of valve member 76 away from valve seat 78 , pressurized fuel passes into bore 118 , pressurizing spiral recess 122 . the pressure exerted by the fuel therein moves the movable second electrode 138 downwardly away from the relatively fixed upper electrode 128 , unseating contact between the rim 145 and rim 144 . an electric current having previously been established along conductor 130 , first electrode 128 , and second electrode 138 by a circuit described hereinafter , an arc will be drawn , momentarily extending across the annular space or gap lying between the rounded edges of the rim 145 and rim 144 . fuel flowing through spiral recess 122 , sets up a vortical flow in annular space 142 , which flows through the gap between the now separated first electrode 128 and second electrode 138 , its fluid the momentum having a major tangential component as depicted in fig5 . the inward direction of flow between rim 145 and rim 144 forces the arc ( a ) away from those surfaces . re - entrant flow into cavity 152 pushes one end of the arc into cavity 152 . the migrating arc thus extends from the surfaces of the cavities 152 , 154 as shown in fig5 . the arc thus increases greatly in length . it is noted that in order for the arc to have good mobility and respond to the aerodynamic force of the fuel flow , a gap of at least approximately 0 . 040 inches is desirable between the separated rims 144 and 145 . in addition , the tangential component of the fluid momentum of the fuel flow causes the arc to sweep around the annular space between the separated electrodes 128 and 138 . combined with the tangential component of flow , this sweeping action greatly increases the proportion of fuel exposed to the intense activating effect of the electrical arc a . at the same time , the constantly shifting or migrating location of either terminus of the arc a reduces the erosion of the surfaces as would occur with a fixed arc position . exit of the now activated fuel is preferably via the tangentially extending orifices 158 which utilize the momentum of the vortical fuel flow and disperse the activated fuel into the compressed air in combustion chamber 16 . combustion of the activated fuel is substantially instantaneous as it enters the oxidizing atmosphere , as described in the above cited patents . fig6 shows a preferred arc driver circuit for sustaining the electrical arc , including a 0 - 300 v dc power supply connected across the electrodes 128 , 138 via a darlington power transistor 162 and a 3 millihenry &# 34 ; choke &# 34 ; coil 164 . electrode 138 is connected into the circuit using the engine as circuit ground , and preferably the moving electrode 138 should be electrically connected solely via spring 146 to avoid establishment of sliding electrical contact with the contacting surfaces of the injector holder sleeve 38 . for this purpose , bushing 126 should be constructed from an insulating material . a current sensor 166 provides feed back to a pulse width modulated current level control logic circuit 168 connected to the base of the darlington transistor 162 to limit the current across the electrodes 128 , 138 . a diode 170 provides a return path for current to flow from choke coil 164 to electrodes 128 , 138 as the transistor 162 is cycled to the off condition by circuit 168 . the choke coil 164 provides the increased voltage necessary to sustain the arc as the arc lengthens , since the decline in current itself generates a voltage due to the inductance of the coil 164 . the circuit 168 provides the basic timing and control of the current to the electrodes as desired for the particular application . typically , engine crank rotation signals received from an encoder ( not shown ) would be utilized to time the onset of current for an internal combustion engine application . in some instances it may be desirable to reduce the effects of the fuel flow impinging on the arc a , as where a too rapid a migration of the arc would otherwise occur , and in order to do this a bypassing flow path may be established . in a preferred form of this arrangement , shown in fig7 a series of bypass holes 172 extend through the upper portion of the movable electrode 138 and pass into the space above the flange 148 , and fuel may flow past the flange 148 into the spring cavity 174 , through a clearance space 176 maintained when the electrodes 128 , 138 are separated and out through a clearance space 178 between the od of the lower portion of movable electrode 138 and retainer sleeve 38 . this flow is adjacent the orifices 158 to thus mix the unactivated fuel with the activated fuel as it enters the combustion chamber 16 . a variation of this embodiment is shown in fig8 in which a series of axial bypass channels 180 extend through the shoulder 144 of electrode 138 , entering into a mixing chamber downstream of a central port 184 through which the activated fuel passes . the mixture then exits via jet orifices 186 . results are less favorable with this arrangement , and hence the above described version is preferred . the above described apparatus and method for activating fuel may be applied to various fuels , and in various combustion devices , although having particular advantage with internal combustion engines since being capable of rapidly activating a relatively large quantity of fuel by electrical means . while a vortical flow of fuel is described as the means for sweeping the arc around a flow gap , a field coil could be employed for this same purpose arranged concentrically to an electrode , so as to augment the force of the vortical flow on the arc or as an alternative . thus it may be appreciated that the above described apparatus and method achieves the object of the invention in that a substantial proportion of a fuel charge may be effectively exposed to the activating effects of an electrical arc by sustaining the arc and sweeping it through a vortical flow of fuel passing through an annular arc gap . the low current and continuously migrating arc mitigates the tendency for electrode erosion and achieves a good mixing of the radicals . since these radicals have a short period of persistence , the generation of these radicals at the point of injection is an important advantage of the invention . | 5 |
with reference now to the drawings , the preferred embodiment of the alternative accessory mount according to the present invention is herein described . as can be seen in fig1 , rear battle sight mount 10 is attached to the rifle at attachment of rear battle sight mount to rifle 11 . according to certain embodiments , rear battle sight mount 10 further comprises integration holes for side screw 12 . according to certain embodiments , as shown in fig2 , in the present invention , accessory mount base 20 is attached atop rear battle sight mount 10 . accessory mount base 20 further comprises integration holes for side screw 21 and accessory mount receiver 22 . according to certain embodiments , as shown in fig3 , in the present invention , side screw 40 is engaged through integration holes for side screw 12 and integration holes for side screw 21 , thus coupling rear battle sight mount 10 and accessory mount base 20 . nut 41 engages the end of side screw 40 such as to maintain the strength and stability of the integration of rear battle sight mount 10 to accessory mount base 20 . furthermore , according to certain embodiments , front screws 31 engage integration holes for front screws 23 such that front screws 31 push against rear battle sight mount 10 , further stabilizing the position of rear battle sight mount 10 . back screw 32 , engages accessory mount base 20 , further stabilizing the position of rear battle sight mount 10 . according to certain embodiments , as can be seen in fig4 , in the present invention , when front screws 23 have engaged integration holes for front screws 23 , when side screw 40 has engaged rear battle sight mount 10 , accessory mount base 20 , and nut 41 , and when back screw 32 engages accessory mount base 20 , accessory mount base 20 sits atop rear battle sight mount 10 . the foregoing description of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description . it is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed , and other modifications and variations may be possible in light of the above teachings . the embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical application to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention in various embodiments and various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated . it is intended that the appended claims be construed to include other alternative embodiments of the invention except insofar as limited by the prior art . the invention may be embodied in other forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof . the present embodiments are therefore to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive , the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description , and all changes that come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein . as shown in fig3 , according to the present invention , in the preferred embodiment , rear battle sight mount 10 attaches the rifle ( not shown ), by at attachment of rear battle sight mount to rifle 11 such that rear battle sight mount 10 is stable on the rifle ( not shown ). side screw 40 and nut 41 engage rear battle sight mount 10 and accessory mount base 20 . through varying the engagement of side screw 40 and nut 41 relative to rear battle sight mount 10 and accessory mount base 20 , side screw 40 provides for adjustment of the leftright position of the accessory mount base 20 relative to rear battle sight mount 10 . according to certain embodiments , front screws 31 engage integration holes for front screws 23 , whereby front screws 31 push against rear battle sight mount 10 , such that the angle of the line of sight relative to a line parallel to the barrel of the rifle can be adjusted . additionally , engaging front screws 31 with integration holes for front screws 23 allows for increased stability of the positioning of the accessory mount base 20 during regular use of the rifle . according to certain embodiments , back screw 32 engages accessory mount base 20 and back screw 32 pushes against the top of rear battle sight mount 10 so as to increase the stability of accessory mount base 20 during regular use of the weapon . according to certain embodiments , accessory mounts such as optical sights and laser sights ( not shown ) are attached to the top of accessory mount base 20 . thus , the reader will see that the method and apparatus will provide for the replacement of the original rear sight of the weapon with mounted sight , rail , or sight base . while the above description contains many specifications , these should not be construed as limitations of the scope of the invention , but rather as an exemplification of a preferred embodiment of the invention . many other variations and embodiments are possible . accordingly , the scope of the invention should be determined not by the embodiment illustrated , but by the appended claims and their legal equivalents . | 5 |
fig1 depicts a container 1 having two chambers 2 and 3 which communicate via a measuring aperture 4 . chamber 3 is supplied through a line 5 with particle - free electrolyte which flows through the measuring aperture 4 into chamber 2 and thence is aspirated through a line 6 . a suspension 8 of particles whose properties are to be measured is fed from a supply capillary tube 7 into the narrowing stream of the particle - free electrolyte . the continuously narrowing thread of particles flows to the measuring aperture 4 , where they pass sequentially through the measuring aperture 4 . during their passage , they cause a shift of the electric field lines maintained within the measuring aperture 4 and , hence , cause an effective resistance change which , in turn , causes a voltage pulse to occur between the electrodes 9 and 10 when an electric current is flowing . this voltage pulse appears at the connectors 11 and 12 and its amplitude and time - behavior contain information regarding the volume and / or other parameters ( for example , the shape ) of the particle which has passed through the measuring aperture 4 and which has caused this resistance change . the voltage pulse is picked off at the connector 12 , is amplified in a preamplifier 13 and a post amplifier 14 and is available for further analysis at a point 15 . this analysis is indicated schematically in fig1 by an analysis or processing nut 16 . the analysis or processing which may take place in the unit 16 can consist , for example , of pulse - height classification from which a volume distribution curve can be derived due to the functional relationship between the pulse height and volume . a typical time behavior of such a voltage pulse u ( t ) as it occurs at the junction 12 or ( after amplification ) at the junction 15 is shown in fig2 a . the result of analyzing several such voltage pulses produced by several particles in a classifying device ( classification according to pulse height u o ) is shown in the curve of fig2 b . from such a curve it may be seen how many ( z ) particles have produced a voltage pulse of a particular height u o ( for example z 1 particles have produced a voltage pulse of a pulse height u o1 ). now , if a particular particle volume can be associatd with a particular pulse height u o , then fig2 b represents the volume distribution curve of a certain quantity of particles , namely , that quantity of particles which is contained in the particle suspension 8 . a calibration of this functional association is made as follows : voltage pulses of pulse height u op are produced at the junction 12 or , after amplification , at the connection 15 and they generate the peak p in fig2 b . now , if it is possible to associate the value u op , which coincides with the peak p , with a predetermined particle volume , based on the manner in which it is produced , then the curve in fig2 b may be calibrated as a volume distribution curve z ( v ). in the formula ## equ2 ## one substitutes the geometry of the measuring aperture ( 1 is the length of the measuring aperture , r is the radius of the measuring aperture ) and also the electrical properties of the particle ( σ is the conductivity , τ = 1 / σ ), one obtains ## equ3 ## if the right side of this expression is multiplied and divided by the measuring current i , one obtains ## equ4 ## thus , if the measuring current i , the radius r of the measuring aperture 4 and the conductivity σ of the particles are all known , then a single volume v may be unambiguously associated with each pulse height δu ( as has been mentioned in the beginning , a form factor accounting for the form of the particles and a capillary factor accounting for the shape of the measuring aperture must be considered in this formula , as is known in principle ). as has already been explained , in the known calibration processes , a voltage pulse was produced at the connections 12 or 15 by separating the measuring chamber 1 from the connections 11 and 12 . in its place , the calibration circuit was then connected to them with simulated the previously exactly determined resistance of the measuring aperture 4 by means of a precision resistor . further resistors were then connected to this resistor so that a known resistance change δr was produced . the voltage pulses produced thereby at the connections 12 or 15 and the location of their occurrence in the distribution curve according to fig2 b were then associated with a particular volume v by calculation and the use of formula ( 1 ). by contrast , in the circuit according to the invention shown in fig1 the measuring path lying between the electrodes 9 and 10 , which also includes the measuring aperture 4 , is connected between a potential - u and a ground connection at a potential 0 , in series with , on the one hand , a resistor 40 which has a relatively low value of resistance with respect to the resistance of the measuring aperture 4 but has relatively high precision ( for example 1 ohm with a precision of 1 %) and , on the other hand , with resistors 42 , 43 , 44 as well as with a current measuring device 140 which indicates the measuring current i flowing through the measuring path . the magnitude of the measuring current i can be adjusted by appropriately switching in or out individual ones of resistors 44 with the aid of switch 141 . this adjustable measuring current is kept constant by a series connection of the drain - to - source path ( a connection made between the drain d and source s ) of a field effect transistor 41 whose gate g is connected to the point 50 of a voltage divider formed by the resistors 51 and 52 and thus is held at a constant potential . in this circuit , the measuring current , which is equal to the drain current , depends in practice only on the gate voltage ( the voltage at point 50 ) and on the resistors 42 , 43 , 44 but does not depend on the resistance of the measuring aperture 4 . in an exemplary embodiment of the invention , the potential - u was made equal to - 107 volt and the voltage divider formed by resistors 51 and 52 was so dimensioned that a gate voltage of approximately 40 volts was present at the point 50 . this insured , on the one hand , that sufficient control remained over the voltage across the measuring path , i . e ., between the electrodes 9 and 10 , and , on the other hand , eliminated any influence of voltage fluctuations as between the gate g and the source connection s , due , for example , to temperature fluctuations , etc . the diode 121 in parallel with the source - gate path prevents a substantial drop of the voltage at the source connection s below the voltage present at gate g when the electrode 9 or 10 are disconnected from the connection points 11 or 12 . for purposes of calibration , voltage calibration pulses from a calibration pulse generator 20 are introduced into the measuring path at the connection 11 , through a line 21 and a switch 34 . the calibration pulse generator 20 includes a square wave generator 30 feeding into a pulse shaping circuit 31 and , in series therewith , a network 32 formed from several resistors 32 &# 39 ;. a switch 33 permits the selective contact with diffeent resistors 32 , i . e ., with different voltages . the pulse forming circuit 31 transforms the input pulses into pulses with a well - defined height and a shape which represents an adaptation to the shape of those pulses which are produced when particles pass through the measuring aperture 4 ( compare fig2 a ). a useable approximation is represented by the trapezoidal form of the calibration pulses as is indicated schematically in the box 31 representing the pulse shaping circuit . the resistances 32 &# 39 ; are so large with respect to the resistance 40 , which is , for example , 1 ohm ( compare above ) that , in practice , a well - defined current is produced by the calibration pulse generator 20 and flows through the resistance 32 &# 39 ; and the resistance 40 . this current is superimposed on the measuring current i and is independent of the potential which the measuring current i produces at the connection 11 . for example , if the voltage at the input of the network 32 is 8 . 2 volts , and if the resistance 32 &# 39 ; is 8 . 2 kilo - ohms and if , furthermore , the condition that the resistance 40 is small as compared with resistance 32 &# 39 ; is fulfilled , then a current of 1 milliampere flows through the resistance 40 and produces a voltage drop of 1 millivolt across this resistance 40 . since the resistance 40 is also small as compared with the resistance of the measuring aperture , this voltage pulse with an amplitude of 1 mv also appears at the connection 12 and thus is introduced in series with the measuring path between the electrodes 9 and 10 . this voltage pulse is the calibration pulse . now , if switch 34 is closed , and if several sequential calibration pulses of equal amplitude are introduced , they produce voltage pulses of amplitude u op at the connection 15 . these pulses are registered in the analysis unit 16 and a certain particle volume v may be associated with them by calculation according to formula ( 3 ). this is the volume of a particle which would produce a voltage pulse of the same amplitude if it had passed through the measuring aperture 4 . a sufficient number of such equal calibration pulses produces a peak p in the distribution curve of fig2 b with whose position in the curve the calibrated value of the volume is associated . in this way , a distribution curve like that in fig2 b is calibrated as a volume distribution curve . as has already been emphasized above , the calibration does not take place over a simulated measuring path but over the actual measuring path formed by the electrolyte between the two electrodes 9 and 10 and it is therefore determined by the actual properties of the measuring aperture 4 . the voltage pulse which is used for calibration is no longer produced by a resistance change in a simulated measuring path but rather is produced by introduction of voltage pulses of known amplitude into the actual measuring path . fig3 is a detailed schematic diagram of the preferred exemplary embodiment according to the invention . identical elements retain the same reference numerals as they had in fig1 . the square wave generator 30 is formed by a square wave oscillator consisting of a dual monostable multivibrator constructed from a dual ttl integrated circuit ( e . g . integrated circuit type 74123 , manufacturer texas instruments co .) 100 and 101 . its frequency is determined by the resistor 103 and the capacitor 104 and the pulse width is determined by the resistor 105 and the capacitor 106 . the rectangular pulse delivered by the square pulse generator 30 ( shown at the output of the ttl - ic 100 in fig2 ), has the effect of making the transistor 107 conductive . the two diodes 129 , 130 , the resistor 128 and the variable resistor 126 together represents a first constant - current circuit which keeps the current which is switched on by transistor 107 at a precisely determined value which may be set by means of the resistor 127 . this current is divided into two parts ; one part charges the capacitor 108 whose other side is connected to a zero volt potential , whereas the other half of the current flows through a transistor 109 and this part of the current is held constant by resistors 131 , 132 and 133 which , together with the transistor 109 , form a second constant - current circuit . when the charge on the capacitor 108 is such that its voltage equals the breakdown voltage of the zener diode 110 , no further charging takes place and the charge of the capacitor 108 remains at a certain level . when the rectangular pulse at the input of the pulse shaping circuit 31 drops back to the low value , the transistor 107 shuts off and the capacitor 108 discharges , again at constant current , through the transistor 109 belonging to the second constant - current circuit . this discharging process is interrupted when the side of the capacitor 108 connected to the collector of transistor 107 is exactly at zero potential . this purpose is served by the transistor 113 , the variable resistor 122 , the resistor 123 and the two diodes 124 and 125 , forming a third constant current circuit . at the instant at which the potential of that side of the capacitor 108 connected to the collector of the transistor 107 becomes zero , the diode 112 becomes conductive . from this point on , the constant current flowing through the transistor 109 no longer flows ( as a discharge current ) out of capacitor 108 but rather flows through the diode 112 and the transistor 113 . in order to bring the potential on both sides of the capacitor 108 exactly to zero volts , the transistor 113 is so adjusted that the current flowing through it is twice as large as the current flowing through the transistor 109 , where the additional current is pulled by the transistor 113 through the diode 111 from its zero volt connection . if both the diodes 111 and 112 have the same conduction voltage , and if half the current flowing through the transistor 113 flows through the diode 111 , whereas the other half flows through the diode 112 and the transistor 109 , then it is guaranteed that both sides of the capacitor 108 will be at exactly the same potential , namely , at zero volts . as long as the diode 112 does not conduct , i . e ., as long as the capacitor 108 has not been discharged to zero volts , the entire current flowing through the transistor 113 flows through diode 111 . this guarantees that , at the onset of the rectangular pulse , charging occurs at constant current and that , when the rectangular pulse is terminated , the discharge process also occurs at constant current . hence , the input of the network 132 is provided with a voltage pulse of trapezoidal shape which therefore substantially approximates the pulse shape shown in fig2 b . the input of the network 32 is provided with an impedance transformer 114 ( integrated circuit lm 302 of national semiconductor ). from its output , the voltage pulse goes , depending on the position of switch 33 , to one of the resistors 32 &# 39 ; and hence to the connection 11 and to the resistor 40 . the resistances 32 &# 39 ; are adjusted to a precision of 1 % in such a way that calibration pulses with an amplitude varying between 0 . 5 and 5 millivolts can be produced at the connection 11 . the voltage pulse then proceeds from the connection 12 to the preamplifier 13 and the post - amplifier 14 whose output appears at the connection 15 to which an analysis unit 16 is connected ( compare fig1 ). in principle , the amplifiers may be either voltage - or current - sensitive amplifiers . it is possible to use current - sensitive amplifiers because the resistance connected to the input of the amplifier remains constant during calibration . because of its high negative feedback , only a practically negligible potential difference occurs at the input of such an amplifier so that stray capacitances remain advantageously without effect . a more detailed description of such amplifiers is unnecessry because current - sensitive amplifiers are known to the specialist . they are indicated in fig3 by two amplifiers 116 and 120 with high open - loop gain and high feedback through the feedback resistors 119 , 117 and include an input capacitor 115 and input resistor 118 . | 6 |
fig1 shows a perspective view of a filter head 1 with two filter elements 2 a and 2 b . the filter head 1 comprises the following components : a housing 3 , a cover 7 to close the housing 3 , a switching drum 6 in the interior of the cover and housing , along with a shutoff lever 16 , which is connected nonrotatably to the switching drum 6 , and a locking pin 17 to hold the shutoff lever 16 in position . feed channels to supply uncleaned fuel and return channels to carry away the cleaned fuel are integrated into the interior of the housing 3 and the cover 7 . the inflow zu to the filter head ( unclean side ) and the outflow ab from the filter head ( clean side ) are indicated in fig1 by corresponding arrows . the classification societies prescribe for marine engines that it must be possible to replace a filter element while the engine is running , and that , when the first filter element is active , for example , filter element 2 a , no leakage may occur when the second filter element , here filter element 2 b , is being replaced . this means that no fuel may drip out of the filter head and reach the surroundings . the filter head must therefore be leak - tight . the shutoff lever 16 determines the rotational position of the switching drum 6 . the drum 6 in turn releases or shuts off the flow from the feed channels in the housing 3 to the feed channels in the cover 7 . the same applies correspondingly to the return channels . during normal operation , the shutoff lever 16 is in the center position , as illustrated in fig1 . in the center position , both filter elements 2 a and 2 b are in operation . in the left position , the filter element 2 a is operating , whereas filter element 2 b is deactivated . in this position , filter element 2 b can be removed from the filter head and the filter insert replaced . in the right position , filter element 2 b is operating , whereas the filter element 2 a is deactivated . under these conditions , the filter element 2 a can be removed from the filter head 1 . the locking pin 17 is used to hold the shutoff lever in the selected position . fig2 shows a cross - sectional view of the arrangement according to fig1 , where the reference numbers of fig1 have been carried over without change . the further explanation provided here applies to both fig2 and fig3 . fig3 shows a magnified cross - sectional view of the switching drum 6 , which has been rotated into a position different from that shown in fig2 . in fig2 , the shutoff lever 16 is shown in the middle position , as a result of which fuel is able to flow through both filter elements 2 a and 2 b . the switching drum 6 is supported in the cover 7 and in the housing 3 . the switching drum 6 is made up of two parts , 6 a and 6 b , with an integrated spring element 8 . a stack of disk springs is preferably used as the spring element 8 . the switching drum 6 ( part 6 a ) is sealed off against the cover 7 in the axial direction by a sealing surface 9 a . the switching drum 6 ( part 6 b ) is sealed off against the housing 3 , also in the axial direction , by a sealing surface 9 b . the sealing force acting against these sealing surfaces 9 a and 9 b is generated by the spring element 8 , which presses the end surfaces 10 a and 10 b of the switching drum 6 onto the corresponding surfaces of the cover 7 and the housing 3 . see here fig3 . in contrast to the prior art , in which there is always a small gap present as a result of manufacturing tolerances , in the present design the sealing surfaces rest against each other , metal to metal . because the surface structure of metallic sealing surfaces means that such seals can never be absolutely leak - tight , additional measures are taken . to collect the fuel which leaks while the filter element is removed , a first relief space 14 is provided in the interior of the switching drum 6 ( fig3 and 5 ), and a second relief space 15 is provided on the circumference of the switching drum . leaking fuel trickling through by way of the two relief spaces 14 , 15 is thus guided to the pressureless fuel feed side of the low - pressure pump of a common - rail system . the switching drum 6 has four axial transfer bores , namely , two feed transfer bores 12 and two return transfer bores 13 . by way of these transfer bores , the channels in the cover 7 are either connected to or separated from the channels in the housing 3 . the transfer bores 12 , 13 are located on a common reference circle with an overlap , as a result of which , regardless of the position to which the switching drum 6 has been turned , it is always possible for fluid to pass through one filter element or both filter elements 2 . the rotational movement of the first part 6 a of the switching drum 6 is transmitted to the second part 6 b by a driver pin 11 . as shown in fig2 , the flow path of the fuel to be cleaned is as follows : inflow zu , feed channels 4 in the housing 3 , feed transfer bores 12 in the switching drum 6 , feed channels 18 in the cover 7 , back into the feed channels of the housing 3 ( located outside the plane of the drawing ), and from there into the filter elements 2 a and 2 b . the flow path of the cleaned fuel is : from the filter elements 2 a and 2 b to the return channels 5 of the housing 3 , return transfer bores 13 in the switching drum 6 , return channels 19 in the cover 7 , and via return channels in the housing to the outflow ab . fig4 shows a front view of the housing 3 after the cover 7 has been removed . the further explanation provided here also applies to fig5 , which shows a detail x taken from fig4 . the two feed transfer bores 12 a and 12 b and the two return transfer bores 13 a and 13 b are located in the switching drum 6 , through which they extend in the axial direction , that is , perpendicular to the plane of the drawing . the distance between a transfer bore and the circumference 20 of the switching drum 6 is smaller than the distance between two adjacent transfer bores . in detail x of fig5 , therefore , the radial distance “ sr ” between the return transfer bore 13 a and the circumference 20 of the switching drum 6 is smaller than the distance “ sz ” to the adjacent return transfer bore 13 b . when the filter element is deactivated , the pressure cone which forms around the return transfer bore 13 a , for example , therefore expands to the circumference 20 of the switching drum 6 and from there to the second relief space 15 . the leaking fuel accumulating in the second relief space 15 is carried away without pressure through a vent channel 21 ( see fig4 ). the following advantages of the invention can be derived from the preceding description : because of the axial seals and the relief spaces , the filter head is leak - tight in correspondence with the rules of the classification societies ; the adjusting force required to actuate the shutoff lever is independent of the pressure level of the fuel ; tightly sealing shutoff units such as ball valves are not needed , which means that the filter head is less expensive ; and although the present invention has been described in relation to particular embodiments thereof , many other variations and modifications and other uses will become apparent to those skilled in the art . it is preferred , therefore , that the present invention be limited but by the specific disclosure herein , but only by the appended claims . | 5 |
referring to fig1 there is shown an engine generally indicated at 10 having a carburetor 12 with an air cleaner 14 mounted in the usual fashion on top of the carburetor . a carburetor 12 is connected by means of a conduit 16 to a modulating or positive crankcase ventilation valve 18 which is connected internally to the crankcase generally indicated at 20 . under certain conditions , gases to the crankcase 20 are also supplied from the air cleaner 14 through conduit 24 connected to head cover 22 . the method of the invention is comprised of adjusting and modifying the internal combustion engine 10 to reduce fuel consumption and exhaust pipe emissions during operation at altitudes above sea level and particularly at high altitudes . this method consists of three adjustments or modifications . the first step involves the adjustment of the engine &# 39 ; s spark timing according to a specified particular procedure as follows . 1 . determine the basic spark timing specified by the manufacturer of the particular internal combustion engine . 2 . increase the crank shaft timing position specified by one degree for each thousand feet of elevation above sea level where the engine is to be operated . 3 . adjust the basic spark timing to the advanced crankshaft degrees value determined by the step described in 2 above . an example of this adjustment would be if the manufacturer specified adjusting the spark to 6 ° before top dead center ( btdc ) then for an altitude of 5000 feet the adjustment would be 11 ° btdc arrived at by adding 5 ° to the specified 6 ° setting . the engine would be timed by then adjusting the basic spark to ignite at 11 ° before top dead center ( btdc ). the second step in the method of the invention is to modify the flow through the positive crankcase ventilation system and particularly by modifying the crankcase ventilation valve 18 . the positive crankcase ventilation system is provided on engines manufactured in the last decade to reduce the emission of crankcase gases into the atmosphere . referring again to fig1 carburetor 12 creates a vacuum below the throttle plate or blade ( not shown ) sometimes called the butterfly valve , causing gases in crankcase 20 to flow through the positive crankcase ventilation ( pvc ) valve 18 and conduit 16 into the base 13 of carburetor 12 . when as flow through the pcv valve 18 exceeds the quantity of gases forced past the piston rings ( blow by ) into the crankcase 20 , the balance of gases are delivered through the air cleaner 14 and conduit 24 to the crankcase 20 , via the head cover 22 . in cases where the air entering conduit 24 is not filtered , conduit 24 is moved to a different location on air cleaner 14 , to provide for air intake on the filtered side of the air cleaner cartridge . the second step in the method of the invention is to increase the flow through the pcv valve 18 so that increased air from the air cleaner 14 is supplied through the crankcase 20 under the throttle plate of the carburetor 12 . this dilutes ( leans out ) the mixture of fuel and air metered into the engine by the carburetor 12 thereby decreasing the ratio of fuel to air . by lowering the fuel - to - air ratio , a more complete combustion of the fuel results which in turn reduces the carbon monoxide and unburned hydrocarbon emission and as a side benefit also lowers fuel consumption for a given load and speed . the flow rates of the pcv valve are modified to provide a particular range of air flow , depending upon the cubic inch displacement of the particular internal combustion engine . these pcv flow rate characteristics are modified according to the cubic inch displacement in the following manner : 1 . engine displacements over 315 cubic inches : the pcv valve is modified and installed to provide 1 . 5 to 2 . 5 standard cubic feet per minute when the vacuum under the carburetor throttle blade is 12 to 14 inches of mercury or higher and 7 to 8 standard cubic feet per minute when the vacuum under the carburetor throttle blade is approximately 4 to 5 inches of mercury vacuum . 2 . engine displacements between 175 and 315 cubic inches : the pcv valve flow is modified and set to 1 . 0 and 2 . 0 standard cubic feet per minute when the vacuum under the carburetor throttle plate is 11 to 13 inches of mercury or higher and to a maximum of approximately 7 to 8 standard cubic feet per minute at 4 to 5 inches of mercury vacuum under the carburetor plate . 3 . engine displacements smaller than 175 cubic inches : the pcv valve is modified and set to produce a flow of 0 . 8 to 1 . 5 standard cubic feet per minute when the vacuum under the carburetor plate is 10 to 12 inches of mercury or higher and a maximum flow of 5 to 6 standard cubic feet per minute at four to five inches of mercury vacuum under the carburetor plate . the particular flows for the engine displacements described above are obtained by modifying the standard pcv valves as illustrated in fig2 and 3 . the pcv valve is constructed with a casing 26 having an opening at either end 28 and 30 . flow through the housing 26 is controlled by an annulus 32 and a pintle 34 biased in and out of an aperture 36 by a spring 38 . the spring 38 engages a shoulder 40 on the head of the pintle 34 . rapid and controlled increase in flow through the pcv valve is provided by a conical taper 42 on the pintle 34 which terminates in a small cylindrical tip 44 . as shown in fig3 a decrease in vacuum allows the pintle 34 to be biased to the right by spring 38 until the conical section 42 is circumjacent the aperture 36 in the annulus 32 . as the pintle 34 continues to move to the right , the space between the pintle and the aperture 36 rapidly increases , thus increasing the flow through the pcv valve to the carburetor 12 . maximum flow is controlled by the narrow cylindrical tip 44 by preventing the distance between the pintle 34 and the aperture 36 from increasing beyond a predetermined amount . fig4 shows a view of an adjustable pcv valve . this provides for the adjustment of the air flow during the idling condition of the engine . this minimizes the number of valves required for different engine sizes and also provides a means of further optimizing the fuel air mixture for a particular engine . the geometry of the modulating part is similar to that shown in fig1 and 2 . in the idle position shown in fig2 the geometry is selected to give a low flow rate acceptable for small displacement engines when the air adjustment screw 50 is closed . when screw 50 is completely open the idle flow rate is acceptable for larger displacement engines . in conjunction with the increased flow permitted through the pcv valve 18 , the inside diameter of conduit 16 must be increased to accommodate the increased flow . generally an inside diameter for the conduit 16 , of one - half inch is sufficient to accommodate the maximum increased flow . the increased flow is illustrated by the positions of the pintle 34 in the pcv valve shown in fig2 and 3 . then the neck 46 connects the chamber 48 to the carburetor 12 through the conduit 16 . at higher carburetor vacuum , the pintle or plunger 42 is drawn into the aperture 36 in the annulus 32 . this reduces space between the pintle 34 and the aperture 36 in the annulus or control ring 32 , providing a reduced air flow through the pcv valve 18 in accordance with the amount specified above . the biasing force of the spring 38 is also set to control the distance the pintle or plunger 34 is drawn into the aperture 36 in the control ring 32 . the position of the pintle 34 shown in fig2 occurs when the engine is idling , decelerating , or under a very light , steady - state load condition . the operation illustrated in fig2 represents the position of the pintle or plunger 34 when the engine is accelerating and is under heavy steady - state load condition . the vacuum in chamber 48 is now low and the spring force from the spring 38 overcomes the plunger force providing a larger flow through the aperture 36 , by the increased space between the control plate 32 and the pintle 34 . this results in a greater flow into the carburetor 12 , even though the vacuum below the throttle plate is lower . the operation of the engine 10 at conditions between those represented by the fig2 and 3 produces pcv valve flow rates that vary depending upon the vacuum value in accordance with the flow rates specified for the vacuums and cubic inch displacements described above . the third step of the method of the invention involves a particular adjustment of the idle mixture and speed ( rpms ) screws of the carburetor 12 . this step involves turning the external idle mixture screws and idle speed normally provided on all carburetors . in cases where they provide limiter caps on the idle mixture screws , they must first be removed . 1 . adjust mixture screws about two turns ( 720 ° ) richer than the recommended factory adjustment for sea level conditions . this normally means a counterclockwise rotation . 2 . adjust engine idle speed to 20 rpm ( revolutions per minute ) faster than manufacturer &# 39 ; s recommended specification , if the specification is listed with the transmission in &# 34 ; drive &# 34 ; . if the specification is listed with the transmission in &# 34 ; neutral &# 34 ; position , adjust engine speed to 30 rpm faster than manufactuer &# 39 ; s recommended specification . 3 . adjust the idle mixture screws toward the lean condition until the engine speed rpm drops to the manfuacturer &# 39 ; s specifications . the first step 1 above is to make sure the carburetor is richer than the lean - best - idle condition when adjustment of the idle speeds are made . the final adjustment step 3 involves adjusting a single idle mixture screw for single - barrel carburetors , but involves adjusting two idle mixture screws for two or four - barrel carburetors . for either two or four - barrel carburetors with two screws , it is simply a matter of adjusting one mixture screw toward the lean condition until the engine speed drops halfway to the manufacturer &# 39 ; s specified speed level , then adjusting the other idle mixture screw in the lean direction until the engine drops the other half to be level with the manufacturer &# 39 ; s specified rpm . in the event that the engine is idling slightly rough , indicating a possible lean misfire , the mixture screws are adjusted in the normal fashion by one - eighth of a turn ( 45 ° ) increments until the roughness is eliminated . on two or four - barrel carburetors , it is necessary to turn each screw the same amount to maintain a balanced condition in the carburetor . this special carburetor idle adjustment produces an optimum fuel - air ratio for minimum emissions and fuel consumption when the engine is under idle , deceleration and very light steady - state load conditions and the pcv valve plunger is in the position shown in fig2 created by high vacuums . these three modifications and adjustments are a unique combination which produces extraordinary high altitude benefits in reduced fuel consumption and exhaust emissions at low cost for modification hardware and labor . tests have been performed on a number of vehicles modified by the method of this invention , according to federal government specifications . the results were based upon federal emission test cycles which were designed to simulate stopping or driving conditions in a typical metropolitan area of a large city . the results of the tests substantiated earlier tests on the inventive method which gave approximately a 48 % reduction in carbon monoxide , a 28 % reduction in unburned hydrocarbons , and 12 % reduction in fuel consumption on six vehicles of model years ranging from 1966 through 1972 . the tests for a number of vehicles showed carbon monoxide reductions of from 38 % to 57 %, a reduction in unburned hydrocarbons of from 3 % to 40 % and a fuel consumption reduction of from 10 % to 13 %. thus the method of this invention results in improvements beyond those which would normally be expected by a simple and low - cost method involving a special recalibration and coordination of carburetion and spark timing of the engine . this recalibration and adjustment provides unexpected and extraordinary reductions in exhaust emissions and fuel consumption under high altitude operating conditions . obviously many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings . it is therefore to be understood that the full scope of the invention is not limited to the details disclosed herein but may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described . | 5 |
fig1 illustrates an ironworker 10 , typical of a type of apparatus requiring movement and handling of elongated workpieces , such as elongated structural members w or the like . the ironworker is provided with tools 12 mounted on a turret 11 which can be rotated to position the tools at an operating station , such as a punching station 13 . a workpiece - supporting table 14 holds the workpiece and allows it to be moved relative to the tool at the operating station 13 so that the desired punching , shearing , notching , drilling or suitable operation can be performed at an exact location on the workpiece . as in previous apparatus designed for handling elongated workpieces , the work table can be shifted in a y - axis in any suitable manner by manually turning a crank 16 . for this purpose , the table is supported on pedestals 19 . as best shown in fig6 and 7 , the pedestals are provided with rollers 20 which support a gear rack 22 . the gear rack is reciprocated by a pinion 23 that is coupled to a shaft 24 . the shaft 24 extends the length of the table 14 to simultaneously drive the gear racks of each of the pedestals 19 . shaft 24 is rotated by a gear 26 that meshes with a worm gear 28 . the worm gear 28 is keyed to a shaft 30 that is rotated by the crank 16 . the table 14 is also provided with a plurality of rollers 32 for moving the workpiece lengthwise on the table and a vertical gauge bar 34 . as is well understood , the workpiece is slid on the rollers and abuts against the gauge bar 34 . movement of the crank 16 then moves the table 14 with the workpiece toward and away from the operating station 13 to accurately position the workpiece laterally . movement of the workpiece lengthwise can be accomplished mechanically through a manual input or automatically through a conventional numerical control input . for this purpose , the table 14 is provided with a pair of workpiece clamps 38 and 40 which lie in opposed relation at a substantial distance from each other on the table . the clamps 38 and 40 are identical and , as best shown in fig8 include a housing 42 which is integrally provided with a stationary workpiece - engaging member or finger 46 and a movable workpiece - engaging member or finger 47 . finger 46 is provided with a recess having a stop or gauging surface 48 and a clamping surface 49 . finger 47 is provided with a clamping surface 50 . movable finger 47 can be slid longitudinally of its length from a solid line position marked a through an intermediate position marked b where it extends out over the surface 49 and thence into a clamping position marked c where it can squeeze the workpiece between the surface 50 and the surface 49 to hold it tightly during movement of the clamp . in order to move the movable finger 47 , the movable finger is provided with a slot 52 that rides on a pin 54 mounted on the housing 42 . the movable finger 42 is held in a retracted position by a spring 55 and thus allows a workpiece to be lowered vertically onto the surface 49 of the stationary finger 46 . the movable finger is extended against the force of the spring 47 by a pair of interrelated pneumatic cylinder and piston actuators 56 and 57 . actuator 56 is provided with a piston 58 having a piston rod 59 that abuts against the movable finger 47 . air pressure from a line 60 moves the piston 58 to the left to extend the movable finger to the left , as viewed in fig8 . actuator 57 is provided with a piston 62 having a piston rod 63 that abuts against the underside of the rearward end of the finger 47 . piston 62 is raised by air pressure from a conduit 64 , as best shown in fig9 that is opened after the piston 58 is moved past the conduit . thus , air entering conduit 60 first moves the piston 58 to move the finger 47 along the pin 54 to position b , and thence the finger is pivoted about the pin 54 into position c . clamp 38 is adjustably secured to a guide member 66 that runs over a substantial length of the table 14 . the adjustment allows the clamp to be moved to accommodate different lengths of workpieces . clamp 40 is more permanently secured to the guide member 66 so that measurements along the workpiece can be taken from clamp 40 as a reference point . guide member 66 is moved along the workpiece table 14 by a unique rotary - to - reciprocating drive 68 . the drive is best shown in fig2 - 4 and includes a numerically controlled , rotary drive motor 70 that drives a geared roller 72 through a suitable transmission 74 . the toothed roller 72 drives an elongated , toothed , flexible timing belt 76 . the timing belt is of a conventional type that is a combination of rubber and wire strands . the belt is pre - stretched beyond the maximum load anticipated so that subsequent loading on the belt during use does not provide additional stretch . a pair of idler rollers 78 are spaced on either side of the drive roller 72 to press the belt around a substantial circumferential contact zone with the roller 72 . this substantial contact allows accurate repetitive movement of the timing belt 76 upon rotation of the roller 72 . the timing belt is stretched tightly and fastened at either end to a movable bracket 80 . as is best shown in fig4 the movable bracket 80 supports the gauging plate 34 and the elongated guide member 66 . the bracket 80 is movably mounted on a support plate 82 that is secured to the workpiece - supporting table 14 . movement of the bracket 80 along the plate 82 is provided through upper and lower sets of spaced rollers 84 . twisting of the bracket about a horizontal axis is prevented by upper and lower sets of spaced rollers 86 . as is readily understood , rotation of the roller 72 by the motor 70 moves the bracket 80 , along with the guide member 66 , clamps 38 and 40 , and the gauging surface 34 , lengthwise along the table 14 . since the timing belt is pre - stretched , and since the teeth of the timing belt are accurately manufactured , very accurate positioning of a workpiece along its length can be obtained . a measurement can be visually monitored by a sight gauge 88 which consists essentially of accurately measured marks on a plate 89 that travels with the bracket 80 . the teeth of the timing belt can be manufactured very accurately so that movement of the clamps can be obtained directly from the numerical control . a less expensive timing belt is preferred and , as a result , exact repetitive distance between the teeth will not always be accurately obtained . the error in the spacing between teeth is further compounded during the pre - stretching of the timing belt , resulting in a belt in which the teeth are not all exactly the same distance apart . as best shown in fig1 a and 1b , a suitable control is provided for automatically compensating in a known manner for errors . for this purpose , a numerical control unit 92 is provided with an input from a feedback circuit 94 that is coupled to the motor 70 . this feedback circuit tells the control exactly where the workpiece should have been moved by the motor . to this feedback signal is added or substracted a pulse or pulses equivalent to some correction factor , for example , . 005 of an inch . the input from the pulses is obtained from a mixer 96 which receives a pulse from generator 97 and a direction signal from an indicator 98 . direction of motion can be obtained in any desired manner with the polarity of the signal from pulse generator 97 being additive or subtractive , depending upon whether the compensation must be added or substracted to the actual movement provided by the motor 70 . one manner for mechanically providing the additive or subtractive correction is to provide a sensor 100 having an upper probe 101 and a lower probe 102 that pass with movement of the bracket 80 past a fixed control bar or the guide bar 66 . the guide bar is provided with an upper set of switch actuators 106 which signal additive corrections and a lower set of contacts 102 which signal subtractive corrections . details of making such corrections to a numerically controlled device are well known in the art and further description is not believed necessary . although not illustrated , the rotary - to - reciprocating drive is equally applicable to reciprocating the roller 72 by fixing the ends of the flexible belt . that is , the drive motor and roller 72 can be movably mounted on a track and carry an elongated guide member such as 66 or a single object , such as a movable stop or a sensor switch . when the drive motor is energized , the roller 72 will roll along the stationary belt carrying the guide member or stop with it and accurately position the object lengthwise of the belt . the importance of the drive is in its ability to move an object accurately over a long distance , for example , exceeding 60 feet . a manually propelled , rotary - to - reciprocating drive is illustrated in fig5 and includes a handle 110 which drives a shaft that is keyed to the toothed roller 72 . the timing belt 76 is again driven in the same manner as in the preferred embodiments , but rather than relying on numerical control for positioning the workpiece , the operator must rely exclusively on the sight gauge 88 . the overall operation of the apparatus should be readily understood from the foregoing description . an operator places an elongated workpiece on the rollers 32 and into the opened clamp 40 . the clamp 38 is then slid along the guide bar 66 until the stop surface 48 engages the end of the workpiece . the clamps are then closed to hold the workpiece . lateral positioning of the workpiece is obtained by cranking the handle 16 to shift the table laterally toward or away from the operating station 13 . in the numerically controlled embodiment , the operator then pushes the &# 34 ; proceed &# 34 ; button on the control 92 and the motor 70 automatically moves the clamps 38 and 40 to the desired location lengthwise beneath the operating station 13 . the punching or other suitable operation then occurs and subsequent movements can proceed until the operation is completed on the workpiece . since workpieces such as angles , channels and the like are often extremely heavy , it can be seen that these heavy workpieces can be quickly and very accurately located at the operating station so that human error is substantially reduced and all operations can be performed by a single workman . while the preferred embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described , it should be understood that variations will be apparent to one skilled in the art without departing from the principles of the invention . accordingly , the invention is not to be limited to the specific forms illustrated . | 1 |
embodiments of the present invention are explained hereinafter in conjunction with attached drawings . [ 0031 ] fig4 shows a side structure of a bill discriminating device according to the present invention . a bill 1 is transported in a transport passage 4 defined between a lower - stage unit 2 and an upper - stage unit 3 in an x direction shown in the drawing . the transporting of the bill 1 is performed by means of transport belts 33 which are disposed between and wound around rollers 31 and 32 mounted in the upper - stage unit 3 . two - wavelength light sources 20 and photo sensors 30 are respectively arranged in the lower - stage unit 2 and the upper - stage unit 3 such that they face in an opposed manner while sandwiching the transport passage 4 therebetween . diffusion plates 34 which diffuse transmitting lights transmitted through the bill 1 are arranged on lower surfaces of the photo sensors 30 , while diffusion plates 21 which diffuse irradiating lights are arranged on upper surfaces of the two - wavelength light sources 20 . the transport belts 33 are pressed toward the lower - unit 2 side by means of a pressing mechanism 5 which is made of a resilient member such as a spring or the like . due to the pressing action derived from the pressing mechanism 5 , the bill 1 is smoothly transported . further , a control part 100 ( or upper - stage unit 3 ) is comprised of a cpu and the like which control the whole device and the discrimination part 200 which discriminates the bill 1 in response to outputs of the photo sensors 30 are provided to the lower - stage unit 2 . [ 0032 ] fig5 is a plan view of the upper - stage unit 3 as seen from a bottom portion thereof . the transport belts 33 - 1 and 33 - 2 are respectively wound around both end portions of the rollers 31 and 32 . due to the pressing action of these transport belts 33 - 1 and 33 - 2 to the bill 1 and the movement of these transport belts 33 - 1 and 33 - 2 in x 1 and x 2 directions indicated by arrows , the bill 1 which is supplied to the transport passage 4 defined between the upper - stage unit 3 and the lower - stage unit 2 is transported in the x direction . further , in a space defined between the transport belts 33 - 1 and 33 - 2 , the two photo sensors 30 - 1 and 30 - 2 are arranged in parallel and receive transmitting lights transmitted through the transporting bill 1 . the transmitting lights through the bill 1 to which lights diffused by the diffusion plate 21 are irradiated are diffused by the diffusion plate 34 and then received by the photo sensors 30 ( 30 - 1 , 30 - 2 ). [ 0033 ] fig6 is a plan view of the lower - stage unit 2 as seen from an upper portion thereof . rectangular guides 24 - 1 and 24 - 2 are arranged such that they face the transport belts 33 - 1 and 33 - 2 in an opposed manner and two - wavelength light sources 20 - 1 and 20 - 2 are arranged such that they face the photo sensors 30 - 1 and 30 - 2 in an opposed manner . the guides 24 - 1 and 24 - 2 are made of metal or synthetic resin and their surfaces are smoothly finished so as to ensure the smooth transporting of the bill 1 which is sandwiched between the transport belts 33 - 1 and 33 - 2 . further , diffusion plates 21 - 1 and 21 - 2 are respectively arranged on upper surfaces of the two - wavelength light sources 20 - 1 and 20 - 2 . the two - wavelength light source 20 - 1 includes a red light and an infrared light led , while the two - wavelength light source 20 - 2 includes a blue light and an infrared light led . accordingly , the photo sensor 30 - 1 receives two color transmitting lights from the red light and the infrared light led of the two - wavelength light source 20 - 1 , while the photo sensor 30 - 2 receives two color transmitting lights from the blue light and the infrared light led of the two - wavelength light source 20 - 2 . further , a bill passing sensor 25 is provided to an insertion part of the bill 1 and the passing and the insertion of the bill 1 is detected by this bill passing sensor 25 . [ 0034 ] fig7 shows an example of circuit configuration as a whole . the two - wavelength light source 20 - 1 has the light emitting quantity and the lighting ( on )/ extinguishing ( off ) thereof controlled by a light quantity control circuit 40 - 1 and an alternating lighting circuit 41 - 1 . the lights irradiated from the two - wavelength light source 20 - 1 are received by the photo sensor 30 - 1 through the light diffusion plates 21 - 1 and 34 - 1 and are inputted to a gain changeover circuit 43 - 1 through an amplifying circuit 42 - 1 . a red light quantity signal rlc and an infrared light quantity signal iflc 1 are respectively inputted to the light quantity control circuit 40 - 1 through d / a converters 50 - 1 and 51 - 1 . a lighting control signal lc 1 for lighting ( on )/ extinguishing ( off ) is inputted to the alternating lighting circuit 41 - 1 . a gain changeover signal gs 1 of high level or low level is inputted to the gain changeover circuit 43 - 1 . an output signal from the gain changeover circuit 43 - 1 is outputted as either a high level signal or a low level signal in response to the inputted gain changeover signal gs 1 . this signal is inputted to an offset circuit 44 - 1 which adjusts an offset value . the signal which is subjected to the offset adjustment is further separated into two color signals at a tow - color separation circuit 45 - 1 which is made of band pass filters . thereafter , these two color signals are respectively converted into digital values by a / d converters 52 - 1 and 53 - 1 and a red light receiving signal rs and an infrared light receiving signal ifs 1 are outputted . further , an offset signal oc 1 for adjusting the offset is inputted to the offset circuit 44 - 1 . although the above explanation is made with respect to the configuration of the two - wavelength light source 20 - 1 , the same goes for the configuration of the two - wavelength light source 20 - 2 . that is , as to the two - wavelength light source 20 - 2 , the light emitting quantity and the lighting ( on )/ extinguishing ( off ) thereof are controlled by a light quantity control circuit 40 - 2 and an alternating lighting circuit 41 - 2 . the lights irradiated from the two - wavelength light source 20 - 2 are received by the photo sensor 30 - 2 through the diffusion plates 21 - 2 and 34 - 2 and are converted into a digital quantity by a / d converters 52 - 2 and 53 - 2 through an amplifying circuit 42 - 2 , a gain changeover circuit 43 - 2 , an offset circuit 44 - 2 and a two - color separation circuit 45 - 2 and are outputted as a blue light receiving signal bs and an infrared light receiving signal ifs 2 . further , the blue light quantity signal blc and the infrared light quantity signal iflc 2 are respectively inputted to the light quantity control circuit 40 - 2 through d / a converters 50 - 2 and 51 - 2 , a lighting control signal lc 2 is inputted to the alternating lighting circuit 41 - 2 , a gain changeover signal gs 2 is inputted to the gain changeover circuit 43 - 2 , and an offset signal oc 2 is inputted to the offset circuit 44 - 2 . the above - mentioned two circuit systems are totally controlled by the control part 100 including the cpu and the like . the control part 100 further includes reference value setting means 101 and adjusting means 102 . since these two circuit systems perform the identical operations , the circuit system of the red light and the infrared light is explained hereinafter . [ 0037 ] fig8 shows a specific example of a circuit diagram of the light quantity control circuit 40 - 1 and the two - wavelength light source 20 - 1 . the two - wavelength light source 20 - 1 has a structure where an led 20 r - 1 which emits a red light and an led 20 if - 1 which emits an infrared light are arranged on a circular - plate like substrate 22 and a cover 23 made of a transparent material such as glass spherically covers an upper surface of the substrate 22 . the diffusion plate 21 - 1 is arranged above the cover 23 . the led 20 r - 1 is connected to a drive transistor q 2 and the led 20 if - 1 is connected to a drive transistor q 5 . a base of the transistor q 2 is connected to a switching transistor q 1 to which an alternating signal al 1 is inputted through a resistor r 2 , while a base of the transistor q 5 is connected to a switching transistor q 4 to which an alternating signal al 2 is inputted through a resistor r 7 . the alternating signals al 1 and al 2 are supplied from the alternating lighting circuit 41 - 1 and usually when one is set to “ h ”, the other is set to “ l ” so as to make either one of the led 20 r - 1 and the led 20 if - 1 lit and the other extinguished . in a particular case , both of them may be turned off or extinguished at the same time . the red light quantity signal rlc is inputted to an operational amplifier op 1 and is amplified and is subjected to the impedance conversion and then is inputted into a base of a transistor q 3 , while the infrared light quantity signal iflc 1 is inputted to an operational amplifier op 2 and is amplified and is subjected to the impedance conversion and then is inputted to a base of a transistor q 6 in the same manner . accordingly , by changing the levels of the red light quantity signal rlc and the infrared light quantity signal iflc 1 , the light emitting quantities of the led 20 r - 1 and the led 20 if - 1 can be changed . although the two - wavelength light source 20 - 1 is explained here , the two - wavelength circuit 20 - 2 has the same circuit configuration . in such a configuration , an example of manner of operation of the correction coefficient storing procedure at the time of shipping is explained in conjunction with a flow chart shown in fig9 . although this example of manner of operation is explained with respect to the circuit system of the two - wavelength light source 20 - 1 and the photo sensor 30 - 1 , the same goes for the two - wavelength light source 20 - 2 and the photo sensor 30 - 2 . first of all , a white reference medium is set between the two - wavelength light sources ( 20 - 1 , 20 - 2 ) and the photo sensors ( 30 - 1 , 30 - 2 ) in the transport passage 4 ( step s 1 ). the gain signal gs 1 to the gain changeover circuit 43 - 1 is set to the high level and the lighting control signal ( extinguishing ) lc 1 is inputted to the alternating lighting circuit 41 - 1 to turn off ( off ) the two - wavelength light source 20 - 1 ( step s 2 ). under this state , the offset signal oc 1 is inputted to the offset circuit 44 - 1 to make the offset circuit 44 - 1 perform the offset adjustment such that respective outputs rs and ifs 1 of the red light and the infrared light become the offset reference values ( step s 3 ). subsequently , while maintaining the gain signal gs 1 at the high level , the two - wavelength light source 20 - 1 is turned on ( on ) by inputting the lighting control signal ( lighting ) lc 1 to the alternating lighting circuit 41 - 1 ( step s 4 ). the infrared light quantity signal iflc 1 is adjusted such that the output rs of the infrared light becomes a first given value a ( step s 5 ) and further the red light quantity signal rlc is adjusted such that the output rs of the red light becomes a given value a as shown in fig1 ( step s 6 ). then , the gain signal gs 1 is set to the low level and the two - wavelength light source 20 - 1 is turned off ( off ) by inputting the lighting control signal ( extinguishing ) lc 1 to the alternating lighting circuit 41 - 1 ( step s 7 ). thereafter , the offset signal oc 1 is inputted to the offset circuit 44 - 1 to perform the offset adjustment such that respective outputs rs and ifs 1 of the red light and the infrared light become the offset reference values ( step s 8 ). the reference medium is removed ( step s 9 ) and the gain signal gs 1 is set to the low level and the two - wavelength light source 20 - 1 is turned on ( on ) by inputting the lighting control signal ( lighting ) lc 1 to the alternating lighting circuit 41 - 1 ( step s 10 ). under this state , respective outputs rs and ifs 1 of the red light and the infrared light expressed as the output values b in fig1 are stored in a memory ( not shown in the drawing ) ( step s 11 ). thereafter , the adjustment of the photo sensor 30 - 1 is adjusted ( step s 20 ). the detail of the adjustment operation is expressed in a flow chart shown in fig1 and will be explained later . after this adjustment , the reference mediums are set to given positions in the transport passage 4 ( step s 30 ) and respective outputs rs and ifs 1 of the red light and the infrared light are displayed ( step s 31 ). looking at the display of the outputs rs and the ifs 1 , an operator confirms whether the operation has completed normally or not . although the outputs should be always the same values under the same conditions , when there exist problems such as the error in set position of the reference medium or stains on the reference medium , the outputs may be deviated from the values . on the other hand , the adjustment operation of the photo sensor 30 - 1 is performed in accordance with the flow chart shown in fig1 . first of all , the gain signal gs 1 is set to the low level so as to make the gain changeover signal circuit 43 - 1 output the low level signal and the two - wavelength light source 20 - 1 is turned off by the alternating lighting circuit 41 - 1 ( step s 21 ). under this state , the offset signal oc 1 is inputted to the offset circuit 44 - 1 to make the offset circuit 44 - 1 perform the offset adjustment such that respective outputs rs and ifs 1 of the red light and the infrared light become the offset reference values ( step s 22 ). thereafter , the two - wavelength light source 20 - 1 is turned on while maintaining the gain signal gs 1 at the low level ( step s 23 ). then , as shown in fig1 , the infrared light quantity signal iflc 1 is adjusted such that the output ifs 1 of the infrared light becomes the adjustment reference value b ( step s 24 ) and simultaneously the red light quantity signal rlc is adjusted such that the output rs of the red light becomes the adjustment reference value b ( step s 25 ). then , the gain signal gs 1 is set to the high level so as to make the gain changeover signal circuit 43 - 1 output the high level signal and the two - wavelength light source 20 - 1 is turned off by the alternating lighting circuit 41 - 1 ( step s 26 ). thereafter , the offset signal oc 1 is inputted to the offset circuit 44 - 1 to make the offset circuit 44 - 1 perform the offset adjustment such that respective outputs rs and ifs 1 of the red light and the infrared light become the offset reference values ( step s 27 ). due to such characteristics , the discrimination of the bill can be always performed within the range at the time of transporting paper sheet as shown in fig1 . although one two - wavelength light source is comprised of the red light and the infrared light and the other two - wavelength light source is comprised of the blue light and the infrared light in this embodiment , it is possible to use light of other wavelength or the combination of lights of other wavelengths . when three color lights are used as the light source , a three color separation circuit is naturally used as the separation circuit . further , although the explanation has been made with respect to the bills heretofore , the present invention is applicable to other paper sheets such as securities or gift certificates . further , although the two - color separation circuit is provided in the above - mentioned embodiment , the two - color separation circuit may become unnecessary by performing the a / d conversion in synchronous with the timing to emit lights of respective colors in order . as has been described heretofore , according to the paper sheet discriminating device of the present invention , since the automatic adjustment of the light emitting quantity of the plural - wavelength light source is performed in the state that all drive mechanisms are stopped , the influence of noises can be eliminated . further , since the light emitting quantity of the plural - wavelength light source is adjusted such that the light quantity agrees with the prestored light - receiving adjustment reference value , the outputs of the photo sensor become given levels at the time of initial setting with respect to a plurality of wavelengths so that the irregularities of the output levels of the photo sensor among a plurality of wavelengths can be suppressed . further , since the diffusion plates are respectively arranged between the plural - wavelength light source and the transport passage as well as between the photo sensor and the transport passage , the influence derived from the directivity , the mounting angle and the mounting distance of the light source can be reduced so that only one light receiving element or one light receiving circuit can be commonly used for a plurality of wavelengths . further , since the output signal of the photo sensor is finally separated into a plurality of wavelengths , the offset of outputs of the photo sensor among a plurality of wavelengths derived from irregularities of the light receiving elements or the circuit due to the difference of devices can be reduced . further , since the paper sheet is pressed to the light - source side guide by the belts arranged at both sides of the photo sensors so as to suppress the irregularities of the sensor passing position of the paper sheet ( the distance between the paper sheet and the sensors ), the irregularities of the outputs of the photo sensor due to the sensor passing position of the paper sheet can be suppressed . [ 0049 ] fig1 a shows an example of the output of the photo sensor receiving the blue light , the infrared light and the red light which are irradiated to a u . s . 100 dollar bill ( true certificate ), while fig1 b shows an example of the output of the photo sensor receiving the blue light ( 470 ± 15 nm ), the infrared light ( 890 ± 35 nm ) and the red light ( 660 ± 10 nm ) which are irradiated to a black and white copy of u . s . 100 dollar bill ( forged certificate ). as can be understood from this characteristics example , the large difference exists in the output of the sensor between the true certificate and the forged certificate so that the forged certificate made of the black and white copy can be surely discriminated . | 6 |
the novel compounds encompassed by the instant invention can be described by the following general formula i : ## str9 ## and the pharmaceutically acceptable non - toxic salts thereof wherein : x is oxygen or sulfur ; phenyl , thienyl , or pyridyl , each of which may be mono or disubstituted with halogen , hydroxy , straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 carbon atoms , amino , mono or dialkylamino where each alkyl is straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 carbon atoms , or straight or branched chain lower alkoxy having 1 - 6 carbon atoms ; ## str10 ## wherein : a represents nitrogen or c -- r 1 ; b represents nitrogen or c -- r 2 with the proviso that not both a and b are nitrogen ; d represents nitrogen or c -- r 2 with the proviso that not both c and d are nitrogen ; r 1 and r 4 are the same or different and represent hydrogen , halogen , straight or branched chain lower having 1 - 6 carbon atoms , or straight or branched chain lower alkoxy having 1 - 6 carbon atoms ; 1 - indanyl , 4 -( thio ) chromanyl , 1 -( 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 - tetrahydronaphthyl ), each of which is monosubstituted with halogen , straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 , carbon atoms , or straight or branched chain lower alkoxy having 1 - 6 carbon atoms ; or 5 , cor 5 , co 2 r 5 , ocor 5 , or r 5 , where r 5 is hydrogen , phenyl , pyridyl , straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 carbon atoms , or phenylalkyl or pyridylalkyl where each alkyl is straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 carbon atoms ; -- conr 6 r 7 or --( ch 2 ) n nr 6 r 7 where r 6 is hydrogen , straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 carbon atoms ; and r 7 is hydrogen , phenyl , pyridyl , straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 carbon atoms , or phenylalkyl or pyridylalkyl where each alkyl is straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 carbon atoms ; or nr 6 r 7 forms a heterocyclic group which is morpholyl , piperidyl , pyrrolidyl , or n - alkyl piperazyl ; or c ( oh ) r 10 r 11 where r 10 and r 11 are the same or different and represent straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 carbon atoms , phenyl , or phenylalkyl where each alkyl is straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 carbon atoms ; and r 3 and r 5 are the same or different and represent hydrogen or straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 carbon atoms . in addition , the present invention encompasses compounds of formula ii . ## str11 ## wherein : w is phenyl , thienyl , or pyridyl , each of which may be mono or disubstituted with halogen , hydroxy , straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 carbon atoms , amino , mono or dialkylamino where each alkyl is straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 carbon atoms , or straight or branched chain lower alkoxy having 1 - 6 carbon atoms ; r 1 and r 4 are the same or different and represent hydrogen , halogen , straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 carbon atoms , or straight or branched chain lower alkoxy having 1 - 6 carbon atoms ; 1 - indanyl , 4 -( thio ) chromanyl , 1 -( 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 - tetrahydronaphthyl ), each of which is monosubstituted with halogen , straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 , carbon atoms , or straight or branched chain lower alkoxy having 1 - 6 carbon atoms ; or 5 , cor 5 , co 2 r 5 , ocor 5 , or r 5 where r 5 is hydrogen , phenyl , pyridyl , straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 carbon atoms , or phenylalkyl or pyridylalkyl where each alkyl is straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 carbon atoms ; or -- conr 6 r 7 or --( ch 2 ) n nr 6 r 7 where r 6 is hydrogen , straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 carbon atoms ; and r 7 is hydrogen , phenyl , pyridyl , straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 carbon atoms , or phenylalkyl or pyridylalkyl where each alkyl is straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 carbon atoms ; or nr 6 r 7 forms a heterocyclic group which is morpholyl , piperidyl , pyrrolidyl , or n - alkyl piperazyl ; and r 3 is hydrogen or straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 carbon atoms . the present invention also encompasses compounds of formula iii : ## str12 ## wherein : w is phenyl , thienyl , or pyridyl , each of which may be mono or disubstituted with halogen , hydroxy , straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 carbon atoms , amino , mono or dialkylamino where each alkyl is straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 carbon atoms , or straight or branched chain lower alkoxy having 1 - 6 carbon atoms ; r 1 and r 4 are the same or different and represent hydrogen , halogen , straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 carbon atoms , or straight or branched chain lower alkoxy having 1 - 6 carbon atoms ; and r 3 is hydrogen or straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 carbon atoms . the present invention also encompasses compounds of formula iv : ## str13 ## wherein : w is phenyl , thienyl , or pyridyl , each of which may be mono or disubstituted with halogen , hydroxy , straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 carbon atoms , amino , mono or dialkylamino where each alkyl is straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 carbon atoms , or straight or branched chain lower alkoxy having 1 - 6 carbon atoms ; r 1 and r 4 are the same or different and represent hydrogen , halogen , straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 carbon atoms , or straight or branched chain lower alkoxy having 1 - 6 carbon atoms ; 1 - indanyl , 4 -( thio ) chromanyl , 1 -( 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 - tetrahydronaphthyl ), each of which is monosubstituted with halogen , straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 , carbon atoms , or straight or branched chain lower alkoxy having 1 - 6 carbon atoms ; or 5 , cor 5 , co 2 r 5 , ocor 5 , or r 5 , where r 5 is hydrogen , phenyl , pyridyl , straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 carbon atoms , or phenylalkyl or pyridylalkyl where each alkyl is straight or branched chain lower alkoxy having 1 - 6 carbon atoms ; or -- conr 6 r 7 or --( ch 2 ) n nr 6 r 7 where r 6 is hydrogen , straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 carbon atoms ; and r 7 is hydrogen , phenyl , pyridyl , straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 carbon atoms , or phenylalkyl or pyridylalkyl where each alkyl is straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 carbon atoms ; or nr 6 r 7 forms a heterocyclic group which is morpholyl , piperidyl , pyrrolidyl , or n - alkyl piperazyl ; and r 3 is hydrogen or straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 carbon atoms . the present invention also encompasses compounds of formula v : ## str14 ## wherein : w is phenyl , thienyl , or pyridyl , each of which may be mono or disubstituted with halogen , hydroxy , straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 carbon atoms , amino , mono or dialkylamino where each alkyl is straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 carbon atoms , or straight or branched chain lower alkoxy having 1 - 6 carbon atoms ; 1 - indanyl , 4 -( thio ) chromanyl , 1 -( 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 - tetrahydronaphthyl ), each of which is monosubstituted with halogen , straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 , carbon atoms , or straight or branched chain lower alkoxy having 1 - 6 carbon atoms ; or 5 , cor 5 , co 2 r 5 , ocor 5 , or r 5 , where r 5 is hydrogen , phenyl , pyridyl , straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 carbon atoms , or phenylalkyl or pyridylalkyl where each alkyl is straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 carbon atoms ; or -- conr 6 r 7 or --( ch 2 ) n nr 6 r 7 where r 6 is hydrogen , straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 carbon atoms ; and r 7 is hydrogen , phenyl , pyridyl , straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 carbon atoms , or phenylalkyl or pyridylalkyl where each alkyl is straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 carbon atoms ; or nr 6 r 7 forms a heterocyclic group which is morpholyl , piperidyl , pyrrolidyl , or n - alkyl piperazyl ; and r 4 is hydrogen , halogen , straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 carbon atoms , or straight or branched chain lower alkoxy having 1 - 6 carbon atoms . the present invention also encompasses compounds of formula vi : ## str15 ## w is phenyl , thienyl , or pyridyl , or phenyl , thienyl , or pyridyl , each of which may be mono or disubstituted with halogen , hydroxy , straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 carbon atoms , amino , mono or dialkylamino where each alkyl is straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 carbon atoms , or straight or branched chain lower alkoxy having 1 - 6 carbon atoms ; r 1 and r 4 are the same or different and represent hydrogen , halogen , straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 carbon atoms , or straight or branched chain lower alkoxy having 1 - 6 carbon atoms . non - toxic pharmaceutical salts include salts of acids such as hydrochloric , phosphoric , hydrobromic , sulfuric , sulfinic , formic , toluene sulfonic , hydroiodic , acetic and the like . those skilled in the art will recognize a wide variety of non - toxic pharmaceutically acceptable addition salts . representative compounds of the present invention , which are encompassed by formula i , include , but are not limited to the compounds in fig . i and their pharmaceutically acceptable salts . the present invention also encompasses the acylated prodrugs of the compounds of formula i . those skilled in the art will recognize various synthetic methodologies which may be employed to prepare non - toxic pharmaceutically acceptable addition salts and acylated prodrugs of the compounds encompassed by formula i . by lower alkyl in the present invention is meant straight or branched chain alkyl groups having 1 - 6 carbon atoms , such as , for example , methyl , ethyl , propyl , isopropyl , n - butyl , sec - butyl , tert - butyl , pentyl , 2 - pentyl , isopentyl , neopentyl , hexyl , 2 - hexyl , 3 - hexyl , and 3 - methylpentyl . by lower alkoxy in the present invention is meant straight or branched chain alkoxy groups having 1 - 6 carbon atoms , such as , for example , methoxy , ethoxy , propoxy , isopropoxy , n - butoxy , sec - butoxy , tertbutoxy , pentoxy , 2 - pentyl , isopentoxy , neopentoxy , hexoxy , 2 - hexoxy , 3 - hexoxy , and 3 - methylpentoxy . by halogen in the present invention is meant fluorine , bromine , chlorine , and iodine . by n - alkylpiperazyl in the invention is meant radicals of the formula : ## str16 ## where r is a straight or branched chain lower alkyl as defined above . the pharmaceutical utility of compounds of this invention are indicated by the following assay for gabaa receptor activity . assays are carried out as described in thomas and tallman ( j . bio . chem . 156 : 9838 - 9842 , j . neurosci . 3 : 433 - 440 , 1983 ). rat cortical tissue is dissected and homogenized in 25 volumes ( w / v ) of 0 . 05m tris hcl buffer ( ph 7 . 4 at 4 ° c .). the tissue homogenate is centrifuged in cold ( 4 °) at 20 , 000 × g for 20 &# 39 ;. the supernatant is decanted and the pellet is rehomogenized in the same volume of buffer and again centrifuged at 20 , 000 × g . the supernatant is decanted and the pellet is frozen at - 20 ° c . overnight . the pellet is then thawed and rehomogenized in 25 volume ( original wt / vol ) of buffer and the procedure is carried out twice . the pellet is finally resuspended in 50 volumes ( w / vol of 0 . 05m tris hcl buffer ( ph 7 . 4 at 40 ° c .). incubations contain 100 ml of tissue homogenate , 100 ml of radioligand 0 . 5 nm ( 3 h - ro15 - 1788 [ 3 h - flumazenil ] specific activity 80 ci / mmol ), drug or blocker and buffer to a total volume of 500 ml . incubations are carried for 30 min at 4 ° c . then are rapidly filtered through gfb filters to separate free and bound ligand . filters are washed twice with fresh 0 . 05m tris hcl buffer ( ph 7 . 4 at 4 ° c .) and counted in a liquid scintillation counter . 1 . 0 mm diazepam is added to some tubes to determine nonspecific binding . data are collected in triplicate determinations , averaged and % inhibition of total specific binding is calculated . total specific binding = total - nonspecific . in some cases , the amounts of unlabeled drugs is varied and total displacement curves of binding are carried out . data are converted to a form for the calculation of ic 50 and hill coefficient ( nh ). data for the compounds of this invention are listed in table i . table i______________________________________compound number . sup . 1 ic . sub . 50 ( um ) ______________________________________1 0 . 0422 0 . 16915 0 . 132______________________________________ . sup . 1 compound numbers relate to compounds shown in fig . i . the compounds of general formula i may be administered orally , topically , parenterally , by inhalation or spray or rectally in dosage unit formulations containing conventional non - toxic pharmaceutically acceptable carriers , adjuvants and vehicles . the term parenteral as used herein includes subcutaneous injections , intravenous , intramuscular , intrasternal injection or infusion techniques . in addition , there is provided a pharmaceutically formulation comprising a compound of general formula i and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier . one or more compounds of general formula i may be present in association with one or more non - toxic pharamaceutically acceptable carriers and / or diluents and / or adjuvants and if desired other active ingredients . the pharamaceutical compositions containing compounds of general formula i may be in a form suitable for oral use , for example , as tablets , troches , lozenges , aqueous or oily suspensions , dispersible powders or granules , emulsion , hard or soft capsules , or syrups or elixirs . compositions intended for oral use may be prepared according to any method known to the art for the manufacture of pharmaceutical compositions and such compositions may contain one or more agents selected from the group consisting of sweetening agents , flavoring agents , coloring agents and preserving agents in order to provide pharmaceutically elegant and palatable preparations . tablets contain the active ingredient in admixture with non - toxic pharmaceutically acceptable excipients which are suitable for the manufacture of tablets . these excipients may be for example , inert diluents , such as calcium carbonate , sodium carbonate , lactose , calcium phosphate or sodium phosphate ; granulating and disintegrating agents , for example , corn starch , or alginic acid ; binding agents , for example starch , gelatin or acacia , and lubricating agents , for example magnesium stearate , stearic acid or talc . the tablets may be uncoated or they may be coated by known techniques to delay disintegration and absorption in the gastrointestinal tract and thereby provide a sustained action over a longer period . for example , a time delay material such as glyceryl monosterate or glyceryl distearate may be employed . formulations for oral use may also be presented as hard gelatin capsules wherein the active ingredient is mixed with an inert solid diluent , for example , calcium carbonate , calcium phosphate or kaolin , or as soft gelatin capsules wherein the active ingredient is mixed with water or an oil medium , for example peanut oil , liquid paraffin or olive oil . aqueous suspensions contain the active materials in admixture with excipients suitable for the manufacture of aqueous suspensions . such excipients are suspending agents , for example sodium carboxymethylcellulose , methylcellulose , hydropropylmethylcellulose , sodium alginate , polyvinylpyrrolidone , gum tragacanth and gum acacia ; dispersing or wetting agents may be a naturally - occurring phosphatide , for example , lecithin , or condensation products of an alkylene oxide with fatty acids , for example polyoxyethylene stearate , or condensation products of ethylene oxide with long chain aliphatic alcohols , for example heptadecaethyleneoxycetanol , or condensation products of ethylene oxide with partial esters derived from fatty acids and a hexitol such as polyoxyethylene sorbitol monooleate , or condensation products of ethylene oxide with partial esters derived from fatty acids and hexitol anhydrides , for example polyethylene sorbitan monooleate . the aqueous suspensions may also contain one or more preservatives , for example ethyl , or n - propyl p - hydroxybenzoate , one or more coloring agents , one or more flavoring agents , and one or more sweetening agents , such as sucrose or saccharin . oily suspensions may be formulated by suspending the active ingredients in a vegetable oil , for example arachis oil , olive oil , sesame oil or coconut oil , or in a mineral oil such as liquid paraffin . the oily suspensions may contain a thickening agent , for example beeswax , hard paraffin or cetyl alcohol . sweetening agents such as those set forth above , and flavoring agents may be added to provide palatable oral preparations . these compositions may be preserved by the addition of an anti - oxidant such as ascorbic acid . dispersible powders and granules suitable for preparation of an aqueous suspension by the addition of water provide the active ingredient in admixture with a dispersing or wetting agent , suspending agent and one or more preservatives . suitable dispersing or wetting agents and suspending agents are exemplified by those already mentioned above . additional excipients , for example sweetening , flavoring and coloring agents , may also be present . pharmaceutical compositions of the invention may also be in the form of oil - in - water emulsions . the oily phase may be a vegetable oil , for example olive oil or arachis oil , or a mineral oil , for example liquid paraffin or mixtures of these . suitable emulsifying agents may be naturally - occurring gums , for example gum acacia or gum tragacanth , naturally - occurring phosphatides , for example soy bean , lecithin , and esters or partial esters derived from fatty acids and hexitol , anhydrides , for example sorbitan monoleate , and condensation products of the said partial esters with ethylene oxide , for example polyoxyethylene sorbitan monoleate . the emulsions may also contain sweetening and flavoring agents . syrups and elixirs may be formulated with sweetening agents , for example glycerol , propylene glycol , sorbitor or sucrose . such formulations may also contain a demulcent , a preservative and flavoring and coloring agents . the pharmaceutical compositions may be in the form of a sterile injectable aqueous or oleaginous suspension . this suspension may be formulated according to the known art using those suitable dispersing or wetting agents and suspending agents which have been mentioned above . the sterile injectable preparation may also be sterile injectable solution or suspension in a non - toxic parentally acceptable diluent or solvent , for example as a solution in 1 , 3 - butanediol . among the acceptable vehicles and solvents that may be employed are water , ringer &# 39 ; s solution and isotonic sodium chloride solution . in addition , sterile , fixed oils are conventionally employed as a solvent or suspending medium . for this purpose any bland fixed oil may be employed including synthetic mono - or diglycerides . in addition , fatty acids such as oleic acid find use in the preparation of injectables . the compounds of general formula i may also be administered in the form of suppositories for rectal administration of the drug . these compositions can be prepared by mixing the drug with a suitable non - irritating excipient which is solid at ordinary temperatures but liquid at the rectal temperature and will therefore melt in the rectum to release the drug . such materials are cocoa butter and polyethylene glycols . compounds of general formula i may be administered parenterally in a sterile medium . the drug , depending on the vehicle and concentration used , can either be suspended or dissolved in the vehicle . advantageously , adjuvants such as local anaesthetics , preservatives and buffering agents can be dissolved in the vehicle . dosage levels of the order of from about 0 . 1 mg to about 140 mg per kilogram of body weight per day are useful in the treatment of the above - indicated conditions ( about 0 . 5 mg to about 7 g per patient per day ). the amount of active ingredient that may be combined with the carrier materials to produce a single dosage form will vary depending upon the host treated and the particular mode of administration . dosage unit forms will generally contain between from about 1 mg to about 500 mg of an active ingredient . it will be understood , however , that the specific dose level for any particular patient will depend upon a variety of factors including the activity of the specific compound employed , the age , body weight , general health , sex , diet , time of administration , route of administration , and rate of excretion , drug combination and the severity of the particular disease undergoing therapy . an illustration of the preparation of compounds of the present invention is given in schemes i and ii . those having skill in the art will recognize that the starting materials may be varied and additional steps employed to produce compounds encompassed by the present invention , as demonstrated by the following examples . ## str18 ## wherein : x is oxygen or sulfur ; phenyl , thienyl , or pyridyl , each of which may be mono or disubstituted with halogen , hydroxy , straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 carbon atoms , amino , mono or dialkylamino where each alkyl is straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 carbon atoms , or straight or branched chain lower alkoxy having 1 - 6 carbon atoms ; ## str19 ## wherein : a represents nitrogen or c -- r 1 ; b represents nitrogen or c -- r 2 with the proviso that not both a and b are nitrogen : d represents nitrogen or c -- r 2 with the proviso that not both c and d are nitrogen ; r 1 and r 4 are the same or different and represent hydrogen , halogen , straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 carbon atoms , or straight or branched chain lower alkoxy having 1 - 6 carbon atoms ; 1 - indanyl , 4 -( thio ) chromanyl , 1 -( 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 - tetrahydronaphthyl ), each of which is monosubstituted with halogen , straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 , carbon atoms , or straight or branched chain lower alkoxy having 1 - 6 carbon atoms ; or 5 , cor 5 , co 2 r 5 , ocor 5 , or r 5 , where r 5 is hydrogen , phenyl , pyridyl , straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 carbon atoms , or phenylalkyl or pyridyalkyl where each alkyl is straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 carbon atoms ; -- conr 6 r 7 or --( ch 2 ) n nr 6 r 7 where r 6 is hydrogen , straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 carbon atoms ; and r 7 is hydrogen , phenyl , pyridyl , straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 carbon atoms , or phenylalkyl or pyridylalkyl where each alkyl is straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 carbon atoms ; or nr 6 r 7 forms a heterocyclic group which is morpholyl , piperidyl , pyrrolidyl , or n - alkyl piperazyl ; or c ( oh ) r 10 r 11 where r 10 and r 11 are the same or different and represent straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 carbon atoms , phenyl , or phenylalkyl where each alkyl is straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 carbon atoms ; and r 3 and r 5 are the same or different and represent hydrogen or straight or branched chain lower alkyl having 1 - 6 carbon atoms . those having skill in the art will recognize that the starting materials may be varied and additional steps employed to produce compounds encompassed by the present invention , as demonstrated by the following examples . in some cases protection of certain reactive functionalities may be necessary to achieve some of the above transformations . in general the need for such protecting groups will be obvious to those skilled in the art of organic synthesis as well as the conditions necesary to attach and remove such groups . the invention is illustrated further by the following examples which are not to be construed as limiting the invention in scope or spirit to the specific procedures described in them . to a stirred suspension of 4 - amino - 3 - cyano - 1 , 2 , 5 , 6 - tetrahydropyridine ( prepared according to a the procedure described by taub et al ., 1967 , j . chem . soc . c : 1558 ) ( 95 . 51 g , 775 mmol ) in pyridine ( 500 ml ), benzoic anhydride ( 274 g , 1 . 20 mol ) was added in portions over 1 - 2 hours . after stirring an additional 30 minutes , the precipitate was collected , washed first with toluene , then ether , and subsequently allowed to dry to afford 1 - benzoyl - 4 - amino - 3 - cyano - 1 , 2 , 5 , 6 - tetrahydropyridine as a white solid , m . p . 178 °- 181 ° c . a slurry of 1 - benzoyl - 4 - amino - 3 - cyano - 1 , 2 , 5 , 6 - tetrahydropyridine ( 35 . 23 g , 155 mmol ) and urea ( 46 . 55 g , 775 mmol ) in 2 -( 2 - ethoxyethoxy ) ethanol ( 75 ml ) was gradually heated to about 205 ° c ., and maintained at 205 ° c . for 90 minutes . heating was ceased and hot water was carefully added while shaking the mixture . the mixture was vacuum filtered to collect the precipitate while hot . the precipitate was washed with hot water until the filtrate was colorless . the precipitate was then washed with ethanol until the filtrate was colorless , and then finally with ethyl acetate and allowed to dry to yield 6 - benzoyl - 4 - amino - 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 - tetrahydropyrido [ 3 , 4 - e ] pyrimidin - 2 - one as a light yellow solid . a mixture of 6 - benzoyl - 4 - amino - 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 - tetrahydro - pyrido [ 3 , 4 - e ] pyrimidin - 2 - one ( 1 g , 3 . 7 mmol ) and 1 - bromo - 2 &# 39 ;- fluoroacetophenone ( 0 . 74 g , 3 . 7 mmol ) in 8 ml of dimethylformamide ( dmf ) was heated at about 150 ° c . for 45 minutes . the reaction mixture was poured into ice water and the precipitate collected to give 9 - benzoyl - 2 -( 2 - fluorophenyl )- 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 - tetrahydro - imidazo [ 1 , 2 - c ] pyrido [ 3 , 4 - e ] pyrimidin - 5 ( 6h )- one . later , a second crop of precipitate was collected as a cream - colored solid , m . p . 269 °- 271 ° c . ( d ). to a solution of 9 - benzoyl - 2 -( 2 - fluorophenyl )- 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 - tetrahydro - imidazo [ 1 , 2 - c ] pyrido [ 3 , 4 - e ] pyrimidin - 5 ( 6h )- one ( 435 mg , 1 . 1 mmol ) in ethanol ( 5 ml ) was added 5 ml of 50 % aqueous sodium hydroxide . the mixture was refluxed for about 1 hour , and then poured into saturated aqueous ammonium chloride and extracted twice with 10 % methanol / ethyl acetate . the combined organic layers were dried over magnesium sulfate , filtered , concentrated , and triturated with methanol / ether to give 2 -( 2 - fluorophenyl )- 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 - tetrahydro - imidazo [ 1 , 2 - c ] pyrido [ 3 , 4 - e ] pyrimidin - 5 ( 6h )- one , m . p .& gt ; 310 ° c . a mixture of 2 -( 2 - fluorophenyl )- 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 - tetrahydro - imidazo [ 1 , 2 - c ] pyrido [ 3 , 4 - e ] pyrimidin - 5 ( 6h )- one ( 110 mg ) and palladium black ( 150 mg ) was placed in a sublimator and evacuated ( 1 mm hg ). the temperature was slowly raised to 280 ° c . the desired product sublimed from the mixture and was collected after the apparatus had been cooled back down to room temperature . in this manner 2 -( 2 - fluorophenyl )- imidazol [ 1 , 2 - c ] pyrido [ 3 , 4 - e ] pyrimidin - 5 ( 6h )- one ( compound 1 ), m . p . 315 °- 320 ° c . was obtained as tan crystals . the following compounds were prepared essentially according to the procedures described in examples i - v : a mixture of 3 - amino - 2 - chloro - pyridine ( 5 g ) and cuprous cyanide ( 5 g ) in 10 ml of n - methylpyrrolidone was heated with stirring at 185 ° c . for 2 h under an atmosphere of nitrogen . the reaction mixture was concentrated in vacuo and concentrated ammonium hydroxide and 10 % methanol / methylene chloride were added . the mixture was shaken and filtered , the organic layer separated and the aqueous layer extracted two times with methanol / methylene chloride . the combined organic extracts were dried over magnesium sulfate and the solvent removed in vacuo . the residue was recrystallized from ethyl acetate / hexane to afford 3 - amino - 2 - cyanopyridine as a tan solid a slurry of 3 - amino - 2 - cyanopyridine ( 200 mg ) and urea ( 400 mg ) in 2 -( 2 - ethoxyethoxy ) ethanol ( 0 . 5 ml ) was gradually heated to about 205 ° c ., and maintained at 205 ° c . for 10 min . heating was ceased and 6 ml of hot water was carefully added while shaking the mixture . the mixture was vacuum filtered to collect the precipitate . the precipitate was washed with water and ethyl acetate and allowed to dry to yield 4 - amino - pyrido [ 2 , 3 - e ] pyrimidin - 2 - one as a light yellow solid , m . p . & gt ; 300 ° c . a mixture of 4 - amino - pyrido [ 2 , 3 - e ] pyrimidin - 2 - one ( 95 mg ) and αbromo - acetophenone ( 117 mg ) in 4 ml of dimethylformamide ( dmf ) was heated at about 150 ° c . for 20 min . the reaction mixture was concentrated in vacuo and the residue was subjected to flash chromatography on silica gel with 10 % methanol / methylene chloride as the eluent to afford 2 - phenylimidazo [ 1 , 2 - c ] pyrido [ 2 , 3 - e ] pyrimidin - 5 ( 6h )- one , ( compound 15 ), m . p . 329 °- 330 ° c . the following compounds were prepared essentially according to the procedures described in examples vi - viii : the invention and the manner and process of making and using it , are now described in such full , clear , concise and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains , to make and use the same . it is to be understood that the foregoing describes preferred embodiments of the present invention and that modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention as set forth in the claims . to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter regarded as invention , the following claims conclude this specification . | 2 |
fig1 shows schematically a camshaft 10 of four stroke internal combustion engine having six cylinders 12 , 14 , 16 , 18 , 20 , 22 . the camshaft 10 is mounted in slide bearings 24 on the upper surface of the cylinder head 25 . the camshaft 10 is driven off a crankshaft ( not shown ) through a gear transmission 26 and rotates at one half of engine speed in the illustrated embodiment . the camshaft 10 comprises three cam lobes per cylinder ; two of the cam lobes 28 control valves and the third cam lobe 30 controls a fuel injector of the fuel injection system . fuel is supplied to each of the cylinders 12 , 14 , 16 , 18 , 20 , 22 . fig2 schematically illustrates an embodiment of a method according to the invention . a sensor 32 is used for sensing the passage of subsequent references 36 in the form of teeth provided on a component 34 , such as a flange , that is mounted on the camshaft 10 of a combustion engine . the instantaneous value of the period of passage of the teeth 36 in front of the sensor 32 corresponds to the measurement of instantaneous speeds of the camshaft . a signal generated by the sensor 32 is transmitted to calculation means , such as a computer or microprocessor , which uses that information to calculate the torque generated on the camshaft . the sensor 32 is for example adapted to measure the passage of references 36 at sample intervals having a duration of 1 microsecond , being equal to a frequency of 1 mhz since it has been found that a frequency of 1 mhz or more gives particularly good results using the inventive method . the values t provided by the sensor 32 corresponding to the passages of time between subsequent rotational references 36 are then used as representative values of instantaneous speeds of the camshaft to form a speed vector v in a method step a ). as illustrated in fig2 , the references 36 may be irregularly arranged , so that there are gaps between the references at certain points around the circumference of the component 34 on which they are arranged . the values of the speed vector v are corrected for the missing references by calculating the mean value for the missing references and the next reference , and replacing all of the relevant values with a mean value . in method step b ) the mean camshaft speed n during the sampling period is calculated from the speed vector v , and expressed in revolutions / second . in method step c ), the speed vector v is used to produce a phase - amplitude representation , in which the value p x , being representative of the torque contribution at a selected frequency x * n , is calculated . according to an embodiment of the invention , the method selected to determine the amplitude p x is a fourier series of sines and cosines . however , other fourier transform methods may also be useful . nevertheless , it has been found that the sine and cosine method provides useful results without the need of an excessive number of samples or calculation capacity . the sine and cosine method is a true phase - amplitude transformation only when all orders are included . in this case , all orders need not to be included , since it is sufficient to know the amplitude for the order x . the result is a linear equation system that may be solved in least square sense . the linear equation system to be solved in the sine cosine method can be written as [ a ]×[ c ]=[ v ], where [ v ] is the speed vector including f values v 1 , v 2 . . . , vf measured at regular angular intervals over two revolutions of the engine crankshaft and [ a ] is a sine and cosine matrix ( f ×( 2j + 1 )). the equation is solved for [ c ] which includes the constants a 0 , a 1 , b 1 , a 2 , b 2 . . . a k , b k for a fourier series . f ( t ) = 1 2 a 0 + ∑ k = 1 j a k sin ( kt ) + b k cos ( kt ) so that the first column of the a matrix is a column of ones , to take care of the initial constant term . ( this term is not needed if the average n is subtracted from the values of the v - vector before calculation .) the next column is sine of order one , and thereafter follows cosine of order one . the following columns are sine and cosine for a third , a fourth cycle etc . the equation system is solved , giving the sine and cosine coefficients a x and b x for the selected xth order , that is the phase x n . knowing a x and b x , the amplitude is given by pythagoras theorem : ( p x ) 2 = a x 2 + b x 2 . the necessary length of the measured speed vector v depends on the method used for calculating p x in the following method step , and of the accuracy wanted in the resulting torque value t . if p x is calculated using fft analysis , a suitable vector length might be about 2000 samples . if p x instead is calculated using a sine and cosine transform , the length of the vector may be considerably shortened , to about 600 samples . finally , in method step d ), the value t being representative of the torque is derived from t = k0 + k1 * p3 + k2 * n + k3 * n * p3 , where k0 , k1 , k2 and k3 all are polynomial constants being stored in a suitable memory . if a fast fourier transform fft method is used instead of the sine and cosine method as described above , the amplitude px of the amplitude - phase diagram corresponding to the frequency f = x * n , where x is the selected order must be calculated . this may advantageously be made from a plot of the fft transform , and calculating the rms value of the area of the peak at the relevant frequency , which corresponds to the amplitude p x . using the amplitude the rms value of the area of the peak in a fft transform , or using the amplitude from the sine and cosine method as p x , will result in different polynomial coefficients k0 , . . . , k3 . nevertheless , both methods will provide accurate results . it has been found that the fft method requires more samples in order to achieve sufficient accuracy than the sine and cosine method . the value t may be calculated regularly during the use of the internal combustion engine and stored in a log for possible evaluation when the engine is being serviced or in particular if a user suspects that something is wrong with the fuel injection equipment . alternatively , the value t may be used when assessing the function of newly manufactured engines to ensure that the engine torque attains the desired specifications . in both instances , the value t may be compared to a reference value t ref being determined by measuring or calculating t for a number of reference engines . the polynomial parameters k0 , k1 , k2 and k3 need to be determined for different situations . engines may be constructed in groups , each group containing engines having the same torque behaviour and using the same polynomial constants . for determining the polynomial parameters , the actual torque t may be measured and compared to the mathematical expression of t at a number of measurement points being sufficient to set up an equation system from which the values of the constants may be derived . in the illustrated embodiment any or all of the method steps a )- d ) may be carried out in an electronic control unit ( ecu ) 31 . fig3 depicts a flange 34 comprising a plurality of teeth 36 on its outer peripheral surface is mounted on the camshaft . a sensor 32 is used for sensing the passage of subsequent teeth 36 . such an arrangement may be used to determine the rotational angle and speed of the camshaft 10 . fig4 is a typical measured torque ( t - value ) on the camshaft of a six cylinder engine comprising fuel injection equipment having six fuel injectors where each cylinder is associated with one fuel injector that supplies fuel thereto . the torque is shown as a function of the rotational angle of the camshaft from tdc . as each fuel injector ejects fuel into the engine &# 39 ; s cylinders the torque on the camshaft increases , peaks and then decreases . since the firing order of the cylinders of the engine is known and since fuel is injected into each cylinder from a particular fuel injector prior to firing a cylinder , each torque peak in the graph of measured torque can be assigned to a particular fuel injector . the maximum torque assigned to the fifth fuel injector # 5 can then be compared to a reference value t ref to check whether said fuel injector # 5 of the fuel injection equipment is operating correctly . measuring the torque on the camshaft instead of the crankshaft of an internal combustion engine eliminates the influence of other events / systems on combustion efficiency and therefore on measured torque values . it should be noted that the inventive method is also applicable to internal combustion engines in which one fuel injector supplies more than one cylinder with fuel . further modifications of the invention within the scope of the claims would be apparent to a skilled person . for example even though a camshaft comprising three lobes per cylinder for the actuation of valves and fuel injectors has been exemplified in the detailed description of embodiments of the invention , the invention is applicable to a camshaft having any number of lobes , or lobes per cylinder , for the actuation of valves and fuel injectors or for the actuation of fuel injectors only . | 8 |
there will first be described the molding method according to the present invention with reference to fig1 to 7 . a molding die d is constructed by overlapping first , second and third die parts d 1 , d 2 and d 3 . as shown in fig5 ( a ) and 5 ( b ), the first die part d 1 is formed substantially as a cylindrical - shaped plate or disk provided at its central portion with a first core c 1 having a semicircular cross section and projecting outwardly from a front surface of the die part d 1 . the first die part d 1 is further formed on its front surface with a molding material supply passage or groove v 1 extending from an outer circumference of the front surface to the first core c 1 . the supply passage v 1 , intermediate the ends thereof , is formed with a recess 1 for receiving a base end of a molding material discharge pipe p which will be hereinafter described . the recess 1 is formed substantially as a blind cylindrical bore having an axial depth greater than that of the passage v 1 . the supply passage v 1 serves as a passage for supplying a molding material to be molded into a bridge 4 in a hollow portion 3 of a hollow molding e . as shown in fig6 ( a ) and 6 ( b ), the second die part d 2 is also formed substantially as a cylindrical - shaped plate or disk provided at its central portion with a second core c 2 having a semicircular cross section and projecting outwardly from a front surface of the die part d 2 . an extrusion opening 5 having a semicircular cross section is formed axially through the second die part d 2 at a position adjacent to the second core c 2 . the second die part d 2 is further formed on its front surface with a molding material supply passage or groove v 2 extending from an outer circumference of the front surface to the extrusion opening 5 . the first core c 1 of the first die part d 1 is symmetrical with the second core c 2 of the second die part d 2 with respect to the axially aligned centers of the die parts d 1 and d 2 after they are overlapped . the supply passage v 2 serves as a passage for supplying a molding material to be molded into an upper half of a body portion 2 of the hollow molding e . as shown in fig7 ( a ) and 7 ( b ), the third die part d 3 is formed as a cylindrical - shaped plate or disk provided at its central portion with an extrusion opening 6 having a circular cross section and extending coaxially therethrough . the third die part d 3 is further formed on its rear surface with a molding material supply passage or groove v 3 extending from an outer circumference of the rear surface to the extrusion opening 6 . the supply passage v 3 serves as a passage for supplying a molding material to be molded into a lower half of the body portion 2 of the hollow molding e . both the second and third die parts d 2 and d 3 are formed with aligned pipe insert holes 7 extending axially therethrough for inserting the molding material discharge pipe p therethrough . the molding die d is assembled by inserting the first core c 1 of the first die part d 1 into the extrusion openings 5 and 6 of the second and third die parts d 2 and d 3 , inserting the second core c 2 of the second die part d 2 into the extrusion opening 6 of the third die part d 3 to thereby overlap the first , second and third die parts d 1 , d 2 and d 3 together , and thereafter inserting the molding material discharge pipe p into the pipe insert holes 7 of the second and third die parts d 2 and d 3 . as shown in fig4 the molding material discharge pipe p is closed at one end thereof , and is formed with a radially - directed opening 8 in the pipe sidewall near the closed end . under the assembled condition of the molding die d as shown in fig1 and 2 , an annular extrusion passage 9 for extruding the molding material to be molded into the body portion 2 of the hollow molding e is defined between the outer circumferential semicircular surfaces of the first and second cores c 1 and c 2 and the inner circumferential circular surface of the extrusion opening 6 . further , another extrusion passage 11 for extruding the molding material to be molded into the bridge 4 of the hollow molding e is defined between the spaced but flat opposed surfaces of the first and second cores c 1 and c 2 . when the closed end of the molding material discharge pipe p is engaged against the bottom of the recess 1 formed in the first die part d 1 , the pipe p thus fully closes the supply passage v 1 , as shown in fig1 and 2 . thus , the molding material supplied through the supply passages v 2 and v 3 is continuously extruded from the extrusion passage 9 , thereby molding the outer wall 2 of the hollow molding e . however , as the supply passage v 1 is closed midway thereof by the discharge pipe p , the molding material supplied to the outer end of the supply passage v 1 enters the discharge pipe p through the opening 8 thereof , and is discharged through the open end of the discharge pipe p to the outside . as a result , a first hollow molding part e 2 having no bridge 4 in the hollow portion 3 is extrusion - molded . thereafter , when the molding material discharge pipe p is moved axially to open the supply passage v 1 as shown in fig3 the molding material supplied to and through the supply passage v 1 is continuously extruded from the extrusion passage 11 , thereby molding the bridge 4 of the hollow molding . as a result , a second hollow molding part e 2 having the bridge 4 in the hollow portion 3 is extrusion - molded . the molding lengths of the first and second hollow molded parts e 1 and e 2 can be defined by controlling a closed time and an open time of the supply passage v 1 by the operation of the molding material discharge pipe p . in this manner , by repeating the closing and the opening of the supply passage v 1 of the first die part d 1 by the operation of the discharge pipe p with a predetermined time period , the first hollow molded part e 1 having no bridge 4 in the hollow portion 3 and the second hollow molded part e 2 having the bridge 4 in the hollow portion 3 are continuously formed as shown in fig8 . it is to be noted that the above description has been directed to the principle of the molding method according to the present invention . in an actual molding operation , an extrusion molding is drawn by a predetermined tension . accordingly , in order to avoid that the molding is deformed by the tension because of a change in cross sectional area of the molding , it is necessary to embed a core member such as a thin metal sheet or a thread in the molding , or carry out two - color extrusion molding using two kinds of molding materials having different hardnesses , wherein the bridge is formed of the material having a small hardness . fig9 to 12 show a door seal s formed by utilizing the above principle . as shown in fig1 , a first seal portion s 1 having no bridge is employed in an area where a door mirror 12 is located , while as shown in fig1 , a second seal portion s 2 having a plurality of bridges 14 is employed in an area where a window glass 13 is located , so that the second seal portion s 2 is required to tightly contact the window glass 13 by a large seal reaction . further , the first seal portion s 1 is also employed at a corner area between a front side portion and an upper side portion of the seal s , so that the seal portion s 1 may be readily deformed with a reduced seal reaction . according to the molding method of the present invention , the first and second seal portions s 1 and s 2 can be alternately and continuously formed to obtain the seal s . therefore , in comparison with the conventional molding method , the connection at the corner portion between the front side portion and the upper side portion of the seal s can be eliminated , and the bonding of the first seal portion s 1 and the second seal portion s 2 in the straight front side portion of the seal s can also be eliminated . as a result , the number of manufacturing steps can be largely reduced to thereby remarkably improve the productivity . further , as shown in fig1 , five cores are required for the molding of the seal s in this preferred embodiment . according to the present invention , the first seal portion having no bridge in the hollow portion and the second seal portion having the bridge in the hollow portion can be continuously molded . accordingly , the connection between the first and second seal portions are eliminated to thereby improve the appearance . moreover , the corner molding necessary in the conventional molding method can be eliminated to thereby largely reduce the number of manufacturing steps , resulting in remarkable improvement in the productivity . although a particular preferred embodiment of the invention has been disclosed in detail for illustrative purposes , it will be recognized that variations or modifications of the disclosed apparatus , including the rearrangement of parts , lie within the scope of the present invention . | 1 |
the present invention will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings , in which preferred and alternate embodiments of the invention are shown . the invention may , however , be embodied in different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein . rather , these embodiments 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 . in the drawings , the thickness of layers and regions are exaggerated for clarity . it will also be understood that when a layer is referred to as being “ on ” another layer or substrate , it can be directly on the other layer or substrate , or intervening layers may also be present . like reference numerals and characters refer to like elements throughout . [ 0040 ] fig2 illustrates a plan view of a dram cell gate layout according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention . fig3 illustrates a cross - sectional view taken along line i - i ′ of fig2 . fig4 a - 4g illustrate stages in a method of forming the dram cell gate layout as shown in fig2 and 3 . referring to fig2 a substrate ( 100 of fig3 ) includes an active region 100 a and a field region 100 b . a gate layer 130 is formed over the substrate to intersect the active region 100 a . the gate layer 130 includes an access gate 130 a and a pass gate 130 b . an access gate 130 a is formed over each intersection of the gate layer 130 and the active region 100 a . reference character w a1 represents a width of an access gate 130 a . a pass gate 130 b is formed over each intersection of the gate layer 130 and the field region 100 b . reference character w p1 represents a width of a pass gate 130 b . a bc sac region 102 is formed at a periphery of the active region 100 a . reference character bc 1 represents a distance between an access gate 130 a and an adjacent pass gate 130 b in the bc sac region . a dc sac region 104 is formed at a center of the active region 100 a . reference character dc 1 represents a distance between adjacent access gates 130 a in the dc sac region . the distance bc 1 is made larger than the distance dc 1 by decreasing a width of the access gates by etching notches 106 in the sides of the access gates 130 a adjacent to the bc sac region 102 . preferably , notches 106 are etched only on a side of an access gate facing a pass gate , i . e ., in the bc sac region 102 . the notches 106 preferably have a depth of between about 10 - 20 nm . [ 0044 ] fig3 illustrates a cross - sectional view taken along line i - i ′ of fig2 . in fig3 a pair of access gates 130 a and a pair of pass gates 130 b are formed on an active region 100 a and a field region 100 b of a substrate 100 , respectively . the substrate 100 includes a source region 108 a and drain regions 108 b . the active region of the substrate includes a pair of recess holes 110 each formed at a location corresponding to one of the access gates 130 a . each recess hole 110 is coated with a gate oxide layer 114 and filled with a gate poly layer 120 . sidewall spacers 150 are formed on sidewalls of the access gates 130 a and the pass gates 130 b and a gate mask 140 , which is formed on the access gates 130 a and the pass gates 130 b . an interlayer dielectric ( ild ) oxide 160 is deposited over the field region 100 b of the substrate 100 . a bc sac 170 is formed in an opening between an access gate 130 a and a pass gate 130 b and a dc sac 180 is formed in an opening between adjacent access gates 130 a . table 1 is a comparison of critical dimensions of the prior art with the present invention . the width of the access gate w a1 , i . e ., access gate size , of the present invention is smaller than that in the prior art , however the width of the pass gate w p1 , i . e ., the pass gate size , is larger , thereby decreasing the word line resistance . in the present invention , both the size of the bc sac region bc 1 and the size of the dc sac region dc 1 are larger than in the prior art . accordingly , in the present invention , the word line resistance is smaller than in the prior art because a pass gate size w p1 in the present invention is larger than in the prior art . further , as the sizes of the bc sac region bc 1 and the dc sac region dc 1 increase , a sac open margin improves . preferably , a ratio of bc sac region / dc sac region is a range of approximately 1 to 1 . 2 . most preferably , the ratio is about 1 . 1 , which ratio may be called the golden ratio . a ratio of less than about 1 . 0 does not satisfy the invention as the bc sac region is too small . a ratio of greater than about 1 . 2 is similarly unworkable as the dc sac region becomes too small to form a contact . a method of forming the dram cell gate layout according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to fig4 a - 4g . [ 0049 ] fig4 a illustrates a substrate 100 having an active region 100 a and a field region 100 b for forming a shallow trench isolation ( sti ) region . a first oxide layer 101 is then formed on the active 100 a and field 100 b regions of the substrate 100 . an ion implantation ( shown by arrows ) is then preformed to form source / drain regions in the substrate 100 . referring to fig4 b , a second oxide layer 107 is formed on the first oxide layer 101 . an etching process is then performed to form a series of gate trenches 109 to serve as gate contacts . referring to fig4 c , after formation of the gate trenches 109 , the second oxide layer 107 and the first oxide layer 101 are removed from the surface of the substrate 100 . recess gate holes 110 are then formed in the active region 100 a of the substrate 100 between the source region 108 a and the drain regions 108 b , respectively , of the substrate 100 . referring to fig4 d , a gate oxide layer 114 is formed on the active region 100 a of the substrate 100 . the gate oxide layer 114 covers an upper surface of the active region 100 a of the substrate 100 and interior surfaces of the recess gate holes 110 . a gate poly layer 125 and a gate mask layer 135 are then sequentially formed on the gate oxide layer 114 and on the field region 100 b of the substrate 100 . referring to fig4 e , a photoresist layer 138 is formed on the gate poly layer 125 and the gate mask layer 135 . the gate poly layer 125 and the gate mask layer 135 are then etched to form access gates 130 a and gate masks 140 over the active region 100 a of the substrate 100 and pass gates 130 b and gate masks 140 over the field region 100 b of the substrate 100 . reference characters w a and w p represent widths of an access gate and a pass gate , respectively . reference character bc represents a distance between an access gate and a pass gate . reference character dc represents a distance between adjacent access gates . referring to fig4 f , an insulation layer ( not shown ) is formed on the access gates 130 a and the pass gates 130 b and the substrate 100 by a chemical vapor deposition ( cvd ) process . the insulation layer is then etched to form sidewall spacers 150 on sidewalls of the access gates and the pass gates . referring to fig4 g , an interlayer dielectric ( ild ) oxide 160 is deposited on the access gates 130 a and the pass gates 130 b and the substrate 100 . the interlayer dielectric ( ild ) oxide 160 is then etched to form an opening 165 over the active region 100 a of the substrate 100 between adjacent access gates 130 a and openings 175 over the active region 100 a of the substrate 100 between the access gate 130 a and the pass gate 130 b . the opening 175 between an access gate 130 a and a pass gate 130 b forms the bc sac ( 170 of fig3 ). the opening 165 between adjacent access gates 130 a forms the dc sac ( 180 of fig3 ). the interlayer dielectric ( ild ) oxide 160 , the bc sac 170 , and the dc sac 180 are then planarized to achieve the resultant structure as shown in fig3 . [ 0057 ] fig5 illustrates an alternate embodiment of the preferred embodiment as shown in fig2 and 3 . fig6 a - 6g illustrate stages in a method of forming the dram cell gate layout as shown in fig5 . in fig5 a pair of access gates 130 a ′ and a pair of pass gates 130 b ′ are formed on an active region 100 a ′ and a field region 100 b ′ of a substrate 100 ′, respectively . the substrate 100 ′ includes a source region 108 a ′ and drain regions 108 b ′. the active region of the substrate includes a pair of recess holes 110 ′ each formed at a location corresponding to one of the access gates 130 a ′. each recess hole 110 ′ is coated with a gate oxide layer 114 ′ and filled with a gate poly layer 120 ′. sidewall spacers 150 ′ are formed on sidewalls of the access gates 130 a ′ and the pass gates 130 b ′ and a gate mask 140 ′, which is formed on the access gates 130 a ′ and the pass gates 130 b ′. an interlayer dielectric ( ild ) oxide 160 ′ is deposited over the field region 100 b ′ of the substrate 100 ′. a bc sac 170 ′ is formed in an opening between an access gate 130 a ′ and a pass gate 130 b ′ and a dc sac 180 ′ is formed in an opening between adjacent access gates 130 a ′. in this alternate preferred embodiment of the present invention , recess gate holes 110 ′ are formed to have larger top openings as compared to a bottom thereof than in the preferred embodiment of the present invention . reference character w o1 represents a width of the top opening of the recess gate hole . this larger top opening of the recess gate holes 110 ′ causes an over - etching of the access gates 130 a ′ during the etching to form the access gates 130 a ′ and the pass gates 130 b ′. subsequently , when sidewall spacers 150 ′ are formed , the sidewall spacers 150 ′ extend below an upper surface of the substrate 100 ′ and into the recess hole 110 ′. accordingly , a width w ′ a1 of the access gate 130 a ′ is made smaller , thereby increasing a distance bc ′ 1 and a distance dc ′ 1 and improving a contact open margin . a method of forming the dram cell gate layout according to the alternate preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to fig6 a - 6g . [ 0062 ] fig6 a illustrates a substrate 100 ′ having an active region 100 a ′ and a field region 100 b ′ for forming a shallow trench isolation ( sti ) region . a first oxide layer 101 ′ is then formed on the active 100 a ′ and field 100 b ′ regions of the substrate 100 ′. an ion implantation ( shown by arrows ) is then preformed to form source / drain regions in the substrate 100 ′. referring to fig6 b , a second oxide layer 107 ′ is formed on the first oxide layer 101 ′. an etching process is then performed to form a series of gate trenches 109 ′ to serve as gate contacts . referring to fig6 c , after formation of the gate trenches 109 ′, the second oxide layer 107 ′ and the first oxide layer 101 ′ are removed from the surface of the substrate 100 ′. recess gate holes 110 ′ are then formed in the active region 100 a ′ of the substrate 100 ′ between the source region 108 a ′ and the drain regions 108 b ′, respectively , of the substrate 100 ′. referring to fig6 d , a gate oxide layer 114 ′ is formed on the active region 100 a ′ of the substrate 100 ′. the gate oxide layer 114 ′ covers an upper surface of the active region 100 a ′ of the substrate 100 ′ and interior surfaces of the recess gate holes 110 ′. a gate poly layer 125 ′ and a gate mask layer 135 ′ are then sequentially formed on the gate oxide layer 114 ′ and on the field region 100 b ′ of the substrate 100 ′. as may be seen in fig6 d , the recess gate holes 110 ′ are etched to have larger top openings as compared to a bottom thereof than in the preferred embodiment of the present invention . reference character w o1 represents a width of the top opening of the recess gate hole . referring to fig6 e , a photoresist layer 138 ′ is formed on the gate poly layer 125 ′ and the gate mask layer 135 ′. the gate poly layer 125 ′ and the gate mask layer 135 ′ are then etched to form access gates 130 a ′ and gate masks 140 ′ over the active region 100 a ′ of the substrate 100 ′ and pass gates 130 b ′ and gate masks 140 ′ over the field region 100 b ′ of the substrate 100 ′. reference characters w ′ a1 and w ′ p1 represent widths of an access gate and a pass gate , respectively . reference character bc ′ 1 represents a distance between an access gate and a pass gate . reference character dc ′ 1 represents a distance between adjacent access gates . during the etching to form the access gates 130 a ′ and the pass gates 130 b ′, the larger top opening of the recess gate holes 110 ′ causes an over - etching of the access gates 130 a ′. subsequently , when sidewall spacers ( 150 ′ of fig6 f ) are formed , the sidewall spacers 150 ′ extend below an upper surface of the substrate 100 ′ and into the recess hole 110 ′. accordingly , a width w ′ a1 of the access gate 130 a ′ is made smaller , thereby increasing a distance bc ′ 1 and a distance dc ′ 1 and improving a contact open margin . referring to fig6 f , an insulation layer ( not shown ) is formed on the access gates 130 a ′ and the pass gates 130 b ′ and the substrate 100 ′ by a chemical vapor deposition ( cvd ) process . the insulation layer is then etched to form sidewall spacers 150 ′ on sidewalls of the access gates and the pass gates . as described above , in view of the over - etching of the access gates 130 a ′, the sidewall spacers 150 ′ extend below an upper surface of the substrate 100 ′. referring to fig6 g , an interlayer dielectric ( ild ) oxide 160 ′ is deposited on the access gates 130 a ′ and the pass gates 130 b ′ and the substrate 100 ′. the interlayer dielectric ( ild ) oxide 160 ′ is then etched to form an opening 165 ′ over the active region 100 a ′ of the substrate 100 ′ between adjacent access gates 130 a ′ and openings 175 ′ over the active region 100 a ′ of the substrate 100 ′ between the access gate 130 a ′ and the pass gate 130 b ′. the opening 175 ′ between an access gate 130 a ′ and a pass gate 130 b ′ forms the bc sac ( 170 ′ of fig5 ). the opening 165 ′ between adjacent access gates 130 a ′ forms the dc sac ( 180 ′ of fig5 ). the interlayer dielectric ( ild ) oxide 160 ′, the bc sac 170 ′, and the dc sac 180 ′ are then planarized to achieve the resultant structure as shown in fig5 . in the alternate preferred embodiment , due to over - etching of the access gates 130 a ′, the width w a ′ of the access gate 130 a ′ is made smaller , thereby increasing a distance bc ′ and a distance dc ′. the increase in the distance bc ′ and the distance dc ′ results in an improvement to the contact open margin . [ 0074 ] fig7 illustrates a plan view of a dram cell gate layout according to a second embodiment of the present invention . fig8 illustrates a cross - sectional view taken along line ii - ii ′ of fig7 . fig8 a - 8g illustrate stages in a method of forming the dram cell gate layout as shown in fig7 and 8 . referring to fig7 a substrate ( 200 of fig8 ) includes an active region 200 a and a field region 200 b . a gate layer 230 is formed over the substrate to intersect the active region 200 a . the gate layer 230 includes an access gate 230 a and a pass gate 230 b . an access gate 230 a is formed over each intersection of the gate layer 230 and the active region 200 a . reference character w a2 represents a width of an access gate 230 a . a pass gate 230 b is formed over each intersection of the gate layer 230 and the field region 200 b . reference character w p2 represents a width of a pass gate 230 b . a bc sac region 202 is formed at a periphery of the active region 200 a . reference character bc 2 represents a distance between an access gate 230 a and an adjacent pass gate 230 b in the bc sac region . a dc sac region 204 is formed at a center of the active region 200 a . reference character dc 2 represents a distance between adjacent access gates 230 a in the dc sac region . in the second embodiment of the present invention , the width of the access gates w a2 is made smaller than the width of the pass gates w p2 by etching notches 206 in sides of the access gates 230 a adjacent to the dc sac region 204 . in this embodiment , the notches 206 are etched only on a side of an access gate 230 a facing an adjacent access gate 230 a , i . e ., in the dc sac region 202 . the notches 106 preferably have a depth of between about 10 - 20 nm . [ 0078 ] fig8 illustrates a cross - sectional view taken along line ii - ii ′ of fig7 . in fig8 a pair of access gates 230 a and a pair of pass gates 230 b are formed on an active region 200 a and a field region 200 b of a substrate 200 , respectively . the substrate 200 includes a source region 208 a and drain regions 208 b . the active region of the substrate includes a pair of recess holes 210 each formed at a location corresponding to one of the access gates 230 a . each recess hole 210 is coated with a gate oxide layer 214 and filled with a gate poly layer 220 . sidewall spacers 250 are formed on sidewalls of the access gates 230 a and the pass gates 230 b and a gate mask 240 , which is formed on the access gates 230 a and the pass gates 230 b . an interlayer dielectric ( ild ) oxide 260 is deposited over the field region 200 b of the substrate 200 . a bc sac 270 is formed in an opening between an access gate 230 a and a pass gate 230 b and a dc sac 280 is formed in an opening between adjacent access gates 230 a . as in the preferred embodiment , preferably , a ratio of bc sac region / dc sac region is a range of approximately 1 to 1 . 2 . most preferably , the ratio is the golden ration , i . e ., about 1 . 1 . a method of forming the dram cell gate layout according to the second embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to fig9 a - 9g . [ 0082 ] fig9 a illustrates a substrate 200 having an active region 200 a and a field region 200 b for forming a shallow trench isolation ( sti ) region . a first oxide layer 201 is then formed on the active 200 a and field 200 b regions of the substrate 200 . an ion implantation ( shown by arrows ) is then preformed to form source / drain regions in the substrate 200 . referring to fig9 b , a second oxide layer 207 is formed on the first oxide layer 201 . an etching process is then performed to form a series of gate trenches 209 to serve as gate contacts . referring to fig9 c , after formation of the gate trenches 209 , the second oxide layer 207 and the first oxide layer 201 are removed from the surface of the substrate 200 . recess gate holes 210 are then formed in the active region 200 a of the substrate 200 between the source region 208 a and the drain regions 208 b , respectively , of the substrate 200 . referring to fig9 d , a gate oxide layer 214 is formed on the active region 200 a of the substrate 200 . the gate oxide layer 214 covers an upper surface of the active region 200 a of the substrate 200 and interior surfaces of the recess gate holes 210 . a gate poly layer 225 and a gate mask layer 235 are then sequentially formed on the gate oxide layer 214 and on the field region 200 b of the substrate 200 . referring to fig9 e , a photoresist layer 238 is formed on the gate poly layer 225 and the gate mask layer 235 . the gate poly layer 225 and the gate mask layer 235 are then etched to form access gates 230 a and gate masks 240 over the active region 200 a of the substrate 200 and pass gates 230 b and gate masks 240 over the field region 200 b of the substrate 200 . reference characters w a2 and w p2 represent widths of an access gate and a pass gate , respectively . reference character bc 2 represents a distance between an access gate 230 a and a pass gate 230 b . reference character dc 2 represents a distance between adjacent access gates 230 a . referring to fig9 f , an insulation layer ( not shown ) is formed on the access gates 230 a and the pass gates 230 b and the substrate 200 by a chemical vapor deposition ( cvd ) process . the insulation layer is then etched to form sidewall spacers 250 on sidewalls of the access gates 230 a and the pass gates 230 b . referring to fig9 g , an interlayer dielectric ( ild ) oxide 260 is deposited on the access gates 230 a and the pass gates 230 b and the substrate 200 . the interlayer dielectric ( ild ) oxide 260 is then etched to form an opening 265 over the active region 200 a of the substrate 200 between adjacent access gates 230 a and openings 275 over the active region 200 a of the substrate 200 between the access gate 230 a and the pass gate 230 b . the opening 275 between an access gate 230 a and a pass gate 230 b forms the bc sac ( 270 of fig8 ). the opening 265 between adjacent access gates 230 a forms the dc sac ( 280 of fig8 ). the interlayer dielectric ( ild ) oxide 260 , the bc sac 270 , and the dc sac 280 are then planarized to achieve the resultant structure as shown in fig8 . [ 0090 ] fig1 illustrates an alternate embodiment of the second embodiment as shown in fig7 and 8 . fig1 a - 11g illustrate stages in a method of forming the dram cell gate layout as shown in fig1 . in fig1 , a pair of access gates 230 a ′ and a pair of pass gates 230 b ′ are formed on an active region 200 a ′ and a field region 200 b ′ of a substrate 200 ′, respectively . the substrate 200 ′ includes a source region 208 a ′ and drain regions 208 b ′. the active region of the substrate includes a pair of recess holes 210 ′ each formed at a location corresponding to one of the access gates 230 a ′. each recess hole 210 ′ is coated with a gate oxide layer 214 ′ and filled with a gate poly layer 220 ′. sidewall spacers 250 ′ are formed on sidewalls of the access gates 230 a ′ and the pass gates 230 b ′ and a gate mask 240 ′, which is formed on the access gates 230 a ′ and the pass gates 230 b ′. an interlayer dielectric ( ild ) oxide 260 ′ is deposited over the field region 200 b ′ of the substrate 200 ′. a bc sac 270 ′ is formed in an opening between an access gate 230 a ′ and a pass gate 230 b ′ and a dc sac 280 ′ is formed in an opening between adjacent access gates 230 a ′. in this alternate preferred embodiment of the present invention , recess gate holes 210 ′ are formed to have larger top openings as compared to a bottom thereof than in the preferred embodiment of the present invention . reference character w o2 represents a width of the top opening of the recess gate hole . this larger top opening of the recess gate holes 210 ′ causes an over - etching of the access gates 230 a ′ during the etching to form the access gates 230 a ′ and the pass gates 230 b ′. subsequently , when sidewall spacers 250 ′ are formed , the sidewall spacers 250 ′ extend below an upper surface of the substrate 200 ′ and into the recess hole 210 ′. accordingly , a width w ′ a2 of the access gate 230 a ′ is made smaller , thereby increasing a distance bc ′ 2 and a distance dc ′ 2 and improving a contact open margin . a method of forming the dram cell gate layout according to the alternate second embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to fig1 a - 11g . [ 0095 ] fig1 a illustrates a substrate 200 ′ having an active region 200 a ′ and a field region 200 b ′ for forming a shallow trench isolation ( sti ) region . a first oxide layer 201 ′ is then formed on the active 200 a ′ and field 200 b ′ regions of the substrate 200 ′. an ion implantation ( shown by arrows ) is then preformed to form source / drain regions in the substrate 200 ′. referring to fig1 b , a second oxide layer 207 ′ is formed on the first oxide layer 201 ′. an etching process is then performed to form a series of gate trenches 209 ′ to serve as gate contacts . referring to fig1 c , after formation of the gate trenches 209 ′, the second oxide layer 207 ′ and the first oxide layer 201 ′ are removed from the surface of the substrate 200 ′. recess gate holes 210 ′ are then formed in the active region 200 a ′ of the substrate 200 ′ between the source region 208 a ′ and the drain regions 208 b ′, respectively , of the substrate 200 ′. referring to fig1 d , a gate oxide layer 214 ′ is formed on the active region 200 a ′ of the substrate 200 ′. the gate oxide layer 214 ′ covers an upper surface of the active region 200 a ′ of the substrate 200 ′ and interior surfaces of the recess gate holes 210 ′. a gate poly layer 225 ′ and a gate mask layer 235 ′ are then sequentially formed on the gate oxide layer 214 ′ and on the field region 200 b ′ of the substrate 200 ′. as may be seen in fig1 d , the recess gate holes 210 ′ are etched to have larger top openings as compared to a bottom thereof than in the preferred embodiment of the present invention . reference character w o2 represents a width of the top opening of the recess gate hole . referring to fig1 e , a photoresist layer 238 ′ is formed on the gate poly layer 225 ′ and the gate mask layer 235 ′. the gate poly layer 225 ′ and the gate mask layer 235 ′ are then etched to form access gates 230 a ′ and gate masks 240 ′ over the active region 200 a ′ of the substrate 200 ′ and pass gates 230 b ′ and gate masks 240 ′ over the field region 200 b ′ of the substrate 200 ′. reference characters w ′ a2 and w ′ p2 represent widths of an access gate 230 a ′ and a pass gate 230 b ′, respectively . reference character bc ′ 2 represents a distance between an access gate 230 a ′ and a pass gate 230 b ′. reference character dc ′ 2 represents a distance between adjacent access gates 230 a ′. during the etching to form the access gates 230 a ′ and the pass gates 230 b ′, the larger top opening of the recess gate holes 210 ′ causes an over - etching of the access gates 230 a ′. subsequently , when sidewall spacers ( 250 ′ of fig1 f ) are formed , the sidewall spacers 250 ′ extend below an upper surface of the substrate 200 ′ and into the recess hole 210 ′. accordingly , a width w ′ a2 of the access gate 230 a ′ is made smaller , thereby increasing a distance bc ′ 2 and a distance dc ′ 2 and improving a contact open margin . referring to fig1 f , an insulation layer ( not shown ) is formed on the access gates 230 a ′ and the pass gates 230 b ′ and the substrate 200 ′ by a chemical vapor deposition ( cvd ) process . the insulation layer is then etched to form sidewall spacers 250 ′ on sidewalls of the access gates and the pass gates . as described above , in view of the over - etching of the access gates 230 a ′, the sidewall spacers 250 ′ extend below an upper surface of the substrate 200 ′. referring to fig1 g , an interlayer dielectric ( ild ) oxide 260 ′ is deposited on the access gates 230 a ′ and the pass gates 230 b ′ and the substrate 200 ′. the interlayer dielectric ( ild ) oxide 260 ′ is then etched to form an opening 265 ′ over the active region 200 a ′ of the substrate 200 ′ between adjacent access gates 230 a ′ and openings 275 ′ over the active region 200 a ′ of the substrate 200 ′ between the access gate 230 a ′ and the pass gate 230 b ′. the opening 275 ′ between an access gate 230 a ′ and a pass gate 230 b ′ forms the bc sac ( 270 ′ of fig1 ). the opening 265 ′ between adjacent access gates 230 a ′ forms the dc sac ( 280 ′ of fig1 ). the interlayer dielectric ( ild ) oxide 260 ′, the bc sac 270 ′, and the dc sac 280 ′ are then planarized to achieve the resultant structure as shown in fig1 . in the alternate preferred embodiment , due to over - etching of the access gates 230 a ′, the width w ′ a2 of the access gate 230 a ′ is made smaller , thereby increasing a distance bc ′ 2 and a distance dc ′ 2 . the increase in the distance bc ′ 2 and the distance dc ′ 2 results in an improvement to the contact open margin . [ 0106 ] fig1 illustrates a plan view of a dram cell gate layout according to a third embodiment of the present invention . fig1 illustrates a cross - sectional view taken along line iii - iii ′ of fig1 . fig1 a - 14g illustrate stages in a method of forming the dram cell gate layout as shown in fig1 and 13 . referring to fig1 , a substrate ( 300 of fig1 ) includes an active region 300 a and a field region 300 b . a gate layer 330 is formed over the substrate to intersect the active region 300 a . the gate layer 330 includes an access gate 330 a and a pass gate 330 b . an access gate 330 a is formed over each intersection of the gate layer 330 and the active region 300 a . reference character w a3 represents a width of an access gate 330 a . a pass gate 330 b is formed over each intersection of the gate layer 330 and the field region 300 b . reference character w p3 represents a width of a pass gate 330 b . a bc sac region 302 is formed at a periphery of the active region 300 a . reference character bc 3 represents a distance between an access gate 330 a and an adjacent pass gate 330 b in the bc sac region . a dc sac region 304 is formed at a center of the active region 300 a . reference character dc 3 represents a distance between adjacent access gates 330 a in the dc sac region . in the third embodiment of the present invention , the width of the access gates w a3 is made smaller than the width of the pass gates w p3 by etching notches 306 in both sides of the access gates 330 a , i . e ., adjacent to the dc sac region 304 and adjacent to the bc sac region 302 . the third embodiment is a combination of the preferred and the second embodiment in that the notches 306 are etched on a side of an access gate facing an adjacent access gate , i . e ., in the dc sac region 302 , and a side of an access gate facing a pass gate , i . e ., in the bc sac region 304 . the notches 306 preferably have a depth of between about 10 - 20 nm . [ 0110 ] fig1 illustrates a cross - sectional view taken along line iii - iii ′ of fig1 . in fig1 , a pair of access gates 330 a and a pair of pass gates 330 b are formed on an active region 300 a and a field region 300 b of a substrate 300 , respectively . the substrate 300 includes a source region 308 a and drain regions 308 b . the active region of the substrate includes a pair of recess holes 310 each formed at a location corresponding to one of the access gates 330 a . each recess hole 310 is coated with a gate oxide layer 314 and filled with a gate poly layer 320 . sidewall spacers 350 are formed on sidewalls of the access gates 330 a and the pass gates 330 b and a gate mask 340 , which is formed on the access gates 330 a and the pass gates 330 b . an interlayer dielectric ( ild ) oxide 360 is deposited over the field region 300 b of the substrate 300 . a bc sac 370 is formed in an opening between an access gate 330 a and a pass gate 330 b and a dc sac 380 is formed in an opening between adjacent access gates 330 a . as in the preferred embodiment , preferably , a ratio of bc sac region / dc sac region is a range of approximately 1 to 1 . 2 . most preferably , the ratio is the golden ration , i . e ., about 1 . 1 . a method of forming the dram cell gate layout according to the third embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to fig1 a - 14g . [ 0114 ] fig1 a illustrates a substrate 300 having an active region 300 a and a field region 300 b for forming a shallow trench isolation ( sti ) region . a first oxide layer 301 is then formed on the active 300 a and field 300 b regions of the substrate 300 . an ion implantation ( shown by arrows ) is then preformed to form source / drain regions in the substrate 300 . referring to fig1 b , a second oxide layer 307 is formed on the first oxide layer 301 . an etching process is then performed to form a series of gate trenches 309 to serve as gate contacts . referring to fig1 c , after formation of the gate trenches 309 , the second oxide layer 307 and the first oxide layer 301 are removed from the surface of the substrate 300 . recess gate holes 310 are then formed in the active region 300 a of the substrate 300 between the source region 308 a and the drain regions 308 b , respectively , of the substrate 300 . referring to fig1 d , a gate oxide layer 314 is formed on the active region 300 a of the substrate 300 . the gate oxide layer 314 covers an upper surface of the active region 300 a of the substrate 300 and interior surfaces of the recess gate holes 310 . a gate poly layer 325 and a gate mask layer 335 are then sequentially formed on the gate oxide layer 314 and on the field region 300 b of the substrate 300 . referring to fig1 e , a photoresist layer 338 is formed on the gate poly layer 325 and the gate mask layer 335 . the gate poly layer 325 and the gate mask layer 335 are then etched to form access gates 330 a and gate masks 340 over the active region 300 a of the substrate 300 and pass gates 330 b and gate masks 340 over the field region 300 b of the substrate 300 . reference characters w a3 and w p3 represent widths of an access gate and a pass gate , respectively . reference character bc 3 represents a distance between an access gate 330 a and a pass gate 330 b . reference character dc 3 represents a distance between adjacent access gates 330 a . referring to fig1 f , an insulation layer ( not shown ) is formed on the access gates 330 a and the pass gates 330 b and the substrate 300 by a chemical vapor deposition ( cvd ) process . the insulation layer is then etched to form sidewall spacers 350 on sidewalls of the access gates 330 a and the pass gates 330 b . referring to fig1 g , an interlayer dielectric ( ild ) oxide 360 is deposited on the access gates 330 a and the pass gates 330 b and the substrate 300 . the interlayer dielectric ( ild ) oxide 360 is then etched to form an opening 365 over the active region 300 a of the substrate 300 between adjacent access gates 330 a and openings 375 over the active region 300 a of the substrate 300 between the access gate 330 a and the pass gate 330 b . the opening 375 between an access gate 330 a and a pass gate 330 b forms the bc sac ( 370 of fig1 ). the opening 365 between adjacent access gates 330 a forms the dc sac ( 380 of fig1 ). the interlayer dielectric ( ild ) oxide 360 , the bc sac 370 , and the dc sac 380 are then planarized to achieve the resultant structure as shown in fig1 . [ 0122 ] fig1 illustrates an alternate embodiment of the third embodiment of the present invention . fig1 a - 16g illustrate stages in a method of forming the dram cell gate layout as shown in fig1 . in fig1 , a pair of access gates 330 a ′ and a pair of pass gates 330 b ′ are formed on an active region 300 a ′ and a field region 300 b ′ of a substrate 300 ′, respectively . the substrate 300 ′ includes a source region 308 a ′ and drain regions 308 b ′. the active region of the substrate includes a pair of recess holes 310 ′ each formed at a location corresponding to one of the access gates 330 a ′. each recess hole 310 ′ is coated with a gate oxide layer 314 ′ and filled with a gate poly layer 320 ′. sidewall spacers 350 ′ are formed on sidewalls of the access gates 330 a ′ and the pass gates 330 b ′ and a gate mask 340 ′, which is formed on the access gates 330 a ′ and the pass gates 330 b ′. an interlayer dielectric ( ild ) oxide 360 ′ is deposited over the field region 300 b ′ of the substrate 300 ′. a bc sac 370 ′ is formed in an opening between an access gate 330 a ′ and a pass gate 330 b ′ and a dc sac 380 ′ is formed in an opening between adjacent access gates 330 a ′. in this alternate preferred embodiment of the present invention , recess gate holes 310 ′ are formed to have larger top openings as compared to a bottom thereof than in the preferred embodiment of the present invention . reference character w o3 represents a width of the top opening of the recess gate hole . this larger top opening of the recess gate holes 310 ′ causes an over - etching of the access gates 330 a ′ during the etching to form the access gates 330 a ′ and the pass gates 330 b ′. subsequently , when sidewall spacers 350 ′ are formed , the sidewall spacers 350 ′ extend below an upper surface of the substrate 300 ′ and into the recess hole 310 ′. accordingly , a width w ′ a3 of the access gate 330 a ′ is made smaller , thereby increasing a distance bc ′ 3 and a distance dc ′ 3 and improving a contact open margin . a method of forming the dram cell gate layout according to the alternate third embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to fig1 a - 16g . [ 0127 ] fig1 a illustrates a substrate 300 ′ having an active region 300 a ′ and a field region 300 b ′ for forming a shallow trench isolation ( sti ) region . a first oxide layer 301 ′ is then formed on the active 300 a ′ and field 300 b ′ regions of the substrate 300 ′. an ion implantation ( shown by arrows ) is then preformed to form source / drain regions in the substrate 300 ′. referring to fig1 b , a second oxide layer 307 ′ is formed on the first oxide layer 301 ′. an etching process is then performed to form a series of gate trenches 309 ′ to serve as gate contacts . referring to fig1 c , after formation of the gate trenches 309 ′, the second oxide layer 307 ′ and the first oxide layer 301 ′ are removed from the surface of the substrate 300 ′. recess gate holes 310 ′ are then formed in the active region 300 a ′ of the substrate 300 ′ between the source region 308 a ′ and the drain regions 308 b ′, respectively , of the substrate 300 ′. referring to fig1 d , a gate oxide layer 314 ′ is formed on the active region 300 a ′ of the substrate 300 ′. the gate oxide layer 314 ′ covers an upper surface of the active region 300 a ′ of the substrate 300 ′ and interior surfaces of the recess gate holes 310 ′. a gate poly layer 325 ′ and a gate mask layer 335 ′ are then sequentially formed on the gate oxide layer 314 ′ and on the field region 300 b ′ of the substrate 300 ′. as may be seen in fig1 d , the recess gate holes 310 ′ are etched to have larger top openings as compared to a bottom thereof than in the preferred embodiment of the present invention . reference character w o3 represents a width of the top opening of the recess gate hole . referring to fig1 e , a photoresist layer 338 ′ is formed on the gate poly layer 325 ′ and the gate mask layer 335 ′. the gate poly layer 325 ′ and the gate mask layer 335 ′ are then etched to form access gates 330 a ′ and gate masks 340 ′ over the active region 300 a ′ of the substrate 300 ′ and pass gates 330 b ′ and gate masks 340 ′ over the field region 300 b ′ of the substrate 300 ′. reference characters w ′ a3 and w ′ p3 represent widths of an access gate 330 a ′ and a pass gate 330 b ′, respectively . reference character bc ′ 3 represents a distance between an access gate 330 a ′ and a pass gate 330 b ′. reference character dc ′ 3 represents a distance between adjacent access gates 330 a ′. during the etching to form the access gates 330 a ′ and the pass gates 330 b ′, the larger top opening of the recess gate holes 310 ′ causes an over - etching of the access gates 330 a ′. subsequently , when sidewall spacers ( 350 ′ of fig1 f ) are formed , the sidewall spacers 350 ′ extend below an upper surface of the substrate 300 ′ and into the recess hole 310 ′. accordingly , a width w ′ a3 of the access gate 330 a ′ is made smaller , thereby increasing a distance bc ′ 3 and a distance dc ′ 3 and improving a contact open margin . referring to fig1 f , an insulation layer ( not shown ) is formed on the access gates 330 a ′ and the pass gates 330 b ′ and the substrate 300 ′ by a chemical vapor deposition ( cvd ) process . the insulation layer is then etched to form sidewall spacers 350 ′ on sidewalls of the access gates and the pass gates . as described above , in view of the over - etching of the access gates 330 a ′, the sidewall spacers 350 ′ extend below an upper surface of the substrate 300 ′. referring to fig1 g , an interlayer dielectric ( ild ) oxide 360 ′ is deposited on the access gates 330 a ′ and the pass gates 330 b ′ and the substrate 300 ′. the interlayer dielectric ( ild ) oxide 360 ′ is then etched to form an opening 365 ′ over the active region 300 a ′ of the substrate 300 ′ between adjacent access gates 330 a ′ and openings 375 ′ over the active region 300 a ′ of the substrate 300 ′ between the access gate 330 a ′ and the pass gate 330 b ′. the opening 375 ′ between an access gate 330 a ′ and a pass gate 330 b ′ forms the bc sac ( 370 ′ of fig1 ). the opening 365 ′ between adjacent access gates 330 a ′ forms the dc sac ( 380 ′ of fig1 ). the interlayer dielectric ( ild ) oxide 360 ′, the bc sac 370 ′, and the dc sac 380 ′ are then planarized to achieve the resultant structure as shown in fig1 . in the alternate third embodiment , due to over - etching of the access gates 330 a ′, the width w ′ a3 of the access gate 330 a ′ is made smaller , thereby increasing a distance bc ′ 3 and a distance dc ′ 3 . the increase in the distance bc ′ 3 and the distance dc ′ 3 results in an improvement to the contact open margin . preferred and alternate embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed herein and , although specific terms are employed , they are used and are to be interpreted in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purpose of limitation . accordingly , it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes in form and details may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as set forth in the following claims . | 7 |
inbred corn line phm10 is a yellow , dent corn inbred with superior characteristics and provides an acceptable female parental line in crosses for producing first generation f 1 corn hybrids . this inbred is best adapted over the northern region of the united states . the inbred can be used to produce hybrids from approximately 91 - 112 relative maturity based on the minnesota relative maturity rating system for harvest moisture of grain . phm10 ,&# 39 ; s yielding ability combined with good cold test and sizing make it best used as a female parent . the inbred is questionable for use as a male parent because of its light pollen yield . phm10 was only 77 % of the experiment mean for amount of pollen from the pollen yield test averaged over 10 locations . the inbred has shown uniformity and stability within the limits of environmental influence for all the traits as described in the variety description information ( table 1 ) that follows . most of the data in the variety description information was collected at johnston , iowa . the inbred has been self - pollinated and ear - rowed a sufficient number of generations with careful attention paid to uniformity of plant type to ensure homozygosity and phenotypic stability . the line has been increased both by hand and in isolated fields with continued observation for uniformity . no variant traits have been observed or are expected in phm10 . inbred corn line phm10 , being substantially homozygous , can be reproduced by planting seeds of the line , growing the resulting corn plants under self - pollinating or sib - pollinating conditions with adequate isolation , and harvesting the resulting seed , using techniques familiar to the agricultural arts . table 1______________________________________phm10variety description informationtype : dent region best adapted : north______________________________________a . maturity : average of northern maturity zones . zone : 2inbred = phm10heat unit shed : 1430heat unit silk : 1460no . reps : 33heat units = ## str1 ## b . plant characteristics : plant height ( to tassel tip ): 220 cm length of top ear internode : 12 cm number of ears per stalk : single ear height ( to base of top ear ): 84 cm number of tillers : none cytoplasm type : normalc . leaf : color : ( wf9 ) medium green angle from stalk : 30 - 60 degrees marginal waves : ( wf9 ) few number of leaves ( mature plants ): 18 sheath pubescence : ( w22 ) light longitudinal creases : ( oh65a ) few length ( ear node leaf ): 68 cm width ( widest point , ear node leaf ): 8 cmd . tassel : number lateral branches : 7 branch angle from central spike : & gt ; 45 degrees pollen shed : light based on pollen yield test ( 77 % of experiment mean ). peduncle length ( top leaf to basal branches ): 20 cm anther color : greenish - yellow glume color : greene . ear ( husked ear data except when stated otherwise ): length : 19 cm weight : 127 gm mid - point diameter : 41 mm silk color : greenish - yellow husk extension ( harvest stage ): medium ( barely covering ear ) husk leaf : long (& gt ; 15 cm ) taper of ear : slight taper position of shank ( dry husks ): horizontal kernel rows : straight , distinct , number = 16 husk color ( fresh ): light green husk color ( dry ): buff shank length : 15 cm shank ( no . of internodes ): 8f . kernel ( dried ): size ( from ear mid - point ) length : 10 mm width : 8 mm thick : 5 mm shape grade (% rounds ): 40 - 60 % medium rounds based on parent test data . pericarp color : colorless aleurone color : homozygous yellow endosperm color : yellow endosperm type : normal gm wt / 100 seeds ( unsized ): 24 gmg . cob : diameter at mid - point : 26 mm strength : strong color : reddish - pinkh . diseases : corn lethal necrosis ( mcmv = maize chlorotic mottle virus and mdmv = maize dwarf mosaic virus ): intermediate anthracnose stalk rot ( c . graminicola ): intermediate n . leaf blight ( h . turcicum ): intermediate common rust ( p . sorghi ): resistant eye spot ( k . zeae ): intermediate gray leaf spot ( c . zeae ): susceptible stewarts wilt ( e . stewartii ): intermediate goss &# 39 ; s wilt ( c . nebraskense ): intermediate common smut ( u . maydis ): intermediate head smut ( s . reiliana ): resistant downy mildew ( s . sorghi ): resistant fusarium ear mold ( pi f . moniliforme ): susceptiblei . insects : european corn borer - 1 leaf damage ( pre - flowering ): intermediate european corn borer - 2 ( post - flowering ): susceptiblej . variety most closely resembling : character inbredmaturity phk29 ( flowering ), phr25 ( harvest moisture ) usage phr25______________________________________ * if maximum is greater than 86 degrees fahrenheit , then 86 is used and if minimum is less than 50 , then 50 is used . heat units accumulated daily an can not be less than 0 . phk29 ( pvp certificate no . 8700214 , patent no . 4 , 812 , 600 ) and phr25 ( pvp certificate no . 8800002 , patent no . 4 , 806 , 652 ) are pioneer hibred international , inc . proprietary inbreds . data for items b , c , d , e , f , and g are based primarily on a maximum of three reps of data from johnston , iowa grown in 1987 and 1988 , plus description information from the maintaining station . table 2______________________________________electrophoresis resultsisozyme genotypes for phm10isozyme data was generated for inbred corn line phm10according to the procedure described in goodman , m . m . andstuber , c . m ., &# 34 ; genetic identification of lines and crossesusing isoenzyme electrophoresis ,&# 34 ; proceedings of the thirty - fifth annual corn and sorghum industry research conference , chicago , illinois ( 1980 ). alleles present loci phm10______________________________________ acp1 2 adh1 4 cat3 9 dia1 8 got1 4 got2 2 got3 4 idh1 4 idh2 6 mdh1 6 mdh2 6 mdh3 16 mdh4 12 mdh5 12 mmm 4 pgm1 9 pgm2 4 pgd1 3 . 8 pgd2 5 phi1 4______________________________________ this invention also is directed to methods for producing a corn plant by crossing a first parent corn plant with a second parent corn plant wherein the first or second parent corn plant is an inbred corn plant from the line phm10 . further , both first and second parent corn plants can come from the inbred corn line phm10 . thus , any such methods using the inbred corn line phm10 are part of this invention : selfing , backcrosses , hybrid production , crosses to populations , and the like . all plants produced using inbred corn line phm10 as a parent are within the scope of this invention . advantageously , the inbred corn line is used in crosses with other , different , corn inbreds to produce first generation ( f 1 ) corn hybrid seeds and plants with superior characteristics . as used herein , the terms &# 34 ; plant and plant parts &# 34 ; include plant cells , plant protoplasts , plant cell tissue culture from which corn plants can be regenerated , plant calli , plant clumps , and plant cells that are intact in plants or parts of plants , such as embryos , pollen , flowers , kernels , ears , cobs , leaves , husks , stalks , roots , root tips , anthers , silk and the like . tissue culture of corn is described in european patent application , publication 160 , 390 , incorporated herein by reference . corn tissue culture procedures are also described in green and rhodes , &# 34 ; plant regeneration in tissue culture of maize ,&# 34 ; maize for biological research ( plant molecular biology association , charlottsville , va . 1982 , at 367 - 372 . thus , another aspect of this invention is to provide cells which upon growth and differentiation produce the inbred line phm10 . the utility of inbred line phm10 also extends to crosses with other species . commonly , suitable species will be of the family graminaceae , and especially of the genera zea , tripsacum , coix , schlerachne , polytoca , chionachne , and trilobachne , of the tribe maydeae . of these , zea and tripsacum , are most preferred . potentially suitable for crosses with phm10 may be the various varieties of grain sorghum , sorghum bicolor ( l .) moench . corn is used as human food , livestock feed , and as raw material in industry . the food uses of corn , in addition to human consumption of corn kernels , include both products of dry - and wet - milling industries and alkaline cooking . the principal products of corn dry milling are grits , meal and flour . the corn wet - milling industry can provide corn starch , corn syrups , and dextrose for food use . alkaline cooking provides snack foods ( i . e ., corn chips , tortillas , etc .) corn oil is recovered from corn germ , which is a by - product of both dry - and wet - milling industries . corn , including both grain and non - grain portions of the plant , is also used extensively as livestock feed , primarily for beef cattle , dairy cattle , hogs , and poultry . industrial uses of corn are mainly from corn starch from the wet - milling industry and corn flour from the dry - milling industry . the industrial applications of corn starch and flour are based on functional properties , such as viscosity , film formation , adhesive properties , and ability to suspend particles . the corn starch and flour have application in the paper and textile industries . other industrial uses include applications in adhesives , building materials , foundry binders , laundry starches , explosives , oil - well muds , and other mining applications . plant parts other than the grain of corn are also used in industry . stalks and husks are made into paper and wallboard and cobs are used for fuel and to make charcoal . the seed of inbred corn line phm10 , the plant produced from the inbred seed , the hybrid corn plant produced from the crossing of the inbred , hybrid seed , and various parts of the hybrid corn plant can be utilized for human food , livestock feed , and as a raw material in industry . in the examples that follow the traits and characteristics of inbred corn line phm10 are given as a line and in hybrid combination . the data collected on inbred corn line phm10 is presented for the key characteristics and traits . the results in table 3 compare phm10 to phr25 . phr25 ( pvp certificate # 8800002 , u . s . pat . no . 4 , 806 , 652 ) is an important inbred that would be used in the northern area that phm10 would be used and would cross well with some of the same inbred lines . this data has been collected over three years of research testing . the results show that the two lines differ significantly for a number of traits . phm10 offers some key advantages over phr25 in ear size , early stand count , better cold test , and improved seedling vigor . phm10 has more resistance to root lodging , and improved stay green . in the area of disease and insect resistance , phm10 shows greater resistance to ear mold . the results in table 4 compare phm10 to phk29 . phk29 ( pvp certificate # 8700214 , u . s . pat . no . 4 , 812 600 ) is another important inbred that would be used in the southern area where phm10 would be used and would cross well with some of the same inbred lines . the results show that the two lines differ significantly for a number of traits . phm10 offers some key advantages over phk29 in that it has about the same bushel per acre yield with lower harvest moisture of the grain , fewer barren plants , larger ear size , and better early stand count . phm10 fills a niche between phk29 and phr25 in maturity . phm10 has given good performance in specific hybrid combinations . the results in table 5a compare phm10 to phk29 crossed to the same inbred tester . the results show that the two lines differ significantly for a number of traits in hybrid combination . phm10 offers some key advantages over phk29 in hybrid combination as it makes much earlier hybrids than phk29 . the results in table 5b compare phm10 to phr25 crossed to the same inbred tester . the results show that the two lines differ significantly for a number of traits in hybrid combination . phm10 offers some key advantages over phr25 in hybrid combination in that it averaged 18 bushels per acre higher yield , has fewer barren plants , better grain quality , and has better stay green . the results in table 6 compare a phm10 hybrid to pioneer ® brand hybrid 3379 . these hybrids have an inbred in common that is not phm10 . pioneer ® brand hybrid 3379 has been a very popular full season hybrid in the corn belt . although the comparison shows that the phm10 hybrid is earlier maturing than 3379 , and has better grain test weight and better grain quality than 3379 . a critical comparison is a phm10 hybrid compared to pioneer ® brand 3751 ( table 7 ). although neither hybrid has an inbred in common , 3751 is of similar maturity to the phm10 hybrid and is a very important hybrid in the same area as the phm10 hybrid is adapted . the results show that the phm10 hybrid had 3 % greater yield with a 0 . 6 increase in harvest grain moisture , had better root lodging resistance , stay green , higher test weight grain with better grain quality than 3751 . the phm10 hybrid is a bigger hybrid than 3751 which makes it more suitable as a silage hybrid . the phm10 hybrid will replace some of the 3751 in the northern corn belt and complements 3751 &# 39 ; s weaknesses . table 3__________________________________________________________________________paired inbred comparison datainbred # 1 - phm10inbred # 2 - phr25__________________________________________________________________________ bu bu bar brt ear ear est cld cld til gdu gdu grn kervar acr acr plt stk ht sz cnt tst tst ler shd slk qul lbyear # abs % mn abs abs abs abs abs abs % mn abs abs abs abs abs__________________________________________________________________________total1 59 . 9 115 89 . 6 100 . 0 30 . 5 7 . 4 29 . 4 88 . 5 103 2 . 5 141 . 9 145 . 4 6 . 0 38 . 4sum 2 51 . 5 99 90 . 4 100 . 0 27 . 1 4 . 2 24 . 9 80 . 5 94 0 . 8 126 . 9 128 . 4 3 . 0 45 . 8locs 1 1 16 1 21 16 71 6 6 34 61 62 1 6diff 8 . 4 16 0 . 8 0 . 0 3 . 4 3 . 3 4 . 5 8 . 0 10 1 . 7 15 . 0 17 . 0 3 . 0 7 . 4prob . 609 . 000 # . 000 # . 000 # . 068 * . 074 * . 186 . 000 # . 000 # . 009 # __________________________________________________________________________ ksz ksz ksz ksz ksz ksz plt pol pol pol rt tas tas tas texvar xl l mr mf s tip mst ht wt wt sc ldg bls sz wt earyear # abs abs abs abs abs abs abs abs abs % mn abs abs abs abs abs abs__________________________________________________________________________total1 0 . 7 16 . 0 53 . 3 18 . 0 10 . 7 1 . 3 22 . 0 76 . 5 116 . 0 80 5 . 4 100 . 0 8 . 8 5 . 4 3 . 1 6 . 2sum 2 0 . 3 10 . 7 56 . 0 13 . 7 17 . 7 1 . 3 18 . 8 70 . 4 111 . 8 71 4 . 8 50 . 0 8 . 8 5 . 5 3 . 2 3 . 5locs 3 3 3 3 3 3 1 23 7 7 33 1 2 35 7 12diff 0 . 3 5 . 3 2 . 7 4 . 3 7 . 0 0 . 0 3 . 2 6 . 2 4 . 1 9 0 . 6 50 . 0 0 . 0 0 . 1 0 . 1 2 . 7prob . 742 . 235 . 779 . 629 . 206 . 000 # . 000 # . 865 . 631 . 031 + 1 . 00 . 549 . 688 . 000 # __________________________________________________________________________ tst sct sdg sta stk yld com ear ecb ecb eye glf hc hd nlfvar wt grn vgr grn cnt sc smt mld 1lf 2sc spt spt blt smt bltyear # abs abs abs abs abs abs abs abs abs abs abs abs abs abs abs__________________________________________________________________________total1 54 . 8 5 . 6 5 . 9 4 . 1 26 . 0 6 . 1 0 . 0 6 . 0 5 . 2 4 . 4 6 . 0 3 . 0 6 . 0 100 . 0 3 . 3sum 2 54 . 8 5 . 5 5 . 0 1 . 0 24 . 5 3 . 9 0 . 0 4 . 9 5 . 0 4 . 0 3 . 3 1 . 0 2 . 0 89 . 5 3 . 3locs 1 22 27 8 58 18 1 19 20 5 3 1 1 2 3diff 0 . 0 0 . 2 1 . 0 3 . 1 1 . 5 2 . 1 0 . 0 1 . 1 0 . 2 0 . 4 2 . 7 2 . 0 4 . 0 10 . 5 0 . 0prob . 746 . 004 # . 000 # . 001 # . 000 # . 016 + . 585 . 477 . 287 . 500 1 . 00__________________________________________________________________________ * = 10 % sig + = 5 % sig # = 1 % sig table 4__________________________________________________________________________paired inbred comparison datainbred # 1 - phm10inbred # 2 - phr29__________________________________________________________________________ bu bu bar brt ear ear est cld cld drp til gdu var acr acr plt stk ht sz cnt tst tst ear ler shdyear # abs % mn abs abs abs abs abs abs % mn abs abs abs__________________________________________________________________________total sum 1 55 . 4 100 89 . 5 97 . 5 28 . 9 7 . 1 34 . 4 83 . 6 100 99 . 0 3 . 3 143 . 5 2 54 . 8 101 83 . 8 99 . 0 32 . 9 6 . 0 33 . 1 78 . 4 93 99 . 7 2 . 1 151 . 9 locs 22 22 22 4 29 16 83 8 8 14 29 68 diff 0 . 7 1 5 . 7 1 . 6 3 . 9 1 . 2 1 . 4 5 . 3 7 0 . 7 1 . 2 8 . 4 prob . 901 . 934 . 080 * . 534 . 000 # . 002 # . 003 # . 356 . 365 . 047 + . 433 . 000 # __________________________________________________________________________ 6 gdu grn ker ksz ksz ksz ksz ksz ksz plt pol var slk qul lb xl l mr mf s tip mst ht scyear # abs abs abs abs abs abs abs abs abs abs abs abs__________________________________________________________________________total sum 1 146 . 6 5 . 2 183 . 6 0 . 5 9 . 0 45 . 0 17 . 3 22 . 3 8 . 3 17 . 9 74 . 0 5 . 9 2 155 . 9 5 . 9 165 . 1 0 . 5 18 . 8 46 . 0 21 . 0 11 . 8 1 . 7 23 . 2 80 . 7 5 . 3 locs 64 13 7 4 4 4 4 4 3 23 30 33 diff 9 . 3 0 . 6 18 . 5 0 . 0 9 . 8 1 . 0 3 . 8 10 . 5 6 . 7 5 . 3 6 . 6 0 . 6 prob . 000 # . 197 . 039 + 1 . 00 0 . 52 * . 793 . 493 . 097 * . 245 . 000 # . 000 # . 016 + __________________________________________________________________________ rt tas tas tex tst sct sdg sta stk stk yld com var ldg bls sz ear wt grn vgr grn cnt ldg sc rstyear # abs abs abs abs abs abs abs abs abs abs abs abs__________________________________________________________________________total sum 1 95 . 5 8 . 3 5 . 3 5 . 5 56 . 6 5 . 7 6 . 1 4 . 1 32 . 7 97 . 1 5 . 9 7 . 0 2 99 . 4 9 . 0 4 . 9 6 . 2 55 . 8 5 . 5 5 . 8 7 . 9 31 . 6 98 . 0 6 . 0 3 . 0 locs 9 3 31 14 22 24 42 23 72 16 24 1 diff 3 . 9 0 . 7 0 . 4 0 . 7 0 . 8 0 . 2 0 . 3 3 . 8 1 . 1 0 . 9 0 . 1 4 . 0 prob . 244 . 423 . 140 . 319 . 130 . 492 . 092 * . 000 # . 007 # . 571 . 814__________________________________________________________________________ com ear ecb ecb ecb eye glf hc nlf slf so stw var smt mld dpe 1lf 2sc spt spt blt blt blt rst wltyear # abs abs abs abs abs abs abs abs abs abs abs abs__________________________________________________________________________total sum 1 0 . 0 5 . 5 97 . 7 5 . 2 4 . 4 5 . 5 2 . 8 6 . 0 3 . 3 4 . 5 5 . 5 7 . 0 2 0 . 0 6 . 7 100 . 0 4 . 9 6 . 6 5 . 5 2 . 5 7 . 0 4 . 0 5 . 0 5 . 5 7 . 0 locs 1 24 2 19 12 2 2 1 3 1 1 1 diff 0 . 0 1 . 2 2 . 3 0 . 3 2 . 2 0 . 0 0 . 3 1 . 0 0 . 7 0 . 5 0 . 0 0 . 0 prob . 011 + . 347 . 287 . 007 # . 000 # . 795 . 635__________________________________________________________________________ * = 10 % sig + = 5 % sig # = 1 % sig tables 5a & amp ; 5b__________________________________________________________________________average inbred by tester performance comparing phm10 to phk29 and - phm10to phr25 crossed to the same inbred tester and grown in thesame experiments . all values are expressed as percent of theexperiment mean except predicted rm , selection index , and yield__________________________________________________________________________ ( bu ./ ac .). sel bu gdu stk rt bar sta inbred prm ind acr yld mst shd ldg ldg plt grn__________________________________________________________________________phm10 to phk29total replic . 8 8 8 8 8 2 6 2 4 6mean wts phm10 110 108 90 107 101 102 104 102 105 148mean wts phk29 98 91 72 85 83 98 98 99 101 96 diff . 12 17 18 22 19 4 7 2 4 53phm10 to phr25total replic . 70 70 70 70 70 13 64 19 6 23mean wts phr25 97 91 93 90 96 94 98 103 94 75mean wts phm10 102 106 111 107 103 101 99 101 104 108 diff . 5 15 18 17 7 7 1 2 9 32__________________________________________________________________________ tst cob grn sdg est plt ear drp brt wta sc qul vgr cnt ht ht ear stk__________________________________________________________________________phm10 to phk29total replic . 8 8 6 4 4 2mean wts phm10 98 110 101 104 92 101mean wts phk29 100 86 100 102 100 101 diff . 2 24 1 2 8phm10 to phr25total replic . 70 9 47 56 45 28 28 39mean wts phm25 100 119 85 136 103 107 111 100mean wts phk10 101 97 102 98 103 104 104 100 diff . 1 22 17 38 0 3 8 0__________________________________________________________________________ table 6__________________________________________________________________________ # 1 - phm10 hybrid # 2 - pioneer ® brand 3379 bu gdu stk sta tst grn sdg est plt ear drp var sel acr mst shd ldg grn wta qul vgr cnt ht ht earyear # ind prm abs abs abs abs abs abs abs abs abs abs abs abs__________________________________________________________________________total sum 1 92 116 127 . 0 23 . 1 123 . 0 88 . 7 6 . 1 58 . 7 6 . 4 5 . 0 48 . 6 91 . 0 39 . 5 100 . 0 2 104 119 151 . 4 23 . 9 124 . 0 72 . 9 5 . 6 57 . 5 5 . 6 5 . 5 49 . 9 89 . 0 38 . 5 100 . 0 locs 1 1 4 4 1 4 4 4 4 2 4 3 3 4 diff 12 3 24 . 4 0 . 8 1 . 0 15 . 8 0 . 5 1 . 2 0 . 8 0 . 5 1 . 3 2 . 0 1 . 0 0 . 0 prob . 002 # . 279 . 258 . 252 . 031 + . 014 + . 500 . 588 . 423 . 691 1 . 00__________________________________________________________________________ * = 10 % sig + = 5 % sig # = 1 % sig table 7__________________________________________________________________________ # 1 - phm10 hybrid # 2 - pioneer ® brand 3751__________________________________________________________________________ bu bu gdu stk rt bar sta var sel acr acr mst shd ldg ldg plt grnyear region # prm ind abs % mn abs abs abs abs abs abs__________________________________________________________________________total sum 1 102 105 128 . 5 104 20 . 4 132 . 4 90 . 5 96 . 1 95 . 4 5 . 4 2 100 101 124 . 8 101 19 . 8 131 . 0 91 . 5 93 . 6 96 . 1 4 . 7 locs 50 49 249 249 252 57 241 81 28 109 diff 2 4 3 . 7 3 0 . 6 1 . 4 1 . 0 2 . 5 0 . 7 0 . 6 prob . 000 # . 064 * . 000 # . 001 # . 000 # . 000 # . 125 . 000 # . 417 . 000 # __________________________________________________________________________ tst cob grn sdg est stk plt ear drp brt var wta sc qul vgr cnt cnt ht ht ear stkyear region # abs abs abs abs abs abs abs abs abs abs__________________________________________________________________________total sum 1 57 . 8 5 . 6 6 . 4 5 . 7 65 . 4 49 . 6 96 . 3 41 . 3 99 . 0 98 . 6 2 55 . 4 5 . 7 5 . 6 5 . 7 64 . 8 49 . 6 94 . 7 39 . 6 98 . 5 97 . 0 locs 252 41 169 136 164 264 129 132 191 23 diff 2 . 5 0 . 1 0 . 8 0 . 0 0 . 7 0 . 0 1 . 5 1 . 7 0 . 5 1 . 6 prob . 000 # . 613 . 000 # . 985 . 045 + . 972 . 000 # . 000 # . 025 + . 002 # __________________________________________________________________________ *= 10 % sig + = 5 % sig # = 1 % sig applicant has made available to the public without restriction a deposit of at least 2500 seeds of inbred phm10 with the american type culture collection ( atcc ), rockville , md . 20852 usa , atcc deposite no . 75075 . the seeds deposited with the atcc are taken from the same deposit maintained by pioneer hi - bred international inc ., 700 capital square , 400 locust street , des moines , iowa 50309 since prior to the filing date of this application . the deposit will be maintained in the atcc depository , which is a public depository , for a period of 30 years , or 5 years after the most recent request , or for the effective life of the patent , whichever is longer , and will be replaced if it becomes nonviable during that period . | 0 |
fig1 illustrates the schematic structure of a dram according to an embodiment of the present invention . control signals / ras ( row address strobe signal ) and / cas ( column address strobe signal ), which control the operation of the dram , are output as control signals rasx and casx to internal circuits of the dram via an input buffer 2 of the dram . the control signal casx is input to an address buffer 4 as a signal to latch a column address . the control signal rasx is also input to the address buffer 4 as a signal to latch a row address . the control signal rasx is input to an input / output ( i / o ) buffer 9 as an active or enable signal , and the control signal casx is likewise input to the i / o buffer 9 as an input / output control signal . further , the control signal rasx is input to a write clock generator 10 as an activate signal for activating the clock generator 10 . the control signal casx is likewise input to the write clock generator 10 as a signal to latch a write enable signal / we which is input to the clock generator 10 . address signals a0 to a9 input to the address buffer 4 are latched by the address buffer 4 , based on the control signals rasx and casx , and are output therefrom to a row decoder 5 and a column decoder 6 . the row decoder 5 and column decoder 6 select specific memory cells in a memory cell array 7 , based on the address signals a0 to a9 . at the time of reading cell information , the cell information read from the selected memory cells are output as output data d out via a sense amplifier and i / o gate 8 and the i / o buffer 9 . at the time of writing cell information , write data din , which is received by the i / o buffer 9 , is written in the selected memory cells via the sense amplifier and i / o gate 8 . the i / o buffer 9 is controlled , based on four signals : the control signals rasx and casx , the write enable signal / we provided thereto via the write clock generator 10 and an output control signal 0e which is generated by a signal generator 60 in the dram , based on the control signal / cas . the structure of circuits for use in reading cell information in the dram will now be described , referring to the drawings . as shown in fig2 the memory cell array 7 has many pairs of bit lines bl and / bl . a plurality of memory cells c are connected to the bit lines bl and / bl of each pair . a word line wl is connected to each memory cell c . when one of the word lines wl is selected by the row decoder 5 ( fig1 ), cell information stored in the associated memory cell c is read onto the bit lines bl and / bl . n channel mos transistors tr1 , tr2 , tr3 and tr4 , connected to the bit lines bl and / bl , form a circuit for resetting the potentials at of the bit lines bl and / bl to a reset potential vpr when the bit lines bl and / bl and the word line wl are not selected . when an h - level reset signal brsz is input to the gates of the individual transistors tr1 to tr4 , the transistors tr1 to tr4 are turned on , resetting the potentials at the bit lines bl and / bl to the reset potential vpr of , for example , vcc / 2 that is an average between a ground level and a supply voltage vcc . a sense amplifier 11 is connected to a pair of the bit lines bl and / bl , and is supplied with a high - potential supply voltage psg and a low - potential supply voltage nsg . the sense amplifier 11 is controlled using a sense amplifier enable signal le generated based on the signal / ras . the sense amplifier 11 , when enabled , amplifies and latches the cell information supplied on the bit lines bl and / bl . the sense amplifier and i / o gate 8 includes the sense amplifier 11 and column gates tr5 and tr6 . the bit lines bl and / bl are connected via the column gates tr5 and tr6 to data buses db and / db , as shown in fig2 . the column gates tr5 and tr6 receive a column select signal cl from the column decoder 6 . when the column select signal cl goes high , the column gates tr5 and tr6 are enabled and allow the cell information , amplified by the sense amplifier 11 , to be output on the data buses db and / db . the column decoder 6 comprises a nand gate 15a , an inverter circuit 16a and a signal generator 61 which generates the sense - amplifier enable signal le based on the control signal / ras , as shown in fig2 . the nand gate 15a receives the sense - amplifier enable signal le and decode signals &# 34 ; a 0 &# 34 ; to &# 34 ; a n &# 34 ; originated from the address signals a0 to a9 . the output signal of the nand gate 15a is input to the inverter circuit 16a whose output signal is output as the column select signal cl to the column gates tr5 and tr6 . when the decode signals a 0 to a n and the sense amplifier enable signal le goes high , the column select signal cl goes high , turning the column gates tr5 and tr6 on . the column decoder 6 includes a plurality of output circuits , each of which is formed by a pair of the nand gate 15a and an inverter circuit 16a , in order to control the column gates tr5 and tr6 corresponding to the associated bit line pair . the i / o buffer 9 comprises a sense buffer 12 , a common bus driver 13 and an output circuit 14 , as shown in fig2 . the data buses db and / db are connected to the sense buffer 12 . the output signals of the sense buffer 12 , sd and / sd , are input to the common bus driver 13 whose output signals cb and / cb are input to the output circuit 14 . the output circuit 14 outputs the output data d out . the specific structure of the sense buffer 12 will be described referring to fig3 . this sense buffer 12 comprises two stages of current mirror circuits 17a and 17b connected in series , nand gates 15b and 15c which constitute a latch circuit , inverter circuits 16b and 16c forming an output circuit , and an enable signal generator 18 for enabling the current mirror circuits 17a and 17b . as the current mirror circuits are well known , their detailed description will not be given . the enable signal generator 18 receives the sense amplifier enable signal le from the signal generator 61 and an address change detection signal atd from a circuit 62 for detecting the change of the address signals a0 to a9 . the address change detection circuit 62 outputs the signal atd , a one - shot high level pulse signal , given a change in any one of the address signals a0 to a9 input to the column decoder . the enable signal generator 18 includes two nand gates 15d and 15e and four invertor circuits 16d and 16e . the sense amplifier enable signal le is input to a first input terminal of the nand gate 15d and is input to a second input terminal of the nand gate 15d via the three inverter circuits 16d . accordingly , the nand gate 15d outputs a l - level one - shot pulse signal when the sense amplifier enable signal le goes high ; otherwise , the output signal of the nand gate 15d remains high . the l - level output signal of the nand gate 15d is input to a first input terminal of the nand gate 15e , and the aforementioned address change detection signal atd is input to a second input terminal of the nand gate 15e via the inverter circuit 16e . when the sense amplifier enable signal le goes high or when the address change detection signal atd is input to the enable signal generator 18 , the nand gate 15e outputs an h - level one - shot pulse signal as an output signal sbe . the current mirror circuits 17a and 17b are enabled in response to the output signal sbe . this operation is called &# 34 ; auto power - down &# 34 ; and reduces the consumed power of the sense buffer 12 . when the output signal sbe goes high , the current mirror circuits 17a and 17b are enabled to amplify and output the cell information read on the data buses db and / db . one of the complementary output signals of the current mirror circuit 17b is input to a first input terminal of the nand gate 15b , while the other complementary output signal is input to a first input terminal of the nand gate 15c . the output signal of the nand gate 15b is input to a second input terminal of the nand gate 15c and the inverter circuit 16b . the output signal of the nand gate 15c is input to a second input terminal of the nand gate 15b and the inverter circuit 16c . accordingly , the nand gates 15b and 15c latch the complementary output signals of the current mirror circuit 17b and output the latched signals to the inverter circuits 16b and 16c . the output signals sd and / sd of the inverter circuits 16b and 16c are output to the common bus driver 13 ( fig2 ). the common bus driver 13 includes two nand gates 15f and 15g and three inverter circuits 16f , 16g and 16h , as shown in fig4 . the output signal sd is input via the inverter circuit 16f to the nand gate 15f and the output signal / sd is input via the inverter circuit 16g to the nand gate 15g . the sense amplifier enable signal le is input to the nand gates 15f and 15g , and the address change detection signal atd is input thereto via the inverter circuit 16h . when the sense amplifier enable signal le goes high and when the address change detection signal atd goes low , signals in phase with the output signals sd and / sd of the sense buffer 12 are output as the output signals cb and / cb from the nand gates 15f and 15g . when the sense amplifier enable signal le goes low or when the address change detection signal atd goes high , the output signals cb and / cb of the nand gates 15f and 15g both go low . as shown in fig5 the output circuit 14 receives the output signals cb and / cb of the common bus driver 13 , the output control signal oe , the sense amplifier enable signal le and the address change detection signal atd . the output circuit 14 includes a nand gate 15h for receiving the output control signal oe , the sense amplifier enable signal le and the address change detection signal atd input thereto via an inverter circuit 16i . the output circuit 14 further includes an inverter circuit 16j which receives the output signal of the nand gate 15h . the output signal of the inverter circuit 16j is input to the gates of n channel mos transistors tr7 and tr8 and the gates of p channel mos transistors tr9 and tr10 . the output signal / cb from the common bus driver 13 is input via the transistor tr7 to an inverter circuit 16k , and the output signal cb is input via the transistor tr8 to an inverter circuit 16m . the input terminal of the inverter circuit 16k is connected to the drain of the transistor tr9 . the input terminal of the inverter circuit 16m is connected to the drain of the transistor tr10 . the sources of the transistors tr9 and tr10 are connected to a power supply vcc . the output signal of the inverter circuit 16k is input to the gate of an n channel mos output transistor tr11 , and the output signal of the inverter circuit 16m is input to the gate of an n channel mos output transistor tr12 . the drain of the transistor tr11 is connected to the power supply vcc . the source of the transistor tr11 and the drain of the transistor tr12 are connected to an output terminal t 0 . the source of the transistor tr12 is connected to a ground gnd . the transistors tr7 , tr8 , tr9 and tr10 form a switching circuit that selects one of two modes to drive transistors tr11 and tr12 . the first mode drives both tr11 and tr12 in accordance with the output signals cb and / cb from the common bus driver 13 . the second mode drives the output terminal t o in an high impedance state when both transistors tr11 and tr12 are turned off . the operation of the above configured dram will now be described with reference to fig6 . when a control signal / ras input to the dram goes low , peripheral circuits of the memory cell array 7 , such as the address buffer 4 are enabled . when row address signals are input to the row decoder 5 , the potential of the word line wl , selected by the row decoder 5 in response to the row address signals , goes high . consequently , the memory cells c connected to the selected word line wl , are enabled and have their cell information read onto the bit lines bl and / bl . this produces a slight potential difference between the bit lines bl and / bl . at this time , both the output control signal oe and the sense amplifier enable signal le are asserted low and , consequently , force the transistors tr7 and tr8 of the output circuit 14 off and the transistors tr9 and tr10 on . therefore , the output signals of the inverter circuits 16k and 16m both go low and the output transistors tr11 and tr12 are both turned off . this forces the output terminal t o to a high - impedance state . the sense buffer 12 latches the data read in the previous reading cycle and outputs the complementary output signals sd and / sd , while the output signals cb and / cb of the common bus driver 13 both go low . this happens regardless of the output signals sd and / sd , due to the low level sense amplifier enable signal le . the output control signal oe then is asserted high in accordance with the falling of the control signal / cas . in this situation , the sense - amplifier enable signal le remains low and forces the output signals cb and / cb of the common bus driver 13 high and the output terminal t o to a high - impedance state . when the sense - amplifier enable signal le goes high , the sense amplifier 11 is enabled to amplify the slight potential difference between the bit lines bl and / bl . at that time , the column select signal cl , selected by the column decoder 6 based on the column address signals , goes high . consequently , the column gates tr5 and tr6 are turned on and enable cell information , read out onto the bit lines bl , and / bl to be output on the data buses db and / db . as the sense amplifier enable signal le rises , the enable signal generator 18 in the sense buffer 12 outputs the h - level one - shot pulse signal sbe to temporarily enable the current mirror circuits 17a and 17b . cell information read on the data buses db and / db is then amplified by the current mirror circuits 17a and 17b . the amplified cell information is latched by the nand gates 15b and 15c and output as the output signals sd and / sd from the inverter circuits 16b and 16c . the common bus driver 13 outputs the output signals cb and / cb in phase with the output signals sd and / sd from the sense buffer 12 , in accordance with the h - level sense amplifier enable signal le and the l - level address change detection signal atd . the transistors tr7 and tr8 in the output circuit 14 are turned on and the transistors tr9 and tr10 are turned off , in response to the h - level output control signal oe , the h - level sense amplifier enable signal le and the l - level address change detection signal atd . as a result , the output signals cb and / cb from the common bus driver 13 are input via the transistors tr7 and tr8 to the inverter circuits 16k and 16m . the complementary output signals from the inverter circuits 16k and 16m cause the output transistor tr11 and tr12 to be complementarily controlled . for example , when the output transistor tr11 is turned on and the output transistor tr12 is turned off , based on the complementary output signals from the inverter circuits 16k and 16m , an h - level output data d out is output from the output terminal t o . fig7 shows a conventional common bus driver 13 &# 39 ; provided with four inverter circuits forming a pair of two stage invertor circuits 16p and 16q . fig8 shows a conventional output circuit 14 &# 39 ; in association with the common bus driver 13 &# 39 ;. the output circuit 14 &# 39 ; differs from the output circuit 14 of this embodiment , in that the invertor circuits 16r receive only the output control signal oe instead of the nand gate 15h in the output circuit 14 . the conventional common bus driver 13 &# 39 ; outputs the signals cb and / cb in phase with the output signals sd and / sd of the sense buffer 12 , as shown in fig6 . the conventional output circuit 14 &# 39 ; outputs the output data , based on the output signals cb and / cb . when the output control signal oe goes high , the output circuit 14 &# 39 ; outputs , for example , l - level invalid data d n , read in the previous cycle as the output data d out , based on the complementary output signals cb and / cb . subsequently , when the cell information read from newly selected memory cells is latched by the sense buffer 12 and output as the output signals sd and / sd , the output signals cb and / cb of the common bus driver 13 &# 39 ;, for example , invert the output data d out . according to this embodiment , in contrast , until the sense amplifier enable signal le rises , the output signals cb and / cb of the common bus driver 13 both remain asserted high . moreover , the output transistors tr11 and tr12 of the output circuit 14 are both turned off , keeping the output data d out at a high - impedance state . when the sense - amplifier enable signal le goes high and the sense buffer 12 outputs valid data , the common bus driver 13 and the output circuit 14 are enabled to output the valid data as the output data d out . thus , according to this embodiment , since valid data is timely output as the output data d out without outputting invalid data d n , the rising speed and falling speed of the output data d out can be improved , thereby to increase the memory reading speed . furthermore , signal inversion from invalid data d n to valid data does not occur in the common bus driver 13 and the output circuit 14 . therefore , the through current ( e . g . between vcc and gnd in fig5 ) and / or the charge / discharge current ( e . g . between the output terminal t o and one of vcc and gnd ) are prevented or restricted , thus reducing the circuit &# 39 ; s consumption of power . inasmuch as the generation of the through current is prevented or restricted , it is possible to prevent noise in the vcc and / or gnd from occurring due to the through current . although the embodiment has been described with reference to the case where the reading operation is controlled by causing the sense amplifier enable signal le to rise after the falling of the control signal / cas , the dram according to the above - mentioned embodiment may be adapted to the reading operation control accomplished by causing the control signal / cas to fall after the rising of the sense - amplifier enable signal le . the operation in the latter case will now be discussed with reference to fig9 . when the control signal / ras goes low and the row address signals are input to the row decoder 5 , the potential of the word line wl , which is selected by the row decoder 5 based on the row address signals , goes high . consequently , the memory cells c connected to the selected word line wl are enabled and their cell information are read on the bit lines bl and / bl , producing a slight potential difference between the bit lines bl and / bl . as the output control signal oe and sense amplifier enable signal le are then both at a l - level , the transistors tr7 and tr8 in the output circuit 14 are turned off and the transistors tr9 and tr10 are turned on . accordingly , the output signals of the inverter circuits 16k and 16m go low and the output transistors tr11 and tr12 are both turned off , forcing the output terminal t o to a high - impedance state . the sense buffer 12 is latching the read data in the previous cycle and is outputting the complementary output signals sd and / sd , while the output signals cb and / cb of the common bus driver 13 both go high , regardless of the complementary output signals sd and / sd , because the sense - amplifier enable signal le is low . when the sense amplifier enable signal le goes high based on the control signal / ras , the sense amplifier 1 is enabled to amplify the slight potential difference between the bit lines bl and / bl . the column select signal cl associated with the column , which is selected by the column decoder 6 in accordance with the column address signals , goes high . consequently , the column gates tr5 and tr6 are turned on , causing the cell information read on the bit lines bl and / bl to be output on the data buses db and / db . in accordance with the address change detection signal atd , the enable signal generator 18 in the sense buffer 12 outputs a h - level one - shot pulse signal sbe to temporarily enable the current mirror circuits 17a and 17b . then , the cell information read on the data buses db and / db is amplified by the current mirror circuits 17a and 17b . the amplified cell information signals is latched by the nand gates 15b and 15c and is output as the output signals sd and / sd from the inverter circuits 16b and 16c . the common bus driver 13 outputs the output signals cb and / cb in phase with the output signals sd and / sd of the sense buffer 12 , based on the h - level sense amplifier enable signal le and the l - level address change detection signal atd . the transistors tr7 and tr8 in the output circuit 14 are turned off and the transistors tr9 and tr10 are turned on , in accordance with the l - level output control signal oe . regardless of the output signals cb and / cb from the common bus driver 13 , the output signals of the inverter circuits 16k and 16m go low and the output terminal t o is forces into a high - impedance state . when the output control signal oe goes high in synchronism with the falling of the control signal / cas and change in column address signal , the address change detection signal atd is then input to the enable signal generator 18 , the common bus driver 13 and the output circuit 14 . with the address change detection signal atd being set high , the output terminal t o ( i . e ., output data d out ) is kept at the high - impedance state . when the address change detection signal atd goes low , the common bus driver 13 outputs the output signals cb and / cb in phase with the output signals sd and / sd of the sense buffer 13 . based on the output signals cb and / cb , the output circuit 14 outputs the output data d out . according to the conventional art , at this time , the output circuit 14 &# 39 ; functions , based on the rising edge of the output control signal oe , and outputs invalid data d n in accordance with the output signals cb and / cb from the common bus driver 13 . this output is based on the cell information at the previous address , as indicated by the broken lines in fig9 . in response to the switching of the output signals sd and / sd of the sense buffer 12 , based on the input of the address change detection signal atd , the output signals cb and / cb of the common bus driver 13 &# 39 ; are switched , causing the output circuit 14 &# 39 ; to output valid data as the output data d out . according to this embodiment , the output signals cb and / cb from the common bus driver 13 are temporarily reset to an h - level in accordance with the rising edge of the address change detection signal atd . until the address change detection signal atd falls , the output transistors tr11 and tr12 in the output circuit 14 are both turned off , keeping the output terminal t o at a high - impedance state . when the address change detection signal atd falls , valid data is output as the output data d out . since valid data is output as the output data d out without generating invalid data , the reading speed can be improved . in addition , according to this embodiment , due to the fact that data inversion between invalid data and valid data does not occur , the through current due to the data inversion can be prevented or restricted , thus reducing the consumed power . the prevention or restriction of the through current inhibits the generation of supply - voltage noise . although only one embodiment of the present invention has been described herein , it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention may be embodied in many other specific forms without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention . particularly , it should be understood that the present invention may be embodied in the following manners . the sense buffer 12 does not always need two stages of the current mirror circuits connected in series , but may include only a single stage of the current mirror circuit . the nand gates 15b and 15c in the sense buffer 12 , which constitute a latch circuit , may be replaced with another ( i . e ., a different ) latch circuit comprising an inverter - based positive feedback circuit . the inverter circuits 16b and 16c , which output signals sd and / sd from the sense buffer 12 , may be replaced with nand gates that receive the inverted sense amplifier enable signal le and the address change detection signal atd as input signals . this allows for the timing of cell information signals sd and / sd as output from the sense buffer 12 using the sense amplifier enable signal le or the address change detection signal atd . therefore , the present examples and embodiments are to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive and the invention is not to be limited to the details given herein , but may be modified within the scope of the appended claims . | 6 |
the term “ immediate release ” as used herein means dissolution of the core tablet in less than 60 minutes , when measured by standard usp definitions . for example , the usp specifies that all tablets and capsules are subject , to a general dissolution standard of not less than 75 % of the core content is dissolved in not more than 45 minutes in 900 ml of water , using the apparatus , procedures , and interpretation presented in the united states pharmacopeia chapter , dissolution , page 959 . for this purpose , 75 % is q , and conformance is demonstrated with either one of apparatus 1 at 100 rpm or apparatus 2 at 50 rpm .″ the terms “ continuous ” or “ continuously ,” as used herein , mean at regular specified intervals . for example , a continuous schedule according to a dosing regimen of once weekly means that the active is given one time per week for an unspecified period of time or for as long as treatment is necessary . the term “ delayed release or delayed delivery ,” as used herein , refers to formulating the pharmaceutical composition comprising risedronate and the chelating agent so that their release will be accomplished at some generally predictable location in the small intestine . the term “ nutrient ,” as used herein , means any nutritional or dietary supplement including but not limited to vitamins , minerals , amino acids , herbs or other botanicals , or concentrates , metabolites , constituents , extracts , or combinations of the same . the term “ pharmaceutical composition ,” as used herein , means an oral dosage form comprised of a safe and effective amount of risedronate and one or more pharmaceutically - acceptable excipients including at least one chelating agent . the pharmaceutical compositions described herein are comprised of from 0 . 5 % to 75 %, preferably from 1 % to 40 % of risedronate and from 25 % to 99 . 5 %, preferably from 60 % to 99 % of pharmaceutically - acceptable excipients including at least one chelating agent . the term “ safe and effective amount ,” as used herein , means an amount of a compound or composition high enough to significantly positively modify the symptoms and / or condition to be treated , but low enough to avoid serious side effects ( at a reasonable risk / benefit ratio ), within the scope of sound medical judgment . the safe and effective amount of active ingredient for use in the method of the invention herein will vary with the particular condition being treated , the age and physical condition of the patient to be treated , the severity of the condition , the duration of the treatment , the nature of concurrent therapy , the particular active ingredient being employed , the particular pharmaceutically - acceptable excipients utilized , and like factors within the knowledge and expertise of the attending physician . the term “ pharmaceutically effective absorption ” as used herein means an amount of a chelating compound high enough to significantly bind the metal ions and minerals in food but low enough not to significantly alter absorption of risedronate as compared to absorption in the fasted state . that is , absorption is similar with or without food . given the high variability of bisphosphonate absorption , fed exposure within about 50 % of fasting exposure is expected to be pharmaceutically effective absorption . the term “ oral dosage form ,” as used herein , means any pharmaceutical composition intended to be delivered or released to the small intestine of a human or other mammal via the mouth of said human or other mammal . for the purposes of the present invention , the delivered form can be in the form of a compressed tablet containing granules or particles of risedronate and a chelating agent the term “ unit dose ” or “ unit dosage ” means a dosage form containing an amount of pharmaceutical active or nutrient suitable for administration in one single dose , according to sound medical practice . the present invention is particularly useful for the administration of unit doses in the form of tablets and capsules . the term “ gastrointestinal tract ” or “ gi tract ,” as used herein , relates to the alimentary canal , i . e ., the musculo - membranous tube about thirty feet in length , extending from the mouth to the anus . the term “ upper gastrointestinal tract ,” as used herein , means the buccal cavity , the pharynx , the esophagus , and the stomach . the term “ lower gastrointestinal tract ,” as used herein , means the small intestine and the large intestine . the term “ small intestine ,” as used herein , means the part of the small intestine consisting of just distal to the stomach , including the duodenum , the jejunum , and the ileum , i . e ., that portion of the intestinal tract just distal to the duodenal sphincter of the fundus of the stomach and proximal to the large intestine . the term “ large intestine ,” as used herein , means the part of the lower gastrointestinal tract including the ascending colon , the transverse colon , the descending colon , the sigmoid colon , and the rectum the terms “ bisphosphonate ” and “ diphosphonate ,” as used herein , include acids , salts , esters , hydrates , polymorphs , hemihydrates , solvates , and derivatives thereof . the bisphosphonates of the present invention include those forms of 1 - hydroxy - 2 -( 3 - pyridinyl )- ethylidene - 1 , 1 - bisphosphonic acid ( risedronate ) as described in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 583 , 122 , to benedict et al ., issued dec . 10 , 1996 ; u . s . pat . no . 6 , 410 , 520 b2 , to cazer et al ., issued jun . 25 , 2002 non - limiting examples of salts useful herein include those selected from the group consisting of alkali metal , alkaline metal , ammonium , and mono -, di -, tri -, or tetra - c 1 - c 30 - alkyl - substituted ammonium . preferred salts are those selected from the group consisting of sodium , potassium , and ammonium salts . the amount of risedronate contained in the oral dosage forms of the present invention will depend on the particular risedronate form selected and the continuous dosing schedule upon which the risedronate is dosed to the patient . continuous dosing schedules of daily , weekly , twice monthly , three times per month , and once monthly are non - limiting examples of dosing regimens suitable for use with the oral dosage forms of the present invention . the terms “ three times per month ” or “ thrice monthly ” mean that an oral dosage form is administered thrice , i . e ., three times , during a monthly calendar period . in a thrice monthly schedule , the oral dosage forms may be administered on three consecutive days , or once about every nine to eleven days . the terms “ twice per month ” or “ twice monthly ” mean that an oral dosage form is administered twice , i . e ., two times , during a monthly calendar period . in a twice monthly regimen , the oral dosage forms may be administered on consecutive days or once about every fourteen to sixteen days . the terms “ monthly ” or “ once monthly ” mean that an oral dosage form is administered once , i . e ., one time during a monthly calendar period , that is , about every 28 to 31 days . mixed nomenclature is currently in use by those of ordinary skill in the art , for example reference to a specific weight or percentage of a bisphosphonate active ingredient is on an anhydrous monosodium salt basis for risedronate . for the present invention , the phrase “ about 35 mg of risedronate , pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof , and mixtures thereof , on an anhydrous monosodium salt basis ” means that the amount of the risedronate compound selected is calculated based on about 35 mg of anhydrous risedronate monosodium salt . generally , the oral dosage forms of the present invention will contain from about 1 mg to about 250 mg of risedronate on a risedronate anhydrous monosodium salt basis . a daily oral dosage form of the present invention contains from about 1 mg to about 10 mg risedronate on a risedronate anhydrous monosodium salt basis . a weekly oral dosage form contains from about 10 to about 70 mg risedronate on a risedronate anhydrous monosodium salt basis , preferably from 15 to about 55 mg risedronate , more preferably from about 35 mg to about 50 mg risedronate . a twice monthly oral dosage form contains from about 20 to about 120 mg risedronate , preferably about 75 mg to about 90 mg risedronate on a risedronate anhydrous monosodium salt basis . an oral dosage form that is administered three times per month contains from about 15 to about 90 mg risedronate , preferably about 50 mg to about 75 mg risedronate , on a risedronate anhydrous monosodium salt basis . a monthly oral dosage form contains from about 50 to about 280 mg risedronate , preferably from about 100 to about 250 mg risedronate , and more preferably about 150 to about 200 mg risedronate on a risedronate anhydrous monosodium salt basis . in one embodiment of the invention the dosage form contains about 100 % of the effective amount of the risedronate as equivalent non - chelating agent containing , non - delayed , immediate released risedronate tablets . in yet another embodiment of the invention the dosage form is about 145 % of the effective amount of the risedronate as equivalent non - chelating agent containing , non - delayed , immediate released risedronate tablets . the term “ chelating agent ,” as used herein , means a molecule containing two or more electron donor atoms that can form coordinate bonds to a single metal ion . the term “ chelating agent ” is understood to include the chelating agent as well as salts thereof . for example , the term “ chelating agent ” includes citric acid as well as its salt forms . the most common and widely used chelating agents coordinate to metal atoms through oxygen or nitrogen donor atoms , or both . other less common chelating agents coordinate through sulfur in the form of — sh ( thiol or mercapto ) groups . after the first coordinate bond is formed , each successive donor atom that binds creates a ring containing the metal atom . a chelating agent may be bidentate , tridentate , tetradentate , etc ., depending upon whether it contains two , three , four , or more donor atoms capable of binding to the metal atom . see kirk - othmer encyclopedia of chemical technology ( 4th ed . 2001 ). in homogeneous dilute solutions , the equilibrium constant for the formation of the complex from the solvated metal ion ( e . g ., calcium ) and the chelating agent in its fully dissociated form is called the formation or stability constant , k . the practical significance of formation constants is that a high log k value means a large ratio of chelated to unchelated ( or free ) metal ion , when equivalent amounts of metal ion and chelating agent are present . higher ratios ( or difference if k is expressed in log units ) of the chelating agent and the bisphosphonate complexation constants are preferred in order to have nearly all of the metal ion complexed to the chelating agent instead of the bisphosphonate . for example , for equal molar amounts of both bisphosphonate and the chelating agent , in order for the metal ions to be 99 % complexed to the chelating agent , the chelating agent must have a log k which is at least 4 units higher than the bisphosphonate - metal ion complex . the other technique which can be used to favor the chelating agent - metal ion complex over that of the bisphosphonate - metal ion complex is to add a molar excess of the chelating agent which relies on the law of mass action to favor formation of the chelating agent - metal ion complex . although ph and solution concentration can affect the formation constant , in general , the log k of the chelating agent is preferably at least equal to that of the bisphosphonate . in other instances the log k of the chelating agent is 2 to 5 units higher than that of the bisphosphonate . in other instances , the chelating agent is present at a molar excess to that of the bisphosphonate . the chelating agent in such instances is present in at least a 2 : 1 molar ratio of the chelating agent to bisphosphonate . the chelating agent and the form it is administered is at least 50 % as soluble in water as risedronate . in other instances the chelating agent and the form it is administered may have a solubility comparable to or greater than that of risedronate . in one embodiment , the chelating agent is selected from the group consisting of sodium or disodium edta , citric acid , malic acid , tartaric acid , lactic acid , adipic acid , succinic acid , lysine , sodium hexametaphosphate , and combinations thereof . in another embodiment , the chelating agent is sodium of disodium edta , citric acid , or sodium hexametaphosphate . the amount of chelating agent present in the oral dosage form of the present invention will depend on the particular chelating agent or agents ( i . e . mixtures of chelating agents ) selected , the amount of bisphosphonate active ingredient present in the oral dosage form , and the specific portion of the small intestine where delivery and release of the chelating agent and / or bisphosphonate active ingredient is desired . after the ingestion of milk , it has been shown in the art that the concentration of calcium decreases over the length of the lower gi tract , beginning with the small intestine and proceeding through to the end of the small intestine . mahe , j . et al ., gastroileal nitrogen and electrolyte movements after bovine milk ingestion in humans , am . j . clin . nutr . 56 : 410 - 16 ( 1992 ). the concentration of calcium in the stomach is approximately 10 - fold higher than that of the concentration in the jejunum and approximately 40 times that in the ileum . thus , if the risedronate and chelating agent were released in the stomach ( with food ), the amount of chelating agent of the present invention would be insufficient to overcome the effect of calcium on drug absorption . the concentration of calcium in the jejunum and ileum are lower and by targeting release of the dosage form in these regions where the amount of calcium is lower , the chelating agent is more effective at binding most of all of the calcium than if released in the stomach . it is also desirable not only to have targeted release of the tablet in the small intestine but after the coating dissolves the chelating agent and risedronate from the core tablet releases in an immediate release fashion . this maximizes the local concentration of the chelating agent in relationship to that of the calcium in the small intestine . slow or prolonged delivery of the chelating agent in the small intestine does not achieve the desired local concentration of the chelating agent and this type of delivery will not overcome the food effect . generally , the oral dosage forms of the present invention will contain a safe and effective amount of a chelating agent suitable for achieving the desired chelating effect , that is , chelating the residual metal ions that are present in the gastrointestinal tract from food at the site of delivery without significantly affecting the absorption of the bisphosphonate had no food been present . in one embodiment , the oral dosage form contains from about 10 mg to about 1000 mg of a chelating agent per unit dose . in another embodiment , the oral dosage forms contain from about 10 mg to about 500 mg of a chelating agent per unit dose . when the chelating agent is disodium edta , the preferred range is from about 55 mg to about 500 mg , preferably from about 75 mg to about 250 mg per unit dose . when the chelating agent is citric acid , the preferred range is from about 100 mg to about 970 mg , preferably from about 250 mg to about 500 mg per unit dose . the ultimate site of and / or the rate of delivery in the small intestine can be satisfactorily controlled by one skilled in the art , by manipulating any one or more of the following : ( a ) the active ingredient proper ; ( b ) the type and level of disintegrant ; ( c ) the type of coating , the type and level of excipients added to the coating and the concomitant desirable thickness and permeability ( swelling properties ) of the coating ; ( d ) the time dependent conditions of the coating itself and / or within the coated tablet , particle , bead , or granule ; ( e ) the particle size of the granulated active ingredient ; ( f ) the ph dependent conditions of the coating itself and / or within the coated tablet , particle , bead , or granule ; ( g ) the particle size or solubility of the chelating agent ; ( h ) the dissolution rate of the coating ; ( i ) size or shape of the tablet . in addition the pharmacodynamic effect of the tablets , after multiple dosing , should be within at least 75 % of the comparable immediate release tablet . a human or other mammal suffering from diseases or disorders involving calcium and phosphate metabolism can be successfully treated by the delivery of risedronate to the small intestine of said human or other mammal . the novel dosage forms described herein effect an immediate release to the small intestine , and prohibit the undesired release of risedronate in the mouth , pharynx , esophagus , and / or stomach , thereby prohibiting the erosion , ulceration , or other like irritation of the epithelial or mucosal layers of these tissues . the chelant and risedronate are released rapidly and as close to simultaneously as possible . this causes the local concentration of chelating agent to be higher in relationship to the metal ions in the food . the higher local concentration of chelating agent in the environment where the active is released may more effectively complex the metals in the food and facilitate absorption of the bisphosphonate . this can be conveniently achieved from a single tablet . various means for targeting release of risedronate and the chelating agent in the small intestine are suitable for use in the present invention . non - limiting examples of means for delivery to the small intestine include ph triggered delivery systems and time dependent delivery systems . one embodiment of the present invention involves coating ( or otherwise encapsulating ) the risedronate and the chelating agent ( s ) with a substance which is not broken down , by the gastrointestinal fluids to release the risedronate and the chelating agent until a specific desired point in the intestinal tract is reached . in one embodiment , delayed release of the pharmaceutical composition is achieved by coating the tablet , capsule , particles , or granules , of the risedronate and the chelating agent with a substance which is ph dependent , i . e ., broken down or dissolves at a ph which is generally present in the small intestine , but not present in the upper gi tract ( i . e ., the mouth , buccal cavity , pharynx , esophagus , or stomach ) or lower gi tract . in some cases , it may be desirable that the risedronate and the chelating agent are released at a particular location in the small intestine . in other cases , it may be desirable to release the risedronate and the chelating agent independently at different locations within the small intestine . for example , it may be desirable to release the chelating agent in the , jenunum and the risedronate in the . ileum when targeted release of the risedronate and the chelating agent together or separately in particular locations within the small intestine is desired , the selection of the coating material and / or the method of coating or otherwise combining the risedronate and the chelating agent with the selected coating material or other pharmaceutically - acceptable excipients may be varied or altered as is described herein , or by any method known to one skilled in the art . solubility , acidity , and susceptibility to hydrolysis of the different risedronate active ingredients , such as acid addition salts , salts formed with the phosphonic group ( e . g ., alkali metal salts , alkaline earth metal salts , etc . ), and esters ( e . g ., alkyl , alkenyl , aryl , arylalkyl ) may be used as guidelines for the proper choice of coating . in addition , suitable ph conditions might be established within the coated tablets , particles , or granules by adding a suitable buffer to the active ingredient in accordance with the desired release pattern . one embodiment of the present invention is delivered to the small intestine utilizing a ph dependent enteric coating material made from a partly methyl esterified methacrylic acid polymer . the oral dosage form can be in the form of an enteric coated compressed tablet made of granules or particles of active ingredient . any enteric coating which is insoluble at a ph below 5 . 5 ( i . e ., that generally found in the mouth , pharynx , esophagus , and stomach ), but soluble between about ph 5 . 5 and about ph 6 . 5 ( i . e ., that present in the small intestine ) can be used in the practice of the present invention . accordingly , when it is desired to effect delivery of the bisphosphonate and the chelating agent to the small intestine , any enteric coating is suitable which is wholly - or partially - insoluble at a ph below 5 . 5 and soluble at about a ph 5 . 5 to about ph 6 . 5 . the enteric coating must be applied to the compressed tablet , or capsule ( e . g ., gelatin , starch , or hydroxypropylmethylcellulose ) in a sufficient thickness so that the entire coating does not dissolve in gastrointestinal fluids at a ph below 5 . 5 , but does dissolve at a ph above about 5 . 5 and below ph about 6 . 5 . the dissolution or disintegration of the excipient coating generally does not occur until the entry of the coated dosage form into the small intestine . it is expected that any anionic polymer exhibiting the requisite ph - dependent solubility profile can be used as an enteric coating in the practice of the present invention to achieve delivery of the bisphosphonate and chelating agent to the small intestine . the coating chosen must be compatible with the particular risedronate active ingredient selected . the preferred polymers for use in the present invention are anionic carboxylic polymers . it is particularly preferred that the polymers are acrylic polymers , more preferably partly methyl - esterified methacrylic acid polymers , in which the ratio of free anionic carboxyl groups to ester groups is about 1 : 1 a particularly suitable methacrylic acid copolymer is eudragit l ®, particularly eudragit l 30 d - 55 ® and eudragit l 100 - 55 ®, manufactured by röhm pharma gmbh and co . kg , darmstadt , germany . in eudragit l 30 d - 55 ®, the ratio of free carboxyl groups to ester groups is approximately 1 : 1 . further , said copolymer is known to be insoluble in gi fluids having a ph below 5 . 5 , generally 1 . 5 - 5 . 5 , i . e ., that generally present in the fluid of the upper gi tract , but readily soluble at ph above 5 . 5 , i . e ., that generally present in the fluid of the small intestine . the coating can , and usually will , contain a plasticizer and possibly other coating excipients such as coloring agents , surfactant , talc , and / or magnesium stearate , many of which are well known in the coating art . in particular , anionic carboxylic acrylic polymers usually will contain 10 - 25 % by weight of a plasticizer , especially triethyl citrate , tributyl citrate , acteyltriethyl citrate , dibutyl phthalate , diethyl phthalate , polyethylene glycol , acetylated monoglycerides propylene glycol , and triacetin . conventional coating techniques such as fluid - bed or pan coating are employed to apply the coating . coating thickness must be sufficient to ensure that the oral dosage form remains essentially intact until the desired site of delivery in the small intestine is reached . the solid oral dosage form may be in the form of a coated compressed tablet which contains particles or granules of the bisphosphonate active ingredient and the chelating agent , or of a soft or hard capsule ( e . g ., gelatin , starch , or hydroxypropylmethylcellulose ), coated or uncoated , which contains beads or particles of the bisphosphonate active ingredient and the chelating agent , which themselves are enterically coated . in an embodiment of the invention the tablets are compressed and the tablet is enteric coated . suitable enteric coating materials include eudragit l - 100 ®, eudragit l 30 d - 55 ®, cellulose acetate phthalate , shellac , or any enteric coating material that dissolves at about ph 5 . 5 to about 6 . 5 . the enteric coating is applied using various spray techniques known to one skilled in the art . the enteric coating may further comprise one or more pharmaceutically - acceptable excipients including , but not limited to , talc , triethyl citrate , polyethylene glycol , tween 80 ® ( polyoxyethylene sorbitan monooleate , available from sigma chemical co ., st . louis , mo . ), castor oil . the enteric coating is applied to the tablet core to provide a weight gain of 2 . 5 % to 40 %. the tablet core comprises a bisphosphonate active ingredient , a chelating agent , and may contain one or more pharmaceutically - acceptable excipients . suitable excipients include , but are not limited to , crystalline cellulose , lactose , calcium hydrogen phosphate , polyvinylpyrrolidone , magnesium stearate , sucrose , starch , magnesium oxide , sodium starch glycolate and sodium lauryl sulfate . in another embodiment of the invention , delivery of the risedronate and the chelating agent to the small intestine is achieved through the use of a time dependent delivery system . given established transit times after gastric emptying , drug and / or chelating agent release can be targeted to the various segments of the small intestine . approaches to time dependent delivery systems suitable for use in the present invention include , but are not limited to , such devices as the pulsincap ™ ( scherer dds , strathclyde , u . k . ), the time clock ™ ( zambon group , milan , italy ), and syncrodose ™ ( penwest , patterson , n . y . ), as well as various coatings which degrade over time to release tablet contents such as hydroxypropylmethylcellulose , hydroxypropylcellulose , or any suitable hydrogel . in one embodiment of the invention , the time - dependent device pulsincap ™ is used to target delivery of the active ingredient and the chelating agent to the small intestine . the active ingredient and other excipients , including the chelating agent , are contained inside the pulsincap ™ water - insoluble capsule by means of a hydrogel plug which is covered by a water - soluble cap . the entire dose form is optionally coated in an enteric - coating material to protect the dose form from degradation while in transit through the upper gi tract . when the patient swallows the pulsincap ™ dosage form , the water - soluble cap dissolves and exposes the hydrogel plug to gastric and / or intestinal fluids . the hydrogel cap then swells , and eventually pops out of the capsule body , thus releasing the capsule contents . release of the capsule contents can be targeted to specific regions of the small intestine by modifying the hydrogel plug properties . watts , peter j . & amp ; illum , lisbeth , drug dev . and indus . pharm ., 23 ( 9 ): 893 - 917 ( 1997 ). in one embodiment of the invention , a time dependent coating is applied over a compressed tablet and then an enteric coating is applied over the time dependent coating . this is used to target delivery of the active ingredient and the chelating agent to the small intestine . the active ingredient and other excipients , including the chelating agent , are contained inside the core tablet . the entire dose form is coated with a time dependent coating and then an enteric coating . the enteric - coating material is to protect the dose form from degradation while in transit through the upper gi tract . when the patient swallows the dosage form the enteric coating dissolves after the dosage form leaves the stomach and then the core tablet starts to swell . eventually , at a predetermined time in the small intestine fluids , the time dependent coating will rupture and releases the contents of the core tablet in the small intestine . release of the core tablet contents can be targeted to specific regions of the small intestine by modifying the core tablet , time dependent coating and / or the enteric coating . pharmaceutically - acceptable excipients include , but are not limited to , polymers , resins , plasticizers , fillers , lubricants , diluents , binders , disintegrants , solvents , co - solvents , surfactants , buffer systems , preservatives , sweetener agents , flavoring agents , pharmaceutical - grade dyes or pigments , chelating agents , viscosity agents , and combinations thereof . pharmaceutically - acceptable excipients can be used in any component in making the oral dosage form , i . e . core tablet or coating . flavoring agents and dyes and pigments among those useful herein include but are not limited to those described in handbook of pharmaceutical excipients ( 4th ed ., pharmaceutical press 2003 ). suitable co - solvents include , but are not limited to , ethanol , isopropanol , and acetone . suitable surfactants include , but are not limited to , polyoxyethylene sorbitan fatty acid esters , polyoxyethylene monoalkyl ethers , sucrose monoesters , simethicone emulsion , sodium lauryl sulfate , tween 80 ®, and lanolin esters and ethers . suitable preservatives include , but are not limited to , phenol , alkyl esters of parahydroxybenzoic acid , benzoic acid and the salts thereof , boric acid and the salts thereof , sorbic acid and the salts thereof , chlorbutanol , benzyl alcohol , thimerosal , phenylmercuric acetate and nitrate , nitromersol , benzalkonium chloride , cetylpyridinium chloride , methyl paraben , and propyl paraben . suitable fillers include , but are not limited to , starch , lactose , sucrose , maltodextrin , and microcrystalline cellulose . suitable plasticizers include , but are not limited to , triethyl citrate , polyethylene glycol , propylene glycol , dibutyl phthalate , castor oil , acetylated monoglycerides , and triacetin . suitable polymers include , but are not limited to , ethylcellulose , cellulose acetate trimellitate , hydroxypropylmethylcellulose phthalate , cellulose acetate phthalate , polyvinyl acetate phthalate , and eudragit ® l 30 - d , eudragit ® l 100 - 55 , ( röhm pharma gmbh and co . kg , darmstadt , germany ), and acryl - eze ® and sureteric ® ( colorcon , inc ., west point , pa .). suitable lubricants include , but are not limited to , magnesium stearate , stearic acid , and talc . the present invention further relates to a method of treating or preventing diseases characterized by abnormal calcium and phosphate metabolism comprising administering to a human or other mammal in need thereof a safe and effective amount of a pharmaceutical composition delivered to said human or other mammal via the oral dosage forms described herein . diseases characterized by abnormal calcium and phosphate metabolism include , but are not limited to , osteoporosis , paget &# 39 ; s disease ( osteitis deformans ), hyperparathyroidism , hypercalcemia of malignancy , osteolytic bone metastasis , myositis ossificans progressiva , calcinosis universalis , and such afflictions as arthritis , neuritis , bursitis , tendonitis , and other inflammatory conditions which predispose involved tissue to deposition of calcium phosphates . the oral dosage forms of the present invention are suitable for administration to a patient according to a continuous dosing interval of daily , weekly , three times per month , twice monthly , and monthly . the present invention further comprises kits that are particularly useful for administering the oral dosage forms described herein according to a continuous dosing schedule of daily , weekly , three times per month , twice monthly , or monthly . such kits comprise one or more oral dosage forms comprising risedronate and a chelating agent and a means for facilitating compliance with methods of this invention . such kits provide a convenient and effective means for assuring that the subject to be treated takes the appropriate oral dosage form in the correct dosage and in the correct manner . the compliance means of such kits includes any means which facilitates administering the active according to a method of this invention . such compliance means includes instructions , packaging , and dispensing means , and combinations thereof . the kits can also comprise a means for aiding the memory , including but not limited to a listing of the days of the week , numbering , illustrations , arrows , braille , calendar stickers , reminder cards , or other means specifically selected by the patient . examples of packaging and dispensing means are well known in the art , including those described in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 761 , 406 , flora et al ., issued aug . 2 , 1988 ; and u . s . pat . no . 4 , 812 , 311 , uchtman , issued mar . 14 , 1989 . optionally , the kits can comprise at least one oral dosage form comprising a risedronate and a chelating agent and at least one oral dosage form of an accompanying nutrient . preferred nutrients are calcium and / or vitamin d . oral forms of calcium suitable for use in the present invention include capsules , compressed tablets , chewable tablets , and the like . typical salt forms of calcium suitable for use in the present invention include but are not limited to calcium carbonate , calcium citrate , calcium malate , calcium citrate malate , calcium glubionate , calcium gluceptate , calcium gluconate , calcium lactate , dibasic calcium phosphate , and tribasic calcium phosphate . in one embodiment , kits of the present invention may include tablets comprising 400 mg to 1500 mg calcium . the term “ vitamin d ,” as used herein , refers to any form of vitamin d that may be administered to a mammal as a nutrient . vitamin d is metabolized in the body to provide what is often referred to as “ activated ” forms of vitamin d . the term “ vitamin d ” can include activated and non - activated forms of vitamin d , as well as precursors and metabolites of such forms . precursors of these activated forms include vitamin d 2 ( ergocalciferol , produced in plants ) and vitamin d 3 ( cholecalciferol , produced in skin and found in animal sources and used to fortify foods ). vitamins d 2 and d 3 have similar biological efficacy in humans . non - activated metabolites of vitamins d 2 and d 3 include hydroxylated forms of vitamins d 2 and d 3 . activated vitamin d analogs cannot be administered in large doses on an intermittent schedule , due to their toxicity in mammals . however , non - activated vitamin d 2 , vitamin d 3 , and their metabolites may be administered in larger doses than “ active ” forms of vitamin d on an intermittent basis , without toxicity . in one embodiment , kits of the present invention may include tablets comprising 100 iu to 10 , 000 iu of vitamin d . in another embodiment , kits of the present invention may include one or more nutrient tablets comprising both calcium and vitamin d . in a further embodiment , the unit dose of nutrient comprises about 600 mg calcium and about 400 iu vitamin d . the following non - limiting examples illustrate the formulations , processes , and uses of the present invention . enteric - coated tablets containing risedronate and edta are made by preparing a coating composition and compressed tablets containing risedronate and edta , and then applying said coating composition to said tablets . an enteric coating composition is prepared in the form of a lacquer containing the following excipients , per tablet : a pigment suspension is prepared by adding polysorbate 80 , ground ferric oxide , and talc to approximately two - thirds of the purified water while mixing . the suspension is mixed for at least two hours . the 30 % simethicone emulsion and the remaining water are added to the pigment suspension and mixed for at least 45 minutes . the eudragit l 30 d - 55 solution and triethyl citrate are combined and mixed for at least 45 minutes . the pigment suspension is then added to the eudragit solution and mixed for 30 to 60 minutes . the resulting coating suspension is screened and mixed throughout the coating process . the core tablets are transferred to the coating pan and preheated with occasional jogging . tablets are coated , using a typical pan coating process until the required quantity of coating solution has been applied . tablets are then cooled and collected in suitable containers . a coating weight gain of 30 % ( total solids ) is applied by spraying the above composition onto compressed tablets containing risedronate and edta , prepared in part b below . the enteric coating suspension prepared in part a above is sprayed onto 35 mg risedronate tablets , each tablet weighing 240 mg and each containing : * this amount is calculated on a risedronate anhydrous monosodium salt basis . tablets having the composition set forth above are prepared as follows : the risedronate sodium , edetate disodium , sodium starch glycolate , and microcrystalline cellulose are passed through a mill and added to a blender equipped with an intensifier bar . the mixture is blended for approximately ten minutes with the intensifier bar on . the stearic acid and magnesium stearate are screened and added to the blender . the blend is mixed for approximately 3 minutes with the intensifier bar off . the blend is compressed into tablets using a suitable tablet press . enteric - coated tablets containing risedronate sodium are prepared as described below , using a similar method set forth in example i . a coating composition is prepared from a lacquer containing the following excipients , per tablet : a coating weight of 40 % weight gain is applied by conventional pan coating to tablets containing 150 mg risedronate and 75 mg edta so that oval tablets , each weighing 500 mg , result . the composition of each tablet is as follows : * this amount is calculated on a risedronate anhydrous monosodium salt basis . enteric - coated tablets containing risedronate and edta are made by preparing a coating composition and compressed tablets containing risedronate and edta , and then applying said coating composition to said tablets . an enteric coating composition is prepared in the form of a lacquer containing the following excipients , per tablet : a pigment suspension is prepared by adding polysorbate 80 , ground ferric oxide , and talc to approximately two - thirds of the purified water while mixing . the suspension is mixed for at least two hours . the 30 % simethicone emulsion and the remaining water are added to the pigment suspension and mixed for at least 45 minutes . the eudragit l 30 d - 55 solution and triethyl citrate are combined and mixed for at least 45 minutes . the pigment suspension is then added to the eudragit solution and mixed for 30 to 60 minutes . the resulting coating suspension is screened and mixed throughout the coating process . the core tablets are transferred to the coating pan and preheated with occasional jogging . tablets are coated , using a typical pan coating process until the required quantity of coating solution has been applied . tablets are then cooled and collected in suitable containers . a coating weight gain of approximately 10 % ( total solids ) is applied by spraying the above composition onto compressed tablets containing risedronate and edta , prepared in part b below . the enteric coating suspension prepared in part a above is sprayed onto 35 mg risedronate tablets , each tablet weighing 290 mg and each containing : * this amount is calculated on a risedronate anhydrous monosodium salt basis . tablets having the composition set forth above are prepared as follows : the risedronate sodium , edetate disodium , sodium starch glycolate , ½ of the prosolv smcc90 , ½ of the stearic acid and ½ of the magnesium stearate are passed through a mill and added to a blender equipped with an intensifier bar . the mixture is blended for approximately twenty minutes with the intensifier bar on and then chilsonated and milled . the remaining prosolv smcc90 , and stearic acid are added and mixed for another 10 minutes . the remaining magnesium stearate is screened and added to the blender with the granulation . the blend is mixed for approximately 3 minutes with the intensifier bar off . the blend is compressed into tablets using a suitable tablet press . enteric - coated tablets containing risedronate and edta are made by preparing a coating composition and compressed tablets containing risedronate and edta , and then applying said coating composition to said tablets . an enteric coating composition is prepared in the form of a lacquer containing the following excipients , per tablet : a pigment suspension is prepared by adding polysorbate 80 , ground ferric oxide , white chromatone , and talc to approximately two - thirds of the purified water while mixing . the suspension is mixed for at least two hours . the 30 % simethicone emulsion and the remaining water are added to the pigment suspension and mixed for at least 45 minutes . the eudragit l 30 d - 55 solution and triethyl citrate are combined and mixed for at least 45 minutes . the pigment suspension is then added to the eudragit solution and mixed for 30 to 60 minutes . the resulting coating suspension is screened and mixed throughout the coating process . the core tablets are transferred to the coating pan and preheated with occasional jogging . tablets are coated , using a typical pan coating process until the required quantity of coating solution has been applied . tablets are then cooled and collected in suitable containers . a coating weight gain of approximately 9 % ( total solids ) is applied by spraying the above composition onto compressed tablets containing risedronate and edta , prepared in part b below . the enteric coating suspension prepared in part a above is sprayed onto 50 mg risedronate tablets , each tablet weighing 414 . 3 mg and each containing : * this amount is calculated on a risedronate anhydrous monosodium salt basis . tablets having the composition set forth above are prepared as follows : the risedronate sodium , edetate disodium , sodium starch glycolate , ½ of the prosolv smcc90 , ½ of the stearic acid and ½ of the magnesium stearate are passed through a mill and added to a blender equipped with an intensifier bar . the mixture is blended for approximately twenty minutes with the intensifier bar on and then chilsonated and milled . the remaining prosolv smcc90 , and stearic acid are added and mixed for another 10 minutes . the remaining magnesium stearate is screened and added to the blender with the granulation . the blend is mixed for approximately 3 minutes with the intensifier bar off . the blend is compressed into tablets using a suitable tablet press . enteric - coated tablets containing risedronate and edta are made by preparing a coating composition and compressed tablets containing risedronate and edta , and then applying said coating composition to said tablets . an enteric coating composition is prepared in the form of a lacquer containing the following excipients , per tablet : the talc and black iron oxide are added to a portion of purified water and mixed until uniform . the triethylcitrate is added with continuous mixing . the resulting pigment suspension is next passed through a screen or a suitable mill to break up agglomerates . the eudragit l 30 d - 55 ® is screened and then added to a suitable vessel and diluted with a portion of the purified water . the pigment suspension is then added to the diluted eudragit suspension and mixed until uniform . in a suitable coating pan , the compressed tablets ( 10 kg ) containing risedronate and edta , described below , are warmed to about 30 - 35 ° c . the enteric coating suspension is sprayed onto the tablets at approximately 30 grams per minute . when the spray cycle is completed , the temperature is reduced and the tablets are removed and dried at 30 - 35 ° c . for approximately 1 hour . a coating weight gain of 35 % ( total solids ) is applied by spraying the above composition onto compressed tablets containing risedronate and edta , prepared in part b below . the enteric coating suspension prepared in part a above is sprayed onto 5 mg risedronate tablets , each tablet weighing 240 mg and each containing : * this amount is calculated on a risedronate anhydrous monosodium salt basis . tablets having the composition set forth above are prepared as follows : the tablets are prepared by sieving the risedronate active ingredient and the edta with ½ of the microcrystalline cellulose into a twin shell blender . the blend is then mixed until uniform . then , ½ of the stearic acid is added and the blend is mixed further . the blend is then is roller compacted and milled . the remaining microcrystalline cellulose and sodium starch glycolate are added and mixed until uniform . the remaining stearic acid is then added and mixed until adequate lubrication is achieved . tablets are then compressed on a rotary tablet press . time dependent and enteric tablets containing risedronate and sodium citrate are made by preparing a two layer coating composition and compressed tablets containing risedronate and sodium citrate and then applying said coating composition to said tablets . the first layer ( time dependent coating layer ) coating composition is prepared in the form of a polymer containing the following excipients , per tablet : a solution is prepared by adding the ethylcellulose to approximately two - thirds of the toluene : ethyl alcohol mixture while mixing . the solution is mixed for at least two hours . the dibuty sebacate is added and mixed for an additional two hours . the resulting coating solution is screened and mixed throughout the coating process . a pigment suspension is prepared by adding ground ferric oxide , and talc to approximately two - thirds of the purified water while mixing . the suspension is mixed for at least two hours . the eudragit l 30 d - 55 solution and triethyl citrate are combined and mixed for at least 45 minutes . the pigment suspension is then added to the eudragit solution and mixed for 30 to 60 minutes . the resulting coating suspension is screened and mixed throughout the coating process . the compressed tablets are transferred to the coating pan and preheated with occasional jogging . the compressed tablets are coated with the time dependent coating then with the enteric coating suspension using a typical pan coating process until the required quantity of coating solution has been applied . tablets are then cooled and collected in suitable containers . a coating weight gain of 10 % for the time dependent coating and 13 % enteric coating ( total solids compared to that of the core tablet weight ) is applied by spraying the above composition ( a and b ) onto compressed tablets containing risedronate and sodium citrate prepared in part c below . the acid soluble coating and the enteric coating suspension prepared in part a and b above is sprayed onto 5 mg risedronate tablets , each tablet weighing 500 mg and each containing : * this amount is calculated on a risedronate anhydrous monosodium salt basis . tablets having the composition set forth above are prepared as follows : the risedronate sodium , sodium citrate , microcrystalline cellulose , croscarmellose sodium , mannitol and polyvinylpyrrolidone are passed through a mill and added to a blender equipped with an intensifier bar . the mixture is blended for approximately ten minutes with the intensifier bar on and granulated with purified water for 15 minutes . the mixture is dried overnight at 30 ° c ., passed through a mill . the magnesium stearate is screened and added to the blender . the blend is mixed for approximately 3 minutes with the intensifier bar off . the blend is compressed into tablets using a suitable tablet press . time dependent delivery tablets containing risedronate and edta are made by preparing a coating composition and compressed tablets containing risedronate and edta , and then applying said coating composition to said tablets . a coating composition is prepared containing the following excipients , per tablet : the carnauba wax , beeswax , polyoxyethlyene sorbitan monooleate , and hydroxypropylmethylcellulose are added to the purified water at 60 ° c . and mixed for 3 hours . the resulting coating mixture is screened and mixed throughout the coating process . the core tablets are transferred to the coating pan and preheated with occasional jogging . tablets are coated , using a typical pan coating process until the required quantity of coating solution ( at 60 ° c .) has been applied . tablets are then cooled and collected in suitable containers . a coating weight gain of 30 % ( total solids ) is applied by spraying the above composition onto compressed tablets containing risedronate and edta , prepared in part b below . the coating suspension prepared in part a above is sprayed onto 35 mg risedronate tablets , each tablet weighing 500 mg and each containing : * this amount is calculated on a risedronate anhydrous monosodium salt basis . tablets having the composition set forth above are prepared as follows : the risedronate sodium , edta disodium , microcrystalline cellulose , spray dried lactose and sodium starch glycolate are passed through a mill and added to a blender equipped with an intensifier bar . the mixture is blended for approximately ten minutes with the intensifier bar on . the magnesium stearate is screened and added to the blender . the blend is mixed for approximately 3 minutes with the intensifier bar off . the blend is compressed into tablets using a suitable tablet press . enteric - coated tablets containing risedronate and edta are made by preparing a coating composition and compressed tablets containing risedronate and edta , and then applying said coating composition to said tablets . an enteric coating composition is prepared in the form of a lacquer containing the following excipients , per tablet : a pigment suspension is prepared by adding polysorbate 80 , ground ferric oxide , and talc to approximately two - thirds of the purified water while mixing . the suspension is mixed for at least two hours . the 30 % simethicone emulsion and the remaining water are added to the pigment suspension and mixed for at least 45 minutes . the eudragit l30 d - 55 ® solution and triethyl citrate are combined and mixed for at least 45 minutes . the pigment suspension is then added to the eudragit solution and mixed for 30 to 60 minutes . the resulting coating suspension is screened and mixed throughout the coating process . the core tablets are transferred to the coating pan and preheated with occasional jogging . tablets are coated , using a typical pan coating process until the required quantity of coating solution has been applied . tablets are then cooled and collected in suitable containers . the enteric coating suspension prepared in part a above is sprayed onto 35 mg risedronate tablets , each tablet weighing 240 mg and prepared as in example ib enteric - coated capsules containing risedronate and edta are made by preparing a coating composition and soft gelatin capsules containing risedronate and edta , and then applying said coating composition to said soft gelatin capsules . an enteric coating composition is prepared in the form of a lacquer containing the following excipients , per tablet : a pigment suspension is prepared by adding polysorbate 80 , ground ferric oxide , and talc to approximately two - thirds of the purified water while mixing . the suspension is mixed for at least two hours . the 30 % simethicone emulsion and the remaining water are added to the pigment suspension and mixed for at least 45 minutes . the eudragit l 30 d - 55 solution and dibutylphthalate are combined and mixed for at least 45 minutes . the pigment suspension is then added to the eudragit solution and mixed for 30 to 60 minutes . the resulting coating suspension is screened and mixed throughout the coating process . the soft gelatin capsules are transferred to the coating pan and preheated with occasional jogging . the soft gelatin capsules are coated , using a typical pan coating process until the required quantity of coating solution has been applied . capsules are then cooled and collected in suitable containers . a coating weight gain of 13 % ( total solids ) is applied by spraying the above composition onto soft gelatin capsules containing risedronate and edta , prepared in part b below . the enteric coating suspension prepared in part a above is sprayed onto 50 mg risedronate soft gelatin capsules , each weighing 764 mg and each containing : * this amount is calculated on a risedronate anhydrous monosodium salt basis . soft gelatin capsules having the composition set forth above are prepared as follows : the oleoyl macrogol - 6 glycerides is added to a suspension tank equipped with an overhead mixer . the risedronate sodium , disodium edta , colloidal silicon dioxide are passed through a mill and added to the oleoyl macrogol - 6 glycerides with continued mixing . the mixture is blended for approximately 60 minutes . the blend is then deaerated and ready for filling into capsules . with mixing , the glycerin , sorbitol special , and purified water are combined in a heated vacuum vessel . heat is applied until the temperature reaches at least 80 ° c ., then the gelatin is added and mixed for 75 minutes . the gel mass is examined for complete dissolution of particles . if needed , continued heating and mixing is applied until there is no visual evidence of undissolved particles . the gel mass is deaerated , then the titanium dioxide , fd & amp ; c red no . 40 and fd & amp ; c blue no . 1 are added with continued mixing . the gel mass is discharged into heated gel holding tanks for subsequent processing . the fill material is then encapsulated on a soft gelatin capsule filler . a 65 kg woman diagnosed with postmenopausal osteoporosis is prescribed the enteric - coated oral dosage form of example i , to be taken once weekly , comprising 35 mg risedronate and 100 mg disodium edta . the patient takes the oral dosage form with breakfast once per week . the amount of risedronate absorbed is equivalent to that of a 35 mg immediate released tablet taken in a fasted state . a 70 kg man diagnosed with prostate cancer and high bone turnover is prescribed the enteric - coated oral dosage form of example i , to be taken once weekly , comprising 35 mg risedronate and 150 mg citric acid . the patient takes the oral dosage form once per week , immediately before going to sleep . the patient does not experience upper gi irritation or discomfort . a group of women diagnosed with postmenopausal osteoporosis are prescribed the enteric - coated oral dosage form of example iv comprising 50 mg risedronate , to be taken once weekly . the patients take the oral dosage form with breakfast once per week . the amount of risedronate absorbed is equivalent to that of a 35 mg immediate released tablet taken per label , at 30 minutes before food or drink . all documents cited are , in relevant part , incorporated herein by reference ; the citation of any document is not to be construed as an admission that it is prior art with respect to the present invention . while particular embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described , it would be obvious to those skilled in the art that various other changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . it is therefore intended to cover in the appended claims all such changes and modifications that are within the scope of this invention . | 0 |
the present invention provides a more efficient and predictable means , as compared to the prior art , of forming a stent / graft composite device where the grafts and the stent are simultaneously formed . a planar assembly strip , having planar graft material securely fixed to a planar wire used to form a tubular structure . because the assembly strip contains a securely fixed graft and wire , the present invention avoids some of the sealing and integrity problems inherent in the prior art as the tubular intraluminal device is created . for example , attaching planar graft material to a planar wire is more predictable , as compared to techniques in the prior art , than attaching graft material to tubular stents or even attaching tubular coverings to tubular stents . because such a planar assembly requires positioning of surfaces and edges in only two dimensions , such a two dimensional positioning is more easily accomplished , and thus more predictable , than a three dimensional positioning . such three dimensional positioning of both a stent / graft material is required for the techniques disclosed in the prior art where tubular stents and tubular grafts are attached to one and the other . in some embodiments of the present invention , additional sealing of graft materials is not required after creating a tubular structure . in other embodiments , additional sealing of the graft material is required to form fluid tight conduits for use as intraluminal devices . such additional sealing , however , is more predictable over the prior art because the assembly strip is formed into tubular shapes with well - defined seams of graft material that can be tightly sealed . fig1 and 2 depict a strip assembly 100 for forming a first embodiment of a tubular stent / graft apparatus of the present invention . strip assembly 100 comprises of a planar graft strip 102 and a planar undulating wire 104 . strip assembly 100 can be formed into a tubular structure by helically winding the strip assembly 100 on a mandrel . planar wire 104 provides , among other things , support of the graft strip 102 for use as an intraluminal device . assembly strips of the present invention can be produced by continuous manufacturing techniques . long strips of the assembly strips can be cut to form the desired size of the stent / graft assembly . as used herein , the term “ wire ” shall refer to stent material of a slender shape with various defined cross - sections having a cross - sectional dimension substantially less than the length of the slender shape . such cross - sections are not limited to spherical shapes , but other shapes , such as , but not limited to , rectangular , square and oval , may suitably be used . for example , the stent material can be in the shape of a rectangular strip . furthermore , as used herein , the term “ strip ” shall refer to a long narrow piece of graft material of approximately uniform breadth . for example , graft strip 102 is described as a strip because a length between a first end 106 and a second end 108 is substantially greater in dimension than the length , or breadth , between a first edge 110 and a second edge 112 of planar side 114 . also , as used herein , the term “ planar ” shall refer to a surface , edge or structure that can be substantially defined in two dimensions . for example , planar side 114 is described as planar because its surface is essentially flat , where it can be defined by vectors in two dimensions , not defined by a vector to any large extent a third dimension . planar wire 104 is disposed in substantially abutting relationship to the surface of planar side 114 . planar wire 104 may be fixed to the graft strip 102 by a variety of well - known techniques . for example , planar wire 104 may be fixed to the graft strip 102 by compressing the planar wire 104 thereon , by bonding the stent wire 104 thereon with adhesives or polymer solvents , followed by an application of heat , in well - known fashion . heat may be applied to strip assembly 100 through external heating means ( not shown ), such as an oven . for example , a coating of fluorinated ethylene propylene ( fep ) may be applied to the surface of planar side 114 , and planar wire 104 may be adhesively bonded thereon with the application of heat . planar wire 104 is disposed onto planar side 114 in an undulated pattern . preferably , the undulated pattern of planar wire 104 is a smooth and regular sinuous pattern , to provide , among other things , flexibility in the structure of the intraluminal device . a feature of such flexibility , imparted by an undulated planar stent wire , is that the tubular structure formed therefrom is radially adjustable . such radial adjustability can be accomplished through use of either a self - expanding mechanism or through the use of balloon catheters , in well - known fashion . furthermore , planar wire 104 is disposed so that it does not extend beyond edges 110 and 112 of planar side 114 . planar wire 104 is so disposed thereon to allow portions of the graft strip 102 to contact one and another as assembly strip 100 is helically wound on a mandrel to form a tubular structure . fig3 and 4 depict the strip assembly 100 that has been helically wound . assembly strip 100 is helically wound to form a substantially continuous tubular stent / graft structure 118 . a technique for helically winding a strip assembly is described below in conjunction with fig1 . in a preferred embodiment , tubular stent / graft structure 118 has a generally spherical cross - section . other cross - sectional shapes , such as , but not limited to , oval , may suitably be used . planar side 116 forms an exterior surface 120 of the tubular stent / graft structure 118 . planar side 114 and planar wire 104 form an interior or luminal surface 122 of the tubular stent / graft structure 118 . strip assembly 100 is helically wound on a mandrel so that successive helical windings create overlaps of graft strip 102 . a portion of planar side 114 abuts a portion of planar side 116 on each successive helical winding , thereby creating an overlap . such overlaps form a seam which can be sealed by aforementioned techniques . upon sealing said seam , the tubular stent / graft structure 118 becomes a substantially fluid tight conduit . fig5 and 6 depict a second embodiment of an assembly strip 124 for use as an intraluminal device . assembly strip 124 comprises planar wire 126 disposed between planar graft strips 128 and 130 . planar graft strips 128 and 130 are composed of the same material as graft material 102 . planar wire 126 undulates between planar graft strips 128 and 130 along the length of said strips therebetween . planar wire 126 is essentially planar to graft strips 128 and 130 . the planar graft strips 128 and 130 may consist of multiple layers of graft material that have been laminated together to form a graft strip thereof . side portion 136 of planar graft strip 128 abuts side portion 138 of planar graft strip 130 along a lengthwise portion of assembly strip 124 to permit formation of a first seam on one side of assembly strip 124 . similarly , side portion 132 of planar graft strip 128 abuts side portion 134 of planar graft strip 130 to permit formation of a second seam on the other side of assembly strip 124 . such seams may be sealed by the aforementioned techniques . planar graft strips 128 and 130 and planar wire 126 are substantially , as depicted in fig5 , coplanar . upon sealing said seams , assembly strip 124 is formed as a pre - assembly strip for use as an intraluminal device . as depicted in fig6 , planar graft strip 128 and 130 are positioned so that each layer is substantially over one and the other . in an alternate embodiment planar graft strips 128 and 130 could be positioned so that one strip is offset from the other strip . offsetting the layers is one technique for controlling the thickness of the final tubular graft and stent device because such an assembly strip can be helically wound with multiple overlaps of the strip . furthermore , the amount of planar graft material forming an overlap can also be controlled . such overlapping techniques are used to adjust flexibility , strength , thickness and bond integrity of the tubular graft / stent assembly . fig7 and 8 depict strip assembly 124 that has been helically wound . assembly strip 124 is helically wound on a mandrel to form a substantially continuous stent / graft structure 140 . in a preferred embodiment , the stent / graft structure 140 is tubular with a generally spherical cross - section . other cross - sectional shapes , such as , but not limited to , oval , may suitably be used . planar graft strip 128 forms an exterior surface 142 of the tubular stent / graft structure 140 . planar graft strip 130 forms an interior or luminal surface 144 of the tubular stent / graft structure 140 . strip assembly 124 is helically wound on a mandrel so that successive helical windings create overlaps with adjacent portions of strip assembly 124 . a portion of planar graft strip 128 abuts a portion of planar graft strip 130 on each successive helical winding to create the overlaps . such overlaps form a seam which can be sealed by aforementioned techniques . upon sealing said seam , the tubular stent / graft structure 140 becomes a substantially fluid tight conduit . fig9 depicts a method for helically winding planar assembly strips . assembly strip 100 is helically wound about mandrel 146 to form a tubular stent / graft structure 118 with overlaps of the assembly strip 100 that form a seam . the aforementioned techniques for sealing overlaps in successive helical windings are used to form a tight fluid seam . after such seam is sealed , structure 118 is removed from mandrel 146 . fig1 and 11 depict a strip assembly 148 for forming another embodiment of a stent / graft apparatus of the present invention . strip assembly 148 comprises planar graft strip 150 and planar wire 152 . planar wire 152 , as depicted in fig1 , is disposed in substantially abutting relation to planar side 154 of the graft strip 150 . furthermore , planar wire 152 is disposed in a substantially straight lengthwise pattern along the length of the graft strip 150 . planar wire 152 is fixed onto the planar side 154 by aforementioned techniques . the straight - lengthwise pattern of planar wire 152 provides for , among other things , flexibility and longitudinal adjustability of the tubular intraluminal device formed therefrom by helically winding techniques . as depicted in fig1 and 13 , assembly strip 148 may be helically wound on a mandrel to form a substantially tubular and continuous stent / graft structure 158 with a generally spherical cross - section . as depicted in fig1 , which is a view of cross - section 13 — 13 of the tubular stent / graft structure 158 , a portion of planar side 154 of assembly strip 148 abuts a portion of planar side 156 of assembly strip 148 on each successive wind to create overlaps in strip assembly 148 . such overlaps form a seam . upon sealing said seam by aforementioned techniques , the tubular stent / graft structure 158 becomes a substantially fluid tight conduit . as depicted in fig1 and 15 , the assembly strip 148 may be helically wound so that successive windings do not overlap , thereby forming a tubular stent / graft structure 160 without overlapping adjacent graft strip portions . such non - overlapping windings allow the tubular stent / graft structure 160 , among other things , to be longitudinally adjustable through use of either a self - expanding mechanism or through a pulling or pushing action by a physician , in well - known fashion . other embodiments of longitudinally adjustable intraluminal devices are shown in fig1 through 21 . as depicted in fig1 and 17 , assembly strip 162 comprises a planar graft strip 164 and a planar ribbon stent strip 166 . the planar ribbon stent strip 166 is disposed in substantially abutting relation , to the planar graft strip 164 . planar ribbon stent strip 166 may be secured to a surface of the planar graft strip 164 by aforementioned techniques . upon helically winding assembly strip 162 on a mandrel , a tubular stent / graft structure 168 , as depicted in fig1 , is formed without overlapping adjacent graft strip portions . fig1 and 20 depict planar wire 174 which undulates along planar side 176 of planar graft strip 172 . planar wire 174 extends or protrudes beyond edges 178 and 180 of the planar strip 172 . upon helically winding assembly strip 170 , a tubular stent / graft structure 182 without overlapping adjacent graft strip portions , as depicted in fig2 , is formed . tubular stent / graft structures 168 and 182 are , among other things , longitudinally adjustable because no seals are formed at adjacent graft strip portions of the tubular structures . as depicted in fig2 , assembly strip 184 may be helically would on a mandrel 188 to form a tubular stent / graft structure 186 , where adjacent portions of assembly strip 184 , are proximally located to one end and the other , or even overlap one and the other . the tubular stent / graft structure 186 may be longitudinally expanded to form tubular stent / graft structure without adjacent overlapping graft strip portions , as depicted in fig2 . furthermore , the tubular stent / graft structure 182 is radially adjustable because of the undulated planar stent wire 174 . fig2 through 34 depict additional embodiments of the present invention for forming fluid tight intraluminal devices . as depicted in fig2 and 24 , assembly strip 190 comprises planar graft strips 192 and 194 . the planar graft strip 192 abuts the overlapping planar ribbon stent strip 194 and may be disposed thereon by aforementioned techniques . as depicted in fig2 , a continuous tubular stent / graft structure 196 may be formed by helically winding assembly strip 190 . successive helical windings on a mandrel create overlaps of adjacent portions of the graft strip 192 and the planar ribbon stent strip 194 , which may be sealed by aforementioned techniques to form fluid tight conduits . as depicted in fig2 - 30 , an assembly strip 198 may be formed from planar graft strip 200 and planar ribbon stent strip 202 . the planar ribbon stent strip 202 contains cuffs 204 and 206 that abut portions of the planar graft strip 200 . upon fixing the cuffs 204 and 206 to the planar graft strip 200 by aforementioned techniques , the assembly strip 198 is formed . a continuous structure 208 , as depicted in fig2 , may be formed by successively winding assembly strip 198 on a mandrel in a manner where side portions of the planar graft strip 200 and the planar ribbon stent strip 202 abut with each successive winding , thereby forming a seam . such a seam may be sealed by the aforementioned techniques to form a fluid tight conduit . fluid tight conduits for use as intraluminal devices may be formed where the interior or luminal surface is substantially continuous , such as structure 210 as depicted in fig3 , or where the exterior surface is substantially continuous , such as structure 220 as depicted in fig3 . such devices with substantially continuous luminal and exterior surfaces may be formed by sealing overlaps formed by helically winding assembly strips 212 and 222 , respectively . the continuity of either the luminal or external surface is controlled by altering the planar ribbon stent strips , e . g ., stent strips 216 and 226 , as depicted in fig3 and 33 . for example , planar ribbon stent strip 216 has a longitudinal fold 218 along one of its sides . the fold 218 is configured so that a portion of the fold 218 abuts a portion of planar graft strip 214 on each successive helical winding to allow the remaining portions of planar ribbon stent strip 216 to form tubular structure with a substantially continuous luminal surface . an intraluminal device with a substantially smooth and continuous exterior surface may be formed from assembly strip 222 . as depicted in fig3 , the assembly strip 222 consists of a planar graft strip 224 and a planar ribbon stent strip 226 . planar stent strip 226 contains a longitudinal fold 228 along one side of its lengthwise portion , a longitudinal fold 230 along the other side of its lengthwise portion . upon helically wind the assembly strip 222 , the continuous tubular stent / graft structure 220 is formed . as depicted in fig3 , which is a cross - sectional view of a portion of structure 220 , longitudinal folds 228 and 230 overlap one and the other on each adjacent helical winding . side portions of planar graft strip 224 also abut one and the other on each adjacent helical winding to form a substantially continuous and smooth exterior surface . the non - woven polymeric graft material may be formed by any conventional method provided the method allows for a porous surface structure to remain or be created . for example , extrusion processes such as ram extrusion ; polymeric casting techniques such as solvent casting and film casting ; molding techniques such as blow molding , injection molding and rotational molding ; and other thermoforming techniques useful with polymeric materials may be employed and chosen to best serve the type of material used and specific characteristics of the membrane desired . graft strips may also be formed by laminating multiple layers of graft material . the preferred membrane material of the present invention is eptfe , although other thermoformable polymeric materials such as porous polyurethane and the like may be employed . the orientation of the fibers forming such polymeric materials can be varied to have the orientation of the fibers in an axial direction of the tubular structure , a longitudinal orientation or some combination thereof . the porous membranes of the present invention need not be structurally sufficient per se to withstand the pressures of blood flow and may be used merely as thin covers or liners for the stents and other devices in applications where dislodging of plaque debris and / or regrowth of the occlusion through the stent wall is of concern . thus , in one embodiment , the membrane may have the structural integrity of a typical endoprosthesis or vascular graft , and in another embodiment the membrane may be of a thinner wall thickness than a typical vascular graft , but sufficient in thickness to serve as a prophylactic liner or cover against the aforementioned debris . the stent may be made from a variety of materials including stainless steel , titanium , platinum , gold and other bio - compatible metals . thermoplastic materials which are inert in the body may also be employed . shaped memory alloys having superelastic properties generally made from specific ratios of nickel and titanium , commonly known as nitinol , are among the preferred stent materials . various stent types and stent constructions may be employed in the invention . among the various stents useful include , without limitation , self - expanding stents and balloon expandable extents . the stents may be capable of radially contracting , as well and in this sense can best be described as radially distensible or deformable . self - expanding stents include those that have a spring - like action which causes the stent to radially expand , or stents which expand due to the memory properties of the stent material for a particular configuration at a certain temperature . nitinol is one material which has the ability to perform well while both in spring - like mode , as well as in a memory mode based on temperature . other materials are of course contemplated , such as stainless steel , platinum , gold , titanium and other biocompatible metals , as well as polymeric stents . the configuration of the stent may also be chosen from a host of geometries . for example , wire stents can be fastened into a continuous helical pattern , with or without a wave - like or zig - zag in the wire , to form a radially deformable stent . individual rings or circular members can be linked together such as by struts , sutures , welding or interlacing or locking of the rings to form a tubular stent . tubular stents useful in the present invention also include those formed by etching or cutting a pattern from a tube . such stents are often referred to as slotted stents . furthermore , stents may be formed by etching a pattern into a material or mold and depositing stent material in the pattern , such as by chemical vapor deposition or the like . the assembly strips of the present invention are not limited to the use of one stent wire positioned onto an assembly strip . a plurality of stent wires may be fixed onto assembly strips to achieve desired stent patterns . various changes in modifications may be made to the invention , and it is intended to include all such changes and modifications as come within the scope of the invention and as set forth in the following claims . | 0 |
the present invention will hereinafter be described in detail with respect to some embodiments thereof shown in the drawings . referring to fig1 which shows the construction of a first embodiment , on an optical path 01 from a lens refractivity measuring light source 1 , such as an infrared led , there are arranged in succession , a light dividing member 2 such as a dichroic mirror transmitting infrared light therethrough , a lens 3 , a lens l to be examined contacted by a contacting member 4 , a dichroic mirror 5 transmitting infrared light therethrough , a lens 6 , a four - aperture stop 7 conjugate with the surface of the lens l to be examined , and a photoelectric sensor 8 such as a two - dimensional charge coupled device ( ccd ). in the direction of incidence of the light dividing member 2 , there is disposed a lens transmittance measuring light source 9 such as a xenon lamp including near ultraviolet light , and on an optical path 02 in the direction of reflection of the dichroic mirror 5 , there are arranged in succession a lens 10 , a slit stop 11 conjugate with the lens l to be examined , a spectrally diverging prism ( spectral prism ) 12 , a lens 13 and a one - dimensional ccd 14 provided conjugately with the lens l to be examined and the stop 11 . a material transmitting ultraviolet light therethrough is used for the lenses 3 , 10 and 13 . also , not lenses but concave mirrors may be used . further , a diffraction grating or the like may be used instead of the spectral prism 12 . if use is made of a xenon lamp emitting ultraviolet light and visible light , this xenon lamp can serve also as the light sources 1 and 9 . the outputs of the photoelectric sensor 8 , the one - dimensional ccd 14 , a measurement starting button 15 and a measurement item selecting button 16 for selecting measurement items , i . e ., refractivity a and transmittance b , are connected to signal processing control means 17 , the output of which is in turn connected to a printer 18 . when the button a of the measurement item selecting button 16 is selected and the measurement starting button 15 is depressed , the lens refractivity measuring light source 1 emits light , and a light beam from the light source 1 passes through the light dividing member 2 and the lens 3 and further passes through the lens l to be examined , the dichroic mirror 5 , the lens 6 and the stop 7 conjugate with the lens l and having four openings around the optical path 01 , and four light beams are received by the photoelectric sensor 8 such as a two - dimensional ccd . the signals of this sensor are processed by the signal processing control means 17 and the refractivity number of the lens l to be examined is calculated from the two - dimensional positions of the four light beams . the specific measurement principle is well known and therefore need not be described herein . on the other hand , when the button b of the measurement item selecting button 16 is selected and the measurement starting button 15 is depressed , the lens transmittance measuring light source 9 emits light , and ultraviolet light from the light source 9 is reflected by the dichroic mirror 5 when it is transmitted through the lens l , and passes through the lens 10 , the slit stop 11 conjugate with the lens l , the spectral prism 12 and the lens 13 and is received by the one - dimensional ccd 14 conjugate with the stop 11 . due to the action of the spectral prism , the light transmitted through the lens l differs in its incidence position on the one - dimensional ccd 14 for each wavelength . the signal from this one - dimensional ccd 14 is processed by the signal processing control means 17 , and the spectral transmittance of the lens l to be examined is obtained from the detected quantity of light of each pixel of the one - dimensional ccd 14 made in advance to correspond to the wavelength of incident light . as described above , when the button a of the measurement item selecting button 16 is depressed , the refractivity of the lens l is found , and when the button b is depressed , the transmittance of the lens l is found , and when the buttons a and b are depressed , the refractivity and the transmittance are measured at a time , and those results are displayed on the printer 18 . referring now to fig2 which shows the construction of a second embodiment , the refractivity measuring system for the lens l to be examined and the signal processing control system subsequent to the ccd 14 are similar to those in fig1 . also , the dichroic mirror 5 disposed between the lens l and concave mirror 21 is omitted . the lens l to be examined is disposed on the optical path 03 of a light source 19 comprising a xenon lamp including ultraviolet light , a stop 20 having a fine slit in the spectrally diverging direction thereof is provided near the lens l to be examined , and a concave mirror 21 formed with a diffraction grating is disposed obliquely to the optical path 03 on the extension thereof . in the direction of reflection of the concave mirror 21 , a one - dimensional ccd 14 is disposed at a position conjugate with the stop 20 with respect to the concave mirror 21 . a light beam from the light source 19 passes to the lens l to be examined , and the light transmitted through the lens l to be examined and the stop 20 is reflected by the concave mirror 21 , is separated by the diffraction grating on the concave mirror 21 and is received by the one - dimensional ccd 14 , and the spectral transmittance of the light is measured from the light distribution by each element of the diffraction grating . since the stop 20 and the one - dimensional ccd 14 are disposed conjugately with each other with respect to the concave mirror 21 , the light beam is projected at a fixed quantity onto the one - dimensional ccd 14 , irrespective of the divergence or convergence of the light beam by the lens l to be examined and thus , the transmittance can be measured in terms of an absolute value . fig3 shows the construction of a third embodiment . in this embodiment , in addition to refractivity , the ultraviolet light cutting rate can be measured . on the optical path 04 of a refractivity measuring light source 22 such as an led , there are arranged in succession a dichroic mirror 2 , a lens 23 , a lens l to be examined contacted by a contacting member 4 , a four - aperture stop 7 and a two - dimensional ccd 8 , and in the direction of incidence of the dichroic mirror 2 , there is disposed a light source 24 which emits ultraviolet light of a wavelength of the order of 320 - 400 nm . the output of the two - dimensional ccd 8 is connected to a computer 25 . a light beam from the light source 22 passes through the dichroic mirror 2 and the lens 23 and is received by the two - dimensional ccd 8 via the lens l to be examined and the four - aperture stop 7 . four light beams having passed through the four - aperture stop 7 have their positions calculated by the computer 25 , whereby the refractivity of the lens l to be examined is calculated . the ultraviolet light from the light source 24 is reflected by the dichroic mirror 2 , passes through the lens l to be examined and is received by the two - dimensional ccd 8 . this quantity of light is calculated and the ultraviolet light cutting rate of the lens n to be examined is displayed in e . g . %. the quantity of light in a state in which the ultraviolet light cutting rate is 0 is found in advance from the output of the two - dimensional ccd 8 in a state in which the lens l is absent . the light beam from the light source 24 diverges or converges depending on the refractive power of the lens l to be examined , but all light beams having passed through the four - aperture stop 7 are received by the two - dimensional ccd 8 and therefore , the quantity of light transmitted through the lens l to be examined is measured accurately . when a one - dimensional ccd is used as the light receiving sensor , the quantity of light received differs in some cases depending on the refractive power of the lens l to be examined , but if the refractive power is measured in advance and the quantity of light received is corrected by the use of the value thereof , the exact transmittance of the lens l can be found . further , if a visible light source is used as the refractivity measuring light source 22 and the transmittance of visible light is found on the basis of the quantity of light received by the two - dimensional ccd 8 as in the above - described case of ultraviolet light when the refractive power of the lens l to be examined is to be measured , the light transmittance of sunglasses or the like can be measured . according to the above - described ocular lens measuring apparatus , the refractivity and transmittance of the lens to be examined can both be measured at the same position . also , the transmittance of the lens to be examined can be accurately measured irrespective of the refractivity of the lens to be examined . | 6 |
typical polyesters of the invention are polyethylene terephthalate ( pet ), polybutylene terephthalate ( pbt ), and polyethylene naphthalate ( pen ). in addition to terephthalic acid , isophthalic acid is suitable as the polyester - forming component . also block copolyether esters with polyether nonrigid segments can be used . the lower hydrolysis stability of polyesters as compared to polyamide 11 or polyamide 12 is compensated for by multilayer conduits according to the present invention . similarly , the lower impact toughness of pet or pbt -- due to which an unmodified pet or pbt pipe does not pass the cold impact test according to sae j 844 - can be avoided by the use of a multilayer pipe wherein at least one polyester - based barrier layer - has at least one protective layer of polyamide . as the bonding between polyesters and polyamides is often insufficient , adhesion promoters are advantageously provided . suitable are thermoplastically processable polymers which show , in the thermodynamic sense , at least partial compatibility with polyesters and polyamides . especially suitable are polyurethanes , including both polyether and polyester urethanes . similarly , polyamide elastomers , such as polyether polyamides , polyether ester polyamides , polyether ester ether polyamides , or mixtures thereof , can be used . other possible adhesion promoters are those polymers carrying functional groups which react with polyesters and polyamides . these include polyolefins grafted with maleic acid anhydride ( ma ), such as polyethylenes , polypropylenes , and copolyolefins grafted with ma , e . g . styrene - butadiene - styrene block copolymers or styrene -( ethylene - cobutylene ) styrene block copolymers ( kraton g , from shell ). in addition to ma , dibutyl maleate or acrylic acid can be used as the grafting component . furthermore , polymers functionalized with epoxide groups are effective adhesion promoters , and combinations of the above mentioned reactive groups are also useful . the protective layers of the hose or pipe conduit according to the invention consist preferably of polyamide . as polyamides , polycondensates of aliphatic lactams or omega - aminocarboxylic acids with 4 to 44 carbon atoms , or polycondensates of aromatic omega - aminoacids with 6 to 20 carbon atoms , are used advantageously . equally suitable are condensates of at least one diamine and at least one dicarboxylic acid , each with 2 to 44 carbon atoms . examples of such diamines are ethylene diamine , 1 , 4 - diaminobutane , 1 , 6 - diaminohexane , 1 , 10 - diaminodecane , 1 , 12 - diaminododecane , metaand para - xylylenediamines , cyclohexyldimethylamine , and bis -( p - aminocyclohexyl )- methane and its lower alkyl derivatives . examples of dicarboxylic acids are succinic , glutaric , adipic , pimelic , suberic , azelaic , sebacic , dodecanedicarboxylic , 1 , 6 - cyclohexanedicarboxylic , terephthalic , isophthalic , and naphthalenedicarboxylic acids . the polyamides according to the invention may contain the usual additives such as uv and heat stabilizers , crystallization accelerators , plasticizers , fire retardants , lubricants , inorganic fillers , and additives which increase electric conductivity . in a specific embodiment , the outer protective layer may consist of polyethylene terephthalate or the inner protective layer may be of polyolefin , preferably polyolefin modified with functional groups . clearly , lower permeability values are found in the conduits of the invention than in multilayer pipes which contain polyvinyl alcohol as barrier layer ; this is especially true for alcohol - containing gasolines . the conduits are chemically stable to common fuels , motor oils , acids used in the automotive sector , de - icing salts , and zinc chloride . the hose and pipe conduits according to the invention resist oxidation processes by corrosive fuels ( sour gas ) and are stable to elevated temperature and radiation . they have a good impact toughness even at low temperatures , so that they pass the impact test according to sae j 844 at - 40 ° c . the bursting pressure also meets the standards applicable to gasoline conduits . the conduits can be deformed by heat , owing to which even complicated geometric arrangements are easily accessible . examples of variations in layer construction from inside to outside are : preferred embodiments of the hose or pipe conduit according to the invention are 3 - or 5 - layer conduits which have an inner and / or outer protective layer of polyamide , preferably pa 12 , and a barrier layer of polybutylene terephthalate ; they include , for each polyamide layer , an adhesion promoter layer , preferably of polyurethane . in most preferred embodiments , the barrier layer is the inner layer because it is a barrier to the individual fuel components . the layer thickness of the hose or pipe conduit according to the invention is not critical . preferred are : it is especially advantageous that the barrier layer can , without complications in manufacture and use , have a thickness of up to 2 . 0 mm . it is , however , of special advantage , that the hose or pipe conduit according to the invention can , because of the improved barrier effect , be produced with thinner wall thicknesses and hence more cost - efficiently than the conduits according to the prior art . also it is possible to provide the wall of the hose or pipe conduit with annular or spiral corrugations , and to make the protective layers antistatic , impact resistant , or to modify them with plasticizers and / or other additives according to the prior art . they can also be made length - stable by addition of glass or similar fibers . mxda 6 : polyamide based on m - xylylenediamine and adipic acid ( mitsubishi kas chemical ) the permeability measurements were performed with a dynamic measuring arrangement at 60 ° c . and under a pressure of 4 bar . the conduits according to the present invention were tested in accordance with din 51604 b and fuel fam b was used . this consists of 42 . 25 % toluene , 25 . 35 % isooctane , 12 . 68 % diisobutylene , 4 . 23 % ethanol , 15 % methanol , and 0 . 5 % water , all percentages being by volume . in addition , m35 was also tested . the results in g / m 2 / h impressively document the superiority of polybutylene terephthalate of type xe 3060 alone ( comparison example 3 ) and in multilayer constructions ( examples 1 and 2 ). for permeability tests on films of 50 μ thickness according to din 51604a , fuels fam a , m35 ( halterman normbenzin with 35 % by volume methanol ), and methanol alone were used . fama is a mixture of 50 % toluene , 30 % isooctane , 15 % diisobutylene , and 5 % ethanol , all percentages being by volume . in the accompanying drawing , constituting a part hereof , and in which like reference characters indicate like parts , fig1 shows graphs of permeability values of fam a , m35 , and pure methanol with respect to various polymer films in tests according to din 51604a , fig2 is a sectional view of one embodiment of the invention . conduit 1 comprises inner layer 2 , barrier layer 3 , and protective layer 4 , adhesive layer 6 is at the interface of barrier layer 3 and protective layer 4 ; similarly , adhesive layer 5 is between inner layer 2 and barrier layer 3 . the conduit of this example has an inner layer of xe 3060 which is 0 . 6 mm thick . the center layer is of desmopan 588 and is 0 . 1 mm thick . the outer layer is of l25w40x ( pa 12 ) and is 0 . 3 mm thick . the total diameter of the pipe is 8 mm . the inner layer is 0 . 3 mm thick and made of l25w40x ( pa 12 ), the center layer is desmopan 588 and is 0 . 1 mm thick . the outer layer is xe 3060 , 0 . 6 mm thick . the total diameter is 8 mm . in essence , the inner layer of example 1 is the outer layer of example 2 and the outer layer of example 1 is the inner layer of example 2 . this is a mono pipe of l25w40x ( pa 12 ) which is 1 mm thick and has a diameter of 8 mm . this example is in accordance with german patent 35 10 395 . it consists of five layers totaling 1 mm in thickness and has a diameter of 8 mm . from the inside out , the layers are 0 . 45 mm r47hw ( pa 6 ), 0 . 15 mm eval ec - f , 0 . 05 mm r47hw , 0 . 05 mm xe 3153 , and 0 . 3 mm l25w40x ( pa 12 ). this is a mono pipe made of xe 3060 ( pbt ) and is 8 mm in diameter and has a wall thickness of 1 mm . it is in accordance with the invention except that there is only one layer . the permeabilities of the foregoing embodiments were determined and the results are set forth in table 1 . table 1______________________________________ permeability permeability [ g / m . sup . 2 / h ] [ g / m . sup . 2 / h ] fam b haltermann / 35 % meoh______________________________________example 1 1 . 1 1 . 1example 2 2 . 1 2 . 2comparison 22 . 8 33 . 0example 1comparison 5 . 1 5 . 6example 2comparison 0 . 8 1 . 4example 3______________________________________ while only a limited number of specific embodiments of the present invention have been expressly disclosed , it is , nonetheless , to be broadly construed and not to be limited except by the character of the claims appended hereto . | 1 |
a compass leg 1 , of a preferred embodiment shown in fig1 and 3 enables the opening of a door , window or similar pivoting frame . the compass leg 1 comprises a longitudinal body 2 of which end 3 is provided with a threaded shaft 4 and which presents at its other end 5 an articulation which protrudes out of face 7 of the compass leg 1 , this face 7 being considered as the back face of the leg . a pivot 8 is screwed onto the threaded shaft 4 , which enables the rotation of the pivoting frame with respect to the door , window or any similar fixed frame . a articulation 6 provides for the connection of the compass leg 1 integral with the fixed frame to the head piece integral with the door , window or similar pivoting frame , this head piece being for this purpose provided with a groove in which the articulation 6 can move lengthwise . the compass leg 1 , which is an elongated body has at its end 3 a first pair of apertures 9 , 10 intended for receiving a first locking member 11 , in which a locking element will slide while it protrudes through an opening provided in the head plate . the first locking member 11 is driven by a drive link rod of an espagnolette or an espagnolette lock . the position of the first locking member 11 is fixed with respect to the end 3 of the compass leg . consequently , side face 12 of the threaded shaft makes up one of the guiding planes enabling the positioning of the compass leg 1 . moreover , the compass leg 1 has at a certain distance from its end 5 a rotation pin 13 which also protrudes out of the face 7 . one bored end of a secondary arm which connects the fixed frame , window or similar to the pivoting frame is slipped onto this rotation pin 13 and limits the opening of the pivoting frame . center 14 of the rotation pin 13 constitutes a second guiding plane for the positioning of the compass leg 1 in view of fastening a second locking member 15 providing for a sliding of a second locking element of the link rod of the espagnolette or espagnolette lock . to this effect , the compass leg 1 comprises a second pair of apertures 16 , 17 enabling the positioning of the second locking member 15 . assembling device 18 , shown in fig2 comprises a transporter 19 extending from inlet 20 of the installation to outlet 21 . this stepwise transporter 19 presents at its inlet 20 a first longitudinal conveyor 22 on which the compass legs 1 , whose configuration is that of fig1 are laid down . the longitudinal axis 23 of the compass legs are perpendicular to feeding line 24 of the first longitudinal conveyor 22 . the first longitudinal conveyor 22 is made up of a positioning guide 25 against which the side face 12 of the threaded shaft 4 of the compass lag 1 comes and stops . the compass leg 1 , travelling in the direction of the feeding line 24 , is thus positioned according to a first guide plkane made up of the side face 12 . the first longitudinal conveyor 22 is comprises a first assembly station 26 and a second assembly station 27 . each assembly station 26 , 27 has a storage facility 28 , 29 respectively . an eccentric 30 ( fig3 ), used to adjust the angular position of the first locking member 11 with respect to the body 2 of the compass leg 1 , is taken out from the first storage facility 28 . the eccentric 30 comprises an upward pointing pin . after a one - step feeding , the pin engages itself through an aperture 31 provided in the first locking member 11 taken from the second storage facility 29 . the first locking member 11 presents a second pin 32 , which is identical to the pin 33 of the eccentric 30 . at outlet 34 of the first longitudinal conveyor 22 , the compass let 1 is transferred onto a first cross conveyor 35 , while the first locking member 11 is sent towards a second longitudinal conveyor 36 . the first cross conveyor 35 brings the compass leg 1 towards the positioning guide 25 in such a way that the apertures 9 , 10 position themselves above the pins 32 , 33 . the first locking member 11 is lifted so that the pins 32 , 33 protrude out of face 37 , which is opposite the back face 7 . after the above steps have been performed , the set formed by the compass leg 1 and the first locking member 11 fitted with the eccentric 30 is brought in front of a first machining station 38 , where the pins 32 , 33 are riveted . this operation fastens the first locking member 11 to the back face 7 of the body 2 of the compass leg 1 . after leaving outlet 39 of the second longitudinal conveyor 36 , the compass leg 1 fitted with its first locking member 11 is laid down onto a second cross conveyor 40 , which moves in a direction 41 that is opposite to direction 42 of the first user conveyor 35 . the compass leg is positioned according to a second guide plane consisting of the center 14 of the rotation pin 13 in view of its trnasfer onto a third longitudinal conveyor 43 , on which the second locking member 15 is fastened onto the compass leg 1 at a third assembling station 54 . this second locking member 15 , taken from a storage facility 44 , has two pins 45 , 46 . the compass leg 1 is positioned in such a way that the second pair of apertures 16 , 17 lie above the pins 45 , 46 . the second locking member is lifted so that the pins 45 , 46 protrude out of the face 37 of the body 2 of the compass leg 1 . after that , the set formed by the compass leg 1 and the locking members 11 , 15 are brought in front of a second machining post 47 , which is a second machining station where the pins 45 , 46 are riveted in order to fasten the second locking member 15 onto the body 2 of the compass leg 1 . using an appropriate device 48 the compass leg 1 is turned over in such a way that the back face 7 of the body 2 , equipped with the two locking members 11 , 15 , articulation 6 and rotation pin 13 becomes the top face . after this turning over , the compass leg 1 is transferred onto a fourth longitudinal conveyor 49 for the fitting of an o - ring 50 obtained from storage facility 51 . the o - ring 50 is fitted onto the rotation pin 13 by means of a fourth assembling station 55 . the compass leg 1 is then transferred onto a fifth longitudinal conveyor 53 by a third cross conveyor 52 , in such a way that the side face 12 returns to the position it occupied on the second longitudinal conveyor 36 , in order to enable the screwing of the pivot 8 onto the threaded shaft 4 of the compass leg 1 . where pivot 8 is threaded onto shaft 4 is a third machining station . when the pivot 8 is in place , the compass leg 1 fitted with all its accessories is removed from the outlet 21 of the assembling device 18 using any appropriate means . | 8 |
referring to fig1 the copying apparatus includes a drum 11 the surface of which is composed of a three layer photosensitive medium formed using cds photoconductive material . the photosensitive drum 11 is mounted on a shaft 12 rotatably about the shaft . when a copy instruction is issued , the drum starts rotating in the direction of arrow 13 . 14 is an original table glass plate on which an original is placed . when the drum 11 reaches a determined rotational position , the original is illuminated by an illumination lamp 16 integrally formed with a first scanning mirror 15 . the reflected light from the original is scanned by the first scanning mirror 15 and a second scanning mirror 17 which is moved at a half speed of the first one . since the first and second scanning mirrors 15 and 17 move at the speed ratio of 1 : 1 / 2 , the scanning on the original is carried out with the optical path length before a lens 18 being kept constant . the reflected light image is focused on the drum 11 at the exposure part 21 through the lens 18 , a third mirror 19 and a fourth mirror 20 . the drum 11 is at first charged by a primary charger 22 ( for instance , with positive charge +) and then , at the exposure part 21 , the drum is slit exposed to the image illuminated by the lamp 16 . at the same time , discharging is carried out on the drum surface by a discharger 23 with ac or with the opposite polarity ( for instance , -) to the primary charge . thereafter , the drum is subjected to a whole surface exposure by a whole surface exposure lamp 24 so as to form a high contrast electrostatic latent image on the drum 11 . the electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum is then visualized as a toner image by a developing device 25 . a transfer sheet 27 - 1 or 27 - 2 is fed into the machine from paper cassette 26 - 1 or 26 - 2 by a paper feed roller 28 - 1 or 28 - 2 . the transfer sheet is directed to the drum 11 through a first register roller 29 - 1 or 29 - 2 and then through a second register roller 20 . the timing of paper feed to the drum is adjusted at first roughly by the first register roller and then precisely by the second one . the transfer sheet 27 passes through the space between the drum surface and a transfer charger 31 , and during the time the toner image is transferred onto the transfer sheet from the drum . after transferring , the transfer sheet is guided to a conveyor belt 32 which transports the transfer sheet to a pair of fixing rollers 33 - 1 and 33 - 2 where the toner image is fixed to the sheet under the action of pressure and heat . after fixing , the transfer sheet is discharged into a tray 34 . on the other hand , after transferring , the drum 11 enters a cleaning station where the drum surface is cleaned up by a cleaning device 35 formed on an elastic blade . after cleaning , the drum is further advanced to the next cycle of operation . in fig1 ten keys ( numeral keys of 0 to 9 ) are generally designated by tk . a numeral value put in by the ten key tk is displayed on a display unit 61 . the copying apparatus repeats the above original scanning many times corresponding to the input numerical value n . thus , n sheets of copy are produced . 40 and 41 are master and slave microcomputers of which the master computer 40 controls the copying process whereas the slave computer 41 is used to set conditions for the processing units and display the set conditions . the master and slave computers are connected by two signal lines 42 and 43 . the signal line 42 is a line through which data are sent out from cpu 40 and the other signal line 43 is a line through which strobe signals are sent out from cpu 40 . cpu 40 has also a signal line 44 through which the cpu 40 sends out various timing signals for controlling the respective operations of process units such as a high voltage primary transformer 45 for supplying a high voltage to the primary charger 22 , a high voltage secondary transformer 46 for supplying a high voltage to the discharger 23 , a lamp circuit 47 for the illumination lamp 16 and a development biasing transformer 48 for applying a development bias to the developing device 25 . these process units 45 - 48 are so formed as to put out voltages corresponding to the outputs of digital - analog converters ( d / a converters ) 50 - 53 . to these d / a converters digital data are applied from cpu 41 through signal line 59 . cpu 41 is provided with a clock generator 55 . the clock signal generated from the generator 55 is used not only as clock for cpu 41 itself but also as clock source for above d / a converters 50 - 53 which are of clock synchronous type . to this end , the clock signals are supplied to d / a converters 50 - 53 through signal line 54 . the clock generator 55 is , therefore , used to drive not only cpu 41 but also d / a converters 50 - 53 . this arrangement makes it possible to reduce the number of parts required for the circuit and also to improve the reliability of the apparatus . designated by 56 is a sensor for measuring the surface potential of the drum 11 . the output of the sensor 56 is connected to the channel 0 ( ch 0 ) of a multiplexer 59 through a measuring unit 57 . the measuring unit 57 applies the measured potential to the multiplexer when a sensor driving signal is applied to the measuring unit from cpu 41 through signal line 62 . the multiplexer 59 has four channels 0 to 3 . o ( v ) potential is applied to channel ch 1 and - e ( v ) is applied to channel ch 2 . applied to channel ch 3 is the output voltage of the lamp circuit . any one of channels ch 0 to ch 3 is selected and the selected analog signal is applied to a / d converter 58 . the digital signal obtained by this converter is introduced into cpu 41 . channels ch 1 &# 39 ;- ch 3 &# 39 ; are provided corresponding to above channels ch 1 - ch 3 . these channels ch 1 &# 39 ;- ch 3 &# 39 ; have light emitting diodes lc1 - lc3 respectively . when the multiplexer 59 selects one of the channels ch 1 - ch 3 , one of the light emitting diodes lc1 - lc3 corresponding to the selected channel lights up to let the operator know which channel is selected . the operation of multiplexer 59 is controlled by the control signal applied thereto from cpu 41 through signal line 63 . designated by 60 is a display driver which forms display signals in response to the signals transmitted through signal line 64 . the display driver 60 controls the program execution display by seven light emitting diodes ld1 - ld7 as well as the numeral display by the display unit 61 . of the seven led , ld1 lights up during the time when the apparatus is executing a program for reading the strong light given by a blank exposure and calculating a surface potential control value from the value of the blank exposure light . ld2 is lighting during the time of the apparatus being in execution of a program for calculating a surface potential control value from the dark portion potential on the drum 11 . ld3 and ld4 light up during the execution of a program for calculating a surface potential control value from the bright portion potential on the drum . ld5 is lighting during the time of a strobe signal being on the signal line 43 . ld6 is lighting during the time when the apparatus is executing a program of minified copy making mode . ld7 lights up when the apparatus is executing a post rotation program ( which is the process for further rotating the drum after transferring the formed toner image ). the display unit 61 is composed of a minus display segment 61 - 1 , pattern display segments 61 - 2 and 61 - 3 for displaying the numerical values from 0 to 9 and a dot segment 61 - 4 . the display on the display unit 61 can be made in various display forms . for example , when a surface potential in three digits ( in this case , the potential is expressed in 5 v ), the segment 61 - 2 is used to represent a hundreds digit , the segment 61 - 3 to represent a tens digit and the segment 61 - 4 is used as the position of units . when the segment 61 - 4 is lighting , it is regarded as a representation of 5 . therefore , 215 ( v ) may be displayed by making 21 displayed on the segments 61 - 2 and 61 - 3 and further lighting the segment 61 - 4 on . switches sw1 - sw8 connected to cpu 41 are control instruction switches . when sw1 is on , it gives an instruction to set self - diagnosis mode ( however , the content of the self - diagnosis is determined by a combination of sw6 - sw8 ). when the switch sw1 is off and a strobe signal is appearing on the signal line 43 and also data signal is being applied on the signal line 42 , then it gives an instruction to control the apparatus in accordance with the applied data signal . when sw1 is off and no strobe signal is appearing on the signal line 4 , then the apparatus executes an instruction determined by the combination of switches sw6 - sw8 . even if any strobe signal and data signal are applied during the time of sw1 being on , the self - diagnosis is executed while neglecting the applied strobe signal and data signal . sw2 is a switch for making a selection as to whether potential control ( control on the outputs of the primary and secondary chargers ) should be executed or not . if no potential control is selected , a standard value is put out . sw3 is a switch for making a selection as to whether light quantity control ( control on the original exposure lamp ) should be carried out or not . when the selection is no light quantity control , a standard value is put out . sw4 is a switch for making a selection as to whether development bias control should be executed or not . if not , then a standard value is put out . sw5 is a switch for selecting the time interval at which data should be put out to the display and d / a converter during the self - diagnosis mode . sw6 - sw8 are used to represent a 3 - bit numerical value . for example , when all of the three switches are turned off , there is shown ( 0 0 0 ) which represents a numerical 0 . when all the switches are turned on , there is shown ( 1 1 1 ) which represents a numerical 7 . fig3 is a flow chart showing the operation of cpu 41 in fig2 . by resetting at the first step s1 , ram , i / o ports , led etc . in cpu 41 are initialized . after completing the initialization , it is discriminated at step s3 whether the mode is self - diagnosis mode or not ( whether the switch sw1 is on or off ). when it is self - diagnosis mode ( sw1 is on ), the self - diagnosis is executed at step s4 . if it is not self - diagnosis mode , it is discriminated at step s5 whether control signal exists or not ( whether or not any strobe signal is transmitted through signal line 43 ). when control signal exists , the control mode is executed at step s6 . when not , various data are put out at step s7 . the self - diagnosis program is described in detail with reference to fig4 . at step s8 , interrupt is disabled and also the surface potential sensor 56 is turned off . at the next step s9 it is discriminated whether the numerical value represented by switches sw6 - sw8 is 7 or not . when it is 7 , the common channel chc is connected with channel ch1 by the multiplexer 59 to make the display unit 61 display the measured potential . the set value for this potential is 0 v . therefore , if the displayed potential is at or about 0 v , the variable resistor ( not shown ) within a / d converter 58 must be adjusted to keep the potential within the range of set values . if the numerical value is not 7 , the step is advanced to s11 at which discrimination is made as to whether the numerical value is 6 or not . when it is 6 , the multiplexer 59 connects the common channel chc to channel ch2 to display the measured potential on the display unit 61 . the standard potential - e ( v ) is confirmed by it . if the numerical value is not 6 , then the step is advanced to s13 at which discrimination is made as to whether the switch sw5 is on or off . sw5 is a switch for determining the speed of level change for check at the following steps s17 , s19 , s21 and s23 . when the switch sw5 is on , a counter dacnt takes a stepwise increment of 4 at a uniform speed to change the level at a higher speed . when sw5 is turned off , the counter dacnt takes a stepwise increment of 1 to change the level at a lower speed . the counter dacnt is a counter which returns to the initial value when it reaches a certain value . consequently , the value counted by the counter increases gradually from the initial value at a uniform speed . when it reaches a certain value , the above operation is repeated again from the initial value . the level change at a lower speed makes it possible to clearly examine the state of lighting of the segments in the display unit . therefore , trouble in any of the segments , if occurred , can be discovered very easily . at the next step s16 , it is discriminated whether the numerical value represented by sw6 - sw8 is 5 or not . when it is 5 , checking of the primary high voltage is carried out . the check is made in order to ascertain whether the respective circuits are operating normally . to this end , the output of the counter dacnt is applied to d / a converter 50 and then the measuring unit measures the analog value obtained by conversion , the output of d / a converter 50 and the output or input of the high voltage primary transformer 45 . as mentioned above , the count value of the counter dacnt is gradually increased up and when it reaches a certain value , the value is returned back to the initial value . the counter repeats the above operation of increasing the value gradually starting from the initial value . for example , if the result of the above check indicates that the output of the d / a converter 50 is normal but the input signal to the high voltage primary is abnormal , the source of the abnormal input signal can be located very easily . in this case , from the result of the check it is easily determined that the trouble is in the circuit between the d / a converter 50 and the input terminal of the high voltage primary transformer . in this manner , according to the embodiment of the invention , it can be easily determined only by switching over the switches which part of the circuit is in trouble . therefore , the time required to check the base board in factory or the time required for service in market can be reduced to a great extent . further , it needs no particular circuit . a very inexpensive inspection can be realized thereby . upon this check , to confirm the content of the check , a combination of an alphabetical character c and a numeral 2 , that is , c2 is displayed by the display segments 61 - 2 and 61 - 3 . if the numerical value represented by sw6 - sw8 is not 5 , then the step is advanced to s18 at which it is discriminated whether the numerical value is 4 or not . when it is 4 , a checking of the secondary high voltage source is carried out in the same manner as at the above step s17 by gradually changing the input value to d / a converter 51 . similarly to the above , to confirm the content of the check , a symbol c1 is displayed by the display segments 61 - 2 and 61 - 3 . if it is not 4 , then the step is advanced to s20 at which it is discriminated whether the numerical value is 3 or not . when it is 3 , the lamp circuit is checked in the same manner as at the above step s17 by gradually changing the input value to d / a converter 52 . similarly to the above , during the check , a symbol hc is displayed by the display segments 61 - 2 and 61 - 3 to represent the content of the check now being carried out . if it is not 3 , the step is advanced to s22 at which it is discriminated whether the numerical value is 2 or not . when it is 2 , checking is carried out in the same manner as at the above step s17 by gradually changing the input value to d / a converter 53 . at the same time , data of more significant 4 bits of the counter dacnt which is an 8 - bit counter is displayed on the display unit 61 . during the time , the display on the display unit 61 changes successively from - 0 0 . to - 1 1 ., - 2 2 ., . . . so on to check the operations of the display unit 61 and display driver 60 . at the same time , change of the output of d / a converter 53 is also displayed . if the numerical value is not 2 , namely if the numerical value represented by sw6 - sw8 is 0 or 1 , the step is advanced to s24 at which display is made in error mode . at the display in error mode , the result of potential diagnosis executed at the step s4 is displayed in the form of oh , ee or ea according to the contents of the display segments 61 - 2 and 61 - 3 . this shows the operator whether there exists any error and , if exists , the kind of the occurring error . therefore , the operator can easily discover the trouble . the control step s6 in fig3 will be described hereinunder more particularly with reference to fig5 . the step s6 is executed when the switch sw1 is off and a strobe signal is appearing on the signal line 43 . the content of the control at this step is determined by the numerical value of 0 - 15 represented by the 4 bit coded signal appearing on the signal line 42 . therefore , at first it is discriminated at step s30 whether the data signal is 15 or not . when it is 15 , mode 0 . 7 is set at step s31 . more particularly , the soft ware flag is so changed as to produce such high voltage primary and secondary outputs corresponding to the magnification of 0 . 7 for minified copy . similarly , when the data signal is 14 at step s32 , mode 1 is set at the next step s33 . namely , the soft ware flag is so altered as to produce such high voltage primary and secondary outputs corresponding to unit ( x1 ) magnification copy . in accordance with the soft ware flag changed at step 31 or 33 , the necessary high voltage primary and secondary outputs are produced at the step s7 . at the steps subsequent to the above , the control is carried out in the similar manner in accordance with the flow chart shown in fig5 . as to steps s35 , s37 , s39 , s41 , s43 , s45 and s46 , a further detailed description will be made hereinunder . when data signal is 13 at step 34 , the secondary weak soft ware flag is cleared off at the next step s35 . in this position where the secondary weak soft ware flag is cleared , the high voltage primary and secondary outputs remain at a level for ordinary copying operation . when the secondary weak soft ware flag is set , the high voltage primary output is reduced to 0 and the high voltage secondary output is reduced to a low level . the drum is slowed down from rotation for copying to stop . during this phase of rotation , the charge remaining on the drum 11 is removed . this control is carried out at step s7 at which it is discriminated whether the secondary weak soft ware flag is set or not and , when it is set , the secondary weak output is produced . when data signal is 12 at step s36 , the secondary weak soft ware flag is set at step s37 . at the next step s38 , it is discriminated whether data signal is 11 or not . when it is 11 , vw is measured at step 39 and the measured value is stored in memory . vw denotes the potential of latent image formed on the drum by using a test chart or the like placed on the original table . in accordance with the operation of the main body of the machine , a measurement signal is transmitted to the slave cpu 41 from the master cpu 40 for sample holding . vw is used when the service man carries out an image adjustment in the market or for adjustment before delivery from the factory . vw is displayed on the display unit 61 when the later mentioned step s53 has been carried out . when data signal is 10 at step s40 , development bias setting potential vl 2 for determining the necessary development bias is measured and memorized at step s41 . also , at step s41 the necessary development bias is calculated from vl 2 and it is stored in memory . vl 2 is displayed on the display unit 61 when the later mentioned step s55 is executed . the determined development bias is put out at step s7 . at step s42 it is discriminated whether data signal is 9 or not . when it is 9 , at step s43 , an original exposure lamp setting potential vl 1 is measured which is used for determining the necessary light quantity of the original exposure lamp . the light quantity of original exposure lamp calculated from vl 1 is stored in memory also at step s43 . vl 1 is displayed at step s57 and the calculated light quantity value of original exposure lamp is introduced into d / a converter at step s7 . at steps s45 and s46 , the high voltage primary and secondary outputs are controlled and a calculation is carried out so as to converge the bright portion potential v sl and dark portion potential v d into the respective aim values . when data signal is 8 at step s44 , step s45 is executed . in all other case , namely when data signal is any of 0 - 7 , step s46 is executed . by executing steps s45 and s46 in this order passing through the flow shown in fig5 two times , the high voltage primary and secondary outputs are calculated and registered . the registered outputs are introduced into d / a converter at step 7 . after completing the above described processing , the step is advanced to s47 at which it is confirmed that there is no strobe signal on the signal line 42 . this confirmation is conducted to prevent double execution of the above processing during one pulse of strobe signal . the control step s7 in fig3 is further described in detail hereinafter with reference to fig6 . the step s7 is executed when sw1 is off and there is no strobe signal . but the content of the step to be executed is different case by case according to the numerical value represented by the combination of switches sw6 - sw8 which can represent any value within 0 - 7 . at first , it is discriminated at step s50 whether the numerical value is 7 or not . when it is 7 , step s51 is carried out . at this step s51 , a sensor driving signal is applied to the signal line 62 from cpu 41 to measure the surface potential . also , the multiplexer 59 connects the channel cho to chc to display the measured surface potential on the display unit 61 . at the steps subsequent to the above , controls are carried out in similar manner to the above in accordance with the flow chart shown in fig6 . as to steps s53 , s55 , s57 , s59 , s61 , s63 and s64 , a further detailed description will be made hereinafter . at steps s50 , s52 , s54 , s56 , s58 , s60 and s62 , discrimination is carried out regarding the numerical value of 0 - 7 represented by the combination of sw6 - sw8 in the manner described above . it is determined by the discrimination at above every step whether or not the corresponding processing step s51 , s53 , s55 , s57 , s59 , s61 , s63 or s64 should be executed . the step s51 is executed when the numerical value represented by the switches sw6 - sw8 is 7 . the potential sensor is actuated and the multiplexer 59 is switched over to the channel cho so as to measure the surface potential on the drum 11 and also display the measured surface potential on the display unit 61 . this step s51 is always executed so long as the switches are in the position to represent the numerical value 7 . therefore , the operator can read continuously from the display unit 61 the surface potential on the drum 11 which changes continuously with time . while watching the value on the display unit , the operator can conduct an adjustment of the potentiometer and a check on the operation of the apparatus . at steps s53 , s55 , s57 , s59 and s61 , the above mentioned sample held potentials , vw , vl 2 , vl 1 , v sl and v d are displayed respectively . therefore , the operator can easily know from the display unit 61 the respective surface potentials found by the latest measurements . this enables the operator to judge it from the respective surface potential values whether or not the control is proceeding correctly . at steps s63 , pco7 and sco7 are displayed on the display unit 61 . pco7 is a value corresponding to 70 % of the calculated high voltage primary output value and sco7 is a value corresponding to 70 % of the calculated high voltage secondary output value . by doing so , data of more significant 4 bits of each of pco7 and sco7 becomes a value of from 0 to 9 in relation to the internal numerical calculation . these more significant 4 bit data of pco7 and sco7 are displayed on the display segments 61 - 2 and 61 - 3 to let the operator know approximately changes of the high voltage primary and secondary outputs at the same time . at step s64 , v c = v d - v sl are calculated and the result thereof is displayed on the display unit 61 . by reading v c , that is , contrast potential on the display unit , the operator can judge it simply whether the control on the high voltage primary and secondary outputs is proceeding normally . while the described embodiment represents the preferred form of the present invention , it is to be understood that modifications will occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention . the scope of the invention is therefore to be determined solely by the appended claims . | 6 |
as indicated above , the view of fig1 presents a schematic , plan illustration of what might be termed a typical improved water distribution system of this invention . it is to be noted that the drawing figures are not to scale so that structural details may be better illustrated . the improved water distribution system includes a source of water such as source pipe 10 . the distribution system further includes at least one main delivery conduit 12 , and as can be seen in the view of fig1 this installation includes a plurality of such main delivery conduits 12 . of course , appropriate connectors 14 and elbows 16 are also provided within the installation . fig1 also illustrates a means for passing water from source pipe 10 into main delivery conduit 12 comprising a pump 18 . according to standard installation techniques for water irrigation / distribution systems , it is to be understood that substantial portions of source pipe 10 as well as main delivery conduit 12 and its associated connectors 14 and elbow 16 could be disposed below the surface of the soil . it is also to be understood that these elements may be formed from any suitable material , but pvc conduit and connector elements are preferred . it is further to be understood that the scope of the invention is not limited to any particular size for source pipe 10 or main delivery conduits 12 , and specific diameters for these elements are chosen with regard to the area to be irrigated and the rate at which the water is to be applied . of course , as previously indicated above , the improved water distribution system of this invention is preferrably operated as a low pressure distribution system with the pressure of water being delivered normally falling within the range of about 5 - 15 psi . the improvement of this water distribution system comprises an irrifluent pipe generally indicated as 20 and disposed in fluid communicating relation to main delivery conduit 12 . in the schematic representation of fig1 alternative installations of irrifluent pipe 20 are indicated by the addition of a letter to the general reference numeral . irrifluent pipe 20a represents a typical straight - branched installation , while irrifluent pipe 20b illustrates an installation having a right bend . irrifluent pipe 20c depicts an installation which might be used for providing water to a remote bed or &# 34 ; island ,&# 34 ; while irrifluent pipe 20d depicts the use of a single irrifluent pipe for providing water to a tree 22 ( indicated in phantom ). a more detailed view of a typical irrifluent pipe 20 is presented in the views of fig2 and 3 . as shown therein , irrifluent pipe 20 comprises and inner fluid conduit 24 which , dependent upon its length , will have a plurality of apertures 26 formed through its wall , and an outer cover 28 attached in spaced apart relation to inner fluid conduit 24 such that outer cover 28 is disposed in overlying relation to apertures 26 . as perhaps best seen in the view of fig3 outer cover 28 is attached to inner fluid conduit 24 by a plurality of water stop means 30 . in this preferred embodiment , water stop means 30 comprise a waterproof adhesive . as clearly seen in fig2 and 3 , each of the water stop means 30 is disposed on opposite sides of each aperture 26 . by virtue of this construction , and as best seen in the sectional view of fig4 water passing through inner fluid conduit 24 will be expelled through aperture 26 . because of the blocking effect of water stop means 30 , the water will fill the space defined between inner fluid conduit 24 and outer cover 28 and will then be dispersed along the longitudinal dimension thereof as indicated by directional arrows a in the view of fig4 . it is to be remembered that in the schematic representation of fig1 each of the outer covers 28 has been omitted for the sake of clarity . in the final installation such as is depicted in fig1 outer covers 28 would be included . in addition , the irrifluent pipes 20 are positioned so that the outer covers 28 are upward , or relatively oriented toward the soil surface in which pipes 20 are buried . referring next to the view of fig5 the improved water distribution system of this invention further comprises a plurality of control filter means generally indicated as 32 whereby irrifluent pipe means 20 are attached to main delivery conduit 12 in fluid communicating relation thereto . each of the control filter means 32 comprises a water conduit 34 having an inside diameter that is substantially equal to the outside diameter of main delivery conduit 12 and irrifluent pipe 20 . a filter disk 36 is mounted within water conduit 34 downstream of the main delivery conduit 12 so that water flowing into the control filter means 32 from main delivery conduit 12 as indicated by directional arrow b first impinges upon the filter disk 36 . a plurality of filter apertures 38 are formed through filter disk 36 for the purpose of removing particulate matter from the flowing fluid stream without significantly affecting the rate of flow . it is preferred that the diameter of each of the filter apertures 26 formed through inner fluid conduit 24 . control filter means 32 further comprises a distribution disk 40 mounted within water conduit 34 down stream of filter disk 36 . a central control aperture 42 is formed through distribution disk 40 whereby the rate of water flow into irrifluent pipe 20 is limited . thus , by varying distribution disk 40 to include a central control aperture 42 of different dimensions , different flow rates may be obtained . still referring to the view of fig5 it can be seen that a filter disc stop means comprising an annular filter 44 may be formed on the inside of water conduit 34 so as to maintain filter disk 36 in spaced apart relation from distribution disk 40 . a similar annular distribution ring 46 may also be provided downstream of distribution disk 40 , but such a structure is not preferred , for that would make replacement of distribution disk 40 quite difficult if not impossible . rather , distribution disk 40 is preferably retained in place by the end of inner fluid conduit 24 that is inserted into water conduit 34 . for purposes of illustration only , and without in any way limiting the scope of the present invention , the &# 34 ; typical &# 34 ; installation depicted in fig1 may now be referred to for relative size and spatial considerations for the various structural elements of the invention . the inside diameter of source pipe 10 is chosen with regard to the capacity of pump 18 and the total volume of water to be distributed . in this installation , both main delivery conduits 12 and inner fluid conduits 24 are formed from one - half inch pvc . accordingly , the outer covers 28 are also formed from one - half inch pvc . these conduits are preferably formed from pvc because that is a relatively inert material and is generally accepted for irrigation and water distribution purposes . the apertures 26 are formed along inner fluid conduit 24 on 12 inch centers . while the length of any particular irrifluent pipe 20 is determined by its end use application , pipes 20 may be in sections as short as one foot or as long as 50 feet . of course , it is to be understood that in the final , end - use installation , the distal end of each irrifluent pipe 20 would be capped . just as the apertures 26 are formed on twelve inch centers , so are the water stop means 30 similarly spaced so that the distance from an individual water stop means 30 to an adjacent aperture 26 is approximately six inches . for irrifluent pipe 20 of about 50 feet in length , the central control apertures 42 formed through distribution disk 40 will have a diameter of about 5 / 64 inches . the filter disk 36 will preferably include five filter apertures 38 of the same size , and the apertures 26 formed through inner fluid conduit 24 will have a dimension of about 3 / 32 inches . dependent upon the rate of flow desired throughout the system , the water pressure within main delivery conduit 12 will be maintained at from about 5 - 15 psi . all interconnections between main delivery conduit 12 and connectors 14 and elbows 16 as well as the interconnection of the control filter means 32 are made according to standard , state - of - the - art technology and procedures . it will thus be seen that the objects set forth above , among those made apparent from the preceding description , are efficiently attained and , since certain changes may be made in the above construction without departing from the scope of the invention , it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense . it is also to be understood that the following claims are intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described , and all statements of the scope of the invention which , as a matter of language , might be said to fall therebetween . | 4 |
the method and apparatus of the present application in one embodiment includes a brand mail system that addresses the security concerns such as forging , tempering , and cryptography in electronic communications . a classic example of forgery is when a black hat impersonates some organization or entity , and sends deceptive email message ( s ) to an end user . briefly , a black hat describes a hacker who performs hacking operations such as breaking into a computer system ( s ) or network ( s ) with malicious intent . hackers perform their operations (“ crimes ”) clandestinely . unlike a white hat hacker , the black hat hacker takes advantage of the break - in , perhaps destroying files or stealing data for some future purpose . the black hat hacker may also make the exploit known to other hackers and / or the public without notifying the victim . this gives others the opportunity to exploit the vulnerability before the organization is able to secure it . they also forge data and tamper with existing data with the aim of disrupting business processes . a white hat describes a hacker who performs hacking for legitimate reasons . typically white hats are very qualified and contribute their knowledge to secure existing systems . by instilling a trust mechanism , parties exchanging emails will be more confident about the source of the message ( s ). the brand mail system addresses this problem , for example , by detecting the forgery / tampering of an email message . a classic “ tampering - with ” scenario is when a black hat decides to intercept an email message and tamper with the contents of the email . the black hat then could modify any part of a message . this kind of tampering is known as a “ man in the middle ” ( mitm ) attack . the tamper proof mechanism of the present application in one embodiment addresses this problem , for example , by validating the email message signature via a tpd thus enforcing the data integrity of the message . tpd , in one embodiment , is a base - 64 encoded tamper proof digest , which is a brand validation signature . in one embodiment , the tamper - proof mechanism ( tpd generation / validation ) provides a trust mechanism for brand mail . there are many existing industry strength mechanisms that perform email cryptographic operations such as ssl / tls , s / mime , and pgp —( pki solutions ). the pki solutions listed above can also be used to secure brand mail messages . however , the present application provides an optional high - performance lightweight symmetric key cryptographic system based on dynamic algorithmic selection based on a generated algorithm index . it is left to the organizations communicating , for example , those exchanging brand mails to configure their brand mail system for cryptographic communication . fig1 is an architectural diagram illustrating an overview of a brand mail system of the present application in one embodiment . in one embodiment , a brand mail system of the present application acts as a lightweight , robust , extensible , scalable , and efficient trust mechanism . in one embodiment , a brand mail system of the present application sits between conventional communication systems such as an smtp sender 110 and an smtp receiver 112 . a brand mail system in one embodiment may include a brandmailwriter 106 and a brandmailreader 108 , subsystems functioning to allow for the delivery of branded emails . in one embodiment , the subsystems that perform the reading and associated functions , and writing and associated functions are referred to as brandmailreader 108 and brandmailwriter 106 . however , the actual names of the subsystems are not critical , rather any other software , firmware or hardware systems or subsystems may be used to perform the similar functions of the reader and the writer . a brandmailreader 108 in one embodiment is a subsystem generally responsible for receiving an email message and detecting whether an email message is branded or not . it may be a configurable email proxy that receives either a regular email message branded message 114 . if it is a regular email message , then the role of the brandmailreader is to redirect or forward the message 118 to a designated smtp receiver email server 112 within the respective organization . if it is a branded message 114 , the brandmailreader passes the branded mail through validation processors utilizing branded mail configuration 104 . during the validation processing , errors may be generated and handled . if the validation is successful , the message is forwarded to a designated smtp receiver email server 112 while preserving the integrity of the branded mail . a brandmailwriter 106 in one embodiment is a subsystem that is responsible for sending a branded email message 114 . utilizing brand mail configuration 102 , the brandmailwriter 106 , for example , embeds references to branding assets or the assets themselves within the branded email . the brandmailwriter 106 also signs the message with a tpd to ensure the integrity of the branded email message . optionally , it can also encrypt the email message body with the generated cryptographic key . the brandmailwriter 106 in one embodiment is a configurable email proxy that fabricates a branded email message from a regular email message 116 ( i . e . the emails are originally sent by email users 120 or applications 122 ). the branded message is sent to the brandmailreader 108 , then to the appropriate targets such as email clients 124 , web mail applications 126 , and browsers 128 . the brandmailwriter 106 and the brandmailreader 104 , in one embodiment , utilize a brand mail cryptographic system for optionally encrypting and decrypting email , messages . a brand mail cryptographic system in one embodiment is an optional , configurable , lightweight symmetric key cryptographic system . in one embodiment , encryption of a branded mail message happens within the brandmailwriter ; decryption of the message happens within the brandmailreader . the brandmailwriter uses the generated cryptographic key to encrypt the mime body parts of the message . the algorithm selected is based on the algorithm index generation specific to the e - mail message . after the brandmailwriter 106 composes an encrypted message , it ultimately sends the message to the destination brandmailreader 104 . the brandmailreader 104 detects the brand mail cryptographic tag , which indicates that the message is encrypted and needs to be decrypted . upon detection , the brandmailreader 104 decrypts the message content using the algorithm index to select the decryption algorithm using the generated cryptographic key . the brandmailreader 104 then proceeds to tpd validation . in one embodiment , if a cryptographic tag is not detected , the brandmailreader 104 proceeds directly to tpd validation . fig2 is a topology diagram illustrating a secure brand mail system of the present application in one embodiment . emails 212 sent from organizations 202 to end users 206 typically pass through msps 204 . end users 206 receiving the emails 214 typically view the messages using a browser 216 or email clients 218 . the brand mail system of the present application can reside between the organization &# 39 ; s email sending system 202 and end user &# 39 ; s email system and protect the messages from potentially dangerous black hats hackers 208 by validating the messages . fig3 is a high - level diagram illustrating an organization - to - organization use case of the present application in one embodiment . in this example , a sender from organization x sends a branded mail to a receiver from organization y . for instance , a sender using known electronic mail systems 302 can write an email message and send the email to an organization y &# 39 ; s receiver . the brand mail system 304 of the present application in one embodiment , for example , using a brandmailwriter and brandmailreader subsystems , which will be explained in detail below , transforms the regular email into branded mail and delivers it to the email communication endpoint . at 306 , organization y &# 39 ; s receiver views the branded email that the organization x &# 39 ; s sender sent . the present application provides a visual distinction , for example , in the form of a company brand logo ( in the user &# 39 ; s inbox ) that indicates that the e - mail is secure . this shows that by displaying a trademark also conveys a trustmark ( since the e - mail is secure ). the brandmail system is capable of enacting any visual distinction anywhere within the email so that it represents a trustmark . the visual distinction provided by the present application may be any indication that would convey to a user that the email is secure , for example , that it passed a security check . some examples of the visual distinction may include a particular color indication associated with the email in an inbox , a particular picture or symbol , or even a predetermined sound , tactile or textual indicia associated with the email . indicia may be included in a particular field of an inbox display or presentation . the particular field of an inbox may be an existing field or a newly added field used for the indicia . thus , when a user sees or hears ( or feels ) the particular indicia associated with the email , the user knows that the email is secure . in one embodiment , when using third party email clients , a plug - in / com add - in may be created to process the branding assets . in one embodiment , the plug - in / com add - in is the visual processing component of the brandmail system . it can securely render the branding assets ( i . e . displaying the logo ) of the branded e - mail . the plug - in / com add - in can read the headers of new mail and based on the fundamental brand mail headers , for example , certain predetermined fields of the brand mail headers , can determine that it is a brand mail . the plug - in / com then can read the standard visual branding assets such as bm_logo and bm_sound_effect , for example , contained in the brand mail header . generally , branding assets refer to any asset that enforces a brand such as a logo ( for example , a company logo ) or sound effects ( audio ) that represent a company . the logo can either be an image or a movie ( for example , a quicktime movie such as intel inside ) or both . branding assets can also include criteria that promote branding business processes such as additional assets for logging , metrics analysis , filtering , rating , rules , and anti - spam tactics . brand assets are usually embedded within the email header , but can optionally be embedded as a mime body part . the brand asset format usually is preceded by a brand mail asset prefix ( for example , bm_ ). a brand asset header entry can contain resources , and / or references to resources . the resources can either be text resources or network reference resources . text resources can be any tag containing text values . for example text resources can be descriptions , relative paths , digests as text , meta - tags , formatted rules , etc . an example of a text resource is a brand asset that provides a description of a company &# 39 ; s mission statement . the header entry is shown below : bm_mission_statement = to become a global leader in the industry for email crm development on the other hand network reference resources provide references to network resources . examples of such are hyperlinks ( urls / uris ), rdf , jndi , web services , etc . an example of a network resource is a brand asset that represents a company &# 39 ; s logo . a logo is a major depiction of a brand , thus logos are displayed to represent , the company and its brand . the header entry is shown below : in one embodiment , header assets such as bm_logo ( image ) can be registered as a standard visual brand mail asset and every brand mail will be checked for the existence of a secure logo header entry . a method and system of the present application in one embodiment , first checks to see if it can find a bm_logo header entry . if the entry exists then it uses it as the logo asset . if the logo asset is not found then the system knows that it is not dealing with a branded mail . after reading the branding assets , the plug - in / com can pull in the associated media , for example , by making the url ( universal resource locator ) requests to the paths provided for the brand mail . this case implies that the email client ( for example , eudora , outlook ) user is online and connected to the internet . in one embodiment , each time the user connects to the internet , the media is updated and cached locally for the given domain . this way , even if a end - user using an email client such as outlook is not online , an end user still can get to experience the cached media such as logos and sound effects . fig4 is a high - level diagram illustrating an organization to web mail end user use case of the present application in one embodiment . as shown at 402 , organization x &# 39 ; s sender writes an email and sends the email to web mail user receiver . at 404 , the brand mail system of the present application in one embodiment transforms the regular mail into branded mail and delivers it to the email communication endpoint , for instance , using brandmailwriter and reader subsystems . at 406 , the web mail user receiver views the branded email that organization x &# 39 ; s sender sent . in one embodiment , a web mail application 406 , for instance a third party web mail application , which typically makes use of dynamically generated web pages , gets all mail messages for the particular folder . if there are any brand mail messages , the web mail application &# 39 ; s protocol can be changed from http to https . optionally , the web mail application can always run https . in one embodiment , for each brand mail message , the web mail application may run any domain specific rules , for example , implemented as java script that executes any other code fragments like jsp ( javaserver pages ), asp ( active server pages ) page fragments , which may be embedded as branding assets in the e - mail header , on the branding assets if applicable , and display a logo and process any other media such as playing sound effects , if applicable . in one embodiment , brand assets such as the logo are pulled in to the view by making requests to the bm_logo or bm_logo_movie url . fig4 illustrates an inserted logo (“ dell ”) 408 with the received brand mail . fig4 &# 39 ; s logo 408 is an example of a visual distinction provided in the present application . a display of the logo 408 in the inbox as shown , for example , manifests to a user that this branded email is a secure message , so that the user can safely open the message . companies are assured that their logo has not been tampered or otherwise hacked . fig5 is a flow chart illustrating a brand mail application startup of the present application in one embodiment . at 502 , when a brand mail application subsystem such as a brandmailwriter or a brandmailreader starts up , a brand mail configuration xml file is validated . the xml file validation generally checks to see if all the necessary configuration nodes exist , and that they contain valid values . it also checks , for example , the integrity of xml via dom ( document object model ) and xml schema validation . at 504 , if the configuration is invalid , the application logs the configuration errors and exits gracefully . if the configuration is valid , at 506 , the configuration data is loaded , for instance , into efficient memory data structures for access during the run time mail processing . the brand mail configuration may include system wide configuration constructs as well as domain specific configuration constructs . the valid domain specific configurations are hashed and stored for the given domain . in one embodiment , each domain configuration node in the xml is converted into a domainconfigurationobject . a mapping is created in memory that associates this domain configuration with its corresponding hash . this mapping is also stored , for instance , within an efficient memory data structure for run - time mail processing access . aspects such as the ordering of hash classes , cryptographic key generation classes and cryptographic classes are preserved by the hashing of the domain specific configuration . a domain specific configuration , for example , contains a mapping of domain names to attributes that are domain specific . the domain specific configuration in one embodiment contains a base - 64 encoded policy hash , defines brand assets specific to the domain , hashing , cryptographic key generation , and cryptographic algorithms ( for example , all indexed with the natural order of the definition ( the order that the cryptographic algorithm definitions appear in the configuration file ), a flag for using optional constructs such as cryptography , and log directory configurations for valid / invalid tpd emails . below is an example of the xml domain configuration that is representative of the domain specific configuration object model : other domain configurations are possible . for example , additional definitions or nodes may be added to the domain configuration or the existing ones modified . configuration file contains a configuration for the subsystem of interest . it defines a subsystem type that should be configured as for example , brandmailreader or brandmailwriter . it also encapsulates all the domain specific configurations . thus , for example , a brandmailreader or brandmailwriter subsystems access their respective configuration files . below illustrates an example configuration : like the domain specific configuration , more configuration nodes can be added or the existing ones modified . in one embodiment , the brand mail system of the present application ensures that the brand mail algorithm index dereferences the right index for hashing , cryptographic key generation , and / or cryptography between the brandmailwriter and reader systems . for example , in the case of cryptography , if the algorithm index de - referenced different non - corresponding algorithms ( for the writer and reader respectively ), the decryption of the mail would be invalid due to the brandmailreader / writer configuration mismatch . that is , the writer would encrypt with a specific algorithm class while the reader would decrypt using a different algorithm class . therefore , the data would be designated as corrupted , and there may not be an easy way to discern a configuration mismatch from a tampering / forging scenario . in order to make the distinction between a configuration mismatch from a tampering / forging scenario , the brand mail system of the present application in one embodiment checks for the equality of the configuration hashes of brandmailreader and writer . in one embodiment , the domain specific configuration hash is used to validate the brandmailwriter &# 39 ; s configuration against the brandmailreader &# 39 ; s configuration . in one embodiment , the brandmailwriter writes its configuration hash into the mail headers and the brandmailreader validates its configuration against brandmailwriter &# 39 ; s value . if the values match then processing continues otherwise errors are logged and processing stops . in one embodiment , the brand mail system of the present application provides multiple domain specific algorithms , for example , hash algorithms , key generation algorithms , cryptographic algorithms , for instance , to increase the security of the system . in one embodiment , every branded email , which may have a good degree of uniqueness , generates an algorithm index ( checksum ), which is used to de - reference the number of algorithms configured . as the number of algorithms configured increases , the unpredictability of what algorithm is chosen ( by the algorithm index ) for the given branded email also increases . the degree of unpredictability is attained by performing the following modulus operation : this unpredictability makes it difficult for black hats to break the brand mail system . to further better the security of the system , it is recommended to tweak or add code to the existing industry - strength algorithms in a manner that is reliable and efficient . by doing this , black hats cannot count in having the exact algorithm for breaking the system . fig6 a , 6 b , and 6 c are flow charts illustrating a brandmailreader of the present application in one embodiment . at 602 , a message that is sent , for example , by the brandmailwriter is received by the brandmailreader email proxy . at 604 , a brandmaildetector processor performs a detection that diagnoses the following information : whether the mail message is branded message or just simply a regular message . the detection in one embodiment is performed by reading the header entries and seeing if the email headers contain all of the fundamental brand mail headers . the fundamental brand mail headers in one embodiment include the following : in one embodiment , all of the fundamental brand mail header entries must exist ( both the key / value pairs of the header entries ) for the mail to be considered as a branded mail at 606 . if all , the fundamental brand mail header entries exist then the processing / validation of the brand mail continues . if none of the fundamental brand mail headers exist then the reader determines that it is dealing with a regular message . at 608 , regular mail , messages are simply redirected to the adequate smtp receiver through the transport processor . at 609 , if the send was successful , the processing stops . otherwise , appropriate error handling and logging is performed at 611 and 613 for the message . there is a case where only some of the fundamental brand mail headers are embedded . in one embodiment , if this is the case then it is determined that the message has been tampered - with . consequently the processing for the message stops with appropriate error handling at 610 and the message is logged at 612 as invalid brand mail . other methods to detect whether a message is a branded mail can be utilized , including , for example , setting a flag , setting a minimum number predetermined fields , etc . if the message is a branded mail , at 614 , configurationhandshake processor makes sure that the domain configuration of the writer matches the domain configuration of the reader . this is done by checking the brand mail header “ bm_domain_config ” field value against the domain specific configuration hash of the reader . the domain specific configuration hash for the reader is , for example , generated and stored on application startup . for example , the domain configuration hashes were created during server startup of the reader and writer and the hashes are the same for the email sender and email receiver to exchange information . if at 616 there is a configurations match then the processing continues to 618 , otherwise the processing branches to a brandmailexception indicating misconfiguration , and performs error handling at 610 . at 618 , a policybinder processor gets the mapping between the “ from ” domain name and the base - 64 encoded policy hash from the brand mail configuration and subsequently binds the policy hash as a mail processing attribute . in one embodiment , the policy hash designates the contractual , agreement , between both parties exchanging e - mails . this makes the communication secure between both parties . in one embodiment , it is used as the core symmetric key . in one embodiment , a default implementation makes use of a xml file in the file system . below is an example of the xml node that is configured in the brandmailconfiguration . xml file : the policybinder processor at 618 , in one embodiment , grabs the policy hash using the “ from ” domain as the key . this is done , for example , by invoking the method “ string bindpolicy ( . . . ),” which returns the policy hash of interest or throws a policynotfoundexception if a policy hash is not found . the policy hash entry is then bound as a mail attribute . the binding in one embodiment is a mapping record between the current mail processing thread , the mail mime message , and a map of attributes . if at 620 , a policy hash is not found , the processing branches to 610 for error handling and exits . if at 620 , a policy hash that maps to the domain is found , the processing continues to cryptographicdetector at 622 shown in fig6 b . cryptographicdetector processor , in one embodiment , in the context of the brandmailreader , employs a cryptographic detector that invokes the method “ boolean shouldapplycryrtographyforreader ( . . . )”. this method checks to see if the “ bm_cyph ” header entry exists and its corresponding value is set to true . if this is the case the processing continues for cryptographic decryption , otherwise cryptography does not apply . thus , at 624 , if cryptography is used , for instance , “ bm_cyph ” header entry with its corresponding value set to true was found , the processing continues to 626 . otherwise , the processing branches to tpdvalidator processor at 628 . at 626 , cryptographickeygenerator processor generates a cryptographic key and binds it as a mail attribute . the cryptographic key will then be used by the cryptographer processor at 630 . in one embodiment , the algorithm selection for a cryptographic key is based on the algorithm index (“ bm_index ” header entry ). there is a collection of registered cryptographic key generation algorithms as classes implementing the cryptographickeygenerator interface . in one embodiment , the classes are configured for each domain . below is an example of the xml node that is configured in the brandmailconfiguration . xml file : in one embodiment , the same order of the domain specific cryptographic key generation classes is maintained within the configuration of the brandmailwriter . if this does not happen there may be an algorithm mismatch between the writer and the reader . in order to select the true algorithm index in the collection the following modulus operation is performed : this gives the true index to dereference the appropriate cryptographic key generation class within the collection . the method “ byte [ ] generatecryptographickey ( . . . )” is invoked by the selected cryptographic key generation class and the return value representing the generated key is bound as a mail attribute for the respective mail request . the mail attribute is called “ cryptographic_key ”. this key is subsequently used by the cryptographer processor to perform any cryptographic operations . at 630 , a cryptographer processor decrypts the message body parts . in one embodiment , it uses the “ cryptographic_key ” mail attribute as the key to decrypt the mime body parts . the algorithm selection in one embodiment is based on the algorithm index (“ bm_index ” header entry ). there is a collection of registered cryptographic algorithms as classes implementing the cryptographer interface . the classes should be configured for each domain . below is an example of the xml node that is configured in the brandmailconfiguration . xml file : in one embodiment , the domain specific cryptographic classes are maintained within the configuration of the brandmailwriter . otherwise , there may be an algorithm mismatch between the reader and the writer . in order to select the true algorithm index in the collection the following modulus operation is performed in one embodiment : this gives the true index to dereference the appropriate cryptographic class within the collection . once the cryptographic class is selected , the “ byte [ ] decrypt ( . . . )” method is called for all the mime body parts . in case of any problems a brandmailexception is thrown and errors are processed via the errorhandler processor . at 632 , if the decryption was successful , the processing continues to tpdvalidator processor at 628 . otherwise , the processing branches to errorhandler processor at 634 and appropriate logging at 638 . the tpdvalidator processor at 628 validates the tpd for the message . in one embodiment , to validate the tpd , this processor makes use of the following constructs in one embodiment : algorithm index ( the “ bm_index ” header entry which is embedded in the email headers ) the collection of registered tpd algorithms as classes implementing the hasher interface . the classes should be configured for each domain . below is an example of the xml node that is configured in the brandmailconfiguration . xml file : in one embodiment , the same order of domain specific hash classes are maintained within the configuration of the brandmailwriter . if this does not happen there may be an algorithm mismatch between the writer and the reader . in order to select the true algorithm index in the collection the following modulus operation is performed in one embodiment : bm_index %[# of registered hash classes ] this provides the true index to dereference the appropriate hash class within the collection . because the algorithm index is not the same for all message , the algorithm thus selected rotates among the algorithms listed in the domain configuration file . a concatenation of the algorithm index ( which has a good degree of uniqueness ) and the data of each mime body part is performed . the result of the concatenation is then hashed based using the adequate algorithm de - referenced by the algorithm index . the generated value is compared with the “ bm_tpd ” value found in the email header . at 636 , if the values match the validation is successful then the processing continues to a tpdlogger processor at 642 in fig6 c , otherwise the validation errors are logged at 638 and the system halts further mail processing for this message at 640 . at 642 , the tpdlogger processor logs the tpd in a file system . in one embodiment , the name of the file is the base - 64 encoded tpd . the contents of file is the complete email message . this is used to keep a log of all the brand mails processed for audit purposes . the configuration of the directory path is provided in the brand mail xml , configuration . below is an example of the xml node that is configured in the brandmailconfiguration . xml file : in one embodiment , to discern whether the brand mail system is dealing with a valid tpd , a boolean attribute called “ tpd - validity ” is checked . the brandmailreader in one embodiment implements the tpdvalidator processor to bind this boolean email attribute with a “ tpd - validity ” value . in one embodiment , this boolean attribute is bound to the mail object . if the tpd validity flag is set to true , then the brand mail system creates a tpd file entry with the complete contents of the email within the “ tpd - valid - directory .” if the tpd validity is false , then tpdvalidation failed for the email , so a tpd file entry is created with the complete contents of the email within the “ tpd - invalid - directory .” if the “ tpd - validity ” flag is missing then the processing stops because there are errors before tpd generation . at 622 , if the tpd is valid , the processing continues to a transport processor at 646 . if the tpd validity is not found , the processing stops at 654 . at 646 , the transport processor sends the branded mail to the smtp receiver server . at 648 , if the send was successful , processing stops at 654 . however , if the send failed , the processing branches to errorhandler at 650 . at 650 , the errorhandler processor generically handles the errors of processors . in the cases of failure , the processors add error attributes to the errors map . the errors that were populated within the map are logged by the error handler at 652 . fig7 a , 7 b , and 7 c are flow charts illustrating a brandmailwriter of the present application in one embodiment . in one embodiment , when the brandmailwriter application starts up , the brand mail configuration xml file is validated . if the configuration is invalid the application logs the configuration errors and exits gracefully . if the configuration is valid , the configuration data is loaded into efficient memory data structures for access during the run time mail processing . in one embodiment , the brand mail configuration includes system wide configuration constructs as well as domain specific configuration constructs . the valid domain specific configurations are hashed and stored for a given domain . this mapping is also stored within an efficient memory data structure for run - time mail processing access . aspects such as the ordering of hash classes , cryptographic key generation classes and cryptographic classes are preserved by the hashing of the domain specific configuration since the brand mail algorithm index de - references the index for hashing , cryptographic key generation , and cryptography between the brandmailwriter and reader systems . for example , in the case of cryptography , if the algorithm index dereferences different non - corresponding algorithms for the writer and reader respectively , the decryption of the mail would be invalid due to the brandmailreader / writer configuration mismatch . for instance , the writer would encryption with a specific algorithm in the writer while the reader would decrypt with a different algorithm . therefore , the data would be deemed corrupted and furthermore there would not be an easy way to discern a configuration mismatch from a tampering / forging scenario . in order to make the distinction between a configuration mismatch from a tampering / forging scenario , the brand mail system of the present application checks for the equality of the configuration hashes of brandmailreader and writer . in one embodiment , a domain specific configuration hash is used to validate the brandmailwriter &# 39 ; s configuration against the brandmailreader &# 39 ; s configuration . the brandmailwriter writes its configuration hash into the mail headers and the brandmailreader validates its configuration against brandmailwriter &# 39 ; s value . if the values match then processing continues otherwise errors are logged and processing stops . at 702 , the brandmailwriter in one embodiment detects or receives an incoming regular message . as an example , a regular message is sent by an email client for instance via webmail , outlook , eudora , etc . and received by the brandmailwriter email proxy , where for example , the host name and port # is configured by the email client . at 704 , a remoteaddressinnetwork processor , for instance , checks whether the remote address ( the address of the email client ) in the network . for example , in one embodiment , permissible domains , addresses , subnets are configured within the brandmailwriter . if the email client is in the network , the processing continues to 706 . otherwise , processing branches to errorhandler processor at 708 . at 706 , a domainconfigurationhashwriter processor , for instance , writes a header entry corresponding to the domain specific configuration hash . an example header entry is listed below : in one embodiment , domain specific base - 64 configuration hashes are generated for all the domain configurations on application startup . the “ from ” email address domain , for example , appearing in a conventional electronic message fields , is used to lookup the corresponding configuration hash and subsequently the value is stored as a header entry . if the domain is not found at 708 , a domainnotfoundexception is thrown at 710 . at 712 , a policybinder processor for instance , gets the mapping between the “ from ” domain name and the base - 64 encoded policy hash from the brand mail configuration and subsequently binds the policy hash as a mail processing attribute . in one embodiment , the default implementation makes use of a xml file in the file system . below is an example of the xml node that is configured in the brandmailconfiguration . xml file : the policybinder processor at 712 , in one embodiment , grabs the policy hash using the “ from ” domain as the key . this is done , for example , by invoking the method “ string bindpolicy ( . . . ),” which returns the policy hash of interest or throws a policynotfoundexception if a policy hash is not found . the policy hash entry is then bound as a mail attribute . the binding in one embodiment is a mapping record between the current mail processing thread , the mail mime message , and a map of attributes . at 714 , if policy exists , the processing continues to assetadder processor at 716 . otherwise , the processing branches to errorhandler processor at 710 and appropriate logging at 711 . at 716 , the assetadder processor adds the brand mail assets to the email headers by calling the “ void addassets ( . . . )” method . in one embodiment , the brand mail assets are found within the brand mail configuration . the key is the “ from ” domain and values are sub - nodes representing the assets . below is an example of the xml node that is configured in the brandmailconfiguration . xml file : in one embodiment , after adding the brand mail assets an additional header tag indicating the time the assets are written to the headers is inserted . the inserted tag &# 39 ; s name is “ bm_written_time ” and is a string representation of the time in milliseconds in one embodiment . referring to fig7 b , at 718 if there are problems adding the brand mail assets then a brandmailexception is thrown and the processing branches to errorhandler processor at 720 and to tpdlogger processor at 721 for appropriate error handling and logging . it is noted that any brand asset can be defined for the given domain as long as the brand asset name is unique for the given domain . in one embodiment , a logo brand asset ( for example , “ bm_logo ”) is a standard visual brand asset that is added in the configuration . at 722 , an algorithmindexgenerator processor generates an algorithm index , for example , by concatenating the policy hash ( retrieved from the mail attributes map ), and all the other header entries . the result is then run through a checksum algorithm such as the crc - 32 . what is returned is a long value that is then converted to a string . an example of a method used to accomplish this is a “ long generatealgorithmindex ( . . . )”. the long checksum is converted to a string and stored within the email headers as the following header entry : the algorithm index has a degree of uniqueness based on the policy hash , and the header entries . the algorithm index is used to select the right algorithm to generate the tpd . at 724 , if there are problems generating the algorithm index , then a brandmailexception is thrown and the processing branches to 720 and to tpdlogger processor at 721 for appropriate error handling and logging . if on the other hand , an algorithm index was generated successfully , the processing continues to tpdgenerator processor at 726 . tpdgenerator processor in one embodiment is responsible for generating a tpd for the message . to generate a tpd for the message , this processor in one aspect makes use of the following constructs : algorithm index ( the “ bm_index ” header entry which is embedded in the email headers ) the collection of registered tpd algorithms as classes implementing the hasher interface . the classes are configured for specific domains . below is an example of the xml node that is configured in the brandmailconfiguration . xml file : in one embodiment , the same order of domain specific hash classes are maintained within the configuration of the brandmailreader . if this does not happen there may be an algorithm mismatch between the writer and the reader . in order to select the true algorithm index in the collection the following modulus operation is performed in one embodiment : bm_index % [# of registered hash classes ]. thus , the algorithm is dynamically selected using the algorithm index . because the algorithm index is not the same for all , message , the algorithm thus selected rotates among the algorithms listed in the domain configuration file . this provides the true index to dereference the appropriate hash class within the collection . a concatenation of the algorithm index ( which has a good degree of uniqueness ) and the data of each mime body part is performed . the result of the concatenation is then hashed based using the adequate algorithm de - referenced by the algorithm index . the hash called tpd is base - 64 encoded and stored as a header entry called : bm_tpd =& lt ; tpd & gt ; additionally a boolean mail attribute called “ tpd - validity ” is bound and set to true . this will be used by the tpdlogger . at 728 , if a tpd was generated successfully , the processing continues to cryptographicdetector processor at 730 . if the tpd generation failed , the processing jumps to an errorhandler processor at 720 and to tpdlogger processor at 721 for appropriate error handling and logging . at 730 , the cryptographicdetector processor employs a cryptographic detector to invoke a method “ boolean shouldapplycryptographyforwriter ( . . . )”. this method first checks to see if the brand mail configuration includes a tag for cryptography for the given domain . below is an example of the xml node that is configured in the brandmailconfiguration . xml file : if the “ use - cryptography value ” node is not provided or set to false , then cryptography is not used . referring to fig7 c , if at , 732 , cryptography used , the processing branches to a cryptographickeygenerator processor at 734 . otherwise , the processing continues to a tpdlogger processor at 733 . at 734 , the cryptographickeygenerator processor generates a cryptographic key and binds it as a mail attribute . the cryptographic key will then be used by the cryptographer processor at 740 . in one embodiment , the algorithm selection is based on the algorithm index (“ bm_index ” header entry ). there is a collection of registered cryptographic key generation algorithms as classes implementing the cryptographickeygenerator interface . the classes are configured for each domain . below is an example of the xml node that is configured in the brandmailconfiguration . xml file : in one embodiment , the same order of the domain specific cryptographic key generation classes are maintained within the configuration of the brandmailreader . if this does not happen there may be an algorithm mismatch between the writer and the reader . in order to select the true algorithm index in the collection the following modulus operation is performed : bm_index % [# of registered cryptographic key generation classes ] this provides a true index to dereference the appropriate cryptographic key generation class within the collection . for example , a method “ byte [ ] generatecryptographickey ( . . . )” is invoked by the selected cryptographic key generation class and the return value representing the generated key is bound as a mail attribute for the respective mail request . the mail attribute is called “ cryptographic_key ”. this key is subsequently used by the cryptographer processor to perform any cryptographic operations . at 740 , using the generated key , the cryptographer processor performs the encryption of the message . the cryptographer processor , for example , is responsible to encrypt the message body parts . it uses the “ cryptographic_key ” mail attribute as the key to encrypt the mime body parts . the algorithm selection is based on the algorithm index (“ bm_index ” header entry ). there is a collection of registered cryptographic algorithms as classes implementing the cryptographer interface . the classes are configured for each domain . below is an example of the xml node that is configured in the brandmailconfiguration . xml file : in one embodiment , the same order of the domain specific cryptographic classes are maintained within the configuration of the brandmailreader . if this does not happen there may be an algorithm mismatch between the writer and the reader . in order to select the true algorithm index in the collection the following modulus operation is performed : bm_index % [# of registered cryptographic classes ] the algorithm is , thus , dynamically selected , for example , to further enhance the security mechanism . this gives the true index to dereference the appropriate cryptographic class within the collection . once the cryptographic class is selected , the “ byte [ ] encrypt ( . . . )” method is called for all the mime body parts and finally a header entry is added indicating that cryptography was performed . the header entry is listed below : bm_cyph = true if cryptography is not used then it is not necessary to add the above tag . at 742 , if the encryption procedure was failed , a brandmailexception is thrown and the processing branches to 736 for appropriate error handling . if the encryption procedure was successful , the processing continues to 733 . at 733 , a tpdlogger processor logs the tpd in the file system . the name of the file is the base - 64 encoded tpd . the contents of file is the complete email message . this is used to keep a log of all the brand mails processed for audit purposes . the configuration of the directory path is provided in the brand mail xml configuration . below is an example of the xml node that is configured in the brandmailconfiguration . xml file : to determine whether a tpd is valid , a boolean attribute called “ tpd - validity ” is checked against . in one embodiment of the brandmailwriter flow , the tpdgenerator processor will always set . “ tpd - validity = true ”, since the writer is not validating the tpd . if the tpd validity flag is set to true , then a tpd file entry is created with the complete contents of the email . the tpd - valid - directory configuration is used to write the tpd log contents to the configured location . if the “ tpd - validity ” flag is missing then the processing stops , because there are errors before tpd generation . with a valid tpd , the processing continues to transport processor at 744 . transport processor dispatches the created branded mail to the brandmailwriter &# 39 ; s smtp sender service component . at 746 , if the send is successful , the processing stops at 748 . otherwise , the processing branches to an errorhandler processor at 736 . the errorhandler processor at 736 generically handles the errors of processors . in the cases of failure the processors add error attributes to the errors map . the errors that were populated within the map are logged by the error handler , for instance by a tpdlogger processor at 738 . the system and method of the present disclosure may be implemented and run on a general - purpose computer . the embodiments described above are illustrative examples and it should not be construed that the present invention is limited to these particular embodiments . thus , various changes and modifications may be effected by one skilled in the art without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims . | 7 |
according to the invention the lubricating member comprises from about 1 %, preferably from about 10 % to about 80 %, more preferably about 20 % to about 70 %, even more preferably from about 25 % to about 50 % and even more preferably from about 25 % to about 35 % by weight of a lipophilic structurant . the melting point of the lipophilic structurant is preferably from at least 45 ° c . to less than 90 ° c ., more preferably from 45 ° c . to less than 60 ° c . and thus the lipophilic structurant is preferably a solid at 25 ° c . the melting point is determined according to astm d5440 - 93 . if the lipophilic structurant comprises more than one material , the melting point is determined for the resultant mixture as described hereinafter . the lipophilic structurant is preferably water insoluble . the lipophilic structurant provides a chassis to contain the ingredient components which also deliver lubrication to the skin and other benefit agents during the shaving process . suitable lipophilic structurants for use herein include c14 or greater , preferably c14 to c20 , more preferably c16 to c18 chain length fatty acyls such as fatty acids , fatty alcohols and esters , triglycerides , waxes and mixtures thereof . particularly preferred are c14 - c20 alcohols , in particular cetyl and stearyl alcohols and mixtures thereof . suitable lipophilic structurants include natural , synthetic and silicone waxes . as used herein , the term “ wax ” includes , but is not limited to , any material that is solid at 25 ° c . ; very slightly soluble in water , preferably practically insoluble in water according to the united states &# 39 ; pharmacopeia ( usp ) definition in 31 / nf 26 vol . 2 general notices , page xvii . according to that definition , this means that 1000 to 10000 parts of water are needed to dissolve 1 part solute and that more than 10 , 000 parts of water are needed to dissolve 1 part solute respectively . the wax may comprise natural wax , synthetic wax or mixtures thereof . natural waxes may be plant , animal or mineral derived . non - limiting examples of suitable natural waxes include beeswax , copernicia cerifera ( carnauba ) wax , euphorbia cerifera ( candelilla ) wax , jojoba wax , oryza sativa ( rice ) bran wax , lemon peel wax , soybean wax , sunflower wax and mixtures thereof . non - limiting examples of suitable synthetic waxes include hydrogenated jojoba wax , synthetic and siliconyl jojoba wax , hydrogenated microcrystalline wax , microcrystalline wax , synthetic , siliconyl and hydrogenated rice bran wax , ceresin , ozokerite , paraffin , benhenyl beeswax , synthetic , siliconyl and hydrogenated beeswax , synthetic , hydrogenated and siliconyl candelilla wax , synthetic , hydrogenated and siliconyl carnauba , wax , synthetic , hydrogenated and siliconyl lemon peel wax , synthetic , siliconyl and hydrogenated soybean wax , synthetic , siliconyl and hydrogenated sunflower wax and mixtures thereof . preferred natural and synthetic waxes are beeswax , microcrystalline wax , candellila wax , ozokerite , and mixtures thereof . non - limiting examples of suitable silicone waxes include , stearyoxy trimethylsilane such as dc580 wax , c30 - 45 alkyl methicone available as dc ams - c30 cosmetic wax , stearyoxymethyl silane available as dc silkywax 10 , c24 - 54 alkyl methicone such as dc st - wax 30 , c30 - 45 alkyldimethylsilyl , polypropyl - silsesquioxane , available as dc sw - 8005 resin wax , and mixtures thereof . particularly preferred lipophilic structurants may be selected from cetyl alcohol , stearyl alcohol , microcrystalline wax , stearyloxy trimethylsilane and mixtures thereof . the lipophilic structurant and or lubricating member preferably comprises less than 5 %, preferably less than 1 % by weight and more preferably is substantially free of soap ( i . e . salts of fatty acids such as c4 - 30 carboxylic acids ) or lathering surfactants . a lathering surfactant is defined as a surfactant which when combined with water and mechanically agitated generate a foam or lather . lathering surfactants include anionic and amphoteric lathering surfactants and mixtures thereof . anionic lathering surfactants include sarcosinates , sulfates , sulfonate , isethionate , taurates , phosphates , lactylates , glutamates , alkali metal salts of fatty acids ( i . e . soaps ) having from 8 to 24 carbons , and mixtures thereof . the lipophilic structurant is preferably slightly water insoluble , more preferably very slightly soluble , even more preferably practically insoluble according to the united states &# 39 ; pharmacopeia ( usp ) definition in 31 / nf 26 vol . 2 general notices , page xvii . according to that definition , slightly soluble means that 100 to 1000 parts of water are needed to dissolve 1 part solute and very slightly soluble means than from 1000 to 10000 parts of water are needed to dissolve 1 part of solute and practically insoluble means that greater than or equal to 10000 parts of water are needed to dissolve 1 part of solute . according to the invention , the lubricating material further comprise from about 0 . 1 % to about 70 %, preferably from 0 . 1 % to 60 %, more preferably from about 1 % to about 20 %, even more preferably from about 1 % to 15 %, most preferably from about 1 % to about 5 % or alternatively from about 40 % to about 60 %, more preferably from about 45 % to about 55 %, by weight of a silicone polyether copolymer or mixtures thereof . silicone polyether copolymers are block copolymers of silicone , polyethylene oxide and polypropylene oxide . they may have a pendant graft structure . the silicone polyether copolymer may comprise from about 1 % to 50 %, by weight of polyethylene oxide , from about 20 % to about 90 % by weight of polypropylene oxide and from about 1 % to about 20 % by weight of silicone . preferably the silicone polyether copolymer comprises at least about 40 %, more preferably at least about 50 %, most preferably at least about 60 % by weight of polypropylene oxide . in addition , the silicone polyether copolymer preferably comprises at least about 10 %, more preferably from at least about 15 %, most preferably from about 15 % to 30 % by weight of polyethylene oxide . furthermore , the silicone polyether block copolymer comprises from 1 % to 20 %, preferably 10 % to 20 %, more preferably about 15 % by weight of silicone . whilst silicone polyether block copolymers are known in the art to provide a number of benefits such as foaming , defoaming , wetting , deaeration and lubricity , it has been now been surprisingly found that the selection of silicone block copolymers having from 20 % to 90 % by weight of polypropylene and from 1 % to 50 % of polyethylene oxide unexpectedly provide improved lubrication whilst ensuring the required level of water dispersion and or solubility verses silicone polyether block copolymers having less or no polypropylene oxide and more polyethylene oxide . such dispersion and solubility properties are surprisingly further improved by the inclusion of from 1 % to 30 % by weight of the silicone polyether block copolymer of silicone . moreover , the use of such silicone block copolymers provides improved adhesion to the skin of the actives verses alternative materials such as copolymers of polyethylene oxide and polypropylene oxide . the silicone polyether block copolymer may comprise from 1 % to 50 %, preferably from 10 % to 30 %, more preferably about 20 % by weight of polyethylene oxide . the silicone polyether block copolymer comprises from 20 % to 90 %, preferably from 40 % to 80 %, more preferably from 50 to 80 %, most preferably about 65 % by weight of polypropylene oxide . the silicone polyether block copolymer comprises from 1 % to 20 %, preferably 10 % to 20 %, more preferably about 15 % by weight of silicone . the silicone polyether block copolymer preferably has a ratio of polyethylene oxide units to polypropylene oxide units of from 3 . 0 to 0 . 1 , preferably from 2 . 0 to 0 . 1 , more preferably from 0 . 6 to 0 . 25 . the silicone polyether block copolymer preferably has a ratio of polyethylene oxide units to polypropylene oxide units to silicone units of from 20 : 65 : 15 . the silicone polyether copolymer may have a molecular weight of from about 10000 to about 19000 , more preferably from about 10000 to 15000 . suitable silicone polyether copolymers are available from momentive under the silwets ® trademark products including l7210 , l7602 , l7220 , l7230 , l7500 , preferably l7210 and l7602 . preferably the silicone polyether block copolymer is liquid at 25 ° c ., so that it can be provided in a liquid form for spray coating manufacturing methods . the melting point is determined according to astm d5440 - 93 . in a preferred embodiment , the silicone polyether copolymers suitable for use herein only contain repeating units of silicone , polyethylene oxide and polypropylene oxide . silicone polyether copolymers comprising additional alkyl chains are preferably excluded . preferably the silicone polyether block copolymer is sparingly soluble , preferably soluble or more preferably freely soluble in water according to the united states &# 39 ; pharmacopeia ( usp ) definition in 31 / nf 26 vol . 2 general notices , page xvii . according to that definition , sparingly soluble means 30 to 1000 parts of water are needed to dissolve 1 part solute , soluble means that 10 to 30 parts of water are needed to dissolve 1 part solute and freely soluble means than from 1 to 10 parts of water are needed to dissolve 1 part of solute . the lubricating member may further comprise in addition to the lipophilic structurant and silicone polyether block copolymer from about 10 % to about 70 %, preferably from about 10 % to about 40 %, by weight of a liquid phase . in one embodiment the liquid phase comprises a hydrophobic material or mixtures thereof . the liquid phase may provide a number of in use benefits such as lubrication , skin feel and cooling sensation . in one embodiment the liquid phase has a melting point of 45 ° c . or less , preferably 40 ° c . or less , even more preferably 30 ° c . or less , most preferably 25 ° c . or less . the melting point is determined according to astm d5440 - 93 . preferably the liquid phase and the hydrophobic material is liquid at 25 ° c . the use of a liquid phase enables the materials to be readily added to the lipophilic structurant upon melting or to be added by spray coating techniques during manufacture of the lubricating member . in another preferred embodiment the hydrophobic material or mixtures thereof may be very slightly soluble and have a melting point of 45 ° c . or less as defined herein above and be miscible with one another . in another embodiment the melting point of the mixture of liquid phase and the lipophilic structurant is preferably from 45 ° c . to 5 ° c . less than the melting point of the water soluble polymer . suitable liquid phase components for use herein include for example natural oils , synthetic oils , silicone oils , petrolatum , triglycerides , butters or mixtures thereof . as used herein , the term “ oil ” includes , but is not limited to any non - aqueous substance that is very slightly soluble , preferably practically insoluble in water according to the united states &# 39 ; pharmacopeia ( usp ) definition in 31 / nf 26 vol . 2 general notices , page xvii . according to that definition , means that 1000 to 10000 parts of water are needed to dissolve 1 part solute and that more than 10 , 000 parts of water are needed to dissolve 1 part solute respectively and is liquid at 25 ° c . petrolatum may be considered as a lipophilic structurant or a liquid phase due to its complex mixture of component materials . for the purposes of this invention petrolatum is considered as a liquid phase component . the oil may be selected from natural oil , synthetic oil , silicone oil and mixtures thereof . non - limiting examples of suitable natural oils include acetylated castor oil , acetylated hydrogenated castor oil , actinidia chinensis ( kiwi ), seed oil , adansonia digitata oil , aleurites moluccana seed oil , anacardium occidentale ( cashew ) seed oil , arachis hypogaea ( peanut ) oil , arctium lappa seed oil , argania spinosa kernel oil , argemone mexicana oil , avena sativa ( oat ) kernel oil , bertholletia excelsa seed oil , borago officinalis seed oil , brassica campestris ( rapeseed ) seed oil , calophyllum tacamahaca seed oil , camellia japonica seed oil , camellia kissi seed oil , camellia oleifera seed oil , canola oil , caprylic / capric / lauric triglyceride , caprylic / capric / linoleic triglyceride , caprylic / caprice / myristic / stearic triglyceride , caprylic / capric / stearic triglyceride , caprylic / capric triglyceride , carthamus tinctorius ( hybrid safflower ) seed oil , carthamus tinctorius ( safflower ) seed oil , carum carvi ( caraway ) seed oil , carya illinoensis ( pecan ) seed oil , castor oil benzoate , chenopodium quinoa seed oil , cibotium barometz oil , citrullus vulgaris ( watermelon ) seed oil , cocos nucifera ( coconut ) oil , cod liver oil , coffea arabica ( coffee ) seed oil , coix lacryma - jobi ( job &# 39 ; s tears ) seed oil , corylus americana ( hazel ) seed oil , corylus avellana ( hazel ) seed oil , cucumis sativus ( cucumber ) oil , cucurbita pepo ( pumpkin ) seed oil , daucus carota sativa ( carrot ) seed oil , elaeis guineensis ( palm ) kernel oil , elaeis guineensis ( palm ) oil , gossypium ( cotton ) seed oil , helianthus annuus ( hybrid sunflower ) oil , helianthus annuus ( sunflower ) seed oil , hippophae rhamnoides oil , human placental lipids , hydrogenated canola oil , hydrogenated castor oil , hydrogenated castor oil laurate , hydrogenated castor oil triisostearate , hydrogenated coconut oil , hydrogenated cottonseed oil , hydrogenated c12 - 18 triglycerides , hydrogenated fish oil , hydrogenated lard , hydrogenated menhaden oil , hydrogenated mink oil , hydrogenated olive oil , hydrogenated orange roughy oil , hydrogenated palm kernel oil , hydrogenated palm oil , hydrogenated peanut oil , hydrogenated rapeseed oil , hydrogenated shark liver oil , hydrogenated soybean oil , hydrogenated sunflower seed oil , hydrogenated tallow , hydrogenated vegetable oil , isatis tinctoria seed oil , juglans regia ( walnut ) seed oil , lauric / palmitic / oleic triglyceride , umnanthes alba ( meadowfoam ) seed oil , unum usitatissimum ( linseed ) seed oil , lupinus albus seed oil , macadamia integrifolia seed oil , macadamia ternifolia seed oil , maleated soybean oil , mangifera indica ( mango ) seed oil , marmot oil , melaleuca alternifolia ( tea tree ) leaf oil , melia azadirachta seed oil , melissa officinalis ( balm mint ) seed oil , menhaden oil , mink oil , moringa pterygosperma seed oil , mortierella oil , neatsfoot oil , nelumbium speciosum flower oil , nigella sativa seed oil , oenothera biennis ( evening primrose ) oil , olea europaea ( olive ) fruit oil , olea europaea ( olive ) husk oil , orange roughy oil , orbignya cohune seed oil , orbignya oleifera seed oil , oryza sativa ( rice ) bran oil , oryza sativa ( rice ) germ oil , ostrich oil , oxidized corn oil , oxidized hazel seed oil , papaver orientale ( poppy ) seed oil , passiflora edulis seed oil , persea gratissima ( avocado ) oil , pistacia vera seed oil , placental lipids , prunus amygdalus amara ( bitter almond ) kernel oil , prunus amygdalus dulcis ( sweet almond ) oil , prunus armeniaca ( apricot ) kernel oil , prunus avium ( sweet cherry ) seed oil , prunus cerasus ( bitter cherry ) seed oil , prunus persica ( peach ) kernel oil , pyrus malus ( apple ) oil , ribes nigrum ( black currant ) seed oil , ricinus communis ( castor ) seed oil , rosa canina fruit oil , rosa moschata seed oil , salmon oil , salvia hispanica seed oil , santalum album ( sandalwood ) seed oil , sesamum indicum ( sesame ) seed oil , shark liver oil , solanum lycopersicum ( tomato ) seed oil , soybean lipid , sphingolipids , taraktogenos kurzii seed oil , telphairia pedata oil , vegetable oil , vitis vinifera ( grape ) seed oil , zea mays ( corn ) germ oil , zea mays ( corn ) oil mineral oil and mixtures thereof . suitable synthetic oils include hydrocarbons , esters , alkanes , alkenes and mixtures thereof . non - limiting examples include isopropyl palmitate , isopropyl stearate , isohexadecane , isododecane , polyglyceryl triisostearate and mixtures thereof . non - limiting examples of suitable silicone oils include dimethicones ( including partial esters of dimethicones and fatty acids derived from natural / synthetic oils ), cyclomethicones , phenylated silicones , phenyl trimethicones , trimethyl pentaphenyl trisiloxane and mixtures thereof . non - limiting examples of commercially available silicone oils include dow corning 200 fluid , dow corning ® 244 , dow corning ® 245 , dow corning ® 344 , and dow corning ® 345 , ( commercially available from dow corning ® corp . ); sf - 1204 and sf - 1202 silicone fluids ( commercially available from g . e . silicones ), ge 7207 and 7158 ( commercially available from general electric co . ); and sws - 03314 ( commercially available from sws silicones corp . ), the viscasil series ( sold by general electric company ), sf 1075 methyl - phenyl fluid ( sold by general electric company ) and 556 cosmetic grade fluid ( sold by dow corning ® corp . ), silshine 151 ( sold by momentive ), and ph1555 and ph1560 ( sold by dow corning ®). wherein r , r ′ and r ″ may be the same as or different from one or both of the others , wherein each of r , r ′ and r ″ is a fatty acid and wherein each triglyceride is solid at 25 ° c . suitable oils from which triglycerides may be formed from include , but are not limited to , the oils listed herein . suitable fatty acids for formation of triglycerides include , but are not limited to , myristoleic acid , palmitoleic acid , sapienic acid , oleic acid , linoleic acid , α - linolenic acid , arachidonic acid , eicosapentaenoic acid , docosahexaenoic acid , lauric acid ( c 12 ), myristic acid ( c 14 ), palmitic acid ( c 16 ), stearic acid ( c 18 ), arachidic acid ( c 20 ) and mixtures thereof . specific sources of triglycerides suitable for inclusion herein include shea butter , theobroma cacao ( cocoa ) seed butter , cocoa butter , mangifera indica ( mango ) seed butter , kokum butter and mixtures thereof . particularly preferred are shea butter , cocoa butter and mixtures thereof . preferred liquid phase components may be selected from capric and or caprylic triglycerides , olive oil , shea butter , cocoa butter , petrolatum , isopropyl isostearate , dimethicones , phenylated silicones and mixtures thereof . the lubricating member further comprises from less than about 5 %, preferably less than 1 % and more preferably is substantially free of a water soluble polymer other than the silicone polyether block copolymer ; in other words is substantially free of a water soluble silicone free polymer . water soluble polymers such as polyethylene oxide whilst known to provide lubrication are degraded during the thermal manufacturing process and may also result in consumer relevant negative attributes . such water soluble polymers include polyethylene oxide , polyvinyl pyrrolidone , polyacrylamide , polyhydroxymethacrylate , polyvinyl imidazoline , polyethylene glycol , polyvinyl alcohol , polyhydroxyethymethacrylate , quaternary ammonium polymers and mixtures thereof . such materials include the polyethylene oxides generally known as polyox ( available from union carbide corporation ) or alkox ( available from meisei chemical works , kyoto , japan ) e . g . polyox coagulant and polyox wsr - n - 750 . the lubricating member may also comprises less than 5 % by weight preferably less than 1 % by weight , more preferably is substantially free of a water insoluble polymeric structurant . whilst not bound by theory the structuring properties of the lubricating member of the present invention are provided by the lipophlic structurant and consequently additional water insoluble polymers are not required . this enables the lubricating member to comprise higher levels of materials which deliver consumer relevant performance attributes . such water insoluble polymeric structurants include polyethylene ( pe ), polypropylene , polystyrene ( ps ), butadiene - styrene copolymer ( e . g . medium and high impact polystyrene ), polyacetal , acrylonitrile - butadiene - styrene copolymer , ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer , polyurethane , and blends thereof such as polypropylene / polystyrene blend or polystyrene / impact polystyrene blend . in some embodiments , the lubricating material may comprise any other ingredients commonly found in commercially available shaving aid members . the lubricating member may therefore contain other conventional shaving aid ingredients , such as low molecular weight water - soluble release enhancing agents such as polyethylene glycol ( mw & lt ; 10 , 000 , e . g ., 1 - 10 % by weight peg - 100 ), water - swellable release enhancing agents such as cross - linked polyacrylics ( e . g ., 2 - 7 % by weight ), colorants , skin feel / care actives , surfactants , soaps ( including interrupted soaps ), antioxidants , preservatives , emollients , beard softeners , astringents , medicinal agents , plasticizers , additional lubricants , depilatories / keratolytic materials , tackifiers , skin - soothing agents , fragrances , compatibilisers , anti - inflammatory agents , antipruritic / counterirritant materials , dyes , pigments etc . and mixture thereof . other optional components may include skin active agents such as , but not limited to oil soluble vitamins , such as vitamin e derivatives , including vitamin e acetate and tocopherol nicotinate ; oil - soluble vitamin a derivatives , such as retinyl palmitate ; lanolin ; ceramides ; sterols and sterol esters ; salicylic acid ; camphor ; eucalyptol ; essential oils ; peppermint oil , iso e super r1 -( 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 - octahydro - 2 , 3 , 8 , 8 - tetramethyl - 2 - naphthalenyl ) ethanonel ; and mixtures thereof . particularly preferred are lanolin , essential oils , peppermint oil , coolants or senates and mixtures thereof . suitable synthetic coolants include derivatives of or structurally related menthol compounds , i . e ., containing the cyclohexane moiety , and derivatized with functional groups including carboxamide , ketal , ester , ether and alcohol . non - limiting examples include methyl emthylamido oxalate , ( under the tradename frescolat ® x - cool available from symrise ), menthyl lactate ( such as frescolat ® ml natural available from symrise ), and menthyl pyrrolidone carboxylate also known as menthyl pca ( under the tradename questices ® available from givaudan ). optional components which are liquids are included in determining the total amount of liquid phase present . the lubricating member may be manufactured using a hot melt process . in such processes the lipophilic structurant is melted in a water bath to a temperature of from about 45 ° c . to less than 90 ° c ., preferably about 85 ° c . and stirred until completely melted . the liquid silicone polyether block copolymer is then added and stirred . the temperature of the resultant mixture is then reduced to about 55 ° c . when the remaining components are added whilst stirring . the molten material is then transferred for example poured into a mold or container . the member can be removed from the mold or container upon cooling . according to some embodiments of the invention , the lubricating member finds particular application for hair removal devices . hair removal devices generally comprise a hair removal head and a handle or grip portion , upon which the hair removal head is mounted . the hair removal device can be manual or power driven and can be used for wet and / or dry application . the hair removal head can include a wide scraping surface such as where the hair removal device is used with a depilatory , or be a razor cartridge or foil where the device is a shaving razor . the hair removal head may be replaceable and / or pivotally connected to a cartridge connecting structure and in turn or independently ( e . g . permanently fixed ) to a handle . in some embodiments , the cartridge connecting structure includes at least one arm to releasably engage the hair removal head . the hair removal head typically comprises one or more elongated edges usually positioned between a first and second end , said one or more elongated edges comprising a tip extending towards said first end . where the hair removal head is a razor cartridge the one or more elongated edges can include blades . for example , u . s . pat . no . 7 , 168 , 173 generally describes a fusion ® razor that is commercially available from the gillette ® company and which includes a razor cartridge with multiple blades . additionally , the razor cartridge may include a guard as well as a skin engaging member . a variety of razor cartridges can be used in accordance with the present invention . nonlimiting examples of suitable razor cartridges , with and without fins , guards , and / or shave aids , include those marketed by the gillette ® company under the fusion ®, venus ® product lines as well as those disclosed in u . s . pat . nos . 7 , 197 , 825 , 6 , 449 , 849 , 6 , 442 , 839 , 6 , 301 , 785 , 6 , 298 , 558 ; 6 , 161 , 288 , and u . s . 2008 / 060201 . those of skill in the art will understand that the lubricating member can be used with any currently marketed system or disposable razor , including those having 2 , 3 , 4 or 5 blades . in such a case , the hair removal device is a razor , the hair removal head is a razor cartridge and the one or more elongated edges are blades . another example of a hair removal device is a scraping tool for use with a hair removal composition , i . e . a depilatory . in some embodiments , said at least one lubricating member is located on the portion of the cartridge that contacts skin during the hair removal process , forward and / or aft of the blades . a feature “ forward ” of the one or more elongated edges , for example , is positioned so that the surface to be treated with by the hair removal device encounters the feature before it encounters the elongated edges . a feature “ aft ” of the elongated edge is positioned so that the surface to be treated by the hair removal device encounters the feature after it encounters the elongated edges . where more than one lubricating member is provided on the hair removal device , they can be the same ( identical ) or different , in terms of physical shape / structure and / or chemical composition . in some particular embodiments , a plurality ( e . g . 2 , a first and second ) of lubricating members may be provided on the hair removal head , with the first skin engaging member comprising the same composition or different . these lubricating members may be placed collectively ( for example adjacent to one another ) ahead of or behind the elongated edges ( e . g . blades on a razor cartridge ), including side by side , or separately with one ahead of the elongated edges and the other behind . the lubricating member may be free standing utilizing a suitable attachment means such as adhesive or may be contained at least partially within a container . the container typically has a base and at least one side wall extending vertically preferably perpendicular from said base and a skin contacting surface . in a preferred embodiment said container comprises a base and at least 2 side walls , more preferably at least 4 side walls , preferably said walls completely enclosing the base . typically , each pair of walls are substantially parallel and preferably one pair of walls is substantially parallel to the at least two blades . alternatively , the base may be enclosed by a one piece single wall . the container may form any shape including substantially rectangular , or oval . the container typically has a front wall adjacent the blades and a rear wall , preferably substantially parallel thereto and furthest from said blades . the container is preferably further provided with at least one dispensing orifice for dispensing the lubricating member onto the skin during use . in one embodiment the container is provided with a top extending substantially perpendicular from the side wall ( s ). the container would in such an embodiment typically have a receiving region for receiving the lubricating member . the top may be substantially parallel to the base or it may be provide at an angle such that the distance of the top from the blade plane increases or decreases as the distance of the container from the blades increases . in one embodiment the height of the top of the container increases in distance from the blade plane as the container distance from the blades increases . in an alternative embodiment the height of the top of the container decreases in distance from the blade plane as the container distance from the blade increases . the orifice may be of any shape and may , for example , have a cross sectional area of from about 0 . 00324 to about 1 . 613 cm 2 . small orifices can also be provided with cross sectional area of from about 0 . 0324 to about 0 . 324 cm 2 , or from about 0 . 0645 to about 0 . 16135 cm 2 . larger orifices can have cross sectional areas of from about 0 . 324 to about 1 . 613 cm 2 , or from about 0 . 645 to about 1 . 29 cm 2 . the container may comprise a single orifice or multiple orifices which may be large and or small . in one embodiment the container comprises at least two orifices . combinations of small and large orifices can also be provided on the same skin engaging member , or on separate members on the same cartridge , depending on the desired dispense rate and amount of exposure of the lubricating material to water . in one embodiment the top of the container is provide with one preferably two orifices , more preferably two substantially identical orifices adjacent one another . in some embodiments , at least a portion of said container is not linear for example angled or curvilinear . curvilinear as defined herein means that at least a portion is curved such that it does not form a straight line . where at least two containers are provided , they can also be positioned relative to one another such that they do not form a straight line . alternatively , the curved or angled nature is such that it forms at least a partial ring . a partial ring , as defined herein , means that the structure has at least two curved or angled sections which are concave to form an inner region . the partial ring can also include a curved or angled portion which is positioned convex to said inner region . one or more of said containers may also be positioned relative to one another to form a full ring . the container can be formed of a variety of materials . the container may , preferably be for example , provided from a non - water soluble material such that it does not degrade or dissolve during normal use . the container typically has sufficient mechanical strength and rigidity to provide adequate mechanical strength to the entire skin engaging member , both as initially produced and after a significant amount of lubricating material has leached out of the container . alternatively or in addition a further reinforcing member may also be utilized . in some embodiments , the container comprises a base and one or more side walls , forming a receiving region , or channel , onto or into which the lubricating material is placed . the container may be made of a water - insoluble polymer , particularly a thermoplastic resin . thermoplastic resins are those materials which can be extruded or molded into a shape and are resilient under normal environmental conditions such as contact with water , even up to normal household hot water temperatures ( for example up to 125 ° c . ); normal wear and tear by consumers during use ; device assembly and shipping , etc . thermoplastic resins suitable for use in the carrier include polystyrene , high impact polystyrene ( polystyrene - butadiene ), polypropylene , filled polypropylene , polyethylene , nylon ethylene vinyl acetate , and blends such as 70 % nylon / 30 % polyethylene oxide , 60 % polystyrene / 40 % polyethylene oxide butadiene styrene copolymer , polyacetal , acrylonitrile - butadiene styrene copolymer , and mixtures thereof . the preferred resins are high impact polystyrene , polystyrene , ethylene vinyl acetate ( eva ), and mixtures thereof . in some embodiments , the cartridge comprises a guard comprising at least one elongated flexible protrusion to engage a user &# 39 ; s skin . the at least one flexible protrusion may comprise flexible fins generally parallel to said one or more elongated edges . said at least one flexible protrusion may additionally or alternatively comprise flexible fins comprising at least one portion which is not generally parallel to said one or more elongated edges . non - limiting examples of suitable guards include those used in current razor blades and include those disclosed in u . s . pat . nos . 7 , 607 , 230 and 7 , 024 , 776 ; ( disclosing elastomeric / flexible fin bars ); 2008 / 0034590 ( disclosing curved guard fins ); 2009 / 0049695a1 ( disclosing an elastomeric guard having guard forming at least one passage extending between an upper surface and a lower surface ). in some embodiments , said lubricating member is positioned on the cartridge aft of the guard and forward of said elongated edge . in another embodiment , the lubricating member is positioned on the cartridge forward of the guard . this embodiment can be particularly useful to deliver the lubricating member prior to contact with the guard . the following comparative example 1 ( a ) and e and inventive examples ( b , c , d and f ) were prepared and sensory tested conducted as outlined below : sensory testing was conducted upon a naive panel ( n = 5 ) with 3 non - overlapping strokes being performed on their forearms for both examples . the order in which each panelist received the products and the first forearms used were randomized the procedure used was as follows ; 1 . wash both forearms thoroughly with warm water and soap to remove any oils or moisturizers that may already be on the skin . 2 . place product in water for 100 seconds ( preheated to 40 ° c .) 3 . rinse one arm using water in the beaker provided ( 50 ml - preheated to 40 ° c .) 4 . take 3 non overlapping strokes on the rinsed area using the first product supplied . 5 . immediately assess lubrication of the product on a scale of 0 - 10 ; 0 being extremely draggy / not lubricated and 10 being extremely lubricating / slippery . 6 . by using your finger assess the skin condition on a scale of 0 - 10 , 0 being sticky and 10 being not sticky . 7 . rinse fore - arm with 50 ml of water in a beaker ( pre heated to 40 ° c .) and pat dry three times with a paper towel and wait for 2 mins . then assess skin for sticky and not sticky on a 0 - 10 scale ; 0 being sticky / greasy and 10 being not sticky and for rough and smooth on a 0 - 10 scale of 0 being rough and 10 smooth . 8 . identify preferred product . 9 . after 10 mins reassess the skin , which product results in softer skin . 1 . sanitize all equipment 2 . turn on water bath / vessel jacket to 85 ° c . 3 . add lipophilic structurants ( cetyl alcohol , multiwax 180mh , dc580 silicone wax ) and stir with overhead stirrer until completely melted 4 . add liquid phase ingredients ( petrolatum , dc200 , mineral oil , isopropyl isostearate ) and mix until fully liquid 5 . cool and pour mixture into a mould or container 6 . for sensory testing , mould chemistry onto razor analogue and attach to razor handle . chemistry to be of a suitable size for use in shaving ( 33mm long × 3mm wide ) test panel participants n = 1 - 5 were tested in accordance with the sensory protocol described above . as can be seen from the data all the test participants preferred the inventive example versus the comparative sample , demonstrating the advantage for the inclusion of silwet ®; all of the panelists preferred the inventive example for glide ; 2 out of 5 had a preference for the inventive example for lubrication on first non - overlapping strokes and ; all panelists preferred the inventive example for lubrication on over - strokes . neither formulation was found to be sticky after rinsing . the inventive sample was preferred for being soft after drying . inventive examples c and d were prepared as for inventive example b described above and tested according to the sensory protocol described above . as can be seen from the data there was no preference for one inventive example versus the other inventive example across the test participants . this demonstrates that the two polyether copolymer materials ( silwets ) used provide similar performance comparative example e which is presentative of the prior art comprising a modifying surfactant and a hydrophobic phase was prepared in accordance with the making instructions disclosed in wo2012 / 148939 ; example 1 . inventive example f was prepared in accordance with the making instructions as for inventive example b . comparative example e and inventive example f were tested according to the sensory testing protocol described above . as can be seen from the data all the test participants preferred the inventive example versus the prior art example ; all of the panellists preferred the inventive example for glide , 4 out of 5 had a preference for the inventive example for lubrication on first non - overlapping strokes ; all panellists preferred the inventive example for lubrication on over - strokes . neither formulation was found to be sticky after rinsing . inventive examples g - k were prepared in accordance with the making instructions as for inventive example b . the dimensions and values disclosed herein are not to be understood as being strictly limited to the exact numerical values recited . instead , unless otherwise specified , each such dimension is intended to mean both the recited value and a functionally equivalent range surrounding that value . for example , a dimension disclosed as “ 40 mm ” is intended to mean “ about 40 mm ”. every document cited herein , including any cross referenced or related patent or application , is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety unless expressly excluded or otherwise limited . the citation of any document is not an admission that it is prior art with respect to any invention disclosed or claimed herein or that it alone , or in any combination with any other reference or references , teaches , suggests or discloses any such invention . further , to the extent that any meaning or definition of a term in this document conflicts with any meaning or definition of the same term in a document incorporated by reference , the meaning or definition of the same term in a document incorporated by reference , the meaning of definition assigned to that term in this document shall govern . while particular embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described , it would be obvious to those skilled in the art that various other changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . it is therefore intended to cover in the appended claims all such changes and modifications that are within the scope of this invention . | 0 |
referring now to the drawing , particularly fig1 there is shown a fish hook extractor comprising an elongated tubular housing 10 with two diametrically opposed receiving slots 12 and 14 formed in the front edge of said tubular housing . the rear end of said tubular housing is provided with two diametrically opposed longitudinally disposed parallel guide slots 13 and 15 -- both of the same length and positioned equally along the longitudinal axis . said guide slots define a plane perpendicular to the plane defined by the receiving slots 12 and 14 . a sliding plunger 20 extending along the longitudinal axis of said elongated tubular housing and being contained therein has a clamping hook 22 attached to the front end thereof and a retractor handle 30 attached to the rear end . said clamping hook 22 and retractor handle 30 are fastened to said plunger so that all lie substantially within the same plane . and furthermore , said retractor handle is attached to the rear end of the sliding plunger so that the length of the handle is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the sliding plunger with a small portion 31 of one end of the retractor handle extending beyond the side of the sliding plunger and the remainder extending beyond the opposite side of the plunger . with the sliding plunger contained within the tubular housing , said retractor handle extends laterally across the tubular housing through the diametrically opposed longitudinally disposed guide slots 13 and 15 . the portion 31 protrudes through the guide slot 15 just beyond the exterior of the tubular of the tubular housing . therefore , with portion 31 extending through the guide slot 15 and the remainder of the length of the retractor handle 30 extending out through the opposed guide slot 13 , the retractor handle and the sliding plunger attached thereto are prevented from rotating relative to the tubular housing 10 . attached to the rear end of the tubular housing is a fixed handle 40 . the fixed handle 40 is attached perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the tubular housing with one end of the handle flush to the side of the housing and the remainder protruding out beyond the opposite side . the fixed handle is parallel to the retractor handle and projects out from the same side of the tubular housing as the retractor handle . both the fixed handle and the retractor handle lie within the plane defined by the two diametrically opposed guide slots 13 and 15 . inside the housing , a compression spring 50 is between the retractor handle 30 and the fixed handle 40 . the rear end of the spring rests against the portion of the fixed handle covering the rear end of the housing , and the front end of the spring engages the rearwardly facing side of the retractor handle located inside the housing between the guide slots . in this manner , the spring forces said retractor handle against the front ends of the matching diametrically opposed guide slots and extends the sliding plunger and the clamping hook attached to the front end thereof to the forward - most position with the clamping hook protruding beyond the front edge of the tubular housing . pulling the retractor handle back towards the fixed handle causes the plunger to slide backwards relative to the housing -- compressing the spring -- and retracts the clamping hook into the opening at the front end of the housing . however , it is undesirable for the clamping hook to be retracted into the tubular housing past the point where it intersects the line defined by the rear - most points of the receiving slots ; this tends to bend small , very slender hooks , folding them over and pulling them back inside the tubular housing along with the clamping hook . therefore , means is provided for preventing the &# 34 ; clamping hook -- sliding plunger -- retracting handle &# 34 ; assembly from moving too far back into the tubular housing whereby the clamping hook is retracted back beyond the line defined by the two rear - most points of the receiving slots . in the embodiment shown in the drawing , the means for preventing the clamping hook from being retracted back into the housing beyond a desirable point is a spacing pin 60 inserted inside the cylinder defined by the compression spring 50 . alternately , a spacing collar of the same length as the spacing pin can replace said spacing pin . the spacing collar fits closely around the outside of the tubular housing between the retractor handle and the fixed handle . another alternative to the spacing pin 60 is to manufacture the compression spring 50 so that when it is completely compressed , with each coil making contact with the adjacent coils , the length of the compression spring is the same as the length of the spacing pin -- thus making the use of a spacing pin or spacing collar unnecessary . in order to provide the device with the ability to grip a fish hook and hold said fish hook locked in a greater variety of different positions , the receiving slots are formed so that the rearmost points thereof define a line which is at an angle away from the perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the tubular housing and sliding plunger . in the example of the present invention shown in the drawing , this angle is provided by cutting the front end of the tubular housing so that the front edge of the tubular housing defines a plane at the desired angle relative to the longitudinal axis of said housing . the two receiving slots are formed with equal lengths at the rearward - most and forward - most points along the front edge of the tubular housing . thus , the rear - most points of the two diametrically opposed receiving slots which are of equal length and are positioned at the rearmost and front - most points along the angled front edge of the tubular housing , define a line parallel to the plane defined by the front edge of the tubular housing , said line and plane being at an angle relative to the longitudinal axis of the tubular housing other than the perpendicular . fig4 and 5 illustrate how this configuration enables the user of the device to hold a fish hook locked in different positions . in fig4 the front - most receiving slot 14 is positioned along the end of the fish hook 80 towards the eye 81 of the fish hook . consequently , when the clamping hook 22 engages the fish hook 80 and pulls it back into both receiving slots , the position of the fish hook relative to the hooked fish become inverted . thus , when a fish is hooked in the lip or mouth , it is possible to hold the fish hook so that the point of the fish hook is reversed , enabling the user to easily pull the fish hook from the mouth of the fish or shake the fish off of the fish hook . in fig5 the front - most receiving slot 14 is made to engage the fish hook at the curved end 82 of the fish hook 80 . thus , when the clamping hook 22 pulls the fish hook into engagement with both receiving slots , the fish hook is locked into a position whereby its orientation relative to the fish is relatively unchanged . if the fish has been hooked deep in the throat , it may be necessary to grip the hook with this positioning so that the hook may be pushed further back into the fish ( opposite the direction of the point ) until it becomes disengaged from the fish and can be carefully withdrawn out from within the fish . to further aid in dislodging and removing a fish hook , the handles ( i . e ., the retractor handle and the fixed handle ) provide the added benefit of leverage means to help twist the fish hook held by the device in order to help free it from the fish . the handles allow the fish hook to be rotated 180 ° in order to help dislodge it . additionally , the structural configuration of the present invention also enables the user to implement a swinging technique to remove a fish from a fish hook without ever having to touch the fish . instead of twisting the fish hook extractor relative to the fish with the fish held stationary , it is possible to rotate ( or swing ) the fish around the fish hook and the fish hook extractor so that the fish twists free of the fish hook and falls off . with one hand holding the fish suspended from the leader attached to the fish hook embedded in the mouth of the fish and with the opposite hand holding the fish hook extractor by the fixed handle , the clamping hook of the fish hook extractor can be caught around the leader and pulled down and to the side away from the hand holding the fish suspended from the leader so that the clamping hook slides down around the shaft of the fish hook . with the aforementioned procedure accomplished , the fish is held in front of the user between the user &# 39 ; s outstretched arms , suspended by the leader and the fish hook extractor which are held opposite each other in the frontwardly - projecting opposed hands of the user . at this point , by simultaneously jerking both hands in a synchronized circular motion initiated towards the user , the fish can be swung towards the user and up , over and around the leader and the fish hook extractor holding the fish hook so that the fish rotates a full 360 ° there around and is thereby caused to twist free from the fish hook ( as illustrated in fig7 ). with a little practice , it is possible for the user to acquire the ability to aim the fish as it is twisted off the hook in the above - described manner and control where the fish lands , allowing the user to swing the fish off the fish hook into a storage container or back into the water if it is the desire of the user to release the fish after it has been caught . as previously pointed out , it is not only difficult and hazardous to remove a fish hook from a fish , it is also often dangerous to handle a fish without the proper equipment , such as a gaff . handling fish without the proper equipment , whether alive or dead , can be hazardous since most fish are slippery and have sharp spines in their fins and , with many species , sharp teeth in their mouths . by holding a large fish hook , preferably with the barb removed , or a similar article , the present invention can be used to safely handle fish . by holding the large fish hook with the present invention as shown in fig6 the device readily serves as a gaff . since the device allows the user to grip the fish hook with the full force of his grip , the device , when used as a gaff as described above , can be used to handle fish of considerable weight . the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention . further , since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art , it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described , and accordingly , all suitable modifications , and equivalents which may be resorted to , fall within the scope of the invention . | 0 |
for example , when a central processing unit ( cpu ) and an accelerator including a programmable logic device ( pld ) such as an fpga cooperate , the processing speed is improved . for example , power supply voltage supplied to the pld is changed by a program . for example , a calculation device includes a plurality of calculation elements each of which belongs to any one of a plurality of power control areas and a storage unit that stores correspondence information representing a correspondence relationship between the plurality of calculation elements and the plurality of power control areas . the calculation device further includes a scheduler that assigns tasks to the plurality of calculation elements and generates a schedule and a supply unit that supplies power supply voltage to the power control area based on the generated schedule . for example , the semiconductor device includes a power supply voltage generation unit that generates a plurality of pieces of power supply voltage and a switch unit that couples any one of the plurality of pieces of power supply voltage that have been generated by the power supply voltage generation unit to the pld selectively . in the pld , the circuit scale of an arranged circuit is different from the circuit scale a circuit of which is allowed to be arranged in the pld , so that there exists a free area in which a circuit is not arranged , in a part of the arrangement area . in the free area of the pld , a circuit is not arranged , so that dynamic power consumption does not occur , but static power consumption caused by leakage current or the like may occur . the calculation device includes a calculation circuit and an fpga including a plurality of circuit arrangement areas to which pieces of power supply voltage allowed to be separately controlled are respectively supplied . in the calculation circuit , a main circuit and a sub circuit that execute substantially the same processing are provided in circuit arrangement areas to which pieces of power supply voltage allowed to be separately controlled are respectively supplied . therefore , the number of circuit arrangement areas to each of which power supply voltage is supplied is reduced , and static power consumption caused by leakage current may be reduced . fig1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a calculation device . a calculation device 1 includes a communication circuit 10 , a storage circuit 11 , a dynamic reconfiguration accelerator 12 , a calculation circuit 13 , and a power supply voltage supply circuit 14 . for example , the communication circuit 10 outputs information such as a command or the like that has been transmitted from an upper - level calculation device , to the calculation circuit 13 . the communication circuit 10 transmits information that has been output from the calculation circuit 13 to the upper - level calculation device . the storage circuit 11 includes , for example , a semiconductor memory , and stores a driver program , an operating system program , an application program , data , and the like used for calculation processing of the calculation circuit 13 . for example , the storage circuit 11 stores , as a driver program , a communication device driver program and the like used to control the communication circuit 10 . the storage circuit 11 stores , as an application program , a configuration program used to perform arrangement wiring of a circuit by dynamic reconfiguration into the dynamic reconfiguration accelerator 12 and stores a data processing program which executes various pieces of data processing . the computer program may be installed in the storage circuit 11 , for example , from a computer - readable portable recording medium such as a compact disc - read only memory ( cd - rom ) and a digital versatile disc - read only memory ( dvd - rom ) using a set - up program and the like . the storage circuit 11 stores configuration information 111 corresponding to a circuit on which dynamic reconfiguration into the dynamic reconfiguration accelerator 12 is performed . the storage circuit 11 stores a management table 112 that stores various pieces of information such as power supply information and operation information of the circuit arranged in the dynamic reconfiguration accelerator 12 . the dynamic reconfiguration accelerator 12 is a pld including a first circuit arrangement area 21 , a second circuit arrangement area 22 , a third circuit arrangement area 23 , and a selection circuit 24 . the dynamic reconfiguration accelerator 12 may include a single pld , or may include a plurality of plds . to the first circuit arrangement area 21 , the second circuit arrangement area 22 , and the third circuit arrangement area 23 , pieces of power supply voltage allowed to be separately controlled are respectively supplied from the power supply voltage supply circuit 14 , and the circuit scale of a circuit allowed to be arranged in each of the first circuit arrangement area 21 , the second circuit arrangement area 22 , and the third circuit arrangement area 23 is different . the first circuit arrangement area 21 includes four circuit resources such as an eleventh circuit resource pr 00 to a fourteenth circuit resource pr 03 . the second circuit arrangement area 22 includes eight circuit resources such as a 21st circuit resource pr 10 to a 28th circuit resource pr 17 . the third circuit arrangement area 23 includes 12 circuit resources such as a 31st circuit resource pr 20 to a 3b circuit resource pr 2 b . to the selection circuit 24 , power supply voltage allowed to be controlled separately of the pieces of power supply voltage of the first circuit arrangement area 21 , the second circuit arrangement area 22 , and the third circuit arrangement area 23 is supplied from the power supply voltage supply circuit 14 . the selection circuit 24 outputs information that has been output from any one or all of the first circuit arrangement area 21 , the second circuit arrangement area 22 , and the third circuit arrangement area 23 , to the calculation circuit 13 . the first circuit arrangement area 21 , the second circuit arrangement area 22 , the third circuit arrangement area 23 , and the selection circuit 24 are formed by performing dynamic reconfiguration through the calculation circuit 13 , based on the configuration information 111 stored in the storage circuit 11 . the calculation circuit 13 includes one or a plurality of processors and the peripheral circuits . the calculation circuit 13 is used to cause various calculation devices to be executed , and for example , may be a central processing unit ( cpu ). the calculation circuit 13 controls operations of the communication circuit 10 , the dynamic reconfiguration accelerator 12 , and the like so that various pieces of calculation processing are executed by an appropriate procedure in accordance with programs and the like stored in the storage circuit 11 . the calculation circuit 13 executes pieces of processing based on the programs stored in the storage circuit 11 ( a driver program , an operating system program , an application program , and the like ). the calculation circuit 13 may execute a plurality of programs ( an application program and the like ) in parallel . in the calculation circuit 13 , a processing speed is improved when a part of the calculation processing is executed by using circuits on which dynamic reconfiguration into the first circuit arrangement area 21 , the second circuit arrangement area 22 , and the third circuit arrangement area 23 of the dynamic reconfiguration accelerator 12 is performed . the calculation circuit 13 includes a main circuit arrangement unit 130 , a sub circuit arrangement unit 131 , an arrangement area determination unit 132 , a minimum circuit arrangement area determination unit 133 , a power supply control unit 134 , a power supply determination unit 135 , and an execution processing determination unit 136 . the calculation circuit 13 further includes a selection circuit arrangement unit 137 , a processing execution unit 138 , and a management table update unit 139 . these units included in the calculation circuit 13 are function modules implemented by programs executed on the processors included in the calculation circuit 13 . these units included in the calculation circuit 13 may be implemented in the calculation device 1 as an independent integrated circuit , a microprocessor , or firmware . the power supply voltage supply circuit 14 supplies pieces of power supply voltage to the communication circuit 10 , the storage circuit 11 , the dynamic reconfiguration accelerator 12 , and the calculation circuit 13 , for example , based on a power supply voltage control command input from the upper - level calculation device or the calculation circuit 13 . the power supply voltage supply circuit 14 respectively supplies pieces of power supply voltage allowed to be separately controlled , to the first circuit arrangement area 21 , the second circuit arrangement area 22 , the third circuit arrangement area 23 , and the selection circuit 24 of the dynamic reconfiguration accelerator 12 . for example , the power supply voltage supply circuit 14 may supply pieces of power supply voltage to the first circuit arrangement area 21 and the selection circuit 24 , and may not supply pieces of power supply voltage to the second circuit arrangement area 22 and the third circuit arrangement area 23 . the power supply voltage supply circuit 14 may supply pieces of power supply voltage to the second circuit arrangement area 22 and the selection circuit 24 , and may not supply pieces of power supply voltage to the first circuit arrangement area 21 and the third circuit arrangement area 23 . the power supply voltage supply circuit 14 may supply power supply voltage to the first circuit arrangement area 21 , the second circuit arrangement area 22 , the third circuit arrangement area 23 , and the selection circuit 24 . fig2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a timing chart of the calculation processing . fig3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the calculation processing . the calculation processing illustrated in fig2 and 3 may be executed by the calculation device 1 illustrated in fig2 . fig4 a and 4b are diagrams illustrating an example of processing of s 101 . fig5 is a diagram illustrating an example of processing of s 103 . fig6 is a diagram illustrating an example of processing of s 107 . fig7 is a diagram illustrating an example of processing of s 108 . the pieces of processing illustrated in fig4 to 7 may correspond to the processing illustrated in fig3 . fig8 a to 8d illustrate examples of states of the dynamic reconfiguration accelerator and the calculation circuit . fig9 a and 9b illustrate examples of states of the dynamic reconfiguration accelerator and the calculation circuit . fig1 a to 10d illustrate examples of states of the dynamic reconfiguration accelerator and the calculation circuit . fig1 illustrates an example of states of the dynamic reconfiguration accelerator and the calculation circuit . the dynamic reconfiguration accelerator and the calculation circuit in fig8 a to 8d , 9a , 9b , 10a to 10d , and 11 may be the dynamic reconfiguration accelerator and the calculation circuit illustrated in fig1 . fig1 a , 12b , 13a , 13b , 14a , 14b , 15a , and 15 b illustrate examples of a management table in a state in which the calculation processing is executed . fig8 a illustrates a first state at a time t 0 of fig2 , fig8 b illustrates a second state that follows the first state , fig8 c illustrates a third state that follows the second state , and fig8 d illustrates a fourth state that follows the third state . the second state illustrated in fig8 b to the fourth state illustrated in fig8 d correspond to the state at the time t 1 of fig2 . fig9 a illustrates a fifth state that follows the fourth state , and fig9 b illustrates a sixth state that follows the fifth state . the fifth state illustrated in fig9 a corresponds to the state at the time t 1 of fig2 , and the sixth state illustrated in fig9 b corresponds to the state at the time t 2 of fig2 . fig1 a illustrates a seventh state that follows the sixth state , fig1 b illustrates an eight state that follows the seventh state , fig1 c illustrates a nine state that follows the eighth state , and fig1 d illustrates a tenth state that follows the ninth state . the seventh state illustrated in fig1 a , the eighth state illustrated in fig1 b , the ninth state illustrated in fig1 c , and the tenth state illustrated in fig1 d correspond to the state at the time t 3 of fig2 . fig1 illustrates an eleventh state that follows the tenth state and corresponds to the state at the time t 4 of fig2 . fig1 a illustrates the management table in the first state illustrated in fig8 a , and fig1 b illustrates the management table in the fourth state illustrated in fig8 d . fig1 a illustrates the management table in the fifth state illustrated in fig9 a , and fig1 b illustrates the management table in the sixth state illustrated in fig9 b . fig1 a illustrates the management table in the seventh state illustrated in fig1 a , and fig1 b illustrates the management table in the eighth state illustrated in fig1 b . fig1 a illustrates the management table in the ninth state illustrated in fig1 c , and fig1 b illustrates the management table in the tenth state illustrated in fig1 d . in fig1 to 15 , in an item of “ circuit arrangement area ,” pd 00 indicates the first circuit arrangement area 21 , pd 01 indicates the second circuit arrangement area 22 , and pd 02 indicates the third circuit arrangement area 23 . an item of “ on / off ” indicates whether power supply of a corresponding circuit arrangement area is turned on or off , and “ 1 ” indicates that power supply of the corresponding circuit arrangement area is turned on , and “ 0 ” indicates that the power supply of the corresponding circuit arrangement area is turned off . an item of “ circuit resource ” indicates any one of the eleventh circuit resource pr 00 to the 3b circuit resource pr 2 b . an item of “ arrangement ” indicates whether a circuit is arranged in the corresponding circuit resource , and “ 1 ” indicates that a circuit is arranged in the corresponding circuit resource , and “ 0 ” indicates that a circuit is not arranged in the corresponding circuit resource . an item of “ circuit id ” indicates identification display of a circuit arranged in the corresponding circuit resource , and “ id 35 ” is identification display of a circuit that executes the first processing , and “ id 21 ” is identification display of a circuit that executes the second processing , and “ id 22 ” is identification display of a circuit that executes the third processing . an item of “ main / sub ” indicates whether the circuit arranged in the corresponding circuit resource is a main circuit or a sub circuit , and “ 1 ” indicates that the main circuit is arranged in the corresponding circuit resource , and “ 0 ” indicates that the sub circuit is arranged in the corresponding circuit resource . the main circuit is a circuit arranged in a minimum circuit arrangement area the circuit scale of which is the minimum from among circuits that execute substantially the same processing . the sub circuit is a circuit that executes substantially the same processing as the main circuit , and is arranged in a circuit arrangement area the circuit scale of which is the same as or larger than that of the minimum circuit arrangement area . an item of “ in operation ” indicates whether the circuit arranged in the corresponding circuit resource operates and is executing processing , and “ 1 ” indicates that the circuit operates and is executing processing , and “ 0 ” indicates that the circuit does not operate and is not executing processing . in accordance with the calculation processing of the timing chart illustrated in fig2 , the calculation processing of the calculation device 1 is described with reference to fig2 to 15 . the calculation device 1 performs dynamic reconfiguration of circuits that respectively correspond to the first processing , the second processing , and the third processing into the dynamic reconfiguration accelerator 12 and the first processing , the second processing , and the third processing are respectively executed by the circuits on which dynamic reconfiguration into the dynamic reconfiguration accelerator 12 has been performed . in the timing chart illustrated in fig2 , the calculation device 1 executes the second processing and the third processing before executing the first processing ( time t 0 ). the calculation device 1 starts to execute the first processing when the second processing and the third processing are being executed ( time t 1 ). the calculation device 1 ends the execution of the third processing ( time t 2 ). after that , the calculation device 1 ends the execution of the first processing ( time t 3 ). the calculation device 1 executes the second processing after having ended the execution of the first processing ( time t 4 ). as illustrated in fig8 a , when the calculation device 1 is executing the second processing and the third processing at the time t 0 , the processing execution unit 138 of the calculation circuit 13 includes a second processing command 32 and a third processing command 33 . the second processing command 32 is a command used to instruct the dynamic reconfiguration accelerator 12 to execute the second processing , and the third processing command 33 is a command used to instruct the dynamic reconfiguration accelerator 12 to execute the third processing . to the first circuit arrangement area 21 indicated by the solid line in fig8 a , power supply voltage is supplied from the power supply voltage supply circuit 14 . to the second circuit arrangement area 22 and the third circuit arrangement area 23 indicated by the broken line in fig8 a , power supply voltage is not supplied from the power supply voltage supply circuit 14 . for example , a term “ power supply voltage is not supplied ” or “ power is turned off ” correspond to power gating in which leakage power is reduced to zero by blocking the power supply and back gate bias control in which leakage is reduced by increasing threshold value voltage . for example , a term such as “ power supply voltage is supplied ” or “ power is turned on ” indicates a state in which a circuit arrangement area is caused to be allowed to operate by the power gating or the back gate bias control . in addition , the term “ power supply voltage is not supplied ” or “ power supply is turned off ” indicates that power supply voltage control is performed in which leakage power is reduced when the operation stops by the power gating or the back gate bias control . when “ power supply is turned off ” by the back gate bias control , the state proceeds to a low electric power state without deletion of configuration information . at the time t 0 , a second main circuit 42 and a third main circuit 43 are arranged in the first circuit arrangement area 21 of the dynamic reconfiguration accelerator 12 , and a second sub circuit 52 and a third sub circuit 53 are arranged in each of the second circuit arrangement area 22 and the third circuit arrangement area 23 . each of the second main circuit 42 and the second sub circuit 52 has a circuit scale arranged in a two circuit resources portion , and each of the third main circuit 43 and the third sub circuit 53 has a circuit scale arranged in a two circuit resources portion . the second main circuit 42 and the third main circuit 43 each of which is indicated by the solid line are respectively executing the second processing and the third processing , and the second sub circuit 52 and the third sub circuit 53 each of which is indicated by the broken line are stopping the processing . the selection circuit 24 outputs information that has been output from the second main circuit 42 and the third main circuit 43 arranged in the first circuit arrangement area 21 , to the calculation circuit 13 . at the time t 1 , as illustrated in fig8 b , for example , when a first processing command 31 is transmitted from a host device , the calculation circuit 13 arranges a first main circuit and a first sub circuit that execute the first processing , in the dynamic reconfiguration accelerator 12 ( s 101 ). for example , the main circuit arrangement unit 130 reads first configuration information used for reconfiguration of the circuit that executes the first processing from the configuration information 111 ( s 201 ). the main circuit arrangement unit 130 obtains circuit scale information indicating the circuit scale of the circuit that executes the first processing from the first configuration information ( s 202 ). the circuit that executes the first processing has a circuit scale arranged in a four circuit resources portion . the main circuit arrangement unit 130 initializes a circuit arrangement area number n at “ 0 ” ( s 203 ). the circuit arrangement area number n is assigned in order of the smallest circuit scale . the circuit arrangement area number n of the first circuit arrangement area 21 including four circuit resources is “ 1 ”, and the circuit arrangement area number n of the second circuit arrangement area 22 including eight circuit resources is “ 2 ”. the circuit arrangement area number n of the third circuit arrangement area 23 including 12 circuit resources is “ 3 ”. the main circuit arrangement unit 130 increments the circuit arrangement area number n ( s 204 ), and checks the number of available circuit resources in the first circuit arrangement area 21 the circuit arrangement area number n of which is “ 1 ” ( s 205 ). the first circuit arrangement area 21 includes the four circuit resources such as the eleventh circuit resource pr 00 to the fourteenth circuit resource pr 03 , but the second main circuit 42 and the third main circuit 43 are arranged in the first circuit arrangement area 21 , so that the number of available circuit resources in the first circuit arrangement area 21 is “ 0 ”. the main circuit arrangement unit 130 determines whether the first main circuit that executes the first processing is allowed to be arranged in the first circuit arrangement area 21 ( s 206 ). the number of available circuit resources of the first circuit arrangement area 21 is “ 0 ”, and the first main circuit having the circuit scale arranged in a four circuit resources portion is not allowed to be arranged in the first circuit arrangement area 21 , so that the processing proceeds to s 208 . in s 208 , the main circuit arrangement unit 130 determines whether the first main circuit is allowed to be arranged in the first circuit arrangement area 21 when a sub circuit of processing other than the first processing is deleted . in the case in which the main circuit arrangement unit 130 determines that the first main circuit is allowed to be arranged in the first circuit arrangement area 21 when the sub circuit of the processing other than the first processing is deleted , the main circuit arrangement unit 130 deletes the sub circuit of the further processing and arranges the first main circuit in the first circuit arrangement area 21 ( s 209 ). however , the sub circuit is not arranged in the first circuit arrangement area 21 , so that the main circuit arrangement unit 130 determines whether check processing has been executed for all of the first circuit arrangement area 21 to the third circuit arrangement area 23 ( s 210 ). the main circuit arrangement unit 130 does not check the second circuit arrangement area 22 and the third circuit arrangement area 23 ( s 210 ), so that the main circuit arrangement unit 130 increments the circuit arrangement area number n to “ 2 ” ( s 204 ). the main circuit arrangement unit 130 checks that the number of available circuit resources of the second circuit arrangement area 22 the circuit arrangement area number n of which is “ 2 ” is “ 4 ” ( s 205 ), and determines that the first main circuit is allowed to be arranged in the second circuit arrangement area 22 ( s 206 ). after that , as illustrated in fig8 c , the main circuit arrangement unit 130 arranges a first main circuit 41 in the second circuit arrangement area 22 ( s 207 ). for example , when the first main circuit is not arranged in the processing of s 204 to s 208 for the first circuit arrangement area 21 to the third circuit arrangement area 23 ( s 210 ), the main circuit arrangement unit 130 performs output of a main circuit arrangement disable signal indicating that arrangement of the first main circuit is not performed ( s 211 ). the sub circuit arrangement unit 131 increments the circuit arrangement area number n ( s 212 ) and checks the number of available circuit resources of the third circuit arrangement area 23 the circuit arrangement area number n of which is “ 3 ” ( s 213 ). the third circuit arrangement area 23 includes the 12 circuit resources such as the 31th circuit resource pr 20 to the 3b circuit resource pr 2 b , but the second sub circuit 52 and the third sub circuit 53 are arranged in the third circuit arrangement area 23 , so that the number of available circuit resources of the third circuit arrangement area 23 is “ 8 ”. the sub circuit arrangement unit 131 determines that the number of available circuit resources of the third circuit arrangement area 23 is “ 8 ”, and a first sub circuit having the circuit scale arranged in the four circuit resources portion is allowed to be arranged in the third circuit arrangement area 23 ( s 214 ). as illustrated in fig8 d , the sub circuit arrangement unit 131 arranges a first sub circuit 51 in the third circuit arrangement area 23 ( s 215 ). after that , the sub circuit arrangement unit 131 determines that all circuit arrangement areas have been checked ( s 216 ), and the selection circuit arrangement unit 137 performs arrangement of the selection circuit 24 ( s 217 ). the management table update unit 139 updates the management table 112 from the state illustrated in fig1 a to the state illustrated in fig1 b ( s 218 ). the management table 112 is updated so that it is indicated that the first main circuit 41 indicated by id 35 is arranged in the second circuit arrangement area 22 indicated by pd 01 . the management table 112 is updated so that it is indicated that the first sub circuit 51 indicated by id 35 is arranged in the second circuit arrangement area 22 indicated by pd 01 . the arrangement of the circuit that executes the first processing has been performed ( s 102 ), so that the calculation circuit 13 starts the circuit that executes the first processing ( s 103 ). more specifically , the arrangement area determination unit 132 determines whether the circuit that executes the first processing has been arranged in the first circuit arrangement area 21 to the third circuit arrangement area 23 and weather power supply voltage is supplied from the power supply voltage supply circuit 14 to the first circuit arrangement area 21 to the third circuit arrangement area 23 ( s 301 ). for example , the arrangement area determination unit 132 executes the processing of s 301 , with reference to the management table 112 . as illustrated in fig8 d , the first main circuit 41 and the first sub circuit 51 that execute the first processing 41 are not arranged in the first circuit arrangement area 21 , but power supply voltage is supplied from the power supply voltage supply circuit 14 to the first circuit arrangement area 21 as indicated by the solid line . the first main circuit that executes the first processing 41 is arranged in the second circuit arrangement area 22 , but power supply voltage is not supplied from the power supply voltage supply circuit 14 to the second circuit arrangement area 22 as indicated by the broken line . the first sub circuit 51 that executes the first processing is arranged in the third circuit arrangement area 23 , but power supply voltage is not supplied from the power supply voltage supply circuit 14 to the third circuit arrangement area 23 as indicated by the broken line . after that , the arrangement area determination unit 132 determines that there is no circuit arrangement area in which the first main circuit 41 or the first sub circuit 51 that executes the first processing is arranged and to which power supply voltage is supplied from the power supply voltage supply circuit 14 ( s 302 ). the minimum circuit arrangement area determination unit 133 determines the second circuit arrangement area 22 having the smallest circuit scale from among the circuit arrangement areas in each of which the circuit that executes the first processing is arranged , to be a first minimum circuit arrangement area ( s 303 ). the minimum circuit arrangement area determination unit 133 checks whether the circuit that has been arranged in the first circuit arrangement area 21 the circuit scale of which is smaller than that of the second circuit arrangement area 22 that is the first minimum circuit arrangement area is arranged in the second circuit arrangement area 22 ( s 304 ). the second sub circuit 52 and the third sub circuit 53 having the configurations that respectively correspond to those of the second main circuit 42 and the third main circuit 43 that have been arranged in the first circuit arrangement area 21 are arranged in the second circuit arrangement area 22 . the minimum circuit arrangement area determination unit 133 determines that the second processing and the third processing that have been processed in the first circuit arrangement area 21 are allowed to be executed in the second circuit arrangement area 22 ( s 305 ). the minimum circuit arrangement area determination unit 133 generates execution area change instruction information used to change the second processing and the third processing to be executed in the second circuit arrangement area 22 ( s 306 ). the power supply control unit 134 issues a power supply voltage control command that has been generated based on the execution area change instruction information , and outputs the power supply voltage control command to the power supply voltage supply circuit 14 ( s 307 ). the power supply voltage control command includes a command indicating that power supply voltage is supplied to the second circuit arrangement area 22 and power supply voltage is not supplied to the first circuit arrangement area 21 and the third circuit arrangement area 23 . the power supply voltage supply circuit 14 supplies power supply voltage in accordance with the power supply voltage control command , to the dynamic reconfiguration accelerator 12 . as illustrated in fig9 a , power supply voltage is supplied from the power supply voltage supply circuit 14 to the second circuit arrangement area 22 indicated by the solid line , and power supply voltage is not supplied from the power supply voltage supply circuit 14 to the first circuit arrangement area 21 and the third circuit arrangement area 23 indicated by the broken line . the power supply control unit 134 controls the selection circuit 24 so that information that has been output from the second circuit arrangement area 22 is output from the calculation circuit 13 ( s 308 ). the management table update unit 139 updates the management table 112 from the state illustrated in fig1 b to the state illustrated in fig1 a ( s 309 ). the management table 112 is updated so that it is indicated that the power supply of the first circuit arrangement area 21 indicated by pd 00 is turned off and the power supply of the second circuit arrangement area 22 indicated by pd 01 is turned on . the management table 112 is updated so that it is indicated that the second main circuit 42 and the third main circuit 43 that are respectively indicated by id 21 and id 22 and arranged in the first circuit arrangement area 21 indicated by pd 00 are not in operation . the management table 112 is updated so that it is indicated that the first main circuit 41 , the second sub circuit 52 , and the third sub circuit 53 that are respectively indicated by id 35 , id 21 , and id 22 and arranged in the second circuit arrangement area 22 indicated by pd 01 are in operation . the processing execution unit 138 executes the first processing through the first main circuit 41 ( s 310 ). the calculation circuit 13 sequentially executes the processing in which whether processing other than the first processing is executed is determined ( s 104 ), the processing in which whether the processing other than the first processing ends is determined ( s 106 ), and the processing in which whether the first processing ends is determined ( s 108 ). when it is determined that the processing other than the first processing is executed , the processing other than the first processing is started up in the processing of s 301 to s 310 ( s 105 ). at the time t 2 , for example , when a third processing end command is transmitted from the host device , the calculation circuit 13 determines that the third processing ends ( s 106 ), and stops the circuit of the third processing ( s 107 ). for example , the execution processing determination unit 136 checks processing that is being executed in the second circuit arrangement area 22 in which the third sub circuit 53 that is executing the third processing to be stopped is arranged ( s 401 ). the execution processing determination unit 136 checks that the three pieces of processing such as the first processing , the second processing , and the third processing are being executed in the second circuit arrangement area 22 . after that , the management table update unit 139 updates the management table 112 from the state illustrated in fig1 a to the state illustrated in fig1 b ( s 402 ). the management table 112 is updated so that it is indicated that the third sub circuit 53 that is indicated by id 22 and arranged in the second circuit arrangement area 22 indicated by pd 01 is not in operation . after that , the execution processing determination unit 136 determines that the third processing is executed not in the third main circuit 43 that has been arranged in the first circuit arrangement area 21 , but the third sub circuit 53 that has been arranged in the second circuit arrangement area 22 ( s 403 ). as illustrated in fig9 b , the processing execution unit 138 ends the third processing ( s 404 ). when the processing execution unit 138 ends the third processing , the calculation circuit 13 determines that a series of pieces of processing corresponding to the third processing end command has ended , and deletes the third processing command 33 from the processing execution unit 138 . at the time t 3 , for example , when a first processing end command is transmitted from the host device , the calculation circuit 13 determines that the first processing ends ( s 108 ), and stops the circuit of the first processing ( s 109 ). for example , the execution processing determination unit 136 checks processing that is being executed in the second circuit arrangement area 22 in which the first main circuit 41 that is executing the first processing to be stopped has been arranged ( s 401 ). the execution processing determination unit 136 checks that the two processing such as the first processing and the second processing are being executed in the second circuit arrangement area 22 . the management table update unit 139 updates the management table 112 from the state illustrated in fig1 b to the state illustrated in fig1 a ( s 402 ). the management table 112 is updated so that it is indicated that the first main circuit 41 that is indicated by id 35 and arranged in the second circuit arrangement area 22 indicated by pd 01 is not in operation . after the execution processing determination unit 136 has determined that the first processing has been executed by the first main circuit 41 arranged in the second circuit arrangement area 22 ( s 403 ), the execution processing determination unit 136 determines that the processing other than the first processing is not executed by the main circuit in the second circuit arrangement area 22 ( s 405 ). when the execution processing determination unit 136 has determined that the processing other than the first processing is not executed by the main circuit in the second circuit arrangement area 22 ( s 405 ), the execution processing determination unit 136 determines stop of the second circuit arrangement area 22 ( s 406 ). the management table update unit 139 updates the management table 112 from the state illustrated in fig1 a to the state illustrated in fig1 b ( s 407 ). the management table 112 is updated so that it is indicated that the power supply of the second circuit arrangement area 22 indicated by pd 01 is turned off . the calculation circuit 13 starts up the circuit that executes the second processing ( s 408 ). for example , the arrangement area determination unit 132 determines whether the circuit that executes the second processing is arranged in the first circuit arrangement area 21 to the third circuit arrangement area 23 , and whether power supply voltage is supplied from the power supply voltage supply circuit 14 to the first circuit arrangement area 21 to the third circuit arrangement area 23 ( s 301 ). as illustrated in fig1 a , the second main circuit 42 is arranged in the first circuit arrangement area 21 , and the second sub circuit 52 is arranged in the second circuit arrangement area 22 and the third circuit arrangement area 23 . power supply voltage is not supplied to the first circuit arrangement area 21 to the third circuit arrangement area 23 from the power supply voltage supply circuit 14 . after that , the arrangement area determination unit 132 determines that there is no circuit arrangement area in which the circuit that executes the second processing is arranged and to which power supply voltage is supplied from the power supply voltage supply circuit 14 ( s 302 ). the minimum circuit arrangement area determination unit 133 determines the first circuit arrangement area 21 having the smallest circuit scale from among the circuit arrangement areas in each of which the circuit that executes the second processing , to be a second minimum circuit arrangement area ( s 303 ). after that , the minimum circuit arrangement area determination unit 133 checks that there is no circuit arrangement area having the smaller circuit scale than that of the second circuit arrangement area 22 that is the second minimum circuit arrangement area ( s 304 ), and determines that there is no another processing that is allowed to be executed in the first circuit arrangement area 21 ( s 305 ). the power supply control unit 134 issues a power supply voltage control command indicating that power supply voltage is supplied to the first circuit arrangement area 21 , and outputs the power supply voltage control command to the power supply voltage supply circuit 14 ( s 307 ). the power supply control unit 134 controls the selection circuit 24 so that the information that has been output from the first circuit arrangement area 21 is output to the calculation circuit 13 ( s 308 ). the management table update unit 139 updates the management table 112 from the state illustrated in fig1 b to the state illustrated in fig1 a ( s 309 ). the management table 112 is updated so that it is indicated that power supply voltage is supplied to the first circuit arrangement area 21 indicated by pd 00 and the second main circuit 42 that is indicated by id 21 and arranged in the first circuit arrangement area 21 is in operation . the management table 112 is updated so that it is indicated that the second sub circuit 52 that is indicated by id 21 and arranged in the second circuit arrangement area 22 indicated by pd 01 is not in operation . in addition , as illustrated in fig1 c , the processing execution unit 138 executes the second processing through the second main circuit 42 ( s 310 ). the processing execution unit 138 ends the first processing ( s 409 ), and the power supply control unit 134 issues a power supply voltage control command indicating that power supply voltage is not supplied to the second circuit arrangement area 22 , and outputs the power supply voltage control command to the power supply voltage supply circuit 14 ( s 410 ). the calculation circuit 13 deletes the first main circuit 41 and the first sub circuit 51 that execute the first processing from the dynamic reconfiguration accelerator 12 ( s 110 ). for example , as illustrated in fig1 d , the main circuit arrangement unit 130 deletes the first main circuit 41 from the second circuit arrangement area 22 , and the sub circuit arrangement unit 131 deletes the first sub circuit 51 from the third circuit arrangement area 23 ( s 501 ). the management table update unit 139 updates the management table 112 from the state illustrated in fig1 a to the state illustrated in fig1 b ( s 501 ). in the management table 112 , the first main circuit 41 indicated by id 35 is deleted from the second circuit arrangement area 22 indicated by pd 01 , and the first sub circuit 51 indicated by id 35 is deleted from the third circuit arrangement area 23 indicated by pd 02 . when the first main circuit 41 and the first sub circuit 51 that execute the first processing are deleted from the dynamic reconfiguration accelerator 12 , the calculation circuit 13 determines that a series of pieces of processing corresponding to the first processing end command has ended , and deletes the first processing command 31 from the processing execution unit 138 . the calculation device switches the main circuit and the sub circuit depending on processing because each of the main circuit and sub circuit that execute substantially the same processing is arranged in the circuit arrangement area with a circuit that executes another processing . static power consumption caused by leakage current or the like that tends to increase with miniaturization of a pld may be reduced because the calculation device switches the main circuit and the sub circuit depending on processing . fig1 is a diagram illustrating an example of leakage current of a circuit arrangement area when the calculation device operates . in fig1 , leakage current of a circuit arrangement area when the calculation device 1 operates in accordance with the timing chart illustrated in fig2 is illustrated . in fig1 , a waveform 61 indicates leakage current of the first circuit arrangement area 21 , a waveform 62 indicates leakage current of the second circuit arrangement area 22 , and a waveform 63 indicates leakage current of the third circuit arrangement area 23 . in a time period p 1 including the time t 0 , the calculation device 1 turns on the power supply of the first circuit arrangement area 21 , executes the second processing and the third processing in the first circuit arrangement area 21 , and turns off the power supply of the second circuit arrangement area 22 and the third circuit arrangement area 23 . in the time period p 1 , the power supply of the second circuit arrangement area 22 and the third circuit arrangement area 23 having relatively large circuit scales are turned off , so that the leakage current is reduced . when the calculation device 1 starts to execute the first processing at the time t 1 , the calculation device 1 changes the second processing and the third processing that have been executed in the first circuit arrangement area 21 to be executed in the second circuit arrangement area 22 in order to reduce leakage current by executing all of the pieces of processing in a single circuit arrangement area . in the time period p 2 including the time t 2 , the calculation device 1 turns on the power supply of the second circuit arrangement area 22 , executes the first processing , the second processing , and the third processing in the second circuit arrangement area 22 , and turns off the power supply of the first circuit arrangement area 21 and the third circuit arrangement area 23 . in the time period p 2 , the power supply of the first circuit arrangement area 21 and the third circuit arrangement area 23 are turned off , so that leakage current of the second circuit arrangement area 22 flows , but leakage current of the first circuit arrangement area 21 and the third circuit arrangement area 23 does not flow , so that the leakage current is suppressed . when the calculation device 1 ends the execution of the first processing at the time t 3 , the calculation device 1 changes the second processing executed in the second circuit arrangement area 22 to be executed in the first circuit arrangement area 21 having the small circuit scale and having relatively - small leakage current . in the time period p 3 including the time t 4 , the calculation device 1 turns on the power supply of the first circuit arrangement area 21 , executes the second processing in the first circuit arrangement area 21 , and turns off the power supply of the second circuit arrangement area 22 and the third circuit arrangement area 23 . in the time period p 3 , the power supply of the second circuit arrangement area 22 and the third circuit arrangement area 23 each having the relatively - large circuit scale are turned off , so that the leakage current is reduced . fig1 is a diagram illustrating an example of comparison of pieces of leakage current . in fig1 , comparison of leakage current when a circuit is arranged by the above - described circuit arrangement method with leakage current when a circuit is arranged by another circuit arrangement method is illustrated . in fig1 , the horizontal axis indicates an overlap ratio of a processing period of processing a and a processing period of processing b different from the processing a , and the vertical axis indicates leakage current . in fig1 , the solid line indicates leakage current when the arrangement of the circuit is performed by the above - described circuit arrangement method , and the broken line indicates leakage current when the arrangement of the circuit is performed by individual arrangement , and the dashed line indicates leakage current when the arrangement of the circuit is performed by collective arrangement . in the individual arrangement , the circuit that executes the processing a is arranged in the first circuit arrangement area having the relatively - small area and having small leakage current , and the circuit that executes the processing b is arranged in the second circuit arrangement area having the relatively - large area and having large leakage current . in the collective arrangement , both of the circuit that executes the processing a and the circuit that executes the processing b are arranged in the second circuit arrangement area having the relatively - large area and having large leakage current . in the individual arrangement , the circuit that executes the processing a and the circuit that executes the processing b are arranged in different circuit arrangement areas , so that leakage current is fixed at “ p 1 + p 2 ” regardless of timing at which the processing a and the processing b are processed . in the collective arrangement , as an overlap ratio of the processing period of the processing a and the processing period of the processing b becomes larger , leakage current per a unit of times becomes smaller , and as the overlap ratio of the processing period of the processing a and the processing period of the processing b becomes smaller , leakage current per a unit of times becomes larger . in the above - described circuit arrangement method , when the overlap of the processing period of the processing a and the processing period of the processing b is relatively small , the leakage current is fixed at “ p 1 + p 2 ” similar to the individual arrangement . in addition , when the overlap ratio of the processing period of the processing a and the processing period of the processing b is relatively large , the leakage current per a unit of times may be reduced similar to the collective arrangement . the calculation device 1 includes the dynamic reconfiguration accelerator 12 including three areas to which different pieces of power supply voltage are supplied such as the first circuit arrangement area 21 to the third circuit arrangement area 23 . for example , the calculation device may include a dynamic reconfiguration accelerator including two or four or more circuit arrangement areas to which different pieces of power supply voltage are supplied . the circuit scales of these circuit arrangement areas may be different , and the circuit arrangement areas having the same circuit scale may be included in the dynamic reconfiguration accelerator 12 . in the calculation device 1 , the arrangement of the main circuit and the sub circuit that execute target processing may be performed by the processing illustrated in fig4 a and 4b , and at least two circuits that execute the same processing may be arranged in different circuit arrangement areas . when the main circuit and the sub circuit are arranged by the processing illustrated in fig4 a and 4b , the sub circuit may be arranged in a circuit arrangement area having a circuit scale that is the same as or larger than that of the circuit arrangement area in which the main circuit is arranged . for example , when the arrangement of the main circuit and the sub circuit is performed by processing different from the processing illustrated in fig4 a and 4b , the sub circuit may be arranged in a circuit arrangement area having a circuit scale that is smaller than that of the circuit arrangement area in which the main circuit is arranged . all examples and conditional language recited herein are intended for pedagogical purposes to aid the reader in understanding the invention and the concepts contributed by the inventor to furthering the art , and are to be construed as being without limitation to such specifically recited examples and conditions , nor does the organization of such examples in the specification relate to a showing of the superiority and inferiority of the invention . although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail , it should be understood that the various changes , substitutions , and alterations could be made hereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . | 7 |
the ceramic pyrochlore powder according to the invention of the general formula a 2 b 2 o 7 has as a further constituent an oxide c r o s of a metal ( o = oxygen ; b = hf , zr , ti , sn ; a = gd , sm , nd , la , y ). the metal constituent of the secondary oxide is denoted here by c . the composition of the ceramic powder will also be explained by way of example with the aid of the composition of the ceramic layer 13 ( fig1 ). in general , departures from the stoichiometry of the general pyrochlore structure a 2 b 2 o 7 may always occur . pyrochlore structures in which a = gadolinium are preferably used , since good to very good thermal insulation properties are achieved in this case . depending on the application , a hafnate or a zirconate will be used so that b = hafnium or zirconium . gadolinium hafnate as the powder comprises from 43 wt % to 50 wt %, preferably from 44 . 7 wt % to 47 . 7 wt % of gadolinium oxide , the remainder being hafnium oxide and optionally the secondary oxides , preferably only zirconium oxide , and the sintering aids . gadolinium zirconate as the powder comprises from 56 wt % to 63 wt %, preferably from 58 wt % to 61 wt % of gadolinium oxide , the remainder being zirconium oxide and optionally the secondary oxides , preferably only hafnium oxide , and sintering aids . the ceramic layer 13 ( fig1 ) or the ceramic powder comprises a pyrochlore phase of the general empirical formula a x b y o z with x , y ≈ 2 , z ≈ 7 and a secondary oxide c r o s with r , s & gt ; 0 . the secondary oxide c r o s is in this case deliberately added to the powder and is thus significantly above the metrological detection limit of the secondary oxide , i . e . it has at least two times the value of the detection limit of the secondary oxide . the secondary oxide has in particular a proportion of from 0 . 5 wt % to 10 wt %, more particularly a proportion of from 1 wt % to 10 wt %. the maximum proportion of the secondary oxide is preferably 8 wt %, in particular at most 6 wt % and more particularly between 5 wt % and 7 wt %. the maximum proportion of the secondary oxide is likewise preferably 3 wt %, in particular at most 2 wt % and more particularly between 1 . 5 wt % and 2 . 5 wt %. in particular , the ceramic powder consists of at least one pyrochlore phase and at least one secondary oxide . for the secondary oxide , the oxide of b may be used ( c = b ) or not ( c ≠ b ). if c = b , then a high phase stability of the pyrochlore phase is ensured . if b ≠ c however , then an increase in the mechanical strength is achieved . hafnium oxide or zirconium oxide therefore preferably used , since they are particularly stable at high temperatures and they do not entail diffusion and therefore phase modification of the pyrochlore structure . the ceramic layer 13 or the ceramic powder preferably comprises only one pyrochlore phase , so that thermal stresses do not occur between different phases when used with strongly alternating temperatures . a mixture of only two pyrochlore phases may likewise be used , i . e . for example a powder mixture of gd 2 zr 2 o 7 and gd 2 hf 2 o 7 , in order to combine the improved thermal insulation properties of one pyrochlore phase with the better thermal expansion coefficients of the other pyrochlore phase . this is the case , in particular , for gadolinium zirconate and gadolinium hafnate . the pyrochlore phase may likewise preferably be present as a mixed crystal , so that good mixing will have already taken place here or phase stability is provided . this is the case , in particular , for gd 2 ( hf x zr y ) o 7 with x + y ≈ 2 . the ceramic layer 13 or the ceramic powder preferably comprises only one secondary oxide . the secondary oxide may constitute hafnium oxide or zirconium oxide . zirconium oxide is preferably used when a hafnate is employed as the pyrochlore phase . a zirconium oxide is preferably used when a hafnate is employed for the pyrochlore phase . two secondary oxides , in particular hafnium oxide and zirconium oxide , may likewise be used so that the mechanical properties are improved further . the secondary oxides may in this case be present only as an oxide , so that there is a secondary phase here which leads to mechanical reinforcement , or they are present as a mixed crystal with one another or with the pyrochlore phase , so that the thermal conductivity can in this way be reduced further by the stresses thereby generated in the lattice . in order to draw advantages from both presentation types of the secondary oxides , the secondary oxide or oxides may be present both as an oxide or as a mixed crystal in the pyrochlore phase . a pyrochlore powder of gadolinium zirconate , in particular gd 2 zr 2 o 7 , thus comprises hafnium oxide in particular with a proportion of from 1 . 5 wt % to 2 . 5 wt %, in particular 2 wt %. gadolinium hafnate , in particular gd 2 hf 2 o 7 , preferably comprises zirconium oxide in particular with a proportion of from 5 wt % to 7 wt %, in particular up to 6 wt %. the pyrochlore or pyrochlores preferably have the following optional constituents as sintering aids : during the coating or during subsequent use at higher temperatures , these sintering aids lead to dense and stable layers . fig1 shows a layer system 1 according to the invention . the layer system 1 comprises a metallic substrate 4 which , in particular for components at high temperatures , consists of a nickel - or cobalt - based superalloy ( fig2 ). there is preferably a metallic bonding layer 7 directly on the substrate 4 , in particular of the nicocralx type , which preferably comprises ( 11 - 13 ) wt % cobalt , ( 20 - 22 ) wt % chromium ( 10 . 5 - 11 . 5 ) wt % aluminum , ( 0 . 3 - 0 . 5 ) wt % yttrium , ( 1 . 5 - 2 . 5 ) wt % rhenium and the remainder nickel , or which preferably comprises ( 24 - 26 ) wt % cobalt , ( 16 - 18 ) wt % chromium ( 9 . 5 - 11 ) wt % aluminum , ( 0 . 3 - 0 . 5 ) wt % yttrium , ( 1 - 1 . 8 ) wt % rhenium and the remainder nickel , and in particular consists thereof . an aluminum oxide layer is preferably formed already on this metallic bonding layer 7 before further ceramic layers are applied , or such an aluminum oxide layer ( tgo ) is formed during operation . there is preferably an inner ceramic layer 10 , preferably a fully or partially stabilized zirconium oxide layer , on the metallic bonding layer 7 or on the aluminum oxide layer ( not shown ) or on the substrate 4 . yttrium - stabilized zirconium oxide is preferably used , with 6 wt %- 8 wt % of yttrium preferably being employed . calcium oxide , cerium oxide and / or hafnium oxide may likewise be used to stabilize zirconium oxide . the zirconium oxide is preferably applied as a plasma - sprayed layer , although it may also preferably be applied as a columnar structure by means of electron beam deposition ( ebpvd ). an outer ceramic layer 13 of the ceramic powder is applied on the stabilized zirconium oxide layer 10 or on the metallic bonding layer 7 or on the substrate . the layer 13 preferably constitutes the outermost layer , which is exposed directly to the hot gas . the layer 13 consists mainly of a pyrochlore phase , i . e . it comprises at least 90 wt % of the pyrochlore phase which preferably consists of either gd 2 hf 2 o 7 or gd 2 zr 2 o 7 . the secondary oxides are distributed in the layer 13 , preferably homogeneously distributed . the layer thickness of the inner layer 10 is preferably between 10 % and 50 % in particular between 10 % and 40 %, of the total layer thickness of the inner layer 10 plus the outer layer 13 . the inner ceramic layer 10 preferably has a thickness of from 100 μm to 200 μm , in particular 150 μm ± 10 %. the total layer thickness of the inner layer 10 plus the outer layer 13 is preferably 300 μm or preferably 450 μm . the maximum total layer thickness is advantageously 600 μm or preferably at most 800 μm . the layer thickness of the inner layer 10 is preferably between 10 % and 40 % or between 10 % and 30 % of the total layer thickness . it is likewise advantageous for the layer thickness of the inner layer 10 to comprise from 10 % to 20 % of the total layer thickness . it is likewise preferable for the layer thickness of the inner layer 10 to be between 20 % and 50 % or between 20 % and 40 % of the total layer thickness . advantageous results are likewise achieved if the contribution of the inner layer 10 to the total layer thickness is between 20 % and 30 %. the layer thickness of the inner layer 10 is preferably from 30 % to 50 % of the total layer thickness . it is likewise advantageous for the layer thickness of the inner layer 10 to comprise from 30 % to 40 % of the total layer thickness . it is likewise preferable for the layer thickness of the inner layer 10 to be between 40 % and 50 % of the total layer thickness . for short - term use at high temperatures of the layer system , the outer layer 13 may preferably be configured to be thinner than the inner layer 10 , i . e . the layer thickness of the outer layer 13 is at most 40 % of the total layer thickness of the inner layer 10 plus the outer layer 13 . the layer system preferably consists of the substrate 4 , the metallic layer 7 , the inner ceramic layer 10 and the outer ceramic layer 13 , and optionally the tgo . fig3 shows a perspective view of a rotor blade 120 or guide vane 130 of a turbomachine , which extends along a longitudinal axis 121 . the turbomachine may be a gas turbine of an aircraft or of a power plant for electricity generation , a steam turbine or a compressor . the blade 120 , 130 comprises , successively along the longitudinal axis 121 , a fastening zone 400 , a blade platform 403 adjacent thereto as well as a blade surface 406 . as a guide vane 130 , the vane 130 may have a further platform ( not shown ) at its vane tip 415 . a blade root 183 which is used to fasten the rotor blades 120 , 130 on a shaft or a disk ( not shown ) is formed in the fastening zone 400 . the blade root 183 is configured , for example , as a hammerhead . other configurations as a firtree or dovetail root are possible . the blade 120 , 130 comprises a leading edge 409 and a trailing edge 412 for a medium which flows past the blade surface 406 . in conventional blades 120 , 130 , for example solid metallic materials , in particular superalloys , are used in all regions 400 , 403 , 406 of the blade 120 , 130 . such superalloys are known for example from ep 1 204 776 b1 , ep 1 306 454 , ep 1 319 729 a1 , wo 99 / 67435 or wo 00 / 44949 . the blades 120 , 130 may in this case be manufactured by a casting method , also by means of directional solidification , by a forging method , by a machining method or combinations thereof . workpieces with a monocrystalline structure or structures are used as components for machines which are exposed to heavy mechanical , thermal and / or chemical loads during operation . such monocrystalline workpieces are manufactured , for example , by directional solidification from the melts . these are casting methods in which the liquid metal alloy is solidified to form a monocrystalline structure , i . e . to form the monocrystalline workpiece , or is directionally solidified . dendritic crystals are in this case aligned along the heat flux and form either a rod crystalline grain structure ( columnar , i . e . grains which extend over the entire length of the workpiece and in this case , according to general terminology usage , are referred to as directionally solidified ) or a monocrystalline structure , i . e . the entire workpiece consists of a single crystal . it is necessary to avoid the transition to globulitic ( polycrystalline ) solidification in these methods , since nondirectional growth will necessarily form transverse and longitudinal grain boundaries which negate the beneficial properties of the directionally solidified or monocrystalline component . when directionally solidified structures are referred to in general , this is intended to mean both single crystals which have no grain boundaries or at most small - angle grain boundaries , and also rod crystal structures which , although they do have grain boundaries extending in the longitudinal direction , do not have any transverse grain boundaries . these latter crystalline structures are also referred to as directionally solidified structures . such methods are known from u . s . pat . no . 6 , 024 , 792 and ep 0 892 090 a1 . the blades 120 , 130 may likewise have coatings against corrosion or oxidation , for example ( mcralx ; m is at least one element from the group ion ( fe ), cobalt ( co ), nickel ( ni ), x is an active element and stands for yttrium ( y ) and / or silicon and / or at least one rare earth element , or hafnium ( hf )). such alloys are known from ep 0 486 489 b1 , ep 0 786 017 b1 , ep 0 412 397 b1 or ep 1 306 454 a1 . on the mcralx layer , there may furthermore be a ceramic thermal insulation layer 13 according to the invention . rod - shaped grains are produced in the thermal insulation layer by suitable coating methods , for example electron beam deposition ( eb - pvd ). refurbishment means that components 120 , 130 may need to have protective layers taken off ( for example by sandblasting ) after their use . the corrosion and / or oxidation layers or products are then removed . optionally , cracks in the component 120 , 130 are also repaired . the component 120 , 130 is then recoated and the component 120 is used again . the blade 120 , 130 may be designed to be a hollow or solid . if the blade 120 , 130 is intended to be cooled , it will be hollow and optionally also comprise film cooling holes 418 ( indicated by dashes ). fig4 shows a combustion chamber 110 of a gas turbine 100 ( fig5 ). the combustion chamber 110 is designed for example as a so - called ring combustion chamber in which a multiplicity of burners 107 , which produce flames 156 and are arranged in the circumferential direction around a rotation axis 102 , open into a common combustion chamber space 154 . to this end , the combustion chamber 110 as a whole is designed as an annular structure which is positioned around the rotation axis 102 . in order to achieve a comparatively high efficiency , the combustion chamber 110 is designed for a relatively high temperature of the working medium m , i . e . about 1000 ° c . to 1600 ° c . in order to permit a comparatively long operating time even under these operating parameters which are unfavorable for the materials , the combustion chamber wall 153 is provided with an inner lining formed by heat shield elements 155 on its side facing the working medium m . each heat shield element 155 made of an alloy is equipped with a particularly heat - resistant protective layer ( mcralx layer and / or ceramic coating ) on the working medium side , or is made of refractory material ( solid ceramic blocks ). these protective layers may be similar to the turbine blades , i . e . for example mcralx means : m is at least one element from the group ion ( fe ), cobalt ( co ), nickel ( ni ), x is an active element and stands for yttrium ( y ) and / or silicon and / or at least one rare earth element , or hafnium ( hf ). such alloys are known from ep 0 486 489 b1 , ep 0 786 017 b1 , ep 0 412 397 b1 or ep 1 306 454 a1 . refurbishment means that heat shield elements 155 may need to have protective layers taken off ( for example by sandblasting ) after their use . the corrosion and / or oxidation layers or products are then removed . optionally , cracks in the heat shield element 155 are also repaired . the heat shield elements 155 are then recoated and the heat shield elements 155 are used again . owing to the high temperatures inside the combustion chamber 110 , a cooling system may also be provided for the heat shield elements 155 or for their retaining elements . the heat shield elements 155 are then hollow , for example , and optionally also have film cooling holes ( not shown ) opening into the combustion chamber space 154 . fig5 shows a gas turbine 100 by way of example in a partial longitudinal section . the gas turbine 100 internally comprises a rotor 103 , which will also be referred to as the turbine rotor , mounted so as to rotate about a rotation axis 102 and having a shaft 101 . successively along the rotor 103 , there are an intake manifold 104 , a compressor 105 , an e . g . toroidal combustion chamber 110 , in particular a ring combustion chamber , having a plurality of burners 107 arranged coaxially , a turbine 108 and the exhaust manifold 109 . the ring combustion chamber 110 communicates with an e . g . annular hot gas channel 111 . there , for example , four successively connected turbine stages 112 form the turbine 108 . each turbine stage 112 is formed for example by two blade rings . as seen in the flow direction of a working medium 113 , a guide vane row 115 is followed in the hot gas channel 111 by a row 125 formed by rotor blades 120 . the guide vanes 130 are fastened on an inner housing 138 of a stator 143 while the rotor blades 120 of a row 125 are fastened on the rotor 103 , for example by means of a turbine disk 133 . coupled to the rotor 103 , there is a generator or a work engine ( not shown ). during operation of the gas turbine 100 , air 135 is taken in and compressed by the compressor 105 through the intake manifold 104 . the compressed air provided at the turbine - side end of the compressor 105 is delivered to the burners 107 and mixed there with a fuel . the mixture is then burnt to form the working medium 113 in the combustion chamber 110 . from there , the working medium 113 flows along the hot gas channel 111 past the guide vanes 130 and the rotor blades 120 . at the rotor blades 120 , the working medium 113 expands by imparting momentum , so that the rotor blades 120 drive the rotor 103 and the work engine coupled to it . during operation of the gas turbine 100 , the components exposed to the hot working medium 113 experience thermal loads . apart from the heat shield elements lining the ring combustion chamber 110 , the guide vanes 130 and rotor blades 120 of the first turbine stage 112 , as seen in the flow direction of the working medium 113 , are heated the most . in order to withstand the temperatures prevailing there , they may be cooled by means of a coolant . substrates of the components may likewise comprise a directional structure , i . e . they are monocrystalline ( sx structure ) or comprise only longitudinally directed grains ( ds structure ). iron -, nickel - or cobalt - based superalloys are for example used as material for the components , in particular for the turbine blades 120 , 130 and components of the combustion chamber 110 . such superalloys are known for example from ep 1 204 776 b1 , ep 1 306 454 , ep 1 319 729 a1 , wo 99 / 67435 or wo 00 / 44949 . the guide vanes 130 comprise a guide vane root ( not shown here ) facing the inner housing 138 of the turbine 108 , and a guide vane head lying opposite the guide vane root . the guide vane head faces the rotor 103 and is fixed on a fastening ring 140 of the stator 143 . | 2 |
fig1 is a diagram of an example of a structure of a real - time communication system according to a first embodiment . in fig1 , a portable terminal 101 , a telephone machine 102 , a personal computer ( pc ) 103 , a display 104 , a camera 105 , a projector 106 , a communication control apparatus 107 , and an internet 108 are shown . the portable terminal 101 is a portable communication terminal such as a personal digital assistant ( pda ). the portable terminal 101 has a liquid crystal display to display an image , and a tool such as a button or a pen - like input device to allow user &# 39 ; s manipulation . further , the portable terminal 101 can exchange audio data with other communication terminal via a network . the telephone machine 102 is a telephone which can exchange audio data with other communication terminal via a network , and has a function of an internet protocol ( ip ) telephone , for example . the pc 103 is a portable personal computer provided with a display , a keyboard , and a pointer . the pc 103 can be connected to other communication terminal via the network . the pc 103 can exchange data in a format of audio data , and video data . further , the pc 103 can execute various applications , and the user can perform a predetermined operation by typing on the keyboard while looking at the display . the pc 103 can be a desk - top type personal computer as far as it can be connected to the network . the display 104 has a function of displaying video data received via the network on a cathode ray tube ( crt ) or a liquid crystal panel . the display 104 can receive data in a format of video data via the network . the camera 105 incorporates a charge - coupled device ( ccd ) camera , for example , and is capable of picking up a surrounding image as video . the camera 105 can supply the picked - up video data as an output to other communication terminal via the network . the camera 105 can handle the video data alone and basically does not have a function to receive data as an input . the projector 106 has a function of projecting ( displaying ) video data received via the network on a screen . the projector 106 can handle the video data alone , and basically does not have a function to supply the data as an output . the communication control apparatus 107 receives a call directly from a communication terminal or via the internet 108 , and sends information on connectable communication terminal ( s ) in response to the call to a predetermined communication terminal ( s ) via the network . further , the communication control apparatus 107 , on receiving an instruction related with the call from a communication terminal which is a receiver of the information , transmits the call to a suitable communication terminal to establish the call between the caller communication terminal and the suitable communication terminal . the network to which the portable terminal 101 , the telephone machine 102 , the pc 103 , the display 104 , the camera 105 , and the projector 106 can be connected is supposed to employ communication media of a same type whether it is wireless or fixed - line . alternatively , the network may be structured to employ different communication media , if the communication control apparatus 107 is structured to enable the communication among different media provided in each communication terminal . the internet 108 is supposed to be a wide - area network which anyone can use . however , the internet 108 may be a network such as an intra - company local area network ( lan ). fig2 is a block diagram of an example of a structure of the communication control apparatus 107 according to the first embodiment . in fig2 , an interface 201 , a control unit 202 , a storage unit 203 , and a candidate selection unit 204 are shown . the interface 201 has a function to communicate with a communication terminal on the internet 108 or other communication terminal such as the portable terminal 101 . as far as the interface 201 can communicate with the communication terminals , the interface 201 may employ any protocol and may be a wireless type or a fixed - line type . the control unit 202 has a function of controlling an overall operation of the communication control apparatus 107 . the control unit 202 receives a call and gives instructions to other devices , for example , via the interface 201 . the storage unit 203 has a function of storing terminal information about the communication terminal with which the connection may be established , such as the portable terminal 101 , and the display 104 . the terminal information stored in the storage unit 203 is previously set by the user . preferably the storage unit 203 is structured so that the user can input information as appropriate from a high - performance terminal such as the pc 103 in a remote location via the network . still preferably , each communication terminal is structured as to send own terminal information to the communication control apparatus 107 on power - on , and the control unit 202 receives the terminal information and automatically stores the same in the storage unit 203 without waiting for the instruction from the user , so that a setting of the terminal information is realized via the network . the candidate selection unit 204 has a function of selecting a communication terminal as a candidate to be connected to the call according to a predetermined rule based on the terminal information stored in the storage unit 203 . the terminal information of the selected candidate is sent to a predetermined communication terminal via the interface 201 . fig3 shows an example of a terminal information table 301 stored in the storage unit 203 of the first embodiment . items stored in the terminal information table are a communication device identifier , a user identifier , a media type , and an input / output ( i / o ) type . the communication device identifier is an address for the identification of each communication device at the communication , and is an ip address in a communication utilizing the internet protocol , for example . in the example shown in fig3 , the communication device identifiers 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , and 6 correspond with the portable terminal 101 , the telephone machine 102 , the pc 103 , the display 104 , the camera 105 , and the projector 106 , respectively . the user identifier is a value for the identification of the user in the communication . for example , if the network to be utilized is a telephone line , the telephone number may be used as the user identifier . if the network uses session initiation protocol ( sip ), the user identifier may be sip uri . when the user identifier is described in the table , it means that a corresponding communication terminal is used by the user identified by the user identifier . in the example of fig3 , the portable terminal 101 and the telephone machine 102 are used by a user a , whereas the pc 103 is used by a user b . when there is a need to ask instruction of a certain user , a transmission may be made to a communication terminal used by this certain user . in the shown example , assume that an instruction from the user a is needed . the user a is likely to respond if the transmission is made to the portable terminal 101 or the telephone machine 102 . on the other hand , when the user identifier is shown as “ any ,” a corresponding communication terminal is a device shared by unspecified users . in the box of media type , a data format which can be handled by a corresponding communication terminal is stored . in the example of fig3 , descriptions of audio x and video y are provided . for example , a communication terminal with the communication device identifier 1 and only the description of audio x in the media type cannot process data format such as video y other than audio x . the description of media type may include more detailed information , such as an employed coding format of the audio data or the video data . the i / o type indicates whether a corresponding communication terminal can input / output the data indicated by the media type . a connectable communication terminal is selected based on the user identifier , the media type , and the i / o type , as to satisfy the function requested by the call . as an example 1 , assume that a caller requests a voice call . for the voice call , mutual conversation must be allowed . then , a communication terminal which is capable of input / output of audio x must be selected . in the example , communication terminals that satisfy these requirements are the portable terminal 101 ( communication device identifier 1 ), the telephone machine 102 ( communication device identifier 2 ), and the pc 103 ( communication device identifier 3 ). when the call is made by the user a , adoptable communication terminals are the portable terminal 101 and the telephone machine 102 . when the call is made by the user b , an adoptable communication terminal is the pc 103 alone . when the call is made by other user c , there is no communication terminal usable for the user c including the communication terminals with the user identifier “ any ,” and hence , there is no candidate terminal . as an example 2 , assume that a caller requests a tv telephone call . then , the communication terminal must be capable of exchanging video data and audio data with other communication terminal . when combination of adoptable communication terminals is checked similarly to the example 1 , the user a can adopt six combinations of communication terminals , i . e ., the portable terminal 101 & amp ; the pc 103 , the portable terminal 101 & amp ; the display 104 & amp ; the camera 105 , the portable terminal 101 & amp ; the camera 105 & amp ; the projector 106 , and three other combinations where the portable terminal 101 in above three combinations are replaced with the telephone machine 102 . hence five terminals are selected as the candidate communication terminals , i . e ., the portable terminal 101 , the telephone machine 102 , the display 104 , the camera 105 , and the projector 106 . for the user b , four candidate communication terminals , i . e ., the pc 103 , the display 104 , the camera 105 , and the projector 106 are selected . as an example 3 , assume that the caller requests presentation . then , the communication terminal needs simply to display the video data . hence , for the user a , two communication terminals , i . e ., the display 104 and the projector 106 are selected , whereas for the user b , three communication terminals , i . e ., the pc 103 besides above listed two terminals are selected as the candidate terminals . fig4 is a diagram of an example of a sequence of the real - time communication system according to the first embodiment . the sequence is described below in turn . first , a communication terminal makes a call with a connection request message m 101 . hereinafter , the caller communication terminal is referred to as a caller terminal 401 . the communication control apparatus 107 which receives the connection request message m 101 , selects a communication terminal to which the message should be sent based on the terminal information stored in the storage unit 203 and the content of the connection request message m 101 . the connection request message m 101 includes at least the user identifier of the to - be - connected and the media type to be used . here , assume that the user identifier indicates the user a , and the media type is audio x & amp ; video y . the communication control apparatus 107 selects a communication terminal whose user identifier indicates the user a in the user information 301 and which is capable of handling the audio x . then , the portable terminal 101 and the telephone machine 102 are selected as the adoptable communication terminals . the communication control apparatus 107 sends the connection request message m 102 to the portable terminal 101 and the telephone machine 102 which are selected as the communication terminals to which the connection request message m 101 should be sent . here , the connection request message m 102 may be sent to one terminal or plural terminals among the selected terminals . alternatively , the connection request message may be sequentially sent to each terminal until a response to the connection request is obtained . the portable terminal 101 or the telephone machine 102 receiving the connection request message m 102 perform a predetermined operation , e . g ., blinking a lamp or ringing a buzzer , to notify the reception of the message to the user ( here , the user a ). the communication control apparatus 107 , on receiving a response message m 103 to the connection request from the portable terminal 101 which receives the connection request message m 102 , transfers a response message m 104 to the connection request to the caller terminal 401 . here , the portable terminal 101 can handle data of the media type audio x alone . hence a message notifying that the video y cannot be handled by the portable terminal 101 is added to the response message m 104 to the connection request and sent to the caller terminal 401 . the addition of information notifying that a certain data cannot be handled may be performed by the portable terminal 101 or the communication control apparatus 107 . thus , the connection for the voice call is established between the caller terminal 401 and the portable terminal 101 . in response to the establishment of the connection for the voice call between the communication terminals , the communication control apparatus 107 sends a connection request cancel message m 105 to other adoptable communication terminal ( telephone machine 102 here ) to which the connection request message m 102 is sent but the response thereto has not been obtained . next , a communication terminal which can handle data of the media type : video y is selected . the communication terminals which can be used by the user a and handle the video data are three terminals , i . e ., the display 104 , the camera 105 , and the projector 106 according to the terminal information table 301 . the communication control apparatus 107 sends a device list message m 106 including terminal information of the three terminals to the portable terminal 101 . here , the communication terminal to which the device list message m 106 is sent may be selected either from a communication terminal with which the voice call has already been established ( here , the portable terminal 101 ) or from a communication terminal whose user identifier is the user a in the terminal information table 301 . alternatively , a communication terminal to process the device list message m 106 may be selected separately from the communication terminal that processes a data of a predetermined media type . the communication terminal ( here , the portable terminal 101 ) that receives the device list message m 106 displays a screen to prompt selection from the communication terminals included in the device list message m 106 . fig5 is an example of the screen to prompt selection . in the example of fig5 , the user is prompted to select a device that receives video and a device that transmits video displayed separated on the screen . the user ( here , the user a ) checks a check box for the display 104 as the video receiving device , and a check box for the camera 105 as the transmitting device , and push a connection button , to instruct that the display 104 is selected for the output of video y whereas the camera 105 is selected for the input of video y . the instruction is transmitted from the portable terminal 101 to the communication control apparatus 107 as a device addition request message m 107 . the communication control apparatus 107 sends a connection request message m 108 for the media type : video y to a communication terminal identified by the device addition request message m 107 ( for example , the projector 106 ). when the display 104 accepts the connection request message m 108 , the display 104 responds to the communication control apparatus 107 with a response message m 109 to the connection request . the communication control apparatus 107 , on receiving the response message m 109 , sends an additional connection request message m 110 to the caller terminal 401 to add the display 104 in the connection . the caller terminal 401 sends back a response message m 111 to the additional - connection request in response to the additional connection request message m 110 . through the above - described process , a video communication is established between the caller terminal 401 and the display 104 , and a series of calling process for the connection request message m 101 made by the caller terminal 401 completes . with such structure , the communication terminal ( s ) to be connected is selected from the candidate communication terminals selected according to the predetermined condition , whereby the selection of the communication terminal ( s ) to which the call should be connected can be simplified . in a second embodiment , the terminal information managed by the terminal information table further includes information on a position dissimilar to the terminal information according to the first embodiment . fig6 is a diagram of an example of a structure of a real - time communication system according to the second embodiment . in fig6 , the portable terminal 101 , the telephone machine 102 , the pc 103 , the display 104 , the camera 105 , the projector 106 , the communication control apparatus 107 , the internet 108 , and a mobile telephone 601 are shown . the mobile telephone 601 is connected to the communication control apparatus 107 via a network , and has a function of receiving / supplying audio data from / to other communication terminal via the network . the other communication terminals are same with those shown according to the first embodiment . fig6 shows that though all communication terminals are connected to the communication control apparatus 107 , the communication terminals are divided into two separate rooms a and b . fig2 is a block diagram of an example of a structure of the communication control apparatus 107 according to the second embodiment . in fig2 , the interface 201 , the control unit 202 , the storage unit 203 , and the candidate selection unit 204 are shown . each unit is same with that described according to the first embodiment . fig7 shows an example of a terminal information table 701 stored in the storage unit 203 according to the second embodiment . stored items are the communication device identifier , the user identifier , the media type , the i / o type , and positional information . the positional information indicates where the communication terminal is located . in the example of fig7 , an arrangement of respective communication terminals in two different rooms a and b is indicated by the positional information . the positional information of respective device is previously stored in the terminal information table 701 by the user , for example . alternatively , information on location may be supplied to respective communication terminal at its installation , and the information may be sent to the communication control apparatus 107 via the network so that the information is stored in the terminal information table 701 . still alternatively , a radio frequency identification ( rfid ) tag embedded in respective communication terminal may be detected according to rfid technique , and the position of installation may be identified base on the position the rfid tag is detected . a connectable communication terminal is selected based on the user identifier , the media type , the i / o type , and the positional information , so as to satisfy the function requested by the call . in other respects the second embodiment is same with the first embodiment . as an example 1 , assume that a caller requests a voice call . for the voice call , mutual conversation must be allowed . then , a communication terminal which is capable of input / output of audio x must be selected . in the example , communication terminals that satisfy these requirements are four terminals , i . e ., the portable terminal 101 ( communication device identifier 1 ), the telephone machine 102 ( communication device identifier 2 ), the pc 103 ( communication device identifier 3 ), and the mobile telephone 601 ( communication device identifier 7 ). however , when the user a is in the room a , devices outside the room a cannot be used for the voice call , and hence should not be counted as the candidate terminals . thus , the candidate terminals usable for the user a for the voice call are two terminals arranged in the room a , i . e ., the portable terminal 101 and the telephone machine 102 . as an example 2 , assume that a caller requests a tv telephone call . then , the communication terminal must be capable of exchanging video data and audio data with other communication terminal . when combination of adoptable communication terminals is checked similarly to the example 1 , the user a can adopt nine combinations of communication terminals , i . e ., the portable terminal 101 & amp ; the pc 103 , the portable terminal 101 & amp ; the display 104 & amp ; the camera 105 , the portable terminal 101 & amp ; the camera 105 & amp ; the projector 106 , and six other combinations where the portable terminal 101 in above three combinations are replaced with either the telephone machine 102 or the mobile telephone 601 . however , similarly to the example 1 , when the communication terminals outside the room a cannot be used for the tv telephone , there is no communication terminal which can receive the video data ( e . g ., the camera 105 ) in the room a . then , if the counterpart terminal accepts an imperfect tv telephone where one terminal does not send its video to the counterpart , the connection for the tv telephone can be realized with the display 104 and one of the portable terminal 101 and the telephone machine 102 . if such an imperfect tv telephone is accepted , the candidate terminals usable for the tv telephone are three terminals , i . e ., the portable terminal 101 , the telephone machine 102 , and the display 104 arranged in the room a . as an example 3 , assume that the caller requests presentation . then , the communication terminal needs simply to display the video data . hence , for the user a , two communication terminals , i . e ., the display 104 and the projector 106 are adoptable . however , if the user a is in the room a , only the display 104 is selected as the candidate terminal which is usable . fig4 is a diagram of an example of a sequence of the real - time communication system according to the second embodiment . the sequence in the second embodiment is similar to the sequence in the first embodiment . with such a structure , the communication terminals are selected based on a limitation on use according to the arranged position and a predetermined condition as the candidate terminals , so that the terminals which can be candidate terminals are limited . thus , the operation by the user to select the communication terminal to which the call is to be connected can be simplified . according to a first modification of the second embodiment , information concerning a use condition is further added to the terminal information managed by the terminal information table of the second embodiment . fig8 is an example of a terminal information table 801 stored in the storage unit 203 according to the first modification of the second embodiment . stored items are the communication device identifier , the user identifier , the media type , the i / o type , the positional information , and the use condition . the use condition indicates a necessary condition for the use of respective communication terminal . for example , since the portable terminal 101 ( the communication device identifier 1 ), the telephone machine 102 ( the communication device identifier 2 ), the pc 103 ( the communication device identifier 3 ) are exclusively owned by the respective users , these terminals cannot be shared by other user . the box of the use condition for the camera 105 ( the communication device identifier 5 ) indicates that the camera must be used together with one of the display 104 ( the communication device identifier 4 ) and the projector 106 ( the communication device identifier 6 ). even if a communication terminal is selected as a candidate terminal based on the media type , i / o type , and the positional information , when the use condition does not match , such communication terminal is eventually excluded from the candidate terminal . with such a structure , the communication terminals are selected based on a limitation on use according to the distinctive combination of the communication terminals and a predetermined condition as the candidate terminals , so that the terminals which can be candidate terminals are limited . thus , the operation by the user to select the communication terminal to which the call is to be connected can be simplified . according to a second modification of the second embodiment , information on the state of use is further added to the terminal information managed by the terminal information table of the second embodiment . fig9 shows an example of a terminal information table 901 stored in the storage unit 203 according to the second modification of the second embodiment . stored items are the communication device identifier , the user identifier , the media type , the i / o type , the positional information , and the user . in the item “ user ”, the user identifier of a user who is currently using the respective communication terminal is stored . for example , fig9 indicates that the portable terminal 101 ( the communication device identifier 1 ) and the telephone machine 102 ( the communication device identifier 2 ) are under use by the user a , whereas the pc 103 ( the communication device identifier 3 ), the camera 105 ( the communication device identifier 5 ), and the projector 106 ( the communication device identifier 6 ) are under the use by the user b . the description “ available ” in the “ user ” box indicates that the corresponding display 104 ( the communication device identifier 4 ) and the mobile telephone 601 ( the communication device identifier 7 ) are currently not used by anyone . even if a communication terminal is selected based on the media type , the i / o type , and the positional information as the candidate terminal , if the device is under use , the communication terminal cannot be used for the call made by the caller terminal 401 , and hence is not selected as the candidate terminal . whether a communication terminal is under use or not can be determined through monitoring of the start of the use which is defined as a time of the reception of the response message m 103 to the connection request or the response message m 109 to the connection request , for example . the end of the use may be detected based on the monitoring of disconnection of the connected call . alternatively , respective communication terminals may be structured to separately send a notification of disconnection . with such a structure , the communication terminals are selected based on a state of use of respective communication terminal and a predetermined condition as the candidate terminals , so that the terminals which can be candidate terminals are limited . thus , the operation by the user to select the communication terminal to which the call is to be connected can be simplified . according to a third embodiment , the communication control apparatus sends a notification of connection request to all the connectable communication terminals at a time of selection of communication terminal to be connected of the first embodiment , and directly selects a communication terminal to be connected therefrom . fig1 is a diagram of an example of a structure of a real - time communication system according to the third embodiment . the respective components of the real - time communication system are same with those according to the first embodiment . fig2 is a block diagram of an example of a structure of the communication control apparatus 107 according to the third embodiment . the respective components of the communication control apparatus 107 are same with those according to the first embodiment . fig3 is a diagram of an example of the terminal information table 301 stored in the storage unit 203 according to the third embodiment . the respective stored items are same with those according to the first embodiment . fig1 is a diagram of an example of a sequence of the real - time communication system according to the third embodiment . the sequence of the real - time communication system of the third embodiment is described below in turn . first , a communication terminal makes a call with a connection request message m 201 . hereinafter , the caller communication terminal is referred to as the caller terminal 401 . the communication control apparatus 107 which receives the connection request message m 201 , selects a communication terminal to which the message should be sent based on the terminal information stored in the storage unit 203 and the content of the connection request message m 201 . the connection request message m 201 includes at least the user identifier of the terminal to be connected and the media type to be used . here , assume that the user identifier is the user b , and the media type is audio x & amp ; video y . for the simplification of the description , it is assumed in the third embodiment that the pc 103 can handle only audio x , and the data of video y is image data to be displayed to the user . the communication control apparatus 107 selects a communication terminal whose user identifier is the user b in the user information 301 and which is capable of handling the audio x . then , the pc 103 is selected as the adoptable communication terminal . the communication control apparatus 107 sends a connection request message m 202 to the pc 103 which is selected as the communication terminal to which the connection request message m 201 should be sent . the pc 103 on receiving the connection request message m 202 performs a predetermined operation , e . g ., blinking a lamp or ringing a buzzer , to notify the reception of the message to the user ( here , the user b ). the communication control apparatus 107 , on receiving a response message m 203 to the connection request from the pc 103 which receives the connection request message m 202 , transfers a response message m 204 to the connection request to the caller terminal 401 . here , if the pc 103 cannot handle video y in the media type for some reasons , a message notifying that the video y cannot be handled is added to the response message m 204 to the connection request sent to the caller terminal 401 . the addition of information notifying that a certain data cannot be handled may be performed by the pc 103 or the communication control apparatus 107 . thus , the connection for the voice call is established between the caller terminal 401 and the pc 103 . next , a communication terminal which can handle data of media type : video y is selected . the communication terminals which can be used by the user b and display the video data are two terminals , i . e ., the display 104 and the projector 106 according to the terminal information table 301 . the communication control apparatus 107 sends a connection request message m 205 to the two terminals . here , the message sent by the communication control apparatus 107 to the two communication terminals may not be the connection request message sent from the caller terminal 401 . as far as the message can notify that there is a call to a pertinent communication terminal , a new message may be generated for this purpose and used . the communication terminals ( here , the display 104 and the projector 106 ) that receive the connection request message m 205 notify the user b that there is a call thereto by blinking a lamp or ringing a buzzer . the display 104 or the projector 106 is provided with a button or a remote controller to allow the user b to manipulate the terminal . the user b manipulates the button or the remote controller of the communication terminal which the user b wants to use among the plural communication terminals that notify the call , and indicates that the selection is made . here , when the user b selects the display 104 , the display 104 sends a response message m 206 to the connection request to the communication control apparatus 107 . then , since the projector 106 is not selected , the communication control apparatus 107 sends a connection request cancel message m 207 to the projector 106 . then , the communication control apparatus 107 sends an additional connection request message m 208 to the caller terminal 401 to add the display 104 in the call . the caller terminal 401 sends back a response message m 209 to the additional connection request in response to the additional connection request message m 208 . through the above - described process , the video communication is established between the caller terminal 401 and the display 104 , and a series of calling process for the connection request message m 201 made by the caller terminal 401 completes . with such structure , the communication terminal to be connected is selected from the candidate communication terminals selected according to the predetermined condition , and selected candidate communication terminal is notified of the selection , and the user can directly select the connected communication terminal from the candidates , whereby an operation for the selection of the communication terminal to which the call should be connected from a group of connectable communication terminals can be simplified . additional advantages and modifications will readily occur to those skilled in the art . therefore , the invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specific details and representative embodiments shown and described herein . accordingly , various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the general inventive concept as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents . | 7 |
preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described herein below with reference to the accompanying drawings . in the following description , well - known functions or constructions are not described in detail since they would obscure the invention in unnecessary detail . [ 0035 ] fig3 is a block diagram of forward channel structure for controlling rpc channel transmission in an an according to an embodiment of the present invention . in the embodiment of the present invention , the transmitter is provided with an rpc channel transmission controller 341 that determines whether to transmit an rpc channel by a forward link selection message received from an rnc ( radio network controller ) ( not shown ). the embodiment of the present invention will be described mainly in the context of rpc channel transmission , with the same components as illustrated in fig1 not described again . the rnc selects an an having the best forward channel condition for an at according to the statistics of drc covers received from ans in its active set and transmits information about the selection to each an by a forward link selection message . at handoff , at least two ans are in an active set and in a normal situation , one ans is in the active set . the selected an transmits a traffic channel to the at . referring to fig3 the an receives a forward link selection message from the rnc with respect to all ats with macindex i at its receiver ( not shown ). the rpc transmit controller 341 determines whether to transmit an rpc channel to each at by the forward link selection message , sets the channel gain of each at to 0 or a predetermined value , and feeds the channel gain to an rpc channel gain processor 331 . the rpc channel gain processor 331 multiplies an rpc bit by a corresponding rpc channel gain . a spreader 332 spreads the output of the rpc channel gain processor 331 with a walsh code w i 64 . the rpc channel signal output from the spreader 332 is code - division - multiplexed with other mac channels in a chip level summer 333 and time - division - multiplexed with a pilot channel and a forward traffic / control channel in a time - division mux 361 . thus , one sector ( an ) with the best channel condition , as selected by the rnc , transmits an rpc channel to a corresponding at at handoff . [ 0038 ] fig4 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure for controlling rpc channel transmission in the an illustrated in fig3 according to an embodiment of the present invention . referring to fig4 the rpc transmit controller 341 receives a forward link selection message for macindex i in step 401 and determines whether the forward link of the an has been selected with respect to each macindex in step 402 . if the forward link of the an has been selected , the rpc transmit controller 341 sets an rpc channel gain to a predetermined value and provides the rpc channel gain to the rpc channel gain processor 331 in step 403 . then the rpc channel gain processor 331 multiplies an rpc bit by the channel gain and transmits an rpc channel signal for macindex i in step 404 . on the other hand , if the forward link of the an has not been selected , the rpc transmit controller 341 sets the rpc channel gain to 0 and provides the rpc channel gain to the rpc channel gain processor 331 in step 411 . then the rpc channel gain processor 331 multiplies the rpc bit by the channel gain 0 , thereby not transmitting an rpc channel for macindex i in step 412 . this embodiment of the present invention can be applied partially . that is the rpc channel transmission is controlled by the forward link selection message only if the sum of power assigned to each rpc channel is higher than the total power available to the overall rpc channels . [ 0041 ] fig5 is a block diagram of forward channel structure for controlling rpc channel transmission in an an according to another embodiment of the present invention . in the second embodiment of the present invention , the transmitter is provided with an rpc channel transmission controller 541 that determines whether to transmit an rpc channel by a drc cover from an at . again , the same components as illustrated in fig1 are not described . referring to fig5 the an receives drc covers from all ats with macindex i at its receiver ( not shown ). a drc cover indicates an an having the best channel condition for a specific at . the rpc transmit controller 541 determines whether to transmit an rpc channel to each at by checking the drc covers , sets the channel gain of each at to 0 or a predetermined value , and feeds the channel gain to an rpc channel gain processor 531 . if the drc cover of an at indicates the an , the channel gain of the at is set to a predetermined value , otherwise , it is set to 0 . the rpc channel gain processor 531 multiplies an rpc bit by a corresponding rpc channel gain . a spreader 532 spreads the output of the rpc channel gain processor 331 with a walsh code w i 64 . the rpc channel signal output from the spreader 332 is code - division - multiplexed with other mac channels in a chip level summer 533 and time - division - multiplexed with a pilot channel and a forward traffic / control channel in a time - division mux 561 . thus , only one sector having the highest c / i of its forward pilot channel selected by the at transmits an rpc channel to the at at handoff . [ 0043 ] fig6 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure for controlling rpc channel transmission in the an illustrated in fig5 according to the second embodiment of the present invention . referring to fig6 the rpc transmit controller 541 receives a drc cover for macindex i in step 601 and determines whether the index of the drc cover is identical to the index of the an in step 602 . if they are identical , the rpc transmit controller 541 sets an rpc channel gain to a predetermined value and provides the rpc channel gain to the rpc channel gain processor 531 in step 603 . then the rpc channel gain processor 531 multiplies an rpc bit by the channel gain and transmits an rpc channel signal for macindex i in step 604 . on the other hand , if the indexes are different , the rpc transmit controller 541 sets the rpc channel gain to 0 and provides the rpc channel gain to the rpc channel gain processor 531 in step 611 . then the rpc channel gain processor 531 multiplies the rpc bit by the channel gain 0 , thereby not transmitting an rpc channel for macindex i in step 612 . the second embodiment of the present invention can also be applied partially . that is , the rpc channel transmission is controlled using a drc cover only if the sum of power assigned to each rpc channel is higher than the total power assigned to the overall rpc channels . in accordance with the present invention , a control is provided using a forward link selection message or a drc cover for only one sector having the best forward channel condition to transmit an rpc channel to an at at soft handoff . therefore , power could be assigned to another at is increased and an rpc channel power shortage is alleviated , thereby improving reverse power control performance and simultaneously increasing the number of rpc channels available . while the invention has been shown and described with reference to certain preferred embodiments thereof , they are merely exemplary applications . for example , while an an having the best channel condition is selected and only the selected an transmits rpc information to an at for controlling reverse transmission power in the embodiments of the present invention , it can be further contemplated that at least one of ans excluding an an at the worst channel condition is selected and only the selected an transmits rpc information to the at to alleviate an rpc channel power shortage . therefore , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims . | 7 |
the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings , particularly fig4 ( a ) to 6 ( b ). as shown in fig4 ( a ), the ore supplying system 7 is provided above the top of the shaft furnace or vertical reduction furnace 4 , and this ore supplying system comprises the hopper 9 and the pipe path 11 including the pressure equalizing chamber 10 . the pressure equalizing chamber 10 is provided with a pipe path ( not shown ) for filling or removing inert gas such as nitrogen gas in or from the chamber under pressure , and the sealing valves 12 and 13 are provided respectively above and below the chamber 10 . these sealing valves serve to prevent the atmospheric air from coming into the furnace or to prevent the furnace gas from leaking from the furnace while the ore is being supplied intermittently from the hopper 9 to the inside hopper 19 . the ore supplying system 7 may be embodied in various ways . in one embodiment , a pair of the pipe paths 11 are connected to the top dome wall 14 of the furnace 4 at two portions as shown in fig4 ( a ). in another embodiment the pipe paths 11 are collected together into one pipe path above the dome top of the furnace as shown in fig5 . from the aspect of the refractory brick structure of the top dome wall 14 , the latter embodiment is more preferable . as described above , the dividing plate 15 divides the furnace space into the upper portion and the lower portion , and the space 16 defined by the dividing plate 15 and the top dome wall 14 is used for storing the ore , and the dividing plate 15 is provided with one or more openings 17 at which pipes 18 are fixed and extend downward to flow down the ore 3 therethrough . the number and arrangement of the openings 17 and the pipes 18 are determined from their relation with the inside diameter of the furnace at which the charge stock line is formed . for example , two to four openings each with the pipe may be provided through the dividing plate equally spaced along the circumference connecting intermediate ( almost center ) points between the furnace center and the furnace wall , as shown in fig4 ( b ), or further one central opening with the pipe may be provided through the central portion of the dividing plate as shown in fig6 ( b ). further the number and arrangement of the pipes 18 may be determined in view of a desired pattern of the distribution of reducing gas flow in the furnace . as described above , the inside ore hopper 19 is formed by the dividing plate 15 provided in the furnace 4 , the pipes 18 and the wall 14 of the top portion of the furnace . the inside hopper 19 is exposed to the same level of pressure as the furnace gas pressure itself , because it is formed within the furnace . therefore , it is sufficient that the dividing plate 15 is of such a structure strong enough to support only the load of the ore 3 stored in the inside hopper , and it is not necessary to take into consideration its resistance to the furnace pressure . the amount or level of ore 3 stored in the inside hopper 19 is controlled by the detector 21 so as to maintain continuous supply of the ore to the lower portion of the furnace . just below the inside hopper 19 , there is formed the vacant space 20 defined by the charge stock line surface 22 with its summit at the lower end of the pipe 18 . as one of the features of the present invention , the exhaust gas conduit 8 is connected to the vacant space 20 through the furance wall so as to take out the exhaust gas used for reduction of the ore in the furnace . in the above embodiments , the pipes 18 extending downward from the inside hopper 19 must have a certain length determined from the relation with the furnace diameter at the exhaust gas taking - out portion so as to prevent non - uniform gas flow through the charge layer , and , on the other hand , the length of the pipes 18 have influence on the height of the furnace 4 . various experiments conducted by the present inventors have revealed that the length of the pipes 18 should be determined in view of the furnace inside diameter at the level of the vacant space portion 20 . more specifically , it is desirable that the length of the pipes 18 is about 1 / 3 of the furnace inside diameter at the level of the vacant space portion 20 . when the length of the pipes 18 is increased beyond about a half of the furnace inside diameter , the vacant space portion 20 thus formed hardly contributes to prevent non - uniform gas flow through the charge layer . in other words , a useless vacant space portion 20 is formed and the height of the shaft furnace is increased to no purpose . on the other hand , when the length of the pipes 18 is shortened , the shortness may be compensated to a certain degree by increasing the number of the exhaust gas conduits 8 provided on the circumference of the vacant space portion 20 . however , when the length of the pipes 18 is shorter than 1 / 4 of the furnace inside diameter at the level of the vacant space portion 20 , there is caused distinct difference in the gas flow between the central portion and the circumferential portion in the furnaces . therefore , the length of the pipes 18 should not be shorter than 1 / 4 of the furnace inside diameter at the level of the vacant space portion 20 . as described above , the shaft furnace according to the present invention is characterized in that the inside hopper 19 is formed within the top portion of the furnace by the dividing plate 15 instead of providing the ore hopper 3 of pressure - proof - structure separately outside the furnace . therefore , the strength of the inside hopper 19 required for standing the furnace pressure is provided by the top dome portion of the furance itself . also as the inside hopper 19 is formed by providing the dividing plate 15 in the top portion corresponding to the vacant space portion ( gas taking - out portion ) inherently required in the conventional shaft furnace , the height of the total furnace equipment as a whole including the ore supplying system 7 can be markedly reduced , and as the exhaust gas is taken out from the furnace at the portion just below the inside hopper 19 , namely at the portion deviated from the top dome portion , it is possible to minimize the undesirable connection of various pipes to the top dome portion . | 2 |
fig1 is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of the present invention . input terminal 23 - 1 of circuit 40 is connected to output lead 21 of digital circuitry 20 having a potentially variable propagation delay . delay block 26 includes a plurality of delay lines , one of which is selected by multiplexer 36 . a particular delay line of delay block 26 is selected by multiplexer 36 so that a substantially constant propagation delay is provided between input terminal 19 of digital circuitry 20 and output terminal 39 , regardless of the amount of propagation delay provided by digital circuitry 20 . although delay block 26 can in practice contain any number of delay lines , delay block 26 of fig1 is shown having three such delay lines 42 , 44 , and 45 . ring oscillator 25 is a gated ring oscillator which provides to counter 37 an output signal having a frequency dependent upon the propagation delays of gates 33 , 34 , and 35 forming ring oscillator 25 . generally , circuit 20 and circuit 40 are constructed in the same piece of semiconductor material , and thus share the same power supply , the same process factors , and are at the same temperature , and thus the gate delays of gates 33 , 34 , and 35 are substantially equal and are equal to the propagation delays provided by the gates forming digital circuit 20 and the propagation delays provided by the gates of delay block 26 . counter 37 receives the output signal from ring oscillator 25 . the frequency of the signal received by the counter 37 is the actual frequency of the signal of the oscillator 25 , rather than a relative or comparison frequency as in the prior art . the counter 37 provides an output signal on port 41 which is stored in latch 50 and which in turn causes multiplexer 36 to select a particular delay line within delay block 26 having a propagation delay which corresponds to that delay necessary to provide a fixed propagation delay between input lead 19 of digital circuitry 20 and output terminal 39 . in response to a precise clock signal ( typically an externally provided crystal based clock signal ), control means 43 provides control signals which control the gating of ring oscillator 25 , the enabling and resetting of counter 37 , and the operation of latch 50 . control means 43 is itself enabled by an external controller enable input . circuit 40 has several phases during each cycle of its operation , as shown in table i . during the first phase , the gate ring oscillator signal goes high , thereby enabling ring oscillator 25 which begins to oscillate . then , the enable counter singal goes high in order to enable counter 37 , thereby causing counter 37 to count the pulses provided by ring oscillator 25 . the gate ring oscillator signal then goes low , thereby disabling ring oscillator 25 , causing counter 37 to cease incrementing its count . the latch count signal then goes high in order to enable latch 50 , thereby causing latch 50 to store the count provided by counter 37 . enable latch input terminal 13 is provided to allow coordination / synchronization between delay compensation circuit 40 and digital circuitry 20 . this coordination with digital circuitry 20 is necessary so that multiplexer 36 does not switch from a first delay element to a second delay element while a signal is propagating through the first delay element , thereby losing that signal . the clear counter signal then goes high causing counter 37 to be reset to zero . at this time , if required , the cycle begins anew . thus , periodically latch 50 is updated with a count provided by counter 37 which is representative of the frequency of oscillation of ring oscillator 25 which in turn is indicative of the propagation delays provided in the circuit , and thus the desired delay path of delay block 26 . the count stored in latch 50 serves to control multiplexer 36 which selects the desired delay path in delay block 26 . one example of a typical ring oscillator which functions in a similar fashion as ring oscillator 25 in fig1 is shown in fig2 . the signals provided on leads 55 , 56 , and 57 are shown in the voltage versus time waveforms of fig3 a , 3b and 3c , respectively . when the signal on lead 55 changes from a logical 0 to a logical 1 , after a certain propagation delay δ ( fig3 a ) characteristic of inverter 52 , inverter 52 causes the signal on lead 56 to change from a logical 1 to a logical 0 . similarly , after a propagation delay time δ ( fig3 b ) characteristic of inverter 53 , inverter 53 causes the signal on line 57 to change from a logical 0 to a logical 1 . consequently , the input signal on inverter 51 causes the output signal of inverter 51 to become a logical 0 . in this manner , the signals in ring oscillator 50 continue to alternate between logical 1 and logical 0 . naturally , a greater number of inverters can be used in the ring oscillator , as long as the number of inverters is odd . fig4 a and 4b are voltage versus time diagrams of the signals on leads 24 and 22 of fig1 respectively . when the gating signal on lead 24 is a logical 0 , the output signal of nand gate 33 is a logical 1 . when the signal on lead 24 is a logical 1 , nand gate 33 functions as an inverter thereby causing ring oscillator 25 to oscillate . thus , ring oscillator 25 provides the signal shown in fig4 . the pulses provided on output lead 22 of ring oscillator 25 while the signal on lead 24 is a logical 1 are counted by counter 37 . counter 37 ( fig1 ) is shown as a bit counter for exemplary purposes only ; counter 37 may have any number of bits depending upon the desired accuracy of measurement of the propagation delays in ring oscillator 25 . if greater accuracy is necessary , either the frequency of the signal on lead 24 is reduced or the frequency of oscillation of ring oscillator 25 is increased , thereby allowing more cycles of ring oscillator 25 to be counted . therefore , the time delays provided by the gates of ring oscillator 25 , and thus the gates of circuit 20 , is more accurately measured and counter 37 is designed with more than three bits . an alternative embodiment of delay block 26 of fig1 is shown in fig5 . in fig5 delay block 26 is formed using a plurality of inverters placed in series , as shown . a plurality of taps are provided , each tap providing a version of the input signal provided on input lead 23 - 1 having a unique propagation delay . thus , the signal provided on lead 26 - 1 will have no propagation delay , the signal provided on lead 26 - 2 will have a propagation delay equal to the propagation delay of 2 inverters , and the like . multiplexer 36 , under the control of the count stored in latch 50 ( fig1 ) selects an appropriate tap 26 - 1 through 26 - 4 in order to provide an output signal on output lead 36 - 1 having a desired propagation delay . in regard to fig5 it will again be seen that , with appropriate reference to fig1 the actual output frequency of the oscillator , rather than any comparative or relative frequencies , is measured by a means for such measuring , which produces an output signal in turn used to select the appropriate tap 26 - 1 through 26 - 4 in order to provide an output signal on output lead 36 - 1 having a desired propagation delay . fig6 shows a schematic diagram of one embodiment of controller 43 of fig1 . in this embodiment , controller 43 includes four bit counter 61 which counts the externally supplied clock signal clk applied to input terminal 60 . clock signal 60 is a highly stable clock , and is typically generated from a crystal controlled oscillator . first the controller is enabled via the external enable controller signal . as shown in table ii , when counter 61 reaches a count of 0010 , gate 62 - 1 provides a logical 1 enable counter signal which enables the counter to count . when counter 61 reaches a count of 0100 , gate 62 - 2 provides a logical 1 start ring oscillator signal which is applied to the s input terminal of rs flip flop 64 , thus causing flip flop 64 to provide logical 1 gate ring oscillator output signal on lead 24 . this causes the ring oscillator to oscillate . when counter 61 reaches a count of 1100 , gate 62 - 3 provides a logical 1 stop ring oscillator signal which is applied to the r input lead of flip flop 64 , thus causing the gate ring oscillator signal on lead 24 to go low . when counter 61 reaches a count of 1110 , gate 62 - 4 provides a logical 1 latch count signal to store results of counter 37 . when counter 61 reaches a count of 0000 , gate 62 - 5 provides logical 1 clear counter signal . at this point the controller can be disabled externally via the enable controller signal . in this manner , a very simple four bit counter 61 and a handful of gates are utilized to construct controller 43 of fig1 . other embodiments of this invention may have other instructional correlations between counter values and instructions to counter 37 . in one embodiment of this invention , the longest delay line of delay block 26 is chosen so that the delay introduced by the longest delay line is approximately equal to the difference between the longest propagation delay that may be introduced by digital circuit 20 and the shortest delay that may be introduced by digital circuit 20 . circuit 40 selects an appropriate delay line such that the output signal on output terminal 39 has a propagation delay between the input lead 19 of digital circuitry 20 to the output terminal 39 approximately equal to the longest potential delay introduced by digital circuit 20 . therefore , in accordance with the teachings of this invention , a circuit ( such as digital circuit 20 ) is constructed which includes means for adding an additional propagation delay in order to insure that the total propagation delay is constant regardless of process variations in the integrated circuitry , temperature variations , power supply voltage , or any other factor which may affect the propagation delays of the circuit . of importance , when inverters are used in delay block 26 , each delay element must have an even number of inverters in order to provide the equivalent , not the inverse , of the signal provided by the circuit ( not shown ) connected to input terminal 21 . this circuit is extremely useful in integrated circuitry where all components of an integrated circuit are subjected to the same process and temperature variations . other delay elements , such as and gates with input leads tied together may be used in place of inverters in delay block 26 . the delay element need not be provided by a delay block similar to delay block 26 . one method of selecting the delay indicated by counter 37 is to include a variable delay element with each gate . this can be accomplished by including several delay elements and a multiplexer in each logic gate of the circuit . another method is selecting the amount of current supplied to the base of merged transistor logic ( mtl , also known as integrated injection logic , 12l ) gates thereby varying the propagation delay introduced by these gates ( see holt , electronic circuits : digital and analog , fig7 - 15 ( 1978 ), which is hereby incorporated by reference ). fig7 depicts one embodiment of a pulse generator constructed in accordance with the teachings of this invention . pulse generator 70 of fig7 includes input terminal 71 for receiving an input signal defining when a pulse having a desired duration is to be provided on output terminal 77 . a plurality of propagation delay paths 72 , 73 , and 74 are shown , although naturally any number of desired propagation delay paths can be used . each delay line 72 , 73 , and 74 provides a unique propagation delay of the input signal applied to input terminal 71 . the output leads of propagation delay means 72 , 73 , and 74 are applied to input leads of multiplexer 75 which , in response to control signals applied to control leads ( not shown ) selects a desired one of delay lines 72 , 73 , and 74 . the signal selected by multiplexer 75 from the desired delay means is applied to one input lead of exclusive or gate 76 . the other input lead of exclusive or gate 76 receives as its input signal the input signal applied to terminal 71 . in this manner , exclusive or gate 76 provides an output pulse on output terminal 77 in response to each input signal applied to input terminal 71 . in one embodiment of this invention , multiplexer 75 is controlled by a count value , such as the count value stored in latch 50 of fig1 thereby to ensure that the pulse width of the output pulse generated on output terminal 77 is substantially constant over wide variations in processing , temperature , power supply voltages , and the like . in another embodiment of this invention , multiplexer 75 is controlled by control signals which allow the output pulse provided on output terminal 77 to have any one of a plurality of pulse widths , as desired . while this specification illustrates specific embodiments of this invention , it is not to be interpreted as limiting the scope of the invention . many embodiments of this invention will become evident to those of ordinary skill in the art in light of the teachings of this specification . table 1______________________________________ start cycle ( enable controller ) enable counter start ring oscillator stop ring oscillator latch count clear counter end cycle ( disable controller ) ______________________________________ table ii______________________________________ 0 . sub . 4 0 . sub . 3 0 . sub . 2 0 . sub . 1______________________________________enable counter 0 0 1 0start ring oscillator 0 1 0 0stop ring oscillator 1 1 0 0latch count 1 1 1 0clear counter 0 0 0 0______________________________________ | 7 |
[ 0043 ] fig5 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a roll for roll forming according to the present invention . the roll shown in fig5 is a convex roll 110 used as one of upper rolls of a break down roll . an axis coupling part 111 for coupling with a rotation axis is formed at the rotation center of the roll 110 and the circumference surface of the roll 110 is divided into pressure part 113 and non - pressure part 115 . pressure part 113 is disposed along the circumference of the circumference surface of the convex roll 110 and is a part to pressure corresponding part of passing sheet material . it is preferable that edge part of this pressure part 113 is round - processed so that no scratch is made on the sheet material being pressured . a plurality of this pressure parts 113 are formed with intervals and are symmetrically disposed on the left side and right side . the width , number , position , and the like of this pressure part 113 can be adjusted in line with those of pressure parts and non - pressure parts of other rolls arranged in the same roll forming apparatus . neighboring the pressure part 113 , the non - pressure part 115 is formed . the non - pressure part 115 is also disposed along the circumference of the circumference surface of the convex roll 110 and in parallel with the pressure part 113 . this non - pressure part 115 is for not pressuring corresponding part of passing sheet material . the non - pressure parts 115 are also symmetrically disposed on the left side and right side and are formed in the form of a groove . the width , number , position , and the like of this non - pressure part 115 can be adjusted in line with those of pressure parts and non - pressure parts of other rolls arranged in the same roll forming apparatus . the width , number , position , and the like of pressure parts and non - pressure parts formed on other rolls will be explained in detail later . [ 0047 ] fig6 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a roll for roll forming according to the present invention . the roll shown in fig6 is a concave roll 120 used as one of lower rolls of a break down roll . also , an axis coupling part 121 for coupling with a rotation axis is formed at the rotation center of the roll 120 and the circumference surface of the roll 120 is divided into pressure part 123 and non - pressure part 125 . here , the pressure part 123 and non - pressure part 125 are also formed on the concave circumference surface of the concave roll 120 , and except this , other things are the same as explained referring to fig5 . [ 0049 ] fig7 is a section view of a modified embodiment of a convex roll of fig5 . the convex roll 110 a shown in fig7 is installed in a back - end process after the convex roll 110 of fig5 and is also to pressure sheet material for plastic deformation . compared to the convex roll 110 of fig5 the convex roll 110 a has a short width and a smaller curvature . here , when the same number of pressure parts 113 and non - pressure parts 115 as in fig5 are disposed , the widths of the pressure part 113 and non - pressure part 115 are also shorter than those of the convex roll 110 of fig5 . [ 0051 ] fig8 is a sectional view of a modified embodiment of a concave roll of fig6 . the concave roll 120 a shown in fig8 is installed in a back - end process after the concave roll 120 of fig6 and compared to the concave roll 120 of fig6 has a short width and a smaller curvature . other things are the same as explained in fig6 . [ 0053 ] fig9 is a sectional view of a state where a sheet of material passes between the convex roll of fig5 and the concave roll of fig6 . referring fig9 on the circumference surface of the upper convex roll 110 , pressure parts 113 and non - pressure parts 115 are alternately formed , and also , on the lower concave roll 120 facing the convex roll 110 , pressure parts 113 and non - pressure parts 115 are alternately formed on corresponding locations . while passing between these convex roll 110 and the concave roll 120 , the sheet material 40 is plastic deformed at the curvature of the circumference surface of the convex roll 110 and concave roll 120 . in order not to leave roll traces on the sheet material 40 , the pressure ( σ y ) applied to the sheet material 40 should be less than the yield strength ( σ a ) of the material . that is , σ a & gt ; σ y . here , if the shear deformation resistance of the sheet material 40 is k = 173 . 2 ( n / mm 2 ); the contact length between the sheet material 40 and the rolls 110 or 120 when there is no non - pressure part 113 is 2b = 132 . 2 ( mm ); the thickness of the sheet material 40 is 2t = 4 . 5 ( mm ); the friction coefficient of the sheet material 40 and the rolls 110 and 120 is μ = 0 . 1 ; the forming curvature radius of the central surface of the sheet is r = 263 . 18 ( mm ); the maximum rotational radius of the convex roll 110 is r 1 = 129 . 68 ( mm ); and the rotational radius of the edge part of the sheet material 40 is r 3 = 120 ( mm ), the forming load is expressed as the following equation 1 : p = k · b · t 2 { cos ( b / r ) μ }·{ 4 / r + 1 / r 1 + cos ( b / r )/ r 3 }= 16 , 418 ( n ) ( 1 ) since σ y = p /( 2b × 1 ), if the yield strength of the sheet material is σ a = 306 ( mpa ), the contact length 2 b between the sheet material 40 and rolls 110 or 120 when the pressure applied to the sheet material should be equal to or greater than 53 . 65 ( mm ) so that the pressure ( σ y ) applied to the sheet material 40 does not exceed the yield strength ( σ a ) of the material . this means that the length should be 40 percent or more of the contact length ( hereinafter , referred to as the effective length ( l ) of a roll ) when there is no non - pressure part 115 and 125 , which means that the maximum contact length that can be formed by the non - pressure part 115 and 125 should be less than 60 percent . [ 0057 ] fig1 a through 10 d are sectional views of combinations of modified embodiments , respectively , of rolls for roll forming according to the present invention . depending on cases , as shown in fig1 a , in order to form a roll , the pressure parts 113 and 123 and non - pressure parts 115 and 125 of the upper convex roll 110 b and the lower concave roll 120 b may be formed alternately and more densely than the roll of fig9 . of course , when necessary , the non - pressure part 115 and 125 may be formed on only one of the convex roll 110 b and the concave roll 120 b and not formed on the other . as shown in fig1 b , on the lower concave roll 14 , the non - pressure part is not formed and the prior art roll is used as is , and only at the center of the convex roll 110 c , the non - pressure part 115 is formed and pressure parts 113 are formed at both sides of the non - pressure part 115 , and then the upper convex roll 110 c can be arranged at a desired position of the roll forming apparatus . in addition , as shown in fig1 c , the non - pressure part is not formed on the lower concave roll 14 , and three non - pressure parts 115 are formed around the center of the upper convex roll 110 d and pressure parts 113 are formed between the non - pressure parts 115 and at both sides of the non - pressure parts 115 . then , the upper convex roll 100 d can be arranged at a desired position of the roll forming apparatus . when necessary , as shown in fig1 d , the non - pressure part is not formed on the upper convex roll 12 , and the prior art roll is used as is , and only at the center of the concave roll 120 c , the non - pressure part 125 is formed and pressure parts 123 are formed at both sides of the non - pressure part 125 , and then the lower concave roll 120 c can be arranged at a desired position of the roll forming apparatus . [ 0062 ] fig1 is a conceptual diagram for explaining a roll forming method according to the present invention . in fig1 , there are four line diagrams and one graph in an orderly manner . here , when the sheet material 40 passes along the first break down roll described above , the sheet material 40 is divided into and expressed as a pressure area 43 and a non - pressure area 45 in the first line diagram 131 on the top . this is the same state as the circumference surface of part of the convex roll or the concave roll of the first break down roll . that is , the pressure area 43 corresponds to the pressure part 113 and 123 of the first roll and the non - pressure area 44 corresponds to the non - pressure part 115 and 125 of the first roll . the second line diagram 132 divides and expresses the pressure area 43 and non - pressure area 45 when the sheet material passes along the second break down roll . this is the same state as the circumference surface of part of the convex roll or the concave roll of the second break down roll . here , also , the pressure area 43 corresponds to the pressure part 113 and 123 of the second roll and the non - pressure area 44 corresponds to the non - pressure part 115 and 125 of the second roll . this is the same in the third and fourth line diagrams 133 and 134 . the graph 135 at the bottom shows the distribution in the width direction of frequencies of pressures applied to the sheet material 40 when the sheet material 40 passes all pairs of rolls . this is the same as the distribution in the width direction of cumulative pressure applied to each part of the sheet material 40 . that is , in each of the rolls which are sequentially arranged , the pressure parts 113 and 123 and the non - pressure parts 115 and 125 are alternately disposed so that the frequency of pressure or cumulative pressure applied to each part are uniformly distributed . then , predetermined part of sheet material is not excessively work hardened and the quality of products becomes even . in order to get the frequency of pressure or cumulative pressure applied to each part of the sheet material 40 as desired , the forming positions and width of the pressure parts 113 and 123 and the non - pressure parts 115 and 125 formed on each roll need to be adjusted considering the frequency of contacts of the pressure parts in connection with neighboring rolls . that is , by appropriately combining and disposing the pressure parts and non - pressure parts formed on each roll , a variety of modifications different from that in fig1 can be implemented . as shown from the above description , rolls for roll forming and the roll forming methods according to the present invention reduces work hardening in pipe material in the roll forming process . also , the rolls for roll forming and the roll forming methods according to the present invention makes work hardening occur evenly on the entire surface of a pipe . that is , when the rolls for roll forming and the roll forming methods according to the present invention are used , work hardening in roll forming material or a pipe occurs less , and the quality of the pipe is uniform such that the reprocessing properties of a pipe in hydroforming or drawing improves greatly . when work hardening occurs less and the quality of a pipe is uniform , pipe cracks do not appear in the hydroforming process and the number of processes in the drawing process can be reduced from that of the prior art . | 1 |
important properties of a material used in the manufacture of a hygiene article are its absorbent capacity , absorption rate , wicking capacity , drainage capacity , retention capacity , rewetting , softness and smoothness . the fluids concerned are urine , menstruation blood , blood , fluid matter from wounds and sores , rinsing fluid and saliva . an object of the present invention is to provide in an absorbent article such as a sanitary napkin , tampon , panty protector , incontinence guard , diaper , bed protector , wound or sore dressing , saliva absorbent and like articles , an absorbent structure which exhibits highly effective absorption properties , especially with regard to its fluid - wicking rate and its ability to retain fluid throughout the material . the material will also preferably have low rewetting and be capable of being made very thin and smooth . it is also desired to simplify the manufacturing process . a finished absorbent material in roll form which can be used without needing to be defibered would partially reduce the need for the earlier mentioned defibering equipment , pneumatic conveying systems and mat - forming equipment , and consequently there is a demand for such material . the aforesaid objects and desiderata have been achieved in accordance with the invention by using a manufacturing method in which particulate material comprising 30 - 100 %, preferably at least 50 % and most preferably at least 70 % flash - dried cellulose fibres is dry - formed to a web with a weight per unit area of between 100 - 2000 g / m2 and compressed to a density of between 0 . 3 - 1 . 0 g / cm3 and that the web without subsequent defibration and fluffing is incorporated as an absorbent structure in an absorbent article . in accordance with the invention , there is used a dry - formed product which is manufactured from particulate material as mechanical pulp or chemi - thermomechanical pulp ( ctmp ) or a corresponding product manufactured from sulphite pulp or sulphate pulp , so - called chemical cellulose pulp . cellulose fibres which have been stiffened chemically may also be used . in the dry - formed product can also be included other particulate matter as superabsorbents , thermoplastic binding fibres and other kind of fibres . non - treated dry - formed roll pulp has extremely good absorption , wicking and swelling properties , and it has been found possible to use the material immediately as an absorption material in hygiene articles without defibrating the pulp . in the case of certain absorbent articles , it has been found suitable to soften the material slightly prior to its use . one method of softening the material is described below . dry - formed roll pulp has a good integrity which means that in the case of use of superabsorbent materials in dry - formed roll pulp the granules will be well bound to the absorbent structure and will not spread during further conversion into absorbent hygiene products . dry - formed cellulose pulp can be produced , for instance , by forming a web of flash - dried paper pulp fibres in accordance with the method described in international patent application wo 90 / 05808 . cellulose pulp fibres have a so - called curl value which defines the crookedness of the fibre . curl value can be measured according to the method described by b . d . jordan , n . g . nguyen in papper och tra 4 / 1986 , page 313 . an embodiment of the present invention has a curl - value of between 0 . 20 and 0 . 40 . the material can be given a softness which renders the material highly suitable for use as an absorption material in the majority of hygiene articles , by working dry - formed roll pulp between for instance corrugated rolls . the material can be brought to different degrees of softness for different product applications , by working the material between different types of rolls and at different roll spacings . dry - formed roll pulp which has been softened in this way exhibits very good product properties , and the earlier mentioned good absorption properties are not influenced by the softening process to any great extent . the material is delaminated in the softening process as illustrated in fig1 and 13 . the unsoftened material has normally an even high density throughout the whole the thickness of the material ( 61 ). as a result of the softening process the material is delaminated so as to form a plurality of partially separated ( 63 ), thin fibre layers ( 62 ). softening and delamination of the material reduces its total density to some extent , although the original density is essentially retained in each individual layer . because a very high density is retained in the individual layers , the good fluid wicking properties of the material are retained despite the increase in bulk obtained in conjunction with the softening process . the total bulk is increased by up to 300 %, normally 1 - 100 %, as a result of the softening process , depending on the method used and the extent to which the material is softened . it will be understood that the aforesaid material softening method has been given solely by way of example and that corresponding results can be achieved with the aid of other methods . for instance , the material could eventually be softened by means of ultrasonic energy , microwaves , by moisturizing the material , or with the aid of chemical additives . the test equipment described below was used to evaluate absorption properties . a rectangular test body was punched from the material and a line was drawn transversely across the test body at a point 11 cm from one short end of the body . a fluid container was placed adjacent laboratory scales and both the scales and the container were adjusted to a horizontal position . a plexiglass plate was placed on the scales at a 30 ° slope , with one free edge of the plate extending slightly down into the container . a line had been drawn transversely across the plate at a point 11 cm from the lower edge of said plate . test fluid ( 0 . 9 % nacl - solution ) was poured into the container , until 20 mm of the plexiglass plate was located beneath the surface of the fluid . the test body was secured on the plexiglass plate so that the line drawn on the test body coincided with the line drawn on the plate while , at the same time , folding away the lower part of the test body so as to prevent it from coming into contact with the test liquid . a clock was started at the same time as the test body was laid onto the plate , with the test body extended down into the solution to the same extent as the plate . the increase in weight of the test body with time was recorded . a test product was secured in a fixture . test fluid ( 0 . 9 % nacl - solution ) was delivered to the wetting point of the product over a period of 60 minutes at the rate at which the fluid was absorbed . the amount of fluid absorbed was measured continuously and the total amount of fluid absorbed by the product constitutes the utilized absorption capacity of the test product . the test product was then placed in a fluid bath , in which it had the maximum opportunity of absorbing test fluid . the test product was then again weighed and the total absorption capacity calculated . the degree of utilization is given by the quotient between the utilized absorption capacity of the test product and the total absorption capacity . four batches of sample fluid ( 0 . 9 % nacl - solution ), each comprising 28 ml , were delivered at 20 - minute intervals . the time measurement was continued until all fluid had been absorbed . the extent to which the fluid had dispersed in the diaper was noted after each batch . subsequent to delivering the last batch of fluid , filter paper was placed over the wetting point and loaded with a weight of 1 . 1 kg for 15 seconds . the filter paper was weighed both before and after applying the load and rewetting was recorded . a diaper intended for a given weight range was weighed and then placed on a flat support surface . an adapted quantity of test fluid ( 0 . 9 % nacl - solution , 100 ml for a diaper intended for a weight range of 7 - 15 kg ) was delivered to the wetting point of the diaper . a further 100 ml of fluid was delivered after 20 minutes . when all fluid had been absorbed , a filter paper was placed over the wetting point and loaded with a weight of 1 . 1 kg for 15 seconds . the filter paper was weighed both before and after applying the load and the result was recorded as a first rewetting instance . after a further 20 minutes , another 100 ml of fluid was delivered and when all fluid had been absorbed , the procedure was repeated with a fresh filter paper and the result recorded as a second rewetting instance . a test body , 65 × 200 mm , was punched from the material . 5 ml test fluid ( 0 . 9 % nacl - solution ) were delivered to the wetting point on the test body . dispersion of the fluid was measured after about 30 minutes . a further 5 ml of test fluid ( 0 . 9 % nacl - solution ) were then delivered to the wetting point and fluid dispersion was measured after about a further 30 minutes . subsequent to the last delivery , eight filter papers were placed over the wetting point and loaded with a weight of 4 . 875 kg for 15 seconds . the filter papers were weighed both before and after applying the load and rewetting was recorded . with the intention of investigating how the material was affected at different softening roll spacings when softening the material , a material was tested under different softening conditions . for instance , in the case of a dry - formed ctmp - material having a weight per unit area of 900 g / m 2 and a density of 0 . 63 g / cm 3 , a suitable roll spacing is 1 . 7 - 2 . 4 mm during the softening process . the material is not influenced to any great extent at roll spacings which lie within this range . fig1 illustrates the absorption properties at different roll spacings . the results were determined in accordance with method 1 . d material according to the invention , roll spacing 2 . 0 mm , softened twice . e material according to the invention , roll spacing 2 . 0 mm , softened four times . the absorption properties of an inventive ctmp - material having a weight per unit area of 900 g / m 2 and a density of 0 . 63 g / cm 3 compared with those of corresponding pulp cores produced from conventionally defibred and web - formed ctmp and corresponding chemical pulp are shown in fig2 . in the absence of superabsorbent material , the absorption capacity is about 9 g of fluid for each gram of absorbent material . the results were determined in accordance with method 1 . with the intention of studying other properties of complete absorbent articles , test products were prepared in the form of conventional children &# 39 ; s diapers which comprised a t - shaped absorbent body ( t - core ), which lies nearest the wearer , and a rectangular absorbent body ( r - core ) which lies beneath the t - core , where the rectangular absorbent body in the test products was produced from an inventive ctmp - material . in the conventional products , the t - shaped absorbent body ( t - core ) and the rectangular absorbent body ( r - core ) were comprised of conventional defibred ctmp and chemical pulp . products which comprised an inventive ctmp - material exhibited an absorption in grams which was equivalent to the reference products which had corresponding pulp cores that were comprised of conventionally defibred and mat - formed ctmp and chemical pulp . the results are set forth in fig3 . the results were determined in accordance with method 2 . products in which the r - core comprised an inventive ctmp - material exhibited a shorter fluid aquisition time than the reference product . this implies that an r - core which contains inventive ctmp - material is able to drain the t - core more effectively . the results can be seen from fig4 . the results were determined in accordance with method 3 . a comparison between the degree of utilization of the absorbent body in an absorbent article which contained an inventive ctmp - material and a corresponding absorbent article which contained conventional ctmp and chemical pulp showed that the degree of utilization is about the same , although slightly on the plus side for an inventive ctmp - material . the results can be seen from fig5 . the results were determined in accordance with method 2 . the presence of superabsorbent material in an absorbent body will influence the absorption properties of the body . superabsorbent material can be incorporated in the absorbent body in different ways . for instance it may be admixed with the body material , laid in layers in the body , or disposed therein in some other way . this admixture of superabsorbent material can be effected in conjunction with manufacturing the dry - formed material , although it may also be effected during some other part of the manufacturing process . the absorption properties were compared with an inventive ctmp - material to which no superabsorbent material had been added and also with corresponding pulp cores comprised of conventional defibred ctmp and chemical pulp . the results of this comparison are shown in fig6 . the results were determined in accordance with method 1 . a chemical sulphate pulp containing 30 % superabsorbent and having a density of 0 . 125 g / cm 3 . products which comprised an inventive ctmp - material in the r - core exhibited better rewetting values than the reference product . this also implies that an r - core which contains inventive ctmp - material is able to drain the t - core more effectively . the results can be seen from fig7 . the results were determined in accordance with method 4 . in the case of blood absorption , products which comprised an inventive softened ctmp - material showed better rewetting values than non - softened products . the results also showed that when absorbing blood , products which lacked superabsorbent material exhibited lower rewetting values than material which contained superabsorbent material . material which lacks superabsorbent material also disperses blood much more effectively . the results can be seen from fig8 and 9 . the reference products comprised two different products frequently found on the market . the results were determined in accordance with method 5 . the prerequisites for this effect are that at least one layer of the pulp mat is free from superabsorbent material . of course , this does not exclude the presence of such material in other parts of the absorbent article . dry - formed roll pulp will normally have sufficient mat strength for the product applications intended here . if the network strength of certain product applications should be found insufficient , the network strength can be increased by reinforcing the structure in some suitable manner , by adding reinforcing fibres , binding fibres or binding agent to the cellulose fibre mixture . the network strength can also be increased by incorporating a reinforcing layer of , for instance , plastic , non - woven , net or threads in the absorbent structure , or by fastening a reinforcing layer or an outer sheet on one or both sides of the material . the softened pulp mat is still very thin , and consequently it is unnecessary in many cases to further compress the mat prior to its use in an absorbent article . a suitable density is 0 . 3 - 1 . 0 g / cm 3 , preferably 0 . 4 - 0 . 9 g / cm 3 and most preferably 0 . 5 - 0 . 85 g / cm 3 . a suitable weight per unit area is between 100 - 2000 g / m 2 , preferably 150 - 1500 g / m 2 and most preferably 200 - 1000 g / cm 2 . when calculating the density , the thickness of the material was measured with the aid of a mitutoyo thickness meter . fig1 illustrates a diaper constructed in accordance with one embodiment of the invention . the diaper includes , in a conventional manner , an absorbent body 11 which is enclosed between a fluid - permeable top sheet 12 , which conveniently comprises a soft non - woven material , a perforated plastic film or the like and which is intended to lie proximal to the wearer in use , and a fluid - impermeable bottom sheet 13 . the sheets 12 and 13 have parts which extend beyond the absorbent body 11 and the sheets are joined together at these protruding parts . the bottom sheet 13 is comprised of a suitable plastic material , for instance polyethylene . it will be understood , however , that other known materials can be used for the top and bottom sheets , within the scope of the invention . the absorbent body is comprised of two or more layers , an upper fluid aquisition layer 14 and one or two lower wicking layers and storage layers 15 and 16 . the inventive material is used either as a wicking layer 15 or a storage layer 16 or as both these layers . those layers in which inventive material is not used may be comprised of other types materials , for instance conventional cellulose fibre material . the purpose of the aquisition layer 14 is to rapidly take - up a given quantity of fluid . this fluid shall solely be held loosely in the fibre structure and quickly drained therefrom . the aquisition layer 14 has a relatively open fibre structure of relatively low density and contains 0 - 10 % superabsorbent material . the superabsorbent material used in the aquisition layer 14 will preferably have a high gel strength , so that an open three - dimensional fibre structure will be retained in this layer after becoming wet . the main purpose of the wicking layer 15 is to transport the fluid received in the aquisition layer 14 effectively to the storage layer 16 located beneath the wicking layer 15 and to ensure that the greatest possible part of the storage layer 16 is utilized for absorption purposes . the wicking layer 15 therefore has a relatively low superabsorbent content . a suitable superabsorbent content in the case of the wicking layer 15 is 0 - 20 %, while a suitable density range is 0 . 3 - 1 . 0 g / cm3 . a suitable weight per unit area range in the case of the wicking layer 15 is 50 - 1500 g / m2 . the purpose of the storage layer 16 is to absorb and retain the fluid which is dispersed to the storage layer 16 through the wicking layer 15 . the storage layer 16 may therefore have a relatively high superabsorbent content and a relatively high density . suitable density values are 0 . 4 - 1 . 0 g / cm3 , while a suitable superabsorbent content is 30 - 70 %. a suitable weight per unit area range in the case of the storage layer 16 is 100 - 1500 g / m2 . the wicking layer 15 and the storage layer 16 may optionally be combined to form a single layer . in this case , the single layer will have a relatively high superabsorbent content and a relatively high density . suitable density values are 0 . 3 - 1 . 0 g / cm3 , while a suitable superabsorbent content is 20 - 70 %. a suitable weight per unit area range in the case of a combined wicking and storage layer is 150 - 2000 g / m2 . when the wicking layer 15 and the storage layer 16 are combined in a single layer , the superabsorbent content of the layer can be varied throughout the product , so as to obtain a superabsorbent gradient in the depth , length and / or the breadth direction of the product . the various layers may have different forms and sizes . normally , the absorbent structure is combined with some form of elastication , inter alia in the crotch region of the product , in order to improve product efficiency . fig1 illustrates an exemplifying embodiment of an inventive saliva absorbent . the saliva absorbent includes , in a conventional manner , an absorbent body 51 which is enclosed between a fluid - permeable top sheet 52 , which is suitably comprised of a perforated plastic film or like material and which is intended to lie proximal to the wearer when used , and a fluid - impermeable bottom sheet 53 . the bottom sheet 53 is comprised of a suitable plastic material , for instance polyethylene . it will be understood , however , that the top sheet 52 and the bottom sheet 53 may be comprised of other known materials within the scope of the invention . the absorbent body 51 is comprised solely of one single layer . this layer may be comprised of inventive dry - formed material and has a relatively high density and a superabsorbent content of 20 - 80 %. a suitable density range in respect of the absorbent body 51 is 0 . 4 - 0 . 8 g / cm3 . it will be understood that the invention is not restricted to the illustrated and described exemplifying embodiments thereof and that other embodiments are conceivable within the scope of the following claims . | 3 |
referring to fig1 and 2 , disclosed herein is a method 100 and system 10 for three - dimensional reconstruction of surfaces that takes advantage of the symmetry resulting from alternating the positions of a receiver 12 e . g ., a camera , and the like , herein after denoted as camera and a source 14 , e . g . light source , lamp and the like hereinafter denoted as light source 14 . this set up allows for the use of the helmholtz reciprocity principle to recover the shape of and object 30 including smooth surfaces with arbitrary bi - directional reflectance distribution functions without requiring the presence of texture , as well as for exploiting mutual occlusions between images . for a single image pair , the key idea is to approximate the intersection of a given epipolar plane and the surface with a piecewise linear curve . this formulation provides the local context needed to estimate the components of the surface normals that are contained in the epipolar plane so that for a given point on the surface , the intensity response in the first image can be predicted from the intensity response in the second image . a cost function based on the overall prediction error is established , and the optimal approximating polygon is found using dynamic programming . in addition , mechanisms for dealing with specularities , image saturation regions of high curvature , shadow and occlusions are described . similar to many traditional dense reconstruction algorithms , the methodology utilizes dynamic programming to find an optimal matching along epipolar lines . however , it does not require any unrealistic assumption about the brdf of the scene , such as that it satisfies a lambertian or phong model . the matching is driven by the predictions of intensity values from one image to the other , which are then validated against direct image measurements . advantageously , over the prior art , the methodology disclosed herein successfully employs as few as one reciprocal light / camera pair . moreover , the methodology recovers surface depth and orientation simultaneously by determining a global minimum of an error function via dynamic programming . advantageously , since the error is a function not just of depth but of surface orientation as well , the image reconstruction is subject to tighter geometric constraints than existing techniques , and as a result , fitting to local noise is avoided because it would induce a costly global deformation in the reconstruction . in an exemplary embodiment , given a current estimate of surface geometry and intensity measurements in one image , helmholtz reciprocity is used to predict the pixel intensity values of the second image of a reciprocal image pair . a dynamic program finds the reconstruction that minimizes the total difference between the predicted and measured intensity values . this approach allows for the reconstruction of surfaces displaying specularities and regions of high curvature , which is a challenge commonly encountered in the optical inspection of industrial parts . it will be appreciated that helmholtz reciprocity has been introduced into computer vision in the context of dense image reconstruction . although dense reconstruction followed by an icp algorithm can be implemented to facilitate registration , it may readily be observed that given one image of a helmholtz stereo pair and the surface in the correct pose , the second helmholtz image can be generated exactly . thus , in an exemplary embodiment reconstruction followed by icp may be avoided and replaced by an estimated pose and comparison of a predicted image with the actual image and optimizing the estimated pose based on the comparison . continuing with the drawings , fig2 depicts a simplified block diagram implementing a methodology 100 for reconstructing images in accordance with an exemplary embodiment . the methodology 100 initiates as depicted at process block 110 with acquiring a helmholtz reciprocal image pair . the image pair may be instantly captured images , or stored images captured at some other time . in one exemplary embodiment , a camera 12 and light source 14 are positioned at known locations denoted optical centers relative to the object 30 and a first image is captured and stored . the camera 12 and light source 14 are then swapped and a second image is captured . in an exemplary embodiment a computer 20 and appropriate interfaces are utilized to facilitate the image capture , storage , and processing . continuing with fig1 and the methodology 100 , at process block 120 , the geometry associated with the image capture is determined and an epipolar geometry is established . the geometry is based on the physical location of the camera 12 and light source 14 relative to the object 30 . in an exemplary embodiment the geometry is established by calibrating the position and orientation of the camera 12 and light source 14 relative to the object 30 . in addition an epipolar geometry based on the optical centers is computed . turning now to process block 130 , a plurality of points on the epipolar line in the first image are selected and a corresponding candidate points in the corresponding reciprocal image are identified . corresponding epipolar lines in the corresponding reciprocal images are selected . on the epipolar lines , adjacent points in the first image are employed to establish matching points on the corresponding epipolar line in the second reciprocal image . finally , at process block 140 the points are matched along the corresponding epipolar lines . to perform the matching , the depths ( distance from point p to an optical center c 1 , c 2 ) and normals for given candidate matches are determined . the helmholtz reciprocity principle is applied to facilitate prediction of intensity for matched points . the predicted intensity for a given point is compared with the measured intensity for the same point on the second reciprocal image and minimized via an iterative dynamic programming process to minimize the error in the prediction . to facilitate description of the disclosed embodiment , a summary of the mathematical background is provided . referring now to fig3 as well , the brdf of a point p on a surface is defined , for a light ray at an incoming direction v 1 , the ratio between the outgoing radiance at a direction v 2 and the radiance of the incoming light ray , and it is denoted by ρ ( p , v 1 , v 2 ). helmholtz reciprocity implies that ρ ( p , v 1 , v 2 )= ρ ( p , v 2 , v 1 ). consider now a camera 12 and a point light source 14 arbitrarily positioned . let v 1 be the unit vector pointing from p to the optical center c 1 of the camera 12 , and v 2 the unit vector pointing from p to the location c 2 of the light source 14 . the radiance i 1 , 2 received by the camera 12 from p will be given by equation ( 1 ): i 1 , 2 ( p ) = ηρ ( p , v 1 , v 2 ) n · v 2 1 c 2 - p 2 , ( 1 ) where n is the surface normal at p and η is a scale factor . similarly , if the positions of the camera 12 and the light source 14 are swapped , the new radiance i 2 , 1 received by the camera 12 will be i 2 , 1 ( p ) = ηρ ( p , v 1 , v 2 ) n · v 1 1 c 1 - p 2 . ( 2 ) substituting equation ( 1 ) into equation ( 2 ), given n and the measured intensity i 1 , 2 , an estimate of the intensity of the corresponding pixel value in the other image may readily be computed as it will be appreciated that equation ( 3 ), based on helmholtz reciprocity is independent of the brdf of the surface . therefore , from equation ( 3 ) it can be seen that by acquiring a pair of images in which the positions of the camera 12 and the light source 14 are swapped ( a reciprocal pair ), the knowledge of the surface orientation and depth for a given point allows for any pixel intensity in one image to be predicted from the other image regardless of the brdf of the surface . matching algorithms may be employed using dynamic programming to reconstruct the intersection of an epipolar plane and a continuous surface , producing a global matching of points in an epipolar line in one image against a corresponding epipolar line in another image . the basic idea is to create a grid where each column is associated with an image point on the epipolar line of the first image and each row is associated with an image point of the epipolar line in the second image . each node in the graph represents a point in space that is defined by the intersection of the rays of the two image points . the rows and columns are ordered based on position along the epipolar lines so that a monotonically increasing path through the grid constitutes a valid reconstruction . this approach is known as satisfying an ordering constraint . under the assumption of a lambertian reflectance model , ( e . g ., a constant brdf ), the cost associated with a step from a node a to a node b is the cost at node a plus a normalized correlation error between an intensity window centered at the points associated with node b . referring now to fig4 as well , helmholtz reciprocity can be used to define a cost function c ( a , b ), where a and b are nodes from consecutive columns in the dynamic programming grid , that does not depend on the brdf . the nodes a and b define two points in space p a and p b . points on the line segment between these two points are given by p ( x )= xp a +( 1 − x ) p b ; 0 ≦ _x ≦ 1 ( 4 ) assuming smoothness of the surface to be reconstructed , this line segment can be used to approximate the surface so that c ( a , b ) = ∫ x = 0 x = 1 c ( x ) ⅆ x p a - p b ( 5 ) c ( x )=( i 2 , 1 ( p ( x ))− î 2 , 1 ( p ( x ))) 2 , ( 6 ) is the cost associated with the point p ( x ), î 2 , 1 is defined in equation 3 and i 2 , 1 is directly measured in the image . observe also that î 2 , 1 depends on the surface normal n , which is not available a priori . let n = n 0 + n e , where n e is the projection of the normal vector n on the epipolar plane , and n 0 is the projection of n on the direction orthogonal to the epipolar plane . the unit vectors v 1 and v 2 defined in the previous section are given by v 1 = c 1 - p ( x ) c 1 - p ( x ) and v 2 = c 2 - p ( x ) c 2 - p ( x ) . ( 7 ) since v 1 and v 2 are both in the epipolar plane , and n e can be approximated , up to an unknown scale α , as n ^ e ≈ α ( p a - p b ) × ( v 1 × v 2 ) ( p a - p b ) × ( v 1 × v 2 ) . ( 9 ) although it would be preferable to use a higher order approximation , this would violate the conditions needed for the applicability of dynamic programming as a tool for optimizing the function in ( 5 ). substituting ( 9 ) in ( 8 ) and then in ( 3 ), one obtains everything on the right hand side of equation ( 10 ) is either measured from capturing the second image , or derived from the camera geometry and the surface approximation defined by the points p a and p b . one important observation is that in the traditional approach to dense matching through dynamic programming the only effect previous matches have over future ones is by the enforcement of the ordering principle . this constraint limits the range of available matches . in the methodology disclosed herein in an exemplary embodiment , besides the constraint established from the ordering principle , the prior match will reflect on the value of the normal n e , since it depends on both p b and p a . it will be appreciated that this results in a stronger coupling of the matches and enforces geometric consistency , which places tighter constraints on the reconstruction . as a result , the technique presented herein should be less sensitive to local noise than existing methodologies . fig5 a and 5b provide a diagrammatic depiction of the impact of the ordering constraint coupled with the helmholtz stereopsis in accordance with an exemplary embodiment . fig5 a and 5b illustrate the fundamental difference between traditional correlation based matching versus the approach disclosed herein . two cameras 12 with optical centers in c 1 and c 2 observe the surface shown as a solid black line . the acceptable region corresponds to the area for which the position of the midpoint on the surface does not violate the ordering constraint . if a perturbation is forced on this midpoint the rest of the reconstruction for the traditional approach is unchanged , as shown by the dashed line in fig5 a . advantageously , with the methodology introduced herein this is not the case because the change in depth is coupled to the estimation of the surface normal , according to equation ( 10 ). this produces a global change in the rest of the reconstruction , as depicted in fig5 b , and a significant increase in the global cost function defined by equation ( 6 ). consequently , the methodology introduced can be more resistant to perturbations induced by local noise . continuing with fig4 and 5b , in an exemplary embodiment , each column and row of a dynamic programming matrix represents a ray shot from the first and second camera 12 , respectively . the column and row spacing define the distance between consecutive rays as they pierce their corresponding image planes . the reconstruction is then generated from the intersection of the row and column rays . the surface normals are calculated from line segments connecting points on consecutive column rays . in most dense matching applications that use dynamic programming , the row and column spacing are equally sampled . it will be appreciated that when the reconstruction is only concerned with depth equal sampling may be adequate . however , for an exemplary embodiment to ensure accurate approximation for surface normals , the column spacing should be set approximately 20 times greater than the row spacing . however , it will also be appreciated that the column and row spacing requirements have a direct impact on the execution time of the algorithm . the complexity of the dynamic program is o ( n c n 2 r ) where n c is the number of columns and n r is the number of rows . since n r ≈ 20n c , a direct implementation of this methodology would require approximately 400 times the processing of a standard dense matching algorithm . therefore , to address this issue , in another exemplary embodiment , a scale space approach has been adopted . multiple iterations of dynamic program are performed . initially , the row and column spacing are set to relatively large values resulting in a coarse reconstruction . subsequent iterations use tighter row and column spacing , however the number of possible matches in the next reconstruction is limited to a neighborhood of the match obtained in the prior reconstruction such that n r is effectively 10 percent of its full value . for each iteration , this reduces the run time by a factor of 100 . the process is continued until the desired resolution is achieved . turning to fig6 , a significant feature of the helmholtz stereopsis and geometry is that any point , which is simultaneously visible and illuminated in one image , must also be visible and illuminated in the other image . the interchange of the camera 12 and light source 14 locations produces a mutual occlusion effect : an occluding contour in one image will correspond to a zone of shadow in the other image . with standard stereopsis , shadows and occlusions are independent . however , with helmholtz stereopsis , shadows on one epipolar line in one image directly map as an occlusion on the corresponding epipolar line of the corresponding image and vice versa . therefore , the matching of points along epipolar lines may be carried out as a dynamic programming problem along matching segments of the epipolar lines lying between an occluding contour and the beginning of a shadow , and the end points of the segments will already be in correspondence . more particularly , points that are classified as not visible , for not meeting an intensity threshold , are deleted from the dynamic programming matrix . image points are then grouped into contiguous regions of visibility . if the image points in either image for a given pair of nodes a and b belong to different regions , the cost function c ( a , b ) is set to zero . in this way the continuity constraints are not enforced over regions where they do not apply . advantageously , application of this principle leverages the effects of shadows and occlusions to further simplify the processing issues associated with the reconstruction and further enhance the robustness of the image reconstruction . turning now to yet another feature of the disclosed exemplary embodiments , it will be appreciated that employing helmholtz stereopsis , the difficulties previously associated with specularities , saturation and blooming may readily be mitigated . in particular , specularities have confounded traditional dense matching algorithms based on static illumination because the position of the specularity shifts depending on camera position . it should be appreciated , that this is not the case with helmholtz reconstruction , because specularities are fixed in the surface to be reconstructed , as shown in fig7 , in fact , facilitating the matching of points along the epipolar lines . however , due to limitations in camera dynamic range , it is likely that specularities will also produce image saturation ( a limitation in the capability of a the camera ), corrupting the intensity profile along the saturated region , and the cost function c ( x ) defined in equation ( 6 ) will be invalid . in this situation , a reasonable cost criteria may be re - defined based on the observation that , since both images show saturation , the sum s ( x ) i 1 ( x ) 2 + i 2 ( x ) 2 is as large as possible . making the approximation : s ( x )≈ β [( { circumflex over ( n )} e · v 2 ) 2 +( { circumflex over ( n )} e · v 1 ) 2 ] ( 11 ) where β is a constant if one assumes that the point p ( x ) is approximately equidistant from the two cameras , it can be shown that s ( x ) is maximal when n e bisects v 1 and v 2 . this result is in agreement with the fact that specular reflections should occur only when the angles that the incident and reflected light make with the local surface normal are approximately the same . thus , if the two projections of p ( x ) are saturated , the cost function c ( x ) previously defined in equation ( 6 ) is set to c ( x )=( { circumflex over ( n )} e · v 1 −{ circumflex over ( n )} e · v 2 ) 2 . ( 12 ) many industrial applications require measurements of surfaces with extremely high curvature . an example of this is the need to determine the position of a point on the leading edge of a fan blade where the radius of curvature is on the order of 0 . 01 inches . a helmholtz stereopsis leading edge measurement system has been implemented and deployed on the factory floor . comparison against standard coordinate measurement machines result in an rms reconstruction error on the order of 0 . 0012 inches . consider also the possibility of performing a dense reconstruction on high curvature regions . since the surface normals along an epipolar plane change rapidly , the column and row spacing in the dynamic programming grid should preferably be maintained much smaller than a pixel . a natural extension to this work is to use a parametric model of the surface to be reconstructed . in this case , the normal vectors could be directly extracted from the current estimate of the surface , and a global nonlinear optimization algorithm would be applied to the surface shape parameters to minimize the error in the prediction of the intensity values according to equation ( 10 ). observe that that would significantly reduce the number of parameters to be optimized , but , since the estimation of the surface shape would have to be carried out by a nonlinear optimization technique , it would be necessary that a good initial estimate of the surface shape were available . advantageously , the initial estimate could be provided by the non - parametric method previously described . disclosed herein in yet another exemplary embodiment , is a methodology for image / model registration . referring now to fig8 , the methodology 200 may be summarized as three primary processes : prediction of the model appearance as depicted at process block 202 ; comparison of the predicted appearance against observed images as depicted at process block 204 ; and refinement of the model pose to optimize the match between the predicted and observed images as depicted at process block 206 . referring once again to fig1 , 2 , 3 , and 8 , given a three - dimensional ( 3d ) point cloud model of an object 30 , the helmholtz configuration is used to generate a predicted image . initially , a light source 14 is positioned at c 2 , and a camera 12 at c 1 captures an image of the object 30 . the positions of the camera 12 and light source 14 are then switched , and a second image is acquired to establish the previously mentioned helmholtz reciprocal image pair as depicted at optional process block 201 . next , the pose of the object model is estimated as depicted at process block 202 . for a given model point p , the distances from the point to the camera centers c 1 and c 2 are computed . additionally , the surface normal n at point p is determined . advantageously , it should be appreciated that it is also possible , and computationally more efficient , to pre - compute the surface normals n at each point p . the viewing directions v 1 and v 2 associated to the camera centers c 1 and c 2 are computed . a ray is then projected from c 1 to p . the intensity of the pixel through which the ray passes is recorded as i 1 , 2 . finally , utilizing equation ( 3 ), i 2 , 1 is computed . this is the predicted intensity of the same data point as seen by the camera at c 2 . this procedure is repeated for each data point in the model , generating a prediction of the image as seen from c 2 . it is beneficial to observe that this prediction is in agreement with a complete modeling of the surface &# 39 ; s brdf , without requiring the brdf to be explicitly measured . continuing now with fig8 , at process block 204 , the comparison of the predicted appearance against observed images may be based on one or more metrics . in an exemplary embodiment , several image comparison metrics as they relate to the helmholtz generative paradigm are considered . it will readily be appreciated that the choice of an appropriate metric for image comparison may exert significant influence over registration convergence and accuracy . the most direct way to measure image dissimilarity is by the root mean square of pixel differences , rms , given by : ɛ r ms = 1 n ∑ x ∑ y i 2 ( x , y ) - i ^ 2 ( x , y ) ) 2 , ( 13 ) where n is the number of pixels . fig9 shows the value of this metric for four different objects at different poses , each of which has unique geometrical and textural properties . position zero indicates perfect registration . let t =[ 0 0 0 ] t in centimeters and θ =[ 0 0 0 ] t in degrees be vectors representing the correct pose of the objects . the plots in fig9 show results of equation ( 13 ) when the pose of the object is perturbed in arbitrary translational and rotational directions , denoted by sδt with ∥ δt ∥= 8 cm and sδθ with ∥ δθ ∥= 14 °, respectively , for different values of the parameter s , which measures how big the perturbed pose deviates from the optimal one . this corresponds to a one - dimensional slice of the full six - dimensional se ( 3 ) manifold in which the pose parameters lie , and , therefore , cannot offer a full picture of the optimization landscape . however , it should be noted that on this slice at least the correct pose corresponds to the minimum of equation ( 13 ). it is clear that any gradient - based optimization algorithm would have difficulties in converging to the true solution in the case of the fish data set . the fish data set is from a highly textured surface , with a background with the same material and colors as the foreground . this problem calls for a different type of similarity measure , such as the median of the square of the pixel differences , which should produce a metric ms more robust to image outliers ms = median (( i 2 ( x , y )− î 2 ( x , y )) 2 | x , y ) ( 14 ) fig1 shows values of ms for the same four objects as in fig9 . note that the cost curve for the blade has a minimum , which is displaced from the optimal alignment position . on the other hand , the rms cost curve of the same object is quite smooth , and has a minimum very close to the position of optimal alignment . the model is perturbed from the optimal positioning the same way as used to produce the results in fig9 . it will be appreciated that , the shape of ms for this object may be because the blade is also almost textureless . these results suggest that registration should be performed using rms when dealing with objects characterized by smooth , textureless surfaces , and ms is preferred for when highly textured surfaces are concerned . yet another metric may be employed that would depend on the spatial distribution of image intensities is the mutual information mi , expressed as fig1 shows the mutual information between a predicted and actual image using both the helmholtz generative approach and the lambertian approximation scheme . in all cases , the methodology disclosed herein provides more information than a lambertian model . additionally , the lambertian scheme fails to identify the correct model pose for some instances e . g ., the fish and the doll &# 39 ; s head , whereas the helmholtz method succeeds in doing so for all four objects . it will readily be appreciated that the choice of an appropriate metric for image comparison may exert significant influence over registration convergence and accuracy . the methods and results provided herein should be understood to be exemplary only to illustrate the effect of a selected metric . while the results provided suggest that registration should be performed using rms when dealing with objects characterized by smooth , textureless surfaces , and ms is preferred for when highly textured surfaces are concerned , other metrics are possible . in fact , numerous methodologies may be employed for optimization of the estimate of the pose including , but not limited to , a gradient descent , monte carlo , an exhaustive search , and the like , as well as combinations including at least one of the foregoing . once a prediction of the model appearance is compared against an actual image , the difference between the two may be employed to drive an optimization algorithm to refine the pose of the model as depicted at process block 206 of fig8 . this can be carried out by optimizing any of the cost functions such as those illustrated in equations ( 13 ) or ( 15 ), where î 2 ( x , y ), for all pixel coordinates ( x , y ), is a function of the same parameters r and t , corresponding to a rotation matrix and a translation vector with respect to the initial pose of the model . the dependency of î 2 ( x , y ) on the orientation r and location t of the model is made explicit in equation ( 3 ), since p = p ( r , t ), n = n ( r ), and ( x , y ) are the coordinates of the projection of the point p , i . e ., ( x , y )= x = x ( p ). therefore , the pose ({ circumflex over ( r )},{ circumflex over ( t )}) of the model can be obtained as in the examples shown in this work the optimization method adopted to solve ( 16 ) or ( 17 ) was conjugate gradient , with derivatives computed via finite differences , although many other options are possible . to begin the optimization process it is necessary to have an initial estimation of the pose that is close enough to the true position so that the optimization algorithm will converge . for the registration of industrial parts it is usually the case that a good initial guess is readily available . for tracking applications , it is customary to postpone the initialization problem , and at every iteration , the current estimation of the pose provides an initial guess for the next iteration that should be close to the ground truth . because the helmholtz reciprocity principle yields an exact generative model , there should be zero difference between the predicted and observed images given perfect alignment . generally , there will be a discrepancy between the predicted image and the actual image as seen by the camera 12 at c 2 . this is a result of model misalignment ; which can be quantified using rms ( the root of mean squared differences ), lms ( the median of squared differences ), or mi ( mutual information ). with a properly chosen metric , conjugate gradient is used to update the model &# 39 ; s transformation matrix . after the model is re - positioned in the scene , another predicted image is generated , and the cost of the current orientation is again computed . this series of steps is repeated until convergence is reached . in order to validate the technique introduced here , a series of experiments was performed . a helmholtz stereo pair was established by placing point light sources 14 as close as possible to the optical center of two identical cameras 12 , but avoiding the lights from being occluded by the cameras themselves . three images were acquired for four objects , one with the lights off , to measure ambient light ; and two images for transposed lights 14 and cameras 12 . the background image was then subtracted from each image in the helmholtz pair to eliminate ambient light contributions . a 3d model for each object was obtained by sweeping the object with a laser stripe and performing stereo reconstruction . the 3d points of the model were then perturbed from they original position by a translation of 2 . 0 cm in each of the x , y and z directions , and by a rotation of 10 ° ( degrees ) around each of the x , y and z axes . it should be noted that this corresponds to a total translation of 6 . 9 cm and a rotation of 17 . 3 °. since the cameras 12 used in the 3d model reconstruction were the same used for the registration , without any change in position or parameters , optimal alignment is obtained with zero translation and rotation . the matrix r was represented through an exponential map , e . g ., r = exp ([ w ] x ), where [ w ] x is the anti - symmetric matrix built from the entries of w such that [ w ] x x = w × x for all values of x . the direction of w is the axis around which the rotation is performed and the magnitude of w is the rotation angle . the algorithm described herein in accordance with an exemplary embodiment was employed , and good alignment ( final translation of 2 mm and final rotation of 1 °) using the median of the difference of pixel intensity as a metric was achieved for all data sets except for the fish , which had to be initialized with translations of 1 . 0 cm in the x y and z directions , as well as rotation of 3 ° around the x , y and z axes . this corresponds to a total translation of 1 . 7 cm and a rotation of 5 . 20 . as a quick experiment to verify the robustness of the registration to the initial pose of the model , the initial translations and rotations applied to the models were multiplied by − 1 , and the registration algorithm was rerun . again , convergence within 2 mm and 1 ° was obtained . fig1 shows initial and final pose for each object . the difficulty in convergence for the fish model can be attributed to the cluttered background , which has the same texture as the fish itself , and to small size of this model . the disclosed exemplary embodiments introduce a technique for registration of 3d models to 2d images based on helmholtz reciprocity . by exploiting this principle the methodology facilitates prediction of the appearance of the back projected model in agreement with its brdf without that having to explicitly know the brdf . this is a great advantage over techniques , which assume a lambertian model , valid only for certain types of surfaces . in particular , such algorithms are not capable of handling shinny of specular surfaces . after the appearance of the model has been predicted , a suitable image metric is used to quantify the discrepancy between predicted and observed images . since the predicted image should be in agreement with the brdf of the object , this discrepancy can be attributed to misalignment of the object 30 , and it can therefore drive a search for optimal registration parameters . the effectiveness of this algorithm was demonstrated in a number of registration experiments with different objects , as well as by comparison with mutual information . the disclosed invention can be embodied in the form of computer or controller 20 implemented processes and apparatuses for practicing those processes . the present invention can also be embodied in the form of computer program code containing instructions embodied in tangible media 16 , such as floppy diskettes , cd - roms , hard drives , or any other computer - readable storage medium , wherein , when the computer program code is loaded into and executed by a computer or controller 20 , the computer 20 becomes an apparatus for practicing the invention . the present invention can also be embodied in the form of computer program code embodied as a data signal 18 , for example , whether stored in a storage medium 16 , loaded into and / or executed by a computer or controller , or transmitted over some transmission medium , such as over electrical wiring or cabling , through fiber optics , or via electromagnetic radiation , wherein , when the computer program code is loaded into and executed by a computer , the computer becomes an apparatus for practicing the invention . when implemented on a general - purpose microprocessor , the computer program code segments configure the microprocessor to create specific logic circuits . it will be appreciated that the use of first and second or other similar nomenclature for denoting similar items is not intended to specify or imply any particular order unless otherwise stated . while the invention has been described with reference to an exemplary embodiment , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the invention . in addition , many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from the essential scope thereof . therefore , it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed as the best mode contemplated for carrying out this invention , but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims . | 6 |
we have discovered novel heavy metal - loaded , optically transparent polymers that are formed by reaction between an organometallic compound , preferably a metallic carboxylate , and a liquid and thermosetting resin , in which the organometallic compound is soluble , or fully dispersible . preferably the metal carboxylate has the formula : m ( rcoo ) a , wherein m is metal preferably having an atomic number of at least about 40 and preferably of at least 45 . mixtures of metals can be used . preferably , m is selected from the group consisting of antimony , barium , bismuth , cadmium , tin , thallium , cerium , lead , molybdenum , tungsten , vanadium , mercury , gadolinium , and zirconium . more preferably , m is lead , cadmium , barium , tin and gadolinium . still more preferably , m is lead . in the formula , &# 34 ; a &# 34 ; is an integer equal to the valence of the metal used . it is preferably between 2 and 4 . more preferably , the metal is one which exists in the compounds at a valence of 1 or 2 , but can also exist at a higher valence state . r is a saturated or unsaturated hydrocarbon residue , which can be unsubstituted or substituted , for example with a hydroxyl group , bromine or iodine . the hydrocarbon can have from about 3 to 20 carbon atoms , preferably , 5 - 18 carbon atoms . as the carbon number decreases below or increases above the range set forth , the optical transparency and / or mechanical properties of the resulting composition are less than optimum and can hinder the complete attainment of the objects of the present invention . typical examples of useful metal carboxylates include the hexanoate , heptanoate , octanoate ( 2 - ethylhexanoate ), nonanoate , decanoate , laureate , myristate , palmitate , stearate , arachidate , 2 - hexenoate , 9 - decenoate , linderate , laureate , myristolate , palmitoleate , petroselinate , oleate , elaidate , linoleate , linolenate , sorbate , geranate , salicylate , versalate , ricinoleate , ricinelaidate , naphthenate , octylbenzoate and the like . useful dicarboxylic acids include glutaric , adipic , pimelic , phthallic , azelaic , sebacic , suberic , and higher acids , such as dodecanedioic acid . mixtures of such mono and di - carboxlic groups can be used . as aforesaid , a preferred metal carboxylate is a lead carboxylate . examples of such lead carboxylates are lead hexanoate , lead heptanoate , lead octoate ( octanoate ), lead nonanoate , lead decanoate , lead laureate , lead myristate , lead palmitate , lead stearate , lead arachidate , lead 2 - hexenoate , lead 9 - decenoate , lead linderate , lead lauroleate , lead myristoleate , lead palmitoleate , lead petroselinate , lead oleate , lead elaidate , lead linoleate , lead linolenate , lead sorbate , lead geranate , lead salicylate , lead versalate , lead ricinoleate , lead ricinelaidate , lead naphthenate , lead octylbenzoate and the like . preferred lead carboxylates include lead octoate , lead napthenate , lead linolenate , lead oleate , lead decanoate , lead myristate , lead stearate , lead myristoleate , lead dexanoate , lead ricinoleate , lead salicylate and lead versalate . aliphatic carboxylates are typically preferred over cyclic structures , whether cycloaliphatic carboxylates or aromatic carboxylates . a lead octoate ( lead 2 - ethylhexanoate ) is presently preferred with epoxy resins because of clarity , viscosity , cost and compatibility . it is also preferred that the metal have multiple possible valence states , and furthermore , the compound selected have the metal in its lower valence state . for example , plumbous octoate , stannous heptonate , thallous hexanoate , are compounds in which the metal is in a lower valence state , i . e ., 2 or 1 , and where the metal also can exist in a higher valence state , i . e ., 4 or 3 . there is evidence that these additional available valence states play a role in the dispersibility of the carboxylate and the ultimate clarity of the metal - loaded cured polymer . the preferred metal carboxylates have the highest possible percent of metal , but also must be readily dispersible in , and not interfere with the curing reaction of , the liquid , thermosetting resin . there appears to be some tension between these two features . to achieve the highest percent of metal , the carboxylate group should be as small as possible , e . g ., an acetate or a formate . however , it has also been found that the lower molecular weight carboxylate groups are not as readily dispersed in , or interfere with the curing of , the thermosetting polymer . it is for this reason that the preferred carboxylates have at least three ( 3 ), and more preferably , at least five ( 5 ), carbon atoms . the final optically transparent polymer product preferably has a metal loading of from about 15 to about 40 weight percent of metal in the cured final product . the proportion of metal in the metal carboxylate is typically in the range of from about 25 to about 60 weight percent . for example one preferred metal carboxylate , lead octoate , contains about 42 % lead by weight . the metal carboxylates are well known compounds , the preparations for which are well known to the art ; the compounds are readily available from many sources . preferably , sufficient metal carboxylate is dissolved in the liquid and thermosetting resin to obtain a proportion of metal of at least about 15 weight percent of the total cured polymer , and preferably at least about 20 weight percent . generally , final metal loading in the cured polymer of more than about 40 , and more usually about 35 , weight percent interferes with the preparation of the optically transparent polymer . preferably , a metal loading of about 28 to 35 weight percent polymer is desired in the final curing . when the metal content exceeds 30 % by weight , the ability of the resulting polymer to set begins to decrease , eventually resulting in a non - setting viscous liquid at elevated temperatures . it is desired that a weight content of metal is provided so that the resultant cured polymer , at a thickness of 1 inch , has a metal equivalency of at least about 1 mm of solid metal , more preferably at least about 1 . 25 mm , and still more preferably , at least about 1 . 5 mm of solid metal . the liquid , thermosetting resins into which the metal carboxylate is dispersed are transparent upon curing ; to achieve this , the metal carboxylate should have an initial dispersability in the resin at the temperature of mixing . the resin and metal carboxylate may need to be heated to above room temperature so that the carboxylate will fully disperse and a fine suspension , preferably a sub - micron suspension , is obtained . the amount of heating depends upon the particular materials being mixed , and the exact reaction temperature can readily be determined empirically based upon the present disclosure . preferably , the metal carboxylate does not adversely affect the reactivity of the resin monomers to prevent polymerization and / or crosslinking of the monomers . when the underlying polymer is to be cured by preferably mixing two or more components , e . g ., the epoxy resin and amino , the metal carboxylate is first dispersed into the resin components , e . g ., the epoxy resin . to avoid entrapment of air while mixing , this can preferably be done under vacuum . this invention preferably includes the use of thermosetting resins which can be formulated with the metal carboxylate and which are clear setting . such resins can be in the form of catalyzed molding compounds , reaction injectable resins , and thermoplastic resins . suitable thermosetting resins can be selected from polyepoxides , polyesters , polyurethanes , polyisocyanurates , polyethersulfones , polyimides , and mixtures thereof . resins which are reaction injectable may be selected from polyepoxies , ethylenically unsaturated polyesters , vinylesters , polyester urethanes , vinylisocyanurates , polyurethanes , and blends thereof . other polymerizable resins include acrylics , styrenes , and tetrafluoroethylene resins . silicone rubbers such as polydimethyl siloxane may also be useful . the resin is preferably an epoxy such as a bisphenol a / epichlorohydrin resin , cycloaliphatic epoxy , novalic based epoxy , epoxy varnishes made with esters of epoxy resins , epoxy - aminoplastic resins , allylic resins , polyester , polyurethanes and silicones . more preferably the monomer is selected from the group of epoxy systems , allylic resins , and polyesters . even more preferably it is an epoxy system , such as the epichlorohydrin - bisphenol a epoxies . as indicated above , epoxy systems are most preferable . there are numerous commercially available epoxy systems available . in choosing a system one looks at a variety of criteria including that ( a ) upon cure the resultant crosslinked polyepoxy is transparent , ( b ) it has a long pot life , ( c ) it has clarity , ( d ) it has low color , ( e ) it has good strength , ( f ) it is scratch resistance and ( g ) it has low viscosity . epoxy systems are well known in the art and are available commercially . for example a summary on epoxy systems is available in kirk - othmer , encyclopedia of chemical technology , vol . 9 , pgs 267 - 290 ( 1980 ) the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference . epoxy systems are available from a wide range of manufacturers including shell chemical company , epoxy technology corporation , emerson & amp ; cumming inc ., ren plastics , marblett corp ., dexter corp ., r . h . carlson , inc ., tra - con inc ., isochemresin co ., general mills , inc ., ferro chemical company , ciba - geigy co ., etc . the first component of the epoxy system is an epoxy resin . non - limiting examples of the epoxy resin , which are known in the art , include , for example , epichlorohydrin / bisphenol a type , epichlorohydrin / bisphenol f type , glycidyl ether of tetrabromobisphenol a type , novolak type epoxy resins , hydrogenated biphenol a type , glycidyl p - oxybenzoate ether ester type , glycidyl ether of bisphenol a - propylene oxide adduct type , urethane modified epoxy resins , alicyclic epoxy resins , m - aminophenol type , diaminodiphenylmethane type , glycidyl ether of polyhydric alcohol ( e . g ., n , n - diglycidylaniline , n , n - diglycidyl - o - toluidine , triglycidylisocyanurate , polyalkyleneglycol diglycidyl ether and glycerin ), hydantoin type , epoxidized unsaturated polymers such as petroleum resin , etc . the second component includes a curing agent . non - limiting examples of the curing agent include aliphatic and aromatic amines ( e . g ., 2 , 4 , 6 - tris ( dimethylaminomethyl ) phenol , triethylenetetramine tetramethylenepentamine , diethylaminopropylamine , n - aminoethylpiperazine , diethylaminetriamine , ethylene oxide - amine , methylene dianiline , m - xylylenediamine , m - phenylenediamine ), amidoamines , polyamides , tert - amine salts , imidazoles , dicyanoamides , complex compounds of boron trifluoride , anhydrides ( e . g ., phthalic anhydride , methyl tetrahydrophthalic anhydride , dodecenylsuccinic anhydride , hexahydrophthalic anhydride , chlorendic anhydride , tetrahydrophthalic anhydride , and trimellitic anhydride ) alcohols ( diols , phenols , etc . ), carboxylic acids and mercaptans . generally , the addition of the metal carboxylates of this invention should not greatly change the proportion of amine curing agent needed at least to cure the expoy resin . typically , the curing agent is added in an amount of from about 25 to 100 parts be weight per 100 parts of the resin , more preferably , about 30 parts by weight of the curing agent are used relative to 100 parts of the epoxy resin . epichlorohydrin bisphenol a - derived systems are typically cured with anhydrides , aliphatic amines or polyamides , depending upon the desired end product . aliphatic amines are preferable . cresol novolac epoxy resins are multi functional solid polymers characterized by low ionic and hydrolyzable chlorine impurities . phenol novolac epoxy resins have a multi epoxy functionality that produces a more tightly cross - linked cured system having improved elevated temperature performance and chemical resistance than does the bisphenol a based resins . curing agents for this compound include aromatic amines , catalytic curing agents , phenolics and some anhydrides . for example , representative polyepoxides are reaction products of diglycidyl ethers of bisphenol a or cresol novolacs with various diols , polyols , halogenated polyols , and the like , in the presence of a catalyst such as a boron trifluoride amine complex . representative , commercially available components include : &# 34 ; kardura &# 34 ; e available from shell chemical company which is a glycidyl ester produced by reacting epichlorohydrin and a mixture of saturated , highly branched mainly tertiary monocarboxylic acids having c 9 , c 10 and c 11 chain lengths (&# 34 ; versatic &# 34 ; acid ): &# 34 ; genepoxy m205 which is a modified diglycidly ether of bisphenol a , available from general mills , inc . ; &# 34 ; epon &# 34 ; 812 , which is a diglycidyl ether of glycerol , available from shell chemical company ; &# 34 ; epon &# 34 ; 826 which is a substantially pure diglycidyl ether of bisphenol a , also available from shell chemical company ; and &# 34 ; epon &# 34 ; 828 which is a slightly resinified form of &# 34 ; epon &# 34 ; 826 , available from shell chemical company . &# 34 ; epicure &# 34 ; 3274 is an aliphatic amine also available from shell chemical company . &# 34 ; eb 020 a &# 34 ; is an epichlorohydrin bisphenol epoxy which represents a blend of several epoxies of different molecular weights and structures available from ferro chemical company . &# 34 ; eb 020 b &# 34 ; is a polyoxypropylene amine also available from ferro which is a second part of the system . emerson & amp ; cumming inc . make a number of epichlorohydrin bisphenol systems including &# 34 ; stycast a &# 34 ; ( the epoxy ) and &# 34 ; stycast 1268 &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; stycast 12669 a &# 34 ;. a resin derived from epichlorohydrin and cresol novolac precursors &# 34 ; ecn - 9860 &# 34 ; is available from ciba - geigy co . other components that are commercially available include &# 34 ; dc - 84 - 66 &# 34 ; from ren plastics , &# 34 ; maraglas 658 &# 34 ;, &# 34 ; maraglass 659 &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; maraglass 655 &# 34 ; all available from marblett corp ., &# 34 ; tc - 6175 ,&# 34 ; &# 34 ; tc - 9 - 6176 &# 34 ; available from the hysol division of dexter corp ., &# 34 ; cure - 290 &# 34 ; from r . h . carlson inc ., &# 34 ; tra - cast 3012 &# 34 ; from tra - con , inc ., and &# 34 ; isochem trasflex gel &# 34 ; available from isochem resin company . these can be used and blended according to manufacturer directions . in general , a first , epoxy - containing resin component is mixed with a second , curing - agent - containing compound to form a hardened , cross - linked material . the metal carboxylate can be added to the first component , and then the epoxy / carboxylate composition is cured . typically the metal carboxylate is in the form of a paste , and any impurities in it can be removed by appropriate filtration prior to its use . polyesters are primarily polyesterification products of unsaturated dicarboxylic acids and polyhydric alcohols having 2 - 26 carbon atoms and at least two hydroxyl groups ; examples of generally available polyols are ethylene glycol , diethylene glycol , propylene glycol , dipropylene glycol , glycerol , pentaerythitol , sorbitol , mannitol , sorbitan , erythitol , bisphenol a and most preferably , alkoxylated derivatives of 2 , 2 - di ( 4 - hydroxyphenyl ) propane having a range of 2 - 20 moles of ethylene oxide or propylene oxide per mole . the dicarboxylic acid can be an unsaturated dicarboxylic acid such as fumaric and maleic , an aromatic acid , such as phthalic , terephthalic , isophthalic or an aliphatic dicarboxylic acid , such as succinic , adipic , suberic , azelaic , sebacic , diethyl succinate ; and halogenated derivatives of these acids , such as tetrachloro - o - phthalic acid . polyester resins having a softening point in the range of 75 °- 120 ° c . are preferable . polyisocyanuric resins are usually monomer solutions of isocyanurate based on toluene diisocyanate and hydroxypropyl methacrylate , which are soluble in at least one of the following free radical - polymerizable , ethylenically unsaturated monomers , such as divinyl benzene , styrene , methylacrylate , methyl methacrylate , tetramethylene glycol diacrylate , trimethylol propane triacrylate , pentaerythritol triacrylate , neopentaglycol diacrylate , 1 , 3 - butylene glycol diacrylate , 2 , 3 - dibromo propylacrylate , 2 , 3 - dibromo propylmethacrylate , cyclohexyl acrylate , cyclohexyl methacrylate , acrylic acid , methacrylic acid , hydroxyethyl acrylate , hydroxyethyl methacrylate , hydroxypropyl acrylate , hydroxypropyl methacrylate , chlorostyrene , acrylonitrile , vanillylidene chloride , vinyl acetate , vinyl stearate , vinyl toluene , hexane diol diacrylate , hexane diol dimethacrylate and mixtures thereof . reaction injectable molding processable polymers can be used as resins . for example , unsaturated polyesters , flame retardant unsaturated polyesters and polyurethanes are useful matrix material . vinylisocyanurate offers high temperature properties , corrosion resistance and dimensional stability . vinylmaleate urethanes , flame retardant and corrosion resistant polyester resins ( atlac ® resins ) can also be used . in addition , the derakane ® vinylesters by dow chemicals can be employed . rim processable epoxies , and nylons are also included . polyimide prepolymers which are reaction products of active methylene compound with bismaleimides or diamines with maleic anhydride are useful per se or in combination with polysulfones or polyethersulfones . suitable aromatic polyethersulfone resins include linear polymers containing three kinds of unit bonds , consisting of an arylene bond , an ether bond and a sulfone bond . such polyethersulfone resins are available under the trademark victrex ®, from imperial chemical industries . typically , one prefers a lower weight polymer to maintain a low viscosity . the polymerization mixture can contain other additives useful for processing of this invention as desired for achieving useful properties in the resultant product . for example , viscosity diluents and depressants , ultraviolet ray adsorbents , dyes , and polyfunctional monomers , unless the purpose of the present invention is hindered by the additives . also , the polymerization mixture may be polymerized in the presence of a filler of , for example , glass fibers , uniformly distributed in the mixture or a metallic net embedded in the mixture , in order to produce a plastic material reinforced with the filler or the metallic net , which remain optically transparent . the polymerizable , or curable , resin and metal carboxylate are blended under conditions to mnimize entrapment of gas within the liquid blend , for example , under a vacuum , such as in a stirred pressure vessel reactor . typically , the metal carboxylate and resin are mixed at about 20 ° to 70 ° c ., more preferably about 30 ° to 40 ° c . the metal carboxylates generally have a paste - like consistency . as mentioned , impurities can be removed by forcing the paste through a filter , preferably having a pore size in the range of about 1 micron to about 20 microns . in addition , to reduce viscosity , the paste is preferably heated from about 30 ° c . to about 50 ° c . when one is using a multi - component epoxy system , the resin component of the epoxy system is first mixed with the metal carboxylate , for example , the bisphenol a component with the metal carboxylate . as mentioned above , this is done under vacuum to avoid entrapping air during mixing ; air bubbles in the final product reduce optical transparency . thereafter , the second component is added , and the appropriate curing agent , for example , with an epichlorohydrin - bisphenol a epoxide , an aliphatic amine . the curing of the resin typically produces a highly exothermic reaction . thus , it is preferable to maintain as low a temperature as practical before the curing agent is added , while at the same time taking care to avoid solidifying the viscous mixture . the curing reaction typically takes from 2 to 24 hours , more preferably 5 to 12 hours . thereafter , before the resultant metal - containing polymer is allowed to set , it is molded into the appropriate shape . for example one can do injection molding or any applicable forming method now known or later developed . the components can be used in forming an optically transparent plate that can be used to shield a medical or dental worker from radiation while at the same time allowing them to see a patient undergoing radiation treatment . it can also be molded into shapes that can be used to protect the worker or the patient from exposure to radiation at specific portions of the body . for example , it can be cast into shapes that can be put into medical aprons which can be used as shields . in such a use the clarity of the resultant polymer is obviously not as important . the present invention is further illustrated by the following examples . these examples are provided to aid in the understanding of the invention and are not to be construed as limitations thereof . lead octoate , which contains 42 weight percent lead , is highly viscous and has the consistency of a paste . the paste was heated to 35 ° to 44 ° c . to reduce viscosity , and mixed under vacuum in a stirred pressure vessel with an epoxy resin ( eb 020 a from ferro chemical co .) in a proportion by weight of 40 . 0 % lead octoate to 19 . 8 % epoxy resin . this mixing continued for a period of from 10 to about 60 minutes , and was then cooled to a temperature of not higher than about 35 ° c . before 7 . 4 weight percent ( of the epoxy resin ) of eb 020 b was added to the resin / lead octoate blend ; the resulting mixture was stirred for from 3 to 5 minutes . when the stirred mixture reached a temperature of 60 ° c . during the polymerization reaction , the material was pressed into a mold . to prevent polymerization from proceeding too quickly , the system was cooled , as by circulating a glycol through pipes around the mold chamber ; the glycol entered the pipes at 0 ° c . ; care must be taken to avoid excessive cooling , which could solidify the mixture too quickly . thereafter , the resultant viscous mixture was cast in a closed mold to form a rectangular hexahedral shaped block 4 feet by 4 feet by 15 / 8 ins . the block was rigid with acceptable hardness and clarity . the block had a light straw color . subjecting the block to standard x - ray attenuation tests gave data results that showed this block had radiation shield effectiveness equal to 1 . 5 mm of pure lead metal , i . e ., a lead equivalency of 1 . 5 nun . it is evident that those skilled in the art given the benefit of the foregoing disclosure may make numerous modifications thereof , and departures from the specific embodiments described herein without departing from the inventive concepts , and the present invention is to be limited solely to the scope and spirit of the appended claims . | 2 |
electronic devices may include displays . displays may be used to display visual information such as text and images to users . illustrative electronic devices that may be provided with displays are shown in fig1 , 2 , and 3 . fig1 shows how electronic device 10 may have the shape of a laptop computer having upper housing 12 a and lower housing 12 b with components such as keyboard 16 and touchpad 18 . fig2 shows how electronic device 10 may be a handheld device such as a cellular telephone , music player , gaming device , navigation unit , or other compact device . fig3 shows how electronic device 10 may be a tablet computer . these are merely illustrative examples . electronic devices such as illustrative electronic device 10 of fig1 , 2 , and 3 may be laptop computers , computer monitors with embedded computers , tablet computers , cellular telephones , media players , other handheld and portable electronic devices , smaller devices such as wrist - watch devices , pendant devices , headphone and earpiece devices , other wearable and miniature devices , or other electronic equipment . device 10 may have a housing such as housing 12 . housing 12 , which is sometimes referred to as a case , may be formed of materials such as plastic , glass , ceramics , carbon - fiber composites and other composites , metal , other materials , or a combination of these materials . device 10 may be formed using a unibody construction in which most or all of housing 12 is formed from a single structural element ( e . g ., a piece of machined metal or a piece of molded plastic ) or may be formed from multiple housing structures ( e . g ., outer housing structures that have been mounted to internal frame elements or other internal housing structures ). device 10 may have one or more displays such as display 14 . display 14 may be an organic light - emitting diode ( oled ) display or other suitable display . display layer 14 may include display pixels formed from light - emitting diodes ( leds ), organic leds ( oleds ), plasma cells , electronic ink elements , liquid crystal display ( lcd ) components , or other suitable display pixel structures compatible with flexible displays . display 14 may , if desired , include capacitive touch sensor electrodes for a capacitive touch sensor array or other touch sensor structures ( i . e ., display 14 may be a touch screen ). touch sensor electrodes may be provided on a touch panel layer that is interposed between an organic light - emitting diode display layer and a transparent cover layer ( e . g ., a cover glass layer ), may be formed on the underside of a cover layer , or may otherwise be incorporated into display 14 . the display ( sometimes referred to as the display layer , the oled display , the flexible display or flexible oled display ) may have a planar rectangular active region in its center . the rectangular active region includes an array of light - emitting diode pixels . display 14 may include an inactive portion at the edges of display 14 . the inactive portion of the display is shown as inactive border region 20 in fig1 , 2 , and 3 . to enhance device aesthetics , the width of inactive border region 20 that is visible from the front of the display may be minimized by mounting a display cover layer ( e . g ., a cover glass layer ) to the device using an adhesive that is interposed between the display cover layer and a flexible display such as an organic light - emitting diode ( oled ) display . a cross - sectional side view of an illustrative electronic device having a cover layer mounted to the device using lamination ( e . g ., an adhesive bond ) to the device display is shown in fig4 . as shown in fig4 , device 10 may include a rigid internal component such as component 32 and a display such as flexible display 14 . flexible display 14 may be attached to component 32 to form a mounting platform such as mounting platform 31 . device 10 may include a transparent cover layer such as display cover layer 30 ( sometimes referred to herein as a cover layer , a transparent cover layer , a display cover layer , a display cover glass , or a cover glass ). cover layer 30 may be mounted to mounting platform 31 using an adhesive such as adhesive 34 that is interposed between cover layer 30 and flexible display 14 . transparent cover layer 30 may be formed from glass , plastic , or other suitable transparent material . display 14 may have opposing top and bottom sides . cover layer 30 may have a bottom side such as bottom side 33 and an edge such as outermost edge 35 . as shown in fig4 , bottom side 33 of cover layer 30 may be mounted to the top side of display 14 . housing 12 may include housing structures such as housing sidewalls 13 . cover layer 30 may be mounted to mounting platform 31 ( i . e ., component 32 and flexible display 14 ) so that outermost edge 35 is mounted abutting portion 37 of housing sidewall 13 . cover layer 30 may be mounted to flexible display 14 using adhesive 34 so that interface 39 between housing structure 13 and cover layer 30 may be free of adhesive . in configurations in which cover layer 30 is attached to mounting platform 31 using adhesive 34 , housing 12 and cover layer 30 may form an enclosure for device 10 . rigid component 32 may be mounted to the bottom side of display 14 . component 32 may be mounted to the bottom side of display 14 using an adhesive material such as adhesive 36 . component 32 may be an active or inactive component of device 10 . component 32 may be a rigid support structure or may be a device component such as battery , printed circuit board ( pcb ) or other active component or electrical component . component 32 may be mounted to device housing 12 . component 32 may , for example , be mounted to device housing structures such as housing 12 using screws or other fasteners , clips , protrusions and mating recesses , grooves , and other engagement features , glue , welds , or other suitable attachment mechanisms . displays such as flexible oled displays may have display layers that are bonded together in a way that provides more internal strength than conventional displays . cover layer 30 may therefore be mounted to device 10 without mounting cover layer 30 to housing 12 ( e . g ., using an interface between cover layer 30 and housing 12 that is free of adhesive and other connecting material ). in configurations in which cover layer 30 is mounted to flexible display 14 , active display pixels such as pixels 38 in display 14 may be formed along outermost edge 35 of cover layer 30 ( e . g ., adjacent to portion 37 of housing 12 ). active display pixels along outermost edge 35 of cover layer such as cover layer 30 that is mounted to flexible display 14 may be visible to a user of device 10 under cover layer 30 . in this way , inactive portion 20 ( see fig1 ) may be reduced in size or eliminated , thereby improving the aesthetic appearance of device 10 . as shown in fig4 , housing sidewall structure 13 may have an interior surface such as inner sidewall surface 41 . flexible display 14 may have a peripheral edge 43 . display cover layer 30 may have a peripheral edge corresponding to outermost edge 35 . as shown in fig4 , peripheral edge 43 of flexible display 14 and peripheral edge 35 of display cover layer 30 may be aligned and may contact inner sidewall surface 41 of housing structure 13 . fig5 shows an illustrative mounting platform 31 that includes a component 32 that is formed from a rigid support structure for mounting display 14 ( and consequently cover glass 30 ) to device 10 . as shown in fig5 , component 32 may be formed from a rigid support structure having one or more bends 42 . bends 42 in rigid support structure 32 may allow rigid support structure 32 to be mounted to housing 12 while allowing space for additional internal components 44 . additional internal components 44 may include batteries , pcb &# 39 ; s , integrated circuits , speakers , vibrators , or other components . in the example of fig5 , rigid support structure 32 is attached to housing 12 using one or more screws such as screws 40 . portions 46 of component 32 may be provided with openings such as holes that allow screws 40 to pass through portions 46 and into housing 12 . fig6 shows an illustrative component 32 that is formed from one or more active internal components of device 10 . as shown in fig6 , display 14 may be mounted to active components 32 using a bonding material such as adhesive 36 . active internal components 32 may be electrical components , mechanical components or other active components ( e . g ., batteries , printed circuit boards , integrated circuits , communications components , etc .). active internal components 32 may be mounted to other active internal components such as other internal components 44 . other internal components 44 may be mounted to additional internal components 44 or may be mounted to housing 12 . the example of fig6 is merely illustrative . if desired , active components 32 may be mounted directly to housing 12 . components 32 may be mounted to other components 44 using adhesive , mechanical attaching members , electrical bonding material ( e . g ., solder or conductive adhesive ) or other suitable mounting methods . as shown in fig6 , cover glass 30 may be mounted to display 14 using adhesive layer 34 . cover glass 30 may be mounted to device 10 using an adhesive bond to a display such as display 14 that is mounted to active internal components such as components 32 . fig7 shows an illustrative component 32 that is formed from a rigid support structure that is substantially straight . as shown in fig7 , rigid support structure 32 may include a recess such as recess 50 . recess 50 may provide space for the head of a fastener such as screw 40 . in the example of fig7 rigid support structure 32 is formed from a single structure . recess 32 may be formed on rigid support structure 32 using a metal etching procedure , a mechanical grinding procedure or other suitable procedure for producing recess 50 . this is merely illustrative . if desired , rigid support structure 32 may be formed from more than one structure . in the scenario in which rigid support structure 32 is formed from multiple structures , the structures may be welded to form a recess such as recess 50 as shown in fig8 . in the example of fig8 , rigid support structure 32 includes an additional structure 32 w that is welded to rigid support structure 32 at weld 52 . additional structure 32 w may be welded to rigid support structure 32 so that space 50 is provided for the head of a fastener such as screw 40 . in the examples of fig8 and 9 , screw 40 may be using to attach rigid support member 32 to other components of device 10 ( e . g ., housing 12 , active components 44 , or other components ). display 14 may be attached to rigid support member 32 using adhesive 36 . cover layer 30 may be attached to device 10 by attaching cover layer 30 to display 14 using adhesive 34 . fig9 shows an illustrative component 32 that is formed from a rigid support structure having an opening for mounting a portion of a flexible display . as shown in fig9 , rigid support structure 32 may include an opening such as slot 54 . flexible display 14 may be mounted to rigid support structure 32 so that a portion such as portion 56 of flexible display 14 is bent around a portion of rigid support structure 32 into slot 54 . to ensure that flexible display 14 is not damaged during the bending process , bending operations may be performed that limit bending to an acceptable bend radius r . the value of r may be , for example , about 3 to 5 times the thickness of the bent material ( e . g ., bend radius r may be about 0 . 2 to 0 . 5 mm ). portion 56 of flexible display 14 may be attached to the sidewalls of slot 54 using adhesive 34 or may be held in slot 54 using external pressure from housing structure 13 . as shown in fig9 , additional internal components ( e . g ., pcb &# 39 ; s , integrated circuitry , or other components ) may be mounted to rigid support structure 32 . active pixels 38 may extend into portion 56 of flexible display 14 so that active pixels are visible under substantially all of cover layer 30 . a minimal edge portion of display 14 may have inactive pixels that are visible under cover layer 30 . the minimal edge portion of display 14 that remains visible may be covered with a bezel or a portion of a display cover layer that is coated on its underside with an opaque masking layer such as black ink ( as examples ). fig1 is a cross - sectional side view of a portion of an electronic device having a flexible display that is attached to a rigid support member and is mounted adjacent to a housing structure . as shown in fig1 , flexible display 14 may be attached to rigid support structure 32 using adhesive 36 . flexible display 14 may have a portion 60 that is bent such that portion 60 is substantially perpendicular to the active display area of display 14 . flexible display 14 may have a tendency to return to a substantially flat shape . this tendency to return to a substantially flat shape may cause flexible display 14 to exert a restoring force on rigid support structure 32 . in order to provide extra resistance against the restoring force of flexible display 14 , portion 60 may be positioned such that a housing sidewall such as housing structure 13 is adjacent to portion 60 thereby holding portion 60 against rigid support structure 32 . fig1 is a cross - sectional side view of an electronic device having a rigid support member that is mounted to mounting tabs on a device housing structure . as shown in fig1 , rigid support structure 32 may have a portion 66 that is bent such that portion 66 is substantially perpendicular to cover layer 30 . portions 66 of rigid support structure 32 may be provided with openings such as holes 68 . housing structure 13 may be provided with mounting members such as mounting tabs 62 . mounting tabs 62 may be configured to pass through holes 68 in portions 66 of rigid support structure 32 . during assembly of device 10 , cover layer 30 may be attached to display 14 . during assembly of device 10 , display 14 may be attached to rigid support structure 32 . during assembly of device 10 , cover layer 30 , display 14 , and rigid support structure 32 , may be inserted into device 10 in direction 70 ( i . e ., from the front side of device 10 ). portions 66 of rigid support structure 32 may be configured to have some flexibility . during assembly of device 10 , while rigid support structure 32 is moved in direction 70 , portions 66 may bend as indicated by arrows 64 . during assembly , portions 66 may bend further as rigid support structure 32 is moved further in direction 70 until holes 68 align with mounting tabs 62 of housing structures 12 . during assembly , when holes 68 align with mounting tabs 62 , portions 66 may “ snap ” onto mounting tabs 62 ( i . e ., mounting tabs 62 may enter holes 68 as portions 66 return to a substantially perpendicular position with respect to cover layer 30 ). inserting rigid support structure 32 into device 10 until mounting tabs 62 ( at least partially ) pass through holes 68 may effectively lock rigid support structure 32 into device 10 . as shown in the examples of fig1 , 11 , and 12 , display 14 may be attached to rigid support member 32 using adhesive 36 . cover layer 30 may be attached to device 10 by attaching cover layer 30 to display 14 using adhesive 34 . the example of fig1 in which display 14 covers only the portion of rigid support structure 32 that is parallel to cover layer 30 is merely illustrative . as shown in fig1 , flexible display 14 may be bent so that flexible display 14 covers all or part of perpendicular portions 66 of rigid support structure 32 . as described above in connection with fig1 , flexible display 14 may have a tendency to return to a substantially flat shape . this tendency to return to a substantially flat shape may cause flexible display 14 to exert a restoring force on rigid support structure 32 . as shown in fig1 , in order to provide extra resistance against the restoring force of flexible display 14 , device 10 may be provided with one or more tensioning members such as tensioning member 72 . tensioning member 72 may be attached to portions 66 of rigid support structure 32 . tensioning member 72 may be formed from a thin wire , a plurality of wires or may be an extended structure that extends in a direction perpendicular to the cross - sectional side view of fig1 along all or part of rigid support structure 32 . tensioning member 72 may be formed of materials such as plastics , carbon - fiber composites and other composites , metal , other materials , or a combination of these materials . if desired , tensioning member 72 may be formed from an active internal component of device 10 . as shown in fig1 , tensioning member 72 may be a printed circuit board or other active internal component of device 10 . portions 66 of rigid support structure 32 may be attached to additional support members 72 e . additional support members 72 e may be attached to printed circuit board 72 so that printed circuit board 72 may provide extra resistance against the restoring force of flexible display 14 on rigid support structure 32 . in the example of fig1 , pcb 72 is attached to additional support members 72 e using screws 74 . this is merely illustrative . rigid support structure 32 may be welded to additional support members 72 e or may be attached to additional support members 72 e using adhesive or other bonding materials . fig1 is a cross - sectional side view of a portion of an illustrative device such as device 10 in which rigid support structure 32 is mounted in a notch in a housing structure . as shown in fig1 housing structure 13 of device 10 may be provided with an opening such as notch 80 . notch 80 may run along a lateral dimension of device 10 . a portion of mounting platform 31 ( including a portion of rigid support structure 32 and a portion of display 14 ) may be mounted in notch 80 . during assembly of device 10 , rigid support structure 32 may be attached to housing 12 using any suitable attachment method . during assembly , flexible display 14 may be deformed as indicated by dashed lines 82 so that display 14 may be mounted onto rigid support structure 32 using adhesive such as adhesive 36 . during assembly , following mounting display 14 to rigid support structure 32 , cover glass 30 may be mounted onto mounting platform 31 by attaching cover glass 30 to flexible display 14 using adhesive such as adhesive 34 . in configurations in which display 14 is mounted between cover glass 30 and a rigid support structure that is mounted in notch 80 in housing structure 13 , rigid support may be provided on two sides of display 14 . cover layer 30 may be mounted to device 10 using an adhesive bond with flexible display 14 so that interface 39 between outermost edge 35 of cover layer 30 and portion 37 of housing structure 13 may remain free of adhesive . if desired , electronic device 10 may be provided with housing structures having extended portions for restraining a cover layer as shown in fig1 . in the example of fig1 , housing structure 13 includes an extended portion 82 that is substantially perpendicular to housing sidewall 13 . cover layer 30 may include a cutaway portion such as notch 84 that is configured to abut portion 82 of housing structure 13 . notched cover layer 30 may be mounted to a flexible display such as display 14 . display 14 may be mounted to a rigid support structure such as support structure 32 . during assembly of electronic device 10 , the display package that includes cover layer 30 , display 14 and rigid support structure 32 may be inserted into device 10 in direction 86 . the display package including notched cover layer 30 may be inserted in direction 86 until notch 84 comes into contact with portion 82 of housing structure 13 . cover layer 30 may therefore be mounted to device 10 by attaching cover layer 30 to display 14 using adhesive 34 and an adhesive - free contact with extended portions 82 of housing 12 . fig1 is a cross - sectional side view of a portion of an illustrative device 10 having a housing structure with a slotted portion for mounting a portion of a flexible display . as shown in fig1 , housing 12 may include an internal separating structure such as slot wall portion 12 s that forms a slot 90 between portion 12 s and housing sidewall 13 . flexible display 14 may have a portion 60 that is bent such that portion 60 is substantially perpendicular to the active display area of display 14 . portion 60 may be mounted in slot 90 . portion 90 of flexible display 14 may be mounted in slot 90 between housing structure 13 and slot wall portion 12 s . if desired , rigid support structure 32 may be attached to slot wall 12 s . rigid support structure 32 may be formed from metal or other electrically conducting or heat conducting material . as shown in fig1 , rigid support structure 32 may be formed so that rigid support structure 32 substantially surrounds one or more electrical components such as components 44 . components 44 may be mounted to a printed circuit board such as pcb 92 . rigid support structure 32 may be configured to provide shielding for components 44 from electromagnetic interference ( emi ) or may shield other device components from emi resulting from components 44 . rigid support structure 32 may be formed from heat conducting material ( e . g ., copper , aluminum , other metal , or other heat conducting material ). rigid support structure 32 may be coupled to a heat sink such as heat sink 94 . rigid support structure 32 may be configured to conduct heat away from flexible display 14 to heat sink 94 . cover layer 30 may be mounted to a flexible display such as display 14 that is mounted to a rigid support structure that serves as an electromagnetic shield for electrical components or that is configured to conduct heat away from the display . fig1 is a perspective view of an illustrative assembly system for mounting a flexible display such as flexible display 14 to a support structure such as rigid support structure 32 . the assembly system may include an applicator such as applicator 100 . applicator 100 may have a shape that corresponds to the curved shape of rigid support structure 32 . applicator 100 may be moved in direction 102 in order to press flexible display 14 into contact with rigid support structure 32 . while moving in direction 102 , the shape ( e . g ., curved portions 110 ) of applicator 100 may press flexible display 14 into contact with curved portions 112 of rigid support structure 32 . during assembly , before placing flexible display 14 onto rigid support structure 32 , if desired , adhesive 36 may be placed onto rigid support structure 32 . adhesive 36 may bond flexible display 14 to rigid support structure 32 . if desired , the assembly system may include one or more fastener delivery members such as screw delivery members 104 . screw delivery members 104 may be configured to carry fasteners such as screws 106 for fastening flexible display 14 to rigid support structure 32 . applicator 100 may include one or more openings 114 into which screw delivery members 104 may carry screws 106 . during assembly , after pressing flexible display 14 into contact with curved portions 112 of rigid support structure 32 , screw delivery members 104 may be moved ( as indicated by arrows 108 ) to insert screws 106 through openings 114 in applicator 100 so that screws 106 pass through flexible display 14 and into rigid support structure 32 , thereby fastening display 14 to rigid support structure 32 . during assembly , alignment marks may be used to align flexible display 14 with rigid support structure 32 . because rigid support structure 32 may be precisely positioned with respect to housing 12 , aligning flexible display 14 to rigid support structure 32 may provide improved alignment of display 14 with edges of housing 12 . as shown in fig1 , rigid support structure 32 may have one or more alignment marks 120 . alignment marks 120 of rigid support structure 32 may be indentations or other visible marks on rigid support structure 32 . flexible display 14 may have one or more alignment marks 120 . alignment marks 120 of flexible display 14 may be indentations , visible marks or may simply be a virtual edge such as edge 122 at which the last active display pixel 38 is located . aligning flexible display 14 to rigid support structure 32 in this way may allow the last active display pixel 38 to be precisely aligned with an edge of housing 12 . alignment of flexible display 14 and rigid support structure 32 may be performed by aligning alignment marks 120 of rigid support structure 32 with alignment marks 120 of flexible display 14 before pressing flexible display 14 into contact with curved portions 112 of rigid support structure 32 ( see fig1 ). the foregoing is merely illustrative of the principles of this invention and various modifications can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention . | 6 |
illustrated in fig1 is a simplified analytical prober which includes a heavy stable base 10 which supports on side pedestals 11 a vertically movable u - shaped platen 12 . positioned on the surface of the base and below the open front of the u - shaped platen is a roll - out stage 14 having controls for fine adjustments in x , y and z directions . secured to the surface of the stage 14 is a vacuum chuck 16 and a microscope 18 is centered over the chuck . during normal operation in which temperatures are of no particular concern , a silicon wafer having a typical thickness of 250 to 600 microns and which may contain a hundred or more individual integrated circuits is secured directly to the surface of the vacuum chuck 16 and the stage 14 is adjusted to observe one of the integrated circuits in the microscope field of view . if only a few circuits are to be tested , or if the test involves contacting only two or three of the very fine conductors on the circuit then movable probe positioners , each with one probe tip , are secured by vacuum on the flat surface of the platen 12 and their probe tips are carefully adjusted to contact the desired circuit conductors . if , on the other hand , many identical devices are to be tested then a probe care 20 is inserted into an adapter secured in the open front portion of the u - shaped platen . the probe card is a typical &# 34 ; plug - in &# 34 ; circuit card with a central hole into which extend probe tips 22 corresponding in number to the number and also the location of device conductors to be contacted . thus , to perform a test on a circuit , the circuit is accurately positioned under the hole in the probe card and the stage 14 is raised by its z adjustment until contact is made with the probe tips . the probe tips 22 are coupled through the probe circuit card to appropriate associated test circuitry which performs the required test on the device . as previously mentioned , the vacuum chuck 16 may be heated for the electrical testing of devices on wafers directly coupled to the chuck , but the application of chilled fluids for cold testing results in atmospheric dew and even frost on the wafer to the detriment of the ic devices . furthermore , a considerable amount of time is required to heat an ic device on a wafer to a desired test temperature because of heat losses due to the mass of the chuck 14 , the heat conductivity between chuck and metal stage 14 , and also the need to heat the thin wafer material . in the system now to be described , the ic device directly receives the temperature controling medium at the desired extreme testing temperature and is nearly instantly brought up or down to that temperature . as illustrated in the simplified elevational view of fig1 a wafer 24 having thereon a device 26 to be tested is positioned on the surface of a heat insulating pad 29 which is positioned on the surface of the chuck 16 . temperature changes made to the device 26 and its wafer 24 cannot , therefore , be affected by the masses of the chuck 16 or stage 14 . the device 26 is aligned on the optical axis of the microscope 18 and is centered in the hole in the probe card 20 so that the various probes 22 on the card will contact the conductors on the device when the stage 14 is raised . positioned on the top surface of the probe card 20 is a toroidal nozzle 28 having a central hole coaxially aligned on the optical axis of the microscope 18 . the nozzle is formed with two annular vents that open into the central hole . a first vent 30 is directed downward through the nozzle central hole and is coupled through a perforated baffle ring 32 to an annular plenum 34 as best shown in the sectional view of fig3 . the plenum is coupled through a temperature controllable heater 36 to a source of liquid nitrogen or other extremely cold , dry , inert gas . the second annular vent 38 in the nozzle overlies the vent 30 ; it is physically shorter than the first nozzle 30 and is coupled to an annular chamber 40 which surrounds the top and exterior surface of the plenum 34 and which receives dry nitrogen after it has been heated to approximately room temperature or slightly higher . thus , the warm dry gas within the chamber 40 prevents exterior surface chilling of the nozzle and possible atmospheric dew from forming and the small amount of warm dry gas emitted through its vent 38 will drift upward to prevent possible fogging of the microscope 18 . the gas heater 36 receives nitrogen gas from an associated liquid nitrogen tank at its dew point of - 220 ° c . and heats a small portion to near room temperature for the chamber 40 and second vent 38 . the heater 36 must also heat a supply of gas to the temperature necessary for the testing of a device . this testing temperature is controlled by external controls which are not part of the invention and the selected temperature of the gas emitted through the first vent 30 is monitored by a sensor 42 located in that vent . a second temperature sensor 44 , placed in the surface of the thermal insulator pad 28 , is used during calibration so that an associated microprocessor can control the gas temperature and flow rate through the nozzle to ensure accurate temperatures of the device 26 under test . in use , the temperature regulated gas emitted from the plenum 34 and first vent 30 falls in the form of a tubular curtain to the surface of the wafer 24 and spreads over the probe tips , previously at room temperature and which could perform as heat sinks , and the ic devices on the wafer to rapidly change their temperatures to that of the gas . to prevent the intrusion of moisture laden atmospheric air , the base area of the prober instrument is substantially sealed with a surrounding baffle structure 46 or similar structure so that the dry gas introduced through the nozzle 28 and flowing down over the wafer will purge all moisture laden room air from the apparatus in the areas below the gas emitting nozzle 28 . thus , during cold testing , the system is self - correcting in that no frost can form on a wafer if it is warm due to the lack of the cold dry gas , nor will frost form when it is cold because only the dry gas can chill the wafer . | 6 |
referring to fig1 , a communications system 100 is depicted . communications system 100 includes the internet or any other type of communications network 110 . in the exemplary embodiment depicted , communications network 110 is a widely distributed communications system in which a plurality of server and client computers are coupled in communication with a plurality of other server and client computers widely distributed . for example , server computers may include server computers 120 and further may include a message - queue middleware server 130 . communications network 110 may also be coupled to a carrier network 135 which provides wireless services to mobile electronic devices . in an exemplary embodiment , server computers may further include such servers as wireless servers , content sources , web portal servers , third party content servers , and many other types of server computers having a variety of functions and resources . in the exemplary embodiment depicted in fig1 , carrier network 135 services a plurality of handheld computers or other wireless devices such as handheld computer 140 . handheld computer 140 may be any of a variety of mobile electronic devices including , but not limited to , handheld computers , personal digital assistants , palmhelds , palmtop computers , cellular telephones , wireless pagers , wireless messaging devices , laptop computers , and the like . handheld computer 140 is configured to communicate wirelessly with carrier network 135 and gain access to resources over communications network 110 through message - queue middleware server 130 . for example , a user utilizing a software application running on handheld computer 140 may wish to share data with or provide a request to server 120 , accessible over communications network 110 . handheld computer 140 is configured to place such data or request in a queue 146 on handheld computer 140 . because the communications link with carrier network 135 is a wireless link , the link may be unsatisfactorily noisy or may be unavailable because of lack of coverage , or too much traffic . accordingly , messages in queue 146 await transfer to server 120 ( via carrier network 135 and message - queue server 130 ) until the wireless connection becomes clear , or the wireless connection is re - established . similarly , responses from server 120 will be communicated over communications network 110 to message - queue server 130 . such responses will be placed in queue 132 , that is particularly associated with handheld computer 140 , to await transfer until such a time that the wireless link between carrier network 135 and handheld computer 140 becomes clear or is re - established . in an alternative exemplary embodiment , handheld computer 140 may connect directly with message - queue middleware server 130 as opposed to being connected through a separate carrier network . during an exemplary usage of a software application ( productivity application or any other type of software application ) running on handheld computer 140 , a user utilizing handheld computer 140 often wishes to provide information to , view documents from , or use applications or services communicated over communications network 110 from , sources such as servers 120 . accordingly , a user utilizing a software application running on handheld computer 140 would provide such a request by communicating an address , such as , but not limited to , a url , and a function , such as download information , request information , and the like . such a request would be placed in a communications queue 146 on handheld computer 140 . queue 146 is configured to contain a plurality of outgoing packets , messages , and the like . when a communications link with carrier network 135 and message - queue server 130 is established , messages in queue 135 , awaiting transmission , are in turn communicated over the wireless link to carrier network 135 and subsequently to message - queue server 130 . message - queue server 130 associates the received message with handheld computer 140 and submits the request to the appropriate server 120 over communications network 110 . message - queue server 130 retrieves the requested information and places the requested information ( in a single or multiple packets ) into a queue 132 , queue 132 being particularly associated with handheld computer 140 . when handheld computer 140 is in communication with carrier network 135 , message - queue server 130 begins emptying message - queue 132 to handheld computer 140 via carrier network 135 . similarly , handheld computer 140 will empty its queue 142 while communications with carrier network 140 are established . messages from queue 142 will be delivered to message - queue server 130 over carrier network 135 . such communications may be carried out in a plurality of steps 200 ( fig2 ). a request or message may be placed in queue 146 ( step 202 ) and an open wireless link to carrier network 135 is awaited . communications are then carried out after a wireless communications link is established ( step 210 ). the message - queue middleware server 130 retrieves the request from handheld computer 140 ( step 220 ) as queue 146 of handheld computer 140 is emptied . in an exemplary embodiment , the request may include not only an address and a function , but may also include data to be transmitted to a server 120 and optionally , quality of service information . quality of service information may include a time - to - live quality of service , a best effort quality of service , or others . there may be a cost associated with each type of quality of service . time - to - live quality of service implies providing a best effort to provide the communications over the wireless link . however , if the communications are not completed in a certain amount of time , the message to be communicated over the wireless link is deleted from the queue . further , a best - effort quality of service implies that communications of the message will be attempted until otherwise repealed or deleted from the queue for other reasons . once a request has been received by message - queue middleware server 130 , it is sent over communications network 110 to the appropriate server 120 associated with the address in the request ( step 230 ). the information requested is then retrieved from the appropriate server 120 over communications network 110 ( step 240 ). once the information has been retrieved , the information is put into the message - queue either in a multiplicity of packets , or in a single message packet ( step 250 ). the message - queue middleware server then holds the message or messages in a queue awaiting an open wireless link to the mobile device 140 for communicating the information thereto ( step 260 ). once an open wireless link to handheld computer 140 has been established or re - established , messages from the message - queue particularly associated with handheld computer 140 are communicated to handheld computer 140 over the wireless link ( step 270 ). this form of communications is often referred to as asynchronous communications in which the communications session is not held open , rather the communications session may be closed and re - established and picked up where left off . in another exemplary embodiment , a plurality of steps 300 , depicted in fig3 , may be used to retrieve data over a wireless communications link from a communications network 110 by a handheld computer 140 . for example , a wireless communications link with a message - queue middleware server is established ( step 310 ). once the link has been established , a request is provided to the message - queue middleware server over the wireless link . the request may be the next in line message from queue 146 of handheld computer 140 . the request includes at least an address and a function , but possibly includes other types of information such as , but not limited to data and quality of service information ( step 320 ). once the request has been provided to the message - queue middleware server , the message - queue middleware server transmits such a request to the appropriate server over communications network 110 . the server receiving the request then provides information back over communications network 110 to message - queue middleware server 130 . message - queue middleware server 130 packages the information in a format to be sent over the wireless link and places such packetized information into a queue associated with handheld computer 140 . handheld computer 140 may have a wireless communications link already open or may re - establish such a wireless communications link at any time ( step 330 ). once the communications link is established or has been re - established , a response is received over the wireless link , the response being a response to the original request . the response communicated over the wireless link is the next in line response in the queue particularly associated with handheld computer 140 ( step 340 ). for example , a user of handheld computer 140 may begin a remote banking application on handheld computer 140 . the user may wish to transfer money from a checking account to a savings account . in such a situation , the request to produce such a transfer would be placed in queue 146 of handheld computer 140 . when a wireless link to carrier network 135 is established , the request , if next in line in queue 146 , is communicated over the wireless link to message - queue middleware server 130 via carrier network 135 . message - queue middleware server 130 would then communicate such a request to a banking server such as a server 120 over communications network 110 . the banking server would then make the appropriate transfer of funds and then communicate that the transfer has been completed or request further information from handheld computer user 140 by sending the message back to message - queue middleware server 130 . if , in the meantime , the wireless link between handheld computer 140 and message - queue middleware server 130 has been broken either intentionally or unintentionally , the message received from banking server 120 would be put into queue 132 particularly associated with handheld computer 140 and held there until a communications link is re - established . once a communications link is re - established , message - queue middleware server 130 begins providing any messages in queue 132 , particularly associated with handheld computer 140 , over the wireless link to handheld computer 140 . message - queue 132 being emptied would include the confirmation or request for further information that was previously received from banking server 120 . in contrast , in a synchronous communications system , once the communications link is broken , a new link would have to be re - established and the banking application and request would have to be restarted anew whereby the handheld computer user would have to reformulate and reinitialize the funds transfer . while the detailed drawings , specific examples , and particular formulations given describe exemplary embodiments , they serve the purpose of illustration only . the hardware and software configurations shown and described may differ depending on the chosen performance characteristics and physical characteristics of the computing devices and communications networks . for example , the type of computing device , communications network , or devices used may differ . the methods and systems shown and described are not limited to the precise details and conditions disclosed . furthermore , other substitutions , modifications , changes , and omissions may be made in the design , operating conditions , and arrangement of the exemplary embodiments and steps of the exemplary embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claims . | 7 |
the present invention requires only two - wires , yet , provides a total of four channels , two 64 kbps channels ( voice or data ), a 16 kbps channel for communications between the telephone and the line card , and a 8 kbps auxiliary channel for communications with other devices on the line , ( i . e . repeaters ) and / or with the telephone . referring to fig2 a central office ( co ) system having a central exchange ( centrex ) feature is shown . standard telephone instruments a and b are connected to the switching system , via analog subscriber lines 1 and 2 , to analog line unit 13 . the analog data received is converted to pulse coded modulation ( pcm ) by analog line unit 13 . the pcm digital data is next sent from alu 13 to originating time switch 20 . pcm data received from the other end is received by alu 13 from terminating time switch 21 . alu 13 converts the received pcm data to an analog signal which is transmitted down subscriber lines 1 and 2 . alu 13 is also connected to analog control unit 14 , which in turn , is connected to peripheral processor 70 . terminating time switch is further connected to trunk unit 18 through analog control unit 17 . trunks 3 and 4 provide access to subscribers not directly served by this system . the digital facilities line card ( dflc ) 19 of the present invention is connected to analog control unit 17 and provides an interface for up to two featurephones . the primary objective of the dflc is to appear to alu 17 and pp 70 as standard subscriber lines . this objective requires the dflc to perform a significant amount of the call processing thereby off - loading pp 70 . turning now to fig3 a block diagram illustrating the dflc is shown . the dflc interfaces to the featurephone through a single , two - wire communication link . the two - wire interface provides a high - speed , full duplex digital transmission link using echo - cancelling techniques . a total of four digital channels are provided : two 64 kbps channels , one 16 kbps channel and one 8 kbps channel . where the 64 kbps channels can be used for pcm voice or high - speed data , the 16 kbps channel is used to communicate with the featurephone , and the 8 kbps auxiliary channel is used to communicate with other devices on the line , ( i . e . repeaters ) and / or with the featurephone . the dflc interfaces to the system by a pcm interface and a sense / control interface . data over the pcm interface is transferred to originating time switch ( ots ) 208 and received from terminating time switch ( tts ) 209 . this data is either digitized voice data or circuit switched data and has a data rate of 64 kbps . ( herein : pcm data means either digitized voice or circuit switched data .) high - speed data interface 204a converts the serial data between the different bit rates of line interface 203a , and ots 208 . in addition , high - speed data interface 204a provide a time switch stage . trap register 207 is used to perform diagnostic testing and downloading of information . ( these functions are described in more detail in co - applications &# 34 ; a circuit for testing digital lines &# 34 ;, ser . no . 07 / 615 , 529 filed on nov . 19 , 1990 &# 34 ; a method of downloading data to a plurality of destinations in a telephone system &# 34 ;, ser . no . 07 / 615 , 522 filed on nov . 19 , 1990 . through the sense / control interface , pp 210 communicates with dflc processor 206 , which in turn communicates to the featurephone 202 . only high - level messages are passed through this interface as shown in fig1 . note : fig1 is discused in more detail later . the sense / control interface consists of eight data lines , four address lines , and associated control lines . when pp 210 sends a message to dflc , it writes the message into the dflc &# 39 ; s input buffer , then sets a sys - dflc flag on the dflc . the dflc , upon receiving the sys - dflc flag , reads the message and resets the flag , indicating to pp 210 that it is ready for another message . conversely , when the dflc sends a message to pp 210 , it writes the message into its output buffer and sets a dflc - sys flag . when pp 210 sees the dflc - sys bit set it reads the message from the dflc and resets the dflc - sys flag . protocol controller 205 handles the &# 34 ; bit - level &# 34 ; protocol conversion thereby providing a very reliable data link between the dflc and the featurephone . line interface 203a converts the digital data into an appropriate signal for transmission over a twisted - pair line . the signal from the line interface is transmitted to the featurephone , where an identical line interface receives the signal and reconstructs the digital data . referring now to fig4 and 5 , a more detailed description will be given . fig4 shows a more detailed block diagram of the dflc , while fig5 shows the processor complex in greater detail . transformer 401 and digital interface chip ( dic ) 402 implement line interface 203a of fig3 and transformer 406 and digital interface chip ( dic ) 407 implement line interface 203b of fig3 . the dics provide an interface between the line ( tip - and - ring ) on one side , and a time division multiplexed ( tdm ) serial data - stream on the other . each dic uses four tdm time - slots ; two channels for the high - speed data , one channel for the link with the featurephone , and a channel for control and status of the dic itself . note : the auxiliary channel is part of the control / status channel . after dic 402 finishes accessing the tdm data stream , dic 407 is signaled , allowing dic 407 access to the tdm data stream during the next four time - slots . with the present implementation , a total of eight dics can be daisy - chained onto the same bus . receive and transmit buffers 403 , 408 and 404 , 409 respectively , convert the bit - rate between the system ( pcmx and pcmr ) and the dics while preserving the overall data - rate of the channel . all four buffers are under control of timeslot assigner 416 and clock - generator 417 . timeslot assigner 416 is programmed by the external peripheral processor , and determines the time slots for each high - speed channel on the pcms and pcmr busses . clock - generator 417 produces all the timing signals needed by dics and is phased locked to a master clock signal provided by the system . under the control of clock - generator 417 , the buffers are enabled , during the proper time - slot , to receive and transmit serial data from the dics . briefly referring to fig6 and 7 the receive and transmit buffers are shown in greater detail . these figures show that the high - speed buffers are comprised of serial - to - parallel - to - serial converters , or just called serial - to - serial converters . referring back to fig4 clock - generator 417 also provides timing for c channel buffers 405 and 410 and multi - protocol serial controller ( mpsc ) 411 . the c channel buffers provide an interface between processor complex 414 and dics and monitor internal status . additionally , the c channel buffers convert the data between the parallel format of processor complex 414 and the serial format of dics 402 and 407 . the c channel buffers allow the processor complex 414 to operate asynchronously to the dics . the c channel buffer , as used in the present invention , is taught in application : &# 34 ; an interface circuit for data transmission between a microprocessor system and a time - division system &# 34 ;, u . s . pat . no . 4 , 975 , 911 . it should be noted that the auxiliary channel used to communicate with other devices on the line ( i . e . repeaters ), is transferred by the c channel buffers . mpsc 411 provides bit - level protocol functions , thereby , providing a highly reliable data link between the dflc and featurephone . because of the relatively high data rate of this channel , ( 16 kbps times two , one for each featurephone ) dma controller 412 interfaces mpsc 411 to processor complex 414 . this allows data to be transferred between the mpsc and the processor complex with very little over - head . processor complex 414 interfaces to the system through message interface 415 . through this interface , the system passes high - level commands to the dflc , upon which , the dflc performs all the low - level computing and communications with the featurephone . fig5 shows the processor complex in more detail . it is apparent that some of the components from fig4 appear here also . from this figure it is obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art that the processor complex is of a basic microprocessor configuration , however , there are a few additions . for example , this complex has an engineerable amount of non - volatile ram 507 ( nvram ) for storing customer information . also , there is a ram key lock 503 which allows microprocessor 514 to &# 34 ; write - product &# 34 ; non - volatile ram 507 and individual 1k byte pages of ram 504 . referring to fig8 a block diagram of the featurephone is shown . the signal from the dflc is received by line interface 601 . line interface 601 is identical to the line interface on the dflc with the exception that it operates in a slave mode . in the slave mode , all timing is derived from the two - wire line , whereas in the master mode , all timing signals must be externally derived and supplied to the line interface . the digital subscriber controller ( dsc ) 602 provides bit - level protocol control and channel separation . cpu 604 provides the higher level protocol control , in addition to controlling other functions for the telephone . the featurephone does not perform any call processing functions , it simply reports events ( buttons being pushed , off - hook . . . etc .) to the dflc and performs actions that the dflc commanded ( blink led , display message , enable amp . . . etc .). unlike a pots line , here , the link between the dflc and featurephone is always active . instead of the line card detecting an off - hook , the featurephone detects the off - hook and sends the appropriate message to the dflc . referring to fig9 when the link is first activated or initialized , the various levels of the link must be connected . when the link is first powered - up , or after testing of the link , the link is in the dead state . after performing initialization of the dflc , the deactivate state is automatically entered . the link will stay in this state until the dflc receives an initialize or activate link message from the system . after receiving an initialize or activate link message the awaiting activation state is entered . during this time the line interface circuit is activated and time is allowed for the dflc line interface and the featurephone interface to synchronize . if , after a predetermined amount of time has passed , the line interfaces do not synchronize , the dflc returns to the deactivate state , and an failure message is sent to the system . after the line interfaces synchronize , the awaiting connection state is entered . during this time the protocol controller of the dflc and the featurephone are allowed to synchronize . if , after a predetermined amount of time has passed , the protocol controllers do not synchronize , the dflc returns to the deactivate state , and a failure message is sent to the system . once the protocol controllers synchronize , the dflc enters the active state . in this state , the dflc &# 39 ; s processor complex and the featurephone &# 39 ; s processor can exchange messages and calls can be originated and terminated . the active state can be exited by : ( 1 ) a message from the system to deactivate ; ( 2 ) the protocol controller losing synchronization ; ( 3 ) the line interface losing synchronization ; or ; ( 4 ) the featurephone not responding . a deactivate message from the system causes the dflc to change to the deactivate state . should the protocol controller lose synchronization , the awaiting connection state is entered . if the line interface loses synchronization or the featurephone does not respond , the link problem state is entered . her , there is an attempt to restore the link ; if the link is restored prior to time n200 expiring , the active state is reentered , and a report is sent to the system . this type of outage is generally caused by a &# 34 ; glitch &# 34 ; on the line , and is short in duration so that the protocol controllers do not lose synchronization . if the link is not restored prior to timer n200 expiring but before a predetermined time , the active state is reentered , and a report is sent to the system . it may be necessary to enter the awaiting connection state because the protocol controllers may have lost synchronization . if , after a predetermined amount of time , the link is not restored , the deactivate state is entered and an error report is sent to the system . as stated earlier , once in the active state , the dflc &# 39 ; s processor complex and the featurephone &# 39 ; s processor can exchange messages and calls can be originated and terminated . referring to fig1 some of the messages transferred between the system , dflc , and featurephone when a featurephone calls another featurephone are shown . the originating featurephone goes off - hook causing a message to be sent to the dflc . the dflc then sends a fp -- origination message to the system indicating that the featurephone is originating a call . at the same time the dflc sends to the featurephone messages to turn on the audio amp , display &# 34 ; please dial &# 34 ;, and blink on led to indicate that the line is in use . the system tells the dflc to collect -- digits . as each digit is pressed , it is sent from the featurephone to the dflc and the dflc sends the digit back to the featurephone to display . after the dflc has collected all the digits , the dflc sends them to the system . assuming a valid number was dialed , the system tell the dflc that the terminating telephone is ringing ; the dflc in turn sends to the featurephone the string &# 34 ; ringing &# 34 ; to display . the system then sends a request -- ringing message to the terminating dflc . the terminating dflc then sends to the terminating featurephone messages causing it to ring , blink on the led to indicate in - use , and display a short message and the calling parties number . when the telephone is answered , the terminating featurephone sends an off - hook message to the dflc . the dflc then sends fp -- answer to the system . simultaneously , the dflc sends to the terminating featurephone messages to stop the ringing , turn on the led , and turn on the audio . once the system receives the fp -- answer message , it sends fp -- send -- answer to the originating dflc . the dflc then tells the featurephone to display a message ( i . e . answer ) and turn on the led . both parties are talking and no further call processing is done until one party hangs up . the remainder of fig1 shows the hang - up call processing messages . from fig1 it is apparent that the dflc does a substantial amount of call processing and the featurephone is relatively a &# 34 ; dumb &# 34 ; instrument . this allows the featurephone to be less complex , leading to higher reliability , smaller size , lower power , and lower cost . all the featurephone buttons except the digits are programmable by the user . once the user initiates the programming sequence , a series of menus are displayed to aid the programming process . the entire programming process is handled by the dflc , the central office system does not participate . programming information is stored in the nonvolatile ram of the dflc . should the dflc need to be replaced , the central office system retrieves the information from the present dflc prior to removal . after the new dflc is placed into the central office system , the central office system down - loads the customers information . it should be noted that only during a dflc card replacement is the customers database ever loaded into the central office system . although the preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated , and that form described , it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention or from the scope of the appended claims . | 7 |
in the single figure which shows a construction of an embodiment of the throttle control device according to the present invention , an acceleration pedal 1 is linked to an acceleration link 2 to which an end of an acceleration wire 3 is connected . an end of a pedal return spring 4 is connected to the acceleration link 2 to bias it in a return direction so that it is normally in an initial , idle position defined by a stopper 5 . the acceleration wire 3 is disposed in an acceleration wire guide 6 movably therethrough and has one end connected to an acceleration movable element 7 which is biased in a return direction by a return spring 8 so that it is normally in an initial position defined by a stopper 9 . a reference numeral 10 depicts an acceleration sensor provided on the movable element 7 . a throttle link 11 is connected to a throttle valve ( not shown ) and has a movable portion to which one end of a throttle wire 12 is connected . the other end of the throttle wire 12 is connected to one end of a movable element 16 . the throttle wire 12 is movable in a throttle wire guide 13 . a reference numeral 30 depicts a stopper for restricting a maximum stroke position of the movable element 16 . the throttle valve is biased in a closing direction by a throttle return spring 15 connected to the movable portion of the throttle link 11 so that it is in an initial position defined by a throttle link stopper 14 . a reference numeral 28 depicts an intermediate disc which is provided coaxially with a shaft portion 16c of the movable element 16 in contact with a front end flange 16a thereof . an intermediate spring 29 is provided between the intermediate disc 28 and a rear flange 16b of the movable element 16 . the intermediate spring 29 has a spring constant which is at least 1 . 5 times that of the throttle return spring 15 . a reference numeral 31 is a throttle sensor provided on the rear flange 16b of the movable element 16 . a wire 17 for constant speed running has one end connected to a constant speed clutch 18 connected ( cruise control ) to an actuator 19 and the other end connected to a movable element 21 for constant speed to which a return spring 20 is connected to bias it in a resetting direction so that it is normally in an initial position defined by a stopper 22 . the wire 17 is movable in a wire guide 23 . a traction wire 24 has one end connected to a traction clutch 25 connected to the actuator 19 and the other end connected to a movable element 33 for traction control . the wire 24 is connected to one end of a traction spring 26 and biased thereby to a traction side . the traction wire 24 is guided in a traction wire guide 27 . an operation of the throttle control device constructed as above will be described . normal running condition , a torque is transmitted through the acceleration link 2 connected thereto to the acceleration wire 3 , so that the latter is pulled in a direction shown by a solid arrow . when the depressing force applied to the pedal 1 is larger than the spring force of the return spring 8 , the movable element 7 is shifted rightwardly together with the acceleration wire 3 so that a compression force is applied to the intermediate spring 29 through the intermediate disc 28 . however , since the intermediate spring 29 is not compressed due to its high spring constant , and movable element 16 is shifted rightwardly , and the throttle wire 12 is pulled rightwardly to drive the throttle valve in an opening direction through the throttle link 11 . as a result , an automobile speed is controlled correspondingly to the opening of the throttle . under a constant speed running condition , the clutch 18 is energized and the wire 17 is pulled in a solid arrow direction by the actuator 19 corresponding to a deviation of the vehicle speed from a set value . therefore , the movable element 21 is shifted rightwardly and the throttle movable element 16 is also shifted rightwardly . as a result , the throttle wire 12 is pulled rightwardly to drive the throttle valve in the opening direction through the throttle link 11 , and , when the speed deviation becomes zero , the opening of the throttle valve at this time is maintained to set the constant speed running condition . assuming that outputs of the acceleration sensor 10 and the throttle sensor 31 are depicted by s1 and s2 , respectively , the following conditions are established , where s0 is an aimed throttle opening , s0 &# 39 ; is a controlled throttle opening and δs is a width of control . ______________________________________at a start of constant speed running s2 = s0 ( 1 ) during constant speed running control s2 &# 39 ; = s0 ± δ s ( 2 ) at an end of constant speed running s2 &# 34 ; = s0 &# 39 ; ≃ s0 ( 3 ) ______________________________________ under a start condition of an automobile having a manual shift , a tire slip occurring due to an abrupt depression of the accelerator pedal 1 is detected by a slip detector provided on a brake system in response to which the traction clutch 25 is energized and the traction wire 24 is pulled in a direction shown by the solid arrow until the slip detection signal disappears regardless of the amount of depression of the acceleration pedal 1 . therefore , the movable element 33 is shifted leftwardly to control the throttle to reduce its opening defined by the depressed pedal 1 through the movable element 16 and , when the opening reaches an initial throttle opening , the traction control is terminated . assuming that outputs of the acceleration sensor 10 and the throttle sensor 31 are depicted by s1 and s2 , respectively , the following conditions are established . ______________________________________at a start of traction control s1 = s2 = s0 ( 4 ) during a traction control s2 &# 39 ; = s0 - δ s ( 5 ) at an end of traction control s2 &# 34 ;= s0 &# 39 ; = s0 ( 6 ) ______________________________________ where s0 is an initial opening , s0 &# 39 ; is a controlled opening and δs is a width of control . when the acceleration pedal 1 is depressed continuously during the traction control , the intermediate spring 29 is compressed and the reactive force thereof is transmitted to the acceleration pedal 1 . therefore , the pedal feels heavy to an operator and he removes his foot to close the throttle valve . under a control - free condition where none of the controls ( i ), ( ii ), ( iii ) and ( iv ) is performed or a power switch is turned off , the throttle valve is kept at closed condition or at minimum opening condition . therefore , there is no such condition provided as an abrupt starting of the automobile . as described hereinbefore , according to the present invention which is a throttle control device , either one of the normal running control , the constant speed running control and the traction control can be performed and under the initial condition the throttle valve is kept closed or substantially closed . therefore , there is no uncontrolled starting of the automobile , resulting in an essentially safe automobile . further , since all of the driving of the device is performed by wires , the device itself can be made compact , providing a high freedom of arrangement thereof . in addition , since the acceleration opening ( or a shift amount of the acceleration wire ) and the throttle opening ( or a shift amount of the throttle wire ) are detected by the acceleration sensor and the throttle sensor , respectively , and the throttle opening control is performed according thereto , the control itself becomes highly accurate . | 1 |
referring to fig2 and 3 , a computer housing 100 according to the instant disclosure includes a front panel 10 , an outer casing 20 , a housing body 30 and a fixing mechanism 40 . the outer casing 20 is assembled onto an outer surface of the housing body 30 . the front panel 10 is fixed to a front plate 32 of the housing body 30 by the fixing mechanism 40 . the structure is described as follows . the housing body 30 includes a front plate 32 , a top plate 34 , a rear plate 36 , a bottom plate 38 and lateral plates 39 . the fixing mechanism 40 is slidably assembled on the front plate 32 . the front plate 32 includes a front portion 322 , a first lateral portion 324 and a second lateral portion 326 . the front portion 322 connects the first lateral portion 324 and the second lateral portion 326 . the first lateral portion 324 faces the second lateral portion 326 . a plurality of holes 327 are formed respectively on the front portion 322 close to the first lateral portion 324 and the second lateral portion 326 . in fig3 , five holes 327 corresponding to hooks 47 of the fixing mechanism 40 are respectively formed on locations of the front portion 322 respectively near to the first lateral portion 324 and the second lateral portion 326 . referring to fig4 a , the fixing mechanism 40 includes a first hooking plate 42 , a second hooking plate 44 , a central connecting element 46 and a spring 48 . the first and second hooking plates 42 and 44 are stripe - shaped and have respective flanges 421 and 441 respectively vertical to the surfaces thereof a plurality of hooks 47 protrude respectively from the flanges 421 and 441 and respectively perpendicular to the flanges 421 and 441 . the hooks 47 correspond to the holes 327 on the front portion 322 . the structure of the hook 47 is shown in fig5 in detail . the hook 47 has a hook portion 471 , a first slanted surface 472 and a second slanted surface 473 . the hook portion 471 is a vertical protrusion of the hook 47 and faces the flanges 421 and 441 with a predetermined distance . the first slanted surface 472 is formed on the back side of the hook portion 471 , and the second slanted surface 473 is formed under the first slanted surface 472 . referring to fig4 a , the central connecting element 46 connects the first hooking plate 42 and the second hooking plate 44 to form a u - shaped structure and move the first and second hooking plates 42 and 44 synchronously . the first hooking plate 42 and the second hooking plate 44 are respectively slidably disposed on respective inner sides of the first lateral portion 324 and the second lateral portion 326 . the spring 48 is an extension spring which is respectively assembled between the first hooking plate 42 and the front portion 322 near to the first lateral portion 324 and between the second hooking plate 44 and the front portion 322 near to the second lateral portion 326 . one end of the spring 48 is fixed to the front portion 322 near to the first lateral portion 324 or the front portion 322 near to the second lateral portion 326 , and the other end of the spring 48 is fixed to the first hooking plate 42 or the second hooking plate 44 ( shown in fig4 b ), whereby the spring 48 biases the first and second hooking plates 42 and 44 . a button 50 is disposed between the top plate 34 and the outer case 20 and connected to the central connecting element 46 . the outer case 20 has an opening 9 ( shown in fig3 ) through which the button 50 protrudes to be pushed by the user . the button 50 can be pushed to move the first and second hooking plates 42 and 44 . the structure of the button 50 is described below in detail . the front panel 10 has a first engaging plate 12 corresponding to the first hooking plate 42 and a second engaging plate 14 corresponding to the second hooking plate 44 . the first and second engaging plates 12 and 14 are assembled respectively on an inner side of the front panel 10 . a plurality of engaging slots 17 corresponding to the holes 327 and the hooks 47 are respectively formed on the first and second engaging plates 12 and 14 . a respective slope 18 extends forward from the first and second engaging plates 12 and 14 at the lower edge of the respective engaging slot 17 . the hook 47 passes through the hole 327 of and moves or slides between a first position a ( shown in fig5 ) limited by the upper edge of the hole 327 opposite to the slope 18 and a second position b ( shown in fig8 ) limited by the slope 18 . the springs 48 are pre - stretched to respectively pull the first hooking plate 42 and the second hooking plate 44 by the elastic force , whereby the respective hooks 47 thereof abut against the upper edges of the respective holes 327 and are maintained in the first position a , as shown in fig5 . referring to fig5 to 9 , since the first engaging plate 12 and the second engaging plate 14 are fixed onto the front panel 10 , for the sake of clarity , the front panel 10 is omitted and the first engaging plate 12 and the second engaging plate 14 are used to represent the front panel 10 . when the front panel 10 is assembled to the computer housing 100 , the front panel 10 is moved toward and is to be pressed onto the front plate 32 in such a manner that the engaging slots 17 of the first engaging plate 12 and the second engaging plate 14 are respectively aligned with the respective holes 327 of the first hooking plate 42 and the second hooking plate 44 . specifically , when the front panel 10 is moved and pushed toward the front plate 32 ( as shown by a right arrow in fig5 and 6 ), the upper edges of the respective engaging slots 17 push against the first slanted surfaces 472 of the respective hooks 47 to move the first hooking plate 42 and the second hooking plate 44 downward ( as as shown by the downward arrow in fig6 ) and away from the first position a . at this time , the spring 48 is thus pulled , as shown in fig6 to an extent that the hook 47 passes through the engaging slot 17 . then , the hook 47 is pulled back to the first position a by the resilient force of the spring 48 such that the hook portion 471 of the hook 47 abuts against the engaging slot 17 , as shown in fig7 . in addition , several positioning posts ( not shown ) disposed on the inner side of the front panel 10 are respectively inserted into several extruding holes ( not shown ) formed on the front plate 32 so as to assist positioning of the front panel 10 . thereby , the front panel 10 is combined to the front plate 32 . when the front panel 10 is to be removed , the button 50 is pushed to move the first hooking plate 42 and the second hooking plate 44 from the first position a to the second position b as shown in fig8 . at this time , the hook portion 471 is aligned with both the engaging slot 17 and the hole 327 to release the engagement of the hook 47 with the engaging slot 17 and the hole 327 . at this time , the spring 48 is pulled to have a resilient force applied on the first and second hooking plates 42 and 44 respectively afterwards , and the second slanted surface 473 of the hook 47 abuts against the slope 18 to product a repulsive force as shown in a left arrow in fig8 to spontaneously separate the front panel 10 from the front plate 32 as shown in fig9 . thus , the front panel 10 may be easily detached from the front plate 32 . referring to fig1 , the button 50 includes a main body 52 , a compression spring 54 and a latch mechanism 56 . one end of the compression spring 54 is fixed to the main body 52 and the other end of the compression spring 54 is fixed to the central connecting element 46 . when the main body 52 is pressed , the compression spring 54 is pushed and biases the central connecting element 46 to move the first and second hooking plates 42 and 44 from the first position a to the second position b . the latch mechanism 56 includes a rotatable element 561 and an extension element 562 connected to the rotatable element 561 . the rotatable element 561 is rotatably disposed in a depression 522 of the main body 52 . the extension element 562 extends from the rotatable element 561 through a hole 523 to beneath the main body 52 . in this embodiment , the extension element 562 is l - shaped and the main body 52 has an abutting portion 521 abutting against the outer case 20 . referring to fig1 , the abutting portion 521 is separated from the central connecting element 46 at a short distance . the extension element 562 is moved between the abutting portion 521 and the central connecting element 46 along with the rotation of the rotatable element 561 . at this time , the main body 52 is obstructed by the extension portion 562 and cannot be pressed so as to achieve the purpose of lock up . the latch mechanism 56 may lock up the button 50 to avoid improper operation and theft . in addition , the central connecting element 46 has another embodiment shown in fig1 . the central connecting element 46 is respectively connected to the first hooking plate 42 by a fixing elements 461 ( such as a screw ) and to the second hooking plate 44 by a fixing element 462 . a pivot shaft 463 is disposed at the center of the central connecting element 46 . a lower end of one spring 48 is connected to the second hooking plate 44 and an upper end thereof is connected to the front plate 32 . an upper end of another spring 48 is connected to the first hooking plate 42 and a lower end thereof is connected to the front plate 32 . when the button 50 is pushed , the second hooking plate 44 is moved downward and the central connecting element 46 is rotated counterclockwise about the pivot shaft 463 to move the first hooking plate 42 upward . in addition to the above - mentioned embodiments , the central connecting element can be eliminated , and handles are respectively disposed on the first and second hooking plates . the handles exposed from the outer case are pressed to respectively move the first and second hooking plates from the first position a to the second position b . the front panel is assembled or detached without any tool , whereby the labor and time for assembly and maintenance are saved . it is very easy to replace or assemble a fan filter or storage device via the front plate due to the simple and convenient operation of assembly or detachment of the front panel . since the button has a latch mechanism , the button of the front panel is also provided with a burglarproof function . this invention is applicable to a slim front panel design to enhance the higher rigidity of the front panel . the description above only illustrates specific embodiments and examples of the present invention . the present invention should therefore cover various modifications and variations made to the herein - described structure and operations of the present invention , provided they fall within the scope of the present invention as defined in the following appended claims . | 6 |
an exemplary embodiment of the present invention provides a method for reducing loss and latency in the event of failure of an active network device such as a router . in order to appreciate the advantages of the present invention , it will be beneficial to describe the invention in the context of an exemplary network environment . [ 0020 ] fig1 is a simplified block diagram of a local area network ( lan ) comprising a plurality of hosts 100 , 102 , 104 , 106 and a plurality of routers 110 and 116 . the routers 110 , 116 may be viewed as being coupled to the lan 108 to provide gateway access to a computer network 120 . the computer network 120 , may comprise , for example , the internet or other global or local computer networks . the routers 110 and 116 may also be coupled to one or more other lans ( not shown ). one of skill in the art will appreciate that for this invention , any data processing device in a lan may be considered a host . for example , the hosts 100 , 102 , 104 , 106 may be a terminal , personal computer , workstation , minicomputer , mainframe , etc . further , the lans in this and other embodiments may have one or more different configurations including , but not limited to , ethernet ( ieee 802 . 3 ), token ring ( ieee 802 . 5 ) and fddi ( ansi x3t9 . 5 ). at any one time , one of the routers 110 or 116 assumes the state of primary or active router . in an exemplary network , the hosts 100 , 102 , 104 , 106 are preferably configured to point to the primary router . thus , when a host needs to send data packets outside of lan 108 , it directs them to the primary router . one of skill in the art will appreciate that the present invention may be implemented in a variety of manners . for example , in one embodiment , the primary and secondary routers may be realized in a packet switching node 180 . referring to fig2 an exemplary packet switching node may comprise a plurality of line cards 124 , 126 and 128 interconnected by a switching backplane 160 . in the described exemplary embodiment , the line cards may be interconnected to respective groups of lans 130 , 132 , 134 and preferably interconnected to each other over data paths 138 , 140 , 142 via the switching backplane 160 . in accordance with an exemplary embodiment the line cards 124 , 126 and 128 may forward packets to and from their respective groups of lans 130 , 132 , 134 in accordance with one or more operative communication protocols , such as , for example , media access control ( mac ) bridging and internet protocol ( ip ) routing . the line cards 124 , 126 and 128 may communicate with other packet switching nodes or routers over a computer network 120 , which may include for example the internet and / or other global or local computer networks . in the described exemplary embodiment management cards 170 and 172 may be coupled to the switching backplane to control a variety of functions in support of the operation of the packet switching node 180 . [ 0025 ] fig3 is a simplified block diagram of an exemplary line card 150 , that may be similar to one or more of the line cards 124 , 126 and 128 of fig2 . the described exemplary line card 150 may include an access controller 154 coupled between the lans and a packet switching controller 152 . the described exemplary access controller 154 may receive inbound packets from lans and may perform flow - independent physical and mac layer operations on the inbound packets . the described exemplary access controller 154 may transmit the inbound packets to the packet switching controller 152 for flow - dependent processing . the access controller 154 may also receive outbound packets from the packet switching controller 152 . the access controller may perform physical and mac layer operations on the outbound packets and transmit the outbound packets to the lans or to a computer network , such as , for example , the computer network 120 of fig2 . the described exemplary packet switching controller 152 may receive inbound packets , classify the packets , generate application data for the inbound packets , modify the inbound packets in accordance with the application data , and transmit the modified inbound packets on a switching backplane , such as , for example , the switching backplane 160 of fig2 . in an exemplary embodiment the packet switching controller 152 may also receive outbound packets from other packet switching controllers over the switching backplane , and transmit the outbound packets to the access controller 154 for forwarding to the lans or to the computer network , such as , for example , the computer network 120 of fig2 . in other embodiments , the packet switching controller 152 may also subject one or more outbound packets to egress processing prior to forwarding them to the access controller 154 . the packet switching controller 152 may be implemented in non - programmable logic , programmable logic or any combination of programmable and non - programmable logic . in the described exemplary embodiment the management cards may manage the routing function at the network layer . the described exemplary management cards may comprise a general - purpose processor executing one or more special - purpose routing protocols , or may alternatively be implemented using special - purpose hardware . in an exemplary embodiment the management cards may maintain a routing database or routing table . the routing table reflects the overall topology of the entire network . referring back to fig2 in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention the management cards 170 and 172 may communicate in peer sessions with neighboring routers in the network via the switching backplane 160 and the line cards 124 , 126 and 128 to exchange topology - related information so that the routing tables are kept current despite changes in the network topology . thus , for example , when a new node is configured on a network segment , that information is broadcast in a peer session throughout the network to enable each router to update its routing table to reflect the current session state . in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention a forwarding table may also be stored on the line cards to map the destination address of each received packet to the identity of the route by which the packet should be forwarded . in the described exemplary embodiment , the various forwarding tables on the line cards may contain a subset of the information from the routing table stored by the management cards . in accordance with an exemplary embodiment the management cards may periodically update the individual forwarding tables on the line cards as changes to the routing table occur via a shared memory communication path 190 . in operation , when a data packet arrives at a line card , the packet switching controller 152 ( see fig3 ) may make a next hop determination based upon at least a portion of the destination address . for example , in one embodiment the packet switching controller may utilize an address matching algorithm to search the forwarding table for an entry corresponding to the destination address located in the network layer header of the received data packet . the packet switching controller may then forward the packet to the appropriate line card through the switching backplane 160 at what is referred to as wirespeed or linespeed , which is the maximum speed capability of the particular network . the receiving line card then transmits the packet onto the appropriate network segment . further , when a control message arrives at a line card during a peer session , the packet switching controller may forward the packet to the corresponding management card through the switching backplane . [ 0031 ] fig4 is a block diagram of a programmable packet switching controller 200 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention . the programmable packet switching controller 200 , for example , may be similar to the packet switching controller 152 of fig3 . in the described exemplary embodiment the programmable packet switching controller 200 may have flow resolution logic for classifying and routing incoming flows of packets . packet switching controllers in other embodiments may include more or less number of components . for example , a packet switching controller in another embodiment may include a pattern match module for comparing packet portions against a predetermined pattern to look for a match . the packet switching controller in yet another embodiment may include an edit module for editing inbound packets to generate outbound packets . further , packet switching controllers in still other embodiments may include other components , such as , for example , a policing engine , in addition to or instead of the components included in the programmable packet switching controller 200 . due to its programmable nature , the programmable packet switching controller 200 preferably provides flexibility in handling many different protocols and / or field upgradeability / programmability . the programmable packet switching controller 200 may also be referred to as a packet switching controller , a switching controller , a programmable packet processor , a network processor , a communications processor or as another designation commonly used by those skilled in the art . the described exemplary programmable packet switching controller 200 includes a packet buffer 202 , a packet classification engine 204 , and an application engine 206 . the programmable packet switching controller 200 preferably receives inbound packets 208 . the packets ( or data units ) may include , but are not limited to , ethernet frames , atm cells , tcp / ip and / or udp / ip packets , and may also include other layer 2 ( data link / mac layer ), layer 3 ( network layer ) or layer 4 ( transport layer ) data units . for example , the packet buffer 202 may receive inbound packets from one or more media access control ( mac ) layer interfaces over the ethernet . in an exemplary embodiment the received packets may be stored in the packet buffer 202 . the packet buffer 202 may include a packet fifo for receiving and temporarily storing the packets . the packet buffer 202 preferably provides the stored packets or portions thereof to the packet classification engine 204 and the application engine 206 for processing . the packet buffer 202 may also include an edit module for editing the packets prior to forwarding them out of the switching controller as outbound packets 218 . the edit module may include an edit program construction engine for creating edit programs real - time and / or an edit engine for modifying the packets . the application engine 206 preferably provides application data 216 , which may include a disposition decision for the packet , to the packet buffer 202 , and in one embodiment the edit program construction engine preferably uses the application data to create the edit programs . the outbound packets 218 may be transmitted over a switching fabric interface to communication networks , such as , for example , the ethernet . the packet buffer 202 may also include either or both a header data extractor and a header data cache . the header data extractor preferably is used to extract one or more fields from the packets , and to store the extracted fields in the header data cache as extracted header data . the extracted header data may include , but are not limited to , some or all of the packet header . in an ethernet system , for example , the header data cache may also store the first n bytes of each frame . in an exemplary embodiment the extracted header data is preferably provided in an output signal 210 to the packet classification engine 204 for processing . the application engine may also request and receive the extracted header data over an interface 214 . the extracted header data may include , but are not limited to , one or more of layer 2 mac addresses , 802 . 1p / q tag status , layer 2 encapsulation type , layer 3 protocol type , layer 3 addresses , tos ( type of service ) values and layer 4 port numbers . in other embodiments , the output signal 210 may include the whole inbound packet , instead of or in addition to the extracted header data . in still other embodiments , the packet classification engine 204 may be used to edit the extracted header data to be placed in a format suitable for use by the application engine , and / or to load data into the header data cache . in an exemplary embodiment the packet classification engine 204 may include a programmable micro - code driven embedded processing engine . the packet classification engine 204 may be coupled to an instruction ram ( iram ) ( not shown ). the packet classification engine preferably reads and executes instructions stored in the iram . in one embodiment , many of the instructions executed by the packet classification engine are conditional jumps . in this embodiment , the classification logic includes a decision tree with leaves at the end points that preferably indicate different types of packet classifications . further , in the described exemplary embodiment branches of the decision tree may be selected based on comparisons between the conditions of the instructions and the header fields stored in the header data cache . in other embodiments , the classification logic may not be based on a decision tree . as described above , management cards 170 and 172 may comprise a processor for performing the routing functions of the device . in an exemplary embodiment the management card processor may comprise a programmable micro - code driven embedded processing engine . the management card may further comprise an instruction ram ( iram ) ( not shown ) coupled to the processor . the processor may read and execute instructions stored in the iram . in the described exemplary embodiment one of the management cards , e . g . management card 170 in fig2 may assume the state of primary or active router . in addition , one of the management cards , e . g . management card 172 in fig2 may function as a redundant or secondary management card or router that mirrors or replicates the active state of the primary management card or router 170 . the secondary management card ( also known as the secondary router ) 172 is generally in stand - by mode unless the primary management card ( also known as the primary router ) 170 fails , at which point a fail - over to the secondary management card or router 172 is initiated to allow the secondary management card or router 172 to be substituted for the primary management card or router 170 . in the illustrative embodiment in fig2 if management card 170 is initially the primary or active router , it performs the various control functions necessary to support packet routing as previously described . for example , the primary router may participate in peer sessions with neighboring network devices to maintain the overall topology of the network . however , in the described exemplary embodiment the primary and secondary routers share state information from each peer session to maintain real time synchronization between the primary and secondary subsystems . in one embodiment , real - time synchronization may be achieved by executing the same application programs on the primary and secondary routers and passing control messages en route from or to the primary router during a peer session through the secondary or standby router . in this embodiment the secondary router may then process the packets to monitor the peer session to maintain an accurate routing table that reflects the current status of the network topology . [ 0044 ] fig5 graphically illustrates the processing of the secondary router protocol stack for an outgoing control or signaling message , i . e . a frame transmitted from the primary router to peer routers during a peer session . for example , when a secondary router operating the border gateway protocol ( bgp ) receives an outgoing tcp / ip frame it sends the message up through the interface &# 39 ; s associated network layer 300 . this layer notes that the received frame is an ip frame , strips off the message &# 39 ; s physical layer header and trailer , if any , and sends the message up to the ip layer 310 . in the described exemplary embodiment the ip layer 310 determines the destination address of the frame and may determine that the frame is a tcp frame and may pass the frame to a tcp stream handler 320 . the tcp stream handler identifies the sequence number and that the stream is a bgp stream . in the described exemplary embodiment a bgp layer 330 may examine the state information in the signaling or control message to determine if updated table entries for example are being communicated by the primary router to the peer routers . in accordance with an exemplary embodiment , routing table 30 entries added or updated by the peer routers may also be added or updated in the routing tables of the secondary router to maintain a precise awareness of the session state from the peer router ( s ) viewpoint . similarly , fig6 graphically illustrates the processing of the secondary router protocol stack for an incoming frame , i . e . a frame transmitted from a peer router across the computer network to the primary router . in accordance with an exemplary embodiment , the secondary router receives incoming frames from the computer network and routes them to the primary router . for example , when a secondary router operating the border gateway protocol ( bgp ) receives an outgoing tcp / ip frame it sends the message up through the interface &# 39 ; s associated network layer 400 . this layer notes that the received frame is an ip frame , strips off the message &# 39 ; s physical layer header and trailer , if any , and sends the message up to the ip layer 410 . in the described exemplary embodiment the ip layer determines the destination address of the frame and may determine that the frame is a tcp frame and may pass the frame to a tcp stream handler 420 . the tcp stream handler identifies the sequence number and that the stream is a bgp stream . in one embodiment the tcp layer does not generate an acknowledgement to the incoming control message during a peer session when the secondary router is operating in a backup mode . in the described exemplary embodiment a bgp layer 430 may examine the state information in the signaling or control message to determine if updated table entries for example are being communicated . the secondary router may then update the routing table accordingly to maintain a precise awareness of the session state from the primary router &# 39 ; s viewpoint . in this example , bgp and tcp are illustrated , however the present invention may be used in conjunction with a plurality of protocols such as , for example , ospf and udp as well as other protocol combinations . one of skill in the art will appreciate that the present invention may be implemented in variety of ways . for example , referring to fig7 in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention , the primary router 110 may for example forward control messages in accordance with any of a variety of routing protocols to the secondary router 116 via the switching backplane 160 . in this embodiment the secondary router may process the outgoing control frame and update it &# 39 ; s routing table in response to the processed message to reflect the session state from the peer router &# 39 ; s viewpoint . the secondary router may then forward the control frames to the switching backplane for broadcast to the protocol peers 122 . similarly , in the described exemplary embodiment the line cards associated with the primary and secondary routers may be programmed to forward incoming control or signaling messages received during a peer session to the secondary router via the switching backplane . in the described exemplary embodiment the secondary router may then process the incoming control messages and update it &# 39 ; s routing tables in response to the processed message to reflect the current session state from the primary router &# 39 ; s viewpoint . in this embodiment the secondary router may forward the control messages to the primary router via the switching backplane . one of skill in the art will appreciate that passing control messages en route from or to the primary router during a peer session through the secondary router may interrupt control plane communications with the primary router if the secondary router fails . therefore , in the described exemplary embodiment the primary router may also monitor the status of the secondary router . for example , the primary router may periodically forward a status request to the secondary router . in this embodiment , if the secondary router fails to respond with an acknowledgement the primary router may assume that the secondary router has failed . alternatively , the secondary router may automatically forward status messages to the primary router . in this embodiment , if the primary router does not receive a scheduled status message from the secondary router it may again assume that the secondary router has failed . in the described exemplary embodiment if the primary router detects a secondary router failure it may instruct the associated lines cards to forward control messages directly to the primary router . in addition , the primary router may also directly broadcast control messages to the peer routers via the switching backplane and associated line cards , bypassing the failed secondary router . although an exemplary embodiment of the present invention has been described , it should not be construed to limit the scope of the appended claims . those skilled in the art will understand that various modifications may be made to the described embodiment and that numerous other configurations are capable of achieving this same result . for example , referring to the simplified block diagram illustrated in fig8 in an exemplary alternate implementation , protocol messages are not indirectly communicated through the secondary router during a peer session . rather , the line card ( not shown ) may forward incoming routing protocol messages such as , for example , bgp messages , to both the primary router 110 and the secondary router 116 . in addition , in this embodiment , the secondary router may not process or snoop outgoing messages from the primary router to one or more peer routers on the other side of the network . therefore , the primary router does not need to monitor the secondary router to avoid peer session interruptions that might be caused by the failure of the secondary router . in operation , the secondary router typically does not respond to or acknowledge incoming protocol messages during a peer session when functioning in a backup role . rather the secondary router may again monitor the status of the primary router and upon failure of the primary router may begin responding to routing protocol messages . for example , in one embodiment , the secondary router may intermittently poll the primary router via the shared memory messaging interface 190 ( see fig2 ) and may immediately begin responding to protocol messages when the primary router has been deemed to have failed to respond . to those skilled in the various arts , the invention itself herein will suggest solutions to other tasks and adaptations for other applications . it is the applicants intention to cover by claims all such uses of the invention and those changes and modifications which could be made to the embodiments of the invention herein chosen for the purpose of disclosure without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . | 7 |
the present invention can provide organic thin film transistors ( otfts ), which contain a quinacridone derivative or derivatives as an active charge - transporting material to facilitate charge flow in the transistors . in one embodiment , quinacridone derivatives can be used in an otft as illustrated in formula i below , which can demonstrate a hole mobility of at least 0 . 1 cm 2 v − 1 s − 1 and a current on / off ratio of at least 10 4 respectively : wherein each r 1 - r 12 is independently — h , — oh , — nh 2 , - halogen , — sh , — cn , — no 2 , — r 13 , — or 14 , — sr 14 , — nhr 14 , or — n ( r 14 ) 2 ; each r 13 is —( c 1 - c 30 ) alkyl , - phenyl , - naphthyl or thiophene ; each of which is unsubstituted or substituted with one or more —( c 1 - c 15 ) alkyl , - phenyl , - naphthyl or - thiophene ; r 14 is defined as above for illustrative examples and exemplary compounds of formulae ( i ) are listed below in table 1 : table i com - structure pound q1 q2 q3 q4 q5 q6 q7 q8 the present invention can also provide an organic field effect transistor comprising a gate electrode , a metal oxide layer , an adhesive layer , a drain electrode , a source electrode , and an active layer comprising at least one quinacridone derivative as set forth above . the gate electrode can be silicon , doped silicon or aluminum . the metal oxide layer can be silicon oxide or aluminum oxide . the adhesive layer can be a layer of titanium or a layer of tungsten , or a layer of chromium . the drain electrode can be a layer of gold or a layer of platinum . the source electrode can be a layer of gold or a layer of platinum . wherein each r 1 - r 12 is independently — h , — oh , — nh 2 , - halogen , — sh , — cn , — no 2 , — r 13 , — or 14 , — sr 14 , nhr 14 , or — n ( r 14 ) 2 ; each r 13 is —( c 1 - c 30 ) alkyl , - phenyl , - naphthyl or thiophene ; each of which is unsubstituted or substituted with one or more —( c 1 - c 15 ) alkyl , - phenyl , - naphthyl or - thiophene ; r 14 is defined as above for r 13 . in another embodiment , the quinacridone derivative can be a compound having the formula : in a further embodiment , the quinacridone derivative contacts either the drain electrode or the source electrode . in another exemplary embodiment , the quinacridone derivatives act as a hole - transporting material to conduct a current flow under a bias . in one exemplary embodiment , the current flow is at least μa . in the organic field effect transistor of the present invention , the field effect mobility is at least 0 . 1 cm 2 v − 1 s − 1 and a current on / off ratio of at least 10 4 . the transistor comprising quinacridone derivatives can be potentially employed in a flat panel display , a photovoltaic device , a sensor , or the like . the following examples are set forth to aid in understanding of the present invention but are not intended to , and should not be interpreted to limit in any way the present invention . the configuration of quinacridone derivatives - based transistor of the present invention is schematically shown in fig1 . the transistor 400 has multiple layers as shown . gate oxide 410 preferably comprising sio 2 is deposited upon gate electrode 405 , n - type si gate . thin adhesion layer 415 comprising ti is placed on the top of layer 410 . gold drain electrode 420 and gold source electrode 430 are in contact with layer 415 . an active layer 440 containing at least one quinacridone derivative is deposited on top of the layer 410 , 420 and 430 . the quinacridone derivative in layer 440 is in contact with drain electrode 420 and source electrode 430 . in a preferred embodiment , the thickness for the gate oxide 410 is 100 nm ( permittivity = 3 . 9 ) and the adhesion layer 415 is 10 nm . the active channel of transistor 400 is from 1 to 5 μm which is defined by distance between drain and source electrodes . quinacridone derivative - based transistors can be fabricated on a substrate - gate structure . gate oxide sio 2 layer ( 100 nm , permittivity = 3 . 9 ) was thermally grown on n - type si substrates ( the gate electrode ). image reversal photolithography was used to form an opening on the photoresist layer for the source and drain patterns . source and drain metal layers ( au conductive film ( 50nm )) on a thin ti adhesion film ( 10 nm ) were deposited by vacuum deposition on top of the sio 2 layer . after the deposition of source and drain electrodes , standard lift - off processes in acetone solution was used to remove the unnecessary metal films on top of the photoresist pattern . the source / drain metal patterns on gate oxide substrate were cleaned with isopropyl alcohol and deionized water respectively , followed by drying under a nitrogen atmosphere . the profile of au electrode was characterized with afm that reveal smooth slope and regular patterns along the entire channel width . all the devices have a channel length and width of 40 and 3000 μm . in this example , the patterned transistor was cleaned before the deposition of active layer . the procedures are shown as follows : first , the transistor was washed with acetone , toluene , methanol and 18 mω water in sequence . afterwards , the transistor was kept under a nitrogen atmosphere until dry and then transferred to a uv - ozone chamber . the transistor was cleaned under a uv ozone treatment for 15 min . and dried under a nitrogen atmosphere . bottom contact otft devices comprising the quinacridone derivatives as active layers were fabricated respectively . all transistors were fabricated with quinacridone derivatives ( thickness = 50 nm ; deposition rate = 2 å / s ) on top of the patterned substrates under high vacuum conditions ( 1 . 0 × 10 6 torr ) respectively . thermal stabilities of q 1 - q 8 were characterized by thermogravimetric analysis ( tga ) before vacuum deposition . the decomposition temperature ( t d ) was measured with a scanning rate of 15 ° c ./ min under a nitrogen atmosphere and the results are listed in table 2 . all quinacridone derivatives are thermally stable for vacuum thermal deposition with t d up to 406 ° c . for 4 . the field - effect mobilities in saturation regime of otfts fabricated with q 1 - q 8 were measured respectively and their performances are listed in table 2 . q 1 - q 8 have a similar chemical structure ; however , their transistor behaviors are significantly different . only q 1 and q 6 - 8 show field effect mobilities in their corresponding otfts . though q 2 - q 5 have similar chemical structures to their q 6 - 8 counterparts and differ by having no methyl groups attached to quinacridone core , no transistor behavior was observed in these quinacridone derivative - based transistors . in this invention , n , n ′- di ( n - octyl )- 1 , 3 , 8 , 10 - tetramethylquinacridone q 8 was found to exhibit the best field - effect mobility . fig2 and 3 show the output and transfer curves of an organic transistors fabricated with q 8 . the device demonstrates typical p - type fet behavior in both saturated and linear regimes , which are comparable to the conventional transistor models . a field mobility and current on / off ratio (/ on // off ) as high as 1 × 10 − 1 cm 2 v − 1 s − 1 and ˜ 10 4 was achieved . devices fabricated with n , n ′- di ( n - butyl )- or n , n ′- di ( n - hexyl )- 1 , 3 , 8 , 10 - tetramethylquinacridone q 6 and q 7 also exhibited field effect mobilities of 1 . 5 and 3 . 1 × 10 − 3 cm 2 v − 1 s − 1 . in comparison , a device fabricated with q 1 containing n , n ′- dimethyl substituents on the quinacridone core showed a mobility of 1 . 5 × 10 − 3 cm 2 v − 1 s − 1 . the field - effect mobility of quinacridone - based otfts increases with increasing the side alkyl chain length of quinacridone moiety . the film morphologies of q 1 - q 3 , q 6 , and q 8 on silicon dioxide surface were characterized by sem respectively under same condition . all films were deposited with a deposition rate of 2 ås − 1 . as shown in fig4 , q 1 exhibits a homogenous packing film with small crystal grains and the field effect mobility of q 1 - based otft was 1 . 5 × 10 − 3 cm 2 v − 1 s − 1 . q 2 and q 3 which containing n , n ′- diethyl and n , n ′- di ( n - butyl ) side chains show large - gap and discontinuous flat crystals which separate far from each others ( fig5 and 6 ). the loose - fitting flat crystals of q 2 and q 3 result in less π - π interaction between their contiguous molecules . compared to q 3 , q 6 containing n , n ′- di ( n - butyl ) groups plus four methyl substituents on the quinacridone core showed a field effect mobility of 1 . 5 × 10 − 3 cm 2 v 1 − 1 s − . this finding is supported by the sem micrograph of q 6 film ( fig7 ) where polycrystalline grain structure was observed . by increasing the chain lengths from — c 4 h 9 ( q 6 ) to — c 8 h 17 ( q 8 ), the crystal packing structure transforms from loose ( q 6 , fig7 ) to compact grains structure ( q 8 , fig8 ). evidently , a condensed crystal structure is far more preferable for charge carriers flow . thus , the field effect mobility of q 6 - based otft was 1 . 5 × 10 − 3 cm 2 v − 1 s − 1 which was two orders of magnitude less than that reported for q 8 ( table 2 ). these results reveal that the charge carrier mobility of quinacridone molecules is highly dependent on the film morphology , which in turn depends on the chemical structure of the molecules . the presence of four methyl substituents and long n , n ′- di ( n - octyl ) side chains in q 8 induce formation of a dense and squashed crystal packing structure with polycrystalline grains . the mobility of q 8 - based otft ( 10 − 1 cm 2 v − 1 s − 1 ) was about 100 times better than that of the other corresponding quinacridone derivatives (˜ 10 − 3 cm 2 v − 1 s − 1 ). the above description and examples are only illustrative of preferred embodiments which achieve the objects , features , and advantages of the present invention , and it is not intended that the present invention be limited thereto . any modifications of the present invention which come within the spirit and scope of the following claims is considered part of the present invention . the following references and other other patents , patent applications or other publications referred to in this application are incorporated by reference herein : 1 . g . horowitz , organic field - effect transistors , adv mater . 1998 , 10 , 365 - 377 . 2 . c . d . sheraw , l . zhou , j . r . huang , d . j . gundlach , t . n . jackson , m . g . kane , i . g . hill , m . s . hammond , j . campi , b . k . greening j . francl , j . west , organic thin - 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reference will now be made to the drawings wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout . the following description is of the best mode presently contemplated for practicing the invention . this description is not to be taken in a limiting sense but is made merely for the purpose of describing the general principles of the invention . the scope of the invention should be ascertained with reference to the issued claims . in the description of the invention that follows , like numerals or reference designators will be used to refer to like parts or elements throughout . in one embodiment , as shown in fig1 , an implantable cardiac stimulation device 10 is in electrical communication with a patient &# 39 ; s heart 12 by way of three leads , 20 , 24 and 30 , suitable for delivering multi - chamber stimulation and shock therapy . to sense atrial cardiac signals and to provide right atrial chamber stimulation therapy , the stimulation device 10 is coupled to an implantable right atrial lead 20 having at least an atrial tip electrode 22 , which typically is implanted in the patient &# 39 ; s right atrial appendage . to sense left atrial and ventricular cardiac signals and to provide left chamber pacing therapy , the stimulation device 10 is coupled to a “ coronary sinus ” lead 24 designed for placement in the “ coronary sinus region ” via the coronary sinus ostium ( os ) for positioning a distal electrode adjacent to the left ventricle and / or additional electrode ( s ) adjacent to the left atrium . as used herein , the phrase “ coronary sinus region ” refers to the vasculature of the left ventricle , including any portion of the coronary sinus , great cardiac vein , left marginal vein , left posterior ventricular vein , middle cardiac vein , and / or small cardiac vein or any other cardiac vein accessible by the coronary sinus . accordingly , an exemplary coronary sinus lead 24 is designed to receive atrial and ventricular cardiac signals and to deliver left ventricular pacing therapy using at least a left ventricular tip electrode 26 , left atrial pacing therapy using at least a left atrial ring electrode 27 , and shocking therapy using at least a left atrial coil electrode 28 . the stimulation device 10 is also shown in electrical communication with the patient &# 39 ; s heart 12 by way of an implantable right ventricular lead 30 having , in this embodiment , a right ventricular tip electrode 32 , a right ventricular ring electrode 34 , a right ventricular ( rv ) coil electrode 36 , and a superior vena cava ( svc ) coil electrode 38 . typically , the right ventricular lead 30 is transvenously inserted into the heart 12 so as to place the right ventricular tip electrode 32 in the right ventricular apex so that the rv coil electrode will be positioned in the right ventricle and the svc coil electrode 38 will be positioned in the superior vena cava . accordingly , the right ventricular lead 30 is capable of receiving cardiac signals , and delivering stimulation in the form of pacing and shock therapy to the right ventricle . the right atrial lead 20 , the coronary sinus lead 24 , and the right ventricular lead 30 can all incorporate cardiomechanical electric sensor ( cmes ) material so that the leads can function to provide cardiac mechanical motion data as described herein . as illustrated in fig2 a , a simplified block diagram is shown of the multi - chamber implantable stimulation device 10 , which is capable of treating both fast and slow arrhythmias with stimulation therapy , including cardioversion , defibrillation , and pacing stimulation . while a particular multi - chamber device is shown , this is for illustration purposes only and one of skill in the art could readily duplicate , eliminate or disable the appropriate circuitry in any desired combination to provide a device capable of treating the appropriate chamber ( s ) with cardioversion , defibrillation and pacing stimulation . the housing 40 for the stimulation device 10 , shown schematically in fig2 a , is often referred to as the “ can ”, “ case ” or “ case electrode ” and may be programmably selected to act as the return electrode for all pacemaker “ unipolar ” modes . the housing 40 may further be used as a return electrode alone or in combination with one or more of the coil electrodes , 28 , 36 and 38 , for shocking purposes . the housing 40 further includes a connector ( not shown ) having a plurality of terminals 42 , 44 , 46 , 48 , 52 , 54 , 56 , and 58 ( shown schematically and , for convenience , the names of the electrodes to which they are connected are shown next to the terminals ). as such , to achieve right atrial sensing and pacing , the connector includes at least a right atrial tip terminal ( a r tip ) 42 adapted for connection to the atrial tip electrode 22 . to achieve left chamber sensing , pacing and shocking , the connector includes at least a left ventricular tip terminal ( v l tip ) 44 , a left atrial ring terminal ( a l ring ) 46 , and a left atrial shocking terminal ( a l coil ) 48 , which are adapted for connection to the left ventricular tip electrode 26 , the left atrial ring electrode 27 , and the left atrial coil electrode 28 , respectively . to support right chamber sensing , pacing and shocking , the connector further includes a right ventricular tip terminal ( v r tip ) 52 , a right ventricular ring terminal ( v r ring ) 54 , a right ventricular shocking terminal ( rv coil ) 56 , and an svc shocking terminal ( svc coil ) 58 , which are adapted for connection to the right ventricular tip electrode 32 , right ventricular ring electrode 34 , the rv coil electrode 36 , and the svc coil electrode 38 , respectively . at the core of the stimulation device 10 is a programmable microcontroller 60 which controls the various modes of stimulation therapy . as is well known in the art , the microcontroller 60 typically includes a microprocessor , or equivalent control circuitry , designed specifically for controlling the delivery of stimulation therapy and may further include ram or rom memory , logic and timing circuitry , state machine circuitry , and i / o circuitry . typically , the microcontroller 60 includes the ability to process or monitor input signals ( data ) as controlled by a program code stored in a designated block of memory . the details of the design and operation of the microcontroller 60 are not critical to the invention . rather , any suitable microcontroller 60 may be used that carries out the functions described herein . the use of microprocessor - based control circuits for performing timing and data analysis functions are well known in the art . as shown in fig2 a , an atrial pulse generator 70 and a ventricular pulse generator 72 generate pacing stimulation pulses for delivery by the right atrial lead 20 , the right ventricular lead 30 , and / or the coronary sinus lead 24 via an electrode configuration switch 74 . it is understood that in order to provide stimulation therapy in each of the four chambers of the heart , the atrial and ventricular pulse generators 70 , 72 may include dedicated , independent pulse generators , multiplexed pulse generators , or shared pulse generators . the pulse generators 70 , 72 are controlled by the microcontroller 60 via appropriate control signals , 76 and 78 , respectively , to trigger or inhibit the stimulation pulses . the microcontroller 60 further includes timing control circuitry 79 which is used to control the timing of such stimulation pulses ( e . g ., pacing rate , atrio - ventricular ( av ) delay , atrial interconduction ( a - a ) delay , or ventricular interconduction ( v - v ) delay , etc .) as well as to keep track of the timing of refractory periods , pvarp intervals , noise detection windows , evoked response windows , alert intervals , marker channel timing , etc ., which is well known in the art . the switch 74 includes a plurality of switches for connecting the desired electrodes to the appropriate i / o circuits , thereby providing complete electrode programmability . accordingly , the switch 74 , in response to a control signal 80 from the microcontroller 60 , determines the polarity of the stimulation pulses ( e . g ., unipolar , bipolar , combipolar , etc .) by selectively closing the appropriate combination of switches ( not shown ) as is known in the art . in this embodiment , the switch 74 also supports simultaneous high resolution impedance measurements , such as between the case or housing 40 , the right atrial electrode 22 , and right ventricular electrodes 32 , 34 as described in greater detail below . atrial sensing circuits 82 and ventricular sensing circuits 84 may also be selectively coupled to the right atrial lead 20 , coronary sinus lead 24 , and the right ventricular lead 30 , through the switch 74 for detecting the presence of cardiac activity in each of the four chambers of the heart . accordingly , the atrial ( atr . sense ) and ventricular ( vtr . sense ) sensing circuits 82 , 84 may include dedicated sense amplifiers , multiplexed amplifiers , or shared amplifiers . the switch 74 determines the “ sensing polarity ” of the cardiac signal by selectively closing the appropriate switches , as is also known in the art . in this way , the clinician may program the sensing polarity independently of the stimulation polarity . each sensing circuit 82 , 84 preferably employs one or more low power , precision amplifiers with programmable gain and / or automatic gain control , bandpass filtering , and a threshold detection circuit , as known in the art , to selectively sense the cardiac signal of interest . the automatic gain control enables the device 10 to deal effectively with the difficult problem of sensing the low amplitude signal characteristics of atrial or ventricular fibrillation . the outputs of the atrial and ventricular sensing circuits 82 , 84 are connected to the microcontroller 60 which , in turn , are able to trigger or inhibit the atrial and ventricular pulse generators 70 , 72 respectively , in a demand fashion in response to the absence or presence of cardiac activity in the appropriate chambers of the heart . for arrhythmia detection , the device 10 utilizes the atrial and ventricular sensing circuits 82 , 84 to sense cardiac signals to determine whether a rhythm is physiologic or pathologic . as used herein “ sensing ” is reserved for the noting of an electrical signal , and “ detection ” is the processing of these sensed signals and noting the presence of an arrhythmia . the timing intervals between sensed events ( e . g ., p - waves , r - waves , and depolarization signals associated with fibrillation ) are then classified by the microcontroller 60 by comparing them to a predefined rate zone limit ( i . e ., bradycardia , normal , low rate vt , high rate vt , and fibrillation rate zones ) and various other characteristics ( e . g ., sudden onset , stability , physiologic sensors , and morphology , etc .) in order to determine the type of remedial therapy that is needed ( e . g ., bradycardia pacing , anti - tachycardia pacing , cardioversion shocks or defibrillation shocks , collectively referred to as “ tiered therapy ”). cardiac signals are also applied to the inputs of an analog - to - digital ( a / d ) data acquisition system 90 . the data acquisition system 90 is configured to acquire intracardiac electrogram ( iegm ) signals , convert the raw analog data into a digital signal , and store the digital signals for later processing and / or telemetric transmission to an external device 102 . the data acquisition system 90 is coupled to the right atrial lead 20 , the coronary sinus lead 24 , and the right ventricular lead 30 through the switch 74 to sample cardiac signals across any pair of desired electrodes . the microcontroller 60 is further coupled to a memory 94 by a suitable data / address bus 96 , wherein the programmable operating parameters used by the microcontroller are stored and modified , as required , in order to customize the operation of the stimulation device 10 to suit the needs of a particular patient . such operating parameters define , for example , pacing pulse amplitude , pulse duration , electrode polarity , rate , sensitivity , automatic features , arrhythmia detection criteria , and the amplitude , waveshape and vector of each shocking pulse to be delivered to the patient &# 39 ; s heart 12 within each respective tier of therapy . advantageously , the operating parameters of the implantable device 10 may be non - invasively programmed into the memory 94 through a telemetry circuit 100 in telemetric communication with the external device 102 , such as a programmer , transtelephonic transceiver , or a diagnostic system analyzer . the telemetry circuit 100 is activated by the microcontroller by a control signal 106 . the telemetry circuit 100 advantageously allows iegms and status information relating to the operation of the device 10 ( as contained in the microcontroller 60 or memory 94 ) to be sent to the external device 102 through an established communication link 104 . in the preferred embodiment , the stimulation device 10 further includes a physiologic sensor 108 , commonly referred to as a “ rate - responsive ” sensor because it is typically used to adjust pacing stimulation rate according to the exercise state of the patient . however , the physiological sensor 108 may further be used to detect changes in cardiac output , changes in the physiological condition of the heart , or diurnal changes in activity ( e . g ., detecting sleep and wake states ). accordingly , the microcontroller 60 responds by adjusting the various pacing parameters ( such as rate , av delay , v - v delay , etc .) at which the atrial and ventricular pulse generators 70 , 72 generate stimulation pulses . the stimulation device additionally includes a battery 110 which provides operating power to all of the circuits shown in fig2 a . for the stimulation device 10 , which employs shocking therapy , the battery 110 must be capable of operating at low current drains for long periods of time and then be capable of providing high - current pulses ( for capacitor charging ) when the patient requires a shock pulse . the battery 110 must also have a predictable discharge characteristic so that elective replacement time can be detected . accordingly , embodiments of the device 10 including shocking capability preferably employ lithium / silver vanadium oxide batteries . for embodiments of the device 10 not including shocking capability , the battery 110 will preferably be lithium iodide or carbon monoflouride or a hybrid of the two . as further shown in fig2 a , the device 10 is shown as having an impedance measuring circuit 112 which is enabled by the microcontroller 60 via a control signal 114 . in the case where the stimulation device 10 is intended to operate as an implantable cardioverter / defibrillator ( icd ) device , it must detect the occurrence of an arrhythmia , and automatically apply an appropriate electrical shock therapy to the heart aimed at terminating the detected arrhythmia . to this end , the microcontroller 60 further controls a shocking circuit 116 by way of a control signal 118 . the shocking circuit 116 generates shocking pulses of low ( up to 0 . 5 joules ), moderate ( 0 . 5 - 10 joules ), or high energy ( 11 to 40 joules ), as controlled by the microcontroller 60 . such shocking pulses are applied to the patient &# 39 ; s heart 12 through at least two shocking electrodes , and as shown in this embodiment , selected from the la coil electrode 28 , the rv coil electrode 36 , and / or the svc coil electrode 38 . as noted above , the housing 40 may act as an active electrode in combination with the rv electrode 36 , or as part of a split electrical vector using the svc coil electrode 38 or the la coil electrode 28 ( i . e ., using the rv electrode as a common electrode ). cardioversion shocks are generally considered to be of low to moderate energy level ( so as to minimize pain felt by the patient ), and / or synchronized with an r - wave and / or pertaining to the treatment of tachycardia . defibrillation shocks are generally of moderate to high energy level ( i . e ., corresponding to thresholds in the range of 5 - 40 joules ), delivered asynchronously ( since r - waves may be too disorganized ), and pertaining exclusively to the treatment of fibrillation . accordingly , the microcontroller 60 is capable of controlling the synchronous or asynchronous delivery of the shocking pulses . a variety of diseases such as cardiomyopathy , congestive heart failure , hypertrophic cardiomyopathy , aortic stenosis and ischemic heart disease show characteristic abnormalities in myocardial strain , myocardial tissue velocity and myocardial tissue displacement , rotation and torsion . tissue doppler imaging ( tdi ) data is used to derive myocardial strain and strain rate by analysis of regional disparities in tissue velocity or the spatial location of ultrasonic reflectors ( speckle tracking ) as a function of time . this information is used clinically to evaluate properties of myocardial motion and deformation that provide insight into the electromechanics of the heart . in some embodiments , lead - based sensors may be used as an alternative to tdi for generating quantitative information which relates to the same properties such as myocardial strain , myocardial strain rate , myocardial tissue velocity and myocardial tissue displacement , rotation and torsion . sensors capable of acquiring this data can be used for monitoring purposes and communicate information related to cardiac performance and dysynchrony to the clinician . the same data can be used as part of a closed loop system for crt timing . piezoelectric materials will generate a voltage when subject to mechanical stress or strain , with the magnitude of voltage dependent upon the magnitude of the stress or strain . in some embodiments , sensors comprised of piezoelectric material and positioned in locations optimal for detection of cardiac deformation and / or motion generate raw signals of cardiac mechanical data that can be further processed into myocardial strain , myocardial strain rate , myocardial tissue velocity and myocardial tissue displacement , rotation and torsion data . embodiments of cmess may comprise one or more piezoelectric transducers , which convert mechanical motion into electrical signals . as illustrated in cross section in fig2 b , in some embodiments , a cmes 200 comprises a tubular and / or annular piezoelectric element 210 , either self - supporting or disposed on a supporting structure . in some embodiments , conductors 220 contact the inner and outer surfaces of the tubular or annular element 210 . electrical connections 230 are coupled to the conductors 220 . in preferred embodiments , the sensor 200 is dimensioned for incorporation into a lead . for example , in some embodiments , the outer diameter of the sensor 200 is similar to the outer diameter of a lead , permitting the sensor to be disposed at any position along a lead without causing a profile change that could affect placement of the lead . in some embodiments , one or more of an electrode and / or other sensors is disposed over at least a portion of the sensor 200 . a longitudinal passageway 240 through the sensor 200 in the illustrated embodiment permits routing electrical and / or other types of connections therethrough , for example , from one or more electrodes and / or sensors disposed on the same lead . the conductors 220 comprise any suitable material known in the art , for example , titanium , titanium alloy , titanium nitride , platinum , platinum alloy , carbon , niobium , niobium alloy , tantalum , tantalum alloy , gold , combinations , and the like . in some embodiments , a patient &# 39 ; s tissue is used as one of the conductors . in some embodiments , an elastomer is disposed over the sensor 200 ( not illustrated ). preferred elastomers are biocompatible , including , for example , silicones , polyurethanes , ethylene - propylene copolymers , fluorinated elastomers , combinations , and the like . in some embodiments , the piezoelectric element comprises a relatively hard material , thereby permitting reliable measurements with only small deflections of the piezoelectric material . preferred piezoelectric materials are biocompatible , for example , ceramic piezoelectric materials , including ceramic ferroelectric particles , lead zirconate titanate ( lead zirconium titanate , pzt ), barium titanate , sodium potassium niobate , and the like . in some embodiments , the piezoelectric material comprises na 0 . 5 k 0 . 5 nbo 3 , for example , as described in u . s . pat . no . 6 , 526 , 984 . other piezoelectric materials or deformation - based sensors may also be used . one preferred sensor configuration comprises a piezoelectric material that is thin and covers a large amount of myocardial tissue surface area . covering a large surface area provides global deformation data in comparison to the local information acquired by cmes material deposited in a smaller region . in order for data to be representative of myocardial deformation the cmes preferably contacts myocardium , and thus , the cmes is preferably located along the distal portion of a lead body and contours along either a large caliber coronary sinus lead or the epicardial surface if the cmes is deployed via a limited thoracotomy ( e . g ., a pericardial or epicardial approach ). in other embodiments , the cmes comprises a conductive polymer that has a resistance that changes as a function of strain . by measuring the resistance of the conductive polymer , the strain can be determined . the conductive polymer can be polyacetylene , polyaniline , polypyrrole or any other suitable conductive polymer . in some embodiments that use piezoelectric materials , the raw cmes signal is a measurement of deformation ( strain ), and can be expressed in units of voltage . referring to fig3 a , which depicts a micrograph of some isolated cardiac muscle fibers 304 from the heart , contraction and relaxation of the myocytes may be quantified by the deformation of adjacent mechanical sensors . strain in the myocardium may be measured by the change in relevant length of myocardium : the strain ( e ) given by eq . 1 is a dimensionless quantity . strain is measure of a fractional change from unstressed dimension given by the unstressed zero length . referring to fig3 b and 3c , an expansion to the muscle fiber 304 length l 302 from the initial length lo 300 represents a positive strain , while a compression and dimensional shortening represents a negative strain l 302 . a first order derivative of the raw strain signal with respect to time generates a measure of the deformation ( strain ) rate . the calculated quantity , strain rate , with the unit 1 / s is a measure of the rate of deformation and is equivalent to the shortening or lengthening velocity per fiber length . the microcontroller 60 can also comprise circuitry to process data obtained by the cmes as described herein as part of a closed loop system . alternatively , the data obtained by the cmes can be communicated to an external device 102 and processed thereafter . fig4 depicts a velocity curve 400 of a region of the myocardium 402 generated by tissue tracking data derived from echocardiographs 404 . tissue tracking images are two - dimensional maps that display color - coded tissue velocity information and can be used to identify wall motion abnormalities and to estimate regional strain or shortening of the myocardium . tissue tracking may be particularly useful in identifying wall motion abnormalities that may be treated with resynchronization therapy or may be used to optimize resynchronization therapy . a time of integral of the velocity curve 400 yields a displacement curve 406 of the same region of myocardium . fig5 a depicts echo - generated tissue velocity curves 400 in the apical to basal regions of the heart . the y - axis 502 represents the velocity , the x - axis 504 represents time and the area under the curve 506 , which can be obtained by integrating the velocity curve 400 , represents tissue displacement . fig5 b shows a velocity curve 400 , a displacement curve 406 which can be obtained by integrating the velocity curve 400 , a strain rate curve 510 and a strain curve 512 which can be obtained by integrating the strain rate curve 510 in the apex 514 , mid - wall 516 and base 518 of the heart . as shown in fig5 a , and 5 b , along a longitudinal axis generally parallel to the spine , the heart contracts and moves from base to apex during systole . the heart relaxes and moves in the opposite direction , from apex to base , during diastole . the basal regions generally move a greater distance , an average of approximately 12 mm at most basal segments , than the apical regions , which move approximately 0 - 2 mm at cardiac apex . a measurement of the relative difference in distance that any two regions traverse will generate longitudinal deformation ( strain ) information . echocardiographic techniques such as tissue tracking demonstrate this displacement phenomenon as well as characteristics of velocity , strain and strain rate . in some embodiments , as shown in fig6 , a cmes - bearing device 600 , such as an lv lead , is positioned with respect to the left ventricle ( lv ) such that a portion of the lead incorporating cmes material 604 is substantially parallel to the cardiac central longitudinal axis ( cla ) to thereby acquire longitudinal deformation information . similar information can be acquired by positioning another cmes - bearing device 602 , such as an rv lead , such that a portion of the lead incorporating cmes material 606 is substantially parallel with the cla . both cmes devices 600 , 602 generate data related to the motion of the cardiac apex relative to the base if the cmes material 604 , 606 covers enough surface area along the cla of the heart and contacts myocardial tissue . the greater the distance ( base to apex ) the cmes material 604 , 606 traverses , the greater the amount of resultant deformation and the more global the representation of cardiac motion will be . in the case of the rv lead 602 , additional cmess 608 , 610 may be included . basally located cmes 610 will deform more than apically located cmes 608 and thus be more sensitive to changes in global cardiac geometry . in some embodiments , regional contractile information can be generated from cmes material that covers a short distance . in normal hearts or hearts with global decreases in contractility ( strain , deformation ) such a reduced surface area electrode can provide information about global cardiac contractile function because any regional properties are homogeneous with global properties ( e . g . dilated cardiomyopathy ). however , in more anisotropic conditions , whether in the space domain or time domain , such as ischemic cardiomyopathy or electromechanical dysynchrony , respectively , regional information provides little information about global cardiac contractile function . as the heart is embryologically and structurally derived from a single muscle band that has certain deformation properties , tethering effects ( e . g . regional myocardial shortening has a pulling effect on surrounding myocardium ) create some degree of interrelation between regional and global cardiac deformation . thus , cmes acquired data in the longitudinal axis will provide clinically relevant information if the material covers enough surface area ( e . g . longitudinal lead length ). relative differences in tissue velocity can be used to determine myocardial strain rate derived by using the strain rate equation . this technique is implemented in sophisticated echocardiography machines that are capable of tissue doppler imaging for quantifying regional myocardial strain rate , strain , velocity and displacement . this equation can be similarly applied herein to derive analogous indices descriptive of the same myocardial properties using implanted cmes technology . the strain rate ( sr ) equation is : where vb and va represent regional velocities at points b and a , respectively , sr = strain rate and x = length between points a and b . the calculated strain rate is representative of the myocardial deformation in the region encompassing points a and b where the tissue velocities were measured . similarly , eq . 2 can be utilized to derive estimated tissue velocity information of cardiac motion by using the strain rate between points a and b measured with a cmes sensor capable of measuring strain . taking the derivative of the strain with respect to time yields the strain rate , which can then be used in eq . 2 to determine velocity information . for example in some embodiments , as shown in fig7 , if cmes material 604 in series and in contact with the myocardium at points a 700 and b 702 , which are separated by distance x 704 , the resultant summed deformation voltage vsum that is generated by the series sensor material 604 provides strain information produced along distance x 704 and can be used to derive a deformation index . this property may also be acquired by depositing cmes material 604 along a relatively long portion of an implanted lead in contact with myocardium . in some embodiments , distance x 704 is in a range of about 4 mm to about 30 mm , preferably about 5 mm to about 20 mm , and most preferably about 5 mm to about 10 mm . the first derivative of the signal generated from cmes deformation between points a and b as a function of time , dvsum / dt = dcmes / dt , is proportionate to sr and can be used to derive a sr index that can be plotted as a function of time . the integration of the sr index can be performed to derive an index of strain , which in some embodiments is an index of longitudinal strain . the measure of strain or strain rate between points a and b can be used to detect a myocardial infarct by comparing the measured strain or strain rate values with expected or normal strain or strain rate values . abnormally low strain or strain rate values may indicate the presence of a myocardial infarct . in order to derive regional velocity information , a velocity index , vi , can be defined that is representative of the spatial velocity gradient between points a and b , having a distance x , where vb and va represent regional velocities at points b and a , respectively . rearranging eq . 2 , the strain rate equation , and substituting vi for vb − va yields : thus , by combining eq . 3 and eq . 4 , the cmes derived velocity index , vi , equals the first order derivative , d ( cmes )/ dt , multiplied by x , where x is the span of the distance between cmes electrodes a and b ( or length along a lengthy cmes electrode ). this index can be expressed in units , voltage - cm / sec . this index can be measured instantaneously by using d ( cmes )/ dt max or measured as a function of time during the cardiac cycle . this index generally parallels tissue doppler measurements of myocardial velocity . integration of this velocity waveform will provide displacement information and measurements such as peak longitudinal displacement can be derived . an alternate means of deriving an index of myocardial velocity is by defining the pure cmes signal as a measurement of motion ( e . g . velocity , acceleration ). in order for the cmes to represent motion rather than deformation , the cmes is preferably not fixated to myocardium and is instead relatively free floating . in some embodiments , as shown in fig8 a and 8b , if two or more cmess 800 , 802 are deployed in interventricular septal and lv lateral regions , respectively , information about dysynchrony can be derived . one cmes 802 can be deployed in the lv lateral region via the coronary sinus region ( fig8 a ) or by a transeptal approach ( fig8 b ). alternatively , a pericardial approach ( not shown ) may be used to place the cmes 802 in the lv lateral region . though electromechanical dysynchrony is an anisotropic property , differences between septal and lateral wall motion are often seen in patients suffering from dysynchrony and such measurements are considered specific indicators of patients who respond to cardiac resynchronization therapy ( crt ) device implants . thus , as shown in fig8 c , time of peak cmes voltage ( tcmespeak ) from the septal sensor 800 and lateral sensor 802 located in the distal portion of lead and proximate to myocardium may be used together to provide a cmes dysynchrony index or other parameter that is indicative of the time to peak myocardial strain , which is a currently utilized ultrasonic measurement of dysynchrony . in another embodiment , rv apically placed leads may generate similar information if the cmes material deformation is congruent with septal deformation during the cardiac cycle . alternatively , time to peak d ( cmes )/ dt , which will parallel measurements of time to peak sr , can be used instead to calculate the cmes dysynchrony index . other features of the cmes signal can be used for timing ( e . g . time of onset of cmes voltage waveform ( vcmes ) or time to peak dvcmes / dt ). generally , the relative timings of the cmes generated signals in opposing regions of interest , for example myocardial wall segments , can be utilized for deriving a dysynchrony index . as the cmes dysynchrony index approaches a value of one , conditions of synchrony will be present . ideally , this time will occur during the latter portion of the systolic ejection phase , when strain 512 is maximal in normal hearts , as shown in fig5 b . as changes in interval timing occur , the index may be followed and the programmed intervals that yield an index that is closest to unity will be optimal . changes in atrioventricular ( av ) and interventricular ( vv ) timing can be made such that multiple permutations of av and vv intervals are evaluated because changes in av timing and vv timing do not have mutually exclusive effects on cardiac synchrony or systolic or diastolic performance . as shown in fig9 , an array or matrix 900 of several av and vv intervals can be tested using a matrix optimization method ( mom ) while the cmes dysynchrony index ( cmes di ) is evaluated for each permutation . mom is described in greater detail in u . s . pat . no . 7 , 010 , 347 , herein incorporated by reference in its entirety . regarding cmes di evaluation , at block 904 cmes di is calculated for a set of current av and vv intervals . at block 906 the calculated cmes di is compared to unity plus or minus a default value ( e . g . a programmable standard deviation ). if the cmes di does not equal unity plus or minus the default value , the process returns to block 902 where another set of av and vv intervals are selected and block 904 where another cmes di is calculated . once cmes di equals unity plus or minus a default value , the tested av and vv intervals are programmed into the device at block 912 . the standard deviation can be derived by analysis of previous values during earlier optimization efforts . the cmes dysynchrony index may also be used with intracardiac electrogram ( iegm ) data for monitoring electromechanical dysynchrony in the heart . if electromechanical dysynchrony is detected , lead based cmes electrodes , as described herein , can be used to implement resynchronization timing therapy as part of a closed loop system . see , for example , u . s . pat . no . 7 , 010 , 347 , previously incorporated by reference . with reference to fig1 a and 10b , in some embodiments , cmess 1010 may be deployed circumferentially along the proximal to lateral portion of the main coronary sinus branch ( endovascular leads ) ( fig1 a ), or along the av groove ( pericardial leads ) ( fig1 b ). in these arrangements , parameters of radial deformation and motion can be derived . radial strain can be used as a global cardiac performance index . however , radial strain is subject to regional effects and the performance of more apical segments may not be well represented , leading to the possibility that regional pathology ( e . g . an mid - cavitary or apical infarct ) will not be detected . in some embodiments , a lead configuration where the cmes is in close proximity to tissue and not free - floating may be utilized to derive rotational velocity information using eq . 5 , thereby providing an index of basal cardiac rotational velocity . if this data is also acquired about the cardiac apex , which is preferably obtained with a pericardial or epicardial lead deployed using a sub - xyphoid approach as shown in fig1 b , relative rotational data can be acquired for derivation of a torsion index . in normal hearts , the cardiac base rotates in an opposite direction from the apex . for example , during isovolumic contraction , the base rotates counter - clockwise while the apex rotates clockwise . the opposite motion occurs during isovolumic relaxation as shown in fig1 d . in fig1 d , curve 1000 represents tissue velocity as a function of time for basilar systolic counter - clockwise rotation and diastolic counter - clockwise rotation . curve 1002 is apical systolic clockwise rotation and diastolic counter - clockwise rotation . this torsion effect is pivotal in generating forces that contribute to isovolumic contraction , aortic valve opening and systolic forward flow and a diastolic suction effect that contributes to early diastolic rapid filling during isovolumic relaxation . time t 1004 is diastolic filling time where no torsion is present and the heart translates and expands 1006 rather than rotates . identification of this timeframe using intracardiac electrograms ( e . g . just before and after the p wave ) can assist in temporal labeling of the generated cmes signals ( see below ). leads placed using a pericardial or epicardial approach are generally more appropriately oriented for generation of clinically relevant cmes signals . in some embodiments , circumferential deformation effects ( i . e . systolic circumferential shortening ) will contribute to the raw radial cmes signal data . thus , the derived rotational velocity information includes both the actual rotational velocity information plus a contribution from circumferential deformation effects . in studies using tissue velocity imaging , the estimated amount of contribution of circumferential deformation to the measured velocity data is approximately 13 % in normal patients and under 5 % in patients with class iii or iv heart failure and ejection fraction less than 40 % ( personal , unpublished data ). thus , application of eq . 5 to radially derived cmes data will provide a relatively accurate index of pure cardiac rotational velocity with some contribution from the effects of circumferential deformation . the amount of contribution of circumferential deformation and of rotational velocity to the data acquired will also relate to the amount of contact the sensor has with underlying tissue . nonetheless , this cardiac performance index is a useful blend of rotational velocity and circumferential contractile properties . if directional information can be derived ( e . g . clockwise vs . counter - clockwise ) from sensors 1010 and 1012 positioned in the apex and base , respectively , as shown in fig1 b , a torsion index can be obtained by adding the measured indices ( in essence adding the absolute values as the rotational vectors are opposite ). patients with more advanced heart failure will have less rotation and / or torsion and less circumferential deformation with a resultant translational motion without significant rotational velocities . thus , the resulting cmes rotational and torsional index will be less in these patients . integration of rotational or torsional dcmes / dt will derive a rotational or torsional displacement index , respectively . in some embodiments , embedding cmes material on an implantable lead such that the voltage generated relies on the direction of deformation will allow the derivation of more accurate representations of actual physiologic properties . for example , as shown in fig1 c , the cmes material 1014 can be placed in strips parallel 1016 to the long axis of a lead body 1018 or in a helical fashion 1020 about the lead body 1018 . if a lead placed about the av ring ( basal location ) has cmes material embedded parallel to the lead long axis , the raw voltage signal generated is more of a function of radial deformation . if the cmes material runs in a helical fashion about the long axis of the lead , the raw voltage signal generated is more a function of circumferential deformation . in some embodiments , if basal and apical cmes electrodes 1010 and 1012 are designed to derive rotational indices as shown in fig1 b , certain assumptions about direction of deformation may be made . for example , if deformation of the cmes material causes it to expand , a different voltage waveform will be generated than if the cmes material contracts . the waveform polarity will not be significantly different as the cardiac forces causing the deformation from the original length result in a voltage signal regardless of material contraction or expansion . certain characteristics of the raw voltage signal ( e . g . relative positive to negative polarity in a signal that is not rectified ), however , will be seen as a result of cmes material contraction rather than expansion and vice versa . signal processing can be applied to derive such polarity information . referring to fig1 , the timing of the voltage signal 1100 will relate to systolic ( e . g . isovolumic contraction ) and diastolic ( e . g . isovolumic relaxation ) deformation voltages , vsys and vdias , respectively . isovolumic contraction ( ivc ) causes a steep rise in longitudinal myocardial tissue velocity 1102 , rotational velocity 1104 , longitudinal and radial deformation ( strain ). ivc typically occurs shortly after depolarization . vsys will typically occur shortly after the electrocardiogram 1106 ( egm ) r wave 1108 , while vdias will typically occur thereafter , before the egm p wave 1110 . in a normal heart , deformation of a lead - based cmes with specific lead orientation and material characteristics ( e . g . parallel to lead body , parallel to the cardiac cla ) can be expected to be a result of longitudinal rather than radial deformation . similarly , inferences about whether a voltage signal is generated as a result of longitudinal systolic contraction rather than diastolic expansion may be made . for example , systolic longitudinal contraction will occur during ivc . this will lead to contraction of cmes material positioned along the length of a lead that is parallel to the cardiac cla . the resulting waveform will occur after the egm r wave and thus , the second cmes voltage waveform , vdias , can be inferred to be a result of material expansion during diastole . likewise , the egm r to vsys interval will be shorter than the egm r to vdias interval , and the interval from vdias to the next egm r will be shorter than the interval from vsys to the next egm r . furthermore , vdias will often be of lower amplitude than vsys as the forces generated from diastolic expansion ( isovolumic relaxation , ivr ) are of less amplitude and are generated more slowly than systolic contraction that occurs during ivc . identification of the temporal relationship of these waveforms to the intracardiac p wave will assist in labeling a given signal as one generated from contraction and not relaxation . these temporal and morphologic signal characteristics will allow the system to infer polarity of deformation information . apically located cmes sensors 1112 will have an assigned polarity that is different than basally located cmes sensors 1114 which is represented on bottom of fig1 as aa and ab , respectively . under normal circumstances these deflections ( with inferred polarity ) will be in the opposite direction as shown , though in patients with congestive heart failure the amplitude will be less and the direction of these signals may be similar ( secondary to translation without rotation and impaired circumferential shortening ). in the pathologic heart , these temporal and morphologic signal characteristics may be less accurate and signal processing for determination of inferred polarity will be less reliable . this is due to the increased dissociation between the electrical and mechanical properties of abnormal myocardium . because of this , material characteristics may be modified as to generate specific raw signal voltage waveforms that are more characteristically seen with contraction or expansion . with such cmes characteristics , signal processing to derive the inferred polarity can be simplified and the resulting information more accurate . in some embodiments as shown in fig1 , the apical and basal cmes signals are processed at blocks 1200 , 1202 . the processed signals are then vector labeled based on temporal and morphologic characteristics at block 1220 . at block 1240 , a subtraction function is utilized to calculate the difference in rotation between aa 1112 and ab 1114 ( bottom of fig1 ). the accuracy of the subtraction function is dependent upon appropriate vector labeling . at block 1260 a torsion calculator is optionally implemented to generate data in numerical format that is communicated 1280 from the device to the programmer via wireless telemetry . alternatively , some of the processes shown in fig1 can be performed within the programmer itself . in some embodiments , torsional velocity calculation is performed by analysis of relative values from basal and apical cmes sensors as described above . derivation of a rotational displacement index can be performed by integration of the derived rotational velocity waveform . it is noteworthy to mention that a combination of the forces generated during isovolumic contraction and relaxation will contribute to the development of the cmes signal and direction specific information may not always be able to be characterized . thus , in some embodiments , cmes data can provide a crude representation of deformation and / or motion . the more myocardial surface area the cmes material covers , the more physiologically accurate the derived indices will be at characterizing the mechanical events occurring during isovolumic contraction and relaxation . it is also noteworthy to mention that the temporal characteristics of the raw cmes voltage signal occur on or about the time of mitral valve and aortic valve closure , but are only temporally related to these events rather than representative of valvular mechanics . under circumstances where the cmes sensor is free floating , myocardial acceleration ( and possibly dp / dt , the rate of change in blood pressure at the sensor site ) and acoustical information may be derived . any and all of the data described herein can be used for monitoring cardiac performance and properties of dysynchrony . likewise , the same data can be implemented for optimization of interval timing for any multi - site pacing system in a closed loop fashion as depicted in fig9 which describes the matrix optimization method . in an alternate embodiment , periodic interval monitoring is used to derive any of the indices described herein . during time frames where diagnostic data is not collected , the voltage generated from the cmess is stored as energy to reduce the costs to the system ( e . g . battery longevity ) of operating such software . fig1 represents actual porcine animal data with an embodiment of a cmes in the ring or proximal position of a pacing electrode in the rv apex , where the electrode tip is in tissue contact but the cmes is not in close contact to myocardium . the top signal is a surface ecg 1300 , the middle signal is a first order derivative , dcmes / dt 1302 , similar in quality and in its temporal relationship to tissue doppler derived myocardial velocity time graphs depicted and described above ( fig5 b ). the integral of this data , cmes 1304 , bottom signal , is displacement . peak systolic rv apical displacement is identified in the figure by arrow 1306 . comparable data can be acquired from a larger surface area cmes that is basally located and parallel to the cardiac longitudinal axis . a higher fidelity signal more representative of global cardiac displacement can be derived from such a sensor . summation averaging of multiple waveforms will provide data with improved signal to noise ratio . fig1 represents actual porcine animal data with an embodiment of a cmes sensor in the lv anterior interventricular vein located ⅔ the distance from the apex toward the base parallel to the cardiac longitudinal axis . the sensor is in contact with the underlying tissue . the waveforms 1400 and 1402 derived are more representative of myocardial deformation and strain . thus , dcmes / dt is an index of strain rate and the integral of this provides an index of strain . the strain / strain rate time graphs are similar to those acquired using tissue doppler imaging and speckle tracking techniques described above . inversion of the waveforms 1400 and 1402 to derive an analogous vector 1500 and 1502 , as shown in fig1 , demonstrates waveforms similar to those depicted in fig5 b derived from the strain rate equation ( eq . 2 ) being applied to doppler derived myocardial tissue velocity imaging performed , for example , by ge vivid series echocardiography equipment . arrow 1504 is peak longitudinal strain . second order derivatives of displacement data or first order derivatives of velocity data can be used to calculate acceleration indices as well . as shown in fig1 , averaging of the measured mechanical stress waveforms is synchronized with the detected heart events , such as spontaneous r - waves 1600 or stimulated events such as valvular heart sounds 1602 detected by an implanted sonomicrometer , filtered and / or processed cmes signal , or a signal from an alternate sensor . synchronization of data acquisition can also be triggered by an impedance based parameter or index that relates to respiration and / or myocardial mechanics . the waveform 1608 is averaged over a predetermined number of consecutive heart cycles 1606 by taking the sample average for every time distance from the detected heart event , such as a qrs complex 1604 . the number of predetermined heart cycles could for instance be 30 . for example , if the sampling frequency is 1 khz , an averaged sample value at 24 ms distance from a qrs is calculated by taking the value at 24 ms distance from a qrs for the predetermined number of heart cycles , which is 30 in this example , and then averaging the values . the averaging is repeated for all samples in the heart interval . this will result in an averaged waveform 1610 based on the predetermined number of beats ( in the example 30 beats ). the strain calculations are then performed using the averaged waveform 1610 . the advantage is that short term variations depending on for instance respiration are cancelled out . this method of averaging is referred to as “ waveform averaging ”. having the advantage of enhancing details in the acquired waveform , the heart rate is preferably fairly stable during the process . this methodology can improve signal - to - noise ratio . data acquisition during periods of rest and relative apnea or hypopnea will further improve the signal to noise ratio ( snr ). as shown in fig1 , input from a can based accelerometer 1700 , to determine whether the patient is at rest , and respirometers 1702 , to determine whether the patient is in a state of apnea or hypopnea , can trigger times for cmes data acquisition 1704 and function in conjunction with the interval specific ensemble averaging feature describe herein and in fig1 . an alternative method to perform the averaging is to calculate the strain parameters for each non - averaged consecutive heart beat and then average the calculated parameters over the predetermined number of heart beats . this method of averaging is referred to as “ value averaging .” having the advantage of detecting beat - to - beat variations of the measured parameters , the heart rate does not have to be fairly stable during the process . this is particularly suitable when variability analysis is to be performed on the measured parameters . the average calculation above is performed using consecutive heart beats , numbered 1 , 2 , 3 . . . , and so on . alternatively , two average values can be calculated . for example , the first value can be calculated using odd numbered beats : 1 , 3 , 5 . . . , and so on . the second value can be calculated using even numbered beats : 2 , 4 , 6 . . . , and so on . the two averaged values can be expected to be equal , but during severe heart tissue ischemia two groups can be formed . this will be the result of the 2 : 1 rhythmic pattern in heart beats often seen during this condition . other manifestations are the presence of rhythmic t - wave alternans ( twa ) and pulsus alternans . processing the measured strain in this way forms a strong detector for this condition and can serve to notify the clinician that a change in physiologic status has occurred . | 0 |
fig3 is an illustration of a reconfigurable oadm 300 according to the present invention . oadm 300 comprises a switching fabric 390 , which includes two pass inputs 330 a – b and two pass outputs 360 a – b . oadm 300 also includes two add inputs 350 a – b and two drop outputs 340 a – b for a total of four inputs and four outputs to switching fabric 390 . switching fabric 390 comprises four switching nodes 315 a – d that perform the add , drop and pass - through functionality for oadm 300 . in this embodiment , the nodes 315 are arranged in a two - dimensional matrix where the rows of the matrix are defined by input / output pairs 330 a / 360 a and 330 b / 360 b , and the columns of the matrix are defined by add / drop pairs 340 a / 350 a and 340 b / 350 b . one node 315 is located at each row / column junction of the matrix . in this example , oadm 300 has one input that receives a wdm optical signal 310 carrying two channels ( i . e . two optical signals with different wavelengths ). optical signal 310 passes into wavelength division demultiplexer 320 . wavelength division demultiplexer 320 demultiplexes the signal into two channels each with a different wavelength and inputs them into switching fabric 390 through pass inputs 330 a and 330 b . in this example , each of the channels input at pass input 330 a – b can be dropped to either of the drop outputs 340 a or 340 b . in addition , either of the add inputs 350 a or 350 b can be used to add channels to either of the pass outputs 360 a or 360 b . on the output side , the two optical channels leaving switching fabric 390 are combined by wavelength division multiplexer 370 into a single wdm optical signal 380 . although fig3 and the accompanying text describe an oadm 300 with two pass inputs , two pass outputs , two drop outputs and two add inputs , the principles illustrated can be straightforwardly extended to oadm switching fabrics with varying numbers of pass inputs , pass outputs , add inputs and drop outputs . for example , fig4 is an illustration of another embodiment of the invention , oadm 400 , which has a switching fabric 490 comprising n pass inputs 410 a – n and n pass outputs 420 a – n . this configuration also has n add inputs 460 a – n and n drop outputs 470 a – n . in addition , there is a switching node 315 at each intersection of a pass input with an add / drop pair . other configurations , including those in which the number of pass inputs , pass outputs , add inputs and / or drop outputs differ from each other , will be apparent to one skilled in the art . in addition , the principles illustrated in fig3 can be straightforwardly extended to oadms with switching fabrics that provide different switching functionality . for example , in oadm 300 in fig3 , each incoming channel input to the pass inputs 330 may be dropped to either drop output 340 . similarly , each optical signal input to add input 350 may be added to either pass output 360 . other embodiments may utilize a different switching functionality . for example , in an alternate embodiment , each pass input 330 and pass output 360 may be limited to a corresponding drop output 340 and add input 350 ( or subset of drop outputs and add inputs ). for example , the “ a ” inputs / outputs may be dedicated to a first wavelength so that , for example , the pass input 330 a may only be dropped to drop output 340 a and not to drop output 340 b . similarly , the add input 350 a may be limited to pass output 360 a . as another example , the oadm switching fabric may only be partially reconfigurable , meaning that some of the inputs and outputs may be hardwired to each other while the remaining inputs and outputs are reconfigurable ( either with full crossbar functionality or a subset of fill crossbar functionality ). as a final example , the switching fabric 390 can also have architectures other than the two dimensional matrix architecture shown in fig3 and 4 . examples of other architectures include banyan and clos architectures . referring again to fig3 , the switching nodes 315 typically will include some sort of splitting and switching of optical signals which , if implemented passively , typically will result in a loss to the optical signal . the result is that optical signals leaving oadm 300 will be weaker than the optical signals entering oadm 300 . however , vertical lasing semiconductor optical amplifiers ( vlsoa ), as described herein , which have linear gain characteristics can be used to implement the switching functionality in the various nodes of an oadm , resulting in a lossless oadm switch . using a vlsoa does not avoid the loss that results from implementation of the switching function ( e . g ., resulting from redirecting , splitting , coupling , and combining ). however , the vlsoa can be used to amplify the optical signal , unlike passive switching components . this will compensate for the losses otherwise introduced . constructing an oadm from vlsoas has further advantages . vlsoas can be switched quickly so that the overall oadm can be reconfigured quickly . in addition , the electronics required to switch the vlsoas are relatively simple . in essence , the electronics need only differentiate between turning on the vlsoa ( i . e ., pumping the vlsoa sufficiently above its laser threshold ) and turning off the vlsoa . vlsoas , because of their gain - clamping characteristics , also have good crosstalk performance . this is important when the oadm adds / drops a wdm optical signal as opposed to single wavelength signals . it is more difficult to construct an oadm 300 from conventional non - lasing soas because conventional soas have poor intersymbol interference and also poor crosstalk between wdm channels , thus limiting the usefulness of any oadm based on conventional soas . fig5 a is an illustration of a portion of the switching fabric of an oadm according to one embodiment of the invention . the broken line - box 315 illustrates a single node in the switching fabric according to fig3 and 4 . the embodiment illustrated in fig5 a comprises a drop path 910 , an add path 920 , and two pass - through paths 930 a – b ( one of which goes through node 315 and one of which is external to node 315 ). the pass - through paths 930 couple the pass inputs of the switching fabric to their corresponding pass outputs . each add path is coupled to a corresponding add input of the switching fabric and each drop path is coupled to a corresponding drop output of the switching fabric . in one embodiment of the invention , the paths are waveguides . however , one skilled in the art will recognize that other embodiments for the paths are possible . for example , the paths could be optical fibers or free space . in addition , a plurality of vlsoas 500 are coupled to these paths to perform the switching required to pass optical signals to the appropriate outputs . vlsoa 500 a is coupled between pass - through path 930 b and drop path 910 . a fiber coupler 950 a splits the optical signal propagating on pass - through path 930 b . a fiber coupler 950 a is an optical component that splits the optical signal into two ( or more ) different paths . optical couplers other than fiber couplers may also be used . part of the optical signal is input to vlsoa 500 a and part is split to vlsoa 500 b . in this embodiment , the power is split 50 — 50 between vlsoas 500 a and 500 b , although different splitting ratios may be used in different designs . if the optical signal needs to be dropped to the drop path 910 so that it can be output from one of the drop outputs of the oadm , vlsoa 500 a will be turned on and will pass the optical signal to drop path 910 . fiber coupler 950 b is used to couple the output of vlsoa 500 a to drop path 910 . vlsoa 500 a preferably also amplifies the optical signal as it propagates through the active region , as described herein , to make up for the loss introduced by fiber coupler 950 a and other losses . in an alternate embodiment illustrated in fig5 b , vlsoa 500 i can be positioned on drop path 910 to make up for the losses introduced by fiber coupler 950 b and other losses . when the optical signal is dropped to drop path 910 , vlsoa 500 b can be turned off to block the optical signal from propagating further on pass - through path 930 b . in other cases , such as broadcasting , vlsoa 500 b can be turned on . by contrast , when the optical signal is not dropped to drop path 910 , vlsoa 500 b is turned on so that the optical signal continues to propagate on pass - through path 930 b . vlsoa 500 b also amplifies the optical signal as it propagates through the active region to make up for the loss introduced by fiber coupler 950 a . in addition , vlsoa 500 a is turned off so that the optical signal does not propagate on drop path 910 where it might interfere with another optical signal that has been dropped from another node onto drop path 910 . when an optical signal needs to be output to one of the pass outputs from one of the add inputs to the switching fabric , the optical signal is input on one of the add paths . in this example , suppose an optical signal is input to add path 920 that needs to be added to pass - through path 930 b . fiber coupler 950 c will split part of the optical signal to vlsoa 500 c and the remaining portion of the optical signal will continue to propagate on add path 920 . when the optical signal is added to pass - through path 930 b , vlsoa 500 b can be turned off to block any optical signal currently propagating on pass - through path 930 b . vlsoa 500 c is turned on so that the optical signal split from add path 920 can pass onto pass - through path 930 b . fiber coupler 950 d couples the output of vlsoa 500 c to pass - through path 930 b . in addition to switching the optical signal , vlsoa 500 c can amplify the optical signal to make up for loss . when an optical signal propagating on add path 920 is not to be added to pass - through path 930 b , vlsoa 500 c is turned off to block the portion of the optical signal split off from add path 920 by fiber coupler 950 c . however , vlsoa 500 b is turned on to allow the optical signal currently propagating on pass - through path 930 b to continue on pass - through path 930 b . as one can see from the fig5 a , half the power of the optical signal propagating on add path 920 is split off by each fiber coupler encountered at each pass - through path 930 . if there are a large number of pass - through paths 930 , the optical signal propagating on add path 920 may become too weak to use reliably . an alternate embodiment , illustrated in fig5 b , counters this problem by positioning vlsoa 500 h on add path 920 to make up for the loss introduced by fiber coupler 950 c and other losses . alternately , the fiber couplers 950 c could implement splitting ratios other than 50 — 50 . for example , if there were ten pass - through paths 930 , the fiber couplers 950 c could be designed so that each vlsoa 500 c receives 10 % of the power of the optical signal originally input onto add path 920 . thus , the first fiber coupler 950 c would tap 10 % of the power , leaving 90 % to propagate further down add path 920 . the second fiber coupler 950 c would tap 11 % of the power ( 11 % of 90 %= 10 %), etc . such an approach may also result in better noise performance . similar remarks apply to tapping power from the pass - through paths 930 . the embodiment in fig5 a also illustrates vlsoa 500 g coupled to add path 920 and drop path 910 using fiber couplers 950 e and 950 f , respectively . vlsoa 500 g provides a loopback function that allows an optical signal input on add path 920 to be output directly to drop path 910 . when this is desirable , vlsoa 500 g is turned on to amplify and pass the optical signal from add path 920 to drop path 910 . this aspect of the embodiment illustrated in fig5 a is optional . in another embodiment , vlsoa 500 g is removed but add path 920 is still coupled to drop path 910 . this embodiment can also be used to provide the loopback function . another embodiment of the switching fabric that can be used in an oadm is illustrated in fig5 c . once again , the functionality of this embodiment will be described using broken - line box 315 which represents a single node from the oadms illustrated in fig3 and 4 . in this embodiment , there are two pass - through paths , 930 b and 930 b 2 in each node 315 . pass - through path 930 b couples one of the pass inputs of the oadm switching fabric to one of the pass outputs of the switching fabric . pass - through path 930 b carries the optical signal input to the pass input and can either pass the optical signal to the corresponding pass output or can drop the optical signal on one of the drop paths 910 to one of the drop outputs of the switching fabric . as illustrated , pass - through path 930 b is coupled to drop path 910 through vlsoa 500 a . this part of the embodiment is similar to that in fig5 a and works in a similar way . the difference in this embodiment is that the add paths 920 are coupled to a second pass - through path 930 b 2 . this pass - through path does not couple to a switching fabric pass input or pass output . pass - through path 930 b 2 is used to carry an optical signal that needs to eventually be added to pass - through path 930 b . as illustrated in broken - line box 315 , add path 920 is coupled to pass - through path 930 b 2 through vlsoa 500 c . in essence , adding an optical signal to pass - through path 930 b 2 is similar to adding an optical signal to pass - through path 930 b in fig5 a . however , also note that pass - through path 930 b 2 is coupled to pass - through path 930 b using vlsoa 500 e ( outside of broken - line box 315 ). preferably , this is done just before pass - through path 930 b is coupled to its corresponding pass output of the switching fabric . when vlsoa 500 e is turned on , the optical signal that is output to the pass output of the switching fabric is the optical signal that was added to pass - through path 930 b 2 through one of the add paths 920 . when vlsoa 500 e is turned off , the optical signal that is output to the pass output of the switching fabric is the optical signal input on pass - through path 930 b at the switching fabric pass input . the advantage of this embodiment is that it allows an optical signal to be added from one of the add paths prior to dropping the optical signal from pass - through path 930 b , which was input from the pass input of the switching fabric , to one of the drop paths . for example , referring to fig3 , this embodiment of the switching fabric allows an optical signal to be added at add input 350 a , that is eventually output from the switching fabric 390 at pass output 360 a while at the same time allowing the optical signal input at pass input 330 a to be dropped to drop output 340 b . in the previous embodiments , this was more difficult because the optical signal added at add input 350 a would have been combined with the optical signal input from pass input 330 a . as a result , both optical signals would be dropped and passed through the switching fabric of the oadm . in another embodiment of the invention , the switching fabric of the oadm can be implemented as a full crossbar switch in which each pass input and add input of the switching fabric can be mapped to any of the pass outputs and / or drop outputs . an example of the crossbar switch can be found in copending patent application ser . no . 10 / 020 , 527 , entitled “ optical crossbar using lasing semiconductor optical amplifiers ,” by jeffrey d . walker and sol p . dijaili , filed dec . 15 , 2001 , which is herein incorporated by reference . as one skilled in the art will recognize , the configurations described above for the switching fabric can be scaled to function for any number of pass inputs , drop outputs , add inputs and pass outputs . in addition , one skilled in the art will recognize that this switching fabric allows an optical signal from any of the pass inputs to be output to any of the drop or pass outputs . similarly , this configuration allows any optical signal input on the add input to be output to any of the pass outputs . one skilled in the art will also recognize that the amplification provided by each of the vlsoas in the switching fabric can be adjusted depending on the strength of the optical signal it is amplifying . in an alternative embodiment of the oadm illustrated in fig3 and 4 , demultiplexer 320 is configured to demultiplex the incoming wdm optical signal into a plurality of wdm optical signals each having one or more optical channels ( i . e . wavelengths ). these wdm optical signals can be added , dropped or passed - through by the switching fabric of the oadm in the same manner as the single wavelength optical signals described above . as described herein , vlsoas 500 can amplify wdm optical signals with substantially less crosstalk than non - lasing soas due to the gain clamped characteristics of the vlsoa . thus , vlsoas 500 can still be used to perform the switching of the wdm optical signals in this embodiment of the invention . fig6 is a block diagram of another embodiment of the invention . in this embodiment , vlsoas 615 a – n are coupled to the pass outputs of switching fabric 610 in oadm 600 . the outputs of vlsoas 615 a – n are then coupled to wavelength division multiplexer 370 . vlsoas 615 are also coupled to microprocessor 620 . it should be noted that the switching fabric 610 of oadm 600 in this embodiment can be any conventional optical switching fabric or one of the switching fabrics of the present invention . due to the reconfigurable nature of oadm 600 , the optical channels output from the pass outputs 640 a – n of switching fabric 610 may have come from pass inputs 650 a – n or from add inputs 670 a – n of switching fabric 610 . since these signals may have come from different sources and may have traveled unrelated distances and paths to reach oadm 600 ( and even traveled different paths through oadm 600 ), it is possible that some of the optical signals output from the pass outputs 640 a – n of switching fabric 610 will have different power levels and signal strengths . by placing vlsoas 615 a – n on the path of optical channels output from pass outputs 640 a – n , vlsoas 615 can balance the signal strength of the optical signals by amplify each optical signal to ensure that they all have the same power prior to being passed into wavelength division multiplexer 370 . microprocessor 620 is coupled to each vlsoa 615 a – n so that it can supply a control signal to the vlsoas 615 a – n . for example , microprocessor 620 can selectively adjust the amplification provided by each vlsoa 615 in order to achieve the desired output signal strength . in one embodiment , the vlsoas 615 a – n are implemented as a monolithic array of vlsoas , as opposed to discrete devices . although the embodiment described above in fig6 refers to placing vlsoas 615 a – n on the pass outputs of switching fabric 610 , balancing the optical signals at other locations can be also be achieved using vlsoas 615 . for example , vlsoas 615 could also be placed on the drop outputs 660 a – n , the add inputs 670 a – n and / or the pass inputs 650 a – n to amplify and balance the optical signals on these inputs / outputs . similarly , a microprocessor 620 could also be coupled to these vlsoas to control the amplification provided by each vlsoa 615 . for oadm &# 39 ; s which use vlsoas as part of the switching fabric 610 , the amplification provided by these vlsoas can also be adjusted in order to balance the power in the optical signals . another embodiment of the invention is illustrated in fig7 . in this embodiment , vlsoas 710 and 720 are placed on the input and the output of oadm 700 respectively . the demultiplexer 730 , multiplexer 740 and the switching fabric 750 of the oadm introduce loss into the individual channels of the wdm optical signal as they are being switched to the correct output . unlike the present invention , most oadms do not have mechanisms in place to make up for these losses . as a result , the optical signals that are output from conventional oadms are often very weak . by placing vlsoa 720 on the output of oadm 700 , all of the channels of the wdm optical signal output from oadm 700 can be amplified simultaneously . in addition , if the wdm optical signal is weak before entering oadm 700 ( due to dispersion , etc .) the losses introduced by oadm 700 may degrade the optical signal to the point where the optical signal is no longer useable . amplifying the wdm optical signal in vlsoa 710 before it is input into oadm 700 helps to counteract this problem . it should be noted that the switching fabric 750 of oadm 700 in this embodiment can be any conventional optical switching fabric or the switching fabric of the present invention . in addition , vlsoas could also be placed on the add inputs or the drop outputs to amplify the optical signals being added or dropped to counteract the same problems described above . fig8 is a diagram of a vertical lasing semiconductor optical amplifier ( vlsoa ) 500 suitable for the present invention . the vlsoa 500 has an input 812 and an output 814 . the vlsoa 500 further includes a semiconductor gain medium 820 , with an amplifying path 830 coupled between the input 812 and the output 814 of the vlsoa 500 and traveling through the semiconductor gain medium 820 . the vlsoa 500 further includes a laser cavity 840 including the semiconductor gain medium 820 , and a pump input 850 coupled to the semiconductor gain medium 820 . the laser cavity 840 is oriented vertically with respect to the amplifying path 830 . the pump input 850 is for receiving a pump to pump the semiconductor gain medium 820 above a lasing threshold for the laser cavity 840 . fig9 is a flow diagram illustrating operation of vlsoa 500 when it is used as an amplifier . the vlsoa 500 receives 990 an optical signal at its input 812 . the optical signal propagates 991 along the amplifying path 830 . the pump received at pump input 850 pumps 992 the semiconductor gain medium above a lasing threshold for the laser cavity 840 . when lasing occurs , the round - trip gain offsets the round - trip losses for the laser cavity 840 . in other words , the gain of the semiconductor gain medium 820 is clamped to the gain value necessary to offset the round - trip losses . the optical signal is amplified 993 according to this gain value as it propagates along the amplifying path 830 ( i . e ., through the semiconductor gain medium 820 ). the amplified signal exits the vlsoa 500 via the output 814 . note that the gain experienced by the optical signal as it propagates through vlsoa 500 is determined in part by the gain value of the semiconductor gain medium 820 ( it is also determined , for example , by the length of the amplifying path 830 ) and this gain value , in turn , is determined primarily by the lasing threshold for the laser cavity 840 . in particular , the gain experienced by the optical signal as it propagates through each vlsoa 500 is substantially independent of the amplitude of the optical signal . this is in direct contrast to the situation with non - lasing soas and overcomes the distortion and crosstalk disadvantages typical of non - lasing soas . fig1 a – 10c are a perspective view , transverse cross - section , and longitudinal cross - section , respectively , of one embodiment of vlsoa 500 according to the present invention , with fig1 b showing the most detail . referring to fig1 b and working from bottom to top in the vertical direction ( i . e ., working away from the substrate 502 ), vlsoa 500 includes a bottom mirror 508 , bottom cladding layer 505 , active region 504 , top cladding layer 507 , confinement layer 519 , and a top mirror 506 . the bottom cladding layer 505 , active region 504 , top cladding layer 507 , and confinement layer 519 are in electrical contact with each other and may be in direct physical contact as well . an optional delta doping layer 518 is located between the top cladding layer 507 and confinement layer 519 . the confinement layer 519 includes a confinement structure 509 , which forms aperture 515 . the vlsoa 500 also includes an electrical contact 510 located above the confinement structure 509 , and a second electrical contact 511 formed on the bottom side of substrate 502 . vlsoa 500 is a vertical lasing semiconductor optical amplifier since the laser cavity 540 is a vertical laser cavity . that is , it is oriented vertically with respect to the amplifying path 530 and substrate 502 . the vlsoa 500 preferably is long in the longitudinal direction , allowing for a long amplifying path 530 and , therefore , more amplification . the entire vlsoa 500 is an integral structure formed on a single substrate 502 and may be integrated with other optical elements . in most cases , optical elements which are coupled directly to vlsoa 500 will be coupled to the amplifying path 530 within the vlsoa . depending on the manner of integration , the optical input 512 and output 514 may not exist as a distinct structure or facet but may simply be the boundary between the vlsoa 500 and other optical elements . furthermore , although this disclosure discusses the vlsoa 500 primarily as a single device , the teachings herein apply equally to arrays of devices . vlsoa 500 is a layered structure , allowing the vlsoa 500 to be fabricated using standard semiconductor fabrication techniques , preferably including organo - metallic vapor phase epitaxy ( omvpe ) or organometallic chemical vapor deposition ( omcvd ). other common fabrication techniques include molecular beam epitaxy ( mbe ), liquid phase epitaxy ( lps ), photolithography , e - beam evaporation , sputter deposition , wet and dry etching , wafer bonding , ion implantation , wet oxidation , and rapid thermal annealing , among others . the optical signal amplified by the vlsoa 500 is confined in the vertical direction by index differences between bottom cladding 505 , active region 504 , and top cladding 507 , and to a lesser extent by index differences between the substrate 502 , bottom mirror 508 , confinement layer 519 , and top mirror 506 . specifically , active region 504 has the higher index and therefore acts as a waveguide core with respect to cladding layers 505 , 507 . the optical signal is confined in the transverse direction by index differences between the confinement structure 509 and the resulting aperture 515 . specifically , aperture 515 has a higher index of refraction than confinement structure 509 . as a result , the mode of the optical signal to be amplified is generally concentrated in dashed region 521 . the amplifying path 530 is through the active region 504 in the direction in / out of the plane of the paper with respect to fig1 b . the choice of materials system will depend in part on the wavelength of the optical signal to be amplified , which in turn will depend on the application . wavelengths in the approximately 1 . 3 – 1 . 7 micron region are currently preferred for telecommunications applications , due to the spectral properties of optical fibers . the approximately 1 . 28 – 1 . 35 micron region is currently also preferred for data communications over single mode fiber , with the approximately 0 . 8 – 1 . 1 micron region being an alternate wavelength region . the term “ optical ” is meant to include all of these wavelength regions . in one embodiment , the vlsoa 500 is optimized for the 1 . 55 micron window . in one embodiment , the active region 504 includes a multiple quantum well ( mqw ) active region . mqw structures include several quantum wells and quantum wells have the advantage of enabling the formation of lasers with relatively low threshold currents . in alternate embodiments , the active region 504 may instead be based on a single quantum well or a double - heterostructure active region . the active region 504 may be based on various materials systems , including for example ialgaas on inp substrates , inalgaas on gaas , ingaasp on inp , gainnas on gaas , ingaas on ternary substrates , and gaassb on gaas . nitride material systems are also suitable . the materials for bottom and top cladding layers 505 and 507 will depend in part on the composition of active region 504 . examples of top and bottom mirrors 506 and 508 include bragg reflectors and non - bragg reflectors such as metallic mirrors . bottom mirror 508 in fig1 is shown as a bragg reflector . top mirror 506 is depicted as a hybrid mirror , consisting of a bragg reflector 517 followed by a metallic mirror 513 . bragg reflectors may be fabricated using various materials systems , including for example , alternating layers of gaas and alas , sio 2 and tio 2 , inalgaas and inalas , ingaasp and inp , algaassb and alassb or gaas and algaas . gold is one material suitable for metallic mirrors . the electrical contacts 510 , 511 are metals that form an ohmic contact with the semiconductor material . commonly used metals include titanium , platinum , nickel , germanium , gold , palladium , and aluminum . in this embodiment , the laser cavity is electrically pumped by injecting a pump current via the electrical contacts 510 , 511 into the active region 504 . in particular , contact 510 is a p - type contact to inject holes into active region 504 , and contact 511 is an n - type contact to inject electrons into active region 504 . contact 510 is located above the semiconductor structure ( i . e ., above confinement layer 519 and the semiconductor part of bragg reflector 517 , if any ) and below the dielectric part of bragg reflector 517 , if any . for simplicity , in fig1 , contact 510 is shown located between the confinement layer 519 and bragg reflector 517 , which would be the case if bragg reflector 517 were entirely dielectric . vlsoa 500 may have a number of isolated electrical contacts 510 to allow for independent pumping within the amplifier . this is advantageous because vlsoa 500 is long in the longitudinal direction and independent pumping allows , for example , different voltages to be maintained at different points along the vlsoa . alternately , the contacts 510 may be doped to have a finite resistance or may be separated by finite resistances , rather than electrically isolated . confinement structure 509 is formed by wet oxidizing the confinement layer 519 . the confinement structure 509 has a lower index of refraction than aperture 515 . hence , the effective cross - sectional size of laser cavity 540 is determined in part by aperture 515 . in other words , the confinement structure 509 provides lateral confinement of the optical mode of laser cavity 540 . in this embodiment , the confinement structure 509 also has a lower conductivity than aperture 515 . thus , pump current injected through electrical contact 510 will be channeled through aperture 515 , increasing the spatial overlap with optical signal 521 . in other words , the confinement structure 509 also provides electrical confinement of the pump current . other confinement techniques may also be used , including those based on ion implantation , impurity induced disordering , ridge waveguides , buried tunnel junctions , and buried heterostructures . the above description is included to illustrate various embodiments of the present invention and is not meant to limit the scope of the invention . from the above description , many variations will be apparent to one skilled in the art that would be encompassed by the spirit and scope of the invention . the scope of the invention is to be limited only by the following claims . | 7 |
the table unit shown in the figures is to be used especially in the field of aircraft passenger seats . these table units can also be used in ferries , trains , long - distance busses or the like . the table unit has a first table element 10 which , as shown in fig1 , rests on the subjacent other or second table element 12 . in the state shown in fig1 , the two table elements 10 , 12 end essentially flush on top of one another to the outside and form an essentially square table surface . the two table elements 10 , 12 , as will be detailed below , can be rotated relative to one another around at least two swivelling axes first , second and third articulations 18 , 20 , 22 and can be fixed relative to one another in definable positions . the possible rotating or swivelling motions of the respective table elements 10 , 12 around the two swivelling axes 14 , 16 are indicated in fig1 by double arrows . the two swivelling axes 14 , 16 are perpendicular to one another and lie in the plane of the table . with the table unit extended , the axes extend from the arm rest or the like essentially horizontally . if the upper table element 10 , viewed in the direction of fig1 , is swivelled counterclockwise around the first swivelling axis 14 , the table unit assumes its unfolded position as shown fig2 . the two table elements 10 , 12 are then next to one another forming essentially a rectangular table surface which corresponds preferably in its width to the width of the seat so that the individual in the neighboring seat in a row of aircraft passenger seats is not disturbed by the expanded table surface . in the unfolded state , the table unit is especially suited as a dining table , with food and beverages being easily accommodated on the table surface . the dining table function in this regard increases comfort when a seat user is eating . the upper table element 10 can move clockwise about the second swivelling axis 16 from its flat horizontal position as shown in fig1 into the tilted position as shown in fig3 . it can be fixed in this tilted position by a fixing means 24 . in this embodiment , the fixing means 24 has a holder 26 which can be folded out in the position as shown in fig2 . in its initial position as shown in fig2 , holder 26 is held flush in the recess of the upper table element 10 , which recess extends on the outside lateral periphery . the holder 26 is supported on the table element 10 to be able to rotate around a swivelling journal 28 . when set up , for example , the holder can assume a position as shown by the broken lines in fig3 . in the tilted position of the table element 10 , the free end of the holder 26 is supported on the top of the table element 12 . by swivelling the holder 26 and moreover by adjusting the fixing means 24 , the incline can be set and fixed according to the stipulations of the user in definable angular ranges . instead of the holder 26 , a fixing means 24 can also be implemented by a ratchet mechanism ( not shown ) in which at least the articulation 20 follows the tilt of the table element 10 , and the articulation 20 retains its swivelled position as a result of the ratchet arrangement . the third articulation 22 can follow the movement of the ratchet by restricted guidance , and in this way can ensure the tilted adjustment of the table element 10 . as the aforementioned clearly shows , each swivelling axis 14 , 16 is defined by two articulations or articulation pairs 18 , 20 and 20 , 22 at a time . the indicated articulations 18 , and 22 are located at a right angle to one another on the outside periphery on the table unit . the articulation 20 is located in one corner between the two other articulations 18 , 22 . thus , this middle articulation 20 is assigned both to first swivelling axis 14 and second swivelling axis 16 . preferably , for the unfolding and tilting motion of the table element 10 , the articulation 20 is technically implemented as a so - called universal joint . all articulations 18 , 20 , 22 have one articulation housing 30 . for all articulations 18 and 22 , the respective articulation housing 30 has a locking part 32 in the form of a locking clamp with two clamping clips 34 . each articulation housing 30 is comprised preferably of one elastically pliable plastic material to form a snap or clip locking part 32 detachably connected to a respective engagement part 36 in the manner of a connecting journal which remains on the respective table element , specifically the table element 12 ( cf . fig2 and 3 ). the journal - like engagement part 36 for the first articulation 18 is located in a u - shaped recess 36 in the corner area of the table element 12 . the engagement part 36 for the third articulation 22 in an angular recess likewise in another corner area of the table element 12 with its free end projecting into the vicinity . the engagement part 36 of the first articulation 18 extends especially within the first swivelling axis 14 . the engagement part 36 of the third articulation 22 extends along second articulation axis 16 . when the table elements 10 and 12 are folded apart into the position as shown in fig2 , swivelling motion tales place around the engagement part 36 of the first articulation 18 . when setting the incline as shown in fig3 , swivelling motion takes place for the table element 10 , around the journal - like engagement part 36 of the third articulation 22 . the second articulation 20 is made as a multiple articulation following the pertinent swivelling or tilting motion . in addition , the articulation housing 30 of the first articulation 18 has a driver 38 ( fig3 ) for the upper table element 10 . in the unfolding motion from the position as shown in fig1 into the position as shown in fig2 by the driver 38 , the respective articulation 30 is swivelled around the engagement part 36 of the first articulation 18 , and consequently , around the other table element 12 until the two table elements 10 , 12 with the two articulation housings 30 of the first articulation 18 and the second articulation 20 form the plane table surface . the driver 38 , as shown especially by fig4 a and 4 b , is formed from a dome - shaped recess located in the center and lying in the vertical arrangement ( cf . fig4 a ) and also in the horizontal arrangement ( cf . fig4 b ) in one plane to the engagement part 36 . for the indicated driver of the articulation housing 30 of the first articulation 18 , the upper table element 10 on its side facing the articulation housing 30 is provided with a spring - loaded closing part 40 . if the table element 10 is now swivelled counterclockwise from its base position as shown in fig4 a upward , the closing part 40 disengages from the hemispherical recess 42 by the closing part 40 being moved in a direction out of the recess 42 and within the table element 10 against the force of the closing spring by forced guidance . during the continued unfolding motion , the closing part 40 slides along the arc - shaped contact surface 44 of the articulation 30 until the table element 10 with its lengthwise orientation is located perpendicular to the lower table element 12 ( not shown ). in this position the closing ball 40 , spring - loaded , then locks with the driver 38 , by both force - fit and form - fit , such that upon the continued unfolding motion of the table element 10 from its vertical position ( not shown ) into the horizontal unfolded position as shown in fig2 , the articulation housing 30 is entrained in the form of a swivelling motion counterclockwise around the engagement part 36 and consequently around the swivelling axis 14 . the unfolded position corresponds to the illustration as shown in fig4 b for the first articulation 18 . in addition to the universal articulation 20 , the table element 10 is fixed by the locked closing part 40 and by the articulation housing 30 of the first articulation 18 in a horizontal alignment on the other table element 12 . the upper and lower table surfaces of the table element 10 and table element 12 then lie in one plane , with the outer sides along the lengthwise edges of the housing 30 of the first articulation 18 . the arrangement for the second articulation 20 is kept in a comparable manner . the width or height of the articulation housings 30 for the first and second articulations 18 and 20 therefore corresponds essentially to the thickness of the table elements 10 , 12 . the swivelling - back motion takes place in reverse . after the closing part 40 engages the hemispherical recess 42 , the housing 30 is moved back into its position as shown in fig4 a , such that the table element 10 has its bottom in contact with the top of the table element 12 . by another hemispherical rolling surface 46 of the articulation housing 30 of the first articulation 18 , the motion forward and away is facilitated by this rolling surface 46 being able to slide down accordingly on the adjacent free face of the table element 12 . in the unfolding motion , the third articulation 22 , by its locking part 32 , disengages from the respective engagement journal or part 36 . likewise , in the reverse sequence , locking takes place instead by the third articulation 22 , if the two table elements 10 , 12 are located on top of one another or the table element 10 is tilted about swivelling axis 16 clockwise relative to the horizontal . the articulation housing 30 of the third articulation 22 then swivels around the respective engagement journal 36 . furthermore , the two table elements 10 , 12 can be swivelled in each position relative to one another around a common axis 48 of rotation extending perpendicular to the two swivelling axes 14 , 16 . the axis 48 of rotation is part of a turntable 50 ( cf . fig1 ) by which the two table elements 10 , 12 are pivotally coupled to the table arm 52 . the turntable rotation is indicated by the double arrows . by the table arm 52 , the table unit can then , for example , be housed in the armrest of the vehicle seat or can be located on the back of the front seat with the capacity to be folded down . preferably , the table arm 52 , like the table elements 10 , 12 , is made of a durable plastic material . for reasons of saving space , the turntable 50 is an integral part of the lower table element 12 , and is integrated flush in its table surface together with parts of the table arm 52 . accordingly , on either side of the turntable 50 , free spaces are provided in the table element 12 in order not to hinder rotary or swivelling motion around the axis 48 of rotation . as fig1 to 3 show in particular , a host of table functions are integrated in the table elements 10 , 12 . these working examples can be varied accordingly . especially advantageously , a projecting lip 54 is provided , for example , as a support for a book , magazine or the like between the two articulations 20 and 22 on the top of the table element . a computer unit 56 , for example , in the form of a conventional pocket calculator or a so - called notebook may be superposed on the top of the table element . the input keyboard 58 also can provide a writing function implemented by a display or the like . viewed in the direction of fig1 and 3 , a vanity mirror 60 covered by an unfolding cover 62 is provided above keyboard 58 . the cover 62 can be housed flush in the table element 10 by a snap or clip connection 64 . to achieve a plane table surface , the vanity mirror 60 is located set recessed within the table element 10 . within the essentially rectangular cover 62 , on its inside facing the vanity mirror 60 , preferably in an outside area facing the user , a recessed storage area 66 can be provided . the lengthwise orientation of the recessed storage area 66 extends parallel to the unfolding axis 68 of the cover 62 . the unfolding axis 68 is also parallel to the swivelling axis 16 . preferably , the free path of motion of the cover 62 is limited to a certain angular degree , for example , 120 °. preferably , for a tilted table element 10 , the cover 62 with the storage area 66 should be located essentially in a horizontal plane extending parallel to the table surface of the table element 12 . the computer unit 56 has the pertinent shell - like , preferably partially transparent cover 70 . as fig2 also shows , for example , on the bottom of the table element 10 a circular recess 72 setting glasses and cups . the recess 72 can be deepened such that there is edge - side encirclement for glasses and cups in their bottom area to enable secure holding for the food in question , thus especially on a rough trip , for example when encountering turbulence . this holding possibility can be optically delineated relative to the remaining surface of the table element 10 . the holding recess 72 can empty to the outside into the area of the holder 26 which ends flush with the outside peripheral surface of the table element 10 . the holder 26 , with its free end , can engage the facing end of the articulation housing 30 of the third articulation 22 if , as shown in fig2 , the holder is folded into the table element 10 . its raised position is shown in fig3 for a definable tilt angle . integration of other table functions would be conceivable , for example , a call indicator for onboard service or the like . especially with the very restricted space available aboard aircraft or the like , the multifunctional tables of the present invention represent a clear improvement of comfort . while one embodiment has 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 . | 1 |
the present invention will hereinafter be described by way of one embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings . referring to fig3 the numeral 1 denotes a register for holding a range a i of a previous symbol ; 2 a subtracter ; 8 a changeover unit ; 9 a changeover unit ; 5 a shifter ; 6 an arithmetic unit ; and 7 a comparator . outputted from prediction estimating unit 11 to the subtracter 2 is s ( a less probability symbol range ) from a table stored in a memory 12 containing a plurality of values on the basis of a status of a markov information source . the subtracter 2 obtains a difference a i - 1 - s between the range s and a previous symbol range a i - 1 stored in the register 1 . the subtracter 2 then outputs this difference . the comparator 7 compares a magnitude of the difference a i - 1 - s with a magnitude of the less probability symbol range s inputted directly from the prediction estimating unit 11 . a result e thereof is outputted . on the other hand , the changeover unit 8 outputs either a i - 1 - s or s as a value of the range to the present symbol . this outputting process is effected based on the difference a i - 1 - s inputted from the subtracter 2 , the output e of the comparator 7 which is inputted from the prediction estimating unit and a signal mps / lps inputted from the prediction estimating unit 11 , the signal indicating whether the markov information source is in the more probability symbol or the less probability symbol . to be more specific , the output e of the comparator 7 is set to &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; when a i - 1 - s & gt ; s . when a i - 1 - s ≦ s , the output e is set to &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ;. based on this presumption : ( a ) when e = 1 , and when the symbol a i = 0 ( mps ), the changeover unit 8 outputs a i - 1 - s as a range allocated to the symbol a i ; ( b ) when e = 1 , and when the symbol a i = 1 ( lps ), the changeover unit 8 outputs s as a range allocated to the symbol a i ; ( c ) when e = 0 , and when the symbol a i = 0 ( mps ), the changeover unit 8 outputs s as a range allocated to the symbol a i ; and ( d ) when e = 0 , and when the symbol a i = 1 ( lps ), the changeover unit 8 outputs a i - 1 - s as a range allocated to the symbol a i . the changeover unit 9 outputs either the s inputted from the prediction estimating unit or the fixed valve &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; ( as coordinates δc of the difference with respect to the minimum coordinates of the range allocated to the previous symbol a i - 1 ) on the basis of the signal e from the comparator 7 and the symbol a i . namely : ( a ) when e = 1 , and when the symbol a i = 0 ( mps ), the changeover unit 9 outputs the fixed input s ( as coordinates δc = s of the difference between the minimum coordinates c i - 1 of the range of the previous symbol a i - 1 and the range of the least coordinates c i of the range of the symbol a i ); ( b ) when e = 1 , and when the symbol a i = 1 ( lps ), the changeover unit 9 outputs value &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; ( as coordinates δc = 0 of the difference between the minimum coordinates c i - 1 of the range of the previous symbol a i - 1 and the minimum coordinates c i of the range of the symbol a i ); ( c ) when e = 0 , and when the symbol a i = 0 ( mps ), the changeover unit 9 outputs the fixed output 0 ( as the difference coordinates δc = 0 ); and ( d ) when e = 0 , and when the symbol a i = 1 ( lps ), the changeover unit 9 outputs the input s ( as the difference coordinates δc = s ). an output a i of the changeover unit 8 is transmitted to the register 1 , the shifter 5 and the arithmetic unit 6 . the operations of the shifter 5 and the arithmetic unit 6 are the same as those in the prior art . fig4 is a flowchart showing the procedures in the embodiment of this invention shown in fig3 . at a step 1 , whether the symbol inputted is the more probability symbol ( mps ) or the less probability symbol ( lps ) is judged . at steps 2 and 3 , there is made a judgement as to whether or not the range a i - 1 - s allocated to the input symbol is larger than the range s allocated to the lps on the basis of the judgment result . more specifically , if judged as the lps at the step 1 , whether the range s allocated to the lps is smaller than the range a i - 1 - s allocated to the mps or not is judged at the step 2 . if smaller than the range a i - 1 - s , the operation proceeds to a step 5 . whereas if not , the operation moves to a step 4 . if judged as the mps at the step 1 , whether the range a i - 1 - s allocated to the mps is larger than the range s allocated to the lps or not is judged at the step 3 . if larger than the range s , the operation moves to the step 4 . whereas if not , the operation moves to a step 5 . when the range allocated to the mps is larger than the range to the lps wherein the input symbol is conceived as the mps , and when the range allocated to the lps is larger than the range to the mps wherein the input symbol is the lps , the minimum coordinates c i of the ranges a i for the respective inputs thereof are determined at the step 4 . when the range allocated to the mps is smaller than the range to the lps wherein the input symbol is the mps , and when the range allocated to the lps is smaller than the range to the mps wherein the input symbol is lps , the minimum coordinates c i of the ranges a i for the respective input symbols are determined at the step 5 . an initial value of the shift quantity l is set to 0 at a step 6 . at a step 7 , whether each of the ranges a i determined at the step 4 or 5 is smaller than 0 . 5 or not is judged . if smaller than 0 . 5 , the operation moves to a step 8 . whereas if larger than 0 . 5 , the operation moves to a step 9 . the range a i is doubled , and the shift quantity l is increased by one (+ 1 ) at the step 8 . the judgment of the step 7 is made once again . this routine is repeated till the range a i exceeds 0 . 5 . for effecting the arithmetic operation of the code words , at a step 9 the differential coordinates δc are added to the minimum coordinates c i - 1 of the previous symbol range which have cumulatively been added . the minimum coordinates c i for the present symbol are thus obtained . subsequently , the minimum coordinates c i are shifted by the shift quantity of bits . the range a i is added to the minimum coordinates c i shifted by l bits , thereby obtaining the maximum coordinates within the range a i . when the l - bit - shifted portion of the minimum coordinates coincides with the superordinate of the maximum coordinates , the coincident bits are outputted as code words . if not , no bit is outputted . the operation next moves to a step 10 , wherein i is updated to i + 1 for processing the next symbol . then , the operation returns to the step 1 . incidentally , when decoding on the receiving side , it is possible to know whether or not mps / lps is temporarily replaced on the transmitting side by comparing s with a i - 1 - s . decoding can correctly be carried out . next , the effects of the present invention will be quantitatively explained . let r be the probability of occurrence of the lps , and let s be the value of the fixed allocation . when a = 0 . 5 , an allocation ratio r s to the lps is maximized such as : r s = 2s . when a = 1 , the ratio is minimized such as : r s = s . when r s = 2s , a mean code length l 2s per symbol is given by : when r s = s , a mean code length l s is given by : s , which is optimal to r given is obtained ( in terms of minimizing the worst coding efficiency ) by the value of s which satisfies l 2s = l s . next , a range of the mean code length per symbol in the case of application of the present invention is the same as above when s & lt ; 1 / 4 . this range is , however , limited between ls and 1 when 1 / 4 ≦ s & lt ; 1 / 3 . fig5 is a graphic chart of 1 /( e - 1 ) where e is the coding efficiency in this embodiment . it can be understood from fig5 that the coding efficiency is improved by approximately 5 % at the maximum . note that the embodiment discussed above has dealt with an example where normally mps is taken on the upper side on the number line , while the lps is taken on the lower side . much the same effects are exhibited by adopting such a principle that the mps and lps are taken on the mutually reversed sides . as discussed above , the present invention exhibits the following effects . the magnitudes of the regions allocated to the mps and the lps are set in the following manner . the region allocated to the mps is invariably larger than the region allocated to the lps . with this arrangement , the high coding efficiency can be obtained . although the illustrative embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings , it is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to that embodiment . various changes or modifications may be effected therein by one skilled in the art without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention . | 7 |
the four described methods of performing the invention are illustrated in fig1 through 4 , respectively . fig1 a , 2a , 3a and 4a each depict a section of a typical chip comprising a substrate 1 on which a plurality of semiconductor components have been formed by well known thin film techniques . the substrate can be any material satisfactory for thin film deposition techniques , but in this example a sapphire substrate is used . portions of islands 2 carrying selected conductors 4 which are to be connected are illustrated . the conductors 4 typically lead to electrodes of active and passive semiconductor devices ( not shown ) to be connected . for purposes of illustration it will be assumed that an air bridge connecting the conductors 4 is to pass over conductors 6 lying on islands 8 . the conductors 6 typically connect electrodes of semiconductor devices to pads which are used for connecting the chip to external circuitry . each of the four methods will be described in conjunction with its illustrative drawing figures and a table following the description which lists some specific materials utilizable in each step , along with nominal thicknesses thereof . it is to be understood that the drawing figures are not to scale and that some of the dimensions are greatly exaggerated to accommodate the great range of layer thicknesses encountered in each method . it is also to be understood that the materials listed are not all - inclusive and that the thicknesses thereof are not critical . rather they will be determined by the specific chip configuration and in accordance with the guidelines given in the descriptions of the methods . this method , which involves the use of photolithographic and etching techniques includes the following steps : 1 . ( fig1 b ) a layer of bridge support material 10 is deposited onto the conductors 4 , 6 and the substrate 1 . the thickness of the layer should be equal to the desired height of the bridges above the substrate 1 and the conductors 6 to be overpassed . the type of support material chosen should be one which resists etching by a first etching agent effective in the dissolution of the conductive material utilized to form the bridges , but which dissolves in a second etching agent which is ineffective for etching the bridge material . 2 . ( fig1 c ) a layer of photosensitive material 12 is applied to the bridge support material 10 . the layer should be of sufficient thickness to protect the support material covered thereby against etching . 3 . by using well known photomasking techniques , the photosensitive material 12 above contact regions of the selected conductors with which the bridge is to come in contact is exposed and developed to effect uncovering of the bridge support material 10 located above each of the contact regions . the material removed by developing is indicated by crosshatching . 4 . the second etching agent is applied to the uncovered bridge support material 10 to effect removal thereof and uncovering of the contact regions of the conductors 4 . 5 . a solvent is applied to the remaining photosensitive material 12 to effect removal thereof , leaving only the bridge support material 10 covering the conductors 4 , 6 and the substrate 1 ( fig1 d ). openings formed in the bridge support material by application of the second etching agent , to uncover the contact regions of the selected conductors 4 are shown at 14 . 6 . ( fig1 e ) utilizing a deposition technique such as vacuum deposition or sputtering a layer of conductive bridge material 16 is deposited onto the remaining bridge support material 10 and onto the contact regions of the selected conductors 4 . the layer should be of the desired bridge thickness . 7 . ( fig1 f ) a layer of photosensitive material 18 is applied to the conductive bridge material 16 . this layer should be of sufficient thickness to protect the bridge material covered thereby against etching . 8 . ( fig1 f ) again using photomasking techniques all of the photosensitive material 18 , except that spanning the contact regions of the selected conductors 4 , is exposed and developed ( as indicated by crosshatching ). this development effects removal of the photosensitive material covering the bridge material 16 in the areas where bridging is not desired . 9 . ( fig1 g ) the first etching agent is applied to the uncovered bridge material 16 effecting removal thereof . 10 . ( fig1 g ) a solvent is applied to the remaining photosensitive material 18 to effect removal thereof . 11 . ( fig1 g ) the second etching agent is applied to the bridge support material 10 to effect removal thereof . the finished bridge produced by method 1 is illustrated in fig1 h . note the air gaps between the conductive bridge 16 and the overpassed conductors 6 from which capacitive isolation is desired . table 1______________________________________ nominalident . thick - etching sol - number ness material agent developer vent______________________________________10 2 μm titanium fluoboric acid10 2 μm polyimide sulfuric acid12 1 μm shipley shipley ace - a - z 1315j az - 606 tone photoresist16 1 μm gold potassium iodide16 1 μm platinum aqua regia18 1 μm shipley shipley ace - a - z 1315j az - 606 tone photoresist______________________________________ this method also involves the use of photolithographic and etching techniques . it includes the following steps : 1 . ( fig2 b ) a layer of photosensitive material 20 is applied to the conductors 4 , 6 and the substrate 1 . the layer should be of a thickness equal to the desired height of the bridge above the substrate 1 and the conductors 6 to be overpassed . 2 . ( fig2 b ) by use of well known photomasking techniques the photosensitive material 20 above the contact regions of the selected conductors 4 is exposed and developed to effect removal of the exposed material and uncovering of the surface of each of these regions . the material removed by developing is indicated by crosshatching . 3 . ( fig2 c ) utilizing a deposition technique such as vacuum deposition or sputtering a layer of conductive bridge material 22 is deposited onto the remaining photosensitive material 20 and onto the uncovered contact regions of the conductors 4 . the layer should be of the desired bridge thickness . 4 . ( fig2 d ) a layer of photosensitive material 24 is applied to the conductive bridge material 22 . this layer should be of sufficient thickness to protect the bridge material covered thereby against etching . 5 . ( fig2 d ) again using photomasking techniques , all of the photosensitive material 24 except that spanning the contact regions is exposed and developed ( as indicated by crosshatching ). this development effects removal of the crosshatched material 24 and uncovering of the bridge material 22 in the areas where bridging is not desired . 6 . ( fig2 e ) an etching solution is applied to the uncovered bridge material 22 to effect removal thereof . 7 . ( fig2 e ) a solvent is applied to the remaining photosensitive material 20 and 24 to effect removal thereof . the finished bridge produced by method 2 is illustrated in fig2 f . this method is less complex than method 1 because only one etching solution is required and fewer steps are involved . nevertheless , method 2 produces crossover bridges having the same thin film dimensions and low reactance characteristics as the bridges produced by method 1 . table 2______________________________________ nominalident . thick - etching sol - number ness material agent developer vent______________________________________20 2 μm shipley shipley ace - a - z 1315 j az - 606 tone photoresist22 1 μm gold potassium iodide22 1 μm platinum aqua regia24 1 μm shipley shipley ace - a - z 1315j az - 606 tone photoresist______________________________________ this method , which involves the use of photolithographic and electroplating techniques , includes the following steps . 1 . ( fig3 b ) a layer of photosensitive material 30 is applied to the conductors 4 , 6 and the substrate 1 . the layer should be of a thickness equal to the desired height of the bridges above the substrate 1 and the conductors to be overpassed 6 . 2 . ( fig3 b ) by the use of well - known photomasking techniques , the photosensitive material 30 above the contact regions of the selected conductors 4 is exposed and developed to effect removal of the exposed material and uncovering of the surface of each of these regions . the material removed by developing is indicated by crosshatching . 3 . ( fig3 c ) a layer of conductive material 32 is deposited onto the remaining photosensitive material 30 and the contact regions of the conductors 4 . the layer should be of sufficient thickness to form an electroplating electrode and can be effectively deposited by such standard techniques as sputtering and vacuum deposition . 4 . ( fig3 d ) a layer of photosensitive material 34 is applied onto the layer of conductive material 32 . this layer should be of sufficient thickness to ensure that no defects such as pinholes exist , through which the conductive material covered thereby could be plated . 5 . ( fig3 d ) again using photomasking techniques , the photosensitive material 34 above the conductive material 32 spanning the contact regions of conductors 4 is exposed and developed ( as indicated by crosshatching ). the crosshatched material is removed by the development thus uncovering the conductive material 32 to be electroplated . a portion of the photosensitive material 34 near the edge of the wafer is also removed to uncover a contact portion of the conductive material for making an electrical connection . 6 . the wafer is immersed in an electroplating solution containing a conductive material which forms a strong bond with conductive material 32 . the uncovered contact portion of the conductive material 32 is connected to the source of potential utilized for electroplating to effect utilization of layer 32 as one electrode . the particular solution utilized will determine whether layer 32 is connected as the cathode or the anode . the area of the other electrode and the magnitude of the plating current should be selected such that plating to the desired thickness is accomplished prior to deterioration of the photosensitive layer 34 ( which tends to flake off at the high temporatures [ typically 100 ° c .] at which the plating solution is maintained ). the rate of plating can not be too high , however , or the plating material will not form a strong bond with conductive layer 32 . in one test run good results were obtained by utilizing a plating current of approximately 5 milliamps and an anode of 5 cm diameter to plate gold on a gold layered wafer of approximately the same diameter . the resulting bridge is illustrated at 36 in fig3 e . two different processes will now be described for removing the remaining photosensitive material 30 , 34 and the unplated conductive material 32 . the first of these processes , which involves an etching technique , is described in steps 7a through 11a . the second process , which involves a vibration technique , is described in steps 7b through 9b . 7a ( fig3 e ). a solvent is applied to the remainder of photosensitive layer 34 to effect removal thereof . the resulting layer configuration is illustrated in fig3 f . 8a ( fig3 g ) a layer of photosensitive material 38 is applied to both the unplated conductive material 32 and the bridge 36 . this layer should be of sufficient thickness to protect the bridge against an etching agent which will be subsequently applied to remove the unplated conductive material 32 . 9a ( fig3 g ) using standard photomasking techniques all of the photosensitive material 38 lying above the unplated conductive material 32 is exposed and developed . removal of the developed material ( indicated by crosshatching ) uncovers all of the unplated conductive material 32 . 10a ( fig3 h ) an etching agent is applied to the uncovered conductive material 32 to effect removal thereof . 11a ( fig3 h ) a solvent is applied to remove the remaining layers 30 , 38 of the photosensitive material . 7b . ( fig3 e ) a solvent is applied to the remainder of photosensitive layer 34 to effect removal thereof . 8b . ( fig3 f ) the wafer is immersed in an ultrasonic bath and vibrated to remove the unplated conductive material 32 . the strong bond between the conductive bridge 36 and conductors 4 prevents separation thereof , but only a relatively weak bond exists between layers 30 and 32 . 9b . ( fig3 f ) a solvent is applied to the remaining photosensitive material 30 to effect removal thereof . the finished bridge produced by method 3 is illustrated in fig3 i . the use of the electroplating technique results in a bridge with rounded edges giving it great strength and high resistance to vibrational separation . a further advantage of this method is minimization of the amount of waste conductive material , because the unplated conductive layer 32 which is removed need only be thick enough to form an electrode . table 3______________________________________ nominalident . thick - etching sol - number ness material agent developer vent______________________________________30 2 μm shipley shipley ace - a - z 1315j az - 606 tone photoresist32 500a gold potassium iodide32 500a platinum aqua regia34 1 μm shipley shipley ace - a - z 1315j az - 606 tone photoresist36 1 μm gold potassium iodide36 1 μm platinum aqua regia38 1 μm shipley shipley ace - a - z 1315j az - 606 tone photoresist______________________________________ this method involves the use of both photolithographic and electroplating techniques . it includes the following steps : 1 . ( fig4 b ) a layer of conductive bridge support material 40 is deposited onto the conductors 4 , 6 and the substrate 1 . the thickness of the layer should equal the desired height of the bridge above the substrate and the conductors 6 to be overpassed . the type of support material chosen should be a conductive material which is dissolvable in an etching agent which is ineffective in the dissolution of the conductive material utilized to form the bridges . 2 . ( fig4 c ). a layer of photosensitive material 42 is applied to the bridge support material 40 . the layer should be of sufficient thickness to protect the support material covered thereby against etching . 3 . ( fig4 c ) by use of well known photomasking techniques , the photosensitive material 42 above the contact regions of conductors 4 is exposed and developed to effect uncovering of the bridge support material 40 located above each of the contact regions . the material removed by developing is indicated by crosshatching . 4 . the etching agent is applied to the uncovered bridge support material 40 to effect removal thereof and uncovering of the contact regions of the conductors 4 . 5 . a solvent is applied to the remaining photosensitive material 42 to effect removal thereof , leaving only the bridge support material 40 covering the conductors 46 , and the substrate 1 ( fig4 d ). openings formed in the bridge support material by application of the etching agent , to uncover the contact regions of the selected conductors 4 , are shown at 44 . 6 . ( fig4 e ) a layer of photosensitive material 4 , 6 is applied to the conductive bridge support material 40 and the contact regions of the conductors 4 . 7 . ( fig4 e ). again using photomasking techniques , the photosensitive material 46 above the contact regions and the conductive support material 40 spanning the contact regions is exposed and developed . the crosshatched material is removed by the development , thus uncovering conductive contact regions and support material which will be used jointly as an electroplating electrode . a portion of the photosensitive material near the edge of the wafer is also removed to uncover a contact portion of the conductive support material for making an electrical connection . 8 . the wafer is immersed in an electroplating solution containing a conductive material which readily plates onto the support material and the conductors 4 , but which forms a strong bond only with the contact regions of the conductors 4 . the uncovered contact portion of the conductive support material 40 is connected to the source of potential used for electroplating to effect utilization of the electrode formed by the conductive contact regions and support material . the criteria for determining the polarity and area of the electrodes and the magnitude of the plating current are the same as those utilized in method 3 . the resulting bridge is illustrated at 44 in fig4 f . 9 . ( fig4 f ) a solvent is applied to the remaining photosensitive material 46 to effect removal thereof . 10 . ( fig4 g ) the etching agent is applied to the remaining bridge support material 40 effecting removal thereof . the finished bridge produced by method 4 is illustrated in fig4 h . the bridge has the same structural and electrical characteristics as that produced by method 3 , but method 4 requires fewer steps and none of the conductive bridge material is wasted . table 4______________________________________ nominalident . thick - etching sol - number ness material agent developer vent______________________________________40 2 μm titanium fluoboric acid42 1 μm shipley shipley ace - a - z 1315j az - 606 tone photoresist46 1 μm shipley shipley ace - a - z 1315j az - 606 tone photoresist48 1 μm gold none needed48 1 μm titanium none needed______________________________________ thus , in accordance with the present invention , methods have been provided for forming low reactance , thin film conductive bridges . although the invention has been described by a series of specific steps for each method , it is to be understood that variations in these steps are also within the scope of the invention as described by the appended claims . for example , the removal of photosensitive material from the wafer can be accomplished by use of a plasma rather than a solvent . also , the materials utilized in each method need not be limited to those listed in the accompanying tables , but can be any materials meeting the criteria set forth in the individual methods . | 7 |
the detailed description and examples will illustrate specific embodiments of the invention will enable one skilled in the art to practice the invention , including the best mode . it is contemplated that many equivalent embodiments of the invention will be operable besides these specifically disclosed . the function of the first coagulant is to break any oil - water emulsion ( oil includes grease ) existing in the process water and / or condensate to be treated . the first coagulant separates the oil and the process water and / or condensate , so the oil can be coagulated with the solids in the next step of the process . the ph of the condensate at this stage of the process is typically between 8 . 5 and 10 . 0 . the first coagulant has a colloid structure , preferably symmetrical , and has a mean diameter of from about 1 micron to about 25 microns , preferably from about 5 microns to about 15 microns . examples of the coagulants that can be used as the first coagulant include cationic electrolytes with a low molecular weight . most preferably used as the first coagulant are melamine formaldehyde cationic coagulants , particularly those having a melamine to formaldehyde ratio of about 1 : 1 to about 1 : 10 , preferably from about 1 : 2 to about 2 : 8 . the function of the second coagulant is to agglomerate the oil and suspended solids in the process water and / or condensate , so that the suspended solids can be effectively removed from the process water and / or condensate by filtration . the ph of the condensate at this stage of the process is also typically between 8 . 5 and 10 . 0 . the second coagulant has a colloid structure , preferably asymmetrical , and has a mean diameter of from about 40 microns to about 200 microns , preferably from about 50 microns to about 100 microns . methods of preparing such coagulants are described in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 558 , 080 ; 4 , 734 , 216 ; and 4 , 781 , 839 . preferably , the tannin - based coagulant is prepared with condensed polyphenolic tannins under slightly acidic conditions , where the ph is less than 7 , and where the molar ratio of the primary amine from the amino compound to the tannin repeating unit is from about 1 . 5 : 1 to about 3 . 0 : 1 . the second coagulant is added within minutes , typically within 60 seconds after the first coagulant is added to the process water and / or condensate to be treated . typically , it is added close to the inlet of the filter , and it is used to pre - coat the filter media . as was mentioned previously , it may be useful to clarify the condensate after coagulation and before filtering when the solids content is high . although any means know in the art can be used to clarify the condensate , one method that has been shown to be particularly effective , is to pass the condensate through settling device , preferably a separator , e . g . a lamella ® gravity settler / thickener , which is sold by parkson corporation . the separator reduces the suspended solids in a liquid stream . typically , the separator is used if the incoming suspended solids is higher than the filter , e . g . the dyna - sand filter , can handle effectively , e . g . typically if the turbidity is greater than 120 ntu . settling may be accomplished by a variety means . traditionally , settling was accomplished by placing the liquid containing the suspended solids in a quiescent pond such as a sedimentary basin that may be several acres , where the solids were allowed to settle . a more modern approach is to pass the liquid through a clarifier where the particle size is increased by using a polymer to increase the settling rate . the material settles faster in a clarifier than it does in a pond , because of the increased size of the suspended solids and increased density of the particulate material suspended in the fluid . the conventional clarifier is usually a large tank so the fluid velocity may be reduced to less than one or two feet per minute . the configuration may vary from a long rectangular basin that is fed from one end to a circular design fed in the middle . all use the same principal of settling the solids through the clear fluid to the bottom of the vessel . because the depth is several feet , this may take a long time . this is why the vessels are so large . recent technology involves mechanical separation augmented by the use of a polymer to change the physical character of the suspended particles to be separated . this process uses a series of parallel plates set at an angle from horizontal ( e . g . 45 to 60 degrees ) that collect the particles from the fluid that passes through them in parallel . the plates span the entire unit of the clarifier . the solids then settle only several inches onto each of the plates . the clear water passes upwards and overflows where it is channeled for end use , while the solids accumulate on the plates . large systems may use twenty or so parallel plates , while smaller system may require only eight or ten plates . although a variety of filters are useful for carrying out the filtration step of the process , the preferred filter is a fluidized bed filter , particularly an upflow sand filter . this filter utilizes a fluidized bed where the media in the fluidized bed develops a negative charge . this allows the cationic coagulants to pre - coat the filter , which causes the contaminants to stick to the media . this enables one to use less coagulant and the coagulant is removed from the stream , preventing it from becoming an impurity in the filtered fluid . particularly useful , as the filter , is the dynasand ® filter supplied by parkson corporation . this filter is a continuous - backwash , upflow , deep - bed , granular - media filter . recycling the sand internally through an airlift pipe and sand washer continuously cleans the filter media . the cleansed sand is redistributed on top of the sand bed , allowing for continuous flow of filtration and rejected water . other features of the filter include a continuously cleaned sand bed , no moving parts , low pressure drop , high solids capability , and a top - feed design . preferably , after coagulation , and possibly clarification , and filtering , the turbidity of the condensate is 1 . 0 ntu or less . after the suspended solids are removed from the condensate , there still may still dissolved materials such as sodium hydroxide , aluminum , and smaller amounts of iron , calcium , silica , organics , etc . remaining in the condensate . preferably , these materials need to be removed from the process water and / or condensate , so the condensate can be used as boiler feed water . any number of processes may be added downstream from the filter to complete this purification process , e . g . demineralization with ion exchange ( cation or anion ), reverse osmosis , evaporation , partial demineralization , decarbonation , degassification , and / or mixed bed demineralization . any proven technique for removing ionic contaminants from water streams should be effective as a second stage in this condensate recovery process . the treatment time from entering the filter to exiting the ion exchange unit varies depending upon the degree of contamination and flow rate , but typically takes less than 20 minutes , more typically from about 5 to about 15 minutes . as was pointed out previously , the subject process is particularly useful for treating process condensate generated by the bayer process used to produce alumina from bauxite . in the bayer process , condensate is generated as follows : ( 1 ) the flash steam that is produced from pressure reduction of the digester effluent is used to heat the feed to the digester . the flash steam is ultimately condensed and is the largest source of condensate that is produced . ( 2 ) further downstream in the process , solids are removed for disposal and the clear supernate ( containing caustic and dissolved alumina ) is precipitated in a series of multiple effect evaporators . these evaporators produce the second largest stream of condensate . note that both these streams are generated by the process rather than from condensed steam from the powerhouse . this is why they are so contaminated . other sources of condensate are the condensed steam from the surface condensers and steam heated process vessels . after the contaminated condensate is treated , it can be piped ( the motive pressure of the steam may be sufficient to transport it ) or pumped , if necessary , to the boiler feedwater unit , recycled in the process , or sent to a holding tank where is stored until it is ready to be used . mfc a melamine formaldehyde cationic coagulant having melamine to formaldehyde mole ratio 2 : 8 having a mean volume average of from about 10 microns . tac tannin amine coagulant having , supplied by ecolab under the tradename wcs 4110 , having a having a mean volume average of from about 50 to 100 microns . filter a fluidized bed sand filter supplied by parkson corporation under the trademark dynasand ® sand filter . while the invention has been described with reference to a preferred embodiment , those skilled in the art will understand 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 . in this application all units are in the metric system and all amounts and percentages are by weight , unless otherwise expressly indicated . removal of contaminants from condensate generated by the bayer process for producing alumina this example illustrates how the process is used to remove contaminants from the digester process water ( dpw ) and the evaporator process condensate ( epc ), generated by the bayer process for producing alumina . the alumina was produced from bauxite by the bayer process as shown fig1 . the temperature of the dpw was from about 80 ° c . to about 100 ° c . and the temperature of the epc was from about 80 ° c . to about 100 ° c . the flow rate for the condensate tested was approximately 60 gpm and tests were conducted for about a month . the sample was piped from the process and the purification took place done on - line . twenty ppm of mfc were added to samples of the dpw and the epc . ten seconds later , 15 ppm of tac were added to the dpw and the epc , which had been treated with the melamine formaldehyde emulsion breaker . the condensate was then filtered using filter . the contaminants ( cnt ) in the condensate , and their amounts before ( dpwb and epwb ) and after treatment ( dpwa and epwa ) are set forth in table i for the two different streams , the digester stream and evaporator stream , along with the change ( ch ) and percent change (% ch ). the most important contaminants in this process are total suspended solids ( tss ), oil and grease ( o & amp ; g ), iron ( fe ), and barium ( ba ). there was no significant loss of heat from the contaminated process water during the treatment process , and the time it took for the contaminated water to enter the treatment and leave the treatment process was approximately one minute . the results in table i clearly demonstrate the effectiveness of the treatment process . the amounts of several different contaminants were substantially reduced or removed when the process condensate was treated according to the process . the purified water can then be used as boiler feedwater or recycled as process water . | 2 |
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