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now , embodiments of the working apparatus and working method according to the present invention will be described referring to the accompanying drawings . throughout the drawings , the same or similar components are denoted respectively by the same reference symbols and will not be described repeatedly . fig1 is a schematic cross sectional view of the first embodiment of intra - nuclear - reactor working apparatus according to the present invention , showing how it is arranged in position . referring to fig1 that illustrates a lower part of a nuclear reactor that is the working site in the nuclear reactor , the site is found in a narrow area located below the shroud support plate 7 and surrounded by the inner wall of the nuclear reactor pressure vessel ( rpv ) 2 , the shroud support cylinder 5 on which a nuclear fuel assemblies are placed , the shroud support legs 6 that are legs of the shroud support cylinder 5 , and so on . the shroud support plate 7 is a horizontal annular plate arranged between the shroud support cylinder 5 and the rpv 2 . a large number of weld lines are found in such a narrow area . they include an h8 horizontal weld line 9 that is the weld line connecting the shroud support cylinder 5 and the shroud support plate 7 , and an h9 horizontal weld line 10 that is the weld line connecting the rpv 2 and the shroud support plate 7 , along with an h10 weld line 11 , an h11 weld line 12 and an ad - 2 weld line 13 . when conducting various works for these weld lines 9 to 13 , such as inspection , polishing , water washing , preventive maintenance and repairing , the inside of the rpv 2 is filled with water and the intra - nuclear - reactor working apparatus 20 is arranged in the water . a cable ( not shown ) is connected to the intra - nuclear - reactor working apparatus 20 and the other end of the cable is connected to the control section and the operation section of the control apparatus arranged on the operating floor or on the fuel exchanger located above the rpv 2 . now , the intra - nuclear - reactor working apparatus 20 will be described below . fig2 is a front view of the intra - nuclear - reactor working apparatus 20 of fig1 , showing the configuration thereof . fig3 is a schematic plan view of the intra - nuclear - reactor working apparatus 20 of fig1 , showing the configuration thereof . fig4 is a front view of the wheel folding / unfolding mechanism 32 of fig1 , showing the configuration thereof . as shown in the drawings , the intra - nuclear - reactor working apparatus 20 includes a cylindrical main body casing 22 that contains a ballast tank 21 . wheel folding / unfolding mechanisms 23 , 32 for unfolding a working equipment 30 or a traveling wheel 24 are mounted in an upper part of the main body casing 22 . at least three folded traveling wheels 24 to be unfolded are provided . the working equipment 30 is arranged between a pair of traveling wheels 24 . ball casters 25 are fitted respectively to upper parts of the three traveling wheels 24 . an original point detection sensor 31 for defining an original point is fitted to an upper part of the intra - nuclear - reactor working apparatus 20 . two vertical thrusters 28 are fitted to a lower part of the main body casing 22 ( although only one of them is shown in fig4 ) so as to be driven by a drive motor 27 . further , two vertical thrusters 26 are fitted to a center part of the main body casing 22 ( although only one of them is shown in fig4 ) so as to driven by a drive motor ( not shown ). the main body casing 22 has a cylindrical profile and is dimensionally so designed as to be able to pass through a round hole ( not shown ) of the reactor core support plate 3 . the total height of the intra - nuclear - reactor working apparatus 20 is dimensionally so defined that , after passing through the round hole of the reactor core support plate 3 and moving into a lower part of the reactor , the apparatus 20 can pass among the shroud support legs 6 and move into an area below the shroud support plate 7 . a plurality of floats 29 a , 29 b are arranged at an upper part of the intra - nuclear - reactor working apparatus 20 so as to position the center of buoyancy above the center of gravity in water even after injecting air into the ballast tank 21 to completely fill the latter with air so that the intra - nuclear - reactor working apparatus 20 can hold its attitude without toppling down in water . as shown in fig3 , at least three wheel folding / unfolding mechanisms 23 , 32 are arranged in the intra - nuclear - reactor working apparatus 20 . referring to the drawings , two floats 29 a , a wheel 24 and a ball caster 25 are fitted to a single wheel folding / unfolding mechanism 23 , whereas a float 29 b is sandwiched between a pair of wheel folding / unfolding mechanisms 32 , and a wheel 24 and a ball caster 25 are fitted to the front end of each of the wheel folding / unfolding mechanisms 32 . the traveling wheels 24 of the wheel folding / unfolding mechanisms 23 , 32 are driven by respective wheel drive motors 40 that are directly and coaxially linked to the rotary shafts thereof . a roller 46 for gauging the distance by which the roller traveled along the outer lateral surface of the shroud and a rotary sensor 45 directly linked to it are fitted to the lower end of each of the wheel drive motors 40 . the traveling wheels 24 , the rollers 46 and the rotary sensors 45 are linked to the main body casing 22 by way of parallel links 42 in such a way that each of the wheel folding / unfolding mechanisms can be stored in position with the wheel rotary shaft held upright by means of an air cylinder 41 . each of the parallel links 42 is supported at the opposite ends thereof by brackets 60 and pins 61 so as to be able to rotate freely . the intra - nuclear - reactor working apparatus 20 moves down below the shroud support plate 7 as the wheel folding / unfolding mechanisms 23 , 32 are held upright and stored in position . thereafter , the traveling wheels 24 , the rollers 46 and the rotary sensors 45 are pressed against the shroud support cylinder 5 and the inner wall of the rpv 2 by supplying air to the air cylinders 41 to generate traveling drive force in a horizontal direction so that the intra - nuclear - reactor working apparatus 20 can move along the outer peripheral surface of the shroud . at the same time , it is possible to gauge the relative distance by which the intra - nuclear - reactor working apparatus 20 traveled along the outer peripheral surface of the shroud by means of the rollers 46 and the rotary sensors 45 pressed against the outer peripheral surface . while the driving air cylinders 41 are arranged at an upper part of the main body casing 22 in the illustrated embodiment , drive sources may alternatively be arranged below the ballast tanks 21 for the wheel folding / unfolding mechanisms 23 , 32 to produce links that can be unfolded by the drive sources . with such an arrangement , the attitude of the intra - nuclear - reactor working apparatus 20 can be made more stable in water because the center of gravity is lowered by the arrangement . now , how the intra - nuclear - reactor working apparatus 20 is handled will be described below . fig5 is a front view of the intra - nuclear - reactor working apparatus 20 of the first embodiment according to the present invention , showing how it is operated , and fig6 is a plan view of the intra - nuclear - reactor working apparatus of this embodiment , also showing how it is operated . the intra - nuclear - reactor working apparatus 20 is adapted to carry out various operations , for instance , on the h 8 horizontal weld line 9 that is the weld line located under the shroud support plate 7 as shown in fig1 . the intra - nuclear - reactor working apparatus 20 is suspended from above the rpv 2 by means of a cable ( not shown ) and lowered into the rpv 2 that is filled with water . then , it is moved into a narrow area located in a lower part of the reactor , passing by an upper grid plate and the reactor core support plate 3 . at this time , the insides of the ballast tanks 21 are evacuated and water is injected into them to reduce the buoyancy and generate a falling force . at the same time , downwardly propelling force of the vertical thrusters 28 are combined with the falling force to drive the intra - nuclear - reactor working apparatus 20 downwardly in water . then , the intra - nuclear - reactor working apparatus 20 is made to pass among the shroud support legs 6 and go below the shroud support plate 7 . when driving the intra - nuclear - reactor working apparatus 20 to move , air is injected into the ballast tank 21 or water is discharged from the inside of the ballast tank 21 to make the weight of the entire apparatus substantially equal to 0 kgf in water and drive the apparatus horizontally by means of the horizontal thrusters 26 . then , the working equipment 30 made to face the shroud support cylinder 5 by rotating it around the vertical axis . thereafter , the traveling wheels 24 are unfolded until immediately before they touch the outer peripheral surface of the shroud support cylinder 5 . then , air is injected into the ballast tank 21 to expel the water in the inside and lift up the intra - nuclear - reactor working apparatus 20 until the three ball casters 25 touch the lower surface of the shroud support plate 7 . as the vertical position of the intra - nuclear - reactor working apparatus 20 is determined in the above - described manner , the unfolding power is raised to press the traveling wheels 24 firmly against the shroud support cylinder 5 and the inner wall of the rpv 2 . for traveling , the traveling wheels 24 are driven to turn , while the ball casters 25 are constantly held in contact with the lower surface of the shroud support plate 7 by the buoyancy generated by the ballast tank 21 . then , as a result , it is possible to move the intra - nuclear - reactor working apparatus 20 horizontally along the h8 weld line 9 . the reference position in a peripheral direction for the h8 horizontal weld line 9 , or the original point for traveling , is defined by detecting the inner edge of the round hole of the shroud support plate 7 where the jet pump adaptor 8 is rigidly anchored by means of an original detecting sensor 31 , which may typically be an ultrasonic distance sensor . then , the rollers 46 are made to contact the wall surface to directly gauge the traveled distance by the rotary sensors 45 and computationally determine the traveled relative distance from the original point by the rotary sensors 45 . then , the intended work is carried out by means of an appropriate one of the various pieces of working equipment 30 , while remotely regulating the relative position and the attitude of the apparatus relative to the target of work by means of the scanning mechanism . if the work is a visual inspection , a ccd camera is mounted as working equipment 30 and a universal head is mounted as scanning mechanism . then , the weld line and its vicinity will be continuously shot , while moving the apparatus horizontally and regulating the universal head and the camera angle so as to shoot the desired region . alternatively , an ultrasonic flaw detection sensor or an eddy current flaw detection sensor may be mounted with a scanning mechanism having a desired degree of freedom to carry out a similar work . any of various works can also be performed for the h9 horizontal weld line 10 by moving so as to make the working equipment 30 face the inner wall of the rpv 2 and unfolding the related components , following a similar sequence of operation . with this embodiment , it is possible to perform a preventive maintenance operation or a welding operation such as an inspection , a cleaning operation , a polishing operation , water washing , water jet peening and / or a laser peening operation to a weld line that is found in a hard - to - be - accessed area below the shroud support plate 7 when conducting any of various operations on the intra - reactor structures in the nuclear reactor pressure vessel that is immersed in water in a nuclear reactor . additionally , the working apparatus can cover a wide area with a limited number of times of immersions of installations to carry out works efficiently . still additionally , since the traveling wheels 24 are unfolded and pressed against a wall , it is possible to support a large reaction force and hence carry out a work stably . furthermore , since the intra - nuclear - reactor working apparatus can continuously travel on the outer wall surface of the shroud support cylinder 5 by means of the traveling wheels 24 , it is possible to accurately and continuously position the apparatus and restore the apparatus to an original position . thus , it is possible to improve the quality of the work it carries out . sine the intra - nuclear - reactor working apparatus can move along the lower surface of the shroud support plate 7 by utilizing buoyancy , the vertical position of the apparatus can be reliably secured to further improve the quality of the work it carries out . the working equipment 30 is selected from a brush for polishing operations , a grinding jig , a washing water nozzle , a water jet peening head for preventive maintenance , a laser peening head and a welding head for repairing works and mounted in the intra - nuclear - reactor working apparatus . thus , by using any of these pieces of working equipment 30 , it is possible to perform polishing operations , cleaning operations , operation for improving stresses as preventive maintenance and repairing operations . therefore , with this embodiment , it is possible to perform , in addition to inspection , polishing operations , cleaning operations , operation for improving stresses as preventive maintenance and repairing operations on the weld lines located in a narrow area under the shroud support plate which is difficult to access . in this embodiment , the conveyance mechanism of the intra - nuclear - reactor working apparatus is realized by the two horizontal thrusters 26 and by regulating the buoyancy of the ballast tank 21 . more specifically , the embodiment is driven to move up and down respectively by the rising power and the falling power generated by the ballast tank 21 . it is driven to move horizontally and turn around a vertical axis by the propelling force of the horizontal thrusters . this embodiment provides improved handling capabilities because the degree of freedom of driving and the number of cables are reduced . additionally , it is possible to make the intra - nuclear - reactor working apparatus 20 submerge and surface or become pressed against the lower surface of the shroud support plate with a simplified structure . in this embodiment , preferably the traveling wheels 24 are rubber wheels having a shape of a truncated cone that are fitted in position with the larger diameter side facing downward . with this arrangement , it is possible to apply an upwardly displacing force to the apparatus as the traveling wheels 24 are pressed against a wall surface and driven to rotate . then , along with the buoyancy of the ballast tank , it is possible to firmly press the apparatus against the lower surface of the shroud support plate so that the apparatus can securely move horizontally along the shroud support plate . fig7 shows the second embodiment of intra - nuclear - reactor working apparatus according to the present invention . the components of this embodiment that are same as or similar to those of the first embodiment are denoted respectively by the same reference symbols and will not be described in detail any further . this embodiment differs from the first embodiment illustrated in fig2 in that the drive mechanism 32 for supporting the working equipment 30 and the float 29 b includes two links that are arranged adjacently in a horizontal direction . otherwise , this embodiment is identical with the first embodiment . now , the third embodiment of the present invention will be described below by referring to fig8 and 9 . the components of this embodiment that are same as or similar to those of the first embodiment are denoted respectively by the same reference symbols and will not be described in detail any further . as shown in fig8 and 9 , an upper grid plate 43 having an opening and a reactor core support plate 3 having an opening are arranged in the pressure vessel 2 . the intra - nuclear - reactor working apparatus 20 is led to an area located under the shroud support plate 7 by way of either of two routes 44 , 145 , one for accessing the area under the shroud support plate 7 from the inner surface side of the shroud 100 , passing through the opening of the upper grid plate 43 and the opening of the reactor core support plate 3 , and one for accessing the area under the shroud support plate 7 from the outer surface side of the shroud 100 , passing through the access hole 46 a . this embodiment can carry out any of various works on the intra - nuclear - reactor structures in the pressure vessel 2 that is immersed in water in a nuclear reactor regardless of the intra - nuclear - reactor environment . more specifically , it can be used to carry out any of various works on the h8 horizontal weld line 9 that is the weld line of the shroud support cylinder 5 and the shroud support plate 7 , the h9 horizontal weld line 10 that is the weld line of the pressure vessel 2 and the shroud support plate 7 , the h10 weld line 11 that is the weld line of the shroud support legs 6 and the shroud support cylinder 5 , the h11 weld line 12 that is the weld line of the shroud support legs 6 and the pressure vessel 2 , the ad - 2 weld line 13 that is the weld line of the jet pump 8 and the shroud support plate 7 . for instance , if all the control rod guide tubes 141 and the fuel are installed and it is not possible to take the access route 44 leading to an area under the shroud support plate 7 , it is possible to take off the access hole cover 146 and take the access route 145 . as shown in fig1 and 11 , the access hole 46 a arranged in the pressure vessel 2 is covered by the access hole cover 146 . the access hole cover 146 is rigidly secured to the peripheral edge 46 b of the access hole 46 b by means of a total of six bolts ( binding sections ) 50 and a retainer 52 is arranged between the access hole cover 146 and each of the nuts 51 . each of the bolts 50 is engaged with a nut 51 and the stoppers 53 that operate as anti - revolution means are formed by using spring mechanisms . thus , the bolts 50 can be fitted and removed with ease . since the stopper 53 of each of the bolts 50 is formed by using a spring mechanism 53 , the access hole cover 146 can be fitted and removed with ease by means of a handling jig that is exclusively designed as anti - revolution key . with this arrangement , it is possible to easily carry out operations including inspections , polishing , washing with water , water jet peening , laser peening for preventive maintenance , and repairing operations such as welding in an area located below the shroud support plate 7 by removing the access hole cover 146 if the reactor is loaded with the fuel ( not shown ) and the control rod guide tubes 141 in the inside . now , the fourth embodiment of intra - nuclear - reactor working apparatus according to the present invention will be described below . in this embodiment , the mechanism constituting members and the strength holding members of the intra - nuclear - reactor working apparatus and the working equipment are formed by using a polymeric resin material . specific examples of materials that can be used for this embodiment include polyamide type resins , polyimide type resins , polyether - ether - ketone resins and polyether - sulfone - resins that are excellent in terms of resistance against radioactive rays , water - absorbing property , mechanical strength and thermal resistance . all or part of these materials may be used for the above mechanism composing members and the strength holding members . thus , with this embodiment , it is possible to replace polymeric resin materials in place of metal materials in order to reduce the weight of the various pieces of equipment , such as an intra - nuclear - reactor working apparatus or working equipment in water . as a result , the ballast tank can be dimensionally reduced to consequently reduce the overall dimensions of the apparatus . as the apparatus is made lightweight and downsized , it can be handled easily and it can pass through narrow areas so that the reliability of operation of the apparatus is also improved . the present invention is not limited to the above - described embodiments , which may be modified in various different ways without departing from the scope of the present invention . for example , inspection results may be displayed on a display apparatus . for example , while the above - described embodiments of intra - nuclear - reactor working apparatus and working method are adapted to be used in nuclear reactors , the present invention can broadly be applied various working apparatus and various working methods . additionally , while the above - described embodiments of working apparatus and working method are adapted to operations in water , they can be modified in various different ways as pointed out below . for example , while the operation mechanisms including the adhering / traveling modules 22 and related mechanisms may be housed in a water - tight case or the like and adapted to perform adhering / traveling operations in water , the working equipment of a working apparatus according to the present invention may be separated from them and put in air so as to operate in air . as another example , the adhering / traveling modules 22 and the thrusters 41 may be dimensionally raised to use a large drive source and a large drive mechanism for the thrusters 41 so that the thrusters 41 may acquire a sufficiently large air flow rate to produce a large adhering force in air as they are driven to rotate at high speed . with such an arrangement , a working apparatus and a working method according to the present invention may be applied to works in air . | 6 |
one version of a conveyor system embodying features of the invention is shown in fig1 . a conveyor , shown in this example as a conveyor belt 10 supported on a carryway 60 , carries articles 12 through a process 11 in a conveying direction 13 on an outer conveying surface 22 along a carryway segment 15 of the belt &# 39 ; s endless conveying path . at the end of the carryway , the articles are conveyed off the conveyor belt . after rounding drive sprockets 18 , the conveyor belt 10 follows a return segment 17 on its way back around idle sprockets 20 to the carryway segment 15 . both the drive and idle sprockets are mounted on shafts 68 ( only idle shaft shown in fig1 ). one or more accelerometers 24 embedded in the belt 10 make measurements of accelerations in the belt . the term “ embedded ” is used in a broad sense to encompass any installation of an accelerometer in a conveyor . examples of embedded accelerometers include accelerometers mounted on or in , molded into , inserted into , laminated in , welded to , bonded to , or otherwise rigidly connected to the advancing conveyor . the accelerometers 24 may be single - axis accelerometers sensing the component of local belt acceleration along an x - axis , for example , parallel to the conveying direction 13 ; a two - axis accelerometer sensing the components of acceleration along the x - axis and a y - axis perpendicular to the x - axis , for example , across the width of the conveyor belt ; or a three - axis accelerometer sensing three orthogonal components of local acceleration , for example , along the x - and y - axes and along a z - axis extending through the thickness of the conveyor belt . in most applications , belt accelerations along the x - axis would be of most interest and more susceptible to control , but accelerations along the other axes may be of interest as well . for example , an accelerometer sensing accelerations along the z - axis , or even along the x - axis , could be used to detect the impact of an article dropped onto the conveyor belt . examples of accelerometer technologies include piezoelectric , piezoresistive , and capacitive . for compactness , a micro - electro - mechanical - system ( mems )- based accelerometer is useful . in fig1 , which shows a modular plastic conveyor belt loop constructed of rows of hinged modules , the accelerometers 24 are spaced apart regularly at locations along the length of the belt and across its width . as shown in fig2 , each accelerometer 24 is connected to a logic circuit 28 in the conveyor belt 10 . each logic circuit may be realized by a programmed microcontroller or by hardwired logic elements . conventional signal - conditioning circuit components , such as buffers , amplifiers , analog - to - digital converters , and multiplexers , may be interposed between the accelerometer and the logic circuit . the logic circuit may also include a unique address or other identifying indicia to correlate the response of each accelerometer with a specific position on the conveyor belt . the identifying indicia and the accelerometer &# 39 ; s measurements may be stored in one or more memory elements 29 . the accelerometer measurements — one , two , or three components of acceleration — are converted into a measurement signal 30 that is transmitted remotely by a transmitter 32 . the transmitter may be a wireless rf transmitter transmitting wirelessly via an antenna 34 over a wireless communication link 36 or over an ohmic connection 38 between a conductive contact 40 on the outside of the belt 10 and a brush 42 in conveyor structure along the side of the belt , as in fig1 . a receiver 33 may also be connected to the logic circuit to receive command and control signals from a remote controller 44 , i . e ., a controller not located on or in the conveyor belt . other transmitter - receiver technologies , such as optical or infrared , for example , may be used . all the components embedded in the belt may be powered by a power source 45 , such as one or more battery cells , housed together in a cavity in the belt . alternatively , the power source 45 may be an energy harvester harvesting energy from vibratory motion or articulation of the conveyor , thermal gradients , or other energy - producing effects inherent in the process or conveyance . the embedded power source 45 may alternatively be powered by induction or by rf charging as it recirculates past an external charging device 49 , as in fig1 . a remote receiver 46 receives the measurement signal 30 via an antenna 48 over the wireless communication link 36 or over the ohmic connection 38 from the receiver 33 embedded in the conveyor belt . the receiver 46 sends the measurement signal to the remote controller 44 . a transmitter 47 connected between the controller 44 and the antenna 48 or the ohmic connection 38 may be used to send command and control signals to the belt - borne accelerometer circuits . an operator input device 50 connected to the controller 44 may be used to select accelerometer or alarm settings or data to be displayed . the controller 44 may also be used to stop or control the speed of a motor 52 driving the main drive sprockets 18 , to control intermediate drives 62 , or to activate a damper 64 acting on the conveyor belt itself . a video display 54 may be used to monitor system operating conditions and settings or to display alarm conditions . a more clearly visible or audible alarm 56 may also be used by the controller to warn of irregularities in the process . the controller may be a programmable logic controller , a laptop , a desktop , or any appropriate computer device . as shown in fig3 , the accelerometer 24 embedded in the belt 10 is used to damp accelerations in the belt . its measurements of acceleration 30 are routed over the communication link 36 to the controller 44 . the controller , using wireless or copper control lines 61 , applies damping to the drive shaft 68 ′ of the conveyor in response to unwanted accelerations measured by the accelerometer . damping is applied to the drive shaft by a rotational damper 70 controlled by the controller in a closed - loop control system to compensate for speed changes caused by vibrations , resonances , stick - slip , chordal action , imbalance , run - out , or other conditions causing regular or intermittent speed variations . fig4 shows a similar closed - loop control system , except that the rotational damper 70 operates on the idle shaft 68 to apply damping , such as conventional speed - change damping , back tension , or controlled braking , at that point along the conveying path . fig5 and 5a depict linear damping applied to the conveyor belt 10 at positions along the carryway path 15 . acceleration measurements made by the accelerometers 24 are transmitted over the communications link 36 to the controller 44 . responding to the acceleration measurements , the controller activates linear dampers 72 , which act directly on the conveyor belt 10 . an actuator 74 associated with the linear damper 72 receives the control signal 61 from the controller to increase and decrease or otherwise modulate the pressure applied by the damper against the outer surface 22 of the conveyor belt 10 . the linear damper 72 , in the form of a movable pad , forms a clamp with the carryway 60 to apply a clamping force against the belt 10 and damp undesired accelerations . like a modular plastic conveyor belt and a carryway , the clamping pad may be made of a viscoelastic material . the linear dampers can be applied intermittently along the carryway path segment 15 . fig6 and 6a depict a similar linear damping system using magnetic or electromagnetic forces . in this version , the belt 10 ′, the carryway 60 ′, or both are made of a viscoelastic material . the clamping force is accomplished using magnets 73 , permanent or electromagnetic . permanent magnets or electromagnets 73 outside the belt act on ferrous or other magnetically attractive materials or magnets inside the belt 10 ′ to generate a clamping force between the belt and the carryway . alternatively , ferrous or other magnetically attractive materials outside the belt act on permanent magnets or electromagnets inside the belt to generate a clamping force . the controller 44 modulates the electromagnetic force or the position of the fixed attractive material to obtain the desired damping characteristic . another form of damping acting on the conveyor belt itself is shown in fig7 and 7a . in this version , the entire conveyor belt 10 ′, or portions of it , are made of an electrically conductive material . magnetic field generators 76 disposed along the length of the conveyor belt 10 ′ produce a magnetic field through which the belt passes . eddy currents are induced in the conductive portions of the belt . the eddy currents produce an induced magnetic field that , according to lenz &# 39 ; s law , opposes the direction of the motion causing the induced field , i . e ., the motion of the belt in the conveying direction 13 . consequently , the interaction of the inducing and induced magnetic fields results in a damping force applied to the conveyor belt 10 ′ opposite to the conveying direction 13 . thus , the magnetic field generators are eddy - current dampers . they may be permanent magnets whose distance from the belt may be controlled by the controller 44 to adjust the magnitude of the fields and the damping force or electromagnets whose field strength can be electronically controlled by the controller . a similar form of damping is realized by making the conveyor belt 10 ′, or portions of it , out of a ferrous or magnetically attractive material . in this case , the magnetic field generators 76 disposed along the length of the conveyor belt 10 ′ act on the ferrous or magnetically attractive materials in the belt to create a force generally opposing the motion of the belt and so providing damping . in yet another version , shown in fig8 , the controller controls the operation of intermediate drives 62 engaged with the conveyor belt 10 at spaced apart positions along the carryway . the intermediate drives serve as dampers to damp unwanted belt accelerations . they can also serve as auxiliary drives to help the conveyor &# 39 ; s main drive 78 advance the belt forward . this dual function is especially useful in long conveyors . the controller sends control signals 61 to each of the intermediate drives in response to acceleration measurements from the accelerometers 24 to damp unwanted accelerations in belt motion . intermediate rotational dampers converting the linear motion of the belt surface to rotational motion may be similarly used as in fig1 . in this example , the linear motion 13 of the belt 10 is converted to rotational motion via engagement with a circular engaging element 79 , which may be a friction disk or a tire frictionally engaging the belt surface or a sprocket mechanically engaging mating drive structure in the belt . the circular engaging element 79 co - acts with an associated damper 70 , which may provide viscous - fluid damping , eddy - current damping , magnetic damping , frictional damping , electric - motor damping , or regenerative damping with an electric generator providing power 80 back to the conveyor system . in still another version , as shown in fig9 , the main conveyor drive 78 is controlled directly in response to the belt - acceleration feedback provided by the accelerometers 24 . thus , rather than controlling the damping of the belt &# 39 ; s dynamic system , the system &# 39 ; s forcing function , i . e ., the belt drive 78 , is controlled . acceleration measurements 30 from the accelerometers 24 are transmitted to the controller 44 over the communications link 36 . the controller produces a control signal 61 that compensates for the unwanted accelerations and applies the signal to the main drive 78 , in this example , a variable - frequency motor drive . with one or more accelerometers 24 embedded in a conveyor 10 advancing through process equipment 11 and nearby conveyor components as in fig1 , measurements of local accelerations in the conveyor caused by the devices can be made essentially continuously . one moving accelerometer can be used to replace multiple stationary accelerometers and can provide finer - resolution data , which the controller 44 can use to perform failure - trend analysis of the process equipment in which the conveyor is installed and of other proximate devices , such as conveyor components , particularly at the infeed and discharge boundaries , and schedule the necessary maintenance . the controller can use the accelerometer - based data for protective control , such as shutting down the process , stopping the conveyor motor 52 , or sounding alarms 56 , as already described with reference to fig2 , if excessive vibration or other out - of - range speed fluctuations are sensed . in this way , the system provides both remedial and prophylactic protection of the conveyor system and the entire process . fig1 shows a plurality of controllers 44 with receivers 46 distributed along the length of the conveyor at fixed locations in individual control zones 82 a - c . as belt - borne accelerometers 24 come within communication range of a receiver , sensing in the receiver &# 39 ; s zone is switched to the in - range accelerometer or accelerometers now local to that receiver . the controller coupled to that receiver uses the measurements of the local accelerometer or accelerometers in the receiver &# 39 ; s zone to control an associated damper 70 in that zone in a closed - loop damping control system . as an accelerometer advances past the zone of one local receiver and into the next zone , it is passed off to the receiver and the controller in the next zone . the accelerometer then becomes local to the controller controlling the damping in the next zone downstream . this distributed control system is especially useful in long conveyors . although the invention has been described in detail with reference to exemplary versions , other versions are possible . for example , the damper control may be operated in an on / off or otherwise modulated fashion . and the damping can vary linearly or nonlinearly with belt speed . although the distributed control system of fig1 is described as using an individual controller in each zone , a single controller receiving data from the receivers in all the zones and controlling all the dampers could be used instead . | 1 |
with initial reference to fig1 and 2 , an implement 10 , such as a multiple blade agricultural plow , is connected by a three - point hitch 12 to the rear of a tractor 14 . the hitch 12 comprises right and left drag links 16 and 18 , the proximal ends of which are pivotally attached to the tractor frame 17 by pins 15 . a pair of lift arms 20 and 22 , connected to the drag links 16 and 18 by lift links 24 and 25 , control the elevation of the drag links . two hydraulic actuators 27 and 28 , in this case single acting lift hydraulic cylinders , are connected between the lift arms 20 and 22 and the tractor frame 17 to pivot the lift arms up and down with respect to that frame . the distal ends of the drag links 16 and 18 are respectively attached to vertically extending legs 29 and 30 of a coupler 26 that has a cross bar 32 connected between the upper ends of the legs . a link hydraulic cylinder 34 is attached at one end to the cross bar 32 and at the other end to the tractor frame 17 by a pin 35 . a pair of lower lift hooks 36 and 38 project rearward from the bottom ends of legs 29 and 30 and an upper lift hook 40 is positioned in the middle of a cross bar 32 . the lift arms 20 and 22 move the coupler 26 bi - directionally along a principal axis “ a ” of coupling motion , which in this case is vertical . the lower and upper lift hooks 36 , 38 and 40 cooperate with mating parts on a hitch structure of the implement 10 . specifically the lower lift hooks 36 and 38 engage the lower hitch pins that extend laterally with respect to the frame of the implement . the implement also has a laterally extending upper hitch pin that is received in the upper lift hook 40 when the implement 10 is coupled to the tractor 14 . the trio of lift hooks 36 , 38 and 40 form the three points of the hitch 12 . with reference to fig3 , the control system 50 for operating the three point hitch 12 comprises a hydraulic section 52 and an electronic section 68 . the hydraulic section 52 includes a tank 54 , which holds hydraulic fluid , and a pump 56 , that when driven by the engine of the tractor 14 sends pressurized hydraulic fluid from the tank through a supply line 58 . a supply line 58 is connected to an electrohydraulic three - position , three - way valve 60 and tank return line 62 couples the valve to the tank 54 . the valve 60 has a workport 65 connected to the head chambers of the two lift hydraulic actuators 27 and 28 . the valve 60 is operated by a solenoid 64 that is energized by an electric current from a controller 66 within the electronic section 68 of the control system 50 . the controller 66 is a microcomputer - based device that includes memory for storing software and data for a hitch control program . the controller further comprises a driver circuit that produces a variable electric current level for driving the solenoid 64 to proportionally operate the electrohydraulic valve 60 . in addition , the controller 66 has analog and digital input ports for receiving signals from several sensors and operator input devices on the tractor 14 . the controller 66 receives a signal from a position sensor 70 that indicates the vertical position of the coupler 26 of the three point hitch 12 . any of several types of sensing mechanisms can be employed . for example , the position sensor 70 may be a linear device connected to one of the lift hydraulic actuators 27 or 28 to produce a signal as the piston rod extends and contracts from the cylinder body . alternatively , a rotational type position sensor can be connected to one of the lift arms 20 or 22 to provide a signal indicating the rotational position of that arm with respect to the tractor frame 17 . with both of these sensing techniques , the signal from the position sensor 70 indicates a position that is geometrically related to the vertical position of the hitch coupler 26 with respect to the tractor frame 17 . the controller 66 also receives signals from right and left draft force sensors 71 and 72 . these sensors may be conventional clevis pin type sensors which are incorporated into the pins 15 that couple the left and right drag links 16 and 18 to the tractor frame 17 . the present control system 50 is being described in the context of left and right sensors which have the advantage of measuring the different forces being exerted on both lateral sides of the three point hitch 12 . alternatively , a single clevis pin sensor can be used in the pin 35 that connects the link hydraulic cylinder 34 to the tractor frame 17 . other types of sensors can be utilized to produce electrical signals indicating the magnitude of the draft force acting on the three point hitch 12 . a human interface 74 also produces signals that are applied to inputs of the controller 66 . the human interface 74 enables the operator of the tractor 14 to set configuration settings for and send commands to the controller , thereby defining operation of the hydraulic section 52 . in particular as will be describes , input switches 75 and a display screen 77 are used to define a desired depth position for the implement and range of positions in which the implement may be freely moved as the draft forces change . a mix input device 76 on the human interface 74 adjusts the draft force sensitivity and control system gain values , as will be described . for example , the mix input device 76 is a knob that is rotated between two extreme positions indicating zero sensitivity and maximum sensitivity and produces either a digital or analog signal indicating the position of that knob . when it is desired to use the implement in a farm field , the operator places the control system 50 into mode in which a configuration routine 80 depicted in fig4 is executed by the controller 66 . in this configuration mode , the tractor operator manipulates the human interface 74 at step 82 to define a desired depth position for the implement 10 in the soil and thus the desired position of the hitch 12 . at step 84 , the operator also uses the human interface 74 to set an upper threshold position and a lower threshold position , thereby defining a range of positions in which the hitch 12 may move up and down as soil conditions change . the mix input device 76 also is placed into the desired setting for the sensitivity of the draft control process at step 85 . in other words , the mix setting specifies how quickly and to what degree the control system responds to changes in the draft forces acting on the hitch . that mix setting is indicated by an electrical signal designating a numerical value ( mix ). placing the knob of the mix input device 76 at one extreme position produces a minimum mix value , whereas the other extreme position produces a maximum mix value . intermediate positions of the knob produce proportional values between the minimum and maximum mix values . then at step 86 the operator starts to move the tractor 14 forward causing the implement 10 to dig into the soil until reaching the desired depth position at step 88 , which is determined by the signal read from the position sensor 70 by the controller 66 . upon reaching the desired depth position , the controller 66 at step 90 sets a configuration timer to a predefined period of time , such as two seconds , for example . during this period , the position of the hitch 12 is held fixed and the controller periodically reads the signals from the right and left draft force sensors 71 and 72 at step 92 . at step 94 the newly acquired samples are averaged with other samples taken by the configuration routine thereby calculating separate averages for the right and left draft forces . then a determination is made at step 96 whether the configuration timer period has elapsed . if not , the configuration routine 80 returns to read the draft force sensors again and obtain another pair of data samples for use in calculating the right and left draft force averages . this process determines how much load on the hitch is created by the soil conditions in the particular farm field . eventually , the configuration timer expires at which point the configuration routine 80 advances to step 98 to produce a draft setpoint . it should be appreciated that with certain kinds of implements , especially plows , there can be a large difference between the draft forces exerted on opposite lateral sides of the hitch 12 . this difference increases as the pulling load on the implement 10 becomes greater . therefore , the draft setpoint is produced by taking this lateral difference into account . the draft setpoint is computed according to equation ( 1 ): where the “ maximum ” term selects the greater of the right and left draft force averages , gain is a predefined factor that specifies the sensitivity of the force difference , and the “ abs ” term selects the absolute value of the difference between the right and left draft force averages . once the draft setpoint has been derived , the configuration routine 80 terminates . this automatic determination of the draft setpoint , based on the actual draft forces encountered while the implement is working the soil , eliminates the need for the operator to make manual adjustments to the position and mix settings during tractor operation . this provides consistent plowing operation while the implement works an entire farm field . as the operator continues to drive the tractor with the implement working the soil , the controller 66 executes a hitch control routine 100 depicted by the flowchart in fig5 . the execution makes continuing passes through this routine , periodically reading the draft forces from the sensors 71 and 72 and the position of the implement from the position sensor 70 . the sensor data are used to operate the control valve 60 in a manner wherein a constant draft force is exerted on the implement 10 . the controller 66 reads the signals from the position sensor 70 and the force sensors 71 and 72 and derives values for the actual hitch position and the left right and left draft forces at step 102 . next at step 104 , the draft force values are used in equation ( 2 ) to calculate the present , actual collective draft force ( referred to as the draft load ) that is exerted on the implement . where gain1 is a predefined factor that specifies the sensitivity of the force difference . this draft load value is used to control the position of the implement 10 , unless the draft force is so great that its use results in the control system raising the implement beyond the upper threshold position set by the configuration routine 80 . below the upper threshold position , if the draft load value is greater than the draft setpoint , the implement is raised to bite a lesser amount into the soil , in an attempt to reduce the draft forces exerted on the hitch 12 . if only this simply control technique is used , however , it is possible under very dense soil conditions or simply because of hitch geometry that the draft force could cause the implement to be raised out of the soil . to prevent this from happening , the hitch control routine 100 derates the draft load value as computed above , when the actual position of the implement reaches the upper threshold position . in other words , when the implement is raised a significant distance above the desired depth position , the responsiveness to the derivation of the draft load from the draft setpoint is reduced . whether the draft load value needs to be derated is determined at step 106 where the actual position of the hitch 12 , as indicated by the signal from the position sensor 70 , is compared to the threshold position set by the operator . if the actual position is below that threshold position , the draft load value is used unchanged by setting a variable designated “ hitch draft load ” equal to the draft load value at step 107 before advancing to step 110 . if , however , the actual hitch position is above the threshold position , the program execution branches to step 108 at which the draft load value is derated . the amount of that derating , or reduction in the draft load value that is used in the control process , is determined based on how much the actual position is above the upper threshold position . the draft load value is derated in proportion to that amount as given by equation ( 3 ): hitch draft load = ( upper limit position - actual position upper limit position - upper threshold position ) * draft load ( 3 ) where the upper limit position is the highest position to which the implement can be physically raised with respect to the tractor as determined by the mechanical design of the three point hitch 12 . nevertheless , another position may be defined as the upper limit position . then at step 110 , the hitch draft load value , as determined at either step 107 or 108 , is employed to calculate a draft force error according to equation ( 4 ): where gain2 is a factor that specifies the sensitivity of the force error and is defined by position of the mix input device 76 . the draft force error indirectly provides an indication of the degree that the position of the implement 10 must be changed from the present position so that the draft force being exerted on the hitch 12 will equal the draft force setpoint . the arithmetic sign of the draft force error denotes the direction that the hitch should be moved . thus , at step 112 , the draft force error value is inspected to determine if it is positive , indicating that the implement needs to be raised to reduce the draft forces . if such is the case , the hitch control routine 100 branches to step 114 where an inspection is made whether the hitch 12 has already been raised to its upper limit position . in that event , the control routine closes the electrohydraulic valve 60 at step 115 to terminate further application of pressurized fluid to the hydraulic actuators 27 and 28 that may be occurring , before returning to step 102 . otherwise , if the hitch 12 still can be physically raised , the hitch control routine 100 branches from step 114 to step 116 at which the controller 66 sends a signal to open the electrohydraulic valve 60 in case it is presently closed . this opening the valve applies pressurized fluid from the supply line 58 to the workport 65 and thus into the head chambers of the lift hydraulic actuators 27 and 28 . this causes the three point hitch 12 to raise the implement 10 . the hitch control routine 100 then returns to step 102 to commence another execution pass . alternatively , if a non - positive value of the draft force error is found at step 112 , execution of the hitch control routine branches to step 118 where the draft force error is inspected to determine if it is negative , indicating that the implement 10 should be lowered . if that is the case , the hitch control routine branches to step 120 where a determination is made whether the hitch position is at its lower limit , i . e . the lowest physically possible position due to the mechanical constraints of the three point hitch . if the hitch 12 at the lower limit , the control process branches to step 115 at which the electrohydraulic valve is closed before returning directly to step 102 . otherwise if the analysis at step 120 indicates that the hitch 12 still can be physically lowered , the hitch control routine 100 branches to step 122 . now the controller 66 opens the valve 60 to a position in which the workport 65 is connected to the tank return line 62 , thereby releasing fluid from the lift hydraulic actuators 27 and 28 . this release of fluid causes the three point hitch 12 to lower the implement 10 due to gravity . the hitch control routine then returns to step 102 to repeat another execution pass . it is possible that at step 118 the draft force error value is found to be non - negative , which occurs when the value is zero . in this case , the hitch draft force is at the draft force setpoint and no position adjustment of the implement is required . now execution of the hitch control routine 100 advances to step 124 at which the controller 66 ensures that the electrohydraulic valve 60 is closed before returning to step 102 to commence another pass through the routine . the foregoing description was primarily directed to a preferred embodiment of the invention . although some attention was given to various alternatives within the scope of the invention , it is anticipated that one skilled in the art will likely realize additional alternatives that are now apparent from disclosure of embodiments of the invention . accordingly , the scope of the invention should be determined from the following claims and not limited by the above disclosure . | 0 |
note : statements of characteristics herein represent exemplary observations of the cultivar herein and will vary depending on time of year , location , annual weather , etc . female parent .—‘ pacific deluxe ’. male parent .—‘ 414a ’. in contrast to the unpatented male parent ‘ 414a ’, the present invention is significantly larger in fruit size , greater in vigor and has reduced pubescence on the drupelets , resulting in a glossier appearance in fruits of ‘ pacific gema ’. ‘ pacific gema ’ was first identified in a field with other seedlings in may 2010 at watsonville , calif . usa . the field had been planted in 2009 among other seedlings generated from hand - pollinated crosses performed in 2008 . ‘ pacific gema ’ was first propagated asexually by crown division in august 2010 in watsonville , calif . usa . the crown on the original plant was dug and parted into basal cane pieces ( approximately 15 cm long ) with root attached and replanted into a selection plot elsewhere on the farm , resulting in a 3 - fold increase . in september 2011 , two actively growing primocanes were dug ( with root attached ) and shipped to lafayette , oreg . usa , where vegetative material was explanted and established in vitro for micropropagation . growing location for the observations herein : watsonville , calif . usa . time of year ( season ): early and late summer for floricanes and primocanes , respectively . age of plants used for this discussion : crown age of about 4 . 5 years and a cane age of about 4 - 8 months . age of plants used for the photographs in the figures : crown age of about 4 . 5 years and a cane age of about 8 months . type of greenhouse covering or growing structure , or field : high tunnel over field . light : natural . references to color refer to the the royal horticultural society colour chart — fifth edition (“ r . h . s .”). observations for floricanes herein were made in june 2013 . observations for primocanes herein were made in august 2013 . plant : form / shape .— vase . growth habit .— erect . height .— 1 . 2 m as measured from base . spread .— 0 . 6 m as measured from terminal leaflet tip to terminal leaflet tip . propagation methods .— division . time to initiate and develop roots .— 24 days . root description .— fibrous . cane diameter .— base : 1 . 15 cm | middle : 1 . 0 cm | tip : 0 . 3 cm . cane length .— 2 . 1 m . number of node per cane .— 40 - 43 . internode length .— base : 2 . 25 - 4 cm | middle : 1 . 75 - 4 cm | tip : 1 . 5 - 1 . 75 cm . number of canes / hill .— 5 - 7 . cane color .— undertone : rhs 145b . overtone : rhs 186a . spines .— present . spine density : base : 5 - 7 / cm 2 | middle : 2 - 3 / cm 2 | tip : 1 / cm 2 . spine shape : acute . spine length : 0 . 1 cm . spine width : 0 . 01 cm . spine apex descriptor : acute . spine color : rhs 186b . vegetative bud shape .— acute . vegetative bud length .— 0 . 55 cm . vegetative bud diameter ( base ).— 0 . 3 cm . vegetative bud diameter ( tip ).— 0 . 1 cm . vegetative bud color .— rhs 166a . reproductive bud shape ( base / tip ).— truncate / acuminate . reproductive bud length .— 1 . 3 cm . reproductive bud diameter ( base ).— 0 . 89 cm . reproductive bud diameter ( tip ).— 0 . 09 cm . reproductive bud color .— rhs 144a . reproductive bud texture .— pubescent . cane diameter .— base : 1 . 5 cm | middle : 1 . 2 cm | tip : 1 . 1 cm . cane length .— 1 . 1 - 1 . 2 m . number of nodes per cane .— 13 - 16 . internode length : 11 . 4 cm | 17 . 1 cm | 13 . 9 cm . cane color .— lower cane : rhs 199d . upper cane : rhs 165b . spines .— present . spine density : base : 5 - 7 / cm 2 | middle : 2 - 3 / cm 2 | tip : 1 / cm 2 . spine shape : acute . spine length : 0 . 1 cm . spine width : 0 . 1 cm . spine apex descriptor : acute . spine color : rhs 186b . vegetative bud shape .— acute . vegetative bud length .— 0 . 55 cm . vegetative bud diameter ( base ).— 0 . 3 cm . vegetative bud diameter ( tip ).— 0 . 1 cm . vegetative bud color .— rhs 166a . reproductive bud shape ( base / tip ).— truncate / acuminate . reproductive bud length .— 1 . 3 cm . reproductive bud diameter ( base ).— 0 . 89 cm . reproductive bud diameter ( tip ).— 0 . 09 cm . reproductive bud color .— rhs 144a . reproductive bud texture .— pubescent . winter hardiness .— unknown outside of usda hardiness zone 9b ( watsonville , calif .). this cultivar is best adapted to the mild coastal conditions of california . drought / heat tolerance .— leaf tips of ‘ pacific gema ’ will characteristically burn under high temperature conditions . pollen viability and fruit quality of raspberry generally begins to decline above 30 ° c . this is consistent with observations of ‘ pacific gema ’. raspberries are generally not drought tolerant , and ‘ pacific gema ’ has not been tested in unirrigated plots . complete leaf .— length : 12 . 1 - 18 . 4 cm . width : 7 . 6 - 11 . 4 cm . number of leaflets : 3 - 5 . terminal leaflet .— size : length ( cm ): 12 . 1 cm . width ( cm ): 10 . 2 cm . length / width ratio : 1 . 2 . leaf shape of apex : acuminate . leaf shape of base : cordate . leaf margin : doubly serrate . leaf texture : moderate interveinal puckering . number of serrations per leaf : 98 - 129 . leaf shape of serrations : flexuous - flexuous . leaf color : upper surface : rhs 136a . lower surface : rhs 136d . leaf venation pattern : reticulate . leaf venation color : upper surface : rhs 144a . lower surface : rhs 145c . leaf pubescence density : none . color of leaf pubescence : n / a . shape of leaf in cross - section : simple cordate . number of leaflets / leaf : primocane : 3 . floricane : 3 - 5 . interveinal blistering within leaf : moderate . leaf glossiness : low . primocane leaves .— petiole length : 6 . 0 cm . petiole diameter : 0 . 2 cm . petiole color : upper : rhs 143c . lower : rhs n144c . rachis length : 3 . 3 cm . stipule length : 0 . 7 cm . stipules per leaf : 2 . stipule width : 0 . 1 cm . stipule color : rhs n144d . color : upper surface : rhs 136a . lower surface : rhs 136d . terminal leaflet .— length : 12 . 1 cm . width : 8 . 9 cm . rachis length : 3 . 3 cm . distal lateral leaflet .— not present . length : n / a . width : n / a . petiolule length : n / a . basal lateral leaflet .— length : 9 . 5 cm . width : 6 . 4 cm . petiolule length : 0 . 1 cm . floricane leaves .— petiole length : 5 . 4 cm . stipule length : 0 . 7 cm . stipules per leaf : 2 . stipule width : 0 . 1 cm . stipule color : rhs n144d . color upper surface : rhs 137a . lower surface : rhs 191b . terminal leaflet .— length : 9 . 5 cm . width : 7 . 0 cm . rachis length : 1 . 6 cm . distal lateral leaflet : not present . length : n / a . width : n / a . petiolule .— length : n / a . diameter : n / a . color : n / a . basal lateral leaflet .— length : 6 . 4 cm . width : 4 . 4 cm . petiolule .— length : 0 . 1 cm . diameter : 0 . 1 cm . color : upper : rhs 143c . lower : n144c . time of flowering ( 50 % of plants at first flower ).— june 20 on primocanes , april 2 on floricanes . flower size .— length : 0 . 6 cm . diameter : 0 . 9 cm . fragrance .— none . peduncle .— length : 0 . 6 cm . diameter : 0 . 05 cm . color : rhs 138b . pubescence : present . texture : smooth . perianth .— flowering trusses shape : truncate . petals .— color ( upper and lower ): rhs 155c . number per flower : 5 . shape : oblanceolate . length : 0 . 6 cm . width : 0 . 2 cm . apex descriptor : obtuse . base descriptor : truncate . margin descriptor : smooth with some undulations . texture : smooth with visible striations . sepals .— quantity : 5 . length : 1 . 1 cm . width : base : 0 . 4 cm | mid : 0 . 2 cm | tip : 0 . 01 cm . color : rhs 139c . apex descriptor : acute . margin descriptor : smooth . texture : pubescent . pedicel .— color : rhs 144a . length : 2 . 8 cm . diameter : 0 . 1 cm . male .— stamen number : 98 . filament : length : 0 . 2 cm . diameter : 0 . 01 cm . color : rhs 157c . anther : length : 0 . 07 cm . diameter : 0 . 05 cm . color : rhs 162d . pollen : color : rhs 162d . amount : heavy . female .— style : length : 0 . 1 cm . diameter : 0 . 01 cm . color : rhs 157d . stigma : length : 0 . 01 cm . diameter : 0 . 01 cm . color : rhs 157d . ovary : length : 0 . 1 cm . diameter : 0 . 071 cm . color : n144d . predominant shape .— conical . weight ( g ).— 4 . 5 g . length .— 2 . 5 cm . width .— 1 . 5 cm . length / width ratio .— 1 . 7 . receptacle .— length : 1 . 8 cm . diameter : base : 0 . 6 cm | mid : 0 . 3 cm | tip : 0 . 05 cm . color : rhs 9d . drupelet .— length : 0 . 4 cm . diameter : 0 . 2 cm . number : 103 . weight : 0 . 2 g . fruit color .— external : rhs 46a . internal : rhs 185b . firmness of skin .— moderately firm . firmness of flesh .— moderately firm . hollow center .— present . number of fruit per node .— 2 - 4 . time of ripening ( 50 % of plants with first fruit ).— july 28 on primocanes in a first - year planting . may 25 on floricanes . time of fruiting .— late spring on floricanes , late summer and early autumn on primocanes . type of bearing .— remontant . fruit yield .— 24 , 244 lb / a / cycle . average brix .— 9 . 44 . typical market use : fresh . keeping quality : excellent . shipping quality : very good . pest and disease resistance : plants of ‘ pacific gema ’ have exhibited high field tolerance to phytophthora rubi , phragmidium rubi - idaei , and field tolerance to raspberly bushy dwarf virus ( rbdv ). | 0 |
the present invention is related to the new safety condom , which has general application as a safety contraceptive and medical application preferably to prevent sexually transmitted diseases , as well as other specific diseases , is structurally based on the presence of two compartments , one at the front and the other at the back , both being shaped , separated and made independent of one another by a wall or septum . up to the present , conventional condoms present a plurality of defects and problems . among them are partial or total detachment when the penis becomes flaccid , after ejaculation , and as a consequence of this , the condom may even be lost on the floor , in the vagina , etc ., with the resulting spreading of the seminal fluid , causing associated risks . with the structural concept of the new safety condom which is the object of the present invention , all of the defects and problems of the conventional condom are overcome , its primary and most noteworthy characteristic being its total margin of safety . the new safety condom , object of the present invention , is structurally determined by the presence of two compartments in one body of the configuration of the condom , made of elastic material , preferably latex , variable in all its components , the front and back compartments of which are separated and made independent by a wall or septum . this wall or septum is located in the body of the condom , and presents a centrally located opening ring . the diameter of the opening of this ring must necessarily be smaller than the diameter of the opening of the body of the condom . the smaller diameter circular ring , located in centre of the wall or septum , is situated concentrically in relation to the circle that makes up the outer contour of the body of the condom . in its opening circle or contour , this ring may present another ring or lining which is variable along all its circular edge with the objective of achieving a comfortable , secure and tight fit onto the sulcus , behind the corona of the glass penis . this ring surrounds the glans penis , which blocks the flow of seminal fluid from the front to the back compartment end simultaneously prevents this condom from coming off from either an erect or a flaccid penis . in turn , the wall or septum may present an inclination corresponding to the anatomic obliquity of the sulcus and the corona of the glans penis , so as to achieve an ideal fit without causing discomfort , irritation nor inconvenience , and to offer a safe and comfortable condom . another structural possibility for the wall a septum may be the perpendicular presentation of the plane that contains the septum with respect to the central lengthwise axis of the body of the condom , achieving the anatomic obliquity once the condom is applied for use , given the elasticity of its components , that is , the angle that would be formed between the septum and this axis would vary between 0 and 45 °. in order to facilitate a better understanding of this description and as an integrated part of the same , a series of figures are attached which , as a non - limitative illustration , represent the following . fig1 shows a perspective view of the condom in rolled - up condition . fig2 shows a perspective view of the unrolled condom , in which the wall or septum remains located internally at an angle ( α ) equal to 0 . fig3 shows a the view of the condom , object of the present invention , in developed condition , with a value of ( α ) other than 0 °. fig4 shows a perspective view of the condom placed on the penis , with the wall or septum inclined , where the ring can be seen with projected inclination . fig5 shows a perspective view of the condom in the wall of septum is located externally . fig6 shows a perspective view of the condom fitted on the penis where the anatomical obliquity of the corona and the sulcus is represented . fig7 shows a perspective view of the condom as a practical example just as it would sit once fitted into position . as can be seen in fig7 a non - limiting extensive example of practical development of the present invention is described . basically , the new safety condom , object of the present invention , is structurally characterised by the presence of two compartments , a front compartment and a back one . they are both shaped , separate and made independent of one another by a wall or septum . this wall or septum , located inside the body of the condom , although not obligatorily , presents a centrally situated opening ring . the diameter of the opening of this ring must necessarily be smaller than the diameter of the opening of the body of the condom . the circular ring with the smaller diameter , located centrally within the wall or septum , is situated concentrically in relation to the circle that makes up the outer contour of the body of the condom . in its opening circle or contour this ring may present a thickening ring that is variable around the whole of its circular edge , with the objective of achieving a tight , comfortable and safe fit onto the sulcus , behind the corona of the glans penis . the wall or septum presents in its structure a perpendicularity with an angle of approximately 90 ° with respect to the lengthwise central axis of the body of the condom , achieving anatomical obliquity once the condom is applied for use , given the elasticity of its components , the angle being or structurally from 0 ° to 21 . 5 / 23 . 5 ° once applied for use . likewise the wall or septum may be shaped , with a ring only located centrally , remaining located within the body of the preservative without solution of continuity , making up the two chambers or compartments , front and back . however , not obligatorily , the shaping , separation and independence of the two chambers are a result of the internal location of the wall or septum within the body of the condom . if the back chamber should be rooted in the very shaping of the opening ring , the object of the present invention would not vary structurally , being characterised by the presence of the two compartments , front and back , although in this case the wall or septum would remain in an external position , periferically making up the back wall of the front chamber surrounding the corona of the glans penis and achieving , through the elasticity of the opening ring , an adequate fit to the anatomical obliquity of the sulcus . in fig2 the central ring ( 3 ) of the wall or septum ( 4 ) must obviously have a smaller diameter than that of the outer contour of the body ( 1 ). the difference between the two determines the dimensions of the septum ( 4 ). likewise , the wall or septum ( 4 ), including its centrally based opening ring ( 5 ), is to be situated inside a body of the condom without solution of continuity , making up the two chambers or compartments , front ( 2 ) and back ( 3 ). although not necessarily , the shaping , separation and independence of the chambers result from the internal location of the wall or septum ( 4 ) within the body of the condom ( 1 ). if the back chamber ( 3 ) should be rooted in the circle that makes up the opening ring ( 5 ), there is no structural variation in the object of the invention , in which the presence of the two bodies , front ( 2 ) and back ( 3 ) is limited or separated by the presence of a wall or septum ( 4 ), which is located externally ( fig5 ), peripherally making up the back wall of the front chamber ( 2 ), surrounding the corona of the glans penis ( 6 ) and achieving , through the elasticity of the opening ring ( 5 ), an adequate fit to the anatomic obliquity of the sulcus ( 8 ) ( see fig6 ). in fig1 the new safety condom can be seen , as presented for use , folded and rolled into the back chamber ( 3 ). its application is simple ; when the wall or septum presents an inclination corresponding to the anatomic obliquity of the sulcus and the corona of the glans penis ( fig3 and 4 ), to carry it out , the body of the condom is unrolled ( 1 ) over the penis so that the ring ( 5 ) of the septum ( 4 ) is fixed onto the sulcus , behind the corona of the glans penis , converting the front chamber ( 2 ) into a closed , shut off chamber so that the seminal , fluid inside this cavity ( 2 ), upon ejaculation , will not have any back exit . it remains sealed in this front chamber . the partial or total removal of this new security condom does not occur either even after the penis becomes flaccid , thus avoiding the consequence of spilling seminal fluid or even the loss of the condom ( 1 ). all of these characteristics are due to : the anatomical fixation of the ring the of the septum ( 4 ) to the sulcus . the blocking action of the corona of the glans penis , which prevents the ring ( 5 ) from coming off . the extraction of the condom ( 1 ), even once the penis has become flaccid , is to be carried out activity and voluntarily by loosening the condom ( 1 ) crossways since , except in case of intended and voluntary action , it is practically impossible that it should be removed accidentally or fortuitously . in order to apply the condom ( 1 ), whose wall is situated with an angle ( α ), value 0 °, that is , perpendicular to the lengthwise axis of the body of the condom ( 1 ), the action is the same except that the inclination of this wall or septum ( 4 ) is itself created by the action of fitting the condom onto the penis , over the sulcus , since the elasticity of the material the wall ( 4 ) is made up of fits onto the sulcus . in fig7 a form of the safety condom is represented in which the shape that it takes once in position is configured , where the external ring ( a ) is located at the opening of the condom , its thickness being approximately 1 . 5 mm . the interior diameter ( b ) of the back chamber is 35 mm . within the wall or septum that divides the front and back chambers , the interior diameter ( c ) is 27 mm ., the exterior diameter is 32 mm ., and the ring is 2 . 5 mm thick . this reduces the exterior diameter of the condom by 3 mm . for all of the above reasons , the new safety condom is a new invention which implies inventive activity and can be applied , with its particular and advantageous characteristics , to the known solutions ; it is also subject to fabrication . it also constitutes an advantageous contribution , both generally as a safety and medically preferable for the prevention of diseases , as wall as related to sexual transmition — s . t . d . and aids . once the nature of the present invention , new safety condom , has been sufficiently described , it may be subject to modifications both in its makeup and in the materials , colours , dimensions , proportions , etc . used in the whole or part of its components , and in general , any other accessory or secondary details . therefore , other forms of realisation where secondary changes have been introduced that do not detract from its basic characteristics are not in any way ruled out . on the contrary , the present invention also includes all of its variations , as long as they do not substantially affect the characteristics claimed hereforth . | 8 |
without being bound by theory , fig2 shows the general configuration of data for hybrid exposure . exposure data d 1 is divided into data for eb exposure d 2 and data for reticle exposure d 3 . the data for reticle exposure 33 is data to expose the center portion of the exposure data d 1 , and the data for eb exposure d 2 is data to expose the periphery of the exposure data d 1 . when eb exposure is performed by the data for eb exposure d 2 , and reticle exposure is performed by the data for reticle exposure d 3 , an exposure pattern p is exposed . specifically , by reticle exposure using the data for reticle exposure d 3 , the center portion of the exposure pattern p is exposed at a low accuracy ; and by eb exposure using the data for eb exposure d 2 , the peripheral portion of the exposure pattern p is exposed at a high accuracy . without being bound by theory , fig2 a to 21d show defects produced by low - accuracy reticle exposure using a krf light source ( krf exposure ). when data for reticle exposure d 6 is prepared inside exposure data d 5 , whether or not the data d 6 satisfies the design rule of the pattern for krf exposure is judged . then , as shown in fig2 a , when the violating portion v 1 wherein the pattern width does not satisfy the reference value is produced in the data d 6 , as shown in fig2 b , the violating portion v 1 is removed , and the data d 6 is divided into data for reticle exposure d 7 and d 8 . then , a fine step wherein pattern distance does not satisfy the reference value is produced as a violation site v 2 between data d 7 and d 8 . consequently , as shown in fig2 c , if treatment to enlarge the distance of the violation site v 2 is performed to prepare data d 9 and d 10 , a fine step that does not satisfy the reference value is produced as a violation site v 3 in the data d 9 and d 10 . in order to remove the violation site v 2 between data d 7 and d 8 , if data d 11 and d 12 are prepared so as to separate the data d 7 and d 8 in the height direction , as shown in fig2 d , a fine step that does not satisfy the reference value is produced as a violation site v 4 in the data d 12 . since the violation site detecting treatment and the data correcting treatment as described above are performed by image processing wherein the coordinate of each image data is compared with the reference value and the coordinate of the violation site is changed to satisfy the reference value , additional time is required for the correcting treatment . then , any new violation site produced by the correcting treatment requires further time for treatment . hereafter , an embodiment in accordance with aspects of the present invention will be described referring to the drawings . fig1 is a flow chart showing procedures for preparing data for hybrid exposure according to aspects of the present embodiment . in step 1 , the size and the disposing distance of a plurality of square rectangular patterns a are obtained from the reticle preparing standards . in the pattern data for reticle preparation , the minimum pattern width w , the minimum pattern distance d , and the minimum pattern step g shown in fig2 are set up as the preparation rule . as shown in fig3 , the rectangular size s of the rectangular patterns a are made to be : minimum pattern step g = rectangular size s + disposing distance da minimum pattern width w = rectangular size s × n + disposing distance da ×( n − 1 ) where n is the number of rectangular patterns a obtained from minimum pattern width w ÷ minimum pattern step g , and when there is a remainder , n + 1 is used . the minimum pattern distance d is set up as a value obtained by adding a reticle preparation margin m 1 to the minimum distance wx specified by the design rule of the exposure pattern as shown in fig4 , and can be optionally changed by adjusting the reticle preparation margin m 1 . the reticle preparation margin m 1 is generally required for hybrid exposure , when reticle exposure and eb exposure are performed ; the margin is set up so as to maintain the pattern of exposure within the margin even if displacement occurs in reticle exposure . in fig4 , ar 1 represents the eb exposure region , and ar 2 inside ar 1 represents the reticle exposure region . an overlapping margin m 2 where the eb exposure region ar 1 overlaps the reticle exposure region ar 2 is set up . aspects of this embodiment will be described on the basis of these specific preparation rules . as shown in fig8 , when the minimum pattern width w is set up to be 300 nm and the minimum pattern step g is set up to be 90 nm , the rectangular size is 30 nm , the disposing distance da is 60 nm , and the disposing number n is 4 from the above equations . next , in step 2 , as shown in fig5 , exposure pattern data rd for performing hybrid exposure is retrieved as an input pattern , and the exposure pattern data rd is contracted by the reticle preparing margin m 1 to prepare an object pattern pa . the object pattern pa is the region subjected to reticle exposure . next , in step 3 , as shown in fig6 , the object pattern pa is lined with the rectangular patterns a calculated in step 1 . next , in step 4 , the centers of regions lined with n × n rectangular patterns a ( illustrated as regions having 4 × 4 rectangular patterns ) obtained . each of these regions may be partially overlapped . then in fig6 , centers c 1 to c 7 are obtained . next , in step 5 , the n × n regions corresponding to each of centers c 1 to c 7 are set up as rectangular patterns b 1 to b 7 . then , in step 6 , the presence of any violation to the minimum pattern width w and the minimum pattern distance d is detected on the basis of the x - y coordinate of each of centers c 1 to c 7 . here , the principle of detecting the presence of a violation to the minimum pattern width w and the minimum pattern distance d , and the principle of the correcting treatment will be described referring to fig7 . as shown 4 n fig7 a , the width of the rectangular pattern b is the minimum pattern width w , and the sum of the rectangular size s and the disposing distance da , ( soda ), is the minimum pattern step g . here , the rectangular pattern b is described in the case of n = 3 . as shown in fig7 b and 7c , when the x - y coordinate of the rectangular pattern ba is x 1 , y 1 , and the x - y coordinate of the rectangular pattern bb is x 2 , y 2 , the minimum pattern width w between the rectangular patterns ba and bb is violated under the following conditions . specifically , as shown in fig7 b , when the value of | x 1 − 2 | is the minimum pattern width w or less , and the value of y 1 − y 2 | is the minimum pattern width w or less , the minimum pattern width w between rectangular patterns ba and bb has been violated . in this case , if either one of | x 1 − x 2 | or | y 1 − y 2 | is 0 , the reticle exposure pattern is not violated . as shown in fig7 c , when | x 1 − x 2 |− w is less than the minimum pattern distance d , and | y 1 − y 2 |− w is less than the minimum pattern distance d , the minimum pattern distance d between the rectangular patterns ba and bb are violated . in this case , the coordinate distance is made to be the minimum pattern width w or more . when the centers ca and cb of rectangular patterns ba and bb are located in the diagonal direction to x - axis and y - axis , since the distance between the centers ca and cb is larger than the distances in the x - axis direction and y - axis direction , any violations are judged with consideration for the increase in the distance . when the sum of the rectangular size s and the disposing distance da is r , and n −| x 2 − x 1 |÷ r is calculated , the number of rectangular patterns a in the x direction in the region of the rectangular patterns b that is in violation to the minimum pattern width w can be obtained . similarly , when the sum of the rectangular size s and the disposing distance da is r , and n −| y 2 − y 1 |÷ r is calculated , the number of rectangular patterns a in the y direction in the region of the rectangular patterns b that are in violation to the minimum pattern width w can be obtained . also when (| x 2 − x 1 |− w )÷ r is calculated , the number of rectangular patterns a that violate the minimum pattern distance d in the region of the rectangular patterns b in the x direction can be obtained . similarly , when (| y 2 − y 1 |− w )÷ r is calculated , the number of rectangular patterns a that violate the minimum pattern distance d in the region of the rectangular patterns b in the y direction can be obtained . when the direction between two center points ca and cb is considered , the violation of rectangular patterns a in rectangular patterns b can be specified . on the basis of the violation detection principle for the minimum pattern width w and the minimum pattern distance d , the treatment of step 6 is performed . specifically , in fig9 , rectangular patterns al overlapping in rectangular patterns b 4 and b 6 are detected to be subjected to the minimum pattern width w . in the object pattern pa shown in fig9 , violation to the minimum pattern distance d is assumed not to occur . next , in step 7 , the presence of a violation is judged . if a violation is present , the rectangular patterns a related to the violation site are deleted . therefore , in fig9 , since rectangular pattern a 1 violates the rule , rectangular pattern a 1 is deleted . next , the treatments of steps 4 and 5 are performed again . then , as shown in fig1 and 11 , centers c 4 and c 5 are deleted from the state shown in fig6 , and rectangular patterns b 4 and b 5 are deleted . next , the treatment of step 6 is performed again . since no violation sites are found in fig1 , steps 7 to are conducted . in step 9 , the rectangular patterns b 1 , b 2 , and b 3 shown in fig1 are combined to form a reticle exposure pattern rp 1 shown in fig1 . a reticle exposure pattern rp 2 is formed from the rectangular pattern b 6 , and a reticle exposure pattern rp 3 is formed from the rectangular pattern b 7 . then , each of the reticle exposure patterns rp 1 to rp 3 is contracted by the overlapping margin m 2 with eb exposure to form patterns pe 1 to pe 3 for preparing eb exposure data . next , in step 10 , as shown in fig1 , the pattern wherein the patterns pe 1 to pe 3 for preparing eb exposure data are removed from the exposure pattern data rd ls formed as eb exposure pattern ebp . then , as shown in fig1 , from the exposure pattern data rd for hybrid exposure retrieved in step 2 , reticle exposure patterns rp 1 to rp 3 and the eb exposure pattern ebp are formed . next , in step 11 , the correcting treatment of overlapping margins m 2 in the corner portions of reticle exposure patterns rp 1 to rp 3 are performed . for example , if hybrid exposure is performed using the reticle exposure pattern rp 4 and the bb exposure pattern ebp 1 as shown in fig1 a , the accuracy of reticle exposure is poor . therefore , actually exposed pattern rp 4 a is rounded at the corner portion x in the convex direction of the reticle exposure pattern rp 4 as shown in fig1 b . as a result , overlapping margins m 2 may be insufficient as shown in fig1 c . therefore , as shown in fig1 a , rectangular portions y having a height of α are formed on the corner portions in the concave direction of the eb exposure pattern ebp 1 , specifically , the corner portions facing the corner portion x of the reticle exposure pattern rp 4 . the value of α is optionally determined so as to compensate the insufficiency of the overlapping margins m 2 . by performing hybrid exposure using such a reticle exposure pattern ebp 2 , the overlapping margins m 2 on the corner portions x of the reticle exposure pattern fp 4 can be secured . thus , the corner portions of the pattern can be accurately exposed . fig1 and 18 show other examples of methods for laying the rectangular patterns a . if the largest possible number of rectangular patterns a are laid on an object pattern pa , the region that can be exposed by reticle exposure may be expanded . if the reticle exposure region is expanded , the throughput of hybrid exposure can be improved . specifically , compared with the case wherein rectangular patterns a are laid so as not to contact the contour lines of the object pattern pa as shown in fig1 , if rectangular patterns a are laid so as to contact the inside of the contour lines of the object pattern pa as shown in fig1 , the number of rectangular patterns a that can be laid on the object pattern pa can be increased . therefore , by laying a larger number of rectangular patterns a in the object pattern pa , the number of rectangular patterns b in the object pattern pa can be increased , and in turn , by increasing the number of rectangular patterns b the reticle exposure region can be enlarged . fig1 shows the case where object pattern pa are laid out by the contour line diagonal to the x - axis and the y - axis . as shown in fig1 a , when rectangular patterns a are laid on an object pattern pa in the diagonal direction , and the treatment as described above to form a reticle exposure pattern is performed , as shown in fig1 b , the contour line of the formed reticle exposure pattern rp 5 becomes stair - like steps ga . then , the length of a side of the steps ga is the sum of the size of the rectangular patterns a and the disposing distance da . the steps ga may become a simulated error in the reticle test . in such a case , as shown in fig1 c , steps ga are extracted , and as shown in fig1 d , rectangular patterns ax a side of which equals a step ga are inserted in each step ga . then , as shown in fig1 e , the diagonal of the rectangular patterns ax that overlaps the contour line of the object pattern pa is made to be the contour line of the reticle exposure pattern , and combined with the reticle exposure pattern rp 5 to form the reticle exposure pattern rp 6 . by providing such treatments , simulated errors in the reticle test can be prevented , and the reticle exposure region can be widened . according to aspects of the method for preparing data for exposure as described above , the following effects can be obtained . ( 1 ) the object pattern pa can be lined with rectangular patterns a formed by the reticle preparation rule ; rectangular patterns b can be formed from the rectangular patterns a ; the pattern width and the pattern distance of the reticle exposure pattern can be verified from the center location of the rectangular patterns b ; and violation sites can be corrected . therefore , since the verification of the pattern width and the pattern distance using the coordinate of the object pattern pa is not required , the verifying process can be easily conducted . ( 2 ) the size s and the disposing distance da of the rectangular patterns a can be easily calculated from the minimum pattern width w and the minimum pattern step g in the reticle preparation rule . ( 3 ) the number n of the rectangular patterns a disposed on the sides of the rectangular patterns b can be easily calculated from the minimum pattern width w and the minimum pattern step g in the reticle preparation rule . ( 4 ) the sites that violate the minimum pattern width w and the minimum pattern distance d can be easily detected on the basis of the center location of the rectangular patterns b . ( 5 ) by deleting rectangular patterns a in the sites that violate the minimum pattern width w and the minimum pattern distance d to reform the rectangular patterns b , and detecting whether the sites that violate the minimum pattern width w and the minimum pattern distance d are present or not , on the basis of the distance between the center locations of the reformed rectangular patterns b , the correcting treatment of the violation sites can be easily performed . ( 6 ) whether a violation of the minimum pattern width w is present or not can be detected by calculating whether or not the value | x 1 − x 2 | is the minimum pattern width w or less ; and whether or not the value | y 1 − y 2 | is the minimum pattern width w or less ; on the basis of the x - y coordinate of the center of the rectangular patterns b . ( 7 ) whether a violation of the minimum pattern distance d is present or not can be detected by calculating whether or not the value | x 1 − x 2 |− w is the minimum pattern distance d or less ; and whether or not the value | y 1 − y 2 |− w is the minimum pattern distance d or less ; on the basis of the x - y coordinate of the center of the rectangular patterns b . ( 8 ) when a hypotenuse is present in the object pattern pa , rectangular patterns ax can be inserted in the stair - like step ga formed as the reticle exposure patterns , and the diagonals of the rectangular patterns ax can be used as the reticle exposure patterns . therefore , simulated error in the reticle test can be prevented , and the reticle exposure region can be widened . the above - described embodiment in accordance with aspects of the present invention can also be executed in the aspect described below . rectangular locations can be set up by grids ( points ) in place of the rectangular patterns a . in this case , the distance between grids can be set up to be the minimum step g in the reticle preparation rule . in the process shown in fig1 , although rectangular portions y having a height of a are formed on the corner portions in the concave direction of the eb exposure pattern ebp 1 , stair - shape other than rectangular , or triangular patterns can also be formed . although the embodiment is described as a method for preparing reticle exposure pattern data , the method can be conducted as a method for preparing pattern data of the mask used in the exposure process , and the mask pattern can be formed on the mask substrate . all examples and conditional language recited herein are intended for pedagogical purposes to aid the reader in understanding the principles of 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 embodiment ( s ) of the present invention ( s ) has ( 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 . | 6 |
described herein are various embodiments of the device , system and method that is the hybrid hosting technology . fig1 illustrates a hybrid hosted system 1 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention . in one exemplary embodiment , the hybrid hosted system 1 may include a cloud enabling technology device 2 (“ cetd 2 ”), a hosted service provider 3 , an optional digital - to - sip gateway 4 , a carrier data network 5 , optional existing extensions 6 , optional telephone handsets 7 , and network 8 . the gateway 4 is not limited to using sip ( session initiation protocol ), and one of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that there are other protocols for controlling multimedia communication sessions that would work in the hybrid hosted system 1 . the networks 8 may be , for example , a local - area network ( lan ), such as a company intranet , a metropolitan area network ( man ), or a wide area network ( wan ), such as the internet . the various computers and nodes illustrated in fig1 may be connected to each other through a variety of connections including , but not limited to , standard telephone lines , lan or wan links ( e . g ., t1 , t3 , 56 kb , x . 25 ), broadband connections ( e . g ., isdn , frame relay , atm ), or wireless connections . the connections , moreover , may be established using a variety of communication protocols ( e . g ., http , tcp / ip , ipx , spx , netbios , netbeui , smb , ethernet , arcnet , fiber distributed data interface ( fddi ), rs232 , ieee 802 . 11 , ieee 802 . 11a , ieee 802 . 11b , ieee 802 . 11g , and direct asynchronous connections ). each of the host cetd 2 and hosted services provider 3 may be any type of computer , windows - based terminal , network computer , wireless device , information appliance , risc power pc , x - device , workstation , mini computer , main frame computer , personal digital assistant , set top box , handheld device , or other computing device that is capable of both presenting information / data and receiving commands . in another embodiment , the cetd 2 is implemented in software executing within a virtual machine environment ( e . g ., a virtual server ) running in a hypervisor on top of one of the computers described above . in addition , either or both of the cetd 2 and hosted services provider 3 may include a visual display device ( e . g ., a computer monitor ), a data entry device ( e . g ., a keyboard ), persistent and / or volatile storage ( e . g ., computer memory ), a processor , and a mouse . where the cetd 2 and hosted services provider 3 are computers , they may include a processing unit , main memory , display memory , one or more input / output devices , and a system bus for allowing the various components of the computer to communicate . in one embodiment , an on - premise computer system may interface via the cetd 2 with the local telephone network ( either private or public telephone network , either digital or voip ). the cetd 2 facilitates keeping voice data local to the customer &# 39 ; s premise . separately , a hosted service running on a computer system , such as the hosted service provider 3 , provides command - and - control functionality such that the hosted service provider 3 stores the current and past configurations of the cetd 2 as well as metadata describing the operation of the cetd 2 . for example , the metadata may describe ( including identifying information ) voice data and other data received at the cetd 2 and the routing , queuing , distribution decision making by the cetd 2 . in one exemplary embodiment , the hosted service provider 3 indexes and stores the metadata according to the specific configuration of the cetd 2 at the time the metadata was generated . the cetd 2 receives instructions from the hosted service provider related to routing , recording , and how to otherwise interact with or react to local telephone calls . in one embodiment the hybrid hosted system 1 operates as described in appendix a . in one embodiment , the carrier data network 5 is a private branch exchange (“ pbx ”), and the hybrid hosted system 1 operates as described in appendix b . in another embodiment , the carrier data network 5 is a gateway ( e . g ., a h . 323 gate way ) for a voip network . as an alternative or in addition to the networks that facilitate the forms of synchronous communication described above , the carrier data network 5 may be a data network facilitating asynchronous forms of data communication , such as e - mail , voice mail , video mail , fax - mail . in another embodiment , the carrier data network 5 may be a data network facilitating communication of video data , for example , according to an isochronous data transfer protocol . fig2 illustrates a cloud enabling technology device 100 (“ cetd 100 ”) according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention . the cetd 100 may include a carrier data network interface 101 , hosted service network interface 102 , memory storage 103 , provisioning unit 104 , central processing unit 105 , and an on premise network interface 106 . the cetd 100 may be installed on premises and executes a provisioning and configuration application , for example , callfinity &# 39 ; s hybrid stub operating system (“ os ”). this stub os communicates with local telecommunications resources , such as t1 lines from an existing phone company , or optionally an on - premise infrastructure provider &# 39 ; s pbx . when the os boots , it may query callfinity &# 39 ; s cloud infrastructure for instructions ( i . e ., the hosted service provider 3 in fig1 ), and dynamically provisions itself based upon the configuration that customers implement in the hosted service provider 3 . calls are routed locally to the customer &# 39 ; s premise so that the hosted service provider 3 does not have to provide telecom service , minutes , voip , or any other such commodity . rather , the cetd 100 keeps phone calls on - premise , while all the command - and - control may be managed by the hosted service provider 3 . in one embodiment the cetd 100 operates as described in appendix a . fig3 illustrates an operation of the cetd 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention . in step s 1 , the cetd 100 receives provisioning and management instructions at a network interface . in step s 2 , the cetd 100 receives voice call data over at a carrier network interface . in step s 3 , the cetd 100 transmits the received voice call data over a local data network based on the received provisioning and management instructions . embodiments of the invention increase accessibility to command and control functionality , and minimize administrative workload to configure telecommunications applications . moreover , the hybrid system is more robust in its ability to accommodate failures at the hosted service provider 3 , because , should the hosted service provider 3 fail , the cetd 2 continues to operate according to the last provided configuration . thus , voice call data continues to be queued and routed to customers &# 39 ; local network while the hosted service provider 3 is down . embodiments of the invention also provide greater accessibility to telecommunications applications by consolidating access to a centralized hosted service from one or more on - site devices . embodiments of the invention also provide simplified administration of on - site devices by allowing configuration of all devices from a single centralized hosted service . other benefits or advantages of the present invention may exist . it should also be noted that embodiments of the present invention may be provided as one or more computer - readable programs embodied on or in one or more articles of manufacture . the article of manufacture may be any suitable hardware apparatus , such as , for example , a floppy disk , a hard disk , a cd rom , a cd - rw , a cd - r , a dvd rom , a dvd - rw , a dvd - r , a flash memory card , a prom , a ram , a rom , or a magnetic tape . in general , the computer - readable programs may be implemented in any programming language . some examples of languages that may be used include erlang , c , c ++, or java . the software programs may be further translated into machine language or virtual machine instructions and stored in a program file in that form . the program file may then be stored on or in one or more of the articles of manufacture . certain embodiments of the present invention were described above . it is , however , expressly noted that the present invention is not limited to those embodiments , but rather the intention is that additions and modifications to what was expressly described herein are also included within the scope of the invention . moreover , it is to be understood that the features of the various embodiments described herein were not mutually exclusive and can exist in various combinations and permutations , even if such combinations or permutations were not made express herein , without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . in fact , variations , modifications , and other implementations of what was described herein will occur to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention . as such , the invention is not to be defined only by the preceding illustrative description . | 7 |
reference will now be made in detail to the presently preferred embodiments of the invention , examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings . throughout the following detailed description , the same reference numerals refer to the same elements in all figures . in the following description , many different digital music players are currently on the market . these devices generally have persistent storage for storing audio content ( music ) such as a micro - hard disk or flash memory . under user control , the audio files are retrieved , uncompressed and converted to analog audio . the analog audio signal is often emitted in a 3 . 5 mm stereo headphone jack for the user to connect headphones or other reproduction devices . referring to fig1 , an isometric view of a digital music player cradle of the present invention is described . the digital music player cradle 10 accommodates a variety of digital music players of various widths and thicknesses , thereby eliminating the need for multiple cradles or adapter inserts as provided in the past . the digital music player cradle 10 has a base 12 , a cavity for containing an end of the digital music player ( not shown ) and a support wall 14 for supporting the digital music player on a slight slant towards the rear . in some embodiments , a pair of front clip indentations 16 is provided to hold a clip - on micro - sized music player ( not shown ). referring to fig2 , an isometric view of a digital music player cradle of the present invention from the back is described . again , the digital music player cradle 10 accommodates a variety of digital music players of various widths and thicknesses . the digital music player cradle 10 has a base 12 , a cavity for containing an end of the digital music player ( not shown ) and a support wall 14 for supporting the digital music player on a slight slant towards the rear . in some embodiments , a pair of front clip indentations 16 is provided to hold a clip - on micro - sized music player ( not shown ). also , in some embodiments , a pair of rear clip indentations 17 is provided to hold a clip - on micro - sized music player ( not shown ). a cable trough 20 is provided to route a data cable from the digital music player ( not shown ). often , the digital music player ( not shown ) has a connector for connecting to a computer for transferring content through the data cable . as an example , many current digital music players have a connector for connecting to a universal serial bus ( usb ) cable . referring to fig3 , an exploded view of a digital music player cradle of the present invention from the bottom is described . in some embodiments , the base of the digital music player cradle 10 has a removable bottom 13 . in some embodiments , balancing weights are disposed inside of the base 12 and sealed with the bottom 13 by various methods known in the art including , but not limited to , ultrasonic welding , adhesives , pressure fits , etc . referring to fig4 , a cross - sectional view of a digital music player cradle of the present invention along line 4 - 4 of fig1 is described . the base 12 digital music player cradle is shown with the bottom 13 installed . in this embodiment , the cavity 18 is shaped to hold the ends of three different digital music players . an end of a larger - sized digital music player such as an apple corporation 80 gb ipod ® or a microsoft corporation zume ™ fits within the outer cavity formed by a ledge 28 . an end of a medium - sized digital music player such as an apple corporation 30 gb ipod ® fits within the middle cavity formed by a ledge 26 . an end of a smaller - sized digital music player such as an apple corporation nano ® fits within the inner cavity formed by a ledge 24 . although shown having three ledges 24 / 26 / 28 , the present invention is not limited in the number of sizes of digital music players supported . any number of digital music players from two digital music players is supportable by the present invention . also , although shown fitting with apple corporation products , the digital music player cradle 10 of the present invention is adaptable to any size and shape of digital music player . referring to fig5 , an isometric view of a digital music player cradle of the present invention holding a large - sized digital music player 50 is described . in this view , a large - sized digital music player 50 such as the apple corporation 80 gb ipod ® or a microsoft corporation zume ™ is shown resting within the outer cavity formed by the ledge 28 and resting on the support wall 14 . in such a position , the large - sized digital music player 50 is raised off the table surface , helping to prevent scratches and other damage . many large - sized digital music players 50 have controls 54 for selecting songs , etc . and a display for informing the user of various modes of operation 52 . also , many large - sized digital music players 50 have a connector into which a stereo headphone jack 34 with cable 32 is inserted . the data cable 30 is connected to the large - sized digital music player 50 by a connector similar to the connector 31 as shown in fig7 ( not visible in this figure ) and the data cable 30 is routed through the trough 20 . the present invention functions with or without a data cable 30 and connector 31 attached . likewise , the present invention functions with or without an audio cable 32 attached . referring to fig6 , an isometric view of a digital music player cradle of the present invention holding a medium - sized digital music player is described . in this view , a medium - sized digital music player 56 such as the apple corporation 30 gb ipod ® is shown resting within the middle cavity formed by the ledge 26 and resting on the support wall 14 . in such a position , the medium - sized digital music player 56 is raised off the table surface , helping to prevent scratches and other damage . many medium - sized digital music players 56 have controls 54 for selecting songs , etc . and a display for informing the user of various modes of operation 52 . also , many medium - sized digital music players 56 have a connector into which a stereo headphone jack 34 with cable 32 is inserted . the data cable 30 is connected to the medium - sized digital music player 56 by a connector similar to the connector 31 as shown in fig7 ( not visible in this figure ) and the data cable 30 is routed through the trough 20 . referring to fig7 , an isometric view of a digital music player cradle of the present invention holding a small - sized digital music player is described . in this view , a smaller - sized digital music player 58 such as the apple corporation nano ® is shown resting within the inner cavity formed by the ledge 24 and resting on the support wall 14 . in such a position , the smaller - sized digital music player 58 is raised off the table surface , helping to prevent scratches and other damage . many smaller - sized digital music players 58 have controls 54 for selecting songs , etc . and a display for informing the user of various modes of operation 52 . also , many smaller - sized digital music players 58 have a connector into which a stereo headphone jack 34 with cable 32 is inserted . the data cable 30 is connected to the smaller - sized digital music player 58 by a connector similar to the connector 31 as shown in fig7 ( not visible in this figure ) and the data cable 30 is routed through the trough 20 . the present invention functions with or without a data cable 30 and connector 31 attached . likewise , the present invention functions with or without an audio cable 32 attached . for some digital music players such as the smaller - sized digital music player 58 , the orientation of the data connector 31 makes it difficult to rest properly in an upright position within the digital music player cradle 10 . in such cases , the smaller - sized digital music player 58 rests in an upside - down configuration as shown in fig7 , still providing the benefit of keeping the smaller - sized digital music player off of the table surface and thereby protecting it . referring to fig8 , an isometric view of a digital music player cradle of the present invention holding a micro - sized digital music player is described . some micro - sized digital music players 60 are very small and are designed to clip onto a user &# 39 ; s clothing . often , these micro - sized digital music players 60 such as the apple corporation mini , have no display and only a control 64 for initiating the playing of audio , etc . to support micro - sized digital music players 60 , a pair of front clip indentations 16 and a pair of rear clip indentations 17 are provided . using these clip indentations 16 / 17 , a clip of the micro - sized digital music player 60 clips onto the support wall and the edges of each side of the micro - sized digital music player &# 39 ; s 60 clip is held within the clip indentations 16 / 17 . without the clip indentations , the micro - sized digital music player &# 39 ; s 60 clip would not stay in place , especially if the digital music player cradle 10 is made from a slippery , plastic material . as stated previously , the present invention functions with one set of clip indentations 16 / 17 , two sets of clip indentations 16 / 17 and without any clip indentations 16 / 17 , depending upon the types and styles of digital music players supported . equivalent elements can be substituted for the ones set forth above such that they perform in substantially the same manner in substantially the same way for achieving substantially the same result . it is believed that the system and method of the present invention and many of its attendant advantages will be understood by the foregoing description . it is also believed that it will be apparent that various changes may be made in the form , construction and arrangement of the components thereof without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention or without sacrificing all of its material advantages . the form herein before described being merely exemplary and explanatory embodiment thereof . it is the intention of the following claims to encompass and include such changes . | 7 |
making reference to the figures , a specific embodiment of the present invention will now be described in detail . fig1 illustrates a newspaper vending machine . basically , instant machine is comprised of cabinet generally indicated as 10 , purchaser access door 12 , card holder 30 , coin mechanism enclosure 35 , and display area 37 . said purchaser access door , being biased in a closed position is pivotally mounted by spring hinge 32 and provided with handle 31 . said card holder is pivotally suspended from hinge 33 . product storage access door 11 , to which hinges 32 and 33 are affixed is in turn pivotally mounted to cabinet base 38 by means of hinge 34 . said door 11 , to which enclosure 35 is affixed , in conjunction with base 38 , comprises the front of the machine . fig7 best illustrates this door assembly . in reference to fig2 shield 24 is pivotally secured to linkage 39 which in turn is pivotally secured to display chamber 21 which , in turn , is normally engaged with purchaser access door 12 by means of hinge 40 and catch 41 . door 12 is provided with pin 42 and support 43 , each in turn rigidly affixed to said door . separation assembly 16 , comprised of wedge 44 , scoop 45 and side frames 46 is pivotally secured to shield 24 by pins 47 and secured in place by locking device 78 represented in this view by rod 49 . drawer slides 50 , pivotally secured to product access door frame 51 , are operatively associated with said separation assembly and shield 24 with gauging slides 52 resting on topmost newspaper , thus positioning point 45 &# 39 ; of scoop generally on a plane established by the bottom of topmost newspaper np and the newspaper adjacent thereto , said newspapers being supported by spring biased elevator platform 53 in a manner more fully described later in the specifications . upon the insertion of proper coinage , latch 22 will , in a manner familiar to those skilled in the art , be released . as purchaser exerts outward force on handle 31 , door 12 will pivot about hinge 32 , shield 24 and separation assembly 16 will move outward causing point 45 to be inserted between the topmost newspaper and the newspaper adjacent thereto . hopper numbers 54 and 87 are provided to restrain said newspapers . concave surface of scoop 45 is provided with a low friction finish so that topmost newspaper np will curl up around the central portion of shield 24 and its rigidly affixed gauging slides 52 . as force continues to be exerted outward , newspaper , in a sense , changes its direction thus tending to present its folded edge to the purchaser through the now opening purchaser access door 12 . as purchaser continues to exert force on said door , newspaper np continues to be curled outward as if it were , in a manner of speaking , being handed to the purchaser . when purchaser has removed newspaper and released spring biased door 12 , separation assembly 16 is returned to its position of rest as shown in fig2 . upon approaching its position of rest , elevator platform 53 raises the new topmost paper to vend position in a manner that will now be described . in reference to fig3 and 5 ; with product area access door 11 closed , elevator springs 26 exert sufficient force through cross member 55 and roller chains 56 in conjunction with idlers 65 and anchor 11 &# 39 ; to insure the empty platform 53 will rise above level of the scoop point 45 &# 39 ; or when newspapers are placed thereon that the topmost one will be in a position of contact with gauging slides 52 . when access door 11 is rotated outward about hinge 34 , anchor 11 &# 39 ;, being an integral part of door 11 , relaxes the force of springs 26 thus facilitating the loading of said platform . sprockets 57 are affixed to timing shaft 59 in such manner that , in cooperation with idler sprockets 58 , elevator platform will remain substantially level at all elevations . shaft 59 is rotatably mounted in support members 60 in such manner that brake ratchet 61 , being rigidly affixed to said shaft , is held in proper relationship to brake spring 62 as shown in fig4 ; in turn support members 60 are rigidly affixed to cabinet 10 as are idler brackets 64 . in reference to fig4 and 9 and again in reference to fig3 and 5 ; as shown , elevator platform 53 is held immobile when roller 63 , rotatably contained on arm 24 &# 39 ;, an integral part of shield 24 , is not in contact with spring 62 . roller 63 is so oriented as to depress said spring removing it from a position of restraint to the counter clock - wise rotation of timing shaft 59 when purchaser access door 12 is nearly closed and separation assembly 16 is positioned in such manner that the next newspaper is free to rise above point 45 &# 39 ;. when no newspapers remain on elevator platform 53 , gauging slides 52 will enter openings provided therefore in the surface of said platform permitting point 45 &# 39 ; to assume a position below the framework of platform 53 . there will not be an interference between scoop 45 and roller chains 56 as might be supposed as scoop 45 is tapered away from point 45 &# 39 ; in a spade - like manner thus eliminating that portion thereof which might interfere . it should also be noted that said taper configuration facilitates the entry of said scoop between two newspapers . as will now be described , in reference to fig2 and 6 ; display newspaper , not shown , contained within display chamber 21 would be released to the next purchaser to insert proper coinage in the vendor after gauging slides 52 enter elevator platform . finger 66 will now be in a position of engagement with hook 67 . hook 67 is pivotally secured to bracket 88 which in turn is rigidly affixed to support member 60 . operatively associated with hook 67 is linkage 68 , lock cam 69 and lock shaft 70 . in the case of an empty storage area , as is now being described , the only function of said linkage , cam and shaft is to fix hook 67 in a predetermined position . as purchaser access door 12 is opened , finger 66 engages with hook 67 and , being interconnectedly associated with linkage 71 , exerts force on display chamber catch 41 which is rigidly affixed to drive tube 72 and arm 73 which in turn are rotatably associated with shaft 74 , said shaft being secured to the ends of display chamber 21 . catch 41 rotates away from pin 42 and outer shell 75 of door 12 opens about hinge 40 exposing the contents of display chamber 21 . again in reference to fig2 and 6 and fig1 ; operatively associated with lock shaft 70 is a chicago lock exa - 107 cylinder lock , lock cam 76 and control rod 77 . at such time as a new edition of a newspaper is to be placed in the vendor , a new display copy must be inserted in display chamber 21 . upon activation of said cylinder lock in a clockwise manner , control rod 77 restrains finger 20 in such manner that hook 22 &# 39 ;, an integral part of latch 22 , may be prevented from engaging catch 19 &# 39 ;, a functional part of frame 51 , and access door 12 is free to open . this function is not unlike that performed by cam 18 &# 39 ; as proper coinage is inserted in coin mechanism 18 . simultaneous with the lowering of rod 77 , linkage 68 , being pivotally associated with hook 67 , is raised to bring hook 67 into a position of interference with finger 66 . as outward force is applied to door 12 , separation assembly 16 moves out on drawer slides 50 and finger 66 engages hook 67 releasing outer shell 75 from display chamber 21 thus exposing the interior thereof for replacement . outer shell 75 is reclosed and lock is restored to its locked position . in reference to fig7 and 8 ; slide assembly 79 is rigidly affixed to rod 49 . intermediate arm 80 is pivotally secured to slide 79 and lower arms 81 . rod 82 is rigidly affixed to guides 83 and pin 84 extends through guides 83 providing a stop for intermediate arm 80 . as pressure is applied to point p , rod 82 enters further into slide 79 ; pads 85 , rigidly affixed to the ends of rods 49 and 82 respectively , draw sides of shield 24 in against side frames 46 which are held apart by scoop 45 in an effective clamping action to maintain a predetermined relationship between said shield and said scoop . in reference to fig1 ; a hook member 86 , may be suspended from shield 24 in such manner as to lift the edge of a very thin newspaper thus facilitating the entry of point 45 &# 39 ; between two said newspapers when otherwise the thinness of the paper might result in the separation of none or of a multiplicity of newspapers . the hook of said hooked member is large enough to catch a very thin paper but small enough to be kept from engagement by the fold radius of a somewhat larger paper that would present no orientation problem to point 45 &# 39 ;. having described the present invention in detail , it is obvious that one skilled in the art will be able to make modifications and variations thereto without departing from the scope of the invention . accordingly , the scope of the present invention should be determined by the claims appended hereto . | 6 |
fig1 illustrates the image plane of a rectangular linear scanning format from the planar linear transducer array 1 . the scanned field of view 5 can be substantially expanded to a variable vertex format 3 of the invention by scanning a set of acoustic lines extending through a common vertex 4 behind the face of the transducer array . fig2 illustrates the image plane for a sector scanning format produced by transducer array 1 . the typical sector field of view 2 can be expanded to the illustrated variable vertex format 3 by scanning acoustic lines derived from a common vertex 4 behind the face of the transducer array 1 . the variable vertex format utilizes the entire array of transducer elements in the near - field and substantially expands the entire field of view without significant loss of resolution anywhere within the typical sector field of view 2 . fig3 illustrates a curvilinear transducer array 6 and the field of view 7 obtained by multiple acoustic lines propagated normal to the face of the transducer array . extensions of these normal acoustic lines pass through a common center of curvature 8 . the field of view for the curvilinear transducer array can be expanded into the variable vertex format 3 by a set of acoustic lines propagated at varying angles to the face of the curvilinear array , extensions of which all pass through common vertex 4 , where that common vertex is preferably between the center of curvature 8 and the face of the array . for a curvilinear array , each acoustic scan line 11 originates from a different arbitrary point 13 on the face of the curvilinear array . these points of origin can be described by the angle φ , the center of curvature 8 and the centerline of the transducer array 14 . alternately , in the variable vertex format each origin 13 for the ultrasound lines can be described by the angle θ , the common variable vertex 4 and the centerline 14 connecting variable vertex 4 to the center of curvature 8 of the array . as shown in fig3 each acoustic line for the variable vertex format is steered at the angle α with respect to the normal to the face of the curvilinear array . in fig3 the center of curvature 8 is on the centerline 14 of the transducer array and the angle α equals the angle θ less the angle φ . the delay equations for focused scanning with a curvilinear transducer array can be derived using these angular relationships and the location of the common vertex 4 relative to the radius of curvature 8 in a manner similar to the following translation of the planar linear array equation as at ( 6 ). as is well known , the typical sector scan format has two major advantages when compared to the linear format . namely , the sector has substantially increased field of view at the deeper scan depths , such as 10 cm . or greater when compared to the linear format , and the transducer used for sector scanning is physically smaller than that used for the linear scan format , typically by a factor of 3 or more . as is also well - known , a major disadvantage of the sector scan format is the extremely limited field of view at shallow scan depths , such as 1 cm . or less . one major improvement from the preferred embodiment of this invention is that a variable vertex scan format permits increased field of view at all scan depths , including shallow scan depths , by an amount up to and including the physical array width when compared to sector scanning as shown in fig4 without substantial loss in resolution within the sector field of view 2 when compared to sector scanning . the variable vertex scan and corresponding display format generally applies to linear or curvilinear arrays and is a generalization of the sector scan , except that the vertex may occur at a variable point as shown in fig5 for several different placements of variable vertex 4a - 4g . as the variable vertex approaches infinity 4f or 4g the format approaches a linear scanning format . as the variable vertex approaches the face of the transducer at 4b , the format approaches a sector format . the variable vertex may be in front of the transducer array as at 4a and at a location not on a normal line 14 through the center of the array as at 4g . similarly , for curvilinear transducer arrays 6 the variable vertex 4 may be located at a radius behind the array that is greater than the radius of curvature 8 as shown in fig6 . so , too , can the variable vertex be placed at any location behind the array such as at 4a - 4d shown in fig7 . a principal objective of the described preferred embodiment of this invention is to define a scan and display format for an imaging system for which a common vertex 4 of all acoustic scan lines can be selectively positioned at any point within the scan plane . as illustrated for a planar array in fig8 the variable vertex 4 is on a line normal to a line connecting all transducer elements of the physical aperture or face 12 of the array at a distance y behind the face of the array . however , the variable vertex need not lie on this line and may be placed in front of the physical aperture as well as behind it . the image format which results from the location shown in fig8 benefits from an increased field of view at all depths and in particular near the physical aperture . the format applies equally well to spectral doppler and color flow doppler scanning as well as to b - mode imaging . in particular , certain mixed modes enhance the utility of variable vertex scan and display format . examples include : a variable vertex scan format in 2 - d in combination with substantially parallel color flow scan lines , shown in fig1 from a remote vertex 4 &# 39 ;; multiple pulsed doppler scan lines with variable vertices that are distinct from each other in combination with a 2 - d image ; or a continuous wave doppler scan with lines 65 emanating from a variable vertex 4 &# 34 ; positioned at the center of the transducer , in combination with a 2 - d scan format where the variable vertex 4 has been placed behind the transducer face as shown in fig1 . the scanning method of this invention applied to a multiplexed system is illustrated schematically in fig2 . there multiplexed sub - sets of m elements , such as 97 , from the larger array 1 of n transducer elements are activated . the sub - sets 97 of active elements are selected by a multiplexer 95 from the larger group , n , and a system having m independent channels as at 96 controls beam propagation and processes the receive information . the multiplexer 95 may select sub - sets of m adjacent transducer elements or other groupings such as every other one of the n elements , for example . included in the described embodiment of this invention is the method and means to select an origin 13 , as shown in fig8 and focal point 15 for a particular ultrasound beam such that the acoustic scan line 11 appears to emanate from the common vertex 4 . the actual origin of an ultrasound beam for the planar array of fig8 occurs on a line connecting the individual transducer elements at the point corresponding approximately to the center of mass of its apodization function . equation ( 1 ) is used to manage the apodization function such that its center of mass is equivalent to or nearly equivalent to the intended origin 13 of the acoustic scan line 11 . the origin 13 of the beam therefore can be controlled by smoothly shifting this center of mass . the shift required to place the beam origin 13 at or near the intersection 13 of a line connecting all elements of the transducer on the face 12 of the array with an acoustic scan line 11 which connects the variable vertex 4 to the focal point , as at 15 , depends upon the spatial position of the variable vertex and the steering angle θ . by way of example , in fig1 an ultrasound beam from the planar array of fig8 originates from approximately the center of mass , x cm of its apodization function . the apodization function a ( x k ), may be described as the weighing given to the signal transmitted from , or received from , an element at position x k . the center of mass for the apodization function is ## equ2 ## where δ ( x ) is the dirac delta function and has the property that ## equ3 ## controlling the ultrasound beam origin is achieved by assigning the apodization values to each element of the physical transducer array in such a way that the center of mass x cm corresponds to the acoustic scan line origin 13 . there is no requirement that x cm corresponds to an element position . in principle , the center of mass is computed for each acoustic scan line 11 and a unique apodization profile is generated for each scan line . in actual practice , only a limited set of profiles are required by taking the shift invariance property of the apodization profile into account . this means that , for example , one can cause the center of mass to shift by exactly one element spacing by simply shifting the assignment of each apodization value from the k th element to the ( k + 1 ) th element . this operation is easy to accomplish by means of control logic in combination with a microprocessor during the quiescent period between successive acoustic scan lines . another unique set of apodization profiles is required to shift the center of mass by a fraction of an element spacing . typically the position of the center of mass ( and therefore the ultrasound beam origin ) is controlled to within about one - quarter of a wavelength for foci close to the transducer array . for a typical sector - type transducer with half - wavelength spacing , this requirement corresponds to two unique families of apodization profiles . all other combinations required for each unique acoustic scan line are obtained by simple shift operations applied to one of these sets . for a sector scan format as shown in fig9 the time delay which must be added to the n th element , in order to have a focal point at range r , as at 15 , along acoustic scan line 11 from the center of the transducer array and at an angle θ with respect to a reference line 14 is given as : ## equ4 ## where : t n = the delay required at element position x n to achieve a focus at range r and steering angle θ . r = the range from the sector vertex or origin 13 to the focal point . x n = the position of the n th element relative to the sector vertex or origin 13 . θ = the steering angle with respect to a reference line as shown in fig9 . t off = a variable offset added to each delay in order to assure that the delay assigned to each element is positive . ( negative delay cannot be achieved .) c o = the velocity of propagation in the body ( typically 1 . 54 mm / usec ) this equation is well - known for sector imaging and is discussed , for example , in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 140 , 022 . the time delay which must be added to the n th element in order to have a focal point at a range r &# 39 ;. sub . θ from the variable vertex 4 and at angle θ with respect to the reference line 14 as shown in fig1 for the variable vertex scan format is given by : ## equ5 ## where r &# 39 ; 74 = the distance along a ray which is at an angle θ with respect to the reference line 14 ( see fig1 ) between the variable vertex and the focal point . y = the offset along a normal to the physical array to the variable vertex . θ = the steering angle with respect to the reference line as shown in fig1 . t &# 39 ; off = an arbitrary variable offset added to each delay in order to assure that the delay added to each element is positive . if one considers the substitutions ## equ6 ## then equation ( 3 ) becomes ## equ7 ## which has the same form as equation ( 2 ). equation ( 6 ) shows how to compute the delay t &# 39 ; n appropriate for an element x &# 39 ; n which achieves focus 15 along acoustic scan line 11 at a distance r &# 39 ;. sub . θ from the variable vertex 4 at an angle θ from the reference line 14 . the collection of individual ultrasound lines used in a variable vertex scan format is calculated using equation ( 6 ) with each acoustic scan line having unique values for r , x . sub . θ , and θ . the values r , x . sub . θ and θ may be arbitrarily defined for each acoustic scan line . equation ( 6 ) discloses how to compute the delays for a planar array with a single fixed focal point along a ray at an angle θ with respect to a reference line . one such set of delays ( one value per element position ) is uniquely required for each acoustic scan line . in the more general case for this invention , each scan line originates at an arbitrary point on and at an arbitrary angle to the face of the array without a common vertex . each individual scan line 11 , 11 &# 39 ; originates at an arbitrary intersection or point such as 13 , 13 &# 39 ; in fig2 at the face of the transducer array 1 and is steered at an arbitrary angle θ , θ &# 39 ; with respect to a normal to the array at its origin 13 , 13 &# 39 ;, respectively . as shown in fig2 , an extension of each of a symmetrical pair of scan lines may pass through a common vertex such as 4 , 4 &# 39 ; for lines 11 , 11 &# 39 ;, respectively , along a normal line to the array . thus , the loci of the variable vertex 4 , 4 &# 39 ; for symmetrical pairs of lines may lie along that normal line rather than being a single common vertex as shown , for example , in fig8 . the scan lines also may have no common vertex at all . similarly , the transducer array may be any generalized shape , such as at 90 in fig2 . again , each scan line 11 , 11 &# 39 ; originates at an arbitrary point 13 , 13 &# 39 ; on the face of the array and at an angle θ , θ &# 39 ; with respect to a normal to the face of the array . as shown in fig2 , 13 , 13 &# 39 ; is the vector position of the origin of the ultrasound lines and 91 , 91 &# 39 ; is the vector position of a focal point along each line at the same or a different range from the transducer face . the apodization function for each line centers more or less about the arbitrary origin 13 , 13 &# 39 ; at the face of the array . time delays are calculated from the vector position of the n th element x n , the vector position of the ultrasound line origin 13 ( o x ) and the vector position of the focal point for the k th ultrasound line f x . the equation below , in vector notation , is comparable to equation ( 6 ) for a fully arbitrary array and scan format ## equ8 ## for the preferred embodiment which is described , means to achieve dynamic focusing may be obtained by simply generalizing equation ( 6 ) to include a family of focal ranges , such as [ r o , r 1 . . . r k ,], rather than a fixed focal range , r . this constitutes a significantly large data set . that is , the amount of delay data required to achieve a fixed focus is given by ## equ9 ## in the case of mirror symmetry of the scan lines about a reference scan line , m is replaced by m / 2 scan lines . for a dynamically focused imaging system , with k focal ranges , this becomes ( k · n · m ) delay values . for a high performance ultrasound imaging system with 128 active transducer elements , this amounts to approximately 3 · 10 5 delay values . as a result , means to reduce the amount of high - speed ram is a desired objective . data reduction can be achieved by means of a decomposition of the delay equation ( 6 ) into a reference ( fixed ) focus and a variable focus term . the approximation selected for the described embodiment is expressed as : r = the desired ( variable ) focal range , i . e . represents one of the members of the set [ r o , r 1 . . . k ] it can be shown that t an ( r , θ , x n , ρ , θ r ) approximates t n ( r , x n - x . sub . θ , θ ) to high accuracy provided that ρ is selected to be approximately midway between the minimum and the maximum range for r ( namely between r o and r k ); and θ r is valid over an extent of about 25 °. that is , a constant value of θ r is valid to high accuracy for steering angles which are up to ± 12 . 5 ° away from the specified reference value θ r . this leads to a reduction in the data set by a factor which is on the order of m . k /( m + k ), which is at least an order of magnitude . has a very weak affect on steering . one can align the origin of the variable focussing term with that of the fixed focus term by recognizing that if ε ≠ o , then the delay required to generate equation ( 9 ) from one scan line to another ( in the range of θ for which the reference angle θ r is valid ) is generated by simply reassigning the delay value associated with k th element to the ( k + m ) th element . since , in general ε = 0 , then one must have additional sets of delay values corresponding to the variable focus term characterized by equation ( 9 ). if one defines the number of shift cases , p , such that ε ≈ p · a , and a / 2 is the greatest positional error which one is willing to accept , then one can rewrite equation ( 9 ) with the variable change where m and p are now control variables which are used as indices into the delay value data tables , and m is the number of single element delay value data positions by which the data must be shifted before it is applied . this is represented schematically in fig1 . the foregoing shows how the delay calculations are generated and implemented to accommodate variable vertex imaging for a planar transducer array . means by which the delay calculations are implemented to accommodate systems which employ heterodyning means in combination with coarsely quantized delay lines to achieve dynamic focussing as described in u . s . pat . nos . 4 , 140 , 022 and 4 , 550 , 607 follow in a straight - forward manner . for an active aperture 40 , fig1 demonstrates the generation and application of transmit delay information to the delay generator 30 by means of a shifting of the variable focus time delays 32 followed by summing with unshifted transmit reference focus time delays 31 . this total time delay is then made available to the transmit drivers 33 as described in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 550 , 607 , for example . the center of mass of the apodization function is shifted by apodization generator 34 . prudent apodization management requires that the active transmit aperture , as specified by the apodization function , increases about the center of mass as the selectable transmit focus gets further from the face of the transducer array . this is done to maintain a proper balance between quality of focus and depth of focus , as discussed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 550 , 607 . inevitably as the aperture grows , it will asymmetrically reach the end of the physical aperture . under these conditions , one may either truncate that portion of the apodization function for which there is no physical aperture or choose to maintain the apodization shape , in either case shifting its center of mass toward the center of the physical aperture . when the transmit apodization 19 &# 39 ; in fig1 becomes end - aligned , and its center of mass is shifted away from the desired beam origin , as at 13 &# 39 ;, the true beam axis 11 &# 39 ; no longer aligns with the intended ultrasound scan line 11 . an important feature of the scanning method of this invention is the ability to fire an acoustic scan line 11 through the physical end of the array . when a shallow transmit focus is selected , its active aperture is small with little opportunity to shift the beam origin away from its intended position . when a deep transmit focus is selected such as at 17 , its active aperture is large and the beam origin may be shifted far away from its intended position 13 , such as at 13 &# 39 ;; however , with this large transmit aperture , the transmit ultrasound beam is relatively unfocussed close to the physical aperture where the displacement error is greatest . this poor focus minimizes the impact of the displacement errors , particularly if the correctly positioned receive focus is strong there . conversely , near its focal point 17 , the ultrasound beam axis and the acoustic scan line begin to intersect , and the displacement error diminishes , vanishing completely at the focal point . beyond the transmit focal point 17 , the ultrasound beam axis and scan line axis again diverge , but again , transmit defocussing minimizes the impact of the displacement errors as long as the receive focus is correctly positioned on the ultrasound scan line 11 . the tracking of data along the scan line axis 11 , and not along the misaligned ultrasound beam axis 11 &# 39 ;, is accomplished through the combination of dynamic receive apodization 18 and focussing 16 . during dynamic receive beamforming , the active receive aperture 60 , as shown in fig1 , grows dynamically to 60 &# 39 ; as the receive focus dynamically becomes farther from the physical transducer along the scan line 11 in such a manner as to keep the ratio of focal depth to active aperture width a constant to the greatest extent possible , as has been discussed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 550 , 607 . as the receive aperture 60 grows dynamically to 60 &# 39 ;, it also becomes end - aligned , its center of mass is also shifted away from the desired beam origin , and the true beam axis 11 &# 39 ; no longer aligns with the intended scan line axis 11 . however , the receive focus 16 can always be placed on the ultrasound scan line axis 11 . as the dynamic receive beamformer continually switches from one focus 16 to the next 16 &# 39 ;, it accurately tracks the information along the desired acoustic scan line 11 . a unique set of ideal time delay data is calculated at the receive reference focus for all elements and for all scan lines in a manner similar to that done for the transmit steering time delays . these ideal time delays can be decomposed into coarse and fine time delays applied at summing means 50 as described in u . s . pat . nos . 4 , 550 , 607 or 4 , 140 , 022 . the fine time delays may then be converted into phase as shown , for example , in u . s . pat . nos . 4 , 550 , 607 or 4 , 140 , 022 . these delays are decomposed into a reference and variable focus phase and are made available to the receiver phase generator 52 in fig1 which sums the reference component phases 53 with the shifted variable focussing component phases 54 to generate the composite receiver phase values . the receiver phase values are then used to select the phase of the mixer signals . the active receive aperture is controlled by the receive apodization generator 55 . using phased array imaging systems , it is possible to activate , in transmit and receive , two or more beams substantially simultaneously from the same aperture 1 as shown in fig1 and 19 . simultaneous means that more than one pulse is in flight directed at possibly different spatial locations at any one time while scanning . this may be done with straight - forward modifications to systems which have previously been disclosed , as in , for example , u . s . pat . no . 4 , 550 , 607 . however , one significant problem with such systems is that multiple pulses or multiple beams along scan lines 11a , 11b tend to overlap as at 70 and interfere substantially away from the transmit focus in a planar linear format , as shown in fig1 and especially in the near field , close to the transducer as shown in fig1 for a typical sector scan . one major advantage of the variable vertex scanning format is the ability to separate multiple beams much more effectively , even if propagated simultaneously , because the ultrasound scan lines 11a , 11b are well - separated throughout the field of view 3 as shown in fig2 . comparing fig1 and 19 with fig2 , it is apparent that the region of interference 70 is reduced or eliminated in fig2 because of the separated origins 13a , 13b in the near field and because the scan lines 11a , 11b diverge in the far field . the active apertures for the two beams are substantially less overlapping rather than fully overlapping , as in a normal sector scan , even though the effective aperture for each beam is not reduced in extent . the intrinsic spatial separation of beams ( including the near field ) of the variable vertex format , in combination with dynamic apodization and dynamic focussing , effectively optimizes performance in multiple beam operation . | 6 |
the present invention relates to automatic phone call scheduling for some or all of a user &# 39 ; s contacts . the user &# 39 ; s telephone stores his list of contacts , and includes a profile for each contact . shown in table i is a sample contact profile , in accordance with the present invention . in addition to the contact &# 39 ; s name , phone number and relation to the user , the contact profile includes fields for preferred calling dates and times , excluded calling dates and times , one or more special occasions and desired frequency of calls . the contact profile also includes a free - text field for storing comments . the free - text field may include reminders as to why the user wants to speak with the contact . the contact profile also includes a schedule call flag . setting the schedule call flag to on indicates that the user would like to call the contact when he has the time to do so . for example , the contact may be waiting for a return phone call from the user , or the contact may be someone the user wants to stay in touch with professionally or personally . reference is now made to fig1 , which is a simplified block diagram of a telephone 100 with automated call scheduling , in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention . telephone 100 may be a land - line telephone or a cellular telephone . telephone 100 is operated by a user , or by a number of users . as shown in fig1 , telephone 100 includes a central processing unit ( cpu ) 110 , a power subsystem 120 , an audio subsystem 130 , a keyboard 140 for user input , a display 150 for output , a sim card 160 , and a power amplifier 170 . power subsystem 120 generally includes a rechargeable battery . keyboard 140 generally includes a small keypad for dialing phone numbers and entering sms messages . display 150 is generally a small lcd display . power amplifier 170 is connected to a gsm antenna . telephone 100 also includes a memory unit 180 , which stores user data such as contact information for the user &# 39 ; s contacts , sms messages and phone settings . in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention , user contact information is imported from external databases , such as facebook ® databases managed by facebook , inc . of palo alto , calif ., or database from such other social or dating services . memory unit 180 also stores program code 190 that executes application programs , such as an internet browser and a personal organizer . in accordance with the present invention , program code 190 also executes an automated call scheduler 200 , which is used to schedule and dial telephone calls . reference is now made to fig2 , which is a simplified block diagram of automated call scheduler 200 of telephone 100 of fig1 , in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention . shown in fig2 is a data store 210 , within memory unit 180 , which stores a user &# 39 ; s contacts and their profiles . some or all of the contacts are designated by the user as being “ shuffle - able ”; i . e ., contacts that the user would like to call when he has free time to do so . for example , the user may designate that contacts that are waiting for a reply phone call from him are shuffle - able . he may also designate that certain friends and family are shuffle - able , as a way of staying in touch with them . in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention , a contact is designated as shuffle - able by setting the schedule call flag in the contact &# 39 ; s profile to on . a dynamic prioritizer 220 dynamically assigns a priority to each of the user &# 39 ; s shuffle - able contacts , based on a variety of factors . the priorities assigned to the contacts are stored in data store 210 , together with the contacts &# 39 ; profiles . the factors influencing the calculation of a contact &# 39 ; s priority include inter alia : a special date relating to the contact , such as the contact &# 39 ; s birth date or wedding anniversary , or mother &# 39 ; s day or father &# 39 ; s day ; the time remaining until a designated deadline for calling the contact ; the time elapsed since the user last spoke with the contact ; the desired frequency for which the user wishes to speak with the contact ; a metric of importance assigned to the contact ; a status of the contact , such as “ busy ”, “ available ”, “ running ” and “ on another phone call ”; contact &# 39 ; s preferred dates and times to call him ; and contact &# 39 ; s excluded dates and times to call him . in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention , telephone 100 includes an activation button for activating automated call scheduler 200 . thus , when the user has free time to make some of his calls , he may activate automated call scheduler 200 by pressing on the activation button . phone call scheduler 230 then dynamically sorts the shuffle - able contacts in terms of their priorities , and selects the highest priority contact for placing a phone call . in case multiple contacts have the highest priority , phone call scheduler 230 chooses randomly among them . as such , in a case where all priorities are the same , phone call scheduler 230 uses random selection among all the shuffle - able contacts . after selecting a shuffle - able contact to be called , a user prompter 240 notifies the user of the selected contact , for his confirmation . such notification may be visually or vocally , or both . user prompter 240 is configured to present information from the selected contact &# 39 ; s profile to the user , to remind the user why he wanted to call the selected contact , and to assist the user in deciding whether to confirm or decline making the call . information presented to the user by prompter 240 may include inter alia the free - form text from the selected contact &# 39 ; s profile , the last date and time that the user made a phone call to the selected contact , and any special occasion related to the selected contact . if the user confirms the call , then an automated dialer 250 places the call . if the phone call to the selected candidate is successful , then phone call scheduler updates the contact &# 39 ; s priority appropriately . an unsuccessful phone call to a contact is a call for which a busy signal is reached , or for which the contact is not available . in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention , success or non - success of a call is measured by the duration of the call . calls with duration over 15 seconds , for example , may be deemed successful . generally a contact &# 39 ; s priority is reset to a low value after a successful call to the contact is made . however , in certain cases the contact &# 39 ; s priority may remain high , such as when the user needs to call the contact back again in order to finish the discussion . the call may have been cut off , or the user or the contact may have run out of time , or the user may need to get more information from the contact . it will thus be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the telephone of fig2 enables the user to manage a large number of phone calls that he would like to make , and automatically select one or more phone calls whenever the user has free time to speak with his contacts . in an embodiment of the present invention , the user &# 39 ; s shuffle - able contacts may be grouped in categories , such as “ sports contacts ”, “ family contacts ” and “ dating contacts ”. when activating automated call - scheduler 200 , the user may designate a specific group of contacts , in which case phone call scheduler 230 selects from among the designated group of shuffle - able contacts . in some embodiments of the present invention , telephone 100 is implemented as a modular cell phone that attaches to other electronic devices . there are two general types of devices to which the modular cell phone may be attached ; namely , jackets and hosts . a jacket is a device that provides a user interface for the modular cell phone , enriches the capabilities of the modular cell phone , and is not able to operate independently when the modular cell phone is not pouched therewith . conversely , a host is a device that is able to operate independently when the modular cell phone is not pouched therewith , and whose capabilities are enriched by the modular cell phone when the modular cell phone is attached thereto . generally a host does not have communication functionality independent of the modular cell phone . in this regard , reference is now made to fig3 , which is an illustration of a modular cell phone 300 being inserted into a jacket / host 400 , in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention . jacket / host 400 as shown in fig3 includes a hollow cavity at the top for insertion of modular cell phone 300 therein . reference is now made to fig4 , which is a simplified illustration of a communication system constructed and operative in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention . shown in fig4 are a variety of modular cell phones 300 a - 300 c , including 2 . 5g communicators for a gsm network , 3g communicators for gsm network , and cdma communicators for a cdma network . it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the networks in fig4 are exemplary of a wide variety of networks and communication protocols that are supported by the wireless communicators of the present invention , such networks and communication protocols including inter alia wifi , bluetooth and wimax . also shown in fig4 are a variety of jackets / hosts 400 a - 400 h , including car jackets / hosts , sports jackets / hosts , camera jackets / hosts , gaming jackets / hosts , etc . in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention , each modular cell phone 300 a - 300 c may be attached to any of the jackets / hosts 400 a - 400 h , so as to operate in combination therewith . the modular cell phones 300 a - 300 c are substantially of the same form factor and , as such , are able to be attached to each of the various jackets / hosts 400 a - 400 h . reference is now made to fig5 , which is a simplified flowchart of a method for automatically scheduling phone calls , in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention . at step 510 a user has time to speak with his contacts , and selects a “ shuffle - call ” function on his telephone . some or all of the user &# 39 ; s contacts are designated as being “ shuffle - able ”; i . e ., contacts that the user would like to call when he has the time to speak with them . in an alternative embodiment of the present invention , the shuffle - call is pre - scheduled by the user . for example , the user may insert a shuffle - call event into his calendar . in yet another embodiment of the present invention , the shuffle - call is automatically suggested to the user when specific conditions prevail . the shuffle - call may be automatically suggested to the user inter alia : when his calendar is empty , but is generally not empty most of the time ; when the user changes his status on facebook ®, or on an instant messaging service , to “ available ”; when a user &# 39 ; s contact changes his status to “ available ” on facebook ®, or on an instant messaging service ; and when telephone 100 is a modular cell phone 300 , and the user inserts the communicator into a car jacket / host 400 . at step 520 priorities are assigned to the user &# 39 ; s shuffle - able contacts , based on various factors as described hereinabove with reference to prioritizer 220 . it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that step 520 may be performed after step 510 , as shown in fig5 , or , alternatively , step 520 may be performed at regular time intervals , such as every 30 seconds , in order that a current prioritization always be readily available . in this alternative embodiment , processing moves from step 510 directly to step 530 . at step 530 the contact with the highest priority is selected . in case more than one contact has the highest priority , then one of them is chosen by random selection . at step 540 the user is informed of the selected candidate contact , and given the opportunity at step 550 to confirm whether or not he wishes to call the contact now . in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention , at step 540 any free - text comments in the contact &# 39 ; s profile are presented to the user , so that the user can be reminded why he wanted to call the contact . other information from the contact &# 39 ; s profile may be presented to the user instead of or in addition to the free - text comments , such as the last date and time the user spoke with the contact , or today being a special occasion related to the contact . the choice of which information from the contact &# 39 ; s profile to present to the user at step 540 is preferably configured by the user . if the user declines at step 550 , then processing returns to step 530 where the next contact in line is chosen . if the user confirms , then at step 560 a phone call to the selected contact is automatically placed . the user may configure his telephone to skip step 550 , in which case phone calls to selected contacts are always placed . the phone call placed at step 560 may or may not be successful , as determined at step 570 . an unsuccessful call to a contact is one where the contact is not available , or where the call reaches a busy signal . in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention , success or non - success of a call may be determined from the duration of the call . for example , calls with duration over 15 seconds may be deemed successful . if the call was unsuccessful , processing returns to step 530 . if the call was successful , then the contact &# 39 ; s profile is updated appropriately at step 580 . processing then returns to step 520 , as long as the user continues to make phone calls . it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the method of fig5 enables a user to place phone calls without having to decide a - priori which contacts to call . as such , the user saves time by not having to decide who to call , and the user automatically stays in touch with friends and family . step 520 of fig5 involves assigning priorities to user contacts , based on their profiles . in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention , a scoring function is used to accumulate various factors that impact the priority of a user contact . table ii below indicates some sample score factors , which cumulatively determine the priority . the “ closeness of relationship ” factor in table ii may be input by the user , or may be automatically derived from external databases . for example , certain contacts may have been designated by the user as “ best friends ” on one or more social databases . it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the factors shown in table ii are representative of a wide variety of factors . the theme of jacket / host 400 used with modular cell phone 300 may be used in calculating priorities ; i . e ., contacts related to the theme of jacket / host 400 are assigned higher priorities . e . g ., if modular cell phone 300 is housed in a sports jacket 400 , then sports contacts are assigned higher priorities ; and if modular cell phone 300 is housed in a gaming host , then gaming contacts are assigned higher priorities . even astrological factors may be used in calculating priorities ; e . g ., this is a good day to call contact x , since he is an aries . in addition to the factors shown in table ii , a user &# 39 ; s contact &# 39 ; s priority may be changed when the contact sends to the user an sms message requesting a phone call , or when the contact &# 39 ; s status changes from “ busy ” to “ available ” on an internet communication service . reference is now made to fig6 , which is a simplified block diagram of a communication system with functionality for notifying a user when a contact &# 39 ; s status becomes “ available ” on an internet communication service , in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention . shown in fig6 are telephones 100 belonging to a user and to two of the user &# 39 ; s contacts , contact # 1 and contact # 2 . also shown in fig6 are computers 600 belonging to two others of the user &# 39 ; s contacts , contact # 3 and contact # 4 . computers 600 are connected to various web sites 610 , which provide communication services , such as facebook ® or an instant messaging service . the communication services enable contact # 3 and contact # 4 to set an availability status , with settings such as “ busy ”, “ available ”, “ running ” and “ on another phone call ”. the availability statuses are transmitted to a status server 620 , which communicates with web sites 610 using an api , such as an api for xml exchange , and notifies telephones 100 when contact 3 or contact 4 becomes available . in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention , the user &# 39 ; s contacts ( contact # 3 and contact # 4 ) need not have telephones 100 , and notification of contact availability is performed through a social network . the user &# 39 ; s telephone 100 has a facebook ® or instant messaging application installed therein . web sites 610 report availability of contact # 3 and contact # 4 to status server 620 , using the api . in turn , status server 620 notifies the application in telephone 100 accordingly . in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention , the user &# 39 ; s contacts ( contact # 1 and contact # 2 ) each have a telephone 100 , and notification of contact availability is performed directly through status server 620 . telephones 100 broadcast availability statuses to status server 620 . telephone 100 may , for example , send an http request to status server 620 , the request including status information of contact # 1 or contact # 2 , and device information for the contact &# 39 ; s telephone 100 . status server 620 maintains the status / telephone data , and reports back the status of contact # 1 and contact # 2 to the user &# 39 ; s telephone 100 . status server 620 may , for example , send an http response to telephone 100 , or alternatively telephone 100 may download the status information from status server 620 . in the foregoing specification , the invention has been described with reference to specific exemplary embodiments thereof . it will , however , be evident that various modifications and changes may be made to the specific exemplary embodiments without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims . accordingly , the specification and drawings are to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense . | 7 |
the present invention relates to optical web detection systems utilizing arrays of light emitting sources and photodetectors , between which a web passes , for detecting the presence and the dimensions , including area , of the web . the invention relates more particularly to a system for controlling the illumination from the light emitting sources so as to ensure that even semi - opaque ( low density ) webs may be detected and to ensure uniformity and amount of illumination that does not adversely affect the web , such as by fogging photo - sensitive webs . the invention is especially suitable for use in equipment for processing ( developing ) radiographic film such as x - ray film by detecting the film entering the processor and measuring its area using an array of infrared light emitting diodes ( led ) as the light emitting sources and infrared photodetectors as optical detectors ; the film area being measured by the system and used to control the replenishment of chemicals needed to maintain proper chemical activity for processing of the film . web ( film ) detection and measurement devices using arrays of light emitting diodes and photodetectors have heretofore been used for controlling the replenishment of chemicals in film processing apparatus . such equipment as has heretofore been available has not been completely satisfactory due to variability of the light output across the array . the brightness of light ( intensity ) produced by the leds can vary from led to led . led output also decreases with age and can be affected by dirt and temperature variations . where light pipes or fibers are used to direct beams of light from the leds , they tend to further increase the variability in light output as seen by the web . this problem is exacerbated by the need to detect low density webs , such as semi - opaque films . merely increasing the output illumination is not an adequate solution since the film may be sufficiently sensitive to be affected by such intense illumination or the light may pass through the film and not be diminished sufficiently to indicate the presence of the web . also systems using such intense illumination are undesirable since they must operate over a large dynamic range , which complicates the electronic circuitry for handling the signals from the photodetectors . in order to solve these problems , attempts have been made to use ultrasonic technology rather than optical technology . ultrasonic detectors are more expensive than optical detectors and tend to be unreliable even when shielded against outside noise and vibration . accordingly , it is the principal object of this invention to provide an improved optical web detection system utilizing arrays of electro - optic light emitters , preferably leds , and photodetectors between which the web to be detected passes and wherein the intensity of illumination from the emitters is controlled so as to maintain constancy in the brightness of the illumination while providing sufficient intensity to detect a wide range of webs which may vary in optical transmitivity , as for example from completely opaque to semi - opaque . it is a further object of the invention to provide an improved web detection and measurement system which is especially suitable for accurately controlling the replenishment of chemicals in a radiographic film processor . it is a still further object of the present invention to provide an improved web detection and measurement system which is computer controlled for uniformity of illumination and maintenance of constancy of illumination at a predetermined intensity level or range . it is a still further object of the present invention to provide an improved optical web system using an array of light emitters and an array of corresponding photodetectors which can be initially calibrated to produce illumination of the desired intensity level from each of the emitters and to maintain the calibration over a prolonged period of time by continually recalibrating the system . briefly described , a system embodying the invention which provides for web detection and measurement and which is operable on semi - opaque webs , such as x - ray films , embodies an array of light emitting sources disposed in a direction which is across the web and an array of optical detectors in receptive relationship from light from the sources . the term &# 34 ; web &# 34 ; as used herein includes continuous webs as well as sheets . computer controlled means are provided for setting the intensity of light from each of the sources to a preset level , such that the interposition of a web between any of the sources and the detectors which are in light receiving relationship therewith will reduce the intensity of light incident on the detector below a certain threshold even when the web is semi - opaque . the computer controlled means are operative during operation of the system in the absence of any web between the sources and detector arrays and is responsive to electrical signals from the detectors , for incrementally increasing and decreasing the preset levels when the level of light received by the detectors is below and above this preset level , respectively , thereby maintaining the level of illumination uniform and at the preset level . the signals obtained when a detector is blocked by the web are utilized for measurement of the width and / or area of the web and to control the replenishment of chemicals when the detection system is used in a film processor . the signal obtained when a detector is blocked is also used to incrementally increase and decrease the preset levels to prevent the led output from fluctuating when the web is present for extended periods . the foregoing and other objects , features and advances of the invention , as well as a presently preferred embodiment thereof , will become more apparent from a reading of the following description in connection with the accompanying drawings in which : fig1 is a schematic diagram of a x - ray film processing system , with film detection and measurement for chemical replenishment control , which embodies the invention ; fig2 is a view in elevation of the x - ray film detector and measurement system shown in fig1 ; fig3 is a block diagram schematically showing the film detector and measurement system which is shown in fig1 and 2 ; fig4 is a timing diagram illustrating the operation of the system shown in fig3 ; fig5 is a block diagram showing the system of fig3 in greater detail ; fig6 is a schematic diagram of the multiplexing matrix and current control components of the system shown in fig5 . fig7 is a schematic diagram of the peak detector shown in fig5 ; fig8 and fig8 a constitute a flow chart illustrating the program of the computer shown in fig3 and 5 ; and fig9 is a bar graph illustrating the digital signal values which correspond to light intensity as received by the photodetectors and measured by the peak detector shown in fig5 and also in fig3 . referring to fig1 there is shown a x - ray film processor in which x - ray films , usually sheets , from an x - ray camera as used in the radiology department of a hospital or the office of a radiologist is processed . the processor has tanks 100 , 102 and 104 for developing , fixing and washing of the film . after washing the film is dried in a dryer 106 . guide and drive rolls 108 which are driven by motors through suitable gearing or chain and sprocket arrangements advance the film through the tanks 100 , 102 and 104 and through the dryer 106 . a film detector and measurement system is disposed upstream in the direction of travel of the film from the processor tanks 100 , 102 and 104 this system is referred to as a universal film detector or ufd 110 . it has a gap 112 through which the film is driven at constant speed by a drive roller arrangement 114 . the speed may be varied , but once set is constant . based upon the speed of the film and the width thereof , the ufd 110 computes the area of film which has passed through it . then it operates a motor control , such as a relay 116 . the relay turns on the motor of pumps , suitably positive displacement ( pdp ) pumps , for an interval of time sufficient to meter enough chemicals ( developer and fixer ) from supply tanks 120 and 122 to replenish the chemistry in the fixer and developer tanks 100 and 102 . the pumps are turned on for a fixed period of time , for example 10 seconds which will be enough to meter sufficient developer and fixer for processing a certain area of film , for example a 14 × 17 inch sheet of film . referring to fig2 the ufd is illustrated . it contains a housing 200 in which is mounted a printed circuit board 202 . the housing and board have aligned slots ( slot 204 on the board 202 being shown in fig2 ) through which the film passes . on the board is a linear array of infrared leds ( e . g ., twenty - two leds ) which are equally spaced from each other along the slot 204 . opposite to the leds is an array of photodetectors . twenty - two photodetectors may be used each corresponding to a different one of the leds and each in light receptive relationship therewith ( aligned with its corresponding led ). to prevent scattering of light from the leds and to control the dimensions of the beam of the light from each led , an aperture plate 206 is disposed between the led array and the slot 204 . this aperture plate has twenty - two apertures 208 each aligned with a different led . components such as computer chips , resistors , and capacitors of the ufd are mounted on the board 202 and connected by printed wiring ( not shown ) to the leds and photodetectors . referring to fig3 there is shown the slot 204 and the board 202 with the aligned leds and photodetectors in their respective arrays . the system is controlled by a microprocessor , for example , motorola type mc68hc11 which has a built - in analog digital converter ( a / d ). the microprocessor 300 , via a multiplexer 302 , applies sequentially to the leds operating currents so that they illuminate ( emit light pulses ) sequentially and successively scan the slot 204 and any film therein . the current through the leds and therefore the intensity or brightness of illumination is controlled by the microprocessor which outputs a digital value to a digital to analog converter ( d / a ) 304 . the analog output from the d / a 304 operates an intensity control circuit 306 which is a variable amplifier or current sink described more fully in connection with fig5 and 6 . the brightness from the leds is made uniform from led to led and at a preset level . the setting of the brightness utilizes signals from the photodetectors which are combined in a combining and amplification network 308 . this network provides an analog signal to a peak detector . the peak detector is enabled by the microprocessor 300 and provides output pulses corresponding in amplitude to the intensity of illumination detected by the the network 308 . these pulses are outputted by the peak detector 310 to the a / d input of the microprocessor 300 . the microprocessor controls or recalibrates the leds so as to maintain the uniform intensity of illumination in spite of aging , dirt or other other environmental effects . it also assures that the level of illumination is such that even low density or semi - opaque films in the slot 204 are detected , without using an intensity of illumination which might adversely affect ( fog ) the film . when the film is in the slot a series of pulses below a preset threshold are detected . these pulses are counted and used to compute the area of the film passing through the slot . the output is applied to the replenishment motor pump control 116 ( fig1 ). the system shown in fig3 operates on a sequential or serial basis to successively scan the slot . it also operates with pulses or flashes of illumination thereby further reducing the possibility of adverse affect on any film in the slot 204 by excessive illumination . as shown in fig4 there are enabling pulse trains ( a ) and ( b ) which are applied to the multiplexer 302 . these pulses are relatively short , for example , 25 microseconds , and are applied to successively enable the leds with 11 milliseconds ( ms ) between pulses . pulses in train ( a ) are column enabling pulses while pulses in train ( b ) are row enabling pulses . simultaneous occurrence of the pulses enables the multiplexer to allow passage of current through the intensity control or current sink 306 ( see fig5 ). the current level is represented by the output signals from the d / a as the pulses in train ( c ). upon simultaneous occurrence of these pulses , a particular led is turned on . after a sequence of twenty - two of these pulses ( there being 22 leds as shown in fig2 ) a scan is completed . it has been found that with short pulses of 25 microsecond duration with 11 milliseconds between pulses , a scan requires approximately 233 milliseconds . scanning goes on continuously during run time , while the processor is on and ready to process film . the microprocessor outputs the rst / track control level to the peak detector 310 . this level is shown in ( d ). prior to the predetermined period when led is turned on , the control signal switches from reset ( rst ) to track level and enables the peak detector to see and track the amplitude of the pulse . the pulse which is tracked will correspond to the led which is illuminated . at the end of the track interval , the microprocessor reads the signal from the peak detector . then , the rst / track signal reverts to the rst level which readies the peak detector ( by discharging a storage capacitor 602 ( fig7 )) so as to be ready for the next pulse from the next photodetector . the control system will become more apparent from fig5 and 7 . the microprocessor has manual controls and provides outputs to a led display ( not shown ) on the board 202 ( fig2 ). the controls which may be actuated by push buttons , are called the accumulator test controls . diagnostics such as application of certain currents to the leds may be enabled upon accumulator test to determine if the leds are operating , for example , with a predetermined output level as measured by the microprocessor from the peak detector analog signal output in response to a certain current as presented to an led via the d / a converter 304 . the replenish set , sets the time duration during which the replenish pump will be run ( see fig1 ), for example , to meter chemicals for a 14 × 17 inch film area . the transport speed set sets the measurement computation in accordance with the speed at which the film is driven through the processor . this speed may be varied by the processor &# 39 ; s motor controllers , by gear changes in the film drive , or the like . the matrix multiplexer ( mux ) 302 effectively provides column and row pulses for sequentially enabling pulses of current from + 12 v ( the power supply ) through column transistor switches 400 and row transistor switches 402 . only one of the 22 leds is illustrated in the multiplexer in fig5 . the matrix of rows and columns of the 22 leds is shown in fig6 . the first row and column transistors 400 & amp ; 402 ( column 0 and row 0 ) are shown in fig5 . the microprocessor outputs digital signals which switch these transistors on and off through level shifters 404 and 406 . it will be apparent that the leds are enabled in sequence by the four - bit and six - bit digital signals from the microprocessor 300 which are applied to the level shifters 404 and 406 to shift the voltage levels for operation of these transistors . the sequence of enablement is in the order stated , i . e ., led 1 followed by led 2 followed by led 3 . . . through led 22 , which completes a scan and then back to led 1 and so forth . the current path is not completed until the current sink 306 is operated . the current sink 306 is provided by an operational amplifier 318 which receives the analog signal from the d / a 304 . the signal level , and therefore the current level , is determined by an 8 - bit digital signal ( d - out ) and therefore has 256 ( 0 to 255 ) increments . the current level is therefore controllable in 256 increments in this illustrative embodiment by controlling the current through the current sink transistor 410 . upon coincidence of the enabling pulses and the application an enabling analog signal to the current sink 306 , a led ( 1 through 22 ) will be illuminated at certain level of illumination ( 1 of 256 levels ) as determined by the d - out digital value . the photodetectors are , as shown in fig5 connected together in groups . their output signals are applied through transimpedence ( current to voltage conversion ) amplifiers 412 which provide output voltages ( an analog signal shown in fig5 by the legend analog sig in ) through isolation diodes 414 . the signal amplitude is controlled by a voltage divider 416 and applied to the peak detector 310 . a suitable circuit for the peak detector is shown in fig7 . analog sig in is buffered in an amplifier 710 and applied to a first switch in the form of an fet 712 which is in series with the storage capacitor 602 . another fet 714 is connected and parallel with the storage capacitor 602 . the rst / track control signal is applied to the series fet switch 712 through a transistor driver 716 , and to the parallel fet 714 through an inverting transistor 718 . accordingly , during the reset time the peak detector is reset by discharge of the capacitor 602 . during track time the analog sig in is applied through the fet 712 to the storage capacitor 602 and the peak level thereof is detected . the output signal ( analog sig in ) is derived from a buffer amplifier 720 and applied to the a / d input of the microprocessor 300 . the operation of the system will become more apparent from fig8 a and 9 . on start - up initial d / a values ( the values of the d - out signal ) which will obtain a certain level of intensity from each of the 22 leds is stored in the memory of the computer . this d - out value may vary from led to led . for example , it may correspond to 45 for the first led , 30 for the second led , 60 for the third led , out of a scale of 0 to 255 ; 255 being the maximum output . the uniformity of intensity is measured by way of analog sig out . the values of the corresponding 8 - bit binary signal digitized by the a / d input of the microprocessor 300 , is shown in fig9 . the selected value , for example , is 217 . this is in a range from 212 to 222 and is desirably in the center of the range . the level of intensity is such that the least dense or most transparent ( semi - opaque ) film when present will produce an analog sig out which in digital value is in the blocked range of from 0 to 200 and preferably in the middle of that range , approximately 100 . also as shown in fig9 there are guard ranges above and below the predetermined level of 217 . the lower guard range is from 200 to 212 while the upper guard range is from 222 to 255 . referring again to fig8 after initialization and the storage of the initial values in the memory of the microprocessor , the system is ready to run . now the microprocessor points to and enables the first led . the analog sig out is read by the computer . the computer classifies this output in accordance with its value as to whether or not the value lies in the blocked region ( 0 - 200 ). then a counter in the microprocessor is incremented . this is an area counter . depending upon the transport speed which was set into the computer , a certain count is detected which corresponds to a certain area of film , in this embodiment the area is 14 × 17 inches . in other words , an area of film is measured depending upon the number of leds blocked by the film region in the slot 204 ( fig2 and 3 ). if the count is equal to or greater than that corresponding to the 14 × 17 inch sheet , the motor control is activated and the replenish pump is turned on for a predetermined period of time . then the area counter is reset . after this computation the system points to the next led . every 20 scans , or approximately every 15 seconds for the sampling and scanning times illustrated in fig4 a recalibration program is executed which classifies the analog sig out value in terms of its corresponding a / d value from 0 to 255 . if film is interposed between the led and photodiode , the a / d value is compared to the first reading that indicated film was present . if the a / d value is greater than the stored reading then the d to a value which was stored in the microprocessor memory is decremented by one ( 1 out of 256 on an 8 - bit binary scale ). if the a / d value is less than the stored reading then the d to a will be incremented by one . when film is not present a / d values for each led during a scan is classified as to whether no value lies in the not blocked region ( corresponding to 212 to 222 )-- see fig9 ) or in the upper or lower guard regions . if in the upper guard region , the illumination is too intense . then the d to a value which was stored in the microprocessor memory is decremented by one ( 1 out of 256 on an 8 - bit binary scale ). if the value is detected to be in the lower guard region ( from 200 to 212 ) the intensity is too low and the stored d to a value for the led which is enabled is incremented by one . the successive incrementing and decrementing of the stored values recalibrates the system so that the intensity of illumination remains uniform and substantially constant during the run mode . such constant illumination at the requisite level assures detection even of semi - opaque film . from the foregoing description it will be apparent that there has been provided an improved web detection and measurement system . variations and modifications of the herein described system and the scope of the invention will undoubtedly suggest themselves to those skilled in the art . accordingly , the foregoing description should be taken as illustrative and not in a limiting sense . | 6 |
first , the characteristics of a non - limiting example of an ldo regulator regulated at 3 . 0 v with 60 μf ( before voltage and temperature deteriorating effects ) capacitor is presented . fig1 illustrates output voltage and supply current of such an ldo during start - up . it shows the characteristic of the output voltage ( vout ) 10 and inrush current 11 through the output pass device ( iout ) during start - up . t1 : all internal nodes of the ldo are discharged and biasing up . the output node is charging an external capacitor without control on the output current and a high inrush current 10 a is possible ( as shown in the dashed ellipse ), such a high inrush current may be harmful for the circuit and the supply ; t2 : internal slew rate controlled phase : an internal miller capacitor starts to charge up while an internal ldo current limit circuit has not yet started to operate ; t3 : the internal current limit circuit kicks in ; t4 : the output voltage reaches 90 % of the final regulated target value . fig2 illustrates a schematic of an exemplary ldo circuit having an output capacitor connected to a miller compensation capacitor . fig2 shows three gain stages with internal miller compensation . fig2 comprises the components of a basic integrated ldo , namely a pass transistor mpout 24 , a voltage divider ( r0 + r1 )/( r0 + r1 + r2 ), a feedback node fbk , and a differential pair stage ( mp1 , mp2 mn1 , and mn2 ) controlling the pass transistor mpout and a miller capacitor cmiller . furthermore an external output capacitor cout is provided . a current limit loop comprises feedback node fbk , nodes vd1 , vd2 , vd3 , and vd4 , current comparator 21 , transistor mn3 , and voltage comparator 22 , wherein both comparators are connected to a control circuit 23 comprising transistors mpswrt , mp4 and mp3 . the gates of mp3 and mp4 are connected to node vd4 , which is controlling the gate of the power switch mpout . the gate of mpswt is connected to the output of the voltage comparator 22 , which is detecting if the output voltage of the ldo has reached e . g . 90 % of the final regulated target voltage . the control circuit 23 provides input to the current comparator 21 which is controlling node vd3 via transistor mn3 the transistors mp3 and mp4 of the control circuit 23 mirror the current lout from the power transistor mpout to the current comparator 21 . the ratio of the current mirroring is : wherein w = channel width , l = channel length , and assuming that all the devices ( mp3 , mp4 , and mpout ) have same channel length and channel width but mpout has more units in parallel ( m ) and mp4 has more units in series ( n ). at the beginning of the start - up of the ldo of fig2 the output node ( vout ) 20 is completely discharged , hence the feedback node ( fbk ) 25 is low . the input differential pair ( mp1 , mp2 ; mn1 , mn2 ), building the 1 st gain stage , is completely unbalanced ( fbk voltage is close to ground voltage and the reference voltage vref is relatively high ) and the node vd2 is low forcing the output vd3 of the second gain stage a1 to be high and the output vd4 of the third gain stage a2 to be low . the node vd4 drives directly the gate of the output pass device mpout , which is connected to the supply voltage vin . if at start - up the node vd4 is close to ground , the output pass device mpout is completely turned on with a high gate to source voltage and behaves like a switch and a high inrush current is flowing . it is only when the output vd2 of the differential pair of the 1 st stage ( mp1 , mp2 ; mn1 , mn2 ) has reached the same level of biasing to match the opposite branch voltage vd1 that the second gain stage a1 and the third gain stage a2 can take control of the regulation loop that the output current is enabled to start to be limited . phase t3 is when the current limit kicks in because the circuit requires to operate a minimum vout . the voltage at node vd1 is in the preferred embodiment equivalent of gate - source voltage of device mn1 ( about 0 . 6 v ), i . e . the peak output inrush current during phase t1 ( the time can be defined in design , i . e . 50 μs ) is therefore : fig1 and 2 show that inrush current limitations should be activated in phase 1 already . fig3 illustrates how the problem of inrush current is being addressed in phase 1 already . a pre - charge circuit 30 is activated by an enable ldo signal as soon as the ldo is turned on and will immediately bias node vd2 close to the voltage of node vd1 . pre - charging of the node vd2 is done through a replica mn6 of the mn1 device ; hence the circuit can closely track the changes due to pvt variations . a current mode buffer mn4 , mn5 has to clamp the voltage at node vd2 while the ldo is powering up . the pre - charge circuit 30 comprises a current mode buffer 40 comprising transistors mn4 and mn5 . the pre - charge circuit 30 will remain in operation for a time long enough to ensure that the biasing of the input differential pair mp1 , mp2 , mn1 , mn2 is close to the final biasing conditions . in the example of the preferred embodiment the delay circuit 31 is set to approximately 100 μs , which is long enough to cover for the worst case conditions over pvt corners . after this delay , this pre - charge circuit is turned off and the mn4 device stops providing current ; the vd2 node is regulated now by the control loop of the ldo . furthermore a miller capacitor cmiller is connected between the output of the ldo and a miller node 25 . a further improvement to the method ( not shown in fig3 ) is to attach to node vd1 , in parallel to device mn1 , node a dummy replica of the device mn4 in order to balance the capacitive load between the two branches of the input differential pair mp1 , mp2 , mn1 , and mn2 furthermore the current source 32 may be scaled with current rail provided by current source 33 . fig4 shows details of the integrated pre - charge circuit 30 for in - rush current control as implemented in the exemplary ldo shown in fig1 and 2 . as already shown in the circuit of fig3 , fig4 shows the delay circuit 31 , and transistor mn6 , which is a replica of the mn1 . the current mode buffer 40 clamps the voltage at the miller node vd2 shown in fig3 . the pre - charge circuit is disabled after a delay signal from the delay block 31 or in other words biasing of the input differential pair is close to final biasing conditions . in a preferred embodiment the pre - charge circuit 30 is disabled after e . g . about 100 μsecs after an enable signal of the ldo or amplifier circuit . transistor mp40 is connected in a current mirror configuration to the current source 33 generating bias current itail for the input stage as shown in fig3 . this current mirror is configured in a way that a current itail / 2 is provided by transistor mp40 to the pre - charge circuit 30 . transistors mn5 and mn4 are identical transistors connected in a current mirror configuration , therefore the same current itail / 2 flows through both transistors mn5 and mn4 , hence voltage vg1 has about the same value as voltage vd1 shown in fig3 . current itail is the bias current in the main input differential pair . under normal conditions each branch ( mp1 + mn1 and mp2 + mn2 ) have a same current itail / 2 , hence to replicate the vd1 voltage , itail / 2 has to be used . it has to be noted that at start - up point of time the vref pin has a much higher voltage than the fbk pin as the vout node is charging slowly hence at the very beginning of the start - up there is no current flowing through the mp2 + mn2 devices . this way it is easy for the pre - charge circuit 30 to bias the node vd2 to the target value vd1 . fig5 depicts worst case , simulation results showing time - charts of inrush - current and output voltage , regulated at 3 . 0 v , of an ldo with inrush current control of the present disclosure when loaded with 60 μf . the worst case includes temperature of − 40 degrees c . the inrush current has a peak of 523 ma . fig6 illustrates silicon results showing time - charts of inrush - current and output voltage of an ldo , regulated at 2 . 2 v , of the present invention when loaded with 10 μf . the inrush current has a peak of 130 ma . fig5 and 6 show both results from 2 versions of the same ldo . fig5 shows current and voltage diagrams from simulations under worst case conditions , while fig6 shows silicon results of the ldo under typical conditions . fig7 shows a flowchart of a method to reduce inrush current of electronic circuits having a miller compensation capacitor connected to capacitive load . a first step 700 depicts a provision of providing an electronic circuit having an input stage and a pre - charge circuit and a miller compensation capacitor connected to capacitive load . the next step 701 shows pre - charging a terminal of the miller capacitor , which is connected to an input stage of the electronic circuit , to bias conditions close to normal biasing conditions at the very beginning of a start - up phase of the circuit . step 702 clamping by the pre - charge circuit the terminal of the miller capacitor to a voltage close to normal biasing conditions , while the electronic circuit is starting up . step 703 depicts disabling the pre - charge after a defined timespan being long enough to ensure that the biasing of an input stage of the electronic circuit is close to the final biasing conditions . it should be noted that the method disclosed to pre - charge and clamp the node vd2 at start - up and consequently reduce the inrush current from the supply voltage vin is valid in all pvt conditions . fig8 a + b illustrate time - charts comprising an ldo with and without inrush current control with a large capacitor ( 60 μf ) when the output is regulated at 3 . 0 v . the temperature is ambient temperature , the silicon corner is typical . in fig8 a curve 80 shows a time diagram of the ldo without inrush current control and the peak on the left hand side of curve 80 shows clearly the problem addressed by the present disclosure . furthermore in fig8 a curve 81 illustrates a current diagram with the inrush current control of the present disclosure . the dramatic improvements by the inrush current control are obvious . curve 82 shows the rise of the output voltage of the ldo with inrush current control and curve 83 shows the rise of the voltage without inrush current control . it should be noted that the maximum inrush current amounts to about 8 a as shown by curve 80 . fig9 a - c illustrate charts of inrush - current versus output capacitances for ldos without inrush current control . fig9 a with curve 90 shows maximum peak values of inrush current of an ldo without inrush current control versus output capacitors of 10 , 30 and 60 μf shown on the horizontal scale . the peak value of the inrush - current using e . g . 30 μf is about 7 . 8 a . fig9 b with curves 91 - 93 shows peak values of inrush currents without inrush current control using output capacitors of 10 μf ( curve 93 ), 30 μf ( curve 92 ), and 60 μf ( curve 91 ) versus time . numeral 91 shows a maximum inrush current when using 60 μf , numeral 92 shows a maximum inrush current when using 30 μf , and numeral 93 shows a maximum inrush current when using 10 μf . fig9 c with curve 94 shows a time chart of the output voltage using output capacitors of 10 μf , 30 μf , and 60 μf versus time . there is not much impact of the different capacitors . fig1 a - c illustrate charts of inrush - current versus output capacitances for ldos with inrush current control . fig1 a with curve 100 shows maximum peak values of inrush current of an ldo without inrush current control versus output capacitors of 10 , 30 and 60 μf shown on the horizontal scale . the peak value of the inrush - current using e . g . 30 μf is 220 ma compared to 7 . 8 as shown in fig9 a without inrush current control . fig1 b with curves 101 - 103 shows inrush currents with inrush current control using output capacitors of 10 , 30 and 60 μf versus time . curve 101 shows a maximum inrush current when using 60 μf , curve 102 shows a maximum inrush current when using 30 μf , and curve 103 shows a maximum inrush current when using 10 μf . fig1 c with curve 104 shows a time chart of the output voltage . there are only very small differences of the output voltage when using output capacitors of 10 , 30 and 60 μf . it should also be noted that the description and drawings merely illustrate the principles of the proposed methods and systems . those skilled in the art will be able to implement various arrangements that , although not explicitly described or shown herein , embody the principles of the invention and are included within its spirit and scope . furthermore , all examples and embodiment outlined in the present document are principally intended expressly to be only for explanatory purposes to help the reader in understanding the principles of the proposed methods and systems . furthermore , all statements herein providing principles , aspects , and embodiments of the invention , as well as specific examples thereof , are intended to encompass equivalents thereof . | 6 |
in a preferred embodiment , the invention is an interactive , electronic puzzle 10 for amusing and creatively stimulating children . as depicted in fig1 puzzle 10 includes puzzle pieces 20 corresponding to particular concepts in a unifying theme or motif that helps the child to associate and understand the concepts . for puzzle 10 , the disclosed unifying theme is a nursery rhyme entitled “ the itsy bitsy spider .” other nursery rhymes suitable for use in the invention include , for example , “ twinkle , twinkle , little star ”; “ mary had a little lamb ”; “ jack and jill went up the hill ”; “ row , row , row your boat ”; and “ old mcdonald had a farm ,” to name just a few . beginning at the top of puzzle 10 and continuing in a clockwise direction , particular puzzle pieces 20 are shown corresponding to a spider web , the sun , water , flowers , a spider , the fragrance of flowers , a puddle and rain . these are concepts referenced in “ the itsy bitsy spider .” puzzle 10 also includes an interactive tray 30 and an actuator 60 for playing the nursery rhyme . [ 0024 ] fig2 depicts tray 30 with raised edge 34 , which is sized and shaped to fit around all of the puzzle pieces 20 when they are arranged in predetermined positions with respect to each other . actuator 60 is located on tray 30 and outside of edge 34 . tray 30 is mounted on base 70 . turning now to fig3 recessed receptacles 40 are positioned at irregular intervals along receiving surface 32 . receptacles 40 are located at or below receiving surface 32 . each of the receptacles 40 houses a sensor 50 for actuating by one of the projections 26 ( best seen in fig5 ). adjacent each of the sensors 50 is a demarcated area 36 having the same shape as one of the puzzle pieces 20 . the child may use the areas 36 as guides for determining which of the puzzle pieces 20 corresponds to the adjacent sensor 50 . in other embodiments ( not shown ) of the present invention , tray projections are positioned along a receiving surface , for cooperating with piece receptacles on each of a plurality of puzzle pieces . comparing fig1 and 3 , puzzle pieces 20 are shaped to mate with each other in a predetermined arrangement having a shape and size appropriate to fit inside raised edge 34 . when one of the puzzle pieces 20 is placed in its predetermined position with respect to receptacles 40 and pressed against receiving surface 34 , projection 26 of that puzzle piece 20 enters the appropriate receptacle 40 and actuates the sensor 50 within the receptacle . in other embodiments ( not shown ), it is contemplated that each of a plurality of puzzle pieces contains an actuating element for cooperation with a sensor located in or on a tray . in those embodiments ( not shown ), the actuating elements may actuate the sensors by mechanical pressure , magnetism , or electrical voltage or current . preferably , each of the puzzle pieces 20 has a boundary surface that fits against raised edge 34 while its projection 26 is in the corresponding receptacle 40 that can trigger an appropriate audio response . this fit between raised edge 34 and each of puzzle pieces 20 makes puzzle 10 easier to solve and reduces the number of false positive audio responses . although it may be possible to insert one of the puzzle pieces 20 into more than one of the receptacles 40 , even a very young child soon comes to appreciate that each puzzle piece 20 fits with raised edge 34 in the predetermined position . for the present purposes , puzzle pieces 20 are fitted together in jigsaw fashion when all of the puzzle pieces 20 are placed in their predetermined positions with respect to each other . each piece 20 is shaped or marked to symbolize a concept related to the unifying theme . for example , the puzzle pieces 20 depicted in fig4 symbolize the sun and the itsy bitsy spider , respectively . each of these puzzle pieces 20 has a top side that is sculptured and colored to reflect the symbolized concept , which relates to the unifying theme . as shown in fig5 each of the puzzle pieces 20 includes an underside that forms a projection 26 for inserting into one of the receptacles 40 . [ 0031 ] fig6 shows tray 30 separated from base 70 in order to illustrate various internal components . base 70 includes battery compartment 72 , preferably sized for housing three 1 . 5 - volt aa - size batteries ( not shown ), and speaker 74 , each electrically connected to microprocessor 90 . additionally , electrical conductors 80 electrically connect each of the sensors 50 and actuator 60 to microprocessor 90 . [ 0032 ] fig7 is a close - up view of base 70 , which depicts several of the sensors 50 , inserted in receptacles 40 and electrically connected to an electrical conductor 80 . one of the sensors 50 is disassembled , showing that it includes a mounting board 52 , a pushbutton switch 54 and a pushbutton 56 . when sensor 50 is assembled , depressing pushbutton 56 causes pushbutton switch 54 to close a normally open electrical contact , which produces an identifiable voltage change in one of the electrical conductors 80 . microprocessor 90 is capable of detecting this change in voltage and determining which one of the sensors 50 has produced the voltage change . based on the voltage change , microprocessor 90 sends to speaker 74 an audio response appropriate for the particular sensor 50 . as a result , the child is immediately rewarded by this audio response for his or her part in depressing pushbutton 56 . microprocessor 90 is depicted in fig8 which is another close - up perspective view of base 70 . microprocessor 90 includes microchip 92 seated on a chip carrier and electrically connected to , among other things , electrical conductors 80 . [ 0034 ] fig9 is another close - up perspective view of base 70 , this time depicting actuator 60 in disassembled form . as can be seen in fig9 actuator 60 includes mounting board 62 , pushbutton switch 64 and pushbutton 60 . a direct current voltage from the batteries ( not shown ) is impressed on each of the electrical conductors 80 . each of the sensors 50 include a pushbutton switch 54 having a normally open contact ( not shown ). one side of the contact is electrically connected to one of the electrical conductors 80 . the other side of the contact is electrically connected to a ground . microprocessor 90 monitors the voltage between each of the electrical conductors 80 and the ground . at least one of these voltages changes when one of the sensors 50 is activated . based on this change in voltage , microprocessor 90 sends a recorded message or other audio response to speaker 74 . the audio response is appropriate for the concept associated with the particular sensor 50 . in order to use the interactive puzzle of the present invention , a child places one of the puzzle pieces against the receiving surface in its predetermined position with respect to the receptacles . the child may fit the puzzle pieces against the raised edge of the tray as a guide and compare the shapes of the demarcated areas with the shapes of the puzzle pieces in order to determine where each of the puzzle pieces belongs . pressing the puzzle piece against the receiving surface while the puzzle piece is in its predetermined position actuates the corresponding sensor and triggers an appropriate audio response related to the unifying theme . the child may also press the actuator , which , when a unifying these ( such as a nursery rhyme ) is employed , causes a synopsis of the unifying theme to be played in its entirety , in order to refresh the child &# 39 ; s memory or to simply enjoy the theme . the theme may be in the form of a song , story , poem or nursery rhyme . by solving the interactive puzzle of the invention , children learn words , songs , nursery rhymes , concepts , the relationships between the words and concepts , or other subject matter . the puzzle of this invention may be solved repeatedly , and an audio response immediately rewards each success . while only a few , preferred embodiments of the invention have been described above , those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that these embodiments may be modified and altered without departing from the central spirit and scope of the invention . the preferred embodiments described above are to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive . | 6 |
the present invention is directed to a method for providing temporary access to a commonly accessible computer processing system ( hereinafter “ ca computer ”). the ca computer is commonly accessible in that multiple users may be provided temporary access to the ca computer and the application programs thereon . according to the method , the user of the ca computer has a portable storage device available ( e . g ., on his or her person ) for interfacing with the ca computer . the present invention allows an individual to use a computer ( i . e ., the ca computer ) other than the user &# 39 ; s desktop or laptop computers , and to optionally use application programs on the computer . moreover , the present invention allows the individual to quickly change customizable system features of the ca computer in accordance with his or her preferences . such authorizations and customizations are automatically achieved through the use of the portable storage device . to facilitate a clear understanding of the present invention , definitions of terms employed herein will now be given . system software refers to control software that provides the basic services to a user like reading / writing files , displaying data on the screen , and interfacing with different hardware components of the underlying hardware . operating systems such as , for example , windows98 or unix , and middleware components , such as , for example , web - browsers or object - brokers , are examples of system software . system software typically is specific to the underlying hardware . applications ( or programs or application programs ) refer to software programs that rely on the services provided by the system software to perform a task for the user . typical application programs include word processors , spreadsheets , calendars , computer aided design ( cad ) programs , and so forth . application programs are normally specific to a particular system software . user data refers to data created by the user through the use of application programs . typically , such data is stored in a format specific to the application that was used to create the data . changes to the user data therefore require the availability of the creating application . personalization settings refer to the numerous settings provided in both system software and applications that allow the user to make changes to adapt the software to his or her needs or preferences . for example , an operating system like windows98 allows for the selection and placement of icons corresponding to frequently used applications and data onto the desktop surface . another example of personalization with respect to application programs is a software switch that allows the automatic spell checker in a word processor to be turned on or off . further examples include : the desktop settings , such as , for example , color scheme , font size , desktop pattern and screen saver ; the setting of application options , such as , for example , preferred directories or default font size ; user - specific tables like address books or bookmarks ; and so forth . portable storage device refers to a physical device that provides permanent storage and that can be removed easily from the ca computer . examples of such devices are diskettes , flash memory cards for use in a pcmcia slot , removable hard - drives like the ibm microdrive or the iomega jazz cartridges , and so forth . however , the present invention is not limited to the above recited examples and , thus , other types of portable storage devices may be used , including those which communicate by infrared and / or radio frequency . primary computer processing system ( or primary computer ) refers to the user &# 39 ; s own computer . for the user , access to this computer is unrestricted and he or she has privileges to add , remove or change applications and data at will . commonly accessible computer processing system (“ ca computer ”) refers to a computer used temporarily to access data while away from the primary computer . the user typically does not have unrestricted access to this computer and does not have full privileges for access to all resources of this computer . it is to be understood that the present invention may be implemented in various forms of hardware , software , firmware , special purpose processors , or a combination thereof . preferably , the present invention is implemented in software as a program tangibly embodied on a program storage device . the program may be uploaded to , and executed by , a machine comprising any suitable architecture . preferably , the machine is implemented on a computer platform having hardware such as one or more central processing units ( cpu ), a random access memory ( ram ), and input / output ( i / o ) interface ( s ). the computer platform also includes an operating system and microinstruction code . the various processes and functions described herein may either be part of the microinstruction code or part of the program ( or a combination thereof ) which is executed via the operating system . in addition , various other peripheral devices may be connected to the computer platform such as an additional data storage device and a printing device . it is to be further understood that , because some of the constituent system components and method steps depicted in the accompanying figures are preferably implemented in software , the actual connections between the system components ( or the process steps ) may differ depending upon the manner in which the present invention is programmed . fig1 is a block diagram of a computer processing system ( ca computer ) 100 to which the present invention may be applied according to an embodiment of the present invention . the ca computer 100 includes at least one processor ( cpu ) 102 operatively coupled to other components via a system bus 104 . a read only memory ( rom ) 106 , a random access memory ( ram ) 108 , a display adapter 110 , an i / o adapter 112 , a user interface adapter 114 , and a communications adapter 128 are operatively coupled to system bus 104 . a display device 116 is operatively coupled to system bus 104 by display adapter 110 . a disk storage device ( e . g ., a magnetic or optical disk storage device ) 118 is operatively couple to system bus 104 by i / o adapter 112 . a mouse 120 and keyboard 124 are operatively coupled to system bus 104 by user interface adapter 114 . the mouse and keyboard may be used to input and output information to and from the ca computer 100 . an interface device 140 is also operatively coupled to system bus 104 by user interface adapter 114 . the interface device 140 allows the ca computer to interface with a portable storage device 142 , described more fully hereinbelow . in a preferred embodiment of the present invention , the portable storage device 142 is a pcmcia card and the interface device 140 is a pcmcia reader . the ca computer 100 may communicate with another computer ( s ) through communications adapter 128 . the other computer ( s ) may be part of an intranet or the internet . a general description of the present invention will now be provided to introduce the reader to the concepts of the invention . subsequently , more detailed descriptions of various aspects of the invention will be provided . the present invention is directed to a method for providing temporary access to a commonly accessible computer , the ca computer user having a storage device on his or her person for interfacing with the ca computer . the method may be used by entities such as , for example , hotels internet cafes . the ca computer users may be , for example , individuals traveling on business or those desiring to “ chat ” in an internet chat room . the storage device may be , for example , a smartcard , compactflash , small disk drive , and so forth . the storage device includes pertinent information about the user . the user can access the commonly accessible computer by inserting his or her portable storage device into a matching interface . the business reads the user information stored in the portable storage device and authorizes the user to access the ca computer . this will change the personalization settings on the ca computer to match the information on the user &# 39 ; s storage device . the ca computer may run application programs stored on the portable storage device . additionally or alternatively , the entities may provide authorization to use one or more applications available on the ca computer . fees are automatically incurred as the user runs applications provided on the ca computer . upon completion , the user removes his storage device from the ca computer . this will automatically remove the user information and data from that ca computer and initiate a billing process that charges the user &# 39 ; s account for the services . fig2 is a flow diagram illustrating the phases of a method for providing temporary access to a commonly accessible computer processing system ( ca computer ) according to an embodiment of the present invention . the method is divided into the following phases : authorization 300 ; sign - on 400 ; use 500 ; sign - off 600 ; and billing 700 . during the authorization phase 300 , the user is granted access to the ca computer 100 and provided with a user account on the ca computer 100 . access is granted by storing an encrypted access code on the user &# 39 ; s portable storage device 142 . the user account is used to record the user activity during the use phase . these records form the basis of the billing phase . fig3 is a flow diagram illustrating the steps performed during the authorization phase 300 of the method for providing temporary access to a commonly accessible computer processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention . the portable storage device 142 is coupled to an interface device 140 that can access and modify the contents of the portable storage device 142 ( step 302 ). then , a user - specific access code is written to the portable storage device 142 that authorizes the use of various services , including entry to a set of rooms , billing of meals , access to the common computer , and so forth ( step 304 ). depending on the agreement between the service provider and the user , the access code may only grant access to certain services . optionally , prepaid usage credits are stored on the portable storage device 142 ( step 306 ). in an alternative embodiment , these usage credits may be stored on a central server ( not shown ) instead of the portable storage device 142 . after completion of the authorization step , the portable storage device 142 is de - coupled from the interface device 140 ( step 308 ). fig4 is a flow diagram illustrating the steps performed during the sign - on phase 400 of the method for providing temporary access to a commonly accessible computer processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention . the sign - on phase 400 is initiated when the user couples the portable storage device 142 to the ca computer 100 ( step 402 ). this connection is detected automatically . the user authorization is then checked / verified by inspecting the authorization code that was stored on the portable storage device 142 in step 304 ( step 404 ). then , the user &# 39 ; s personalization information is read from the portable storage device 142 ( step 406 ) and the customizable system and application settings are changed in accordance with the user &# 39 ; s preferences ( step 408 ). at the end of the sign - on phase 400 , an automatic monitoring system is started on the ca computer 100 that tracks user activity ( step 410 ). fig5 is a flow diagram illustrating the steps performed during the use phase 500 of the method for providing temporary access to a commonly accessible computer processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention . during the use phase 500 , the user works with the ca computer 100 as if it were his primary computer . the user &# 39 ; s use of the ca computer 100 is monitored ( e . g ., by monitoring the user &# 39 ; s and / or the computer &# 39 ; s activity ) ( step 502 ), and an activity log is generated based on such monitoring ( step 504 ). the user can use applications present on the ca computer 100 and / or applications that are resident on the portable storage device 142 . if billing occurs by user activity , several existing methods , as well as other methods , may be used to monitor the user &# 39 ; s actions . for instance , some operating systems ( like windows nt ) have built - in auditing capabilities that can generate reports on how often and how intensely a computer was used over a certain period of time . alternatively , a privileged application may be installed on the ca computer 100 to periodically sample and record the active processes together with their consumption of cpu time . this information may be used to determine the amount the user is to be billed . fig6 is a flow diagram illustrating the steps performed during the sign - off phase 600 of the method for providing temporary access to a commonly accessible computer processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention . once the user has completed his work on the ca computer 100 , he or she disconnects the portable storage device 142 ( step 602 ). this initiates the sign - off phase 600 . during sign - off , the system saves and / or forwards the user activity log for processing ( step 604 ). at the end of the sign - off phase 600 , all personalization information introduced during the sign - on phase 300 is removed and the system returns to its default configuration ( step 606 ). fig7 is a flow diagram illustrating the steps performed during the billing phase 700 of the method for providing temporary access to a commonly accessible computer processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention . in the billing phase 700 , the log is converted to a bill for the services incurred according to cost schedule ( step 702 ). different such schedules are conceivable , such as , for example , billing for total time signed - on to the ca computer 100 or billing for time spent running applications stored on the ca computer 100 . the final amount will be automatically posted to the user &# 39 ; s account or deducted from his credit card ( step 704 ). it is to be appreciated that other predetermined billing mechanisms may also be used other than the user &# 39 ; s account or credit card . since the billing phase 700 can be performed based solely on information created on the ca computer 100 , there is no need to interact again with a customer representative or a service center . the above described method applies equally to installations where the user interacts directly with the ca computer 100 , e . g . a pc , or via a remote interface like the x - windows protocol or citrix windows terminal . in any case , the user - interface is similar to the one on the primary computer . although the illustrative embodiments have been described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings , it is to be understood that the present system and method is not limited to those precise embodiments , and that various other changes and modifications may be affected therein by one skilled in the art without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention . all such changes and modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims . | 6 |
the figures ( figs .) and the following description relate to preferred embodiments by way of illustration only . it should be noted that from the following discussion , alternative embodiments of the structures and methods disclosed herein will be readily recognized as viable alternatives that may be employed without departing from the principles of what is claimed . reference will now be made in detail to several embodiments , examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying figures . it is noted that wherever practicable similar or like reference numbers may be used in the figures and may indicate similar or like functionality . the figures depict embodiments of the disclosed system ( or method ) for purposes of illustration only . one skilled in the art will readily recognize from the following description that alternative embodiments of the structures and methods illustrated herein may be employed without departing from the principles described herein . vawts offer a number of advantages over traditional horizontal - axis wind turbines ( hawts ). they can be packed closer together in wind farms , allowing more in a given space . this is not because they are smaller , but rather due to the slowing effect on the air that hawts have , forcing designers to separate them by ten times their width . vawts are rugged , quiet , and they do not create as much stress on the support structure . they do not require as much wind to generate power , thus allowing them to be closer to the ground . by being closer to the ground they do not excessively kill migratory birds , they are easily maintained and can be installed on chimneys and similar tall structures . fig1 a and 1b respectively illustrate a savonius style and darrieus style vawts . the savonius design depends on drag forces to provide energy and as shown in fig1 a is limited to relatively slow operating speeds . the darrieus design although capable of operating at higher speeds is difficult to start at low wind speeds . the present invention can operate as an improved savonius design utilizing full drag forces when a blade is moving down wind , while turning the blade to minimize drag when the blade is in the upwind positions . at higher wind speeds , the present invention can operate as an improved darrieus design , since the lift forces can be optimized and in fact positive lift and negative lift conditions can be chosen as needed to improve the efficiency of the design . this is accomplished by simply adjusting the pitch of the blade . fig2 - 8 illustrate various views of embodiments of the disclosure . fig2 illustrates a perspective view of the vawt 10 . a rotor assembly 30 is supported within a support structure 20 so that it may freely rotate independently of the support structure 20 . the support structure has a stand 21 that is fixed such as legs , telephone pole , building or existing tower . a rotatable portion of the support structure 20 supports the rotor assembly 30 . the rotatable portion includes a directional vein 24 that positions itself in a position substantially downwind from the rotor assembly 30 . since any changes in ambient wind direction are compensated for through the support structure the rotor assembly 30 itself does not have to respond to changes in actual wind direction . fig3 illustrates a perspective view of an embodiment of a rotor assembly 30 of a vawt . a shaft 36 running vertically through the vawt is rotatably supported within the support structure 20 . an end of the shaft provides the mechanical force to drive a generator or other mechanical device . a plurality of struts 37 are fixed to the shaft 36 and extend radially from the shaft 36 to a blade 40 . typically a pair of struts 37 is attached to each blade 40 through a swivel assembly 50 . the swivel assembly provides a connection that allows the blade 40 to rotate about the strut 37 longitudinal axis . the blade 40 is also provided with a guide pin 58 to provide pitch control of the blade 40 as it rotates about the shaft 36 . fig4 illustrates a perspective view of an embodiment of a support structure 20 of a vawt without the rotor assembly 30 . a directional vane 24 separates an upper plate 22 from a lower plate 23 . each plate has one or more guide tracks to accept the appropriate guide pin thus controlling the blade pitch at each point in the blades rotation . the upper guide track 25 is a minor image of the lower guide track 26 . multiple guide tracks are provided to provide multiple blade pitches for a blade at a given position in its rotation . a stand 21 provides a fixed support for the rotational portion of the support structure 20 . the directional vane 24 orientates the plates so that the guide tracks are generally at the same position , relative to ambient wind , regardless of the wind direction . fig5 illustrates a cross sectional view of an embodiment of a support structure of a vawt . a shaft 36 portion of the rotor assembly 30 rotates within the support structure 20 . to support the weight , while minimizing frictional losses and transmitting the power produced , bearings may be used . in one embodiment , a rotor bearing 55 is used between the structure support 20 and the lower plate 23 . in other embodiments , the load may be carried by an upper bearing 54 or the bearing may be integral with the attached electrical generator . optionally , for materials with low frictional coefficients , the bearing functions may be incorporated by the material itself . as further shown in fig5 as the stand 21 remains fixed , a structural support bearing 28 is provided to allow the rotatable portion of the structural support to rotate into the correct orientation with respect to changing wind conditions . a blade 40 is essentially an airfoil coupled to and rotating around an axis . as an airfoil , the blade may have a shape ranging from a flat plate as shown in fig6 to that of a symmetrical or non - symmetrical airfoil . streamlined embodiments would tend to have greater lift and less drag . extensive information is available to estimate aerodynamic properties of specific airfoil designs . this information may be refined using wind tunnel experiments to account for nonstandard conditions and interactions such as wing wash and vortex interference from the upstream blade . as shown in fig6 and 7 , the blade 40 has a leading edge 45 and a trailing edge 46 . a swivel assembly 50 allows limited rotation of the blade 40 around a hinge pin 51 connecting at a rotor connector 52 portion attached to the strut 37 , and a blade connector 53 attached to the blade 40 . the attachment point for the swivel assembly 50 is typically at the ¼ the chord ( c ) length of the blade 40 nearest the leading edge 45 . near the trailing edge 46 are an upper guide pin 58 and a lower guide pin 59 which are fixedly attached to the blade 40 at one end , with a free end available to freely slide within the appropriate guide track . fig8 shows a section view of the airfoil at the radial plane containing the center of pressure ( cp ). the cp is a theoretical point along the cord line where the turning moment ( m ) is zero . the chord line is the longest line in the cross section joining the leading and trailing edges . the angle of attack a is the angle the apparent wind direction makes with the chord line . the airfoil shape has inherent lift and drag characteristics , which vary with the incidence angle of the air with respect to the chord of the airfoil . this angle is called the angle of attack , or α . the angle of attack depends on ( 1 ) the orientation of the airfoil with respect to the axis of rotation of the blade , angle γ , and ( 2 ) the angle of the air flow with respect to this same axis , angle β . because the blade is rotating around a shaft 40 azimuth ( ω ), the air flow angle , β , depends on the motion of the wind and the motion of the blade . the velocity vectors of the rotation velocity ( vr ) of the blade and real wind velocity ( vo ) of the wind unaffected by the blade are combined to determine the apparent wind velocity ( v ). blade velocities can be normalized by calculating a tip speed ratio ( tsr ) which is the blade velocity divided by the real wind velocity . the lift , l , and drag , d created by the apparent wind velocity ( v ) are perpendicular and parallel to the angle of attack . in addition to wind direction and velocity , lift ( l ) and drag ( d ) are a function of the lift coefficient ( c l ) and drag coefficient ( c d ) respectively . they depend on the shape of the airfoil and will alter with changes in the angle of attack and other wing appurtenances . in addition , other factors such as vortices and blade wash complicate the analysis of lift and drag . a lift - drag ratio may be used to express the relation between lift and drag and is obtained by dividing the lift coefficient by the drag coefficient c l / c d . as illustrated fig9 the drag forces operate in the direction of the apparent velocity while lift forces operate at right angles to the apparent velocity . as the blade 40 rotates around the vertical axis , the azimuth is continually changing . as the azimuth changes these forces may assist or restrain the rotation of the blade 40 . changing the pitch of the blade at a given azimuth can be used to affect the lift and drag forces affecting the quantity and amount of forces available for use . pitch changes can be used to increase the rotational velocity as well as decrease the rotational velocity . decreases in rotational velocity are particularly helpful during periods of extremely high wind velocities , which may otherwise result in overload and damage to the vawt . fig1 illustrates an example the overall energy efficiency for selected turbine technologies . the overall power efficiency ( cp ) represents the ratio of the power extracted from the wind from that which is available . as shown the savonius ( drag ) has a high efficiency at low speeds , but it is not effective at high speeds . the darrieus ( lift ) unit becomes efficient at higher speeds . the darrieus unit has significant optimization potential at low speeds and high speeds . the high speed efficiency may be improved by optimizing blade pitch for high speed operation . fig1 illustrates an example wind speed histogram as a function of time . as shown , a significant period of operating hours can be lost if a vawt does not initiate turning at low wind speeds . furthermore , although very high speed winds may have a low probability of occurrence it is preferable that a vawt design will be capable of surviving an most occasional high wind speeds without being destroyed . fig1 illustrates an example of change in the angle of the drag coefficient attack for a representative airfoil . for a blade 40 operating in a high lift mode , to minimize drag , the angle of attack would be relatively low . to initially start a vawt a high drag condition can be obtained by either at high or low angles of attack with the appropriate direction of the force selected by using the appropriate positive or negative angle of attack . fig1 illustrates an example of lift coefficients at various angles of attack . the lift coefficient is minimal at low angles of attack , which would occur when using the blade in a lift configuration . for this example airfoil , lift is negligible at approximately a − 2 degree angle of attack . negative lift occurs as the angle of attack is decrease . positive lift occurs as the angle of attack is increased . of course , higher lift forces also increase drag forces requiring a balancing of the two . in addition , at high angles of attack , excessive turbulence creates a stall condition resulting in a loss of lift . as such , drag dependent devices operating at high angles of attack do not have appreciable lift . fig1 a - c illustrate examples using guide path pitch control of blade position on three alternative guide tracks . fig1 a represents and embodiment in which the blade position is illustrated for various azimuthal positions following a first guide path 125 . the guide pins are shown tracking in a substantially circular perimeter track . the blade pitch is set by the position of the guide pins at the trailing edge and the strut attachment area near the center of pressure . for this guide track the radial position of the guide pins in the guide track follow a parallel path to the swivel assembly . as such , the angle of rotation stays relatively constant throughout each revolution . this embodiment would be expected to be highly efficient at higher wind velocities . fig1 b illustrates an example where the blade pitch changes during each revolution . in this example the plates would be configured for high starting capability in low wind conditions . this occurs because the directional vane 24 orientates the plates so that all guide paths remains in approximately the same position relative to the wind . this embodiment shows the use of a second guide path 126 , the blade would switch from the first guide path 125 to the second guide path 126 as the blade rotates around the azimuth of the plate . in this embodiment the blade at the 270 ° position would have a relatively high drag coefficient and not provide any lift force . the blade at the 90 ° position would have relatively low drag coefficient as the blade moved in an upstream position . blades at the 0 ° position and the 180 ° position have intermediate angles of attack . fig1 c illustrates an example in which the blade would also utilize a third guide path 127 , the blade would switch from the first guide path 125 to the second guide path 126 and finally to the third guide path 127 . this option provides an intermediate embodiment utilizing both drag and lift forces . in this embodiment may be preferable embodiment for reducing the chance of damage by limiting rotational speeds during occasional high wind conditions . fig1 a and 15b illustrates an embodiment of a diverter 60 to direct a blade to switch to an appropriate guide path . this allows the use of multiple blade pitch settings at a given azimuth position of the blade . the diverter is shown as a mechanical device , however the diverter 60 may be a mechanical or electrical mechanical unit , or may be fully aerodynamic . according to an embodiment of the invention , the blade 40 is coupled to the strut 37 at the center of pressure cp . the center of pressure cp is defined as the point where the blade &# 39 ; s pitching moment , m , is approximately zero . for a symmetrically shaped blade the center of pressure cp will generally be at the quarter chord point , c / 4 . coupling the blade 40 to the strut 37 at the cp would result in the trailing guide pins to essentially follow the guide track without a strong tendency to move toward the inside or outside of the guide track . if the blade 40 is attached through the swivel assembly 50 forward of the center of pressure , the resulting pitching moment m would move the guide pin to the side of the guide path closest to the center of the plates . alternatively , if the swivel assembly 50 is centered behind the cp the guide pins will tend to move toward the outer edge of the guide path . as the cp may change with a change in operating conditions , it may be possible to select an attachment point that will change with operating conditions such as wind speed . as a result , guide paths can be provided with a common segment so that at one wind speed , the guide pin will track to an inner track , while at another wind speed the guide pin will track to an outer path . thus , alternate tracks are used which are aerodynamically switched from one to the other simply by appropriate selection of the attachment point . in other embodiments , mechanical and electro - mechanical switches may be used . in an electro - mechanical embodiment , a simple electrical switch calibrated to a wind velocity may be mounted on the vawt . when activated , this may open or close a simple mechanical or magnetic gate by blocking one guide track thereby directing the guide pin to the selected now open guide track . such gates may be located within a recess in the bottom of the guide track , or on a side of a guide track . in fig1 a and 15b , a diverter 60 has a gate 61 that alternatively blocks a first guide track to direct the blade to follow a second guide track . an activator 62 is shown rotatably mounted on the lower plate . the activator is placed so that at a desired wind velocity , sufficient force will rotate the activator 62 thus moving the attached the gate 61 within the common segment of the first and second guide path to alternate the gate being closed . as the wind velocity decreases , the activator 62 and corresponding gate 61 will return to an original position . optionally , the activator 62 may be provided with a spring to further bias the gate 61 in a closed position . as such , only wind velocity is used for mechanical switching of guide paths . the detailed descriptions of the above embodiments are not exhaustive descriptions of all embodiments contemplated by the inventors to be within the scope of the invention . indeed , persons skilled in the art will recognize that certain elements of the above - described embodiments may variously be combined or eliminated to create further embodiments , and such further embodiments fall within the scope and teachings of the invention . it will also be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that the above - described embodiments may be combined in whole or in part to create additional embodiments within the scope and teachings of the invention . | 5 |
a holder for a beverage container in accordance with the present invention is identified as a whole with reference numeral 1 . the holder 1 is shown in fig1 and 2 and used for mounting in a motor vehicle . it can hold not shown beverage containers , such as for example cups , cartoons , beverage cans , bottles and the like . the holder 1 has a cup - shaped container receptacle 2 with a bottom 3 . the container receptacle 2 has an upper open side . at this upper open side the holder 1 merges into a flange - shaped screen or cover 4 of one piece with it . this cover 4 is provided for closing a mounting opening provided in the vehicle for the holder 1 . three holding jaws 7 are arranged in the openings 5 of the inner peripheral wall 6 of the container receptacle 2 and distributed over the periphery . a carrier part 8 composed of sheet metal or plastic surrounds the container receptacle 2 from the side of the bottom 3 . it is composed of a plate - shaped base which lies on the bottom 3 of the container receptacle 2 , and three tongues 9 which project perpendicularly from the base . the holding jaws 7 are formed by a two - fold bends 10 of the tongues . with minting of the tongues 9 , a springy connection of the holding jaws 7 with the carrier part 8 is provided . the carrier part 8 and the container receptacle 2 are connected by an undercut pin 11 on the bottom 3 of the container receptacle 2 , as by well as a keyhole in the carrier part 8 . during mounting the carrier part 8 is put over the container receptacle in an orientation which is turned by 90 ° relative to the shown position . thereby the tongues 9 with the holding jaws 7 spread apart due to the inclined sliding surfaces 13 in a springy fashion , but without first engaging in the openings 5 . the carrier part 8 is displaced until the pin 11 extends through the keyhole 12 . subsequently , the carrier part is turned to the shown position , and the pin 11 engages behind the carrier part 8 . simultaneously the holding jaws 7 snap into the openings 5 so that a back turning is prevented . in deviation from the above described construction , it is within the spirit of the invention to provide the mounting of the carrier part 8 on the container receptacle 2 by a clip connection . for this purpose the container receptacle 2 can be provided with one or several not shown arresting projections which engage behind an edge of the carrier part 8 . when a not shown beverage container with a corresponding outer diameter is inserted into the container receptacle 2 , the holding jaws , due to their inclined sliding surfaces 13 , are pulled substantially radially onto the container receptacle 2 until they abut against the periphery of the container receptacle . the spring action is provided by an elastic bending of the tongues 9 . thereby a beverage container is held in a clamping fashion . [ 0019 ] fig3 shows a synthetic plastic attachment 15 as an additional component of the carrier part 8 a . it forms the holding jaws 7 a and has an improved optical appearance as well as improved sliding and clamping properties when compared with the holding jaws 7 . the synthetic plastic attachment is mounted , before joining of the carrier part 8 a , to the holding receptacle 2 . the connection between the tongues 9 and the synthetic plastic attachment 15 can be provided for example by a not shown clip connection . an arresting projection mounted on the synthetic plastic attachment 15 can engage for example in a recess of the tongues 9 . it will be understood that each of the elements described above , or two or more together , may also find a useful application in other types of constructions differing from the types described above . while the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in holder for a beverage container , it is not intended to be limited to the details shown , since various modifications and structural changes may be made without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention . without further analysis , the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can , by applying current knowledge , readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that , from the standpoint of prior art , fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention . | 1 |
in reference to the drawings , wherein like reference numerals indicate corresponding elements , there is shown in fig1 an illustration , in block diagram format , of a double action - type press 20 , a sheet stock feeder mechanism 22 , the improved belt discharge apparatus of the present invention , generally denoted by reference numeral 24 , and an edge curler station 26 . the incoming sheet stock 28 is fed from left to right ( in fig1 ) by the feeder 22 into the die tooling , generally denoted by reference numeral 30 , which is mounted centrally of press 20 . the double action press 20 and tooling 30 operate , in a well known fashion , to form a can end or so - called pre - curled shell which is generally denoted by reference numeral 32 . the scrap sheet or perforated sheet stock 34 , from which the shells or can ends 32 have been blanked and formed in the press 20 , is removed by the sheet ejector mechanism 36 . further , the formed ends 32 are rapidly discharged by the improved belt discharge apparatus 24 of the present invention onto the transverse or so - called cross conveyors , generally denoted by reference numeral 38 , which in turn feed the ends 32 into the curler station 26 or some other following operational or packaging procedure . it will be understood that the present belt discharge apparatus 24 can be advantageously used with any appropriate type sheet feeder mechanism 22 and also with any suitable ( vertical or otherwise ) press 20 . turning to fig2 there is seen an enlarged view of the press tooling 30 , as well as the various end discharge components of the present invention . shown there are two rows of press tooling or die sets , namely , a rear series of die sets 40 and front series of die sets 42 ( shown there in phantom ). in one press configuration made in accordance with the present invention , each series or row of the respective rear and front die sets 40 , 42 comprised five individual dies . thus , with one stroke of the press 20 , ten can ends 32 were blanked and formed , namely five ends 32 formed by the rear series of die sets 40 , and five ends formed by the front series of die sets 42 . the present improved belt discharge apparatus 24 includes ( see fig2 - 4 ) a series of rear discharge belt assemblies 44 as associated with the respective rear die sets 40 , and a series of front discharge belt assemblies 46 as associated with the front die sets . the discharge belt assemblies 46 are mounted on a relatively wide discharge plate 64 . each of the rear and front discharge belt assemblies 44 , 46 comprises a rotating discharge belt 48 running the length of the discharge plate 64 , a nose pulley 50 , a rear drive pulley 52 , and an articulated tension arm 54 for supporting the nose pulley 50 and rotating belt 48 closely adjacent the respective die sets 40 , 42 . the tension arm 54 is pivotally mounted about a pivot pin 55 ( see fig3 and 4 ) and is preferably spring - urged ( to the left in those figures ) so as to maintain tension on each rotating discharge belt 48 . additionally , as seen in phantom in fig4 the articulated tension arm 54 can be pivoted about pin 55 as needed , i . e ., raised to an elevated position , whereby the nose pulley 50 and discharge belt 48 are raised upwardly away from the lower die shoe 56 . in that condition , the respective die sets 40 , 42 can be easily cleared of any jams or otherwise accessed for maintenance . as seen in fig2 - 4 and 6 - 8 , the respective nose pulleys 50 and discharge belts 48 , of the respective rear and front discharge belt assemblies 44 , 46 , are positioned as close as possible to the respective rear and front die sets 40 , 42 . this close positioning of the discharge belt assemblies relative to the die tooling permits the blanked and formed can ends 32 , once ejected from the respective die sets 40 , 42 , to be quickly grabbed and discharged away from the press area , along guide tracks formed in the discharge plate 64 , as explained in more detail later herein . as seen in fig6 and 7 , an air ejection system 58 , comprising air supply tubing 60 and an air ejector port 62 , are used to supply a stream or timed blast of air against each blanked and formed can end 32 . thus , once the die tooling 30 opens ( as shown in fig7 ), an air blast from air ejector port 58 against the partial curled edge 33 of the can end 32 causes the same to be ejected up away from the lower die shoe 56 and moved to the right ( see fig7 ). there , the end 32 is engaged with , i . e ., grabbed and trapped under , the lower rotating edge 63 of discharge belt 48 as it rotates around nose pulley 64 . the belt 48 and pulley 50 move in the direction of the arrows ( counterclockwise in fig3 , and 7 ). to be able to quickly and accurately grab and trap air - ejected end 32 , yet be sufficiently wear - resistant , the belts 48 must be relatively soft , non - marking , and having a high coefficient of friction . one preferred material for the belt 48 is a urethane belting material having a shore hardness of 83a and sold commercially under the eagle trademark . such a soft belt material assures there is no substantial abrasion problem when contacting the can ends 32 , which often are pre - treated with a surface coating . the respective discharge belts 48 in the preferred embodiment are of two basic lengths , namely , a longer belt 48 for use with the rear discharge belt assemblies 44 , and a shorter belt 48 for the front discharge belt assemblies . this occurs since all the rear drive pulleys 52 ( as described later herein ) operate off the same drive shaft 53 . the discharge plate 64 is mounted upon a frame assembly 66 and so positioned relative to the press base 68 that its leading beveled edge 70 lies closely adjacent the lower die shoes 56 of the respective rear and front die sets 40 , 42 . a series of longitudinal guide tracks or discharge ramps are formed in the discharge plate 64 such that one track is aligned and operable with each respective discharge belt assembly 44 , 46 . with respect to each of the rear discharge belt assemblies 44 , an inclined guide track 72 is machined or otherwise formed into the discharge plate 64 , and has generally a shallow , rectangular cross - section ( see fig5 and 10 ). the lower or driven segment of the rotating discharge belt 48 , operating as part of each rear discharge belt assembly 44 , rides within the inclined guide track 72 . similarly , for each of the front discharge belt assemblies 46 ( see fig5 and 10 ), a configured guide track 74 is formed in discharge plate 64 , but at a lesser angle or no angle relative to plate 64 versus the angle used to form guide tracks 72 . each guide track 74 has a generally t - shaped configuration which permits outer peripheral areas of the can ends 32 to be retained under the undercut side portions 76 of each track 74 . thus , as the ends 32 are being drawn along each track 74 by the lower driven stretch of discharge belt 48 , the edges of end 32 ride in the undercuts 76 . an appropriately placed through hole or discharge opening 78 is formed through discharge plate 64 along the general mid - portion of each guide track 72 , while similarly - placed discharge openings 80 are formed through discharge plate 64 and aligned with the respective guide tracks 74 . the vertical side walls 82 of the guide tracks 72 ( see plan view in fig8 ) are relatively wide at their lefthand portion ( of fig8 ), and then merge together to form an arcuate back wall segment 84 over the discharge opening 78 . similarly , the undercut side wall 76 of the guide track 74 terminates over the discharge openings 80 in an arcuate back wall 86 . as seen in fig5 , and 10 , the upper or inclined guide tracks 72 overlay the lower guide tracks 74 , so that the same are not in interference with one another , as they discharge the two different rows of ends formed by tooling sets 40 , 42 , in press 20 . further , comparing fig3 with fig4 the rear discharge belt assembly 44 of ( fig4 ) is shown as operating at a slightly higher incline or angle relative to the discharge plate 64 , than is the front discharge belt assembly 46 of ( fig3 ). thus , by having the two respective sets of guide tracks 72 , 74 overlaid one over the other , i . e ., with each guide track 74 being at a raised angle in plate 64 relative to each track 74 , plate 64 can be kept to a minimal thickness . further , since the leading beveled edge 70 of plate 64 can be made relatively thin , the nose pulleys 50 and rotating discharge belts 48 are allowed to be positioned as close as possible to their respective die sets 40 , 42 , all so as to quickly grab and discharge can ends 32 . a series of stopper plate members 90 ( see fig5 , and 10 ) are fastened , such as by threaded fasteners 92 , to the discharge plate 64 over the terminal end of each inclined guide track 72 , adjacent the discharge opening 78 thereof . the purpose of stopper plates 90 is , similar to that of the undercuts 76 on guide tracks 74 , to permit ends 32 being discharged along inclined guide track 72 from bouncing upwardly , at that location , and instead , to be discharged only downwardly through the discharge opening 78 . fig9 depicts the various drive components utilized to drive the discharge belt assemblies 44 , 46 . they include a motor 94 mounted to the frame assembly 66 , which through a ribbed drive belt 96 drives a drive gear 98 ; that gear 98 is rigidly secured to , and thus rotatably drives , the drive shaft 53 which in turn drives all the rear drive pulleys 52 which are secured thereto . the drive shaft 53 is mounted for rotation in bearings 100 which are supported on discharge plate 64 . as seen in fig8 and 9 , the drive gear 98 operates within a slotted opening 102 formed through the rear end of discharge plate 64 . an air supply port 104 ( see fig5 and 10 ) is mounted adjacent one side of each of the discharge openings 78 and 80 ; port 104 can be supplied with pressurized air from the same supply ( not shown ) used for air ejection system 58 . the air supply port 104 is used ( as described later herein ) to supply a stream or blast of air against one transverse edge portion of each can end 32 as the same is being discharged through the respective discharge openings 78 , 80 . shown in fig2 - 4 , and 8 , 10 , and 11 , is the cross conveyor apparatus 38 . as best seen in fig3 , and 8 , the cross conveyors generally comprise two conveyor belt assemblies , namely a rear belt 106 and a front belt 108 , operating on conveyor drive rollers 110 supported on frame 66 . when the can ends 32 are made of a ferrous - type metal , such as galvanized steel , for example , the conveyor belts 106 , 108 can be magnetized . however , if the can ends 32 are made of an aluminum alloy , for example , the cross conveyors 38 can be vacuum - type conveyors . the rear and front conveyor belts 106 , 108 preferably move in the same direction ( of the directional arrows depicted in fig8 and 10 ). belts 106 , 108 are used to receive the can ends 32 being discharged through the respective discharge openings 78 , 80 . as seen in fig8 cross conveyor belt 106 receives discharged can ends 32 from the uppermost group of five discharge belt assemblies 44 , 46 , while cross conveyor 108 receives ends 32 being discharged from the lowermost group of five discharge belt assemblies 44 , 46 . by using two cross conveyors 38 , i . e ., namely rear and front conveyor belts 106 , 108 , such conveyors can be driven at substantially slower speeds than if only one such conveyor belt were used . thus , there need be no reduction in the high operational speeds and output levels achievable by the press 20 , in view of the high operational speeds provided for by the present improved belt discharge apparatus 24 . that is , preferably at least two cross conveyors 106 , 108 are used , each receiving one - half of the ends 32 produced per cycle of press 20 , such that the cross conveyors 106 , 108 can each operate at slower speeds ( versus the high - speed operation of press 20 ). this allows the conveyors 106 , 108 to accurately feed the discharged ends 32 on to the next shell - making operation , such as an edge curling machine , or to a packaging collection point . fig1 depicts the nose pulley 50 mounted through bearings 112 on a pulley shaft 114 carried by the tension arms 54 for each rear and front discharge belt assemblies 44 , 46 . i turn now to the operation of the improved belt discharge apparatus 24 of the present invention . it will be understood that the dual action press 20 operates in a well - known manner to form pre - curled can ends or shells 32 in the rear and front die sets 40 , 42 . upon opening of press 20 , the can ends 32 are air - ejected off the lower die shoe 56 , in each die set 40 , 42 , by the air ejection system 58 , providing a blast of air from air ejection hole 62 . this blast of air ( see fig6 and 7 ) directed against the outer curl edge 33 of each can end 32 causes the same to be moved to the right ( in fig7 ) by approximately the length of only one can end , whereupon the end 32 is grabbed by the lower nose area 63 of rotating discharge belt 48 . the can end 32 is then quickly drawn ( to the right ) under the lower stretch of belt 48 along the associated guide track 72 , 74 , until the can end 32 strikes against the respective back wall 84 , 86 . at that instance , the end receives an air blast from the air supply port 104 , whereupon the end 32 drops through the respective discharge openings 78 , 80 onto the respective cross conveyor belt 106 , 108 . more specifically , the air blast from the air supply port 104 is directed against the right edge ( see fig1 ) of can end 32 , as that end hits the back wall 86 of track 72 and starts to drop through discharge opening 78 . this allows the right side portion of can end 32 to be the first portion to hit the conveyor belt 106 as the latter moves to the right , rotates counterclockwise in accordance with the directional arrows in fig1 . in this manner , the can ends 32 so discharged onto conveyor belt 106 are , in effect , laid onto magnetized belt 106 , rather than tending to flip over , such as might occur if the trailing edge , the left edge of can end 32 in fig1 , were instead the first portion to contact the belt 106 . also , it will be understood that the cross conveyors 106 and 108 can run in the same direction , as in the preferred embodiment , or in opposite directions , depending upon downstream can - making application needs . thereafter , the discharged can ends 32 are quickly moved , since they are now in proper orientation , alignment , and spacing , by the cross conveyor belts 106 and 108 , to the next operational station . that could be either a cutler station 26 , for example , where a final curl configuration could be formed on each can end 32 , or to some other station , such as for packaging . thus , it is seen that the present invention provides uniform and consistent placement , with correct alignment and spacing , of the discharge ends 32 onto the cross conveyor belts 106 , 108 . it will be understood that , instead of using the air ejection system 58 , having air supply tubing 60 and air ejection port 62 , a mechanical device could be used to forcibly eject the formed ends 32 out of the lower die tooling 56 and towards and underneath the lower nose area 63 of each rotating discharge belt 48 . for example , a cam - actuated series of timed ejector fingers could be used to kick out the ends 32 from the die sets 40 , 42 , once the press 20 opens . however , such a mechanical - type ejection system , rather than the preferred embodiment &# 39 ; s air - ejection system 58 , has the risk of damaging the expensive die tooling 40 , 42 . with the improved end discharge apparatus of the present invention , the respective discharge belts 48 picks up the ends 32 within one length of such an end , and then grabs and whisks it away along the respective guide track 72 , 74 . thus , the only distance that each can end 32 is blown by the air ejection system 58 is one length of a can end . after that , they are quickly grabbed and removed under control within guide tracks 72 , 74 , by the rapidly rotating discharge belts 48 . the use of timed air blasts from air ejection ports 62 cause all such air - blown ends 32 to hit their respective discharge belts 48 at substantially the same time , i . e ., within tenths of a second of one another . thus , this assures that there is uniform discharge of the ends 32 which is quite advantageous for any subsequent packaging , or ancillary equipment , such as an edge curling unit . further , it will be understood that all the discharge belts 48 are preferably run off a common drive shaft 53 , but that they must discharge ends 32 over different running lengths , shorter guide tracks 74 and longer tracks 72 . thus , the operating diameter of the respective rear drive pulleys 52 for the rear and front discharge belt assemblies 44 , 46 are different , i . e ., different speeds are produced for the belts 48 ( of respective assemblies 44 , 46 ) which is needed so that all the ends 32 are discharged uniformly and at substantially the same time onto the respective cross conveyors 106 , 108 . in one apparatus made in accordance with the present invention , a spacing of approximately 14 inches was maintained for the respective ends 32 being discharged down the respective guide tracks 72 , 74 . this assured no overlapping of one end 32 onto another on the respective conveyor belts 106 , 108 . the operational speed of the press 20 was run at approximately 150 - 200 press cycles per minute . the respective discharge belts 48 were then running at between 175 to 350 feet per minute . such a high operational speed achievable with the present improved end discharge system of the present invention allows forming presses to operate twice as fast as any known prior art discharge systems would allow . advantageously , the discharge belts 48 rotate continuously , there is no timed movement of such belts . further , the cross conveyor belts 106 , 108 preferably move continuously . in the embodiment shown in the attached drawings , the press 20 blanks and forms ten can ends 32 at once , such that the same need to be quickly ejected in two separate rows . with the present invention , the front five can ends 32 ( see fig8 ) are drawn back along tracks 72 by the rear discharge belt assemblies 44 and at a high angle , while the other five can ends 32 are pulled back along track 74 at a low angle within plate 64 . nevertheless , due to the different operational speeds of the discharge belts 48 ( of respective assemblies 44 , 46 ) as noted above , all ten can ends 32 consistently drop onto the discharge conveyor belts 106 , 108 at substantially the same time and in a given line or pattern , depending upon the arrangements of discharge openings 78 , 80 . fig1 and 14 depict an alternate embodiment of the present invention wherein the improved discharge belt apparatus of the present invention , generally designated 24 &# 39 ; is shown used in conjunction with an angled forming press 20 &# 39 ;. the double action , angled press 20 &# 39 ; and tooling 30 &# 39 ; operate , in a well - known fashion , to form can ends in a similar fashion to upright press 20 . feeder mechanism 22 &# 39 ; feeds sheet stock 28 &# 39 ; to the tooling 30 &# 39 ; and the scrap sheet 34 &# 39 ; from which the can ends 32 &# 39 ; have been blanked and formed in the press 20 ; is removed by the sheet ejector mechanism 36 &# 39 ;. furthermore , the formed ends 32 &# 39 ; are rapidly discharged by the improved belt discharge apparatus 24 &# 39 ; onto the transverse or so called cross conveyors , generally denoted by the reference 38 &# 39 ; which in turn feed the end 32 &# 39 ; into a cutler station 26 &# 39 ; or other following operational or packaging procedure . as shown in fig1 , nose pulley 50 &# 39 ; is positioned closely adjacent rear die set 40 &# 39 ; so that the discharge belt 48 &# 39 ; can quickly grab and discharge the blanked ends away from the press area , along guide tracks formed in the discharge plate 64 &# 39 ;. in this embodiment , discharge plate 64 &# 39 ; includes an angled portion , generally denoted 118 , so that the nose pulley 50 &# 39 ; can be placed closely adjacent to the die sets . discharge plate 64 &# 39 ; then slants slightly upwards towards the rear drive pulley 52 &# 39 ;. belt 48 &# 39 ; is mounted on nose pulley 50 &# 39 ;, rear pulleys 52 &# 39 ; and pulleys 120 - 123 so that discharge belt 48 &# 39 ; is mounted in close spacial relationship to curved discharge plate 64 &# 39 ; to convey the can ends 32 &# 39 ; therealong . the illustrated press 20 &# 39 ; is generally shown as having an angle of 35 ° to the horizontal . however , the overall discharge belt apparatus 24 &# 39 ; of the present invention can be used with any press , whether mounted in an upright position or at almost any angle to the horizontal . from the foregoing , it is believed that those skilled in the art will readily appreciate the unique features and advantages of the present invention over previous types of discharge apparatus and systems for blanked and formed container ends . further , it is to be understood that while the present invention has been described in relation to a particular preferred embodiment as set forth in the accompanying drawings and as above described , the same nevertheless is susceptible to change , variation and substitution of equivalents without departure from the spirit and scope of this invention . it is therefore intended that the present invention be unrestricted by the foregoing description and drawings , except as may appear in the following appended claims . | 1 |
in embodying the present invention , preferably , a plurality of recess portions are provided at a middle portion in the axial direction of an outer peripheral face of the inner side disk intermittently in a circumferential direction . further , a portion of the outer peripheral face deviated from the respective recess portions is made to constitute a single cylindrical face constituting a reference face for working the both side faces in the axial direction of the inner side disk . alternatively , the outer peripheral face of the inner side disk is provided with a plurality of recess grooves , respectively , which are inclined to a center axis of the inner side disk intermittently in the circumferential direction . further , both end portions of pairs of projected portions for the respective recess grooves present by interposing the respective recess grooves are made to overlap each other in the axial direction of the inner side disk . further , top portions of the respective projected portions constitute a single cylindrical face as a reference face for working the both side faces of the inner side disk when the inner side disk is viewed from the axial direction . alternatively , recess grooves are formed over an entire periphery of a middle portion in the axial direction of an outer peripheral face of the inner side disk . further , an encoder element having a detected portion is held in the recess groove . further , portions of the both end portions in the axial direction of the outer peripheral face of the inner side disk deviated from the recess grooves are made to constitute a single cylindrical face constituting a reference face for working the both side faces in the axial direction of the inner side disk . when constituted in this way , the both side faces in the axial direction can be finished by ensuring the reference face in working the both side faces in the axial direction of the inner side disk while ensuring sufficient shape accuracy and dimensional accuracy without preparing an exclusive jig having a complicated shape . further , in embodying the present invention , preferably , the rotating shaft is made to constitute an input shaft , the pair of outer side disks are respectively made to constitute input side disks , and the input shaft and one of the input side disks are coupled via a carrier constituting the planetary gear type transmission . further , the inner side disk is made to constitute an output side disk , and a sun gear constituting the planetary gear type transmission is provided at other end portion of a hollow rotating shaft arranged concentrically with the input shaft at a surrounding of the input shaft and coupled with one end portion of the output side disk . in such a structure , whereas a space of installing a part for detecting the rotational speed of the output side disk is limited , there is increased a necessity of measuring a rotational speed of the output side disk in order to strictly control the transmission ratio of the toroidal - type continuously variable transmission . therefore , a significance of embodying the present invention by the above - described structure is enhanced . fig1 through 2 show first embodiment of the present invention . a characteristic of the embodiment resides in that pluralities of recess portions 32 , 32 are provided at a center portion in an axial direction of an outer peripheral face 34 of an output side disk 9 a intermittently and at equal intervals in a circumferential direction in order to detect a rotational speed of the output side disk 9 a constituting an inner disk . a structure of a toroidal - type continuously variable transmission integrated with the output side disk 9 a and a structure of a continuously variable transmission apparatus integrated with the toroidal - type continuously variable transmission are similar to the structures of the related art illustrated in fig7 through 8 and therefore , an illustration as well as a detailed explanation thereof will be omitted or simplified and an explanation will be given of a characteristic portion of the present invention as follows . both end portions in the axial direction of the output side disk 9 a are rotatably supported by the holding rings 16 , 16 by the pair of thrust angular ball bearings 11 , 11 . a rotational force is made to be able to be outputted by the hollow rotating shaft 17 engaged with the inner peripheral face by a spline . a plurality ( 60 portions in the illustrated example ) of recess portions 32 , 32 are provided at the center portion in the axial direction of the outer peripheral face 34 of the output side disk 9 a intermittently in the circumferential direction with having equal intervals . each of the respective recess portions 32 , 32 is a bottomed circular hole formed by drills 33 , 33 . further , an outer diameter d of each of the drills 33 , 33 is sufficiently smaller than a width w of the outer peripheral face 34 of the output side disk 9 a ( d & lt ;& lt ; w ). therefore , a large portion of the outer peripheral face 34 of the output side disk 9 a constitutes a single cylindrical face . particularly , both end portions in the axial direction thereof constitutes a cylindrical face continuous over an entire periphery thereof . in a state of integrating the above - described output side disk 9 a to the toroidal type continuously variable transmission , a detecting face of a rotation detecting sensor ( not illustrated ) of a magnetic type , an electrostatic capacitance type , or an eddy current type fixedly supported in the casing is made to be opposed to the center portion in the axial direction of the outer peripheral face of the output side disk 9 a . since the output side disk 9 a is made of bearing steel or the like , which is a metal having magnetism and conductivity properties , various characteristics such as the magnetic property , an electrostatic capacitance property or the like of the center portion in the axial direction of the outer peripheral face 34 of the output side disk 9 a are changed in turn in the circumferential direction at equal intervals . therefore , by selecting the rotation detecting sensor having a pertinent structure , the rotational speed of the output side disk 9 a can accurately be provided . since both side faces 35 , 35 in the axial direction of the output side disk 9 a are faces of transmitting power by being brought into rolling contact with peripheral faces of the power rollers 10 , 10 ( refer to fig7 through 8 ), it is necessary not only to accurately restrict shape accuracy and dimensional accuracy but also to reduce surface roughness , in other word , it is necessary to obtain smooth faces . therefore , in order to provide the output side disk 9 a having excellent quality , it is important to select reference faces for finishing the both side faces 35 , 35 in the axial direction . according to the embodiment of the present invention , a large portion of the outer peripheral face 34 of the output side disk 9 a constitutes a single cylindrical face , particularly , the both end portions in the axial direction constitute the cylindrical faces continuous over the entire peripheries . therefore , when the outer peripheral face 34 is properly worked before finishing the both side faces 35 , 35 and the two side faces 35 , 35 are finished by constituting a reference face by the outer peripheral face , shape accuracy , dimensional accuracy and surface roughness of the two side faces 35 , 35 can be made to be proper . a method of working the respective recess portions 32 , 32 is not particularly limited . for example , in the case of forming the 60 portions of the respective recess portions 32 , 32 , the respective recess portions 32 , 32 can be formed by a drilling press having a single piece of a drill and having a dividing angle of 6 degrees . or , the 60 portions of the recess portions 32 , 32 can also be formed in one motion by a working apparatus radially arranged with 60 pieces of drills . however , when working is carried out by the single piece drill , a working time period is prolonged . alternatively , in the case of the working apparatus having 60 pieces of drills , the structure is complicated and the working apparatus becomes expensive . in view of the above situation , in the case of the embodiment , the 60 portions of the recess portions 32 , 32 are formed by a working apparatus radially arranged with 20 pieces of the drills 33 , 33 at equal intervals ( by a pitch of 18 degrees ) and realizing a dividing angle of 6 degrees . according to the working apparatus , the 60 pieces of the recess portions 32 , 32 can be formed by carrying out working by 3 times while rotating the output side disk 9 a by 6 degrees . therefore , it can be prevented that cost of the working apparatus is uselessly increased , or a working time period of the respective recess portions 32 , 32 are uselessly prolonged . further , the respective recess portions 32 , 32 can also be produced simultaneously ( by plastic working ) when a gross shape of the output side disk 9 a is provided by applying plastic working of single motion working or the like to a material . fig3 through 4 show second embodiment of the present invention . in the case of the embodiment , an outer peripheral face of an output side disk 9 b constituting the inner side disk is provided with a plurality of recess grooves 36 , 36 respectively inclined to the center axis of the output side disk 9 b intermittently in the circumferential direction . in a state of integrating the above - described output side disk 9 b to the toroidal - type continuously variable transmission , when the detecting face of the rotation detecting sensor ( not illustrated ) is made to be opposed to some portion of the outer peripheral face of the output side disk 9 b ( different from first embodiment , the portion is not limited to the center portion in the axial direction ), the rotational speed of the output side disk 9 a can accurately be provided . further , in the case of the embodiment , an inclination angle θ of the respective recess grooves 36 , 36 is increased to some degree , both end portions of pairs of projected portions 37 , 37 present by interposing the respective recess grooves 36 , 36 , represented by a dotted pattern area in fig4 at the respective recess grooves 36 , 36 are made to overlap each other by an amount of δ 37 of fig4 in the axial direction of the output side disk 9 b . therefore , when the output side disk 9 b is viewed from the axial direction ( side directions of fig3 through 4 ), top portions of the respective projected portions 37 , 37 constitute a single cylindrical face . that is , when the output side disk 9 a is viewed from side directions of fig3 through 4 , the outer peripheral shape becomes a regular circle which is not recessed over the entire periphery . therefore , by using the top portions of the respective recess portions 37 , 37 as a reference face for working the both side faces 35 , 35 of the output side disk 9 a , when the both side faces 35 , 35 are finished , shape accuracy , dimensional accuracy and surface roughness of the both side faces 35 , 35 can be made to be proper . further , although shapes of the respective recess grooves 36 , 36 and the respective projected portions 37 , 37 may be an involute shape , the shapes may be a shape of a simple rectangular groove or a circular arc groove shape since power is not transmitted particularly . however , since large force is exerted to the output side disk 9 b in operating the toroidal - type continuously variable transmission , it is preferable that a portion having a small radius of curvature is not present at bottom portions of the respective recess grooves 36 , 36 such that stress is not concentrated to the bottom portions of the respective recess grooves 36 , 36 . therefore , it is preferable to constitute the respective recess grooves 36 , 36 by a section in a circular arc shape . fig5 through 6 show third embodiment of the present invention . in the case of the embodiment , a recess groove 38 is formed over an entire periphery at a center portion in an axial direction of an outer peripheral face of an output side disk 9 c constituting the inner side disk . further , an encoder element 39 in ring shape having a detected portion is held in the recess groove 38 . the encoder elements 39 having various structures can be used so far as the characteristics are changed alternately and at equal intervals in the circumferential direction in order to be able to detect the rotational speed by being combined with a rotation detecting sensor , not illustrated . for example , when combined with a rotation detecting sensor of a magnetism detecting type , an encoder element 39 a formed with a magnetic metal material in a wavy shape as shown in fig6 a , or an encoder element 39 b formed with a number of through holes as shown in fig6 b can be used . or , although not illustrated , an encoder element made by a permanent magnet arranged with s poles and n poles alternately and at equal intervals at an outer peripheral face thereof can also be used . in cases of adopting any structures , in a state before being held in the recess groove 38 , a portion of the encoder element 39 in the circumferential direction is made to be discontinuous and a diameter of the encoder element 39 is made to be able to be widened . the discontinuous portion is bonded by welding or adhering after having been held in the recess groove 38 . also in the case of the embodiment , in a state of integrating the output side disk 9 c holding the above - described encoder element 39 to the toroidal - type continuously variable transmission , when a detecting face of a rotation detecting sensor ( not illustrated ) is made to be opposed to the outer peripheral face of encoder element 39 , the rotational speed of the output side disk 9 c can accurately be provided . further , in the case of the embodiment , when both side portions of the recess groove 38 are used as reference faces for working the both side faces 35 , 35 of the output side disk 9 c and the both side faces 35 , 35 are finished , shape accuracy , dimensional accuracy and surface roughness of the both side faces 35 , 35 can be made to be proper . while there has been described in connection with the preferred embodiments of the present invention , it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes and modification may be made therein without departing from the present invention , and it is aimed , therefore , to cover in the appended claim all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the present invention . | 1 |
hereinafter , the configuration of a self - card payment system using a mobile communication terminal and a self - card payment method according to the present invention will be described in detail with reverence to the attached drawings . fig1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a self - card payment system using a mobile communication terminal according to the present invention . referring to fig1 , the self - card payment system using a mobile communication terminal according to the present invention includes a user terminal unit 1 , an affiliated store terminal unit 2 , and a virtual affiliated store management server unit 300 . the user terminal unit 1 includes a user computer terminal 110 , which is connected to the wired / wireless internet 151 of a wired / wireless data communication network 150 and is configured to perform data communication with other devices connected to the wired / wireless internet 151 , and a mobile communication terminal 100 , which is connected in a wireless manner to the mobile communication network 152 of the wired / wireless data communication network 150 and is configured to perform data communication with other devices and systems connected to the mobile communication network 152 and the wired / wireless internet 151 . the mobile communication network 152 may include one or more of a third - generation ( 3g ) data network and a long term evolution ( lte ) network . the mobile communication terminal 100 is a mobile communication terminal called a mobile phone , a cellular phone , a second generation ( 2g ) phone , a third generation ( 3g ) phone , a fourth generation ( 4g ) phone , or a smart phone . such a mobile communication terminal 100 may be a terminal having a short - range wireless communication ( near field communication : nfc ) function of reading card information from the ic chip of a credit card , a debit card , a cash ( t money ) card , etc ., a terminal to which a separate card reader is attached , or a terminal capable of transmitting data in a wireless manner . in the mobile communication terminal 100 , a virtual card payment terminal application ( alternatively referred to as a “ program ” or “ firmware ”) has been previously installed or is downloaded and installed according to the present invention , and self - card payment is performed based on the virtual card payment terminal application . in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention ( in the case of an affiliated offline store ), the affiliated store terminal unit 2 may be implemented as a card payment terminal 200 ( alternatively referred to as an “ affiliated store card payment terminal ”) or a card payment terminal and an affiliated store computer terminal 290 . in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention ( in the case of an affiliated online store ), the affiliated store computer terminal 290 of the affiliated store terminal unit 2 may be a web server , and the card payment terminal 200 may be a payment module that is provided by a pg company and includes a self - payment means according to the present invention . in accordance with the first embodiment , the card payment terminal 200 may be a typical card payment terminal , as shown in fig1 , or a point of sale ( pos ) terminal . in the card payment terminal 200 , a virtual card payment affiliated store application ( or firmware ) according to the present invention must be installed , or must be downloaded and installed . when the card payment terminal 200 is a pos terminal , the virtual card payment affiliated store application may be directly downloaded and installed , but when the card payment terminal 200 is a typical card payment terminal , the virtual card payment affiliated store application may be installed via the affiliated store computer terminal 290 . in this case , the affiliated store computer terminal 290 must download an application ( firmware ) installation program provided by the manufacturer of the card payment terminal , together with the virtual card payment affiliated store application . the affiliated store computer terminal 290 is connected to the card payment terminal 200 through a universal serial bus ( usb ) or an rs232c cable , and the virtual card payment affiliated store application is installed in the card payment terminal 200 by running the application installation program . the virtual affiliated store management server unit 300 allows each user who will use the mobile communication terminal 100 as a virtual card payment terminal to register as a member , manages the members , allows affiliated stores to register as members , and manages the member stores , and also manages unique card payment terminal numbers for the card payment terminals 200 of the affiliated stores . when a self - payment request to perform payment using the mobile communication terminal 100 of a certain mobile communication terminal user as a virtual card payment terminal is received from the card payment terminal 200 in any affiliated store , the virtual affiliated store management server unit 300 generates virtual card terminal identification information corresponding to the unique card payment terminal number of the affiliated store , allocates it to the mobile communication terminal 100 , and receives card payment information from the mobile communication terminal 100 only a first time for the virtual card terminal identification information , and processes payment for the affiliated store . the virtual affiliated store management server unit 300 may also be configured to assign an identification information band of the virtual card terminal falling within a predefined range to each affiliated store , that is , a single unique card payment terminal number , and to randomly generate identification information within the assigned virtual card terminal identification information range when the card payment terminal 200 requests self - card payment , and to allocate the generated identification information to the corresponding mobile communication terminal 100 . an agent that performs payment via a van company server 410 or a pg company server 420 may be the card payment terminal 200 of an affiliated store or the virtual affiliated store management server unit 300 according to the embodiment of the present invention . a detailed description thereof will be made with reference to fig8 and 9 . a financial server 430 is the server of the financial company that ultimately authorizes the payment , such as a card company server or a bank server . fig2 is a diagram showing the configuration of the card payment terminal of the self - card payment system using a mobile communication terminal according to the present invention . the configuration and operation of the mobile communication terminal according to the present invention will be described with reference to fig2 . the mobile communication terminal 100 according to the present invention includes a control unit 10 , a storage unit 20 , an input unit 30 , a display unit 40 , a card reader unit 50 , and a communication unit 60 . the control unit 10 controls the overall operation of the present invention . in particular , the control unit 10 controls the overall operation related to self - payment performed via a mobile communication terminal set as a virtual card payment terminal according to the present invention . the configuration of the control unit 10 according to the present invention is generated by an installed virtual card payment application , and will be described in detail later after the description of other components . the storage unit 20 includes a program area in which an operating program for controlling the operation of the mobile communication terminal 100 and a virtual card payment application according to the present invention are installed , a temporary storage area in which data generated during the execution of the program is temporarily stored , and a data area in which data generated by the user and user data generated during the execution of the program are stored . in the data area , transaction record data or the like according to the present invention may be stored . further , the storage unit 20 may include a storage area in which the identification information of the virtual card terminal , allocated by the virtual affiliated store management server unit 300 or the affiliated store terminal unit 2 , is stored . the input unit 30 includes a plurality of keys such as a power key , a volume key , and a home key , and outputs key signals corresponding to the clicked keys to the control unit 10 . the display unit 40 , which is a touch screen , displays the operating status and the graphical user interface of the mobile communication terminal 100 in such a way as to display the graphical user interface corresponding to the virtual card payment application executed according to the present invention , along with a user interface , text , graphics , a still image , a moving image , etc . corresponding to the functions selected via the user interface . the display unit 40 provides coordinate data about the location of the point touched by the user to the control unit 10 . the card reader unit 50 reads card information from the radio frequency identification ( rfid ) chip of a card that is in contact with or is located in proximity to the card reader unit , and outputs the card information to the control unit 10 . the card reader unit 50 may be an nfc unit integrated into the mobile communication terminal 100 , or may be connected to the mobile communication terminal 100 as an external device . the communication unit 60 includes a wireless communication unit 61 for accessing the wired / wireless internet 151 of the wired / wireless data communication network 150 and performing data communication with the virtual affiliated store management server unit 300 connected to the wired / wireless internet 151 , and is configured to access the mobile communication network 152 of the wired / wireless data communication network 150 and perform data communication with the virtual affiliated store management server unit 300 connected to the mobile communication network 152 over the wired / wireless internet 151 . describing the configuration of the control unit 10 in detail , the control unit 10 of the present invention includes an authentication unit 11 , a payment information acquisition unit 12 , a card information acquisition unit 13 , and a payment unit 14 , and may further include a card inquiry unit 15 . after the virtual card payment application has been installed , the authentication unit 11 receives an id and a password from the user of the mobile communication terminal , encrypts and stores the id and the password in the data area of the storage unit 20 or in the virtual affiliated store management server unit 300 , requests an id and a password from the user upon installing the virtual card payment application , compares the id and the password received in response to the request with the previously stored id and password , and then determines whether the current user is the authorized user of the mobile communication terminal 100 to authenticate the user . when a bill is received through the communication unit 60 after the virtual card payment application has been executed , the payment information acquisition unit 12 displays the bill on the screen of the graphical user interface based on the execution of the virtual card payment application , detects payment information , which includes affiliated store information , payment amount information , etc ., and the identification information of the virtual card terminal , and outputs the detected information to the payment unit 14 . after the payment information and the virtual card terminal identification information have been acquired , the card information acquisition unit 13 displays a message requesting the movement of the card in proximity to the card reader unit 50 on the display unit 40 . thereafter , if the card touches or is in proximity to the card reader unit 50 , the card information acquisition unit 13 acquires card information from the card through the card reader unit 50 , and outputs the card information to the payment unit 14 . the payment unit 14 generates payment request information by combing the payment information and the virtual card terminal identification information , acquired by the payment information acquisition unit 12 , with the card information , acquired by the card information acquisition unit 13 , and transmits the payment request information to the virtual affiliated store management server unit 300 to request payment . further , the payment unit 14 may receive the results of processing the payment request from the virtual affiliated store management server unit 300 and display the payment request processing results . however , the results of processing the payment request may be received from the financial server 430 of the corresponding financial company , the van company server 410 , or the pg company server 420 in the form of a short message service ( sms ) message and may then be displayed , similar to a typical card payment system . the card inquiry unit 15 inquires of the virtual affiliated store management server unit about the card corresponding to the card information upon acquiring the card information through the card information acquisition unit 13 . in this case , if there is no abnormality in the inquiry results about the card via the card inquiry unit , the payment unit 14 generates a payment request signal and transmits the payment request signal to the virtual affiliated store management server unit . the control unit 10 may further include a personal member registration module ( not shown ) for providing an information input means that allows the user to access the virtual affiliated store management server unit 300 and register as a personal member and for providing the input personal member information , that is , user information , to the virtual affiliated store management server unit 300 so as to use the self - card payment service . fig3 is a diagram showing the configuration of the card payment terminal of the self - card payment system using a mobile communication terminal according to a first embodiment of the present invention , and shows a configuration in which the card payment terminal 200 of the affiliated store terminal unit 2 is assigned a predetermined range of virtual card payment terminal identification information from the virtual affiliated store management server unit 300 , and in which virtual card payment terminal identification information , randomly generated within the assigned range of virtual card payment terminal identification information , is allocated to a certain mobile communication terminal 100 . the card payment terminal 200 according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes a control unit 210 , a storage unit 220 , an input unit 230 , a display unit 240 , a card reader unit 250 , and a communication unit 260 . the control unit 210 controls the overall operation of the card payment terminal 200 according to the first embodiment of the present invention . in particular , the control unit 210 allocates virtual card terminal identification information corresponding to any self - payment request to the mobile communication terminal 100 of a client who requests self - payment , and controls an operation for performing card payment based on the payment information received from the mobile communication terminal 100 . the storage unit 220 includes a program storage area in which a control program for controlling the operation of the card payment terminal according to the present invention is stored , a temporary area in which data generated during the execution of the program is temporarily stored , and a data area in which data , such as the allocated virtual card terminal identification information , is stored . the control program may take the form of firmware or an application executed in a specific operating system . the input unit 230 has a plurality of keys , such as number keys and function keys , and outputs key signals corresponding to clicked keys to the control unit 210 . the display unit 240 , which may be a text display or a graphic display , displays numbers corresponding to the number keys clicked by the input unit 230 and outputs various types of information related to payment . when the card payment terminal 200 of the present invention is a pos terminal , the display unit 240 may be a graphical display . the card reader unit 250 reads card information from the magnetic or ic chip of a card , and outputs the card information to the control unit 210 . the communication unit 260 includes a first communication unit 261 connected to a typical pstn and configured to perform communication with the van company server 410 or perform data communication with the virtual affiliated store management server unit 300 over the wired / wireless internet 151 , and a second communication unit 262 directly connected to the affiliated store computer terminal 290 via an rs - 232c bus or usb and configured to perform data communication therewith . the communication unit 260 may further include a third communication unit 263 that is an internet communication unit for directly accessing the wired / wireless internet 151 and performing data communication with the virtual affiliated store management server unit 300 . the configuration of the control unit 210 is described in detail below . the control unit 210 includes a virtual payment confirmation processing unit 211 , a virtual card payment terminal identification information generation unit 212 , a card information acquisition unit 213 , and a card payment module 214 . the virtual payment confirmation processing unit 211 is configured to , when a self - payment function key is input from the input unit 230 , request the entry of the phone number of a certain mobile communication terminal 100 that will perform self - payment via the display unit 240 , and request self - payment from the virtual affiliated store management server unit 300 by transmitting a self - payment request signal including the entered phone number and payment amount information to the virtual affiliated store management server unit 300 . the virtual card terminal identification information generation unit 212 randomly generates card terminal identification information within the previously assigned range of virtual card terminal identification information . in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention , the virtual card terminal identification information is transmitted in the form of being included in the self - payment request signal . however , in a second embodiment of the present invention , the virtual card terminal identification information is generated and allocated by the virtual affiliated store management server unit 300 , and thus the card payment terminal 200 is not provided with the virtual card terminal identification information generation unit 212 in the second embodiment . the card information acquisition unit 213 receives a payment request signal , including card information , from the virtual affiliated store management server unit 300 in response to the transmission of the self - payment request signal , and provides payment information , including the card information and payment amount information , to the card payment module 214 . in the case where an affiliated store is an affiliated offline store , the card payment module 214 is configured to , if the payment information is input from the card information acquisition unit 213 , access the van company server 410 through the first communication unit 261 and perform card payment according to a typically well - known card payment method . in the case where an affiliated store is an affiliated online store , the card payment module 214 accesses the pg company server 420 through the third communication unit 263 , and performs card payment according to a typically well - known online card payment method . fig4 is a diagram showing the configuration of the virtual affiliated store management server unit of the self - card payment system using a mobile communication terminal according to the present invention . the virtual affiliated store management server unit 300 according to the present invention includes a user database ( db ) 350 for storing user registration information , an affiliated store registration db 340 for storing affiliated store registration information , a virtual affiliated store management server 310 for controlling the overall operation of self - card payment according to the present invention , and a web server 330 for providing a registration means that allows users and affiliated stores to be registered via a webpage , and for storing the information collected through the registration means in the user db 350 and the affiliated store registration db 340 . the affiliated store registration db 340 includes affiliation document information and authorization information for affiliated stores , stores information about the virtual card payment identification information range assigned to the card payment terminal 200 of the registered affiliated store according to the first embodiment , and also stores one - time card payment identification information assigned to the mobile communication terminal 100 that requests self - payment through the card payment terminal 200 according to the second embodiment . the one - time card payment identification information will be deleted from the mobile communication terminal 100 after one - time payment has been performed . however , the one - time card payment identification information may be configured to be stored in the temporary storage area of the virtual affiliated store management server unit 300 while being mapped to the card payment terminal identification information of the corresponding affiliated store and to then be deleted , without being stored in the affiliated store registration db 330 . the user db 350 stores user information about users who desire to use self - payment . the user information includes the name , date of birth , id and / or password , agreement or disagreement to the terms and conditions of use , mobile communication terminal identification information , etc . of each user . the mobile communication terminal identification information may be the phone number or the like of each mobile communication terminal . fig5 is a diagram showing the configuration of the virtual affiliated store management server of the affiliated store management server unit according to the present invention . below , the configuration and operation of the virtual affiliated store management server 310 according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings . the virtual affiliated store management server 310 includes a control unit 311 and a communication unit 319 . the communication unit 319 includes a first communication module 320 , which is connected to the wired / wireless internet 151 and is configured to perform data communication with devices and systems connected to the wired / wireless internet 151 , and a second communication module 321 , which is connected to the pstn 160 and is configured to perform data communication with the van company server 410 and the card payment terminal 200 connected to the pstn 160 . the control unit 311 includes a personal member registration module 312 , an affiliated store registration module 313 , a member authentication module 314 , a virtual card terminal identification information generation module 315 , a virtual payment terminal switching module 316 , a payment authentication module 317 , and a transaction record management module 318 . more specifically , when the web server 330 of fig4 is configured , the personal member registration module 312 and the affiliated store registration module 313 are preferably omitted because the registration of members and affiliated stores is performed via the web server 330 . however , when the registration of personal members and affiliated stores is required without the web server 330 , those modules may be configured in the virtual affiliated store management server 310 . in this case , the virtual affiliated store management server must be configured to register personal members and affiliated stores via the virtual card payment application . in detail , the personal member registration module 312 is configured to , when the mobile communication terminal 100 requests the execution of the virtual card payment application and member subscription via the virtual card payment application , receive member information , that is , information about the user who desires to use self - card payment , from the mobile communication terminal 100 , and store the member information in the user db 350 , thus enabling the registration of a personal member . further , the affiliated store registration module 313 is configured to , when the card payment terminal 200 requests the registration of an affiliated store via the virtual card payment application , receive information about the affiliated store via the virtual card payment application and store the received information in the affiliated store db 340 , thus enabling the registration of the affiliated store . therefore , the card payment terminal 200 of the affiliated store must be a terminal enabling the input / output of information , such as a pos terminal . the member authentication module 314 is configured to , when an authentication request signal is received from the mobile communication terminal 100 , perform member authentication based on the id and / or password of a user included in the authentication request signal with reference to the user db 350 , and when a self - payment request signal is received from the card payment terminal 200 , perform the authentication of an affiliated store based on the card payment terminal identification information included in the self - payment request signal with reference to the affiliated store db 340 . the virtual card terminal identification information generation module 315 is configured when the virtual affiliated store management server unit 300 allocates virtual card terminal identification information to any mobile communication terminal 100 according to the second embodiment of the present invention . when a self - payment request signal is received from any card payment terminal 200 , the virtual card terminal identification information generation module 315 generates virtual card payment terminal identification information , and outputs the generated information to the virtual payment terminal switching module 316 . the virtual card payment terminal identification information may be randomly encrypted and generated , may be configured to include specific code indicating that this payment is a payment based on the self - payment service performed by the virtual affiliated store management server unit 300 , or may be generated to include the card payment terminal identification information of the card payment terminal 200 . the virtual payment terminal switching module 316 is configured to , when the virtual card terminal identification information is input from the virtual card terminal identification information generation module 316 , set the mobile communication terminal 100 having a phone number included in the self - payment request signal to a virtual payment terminal , and transmit a bill including the virtual card terminal identification information to the mobile communication terminal 100 . the payment authentication module 317 is configured to , when card information is received from the mobile communication terminal 100 in response to the transmission of the bill , access the server corresponding to the card information , which is one of the van company server 410 , the pg company server 420 , and the financial server 430 , check the validity of the card , and transmit a payment request signal , which includes the card information and the payment amount information , to the card payment terminal 200 if there is no abnormality in the card validity . the transaction record management module 318 stores payment information based on the processing of payment authentication performed by the payment authentication module 317 while mapping the payment information to the information of the affiliated store that transmitted the payment information in the affiliated store db 340 , and thereafter manages the payment information . the transaction record management module 318 may be configured to receive a transaction record based on the completion of final card payment from the card payment terminal 200 , store the transaction record while mapping the transaction record to the corresponding affiliated store information in the affiliated store db 340 , and thereafter manage the transaction record . fig6 is a flowchart showing a method for allowing a user to register as a member for self - card payment using a mobile communication terminal according to the present invention . first , personal member registration methods for using a self - card payment service according to the present invention include a web registration method using a mobile communication terminal , which accesses the web server 230 via the mobile communication terminal 100 for member registration ; a web registration method using a computer , which accesses the web server 230 via the user computer terminal 110 for member registration ; and an application registration method in which the virtual affiliated store management server 310 of the virtual affiliated store management server unit 300 is accessed via the mobile communication terminal 100 for member registration via the virtual card payment application installed on the mobile communication terminal 100 . further , such a member registration method may include an application installation procedure and a member registration procedure . since the application installation procedure is identical to that of a conventional mobile communication terminal , a detailed description thereof will be omitted . when a member registration procedure is described , the user accesses the virtual affiliated store management server unit 300 via the user terminal unit 1 ( s 611 ). when the virtual affiliated store management server unit 300 is accessed , it may provide a webpage , which includes various types of information related to the self - payment service of the present invention and menus for affiliated store registration and personal member registration , to the user terminal unit 1 , or may activate the virtual card payment application installed in the mobile communication terminal 100 . when the user requests personal member subscription ( registration ) via the webpage or the activated virtual card payment application , the user terminal unit 1 transmits a personal member subscription request signal to the virtual affiliated store management server unit 300 ( s 613 ). then , the virtual affiliated store management server unit 300 provides a webpage including a personal member registration means having an identity authentication item to the user terminal unit 1 , or provides a registration means activation signal required to activate the registration means of the application ( s 615 ). when the identity authentication item is selected and information required for identity authentication is input , the virtual affiliated store management server unit 300 performs identity authentication through the mobile communication company server 500 corresponding to the mobile communication terminal 100 of the user terminal unit 1 ( s 616 and s 617 ). when identity authentication is performed , the virtual affiliated store management server unit 300 determines whether identity authentication has succeeded ( s 619 ). if the identity authentication has failed , the server unit 300 sends an identity authentication failure notification message to the user terminal unit 1 ( s 621 ). in contrast , if the identity authentication has succeeded , when a personal member registration request signal including personal member information input through the personal member registration means is received from the user terminal unit 1 , the server unit 300 stores the personal member information in the user db 340 and then completes the member registration ( s 625 ). the notification of completion of member registration is provided to the user terminal unit 1 ( s 627 ). the method for allowing the user to register as a personal member to use the self - card payment service as shown in fig6 has been described . a method for allowing an affiliated store to register as a member as shown in fig7 will be described below . fig7 is a flowchart showing a method for allowing an affiliated store to register as a member for self - card payment using a mobile communication terminal according to the present invention . first , an affiliated store manager accesses the web server 330 of the virtual affiliated store management server unit 300 through the affiliated store computer terminal 290 ( s 711 ). in this case , the web server 330 may provide a webpage including a menu item enabling a virtual card payment affiliated store application to be installed . after accessing the web server , if the affiliated store manager selects the menu item enabling the virtual card payment affiliated store application to be installed , the affiliated store computer terminal 290 transmits a virtual card payment affiliated store application installation request signal , which requests the installation of the virtual card payment affiliated store application , to the web server 330 ( s 713 ). then , the web server 330 of the virtual affiliated store management server unit 300 provides a virtual card payment affiliated store application download webpage , which enables the virtual card payment affiliated store application to be downloaded , to the affiliated store computer terminal 290 ( s 715 ). when the affiliated store manager enters card payment terminal information , including information such as the manufacturer and model name of the card payment terminal 200 used thereby , via the virtual card payment affiliated store application download webpage and then requests the downloading of the virtual card payment affiliated store application , the affiliated store computer terminal 290 transmits a virtual card payment affiliated store application download request signal , which includes card payment terminal information , to the web server 330 of the affiliated store management server unit 300 ( s 717 ). then , the web server 330 searches the application db 360 for the installation program and the virtual card payment affiliated store application corresponding to the card payment terminal information of the card payment terminal 200 , and transmits the found installation program and virtual card payment affiliated store application to the affiliated store computer terminal 290 ( s 719 ). then , the affiliated store computer terminal 290 receives the installation program and the virtual card payment affiliated store application , installs and / or executes the installation program , and thereafter upgrades the card payment terminal 200 with the card payment affiliated store application via the installation program ( s 721 ). here , the card payment affiliated store application may be firmware . after the installation of the virtual card payment affiliated store application , the affiliated store manager clicks an affiliated store registration menu on the webpage provided by the web server 330 of the virtual affiliated store management server unit 300 through the affiliated store computer terminal 290 , and transmits an affiliated store registration request signal to the web server 330 ( s 723 ). in this case , the affiliated store registration request signal includes affiliated store information , which includes the name , phone number , and card payment terminal identification information of the corresponding affiliated store , along with normal card affiliation documents . in this regard , the affiliated store must first have been authorized by all respective financial institutions , such as card companies and banks related to card payment . then , the web server 330 of the virtual affiliated store management server unit 300 stores and registers the affiliated store information and affiliation documents in the affiliated store db 330 ( s 725 ), and thereafter allocates a unique identifier code for the self - card payment service of the affiliated store to the affiliated store card terminal 200 , either through the affiliated store computer terminal 290 or directly ( s 729 ). the unique identifier code indicates that the corresponding payment is based on a self - card payment service , and may be attached to card payment terminal identification information . for example , when the card payment terminal identification information is 000 - 0000 - 0000 , the unique identifier code xxx is attached thereto , and then resulting card payment terminal identification information may be 000 - 0000 - 0000 - xxx . fig8 is a flowchart showing a first embodiment of a self - card payment method using a mobile communication terminal according to the present invention . hereinafter , the self - card payment method according to the present invention will be described with reference to fig8 . first , when a user who has subscribed to a self - card payment service according to the present invention and is purchasing goods , such as food or a product , requests self - payment from an affiliated store , an affiliated store manager , that is , a store owner , may enter a payment amount by clicking the key of the input unit 230 of the affiliated store card payment terminal 200 ( s 811 ), enter the phone number of the mobile communication terminal 100 of the card user ( s 813 ), and then input a self - payment menu key ( s 814 ). after the self - card payment menu key has been input , the affiliated store card payment terminal 200 transmits a self - payment request signal , which includes card payment terminal identification information having the entered payment amount , the phone number of the mobile communication terminal 100 , and the unique self - card payment service identifier information of the affiliated store card payment terminal 200 , to the virtual affiliated store management server 310 of the virtual affiliated store management server unit 300 ( s 815 ). the virtual affiliated store management server 310 determines , via the user db 350 , whether the mobile communication terminal 100 is owned by a member that has subscribed to the self - card payment service , based on the phone number included in the self - payment request signal ( s 817 ). if it is determined that the mobile communication terminal 100 is not owned by a member , the virtual affiliated store management server 310 transmits a non - member notification signal , which indicates that the user of the mobile communication terminal 100 corresponding to the phone number is not a member , to the card payment terminal 200 ( s 821 ), whereas if it is determined that the mobile communication terminal 100 is owned by a member , the virtual affiliated store management server 310 generates virtual card terminal identification information for the card payment terminal 200 and allocates it to the mobile communication terminal 100 ( s 823 ). after the allocation of the virtual card terminal identification information , the virtual affiliated store management server 310 transmits a bill including the virtual card terminal identification information to the mobile communication terminal 100 over the wired / wireless data communication network 150 ( s 825 ). when the bill is received from the virtual affiliated store management server 310 , the mobile communication terminal 100 detects and stores the virtual card terminal identification information , and displays the bill and a message requesting the touching of the card on the display unit 40 ( s 827 ). after the bill has been displayed , the mobile communication terminal 100 checks whether card information has been read via the card reader unit 50 ( s 829 ). if card information is not read within a predetermined period of time , the mobile communication terminal 100 deletes the stored virtual card terminal identification information , and transmits a virtual card terminal identification information deletion request signal to the virtual affiliated store management server 310 ( s 831 ). the virtual affiliated store management server 310 that receives the virtual card terminal identification information deletion request signal may delete the virtual card terminal identification information allocated to the mobile communication terminal 100 . in contrast , if it is determined that the card information has been read , the mobile communication terminal 100 transmits a card validity check request signal including the read card information to the virtual affiliated store management server 310 ( s 833 ). the virtual affiliated store management server 310 that receives the card validity check request accesses the corresponding financial company server of the financial server unit 400 corresponding to the card information , checks the validity of the card ( s 835 ), and then determines whether the card is valid ( s 837 ). as a result of the card validity check , if the card is determined to be invalid , the virtual affiliated store management server 310 deletes the virtual card terminal identification information , regenerates virtual card terminal identification information ( s 841 ), and transmits it to the mobile communication terminal 100 ( s 843 ), whereas if there is no abnormality in the validity of the card , the virtual affiliated store management server 310 transmits a card validity authorization signal to the mobile communication terminal 100 ( s 839 ). after the card validity check request has been transmitted , the validity of the card is checked and then virtual card terminal identification information is received again from the virtual affiliated store management server 310 , the mobile communication terminal 100 determines that the card is invalid , displays a card abnormality message , and re - displays the bill and a message requesting the touching of the card to cause the card information to be read again ( s 827 ). however , when the card validity authorization information is received , the mobile communication terminal 100 displays a payment amount and a signature request screen ( s 847 ), checks whether a signature has been entered ( s 849 ), and if the signature has been entered , transmits a payment request signal , which includes a bill and the virtual card terminal identification information , to the virtual affiliated store management server 310 , wherein the bill contains the signature and the payment amount information ( s 851 ). the virtual affiliated store management server unit 300 that receives the payment request signal transmits the payment request signal to the affiliated store card payment terminal 200 , to which the virtual card terminal identification information is allocated , according to a third embodiment of the present invention ( s 853 ). the affiliated store card payment terminal 200 that receives the payment request signal performs a typical payment authorization procedure based on its on card payment terminal identification information and then processes payment ( s 857 ), either when a confirmation command is input from the input unit 230 ( s 855 ) or at the moment at which the payment request signal is received . when the payment based on the payment authorization procedure has been completed , the affiliated store card payment terminal 200 may receive a transaction record from the corresponding financial company of the financial server unit 400 and print it . in this case , the affiliated store card payment terminal 200 according to the present invention may be configured to provide transaction record data to the virtual affiliated store management server unit 300 . further , the virtual affiliated store management server unit 300 that receives the transaction record data may be configured to transmit the transaction record data to the mobile communication terminal 100 through the virtual card payment application . fig9 is a flowchart showing a second embodiment of a self - card payment method using a mobile communication terminal according to the present invention . unlike the configuration of fig8 , in which the affiliated store card payment terminal 200 ultimately authorizes card payment , this configuration shows the case where the final payment request for self - card payment is made by the virtual affiliated store management server unit 300 . in fig9 , the same reference numerals are used to designate the same procedures as those of fig8 . in fig9 , when a payment request signal is received from the mobile communication terminal 100 ( s 851 ), the virtual affiliated store management server unit 300 accesses the financial company server of the financial server unit 400 corresponding to the card information included in the payment request signal , performs a typical payment authorization procedure based on the card terminal identification information of the virtual affiliated store management server unit 300 , and then processes payment ( s 861 ). after the authorization of payment has been completed , if transaction record data is received from the financial server unit 400 , the virtual affiliated store management server unit 300 transmits payment completion information including the transaction record data to the affiliated store card payment terminal and the mobile communication terminal 100 through the virtual card payment affiliated store application and the virtual card payment application , respectively ( s 863 and s 865 ). the mobile communication terminal 100 and the affiliated store card payment terminal 200 that have received the payment completion information may display and show the transaction record data . meanwhile , the present invention is not limited to the above - described typical preferable embodiments , and those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications , changes , substitutions , or additions are possible , without departing from the gist of the invention . the technical spirit of those modifications , changes , substitutions , or additions may be construed as being included in the present invention if the practice thereof belongs to the scope of the accompanying claims . | 6 |
referring now to the drawings , and in particular to fig1 a unit fuel injector 10 is illustrated which is made in accordance with the present invention . moreover , the specific construction and operation of the present invention and the fuel injector 10 are modifications of the open nozzle unit fuel injector disclosed in u . s . pat . nos . 4 , 280 , 659 to gaal et al . and 4 , 601 , 086 to gerlach , both commonly owned by the assignee of the present invention , and both incorporated herein by reference . the unit injector 10 of the present invention includes an injector body 12 , a barrel 14 , and a cup 16 positioned in end - to - end relationship . a threaded retainer 18 extends around the barrel 14 and secures the cup 16 and barrel 14 to the injector body 12 . an axial bore 20 is provided through the injector body 12 , the barrel 14 , and most of the way through cup 16 . the axial bore 20 is divided into a first portion 22 that comprises the part of the axial bore 20 extending through the injector body 12 and the barrel 14 , and a second portion 24 that extends into and terminates within cup 16 . note that the first portion 22 also includes varying diameter sections ; however , only the diameter of the lower portion is critically sized for reason that will be apparent below in the further description and operation of the present invention . a plunger assembly 26 is reciprocably movably disposed within the axial bore 20 and includes a lower plunger 28 . the plunger assembly 26 is reciprocably driven by a rod 30 that is operatively associated with an injector drive train ( not shown ). such an injector drive train preferably interconnects the unit injector 10 to an engine camshaft of an internal combustion engine to synchronously drive each unit injector of each engine cylinder of the internal combustion engine in accordance with the engine firing order . of course , the injector camshaft is operatively timed to the engine crankshaft . it is further understood that a unit injector 10 is provided for each cylinder of the internal combustion engine and each unit injector 10 includes an associated drive train for transferring reciprocating movement from the camshaft to each plunger assembly 26 . a return spring 32 is mounted in an enlarged area of the axial bore 20 , and the lower end of return spring 32 is positioned on an upper ledge 34 of injector body 12 . the upper end of spring 32 engages a washer 36 that is axially fixed in the upward direction to plunger assembly 26 . the return spring 32 , therefore , urges the plunger assembly upwardly . the upper end of the injector body 12 is internally threaded as indicated at 38 and a top stop 40 is threaded to the injector body 12 . a lock nut 42 secures the top stop 40 at a selected position , so as to form a stop which limits the upward movement of washer 36 and thus the plunger assembly 26 . the plunger assembly 26 is limited in its downward stroke by the engagement of the tip 29 of the lower plunger 28 against a seat 44 of the cup 16 . a fuel supply passage 46 is provided that passes through the injector body 12 and barrel 14 and includes check valve 48 which permits the flow of fuel in only the supply direction , as indicated by arrows . the upper end of fuel supply passage 46 connects with an inlet regulating plug 50 that is covered by screen 51 for screening impurities before entrance into the injector . the inlet 50 is associated with a common fuel supply rail ( not shown ) that is provided as known conventionally within the engine head ( also not shown ) for supplying pressurized fuel to each of the unit injectors 10 of the internal combustion engine . by such a common rail , the fuel pressure can be controlled for determining fuel metering in accordance with pressure - time principles as conventionally known . the fuel supply passage 46 further includes a supply orifice 52 that opens into the first portion 22 of the axial bore 20 . the supply orifice 52 permits fuel to flow to a metering chamber which is defined below the lower plunger 28 and within the axial bore 20 as further described below . at the end of the second bore portion 24 within the cup 16 , injection orifices 25 are provided through which metered fuel is injected into an engine cylinder . a second supply orifice 54 is also preferably provided which opens to the first portion 22 of the axial bore 20 at a point above the supply orifice 52 . this second supply orifice 54 supplies fuel for injector scavenging as will be described hereinafter in the operation of the present invention . a drain passage 56 is also provided through the barrel 14 and the injector body 12 which interconnects the axial bore 20 to a drain line ( not shown ) within the head assembly of the internal combustion engine . the lower plunger 28 is divided into a first major diameter section 58 , a second major diameter section 60 , and a minor diameter second 62 . the first and second major diameter sections 58 and 60 are separated by a scavenging groove 64 that connects the second supply orifice 54 to the drain passage 56 at drain port 57 . the scavenging groove 64 allows fuel to flow through the scavenging groove 64 when the lower plunger 28 is in an advanced position as in fig1 and is used for cooling and lubricating the lower plunger 28 as well as for removing any pollutants that may accumulate within that portion of the unit injector 10 . the major diameter section 58 includes a leading edge 59 which determines the opening and closing of the fuel supply orifice 52 as the lower plunger 28 moves between retracted and advanced positions for controlling fuel metering and injection as further described in the operation of the unit injector below . the minor diameter section 62 extends within the bore 24 of the cup 16 throughout the movement of the plunger assembly 26 between its advanced and retracted positions . as best seen in fig2 - 5 , the bore 24 within cup 16 is divided into a first bore portion 70 and a second bore portion 72 . first bore 70 is of a diameter at least just slightly larger than the outer diameter of the minor diameter plunger section 62 , and a radial gap 73 is formed therebetween through which metered fuel can pass . the selected diameter of the first bore 70 with respect to the diameter of the minor diameter section 62 and the resultant formation of radial gap 73 is typical in open nozzle unit injectors as known in the prior art . the provision of second bore 72 is , however , unique to the present invention and the second bore is provided with a diameter greater than the diameter of the axial bore 22 located just above cup 16 within barrel 14 this second bore 72 thus forms with an upper annular ledge 74 on the bottom surface of the barrel 14 and undercut within the cup 16 . furthermore , the undercut is defined by a lower annular ledge 76 which connects first bore 70 to second bore 72 . the upper and lower ledges 74 and 76 of the undercut define axial limits for a valve means 78 provided within the undercut and surrounding the minor diameter section 62 of lower plunger 28 . the valve means 78 comprises a floating sleeve 80 which is slidably engaged with minor diameter section 62 so as to be axially movable thereon . actually , the floating sleeve 80 moves relative to the cup 16 within the limits set by upper and lower annular ledges 74 and 76 , but the minor diameter portion 62 is freely movable with respect to the floating sleeve 80 as moved between its fully advanced and fully retracted positions . the minor diameter section 62 always remains in at least partial contact with an interior surface 82 of the floating sleeve 80 during movement thereof . the floating sleeve 80 further includes an upper annular sealing surface 84 which seats against the upper annular ledge 74 of the barrel 14 when the floating sleeve 80 is in an uppermost axial position , as seen in fig3 and 4 . moreover , the upper portion of the floating sleeve 80 includes an angled surface 86 which generally corresponds to the slope of the leading edge 59 of the major diameter section 58 . at the bottom edge of the floating sleeve 80 a means is provided for allowing passage of fuel flow between the lower edge of floating sleeve 80 and the lower annular edge 76 connecting first bore 70 to second bore 72 . this means comprises a profiled lower edge 88 of the floating sleeve 80 provided with a plurality of indents 90 which form passages along with the lower annular ledge 76 when the floating sleeve 80 is in its lowermost position , as seen in fig2 and 5 . as enumerated above , the diameter of the interior surface 82 of the floating sleeve 80 is just slightly larger than the outside diameter of the minor diameter section 62 so as to provide an engagement therebetween , which is advantageously used as a means for scraping the minor diameter section 62 by the upper and lower edges of the interior surface 82 of floating sleeve 80 when the lower plunger 28 is reciprocably moved . the outside diameter of the floating sleeve 80 defining an external surface 92 of floating sleeve 80 is dimensioned to be sufficiently smaller than the diameter of the second bore 72 within cup 16 such that a radial gap 93 is formed through which fuel can adequately pass . the size of the gap is determined on the basis of normal injector gaps utilized within open nozzle fuel injectors . in operation of the unit injector 10 in accordance with the present invention , reference is made to fig2 - 5 , beginning with fig2 . the lower plunger 28 is shown in its fully advanced position with plunger tip 29 in engagement with cup seat 44 . moreover , the floating sleeve 80 is in its lowermost position with its profiled lower edge 88 in engagement with lower annular ledge 76 of cup 16 . this orientation corresponds to the stage in an injector cycle before the start of metering and injection and subsequent to a previous completed cycle . note that the major diameter section 58 has completely closed fuel supply orifice 52 . it is understood that the described positions of the lower plunger 28 and injector stages are preferably controlled by a cam profile of a camshaft as known in prior art open nozzle unit injectors . next , just before fuel metering occurs , the lower plunger 28 begins an upward movement ( that is , away from the engine cylinder ) at which time the plunger tip 29 unseats from seat 44 ( see fig3 ). during this same time , the upward travel of the minor diameter section 62 brings floating sleeve 80 upwardly therealong for the axial distance permitted by upper annular ledge 74 on the bottom surface of barrel 14 . thereafter , the minor diameter section 62 continues upward travel so as to move relative to floating sleeve 80 as floating sleeve 80 is maintained in its uppermost position , as illustrated in fig3 . then , once the leading edge 59 of the major diameter section 58 clears fuel supply orifice 52 , fuel passes through the fuel supply orifice 52 under pressure from the pressurized fuel source ( not shown ) and flows into an upper metering chamber 95 defined between the major diameter plunger leading edge 59 , the lower end of axial bore 22 and the upper surfaces 84 and 86 of floating sleeve 80 . this corresponds to the metering stage of the injector cycle and is illustrated in fig4 . note that the engagement between the interior surface 82 of the floating sleeve 80 with the plunger minor diameter section 62 effectively prevents fluid flow therebetween . subsequently , the lower plunger 28 is driven inwardly ( toward the engine cylinder ) under the influence of its associated drive train ( not shown ). the leading edge 59 of major diameter section 58 closes the fuel supply orifice 52 and the metering stage is completed ( see fig5 ). the amount of fuel metered depends on the pressure of fuel supplied through fuel supply orifice 52 and the time period during which the leading edge 59 opens the fuel supply orifice 52 . such manner being typically known as a pressure - time control system which can be utilized for accurately metering specified quantities of metered fuel depending on engine operating conditions . once the pressure within the upper metering chamber 95 reaches an increased level as the leading edge 59 pushes the fuel inwardly , the floating sleeve 80 is forced inwardly to open the seal formed between sealing surface 84 of floating sleeve 80 and the upper annular ledge 74 above second bore 72 . thus , fuel within the upper metering chamber 95 can then travel between the sealing surface 84 and upper annular ledge 74 , between external surface 92 of floating sleeve 80 and the second bore 72 , and through the passages defined by indents 90 along the profiled lower edge 88 of the floating sleeve 80 . moreover , the metering quantity of fuel passes between the lower outer surface of minor diameter section 62 and the inner surface of first bore 70 and into a lower metering chamber 97 formed at the tip of cup 16 . this metered fuel is then injected when contacted by the plunger tip 29 and forced through injection orifices 25 into the engine cylinder of an internal combustion engine . thereafter , the plunger tip 29 seats with seat 44 as the injector completes an injection cycle and returns to the position illustrated in fig2 . during certain engine operating conditions , such as the motoring condition described above , little or no fuel is supplied to the upper metering chamber 95 during the engine operation as controlled by the pressure of the supplied fuel . the motoring condition occurs when the engine is driven from the vehicle drive train or under very light load . thus , when the injector assumes the position illustrated in fig4 under the influence of its associated drive train , little or no fuel is supplied to the upper metering chamber . at the same time that this is going on , the engine cylinder is experiencing a compression stroke , wherein the pressure of gases within the engine cylinder is greatly increased . this increased pressure forces gases through the injection orifices 25 and into the lower metering chamber 97 near the injector tip . the purpose of the present invention is to effectively restrict or eliminate the flow of these hot cylinder gases so that they cannot pass any further within the injector . to do this , the floating sleeve 80 is forced upwardly by the gas pressure within the lower metering chamber 97 which holds sealing surface 84 against the upper annular ledge 74 to seal the upper metering chamber 95 from the lower metering chanber 97 . this seal between chambers 95 and 97 is further facilitated by the engagement between the minor diameter section 62 and the inner surface 82 of the floating sleeve 80 . moreover , the greater that the gas pressure within the lower metering chamber 97 becomes , the greater is the holding force of the floating sleeve 80 acting on the upper annular ledge 74 . then , as the plunger 28 is advanced to the fig5 position and eventually the fig2 position , the gases accumulated within the lower metering chamber 97 are expelled through injection orifices 25 . the floating sleeve 80 also further advantageously rides along the outer surface of the minor diameter section 62 as the lower plunger 28 is moved from the fig4 to the fig2 position in such a way that the upper edge of the interior surface 82 of the floating sleeve 80 scrapes any carbon deposits which may accumulate on the minor diameter section 62 . in a like sense , the lower edge of the interior surface 82 of floating sleeve 80 scrapes the minor diameter section 62 as the lower plunger 28 is moved from the fig2 position to the fig4 position . thus , even though the present invention substantially reduces the formation of carbon on the minor diameter section 62 of the lower plunger 28 , any carbon deposits which may accumulate thereon are advantageously scraped from the minor diameter section 62 to prolong usage of such a unit injector without requiring regular maintenance . moreover , the floating sleeve 80 effectively reduces carbon deposits on the injector components above the floating sleeve by restricting those gases which have been found to be essential for carbon formation . it is understood that the present invention has a wide range of applicability as an improvement to open nozzle fuel injectors of all types . as long as the open nozzle injector includes a minor diameter plunger section that extends within an injector cup , the modification of the present invention will reduce carbon formation on the injector components . furthermore , the floating sleeve improves such typical open nozzle fuel injectors by adding a major advantage only previously reserved for closed nozzle unit fuel injectors in that the backflow of hot cylinder gases is restricted from contacting critical portions of the open nozzle injector . furthermore , unit injectors formed in accordance with the present invention can be utilized in both large and small vehicles for increasing injector longevity and performance while reducing injector maintenance . | 5 |
fig1 shows a sectional valve 10 comprised of an inlet and outlet manifold section 12 which provides pressurized hydraulic fluid from pump 20 to the downstream sections of the valve and which returns exhaust fluid to reservoir 24 . the remainder of sectional valve 10 is shown as being comprised of functional valve sections 14 , 16 and 18 . while the sectional valve is shown as having only three sections beyond the inlet , it should be appreciated and understood that additional valve sections may be easily added to sectional valve 10 so as to provide additional functions or controls . as seen in fig2 inlet manifold section 12 receives pressurized hydraulic fluid from pump 20 via inlet port 22 and returns exhausted hydraulic fluid to reservoir 24 via outlet port 26 . relief valve 28 is disposed within passageway 30 and monitors fluid pressure in passageway 23 . as shown in fig3 first downstream valve section 14 is a typical open center control valve characterized by an open center or through passage 32 that intersects bore 34 which houses spool 36 . also formed in valve body 14 are u - shaped bridge passage 38 , a pair of service passages 40 and 42 and a return fluid passage 44 communicable with outlet passage 46 that leads to passageway 30 in inlet section 12 and eventually to reservoir 24 via outlet port 26 . the u - shaped bridge passage 38 has its bight portion communicated with feeder passage 50 through feeder branch 52 . feeder passage 50 also connects with the inlet of the valve in the conventional manner . the legs of bridge passage 38 intersect spool bore 34 at zones 51 and 53 spaced at opposite sides of medial branch 54 of the open center passage . hence when communication between the upstream and downstream sections of the open center passage through the medial portion 54 of spool bore 34 is blocked due to the shifting of spool 36 out of its neutral position , pressure fluid is diverted into feeder passage 50 from whence it flows through feeder branch 52 to the bridge passage 38 , past a check valve 39 , all in the conventional manner . the two service passages 40 and 42 intersect spool bore 34 at a zone spaced axially outwardly along said bore from its zone of intersection with the legs of bridge passage 38 and thus each service passage is communicable through a short section of the spool bore with its adjacent leg of the bridge passage . the exhaust passage 44 comprises a substantially u - shaped passage , the legs 56 and 58 of which intersect the spool bore 34 near the opposite ends thereof and the bight portion of which communicates with the outlet passage 46 . hence , each of the service passages 40 and 42 is also communicable through another short section of the spool bore with its adjacent leg of the exhaust passage . pressure relief valve 28 monitors pressure in ports 40 and 42 of the system governed by the first valve section 14 , and as explained hereinafter , it also monitors pressure of port 60 in second valve section 16 . in accordance with the invention second downstream valve section 16 is also an open center control valve having service ports 60 and 62 wherein service port 60 is a hoist lift port which provides high pressure hydraulic fluid to an hydraulic cylinder utilized in performing the lift or hoist function , while service port 62 is blocked by plug 64 . relief valve 66 which is set at a lower pressure than relief valve 28 is disposed within passageway 68 so as to monitor fluid pressure in that passageway . valve section 16 is provided with a specially designed spool 70 disposed within bore 72 . spool 70 is provided with spaced lands 74 , 76 , 78 and 80 and reduced diameter portions 82 , 84 , 86 and 88 . when spools 36 and 70 are in neutral positions , as seen in fig3 and 4 , pump 20 supplies fluid to open center sections 90 and 92 in bore 72 and in turn to feeder passage 94 which is connected to bridge passage 98 . the fluid then proceeds to open center 96 from whence it either returns to reservoir 24 or is utilized by downstream valve section 18 in the conventional manner . should the fluid &# 39 ; s return to reservoir 24 be obstructed by a downstream use in valve section 18 the resulting pressure build - up will be realized in feeder passage 94 and bridge passage 98 . this pressure is communicated to passageway 68 via reduced diameter section 88 and is thus monitored by relief valve 66 . when spool 70 is moved to its extreme left hand or out position , service port 60 is vented to reservoir 24 via reduced diameter section 82 and exhaust passage 100 , while land 76 prevents fluid from entering service port 60 from bridge passage 98 . fluid from section 90 is allowed into open center 96 from whence it can flow to downstream valve section 18 . should the fluid be utilized by downstream section 18 the resulting pressure build - up is monitored by relief valve 66 as described earlier . when spool 70 is moved to its extreme right hand or in position , fluid is provided to sections 90 and 92 and to feeder passage 94 . land 76 prevents fluid flow from section 92 to open center 96 while land 78 prevents fluid flow from branch 90 to open center branch 96 and thus downstream section 18 becomes inoperative . pressurized fluid flows from bridge passage 98 to service port 60 via reduced portion 82 while land 74 prevents the exhaust of fluid from port 60 . the flow of fluid from bridge passage 98 to passageway 68 is prevented by land 80 and thus the pressure in the system is monitored by relief valve 28 . as mentioned earlier relief valve 28 is set as a considerably higher pressure ( greater than 2000 psi ) than relief valve 66 ( 1900 psi or less ). typically the hoist or lift function requires a higher pressure than auxiliary function such as tilt or rotate . in the sectional valve of the invention , the hoist or lift function is provided at service port 60 . as discussed earlier when fluid is provided to service port 60 relief valve 66 is effectively removed from the system and system pressure is monitored by relief valve 28 . since supplying fluid to service port 60 makes all downstream valve sections which perform auxiliary functions inoperative , there is no need for relief valve 66 . whenever spool 70 is in a position allowing fluid flow to downstream sections performing auxiliary functions the system pressure is monitored by relief valve 66 . in accordance with the invention third downstream valve section 18 provides auxiliary functions and is a typical open center control valve such as valve section 14 . accordingly , parts of valve section 18 corresponding to identical parts on valve section 14 have been given identical numbers primed . it is also to be understood that any number of high pressure valve sections may be placed upstream of valve section 16 and will have the pressure monitored by relief valve 28 provided that section 16 uses a housing circuit configuration similar to section 18 . various modes for carrying out the invention are contemplated as being within the scope of the following claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which is regarded as the invention . | 8 |
fig1 is a schematic and perspective view which illustrates an embodiment of the present invention constituted in such a manner that a ventilating apparatus is provided for a railway vehicle 27 which is an example of a vehicle to which the present invention can be applied . fig2 is a schematic plan view which illustrates the upper structure of this embodiment . fig3 is a schematic plan view which illustrates the structure of the lower portion of the vehicle 27 . fig4 is a schematic cross sectional view taken along a cross sectional line iv -- iv of fig3 fig5 is a schematic cross sectional view taken along a cross sectional line v -- v of fig4 and fig6 is a schematic cross sectional view taken along a cross sectional line vi -- vi of fig4 . with reference to these drawings and fig7 which is a schematic view of the ventilating apparatus for a vehicle , the embodiment of the present invention will now be described . this embodiment is constituted in such a manner that the ventilating apparatus is disposed substantially axis symmetrically with respect to a symmetric axis 28 vertically extending from the surface of the drawing sheets on which fig2 and 3 are drawn . as shown in fig1 this embodiment of a ventilating apparatus includes a first ventilating system and a second ventilating system disposed on opposite sides of the symmetric axis . however , the same effect can be obtained even if the configuration of the ventilating apparatus is made plane symmetric , that is , mirror symmetric with respect to a symmetric plane designated by an alternate long and short dash line which passes through the symmetric axis 28 . the vehicle 27 has first conduits 29 and 30 on both sides of the upper portion thereof . the right and the left first conduits 29 and 30 are connected to each other at predetermined positions of the vehicle 27 by connecting conduits 31 and 32 . air conditioning means 34 and 35 are disposed below a floor 33 of the vehicle 27 . conditioned air cooled or heated by the air conditioning means 34 and 35 is passed through horizontal conduits 36 and 37 disposed below and along the floor 33 and also passed through rising conduits 38 and 39 so that the cooled or heated air is supplied to the first conduits 29 and 30 . it is preferable to form the rising conduits 38 and 39 by utilizing partition walls or bulkheads which partition the inside of the vehicle 27 into a plurality of compartments and also preferable to make them to be included at positions opposing door pockets 42 and 43 for doors 40 and 41 . as a result , the rising conduits 38 and 39 are given sufficiently large cross sectional areas while enabling the doors 40 and 41 to be smoothly opened / closed . since relatively large spaces can be obtained in the aforesaid case , a muffling means for muffling noise generated by the air conditioning means 34 and 35 can be located . specifically , the rising conduits 38 and 39 may be formed into silencers . furthermore , this embodiment is arranged in such a manner that second conduits 46 and 47 for return air from a compartment 44 of the vehicle 27 are disposed adjacent to the floor 33 in the lower portion of the vehicle 27 to face the compartment 44 of the vehicle 27 , the second conduits 46 and 47 being disposed axial symmetrically as described above . return air from the compartment 44 is introduced through the second conduits 46 and 47 so that it is returned to the air conditioning means 34 and 35 . the air conditioning means 34 and 35 are , via air supply conduits 48 and 49 , supplied with outdoor fresh air by suction means of ventilating means 53 and 54 each of which comprises an axial fan . in the air conditioning means 34 and 35 , circulated air passed from the second conduits 46 and 47 and air passed from the air supply conduits 48 and 49 are mixed with each other so that conditioned air is again passed to the horizontal conduits 36 and 37 . furthermore , third conduits 51 and 52 facing the compartment are axial - symmetrically disposed in the lower portion of the vehicle 27 adjacent to the floor 33 , the third conduits 51 and 52 being arranged to discharge the air in the compartment 44 to the outside of the vehicle 27 . ventilating means 53 and 54 each comprising an axial fan are connected to the third conduits 51 and 52 . the ventilating means 53 and 54 are disposed below the floor 33 , the ventilating means 53 and 54 each including a discharge means for discharging air 55 and 56 in the compartment 44 and suction means for sucking outdoor air to supply it to the compartment 44 . the case where a lavatory and a wash room are placed in the vehicle 27 will now be described . in the case where the lavatory and the like are placed at positions designated by phantom lines of fig3 a lavatory 57 which emits odor is placed in the vicinity of the third conduit 51 , while a wash room 58 which does not emit odor is placed in the vicinity of the second conduit 47 which opposes the third conduit 51 . each of the exhaust ports of the lavatory 57 and the wash room 58 is connected to the third conduit 51 or the second conduit 47 . as a result , the lavatory 57 is connected to the third conduit 51 which exclusively exhaust air while been insulated from the second conduit 47 which exclusively returns air . hence , the odor of the lavatory cannot mix with the return air and therefore the necessity of providing an individual exhaust means for the lavatory can be eliminated . fig8 is a block diagram which schematically illustrates this embodiment , showing how a single compartment 44 is equipped with a ventilating apparatus comprising two systems 44 . the first conduits 29 and 30 included by the two systems are connected to each other by the connecting pipes 31 and 32 . if necessary , the second conduits 46 and 47 may be connected to each other and the third conduits 51 and 52 may be connected to each other . in this case , the second system is able to compensate for a malfunction of the first system . according to this embodiment thus arranged , each of the first conduits 29 and 30 , the second conduits 46 and 47 and the third conduits 51 and 52 can be individually and simply constituted . consequently , the overall structure of the system can be simplified while overcoming the aforesaid problems experienced with the conventional technologies and structures . since each of the aforesaid components can be disposed in arbitrary directions in the vehicle while being satisfactorily balanced , each of the conduits 29 , 30 , 46 , 47 , 51 and 52 is able to have a sufficient and proper large cross sectional area while satisfactorily preventing the undesirable loss . hence , air of a required quantity can be introduced through each of the aforesaid conduits . therefore , the problem taken place in that the compartment 44 cannot keep a satisfactorily large space can be overcome . it can be seen from fig8 that in this embodiment , each of the first and second systems is equipped with its own first conduit , second conduit , third conduit , air conditioning means , and ventilating means . furthermore , it can be seen that at least one of the first conduits of each system is connected to a first conduit of the other system . another embodiment of the present invention shown in fig9 enables the function of the vehicle to be improved because it is arranged in such a manner that a partitioning bulkhead in the form of an insulating wall 70 is disposed adjacent to or in the vicinity of the aforesaid symmetric axis 28 of the vehicle so that the inside of the vehicle 27 is partitioned into a plurality of compartments in the form of a smoking - permitted room and a inhibited room . in this case , the first conduits 29 and 30 are respectively closed adjacent to the insulating wall 70 . as a result , air in each of the compartments can be individually conditioned by the individual system arranged as shown in fig1 , and therefore the introduction of contaminated air in the smoking - permitted room into the smoking - inhibited room can be prevented . in other words , contaminated air in the smoking - permitted room will not be introduced into the smoking - inhibited room . it can be seen that is not necessary for every compartment to have its own ventilating system . for example , in fig9 the portion of the vehicle 27 to the left of partition 70 is divided into a plurality of compartments which share the first ventilating system , while the portion of the vehicle 27 to the right of partition 70 is divided into a plurality of compartments which share the second ventilating system . thus , the vehicle 27 may comprise a plurality of groups of compartments , with each group having its own ventilating system . the present invention can be widely adapted to another vehicle or a facility as well as the railway vehicle . by introducing and jetting air 55 and 56 discharged through outlet ports of the ventilating means 53 and 54 into underfloor equipment disposed below the floor 33 , the underfloor equipment can be cooled . as described above , according to the present invention , conditioned air supplied from the air conditioning means is introduced into the first conduit disposed in the upper portion of the vehicle so as to be supplied into the compartment , the second conduit for sucking air in the compartment and for circulating it is disposed in the lower portion of the vehicle , air which has been passed through the second conduit is introduced into the air conditioning means , and the air conditioning means is also supplied with outdoor fresh air by the suction mean of the ventilating means so that air is conditioned . furthermore , the third conduit is disposed in the lower portion of the vehicle so that air in the compartment is , via the third conduit , exhaust to the outside of the vehicle via the exhaust means of the ventilating means . as a result , the present invention enables the structure to be simplified , a complicated labor required when it is manufactured to be eliminated , a desired air conditioning performance to be kept , and noise to be eliminated while keeping a proper air quantity and wind velocity . the structure according to the present invention is arranged in such a manner that the two systems of the ventilating apparatus are provided in the compartment and at least of the first conduit of the aforesaid ventilating apparatuses is connected to each other by the connecting conduit , so that a problem taken place in that one of the ventilating apparatuses has encountered a malfunction can be overcome by continuing the desired ventilation and the air harmonization by means of the residual ventilating apparatus . furthermore , the structure according to the present invention is arranged in such a manner that the inside of a vehicle is partitioned into a plurality of compartments as desired , and each of the partitioned compartments has a ventilating system including first , second , and third conduits , air conditioning means , and ventilating means , so that air of each of the compartments can be individually conditioned and ventilated while preventing contaminated air from being introduced into the other compartments . therefore , the atmosphere of each of the compartments can be maintained satisfactorily . in addition , even if a lavatory is placed in the compartment , propagation of odor in the compartment can be prevented because the exhaust port of the lavatory is connected to the third conduit . as described above , the present invention is able to improve the practical advantage of a conveyance . although the invention has been described in its preferred form with a certain degree of particularly , it is understood that the present disclosure of the preferred form has been changed in the details of construction and the combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed . | 1 |
hereinafter , embodiments according to the present invention will be fully explained by referring to the attached drawings . hereinafter , explanation will be made on a system for outputting the internal information of a digital television apparatus , intermittently , to externally connected equipment ( e . g ., a hdd recorder ), during operation of the digital television apparatus , wherein upon receipt of the information outputted , the externally connected equipment ( e . g ., the hdd recorder ) records the internal information of the television apparatus as broadcast program information . fig1 is system view for showing entire structures of a recording apparatus , according to an embodiment of the present invention . the system according to the present embodiment , as is shown in fig1 , comprises a digital television apparatus 1 as an original for outputting the internal information , a hdd recorder 7 for obtaining the internal information outputted from the digital television apparatus 1 , so as to record it as a broadcast program , and a cable 161 for connecting the digital television apparatus 1 and the hdd recorder 7 , so as to enable transmission of data thereon . the digital television apparatus 1 has , other than the functions that are equipped with a normal television apparatus , an internal information output designation recorder portion or unit 2 for registering an output designation of the internal information and an interface to be used for output , an internal information obtainer portion or unit 3 for obtaining the internal information , and an internal information recording buffer portion or unit 4 for recoding the internal information obtained , temporarily therein . the digital television apparatus 1 further has an internal information transmitter portion or unit 5 , for transmitting the internal information , which is recorded in the internal information recording buffer unit 4 , to the hdd recorder 7 , with applying protocol that is registered in the internal information output designation recorder unit 2 , and a wiring 16 for connecting between the hdd recorder and the digital television apparatus 1 . in case where the wiring 16 can transmit only analog data , there is provided a d / a converter 6 for converting the data to be transmitted from digital data into analog data . next , explanation will be made on the structures of the hdd recorder 7 . the hdd recorder 7 comprises a recording program information recorder portion or unit 9 for recording therein programmed recording information of the hdd recorder 7 , so as to achieve a function as a normal recorder , a recording function portion or unit 10 for recording the program on the air , and a time information obtainer portion or unit 14 for obtaining time information when the system operates . further , the hdd recorder 7 has an internal information recorder portion or unit 12 for recording the internal information transmitted from the digital television apparatus 1 as the broadcast program . this internal information recorder unit 12 may record the internal information merging into the program information , by adding it into a vacant or empty stream of the broadcast program of the digital broadcast , on which recording is conducted . in this instance , a pid value of ts packet to be recorded or temporary management information may be recorded into a management information recorder portion or unit 15 . connection between the hdd recorder 7 and the digital television apparatus 1 is conducted within an internal information receiver portion or unit 13 , and it is controlled in accordance with the information of an internal information output origin recorder portion or unit 8 for registering therein a name or title of an internal information outputting apparatus and an interface to be used in the outputting thereof . for example , in accordance with the protocol registered in the internal information output origin recorder unit 8 , the internal information of the digital television apparatus 1 is communicated from the internal information transmitter unit within the digital television apparatus 1 to the internal information receiver unit of the digital television apparatus 1 . in case where the cable 161 connecting between the hdd recorder and the digital television can transmit only analog data , the data transmitted is converted into digital data within an a / d converter portion or unit 11 . the cable 161 may be a video signal cable , for example . fig2 is a view for explaining about the details of the internal information recorder unit 12 . the internal information recorder unit 12 comprises a ts packet accumulating buffer 16 for accumulating ts packet before recording when a user is also conducting recording of the hdd recorder , temporally , when recording the internal information of the television apparatus , an internal information accumulation buffer 17 for accumulating the internal information before converting it into the ts packet , a temporary information recording portion or unit 18 , as a temporary recording region or area , in which the functions of the internal information recording unit can be used widely , a ts packet cut - out function portion or unit 19 for cutting out a packet one by one from a head of the packets , a pid detecting function portion or unit 20 for obtaining pid ( e . g ., a stream id ) of the ts packet , a program association table analyzing function portion or unit 21 for detecting the pid of a program map table , managing the pid ( e . g ., the stream id ) of the st packet , which is used by the recording program on which the user makes recording , a program map table analyzing function portion or unit 22 for detecting the pid of the stream is not used from the program map table , a using stream determining function portion or unit 24 for determining the stream id to be used when newly adding or post - scripting the internal information of the television apparatus , a program map table changing function portion or unit 23 for influencing the pid information , which is determined to be used with the using stream determining function unit 24 , on the program map table , a ts packet header generating function portion or unit 25 for producing a header for the ts packet , into which the internal information should be recorded , upon basis of the stream id which is determined to be used by the using stream determining function , a ts packet generating function portion or unit 26 for making up the ts packet by combining the internal information and the ts packet , and a ts packet renewal function portion or unit 27 for delivering the ts packet generated within the internal information recording unit to the recording function unit 10 . next , explanation will be made on the flow of steps , in case when the digital television apparatus 1 transmits the internal information to the hdd recorder connected therewith , by referring to fig1 mentioned above as well as the flowchart shown in fig4 . first of all , in a step s 01 , reference is made onto an output destination of the internal information registered in the internal information output designation recorder unit 2 and a mode or system of the cable to be used in the transmission . next , in a step s 02 , the internal information transmitter unit 3 establishes a section between the internal information recorder unit 13 of the hdd recorder , i . e ., a connecting designation . next , in a step s 03 is obtained data having fixed length from the internal information recording buffer unit 4 . next , in a step s 04 , the internal information transmitter unit produces a packet fitting to the protocols to be used in the transmission , from the fixed length data obtained in the step s 03 . next , in a step s 05 , upon basis of the information , which is referred in the step s 01 , it is determined on whether the cable is an analog cable or not , connecting between the digital television apparatus and the hdd recorder , and if it is the analog cable , then a process is executed for use of d / a conversion . if the d / a conversion is necessary , the process advances into a step s 06 , thereby executing the d / a conversion . next , if determining that the d / a conversion is not necessary in the step s 05 , then the process advances to a step s 07 , wherein the internal information transmitter unit 5 transmits the packet , which is produced in the step s 04 , to the internal information receiver unit 14 of the hdd recorder 7 . next , in a step s 06 , an amount or volume is calculated of the internal information remaining in the buffer . next , if the volume is zero of the internal information in a step s 08 , then the process is completed . if not zero ( 0 ), then the process turns back to the step s 03 . next , explanation will be made in details thereof , about the steps of a process , for the hdd recorder 7 to determine the pid ( i . e ., the stream id ), necessary for recording the digital television internal information as the program of the digital broadcasting , in particular , when the internal information of the digital television apparatus from the internal information transmitter unit of the digital television apparatus 1 connected therewith , by referring to fig1 , 2 and 3 , and also the flowchart shown in fig5 . firstly , in a step s 09 shown in fig5 , the internal information receiver unit determines on whether there is a request for requiring a session establishment or not , from the internal information transmitter unit within the digital television apparatus 1 . in case when there is the request for requiring a session establishment , the process advances into a step s 10 . in the step s 10 is made determination on whether it is the request for requiring a session establishment or not , coming from the equipments registered in the internal information output origin recorder unit 8 as the output origins . in case when determining that the origin of the request is the equipment registered , then the process advances into a session s 11 , while not so , then the process turns back to the session s 08 . in the session s 11 , the internal information receiver unit 13 establishes a session between the internal information transmitter unit 5 of the digital television apparatus . next , in a step s 12 , by referring to the information of the recording program information recorder unit 9 , it is checked on whether reservation is made or not for recording a broadcast program within a certain time - period from now . since this time - period depends on implementation of a program , then it is determined depending upon the equipment . in case where there is the reservation of recording , then the process advances into a step s 13 , while in case where there is no reservation of recording , the process advances into a step s 18 . in the step s 13 , the present time is obtained from the management information recorder unit 14 , so as to be compared with the information of the recording program information unit 9 , and as a result in case where it is within “ n ” seconds until beginning of the recording , the process advances into a step s 14 , but in case of not so , then it advances into the step s 18 . however , since this “ n ” seconds also depends on the implementation of the program , then it may take any extent of time - period . in the step s 14 , with using the ts packet cut - out function unit 19 , the ts packet for one ( 1 ) packet is taken out from the image or video information of recording target , which is recorded in the ts packet accumulation buffer 16 . then , the ts packet is recorded in the temporary information recording unit 18 , temporally , and the process advances into a step s 15 . in the step s 15 , the program association table analyzing function unit 21 executes analysis of the program association table . herein , fig3 shows apart of the transport packet , which is applied in the digital broadcasting . in a transport packet are entered contents of the digital broadcasting for plural numbers of channels , however in the program association table ( pat ) are recorded pids of special transport packets , each describing the stream structure or configuration for each channel ( i . e ., program map table pmt ), for plural numbers of channels . in the step s 15 , with using a fact that the program association table uses “ pid = 0x0000 ” therein , the pid detecting function unit 20 of the internal information recorder unit 12 takes out 13 bits , starting from 12 th bit from a head of the ts packet , which is recorded in the temporary information recording unit 18 . and , determination is made on whether the value thereof is “ pid = 0x0000 ” or not , and in case where it is “ pid = 0x0000 ”, the process advances into a step s 16 . in the step s 16 , detection is made on a pid value of the program map table ( pmt ), describing the stream configuration of the target to be recorded in such a manner , which will be mentioned in the following , and the process advances into a step s 17 . thus , the program association table analyzing function unit 21 searches for a service id of a program number ( i . e ., a broadcast program discrimination or identification number ), which is recorded in the recording program information unit 9 , by referring to a payload of the ts packet , i . e ., meaning to be the program association table ( pat ) that is recorded in the ts packet accumulation buffer 16 . then , corresponding to the service id found out , there is obtained the pid value of the program map table , describing the stream configuration of the target to be recorded , and it is recorded into the management information recorder unit 15 . in the step s 17 , the program map table analyzing function unit 22 extracts the program map table among the st packets , with using the pid value of that program map table , which is recorded in the management information recorder unit 15 , and then the process advances into the step s 18 . in the step s 18 , the using stream determining function unit 24 analyzes the stream configuration of program of the recording target , which is recorded within the program map table extracted . in more details , a stream is determined to be used for recording the internal information therein , within a number of pieces of the streams , which is determined in accordance with a regulation applied in the digital broadcasting , as well as , the pid value of the stream to be used , to renew the management information recorder unit 15 , and the process advances into a step s 19 . in the step s 19 , the using stream determining function unit 24 records a stream pid to be added into the recording program information recorder unit 9 , and during the broadcasting of the program to be recorded , it records an identifier indicating that the internal information of the digital television apparatus is recorded , and then the process is ended . as was mentioned above , the digital television internal information is recorded , in the form of the pid , which is necessary for recording as a digital broadcasting program ( i . e ., stream id ). next , explanation will be made on the processing , for the hdd recorder apparatus 7 , to record the digital television internal information therein , actually , as a program of digital program , in particular , when the digital television internal information is transmitted from the internal information transmitter unit of the digital television apparatus 1 , which is connected thereto , by referring to fig1 and 2 mentioned above , and also the flowchart shown in fig6 . in a step s 20 , the pid detecting function unit 20 extracts the pid of the ts packet , which is accumulated within the ts packet accumulating buffer 16 , and then the process advances into a step s 21 . in the step s 21 , the program map table analyzing function unit 22 compares between the pid value of the program map table ( pmt ), which is recorded within the management information recorder portion or unit 15 , and the pid value , which is extracted in the previous step . in case where it is the program map table of the program of the recording target , then the process advances into a step s 22 . in the step s 22 , the program map table ( pmt ) is generated with using the ts packet generating function unit 26 , upon basis of the stream id and the pid information , which are recorded in the management information recorder unit 15 , and is recorded in the temporary information recording unit 18 , and then the process advances into a step s 23 . in the step s 23 , the ts packet including the renewed program map table ( pmt ), which is generated in the previous step , is delivered to the ts packet renewal function unit 27 and the recording function unit 10 . in a next step s 24 , the ts packet recording counter of the management information recorder unit 15 is counted up , and the process advances into a step s 25 . in the step s 25 , the ts packet recording counter of the management information recorder unit 15 is compared with a setup value , which is arbitrarily determined for the program , and in case where it exceeds the setup value , then the process advances into a step s 26 . in the step s 26 , only a fixed length of the internal information of the digital television apparatus 1 is obtained from the internal information accumulation buffer 17 , and it is recorded in a temporary memorizing area , and then the process advances into a step s 27 . in the step s 27 , a header for the ts packet is generated with using the ts packet header generating function unit 25 , and the process advances into a step s 28 . in the step s 28 , the ts packet is generated from the internal information recorded in the temporary information recorder unit 18 , with using the ts packet generating function unit 26 , and then the process advances into a step s 29 . in the step s 29 , the ts packet renewal function unit 27 delivers the ts packet , which is generated in the step s 21 , to the recording function unit , and the recording function unit records the ts packet . in a next step s 30 is conducted checking on a remaining amount or volume of the internal information recording buffer , and in case if there is the remaining volume , the process turns back to the step s 20 , while it is end if there is not . in the embodiment mentioned above , the explanation was given on the example , in which the internal information is recorded in the hdd recorder apparatus , with which the digital television apparatus is connected ; however , it is needless to say that even the internal information of the hdd recorder apparatus may be recorded in the form of the ts stream , in the similar manner . with the embodiment mentioned above , it is possible to utilize the internal information for recording and / or analyzing , if there is a stream , which is not used for the program of the digital broadcasting under recording , even in the case when the digital broadcast recording function is used or when the digital broadcast recording function of an external equipment connected with is used , when trouble or abnormality occurs , within the built - in equipment having the digital broadcast receiving / recording function therein , such as , the digital television apparatus and / or the hdd recorder apparatus , etc . with this , it is possible to obtain the information at the time when trouble or abnormality occurs , even when using the recording function . also , since the internal information is recorded in the form of the broadcasting program , into the equipment having the digital broadcast receiving / recording function , such as , the hdd recorder apparatus , etc ., therefore it is possible to record a large amount of information therein . further , since being recorded in the form of the broadcast program , then it is possible to obtain a backup thereof , easily , onto a device , such as , a dvd , etc . while we have shown and described several embodiments in accordance with our invention , it should be understood that disclosed embodiments are susceptible of changes and modifications without departing from the scope of the invention . therefore , we do not intend to be bound by the details shown and described herein but intend to cover all such changes and modifications that fall within the ambit of the appended claims . | 7 |
referring now to the figures of the drawings in detail and first , particularly , to fig1 thereof , there is seen an offset printing press 7 having two printing units with a control system which is networked with a computer 4 . a color measuring instrument 11 , which is able to measure sheet printing materials 3 over an area in a scanning operation , is also connected to the computer 4 . to this end , a measuring beam 1 constructed as a scanner moves over the entire printed sheet 3 in the x direction and in the process registers both an entire printed image 8 as well as print control strips 9 applied to the sides of the sheet 3 . during the measuring operation , the sheet lies on a measuring table 2 . in this way , it is possible to register both the entire printed image 8 as well as print control strips 9 applied to the sides in one pass with the scanning measuring beam 1 . data from the printed image 8 and from the print control strip 9 registered in this way can then be transmitted to the computer 4 , where actual measured values registered are compared with associated set points . should deviations between the set points and the actual values occur which are outside a permissible tolerance , appropriate adjustment commands are calculated , in particular for inking units and dampening units in the printing units of the printing press 7 , and are sent from the computer 4 to the printing press 7 . the computer 4 also has a screen 5 to display the printed image 8 and to display masks of the machine control system of the printing press 7 and has a keyboard 6 as well as a non - illustrated computer mouse for the entry of operating commands . in the present invention , it is substantially a matter of automatically determining the correct set points , in particular color set points , for the comparison with the actual values registered through the use of the color measuring instrument 11 , in particular the actual color values . for this purpose , the computer 4 firstly has access to the digital image data from the original print . to this end , the computer 4 is advantageously linked directly to a computer of a prepress stage and can thus make direct access to the color separations of the original print in the prepress stage . these color separations are analyzed by the computer 4 with regard to different image types and image regions . the computer 4 combines identical image types / image regions and allocates these identical image types / image regions the same set points , in particular color set points . these set points correspond to pre - setting data for the printing press 7 , in particular involving the colors needed for the printing , such as cmyk and any special colors . fig2 depicts the most important six image types , into which the color separations from the prepress stage , which are present in the jdf format , for example , are organized . firstly , during the analysis of the digital image data in the computer 4 , a subdivision into regions with special colors and into regions with only cmyk colors is carried out . each of the two color regions is then once more subdivided into the regions including bitmaps , overprinted homogenous regions and homogenous half tones . it is possible , at least in the case of the regions having homogenous full tones , to transfer set points from the matching color automatically , so that the set points from the ink setting or from the inking unit of the printing press 7 can be transferred directly . in the case of the overprinted homogenous cmyk regions , it is advantageous that a menu is firstly created on the screen 5 and the regions are displayed on the screen 5 . thus , the printer can , as appropriate , confirm or change the selection directly on the screen . in the case of the bitmaps , an automatic selection can likewise be carried out or the printer is given the possibility of allocating by hand the bitmap in the printed image 8 , marked on the screen 5 . to this end , he or she can fall back on suggestions drawn by the computer 4 from a database , in which the corresponding set points are stored . fig3 shows , by way of example , a sheet printing material 3 which is produced in the printing press 7 and which is measured on the color measuring instrument 11 . it can be seen that the printing material 3 further contains print control strips or elements 9 , 10 in addition to the printed image 8 . the print control strips 9 are accommodated at the side outside the printed image 8 , while so - called mini print control strips 10 are accommodated in the printed image 8 itself . the printed image 8 on the sheet 3 in fig3 in this case contains eight copies , as they are known . this means that , after the printing , the sheet 3 is cut up into these eight copies . each of the copies is identical and , in particular , in the color reproduction during printing , should also be reproduced identically , so that each copy appears the same . fig3 a reveals an extract from a copy , which is present in the form of a cmyk bitmap . this means that this extract is formed only of the colors cyan , magenta , yellow and black . fig3 b , on the other hand , reveals an extract from a copy which is formed of a bitmap having special colors . fig3 c shows an image extract having homogenous cmyk colors in the full tone , while fig3 e shows an image extract having homogenous cmyk colors as half tones , for example a 50 % half tone . fig3 g shows , by way of example , an extract in which a plurality of cmyk half tones are overprinted , with the uppermost square containing 50 % cyan , 40 % magenta , 40 % yellow and no proportion of black , while the middle square contains 30 % cyan , 80 % magenta , 100 % yellow and a 20 % proportion of black , and the lowest square contains 100 % cyan , 0 % magenta , 100 % yellow and no proportion of black . in the right - hand column , fig3 d shows a homogenous image region having special colors in the full tone , while fig3 f represents a homogenous image region having special colors in half tones , in this case a 50 % half tone once more being reproduced as an example . fig3 h in turn shows overprinted half tones of special colors , which can also be combined with cmyk colors . thus , the uppermost square shows the special color 50 % pantone 471 with a 30 % proportion of black , while the lower square shows a special color 50 % pantone 471 with 20 % special color pantone reflex blue . the computer 4 ensures that each of the image types in fig3 a to 3h is respectively allocated the correct set points as reference variable for the actual values registered by the color measuring instrument 11 . therefore , wrong entries by the printer are avoided and erroneous color control , which would not lead to color reproduction of the image data from the prepress stage that was true to the original , is avoided . | 7 |
as discussed in the summary of the invention section , the present subject matter is particularly concerned with apparatus and methodologies for carrying out cathodic protection monitoring and testing combined with meter data collection via a common device over an advanced metering infrastructure ( ami ). currently , gas utilities must monitor the condition of their cathodic protection system on a regular basis . such monitoring is required by federal law , as well as by the utility to ensure the safety and longevity of the gas system . due to the number of cathodic protection test stations , and the fact they are related to maintenance , rather than billing , monitoring is typically accomplished manually . such labor intensive operation is an expense to the utility requiring extra vehicles and crews to be deployed into the utility territory . such operations may be required at a time when the utility is trying to reduce its vehicle usage to improve its environmental impact , but not having current cathodic protection data on a regular basis can lead to re - excavation of construction sites to repair compromised systems , as well as some deterioration of the buried pipes while the system is compromised . thus , it would be desirable to have in place a system and methodologies that may significantly reduce all costs involved with cathodic protection operation and monitoring . selected combinations of aspects of the disclosed technology correspond to a plurality of different embodiments of the present subject matter . it should be noted that each of the exemplary embodiments presented and discussed herein should not insinuate limitations of the present subject matter . features or steps illustrated or described as part of one embodiment may be used in combination with aspects of another embodiment to yield yet further embodiments . additionally , certain features may be interchanged with similar devices or features not expressly mentioned which perform the same or similar function . reference is made in detail to the presently preferred embodiments of the subject cathodic protection monitoring system . referring now to the drawings , fig1 illustrates an exemplary telemetry system generally 100 in accordance with the present subject matter . system 100 may include various exemplary telemetry endpoints 110 , 112 , 114 , and 116 located within , for example , a gas ami network , and which are read by network collectors 130 . telemetry endpoints may include , but are not limited to , a pressure monitor 110 , a data corrector 112 , cathodic protection apparatus 114 , and general telemetry apparatus 116 . such exemplary telemetry endpoints 110 , 112 , 114 , and 116 may be connected for data transmission via transmission paths 120 , 122 , 124 , and 126 , respectively , to collectors 130 . cathodic protection apparatus 114 , as noted further herein after , may correspond to a stand alone device or additional functionalities combined with gas metrology and endpoint communications devices in accordance with present technology . it should be appreciated that while transmission paths 120 , 122 , 124 , and 126 are presently illustrated as transmission lines , such is not a specific limitation of the present technology as data may be transmitted by any suitable technology , including via wired as well as wireless technology . in similar fashion , transmission paths 162 , 164 , 166 , and 168 ( illustrated as variously coupled data between head end associated items ) may also correspond to any suitable data transmission capable device or methodology , now existing or later developed . in accordance with present subject matter , the technology described herein is designed to reduce the operating costs associated with system integrity functions and the collection of consumption related information for gas utilities , and is thus not limited by the exemplary methodology and apparatus illustrated . those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the illustration in fig1 with respect to the network configuration is exemplary and that other components , for example , but not limited to , repeaters , may also be employed . it should be appreciated that while the present subject matter is described more specifically as directed to gas ami networks , such is not a specific limitation of the disclosure as the present disclosure may be extended to water and electric networks , as applicable , particularly as to selected portions of the present disclosure , for example , such as relating to alarm notifications and data handling . further , while the present communications system is described as a network , other and additional communication forms including the use of mobile data collection apparatus may be employed within the scope of the present disclosure . still further , while the present disclosure describes the use of a wan to transmit information among selected devices , such is illustrative only as other information exchange apparatus may be used to provide desired communications including , but not limited to , wan &# 39 ; s , lan &# 39 ; s , all varieties of wireless systems , and the internet , and intended to include other later developed technologies . in accordance with present exemplary disclosure , information from such exemplary endpoints 110 , 112 , 114 , and 116 may be processed in the collectors 130 and sent over a wan generally 140 to a head end system generally 150 by way of exemplary transmission paths 132 , 142 . the head end system 150 may further process the endpoint reading or data and send that information to other systems . long - term storage can , of course , be provided by , for example , a meter data management ( mdm ) system generally 154 , not presently illustrated in detail , and details of which form no particular aspect of the present subject matter . such system 154 may also be considered as meter data management means associated with the head end or centralized data collection facility , for storing and processing data received via the telemetry system generally 100 . with such arrangements , when incorporating the cathodic protection monitoring , advantageously usage data and gas delivery system integrity are efficiently monitored via an integrated system . for telemetry , there may be other systems that are not part of an amr / ami network , such as engineering systems generally 156 that monitor distribution system pressure , or software systems generally 158 provided by the manufacturer of the correctors 112 or other components monitored by the endpoints . other systems , not presently illustrated , may also be included in system 100 . also , the representative endpoints 110 , 112 , 114 , and 116 are intended to be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art as representing any number of such endpoints in use in a given system configuration in accordance with present subject matter , variously and respectively associated with collectors as needed . endpoints 110 , 112 , 114 , and 116 “ bubble - up ” readings of the telemetry data periodically as needed for measurement resolution and network reliability . as described , for example , in u . s . pat . no . 7 , 298 , 288 b2 , assigned to the owner of the present technology , battery - powered endpoints have been designed to limit the power consumed in day - to - day operation . one known design feature is a bubble - up mode of operation , in which an endpoint “ bubbles - up ,” or activates its transceiver to communicate or attempt to communicate with the amr data collection system , according , for example , to a preset schedule . the time duration or period between bubble - up events may typically span seconds or minutes . in accordance with present subject matter , endpoints 110 , 112 , 114 , and 116 may also contain alarm thresholds . per the present subject matter , when such thresholds are exceeded , the associated endpoint will initiate an alarm to relatively rapidly indicate an over / under threshold situation to the head end 150 . such alarms may take the form of special messages and may be sent at a higher frequency than normal transmissions to ensure rapid and reliable delivery . per present subject matter , parameters stored in collectors 130 may also be changed through the use of two - way commands from the system head end 150 down to the collectors . thought of in different terms , it is to be understood that all such various alarm features may be considered as being alarm means for forwarding alarm signaling whenever monitored conditions thereat fall outside set parameters ( whether initially set or subsequently reset ). collectors 130 validate the readings from the endpoints 110 , 112 , 114 , and 116 and prioritize the uploading of data to the head end 150 . collectors 130 can also evaluate data from the endpoints 110 , 112 , 114 , and 116 and generate alarms as well , per the present subject matter . at head end 150 , data is further validated , alarms may also be generated , and alarms and data are exported to an external system , all per present subject matter . head end 150 can also accept requests from an external system ( not presently illustrated ) to send reconfiguration messages through the network to the endpoints 110 , 112 , 114 , and 116 , all per the present subject matter . with reference now to fig2 , there is illustrated a block diagram of an exemplary gas consumption and associated endpoint device generally 200 , configured in accordance with present subject matter to provide cathodic protection related telemetry via a meter reading system . the owner of the present technology currently manufactures a line of long life battery based meter data collection systems for the gas industry . by modifying presently available devices , a device has been developed to monitor and record the state of the cathodic protection ( cp ) system where cp data can be retrieved by the meter reading system ( either mobile or fixed network ), as the meter data is collected , thus drastically reducing the cost of automated monitoring . as seen in fig2 , in accordance with the present technology , a generally known endpoint module 210 previously associated with gas metrology device 220 ( which together with related functionality may also be regarded as being utility metrology means ) is arranged to communicate with device 220 via communications line 212 . in an exemplary configuration , communications over line 212 may be preferably by a serial protocol . a power supply 230 , generally housed together with gas metrology device 220 and endpoint module 210 in device 200 , may provide operating power to both the gas metrology device 220 and endpoint module 210 . in an exemplary configuration , power supply 230 may correspond to a battery , in particular , a long life battery . other technologies , now known or later developed , may be practiced . it will be understood that all such variations are intended to be thought of , and encompassed by , reference as battery - operated power supply means for powering such metrology features and the various electronic devices otherwise included within device 200 . gas metrology device 220 may be coupled via line 222 to a pipe line in know fashion for data collection , details of which form no particular aspect of the present subject matter . endpoint module 210 may correspond to a wireless type device which is configured to communicate via exemplary representative antenna 214 with various collectors similar to collector 130 ( fig1 ) in a wireless network . it should be appreciated , however , that other forms of networks may also be provided using both or either of wired and wireless communications techniques so that in place or in addition to antenna 214 , wired connection functionality may be provided for endpoint module 210 . in accordance with present technology , advantage is taken of the existing capabilities of endpoint module 210 to transmit and receive information ( data ) to and from head end 150 ( fig1 ) in an existing ami or supervisory control and data acquisition ( scada ) network , such as generally illustrated in fig1 , to also transmit cathodic protection ( cp ) information . with reference to fig2 , such advantage is achieved by associating minimal additional components with existing endpoint 210 or metrology devices 220 to monitor an associated cathodic protection ( cp ) system 250 and to pass collected cp information through endpoint module 210 for transmission to head end 150 . in an exemplary configuration , the additional components may take the form of an analog to digital ( a / d ) converter generally 240 configured to monitor a voltage difference between a monitored pipe line ( not separately illustrated ) by way of input line 252 and a buried reference ( not separately illustrated ) used to provide a ground potential by way of reference input line 254 . it should be appreciated that other measurement technologies may be employed in place of separate a / d converter 240 . for example , gas metrology device 220 may be modified to directly monitor voltage on a monitored pipeline via direct connection through line 242 ′. further , data from a / d converter 240 may be passed directly via line 242 to endpoint module 210 for inclusion with bubbled up data , or may first be passed to gas metrology device 220 via line 242 ′ for inclusion in bubbled up data to be sent by endpoint module 210 to head end 150 . it is intended to be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that all such variations in converter features and related and / or associated functionality may also be thought of as being analog to digital converter means for providing cathodic protection operational condition data to either of such metrology features and such endpoint devices . as is well understood by those of ordinary skill in the art , there are two basic types of cp systems , galvanic ( non - active ) systems and impressed current systems . in accordance with present technology , data may be collected from either type system by way of meter endpoint data transmission . in the instance that the utilized cp system is a galvanic system , simply monitoring the voltage difference between a protected pipe line and a reference may be sufficient . alternatively , if cp system 250 is one configured to impress current for cp operation , parameters in addition to the pipe line - to - reference voltage monitored as described in conjunction with galvanic systems may be monitored via representative input line 256 . such additional parameters may include , without limitation , backup battery charge level for solar powered systems , and rectifier operation for alternating current ( ac ) powered systems . there presently exist some stand alone automated cathodic protection monitoring systems ( cellular based , etc . ), but their cost and maintenance has limited their application to only a small percentage of the number of cathodic protection test points . such systems tend to be larger transformer / rectifier injection points . in accordance with the present technology , the number of protection test points may be increased substantially while avoiding significant cost increases . further , the increased amount of cp data collected ( for example , daily , or hourly ), can help the utility to identify the type of failure ( sudden / gradual ), as well as the time it took place . such data can also be used to identify failures before they occur . by relatively more rapid response , as well as scheduled planning , and by having better details as to the type of failure , a utility provider practicing the present subject matter can reduce the costs related to repairs and maintenance of cathodic protection . while the present cp monitoring system can be combined with a meter reading endpoint , where the test point is co - located with a meter , it should be appreciated that the system can function as a standalone monitor . in either case , cathodic protection data is read by the meter data collection system . as there are typically between 10 times and 100 times as many gas meters as there are cathodic protection test stations , the overall improvement in cp monitoring capability is significant through use of the present technology . in residential areas , a buried anode ( galvanic system ) is most commonly used to protect short runs of pipe . in such use , there are many small segments of pipe , and a significant number of test stations . gas meter reading is done on a regular basis in such areas , and thus the present subject matter is most useful for such applications . while the present subject matter has been described in detail with respect to specific embodiments thereof , it will be appreciated that those skilled in the art , upon attaining an understanding of the foregoing may readily produce alterations to , variations of , and equivalents to such embodiments . accordingly , the scope of the present disclosure is by way of example rather than by way of limitation , and the subject disclosure does not preclude inclusion of such modifications , variations and / or additions to the present subject matter as would be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art . | 6 |
the use of the word “ a ” or “ an ” when used in conjunction with the term “ comprising ” in the claims and / or the specification may mean “ one ”, but it is also consistent with the meaning of “ one or more ”, “ at least one ”, and “ one or more than one ”. similarly , the word “ another ” may mean at least a second or more . as used in this specification and claim ( s ), the words “ comprising ” ( and any form of comprising , such as “ comprise ” and “ comprises ”), “ having ” ( and any form of having , such as “ have ” and “ has ”), “ including ” ( and any form of including , such as “ include ” and “ includes ”) or “ containing ” ( and any form of containing , such as “ contain ” and “ contains ”), are inclusive or open - ended and do not exclude additional , unrecited elements or process steps . the term “ about ” is used to indicate that a value includes an inherent variation of error for the device or the method being employed to determine the value . the expression “ connected ” should be construed herein and in the appended claims broadly so as to include any cooperative or passive association between mechanical parts or components . for example , such parts may be assembled together by direct coupling , or indirectly coupled using further parts . the coupling can also be remote , using for example a magnetic field or else . other objects , advantages and features of the assembly to mount a reciprocating saw blade to a table saw will become more apparent upon reading of the following non - restrictive description of illustrative embodiments thereof , given by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings . fig1 schematically illustrates an assembly 10 for operating a reciprocating saw blade 20 through a rotating shaft , such as the shaft ( not shown ) of a table saw ( not shown ), for example . the assembly 10 includes a first sprocket 22 provided with an offset mounting point in the form of a pin 24 , a second sprocket 26 having the same number of teeth as the first sprocket 22 and provided with a different offset mounting point in the form of a in 28 and a flexible link in the form of a timing type belt 30 interconnecting the first and second sprockets 22 and 26 . the first sprocket 22 is fixedly mounted to the rotating shaft so that both the first and second sprockets 22 and 26 are rotatably coupled to the rotating shaft for rotation in unison therewith . a sprocket support ( not shown ) is provided to rotatably receive both first and second sprockets 22 and 26 . according to another embodiment ( not shown ), the link 30 is replaced by a gear assembly that interconnects the first and second sprockets 22 and 26 for rotation in unison . a saw blade holding assembly 32 is mounted to both the pins 24 and 28 of the first and second wheels 22 and 26 . more specifically , the holding assembly 32 is pivotally mounted to the first pin 24 , for example via c - clips ( not shown ) and pivotally and slidably mounted to the second pin 28 also via c - clips ( not shown ). more specifically , a cylindrical aperture ( not shown ) of the holding assembly 32 is used to mount the assembly to the first wheel 22 and an elongated aperture 34 is used to mount the assembly to the second wheel 26 . the reciprocating saw blade 20 is mounted to the saw blade holding assembly 32 via two fasteners 36 . the first and second sprockets 22 and 26 , with their corresponding pins 24 and 28 respectively define first and second coupling elements for receiving the saw blade 20 . both mounting pins 24 and 28 being offset from the rotation axis of their respective sprocket 22 and 26 , the rotation of the rotating shaft causes the pins 24 and 28 to move along circular paths at the same radial speed . the first pin 24 being more severely shifted away from the rotational axis of its sprocket 22 , the radius defined by its path ( not shown ) is greater than the radius defined by the path of the second pin 28 . according to another embodiment ( not shown ), the holding assembly 32 is omitted and the saw blade 20 is configured with rounded and elongated holes to be directly mounted to the first and second sprockets 22 and 26 . according to still another embodiment , the saw blade 20 or the holding assembly 32 includes two pins and the sprockets are provided with respective rounded and elongated apertures to receive the pins and to allow the pins to move along circular paths upon rotation of a rotating shaft operatively coupled to both sprockets as described hereinabove . fig1 shows the assembly 10 mounted under the table 38 of a table saw and being in the process of cutting a melamine panel 40 moving in the direction of arrow 42 . the panel 40 has a first face 44 sliding against the table top 38 and a second face 46 opposite and parallel to the first face 44 . other characteristics and features of the assembly 10 will become more apparent upon reading the following description of the operation thereof , with references to fig1 to 8 . as can be seen from fig1 , both wheels rotate counterclockwise ( see arrows 48 ) at the same angular speed . fig2 shows the assembly 10 when one eighth of a full rotation has been done . since the holding assembly 32 is pivotally mounted to wheel 22 , rotation of said wheel 22 causes a downward movement of the blade 20 ( see arrow 50 ). since the offset of pin 24 is more severe than the offset of pin 28 , the saw blade 20 is angled towards the uncut portion of the panel 40 while it goes down . this angle of the blade 20 ensures that the teeth 21 thereof are only in contact with the second face 46 of the panel and do not contact the first face 44 during the downstroke . fig3 illustrates the assembly 10 when one quarter of a full rotation has been done . when the assembly is in this position , the angle 60 between the longitudinal axis of the saw blade 20 and the vertical axis is near maximum . it will be appreciated to one skilled in the art that the intersection of both the vertical and the longitudinal axis of the saw blade 20 is at all time located about in the middle of the panel 40 . in other words , during rotation of the sprockets 22 and 26 , the line that intersects both pins 24 and 28 crosses at a fixed position regardless of the angular position of respective pins 24 and 28 . the saw blade 20 is so mounted to the assembly 10 , and the assembly 10 is so positioned relative the table 38 and , considering the predetermined thickness of the panel 40 , that the saw blade 20 contacts only one face of the panel 40 at any given time . in fig4 , three eights of a full rotation has been done and the blade 20 is getting close to the vertical . when half a turn has been done , as shown in fig5 , the saw blade 20 is vertical . as can be seen from this figure , the teeth 21 of the blade 20 do not contact either surfaces of the panel 40 . fig6 illustrates the beginning of the upstroke of the saw blade 20 ( see arrow 52 ). again , since the offset of pin 24 is more severe than the offset of pin 28 , the saw blade 20 is angled away from the uncut portion of the panel 40 while it goes up . this angle of the blade 20 ensures that the teeth 21 thereof are only in contact with the first face 44 of the panel and do not contact the second face 46 during the upstroke . the sequence of movements schematically illustrated in fig1 to 8 are repeated for each rotation of the rotating shaft ( not shown ) to which the assembly is mounted until the panel 40 has been cut . during a full rotation of the rotating shaft , the movement of the saw blade 20 is such that its teeth always touch faces 44 and 46 in a favorable moving direction , which is to push the panel faces towards the interior thereof . one skilled in the art will understand that the saw blade extends from the table with an angle that varies according to the reciprocating direction of the saw blade , so that the angle remains acute relative to a corresponding one of a top and bottom surfaces of the table towards which the blade moves , i . e . the second face 46 during the downstroke and the first face 44 during the upstroke . this results in the surface layers on both sides of the melamine panel being cleanly cut without being chipped . one skilled in the art will understand that the mounting means used to mount the reciprocating saw blade 20 to the mounting assembly 32 , such as the fasteners 36 , could be different depending upon the type of reciprocating saw blade used . many saw blade tooth geometry can be used . as a non - limiting example , the reciprocating saw blade commercialized by the company bosch , under model number t234x has been found adequate . turning now to fig9 to 11 of the appended drawings , an assembly 108 for operating a reciprocating saw blade 118 through rotating shaft 106 of a table saw 100 according to a second illustrative embodiment be described . the table saw 100 includes a table top 102 , a table saw shaft 106 , reversely driving sprockets 120 , 122 , and 132 , and a stabilizing spring type bracket 104 . the assembly 108 to operate a reciprocating saw blade through a rotating shaft 106 includes a frame 110 , a driving sprocket 112 mounted on the table saw shaft 106 , idler sprockets 114 and 116 , a reciprocating saw blade 118 mounted to an assembly similar to the one described with reference to fig1 to 8 , i . e . including first and second sprockets 120 , 122 supporting a blade holder 124 via respective pins 126 and 128 . a counterbalancing saw blade 130 is mounted opposite the cutting saw blade 118 via the first and a third sprockets 120 and 132 via a blade holder 134 mounted to respective pins 136 and 138 thereof . a flexible link such as a double sided timing type belt 140 interconnects the various sprockets . one skilled in the art will understand that the assembly 108 operates as described hereinabove with reference to fig1 to 8 . however , the purpose of the counterbalancing blade 130 is to minimize the vibration potentially caused by the upstroke / downstroke movements of the cutting blade 118 . as is apparent from fig1 , the blade holders 124 and 134 respectively supporting the saw blades 118 and 130 are positioned on either sides of the sprocket 120 to prevent interference therebetween . also from fig1 , the frame 110 includes sidewalls with apertures designed to mount the various sprockets thereto . according to another embodiment ( not shown ), the second saw blade 130 is replaced by another element that counterbalances the first saw blade during operation thereof . it is to be noted that while the offset attaching points are described hereinabove as pins , other element ( s ) could be used to mount the saw blade holding assembly to the first and second sprockets while allowing the required pivoting movements therebetween . one skilled in the art will understand that by using disposable reciprocating saw blades , the user does not have to worry any longer about non negligible resharpening costs as well as cumbersome reinstallation and alignment techniques associated with the use of conventional and well known dual circular scoring saw blade system . also , one skilled in the art will appreciate that some of the safety components required in conventional table saws , such as and without limitations , a splitter guard , are irrelevant for a table saw equipped with a reciprocating saw blade as described herein . also , the above described assemblies to operate a reciprocating saw blade through rotating shaft are not limited to being used to cut melamine panels only . it is also to be noted that while the above description and the appended drawings are concerned with mounting a reciprocating saw blade to a table saw , the assembly described herein could also very well be used as an alternative to a band saw , primarily in view of the fact that it would permit cuts in stocks of almost limitless dimension sizes . it is to be understood that the assembly to mount a reciprocating saw blade to a rotating shaft is not limited in its application to the details of construction and parts illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described hereinabove . the assembly to mount a reciprocating saw blade to a rotating shaft is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced in various ways . it is also to be understood that the phraseology or terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and not limitation . hence , although the assembly to mount a reciprocating saw blade to a rotating shaft has been described hereinabove by way of illustrative embodiments thereof , it can be modified , without departing from the spirit , scope and nature of the subject invention . | 8 |
as shown in fig1 , an integrated drying and dry separation apparatus for upgrading raw coal comprises a coal supply system , a hot air system , a drying system , a dedusting and exhausting system , and a dry separation system . the coal supply system can be divided into two portions , that is , a coal supply for dry raw coal and a coal supply for hot air furnace ; the coal supply system respectively supplies the raw coal to the hot air system and the drying system by using a raw coal conveyor ; the raw coal conveyor shown in fig1 is a belt conveyor for raw coal 2 , but a chain type conveyor or other conventional conveyors for material can also be used . the hot air system is a heat source portion of the drying system , said hot air system comprises a hot air furnace 1 , a settling chamber 3 and a first main fan 4 , and it supplies hot air with certain temperature pressurized by the first main fan 4 to the drying system , wherein the hot air with certain temperature is formed by removing sparks from flue gas produced in the hot air furnace 1 when passing through the settling chamber 3 and then mixing the processed flue gas with cold air ; an air outlet of the first main fan 4 is connected to the lower portion of a dryer 5 in the drying system . wherein , the temperature of said hot air formed by removing sparks from flue gas produced in the hot air furnace 1 when passing through the settling chamber 3 and then mixing the processed flue gas with cold air is about 50 ° c .- 280 ° c ., which is , preferably about 250 ° c . ; hot air with other suitable temperature may also be formed according to the demands of the actual production . the hot air furnace 1 is a chain type hot air furnace or a boiling type hot air furnace . the drying system is used to dry and dehydrate the raw coal , and to reduce the water content of raw coal ; the dried coal products are delivered to the dry separation system by a conveyor for dried products . the core equipment of the drying system is a mixed - flowing vibrating dryer . the conveyor for dried products as shown in fig1 is a belt conveyor 6 for dried products . the dedusting and exhausting system is used to recycle the fine particles of coal dust , it comprises a dust remover 7 and a exhaust blower ; the dedusting and exhausting system is connected between the drying system and the dry separation system ; said exhaust blower consists of a draught fan 8 and an exhaust pipe 9 . the dust remover 7 as shown in fig1 is a bag type dust remover . the dry separation system comprises a dry separator 12 , a circulating fan and a cyclone dust remover 11 , and is used to separate the dried raw coal into fancy coal , middling coal and coal gangue . the dry separator 12 in the dry separation system is a composite dry separator . now the integrated drying and dry separation method for upgrading raw coal is described with reference to fig1 and fig2 . fig2 shows the modular flow chart of said method . the integrated drying and dry separation method for upgrading raw coal comprises the following steps : 1 ) supplying coal for drying and coal for a hot air furnace by using the coal supply system ; low - quality raw coal is crushed and delivered by the coal supply system ; dry coal source have been crushed with coal granularity bigger than 8 mm and smaller than 50 mm is delivered to the drying system via the belt conveyor for raw coal 2 , and the coal powder have been crushed with coal granularity smaller than 8 mm is delivered to the hot air furnace 1 . the hot air furnace 1 can be a chain type hot air furnace or a boiling type hot air furnace , the raw coal is directly used as fuel of the chain type hot air furnace when the lower heating value of the raw coal is bigger than 16000 kj / kg , namely bigger than 3840 kilocalorie / kg ; the boiling type hot air furnace is adopted as the hot air furnace 1 of the coal supply system when the lower heating value of the raw coal is smaller than 16000 kj / kg ; 2 ) supplying hot air with temperature between 150 ° c .- 280 ° c . pressurized by the first main fan 4 to the lower portion of the dryer 5 in the drying system by using the hot air system , wherein the hot air is formed by removing sparks from the flue gas produced in the hot air furnace 1 and then mixing the processed flue gas with cold air ; in fig2 , the hot air system is also referred to as the hot source system . 3 ) using the drying system to dry the raw coal : the drying system uses the mixed - flowing vibrating dryer , the coal flow passes through a multi - layered vibration bed from top to bottom and flows to a coal outlet , the hot air passes through the multi - layered vibration bed and is discharged via a top exhaust outlet , the macro - flow between the coal flow and the hot air is a counter flow , that is , both a vertical cross flow and a horizontal counter flow between the coal and the hot air are present within the dryer 5 ; 4 ) using the dedusting and exhausting system to remove the dust : the dedusting and exhausting system is composed of the dust remover 7 and the exhaust blower , the dust remover 7 separates coal powder from exhaust gas , and the separated coal powder is incorporated into coal product , the processed , cleaned exhaust gas is evacuated via the exhaust blower ; 5 ) using the dry separation system to separate dried raw coal into fancy coal , middling coal and coal gangue , the fancy coal can be sold as coal product , the middling coal may be either incorporated into the fancy coal to be sold as coal product coal or returned to the coal inlet to be separated again , part of the coal gangue is used as fuel of the boiling type hot air furnace , and the other part is disposed as waste material . more particularly , the technical advantages lie in that : sparks are removed from the hot flue gas produced in the hot air furnace 1 within the settling chamber 3 , then the processed hot flue gas is fed into the lower portion of the dryer 5 by the first main fan 4 , and the wet raw coal material is fed into the top portion of the dryer 5 by the belt conveyor for raw coal 2 ; after the wet raw coal material is dried uniformly , most of them are discharged from the lower portion of the dryer 5 by the belt conveyor 6 for dried product , while part of the fine material , following the hot air , flows into the bag type dust remover 7 ; the material separated by the bag type dust remover 7 is recycled as product , and the waste gas is discharged by the exhaust pipe 9 via the draught fan 8 . the dried coal product is delivered into the dry separator 12 by the belt conveyor 15 for feeding coal to be separated , and the fancy coal and the coal gangue after separation are discharged respectively by the belt conveyor for fancy coal 13 and the belt conveyor for coal gangue 14 . the second main fan 10 provides the wind with magnitude required for the dry separation of the dry separator 12 , the cyclone dust remover 11 is connected in series with the second main fan 10 to remove the coarse particles of coal dust and to protect the impeller of the fan from wear ; the bag type dust remover 7 is connected in parallel with the cyclone dust remover 11 to insure that the dust concentration contained in the gas discharged into the atmosphere is lower than the national standard , and inhale air directly from the surroundings of the dry separator 12 to form negative pressure operation , so as to improve the separation effect of the dry separator 12 . furthermore , although the optimal design is given in the description mentioned above , conventional improvements on various components have been tested and carried out by the inventor , which can obtain good technical effect . for example , first drying and then dry - separating is not the only option for the joint operation flow , in case that the coal gangue content of the raw coal is relatively high while the surface water content ( visible water content ) is not high , where a dry separation operation can be used , the user should preferably select the solution of first dry - separating and then drying . under the same investment condition , the solution of first dry - separating is removing the coal gangue and then drying . compared with the solution of first drying , the production quantity of the upgraded coal in this solution can be improved by more than 20 %- 30 %. under the condition of the same production quantity of the upgraded coal , the investment in this solution can be reduced by about 30 %. in case that the surface water content of the raw coal is too high or the coal gangue content is not high , where the dry separation operation could not proceed without a drying operation , first drying and then dry - separating is the only solution to be selected . for simplicity for discussing the present invention , other suitable materials , components or improvements on process are not described herein . as mentioned above , the integrated drying and dry separation apparatus for upgrading raw coal and method thereof have been described clearly in details . furthermore , a person skilled in the art would understand that various modifications in form or in details might be made without departing from the sprits and the scope of the present invention defined in the accompanying claims . the apparatus and method of the present invention not only organically join the dry separation method and the drying process to exert their respective advantages , but also extends the application scope of the apparatus . the present invention requires less investment and lower production cost , which facilitates the spread and application of the technique of coal upgrading . | 5 |
while this invention is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms , specific embodiments are shown in the drawings and will herein be described in detail , with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an example of the principles of the invention and not intended to limit the invention to the specific embodiments shown and described . in the description below , like reference numerals are used to describe the same , similar or corresponding parts in the several views of the drawings . an embodiment of the present invention provides a method that is optimized to provide correction of any dc offset voltage errors in the baseband signal path based on the particular operating environment of a zif or dcr receiver . the operating environment of the receiver is partitioned into two main categories : deterministic slotted protocol operation and non - slotted random operation . for slotted system operation , the agc and dcocl are strategically configured to accommodate the particular protocol in which the receiver is operating with minimal disruption of normal communication . if the receiver is operating in a non - slotted environment where the reception of rf signals is random , then a different methodology is utilized that takes advantage of simultaneous agc and dcocl functionality . in each case , the offset is ultimately corrected in hardware by applying an appropriate compensating dc voltage to the signal path . complementing this hardware methodology , a multiplicity of dsp algorithms are described that can be employed to compensate the i and q to arithmetically equalize any residual offsets after execution of the hardware correction . this arithmetic correction takes place in the digital signal processing , for example , as used in decoding , digital filtering , etc . the present invention , in one embodiment , uses a sample and hold dcocl strategy which adopts an event - initiated correction with finite duration that is subsequently “ fixed ” until future corrections are initiated . because this strategy uses one - time compensation , the difficulty with this strategy is in determining when to initiate the correction sequence . in general , the longer the time between the last baseband dc offset correction and reception of the received signal , the greater the probability that dc drift will have occurred , thus degrading receiver performance . ideally , initiating a correction just before receiving a signal would ensure optimum performance . for slotted protocol applications ( tdma , fdma , slotted psk , etc ) this is feasible , as the received signal is deterministic based on the communication protocol . but for classic two - way dispatch operation where message timing is completely random , it is impossible to know apriori when an incoming message is about to be received . one method to address this problem is to initiate a correction sequence periodically , whether needed or not , to ensure proper operation . this brute - force approach will unnecessarily increase processing requirements for the receiver &# 39 ; s controller ( s ) ( e . g . microprocessor , dsp , etc . ), which is undesirable . this is especially true as sophisticated multi - mode , multi - band radios are developed with high speed data ( hsd ) applications which intrinsically increase microcomputer processing demands . furthermore , since agc operation affects the dc offset error being corrected , it becomes desirable to integrate the functionality of the agc into the offset correction sequence to ensure proper offset correction results . referring now to the drawings and specifically to fig1 there is shown a simplified block diagram of a zif receiver system 100 utilizing an automatic gain control ( agc ) system and a dc offset correction loop in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention . the agc system of the present invention includes a set of adjustable gain baseband amplifiers 114 and 118 , an adjustable gain if pre - amplifier 158 , and an agc control circuit 122 for controlling the gain of the various amplifiers in the receive path ( including rf , if and baseband amplifier stages ). a first amplifier stage ( generally a low noise amplifier ), such as a gain adjustable if pre - amplifier 158 , receives a radio frequency ( rf ) or intermediate frequency ( if ) signal 102 , which it amplifies to produce signal 146 . this amplified signal at 146 is applied to down - mixers 106 and 108 . a phase - shifting circuit 104 receives a local oscillator ( lo ) signal 159 and produces an in - phase signal ( 1 ) 142 and a quadrature signal ( q ) 144 ( the ( i ) 142 and ( q ) 144 signals being 90 degrees out of phase with respect to each other .). the ( i ) 142 and ( q ) 144 signals are applied to down mixers 106 and 108 for mixing with the input signal 146 from if preamplifier 158 . down mixers 106 and 108 then convert the signals from the rf or if to baseband signals 148 and 150 . it should be noted that all rf or if , lo and baseband signals may include differential signal pairs to provide maximum common mode noise rejection . for clarity , only a single signal path representing each of the differential signal pairs is shown . for example , baseband signal 148 and 150 may be composed of i and { overscore ( i )}, q and { overscore ( q )} respectively , where i and { overscore ( i )} are 180 ° out of phase with each other , and { overscore ( q )} is 180 ° out of phase with signal q . lowpass filters 110 , 112 , 120 , and 124 filter the baseband signals 148 and 150 to remove interference and limit the noise bandwidth of the receiver 100 . lowpass filters 110 , 120 , and 112 , 124 are distributed along the baseband i and q channels respectively , and may be interactively programmable . variable gain stages 114 and 118 separate each filter stage ( additional gain stages and / or filtering stages may also be present , but are not shown ), preferably with at least one of the baseband gain stage pair 114 and 118 being under gain control by a control circuit such as agc control circuit 122 . the analog differential filtered signals 130 and 131 are sampled by the analog - to - digital converter 190 for further processing and demodulation . i and q data samples are then placed in a receive data register 192 to produce a stream of serial data output ( generally to a digital signal processor ). the filtered baseband analog signals 130 and 131 are processed through an agc detector ( det ) 140 to provide control voltage 151 . the control voltage 151 is then used by the agc control block 122 to generate operational dependent response voltages 152 and 156 to control the gain response of gain blocks ( amplifiers ) 114 , 118 and 158 . the baseband gain of amplifiers 114 , 118 and rf / if preamplifier 158 can be independently adjusted based on the selected response programmed into agc control block 122 . baseband signals 130 and 131 ( i and q ) also are processed by analog - to - digital converters 160 and 186 for subsequent use by the dc offset control blocks 162 and 168 . the dcocl control blocks 162 and 168 set voltages generated by the operational transconductance amplifiers ( ota ) 164 and 170 respectively . the output voltage of the otas set differential dc offset voltages of the baseband signals 148 and 150 to produce the minimum dc offsets of the filtered baseband signals 130 and 131 , respectively . the characteristic response of the dcocl control blocks 162 and 168 can be selected by the radio &# 39 ; s microprocessor or microcontroller ( not shown ) from a series of deterministic sequences including one - time single event corrections , or continuous “ closed loop ” corrections . since the control signals 130 and 131 are utilized by the agc and dcocl circuits , the agc can be indirectly controlled by the dcocl to provide for simultaneous operation of the agc and dc offset correction for optimum operation during baseband correction for certain receiver operating environments . the present invention can be utilized in either a slotted ( deterministic ) protocol communication environment or a non - slotted ( non - deterministic ) environment . in a slotted ( deterministic ) protocol , the receiver operation is synchronized with the received signal . in such a slotted system , there are generally time slots when either ( 1 ) no information is being transmitted to the receiver of interest , or ( 2 ) information being received by the receiver is irrelevant , or ( 3 ) information can otherwise be discarded without consequence or with minimal consequence . the present invention takes advantage of any such periods in the protocol to perform baseband dc offset correction in a minimally disruptive manner . an example of this type of communication is in tdma ( time division multiple access ) communication systems . in non - slotted ( non - deterministic ) systems , the receiver has no advance knowledge of when it might receive a transmission . an example of this type of system is a conventional amps ( advanced mobile phone service ) analog cellular telephone environment or a simplex two way radio environment wherein a communication can take place at any time . since the baseband dc offset correction process disrupts the receiver &# 39 ; s ability to receive incoming transmissions during the period of the offset correction , different strategies are used for each communication environment . embodiments of this invention effectively utilize agc control and dcocl control to coordinate the correction of the baseband dc offset in the radio receiver . referring now to fig2 a simplified general system block diagram is shown illustrating the interface of receiver 100 to digital signal processing and microprocessor control stages . fig2 is a general system block diagram illustrating how receiver 100 may be interfaced to subsequent signal processing and control subsystems of the radio receiver . in the preferred implementation , an integrated zero if integrated circuit ( zif ic ) receiver subsystem 200 provides the functionality described in connection with fig1 . those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that although this invention is illustrated in the context of a zero if system , the invention is equally applicable to direct conversion receivers . in this illustration , the duplicated circuitry used to separately process i and q has been represented in simplified form to show the broad functionality . rf input signals are received by a low noise amplifier ( lna ) 204 and passed to mixer 206 for down - conversion to baseband . the output 208 of mixer 206 includes the differential baseband i / q signals . the i / q signals are presented to the pma ( post mixer amplifier ) 210 ( which performs the function of providing low noise gain to enhance baseband signal to noise ratio ) prior to baseband low - pass filtering at filter 220 . the output of filter 220 is a filtered differential baseband i / q signal having an intrinsic dc component . analog signal 224 is formatted into an industry standard 3 line ssi ( synchronous serial interface ) operating at a predetermined sampling rate ( for example , 24 ksps ) at interface 226 for coupling to an external digital signal processor ( dsp ) 230 . the three line ssi signal includes clock , data and frame synchronization information representing the i and q signals and agc or other pertinent information . dsp 230 can be any suitable commercially available , custom or semi - custom digital signal processor chip . dsp 230 functions to perform quadrature demodulation , rssi calculation , and dc averaging of the i and q signals as will be discussed later . dsp 230 is interfaced to a controller 236 which may be a microcomputer , a microcontroller , asic or other suitable control processor . controller 236 is used for a variety of purposes in the receiver . for purposes of this invention , it carries out the functions of initiating baseband dc offset correction sequences based upon the information received from dsp 230 via a parallel interface ( e . g . eight bit parallel ) therewith . controller 236 is coupled to the zero if ic 200 via a three line serial port interface ( spi ) bus 240 coupled to serial port interface block 242 , in the preferred implementation . the spi is typically a three line interface incorporating data , clock and chip enable signals to control both the dcocl and the agc . the information carried in the three line interface 240 is coupled through spi 242 to a dcocl control block 244 and an agc control block 248 . agc control 248 also receives a measure of the signal strength from “ sum - of - squares ” ( sos ) detector 252 which monitors the signal at 224 . similarly , an analog to digital converter ( adc ) 256 supplies feedback from 224 to dcocl control 244 . dcocl control 244 provides output to an ota ( operational transconductance amplifier ) 264 which provides a dc correction at the mixer output 208 . the agc control 248 acts directly on the lna 204 to adjust the gain / attenuation supplied by this amplifier . it should be noted , at this point , that there are two control loops in action in this embodiment — the agc control loop and the dc offset correction loop . both loops derive input from the filtered differential baseband signal and the controller 236 and apply correction at 204 and 208 , respectively . the dcocl is thus nested within the agc control loop and they are interdependent . that is , a change in the dc offset can affect the agc and vice versa . in operation , the dcocl operates as follows . under control of controller 236 , the dcocl control 244 initiates a correction to the baseband dc offset when instructed by the controller 236 . this process may be initiated under a variety of circumstances ; however , in the preferred embodiment , the process is initiated at two times . the first is when the receiver is first turned on . the second is whenever the dc offset exceeds a predetermined threshold . in the preferred embodiment , this threshold depends upon the correction resolution as set by the ota 264 — that is , the resolution of dc output voltages which can be supplied by the ota 264 . for example , a correction can be initiated whenever the baseband dc offset exceeds twice the dc equivalent value of the least significant bit ( lsb ) of the adc 256 . ( note that the resolution of output of the ota 264 can be mapped to the resolution of adc 256 .) it should be noted that the threshold setting of twice the dc equivalent value of the lsb of adc 256 is suitable to the present implementations , but , other threshold settings may be equally suitable to other implementations . when the baseband dc offset exceeds this threshold , the dcocl control 244 is instructed by the controller 236 to initiate a baseband dc offset correction sequence . the offset correction sequence can utilize a binary search routine such as that described in u . s . patent application ser . no . 09 / 515 , 286 to tilley , et al ., entitled method and apparatus for settling and maintaining a dc offset , assigned to motorola , inc . and filed concurrently herewith , and to it &# 39 ; s parent application ser . no . 09 / 290 , 564 filed apr . 13 , 1999 , entitled method and apparatus for settling a dc offset , assigned to motorola , inc ., which are hereby incorporated herein by reference . as described in these references , the offset correction sequence could also be initiated by several possible factors , such as temperature , as well as the preferred change in dc offset . several possible averaging algorithms can be used by dsp 236 ( or other devices in other architectures ) to determine the current level of baseband dc offset correction and thereby determine whether or not to initiate a baseband dc offset correction sequence . these averaging algorithms fall into at least four groups and may depend upon the protocol being used according to the mode of operation of the receiver . the four groups are as follows : 1 ) simple integration . in this process , which is the system default , the i and q signal values are sampled and their values are simply averaged over a predetermined period of time by dividing by the number of samples . 2 ) envelope averaging . in this process , i and q samples which fall within particular upper and lower value ranges are averaged independently over a specified period of time . this produces an upper limit average and a lower limit average . after this period of time , a cumulative average is calculated using the relationship : this technique is particularly well suited for slow data rate digital signaling systems such as trunking control channels , digital private line ( dpl )™ ( trademark of motorola , inc .) and other low speed data applications . 3 ) slotted time averaging . in this technique , i and q samples are taken from a finite number of n intervals of time in which the desired received signal is known to be absent . the i and q data for each interval is then independently averaged to produce n interval averages . after this is done , the total average is computed as follows : total average = ∑ x n _ n where ={ overscore ( x n )} the i and q averages for the interval n ; and this technique is particularly well suited for tdma protocols where eliminating the carrier for the averaging calculation is highly desirable because momentary increases in the received bit error rate ( ber ) may result when arithmetically tracking out the average i and q values in dsp processes ( such as demodulation , filtering , etc .). 4 ) weighted average — in this technique , individual i and q samples may be weighted based upon a predetermined function . for example , greater weight can be given to samples closer to the previously calculated average . the weighted samples can then be averaged over a fixed period of time . those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the above averaging techniques can be used independently or in any combination as might be advantageous to a particular system . those of ordinary skill in the art will also appreciate that other averaging techniques can be devised without departing from the present invention . referring now to fig3 a flow diagram illustrates the decision logic and sequence for determining which agc and dc correction sequence is utilized and how each sequence is initiated according to the preferred implementation . the processing depicted in this diagram takes place in the controller 236 in this embodiment , but those of ordinary skill in this art will understand that this can be implemented using a variety of control configurations . in fig3 the process begins at 300 with the powering up of the receiver , which may generally form a part of a radio transceiver . at 304 , the zif ic 200 receives its initial programming via 240 from controller 236 . this initial programming initializes all of the zif ic subsystems for normal operation . at 308 , the zif ic is instructed to set the agc to maximum attenuation . in the present embodiment , this can be accomplished in steps of 0 . 3 db for the receiver front end , 3 db for the baseband amplification and 15 db for the if section . however , the important thing is that any incoming signal be eliminated by producing adequate signal attenuation . at 312 , the baseband dc offset correction sequence is initiated utilizing , for example , the binary search algorithm . at 318 , the i / q dc average is computed at the dsp 230 ( or , in the alternative , at controller 236 ) over a specified time period ( for example , one second ) and arithmetically compensates for any residual dc offset in i and q data . this averaging also determines the initial dc reference for the i and q baseband signals for use in block 330 . the i and q average may also be used as a reference value in any arithmetic operations which need a dc reference ( such as , for example , demodulation , filtering , frequency control , etc .). in the current architecture , such operations are carried out in the dsp 230 . this computed average is held in the dsp 230 . the agc is set to normal operation , and the signal attenuation is disabled at 322 completing the dc offset correction sequence . at 326 , the receiver operates in its standard mode of operation with the i and q dc average being computed by the controller 236 ( or dsp 230 ). the dsp &# 39 ; s dc offset value is held constant at the computed value determined by the initial dc offset averaged in block 318 . this dc offset is held until a programming event determines that a new baseband dc offset correction sequence is to be initiated . in the preferred embodiment , this programming event is the determination that the baseband dc offset has drifted ( e . g . due to temperature , oscillator drift , or other factors ) so that the offset now exceeds a predetermined threshold value . this threshold can be , for example , twice the minimum resolution of adc 256 or equivalently twice the least significant bit of adc 256 . if this threshold is not exceeded at 330 , standard radio operation continues . if this threshold is exceeded at 330 , a determination is made as to the receiver &# 39 ; s operational environment at 334 . the first determination made in identifying the receiver &# 39 ; s operational environment is determining whether the receiver is operating using a slotted or non - slotted protocol ( i . e . a deterministic or non - deterministic protocol , respectively ) at 334 . if the receiver is using a non - slotted protocol at 334 , the controller 236 waits until no on - channel carrier is present at 340 . this is done to minimize the chances that the dc offset correction sequence will disrupt receipt of an incoming message to the user . the controller 236 then presets the zif ic to engage a predetermined amount of artificial dc baseband offset . the amount required is simply enough to cause the agc to fully engage a maximum amount of attenuation at 344 . in this scenario , the dc offset is artificially set and the agc responds due to the nested loop nature of the architecture . the dc offset correction process then waits for a predetermined period of time ( for example , 5 milliseconds ) to permit the receiver to settle to a quiescent state . at 348 , the controller 236 initiates the baseband dc offset correction sequence to correct the dc baseband offset in hardware ( that is , by application of a compensating dc level by ota 264 ) at 348 using , for example , the binary search algorithm . the process then waits ( for example , for 5 milliseconds ) for the dc offset correction and agc to simultaneously settle out at 352 . the receiver now resumes l / q data receipt from the zif ic 200 at 358 with data being supplied to the dsp 230 from interface 226 . the dsp computes the average i and q values using an appropriate algorithm as described earlier over a predetermined time period , for example , one second . this new i / q average dc value becomes the new reference value for use at block 330 and is stored at 362 . the new value is also used by dsp 230 for standard receiver operations at 326 such as demodulation , filtering , and other such arithmetic functions relying upon an accurate dc value . if a slotted protocol is being used at 334 , the next determination made is a further categorization of the nature of the protocol . at 368 , it is determined whether or not the on - channel rf signal cycles on and off in this protocol ( as , for example , in tdma ). if so , the system takes advantage of this to minimize or eliminate the likelihood of interfering with a communication by selecting a time when there is no on - channel rf to do the dc offset correction . if the on - channel rf cycles on and off at 368 , the system waits at 372 until the on - channel carrier is off . the off - channel rf input power is then measured at this time at 374 . this can be determined , for example , from the agc circuit . control then passes to 376 , where the agc is set to attenuate the input rf power by an appropriate amount to eliminate the signal for practical purposes . for example , the agc can be set to attenuate the rf by an amount equivalent to the rf input plus 10 db ( for example ) so that the signal is eliminated for all practical purposes relating to this invention . alternatively , the agc could simply increase the attenuation by the maximum amount , however , this might increase the settling time when the agc is reset . once the rf input is eliminated , control passes to 378 where a binary search is initiated to correct the baseband dc offset . the agc is then reset ( preferably using a fast reset algorithm ) at 382 and control passes to 358 . after the process of 358 and 362 , standard receiver operation resumes at 326 . if , at 368 , the on - channel rf does not cycle on and off , a slightly different approach is taken . the on - channel rf input power is measured ( e . g . by the rssi — received signal strength indicator , agc or any other suitable technique for measuring signal strength ) at 384 . the agc attenuation is then set to eliminate the on - channel signal at 376 and the process proceeds as in the previous example . fig4 is a characteristic response of i and { overscore ( i )} ( i shifted by 180 degrees ) signals undergoing a dcocl dc voltage correction and the corresponding agc response for a slotted protocol correction . the agc and dcocl corrections are independently controlled via the controller 236 . in this chart , the i and { overscore ( i )} signals initially exhibit a distortion which is characteristic of dc offset . at time t 1 , the dc offset correction sequence begins wherein the agc is set for maximum attenuation of the input signal and the binary search process begins . during the binary search ( from time t 1 to t 2 ) the dc offset is seen to settle out so that i is approximately equal to { overscore ( i )} is approximately equal to zero . at time t 3 , the agc is set in a fast recovery mode to quickly move back to a setting at t 4 which permits an appropriate amount of gain in the amplifiers for normal operation , and the input signal is restored . the i and { overscore ( i )} signals are now seen to be symmetrical about the zero axis since the dc correction is completed . while this chart shows the effect on the dc offset correction of the i signals , it will be clearly understood that the baseband q signals behave in an entirely similar way under this process . turning now to fig5 the characteristic response of the i and { overscore ( i )} signals undergoing a dcocl dc voltage correction and the corresponding agc response in a non - slotted protocol are illustrated . the agc response is dependant ( controlled by ) the dcocl response , which is selectable via the controller . in this example , the controller 236 sets the dcocl to a specific ( large ) offset value at time t 5 . prior to this time , i and { overscore ( i )} are seen to again exhibit a dc offset , but the programmed value set by the controller 236 is rather large and results in an extreme divergence of the signals — perhaps railing the signals as shown . the agc level is seen to rise indicating increasing attenuation between about t 5 and t 6 . at time t 7 , the dc offset correction process is initiated and carried out until approximately t 8 . during this time , the system quickly converges to a point where the dc offset is corrected , while simultaneously , the agc self corrects due to the nesting of the correction loops as previously described . thus , the present invention provides a sample and hold type dc baseband offset correction method which can be universally applied to zif and direct conversion receivers which is minimally disruptive of normal communications . the baseband dc offset correction is accomplished without the negative effects of the characteristic passband notch produced by continuously tracking out dc offset variations . those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the present invention has been described in terms of exemplary embodiments based upon use of a programmed controller . however , the invention should not be so limited , since the present invention could be implemented using hardware component equivalents such as special purpose hardware and / or dedicated processors which are equivalents to the invention as described and claimed . similarly , general purpose computers , microprocessor based computers , micro - controllers , optical computers , analog computers , dedicated processors and / or dedicated hard wired logic may be used to construct alternative equivalent embodiments of the present invention . moreover , while a specific overall architecture has been disclosed , the present invention may be utilized on other architectures without departing from the present invention . while the invention has been described in conjunction with specific embodiments , it is evident that many alternatives , modifications , permutations and variations will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art in light of the foregoing description . accordingly , it is intended that the present invention embrace all such alternatives , modifications , equivalents and variations as fall within the scope of the appended claims . | 7 |
the invention will now be described with reference to fig1 , which illustrates a top view of the preferred embodiment of a shoe upper portion in accordance with the present invention . as shown in fig1 , a shoe upper 30 has a u - shaped member 36 and a tongue 50 spanning below the u - shaped member 36 . in a conventional shoe the u - shaped member 36 would have an eyerow which would contain numerous openings for the passage of shoe laces . the present invention contains an interlaced strap 32 positioned to encompass the u - shaped member 30 . the interlaced strap 32 is connected at the bottom of the u - shaped member 36 at the lower fixed point 34 found on the medial side of the shoe upper 30 . the interlaced strap 32 crosses the u - shaped member 36 to the lateral d - ring 40 across the tongue 50 , back across the tongue 50 to the medial d - ring 42 , through the adjustable d - ring 44 and attaches to the shoe upper at the upper fixed point 38 . with further reference to fig1 , the adjustable d - ring 44 is attached to the fastening mechanism 46 , which attaches to the lateral side of the shoe upper 30 at the fastening mechanism receiving point 48 . with additional reference to fig1 , the lateral d - ring 40 , medial d - ring 42 , and adjustable d - ring 44 are freely adjustable allowing the interlaced strap 32 to be fitted to the individual wearer &# 39 ; s foot . with reference to fig2 , the medial side elevated view of the shoe upper 30 shows the interlaced strap 32 in the open position , depicting the fastening mechanism 46 attached to the adjustable d - ring 44 , the interlaced strap running through the medial d - ring 42 , across the u - shaped member 36 and tongue 50 of the shoe upper 30 . the lower fixed point 34 and upper fixed point 38 are permanently attached to the medial side of the shoe upper 30 . with further reference to fig2 , the adjustable d - ring 44 can be seen permanently attached to the fastening mechanism 46 , and the interlaced strap 32 is connected to the adjustable d - ring 44 which is capable of free movement along the interlaced strap 32 between the medial d - ring 42 and upper affixed point 38 . fig3 shows the partial view of the front perspective of the shoe upper 30 with the interlaced strap 32 in the closed position . the lateral d - ring 40 , medial d - ring 42 , and adjustable d - ring 44 have additional friction placed upon them due to the configuration of the interlaced strap 32 in the closed position . the fastening mechanism 46 has been matted to the fastening mechanism receiving point 48 creating the taut , supportive cocoon for the end user &# 39 ; s foot . with further reference to fig3 , the shoe upper 30 has a u - shaped member 36 and a tongue 50 , which is supportively encompassed by the interlaced strap 32 to provide a snug supportive covering for the wearer &# 39 ; s foot . the interlaced strap 32 is connected at the bottom of the u - shaped member 36 at the lower fixed point 34 , on the medial side of the shoe upper 30 . the interlaced strap 32 crosses the u - shaped member 36 to the lateral d - ring 40 across the y - shaped member 36 . the interlaced strap 32 then continues back across the u - shaped member 36 to the medial d - ring 42 , and through the adjustable d - ring 44 which is permanently connected to the fastening mechanism 46 . in accordance with the preset invention , the shoe is closed by pulling upon the fastening mechanism 46 to establish a snug , supportive , comfortable housing for the wearer &# 39 ; s foot . the lateral d - ring 40 , medial d - ring 42 , and adjustable d - ring 44 are freely adjustable allowing for the even distribution of pressure , applied by pulling the fastening mechanism 46 , across the u - shaped member 36 and tongue 50 of the shoe upper 30 . the position of the lateral d - ring 40 , medial d - ring 42 , and adjustable d - ring 44 in the open position is such that minimal friction is exerted upon the d - ring pulley &# 39 ; s allowing for ease of movement of the interlaced strap 32 . while force is maintained upon the fastening mechanism 46 , retaining the snug , supportive , comfortable housing , the fastening mechanism 46 is directed towards the fastening mechanism receiving portion 48 . by pulling on the fastening mechanism 46 , the user increases the amount of force on the lateral d - ring 40 , medial d - ring 42 , and adjustable d - ring 44 , thereby maintaining the interlaced strap 32 taut , and attaching the fastening mechanism 46 to the fastening mechanism receiving portion 48 . while the foregoing detailed description sets forth exemplary embodiments of a shoe upper portion in accordance with the present invention , it is to be understood that the above description is illustrative only and not limiting of the disclosed invention . indeed , it will be appreciated that the embodiment discussed above and the virtually infinite embodiments that are not mentioned could easily be within the scope and spirit of the present invention . thus , the present invention is to be limited only by the claims as set forth below . | 0 |
a description will be given below of an embodiment in accordance with the present invention with reference to fig1 , 5 , 6 , 7 and 9 . fig1 shows an embodiment in the case that a connection pin 8 for a part is provided in a part through hole 6 , in which a conversion through hole 7 is provided near the part pin 8 so as to connect a board wiring . the structure is made such that the conversion through hole 7 and the part through hole 6 are connected therebetween by both of a pattern 11 a on a board upper surface and a pattern 11 b on a board lower surface . fig5 shows a structure of the embodiment shown in fig1 , in which a connection pattern of the conversion through hole 7 and the part through hole 6 is connected only by a board lower surface . in the case that the board wiring 2 is constituted by an uppermost layer or a layer on the board upper portion close thereto , it is possible to connect only by the pattern 11 b on the board lower surface as shown in fig5 . fig6 shows a case that the patterns 11 a and 11 b connecting between the conversion through hole 7 and the part through hole 6 are constituted by an upper layer or a lower layer in a board inner layer in the structure shown in fig1 . in this case , a short stub portion is generated in the through hole , however , an influence of the stub can be made smaller to a level generating no problem by setting the stub as close as possible to the board surface . in the case that the board wiring 2 is constituted by the uppermost layer or the layer in the upper portion of the substrate close thereto in the same manner as that in fig5 , the connection can be achieved only by the connection pattern 11 b in the board lower layer . fig7 shows a structure in the case that no connection pin is necessary , such as the case that the part mounted on the board is constituted by a ball grid array ( bga ) connection or the like . in this case , since the part through hole 6 can be formed as a small - diameter through hole , there can be obtained an advantage that a freedom of design is high . fig8 shows an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a through hole in the case that the layer of the board wiring is changed . fig9 shows a conventional structure in the case that the layer of the board wiring in fig8 is changed . in the case of using one through hole 1 , a stub 17 is generated and a reflection is generated by a parasitic capacity . on the contrary , in the embodiment shown in fig8 , the influence of the stub can be reduced by using two through holes 1 a and 1 b and connecting therebetween . a description will be given below of a technical content of the present invention . in this case , fig1 a , 11 , 12 a , 12 c , 13 , 14 a and 15 a are perspective views in which an insulating member , a power source and a ground pattern are removed for understandably explaining . fig1 a shows a structure in the case that the board wiring 2 is constituted by the uppermost layer of the board , in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention . the uppermost layer wiring is connected to the part through hole 6 in the lowermost layer via the conversion through hole 7 . at this time , the signal transmission path is formed as a path 14 , and the stub which does not contribute to the signal transmission path does not exist . fig1 b is a view showing the embodiment in fig1 a on the basis of a connection of the transmission path , in which it is known that the signal is transmitted as a series of transmission path in a state in which the stub is not generated in the through hole . in this case , a characteristic impedance zo 2 of the transmission path of the conversion through hole , a characteristic impedance zo 1 of the transmission path of the part through hole , and a characteristic impedance zo 3 of the transmission path of the connection pattern are designed so as to coincide with a characteristic impedance zo of the other transmission paths or become a value close to the characteristic impedance zo under an actual restriction . accordingly , it is possible to obtain an improved characteristic having a small amount of impedance mismatch reflection . the characteristic impedance of the through hole is designed so as to optimize a through hole diameter , a clearance diameter , a power source and ground pin layout and the like . fig1 shows a case that the board wiring corresponding to the uppermost layer wiring in fig1 a is constituted by the upper layer in an inner portion of the board . at this time , a short stub is generated in an upper portion of the conversion through hole . in the case that a length of the stub is short and the parasitic capacity is small , it is possible to obtain an improved characteristic by employing the same structure as that in fig1 a . fig1 a shows a case that the board wiring 2 exists in an intermediate portion corresponding to a further lower layer . in this case , in the structure shown in fig1 , the stub in the upper portion of the conversion hole becomes long . accordingly , in the embodiment shown in fig1 a , the connection between the conversion through hole 7 and the part through hole 6 is executed by the uppermost layer pattern 11 a in addition to the lowermost layer pattern 11 b . the signal transmission path at this time is formed as the path 14 , and is branched into two paths comprising the uppermost layer and the lowermost layer in upper and lower ends of the through hole so as to transmit the signal . fig1 b is a view showing this on the basis of the connection of the transmission path . two transmission paths exist between the board wiring 2 and the transmission path 16 for the parts , and are constituted by a path along a conversion through hole upper portion 7 a and the uppermost layer pattern 11 a , and a path along a conversion through hole lower portion 7 b , the lowermost layer pattern 11 b and the part through hole 6 . accordingly , the characteristic impedances zo 2 , zo 3 and zo 1 of the transmission path in the branched portion are set to about two times of the other transmission system characteristic impedance zo and are designed such that the impedance matching is obtained on the basis of the effect that two paths are input in parallel . further , in the case that the connection patterns 11 a and 11 b have an identical structure , a difference in length corresponding to the part through hole is generated between two branched transmission paths . at this time , there is a possibility that a reflection is generated due to the difference in length between two paths . accordingly , in fig1 a , the difference in length between the paths is adjusted by elongating the length of the connection pattern 11 a of the uppermost layer . in an embodiment shown in fig1 c , in order to save a bypass area of the uppermost layer connection pattern in fig1 a , there is provided an embodiment which is designed to make the reflection by the difference in path by forming the lowermost layer wiring pattern 11 b by a thick wiring . fig1 is an embodiment in the case that the board wiring 2 exists in the lower layer in a further lower side of the board . at this time , two through holes are connected therebetween by both of the uppermost layer connection pattern 11 a and the lowermost layer connection pattern 11 b , however , since the difference in path length between two branched paths becomes small , no problem is generated even in the case that the uppermost layer connection pattern 11 a and the lowermost layer connection pattern 11 b have the same structure . fig1 a is a schematic view of the transmission path in the case of the lowermost layer board wiring . at this time , no difference in path length exists between two paths , and the influence of the reference is reduced by designing the transmission path characteristic impedances zo 2 , zo 3 and zo 1 shown in fig1 b to be about two times of the other transmission path characteristic impedance zo so as to set to a value close to zo at a time when two paths are in parallel . further , in the case that the board wiring exists in the lowermost layer , no stub exists even by employing one through hole in accordance with the conventional art as shown in fig1 a . accordingly , an improved characteristic can be obtained . the connection of the transmission path in this case is shown in fig1 b , and in order to reduce the influence of the reflection , the characteristic impedance zo 1 of the through hole 1 is designed to be close to the other transmission system characteristic impedance zo . fig1 and 17 show a result obtained by executing a measurement called as a time domain refrectometry ( tdr ) for measuring a reflection factor of the through hole portion , in order to confirm the result of the present invention . ( 1 ) in fig1 shows a reflection factor in the case that the signal is transmitted to the uppermost layer from the lowermost layer by one through hole , and since the characteristic impedance corresponding to the transmission path of the through hole is designed such as to approximately coincide with the characteristic impedance of the wiring , the reflection factor is set to a small reflection factor . ( 2 ) in fig1 shows a case that the board wiring connected to the through hole is constituted by the upper layer , and the large reflection in a minus direction is generated by the parasitic capacity of the stub portion of the through hole at this time . ( 3 ) in fig1 shows a case of employing two through holes as in the embodiment in accordance with the present invention , and two through holes are connected on the lowermost layer . at this time , it is possible to confirm that the reflection amount becomes smaller on the basis of the effect of the present invention . fig1 shows a case that the board wiring exists in the intermediate layer portion of the board . the reflection due to the parasitic capacity of the stub portion is generated in ( 4 ) using one through hole . however , in the case of ( 4 ) using two through holes in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention , it is known that the reflection factor becomes small . the embodiments in accordance with the present invention described above do not generate any new step in the board manufacturing process . in other words , since the board is manufactured while keeping the normal board manufacturing process , no cost increase is generated . it should be further understood by those skilled in the art that although the foregoing description has been made on embodiments of the invention , the invention is not limited thereto and various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims . | 7 |
the present invention relates to the use of vitamin e for normalization of blood coagulation during intake of omega - 3 fatty acid , such as epa and dha , wherein the amount of vitamin e used is 40 to 100 % by weight of the fatty acids . the present invention also relates to an article of manufacture , either in the form of a kit or a mixture comprising omega - 3 fatty acid and vitamin e , the latter of which is 40 to 100 % by weight of the fatty acids . it has been discovered that vitamin e , also known as alpha - tocopherolacetate , when used in combination with omega - 3 fatty acid , at a concentration of about 40 to 100 % by weight relative to the weight of said fatty acid , effectively prevents an increase in prothrombin time or restores to normalcy , within a short time , an existing increase in prothrombin time . in accordance with the present invention , omega - 3 fatty acids like epa and dha can be used as a fish oil preparation , as a concentrate , or in a purified form , all in the form of a liquid or a capsule . such an omega - 3 fatty acid can be administered as a drug or taken as a dietary supplement in a dose sufficient to cause an increase in prothrombin time , preferably , in an amount ranging from 50 to 1000 mg per dose . pursuant to the present invention , vitamin e can be taken separately , e . g ., in the form of a commercially available preparation like tocopherolacetate , or in admixture with an omega - 3 fatty acid . the amount of vitamin e to be taken , within the context of the present invention , depends on the amount of omega - 3 fatty acid to be used . doses of vitamin e sufficient to cause normalization of prothrombin time can be taken , with the amount preferably ranging from about 40 % to 100 % by weight of the amount of fatty acid taken ( or to be taken ), and most preferably , in an amount ranging from about 30 to 1000 mg per dose . doses of vitamin e higher than the abovedescribed range generally produce no additional effect and are preferably not used , thereby to avoid increasing the dosage and the risk of incurring undesirable side effects unnecessarily , and to avoid economic waste . doses of vitamin e lower than the above - described range are typically ineffective , particularly in the range of 1 % to 3 % by weight of omega - 3 fatty acid , for example , when used in the 1 % to 2 % range as an antioxidant in mixtures comprising fatty acid , which is relatively oxidation - sensitive . appropriate doses of vitamin e can be taken in parallel with the fatty acids , or taken separately , e . g ., after commencement of omega - 3 fatty acid therapy . in accordance with the present invention , an article of manufacture can be prepared that comprises omega - 3 fatty acid and vitamin e as separate components in a kit , or that comprises omega - 3 fatty acid in admixture with vitamin e . the vitamin e suitable for use in the present invention includes preparations in soft or hard gelatin capsules , preparations in the form of tablets , or sugar - coated tablets , and preparations mixed into fish oil . vitamin e and the omega - 3 fatty acid preparations can optionally comprise other auxiliary substances of the sort usually present in commercial preparations of these compounds . one preferred embodiment of the present invention comprises a mixture of high unsaturated fatty acids such as epa and / or dha , in an amount of about 50 to 1000 mg and vitamin e , in an amount of about 40 to 1000 mg , in a single dose . this mixture can be given orally every day over a period of time to treat patients who are in a high risk group for myocardial or brain infarction , or who have a need to lower their blood cholesterol levels . treatment comprising such a mixture can be given , for example , for a period of 4 to 6 weeks or until the desired level of blood cholesterol is achieved or maintained . the mechanism is unknown by which vitamin e maintains or restores normal blood coagulation when used at a high concentration in combination with high unsaturated fatty acids . perhaps the spontaneous drop in quick value upon fatty acid consumption is caused by a decrease in prothrombin formation resulting from bonding of vitamin k to the high unsaturated fatty acids . additional intake of vitamin e would then restore the level of free vitamin k , thereby restoring prothrombin formation . this explanation can account for the observation that an amount of vitamin e as a percent of an amount of unsaturated fatty acids has to be used . in any event , the observed effect of vitamin e intake on coagulation time of patients who are ingesting omega - 3 fatty acid is surprising in part because vitamin k , not vitamin e , is essential for blood coagulation . the correlation between vitamin e and coagulation time is especially unexpected since no change in serum vitamin e level has been observed during long - term usage of epa and dha . see terano et al , loc . cit . the present invention is further described below by reference to the following illustrative example . effect of vitamin e on prothrombin time of subjects given oral dosages of omega - 3 fatty acids a total of one hundred and twelve ( 112 ) subjects were studied and their prothrombin times and serum vitamin e levels monitored , before and after oral administration of omega - 3 fatty acid and vitamin e . results are recorded in table 1 below . fatty acids were given in the form of a capsule as either purified epa or purified dha , at a dose of up to 1000 mg per subject per day for a period of either six weeks ( see column iii ) or ten weeks ( see column iv ), respectively . vitamin e was given separately in a dose of 500 mg per patient per day for a period of four weeks , commencing six weeks after initiation of ( but continuing administration of ) fatty acid therapy ( see column iv ). prothrombin time of normal individual was determined to be approximately 12 seconds . prothrombin time was measured , and the quick value was calculated , for each subject , before and after treatment . the quick values for all subjects were averaged before treatment ( row 2 , column ii ), after six weeks of treatment with omega - 3 fatty acid alone ( row 2 , column iii ), and after combined treatment with omega - 3 fatty acid and vitamin e ( row 2 , column iv ). serum vitamin e level of each subject was determined before commencement of the omega - 3 fatty acid treatment , and was found to range from about 0 . 5 to 1 . 6 mg / 100 ml . each subject &# 39 ; s pretreatment serum vitamin e level was deemed his personal &# 34 ; normal value &# 34 ; ( row 3 , column ii ). serum vitamin e levels , as a percentage of each subject &# 39 ; s pretreatment level , were determined and the levels for all subjects were averaged after six week of treatment with omega - 3 fatty acid alone ( row 3 , column iii ) and after combined treatment with omega - 3 fatty acid and vitamin e ( row 3 , column iv ). table 1__________________________________________________________________________experimental resultsi ii iii iv__________________________________________________________________________number of subjects before omega - 3 - after 6 weeks after 6 weeksn = 112 fatty acid of omega - 3 - fatty of omega - 3 - therapy acid therapy . sup . 1 fatty acid therapy followed by 4 weeks of omega - 3 fatty acid and vitamin e therapy . sup . 2quick value . sup . 3 96 % 58 % 95 % n = 112 n = 112 n = 112vitamin e personal 60 % of 100 % of ( tocopherol ) &# 34 ; normal &# 34 ; normal value &# 34 ; &# 34 ; normal value &# 34 ;. sup . 4 = 100 % n = 112 range &# 34 ; n = 112 n = 112__________________________________________________________________________ legend : . sup . 1 with up to 1000 mg of epa or dha per dose . . sup . 2 with epa or dha as in column iii , and 500 mg of vitamin e per dose . sup . 3 quick value = [ normal prothrombin time ] ÷ [ prothrombin time of tested subject ]. a prothrombin time of 12 seconds is used as normal prothrombin time . results represent an average quick value of all tested subjects expressed as a percentage of normal quick value . . sup . 4 normal serum vitamin e level of tested subjects ranges from about 0 . 5 - 1 . 6 mg / 100 ml . each subject &# 39 ; s serum vitamin e level before treatment is his or her personal &# 34 ; normal value .&# 34 ; results represent an average of al tested subjects expressed as a percentage of his or her personal normal value . before administration of omega - 3 fatty acid , quick value of the 112 subjects averaged 96 % of normal . after 6 weeks of omega - 3 type fatty acid therapy , quick value of these subjects dropped to an average of 58 % of normal . but after 6 weeks of omega - 3 type fatty acid therapy alone and 4 weeks of combined omega - 3 type fatty acid therapy and vitamin e therapy , the quick value of these subjects returned to an average of 95 % of normal . the vitamin e level was found to drop to 60 % of normal when the omega - 3 fatty acid was given without vitamin e , but returned to 100 % of normal when fatty acid was given in combination with vitamin e . the results show , therefore , that administration of omega - 3 fatty acid lowers the quick value of treated subjects , while administration of vitamin e restores the quick value of treated subjects to normalcy . these results are entirely unexpected since saynor et al , loc . cit ., did not find any significant change associated with prothrombin within a 5 - week period during which each tested persons was given , on a daily basis , fish oil comprising a high epa content . in addition , terano , loc . cit ., did not find any significant changes in serum vitamin e levels in people on fish diets . | 8 |
in the preferred embodiment , a pair of dual vises will be used to clamp skis to be worked upon , each dual vise being of identical construction . thus , when a pair of skis are clamped in the vises in side - by - side relationship , the skis are horizontal and lie in essentially the same plane . the term &# 34 ; dual vise &# 34 ; ( hereafter simply &# 34 ; vise &# 34 ; for brevity ) is used to describe a single member of the pair which will usually be used , because each member incorporates two vises and has no common vise jaw for the support of both skis . it will soon be evident that it is not essential that two skis be clamped in place , and that a single ski may be clamped and worked on , if desired . similarly , for obvious reasons , it is desirable to use two vises , but it is not essential , and one vise may suffice where , for example , only the ` tail ` of a ski is to be worked on , and the head of the ski can be adequately supported , or vice versa ; or , where the mid - section of the skis are to be worked on , and the ends of the skis can be adequately supported . referring first to fig1 there is shown a perspective view of a vise , indicated generally by reference numeral 10 , clamping a pair of skis 11 and 12 shown in phantom outline , one ski 11 ( the ` fore ` ski ) in the &# 34 ; bottom up &# 34 ; position , and the other ski 12 ( the ` aft ` ski ) in the &# 34 ; edge - up &# 34 ; position . normally , both skis will be clamped in the same position , either the edge - up , bottom up , or normal positions ; these different positions are recited with reference to the drawing mainly to show that both skis need not be in the same position when they are clamped . each of the vises 10 are relatively small so they may be easily packed in a travel bag , or inserted into a ski bag of the type in which skis are carried . for this particular application , that is , as a ski vise , the construction of the vise is of light but strong materials , but for industrial applications , for example for the drilling of heavy castings , the vise may be much larger and formed from forged steel components . each vise comprises a pair of upstanding first and second end jaws 13 ( first or ` fore ` jaw ) and 14 ( second or ` aft ` jaw ), which are fixedly disposed relative to each other , and a pair of movable jaws 15 ( first or ` fore ` movable jaw ) and 16 ( second or ` aft ` movable jaw ) which are slidably disposed on a pair of transversely spaced - apart guide rails 17 and 18 . the ends of the guide rails are press - fitted or otherwise fixedly positioned in recesses provided in the end jaws 13 and 14 , and though the cross - section of the guide rails is not critical , it is most practical to use cylindrical tubing of any relatively strong and light material , 0 . 5 &# 34 ; ( inch ) diameter aluminum tubing being preferred . the guide rails are each inserted in the end jaws 13 and 14 at a sufficient height above their bases 13 &# 39 ; and 14 &# 39 ; respectively to provide room to clamp the skis securely in an edge - up position . typically , each end jaw is about 2 . 5 &# 34 ; wide and about 2 . 75 &# 34 ; high , and the guide rails are positioned parallel to each other in a horizontal plane , about mid - way . a bore 19 is also provided in end jaw 13 , intermediate the guide rails . first end jaw 13 ( the ` fore ` end jaw ) is provided at the top with a step 20 having a horizontal planar surface 21 upon which one side of ski 11 rests . a strip of resilient material 22 is secured , preferably adhesively , to the vertical wall 23 of the step 20 . as can be seen , step 20 cradles one longitudinal ( fore ) edge of first ski 11 , the other ( aft ) edge being supported by movable jaw 15 as will be explained hereinafter . similarly , the ` aft ` or second end jaw 14 is provided with a step 25 having a horizontal platform 26 and a resilient strip 22 &# 39 ; secured to the vertical wall 27 of the step 25 , except that step 25 is notched facing step 20 . first movable ( fore ) jaw 15 is provided with bores 31 and 32 through which guide rails 17 and 18 are respectively inserted , and first movable jaw 15 is slidably disposed on the guide rails . the movable fore jaw 15 is also provided with a bore 33 in which one end 34 of an elongated hollow member 35 is press - fitted . the hollow member 35 is preferably a cylindrical tube ( hereafter &# 34 ; tube &# 34 ;) with a smooth bore , and for convenience is of the same size ( about 0 . 5 &# 34 ; nominal diameter ) as that used for the guide rails 17 and 18 . tube 35 is slidably inserted in bore 19 and protrudes therefrom for a short distance , terminating in a spacing member 40 . movable fore jaw 15 is provided at the top with a step 36 having a horizontal planar surface or platform 37 upon which one edge of a ski may rest . a strip of resilient material 22 is secured to the vertical wall 38 of the step 36 in a manner similar to steps 20 and 25 . step 36 faces step 20 of fore end wall 13 and one step is substantially a mirror image of the other for ease of manufacture . second movable ( aft ) jaw 16 , like movable fore jaw 15 , is provided with bores 41 and 42 through which the guide rails 17 and 18 are respectively inserted , and the jaw 16 is slidably movable on the guide rails . intermediate the bores 41 and 42 there is also provided another bore 43 in which one end of a rod member 50 is journalled for rotation about its longitudinal axis . when rod 50 is threaded stock , lock nuts 53 , one on either side of movable jaw 16 may be used to rotatably secure the end of the threaded rod 50 in the movable jaw 16 . movable aft jaw 16 is provided at the top with a step 46 having a horizontal planar surface or platform 47 upon which one edge of a ski may rest . a strip of resilient material 22 is secured to the vertical wall 48 of the step 46 in a manner analogous to that described hereinbefore . step 46 faces step 25 on aft end jaw 13 and is substantially a mirror image thereof , also , as in the pair of fore jaws of the vise , for ease of manufacture . rod 50 is inserted within tube 35 and extends therethrough beyond the spacer member 40 , the rod terminating in a knob 52 . the rod 50 is at least partly threaded , that is , it is threaded over at least that portion of its length which is in the immediate vicinity of the spacer member when the movable jaws are positioned to clamp the skis in any preselected position . as a matter of convenience , it is more practical to use threaded stock for the rod 50 , and it is substantially coaxially disposed within tube 35 . knob 52 may be replaced with a t - handle or any other handle means such as is conventionally used to manually rotate a screw such as the rod 50 , but a small knob about 1 . 375 &# 34 ; in diameter is preferred because it provides sufficient pressure on the skis without an undue risk of exerting excess pressure so as to damage either the skis or the vise . spacer member 40 is provided with a threaded bore 44 in which a locking member indicated generally by reference numeral 60 , is threadedly disposed in parallel spaced apart relationship with the rod 50 . the space member 40 is shown as a hub , mostly because of its desirable design , though it will be evident that a broken away flange portion , or a projecting stub wide enough to threadedly accept the longitudinally partially threaded arm 61 of the locking member 60 will be equally satisfactory . the locking member 60 is preferably l - shaped , one arm 61 of the ` l ` in threaded bore 44 being threaded longitudinally along its one side 62 of its length for more than 180 ° of its perimeter , so that it will be held in the bore ; the other side 63 being flattened over a minor portion of the circumference so as to afford clearance for the threads of the threaded rod 50 . the other arm 64 of the ` l ` serves both as a handle to rotate the locking member and to indicate whether or not the threads on side 62 are engaged with threads on the threaded rod 50 . as illustrated , arm 61 lies in substantially the same horizontal plane as the longitudinal axis of the rod 50 . in the &# 34 ; up &# 34 ; position , arm 64 lies at about 60 ° to the horizontal , tangentially against the upper portion of the threads of rod 50 , and indicates that the threads of the rod and the locking member are disengaged . in the &# 34 ; down &# 34 ; position , the arm 64 lies at about a 60 ° angle to the horizontal , tangentially against the lower portion of the threads of the rod 50 , and indicates that the threads of the rod and the locking member are locked into engagement . clearly , the angle at which the arm 64 lies against the threads of rod 50 will depend upon the relative sizes of the rod and arm 64 , but it illustrates simply that the arm 64 may be rotated until it abuts the upper and lower portions of threads of rod , on either side thereof , respectively , to indicate whether the rod member is freely longitudinally translatable , or not . the rod 50 is unidirectionally threaded , that is , it is threaded for either right hand or left hand threads , the former being conventional and preferred . when the threads of the locking member 60 and the rod 50 are engaged , the position of the movable jaws relative to each other is fixed , except if the rod 50 is rotated . if the rod 50 is rotated clockwise , aft movable jaw 16 is propelled towards the end jaw 14 , and the fore movable jaw 15 is advanced simultaneously towards the fore end jaw 13 , assuming a right hand thread on rod 50 . since the relative motion of the movable jaws away from each other is effected by rotation of the threaded rod 50 , the rate at which such relative movement of the movable jaws occurs is determined by the pitch of the screw threads , and of course the rate at which the rod 50 is rotated . when the threads of the locking member 60 are disengaged from the threads of the rod 50 , the movable jaws are movable independently , there being nothing more than an insignificant amount of friction between the threads of the rod 50 and the smooth inner surface of the bore of the hollow member 35 . all the jaws , whether fixed or movable , are preferably made from rigid synthetic resinous material such as slabs of nylon , polypropylene or high density polyethylene , for reasons of economy of machining them , and because such materials are much lighter than steel . because each vise is relatively light when constructed with such materials , and particularly if the jaws are mounted on aluminum guide rails , the vises are preferably secured to a bench or other flat surface when they are to be used to tune up skis . to do this conveniently , the end jaws 13 and 14 are provided with rubber suction cups 67 and 68 which are threadedly secured to the bases 13 &# 39 ; and 14 &# 39 ; respectively of the end jaws . when the cups are pressed on to a flat , smooth surface , they firmly secure the vise to the surface . alternatively , as illustrated in detail perspective view shown in fig5 each of the vises ( shown with portions broken away ) may be mounted on a mounting block 70 which in turn is clamped or otherwise secured to the surface of a bench or table top 71 . such a block is provided with a clamp 72 having a clamping screw 73 which is tightly abutted against the lower surface of the table top to which the block is secured . the upper surface of the block 70 is provided with a pair of strips with interlocking hooks made of synthetic resinous material such as dual - loc strips 75 , one near each end of the block , corresponding to the resting positions of the bases 13 &# 39 ; and 14 &# 39 ; of the end jaws each of which is also provided with dual - loc strips 74 which lock into the dual - loc strips 75 on the mounting block when downward pressure is exerted on the jaws . the vises are removed from the mounting blocks simply by pulling upwards to release the grip of the interlocked dual - loc strips . other locking strip materials such as velcro strips , made with interlocking hook and eye means formed of synthetic resinous material such as nylon , polypropylene or the like , or any other interlocking means which are releasably interlocked may be used . any other method of securing the vises to a firm support may also be used , depending upon the particular conditions of use . the rotatable locking member 60 is a particularly convenient , novel and unobvious way of providing the necessary locking action on the threads of the threaded rod 50 . it is not essential that this locking action be provided with a rotatable locking member , and there are other ways of doing this which are known in the art . for example , a spring - loaded blade having one u - shaped end to engage the threaded rod may be used . such a blade is radially spring - biased towards the longitudinal axis of the rod 50 , and may be mounted either on the hub , or on the front face of end jaw 13 . if mounted on the front face of jaw 13 , it may be mounted pointing vertically downward and directly above hollow tube 35 the top portion of which would be cut away so as to provide the blade access to the threads of rod 50 , which threads the blade would have to engage to provide the necessary locking action . though still other known means of locking the threaded rod 50 to the hollow tube member 35 may be provided , it will be immediately evident to one skilled in the art , that the rotatable locking member 60 disclosed herein is uniquely well - adapted for the easy and quick action which is so desirable when working on skis . whatever other mechanism may be provided , the effect is to lock the hollow tube 35 relative to the threaded rod 50 so that the movable jaws 15 and 16 may be translated either towards or away from each other , by simply rotating the threaded rod 50 . in a typical actual operation , two vises are mounted along the front edge of a bench , spaced apart so as to hold the tails of a ski in the first vise and the heads of the skis in the second vise . each vise has its fore movable jaw 15 pushed back so that the hub 40 of each is adjacent the front face of the fore end jaw 13 . the tail ( say ) of the first (` fore `) ski is placed bottom - up with its one longitudinal (` fore `) edge resting upon platform 21 of the step 20 in the fore end jaw 13 . holding the ski tail relatively planar with the left hand , knob 52 is grasped with the fingers of the right hand and pulled forward so as to bring the platform 37 of the step 36 in movable jaw 15 under the other longitudinal ( aft ) edge of the ski . the same operation is repeated with the head of the ski in the second vise , holding the ski in the right hand , grasping the knob of the second vise with the fingers of the left hand , and pulling the knob forward so as to bring the movable jaw 16 of the second vise into contact with its movable jaw 15 , which in turn is moved under the aft edge of the fore ski . the fore ski is thus resting bottom - up between the steps of the fore movable jaw 15 and the fore end jaw 13 of each of the two vises on the bench . next , the second ski is picked up , held in the left hand and placed with the aft longitudinal edge of its tail on the platform 26 of aft end jaw 14 ; the other end of the same aft edge is placed on the platform of the second vise . now , holding the ski with the left hand on the platforms of the two aft end jaws , knob 52 is grasped with fingers of the right hand and pushed inwards so that platform 47 of step 46 of movable aft jaw 16 is placed under the fore edge of the second ski , and the side edges of the ski are pressed against the resilient strips 22 secured to the vertical walls of the steps 25 and 46 . an analogous operation is performed on the head of the second ski . thus , both skis are now placed in the jaws of the vises , each lightly pressed against the resilient strips holding the skis . the locking member is now rotated from the &# 34 ; unlocked &# 34 ; or &# 34 ; open &# 34 ; position to the locked or thread - engaged position . the knobs 52 on each vise are now rotated until the skis are tightly held . this is accomplished because rotation of the knob 52 in the clockwise direction forces movable aft jaw 16 towards aft end jaw 14 , and at the same time forces movable fore jaw 15 against the fore end jaw 13 , with the skis being held between each pair of jaws . moreover , particularly if the skis are held between the steps of the jaws , pressure exerted on the skis tends to spread the upper portions of the jaws apart , thus providing a camming effect on the lower portions of the jaws where the guide rails are inserted . this camming effect tends to lock the jaws in position so that the skis are not loosened even if left in the jaws for a considerable period of time . after the desired tuning of the skis is completed , the arm 64 of the locking member is rotated upwards so as to release engagement of the threads of the arm 61 and place flattened side 63 of the arm 61 next to the threads of rod 50 . the skis can now be removed by simply lifting up on them . if desired , the pressure on the skis may first be relieved by backing off the knob 52 one or two turns before releasing the locking member 60 . | 1 |
referring now to fig1 - 3 , a mower 2 is shown with three turf grooming cutting units 4 mounted thereto . cutting unit 4 is a conventional mower cutting unit , such as one made by toro manufacturing corp ., minneapolis , minn . as model no . 04400 , except as modified as described below . cutting units 4 are each powered by a hydraulic motor 6 which is supplied with hydraulic driving fluid through hydraulic lines 8 coupled to a power source on mower 2 . cutting unit 4 includes a frame 10 to which a horizontal reel 12 is mounted for rotation . reel 12 is of conventional design and has a number of spiral blades 14 which cut vertically extending grass between the outer edges 16 of blades 14 and a bed knife 18 mounted to frame 10 . the unmodified conventional cutting unit 4 includes a rear roller 20 and a front roller , not shown . in the present invention the front roller found on conventional cutting units is replaced by an expunger cutting head 21 which includes a slotted expunger roller 22 , a knife roller 48 and a knife roller drive assembly 96 . expunger roller 22 includes an expunger shaft 30 over which numerous expunger discs 32 , shown in fig4 and 7a , are mounted . the height of the cut is adjusted by an expunger roller height adjuster 24 , which is substantially identical to that used on the standard cutting unit . adjuster 24 , shown best in fig3 and 5 , includes a shaft support 25 having a vertically extending threaded rod portion 26 and an enlarged lower end 27 . rod portion 26 passes through a rod housing 28 which is bolted to frame 10 by nut and bolts 19 and 29 ( see fig2 ). a knob 31 is mounted to the upper threaded end of rod portion 26 . shaft 30 is coupled to lower end 27 through an oval link 68 and a bearing 65 . link 68 includes a hole 70 and lower end 27 includes a bore 69 within which the outer race 71 of bearing 65 is housed . bearing 65 includes a center shaft 73 , one end of which is secured within an end bore 75 of shaft 30 and the other end of which passes freely through an opening 23 in lower end 27 . since expunger roller 22 replaces the front roller of a conventional cutting unit , rotating knob 26 causes expunger roller 22 to move along a vertical path 33 and thus adjust the height of cut of bed knife 18 . expunger discs 32 , seen best in fig4 and 7a , include a central opening 34 , sized to be pressed on shaft 30 , and a shoulder portion 36 having a diameter substantially less than the outside diameter of disc 32 . expunger disc 32 includes an outer diametral surface 38 and an inner diametral surface 40 . outer surface 38 includes an outer cylindrical surface portion 39 and circular arcuate portions 41 . outer surfaces 38 are those portions of roller 22 which rest on turf surface s while inner surfaces 40 define the roots of circular slots 42 , also called expunger channels , defined between adjacent expunger discs 32 and extending between inner and outer surfaces 38 , 40 . circular slots 42 include an outer region 43 , indicated by dashed lines in fig7 a , having inwardly sloping sidewall portions 45 which guide the grass g into slots 42 as described below . knife roller 44 is mounted immediately behind expunger roller 22 , as shown in fig8 . roller 44 includes a knife roller shaft 46 over which numerous knife discs 48 are mounted . knife discs 48 , seen in fig6 include a central bore 50 sized for mounting over shaft 46 and six radially extending blades 52 . knife discs 48 are mounted to knife roller shaft 46 so that blades 42 form a reverse spiral path about the axis 54 of knife roller 44 , relative to the spiral direction of blades 14 , as seen in fig3 . this spiral offset or staging is achieved by extending a staging pin 56 from one side 58 of disc 48 and providing a staging hole 60 in a shoulder 62 extending from the opposite side 64 of knife disc 48 . pin 56 is sized for complementary mating engagement within staging hole 60 . pin 56 and hole 60 are located at the same radius from axis 54 but offset at an angle 66 from one another . this angular offset causes blades 52 to form a spiral path about axis 54 as is desired for smooth cutting action . after mounting onto shaft 46 , knife discs 48 are mated as one and the end knife discs 48 are secured to the shaft such as by using a suitable adhesive or with set screws . referring now to fig3 and 5 , shaft 46 includes end bores 61 within which are mounted the ends of the center shaft 63 of a bearing 67 . bearing 67 is in turn housed within a hole 71 in an oval link 68 and a bore 77 in a spacer 104 . a knife roller height adjuster 74 , similar in construction to expunger roller height adjuster 24 , is mounted to frame 10 adjacent and to the interior of adjusters 24 . adjusters 74 are used to vary the height of expunger rollers 44 . height adjuster 74 includes a cap 76 engaging the threaded end 78 of an adjuster bar 80 . the lower end 82 of bar 80 is sized to fit loosely within an over sized hole 84 formed within the upper surface 86 of link 68 . bar 80 is secured within hole 84 by roll pin 88 which passes through complementary openings 89 , 91 in bar 80 and link 68 . the position of knife roller 44 is adjusted relative to frame 10 by height adjusters 74 . vertical movement of bar 80 causes link 68 to pivot about an expunger axis 90 ( since expunger roller shaft 30 is fixed in place by adjuster 24 ) passing through the center of hole 70 . this pivotal movement is indicated by arrow 92 . therefore once the height of expunger roller 22 has been chosen , the height of knife roller 44 relative to cutting surface s is adjusted using adjuster 74 without changing the centerline distance between axes 54 and 90 and without affecting the height of bed knife 18 above surface s . because pivot member 68 pivots , in contrast with the vertical movement of shaft support 25 , the point of connection between bar 80 and member 68 at roll pin 88 travels along an arc 94 during operation of adjuster 74 . by making the connection between bar 80 and member 68 a pivotal one and by making hole 84 oversized , lower end 82 of bar 80 can move along arc 94 without binding . referring to fig2 and 5 , knife roller 44 is driven by drive belt assembly 96 . assembly 96 includes a belt 98 which passes around a pulley 100 . pulley 100 is mounted to the outer end 102 of center shaft 63 which extends through tubular spacer 104 . pulley 100 is secured to shaft 63 by a set screw 106 to provide a driving interface between the pulley and the shaft . belt 98 is driven by a drive pulley 108 mounted to one end of the axle 110 of reel 12 . pulley 108 is operably coupled to and decoupled from axle 110 by remotely actuated clutch 112 . clutch 112 includes a solenoid assembly 114 mounted to frame 10 and a clutch unit 116 mounted between pulley 108 and the end of axle 110 . actuation of solenoid assembly 114 causes plunger 118 to extend engaging the periphery of clutch unit 116 . this causes an internal sleeve , not shown , over which pulley 108 is mounted , to engage axle 110 thus driving belt 96 . this clutch is an adaptation of one sold by borg - warner corporation of bellwood , illinois as part no . eb 205 - 40 - 004 . other types of remotely actuated clutches may be used as well . a pivoting belt tensioner 120 keeps belt 96 taught regardless of the position of knife roller 44 . in use , nut and bolts 19 are loosened to allow adjusters 24 , 74 to be manipulated . the position of expunger roller 22 is chosen using adjuster 24 according to the height of cut desired . the height of knife roller 44 is then adjusted using adjuster 74 according to the condition of the turf . nut and bolts 19 are then tightened to secure both expunger and knife rollers 22 , 44 in place relative to frame 10 . during the operation of mower 2 , during which hydraulic motor 6 powers reel 12 , knife roller 44 is driven about its axis 54 upon the actuation of clutch 112 . expunger roller 22 , which supports one end of cutting unit 4 , rolls along surface s as mower 2 advances . as shown in fig7 a - 7c and 8 , a piece of grass g , or other plant material , lying horizontally on surface s is pulled up between the rolling expunger discs 32 and into the circular slots 42 defined between discs 32 . curved sidewall portions 45 of outer regions 43 of circular slots 42 act to guide the pinched or puckered up grass g into the shape shown in fig7 b . in one embodiment slots 42 are about 4 . 5 mm wide , discs 32 have a thickness of about 3 mm and portions 45 have a radius of about 6mm . these pinched up pieces of plant material are then pulled upright and sliced by the rapidly moving blades 52 of knife disc 48 . before the newly severed , generally upright grass segments u can lie down , they are cut between outer edges 16 of blades 14 and bed knife 18 . thus horizontally growing plant material is removed before it has a chance to build up into a thick , unhealthy thatch layer . the reversed spiral staging of knife blades 52 , illustrated in fig3 allows for a smooth cutting action . this is in contrast with the vibration prone cutting action which would be likely if the knife blades were axially aligned . the speed of rotation of knife roller 44 , the number of blades 52 and the height of knife roller 44 are all influenced by the operating conditions , particularly the grass height . cutting unit 4 is intended to be used each time the turf is cut . old , tough and coarse rhizomes and stolons , as well as other horizontally growing plant material , are removed allowing for growth of new , healthy shoots . however , since blades 52 need not dig into the turf , damage to the turf is eliminated . in addition , since many broadleaf weeds cannot survive the action of blades 52 , there is a greatly reduced need for eradication by use of herbicides when a mower using a cutting unit made according to the invention is used regularly . the invention can be marketed as a kit for modifying existing cutting units . doing so would entail minimal modifications to the existing unit other than replacing the existing front roller with expunger cutting head 21 and adding a drive assembly 96 with an associated switch for actuating clutch 112 . in some situations , it may be desired to eliminate reel 12 and bed knife 18 from cutting unit 4 . also , expunger cutting head 21 could be sold as a kit for use with equipment having no other grass cutting features . modification and variation can be made to the disclosed embodiment without departing from the subject of the invention as defined in the following claims . if desired , expunger roller and knife roller may each be made from metal or a suitable plastic and also may be made as a unitary piece , such as by molding or casting . the shape of blades 52 can be varied and their numbers can be increased or decreased . also , channels 42 , and in particular outer region 43 , may be varied in cross - sectional shape from the disclosed embodiment . | 0 |
the present invention relates to an improved slanted bragg grating gain - flattening filter formed in a single fiber and to a method for manufacturing such a filter . the following description is presented to enable one of ordinary skill in the art to make and use the invention and is provided in the context of a patent application and its requirements . various modifications to the preferred embodiment will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art and the generic principles herein may be applied to other embodiments . thus , the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiment shown but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and features described herein . to more particularly appreciate the features and advantages of the present invention , the reader is referred to the appended fig5 - 8 in conjunction with the following discussion . an apparatus in accordance with the present invention comprises a strongly chirped complex slanted bragg grating within which the mean index is variable over the filter length and is directly related to the strength of reflection of a local elementary filter . a novelty of the present invention , directly linked to the non - constant mean index variation along the grating , is that the elementary filters may be partially spatially overlapped , with respect to both their spatial positions and their reflection spectra . in general , sbg gratings are manufactured by irradiating a portion of a photosensitive optical fiber with an interference pattern using uv light at a pre - selected wavelength . this irradiation causes , within the fiber , two important changes : ( 1 ) development of a longitudinal periodic refractive index refraction change ( also called index modulation change ) that behaves as a bragg grating and enables the coupling of incident light of a certain wavelength into backward dissipative cladding modes and ( 2 ) a constant refractive index increase ( also called the mean refractive index change ). both of these characteristics are mandatory to impress a spectral loss ( i . e ., through back coupling into cladding modes ). the coupling wavelength is directly proportional to the period of the periodic refractive index change . the strength of the reflection and the attenuation depth at this given wavelength are related to the level of the index modulation change . the mean refractive index change has the effect of slightly changing the effective index of the fiber modes and the coefficient of proportionality between the coupling wavelength and the period of the index modulation change . fig5 shows a schematic illustration of a preferred method , in accordance with the present invention , for manufacturing a sbg gain flattening filter . in the method 200 ( fig5 ), a uv beam 70 is caused to pass through a slit 60 to form a spatially filtered uv beam 72 that passes through a strongly chirped phase mask 50 onto a photosensitized optical waveguide 40 . preferably , the waveguide 40 is an optical fiber but could also comprise , any waveguide such as , for instance , a planar waveguide . the interference pattern produced by the passage of the uv beam 72 through the portion 52 of the phase mask 50 causes the imprinting of an elementary slanted fiber bragg grating 30 . 2 within the waveguide 40 . the grating rulings within the strongly chirped phase mask 50 are oriented such that the elementary fiber bragg gratings is a slanted grating . within the method 200 ( fig5 ), the positions of the uv beam and / or the slit are moved relative to the phase mask 50 and waveguide 40 using a translation support 80 . thus , in a first position , the uw beam 70 passes through the slit 60 so as to cause spatially filtered beam 72 to pass through portion 52 of the chirped phase mask 50 so as to generate elementary fiber bragg grating filter 30 . 2 within the waveguide 40 . subsequently , the positions of the uv beam and / or the slit are moved such that the uv beam , now represented as uv beam 70 a , passes through the slit , represented as slit 60 a , so as to cause spatially filtered beam 72 a to pass through portion 52 a of phase mask 50 so as to generate elementary bragg grating 30 . 3 within waveguide 40 . other elementary fiber bragg gratings , such as grating 30 . 1 , etc ., may be inscribed in the waveguide 40 by irradiations at other positions . the manufacturing method in accordance with the present invention ( fig5 ) differs from the prior art manufacturing method shown in fig1 via the fact that , in the instant method : ( 1 ) two consecutive irradiated zones of the photosensitized waveguide 40 may have a common spatial region ( i . e . the adjacent irradiated regions and the resulting elementary fiber bragg gratings overlap one another ); ( 2 ) the lengths of the elementary gratings are generally not identical ; ( 3 ) the spacings between the centers of pairs of adjacent gratings are not constant ( i . e ., are aperiodic ); and ( 4 ) the size of the various overlap regions between adjacent elementary gratings are also not constant . manufacturing this complex grating requires the inscription should be subdivided into a series of elementary fbg filters of length ranging between 0 . 5 mm and 2 mm . fig6 is a schematic illustration of a preferred embodiment of a gain flattening filter 300 in accordance with the present invention . the overlapping characteristics of the various elementary fiber bragg gratings within the optical waveguide 40 comprising the filter 300 are shown in detail in fig6 . preferably , the waveguide 40 is an optical fiber ( as drawn in fig6 ) but can be any type of optical waveguide . it is to be noted that , in both fig5 and fig6 , the gratings are drawn with fictitious offsets perpendicular to the length or axis of the fiber 40 . these fictitious offsets are drawn so as to more clearly show overlapping characteristics of the elementary gratings and are not to be interpreted as actual physical features of the invention . the gain - flattening filter 300 may comprise any desired number , n , of elementary sbg filters , 30 . 1 - 30 . n . as shown in fig6 , each elementary sbg filter n i comprises a grating length δl i ( 1 ≦ i ≦ n ). also , there is a separation distance δx i ( 2 ≦ i ≦ n ) between the centers of adjacent elementary filters . the values of δl i and δx i are determined by the width and the position , respectively , of the slit 60 . in the present invention , these operational parameters ( slit width and position ) are completely arbitrary and may differ between elementary gratings and pairs of elementary gratings , depending upon the requirements of the target transmission spectrum ( or “ template ”) of the final gain - flattening filter . however , there will exist at least one pair of elementary filters that has a common uv - irradiated region and , therefore , a common or overlapping grating region . because of the above - mentioned relaxation of constraints on the properties of the elementary filters , more degrees of freedom are available in the modeling of a target or template spectrum as a summation of spectra derived from elementary filters . that is , the distance between adjacent elementary filters — both in position and in wavelength — may be optimized according to the required spectral slope in the vicinity of the reflection wavelengths of the filters . accordingly , a filter manufactured in accordance with a method of the present invention is better able to fit template spectra within high attenuation transition regions at range extremities . this permits increased versatility in filter design . the longitudinal mean refractive index distribution and the index modulation change ( determining the reflection wavelength and the reflection strength of an elementary filter , respectively ) are controlled , within the present invention , by choosing the irradiation conditions of the uv - beam on the strongly chirped mask so as to produce an optimal set of elementary fiber bragg grating filters . concretely speaking , the final mean refractive index and the final refractive index modulation at a given point in the gain flattening filter 300 produced in accordance with the present invention will be obtained from a contribution of one or more index changes induced by the writing of one or more elementary filters . the changes in optical properties that occur during the annealing stage of the final gain flattening filter as a result of the variation of the mean refractive index are taken into account during the initial modeling stage of the filter manufacture when the number and properties of individual elementary fiber bragg gratings are computed . thus , after writing the gratings , but prior to annealing , the gain - flattening filter does not have exactly the required transmission spectral profile . this profile then self adjusts to the target profile during the annealing stage . the current solution has been proven to workable by modeling and by experiment . to clearly demonstrate the advantages of gain - flattening filters in accordance with and produced in accordance with the present invention , there is shown herein an experimental comparison , using the same target spectral template , between error deviations observed for filters produced using the prior art single - fiber constant - mean - index sbg technique ( fig1 ) and using a method in accordance with the present invention ( fig6 ). the advantages may be observed by comparing fig7 a - 7 b , which show results obtained for the prior - art apparatus with fig8 a - 8 b , which show results obtained for a gain - flattening filter in accordance with the present invention . fig7 a is a graph 400 , plotted with respect to wavelength , showing the actual transmission curve 405 of a fiber bragg grating synthesized according to a prior - art single - fiber constant - mean - index sbg technique , the target or template transmission spectrum 410 and the difference 420 therebetween . fig7 b is graph , plotted with respect to wavelength , showing a curve 430 that plots the derivative of the difference between the actual and target transmission spectra of a fiber bragg grating synthesized according to the same prior - art technique . fig8 a - 8 b present similar results to those shown in fig7 a - 7 b , respectively , obtained for a gain - flattening filter in accordance with the present invention . fig8 a is a graph 500 , plotted with respect to wavelength , showing the actual transmission curve 510 of a fiber bragg grating synthesized according to a method in accordance with the present invention and a curve 520 representing the difference between the actual transmission curve and the template . fig8 b is a graph 550 , plotted with respect to wavelength , showing a curve 530 that plots the derivative of the difference between the actual and target transmission spectra of a fiber bragg grating synthesized according to a method in accordance with the present invention . it is clear that a better match of the template function is achieved when comparing the two error profiles ( curve 420 of graph 400 in fig7 a and curve 520 of graph 500 in fig8 a ). small scale oscillations are suppressed within a gain flattening filter manufactured in accordance with the present invention because the superimposition or increased spectral overlap of the elementary filters allows a small spectral separation ( small δλ ) between adjacent filters . this reduced spectral separation changes the period and the amplitude of the oscillations . in comparison to the prior - art gain flattening filter , the variations are especially reduced at both the beginning and at the end of the spectral profile using the present invention . additionally , the derivative of the error with respect to wavelength ( curve 530 of graph 550 in fig8 b ) is limited to a greatly reduced range relative to a filter produced as in the prior art ( curve 430 of graph 450 in fig7 b ). the prior - art gain - flattening filter clearly exhibits high errors and variations of errors at the beginning of the spectral range that could lead to intolerable system impairments . these errors and their variations are reduced to an acceptable level within a gain - flattening filter in accordance with the present invention . since a gain - flattening filter device in accordance with the present invention produces a better fit of the template and a reduced level of the derivative of the error over the full bandwidth , such a device is expected to reduce system gain perturbations down to levels that will reduce the transmission system design complexities and device allocations along an optical transmission . in summary , the present invention provides three main advantages relative to the prior art : ( 1 ) a reduction of the manufacturing time since the writing procedure does not require an identical writing time , regardless of the desired spectral contrast , for each fbg elementary filter ; ( 2 ) suppression of systematic small - scale oscillations in the error deviation vs . template ; and ( 3 ) improved match to the template attenuation spectrum . although the present invention has been described in accordance with the embodiments shown and discussed , one of ordinary skill in the art will readily recognize that there could be variations to the embodiments and those variations would be within the spirit and scope of the present invention . accordingly , many modifications may be made by one of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention , which is defined by the appended claims . | 6 |
referring now to preferred cooling apparatus of fig1 , it includes a housing 10 defining first and second laterally extending liquid coolant flow chambers 11 and 12 , in flow communication via a central passage 13 . that passage may be formed by a pump 14 in the housing and operating to pump fluid centrally from chamber 12 to chamber 11 , as shown by arrows 15 . the flow is directed toward the irregular top surface 16 of a layer 17 to remove or transfer heat from that surface to the coolant flowing in opposite directions in passages 18 and 19 in the housing . from those passages , the coolant flows via pipes 20 and 21 to means indicated generally at 40 , such as fins 41 operating to remove heat from the coolant , and to return the coolant via pipe 42 and 43 to upper chamber 12 , in a highly compact configuration . upper wall 22 of chamber 12 comprises a diaphragm peripherally mounted at 23 to the housing ring 10 a , so as to allow upward flexing of the diaphragm in response to coolant fluid expansion . a housing cover plate 23 ′ extends over the diaphragm and is attached to housing surface 24 , whereby the chambers 11 and 12 and the diaphragm are hermetically sealed . an electrical component 124 engages the underside 25 a of pyrolytic carbon block 25 fitted peripherally in the bounded space formed by housing wall 26 , layer 17 also peripherally fitting in that space . heat received by block 25 , by conduction from the electrical component , is transferred by conduction to the layer 17 comprising a metal interface block ( between water and carbon block 25 ). its upper surface has irregularity , as for example is provided by recesses 28 in the layer , that increase the surface area in contact with coolant in chamber 12 , for enhanced heat transfer . the structure of block 25 and layer 17 , and their functioning , prevent boiling of the coolant , such as water . the planes 30 indicative of molecular cleavage planes in block 25 are directed toward layer 17 , for most efficient heat transfer operation . a centrifugal fan 32 is shown as located in the space 33 between banks 41 a of fins 41 , to displace cooling air radially in passages 41 b between fins , for removing heat from the fins . pyrolytic carbon is a material similar to graphite , but with some covalent bonding between its graphene sheets . generally it is produced by heating a hydrocarbon nearly to its decomposition temperature , and permitting the graphite to crystallize ( pyrolysis ). fig5 shows flow ducts 50 and 51 to circulate coolant from 12 to and from a chips at cooler 54 ; and ducts 55 and 56 to circulate coolant from 22 to and from a voltage regulator cooler 57 . fig6 incorporates plate 23 and all the structure of fig1 below that plate . a cover 70 is provided above plate 23 and incorporate passages that connect chamber 12 with a hose or duct 71 , and passages 18 and 19 with a hose or duct 72 . hoses or ducts 71 and 72 extend to a heat radiator 73 . fan 32 and fins 41 are eliminated , and the remaining apparatus is simplified . fig7 is like fig6 , excepting that the radiator is remotely located , as is made by the breaks at 71 a and 72 a in the hoses or ducts 71 and 72 . cooling fans 74 may be provided to displace air through the radiator . in fig8 the arrangement of elements is generally like that in fig1 , the same numerals being applied to those elements . in fig8 , the flow passes from space 12 downwardly through central opening 80 and then divides due to operation of the pump 14 to flow downwardly at 81 about pump structure 14 a . the flow then passes downwardly through central opening 13 , to contact metal interface / water block 17 . the flow then travels laterally at 18 and 19 , as described in fig1 . carbon block 25 extends directly beneath and in surface to surface contact with block 17 . electrical component 124 engages the underside face of block 25 , to transfer heat thereto . block 17 is in the form of a layer that consists primarily of a material selected from the group that includes aluminum , copper , silver and gold . carbon block 25 has molecular cleavage planes that extend toward layer 17 . the fig8 apparatus is preferred . an enclosure 10 a extending about the pump and forming passage 13 through which coolant flow is delivered by the pump 14 toward and against the upper irregular surface of block 17 , heat radiator fins 41 a and 41 g , spaces 41 b between the fins , and heat exchanger 40 , hot water ( coolant ) pipes 42 and 43 , centrifugal fan 32 rotating in a space between inner ends 33 of the fins , outer housing 10 extending about the pump and supporting housing cover 23 , there being coolant passages 20 and 21 in the cover and communicating with passages 18 and 19 formed between 10 and 10 a , diaphragm 22 overlying opening 80 , and underlying the fan 32 , the diaphragm carried by the cover 23 . | 5 |
referring to the drawings , fig1 shows a grinding assembly 45 for a condiment grinding apparatus such as a pepper grinder . the grinding assembly 45 includes a composite female member 1 assembled from a female grinding element 2 and a sleeve 3 ; and a composite male member 4 assembled from a male grinding element 5 and a core 6 . the male and female members 1 , 4 and their components are described with reference to their central axis 7 . as used herein , the term “ axial ” refers to a direction substantially parallel to the axis 7 . the term “ radial ” refers to a direction substantially orthogonal to the axis 7 . the term “ circumferential ” refers to the direction of a circular arc having a radius substantially orthogonal to the axis 7 . as seen in fig1 to 4 , 10 and 11 the female grinding element 2 is pressed or punched from stainless steel sheet and has a generally tubular section 8 extending from an upper end 9 to a lower end 10 . integral with the tubular section 8 , a flange 11 extending from the lower end 10 includes a radially - aligned portion 12 and a cylindrical lip 13 defining an annular recess 27 . two diametrically opposing notches 20 are formed in the flange 11 . an aperture 14 extends axially through the grinding element 2 and defines an inner surface 15 . the outer end 10 is corrugated to provide helicoid first corrugated surface portions 16 in the inner surface 15 , and helicoid second corrugated surface portions 17 on an outer surface 18 of the female grinding element 2 . the upper end 9 includes eight circumferentially spaced punched teeth 19 , generally aligned axially and projecting from the inner surface 15 . each tooth 19 is formed by punching , the material being sheared along a line 21 elongated in the axial direction to form first and second edges 22 , 23 . the first edge 22 is displaced inwardly from the second edge 23 , both lying substantially in a common radial plane 25 . in this manner each tooth provides an opening 24 . a tapered face 26 of each tooth 19 extends substantially circumferentially from the first edge 22 to the inner surface 15 . the teeth 19 are aligned such that the tapered faces 26 extend in a common circumferential direction and the mouth of each opening 24 is facing in the same direction ( e . g . in the counter clockwise direction as seen in fig5 ). the sleeve 3 is shown in fig1 , 10 and 11 and is formed from polymer and has a cylindrical body 28 with an annular flange 29 at a lower end thereof in which two diametrically opposing notches 30 are formed . the sleeve 3 has an inner face 31 which sits adjacent the outer face 18 when the sleeve 3 is received in the female grinding element 2 . the flange 29 is received in the recess 27 and the notch pairs 20 , 30 angularly aligned . the relatively soft sleeve 3 is deformed by contact with the second corrugated surface portions 17 , serving to restrict relative rotation between the sleeve 3 and grinding element 2 . fig1 and 6 to 11 show the male grinding element 5 which is pressed or punched from stainless steel sheet and is tapered from a narrow upper end 32 to a broader axially opposing lower end 33 . the male grinding element 5 is corrugated to provide helicoid third corrugated surface portions 34 in an outer surface 35 , and helicoid fourth corrugated surface portions 36 on an inner surface 37 . an aperture 38 having a substantially square shaped cross - section extends axially through radially aligned face 39 at the upper end 32 . a corrugated annular edge 40 at the lower end 33 also lies in a radially - aligned plane . the core 6 is formed of a polymer and , as illustrated in fig8 and 9 , the core 6 is received in the male grinding element 5 , having an outer surface 41 in contact with the inner surface 37 , the complementary corrugations preventing relative rotation between the core 6 and the male grinding element 5 . the core 6 allows proper axial alignment of the composite male member 4 to be maintained and it also serves to reinforce the thin - walled male grinding element 5 , to distribute stresses in it . the core 6 may be adhesive bonded to the inner surface 37 . an aperture 42 having a square shaped cross - section extends axially through the core 6 , in alignment with the aperture 38 , both receiving a grinder shaft 43 having a square shaped cross - section and fixed to the end of the shaft 43 . by way of example of the application of the grinding assembly 45 , fig1 shows a condiment grinding apparatus 46 with a body 53 defining a condiment reservoir 49 at the base of which the grinding assembly 45 is mounted . the notch pairs 20 , 30 are received in tabs ( not shown ) in the body 53 , to prevent rotation of the female member 1 . a rotary handle 48 is fixed to the top of the body 47 and is rotationally fast with the axially - extending shaft 43 with a square cross section and provides drive means for rotating the shaft 43 . the shaft 43 is received in the aligned apertures 38 , 42 with the male member 4 received in female member 1 , a cavity 44 is provided for grinding condiment between the corrugated surface portions 16 , 34 upon rotation of the handle 48 . an adjuster knob 50 is attached by a screw thread 51 to the top of the shaft 43 , such that rotation of the knob 50 moves the shaft 43 and the male member 4 fixed to the end of the shaft 43 to adjust the size of the ground condiment in the known way . aspects of the present invention have been described by way of example only and it should be appreciated that modifications and additions may be made thereto without departing from the scope thereof . | 1 |
according to the present invention , the more particularly preferred compounds of formula ( i ) are those for which at least one , and preferably all , of the conditions below are respected : r 1 and r 2 , taken together , form an aromatic ring such as described above , r 3 is a hydrogen , a lower alkenyl radical , a no lower alkyl radical or an -- or 7 radical r 5 is a radical of formula ( i ) or ( iii ), an object of the present invention is likewise processes for preparation of the compounds of formula ( i ), in particular according to the reaction schemes given in fig1 . thus the compounds of general formula ( i ) can be obtained ( fig1 ) starting from the ketone ( ii ), by halogenation , for example by means of a brominating agent such as bromine . the compound ( iii ) obtained is then coupled to the compound ( iv ), in the presence of a base such as potassium carbonate or sodium hydride . the coupled derivative ( v ) is subjected to the action of a phosphine or of a phosphonate in the presence of a base leading to the compound ( vi ). the compound ( vi ) is cyclized by the action of a metallic catalyst such as palladium diacetate , in the presence of a hydride donor such as formic acid or of a nucleophile such as vinyltributyltin or lithium acetate and if necessary of a base . the addition of salts or of silver zeolites such as ag 3 po 4 and of chiral phosphines such as binap allows only one of the enantiomers to be obtained . the products of general formula ( i ) thus obtained can serve as starting products for the production of other compounds of general formula ( i ). these products are obtained according to the classical synthesis methods employed in chemistry , such as those described in &# 34 ; advanced organic chemistry &# 34 ; by j . march ; john willey and sons , 1985 . for example , it is possible to carry out the functional modifications on the r 5 group as indicated below : ______________________________________carboxylic acid → esterester → carboxylic acidacid → acid chlorideacid chloride → amideacid → amideacid → alcoholalcohol → aldehydeamide → aminethiol → thioetherthioether → sulphoxidethioether → sulphonesulphonic acid → sulphonic estersulphonic acid → sulphonamidesulphinic acid → sulphinic ester______________________________________ when r 3 is the -- coon : radical , the compounds are preferentially prepared by protecting r 3 by a protecting group of allyl , benzyl or tert - butyl type . in the case of an allyl protecting group , by means of a catalyst such as certain transition metal complexes in the presence of a secondary amine . in the case of a benzyl protecting group , by debenzylation in the presence of hydrogen , by means of a catalyst such as palladium on carbon . in the case of a tert - butyl protecting group by means of trimethylsilyl iodide . when r 5 is an alcohol function the compounds can be obtained starting from corresponding aldehyde derivatives by action of an alkali metal hydride , such as sodium borohydride , in an alcoholic solvent ( for example methanol ), or by coupling of the corresponding halogenated derivative to a derivative of 3 -( tributyltin ) allyl alcohol . when r 5 is an aldehyde function , the compounds can be obtained starting from alcohol derivatives by oxidation in the presence of manganese oxide , pyridinium dichromate or swern &# 39 ; s reagent . when r 5 is an amide function the compounds can be obtained starting from corresponding carboxylic derivatives by reaction with aliphatic , aromatic or heterocyclic amines either by the intermediary of an acid chloride or in the presence of dicyclohexylcarbodiimide or of carbonyldiimidazole . certain of these compounds are bound to rxr receptors , some having an agonist activity , others an antagonist activity . the binding and transactivation properties as agonist to the rxr receptors are determined by methods known in the art , such as , for example : martin , b . et al ., skin pharmacol ., 1992 , 5 , 57 - 65 ; cavey , m . t . et al ., anal . biochem ., 1990 , 186 , 19 - 23 ; lever et al ., nature 1992 , 355 , 359 - 61 ; allenby et al ., proc . natl . acad . scd ., 1993 , 90 , 30 - 4 ; allenby et al ., j . biol . chem ., 1994 , 269 , 16689 - 95 . the rxr agonist activity is also determined by the test such as is described in the french patent application no . 95 - 07301 filed on jun . 19 , 1995 by the applicant . this test comprises the following steps : ( i ) a sufficient quantity of a compound which is an active ligand of at least one receptor of the steroid / thyroid nuclear receptor superfamily other than a specific ligand of the rxr receptors and able to heterodimerize with the rxrs such as an agonist molecule of the rars is applied topically to one part of the skin of a mammal , ( ii ) a molecule capable of having an agonist activity on the rxrs is administered by the systemic or topical route to this same part of the skin of the mammal before , during or after step ( i ), ( iii ) the response on the part of the mammal skin treated in this way is evaluated . thus the response to a topical application on the ear of a mammal of an rar agonist molecule which corresponds to an increase in the thickness of this ear can be increased by the administration by the systemic or topical route of an rxr receptor agonist molecule . the rxrα antagonist activity is evaluated in the transactivation test by determination of the dose ( ic 50 ) which inhibits the transactivator activity of a selective rxrα agonist by 50 %: 6 -( 3 , 5 , 5 , 8 , 8 - pentamethyl - 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 - tetrahydro - 2 - naphthylthio ) nicotinic acid ( cd 2809 ) according to the following protocol : the hela cells are co - transfected with an expression vector coding for rxrα ( p565 - rxrα ) and a reporter plasmid containing the response element 1 / 2 crbp ii cloned upstream of the thymidine kinase heterologous promoter and of the chloramphenicolm acetyl transferase ( cat ) reporter gene . eighteen hours after co - transfection the cells are treated with a fixed concentration of cd 2809 and increasing concentrations of the molecule to be evaluated . after twenty four hours &# 39 ; treatment , the determination of the cat activity is carried out by elisa . the fixed concentration of cd2809 used is 5 10 - 8 m and corresponds to its ec 50 . certain of the compounds according to the invention are bound to the rar receptors and have an activity in the mouse embryonic teratocarcinoma cell ( f9 ) differentiation test ( cancer research 43 , p . 5268 , 1983 ) and / or in the ornithine decarboxylase inhibition test after induction by tpa in the mouse ( cancer research 38 , p . 793 - 801 , 1978 ). these tests show the activities of these compounds respectively in the fields of differentiation and of cell proliferation . an object of the present invention is thus the compounds of formula ( i ) such as defined above by way of medicament . the compounds according lo the invention are particularly well - suited in the following fields of treatment : 1 ) to treat dermatological conditions connected with a keratinization disorder bearing on differentiation and on proliferation , especially to treat acne vulgaris , comedonian acne , polymorphic acne , acne rosacea , nodulocystic acne , acne conglobata , senile acne , secondary acne such as solar acne , acne medicamentosa or occupational acne , 2 ) to treat other types of keratinization disorders , especially ichthyosis , ichthyosiform states , darrier &# 39 ; s disease , keratosis palmaris and plantaris , leucoplakias and leucoplakiform states , cutaneous or mucous ( buccal ) lichen , 3 ) to treat other dermatological conditions connected with a keratinization disorder with an inflammatory and / or immunoallergic component and especially all the forms of psoriasis whether it is cutaneous , mucous or ungual , and even arthropathic psoriasis , or alternatively cutaneous atopy , such as eczema or respiratory atopy or alternatively gingival hypertrophy ; the compounds can likewise be used in certain inflammatory conditions not presenting a keratinization disorder , 4 ) to treat all the dermal or epidermal proliferations whether they are benign or malignant , whether or not they are of a viral origin such as verruca vulgaris , verruca plana and epidermodysplasia verruciformis , oral or florid papillomatosis and proliferations able to be induced by ultra - violet , especially in the case of basal and spinocellular epithelioma , 5 ) to treat other dermatological disorders such as bullosis and collagen diseases , 7 ) to repair or combat aging of the skin , whether it is photoinduced or chronological , or to reduce pigmentation and actinic keratosis , or any pathologies associated with chronological or actinic aging , 8 ) to prevent or cure the stigmata of epidermal and / or dermal atrophy induced by local or systemic corticosteroids , or any other form of cutaneous atrophy , 9 ) to prevent or treat cicatrization disorders , to prevent or to repair vibices , or alternatively to promote cicatrization , 10 ) to combat sebaceous function disorders such as hyperseborrhoea of acne or simple seborrhoea , 13 ) in the treatment of any disorder of viral origin at the cutaneous or general level , 15 ) in the treatment of dermatological or general disorders with an immunological component , 16 ) in the treatment of disorders of the cardiovascular system such as arteriosclerosis , 17 ) in the treatment of cutaneous disorders due to exposure to u . v . rays . in the therapeutic fields mentioned above , the compounds according to the invention can be advantageously employed in combination with other compounds of retinoid type activity , with d vitamins or their derivatives , with corticosteroids , with anti - free radicals , α - hydroxy or α - keto acids or their derivatives , or in addition alternatively with ion channel blockers . d vitamins or their derivatives are understood , for example , as meaning the derivatives of vitamin d 2 or d 3 and in particular 1 , 25 - dihydroxy vitamin d 3 . anti - free radicals are understood , for example , as meaning α - tocopherol , super oxide dismutase , ubiquinol or certain metal chelators . α - hydroxy or α - keto acids or their derivatives are understood , for example , as meaning lactic , malic , citric , glycolic , mandelic , tartaric , glyceric or ascorbic acid or their salts , amides or esters . finally , ion channel blockers are understood , for example , as meaning minoxidil ( 2 , 4 - diamino - 6 - piperidinopyrimidine - 3 - oxide ) and its derivatives . an object of the present invention is likewise medicament compositions comprising at least one compound of formula ( i ) such as defined above , one of its optical or geometric isomers or one of its salts . an object of the present invention is thus a novel medicament composition intended especially for the treatment of the abovementioned conditions , and which is characterized by the fact that it comprises , in a support which is pharmaceutically acceptable and compatible with the method of administration reserved for the latter , at least one compound of formula ( i ), one of its optical or geometric isomers or one of its salts . the administration of the compounds according to the invention can be carried out by the enteral , parenteral , topical or ocular route . by the enteral route , the medicaments can be present in the form of tablets , gelatin capsules , coated tablets , syrups , suspensions , solutions , powders , granules , emulsions , microspheres or nanospheres or lipid or polymer vesicles allowing controlled liberation . by the parenteral route , the compositions can be present in the form of solutions or suspensions for perfusion or for injection . the compounds according to the invention are generally administered in a daily dose of approximately 0 . 01 mg / kg to 100 mg / kg of body weight , and the latter at the rate of 1 to 3 administrations . by the topical route , the base pharmaceutical compositions of compounds according to the invention are more particularly intended for the treatment of the skin and of the mucous membranes and can then be present in the form of ointments , creams , milks , lotions , powders , impregnated pads , solutions , gels , sprays , lotions or suspensions . they can likewise be present in the form of microspheres or nanospheres or lipid or polymer vesicles or polymer patches and hydrogels allowing controlled liberation . these compositions by the topical route can in addition be present either in anhydrous form , or in an aqueous form , according to the clinical indication . these compositions for topical or ocular use contain at least one compound of formula ( i ) such as defined above , or one of its optical or geometric isomers or additionally one of its salts , at a preferred concentration of between 0 . 001 % and 5 % by weight with respect to the total weight of the composition . the compounds of formula ( i ) according to the invention likewise have an application in the cosmetic field , in particular in body and hair hygiene and especially for the treatment of skins prone to acne , for the regrowth of the hair , prevention of hair loss , for combating a greasy appearance of the skin or of the hair , in protection against harmful aspects of the sun or in the treatment of physiologically dry skins , to prevent and / or to combat photoinduced or chronological aging . in the cosmetic field , the compounds according to the invention can additionally be advantageously employed in combination with other compounds of retinoid type activity , with the d vitamins or their derivatives , with corticosteroids , with anti - free radicals , α - hydroxy or α - keto acids or their derivatives , or alternatively with ion channel blockers , all these different products being such as defined above . the present invention is thus likewise directed at a cosmetic composition which is characterized by the fact that it comprises , in a support which is cosmetically acceptable and suitable for topical application , at least one compound of to formula ( i ) such as defined above or one of its optical or geometric isomers or one of its salts , this cosmetic composition especially being able to be present in the form of a cream , a milk , a lotion , a gel , microspheres or nanospheres or lipid or polymer vesicles , a soap or a shampoo . the concentration of compound of formula ( i ) in the cosmetic compositions according to the invention is advantageously between 0 . 001 % and 3 % by weight with respect to the whole of the composition . the medicament and cosmetic compositions according to the invention can additionally contain inert or even pharmacodynamically or cosmetically active additives or combinations of these additives , and especially : wetting agents ; depigmenting agents such as hydroquinone , azelaic acid , caffeic acid or kojic acid ; emollients ; hydrating agents such as glycerol , peg 400 , thiamorpholinone , and its derivatives or alternatively urea ; antiseborrhoeic or antiacne agents , such as s - carboxymethylcysteine , s - benzylcysteamine , their salts and their derivatives , or benzoyl peroxide ; antibiotics such as erythromycin and its esters , neomycin , clindamycin and its esters , tetracyclines ; antifungal agents such as ketoconazole or 4 , 5 - polymethylene - 3 - isothiazolidones ; agents promoting the regrowth of the hair , such as minoxidil ( 2 , 4 - diamino - 6 - piperidinopyrimidine - 3 - oxide ) and its derivatives , diazoxide ( 7 - chloro - 3 - methyl - 1 , 2 , 4 - benzothiadiazine - 1 , 1 - dioxide ) and phenytoin ( 5 , 5 - diphenylimidazolidine - 2 , 4 - dione ); non - steroidal anti - inflammatory agents ; carotenoids and , especially , β - carotene ; anti - psoriatic agents such as anthralin and its derivatives ; and finally eicosa - 5 , 8 , 11 , 14 - tetraynoic and eicosa - 5 , 8 , 11 - trynoic acids , their esters and amides . the compositions according to the invention can likewise contain flavour - improving agents , preservatives such as the esters of parahydroxybenzoic acid , stabilizers , moisture regulators , ph regulators , osmotic pressure modifying agents , emulsifiers , uv - a and uv - b filters , antioxidants , such as α - tocopherol , butylhydroxyanisole or butylhydroxytoluene . there will now be given , by way of illustration and without any limiting character , several examples of obtainment of active compounds of formula ( i ) according to the invention , as well as various actual formulations based on such compounds . a 3 . 6 % solution of sodium perchlorate is added dropwise to a mixture of 4 - hydroxybenzoic acid ( 1 , 2 . 75 g , 0 . 92 mol ), sodium ( 3 . 7 g , 0 . 92 mol ), sodium iodide ( 13 . 85 g , 0 . 92 mol ) in methanol ( 350 ml ) at 0 ° c . the mixture is stirred for two hours at 0 ° c . 100 ml of a solution of 10 % sodium thiosulphate are added . after stirring , the mixture is acidified to ph 1 with hydrochloric acid . it is extracted with 600 ml of ethyl ether . the organic phase is washed twice with 400 ml of water , dried over magnesium sulphate and concentrated in vacuo at 40 ° c . in a rotary evaporator . 1 h [ lacuna ] nmr ( dmso , 250 mhz ): 6 . 74 ( 1h ar , d , j = 8 . 4 hz ), 7 . 71 ( 1h ar , d , j = 8 . 4 hz ), 8 . 13 ( 1h ar , s ), 10 . 16 ( 1h , s ), 11 . 12 ( 1h , s ). a solution of 3 - iodo - 4 - hydroxybenzoic acid ( 28 . 76 g , 0 . 11 mol ) and sulphuric acid ( 6 . 6 ml ) in methanol ( 160 ml ) is heated to reflux for 6 h . 300 ml of water are added and the mixture is alkalized to neutrality with sodium bicarbonate . it is extracted with ethyl ether ( 600 ml ). the organic phase is washed twice with 400 ml of water , dried over magnesium sulphate and concentrated in vacuo at 40 ° c . in a rotary evaporator . the product is purified by flash chromatography on a silica column ( ethyl acetate 10 %, ch 2 cl 2 90 %) white solid . mass : 19 . 1 g . yield : 63 %. m . p . : 133 ° c . ( c ) methyl 4 -[( 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 - tetrahydro - 5 , 5 , 8 , 8 - tetramethyl - 2 - naphthoyl ) methyloxy ]- 3 - iodobenzoate . a solution of 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 - tetrahydro - 5 , 5 , 8 , 8 - tetramethyl - 2 - bromoacetonaphthone ( 9 . 8 g , 0 . 032 mol ), methyl 4 - hydroxy - 3 - iodobenzoate ( 8 . 8 g , 0 . 032 mol ) and potassium carbonate ( 8 . 5 g , 0 . 062 mol ) in methyl ethyl ketone ( 450 ml ) is heated to reflux for 1 day . the reaction mixture is filtered , then concentrated in a rotary evaporator . 500 ml of water and 500 ml of ethyl ether are added . after stirring and separation , the organic phase is washed twice with 500 ml of water , dried over magnesium sulphate and concentrated in vacuo at 40 ° c . in a rotary evaporator . the product is purified by flash chromatography on a silica column ( ethyl acetate 10 %, heptane 90 %). 1 h [ lacuna ] nmr ( cdcl 3 , 250 mhz ): 1 . 30 ( 6h , s ), 1 . 32 ( 6h , s ), 1 . 71 ( 4h , s ), 3 . 88 ( 3h , s ), 5 . 40 ( 2h , s ), 6 . 70 ( 1h ar , d , j = 8 . 7 hz ), 7 . 43 ( 1h ar , d , j = 8 . 5 hz ), 7 . 74 ( 1h ar , dd , j = 2 hz , j = 8 . 5 hz ), 7 . 93 ( 1h ar , dd , j = 8 . 7 , j = 2 . 3 hz ), 7 . 98 ( 1h ar , d , j = 2 hz ), 8 . 48 ( 1h ar , d , j = 2 . 3 hz ). a 30 % solution of sodium methoxide ( 2 . 67 g , 14 . 83 mmol ) is added in 8 hours to a mixture of methyl 4 -[ 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 - tetrahydro - 5 , 5 , 8 , 8 - tetramethyl - 2 - naphthoyl )- methyloxy ]- 3 - iodobenzoate ( 7 . 50 g , 14 . 8 mmol ) and methyltryphenylphosphine bromide ( 7 . 30 g , 20 . 42 mmol ) in thf ( 80 ml ). the solution is stirred at ambient temperature for 18 h . the mixture is concentrated in vacuo at 40 ° c . in a rotary evaporator . it is extracted with 90 ml of ethyl ether and 90 ml of water . after separation , the organic phase is washed twice with 90 ml of water , dried over anhydrous magnesium sulphate and concentrated in vacuo at 40 ° c . in a rotary evaporator . the product is purified by flash chromatography on a silica column ( ch 2 cl 2 70 %, heptane 30 %). 1 h [ lacuna ] nmr ( cdcl 3 , 250 mhz ): 1 . 29 ( 6h , s ), 1 . 30 ( 6h , s ), 1 . 69 ( 4h , s ), 3 . 89 ( 3h , s ), 4 . 99 ( 2h , s ), 5 . 55 ( 1h , s ), 5 . 59 ( 1h , s ), 6 . 87 ( 1h ar , d , j = 8 . 7 hz ), 7 . 21 to 7 . 33 ( 2h ar , m ), 7 . 38 ( 1h ar , d , j = 1 . 8 hz ), 8 . 00 ( 1h ar , dd , j = 8 . 7 , j = 2 hz ), 8 . 48 ( 1h ar , d , j = 2 hz ) 13 c [ lacuna ] nmr ( cdcl 3 , 250 mhz ): 31 . 79 , 31 . 90 , 34 . 16 , 34 . 33 , 34 . 96 , 35 . 10 , 52 . 09 , 70 . 81 , 85 . 85 , 111 . 35 , 112 . 73 , 114 . 05 , 123 . 33 , 124 . 17 , 124 . 46 , 126 . 71 , 129 . 67 , 131 . 45 , 131 . 74 , 135 . 23 , 141 . 06 , 141 . 99 , 145 . 05 , 145 . 10 , 160 . 67 , 165 . 47 . a mixture of tributhylamine ( 2 . 28 ml , 9 . 6 mmol ), palladium diacetate ( 0 . 06 g , 0 . 3 mmol ), formic acid ( 0 . 29 ml , 7 . 4 mmol ) and methyl 3 - iodo - 4 -[ 2 -[ 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 - tetrahydro - 5 , 5 , 8 , 8 - tetramethyl - 2 - naphthyl ]- 1 - propenylloxy benzoate ( 1 . 37 g , 2 . 72 mmol ) in acetonitrile ( 25 ml ) is heated at 95 ° c . for 4 h . the reaction mixture is concentrated in vacuo at 40 ° c . in a rotary evaporator . 40 ml of water and 40 ml of ethyl ether are added . after separation , the organic phase is washed twice with 20 ml of water , dried over magnesium sulphate , and concentrated in vacuo at 40 ° c . in a rotary evaporator . the product is purified by flash chromatography on a silica column ( ch 2 cl 2 50 % heptane 50 %) 1 h [ lacuna ] nmr ( cdcl 3 , 250 mhz ): 1 . 20 to 1 . 24 ( 12h , m ), 1 . 65 ( 4h , s ), 1 . 73 ( 3h , s ), 3 . 83 ( 3h , s ), 4 . 51 ( 1h , d , j = 8 . 7 hz ), 4 . 66 ( 1h , d , j = 8 . 7 hz ), 6 . 87 ( 1h ar , d , j = 8 . 3 hz ), 6 . 96 ( 1h ar , dd , j = 8 . 3 , j = 2 hz ), 7 . 19 to 7 . 24 ( 2h ar , m ), 7 . 73 ( 1h ar , d , j = 1 . 8 hz ), 7 . 92 ( 1h ar , dd , j = 8 . 3 , j = 2 hz ). 13 c [ lacuna ] nmr ( cdcl 3 , 250 mhz ): 26 . 63 , 31 . 99 , 32 . 08 , 32 . 11 , 34 . 18 , 35 . 21 , 35 . 32 , 49 . 45 , 52 . 04 , 87 . 37 , 109 . 82 , 123 . 31 , 123 . 98 , 124 . 36 , 126 . 46 , 126 . 85 , 131 . 41 , 136 . 62 , 142 . 56 , 143 . 49 , 145 . 04 , 163 . 91 , 167 . 19 . a mixture of methyl 3 -( 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 - tetrahydro - 5 , 5 , 8 , 8 - tetramethyl - 2 - naphthyl )-( 3 - methyl )- 2 , 3 - dihydrobenzofuran - 5 - carboxylate ( 510 mg , 135 mmol ), sodium hydroxide ( 0 . 33 g , 7 . 9 mmol ), and lithium hydroxide ( 0 . 33 g , 7 . 9 mmol ) is stirred 5 days at ambient temperature . it is concentrated in vacuo at 40 ° c . in a rotary evaporator . 10 ml of water and 10 ml of ethyl acetate are added again . the mixture is acidified to ph 1 with a concentrated hydrochloric acid solution . after separation , the organic phase is washed twice with 10 ml of water , dried over magnesium sulphate , and concentrated in vacuo at 40 ° c . in a rotary evaporator . the solid obtained is washed with heptane . 1 h [ lacuna ] nmr ( dmso , 250 mhz ): 1 . 20 to 1 . 23 ( 12h , m ), 1 . 64 ( 4h , s ), 1 . 74 ( 3h , s ), 3 . 83 ( 3h , s ), 4 . 44 ( 1h , d , j = 8 . 7 hz ), 4 . 66 ( 1h , d , j = 8 . 7 hz ), 6 . 85 ( 1h ar , d , j = 7 . 5 hz ), 6 . 96 ( 1h ar , dd , j = 8 . 3 , j = 2 hz ), 7 . 19 to 7 . 24 ( 2h ar , m ), 7 . 73 ( 1h ar , d , j = 1 . 8 hz ), 7 . 92 ( 1h ar , dd , j = 8 . 3 , j = 2 hz ). 13 c [ lacuna ] nmr ( dmso , 250 mhz ): 26 . 26 , 31 . 63 , 31 . 72 , 31 . 75 , 33 . 83 , 34 . 25 , 34 . 96 , 35 . 06 , 49 . 14 , 87 . 01 , 109 . 34 , 123 . 36 , 123 . 74 , 124 . 03 , 126 . 41 , 126 . 52 , 131 . 38 , 136 . 25 , 142 . 39 , 143 . 02 , 144 . 60 , 163 . 59 , 167 . 90 . 7 . 7 ml of a 1m solution of borane in thf are added dropwise at 0 ° c . to a solution of 3 -( 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 - tetrahydro - 5 , 5 , 8 , 8 - tetramethyl - 2 - naphthyl )- 3 - methyl - 2 , 3 - dihydrobenzofuran - 5 - carboxylic acid ( 1 . 7 g , 4 . 7 mol ) in thf ( 10 ml ). the mixture is stirred for 4 hours at ambient temperature and then 2 ml of a solution of thf and water ( 1 : 1 ) are added . after concentration in vacuo at 40 ° c . in a rotary evaporator . the mixture is extracted with ethyl acetate . the organic phase is washed with water , dried over anhydrous magnesium sulphate , concentrated in vacuo at 40 ° c . in a rotary evaporator . the product is purified by flash chromatography on a silica column . 1 h [ lacuna ] ( cdcl 3 ): 1 . 20 to 1 . 25 ( 12h , m ) 1 . 66 ( 4h , s ), 1 . 72 ( 3h , s ), 3 . 47 ( 1h , s ), 4 . 44 ( 1h , d , j = 8 . 8 hz ), 4 . 59 ( 2h , s ), 4 . 60 ( 1h , d , j = 8 . 8 hz ), 6 . 84 ( 1h ar , d , j = 8 hz ), 7 . 01 ( 1h ar , dd , j = 8 . 3 , j = 2 . 3 hz ), 7 . 05 ( 1h ar , d , j = 1 . 8 hz ), 7 . 17 to 7 . 22 ( 3h ar , m ). 13 c [ lacuna ] ( cdcl 3 ): 25 . 86 , 31 . 39 , 31 . 48 , 31 . 51 , 33 . 55 , 33 . 97 , 34 . 65 , 34 . 75 , 49 . 25 , 65 . 05 , 86 . 02 , 109 . 29 , 123 . 07 , 123 . 45 , 123 . 78 , 126 . 11 , 127 . 26 , 133 . 18 , 135 . 93 , 142 . 38 , 142 . 65 , 144 . 27 , 159 . 00 . a mixture of alcohol obtained above ( 1 g , 2 . 86 mmol ) pyridinium dichromate 2 . 15 g , 5 . 7 mmol ) in dichloromethane is stirred at ambient temperature for 3 h . after filtration and concentration in vacuo at 40 ° c . in a rotary evaporator , the product is purified by flash chromatography on a silica column . 1 h [ lacuna ] ( cdcl 3 ): 1 . 20 to 1 . 26 ( 12h , m ), 1 . 67 ( 4h , s ), 1 . 76 ( 3h , s ), 4 . 57 ( d , 1h , j = 8 . 9 ), 4 . 73 ( d , 1h , j = 8 . 9 ), 6 . 96 ( 1h ar , s ), 7 . 00 ( 1h ar , s ), 7 . 20 to 7 . 25 ( 2h ar , m ), 7 . 59 ( 1h ar , d , j = 1 . 5 hz ), 7 . 74 ( 1h ar , dd , j = 8 . 3 hz , j = 1 . 8 hz ), 9 . 83 ( 1h , s ). 13 c [ lacuna ] ( cdcl 3 ): 26 . 44 , 31 . 77 , 31 . 87 , 31 . 91 , 33 . 99 , 34 . 39 , 34 . 98 , 35 . 09 , 49 . 04 , 87 . 45 , 110 . 26 , 123 . 74 , 124 . 12 , 125 . 52 , 126 . 75 , 130 . 90 , 132 . 95 , 137 . 68 , 141 . 99 , 143 . 48 , 144 . 94 , 155 . 10 , 190 . 67 . 80 % sodium hydride in oil ( 41 mg , 1 . 38 mmol ) is added to a mixture of aldehyde obtained above and triethylphosphonoacetate ( 0 . 27 ml , 1 . 38 mmol ) in thf ( 10 ml ). the mixture is stirred for 4 h at ambient temperature , extracted with ethyl acetate and washed with water . after drying the organic phase is concentrated in vacuo at 40 ° c . in a rotary evaporator , the product is purified by flash chromatography on a silica column . 1 h [ lacuna ] ( cdcl 3 ): 1 . 18 to 1 . 33 ( 15h , m ), 1 . 67 ( 4h , s ), 1 . 73 ( 3h , s ), 4 . 22 ( 2h , q , j = 7 . 1 hz ), 4 . 49 ( 1h , d , j = 8 . 8 hz ), 4 . 63 ( 1h , d , j = 8 . 8 hz ), 6 . 24 ( 1h , d , 15 . 8 hz ), 6 . 87 ( 1h ar , d , j = 8 . 5 hz ), 6 . 99 ( 1h ar , dd , j = 8 . 3 hz , j = 2 . 3 hz ), 7 . 21 to 7 . 24 ( 3h ar , m ), 7 . 36 ( 1h ar , d , j = 8 . 3 hz ), 7 . 62 ( 1h ar , d , j = 15 . 8 hz ). 13 c [ lacuna ] ( cdcl 3 ): 14 . 36 , 26 . 34 , 31 . 79 , 31 . 91 , 33 . 99 , 34 . 40 , 35 . 03 , 35 . 14 , 49 . 47 , 60 . 25 , 86 . 93 , 110 . 23 , 115 . 24 , 123 . 79 , 124 . 21 , 126 . 66 , 127 . 83 , 129 . 67 , 137 . 10 , 142 . 32 , 143 . 32 , 144 . 71 , 144 . 86 , 161 . 79 , 167 . 38 . a mixture of methyl 3 -[ 3 -( 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 - tetrahydro - 5 , 5 , 8 , 8 - tetramethyl - 2 - naphthyl )- 3 - methyl - 2 , 3 - dihydrobenzofuran - 5 - yl ] acrylate ( 330 mg , 0 . 79 mmol ), a 2n methanolic sodium hydroxide solution ( 4 ml , 7 . 9 mmol ) in thf ( 3 ml ) is heated for 5 hours at 60 ° c . the mixture is acidified to ph 1 with a concentrated hydrochloric acid solution , extracted with ethyl acetate and washed with water . after drying the organic phase is concentrated in vacuo at 40 ° c . in a rotary evaporator , the product is purified by flash chromatography on a silica column . yellow solid . mass : 45 mg , yield : 58 %. m . p . 160 ° c . nmr δ ppm : 1 h [ lacuna ] ( cdcl 3 ): 1 . 21 to 1 . 26 ( 12h , m ), 1 . 67 ( 4h , s ), 1 . 74 ( 3h , s ), 4 . 50 ( 2h , q , j = 7 hz ), 4 . 64 ( 1h , d , j = 8 . 8 hz ), 4 . 63 ( 1h , d , j = 8 . 8 hz ), 6 . 27 ( 1h , d , 15 . 8 hz ), 6 . 88 ( 1h ar , d , j = 8 . 5 hz ), 6 . 99 ( 1h ar , d , j = 8 . 3 hz ), 7 . 21 to 7 . 24 ( 3h ar , m ), 7 . 38 ( 1h ar , d , j = 8 . 3 hz ), 7 . 69 ( 1h ar , d , j = 15 . 8 hz ). 13 c [ lacuna ] ( cdcl 3 ): 26 . 35 , 31 . 78 , 31 . 89 , 33 . 96 , 34 . 38 , 35 . 02 , 35 . 11 , 49 . 43 , 86 . 93 , 110 . 27 , 115 . 05 , 123 . 74 , 124 . 06 , 124 . 16 , 126 . 65 , 127 . 68 , 129 . 92 , 137 . 11 , 142 . 26 , 143 . 31 , 144 . 86 , 146 . 24 , 161 . 98 , 172 . 16 . tetrabromomethane ( 1 . 22 g , 3 . 67 mmol ) is added to a mixture of triphenylphosphine ( 1 . 93 g , 7 . 35 mmol ) in dichloromethane ( 10 ml ) at 0 ° c . the mixture is stirred at ambient temperature for 1 h , then a solution of 3 -( 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 - tetrahydro - 5 , 5 , 8 , 8 - tetramethyl - 2 - naphthyl )- 3 - methyl - 2 , 3 - dihydrobenzofuran - 5 - carbaldehyde ( 850 mg , 2 . 45 mmol ) in dichloromethane ( 2 ml ) is added at 0 ° c . the stirring is continued for 2 h at ambient temperature , then the suspension is concentrated in vacuo in a rotary evaporator . the product is purified by chromatography on a silica column . a 1 . 6 m butyllithium solution ( 2 . 35 ml , 3 . 55 mmol ) is added to a solution of 5 -( 2 , 2 - dibromovinyl )- 3 - methyl - 3 -( 5 , 5 , 8 , 8 - tetramethyl - 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 - tetrahydronaphthalen - 2 - yl )- 2 , 3 - dihydrobenzofuran ( 860 mg , 1 . 71 mmol ) in thf ( 20 ml ) at - 78 ° c . stirring is continued for 1 h at - 78 ° c . and then carbon dioxide is bubbled in for 15 min . the temperature is allowed to return to ambient temperature . the solution is treated with ethyl acetate and with a solution of ammonium chloride , the organic phase is washed twice with water , dried over magnesium sulphate , and concentrated in vacuo at 40 ° c . in a rotary evaporator . the solid obtained is recrystallized in a heptane / ethyl ether mixture . 1 h [ lacuna ] nmr ( cdcl 3 , 250 mhz ): 1 . 22 to 1 . 25 ( 12h , d ) 1 . 66 ( 4h , s ), 1 . 71 ( 3h , s ), 4 . 50 ( 1h , d , j = 8 . 7 hz ), 4 . 67 ( 1h , d , j = 8 . 7 hz ), 6 . 64 ( 1h ar , d , j = 8 . 5 hz ), 6 . 94 ( 1h ar , dd ), 7 . 13 to 7 . 24 ( 3h ar , m ), 7 . 45 ( 1h ar , dd ). a mixture of calcium carbonate ( 100 mg , 1 mmol ), palladium diacetate ( 10 mg , 0 . 05 mmol ), sodium formate ( 68 mg , 1 mmol ), methyl 3 - iodo - 4 -[ 2 -[ 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 - tetrahydro - 5 , 5 , 8 , 8 - tetramethyl - 2 - naphthyl ]- 1 - propenyloxy benzoate ( 250 mg , 05 mmol ), ( s )-(-)- 2 , 2 &# 39 ;- bis ( diphenylphosphino )- 1 , 1 &# 39 ;- binaphthyl ( 65 mg , 0 . 1 mmol ), and silver zeolite ( aldrich 35 , 860 - 9 ) in acetonitrile ( 7 ml ) is heated at 60 ° c . for 4 d . the reaction mixture is filtered on celite and concentrated in vacuo at 40 ° c . in a rotary evaporator . water and ethyl ether are added . after separation , the organic phase is washed twice with water , dried over magnesium sulphate , and concentrated in vacuo at 40 ° c . in a rotary evaporator . the product is purified by flash chromatography on a silica column . white solid . mass : 75 mg , yield : 40 %. α d [ chcl 3 ]: + 116 . the remainder of the synthesis is identical to that of the racemic mixture ( example 1 ). the remainder of the synthesis is identical to that of the racemic mixture ( example 1 ). the experimental procedure is analogous to hat followed for example 1c applied to methyl 3 - iodo - 4 - hydroxybenzoate and 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 - tetrahydro - 3 , 5 , 5 , 8 , 8 - pentamethyl - 2 - bromoacetonaphthone . 1 h [ lacuna ] nmr ( cdcl 3 ) d : 1 . 29 ( 6h , s ), 1 . 31 ( 6h , s ), 1 . 70 ( 4h , s ), 2 . 49 ( 3h , s ), 3 . 88 ( 3h , s ), 5 . 30 ( 2h , s ), 7 . 19 ( 1h ar , s ), 7 . 30 ( 1h ar , s ), 7 . 37 ( 1h ar , d , j = 8 hz ), 7 . 63 ( 1h ar , s ), 7 . 87 ( 1h ar , d , j = 8 hz ) the experimental procedure is analogous to that followed for example 1d applied to methyl 3 - iodo - 4 -[ 2 - oxo - 2 -( 3 , 5 , 5 , 8 , 8 - pentamethyl - 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 - tetrahydronapthalen - 2 - yl ) ethoxy ] benzoate . 1 h [ lacuna ] nmr ( cdcl 3 ) d : 1 . 26 ( 6h , s ), 1 . 29 ( 6h , s ) 1 . 67 ( 4h , s ), 2 . 29 ( 3h , s ), 3 . 89 ( 3h , s ), 4 . 75 ( 2h , s ), 5 . 23 ( 1h , d , j = 1 . 6 hz ), 5 . 77 ( 1h , d , j = 1 . 6 hz ), 6 . 79 ( 1h ar , d , j = 8 . 7 hz ), 7 . 09 ( 1h ar , s ), 7 . 13 ( 1h ar , s ), 7 . 98 ( 1h ar , dd , j = 8 . 7 hz , j = 2 . 1 hz ), 8 . 47 ( 1h ar , d , hz ) the experimental procedure is analogous to that followed for example 1e applied to methyl 3 - iodo - 4 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 , 5 , 8 , 8 - pentamethyl - 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 - tetrahydronaphthalen - 2 - yl ) allyloxy ] benzoate . 1 h [ lacuna ] nmr ( cdcl 3 ) d : 1 . 24 to 1 . 28 ( 12h , m ), 1 . 67 ( 4h , s ), 1 . 76 ( 3h , s ), 1 . 92 ( 3h , s ), 3 . 85 ( 3h , s ), 4 . 52 ( 1h , d , j = 9 . 1 hz ), 4 . 81 ( 1h , d , j = 9 . 1 hz ), 6 . 85 ( 1h ar , d , j = 8 . 4 hz ), 7 . 01 ( 1h ar , s ), 7 . 32 ( 1h ar , s ), 7 . 65 ( 1h ar , d , j = 1 . 8 hz ), 7 . 92 ( 1h ar , dd , j = 8 . 4 hz , j = 1 . 8 hz ). 13 c [ lacuna ] nmr ( cdcl 3 ) d : 21 . 15 ( ch 3 ), 29 . 52 ( ch 3 ) 31 . 61 ( ch 3 ttnn ), 31 . 71 ( ch 3 ttnn ), 31 . 88 ( cch 3 ttnn ) 31 . 95 ( ch 3 ttnn ), 33 . 72 ( c . ttnn ), 34 . 07 ( c ttnn ), 35 . 14 ( ch 2 ttnn ), 35 . 22 ( ch 2 ttnn ), 49 . 28 ( c ), 51 . 82 ( och 3 ) 85 . 32 ( ch 2 o ), 109 . 30 ( ch ar ), 122 . 78 ( c ar ), 125 . 14 ( ch ar ), 124 . 36 ( ch ar ), 125 . 96 ( ch ar ), 130 . 77 ( ch ar ), 131 . 12 ( ch ar ), 131 . 56 ( c ar ), 133 . 53 ( c ar ), 138 . 60 ( c ar ), 141 . 86 ( c ar ), 143 . 64 ( c ar ), 163 . 67 ( c -- o ar ), 167 . 29 ( coo ). a 1m solution of diisobutylaluminium hydride in toluene ( 5 . 82 ml , 5 . 82 mmol ) is added dropwise at 0 ° c . to a solution of methyl 3 -( 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 - tetrahydro - 3 , 5 , 5 , 8 , 8 - pentamethyl - 2 - naphthyl )- 3 - methyl - 2 , 3 - dihydrobenzofuran - 5 - carboxylate ( 1 g , 2 . 55 mmol ) in toluene ( 30 ml ). the solution is stirred for 1 h at 0 ° c ., then treated with a solution of double tartrate of sodium and potassium , filtered on celite and taken up again in a mixture of ethyl ether and water . the organic phase is washed with water , dried over magnesium sulphate and concentrated in vacuo at 40 ° c . in a rotary evaporator . a mixture of alcohol obtained above ( 1 g , 2 . 55 mmol ) pyridinium dichromate ( 2 g , 5 . 3 mmol ) in dichloromethane is stirred at ambient temperature for 4 h . after filtration and concentration in vacuo at 40 ° c . in a rotary evaporator , the product is purified by flash chromatography on a silica column . 1 h [ lacuna ] nmr ( cdcl 3 ) d : 1 . 25 to 1 . 27 ( 12h , m ), 1 . 67 ( 4h , s ), 1 . 78 ( 3h , s ), 1 . 91 ( 3h , s ), 4 . 56 ( 1h , d , j = 9 . 2 hz ), 4 . 85 ( 1h , d , j = 9 . 2 hz ), 6 . 95 ( 1h ar , d , j = 8 . 2 hz ), 7 . 02 ( 1h ar , s ), 7 . 32 ( 1h ar , s ), 7 . 52 ( 1h ar , d , j = 1 . 7 hz ), 7 . 72 ( 1h ar , dd , j = 8 . 7 hz , j = 1 . 7 hz ), 9 . 82 ( 1h , s ). the experimental procedure is analogous to that followed for example 1i applied to 3 -( 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 - tetrahydro - 3 , 5 , 5 , 8 , 8 - pentamethyl - 2 - naphthyl )- 3 - methyl - 2 , 3 - dihydrobenzofuran - 5 - carbaldehyde . 1 h [ lacuna ] nmr ( cdcl 3 ) d : 1 . 25 to 1 . 33 ( 15h , m ), 1 . 68 ( 4h , s ), 1 . 76 ( 3h , s ), 1 . 94 ( 3h , s ), 4 . 21 ( 2h , q , j = 7 . 2 hz ), 4 . 49 ( 1h , d , j = 9 . 1 hz ), 4 . 78 ( 1h , d , j = 9 . 1 hz ), 6 . 23 ( 1h , d , j = 16 hz ), 6 . 83 ( 1h ar , d , j = 8 . 3 hz ), 7 . 02 ( 1h ar , s ), 7 . 15 ( 1h ar , s ), 7 . 31 ( 1h ar , d , j = 1 . 8 hz ), 7 . 34 ( 1h ar , d , j = 8 . 3 hz ), 7 . 61 ( 1h , d , j = 16 hz ). a solution of ethyl 3 -[ 3 - methyl - 3 -( 3 , 5 , 5 , 8 , 8 - pentamethyl - 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 - tetrahydronaphthalen - 2 - yl )- 2 , 3 - dihydrobenzofuran - 5 - yl ] acrylate ( 320 mg , 0 . 74 mmol ), water ( 40 μl ) and sodium hydroxide ( 240 mg , 6 mmol ) in thf is heated to reflux for 24 h . the reaction mixture is poured onto an acoet / water mixture , acidified to ph = 1 with a concentrated hydrochloric acid solution , and extracted once with ethyl acetate . after separation the organic phase is washed twice with water , dried over magnesium sulphate and concentrated in vacuo at 40 ° c . in a rotary evaporator . the solid obtained is crystallized in heptane . 1 h [ lacuna ] nmr ( cdcl 3 ): 1 . 24 to 1 . 27 ( 12h , m ), 1 . 68 ( 4h , s ), 1 . 77 ( 3h , s ), 1 . 95 ( 3h , s ), 4 . 50 ( 1h , d , j = 9 . 1 hz ), 4 . 79 ( 1h , d , j = 9 . 1 hz ), 6 . 22 ( 1h , d , j =-- 5 . 9 hz ), 6 . 85 ( 1h ar , d , j = 8 . 3 hz ), 7 . 03 ( 1h ar , s ), 7 . 17 ( 1h ar , s ), 7 . 31 ( 1h ar , s ), 7 . 37 ( 1h ar , d , j = 8 . 3 hz ), 7 . 70 ( 1h , d , j = 15 . 9 hz ). 13 c [ lacuna ] nmr ( cdcl 3 ): 21 . 1 , 29 . 2 , 31 . 5 , 31 . 7 , 31 . 8 , 31 . 9 , 33 . 6 , 33 . 9 , 35 . 0 , 35 . 1 , 49 . 4 , 84 . 8 , 109 . 8 , 115 . 7 , 123 . 4 , 125 . 0 , 127 . 4 , 129 . 5 , 130 . 6 , 133 . 1 , 137 . 1 , 138 . 7 , 141 . 7 , 143 . 4 , 144 . 5 , 161 . 4 , 168 . 9 , 186 . 4 . the experimenal procedure is analogous to that followed for example 1c applied to methyl 2 - bromo - 1 - naphthalen - 2 - yl - ethanone and 4 - hydroxy - 3 - iodobenzoate . 1 h [ lacuna ] nmr ( cdcl 3 ): 3 . 88 ( 3h , s ), 5 . 51 ( 2h , s ) 6 . 77 ( 1h , d , j = 8 . 7 hz ), 7 . 58 to 8 . 05 ( 8h ar , m ), 8 . 48 ( 1h ar , d , j = 2 . 05 hz ). the experimental procedure is analogous to that followed for example 1d applied to methyl 3 - iodo - 4 -[ 2 -( naphthalen - 2 - yl )- 2 - oxoethoxy ) benzoate . 1 h [ lacuna ] nmr ( cdcl 3 ): 3 . 88 ( 3h , s ), 5 . 12 ( 2h , s ) 5 . 71 ( 1h , s ), 5 . 80 ( 1h , s ), 6 . 92 ( 1h , d , j = 8 . 7 hz ), 7 . 48 to 7 . 52 ( 2h ar , m ), 7 . 63 ( 1h ar , dd , j = 1 . 8 hz , 9 . 7 hz ), 7 . 852 to 7 . 99 ( 3h ar , m ), 8 . 01 (! h ar , dd , j = 8 . 7 hz ), 8 . 48 ( 1h ar , d , j = 2 . 2 hz ). the experimental procedure is analogous to that followed for example 1e applied to methyl 3 - iodo - 4 -[ 2 -( naphthalen - 2 - yl ) allyloxy ] benzoate . 1 h [ lacuna ] nmr ( cdcl 3 ): 1 . 89 ( 3h , s ), 3 . 88 ( 3h , s ) 4 . 62 ( 1h , d , j = 8 . 9 hz ), 4 . 80 ( 1h , d , j = 8 . 9 hz ), 6 . 93 ( 1h , d , j = 8 . 5 hz ), 7 . 34 ( 1h , dd , j = 2 hz , j = 8 . 7 hz ), 7 . 45 to 7 . 49 ( 2h , m ), 7 . 71 to 7 . 73 ( 2h , m ), 7 . 78 to 7 . 82 ( 3h , m ), 7 . 97 ( 1h , dd , j = 1 . 8 hz , j = 8 . 5 hz ). the experimental procedure is analogous to that followed for example 8d applied to methyl 3 - iodo - 4 -[ 2 -( naphthalen - 2 - yl ) allyloxy ] benzoate . 1 h [ lacuna ] nmr ( cdcl 3 ): 1 . 91 ( 3h , s ), 4 . 67 ( 1h , d , j = 9 hz ), 4 . 85 ( 1h , d , j = 9 hz ), 7 . 02 ( 1h , d , j = 8 . 3 hz ), 7 . 36 ( 1h , dd , j = 2 hz , j = 8 . 7 hz ), 7 . 46 to 7 . 50 ( 3h , m ), 7 . 60 ( 1h , d , j = 1 . 7 hz ), 7 . 74 to 7 . 82 ( 4h , m ), 8 . 82 ( 1h , s ). the experimental procedure is analogous to that followed for example 1i applied to 3 - methyl - 3 -( naphthalen - 2 - yl )- 2 , 3 - dihydrobenzofuran - 5 - carbaldehyde . 1 h [ lacuna ] nmr ( cdcl 3 ): 1 . 28 ( 3h , t , j = 7 hz ), 1 . 88 ( 3h , s ), 4 . 20 ( 2h , q , j = 7 hz ), 4 . 59 ( 1h , d , j = 8 . 9 hz ), 4 . 76 ( 1h , d , j = 8 . 9 hz ), 6 . 23 ( 1h , d , j = 16 hz ), 6 . 92 ( 1h , d , j = 8 . 3 hz ), 7 . 21 ( 1h , d , j = 1 . 7 hz ), 7 . 35 to 7 . 49 ( 4h , m ), 7 . 61 ( 1h , d , j = 15 . 9 hz ), 7 . 74 to 7 . 82 ( 4h , m ). the experimental procedure is analogous to that followed for example 9 applied to ethyl 3 -[ 3 - methyl - 3 -( naphthalen - 2 - yl )- 2 , 3 - dihydrobenzofuran - 5 - yl ] acrylate . 1 h [ lacuna ] nmr ( cdcl 3 ): 1 . 88 ( 3h , s ), 4 . 59 ( 1h , d , j = 8 . 9 hz ), 4 . 76 ( 1h , d , j = 8 . 9 hz ), 6 . 21 ( 1h , d , j = 15 . 9 hz ), 6 . 92 ( 1h , d , j = 8 . 3 hz ), 7 . 22 ( 1h , s ), 7 . 33 to 7 . 93 ( 9h , m ). the experimental procedure is analogous to that followed for example 1c applied to 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 - tetrahydro - 8 , 8 - dimethyl - 2 - bromoacetonaphthone and to methyl 4 - hydroxy - 3 - iodobenzoate . 1 h [ lacuna ] nmr ( cdcl 3 ): 1 . 31 ( 5h , s ), 1 . 66 to 1 . 71 ( 2h , m ), 1 . 79 to 1 . 89 ( 2h , m ), 2 . 82 ( 2h , t , j = 6 . 1 hz ), 3 . 88 ( 3h , s ), 5 . 39 ( 2h , s ), 6 . 71 ( 1h ar , d , j = 8 . 8 hz ), 7 . 16 ( 1h ar , d , j = 8 . 0 hz ), 7 . 69 ( 1h ar , dd , j = 1 . 7 hz , j = 8 . 0 hz ), 7 . 93 ( 1h ar , dd , j = 8 . 8 hz , j = 2 . 0 hz ), 7 . 99 ( 1h ar , d , j = 1 . 7 hz ), 8 . 47 ( 1h ar , d , j = 2 . 0 hz ). the experimental procedure is analogous to that followed for example 1d applied to methyl 4 -[ 2 -( 8 , 8 - dimethyl - 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 - tetrahydronaphthalen - 2 - yl )- 2 - oxoethoxy ]- 3 - iodobenzoate . 1 h [ lacuna ] nmr ( cdcl 3 ): 1 . 30 ( 6h , s ), 1 . 65 to 1 . 69 ( 2h , m ), 1 . 77 to 1 . 86 ( 2h , m ), 2 . 77 ( 2h , t , j = 6 . 1 hz ), 3 . 89 ( 3h , s ), 4 . 99 ( 2h , s ), 5 . 55 ( 1h , s ), 5 . 57 ( 1h , s ), 6 . 87 ( 1h ar , d , j = 8 . 6 hz ), 7 . 05 ( 1h ar , d , j = 7 . 9 hz ), 7 . 17 ( 1h ar , dd , j = 7 . 9 hz , j = 1 . 8 hz ), 7 . 40 ( 1h ar , d , j = 1 . 8 hz ), 7 . 99 ( 1h ar , dd , j = 8 . 6 hz , j = 2 . 1 hz ), 8 . 47 ( 1h ar , d , j = 2 . 1 hz ). the experimental procedure is analogous to that followed for example 1e applied to methyl 4 -[ 2 -( 8 , 8 - dimethyl - 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 - tetrahydronaphthalen - 2 - yl ) allyloxy ]- 3 - iodobenzoate . 1 h [ lacuna ] nmr ( cdcl 3 ): 1 . 22 ( 3h , s ), 1 . 25 ( 3h , s ) 1 . 62 to 1 . 66 ( 2h , m ), 1 . 75 ( 3h , s ), 1 . 77 to 1 . 83 ( 2h , m ), 2 . 73 ( 2h , t , j = 6 . 3 hz ), 3 . 84 ( 3h , 5 ), 4 . 54 ( 1h , d , j = 8 . 8 hz ), 4 . 66 ( 1h , d , j = 8 . 8 hz ), 6 . 89 ( 1h ar , d , j = 8 . 5 hz ), 6 . 9 to 7 . 00 ( 2h ar , m ), 7 . 25 ( 1h ar , d , j = 1 . 8 hz ), 7 . 72 ( 1h ar , d , j = 1 . 8 hz ), 7 . 93 ( 1h ar , dd , j = 8 . 4 , j = 1 . 9 hz ). 13 c [ lacuna ] nmr ( cdcl 3 ) d : 19 . 61 ( ch 2 ), 26 . 41 ( ch 3 ), 30 . 26 ( ch 2 ttnn ), 31 . 84 and 31 . 87 ( ch 3 ttnn ), 34 . 00 ( c ttnn ), 39 . 25 ( ch 2 ttnn ), 49 . 33 ( c ), 57 . 76 ( och 3 ), 87 . 19 ( ch 2 o ), 109 . 62 ( ch ar ), 123 . 20 ( c ar ), 123 . 51 ( ch ar ), 124 . 32 ( ch ar ), 126 . 13 ( ch ar ), 129 . 20 ( ch ar ), 131 . 23 ( ch ar ), 134 . 70 ( c ar ), 136 . 44 ( c ar ), 142 . 92 ( c ar ), 145 . 88 ( c ar ), 163 . 68 ( c -- o ar ), 166 . 89 ( coo ). the experimental procedure is analogous to that followed for example 8d applied to methyl 3 -( 8 , 8 - dimethyl - 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 - tetrahydronaphthalen - 2 - yl )- 3 - methyl - 2 , 3 - dihydrobenzofuran - 5 - carboxylate . 1 h [ lacuna ] nmr ( cdcl 3 ): 1 . 21 ( 3h , s ), 1 . 26 ( 3h , s ), 1 . 62 to 1 . 67 ( 2h , m ), 1 . 76 ( 3h , s ), 1 . 76 to 1 . 83 ( 2h , m ), 2 . 73 ( 2h , t , j = 6 . 2 hz ), 4 . 58 ( 1h , d , j = 8 . 9 hz ), 4 . 72 ( 1h , d , j = 8 . 9 hz ), 6 . 91 to 7 . 01 ( 3h ar , m ), 7 . 24 ( 1h ar , d , j = 1 . 8 hz ), 7 . 57 ( 1h ar , d , j = 1 . 7 hz ), 7 . 74 ( 1h ar , dd , j = 1 . 8 hz , j = 8 . 3 hz ), 9 . 82 ( 1h , s ). the experimental procedure is analogous to that followed for example 1i applied to 3 -( 8 , 8 - dimethyl - 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 - tetrahydronaphthalen - 2 - yl )- 3 - methyl - 2 , 3 - dihydrobenzofuran - 5 - carbaldehyde . 1 h [ lacuna ] nmr ( cdcl 3 ): 1 . 22 to 1 . 33 ( 9h , m ), 1 . 62 to 1 . 67 ( 2h , m ), 1 . 74 ( 3h , s ), 1 . 74 to 1 . 81 ( 2h , m ), 2 . 73 ( 2h , t , j = 6 . 4 hz ), 4 . 21 ( 2h , q , j = 7 . 1 hz ), 4 . 50 ( 1h , d , j = 8 . 7 hz ), 4 . 62 ( 1h , d , j = 8 . 7 hz ), 6 . 23 ( 1h , d , j = 15 . 9 hz ), 6 . 88 ( 1h ar , d , j = 8 . 3 hz ), 6 . 96 to 7 . 01 ( 2h , ar , m ), 7 . 20 ( 1h ar , d , j = 1 . 8 hz ), 7 . 26 ( 1h , s ), 7 . 36 ( 1h ar , dd , j = 1 . 8 hz , j = 8 . 3 hz ), 7 . 61 ( 1h ar , d , j = 15 . 9 hz ). 13 c [ lacuna ] nmr ( cdcl 3 ): 14 . 3 , 19 . 6 , 26 . 3 , 30 . 3 , 31 . 9 , 34 . 0 , 39 . 2 , 49 . 5 , 60 . 3 , 87 . 0 , 110 . 2 , 115 . 2 , 123 . 6 , 124 . 4 , 127 . 9 , 129 . 2 , 129 . 7 , 134 . 8 , 137 . 1 , 142 . 9 , 144 . 7 , 145 . 9 , 161 . 7 , 167 . 4 . the experimental procedure is analogous to that followed for example 9 applied [ lacuna ] ethyl 3 -[ 3 -( 8 , 8 ,- dimethyl - 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 - tetrahydronaphthalen - 2 - yl )- 3 - methyl - 2 , 3 - dihydrobenzofuran - 5 - yl ] acrylate . 1 h [ lacuna ] nmr ( cdcl 3 ): 0 . 98 ( 3h , s ), 1 . 01 ( 3h , s ) 1 . 38 to 1 . 43 ( 2h , m ), 1 . 51 ( 3h , s ), 1 . 51 to 1 . 57 ( 2h , m ), 2 . 49 ( 2h , t , j = 6 . 1 hz ), 4 . 27 ( 1h , d , j = 8 . 7 hz ), 4 . 38 ( 1h , d , j = 8 . 7 hz ), 5 . 97 ( 1h , d , j = 15 . 9 hz ), 6 . 63 ( 1h ar , d , j = 8 . 3 hz ), 6 . 68 to 6 . 77 ( 2h ar , m ), 6 . 97 ( 1h ar , d , j = 1 . 6 hz ), 7 . 00 ( 1h , s ), 7 . 12 ( 1h , d , j = 1 . 7 hz , j = 8 . 3 hz ), 7 . 33 ( 1h ar , d , j = 15 . 9 hz ). 13 c [ lacuna ] nmr ( cdcl 3 ): 20 . 1 , 26 . 8 , 30 . 1 , 32 . 3 , 34 . 4 , 39 . 7 , 49 . 9 , 87 . 5 , 110 . 8 , 114 . 7 , 124 . 0 , 124 . 5 , 124 . 8 , 127 . 9 , 129 . 7 , 130 . 6 , 135 . 2 , 137 . 7 , 143 . 2 , 146 . 3 , 147 . 5 , 162 . 6 , 173 . 5 . a solution of bromoacetyl bromide ( 24 . 7 g , 0 . 28 mol ) in 200 ml of ch 2 cl 2 is added dropwise to a solution of aluminium chloride ( 51 . 5 g , 0 . 39 mol ) in 100 ml of ch 2 cl 2 at 0 ° c . the mixture is stirred for 1 h at 0 ° c ., then a solution of 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 - tetrahydro - 3 - bromo - 5 , 5 - dimethyl - 2 - acetonaphthone ( 60 g , 0 . 25 mol ) in ch 2 cl 2 ( 100 ml ) is added dropwise . the stirring is continued for 2 h and then the mixture is poured onto water and ice and extracted with ch 2 cl 2 . the organic phase is washed twice with water , dried over magnesium sulphate and concentrated in vacuo in a rotary evaporator . 1 h [ lacuna ] nmr ( cdcl 1 ): 1 . 28 ( 6h , s ), 1 . 63 to 1 . 68 ( 2h , m ), 1 . 76 to 1 . 84 ( 2h , m ), 2 . 73 ( 2h , t , j = 6 hz ), 3 . 88 ( 3h , s ), 5 . 26 ( 2h , s ), 6 . 72 ( 1h ar , d , j = 8 . 6 hz ), 7 . 24 ( 1h ar , s ), 7 . 53 ( 1h ar , s ), 7 . 97 ( 1h ar , dd , j = 2 . 0 hz , j = 8 . 6 hz ), 8 . 44 ( 1h ar , d , j = 2 . 0 hz ). the experimental procedure is analogous to that followed for example 1c applied to 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 - tetrahydro - 3 - bromo - 5 , 5 - dimethyl - 2 - bromoacetonaphthone and to methyl 4 - hydroxy - 3 - iodobenzoate . 1 h [ lacuna ] nmr ( cdcl 3 ): 1 . 28 ( 6h , s ), 1 . 63 to 1 . 68 ( 2h , m ), 1 . 76 to 1 . 84 ( 2h , m ), 2 . 73 ( 2h , t , j = 6 hz ), 3 . 88 ( 3h , s ), 5 . 26 ( 2h , s ), 6 . 72 ( 1h ar , d , j = 8 . 6 hz ), 7 . 24 ( 1h ar , s ), 7 . 53 ( 1h ar , s ), 7 . 97 ( 1h ar , dd , j = 2 . 0 hz , j = 8 . 6 hz ), 8 . 44 ( 1h ar , d , j = 2 . 0 hz ). the experimental procedure is analogous to that followed for example 1d applied to methyl 4 -[ 2 -( 3 - bromo - 5 , 5 - dimethyl - 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 - tetrahydronaphthalen - 2 - yl )- 2 - oxoethoxy ]- 3 - iodobenzoate . 1 h [ lacuna ] nmr ( cdcl 3 ): 1 . 28 ( 6h , s ), 1 . 62 to 1 . 66 ( 2h , m ), 1 . 77 to 1 . 81 ( 2h , m ), 2 . 69 ( 2h , t , j = 6 hz ), 3 . 89 ( 3h , s ), 4 . 86 ( 2h , s ), 5 . 28 ( 1h , s ), 5 . 70 ( 1h , s ), 6 . 87 ( 1h ar , d , j = 8 . 7 hz ), 6 . 98 ( 1h ar , s ), 7 . 49 ( 1h ar , s ), 7 . 98 ( 1h ar , dd , j = 2 . 0 hz , j = 8 . 7 hz ), 8 . 45 ( 1h ar , d , j = 2 . 0 hz ). the experimental procedure is analogous to that followed for example 1e applied to methyl 4 -[ 2 -( 3 - bromo - 5 , 5 - dimethyl - 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 - tetrahydronaphthalen - 2 - yl )- allyloxy ]- 3 - iodobenzoate doubling the molar equivalents of tributylamine and formic acid . 1 h [ lacuna ] nmr ( cdcl 3 ): 1 . 18 ( 6h , s ), 1 . 55 to 1 . 59 ( 2h , m ), 1 . 66 ( 3h , s ), 1 . 69 to 1 . 74 ( 2h , m ), 2 . 61 ( 2h , t , j = 6 hz ), 3 . 78 ( 3h , s ), 4 . 44 ( 1h , d , j = 8 . 8 hz ), 4 . 61 ( 1h , d , j = 8 . 8 hz ), 6 . 88 ( 1h ar , d , j = 8 . 4 hz ), 6 . 91 ( 1h ar , s ), 7 . 01 ( 1h ar , dd , j = 2 . 2 hz , j = 8 . 3 hz ), 7 . 23 to 7 . 27 ( 2h ar , m ), 7 . 74 ( 1h ar , d , j = 2 . 2 hz ), 7 . 93 ( 1h ar , dd , j = 8 . 4 , j = 2 . 2 hz ). the experimental procedure is analogous to that followed for example 8d applied to methyl 3 -( 5 , 5 - dimethyl - 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 - tetrahydronapthalen - 2 - yl )- 3 - methyl - 2 , 3 - dihydrobenzofuran - 5 - carboxylate . 1 h [ lacuna ] nmr ( cdcl 3 ): 1 h [ lacuna ] nmr ( cdcl 3 ): 1 . 18 ( 3h , s ), 1 . 19 ( 3h , s ), 1 . 53 to 1 . 58 ( 2h , m ), 1 . 67 ( 3h , s ), 1 . 67 to 1 . 74 ( 2h , m ), 2 . 65 ( 2h , t , j = 6 . 3 hz ), 4 . 48 ( 1h , d , j = 9 hz ), 4 . 66 ( 1h , d , j = 9 hz ), 6 . 76 to 6 . 96 ( 3h , m ), 6 . 18 ( 1h ar , d , j = 8 . 3 hz ), 7 . 51 ( 1h ar , d . j = 1 . 8 hz ), 7 . 65 ( 1h ar , dd , j = 1 . s hz , j = 8 . 3 hz ), 9 . 75 ( 1h , s ). the experimental procedure is analogous to that followed for example 1i applied to 3 -( 5 , 5 - dimethyl - 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 - tetrahydronaphthalen - 2 - yl )- 3 - methyl - 2 , 3 - dihydrobenzofuran - 5 - carbaldehyde . 1 h [ lacuna ] nmr ( cdcl 3 ): 1 . 26 to 1 . 33 ( 9h , s ), 1 . 62 to 1 . 66 ( 2h , m ), 1 . 72 ( 3h , s ), 1 . 76 to 1 . 79 ( 2h , m ), 2 . 72 ( 2h , t , j = 6 . 2 hz ), 4 . 22 ( 2h , q , j = 7 hz ), 4 . 48 ( 1h , d , j = 8 . 8 hz ), 4 . 65 ( 1h , d , j = 8 . 8 hz ), 6 . 24 ( 1h , d , j = 15 . 9 hz ), 6 . 72 ( 1h ar , d , j = 8 . 3 hz ), 6 . 85 ( 1h ar , s ), 7 . 01 ( 1h ar , d ), 7 . 20 to 7 . 27 ( 2h ar , m ), 7 . 35 ( 1h , d , j = 8 . 3 hz ), 7 . 61 ( 1h , d , j = 15 . 9 hz ). the experimental procedure is analogous to that followed for example 9 applied to ethyl 3 -[ 3 -( 5 , 5 - dimethyl - 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 - tetrahydronaphthalen - 2 - yl )- 3 - methyl - 2 , 3 - dihydrobenzofuran - 5 - yl ] acrylate . 1 h [ lacuna ] nmr ( cdcl 3 ): 1 . 26 ( 6h , s ), 1 . 62 to 1 . 66 ( 2h , m ), 1 . 73 ( 3h , s ), 1 . 72 to 1 . 79 ( 2h , m ), 2 . 72 ( 2h , t , j = 6 . 2 hz ), 4 . 49 ( 1h , d , j = 8 . 8 hz ), 4 . 66 ( 1h , d , j = 8 . 8 hz ), 6 . 25 ( 1h , d , j = 15 . 9 hz ), 6 . 88 ( 1h ar , d , j = 8 . 3 hz ), 6 . 94 ( 1h ar , s ), 7 . 02 ( 1h ar , d ), 7 . 25 to 7 . 28 ( 2h ar , m ), 7 . 38 ( 1h , d , j = 8 . 3 hz ), 7 . 71 ( 1h , d , j = 15 . 9 hz ). a 3 . 6 % sodium perchlorate solution is added dropwise to a mixture of 4 - hydroxybenzoic acid ( 2 . 55 g , 18 . 5 mmol ), sodium hydroxide ( 0 . 74 g , 18 . 5 mmol ), sodium iodide ( 2 . 77 g , 18 . 5 mmol ) in methanol ( 50 ml ) at 0 ° c . the mixture is stirred for two hours at 0 ° c . 20 ml of a 10 % sodium thiosulphate solution are added . after stirring , the mixture is acidified to ph 1 with hydrochloric acid . it is extracted with 100 ml of ethyl ether . the organic phase is washed twice with 80 ml of water , dried over magnesium sulphate and concentrated in vacuo at 40 ° c . in a rotary evaporator . 1 h [ lacuna ] nmr ( dmso , 250 mhz ): 7 . 13 ( 1h ar , dd , j = 1 . 08 hz , j = 7 . 55 hz ), 7 . 41 ( 1h ar , d , j = 1 . 08 hz ), 7 . 76 ( 1h ar , d , j = 7 . 55 hz ), 10 . 71 ( 1h , s ), 12 . 96 ( 1h , s ). a solution of 4 - iodo 3 - hydroxybenzoic acid ( 2 . 71 g , 10 mmol ) and sulphuric acid ( 0 . 7 ml ) in methanol ( 17 ml ) is heated to reflux for 6 h . 20 ml of water are added and the mixture is alkalinized to neutrality with sodium bicarbonate . it is extracted with ethyl ether ( 60 ml ). the organic phase is washed with twice 30 ml of water , dried over magnesium sulphate , and concentrated in vacuo at 40 ° c . in a rotary evaporator . the product is purified by flash chromatography on a silica column ( ethyl acetate 50 %, heptane 50 %). 1 h [ lacuna ] nmr ( cdcl 3 , 250 mhz ): 3 . 91 ( 3h , s ), 5 . 70 ( 1h , s ), 7 . 33 ( 1h ar , d , j = 8 . 16 hz ), 7 . 64 ( 1h ar , s ), 7 . 75 ( 1h ar , d , j = 8 . 16 hz ). the experimental procedure is analogous to that followed for example 1c applied to 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 - tetrahydro - 5 , 5 , 8 , 8 - tetramethyl - 2 - bromoacetonaphthone and to methyl 3 - hydroxy - 4 - iodobenzoate . 1 h [ lacuna ] nmr ( cdcl 3 , 250 mhz ): 1 . 31 ( 6h , s ), 1 . 32 ( 6h , s ), 1 . 71 ( 4h , s ), 3 . 88 ( 3h , s ), 5 . 42 ( 2h , s ), 7 . 35 to 7 . 41 ( 2h ar , m ), 7 . 43 ( 1h ar , d , j = 8 . 25 hz ), 7 . 74 ( 1h ar , dd , j = 8 . 25 , j = 2 . 5 hz ), 7 . 90 ( 1h ar , d , j = 7 . 5 hz ) 7 . 98 ( 1h ar , d , j = 2 . 5 hz ). the experimental procedure is analogous to that followed for example 1d applied to methyl 4 - iodo - 3 -[ 2 - oxo - 2 -( 5 , 5 , 8 , 8 - tetramethyl - 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 - tetrahydronaphthalen - 2 - yl ) ethoxy ] benzoate . the product is purified by flash chromatography on a silica column ( ch 2 cl 2 60 %, heptane 40 %). 1 h [ lacuna ] nmr ( cdcl 3 , 250 mhz ): 1 . 29 ( 6h , s ), 1 . 30 ( 6h , s ), 1 . 69 ( 4h , s ), 3 . 91 ( 3h , s ), 4 . 98 ( 2h , s ), 5 . 58 ( 2h , s ), 7 . 20 to 7 . 41 ( 4h ar , m ), 7 . 50 ( 1h ar , d , j = 1 . 15 hz ), 7 . 87 ( 1h ar , d , j = 8 . 00 ). 13 c [ lacuna ] nmr ( cdcl 3 , 250 mhz ): 31 . 34 , 31 . 44 , 33 . 71 , 33 . 88 , 34 . 55 , 34 . 69 , 51 . 86 , 70 . 47 , 92 . 84 , 112 . 25 , 113 . 66 , 123 . 01 , 123 . 06 , 123 . 89 , 131 . 08 , 135 . 05 , 139 . 12 , 142 . 01 , 144 . 53 , 156 . 85 , 166 . 05 . the experimental procedure is analogous to that followed for example 1e applied to methyl 4 - iodo - 3 -( 2 -( 5 , 5 , 8 , 8 - tetramethyl - 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 - tetrahydronaphthalen - 2 - yl ) allyloxy ] benzoate . the product is purified by flash chromatography on a silica column ( ch 2 cl 2 60 % heptane 40 %) 1 h [ lacuna ] nmr ( cdcl 3 , 250 mhz ) 1 . 20 ( 3h , s ), 1 . 22 ( 3h , s ), 1 . 25 ( 6h , s ), 1 . 66 ( 4h , s ), 1 . 73 ( 3h , s ), 3 . 91 ( 3h , s ), 4 . 48 ( 1h , d , j = 8 . 75 hz ), 4 . 62 ( 1h , d , j = 8 . 75 hz ), 7 . 00 ( 1h , dd , j = 2 hz , j = 8 . 25 hz ), 7 . 09 ( 1h ar , d , j = 8 hz ), 7 . 18 to 7 . 24 ( 2 h ar , m ), 7 . 52 ( 1h ar , s ), 7 . 63 ( 1h ar , d , j = 8 . 00 hz ). 13 c [ lacuna ] nmr ( cdcl 3 , 250 mhz ): 26 . 16 , 31 . 77 , 31 . 87 , 33 . 96 , 34 . 37 , 35 . 01 , 35 . 10 , 49 . 79 , 52 . 09 , 86 . 48 , 110 . 82 , 122 . 84 , 123 . 67 , 123 . 93 , 124 . 30 , 126 . 60 , 130 . 56 , 141 . 35 , 142 . 15 , 143 . 32 , 144 . 88 , 159 . 80 , 166 . 97 . the experimental procedure is analogous to that followed for example 8d applied to methyl 3 - methyl - 3 -( 5 , 5 , 8 , 8 - tetramethyl - 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 - tetrahydronaphthalen - 2 - yl )- 2 , 3 - dihydrobenzofuran - 6 - carboxylate . 1 h [ lacuna ] nmr ( cdcl 3 , 250 mhz ): 1 . 20 ( 3h , s ), 1 . 23 ( 3h , s ), 1 . 26 ( 5h , s ), 1 . 66 ( 4h , s ), 1 . 75 ( 37 , s ), 4 . 51 ( 1h , d , j = 8 . 7 hz ), 4 . 66 ( 1h , d , j = 8 . 7 hz ), 7 . 00 ( 1h , dd , j = 2 . 1 hz ), j = 8 . 3 hz ), 7 . 16 to 7 . 25 ( 3h ar , m ), 7 . 36 ( 1h ar , d , j = 1 . 3 hz ), 7 . 44 ( 1h ar , dd , j = 1 . 3 hz , j = 7 . 6 hz ). the experimental procedure is analogous to that followed for example 1i applied to 3 - methyl - 3 -( 5 , 5 , 8 , 8 - tetramethyl - 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 - tetrahydronaphthalen - 2 - yl )- 2 , 3 - dihydrobenzofuran - 6 - carbaldehyde . 1 h [ lacuna ] nmr ( cdcl 3 , 250 mhz ): 1 . 21 ( 3h , s ), 1 . 23 ( 3h , s ), 1 . 26 ( 6h , s ), 1 . 34 ( 3h , t , j = 7 . 1 hz ), 1 . 66 ( 4h , s ), 1 . 73 ( 3h , s ), 4 . 26 ( 2h , t , j = 7 . 1 hz ), 4 . 47 ( 1h , d , j = 8 . 7 hz ), 4 . 61 ( 1h , d , j = 8 . 7 hz ), 6 . 39 ( 1h , d , j = 16 hz ), 6 . 98 to 7 . 06 ( 4h ar , m ), 7 . 19 to 7 . 25 ( 2h ar , m ), 7 . 66 ( 1h , d , j = 16 hz ), 9 . 95 ( 1h , s ). the experimental procedure is analogous to that followed for example 9 applied [ lacuna ] ethyl 3 -[ 3 - methyl - 3 -( 5 , 5 , 8 , 8 - tetramethyl - 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 - tetrahydronaphthalen - 2 - yl )- 2 , 3 - dihydrobenzofuran - 6 - yl ]- acrylate . white solid . mass : 1 . 05 g . yield : 80 %. m . p .= 190 ° c . 1 h [ lacuna ] nmr ( cdcl 3 , 250 mhz ): 1 . 22 ( 3h , s ), 1 . 23 ( 3h , s ), 1 . 26 ( 6h , s ), 1 . 66 ( 4h , s ), 1 . 73 ( 3h , s ), 4 . 48 ( 1h , d , j = 8 . 7 hz ), 4 . 62 ( 1h , d , j = 8 . 7 hz ), 6 . 42 ( 1h , d , j = 16 hz ), 6 . 98 to 7 . 09 ( 4h ar , m ), 7 . 20 to 7 . 25 ( 2h ar , m ), 7 . 78 ( 1h , d , j = 16 hz ). a mixture of palladium diacetate ( 345 mg , 0 . 46 mmol ), tributylvinyltin ( 1 . 3 ml , 4 . 56 mmol ), tributylamine ( 675 μl , 4 . 56 mmol ) and methyl 3 - iodo - 4 -[ 2 -[ 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 - tetrahydro - 5 , 5 , 8 , 8 - tetramethyl - 2 - naphthyl ]- 1 - propenyloxybenzoate ( 2 . 3 g , 4 . 56 mmol ) in acetonitrile ( 50 ml ) is heated at 70 ° c . for 8 d adding tributylvinyltin ( 0 . 8 ml ) again every 24 h . the reaction mixture is concentrated in vacuo at 40 ° c . in a rotary evaporator and treated with water and ethyl ether . after separation , the organic phase is washed twice with 40 ml of water , dried over magnesium sulphate , and concentrated in vacuo at 40 ° c . in a rotary evaporator . the product is purified by flash chromatography on a silica column ( ch 2 cl 2 70 % heptane 30 %) 1 h [ lacuna ] nmr ( cdcl 3 , 250 mhz ): 1 . 22 to 1 . 26 ( 12h , m ) 1 . 69 ( 4h , s ), 2 . 88 ( 2h , d , j = 7 . 3 hz ), 3 . 86 ( 3h , s ), 4 . 63 ( 1h , d , j = 9 hz ), 4 . 69 ( 1h , d , j = 9 hz ), 5 . 03 ( 1h , s ), 5 . 08 ( 1h , d , j = 5 . 4 ), 5 . 58 ( 1h , m ), 6 . 84 to 6 . 90 ( 2h ar , m ), 7 . 20 to 7 . 24 ( 2h ar , m ), 7 . 91 ( 1h ar , d , j = 1 . 9 hz ), 7 . 93 ( 1h ar , dd , j = 1 . 8 hz , j = 8 . 3 hz ). the experimental protocol is analogous to that followed for example 8d applied to methyl 3 -[ 3 - allyl - 3 -( 5 , 5 , 8 , 8 - tetramethyl - 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 - tetrahydronaphthalen - 2 - yl )- 2 , 3 - dihydrobenzofuran - 5 - yl ]- carboxylate . the product is purified by flash chromatography on a silica column ( acoet 10 % heptane 90 %). 1 h [ lacuna ] nmr ( cdcl 3 , 250 mhz ): 1 . 22 to 1 . 26 ( 12h , m ) 1 . 67 ( 4h , s ), 2 . 88 ( 2h , t , j = 7 . 3 hz ), 4 . 68 ( 1h , d , j = 9 . 1 hz ), 4 . 73 ( 1h , d , j = 9 . 1 hz ), 5 . 04 ( 1h , s ), 5 . 08 ( 1h , s ), 5 . 57 ( 1h , m ), 6 . 93 to 7 . 01 ( 2h ar , m ), 7 . 21 to 7 . 25 ( 2h ar , m ), 7 . 64 ( 1h ar , d , j = 1 . 7 hz ), 7 . 25 ( 1h ar , dd , j = 1 . 8 hz , j = 8 . 3 hz ), 9 . 87 ( 1h , s ). the experimental procedure is analogous to that followed for example 1i applied to 3 -[ 3 - allyl - 3 -( 5 , 5 , 8 , 8 - tetramethyl - 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 - tetrahydronaphthalen - 2 - yl )- 2 , 3 - dihydrobenzofuran - 5 - yl ] carbaldehyde . the product is purified by flash chromatography on a silica column ( acoet 80 % heptane 80 %) 1 h [ lacuna ] nmr ( cdcl 3 , 250 mhz ): 1 . 18 to 1 . 34 ( 15h , m ), 1 . 67 ( 4h , s ), 2 . 86 ( 2h , t , j = 7 . 6 hz ), 4 . 23 ( 2h , q , j = 7 hz ), 4 . 58 ( 1h , d , j = 9 hz ), 4 . 64 ( 1h , d , j = 9 hz ), 5 . 03 ( 1h , s ), 5 . 08 ( 1h , d , j = 3 hz ), 5 . 80 ( 1h , m ), 6 . 25 ( 1h , d , 15 . 9 hz ), 6 . 85 ( 1h ar , d , j = 8 . 3 hz ), 7 . 00 ( 1h ar , dd , j = 2 hz , j = 8 . 3 hz ), 7 . 21 to 7 . 27 ( 3h ar , m ), 7 . 37 ( 1h ar , dd , j = 1 . 8 hz , j = 8 . 3 hz ), 7 . 67 ( 1h ar , d , j = 15 . 8 hz ). a solution of ethyl 3 -[ 3 - allyl - 3 -( 5 , 5 , 8 , 8 - tetramethyl - 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 - tetrahydronaphthalen - 2 - yl )- 2 , 3 - dihydrobenzofuran - 5 - yl ] acrylate ( 790 mg , 1 . 78 mmol ) and sodium hydroxide ( 720 mg , 17 . 8 mmol ) in thf ( 20 ml ) is heated to reflux for 24 h . the mixture is treated with water and ethyl acetate , and acidified to ph 1 with a concentrated hydrochloric acid solution . after separation , the organic phase is washed twice with water , dried over magnesium sulphate , and concentrated in vacuo at 40 ° c . in a rotary evaporator . the solid obtained is washed with heptane . 1 h [ lacuna ] nmr ( cdcl 3 , 250 mhz ): 1 . 23 to 1 . 26 ( 12h , m ) 1 . 67 ( 4h , s ), 2 . 87 ( 2h , t , j = 7 . 6 hz ), 4 . 60 ( 1h , d , j = 9 hz ), 4 . 66 ( 1h , d , j = 9 hz ), 5 . 04 ( 1h , s ), 5 . 08 ( 1h , d , j = 3 hz ), 5 . 58 ( 1h , m ), 6 . 25 ( 1h , d , 15 . 8 hz ), 6 . 87 ( 1h , ar , d , j = 8 . 3 hz ), 7 . 00 ( 1h ar , d , j = 8 . 3 hz ), 7 . 22 to 7 . 29 ( 3h ar , m ), 7 . 40 ( 1h ar , d , j = 8 . 3 hz ), 7 . 73 ( 1h , d , j = 15 . 8 hz ). a 1 . 6m methyllithium solution in ethyl ether ( 3 . 4 ml , 5 . 4 mmol ) is added to a solution of 3 - methyl - 3 -( 5 , 5 , 8 , 8 - tetramethyl - 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 - tetrahydronaphthalen - 2 - yl )- 2 , 3 - dihydrobenzofuran - 5 - carboxylic acid ( example 2 ) ( 900 mg , 4 . 47 mmol ) in thf ( 50 ml ) at - 20 ° c . the mixture is stirred for 4 h at - 20 ° c . and is then poured onto ethyl acetate and a 1n hydrochloric acid solution . the organic phase is washed 2 times with water , dried over anhydrous magnesium sulphate and concentrated in vacuo at 40 ° c . in a rotary evaporator . 1 h [ lacuna ] nmr ( cdcl 3 , 250 mhz ): 1 . 21 ( 3h , s ), 1 . 24 ( 3h , s ), 1 . 26 ( 6h , s ), 1 . 66 ( 4h , s ), 1 . 75 ( 3h , s ), 2 . 53 ( 3h , s ), 4 . 53 ( 1h , d , j = 8 . 8 hz ), 4 . 68 ( 1h , d , j = 8 . 7 hz ), 6 . 90 ( 1h ar , d , j = 8 . 3 hz ), 6 . 98 ( 1h ar , dd , j = 8 . 3 hz , j = 2 hz ), 7 . 20 to 7 . 25 ( 2h ar , m ), 7 . 69 ( 1h ar , d , j = 1 . 8 hz ), 7 . 86 ( 1h ar , dd , j = 8 . 3 hz , j = 2 hz ). 13 c [ lacuna ] nmr ( cdcl 3 , 250 mhz ): 26 . 5 ,, 31 . 8 , 31 . 9 , 34 . 0 , 35 . 0 , 35 . 1 , 49 . 25 , 87 . 3 , 109 . 6 , 123 . 8 , 124 . 2 , 125 . 0 , 126 . 7 , 130 . 6 , 131 . 2 , 136 . 8 , 142 . 2 , 143 . 4 , 144 . 9 , 163 . 9 , 196 . 7 . a solution of buli in hexane 2 . 5 m ( 1 . 74 [ lacuna ], 4 . 3 mmol ) is added dropwise to a solution of diisopropylamine ( 639 μl , 4 . 6 mmol ) in thf ( 10 ml ) at - 0 ° c . the mixture is stirred for 15 min at - 0 ° c ., then methyl ( trimethylsilyl ) acetate ( 850 μl , 5 . 2 mmol ) is added at - 78 ° c . the mixture is stirred for 15 min at - 78 ° c . and then a solution of 1 -[ 3 - methyl - 3 -( 5 , 5 , 8 , 8 - tetramethyl - 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 - tetrahydronaphthalen - 2 - yl )- 2 , 3 - dihydrobenzofuran - 5 - yl ] ethanone ( 880 mg , 2 . 43 mmol ) in thf ( 5 ml ) is added at - 78 ° c . the reaction mixture is stirred for 1 h at - 78 ° c . and then treated with ethyl acetate and an aqueous ammonium chloride solution . after separation the organic phase is washed twice with water , dried over anhydrous magnesium sulphate and concentrated in vacuo at 40 ° c . in a rotary evaporator . the product is purified by flash chromatography on a silica column ( acoet 3 %, heptane 97 %). colourless oil . mass : 460 mg , yield : 44 %. 1 h [ lacuna ] nmr ( dmos , 250 mhz ): 1 . 17 ( 6h , s ), 1 . 20 ( 6h , s ), 1 . 60 ( 4h , s ), 1 . 71 ( 3h , s ), 2 . 49 ( 3h , s ), 3 . 64 ( 3h , s ), 4 . 47 ( 1h , d , j = 8 . 9 hz ), 4 . 63 ( 1h , d , j = 8 . 9 hz ), 6 . 12 ( 1h , s ), 6 . 89 ( 1h ar , d , j = 9 . 2 hz ), 7 . 01 ( 1h ar , dd ), 7 . 20 to 7 . 26 ( 2h ar , m ), 7 . 43 to 7 . 46 ( 2h ar , m ). the ( z ) isomer is separated from the ( e ) isomer during flash chromatography on a silica column ( acoet 3 %, heptane 97 %). 1 h [ lacuna ] nmr ( dmso , 250 mhz ): 1 . 16 ( 3h , s ), 1 . 17 ( 3h , s ), 1 . 20 ( 6h , s ), 1 . 60 ( 4h , s ), 1 . 67 ( 3h , s ), 2 . 14 ( 3h , d , j = 1 . 2 hz ), 3 . 41 ( 3h , s ), 4 . 46 ( 1h , d , j = 8 . 8 hz ), 4 . 59 ( 1h , d , j = 8 . 8 hz ), 5 . 88 ( 1h , d , j = 1 . 2 hz ), 6 . 82 ( 1h ar , d , j = 8 . 1 hz ), 7 . 00 to 7 . 10 ( 3h ar , m ), 7 . 18 ( 1h ar , d , j = 2 . 1 hz ), 7 . 24 ( 1h ar , d , j = 8 . 3 hz ). the experimental procedure is analogous to that followed for example 9 applied to methyl ( e )- 3 -[ 3 - methyl - 3 -( 5 , 5 , 8 , 8 - tetramethyl - 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 - tetrahydronaphthalen - 2 - yl )- 2 , 3 - dihydrobenzofuran - 5 - yl ] but - 2 - enoate . 1 h [ lacuna ] nmr ( cdcl 3 , 250 mhz ): 1 . 21 ( 3h , s ), 1 . 24 ( 3h , s ), 1 . 26 ( 6h , s ), 1 . 67 ( 4h , s ), 1 . 74 ( 3h , s ), 2 . 56 ( 3h , d , j = 1 hz ), 4 . 48 ( 1h , d , j = 8 . 7 hz ), 4 . 60 ( 1h , d , j = 8 . 7 hz ), 6 . 10 ( 1h , d , j = 1 hz ), 6 . 87 ( 1h ar , d , j = 8 . 4 hz ), 7 . 00 ( 1h ar , dd , j = 2 . 1 hz , j = 8 . 3 hz ), 7 . 20 to 7 . 22 ( 2h ar , m ), 7 . 39 ( 1h ar , dd , j = 2 hz , j = 7 . 5 hz ). 13 c [ lacuna ] nmr ( cdcl 3 , 250 mhz ): 18 . 0 , 26 . 1 , 31 . 5 , 31 . 5 , 33 . 7 , 34 . 1 , 34 . 7 , 34 . 8 , 49 . 4 , 86 . 6 , 109 . 5 , 113 . 8 , 122 . 3 , 123 . 5 , 124 . 0 , 126 . 4 , 127 . 0 , 134 . 5 , 136 . 2 , 142 . 1 , 143 . 0 , 144 . 6 , 158 . 2 , 160 . 9 , 171 . 7 . a solution of 4 - hydroxy - 3 - nitrobenzoic acid ( 10 g , 54 . 6 mmol ) and concentrated sulphuric acid ( 1 . 8 ml ) in methanol ( 90 ml ) is heated to reflux for 8 h . the reaction mixture is treated with a sodium bicarbonate solution . after extraction with ethyl ether . the organic phase is washed twice with water , dried over magnesium sulphate , and concentrated in vacuo at 40 ° c . in a rotary evaporator . 80 % nah ( 1 . 93 g , 65 . 52 mmol ) is added to a methyl 4 - hydroxy - 3 - nitrobenzoate solution ( 10 . 5 g , 53 . 25 mmol ) in dm - 7 ( 50 ml ) at 0 ° c . stirring is continued for 30 min and then a dimethylthiocarbamoyl chloride solution ( 8 . 56 g , 69 . 2 mmol ) in dmf ( 50 ml ) is added dropwise at 0 ° c . the mixture is stirred for 24 h at ambient temperature and treated with an aqueous nh4cl solution and ethyl ether . the organic phase is washed twice with water , dried over magnesium sulphate , and concentrated in vacuo at 40 ° c . in a rotary evaporator . the product is purified by flash chromatography on a silica column ( ethyl acetate 30 %, heptane 70 %). methyl 4 - dimethylthiocarbamoyloxy - 3 - nitrobenzoate ( 10 . 6 g , 37 . 3 mmol ) is heated at 180 ° c . for 15 min . a concentrated hydrochloric acid solution is added dropwise at 0 ° c . to a mixture of iron ( 12 . 7 9 ) and methyl 4 - dimethylthiocarbamoyloxy - 3 - nitrobenzoate ( 10 . 6 g , 37 . 3 mmol ) in ethanol at 0 ° c . the reaction mixture is stirred at ambient temperature for 5 h and then treated with a sodium bicarbonate solution . after extraction with dichloromethane , the organic phase is washed twice with water , dried over magnesium sulphate , and concentrated in vacuo at 40 ° c . in a rotary evaporator . the product is purified by flash chromatography on a silica column ( ethyl acetate 50 %, heptane 50 %). a solution of methyl 3 - amino - 4 - dimethylcarbamoylsulphanylbenzoate ( 5 . 98 g , 23 . 5 mmol ) isopentyl nitrite ( 16 . 2 ml ) in dilodomethane ( 138 ml ) is heated at 70 ° c . for 2 h . the diiodomethane is distilled at 10 - 1 atm . ; then the product is purified by flash chromatography on a silica column ( ch 2 cl 2 90 %, heptane 10 %). a mixture of methyl 4 - dimethylcarbamoylsulphanyl - 3 - iodobenzoate ( 3 . 9 g , 16 . 6 mmol ), potassium carbonate ( 2 g ,) in methanol is stirred for 12 h at ambient temperature . the mixture is treated with a concentrated hydrochloric acid solution qs ph = 1 . after extraction with dichloromethane , the organic phase is washed twice with water , dried over magnesium sulphate , and concentrated in vacuo at 40 ° c . in a rotary evaporator . 75 % nah ( 45 mg , 1 . 4 mmol ) is added to a solution of 2 -( 5 , 5 , 8 , 8 - tetramethyl - 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 - tetrahydronaphthalen - 2 - yl ) acrylic acid ( 300 mg , 1 . 16 mmol ) { synthesis described in wo patent 9206948 } in dmf ( 10 ml ). stirring is continued for 1 h . at ambient temperature , then iodomethane ( 87 ul , 1 . 4 mmol ) is added dropwise . the mixture is stirred for 1 h . at ambient temperature , and treated with water and ethyl ether . the organic phase is washed twice with water , dried over magnesium sulphate , and concentrated in vacuo at 40 ° c . in a rotary evaporator . the product is purified by flash chromatography on a silica column ( ethyl acetate 20 %, heptane 80 %). 1 h [ lacuna ] nmr ( cdcl 3 , 250 mhz ): 1 . 28 ( 6h , s ), 1 . 29 ( 6h , s ), 1 . 69 ( 4h , s ), 3 . 82 ( 3h , s ), 5 . 87 ( 1h , d , j = 1 . 3 hz ), 6 . 30 ( 1h , d , j = 1 . 3 hz ), 7 . 21 ( 1h ar , dd , j = 2 hz , j = 8 hz ), 7 . 29 ( 1h ar , d , j = 8 hz ), 7 . 35 ( 1h ar , d , j = 2 hz ). a 1m diisobutylaluminium hydride solution in toluene ( 2 . 78 ml , 2 . 78 mmol ) is added at 78 ° c ., dropwise , to a solution of methyl 2 -( 5 , 5 , 8 , 8 - tetramethyl - 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 - tetrahydronaphthalen - 2 - yl ) acrylate ( 310 mg , 1 . 14 mmol ) in dichloromethane ( 3 ml ). the solution is stirred for 1 h at 0 ° c ., then treated with a solution of double tartrate of sodium [ lacuna ] and filtered through silica . 1 h [ lacuna ] nmr ( cdcl 3 , 250 mhz ): 1 . 28 ( 6h , s ), 1 . 30 ( 6h , s ), 1 . 77 ( 4h , s ), 4 . 53 ( 2h , d , j = 5 . 4 hz ), 5 . 29 ( 1h , s ), 5 . 43 ( 1h , s ), 7 . 21 ( 1h ar , dd , j = 1 . 9 hz , j = 8 . 2 hz ), 7 . 29 ( 1h ar , d , j = 8 . 2 hz ), 7 . 38 ( 1h ar , d , j = 1 . 9 hz ). tetrabromomethane ( 1 . 21 g , 3 . 8 mmol ) is added to a mixture of triphenylphosphine ( 970 mg , 3 . 8 mmol ) in ethyl ether ( 20 ml ). a solution of 2 -( 5 , 5 , 8 , 8 - tetramethyl - 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 - tetrahydronaphthalen - 2 - yl ) prop - 2 - en - 1 - ol ( 300 mg , 1 . 2 mmol ) in ethyl ether ( 2 ml ) is added . stirring is continued for 24 h , then the reaction mixture is treated with water and ethyl acetate . the organic phase is washed with water and then concentrated in vacuo in a rotary evaporator . the oil obtained is taken up in heptane and filtered through silica . the filtrate is concentrated in vacuo in a rotary evaporator . 1 h [ lacuna ] nmr ( cdcl 3 , 250 mhz ); 1 . 28 ( 6h , s ), 1 . 31 ( 6h , s ), 1 . 78 ( 4h , s ), 4 . 37 ( 2h , s ), 5 . 44 ( 1h , s ), 5 . 55 ( 1h , s ), 7 . 23 to 7 . 28 ( 2h ar , m ), 7 . 44 ( 1h ar , s ). 75 % nah ( 115 mg , 3 . 58 mmol ) is added to a solution of methyl 3 - iodo - 4 - mercaptobenzoate ( 531 mg , 3 . 25 mmol ) in dmf ( 20 ml ) at 0 ° c . stirring is continued for 20 min at ambient temperature , then a solution of 6 -( 1 - bromomethylvinyl )- 1 , 1 , 4 , 4 - tetramethyl - 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 - tetrahydronaphthalene ( 1 g , 3 . 25 mmol ) in dmf ( 5 ml ) is added dropwise . the mixture is stirred for 2 h at ambient temperature , and treated with an aqueous hydrochloric acid solution and ethyl ether . the organic phase is washed twice with water , dried over magnesium sulphate , and concentrated in vacuo at 40 ° c . in a rotary evaporator . the product is purified by flash chromatography on a silica column ( ch 2 cl 2 50 % heptane 50 %). white solid . mass : 680 mg , yield : 54 %. m . p .= 142 ° c . 1 h ( lacuna ] nmr ( cdcl 3 , 250 mhz ): 1 . 28 ( 6h , s ), 1 . 30 ( 6h , s ), 1 . 69 ( 4h , s ), 3 . 89 ( 3h , s ), 4 . 02 ( 2h , s ), 5 . 37 ( 1h , s ), 5 . 51 ( 1h , s ), 7 . 18 ( 1h ar , d , j = 8 . 3 hz ), 7 . 21 to 7 . 31 ( 2h ar , m ), 7 . 39 ( 1h ar , d , j = 1 . 7 hz ), 7 . 91 ( 1h ar , dd , j = 8 . 3 hz , j = 1 . 7 hz ), 8 . 43 ( 1h ar , d , j = 1 . 7 hz ). 13 c [ lacuna ] nmr ( cdcl 3 , 250 mhz ): 32 . 1 , 32 . 2 , 34 . 5 , 34 . 7 , 35 . 3 , 35 . 4 , 38 . 9 , 52 . 6 , 97 . 5 , 115 . 9 , 123 . 6 , 124 . 5 , 126 . 2 , 127 . 0 , 128 . 2 , 129 . 7 , 136 . 8 , 140 . 5 , 141 . 8 , 145 . 3 , 145 . 4 , 148 . 7 , 165 . 8 . a mixture of tributhylamine ( 881 ul , 3 . 7 mmol ), tetrakis ( triphenylphosphine ) palladium ( 367 mg , 0 . 32 mmol ), formic acid ( 63 ul , 1 . 7 mmol ) and methyl 3 - iodo - 4 -[ 2 -( 5 , 5 , 8 , 8 - tetramethyl - 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 - tetrahydronaphthalen - 2 - yl ) allylsulphanyl ] benzoate ( 655 mg , 1 . 7 mmol ) in acetonitrile ( 25 ml ) is heated at 80 ° c . for 4 h . the reaction mixture is concentrated in vacuo at 40 ° c . in a rotary evaporator treated with water and ethyl ether . after separation , the organic phase is washed twice with water , dried over magnesium sulphate , and concentrated in vacuo at ; 40 ° c . in a rotary evaporator . the product is purified by flash chromatography on a silica column ( ch 2 cl 2 50 % heptane 50 %) 1 h [ lacuna ] nmr ( cdcl 3 , 250 mhz ): 1 . 19 ( 3h , s ), 1 . 23 ( 3h , s ), 1 . 26 ( 6h , s ), 1 . 66 ( 4h , s ), 1 . 76 ( 3h , s ), 3 . 39 ( 1h , d , j = 11 hz ), 3 . 64 ( 1h , d , j = 11 hz ), 3 . 84 ( 3h , s ), 6 . 93 ( 1h ar , dd , j = 2 hz , j = 8 . 4 hz ), 7 . 19 to 7 . 24 ( 2h arm ), 7 . 29 ( 1h ar , d , j = 8 . 1 hz ), 7 . 55 ( 1h ar , d , j = 1 . 6 hz ), 7 . 85 ( 1h ar , dd , j = 1 . 7 , j = 8 . 1 hz ). 13 c [ lacuna ] nmr ( cdcl 3 , 250 mhz ): 26 . 38 , 32 . 3 , 32 . 4 , 34 . 40 , 34 . 8 , 35 . 5 , 35 . 6 , 49 . 7 , 52 . 3 , 55 . 2 , 122 . 4 , 124 . 4 , 125 . 1 , 126 . 6 , 126 . 9 , 127 . 0 , 129 . 7 , 143 . 1 , 143 . 8 , 145 . 1 , 148 . 4 , 148 . 6 , 167 . 4 . a 1m diisobutylaluminium hydride solution in toluene ( 0 . 67 ml , 0 . 67 mmol ) is added at 0 ° c ., dropwise , to a solution of methyl 3 - methyl - 3 -( 5 , 5 , 8 , 8 - tetramethyl - 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 - tetrahydronaphthalen - 2 - yl )- 2 , 3 - dihydrobenzo [ b ] thiophene - 5 - carboxylate ( 121 mg , 0 . 31 mmol ) in toluene ( 5 ml ). the solution is stirred for 2 h at 0 ° c ., and then treated with a solution of double tartrate of sodium and potassium filtered and taken up in a mixture of ethyl ether and water . the organic phase is washed with water , dried over magnesium sulphate and concentrated in vacuo at 40 ° c . in a rotary evaporator . a mixture of alcohol obtained above ( 120 mg , 0 . 31 mmol ), manganese ( iv ) oxide ( 270 mg , 3 . 1 mmol ) in dichloromethane ( 5 ml ) is stirred at ambient temperature for 3 h . the manganese oxide is removed by filtration through silica . the product is obtained by concentration in vacuo at 40 ° c . in a rotary evaporator . 1 h [ lacuna ] nmr ( cdcl 3 , 250 mhz ): 1 . 11 ( 3h , s ), 1 . 17 ( 3h , s ), 1 . 20 ( gh , s ), 1 . 60 ( 4h , s ), 1 . 79 ( 3h , s ), 3 . 32 ( 1h , d , j = 11 . 3 hz ), 3 . 63 ( 1h , d , j = 11 . 3 hz ), 6 . 93 ( 1h ar , dd , j = 2 . 2 hz , j = 8 . 2 hz ), 7 . 14 to 7 . 18 ( 2h ar , m . ), 7 . 28 ( 1 - 8 , d , j = 15 hz ), 7 . 31 ( 1h ar , d , j = b hz ), 7 . 59 ( 1h ar , dd , j = 1 . 5 , j = 8 hz ), 9 . 76 ( 1h , s ). the experimental procedure is analogous to that followed for example 1i applied to 3 - methyl - 3 -( 5 , 5 , 8 , 8 - tetramethyl - 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 - tetrahydronaphthalen - 2 - yl )- 2 , 3 - dihydrobenzo [ b ] thiophene - 5 - carbaldehyde . the product is purified by filtration on silica ( ch 2 cl 2 ) 1 h [ lacuna ] nmr ( cdcl 3 , 250 mhz ): 1 . 19 to 1 . 33 ( 15h , m ), 1 . 67 ( 4h , s ), 1 . 74 ( 3h , s ), 3 . 35 ( 1h , d , j = l1 hz ), 3 . 65 ( 1h , d , j = l1 hz ), 4 . 22 ( 2h , q , j = 7 . 1 hz ), 6 . 27 ( 1h , d , j = 15 . 9 hz ), 6 . 99 to 7 . 03 ( 2h ar , m ), 7 . 21 to 7 . 27 ( 3h ar , m ), 7 . 33 ( 1h ar , d , j = 8 . 1 hz ), 7 . 57 ( 1h , dd , j = 1 . 5 , j = 8 hz ). the experimental procedure is analogous to that followed for example 9 applied to ethyl 3 -[ 3 - methyl - 3 -( 5 , 5 , 8 , 8 - tetramethyl - 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 - tetrahydronaphthalen - 2 - yl )- 2 , 3 - dihydrobenzo [ b ] thiophen - 5 - yl ] acrylate . 1 h [ lacuna ] nmr ( cdcl 3 , 250 mhz ): 1 . 19 ( 3h , s ), 1 . 25 ( 3h , s ), 1 . 27 ( 6h , s ), 1 . 67 ( 4h , s ), 1 . 75 ( 3h , s ), 3 . 35 ( 1h , d , j = 11 . 2 hz ), 3 . 66 ( 1h , d , j = 11 . 2 hz ), 6 . 26 ( 1h , d , j = 15 . 9 hz ), 7 . 00 to 7 . 03 ( 2h ar , m ), 7 . 21 to 7 . 37 ( 4h ar , m ), 7 . 67 ( 1h ar , d , j = 15 . 9 hz ). the experimental procedure is analogous to that followed for example 23j applied to 5 - iodovanilin and to 6 -( 1 - bromomethylvinyl )- 1 , 1 , 4 , 4 - tetramethyl - 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 - tetrahydronaphthalene . the product is purified by flash chromatography on a silica column ( ch 2 cl 2 50 % heptane 50 %). 1 h [ lacuna ] nmr ( cdcl 3 , 250 mhz ): 1 . 28 ( 6h , s ), 1 . 29 ( 6h , s ), 1 . 69 ( 4h , s ), 3 . 91 ( 3h , s ), 4 . 99 ( 2h , s ), 5 . 55 ( 1h , s ), 5 . 59 ( 1h , s ), 7 . 29 ( 2h ar , s ), 7 . 41 to 7 . 45 ( 2h ar , m ), 7 . 84 ( 1h ar , d , j = 1 . 8 hz ), 9 . 83 ( 1h s ). the experimental procedure is analogous to that followed for example 1e applied to 3 - iodo - 5 - methoxy - 4 -[ 2 -( 5 , 5 , 8 , 8 - tetramethyl - 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 - tetrahydronaphthalen - 2 - yl ) allyloxy ] benzaldehyde . the product is purified by flash chromatography on a silica column ( ch 2 cl 2 50 % heptane 50 %). 1 h [ lacuna ] ( cdcl 3 ): 1 . 20 to 1 . 26 ( 12h , m ), 1 . 67 ( 4h , s ), 1 . 77 ( 3h , s ), 3 . 98 ( 3h , s ), 4 . 64 ( 1h , d , j = 8 . 9 hz ), 4 . 77 ( 1h , d , j = 8 . 9 hz ), 6 . 99 ( 1h , dd , j = 2 . 2 hz , j = 8 . 2 hz ), 7 . 20 to 7 . 26 ( 3h ar , m ), 7 . 37 ( 1h ar , d , j = 1 . 3 hz ), 9 . 79 ( 1h , s ). the experimental procedure is analogous to that followed for example 1i applied to 3 -( 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 - tetrahydro - 5 , 5 , 8 , 8 - tetramethyl - 2 - naphthyl )- 7 - methoxy - 3 - methyl - 2 , 3 - dihydrobenzofuran - 5 - carbaldehyde . the product is purified by filtration on silica ( ch 2 cl 2 ). 1 h [ lacuna ] ( cdcl 3 ): 1 . 21 to 1 . 33 ( 15h , m ), 1 . 67 ( 4h , s ), 1 . 73 ( 3h , s ), 3 . 94 ( 3h , s ), 4 . 23 ( 2h , q , j = 7 . 1 hz ), 4 . 55 ( 1h , d , j = 8 . 8 hz ), 4 . 69 ( 1h , d , j = 8 . 8 hz ), 6 . 26 ( 1h , d , 15 . 9 hz ), 6 . 85 ( 1h ar , s ), 6 . 96 to 7 . 02 ( 2h ar , m ), 7 . 20 to 7 . 26 ( 2h ar , m ), 7 . 60 ( 1h ar , d , j = 15 . 9 hz ). the experimental procedure is analogous to that followed for example 9 applied to ethyl 3 -[ 3 -( 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 - tetrahydro - 5 , 5 , 8 , 8 - tetramethyl - 2 - naphthyl )- 7 - methoxy - 3 - methyl - 2 , 3 - dihydrobenzofuran - 5 - yl ] acrylate . the product is purified by crystallization . 1 h [ lacuna ] ( cdcl 3 ): 1 . 21 to 1 . 26 ( 12h , m ), 1 . 67 ( 4h , s ), 1 . 74 ( 3h , s ), 3 . 95 ( 3h , s ), 4 . 57 ( 1h , d , j = 8 . 8 hz ), 4 . 70 ( 1h , d , j = 8 . 8 hz ), 6 . 25 ( 1h , d , 15 . 9 hz ), 6 . 88 ( 1h ar , s ), 6 . 99 to 7 . 03 ( 2h ar , m ), 7 . 21 to 7 . 26 ( 2h ar , m ), 7 . 69 ( 1h ar , d , j = 15 . 9 hz ). a solution of 3 -[ 3 -( 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 - tetrahydro - 5 , 5 , 8 , 8 - tetramethyl - 2 - naphthyl )- 7 - methoxy - 3 - methyl - 2 , 3 - dihydrobenzofuran - 5 - yl ] acrylic acid ( 150 mg , 0 . 357 mmol ), 1 - hydroxybenzotriazole ( 96 mg , 0 . 714 mmol ), 1 , 3 - dicyclohexylcarbodiimide ( 147 mg , 0 . 714 mmol ) and 4 - aminophenol ( 39 mg , 0 . 357 mmol ) in 5 ml of thf and 5 ml of dmf is stirred at ambient temperature for 15 hours . water and ethyl acetate are added . after stirring and separation , the aqueous phase is extracted with ethyl acetate . the organic phases are then combined and washed twice with water , then dried over magnesium sulphate and concentrated in vacuo at 40 ° c . in a rotary evaporator . the product is then purified by flash chromatography on a silica column ( heptane 50 %, ethyl acetate 50 %) 1 h [ lacuna ] ( cdcl 3 ): 1 . 21 to 1 . 25 ( 12h , m ), 1 . 66 ( 4h , s ), 1 . 73 ( 3h , s ), 3 . 92 ( 3h , s ), 4 . 54 ( 1h , d , j = 8 . 8 hz ), 4 . 67 ( 1h , d , j = 8 . 8 hz ), 6 . 34 ( 1h , d , 15 . 4 hz ), 6 . 77 ( 2h ar , d , j = 8 . 7 hz ), 6 . 87 ( 1h ar , s ), 6 . 94 ( 1h ar , s ), 7 . 01 ( 1h ar , d , j = 8 . 2 hz ), 7 . 20 to 7 . 24 ( 2h ar , m ), 7 . 32 to 7 . 36 ( 2h ar , m ), 7 . 63 ( 1h ar , d , j = 15 . 4 hz ). ( a ) the following composition is prepared in the form of a 0 . 8 g tablet ______________________________________compound of example 1 0 . 005 gpregelatinized starch 0 . 265 gmicrocrystalline cellulose 0 . 300 glactose 0 . 200 gmagnesium stearate 0 . 030 g______________________________________ for the treatment of acne , 1 to 3 tablets per day will be administered to an adult individual for 3 to 6 months according to the seriousness of the case treated . ( b ) a drinkable suspension is prepared which is intended to be packaged in 5 ml ampoules ______________________________________compound of example 2 0 . 050 gglycerol 0 . 500 g70 % sorbitol 0 . 500 gsodium saccharinate 0 . 010 gmethyl parahydroxybenzoate 0 . 040 gflavour q . s . purified water q . s . p . 5 ml______________________________________ for the treatment of acne , 1 ampoule per day will be administered to an adult individual for 3 months according to the seriousness of the case treated . ( c ) the following formulation intended to be packaged in gelatin capsules is prepared : ______________________________________compound of example 1 0 . 025 gcorn starch 0 . 060 glactose q . s . 0 . 300 g______________________________________ the gelatin capsules used are composed of gelatin , titanium oxide and a preservative . in the treatment of psoriasis , 1 gelatin capsule per day will be administered to an adult individual for 30 days . ______________________________________compound of example 2 0 . 100 gmixture of emulsive lanolin alcohols , 39 . 900 gwaxes and refined oils , sold by bdfunder the name &# 34 ; eucerine anhydre &# 34 ; methyl parahydroxybenzoate 0 . 075 gpropyl parahydroxybenzoate 0 . 075 gsterile demineralized water q . s . 100 . 000 g______________________________________ this cream will be applied to a psoriatic skin 1 to 2 times per day for 30 days . ( b ) a gel is prepared by carrying out the following formulation : ______________________________________compound of example 1 0 . 050 gerythromycin base 4 . 000 gbutylhydroxytoluene 0 . 050 ghydroxypropylcellulose sold by 2 . 000 ghercules under the name of &# 34 ; klucel hf &# 34 ; ethanol ( 95 °) q . s . 100 . 000 g______________________________________ this gel will be applied to a skin suffering from dermatosis or a skin with acne 1 to 3 times per day for 6 to 12 weeks according to the seriousness of the case treated . ( c ) an antiseborrhoeic lotion is prepared by proceeding with the mixture of the following ingredients : ______________________________________compound of example 2 0 . 030 gpropylene glycol 5 . 000 gbutylhydroxytoluene 0 . 100 gethanol ( 95 °) q . s . 100 . 000 g______________________________________ this lotion will be applied two times per day to a seborrhoeic scalp and a significant improvement is noted within a period of between 2 and 6 weeks . ( d ) a cosmetic composition against the harmful effects of the sun is prepared by proceeding with the mixture of the following ingredients : ______________________________________compound of example 1 1 . 000 gbenzylidene camphor 4 . 900 gfatty acid triglycerides 31 . 000 gglyceryl monostearate 6 . 000 gstearic acid 2 . 000 gcetyl alcohol 1 . 200 glanolin 4 . 000 gpreservatives 0 . 300 gpropylene glycol 2 . 000 gtriethanolamine 0 . 500 gperfume 0 . 400 gdemineralized water q . s . 100 . 000 g______________________________________ this composition will be applied daily , it allows light - induced aging to be combated , ______________________________________compound of example 2 0 . 500 gvitamin d3 0 . 020 gcetyl alcohol 4 . 000 gglyceryl monostearate 2 . 500 gpeg 50 stearate 2 . 500 9shea butter 9 . 200 gpropylene glycol 2 . 000 gmethyl parahydroxybenzoate 0 . 075 gpropyl parahydroxybenzoate 0 . 075 gsterile demineralized water q . s . 100 . 000 g______________________________________ this cream will be applied to a psoriatic skin 1 to 2 times per day for 30 days . ( f ) a topical gel is prepared by proceeding with the mixture of the following ingredients : ______________________________________compound of example 1 0 . 050 gethanol 43 . 000 gα - tocopherol 0 . 050 gcarboxyvinyl polymer sold under the name 0 . 500 g &# 34 ; carbopol 941 &# 34 ; by &# 34 ; goodrich &# 34 ; triethanolamine in 20 % by weight 3 . 800 gaqueous solutionwater 9 . 300 gpropylene glycol qs 100 . 000 g______________________________________ this gel will be applied in the treatment of acne 1 to 3 times per day for 6 to 12 weeks according to the seriousness of the case treated . ( g ) an anti - hair loss hair lotion and lotion for the regrowth of the hair is prepared by proceeding with the mixture of the following ingredients : ______________________________________compound of example 2 0 . 05 gcompound sold under the name &# 34 ; minoxidil &# 34 ; 1 . 00 gpropylene glycol 20 . 00 gethanol 34 . 92 gpolyethylene glycol ( molecular mass = 400 ) 40 . 00 gbutylhydroxyanisole 0 . 01 gbutylhydroxytoluene 0 . 02 gwater qs 100 . 00 g______________________________________ this lotion will be applied 2 times per day for 3 months to a scalp which has undergone a significant loss of hair . ( h ) an anti - acne cream is prepared by proceeding with the mixture of the following ingredients : ______________________________________compound of example 1 0 . 050 gretinoic acid 0 . 010 gmixture of glyceryl stearates and of 15 . 000 gpolyethylene glycol ( 75 mol ) sold underthe name of &# 34 ; gelot 64 &# 34 ; by &# 34 ; gattefosse &# 34 ; kernel oil polyoxyethylenated with 6 mol 8 . 000 gof ethylene oxide sold under the name of &# 34 ; labrafil m2130 cs &# 34 ; by &# 34 ; gattefosse &# 34 ; perhydrosqualene 10 . 000 gpreservatives qspolyethylene glycol ( molecular mass = 400 ) 8 . 000 gdisodium salt of ethylendiaminetetra - 0 . 050 gacetic acidpurified water qs 100 . 000 g______________________________________ this cream will be applied to a skin suffering from dermatitis or a skin with acne 1 to 3 times per day for 6 to 12 weeks . ( i ) an oil - in - water cream is prepared by producing the following formulation : ______________________________________compound of example 1 0 . 020 gbetamethasone 17 - valerate 0 . 050 gs - carboxymethylcysteine 3 . 000 gpolyoxyethylene stearate ( 40 mol of 4 . 000 gethylene oxide ) sold under the name of &# 34 ; myrj 52 &# 34 ; by &# 34 ; atlas &# 34 ; sorbitan monolaurate , polyoxyethylenated 1 . 800 gwith 20 mol of ethylene oxide sold underthe name of &# 34 ; tween 20 &# 34 ; by &# 34 ; atlas &# 34 ; mixture of mono and distearate of 4 . 200 gglycerol sold under the name of &# 34 ; geleol &# 34 ; by &# 34 ; gattefosse &# 34 ; propylene glycol 10 . 000 gbutylhydroxyanisole 0 . 010 gbutylhydroxytoluene 0 . 020 gcetostearyl alcohol 6 . 200 gpreservatives q . s . perhydrosqualene 18 . 000 gmixture of caprylic / capric triglycerides 4 . 000 gsold under the name of &# 34 ; miglyol 812 &# 34 ; by &# 34 ; dynamit nobel &# 34 ; triethanolamine ( 99 % by weight ) 2 . 500 gwater q . s . 100 . 000 g______________________________________ this cream will be applied 2 times per day for 30 days on a skin suffering from dermatitis . ______________________________________lactic acid 5 . 000 gcompound of example 1 0 . 020 gpolyoxyethylene stearate ( 40 mol of 4 . 000 gethylene oxide ) sold under the nameof &# 34 ; myrj 52 &# 34 ; by &# 34 ; atlas &# 34 ; sorbitan monolaurate , polyoxyethylenated 1 . 800 gwith 20 mol of ethylene oxide sold underthe name of &# 34 ; tween 20 &# 34 ; by &# 34 ; atlas &# 34 ; mixture of mono and distearate of glycerol 4 . 200 gsold under the name of &# 34 ; geleol &# 34 ; by &# 34 ; gattefosse &# 34 ; propylene glycol 10 . 000 gbutylhydroxyanisole 0 . 010 gbutylhydroxytoluene 0 . 020 gcetostearyl alcohol 6 . 200 gpreservatives q . s . perhydrosqualene 18 . 000 gmixture of caprylic / capric triglycerides 4 . 000 gsold under the name of &# 34 ; miglyol 812 &# 34 ; by &# 34 ; dynamit nobel &# 34 ; water q . s . 100 . 000 g______________________________________ this cream will be applied 1 time per day , it helps to combat aging whether it is light - induced or chronological . | 0 |
hereinafter , preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings so that they can be readily implemented by those skilled in the art . referring to fig3 a , depicted is a cross - sectional view of a construction of a split - gate type non - volatile memory device . a first electrode 16 with a capping film is formed on a substrate 10 , the capping film being formed by laminating a buffer oxide film 18 and a hard mask nitride film 20 . since a method of forming the first electrode 16 is identical with the conventional method , the description thereof will be omitted . further , fig3 a illustrates that , according to the present invention , the sidewall oxide film 22 shown in fig1 a is not formed at sidewalls of the first electrode 16 after the first electrode 16 is patterned . meanwhile , an electric charge storage layer 14 is not removed from an active region of the substrate 10 where the first electrode 16 is not formed thereon . in this manner , without removing / stripping the electric charge storage layer 14 , nitrogen is ion - implanted as impurities into the sidewalls of the first electrode 16 . ion - implantation occurs at a predetermined implant angle that is sufficient to implant nitrogen into the vicinity of the lower corners of the first electrode . furthermore , according to one embodiment , the nitrogen may be implanted sequentially into the four sidewalls , i . e ., front , rear , left and right sidewalls , of the first electrode 16 . for example , implantation may be performed by rotating the substrate 10 by 90 degrees and repeating it four times . after nitrogen is ion - implanted in the sidewalls , the implanted nitrogen is activated by a heat treatment . as shown in fig3 a , after performing a nitrogen ion - implantation process , nitrogen is implanted only in the sidewalls of the first electrode 16 but is not implanted in the active region of the substrate . in other words , an ono film which is the electric charge storage layer remaining on an active region where the first electrode 16 is not formed functions as a mask to keep nitrogen from being implanted in the substrate 10 . further , the nitrogen implanted in the sidewalls of the first electrode 16 prevents the sidewalls of the first electrode 16 from being oxidized during the subsequent oxidation processes . namely , in spite of another oxidation process , for example , a process forming the gate oxide film 24 shown in fig1 a , an oxide layer is not formed on surfaces of the sidewalls of the first electrode 16 . accordingly , the bird &# 39 ; s beak , as shown in fig2 , is not generated , and therefore a thick portion of the block oxide layer of the ono film 24 does not occur . in another embodiment , prior to implanting nitrogen into the first electrode 16 , a sidewall oxide film can be formed on the sidewalls of the first electrode 16 . the sidewall oxide film is provided to cure damages caused by patterning the first electrode 16 and to insulate the first electrode from a second electrode formed through the subsequent processes . the aforementioned bird &# 39 ; s beak is typically not generated as a result of the oxidation process that forms the sidewall oxide film . however , the subsequent oxidation processes may generate the bird &# 39 ; s beak at the sidewall oxide film . therefore , after forming the sidewall oxide film , nitrogen ion - implantation , as shown in fig3 a , is performed . as such , the nitrogen ion - implantation process prevents the sidewall oxide film from growing and forming the bird &# 39 ; s beak . next , referring to fig3 b , after forming a sidewall oxide film 22 and ion - implanting nitrogen thereto , the electric charge storage layer 14 remaining in an area where the first electrode 16 is not formed is stripped off . thereafter , a gate oxide film 24 is formed on an active region of the substrate 10 where the electric charge storage layer is removed . here , during the silicon oxidation process used to form the gate oxide film 24 , the sidewall oxide film 22 formed on the first electrode 16 is not grown by implanted nitrogen , and in particular formation of the bird &# 39 ; s beak is suppressed in an area b . subsequently , through processes as described in fig1 b and 1c , a split - gate structure is finally completed . meanwhile , to improve insulation characteristics between the first electrode and the second electrode , an additional insulating film can be formed on the sidewalls of the first electrode . fig4 shows an insulating film 22 a formed of an oxide layer or a nitride layer , in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention . the insulating film 22 a can be formed by depositing an oxide layer or a nitride layer on a front side of the substrate 10 and then performing an etch - back process . through the etch - back process , the insulating film 22 a deposited on the substrate 10 remains in a form of a spacer at both sides of the sidewalls of the first electrode 16 . the formation process of the insulating spacer 22 a can be performed after the nitrogen implantation process of fig3 a , and otherwise it can be carried out after the nitrogen implantation process , which is performed after forming the sidewall oxide film 22 at the sidewalls of the first electrode 16 . in accordance with the present invention , by implanting nitrogen into the sidewalls of the first electrode which forms a control gate , it is possible to prevent oxidation of the sidewalls of the first electrode and prevent the oxide film which is already formed from growing and forming a bird &# 39 ; s beak . by preventing formation of the bird &# 39 ; s beak in the first electrode , the block oxide layer of the ono film 24 remains consistent in thickness and does not exhibit a thick portion proximate the area where the bird &# 39 ; s beak would be located . accordingly , programming / erasing operations of a non - volatile memory device can be performed efficiently . while the invention has been shown and described with respect to the preferred embodiments , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the following claims . | 7 |
a coil stand 10 in accordance with the invention , which is shown to scale in fig2 - 5 of the drawings , comprises a pair of elongated parallel front and rear base tracks 14 , 16 connected at their respected ends by the left and right base track tie bars 18 , 20 ( fig2 ) to form a rigid planar rectangular base indicated generally at 12 having dimension parallel to the axes of the tracks . tracks 14 , 16 are identical and are preferably made of aluminum extruded in a generally h - shaped cross - sectional configuration defining separate upper and lower cavities 17 , 19 each partially closed by the respective inwardly opposed flange pairs 21 , 23 . tie bars 18 , 20 extruded of aluminum are generally l - shaped in cross - sectional configuration , as best seen in fig3 and are fastened to the ends of tracks 14 , 16 by screws 22 threaded into the lower track flanges 23 such that an upwardly extending leg of the respective tie bars extends across the flanges 23 and closes the ends of lower track cavities 19 . a pair of upright coil supports 24 , 26 of cast aluminum are carried by base 12 . referring to fig3 left support 24 has a laterally flared integral base 28 at front and rear , and is fixedly mounted bridging the ends of tracks 14 , 16 by the screws illustrated in phantom at 30 . the upwardly projecting generally planar body of support 24 has an arcuate forward edge or rim 34 which extends for approximately ninety degrees . an upwardly angled support ledge 36 is cantilevered thereto by screws 38 ( fig3 and 5 ). similarly , right support 26 has a flared base 30 which is fastened ( fig2 ) by the screws 31 to front and rear blocks 33 , 35 respectively slidable in the upper cavities 17 of front and rear tracks 14 , 16 . right support 26 is thus slidable along opposing upper track flanges 21 and may be adjustably positioned with respect to fixed left support 24 longitudinally of the base . support 26 has an arcuate front edge or rim 54 which extends for approximately ninety degrees and is coaxial when assembled with edge 34 of support 24 . an upwardly angled support ledge 56 is cantilevered to edge 54 by screws 58 ( fig3 and 4 ) and projects forwardly therefrom in parallel with the ledge 36 projecting from support casting 24 . a clamp 37 is carried by adjustable support 26 for clamping the support in a selected longitudinal position . clamp 37 includes a generally c - shaped clamping member 38 as seen in fig4 having an upper lip 40 received over the upper edge 42 of an upstanding ledge 44 on support base 30 , and a lower lip 46 for clamping abutment with an opposing front surface of track 14 . a threaded stud 52 , having a knurled knob 50 fixedly attached thereto , is loosely received through an opening in a center boss 51 of clamp 38 and is threaded into an opposing threaded opening in ledge 44 . thus , rotation of knob 50 in one direction draws ledge 44 and clamp 38 toward each other , and thereby firmly clamps track 14 between support base 30 and lower clamp lip 46 . arcuate arrays of three freely rotatable rollers are carried by the respective supports 24 , 26 in opposed coaxial pairs , each roller being rotatable on a fixed axis on a shoulder bolt 68 threaded into a corresponding boss on the supports . the rollers 60 , 62 and 64 carried by adjustable support 26 are illustrated in fig2 in the preferred embodiment illustrated to scale in the drawings and are disposed in an upwardly concave arc of substantially thirty - five degrees centered on the vertical radius of substantially seven inches . the axes of outside rollers 60 , 64 are disposed in a plane parallel to the plane of base 12 . the array of rollers on fixed support 24 is a mirror image of the array on movable support 26 previously described . only the front roller 66 which is coaxial with roller 60 is illustrated in fig3 and 5 . each of the rollers preferably comprises an annular cushion or tire of non - abrasive semi - resilient material such as polyethylene pressed or molded into a sleeve bearing ( not shown ). a pair of generally rectangular tension bars 70 , 72 are respectively pivotally cantilevered at one end inwardly of an upper edge of the corresponding supports 24 , 26 by the coaxial shoulder bolts 74 , 76 to pivot . a tension spring 82 extends between a side opening 78 in support 26 and a cap head screw 86 threaded into the outer side face of bar 72 forwardly of pivot bolt 74 . spring 82 normally biases bar 72 downwardly toward the support rollers 60 - 64 to the position illustrated in solid lines in fig2 at which bolt 86 on the keeper bar acts as an abutment stop against the upper surface of support edge 54 . a rivet 94 extends laterally outwardly through tension bar 72 and is captured therein for free sliding and rotational movement by a triangular retainer 90 of sheet metal . as best seen in fig3 the spacing between ring 90 and the head of rivet 94 is greater than the width of bar 72 , such that the rivet is free for axial movement between stop positions defined by the ring and rivet head . when bar 72 is pivoted to the position indicated in broken lines in fig2 rivet 94 may be slid horizontally outwardly such a that ring 90 lies in the plane of support 26 . a flat edge of ring 90 thereby will act as a stop to maintain the bar in an upper position . when the rivet is retracted , the tension bar is returned downwardly by spring 82 . a similar spring , rivet and retaining ring structure is fastened to left tension bar 70 and is indicated by identical reference numerals in fig3 and 4 . thus , tension bars 70 , 72 may be lifted and retained in the upward orientation to permit loading of a stock roll ( as at 114 in fig1 ), and then released to hold stock roll firmly against the rollers . preferably , the line of intact between the tension bars and the stock roll is above and slightly forward of the stock axis of rotation , so that the bars hold the stock against the rollers to counter the forward pulling force as stock is uncoiled . in this connection , it will be appreciated that the tension bars and support rollers eliminate any requirement for a center core in the stock roll . bars 70 , 72 are preferably constructed of or coated with low friction material such as polyethylene or the like to permit free sliding engagement between the tension bars and the rolled sheet stock as the latter is uncoiled , and thereby damage or abrasion to the stock surface finish . a ledge 100 is fixedly fastened by the screws 102 to the front edge of tie bar 20 remotely of fixed support 24 , and projects forwardly therefrom in parallel with ledges 36 and 56 . the upper surfaces of ledges 36 , 56 and 100 lie in a common plane which contains approximately the axes of the rear support rollers ( 64 in fig2 ). a support bar 104 of extruded aluminum is cantilevered from base 12 by mounting the same to the upper coplanar surfaces of ledged 36 , 56 and 100 as by screws 36 , 100 . the upper surface of movable ledge 56 is in sliding supportive contact with bar 104 . support bar 104 has a flat upper surface 108 at a preferred angle of approximately ten degrees with respect to the plane of base 12 , and a downwardly turned front lip 110 . the plane of surface 108 is thus carried above the axis of the nearest or front pair of support rollers 60 , 66 and at a preferred angle of about eight degrees with respect to the tangent at the line of contact between coil 114 and the front rollers . the rearward portion 116 of surface 108 is tapered downwardly fifteen degrees toward the periphery of rollers 60 , 66 . three clamps 120 , 122 and 124 are mounted by screws 126 on respective support ledges 36 , 56 and 100 rearwardly adjacent support bar 104 to pivot on a common axis parallel to the longitudinal dimension of base 12 under control of corresponding clamp handles 128 , 130 and 132 . a cutting bar 134 of extruded aluminum is suspended by adjustable screws 136 , 138 between the outer fixed clamps 120 , 124 to pivot conjointly therewith between an upper or retracted position ( not shown ) and a lowered position illustrated in fig2 and 5 for firmly clamping sheet stock 112 unrolled from beneath coil 114 against surface 108 . center clamp 122 , which is movable with respect to cutting bar 134 , has a compressible resilient snubber 142 adjustably mounted thereto for pressing against the cutting bar to assist the sheet - clamping function of the latter . thus , clamp 132 is movably carried by adjustable support 26 between fixed clamps 120 , 124 and is adapted selectively to engage the cutting bar at the adjusted position of support 26 intermediate fixed clamps 120 , 124 . as will best be appreciated with reference to fig4 and 5 , uncoiled sheet stock 112 clamped against surface 108 by cutting bar 134 is bent in a direction reverse to the coiling direction on the stock roll , sloped surface 110 functioning to prevent abrasion and kinking . this particular configuration has been found to be advantageous . cutting bar 134 includes a sharp forwardly projecting front edge 150 at preferred acute angle of fifty - two and one - half degrees to surface 108 . a wear and corrosion resistant edge strip 152 of stainless steel or the like is received over bar edge 150 by having tongues 153 along side edges of the strip received by resilient snap - fit into corresponding grooves in the cutting bar . a longitudinal channel 154 is formed in surface 108 beneath the forward pointed edge in the clamping position of cutting bar 134 for receiving the blade of a utility knife or the like ( not shown ) as the latter is drawn by the workman along the cutting edge 152 for severing the uncoiled position of the sheet stock . a longitudinal groove 156 is formed in the upper portion of cutting bar 134 for receiving the lip of a tape measure or the like conveniently to provide a measurement reference for sheet stock withdrawn from the roll . from the foregoing description , it will be appreciated that the preferred embodiment of the invention hereinabove described fully satisfies all of the objects and aims previously set forth . for example , in one embodiment of the invention the coil stand is adjustable for coil possessing an axial dimension between eight and thirty inches and is adapted to support coils weighing up to two hundred fifty pounds , while itself weighing only nineteen pounds . the stand is less than three feet in length and preferably is constructed almost entirely of light weight extruded or cast aluminum as previously described . the stand may be readily supported on the back of a pick - up truck , on the ground or on optional legs . | 8 |
referring now to the drawings , which are provided by way of example and not limitation , there is shown a compact electrokinetic stimulator . stimulation of the median nerve at the ventral portion of the wrist is well documented for the prevention of postoperative nausea and vomiting . existing nerve stimulators that are employed in operating rooms to stimulate the median nerve at this location can be lacking . the problems with such apparatus are lack of uniformity among nerve stimulators , bulk of the equipment , lack of portability and disposability and cost of the equipment . accordingly , the present disclosure is offered as a solution to problems that hinder wider application of nerve stimulation . one application of the nerve stimulator of the present disclosure is to the anterior tibial nerve to treat urinary urgency . other applications are also contemplated . moreover , application of a disposable stimulator on the median nerve can facilitate the prevention of nausea in various settings such as postoperative , chemotherapy , pregnancy as well as other etiologies not otherwise specified . one contemplated location to access the median nerve is at the ventral wrist . the disposable nature of the device allows the device to travel with the patient thus preventing reactivation of the chemoreceptors trigger zone which may prevent nausea that occurs after discharge from the recovery room . it should be noted that the described treatment aids in the alleviation of the symptoms of nausea but does not treat the underlying etiology . in addition to use of the device in a preemptive protocol , the nerve stimulator may be used to treat persons experiencing postoperative nausea and vomiting or nausea from other etiologies with a rescue protocol , and may be used to stimulate nerves other than the median nerve as well . oscilloscopic analysis was conducted on a circuit that was being applied to the median nerve region while it was being stimulated with a 1 . 5 to 5 ma current . the alternating pulse and ramp functions applied by the stimulator were of low enough voltage to consider it feasible to use small battery technology as an alternative power supply . a microchip is contemplated to be sufficient to run the algorithms required to provide nerve stimulation that regulates the current to approximate a target value of 1 . 5 to 5 ma with a frequency of 2 hz . as shown in fig1 - 3 , the nerve stimulization device 100 of the present disclosure includes a flexible plastic tape or cover 102 with two adhesive ekg style electrode assemblies 104 . the nerve stimulator can act as a acustimulator device . the device can be relatively small being approximately 1 . 5 inches wide and about 3 inches long . a microchip and miniature circuit board 106 can be mounted between the two electrodes 104 as shown in the figures . activation of the device 100 can be accomplished by pulling or removing a pull tab ( not shown ) that would complete the circuit with the power cells . a led light 108 can be configured to flash when a current is detected . alternatively , a magnetic wand ( not shown ) can be employed to start the circuit and set it to operate for either 8 or 16 hours ( with a second touch of the wand , or to the end of battery life ). a pulse generator powered by a battery 109 and controlled by the microchip 106 can deliver 1 . 5 to 5 milliamperes of current at 2 hz . the battery 109 and microchip 106 cooperate to form a pulse generator assembly . furthermore , this assembly can be configured to detect impedance of skin to insure that the desired amperage is delivered . as best seen in fig2 b and 2c , a top portion 112 of the stimulator device 100 can be formed of a foam material . a bottom portion of the device is contemplated to embody a foam insulation . wires 116 extend from the pulse generator assembly to each electrode assembly 104 . further , an energy transmitting gel 120 is associated with each electrode assembly 104 to facilitate a desired contact with the patient . an adhesive 130 can also be incorporated into the bottom surface of the device 100 for attachment to the target location on the patient &# 39 ; s body . extended operation of up to 76 hours is also contemplated . thus , a battery is chosen to provide up to or more than 76 hours of operation . prior to assembly , the microchip 106 can be “ stamped ” with a control algorithm that is housed and delivered by a dedicated laptop computer . the device 100 can be evaluated using a circuit load that simulates the impedance of the median nerve region 200 . this evaluation can record the applied current and voltage wave forms and the frequency of application . multiple rounds of evaluation can be conducted to verify circuit performance . use of various wave forms may provide enhanced effectiveness . one aspect is the long term use of the device following surgery . most conventional peripheral stimulation does not last 10 - 20 hours . accordingly , one contemplated approach is employing a balanced waveform that avoids the net buildup of ions ( polarization ). other waveforms are contemplated to specifically avoid side effects . yet another waveform issue for long term stimulation is the speed with which the peak current is applied to the patient . thus , a waveform characterized by a gentle slope to this build up is also contemplated . in one embodiment , it is contemplated that the wave form that will be employed can be characterized as a box wave form at a 5 ma current and a frequency of 2 hz . use of the device alone provides an estimate fifty percent reduction in postoperative nausea and vomiting . in conjunction with a single prophylactic dose of intravenous ondansetron 4 mg on emergence should offer results superior to either intervention alone . the patient continues to use the device for up to 76 hours or to end of battery life . elements of a rescue protocol include hydration and administration of fast acting agents capable of breaking the nausea and vomiting cycle with application of the acustimulator . in the postoperative care setting with the patient being monitored , administration of 10 mg of intravenous propofol and 6 . 25 to 25 mg of intravenous promethazine is performed along with the application of the acustimulator . in one treatment protocol , a first step involves an assessment of the patient . a patient history is taken and a physical is performed . it is recognized that nausea and vomiting risk stratification is multifactored and a patient &# 39 ; s condition must be assessed in order to arrive at the first preventative treatment . thus , a patient &# 39 ; s entire health and treatment history is reviewed and key aspects are noted and weighed . additionally , the type of procedure that the patient is about to undergo is also assessed and analyzed as is the anesthesia that will be used in the procedure . for example , it is noted whether a pelvic region or an intrabdominal procedure is to be conducted . also surgical patients can be stratificated as to low , medium and high risk . it is to be recognized that for low risk procedures , for example minor skin procedures or radiologic procedures , an anesthetic technique that minimizes nausea such as a total intravenous anesthetic ( tiva ) technique using propofol is contemplated . moderate risk procedures such as those applicable in distal extremity orthopedic procedures would utilize the disclosed stimulation device along with a tiva and an additional antiemetic such as ondansetron . high risk procedures such as those associated with intra - abdominal or pelvic surgery would utilize the stimulation device , tiva and two or more additional antiemeitics such as ondansetron and dexamethasone . separate specific considerations can be important where the patient is undergoing emetogenic chemotherapy . it is noted that some chemotherapeutic agents are much more emetogenic than others . as well , dosage and timing frequency and inter - patient variables can impact the probability and severity of nausea . thus , the routine antiemetic therapy should be given and the stimulation device should be placed and activated , just before infusion of chemotherapy begins . moreover , distinct protocols may be necessary when treating nausea and vomiting associated with pregnancy and labor . such patients may require a different approach due to limitations of systemic antiemetics used during pregnancy . median nerve acustimulation is nonpharmacologic therefore avoids potential risk associated with systemic pharmacologic agents . treating patients suffering from motion sickness can involve other considerations . for example , it may be necessary to consider over - the - counter availability of motion sickness or nausea medications . thus , a protocol combining the stimulation device with available otc antiemetics such as dimenhydrinate can lead to a successful treatment . in general , the treatment of nausea , is intended to be multimodal in nature . thus , the application of nerve stimulation in conjunction with the administration of an antiemetic is contemplated . for a low risk patient in a method for treating nausea , the stimulization device 100 is attached to the patient at a ventral portion of the wrist above the median nerve . the device 100 is activated ideally within 60 minutes and with the patient in a supine or semi - recombinant position prior to induction of anesthesia . the device 100 is permitted to operate until depletion of the battery . in treating a medium risk patient for nausea , the acustimulator device 100 is applied to the ventral portion of the wrist above the median nerve for example , and is activated within 60 minutes prior to the induction of the anesthesia . again , here , the device 100 is permitted to operate until the depletion of the battery . in addition , 30 minutes prior to the emergence of anesthesia , 4 mg of ondansetron is administered to the patient intravenously . for a high risk patient , the acustimulator device 100 is applied as before and 4 mg of ondansetron is administered . additionally , 4 to 8 mg of dexamethasone is administered to the patient intravenously after the induction of anesthesia . the patient is also assessed to determine whether a scopolamine patch and / or an oral dose of aprepitant 40 mg should be given to the patient prior to induction of anesthesia . moreover , in the perioperative period , there are other considerations . these include maintenance of normovolemia by administration of intravenous fluids , and minimizing iv or oral opiates as these medications commonly cause nausea and regional anesthesia when appropriate . for example , utilizing peripheral nerve blocks for orthopedic procedures on the upper and lower extremities or epidural blocks for thoracic , abdominal , pelvic or lower extremity procedures can be appropriate in a treatment scheme . where a patient is undergoing chemotherapy , one approach to nausea treatment would be to apply the acustimulator device 100 to stimulate the median nerve 30 to 60 minutes prior to the infusion of emetogenic chemotherapy along with standard current anti - emetics . the device 100 would then be employed continuously until battery depletion . it is also contemplated that the acustimulator device 100 can be equipped to receive replacement batteries . in this way , continued treatment for the prevention of nausea can be performed such as that might be necessary during pregnancy . the device 100 would be applied to stimulate the median nerve at early signs of pregnancy induced nausea , for example , and allowed to work until battery depletion . a new battery can then be inserted into the device 100 when new signs of nausea begin to appear after a last round of treatment . it is further contemplated that a transdermal antiemetic such as scopolamine can be contained within the adhesive portion of the stimulation device . the antiemetic can be placed inside or outside the field of stimulation energy . in one application the drug can be delivered utilizing ionophoretic technology for transdermal delivery of anti - emetic agent ( s ). other transdermal delivery technologies are contemplated . the approach of combining median nerve accustimulation and a transdermal anti - emetic in a single contained disposable unit as multimodal therapy is contemplated . accordingly , the present disclosure is intended to address postoperative symptoms such as nausea . thus , it will be apparent from the foregoing that , while particular forms of the invention have been illustrated and described , various modifications can be made without parting from the spirit and scope of the invention . | 0 |
in the following detailed description , reference is made to the accompanying drawings , which form a part hereof . in the drawings , similar symbols typically identify similar components , unless context dictates otherwise . the illustrative embodiments described in the detailed description , drawings , and claims are not meant to be limiting . other embodiments may be utilized , and other changes may be made , without departing from the spirit or scope of the subject matter presented herein . it will be readily understood that the aspects of the present disclosure , as generally described herein , and illustrated in the figures , can be arranged , substituted , combined , separated , and designed in a wide variety of different configurations , all of which are explicitly contemplated herein . the present invention is directed to compositions and methods for controlling pests , and , more particularly , to pesticides derived from natural substances , such as microbial or fermentation metabolites . according to embodiments of the invention , the produced fermentation broth containing the microbial biosurfactant may be used without extraction or purification . if desired , extraction and purification of the biosurfactants can be easily achieved using standard extraction methods or techniques described in the literature . in one aspect of the invention , fermentation broth or the purified biosurfactants , e . g ., gls , fls , lps , etc ., may be used to protect crop plants , homes , structures , soils , aquatic systems , ponds , fish aquariums , humans , or animals by controlling harmful pests . as used herein , the term “ control ” used in reference to the activity produced by the biosurfactants or biosurfactant - producing organisms extends to the act of killing , disabling or immobilizing pests or otherwise rendering the pests substantially incapable of causing harm . in another aspect of the invention , biosurfactant - producing organisms , e . g ., pseudomonas spp . may be added to the soil , plants &# 39 ; growing medium , plants , aquatic medium , or any area to be treated . the organisms can grow onsite and produce the biosurfactants to control the pests targeted as described in this invention . the cultures may be mixed with growth enhancement substances to aid in their growth and the production of the microbial biosurfactants . substances such as oil , glycerol , sugar , or other nutrients may also be used . in another embodiment of the invention , carbon substrate to support the growth of biosurfactant producing organisms is added to the pest infested areas , soil , plants &# 39 ; growing medium , plant parts , aquatic medium , or any area to be treated . biosurfactant producing organisms can grow on the substrate to produce biosurfactant in place and control the targeted pests as described in this invention . it is not necessary to add biosurfactant - producing organisms to the substrate . natural biosurfactant producing organisms found at the site of application will be able to grow and produce the biosurfactant . examples of carbon substrates that can be added to the targeted areas include , but not limited to , organic carbon sources such as natural or synthetic oil including used frying oil ; fat ; lipid ; wax ( natural or paraffin ); fatty acids such as lauric ; myristic , etc ; fatty acid alcohol such as lauryl alcohol ; amphiphilic esters of fatty acids with glycerol such as glyceryl monolaurate ; glycol esters of fatty acid such as polyethylene monostearate ; fatty acid amines such as lauryl amine ; fatty acid amides ; hexanes ; glycerol ; glucose ; etc . it is preferable to use water insoluble carbon substrate to encourage excessive production of the biosurfactants . in addition to the carbon substrate , nutrients such as vitamins , inorganic minerals may also be added to the substrate to encourage biosurfactant - producing organisms growth . although it is not necessary , it is preferable to spike or amend the carbon substrate with a sufficient amount of specific biosurfactant to initiate the emulsification process and to inhibit or reduce the growth of other competing organisms for the biosurfactant - producing organism and to control pests . an illustrative but not restrictive example would be the addition of 60 - 100 mg / l rhamnolipid biosurfactant in the final diluted oil substrate mixture . the diluted mixture is applied to the area to be treated . this method aids in growth establishment of pseudomonas aeruginosa or florescens ( rhamnolipid producing organisms ) population and reduces the chance of growth of its competing or disease causing organisms , the phytophthora , nematodes , bacillus sp . if it is desired to produce syringotoxin lipopeptide biosurfactants , a small amount of syringotoxins ( less than few mg / l ) is added to the oil - glycerol substrate . syringotoxin will eliminate many competing organisms and maintain pseudomonas syringae growth while producing the lipopeptide toxins . pseudomonas syringae and bacillus subtilis for instance produce series of lipopeptides biosurfactants referred to as porens . these lipopeptide porens include pseudomycin , syringomycin , tabtoxin , phaseolotoxin , and surfactin . some lipopeptides are capable of creating holes in cell membranes , cells , and tissues . due to their powerful activity on cells and tissues , these biosurfactants are very useful in controlling algae , nematodes , insects and other pests . pseudomycin can be applied as a pre - plant treatment for nematode or insects larvae control in crop production . if it is desired to encourage the growth of bacillus subtilis , a small amount of surfactin biosurfactant is added to the carbon substrate medium to aid in establishment of subtilis population and the production of more surfactin on - site . the use of carbon substrates to produce biosurfactants at the targeted sites especially in the presence of minute amount of biosurfactant as a biocontrol starting point , greatly enhances the efficacy of the treatment , broadens the biocontrol spectrum against many pathogens , and reduces the frequency and cost of application of the biosurfactant . as it will be described in the examples section , this is very essential for soil treatment applications . synthetic surfactants such as alkyl betaines e . g . lauryl betaine , alkyl sulfates as lauryl sulfate or its salt , alkyl ammonium bromide derivatives , alkyl phenol ethoxylates , alkyl ethylene ( or polyethylene ) ethoxylates may be used to lower the surface tension and facilitate the utilization of the carbon substrate by the natural biosurfactant - producing organisms but it is preferable to use natural biosurfactants that are able to inhibit the growth of competing organisms and enhance the growth of the specific biosurfactant producing organisms as described in the invention . derivatives of these microbial biopesticides or compounds with similar structures or characteristics and able to control pests as also disclosed herein and are encompassed by embodiments of the invention . it has been observed that some of the mentioned synthetic surfactants above may have inhibitory effects against some pathogens and may also be used as active agents to control pests such as insects , algae , parasitic amoeba , nematodes , weeds or other pests as described in this invention . they may also be used in conjunction with the natural biosurfactants . according to this invention , biosurfactants ( e . g . gls , fls , and lps etc ) have a powerful biopesticidal activity against many pests and diseases affecting plants and these biosurfactants also have similar biopesticide activity against pests and diseases affecting humans and animals . pests controlled include insects , their larvae and eggs ; mites ; algae ( seaweeds , pond algae , and the microscopic algae such as blue - green algae ); microbial pests ( nematodes , bacteria , fungi , parasites , amoeba , protozoa , viruses , etc ); mollusks ; worms ; and plant weeds . in addition , these biosurfactants may be used to treat human diseases such as ova - parasites and cysts , hair dandruff , etc . in addition , rhamnolipid biosurfactant is an effective spennicide at a concentration of 250 ppm . examples of animal diseases include , but not limited to , dog &# 39 ; s heart worm ; fish parasites and microbial infections such as whirling disease caused by the amoeba myxobolus , fish fungal disease ( water mold ) or green algae ; fish protozoa disease such as chilodonella ; fish parasites as gill and skin flukes . also cattle hoof diseases can also be controlled as described in this invention . animals are treated by dipping or bathing in a biosurfactant solution alone or in the presence of other compounds such as copper or zinc . the natural biosurfactants &# 39 ; active components may be used according to the invention either alone or combined with other acceptable active or inactive ( inert ) components that may be used as adjuvants or may have pesticidal activity . it is preferable to use adjuvants or pesticidal components of natural source to complement the natural aspects of the biosurfactants . these components can be either an oil component such as cinnamon oil , clove oil , cottonseed oil , garlic oil , or rosemary oil ; another natural surfactant such as yucca or quillaja saponins ; or the component may be an aldehyde such as cinnamic aldehyde . other oils that may be used as a pesticidal component or adjuvants include : almond oil , camphor oil , castor oil , cedar oil , citronella oil , citrus oil , coconut oil , corn oil , eucalyptus oil , fish oil , geranium oil , lecithin , lemon grass oil , linseed oil , mineral oil , mint or peppermint oil , olive oil , pine oil , rapeseed oil , safflower oil , sage oils , sesame seed oil , sweet orange oil , thyme oil , vegetable oil , and wintergreen oil . other suitable additives , which may be contained in the formulations according to the invention , are all substances , which are customarily used for such preparations . example of such additives include adjuvants , surfactants , emulsifying agents , plant nutrients , fillers , plasticizers , lubricants , glidants , colorants , pigments , bittering agents , buffering agents , solubility controlling agents , ph adjusting agents , preservatives , stabilizers and ultra - violet light resistant agents . stiffening or hardening agents may also be incorporated to strengthen the formulations and make them strong enough to resist pressure or force in certain applications such as soil , root flare or tree injection tablets . examples of buffering agents include organic and amino acids or their salts . suitable buffers include citrate , gluconate , tartarate , malate , acetate , lactate , oxalate , aspartate , malonate , glucoheptonate , pyruvate , galactarate , glucarate , tartronate , glutamate , glycine , lysine , glutamine , methionine , cysteine , arginine and a mixture thereof . phosphoric and phosphorous acids or their salts may also be used . synthetic buffers are suitable to be used but it is preferable to use natural buffers such as organic and amino acids or their salts listed above . examples of solubility control agents or excipients may be used in the formulations to control the release of the active substances may include wax , chitin , chitosan , c12 - c20 fatty acids such as myristic acid , stearic acid , palmitic acid ; c12 - c20 alcohols such as lauryl alcohol , cetyl alcohol , myristyl alcohol , and stearyl alcohol ; amphiphilic esters of fatty acids with glycerol , especially monoesters c12 - c20 fatty acids such as glyceryl monolaurate , glyceryl monopalmitate ; glycol esters of fatty acids such as polyethylene monostearate or polypropylenemonopalmitate glycols ; c12 - c20 amines such as lauryl amine , myristyl amine , stearyl amine , and amides c12 - c20 fatty acids . examples of ph adjusting agents include potassium hydroxide , ammonium hydroxide , potassium carbonate or bicarbonate , hydrochloric acid , nitric acid , sulfuric acid or a mixture . additional components such as an aqueous preparation of a salt as polyprotic acid such as sodium bicarbonate or carbonate , sodium sulfate , sodium phosphate , sodium biphosphate , can be included in the formulation . according to embodiments of this invention , the microbial biopesticides can be produced and formulated in a variety of ways , including liquid , solids , granular , dust , or slow release products by means that will be understood by those of skill in the art upon learning of the invention disclosed herein . they may be applied by spraying , pouring , dipping , in the form of concentrated or diluted liquids , solutions , suspensions , powders , and the like , containing such concentrations of the active agent as is most suited for a particular purpose at hand . they may be applied as is or reconstituted prior to use . for example , they may be applied by direct injection into trees or root flares . solid formulations of the invention may have different forms and shapes such as cylinders , rods , blocks , capsules , tablets , pills , pellets , strips , spikes , etc . solid formulations may also be milled , granulated or powdered . the granulated or powdered material may be pressed into tablets or used to fill pre - manufactured gelatin capsules or shells . semi solid formulations can be prepared in paste , wax , gel , or cream preparations . for human or animal applications , the formulations may be prepared in liquid , paste , ointment , suppository , capsule or tablet forms and used in a way similar to drugs used in the medicinal drugs industry . the formulations can be encapsulated using components known in the pharmaceutical industry . encapsulation protects the components from undesirable reactions and helps the ingredients resist adverse conditions in the environment or the treated object or body e . g . stomach . the compositions according to the invention can be applied to the plants , pests , or soil using various methods of application . each method of application may be preferred under certain circumstances . the compositions according to the invention may be used to introduce the active compounds into the soil . these preparations could be incorporated into the soil in the vicinity of the roots of the plants . this could be in the form of liquid , bait , powder , dusting , or granules , or they are inserted in the soil as tablets , spikes , rods , or other shaped moldings . the compositions according to the invention can be used for treating individual trees or plants . for example , the formulations can be molded in different shapes or forms ( solid , paste or gel , or liquid ) and introduced into the vascular tissue of the plants . moldings forms can be as tablets , capsules , plugs , rods , spikes , films , strips , nails , or plates . the shaped moldings can be introduced into pre - drilled holes into the plants or root flares , or they can be pushed or punched into the cambium layer . another method of application of the invention is the use of dispensing devices such as syringes , pumps or caulk guns , paste - tubes or plunger tubes for delivering semi - solid formulations ( paste , gel , cream ) into drilled holes in tree trunks or root flares . the compositions of the invention can be applied in the form of paste , gel , coatings , strips , or plasters onto the surface of the plant . in one method , a plaster or strip may have the semi - solid formulation , e . g ., insecticide placed on the side that will contact the tree , bush , or rose during the treatment . the same strip may have glue or adhesive at one or both ends to wrap around or stick to the subject being treated . the compositions according to the invention can be sprayed or dusted on the leaves in the form of pellets , spray solution , granules , or dust . the solid or semi - solid compositions of the invention can be coated using film - coating compounds used in the pharmaceutical industry such as polyethylene glycol , gelatin , sorbitol , gum , sugar or polyvinyl alcohol . this is particularly essential for tablets or capsules used in pesticide formulations . film coating can protect the handler from coming in direct contact with the active ingredient in the formulations . in addition , a bittering agent such as denatonium benzoate or quassin may also be incorporated in the pesticidal formulations , the coating or both . the compositions of the invention can also be prepared in powder formulations and filled into pre - manufactured gelatin capsules . the concentrations of the ingredients in the formulations and application rate of the compositions may be varied widely depending on the pest , plant or area treated , or method of application . as described in greater detail below , the compositions and methods of the invention can be used to control a variety of pests , including insects and other invertebrates , algae , microbial pests , and , in some situations , weeds or other plants . a purified mixture of rhamnolipids ( supplied by jeneil biotech of saukville , wis .) and pseudomonas spp . fermentation broth filtrate was tested for their activity on different pests such as thrips , aphids , houseflies , mosquitoes , box - elder bugs , nematodes , spider mites and algae . the cultured material was effective at a concentration as low as 0 . 005 % on some pests . the following are examples to illustrate the procedures of practicing the invention . these examples are illustrative and should not be construed as limiting . fermentation broth containing rhamnolipids was tested for its effectiveness as insecticide to control houseflies . ten houseflies were confined in petri dishes covered with screen through which the insecticide was sprayed . another set of ten houseflies were sprayed with water and kept as control . table 1 shows the results of the test . in another test , purified rhamnolipid material at 2 . 5 % concentration was sprayed directly on spiders in naturally infested area . treatment included six spiders sprayed with the pesticide as a test , while six spiders were sprayed with water as control . full control of the spider mites was achieved in less than fifteen minutes after treatment . a naturally infested lemon tree with spider mites was sprayed with a 1 . 25 % rhamnolipid solution . the mites were observed using magnifying glass for movement . death was noted in less than 15 minutes . naturally infested tomato plants with whiteflies were sprayed with 0 . 1 % rhamnolipid mixture diluted in water . control plants were sprayed with water only . whiteflies sprayed with the rhamolipids stuck to the leaves and weren &# 39 ; t able to move after the treatment . full control was achieved in less than 6 minutes . into each 1 - liter water bottle a tablet containing 0 , 0 . 075 , or 0 . 2 grams rhamnolipid ( put example ) was added . ten - mosquitoes larvae were transferred into each of the bottles . total death of the larva was observed in about 2 hours and 40 minutes in the bottle containing 0 . 2 grams rhamnolipid . in the bottle containing 0 . 075 grams rhamnolipid , only one live mosquito larva was left after 24 hours of study initiation . no death was observed in the control treatment . this significant discovery is critical in the control and spread of the west nile virus vector . in another study we found that rhamnolipid addition at concentration of 100 ppm prevented mosquitoes eggs from hatching . a petri dish containing fifty ml of water infested with amoeba was treated with 250 ppm rhamnolipid . examining the amoeba under the microscope before and after the treatment showed that within five minutes of rhamnolipid addition that the amoeba collapsed and disintegrated . an infested red ants mound was drenched with 0 . 5 % rhamnolipid solution . the treatment was effective and the mound was free of ants for more than 2 weeks . a 5 % rhamnolipid solution was prepared using 25 % purified rhamnolipid concentrate supplied by jeneil biotech . a concentrated solution was prepared by mixing 20 grams sesame oil , 30 grams canola oil , 10 grams glycerol , and 40 grams water . the mixture is diluted 10 , 50 or 100 times with water prior to use . a concentrated solution was prepared by mixing 5 grams rhamnolipids , 20 grams sesame oil , 30 grams canola oil , 10 grams glycerol , and 35 grams water . the mixture was diluted 10 , 50 , or 100 times with water prior to use . a concentrated solution of 10 % phosphite and 8 % potassium was prepared by mixing 70 % phosphorous acid , 45 % potassium hydroxide , and water . the solution was buffered with citrate / gluconic acid to ph of 5 . 8 . the mixture was diluted 100 times with water prior to use . a concentrated solution of 5 % rhamnolipid , 10 % phosphite and 8 % potassium was prepared by mixing 70 % phosphorous acid , 45 % potassium hydroxide , and water . the solution was buffered with citrate / gluconic acid to ph of 5 . 8 . the mixture was diluted 100 times with water prior to use . for each treatment , six grasshoppers were sprayed with solutions prepared from examples a , b , c , or d diluted 10 or 100 times with water . at ten times dilution , example c treatment was the most effective and killed all the treated grasshoppers within ten minutes . example a treatment at 10 times dilution instantly slowed down the movement of the grasshoppers , but half of the treated recovered within 20 minutes of application . example b treatment at 10 times dilution had similar effect like that of rhamnolipid alone . at 100 times dilution , example a was not effective . example b treatment was 33 % effective and example c treatment was 84 % effective . water treatments had no effect on grasshoppers . diluted solutions of examples a , b , c , or d were sprayed on squash and roses plants heavily infected with powdery mildew . results of rose treatments are presented in table 2 . it was interesting to note that upon spraying the roses with example c formulation at 100 times dilution , the infected area washed out completely from the leaves . the results of squash treatments were similar to rose treatments , but squash plants were more sensitive to the spray solutions . at 10 times dilution , squash leaves developed necrotic tissues within 24 hours of the spray application and the plants shut down and died within three days . examples e and f were tested on roses only . an important finding in powdery mildew treatments is that neither rhamnolipid nor phosphite alone was very effective against the powdery mildew at the concentrations used ; however , the rhamnolipid / phosphite combination was very effective in the treatment of powdery mildew disease . although powdery mildew does not belong to the zoosporic fungi group , it is believed that the rhamnolipid enhances the activity and mode of action of phosphite through membrane disturbance or by penetrating the fungus protective layers . * treated plants were visually examined for disease symptoms on the leaves . evaluation was documented on scale of 1 - 5 , where 1 = no powdery mildew , 2 = 1 - 25 % infection , 3 = 26 - 50 % infection , 4 = 51 - 75 % infection , 5 = 76 - 100 % infection ( all the leaves are infected ). phyto - toxicity was documented on scale of 1 - 4 where 1 = no necrosis , 2 = 25 % of leaf is necrotic , 3 = 50 % leaf damage , and 4 = total leaf damage . due to the powerful micro - emulsifying and penetrating activity of the biosurfactants , especially in combination with oil , they can be used as nonselective herbicides to control weed pests . at concentrations of 0 . 5 % rhamnolipid and higher , necrosis was observed on some plants . this effect is extremely magnified in the presence of oil especially sesame or cottonseed oil . at a concentration of 0 . 05 % rhamnolipid and 2 % oil , many treated weeds or plants were destroyed within few days of the treatment . preliminary tests on nematodes were conducted according to the following procedure . the soil used in this test was isolated from a potato field naturally infested with nematodes . seventy - five grams of soil ( 15 % initial water content ) were wrapped in double folded piece of cheesecloth and fitted in a strainer . the strainer containing the soil was gently suspended in a plastic funnel containing 450 ml water ( control ), or 0 . 75 % rhamnolipid mixture . the bottom surface of the strainer containing the soil was maintained in contact with the treatment solutions throughout the study . twenty - five ml samples were collected at different times through the clamped tubing connected to the stem of the funnel . the supernatant solutions were directly transferred to a petri dish for examination using a microscope . the number of nematode pests surviving was recorded at 24 hrs intervals for a period of seven days . mortality was concluded if individual nematodes are immobile and fail to respond to disturbance with an eyelash cemented to a needle . the test was done in three replicates . the results are presented in table 3 . after the nematode experiment was terminated , a surprise finding was observed on the nematodes treatment solutions present in the plastic funnel . it was observed that the control ( water only ) solution supported the growth of algae after it was left in the sun for few weeks . on the contrary , rhamnolipid treatment maintained clear solution with no algae growth . to verify the results , another set of treatments at 0 ( water as control ), 0 . 005 , 0 . 01 , 0 . 1 and 1 % rhamnolipid concentrations were conducted . the water used in the experiment was collected from an algae infested pond . all rhamnolipid treatments did not support the growth of algae . however , at the lowest concentration of rhamnolipid , algae growth was re - established after 6 weeks of the initiation of the study . the other treatments were clean of algae during the three months study . control treatment ( pond water ) turned greenish in color and the algae flourished in the water . a set of nematode eggs taken from the roots of tomato plant infested with nematode galls were transferred into petri dishes containing either 25 ml water or 250 ppm rhamnolipid in 25 ml water . the eggs were periodically examined under the microscope . rhamnolipid treated eggs &# 39 ; color changed to brownish color during the course of the study and the eggs collapsed and disintegrated after 7 days . no change in eggs &# 39 ; color or shape was observed in the water treatment . gel preparation : a 5 % rhamnolipid gel formulation is prepared by impregnating 1 . 0 % gum or carboxyvinyl carbopol polymer with purified rhamnolipid dissolved in water . the material is mixed using a vortex to yield a paste in less than 30 minutes . this treatment can be used to rub on animals for ticks treatment . fig1 is a flow diagram that illustrates an example of the methods of the invention for controlling pests . the method begins by obtaining a microbial biosurfactant ( 102 ). as described herein , the biosurfactant can be obtained by a manufacturing or cultivation process that occurs prior to applying the biosurfactant ( 104 ). alternately , the biosurfactant can be obtained by applying a carbon substrate to the environment of the pests ( 106 ) and permitting naturally - occurring microbes to grow on the substrate ( 108 ) and to thereby produce the biosurfactant . in either case , the biosurfactant is applied to the pests or to the environment of the pests ( 110 ), such that the pests are substantially controlled . fig2 is a flow diagram that illustrates an example of the methods of the invention for producing biosurfactants that can be used to control pests . the method begins by cultivating a biosurfactant - producing microbe , including producing a fermentation broth containing the biosurfactant ( 202 ). the biosurfactant is then obtained ( 204 ) from the fermentation broth in a concentration that can be applied to pests or to an environment in which the pests are located in an amount such that the pests are substantially controlled . obtaining the biosurfactant from the fermentation broth can be performed in one of a variety of ways illustrated in fig2 . for instance , in certain embodiments , the fermentation broth includes the biosurfactants at a suitable concentration ( 206 ) without requiring purification or extraction . alternately , the fermentation broth can be purified ( 208 ) or the biosurfactant can be extracted from the fermentation broth ( 210 ). although these exemplary methods illustrated in fig2 are suitable for obtaining biosurfactants , the methods of controlling pests disclosed herein can be performed regardless of the methods used to obtain the biosurfactants . the invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics . the described embodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive . the processes , methods of use and examples of components listed in the invention are illustrative and not inclusive . the invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics . the described embodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive . the appended claims are presented to illustrate the embodiments of the invention disclosed herein . one skilled in the art will appreciate that , for this and other processes and methods disclosed herein , the functions performed in the processes and methods may be implemented in differing order . furthermore , the outlined steps and operations are only provided as examples , and some of the steps and operations may be optional , combined into fewer steps and operations , or expanded into additional steps and operations without detracting from the essence of the disclosed embodiments . the present disclosure is not to be limited in terms of the particular embodiments described in this application , which are intended as illustrations of various aspects . many modifications and variations can be made without departing from its spirit and scope , as will be apparent to those skilled in the art . functionally equivalent methods and apparatuses within the scope of the disclosure , in addition to those enumerated herein , will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the foregoing descriptions . such modifications and variations are intended to fall within the scope of the appended claims . the present disclosure is to be limited only by the terms of the appended claims , along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled . it is to be understood that this disclosure is not limited to particular methods , reagents , compounds compositions or biological systems , which can , of course , vary . it is also to be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only , and is not intended to be limiting . with respect to the use of substantially any plural and / or singular terms herein , those having skill in the art can translate from the plural to the singular and / or from the singular to the plural as is appropriate to the context and / or application . the various singular / plural permutations may be expressly set forth herein for sake of clarity . it will be understood by those within the art that , in general , terms used herein , and especially in the appended claims ( e . g ., bodies of the appended claims ) are generally intended as “ open ” terms ( e . g ., the term “ including ” should be interpreted as “ including but not limited to ,” the term “ having ” should be interpreted as “ having at least ,” the term “ includes ” should be interpreted as “ includes but is not limited to ,” etc .). it will be further understood by those within the art that if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is intended , such an intent will be explicitly recited in the claim , and in the absence of such recitation no such intent is present . for example , as an aid to understanding , the following appended claims may contain usage of the introductory phrases “ at least one ” and “ one or more ” to introduce claim recitations . however , the use of such phrases should not be construed to imply that the introduction of a claim recitation by the indefinite articles “ a ” or “ an ” limits any particular claim containing such introduced claim recitation to embodiments containing only one such recitation , even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases “ one or more ” or “ at least one ” and indefinite articles such as “ a ” or “ an ” ( e . g ., “ a ” and / or “ an ”, should be interpreted to mean “ at least one ” or “ one or more ”); the same holds true for the use of definite articles used to introduce claim recitations . in addition , even if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is explicitly recited , those skilled in the art will recognize that such recitation should be interpreted to mean at least the recited number ( e . g ., the bare recitation of “ two recitations ,” without other modifiers , means at least two recitations , or two or more recitations ). furthermore , in those instances where a convention analogous to “ at least one of a , b , and c , etc .” is used , in general such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention ( e . g ., “ a system having at least one of a , b , and c ” would include but not be limited to systems that have a alone , b alone , c alone , a and b together , a and c together , b and c together , and / or a , b , and c together , etc .). in those instances where a convention analogous to “ at least one of a , b , or c , etc .” is used , in general such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention ( e . g ., “ a system having at least one of a , b , or c ” would include but not be limited to systems that have a alone , b alone , c alone , a and b together , a and c together , b and c together , and / or a , b , and c together , etc .). it will be further understood by those within the art that virtually any disjunctive word and / or phrase presenting two or more alternative terms , whether in the description , claims , or drawings , should be understood to contemplate the possibilities of including one of the terms , either of the terms , or both terms . for example , the phrase “ a or b ” will be understood to include the possibilities of “ a ” or “ b ” or “ a and b .” in addition , where features or aspects of the disclosure are described in terms of markush groups , those skilled in the art will recognize that the disclosure is also thereby described in terms of any individual member or subgroup of members of the markush group . as will be understood by one skilled in the art , for any and all purposes , such as in terms of providing a written description , all ranges disclosed herein also encompass any and all possible subranges and combinations of subranges thereof . any listed range can be easily recognized as sufficiently describing and enabling the same range being broken down into at least equal halves , thirds , quarters , fifths , tenths , etc . as a non - limiting example , each range discussed herein can be readily broken down into a lower third , middle third and upper third , etc . as will also be understood by one skilled in the art all language such as “ up to ,” “ at least ,” and the like include the number recited and refer to ranges which can be subsequently broken down into subranges as discussed above . finally , as will be understood by one skilled in the art , a range includes each individual member . thus , for example , a group having 1 - 3 cells refers to groups having 1 , 2 , or 3 cells . similarly , a group having 1 - 5 cells refers to groups having 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , or 5 cells , and so forth . from the foregoing , it will be appreciated that various embodiments of the present disclosure have been described herein for purposes of illustration , and that various modifications may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure . accordingly , the various embodiments disclosed herein are not intended to be limiting , with the true scope and spirit being indicated by the following claims . all references recited herein are incorporated herein by specific reference in their entirety . | 2 |
fig1 - 3 show embodiments of the invention wherein intravenous fluid delivery may be automated , or manually adjusted , based on feedback from one or more sensors . in these embodiments , the infusion catheter may have a sensor to aid in insertion , but this is not necessary for this invention . in one embodiment , the infusion catheter also is used to detect the parameters used to optimize therapy . fig1 shows an infusion system with an infusion controller 10 operably connected to an intravenous infusion catheter 12 via an infusion line 14 . infusion catheter 12 also has a sensor ( not shown ) attached to or associated with it to monitor a patient parameter . the sensor also communicates with controller 10 either through line 14 or via some other communication channel . suitable patient parameters include electrocardiograph monitoring , electroencephalograph monitoring , pulse oximetry ( either internally or peripherally ), blood pressure , central venous pressure , cardiac output , cardiac stroke volume , cardiac rate , blood flow ( e . g ., in superior mesenteric , celiac , renal or other arteries ), total circulating blood volume , pressure in veins ( particularly those that empty into the inferior vena cava , e . g ., femoral vein ), pressure in arteries ( particularly those distal to the aorta , e . g ., the femoral artery ), blood oxygenation ( e . g ., in rectal mucosa , peripheral fingers and toes , etc . ), whole body oxygen consumption , ph , arterial po 2 , or any other parameter that shows a measurable change with intravascular volume overload . as shown in fig1 , additional catheters , here envisioned as a peripherally inserted central catheter ( picc ) 16 and / or a peritoneal catheter 18 , or additional sensors on infusion catheter 12 may be used to monitor these or other parameters , and to optimize the infusion rate and achieve euvolemia without fluid overload or dehydration . flow of fluid and or a fluid solid mixture ( e . g ., an ice slurry ) to catheters 16 and / or 18 is controlled by controller 10 through lines 14 , 15 and / or 17 , respectively . the information from the sensors may then be transmitted to central controller 10 , which integrates all of this information to determine the flow of intravenous fluid through catheter 12 and / or catheter 16 and flow of peritoneal fluid through catheter 18 . this information may be used to achieve or maintain euvolemia ( e . g ., in sepsis , hemorrhagic shock , etc .) or to maximize infusion for delivery of a therapeutic agent , e . g ., chilled fluid and / or solids to achieve hypothermia . alternatively , catheters 16 and 18 may be used with sensors to obtain patent information , and fluid may be infused into the patient solely through catheter 16 or catheter 18 . in yet further embodiments , the depth of hypothermia and / or rate of hypothermia induction or rewarming may be tailored based on intracranial pressure sensor ( s ) ( not shown ) communicating with controller 10 via communication line 35 . this system and method may be used with any method of inducing hypothermia ( e . g ., cooling blankets , intravascular catheters , intravenous fluid infusion , peritoneal lavage , etc .) so long as the change in temperature , particularly rewarming , is controlled at least in part by an intracranial pressure sensor . the sensor or sensors , whether cables / catheters or percutaneous monitoring technologies , and whether wired or wireless , may also be separate from the infusion line so long as the information from this sensor or sensors is transferred to the control unit in order to optimize fluid flow . thus , as shown in fig2 , the patient parameter sensor may be associated with picc 24 and communicate with controller via line 26 , and infusion to the patient may be via line 22 and infusion catheter 20 , as controlled by controller 10 . in some embodiments , of course , sensing and infusion may be performed through a single catheter , such as picc 30 , and controlled by controller 10 through lines 32 and 34 , as shown in fig3 . in some embodiments , the infusion and monitoring device of the current invention may incorporate an access sensor , such as that described in a commonly owned patent application , u . s . patent application ser . no . 12 / 098 , 355 , filed apr . 4 , 2008 , titled “ device and method for safe access to a body cavity ”. one example of such a device is a peripheral venous , central venous or arterial catheter that is capable of maintaining hydration without causing fluid overload . the catheter may incorporate a sensor that may detect central venous pressure , total circulating blood volume , peripheral venous pressure , cardiac output or osmolarity , and / or solute concentrations e . g ., chloride , sodium , etc .) in order to prevent fluid overload . the sensor may also be external to catheter , so long as the output of said sensor is capable of controlling fluid flow through the catheter . in this embodiment , fluid flow is controlled by the output of the sensor , which is integrated by a fluid flow control unit which alters the rate of fluid flow based on this output . this embodiment may allow the user to bolus large volumes of fluids or solids into the vascular space in order to rehydrate , induce hypothermia or reverse hypothermia , or deliver a therapeutic agent or maintain blood pressure in sepsis . in addition , this technology may provide a fully automated mechanism to optimize fluid flow into the vessel without fluid overloading the patient . without this automated fluid delivery coupled to hemodynamic parameter monitoring , the patient is in danger of dehydration or fluid overload from infusion of fluid into any body cavity . this technology may also be applied to liquid or solid infusion into any body cavity or space in so long as the fluid flow is automated based on feedback from sensors within the body ( possibly incorporated into the catheter itself ) in order to optimize the volume of infusion . this device and method of automating fluid flow based on hemodynamic sensor - based feedback may also be used to generate intravenous hypothermia . in its current state , iv hypothermia induction is limited due to concerns of fluid overload . if the hemodynamic parameters of the patient can be measured and fluid flow directly or indirectly controlled based on the output of these measurements , the volume of fluid can be maximized while ensuring hemodynamic instability . in this embodiment , the sensor may be incorporated within the catheter , and fluid flow into the vasculature may be tailored based on central venous pressure , total circulating blood volume , peripheral venous pressure , cardiac output or osmolarity , and / or solute concentrations ( e . g ., chloride , sodium , etc .) in order to prevent fluid overload . in one embodiment , the fluid infusion catheter also may function as a thermodilution cardiac output sensor such that the same fluid that is used to generate hypothermia may also be used to detect cardiac output . this information may then be relayed , either directly or indirectly , back to the fluid infusion controller to increase , decrease or even halt fluid flow based on these parameters . for example , if cardiac output is low and venous pressure or total circulating volume is low , the patient has a low circulating volume and large volumes of fluid may be safely delivered . if the cardiac output is normal , fluid may also be safely delivered , but the cardiac output must be monitored to ensure that it does not begin to decrease ( an indication of fluid overload ). blood flow , as detected by , for instance , thermodilution may be determined in a peripheral vessel as well . these data , while relatively useless on their own in a clinical setting due to variability in peripheral blood flow , may provide a baseline flow profile which may be rechecked over time in order to compare flow within that individual vessel to the baseline flow . relatively improved flow may be correlated to improved cardiac output , while a relative reduction in flow may be correlated to fluid overload . this same system may be used to infuse normal fluids or hypothermic fluids to sepsis patients or patients requiring intensive maintenance of their hemodynamic status . sepsis patients that are aggressively monitored do much better than those that are not . aggressive monitoring is very nurse - intensive , however . a system that provides automated optimal fluid infusion based on sensed parameters to ensure that fluid overload does not occur and that fluid infusion is not insufficient would be an improvement over current methods of treating sepsis patients . the devices and methods for automated sensor - based input to control fluid flow to a patient may be applicable to a wide range of conditions and should not be limited to the narrow scope of the conditions requiring fluid infusion described here . the logic controller of the present invention may provide improved safety by monitoring for any of the deleterious changes expected with excess fluid flow , e . g ., into the peritoneal cavity or vascular space . examples of monitored parameters that may signal a warning or automatically result in an adjustment to rate of fluid infusion / extraction and / or fluid temperature include : electrocardiograph monitoring , electroencephalograph monitoring , pulse oximetry ( either internally or peripherally ), peritoneal cavity compliance , intrathoracic pressure , intraperitoneal pressure , intraperitoneal pressure waveforms , bladder pressure , rectal pressure , cardiac output , cardiac stroke volume , cardiac rate , total circulating blood volume , blood flow ( e . g ., in superior mesenteric , celiac , renal or other arteries ), pressure in veins ( particularly those that empty into the ivc , e . g ., femoral vein ), pressure in arteries ( particularly those distal to the aorta , e . g ., the femoral artery ), blood oxygenation ( e . g ., in rectal mucosa , peripheral fingers and toes , etc . ), whole body oxygen consumption , ph and arterial po 2 and any other parameter that shows a measurable change once the peritoneal or vascular spaces have been overloaded . these parameters in particular have been found to change with increases in peritoneal pressure , with significantly negative impact on each parameter found at 40 mmhg . thus , monitoring for these changes in conjunction with a peritoneal infusion catheter of the present invention will allow for even greater safety with peritoneal infusion . these parameters may be measured a variety of ways and the data transmitted either wirelessly or via wires to the logic controller in order to alert the healthcare provider or to automatically adjust the fluid flow / temperature in order to optimize both the flow of the peritoneal fluid and patient safety . | 0 |
an embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawing . a casing 4 is interposed between an oil passage 2 , which extends from an output port 1 of a master cylinder m , and an oil passage 3 , which is connected to a wheel brake b attached to a wheel w . a valve mechanism 5 is provided in the casing 4 and is adapted to transmit a hydraulic braking pressure from the master cylinder m to the wheel brake b during braking operation , and be closed by an anti - lock control liquid pressure , which is supplied from an anti - lock control means 6 , when the wheel w is about to be locked , thereby cutting off the supply of hydraulic braking pressure from the master cylinder m to the wheel brake b . the casing 4 is provided therein with a one - end - opened bore 7 , in which a bottomed cylindrical partition member 8 is fitted via o - rings 9 , 9 provided between the inner surface of the bore 7 and the outer surface of the partition member 8 . the partition member 8 is fitted from its bottom portion , which constitutes a partition 10 , into the bore 7 toward the other end thereof until the partition 10 has reached an intermediate portion of the bore 7 , where the partition member 8 is supported on a stepped portion 11 provided at the intermediate portion of the bore 7 so as to face the open end thereof . a cap 12 is screwed to the open end portion of the bore 7 . this cap 12 is tightened while being in abutment against the open end of the partition member 8 to such an extent that the partition member 8 is pressed against the stepped portion 11 . thus , within the casing 4 are defined concentrically a first cylinder portion 13 and a second cylinder portion 14 via the partition 10 , the latter portion 14 being within the partition member 8 . a first piston 15 is fitted slidably in the first cylinder portion 13 . an input hydraulic chamber 16 is formed between the first piston 15 and partition 10 , and communicates with the oil passage 2 via an inlet passage 17 which is provided in a side wall of the casing 4 . on the opposite side of the first piston 15 with respect to this input hydraulic chamber 16 , a control chamber 18 is formed by the first piston 15 and an end wall of the first cylinder portion 13 . a second piston 19 , the diameter of which is equal to that of the first piston 15 , is fitted slidably in the second cylinder portion 14 . between this second piston 19 and the partition 10 , an output hydraulic chamber 20 is defined to communicate with the oil passage 3 via an outlet oil passage 21 which is formed so as to extend through the side wall of the casing 4 . between the second piston 19 and the cap 12 is a spring chamber 22 formed for housing therein a spring 23 urging the second piston 19 toward the partition 10 . a piston rod 25 is inserted through a through bore 24 , which is provided in the central portion of the partition 10 , in such a manner that the piston rod 25 can be axially moved therethrough . the first and second pistons 15 , 19 are mounted rigidly on both end portions of this piston rod 25 . an o - ring 26 which slidingly contacts the outer circumferential surface of the piston rod 25 is fitted in the inner surface of the through bore 24 , so that the input and output hydraulic chambers 16 , 20 are prevented from communicating with each other via a clearance between the outer surface of the piston rod 25 and the inner surface of the through bore 24 . the partition 10 is provided therein with the valve mechanism 5 . this mechanism 5 comprises a valve chamber 27 formed in the partition 10 and connected with the input hydraulic chamber 16 , a valve port 28 formed so as to extend between the valve chamber 27 and the output hydraulic chamber 20 , a spherical valve body 29 housed in the valve chamber 27 for opening and closing the valve port 28 , a driving rod 30 formed integrally with the valve body 29 and extending through the valve port 28 so as to project into the output hydraulic chamber 20 , and a spring 31 housed in the valve chamber 27 and urging the valve body 29 toward the valve port 28 . the end surface of the valve chamber 27 which is on the side of the valve port 28 is provided with a conical valve seat 32 converging toward the valve port 28 . the driving rod 30 is designed to be long enough to be pressed by the second piston 19 , when the piston 19 is displaced toward the partition 10 by a maximum amount , to allow the valve body 29 to move apart from the valve seat 32 . the anti - lock control means 6 comprises a liquid pressure source 33 , a normally - closed first electromagnetic valve 34 , and a normally - open second electromagnetic valve 35 . the liquid pressure source 33 consists of a hydraulic pump 36 for drawing up a control liquid , for example , pressure oil from an oil tank r , an accumulator 37 , and a hydraulic sensor 38 for detecting troubles and any loss of the hydraulic pressure in the hydraulic pump 36 and the starting and stopping of operation of the pump 36 . the first electromagnetic valve 34 is disposed at an intermediate portion of an oil supply passage 39 which connects between the liquid pressure source 33 and control chamber 18 , whereas the second electromagnetic valve 35 is disposed at an intermediate portion of a return oil passage 40 which branches from that portion of the oil supply passage 39 which is between the first electromagnetic valve 34 and control chamber 18 , to lead to the oil tank r . the first electromagnetic valve 34 is normally closed , and the second electromagnetic valve 35 normally opened . when a sensor ( not shown ) detects that the wheel w is about to be locked , the second electromagnetic valve 35 is closed , and the first electromagnetic valve 34 opened . accordingly , the control chamber 18 is normally communicated with the oil tank r . when the wheel w is about to be locked , an anti - lock control liquid pressure from the liquid pressure source 33 is supplied to the control chamber 18 . according to the present invention , the spring chamber 22 is communicated with a reservoir 41 in the master cylinder m . a groove is formed in the open end surface of the partition member 8 , and this groove forms an oil passage 42 when the cap 12 is in abutment against the same open end surface . the casing 4 is further provided with an oil passage 44 communicating with the oil passage 42 and also with the reservoir 41 via an oil passage 45 . a throttle 46 is provided in an intermediate portion of the oil passage 45 . a sealing structure for sealing between the output hydraulic chamber 20 and the spring chamber 22 is arranged so as to permit the working oil to flow from the spring chamber 22 to the output hydraulic chamber 20 . that is , a seal member 47 , which slidingly contacts the inner surface of the second cylinder portion 14 , is attached to that end surface of the second piston 19 which faces the output hydraulic chamber 20 . this seal member 47 is formed so as to permit the working oil to flow from the spring chamber 22 to the input hydraulic chamber 20 . the operation of this embodiment will now be described . while the braking pressure control apparatus is not in operation , in which a brake pedal bp is not depressed , the second piston 19 is displaced to left by the resilient force of the spring 23 to the extent that the piston 19 contacts the partition 10 . in the valve mechanism 5 , the driving rod 30 is pressed by the second piston 19 , and the valve body 29 is apart from the valve seat 32 and is open . accordingly , a hydraulic passage extending from the output port 1 of the master cylinder m to the wheel brake b via the oil passage 2 , inlet oil passage 17 , input hydraulic chamber 16 , valve chamber 27 , valve port 28 , output hydraulic chamber 20 , outlet oil passage 21 and oil passage 3 is formed . this enables the hydraulic braking system to be charged with a working oil very easily in the same way as in a hydraulic braking system which is not provided with such valve mechanism 5 for an anti - lock control operation . in a conventional hydraulic braking pressure control apparatus , it is necessary that the working oil charging operation be carried out separately for the hydraulic passage which extends from the master cylinder m to the input hydraulic chamber 16 , and the hydraulic passage extending from the output hydraulic chamber 20 to the wheel brake b . according to the present invention , the hydraulic braking pressure passage extending from the master cylinder m to the wheel brake b is established , and , therefore , the hydraulic braking pressure passage from the master cylinder m to the wheel brake b can be charged with working oil completely by simply feeding a working oil into the master cylinder m . when a braking operation is carried out by depressing the brake pedal bp , the hydraulic braking pressure is supplied from the output port 1 of the master cylinder m to the wheel brake b via the above - mentioned hydraulic passage . during this time , a control liquid pressure from the anti - lock control means 6 is not supplied to the control chamber 18 , so that the second piston 19 remains in the position in which it has been displaced the maximum stroke toward the partition 10 due to the resilient force of the spring 23 , with the valve mechanism 5 left open . since the hydraulic braking pressure is thus supplied directly from the master cylinder m to the wheel brake b , a stroke switch for the piston , which is provided in a conventional hydraulic braking pressure control apparatus for the purpose of detecting the leakage of the hydraulic braking pressure , can be omitted , and the leakage of hydraulic pressure can be detected by a means which is normally used in a hydraulic braking system having no anti - lock controlling function . when the braking force has become too large during braking operation and the wheel w is about to be locked , the second electromagnetic valve 35 is closed and the first electromagnetic valve 34 is opened . consequently , the anti - lock control liquid pressure is supplied from the liquid pressure source 33 to the control chamber 18 , and the first piston 15 is forced to right against the leftward biasing force of the spring 23 and the hydraulic pressure in the input hydraulic chamber 16 . at the same time , the second piston 19 moves apart from the partition 10 to cause the valve body 29 of the valve mechanism 5 to engage the valve seat 32 . as a result , the valve mechanism 5 is closed , and the supply of the hydraulic braking pressure to the wheel brake b is cut off . this can prevent the wheel w from being locked . if the wheel is still likely to become locked , the control liquid pressure in the control chamber 18 further increases , and the first piston 15 further moves rightward . as a result , the volume of the output hydraulic chamber 20 becomes large , and the hydraulic braking pressure applied to the wheel brake b decreases . in consequence , the locking of the wheel w can be prevented reliably . assume that the anti - lock control means 6 has gone out of order to cause the control liquid pressure in the control chamber 18 to increase abnormally to a degree exceeding the level at which wheel lock is efficiently prevented . then , the piston rod 25 is displaced further to the right while compressing the spring 23 . consequently , the volume of the output hydraulic chamber 20 increases abnormally . when the pressure in the output hydraulic chamber 20 has then become excessively negative to exceeding the wheel lock preventing level , the seal member 47 permits the working oil to flow from the spring chamber 22 to the output hydraulic chamber 20 , so that the pressure in the hydraulic system extending from the output hydraulic chamber 20 to the wheel brake b does not decrease to such a negative level as causing a problem . moreover , since the throttle 46 is provided in the intermediate portion of the oil passage 45 , the hydraulic pressure in the spring chamber 22 increases when the piston rod 25 is moved to the right abruptly , thereby to enable the working oil to be supplied reliably from the spring chamber 22 to the output hydraulic chamber 20 . accordingly , the pressure in the output hydraulic chamber 20 can be prevented reliably from decreasing to a practically problematical negative level . as described above , according to the first aspect of the invention , a casing is provided to have first and second cylinder portions formed therein concentrically via a partition , a first piston being fitted slidably in the first cylinder portion so as to define the input hydraulic chamber on the side of the partition and the control chamber on the side away from the partition while a second piston being fitted slidably in the second cylinder portion so as to define the output hydraulic chamber on the side of the partition and a spring chamber on the side away from the partition , a piston rod penetrating through the partition in an oil - tightly slidable manner and having the first and second pistons mounted rigidly on both end portions thereof , a valve mechanism being provided in the partition and adapted to be closed in accordance with the displacement of the second piston away from the partition , and a spring being housed in the spring chamber for urging the second piston toward the partition . therefore , when the anti - lock control means is not in operation , the second piston takes a position displaced to the maximum extent toward the partition to keep the valve mechanism open , whereby a hydraulic passage extending from the master cylinder to the wheel brake is established . therefore , the charging of working oil into the hydraulic control system can be done through one step . the first and second pistons are not operated when the anti - lock control means is not in operation , and the pistons are movable by a necessary amount only when the control means is in operation . this enables the number of strokes of the pistons to decrease , and the durability of the apparatus to be improved . the spring chamber is communicated with the reservoir in the master cylinder , and the seal means provided between the output hydraulic chamber and the spring chamber is formed so as to permit the working oil to flow from the spring chamber to the output hydraulic chamber . accordingly , even when the control liquid pressure in the control chamber has increased abnormally , the pressure in the hydraulic system extending between the output hydraulic chamber and wheel brake can be prevented from decreasing to a practically problematical negative level . the second aspect of the invention provides , in addition to the elements provided according to the first aspect , a throttle between the spring chamber and the reservoir in the master cylinder . therefore , further advantages are obtained in addition to those mentioned above such that the supply of the working oil from the spring chamber to the output hydraulic chamber is promoted , and the pressure in the hydraulic system extending between the output hydraulic chamber and wheel brake can be prevented reliably from decreasing to a practically problematical negative level . | 1 |
referring to the drawings , fig1 illustrates a cross section of a conduit 10 for delivering a fluid such as a gas . an internally threaded collar 12 is welded to one side of the conduit . a flow - sensing tube 14 is received in the collar through opening 16 so as to extend into the conduit transversely to fluid flow therein . a pair of nuts 17 and 18 lock and seal the flow sensing tube in position . fig2 and 4 illustrate the internal structure of flow sensing tube 14 . tube 14 has a tubular housing 20 having a circular cross - section . a pair of d - shaped tubes 22 and 24 are disposed back - to - back in housing 20 . a plug 26 blocks one end of housing 20 , and a plug 28 blocks the opposite end of tube 24 . the arrangement is such as to form a pair of d - shaped internal chambers 30 and 32 . a t - shaped conduit 34 is mounted on the end of housing 14 . conduit 34 has a threaded opening 36 in communication with chamber 32 , and a threaded opening 38 in communication with chamber 30 . referring to fig1 in use , a valve 40 is mounted on conduit 34 and connected by conduit means 42 to measuring means 44 which senses the pressure in chamber 32 through opening 36 . a second valve 46 is mounted on conduit 34 and connected by conduit means 48 to measuring means 44 for sensing the pressure in chamber 30 through opening 38 . measuring means 44 is adapted to compute the volumetric flow rate through the conduit 10 depending upon the relationship between the pressures in chambers 30 and 32 . housing 14 and tube 24 have forward openings 50 , 52 , 54 and 56 supported to face in the direction of fluid flow in conduit 10 . the flow sensing tube has a pair of openings 58 and 60 disposed rearwardly of each forward opening , as illustrated in fig4 . opening 58 is preferrably formed one hundred and ten degrees rearwardly of the radial axis of forward opening 52 , while opening 60 is formed on a radial axis that is one hundred and ten degrees rearwardly of the axis of opening 52 , but in the opposite direction with respect to opening 58 . both openings 58 and 60 extend through housing 20 and tube 24 to fluidly communicate with chamber 32 . forming rear openings 58 and 60 within an angular range greater than 105 degrees but less than 115 degrees provides means for sensing the fluid pressure around tube 14 such that the flow coefficient remains constant regardless of the reynold &# 39 ; s number related to the fluid velocity passing through conduit 10 . preferrably there are two rear openings for each forward opening . in addition the combined cross sectional area of the forward openings is less than the transverse cross section of chamber 30 , while the combined cross section of the rear openings is less than the transverse cross section of chamber 32 . fig6 illustrates the linear relationship between the flow coefficient and the reynold &# 39 ; s number of a fluid passing through a four inch pipe employing a flow - sensing tube of the type illustrated in fig1 . it shows that the coefficient was essentially constant though the average velocity of the fluid in the conduit ranged from 1 . 4 ft . per second to over 22 ft . per second . thus the coefficient is essentially independent of the reynold &# 39 ; s number and the fluid velocity . the coefficient does not shift with the reynold &# 39 ; s number as is common using other commercially available flow sensing tubes . fig7 illustrates the manner in which the flow coefficient varies with the reynold &# 39 ; s number for a commercially available tube having a diamond - shaped cross section having rear openings 180 degrees rearward of the forward openings . fig3 and 5 illustrate another embodiment of the invention in which tubular housing 100 has one end closed with plug 102 . the other end is mounted in a t - shaped conduit 104 having a pair of threaded outlets 106 and 108 . a smaller inner tube 110 is mounted in housing 100 and extends substantially the full length of the housing . plug 102 blocks one end of tube 110 while a plug 112 blocks its opposite end . a chamber 116 between tube 100 and tube 110 fluidly communicates through outlet 108 to a suitable measuring means . a second chamber 118 within tube 110 fluidly communicates to the measuring means through outlet 106 . as illustrated in fig5 the internal cross section of chamber 118 is preferrably equal to the cross section of chamber 116 . housing 100 has flow sensing openings 120 , 122 , 124 and 126 communicating with chamber 118 and adapted to face toward the direction of fluid flow in the conduit , as illustrated in fig3 . referring to fig5 the flow sensing tube has a pair of openings 128 and 130 formed rearwardly of opening 120 . opening 128 is formed on a radial axis that is 110 degrees rearward of the radial axis of opening 120 , while opening 130 is formed on a radial axis 110 degrees rearward of the radial axis of opening 120 . the flow - sensing tube has a similar pair of rearward openings for each of forward openings 122 , 124 and 126 . in this embodiment of the invention the combined cross section area of the forward openings is less than the internal transverse cross section of chamber 118 , while the combined cross sectional areas of the rearward openings is less than the cross sectional area of chamber 116 . it is apparent that flow sensing tubes having other wall configurations forming a pair of internal chambers can be employed , provided the cross section of the outer housing is circular and the rear openings are within the range of 105 degrees to 115 degrees rearwardly of the forward openings . | 6 |
the human based serum or plasma control of the present invention comprises a base of male human plasma or serum that has been lipid stripped and tumor markers . the tumor markers may include adenocorticotropic hormone ( acth ), aldosterone , alphafetoprotein ( afp ), beta - 2 - microglobulin ( b2m ), ca 15 - 3 ®, ca 125 ®, ca 19 - 9 ®, ca 19 - 9 ® ( registered trademarks of centocor diagnostics , a division of centocor inc . ), ca 549 , carcinoembryonic antigen ( cea ), ferritin , gastrin , human chorionic gonadotropin ( hcg ), beta hcg , gamma enolase ( nse ), prolactin , prostatic acid phosphatase ( pap ), prostatic specific antigen ( psa ), tissue polypeptide antigen ( tpa ), calcitonin and ld - 1 . a preservative system should also be included in the control . the preservative system should include a preservative that is stable both prior to lyophilization and after lyophilization . a preservative system is necessary in order to ensure reconstituted stability of certain markers especially enzymes that are very sensitive to proteases that are produced by microorganisms . a combination of preservatives are added . the preferred preservative system is a combination of gentamicin sulfate , cycloheximide and proclin 300 ( rohm and haas ). the proclin 300 is not effective after lyophilization , however , it is useful in controlling microbial growth during the manufacturing process . the gentamicin sulfate and cycloheximide are used to control growth of microorganisms after reconstitution . sodium azide is not used mainly due to the hazard of the explosive properties of the azide . the stability of the lyophilized control should be at least about a year and preferably at least about three years . the reconstituted stability of the majority of the components should be at least about seven days and preferably at least about fourteen days . the base of human serum or plasma should be substantially from all male donors in order to preserve the stability of the psa marker . in the presence of substantially all male serum or plasma , the psa is very stable . female serum and plasma may contain antibodies to this enzyme marker . the antibodies would effectively eliminate the psa from the control solution . if the antibodies are successfully removed or their effects eliminated from the female serum or plasma , the resulting serum or plasma could be utilized as the base material . the content of the lipids in the human serum or plasma must be reduced . the lipid content may be reduced by treating the serum or plasma with fumed silica or dextran sulfate or other known processes . the process used to reduce the lipids must ensure that the content of cholesterol and triglycerides in the human serum or plasma is less than about 20 mg / dl each after processing . there are at least three reasons to reduce the lipid content . first , the stability of added tumor markers which are easily denatured or oxidized is increased when the lipid content is reduced . this is because when the lipids break down , they form oxidation by - products that can interfere with the stability of some of the markers . moreover , the breakdown of lipids results in turbid solutions . second , the lipid reduction aids in the reconstitution process . the lyophilized control reconstitutes immediately upon the addition of the liquid when the lipids are eliminated . the reconstitution time of the lyophilized control is delayed by between about 15 to 30 minutes if serum or plasma containing normal amounts of lipids are utilized . third , high levels of lipids can cause interference in measuring some of the tumor markers . thus , reduction of the level of lipids leads to a more accurate assay result . the serum or plasma that is utilized as the base for the control should be assayed for the tumor markers that will be added prior to the addition of those tumor markers . table i is a classification of the various types of tumor markers that are added to the base material . table ii lists the tumor markers and the types of cancers that are usually associated with that marker . table iii lists sources of several of the tumor markers . the tumor markers that are added into the base material must be relatively pure -- that is not cross contaminated with other markers or contaminated with interfering substances . it is best to use sources of tumor markers that are native human forms ; however , it has been found that many of the human source tumors produce more than one marker . the addition of this raw source to the base material makes it difficult to formulate a control with an accurate amount of each tumor marker . in some instances , the tumor marker could end up being added in an amount that is too high to be useful for low or normal control levels . thus , to avoid this problem many of the tumor markers must be purified to remove cross - contamination . in addition , the tumor markers that are to be added to the base material should be assayed to determine the presence of cross - contaminants and known interfering substances . b2m may be purified from urine that has been collected from patients having renal failure . particulates are removed and the urine is diafiltered into an appropriate buffer and concentrated . the b2m , a protein , has an approximate molecular weight of about 11 , 000 daltons ; thus , it can be purified using size exclusion chromatography such as gel filtration chromatography . preferred gel materials are ultragel aca 54 or its equivalents . the fractions containing the b2m are pooled and concentrated to preferably at least about 1 g / dl , then the outcome of the purification can be determined using such known methods as electrophoresis . in addition , the b2m is tested by commercially available immunoassay . the b2m is stable when stored either at about 2 - 8 c . or frozen at less than about - 20 c . the resulting b2m may contain up to as much as about 70 % of impurities of immunoglobulins without effecting the usefulness of the b2m . ca 125 is a marker that is specific to ovarian cancer . this marker may be found in ascites fluid that is collected from patients with ovarian cancer . the ascites fluid contains two markers , ca 125 and tpa . the contamination level of the tpa is very high ; thus , in order to add an accurate amount of each of ca 125 and tpa , the markers must be separated . both of these markers are shed into the serum during tumor growth and due to the similarities of these markers the separation of them is difficult . it was discovered that tpa binds to a hydrophobic interaction chromatography media , phenyl sepharose ( pharmacia ), in the presence of phosphate buffer at about a physiological ph . a phosphate buffer of about 50 mm phosphate at a ph of about 7 . 2 is preferred . the ascites fluid is applied onto a column of phenyl sepharose . the majority of the ca 125 does not bind to the phenyl sepharose and flows directly through the column and is collected . the column is then washed with the phosphate buffer to which has been added about 2 . 5m urea . this buffer elutes the remaining ca 125 . the column is then washed with the phosphate buffer to which has been added about 6m urea . the tpa is eluted with this buffer and collected . normally , chromatography using phenyl sepharose requires a high salt concentration for binding to occur . however , surprisingly , the tpa binds without a high salt concentration . thus , it is surprising that the separation occurs because the separation is not due to the hydrophobic interaction . the separated proteins are buffer exchanged to remove the urea and are concentrated to a protein level of preferably about greater than 1 g / dl . the separation of the proteins may be confirmed by assaying the separated proteins using commercially available immunoassay techniques . cea , ca 19 - 9 and tpa are often obtained from the same source ; thus , they must be separated from each other . cea is a large glycoprotein of about 200 , 000 daltons and is found at elevated levels in the serum of patients with colon cancer . cea is an oncofetal antigen that is expressed during intra - uterine life and disappears after birth . oncofetal antigens reappear in situations of repair or neoplastic growth in the organs where they appeared during gestation . elevated levels have also been found in patients with lung , gastric , breast and pancreatic cancers . ca 19 - 9 is a tumor mucin antigen . tumor mucins are high molecular weight glycoprotein from about 200 , 000 daltons to 1000 kda and contain from about 25 % to 80 % carbohydrate . as a tumor marker ca 19 - 9 is elevated in patients with pancreatic cancer and gastrointestinal cancer . one source of cea , ca 19 - 9 and tpa is a cell line identified as sw 1116 . sw 1116 is a human cell line developed from a colorectal carcinoma . the cancer cells excrete the antigens into a cell growth media . the cell growth medium is collected and frozen as it is produced . the cell supernatant is thawed and concentrated about 20 times . the concentrated supernatant is buffer exchanged into buffers such as phosphate buffers at physiological phs . the preferred buffer is 50 mm phosphate at about ph 7 . 2 . although cea , ca 19 - 9 and tpa are somewhat different , they are all glycoproteins and are very difficult to separate by typical chromatography methods . precipatation methods using perchloric acid treatment to precipatate the cea have been suggested , however the process results in a low yield of the purified markers . thus , a method was developed to purify the three markers . the concentrated , buffer exchanged supernatant is applied onto a phenyl sepharose column . as described for the ca - 125 purification , the tpa binds to the chromatography media without the presence of high salt . the column is then washed with phosphate buffer and the eluant is collected in fractions . as determined by immunoassay , these fractions contain mostly ca 19 - 9 , but selected fractions contain cea . the cea / ca 19 - 9 fractions could be separated and further purified by affinity chromatography using processes known in the art . in one process disclosed in ford , c . h . j ., et al . immunoadsorbent purification of carcinoembryonic antigen using a monoclonal antibody : a direct comparison with a conventional method , tumor biol . vol . 8 : pages 241 - 250 ( 1987 ), a column is prepared which contains a media that has an antibody specific to cea attached to the chromatography media . this column can strip out the cea and the ca 19 - 9 will pass through the column . the cea can be stripped from the column . however there are other sources of commercially available cea ; thus , it is not necessary to utilize this method . since the cea is not required to be obtained from this method , it is preferred to combine the fractions from the phenyl sepharose column and then wash the phenyl sepharose column with a phosphate buffer , preferably 50 mm phosphate at ph 7 . 2 , containing from about 2 to 3m urea to remove any additional ca 19 - 9 . the eluant is collected . all of the fractions containing ca 19 - 9 and ca 19 - 9 with cea are combined . the column is next eluted with the same buffer but also containing about 6m urea . the tpa is eluted and collected . the ca 19 - 9 / cea containing pool is buffer exchanged to remove the urea and concentrated to at least about 1 g / dl . the ca 19 - 9 in the concentrate by freezing the concentrate . long term freezing of the ca 19 - 9 results in a loss of activity of the cea , however the activity of the ca 19 - 9 is preserved . thus , the entire purification process can be simplified . the length of freezing time can be determined by testing aliquots of the concentrate for the presence of cea by immunoassay techniques . the approximate recovery can be up to 100 %. alternatively , the fractions containing the cea / ca 19 - 9 can be discarded . then , only the fractions containing ca 19 - 9 are pooled and concentrated . the tpa is also buffer exchanged and concentrated as described above . the recovery of the tpa can also be up to about 100 %. cross - contamination is determined using immunoassay techniques . the cea can be obtained as described above using the monoclonal antibody method or it may be obtained from other commercially available sources . the cea should be tested for cross - contamination with immunoassay methods prior to use in a control . if contamination is detected , the cea must be purified using one of the methods known in the art , preferably the affinity method described above . nse is obtained from fresh or freshly frozen human brain . purified nse may be obtained commercially . the preferred method for purification is accomplished by preparing a homogenate of the brain , centrifuging the homogenate and collecting the supernatant . next the supernatant is pelleted using 40 % ammonium sulfate . the pellet is resuspended in a 10 mm tris - phosphate buffer and dialyzed against the buffer then concentrated . the concentrate is chromatographed on de - 52 and eluted with a 0 . 15m - 0 . 35m nacl gradient . the peak containing the nse is dialyzed , lyophilized and fractionated on sephadex g 150 or the like . polybufferexchanger chromatofocussing is used to focus the nse . the nse is then eluted and finally fractionated on g - 150 ( superfine ). finally , afp must be purified . afp is an oncofetal antigen like cea . afp is a glycoprotein expressed in fetal liver and digestive tract . in adults elevated levels of this antigen in serum is associated with malignant hepatoma and in some cases of ovarian and testicular cancers . the best source of this antigen is human cord serum collected at the time of birth . this serum contains high levels of afp ( about 60 , 000 ng / ml ) and contains only one contaminating tumor marker , prolactin . there are methods for purifying afp described in the art . for instance , chudy d . and zizkovsky v ., a simple and rapid method for the isolation of human alpha - fetoprotein from human cord serum , neoplasma 34 ( 4 ) pp . 491 to 496 ( 1987 ) describes one such procedure . for purposes of this invention , the preferred method of isolation of the afp from the prolactin is accomplished using ion exchange chromatography . using a 20 mm tris buffer at ph 8 . 5 the cord serum is applied onto a cation exchange resin . at this ph and buffer strength the afp binds to the column but the majority of the prolactin does not bind to the column . thus , the serum is added to the column , and the prolactin is washed through the column . the prolactin can be collected . the afp can then be eluted off of the column using about 0 . 2 to 0 . 3m sodium chloride with the buffer . the isolated afp is then concentrated to about 1 mg / ml . recovery of the afp in this manner can be about 100 %. the afp purified in this manner may contain large quantities of albumin . however , this contaminant is not a problem since the serum or plasma based material contains albumin . the purified afp can be tested using immunoassay procedures . the other tumor markers such as acth , aldosterone , hcg , beta - hcg , ca 15 - 3 , ca 549 , calcitonin , ferritin , gastrin , pap , psa , prolactin and ld - 1 are available commercially from several sources . these other markers can be obtained purified or can be purified by procedures well known in the art . for each tumor marker , cross - contamination can be assessed by immunoassay techniques . the ld - 1 is added as a component of ldh by determining the amount of ld - 1 present in ldh . the solutions for the controls are formulated by first assaying the plasma or serum and all the specific tumor markers that are used to spike the plasma or serum . table iv shows the target values for each of the specific tumor marker at each of the three levels of controls that are prepared . calculations are performed by subtracting the concentration of each marker in the serum or plasma from the mean targeted value in table iv , then adding the appropriate amount of each marker to each of the three levels of controls . the tumor markers are added to the serum or plasma according to the stability of each marker . markers such as b2m , afp , prolactin , hcg , beta - hcg , ca - 15 - 3 , ca - 19 - 9 , ca 549 , ca 125 , cea , ferritin , tpa , and ld - 1 ( added as ldh ) may be added and adjusted within a few days of lyophilization as long as the temperature of the serum or plasma is controlled within about 2 to 10 c . if all the materials are kept at between about 2 - 10 c ., the acth , gastrin , gamma enolase , and calcitonin ( markers which have short term liquid stability ) may be added up to about six hours prior to lyophilization . preferably these markers are added immediately prior to lyophilization and the additions and adjustments are done at low temperatures , that is 2 - 10 c . each of the three levels of liquid controls are lyophilized using standard methods . the bottles containing the lyophilized controls are sealed under vacuum and then stored at about 4 c . the controls are reconstituted with water or other appropriate liquids such as buffers . for acth , lyophilization studies are required to determine the loss of acth activity during the lyophilization process . immunoassay methods are used to determine the loss of activity due to the process . the results can be used to determine the prelyophilization level of acth that is necessary to recover a specific post lyophilization level of acth . the stability of all of the markers in the lyophilized control was determined to be four weeks at a stressed temperature of 37 c . see , table v . this is thought to correspond to about 3 years when stored at 2 - 8 c . a reconstituted stability of at least two weeks was found for all markers except nse , acth , gastrin and calcitonin . see , table vi . the nse , acth , gastrin and calcitonin must be used shortly after reconstituting with liquid . it was also found that the reconstituted stability can be prolonged for 30 days for all analytes except nse , gastrin and calcitonin by freezing aliquots of the reconstituted material at - 20 c . see , table vii . the stability of the gastrin and calcitonin can be prolonged for seven days by freezing aliquots of the reconstituted material at - 20 c . see , table viii . the stability of the nse can be extended for twenty four hours by freezing aliquots of the reconstituted material at - 20 c . see , table viii . the following examples are given for the purpose of illustrating the present invention : a urine concentrate was prepared by collecting urine from patients with renal failure . the urine was pooled and sodium azide at 0 . 02 % was added as a preservative . the urine was filtered through a membrane of less than 0 . 3 microns to remove all particulates and microbes . the urine was then diafiltered against seven volumes of 50 mm tris buffer , ph 8 . 0 and concentrated to a volume 100 times the original volume . for example , 100 liters was concentrated to 1 liter . the concentrated urine was adjusted to a total protein concentration of about 9 . 0 g / dl using the above buffer . about fifty mls of the urine concentrate was applied to an ultragel aca 54 column . the sample size is dependent upon the column size and is equivalent to 2 . 5 % of the total volume of the media . the length of the column must be about 100 cm for effective separation of the proteins . fractions containing the b2m were combined , pooled and concentrated to about 1 g / dl . purification has also been accomplished on superdex 75 ( pharmacia ). however , for this application , the purification on ultragel aca 54 is superior . about a fifty ml sample of a supernatant from sw1116 , a cell line ( supernatant available from whitaker ), was concentrated to one half the original volume . the sample was buffer exchanged three times with about fifty ml of 50 mm potassium phosphate at about ph 7 . 2 . the final volume of the sample was about 35 ml . about twenty mls of the sample were applied to a phenyl sepharose column . the column was washed with the buffer and fractions were collected . the fractions were evaluated for cea and ca 19 - 9 activity using an immunoassay . fractions containing cea were pooled and concentrated and fractions containing ca 19 - 9 were pooled and concentrated . a buffer containing about 50 mm phosphate at ph 7 . 2 with increasing amounts of urea was applied to the column . the tpa was eluted with urea at about 6m . the tpa containing fractions were pooled and concentrated then diafiltered to remove the 6m urea . the ca 19 - 9 fractions undergo long term storage to remove the activity of any cea that contaminates the ca 19 - 9 . delipidated serum from males was filtered through the following sequences of filters : a prefilter , a 1 . 2 micron filter , a 0 . 8 micron filter , a 0 . 45 micron filter and a 0 . 22 micron filter . the filtered serum was refrigerated . proclin 300 from rohm and haas was added at a concentration of 1 ml per liter of serum . the serum was divided into two pools of about 1 . 92 liters per pool -- designated as pool 1 and pool 2 . the serum was assayed for amounts of acth , aldosterone , b2m , hcg , beta - hcg , ca 15 - 3 , ca 19 - 9 , ca 125 , ca 549 , calcitonin , cea , ferritin , gastrin , nse , pap , psa , prolactin , tpa , and ld - 1 using immunoassay techniques . each of the markers were obtained through purifications as described herein or were obtained commercially . the amount of each marker was determined . an amount of each marker necessary to reach the values given in table iv , level i ranges were added to pool 1 . an amount of each marker to reach the values given in table iv , level iii ranges were added to pool 2 . the amounts of marker were assayed and any adjustments were made by either adding additional amounts of marker . three milliliters aliquots from pool 1 ( level 1 ) were filled into vials that had been chilled in a freezer for about one hour and three milliliter aliquots from pool 2 ( level 3 ) were filled into vials that had been chilled in a freezer for about one hour . the vials were lyophilized , sealed under a vacuum and stored at about 4 c . vials of the controls prepared in example 2 were reconstituted with three milliliters of distilled water and inverted gently to mix . the markers contained in the level 1 and level 3 controls were assayed using a variety of immunoassay methods . the results are presented in table ix . table 1______________________________________classification of tumor markers______________________________________1 . oncofetal antigens afp , cea produced during fetal development and low levels in adults . tumors cause re - expression of these proteins . 2 . tumor associated antigens ca 19 - 9 , ca 549 , ca 15 - 3 mucins ( carbohydrate rich glycoproteins ) excreted by the tumor cells . high molecular weight & gt ; 200 kda and 25 to 85 % carbohydrate . 3 . hormones hcg , acth , calcitonin , prolactin , aldosterone , gastrin4 . serum proteins beta2 - microglobulin , ferritin5 . enzymes pap , nse , ld1______________________________________ table ii______________________________________tumor marker controlclinical markerstumor marker site ( s ) ______________________________________adenocortitropic hormone lung ( acth ) alphafetoprotein ( afp ) testicular , liveraldosterone kidneybeta 2 microglobulin bone marrowbeta human chorionic gynecological , gonadotropin testicularca 15 - 3 / ca 549 breastca 19 - 9 pancreas , colorectal , stomachca 125 ovariancarcinoembryonic antigen colorectal , breast , lung ,( cea ) stomach , pancreasferritin livergamma enolase lung , braingastrin pancreashuman chorionic testiculargonadotropin ( hcg ) lactate dehydrogenase brainisoenzyme ( ld - 1 ) prolactin pituitaryprostatis acid phosphatase prostate ( pap ) prostate specific antigen prostate ( psa ) tissue polypeptide antigen bladder , prostate ,( tpa ) gynecological , lung______________________________________ table iii______________________________________tumor marker controlantigens source______________________________________b2 microglobulin renal failure urineca 15 - 3 / ca 549 breast ascites , pleurol fluid , hybritech mouse tumorca 19 - 9 sw1116 supernatecea sw1116 supernatetpa sw1116 supernate ovarian cancer ascites pleural fluidsca 125 ovarian cancer ascites pleural fluid - breastprolactin human cord serumalpha - fetoprotein cord serum______________________________________ table iv__________________________________________________________________________typical values tumor marker controlconstituent units level 1 ranges level ii ranges level iii ranges__________________________________________________________________________adenocorticotropic hormone pg / ml 35 ( 20 - 50 ) 65 ( 50 - 80 ) 400 ( 350 - 450 ) alpha - fetoprotein ng / ml 10 ( 7 - 13 ) 75 ( 65 - 85 ) 250 ( 230 - 270 ) aldosterone pg / dl 50 ( 30 - 70 ) 110 ( 95 - 125 ) 700 ( 650 - 750 ) b - 2 microglobulin ng / l 1 . 5 ( 1 - 2 ) 3 ( 2 . 5 - 3 . 5 ) 12 ( 10 - 14 ) beta human chorionic gonadotropin iu / l 5 ( 1 - 9 ) 20 ( 15 - 25 ) 450 ( 440 - 460 ) human chorionic gonadotropin iu / l 5 ( 1 - 9 ) 20 ( 15 - 25 ) 450 ( 440 - 460 ) ca 15 - 3 u / ml 45 ( 30 - 60 ) 200 ( 150 - 250 ) & gt ; 240ca 19 - 9 u / ml 30 ( 20 - 40 ) 100 ( 90 - 110 ) 400 ( 380 - 420 ) ca 125 u / ml 20 ( 10 - 30 ) 40 ( 35 - 45 ) 400 ( 350 - 450 ) ca 549 u / ml 15 ( 10 - 20 ) 40 ( 35 - 45 ) 65 ( 60 - 70 ) thyrocalcitonin pg / ml 30 ( 20 - 40 ) 110 ( 100 - 120 ) 600 ( 550 - 650 ) carcinoembryonic antigen ng / ml 4 ( 3 - 5 ) 15 ( 10 - 20 ) 30 ( 25 - 35 ) ferritin ng / ml 30 ( 25 - 35 ) 100 ( 95 - 105 ) 450 ( 440 - 460 ) gastrin pg / ml 60 ( 50 - 70 ) 200 ( 190 - 210 ) 400 ( 390 - 410 ) ldh - 1 u / l 150 ( 130 - 170 ) 250 ( 240 - 260 ) 350 ( 340 - 360 ) gamma enolase ng / ml 50 ( 40 - 60 ) 100 ( 90 - 110 ) 150 ( 140 - 160 ) prostatic acid phosphatase ng / ml 3 ( 2 - 4 ) 11 ( 10 - 12 ) 25 ( 23 - 27 ) prostatic specific antigen ng / ml 3 ( 2 - 4 ) 15 ( 13 - 17 ) 35 ( 33 - 37 ) prolactin ng / ml 5 ( 3 - 7 ) 20 ( 18 - 22 ) 150 ( 140 - 160 ) tissue polypeptide antigen u / l 30 ( 25 - 35 ) 100 ( 90 - 100 ) 500 ( 490 - 510 ) __________________________________________________________________________ table v______________________________________accelerated stability studiesfour weeks @ 37 c . level i level i level ii level iianalyte fresh 37 c . fresh 37 c . ______________________________________afp 10 . 2 10 . 3 293 293aldos 79 74 800 780b2m 1 . 0 0 . 97 4 . 2 4 . 2gastrin 77 72 289 275calcitonin 38 35 270 275acth 33 34 461 486ferritin 31 27 692 697pap 2 . 1 1 . 9 17 16prolactin 6 . 8 6 . 6 171 170psa 3 . 0 3 . 0 37 37tpa 48 48 953 957ca549 8 . 9 8 . 6 27 30ca 15 - 3 41 41 262 245beta hcg 2 . 7 2 . 8 475 446hcg 2 . 7 2 . 7 460 439ca125 18 18 356 361cea 2 . 9 2 . 9 57 57nse 14 12 65 51ldh 286 260 782 756______________________________________ table vi______________________________________reconstituted stability studiesfourteen days @ 2 - 8 c . level i level i level ii level iianalyte fresh 14 days fresh 14 days______________________________________afp 10 . 2 10 . 6 293 294aldos 79 81 804 850b2m 1 . 1 1 . 0 4 . 2 4 . 4ca 19 - 9 35 33 249 241ferritin 31 28 693 671pap 2 . 1 2 . 0 16 . 9 16 . 4prolactin 6 . 8 6 . 3 171 170psa 3 . 0 2 . 6 37 32tpa 48 46 953 957ca549 8 . 9 8 . 9 27 30ca 15 - 3 41 43 165 158beta hcg 2 . 7 2 . 6 475 446hcg 2 . 7 2 . 7 422 414ca125 18 20 356 360cea 2 . 9 2 . 6 57 56ld1 47 . 7 49 . 8 51 51______________________________________ table vii______________________________________frozen stability studiesthirty days @ - 20 c . level i level i level ii level iianalyte 2 - 8 c . - 20 c . 2 - 8 c . - 20 c . ______________________________________aldos 76 78 840 834afp 11 11 300 297b2m 0 . 98 0 . 97 4 . 7 4 . 8acth 15 17 408 418ferritin 31 28 726 686pap 2 . 2 2 . 1 20 20psa 2 . 6 2 . 6 33 33prolactin 4 . 2 4 . 4 125 133tpa 56 54 779 854ca549 9 . 1 9 . 9 36 35ca 15 - 3 23 23 100 102beta hcg 2 . 6 2 . 6 426 438ca125 25 25 448 474cea 2 . 6 2 . 6 60 61ca19 - 9 55 55 276 277ldh 252 247 756 746ld - 1 48 % 48 % 51 % 51 % ______________________________________ table viii______________________________________frozen stability studies level i level i level ii level iianalyte 2 - 8 c . - 20 c . 2 - 8 c . - 20 c . ______________________________________seven days @ - 20 c . gastrin 101 98 322 313calcitonin 123 110 342 353twenty four hours @ - 20 c . nse 10 10 54 54______________________________________ table ix______________________________________instrument / method comparisonanalyte method units level 1 level 3______________________________________acth diagnostic products pg / ml 33 461 incstar ria pg / ml 14 466 nichols alegro ria pmol / l 14 69 clinical assays pg / ml 20 466aldosterone diagnostics products pg / ml 79 875afp clinical assays ng / ml 2 . 9 263 diagnostics products ng / ml 5 . 9 238 hybritech stratus ng / ml 8 . 5 324 hybritech tandem e ng / ml 9 . 0 284 amerlex - m afp ria ng / ml 10 . 5 286beta - 2 - abbott imx mg / l 1 . 0 4 . 2micro - pharmacia mg / l 1 . 1 4 . 4globulinca 15 - 3 * byk sangtec ria u / ml 30 146 cis elsa u / ml 41 260 sorin gammadab u / ml 30 178ca 19 - 9 * abbott imx u / ml 45 344 byk sangtec ria u / ml 26 171 centocor er u / ml 29 221 cis elsa u / ml 51 289ca 125 * centocor u / ml 22 377ca 549 hytritech tandem - r u / ml 10 30cea abbott imx ng / ml 4 . 9 108 abbott ria ng / ml 3 . 9 110 hybritech stratus ng / ml 2 . 7 56 hybritech tandem e ng / ml 2 . 4 60 roche eia ng / ml 3 . 5 94ferritin abbott imx ng / ml 23 760 clinical assays ( gc ) ng / ml 23 600 clinical assays ( gd ) ng / ml 23 548 diagnostics products ng / ml 25 623gastrin clinical assays pg / ml 172 460 diagnostics products pg / ml 56 347hcg abbott imx miu / ml 2 . 4 387 clinical assays miu / ml 8 . 4 456 diagnostics products miu / ml 2 . 9 385 diagnostics products ( da ) 11 94 stratus immunoassay miu / ml 5 . 0 460 serono miu / ml 4 . 2 434beta hcg abbott imx miu / ml 3 . 6 453 hybritech tandem - r miu / ml 2 . 2 341 stratus immunoassay miu / ml 2 . 8 433 medgenix ria 100 ng / ml 1 . 0 3 . 5gamma byk - sangtec ug / l 14 65enolaseprolactin cis hprlk - pr miu / l 70 4546 cis elsa ng / ml 3 . 9 54 clinical assays ng / ml below 90 range diagnostics products ng / ml 3 . 5 141 hybritech tandem - e ng / ml 7 . 1 152 stratus immunoassay ng / ml 4 . 0 152pap clinical assays ng / ml 1 . 1 16 hybritech tandem - e ng / ml 2 . 1 19 hybritech tandem - r ng / ml 2 . 6 24 hybritech stratus ng / ml 2 . 6 17psa abbott imx ng / ml 4 . 6 59 hybritech stratus ng / ml 8 . 1 106 hybritech tandem - r ng / ml 2 . 4 35tpa byk - sangtec ng / ml 54 978calcitonin diagnostic products pg / ml 61 173 incstar , ii ria pg / ml 129 367______________________________________ * ca 153 , ca 199 , ca 125 are trademarks of centocor diagnostics , a divisio of centocor | 6 |
today &# 39 ; s seismic acquisition technologies allow multicomponent data measurements on land ( e . g . so - called surface multicomponent seismic ), in boreholes ( e . g . vertical seismic profiling ), and on the ocean bottom ( e . g . by ocean bottom cable , “ obc ”). multicomponent seismic data are acquired by using more than one geophone or accelerometer . for example , three - component seismic data is obtained using three typically orthogonally oriented geophones or accelerometers . development of multicomponent data imaging methods is of particular importance in borehole seismics . here , the acquisition aperture is very small , creating noisy images which are difficult to interpret . therefore , it is important to make the best use of information available in the different data components . migration of seismic data generated by a single source and recorded by one receiver maps the measured energy to all subsurface locations where the energy could have been reflected . as a result , the true position of the reflector is uncertain . summation of the contributions from all sources and receivers in the survey considerably reduces the uncertainty , because the energy is summed up coherently only at the true reflector positions . however , in vsp surveys the number of source - receiver pairs is often too small to suppress all artifacts in the image . spurious events are a serious problem for vsp image interpretation , in particular in sub - salt geological environments . due to the high seismic velocity contrast , salt bodies may scatter or focus seismic energy , thereby reducing the number of source - receiver pairs that contribute to the image of true reflectors after migration . for acquiring vertical seismic profiling ( vsp ) data , multi - component receivers are typically deployed in a well penetrating the subsurface , and at least one , but typically a plurality of sources are activated on surface . the receivers register vibrations in two or three orthogonal directions ( such as x , y , z ). the signal at a receiver position x r due to the source at position x s as a function of time t is denoted as u ( x r , x s , t ), and has a plurality of components . ( the underscore is being used herein to denote a vector .) the components can be denoted as u isr ( t ), where s is an index identifying the source , running from 1 to the number of sources n s , r is an index identifying the receiver running from 1 to the number of receivers n r , and i is an index designating the component such as x , y , or z . a signal or wave field can be transformed between the time domain and the frequency domain via fourier transformation , frequency is denoted by the symbol ω . typically for vsp and obc configurations , n s is larger than n r . the raw data are generally obtained by shot from the various sources . it is useful to arrange and store the data in a common receiver gather , so as to obtain for each receiver a data set of the signals originating from the various sources , for each of the receiver components . it is moreover useful to exchange the roles of sources and receivers , which is possible in view of the reciprocity of seismic signals . for vsp , this is known as a reverse vsp ( rvsp ) configuration , in which sources are considered to be in the borehole ( at the positions of the ‘ real receivers ’ x r ) and receivers on surface ( at the position of the ‘ real sources ’ x s ). wave - equation migration ( see e . g . claerbout , j . f ., 1971 , toward a unified theory of reflector mapping : geophysics , 36 , p . 467 - 481 .) can in broad lines be characterized by including the following three elements : ( i ) modelling of the wave field produced by a seismic source ( source field ), ( ii ) calculation of a back - propagated (“ redatumed ”) wave field into the medium from the receivers ( back - propagation calculates the wave field in the medium by using the measured values of the field on the boundary of the medium ; the back - propagated field is an estimate of the signal as it would be measured by a receiver in the medium , and ( iii ) cross - correlation of the source field with the back - propagated field to construct the subsurface image . in conventional wave - equation migration , using only the z - component of rvsp seismic data , the common - receiver image i ( x , x r ) at a point x is obtained as follows : i z ( x _ , x _ r ) = ∫ ω min ω max s ( x _ , x _ r , ω ) u bz * ( x _ , x _ r , ω ) ⅆ ω ( 1 ) where s is the source field generated at x by a point impulse source at the location x r , and u * bz is the complex - conjugate of the back - propagated ( redatumed ) surface data at x . according to the present invention , a multicomponent signal is processed and the polarization direction of the seismic wave at the ( real ) receiver location x r is taken into account . for compressional waves , the polarization direction coincides with the actual wave propagation direction of the wave . the method of the present invention migrates the compressional wave components of the signal , any non - compressional wave contributions are supposed to be suppressed so that they do not show up in the result . for the back propagation and the source field calculations a velocity model is used as input . a velocity model provides values of the seismic velocity throughout the considered volume . to use the method of the present invention it is only necessary to know the p - wave velocity . the calculation of the back - propagated field from the recorded seismic data can be done using known wave - equation solving algorithms . for the full two - way wave - equation migration in three dimensions , wherein the up - and downgoing waves are considered , the wave equation ∂ 2 u bj ( x _ , x _ r , ω ) ∂ x 2 + ∂ 2 u bj ( x _ , x _ r , ω ) ∂ y 2 + ∂ 2 u bj ( x _ , x _ r , ω ) ∂ z 2 + k 2 u bj ( x _ , x _ r , ω ) = ∑ x _ s δ ( x - x s ) u j ( x _ s , x _ r , ω ) ( 2 ) is solved for each data component u j ( x s , x r , ω ) ( j = 1 , 2 , 3 or x , y , z ), to obtain the back - propagated wavefield components u bj ( x , x r , ω ) for a source at x r ( in rsvp configuration ). this is repeated for all sources and frequencies . often , a one - way migration approximately considering only the down - going component is sufficient , and in this case the one - way wave equation is solved with the boundary condition u bj ( x s , x r , ω )= u j ( x s , x r , ω ). sometimes it is sufficient to only calculate the back - propagated wavefields from two data components . the propagation direction of a wave originating at image point x and registered at receiver x r is efficiently taken into account by calculating a multicomponent source field , i . e . a wave field generated by a dipole source at the receiver location , for a plurality of orientations of the dipole source along various dimensions such as the x , y , or z dimension . an x - dipole source , for example can be thought of as two point impulse sources , each spaced apart a small distance from the nominal source location in either direction along the x - axis , and which sources are triggered at the same time in opposite phase relation to each other . the source field from a dipole source at x r can be represented by a partial derivative of the point source field , for example for an x - dipole source as ∂ s ( x _ , x _ r , ω ) ∂ x r . ( note that the partial derivative is taken with respect to x r , which is the x - component of the vector x r .) then in a high - frequency approximation and single ray path case the derivative is proportional to point source field s ( x , x r , ω ) multiplied by the x - component of the direction of propagation of wave with the origin at the point x . in the case of multi - pathing the gradient of s ( x , x r , ω ) over the receiver coordinate will be proportional to the sum of scalar wave fields propagating along different paths multiplied by corresponding propagation directions ( at the true receiver location ). in two - way migration the following wave equation is solved to calculate the point source field : ∂ 2 s ( x _ , x _ r , ω ) ∂ x 2 + ∂ 2 s ( x _ , x _ r , ω ) ∂ y 2 + ∂ 2 s ( x _ , x _ r , ω ) ∂ z 2 + k 2 s ( x _ , x _ r , ω ) = δ ( x - x r ) f ( ω ) , ( 3 ) where k = ω / c ( x ), c ( x ) is the acoustic wave velocity , and f ( ω ) is the source wavelet . the wave field s ( x , x r , ω ) can be determined by a finite - difference scheme in the time domain or the frequency domain . for one - way migration the one way - wave equation ∂ s ∂ z = i λ a u ( 4 ) s ( x , y , z = z r ) = 1 2 i λ a δ ( x _ - x _ r ) f ( ω ) , and λ a being an approximation of the square root operator ( see d . ristow and t . ruhl , 3 - d implicit finite - difference migration by multiway splitting , geophysics , march 2007 , pp . 554 - 567 ). for one source - receiver pair , at a particular subsurface point the vector composed of back - propagated x - component , y - component and z - component fields , will be proportional to the polarization of the wave at the receiver position . the polarization direction at the location or the real receiver can be suitably taken into account by calculating the image value at a point x from a sum of products of the source field component for a particular dimension ( dipole orientation ) and the complex conjugated result of the back propagation of the corresponding data component , summed over all the components . for example , if two dimensions x and z are considered , a vector image value i v ( x ) can be calculated as follows : i v ( x _ ) = ∑ x _ r ∫ ω min ω max [ ∂ s ( x _ , x _ r , ω ) ∂ x r u bx * ( x _ , x _ r , ω ) + ∂ s ( x _ , x _ r , ω ) ∂ z r u bz * ( x _ , x _ r , ω ) ] ⅆ ω ( 5 ) u * bx and u * bz are the complex - conjugated x - and z - components of the back - propagated wavefield . an integration over all relevant frequencies and a summation is over all sources ( in rvsp configuration ) at x r are carried out . in three dimensions , analogously the further product for the y - dimension would be added to the expression in square brackets : the expression in square brackets can be considered as a scalar product of the source - field components and the polarization direction of the seismic wave at the location of the real receiver . the contribution to an image point from each source - receiver pair will be weighted by the scalar product of data polarization vector and wave propagation direction vector at the receiver point . for the true image , the respective directions coincide . therefore , with the scalar product the amplitude of the image of the true reflectors will be maximal ( the amplitude of the image of false reflectors will be small ). in the case of multi - pathing , when several wave propagation directions correspond to a receiver point , summing the products of wave fields over frequencies automatically selects the correct wave propagation path which makes the main contribution to the value of vector image at each particular point . in the case of a number of source - receiver pairs , the contributions from all pairs is summed up . the contribution from all surface receivers ( in rvsp configuration ) is taken into account with the back - propagation operation ( since the data from all receivers are back - propagated simultaneously ). if there is a number of sources in the well ( in rvsp configuration , corresponding to actual vsp borehole receivers ), the images build from each of them are summed up . it has moreover been found that it can be very useful to calculate a noise image from a difference ( rather than a sum ) of products of the source field component for a particular dimension and the complex conjugated back propagated wave field component computed from different component data . for the two - dimensional case considered above for the x - and z - direction , such a noise image can be calculated as i n ( x _ ) = ∑ x _ r ∫ ω min ω max [ ∂ s ( x _ , x _ r , ω ) ∂ x r u bz * ( x _ , x _ r , ω ) - ∂ s ( x _ , x _ r , ω ) ∂ z r u bx * ( x _ , x _ r , ω ) ] ⅆ ω ( 7 ) for the three - dimensional case , three noise image components can be calculated as follows . i n 3 d 1 ( x _ ) = ∑ x _ r ∫ ω min ω max [ ∂ s ( x _ , x _ r , ω ) ∂ y r u bz * ( x _ , x _ r , ω ) - ∂ s ( x _ , x _ r , ω ) ∂ z r u by * ( x _ , x _ r , ω ) ] ⅆ ω ( 8 ) i n 3 d 2 ( x _ ) = ∑ x _ r ∫ ω min ω max [ ∂ s ( x _ , x _ r , ω ) ∂ z r u bx * ( x _ , x _ r , ω ) - ∂ s ( x _ , x _ r , ω ) ∂ x r u bz * ( x _ , x _ r , ω ) ] ⅆ ω ( 9 ) i n 3 d 3 ( x _ ) = ∑ x _ r ∫ ω min ω max [ ∂ s ( x _ , x _ r , ω ) ∂ x r u by * ( x _ , x _ r , ω ) - ∂ s ( x _ , x _ r , ω ) ∂ y r u bx * ( x _ , x _ r , ω ) ] ⅆ ω ( 10 ) at the correct image locations , the noise image components should ideally be zero . at incorrect image locations , the three noise image components are suitably jointly analysed . the noise images show the noise impact to the image , and it helps to distinguish the true reflection events from the migration noise in the image . in the case of multi - pathing , an automatic selection of the correct branch of a multi - valued wave - field occurs . this is an important advantage over kirchhoff migration methods . the method of the invention may naturally suppress the impact of shear waves in the image if their ray - paths do not differ much from the compressional wave ray - paths . in this case the polarization of shear wave is almost orthogonal to ray propagation directions , while the present method of vector imaging favours waves with polarization parallel to it . then , the largest part of s - wave energy will be suppressed . however , in inhomogeneous media the ray paths of pp , ps , and ss waves may be considerably different , and in this case it may be beneficial to perform p and s - wave separation prior to migration . the noise image proposed in the invention may be generated also with other kinds of migration algorithms . for example , the vector product of the unit ray vector at the receiver and the multi - component wave field vector is needed as input for kirchhoff migration to produce a noise image . the same idea will work for gaussian beam migration : during the back - propagation of the wave - field from the receivers to the medium , the vector product of the wave field with the unit ray vectors constituting the beam should be computed . there is also the opportunity to do noise imaging with wave equation migration in the ray approximation . in that case , the derivatives of the source wave field in eqs . ( 8 - 10 ) should be changed to their corresponding high - frequency approximation : the product of the source wave field , a scalar , and the component of the unit ray vector at the receiver in the direction corresponding to the derivative ( i . e , along x , y , z ). then the noise image components turn out to be the certain combinations of conventional wave equation migration images made from all components and the components of the unit ray vector at the receiver . the computation of noise volumes using the information derived from the direction of wave propagation is a completely new method . from an existing model of a subsurface earth formation including a body of salt , synthetic vsp seismic data were obtained . the data represent 300 sources arranged along a horizontal line at surface , and 100 receivers arranged along a vertical line in the body of salt . for each component x , y , z of the multicomponent seismic signal the data was sorted into a common - receiver gather . the roles of sources and receivers were exchanged at this point . a simplified velocity model shown in fig1 was used for migration . the model assumes a downwardly increasing velocity in a two - dimensional ( x , z ) region of interest 1 . the simplified velocity model represents a smoothed version of the full model , having the same average velocity , wherein in the full model a plurality of events are present in the region 1 , which are up - curving from left to right in fig1 , substantially along the direction of the arrow 5 . the velocity v given in the gray scale bar is in km / s . using the simplified velocity model , two components ( x , z ) of source fields generated by dipole sources at each of the receiver locations were calculated using equation 4 . on the basis of equation 2 the back - propagated wave field components u bj ( x , x r , ω ) ( j = 1 , 3 ) were calculated for sources at all receiver locations x r ( in rsvp configuration ). this was repeated for all frequencies , which were in the range of 5 - 23 hz , with a sampling of 0 . 125 hz . for the calculation of the source field and back propagation , a proprietary software package was used . the migrated vector image was obtained on the basis of equation 5 . this image 10 of the selected sub - salt region 1 is shown in fig2 . events 15 a , b , c , d , which represent true reflectors , can be easily identified dipping up in the direction of the arrow 5 in fig1 . the regular z - component image of the selected sub - salt region 1 was calculated on the basis of equation 1 . this image 20 is shown in fig3 . the events 15 a , b , c , d dipping up from left to right in the image 20 and corresponding to the true reflectors are also visible . however , the image is strongly contaminated by migration noise visible as migration smiles 25 a , 25 b . these appear to be events with strong amplitude , dipping down from left to right . if the image according to the invention was not available , and / or the prior knowledge about the dipping direction in the model from which the synthetic vsp data was calculated , the identification of the events 25 a , b as migration noise would not have been possible . in fig2 , the amplitude of the migration smiles 25 b is considerably reduced in comparison with fig3 . the image of the true dipping reflectors appears to be more continuous . the noise image 40 corresponding to fig2 and calculated on the basis of equation ( 7 ) is shown in fig4 . the migration smiles 25 a , b are visible again and this confirms that they are noise . the true events 15 a , b , c , d are not present in this image . fig2 and 4 together allow improved interpretation of what is a true reflector and what is noise in the image . | 6 |
fig1 and 2 show the feed line and the support system . in the exemplary embodiment , feed line 15 is fabricated from a single length of high - strength , thick - walled stainless steel tubing . exemplary feed line 15 is formed with two helical coil sections 32 , 34 separated by a straight , longitudinal section 33 . each helical coil section 32 , 34 allows feed line 15 to flex such that both ends of straight section 33 can move with two rotational degrees of freedom ( analogous to a universal joint ). in addition , each helical coil section 32 , 34 allows feed line 15 to elongate through the length of each helical coil section 32 , 34 along an axis through longitudinal section 33 . this particular geometry allows top helical coil section 32 to be rigidly attached to a bracket assembly 31 of a portioner while bottom nelical coil section 34 is rigidly attached to a cutting tool carriage 11 via a mounting plate 35 . portioner cutting applications typically require the cutting carriage 11 to make a series of small , fast , abrupt moves . these fast moves excite vibration in feed line 15 , which can cause metal fatigue and ultimately lead to catastrophic failure . vibrations in feed line 15 , across top helical coil section 32 , longitudinal section 33 , and bottom helical coil section 34 , may be suppressed by attaching longitudinal section 33 of feed line 15 to a support assembly or structure 10 , as depicted in fig1 and 2 . an exemplary support structure 10 consists of an elongated span member 12 , with a pivot joint 40 mounted at one end , adjacent top helical coil section 32 , and a telescoping piece 16 , projecting from the other end of the span member , adjacent to bottom helical coil section 34 . in the exemplary embodiment , span member 12 is a thin wall , lightweight , metal tube . exemplary pivot joint 40 is a telescoping universal joint 40 that permits motion about two axes 36 , 37 , as well as elongation along a third axis 38 . telescoping piece 16 is extendably attached to span member 12 at one end , and a rod - end bearing 17 that permits motion about two axes is disposed at the other end of the telescoping piece . in the exemplary embodiment , rod - end bearing 17 is a spherical bearing . in the exemplary embodiment a plurality of clamps 14 securely and rigidly attach feed tube 15 to span member 12 . the clamps are illustrated as being held in place relative to span member 12 and feed tube 15 by hardware members 39 . telescoping universal joint 40 is depicted in fig6 and 7 . the exemplary embodiment consists of two identical u - shaped yoke assemblies 41 that contact a central spider block 42 . the central spider block may be in the form of an elongate rectangular block . each yoke assembly 41 has a base piece 43 and two yoke arms 44 , 45 that may be attached to ears 43 a projecting from base piece 43 with bolts 47 and lock nuts 48 or other types of hardware members . the yoke arms 44 , 45 extend transversely from base piece 43 and are retained in position by lip portions 43 b of ears 43 a that closely overlap shoulders 43 e formed at the proximal ends 43 f of the yoke arms . it will be appreciated that by this construction , yoke arms 44 , 45 are retained in position relative to the length of base piece 43 . each yoke arm 44 , 45 has a hole 54 at its distal end into which the shank portion 46 a of bearing pad 46 may be press fit or otherwise retained . the bearing pads 46 may be generally in the shape of a circular disk , but other shapes such as octagonal , hexagonal or square can be used . each bearing pad 46 has a central spherical seat 56 in its face opposite shank portion 46 a that may accommodate a ball bearing 49 . the bearing pads 46 are sized and positioned to mate against the longitudinal faces of the spider block 42 . the ball bearings 49 slide in bowled raceways 52 extending along each longitudinal face of central spider block 42 . with this geometry , central spider block 42 can translate relative to each yoke assembly 41 along axis 38 by virtue of ball bearings 49 rolling in the raceways 52 in spider block 42 . in this regard , one yoke assembly 41 is nominally positioned at each end of the central spider block 42 , with the yoke assemblies disposed 90 ° relative to each other in the manner of a typical universal joint . central spider block 42 can also rotate about an axes 36 , 37 defined by corresponding pairs of bearing pads 46 . this geometry allows upper coil 32 two degrees of rotational freedom and one degree of translational freedom , but is constrained from vibrating , moving or rotating in any other directions . the upper yoke assembly 41 of the universal joint 40 is mounted to the portioner by a bracket assembly 31 . the bracket assembly 31 includes a connector plate 31 a having a transverse portion 30 that overlaps the upper surface of yoke base piece 43 and is superiorly connected thereto via hardware members 31 b , which may be in the form of threaded capscrews . the capscrews extend through clearance holes formed in the connector plate 31 a to engage in threaded holes formed in the base piece 43 of the yoke assembly 41 . the connector plate 31 a also has a major plate portion that underlies a two - piece clamp block 31 c , which in turn underlies the lower flange portion 31 d of a formed bracket 31 e . the formed bracket 31 e also includes an upper flange portion 31 f which is secured to the frame , housing or other portion of a cutting or portioning apparatus , not shown , via hardware members 31 g which engage through clearance holes formed in the upper flange 31 f . the clamp block 31 c is composed of a lower half and an upper half that cooperatively define a transverse through - hole for snugly receiving the corresponding portion 32 a of coil suction 32 . the lower flange 31 d , clamp block 31 c and connector plate 31 a are all clamped together by hardware members 31 h that extend through clearance openings formed in each of the foregoing components . the clamp blocks 31 c may include a generally cylindrically shaped snubber portion 31 i that projects laterally from the clamp block to encircle and support the coil section 32 a . the clamp block 31 c may be composed of material having inherent shock absorbing properties so as to not transmit vibrations between the formed bracket 31 e and the universal joint 40 . the formed bracket 31 e also includes a clamping arm 31 j to support the adjacent portion of the feed line 15 . a lower clamping block 31 k supports the line 15 against the underside of clamping arm 31 i and is held in position by hardware members 31 l . universal joint 40 is designed for use in washdown environments , such as found in food processing plants . all of the parts may be made from stainless steel . parts in rubbing contact with other parts ( e . g ., spider block 42 , ball bearings 49 , and bearing pads 46 ) may be made from different stainless steel alloys to minimize galling or other forms of abrasive wear . contact surfaces between parts , which are difficult to keep clean in food processing areas , are kept to a minimum . yoke arms 44 , 45 may be designed to provide generous clearance to the central spider box 42 so it is easily washed with a water and / or steam stream ( not shown ). other washdown - proof materials known in the field of food preparation ( e . g ., delrin ®) may be used . the universal joint 40 is also designed to be easily maintained . over time , the bearing pads 46 , bearings 49 and the spider block 42 may wear . by loosening bolts 47 , yoke arms 44 , 45 may be repositioned to move bearing pads 46 closer to spider block 42 to accommodate minor wear . also , the shank portions 46 a of bearing pads 46 may be threadably engaged with yoke holes 54 so that the pressure of the bearing pads against the adjacent face of the spider block 42 may be adjusted . when bearing pads 46 “ wear out ,” yoke arms 44 , 45 may be removed and new bearing pads 46 may be installed . also , central spider block 42 can be easily replaced when it is “ worn out .” the bottom of span member 12 has a telescoping piece 16 , which is held in place by a split bushing 13 and a pair of clamps 14 . a rod - end spherical bearing 17 is mounted to the distal end of telescoping piece 16 . rod - end bearing 17 connects span member 12 to a cutting carriage 11 via intermediate telescoping extension piece 16 . the extension piece 16 allows the pivot point of rod - end bearing 17 to be moved relative to the span member 12 , which has been found important to accommodate changes in the water jet nozzle 58 height . referring to fig4 and 5 , the rod end bearing 17 is interconnected between the distal end of telescoping piece 16 and a flange 60 extending transversely from the upper end portion of an upright , elongate , substantially flat mounting or connector plate 35 . the lower end of coiled line 15 is engaged with a manifold block 64 having an internal passageway , not shown , leading to the upper end of a connector tube 66 extending downwardly from manifold block 64 and in fluid flow communication with line 15 . the lower or distal end of the connector tube 66 is in fluid flow communication with the upper end portion of cutter nozzle 58 , which is held in position by a clamp block 70 connected to the lower end portion of connector plate 35 by hardware members 72 . a spacer block 74 spaces the manifold block 64 outwardly from the face of connector plate 35 . the manifold block 64 and spacer plate 74 are secured to the upper portion of the connector plate 35 by hardware members 76 . hardware members 78 , in addition to hardware members 72 , are used to mount the connector plate 35 to a cutting tool carriage 11 . a dampener 23 provides relative radial support to a tube coil , such as helical coil sections 32 , 34 of feed line 15 . dampener 23 is anchored at its center 24 to support structure 10 . exemplary dampener 23 is a flexible membrane that is attached to telescoping component 16 and is further attached to bottom helical coil section 34 at three points with tie wraps 80 . dampener 23 dampens vibration in coils of helical coil section 34 . exemplary dampener 23 may be constructed of thin ( e . g ., ⅛ ″ thick ) ultra - high - molecular - weight polymer or polyurethane , but those skilled in the art will appreciate other suitable materials . dampener 23 is illustrated as composed of three spokes that radiate out from a central hub portion 24 , but it will be appreciated that the dampener can be constructed in other shapes . the foregoing disclosure and description of the invention is illustrative and explanatory thereof . various changes in the details of the illustrated construction may be made within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit of the invention . for example , the span member 12 may be in the form of a rod rather than a tube . although the present invention has been described in conjunction with feed systems for high pressure water jet cutting heads , the present invention can be utilized in other applications , including to stabilize high pressure fluid lines spanning between a first location , which may be movable or stationary , and a second location at a movable work tool . generally the present invention may also be used in conjunction with stabilizing lines spanning from one location to another location , wherein the two locations are movable relative to each other . the present invention should only be limited by the following claims and their legal equivalents . | 8 |
referring to fig1 a magnetic - optical disk recording apparatus is provided with a disk rotating mechanism and an information read / write system . a magneto - optical disk 101 is detachably fixed to a turntable 102 which can be rotated by a driving motor 103 . information reading and writing are performed by an optical head which is provided on the recording side of the magneto - optical disk 101 . the optical head includes a recording head 104 , an s - polarized light detector 105 and a p - polarized light detector 106 . further , the optical head is equipped with an auto - focusing and auto - tracking mechanism , a seek mechanism , and a magnetic field generator which are not shown in this figure for simplicity . the magnetic field generator such as an electromagnet is used to apply a magnetic field to a small portion which is heated by a recording laser beam so as to record data onto the magneto - optical disk 101 . the recording head 104 has a laser source which emits a recording laser beam lb w to the magneto - optical disk 101 depending on data received from a data processor 107 . as described before , when the small portion on the magneto - optical disk 101 is radiated with the recording laser beam lb w , the portion is heated to change in magnetic orientation depending on the applied magnetic field . at the same time , the recording laser beam lb w is reflected from the portion on the magneto - optical disk 101 and the reflected light is detected by the s - polarized light detector 105 and the p - polarized light detector 106 . since the reflected light changes in kerr rotation angle depending on a change of the orientation caused by the heating and the applied magnetic field , the kerr rotation angle can be detected based on the s - polarized and p - polarized components of the reflected light which are detected by the s - polarized light detector 105 and the p - polarized light detector 106 , respectively . the s - polarized component signal s s detected by the s - polarized light detector 105 is output to a subtracter 108 and an adder 109 . the p - polarized component s p detected by the p - polarized light detector 106 is also output to subtracter 108 and the adder 109 . the subtracter 108 subtracts the one from the other to produce a difference signal s sub . the adder 109 adds them to produce an addition signal s add . an operational circuit 109 divides the difference signal s sub by the addition signal s add to produce a normalized detection signal s det which is output to a recording state determination section . further , the recording state determination section receives a timing signal from the data processor 107 through a delay section 111 . more specifically , the data processor 107 outputs a timing signal t wr to the delay section 111 when the data to be written is output to the recording head 104 . the delay section 111 delays the data timing signal t wr by a predetermined delay time dl to produce a sampling duration signal t d which is output to the recording state determination section . the recording state determination section is implemented with a sampler 110 , a level change detector 112 , a comparator 113 and other necessary memories ( not shown ). the sampler 110 samples detection data from the normalized detection signal s det for a time period determined by the sampling duration signal t d . the level change detector 112 detects a level change δv from the normalized detection signal s det for the sampling duration . the comparator 113 compares the level change δv to a predetermined threshold δv th to produce a verify result depending on whether the level change δv is greater than the predetermined threshold δv th . the recording state determination section may be implemented with a single - chip microcomputer including a memory storing a verify operation program and the other circuit blocks 107 - 109 may be implemented with dedicated hardware circuits . the circuit blocks 107 - 113 may be also implemented with a program - controlled processor running the verify operation program . alternatively , all the circuit blocks 107 - 113 may be also implemented with dedicated hardware circuits . further , the verify operation program may be stored onto a storage such as a floppy disk or cd - rom and if may be installed onto the microcomputer . the details of the verify operation will be described hereafter referring to fig2 a - 2e . referring to fig2 a , it is assumed that the recording data is output to the recording head 104 which emits the recording laser beam lb w to the magneto - optical disk 101 depending on the recording data . the recording laser beam lb w is reflected from the portion on the magneto - optical disk 101 and the reflected light is detected by the s - polarized light detector 105 and the p - polarized light detector 106 . as described before , when the small portion on the magneto - optical disk 101 is radiated with the recording laser beam lb w , the portion is not heated initially , resulting in no change in the kerr rotation angle . therefore , the amplitude of the difference signal s sub obtained by the subtracter 108 is initially increased and then decreased when the heating by the recording laser beam lb w causes a change in the kerr rotation angle as shown in fig2 b . referring to fig2 b , after a lapse of the delayed time dl , the amplitude of the difference signal s sub is increased to the peak value and is then decreased to a stable value when the heating by the recording laser beam lb w causes a change in the kerr rotation angle . as described before , the difference δv amp reflects not only a change of the kerr rotation angle ( θk1 - θk2 ) but also the laser beam power ( pw ) and the disk reflectance ( r ), that is , δv amp ∝ pw × r ×( θk1 - θk2 ), when θk1 is a kerr rotation angle at the initial time when the amplitude of the difference signal reaches the peak value and θk2 is a kerr rotation angle at the time when the amplitude of the difference signal reaches the stable value . as shown in fig2 c , on the other hand , the addition signal s add obtained by the adder 109 is proportional to the product of the laser beam power ( pw ) and the disk reflection ( r ), that is , s add ∝ pw × r . as shown in fig2 d , the normalized detection signal s det is obtained by dividing the difference signal s sub by the addition signal s add , that is , s det = s sub / s add . therefore , an amplitude change δv of the normalized detection signal s det is proportional to only a change of the kerr rotation angle , that is , δv ∝ ( θk1 - θk2 ). in other words , by detecting the amplitude change δv of the normalized detection signal s det , the recording state can be verified with accuracy . referring to fig2 e , the sampler 110 samples detection data from the normalized detection signal s det for a time period determined by the sampling duration signal t d which is delayed by the delay section 111 by the delay time dl . the level change detector 112 sequentially receives the detection data from the sampler 110 and compares the current sampled data to the previous sampled data to detect a level change δv between them . the comparator 113 compares the level change δv to the predetermined threshold δv th to produce a verify result . more specifically , when the level change δv is greater than the predetermined threshold δv th , the recording state is determined to be good or acceptable and otherwise no good or unacceptable . | 6 |
now the present invention will be clarified in detail by references to the preferred embodiments , shown in the attached drawings . fig1 to 3 illustrate an embodiment of the present invention , wherein fig1 schematically shows the mechanical structure thereof . in this embodiment there are provided a tray 1 for placing the originals 2 for immediate transmission or copying and another tray 7 for placing originals 8 for reserved transmission , wherein the latter originals can be transmitted only at the reserved time . in fig1 a tray 1 for the originals for immediate transmission or copying supports originals 2 , which are moved to an original separating device 3 and are fed one by one in the direction of arrow a . the original thus fed is illuminated by a light source 4 , and the reflected light is read , through an optical system 5 , by an image sensor 6 to initiate the transmitting or copying operation . separate from said original tray 1 for immediate transmission or copying there is provided another original tray 7 for reserved transmission . at the lower end of said tray 7 there is provided an original stopper 10 , actuated by a plunger 9 , to block the leading end of the originals to be transmitted which are placed on the tray 7 . the plunger 9 is controlled by a control unit 11 . when energized , the plunger 9 rotates the original stopper 10 , whereupon the original 8 moves by its own weight toward the original separating device 3 . original - feeding from the tray 1 is prohibited when original - feeding from the tray 7 is initiated at a reserved time . the control unit 11 is rendered always operable by a sub - power source 12 , but is powered by a main power source 13 when the operation is initiated . the control unit 11 is principally composed of a central processing unit ( cpu ) 14 which is connected , through a bus line 15 , to an input port 16 , an output port 17 , and a calendar / timer 18 . in the illustrated embodiment , a time for reserved transmission is set in the calender / timer 18 by entry with numeral keys ( e . g ., a ten - key pad ) 19 through the input port 16 and the cpu 14 . when the reserved time is reached , said calendar / timer 18 releases an output signal a , thereby setting a first flip - flop 20 . the control unit 11 is further provided with second and third flip - flops 21 , 22 which are respectively set by a copy switch 23 and a communication switch 24 . the first , second and third flip - flops 20 - 22 release , through an or gate 25 , a main power - on signal b , which turns on the main , large - capacity power source 13 and triggers a one - shot multivibrator 26 to generate a reset pulse c to the cpu 14 . said reset pulse c resets the cpu 14 to initiate the function thereof . in the following there will be given an explanation of the control operation of the cpu 14 , with reference to a flow chart shown in fig3 . the cpu 14 is activated substantially simultaneously with the turning on of the main power source 13 . as the main power source 13 may be turned by the output signal of the timer 18 , the copy switch 23 or the communication switch 24 , the cpu 14 identifies , in steps s1 - s3 , which of these factors is active . more specifically , the step s1 identifies the state of the communication switch 24 , and , if it is closed , the program proceeds to a step s5 for effecting a communication process on the image information read by the image sensor 6 . then a step s6 clears the flip - flop 22 for communication switch , and the program returns to the step s1 . if the communication switch 24 is open , the program proceeds to the step s2 for indentifying the state of the copy switch 23 , and , if it is closed , the program proceeds to a step s7 for a copying process on the image information read by the image sensor 6 . then a step s8 clears the flip - flop 21 for copy switch , and the program returns to the step s1 . in the case that the communication switch 24 and the copy switch 23 are both open , the program proceeds to the step s3 for identifying the state of the timer output signal a , and , if the timer output signal is present , the cpu 14 identifies the signals from the first flip - flop 20 and the input port 16 and releases a driving signal d through the output port 17 , thereby energizing the plunger 9 to release the original stopper 10 ( step s10 ). as a consequence , the original 8 on the original tray 7 for reserved transmission is supplied to the original separating device 3 , and the transmission of the image information read by the image sensor 6 is initiated ( step s10 ). upon completion of the communication process , the cpu 14 releases a reset signal e through the output port 17 , thereby clearing the first flip - flop 20 and terminating the control procedure ( step s11 ). in this manner the automatic transmission of the original can be achieved at a reserved time , without hindrance to the immediate transmission or copying even after the reservation for transmission is made , or without the use of a memory of a large capacity . in the foregoing embodiment the tray for immediate transmission and the tray for reserved transmission are separately provided for feeding the originals along separate paths , but it is also possible to provide the tray for reserved transmission at the upstream side of the tray for immediate transmission , feeding the originals from the former to the latter . fig4 to 6 show another embodiment of the present invention , wherein are provided an original tray 101 for immediate transmission and plural original trays 107a - n for reserved transmissions of different reserved times , all of the trays being constructed to be movable to a position corresponding to the original separating device 3 in the main body of the apparatus . in fig4 to 6 , the same components as those shown in fig1 and 2 are represented by the same numbers . in fig4 an original tray 101 for immediate transmission or copying supports the originals 102 to be transmitted or copied , which slide down to the original separating device 3 by gravity , due to the inclination of said tray 101 . as is already known , the original separating device 3 separates and feeds the originals one by one into a direction a . each original 102 is illuminated by the light source 4 , and the reflected light is guided , through the optical system 5 , to the image sensor 106 , which reads the image information , whereby the transmitting or copying operation is initiated . in addition , there are provided trays 107a - 107n for reserved transmissions , respectively corresponding to mutually different reserved times . the originals trays 107a - 107n are respectively provided , at the lower ends thereof , with solenoid original stoppers 109a - 109n . all the original trays 101 and 107a - 107n are mounted on an elevator mechanism 110 for vertical displacement in the inclined state . at the side of said elevator mechanism 110 there is provided a tray sensor 111 for detecting and counting the trays . the original stoppers 109a - 109n , original stoppers 109a - n , tray sensor 111 and motor 112 are controlled by a control unit 113 . fig5 shows the structure of said control unit 113 , wherein the same components as those in fig4 are represented by the same numbers . said control unit 113 is rendered always operable by a sub - power source 114 , but a main power source 115 is used in the operation state . the control unit 113 is principally composed of a central processing unit ( cpu ) 116 , which is connected , through a bus line 117 , to first and second input ports 118 , 119 , an output port 120 and a calendar / timer 121 . times for reserved transmissions are set in the calendar / timer 121 by entries through numeral keys ( e . g ., a ten - key pad ) 122 through the input port 118 and the cpu 116 . when a reserved timed is reached , the calendar / timer 121 releases a timer output signal al , . . . or an , thereby setting one of flip - flops 123a - 123n for the 1st - n - th timer , respectively . in addition to said flip - flops 123a - 123n , the control unit 113 is provided with first and second flip - flops 124 , 125 which are respectively set by a communication switch 126 and a copy switch 127 . the output signal of the flip - flops 123a - 123n or the output signal of the first and second flip - flops 124 , 125 is supplied , respectively , through or gates 128 , 129 , as a main power - on signal b . said signal b triggers a one - shot multivibrator 130 to supply a reset pulse c to the cpu 116 , thus resetting and activating the same . in the following there will be given an explanation of the control function of the control unit after activation , with reference to a flow chart shown in fig6 . in response to the turning on of the main power source 115 , the cpu 116 is reset to start the procedure from a step s101 . the main power source 115 can be turned on by the output signals al - an of the calendar / timer 121 , the output signal of the communication switch 126 , or the output signal of the copy switch 127 . for discriminating the state , the signal from the first input port 118 is identified . if a step s101 identifies that the communication switch 126 is closed , the program proceeds to a step s102 for effecting a communication process on the image information read by the image sensor 6 . then a step s103 clears the first flip - flop 124 and the program returns to the step s101 . if the communication switch 126 is open in the step s101 , a step s104 identifies the state of the copy switch 127 , and , if it is closed , the program proceeds to a step s105 for effecting a copy process on the image information read by the image sensor 6 . then a step s106 clears the second flip - flop 125 , and the program returns to the step s101 . if the copy switch 127 is open in the step s104 , the program proceeds to a step s107 for identifying the output signal of the calendar / timer 121 . if any of the flip - flops 123a - 123n is set , a step s108 checks the signal from the second input port 119 to identify the flip - flop in the set state . if the k - th flip - flop , for example , is identified to be in the set state , a step s109 selects the k - th original tray 109k . the selection of said original tray is effected by activating a motor control circuit 112a through the output port 120 . in response to the rotation of the motor 112 , all the original trays are elevated by the elevator mechanism 110 . the tray sensor 111 generates a pulse in response to each passing original tray . the cpu 116 counts said pulses through the second input port 119 , and , in response to the k - th pulse , terminates the rotation of the motor 112 ( step s109 ). also , a driving signal d is supplied through the output port 120 to activate the plunger 109k , thereby releasing the originals supported by the plunger 109k ( step s110 ). as the result , the original 108a is moved to the original separating device 3 , and the image information of the separated original is read by the image sensor and is subjected to a communication process ( step s110 ). upon completion of said process , a reset signal is released from the cpu 16 through the output port 120 to clear the flip - flop 109k of the calendar / timer 121 ( step s112 ), thus terminating the process . in this manner the processes are effected at respective reserved times . naturally , in the unoccupied period between the reserved times , there may be effected an immediate transmission or copying operation . in the foregoing embodiment the trays are constructed to be movable , but the present invention is not limited to such embodiment . for example it is also possible to fix the trays , and to provide said trays with respective transport paths to the separating device and with respective sheet feed means . as explained in the foregoing , there are provided an original tray for immediate transmission or copying and another original tray for reserved transmission , the latter being so constructed as to feed the originals to the apparatus only at a reserved time , whereby the immediate transmitting or copying operation is not hindered even when a transmission is reserved , without the use of a memory of a large capacity . | 7 |
the present invention will be discussed hereinafter in detail in terms of the preferred embodiment of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings . in the following description , numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention . it will be obvious , however , to those skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details . in other instance , well - known structures are not shown in detail in order to avoid unnecessarily obscure the present invention . like components are identified by like reference numerals throughout the disclosure and drawings . fig1 is a block diagram of one mode of implementation of an lpf according to the present invention . in fig1 the shown lpf is constructed with a data input terminal 1 , a fixed value input terminal 3 , a tap position counting portion 4 for counting tap position of an impulse response generated by the most recent data input through the data input terminal 1 ( performing counting of a period corresponding to the impulse response period ), and a data output terminal 2 for taking out a result of counting as a filter output . the most recent data input through the data input terminal 1 is input to the tap position counting portion 4 . from the fixed value input terminal 3 , a total tap number as the lpf is applied . in the tap position counting portion 4 , the tap position for data input from the data input terminal 1 is calculated and output . demodulated output h ( z ) counting of which is continued until the calculated tap position and the value input from the fixed value input terminal 3 matches with each other , becomes “ h level ” during the impulse response period and “ l level ” out of the impulse response period . from the output of the comparator circuit cmp , a value equivalent to the result of process in the lpf can be obtained . fig2 is a block diagram of another mode of implementation of the lpf according to the present invention . in fig2 the shown lpf is constructed with the data input terminal 1 , the fixed value input terminal 3 , the tap position counting portion 4 for counting tap position of an impulse response generated by the most recent data input through the data input terminal 1 , the comparator circuit cmp comparing the result of counting by the tap position counting portion 4 and the input from the fixed value input terminal 3 , and a data output terminal 2 for taking out a result of comparison by the comparator circuit cmp as the filter output . the most recent data input from the data input terminal 1 is input to the tap position counting portion 4 . from the fixed value input terminal 3 , the total tap number as the lpf is applied . in the tap position counting portion 4 , the tap position for the data input from the data input terminal 1 is calculated and output . by comparing the calculated tap position and the value input from the fixed value input terminal 3 , judgment can be made whether the impulse response for the most recent data input is completed or not . the demodulated output h ( z ) becomes “ h level ” in the impulse response period and “ l level ” out of the impulse response period to obtain the value equivalent to the result of process in the lpf from the output of the comparator circuit cmp . fig3 is a circuit diagram showing the construction of the first embodiment of the lpf according to the present invention . in fig3 the shown embodiment of the low pass filter is constructed with the data input terminal 1 , the total filter tap number input terminal 3 , a second m - bit selection circuit s 2 controlled by an input data to own filter input to the data input terminal 1 with taking an output of a first m - bit selection circuit s 1 and a first fixed value as inputs , and a m - bit flip - flop r 1 operated in synchronism with a clock clk with taking the output of the second m - bit selection circuit s 2 as data input . on the other hand , the low pass filter of the shown embodiment is constructed with a first comparator circuit cmp 1 comparing the data output of the m - bit flip - flop r 1 and a second fixed value , an m - bit adder circuit a 1 adding the output of the first comparator circuit cmp 1 to the least significant bit of the data output of them - bit flip - flop r 1 , a second comparator circuit cmp 2 comparing a data output of the m - bit flip - flop r 1 and an input from the total filter tap number input terminal 3 , a first m - bit selection circuit s 1 controlled by an output of the second comparator circuit cmp 2 with taking an output of the m - bit adder circuit a 1 and a third fixed value as inputs , and a data output terminal 2 connected to the output of the first comparator circuit cmp 1 . it should be noted that , the least significant bit of the first fixed value is assumed to be set at “ 1 ”, all bits of the first fixed value other than the least significant bit are assumed to be set at “ 0 ”, and respective constants m are set at a value derived by rounding a logarithm of 2 of the total filter tap number into the integer . in fig3 ( x ) represents that the value is a decimal value . here , the total filter tap number input to the input terminal 3 is preliminarily designated externally . however , the tap number is not fixed value and can be varied by the value designated externally . as discussed later , the value may be varied sequentially . the total filter tap number is a value corresponding to the impulse response period of the input data . on the other hand , the total tap number is determined depending number of stages of delay element groups of the low pass filter having a plurality of stages of delay elements connected in cascade connection in order to lead out the tap . in fig3 in a condition where the input from the data input terminal 1 is “ h ” level , “ 1 ” is output from the least significant bit of the second m - bit selection circuit s 2 , and “ 0 ” are output from all bits other than the least significant bit . this value is input to the first comparator circuit cmp 1 via the m - bit flip - flop r 1 . in the first comparator circuit cmp 1 , “ l ” is output when the comparing value and the compared value are equal to each other . another inputs of the first comparator circuit cmp 1 are “ 0 ” and the least significant bit thereof is not “ 1 ”. therefore , “ h ” is output from the first comparator circuit cmp 1 . the result of comparison is output to the output terminal 2 , and in conjunction therewith , is added to the least significant bit of the adder circuit a 1 . therefore , the adder circuit a 1 increments a value derived the current value of the m - bit flip - flop r 1 by “+ 1 ”. thus , in the adder circuit a 1 , the current tap position with respect to the most recent data input is counted . in the second comparator circuit cmp 2 , the current value of the m - bit flip - flop r 1 and the set value set by the total tap number input terminal 3 are compared . when the current value of the m - bit flip - flop r 1 becomes equal to the total tap number , the output of the first m - bit selection circuit s 1 are set “ 0 ” and when the current value of the m - bit flip - flop r 1 is less than the total tap number , control for selecting the output of the adder circuit a 1 is performed . when “ 0 ” are output at all bits of the output of the first m - bit selection circuit s 1 , it represents that the current tap position exceeds the total tap number . therefore , in order to terminate impulse response , all bits of the input of the first comparator circuit cmp 1 are set to “ 0 ” via the second m - bit selection circuit and the m - bit flip - flop r 1 . by this , the first comparator circuit cmp 1 outputs “ l ” to set the output terminal 2 “ l ”, and in conjunction therewith , to terminal incrementing by “+ 1 ” in the adder circuit a 1 . by this , all bits of the value of the m - bit flip - flop are held at “ 0 ”. here , assuming that an lpf transfer function is expressed by the following formula ( 1 ), when respective of the input , output and the tap coefficients are one bit , it can take only k ( i )= 1 . therefore , the formula ( 1 ) can be modified as the following formula ( 2 ). it should be noted that , in the foregoing formula ( 1 ) and ( 2 ), i = 0 , 1 , . . . , n . all of the x ( i ) are the same value and are one bit . therefore , it becomes equivalent to output “ 1 ” for n times when “ 1 ” is input to the input x ( 0 ). namely , by employing a circuit outputting n in number of “ 1 ” corresponding to the total tap number when “ 1 ” is input to the input x ( 0 ), the low pass filter can be realized . in fig3 the counter is constructed with the second m - bit selection circuit s 2 , the m - bit flip - flop r 1 , the m - bit adder a 1 and the first m - bit selection circuit s 1 . when “ 1 ” is input to the input x ( z ), counting is executed during a period ( namely a period of impulse response ) up to reaching the total tap number to terminal counting at a timing when the counted value reaching the total tap number is detected by the comparator cmp 2 . in the comparator circuit cmp 1 , the period to which the input x ( z ) is input and the period where count is executed are executed to take as the output of the shown filter . fig4 is a timing chart showing one example of a result of simulation upon setting the value at “ 6 ” assuming that the total filter tap number input terminal 3 in the circuit construction of fig3 is four bits . in fig4 signals equivalent to respective signals in fig3 will be represented by the same reference numerals . in fig4 “ clk ” denotes an input clock , “ x ( z )” denotes an input x ( z ) from the data input terminal 1 , “ h ( z ) denotes the output h ( z ) from the data output terminal 2 , “ r 1 ” denotes a state value of the m - bit flip - flop , “ tap ” is a total tap number set at the total filter tap number input terminal 3 , “ s1 ” and “ s2 ” are outputs of respective of first and second m - bit selection circuits s 1 and s 2 , and “ a 1 ” denotes an output of the adder . in fig4 with respect to the pulse p 1 appearing on the input x ( z ), the pulse p 3 appears on the filter output h ( z ). in this case , a period while the output of the selection circuit s 2 is varied from “ 2 ” to “ 6 ” is the tap calculation period . when the output of the selection circuit s 2 becomes “ 6 ” corresponding to the total tap number , the result of comparison in the comparator cmp 2 shows matching ( illustrated by the hatched portion ). then , the output of the selection circuit s 1 becomes “ 00 ”. similarly , with respect to the pulse p 2 appearing at the input x ( z ), a pulse p 4 appears at the filter output h ( z ). in this case , the period while the output of the selection circuit s 2 is varied from “ 2 ” to “ 6 ” is the tap calculation period t . when the output of the selection circuit s 2 becomes “ 6 ” corresponding to the total tap number , the result of comparison in the comparator cmp 2 shows matching ( illustrated by the hatched portion ). then , the output of the selection circuit s 1 becomes “ 00 ”. fig5 is a timing chart showing another example of the result of simulation , wherein respective signals equivalent to the signals in fig3 will be represented by the same reference numerals . in fig5 with respect to the pulse p 1 appearing at the input x ( z ), a pulse p 3 appears at the filter output h ( z ). then , if the output of the selection circuit s 2 becomes “ 6 ” corresponding to the total tap number , the result of comparison in the comparator cmp 2 shows matching , and the output of the selection circuit s 1 becomes “ 00 ”. on the other hand , with respect to the pulse p 2 a , p 2 b , p 2 c appearing at the input x ( z ), a pulse p 4 appears at the filter output h ( z ). in this case , at every occasion of input of respective pulses p 2 a , p 2 b , p 2 c , the output of the selection circuit s 2 becomes “ 1 ”. at this time , the period while the output of the selection circuit s 2 is varied from “ 2 ” to “ 6 ” initially , is the tap calculation period t . when the output of the selection circuit s 2 becomes “ 6 ” corresponding to the total tap number , the result of comparison in the comparator cmp 2 shows matching . then , the output of the selection circuit s 1 becomes “ 00 ”. as set forth above , instead of the construction employing a multiplier , a construction employing the counter performing counting depending upon number of stages of connection of the delay element groups of the low pass filter having a plurality of stages of the delay element groups connected in cascades connection for leading out the tap of the filter , the lpf suppressing the size of the circuit as small as possible can be realized . fig6 is a timing chart showing a further example of the result of simulation upon setting the value varied sequentially , with taking the total filter tap number input terminal 3 as 4 bits in the circuit construction shown in fig3 . it should be noted that , in fig4 total tap number set at the total filter tap number input terminal 3 is varied sequentially from “ c ”( h ) to “ 6 ”( h ), “ 8 ”( h ), “ 1 ”( h ) (“( h )” represents that the values are hexadecimal number ). at this time . according to variation of the total tap number , the counted value in the state value r 1 if the m - bit flip - flop r 1 is obtained up to “ 6 ”( h ), “ 8 ”( h ), “ 1 ”( h ), respectively . fig7 is a circuit diagram showing a construction of the second embodiment of the lpf of the present invention . in fig7 the low pass filter in the shown embodiment is constructed with the data input terminal 1 , the total filter tap number input terminal 3 , the third m - bit selection circuit s 3 controlled by the outputs of the data input terminal 1 and the second comparator circuit cmp 2 with taking the output of the m - bit adder circuit a 1 and the first and second fixed values , and the m - bit flip - flop r 1 taking the output of the third m - bit selection circuit s 3 as data input . it should be noted that , to the m - bit flip flop r 1 , the clock clk is input . on the other hand , the low pass filter according to the shown embodiment is constructed with a first comparator circuit cmp 1 comparing the data output of the m - bit flip - flop r 1 and the third fixed value , an m - bit adder circuit a 1 adding the output of the first comparator circuit cmp 1 to the least significant bit of the data output of the m - bit flip - flop r 1 , a second comparator circuit cmp 2 comparing a data output of the m - bit flip - flop r 1 and an input from the total filter tap number input terminal 3 , and a data output terminal 2 connected to the output of the first comparator circuit cmp 1 . it should be noted that the least significant bit of the first fixed value is assumed to be set at “ 1 ”, all bits of the first fixed value other than the least significant bit are assumed to be set at “ 0 ”, all bits of the second and the third fixed value are assumed to be set at “ 0 ”, and respective constants m are set at a value derived by rounding a logarithm of 2 of the total filter tap number into the integer . in short , the lpf of the shown embodiment is constructed with including a third m - bit selection circuit selectively controlled by the output of the input data to the own filter and the output of the second comparator circuit , in place of the first and second m - bit selection circuits s 1 and s 2 in the first embodiment of the lpf set forth above . the first and second m - bit selection circuits s 1 and s 2 are different only in one bit of the input fixed values , and other construction is the same . therefore , by making the same components in common , the m - bit selection circuit s 3 in fig7 can be obtained . accordingly , the basic operation of the lpf shown in fig7 is the same as that of the lpf illustrated in fig3 but the circuit construction of fig7 can realize the lpf with smaller circuit scale than the circuit construction of the embodiment shown in fig3 . when the tap coefficient is one bit and the total tap number is n , generation of the tap coefficient is performed only in the period where x ( z ) is “ 0 ”. on the other hand , h ( z ) is equal to x ( z ) during the period where x ( z ) is “ 1 ”. from this fact , the tap coefficient corresponding to the impulse response for one time is generated when x ( z ) becomes “ 0 ”. since the set total tap number and the tap position of the impulse response corresponding to the past input are compared and control to respond or not is performed depending upon the result of comparison , switching of the filter coefficient can follow in real time without depending upon x ( z ) input in the past . as set forth above , number of f / fs to be used in the conventional lpf was equal to the total number of the tap delay circuit . in contrast to this , in the lpf according to the present invention , the total number of f / fs to be used by applying the total tap number in binary number can be reduced to be int ( log 2 ( tap number ) ). it should be noted that “ int ” represents rounding of the value within parenthesis ( ) into the integer . associating with reduction of total number of the f / f used , a power consumption in stand - by state can be reduced into ( int ( log 2 ( tap number ) )/( tap number ) ) relative to the power to be consumed by the f / fs for the total number of the tap delay circuit . on the other hand , a period required for switching the total tap number is the waiting period corresponding to the total number of the tap delay circuit in the conventional lpf . in contrast to this , in the present invention , the total tap number can be varied in real time to require no waiting period . since the shown lpf can make the circuit scale smaller since the multiplier is not employed . therefore , the lpf according to the present invention is optimal for radio serial communication in a notebook type personal computer , a portable information terminal or household electrical appliances . also , it is applicable for network in home , i . e . so - called home bus . as set forth above , the present invention can reduce total number of f / fs to be used by applying the total tap number in binary value . also , since the switching timing of the total tap number can be varied in real time , it becomes possible to realize reduction of the circuit scale , reduction of power consumption , improvement of response characteristics for switching of the tap number . although the present invention has been illustrated and described with respect to exemplary embodiment thereof , it should be understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing and various other changes , omissions and additions may be made therein and thereto , without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention . therefore , the present invention should not be understood as limited to the specific embodiment set out above but to include all possible embodiments which can be embodied within a scope encompassed and equivalents thereof with respect to the feature set out in the appended claims . for instance , the low pass filter according to the present invention is applicable in a demodulation circuit disclosed in the commonly owned co - pending u . s . patent application , now u . s . pat . no . 6 , 335 , 658 entitled “ demodulation circuit ” and filed with claiming priority based on japanese patent application no . heisei 10 - 327395 and no . heisei 10 - 327396 , both filed on nov . 18 , 1998 . the disclosure of the above - identified commonly owned co - pending application is herein incorporated by reference . | 7 |
according to the invention , a bk resulting from negotiation between an sta and an ac through a wai is buffered so that a session key between the sta and a destination wtp is generated from the buffered bk during switching of the sta , and operations of adding the sta , removing the sta and synchronizing the key between the ac and the wtp are performed in capwap control messages , thereby proposing a flow of switching an sta rapidly and securely between wtps under different acs in a converged wlan architecture based upon the wapi protocol , where the acs may be arranged in parallel or in hierarchy and will not be to acs but can alternatively be such devices as wireless switches , wireless routers , etc . the following description will be presented taking an ac as an example . referring to fig2 , the invention provides a method for switching an sta between different wtps under different acs , which in a preferred embodiment of the invention includes the following operations 1 to 6 . in the operation 1 , an sta is re - associated with a destination ac through a destination wtp . the operation 1 may particularly include the following operations 11 to 13 . in the operation 11 , the sta acquires relevant parameters of the destination wtp including wapi information elements which include suites of authentication and key management , suites of ciphers , etc ., supported by the destination wtp . in the operation 11 , the sta can listen passively to a beacon frame of the destination wtp and acquires the relevant parameters of the destination wtp including the wapi information elements ; or the sta can alternatively transmit actively a probe request frame to the destination wtp , which in turn transmits a probe response frame to the sta upon reception of the probe request frame of the sta , and the sta can acquire the relevant parameters of the destination wtp including the wapi information elements upon reception of the probe response frame . in a local mac mode , the sta transmits a link authentication request frame to the destination wtp to request for authenticating a link to the destination wtp , and the destination wtp transmits a link authentication response frame to the sta in response to the link authentication request frame of the sta ; or in a separate mac mode , the sta transmits a link authentication request frame to the destination ac to request for authenticating a link to the destination ac , and the destination ac transmits a link authentication response frame to the sta in response to the link authentication request frame of the sta . in the operation 13 , upon successful authentication of the link , the sta transmits a re - association request frame to the destination ac to request for being re - associated with the destination ac by including the identifier of a currently associated wtp , the identifier of an associated ac and the wapi information elements in the re - association request frame to determine a suite of authentication and key management , a suite of ciphers , etc ., selected by the sta , which are preferably the same as a suite of authentication and key management and a suite of ciphers selected by the sta upon initial association with the ac , and the destination ac parses the re - association request frame of the sta and transmits a re - association response frame to the sta . in the operation 2 , the destination ac requests the associated ac for a bk or an extended bk ( simply ebk ). the operation 2 may particularly include the following operations 21 and 22 . in the operation 21 , the destination ac transmits bk request information or ebk request information including sta deletion information to the associated ac on a secure channel pre - established with the associated ac . in the operation 22 , the associated ac transmits a bk or an ebk to the destination ac , in response to the bk request information or the ebk request information of the destination ac , on the secure channel with the destination ac , where the bk is equivalent to a bk between the sta and the associated ac , and the ebk is calculated from extension parameters in a unidirectional function using the base key between the sta and the associated ac , i . e ., ebk = f ( bk , extension parameters ), where the extension parameters are parameters known in advance to the sta and the destination ac , e . g ., their mac addresses , etc ., and f represents the unidirectional function . in the operation 3 , the associated ac instructs the associated wtp to delete the sta . the operation 3 may particularly include the following operations 31 and 32 . in the operation 31 , the associated ac transmits a capwap station configuration request message including a message element of delete station to the associated wtp according to the sta deletion information in the bk request information or the ebk request information of the destination ac . in the operation 32 , the associated wtp transmits to the associated ac a capwap station configuration response message including a message element of result code indicating a result of processing the capwap station configuration request message . in the operation 4 , the destination ac instructs the destination wtp to add the sta . the operation 4 may particularly include the following operations 41 and 42 . in the operation 41 , the destination ac transmits to the destination wtp a capwap station configuration request message including message elements of add station , gb15629 . 11 add station and gb15629 . 11 station session key , where a flag bit “ a ” in the gb15629 . 11 station session key is set 1 to instruct the destination wtp to disable a controlled port and forward only wai protocol data from the corresponding sta . in the operation 42 , the destination wtp transmits to the destination ac a capwap station configuration response message including a message element of result code indicating a result of processing the capwap station configuration request message . in the operation 5 , the sta and the destination ac negotiate about a session key based upon the requested bk or ebk . the operation 5 may particularly include the following operations 51 and 52 . in the operation 51 , the destination ac and the sta negotiate about a wai uni - cast key based upon the requested bk or ebk , which includes : the destination wtp de - encapsulates and then forwards wai uni - cast key negotiation data from the destination ac encapsulated in a capwap data encapsulation format to the sta , and encapsulates and then forwards wai uni - cast key negotiation data from the sta in the capwap data encapsulation format to the destination ac . in the operation 52 , the destination ac and the sta announce a wai multi - cast key , which includes : the destination wtp de - encapsulates and then forwards wai multi - cast key announcement data from the destination ac encapsulated in the capwap data encapsulation format to the sta , and encapsulates and then forwards wai multi - cast key announcement data from the sta in the capwap data encapsulation format to the destination ac . in the operation 6 , the session key is synchronized between the destination ac and the destination wtp . the operation 6 may particularly include the following operations 61 and 62 . in the operation 61 , the destination ac transmits to the destination wtp a capwap station configuration request message including message elements of add station , gb15629 . 11 add station , gb15629 . 11 station session key and gb15629 . 11 information element , and the destination wtp enables the controlled port corresponding to the sta according to the mac address of the sta in the message element of add station and forwards all the data including wai protocol data and non - wai protocol data from the sta . in the operation 62 , the destination wtp transmits to the destination ac a capwap station configuration response message including a message element of result code indicating a result of processing the capwap station configuration request message . the invention further provides a system for switching an sta in a wpi performed by wtps in a converged wlan , which includes a destination access controller , an associated access controller , a destination wireless terminal point , an associated wireless terminal point and a station , where the station is re - associated with the destination access controller through the destination wireless terminal point ; the destination access controller requests a base key from the associated access controller ; the associated access controller instructs the associated wireless terminal point to delete the station ; the destination access controller instructs the destination wireless terminal point to add the station ; the station and the destination access controller negotiate about a session key based upon the requested base key ; and the session key is synchronized between the destination access controller and the destination wireless terminal point . the system for switching a station may include corresponding functional modules to perform the method for switching a station according to the invention . those ordinarily skilled in the art can appreciate that all or a part of the operations in the embodiment of the method can be performed by program instructing relevant hardware , which can be stored in a computer readable storage medium and which upon execution can perform the operations including the embodiment of the method , where the storage medium includes various mediums , e . g ., an rom , an ram , a magnetic disk , an optical disk , etc ., capable of storing program codes . lastly it shall be noted that the foregoing embodiments are merely intended to illustrate but not limit the technical solutions of the invention , and although the invention has been detailed in connection with the embodiments , those ordinarily skilled in the art shall appreciate that they still can modify the technical solutions according to the respective embodiments or made equivalent substitutions of a part of the technical features thereof and that these modifications and substitutions will not make the essence of corresponding technical solutions depart from the scope of the respective embodiments of the invention . | 7 |
in the present specification , the following words and phrases are generally intended to have the meanings as set forth below , except to the extent that the context in which they are used indicate otherwise . the term “ carbon material ” can also referred as “ carbon particles ” “ carbon nanomaterial ”, “ carbon nanoparticle ” “ carbon composite ” or “ carbon powder ”. the present invention provides carbon nanomaterial having high surface area , electrical conductivity and capacitance obtained by pyrolysis of plant dead leaves . the dead leaves are fallen leaves or dry leaves of plant selected from neem ( azadirachta indica ) and ashoka ( saraca asoca ), wherein the dead leaves are individually selected from the plant neem ( azadirachta indica ) or ashoka ( saraca asoca ) or from both plants . dead leaves of both the plants were collected from the compartment of ncl ( national chemical laboratory ), dr . homi bhabha road , pune - 411 008 , india . present invention provides process for synthesis of carbon nanomaterial by pyrolysis of plant dead leaves , particularly dead leaves of neem ( azadirachta indica ) and ashoka ( saraca asoca ), wherein the derived carbon nanomaterial having high surface area , electrical conductivity and capacitance which is useful in high value added product applications such as super - capacitor , super - adsorbent , battery , catalysis , dye removal water purification etc . in another aspect , the invention relates to synthesis of functional carbon material by pyrolysis of dead leaves in presence of binder . in another aspect , the invention deals with the synthesis of carbon based metal nano - composites from the dead leaves which can be useful in the applications such as catalysis and super - adsorbent for toxic chemicals , dye removal . the present invention provides carbon nanomaterial / particles having high surface area in the range of 700 to 1400 m 2 / g ; electrical conductivity in the range of 2 × 10 − 2 to 5 × 10 − 2 scm − 1 ; capacitance in the range of 200 - 400 f / g and average pore diameter size in the range of 0 . 1 nm to 0 . 5 nm obtained by pyrolysis of plant dead leaves . the process for the synthesis of functional carbon nano - material by pyrolysis of dead leaves of neem ( azadirachta indica ) and ashoka ( saraca asoca ) comprising the steps of : a ) washing the dead leaves of plant with water followed by drying ; b ) crushing the dried leaves to get fine powder of dead leaves ; c ) decomposing the dead leaves powder at high temperature ( 1000 ° c .± 400 ° c .) under argon atmosphere ; subsequently cooling at room temperature to obtain nanoparticles of carbon having high surface area and capacitance . according to the process , the decomposition or pyrolysis of crushed dead leaves is carried out on alumina plate or crucible , wherein the dead leaves powder is heated at temperature range 600 ° c . to 1400 ° c . with heating rate in the range of 8 - 20 ° c . per minute wherein the crushing or grounding of dead leaves can be performed by known techniques by using crusher , mortar and pestle and like thereof . it was demonstrated that the dead leaves without crushing or grinding i . e . as such dead leaves can also be used for the synthesis of carbon material via pyrolysis to give improved specific capacitance . the synthesized carbon material containing reduced amount of the impurities which come from the oxide residues of plant leaf , wherein the impurities comprising of oxygen and few percent of mg , si , k and ca , such impurities do not interfere the carbon nanomaterial conducting properties . the average pore size of derived carbon particles is measured in the range of 0 . 1 nm to 0 . 5 nm , whereas the surface area of the carbon nanomaterial / nanoparticle is measured in the range of 700 to 1400 m 2 / g , particularly the surface area of the carbon powder derived from the dead leaves of neem ( azadirachta indica ) was observed in the range of 1000 - 1400 m 2 / g , whereas surface area of the carbon powder derived from ashoka ( saraca asoca ) is in the range of 700 - 1000 m 2 / g . the specific capacitance of carbon material derived from dead leaves is evaluated in suitable aqueous electrolyte such as 1m h 2 so 4 , or organic electrolyte such as ethylene and diethyl carbonates ( ec - dec ) solutions of liasf 6 , liclo 4 , libf 4 and lipf 6 ; wherein the specific capacitance of derived carbon nanoparticles is measured in the range of 200 - 400 f / g . in accordance with the specific capacitance , the carbon material derived from dead leaves of neem exhibits nearly 290 f / g , and carbon particles derived from dead leaves of ashoka in aqueous electrolyte was measured about 250 f / g . also the inventors have optionally derived carbon material from the dead or dry leaves of neem without grinding , where the specific capacitance is evaluated nearly 373 f / g . alternatively , fresh green neem leaves pulp can also be subjected to the process according to the invention to obtain conducting carbon material , where the conductance is measured nearly 195 f / g . the chemical composition of fresh neem leaves is depicted in table 1 . the carbon material derived from dead leaves of plants in acidic medium preferably sulphuric acid with molar concentration 0 . 5m to 2m , particularly in presence of 1m sulphuric acid which shows high energy density i . e . more than 55 . 0 whkg − 1 and power density ≧ 10 kwkg − 1 which is comparatively higher than the other source of carbon materials , the comparison of energy density and power density of various carbon materials with dead leaf derived carbon is represented in table 2 . the invention provides synthesis of carbon nanomaterial from dead leaves of neem ( azadirachta indica ) and ashoka ( saraca asoca ) in presence of binder ; particularly the dead leaf powder is mixed with binder in the ratio of 10 : 0 . 5 ( w / w ) wherein the binder is selected from the group consisting of cellulose , methyl cellulose , gelatine , starch , polyvinylpyrrolidone ( pvp ) and polyethylene glycol ( peg ); preferably polyvinylpyrrolidone ( pvp ). accordingly , the dead leaf powder was mixed with a pvp ( poly vinyl pyrollidone ) binder and formed as a pellet . the pellet was then placed on alumina plate and subjected to high temperature pyrolysis 1000 ° c . (± 400 ° c .) under inert atmosphere for 2 - 10 hours at a heating rate of 5 - 15 ° c . per minute . the duration at the peak temperature was 1 - 10 hrs . the inert atmosphere is preferably argon . the invention also provides evaluation of capacitance of carbon synthesized by both these cases , ( with pvp binder and without binder ) by means of carbon loaded electrodes in presence of alcohol and 1 % polytetrafluoroethylene ( ptfe ) solution under vacuum condition . it was observed that for the carbon synthesized with binder a capacitance value of 120 f / g was realized at the scan rate of 50 mv / s , whereas for the carbon synthesized without binder the capacitance was found to have increased to 250 f / g ( 50 mv / s scan rate ). the conductivity value for the carbon synthesized from neem leaves with binder is in the range of 4 × 10 − 2 to 8 × 10 − 2 scm − and without binder is in the range of 2 × 10 2 to 5 × 10 − 2 scm − . the invention provides carbon based metal nanocomposite from the dead leaves , wherein the dead leaves of neem or ashoka or both are mixed with a metal powder and binder . the crushed dead leaves are mixed with metal followed by thoroughly blending with binder and made into pellets , subsequently the pellets are pyrolysed / decomposed at 1000 ° c . (± 200 ° c .) in an inert atmosphere for 2 - 10 hours at a heating rate of 5 - 15 ° c . per minute . the pallet can be prepared by mixing dead leaf powder and metal powder and binder in the ratio of 5 : 5 : 0 . 5 ( w / w ) which is further subjected to pyrolysis at high temperature . the metal used in the nanocomposites is selected from the group consisting of fe , co , cu , zn , al , ni , ti , ag , au , pd , pt like thereof or oxides , hydroxides thereof , preferably metal is fe and cu or oxides thereof ; whereas the binder is particularly pvp . it is noteworthy that the carbon nano - composites synthesized by instant process can be useful to generate carbon based application - worthy forms by addition of other molecules , polymers , metals , semiconductors , oxides or waste such as ash , fly ash and such like . the fe - carbon nanocomposite synthesized by the instant process was tested for dye removal wherein fe - carbon composite was added to 10 − 5 m methylene blue solution with stirring where the blue colour of methylene blue immediately disappeared , followed by separating fe - carbon composites by means of magnet to get transparent solution . further the adsorbed methylene blue solution can be recovered by putting the fe - carbon composites into ethanol . the dye molecules immediately come out from the fe - carbon composites . the carbon composite and carbon based metal nanocomposite synthesized according to the instant process exhibit high value added products to many application but not limited to applications such as super - capacitor , super - adsorbents for toxic chemicals and dye remover , battery , catalysis , water purification and like thereof . according to the invention the derived carbon composites and carbon based metal nanocomposites are characterized by using xrd , raman spectra , hr - tem , fe - sem , edax , bet nitrogen adsorption isotherm , current and voltage plot . the chemical composition of fresh neem leaves having more water content (& gt ; 50 . 0 %) and the comparison of carbon derives from dead leaves and other known material is represented in herein below table 1 and table 2 respectively . the following examples are given by way of illustration and therefore should not be construed to limit the scope of the present invention . 10 g of dead leaf powder was mixed thoroughly with 500 mg pvp ( poly vinyl pyrollidone ) binder and then pellet sample was made . the pellet was placed on an alumina plate and was subjected to high temperature pyrolysis at 1000 ° c . under argon atmosphere for 5 hr at a heating rate of 10 ° c . per minute . the duration at the peak temperature was 3 hrs . 5 g of leaf powder and 5 g of fe metal were mixed thoroughly with 500 mg pvp to make a pellet and the same was subjected to high temperature pyrolysis as mentioned in example 1 . 10 g of dead leaf powder was heated in an alumina crucible at 1000 ° c . under argon atmosphere for 5 hr at a heating rate of 10 ° c . per minute and cooled to room temperature at natural rate to obtain black powders . all the electrodes were prepared on glassy carbon . two glassy carbon substrates were used for each measurement . 6 mg of carbon was dispersed in 6 ml isopropanol and 200 μl of 1 % ptfe solution was added to it . after proper dispersion this was drop - cast slowly on the glassy carbon till the loading was 1 mg . after making the electrodes they were dried in vacuum for 24 hrs at 60 ° c . carbon synthesized by both these cases , ( with pvp binder and without binder ) were studied for super capacitor measurements . all the cyclic voltammetry experiments were carried out using auto lab instrument in a potential window of 0 - 1v and in 0 . 5m h 2 so 4 electrolyte . measurements were taken at the scan rates of 10 , 20 and 50 mv / s . the results are shown in fig1 . it was observed that for the carbon synthesized with binder a capacitance value of 80 f / g was realized at the scan rate of 50 mv / s , whereas for the carbon synthesized without binder the capacitance was found to have increased to 120 f / g ( 50 mv / s scan rate ). invention provides efficient , cost - effective process for preparation of functional carbon nanoparticles by simple pyrolysis of biologically waste material . d ) carbon produces useful in various applications such as supercapacitors , superabsorbent , battery and catalysis , | 2 |
fig1 , 1 a , 1 b , 1 c , 2 , 2 a , and 2 aa show an earphone 5000 which may be the left or the right portion of the earphone or headset for providing 3d stereo earphone with intelligent functions and systems and methods to achieve x - y - z 3d real stereo sound , 3d virtual reality ( vr ) sound , 3d augmental reality ( ar ) sound , 3d mix reality ( mr ) sound , 3d artificial intelligent sound , and combinations of any kind of real and vr and ar and mr and ai video and audio by following or reflecting a user &# 39 ; s movements and environments and situations and needs automatically and intelligently at the same time and same pace and same vision and sound space . those drawings show that the earphone 5060 may include an intelligent unit 5080 containing a set of motion and environment sensor and processor and coordination units 5080 a , 5080 b , 5080 c , a mother board 5070 with several micro chips , a cpu and multichip package ( mcp ) unit 5072 , a memory unit 5074 , a sim card unit 5074 a for adding memory units or for inserting additional functional units , a battery unit 5076 , a recharge unit 5076 a , a wireless / cable unit 507 b , a microphone unit 5068 , a switch unit 5062 , a light indicator unit 5064 , a voice control and voice recognition / id unit 5066 , an integrated micro sound amplifier unit 5082 , a sound purifier unit 5086 , a capacitor unit 5090 , an internet protocol ( ip ) based communicator unit 5092 , and a multiple player display unit 5098 inside . at the same time , the computerized intelligent sound controller unit 5080 which can also be an intelligent wave / level / frequency reaction and controller and coordination unit is inside the ear speaker cup unit 5006 containing the multiple speaker units 5018 a , 5018 b , and 5018 c working with the sound effect structure unit 5032 and sound resonance area or space or unit 5036 together to create intelligent 3d stereo sound effects and outputs , or smart 3d real stereo sound in 3d stereo sound space or vr / ar / mr / ai vision and sound space . the intelligent unit 5080 contains motion sensor and processor units 5080 a , 5080 b , and 5080 c to detect a user &# 39 ; s body movements and a user &# 39 ; s needs for vr / ar / mr / ai to generate automatically a set of self - configured new 3d stereo sound effects and outputs accordingly . also , the intelligent unit 5080 contains motion sensor and processor units 5080 a , 5080 b , and 5080 c to detect a user &# 39 ; s environment or surrounding or to carry out vr / ar / mr visual and audio combinations to generate automatically a set of self - configured intelligent new 3d stereo sound effects and outputs . the intelligent unit 5080 and the computerized motion sensor units 5080 a / b / c detect and process and control the motion or environment movements and 3d sound frequency configuration system of multiple speaker units that includes 3d stereo sound speaker units 5018 a , 5018 b , and 5018 c . the intelligent unit 5080 automatically detects , analyzes , records , processes , and directs the result and self auto - configuration of those activities or situations to generate 3d stereo high sound frequency into the first speaker units 5018 a / b and generate the bass / middle frequencies of 3d stereo sounds into the speaker unit 5018 c , working with the sound effect structure unit 5032 and sound resonance unit 5036 together in order to achieve intelligent 3d stereo sound effects for a very strong and powerful bass and resonance / harmony performance stereo in x - y - z three dimensional ( 3d ) sound effects under the multiple drivers arrayed in multiple ways . the ear cup 5006 and speaker units 5018 a / b / c and sound effect unit 5032 and sound resonance / harmony unit 5036 all work together to generate 3d stereo sound effects and outputs , with all their functions , structures , systems , methods , materials , designs , and formats as detailed in u . s . pat . no . 7 , 697 , 709 and no . 8 , 515 , 103 . the intelligent unit 5080 and sensor units 5080 a / b / c can be in one unit , or two units , or multiple units , together or separate or independent . any sensor unit 5080 a to c can be independent or separate from the intelligent unit 5080 if needed . the design , function , method , structure , material , shape , size , type , and location of the intelligent unit 5080 and its sensor units 5080 a / b / c with mini or micro circuit board and micro chips inside may vary if needed . the wireless / cable unit 5078 may deliver to or receive ( receiver / sender unit 5078 a ) from a circumaural wireless stereo radio frequency ( rf ) system , or an internet server system , or blue tooth , or wi - fi system , or home and work connections , app , cloud system , etc . the cpu / mcp unit 5072 may contain a digital signal processor 5072 a providing full range digital audio output of earphone 5000 . therefore , the intelligent 3d stereo earphone 5000 may be used wirelessly or through a cable in a regular earphone system , a regular headset / headphone system , a cell phone , a smart phone , a multiple player , a radio system , a telephone system , a personal computer ( pc ) system , a notebook computer , an internet communication system , a cellular / satellite communication system , a gps system , a home theater system , a car / ship / airplane audio system , a game , a vr / ar / mr device , an app , ear hearing assistance equipment , or medical equipment , etc . the intelligent 3d stereo earphone 5000 can be structured or designed with all unite or several units in module combinations or a module assembly , an outside insert or in / out plug , attachable or detachable , or with inside connections , or interchangeable at same time . for example , additional sensor units 5080 as can be plugged in or out as module assemblies . all units in fig1 - 2aa and 5 - 7 can do that too . the intelligent 3d stereo earphone 5000 can be with any kind of design , format , structure , system , function , etc ., such as a head band , a helmet , a neck band , a wearable set , etc ., to work with vr / ar / mr visual and audio with related or coordinated 3d stereo sound effects and outputs . the intelligent 3d stereo earphone 5000 can be used or can work with any kind of vr / ar / mr or any kind of artificial intelligence ( ai ) or any kind of robot system . the intelligent , unit 5080 and motion sensors 5090 a / b / c are to sense or detect a user &# 39 ; s body movements and related surroundings and carry out vr / ar / mr commands and needs . according to a pre - selected mode selected by the user , the intelligent unit 5080 receives and analyzes those sensed movements or vr / ar / mr commands to generate automatically new 3d stereo sound effects and outputs . thus , a user can hear a new 3d stereo sound to follow and reflect his or her movements and his or her desires for vr / ar / mr / ai visual and stereo sound combinations and effects and outputs . traditionally , an earphone is only to deliver or play sound or audio recorded in certain electronic formats , such as a format from a cd , an electronic file , a hard drive , the internet , etc . a user is not able to change or update these kinds of sound outputs or sound effects when using a traditional earphone . a user &# 39 ; s needs or body movements or environments , or surroundings , or situations , are not related absolutely to any sound output or effect playing in a traditional earphone , in other words , a traditional earphone is only s negative electronic player , is not intelligent , and has nothing to do with and does not react to a user &# 39 ; s movements or situations or special needs for vr / ar / mr / ai . there is not any connection between the traditional earphone and its user &# 39 ; s movements and surrounding situations and intelligent needs . the intelligent unit 5080 and its sensors 5080 a / b / c are intelligently and positively to connect or follow a user &# 39 ; s movements and surrounding situations and vr / ar / mr / ai needs with the earphone sound system automatically at the same time , same pace , and same space , through a self motivated configuration system generated by the cpu unit 5072 , the memory unit 5074 , the sound amplifier unit 5082 , and all other related units inside the intelligent unit 5080 to create a new 3d stereo sound effects and outputs following and reflecting a user &# 39 ; s movements and needs . in that case , the intelligent 3d earphone 5000 is to become a user &# 39 ; s electronic ears to react and hear real world 3d stereo sound effects or artificial intelligent 3d stereo sound effects or combinations of both . a user &# 39 ; s movements can be body movements , mind movements , visual movements , or sound movements run separately or combined together in multiple ways . the user &# 39 ; s mind movements or visual movements can be sensed by the brain sensor unit 5080 m or visual sensor unit 5080 v with any electronic sensor devices to obtain the user &# 39 ; s mind or visual electronic or nervous flows for mind work or vision work or health work . for example , the electronic sensor devices can be electroencephalogram devices for brain cell or nervous electronic movements , can perform electrocardiogram for heart beats , can be a blood pressure machine or temperature instruments , can perform visual or eye or eyeball or iris or pupil tracking , or can be sound or mouth tracking systems for vr / ar / mr / ai effects and outputs , etc . a user &# 39 ; s surrounding environment or situation can be any kind of real world surrounding condition or situation around the user . the intelligent unit 5080 can sense a user &# 39 ; s surrounding situation , such as light level , temperature , rain , wind , sky , sun , moon , stars , fog , physical things , human beings , animals , etc . thus , the intelligent 3d earphone 5000 can sense environment signals for the user . for example , the intelligent unit 5080 can sense a stranger approaching and then immediately send a warning signal to the earphone speakers 5018 a / b / c for the user &# 39 ; s safety check . the intelligent unit 5080 can sense a car trailing too closely and then immediately send a traffic warning signal to the earphone speakers 5018 a / b / c for the user &# 39 ; s traffic safety alarm . it is very important to have the safety alarm function for the user &# 39 ; s situation , because all current earphones are with “ isolated function ” for pure sound effects and outputs . earphone noise isolation becomes a basic function for all earphones currently on the market . a user wearing an “ isolated ” earphone has difficulty hearing outside sound , such as a traffic warning sound , etc . the intelligent 3d earphone 5000 can overcome that problem with its intelligent unit 5080 and its sensor / processor units 5080 a / b / c to detect process , analyze , and configure new 3d stereo sound effects and outputs with a safety warning function with respect to a user &# 39 ; s surrounding , such as detecting and warning a traffic red light , or sensing and warning an approaching car , etc . at the same time , if needed , the intelligent unit 5080 can have a self auto - adjustable function according to a user &# 39 ; s surrounding situation . fox example , if the intelligent unit 5080 and its sensor units 5080 a / b / c sense too high amounts of noise in the environment , they immediately self - adjust the sound output volume level upwards based on the noise control mode preset or preselected . if the intelligent unit 5080 senses the environment becoming quiet , the intelligent unit 5080 will auto - adjust back to the original sound output volume . the intelligent unit 5080 can sense and control and auto - adjust all noises from outside the earphone 5000 and all noises exam inside the earphone 5000 such as electrical flow noise , etc ., based on a user &# 39 ; s needs , at the same time . also at the same time , the intelligent unit 5080 can have a coordination system . 5080 s lo work with vr / ar / mr visual and audio effects and outputs accordingly . furthermore , the intelligent 3d earphone 5000 and intelligent unit 5080 and its sensors 5080 a / b / c can work with any kind of earphone player 8000 . for example , the earphone player 8000 can be any kind of electronic device , such as a cellular phone , a multiple player , a portable player , a computer , a notebook , a tv set , the internet , app , electronic portable device , vr / ar / mr device , etc . the intelligent unit 5080 can send or command its electronic signals to any kind of earphone player 8000 by wireless or cable communication . at the same time , any kind of earphone player 8000 can send or command its electronic signals to the intelligent unit 5080 synchronously , by wireless or cable communication . the earphone player 8000 can be any kind of multiple players , cellular phones , smart phones , electronic portable devices , laptops , notebooks , pc , app , vr / ar / mr / ai devices , etc ., in various designs , materials , methods , functions , systems , materials , and formats , etc . the earphone player 8000 may contain its own intelligent unit 8080 and sensor / processor units 8080 a / b / c , very similar to the intelligent 3d earphone &# 39 ; s intelligent unit 5080 and sensor / processor units 5080 a / b / c . those 2 sets of the intelligent units of the earphone player 8000 and 3d earphone 5000 work together to create new 3d stereo sound effects and outputs in parallel synchronously , simultaneously and collaterally , in one way , two ways , or multiple ways , with one direction , two directions , or multiple directions if needed . the earphone player 8000 can send or receive the electronic signals to or from the intelligent 3d earphone 5000 and save those signals into electronic files or data , for replay , editing , saving , or delivery for intelligent 3d stereo sound usages anytime and anywhere by wireless or cable communication . the intelligent 30 earphone 5000 can send or receive the electronics signals to or from the earphone player 8000 and save those signals into electronic files or data , for replay , editing , saving , or delivery for intelligent 3d stereo sound usages anytime and anywhere by wireless or cable communication . therefore , the intelligent 3d earphone 5000 can co - work with any kind of earphone player 8000 together at the same time . the intelligent 3d earphone 5000 and any kind of earphone player 8000 can exchange or co - work or co - do self - configuration of all kind of data or files anytime and anywhere , by wireless or cable line communication . there can be any kind of design , system , method , structure , and function with the intelligent 3d earphone 5000 and earphone player 8000 or related devices . the intelligent 3d earphone 5000 and its intelligent unit 5080 have to set up a beginning point first . the beginning point is called a z point mode . there are an x axis and a y axis for a traditional sound curve or frequency development . there is a z axis for 3d stereo sound space development , namely x - y - z 3 dimensional stereo sound space . the z axis is a key to create x - y - z 3 dimensional ( 3d ) stereo sound . thus , the beginning z point is a key to create the intelligent 3d stereo sound system . there are 3 kinds of z points of the intelligent 3d stereo sound system in the intelligent 3d earphone 5000 and its intelligent unit 5080 and sensor units 5080 a / b / c . first , is a user &# 39 ; s self - standing point as z point a . this z - self point mode is to use a user &# 39 ; s position and self - movement for creation of the intelligent 3d stereo sound effects and outputs . second , is a user &# 39 ; s environment or surrounding as z point b . this z - surrounding point is to use a user &# 39 ; s surrounding and related environment for creation of the intelligent 3d stereo sound effects and outputs . third , is a sound z axis position and direction as z point c . this z - axis sound point is to use 3d stereo sound depth ( z - axis ) for creation of the intelligent x - y - z 3d stereo sound effects and outputs . preferably , the z - axis sound point is for the intelligent unit 5080 to control and manage and configure the speaker 5018 c or any bass sound speaker to have the sound depth at z - axis sound space to achieve the intelligent x - y - z 3d stereo sound effects and outputs . of course , the z - axis sound point function can be used for any speaker 5018 a , 5018 b , or 5018 c or for other speakers , or for any combination of those speakers 5018 a / b / c for the sound depth at z - axis sound space . in general , the intelligent 3d stereo sound system containing those z points a / b / c works with the intelligent unit 5080 together to control and manage and auto configure the intelligent sensor units 5080 a / b / c and speakers 5018 a / b / c and sound effect unit 5032 and sound resonance unit 5036 to have the sound x - y axis width and sound z axis depth at stereo sound space to achieve the intelligent x - y - z 3d stereo sound effects and outputs by following and reflecting a user &# 39 ; s movements , environments , situations , and needs , synchronously , simultaneously and collaterally , more detailed as illustrated in fig3 to 4b . there are many types of sensors for the intelligent 3d earphone 5000 and its intelligent unit 5080 and intelligent sensor units 5080 a / b / c , such as an accelerometer sensor , a magnetic field sensor , an orientation sensor , a gyroscope sensor , a light sensor , a pressure sensor , a temperature sensor , a proximity sensor , a gravity sensor , a linear acceleration sensor , a rotation sensor , a car sensor , an electrical signal sensor , a wireless signal sensor , a sound sensor , a heart sensor , a blood pressure sensor , a smell sensor , a space sensor , an environment or surrounding sensor a traffic sensor , a warning sensor , a motion sensor , an outside noise sensor , an inside noise sensor , a direction sensor , a navigation sensor , a balance sensor , e distance sensor , a visual / eye tracking or control sensor , a sound / mouth tracking or control sensor , a sensor for an android system , apple system , or window system , or other systems , etc ., for real world or virtual world 3d stereo sound effects and outputs . there are many function modes of the intelligent 3d earphone 5000 , such as an intelligent 3d stereo sound mode , a mimic mode , a safety mode , a drive mode , an electronic control mode , a voice control mode , a display mode , a sport mode , a work mode , a health mode , an intelligent 3d stereo sound and virtual made , a vr / ar / mr mode , a drive mode , a game mode , etc . there are many play modes of the intelligent 3d earphone 5000 , such as a multiple player mode , a game mode , a sport mode , an education mode , a health mode , a security mode , a home entertainment mode , a vr / ar / mr play mode , etc . of course , fig1 also shows that the intelligent 3d earphone 5000 contains the intelligent unit 5080 and multiple speakers 5018 a / b / c to deliver intelligent 3d stereo sound effects and outputs . the intelligent 3d earphone 5000 and its intelligent unit 5080 detect , analyze , process , and configure a user &# 39 ; s motion movements or environments or vr / ar / mr requirements into 3d stereo sound frequencies and effects and outputs of the speakers 5018 a / b / c with a best intelligent calculation and direction . preferably , one speaker 5018 a is a sound driver handling high frequency mostly . another speaker 5018 b handles middle frequency of sound mostly . the third speaker 5018 c handles bass frequency range of sound mostly . the speaker units 5108 a / b / c can be one speakers , two speakers , three speakers , or multiple speakers , with any kind of design , position , location , structure , system , method , function , etc ., such as a positioning in the same direction , opposite direction , facing each other direction , an off - center arrangement , a front and back arrangement at the same axis or a different axis , an up and down arrangement , a circle arrangement , a parallel arrangement , at same angles , at different angles , inside or outside the earphone 5000 , etc . the intelligent 3d unit 5080 containing sensor units 5080 a / b / c receives ail of the user &# 39 ; s movements and sound signals from the original sound tracks , or vr / ar / mr requirements , and optionally all of the sensed user &# 39 ; s movements or needs , and then analyzes , processes , and directs those original sound tracks or frequencies alone or combined with the sensed and configured user &# 39 ; s movements and vr / ar / mr needs into different sound channels and frequencies for those three speakers 5018 a , 5018 b , and 5018 c working with the sound effect structure unit 5032 and sound resonance unit 5036 to create new intelligent 3d stereo sound effects and outputs following or reflecting the user &# 39 ; s movements and surrounding environment situations and vr / ar / mr needs . inside speaker cup unit 5006 there is a sound effect unit 5032 or other sound effect check members or pieces to create the 3d stereo sound resonance area 5036 within ear cup unit 5006 . the intelligent 3d earphone 5000 and its intelligent unit 5080 intelligently configure high frequency into the front speakers 5018 a / b and bass / middle frequencies into the back speaker 5018 c synchronously . of course , there are many possible ways of 3d stereo sound configuration for achieving better sound stereo effects and outputs with minimized digital sound loss or distortion . for example , the intelligent unit 5080 may configure bass frequency into the front speaker 5018 a / b and high / middle frequencies into the back speaker 5018 c synchronously . in this embodiment shown in fig1 , there are three speakers ( sound drivers ) 5018 a , 5018 b , and 5018 c inside the ear cup 5006 . in order to arrange these three speakers ( triple sound drivers ) in a front - and - back straight array or in an angled structure , two speakers 5018 a and 5018 b are located at the front of the ear cup 5006 with one speaker to handle high frequency and another speaker to handle middle frequency of sound separately and independently , and the third speaker 5018 c is located at the back of the ear cup 5006 to handle bass frequency of 3d stereo sound generated or configured from the intelligent unit 5080 with sensing and reacting to a user &# 39 ; s movements and surrounding situations . therefore , the triple speakers 5018 a , 5018 b , and 5018 c in a straight arrangement create a stage - like real sound delivery system in x - y - z three - dimensional ( 3d ) sound stereo space because the triple speakers 5018 a , 5018 b , and 5018 c explore stereo sounds in two dimensions ( x - y axes ) in a wide horizontal broad way , plus , at the same time , the large speaker 5018 c delivers very strong sounds , preferably for the bass frequency , from the back to have a z axis stereo sound in a deep vertical dimension for x - y - z 3d stereo surrounding sound effects with bass / mid / high sound frequencies . the ear cup 5006 , speakers 5018 a / b / c , sound effect unit 5032 , and sound resonance area or space or unit 5036 can be any kind of design , shape , structure , method , function , system , material , format , etc . generally speaking , the intelligent unit 5080 and its sensor units 5080 a / b / c and speaker units 5018 a / b / c have the following functions and work flows and systems of sensing , analyzing , and configuring at best value , synchronously and collaterally , as follows : first , sensing or detecting a user &# 39 ; s movements or surrounding environments or situations or needs with a certain sense mode selected by the user , such as vr / ar / mr / ai mode , etc . ; second , receiving or performing original sound tracks and frequencies of x - y - z 3d stereo sound working in the sound effect structure 5032 and sound resonant unit 5036 ; third , intelligently analyzing , processing , and configuring the first point and second point together with a computerized best value calculation system and program to generate new x - y - z 3d stereo sound effects and outputs for real world or virtual world of vr / ar / mr / ai , or of mixtures of these ; fourth , intelligently directing the new x - y - z 3d stereo sound channels and frequencies into different speakers 5018 a / b / c working with the sound effect structure 5032 and sound resonant unit 5036 ; and fifth , delivering the new x - y - z 3d stereo sound effects and outputs into a user &# 39 ; s ears to satisfy the user &# 39 ; s needs for x - y - z 3d stereo sound real - situation or real - stage enjoyments , or vr / ar / mr / ai , or mixtures of some or all of them , or all other needs if possible . of course , those steps can be adjustable or rotatable or interchangeable any time and anywhere if needed . for example , the second one can become the first one and the first one can become the second one , etc . there are many possible sound frequency and driver position combinations for those three speakers 5018 a / b / c , such as having a straight arrangement at the front and the back or at a parallel side structure , or mix positions , or angle positions , in the same direction or different direction or opposite direction , inside of the ear cup 5006 or earphone 5000 , as detailed in u . s . pat . no . 7 , 697 , 709 and no . 8 , 515 , 103 . the intelligent 3d earphone 5000 includes an adjustable headband unit 5002 for up or down movement and to hold the left and right parts of earphone 5000 . an adjustable holder unit 5004 is connected to headband clip unit 5002 at the left and right ends of earphone 5000 . each holder unit 5004 is connected at the topside of an ear cup unit 5006 . ear cup unit 5006 contains an independently adjustable ear speaker unit 5018 at the center of the portion of earphone 5000 for delivery of sounds from earphone 5000 to a user &# 39 ; s ear hearing system . ear cup unit 5006 also contains a sound conceal and sound direction adjustable filter and delivery unit 5020 . the speaker unit 5018 may include 3 speaker units 5018 a / b / c . all units may vary in design , shape , structure , system , method , function , format , and material if needed to apply into the various embodiments of earphones shown in fig1 to 2b and 5 to 7 . all units and functions and structures explained above and shown in fig1 to 7 may be used , applied , or inter - exchanged in any figure of this application for all types of earphones and headphones if needed . all units and the outside and inside intelligent 3d earphone 5000 may be with different designs , methods , formats , systems , shapes , materials , and structures if needed . there can be two speakers 5018 a and 5018 b designed and arranged inside the intelligent 3d earphone 5000 as shown in fig1 a . also , there can be just one speaker 5018 designed and arranged inside the intelligent 3d earphone 5000 as shown in fig1 b . fig1 a shows that the intelligent 3d earphone 5000 and its intelligent unit 5080 detect , analyze , process , and configure a user &# 39 ; s motion movements and vr / ar / mr requirements into 3d stereo sound frequencies and effects and outputs of the speakers 5018 a / b . preferably , one speaker 5018 a is a sound driver handling high frequency mostly . another speaker 5018 b handles bass and middle frequencies of sound mostly . the intelligent 3d unit 5080 containing sensor and processor units 5080 a / b / c receives all of a user &# 39 ; s movements and sound signals from the original sound tracks , alone or combined with the sensed user &# 39 ; s movements or vr / ar / mr needs , and then analyzes and directs those original sound tracks or frequencies , alone or combined with the sensed and configured user &# 39 ; s movements and vr / ar / mr needs into different sound channels and frequencies for those three speakers 5018 a and 5018 b working with the sound effect structure unit 5032 and sound resonance unit 5036 to create new intelligent 3d stereo sound effects and outputs following and reflecting the user &# 39 ; s movements and vr / ar / mr needs and surrounding environment situations . inside speaker cup unit 5006 there is a sound effect member or piece 5032 and other sound check members or pieces to create a 3d stereo sound resonance area 5036 within ear cup unit 5006 . the intelligent 3d earphone 5000 and its intelligent unit 5080 configure high frequency into one speaker 5018 a and bass / middle frequencies into another speaker 5018 b independently and synchronously . of course , there are many possible ways of 3d stereo sound configuration for achieving better sound stereo effects and outputs with minimized digital sound loss or distortion . in this embodiment shown in fig1 b , there are two speakers ( sound drivers ) 5018 a and 5018 b inside the ear cup 5006 . these two speakers ( two sound drivers ) 5018 a and 5018 b can be designed in a parallel side - by - side array , or in a front - and - back straight , array , or in a an angled structure , in the same direction , or an opposite direction , or a different direction inside the ear cup 5006 or inside each self isolated sound chamber , to handle high / mid / bass frequencies of 3d stereo sound generated or configured from the intelligent unit 5080 with sensing and reacting to a user &# 39 ; s movements and vr / ar / mr needs and surrounding situations . therefore , the two speakers 5018 a and 5018 b in a parallel or straight arrangement create a stage - like real sound delivery system in x - y - z three - dimensional ( 3d ) sound stereo space because the two speakers 5018 a and 5018 b explore 3d stereo sounds in three dimensions ( x - y axes ) in a wide horizontal way , plus , at the same time , can preferably use bass frequency , from the back to front to have a z - axis stereo sound in a deep vertical way for x - y - z 3d stereo surrounding sound effects and outputs with bass / mid / high sound frequencies . there are many possible sound frequency and driver position combinations for those two speakers 5018 a / b having a straight arrangement at the front and the back or at a side by side parallel structure or angled structure e or opposite to each other or facing each other inside the ear cup 5006 or earphone 5000 , as detailed in u . s . pat . no . 7 , 657 , 709 and no . 8 , 515 , 103 . fig1 b shows that the intelligent 3d earphone 5000 and its intelligent unit 5080 detect , analyze , process , and configure a user &# 39 ; s motion movements and vr / ar / mr requirements into 3d stereo sound frequencies and effects and outputs of the speaker 5018 a . preferably , one speaker 5018 a is to handle all high frequency and bass and middle frequencies of sound mostly . the intelligent 30 unit 5080 containing sensor units 5080 a / b / c receives all of a user &# 39 ; s movements and sound signals from the original sound tracks , separately or combined with the sensed user &# 39 ; s movements or vr / ar / mr needs , and then analyzes and directs those original sound tracks or frequencies , separately or combined with the sensed and configured user &# 39 ; s movements and environments and vr / ar / mr needs into different sound channels and frequencies for the speaker 5018 a working with the sound effect structure unit 5032 and sound resonance unit 5036 to create new intelligent 3d stereo sound effects and outputs following or reflecting the user &# 39 ; s movements and vr / ar / mr needs and surrounding environment situations . inside speaker cup unit 5006 there is a sound effect unit 5032 and other sound effect members or pieces to create a 3d stereo sound resonance area 5036 within ear cup unit 5006 . the intelligent 3d earphone 5000 and its intelligent unit 5080 configure high , bass / middle frequencies into one speaker 5018 a for 3d stereo sound generated or configured from the intelligent unit 5080 with sensing and reacting to a user &# 39 ; s movements and vr / ar / mr needs and surrounding situations . there are many possible sound frequency and driver position combinations for the one speaker 5018 a having many different structures or methods or combinations or arrangements , as detailed in u . s . pat . no . 7 , 697 , 709 and no . 8 , 515 , 103 . fig1 c shows another embodiment of the intelligent 3d earphone 5000 . there are some mini motors 5018 am / bm / cm and related mini track units 5018 at / bt / ct installed inside the earphone 5000 . the mini motor 5018 am and track unit 5018 at move or turn the speaker 5018 a forward or backward or at angles . the motor 5018 bm and track unit 5018 bt move or turn the speaker 5018 b forward or backward or at angles . the motor 5018 cm and track unit 5018 ct move or turn the speaker 5018 c forward or backward or at angles , operated by auto sets or manual operations from the control wheel or buttons or input units 5018 amt / bmt / cmt or by an app , or both , at the same time and same pace . the input control units 5018 amt / bmt / cmt of the intelligent 3d earphone 5080 can be buttons , wheels , keys , arrows , or a touch panel , or a screen panel , and are able to be used in the various embodiments shown in fig1 to 7 , with any kind of input design , format , structure , method , system , function , material , etc . the motor units 5018 am / bm / cm and track unit 5018 at / bt / ct can be any kind of design , method , structure , system , format , material , function , etc . fig2 a , and 2aa show that the intelligent earphone 5000 contains a screen or display unit 5098 to display multiple function icons 5088 in graphic format , or list format , or number format , or letter format , or symbol format , or touch panel format , or key board format , etc . the multiple function icons 5088 are to display and carry out many functions , such as display modes 5088 a , 3d sense modes 5088 b , 3d intelligence modes 5088 c , 3d sound configuration modes 5088 d , sport modes 5088 e , safety modes 5088 p , communication modes 5088 g , 3d vision / sound modes 5088 h , vr / ar / mr modes , game modes , a drive mode 5088 t , a music / visual play made 5088 t , an input mode 5093 mt , etc . the communication modes 5088 g are for all kind of communications , e . g . cell phone , internet , wireless , email , im , wechat ®, apps , etc ., in a wireless or cable communication . the display unit 5098 can have many display formats or systems if needed , such as multiple graphic icons , graphic interfaces , lined icons or lists , a button system , a touch system , a wheel system , an air wave system , an audio / voice control system , an eye / eyeball / iris / pupil / vision control / identification system , a multiple screen - screen system , a voice command and recognition / identification system , a voice operated control system , and a mini multiple player or a mini mobile controller , etc . the display unit 5098 has the 3d sound movement digits , such as n2 w1 z0 , to indicate a user &# 39 ; s movement and the following intelligent 3d sound stereo movement north 2 , west 1 , z point 0 , in 2d format or 3d format , or 3d graphic format . those digits can be auto configured or controlled or performed automatically or by manual input and can be changeable , adjustable , or editable , based on a user &# 39 ; s needs at the different time or at the same time . there are a switch unit 5062 and a light indicator unit 5064 and an input unit 5098 mt on the display unit 5098 . the light indicator unit 5064 is to indicate battery level and wireless signal level together or separately . the intelligent 3d earphone 5000 has the 3d vision unit 7000 and the microphone unit 5068 . the 3d vision unit 7000 is an eye glass screen display or eye glass multiple player or eye glass mobile input / output device to produce ubiquitously computerized multiple 2d or 3d visions directly associated with the intelligent 3d earphone 5000 for virtual reality functions , such as vr / ar / mr functions or systems . the 3d vision unit can be similar to google glass , gear vr , daydream , psvr , etc . the 3d vision unit 7000 is attachable and detachably mounted on the intelligent 3d earphone 5000 . the 3d vision unit 7000 is working with the intelligent 3d earphone 5000 from a user &# 39 ; s movements and vr / ar / mr requirements to create new 3d stereo sound effects and outputs to combine with now 3d visions synchronously , simultaneously , and collaterally . the 3d vision unit 7000 may have its own intelligent unit 7080 and its sensors 7080 a / b / c to achieve 3d real stereo sound , 3d virtual reality ( vr ) sound , 3d augmental reality ( ar ) sound , 3d mix reality ( mr ) sound , 3d artificial intelligent ( ai ) sound , 3d holography sound , and combinations of any kind of vr and ar and mr and ai and 3d holography video and audio . when a user wearing tho intelligent 3d earphone 5000 with the 3d vision unit 7000 turns his or her head to right , he or she will see the 3d vision unit 7000 displaying all real wide angle vision to his or her right turn . at the same time , he or she will hear the intelligent 3d earphone 5000 displaying the new 3d stereo sound effects and outputs that follow and result from his or her right turn automatically and synchronously . in this manner , the user receives real right turn 3d vision and right turn new 3d stereo sound effects and outputs simultaneously , just like if he or she were to make a right turn in a real world . the 3d vision unit 7000 can work independently or separately . the 3d vision unit 7000 and intelligent unit 5080 contain camera and video and speaker and microphone functions working together or separately . for further continuous development , there is a brain sensor unit 5080 m attachable to the intelligent 3d earphone 5000 . ideally , the brain sensor unit 5080 m touches the user &# 39 ; s head temple area to obtain the brain electronic wave data . the brain sensor unit 5080 m may contain several brain spot sensors to obtain more brain electronic data from mind movements to generate real world or virtual world 3d stereo sound effects and outputs . for further continuous development , there is an eye sensor unit or vision sensor unit 5080 v attachable to the intelligent 3d earphone 5000 . ideally , the eye sensor unit 5080 v is close to the user &# 39 ; s eye area to obtain the eye movement electronic wave data or eyeball and iris and pupil movement data . the eye sensor unit 5080 v may contain several eye / eyeball / iris / pupil spot sensors to obtain more eye / eyeball / iris / pupil movement electronic data for eye or vision movements or for eye id , etc . the intelligent unit 5080 and sensor units 5080 a / b / c / v and 3d vision unit 7000 configure automatically together to achieve intelligent 3d stereo sound effects and outputs by following and reflecting a user &# 39 ; s eye or eyeball or iris or pupil movements . for example , when a user moves his eyes or eyeballs or iris or pupils from his or her left side to right side in a real world or in vr / ar / mr / ai world , he or she can naturally hear the intelligent 3d stereo sound effects and outputs from the intelligent 3d earphone 5000 from the same movement and direction from the left to right , at the same speed , synchronously , simultaneously and collaterally . the vision unit 7000 , 3d earphone 5000 , and the earphone player 8000 can work together for real world or virtual visions as vr / ar / mr / ai , for intelligent 3d stereo sound effects and outputs , and for all intelligent cellular phone multiple functions in parallel synchronously , simultaneously , and collaterally . the vision unit 7000 and brain unit 5080 m and eye unit 5080 v can be any kind of design , shape , method , structure , system , format , material , function , etc . fig2 a shows that the intelligent 3d earphone 5000 has the display unit 5098 with a detachable function . in this detachable function , the display unit 5098 can wirelessly become a mini remote or mobile controller , or communication and play tool , such as a wireless mini multiple player , portable device , cell phone , electrical watch , hand band , head band , walkie - talkie , medical device , etc . the intelligent 3d earphone 5000 contains a detachable frame system 5098 aa so that the screen unit 5098 containing intelligent unit and sensor units 5080 / 5080 a / b / c is attachable or detachable . thus , the screen unit 5098 can be used for a mini mobile controller / input / output or a mini multiple player ( mp ) or a mini operation center if needed . the screen or display unit 5098 displays multiple function icons 5088 in graphic format , or list format , or number format , or letter format , or symbol format , touch panel format , key board format , etc . the multiple function icons 5088 are to display and carry out many functions , such as display modes 5088 a , 3d sense modes 5088 b , 3d intelligence modes 5088 c , 3d sound configuration modes 5088 d , sport modes 5088 e , safety modes 5088 f , communication modes 5088 g , 3d vision / sound modes 5088 h , a drive mode 5088 i , 3d vr / ar / mr modes 5088 vam , a music / visual play mode 5088 t , an input mode 5098 mt , etc . the communication modes 5088 g are for all kind of communications , e . g . cell phone , internet , wireless , email , im , wechat ®, app , etc . the display unit 5098 can have many display formats or systems if needed , such as multiple graphic icons , graphic interfaces , lined icons or lists , a button system , a touch system , a wheel system , an air wave system , an audio / voice control system , an eye / vision control system , a multiple screen - screen system , a vr / ar / mr system , etc . the display unit 5098 has the 3d sound movement digits , such as , n2 w1 z0 to indicate a user &# 39 ; s movement and followed up intelligent 3d stereo sound movement north 2 , west 1 , z point 0 , in 2d format or 3d format , or 3d graphic format . those digits can be auto configured or controlled or performed automatically or by manual input and can be changeable , adjustable , or editable based on a user &# 39 ; s needs . there are a switch unit 5062 and light indicator unit 5064 and input unit 5098 mt on the display unit 5098 . the light indicator unit 5064 is to indicate battery level and wireless signal level together or separately . fig2 b shows one embodiment of that app design 8006 of the earphone player 8000 for the intelligent 3d earphone 5000 . the app 8006 of the earphone player 8000 , the 3d earphone 5000 , and the vision unit 7000 work together to create new 3d stereo sound effects and outputs in parallel synchronously , simultaneously and collaterally , in one way , two ways , or multiple ways , with one direction , two directions , or multiple directions if needed . the earphone player 8000 contains an app unit 8006 , a shell unit 8060 , a switch unit 8022 , a wireless or cable unit 8068 , a screen unit 8018 with input and microphone and speaker functions , and a display area 8012 , or additional parts , etc . the app design 8006 contains the intelligent 3d earphone main menu 8082 , play mode 8084 for music / visual play or game play or any play , function mode 8066 , setting 8088 , sound effect mode 8092 s , vision mode 8092 v , communication 8020 , and edit bar 8024 , etc . the design of app 8006 displays multiple function icons in graphic format , or list format , or number format , or letter format , or symbol format , touch panel format , key board format , etc ., for many formats and icons and modes and functions as shown in fig2 b and as described in the related explanations . also , the app 8006 can have many display formats or systems if needed , such as multiple graphic icons , graphic interfaces , lined icons or lists , a button system , a touch system , a wheel system , an air wave system , an audio / voice control system , a voice recognition / identification system , an eye / vision control system , a multiple screen - screen system , a vr / ar / mr system , etc . the sound effect mode 8092 s is to operate the motors 5018 am / bm / cm and track units 5018 at / bt / ct inside the ear cup 5006 with auto set function or manual operation selection . the vision mode 8092 v is to work with the vision devices , such as vr / ar / mr devices . therefore , the intelligent 3d earphone 5000 can co - work with any kind of app 8006 of the earphone player 8000 and vision device 7000 together in both ways or multiple ways at the same time . the intelligent 3d earphone 5000 and any kind of app 8006 and any kind of vision device 7000 can exchange or co - work or co - do self - configuration of all kind of data or files anytime and anywhere , by wireless communication or by cable line . in other words , the intelligent 3d earphone 5000 can operate the app 8006 and vision unit 7000 together . at the same time , the app 8006 can operate the intelligent 3d earphone 5000 and vision unit 7000 together too . at the same time , the vision device 7000 can operate the intelligent 3d earphone 5000 and app 8006 all together also , in one way , or two ways , or multiple ways , synchronously , simultaneously and collaterally the earphone player 8000 and the app 8006 and all menus and ail units inside the app 8006 can be any kind of design , format , shape , function , structure , system , method , material etc . fig3 shows further details of the intelligent 3d stereo sound effects and outputs 5290 configured and directed by the intelligent unit 5080 and its sensor and processor units 50580 a / b / c . sound is with a source property and a direction property . a human being has a hearing sense of sound sources , sound directions , and sound movements . when the sensor units 5080 a / b / c sense a user &# 39 ; s movement with the sound source / direction fixed , his or her head turns to north 2 and east 1 , and his body position z does not move , the output band indicator 5290 shows channel 1 ( x axis ) up 2 levels , channel 2 ( z point ) 0 still , channel 3 ( y axis ) up 1 in three dimensional directions : vertical ( north or south ), horizontal ( east or west ), and deep ( z axis direction ). the old level 5292 a / b / c is changed to the new level 5294 a / b / c . under the new level 5294 a / 8 / c , a user can hear the intelligent 3d stereo sound changed to be stronger at north 2 and east 1 direction . just like in the real world , when a user turns his or her head to left side , the sound effects he or she hears with the earphone is changed north - east side stronger accordingly . the sound channel levels can be replaced with any kind of sound frequency levels or indicators . the sound source / direction may be fixed , or not fixed , or movable , or changeable , outside from the intelligent 3d earphone 5000 or inside the earphone 5000 . in details of fig2 a , 2b , and fig3 a , and 3b , at the beginning when a user sits on a chair facing north , the intelligent 3d earphone and its intelligent unit 5080 sense no change and cause the indicator 5084 to show “ n0e0z0 ”. then the user turns his or her face toward north and east . at that time , the intelligent 3d earphone 5000 and its intelligent unit 5080 / 5080 a / b / c sense this movement and cause the sense indicator 5084 to show “ n2e1z0 ”. when the indicator 5084 shows “ n0e0z0 ”, the intelligent unit 5080 will not add , reduce , or change in any channel , level or band 290 of the original sound play output . when the indicator 5084 shows “ n2e1z0 ”, the intelligent unit 5080 will automatically follow the mode selected by the user to add , reduce or balance all channels or levels 5290 to create new intelligent 3d stereo sound effects and outputs from the original stereo sound play output . as further explained with reference to fig3 , under the intelligent 3d stereo sound system , the channel 1 ( y axis ) has an original sound stereo output level 5292 a , the channel 2 ( z point / axis ) has an original sound stereo output level 5292 b , and the channel 3 ( x axis ) has an original sound stereo output level 5292 c . usually the channel 1 is set up in the north / south direction as y axis , the channel 2 set up in the z point / axis or sound depth direction , and the channel 3 set up in the east / west direction as x axis . when the indicator 5084 shows “ n2w1z0 ”, the channel 1 as vertical effect ( north or south — y axis ) has two steps 5294 a to add on the original sound stereo play output , the channel 2 as sound depth point ( z points a / b / c ) has zero step 5294 b to add on the original sound stereo play output , and the channel 3 as horizontal effect ( east or west — x axis ) has one step 5294 c to add on the original sound stereo play output . thus , at that time , under the intelligent 3d stereo sound effects end outputs generated and configured by the intelligent unit 5080 , the user can hear a strong 3d stereo sound from the 3d stereo sound play output with the north side strongest , the east side a little stronger , and with no change for a z point dimension , just as in a real sound situation and with sound direction or level stereo change effects . of course , the channels or levels 1 , 2 , 3 of band 5290 may be used , replaced , combined , or improved in whole or in part with any kind of function , system and method of any 3d sound stereo / wave / level / frequency controller , 3d sound stereo wave / level / frequency amplifier , or 3d sound stereo wave / level frequency equalizer . if a user starts to turn his or her head wearing the intelligent 3d earphone 5000 one step to the north , the intelligent unit 5080 can sense this movement and automatically configure new intelligent 3d stereo sound effects and outputs . at the same time , the z point / axis ( z points a / b / c ) will be changed accordingly . the indicator 5084 and 5290 will show “ n2e1z1 ”. the user can hear new 3d stereo sound developments with his body movements at the same speed automatically and accordingly . the channels or levels 1 , 2 , 3 of band 5290 , the display 5098 , and indicator 5084 may vary in size , design , location , shape , style , material or method and system of operation with more channels or levels . the indicator 5084 may be in digitalized 2d or 3d graphic format , or virtual 3d display format , or any kind of display format , etc . the channels or levels 1 , 2 , 3 of band 5290 , the display 5098 , and indicator 5084 may be visible or not depending on the user &# 39 ; s needs . the display 5098 may have multiple display functions , such as 3d or 2d direction indication , sound stereo output screen , radio screen , or multimedia player screen , etc . a user can select those functions through a mode selection . the computerized intelligent sound wave / level / frequency controller unit 5080 can be used or applied on any kind of digitalized audio or audio / video device or system in a 3d method or even in a 2d method . for example , the intelligent controller unit 5080 can be used in a wireless or cabled earphone , a regular or traditional earphone system , a regular headset / headphone system , an audio device , an audio / video system , a telephone system , a pc system , a notebook computer , an internet communication system , a cellular / satellite communication system , a home theater system , a car / ship / airplane audio / video system , a game system , vr / ar / mr / 3d holography systems , in hearing assistance equipment or other suitable system . in fig3 a , when a user faces up north , the left ear cup 5006 l is at the loft side axis x , and a right ear cup 5006 r is at the left side of axis x . at this position , with the sound source / direction fixed from the north down as indicated , the position indicator 5064 shows “ l : x − 1 y0 z0 ” and “ r : x1 y0 z0 ” with z points a / b / c . when the user moves his or her head to the right side 90 degrees and faces the east side as indicated with the arrow , the position indicator 5064 shows “ l : x0 y1 z0 ” and “ r : x0 y − 1 z0 ”. those changes are immediately sensed and processed by the intelligent unit 5080 and sensor units 5080 a / b / c to generate new 3d stereo sound effects and outputs with the left side speaker ( s ) sound turned stronger to the north because the left side speaker ( s ) sound at axis y was added 1 point stronger , and with the right side speaker ( s ) sound turned weaker to the south because the right side speaker ( s ) sound at axis y was reduced 1 point weaker , sound is with a source property and a direction property . a human being has a hearing sense of sound sources sound directions , and sound movements . therefore , a user can hear new 3d stereo sound effects and outputs to follow his or her movements and needs through the intelligent 3d earphone 5000 . the sound source / direction may be fixed , or not fixed , or changeable , or movable , or adjustable , outside or inside the intelligent 3d earphone 5000 . fig3 b shows the intelligent 3d earphone 5000 with outside sound source / direction movement . sound is with a source property and a direction property . a human being has a hearing sense of sound sources , sound directions , and sound movements . when the outside sound source / direction ( environment or situation ) is moved from move a to move b , the intelligent unit 5030 and sensor units 5080 a / b / c sense and process that movement and automatically generate new 3d stereo sound effects and outputs by following and reflecting that sound movement . move a is with l : x − 2 y2 z0 . move b is with r : x2 y2 z0 . obviously , the sound movement will be left side weaker ( x − 2 ) and right side stronger ( x + 2 ) as the user &# 39 ; s standing point does not change ( z points a / b / c ). the intelligent unit 5080 will process those data changes sensed by the sensor units 5080 a / b / c , process them into new sound configurations , and send those new sound configurations into the speakers 5018 a / b / c to achieve intelligent 3d stereo sound effects and outputs by following and reflecting the outside sound source / direction movement . preferably , the intelligent unit 5080 sends one new sound configuration to the left earcup speakers with the sound becoming weaker and weaker ( x − 2 ), and sends another new sound configuration to the right earcup speakers with the sound becoming stronger and stronger ( x + 2 ). for example , a user wears the intelligent 3d earphone with a connection to virtual world vision and sound . as he or she sees a car moving from front left to front right in a virtual world , similar to move a to move b , he or she can hear that car - movement sound moving from his front left to front right in the intelligent 3d earphone 5000 simultaneously and synchronously , just like happens in the real world . the outside sound source / direction movement can be in the real world , or in any vr / ar / mr / 3d holography world , or in a mixed real world and virtual world . all units may vary in design , shape , structure , system , method , function , and material if needed to apply into the various embodiments of earphones shown in fig1 to 7 . all units and functions and structures explained above and shown in fig1 to 7 may be used , applied , or inter - exchanged in any figure of this application for all types of earphones and headphones if needed . fig4 a , and 4b show how the intelligent unit 5080 senses , detects , analyzes , processes , and configures a user &# 39 ; s motions or vr / ar / mr requirements into 3d stereo sound effects and outputs automatically . fig4 shows a pair of earphone sound curves , namely a left sound curve of a left earphone piece , and a right sound curve of a right earphone piece . the vertical line is the y axis . the horizontal line is the x axis . the z point is at the 90 degree cross point 0 of x axis and y axis as x - y - z 3 dimension stereo sound space , especially in vr / ar / mr / ai worlds . there are movement section lines for the x axis and the y axis . those section lines may be adjustable with the same space , or different spaces according to different modes configured by the intelligent unit 5080 for different functions . the left and right curve charts can be the same or different based on needs . fig4 a explains how the intelligent 3d stereo sound system 5080 a / b / c and z points a / b / c work and how the intelligent 3d stereo sound effects and outputs are created from the automatic configuration of the intelligent unit 5080 following a user &# 39 ; s movements or vr / ar / mr requirements . there is a pair of earphone sound curves , namely the left sound curve and the right sound curve . the left sound curve ( curve 1 ) line of left earphone piece with y1 axis , x1 axis , and z1 point / axis ( with z point a or b or c ) has 5294 zp as the original situation . the right bound curve ( curve 1 ) line of right earphone piece is also with y1 axis , x1 axis , and z1 point / axis ( with z point a or b or c ) 5294 zp as the original situation . a user turns his head to the right at north 2 , east 1 , and z point 0 , with the sound source / direction fixed . the intelligent unit 5080 senses and processes this movement and configures it into new 3d stereo sound effects and outputs . because of the user &# 39 ; s turn to right , it is better and easier to use the right sound curve line to show new 3d stereo sound effects and outputs to work under the intelligent unit 5080 &# 39 ; s controls and configurations . the curve 1 is the original sound line . the curve 2 is the new intelligent 3d stereo sound effects and outputs controlled and configured by the intelligent unit 5080 following the user &# 39 ; s movements . the curve 2 is moved up to y2 and x1 and z2 point with the new 3d stereo sound effects and outputs so that the right side is stronger to reflect the user &# 39 ; s head turn to the right to match that the right side sound would be stronger and closer in the real world . if a user continues to turn his or her head with the intelligent 3d earphone 5000 , curve 3 is created with other new intelligent 3d stereo sound effects and outputs controlled and configured by the intelligent unit 5080 according to the user &# 39 ; s continued movements . the curve 3 is further continuously moved up to y3 and x2 and z3 point with the newer 3d stereo sound effects and outputs becoming right side stronger and stronger to reflect that the user &# 39 ; s head continues to turn to the right side , which matches that the right side sound would be stronger and closer in the real world . the z point / axis ( zp ) 5294 zp ( z point a or b or c ) can get the best value calculation from the z area stereo data for best new 3d stereo sound effects and outputs , especially for the sound depth , z axis sound space . the z point / axis 5294 zp can be any or a mixture of z point a or b or c and can be pre - set or automatically self - adjusted for sense point stereo measurements . there are beginning time differences set up in advance or automatically set or reset up for reactions or configurations , for example with around 2 - 3 seconds to start the reaction function of the intelligent unit 5090 and its sensor units 5080 a / b / c . there are time differences for returning back , to the original state , with those time differences being pre - set up or automatically set up or reset up for returning back to the original condition if a user stops turning his or her head and sits back straight forward , for example with around 2 - 5 seconds to let the intelligent 3d earphone 5000 change back to the original condition naturally and smoothly . the left and right curve charts can be the same or different based on needs . fig4 b is another explanation how the intelligent 3d stereo sound system 5080 a / b / c and z points a / b / c work and shows how the intelligent 3d stereo sound effects and outputs are created from the automatic best configuration of the intelligent unit 5080 following a user &# 39 ; s movements or vr / ar / mr requirements at the z area / axis ( zr ) sense motion 5294 zr . there is a pair of earphone sound curves , namely the left sound curve and the right sound curve . the left sound curve ( curve 1 ) of the left earphone piece is with y1 axis , x1 axis , and z1 area / axis ( with z point a or b or c ) as the original situation . the right sound curve ( curve 1 ) of the right earphone piece is also with y1 axis , x1 axis , and z1 area / axis ( with z point a or b or c ) as the original situation . the left and right curve charts can be the same or different based on needs . there are two types of sense motions : the first one is the accurate sense point . we call that the z point / axis ( zp ) 5294 zp at mm or cm measurement as shown in fig4 a . second one is the sense stereo area ( zr ) 5294 zr . we call that the z area / axis ( zr ) 5294 zr . the z point / axis ( zp ) 5294 zp is very good for accurate sense functions such as a pin point sense , a space center sense , an accurate distance sense , a radiation sense , etc . the z area / axis 5294 zr is very good for stereo format sense functions , such as the angle sense , the space area movement sense , the environment sense , the fast moving sense , the stereo space sense , etc . the z area / axis ( zr ) 5294 zr can obtain the best value calculation from the z area stereo data for the best new 3d stereo sound effects and outputs , especially for the sound depth , z axis sound space . this is one of the benefits for the z area / axis system 5294 zr by using fuzzy mathematics and stereo space format or other best value calculation methods , which is very good for vr / ar / mr requirements . with fig4 b &# 39 ; s z area / axis sense motion ( zr ) 5294 zr , a user turns his or her head to the right at north 2 , east 1 , and z area 0 , with the sound source / direction fixed . sound is with a source property and a direction property . a human being has a hearing sense of sound sources , sound directions , and sound movements . the intelligent unit 5080 senses and processes this movement and configures it into new 3d stereo sound effects and outputs . because of the user &# 39 ; s turn to right , it is better and easier to use the right sound curve line to show new 3d stereo sound effects and outputs to work under the intelligent unit 5080 &# 39 ; s controls and configurations . the curve 1 a is the original sound line . the curve 2 a is the new intelligent 3d stereo sound effects and outputs controlled and configured by the intelligent unit 5080 following the user &# 39 ; s movements . the curve 2 a is moved up to y2 and x1 and z2 area with the new 3d stereo sound effects and outputs becoming right side stronger to reflect the user &# 39 ; s head turn to the right which matches that the right side sound would become stronger and closer in a the real world with such a movement . if a user continues to turn his or her head with the intelligent 3d earphone 5000 , curve 3 is created with new intelligent 3d stereo sound effects and outputs controlled and configured by the intelligent unit 50 so following the user &# 39 ; s continued movements . the curve 3 is further continuously moved up to y3 and x2 and z3 area with the newer 3d stereo sound effects and outputs becoming even stronger for the right side to reflect that the right side sound would become stronger and closer in the real world based on the user &# 39 ; s head continually turning to the right side . the z area / axis 5294 zr can be any of z point a or b or c or a combination of these and can be pre - set or automatically self - adjusted for sense area stereo measurement a . there are beginning time differences set up in advance or automatically set or reset up for reactions or configurations , for example with around 2 - 3 seconds to start the reaction function of the intelligent unit 5080 and its sense units 5080 a / b / c . there are time differences for returning back to the original state , with those time differences being pre - set up or automatically set up or reset up for returning back to the original condition if a user stops turning his or her head and sits back straight forward , for example with around 2 - 5 seconds to let the intelligent 3d earphone 5000 change back to the original condition naturally and smoothly . the left and right curve charts can be the same or different based on needs . all functions or methods or systems of fig4 - 4b can be used in a vr / ar / mr / ai virtual world or real world or a mixture of both worlds . for example , the functions or methods or systems of the z area / axis ( zr ) 5094 zr and z point / axis ( zp ) 5094 zp can be used for all movements ox situations or changes or developments in a vr / ar / mr / ai virtual world or virtual space or virtual time to generate new 3d stereo sound effects and outputs . the sound source / direction may be fixed , or not fixed , or movable , or changeable , or adjustable , outside or inside the intelligent 3d earphone 5000 . all units may vary in design , shape , structure , system , method , function , and material if needed to apply into the various embodiments of earphones shown in fig1 to 7 . all units and functions and structures explained above and shown in fig1 to 7 may be used , applied , or inter - exchanged in any figure of this application for all types of earphones and headphones if needed . fig5 and 5a show another embodiment of the intelligent 3d earphone 5000 with a wearable system or structure for sports , health , training , entertainments , works , studies , medical issues , robot or artificial intelligent ( ai ) wear , ai tool , ai equipment , 3d holography , ate . a user wears the intelligent 3d earphone 5000 containing the inside intelligent unit / sensor and processor units 5080 / 5080 a / b / c and with 3d vision tool 7000 detachable . there are more outside sensor and processor units 5080 d / e / f / g / h to put on the user &# 39 ; s body to sense the user &# 39 ; s body movements . the sensor unit 5080 d is placed at the chest area of the user . the sensor unit 5080 e is on the right hand . the sensor 5080 f is on the left hand . the sensor 5080 g is on the right foot . the sensor 5080 h is on the left foot . more outside sensor units can he applied if needed . for example , one or more sensor units can be installed within the head band 5002 of the intelligent 3d earphone 5000 or on the backside of a user &# 39 ; s body , etc . therefore , a user &# 39 ; s whole body movements are sensed by the intelligent unit 5080 . the intelligent unit 5080 configures those sensed movements into new 3d stereo sound effects and outputs with the 3d vision tool 7000 together . the sensor units 5080 a to h can be located inside or outside the earphone 5000 . in any embodiment of this invention , any sensor unit 5090 a to c or to h can be independent or separate from the intelligent unit 5080 if needed . there are many sense or play modes on those sensors 5080 a to h . for example , the center sensor unit 5080 d is to sense the user &# 39 ; s chest movements or temperatures . the hand sensor units 5080 e / f are to sense the user &# 39 ; s hand movements or assigned audio or music instruments or game tools , such as different violins , speakers , drums , letter writing and graphic drawing or painting on air or on paper , or game wireless controller like wii u remote controller , etc . the foot sensor units 5080 g / h are to sense the user &# 39 ; s foot movements or assigned audio or music instruments or game tools , such as drums , running , walking , jumping , etc . the intelligent unit 5080 can sense and process those movements and configure them into new 3d stereo sound effects and outputs by generating electronic signals into the intelligent 3d earphone speakers 5018 a / b / c and 3d stereo sound effect 5032 and sound resonance unit 5036 as shown in fig1 to 7 . there is a communication tool and / or earphone player 8000 to work with the intelligent earphone 5000 and its intelligent unit 5080 together . the communication tool or earphone player 8000 can be any kind of cellular phone , multiple player , smart phone , electronic portable device , music electronic instruments , electronic watch , laptop , notebook , pc , vr / ar / mr / ai or 3d holography devices , app , etc . the earphone player 8000 may contain its own intelligent unit 8080 and sensor / processor units 8080 a / b / c , very similar to the intelligent 3d earphone &# 39 ; s intelligent unit 5080 and sensor / processor units 5030 a / b / c . those 2 sets of the intelligent units or the earphone player 8000 and 3d earphone 5000 are to work together to create new 3d stereo sound effects and outputs in parallel synchronously , simultaneously and collaterally . the 3d vision unit 7000 can be any kind of 2d or 3d vision device , such as for one eye like google glass , or for both eyes like virtual glass , gear vr , daydream , psvr , or any kind of vr / ar / mr / ai device , etc . the 3d vision unit 7000 , 3d earphone 5000 and its sensor units 5080 a to h , and the earphone player 8000 can work together for vr / ar / mr / ai virtual visions ( virtual reality functions ), 3d holography , intelligent 3d stereo sound effects and outputs , and all intelligent cellular phone multiple functions in parallel synchronously , simultaneously , and collaterally . fig5 a and 5aa show those intelligent and sensor units 5080 a - h containing each screen or display unit 5098 a - h to display multiple function icons 5088 a in graphic format or list / letter format or icon format or symbol format . the multiple function icons 5088 a are to display and carry out many functions , such as display modes 5088 aa , 3d sense modes 5088 ab , 3d intelligence modes 5088 ac , 3d sound configuration modes 5088 ad , sport modes 5068 ae , safety modes 5088 af , communication modes 5088 ag , 3d vision / sound modes 5088 ah , drive mode 5088 ai , music / visual play mode 5088 at , 3d vr / ar / mr modes 5088 vam , input mode 5098 mt , etc . the communication modes 5088 ag are for all kind of communications , e . g . cellular phone , internet , wireless , email , im , wechat ®, camera / video , app , etc . the display units 5098 a - h can have multiple screens or icons if needed . the display units 5098 a - h have the 3d sound movement digits , such as , n2 w1 z0 to indicate a user &# 39 ; s movement and corresponding new intelligent 3d sound stereo movement north 2 , west 1 , z point 0 . those digits can be auto configured or controlled or performed automatically or by manual input , and can be changeable , adjustable , and editable , based on a user &# 39 ; s needs . there are a switch unit 5062 a , a light indicator unit 5064 a , and an input unit 5096 mt on the display units 5098 a - h . the light indicator unit 5064 a is to indicate battery level and wireless signal level together or separately . the intelligent sensor and processor units 5030 a - h can have the same mode or function selected or multiple modes and function selected or different modes or functions selected for each unit 5080 a to 5080 h . for example , the center unit 5080 d has the communication mode selected to work with the communication tool and earphone player 8000 . the hand units 5080 e - f have writing or drawing or painting modes selected to write letters or numbers or to draw sketches or to paint pictures on air or on paper to configure them into sound playing or letter writing / drawing / painting display , to record them , and edit them in the intelligent 3d earphone 5000 . the foot units 5080 g - h have a walking or running mode selected to the intelligent 3d earphone 5000 . all those modes above can be selected or played at : the same time , same place , same pace , or at a different time , different place , different pace , or to be inner changeable or self adjustable , synchronously or separately , if needed . the intelligent sensor units 5080 a - h and display unite 5098 a - h can be with sensor functions only , or sensor functions with multiple player ( mp ) functions and / or mobile controller / input functions together at the same time , and modified into one unit or several units if needed . the earphone player 8000 may contain its own intelligent unit 8080 and sensor / processor units 8080 a / b / c , very similar to the intelligent 3d earphone &# 39 ; s intelligent unit 5080 and sensor / processor units 5080 a / b / c . those 2 sets of the intelligent units of the earphone player 8000 and 3d earphone 5000 work together to create new 3d stereo sound effects and outputs in parallel synchronously , simultaneously and collaterally . at the same time , the vision unit 7000 , 3d earphone 5000 , and the earphone player 8000 can work together for vr / ar / mr virtual visions ( virtual reality ), intelligent 3d stereo sound effects and outputs , and all intelligent cellular phone multiple functions in parallel synchronously , simultaneously , and collaterally . there is a detachable belt or band 5038 working with the sensor 5080 a - h for a user to wear the sensor on hands or feet . the belt or band can be replaced with any kind of fastener . the design , function , method , shape , type , and material of the belt ; or band 5038 may vary . all units nay vary in design , shape , structure , system , method , function , and material if needed to apply into the various embodiments of earphones shown in fig1 to 7 . all units and functions and structures explained above and shown in fig1 to 7 may be used , applied , or inter - exchanged in any figure of this application for all types of earphones and headphones if needed . fig6 a , and 6b show another embodiment of the intelligent 3d earphone 6000 containing intelligent unit 6080 and motion and environment sensor / processor units 6080 a , 6080 b , 6080 c inside the earphone 6000 . another set of an intelligent unit 6080 and sensor units 6080 a / b / c are inside the multiple player unit 6098 with a cable or a wireless / battery level unit 6064 and a graphic interface unit 6088 , a mother board 6070 and cpu unit 6072 with several micro chips , a battery unit 6076 , a wireless / cable unit 6078 , a microphone unit 6068 , a switch unit 6062 , a light indicator unit 6064 , an integrated micro sound amplifier unit 6082 , and a sound purifier unit 6086 , etc . at the same time , the computerized intelligent sound controller unit 6080 which can also be an intelligent wave / level / frequency reaction and controller unit is inside the ear speaker cup unit 6006 containing the multiple speaker units 6018 a and 6010 b working with the sound effect structure unit 6032 and sound resonance unit 6036 together to create intelligent 3d stereo sound effects and outputs . the intelligent unit 6080 contains motion sensor / processor units 6080 a , 6080 b , and 6060 c to detect a user &# 39 ; s body movements and a user &# 39 ; s needs for vr / ar / mr / ai to generate automatically a set of self - configured 3d stereo sound effects and outputs . also , the intelligent unit 6080 contains motion sensor units 6080 a , 6080 b , and 6080 c to detect a user &# 39 ; s environment or surrounding or vr / ar / mr / ai requirements to generate automatically a set of self - configured new intelligent 3d stereo sound effects and outputs . the intelligent unit 6080 and computerized motion sensor units 6080 a / b / c detect , process , and control the natural motions or vr / ar / mr motions or environment movements and 3d sound frequency configuration system of multiple speaker units that includes 3d stereo sound speaker units 6018 a and 6018 b . the intelligent unit 6080 automatically detects , analyzes , processes , records , follows , and directs the result and self auto configuration of those activities or situations or special virtual reality requirements to generate 3d stereo high sound frequency into the first speaker unit 6018 a and generate the bass / middle frequencies of 3d stereo sounds into the second speaker unit 6018 b , working with the sound effect structure unit 6032 and sound resonance unit 6036 together in order to achieve intelligent 3d stereo sound effects for a very 3 strong and powerful bass and resonance / harmony performance stereo in x - y - z three dimensional ( 3d ) sound effects under the multiple drivers arrayed in multiple ways . the ear cup 6006 and speaker units 6018 a / b and sound effect unit 6032 and sound resonance / harmony unit 6036 all work together to generate 3d stereo sound effects and outputs , with all their functions , structures , systems , methods , materials , designs , and formats as detailed in u . s . pat . no . 7 , 697 , 709 and no . 8 , 515 , 103 . the intelligent , unit 6080 and sensor units 6080 a / b / c can be in one unit , or two units , or multiple units , together or separate or independent . any senor unit 6080 a to c can be independent or separate from the intelligent unit 6080 if needed . there can be designed to put 2 sensors 6080 r and 6080 l into inside or outside the right ear cup 6006 r and left ear cup 6006 l of the intelligent 3d earphone 6000 separately and independently with any location and any design to detect or sense a user &# 39 ; s right side movements / situations and left side movements / situations and then send those sensed data into the intelligent unit 6080 for creation of new intelligent 3d stereo sound effects and outputs , as is shown for example in fig6 a . the intelligent 3d stereo earphone 6000 can be used for or worked with any kind of vr / ar / mr or any kind of artificial intelligence ( ai ) or any kind of robot system , ai wear , ai tool , ai equipment , and wearable system , etc . the design , function , material , shape , size , type , and location of the intelligent unit 6080 and its sensor and processor units 6080 a / 8 / c with mini circuit board and micro chips inside may vary . the wireless / cable unit 6078 may include a receiver / sender unit 6078 a allowing the wireless / cable unit 6078 to deliver or receive from a circumaural wireless stereo radio frequency ( rf ) system , or an internet server system , or blue tooth , or wi - fi system , an app , home and work connection , icloud system , etc . the cpu / mcp unit 6072 may contain a digital signal processor providing a full range of digital audio output of earphone 6000 . therefore , intelligent 3d stereo earphone 6000 may be used wirelessly or through a cable in a regular earphone system , a regular headset / headphone system , a cell phone , a smart phone , a multiple player , a radio system , a telephone system , a personal computer ( pc ) system , a notebook computer , an internet communication system , a cellular / satellite communication system , a home theater system , a car / ship / airplane audio system , a game , vr / ar / mr devices , ear hearing assistance equipment , an app , or medical equipment , etc . the intelligent 3d earphone 6000 contains the sound delivery unit 6020 with several shapes and functions , such as in - ear , on - ear , around - ear , over - ear , etc . the intelligent unit 6080 and motion sensors 6080 a / 8 / c are to sense or detect a user &# 39 ; s body movements . according to a mode pre - selected by the user , the intelligent unit 6080 receives , processes , and analyzes those sensed movements to generate automatically new 3d stereo sound effects and outputs . thus , a user can hear a new 3d stereo sound to follow and / or reflect his or her movements and his or her desires for vr / ar / mr / ai visual and stereo sound combinations and effects and outputs . traditionally , an earphone is only configured to deliver or play sound or audio recorded in certain electronic formats , such as in a cd , an electronic file , or from a hard drive , from the internet , etc . a user is not able to change or update this kind of sound outputs or sound effects when using a traditional earphone . a user &# 39 ; s needs or body movements or environments , or surroundings , or virtual reality situations , or natural situations are not related absolutely to any sound output or effect playing in a traditional earphone , in other words , a traditional earphone is only a negative electronic player , is not intelligent , and has nothing to do with and does not react to a user &# 39 ; s movements or situations . there is not any connection between the earphone and its user &# 39 ; s movements and surrounding situations and they are totally separate . the intelligent unit 6080 and its sensors 6080 a / b / c are intelligently and positively to connect or follow a user &# 39 ; s movements and surrounding situations and vr / ar / mr / ai requirements with the earphone sound system automatically at the same time , same pace , and same space , through the self - motivated configuration system generated by cpu unit 6072 , memory unit 6074 , sound amplifier unit 6082 , and ail other units inside the intelligent unit 6080 to create new 3d stereo sound effects and outputs . in that case , the intelligent 3d earphone 6000 is to become a user &# 39 ; s electronic ears to react and hear real world stereo sound effects and outputs , virtual world stereo sound effects and outputs , or a mixture of both . a user &# 39 ; s movements can be body movements or mind movements , visual movements , or sound movements , and can run separately or combined together in multiple ways . the user &# 39 ; s mind movements or visual movements can be sensed by the brain sensor unit 6080 m or eye / eyeball / iris / pupil / visual sensor unit 6080 v with any electronic sensor devices to obtain the user &# 39 ; s mind or visual electronic or nervous flows for mind work or eye / vision work or health work . for example , the electronic sensor devices could perform an electroencephalogram for brain cell or nervous electronic movements , could perform an electrocardiogram for heart beats , could be a blood pressure machine or temperature instruments , could perform visual or eye or eyeball or iris or pupil tracking , or could include sound or mouth tracking systems for vr / ar / mr effects and outputs , etc . a user &# 39 ; s surrounding environment or situation can be any kind of real world surround condition or situation around the user . the intelligent unit 6080 can sense a user &# 39 ; s surrounding situation , such as light level , temperature , rain , wind , sky , sun , moon , stars , fog , physical things , human beings , animals , etc . thus , the intelligent 3d earphone 6000 can give environment signals to the user . for example , if the intelligent unit 6080 senses a stranger approaching , the intelligent unit 6080 immediately sends the warning signal to the earphone speakers 6018 a / b / c for the user &# 39 ; s safety check . if the intelligent unit 6080 senses a car trailing behind too closely , then the intelligent unit 6080 immediately sends the traffic warning signal to the earphone speakers 6018 a / b / c for the user &# 39 ; s alarm . it is very important that the earphone has a safety alarm function to sense the user &# 39 ; s situation safety , because all current earphones are with an “ isolated function ” for pure sound effects and outputs . earphone noise isolation becomes a basic function for all earphones on the current market . a user wearing an “ isolated ” earphone has difficulty hearing outside sound , such as a traffic warning sound , etc . the intelligent 3d earphone 6000 can overcome that problem with its intelligent unit 6080 and its sensor / processor units 6080 a / b / c to detect , process , analyze , and configure new 3d stereo sound effects and outputs to generate a safety warning function , such as for detecting and warning of a traffic red light , or sensing and warning an approaching car , etc . at the same time , if needed , the intelligent unit 6080 can have a self - adjustable function according to a user &# 39 ; s surrounding situation if needed . for example , if the intelligent unit 6080 and its sensor units 6080 a / b / c sense that the environment becomes too noisy , the intelligent unit immediately self - adjusts the sound output volume level upwards based on the mode preset or preselected . if the intelligent unit 6080 senses the environment becoming quiet , the intelligent unit 6080 will auto - adjust back to the original 3 sound output volume . the intelligent unit 6080 can sense and control and auto adjust all noises from outside the earphone 6000 and all noises from inside the earphone 6000 such as electrical flow noise , etc ., based on a user &# 39 ; s needs , at the same time . also at the same time , the intelligent unit 6080 can have a coordination system to work with vr / ar / mr / ai visual and audio effects and outputs accordingly . the intelligent 3d earphone 6080 contains the intelligent unit / sensor and processor units 6080 / 6080 a / b / c inside and works with a detachable 3d vision tool 7000 together or individually or separately . therefore , a user &# 39 ; s whole body movements are sensed by the intelligent unit 6080 . the intelligent unit 6080 configures those sensed movements into new 3d stereo sound effects and outputs with the 3d vision tool 7000 together . the 3d vision unit 7000 can be any kind of 2d or 3d vision device , such as for one eye like google glass , or for both eyes like virtual glass , or any vr / ar / mr devices , etc . the 3d vision unit 7000 , 3d earphone 6000 , and the earphone player 8000 can work together for virtual visions ( virtual reality functions ), intelligent 3d stereo sound effects and outputs , and all intelligent cellular phone multiple functions in parallel synchronously , simultaneously , and collaterally . furthermore , the intelligent 3d earphone 6000 and intelligent unit 6080 and its sensors 6080 a / b / c can work with any kind of earphone player 8000 . for example , earphone player 8000 can be any kind of electronic device , such as , a cellular phone , a multiple player , a portable player , a computer , a notebook , a tv set , the internet , an app , an electronic portable device , a vr / ar / mr device , etc . the intelligent unit 6080 can send or command its electronic signals to any kind of earphone player 8000 by wireless or cable communication . at the same time , any kind of earphone player 8000 can send or command its electronic signals to the intelligent unit 6080 synchronously , by wireless or cable communication . the earphone player 8000 can be any kind of multiple players , cellular phones , smart phones , electronic portable devices , laptops , notebooks , pc , app , vr / ar / mr / ai devices , etc ., in various designs , materials , methods , functions , systems , materials , and formats , etc . the earphone player 8000 may contain its own intelligent unit 8080 and sensor / processor units 8080 a / b / c , very similar to the intelligent 3d earphone &# 39 ; s intelligent unit 6080 and sensor / processor units 6080 a / b / c . those 2 sets of the intelligent units of the earphone player 8000 and 3d earphone 6000 work together to create new 3d stereo sound effects and outputs in parallel synchronously , simultaneously and collaterally , in one way , two ways , or multiple ways , with one direction , two directions , or multiple directions if needed . the earphone player 8000 can send or receive the electronic signals to or from the intelligent 3d earphone 6000 and save those signals into electronic files or data . for replay , editing , saving , or delivery of intelligent 3d stereo sound usages anytime or anywhere , by wireless or cable communication . the intelligent 3d earphone 6000 can send or receive the electronics signals to or from the earphone player 8000 and save those signals into electronic files or data , for replay , editing , saving , or delivery of intelligent 3d stereo sound usages anytime or anywhere , by wireless or cable communication . therefore , the intelligent 3d earphone 6000 can co - work with any kind of earphone player 8000 together at the same time . the intelligent 3d earphone 6000 and any kind of earphone player 8000 can exchange or co - work or co - do self - configuration of all kinds of data or files anytime or anywhere , by wireless or cable line communication . the intelligent 3d earphone 6000 and its intelligent unit 6080 have to set up a beginning point first . the beginning point is called the z point mode . there are an x axis and a y axis for a traditional sound curve development . there is a z axis for 3d stereo sound space development for x - y - z 3d stereo sound space . the z axis is a key to create x - y - z 3 dimensional ( 3d ) stereo sound . the beginning z point is a key to create the intelligent 3d stereo sound system . there are 3 kinds of z points of the intelligent 3d stereo sound system in the intelligent 3d earphone 6000 and its intelligent unit 6080 and sensor units 6080 a / b / c . first , is a user &# 39 ; s self - standing point as the z point a . this z - self point mode is to use a user &# 39 ; s position and self - movement for creation of the intelligent 3d stereo sound effects and outputs . second , is a user &# 39 ; s environment or surrounding as the z point b . this z - surrounding point is to use a user &# 39 ; s surrounding and related environment for creation of the intelligent 3d stereo sound effects and outputs . third , is a sound z axis position and direction as the z point c . this z - axis sound point is to use 3d stereo sound depth ( z - axis ) for creation of the intelligent x - y - z 3d stereo sound effects and outputs . preferably , the z - axis sound point is for the intelligent unit 6080 to control and manage and configure the speaker 6018 b or any bass sound speaker to have the sound depth at a z - axis sound space to achieve the intelligent x - y - z 3d stereo sound effects and outputs . of course , the z - axis sound point function can be used for any speaker 6018 a or 6018 d or for more speakers , or for any combination of those speakers 6018 a / b , such as one , two , or three , or more , for the sound depth at a z - axis sound space . in general , the intelligent 3d stereo sound system containing those z points a / b / c works with the intelligent unit 6080 together to control and manage and automatically configure the intelligent sensor units 6080 a / b / c and speakers 6018 a / s and sound effect unit 6032 and sound resonance unit 6036 to have the sound x - y axis width and sound z axis depth at a stereo sound space to achieve the intelligent x - y - z 3d stereo sound effects and outputs by following and reflecting a user &# 39 ; s movements , environments , situations , and needs , synchronously , simultaneously and collaterally , as is more detailed in fig3 to 4b . there are many sense modes of the intelligent 3d earphone 6000 and its intelligent unit 6080 and intelligent sensor units 6080 a / b / c , such as for an accelerometer sensor , a magnetic field sensor , an orientation sensor , a gyroscope sensor , a light sensor , a pressure sensor , a temperature sensor , a proximity sensor , a gravity sensor , a linear acceleration sensor , a rotation sensor , a car sensor , an outside noise sensor , an inside noise sensor , a direction sensor , a navigation sensor , an orientation sensor , a balance sensor , a distance sensor , a visual / eye tracking or control sensor , a sound / mouth tracking or control sensor , for working in an android system or an apple system , or a window system , or other systems , etc ., for real world or virtual world 3d stereo sound effects and outputs . there are many function modes of the intelligent 3d earphone 6000 , such as an intelligent 3d stereo sound mode , a mimic mode , a safety mode , a drive mode , an electronic control mode , a voice control mode , a display mode , a sport mode , a work node , a health mode , an intelligent 3d stereo sound and virtual mode , a vr / ar / mr mode , a drive mode , a game mode , etc . there are many play modes of the intelligent 3d earphone 6000 , such as a multiple player mode , a game mode , a sport mode , an education mode , a health mode , a security entertainment mode , a vr / ar / mr play mode , etc . of course , fig6 also shows that the intelligent 3d earphone 6000 contains the intelligent unit 6080 and multiple speakers 6018 a / b to deliver intelligent 3d stereo sound effects and outputs . the intelligent 3d earphone 6000 and its intelligent unit 6080 detect , analyze , process , and configure a user &# 39 ; s motion movements and environments or vr / ar / mr requirements into 3d stereo sound frequencies and effects and outputs of the speakers 6018 a / b at the best intelligent calculation and direction . preferably , one speaker 6018 a is a sound driver handling high frequency mostly . another speaker 6018 b handles bass and middle frequency range of sound mostly . the speaker units 6108 a / b can be one speakers , two speakers , three speakers , or multiple speakers , with any kind of design , position , location , structure , system , method , function , etc ., such as positioned se in the same direction , opposite direction , to face each other , to be off - centered , to have a front - and - back arrangement at the same axis or a different axis , an up - down arrangement , a circle arrangement , a parallel arrangement , at the same angles , at different angles , inside or outside the earphone 6000 , etc . the intelligent 3d unit 6080 containing sensor units 6080 a / b / c receives all of a user &# 39 ; s movements and sound signals from the original sound tracks , or vr / ar / mr requirements , and additionally or mixed therewith the sensed user &# 39 ; s movements or needs , and then analyzes , processes , and directs those original sound tracks or frequencies alone or mixed with the sensed and configured user &# 39 ; s movements and vr / ar / mr needs into different sound channels and frequencies for those three speakers 6018 a and 6018 b working with the sound affect structure unit 6032 and sound resonance unit 6036 to create new intelligent 3d stereo sound effects and outputs following and / or reflecting the user &# 39 ; s movements and surrounding environment situations and vr / ar / mr needs . inside the speaker cup unit 6006 there is a sound effect / check member or piece 6032 and other sound check members or pieces to create a 3d stereo sound resonance area 6036 within the ear cup unit 6006 . the cup unit 6006 , speakers 6018 a / b , sound effect unit 6032 , and sound resonance unit 6036 can be any kind of shape or design with any kind of material , structure , function , method , system , and format , if needed . the intelligent 3d earphone 6000 and its intelligent unit 6080 intelligently configure high frequency into the front speaker 6018 a and bass / middle frequencies into the back speaker 6018 b synchronously . of course , there are many possible ways of 3d stereo sound configuration for achieving better sound stereo effects and outputs with minimized digital sound loss or distortion . for example , the intelligent unit 6080 may configure bass frequency into the front speaker 601 ba and high / middle frequencies into the back speaker 6018 b synchronously . in this embodiment , there are two speakers ( sound drivers ) 6018 a and 6018 b inside the ear cup 6006 . in order to arrange these two speakers ( double sound drivers ) in a front - and - back straight array or in an angled structure , one speaker 6018 a is located at the front of the ear cup 6006 to handle high frequency . the second speaker 6018 b is located at the back of the ear cup 6006 to handle bass / middle frequency of 3d stereo sound generated or configured from the intelligent unit 6080 with sensing and reacting to a user &# 39 ; s movements and surrounding situations and vr / ar / mr / ai requirements . therefore , the two speakers 6018 a and 6018 b in a straight arrangement create a stage - like real sound delivery system in x - y - z three - dimensional ( 3d ) sound stereo space because the two speakers 6018 a and 6018 b explore stereo sounds in two dimensions ( x - y axes senses ) in a wide horizontal way . plus , at the same time , the large speaker 6018 b delivers very strong sounds , preferably in the bass frequency , from the back to have a z - axis stereo sound in a deep vertical way for x - y - z 3d stereo surrounding sound effects with bass / mid / high sound frequencies . generally speaking , the intelligent unit 6080 and its sensor units 6080 a / b / c and speaker units 6016 a / b have the following functions and work flows and systems of sensing , analyzing , and configuring at best value , synchronously and collaterally , as follows : first , sensing or detecting a user &# 39 ; s movements or surrounding environments or situations or needs with certain sense mode selected by the user , such as a vr / ar / mr / ai mode , etc . ; second , receiving or performing original sound tracks and frequencies of x - y - z 3d stereo sound working in the sound effect structure 6032 and sound resonant unit 6036 ; third , analyzing , processing , and configuring the first point and second point together with a computerized best value calculation system and program to generate new x - x - z 3d stereo sound effects and outputs for teal , world or virtual world of vr / ar / mr / ai , or a mixture of both ; fourth , intelligently directing the new x - y - z 3d stereo sound channels and frequencies into different speakers 6018 a / b / c working with the sound effect structure 6032 and sound resonant unit 6036 ; fifth , delivering the new x - y - z 3d stereo sound effects and outputs into a user &# 39 ; s ears to satisfy the user &# 39 ; s needs for x - y - z 3d stereo sound real - situation or real - stage enjoyments , or vr / ar / mr / ai , or a mixture of some of them or all of them , or all other needs if possible . of course , those steps can be adjustable or rotatable or interchangeable any time and anywhere it needed . for example , the second one can become the first one and first one can become the second one , etc . there are many possible sound frequency and driver position combinations for those two speakers 6018 a / b having a straight arrangement at the front and the back or at a parallel side structure , or mixed positions , or angled positions , in the same direction or in a different direction or in an opposite direction , to face each other , inside of the ear cup 6006 or earphone 6000 , as detailed in u . s . pat . no . 7 , 697 , 709 and no . 6 , 515 , 103 . the intelligent 3d earphone 6000 may contain 2 speakers 6018 a and 6018 b , or 3 speakers or 4 speakers or more speakers with different positions and structures , designs , methods , systems , materials , formats , and sizes if needed . there can be just one speaker 6018 a designed and arranged inside the intelligent 3d earphone 6000 as shown for example in the embodiment of fig6 b . all units may vary in design , shape , structure , system , method , function , and material if needed to apply into the various embodiments of earphones shown in fig1 to 7 . all units and functions and structures explained above and shown in fig1 to 7 may be used , applied , or inter - exchanged in any figure of this application for all types of earphones and headphones if needed . fig6 c shows one embodiment of the intelligent 3d earphone 6000 to have an on - ear cup design with a flat sound output unit 6020 . the flat sound output unit 6020 is preferably to use soft sponge material inside and soft smooth surface material outside to obtain a comfortable ear touch feeling and to be tight enough for sound delivery into a user &# 39 ; s ear . the design , material , format , structure , system , and method of the sound output unit 6020 may vary if needed . fig6 c and 7 show another embodiment in which the intelligent 3d earphone 6000 works with a detachable ear band 6038 through the unit 6016 c and unit 6012 working together , in a cable or wireless manner . because the present improvement was simultaneously researched and developed together with the inventions of the sound direction / stereo 3d adjustable earphone of u . s . pat . no . 7 , 697 , 709 and 3d stereo earphone with multiple speakers of u . s . pat . no . 8 , 515 , 103 under 3d earphone whole concept , the unit 6016 c of the intelligent 3d earphone 6000 may work with the detachable speaker cup holding unit 6008 through the ball / male unit 6012 for attachment or detachment functions and structures . the unit 6008 works with the ear band unit 6038 through the attachment and detachment unit 6014 . with the attachable / detachable unit 6016 c , the speaker cup unit 6006 may work with the sound 3d adjustable direction speaker cup holding unit and ear band unit 6008 / 6038 to independently achieve holding and adjusting functions for hearing comfort , hearing safety , wearing comfort , and wearing stability , for example so that the earphone 6000 may be worn for sports . the intelligent 3d earphone 6000 may have a cable or wireless function unit 6078 and a microphone unit 6068 . the wireless unit 6078 can wirelessly connect the intelligent 3d earphone 6000 , the earphone player 8000 , and the 3d vision unit 7000 all together at the same time . the wireless unit 6078 and microphone unit 6068 may have different designs , structures , systems , methods , formats , functions , etc . the attachment / detachment socket / female joint unit 6016 c and the ball / male unit 6012 may be reversed so that the ball / male unit is on the back side of the cup unit 6006 and the socket / female joint unit is with the holding unit 6008 . the design , function , size , shape , location , method , and material of the units 6016 c and 6012 and joint unit 6014 may vary . for example , the units 6016 c and 6012 may work together through a c clip structure or with a method for attachable and detachable functions . all joint units 6016 c and 6012 and 6014 may be designed to be attachable and detachable as a big c structure , or clip structure , or as a plug in - and - out structure , or as a ball structure , or a stick structure , or a bar structure , or any kind of attachable and detachable fastener structure . another joint part 6054 on the ear band 6038 adds joint movement function and structure . the ear band 6038 can be adjusted or bended at the joint part 6054 to follow a user &# 39 ; s ear shape for wearing comfort and stability . joint part / unit 6054 can be any kind of joint part , structure , method or material and can be any size . the earband 6038 can be unbendable or bendable with kind of material , structure , method , design , function , system , etc . all intelligent units and sensor / processor units in fig1 to 7 can be designed or structured or systemized or organized with any location or position or arrangement inside or outside the intelligent 3d earphones 5000 and 6000 , and earphone player unit 8000 and vision player vision 7000 , with one unit or with multiple units together , separate , or independent , or mixed , with a cable connection or a wireless connection . the intelligent units and sensor / processor units can be designed , structured , systemized , or organized with any location or position or arrangement inside or outside the intelligent 3d earphones 5000 and 6000 , and earphone player unit 8000 and vision player vision 7000 , to work together synchronously , simultaneously , and collaterally . all units may vary in design , shape , structure , system , method , function , and material if needed to apply into the various embodiments of earphones shown in fig1 to 7 . all units and functions and structures explained above and shown in fig1 to 7 may be used , applied , or inter - exchanged in any figure of this application for all types of earphones and headphones if needed . | 7 |
fig1 is a somewhat diagrammatic sectional view of an isolation trench formed in accordance with a prior technique . the trench structure in fig1 is formed in a semiconductor body in order to isolate a p - type well region 10 and an n - type well region 12 . the p and n regions are formed over a p - layer 14 and a p + layer 16 as illustrated . the trench structure includes a relatively deep and narrow trench 18 formed by etching or other techniques . by utilization of conventional selective oxidation , a sidewall oxide 20 is formed only on the sidewalls of trench 18 , along with a bottom layer 21 . the trench is then refilled with conformal undoped polysilicon 22 . the polysilicon is planarized at 24 to leave polysilicon only inside the trench . a layer of field oxide 26 is then grown over the top of the trench 18 and the polysilicon 22 . as may be seen by fig1 the prior technique has often produced defects from several mechanisms . for example , the oxide layers 20 and 21 are often formed with a thickness of from 1500 å to 2000 å . this thickness of oxide has been found to create stress at the corners 28a and 28b of trench 18 , thereby creating defects or dislocations , generally identified by the numerals 30 , which extend in the p - and p + regions 14 and 16 outwardly from the trench corners . the stress at corners 28a - b is caused by volume expansion during oxidation of the trench corners which tends to squeeze or press against the adjacent substrate 16 . the defects 30 may cause excessive current leakage which substantially deteriorates the operational characteristics of the semiconductor device . additional defects may be created upon the formation of the field oxide layer 26 over the trench . nonuniformity of the oxidizing surface , combined with the lack of stress relief of the field oxide grown at 900 ° c ., has been determined to be a source of defects or dislocations in the semiconductor body generally identified by numerals 32 . the defects 32 emanate from the upper portion of the trench 18 in contact with field oxide layer 26 . yet another source of dislocations which occur with prior techniques is the excessive encroachment of oxide on the exposed silicon surfaces on both the p - region 10 and n - region 12 , as well as the upper surfaces of the polysilicon 22 . this oxidation , in essence , creates a vertical bird &# 39 ; s beak identified generally by 34a and 34b . the confinement of the volume expansion associated with the bird &# 39 ; s beak oxidation also tends to create the dislocation and defects 32 . fig2 illustrates a trench construction which substantially eliminates the formation of defects or dislocations 30 and 32 , as well as reducing the formation of the vertical bird &# 39 ; s beak structure into the trench . the trench shown in fig2 is initially constructed by forming a trench 36 by etching or other conventional techniques . for example , the etch mask pattern for the trench 36 may be defined in an oxide layer ( for example , thermal or cvd oxide ) formed on the substrate surface , which is used as a hard mask for an etch and a chlorine - based reactive - ion - etching process with a silicon - to - oxide etch ratio of about 15 : 1 . trench 36 has dimensions similar to previously developed trenches and may be provided with a depth of from about 3 to 10 microns , depending on epilayer thickness . the width of the trench may range from 0 . 5 micron to 2 . 5 microns , depending upon its intended use . after removal of the hard mask , a relatively thin layer of oxide 38 is formed on the inside sidewalls and bottom of the trench 36 , as well as over the upper face of regions 10 and 12 . the thickness of the oxide layer 38 may range , for example , from 200 å to 450 å . it has been found that by forming such a thin layer of oxide , the stresses which heretofore created the defects 30 tend to be eliminated . a thin oxidation masking layer 40 of nitride is then formed over the entire oxide layer 38 by conventional lpcvd techniques . oxidation masking layer 40 may have , for example , a thickness of from 300 å to 600 å . the nitride layer protects the substrate and the subsequent polysilicon refill from oxidation which is the cause of the vertical bird &# 39 ; s beak 34a - b . the nitride layer 40 also tends to reduce electrical cross talk between the p well 10 and n well 12 because of its insulating properties . the trench 36 is then refilled with thick oxide or undoped polysilicon 42 . if refilled with oxide , the upper portion of the oxide 42 is planarized to the silicon surface , the previously applied nitride on the surface of the substrate is stripped , and a thick field oxide layer 44 is grown . if refilled with polysilicon , then a cap oxide 43 may be grown either before field oxide layer 44 , or simultanecusly with the thick field oxide . it has been found advantageous to grow the field oxide at temperatures above 1000 ° c ., and preferably at 1050 ° c ., the allow viscous flow of oxide , which tends to provide stress relief and prevents the formation of defects . moreover , the thin oxide layer 38 and nitride layer 40 eliminate stress at the bottom corners of the trench during the sidewall oxide formation by minimizing confined volume expansion at the trench corners . stress occurring from vertical bird &# 39 ; s beaking at the top corners of the trench is reduced during the field oxidation and cap oxidation with the use of the oxidation masking layers . the present invention has thus been found to form trench isolation structures which are essentially defect - free . when the trench is refilled with polysilicon , fig3 illustrates another embodiment of the present invention which prevents vertical bird &# 39 ; s beaking and also reduces defects , and further reduces electrical cross talk . in this embodiment , wherein like numbers will be utilized for like and corresponding parts of previous figures , the trench 36 is formed in the manner previously described and is coated with a thin layer of thermal oxide 38 which has a thickness of from 200 å to 450 å . a thin layer of nitride 40 is then deposited as previously disclosed and may be provided with a thickness of from 300 å to 600 å . a layer 46 of oxide is then formed over the nitride layer and may be provided for example with a thickness of 1000 å . the oxide layer 46 may be deposited by conventional lpcvd techniques . due to the nitride layer 40 , the oxide layer 46 cannot be grown but must be deposited . oxide layer 46 serves to increase the dielectric thickness to insulate the polysilicon layer . a second layer of nitride 48 is then formed on top of the oxide layer 46 and may be provided with a thickness of approximately 300 å . the remaining portion of the trench is then refilled with polysilicon 50 . the polysilicon is planarized even with the semiconductor surface , the nitride , oxide , nitride stack is removed from the substrate surface not inside the trench , and a cap oxide 52 and a thick field oxide 54 is grown , preferably at temperatures above 1000 ° c . the structure shown in fig3 provides improved cross talk elimination due to the increase of insulator thickness by the addition of oxide 46 and nitride 48 . the structure shown in fig3 also provides essentially a defect free trench construction . it will thus be seen that the present invention discloses a method and device formed thereby wherein defects and resulting current leakage is substantially eliminated . in addition , the present device substantially reduces cross talk . the present techniques also tend to eliminate vertical bird &# 39 ; s beak structures which tend to create stress and dislocations . although the preferred embodiments have been described in detail , it should be understood that various changes , substitutions and alterations can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims . | 8 |
in view of the foregoing , a system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention enables both a subjective and an objective evaluation of supplier performance so to assess the supplier for supplier qualification and improvement purposes with evaluation criteria that represents subjective and objective measures . to this end , the system polls historical data to provide sufficient evidence for reliable supplier performance evaluation . the system allows for multi - level aggregation of scoring capability based on an organization and / or stakeholders &# 39 ; needs . a score card records the scoring and provides for a flexibility of defining and using weighted criteria to define relationships as well as allowing for a user defined associated scoring function . an associated scoring function takes one or more data points as an input , and computes a score as an output . these data points could be raw data like a number of defects and average delivery times , or they could be aggregated data . for instance , the data points could be a score for a supplier &# 39 ; s delivery performance , a score for a supplier &# 39 ; s part quality , etc . here , the scoring function could be linear , non - linear or step - wise , etc . the system enables a real - time supplier performance evaluation with real - time availability of information across groups , functions and it systems boundaries being critical . the system includes a supplier evaluation system which raises the real - time awareness of non - conformance to the performance criteria . the system automatically generates alerts and communicates rules and evidence . it also provides for flexibility of creating , editing and deleting the alert generation rules . thus , it may be seen that the system provides for an evaluation of supplier performance to qualify a supplier as a vendor , to monitor and audit supplier performance , and to enable supplier improvement . the system can be used by various stakeholders in the supplier chain such as a commercial / procurement team and an engineering group . in each case , the stakeholder can leverage existing evaluation criteria in the system or define their own criteria with each criterion having an assigned weight and / or scoring function . with reference to fig1 , the system includes a commodity / supplier search system 10 . the commodity / part / supplier search system 10 provides for an interface to allow stakeholders to search for commodities , parts and / or suppliers . in particular , the stakeholder may employ the commodity / supplier search system 10 to search for a particular commodity or part , all parts under a particular commodity , a particular supplier , suppliers associated with a particular commodity or part , or all commodities or parts supplied by a particular supplier . the traceability system 20 allows for a tracing of the commodities and / or the parts , as well as their associated processes / operations , suppliers , changes , and final products . that is , the traceability system 20 allows for an examination of dependencies between parts , associated processes / operations , suppliers , changes , and final products . this may include examinations of part lifecycles and accounts for the changes in part numbers that may occur over time , identification of parts and their owners , such as designers and suppliers , parts and their suppliers by product lot numbers , revisions to be identified to confirm effectiveness of supplier changes , parts and associated products ( for instance , vehicle identification numbers , vins , on a car ), and the parts and the suppliers in a given product the aggregation and pre - population system 30 allows for an aggregation and pre - population of information relating to parts from multiple sources , such as various projects , and various product models and geographic locations . for instance , one metric which is crucial to supplier quality and which is related to a particular part is the number of defects associated with the part measured in parts per million ( ppm ). here , while the traceability system 20 traces the parts supplied by a particular supplier for all possible product models , the aggregation and pre - population system 30 aggregates the number of parts supplied and the numbers of defects that occur . the survey system 40 gathers input from stakeholders on supplier performance , supplied service and / or the quality of goods supplied and is , generally , the mechanism by which the subjective metrics ( e . g ., those metrics that measure intangibles like trust , confidence , attitudes and satisfaction ) are gathered . example stakeholders are clients or users who consume the supplied services or goods , procurement personnel , heavy users and / or global clients . in an embodiment of the survey system 40 , survey questions , criteria , business rules , weights and scoring functions can be flexibility defined . once stakeholders are identified , and appropriate questionnaires are finalized , a survey distribution system 45 , which is coupled to the survey system 40 , automatically communicates the surveys to the stakeholders . the survey distribution system 45 is also responsible for collecting inputs from responses . the evaluation system 50 is used to prepare inputs for the scoring system 60 after all the necessary information is gathered from the various systems . the input includes objective and subjective information from supply chain processes , manufacturing processes , and warranty and service processes . this set of information represents current and past facts . the scoring system 60 is a core component and allows for an identification of the best suppliers for specific parts and / or commodities to allow for supplier selection processes to occur . the scoring system 60 also allows for an identification of under performing suppliers on an overall , part , or commodity level to allow for supplier improvement processes to be initiated . the above - noted identifications are based on the scores computed from multi - level criteria , weights , and scoring functions . according to various embodiments of the invention , a score card ( not shown ) is designed for use with the scoring system 60 . the score card may be customized so as to be relatively easily implemented and to allow users the freedom to create , edit and delete the score card &# 39 ; s criteria , weights , and scoring functions . the alert system 70 monitors business events and warns of abnormal behavior . using rules for business events ( e . g ., a threshold number of failures for a specific part during a particular duration ) the alert system 70 alerts users when the rules have been violated based on the metrics calculated for the rules . a data warehouse 80 consolidates supplier performance data sources throughout the product lifecycle . example data sources shown in fig1 come from systems measuring conformance , issue management , containment , purchase orders , and warranty spanning supply chain processes , manufacturing processes and service and warranty processes 85 . the data warehouse 80 , therefore , contains specialized summary tables ( not shown ) to limit the need for repetitive calculations and contains dimensions to allow for processing based on any combination of parts , suppliers , plants , and programs , etc . the supplier view system 90 provides for visibility of the information related to the performance evaluation . in that way , the supplier view system may be embodied as a user interface to be presented in a computing environment . with reference to fig2 , a flow diagram illustrates an example process implementation of the system discussed above . as shown , a user initially logs into a supplier quality portal by which the user accesses the system . the user then lists all commodities that he is interested in and selects at least one commodity to research . the system then displays all of the suppliers that supply and / or make the selected commodity and the user selects at least one of the suppliers ( operation 100 ). at this point , a search of the selected supplier is begun , with the search taking as its inputs data from the data warehouse 80 ( operation 110 ). as part of the search , the supplier performance history , the supplied product history , the past supplier evaluations and the past supplier questionnaires are extracted ( operation 120 ). results of the search are then analyzed in a supplier traceability and analytics stage ( operation 130 ) during which examinations of any dependencies between the selected supplier ( s ) and the selected part ( s ) are conducted . at this point , evaluation criteria and survey questionnaires are aggregated to form a new scorecard based on current available data ( operation 140 ). this scorecard may be selectively amended , however , in accordance with newly submitted survey responses received via the survey system ( operation 150 ). once the scorecard is accepted , scores for the supplier are computed and it is determined whether an alert needs to be sent to the interested parties ( e . g . supplier owners , suppliers ) for supplier underperformance ( operation 160 ). in accordance with another aspect of the invention , the methods described above may be embodied in a machine implemented computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon to execute the methods . while the disclosure has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the disclosure . in addition , many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the disclosure without departing from the essential scope thereof . therefore , it is intended that the disclosure not be limited to the particular exemplary embodiment disclosed as the best mode contemplated for carrying out this disclosure , but that the disclosure will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims . | 6 |
referring now to fig2 there is shown a data - flow diagram of a rtl optimization system 200 for optimizing an electronic design in accordance with the present invention . the rtl optimization system 200 is designed to converge automatically on the best solution for an electronic design that satisfies the design goals . at the end of the automatic processes provided by the system 200 , manual intervention for the purpose of design refinement is allowed . the following steps are employed in the rtl optimization system 200 : synthesize 202 the rtl model to a lbb network enter chip - level design goals 219 functional partitioning 206 feasible block - level implementation 209 & amp ; 211 chip optimization 213 structural partitioning 215 chip re - optimization 213 ( 2 nd pass ) the system 200 operates on a conventional computer system , such as an intel based personal computer using the microsoft corp .&# 39 ; s windows nt operating system . the system 200 may be implemented by software product executing in the computer &# 39 ; s memory . the system 200 includes an lbb synthesis module , a functional partitioner module , a structural partitioner module , a datapath builder module , a non - datapath structure estimator module , a chip optimization module , and a library calibrator module . the system 200 interfaces with conventional back - end tools including a memory compiler 230 , a datapath place - and - route tool 227 , a logic synthesis tool 228 , a floorplanner 229 , a full - chip place - and - route tool 231 , and timing and parasitic extraction engine 232 . the following sections describe the rtl optimization system 200 in detail . the preferred entry point into the design flow is a rtl model 201 of an electronic design or system . the physical implementation of the electronic design can be an integrated circuit ( ic ), part of an ic , or multiple ics on a circuit board . the rtl model 201 describes the function of the electronic system using a hardware description language ( hdl ) such as verilog or vhdl . the rtl model 201 may be either directly written by a system designer , or generated from a behavioral model using behavioral synthesis . in addition , the rtl model 201 may be extracted directly from internal data structures of a behavioral model without undergoing rtl model construction . the rtl model 201 is synthesized 202 into a network of logic building blocks ( lbbs ) 203 . a lbb is a technology independent description of a logic structure that has performance data fully characterizing its performance envelope over a range of different physical implementations . preferably the performance data quantifies the relationship between circuit delay and output load , for both random logic and datapath implementations of the lbb . this performance data defines the relationships for each of a plurality of bit widths , and for each of a plurality of driver sizes for various typical loading conditions , and for each of a plurality of feasible logic implementations . lbbs range from simple gates ( inverter , nand , latch , flip - flop ) to complex logic structures such as adder , finite state machine , memory , and encoder . storing this data in the lbb fully characterizes the performance envelope of the lbb over its range of feasible physical implementations and variations in area , aspect ratio , and implementation architecture . fig3 shows the synthesis steps that transform an rtl model 201 into a lbb network 203 . the parser 301 converts hdl statements in the rtl model 201 into a language - neutral hdl object database 302 . hdl objects are mapped into generic lbbs to create a technology - independent lbb network by processing latch inference , ‘ case ’ constructs , ‘ if ’ constructs , assignments , and expressions . in this pass , the smallest lbb implementation is chosen as the initial candidate . in this case , only the area data in the performance tables 501 of the lbb library 220 is used . 1 . all explicit bus - oriented structures , expressed in explicit bus declaration in the rtl model , are preserved and represented as bus entities . 2 . all implicit bus - oriented structures , such as those expressed as repeated rtl constructs and vectorized instantiation across multiple bits , are recognized and preserved as bus entities . 3 . all lbb types , except finite state machines and hard macros , can be used in random logic or in multi - bit datapath with corresponding characterization data supporting either usage . when a lbb is connected to a bus entity , it becomes a data operator . data operators are multi - bit lbbs that can store , steer , or transform data . for example , a register stores data ; a multiplexer and a shifter steer data ; an adder transforms input data to different output data ; and a decoder data operator transforms input data to control signals . hdl objects are mapped using the highest logic structure available in the lbb library 220 to reduce complexity . for example , a multi - bit adder is represented as an integral adder lbb . in contrast , conventional logic synthesis reduces the adder down to potentially hundreds of individual gates . another example , a ‘ case ’ construct , is mapped to a multiplexer and a decoder . only boolean expressions not mappable into complex lbbs are mapped into networks of simple gate - level lbbs . the block diagram window 1404 in fig1 shows a graphical representation of an example of a lbb network 203 . the logic of the technology - independent lbb network is optimized 304 . lbbs in the optimized network are mapped 305 into technology - specific lbbs derived from the calibrated lbb library 220 to produce the final lbb network 203 . lbbs are supported by a characterized lbb library 220 that represents the performance envelop of a large number of lbbs . lbb characterization is performed once , and off - line , by the library calibrator 204 when an ic fabrication process and a library is incorporated into the system 200 of the present invention . inputs 221 to the library calibrator 204 consist of standard logic synthesis cell library , complex libraries for datapath , process technology data , implementation styles information , and implementation tool information . in the characterization process , logical and physical implementations of each lbb are built and characterized by varying some or all , individually or in combination , of the following input parameters that affect the area and speed of a lbb physical implementation . variable layout style such as regular datapath topology and random logic place & amp ; route topology . variable architecture for lbb that can be implemented using alternative logic implementations ( e . g ., ripple adder , carry - look - ahead adder , carry - save adder ) variable bit width for lbb that supports multi - bit data operator configurations . output driver size . output loading . process parameters ( best , typical , worst case , and the like ). temperature and power supply voltage . lbb area and performance data are stored in two forms in the calibrated lbb library 220 for access by the system 200 during performance optimization : data tables and circuit generators . the number of possible implementation variations of a lbb depends on the richness of the library source 221 . fig5 illustrates the format of the lbb in the calibrated library 220 using data tables . in this format , each lbb is characterized by variations in implementation topology 502 , architecture 503 , bit width 504 , and driver size 505 . for each of these variations , a performance table 501 quantifies the relationship between area , delay , and output load . an adder , shown in fig5 , is one example of a lbb with a rich set of implementation possibilities . a hard macro block represents less variation in implementation . it has only one fixed physical implementation and a pre - characterized timing model . fig4 shows a flowchart for the lbb library calibrator 204 used to generate the data tables , with the complete characterization flow for a lbb with a full range of variations . generally , for each library entry , it is determined 401 , 402 whether random logic and / or datapath implementations are available . for each implementation , variations of logic architecture 403 , 404 , bit width 405 , 406 , and driver size 407 , 408 are processed to generate 409 , 410 a placed and routed implementation . for this implementation , timing , area , and input capacitance are measured 411 , 412 . this capacitance information is used during timing analysis to compute the total load presented to the previous logic stage . this data is stored in the performance table for the appropriate implementation , architecture , bit width , and driver size . pre - characterized scaling factors are used to scale the data in these tables to compensate for variation in process , temperature , and voltage . in an alternate embodiment , circuit generators or estimators fast enough to generate performance data based on input parameters at run - time are used . this approach eliminates the need for pre - characterization and storage of characterization data . circuit generator results are cached so that circuits with the same configuration are generated only once . a single lbb may contain the equivalent of several hundred gates found in a typical synthesis library . fig6 shows an example of a set of built - in lbb types sufficient for efficient representation of a typical digital system . all lbb types accept bus signals are represented as a single entity . all lbb types , except finite state machines and hard macros , are parameterized ( n - bit width ) to support bus operations . the higher level abstraction of the lbb representation offers the following advantages : reduces the sizes of design databases by orders of magnitude vs . gate - level tools . this translates into smaller memory requirements for complex designs and faster analysis run - times . reduces the complexity of the logic network and allows high speed full - chip analysis . makes rtl visualization more efficient . it overcomes the unstructured nature of hdl and elevates the users from the tedious complexity of viewing a gate - level schematic . postpones running gate - level synthesis and the burden of synthesis details until later in the design cycle . leverages complex and pre - characterized library from multiple sources . preserves bus structures in analysis and visualization . chip - level design goals 219 include operating frequency , area , aspect ratio , chip io timing , and io pad locations . timing convergence at minimum area is achieved through an alternating series of chip - level and block - level optimization . functional partitioning is the first step in a chip - level timing convergence process by creating a first set of top - down constraints in terms of a network of physical partitions . it breaks the “ chicken and egg ” inter - dependency cycle between creating optimal block - level implementations before chip - level constraints are known and creating optimal chip - level constraints before block - level implementations are known . the cycle is broken by performing a first partitioning 206 of the lbb network 203 into physical partitions 207 , 208 . since the chip - level constraints are not known at the functional partitioning 206 step , the process is designed to be self - correcting during structural partitioning 215 . accordingly , the boundary between physical partitions are not required to be optimal at the functional partitioning stage . functional partitioning is a structural recognition process . the functional partitioner 206 separates logic into well - understood silicon structures that have proven optimal logical and physical implementation techniques . the implementation of these silicon structures are supported by specialized implementation tools and libraries available commercially , such as cadence design systems , inc .&# 39 ; s smartpath product . the well - understood physical structure and timing behavior of these silicon structures enable accurate ‘ bottom - up ’ estimations . present well - understood silicon structures include datapath ( dp ), finite state machine ( fsm ), memories ( mem ), and random logic ( rl ). even though these structures are commonly used in digital designs , their precise boundaries in the rtl model 201 are not always obvious to the designer . as a result , the logical hierarchy in the rtl functional description usually does not reflect optimal physical partitioning for the implementation of these silicon structures . for example , data operators belonging to a single datapath partition may be scattered in many rtl modules in different logical hierarchies . the functional partitioner 206 identifies such related structures and creates a single physical hierarchy from them . data signal traversal , followed by control signal traversal , accomplishes partitioning and structural recognition in parallel . the result is the separation of datapath partitions 207 from other logic classified as non - datapath partitions 208 . a partition contains one or more lbb . datapath ( dp ) partitions contain data operators . non - datapath partitions contain either fsms , mems , hard macro block ( hmac ), or rl . the functional partitioning 206 process creates a fsm partition and data - flow - logic partitions : dp , hmac , and mem partitions . data - flow analysis is a depth - first traversal of bus signals across all hierarchy levels in the lbb network 203 . data - flow analysis separates data operators , fsm , hmac , and mem from the lbb network by tracing bus connections . it further groups inter - connected data operators into a dp partition . data operators in a dp partition can vary in bit - width . independent bus systems in the design result in multiple independent dp partitions . fsms conform to rtl modeling style well understood in present top - down design methodology . fsm is a basic lbb recognized at the synthesis step . each fsm forms its own partition . memories are regular blocks such as ram , rom , cache , etc . when the functional partitioner 206 encounters a memory block in the data signal traversal process , it creates a memory partition . memory blocks are special data operators with data bus and control connections . hard macro blocks are recognized from explicit instantiation in the rtl model . each hard macro block forms an independent partition . referring now to fig7 there is shown the data - flow analysis of the functional partitioner 206 . traversal begins with identifying 701 an initial list of i / o busses at the top - level hierarchy of the design under analysis . beginning with a current bus , the bus is traced 702 to find a next lbb that is connected to the bus . a check 703 determines if the lbb has been visited before . if not , then the lbb is checked 704 to determine if it is a data operator for a datapath . if so , the lbb is checked 705 to determine if it connects with an existing dp partition . if so , the lbb is added 706 to the existing dp partition . otherwise , a new dp partition is created 708 , and the lbb is added to it . in either case , any new untraversed busses connected to the lbb are added 710 to the bus list . traversal of the bus list continues 714 until completed . if the lbb was not a datapath operator , it is checked 707 to determine if it is a memory or a hard macro . for these lbbs , a new partition is created 711 , and again untraversed busses are added to the bus list 712 . finally , if the lbb is not a memory or hard macro , it is checked 709 to determine if it is a finite state machine . here , a fsm partition is created 713 . if an lbb is not a datapath operator , mem , hmac , or fsm then it is passed to control - flow analysis . at the end of the data - flow analysis process , a control analysis process ( fig8 ) is used to form control logic partitions associated with partitions created in the data - flow analysis process . the control - flow analysis process of functional partitioning 206 creates random logic partitions using the data - flow - logic partitions ( dp , mem , hmac ) created in the data - flow analysis process as anchor points . control - flow analysis performs depth - first forward traversal from the output control signals and backward traversal from the input control signals of all data - flow - logic to form closely associated control partitions . the close association between these control logic partitions and the data - flow logic they control form natural clusters in the chip - level floorplanning process . control - flow analysis results in the non - datapath partitions 208 . fig8 shows the application of a series of backward and forward traversals on dp , mem , and hmac physical partitions . the control logic of a dp partition 207 is formed by the combined effect of forward traversals 807 , 801 , and backward traversals 810 , 804 . the control logic of a mem partition is formed by the combined effect of forward traversals 808 , 802 , and backward traversals 811 , 805 . forward traversals 809 , 803 , and backward traversals 812 , 806 form the control logic of a hmac partition . depth - first forward traversals 801 , 802 , 803 are applied to input signals not driven by the logic output of a latch or flip - flop . if the traversal reaches a physical partition boundary , the chip boundary , a latch , or a flip - flop , the traversal on the current path stops . any lbb encountered will be added to the current control partition if it has not previously been partitioned into a physical partition . depth - first backward traversals 804 , 805 , 806 are applied to output signals . if the traversal reaches a physical partition boundary , the chip boundary , a latch , or a flip - flop , the traversal on the current path stops . any lbb encountered will be added to the current control partition if it has not previously been partitioned into a physical partition . a random logic partition 813 is formed by the remaining lbbs not included in any control logic partitions . this random logic partition will be further divided into multiple random logic partitions if clusters of lbbs are unrelated . the effect of the control - flow analysis process is to maximize the likelihood that single - cycle logic stays in the same partition and a partition &# 39 ; s input / output signals are latched . the combined effect of data - flow and control - flow analysis by the functional partitioner 206 is the transformation of the logical hierarchy inherent to the rtl model 201 into a physical hierarchy optimized for chip - level physical implementation . the physical hierarchy is defined by the connectivity and hierarchical relationship of physical partitions created in the data - flow and control - flow analysis processes , which may be different from the logical hierarchy of the rtl model 201 . for each physical partition ( stored in dp and non - dp partitions 207 , 208 ) created by the functional partitioner 206 , a range of feasible block - level physical implementation estimation models 210 , 212 are generated automatically . feasible implementation models 210 can vary in area , aspect ratio , power consumption , or timing , provided that all critical paths within a block must at least meet the minimum operating frequency requirement of the chip . each block - level estimation model 210 , 212 consists of : a pin - to - pin timing model suitable for chip - level analysis . a placement - based wire load model internal to the partition . a block - level floorplan with pin assignment . a structural netlist a datapath macro ( dpm ) consists of a semi - regular portion of data operators ( dp partition ) and a random section of datapath control ( dpc ) logic as shown in fig1 . data operators are arranged in rows and columns so that control signals and busses achieve maximum alignment for optimal density and speed . fig9 depicts the detailed datapath building process performed by the datapath builder 209 . inputs to the datapath building process include the lbb network of the dp partition 207 created by the functional partitioner 206 , operation frequency timing constraints 216 for critical paths internal to the dp partition , and timing constraints 216 for logic paths that end outside the dp partition . when the dp builder 209 is run for the first time in the rtl optimization process , only the minimum operating frequency is known , as specified in the design goals 219 . in this case , only the timing of internal paths of the datapath partition is optimized . both internal and external paths are optimized together when external timing constraints 216 become known in subsequent executions of the datapath builder 209 . the smallest lbb implementation is selected in the initial selection 904 of the individual lbb implementations in the calibrated lbb library 220 . alternate dp physical implementation models 210 are created by varying 906 the bit - width of the datapath . varying bit - width creates a number of feasible dp implementation models 210 with different aspect - ratios . the feasible bit - width range of the dp partition is determined 905 by x / 4 ≦ bit - width ≦ 2x , at 1 - bit increments 906 , where x is the bit - width of the widest data operator in the dp partition . the order of data operators in the bus direction 1001 is first optimized 907 to minimize bus length and meet timing constraints . data operator order optimization is performed at the lbb level to speed up processing time . data operators along a critical timing path within the dp are clustered in close proximity . a ‘ snaking ’ path is formed when a critical path extends beyond the dp into dpc and then sometimes re - enters the dp . a snaking path may contain multiple sections of data operators . these sections are clustered together even though they are connected indirectly through random logic in dpc . after bus optimization , data operator placement is optimized in the control direction 1002 aligning 908 busses at the bit level so that busses run straight across the dp . bit alignment 908 , performed mostly at the lbb level , employs the following techniques : fold bits in data operators wider than the dp bit - width . spread apart bits in data operators narrower than the dp bit - width . shift the entire data operator along the control direction to minimize bus wire bending . a compaction 909 step is used to pack data operators to minimize area while meeting timing . compaction employs the following techniques : merge data operators that don &# 39 ; t occupy every bit position . stack multiple narrower data operators end - to - end to fill the entire bit - width . move data operators to fill any space as long as timing constraints are met . fig1 shows an example of floorplanning and compacting six data operators of varying bit - width ( 4 , 8 , 16 ) into a datapath with a bit - width of 8 . data operator a is folded from 16 - bit into 8 - bit . data operators c and d are stacked end - to - end . data operators e and f are spread apart and then merged . the compacted dp is globally routed 910 and timing analyzed 911 to obtain the first floorplan . an iteration loop 912 is set up to refine the initial result through an alternate series of placement and logic optimization . the following steps are employed in the logic optimization process : 1 . refine lbb selection 913 — select faster lbb ( better architecture and higher drive ) in the lbb library to meet timing at the expense of area or select smaller lbb to reduce area as long as timing is met . the selection of a lbb is a table look - up process in which the performance tables 501 for lbbs with various driver sizes 505 and alternative architectures 503 are searched . a lbb implementation will be chosen if it is the smallest lbb satisfying the timing constraint . 2 . buffer insertion 914 for signals with heavy load . datapath implementation models are varied by altering ( 906 ) the bit width of the datapath . as long as the block satisfies 915 the minimum chip operating frequency according to the result of timing analysis 911 , it is considered a viable candidate , and added to the block estimation models 210 . the smallest area implementation ( in the block estimation models 210 ) is not necessarily the best choice because blocks with a different aspect ratio may actually produce a better overall chip design even though the block itself may be larger . non - datapath structures include control logic ( for dp , mem , hmac ), random logic , finite state machines , memories , and hard macro blocks . control logic and fsm are special forms of random logic with additional constraints . the non - dp estimator 211 generates a feasible implementation estimation model , 212 for non - datapath structures . the non - dp structure estimator 211 generates block estimation models 212 for random logic , finite state machines , memories , and hard macro blocks . random logic estimation is based on standard cell physical implementation techniques . fig1 shows the random logic estimation process of the non - dp structure estimator 211 . a random logic block is partitioned 1201 into small clusters of highly connected lbbs . cluster - level placement 1202 is performed by a min - cut algorithm . an annealing algorithm 1203 refines the lbb placement for a global routing 1204 . the global routing forms the basis for a placement - based wire - load model 212 for wires both within and between lbb clusters . the final timing analysis 1205 creates a pin - to - pin timing model for chip - level optimization 213 . the flexible nature of the standard cell place - and - route topology can potentially create an infinite combination of aspect ratio variations and i / o pin assignments . the non - dp structure estimator 211 responds to requests from the functional partitioner 206 , the structural partitioner 215 , and the chip optimizer 213 to create random logic estimations 211 under different constraints 217 during various steps in the rtl optimization process . the functional partitioner 206 initiates the first rough estimation with no constraints , and a default random logic block aspect ratio of 1 : 1 is used . the chip optimizer 213 and the structural partitioner 215 request random logic area and speed estimation by providing pin assignment and aspect ratio constraints . even though dpc logic is created using standard - cell place and route , the block topology is highly constrained by the regular nature of the dp block it controls . the present invention allows additional constraints to be imposed on dpc logic according to the datapath it controls . as illustrated in fig1 , in a dpc 1102 block , one dimension 1103 is required to be equal to the length of the dp side where control 10 signals exit the dp 1101 . the number of random logic lbbs and the amount of wiring overhead in the dpc block dictate its other dimension 1104 . furthermore , the terminal location 1105 on the dp side is completely constrained and defined by the optimal placement of data operators in the dp . other i / o signals naturally exit the dpc block from the opposite side 1106 . occasionally , i / o terminals also exit from the remaining two sides of the dpc block . dp and its associated dpc form a natural cluster ; as a result , these partitions always stay together , and need not be later re - analyzed to consider whether they should be reclustered . the abutment between dp and dpc is not always regular . the placement of the flexible dpc logic can match the irregular contour 1107 of the dp so that the combined dpm block achieves maximum packing density . once the pin assignment and aspect ratio of a dpc block are determined , the area / speed estimation process is identical to that of an ordinary random logic block . from the physical implementation perspective , a finite state machine is also a special form of random logic . a finite state machine has a well - defined logic architecture which divides the logic into multiple sections : input latches , output latches , state - bit logic , and and - or logic for control outputs . the natural logic separation forms the basis for clustering of lbb within the finite state machine . the estimation process for finite state machines is similar to that of random logic . aspect ratio , area , io pin assignment , and timing information are derived from pre - characterized memory libraries . alternate feasible implementations will be presented for chip - level optimization if the library is capable of generating them . a hard macro has a pre - defined implementation supplied by the user . area and performance are pre - characterized and no estimation is needed . hmac control logic is estimated similar to dp control logic . the chip optimizer 213 performs chip - level optimization and produces structural partitioner constraints 214 to refine the block level implementation models 210 , 212 . fig1 depicts the creation of a floorplan in the chip optimization process 213 . inputs to this process include chip - level constraints 222 and a collection of feasible physical implementation models 212 , 210 . chip - level optimization 213 outputs structural partitioner constraints which include : chip - level floorplan physical partition implementation model selection for each partition placement based global wire load model pin assignment block level timing budget . the pattern of data - flow and control - flow resulted from the partitioning steps forms the initial clustering of physical blocks . data - flow - logic and its associated control logic form natural clusters in the initial floorplan . the placement of the clusters is initially computed by a force - directed method and then iteratively improved by packing the clusters along the x direction and y direction . for each partition 207 , 208 , an initial block - level implementation model 1301 is selected from its accompanying block implementation models 210 , 212 . the initial selection for each partition is the smallest block in the set of feasible implementations 210 , 212 . an initial floorplan using all of the selected implementations is created 1302 based on minimum wire length along the critical paths . the initial floorplan may contain overlap and unused space , which is removed in the compaction step 1303 . compaction involves local movement of blocks and refinement of the block - level implementation model selection . the floorplan compactor 1303 has multiple options in refining the block - level implementation selection . it may pick alternate blocks in the set of feasibility dp blocks 210 or non - dp blocks 212 . it may make continuous adjustment to the size and aspect ratio of random logic partitions 208 by modifying constraints 217 and invoking the non - dp structure estimator 211 to produce refined block estimation models 212 for the modified partitions . it may also generate structural re - partition constraints 205 and invoke the structural partitioner 215 to split and merge partitions in order to precisely control the size and shape of blocks for better timing and area efficiency . changes by the structural partitioner 215 induce revisions of the block estimation models 210 , 212 by either the dp builder 209 for the modified dp partitions or the non - dp structure estimator 211 for non - dp partitions 208 . automatic pin assignment 1304 optimizes overall wire length to derive a first - pass chip floorplan . the first - pass chip floorplan is then globally routed 1305 to produce more accurate parasitics and timing 1306 for a second - pass refinement in physical implementation selection and pin assignment . the two - pass approach 1307 is completely automatic . a final global re - route 1305 and full chip timing analysis 1306 are used to determine slack and redistribute timing budget among blocks and generate new structural partitioner constraints 214 . structural partitioning 215 refines the partitioning created by the functional partitioner 206 based on structural partitioning constraints 214 resulting from the chip - level optimization process 213 . the structural partitioner 215 creates new block - level constraints 216 , 217 for datapath partitions 207 and non - datapath partitions 208 to improve timing and floorplan packing density . new block constraints 216 , 217 trigger the re - estimation of feasible physical implementations by the dp builder 209 and non - dp structure estimator 211 . as noted above , the chip optimizer 213 may invoke the structural partitioner 215 multiple times in the chip optimization process improve chip floorplanning packing density using steps 205 , 217 . for timing closure , the structural partitioner 215 analyzes failing timing paths based on the wire - load and timing information 214 . if these paths “ snake ” through different partitions , the structural partitioner 215 is used to move the lbbs in the “ snaking - path ” between partitions to achieve timing convergence . an example is a failing timing path that traverses from a dp block to its associated control ( dpc ) in the datapath macro . in this case the structural partitioner 215 can analyze this path and bring the lbbs in the path in the control ( source ) partition to the datapath ( destination ) partition and utilize the empty spaces in the datapath for their placement . conversely paths that are not timing critical can be made longer by the structural partitioner 215 if it reduces the path delay of other timing critical paths . lbbs moved from the source partition take on the same physical implementation style as the destination partition . if all lbbs in the source partition are moved then the source partition is in effect merged with the destination partition . therefore , shifting lbbs between dp partitions 207 and non - dp partitions 208 has the effect of changing the physical implementation style of the affected lbbs from datapath style to random logic style or vice versa . final chip optimization is the 2 nd pass through the chip optimizer 213 with new block estimation models 210 , 212 based on the refined constraints 216 , 217 from the structural partitioner 215 , in addition to chip constraints 222 . the initial floorplan is refined for timing and density . structural partitioner constraints 214 are converted to data and control files 223 , 224 , 225 , 226 ( see below ) suitable for driving back - end tools 227 , 228 , 229 , 230 , 231 , and 232 . the data and control files 223 , 224 , 225 , 226 constitute a rigorous set of instructions , not a questionable prediction , for implementing a known timing and area convergence solution because accurate placement - based wire - load data have been used throughout the optimization process and the implementation of individual blocks has been proven feasible . multiple rapid internal iterations between chip - level and block - level optimization ensure that constraints for driving the back - end implementation are well - balanced and optimal . these block - level constraints represent instructions to meet area and performance goals in a single pass through the back - end process , and therefore serve as an effective interface between front - end and back - end implementation in a rtl hand - off design flow . the system 200 of the present invention does not directly generate final physical implementation of the chip . it generates detailed implementation constraints for back - end physical implementation tools based on an optimal floorplan and placement - based wire load models at chip and block level . the result of the final chip optimization is expressed in a set of data and control files 223 , 224 , 225 , 226 used to drive the back - end tools . back - end tools are not required to follow all detailed guidance produced by the system 200 provided that the final physical implementation meets area and timing requirements . the follow information is sent to the back - end tools for detailed physical implementation : block - level structural netlist . lbb - level floorplan routing path of global wires aspect ratio and area constraints pin assignment output load block input arrival time block output timing constraints internal timing constraints placement - based wire - load for wires between lbbs command scripts block - level structural netlist lbb - level cluster floorplan routing path of global wires aspect ratio and area constraints pin assignment output load block input arrival time block output timing constraints internal timing constraints . placement - based wire - load for wires between lbbs command scripts chip - level structural netlist of physical partitions chip - level floorplan of physical partitions routing path of global wires aspect ratio and area constraints pin assignment output load chip input arrival time chip output timing constraints internal timing constraints placement - based wire - load for wires between physical partitions command scripts aspect ratio and area constraints output load block input arrival time block output timing constraints operating frequency command scripts for calling memory generators or instantiating hard macro the overall strategy in the rtl optimization process is to meet chip - level timing constraints with minimum area in a single pass through the design flow . since the design flow is completely performance driven , altering the high level constraints ( area , timing , power ) will result in vastly different chip implementation . the above design flow represents a built - in preprogrammed sequence designed to reach timing convergence in a single pass automatically for a majority of ic designs . the system 200 provides facilities for manual interventions to refine the automatic result . the built - in optimization sequence can also be modified by the user to adapt the system 200 to unique chip requirements . when a user selects a module in the logical hierarchy tree , the rtl optimization system 200 automatically flattens the selected module for partitioning , if the user selects the top module , the whole chip will be flattened and the physical hierarchy for the entire chip will be created automatically . the user can therefore control the creation of the physical hierarchy by selecting manually modules in the logical hierarchy to be implemented hierarchically . manual entry points are inserted into an otherwise automated process for users to refine the automatically generated result and to : control the mapping of logic into lbb library element . control the partitioning interactively or by embedding directives in the rtl model . user intervention for partitioning includes : moving lbb between partitions . splitting and merging blocks . changing block structure ( e . g ., change dp to random logic ). making an instance unique . grouping and clustering . hierarchy flattening . control the creation and selection of block level implementation . change pin assignment . change block - level floorplans . change chip - level floorplan . use in - place - optimization for local refinement with minimum disturbance to unaffected logic . fine tune chip optimization by back - annotating blocks with macro models 218 derived from actual block level implementation . all software modules of the system 200 used in the built - in sequence and an underlying design database storing the rtl models and generated models and data are available to users through a procedural interface . a user may customize the design flow sequence using a programming language and the procedural interface . design visualization is key to maintaining links between all transformations performed by the system 200 on the original rtl model hierarchy . the user interface is designed to support the use of the original user - defined rtl model as a functional interface to the analysis of the electronic design throughout the rtl design process . a user can open one or more of the following windows to examine various views of the design . cross - probing between all windows allows a user to select an object in any window and the same object , represented in different views in other windows , will be highlighted . fig1 shows the following display windows : 1 . logical hierarchy window 1401 — reflects the original rtl model instance hierarchy tree . 2 . physical hierarchy window 1402 — reflects the physical hierarchy tree after partitioning . 3 . rtl model source window 1403 — displays the content ( hdl statements ) of selected rtl model files . 4 . block diagram window 1404 — displays the lbb network of selected logical or physical partitions graphically as schematics . 5 . floorplan window 1405 — displays the physical floorplan and wiring of selected physical partitions . 6 . net window 1406 — displays all signal and instance names in the design for searching . 7 . timing analysis window 1407 — displays timing delay on logic paths . block diagram window 1404 represents the lbb network that is extracted from the rtl model 201 . conventional design tools today enable the user to begin with graphical inputs and develop a rtl model therefrom , or to view gate - level schematics after logic synthesis . in contrast , the rtl optimization system 200 of the present invention provides the ability to begin with an rtl model and extract a higher level model in the form of the lbb network , which is then visualized in block diagram window 1404 . this enables the viewer to visualize and manipulate the electronic design at a higher level than gate - level schematics . thus , this window represents visually the automatically partitioned electronic design , and enables the system designer to manually interact with the design , including changing partitioning , pin assignments , and the like as described above . 1 . select modules in the logical hierarchy and display schematics at block , lbb , or mixed level . in the lbb schematic mode , each lbb is color coded to indicate the physical partition it belongs to . 2 . select modules in the physical hierarchy and display schematics at block , lbb , or mixed level . in the lbb schematic mode , each lbb is color coded to indicate which logical block it belongs to . 3 . in the rtl source window , use different background color to highlight the rtl statements corresponding to various physical partitions . | 6 |
an embodiment of the present invention provides a system , method and computer program product for identifying unknown parameter name value pairs . in an embodiment , text is received that includes a number of web components with unknown name / value pair , and parameter separators . the web components are compared to one another using a text comparison algorithm , and a set of potential name / value pair separators is identified based on a series of rules . once the set of potential name / value pair separators is identified , they are used to identify parameter separators using the text comparison algorithm , and another set of rules . potential name / value separators that are not consistent with the rules are eliminated , and one or more sets of name / value and parameter tuples are selected as potential separators . the variety of parameter formats introduced by ajax introduces a challenge for web application security testing , and complicates testing and web application development . a web security scanner may be implemented to test vulnerabilities in web applications . a web security scanner has a predefined list of known parameter formats sometimes identified by name value and parameter separator pairs . if a web scanner encounters an ajax request that uses an unknown parameter format it will be unable to correctly test that request for security issues . an example of security test that needs to be executed is authentication bypass using sql injection . sql injection is an attempt by someone trying to access secure data on in a web application by shaping parameters such that they include sql query components that fool the web application into returning data that is not intended to be returned on a particular page . for a web security scanner to properly test for sql injection vulnerabilities it must know the format for name / value pairs including the name / value pair separator and the parameter separator . missing such vulnerabilities may be extremely costly for a company , and therefore a solution to automatically identify the parameter format is beneficial in modern complex web applications . although the aspects of the invention have been described as implemented in a web security scanner , it will be understood that aspects of the invention may be implemented in any situation in which the identification of separators in data is required , including implementations beyond web based data transmissions . turning now to fig1 , a system 100 for identifying unknown parameter and name value pairs will now be described . in an embodiment , the system 100 includes a host system computer 102 executing computer instructions for identifying unknown parameter and name value pairs . host system computer 102 may operate in any type of environment that is capable of executing a software application . host system computer 102 may comprise a high - speed computer processing device , such as a mainframe computer , to manage the volume of operations governed by an entity for which the unknown parameter and name value pairs identification is executing . in an embodiment , the host system computer 102 is part of an enterprise ( e . g ., a commercial business ) that implements a identifying unknown parameter and name value pairs system . in an embodiment , the system 100 depicted in fig1 includes one or more client systems 104 through which users at one or more geographic locations may contact the host system computer 102 . the client systems 104 are coupled to the host system computer 102 via one or more networks 106 . each client system 104 may be implemented using a general - purpose computer executing a computer program for carrying out the processes described herein . the client systems 104 may be personal computers ( e . g ., a lap top , a personal digital assistant , a mobile device ) or host attached terminals . if the client systems 104 are personal computers , the processing described herein may be shared by a client system 104 and the host system computer 102 ( e . g ., by providing an applet to the client system 104 ). client systems 104 may be operated by authorized users ( e . g ., programmers ) of the unknown parameter and name value pairs identification system described herein . the networks 106 may be any type of known network including , but not limited to , a wide area network ( wan ), a local area network ( lan ), a global network ( e . g ., internet ), a virtual private network ( vpn ), and an intranet . the networks 106 may be implemented using a wireless network or any kind of physical network implementation known in the art . a client system 104 may be coupled to the host system computer 102 through multiple networks ( e . g ., intranet and internet ) so that not all client systems 104 are coupled to the host system computer 102 through the same network . one or more of the client systems 104 and the host system computer 102 may be connected to the networks 106 in a wireless fashion . in one embodiment , the networks 106 include an intranet and one or more client systems 104 executing a user interface application ( e . g ., a web browser ) to contact the host system computer 102 through the networks 106 . in another embodiment , the client system 104 is connected directly ( i . e ., not through the networks 106 ) to the host system computer 102 and the host system computer 102 contains memory for storing data in support of identifying unknown parameter and name value pairs . alternatively , a separate storage device ( e . g ., storage device 112 ) may be implemented for this purpose . in an embodiment , the storage device 112 includes a data repository with data relating to the identification of unknown parameter and name value pairs by the system 100 , as well as other data / information desired by the entity representing the host system computer 102 of fig1 . the storage device 112 is logically addressable as a consolidated data source across a distributed environment that includes networks 106 . information stored in the storage device 112 may be retrieved and manipulated via the host system computer 102 and / or the client systems 104 . in an embodiment , the storage device 112 includes one or more databases containing , e . g ., and corresponding configuration parameters , values , methods , and properties , as well as other related information as will be discussed more fully below . it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the storage device 112 may also comprise other structures , such as an xml file on the file system or distributed over a network ( e . g ., one of networks 106 ), or from a data stream from another server located on a network 106 . in addition , all or a portion of the storage device 112 may alternatively be located on a client system 104 . the host system computer 102 depicted in the system of fig1 may be implemented using one or more servers operating in response to a computer program stored in a storage medium accessible by the server . the host system computer 102 may operate as a network server ( e . g ., a web server ) to communicate with the client systems 104 . the host system computer 102 handles sending and receiving information to and from the client systems 104 and can perform associated tasks . the host system computer 102 may also include a firewall to prevent unauthorized access to the host system computer 102 and enforce any limitations on authorized access . for instance , an administrator may have access to the entire system and have authority to modify portions of the system . a firewall may be implemented using conventional hardware and / or software as is known in the art . the host system computer 102 may also operate as an application server . the host system computer 102 executes one or more computer programs to provide the identification of unknown parameter and name value pairs . the host system computer 102 includes a separator identification module 108 for identifying unknown parameter and name value pairs . as indicated above , processing may be shared by the client systems 104 and the host system computer 102 by providing an application ( e . g ., java applet ) to the client systems 104 . alternatively , the client system 104 can include a stand - alone software application for performing a portion or all of the processing described herein . as previously described , it is understood that separate servers may be utilized to implement the network server functions and the application server functions . alternatively , the network server , the firewall , and the application server may be implemented by a single server executing computer programs to perform the requisite functions . it will be understood that the system for identifying of unknown parameter and name value pairs described in fig1 may be implemented in hardware , software executing on a general purpose computer , or a combination thereof . fig2 depicts a process flow for determining the name / value pair separator candidates for a set of text strings in an embodiment . the process flow of fig2 may be implemented in , for example , the separator identification module 108 of fig1 . at block 202 , two or more decoded web components are received . in an embodiment , the decoded web components are strings of characters that have been stripped of any control information and that contain at least one name / value pair and a separator . in an embodiment , the web components are query strings stripped from a web query , or post data strings as is known in the art . at block 204 , a set c of decoded web components are selected . the set of c components may be all or a subset of the received decoded web components . at block 204 , the first two of the web components from set c are selected and are compared using a text difference algorithm . in an embodiment , a largest common sequence difference algorithm is used , however any algorithm suitable for identifying sets of characters common to two strings may be used . at block 208 , common elements identified in the two compared web components are added to a common element set ( ce ). at block 210 , it is determined if all of the web components from the set c have been processed . if not all of the web components from the set c have been processed , then processing continues at block 224 , where the elements in the ce set are compared against the next uncompared element in c . processing then continues at block 208 . otherwise , if all of the web components in c have been processed processing continues at block 212 . at block 212 , an empty list of name / value separators is created . at block 214 , it is determined if all of the elements in the ce set have been processed . if there are additional elements in the ce set , then processing continues at block 216 . at block 216 , the next element in the ce set is selected for processing at block 218 . at block 218 , it is determined if the selected element includes letters within it . separators generally do not contain letters and numbers because it would require that the separators be further delimited or escaped in order for them to be distinguished from the names and values that they delimit . if the selected element does not contain letters or numbers , then processing continues at block 220 . at block 220 , it is determined if the element is at the beginning of the string of data in the web component . a name / value pair delimiter is unlikely to occur at the beginning of the string of name / value pairs . if the element does not occur at the beginning of the web component then processing continues at block 222 . at block 222 , the element is added to the name / value separator set created at block 212 and processing continues at block 214 . returning to block 220 , if the element is at the beginning of the web component , then the element is discarded and processing continues at block 214 . returning to block 218 , if the element includes letters or numbers , then the element is discarded and processing continues at block 214 . returning to block 214 , if all of the ce elements have been processed , then at block 224 the name / value set for the web components is returned as candidate name / value pair separators . fig3 a - 3b depict a process flow for determining the name / value pair separator , and parameter separator set candidates for a set of text strings in an embodiment . the process flow of fig3 a - 3b may be implemented in , for example , the separator identification module 108 of fig1 . at block 302 , a name / value pair separator candidate is selected from the candidate name / value pair separator set created in fig2 above . at block 304 , a new set c nv is created from the set of web components that include the name / value pair separator at least twice . at block 306 , it is determined if the set c nv includes at least two components . if there are at least two components in the set c nv then processing continues at block 308 . at block 308 , the first two components in the set c nv are compared using a difference algorithm as described above with regard to fig2 . at block 310 , common elements identified in the two compared components are added to a common element set ce and processing continues at block 312 . at block 312 , it is determined if all of the components in the set c nv have been processed . if not all of the components in the set c nv have been processed , then processing continues at block 310 . otherwise processing continues at block 316 of fig3 b . at block 316 , it is determined if all of the elements in the set c nv have been processed . if not all of the elements in the set c nv have been processed , then processing continues at block 318 . at block 318 , an element p is selected from the set c nv . at block 320 , it is determined if the element p is equal to any of the name / value separator candidates identified previously . it is unlikely that a parameter separator would be the same as the name / value pair separator . therefore , if there is a match , then p is discarded and processing continues at block 316 . otherwise processing continues at block 322 . at block 322 it is determined if the element p includes letters or numbers . as stated above , it is unlikely that a separator would include letters or numbers , therefore , if the element p includes letters or numbers , then it is discarded and processing continues at block 316 . otherwise processing continues at block 324 . at block 324 , it is determined if p is at the beginning of any of the web components . as stated above , it is unlikely that a separator will appear at the beginning of a web component , therefore , if the element p is found at the beginning of any of the web components , then the element p is discarded and processing continues at block 316 . otherwise processing continues at block 326 . at block 326 , it is determined if any of the potential name / value pair candidates occur more often than the element p occurs in the web component + 1 . typically , since each name value pair is separated from each other name value pairs by at least one parameter separator , if the name / value pair separator occurs n times , then p should occur at least n - 1 times . therefore of the name / value pair separator candidate occurs more often then the p separator occurs + 1 then the p element is discarded , and processing continues at block 316 . otherwise , processing continues at block 328 . at block 328 , it is determined if two name / value pair separator candidates appear consecutively without the element p between them . if two name / value pairs appear together without the element p between them , then p is not likely to be a parameter separator , because parameter separators , by definition , separate each of the name / value pairs from one another . therefore , if there are two name / value pair candidates that are not separated by the element p , then processing continues at block 316 . otherwise processing continues at block 330 . at block 330 , the name / value separator candidate , and the selected p are added as a tuple to a possible separator pair set and processing continues at block 316 . returning to block 316 , if all of the elements ce nv have been processed , then processing continues at block 332 of fig3 a . at block 332 , the set of possible separator pairs is reviewed , and any pairs that are contained in other pairs are excluded from the list . at block 334 , the remaining possible separator pair tuples are saved and processing continues at block 338 . at block 338 , it is determined if all of the name / value pair separator candidates have been processed . if not all of the name / value pair candidates have been processed , then processing continues at block 302 , where the next name value pair is selected . otherwise , if all of the name / value pair candidates have been processed , then the name / value pair and separator tuples are returned as separator candidates at block 340 . returning to block 306 , if the set c nv includes at less than two components , then processing continues at block 338 . at block 338 , the parameter separator p is set to empty . at block 336 , the name / value pair candidate and the empty parameter separator tuple is saved as a potential candidate and processing continues at block 332 . in an embodiment , the separator candidates are used to by a web security scanner to test a web application . technical effects and benefits include determining name / value pair and parameter separators using an automated method without requiring knowledge of what the separator values are . an additional benefit includes the generation of a set of name / value and parameter separator tuples that may be used to verify and test data in a web application . the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention . as used herein , the singular forms “ a ”, “ an ” and “ the ” are intended to include the plural forms as well , unless the context clearly indicates otherwise . it will be further understood that the terms “ comprises ” and / or “ comprising ,” when used in this specification , specify the presence of stated features , integers , steps , operations , elements , and / or components , but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features , integers , steps , operations , elements , components , and / or groups thereof . the corresponding structures , materials , acts , and equivalents of all means or step plus function elements in the claims below are intended to include any structure , material , or act for performing the function in combination with other claimed elements as specifically claimed . the description of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description , but is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the invention in the form disclosed . many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention . the embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and the practical application , and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the invention for various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated . as will be appreciated by one skilled in the art , aspects of the present invention may be embodied as a system , method or computer program product . accordingly , aspects of the present invention may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment , an entirely software embodiment ( including firmware , resident software , micro - code , etc .) or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects that may all generally be referred to herein as a “ circuit ,” “ module ” or “ system .” furthermore , aspects of the present invention may take the form of a computer program product embodied in one or more computer readable medium ( s ) having computer readable program code embodied thereon . any combination of one or more computer readable medium ( s ) may be utilized . the computer readable medium may be a computer readable signal medium or a computer readable storage medium . a computer readable storage medium may be , for example , but not limited to , an electronic , magnetic , optical , electromagnetic , infrared , or semiconductor system , apparatus , or device , or any suitable combination of the foregoing . more specific examples ( a non - exhaustive list ) of the computer readable storage medium would include the following : an electrical connection having one or more wires , a portable computer diskette , a hard disk , a random access memory ( ram ), a read - only memory ( rom ), an erasable programmable read - only memory ( eprom or flash memory ), an optical fiber , a portable compact disc read - only memory ( cd - rom ), an optical storage device , a magnetic storage device , or any suitable combination of the foregoing . in the context of this document , a computer readable storage medium may be any tangible medium that can contain , or store a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system , apparatus , or device . a computer readable signal medium may include a propagated data signal with computer readable program code embodied therein , for example , in baseband or as part of a carrier wave . such a propagated signal may take any of a variety of forms , including , but not limited to , electro - magnetic , optical , or any suitable combination thereof . a computer readable signal medium may be any computer readable medium that is not a computer readable storage medium and that can communicate , propagate , or transport a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system , apparatus , or device . program code embodied on a computer readable medium may be transmitted using any appropriate medium , including but not limited to wireless , wireline , optical fiber cable , rf , etc ., or any suitable combination of the foregoing . computer program code for carrying out operations for aspects of the present invention may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages , including an object oriented programming language such as java , smalltalk , c ++ or the like and conventional procedural programming languages , such as the “ c ” programming language or similar programming languages . the program code may execute entirely on the user &# 39 ; s computer , partly on the user &# 39 ; s computer , as a stand - alone software package , partly on the user &# 39 ; s computer and partly on a remote computer or entirely on the remote computer or server . in the latter scenario , the remote computer may be connected to the user &# 39 ; s computer through any type of network , including a local area network ( lan ) or a wide area network ( wan ), or the connection may be made to an external computer ( for example , through the internet using an internet service provider ). aspects of the present invention are described above with reference to flowchart illustrations and / or schematic diagrams of methods , apparatus ( systems ) and computer program products according to embodiments of the invention . it will be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams , and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams , can be implemented by computer program instructions . these computer program instructions may be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer , special purpose computer , or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine , such that the instructions , which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus , create means for implementing the functions / acts specified in the flowchart and / or block diagram block or blocks . these computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer readable medium that can direct a computer , other programmable data processing apparatus , or other devices to function in a particular manner , such that the instructions stored in the computer readable medium produce an article of manufacture including instructions which implement the function / act specified in the flowchart and / or block diagram block or blocks . the computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer , other programmable data processing apparatus , or other devices to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer , other programmable apparatus or other devices to produce a computer implemented process such that the instructions which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus provide processes for implementing the functions / acts specified in the flowchart and / or block diagram block or blocks . as described above , embodiments can be embodied in the form of computer - implemented processes and apparatuses for practicing those processes . in embodiments , the invention is embodied in computer program code executed by one or more network elements . embodiments include a computer program product on a computer usable medium with computer program code logic containing instructions embodied in tangible media as an article of manufacture . exemplary articles of manufacture for computer usable medium may include floppy diskettes , cd - roms , hard drives , universal serial bus ( usb ) flash drives , or any other computer - readable storage medium , wherein , when the computer program code logic is loaded into and executed by a computer , the computer becomes an apparatus for practicing the invention . embodiments include computer program code logic , for example , whether stored in a storage medium , loaded into and / or executed by a computer , 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 logic 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 logic segments configure the microprocessor to create specific logic circuits . the flowchart and block diagrams in the figures illustrate the architecture , functionality , and operation of possible implementations of systems , methods , and computer program products according to various embodiments of the present invention . in this regard , each block in the flowchart or block diagrams may represent a module , segment , or portion of code , which comprises one or more executable instructions for implementing the specified logical function ( s ). it should also be noted that , in some alternative implementations , the functions noted in the block may occur out of the order noted in the figures . for example , two blocks shown in succession may , in fact , be executed substantially concurrently , or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order , depending upon the functionality involved . it will also be noted that each block of the block diagrams and / or flowchart illustration , and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and / or flowchart illustration , can be implemented by special purpose hardware - based systems that perform the specified functions or acts , or combinations of special purpose hardware and computer instructions . | 6 |
referring now in more detail to the drawings , in which like numerals indicate like parts throughout the several views , fig1 illustrates an advertising mat 10 that is to be applied to the floor surface of a retail establishment in an anticipated pedestrian path . the pedestrian path is indicated by the footprints 11 extending toward and away from the mat and possibly through doors 12 . the mat is formed of a rubberized material having a substantially flat bottom surface ( not shown ) that can be textured for avoiding slipping or skidding on the surface of the floor of the establishment . the mat material can be rubber , vinyl , or a combination of materials such as rubber and vinyl , for presenting a friendly , safe pedestrian surface and providing durability for the user . while other dimensions can be used , a typical floor mat can be 6 feet long and 3 feet wide , and have a central section 14 and opposed side sections 15 and 16 that straddle the central section 14 . typically the central section 14 will be approximately 3 feet in length and 3 feet in width , whereas the opposed side sections each will be 1 - ½ feet in length and 3 feet in width . also , the mat will be placed with its length extending transverse to the anticipated pedestrian path 11 , so that only the central section 14 is expected to be heavily traveled by the pedestrian traffic . the opposed side sections 15 and 16 will be placed adjacent , in straddling relationship , with respect to both the central section 14 and the anticipated pedestrian path 11 . the central section can be made of a permanent material , usually of the same material of the entire floor mat . as illustrated in fig2 the mat 10 has a raised border 18 , including a shallow ledge 19 that projects vertically upwardly from the central portion 20 of each side section 15 and 16 , and also upwardly from the central portion 21 of the central section 14 . as shown , the central section 14 can include vertically raised designs 23 arranged in closely spaced relationship so as to form a walking surface for pedestrians and to also form lowered spaces or relief between the designs for the accumulation of dirt , etc . the central section 14 can also include track control media , such as tufted nylon , polypropylene , rayon , etc ., that functions to remove dirt and debris from the feet of pedestrians . embodiments are also envisioned wherein the central section 14 is removable from the mat 10 so as to facilitate cleaning the mat 10 . graphics sheets 25 are removably placed in the recessed central portion 20 of the side sections 15 and 16 . the graphics sheets are of a length and width that correspond to the length and width of the recessed portions 20 , so as to substantially fill the recessed portions at opposed ends of the mat , outside of the anticipated pedestrian path 11 . as shown in fig3 each of the graphics sheets 25 may be polystyrene sheet 26 or vinyl sheet or a sheet of other material that is durable and user safe and friendly , typically of white or off - white color or of other color that forms a proper background for the graphics to be applied thereto . the graphics sheets have a releasable adhesive 28 applied thereto on the bottom surface and a peel off cover sheet 29 is temporarily applied to the releasable adhesive so as to protect the adhesive prior to the time when the graphics sheets will be applied to the mat . the upper surface of the graphics sheet has printed thereon the graphics 30 desired by the producer , usually the name and image of the product or service to be sold at the site of the retail establishment . typically , the graphics have been applied to the graphics sheet and a laminate 31 of clear vinyl is applied to the graphics sheet , over the graphics , so as to protect the graphics from wear and discoloration , and to form a non - skid and scuff resistant surface . when the advertising floor mat 10 is to be placed in a retail store , etc ., the graphics sheets 25 will be applied to the opposed side sections 15 and 16 of the mat by peeling away the protective peel off cover sheet 29 from the bottom surface of the graphics sheet , and then accurately placing the graphics sheet in the recessed central portion 20 of the opposed side sections of the mat . the borders 18 of the mat protects the edges of the graphics sheets 25 from inadvertent detachment from the mat . in that the graphics sheets 25 are releaseably adhesively attached to the advertising mat 10 , the graphics sheets 25 can be removed from the advertising floor mat and replaced so as to change the ad carried by the mat and / or refresh the ads with a replacement ad from time to time so as to avoid extended use of advertisements that have become worn , discolored , obsolete or otherwise undesirable . [ 0034 ] fig4 discloses another preferred embodiment of the advertising mat 10 . in the preferred embodiment shown in fig4 the graphics sheets 25 that are to be placed in the opposed recessed side sections 15 and 16 are first adhesively attached to panels 27 ( fig5 ) that have substantially the same length and width as the opposed recessed side sections 15 and 16 . once the graphics sheets 25 have been adhesively connected to their respective panels 27 , the panels 27 are inserted into their respective opposed recessed side section 15 and 16 . although the panels 27 can be simply placed in their respective opposed recessed side sections 15 and 16 , it is desirable to utilize some positive means of retaining the panels 27 within the side sections 15 and 16 . adhesive can be used . as shown in fig5 another method of retaining the panels 27 within the opposed recessed side sections 15 and 16 is the utilization of hold down tabs 22 disposed in the corners of each of the opposed side sections 15 and 16 . preferably , each opposed recessed side section 15 and 16 will have a hold down tab 22 at each of its corners for its respective panel 27 . as shown , each hold down tab 22 extends over a corner of a side section and defines an approximately triangular slot or recess 23 between the hold down tab 22 and the corner of the associated recessed side sections 15 and 16 , the recess being disposed in the shallow ledge 19 formed by the raised border 18 . preferably , the combined thickness of the panel 27 and its associated graphics sheets 25 is less than the height of the shallow ledge 19 , thereby permitting the raised border 18 to afford protection to the panel 27 and graphics sheets 25 . mounting the graphics sheets 25 to a panel 27 rather than directly to the mat 10 permits the graphics sheets 25 to be used with multiple mats 10 . therefore , if it is desirable to clean the advertising mat 10 yet continue to use the same graphics sheets 25 , the panels 27 are simply removed from the opposed side sections 15 and 16 of the mat 10 to be removed for cleaning and placed in the opposed side sections 15 and 16 of the replacement advertising mat 10 . the panels 27 extend the service life of the graphics sheets 25 , thereby reducing the cost of utilizing the advertising mat 10 . note , although not shown , embodiments are envisioned wherein the central section 14 of the advertising mat 10 also can bear advertising indicia . the ad in the central portion of the advertising floor mat can be permanent as by molding or tufting the information into the mat . however , a generic central portion 14 increases flexibility of use of the mats in that a stock pile of mats 10 with advertising specific to a given location does not need to be maintained . as shown in fig4 and 5 , the central section 14 of the advertising mat 10 includes a track control media such as nylon , polypropylene , rayon , etc ., which can be tufted . typically , the central section 14 of the advertising mat 10 is non - releasably attached to the advertising mat 10 . however , embodiments are envisioned wherein the track control media is secured to a substrate ( not shown ) which is in turn placed within a recessed portion of the mat 10 . the substrate is releasably connected to the mat 10 by mechanical means , such as the previously discussed hold down tabs 22 . this allows the central section 14 of the mat 10 to be periodically cleaned without having to lift and remove the entire advertising mat 10 from the premises on which it is being used . [ 0038 ] fig6 is a flow diagram illustrating the process of fabricating a preferred embodiment of the advertising mat 10 . first , as shown in block 40 , a rubberized mat 10 having a bottom surface and an upper surface 12 is provided . next , as shown in block 42 , a plate 33 is disposed on the upper surface 12 of the mat . typically , the plate 27 will have the dimensions and shape of the desired recess to be formed in the upper surface 12 of the mat 10 . preferably , the plate 33 is formed from a metal , such as aluminum . next , the temperature to which the mat 10 and plate 33 are exposed is elevated , as shown in block 44 , resulting in the plate and mat becoming heated . by elevating the temperature , the rubber of the mat 10 will flow more readily , thereby allowing the hot plate 33 to be received within the mat 10 . as shown in block 46 , force is exerted on the plate 33 , with the plate being urged into the mat , thereby forcing the plate 33 into the upper surface 12 of the mat 10 . as the plate 33 moves into the upper surface 12 of the mat 10 , the surrounding rubber is urged upwardly about the edges of the plate 33 , thereby forming the shallow ledge 19 of the opposed side sections 15 and 16 . next , the mat 10 and embedded plate 33 are cooled such that the plate 33 can eventually be removed from the mat 10 , thereby leaving a recess in the mat 10 , as shown in block 48 . once the mat 10 has adequately cooled , a graphics sheet 25 , either alone or adhesively attached to a panel 27 , can be placed in the recess , as shown in block 50 . referring now to fig7 additional steps are required to form the hold down tabs 22 disclosed by the preferred embodiment of the advertising mat 10 , shown in fig4 and 5 . in the preferred embodiment shown , the corners 34 of the plate 33 used to form the opposed side sections 15 and 16 are thinned to approximately half the thickness of the plate 33 . typically , a plate 33 will be approximately 60 mils thick , meaning the corners 34 will be thinned to approximately 30 mils . after the plate 33 has been disposed on the upper surface 12 of the mat 10 , a piece of reinforcing fabric 38 is disposed to cross the thinned corner 34 of the plate 33 such that it extends beyond the edges of the plate 33 . next , a rubber piece 36 is disposed on top of the reinforcing fabric 38 , and similarly extends beyond the edges of the plate 33 . the reinforcing fabric 38 and rubber piece 36 ideally extend beyond the edges of the plate 33 so that they will make sufficient contact with the upper surface 12 of the mat 10 . therefore , as the rubber piece 36 is exposed to elevated temperatures and pressure , the rubber piece 36 will flow through the reinforcing fabric 38 and adequately bond with the rubber of the upper surface 12 of the mat 10 . also , thinning the corners 34 of the plate 33 helps ensure that the hold down tabs 22 will be formed substantially within the plane of the upper surface 12 of the mat 10 . therefore , the hold down tabs 22 will remain substantially flat rather than “ bulging ” upward . however , it is not necessary to thin the corners 34 of the plates 33 when forming all embodiments . it should be emphasized that the above - described embodiments of the present advertising mat 10 , in particular , any “ preferred ” embodiments , are merely possible examples of implementations that set forth a clear understanding of the principles of the advertising mat 10 . variations and modifications may be made to the above - described embodiments of the advertising mat 10 without departing substantially from the spirit and principles of the advertising mat 10 . all such modifications and variations are intended to be included herein within the scope of this disclosure of the advertising mat 10 and protected by the following claims . | 8 |
hereinafter , detailed descriptions on certain embodiments of the present invention will be provided with reference to the accompanying drawings . fig2 a to 2 c are cross - sectional views illustrating a method for fabricating a semiconductor device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention . as shown in fig2 a , a plurality of device isolation layers 22 are formed in certain portions of a substrate 21 through a shallow trench isolation ( sti ) process . then , a plurality of recesses 23 are formed in predetermined portions of the substrate 21 . a gate insulation layer 24 is formed over the above resulting structure and afterwards , a plurality of recess gate lines g are formed over the gate insulation layer 24 being partially filled into the recesses 23 . each of the recess gate lines g is formed by sequentially stacking the gate insulation layer 24 , a polysilicon layer 25 , a tungsten silicide layer 26 , a gate hard mask 27 , and an anti - reflective coating layer 28 . when a photoresist layer ( not shown ) is formed over the hard mask 27 , and a photolithograph process is performed on the hard mask 27 thereafter . the photolithography process can be easily performed due to the anti - reflective coating layer 27 . the anti - reflective coating layer 27 is formed of silicon oxynitride ( sion ). a capping layer 29 is formed over a profile of the substrate 21 and the recess gate lines g . the capping layer 29 is formed to a thickness ranging from approximately 30 åto approximately 80 å . the capping layer 29 has the same thickness as an oxide layer formed through a light oxidation process of the typical method . the capping layer 29 includes a nitride - based material such as si x n y , wherein x and y are natural numbers greater than approximately 1 . for instance , the capping layer 29 is formed by using a mixture gas including silane ( sih 4 ), ammonia ( nh 3 ), and nitrogen ( n 2 ) at a temperature ranging from approximately 400 ° c . to approximately 600 ° c . compared to the typical method , according to this embodiment of the present invention , the capping layer 29 is formed through a nitride layer deposition process and thus , silicon of the tungsten silicide layer 26 does not react with oxygen ( o 2 ) as a result , the capping layer 29 can be stably formed over sidewalls of the tungsten silicide layer 26 . as shown in fig2 b , a radical oxidation process is performed on the above resulting substrate structure 21 to oxidize the capping layer 29 . as a result , an oxide layer 29 a is formed . the nitride - based layer ( i . e ., the capping layer 29 ) is transformed to the oxide layer 29 a using o 2 ions and hydrogen ( h 2 ) ions at a low pressure . in more detail , h 2 or h 2 o is mixed with o 2 ( i . e ., o 2 / h 2 or o 2 / h 2 o ) at a pressure ranging from approximately 0 . 3 torr to approximately 1 . 5 torr and a temperature ranging from approximately 400 ° c . to approximately 700 ° c . thus , the o 2 ions react with silicon included in a nitride layer to form a silicon oxide ( sio 2 ) layer . as a result , only the capping layer 29 is transformed to the oxide layer 29 a . the tungsten silicide layer 26 is capped by the nitride - based capping layer 29 during the radical oxidation process . thus , the tungsten silicide layer 26 is not exposed to an oxidation reaction . accordingly , an abnormal oxidation of a tungsten silicon layer often occurring in the typical method can be reduced . specifically , the abnormal oxidation of a silicide layer can be reduced by performing an oxidation process at a low temperature not at a high temperature of approximately 700 ° c . or higher . as shown in fig2 c , a spacer layer 30 is formed over a surface of the oxide layer 29 a . the spacer layer 30 includes a nitride - based material . although not shown , an inter - layer oxide layer is formed over the substrate 21 and the recess gate lines g and then , a landing plug contact ( lpc ) process is performed to form a landing plug contact ( lpc ). as described above , after forming the recess gate lines g , a capping layer is formed and then , a radical oxidation process is performed at a low temperature ranging from approximately 400 ° c . to approximately 700 ° c . to oxidize the capping layer . as a result , an abnormal oxidation of a tungsten silicide layer can be reduced , and an oxide layer reducing stress on a substrate during a lpc process and damage caused during an ion - implantation process can be stably formed . accordingly , a property of devices can be improved and a sac fail of the lpc can be reduced . according to this embodiment of the present invention , a capping layer is formed over recess gate lines before performing a radical oxidation process . then , an oxide layer is formed by using a radical oxidation process at a temperature ranging from approximately 400 ° c . to approximately 700 ° c . as a result , silicon atoms existing in a silicide layer of the typical method do not react with o 2 to reduce an oxidation . an abnormal oxidation of a tungsten silicide layer and a stress generated between a device isolation layer and a tungsten silicide layer can be reduced . the present application contains subject matter related to the korean patent application no . kr 2005 - 0121689 , filed in the korean patent office on dec . 12 , 2005 , the entire contents of which being incorporated herein by reference . while the present invention has been described with respect to certain preferred embodiments , it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the following claims . | 7 |
the sewing - machine is made of pedestal plate 1 , pillar 2 and overhang beam 3 . the basic form of the whole body is derived from a four - side truncated pyramid . the pedestal plate 1 has a rectangular shape , its side planes being convex so that the cross - section of the convexity is shaped as an isosceles triangle with a square cutout in the top , which appears in the plate 1 as a channel 4 running around the plate . the pillar 2 descends from the pedestal plate 1 as a truncated four - side pyramid which on the front side has a prismatic hollow 5 in which is embodied a carrier 6 for a thread reel , not shown in the drawing . the carrier 6 is shaped as a lying letter t . under the hollow 5 there is embodied a smaller prismatically shaped button 7 . in the line of the channel 4 , there is embodied a button 8 shaped as an oblong rectangular plate with a convexity formed in the middle of the front side , the convexity having a shape of a prism in which is embodied a hollow with an outline of an equilateral triangle turned downwards . the upper part of the pillar 2 extends to the overhang beam 3 , which extends over the pedestal plate 1 . the overhang beam 3 is shaped as an oblong truncated four - side pyramid with a smaller downwards directed truncated four - side pyramid formed on the free end on a lower side . on the front side near the free end there is embodied a shallow hollow 9 , its outline having the form of a trapezoid with rounded off angles at its lower base - line . in the hollow 9 there is arranged a button 10 , which has a shape of a cylinder with several coaxially running channels on the surface . the side planes and the upper plane of the overhang beam 3 are concave , being inset from the surface , but of a generally flat configuration . on the side plane of the overhang beam 3 there is at the pillar 2 arranged a button 11 , which has the same shape as the button 10 , however , it is slightly larger . all edges and corners are rounded off . | 3 |
fig1 shows an electromagnetic actuator generally designated at a for operating a cylinder valve 1 . the actuator a is essentially composed of a magnet block 2 formed of an upper electromagnet 3 , a lower electromagnet 4 and a spacer 5 disposed therebetween . the two electromagnets 3 and 4 have a respective magnet coil 3 . 1 and 4 . 1 connected with a non - illustrated current supply . an armature 8 is disposed in the intermediate space 6 maintained free by the spacer 5 and is affixed to a guide rod 7 . at its upper end the guide rod 7 is supported on the inside of a housing part 18 with the intermediary of a resetting spring 9 functioning as an opening spring and at the lower end the guide rod 7 abuts the terminus of the stem 10 of the cylinder valve 1 . the valve stem 10 carries a support disk 10 &# 39 ; which is engaged by a valve closing spring 11 which simultaneously serves as the lower resetting spring . in case of an alternating energization of the electromagnets 3 and 4 , the armature 8 is reciprocated between the two electromagnets and , in accordance with a predetermined control of the energization of the two electromagnets 3 and 4 , the cylinder valve 1 is opened and closed . fig1 shows the actuator in a deenergized state . according to the embodiment illustrated in fig1 the magnet block 2 is mounted upright on an upwardly oriented surface 15 of a cylinder head 12 of an internal - combustion engine . the securement is effected by means of a clamping yoke 13 and at least two tightening bolts 14 which are screwed into corresponding threaded bores provided in the cylinder head 12 . since during operation , in response to an energization of the electromagnets 3 and 4 the armature 8 alternatingly abuts the pole faces 3 . 2 and 4 . 2 of the respective electromagnets 3 and 4 with an impact speed which results in a sound generation , according to the invention a sound insulation is provided . to effect a sound insulation between the clamping yoke 13 and the engagement face 15 of the cylinder head 12 , sound muffling means 16 formed of a rubber - elastic intermediate layer is provided . by such a sound muffling arrangement a transmission of the impact sound generated upon the collision of the armature with the respective pole face is reduced and , as a result , sound transmission to the internal - combustion engine and components connected therewith also diminishes . to prevent the sound muffling means 16 from being excessively compressed upon tightening of the bolts 14 and thus risking a loss of the sound muffling properties , between the clamping yoke 13 and the engagement face 15 of the cylinder head 2 spacer tubes 17 are provided so that regardless of the magnitude of the tightening torque applied to the bolts 14 , the rubber - elastic sound muffling means 16 will not be excessively compressed . as seen in fig1 the support 18 for the resetting spring 9 is also sound - insulated from the clamping yoke 13 so that the armature 8 and the resetting spring 9 too , can practically not transmit any sound by body vibration . in addition to the two sound muffling means 16 which are directly associated with the securing means for the actuator , it is feasible to provide , as also shown in fig1 sound muffling means 16 . 1 and 16 . 2 between the two electromagnets 3 and 4 and the associated spacer 5 so that the sound insulating effect is further increased . the embodiment illustrated in fig2 is in principle of the same construction as the arrangement shown in fig1 . the difference resides in that the actuator as a whole is suspended , that is , the magnet block is , with the clamping yoke 13 , clamped together as a structural element with the interposition of a sound muffling means 16 and is ready to be installed . the actuator is , by means of lateral extensions 19 , attached by bolts at the clamping yoke 13 to the cylinder head 12 from which the entire unit is suspended and is received in a cylinder head well . between the individual elements again , rubber - elastic intermediate layers ( sound muffling means ) 16 are provided . the structure according to fig1 may be configured in the same manner as the structure of fig2 in which the individual elements , that is , the clamping yoke 13 , the upper electromagnet 3 , the spacer 5 , the lower electromagnet 4 and a base plate 21 are clamped together by means of at least two throughgoing connecting bolts 20 . in the embodiment illustrated in fig3 the throughgoing series of aligned bores 22 provided in the individual elements accommodates a spacer tube 23 which serves for receiving a connecting bolt 20 and which has a length that is slightly less than the overall height of the loosely superposed magnet block . the inner diameter of the bores 22 is slightly greater than the outer diameter of the spacer tube 23 so that the spacer tube 23 is , over its entire length , out of immediate contact with the individual elements . if , as shown in fig4 the individual elements are clamped to one another by means of the connecting bolts 20 , the stack composed of the individual elements and the sound muffling means 16 positioned therebetween may be compressed only to the extent that equals the predetermined difference between the lesser length of the spacer tube 23 and the structural height of the unclamped stack . to ensure that the armature 8 is guided satisfactorily in its reciprocating motion on the guide rod 7 , expediently means for centering the individual elements of the magnet block are provided . the centering means , while allowing the necessary , although slight relative motions in the direction of armature displacement , reliably prevent any transverse motion of the individual elements of the magnet blocks . as shown in fig5 such a centering may be effected by projections 24 which are formed on the sound muffling means 16 and which extend into corresponding grooves of the associated individual magnet block element . instead of the above - noted projections or in addition to such projections , it is further feasible , as shown in fig6 to provide the individual magnet block elements with interlocking projections 25 at their outer periphery . even if practically no transverse clearance is present between the projection 25 and the associated counterface 26 at the circumference of the adjoining individual element , such a connection nevertheless is sufficient as an isolation to reliably prevent or at least significantly reduce sound transmission by body vibration . sound muffling means 16 may be provided in a similar manner in an electromagnetic actuator which has only a single electromagnet . when using such an actuator for operating a cylinder valve , the armature is moved into one position , for example , the &# 34 ; valve closed &# 34 ; position by a resetting spring , and is moved into the &# 34 ; valve open &# 34 ; position by energizing the electromagnet and causing displacement of the armature against the force of the resetting spring . such an actuator in principle corresponds to the earlier - described embodiments from which one of the two magnets is omitted . for the earlier - described operational mode this would mean that in the described embodiments the upper magnet may be omitted so that the clamping yoke 13 holds directly the lower magnet 4 with the intermediary of a spacer 5 . it will be understood that the above description of the present invention is susceptible to various modifications , changes and adaptations , and the same are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the appended claims . | 5 |
the compounds include solvates and hydrates and pharmaceutically acceptable salts of the compounds of the above formula . the term pharmaceutically acceptable acid addition salt is intended to mean a relatively non - toxic acid addition salt , either from inorganic or organic acids such as , for example , hydrochloric , sulfuric , phosphoric , acetic , citric , oxalic , malonic , salicylic , malic , gluconic , fumaric , succinic , ascorbic , maleic , methanesulfonic , and the like . the salts are prepared by contacting the free base form with a sufficient amount of the desired acid to product a salt in the conventional manner . the free base forms , may be regenerated by treating the salt form with a base . the alkyl and alkenyl groups of the present invention comprise both straight and branched carbon chains of from one to eight carbon atoms . representatives of such groups are methyl , ethyl , propyl , isopropyl , butyl , 3 - methylbutyl , pentyl , and the like . the aralkyl groups of the present invention comprise alkyl groups which are both straight and branched carbon chains of from one to four carbon atoms and aryls such as phenyl or phenyl substituted by lower alkyl , lower alkoxy , lower thioalkoxy , halogen , or trifluoromethyl ; aryl can also be a heterocycle such as 2 -, 3 -, or 4 - pyridinyl ; 2 -, 4 -, or 5 - pyrimidinyl , or 2 - pyrazinyl . the present invention also includes each individual stereoisomer of the compounds depicted by formula iii , when represents a single bond . the preferred compounds are those of formula iii where r is hydrogen or an alkyl of from one to four carbon atoms , where r &# 39 ; is hydrogen or co -- r ,&# 39 ;&# 34 ; where r &# 34 ; is an alkyl of from one to eight carbon atoms , an alkenyl group of from two to eight carbon atoms , an aralkyl group or a group of the formula --( ch 2 ) n -- o --( ch 2 ) m -- ch 3 wherein n and m are each independently zero to four and where r &# 39 ;&# 34 ; is an alkyl of from one to four carbon atoms . the more preferred compounds for the treatment of hypertension , inhibition of prolactin secretion , parkinson &# 39 ; s disease and depression are those of formula iii where r is hydrogen , r &# 39 ; is hydrogen or co -- r ,&# 39 ;&# 34 ; r &# 34 ; is an alkyl group from one to three carbon atoms or an alkenyl group from two to three carbon atoms and r &# 39 ;&# 34 ; is an alkyl group from one to three carbon atoms . the more preferred compounds for the treatment of psychosis , i . e ., schizophrenia , are those of formula iii where r is hydrogen , r &# 39 ; is hydrogen or co -- r ,&# 39 ;&# 34 ; r &# 34 ; is an alkyl or alkenyl group from four to six carbon atoms and r &# 39 ;&# 34 ; is an alkyl group from one to three carbon atoms . particularly valuable compounds falling within the scope of the present invention include the following compounds : the above compounds may be prepared by treating a pyridinyl - thiazolamine with an organic halide to form the corresponding 1 - substituted pyridinium salt ; the reaction is carried out in ethyl alcohol or acetonitrile and is heated at reflux for 18 to 30 hours . then the pyridinium salt is selectively reduced to form the corresponding tetrahydropyridinylthiazolamine . this step takes place in an alcohol - water mixture at - 10 ° to + 10 ° c . with a reducing agent . if desired , one can treat this thiazolamine with an acid anhydride to form an n - substituted acid amide and then convert the product , if desired , to a pharmaceutically acceptable acid addition salt . in the preferred reaction conditions , the thiazolamine and the organic halide are refluxed in absolute ethanol or acetonitrile for 24 hours . the preferred halides are 1 - bromopropane , ethyl iodide , allyl bromide , 1 - bromobutane , 1 - bromopentane , 1 - bromohexane 1 - bromoheptane , 1 - bromo - 3 - methylbutane , ( 2 - bromoethyl ) benzene , or 2 - bromoethyl ethyl ether . one may also use an organic p - toluenesulfonate in place of the organic halide to form the intermediate pyridinium salt . the resulting 1 - substituted pyridinium salt may be selectively reduced in a 1 : 1 water : methanol solution by a slow addition of excess sodium borohydride over a period of thirty minutes . the preferred method of preparing the amide is by dissolving the substituted thiazolamine in an acid anhydride containing anhydrous sodium acetate . heat this under reflux in nitrogen for three hours . the hexahydro - compounds of the instant invention may be prepared by treating 3 - acetyl - n - alkylpyridines with a thiourea , in the presence of a halogenating agent such as bromine or iodine , to form the corresponding thiazolamines . the reaction is carried out at 90 °- 110 ° c . for 18 - 30 hours . preferably the reactions at 100 ° c . for 24 hours . the substituted thiazolamine may be converted , if desired , to an n - substituted acide amide by reaction of the thiazolamine with an acid anhydride . preferably one uses refluxing acetic anhydride for two hours to produce the acetamide . the following schematic procedure describes these reactions . ## str4 ## for preparing pharmaceutical compositions from the compounds described by this invention , inert , pharmaceutically acceptable carriers can be either solid or liquid . solid form preparations include powders , tablets , dispersible granules , capsules , cachets , and suppositories . a solid carrier can be one or more substances which may also act as diluents , flavoring agents , solubilizers , lubricants , suspending agents , binders or tablet disintegrating agents ; it can also be encapsulating material . in powders , the carrier is a finely divided solid which is in admixture with the finely divided active compound . in the tablet the active compound is mixed with carrier having the necessary binding properties in suitable proportions and compacted in the shape and size desired . the powders and tablets preferably contain from 5 to 10 to about 70 percent of the active ingredient . suitable solid carriers are magnesium carbonate , magnesium stearate , talc , sugar , lactose , pectin , dextrin , starch , gelatin , tragacanth , methylcellulose , a low melting wax , cocoa butter , and the like . the term &# 34 ; preparation &# 34 ; is intended to include the formulation of the active compound with encapsulating material as carrier providing a capsule in which the active component ( with or without other carriers ) is surrounded by carrier , which is thus in association with it . similarly , cachets are included . tablets , powders , cachets , and capsules can be used as solid dosage forms suitabe for oral administration . for preparing suppositories , a low melting wax such as a mixture of fatty acid glycerides or cocoa butter is first melted , and the active ingredient is dispersed homogenously therein by stirring . the molten homogeneous mixture is then poured into convenient sized molds , allowed to cool , and thereby solidify . liquid form preparations include solutions , suspensions , and emulsions . as an example may be mentioned water or water propylene glycol solutions for parenteral injection . liquid preparations can also be formulated in solution in aqueous polyethyleneglycol solution . aqueous solutions suitable for oral use can be prepared by dissolving the active component in water and adding suitable colorants , flavors , stabilizing , and thickening agents as desired . aqueous suspensions suitable for oral use can be made by dispersing the finely divided active component in water with viscous material , i . e ., natural or synthetic gums , resins , methylcellulose , sodium carboxymethylcellulose , and other well - known suspending agents . also included are solid form preparations which are intended to be converted , shortly before use , to liquid form preparations for either oral or parenteral administration . such liquid forms include solutions , suspensions , and emulsions . these particular solid form preparations are most conveniently provided in unit dose form and as such as used to provide a single liquid dosage unit . alternatively , sufficient solid may be provided so that after conversion to liquid form , multiple individual liquid doses may be obtained by measuring predetermined volumes of the liquid form preparation as with a syringe , teaspoon , or other volumetric container . when multiple liquid doses are so prepared , it is preferred to maintain the unused portion of said liquid doses at low temperature ( i . e .. under refrigeration ) in order to retard possible decomposition . the solid form preparations intended to be converted to liquid form may contain , in addition to the active material , flavorants , colorants , stabilizers , buffers , artificial and natural sweeteners , dispersants , thickeners , solubilizing agents , and the like . the liquid utilized for preparing the liquid form preparation may be water , isotonic water , ethanol , glycerine , propylene glycol , and the like , as well as mixtures thereof . naturally , the liquid utilized will be chosen with regard to the route of administration , for example , liquid preparations containing large amounts of ethanol are not suitable for parenteral use . preferably , the pharmaceutical preparation is in unit dosage form . in such form , the preparation is subdivided into unit doses containing appropriate quantities of the active component . the unit dosage form can be a packaged preparation , the package containing discrete quantities of preparation , for example , packeted tablets , capsules , and powders in vials or ampoules . the unit dosage form can also be a capsule , cachet , or tablet itself , or it can be the appropriate number of any of these in packaged form . the quantity of active compound in a unit dose of preparation may be varied or adjusted from 1 mg to 500 mg , preferably 5 to 100 mg according to the particular application and the potency of the active ingredient . the compositions can , if desired , also contain other compatible therapeutic agents . in therapeutic use , the mammalian dosage range for a subject of 70 kg body weight is from 1 to 1500 mg per day or preferably 25 to 750 mg per day optionally in divided portions . the dosages , however , may be varied depending upon the requirements of the patient , the severity of the condition being treated , and the compound being employed . determination of the proper dosage for a particular situation is within the skill of the art . generally , treatment is initiated with smaller dosages which are less than the optimum dose of the compound . thereafter the dosage is increased by small increments until the optimum effect under the circumstances is reached . for convenience , the total daily dosage may be divided and administered in portions during the day if desired . the compounds of the present invention act on the dopamine systems of the mammalian body . some are dopamine agonists , effective against , for example , hyperprolactinoemia , parkinson &# 39 ; s disease , hypertension , sexual disorders , and acromegaly . others are dopamine antagonists , effective as antipsychotic agents . the method for determining the effectiveness of the compounds of the instant invention as dopaminergic agents is explained in mol . pharmacol ., 1976 ( 12 ) 800 herein incorporated by reference . table 1 below sets forth the results . table 1______________________________________haloperidol receptor binding (% inhibition at 10 . sup .- 6 m ) compound % inhibition______________________________________iii ( where is double bond ) r = r &# 39 ; = h ; r &# 34 ; = ch . sub . 3 50r = r &# 39 ; = h ; r &# 34 ; = ch . sub . 2 ch . sub . 3 49r = r &# 39 ; = h ; r &# 34 ; = ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 2 ch . sub . 3 66r = r &# 39 ; = h ; r &# 34 ; = ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 57r = r &# 39 ; = h ; r &# 34 ; = ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 4 ch . sub . 3 26r = r &# 39 ; = h ; r &# 34 ; = ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 5 ch . sub . 3 88r = r &# 39 ; = h ; r &# 34 ; = ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 6 ch . sub . 3r = r &# 39 ; = h ; r &# 34 ; = ch . sub . 2 ch ═ ch . sub . 2 40r = r &# 39 ; = h ; r &# 34 ; = ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 2 och . sub . 2 ch . sub . 3 35r = r &# 39 ; = h ; r &# 34 ; = ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 2 ph 16r = r &# 39 ; = h ; r &# 34 ; = ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 2 ch ( ch . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 65r = me ; r &# 39 ; = h ; r &# 34 ; = ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 2 ch . sub . 3 not availabler = me ; r &# 39 ; = h ; r &# 34 ; = ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 not availabler = me ; r &# 39 ; = h ; r &# 34 ; = ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 4 ch . sub . 3 not availabler = h ; r &# 39 ; = coch . sub . 3 ; r &# 34 ; = ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 2 ch . sub . 3 0r = h ; r &# 39 ; = coch . sub . 3 ; r &# 34 ; = ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 4 ch . sub . 3 0r = me ; r &# 39 ; = coch . sub . 3 ; r &# 34 ; = ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 2 ch . sub . 3 not availabler = me ; r &# 39 ; = coch . sub . 3 ; r &# 34 ; = ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 4 ch . sub . 3 not availableiii ( where is single bond ) r = r &# 39 ; = h ; r &# 34 ; = ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 2 ch . sub . 3 15r = h ; r &# 39 ; = coch . sub . 3 ; r &# 34 ; = ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 2 ch . sub . 3 9______________________________________ the effects of representative compounds of the present invention as antipsychotic agents was established by the mouse activity and screen test procedure described in pharmacol . biochem . behav . 1978 ( 8 ) 97 , herein incorporated by reference . the results are shown in table 2 . table 2______________________________________inhibition of locomotor activity in mouse ( ed . sub . 50 , mg / kg ) compound ed . sub . 50______________________________________iii ( where is double bond ) r = r &# 39 ; = h ; r &# 34 ; = ch . sub . 3 30r = r &# 39 ; = h ; r &# 34 ; = ch . sub . 2 ch . sub . 3 & gt ; 30r = r &# 39 ; = h ; r &# 34 ; = ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 2 ch . sub . 3 2 . 9r = r &# 39 ; = h ; r &# 34 ; = ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 7 . 3r = r &# 39 ; = h ; r &# 34 ; = ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 4 ch . sub . 3 & lt ; 10r = r &# 39 ; = h ; r &# 34 ; = ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 5 ch . sub . 3 & gt ; 30r = r &# 39 ; = h ; r &# 34 ; = ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 6 ch . sub . 3 10 . 4r = r &# 39 ; = h ; r &# 34 ; = ch . sub . 2 ch ═ ch . sub . 2 3r = r &# 39 ; = h ; r &# 34 ; = ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 2 och . sub . 2 ch . sub . 3 30r = r &# 39 ; = h ; r &# 34 ; = ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 2 ph 18 . 1r = r &# 39 ; = h ; r &# 34 ; = ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 2 ch ( ch . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 8 . 7r = me ; r &# 39 ; = h ; r &# 34 ; = ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 2 ch . sub . 3 10r = me ; r &# 39 ; = h ; r &# 34 ; = ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 not availabler = me ; r &# 39 ; = h ; r &# 34 ; = ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 4 ch . sub . 3 & lt ; 10r = h ; r &# 39 ; = coch . sub . 3 ; r &# 34 ; = ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 2 ch . sub . 3 30r = h : r &# 39 ; = coch . sub . 3 ; r &# 34 ; = ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 4 ch . sub . 3 10r = me ; r &# 39 ; = coch . sub . 3 ; r &# 34 ; = ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 2 ch . sub . 3 39r = me ; r &# 39 ; = coch . sub . 3 ; r &# 34 ; = ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 4 ch . sub . 3 6 . 4iii ( where is single bond ) r = r &# 39 ; = h ; r &# 34 ; = ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 2 ch . sub . 3 10r = h ; r &# 39 ; = coch . sub . 3 ; r &# 34 ; = ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 2 ch . sub . 3 30______________________________________ the methodology for testing the antihypertensive action of the compounds of the invention is described in am . j . med . sci ., 1970 ( 259 ) 257 , herein incorporated by reference . these experiments are considered standard tests in mammals and are indicative of utility for treatment of similar diseases in humans . table 3______________________________________spontaneous hypertensive rat ( 30 mg / kg , po ) decrease incompound blood pressure duration______________________________________ ## str5 ## 20 % 10 - 15 % 1 hour up to 6 hours ## str6 ## 12 - 20 % up to 10 hours______________________________________ the following examples are provided to enable one skilled in the art to practice the present invention . these examples are not intended in any way to limit the scope of the invention , but are illustrative thereof . a solution of 14 . 16 g of 4 -( 3 - pyridinyl )- 2 - thiazolamine ( a . taurins and a . blaga , j . heterocyclic chemistry , 1970 ( 7 ) 1137 ) and 50 g of 1 - bromopropane in 500 ml absolute ethanol was heated at reflux for 24 hours . by this time , small amounts of a salt had begun to crystallize on the walls of the flask . the solution was concentrated to dryness on a rotary evaporator , leaving 30 g of a yellow solid , mp 259 °- 261 ° c ., identified as 3 -( 2 - amino - 4 - thiazolyl )- 1 - propylpyridinium bromide , hydrobromide . a solution of 26 g of this salt in 300 ml water : methanol ( 1 : 1 ) was cooled in an ice bath and treated with 25 g of sodium borohydride , in small portions , over a period of 30 minutes . the cold bath was then removed and the mixture was stirred at room temperature overnight . the mixture was concentrated to about one half of the original volume and carefully acidified by dropwise addition of concentrated hcl . the resulting solution was made basic with concentrated ammonium hydroxide and extracted with ethyl acetate ( 3 × 75 ml ). the organic layer was dried and concentrated , leaving a yellow oil which was chromatographed on silica gel ( 2 % nh 4 oh in ethyl acetate ) to produce 4 . 4 g of the title compound , mp 121 °- 123 ° c . ( dec ). by using the method of example 1 , but replacing the 1 - bromopropane with methyl p - toluenesulfonate , the title compound was obtained as an oil which was dissolved in ether and treated with the appropriate amount of a saturated solution of hydrogen chloride in isopropanol to produce an overall 50 % yield of its dihydrochloride , mp 272 ° c . by following the method of example 1 , using ethyl iodide as the alkylating agent , the title compound was produced , in 50 % yield , as a tan solid , mp 116 °- 120 ° c . when allyl bromide is used instead of the 1 - bromopropane of example 1 , the title compound can be prepared . following flash chromatography of the crude reaction mixture , one recrystallization from ethyl acetate was necessary to obtain a 30 % overall yield of the compound as a light tan solid , mp 129 °- 132 ° c . by replacing the 1 - bromopropane of example 1 with 1 - bromobutane , the title compound was prepared as a tan solid ( mp 220 °- 2 ° c .) which was converted to its dihydrochloride ( mp 239 °- 240 ° c .) by the method described in example 2 . the title compound was obtained in 56 % overall yield by using 1 - bromopentane in the method described in example 1 . the free base was a reddish oil which crystallized when triturated with a small amount of isopropanol ( mp 85 °- 87 ° c .). the dihydrobromide ( mp 246 °- 247 ° c .) was prepared by a method similar to the one described in example 2 , using a saturated solution of hydrogen bromide in isopropanol . when using 1 - bromohexane in the procedure of example 1 , instead of 1 - bromopropane , the title compound is obtained as a red oil after chromatography . the method of example 2 allows the formation of the dihydrochloride monohydrate , mp 200 °- 202 ° c . repeating the method of example 1 with 1 - bromoheptane as the alkylating agent , followed by salt formation as described in example 2 , the dihydrochloride monohydrate of the title compound was obtained , mp 191 °- 193 ° c . the method of examples 1 and 2 was repeated , using 1 - bromo - 3 - methylbutane as the alkylating agent to produce the dihydrochloride monohydrate of the title compound , mp 204 ° c . by using ( 2 - bromoethyl ) benzene as the alkylating agent , and employing the methods of examples 1 and 2 , the title compound was obtained as its dihydrochloride monohydrate , mp 209 °- 211 ° c . the use of 2 - bromoethyl ethyl ether , instead of 1 - bromopropane , in the procedure described by example 1 allowed the preparation of the title compound as an oil , which was converted into its dihydrochloride ( mp 225 °- 230 ° c .) by the procedure described in example 2 . seven grams of the 4 -( 1 , 2 , 5 , 6 - tetrahydro - 1 - pentyl - 3 - pyridinyl )- 2 - thiazolamine obtained in example 6 was dissolved in 100 ml of acetic anhydride with 10 g of anhydrous sodium acetate . the solution was heated at reflux under a nitrogen atmosphere for three hours . the solvent was removed on a rotary evaporator and the residue was partitioned between 150 ml dichloromethane and 150 ml 10 % sodium bicarbonate solution . the organic layer was concentrated in vacuo and the residue was chromatographed on silica gel using 2 % ammonium hydroxide in ethyl acetate as the eluent . the title compound was obtained as 4 . 10 g of a beige solid , mp 117 °- 120 ° c . using the procedure described in example 12 on the 4 -( 1 , 2 , 5 , 6 - tetrahydro - 1 - propyl - 3 - pyridinyl ) 2 - thiazolamine prepared in example 1 , the title compound was obtained as a beige solid , mp 109 °- 112 ° c . 3 - bromoacetylpyridine hydrobromide was prepared as described by a . dornow , h . machens , and k . bruncken ( chem . ber . 1951 ( 84 ), 147 ), from 3 - acetylpyridine , and heated in water with 1 . 05 equivalents of n - methylthiourea for 30 minutes . after cooling , the solution was made basic by addition of ammonium hydroxide and n - methyl - 4 -( 3 - pyridinyl )- 2 - thiazolamine was obtained as an orange solid ( mp 114 °- 116 ° c .) in 70 % overall yield . the procedure described in example 1 was repeated , using the n - methyl - 4 -( 3 - pyridinyl )- 2 - thiazolamine prepared in example 14 and an excess of 1 - bromopropane as the reactants . the title compound was purified by column chromatography ( 65 % yield ) and converted to its hcl salt by the procedure of example 2 . the resulting salt ( mp 138 ° c .) contained 1 . 25 molecules of hcl and one molecule of water . the procedure of example 1 was repeated , using the n - methyl - 4 -( 3 - pyridinyl )- 2 - thiazolamine prepared in example 14 and an excess of 1 - bromopentane as the reactants . the title compound was purified by column chromatography ( 53 % yield ) and converted to its hcl salt by the procedure of example 2 . the salt obtained ( mp 168 °- 172 ° c .) contained 1 . 5 molecules of hcl and one molecule of water . by applying the method of example 12 to the compound obtained in example 16 , the title compound was prepared as a tan solid , mp 78 °- 81 ° c . ethyl n - propylnipecotate ( 73 . 86 g ) was dissolved in 500 ml ethanol , treated with lithium hydroxide monohydrate ( 15 . 57 g ) at reflux for 24 hours . upon evaporation and drying in vacuo ( 100 ° c ., eight hours ), lithium n - propylnipecotate was obtained ( white powder ; 60 g ). a solution of 17 . 7 g of this salt in 200 ml thf was treated dropwise with one equivalent of methyl - lithium , at 0 ° c . after stirring at room temperature overnight , an aqueous work - up yielded 3 - acetyl - n - propylpiperidine ( mp of hcl salt 108 °- 111 ° c .). when 2 . 5 of this compound were intimately mixed with 2 . 28 g of thiourea and 3 . 81 g of iodine and heated on a steam bath for 24 hours , followed by a column chromatography ( silica ; acetone ) and salt formation by the procedure of example 2 , 1 . 75 g of 4 -( 1 - propyl - 3 - piperidyl )- 2 - thiazolamine hydrochloride ( mp 243 °- 248 ° c .) were obtained . 4 -( 1 - propyl - 3 - piperidyl )- 2 - thiazolamine ( 1 . 8 g ), prepared as described in example 18 , was refluxed in 8 ml acetic anhydride for two hours . an aqueous work - up was followed by a column chromatography ( silica ; methanol ) and salt formation by the procedure of example 2 . n -[ 4 -( 1 - propyl - 3 - piperidyl )- 2 - thiazolyl ] acetamide hydrochloride ( 1 . 3 g , mp 250 °- 5 ° c .) was obtained ; this salt contained 1 / 4 molecule of water . | 2 |
with reference to the accompanying drawings , the present invention will become clear from the following description of embodiments of the present invention . an encoding method according to a first embodiment of the present invention will now be described . p generator polynomials having elements of gf ( q ) as coefficients are represented by g 0 ( x ), . . . , g p − 1 ( x ), and the degrees of the polynomials are represented by m 0 , . . . , m p − 1 . the degrees of these polynomials are such that m i mod p = i ( wherein a mod b indicates the remainder of a divided by b ), and these polynomials are monic . when a polynomial is monic , in terms of a corresponding information bit vector or code vector , a symbol corresponding to a coefficient of higher order is “ 0 ”. a polynomial a ( x ) having information bits as coefficients is defined as : a ( x )= a n − 1 x n − 1 + . . . a 1 x + a 0 ( a i ∈ gf ( q )) ( 3 ) an arbitrary a ( x ) can be represented as a sum using the generator polynomials g 0 ( x ), . . . , g p − 1 ( x ): a ( x ) = w ( x ) + r ( x ) w ( x ) = ∑ i = 0 p - 1 q i ( x p ) g i ( x ) r ( x ) = ∑ i = 0 p - 1 r i ( x p ) x i ( 4 ) where q i ( x p ) and r i ( x p ) are polynomials of x p having elements of gf ( q ) as coefficients , w ( x ) is a polynomial of degree n − 1 or less , and r ( x ) satisfies the condition deg [ r i ( x p ) x i ]& lt ; m i ( deg [ f ( x )] indicates the degree of a polynomial f ( x )). referring to fig6 , the parity polynomial r ( x ) can be computed by the following procedure : 1 . r ( x )← a ( x ) and s ← n − 1 ( step s 1 ) 2 . if s ≧ m s mod p ( step s 2 ), then a coefficient of x s in r ( x ) is r s , r ( x )← r ( x )− r s x s − m s mod p g s mod p ( x ) ( step s 3 ) if s ≧ min m i ( 0 ≦ i & lt ; p ), go to 2 . if s & lt ; min m i , go to 4 ( step s 5 ). in the above procedure , s is a target order in the arithmetic operation . if a ( x ) has some of its coefficients corresponding to information bits while the other coefficients corresponding to parity bits , a ( x ) is a code polynomial w ( x ). a linear code having w ( x ) as a code polynomial is encoded as a systematic code in which information bits appear as a part of the code . in order to encode the linear code by the above procedure , no generator matrix or parity generator matrix is necessary . the linear code can be encoded by using p polynomials . for example , when gf ( 2 ), p = 3 , g 0 ( x )= x 9 + x 3 + x 2 + x , g 1 ( x )= x 4 + x 3 + x , and g 2 ( x )= x 8 + x 6 + 1 , a binary code with a code length n = 21 is encoded . when information bits are ( a 20 , a 19 , a 18 , a 17 , a 16 , a 15 , a 14 , a 13 , a 12 , a 11 , a 10 , a 9 , a 8 , a 7 , a 4 ), we have a ( x )= a 20 x 20 + a 19 x 19 + a 18 x 18 + a 17 x 17 + a 16 x 16 + a 15 x 15 + a 14 x 14 + a 13 x 13 + a 12 x 12 + a 11 x 11 + a 10 x 10 + a 9 x 9 + a 8 x 8 + a 7 x 7 + a 4 x 4 . with the above procedure , we have r ( x )= r 6 x 6 + r 5 x 5 + r 3 x 3 + r 2 x 2 + r 1 x + r 0 . thus , w ( x ) can be encoded as w ( x )= a 20 x 20 + a 19 x 19 + a 18 x 18 + a 17 x 17 + a 16 x 16 + a 15 x 15 + a 14 x 14 + a 13 x 13 + a 12 x 12 + a 11 x 11 + a 10 x 10 + a 9 x 9 + a 8 x 8 + a 7 x 7 − r 6 x 6 − r 5 x 5 + a 4 x 4 − r 3 x 3 − r 2 x 2 − r 1 x − r 0 . a code having w ( x ) as a code polynomial is a systematic code , namely , a qc code when p = 3 . in order to encode information bits ( 1 , 1 , 1 , 1 , 1 , 1 , 1 , 1 , 1 , 1 , 1 , 1 , 1 , 1 , 1 ), processing steps for computing r ( x ) are described below in which coefficients are arranged in descending order of orders of x : finally , we have r ( x )= x 6 + x 5 + x 3 + x 2 + x + 1 and the coded w ( x )= x 20 + x 19 + x 18 + x 17 + x 16 + x 15 + x 14 + x 13 + x 12 + x 11 + x 10 + x 9 + x 8 + x 7 + x 6 + x 5 + x 4 + x 3 + x 2 + x + 1 . x n - 1 = ∑ i = 0 p - 1 q 1 ( x p ) g i ( x ) ( 5 ) then , codes obtainable by the above polynomials are qc codes . in the foregoing example , a qc code can be encoded by an arithmetic operation of a polynomial having information bits as coefficients and p polynomials . table 1 shows examples of parameters of a binary qc code : fig1 shows the configuration of an encoder for a systematic code . as shown in fig1 , the encoder has a parity generator 1 for receiving information bits and outputting parity bits . parity bits generated by the parity generator 1 are concatenated with the information bits , and hence the result is output as a code . fig2 shows an example of the configuration of the parity generator 1 . parity bits can be computed by computing − r ( x ). the parity generator 1 shown in fig2 computes r ( x ) by receiving information bits one at a time and sequentially performing calculations . the parity generator 1 in this example has a shift register 11 , a multiplier circuit 13 , a selector circuit 15 , and a counter 17 . information bits are sequentially input to the shift register 11 in descending order of orders of coefficients of a ( x ). the multiplier circuit 13 multiplies a polynomial selected by the selector circuit 15 by a value at a specific position in the shift register 11 . the product is subtracted from the value of the shift register 11 , thus shifting the value . by repeating the above operation , the coefficients of r ( x ) are output one after another from the shift register 11 . the selector circuit 15 selects , in every time period , a value corresponding to the p polynomials or 0 in accordance with a value of the counter 17 indicating the number of bits input to the shift register 11 . for a binary code , the multiplier circuit 13 can be implemented by an and gate , and a subtracter circuit ( not shown ) can be implemented by an xor gate . fig3 shows a specific example of an encoder to which the parity generator 1 shown in fig2 is applied . the encoder encodes a binary qc code ( 21 , 15 ) when p = 3 , g 0 ( x )= x 9 + x 3 + x 2 + x , g 1 ( x )= x 4 + x 3 + x , and g 2 ( x )= x 8 + x 6 + 1 . in this encoder , when coefficients of a ( x ) are sequentially input to the right side of a shift register in descending order of orders , coefficients of the encoded code polynomial w ( x ) are sequentially output from the left side of the shift register in descending order of orders . the shift register includes two stages , namely , upper and lower stages . the upper stage of the shift register delays information bits of a ( x ), whereas the lower stage computes parity bits . the flow of signals will now be described step by step . prior to performing encoding , the contents of the shift register are initialized to zero ; the value of a counter is set to s ← 20 ; and coefficients of a ( x ) are input to the shift register sequentially . when values ( a 20 , a 19 , a 18 , a 17 , a 16 , a 15 , a 14 , a 13 ) are stored in the upper stage of the shift register , the same values are also stored in the lower stage of the shift register . these values can be regarded as coefficients r 20 to r 13 of r ( x ) when s = 20 in the above - described procedure . the value ( 1 , 0 , 1 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 1 ) that is selected by a selector circuit when s = 20 corresponds to x 12 g 2 ( x ). this value ( 1 , 0 , 1 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 1 ) is multiplied by the value r 20 by an and circuit , and the product is subtracted from r 20 x 20 + r 19 x 19 + r 18 x 18 + r 17 x 17 + r 16 x 16 + r 15 x 15 + r 14 x 14 + r 13 x 13 + r 12 x 12 by an xor circuit . as a result , the left end of the lower stage of the shift register outputs r 20 + r 20 = 0 , and the circuit outputs a 20 + 0 = a 20 . in a subsequent time period , coefficients r 19 to r 12 of r ( x )← r ( x )− r 20 x 12 g 2 ( x ), which is updated by the second step of the above - described procedure , are input to the lower stage of the shift register , and the value of the counter is updated to s ← 19 . the value ( 1 , 1 , 0 , 1 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 ) that is selected by the selector circuit when s = 19 corresponds to x 15 g 1 ( x ). this value ( 1 , 1 , 0 , 1 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 ) is multiplied by the value r 19 by the and circuit , and the product is subtracted from r 19 x 19 + r 18 x 18 + r 17 x 17 + r 16 x 16 + r 15 x 15 + r 14 x 14 + r 13 x 13 + r 12 x 12 + r 11 x 11 by the xor circuit . as a result , the left end of the lower stage of the shift register outputs r 19 + r 19 = 0 , and the circuit outputs a 19 + 0 = a 19 . in a subsequent time period , coefficients r 18 to r 11 of r ( x )← r ( x )− r 19 x 15 g 1 ( x ), which is updated by the second step of the above - described procedure , are input to the lower stage of the shift register , and the value of the counter is updated to s ← 18 . the value ( 1 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 1 , 1 , 1 ) that is selected by the selector circuit when s = 18 corresponds to x 9 g 0 ( x ). this value ( 1 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 1 , 1 , 1 ) is multiplied by the value r 18 by the and circuit , and the product is subtracted from r 18 x 18 + r 17 x 17 + r 16 x 16 + r 15 x 15 + r 14 x 14 + r 13 x 13 + r 12 x 12 + r 11 x 11 + r 10 x 10 by the xor circuit . as a result , the left end of the lower stage of the shift register outputs r 18 + r 18 = 0 , and the circuit outputs a 18 + 0 = a 18 . in a subsequent time period , coefficients r 17 to r 10 of r ( x )← r ( x )− r 18 x 9 g 1 ( x ), which is updated by the second step of the above - described procedure , are input to the lower stage of the shift register , and the value of the counter is updated to s ← 17 . similar operations are continuously performed , and all terms of zero degree in a ( x ) are input to the shift register before s = 7 . subsequently , zeroes are continuously input . when s = 6 , the lower stage of the shift register stores r 6 to r 0 of r ( x ) as the first seven digits from the left . since a coefficient of the sixth order of a ( x ) is zero , the circuit outputs parity , i . e ., 0 + r 6 = r 6 . the lower stage of the shift register does not perform subtraction . in a subsequent time period , the values r 5 to r 0 are input to the first six digits from the left , and the value of the counter is updated to s ← 5 . since a coefficient of the fifth order of a ( x ) is zero , the circuit outputs parity , i . e ., 0 + r 5 = r 5 . the lower stage of the shift register does not perform subtraction . in a subsequent time period , the values r 4 to r 0 are input to the first five digits from the left , and the value of the counter is updated to s ← 4 . the value ( 1 , 1 , 0 , 1 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 ) that is selected by the selector circuit when s = 4 corresponds to g 1 ( x ). this value ( 1 , 1 , 0 , 1 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 ) is multiplied by the value r 4 by the and circuit , and the product is subtracted from r 4 x 4 + r 3 x 3 + r 2 x 2 + r 1 x 1 + r 0 by the xor circuit . as a result , the left end of the lower stage of the shift register outputs r 4 + r 4 = 0 , and the circuit outputs a 4 + 0 = a 4 . in a subsequent time period , coefficients r 3 to r 0 of r ( x )← r ( x )− r 4 g 1 ( x ), which is updated by the second step of the above - described procedure , are input to the first four digits from the left of the lower stage of the shift register , and the value of the counter is updated to s ← 3 . since a coefficient of the third order of a ( x ) is zero , the circuit outputs parity , i . e ., 0 + r 3 = r 3 . the lower stage of the shift register does not perform subtraction . in a subsequent time period , the values r 2 to r 0 are input to the first three digits from the left , and the value of the counter is updated to s ← 2 . since a coefficient of the second order of a ( x ) is zero , the circuit outputs parity , i . e ., 0 + r 2 = r 2 . the lower stage of the shift register does not perform subtraction . in a subsequent time period , the values r 1 and r 0 are input to the first two digits from the left , and the value of the counter is updated to s ← 1 . since a coefficient of the first order of a ( x ) is zero , the circuit outputs parity , i . e ., 0 + r 1 = r 1 . the lower stage of the shift register does not perform subtraction . in a subsequent time period , the value r 0 is input to the first digit from the left , and the value of the counter is updated to s ← 0 . since a coefficient of the zeroth order of a ( x ) is zero , the circuit outputs parity , i . e ., 0 + r 0 = r 0 . the encoding is performed in accordance with the foregoing flow of signals . fig4 shows an example of a device for simultaneously receiving p information bits or a multiple of p information bits , where p is the number of polynomials , and for computing r ( x ). in this case , the device does not have a counter indicating the number of input bits , and a selector circuit and a multiplier circuit can be implemented by a combinational circuit 21 . in order to compute parity bits using the configuration shown in fig2 , coefficients of a polynomial a ( x ) are input one at a time ( one in each time period ). with the foregoing procedure , a cycle of the second and third steps corresponds to the operation performed in each time period . thus , the value s is incremented by one every time period . in the second step , the generator polynomial g s mod p ( x ) multiplied by r s x s − m s mod p is switched every time period in accordance with the value s . thus , a counter for managing time periods and a selector circuit for selecting a polynomial are necessary . in contrast , with the configuration shown in fig4 , an arithmetic operation corresponding to p cycles of the foregoing procedure or a multiple of p cycles is simultaneously performed in each time period . in particular , when a code has a codeword whose first portion corresponds to information bits and latter portion corresponds to parity bits , and when the number of information bits k or the number of parity bits ( n − k ) is a multiple of p , batch processing makes it possible not to switch form one generator polynomial to another . as a result , the device can be simplified , and the time required to perform encoding can be reduced . fig5 shows a specific example of the parity generator 1 shown in fig4 . the parity generator 1 computes parity bits of a binary qc code ( 21 , 15 ) when p = 3 , g 0 ( x )= x 6 + x 4 + x 2 , g 1 ( x )= x 7 + x 5 + x 3 + x 2 + x , and g 2 ( x )= x 8 + x 5 + x 4 + 1 . when an information bit string a ( x )= a 20 x 20 + a 19 x 19 + a 18 x 18 + a 17 x 17 + a 16 x 16 + a 15 x 15 + a 14 x 14 + a 13 x 13 + a 12 x 12 + a 11 x 11 + a 10 x 10 + a 9 x 9 + a 8 x 8 + a 7 x 7 + a 6 x 6 is input , we have a code polynomial w ( x )= a 20 x 20 + a 19 x 19 + a 18 x 18 + a 17 x 17 + a 16 x 16 + a 15 x 15 + a 14 x 14 + a 13 x 13 + a 12 x 12 + a 11 x 11 + a 10 x 10 + a 9 x 9 + a 8 x 8 + a 7 x 7 + a 6 x 6 − r 5 x 5 + r 4 x 4 − r 3 x 3 − r 2 x 2 − r 1 x − r 0 . when information bits are input to the shift register in descending order of orders of coefficients of a ( x ) in units of three , after all bits of a ( x ) are processed , the shift register can compute r ( x ). hereinafter the flow of signals will now be described step by step . prior to performing encoding , the contents of the shift register are initialized to zero . the coefficients of a ( x ) are input to a lower stage , a middle stage , and an upper stage in units of three in descending order of orders of coefficients of a ( x ). after two time periods have passed since the start of inputting , the shift register stores values ( a 20 , a 19 , a 18 , a 17 , a 16 , a 15 ). these values ( a 20 , a 19 , a 18 , a 17 , a 16 , a 15 ) can be regarded as coefficients r 20 to r 15 of r ( x ) when s = 20 in the above - described procedure . since coefficients of the sixth and seventh order of g 2 ( x ) and a coefficient of the sixth order of g 1 ( x ) are zeroes , after three cycles , we have r ( x ) as follows : r ( x )← r ( x )− r 20 x 12 g 2 ( x )− r 19 x 12 g 1 ( x )− r 18 x 12 g 0 x )= r ( x )− r 20 ( x 20 + x 17 + x 16 + x 12 )− r 19 ( x 19 + x 17 + x 15 + x 14 + x 13 )− r 18 ( x 18 + x 16 + x 14 )= r x 18 −( r 20 + r 19 ) x 17 − ( r 20 + r 18 ) x 16 − r 19 x 15 − ( r 19 + r 18 ) x 14 − r 19 x 13 − r 20 x 12 . ( 6 ) the arithmetic operation can be performed by an xor combinational circuit for the leftmost bits r 20 to r 18 at each stage of the shift register and an xor circuit corresponding to subtraction . as a result of the arithmetic operation , values stored in the shift register can be regarded as coefficients r 17 to r 12 of r ( x ) when s = 17 . similar operations are continuously performed for four time periods , and finally the shift register computes values r 5 to r 0 . an encoding method according to a second embodiment of the present invention will now be described . p generator polynomials having elements of gf ( q ) as coefficients are represented by g 0 ( x ), . . . , g p − 1 ( x ). for r i , these polynomials g i ( x ) are divisible by x r i , but not by x r i + 1 . in these polynomials g i ( x ), r i mod p = i , and a coefficient of x r i is 1 . a polynomial a ( x ) having information bits as coefficients may be defined as : a ( x )= a n − 1 x n − 1 + . . . a 1 x + a 0 ( a i ∈ gf ( q )) ( 7 ) g 0 ( x ) , … , g p - 1 ( x ) : a ( x ) = w ( x ) + u ( x ) w ( x ) = ∑ i = 0 p - 1 q i ( x - p ) g i ( x ) u ( x ) = ∑ i = 0 p - 1 u i ( x - p ) x n - p + i ( 8 ) where q i ( x − p ) and u i ( x − p ) are polynomials of x − p having elements of gf ( q ) as coefficients , w ( x ) is a polynomial of n − 1 degree or less , and , in u ( x ), each u i ( x − p ) x n − p + i is divisible by x r i + p . referring to fig7 , the polynomial u ( x ) can be computed as follows : 1 . u ( x )← a ( x ) and s ← 0 ( step s 11 ) 2 . if s ≦ r s mod p ( step s 12 ), then a coefficient of x s in u ( x ) is u s , and u ( x )← u ( x )− u s x −( r s mod p − s ) g s mod p ( x ) ( step s 13 ) if s ≦ max r i ( 0 ≦ i & lt ; p ) ( step s 15 ), go to 2 . if s & gt ; max r i , go to 4 . a linear code having w ( x ) as a code polynomial is encoded as a systematic code in which information bits appear as a part of the code . when encoding is performed by the above - described procedure , no generator matrix or parity generator matrix is necessary . encoding can be performed by only p polynomials . for example , when gf ( 2 ), p = 3 , g 0 ( x )= x 20 + x 18 + x 12 , g 1 ( x )= x 19 + x 18 + x 16 , and g 2 ( x )= x 19 + x 15 + x 11 , a binary code with a code length n = 21 is encoded . when information bits are ( a 16 , a 13 , a 12 , a 11 , a 10 , a 9 , a 8 , a 7 , a 6 , a 5 , a 4 , a 3 , a 2 , a 1 , a 0 ), we have a ( x )= a 16 x 16 + a 13 x 13 + a 12 x 12 + a 11 x 11 + a 10 x 10 + a 9 x 9 + a 8 x 8 + a 7 x 7 + a 6 x 6 + a 5 x 5 + a 4 x 4 + a 3 x 3 + a 2 x 2 + a 1 x 1 + a 0 . in accordance with the above procedure , u ( x )= u 20 x 20 + u 19 x 19 + u 18 x 18 + u 17 x 17 + u 15 x 15 + u 14 x 14 is calculated . w ( x ) can be encoded as : w ( x )=− u 20 x 20 − u 19 x 19 − u 18 x 18 − u 17 x 17 + a 16 x 16 − u 15 x 15 − u 14 x 14 + a 13 x 13 + a 12 x 12 + a 11 x 11 + a 10 x 10 + a 9 x 9 + a 8 x 8 + a 7 x 7 + a 6 x 6 + a 5 x 5 + a 4 x 4 + a 3 x 3 + a 2 x 2 + a 1 x 1 + a 0 . a code having w ( x ) as a code polynomial is a systematic code , namely , a qc code when p = 3 . in order to encode information bits ( 1 , 1 , 1 , 1 , 1 , 1 , 1 , 1 , 1 , 1 , 1 , 1 , 1 , 1 , 1 ), processing steps for computing u ( x ) are described below in which coefficients are arranged in descending order of orders of x : finally , we have u ( x )= x 20 + x 19 + x 18 + x 17 + x 15 + x 14 , and the coded w ( x )= x 20 + x 19 + x 18 + x 17 + x 16 + x 15 + x 14 + x 13 + x 12 + x 11 + x 10 + x 9 + x 8 + x 7 + x 6 + x 5 + x 4 + x 3 + x 2 + x + 1 . the entire disclosure of japanese patent application no . 2001 - 218111 filed on jul . 18 , 2001 , japanese patent application no . 2002 - 174922 filed on jun . 14 , 2001 , or japanese patent application no . 2002 - 184868 filed on jun . 25 , 2001 including specification , claims , drawings , and summary is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety . | 7 |
a detailed description of illustrative embodiments of the present invention is provided in conjunction with the attached drawings . in the descriptions of the various embodiments and the corresponding drawings , like reference numerals refer to like elements . a method and apparatus for resectioning anastomized lumenal tissue is disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 868 , 760 to mcguckin et al ., the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety . the disclosed apparatus includes a flexible tubular body and a distal operating capsule that may be inserted through either a naturally occurring body orifice or a surgical incision and guided to an operative site endoscopically or using radiologic imaging guidance . in use the target tissue is stapled , cut and captured within the operating capsule for removal from the body . the healthy tissue is thereby anastomized by surgical staples . fig1 shows a system for resecting esophageal tissue according to an illustrative embodiment of the present invention . a surgical stapling apparatus , designated generally by the reference numeral 10 , is utilized in conjunction with an endoscope 20 for providing remote vision of an operative area and to assist in guiding the stapling apparatus 10 to the operative area . an endoscopic grasping device 30 extends through a lumen in the endoscope 20 for use at the surgical site as would be understood by those of skill in the art . those skilled in the art will further understand that , while the illustrative embodiments are described in conjunction with visual observation of the operative site via the endoscope 20 , these procedures may also be visualized through the use of magnetic resonance imaging ( mri ). in this case , components of the system and the instruments utilized therewith , such as the grasping device 30 , would be constructed from non - ferrous material such as titanium , as would be understood by those of skill in the art . as shown in fig1 , the stapling apparatus 10 includes a proximal handle portion 12 , an elongated flexible body portion 14 extending from the handle portion 12 and a generally c - shaped stapling assembly 16 operatively associated with a distal end of the flexible body portion 14 . the flexible body portion 14 and the stapling assembly 16 are preferably dimensioned and configured to traverse the natural curvature of the esophagus . as shown in fig2 b and 2 c and described in detail below , the stapling assembly 16 includes a pair of opposable jaws 17 defined by a staple carrying portion 40 and a staple forming portion 50 . those skilled in the art will understand that , although the jaws 17 are described herein as rotating relative to one another between the open and closed positions , that these jaws 17 may be coupled by a mechanism which allows them to move linearly with respect to one another or in any other manner so long as they move between a first position in which the jaws 17 are separated from one another to receive tissue and a second position in which the jaws 17 are clamped together to hold tissue tightly therebetween for stapling . furthermore , those skilled in the art will understand that the system may operate with any of a variety of commercially available medical endoscopes which may include , for example , a proximal handle portion 22 , an elongated flexible body portion 24 through which one or more interior lumena extend for accommodating , for example , a fiber optic bundle or other image transmission structure , a working channel for the grasping device 30 , etc . those skilled in the art will understand that the fiber optic bundle ( or other image transmitting structure ) allows a user to remotely visually monitor a field of view at the distal end of the endoscope ( e . g ., an operative site s within the esophagus e ). as would be further understood by those of skill in the art , the tissue grasping device 30 may include a handle portion 32 , an elongated flexible body portion 34 and a pair of opposable jaws 36 a and 36 b . in use as shown in fig2 a - 2 c , the surgical stapling apparatus 10 and the flexible endoscope 20 are introduced into a patient &# 39 ; s mouth and advanced into the esophagus to the operative site s under visual guidance from the endoscope 20 . once at the site s , the operator maneuvers the stapling assembly 16 into a desired position relative to the tissue to be resected . those skilled in the art will understand that the stapling assembly 16 may be coupled to the handle portion 22 by a cable steering system ( not shown ) substantially as included in commercially available endoscopes to allow the remote maneuvering and positioning of the stapling assembly 16 . the jaws 17 of the stapling assembly 16 are then opened to a tissue receiving position as shown in fig3 and the grasping device 30 is advanced from the distal end of the endoscope 20 . the jaws 36 a and 36 b are rotated away from one another by manipulation of the grasper handle portion 32 and the tissue t to be resected is grasped by closing the jaws 36 a , 36 b . the grasping device 30 is then withdrawn into the working channel of the endoscope 20 to pull the tissue t into position between the jaws 17 of the stapling assembly 16 and the jaws 17 are closed to clamp the tissue t in place between the staple carrying portion 40 and the staple forming portion 50 . those skilled in the art will understand that the tissue t is preferably drawn between the jaws 17 so that a margin of healthy tissue is positioned between the staple carrying portion 40 and the staple forming portion 50 to ensure that all of the diseased or damaged tissue t is removed . those skilled in the art will understand that this may be visually confirmed through the use of the vision system of the endoscope as shown in fig2 b . as shown in fig2 c , once the tissue t has been properly positioned between the jaws 17 , the jaws 17 are grossly approximated and are then finely approximated using a translating clamping member 60 , illustrated in detail in fig1 - 18 . as shown in fig3 and 12 , an illustrative embodiment of the system according to the present invention includes an actuation cable 44 to facilitate gross approximation of the jaws 17 via actuation of an actuator knob 38 . the actuation cable 44 may be secured to the one of the jaws 17 including , for example , the staple carrying portion 40 and is operatively coupled to the other jaw 17 including the staple forming portion 50 by a member 85 which may , for example , be a spindle , capstan or other member around which the cable 44 passes to change direction to generate the clamping force to draw the jaws 17 together . furthermore , an overhanging flange 98 at a proximal end of the staple carrying portion 40 acts as a tissue shield preventing the target tissue t from entering into the joint between the jaws 17 . as shown in fig3 - 7 , to actuate the clamping member 60 to finely approximate the jaws 17 , the lower clamping handle 12 a is actuated in the direction of the arrow in fig5 to cause the integral gear rack 62 a to turn pinion gear 62 b which rotates elongated drive cable 64 . as shown in fig7 , the drive cable 64 is coupled to a drive screw 63 so that rotation of the drive cable 64 rotates the drive screw 63 moving the clamping member 60 distally as shown in fig1 . this finely approximates the jaws 17 of the stapling assembly 16 whereby a tissue contacting surface of the staple carrying portion 40 and a tissue contacting surface of the staple forming portion 50 are brought into cooperative alignment , tightly clamping the tissue therebetween . those skilled in the art will understand that alternative sources of power ( e . g ., electrical , hydraulic , pneumatic , etc .) may be applied to drive the jaws 17 and to drive all other mechanisms of the stapling assembly 16 . as shown in fig8 , once the jaws 17 have been brought into cooperative alignment with one another , the stapling assembly 16 may be actuated to fire staples through the , clamped tissue while simultaneously cutting away the tissue t from the stapled and anastamized tissue . the user actuates the stapling assembly 16 to drive staples through the margin of healthy tissue in one or more arcuate bands located radially outward of a line of tissue cutting . alternatively , those skilled in the art will understand that the stapling operation may be separated from the tissue cutting operation so that no tissue is cut until the entire stapling operation has been successfully concluded . specifically , as shown in fig8 - 10 , the operator drives an i - beam member 70 through the stapling assembly 16 by operating the clamping handle 12 b in the direction of the arrow in fig8 , causing gear rack 72 a to rotate pinion gear 72 b which rotates a staple driving drive cable 74 as shown in fig9 . the drive cable extends through the flexible body portion 14 to a linear drive screw 76 which drives a flexible pusher 80 coupled to the i - beam member 70 as shown in fig1 . as shown in fig1 , 13 , 14 and 15 , the i - beam member 70 includes upper and lower beam portions 82 a , 82 b , respectively , connected by a central web portion 84 . a leading edge 84 a of the central web portion 84 may preferably define a cutting blade for incising tissue as the i - beam member 70 is moved distally as described below . as shown in fig1 , an arcuate channel 90 within which the central web portion 84 travels , is defined in the opposing jaws 17 radially inward of the arcuate lines of staple carrying slots ( not shown ). those skilled in the art will understand that the staple slots may be arranged in any number of rows , for example , from one to five such rows may be included and the slots of these rows may be staggered so that to ensure that the opening created by the resection is completely sealed . as described above , actuation of the lower handle 12 a causes the c - shaped clamp member 60 to move along an arc the length of the curved stapling assembly 16 to finely approximate the jaws 17 toward one another . as shown in fig1 , 14 and 15 , the clamp member 60 includes a body portion 112 from which depend upper and lower clamping beams 114 a and 114 b , respectively , for urging the jaws 17 toward one another . in addition , as shown in fig1 and 17 , in one embodiment of the invention , the body 112 includes a radially depending driving stem 115 having a sloped leading edge configured to extend through an arcuate slot 116 formed in the staple carrying portion 40 for sequentially contacting each of a plurality of staple pushers 118 . the staple pushers 118 are positioned so that , when contacted by the driving stem 115 , each staple pusher 118 is driven through a corresponding one of the staple slots to drive a staple housed therein from the slot out of the staple carrying portion 40 , through both thicknesses of the folded portion of tissue clamped between the jaws 17 and against the staple forming surface 50 a of the staple forming portion 50 to couple the two thicknesses of tissue to one another . in this embodiment , the clamping member 60 further includes an integral cutting blade 130 for forming an arcuate incision substantially concentric with and radially within an inner one of the arcs of staple slots . furthermore , the cutting blade 130 is preferably positioned so that it trails the leading edge 115 so that tissue is stapled before it is cut . as shown in fig1 , according to a further embodiment of the invention , actuation of the upper actuation handle 12 b causes the i - beam member 70 to move through the stapling assembly 16 to sequentially fire arcuate rows of staples while simultaneously cutting tissue away from the esophagus radially within the rows of staples . when the i - beam member 70 is driven by the pusher 80 , the sloped leading edge of the upper beam portion 82 a contacts sequentially each of a plurality of staple pushers 118 to drive them through their respective staple slots to drive the staples housed therein from each slot out of the staple carrying portion 40 , through both thicknesses of the folded portion of tissue clamped between the jaws 17 and into the staple forming pockets 122 formed in the staple forming surface 50 a of the staple forming portion 50 to couple the two thicknesses of tissue to one another . as the leading edge 84 a of the central web portion 84 is proximal to the sloped leading edge , the incision trails the stapling action so that only tissue within the arc that has previously been stapled is severed . as shown in fig1 and 20 , according to a further embodiment of the invention , a stapling assembly 16 ′ according to the present invention may include an endoscope receiving lumen 140 through which the endoscope 20 may be slidably inserted . this allows an operator to use to steering and vision capability of the endoscope 20 to locate the operative site s . once the distal end of the endoscope 20 is positioned adjacent to the site s , the stapling assembly 16 ′ may be slid along the endoscope 20 to the operative site s and the steering capability of the distal end of the endoscope 20 may be employed to achieve a desired position and orientation of the stapling assembly 16 ′ relative to the tissue t . other than the endoscope receiving lumen 140 , the construction of the rest of the system of fig1 and 20 may be substantially in accord with that of any of the previously described embodiments . furthermore , as shown in fig2 and 22 , the system according to the present invention may also be used to perform resections within the stomach . for example , the stapling apparatus 10 may be used to correct gastro - esophageal reflux (“ gerd ”) or to perform a stomach reduction procedure . specifically , as shown in fig2 , a system according to the invention may be inserted through the esophagus into a patient &# 39 ; s stomach and the operator may position the jaws 17 under visual control via the endoscope 20 adjacent to a junction between the esophagus and the stomach . the operator then uses the steering capability of the endoscope 20 , received within the endoscope lumen 140 to direct the jaws 17 toward a portion of stomach tissue to be fastened to the esophagus . specifically , the operator grasps a portion of the stomach using the grasping device 30 and urges the tissue t toward the esophagus to create a fold of tissue with an outside surface of the stomach tissue adjacent to or in contact with an outer surface of the esophagus . this fold is then clamped by the jaws 17 and stapled together to reduce the diameter of the opening from the esophagus to the stomach . the tissue radially within the stapled tissue is then resected . similarly as shown in fig2 , to perform a stomach reduction , an operator inserts a system according to the present invention into the stomach via the esophagus as described above in regard to fig2 and locates a portion of tissue to be folded over on itself to reduce the size of the stomach . this tissue t is grasped by the grasping device 30 and drawn between the jaws 17 which clamp the tissue t together folded onto itself and staples the fold together . those skilled in the art will understand that , for a stomach reduction procedure , the folded tissue radially within the staples may , if desired , be left in place without resection so that the operation may be reversed at a later date . thus , for such a stomach reduction procedure where the folded , stapled tissue will be left in place within the stomach , the stapling apparatus 10 need not include a tissue cutting mechanism . rather , the stapling apparatus 10 need only include structure for approximating the jaws 17 and for driving staples through the gripped fold of tissue . in this case , the c - shaped clamp member 60 would be constructed without the cutting blade 130 . the above described embodiments are for purposes of illustration only and the various modifications of these embodiments which will be apparent are considered to be within the scope of the teachings of this invention which is to be limited only by the claims appended hereto . | 0 |
[ 0017 ] fig1 shows the layer structure of an arched roof according to the invention . the supporting arch is formed by a layer 1 of refractory bricks , which comprises four sub - layers 1 a - d . above a first sub - layer 1 a of refractory bricks 8 there is a second sub - layer 1 b of light refractory bricks 9 . this is adjoined by two further sub - layers 1 c , 1 d of light refractory plates 10 , which have a particularly good heat - insulating action . the sealing 2 which seals the furnace interior 11 in a gastight manner is arranged on the top sub - layer 1 d . on the sealing layer 2 is the insulation layer 3 , which has a thermally insulating action and ensures that the sealing layer 2 does not cool below a defined minimum temperature . the insulation layer 3 is adjoined by the cooling layer 4 , which comprises a covering layer 5 which in this case is formed from two layers of foil 5 a , 5 b . the covering layer 5 is thermally conductive . pipes 7 for the cooling fluid are connected to contact elements 6 which are in plate form and ensure heat transfer between the covering layer 5 and the pipes 7 or the cooling fluid . the shape of the contact elements 6 is matched to the shape of the arched roof , so that large - area contact is produced . the pipes 7 which , like the contact elements 6 , consist of a metal with a high thermal conductivity , are preferably welded to the contact elements 6 . the contact element 6 and the pipe 7 may also be formed integrally . the cooling fluid used is preferably water . it is also possible to use air , but this has the drawback of a lower heat capacity . the first sub - layer 1 a has a thickness , for example , of 200 to 400 mm , preferably about 300 mm . the refractory bricks 8 consist , for example , of approx . 60 % of al 2 o 3 , 3 % of sio 2 , 0 . 3 % of fe 2 o 3 and 30 % symbol of cr 2 o 3 . the thermal conductivity is preferably between 1 and 5 w / mk and is , for example , approx . 3 w / mk ( at 700 ° c .) or 2 . 8 w / mk ( at 1000 ° c .). by way of example , at temperatures in the furnace interior 11 the first sub - layer has a mean temperature of 1400 to 1500 ° c . the second sub - layer 1 b has a thickness , for example , of 40 to 90 mm , preferably 65 mm . the refractory bricks 9 consist , for example , of approx . 68 % of al 2 o 3 , 30 % of sio 2 , 0 . 4 % of fe 2 o 3 and 0 . 4 % symbol of cao . the thermal conductivity is preferably between 0 . 2 and 1 . 0 w / mk . it is , for example , about 0 . 32 w / mk ( at 400 ° c .) and 0 . 41 w / mk ( at 1200 ° c .). therefore , the second sub - layer 1 b already has a reduced thermal conductivity . its mean temperature is approximately 950 to 1050 ° c . the third and fourth sub - layers 1 c , 1 d each have a thickness of , for example , 20 to 60 mm , preferably 40 mm . the light refractory plates 10 consist , for example , of approx . 43 % of al 2 o 3 , 51 % of sio 2 , 1 . 3 % of fe 2 o 3 and 0 . 3 % symbol of cao . the thermal conductivity is between approximately 0 . 29 w / mk ( at 400 ° c .) and 0 . 37 w / mk ( at 1000 ° c . ), i . e . this sub - layer has a further reduced thermal conductivity . in general , the thermal conductivity is preferably between 0 . 2 and 1 . 0 w / mk . the mean temperature of this third sub - layer is approximately 600 to 700 ° c ., and the mean temperature of the fourth sub - layer is approximately 250 to 450 ° c . the sealing layer 2 comprises a steel foil with a thickness of between 50 and 300 μm , preferably 250 μm . the steel foil is reinforced by a 0 . 5 to 1 mm thick glass fiber fabric . when the temperature in the furnace interior is from 1500 to 1700 ° c ., the temperature at the top sub - layer 1 d or at the sealing layer 2 is preferably 100 to 300 ° c . the insulation layer 3 , which has a thickness of 50 to 200 mm , preferably approximately 100 mm , comprises an insulating material which is able to maintain a heat difference of approx . 200 ° c . between the sealing layer 2 and the cooling layer 4 . the thermal conductivity of the insulation layer is preferably between 0 . 05 and 0 . 2 w / mk . the material is , for example , insulating fabric or felt based on rock wool . by way of example , the covering layer 5 used is two layers of an aluminum foil which are in each case 50 to 300 μm , preferably 50 μm , thick and may likewise be glass - fiber reinforced . the temperature of the covering layer 5 is between 20 and 200 ° c . the pipes 7 are to be arranged and dimensioned in such a way , and the cooling fluid and its flow velocity are to be selected in such a way , that a heat flux of approximately 3000 w / m 2 is dissipated . [ 0027 ] fig2 shows a section through an arched roof according to the invention for a reduction melting furnace . unlike in fig1 there is no separate insulation layer next to the layer 1 of refractory bricks . rather , the insulation layer 3 is produced by the top sub - layer 1 d of light refractory plates 10 . as described above , the latter already have a thermally insulating function . accordingly , the sealing layer 2 is arranged between the third sub - layer 1 c and the top sub - layer 1 d . the cooling layer 4 is located directly on the insulation layer 3 ( top sub - layer 1 d ). the arched roof is self - supporting and at the sides is supported on the side walls 14 of the arch . an external structure 15 is used to hold a melting electrode 12 . the electrode 12 is guided from above through an opening 13 in the arched roof into the furnace interior 11 and is in contact with the melt , which is not shown in this figure . the opening 13 is closed off in a gastight manner which is not illustrated in the present figure . by way of example , a water lute , which simultaneously serves as a pressure relief valve , is suitable . to increase the gastightness of the arched roof , the sealing layer 2 or the foil used for this layer projects with respect to the refractory layer 1 and the insulation layer 3 and is externally anchored to the arch by means of the projecting edge region 2 a . [ 0029 ] fig3 shows a plan view of the arched roof or the cooling layer 4 . the cooling layer 4 comprises pipes 7 which are in the form of a multiplicity of separate pipe loops 16 . each pipe loop 16 is connected both to a coolant feed line and to a coolant discharge line . this results in effective dissipation of heat , the heating of the coolant within each pipe loop 16 being kept at a low level . the pipes are connected to contact elements 6 in the form of plates which rest on the insulation layer 3 . the openings 13 for the electrodes 12 are cut out . a further insulation layer ( not shown here ) may be arranged on the cooling layer 4 . thus , while there have been shown and described and pointed out fundamental novel features of the present invention as applied to a preferred embodiment thereof , it will be understood that various omissions and substitutions and changes in the form and details of the devices illustrated , and in their operation , may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the present invention . for example , it is expressly intended that all combinations of those elements and / or method steps which perform substantially the same function in substantially the same way to achieve the same results are within the scope of the invention . substitutions of elements from one described embodiment to another are also fully intended and contemplated . it is also to be understood that the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale but that they are merely conceptual in nature . it is the intention , therefore , to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the claims appended hereto . | 5 |
fig1 shows an extended 2 - fiber ring network structure . a ring network formed with two fibers f 1 and f 2 features the network elements ne 1 to ne 6 . for a connection ( channel ) between the network element ne 1 and the network element ne 3 a wavelength λ 1 is used , with a working signal λ 1 e being transmitted in an easterly direction over the first fiber f 1 and a working signal λ 1 w with the same wavelength being transmitted in the opposite direction . the same wavelength can also be used for transmission for example between the network elements in ne 4 and ne 6 . the corresponding signals are labeled λ 1 s and λ 1 n . naturally there will generally be more channels with other wavelengths present for connecting the other network elements , but these can be left out of our considerations for the purposes of explaining the invention . fig2 shows a fiber break at an interruption point between the network elements . the connection path ne 1 - ne 2 - ne 3 is interrupted . in the known way the send signals must now be “ iooped back ” by the network elements ne 2 and ne 3 adjacent to the interruption point through switchover devices u 1 and u 2 ( possibly there is also already a loopback in the network elements ne 2 and ne 3 ) and is transmitted in the opposite direction via the undisturbed part of the ring network , the second connection path ne 1 - ne 6 - ne 5 - ne 4 - ne 3 . the signal λ 1 e is consequently transmitted over the other fiber f 2 as protection signal λ 1 ep and the signal λ 1 w is transmitted over fiber f 1 as protection signal λ 1 wp . so that a signal of this wavelength does not collide with other signals of the same wavelength , in a conventional system either this wavelength would have to be kept free on the remaining part of the ring , which results in the coloured section ring described at the start , or the wavelength must be converted into another wavelength used for protection data connections only . in the case shown in fig2 signals with the same wavelength λ 1 are transmitted between the network elements ne 1 and ne 3 and also the network elements ne 4 and ne 6 . the working signals transmitted between the network elements ne 4 and ne 6 are labeled λ 1 s and λ 1 n in order to distinguish between them . before the merging of the signals λ 1 s and λ 1 ep or λ 1 n and λ 1 wp the signals transmitted over a common fiber in each case must be ( at least approximately ) aligned orthogonally polarized to each other . this is undertaken for the signals λ 1 s and λ 1 ep expediently in the network element ne 6 by changing the polarization of the protection signal λ 1 ep . the main parts of the network element ne 6 are shown in fig3 . the demultiplexer dmux splits a received wdm ( wavelength division multiplex ) signal up into individual signals λ 1 to λn . the signal λn is ( together with other signals ) “ looped through ” and merged in the multiplexer mux again with possibly newly added signals into a wdm signal . the protection signal λ 1 s fed via the series circuit of a polarization setter pols 1 , a polarization divider pold and a polarization multiplexer pmux . the polarization divider pold is not required here for the circuit to function but must be present in each network element in order to separate a working signal from the protection signal and enable one of the signals to be dropped . in this example the protection signal λ 1 ep is however looped through the network element . in the polarization multiplexer pmux the protection signal λ 1 ep is merged with the working signal λ 1 s of the same wavelength . if the polarization of the signal λ 1 s is also not known , the two polarization setters pols 1 and pols 2 are required . the same applies to the protection signal λ 1 wp , for which the polarization is set in the network element ne 4 orthogonally to the polarization of the signal λ 1 n . in the network element ne 4 the signal λ 1 s is dropped and the protection signal λ 1 ep looped through . in fig4 only the parts of the network element ne 4 significant for the splitting of the working and protection signal are shown . these are the polarization setter pols 4 and the polarization divider pold 4 , which may have a polarization multiplexer pmux 4 connected downstream if necessary . the working signal λ 1 s and the protection signal λ 1 ep are fed to the polarization setter pols 4 which matches the polarizations of these signals to the orientation of the polarization divider pold 4 . this splits the signal mixture into the working signal λ 1 s which is dropped here and the protection signal λ 1 ep which is forwarded to the network element ne 3 . the signal λ 1 n sent in the opposite direction is merged in accordance with fig3 with the protection signal λ 1 wp . the network element ne 3 , like all network elements , has the same circuit arrangement . the protection signal λ 1 ep is received after being fed back to the same port and is dropped there . the mutual influence of working signal and orthogonally polarized protection signal is slight in transmission links with polarization mode dispersion ( pmd ) whenever the transmitted data signals exhibit the same data rates and ( their bits or modulation section ) have a specific phase angle to each other ( with nrz 0 °). therefore a synchronization of the protection signal can be worthwhile . instead of the 1 : 1 protection described , a 1 + 1 protection can be used , in which the protection signal is transmitted continuously and therefore a faster switchover is made possible . a ring network with 1 + 1 protection is shown in fig5 . the signal λ 1 e — shown by a dashed line — is transmitted from the network element ne 1 via the network element ne 2 to the network element ne 3 in the opposite direction — shown by dashed and dotted line — the signal λ 1 w . simultaneously the protection signal λ 1 ep , also shown by a dashed line , is transmitted via the network element neg , ne 5 and ne 4 , and in the opposite direction the protection signal λ 1 wp , also shown as a dashed and dotted line is transmitted . in the event of a fault no loop is created through the network elements ne 2 and ne 3 , since the protection signals , also shown dashed or dashed and dotted , can already be sent and received via the intact loop section . in the network element there only needs to be a switchover between the working signal and the associated orthogonally polarized protection signal . this is shown simplified in fig6 . the working signal is fed from a first access port via a polarization setter pols 3 with downstream polarization divider pold 4 while the protection signal is fed via a second input port and a polarization setter pols 4 with downstream polarization divider polds . in the protection case there only needs to be a switchover between these two receiver signals λ 1 e and λ 1 ep by a switchover device ue . fig7 shows a 4 - fiber ring network . two fiber pairs f 1 , f 2 and f 3 , 4 are laid spatially separated . in the case of a fault or interruption of one of the fiber pairs f 1 , f 2 the signals λ 1 e and λ 1 w transmitted between the network elements ne 1 and ne 3 on the fibers f 1 and f 2 are diverted in the network elements ne 2 and ne 3 ( ne 1 and ne 3 is also possible ) via the fibers f 3 and f 4 , in which case they are polarized orthogonally to the further working signals λ 1 s and λ 1 n exhibiting the same working signals . thus the disturbed fiber section ( span ) ne 2 - ne 3 is bridged without adversely affecting the further working signals . it should also be added that both with 2 - fiber ring networks and also with 4 - fiber ring networks all the wavelengths of the orthogonal protection “ channels ” can be used for low - priority traffic , which is then interrupted however in the event of a fault , in order to transmit protection signals with higher priority . | 7 |
an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to drawings . a clip main body 10 can be attached to a clip seat 22 of an attachment member 20 shown in fig1 . in this state , the clip main body 10 is inserted into a fixing hole 26 of a corresponding panel 24 , and accordingly the clip main body 10 can fix the attachment member 20 to the corresponding panel 24 . the clip main body 10 is an integrated molded product made of a resin . as shown in fig4 , the clip main body 10 has a closed tip end portion 10 a and an open base end portion 10 b . the clip main body 10 is provided with a pair of engagement arms 12 which are positioned on the right and left outer sides , and a pair of holding members 14 which are positioned on the inner sides of the engagement arms 12 . both of the engagement arms 12 function in holding the corresponding panel 24 through engagement of the clip main body 10 and the corresponding panel 24 . both of the holding members 14 function in holding the clip seat 22 by attaching of the clip main body 10 to the clip seat 22 . as shown in fig4 , both of the engagement arms 12 extend from the right and left end portions of the tip end portion 10 a of the clip main body 10 toward the base end portion 10 b as seen from a front view . both of the engagement arms 12 are inclined and separate outwardly towards projecting portions 12 a . both of the engagement arms 12 approach each other after the projecting portions 12 a and form inclined engagement faces 12 b . both of the engagement arms 12 extend substantially straight from the inclined engagement faces 12 b to the base end portion 10 b . terminal portions 12 c of both of the engagement arms 12 are curved outwardly at the base end portion 10 b and extend outwardly . as shown in fig7 , both of the engagement arms 12 can be elastically deformed respectively to the inner side having virtual points p 1 as supporting points at the tip end portion 1 oa of the clip main body 1 . the virtual points p 1 are also supporting points when the holding members 14 are pressed so as to bend . as shown in fig4 and 7 , the holding members 14 have clamping portions 14 a and extending portions 14 c . the clamping portions 14 a are coupled to the tip end portions 10 a of the clip main body 10 . the extending portions 14 c extend from the lower ends of the clamping portions 14 a and are coupled to the base end portion 10 b . both end portions of each of the holding members 14 are coupled to the engagement arms 12 . the engagement arms 12 and the holding members 14 are connected to each other forming substantially a square - loop shape such as a rhombic - shape , or the like , as seen from a front view . the engagement arms 12 and the holding members 14 are coupled to each other at the virtual points p 1 and p 2 . the distance between the virtual points p 1 and p 2 of the engagement arms 12 is substantially equal to the distance between the virtual points p 1 and p 2 of the holding members 14 . as shown in fig7 , the thickness of the clamping portions 14 a are thicker than those of the extending portions 14 c . the clamping portions 14 a have rigidity necessary for holding the attachment member 20 in the state in which clip main body 10 is attached to the clip seat 22 of the attachment member 20 . both of the clamping portions 14 a have inner faces opposing each other . both of the inner faces are inclined , and the gap between both of the inner faces becomes narrower toward the base end portion 10 b from the tip end portion 10 a . as shown in fig4 and 5 , both of the holding members 14 have latching lugs 14 b at the lower part of the clamping portions 14 a . the latching lugs 14 b have a wider width than the clamping portions 14 a , and project from the clamping portions 14 a toward both sides . as shown in fig5 , slits 16 are formed in the clip main body 10 . the slits 16 divide the engagement arms 12 and the holding members 14 . the holding members 14 are positioned in the center portion of the clip main body 10 , and the engagement arms 12 are positioned on both sides thereof . the engagement arms 12 and the holding members 14 are positioned at different locations as seen from a side view . thus , as seen from a front view , the engagement arms 12 and the holding members 14 may overlap each other when they are inwardly elastically deformed having the virtual point p 1 shown in fig7 as a supporting point . the attachment member 20 is made of a resin , and is an interior part of an automobile such as a center cluster , or the like . as shown in fig1 , the attachment member 20 has the clip seat 22 integrally formed on a back side of a designed surface . the clip seat 22 has a thickness whereby it can be inserted into a space between the opposing inner faces of the clamping portions 14 a of the holding members 14 . a coupling hole 22 a penetrates the clip seat 22 in the thickness direction . reinforcing ribs 22 b are provided on both sides of the clip seat 22 . as shown in fig1 , the corresponding panel 24 is a plate member such as an instrument panel , or the like . the fixing hole 26 penetrates the corresponding panel 24 in the thickness direction thereof . hereinafter , one example of a procedure in which the attachment member 20 may be fixed to the corresponding panel 24 using the clip main body 10 will be described . first , the clip seat 22 of the attachment member 20 is relatively inserted into the space between both of the holding members 14 from the side of the open base end portion 10 b of the clip main body 10 . the clip seat 22 advances to the space between the opposing inner faces of the clamping portions 14 a of both of the holding members 14 . as shown in fig8 , the latching lugs 14 b of both of the holding members 14 are engaged with the coupling hole 22 a of the clip seat 22 on both sides . accordingly , the clip main body 10 is attached to the clip seat 22 of the attachment member 20 . the opposing inner faces of the clamping portions 14 a have a tapered shape . thus , even though the thicknesses of the clip seats 22 are not the same , the clip main body 10 can prevent shakiness thereof in the clip seat 22 . the latching lugs 14 b of the holding members 14 project on both sides of the clamping portions 14 a . thus , even when the width of the holding members 14 is relatively narrow as seen from a side view , the latching lugs 14 b can be caught in the coupling hole 22 a of the clip seat 22 in a sufficiently large area . the clip main body 10 attached to the clip seat 22 is moved from the position shown in fig8 to the position shown in fig9 so as to be inserted into the fixing hole 26 of the corresponding panel 24 . both of the engagement arms 12 of the clip main body 10 are pressed by the edge of the fixing hole 26 so as to bend inwardly . both of the engagement arms 12 are elastically deformed having the virtual point p 1 shown in fig7 as a supporting point . as shown in fig9 , both of the engagement arms 12 bend to the maximum extent when the projecting portions 12 a penetrate through the fixing hole 26 . as shown in fig9 , when both of the engagement arms 12 are elastically deformed , the engagement arms 12 and the holding members 14 overlap each other as seen from a side view . the width of the clip main body 10 is reduced in the right - left direction when the clip main body 10 penetrates through the fixing hole 26 . thus , the opening dimension of the fixing hole 26 in the right - left direction can be reduced . the engagement arms 12 and the holding members 14 are divided by the slits 16 . thus , both of the engagement arms 12 can bend without considerable force being applied thereon so as to penetrate through the fixing hole 26 . accordingly , an insertion load on the clip main body 10 can be lowered . as shown in fig1 and 11 , after the projecting portions 12 a of both of the engagement arms 12 penetrate through the fixing hole 26 , the insertion of the clip main body 10 is completed . accordingly , the inclined engagement faces 12 b of both of the engagement arms 12 are engaged with the end of the fixing hole 26 . in this manner , the attachment member 20 is fixed to the corresponding panel 24 using the clip man body . as shown in fig4 , each engagement arm 12 is substantially connected to each holding member 14 in a square - loop shape such as a rhombic shape . thus , the engagement arms 12 and the holding members 14 easily generate the required elastic force . accordingly , the clip main body 10 may be held securely to the corresponding panel 24 in the state as shown in fig1 . when the attachment member 20 is taken out from the corresponding panel 24 , a load is exerted on the direction in which the clip main body 10 is pulled . as shown in fig9 and 10 , both of the engagement arms 12 receive force from the edge of the fixing hole 26 so as to bend inwardly . the force is directly transmitted to the clamping portions 14 a through the virtual point p 2 and the extending portions 14 c of the holding members 14 shown in fig7 . accordingly , the clamping portions 14 a bend inwardly having the virtual point p 1 as a supporting point , and engagement force of the clamping portions 14 a with the clip seat 22 increases . as a result , the clip main body 10 can be pulled out from the fixing hole 26 in the state in which the clip main body is attached securely to the clip seat 22 . as described above , as shown in fig1 and 2 , the clip main body 10 is made of resin and has a shape having one closed end portion 10 a and an open end portion 10 b as viewed from the front . the clip main body 10 has engagement arms 12 and holding members 14 positioned on the inner side of the engagement arms 12 . the engagement arms 12 are configured to be pressed so as to be elastically deformed when the clip main body 10 penetrates through the fixing hole 26 of the corresponding panel 24 . the engagement arms 12 are configured to engage with the edge of the fixing hole 26 when the engagement arms 12 are inserted into the fixing hole 26 . the holding members 14 are configured to hold the state in which the clip main body 10 is attached to the clip seat 22 of the attachment member 20 . the engagement arms 12 and the holding members 14 are configured to be connected to each other substantially in a rhombic - loop shape as seen from a front view , to be positioned differently from a side view , and to overlap each other as seen from a front view during elastic deformation . thus , when the clip main body 10 penetrates through the fixing hole 26 of the corresponding panel 24 , the engagement arms 12 and the holding members 14 overlap each other as seen from the front view . accordingly , the width of the clip main body 10 as seen from the front view is reduced . thus , the opening dimension of the fixing hole 26 can be further reduced without thinning the engagement arms 12 or the holding members 14 . the engagement arms 12 bend while overlapping with the holding members 14 as seen from the front view . thus , the engagement arms 12 are elastically deformed while being hardly affected by the holding members 14 when the clip main body 10 is inserted into the fixing hole 26 . accordingly , the insertion load is relatively lowered . due to the fact that the engagement arms 12 and the holding members 14 may be connected to each other substantially in a rhombic - loop shape , elastic force necessary for the engagement arms 12 can be secured . thus , the force generated when the engagement arms 12 are elastically deformed is directly transmitted to the holding members 14 . in this way , the holding members 14 can strongly engage with the clip seat 22 . accordingly , when the attachment member 20 is taken out from the corresponding panel 24 , the clip main body 10 can be pulled out from the fixing hole 26 of the corresponding panel 24 in the state in which the clip main body is securely attached to the clip seat 22 . as shown in fig7 , the engagement arms 12 and the holding members 14 are connected to each other in locations near the one closed end portion 10 a and locations near the open end portion 10 b of the clip main body 10 . thus , the distance between both supporting points ( p 1 and p 2 ) of the engagement arms 12 increases during deformation of the engagement arms 12 . accordingly , even when the clip main body 10 is short , a load generated when the clip main body 10 is inserted into the fixing hole 26 can be lowered . while the embodiments of invention have been described with reference to specific configurations , it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many alternatives , modifications and variations may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention . accordingly , embodiments of the present invention are intended to embrace all such alternatives , modifications and variations that may fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims . for example , embodiments of the present invention should not be limited to the representative configurations , but may be modified , for example , as described below . the clip main body 10 may have the structure shown in fig1 to 16 instead of the structure shown in fig2 and the like . the clip main body 10 shown in fig1 to 16 has the engagement arms 12 and the holding members 14 connected to each other substantially in a square - loop shape such as a rhombic - shape , or the like . the engagement arms 12 and the holding members 14 can be positioned differently from a side view , and overlap each other as seen from a front view . the engagement arms 12 shown in fig1 to 16 have substantially straight terminal portions 12 c . as shown in fig1 , the engagement arms 12 and the holding members 14 are coupled to each other at the virtual points p 1 and p 2 . the distance between the virtual points p 1 and p 2 of the engagement arms 12 is longer than the distance between the virtual points p 1 and p 2 of the holding members 14 . instead of the structure shown in fig1 , the distance between the virtual points p 1 and p 2 of the engagement arms 12 may be shorter than the distance between the virtual points p 1 and p 2 of the holding members 14 . the clip main body may also have a supporting member , one engagement arm 12 , and one holding member 14 , instead of the structure of fig4 . the supporting member is positioned at the center thereof in the right - left direction in a front view having a plate shape . the engagement arm 12 and the holding member 14 can be formed only on one side of the supporting member . even in this structure , the same function as that of the clip main body described above can be exhibited . rather than having the structure of fig5 , the clip main body 10 , may also have a structure in which the positions of the engagement arms 12 and the holding members 14 are formed opposite each other . that is , the engagement arms 12 may be positioned at the center and the holding members 14 may be positioned on body sides thereof . instead of the structure shown in fig5 , the clip main body 10 may have each one engagement arm 12 and holding member 14 , and only one slit 16 may be formed on each side face of the clip main body 10 . instead of the structure of fig5 , each side face of the clip main body 10 may have two engagement arms 12 and two holding members 14 , and three slits 16 may be formed on each side face of the clip main body 10 . in this structure , the arrangement of the engagement arms 12 and the holding members 14 may be arbitrary . for example , the two engagement arms 12 may be positioned on the inner side or the outer side , the two holding members 14 may be positioned on the inner side or the outer side , and the engagement arms 12 and the holding members 14 may be alternately positioned . the various clip main bodies 10 described above can be appropriately selected according to the location of use , and the like . | 5 |
fig1 a - c illustrate the principle according to which the re - forming of a parison 10 into an article 11 takes place . fig1 a shows the parison 10 which in fig1 b has been partly re - formed into the parison 10 &# 39 ; and which in fig1 c has taken on its final shape and as such constitutes the article 11 . a mould 34 is to be found in the figures which is particularly suitable for the re - forming of a tube - shaped parison 10 . the mould comprises a number of component parts which may be moved relative to each other , and forming moulding elements 21 , 22 and 25 which make contact with an initial number of areas of the material 12 , 13 and 20 in the parison 10 . there is also a number of depressions or recesses 26 , 27 in the wall of the mould which face a number of other areas of the material 16 , 17 in the parison 10 . the element 21 is also supported by and movable relative to the elements 22 , 25 so that the elements may be moved relative to each other in the direction of the axis of the tube - shaped parison . the elements are held apart from each other when at rest by means of spring - loaded elements 43 , 44 so designed that the spring tension in the spring - loaded element 44 is greater than that in the spring - loaded element 43 . a further depression 35 in the wall of the mould is also shown in the figures . finally , the figures also show a retaining element 40 in which cooling ducts 42 are incorporated . when reforming the parison 10 into the article 11 , the inside of the parison is put under pressure whereby the parison is dilated to a certain smaller extent ( fig1 b ) to ensure contact between the elements 21 , 22 and 25 and the initial areas of the material 12 , 13 and 20 and to ensure that the parison 10 is secured by the retaining element 40 . the large depression 35 in the wall of the mould is of such proportions that the excess pressure inside the parison 10 is able to dilate the parison into contact with the wall of the mould in the depression 35 . however the pressure is insufficient to move the two other areas of the material 16 , 17 into contact with the wall of the mould in the depressions 26 , 27 . the next stage in the re - forming of the parison 10 &# 39 ; involves the downward movement of the element 22 as shown in fig1 b , whereby the element 21 follows the movement of the element 22 . friction between the parison and the elements 21 , 22 causes the areas of the material 12 , 13 to be drawn along with the area of the material 17 as the element is moved downwards at the same time as the pressure inside the parison forces the area of the material 16 into contact with the wall of the mould in the depression 26 , of which the axial length is reduced during the moulding process . an annular protuberance 30 is formed in the article 11 in this way ( fig1 c ). a further downward movement of the element 22 then takes place , as shown in the figure , when the area of the material 13 follows the element in its downward movement and the internal pressure inside the parison 10 &# 39 ; forces the area of the material 17 into contact with the wall of the mould in the depression 27 , of which the axial length is reduced simultaneously in a similar fashion to that which has already been described for the depression 26 . an annular protuberance 31 formed in the depression 27 in this way ( fig1 c ). the movement of the initial areas of the material 12 , 13 means that the annular protuberances 30 , 31 may be moulded without stretching the material and without the reduction in wall thickness associated with stretching and hence without axial strain . the principle in accordance with which a parison is re - formed into an article by virtue of this invention has been described above in relation to a tube - shaped parison . the idea of invention as such is , of course , applicable to parisons of other shapes . in the case of a flat parison , for example , the elements 40 , 25 , 21 , 22 are supplemented by means of restraints arranged on the opposite side to the flat parison . the moulding elements , for example machanical ones , move areas of the material into the depressions 35 , 26 , 27 as the parison is being reformed and into contact with the wall of the mould in the respective depression . thus in this latter embodiment of the invention , too , the movements of the initial areas of the material 12 and 13 enable protuberances to be formed which correspond with the annular protuberances 30 , 31 . when re - forming the parison to obtain contact with the wall of the mould in the large depression 35 re - forming only occurs by stretching the material , which results in a reduction in the wall thickness . of course the idea of invention also includes the possibility of taking advantage of the movement of the material even in this latter re - forming process in order to reduce the attenuation of the material which would otherwise occur . in fig2 a - c , which represent in outline the function of a device in accordance with this invention for moulding a tube - shaped parison , an upper half of the mould 65 may be moved to an open position ( fig2 a ) by means of brackets 74 , 75 . the surfaces of the upper half of the mould which make contact with those of the lower half of the mould ( not shown in the figures ) are hatched for the sake of clarity . it may be seen from the figures ( cf . in particular fig2 a ) that the article formed in the device consists of two opposing necks in preforms for use in the manufacture of bottles . reference numerals are shown for certain of the elements which have already been described in connection with fig1 a - c . the designations a and b are used in respect of the symmetrically arranged elements so as to indicate the symmetry of the device . the figures also show the retaining element 40a to be attached to the carriage component 73 with no possibility of being moved in an axial sense relative to the carriage component . although this arrangement simplifies the construction of the device , the invention offers the possibility of using other combinations of stationary and moving elements in order to achieve the required relative movements between the elements . in addition to the elements already described , fig2 a - c show a supporting framework 60 with a sliding bearing . the framework supports a carriage component 73 in which the lower half of the mould rests . a mandrel 50 , which is shown in its extended position in fig2 a , has a central section 51 with end sections 52 , 53 . the central section and the end sections are separated by spring - loaded elements 55 , 56 . a hydraulic union 57 is also provided for connection to the drive unit of the carriage component , as well as a hydraulic union 67 for connection to the drive unit of the mandrel and a compressed fluid union 61 for setting the internal pressure of the parison . the reference number 59 is used for the electrical connection for the heating device inside the mandrel . the inter - connected components of the mould in the upper half of the mould are held together by the linking elements 62 , 63 . in the position shown in fig2 a , a tube - shaped parison is placed in the lower half of the mould and the upper half of the mould is moved to its closed position by a drive unit . from their positions of greatest disengagement , which are necesssary in order to permit the upper half of the mould to move past the end surfaces of the tube in conjunction with the movement of the upper half of the mould to its closed position , the retaining elements 40a , b are moved towards each other over the distance 2e so as to seal the mould against the end surfaces of the tube . the mandrel is then moved by means of its drive unit into a position inside the parison and the inside of the parison is put under pressure . at the point in time at which the pressure is set , the material in the parison is at a temperature in excess of the glass - transition temperature ( tg ). heating takes place either before the parison is brought to the mould or after the parison has been placed in the mould . alternatively , heating of the parison before it is placed in the mould may be combined with a certain amount of post - heating inside the mould . as pressure is applied , the parison takes on a shape which corresponds with the parison 10 &# 39 ; in fig1 b . the components of the mould are then moved so that the shapes which correspond with the protuberance 30 in fig1 c are produced , followed finally by the shapes corresponding with the protuberance 31 in fig1 c . the letter f is used in the figures to indicate the movement required in order to produce the shapes corresponding with the two protuberances 30 and 31 . since two opposing preforms are produce sumultaneously , the length of the mould is reduced by the distance 2e + 2f in conjunction with the moulding of the article . fig3 and 4 show a longitudinal section through a device for moulding two opposing preforms suitable for subsequent re - forming into bottles in which the references characters in respect of the parison 10 and the mould 34 correspond with those used previously when describing fig1 and 2 . fig3 corresponds with fig1 a and fig4 corresponds with fig1 c and 2c . the fig5 a - c show , in detail , the construction of the mandrel 50 . the reference characters used in respect of the mandrel 50 correspond with the reference characters previously used in the descriptions of fig2 - 4 . in addition reference numeral 47 is used to indicate a heating device arranged in the central section 51 of the mandrel . the heating device is shown in the figure as an electric heating device which is joined to the electrical connection 59 ( fig2 b ) by means of sliding contacts 58 . the central section 51 of the mandrel is delineated by the insulating layer 48 which prevents heat from the central section of the mandrel from being transmitted to the end sections 52 , 53 of the mandrel and thus to the parison in areas where no re - forming of the parison is to take place . fig6 shows the section c -- c in fig3 and fig7 shows the section a -- a in fig3 and 4 . fig6 also incorporates the section b -- b which corresponds with the longitudinal section shown in fig3 . fig6 also shows the division of the mould into an upper half of the mould 65 and a lower half of the mould 66 already referred to above . the reference numerals 70 , 71 are used to indicate sliding bearings for the component parts of the mould in the upper half of the mould and in the lower half of the mould respectively . also shown in the area of the material 16b in the parison which has not yet been put under pressure . fig7 illustrates the manner in which a carriage component 73 in which the mould rests is supported in the framework 60 . in the carriage component is a hydraulic cylinder 68 which drives the mandrel together with another hydraulic cylinder 69 . the latter hydraulic cylinder is the drive unit which moves the component parts of the mould in the direction of the axis of the mould . an additional drive unit 72 is to be found which links the carriage component 73 to the bracket 74 for the purpose of moving the upper half of the mould between the open and closed position of the mould 34 . a similar drive unit is connected to the other end of the mould . the principle of the invention has been described in relation to fig1 a - c , whereas the function of a device in accordance with the invention has been described in relation to fig2 a - c . the detailed fig3 - 7 represent only a clarification of fig2 a - b . thus the description of the function given in relation to fig2 is also applicable to the following fig3 - 7 , for which reason no new description of the function is provided . the concept of the invention will , of course , accommodate a good many devices which operate in accordance with it . the device which is described in detail shall therefore only be regarded as a typical device in accordance with the invention . | 1 |
a slatwall panel 2 embodying the present invention is disclosed in fig1 . the panel includes a plurality of longitudinal horizontal slots 4 . although shown with the slots 4 as being evenly spaced from one another , it should be understood that the slots 4 could be spaced at any desired distance , evenly or unevenly , from one another , depending on the application . it should also be understood that a slatwall 2 with one single slot 4 is also within the scope of the present invention . the slots 4 are used to hold standard hanging brackets 6 and a shelf 8 . a number of the shelf 8 may be used , although only one shelf is shown . the shelf 8 is preferably made of light - transmitting glass , plastic , or other suitable materials , opaque or light transmitting , designed to support a load . the slatwall panel 4 comprises a backboard 10 and a plurality of bodies made of extruded slatwall channels 12 that provide the slots 4 . the backboard 10 may be part of an existing wall structure , or may be separate therefrom . substrates 14 are attached to the slatwall channels 12 and the backboard 10 . a finish layer 16 is attached to the respective outer front surfaces of the substrates 14 . the slatwall channels 12 are preferably made of aluminum , but other suitable materials , such as plastic , may also be used . referring to fig2 , a slatwall channel 12 is shown in detail . the slatwall channel 12 includes the slot 4 with an outside opening 17 and opposing longitudinal horizontal upper groove 18 and lower groove 20 . edge portions of the respective substrates 14 are received in the respective grooves 18 and 20 . the upper groove 18 includes a back wall 22 and a front wall 24 . similarly , the lower groove 20 includes a back wall 26 and a front wall 28 . the back walls 22 and 26 are attached to the backboard 10 by standard means , such as screws , nails , adhesives , etc . the substrates 14 are attached to the backboard 10 by standard means , such as screws , nails , adhesives , etc . the finish layer 16 is attached to the outer front surfaces of the respective substrates 14 by standard means , such as adhesives . preferably , an edge portion 30 of the layer 16 overlaps the respective front walls 24 and 28 of the slatwall channel 12 . the finish layer 16 may be made of wood veneer , bamboo veneer , laminate , plastic , paint or some other suitable finish coverings . referring back to fig2 , the slot 4 includes a rear wall 32 , a bottom wall 34 and a top wall 36 , forming a u - shaped groove . the bottom wall 34 is slanted downwardly to the rear wall 32 to facilitate insertion of the shelf 8 into the slot 4 . the bottom wall 34 joins the back wall 26 and the front wall 28 of the lower groove 20 . the rear wall 32 has an inside height dimension larger than the thickness of the shelf 8 to provide space 37 ( see fig4 ) to facilitate insertion of the shelf 8 . similarly , the height of the opening 17 of the slot 4 is higher than the thickness of the shelf 8 , providing a gap or space 39 ( see fig4 ). referring to fig3 and 5 , a branch groove 38 is disposed above the slot 4 and communicates therewith . the groove 38 has a slanted portion 41 and a vertical portion 43 , providing a configuration to receive a hanging bracket 6 . the slanted portion 41 includes opposed inclined surfaces 40 and 42 . the vertical portion 43 includes opposed vertical surfaces 48 and 45 . the front wall 24 and the back wall 22 are joined by a horizontal top wall 44 . the front wall 24 includes a projection 46 disposed inside the branch groove 38 . the projection 46 includes the inclined surface 40 and the vertical surface 48 for engaging an end portion 50 of a z - shaped member 52 of the bracket 6 . referring to fig4 and 5 , a front corner portion 54 of the bottom wall 34 and the front wall 28 provides support to a bottom rear portion 56 of the shelf 8 . the top wall 36 provides support to a top rear portion 58 of the shelf 8 . the shelf 8 is thus supported in a cantilever fashion without any visible supporting structure underneath , providing a clean uncluttered look . a light strip 60 may be attached to the top wall 44 . with the shelf 8 made of glass , light from the light strip 60 is directed by the inclined surfaces 40 and 42 to the glass , where it is absorbed and makes the entire shelf 8 luminous . the top wall 36 and the inclined surface 42 define a triangular body 61 attached to a vertical wall 62 , which is attached to the top wall 44 . the triangular body 61 is offset inwardly into the slot 4 with the vertical wall 62 substantially centered over the top wall 36 , thereby distributing the load from the top rear portion of the shelf 8 to each side of the vertical wall 62 . this arrangement advantageously provides a stable structure for supporting the torque imposed by shelf 8 on the top wall 36 . the wall 62 is offset from the back walls 22 and 26 and the backboard 10 . referring to fig4 and 5 , the shelf 8 is inserted into the slot 8 by tilting the shelf 8 slightly upward to follow the incline of the bottom wall 34 . the bottom edge 64 of the front wall 24 is spaced apart from the top surface of the shelf 8 , as shown in fig4 , that makes the height of the opening 17 slightly larger than the thickness of the shelf 8 to allow convenient insertion of the shelf 8 while being slightly tilted upward . at the same time , the gap 37 provides space at the rear wall 32 . it is preferable to recess the thickness of the front walls 24 and 28 into the substrates 14 to make the front exterior surfaces of the substrates 14 flush with the adjacent front surfaces of the front walls 24 and 28 , as shown in fig2 - 5 , to allow the finish layer 16 to lie flat as it overlies the substrates 14 and the front walls 24 and 28 . referring to fig6 , the slatwall panel 2 may be combined with other slatwall panels 2 to provide the desired height and width . the panels are arranged on a side - to - side manner to form one continuous wall . the outer surface of each panel is flush with the outer surface of the adjacent panel to form one continuous flat surface , as shown in fig7 . similarly , the slots 4 may be configured on each slatwall panel 4 separately of the other slots 4 in the other slatwall panels 4 as desired . the slot in one panel may or may not line up with a slot in the adjacent panel , as desired . for example , the slots from one panel may line up with the slots in the other panels to form one continuous slot that extends across several panels , such as that shown generally at 66 , or they may be staggered from one panel to the next panel . further , the slots in one panel may grouped into several groups where in each group the vertical spacing of the slots are the same , but different from the other groups , such as that shown in each panel in fig6 . a group may include one or more slots . while this invention has been described as having preferred design , it is understood that it is capable of further modification , uses and / or adaptations following in general the principle of the invention and including such departures from the present disclosure as come within known or customary practice in the art to which the invention pertains , and as may be applied to the essential features set forth , and fall within the scope of the invention or the limits of the appended claims . | 0 |
the detailed description of the accompanying drawings is intended to serve as the description of the current preferred embodiment of the present invention , but is not intended to represent the only form for implementing the present invention . it should be understood that identical or equivalent functions can be implemented by different embodiments included in the spirit and scope of the present invention . a person skilled in the art can understand that , the means and functions described herein can be implemented by software functions that combine a program control microprocessor and a general computer and / or implemented by using an application specific integrated circuit ( asic ). it should be further understood that , although the present invention is described in the form of methods and apparatuses , the present invention can also be embodied as a computer program product and a system that includes a computer processor and a memory connected to the processor . the memory is encoded by using one or more programs that can implement the functions disclosed herein . a person skilled in the art should understand that , the base station or base station device herein is , for example , a node b or an evolved node n ( enb ) in an lte system or an ltb - a system , but is not limited thereto . the technical solution of the present invention is not limited to applications in the lie system or the lte - a system . a base station is configured with a linear antenna array of n transmit antennas , and uses an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing ( ofdm ) system with the number of subcarriers being n fft . a radio multipath channel is formed by k propagation paths , and for each propagation path , time to arrive ( toa ) is τ k , an arrival direction is θ k , and a complex amplitude is β k ( k = 1 to k ). a frequency domain of the channel response thus can be represented as follows : where h is an n × n fft dimension matrix , the ( n , j ) th element represents an attenuation coefficient of the n th transmit antenna on the j th subcarrier , and h j =[ h ( 1 , j ) λh ( n , j )] t is the j th column of h . in formula ( 1 ), a ( θ k )=[ 1 , exp ( l 2πθ k ), λ , exp ( l ( n − 1 ) 2πθ k )] t ( 2 ), f ( τ k )=[ 1 , exp ( l 2π wτ k / n fft ), λ , exp ( l 2π ( n fft − 1 ) wτ k / n fft )] t ( 3 ), where τ =√{ square root over (− 1 )}, w represents the system bandwidth , θ k = d sin ( φ k )/ λ = α sin ( φ k ), φ k represents a physical arrival angle of the k th path , d represents a distance between antennas , λ represents the subcarrier wavelength for transmission , and α = d / λ . due the sparsity of the radio channel of the large scale antenna system , only a limited number of domain propagation paths or strong propagation paths make contribution to the communication capacity . fig1 shows a flowchart of a method 10 used in a ue of a large scale antenna system according to an embodiment of the present invention . fig2 shows a flowchart of a method 20 used in a base station device in a large scale antenna system according to an embodiment of the present invention . as shown in the figures , the method 10 includes steps 11 , 12 , and 13 , and the method 20 includes steps 21 and 22 . in step 12 , the ue determines , according to a multipath propagation model from the detected downlink channel ( matrix ), a channel response of a first number of strong propagation paths , where the channel response of each propagation path is determined as a matrix related to the following time - varying parameters : an arrival direction , time to arrive , and a path amplitude . the channel response of each propagation path is , for example , the expression form at the right side of the equation in formula ( 1 ), but is not limited thereto . a first number of strong propagation paths are usually selected by using the following manners . in the first manner , the “ first number ” is not predetermined . first , a propagation path with a maximum amplitude , that is , a propagation path whose corresponding β k has a maximum module , is determined . then , all propagation paths , ratios of amplitudes of which to the maximum propagation path amplitude are not less than ( or greater than ) a predetermined value , are determined , where the predetermined value is , for example , any value between 0 . 1 and 0 . 2 , but is not limited thereto . the propagation paths , the ratios of the amplitudes of which to the maximum propagation path amplitude are not less than the predetermined value ( including the propagation path with the maximum amplitude value ), are the first number of strong propagation paths . in an extreme case , the “ first number ” may be 1 , that is , there is only one strong propagation path , namely , the propagation path with the maximum amplitude value . in the second manner , the “ first number ” is determined in advance . the “ first number ” of propagation paths with the maximum amplitude are strong propagation paths . this manner can control the operation volume and the feedback information volume in advance . in step 13 , the ue feeds back the first number and indication information of the time - varying parameters of the first number of strong propagation paths . generally , the “ first number ” ( the number of strong propagation paths ) is represented as k d , and all the propagation paths are sequenced in descending order of amplitudes , that is , | β 1 |≧| β 2 |≧ λ ≧| β k |. the ue feeds back the indication information of the time - varying parameters of k d strong propagation paths . the number k d of the strong propagation paths is less than the total number k of propagation paths of the multipath channel , and therefore the feedback payload can be reduced . in an embodiment , the ue feeds back { τ k , θ k , β k | k = 1 ˜ k d }. the change of the path amplitude with time is faster than the change of the arrival direction and time to arrive with time , and therefore , the ue feeds back { τ k , θ k | k = 1 ˜ k d } in a first average period which is longer , and feeds back { β k | k = 1 ˜ k d } in a second average period which is shorter . in this way , feedback modes of different periods are applicable to the time - varying feature of the channel parameters , thereby further saving the feedback payload . in another embodiment , the ue feeds back { θ k | k = 1 ˜ k d } in the first average period which is longer , and feeds back { τ k , β k | k = 1 ˜ k d } in the second average period which is shorter . in still another embodiment , the ue feeds back { θ k | k = 1 ˜ k d }, { τ k | k = 1 ˜ k d }, and { β k | k = 1 ˜ k d } in three different average periods . in step 21 , the base station device receives the first number and the indication information of the time - varying parameters of the first number of strong propagation paths , where the first number and the indication information are fed back by the ue , and the time - varying parameters include : an arrival direction , time to arrive , and a path amplitude . for example , the arrival direction , time to arrive , and path amplitude are { θ k | k = 1 ˜ k d }, { τ k | k = 1 ˜ k d }, and { β k | k = 1 ˜ k d } that are fed back by the ue , but are not limited thereto . in step 22 , the base station device determines a downlink channel response according to the received indication information of the time - varying parameters of the first number of strong propagation paths . the reconstruction of the downlink channel may be represented by the following formula ( 4 ), but is not limited thereto . in some cases , several or only one sub - band is allocated to the ue . the channel response on one sub - band may be regarded as flat ; only the channel coefficient allocated to the ue needs to be fed back and reported , and it is unnecessary to report channel coefficients of the entire bandwidth . the foregoing formula ( 1 ) can be re - written as : where ={ b k , j }≡ β k f h ( τ k ) is a 1 × n fft two - dimensional vector . a channel vector of the j th subcarrier can be represented as the whole bandwidth is divided into multiple sub - bands , and the channel response in each sub - band can be regarded as flat . an average channel vector of the s th sub - band is represented as { tilde over ( h )} s , and { tilde over ( h )} s is calculated according to the following formula : j s represents the number of subcarriers in one sub - band , j ( s ) represents a set of subcarriers in the s th sub - band , and represents a joint mean value of the time to arrive and path amplitude in the sub - band . if only the s th sub - band is allocated to the ue , the ue only feeds back and reports { tilde over ( h )} s to the base station device , and it is unnecessary to report the complete channel matrix h . similarly , a first number of strong propagation paths are determined as k d propagation paths with a maximum module of the joint mean value { tilde over ( b )} k , s or a maximum norm . generally , all propagation paths are sequenced in descending order of modules of the joint mean values of time to arrive and path amplitudes , that is , |{ tilde over ( b )} 1 , s |≧|{ tilde over ( b )} 2 , s |≧ λ ≧|{ tilde over ( b )} k , s |, and the ue only needs to feed back indication information of the time - varying parameters of k d strong propagation paths . the number k d of the strong propagation paths is less than the total number k of propagation paths of the multipath channel , and therefore the feedback payload can be reduced . in an embodiment , the ue feeds back { θ k ,{ tilde over ( b )} k , s ≦ k = 1 ˜ k d }. the change of the joint mean value of the path amplitude with time is faster than the change of the arrival direction with time , and therefore , the ue feeds back { θ k ≦ k = 1 ˜ k d } in a first average period which is longer , and feeds back {{ tilde over ( b )} k , s | k = 1 ˜ k d } in a second average period which is shorter . in this way , feedback modes of different periods are applicable to the time - varying feature of the channel parameters , thereby further saving the feedback payload . correspondingly , the base station device receives { θ k | k = 1 ˜ k d } and {{ tilde over ( b )} k , s | k = 1 ˜ k d } that are fed back by the ue . in step 22 , the base station device reconstructs the downlink channel by using , for example , the formula ( 8 ) below , but is not limited thereto : fig3 shows a structural diagram of an apparatus 30 used in a ue of a large scale antenna system according to an embodiment of the present invention . fig4 shows a structural diagram of an apparatus 40 used in a base station device of a large scale antenna system according to an embodiment of the present invention . the apparatus 30 is usually configured in a ue . as shown in fig3 , the apparatus 30 includes a detection module 31 , a calculation module 32 , and a feedback module 33 . the apparatus 40 is usually configured in a base station device . as shown in fig4 , the apparatus 40 includes a receiving module 41 and a calculation module 42 . the detection module 31 is configured to detect a downlink channel . the calculation module 32 is configured to determine , according to a multipath propagation model from the detected downlink channel ( matrix ), a channel response of a first number of strong propagation paths , where the channel response of each strong propagation path is determined as a matrix related to the following time - varying parameters : an arrival direction , time to arrive , and a path amplitude . the channel response of each strong propagation path is , for example , the expression form at the right side of the equation in formula ( 1 ), but is not limited thereto . two manners for determining the first number of strong propagation paths are described in the foregoing , and are not repeated herein . the feedback module 33 is configured to feed back the first number and indication information of the time - varying parameters of the first number of strong propagation paths . generally , the “ first number ” ( the number of strong propagation paths ) is represented as k d , and all the propagation paths are sequenced in descending order of amplitudes , that is , | β 1 |≧| β 2 |≧ λ ≧| β k |. the ue feeds back the indication information of the time - varying parameters of k d strong propagation paths . the number k d of the strong propagation paths is less than the total number k of propagation paths of the multipath channel , and therefore the feedback payload can be reduced . in an embodiment , the feedback module 33 feeds back { τ k , θ k , β k | k = 1 ˜ k d }. the change of the path amplitude with time is faster than the change of the arrival direction and time to arrive with time , and therefore , the feedback module 33 feeds back { τ k , θ k | k = 1 ˜ k d } in a first average period which is longer , and feeds back { β k | k = 1 ˜ k d } in a second average period which is shorter . in this way , feedback modes of different periods are applicable to the time - varying feature of the channel parameters , thereby further saving the feedback payload . in another embodiment , the feedback module 33 feeds back { θ k | k = 1 ˜ k d } in the first average period which is longer , and feeds back { τ k , δ k | k = 1 ˜ k d } in the second average period which is shorter . in still another embodiment , the feedback module 33 feeds back { θ k | k = 1 ˜ k d }, { τ k | k = 1 ˜ k d }, and { β k | k = 1 ˜ k d } in three different average periods . the receiving module 41 is configured to receive a first number and indication information of time - varying parameters of the first number of strong propagation paths , where the first number and the indication information are fed back by a ue , and the time - varying parameters include : an arrival direction , time to arrive , and a path amplitude . for example , the receiving module 41 receives { θ k | k = 1 ˜ k d }, { τ k | k = 1 ˜ k d }, and { β k | k = 1 ˜ k d } that are fed back by the ue , but is not limited thereto . the calculation module 42 is configured to determine a downlink channel response according to the received indication information of the time - varying parameters of the first number of strong propagation paths . the reconstruction of the downlink channel may be represented by the foregoing formula ( 4 ), but is not limited thereto . in some cases , several or only one sub - band is allocated to the ue . the channel response on one sub - band may be regarded as flat ; only the channel coefficient allocated to the ue needs to be fed back and reported , and it is unnecessary to report channel coefficients of the entire bandwidth . the foregoing formula ( 1 ) may be re - written as the foregoing formula ( 5 ). a channel vector of the j th subcarrier can be represented as the foregoing formula ( 6 ). the whole bandwidth is divided into multiple sub - bands , and the channel response in each sub - band can be regarded as flat . the average channel vector of the s th sub - band is represented as { tilde over ( h )} s , and { tilde over ( h )} s can be calculated by using the foregoing formula ( 7 ), where j s represents the number of subcarriers in one sub - band , j ( s ) represents a set of subcarriers in the s th sub - band , and { tilde over ( b )} k , s , represents the joint mean value of the time to arrive and path amplitude in the sub - band . if only the s th sub - band is allocated to the ue , the ue only feeds back and reports { tilde over ( h )} s to the base station device , and it is unnecessary to report the complete channel matrix h . similarly , a first number of strong propagation paths are determined as k d propagation paths with a maximum module of the joint mean value { tilde over ( b )} k , s or a maximum norm . generally , all the propagation paths are sequenced in descending order of modules of joint mean values of time to arrive and path amplitudes , that is , |{ tilde over ( b )} 1 , s |≧|{ tilde over ( b )} 2 , s |≧ λ ≧|{ tilde over ( b )} k , s |. the ue only needs to feed back the indication information of the time - varying parameters of k d strong propagation paths . the number k d of the strong propagation paths is less than the total number k of propagation paths of the multipath channel , and therefore the feedback payload can be reduced . in an embodiment , the feedback module 33 feeds back { θ k ,{ tilde over ( b )} k , s | k = 1 ˜ k d }. the change of the joint mean value of the path amplitude with time is faster than the change of the arrival direction with time , and therefore , the feedback module 33 feeds back { θ k | k = 1 ˜ k d } in a first average period which is longer , and feeds back {{ tilde over ( b )} k , s | k = 1 ˜ k d } in a second average period which is shorter . in this way , feedback modes of different periods are applicable to the time - varying feature of the channel parameters , thereby further saving the feedback payload . correspondingly , the receiving module 41 receives { θ k | k = 1 ˜ k d } and {{ tilde over ( b )} k , s | k = 1 ˜ k d } that are fed back by the ue . the reconstruction of the downlink channel by the calculation module 42 may be represented by the foregoing formula ( 8 ), but is not limited thereto . a person skilled in the art should understand that , the function of any one of the modules above can be implemented by multiple entity modules or functional modules , and the functions of multiple modules above can also be integrated on one entity module or implemented by a functional module . although different embodiments of the present invention are described above , the present invention is not limited to these embodiments . the ordinal numbers such as “ first ” and “ second ” in the claims are merely provided for the purpose of distinguishing , and does not mean that corresponding components have any specific sequence or connection relationship . the technical feature only appearing in some claims or embodiments does not mean that the technical feature cannot be combined with other features in other claims or embodiments to implement a new beneficial technical solution . modifications , alterations , transformations , replacements , and equivalences within the spirit and scope of the present invention described in the claims are obvious to a person skilled in the art . | 7 |
it will now be described how to estimate the ceo from the sole knowledge of any predetermined pilot sequence , for instance the so - called primary synchronization signal ( pss ). however , it should be clear that the pss is only indicated as an example and that other pilot sequences may be considered by the skilled man . in the following , boldface lower - case symbols represent vectors , capital boldface characters denote matrices ( i n is the n × n identity matrix ). the hermitian transpose is denoted (.) h . the set of n × m matrices over the algebra a is denoted m ( a , n , m ). the operators det ( x ) and tr ( x ) represent the determinant and the trace of matrix x , respectively . the symbol e [.] denotes expectation . consider a pair of transmitter and receiver communicating through a noisy channel . the transmitter sends a data sequence x which the receiver captures as a sequence y . the transmission vector channel is denoted h . the noise is modeled as an additive white gaussian ( awgn ) sequence w . the extent of knowledge of the receiver , prior to data transmission , is denoted i . in particular , the receiver frequency reference is not perfectly aligned to that of the transmitter : this introduces a frequency offset θ whose knowledge to the receiver is summarized into the density function p ( θ | i ). by inductive reasoning , we provide in the following an expression of the optimal inference the receiver can make on ( θ | y , i ) which we apply to the example of data - aided cfo estimation in ofdm . consider an ofdm system of n subcarriers . the transmitter sends a time - domain pilot sequence x =( x 0 , . . . , x n − 1 ) t ( cyclic prefix excluded ), received as a sequence y =( y 0 , . . . , y n − 1 ) t ( cyclic prefix discarded ). the transmission channel is discretized in l taps h =( h 0 , . . . , h l − 1 ) t and the awgn noise w =( w 0 , . . . , w n − 1 ) t has entries of variance e [| w k | 2 ]= σ 2 . for the sake of simplicity , it will not be considered below the information contained in the cyclic prefixes . let θ represent the cfo to be estimated at the receiver normalized to the subcarrier spacing , i . e . θ = 1 is a frequency mismatch of one subcarrier spacing . a cfo produces in ofdm a simple phase rotation of all transmitted time - domain symbols x k of an angle 2πkθ / n . while it seems feasible to track the cfo in the time domain when the transmitted pilot sequence x — for instance the pss — is assumed to be known , it should be noticed that channel estimation is not accessible to the ue during the initial synchronization step , thus preventing direct deciphering of the impact of the channel on the time - domain symbols . it is proposed to consider the maximum a posteriori value for θ given the received signal y defined as where h is the circulant matrix of the time - domain ofdm channel ( its first row is h ) and n the white gaussian noise process . where h is composed of the l time - domain taps of the channel response and x is the pseudo - circulant matrix defined as it is assumed that the cfo is known to be comprised in the set θε [− ½ , ½ ], where θ is normalized to the subcarrier spacing . we want to maximize the probability p ( θ | y ). one may assume uniform prior distribution of p ( θ ) in the set θε [− ½ , ½ ], then the maximization problem is concave in the variable θ and therefore can be solved by steepest descent algorithms . after computation , it has been observed that maximizing p ( θ | y ) is equivalent to maximize the function c ( θ ) defined as where x is the pseudo - circulant matrix defined above , with a first column comprising the any pilot synchronization sequence x =( x 0 , x 1 , x 2 . . . , x n − 1 ) t ( for instance the pss ), and the next column comprising the circular permutation of the elements of vector x , ie vector ( x n − 1 , x 0 , x 1 , . . . x n − 2 ) t , and the next one comprising the next consecutive circular permutation ( x n − 2 , x n − 1 , x 0 , . . . , x n − 3 ) t and so on . . . . the matrix q is the channel time covariance matrix which is assumed to be known . in one particular embodiment , one sets q = 1 / l i l , with i l being the l × l identity matrix and l corresponding to the presumed length of the channel . it should be noticed that , generally speaking , l is not known a priori , but it has been advantageously observed that , to some extent , any non - trivial predetermined choice for l ( and quite possibly wrong ) does not alter much the results and the efficiency of the cfo estimation process . therefore , the optimal maximum a priori solution simply consists in finding the value θ that maximizes c ( θ ). with respect to fig1 , there is now described the basic steps which are involved in the cfo estimation process in accordance with the present invention . the process is executed in any receiver of a ofdm communication system , receiving an input signal y =( y 0 , . . . , y n − 1 ) t in a step 11 . then , the process proceeds with a step 12 consisting in the detection of the pss pilot signal . in a step 13 , the process computes an estimation of the signal to noise ratio ( snr ) and therefore an evaluation of variance of the noise σ 2 . such evaluation is achieved by techniques and algorithms which are well known to a skilled man and which will not be developed with more details . for instance , the pilot sequence may be used for performing such evaluation . in a step 14 , the process proceeds with the computation of σ 2 is the noise power and q = 1 / l i l . in one particular embodiment , a processing loop is initiated for the purpose of testing different values of θ and thus identifying the particular value which maximizes c ( θ ). alternatively , it has been observed that c ( θ ) is concave and therefore a dichotomy algorithm can be advantageously used for achieving a fast computation of the cfo estimation . once determined , the process returns in a step 15 the particular value identified in step 14 as being the estimated cfo . as it will be apparent to the skilled man , the process which was described above can be embodied by means of different and numerous algorithms . in addition , it will be clear to the skilled man that the formula above may take various formal presentations showing equivalent computations . with respect to fig2 , there will now be described a second embodiment of the invention which requires limited digital processing resources . the second embodiment includes steps 21 - 23 which are identical to steps 11 - 13 of fig1 . therefore , after the computation of the value of σ 2 , the process proceeds with a step 24 where the value of channel time covariance matrix q is being set . in one embodiment , the q matrix is predetermined . clearly , the same assumption made in fig1 may be applicable , for instance q = 1 / l i l . with the assumption made on matrix q , the process then proceeds to a step 25 where the following matrix a ( comprising elements a n , m ) is computed : in the case of pss for lte , the size of the a matrix is 64 × 64 . in one particular embodiment , the process only computes half of matrix a since only the upper right coefficients a n , m with n & gt ; m , need to be known for the remaining part of matrix a as it will be apparent below . in a step 26 , the process then proceeds with the computation of the n − 1 values of â k given by the following formula : then , in a step 27 , the process proceeds with the computation of the two following vectors : { tilde over ( b )} t = [ ã 1 , 2 ã 2 , . . . ,( n − 1 ) ã n − 1 ] { tilde over ( b )} ℑ t = ℑ [ ã 1 , 2 ã 2 , . . . ,( n − 1 ) ã n − 1 ] then , in a step 28 , the process enters into a loop and , in a step 29 , initializes the following two variables : the process then proceeds with a step 30 where the value of d ( the derivative of c ( θ ) in point θ ) is computed : c θ t =[ cos ( 2 πθ / n ), . . . , cos ( 2π ( n − 1 ) θ / n )] s θ t =[ sin ( 2 πθ / n ), . . . , sin ( 2π ( n − 1 ) θ / n )] then , in a step 31 , a simple test is performed in order to determine whether d is positive or negative . indeed , it has been observed that function c ( θ ) is concave between (− ½ , ½ ), what opens the opportunity of a simple test on the sign of d for determining the maximum value of c ( θ ). if d is found to be positive , then the process proceeds with a step 32 where the value of θ min is updated as follows : conversely , if d is negative , then the process proceeds to a step 33 where the value of θ is updated as follows : the process then proceeds to a step 34 which is a new test on the end of the loop . if the loop is not terminated , then the process proceeds again to step 30 . if the loop is terminated , then the process proceeds with a step 35 where the estimated value of the cfo is computed as follows : in the following , one may consider following we consider an ofdm transmission with n = 128 subcarriers . we assume perfect timing offset alignment between the base station and the receiving terminal . a cfo mismatch θ is introduced . the receiver only knows that θε [− ½ , ½ ]. fig3 shows a comparison of the cfo estimates resulting from the traditional moose technique and the proposed invention , with n = 128 , l = 3 and l assumed ε [ 3 , 9 ]. one considers a double - half sequence suggested by moose and the proposed method is compared against the moose &# 39 ; s correlation algorithm on 20 , 000 channels and cfo realizations ( θ is uniformly distributed in [− ½ , ½ ]). the channel length is set to l = 3 , while the a priori on the channel length is either considered known , i . e . l assumed = 3 , or wrongly estimated , here l assumed = 9 . the respective performances are analyzed in terms of average quadratic error e [({ circumflex over ( θ )} − − θ ) 2 ] there is observed a significant performance gain provided by the proposed invention , especially in low snr regime . it can be seen that the invention is indeed more able to cope with the noise impairment which is more thoroughly modelled than in moose &# 39 ; s algorithm . note also that a wrongly assigned prior p ( θ | i ) on the channel realization does not lead to critical performance decay ; in the high snr region , it is almost unimportant . fig4 - 6 show the performance of the steepest descent algorithm which was described above . the system parameters are the same as in the previous simulation , with a correct prior l assumed = 3 on the channel length at the receiver . the termination constraint is simply the number of iterations k of the inner loop , which we limit to k = 3 , k = 5 , k = 10 and k = 50 . it is observed that saturations appear for k & lt ;+∞, which are explained by the systematic error introduced by the minimal step size 2 − k in the iteration loop . for k & gt ; 10 , the performance plots ( which we did not provide for clarity ) fit the plot k = 50 in the − 15 db to 10 db snr range . note also that the saturated standard deviation ( defined as e [({ circumflex over ( θ )}− θ ) 2 ] 1 / 2 ) for k = 5 is around 1 % of the subcarrier spacing , which corresponds to the maximum allowable cfo mismatch in most ofdm systems . therefore , 5 iterations might be sufficient to ensure a reliable estimation of the cfo . fig7 illustrates the impact of the choice of the particular pilot sequence for executing the process of the invention . moose &# 39 ; s randomly generated double - half pilot sequences as well as qpsk random sequences are compared against the primary and secondary synchronization sequences ( pss , sss ) from the 3gpplong term evolution standard . there is observed a large performance difference between those two types of pilots . this is simply due to the fact that both pss and sss are not of constant modulus over time ; this makes part of the signal more sensible to noise and part of the signal less sensible to noise , but in average , this leads to less efficient pilots in terms of cfo estimation . it should be noticed that also moose &# 39 ; s sequence is in no way better than any randomly generated sequence , which demystifies the original insightful idea from moose . this invention fits typically the needs of the 3gpp - lte standard for which no sequence dedicated to cfo estimation is provided . due to its generality , this method can be applied in many ofdm systems which seek for cfo estimation while not having access to the channel information . since this scheme has a complexity which scales with the number of iterations of the algorithm , it can be adapted to rough low consumption estimates at the receiver as well as thin higher consumption estimates at the base station . the invention is particularly adapted to the long term evolution standard , during the pss to sss synchronization phases . the invention provides cfo estimation process prior to channel estimation in ofdm for any available pilot sequence . this is a very advantageous effect which was not known with prior art techniques : usual cfo techniques come along with a dedicated sequence . with the new technique which is proposed , there is no need of any specific sequence . furthermore , it has been observed that the process is particularly effective when the sequence is composed of symbols having constant amplitude . it is then more advantageous to run this method on the most appropriate pilots . this invention eliminates the problem of initial synchronization prior to channel estimation . it can also help estimating the cfo from signals coming from interfering base stations whose channels have not been estimated . it is believed that no such general pilot - independent scheme has ever been proposed in the ofdm contest . furthermore , it has been observed that the technique described above shows better performance than the classical ad - hoc techniques based on the first derivations of moose . in the maximum a posteriori performance viewpoint , it has even been proved that that technique is optimal . | 7 |
the invention relates to a photovoltaic system wherein a cd ( se , te ) alloy is used in the junction forming material . a preferred embodiment is a semiconductor photoelectrode for a photoelectrochemical cell , whose semiconductor portion comprises a cd ( se , te ) alloy . preferably , at least 90 mole -% of this layer is in the form of the cd ( se , te ) alloy . the invention furthermore relates to a process for the production of such photovoltaic systems , and to such photovoltaic systems . photoelectrochemical cells containing semiconductor photoelectrodes according to the invention advantageously comprise polychalcogenide ( s , se , te )- containing electrolytes . the photoelectrodes described here provide for an improved utilization of the solar spectrum for direct conversion of solar energy to electrical energy by an improved match of the semiconductor light absorption characteristics to the solar spectrum . because of the nature of this conversion process there exists an optimal bandgap region , which depends somewhat on the air - mass through which the solar energy reaches the device , and this optimum lies around 1 . 4 ev . cdte , which has an optical bandgap in this optimum region , cannot be used in a pec unless highly colored , very oxygen sensitive and poisonous te / te = or se / se = redox couples are added to the electrolyte to form a stable system . in s / s = -- containing electrolytes the semi - conductor rapidly deactivates , i . e ., is unstable . on the other hand cdse -- based pec &# 39 ; s are stable in the less colored , less poisonous , less oxygen sensitive and cheaper s / s = -- containing electrolytes , but cdse has a 1 . 7 ev bandgap , resulting in less than optimal use of solar energy . surprisingly , the use of cd ( se , te ) alloys , especially those containing between 30 and 90 mole -% cdse , and preferably between 40 and 75 mole -% cdse in photovoltaic devices , especially pec &# 39 ; s have proven very advantageous . such alloys have bandgaps lower than cdse , and at certain compositions even lower than cdte . these alloys can be used in s / s = containing electrolytes and such systems are surprisingly stable , in contrast to pure cdte - based pec &# 39 ; s in this electrolyte , over a wide composition range . pec &# 39 ; s based on cd ( se , te ) alloys have a performance superior to those based on pure cdse as they give higher photocurrents , because of their lower bandgap , without seriously affecting their photovoltage . this is illustrated in table i . table i______________________________________performance of polycrystalline thin filmphotoelectrodes in pec &# 39 ; s . ( 4 ) light ( 1 ) ( 2 ) ( 3 ) intensityphotoelectrode electrolyte voc isc η (%) ( xam1 ) ______________________________________cdse s . sub . n . sup . 2 - 630 11 . 0 3 . 5 1 . 0cdte ( p - type ) te . sub . n . sup . 2 - 30 0 . 7 0 . 01 0 . 9cdse . sub . 0 . 74 te . sub . 0 . 26 s . sub . n . sup . 2 - 645 11 . 0 4 . 1 0 . 84cdse . sub . 0 . 65 te . sub . 0 . 35 s . sub . n . sup . 2 - 625 14 . 2 5 . 1 0 . 85cdse . sub . 0 . 5 te . sub . 0 . 5 s . sub . n . sup . 2 - 642 13 . 3 5 . 0 0 . 79cdse . sub . 0 . 25 te . sub . 0 . 75 s . sub . n . sup . 2 - 407 15 . 0 3 . 5 0 . 82cdte ( n - type ) s . sub . n . sup . 2 - 570 10 . 2 3 . 3 0 . 83cdse . sub . 0 . 65 te . sub . 0 . 25 s . sub . 0 . 1 s . sub . n . sup . 2 - 585 10 . 2 3 . 3 0 . 85______________________________________ ( 1 ) opencircuit voltage in mv ( 2 ) shortcircuit current in ma / cm . sup . 2 ( 3 ) solar energy conversion efficiency , in % ( 4 ) illumination intensity ( xam1 ) the active part of the photoelectrode may be in the form of a single crystal , pressed pellet or thin film , epitaxially grown or polycrystalline cd ( se , te ) on a suitable electrically conducting substrate such as ti , cr - plated steel , graphite , electrically conducting transparent glass etc . a thin cd ( se , te ) film may be prepared by vapor deposition techniques such as spray pyrolysis , vacuum evaporation , sputtering and the like . it may be formed electrochemically by electro - deposition of cdse and cdte and subsequent heat treatment for annealing or by painting a thin layer of slurry onto the conducting substrate . this slurry contains the parent materials in the desired proportions , mixed with suitable liquid carrier which efficiently wets the solid particles , so that the resulting slurry has a suitable viscosity for application to the substrate . the solid particles may be prepared by high temperature reaction of the elements , electrochemically or by any other suitable method as is clear to those skilled in the art . a powder of nominal composition cdse 0 . 65 te 0 . 35 is prepared as follows : 99 . 999 % cdse ( 3μ grain size ) and cdte ( 99 . 99 % ˜ 10μ grain size ) are mixed in 13 : 7 molar ratio with 25 % w / w cdcl 2 . 2 . 5h 2 o . this mixture is ground with 2 drops of ethanol per 100 mg mixture and is allowed to dry at room temperature . the dried powder is fired at 660 ° c . for 40 min . in an atmosphere containing 10 ppm o 2 in ar , and cooled subsequently in the same atmosphere . this material is used as the starting powder , after light grinding , to prepare a 0 . 22 cm 2 photoelectrode by painting on a titanium substrate preoxidized by being preheated for 40 secs in an atmosphere of 20 ppm o 2 , in ar , at 650 ° c . the paint comprises a mixture of the alloy and cdcl 2 . 2 . 5h 2 o acting as a fluxing agent in a ratio of 50 : 3 w / w , ground together with a mixture of 5 % ( v / v ) nonionic detergent in water to give a smooth slurry . for each 50 mg of powder , 0 . 05 ml of the detergent in water is used . the covered substrate is dried at room temperature and heated under the same conditions as used for the ti substrate , but for 12 mins . it then is cooled slowly ( over a 5 minute period ) to room temperature in the same atmosphere . the thus annealed , cooled substrate is used in a pec , further comprising a sulfided brass gauze counterelectrode ( israeli patent application no . 56621 ) and an aqueous 1 molar solution each in koh , na 2 s . 9h 2 o and s . under 0 . 85 am1 illumination , and after etching for 5 seconds in 3 % hno 3 in conc . hcl ( v / v ) followed by dipping in 0 . 1 m k 2 cro 4 in water this pec gave a 3 . 15 ma short - circuit current , 440 mv at 2 . 19 ma over optimal load , 625 mv open - circuit potential ( 5 . 1 % conversion efficiency ). under ˜ 3 × am1 conditions , this pec showed no deactivation after 50 hrs of continuous operation at short circuit current . the semi - conductor layer had a hexagonal ( wurtzite - like ) structure , as verified by x - ray diffraction . an electrode was prepared as in example 1 , using a 65 : 35 molar ratio mixture of cdse and cdte , on cr - plated steel as a substrate ( prepared by plating mechanically cleaned steel in a solution of 3 m cro 3 and 0 . 026 m h 2 so 4 in h 2 o , using a pt anode and a current density of 200 ma / cm 2 , for 10 mins , at room temperature ; subsequently heated as the ti substrate in example 1 , but for 3 minutes ). the resulting 1 cm 2 electrode , when used in a pec as in example 1 , gave a short circuit current of 8 . 5 ma , an open circuit voltage of 570 mv and 385 mv over 70 ω optimal photopotential , yielding 2 . 1 mw under 0 . 82 am1 simulated conditions (˜ 2 . 6 % conversion efficiency ). under 3 . 5 × am1 conditions this electrode was stable for a period corresponding to more than one month under am1 illumination . a piece of titanium metal , 3 × 1 cm , was preoxidized as in example 1 . an area of 1 × 1 cm of this ti was immersed in a 2 n aqueous solution of h 2 so 4 containing 0 . 5 m cdso 4 and saturated with teo 2 at room temperature with stirring . when the ti was connected through an ammeter to a cd rod immersed in the same solution , a current of 4 ma was registered . small quantities of seo 2 were added ( on the order of millimolar concentrations ) until the current reached 16 ma . electrolysis was continued for 10 minutes . the resulting electrode of composition cdse 0 . 75 te 0 . 25 ( calculated from the relative current contributions of the teo 2 , and seo 2 ) was annealed under the same conditions as for example 1 , but at 625 ° c . the electrode was etched for 10 sec . in a 50 -- 50 ( v / v ) solution of hcl in water , and then blanked off by a lacquer of tar in toluene to 0 . 65 cm 2 . under simulated am1 conditions , this electrode gave in 1 m each of koh , na 2 s . 9h 2 o and s , a short circuit current of 7 . 5 ma , an open circuit voltage of 530 mv and a fill factor of 39 % yielding a conversion efficiency of 2 . 4 %. although the invention has been described with respect to particular voltaic systems , counterelectrodes , electrolytes and the like , it is to be understood that the invention extends beyond those the particular voltaic systems , materials and processes specifically disclosed to cover all inventions falling within the scope of the claims . | 8 |
firstly , referring to fig1 which is a right rear perspective view of an enhanced agricultural aerator ( 10 ) having a pair of aerator drums rotationally fastened to a frame exhibiting the following features : enhanced agricultural aerator ( 10 ), frame ( 12 ), frame longitudinal member ( 12a ), frame hitch pin ( 12a3 ) ( not shown ), frame hitch pin hole ( 12a1 ), frame left transverse member ( 12al ), frame left longitudinal member ( 12al1 ), frame left pivot joint ( 12al2 ), frame right transverse member ( 12ar ), frame right longitudinal member ( 12ar1 ), frame right pivot joint ( 12ar2 ), right aerator ( 14a ), right aerator right end ( 14ab ), right aerator fall ( 14ab1 ), right aerator left end ( 14ac ), right aerator drum surface ( 14ad ), right aerator axle ( 14ae ), right aerator axle right bearing ( 14af1 ), right aerator axle left bearing ( 14af2 ), left aerator ( 14b ), left aerator left end ( 14bb ), left aerator fill ( 14bb1 ), left aerator left end ( 14bc ), left aerator drum surface ( 14bd ), left aerator axle ( 14be ), left aerator axle right bearing ( 14bf1 ), left aerator axle left bearing ( 14bf2 ), rake adjusting bracket ( 16a ), rake adjusting handle ( 16b ), rake adjusting screw ( 16c ), and aerator first spike ( 18a ). the enhanced agricultural aerator ( 10 ) is removably attached to a farm or residential tractor ( 24 ) by a frame hitch pin ( 12a3 ) ( not shown ) which goes through a frame hitch pin hole ( 12a1 ) in a frame longitudinal member ( 12a ). the frame longitudinal member ( 12a ) is securely attached to a frame left transverse member ( 12al ) on one side and a frame right longitudinal member ( 12ar1 ) on the opposite side . the frame left transverse member ( 12al ) and the frame right transverse member ( 12ar ) in conjunction with a frame longitudinal member extension ( 12a2 ) provide a towing means when attached to a right aerator ( 14a ) and a left aerator ( 14b ) at their respective distal ends . the frame left transverse member ( 12al ) is securely attached to a frame left pivot joint ( 12al2 ). the frame left pivot joint ( 12al2 ) is pivotally attached to a frame left rear member ( 12al3 ) and permits the left aerator left end ( 14bb ) to move through a frame left rear member motion ( 12al4 ) upwardly and downwardly when it transverses a bump in the ground . the frame right transverse member ( 12ar ) is securely attached to a frame right pivot joint ( 12ar2 ). the frame right pivot joint ( 12ar2 ) is pivotally attached to a frame right rear member ( 12ar3 ) and permits a right aerator right end ( 14ab ) to move through a frame right rear member motion ( 12ar4 ) upwardly and downwardly when the left aerator ( 14b ) transverses a bump in the ground . the frame left rear member ( 12al3 ) is rotationally attached to the right distal end of a left aerator axle ( 14be ) by a frame left connecting pin ( 12al1 ). the left aerator axle ( 14be ) is rotationally attached to a left aerator axle left bearing ( 14bf2 ) which is further rotationally attached to a left aerator left end ( 14bb ). the left aerator left end ( 14bb ) is securely attached about its circumference to a left aerator drum surface ( 14bd ). the left aerator drum surface ( 14bd ) is securely attached to a left aerator right end ( 14bc ). the left aerator right end ( 14bc ) having a left aerator fill ( 14bb1 ) which is used to add mass to the left aerator ( 14b ), the additional mass increases the penetration of an aerator first spike ( 18a ) into the soil . the left aerator right end ( 14bc ) is rotationally attached to a left aerator axle right bearing ( 14bf1 ) which further is attached to the left distal end of a left aerator axle ( 14be ). the frame right rear member ( 12ar3 ) is rotationally attached to the right distal end of a right aerator axle ( 14ae ) by a frame right connecting pin ( 12ar1 ). the right aerator axle ( 14ae ) is rotationally attached to a right aerator - axle right bearing ( 14af1 ) which is further attached to a right aerator right end ( 14ab ). the right aerator right end ( 14ab ) further comprises a right aerator fill ( 14ab1 ) which is used to add mass to the right aerator ( 14a ). the additional mass increases the penetration of the aerator first spike ( 18a ) into the soil . the right aerator right end ( 14ab ) is securely attached about its circumference to a right aerator drum surface ( 14ad ) on the right distal circumference . the right aerator drum surface ( 14ad ) is securely attached to a right aerator left end ( 14ac ) on the left circumference . the right aerator left end ( 14ac ) is securely attached to a right aerator axle left bearing ( 14af2 ) which is rotationally attached to the left distal end of the right aerator axle ( 14ae ). the left distal end of the right aerator axle ( 14ae ) is securely attached to one distal end of a rake adjusting bracket ( 16a ). the left aerator axle ( 14be ) is securely attached to one distal end of a rake adjusting bracket ( 16a ). the opposite distal end of the rake adjusting bracket ( 16a ) is securely attached to the right aerator axle ( 14ae ). the rake adjusting bracket ( 16a ) is rotationally attached at a midpoint to a rake adjusting screw ( 16c ). the rake adjusting screw ( 16c ) is securely attached to a rake adjusting handle ( 16b ) which when turned in either direction causes the rake adjusting bracket ( 16a ) to move forward or aft . this motion adjusts the rake angle of the right aerator ( 14a ) and the left aerator ( 14b ) relative to the direction of travel of the enhanced agricultural aerator ( 10 ). the rake angle has a significant impact on the degree of soil disturbance produced . the larger the angle the further the away from an aerator first spike ( 18a ) the soil is disturbed resulting in more aeration . this rake adjustment in conjunction with the mass adjustment allows the user to select the proper aeration for the soil condition . secondly , referring to fig2 which is a rear view of an enhanced agricultural aerator ( 10 ) being pulled by a farm tractor showing the right aerator ( 14a ) and left aerator ( 14b ) in several roll positions , exhibiting the following features : a right aerator drum roll position motion ( 22a ), right aerator drum roll position 1 ( 22a1 ), right aerator drum roll position 2 ( 22a2 ), right aerator drum roll position 3 ( 22a3 ), left aerator drum roll position motion ( 22b ), left aerator drum roll position 1 ( 22b1 ), left aerator drum roll position 2 ( 22b2 ), left aerator drum roll position 3 ( 22b3 ), rake adjusting bracket ( 16b ), rake adjusting screw ( 16a ), rake adjusting handle ( 16c ), and farm tractor ( 24 ). the enhanced agricultural aerator ( 10 ) is removably attached to a farm tractor ( 24 ). as the farm tractor ( 24 ) tows the enhanced agricultural aerator ( 10 ) over uneven ground the left aerator ( 14b ) moves through a left aerator drum roll position motion ( 22b ). the motion from a left aerator drum roll position 1 ( 22b1 ) to a left aerator drum roll position 2 ( 22b2 ) and finally to a left aerator drum roll position 3 , caused by the terrain , results in the left aerator ( 14b ) flattening the soil . as the right aerator ( 14a ) moves through a right aerator drum roll position motion ( 22a ) the motion from a right aerator drum roll position 1 ( 22a1 ) to a right aerator drum roll position 2 ( 22a2 ) and finally to a right aerator drum roll position 3 ( 22a3 ), caused by the terrain , results in the right aerator ( 14a ) flattening the soil . the left aerator drum roll position motion ( 22b ) and right aerator drum roll position motion ( 22a ) repeatedly applied over the extent of an entire field results in the field terrain becoming more smooth . the rake adjusting handle ( 16c ) is securely attached to the rake adjusting screw ( 16a ) which is rotatably attached to the rake adjusting bracket ( 16b ). turning the rake adjusting handle ( 16c ) rotates the rake adjusting screw ( 16a ) which causes the rake adjusting bracket ( 16b ) to move which changes the rake angle of the right aerator ( 14a ) and the left aerator ( 14b ). referring to fig3 a which is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a spike welded to an aerator drum surface exhibiting the following features : aerator first spike ( 18a ), aerator first spike center crease ( 18a1 ), aerator first spike side ( 18a2 ), aerator first spike forward side ( 18a3 ), aerator first spike weld joint ( 18a4 ), and aerator first spike section line ( 18a5 ). the first embodiment of the aerator first spike ( 18a ) is securely attached to the aerator first drum surface ( 18a6 ) in a plane parallel to a aerator end ( 18a7 ) by an aerator first spike weld joint ( 18a4 ). the aerator first spike ( 18a ) further comprising an aerator first spike side ( 18a2 ) securely attached to an aerator first spike forward side ( 18a3 ) at an aerator first spike center crease ( 18a1 ). the shape of the aerator first spike ( 18a ) at an aerator first spike section line ( 18a5 ) is shown in fig3 b . the shape of the aerator first spike ( 18a ) at an aerator first spike section line ( 18a5 ) simplifies fabrication to using a break to form the angle resulting in the necessary ridged being added . now referring to fig3 b which is a cross section view of a first embodiment of a spike exhibiting the following features : aerator first spike angle ( 18a8 ), aerator first spike center crease ( 18a1 ), aerator first spike side ( 18a2 ), aerator first spike forward side ( 18a3 ), aerator first spike angle ( 18a8 ), and aerator first spike load direction ( 18a9 ). the aerator first spike ( 18a ) having an aerator first spike center crease ( 18a1 ) which securely attaches the aerator first spike side ( 18a2 ) to the aerator first spike forward side ( 18a3 ) at an aerator first spike angle ( 18a8 ). the aerator first spike angle ( 18a8 ) between the aerator first spike side ( 18a2 ) to the aerator first spike forward side ( 18a3 ) provides ridged the aerator first spike ( 18a ) so that it will not bend when subjected to side loads along an aerator first spike load direction ( 18a9 ). now referring to fig4 a which is a perspective view of a second embodiment of a spike welded to an aerator drum surface exhibiting the following features : aerator second spike ( 18b ), aerator second spike radius ( 18b1 ), aerator second spike side ( 18b2 ), aerator second spike rear side ( 18b3 ), aerator second spike weld joint ( 18b4 ), and aerator second spike section line ( 18b5 ). the second embodiment of the aerator second spike ( 18b ) is securely attached to the aerator second drum surface ( 18b6 ) in a plane parallel to the aerator drum surface ( 18b7 ) by an aerator second spike weld joint ( 18b4 ). the aerator second spike ( 18b ) further comprising an aerator second spike side ( 18b2 ) securely attached to an aerator second spike rear side ( 18b3 ) at an aerator second spike center crease ( 18b1 ). the shape of the aerator second spike ( 18b ) at an aerator second spike section line ( 18b5 ) is shown in fig4 b . lastly referring to fig4 b which is a cross section view of a second embodiment of a spike exhibiting the following features : aerator second spike ( 18b ), aerator second spike radius ( 18b1 ), aerator second spike section line ( 18b5 ) and aerator second spike radius ( 18b1 ). the shape of the aerator second spike ( 18b ) at an aerator second spike section line ( 18b5 ) simplifies fabrication to cutting the aerator second spike ( 18b ) from a tube section of aerator second spike radius ( 18b1 ) to obtain an arc resulting in the necessary ridged being added to the aerator second spike ( 18b ). it will be understood that each of the elements described above , or two or more together , may also find a useful application in other types of constructions differing from the type described above is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a spike welded to an aerator drum surface . while the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in a enhanced agricultural aerator , it is not intended to be limited to the details shown , since it will be understood that various omissions , modifications , substitutions and changes in the forms and details of the device illustrated and in its operation can be made by those skilled in the art without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention . without further analysis , the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can , by applying current knowledge , readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that , from the standpoint of prior art , fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention . what is claimed as new and desired to be protected by letters patent is set forth in the appended claims . | 0 |
this invention now will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings , in which exemplary embodiments are shown . this invention may , however , be embodied in many 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 of ordinary skill in the art . moreover , all statements herein reciting embodiments of the invention , as well as specific examples thereof , are intended to encompass both structural and functional equivalents thereof . additionally , it is intended that such equivalents include both currently known equivalents as well as equivalents developed in the future ( i . e ., any elements developed that perform the same function , regardless of structure ). thus , for example , it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that the diagrams , schematics , flowcharts , and the like represent conceptual views or processes illustrating systems and methods embodying this invention . the functions of the various elements shown in the figures may be provided through the use of dedicated hardware as well as hardware capable of executing associated software . similarly , any switches shown in the figures are conceptual only . their function may be carried out through the operation of program logic , through dedicated logic , through the interaction of program control and dedicated logic , or even manually , the particular technique being selectable by the entity implementing this invention . those of ordinary skill in the art further understand that the exemplary hardware , software , processes , methods , and / or operating systems described herein are for illustrative purposes and , thus , are not intended to be limited to any particular named manufacturer . as used herein , the term “ communications device ” includes wired and wireless communications devices , such as a pots phone , a mobile phone , a wireless phone , a wap phone , a satellite phone , a computer , a modem , a pager , a digital music device , a digital recording device , a personal digital assistant , an interactive television , a digital signal processor , and a global positioning system device . further , as used herein , the term “ data ” includes electronic information , such as , for example facsimile , electronic mail ( e - mail ), text , video , audio , and / or voice in a variety of formats , such as dual tone multi - frequency , digital , analog , and / or others . additionally , the data may include : ( 1 ) executable programs , such as a software application , ( 2 ) an address , location , and / or other identifier of the storage location for the data , ( 3 ) integrated or otherwise combined files , such as a grouping of destination communications addresses associated with a receiving party , and / or ( 4 ) one or more emergency alert profiles associated with the emergency alert control signal . in various embodiments , the data may be stored by one or more communications network , a peripheral storage device connected to the communications network , other connected networks , and / or one or more communications devices . the systems and methods of this invention operate with different communications devices , different users , and different communications networks to generate , enable , and / or transmit an emergency alert control signal via the communications network to an emergency alert communications address . typically , a calling party uses a communications device to communicate an emergency message ( also referred to herein as “ an incoming communications signal ”) over a communications network to an emergency response call center ( e . g ., a 911 call for help to a centralized emergency response dispatch center ). the communications network detects , decodes , and connects the communications signal to the emergency response call center . at the same time , or nearly the same time , the detected communications address of the emergency response center triggers the communications network to associate the incoming communications signal with an emergency alert profile that includes an emergency alert communications address and information about the type of emergency locating alert associated with the emergency alert communications address . an emergency alert control application uses the profile to generate and / or communicate an emergency alert control signal over the communications network to the emergency alert communications address . the emergency alert control signal may activate , deactivate , and / or monitor the emergency alert at a geographic location of the emergency alert communications address . when activated , the alert allows emergency personnel to more quickly locate the exact street address of the emergency . for example , the alert may be visual , such as a flashing light or other eye - catching visual indicator on an exterior of the home or on an outbuilding of the home , to allow emergency response personnel to notice the visual indicator and more quickly locate the emergency site . still another example , is an audible alert , such as a siren , that allows emergency response personnel to hear the alert as they approach the emergency site . and , yet another example is activation of position locating transmission signal ( e . g ., a homing signal , global positioning system , and the like ) for emergency response personnel to receive signals from and track their approach while in route to the emergency site . referring now to the figures , fig1 illustrate a communications system 100 including a calling party &# 39 ; s communications device 110 sharing a communications address with an emergency alert 140 , at least one communications network 120 , and an emergency response call center 130 . typically , the calling party ( e . g ., a customer and / or a user ) subscribes to a network - enabled emergency alert control service . when the calling party uses his / her communications device 110 to communicate an emergency message ( also referred to herein as “ an incoming communications signal ”) over the communications network 120 to the emergency response call center 130 ( e . g ., a 911 call for help to a centralized emergency response dispatch center ), the communications 120 network detects , decodes , and connects the incoming communications signal to the emergency response call center 130 . at the same time , or nearly the same time , the detected communications address ( e . g ., 911 , a phone number and / or an ip address associated with the emergency response call center 130 , and other communications address of emergency response providers ) of the emergency response call center 130 triggers the communications network 120 to associate the incoming communications signal with an emergency alert profile that includes an emergency alert communications address and information about the emergency alert 140 associated with the emergency alert communications address . an emergency alert control application uses the emergency alert profile to generate and / or communicate an emergency alert control signal over the communications network 120 to the emergency alert 140 coupled with the emergency alert communications address . the emergency alert control signal may activate , deactivate , and / or monitor the emergency alert 140 at a geographic location of the emergency alert communications address . when activated , the emergency alert 140 allows emergency personnel to more quickly locate the exact street address of the emergency . for example , the emergency alert 140 may be visual , such as a flashing light or other eye - catching visual indicator on an exterior of the home or on an outbuilding of the home , to allow emergency response personnel to notice the visual indicator and more quickly locate the emergency site . still another example , is an audible alert , such as a siren , that allows emergency response personnel to hear the siren as they approach the emergency site . and , yet another example is activation of position locating transmission signal ( e . g ., a homing signal , global positioning system , and the like ) for emergency response personnel to receive signals from and track their approach while in route to the emergency site . according to an embodiment shown in fig1 , the calling party &# 39 ; s communications device 110 and the emergency alert 140 share the same communications address for transceiving ( e . g ., transmitting and / or receiving ) communications signals with the communications network 120 . that is , the communications address of the calling party &# 39 ; s communications device 110 ( e . g ., the phone number of the calling party &# 39 ; s communications device 110 ) is the same as the emergency alert communications address that receives the emergency alert control signal from the communications network 120 . in such a case , the communications network 120 may transmit a databurst ( and / or make use of other medium for transmitting communications signals over the network ) to the emergency alert 140 while the calling party &# 39 ; s communications device 110 is in an off - hook state ( e . g ., when the calling party &# 39 ; s communications device 110 is engaged in a voice connection / communication with the emergency response call center 130 and / or alternate third party ( not shown )). the communications network 120 may use any means and / or medium for transmitting the emergency alert control signal to the emergency alert 140 and may transmit the emergency alert control signal to an emergency alert communications address having an on - hook state or an off - hook state . fig2 is a schematic of a communications system 200 similar to the communications system 100 disclosed in fig1 . however , the communications system 200 illustrates the emergency alert 140 having a different communication address than the calling party &# 39 ; s communications device 110 . that is , the emergency alert communications address is different from the communications address of the calling party &# 39 ; s communications device . consequently , the calling party may use his / her communications device 110 anywhere ( e . g ., at the site of the emergency or at a remote site ) to call the emergency response call center 130 and initiate network - based control of the emergency alert 140 . for example , the calling party &# 39 ; s communications device 110 may be a cellular phone , and the calling party could use the cellular phone from anywhere in a connected cellular network to call the emergency response call center 130 and to initiate network - based control of the emergency alert 140 . fig3 is a block diagram showing an emergency alert activation module 314 that operates within a system memory device 312 of a computer 300 . the call ticker module 314 , however , could also reside in flash memory , a peripheral storage device 316 , and / or a communications device ( such as , for example , the calling party &# 39 ; s communications device 110 of fig1 ). the computer 300 also has one or more central processors 320 executing an operating system . the operating system , as is well known , has a set of instructions that control the internal functions of the computer 300 . a system bus 322 communicates signals , such as data signals , control signals , and address signals , between the central processor ( s ) 320 and a system controller 310 . the system controller 310 provides a bridging function between the memory subsystem 312 , the one or more central processors 320 , a graphics subsystem 330 , a keyboard subsystem 332 , an audio subsystem 334 , a pci ( peripheral controller interface ) bus 324 , and a communications (“ comm ”) device interface 350 . the pci bus 324 is controlled by a peripheral bus controller 340 . the peripheral bus controller 340 is an integrated circuit that serves as an input / output hub for various peripheral ports and / or transceivers . these peripheral ports allow the computer 300 to communicate with a variety of communications devices through networking ports ( such as scsi or ethernet ) that include wireless communications (“ comm ”) device transceiver 342 ( such as wireless 802 . 11 and infrared ) and wired communications (“ comm ”) device port / connection 344 ( such as modem v90 + and compact flash slots ). these peripheral ports could also include other networking ports , such as , a serial port ( not shown ) and / or a parallel port ( not shown ). the comm device interface 350 allows the computer 300 to monitor , detect , receive , and decode incoming communications signals to the communications device ( s ) connected to the wireless comm device transceiver 342 and / or the wired comm device port / connection 344 . further , the comm device interface 350 may communicate the emergency alert control signal to the wireless comm device transceiver 342 and / or the wired comm device port / connection 344 which may thereafter communicate the emergency alert control signal via the communications network 120 to the emergency alert 140 . according to alternate embodiments , the wireless comm device transceiver 342 and / or the wired comm device port / connection 344 may communicate the emergency alert control signal directly to the emergency alert 140 . returning back to fig3 , the computer 300 may include a power source 360 , such as a rechargeable battery to provide power and allow the computer 300 to be portable . in alternate embodiments , the computer 300 could include its own telephone line ( or other communications connection and / or communications address ) to the communications network 120 ( not shown ). another alternative may include the computer 300 incorporated into a component of the communications network 120 ( such as integrated componentry with an emergency alert activation dataserver 419 of fig4 ) or a specially designed communications device ( not shown ). those of ordinary skill in the art also understand the central processor 320 is typically a microprocessor . advanced micro devices , inc ., for example , manufactures a full line of athlon ™ microprocessors ( athlon ™ is a trademark of advanced micro devices , inc ., one amd place , p . o . box 3453 , sunnyvale , calif . 94088 - 3453 , 408 . 732 . 2400 , 800 . 538 . 8450 , www . amd . com ). the intel corporation also manufactures a family of x86 and p86 microprocessors ( intel corporation , 2200 mission college blvd ., santa clara , calif . 95052 - 8119 , 408 . 765 . 8080 , www . intel . com ). other manufacturers also offer microprocessors . such other manufacturers include motorola , inc . ( 1303 east algonquin road , p . o . box a3309 schaumburg , ill . 60196 , www . motorola . com ), international business machines corp . ( new orchard road , armonk , n . y . 10504 , ( 914 ) 499 - 1900 , www . ibm . com ), and transmeta corp . ( 3940 freedom circle , santa clara , calif . 95054 , www . transmeta . com ). those skilled in the art further understand that the program , processes , methods , and systems described in this patent are not limited to any particular manufacturer &# 39 ; s central processor . the preferred operating system is the unix ® operating system ( unix ® is a registered trademark of the open source group , www . opensource . org ). other unix - based operating systems , however , are also suitable , such as linux ® or a red hat ® linux - based system ( linux ® is a registered trademark of linus torvalds , and red hat ® is a registered trademark of red hat , inc ., research triangle park , north carolina , 1 - 888 - 733 - 4281 , www . redhat . com ). other operating systems , however , are also suitable . such other operating systems would include a windows - based operating system ( windows ® is a registered trademark of microsoft corporation , one microsoft way , redmond wash . 98052 - 6399 , 425 . 882 . 8080 , www . microsoft . com ). and mac ® os ( mac ® is a registered trademark of apple computer , inc ., 1 infinite loop , cupertino , calif . 95014 , 408 . 996 . 1010 , www . apple . com ). those of ordinary skill in the art again understand that the program , processes , methods , and systems described in this patent are not limited to any particular operating system . the system memory device ( shown as memory subsystem 312 or peripheral storage device 316 ) may also contain one or more application programs . for example , an application program may cooperate with the operating system and with a video display unit ( via graphics subsystem 330 ) to provide a gui for the emergency alert activation module 314 . the gui typically includes a combination of signals communicating with the graphics subsystem 330 and / or the keyboard subsystem 332 . the gui provides a convenient visual and / or audible interface with the user of the computer 300 . as is apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art , the user ( e . g ., receiving party , calling party , and / or administrator ) interacts with the emergency alert activation module 314 over a variety of mediums , such as , for example , a stylus , keyboard , and punch buttons of the keyboard subsystem 332 , a display screen of the graphics subsystem 330 , and / or a voice - activated menu prompt of the audio subsystem 334 . wireless comm device transceiver 342 and / or the wired comm device port / connection 344 which may thereafter communicate the emergency alert control signal via the communications network 120 to the emergency alert 140 wireless comm device transceiver 342 and / or the wired comm device port / connection 344 which may thereafter communicate the emergency alert control signal via the communications network 120 to the emergency alert 140 . fig4 is a schematic of a communications system 400 illustrating communications connections of different communications networks , different communications devices , and different users that operate to activate , deactivate , and / or otherwise control the emergency alert 140 . the communications system includes a home 401 having the emergency alert 140 ( shown at a location exterior to or on the outside surface of the home 401 ), at least one electronic device 402 , a home network and / or gateway 404 , a communications device 406 , at least one user 407 , 408 , a telecommunication network 410 having a service switching point ( ssp ) 412 , a service control point ( scp ) 414 , an intranet ( for the telecommunications provider to administer and program the telecommunications network 410 components and / or for the subscriber / user to access , program , and / or otherwise manage a emergency alert profile ), an emergency alert activation dataserver 418 , and a database of emergency alert profiles 419 , an internet service provider ( isp ) 430 ( e . g ., america on - line ), a data network 440 having a communications server 444 , an emergency alert activation dataserver 448 , and a database of emergency alert profiles 449 , and an emergency response call center . the telecommunications network 410 communicates with a variety of communications devices , such as , a modem 420 coupled with a personal computer 422 a having the emergency alert activation module 314 , a pots phone 424 , and a cellular phone 426 ( via a wireless connection ). similarly , the data network 440 communicates with a variety of communications devices , such as a personal computer 422 b having the emergency alert activation module 314 and the personal digital assistant 428 . according to embodiments of this invention , the communications network 120 detects and decodes an incoming line identification signal ( iclid ) of an incoming communications signal ( or alternate network identification signal ) to the emergency response call center 130 and connects the call . the incoming communications signal may originate from any of the communications devices ( e . g ., reference numerals 406 , 420 , 422 a , 422 b , 424 , 426 , and 428 , and other communications devices described herein ) in any of the communications networks ( e . g ., reference numerals 404 , 410 , 440 , and others communications networks described herein ). in an embodiment , the telecommunications network 410 compares the incoming communications signal with an emergency alert profile stored in one or more databases 419 to determine one or more emergency alert control communications addresses , the type of emergency alert , caller control parameters , notification parameters , and / or other emergency alert control , deactivation and control information . as shown in fig4 , the incoming communications signal arrives at ssp 412 that analyzes the signal ( s ) and routes the incoming communications signal to the scp 414 . if the scp 414 detects a communications address of the incoming communications signal ( e . g ., the phone number of the calling party &# 39 ; s communications device ) and a communications address of the emergency response call center 130 , then the scp 414 attempts to match the communications address of the incoming communications signal with the emergency alert profile . that is , the scp 414 communicates with the intranet 416 and with the emergency alert activation dataserver 418 ( or alternatively , directly with the emergency alert activation dataserver 418 ) to accesses the database 419 of emergency alert profiles to determine emergency alert control services associated with the communications address of the incoming communications signal . the matched emergency alert profile contains parameters that establish the available emergency alert control services for the associated communications address . thereafter , an emergency alert control application uses the emergency alert profile to generate the emergency alert control signal , and the telecommunications network 410 transmits the emergency alert control signal to the emergency alert communications address to activate , deactivate , and / or monitor the emergency alert 140 . to create , modify , and / or access an emergency alert profile , any of the communications devices ( e . g ., reference numerals 406 , 420 , 422 a , 422 b , 424 , 426 , and 428 , and other communications devices described herein ) accesses a locally stored and / or remotely stored emergency alert activation module 314 that interfaces with one or more of the communications networks ( e . g ., reference numerals 404 , 410 , 440 , and others communications networks described herein ). for example , the telecommunications network 410 may present an interactive interface to the user of the communications device 406 that may be programmed over a variety of mediums , such as , for example , a voice - activated and / or dual tone multi - frequency ( dtmf ) menu prompt . the user , for example , might select to access stored emergency alert profiles by entering a “ 1 ” on a touch - tone keypad or by speaking into a receiving audio subsystem and stating the word “ one .” after making a selection , the telecommunications network 410 retrieves the stored emergency alert control signal from a database and presents it to the user for additional instructions . similarly , the user might select “ 2 ” to create and / or otherwise establish a new emergency alert profile . in addition , the user might enter a code ( e . g ., “* 99 ”) in order to automatically block any communication of emergency alert control signals to a communications address . according to other embodiment , the user may alternatively contact ( e . g ., via a voice communication , via a web - based interface , and the like ) a telecommunications service provider ( or alternate communications provider ) to have an administrator , other personnel , and / or componentry of the telecommunications service provider establish the emergency alert profile . for example , the user may use the computer 422 a and the emergency alert activation module 314 to establish an emergency alert profile that is communicated to telecommunications network 410 . alternatively , the user could use computer 422 b and a web - based interface of the data network 440 to establish the emergency alert profile . regardless of how the emergency alert profile is established , the emergency alert profile is used to generate and / or otherwise manage the emergency alert control signal that is communicated to the emergency alert 140 . according to embodiments of this invention , the database 519 of emergency alert profiles and the emergency alert activation dataserver 518 control access , creation , notification , routing , security , transactions , troubleshooting , management , sharing , and / or additional processing of emergency alert control signals exchanged to / from the telecommunications network 410 with the emergency alert 140 , other communications devices , and other communication networks . more specifically , the emergency alert profiles contains files and / or fields that contain : ( 1 ) the emergency alert communications address ( e . g ., the phone number , ip address , and / or other access address connected to the emergency alert 140 ), ( 2 ) a communications device associated with the emergency alert communications address ( e . g ., the communications device 406 of home 401 , the cellular phone 426 communicating with telecommunications network 410 , and so on ), ( 3 ) an identifier of the emergency alert , such as , for example , identification of the type of alert — visual signaling means ( e . g ., strobe light ), audio signaling means ( e . g ., siren ), and / or position locating transmission means ( e . g ., gps ), ( 4 ) an originating communications address associated with a calling party &# 39 ; s communications device ( e . g ., the phone number , ip address , and / or other access address to the calling party &# 39 ; s communications device ), ( 5 ) a parameter for controlling the emergency alert , such as , for example , a parameter interacting with an emergency alert device driver to control on / off switches , a timing parameter to automatically turn on the emergency alert 140 and then automatically turn off the emergency alert 140 after a selected amount of time has lapsed , a parameter that enables the emergency response call center 130 ( and / or other third parties ) to control the emergency alert 140 , and so on , ( 6 ) a parameter for monitoring the emergency alert , ( 7 ) a communications parameter for establishing a communications link between at least two of the communications devices , communications networks , and / or users , and ( 8 ) a calling party control parameter that allows the calling party to control activation , deactivation , and monitoring of the emergency alert 140 . still further , the emergency alert profile may include parameters for ( 1 ) archiving the emergency alert profile to a storage device associated with the telecommunications service provider and / or archiving to alternate storage devices , ( 2 ) encrypting the emergency alert control signal ( or a portion of the emergency alert control signal ) so that only the emergency alert communications address and / or emergency alert 140 can decipher the emergency alert control signal , ( 3 ) copying the emergency alert profile , and ( 4 ) associating the emergency alert profile with a variety of fields , files , and / or other data for emergency alert control services , such as , for example login information associated with the customer , user , and / or administrator , password , telephone number ( s ) or service node ( s ) of the customer ( this may include a plurality of addresses that are associated with a service node or other communications switch serving the calling party &# 39 ; s communications device ), tcp / ip address of the customer , email address of the customer , a time or date identifier ( e . g ., day of week or calendar date ), other information associated with the incoming line identification ( iclid ) communications signal , size and content of emergency alert control signal , reply ( s ), delivery failure notification ( s ), display and / or presentation data associated with a gui ( e . g ., color , font , placement of the emergency alert activation module ), and / or telecommunications network 410 defaults . accordingly , the emergency alert activation dataserver 418 operating with the database 419 of profiles and with the emergency alert control application functions as a computer server , database , and / or processor that is dedicated to managing emergency alert control services including communications of emergency alert control signals over the telecommunications network 410 to other connected networks , communications devices , and / or the emergency alert 140 . communications (“ comm ”) server 444 of data network 440 operates similar to scp 414 of telecommunications network ; emergency alert activation dataserver 448 and database 449 of data network 440 operate similar to emergency alert activation dataserver 418 and database 419 of telecommunications network 410 . fig5 is a schematic of a communications system 500 similar to the communications system 400 disclosed in fig4 . however , the communications system 500 illustrates alternate communications links and a variety of communications devices that may be used by the calling party ( i . e ., calling party &# 39 ; s communications device 110 of fig1 ) including a personal digital assistant ( pda ) 511 , an ip phone 512 , a modem 513 , an interactive pager 514 , a global positioning system ( gps ) 515 , an mp3 player 516 , a digital signal processor ( dsp ) 517 , and an interactive television 518 , a pots phone 519 , and a personal computer 520 . communications system 500 also illustrates a communications connection of the calling party &# 39 ; s communications device 110 via switch 510 to the telecommunications network and to a gateway 560 communicating with data network 440 and with a switch 540 coupled and / or otherwise communicating with an emergency alert driver 541 controlling at least one of a switch 543 to light source 542 , a switch 545 to siren 544 , and a switch 546 to position location transmission means 546 . still further , communications system 500 includes a switch 530 coupling the telecommunications network 410 with the emergency response call center 130 . regardless of the calling party &# 39 ; s communications device ( reference numerals 511 - 520 ) that places the call to the emergency response call center 130 , the data network 440 and / or the telecommunications network 410 is able to communicate ( including audio , text ( e . g ., ascii ), video , other digital formats , and combination thereof ) with the communications device to receive the incoming communications signal and to transmit response , notification , and / or alternate communications signals . accordingly , the emergency alert activation dataservers 418 , 448 and / or the gateway 560 of the data network 440 has the intelligence for appropriate formatting of communication signals to / from the communications device . for example , if the calling party &# 39 ; s communications device uses the wireless application protocol ( wap ) technique , then a notification message ( e . g ., a communications signal that includes a message that the emergency alert has been activated , what type of alert it is , and so on ) is formatted using the wireless mark - up language ( wml ) and configured according to standards known in the art . the wireless mark - up language ( wml ) and the wap technique are known and will not be further described . this is a description of a solution for a specific wireless protocol , such as wap . this solution may be clearly extended to other wireless protocol , such as i - mode , voicexml ( voice extensible markup language ), dual tone multi - frequency ( dtmf ), and other signaling means . alternatively , the communications signals ( incoming communications signals , notification communications signals , response communications signals , control communications signals , and so on ) may be formatted and / or otherwise configured for presentation by an application and / or componentry of the calling party &# 39 ; s communications device 510 . as shown in fig5 , the telecommunications network 410 may alternatively transmit the emergency alert control signal via isp 430 ( or other connection ) of the data network 440 . the data network 440 communicates the emergency alert control signal via the gateway 560 to the calling party &# 39 ; s communications device 560 via switch 510 and / or to a third party &# 39 ; s communications device ( not shown ). similarly , the calling party &# 39 ; s communications device 110 may generate and / or otherwise establish the emergency alert control signal and communicate the emergency alert control signal via the gateway 560 to data network 440 and / or to telecommunications network 410 . another embodiment discloses the telecommunications network 410 communicating the emergency alert control signal directly to the gateway 560 ( such as when a emergency alert profile associates a static ip address of the emergency alert ) to communicate with the switch 540 coupled with emergency alert driver 541 . in addition to transmitting the emergency alert control signal , the telecommunications network 410 may also connect the calling party &# 39 ; s communications device 110 with a third party &# 39 ; s communications device ( not shown ) to establish an immediate voice connection ( e . g ., establish a telephone call ) with both the emergency response call center 130 and with the third party . that is , for example , the emergency alert profile may provide that emergency alert control signal include both a data burst to the emergency alert communications address as well as a voice signal ( that allows for a voice conversation ) to communications address of a third party &# 39 ; s communications device . the communications switches ( e . g ., 510 , 530 , and 530 ) allows the connected communications devices to transceive electronic communication signals via the telecommunications network 410 ( e . g ., a central office ( co ), a mobile telephone switching office ( mtso ), and / or a combination co / mtso ). the telecommunications network 410 may use any means of coupling the switches to the telecommunications network 410 , but the coupling means is preferably high - capacity , high - bandwidth optical transport services , gigabit ethernet services , and / or the like . as those of ordinary skill in the art of telecommunications understand , the telecommunications network 410 could also link the switches via other appropriate means , such as , for example a synchronous optical network ( sonet ) structure with redundant , multiple rings . the telecommunications network 410 may include wired , optical , and / or wireless elements and may further include private network elements , such as private branch exchanges ( pbxs ), and / or other elements ( not shown ). the telecommunications network 410 includes advanced intelligent network ( ain ) componentry controlling many features of the network . the telecommunications network 410 and / or each of the switches could also include a packet - based “ soft switch ” that uses software control to provide voice , video , and / or data services by dynamically changing its connection data rates and protocols types . if the telecommunications network 410 and / or one of the switches should include a softswitch , the ain componentry is replaced by an application server that interfaces with the softswitch via a packet protocol , such as session initiation protocol ( sip ). the means of communicating between or among the calling party &# 39 ; s communications device 110 , the emergency response call center 130 , the emergency alert communications address of the emergency alert driver 541 , the switches 510 , 530 , 540 , the telecommunications network 410 including ain componentry , and / or the data network 440 including the gateway 560 include a variety of means , including optical transmission of data ( e . g ., any medium capable of optically transmitting the data ), wireless transmission of data ( e . g ., wireless communications of the data using any portion of the electromagnetic spectrum ), and / or fixed - wire transmission of data ( e . g ., any medium capable of transmitting electrons along a conductor ). fiber optic technologies , spectrum multiplexing ( such as dense wave division multiplexing ), ethernet and gigabit ethernet services , infrared , the family of ieee 602 standards , and digital subscriber lines ( dsl ) are just some examples of the transmission means . the signaling between these devices and / or networks , however , is well understood in by those of ordinary skill the art and will not be further described . further , those of ordinary skill in the art will be able to apply the principles of this invention to their own network configurations which may differ substantially from the communications system ( s ) shown in the figures . fig6 - 8 are flowcharts showing processes of providing the emergency alert control services according to embodiments of this invention . while the processes in fig6 - 8 are shown in series , these processes may occur in different orders and / or at simultaneous times as one of ordinary skill in the art will understand . a user uses a calling party &# 39 ; s communications device to place an incoming communication to an emergency response call center and a communications (“ comm ”) network detects [ block 610 ] and decodes the incoming communications signal and associated incoming line identification information and / or other network - based identification information [ block 620 ]. thereafter , the communications network connects the incoming communications signal to the emergency response call center and a voice connection or alternate communications link is established with the call center along with the incoming communications signal and associated incoming line identification information [ block 630 ]. at the same time , or near the same time , the communications network matches an emergency alert profile as described in the above embodiments [ block 640 ] and determines if the profile enable automatic control of the emergency alert [ block 650 ]. if no , then the communications network determines if the calling party has authorization to enable control of the emergency alert [ block 710 ]. if yes , then the communications network activates , deactivates , monitors , and / or ignores the emergency alert according to the calling party &# 39 ; s instructions [ 720 ]. thereafter , the communications network determines if the profile enables other call handling options , such as , sending a notification of emergency alert control to a third party [ block 730 ]. if yes , then the communications network processes the incoming communications signal according and / or the alternate communications signal associated with emergence alert activation profile according to parameters set forth in the profile [ block 740 ]. if the profile does not enable other call handling options , then the communications method ends . referring back to “ block 710 ,” if the calling party is not authorized to enable network - automated emergency alert control , then the communications network determines if the profile enables other call handling options , such as , sending a notification of emergency alert control to a third party [ block 730 ]. if yes , then the communications network processes the incoming communications signal according and / or the alternate communications signal associated with emergence alert activation profile according to parameters set forth in the profile [ block 740 ]. if the profile does not enable other call handling options , then the communications method ends . referring back to “ block 650 ”, if the emergency alert profile does enable automatic control , then the emergency alert control application generates the emergency alert control signal [ block 810 ] and transmits the emergency alert control signal to an emergency alert communications address [ block 820 ]. thereafter , the transmitted emergency alert control signal activates , deactivates , and / or monitors an emergency alert [ block 830 ]. next , the communications network determines if the profile enables other call handling options , such as , sending a notification of emergency alert control to a third party [ block 840 ]. if yes , then the communications network processes the incoming communications signal according and / or the alternate communications signal associated with emergence alert activation profile according to parameters set forth in the profile [ block 850 ]. if the profile does not enable other call handling options , then the communications method ends . as is apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art , the emergency alert activation module 314 may be physically embodied on or in a computer - readable medium . this computer - readable medium may include cd - rom , dvd , tape , cassette , floppy disk , memory card , and large - capacity disk ( such as iomega ®, zip ®, jazz ®, and other large - capacity memory products ( iomega ®, zip ®, and jazz ® are registered trademarks of iomega corporation , 1821w . iomega way , roy , utah 84067 , 801 . 332 . 1000 , www . iomega . com ). this computer - readable medium , or media , could be distributed to end - users , licensees , and assignees . these types of computer - readable media , and other types not mention here but considered within the scope of the present invention , allow the emergency alert activation module 314 to be easily disseminated . a computer program product for expanding bandwidth includes the emergency alert activation module 314 stored on the computer - readable medium . the emergency alert activation module 314 may also be physically embodied on or in any addressable ( e . g ., http , i . e . e . e . 802 . 11 , wireless application protocol ( wap )) wireless device capable of presenting an ip address . examples could include a computer , a wireless personal digital assistant ( pda ), an internet protocol mobile phone , or a wireless pager . while several exemplary implementations of embodiments of this invention are described herein , various modifications and alternate embodiments will occur to those of ordinary skill in the art . for example , the next generation “ softswitch ” simply replaces the scp with an “ application server .” this application server is a conventional computer server that also includes triggers for telecommunications services so that “ new entrants ” into telecommunications services ( e . g ., new telecommunications service providers ) don &# 39 ; t have to purchase an expensive ssp and / or scp to process telephone calls . this next - generation packet network represents an alternative operating environment for the systems , methods , programs , and apparatuses of this invention . here the telecommunications switch includes a packet - based “ softswitch .” this “ softswitch ” uses software control to provide voice , data , and video services by dynamically changing its connection data rates and protocols types . an application server interfaces with the “ softswitch ” via a packet protocol , such as session initiation protocol ( sip ). this application server includes voice service protocols , triggers , and operations that allow the pstn and the data network ( e . g ., the world wide electronic communications network ) to interoperate . accordingly , this invention is intended to include those other variations , modifications , and alternate embodiments that adhere to the spirit and scope of this invention . | 7 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while the specification describes particular embodiments of the present invention , those of ordinary skill can devise variations of the present invention without departing from the inventive concept . the present detailed description will be divided into two parts , ( 1 ) a general description of the embodiments of the invention , and ( 2 ) a mathematical analysis . before going into the system in detail , however , some background information may usefully be provided . first , the dimensions of components of the invention may be relatively small , and may be referenced in terms of microns , sometimes using the symbol “ μm ” and being equal to 10 6 meters . where a centimeter is equal to about 0 . 39 inches , and a micron is 104 centimeters , each micron is 1 / 10 , 000 of a centimeter . reference is also made to nanometers , which may be abbreviated to nm , and which are equal to 10 − 9 meters . a nanometer is equal to one thousandth of a micron . regarding semiconductor materials , the principal semiconductors are germanium and silicon , with silicon being widely used . in its atomic structure , silicon has four electrons in its outer ring . as is well known , the elements arsenic and phosphorous are near silicon in the periodic table of elements , but have 5 electrons in their outer ring . when silicon is doped with these elements , four electrons are shared with adjacent silicon atoms , leaving the fifth electron for electrical conduction , forming an “ n - type ” semiconductor . similarly , boron has only three electrons in its outer shall and the resultant missing electron is known as a “ hole ”, forming “ p - type ” semi - conductive material in which electrical conduction is accomplished by mobile “ holes ” acting much like positive electrons . the conductivity of silicon can be varied , by varying the concentration of the doping material or dopant , such as the arsenic or boron . as it happens , silicon has concentration of about 10 23 or 10 24 atoms per cubic centimeter . for strong doping or implantation ( of boron or arsenic for examples ) the concentration of the dopant would be about 10 21 or 10 22 atoms per cubic centimeter , giving a concentration of about 10 % of the dopant . this strong or heavy doping by a p - type element such as boron may be referenced as p ++ doping . weaker doping levels , such as 10 16 or 10 17 atoms per cubic centimeter will be represented “ p −” for example for p - type doping . now , referring back to fig1 and 2 of the drawings , fig1 is a perspective view and fig2 is a top plan view of the pressure sensor system , with the ceramic chip 12 forming the substrate , and the tube 14 constituting an inlet for the pressure to be measured . printed output circuitry is formed on the upper surface of chip 12 . a silicon die 16 is visible in the plan view of fig2 , and an enlarged plan view of this silicon chip or die is presented in fig3 . incidentally , concerning dimensions , the ceramic chip 12 is about 1 . 1 cm by 1 . 6 cm ; and the cylindrical pressure inlet 14 has a diameter of about 0 . 5 cm or 0 . 6 cm . the silicon chip or die is about two millimeters long and about 1 . 5 mm wide . now , referring back to fig3 of the drawings , the silicon die includes the diaphragm 18 and the reference capacitor 20 which has an arcuate configuration and is in close proximity to the diaphragm 18 . in addition , the reference capacitor and the variable capacitor at maximum deflection have approximately the same capacitance . in the areas 22 and 24 of the silicon chip or die 16 , integrated circuits are formed . these circuits convert the varying capacitance of diaphragm 18 into usable electrical signals indicating the applied pressure . also shown in fig3 are the output pad 26 and the output adjustment pads 28 . fig4 is a diagrammatic cross - sectional view of the circular diaphragm 32 mounted at its edges 34 to the surrounding silicon chip or die , and secured at its center to the central post 36 . a ring shaped electrode 38 extends around the post 36 . note that this drawing is not to scale , and with the radius of the diaphragm being about 120 μm ( microns or 10 − 6 meters ) and the depth being only 1100 nm ( nanometers or 10 − 9 meters ), or 1 . 1 microns . accordingly , the cavity is quite shallow , with the maximum depth being only 1 . 1 microns , as compared with a radius of 120 microns . fig5 is a plot of the gap between the diaphragm and the cavity bottom plotted against the radius of the cavity , at maximum diaphragm deflection . note that fig5 shows the plot against the radius , while fig4 is a schematic showing of the full diameter of the diaphragm and associated cavity . in fig5 , note that the gap in area 42 , in the vicinity of the ring shaped electrode 38 , is relatively small , while the gap 44 near the center of the diaphragm is quite large , as is the gap 46 between the ring electrode 36 and the periphery 34 of the diaphragm . accordingly , with capacitance being inversely proportional to the space between electrodes , the raised ring shaped electrode contributes in a major way to the sensor capacitance . fig6 a shows the preferred doping of the ring electrode and the adjacent cavity , with fig6 a again being a radial showing , with the center of the diaphragm to the left of fig6 a . note that the upper surface of the ring electrode 36 is heavily doped with boron , forming a p ++ zone , and the lower portion 54 of the ring electrode 36 is only weakly doped , as indicated by the “ p −” designation . the remainder of the cavity , including the inner area 58 and the outer area 60 , are doped strongly with an n - type dopant such as arsenic or phosphorous , from column v - a of the periodic table . these areas are labeled “ n ++” to indicate heavy doping . note that there are p - n junctions 62 and 64 at the base of the ring shaped electrode 36 . fig6 b indicates the contributions to total capacitance from the areas within the cavity . reference numeral 72 designates the principal contribution to capacitance from the p ++ area on the facing surface of ring electrode 36 ; reference numerals 74 and 76 designate the capacitance contributions from areas on the sides of the ring electrode ; and reference numerals 78 and 80 refer to capacitance contributions from areas of the cavity immediately adjacent the ring electrode 36 . the arrows from fig6 b to fig6 a indicate the designated areas contributing to the total capacitance . in fig6 b the capacitance is indicated in terms of “ ff ” or “ fremto - farads ” or 10 − 15 farads , with a farad being the basic unit for the measurement of capacitance . fig7 is a schematic showing of the dopant implant distribution on the bottom electrode surface of both the electrode and cavity facing the diaphragm , and the reference electrode , which is formed concurrently . the p ++ area 86 on the upper surface of the ring electrode is particularly to be noted , along with the comparable p ++ area 88 on the reference electrode . the heavily doped n ++ areas 90 and 92 on the ring electrode and the reference capacitor electrode , are also to be noted . fig8 is a diagrammatic showing of the doping of the diaphragm of the variable capacitor , and of the upper electrode of the reference capacitor . in fig8 , the p ++ area 94 overlies the ring electrode area 86 of fig7 , and the p ++ area 96 of the upper electrode of the reference capacitor overlies the similarly doped area 88 of the lower electrode of the reference capacitor . as noted elsewhere in this specification , the capacitance of the reference electrode is preferably about the same as the maximum capacitance of the sensor capacitor . the upper and lower electrode of the reference capacitor may be spaced apart by dielectric material , or may be configured as a diaphragm but limited in deflection so that the reference capacitance is not substantially changed with varying pressure . in fig8 the metallic electrical connections are shown schematically for connecting the variable and reference capacitors to the associated circuitry . with regard to the shape of the reference capacitor as shown in fig3 , 7 and 8 , it is preferably arcuate and extends around the diaphragm for less than 270 ° and preferably less than 180 °; and is preferably immediately adjacent the diaphragm . space on the silicon chip , as shown in fig3 , is at a premium , and this configuration minimizes the space occupied by the reference capacitor consistent with the size of the reference capacitor being of the same order of magnitude and preferably about equal to that of the diaphragm capacitor . fig9 is a function of sensor “ gain ” 102 and linearity error 104 , plotted against effective width of the ring electrode . it may be noted that , with a predetermined effective width of the ring electrode , the linearity error reaches a minimum 106 where the departure from linearity is about 0 . 42 %, or less than one - half of one percent . fig1 shows one typical circuit for converting the capacitance variations of the diaphragm capacitor to electrical signals representing the input pressure . in fig1 current from the source 112 is routed by the switching circuit 114 to either the reference capacitor 116 or to the variable capacitor 118 . during one part of the cycle , a charging current is applied to reference capacitor 116 . when the voltage on reference capacitor 116 reaches a predetermined reference voltage level , see 121 , the comparator circuit 119 provides an output signal to bistable circuit 120 which provides both an output signal , and also switches the input charging source 112 to apply current to the variable capacitor 118 . when variable capacitor 118 is charged to a reference level determined by an input reference signal at 122 , the comparator 124 provides an output signal to bitable circuit 120 . circuit 120 provides an output signal and also actuates switching circuit 114 to direct the charging current to reference capacitor 116 . accordingly , the output from bistable circuit 120 is a function of the capacitance of the variable capacitor 118 , and thus is an indication of the pressure applied to the diaphragm . it is noted that the circuit of fig1 is well known , and is one of many circuits which can be employed . further , circuitry such as that shown in fig1 may be implemented by the integrated circuits on areas 22 or 24 of fig3 . in the foregoing initial section of the specification , the drawings and preferred embodiments have been described . in the following section , the associated mathematical analysis will be presented . this mathematical analysis is against the background of the sensor as described hereinabove with the capacitance of the reference capacitor being c r and the variable capacitance of the sensing diaphragm capacitor being designated c s . initially , the transfer function of the pressure sensor is a several variable function , v out = f ( ξ , α , β , γ ), where ξ = c r / c s , is the capacitance ratio of reference capacitor , c r , to variable sensor capacitor , c s . we assume that the value of sensor capacitor , c s , capacitor changes due to applied pressure , p while variation of the reference capacitor is small . the other variables are on - chip parameters : the parameter used for offset adjustment is denoted by α , the gain adjustment parameter is denoted by β , and the linearity adjustment parameter is denoted below either by lin or by λ . the sensor transfer function is approximated by the equation v out = v dd · ( 1 - α · ξ ) β · ( 1 - λ · ξ ) eq . ( 1 ) consider sensor parameters that directly effect linearity of a rationmetric sensor output . by definition , sensor output shows zero nonlinearity error if the sensor transfer function can be approximated by a linear function of pressure . however , in the reality , sensor transfer function ( eq . ( 1 )) always deviates from the ideal output . difference between linear output and sensor transfer function is called approximation error . the integrated level of approximation error is conventionally estimated by l2 - norm value ( see “ mathematical handbook for scientists and engineers ” by g . a . korn , t . m . korn ). by definition , the norm is calculated as a dot product of approximation error n l2 ≡∥ δv out ∥| l2 =( δv out ′ δv out ) 1 / 2 , where δv out denotes sensor output approximation error over full pressure range , and ( . . . , . . . ) is function dot product ( δ v out , δ v out ) = ( p max - p min ) - 1 · ∫ p min p max δ v out ( ζ ) · δ v out ( ζ ) ⅆ ζ . we define approximation error of a sensor transfer function ( eq . 1 ) as deviation of sensor output from ideal linear output signal δ v out = v out | p min · b 0 ( p )+ v out | p max · b 1 ( p )− v out ( p ) eq . ( 2 ) where v out ( p ) is sensor output transfer function and b 0 , b 1 are first order b - splines in order to generalize analysis results we exclude β parameter from the analysis . hence , sensor output ( eq . 1 ) is written in dimensionless form in addition , in order to simplify calculations , parameter α also can be eliminated from the analysis . in order to do so we use constrain { overscore ( v )} out | p min = 0 , which yields α = 1 / ξ | p min . here and below we consider a case in which ∂ c r ∂ p ⪡ ∂ c s ∂ p and ξ p min & gt ; ξ p max . v _ out ≡ v out · β v dd = ( ξ p min - ξ p ) ( 1 - λ · ξ p ) · ξ p min eq . ( 4 ) where ξ | p = c r / c s is a function of pressure . capacitance ratio ξ can be approximated by a second order polynomial function of pressure ξ | p = ξ | p min · b 0 ( p )+ ξ | p max · b 1 ( p )+[ 4 · ξ | p x − 2 ·( ξ | p min + ξ | p max )]· b 0 ( p )· b 1 ( p ) eq . 5 where p x = 0 . 5 ·( p max + p min ) is median of full pressure range . it is known from mathematics that any second order polynomial approximation can be entirely characterized by a set of three independent parameters . hence , we use below a parameter set which includes three independent paramenters . the first parameter is the value of ξ | p max . the second parameter is capacitance ratio gain , g , and the third parameter is capacitance ratio nonlinearity error , n ξ . the other variables needed for the analysis can be calculated by using above parameter set . for example , by the definition , capacitance ratio gain is calculated by the equation g =( ξ | p min − ξ | p max )/ ξ | p max , which yields by the definition , capacitance ratio nonlinearity error , n ξ , is calculated by the equation n ξ = ( ξ p max + ξ p min ) - 2 · ξ p x 2 · ( ξ p max - ξ p min ) , eq . ( 7 ) which yields , ξ | p x = ξ | p max ·( 0 . 5 − n ξ )+ ξ | p min ( 0 . 5 + n ξ ). as a result , the value of ξ | p x is calculated by equation ξ | p x =( 1 + g ·( 0 . 5 + n ξ ))· ξ | p max eq . ( 8 ) ξ | p =[( 1 + g )· b 0 ( p )+ b 1 ( p )+ 4 · g · n ξ · b 0 ( p )· b 1 ( p )]· ξ | p max eq . ( 9 ) if we substitute the eq . ( 9 ) into the eq . ( 2 , 4 ) we can calculate the value of norm - l 2 , n l2 ∥ δ { overscore ( v )} out ∥| l2 =( δ { overscore ( v )} out , δ { overscore ( v )} out ) 1 / 2 , as a function of nonlinearity error and capacitance ratio gain . by definition , full span nonlinearity error of sensor output , n out , is calculated by the equation n out = 0 . 5 · ( v out p max + v out p min ) - v out p x v out p min - v out p min eq . ( 10 ) where p x = 0 . 5 ·( p max + p min ) is the median of full pressure range . upon substitution of the eq . ( 1 ) into the eq . ( 10 ) yields n out = 0 . 5 · [ ξ ❘ p max · ( 1 - λ · ξ ❘ p max ) - 1 + ξ ❘ p min · ( 1 - λ · ξ ❘ p min ) - 1 ] - ξ ❘ p x · ( 1 - λ · ξ ❘ p x ) - 1 ξ ❘ p max · ( 1 - λ · ξ ❘ p max ) - 1 - ( ξ ❘ p min · ( 1 - λ · ξ ❘ p min ) - 1 ) eq . ( 11 ) where ξ | p x = ξ | p max ·( 0 . 5 − n ξ )+ ξ | p min ·( 0 . 5 + n ξ ). the value of linearity adjustment parameter , λ 0 is solution of the equation n out ( λ 0 )= 0 , which yields constrain λ 0 · ξ | p max & lt ;( 1 + g ) − 1 yields a few additional limits to the above parameters — eq . ( 12 ) can be used for λ 0 calculations only if g & gt ; 0 and − g /( 4 + 2 · g )& lt ; n ξ & lt ; 0 . 5 . another important restriction of the design parameters is a requirement of small value for parameter λ & lt ;& lt ; 1 . indeed , in order to show good performance sensor we must have relatively large output signal gain . however , if λ increases sensor output gain must decrease . we can prove the foregoing by considering the equation for die output gain : g v = [ λ · ξ ( 1 - λ · ξ ) - α · ξ ( 1 - α · ξ ) ] · g ξ eq . ( 14 ) g ξ = d ξ ξ = d c r c r - d c s c s . g v ( g s - g r ) = ( α - λ ) ( 1 - λ · ξ ) · ( 1 - α · ξ ) eq . ( 15 ) are respectively sensor and reference capacitor gain , and g r & lt ;& lt ; g s . if α & gt ; λ ≧ 0 , maximal value of g v /( g s − g r ) ratio corresponds to λ = 0 and the value of sensor output gain g v always decreases if the value of the parameter λ increases . we will now consider a minimization procedure of capacitance ratio nonlinearity error , n ξ for a mems capacitor design consists of flexible diaphragm covering sensor cavity with a doped pattern located on the cavity bottom . if the flexible diaphragm deflects down due to external pressure , the gap between the diaphragm surface and the cavity bottom decreases proportionally to diaphragm deflection . for such a case , capacitance is calculated by the equation . c ζ ( p ) = ∫ a ζ θ ( x , y ) · ( c p + - 1 + c n + - 1 + d ( x , y ) - w ζ ( p , x , y ) ɛ o ) - 1 ⅆ x ⅆ y ζ = { s , r } eq . ( 16 ) where a ζεr 2 is mems capacitor area , d ( x , y ) is a function describing cavity depth variation , c p + and c n + is respectively surface capacitances of diaphragm surface and boron doped pattern , ε o is dielectric permittivity of free space , and θ ( x , y ) = { 1 ( x , y ) ∈ ω p ++ 0 ( x , y ) ∉ ω p ++ ω p ++ ⋐ r 2 eq . ( 17 ) is step function that defines boron doped region , ω p ++ , on the bottom of mems cavity . diaphragm deflection w = w ( p , x , y ) is a function of pressure , p , and coordinates x and y . according to the theory of elasticity the function w = w ( p , x , y ) must be a linear function of pressure . to simplify notation the eq . ( 17 ) is written in the form c ζ ( p ) = ɛ o d * ∫ a ζ θ ( x , y ) · ( 1 - ψ ( p , x , y ) ) - 1 ⅆ x ⅆ y ; ζ = { s , r } eq . ( 18 ) d * = ( c p + - 1 + c n + - 1 ) ɛ o + d o , d o ψ ζ ( p , x , y ) ≡ w ζ ( p , x , y ) + d 0 - d ( x , y ) d * is a linear function of pressure . in the polar coordinate system the eq . ( 18 ) becomes c ζ ( p ) = ( ɛ 0 d * ) · ∫ a ζ ⋂ ω p ++ ( 1 - ψ ζ ( p , r ) ) - 1 r ⅆ r ⅆ φ ; ζ = { s , r } a ζ ⋂ ω p ++ = { ( r , φ ) ∈ r 2 ; r ∈ [ r min ( ζ ) , r max ( ζ ) ] ; φ ∈ [ 0 , 2 π ] } and r =(( x − x 0 ) 2 +( y − y 0 ) 2 ) 1 / 2 is radial coordinate of a polar coordinate system with origin in the point ( x 0 , y 0 ). the result of this analysis is shown graphically in fig9 of the drawings . in the foregoing detailed description and mathematical analysis , one specific preferred embodiment has been disclosed and analyzed . various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . thus , by way of example and not of limitation , the arcuate reference capacitor configuration , located adjacent the diaphragm may be used with diaphragms not having a central fixed post , or having other shapes . also , the n - type and p - type semi - conductive areas may be interchanged . the second electrode is preferably raised , but could be in the form of a heavily doped area on a flat cavity bottom . the second ring electrode is also preferably located along the line of maximum deflection of the diaphragm . the minimization of non - linearity may be implemented with other diaphragm geometries . novelty is present in some cases relative to individual features of the invention , and is not limited to the complete combination as referenced in the illustrative embodiment of the invention included in the summary of the invention . in some cases , for example , the center of the diaphragm may not be secured to a raised mesa from the cavity . accordingly , the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiment shown in the drawings and mathematically analyzed . | 6 |
the following detailed description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the invention or the application and uses of the invention . furthermore , there is no intention to be bound by any theory presented in the preceding background of the invention or the following detailed description . as an exemplary application of the present disclosure , fig1 shows a cutout of a motor vehicle body with an a - pillar 1 , a fender 2 and a blind 3 , which is mounted in a gusset between the a - pillar that steeply inclines toward the back in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle and a horizontal upper edge of the fender 2 . a profile 4 at the lower edge of the blind 3 abuts smoothly against the upper edge of the fender 2 , and thereby evenly elongates a door weather strip 5 that extends between an outer door panel 6 and a pane 7 of the door . fig2 shows the blind 3 in a schematic cross section , whose section plane reaches upward until into the a - pillar 1 and downward until into the fender 2 . the blind encompasses a base plate 30 injection molded out of plastic , onto whose interior a box - shaped base 8 of a latching connection described in even greater detail below is molded . the profile 4 is splashed onto the exterior of the base plate 30 , and consists of a more flexible plastic than the base plate 30 . its lower edge contacts the fender 2 . a profile 31 is splashed onto the upper edge of the base plate 30 , and protrudes far enough over the latter to form an elastically compressed sealing lip in contact with the a - pillar 1 . fig3 presents a perspective view of the base 8 and a first component 13 of the latching connection . the base 8 is essentially shaped like a box that sticks out from the base plate 30 . the base plate 30 itself is not shown on fig3 , which is why the side of the box facing it appears to be open . a slit 10 extends into a wall 9 of the base 8 facing away from the base plate 30 over a majority of its length . the slit 10 is open edged toward an end face 11 of the base 8 , a cross slit 12 crosses the slit 10 shortly before the end face 11 . a first component 13 of the latching connection is injection molded as a single piece out of plastic . it encompasses a rectangular base plate 14 and a latching projection 15 that rises from the base plate 14 . the latching projection 15 encompasses two elastically deflectable , upwardly converging flanks 16 , whose lower end is provided with a respective undercut 18 via a stop flange 17 . a groove 19 extends between the stop flange 17 and base plate 14 on both sides of a shaft , which joins the base plate 14 and stop flange 17 and is largely concealed by the stop flange 17 on fig3 , and its width is dimensioned corresponding to the thickness of the upper wall 9 in such a way that , during insertion of the first component 13 with the base 8 , it engages into the groove 19 and guides the insertion movement along the slit 10 . fig4 shows the first component 13 in a state inserted into the base 8 . a spring 20 sticks out from the base plate 14 in relation to the insertion direction toward the front . the spring 20 is fabricated as a single piece with the base plate 14 out of plastic , but with less of a material thickness than the latter so as to achieve the necessary elasticity . the spring 20 can vary in shape ; on fig3 , it is shaped like an arc that initially branches downwardly away from the base plate 14 , and then pivots forward in the insertion direction . in a variant shown on fig5 , the spring 20 extends in a zigzag pattern from a front edge of the base plate 14 toward the front . the variant on fig3 is preferred , since this spring 20 can reach a higher spring constant by virtue of its higher width on the one hand , and on the other hand , because it is linked with the base plate 14 beyond the front edge , it can exhibit a longer length in the insertion direction , and correspondingly also enables a larger stroke . a bolt 22 is molded onto a rear edge of the base plate 14 via a film hinge 21 . the bolt 22 is essentially plate shaped , with a upper side 23 that evenly lengthens the upper side of the base plate 14 in the relaxed state of the film hinge 21 , as shown on fig5 , and after the upper side 23 , an inclined surface 24 that ascends toward the back , from which an actuating projection 25 rises . during insertion into the base 8 , the inclined surface 24 is initially pressed downward — in relation to the perspective on fig3 to 5 — while in contact with the upper wall 9 , so that the bolt 22 twists elastically downward in the film hinge 21 , as may be seen on fig3 , and the inclined surface 24 slips into the base 8 , and can finally latch into the cross slit 12 from below . fig6 shows this latched - in state in a longitudinal section through the base 8 and first component 13 along a plane parallel to the slit 10 . the spring 20 engages into a corner between the wall 9 and a rear end wall 26 of the base 8 , and is exposed to an elastic stress . on fig2 , a second component 27 of the latching connection is formed by a leg of an outer wall panel of the a - pillar 1 extending behind the blind 3 . an opening 28 of this second component 27 is dimensioned in such a way that , while inserting the latching projection 15 , its legs 16 are pressed elastically against each other , and finally latch into their undercuts 18 . however , before the component 27 reaches the undercut 18 , it impacts the actuating projection 25 and forces the latter back , so that the inclined surface 24 slips out of the cross slit 12 . as long as the blind 3 is still being held by the hand of an employee or by a robot while being pressed against the body , the spring cannot relax . however , as soon as the blind 3 is released , the spring 20 again pushes the component 13 at least partially out of the slit 10 toward the end face 11 , as depicted on fig8 , until the position on fig2 has been reached , in which contact between a longitudinal edge 29 of the profile and the adjacent fender 2 stops any continued movement of the profile 4 and components 13 , 27 , and the profile 4 smoothly adjoins the fender 2 . while at least one exemplary embodiment has been presented in the foregoing detailed description , it should be appreciated that a vast number of variations exist . it should also be appreciated that the exemplary embodiment or exemplary embodiments are only examples , and are not intended to limit the scope , applicability , or configuration of the invention in any way . rather , the foregoing detailed description will provide those skilled in the art with a convenient road map for implementing an exemplary embodiment , it being understood that various changes may be made in the function and arrangement of elements described in an exemplary embodiment without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims and their legal equivalents . | 1 |
fig1 - 4 show an electron gun designated generally by the reference numeral 11 mounted at the glass end 12 of envelope 13 such as the envelope of an electron bombarded semiconductor amplifier , cathode ray tube or similar device . the gun structure is supported from the end of the envelope by a plurality of pins 14 extending into the evacuated envelope . more particularly , the electron gun is supported by the elongated pins 16 which extend inwardly and engage a support plate 17 to which are affixed a plurality of spaced ceramic rods 18 for supporting the various gun electrodes . indirectly heated cathode 21 is supported from the plate 17 by means of spaced metal rods 22 . control electrode 23 is supported by ceramic rods 18 as are the anode 24 and focusing electrode 26 . the anode 24 and focusing electrode 26 are supported from the ceramic rods 18 by flanges 27 and 28 . the pins 14 are electrically connected to the various electrodes by means of conductive straps 29 . an additional electrode 31 is supported from the envelope 13 by flange 32 . the additional electrode is maintained at the same potential as the envelope . referring more specifically to fig3 it is seen that the cathode 21 includes a narrow , elongated rectangular surface 33 having rounded or semi - circular ends 34 . the cathode surface is coated with an electron emitting layer 36 over substantially its entire length . the control electrode 23 includes a narrow , elongated rectangular aperture 37 having rounded ends 38 adjacent to and cooperating with the rounded ends of the cathode surface . similarly , the anode 24 includes a narrow , elongated rectangular aperture 39 having rounded ends 41 . the focusing electrode 26 includes an elongated rectangular central portion 42 with rounded ends 43 . the additional electrode 31 includes an elongated central portion 44 with rounded ends 46 . referring specifically to fig2 which is a sectional view showing the narrow dimension of the beam , it is seen that the control electrode aperture 37 is closely adjacent the side of the cathode surface 33 . the surface 47 of the control electrode provides substantially a continuation of the surface of the cathode . this continuation not only extends away from the sides of the cathode but also at the rounded ends of the cathode . referring particularly to fig5 the electric field lines 48 are shown at one end of the cathode surface . it is noted that they are substantially uniform adjacent the surface 36 . the configuration and spacing of the rounded ends 38 of the control electrode aperture is selected so that the electric fields between the cathode and control electrode remain substantially uniform up to and beyond the emitting layer whereby the electrons leaving the surface are not subjected to fringing fields so that the electron beam flow is essentially parallel across the wide dimension of the beam . the anode includes a box - like portion 49 whose walls extend longitudinally of the gun for a predetermined length and which cooperate with the beam as will be presently described . the walls are rounded at the ends . the front end of the anode includes a lip or rim 51 which extends inwardly to define the elongated aperture 39 with its rounded ends 41 . the length of the lips and their angle φ 2 relative to the angle φ 1 of the control electrode surface 47 is selected , as will be presently described , whereby to provide a substantially uniform axial electric field over the entire surface of the cathode . referring to fig4 the equipotential lines of the electric field between the anode and cathode and control electrode are shown at 52 . it is noted that the electric field at the surface of the cathode is substantially uniform and axial . the field at the anode aperture 39 is slightly diverging to spread the beam 53 as shown . as a consequence , electrons emitted by the cathode are emitted substantially perpendicular to the cathode surface and parallel to one another , and then start to diverge . at the ends , the fields are selected to maintain the electron flow substantially parallel across the wide dimension of the beam . the other end of the anode 24 cooperates with the focusing and accelerating electrode 26 to form a convergent lens , such as shown by the equipotential lines in fig4 . this lens begins to converge the beam 53 as it travels into the inner region of the elongated focusing electrode 26 . the electrode 31 cooperates with the accelerating and focusing electrode 26 to provide an additional convergent lens shown by the equipotential lines 56 . this lens further converges and focuses the beam onto the target . once the electron beam leaves the final electrode 31 , it is in a field - free region and no longer under any focusing influences . there are , however , effects which tend to spread or defocus the beam such as space charge repulsion , transverse thermal velocities and transverse velocities due to aberrations and / or gun asymmetries . preferably , the beam thickness is increased by the divergent lens formed between the anode and cathode so that it can be subsequently focused on the target by the convergent lenses . the curvature and spacing of the sides of the box - like electrodes is selected to provide substantially uniform fields at the beam ends with decreasing fields at the beam edge such as shown in fig6 by the vectors 57 between the beam 53 and the portion 49 . thus , the design of the sheet beam or rectangular electron gun includes three regions which act upon the electrons : ( 1 ) a beam forming or parallel flow region between the cathode surface , control electrode and anode where the established field , shown by the equipotential lines 52 between the anode and cathode and control electrode draws the electrons from the cathode and causes them to flow as a laminar beam and which may slightly diverge the beam to increase its thickness while maintaining substantially uniform width ; ( 2 ) a divergent flow , and electrostatic focus region which includes the convergent lenses formed between anode 24 and accelerating electrode 26 and between accelerating electrode 26 and additional electrode 31 which increases the convergence and focuses the beam ; and , ( 3 ) a field - free region to the target where the electrons travel initially in a converging laminar flow and are travelling essentially parallel as they strike the target . the basic concept of the invention is to shape the electric fields in the gun so as to initially produce a beam having a uniform current density and parallel flow from the cathode , then expand the beam across its narrow dimension by means of a divergent electrostatic lens or lenses and finally to reconverge the beam so that it is focused on its narrow dimension on the screen or target . in its wide dimension , the curvature and spacing of the electrodes is such as to provide parallel flow of the electrons whereby to maintain the wide dimension substantially constant along the beam . it has been found that the coated length , w 1 , of the coated cathode surface 36 can be varied appreciably , in order to vary the beam width without the necessity of designing and building a new gun . lens aberrations are minimized by using long focal length lenses and utilizing only the central portion of these lenses . the effects of asymmetries are minimized since no small apertures are used either for the cathode current control electrode or for the limiting apertures . since the initial beam trajectories are parallel and perpendicular to the cathode plane , the virtual image of the cathode , which serves as the object to be focused on the target , occurs at an extremely large distance behind the cathode . this virtual image is then used to produce a well focused beam at the target in the following two steps , described above . a very weak divergent anode lens spreads the beam slightly while introducing a minimum lens aberration and then the expanded beam is reconverged so as to form an image of the cathode on the screen . under space charge limited conditions , parallel flow will occur at the target . under thermally limited conditions , the variation in average beam diameter at the target will be small as a function of distance in the region near the target so that pseudo parallel flow will result at the target . no limiting apertures are needed since essentially the full beam is used . except for the effect of thermal velocities , the current density at each point is essentially uniform across the beam and throughout the entire beam length . a gun was constructed with dimensions , angles and applied voltages , references in fig2 and 3 with an additional electrode as shown in fig9 as follows : ______________________________________φ . sub . 1 = 30 ° l . sub . 1 = . 185 &# 34 ; φ . sub . 2 = 18 ° l . sub . 2 = . 370 &# 34 ; t . sub . 1 = . 034 &# 34 ; l . sub . 3 = . 370 &# 34 ; t . sub . 2 = . 160 &# 34 ; w . sub . 1 = . 650 &# 34 ; t . sub . 3 = . 400 &# 34 ; w . sub . 2 = . 736 &# 34 ; t . sub . 4 = . 400 &# 34 ; w . sub . 3 = . 760 &# 34 ; d . sub . 1 = . 055 &# 34 ; w . sub . 4 = . 886 &# 34 ; d . sub . 2 = . 074 &# 34 ; w . sub . 5 = 1 . 126 &# 34 ; d . sub . 3 = . 074 &# 34 ; w . sub . 6 = 1 . 126 &# 34 ; ______________________________________ the gun was operated with the cathode 21 and control electrode 23 at 0 volts , and the anode 24 at 750 volts , the focusing electrode 26 at 3700 volts , and the additional electrodes 31 and 61 at 2700 volts and 12 , 500 volts respectively . the guns formed a spot on a target spaced 8 inches from the cathode as shown in fig7 a , 7b and 7c for different beam currents . in fig8 there is shown the beam current as a function of position in the beam as it exits from a gun similar to the type specified above with e 1 = 150 volts , e 2 = 650 volts and e 3 = 3300 volts for control voltages , e g = 4 , 6 and 10 volts . in the embodiment described there are three electrostatic lenses , the first of which diverges the beam and the following two which provide convergence towards the screen . the electron gun does not allow independent adjustment of exit beam thickness and beam convergence angle . in the gun design shown in fig9 there is provided an additional electrode 61 between the electrodes 26 and 31 which permits further focusing of the beam . the additional lens allows independent control of both exit beam thickness and beam convergence angle by application of voltage thereto . thus , after the gun has been designed and fabricated into a finished tube , the exit beam thickness and convergence angle can be adjusted independently by selecting the voltages on the electrodes 24 , 26 and 31 , 61 . in the design described above , voltage changes as well as geometry changes are necessary to achieve both variations in beam width and convergence . therefore , the design of fig9 provides freedom in that the external voltages can be adjusted to change the geometry of the various electrostatic fields and thereby provide a convenient way of both changing beam thickness and focusing the beam at the target . it also permits a wider latitude in the size and geometry of the various electrodes . one embodiment of the present invention design allows essentially complete freedom to select the beam thickness and convergence angle in the gun region and , therefore , to achieve essentially any desired line thickness of the beam at the target . in summary , there has been provided an improved sheet rectangular or sheet beam electron gun which provides a rectangular beam sharply focused upon a target which can be modulated by a control electrode with minimum effect on beam size and which operates with high efficiency . | 7 |
referring to fig1 ˜ 7 , according to a first embodiment of the present invention , a personal heater 10 includes a handle 14 that is hollow so as to receive a reservoir ( not shown ), a switch 11 movably mounted on the handle 14 , a combustion chamber 12 mounted on the handle 14 , a valve 20 received in the handle 14 , a mechanical controller 60 via which the valve 20 is connected with the switch 11 and a thermal controller 70 engaged with the valve 20 . the valve 20 includes an upper shell 30 , a lower shell 40 and a membrane 50 sandwiched between the upper shell 30 and the lower shell 40 . the upper shell 30 includes an upper face and a lower face . a hole 31 extends through the upper shell 30 from the lower face to the upper face . a pipe 80 includes a lower end inserted in the hole 31 and an upper end inserted in the combustion chamber 12 . thus , fuel can flow from a reservoir ( not shown ) into the combustion chamber 12 through the valve 20 . a hole 33 extends through the upper shell 30 from the lower face to the upper face . the hole 33 includes a reduced upper end , thus forming an annular shoulder 34 . a hole 35 extends through the upper shell 30 from the lower face to the upper face . the mechanical controller 60 includes a rod 61 , a beam 62 and a spring 63 . the rod 61 includes an upper end and an enlarged lower end . the spring 63 is mounted on the rod 61 . a substantial portion of the rod 61 is inserted in the hole 33 together with the spring 63 . thus , the spring 63 is compressed between the annular shoulder 34 and the enlarged lower end of the rod 61 . the upper end of the rod 61 is located beyond the hole 33 . the beam 62 includes a first end secured to the upper end of the rod 61 and a second end in engagement with the switch 11 . in a conventional manner , the manipulation of the switch 11 causes movement of the beam 62 and the rod 61 . the membrane 50 includes a valve portion 53 corresponding to the hole 33 and a bowl - shaped portion 55 corresponding to the hole 35 . the valve portion 53 includes a concave upper face and a convex lower face . the bowl - shaped portion 55 includes a concave upper face and a convex lower face . a hole 51 extends through the bowl - shaped portion 55 . the membrane 50 includes an upper face and a lower face . a channel 57 is defined in the upper face of the membrane 50 . a space defined in the bowl - shaped portion 55 is communicated with the channel 57 . the lower shell 40 includes an upper face and a lower face . a channel 42 is defined in the upper face of the lower shell 40 . a hole 43 extends through the lower shell 40 from the lower face to the upper face . the lower shell 40 includes a bowl - shaped portion 45 with a concave upper face and a convex lower face . via the channel 42 , the hole 43 is communicated with a space defined in the bowl - shaped portion 45 . the membrane 50 is sandwiched between the upper shell 30 and the lower shell 40 and they are assembled . the valve portion 53 is located between the hole 33 and the hole 43 . the bowl - shaped portion 55 is received in the bowl - shaped portion 45 so that the space defined therein is communicated with hole 35 . the hole 31 is communicated with the channel 57 . the thermal controller 70 includes a sleeve 71 mounted on the upper shell 30 and a rod 72 inserted in the sleeve 71 . the rod 72 includes a lower end inserted in the hole 35 and an upper end located beyond the sleeve 71 . a helical memory metal element 73 is mounted on the rod 72 . a head 76 is secured to the upper end of the rod 72 so that the helical memory metal element 73 is compressed between the sleeve 71 and the head 76 . a helical memory metal element 74 is compressed between the head 76 and a stop 16 formed on an internal face of the combustion chamber 12 . referring to fig5 , the switch 11 is turned to off . biased via the spring 63 , the rod 61 presses the valve portion 53 so as to shut the hole 43 . thus , fuel does not flow from the reservoir into the valve 20 . referring to fig6 , the switch 11 is turned to on . lifted via the switch 11 , the rod 61 releases the valve portion 53 so as to open the hole 43 . thus , fuel flows from the reservoir into the valve 20 . through the channel 42 , fuel flows from the hole 43 to the space defined in the bowl - shaped portion 45 . through the hole 51 , fuel flows from the space defined in the bowl - shaped portion 45 to the space defined in the bowl - shaped portion 55 . through the channel 57 , fuel flows from the space defined in the bowl - shaped portion 55 to the hole 31 . through the pipe 8 , fuel flows from the hole 31 into the combustion chamber 12 for combustion . when the combustion begins , the temperature in the combustion chamber 12 is not increased significantly . the helical memory metal element 73 does not substantially shrink . the helical memory metal element 74 does not substantially expand . a gap between the lower end of the rod 72 and the bottom of the bowl - shaped portion 55 is at its substantially maximum value . thus , fuel can flow through this gap at a substantially maximum rate . referring to fig7 , when the combustion continues in the combustion chamber 12 for some time , the temperature increases in the chamber 12 . the helical memory metal element 73 shrinks while the helical memory metal element 74 expands . the rod 72 is moved down so that the gap between the lower end of the rod 72 and the bottom of the bowl - shaped portion 55 is reduced . thus , fuel flows through this gap at a reduced rate , and the combustion continues at a reduced scale . when the switch 11 is turned to off , fuel is not allowed to enter the combustion chamber 12 . thus , the combustion is ceased . accordingly , the temperature decreases in the combustion chamber 12 . inherently , the helical memory metal element 73 expands while the helical memory metal element 74 shrinks . the helical memory metal elements 73 and 74 return to their original positions as the temperature decreases to a certain value in the combustion chamber 12 . fig8 ˜ 10 show a valve according to a second embodiment of the present invention . the second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the helical memory metal element 73 is located above the head 76 and the helical memory metal element 74 is located below the head 76 and that a head 78 is attached to the lower end of the rod 72 and located below the membrane 50 . thus , the helical memory metal elements 73 and 74 lift the rod 72 when the temperature increases in the combustion chamber 12 . accordingly , a gap between the head 78 and the membrane 50 is reduced . referring to fig8 , the switch 11 is turned to off . biased via the spring 63 , the rod 61 presses the valve portion 53 so as to shut the hole 43 . thus , fuel does not flow from the reservoir into the valve 20 . referring to fig9 , the switch 11 is turned to on . lifted via the switch 11 , the rod 61 releases the valve portion 53 so as to open the hole 43 . thus , fuel flows from the reservoir into the valve 20 . via the channel 42 , fuel flows from the hole 43 to the gap between the head 78 and the membrane 50 . via the hole 51 and the channel 57 , fuel flows from the gap between head 78 and the membrane 50 to the hole 31 . via the pipe 80 , fuel flows from the hole 31 into the combustion chamber 12 for combustion . when the combustion begins , the temperature in the combustion chamber 12 is not increased significantly . the helical memory metal element 73 does not substantially shrink . the helical memory metal element 74 does not substantially expand . the gap between the bead 78 and the membrane 50 is at its substantially maximum value . thus , fuel can flow through this gap at a substantially maximum rate . referring to fig1 , when the combustion continues in the combustion chamber 12 for some time , the temperature increases in the chamber 12 . the helical memory metal element 73 shrinks while the helical memory metal element 74 expands . the rod 72 is lifted so that the gap between the head 78 and the membrane 50 is reduced . thus , fuel flows through this gap at a reduced rate , and the combustion goes at a reduced scale . the present invention has been described through illustration of some embodiments thereof . after a study of this specification , those skilled in the art can derive various variations from the embodiments . therefore , the embodiments are only taken as examples and shall not limit the scope of the present invention that is defined in the following claims . | 5 |
the illustrations in the drawings are schematical . it is noted that in different figures , similar or identical elements are provided with the same reference signs . fig1 shows a filtration vessel 100 for at least partially removing a contaminant from a fluid ( e . g . wastewater ). the filtration vessel 100 comprises a vessel body 101 , a first end cap 105 , a supporting plate 106 , an inlet pipe 108 and at least one membrane rod 110 . the vessel body 101 comprises a tubular , cylindrical section extending along a centre axis 102 of the vessel body 101 . the centre axis 102 defines an axial direction . the vessel body 101 comprises a first axial end 103 and a second axial end 104 . the second axial end 104 is located opposite with respect to the first axial end 103 along the axial direction 102 . the first end cap is mounted to the first axial end 103 . the first end cap 105 may be integrally formed with the vessel body 101 or may be detachably coupled to the vessel body 101 . the supporting plate 106 is arranged to the second axial end 104 , wherein the supporting plate 106 comprises at least one first through - hole 107 . as shown in fig1 , the supporting plate 106 comprises a plurality of first through - holes 107 . furthermore , in the respective first through - holes 107 , membrane rods 110 are mounted with the axial rod end to the first through - holes 107 of the supporting plate 106 , such that the membrane rods 110 extend from the supporting plate 106 into an inner volume vi of the vessel body 101 . the inlet pipe 108 is mounted to the first end cap 105 and to the supporting plate 106 . the inlet pipe 108 comprises at least one slot 109 from which the fluid is injectable into the inner volume vi of the vessel body 101 . the membrane rod 110 is formed such that the fluid is injectable from the inner volume vi through a peripheral surface of the membrane rod 110 inside the membrane rod 110 . inside the membrane rod , a plurality of membrane straws are arranged , wherein the membrane straws comprise at their peripheral surface membrane pores with a predefined pore size for filtering the fluid . furthermore , the fluid is exhaustable through the axial rod end ( i . e . an axial rod end of the membrane straws within the membrane rod 110 ) and through the first through - hole 107 of the supporting plate 106 outside of the inner volume vi . the slots 109 of the inlet pipe 108 are distributed around a circumferential direction around the centre axis 102 . furthermore , each slot 109 extends along the centre axis 102 . in particular , the first end cap 105 defines a bottom section of the vessel body 101 and the supporting plate 106 defines a top section of the vessel body 101 . hence , the fluid is injected through the slots 109 into the inner volume vi and is further pumped along a vertical ( i . e . axial ) direction up to the supporting plate 106 within the respective membrane rods 110 . hence , the contaminant , which is filtered by the pores within peripheral surface of the membrane straws of the membrane rod 110 , sinks to the ground , i . e . to the first end cap 105 , due to gravity . hence , by the configuration as shown in fig1 , the membrane rods 110 are fixed to the supporting plate 106 such that the membrane rods 110 hang down from the supporting plate 106 . o - rings on the membrane element top potting are tightening between the supporting plate recesses , i . e . the first through holes 107 . the inlet pipe 108 comprises a fluid inlet 117 through which the contaminated fluid is injected . the inlet pipe 108 comprises a slot section , into which the slots 109 are formed . the slot section comprises a first diameter ( width ). furthermore , between the slot section and the fixation of the inlet pipe 108 at the supporting plate 106 the inlet pipe 108 comprises a further section which comprises a second diameter . the second diameter is smaller than the first diameter of the slot section the arrows in fig1 denote the flow direction of the fluid through the filtration vessel 100 . at the top section , i . e . the second axial end 104 of the vessel body 101 , a second end cap 111 is mounted . the second end cap 111 may be formed for example with a shape of an elliptic parabolid as shown in fig1 . hence , a storage volume vs between the supporting plate 106 and the second end cap 111 is generated . the fluid which is filtered from the contaminant flows from the inside of the membrane straws through the first through - holes 107 of the supporting plate 106 into the storage volume vs . from the storage volume vs , the filtered fluid is bled off from the filtration vessel 100 through a fluid outlet 118 . hence , during operation of the filtration vessel 100 , the filtered fluid is stored in the storage volume vs before being exhausted to the fluid outlet 118 . after the operation method of the filtration vessel 100 is finished , a cleaning method may be accomplished for cleaning the vessel 100 . first , a back - washing process may be conducted . the membrane vessel 100 is partly drained to a level above the upper distribution plate 114 . next , low pressurized air is injected through the fluid inlet 117 such that the pressurized air causes turbulences in the cleaning water inside the inner volume vi . in particular , the turbulent water / air mixture fills the complete inner volume vi and thereby washes and cleans the outer peripheral surfaces of the membrane rod 110 and the membrane straws , respectively . while the pressurized air is scouring the membranes 110 and straws from the outside , higher pressure air is injected from the top of the vessel through nozzle 118 flushing the water volume in storage volume vs back into the vessel volume vi . this is the key to remove foulant from the membrane straw surface . the water / air mixture into which the contaminant particles from the peripheral surfaces are solved , is drained off through the further fluid outlet 120 . the pressurized air is injected through the fluid inlet 117 for example between 40 and 60 seconds for scouring flushing the membrane rods and the membrane straws , respectively . next , the contaminated cleaning water is drained off after the flushing time ends through the fluid inlet 117 out of the inner volume vi . after the above described flushing method of the filtration vessel 100 , a further cleaning method may be accomplished for cleaning the membrane straws within the membrane rods 110 inside the filtration vessel 100 . the filtered fluid which is stored in the storage volume vs can be used as a cleaning liquid for the cleaning method . therefore , through the fluid outlet 118 or through a separate air inlet , air is injected into the storage volume vs such that the pressure of the fluid within the storage volume vs is larger than the air or fluid pressure inside the inner volume vi . hence , the cleaning liquid is pressed through the first through - holes 107 of the supporting plate 106 and further through the axial rod end of the membrane straws of the membrane rod 110 . next , by the pressure difference , the cleaning fluid is exhausted through the peripheral surface of the membrane straws of the membrane rod 110 into the inner volume vi of the vessel body 101 . by exhausting the cleaning liquid through the peripheral surface of the membrane straws , the contaminants which are collected outside of the membrane straws and blockades the pores of the peripheral surface of the membrane straws in the membrane element 110 is washed out into the inner volume vi . the cleaning fluid and the contaminant may further be guided out of the inner volume vi through the fluid inlet 117 . hence , also for cleaning the membrane straws of the membrane rods 110 it is not necessary to provide a separate cleaning fluid inlet which is coupled e . g . to a cleaning fluid storage . hence , a compact filtration vessel system may be formed . furthermore , as shown in fig1 , the filtration vessel 100 may comprise distribution plates 114 , 114 ′ which are arranged within the vessel body 101 and spaced apart from the supporting plate 106 along the centre axis 102 . the distribution plates 114 , 114 ′ comprise a plurality of third through - holes 115 which are larger than the first through - hole 107 of the supporting plate 106 and larger than a diameter of the membrane rods 110 . the distribution plates 114 , 114 ′ are arranged and formed with respect to the supporting plate 106 such that the first through - holes 107 and the respective through - holes 113 are concentric , such that the membrane rods 110 are inserted through the third through - holes 115 . hence , contaminant fluid may pass the distribution plates 114 , 114 ′. additionally , the distribution plates 114 , 114 ′ reduce a movement and a vibration of the membrane rods 110 in particular along a lateral direction with respect to the centre axis 102 . the distribution plates 114 , 114 ′ may be mounted spaced apart from each other to the wall section of the vessel body 101 . additionally , distance rods 116 may be attached between the respective distribution plates 114 , 114 ′. the lower distribution plate 114 ′ allows different fluids ( air and water ) to enter into the central vessel body 101 . the upper distribution plate 114 redistributes the different fluids inside the inner volume vi . the two distribution plates are kept separate with distance rods 116 . the distance between the distribution plates 114 , 114 ′ is optimized with respect to cleaning efficiency during the cleaning method and with respect to a filtering efficiency during the filtering operation of the vessel 100 . specifically , a surprising efficient and good cleaning and filtration effect has been found out for a predefined distance between the lower distribution plate 114 ′ and the upper distribution plate 114 , because a beneficial circulation of the cleaning water or the fluid to be decontaminated is the given . for example , if a length l is defined between the supporting plate 106 and the lower distribution plate 114 ′, the optimal distance between the upper distribution plate 114 and the lower distribution plate 114 ′ is approximately 4 / 9 of the length l . the design of the distribution plates 114 , 114 ′ is developed by cfd —( computational fluid dynamics )— investigation . specifically , the underneath of the respective distribution plates 114 , 114 ′ may be curved as an elliptic parabolid , for example . furthermore , as can be taken from fig1 , lifting lugs 119 may be formed to the second end cap 111 such that the second end cap 111 is liftable by a crane , for example . furthermore , a retainer plate 112 is shown , which comprises second through - holes 113 . the second through - holes 113 are smaller than the first through - holes 107 of the supporting plate 106 and smaller than a diameter of the membrane rods 110 . the retainer plate 112 is arranged and formed with respect to the supporting plate 106 such that the first through - holes 107 and the respective through - holes 113 are concentric . hence , the membrane rods 110 may not move along the centre axis 102 in the direction to the second end cap 111 , even if the pressure in the inner volume vi is higher than the pressure in the storage volume vs . furthermore , the vessel body 101 comprises a further fluid outlet 120 through which a fluid may be exhausted from the inner volume vi before being filtered by the membrane rods 110 . fig2 shows an exploded view of a top section of the filtration vessel 100 which is similar to the top section of the filtration vessel 100 as shown in fig1 . in fig2 , it is shown that the inlet pipe 108 is fixed to the supporting plate 106 , such that the inlet pipe 108 is used as a stiffening element and fixation element for fixing the supporting plate 106 relative to the bottom section of the filtration vessel 100 , i . e . to the first end cap 105 . as shown in fig2 , the inlet pipe 108 comprises a hollow section even in the pipe section between the supporting plate 106 and the slotted section of the inlet pipe 108 . furthermore , fig2 shows a membrane rod 110 which is mounted in a first through - hole 107 to the supporting plate 106 . on top of the supporting plate 106 , the retainer plate 112 comprising the second through - holes 113 is arranged . the retainer plate 112 and the supporting plate 106 are fixed to a flange of the second axial end 104 by respective fixing rings 202 . hence , the second end cap 111 may be detached from the second axial end 104 , wherein the supporting plate 106 together with the membrane rods 110 are still fixed to the vessel body 101 . hence , a test procedure may be conducted , wherein the second end cap 111 may be removed and the top surface of the retainer plate 112 and the supporting plate 106 becomes visible and accessible . furthermore , the supporting plate 106 and / or the retainer plate 112 may comprise an edge 201 such that a volume vv is generated which is surrounded by the edge and the upper surface of the retainer plate 112 and / or the supporting plate 106 . in other words , a ring element is mounted to the second axial end 104 of the vessel body 101 . the ring element surrounds the supporting plate 106 and the retainer plate 112 and forms an edge 201 around the supporting plate 106 such that a liquid is storable inside the volume vv formed by the edge 201 and the supporting plate 106 . in other words , a sink or a basin is formed by the edge 201 of the ring element , wherein into the volume vv of the basin the liquid is storable and hence prevented from flowing out . the ring element and hence the edge 201 may be integrally formed with the supporting plate 106 and / or the retainer plate 112 . into the volume vv a liquid may be filled . hence , a method for detecting a defect of a membrane straw of the membrane rod 110 which is installed into the supporting plate 106 may be conducted . air is injected into the inner volume vi of the vessel body 101 such that the air pressure in the inner volume vi is higher than the pressure of the air surrounding the filtration vessel 100 . hence , through cracks and gaps of a peripheral surface of a damaged membrane straw , air may flow through the damaged membrane straw and further through the first through - holes 107 and the second through - holes 113 . the air generates air bubbles in the liquid located within the volume vv . the air bubbles are visible by an inspector , such that a damaged membrane straw may be identified in an easy and fast manner . fig3 shows an exemplary embodiment of a supporting plate hook 300 . by the supporting plate hook 300 , the supporting plate 106 may be grabbed and exchanged in an easy manner . accordingly , fig4 shows a membrane tool which provides an easy grabbing of a part of the membrane rod 110 . in the following , an exemplary procedure by applying the method for detecting a defect membrane rod is described : first , the filtration vessel 100 is shut down and the contaminated fluid is drained off from the inner volume vi . next , the filtration vessel 100 is isolated by attaching with manual isolation valves to the fluid inlet 117 and / or the fluid outlet 118 . next , the second end cap ( i . e . the top end cap ) is removed by entering slings through the lifting lugs 119 . a centre ring , i . e . the fixing ring 202 , attached to the second axial end 104 of the vessel body 101 keeps the supporting plate 106 and / or the retainer plate 112 in position during testing . next , the inner volume vi of the vessel body 101 is filled with pressurized air , e . g . 0 . 3 barg ( approximately 1 . 3 bar ). the air pressure inside the inner volume vi is held and kept constant e . g . for 20 min . potable water from e . g . a utility station is filled in the volume vv in the upper part of the vessel , wherein the volume vv is formed by the edge 202 , which has approximately a height of approximately 2 cm above the supporting plate 106 and the retaining plate 112 . next , it is observe and marked out from which first through holes 107 air is bubbling up . the membrane rod elements 110 underneath the bubbling first through hole 107 are the defect membrane rod elements 110 which comprises broken membrane straws that let through the air . next , the inner volume vi of the vessel body 101 is depressurize by removing the pressure air . the fixation ring 202 is unbolted and removed . next , the supporting plate 106 and the retaining plate 112 are removed by using the supporting plate hook 300 . the defect membrane rod elements 110 are removed by using the uf membrane tool 400 and replace the membrane rod elements 110 with new elements . before conducting the method for detecting a defect membrane straw an operation of the filtration vessel is stopped and the membrane straws are backwashed , e . g . by conducting the above described method for cleaning a membrane rod and its straws . hence , after cleaning the membrane rods 110 and its straws , it is then safe to remove the membrane rods 110 because a risk of intoxication due to the contaminants is reduced . after detection of damaged membrane straw and after the supporting plate 106 is removed , the membrane rod elements 110 comprising the defect straws are lifted and held for a several time period , so that the potable water can drop off into the filtration vessel 100 . next the broken membrane rod elements 110 can be removed . it should be noted that the term “ comprising ” does not exclude other elements or steps and “ a ” or “ an ” does not exclude a plurality . also elements described in association with different embodiments may be combined . it should also be noted that reference signs in the claims should not be construed as limiting the scope of the claims . | 1 |
the preparation of the polyetherquinoxalines of this invention , can be prepared by single step polymerization , two step polymerization , or heterogeneous polymerization using thermally stable phase transfer catalysts as described in the art . substituted or unsubstituted quinoxalines with replaceable groups at the 2 , 3 positions ( x 1 and x 2 in formula ii ), can be polymerized with a bisphenol or bisphenol derivative under aromatic nucleophilic substitution conditions , using a polar aprotic solvent under an inert atmosphere such as under argon or nitrogen , at a temperature between about 80 ° c . and about 250 ° c . in one example , the substituted or unsubstituted quinoxaline with replaceable groups at the 2 , 3 positions is 2 , 3 dichloroquinoxaline . in another example , the polar aprotic solvent is dimethylsulfoxide or dimethylacetamide . in still another example , the reaction temperature is below about 160 ° c . or between about 100 ° c . and about 160 ° c . in yet another example , the reaction temperature is between about 110 ° c . and about 130 ° c . it is also possible to use a gradual or stepwise heating of the polymerization mixture . the polymerization may be run under substantially anhydrous conditions and water can be removed azeotropically using chlorobenzene , toluene , xylene , etc ., preferably toluene . in a one - step process , the bisphenol or derivative thereof and activated dihalide or dinitro monomer are polymerized in a polar aprotic solvent using an alkali metal salt . the alkali metal salt may be potassium carbonate or sodium carbonate for example . in one example of the single step process , potassium carbonate ( k 2 co 3 ) reacts with the phenol groups and forms a reactive phenoxide salt and potassium bicarbonate ( khco 3 ). over the range of 100 - 200 ° c ., 2 moles of potassium bicarbonate will decompose into 1 mole of carbon dioxide , 1 mole of potassium carbonate and 1 mole of water . however , the inventors have found that at temperatures as low as 110 ° c ., this decomposition of potassium bicarbonate to form additional reactive potassium carbonate is very slow . therefore , to get high molecular weight polyetherquinoxalines described in this invention , it may be advantageous to use at least 100 % excess of potassium carbonate in order to shorten the polymerization time to a practical level . in a two step process , a bisphenol or bisphenol derivative is first reacted with an alkali metal salt to convert it into the more reactive bisphenol salt while the side product water is removed azeotropically . as described in the art , it is difficult to keep the dibasic salts of some bisphenols in the solution during polymerization . two - step process has shorter polymerization times compared to the one step process and the final polymer has better quality such as less color . color is believed to form due to side reactions and degradation of the polymerization solvent . polyetherquinoxalines of this invention can also be prepared by a two step process , preferably in dmso , but high quality polymer can also be obtained by single step process in short times under relatively mild conditions . it is envisioned that at these relatively low temperatures of polymerization , solvent degradation is minimized . heterogeneous polymerization using a phase transfer catalyst can also be used for the preparation of polyetherquinoxalines described in this invention . since relatively low temperatures are used in the preparation of polyetherquinoxalines of this invention , it is expected that the life time of the phase transfer catalyst will be increased . the resulting polyetherquinoxalines are characterized by ether linkages at the 2 and 3 positions of the quinoxaline ring . ether linkages increase the flexibility of the polymer chain , thus decreasing the glass transition , decreasing the melt viscosity , and improving the melt processability of the polymer . different bisphenols and their copolymers can be used to control the glass transition of the polyetherquinoxalines . the invention will be better understood by reference to the following examples which are included for the purpose of illustration and not limitation . to a 2 l flask were added 280 . 0 g of oxalic acid dihydrate ( 2 . 221 moles ) and then 1 l of distilled water . then the mixture was heated to 90 ° c . after complete dissolution of oxalic acid , 400 ml of concentrated hydrochloric acid was added , followed by addition of 220 . 0 g of o - phenylenediamine ( 2 . 034 moles ). the temperature was maintained at 90 ° c . for 30 minutes with continuous stirring . off - white crystals were formed . after cooling to room temperature , the off - white crystals were collected by filtration , washed first with water , then with methanol and dried under reduced pressure to give 315 . 8 g ( 96 %) of off - white needles : mp & gt ; 350 ° c . 2 , 3 - dihydroxyquinoxaline ( 100 . 0 grams , 616 . 7 mmoles ), thionyl chloride ( 350 ml ) and dry dmf ( 5 ml ) were added to a 500 ml flask . the flask was connected to a condenser , which was connected to a dry column . the mixture was gradually heated at reflux until the solid had completely dissolved , which took around 6 h . then excess thionyl chloride was removed under reduced pressure to yield 120 . 8 g ( 98 %) of crude 2 , 3 - dichloroquinoxaline . recrystallizations from toluene gave 86 . 5 g ( 72 %) of white needles : mp 151 - 152 ° c . the polymerization of 2 , 3 - dichloroquinoxaline with bisphenol - a using 100 % excess potassium carbonate in a 100 ml three necked flask equipped with a mechanical stirrer , a claisen arm fitted with a nitrogen inlet tube , a dean - stark trap , a condenser and an exit gas bubbler were placed the following materials : the flask was placed into an oil bath preheated to 122 ° c . the mixture was stirred under an argon atmosphere until a viscous solution was obtained , which took approximately 5 h . final temperature of the oil bath was 127 ° c . during the polymerization , toluene was added in small amounts so as to maintain the azeotropic removal of water . the solution was diluted with 20 ml dimethylacetamide , and added to 600 ml 5 : 1 water : acetic acid mixture while stirring vigorously . the precipitate that formed was filtered , washed with water , and then methanol . the polymer was redissolved in 50 ml chloroform , acidified with 2 - 3 ml acetic acid and precipitated in 500 ml of methanol . the solid was collected by filtration , washed with methanol and stirred in boiling water for 1 - 2 h . the polymer was collected by filtration , washed with water , and then methanol , and dried in a vacuum oven at 120 ° c . to a constant weight . the yield of polymer was 3 . 27 grams . the polymer had an inherent viscosity of 0 . 66 g / dl ( 0 . 2 g / dl in n - methylpyrrolidinone at 30 ± 0 . 1 ° c .). glass transition of the polymer was 193 ° c . 2 . 0 grams of polymer was compression molded at 300 ° c . under 1000 psi for 5 min to give slightly yellow , transparent and tough film . a thin film of this polymer was cast from chloroform and subjected to preliminary stress - strain measurements according to astm d882 . the tensile strength of the film was 104 mpa and its tensile modulus was 3 . 3 gpa . the polymerization of 2 , 3 - dichloroquinoxaline with bisphenol - a using 10 % excess potassium carbonate in a 100 ml three necked flask equipped with a mechanical stirrer , a claisen arm fitted with a nitrogen inlet tube , a dean - stark trap , a condenser and an exit gas bubbler were placed the following materials : the flask was placed into an oil bath preheated to 122 ° c . the mixture was stirred under an argon atmosphere for 24 h without any increase in viscosity of the solution . the final temperature of the oil bath was 132 ° c . during the polymerization , toluene was added in small amounts so as to maintain the azeotropic removal of water . the solution added to 600 ml of 5 : 1 water : acetic acid mixture while stirring vigorously . the powder precipitate that was formed was collected by filtration , washed with water , and then methanol . the polymer was redissolved in 50 ml chloroform , acidified with 2 - 3 ml acetic acid and precipitated in 500 ml of methanol . the solid was collected by filtration , washed with methanol and stirred in boiling water for 1 - 2 h . the polymer was collected by filtration , washed with water , then methanol , and dried in a vacuum oven at 120 ° c . to a constant weight . the yield of polymer was 4 . 12 grams . the product melted in the drying step in the vacuum oven at 120 ° c . in a 100 ml three necked flask equipped with a mechanical stirrer , a claisen arm fitted with a nitrogen inlet tube , a dean - stark trap , a condenser and an exit gas bubbler were placed the following materials : the flask was placed into an oil bath preheated to 114 ° c . the mixture was stirred under an argon atmosphere until a viscous solution was obtained , which took approximately 5 h . the final temperature of the oil bath was 130 ° c . during the polymerization , toluene was added in small amounts so as to maintain the azeotropic removal of water . the solution was diluted with 20 ml dimethylacetamide , and added to 600 ml 5 : 1 water : acetic acid mixture while stirring vigorously . the precipatate that formed was collected by filtration , washed with water , and then methanol . the polymer was redissolved in 100 ml chloroform , acidified with 2 - 3 ml acetic acid and precipitated in 1000 ml of methanol . the solid was collected by filtration , washed with methanol and stirred in boiling water for 1 - 2 h . the polymer was collected by filtration , washed water , and then methanol , and dried in a vacuum oven at 120 ° c . to a constant weight . the yield of polymer was 4 . 39 g . the polymer had an inherent viscosity of 0 . 57 g / dl ( 0 . 2 g / dl in n - methylpyrrolidinone at 30 ± 0 . 1 ° c .). glass transition of the polymer was 279 ° c . in a 100 ml three necked flask equipped with a mechanical stirrer , a claisen arm fitted with a nitrogen inlet tube , a dean - stark trap , a condenser and an exit gas bubbler were placed the following materials : the flask was placed into an oil bath preheated to 120 ° c . the mixture was stirred under an argon atmosphere for 6 h . the final temperature of the oil bath was 130 ° c . during the polymerization , toluene was added in small amounts so as to maintain the azeotropic removal of water . the solution diluted with 20 ml dimethylacetamide , and then added to 800 ml 7 : 1 water : acetic acid mixture while stirring vigorously . the precipatate that was formed collected by filtration , washed with water , and then methanol . the polymer redissolved in 50 ml dimethylacetamide , acidified with 2 - 3 ml acetic acid and precipitated in 1000 ml of methanol . the solid was collected by filtration , washed with methanol and stirred in boiling water for 1 - 2 h . the polymer was collected by filtration , washed with water , and then methanol , and dried in a vacuum oven at 120 ° c . to a constant weight . the yield of polymer was 3 . 48 grams . the polymer had an inherent viscosity of 0 . 67 g / dl ( 0 . 2 g / dl in n - methylpyrrolidinone at 30 ± 0 . 1 ° c .). glass transition of the polymer was 228 ° c . in a 100 ml three necked flask equipped with a mechanical stirrer , a claisen arm fitted with a nitrogen inlet tube , a dean - stark trap , a condenser and an exit gas bubbler were placed the following materials : the flask was placed into an oil bath preheated to 120 ° c . the mixture was stirred under an argon atmosphere for 8 h . final temperature of the oil bath was 128 ° c . during the polymerization , toluene was added in small amounts so as to maintain the azeotropic removal of water . the solution was diluted with 20 ml dimethylacetamide , and added to 600 ml 5 : 1 water : acetic acid mixture while stirring vigorously . the precipitate that formed was collected by filtration , washed with water , and then methanol . the polymer was redissolved in 50 ml tetrahydrofuran , acidified with 2 - 3 ml acetic acid and precipitated in 500 ml of methanol . the solid was collected by filtration , washed with methanol and stirred in boiling water for 1 - 2 h . the polymer was collected by filtration , washed with water , and then methanol , and dried in a vacuum oven at 120 ° c . to a constant weight . the yield of polymer was 4 . 39 grams . the polymer had an inherent viscosity of 0 . 64 g / dl ( 0 . 2 g / dl in n - methylpyrrolidinone at 30 ± 0 . 1 ° c .). glass transition of the polymer was 191 ° c . in a 100 ml three necked flask equipped with a mechanical stirrer , a claisen arm fitted with a nitrogen inlet tube , a dean - stark trap , a condenser and an exit gas bubbler were placed the following materials : the flask was placed into an oil bath preheated to 120 ° c . the mixture was stirred under an argon atmosphere for 4 h . the final temperature of the oil bath was 130 ° c . toluene was added in small amounts so as to maintain the azeotropic removal of water . during polymerization , white powders formed . the solution was diluted with 20 ml dimethylacetamide , and then added to 600 ml 5 : 1 water : acetic acid mixture while stirring vigorously . the white powder was collected by filtration , washed with water and then methanol , and dried in a vacuum oven at 80 ° c . the yield of polymer was 2 . 17 g . in a 100 ml three necked flask equipped with a mechanical stirrer , a claisen arm fitted with a nitrogen inlet tube , a dean - stark trap , a condenser and an exit gas bubbler were placed the following materials : the flask was placed into an oil bath preheated to 122 ° c . the mixture was stirred under an argon atmosphere for 6 h . the final temperature of the oil bath was 130 ° c . toluene was added in small amounts so as to maintain the azeotropic removal of water . during polymerization , white powders formed . the solution diluted with 20 ml dimethylacetamide , and then added to 600 ml 5 : 1 water : acetic acid mixture while stirring vigorously . the white powder was collected by filtration , washed with water and then methanol , and dried in a vacuum oven at 80 ° c . the yield of polymer was 2 . 92 g . in a 100 ml , three - necked flask equipped with a mechanical stirrer , a claisen arm fitted with a nitrogen inlet tube , a dean - stark trap , a condenser and an exit gas bubbler were placed the following materials : the flask was placed into an oil bath preheated to 122 ° c . the mixture was stirred under an argon atmosphere until a viscous solution in obtained , which took approximately 5 h . the final temperature of the oil bath was 130 ° c . during the polymerization , toluene was added in small amounts so as to maintain the azeotropic removal of water . the solution diluted with 20 ml dimethylacetamide , and then added to 600 ml 5 : 1 water : acetic acid mixture while stirring vigorously . the precipatate that formed was collected by filtration , washed with water , and then methanol . the polymer was redissolved in 70 ml chloroform , acidified with 2 - 3 ml acetic acid and precipitated in 500 ml of methanol . the solid was collected by filtration , washed with methanol and stirred in boiling water for 1 - 2 h . the polymer was collected by filtration , washed with water , and then methanol , and dried in a vacuum oven at 120 ° c . to a constant weight . the yield of polymer was 2 . 83 grams . the polymer had an inherent viscosity of 1 . 01 g / dl ( 0 . 2 g / dl in n - methylpyrrolidinone at 30 ± 0 . 1 ° c .). glass transition of the polymer was 199 ° c . the polymerization of 2 , 3 - dichloroquinoxaline with bisphenol a ( 50 %) and 4 , 4 ′- biphenol ( 50 %) in a 100 ml three necked flask equipped with a mechanical stirrer , a claisen arm fitted with a nitrogen inlet tube , a dean - stark trap , a condenser and an exit gas bubbler were placed the following materials : the flask was placed into an oil bath preheated to 122 ° c . the mixture was stirred under an argon atmosphere for 7 h . the final temperature of the oil bath was 132 ° c . toluene was added in small amounts so as to maintain the azeotropic removal of water . during polymerization , white powders formed . the solution diluted with 20 ml dimethylacetamide , and then added to 600 ml 5 : 1 water : acetic acid mixture while stirring vigorously . the white powder was collected by filtration , washed with water and then methanol , and dried in a vacuum oven at 80 ° c . the yield of polymer was 6 . 27 g . the precipitate was a powder , which is an indication of low molecular weight . based upon the foregoing disclosure , it should now be apparent that a polyetherquinoxaline and a method for synthesizing a polyetherquinoxaline is provided . it is , therefore , to be understood that any variations evident fall within the scope of the claimed invention and thus , the selection of specific component elements can be determined without departing from the spirit of the invention herein disclosed and described . | 2 |
since the presence of moisture in wall structures of buildings is not uncommon , it is desirable to drain such moisture from the wall structure . fig1 and fig2 illustrate a section of moisture drainage product 10 constructed in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention . a sheet of corrugated material 12 is formed from a sheet of plastic material which has been heated and passed through a crimping apparatus producing a series of linear ridges 14 and grooves 16 approximately { fraction ( 3 / 16 )} of an inch ( 0 . 48 centimeters ) deep and approximately { fraction ( 7 / 16 )} of an inch ( 1 . 11 centimeters ) on center . in other embodiments , corrugated material 12 may be constructed from foils , such as copper , stainless steel and aluminum , plastics , and cellulose materials with a moisture resistant additive . as will be discussed with respect to later figures , linear ridges 14 and grooves 16 of corrugated material 12 form a plurality of channels which , when moisture drainage product 10 is installed in a wall structure with ridges 14 and grooves 16 oriented in a generally vertical orientation , allows moisture which has accumulated in the wall structure to drain , via gravity , from the wall structure . corrugated material 12 also has a multiplicity of perforations 18 which may be formed in corrugated material 12 either before crimping or after although , in a preferred embodiment , perforations 18 are formed before crimping . perforations 18 in corrugated material 12 allow moisture , including water and water vapor , to pass through perforations 18 . perforations 18 allow water vapor which has not condensed in the wall structure to continue to pass outwardly through the wall structure . further , perforations 18 , since they are water pervious , allow water moisture to pass through corrugated material 12 and be drained from the wall structure with the channels formed by ridges 14 and grooves 16 . a sheet of material 20 is affixed to one side of corrugated material 12 . as shown in fig1 and fig2 sheet of material is affixed to the back side of corrugated material 12 . the primary function of sheet of material 20 is to prevent building materials from accumulating in ridges 14 or grooves 16 on the side of corrugated material 12 having sheet of material 20 . if building materials , in the course of construction , were allowed to accumulate in such ridges 14 and grooves 16 , the channels formed by ridges 14 and grooves 16 could be obstructed by the building material and the drainage ability of the channels formed by ridges 14 and grooves 16 could obfuscated . sheet of material 20 is also pervious to moisture , including water and water vapor . in a preferred embodiment , sheet of material 20 is constructed of polypropylene , preferably spunbond polypropylene . alternatively , sheet of material could be constructed of a fabric woven of a moisture resistant material . sheet of material 20 may be affixed to corrugated material 12 in any suitable manner such as by commonly available commercial construction adhesives . [ 0040 ] fig3 is a close - up view of a portion of moisture drainage product 10 showing corrugated material 12 including ridges 14 and grooves 16 forming channels , perforations 18 and sheet of material 20 . corrugated material 12 is constructed of a material which is rigid enough such that , when corrugated with ridges 14 and grooves 16 , is able to withstand commonly encountered construction forces as moisture drainage material 10 is being installed in a wall structure . examples of commonly encountered construction forces are hammer or automated nailing strikes either affixing moisture drainage product 10 in the wall structure or affixing a later applied material in the wall structure such as the exterior veneer . as an example , an exterior veneer of stucco typically requires a lathe material to be applied exterior to moisture drainage product 10 . the force required by nails or spikes to secure the lathe material to the wall structure should not compromise ridges 14 and grooves 16 to the extent that drainage channels formed by ridges 14 and grooves 16 are obstructed . similarly , commonly encountered forces involved in shipping , storing and handling of moisture drainage product 10 should also not compromise the drainage channels . in a preferred embodiment , moisture drainage product 10 is able to withstand the weight of a typical construction worker wearing shoes . it will be appreciated that ridges 14 and grooves 16 of moisture drainage product 10 increase the rigidity of moisture drainage product as moisture drainage product 10 is attempted to be bent transverse to ridges 14 and grooves 16 . thus , ridges 14 and grooves 16 actually increase the rigidity of moisture drainage product 10 and help allow moisture drainage product 10 to withstand normal construction forces . it will also be appreciated that ridges 14 and grooves 16 in moisture drainage product 10 allow moisture drainage product 10 to be less rigid in a direction parallel to ridges 14 and grooves 16 . this relatively less rigidity allows moisture drainage product 10 to be shipped , stocked and stored as a roll stock . preferably , moisture drainage product 10 can be shipped and stored on 50 foot ( 15 . 2 meter ) rolls . alternatively , moisture drainage product could also be shipped , stocked and stored as rigid sheet stock . [ 0043 ] fig4 is an illustration of wall structure 22 containing moisture drainage product 10 . starting at the interior side of wall structure 22 , conventional studs 24 form a plane along which sheathing 26 may be affixed . typically , and optionally , a water barrier 28 , such as # 15 roll stock , is applied exterior to sheathing 26 . moisture drainage product 10 is affixed exterior to water barrier 28 with sheet of material 20 facing outwardly . sheet of material 20 extends beyond corrugated material 12 on one edge of the roll of moisture drainage product 10 . this edge of sheet of material 20 is used to overlap the next roll of moisture drainage product 10 . the lowest roll of moisture drainage product 10 in wall structure 22 has this edge of sheet of material 20 wrapped under corrugated material 12 to form a bug screen . a veneer for wall structure 22 is applied exterior to moisture drainage product 10 . in one embodiment , the veneer consists of a metal lathe 30 and stucco 32 applied over metal lathe 30 . it is to be recognized and understood that many other forms of exterior veneer are also contemplated including , but not limited to concrete block , brick , natural or man - made stone , and wood siding of all types including wooden lap siding . it can be recognized that without moisture drainage product 10 in wall structure 22 that moisture occurring or accumulating in wall structure 22 can drain through channels created by ridges 14 and grooves 16 in moisture drainage product . perforations 18 allow moisture drainage product 10 to be water pervious allowing water and water vapor to pass through moisture drainage product 10 . this prevents moisture drainage product from a vapor barrier in the middle of wall construction 22 and actually causing the moisture accumulation it is designed to ameliorate . further , sheet of material 20 prevents the stucco material 32 from obscuring channels formed in corrugated material 12 on the exterior side of moisture drainage product 10 . [ 0045 ] fig5 fig6 and fig7 illustrate a method of constructing wall structure 22 . in fig5 wall structure 22 is partially formed with studs 24 , sheathing 26 and roll stock 28 . this is a typical and conventional wall structure construction technique . typically , studs 24 are installed and then sheathing 26 is affixed to the exterior side of studs 24 . roll stock 28 is then affixed to the exterior side of sheathing 26 . studs 24 , sheathing 26 and , optionally , roll stock 28 form the structural components of wall structure 22 . of course , it is recognized and understood that wooden studs 24 , sheathing 26 and roll stock 28 are just one example of what could comprise the structural components of wall structure 22 . many other conventional , and unconventional , products , materials and construction could also used . as can be seen in fig5 moisture drainage product 10 is then conventionally affixed with construction fasteners exterior to roll stock 28 and sheathing 26 . note that sheet of material 20 is again placed on the exterior side of moisture drainage product 10 . thus , fig5 shows wall structure 22 in a partially completed state with moisture drainage product 10 installed but without an exterior veneer . in fig6 the construction of wall structure 22 has taken one more step , the step of partially completing the exterior veneer . in this embodiment , the exterior veneer is stucco . in order to prepare wall structure 22 for stucco material 32 , lathe , preferably metal lathe , 30 is conventionally affixed exterior of moisture drainage product 10 . in fig7 stucco 32 can be seen having been applied to lathe 30 . again , especially since stucco material 32 is semi - liquid when applied to lathe 30 and is intermixed with lathe 30 to give stucco structural integrity , that it is likely that stucco 32 would get into the channels formed by ridges 14 and grooves 16 of corrugated material 12 if it were not for sheet of material 20 which effectively prevents the clogging of the channels formed by ridges 14 and grooves 16 . various modifications and alterations of this invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of this invention . it should be understood that this invention is not limited to the illustrative embodiments set forth above . | 8 |
the present study demonstrates that an unglycosylated 38 kda prelp protein seems to be exclusively expressed in cll leukemic cells , cll cell lines , mcl cells , burkitt &# 39 ; s lymphoma cells , breast cancer cells , ovarian cancer cells , prostate cancer cells , and glioblastoma cells . other hematological malignancies as well as pbmc of normal donors did not express prelp . strong polyclonal activation ( pma / ionomycin ) of normal b and t lymphocytes did not induce expression of prelp ( data not shown ), suggesting that the expression of the 38 kda prelp in cll might reflect a constitutive aberration in vivo . prelp is normally secreted into the extracellular matrix compartment but its function is not clearly known . the mature prelp proteins ( 50 and 58 kda ), which were detected in serum of both cll patients and healthy donors are probably produced by fibroblasts . however , in cll cells , a unique 38 kda prelp protein was identified . mutation analysis of the prelp gene in cll did not reveal any substantial nucleotide aberrations which could explain the difference at the protein level . no nucleotide mutations in the c - terminal region ( against which our c - terminal antibody was raised ) were found . these findings , in combination with the small number of coding exons ( only 2 exons ) make splice variants or truncation unlikely . the cll specific 38 kda prelp was detected by a monoclonal antibody against the prelp signal peptide indicating that the signal peptide was not cleaved off . furthermore , the cll specific 38 kda prelp was not detected in serum . this could be due to impaired secretion from leukemic cells and retention in subcellular organelles or , alternatively , rapid degradation in the serum by proteases . the presence of an intact signal peptide may suggest retention in the cytosol . impaired glycosylation and retained signal peptide may be specific for cll , as prelp expressed in sp2 / 0 cells seems to be fully matured and processed , i . e translocated , glycosylated and with the signal peptide cleaved off ( fig1 ). similar observations have been reported for the mu - and cd79a chains on the surface of cll cells . 21 the difference between normal prelp ( 50 - 58 kda ) and cll - derived prelp ( 38 kda ) may be due to post - translational modifications . complete deglycosylation of yeast - derived prelp resulted in a 38 kda prelp , corresponding in size to prelp detected in cll , possibly the prelp core protein with no side - chain glycan modifications . stable dimerization of several slrps including opticin , decorin , biglycan , and chondroadherin 22 - 25 support the suggestion of a dimerized prelp in cll . formation of prelp dimers may be analogous to the proposed model of opticin dimerization . 22 in this model the amino terminal of the dimer was accessible to antibodies which could explain the reactivity of our n - terminal antibody with the dimerized prelp . fractionation analyses of cll cells indicated that the dimerized prelp is located in the cytoskeletal and membrane fractions . this is the first study associating prelp with cll . there are reports linking other slrps to cancer . decorin suppresses cell growth and tumor cell mediated angiogenesis . 26 , 27 decorin and the other slrps are secreted proteins that normally mediate their functions by binding to membrane receptors or extracellular matrix proteins . however , other locations and functions have been reported . an intracellular role has been proposed for decorin in binding the cytoskeletal protein , filamin . 28 prelp has been shown to bind and inhibit nf - kappa b activity in the nucleus of osteoclasts . 29 our findings suggest a non - secreted 38 kda prelp in cll but the role is not clear . however , the specific and unique expression of a 38 kda prelp protein strongly indicates a functional role in cll . the specific expression of another proteoglycan , fmod 6 in cll may suggest a role of proteoglycans in cll . furthermore , preliminary data indicate that another slrp , opticin , located in close proximity to fmod and prelp on chromosome 1 ( 1q32 ) is also upregulated in cll . the functional characterization of these proteoglycans in cll is urgently warranted to understand their biological importance . further experiments showing the expression of prelp in raji , a human burkitt &# 39 ; s lymphoma cell line added clues to the possibility of expression of prelp in other hematological malignancies or even solid tumors . to investigate the expression of prelp in solid tumors a panel of cell lines was selected . the reason for selecting the cell line is the ease of separating the cells to detect the surface expression by flow cytometry technique . the adherent cells were retrieved without trypsinization , as this may alter the structure of surface antigens leading to false results . it is of note that surface expression of prelp in tumor cells is crucial in targeting the cancer cells . prelp is not expressed on the surface of normal cells . expression of prelp in breast , ovary , prostate cancer cell lines as well as in glioblastoma cells and also lack of surface expression in normal cells further verifies the use of this unique structure in targeting the cancer cells by means of monoclonal antibody . our antibodies are raised against the signal peptide of prelp , where it is cleaved off in normal conditions in endoplasmic reticulum before secretion to the extracellular matrices . this is the most important issue , which makes the cell surface - expressed prelp in tumor cells as a very unique and also safe target with no interaction with any other prelp molecules expressed by other normal tissues . to investigate this subject , normal tissues especially pbmc , breast , testis , and skin were obtained and prelp expression was studied . no expression of prelp was found in these normal tissues using three different clones of anti - prelp antibodies . high level of prelp expression in three different breast cancer cell lines , skbr3 , mda , and bt474 as well as three ovarian carcinoma cell lines a2780s , 2008c13r , and caov4 with no expression in a healthy breast strongly suggest the ectopic expression of prelp in such tumors making this molecule a good candidate for targeting . we have also shown that anti - prelp antibody can induce apoptosis in cll cells . this function may confer to any other cells expressing prelp . in general we suggest that anti - prelp antibodies generated specifically against signal peptide might be used for targeting breast cancer , ovarian cancer , prostate cancer , chronic lymphocytic leukemia , burkitt &# 39 ; s lymphoma , glioblastoma , neuroblastoma , and medullablastoma without harming at least tissues of skin , breast , testis , and most importantly peripheral blood mononuclear cells . the term “ affinity binder ” shall be construed as any molecular entity capable of selectively binding to an analyte of interest . affinity binders may be polyclonal or monoclonal antibodies , fragments thereof such as f ( ab ′) 2 , fab , fab ′, fv , fc , and fd fragments , which may be incorporated into single domain antibodies , single - chain antibodies , maxibodies , minibodies , intrabodies , diabodies , triabodies , tetrabodies , v - nar and bis - scfv . affinity binders also include synthetic binding molecules such as molecularly imprinted polymers , affibodies or any other affinity binder . in the aspects of the invention using antibodies , the antibodies may be substituted for other types of affinity binders as applicable . affinity between two entities means an affinity of at least 10 6 , 10 7 , 10 8 10 9 m − 1 , or 10 10 m − 1 . affinities greater than 10 8 m − 1 are preferred . the term “ specific for ” indicates that the variable regions of the antibodies , or binding molecules , recognize and bind prelp according to the invention exclusively ( i . e ., able to distinguish prelp from other similar polypeptides despite sequence identity , homology , or similarity found in the family of polypeptides ), but may also interact with other proteins ( for example , s . aureus protein a or other antibodies in elisa techniques ) through interactions with sequences outside the variable region of the antibodies , and in particular , in the constant region of the molecule . screening assays in which one can determine binding specificity of an anti - prelp antibody are well known and routinely practiced in the art . ( chapter 6 , antibodies a laboratory manual , eds . harlow , et i al ., cold spring harbor laboratory ; cold spring harbor , n . y . ( 1988 ), herein incorporated by i reference in its entirety ). an “ immunogenic agent ” or “ immunogen ” is capable of inducing an immunological response against itself on administration to a patient , optionally in conjunction with an adjuvant . antibodies that recognize the same epitope can be identified in a simple immunoassay showing the ability of one antibody to block the binding of another antibody to a target antigen . t - cells recognize continuous epitopes of about nine amino acids for cd8 cells or about 13 - 15 amino acids for cd4 cells . t cells that recognize the epitope can be identified by in vitro assays that measure antigen - dependent proliferation , as determined by 3h - thymidine incorporation by primed t cells in response to an epitope ( burke et al ., j . inf . dis . 170 , 1110 - 19 ( 1994 )), by antigen - dependent killing ( cytotoxic t lymphocyte assay , tigges et al ., j . immunol . 156 , 3901 - 3910 ) or by cytokine secretion . when practicing the present invention the person skilled in the art may further make of use conventional techniques in the field of pharmaceutical chemistry , immunology , molecular biology , microbiology , cell biology , transgenic animals and recombinant dna technology , as i . a . disclosed in sambrook et al . “ molecular cloning : a laboratory manual ”, 3 rd ed . 2001 ; ausubel et al . “ short protocols in molecular biology ”, 5 th ed . 1995 ; “ methods in enzymology ”, academic press , inc . ; macpherson , hames and taylor ( eds .). “ pcr 2 : a practical approach ”, 1995 ; “ harlow and lane ( eds .) “ antibodies , a laboratory manual ” 1988 ; freshney ( ed .) “ culture of animal cells ”, 4 th ed . 2000 ; hogan et al . “ manipulating the mouse embryo : a laboratory manual ”, cold spring harbor laboratory , 1994 ; or later editions of these books . the following examples serve to illustrate the invention and shall not be considered as limiting the scope of the invention , which is that of the claims . the diagnosis of cll and disease status ( progressive / non - progressive ) were established as described 13 using the who classification of hematopoetic and lymphoid malignancies and the modified nci criteria . 14 , 15 clinical characteristics of the patients are shown in table 1 . heparinized blood was collected as the source of leukemic cells from patients with cll ( n = 30 ), mcl ( n = 5 ), hairy cell leukemia ( hcl ) ( n = 2 ), b - cell prolymphocytic leukemia ( b - pll ) ( n = 1 ), t - cell prolymphocytic leukemia ( t - pll ) ( n = 4 ), chronic myelogenous leukemia ( cml ) ( n = 5 ), acute myelogenous leukemia ( aml ) ( n = 5 ) and acute lymphoblastic leukemia ( all ) ( n = 10 ). bone marrow tumor cells were obtained from patients with multiple myeloma ( mm ) ( n = 6 ), and follicular lymphoma ( fl ) ( n = 2 ). blood was also drawn from healthy control donors ( n = 10 ). serum was collected from cll patients ( n = 8 ) and healthy controls ( n = 8 ). all samples were collected with informed consent of the patients and approval from the local ethical committee . four cll cell lines and nine cell lines derived from a variety of other hematological malignancies were included ; cll ( eheb , i83 - e95 , 232 - b4 , wac3 - cd5 ), mm ( lp - 1 ), t - cell leukemia ( skw3 ), all ( hut - 78 , hpb - all , molt - 4 , jurkat ), aml ( hl60 ), cml ( k562 ), and nk cell lymphoma ( yt ). eheb and yt were obtained from dsmz ( braunschweig , germany ). the other cll cell lines ( i83 - e95 , 232 - b4 , wac3 - cd5 ) 16 were a kind gift from prof . anders rosen ( linköping university , sweden ) and prof . kenneth nilsson ( uppsala university , sweden ). the remaining cell lines were provided by the national cell bank of iran ( ncbi , pasteur institute of iran , tehran , iran ). all cell lines were adapted to grow in rpmi - 1640 medium ( gibco , paisley , scotland ) supplemented with 10 % fetal bovine serum ( fbs ) ( gibco ), l - glutamine ( 2 mm ), penicillin ( 100 u / ml ) and streptomycin ( 100 μg / ml ) ( gibco ). peripheral blood mononuclear cells ( pbmc ) ( lymphocytes and monocytes ) from normal donors and leukemic cells from blood and bone marrow were isolated using ficoll - paque plus ( ge healthcare , bio - sciences ab , buckinghamshire , uk ) density - gradient centrifugation , as described . 17 granulocytes , leukemic b - cells , normal t and b lymphocytes were isolated as described . 6 the purity of the isolated populations was tested by direct immunofluorescence using monoclonal antibodies against cd3 , cd19 , and cd14 ( bd biosciences , san jose , calif ., usa ). total rna was extracted from leukemic cells and normal pbmc using rnazol b reagent ( biosite , taby , sweden ) according to manufacturer &# 39 ; s instruction . first strand cdna was synthesized as described . 6 pcr amplification was performed using prelp specific primers ( table 2 ). briefly , 25 μμl of pcr reaction mixture was prepared using 2 . 5 μl of 10 × buffer , 2 μl of 25 mm mgcl 2 , 1 . 5 μl dntps ( 10 mm ), 5 pmol of each primer and 1 unit of ampli - taq gold dna polymerase ( perkin - elmer / applied biosystems , boston , mass ., usa ). pcr was performed in 35 cycles , initiated by 1 cycle at 95 ° c . for 10 min , followed by 92 ° c . ; 30 sec , 60 ° c . ; 30 sec , and 72 ° c . ; 30 sec leading to a 334 bp amplicon . to assure the specificity of primers , some pcr products were cloned into pgem - t easy vector ( promega , madison , wis ., usa ) and subjected to sequencing . rt - qpcr was performed as described . 6 cdna samples were used as template and β - actin ( endogenous housekeeping gene ) was quantified as a positive control against which the different template values were normalized . for expression in yeast , cdna from pbmc of cll patients ( n = 10 ) were pooled and a full - length prelp transcript was pcr - amplified . the pcr product was cloned into pgem - t easy vector and subcloned into pgapzα - a vector for yeast p . pastoris ( invitrogen , carlsbad , calif ., usa ). the recombinant plasmids were selected for sequencing . after selecting an in - frame clone , the construct was linearized using avrii restriction enzyme and transfected into p . pastoris strain smd1168 ( invitrogen ). the colonies were screened by gene specific pcr amplification and positive clones were selected for protein production . the supernatant of a 72 h cultured yeast clone was collected and concentrated up to 30 times using amicon ultra - 15 centrifugal filter units ( millipore corporation , bedford , mass ., usa ). for expression in mammalian cells , a full - length prelp cdna clone ( transcript variant 1 , sc111673 , trueclones , origene technologies , inc . rockville , md ., usa ) was subcloned into noti site of a mammalian expression vector pcmv6 - neo ( origene technologies ). after selection and sequencing of an in - frame clone , the plasmid was transfected into mouse sp2 / 0 cell line to obtain stable transfectants using jetpei ™ transfection reagent ( polyplus - transfection ™, illkirch , france ). cells were harvested , washed extensively and lysate prepared as described for western blot . recombinant prelp protein produced in yeast was subjected to chemical deglycosylation using trifluoromethanesulfonic acid ( tfms ) ( sigma , st louis , mo ., usa ) and anisole ( fluka , sigma ). tfms removes all carbohydrates chains from glycoproteins regardless of linkage and composition . 18 250 μl of yeast culture supernatant was precipitated in 100 % ethanol at − 20 ° c . over night in two separate tubes . protein pellets were collected by centrifugation at 15000 g for 20 min , washed in 95 % ethanol , collected by centrifugation and air - dried for 1 h . 200 μl tfms and anisole ( 9 : 1 ) was added to the dry pellets and the samples were incubated on ice for 2 and 4 h , respectively . the reaction was stopped by the addition of 2m tris base ( ph 8 ) until ph reached 6 . the samples were dialysed against 10 mm phosphate buffer for 24 h , concentrated 20 times in amicon ultra - 15 centrifugal filter units ( millipore corp .) and then subjected to western blot . a rabbit anti - prelp polyclonal antibody was produced against a 19 - mer peptide ( cggkarakggfrllqsvvi ) purchased from thermo electron corporation gmbh ( ulm , germany ) of which the 9 last amino acids correspond to the carboxy - terminal ( c - terminal ) part of human prelp 9 . the antibody was purified by affinity chromatography . two mouse anti - prelp monoclonal antibodies were produced using keyhole limpet hemocyanin ( klh )- conjugated prelp - peptides following a standard protocol with minor modifications . 19 one antibody was generated against the carboxy - terminal peptide ( cggkarakggfrllqsvvi ). the other was raised against the n - terminal region for which a 20 - mer peptide ( mrsplcwllpllilasvaqg ) ( thermo electron ) covering the whole signal sequence was used . cell lysates were prepared as described with minor modifications . 20 briefly , 50 × 10 6 cells were lysed in 1 ml of buffer containing 0 . 2 % triton - x , 130 mm hepes , 4 mm mgcl 2 , 10 mm egta with 2 % proteinase inhibitor cocktail ( sigma ). after 1 h incubation on ice , lysates were centrifuged at 2500 rpm for 5 min and the soluble fraction was collected (“ upper phase ”). the triton - x resistant pellet was dissolved in 1 × nupage lds sample buffer ( invitrogen ) and sonicated for 3 × 15 sec (“ lower phase ”). the protein concentration was measured by bio - rad protein assay according to the manufacturer &# 39 ; s instructions ( bio - rad laboratories , hercules , calif ., usa ). cell lysate ( 20 μg ), serum ( dil 1 : 50 ), and yeast supernatants were subjected to western blot using a 10 % nupage bis - tris gel ( invitrogen ) at 120 v for 3 h under reducing conditions . resolved proteins were transferred onto immobilon - p pvdf membrane ( millipore corp .) in a mini - transblot cell ( invitrogen ). the membranes were blocked at + 4 ° c . over night with 5 % non - fat milk ( semper , stockholm , sweden ) in pbs plus 0 . 05 % tween 20 ( pbs - t ). filters were incubated with 10 μg / ml of anti - prelp rabbit polyclonal or mouse monoclonal antibody over night at + 4 ° c . following extensive washings in pbs - t , filters were incubated with a secondary horseradish peroxidise ( hrp )- conjugated goat anti - rabbit or rabbit anti - mouse antibody ( dakocytomation , glostrup , denmark ) for 1 . 5 h at room temperature . filters were developed using amersham enhanced chemiluminescence ecl ™ system ( ge healthcare ). to verify equal loading of samples , filters were stripped in a buffer containing 62 . 5 mm tris - hcl , 2 % sds , 100 mm mercaptoethanol ( sigma ) at 50 ° c . for 30 min . following 3 × 15 min washing in pbs - t , the membranes were re - probed with 2 . 5 μg / ml of a mouse anti - β - actin monoclonal antibody ( sigma ). 2 × 10 6 target cells ( cll cells or pbmc of healthy donors ) were incubated with 10 μg / ml of the anti - prelp mouse monoclonal antibodies , or relevant isotype controls in 1 ml of serum - free medium ( ctl - 010 , cellular technology ltd . oh , usa ). after 18 hours of incubation at 37 ° c . in humidified air with 5 % co 2 , cells were collected , washed twice with 1 × pbs and resuspended in 100 ul of 1 × binding buffer at a concentration of 1 × 10 6 cells / ml . 5 μl of fitc - conjugated annexin v and pi ( bd biosciences ) was added to the cells , vortexed and incubated at room temperature in the dark for 15 minutes . 100 μl of 1 × binding buffer was added to the cells which then were analyzed by flow cytometry ( facscalibur ). for icc the cell lines were cultured and harvested using 0 . 5 % trypsin and 0 . 1 % edta ( gibco ) loaded 1 - 2 × 10 4 cells on 8 well laminated glass slide ( marienfeld , germany ) that homogenized in rpmi 1640 containing 20 % fbs with subsequent incubation in moisturized conditions for overnight . after overnight incubation the medium was removed and the cells were washed with pbs for three times ( 3 × 3 min ). slides were dried at room temperature for 15 min , acetone - fixed ( at − 20 ° c . ), permeabilized for 2 minutes and kept at 4 ° c . for 30 min until slides were dried . slides washed with tris - buffered saline , ph 7 . 4 containing 5 % bovine serum albumin ( tbs - bsa ) three times ( 3 × 3 min ). slides were blocked with 5 % sheep serum for 10 min at room temperature . the primary anti - prelp antibodies were diluted with tbs - bsa to a final concentration of 5 μg / ml and incubated at room temperature for 60 minutes and then washed with tbs - bsa three times ( 3 × 3 min ). fluorescein isothiocyanate ( fitc )- conjugated sheep anti - mouse ( acecr , tehran , iran ) was diluted with tbs - bsa in a ratio of 1 : 50 and incubated at room temperature for 45 minutes . negative antibody control slides were incubated with mouse igm ( isotype control ) at a final concentration of 10 μg / ml in tbs - bsa . after washing with tbs - bsa , the nuclei were counterstained by 4 ′, 6 - diamidino - 2 - phenylindole dihydrochloride ( dapi ) ( calbiochem , usa ) at 1 μg / ml for 5 minutes , then the slides were washed , mounted in pbs - glycerol 80 % and examined under a fluorescence microscope ( olympus , tokyo , japan ). for ihc the tissues upon receiving were stored at − 80 ° c . at the time of performing the experiment , tissues were equilibrated at − 20 ° c . for approximately 2 hour before attempting to sectioning . tissues were cut at 5 um thickness and allowed to air dry for 3 - 12 hour at room temperature . tissue sections were fixed by immersing the slides in pre - cooled acetone (− 20 ° c .) for 1 . 5 minute at (− 20 ° c .) following 0 . 5 minute at 4 ° c . the fixative were poured off and allowed acetone to be evaporated from the tissue sections for & gt ; 20 minutes at 4 ° c . the sections were air - dried on bench for 5 minutes . slides were rinsed in 300 ul tbs ( ph = 7 . 4 )+ 0 . 1 % bsa ( tbs - bsa ) for 3 minutes . the slides were covered by blocking reagent for 10 min at room temperature ( 5 % non - immune serum from secondary antibody species in tbs - bsa ). blocking solution was removed and 100 μl diluted antibody ( diluted antibody in tbs - bsa ). primary antibody was added to each section . incubated at room temperature for one hour . after that the primary antibody was removed and slides were then washed with 200 ul tbs - bsa for 3 times ( each 3 min ) 100 μl of secondary sheep anti - mouse antibody ( conjugated with fitc ), diluted in tbs - bsa was added . slides were incubated for 45 minute in the dark at room temperature . after that secondary antibody was removed and slides were washed with 200 ul tbs - bsa for 3 times ( each 3 min ). 100 μl of dapi ( 0 . 1 μg / ml diluted in tbs - bsa ) was added to each section . slides were incubated approximately 5 minute in the dark at room temperature . after removing dapi slides were then washed in 200 ul tbs - bsa 3 time ( each 1 min ). cells were harvested by 0 . 5 % trypsin and 0 . 1 % edta ( gibco ) and washed thoroughly with pbs . according to the related protocol , sample analysis and data acquisition were performed by flomax flow cytometry analysis software ( partec , germany ). the expression of prelp mrna in leukemic cells from peripheral blood of cll patients as well as of other hematological malignancies and healthy control donors was tested by rt - pcr . pbmc from all cll patients ( n = 30 ) expressed prelp ( table 3 ), irrespective of clinical phase ( non - progressive / progressive ). prelp was also expressed in tumor cells of mcl patients ( 3 / 5 ) but not in aml ( 0 / 5 ), fl ( 0 / 2 ) t - or b - pll ( 0 / 5 ), hcl ( 0 / 2 ), mm ( 0 / 6 ), cml ( 0 / 5 ), and all ( 0 / 10 ). prelp was not expressed in fresh pbmc ( lymphocytes and monocytes ) of healthy donors ( 0 / 10 ), enriched normal blood b cells ( 0 / 6 ), t cells ( 0 / 4 ), or granulocytes ( 0 / 5 ). prelp was expressed in four cll cell lines ( eheb , i83 - e95 , 232 - b4 , wac3 - cd5 ) but not in cell lines derived from myeloma ( 0 / 1 ), t cell leukemia ( 0 / 1 ), all ( 0 / 4 ), aml ( 0 / 1 ), cml ( 0 / 1 ), and nk cell lymphoma ( 0 / 1 ) ( table 4 ). sequencing of cdna from 10 cll patients revealed no major mutations in the prelp gene ( data not shown ). the mw of normal prelp protein is 55 kda 9 . the specificity of our anti - prelp poly - and monoclonal antibodies was tested against recombinant prelp expressed in sp2 / 0 mouse cell line ( fig1 a - c ). cells transfected with pcmv6 - neo vector alone were used as a negative control . in western blot , the c - terminal polyclonal antibody recognized a major band of 55 - 58 kda , corresponding to mature , glycosylated prelp protein . 9 in addition , this polyclonal antibody detected three bands of 38 kda , 44 kda , and 48 kda , presumably representing unglycosylated or partly glycosylated prelp . 10 the monoclonal antibodies against the c - terminal as well as the n - terminal , recognized only the 38 kda prelp . this may be due to that the monoclonal antibodies might recognize epitopes that are hidden by secondary structures in the mature prelp protein . pbmc from cll patients ( n = 30 ) were tested for prelp protein expression in western blot . tumor cell lysates were prepared by a 2 - step method giving rise to two fractions . in the upper fraction , representing the cytosolic part , a band of 38 kda was detected in all cll patients ( fig2 a ). in the triton - x resistant lower fraction considered to contain membrane and cytoskeletal structures 20 a band of approximately 76 kda was seen ( fig2 b ). the 38 kda band was recognized both by the c - terminal ( monoclonal and polyclonal ) and the n - terminal ( monoclonal ) antibodies eliminating the possibility that the 38 kda fragment was a degradation product . the 76 kda band was detected only by the monoclonal n - terminal antibody . a plausible explanation is that the 76 kda variant had the signal peptide uncleaved and the c - terminal part hidden , which might be due to dimer formation . all four cll lines also expressed the 38 kda prelp as well as the 76 kda dimer ( data not shown ). pbmc of healthy control donors ( n = 10 ) did not express any prelp protein variants ( fig2 a - b ). we also analyzed serum from 8 cll patients and 8 healthy control donors by western blot . all serum samples showed two bands , 50 and 58 kda , representing mature glycosylated prelp 10 ( fig3 ). the 38 kda and 76 kda prelp proteins were not detected in serum from either patients or normal donors . untreated yeast - derived prelp had a mw of about 100 kda ( fig4 ) which may represent a dimer of the mature glycosylated prelp ( 55 kda ). after chemical deglycosylation using tfms for 2 h , bands in the region of 51 - 64 kda appeared , which may represent monomers of the mature glycosylated prelp . after tfms treatment for 4 h , a band of 38 kda was seen , corresponding to completely deglycosylated prelp protein ( fig4 ). the results of the apoptosis assay are presented in fig5 and 6 . the expression of prelp was studied in two cell lines including raji ( human b cell lymphoma ) and 183 - e95 ( chronic lymphocytic leukemia line ) by cell surface staining ( flow cytometry ). flow cytometry experiments using different clones of anti - prelp antibodies showed a reactivity of 22 - 80 % on raji in which the clone 3a5 showing highest reactivity ( fig7 ). the expression of prelp was studied in one human breast cancer cell line mda showing 9 - 17 % reactivity by flow cytometry depending on the clonality of anti - prelp antibody ( fig8 a ). expression profile of prelp in three ovarian carcinoma cell lines a2780s , 2008c13r , and caov4 was 44 , 50 , and 23 %, respectively by flow cytometry using anti - prelp antibody clone 1c10 - c3 ( fig8 b and 8c ). tumor tissues from three patients with neuroblastoma and one patient with medullablastoma also showed expression of prelp using anti - prelp antibody clone 4a4 ( fig9 a ). the expression of prelp was higher in tumor tissues in comparison to pbmc from a healthy donor ( fig9 a ). western blot analysis of lysates from cell lines mda ( human breast cancer ), u373 ( human glioblastoma ), and pc3 ( human prostate cancer ) showed strong expression of prelp with no reactivity with human pbmc from a healthy donor ( fig9 b ). immunocytochemistry ( icc ) on human breast cancer cell line skbr3 showed a strong expression of prelp using anti - prelp antibody clone 1c10 - c3 ( fig1 ). no expression of prelp was detected in normal human tissues of breast , skin , and testis ( fig1 - 13 ). table 5 shows a summary of prelp expression in different tissues and cell lines both in pathological and non - pathological samples using both n - terminal and c - terminal anti - prelp antibodies . 5 . klein u , tu y , stolovitzky g a , et al . gene expression profiling of b cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia reveals a homogeneous phenotype related to memory b cells . j exp med . 2001 ; 194 : 1625 - 1638 . 6 . mikaelsson e , danesh - manesh a h , luppert a , et al . fibromodulin , an extracellular matrix protein : characterization of its unique gene and protein expression in b - cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia and mantle cell lymphoma . blood . 2005 ; 105 : 4828 - 4835 . 7 . abba m c , fabris v t , hu y , et al . identification of novel amplification gene targets in mouse and human breast cancer at a syntenic cluster mapping to mouse ch8a1 and human ch13q34 . cancer res . 2007 ; 67 : 4104 - 4112 . 8 . sztrolovics r , chen x n , grover j , roughley p j , korenberg j r . localization of the human fibromodulin gene ( fmod ) to chromosome 1q32 and completion of the cdna sequence . genomics . 1994 ; 23 : 715 - 717 . 9 . grover j , chen x n , korenberg j r , recklies a d , roughley p j . the gene organization , chromosome location , and expression of a 55 - kda matrix protein ( prelp ) of human articular cartilage . genomics . 1996 ; 38 : 109 - 117 . 10 . bengtsson e , neame p j , heinegard d , sommarin y . the primary structure of a basic leucine - rich repeat protein , prelp , found in connective tissues . j biol chem . 1995 ; 270 : 25639 - 25644 . 11 . bengtsson e , aspberg a , heinegard d , sommarin y , spillmann d . the amino - terminal part of prelp binds to heparin and heparan sulfate . j biol chem . 2000 ; 275 : 40695 - 40702 . 12 . bengtsson e , morgelin m , sasaki t , timpl r , heinegard d , aspberg a . the leucine - rich repeat protein prelp binds perlecan and collagens and may function as a basement membrane anchor . j biol chem . 2002 ; 277 : 15061 - 15068 . 13 . daneshmanesh a h , mikaelsson e , jeddi - tehrani m , et al . rorl , a cell surface receptor tyrosine kinase is expressed in chronic lymphocytic leukemia and may serve as a putative target for therapy . int j cancer . 2008 ; 123 : 1190 - 1195 . 14 . harris n l , jaffe e s , diebold j , et al . the world health organization classification of neoplastic diseases of the haematopoietic and lymphoid tissues : report of the clinical advisory committee meeting , airlie house , virginia , november 1997 . histopathology . 2000 ; 36 : 69 - 86 . 15 . hallek m , cheson b d , catovsky d , et al . guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia : a report from the international workshop on chronic lymphocytic leukemia updating the national cancer institute - working group 1996 guidelines . blood . 2008 ; 111 : 5446 - 5456 . 16 . wendel - hansen v , sallstrom j , de campos - lima p o , et al . epstein - barr virus ( ebv ) can immortalize b - cll cells activated by cytokines leukemia . 1994 ; 8 : 476 - 484 . 17 . rezvany m r , jeddi - tehrani m , rabbani h , et al . autologous t lymphocytes may specifically recognize leukaemic b cells in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia . br j haematol . 2000 ; 111 : 608 - 617 . 18 . edge a s . deglycosylation of glycoproteins with trifluoromethanesulphonic acid : elucidation of molecular structure and function . biochem j . 2003 ; 376 : 339 - 350 . 19 . kohler g , milstein c . continuous cultures of fused cells secreting antibody of predefined specificity . nature . 1975 ; 256 : 495 - 497 . 20 . ferreira a , busciglio j , caceres a . microtubule formation and neurite growth in cerebellar macroneurons which develop in vitro : evidence for the involvement of the microtubule - associated proteins , map - la , hmw - map2 and tau . brain res dev brain res . 1989 ; 49 : 215 - 228 . 21 . vuillier f , dumas g , magnac c , et al . lower levels of surface b - cell - receptor expression in chronic lymphocytic leukemia are associated with glycosylation and folding defects of the mu and cd79a chains . blood . 2005 ; 105 : 2933 - 2940 . 22 . le goff m m , hindson v j , jowitt t a , scott p g , bishop p n . characterization of opticin and evidence of stable dimerization in solution . j biol chem . 2003 ; 278 : 45280 - 45287 . 23 . mansson b , wenglen c , morgelin m , saxne t , heinegard d . association of chondroadherin with collagen type ii . j biol chem . 2001 ; 276 : 32883 - 32888 . 24 . scott p g , dodd c m , bergmann e m , sheehan j k , bishop p n . crystal structure of the biglycan dimer and evidence that dimerization is essential for folding and stability of class i small leucine - rich repeat proteoglycans . j biol chem . 2006 ; 281 : 13324 - 13332 . 25 . scott p g , mcewan p a , dodd c m , bergmann e m , bishop p n , bella j . crystal structure of the dimeric protein core of decorin , the archetypal small leucine - rich repeat proteoglycan . proc natl acad sci usa . 2004 ; 101 : 15633 - 15638 . 26 . grant d s , yenisey c , rose r w , tootell m , santra m , iozzo r v . decorin suppresses tumor cell - mediated angiogenesis . oncogene . 2002 ; 21 : 4765 - 4777 . 27 . yamaguchi y , ruoslahti e . expression of human proteoglycan in chinese hamster ovary cells inhibits cell proliferation . nature . 1988 ; 336 : 244 - 246 . 28 . yoshida k , suzuki y , honda e , et al . leucine - rich repeat region of decorin binds to filamin - a . biochimie . 2002 ; 84 : 303 - 308 . 29 . rufo a , alamanou m , rucci n , capulli m , heinegard d , teti a . the matrix proline / arginine - rich end leucin - rich repeat protein ( prelp ) impairs osteoclastogenesis by inhibiting nf - kappa b activity . bone . 2008 ; 42 ; 39 - 40 abstract 52 | 2 |
hereinafter the preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the appended drawings . fig1 is a schematic sectional view of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus ( electrophotographic color image forming apparatus ) which is used with the first to fourth process cartridges mounted therein . this apparatus is an electrophotographic full - color laser beam printer . it employs a transfer system and a vertical tandem system , and is designed to be used with a plurality of process cartridges removably mounted in the main assembly thereof . the main assembly 100 of the image forming apparatus ( which hereinafter will be referred to simply as main assembly ) has a front door as a hinged member ( which hereinafter will be referred to as front door ) 101 which is rotatably opened toward an operator , or closed away from the operator , about the hinge 101 a located at the bottom edge of the door 101 . in other words , the hinged front door 101 is attached to the upstream side of the main assembly 100 in terms of the direction a in which the cartridges 7 are mounted into the main assembly 100 . the cartridges 7 are to be mounted into the main assembly 100 or removed therefrom by an operator through the opening 91 of the main assembly 100 exposed by the opening of the front door 101 . fig1 shows the image forming apparatus in the state in which its front door 101 is closed against the main assembly 100 , whereas fig2 shows the image forming apparatus in the state in which its front door 101 has been opened toward an operator , with the opening 91 of the main assembly 100 being exposed . the first to fourth process cartridges ( which hereinafter may be simply referred to as cartridges ) 7 ( a - d )) develop four latent images corresponding one for one to the four color components into which the optical image of an intended full - color image is separated , into four visible images , that is , images ( toner images ) formed of magenta , cyan , yellow , and black developers ( toners ), respectively . these cartridges 7 ( a - d ) ( magenta , cyan , yellow , and black color development cartridges , listing from bottom ) are stacked in parallel in the direction slightly angled relative to the vertical direction , in the main assembly 100 each of the cartridges 7 ( a - d ) comprises an electrophotographic photosensitive drum ( which hereinafter will be referred to as photosensitive drum ) 1 ( a - d ). it also has a charging apparatus ( charging means ) 2 ( a - d ) for uniformly charging the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 1 . further , it has a developing apparatus ( developing means ) 4 ( a - d ) for developing the electrostatic latent image formed on the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 1 ; it has a developing apparatus ( developing means ) 4 ( a - d ) for developing the electrostatic latent image into an visible image ( formed of toner ) by adhering the single - component developer ( which hereinafter may be simply referred to as toner ) as developer . in addition , each of the cartridges 7 ( a - d ) has a cleaning apparatus ( cleaning means ) 6 ( a - d ) for removing the toner remaining on the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 1 after the transfer of the toner images onto a recording medium . the developers stored in the developing apparatuses 4 ( a - d ) of the first to fourth cartridges 7 ( a - d ) are magenta , cyan , yellow , and black toners , respectively . the scanner units 3 ( a - d ) are located so that they oppose the abovementioned four cartridges 7 ( a - d ). they are the means for projecting a beam of light upon the peripheral surfaces of the photosensitive drums 1 of the cartridges 7 ( a - d ), respectively , while modulating the beam of light with image formation data ; they form an electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drums 1 ( a - d ) by projecting a beam of laser light emitted from a semiconductor laser element , upon photosensitive drums 1 . each of the scanner units 3 ( a - d ) has a semiconductor laser element ( unshown ), a polygon mirror 9 ( a - d ), which is rotated at a high speed , a focal lens 10 ( a - d ), etc . the set of the four cartridges 7 ( a - d ) and the set of the four scanner units 3 ( a - d ) are partitioned by an intermediary plate ( partition wall ) 93 located in the apparatus main assembly 100 . the beam of laser light outputted from each of the scanner units 3 ( a - d ) is made to enter the corresponding cartridge 7 ( a - d ) through the corresponding window 95 with which the intermediary plate 93 is provided , so that the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 1 ( a - d ) is scanned ( exposed ) by the beam of laser light . a referential letter l designates the path of the beam of laser light . the electrostatic transferring apparatus ( electrostatic transferring means ) 5 is held to the inward side of the front door 101 . the electrostatic transferring apparatus 5 has : an endless electrostatic transfer belt 11 ; a driving roller 13 , or the roller on the top side ; a tension roller 14 , or the roller on the bottom side ; and four transfer rollers 12 ( a - d ). the endless electrostatic transfer belt 11 is stretched around the driving roller 13 and tension roller 14 , being suspended by them . since the electrostatic transferring apparatus 5 is held to the inward side of the front door 101 , the front door 101 is opened or closed , while holding the transferring apparatus 5 . when the image forming apparatus is in the state shown in fig1 , that is , when the front door 101 is closed , the electrostatic transferring apparatus 5 opposes all of the photosensitive drums 1 ( a - d ) of the first to fourth cartridges 7 ( a - d ) the transfer rollers 12 ( a - d ) are positioned within the loop of the endless electrostatic transfer belt 11 so that when the front door 100 is in the closed state . they are kept pressed against the photosensitive drums 1 ( a - d ) of the first to fourth cartridge 7 ( a - d ), with the electrostatic transfer belt 11 pinched between the transfer rollers 12 ( a - d ) and photosensitive drums 1 ( a - d ), respectively . each scanner unit 3 is positioned on the downstream of the corresponding cartridge compartment 200 of the apparatus main assembly 100 , in terms of the aforementioned cartridge mounting direction a . in other words , listing from the upstream in terms of the cartridge mounting direction a , the front door 101 , transfer belt 11 , cartridge compartment 200 , and scanner unit 3 are positioned in this order . an operator is to mount or dismount the cartridges 7 ( a - d ) from the upstream side of the image forming apparatus . the recording medium feeding portion 16 is located in the bottom portion of the apparatus main assembly 100 . it conveys a recording medium s to the electrostatic transfer belt 11 as the conveying means of the transferring apparatus 5 . in this embodiment , the recording medium s is a medium in the form of a sheet , for example , a sheet of paper , an ohp sheet , etc . the recording medium feeding portion 16 comprises a cassette 17 in which the recording mediums s are stored , a feed roller ( semicylindrical roller ) 18 , and a pair of registration rollers 19 . the fixing portion 20 is in the top portion of the apparatus main assembly 100 . it fixes to the recording medium s the plurality of toner images different in color which have been transferred onto the recording medium s . the fixing portion 20 comprises : a rotational heat roller 21 a ; a pressure roller 21 b kept pressed against the heat roller 21 a to apply pressure to the recording medium s ; etc . a pair of discharge rollers 23 discharge the recording medium s , on which an image has been formed , into the delivery tray 24 located on top of the apparatus main assembly 100 . the photosensitive drums 1 ( a - d ) of the first to fourth cartridges 7 ( a - d ) are sequentially rotated in the counterclockwise direction ( indicated by arrow mark in fig1 ) in accordance with the predetermined timing in the image formation sequence . as the photosensitive drums 1 ( a - d ) are rotated , the scanner units 3 ( a - d ) are sequentially driven in synchronism with the rotations of the corresponding photosensitive drums 1 ( a - d ) in the cartridges 7 ( a - d ), respectively . further , the transfer belt 11 of the transferring apparatus 5 is rotationally driven by the driving roller 13 in the clockwise direction ( indicated by arrow mark in fig1 ). as the photosensitive drums 1 ( a - d ) are rotated , they are uniformly charged by the charging apparatuses 2 ( a - d ) to predetermined polarity ( negative polarity in this embodiment ) and potential level . thereafter , electrostatic latent images in accordance with image formation data are formed on the photosensitive drums 1 ( a - d ) by the beam of laser light l outputted from the scanner units 3 ( a - d ) while being modulated with the image formation data . the electrostatic latent images are developed ( in this embodiment , reversely developed with the use of toner , the inherent polarity of which is negative ) into visible images ( images formed of toner ) by the developing apparatuses 4 ( a - d ). as a result , toner images of magenta , cyan , yellow , and black colors are formed on the photosensitive drums 1 ( a - d ), respectively , in the predetermined sequence . meanwhile , the feed roller 18 is rotated with the predetermined timing , conveying the recording mediums s from the cassette 17 , into the apparatus main assembly 100 . each recording medium s is kept on standby as its leading edge comes into contact with the nip between the pair of registration rollers 19 . then , it is released by the pair of registration rollers 19 , which is rotated in synchronism with the rotation of the transfer belt 11 and the progression of the sequential formation of toner images on the photosensitive drums 1 ( a - d ). as a result , the recording medium s is delivered to the transfer belt 11 , and is conveyed to the transfer station by the rotation of the transfer belt 11 while being firmly held to the surface of the transfer belt 11 by the static electricity of the transfer belt 11 . more specifically , the recording medium s is conveyed upward by the rotation of the electrostatic transfer belt 11 from the bottom of the main assembly 100 , and while the recording medium s is conveyed upward , it sequentially receives in layers the magenta , cyan , yellow , and black toner images formed on the peripheral surfaces of the photosensitive drums 1 ( a - d ), in the transfer stations , which are the contact areas between the photosensitive drums 1 ( a - d ) and transfer belt 11 . after the reception in layers of the toner images different in color , the recording medium s is separated from the transfer belt 11 with the utilization of the curvature of the transfer belt driving roller 13 , and is conveyed into the fixation station 20 . in the fixation station 20 , the recording medium s is conveyed through the fixation nip between the heat roller 21 a , and pressure roller 21 b kept pressed against the heat roller 21 a , while remaining pinched between the two rollers 21 a and 21 b , being therefore subjected to the heat and pressure applied by the two rollers 21 a and 21 b . as a result , the plurality of toner images different in color are fixed to the surface of the recording medium s . thereafter , the recording medium s is discharged by the pair of discharge rollers 23 into the delivery tray 24 located outside the apparatus main assembly 100 , with its image bearing surface facing downward . after the transfer of the toner images onto the recording medium s the photosensitive drums 1 ( a - d ) are cleared of such residues as the toner remaining adhered to the peripheral surfaces of the photosensitive drums 1 ( a - d ), by the cleaning apparatuses 1 ( a - d ). fig3 is an enlarged schematic sectional view of the cartridge 7 , and fig4 and 5 are schematic sectional views of the cartridge 7 . in this embodiment , the photosensitive drum 1 is one of the integral parts of the cartridge 7 . thus , the photosensitive drum 1 is mounted into the apparatus main assembly 100 or removed therefrom by the mounting of the cartridge 7 into the apparatus main assembly 100 or the removal of the cartridge 7 therefrom . in the following description of the embodiments of the present invention , the widthwise direction of the cartridge 7 means the direction parallel to the direction in which the cartridge 7 is mounted into the apparatus main assembly 100 or removed therefrom , whereas the lengthwise direction of the cartridge 7 means the direction intersectional to the direction in which the cartridge 7 is mounted into or removed from , the apparatus main assembly 100 . in other words , the lengthwise direction of the cartridge 7 is the direction parallel to the lengthwise direction of the photosensitive drum 1 . the front side of the cartridge 7 means the side which faces upstream in terms of the direction in which the cartridge 7 is mounted into the apparatus main assembly 100 ; it is the side from which the photosensitive drum 1 is partially exposed . the rear side of the cartridge 7 means the side opposite to the front side . further , the left and right sides of the cartridge 7 means the left and right sides as the cartridge 7 is seen from the front side . the top side of the cartridge 7 means the side which faces upward when the cartridge 7 is in the image formation position in the apparatus main assembly 100 , and the bottom side of the cartridge 7 is the side which faces downward when the cartridge is in the image formation position in the apparatus main assembly 100 . the first to fourth cartridges 7 ( a - d ) are identical except for the developers stored in the toner container portions ( developer storage portions ). each cartridge 7 has the top unit ( which hereinafter may be referred to as cleaner unit ) 50 , and the bottom unit ( which hereinafter may be referred to as development unit ) 4 a . in this embodiment the cleaner unit 50 comprises the photosensitive drum 1 , charging apparatus 2 , and cleaning apparatus 6 , whereas the development unit 4 a comprises the developing apparatus 4 for developing the electrostatic latent image on the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 1 . the two units 4 a and 50 are connected with the use of a pair of pins 49 , being enable to pivot about the pins 49 . the photosensitive drum 1 is provided with flanges 72 and 75 , which are attached to the lengthwise ends of the photosensitive drum 1 , one for one . the flanges 72 and 75 are rotatably supported by supporting members ( bearings ) 31 a and 31 b , with which the left and right walls of the cleaning means frame 51 are provided . of the two flanges 72 and 75 , the flange 72 receives the driving force from the driving force transmitting member ( unshown ) of the apparatus main assembly 100 ; the photosensitive drum 1 is rotationally driven through the flange 72 . as the charging apparatus 2 , an electrically 20 conductive roller of a contact type is employed . the electrically conductive roller 2 is placed in contact with the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 1 , and is rotated by the rotation of the photosensitive drum 1 while charge bias voltage is applied to the roller 2 . as a result , the charge roller 2 uniformly charges the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 1 . the toner remaining on the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 1 ( waste toner : toner remaining on the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 1 after the toner image developed on the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 1 with developer is transferred onto the recording medium ) is removed by the cleaning blade ( cleaning member ) 60 , and is stored in the waste toner chamber ( residual toner storage chamber : storage chamber for removed developer ) 55 located above the cleaning blade 60 . incidentally , the toner remaining on the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 1 after the toner image transfer therefrom moves past the contact area between the flexible sheet 80 and the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 1 , and reaches the cleaning blade 60 . the flexible sheet 80 prevents the waste toner from leaking out of the cleaning means frame 51 after the waste toner is removed from the cleaning blade 60 . in this embodiment , the development unit 4 a comprises a development roller 40 for developing the latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 1 , and development means frames 45 a and 45 b , in which the toner is stored . in the space formed by the developing means frames 45 a and 45 b , a development blade 44 as the developer layer regulating member is located . the development roller 40 is rotated in the clockwise direction ( indicated by arrow mark ), with a minute gap maintained between the peripheral surfaces of the development roller 40 and photosensitive drum 1 by a pair of spacer rings 40 a . the developing means frames 45 a and 45 b are joined with the container unit 46 by ultrasonic welding or the like means . the development roller 40 is rotatably supported by the developing means container unit 46 , with a pair of bearings ( unshown ) placed between the development roller 40 and the unit 46 . with the peripheral surface of the development roller 40 , the toner supply roller 43 which is rotated ( clockwise direction indicated by arrow mark ) in contact with the development roller 40 , and the development blade ( developer layer regulating member ) 44 , are placed in contact . further , in the toner container potion ( developer storage portion ) 41 , the toner conveyance mechanism 42 for conveying toner to the toner supply roller 43 is located . the toner container portion 41 stores the developer to be borne by the development roller 40 to develop the abovementioned latent image . the developing means container unit 46 is provided with a pair of connective holes 47 , which are located at the lengthwise ends thereof , one for one , whereas the left and right walls of the cleaning means frame 51 of the cleaner unit 50 are provided with a pair of supporting holes 52 , one for one the developing means container unit 46 and cleaner unit 50 are held relative to each other so that the pair of connective holes 47 align with the pair of supportive holes 52 . then , a pair of pins 49 are inserted through the pair of connective holes 47 and pair of supportive holes 52 . as a result , the two units 46 and 50 are connected so that they can be pivoted about the pair of pins 49 . the development unit 4 a is kept pressured by the a pair of springs in the direction to rotate about the pair of pins 49 so that the development unit 4 a is kept pressured upon the unit 50 . therefore , the pair of the spacers 40 a of the development roller 40 are kept in contact with the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 1 . the beam of laser light is projected from the scanner unit 3 into the cartridge 7 through the gap between the unit 50 and development unit 4 a , exposing the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 1 in the cartridge 7 . more specifically , the beam of laser 20 light is projected toward the axial line of the photosensitive drum 1 . further , the beam of laser light l ( a - d ) is projected upon the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 1 ( a - d ) through the gap between the aforementioned cleaner unit 50 ( top unit ) and development unit 4 a ( bottom unit ). during development , the supply roller 43 , which is being rotated in the clockwise direction ( indicated by arrow mark ), rubs the development roller 40 , which is being rotated also in the clockwise direction ( indicated by arrow mark ). as a result , the development roller 40 is supplied with the toner borne on the supply roller 43 . as the development roller 40 is further rotated , the toner having adhered to the peripheral surface f of the development roller 40 reaches the development blade 44 , which regulates the amount by which the toner on the peripheral surface f of the development roller 40 is allowed to remain on the peripheral surface f , forming thereby a uniform layer of toner with a predetermined thickness on the peripheral surface of the development roller 40 , while giving the toner a predetermined amount of electric charge . then , as the development roller 40 is further rotated , the toner on the peripheral surface f of the development roller 40 is conveyed to the development station , or the area in which the peripheral surfaces of the photosensitive drum 1 and development roller 40 are placed extremely close to each other . in the development station , the toner on the peripheral surface f of the development roller 40 is adhered by the development bias applied to the development roller 40 from an electric power source ( unshown ), to the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 1 in the pattern of the electrostatic latent image having formed thereon ; in other words , the electrostatic latent image is developed . the toner remaining on the peripheral surface of the development roller 40 after the development of the electrostatic latent image , that is , the toner on the peripheral surface of the development roller 40 , which did not contribute to the development of the latent image , is returned by the further rotation of the development roller 40 into the developing device , in which it is stripped ( recovered ) by the toner supply roller 43 from the development roller 40 , in the contact area between the supply roller 43 and development roller 40 . designated by a referential number 54 is a shutter for protecting the photosensitive drum 1 . the shutter 54 is attached to the cleaning means holding frame 51 . the shutter 54 is mechanically opened or closed ( mechanism is not shown ). more specifically , the shutter 54 is movable between the closed position ( fig3 - 5 ) in which it covers the opening 70 , with which the cartridge 7 is provided to transfer the toner onto the recording medium , and the open position ( double - dot chain line in fig3 ), into which it is moved downward to expose the photosensitive drum 1 . designated by referential numbers 90 are handles located at the left and right ends of the cleaning means frame 51 , one for one . the handles 90 are the portions by which the cartridge 7 is to be held by an operator when the cartridge 7 is mounted into the apparatus main assembly 100 or removed therefrom . they project in the upstream direction , in terms of the aforementioned cartridge mounting direction a , from the left and right ends of the cleaning means frame 51 . next , the method for mounting the cartridge 7 into the apparatus main assembly 100 or dismounting it therefrom will be described . referring to fig2 , and 7 , first , the front door 101 must be opened by an operator ; the front door 101 must be rotated frontward about the hinge 101 a ( in the upstream direction in terms of cartridge mounting direction ). the complete opening of the front door 101 fully exposes the cartridge insertion opening 91 of the apparatus main assembly 100 . it should be noted here that as the front door 101 is opened by the operator , the aforementioned transferring apparatus attached to the inward side of the front door 101 also is rotated away from the apparatus main assembly 100 along with the front door 101 as shown in fig2 . the opening of the front door 101 exposes the cartridge insertion opening 91 in which four cartridge compartments 105 ( a - d ), into which the cartridges 7 ( a - d ) are to be mounted , are located , the four cartridge compartments 105 ( a - d ) are virtually vertically stacked , with the cartridge compartment 105 a being at the bottom and the rest stacked thereon in the alphabetical order . an operator is to hold the cartridge 7 by the left and right handles 90 , by grasping the handles 90 with both hands , and to insert the cartridge 7 into the proper cartridge compartment 105 through the cartridge insertion opening 91 , so that the rear side of the cartridge 7 , that is , the side opposite to the side where the photosensitive drum 1 is exposed , faces forward , and also , so that the guides 53 of the cartridge . 7 , located at the left and right ends of the cartridge 7 , ride on the guides 401 of the apparatus main assembly 100 . as the cartridge 7 is inserted deeper into the apparatus main assembly 100 , the aforementioned pair of bearings 31 a and 31 b are moved into the pair of guiding grooves ( guide rails ) 104 of the apparatus main assembly 101 , and come into contact with the end walls of the guiding grooves 31 a and 31 b , preventing thereby the cartridge 7 from being inserted further into the apparatus main assembly 100 , and at the same time ; properly positioning the cartridge 7 relative to the cartridge compartment 105 ( apparatus main assembly 100 ). after the mounting of the cartridge 7 , the front door 101 is to be closed . in order to remove the cartridge 7 from the apparatus main assembly 100 , the above described procedure for mounting the cartridge 7 into the apparatus main assembly 100 is to be carried out in reverse . referring mainly to fig8 and 9 , the structural arrangement for reducing the height of the apparatus main assembly 100 will be described . each of the cartridges 7 ( a - 1 ) is removably mounted . each of the cartridge compartments 105 ( a - d ) is structured so that as the cartridge 7 is inserted into the cartridge compartment 105 , it is slightly tilted downward in terms of the cartridge mounting direction a . the cartridge compartments 105 ( a - d ) are the spaces of the apparatus main assembly 100 into which the cartridges 7 are mountable . the cartridge compartments 105 ( a - d ) are tilted 30 that when the cartridges 7 ( a - d ) are in the proper positions in the cartridge compartments 105 ( a - d ). the hypothetical plane b which coincides with the axial line of each of the photosensitive drums 1 ( a - d ) of the cartridges 7 ( a - d ) is tilted downstream , in terms of the cartridge mounting direction a , relative to the vertical plane c which coincides with the axial line of the photosensitive drum 1 ( a ). a referential letter astands for the angle of the hypothetical plane b relative to the vertical plane c . thus , after the closing of the front door 101 , the transfer belt 11 , which is extended in contact with the peripheral surfaces of the photosensitive drums 1 ( a - d ), being therefore parallel to the hypothetical plane b , is also tilted ; in other words , the transfer belt 11 is roughly parallel to the hypothetical plane b . also referring to fig8 and 9 , designated by a referential letter d is a hypothetical direction ( plane ) which is perpendicular to the abovementioned hypothetical plane b . the cartridge compartments 105 ( a - d ) are structured so that , as seen from the upstream of the plane d in terms of the cartridge mounting direction a , a part of the cartridge 7 in the top cartridge compartment of the adjacent two cartridge compartments in the vertical direction , overlaps with a part of the cartridge 7 in the bottom cartridge compartment . more specifically , fig9 shows the relationship between the cartridge 7 ( b ) and cartridge 7 ( c ). the hatched portions are the portion of the cartridge 7 ( b ) in the cartridge compartment on the top side , and the portion of the cartridge 7 ( c ) in the cartridge compartment on the bottom side , which overlap . the cartridge mounting direction a is such a direction that its upstream side is tilted upward relative to the abovementioned hypothetical direction ( plane ) d . the angle bat which the cartridge mounting direction a is tilted relative to the hypothetical plane d is set to be no less than 0 ° and no more than 30 °. the angle ais also set to be within the same range as the angle β . since the cartridge mounting direction a in this embodiment is tilted as described above , a part 41 c 1 of the toner chamber ( developer storage portions ) 41 c of the cartridge 7 c , or the top cartridge 7 of the two cartridges in the adjacent two cartridge compartments , in terms of the vertical direction , and a part 55 b 1 of the waste toner chamber ( waste developer storage portion ) 55 b of the cartridge 7 b , or the cartridge in the bottom cartridge compartment , overlap in terms of the direction of the plane d . in other words , the portions of the cartridges 7 b and 7 c , located between the hypothetical planes d 1 and d 2 perpendicular to the hypothetical plane b , overlap . the hypothetical plane d 1 is the plane which is perpendicular to the plane b , and coincides with the highest point of the cartridge 7 b , or the cartridge in the bottom cartridge compartment , after the mounting of the cartridge 7 b into the apparatus main assembly 100 . in other words , it is the hypothetical plane which coincides with the external edge 55 b 2 of the waste toner chamber 55 b and is perpendicular to the plane b . the hypothetical plane d 2 is the plane which is perpendicular to the plane b , and coincides with the lowest point of the cartridge 7 c , or the cartridge in the bottom cartridge compartment , after the mounting of the cartridge 7 c into the apparatus main assembly 100 . in other words , it is the hypothetical plane which coincides with the external edge 41 c 2 of the toner chamber 41 c and is perpendicular to the plane b . incidentally , the above described planes b , d , d 1 and d 2 are hypothetical planes , being therefore invisible . with the provision of the above described structural arrangement , the distance e 1 between the photosensitive drums 1 b and 1 c in the two cartridges 7 b and 7 c in the adjacent two cartridge compartments , one for one , in terms of the vertical direction can be substantially reduced compared to that in accordance with the prior art , and in addition , the width e 2 of the toner chamber 41 c , in terms of the direction parallel to the plane b , can be increased . therefore , even if the cartridge 7 is reduced in size to reduce the image forming apparatus size , the cartridge 7 does not reduce in toner capacity . further , the toner chamber 41 c can be made in a virtually cubical shape , making it possible to reduce to one the number of the toner sending mechanisms 42 c for sending the toner in the toner chamber 41 out of the toner chamber 41 . therefore , the problem that the reduction in cartridge height results in the increase in cartridge cost does not occur . it has been confirmed through experiments that as the residual toner ( waste toner ) is removed by the cleaning blade 60 at the cleaning point f , the removed residual toner accumulates on virtually the same area , which is a predictable distance from the cleaning point f . in the waste toner chamber 55 c . therefore , by extending the waste toner chamber 55 c not only toward the deeper end of the cartridge 7 in terms of the cartridge mounting direction a , but also , upward of the blade 60 c , the waste toner can be efficiently stored in the waste toner chamber 55 c . in other words , by constructing the waste toner chamber 55 c as described above , the waste toner chamber 55 c can be made spatially efficient without increasing the distance e 1 between the adjacent two photosensitive drums in terms of the vertical direction . although the relationship between the adjacent two cartridges 7 in terms of the vertical direction has been described with reference to that between the cartridges 7 b and 7 c , the relationships between the cartridges 7 a and 7 b , and between the cartridges 7 c and 7 d , are the same as that between the cartridges 7 b and 7 c . as described above according to this embodiment , the cartridge compartments 105 ( a - d ) of the main assembly 100 of the image forming apparatus are structured so that the cartridges 7 ( a - d ) are removably mountable into the cartridge compartments 105 ( a - d ) at a downward angle as seen from the upstream side in terms of the direction a in which the cartridge 7 is mounted into the apparatus main assembly 100 ; the hypothetical plane b which coincides with the axial line of the photosensitive drum 1 of each of the cartridges 7 ( a - d ) in the cartridge compartments 105 ( a - d ) is tilted downstream in terms of the aforementioned cartridge mounting direction a , relative to the vertical plane ; and a part 55 b 1 of the waste toner chamber 55 ( waste developer storage portion ) of the cartridge 7 in the bottom cartridge compartments of the adjacent two cartridge compartments , in terms of the vertical direction , overlaps with a part 41 c 1 of the toner chamber 41 ( developer storage portion ) of the cartridge in the other cartridge compartment , or the top cartridge compartment , of the adjacent two cartridge compartments , as seen from the upstream of the hypothetical direction ( plane ) d perpendicular to the plane b ; and the cartridges 7 ( a - d ) are mounted into , or removed from , the cartridge compartments 105 ( a - d ) at an upward angle relative to the hypothetical direction ( plane ) d perpendicular to the hypothetical plane b . with the employment of this structural arrangement , the distance e 1 between the cartridges 1 in the adjacent two cartridge compartments 105 in terms of the vertical direction can be substantially reduced compared to that in accordance with the prior art , making it therefore possible to substantially reduce the overall height of the main assembly 100 moreover , the reduction in the overall height of the image forming apparatus does not result in the degrading of the cartridge 7 in specifications and quality ; for example , it is unnecessary to reduce the cartridge in toner capacity , or to shrink the waste toner chamber , in order to reduce the overall height of the image forming apparatus . further , the cartridge 7 is to be mounted into the apparatus main assembly 100 in the diagonally downward direction , making it easier for the cartridge 7 to be mounted into the apparatus main assembly 100 . further , referring to fig9 , the width e 3 of the cartridge 7 in terms of the direction parallel to the plane b is wider than the width e 4 of the cartridge 7 in terms of the direction perpendicular to the cartridge mounting direction a . with the employment of this structural arrangement , the distance between the two cartridges in the adjacent two cartridge compartments 105 in terms of the vertical direction can be substantially reduced compared to that in accordance with the prior art . consequently , the cartridge 7 can be reduced in size . also as described above , the cartridge compartments 105 ( a - d ) of the main assembly 100 of the image forming apparatus are structured so that the cartridges 7 ( a - d ) are removably mountable into the cartridge compartments 105 ( a - d ) at a downward angle as seen from the upstream side in terms of the direction a in which the cartridge 7 is mounted into the apparatus main assembly 100 , and the hypothetical plane b which coincides with the axial line of the photosensitive drum 1 of each of the cartridges 7 ( a - d ) in the cartridge compartments 105 ( a - d ) is tilted downstream in terms of the aforementioned cartridge mounting direction a , relative to the vertical plane . therefore , it is possible for an operator to mount the cartridges 7 ( a - d ) into the apparatus main assembly 100 or remove it therefrom with greater efficiency , because the above described structural arrangement makes the cartridge compartments 105 b - 105 d slightly offset inward of the apparatus main assembly 100 , that is , in the cartridge mounting direction a , from the cartridge located immediately below . further , the plurality of cartridge compartments 105 ( a - d ), in which the cartridges 7 ( a - d ) are removably mountable , are stacked so that after the mounting of the cartridges 7 ( a - d ) into the cartridge compartments 105 ( a - d ), the hypothetical plane b which coincides with all the axial lines of the photosensitive drums of the cartridges 7 ( a - d ), is tilted downstream , in terms of the cartridge mounting direction a , relative to the vertical plane which coincides with the axial line of the photosensitive drum la in the cartridge 7 a , and an operator is expected to mounted the cartridges 7 ( a - d ) into the cartridge compartments 105 ( a - d ) or remove it therefrom , at an upward angle relative to the hypothetical plane d perpendicular to the hypothetical plane b , improving thereby the efficiency with which the cartridges 7 ( a - d ) are mounted into , or removed from , the apparatus main assembly 100 . incidentally , in the preceding embodiment , the light projecting means for projecting a beam of light upon the peripheral surface of the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 1 while modulating the beam with the image formation data was the scanner unit 3 which projects the beam of laser light emitted from a semiconductor laser . however , the light projecting means does not need to be limited to the scanner unit 3 . for example , it may be an led array unit which projects the beam of light emitted from a light emitting diode ( led ). further , the transfer belt 11 in the preceding embodiment may be replaced with an intermediary transfer belt ( intermediary transfer member ), onto which the toner images formed in the cartridges are transferred ( primary transfer ), and from which the transferred toner images are transferred ( secondary transfer ) onto the recording medium s . next , referring to fig1 and 11 , the second embodiment of the present invention will be described . the components , members , portions , etc ., in this embodiment , which are the same as those in the first embodiment , are given the same referential symbols as those given in the first embodiment , and will not be described here . the image forming apparatus 200 in this embodiment is virtually the same in structure as that in the first embodiment , except that the apparatus main assembly 200 in this embodiment is structured so that the beam of laser light l projected from each of the scanner units 103 ( a - d ) to expose the peripheral surfaces of the photosensitive drums 1 ( a - d ) of the corresponding cartridges 107 ( a - d ) enters the corresponding cartridge 7 ( a - d ) at an upward angle relative to the plane d 1 which is perpendicular to the aforementioned plane b and coincides with the axial line of the photosensitive drum 1 . referential symbols la - ld designate the paths of the beams of laser light l for exposure . the beam of laser light l ( a - d ) from the scanner units 3 are projected upon the peripheral surfaces of the photosensitive drums 1 ( a - d ) through the gaps between the aforementioned cleaner units 50 and development units 4 a , respectively . the beams la - ld of laser light are projected toward the axial lines of the corresponding photosensitive drums 1 . in other words , the paths la - ld of the beams of laser light emitted from the scanner units 3 ( a - d ) are tilted upward , that is , toward the scanner units 103 ( a - d ), relative to the aforementioned directions ( planes ) d perpendicular to the plane b and coinciding with the axial lines of the photosensitive drums 1 of the corresponding cartridges is 7 ( a - d ). the angle θ between the plane d 1 perpendicular to the plane b and the paths la - ld of the beams of exposure light is set to be no less than 0 ° and no more than roughly 10 °. incidentally , the path l of the beam of the exposure light in the image forming apparatus in the first embodiment coincides with the plane d 1 perpendicular to the plane b . the paths la - ld of the exposure light in this embodiment are tilted upward , in fig1 , by the angle θ about the axial lines of the photosensitive drums 1 ( a - d ). with the employment of this structural arrangement , the development unit 104 ( a - d ) can be rotated upward ( lifted ) about the axial lines of the photosensitive drums 1 ( a - d ) by the angle θ . in other words , the development unit 104 ( a - d ) can be rotated so that their bottom surfaces z can be positioned substantially higher relative to the apparatus main assembly 100 than they could according to the prior art . therefore , the guiding grooves 103 of the cartridge compartments 105 ( a - d ), and the guiding portions 104 of the apparatus main assembly 100 ( not shown in fig1 and 11 ) can be tilted upward by the angle e as described above , making it possible to further reduce the distance between the two cartridges 7 in the adjacent two cartridge compartments in terms of the vertical direction , and therefore , to reduce the height of the image forming apparatus . obviously , the same effects as those realized by the first embodiment could also be realized by this embodiment . moreover , regarding the positioning of the development units 104 , more specifically , the positional relationship among the photosensitive drum 1 , development roller 40 , toner supply roller 43 , development blade 44 , and toner stirring member 42 , in each development unit 104 , which are experientially known to be essential to the development of an electrostatic latent image , in fig1 which is a vertical sectional view of the development unit 104 , can be made to be closer to that in an image forming apparatus in which the plurality of cartridges 7 are vertically stacked roughly in parallel , with each cartridge 7 being horizontally placed . in other words , with the above described structural arrangement in which the plane b is tilted in the counterclockwise direction relative to the vertical direction , and the exposure paths la - ld are also tilted in the clockwise direction ( upward ) relative to the above described plane d perpendicular to the plane b , the positioning of the developing apparatuses in this embodiment can be made similar to the positioning of the developing apparatuses in an image forming apparatus in accordance with the prior art , that is , an image forming apparatus in which the plurality of cartridges are vertically stacked in parallel , in other words , the cartridge compartments of the main assembly are vertically stacked in parallel , so that when the cartridges are in their image forming positions in the main assembly , their bottom surfaces are positioned virtually horizontal . further , the part 104 a of the developing apparatus 104 of the cartridge 7 is intersectional to the aforementioned plane b . and is positioned above the plane d , which coincides with the axial line of the photosensitive drum 1 and perpendicular to the plane b . with the employment of the above described structural arrangement , the development unit 104 of the cartridge 7 can be made greater in volumetric ratio than the cleaning apparatus 6 of the cartridge 7 , making it possible to optimize the volumetric ratio between the development unit 104 and cleaning apparatus 6 of the cartridge 7 , because the amount of the toner actually consumed for development is greater than the amount of the waste toner . further , the cartridge 7 can be reduced in size . incidentally , also in this embodiment , the electrostatic transfer belt 11 may be replaced with an intermediary transfer belt ( intermediary transferring member ), onto which the toner images formed in the cartridges are transferred ( primary transfer ), and from which the transferred toner images are transferred ( secondary transfer ) onto the recording medium s . according to the present invention , it is possible to reduce an electrophotographic image forming apparatus in height . further , it is possible to improve the operational efficiency with which the cartridges are mounted into , or removed from , the main assembly of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus , by an operator . 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 applications nos . 099503 / 2004 , 099504 / 2004 , 144839 / 2004 and 253011 / 2004 filed mar . 30 , 2004 , mar . 30 , 2004 , may 14 , 2004 , aug . 31 , 2004 , respectively , which are hereby incorporated by reference . | 6 |
the invention summarized above and defined by the enumerated claims may be better understood by referring to the following detailed description , which should be read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings . this detailed description of particular preferred embodiments , set out below to enable one to build and use particular implementations of the invention , is not intended to limit the enumerated claims , but to serve as particular examples thereof . the particular examples set out below are preferred specific implementations of a floral bouquet and keepsake assembly , namely , one with a container , a probe extending from the container , a body of stalk supporting material , and a receptacle for attaching a keepsake thereto . the invention , however , may also be applied to other types and shapes of assemblies and keepsakes . fig1 shows the basic components of the floral bouquet and keepsake assembly 1 of the present invention . the assembly 1 includes a container 10 having a bottom wall 6 and a peripheral wall 8 , an upright probe 12 , or supporting means , having one end 14 and an opposite end 16 , a body of stalk supporting material 18 extending through the probe 12 , a floral bouquet 20 extending into the foam , and a keepsake 24 , denoted by a box , secured to the probe 12 via a receptacle 22 . the one end 14 of the upright probe 12 extends from the approximate center of the bottom wall 6 of the container 10 . the container 10 , or containing means , includes any type of suitable container for supporting stalk supporting material , flowers and keepsakes . thus , it can take a variety of shapes , such as round , square , oval , or other suitable shape , sizes and may be constructed of a variety of materials , including natural or synthetic material , most preferably plastics . the probe 12 , or supporting means , can similarly be made of a variety of suitable shapes , sizes and materials . the stalk supporting material 18 can absorb and retain water while firmly supporting the flowers . in the preferred embodiment , the stalk supporting material is known as floral foam , a product commonly used by florists and available from numerous sources . one such suitable product is available under the trademark oasis ®. the term keepsake , as currently used in the floral industry to which this invention is related , denotes a gift item that is delivered as part of a floral display to the recipient . some keepsakes are independently useful items when the bouquet of flowers has lived out its useful life , others are simply adornments , and others are a combination of both . some keepsakes are structures having a flat base while others have one or more connecting components related to the floral display , such as a receptacle , integrally designed into the bottom of the keepsake . examples of keepsakes having utility might be candles , lamps , vases , etc . decorative keepsakes might include figurines , such as ceramic dolls or religious votives . it is understood , however , that keepsakes as used herein , are not limited to these enumerated types of gift items but are merely exemplary . as shown in fig2 the container 10 and the probe 12 are not integral . rather , the bottom wall 6 of the container 10 contains a latching mechanism 32 defining an interior space substantially equal to the circumference of the one end 14 of the probe 12 in order to releasably connect the two components together . fig2 a shows one embodiment of the latching mechanism . in particular , the one end 14 of the probe 12 comprises a substantially round disk . the container bottom wall 6 includes notches 32 that are ratcheted in a downward orientation so that the one end 14 of the probe 12 may snap into the interior space , and the probe 12 is secured in place and can be removed only with considerable force . in the alternative embodiment shown in fig2 b , a twist locking design is used as the latching mechanism . in particular , the one end 33 of the probe 13 is designed with two diametrically opposed &# 34 ; fingers &# 34 ; 34 , two tabs 37 and an alignment dot 35 . the container bottom wall 6 is designed with notches 32 and a mating alignment dot 36 . when assembling the two components , the assembler aligns the two dots 35 and 36 and rotates the probe 13 clockwise . the fingers 34 are slightly compressed by the vertical walls of the two notches 32 across which they horizontally traverse . when the fingers complete their travel across the notches and past their trailing edges , they snap radially outward . concurrently , the rigid tabs 37 abut against the leading edges of the notches 32 , thus preventing further rotation . in this way , each of two opposing notches 32 is secured by a finger 34 at one edge and a tab 37 at the other . these designs provide the benefits of simple and fast assembly , while being very secure when fully assembled . it is understood , however , that other ways of temporarily but securely latching the one end of the probe to the container bottom wall are acceptable , including the use of adhesive , velcro ®, and another known mechanical latching system . the non - integral , snap - in container and probe design , or container - probe kit , permits the manufacturer and the retailer to obtain an economy of storage and shipping volume . as shown in fig3 each container of each assembly of the present invention is nestable into one another when the probes are not attached . fig3 illustrates three such containers 100 , 200 , and 300 nested into one another . accordingly , a shipment of many sets of floral bouquets assemblies of the present invention from the manufacturer to a single retail floral shop takes a fraction of the space that would otherwise be needed were the container 10 and probe 12 integral . this design permits simple and rapid packaging and results in reduced shipping costs and reduces the storage space needed when not in use . referring back to fig2 the upright probe 12 has a generally conical shape , tapering from the one end 14 to an upper region 18 and terminating in an opposite end 16 . it is understood , however , that other shapes , sizes and materials that can support floral foam and a keepsake assembly may be employed . in this preferred embodiment , the probe 12 also includes four vertical slots 17 extending downward from the opposite end 16 into the upper region 18 . in one preferred embodiment the slots 17 extend for approximately 0 . 5 inches . the slots 17 create four individual spikes 19 which , when inserted into a receptacle ( not shown ) during assembly , are compressed toward each other , thereby creating a radially outward force against the interior of the receptacle . this adds to the frictional force engaging the two members and provides for a more secure assembly . the compressible spikes 19 also permit the use of a limited variety of sizes of receptacles that can mate with the probe 12 . as shown in fig4 in order to add further versatility to the bouquet assembly , an adaptor cap 40 may be provided . this cap can be pressed onto the upper region 18 of the probe 12 in order to increase the diametric footprint of the opposite end 16 and region 18 , thus adapting the probe 12 to mate with a receptacle having a larger inner diameter than could be accommodated without such a cap . the receptacle may be integral with a keepsake or may be part of an intermediate support which supports a keepsake . in either case , however , the single container and probe design , or kit , described above may be utilized . both embodiments will now be described . as shown in fig5 a keepsake 50 , in this example , a ceramic character and a small candle , has a receptacle 52 defining a hole in the base 54 of the keepsake as a unitary part of the keepsake . thus , when the floral bouquet ( not shown ) has lived out its useful life , and the container 56 and probe 58 are no longer needed , the keepsake 50 is simply removed and the receptacle 52 serves as a permanent part of the base 54 of the keepsake for placement on a flat surface . fig6 shows a floral bouquet assembled with a keepsake that does not incorporate an integral receptacle . in this example , a large cylindrical candle 60 have a base 61 is supported by an intermediate support 62 having a base plate 64 and gripping members 66 to secure the candle 60 thereto . projecting normally from the underside of the base plate 64 is a receptacle 68 defining a hole 69 . as shown , this receptacle is substantially tubular - shaped and frictionally engages the probe 70 in exactly the same manner as described in the previous embodiments . the base plate 64 has a top surface , a bottom surface and a peripheral edge , and a shape , in this case circular , that supports a keepsake having a base of a similar shape and size . however , it is understood that base plates and mating keepsakes of any of a variety of shapes and sizes are possible . the intermediate support 62 may be made of any suitable material , such as plastic or metal and may be assembled from individual components or molded or cast as a unitary assembly . in the embodiment shown , the gripping members 66 are connected at various locations around the circumference of the base plate 64 , normal to the top surface 14 . in this embodiment , wherein the base plate 64 takes the shape of a round disk , two of the gripping members 66 are directly opposite and facing each other and the third is located substantially equidistant between the first two members . thus , almost half of the circumference of the edge is unobstructed by a gripping member . the unobstructed area provides a point of entry and removal for the keepsake . to assemble , the candle 60 is simply slid into the retention assembly 62 until its base abuts the three gripping members 66 . as shown , these members &# 34 ; hug &# 34 ; the base 61 of the candle 60 and prevents the keepsake from moving in the both the vertical and horizontal positions . as further detailed in fig7 a and 7b , in order to prevent the candle 60 from sliding back out of the intermediate support 62 in the same manner that it was inserted therein , a depressible detente , or protuberance 80 is provided . as shown in fig7 b , the protuberance 80 is located at the edge of the base plate 64 directly or approximately opposite one of the gripping members 66 . when inserting the keepsake 60 into the intermediate support 62 , the base 61 of the keepsake contacts the protuberance 80 and either a lateral sliding force or a downward force deflects it downwardly . when the keepsake 60 is fully inserted , the protuberance 80 snaps back to its original position . at this point , the substantially flat and vertical edge 81 of the protuberance 80 is flush against the base 61 of the keepsake and obstructs its lateral movement in that direction . thus , the keepsake 60 is safely secured to the retention assembly at four points , in particular , the three gripping members 66 and the protuberance 80 . in this way , the final two steps of assembly , namely , snapping the keepsake 60 into the keepsake assembly 62 and safely securing it into place , are accomplished simultaneously , in a matter of seconds , and with practically no effort or skill . it is understood that the gripping members and protuberance of the intermediate support described herein in detail and shown in fig6 a and 7b comprise but one example of an acceptable means for securing a keepsake without an integral receptacle to a probe . other intermediate supports , or means that can support a keepsake while permitting easy detachment of the keepsake from the support , are also acceptable . for example , the base of the keepsake can be temporarily adhered to the top surface of the base plate of the intermediate support with any of a variety of adhesives , adhesive tapes , velcro ®, and other temporary connecting means . these options may eliminate the need for gripping members or other support members or may be used in conjunction with such members . after serving their intended purposes , typically , the molded components of this invention will be discarded along with the old flowers . however , this may not always be the case . an additional feature of this invention is that they , in fact , can be reused repeatedly to create new bouquet / keepsake arrangements . for example , a large quantity of the assemblies of the present invention may be purchased by a florist or a caterer of large affairs for use as reusable centerpieces . at the completion of one event , during which numerous bouquet / keepsake arrangements are displayed , the flowers and keepsakes would typically be removed . the container and keepsake retention assemblies could then be disassembled , cleaned , if necessary , and stored for a future affair . at the appropriate time , the components can then simply be reassembled with new florists &# 39 ; foam , flowers and new ( or existing ) keepsakes in the manner described in detail above . having thus described an exemplary embodiment of the invention , it will be apparent that further alterations , modifications , and improvements will also occur to those skilled in the art . further , it will be apparent that the present invention is not limited to use of a candle and candle retention device . such alterations , modifications , and improvements , though not expressly described or mentioned above , are nonetheless intended and implied to be within the spirit and scope of the invention . accordingly , the foregoing discussion is intended to be illustrative only ; the invention is limited and defined only by the various following claims and equivalents thereto . | 0 |
although certain embodiments of the present invention are described herein , it is understood modifications may be made to the present invention without departing from its course and scope . scope of the present invention is not limited to the number of constituting components , the materials thereof , the shapes thereof , the relative arrangement thereof , etc . furthermore , while the accompanying drawings illustrate certain embodiments of the present invention , such drawings are not necessarily depicted to scale . fig1 illustrates a method 100 for determining a number of threads to maximize system utilization , in accordance with embodiments of the present invention . the method 100 begins with step 102 which determines the current system utilization . step 102 determines the current system utilization . the present invention may observe current system utilization by various means . in one embodiment of the present invention , determining current system utilization 102 is performed by observing the number of clock cycles the processors &# 39 ; cores spend processing data versus the number of clock cycles the cores spend idle , for a given period of time . for example , if during a period of time the cores perform calculations for 25 clock cycles and sit idle for 75 clock cycles , the current utilization is 0 . 25 or 25 % utilization . in an alternative embodiment of the present invention , determining current system utilization 102 is performed by identifying the speed of the processor ( s ) residing in the system , identifying the number of clock cycles a given set of instructions requires , and measuring the time necessary for the processor core ( s ) to perform the instructions . for example , the system utilizes a single processor with a clock speed of one billion cycles per second ( 1 ghz ) and performs one billion instructions for the target application in two ( 2 ) seconds . assuming no other application utilizes the core ( s ) during the two seconds , the current utilization is 0 . 5 or 50 % utilization . in another alternative embodiment of the present invention , the determination of current system utilization 102 may be performed by sending to the operating system ( os ) a request for the current system utilization value and thereinafter receiving the current system utilization value from the os . while particular embodiments of determining the current system utilization are described herein for purposes of illustration , many modifications and changes will become apparent to those skilled in the art . after completion of step 102 , the method 100 continues with step 104 which determines the current thread count for all active applications . the present invention subscribes to the assumption that the absolute time during which no processor utilization takes place is invariant to the number of threads . for example , the current utilization for 1 thread is 0 . 25 or 25 % and the 75 % of idleness equals 3 seconds of processing time . after raising the number of threads so that the utilization is 99 %, the duration in which a single thread idles is still 3 seconds . this assumption is for example met in client - server scenarios , where the application runs on a client and is idle while making calls to the server . since the server is significantly bigger dimensioned than a client , the response time might remain constant while raising the number of threads . another example would be a system with hardware that is being called by the threads . if said hardware device is significantly bigger dimensioned than would be necessary to serve a few simultaneous requests , it can be assumed that response times will remain constant with increasing number of threads if the number of threads is not too high . step 104 determines the current thread count for all active applications . in one embodiment of the present invention , step 104 determines the thread count by polling each active application for the number of threads created therein . each of the active applications would return the number of threads it manages and step 104 would calculate the summation of threads for the active applications . in another alternative embodiment of the present invention , the determination of current thread count 104 may be performed by sending to the operating system ( os ) a request for the current thread count value and thereinafter receiving the current thread count value from the os . while particular embodiments of determining the current thread count are described herein for purposes of illustration , many modifications and changes will become apparent to those skilled in the art . after completion of step 104 , the method 100 continues with step 106 which determines the number of processor cores residing in the system . step 106 determines the number of processor cores residing in the system . in one embodiment of the present invention , step 106 determines the core count by sending to the operating system ( os ) a request for the current core count value and thereinafter receiving the current core count value from the os . while particular embodiments of determining the current processor core count are described herein for purposes of illustration , many modifications and changes will become apparent to those skilled in the art . after completion of step 106 , the method 100 continues with step 108 which receives an optimum system utilization value from an end user . step 108 receives an optimum system utilization value from an end user . the optimum system utilization represents the desired percentage of time the processor core ( s ) are not performing instructions for active applications . in one embodiment of the present invention , the optimum system utilization value is in the form of a decimal , for example 0 . 95 . the value 0 . 95 corresponds to the core ( s ) performing instructions for active applications 95 % of the time . after completion of step 108 , the method 100 continues with step 110 which calculates the optimum thread count . step 110 calculates the optimum thread count . the optimum thread count represents the number of threads required to achieve a level of system utilization equal to the value received in step 108 , supra . the optimum thread count is derived from a function applying the current system utilization value of step 102 , the current thread count value of step 104 , the current processor core count value of step 106 , and the optimum system utilization value of step 108 . where v 5 corresponds to the optimum thread count ( the number possibly requiring rounding ), v 4 corresponds to the optimum system utilization value of step 108 , v 3 corresponds to the number of processor cores value of step 106 , v 2 corresponds to the current thread count value of step 104 , and v 1 corresponds to the current system utilization value of step 102 . the above stated formula is derived from the fact that the utilization of the system by the threads can be modeled as a binomial distribution : p is the probability that the application is using cycles ( e . g . not idle ) at a specific point in time , n is the total number of threads . hence the probability p that the number of threads using cycles k at a specific point in time is k is : p ( k = k )=( k n ) p k ( 1 − p ) ( n - k ) since the probability that at least 1 thread is using cycles at a specific point in time p ( k & gt ; 0 ) is identical to 1 − p ( k = 0 ), we hold : solving this equation to n yields the basis of the equation above . other scenarios might need different distribution functions . other distribution functions can be used to yield the respective formulas to determine the optimum number of threads , and this invention is not limited to binomial distribution - based functions . after completion of step 110 , the method continues with step 112 which sends the optimum thread count value v 5 to the running applications . step 112 sends the optimum thread count value v 5 to the running applications wherein the running applications can adjust their number of threads to ensure optimum system utilization . in contrast to the dynamic approach where the number of threads is changed and the impact on the system monitored ( which consumes additional cycles by itself ), only the information of a single run is necessary . while said dynamic approach can cause corner cases where the number of threads will alternate between two or more values due to rounding errors , and is prone to unnecessarily change the number of threads due to brief periods of time with different system load , this approach will not be affected by any of these problems . in an alternative embodiment of the present invention , the method 100 may send the optimum thread count value v 5 to the operating system wherein the operating system controls the number of threads being created by active applications . thus by controlling the number of threads created by active applications , the operating system facilitates optimum system utilization . after completion of step 112 , the method 100 ends . in an alternative embodiment of the present invention , the method 100 forgoes the step 104 which determines the current thread count . in this alternative embodiment , the current thread count is already known since the user configured the application before or during startup with a specific thread count . therefore , since the number of current threads is fixed and known , the step 104 is not necessary and therefore skipped . in an alternative embodiment of the present invention , the method 100 repeats steps 102 through 112 cyclically according to a period of time provided by an end user . by repeating steps 102 through 112 cyclically , the present invention takes into account changing conditions in the computer system . for example , the utilization of a computer system may fluctuate between times of heave use and times of relatively minimal use throughout the day . by repeating the method 100 , an optimum number of threads may be implemented depending on the current system utilization . in another alternative embodiment of the present invention , the method 100 repeats steps 102 , 104 , 108 , 110 , and 112 cyclically according to a period of time provided by an end user . moreover , step 106 ( determining current core count ) is specifically not repeated for there may be situations where the number of available processor cores does not change between successive instances of the method 100 . in another alternative embodiment of the present invention , the method 100 repeats steps 102 , 106 , 108 , 110 , and 112 cyclically according to a period of time provided by an end user . moreover , step 104 ( determining current thread count ) is specifically not repeated for the present invention may utilize the optimum thread count calculated in step 110 of the previous instance of the method 100 . therefore , since the number of threads has not changed since the previous invocation of the method 100 , the need to calculate the current thread count is unnecessary . in another alternative embodiment of the present invention , the method 100 repeats steps 102 , 108 , 110 , and 112 cyclically and according to a period of time provided by an end user . moreover , steps 104 and 106 are specifically not repeated for the reasons provide supra . in another embodiment of the present invention , the method 100 repeats steps 102 , 104 , 106 , 110 , and 112 cyclically and according to a period of time provided by an end user . moreover , step 108 ( receive optimum system utilization ) is specifically not repeated since the optimum system utilization may not change between subsequent invocations of the method 100 . in another embodiment of the present invention , the method 100 repeats step 102 , 104 , 110 , and 112 cyclically and according to a period of time provided by an end user . moreover , the steps 106 and 108 are specifically not repeated for the reasons provided supra . a feature of the present invention is the fact that the method 100 can optimize a single - core system as well as multi - core systems . this is due to the fact that even a single processor can become overloaded with threads forcing some threads to wait for processor time . since each additional thread introduces an overhead to context switches , administering of threads in the operating system , etc ., valuable cycles are wasted if the number of threads exceeds the optimum . additionally , with too few threads created the processor cores may sit idly by waiting for additional instructions from active applications . by determining the optimum number of threads , the active applications can better utilize the processor &# 39 ; s capabilities . fig2 illustrates a computer system 900 which may facilitate a method for determining a number of threads to maximize system utilization , in accordance with embodiments of the present invention . the computer system 900 comprises a processor 908 ( may have multiple cores ), an input device 906 coupled to the processor 908 , an output device 910 coupled to the processor 908 , and memory devices 902 and 912 each coupled to the processor 908 . the input device 906 may be , inter alia , a keyboard , a mouse , a keypad , a touchscreen , a voice recognition device , a sensor , a network interface card ( nic ), a voice / video over internet protocol ( voip ) adapter , a wireless adapter , a telephone adapter , a dedicated circuit adapter , etc . the output device 910 may be , inter alia , a printer , a plotter , a computer screen , a magnetic tape , a removable hard disk , a floppy disk , a nic , a voip adapter , a wireless adapter , a telephone adapter , a dedicated circuit adapter , an audio and / or visual signal generator , a light emitting diode ( led ), etc . the memory devices 902 and 912 may be , inter alia , a cache , a dynamic random access memory ( dram ), a read - only memory ( rom ), a hard disk , a floppy disk , a magnetic tape , an optical storage such as a compact disc ( cd ) or a digital video disc ( dvd ), etc . the memory device 912 includes a computer code 914 which is a computer program that comprises computer - executable instructions . the computer code 914 includes , inter alia , an algorithm used for determining the number of threads for optimum system utilization according to the present invention . the processor 908 executes the computer code 914 . the memory device 902 includes input data 904 . the input data 904 includes input required by the computer code 914 . the output device 910 displays output from the computer code 914 . either or both memory devices 902 and 912 ( or one or more additional memory devices not shown in fig2 ) may be used as a computer usable medium ( or a computer readable medium or a program storage device ) having a computer readable program embodied therein and / or having other data stored therein , wherein the computer readable program comprises the computer code 914 . generally , a computer program product ( or , alternatively , an article of manufacture ) of the computer system 900 may comprise said computer usable medium ( or said program storage device ). any of the components of the present invention can be deployed , managed , serviced , etc . by a service provider that offers to deploy or integrate computing infrastructure with respect to a process for determining a number of threads to maximize system utilization . thus , the present invention discloses a process for supporting computer infrastructure , comprising integrating , hosting , maintaining and deploying computer - readable code into a computing system ( e . g ., computing system 900 ), wherein the code in combination with the computing system is capable of performing a method for determining a number of threads to maximize system utilization . in another embodiment , the invention provides a business method that performs the process steps of the invention on a subscription , advertising and / or fee basis . that is , a service provider , such as a solution integrator , can offer to create , maintain , support , etc . a process for determining the number of threads for optimum system utilization . in this case , the service provider can create , maintain , support , etc . a computer infrastructure that performs the process steps of the invention for one or more customers . in return , the service provider can receive payment from the customer ( s ) under a subscription and / or fee agreement , and / or the service provider can receive payment from the sale of advertising content to one or more third parties . while fig2 shows the computer system 900 as a particular configuration of hardware and software , any configuration of hardware and software , as would be known to a person of ordinary skill in the art , may be utilized for the purposes stated supra in conjunction with the particular computer system 900 of fig2 . for example , the memory devices 902 and 912 may be portions of a single memory device rather than separate memory devices . while particular embodiments of the present invention have been described herein for purposes of illustration , many modifications and changes will become apparent to those skilled in the art . accordingly , the appended claims are intended to encompass all such modifications and changes as fall within the true spirit and scope of this invention . | 6 |
hereinbelow , embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings . fig1 shows a chemicals mixing container 1 according to a first embodiment of the invention . the chemicals mixing container 1 stores therein two kinds of chemicals , isolatedly , particularly a powder material and a liquid material , for generating amalgam or other dental materials , bone cement or other medical materials and the like , and at a time of use , the chemicals mixing container 1 is to mix constituents of those materials to generate a desired mixture ( or reaction product ) and , as required , eject ( extrude out ) the mixture . the chemicals mixing container 1 has a dispensing chamber 3 for containing a liquid material 2 , and a mixing chamber 5 for containing a powder material 4 . the dispensing chamber 3 is defined by a generally tubular shaped dispensing cylinder 6 and a generally disc - shaped dispensing piston 7 fitted in the dispensing cylinder 6 . the mixing chamber 5 is defined by a generally tubular shaped mixing cylinder 8 connected to an outer side of the dispensing piston 7 so as to be rotationally slidable thereon , and an ejecting piston 9 fitted in the mixing cylinder 8 . the mixing cylinder 8 has a tubular shaped outer tube 10 , and an end wall 11 which includes a flat outer wall surface serving as a sliding surface for the dispensing piston 7 , and an inner wall surface curved to make the mixing chamber 5 swollen outside . the ejecting piston 9 is composed of an elastically - deformable , thin plate - shaped elastic partition wall 12 , and an ejection auxiliary member 13 connected to an outer side of the elastic partition wall 12 . the elastic partition wall 12 is in air - tight sliding contact with the inner wall surface of the outer tube 10 of the mixing cylinder 8 over its entire periphery and curved so as to make the mixing chamber 5 swollen toward one side counter to the dispensing piston 7 . the ejection auxiliary member 13 , which has a convex - shaped end face taking after the shape of the inner wall surface of the end wall 11 of the mixing cylinder 8 , is formed integrally with the elastic partition wall 12 . in sliding surfaces of the dispensing piston 7 and the mixing cylinder 8 , communicating holes 14 , 15 are formed at positions , respectively , which are eccentric by an equal distance from a rotation axis x of the rotational sliding . in market distribution of the chemicals mixing container 1 and in its storage at medical offices , rotational positions of the dispensing piston 7 and the mixing cylinder 8 are so determined that the communicating holes 14 and 15 are positionally different from each other as shown in fig1 , thereby making the dispensing chamber 3 and the mixing chamber 5 isolated from each other . also , the dispensing cylinder 6 has , outside a wall of one end face thereof , a nozzle 16 formed in integrated connection . the nozzle 16 , which swings against the dispensing cylinder 6 , is fittable to a fitting recess 17 provided outside the end face of the dispensing cylinder 6 . when the nozzle 16 is fitted to the fitting recess 17 , a protrusion of the nozzle 16 extends through a small - thickness bottom portion of the fitting recess 17 so that the dispensing chamber 3 is opened to the outward via the nozzle 16 . for use of the chemicals mixing container 1 , first , as shown in fig2 , the mixing cylinder 8 is rotated relative to the dispensing piston 7 so that the communicating hole 14 of the dispensing piston 7 and the communicating hole 15 of the mixing cylinder 8 are communicated with each other . then , as shown in fig3 , the dispensing piston 7 along with the mixing cylinder 8 and the ejecting piston 9 is pushed deep in the dispensing cylinder 6 to compress the dispensing chamber 3 . as a result , the liquid material 2 contained in the dispensing chamber 3 flows into the mixing chamber 5 via the communicating holes 14 , 15 . after the liquid material 2 is injected into the mixing chamber 5 , the chemicals mixing container 1 is well shaken to mix together the liquid material 2 and the powder material 4 to form a mixture ( or reaction product ) 18 . in this case , the inner wall surface of the end wall 11 of the mixing cylinder 8 and the elastic partition wall 12 of the ejecting piston 9 are outwardly swollen in shaped so as to provide larger interior angles of corners formed against the inner wall surface of the outer tube 10 of the mixing cylinder 8 , so that the liquid material 2 and the powder material 4 are less likely to be accumulated at the corners of the mixing chamber 5 . this facilitates an unevenness - free , uniform mixing of the liquid material 2 and the powder material 4 . once the liquid material 2 and the powder material 4 have been mixed enough , the nozzle 16 is set to the fitting recess 17 so as to form an ejection path for the mixture 18 of the liquid material 2 and the powder material 4 as shown in fig4 . then , as shown in fig5 , pushing in the ejecting piston 9 allows the mixture 18 within the mixing chamber 5 to be extruded out through the nozzle 16 . that is , the communicating hole 15 in the end wall 11 of the mixing cylinder 8 serves as an ejection hole for ejecting the mixture 18 from the mixing chamber 5 via the nozzle 16 . the inner wall surface of the end wall 11 of the mixing cylinder 8 and the elastic partition wall 12 of the ejecting piston 9 are curved in mutually counter directions so as to make the mixing chamber 5 swollen outward . therefore , as shown in fig5 , the outer peripheral portion of the elastic partition wall 12 comes into contact with the inner wall surface of the end wall 11 before the mixing chamber 5 is compressed small enough . however , since the elastic partition wall 12 is elastically deformable , further pushing in the ejecting piston 9 allows the elastic partition wall 12 to be warped in a reverse direction so as to be caved inward of the mixing chamber 5 until the outer peripheral portion of the elastic partition wall 12 comes into contact with the ejection auxiliary member 13 as shown in fig6 . since the ejection auxiliary member 13 has a shape taking after the inner wall surface of the end wall 11 , the ejecting piston 9 can make the mixing chamber 5 generally zero in capacity as shown in the figure . that is , the mixture 18 resulting from mixing together the liquid material 2 and the powder material 4 is ejected eventually in its generally full amount from the nozzle 16 according to a push - in extent of the ejecting piston 9 . further , fig7 shows a chemicals mixing container 1 according to a second embodiment of the invention . it is noted that in the following description , the same component members as those described above are designated by the same reference signs and their description is omitted . in the chemicals mixing container 1 , the mixing cylinder 8 is connected to the dispensing cylinder 6 so as to be rotationally slidable thereon . in this embodiment , the dispensing chamber 3 is smaller in diameter than the mixing chamber 5 and eccentric to the rotation axis x of the dispensing cylinder 6 and the mixing cylinder 8 . in this embodiment , the nozzle 16 is formed so as to be preliminarily opened to the sliding surface of the dispensing cylinder 6 against the mixing cylinder 8 . fig8 shows a state of the chemicals mixing container 1 of this embodiment as viewed from its front on the nozzle 16 side . as shown in the figure , the communicating hole 15 of the mixing cylinder 8 can be communicated with either the dispensing chamber 3 or the nozzle 16 depending on a rotational position of the mixing cylinder 8 relative to the dispensing cylinder 6 . consequently , also in the chemicals mixing container 1 of this embodiment , by rotating the mixing cylinder 8 relative to the dispensing cylinder 6 so that the communicating hole 15 is communicated with the dispensing chamber 3 , the liquid material 2 can be injected into the mixing chamber 5 as shown in fig9 . the mixing chamber 5 of this embodiment also is a space which has no acute interior angles and which is formed by the inner wall surface of the tubular shaped outer tube 10 of the mixing cylinder 8 , the outwardly swollen inner wall surface of the end wall 11 , and the outwardly swollen elastic partition wall 12 . therefore , the liquid material 2 or the powder material 4 is less likely to be accumulated at corners , making it possible to achieve an efficient stirring . in this embodiment , further , by rotating the mixing cylinder 8 relative to the dispensing cylinder 6 so that the communicating hole ( ejection hole ) 15 is communicated with the nozzle 16 , the mixture 18 resulting from mixing together the liquid material 2 and the powder material 4 can be ejected in its generally full amount from the nozzle 16 according to a push - in extent of the ejecting piston 9 . further , fig1 shows a chemicals mixing container 1 according to a third embodiment of the invention . in this embodiment , the elastic partition wall and the ejection auxiliary member 13 are formed independent of each other . the elastic partition wall 12 has a cylindrical portion 12 a which extends cylindrically outside the mixing chamber 5 so as to be inscribed on the inner wall surface of the outer tube 10 of the mixing cylinder 8 . the ejection auxiliary member 13 is a generally tubular shaped cylinder which is fitted into the cylindrical portion 12 a of the elastic partition wall 12 and which has an end wall having , at one end , a convex shaped end face taking after the inner wall surface of the end wall of the mixing cylinder 8 . further , in this chemicals mixing container 1 , an operation piston 19 is fitted within the cylindrical portion of the ejection auxiliary member 13 , and the dispensing chamber 3 for containing the liquid material 2 is formed inside the ejection auxiliary member 13 . the ejection auxiliary member 13 is rotatable relative to the elastic partition wall 12 within a specified angular range while sliding in contact with the elastic partition wall 12 . communicating holes 20 , 21 are formed at sliding contact portions of the elastic partition wall 12 and the ejection auxiliary member 13 , respectively , and aligning their angular positions with each other allows the dispensing chamber 3 and the mixing chamber 5 to be communicated with each other . also , in the chemicals mixing container 1 of this embodiment , a mis - operation preventing collar 22 for preventing mis - operations is fitted between an end portion of the mixing cylinder 8 and a flange of an end portion of the operation piston 19 . the mis - operation preventing collar 22 is removable for use of the chemicals mixing container 1 . the nozzle 16 of this embodiment , having a spherical body with a flow - through passage formed therein , is rotatably held to an ejection hole 23 formed in the end wall 11 of the mixing cylinder 8 and serves as a ball valve which makes the flow - through passage communicated with the ejection hole 23 or makes the ejection hole 23 sealed by the spherical surface . also , in the inner wall surface of the outer tube of the mixing cylinder 8 is formed a guide groove 25 which receives a protrusion 24 provided at a portion of the outer periphery of the cylindrical portion 12 a of the elastic partition wall 12 so as to restrict a rotational position of the elastic partition wall 12 relative to the mixing cylinder 8 . similarly , in the inner wall surface of the cylindrical portion 12 a of the elastic partition wall 12 is formed a guide groove 27 which receives a protrusion 26 provided at a portion of the outer periphery of the cylindrical portion of the ejection auxiliary member 13 . in the inner wall surface of the cylindrical portion of the ejection auxiliary member 13 is formed a guide groove 29 which receives a protrusion 28 provided at a portion of the outer periphery of the cylindrical portion of the operation piston 19 . these protrusions 24 , 26 , 28 and the guide grooves 25 , 27 , 29 make up a rotation restricting structure for ensuring proper operating procedure for the chemicals mixing container 1 . fig1 shows a developed view of the rotation restricting structure . engagement between the protrusion 24 and the guide groove 25 restricts a rotational range of the elastic partition wall 12 relative to the mixing cylinder 8 , making it possible to push the elastic partition wall 12 inward of the mixing cylinder 8 only while the elastic partition wall is in a specified rotational position . engagement between the protrusion 26 and the guide groove 27 restricts a rotational range of the ejection auxiliary member 13 relative to the elastic partition wall 12 , making it possible to push the ejection auxiliary member 13 inward of the elastic partition wall 12 only while the ejection auxiliary member 13 is in a specified rotational position . engagement between the protrusion 28 and the guide groove 29 restricts a rotational range of the operation piston 19 relative to the ejection auxiliary member 13 , making it possible to push the operation piston 19 inward of the ejection auxiliary member 13 only while the operation piston 19 is in a specified rotational position . fig1 shows the rotation restricting structure of the chemicals mixing container 1 in a storage state before use . in this state , since the protrusions 24 , 26 , 28 are restricted in their axial movement by the guide grooves 25 , 27 , 29 , respectively , the operation piston 19 cannot be pushed into the mixing cylinder 8 , the elastic partition wall 12 and the ejection auxiliary member 13 even if the mis - operation preventing collar 22 is removed . for use of the chemicals mixing container 1 , first , a user rotates the operation piston 19 counterclockwise relative to the mixing cylinder 8 . then , the protrusion 28 of the operation piston 19 is moved to a left end ( upper end in fig1 ( c ) ) of the guide groove 29 of the ejection auxiliary member 13 . further , the protrusion 28 rotates the guide groove 29 , causing the ejection auxiliary member 13 to be rotated counterclockwise relative to the elastic partition wall 12 . when this rotation has caused the protrusion 26 to reach a left end ( upper end in fig1 ( b ) ) of the guide groove 27 , that is , has caused the ejection auxiliary member 13 to be positioned at a left end of the rotational range relative to the elastic partition wall 12 , the communicating hole 21 of the ejection auxiliary member 13 is communicated with the communicating hole 20 of the elastic partition wall 12 . at this point , since the protrusion 24 of the elastic partition wall 12 is at a left end ( upper end in fig1 ( a ) ) of the guide groove 25 of the mixing cylinder 8 , the operation piston 19 and the ejection auxiliary member 13 cannot be rotated counterclockwise any more . once the operation piston 19 has been rotated counterclockwise as much as possible , the user is allowed to push the operation piston 19 into the ejection auxiliary member 13 . in this state , the protrusion 24 of the elastic partition wall 12 and the protrusion 26 of the ejection auxiliary member 13 are at the left ends of the guide groove 25 of the mixing cylinder 8 and the guide groove 27 of the elastic partition wall 12 , respectively , being prohibited from moving in the axial direction . as a result of this , only the operation piston 19 can be pushed into the mixing cylinder 8 , i . e ., into the ejection auxiliary member 13 . as described above , the chemicals mixing container 1 ensures a proper procedure of , after making the communicating hole 21 of the ejection auxiliary member 13 communicated with the communicating hole 20 of the elastic partition wall 12 , pushing the operation piston 19 into the ejection auxiliary member 13 to compress the dispensing chamber 3 so that the liquid material 2 is injected into the mixing chamber 5 . after this chemicals mixing container 1 is shaken enough to mix the liquid material 2 and the powder material 4 together with the mixture 18 generated , the user rotates the operation piston 19 this time clockwise as much as possible so that the nozzle 16 coincides with the ejection hole 23 , thus making it possible to push the ejection auxiliary member 13 and the elastic partition wall 12 into the mixing cylinder 8 by the operation piston 19 to extrude the mixture 18 out . in more detail , since the protrusion 28 has been moved to a depth of the guide groove 29 as a result of pushing the operation piston 19 into the ejection auxiliary member 13 , the operation piston 19 cannot be rotated relative to the ejection auxiliary member 13 . the ejection auxiliary member 13 is rotated inside the elastic partition wall 12 to make the protrusion 26 moved to a right end ( lower end in fig1 ( b ) ) of the guide groove 27 . as a result of this rotation , the communicating hole 20 of the elastic partition wall 12 and the communicating hole 21 of the ejection auxiliary member 13 are separated from each other . further , the elastic partition wall 12 is rotated inside the mixing cylinder 8 to make the protrusion 24 moved to the right end ( lower end in fig1 ( a ) ) of the guide groove 25 . as a result , the protrusion 24 and the protrusion 26 are allowed to move deeper ( leftward in fig1 ) in axial portions of the guide groove 25 and the guide groove 27 . an outer peripheral portion of the end wall of the elastic partition wall 12 , when coming into contact with the inner wall surface of the end wall 11 of the mixing cylinder 8 , is elastically deformed and caved toward the mixing chamber 5 by the ejection auxiliary member 13 to compress the remaining space of the mixing chamber 5 , thus allowing the mixture 18 to be discharged via the nozzle 16 without any remainders . upon the elastic deformation by the ejection auxiliary member 13 , the cylindrical portion 12 a of the elastic partition wall 12 is brought into a wide close contact with the inner wall surface of the outer tube 10 of the mixing cylinder 8 , thus ensuring the sealing of the mixing chamber 5 . further , fig1 shows a chemicals mixing container 1 according to a fourth embodiment of the invention . in this embodiment , a piston 32 having two partition walls 30 , 31 is fitted in the dispensing chamber 3 formed in the end wall of the mixing cylinder 8 in order that the liquid material 2 is contained between the partition walls 30 , 31 of the piston 32 . in this embodiment , the piston 32 cannot be pushed in unless the mis - operation preventing collar 22 is removed . once the piston 32 is pushed in so as to inject the liquid material 2 into the mixing chamber 5 , the piston 32 is brought back , thereby sealing the mixing chamber 5 by the partition wall 30 . then , the chemicals mixing container 1 is shaken , by which the liquid material 2 and the powder material 4 are mixed together . further , fig1 shows a chemicals mixing container 1 according to a fifth embodiment of the invention . in this embodiment , a piston 32 for forming the dispensing chamber 3 to contain the liquid material 2 therein is provided inside the ejecting piston 9 in which the elastic partition wall 12 and the ejection auxiliary member 13 are integrally formed . as shown by these embodiments , for the present invention , various changes and modifications are possible within such a scope as does not impair the function of the ejection auxiliary member 13 that makes the elastic partition wall 12 swollen inwardly from outside during the ejection of the mixture 18 while the end wall 11 of the mixing cylinder 8 and the elastic partition wall 12 are maintained in outwardly swollen configurations . | 1 |
the present invention establishes a two - input , two - output circuit structure ( the outputs are from the identical node ) that may be substituted for the 2 - luts that represent the circles in fig2 . the circuit structure is based on two elements : a one - input lut ( 1 - lut ) and a resistor . it is also a requirement that the 1 - lut have a finite input impedance for reasons that will be made clear . the 1 - lut is shown abstractly in fig3 as a two terminal function , one terminal being input and one output . as a boolean structure , the function can only have two values , one for when the input is set to logical zero ( 0 ) and one for when the input is set to logical one ( 1 ). the function of a 1 - lut , being programmable , can be drawn from a set of only four ( 2 ^ 2 ^ 1 ) possibilities , also shown in fig3 , which include zero , invert , true , and one . the 1 - lut can be implemented , like other luts and boolean structures , in many ways . it can be represented as a boolean equation f ( a )= a ′* f0 + a * f1 , where the prime (′) indicates inversion , the asterisk a logical and (*), and the plus sign (+) a logical or . it can also be represented as a vlsi circuit , as shown in fig4 . two 1 - luts are then combined with resistors to form the basic circuit structure shown in fig5 a . a resistor is shown in series with the 1 - lut to form the structure in fig5 b . two copies of this structure are conjoined as shown in fig5 c , which under certain conditions creates a logic gate , such as the and gate suggested in fig5 d . the logic gate in fig5 d is realized as a by - product of the summing junction formed by the combination of the series resistors and a load resistor . the circuit configuration that gives rise to the “ opportunistic ” logic gate is shown in fig6 . a new resistor is shown in this fig . ( r_load ); this resistor represents the input impedance of the next circuit stage . it is a necessary condition that the input impedance ( r_input ) of the fig5 a structure be finite . when the fig5 c structures are connected in substitution of the circles in fig2 , then any particular output node must drive two more similar nodes . hence , r_load represents the parallel impedance of two stages , i . e . r_load = r_input / 2 . given such a network , it is possible to readily establish the output voltage ( v c ) from ordinary circuit theory : as a logic gate , the fig6 is a relatively fragile structure , and it is not generally able to produce logically useful behavior , such as an and or an or gate . to examine the optimum conditions for such logical behaviors , it is necessary to establish the parameters of a logic system under which these structures must operate and examine which ( if any ) values of r and r_load will produce logical behavior . for this purpose , it is sufficient to define the ratio r / r_load as a single parameter ( r ), and then examine the requirements for input and output voltage as they are affected by variations in this parameter . the necessary voltage definitions are as follows : v oh — the voltage output supplied to terminal a or b of fig6 , corresponding to the worst case ( minimum ) value of voltage corresponding to a logical one . this specifies the guaranteed lowest voltage corresponding to a logical one . v ol — the voltage output supplied to terminal a or b of fig6 , corresponding to the worst case ( maximum ) value of voltage corresponding to a logical zero . this specifies the guaranteed highest voltage corresponding to a logical zero . v il — the highest value of voltage that in an input would be resolved as a logical zero . a voltage higher than this value is not guaranteed to be interpreted as a logical zero . v ih — the lowest value of voltage that in an input would be resolved as a logical one . a voltage falling below this value is not guaranteed to be interpreted as a logical one . these definitions establish a logic system , workable under the assumption that ( in this case ) the 1 - luts regenerate voltages as required to meet the v oh and v ol constraints . this regeneration , in general requires amplification or gain , but the details on how the amplification is achieved is not an important part of the present invention . rather , it is necessary simply to show that the logical behavior of either an and gate or an or gate can be produced at all , which will be done with two simple examples . two examples are based on a nominally unit voltage approach , in which ideally logical 1 = 1 v and logical 0 = 0v . in real circuits , signals undergo degradation and it is necessary to make input circuits tolerant of noise . in the first example , the logic parameters v ol = 0 . 15 , v oh = 0 . 8 , v il = 0 . 25 , and v ih = 0 . 30 . this is considered a workable but relatively poor logic system , due to the choice of input voltage span between logical 0 and logical 1 . for these settings , the equation for vc above is examined under the various input combinations associated with a two - input truth table . the graph in fig7 is produced by examining the worst - case noise margin under the assumption that the fig6 circuit behaves as an and gate , or gate and exclusive - or gate . in this graph , the ratio of r / r_load = r is the independent variable . in this graph , only curves with positive noise margins are viable as a logic function . as shown in fig7 , both the and gate and or gate are potentially constructible at r - values of 2 . 64 and 0 . 275 , respectively . of the two functions , the or gate has the better noise margin . a second example employs the logic parameters v ol = 0 . 15 , v oh = 0 . 8 , v il = 0 . 45 , and v ih = 0 . 55 . this selection might be considered a better choice for a language system since the input window is more centered within the output window , where the windows are defined as the span between the high and low voltages . the results , shown in fig8 , reveal that it is possible to produce only an and gate behavior , which is maximal at an approximate r - value of 0 . 55 . a single fig5 c structure , when used to replace a 2 - lut in fig2 , is not capable of realizing all of the 2 - input boolean functions ( there are 2 ^ 2 ^ 2 = 16 of these functions ). fig9 demonstrates all exhaustive combinations of the fig5 c structure , revealing that only 10 of the 16 possible boolean functions are realized in this structure . in this case , an and is shown as the combiner gate for the conjoined luts . it can be shown that substituting an or gate for the and gate ( which could occur in some cases ) does not change the number of realizable functions . since a system for universal computation must compute not only all functions of 2 inputs but also ultimately all functions of arbitrarily large input spaces , then it is necessary to demonstrate an approach to achieve these extensions . this is readily done by first showing the completion of the two - input space and then the extension to larger input spaces . all of these extensions take advantage of the well - known shannon decomposition equation for logic : f ( x 1 , x 2 , x 3 , . . . x n )= { overscore ( x 1 )} f ( 0 , x 2 , x 3 , . . . x n )+ x 1 f ( 1 , x 2 , x 3 , . . . x n ) f ( a , b )= āf ( 0 , b )+ af ( 1 , b ) since f ( 0 , b ) and f ( 1 , b ) depend only on b , they may be replaced with 1 - luts ( though not generally the same 1 - lut function ). it is straightforward to compose a 2 - lut from the fig5 d structures , and this construction is shown in fig1 . the bounding box is defined as the product of the minimum number of rows and columns required to implement a function in a grid similar to fig1 or 2 . in this case of course , the fig1 grid is identical to the fig2 grid in which each circle is replaced with the structures developed in fig5 d . a bounding box is the minimum grid size ( measured by the number or pitch of cells ) necessary to contain a circuit . in this case , the bounding box size is eight ( it is believed that this is a lower bound on the size of the box ), which suggests that the new structures achieve flexibility at the price of efficiency . for this reason , the present invention is not considered an efficient way to build a programmable network in , for example , contemporary silicon vlsi , even though it would be quite simple to do so . rather , the present invention is expected to find use in situations where only the most primitive building block structures are available and the disadvantage of inefficiency is offset by the advantage of establishing a practical way of performing computation . a prime example of a prospective medium in which this situation seems to exist today is molecular electronics , where the sheer density of molecules in matter is likely to offset inefficiencies of the type represented in this proposed invention , at least when the invention is compared to for example a contemporary silicon programmable logic array . it is also important to note that the bound shown in fig1 is a worst case bound . most of the 16 possible two - input functions can be realized with much smaller bounding boxes . as demonstrated in fig1 , ten of the 16 two - input boolean functions can be realized with a bounding box size of 2 , the minimum possible bounding box ( only one actual cell of computation is required , but the box size is two due to the two inputs ). in fig1 , increasing the bounding box size to four results in expanding the set of realizable two - input functions to 14 . only two of the 16 two - input boolean functions , namely the xor / xnor or odd / even parity functions , require the maximal bounding box size , as shown in fig1 . again , for the work done in these completeness examples , the assumption of the and gate for the conjoining function depicted in fig5 d is assumed . as shown in fig7 , it is possible to have or gate behavior under certain conditions . it is on that basis , on consideration of duality , that all of these examples could equally be recreated using the or gate instead of the and gate . having shown the extension of the fig5 d structure to implement the complete set of two - input functions , it is necessary to show that functions of arbitrary size can also be implemented , so long as the dimensions of the bounding box are large enough . this can be done with a simple inductive proof , involving a base case and an induction step . the base case , the 2 - lut , has already been shown in fig1 . the induction step involves showing the construction of a ( n + 1 )- lut from n - luts , which involves once again shannon &# 39 ; s decomposition : f ( x 1 , x 2 , x 3 , . . . x n )= { overscore ( x n + 1 )} f ( x 1 , x 2 , x 3 , . . . x n , 0 )+ x n + 1 f ( x 1 , x 2 , x 3 , . . . x n , 1 ) this construction is shown in fig1 . if the bounding box of an n - lut is p × q ( p rows , q columns ), then the resulting minimum bounding box is readily shown to be ( p + 4 )×( 2q + 1 ). this construction not only completes the proof , but seems to establish a lower bound on the size growth of the bounding box with higher input dimensionality or “ arity ”. it is in fact more involved than suggested in fig1 , since it is necessary to consider how the signal of the newly constructed lut function must be routed , which will add to the number of rows required in a progressing of luts constructed from recursively simpler ones . furthermore , the lut brute force construction method of embedding smaller luts within larger ones is not the most efficient way of building luts , as suggested in a number of works in the field of circuit complexity field ( see , for example , ingo wegener , the complexity of boolean functions , copyrighted 1987 by john wiley & amp ; sons ltd ). those works , while generally applicable to networks such as those shown in fig1 and fig2 , have not been considered in light of the special constraints imposed by connectivity limitations of the network . extensions of the basic concept . one important property of a network based on fig5 b structures is that they form computation from a network of two - terminal ( notwithstanding power , clock , and configuration connections ) structures . fig1 illustrates a representation of the fig2 network , where the circles have been replaced by fig5 c structures , and the network is then “ flattened ” into a network of primitive structures . it is clear upon further reflection of this flattened network that many alternative arrangement of the fig5 b building blocks can be conceived . the resistive conjunction approach may be extrapolated to 3 or more elements , meaning that it may be possible to build 3 - terminal , 4 - terminal , or n - terminal structures by permitting more copies of the fig5 b to join together . such arrangements may be convenient in processes whereby copies of the fig5 b network are formed through self - assembly , some easier to achieve than even the fig1 network . for example , the fig1 network possesses a greater symmetry than fig1 , and this network corresponds to the fig1 network where the 3 - lut structures are replaced by a unit similar to fig5 c / fig5 d , but with three input terminals instead of two . such networks would differ only in degree with those associated with the two - input / two - output networks described earlier . the notion of conjoining a variable number of fig5 b structures has great potential in building computing structures that are more defect tolerant . the addition of a spurious element or the vacancy of an element need not have a disastrous impact on functionality even at a localized level . far more important is the possibility of exploiting the technique in the formation of amorphous computation networks . one technique for realizing such a network is suggested in fig1 . this concept is based on a technique for building a linear strand of fig5 b elements , in which a number of copies follow one after another in a one - dimensional repetitive structure ( fig1 a ). a number of such strands might be placed alongside each other as shown in fig1 b . under some circumstance it might be possible that the strands would intertwine with a somewhat randomized geometry . with no particular pattern , some junctions of one strand might connect to junctions on other strands , forming a network that has localized structures such as those shown in fig5 c with one , two , or more strands participating at any given point . in fact , even a non - stranded format , a number of loose individual structures in the fig5 b construction might be permitted to self - organize into random arrangements . these random arrangements would contain elements that would co - join , once again forming an amorphous computation network . to be accurate in effectively designing circuits with such networks , it would be necessary to perform a number of the analyses as shown in fig7 and fig8 to confirm which of the opportunistic m × 1 - lut networks so formed would effectively operate as logic structures , programmable or not . it is likely a necessary condition that most of the opportunistic lut structures do not decrease the effective expressive capacity of the overall amorphous computing network . the advantage of the proposed invention is that it leads to simpler constructions for the building blocks within the architectures , shown in fig1 and 2 as circles . the disadvantage is that the size of the network in general must be larger to accomplish the same types of functions , which is due to the lack of universality of a single cell ( fig5 d ). the lack of universality is solved by adding other cells , resulting in a need to expand the network size . | 7 |
basically , the present invention is intended to control the combustion by giving a moderate swirling of a small scale of turbulence to the combustion air . this can be achieved by giving a swirl to the combustion air by means of a swirler disposed in the vicinity of the fuel injection port . alternatively , as will be described later with reference to fig4 a guide ring 10 is disposed to surround the diffuser so as to eliminate the axial flow of the air through the annular space around the diffuser , the axial flow constituting the major cause of increase of the scale of turbulency , so that the secondary air may be constituted solely by the external swirling flow . according to the invention , the velocity and strength of swirl of the combustion air flow are moderated and optimized by adjusting the area of passage for air in the swirler and the angle of vanes of the swirler , thereby to obtain a desired flow pattern in the combustion chamber . fig3 i shows a side elevational sectional view of a combustion system having a burner suitable for use in carrying out the combustion method of the invention , while fig3 ii is a schematic illustration of a swirler of the combustion system shown in fig3 i . the combustion system shown in these figures are different from the conventional combustion system in that the register vanes in the wind box are eliminated and the swirl is given by a swirler 9 disposed around the burner tip 7 from which the fuel is injected . as will be explained later , the swirler is located preferably within 200 mm from the position of fuel injection ( tip end ). fig4 shows another example of the combustion system suitable for use in carrying out the method of the invention . more specifically , fig4 i is a side elevational sectional view , fig . ii is a sectional view taken along the line a -- a and fig4 iii is a schematic illustration of the swirler . this combustion system is characterized in that a cylindrical guide ring 10 is disposed around the diffuser 8 to eliminate the axial flow of air , which flows through the annular space between the diffuser 8 and the circle contacting the inner side of the swirler 9 and which constitutes the major cause of increase of scale of the turbulency , so as to make the secondary air as shown in fig2 solely by the external swirl of air . in each case of the combustion systems of fig3 and 4 , the flow velocity of the combustion air and the strength of the swirl are adjusted and optimized by adjustment of the area of passage for combustion air through the swirler 9 , angle of vanes of the swirler and the like factors . as a result , a desired flow pattern is established in the combustion chamber . according to the invention , an oil pressure injection burner generally having a spray angle of 30 ° to 80 ° or a two - fluid injection valve is preferably used . in case of a furnace having a low heat liberation rate such as industrial furnace , a straight injection type burner can be used , as well as a burner with a deflecting tip having an inclination angle of 5 ° to 45 ° to the air stream axis . fig5 illustrates the process of combustion in accordance with the combustion method of the invention . a swirler which provides a suitable swirl strength and flow velocity is attached to the near portion of the burner tip so as to obtain a desired flow pattern . the fuel is injected to the inside of the spirally spreading flow of external swirling air . as a result , a part of the fuel is mixed with the primary air of low velocity and with a part of the external swirling air in a heterogeneous state and makes a combustion in the state of an excessively fuel rich mixture . then , the remainder part of the fuel which has not been burnt in the region of the excessively rich mixture is uniformly mixed with the external swirling flow of high velocity in a homogeneous state to complete the combustion in the state of a fuel lean mixture . the combustion method of the invention , therefore , resembles multi - staged combustion ( two - staged combustion ) which is known per se . in addition , thanks to the self flue gas recirculation effect caused by the inside circulating vortex which is peculiar to the external swirling flow , the maximum flame temperature , as well as the local oxygen partial pressure is decreased to make a sufficient suppression of the thermal nox and fuel nox . in addition , the flame is enveloped by the external swirling air to complete the combustion without contacting the furnace wall or water tube . as a result , the generation of soot and co is effectively supressed and , in some cases , the low - oxygen combustion becomes possible to improve the boiler efficiency . this feature constitute one of the advantages brought about by the combustion method of the invention . fig6 is a graph showing the relationship between the dustance l of the burner tip end 7 from the inner end of the swirler as shown in fig3 and the rate of reduction of nox . this relationship was observed through an experiment which was carried out by changing the relative distance l by changing the position of the swirler while keeping the burner tip end stationary . also , the rate of reduction of nox (%) is given as the rate of reduction of nox generation in relation to the nox generation observed when a radial flow type register vanes are used . in fig6 the mark x shows a case in which the deposition of carbon was caused to hinder the practical use . from fig6 it will be apparent that a larger reduction of nox generation is obtained as the distance between the burner tip and the swirler is reduced , and the effect of reduction of nox generation is decreased as the relative distance between the burner tip and the swirler is increased . at the same time , the increase of the relative distance enhances the tendency of deposition of carbon to the burner tip , which in unfavourable from the view point of operation of the boiler . therefore , it is preferred to locate the swirler at a position as close as possible to the burner tip . this can be understood also from the mechanism of reduction of nox generation upon which the combustion method of the invention relies . the maximum relative distance varies depending on the construction of the combustion system . however , generally , it is preferred to locate the swirler at a position upstream from the burner tip end and within 200 mm from the latter . in case of the burner having a diffuser as shown in fig4 the arrangement may be such that the inner axial end of the swirler is positioned at the downstream side of the burner tip end . in such a case , the distance between the burner tip end and the inner axial end of the swirler is preferably not greater than about 200 mm . fig7 is a graph showing how the strength of swirl of the air affects the rate of reduction of nox and generation of smoke . more specifically , fig7 i shows a smoke number of bacharach in relation to the swirl number , while fig7 ii shows the rate of reduction of nox generation . in these figures , the full - line curves and the broken - line curves show the characteristics obtained when a kerosene and a heavy oil is used as the fuel . the mean flow velocity of the combustion air in this case was selected to fall within the range of between 12 m / s and 30 m / s , while the relative position of the swirler and the burner tip end was suitably set to provide sufficiently small generation of nox and smoke . the swirl number s as represented by the following equation is used as the index of the strength of the swirl of air . also , the mean flow velocity was determined by dividing the whole amount of air the outlet area of the swirler . ## equ1 ## in the above equation , d and d represent , respectively , the outside diameter and inside diameter of the swirler , while β represents the swirling angle of inclination of the swirler . ( see fig3 ii , 4 ii and 4 iii .) as will be seen from fig7 i , the generation of smoke is increased as the swirl number s becomes small and also as the swirl number becomes large . also , no remarkable effect of reduction of nox generation is found when the swirl number s is small and large . this is attributable to the fact that the combustion air flow released through the burnertile cannot form a sufficiently grown - up external swirling flow of air when the swirl number is small . in such a case , a flow pattern which is almost an axial flow is formed in the combustion chamber , so that the conically sprayed fuel collides with the combustion air to rapidly form a uniform mixture resulting in a reduced effect of reduction of nox generation . also , since the penetration force of the fuel is strong , the fuel collides with the water tubes ( or furnace wall ) before they are burnt , resulting in a generation of the smoke . to the contrary , when the swirl number is large , the external swirl is spread excessively so that the major flow of the swirl air flows in the close proximity of the water tubes or the furnace wall . as a result , the supply of the combustion air to the central area of the combustion chamber is rendered insufficient to excessively widen the fuel rich zone , so that various unfavourable combustion states occur such as increased production of the smoke or so - called pulsation combustion , although the reduction of nox production is not spoiled . therefore , judging synthetically taking all aspects such as effect of reduction of nox and smoke emission and pulsation combustion , the swirl number is preferably about 0 . 35 to 1 . 5 , more preferably 0 . 4 to 1 . 0 further preferably 0 . 4 to 0 . 6 . it is possible to maintain a good combustion with the swirl number as specified above . in case of an existing or already - constructed boiler , the pressure drop across the swirler is increased to cause a problem of shortage of power of the blower , if the boiler is modified to increase the number of swirl . therefore , in such a case , a comparatively small swirl number , e . g ., 0 . 4 to 0 . 6 is preferably selected from the above specified range . the flow velocity of the combustion air is also an important factor which affects the flow pattern in the combustion chamber . in order to obtain a sufficient effect of reduction of nox emission , as well as the smoke emission , the air flow velocity is selected to fall within the range of between about 10 m / s and about 30 m / s , more preferably between 13 m / s and 23 m / s , under stoichiometric firing condition ( air excess ratio of 1 . 0 ) with rated load . the influence of the air flow velocity , however , differs depending on the kind of the fuel used . therefore , when a gas or light oil is used , the flow velocity is selected preferably to fall within the range of between about 10 m / s and about 25 m / sec , while for a comparatively heavy fuel such as heavy oil , the flow velocity is selected to fall within the range of between about 15 m / s and 30 m / s . the angle β of the swirler is suitably selected to fall within the range of between , for example , about 15 ° and about 60 °, more preferably 20 °- 45 °. fig8 shows the relationship between the ratio of the amount of external swirling air to the amount of whole combustion air and the rate of reduction of nox generation , as observed when the mean flow velocity of the combustion air around the burner is 10 m / s to 30 m / s . more specifically , the position of fuel injection or spray was set at a position which provides the maximum reduction of nox generation with a bacharach smoke number of 2 or smaller for each ratio of external swirling air to the whole combustion air . then , the oxygen concentration is lowered to a point at which the emission of smoke is commenced . the rates of reduction of nox generation at such points are plotted in fig8 . a too high or a too low flow velocity of air makes it difficult to form the flow pattern desired for the reduction of generation of nox and smoke . thus , the mean flow velocity of air around the burner is preferably between 10 m / s and 30 m / s . referring to fig8 if the aforementioned ratio of external swirling air to the whole combustion air is too small , the combustion of fuel mixed with the primary air passing through the diffuser becomes dominative , so that it becomes impossible to suppress the generation of nox solely by the position of spray of the fuel . if the oxygen concentration is lowered to reduce the generation of nox , the generation of smoke is increased undesirably . this means that there is a practical limit in the reduction of nox generation . to the contrary , as the external swirling air ( secondary air ) is increased , the rate of reduction of nox generation is increased under a condition of bacharach smoke number of not greater than 2 in which the generation of smoke is not so serious . the reduction of nox generation is appreciable if 65 % or more of the whole combustion air is distributed to the external swirl and becomes remarkable as the above - stated ratio exceeds 70 %. fig9 is a graph showing the relationship between the nox generation and the inlet angle α of the swirler . more specifically , this graph has been obtained by plotting the result of measurement of the nox generation when the combustion is made with kerosene under the condition of ratio of diameter d / d of 0 . 71 and swirling angle β of swirler of 30 °, for various inlet angle α . the amount of nox is represented on the basis of 4 % o 2 . also , the amounts of nox mentioned hereinafter are represented on the basis of 4 % o 2 . from fig9 it will be apparent that the amount of nox generated during the combustion is increased as the inlet angle α becomes greater . this can be attributed to the fact that the larger inlet angle α provides a larger radially inward component of the swirl velocity to promote the mixing of fuel with the air . conventionally , the inlet angle α has been selected to be greater than 15 °. from fig9 however , it will be seen that rather small inlet angle α is effective in the reduction of generation of nox . more particularly , this angle α is preferably not greater than 15 ° and more preferably between 0 ° and 5 °. hereinafter , a practical example of the combustion method will be described by way of reference . a combustion was conducted in a water - tube type package boiler having a combustion system as shown in fig3 and an evaporation capacity of 8 t / h , using a heavy oil as the fuel . an axial - flow type swirler having a swirling angle of inclination of 36 ° was used . the flow velocity of the combustion air at the swirler outlet was set at about 18 m / s under the condition of stoichiometric ratio with rated load . the distance between the burner tip end and the inner axial end of the swirler was selected to be 50 mm . at the same time , a combustion was conducted in accordance with the conventional combustion method with the same type of boiler having a combustion system as shown in fig1 by way of reference . in each case , an internal mixing steam atomizing type burner was used . fig1 i and 10 ii show the results of the combustion . more particularly , fig1 shows the rate of reduction (%) of oxygen ( o 2 ) in the flue , while fig1 ii shows the rate of reduction of nox generation . these rates are calculated in relation to the o 2 concentration and the nox generation as observed in the combustion carried out in accordance with the conventional combustion method . namely , the rate of reduction of o 2 shows how the o 2 concentration is reduced in the combustion of the present invention as compared with that observed in the combustion of the conventional method at the same smoke density . the larger reduction of o 2 concentration means that the emission of unburnt substances such as smoke is reduced to permit a low oxygen combustion to improve the boiler efficiency . as will be seen from fig1 ii , the rate of reduction of nox generation is as large as 25 to 50 %. also , fig1 i shows that the o 2 concentration is reduced by 1 . 0 to 3 . 6 %. as a result , the boiler efficiency under normal operating condition is improved by about 2 %. also , a stable combustion was maintained even in the low load operation . a combustion was conducted with a flue smoke tube type boiler ( evaporation capacity 3 t / h ) having a combustion system incorporating a conical air register as shown in fig4 using a heavy oil as the fuel . the swirl number s , mean flow velocity of combustion air and the distance between the burner tip end and the swirler were selected to be 0 . 51 , 20 m / sec and 20 mm , respectively . at the same time , a combustion was conducted with the same boiler having the same evaporation capacity and a combustion system as shown in fig2 in accordance with the conventional combustion method , by way of reference . in each case , a pressure atomizing type burner was used . fig1 shows nox emission ( ppm ) calculated on the basis of 4 % o 2 as observed in each combustion . the curves a and b show the nox generations as observed in the combustion of the invention and in the conventional combustion , respectively . the numerals attached to these curves show the smoke density ( bacharach smoke number ). from fig1 , it will be seen that the smoke density in the combustion in accordance with the invention is greatly reduced as compared with that in the combustion in accordance with the conventional combustion method at the same air ratio ( o 2 %). also , a reduction of nox generation which is as large as about 45 % is achieved by the combustion method of the invention . from the foregoing description , it will be seen that , according to the invention , the generation of nox is remarkably reduced by a simple combustion system or a simple modification of combustion system of already - constructed boilers . also , the generation of smoke is largely decreased to permit the low oxygen combustion to contribute greatly to the improvement in the boiler efficiency . according to the invention , as will be seen from fig1 , a superior combustion is effected as compared with the conventional combustion method , irrespective of the kind of fuel . thus , the combustion method of the invention has a wide range of application . also , the unstable combustion in the low load operation , which was often observed in the conventional combustion method , is fairly avoided . as has been described , the combustion method of the invention offers various industrial advantages . | 5 |
referring now to the drawings and particularly to fig1 , there is shown an antilock hydraulic braking system 111 for use in a vehicle . the braking system includes solenoid actuated antilock valves 13 and 15 located between an operator controlled pressure source or master cylinder 17 and a hydraulic actuator for a rear wheel brake 19 . valve 13 functions as a build and hold valve while valve 15 functions as a decay valve . similar antilock valves , e . g ., 27 and 45 , are provided for the other wheel brakes . typically , the pressure source 17 is a conventional master cylinder having two separate circuits , one for the front vehicle wheel brakes and the other for the rear wheel brakes , or one for a left front and right rear and the other for a left rear and right front wheel brakes as illustrated in fig1 . the vehicle wheels also typically have rotational speed sensors for providing electrical indications of the angular velocities of individual wheels to a conventional antilock electronic control unit . when the driver wishes to slow the vehicle , the pedal 21 is depressed and hydraulic fluid pressure is transmitted from the master cylinder 17 by way of conduits ( brake lines ) 23 and 25 to the respective brake actuators by way of four individual solenoid actuated antilock valves 13 , 27 , 29 and 31 . the individual wheel antilock valves such as 13 are normally open to selectively supply braking fluid pressure from the source 17 by way of line 23 and 25 to the individual brake actuators . valves such as 13 and 15 function as build and hold valves supplying braking fluid pressure from either line 23 during normal braking or from the accumulator 33 during antilock or traction control operation . in particular , fig1 shows two substantially identical fluid circuits each having an accumulator such as 33 , a pump 37 , two normally closed outlet valves , 15 and 45 , for example , for venting fluid from the wheel cylinders during antilock events and two normally open inlet valves such as 13 and 27 providing a brake fluid path to their corresponding wheel cylinders . the circuits may share a pump drive motor 41 . the normally open solenoid actuated inlet valves 13 and 27 are located between an operator controlled pressure source such as the master cylinder 17 for supplying pressurized fluid to line 23 and hydraulic brake actuators which receive that pressurized fluid by way of lines 47 and 49 . if , during a braking event , a wheel skid is detected , say the right rear wheel associated with line 49 , the solenoid of valve 13 is energized closing that valve and the outlet valve 15 is enabled to open the valve and vent fluid pressure from the slipping wheel cylinder by way of line 51 to the accumulator 33 and / or to a low pressure reservoir . inlet valves 27 , 29 and 31 function similarly . the inlet and outlet valves associated with the slipping wheel may be pulsed or otherwise controlled as is common in antilock braking technology . for example , periodically during the time hydraulic fluid is being bled from the brake actuator 19 , valve 13 is opened to supply rebuild pressure . the primary function of the low pressure accumulators 33 and 43 is to absorb excess fluid during an abs event . this excess fluid typically occurs for only brief periods and helps prevent wheel locking . the modification to the accumulators shown in detail in fig2 - 7 provide an additional fast fill benefit during normal braking . fig2 - 8 illustrate three illustrative ways in which a multiple function accumulator may be realized . the implementation of fig2 - 4 has a piston assembly comprising a single piston 53 reciprocable within the bore 52 and there is a mechanical coupling comprising a toggle linkage mechanism 65 , 67 , 69 interconnecting the piston and a solenoid armature 63 with the toggle arm 65 coupled to the piston . a piston spring 57 urges the piston in a direction to increase chamber 56 volume and an armature bias spring 61 urges the armature in a direction to oppose an increase in chamber volume so that a fluid ingress induced increase in chamber volume and piston translation is transmitted by the linkage to compress the armature bias spring , while a solenoid induced armature motion is transmitted by the linkage to the piston compressing the piston spring and expelling fluid from the chamber . in fig5 , the piston assembly comprises a generally cylindrical sleeve 75 disposed in the bore 74 and a reciprocable piston 73 coaxially received in the sleeve . the piston moves under urging of the armature while the sleeve remains stationary to expel pressure fluid from the chamber to the vehicle braking system , while only the sleeve moves when receiving pressure fluid from the system . in fig6 - 8 , the piston assembly is reciprocable within the bore 98 along a bore axis and comprises a single piston 99 while the mechanical coupling comprises a toggle linkage mechanism 105 , 107 , 117 and a piston actuator 103 reciprocably disposed within the bore axially adjacent to the piston . the actuator and piston move together in response to armature movement , however , only the piston moves axially toward the actuator in response to a fluid ingress induced increase in chamber volume . more specifically , in fig2 , the abs and fast fill fluidic functions are accomplished by a piston 53 which is reciprocable in a bore 52 with a seal 54 there between . the piston and bore together define a variable volume chamber 56 . piston 53 is coupled to a movable solenoid armature 63 by the pivotable linkages 65 , 67 and 69 . piston 53 is resiliently biased toward the right as viewed by a helical spring 57 and the armature 63 is biased upwardly by another helical spring 61 . the low pressure accumulator function is accomplished as fluid enters the chamber 56 from the left end at 55 and the spring 57 loaded piston 53 moves to the right toward the position shown in fig3 . this fluid acts against the toggle 65 , 67 , 69 and solenoid armature 63 in their normal at rest position , causing the solenoid armature 63 to be pushed back / down from its normal at rest position compressing spring 61 as seen in fig3 . this over retraction or stroke of the armature is provided for in the design of the solenoid assembly and is biased back to the at rest position by the spring 61 that represents the nominal force found in an abs low pressure accumulator . the fast fill function is accomplished by energization of the solenoid 59 which causes the solenoid armature 63 to move upward , further causing , the toggle arms 65 and 67 to expand away from one another thus causing the piston 53 to move to the left fast displacing fluid out of the chamber 56 into the brake system ( at rest position shown in fig2 ). in the fast fill apply position ( fig4 ) of the toggle , the toggle angularity is geometrically favorable that high pressure acting upon the piston will not cause high forces on the solenoid armature . if the angle between the link 65 , and the horizontal axis of the piston 53 and cylindrical bore 52 is á , then the solenoid force exerted directly upwardly fs is related to the horizontal force fp applied to the piston through link 65 by : fs = 2fp tan á as depicted , the angle between the link 65 and the horizontal axis of the piston 53 and cylindrical bore 52 is about ten degrees . under that assumption , the holding force required of the solenoid 59 in fig4 is only about 3 . 5 % of the force applied to the hydraulic piston . for modestly small angles , the mechanical advantage ( fp / fs ) is substantially greater than one . in fig5 , a piston 73 is reciprocably disposed within a sleeve 75 and that sleeve in turn is reciprocably disposed within a cylindrical bore 74 . the piston 73 and sleeve 75 comprise a piston assembly , and the assembly and bore 74 together define a variable volume chamber 76 . the piston is spring biased toward the right as viewed by a helical spring 71 and the piston and sleeve are spring biased away from one another by another helical spring 83 . the sleeve carries one or more pins 77 which are movable radially inwardly into an annular piston groove 81 or radially outwardly into side wall detent notches such as 79 . a pivotable linkage arrangement 85 , 87 , 89 couples the piston 73 to a solenoid 93 armature 91 . armature 91 is biased upwardly as viewed by a helical ( coil ) spring 95 . when the solenoid 93 is unenergized , the springs 71 , 83 and 95 balance the piston 73 and sleeve 75 in the positions illustrated in fig5 , but when that solenoid is enabled or energized , the armature 91 moves upwardly spreading the linkage arms 85 and 87 away from one another and urging the piston 73 toward the left . piston motion displaces the groove 81 urging the pins such as 77 radially outwardly into the notches 79 locking the sleeve 75 in the position shown . in the embodiment of fig5 , the abs and fast fill fluidic functions are accomplished by the piston 73 and sleeve 75 . the low pressure accumulator function is accomplished as fluid enters the chamber from the left end and the spring 83 loaded sleeve 75 moves to the right compressing spring 83 . the fast fill function is accomplished by energization of the solenoid 93 which causes the solenoid armature 91 to move upward , causing , the toggle arms 85 and 87 to expand away from one another toward a straight angle relationship and pushing the piston 73 to the left , thus displacing fluid out of the chamber to the brake system . the sleeve 75 must be kept from moving to the right during this fast fill action to ensure adequate fast fill displacement . this is accomplished by the angled annulus 81 on the piston which causes spring loaded pins 77 to move outward into the recesses 79 in the bore , thus preventing movement of the sleeve 75 . in the fast fill apply position of the toggle ( at rest position shown in fig5 ), the toggle angularity is geometrically favorable that high pressure acting upon the piston will not cause high forces on the solenoid armature . this toggle arrangement / position is much the same as seen in fig4 . in fig6 , a coil spring 97 biases a piston 99 rightwardly within a cylindrical bore 98 with sealing there between provided by a seal 109 . a piston assembly here as in fig2 - 4 comprises a single piston . the piston 99 and bore 98 define a variable volume chamber 100 . a helical spring 101 resiliently biases the piston and an actuator 103 axially away from one another . solenoid 111 includes a reciprocable armature 113 biased upwardly by coil spring 115 . the armature is mechanically coupled to the actuator 103 by a linkage arrangement 105 , 107 , 117 , however this toggle linkage mechanism functions somewhat differently than those shown in fig2 - 5 . the cross - section of fig7 shows the alignment groove 119 which extends axially along the surface of the piston 99 . this groove cooperates with a fixed boss or pin 125 to prevent rotation of the piston within the bore 98 , thereby maintaining the relative angular orientation of the horizontal piston slot 121 . in the quiescent condition depicted in fig6 , the slot 121 is aligned with a cross pin 123 . in this condition , an increase in fluid pressure in the chamber 100 can force the piston rightwardly compressing spring 101 and increasing the chamber 100 volume , i . e ., the chamber provides its normal accumulator function . with this rightward piston motion , the slot 121 moves freely along the pin 123 . from the rest state shown in fig6 , energization of the solenoid 111 causes armature 113 to begin upward travel from the position shown in fig8 a , raising link 117 and spreading the toggle linkages 105 and 107 away from one another . here the different behavior of this linkage arrangement surfaces . spring 101 is sufficiently resistant to compression to prevent initial rightward motion of piston actuator 103 as well as preventing entry of the pin 123 into slot 121 . instead , the off - center pivotal coupling of the link 105 to the actuator causes the actuator 103 to rotate clockwise as indicated by the arrow from the position shown in fig8 a to that shown in fig8 b misaligning the pin 123 and slot 121 . now further upward armature motion causes the actuator 103 and piston 99 to move in unison leftwardly in the bore reducing chamber 100 volume and supplying pressure fluid to the braking system . in fig6 , the abs and fast fill fluidic functions are accomplished by piston 99 and piston actuator 103 . the low pressure accumulator function is accomplished as fluid enters the chamber from the left end and the spring 97 loaded piston 99 moves to the right . the fast fill function is accomplished by energization of the solenoid 111 which causes the solenoid armature 113 to move upward , further causing the toggle arms 105 and 107 to expand angularly away from one another and pushing upon the pivot attachment point of the piston actuator 103 . this causes the piston actuator 103 to rotate so that the piston actuator cross pin 123 does not align with the previously corresponding slot in the piston . further expansion of the toggle arms causes the piston actuator to move to the left and push the piston to the left , thus fast displacing fluid out of the chamber into the brake system . in the fast fill apply position of the toggle ( at rest position shown in fig6 ), the toggle angularity is geometrically favorable that high pressure acting , upon the piston will not cause high forces on the solenoid armature . this toggle arrangement / position is again very similar to that seen in fig4 . | 1 |
with reference to fig1 , an illumination surface 100 is formed by arranging a plurality of non - overlapping , adjacent light - guide elements 110 in an array . in the surface 100 , gaps 115 occur between adjacent light guide elements 110 . with changes in temperature , light - guide elements 110 can contract or expand , thereby changing the widths of the gaps 115 ( which may be intentionally created to accommodate temperature - induced changes in the sizes of the light - guide elements 110 ). the dimensional response of the light - guide elements 110 to temperature depends on the material and dimensions of the light - guide element , as well as the mechanical harness used to create the array 100 . for polymer - based light - guide elements the change in one dimension can be 0 . 1 mm per 25 ° c . positioning the light - guide elements so they overlap in one or both directions eliminates the need to reserve a gap for thermal expansion in that direction , because one light - guide element can slide over the other as it expands . it is desirable to position the light - guide elements so that each overlaps not only the out - coupling region of the neighboring light - guide element but also a portion of the neighboring light - guide element &# 39 ; s out - coupling region . this ensures that over an expected range of expansion , the unilluminated surface of the in - coupling region will not be exposed . as shown in fig2 a and 2b , an individual light - guide element 210 includes an in - coupling region 212 , which receives light from a source such as a light - emitting diode ( led ) ( not shown ); an out - coupling region 215 having illumination surface 214 ; and opposite to the illumination surface 214 , a bottom surface 216 . the light - guide element 210 also has side walls 218 and an end wall 220 distal to the in - coupling region 212 . light is generally emitted from the illumination surface 214 . the problem of stitch artifacts arising from overlapping light - guide elements is illustrated in fig3 a and 3b . a light - guide element 301 has an in - coupling region 303 and an out - coupling region 305 . the out - coupling region 305 has an illumination surface 306 and an opposed bottom surface 308 . the illumination surface 306 has out - coupling features ( not shown ) which can influence the angle with respect to z axis at which rays are emitted from the illumination surface 306 . in fig3 b , the angle between z axis and ray 331 is denoted as θ . the out - coupling region 305 has an end wall 309 opposed to the in - coupling region 303 . in fig3 a , the height of end wall 309 ( i . e . the thickness of light - guide element 301 ) is denoted as t . similarly , a light - guide element 311 has an in - coupling region 313 and an out - coupling region 315 . the out - coupling region 315 has an illumination surface 316 and an opposed bottom surface 318 . out - coupling region 315 has out - coupling features ( not shown ), which may be , for example , along the bottom surface of region 315 or dispersed ( as in the case of scattering particles ) through the thickness thereof . the out - coupling region 315 has an end wall 319 opposed to the in - coupling region 313 . as shown in fig3 a , the in - coupling region 313 of light - guide element 311 is positioned under the out - coupling region 305 of light - guide element 301 . a portion of the out - coupling region 315 of light - guide element 311 is positioned under light - guide element 301 . the in - coupling region 313 of light - guide element 311 is in contact with the bottom surface 308 of the out - coupling region 305 of light - guide element 301 . thus , there may be substantially no vertical gap ( i . e ., along the z axis ) between the out - coupling region 305 of light - guide element 301 and the in - coupling region 313 of light - guide element 311 . it should be understood that this configuration is illustrative only , and that a configuration of overlapping out - coupling regions having a spacing between such out - coupling regions ( e . g ., due to mechanical assembly requirements or limitations , or to permit introduction of an absorber as described below ) is within the scope of this invention . when temperature changes , light - guide elements 301 and 311 may expand or contract along their lengths ( i . e ., along the x axis ) or along their widths ( i . e ., along y axis ). light - guide elements 301 and 311 do not expand or contract substantially , however , along their height dimensions ( i . e ., along the z axis ). therefore , even when the temperature changes , the out - coupling region 305 of light - guide element 301 remains in contact with the in - coupling region 313 of light - guide element 311 . this characteristic of light - guide elements can be useful in eliminating or substantially reducing stitch artifacts resulting from a change in temperature , as described below . the rays denoted 331 are emitted from the illumination surfaces 306 , 316 of light - guide elements 301 , 311 , respectively , in a forward direction , denoted f . additionally , the rays denoted 332 are emitted from the illumination surfaces 306 , 316 in a backward direction , denoted b . rays may not be emitted through the end wall 309 of light - guide element 301 , however . because end wall 309 emits no light , a dark stitch artifact 342 occurs . a stitch occurs even if the end face is unreflective , however , because in that case , too much light will be emitted through the end face . as a result , the stitch will be bright instead of dark . the width of the stitch artifact is given by the expression w stitch = t tan ( θ ), where t is the thickness of end wall 309 and θ is the angle between rays 331 and the z axis . it should be understood that θ represents the smallest angle between rays 331 and z axis that can reach the illuminated plane 340 . this is because rays from illumination surface 306 emitted at angles greater than θ are not visible and therefore do not affect the stitch artifact . the rays actually observed depend on the relative position of the observer and on the illumination system geometry . in some applications there are additional optical means that may limit or filter the rays that can reach the illuminated plane 340 as done by brightness enhancement foils in backlight unit for lcd . according to the expression above , the width of stitch 342 increases as the thickness of end wall 309 increases . stitch 342 also appears wider if angle θ is large , i . e . if rays 331 are emitted at an angle close to the x axis . as explained above , if the temperature changes , the length and width of a light - guide element may change , but there may no substantial change in a light - guide element &# 39 ; s thickness . similarly , the angles at which rays are emitted through the out - coupling features in an illumination surface also generally does not change with temperature . therefore , the width of a stitch arising due to the configuration shown in fig3 a may not change substantially in response to temperature changes . we now describe various embodiments of an illumination device that address stitch artifacts caused by the end wall of an overlapping a light - guide element . with reference to fig4 , an illumination device 400 includes a first light - guide element 401 , which itself has an illumination surface 406 . the thickness of light - guide element 401 diminishes to t − at the end wall 409 , which is less than the thickness t + at the in - coupling region 403 . for example t − can be 0 . 5 mm and t + equal to 1 mm . as a result , the surface 406 may not be parallel to the bottom surface 408 of light - guide element 401 , but instead follows an angle with respect thereto . according to the expression set forth above , the reduction in t to t − produces a narrower stitch 442 in the illuminated plane 440 . this is also the case with respect to the second light - guide element 411 , with which light - guide element 401 overlaps . a commensurate reduction in the stitch effect can also be achieved by using a light - guide element having a uniformly small thickness t −. such a light - guide element may be structurally weak , however , compared to light - guide element 401 , 411 and it may not emit light of a desired intensity . in a typical light - guide element , the intensity of light emitted from the illumination surface is directly related to the number of rays reflected by the bottom surface toward the illumination surface . the latter number depends on the distance between the illumination and bottom surfaces . thus , if the thickness of a light - guide element is uniformly small , its illumination and bottom surfaces may be too close to each to achieve the desired light output . therefore , a light - guide element having uniformly small thickness may be unsuitable for applications that require high brightness . illumination device 400 exhibits adequate strength because the thinnest portion overlaps the adjacent element , and because the thickness of the element diminishes only gradually to t −, the bottom surfaces 408 , 418 can reflect a substantial amount of light within the respective elements . fig5 shows another embodiment 500 of an illumination device according to the present invention . a first light - guide element 501 is positioned above a second light - guide element 511 such that the out - coupling region 505 of light - guide element 501 overlaps the in - coupling region 513 and a portion of the out - coupling region 515 of light - guide element 511 . the out - coupling region 505 does not overlap a significant portion of the out - coupling region 515 . the inside surface of end wall 509 ( i . e ., the surface facing the in - coupling region 503 ) has a partially reflecting mirror 551 . by “ partly reflecting ” is meant that the mirror 551 reflects at least 5 % of the incident light , and preferably at least 30 %, but no more than 95 %. a partly reflecting mirror can be fabricated , for example , by applying a partly reflective coating on an end wall or by patterning a coated end wall with small openings through which some of the light is emitted . mirror 551 reflects a portion of light incident upon it to the out - coupling region 505 , and allows a portion of light to be emitted from end wall 509 as rays 533 , 534 , 535 . at least a portion of the light emitted from end wall 509 may reach the illuminated plane 540 as rays 533 . the reflectivity of mirror 551 is selected such that the amount of light emitted from end wall 509 ( in particular , the number of rays 533 ) is substantially the same as the amount of light that would reach plane 540 in the absence of an end wall 509 . as a result , the stitch artifact that would occur due to the end wall 509 is substantially eliminated or at least reduced . in another embodiment , illustrated in fig6 , the end wall 609 of light - guide element 601 has a mirror 662 on its outer surface ( i . e ., the surface facing the space above the illumination surface 616 of light - guide element 611 ). the out - coupling regions 605 , 615 of light - guide elements 601 , 611 , respectively , have out - coupling features 660 such as printing dots ( shown schematically ). the out - coupling features 660 are selected such that the distribution of light emitted from illumination surfaces 606 , 616 in backward and forward directions ( denoted b and f , respectively ) is symmetrical . a symmetrical light distribution in backward and forward direction means that the angle of rays 632 with respect to the z axis and the angle of rays 631 with respect to the z axis are substantially the same in magnitude but opposite in direction . a backward ray 652 emitted from illumination surface 616 has substantially the same angle with respect to the z axis as rays 632 . ray 652 is incident upon mirror 662 of end wall 609 . mirror 662 reflects ray 652 as ray 651 . because rays 631 , 632 have a symmetrical distribution , the reflected ray 651 is emitted substantially at the same angle with respect to the z axis as rays 631 . thus , the light that would not have reached an illuminated plane 640 had the end wall 609 been without mirror 662 is replaced by rays 651 . as a result , the stitch artifact may be substantially eliminated or reduced . as described above , the distribution of light from out - coupling features 660 does not change with temperature , so the efficacy of stitch correction does not vary with temperature changes . it should be noted that the embodiment shown in fig5 is particularly useful in connection with configurations where most of the light is out - coupled in the forward direction . the embodiment shown in fig6 is particularly useful in connection with configurations where the out - coupled light is distributed evenly between the forward and backward directions ( e . g ., a lambertian distribution ). in some embodiments , light - guide elements can overlap one another , in part , without making contact . such an illumination device is shown in fig7 a and 7b . in the illustrated embodiments , a gap separates the overlapping portions of the light - guide elements 701 , 703 and light from the portion of out - coupling region 705 ( of light - guide element 703 ) that underlies the gap 708 is emitted therefrom . light trapped in gap 708 can propagates to the right and escapes at the end of light - guide element 701 . this light can create a bright stitch artifact due its different light distribution . as shown in fig7 b , the bottom of the upper light - guide element 701 may be coated with an absorber 715 for absorbing this stray light . although the present invention has been described with reference to specific details , it is not intended that such details should be regarded as limitations upon the scope of the invention , except as and to the extent that they are included in the accompanying claims . | 6 |
an autonomous vehicle , an embodiment of the present invention , is explained below with reference to the drawings . the autonomous vehicle of the present invention is capable of two way communication with station 101 . as shown in fig1 station 101 is equipped with communication control unit 102 , and transmits to communication control unit 2 of the autonomous vehicle , via communication control unit 102 , command signals for sending work instructions to the autonomous vehicle , confirming the location of the autonomous vehicle , charging the battery of the autonomous vehicle or storing the autonomous vehicle , for example . on the other hand , information regarding the location of the autonomous vehicle , etc ., is sent to communication control unit 102 of station 101 from communication control unit 2 of the autonomous vehicle . fig2 shows an external view of the autonomous vehicle . this autonomous vehicle comprises moving unit 201 and cleaning unit 202 . it performs cleaning of the floor using cleaning unit 202 while moving on the floor using moving unit 201 . 9a and 9b in said drawing are contact distance measuring sensors . they measure the distance to the object while being in contact with the object , which may be an obstacle or wall , for example . 204 is a chemical tank . the floor is cleaned by cleaning unit 202 while a chemical agent stored in this tank is being applied to the floor . 205 are distance measuring sensor windows . detection waves output from distance measuring sensor 1 located inside the autonomous vehicle ( an infrared ray , for example ) are projected onto the object through these distance measuring sensor windows 205 . 206 is a bumper sensor . when this bumper sensor comes into contact with an obstacle or wall , the movement of the vehicle body of the autonomous vehicle comes to a halt . fig3 is a block diagram pertaining to the autonomous vehicle . in the explanation below , only those components that are necessary for movement control and distance measurement with regard to this embodiment are shown , and other components are omitted from the explanation because they are the same as those used in public domain autonomous vehicles . distance measuring sensor 1 measures the distance between the autonomous vehicle and the object without touching the object . a distance measuring sensor using the above - described infrared active method shown in fig9 is used for distance measuring sensor 1 in this embodiment , but other types of sensors such as a passive distance measuring sensor , ultrasound reflecting distance measuring sensor or laser reflecting distance measuring sensor may be used instead . contact distance measuring sensors 9a and 9b measure the distance between the autonomous vehicle and the object in place of non - contact distance measuring sensor 1 while being in contact with the object when said distance becomes short . 2 is a communication control unit that performs transmission and reception of information to and from communication control unit 102 of station 101 . memory 4 stores programs , map information , etc ., that are necessary for the control of the autonomous vehicle . steering drive unit 5 controls steering wheel 11 to control the steering of the autonomous vehicle . 6 is a drive control unit , 7a and 7b are motors , and 8a and 8b are driving wheels . drive control unit 6 controls motors 7a and 7b independently of each other , which enables driving wheels 8a and 8b to rotate independently of each other , said driving wheels being connected to motors 7a and 7b , respectively . speed detection units 10a and 10b detect the rotation speeds of driving wheels 8a and 8b , and send the detected speed data to drive control unit 6 . the details of speed detection units 10a and 10b will be explained with reference to fig4 . 302 is a cord wheel . it is connected to driving wheels 8a and 8b and rotates at the same rate as driving wheels 8a and 8b . 301 is a transmission photosensor . it counts the number of rotations of cord wheel 302 per unit time , or in other words , the number of rotations of driving wheels 8a and 8b . the amount of movement of the autonomous vehicle is then calculated from the number of rotations of driving wheels 8a and 8b measured by speed detection units 10a and 10b and the diameters of driving wheels 8a and 8b . the moving speed of the autonomous vehicle is calculated by dividing the resulting amount of movement by a prescribed period of time . returning to fig3 the explanation will now be continued . microcomputer 3 performs a comprehensive evaluation of the programs or map information stored in memory 4 , commands received by communication control unit 2 from station 101 , information regarding the distance between the autonomous vehicle and the object that is received from distance measuring sensor 1 and contact distance measuring sensors 9a and 9b , information regarding steering wheel 11 that is received from steering drive unit 5 , and information regarding driving wheels 8a and 8b that is received from drive control unit 6 , and then determines the subsequent operation of the autonomous vehicle . it then controls the drive and steering of the autonomous vehicle via steering drive unit 5 and drive control unit 6 such that the operation that was decided on will be carried out . microcomputer 3 also determines the output intensity for the detection waves output from distance measuring sensor 1 for the purpose of distance measurement and the distance measurement period based on the rotation rate of driving wheels 8a and 8b received from drive control unit 6 , or in other words , the information regarding the moving speed of the autonomous vehicle and the information regarding the distance between the autonomous vehicle and the object that is received from distance measuring sensor 1 . the output intensity from distance measuring sensor 1 and distance measurement period will be explained below . first , the output intensity will be explained with reference to fig5 . fig5 shows the relationship between distance d between the autonomous vehicle and the object and output intensity p from distance measuring sensor 1 of this embodiment . it is obvious from fig5 that distance measuring sensor 1 of this embodiment increases its output intensity p as distance d between the autonomous vehicle and the object increases . however , for distances longer than distance d1 at which maximum output p max is necessary to carry out distance measurement ( 2 , 000 mm in this embodiment ), maximum output p max is used for distance measurement regardless of the length of distance d . in the case of a distance measuring sensor using the infrared active method , the output intensity is the emission intensity from the infrared led . because this emission intensity is proportional to the square of the distance , the most common formula would be equation ( 1 ) shown below . a : specific values determined based on various properties of the autonomous vehicle , the environment in which it moves , etc . p1 , k and a are 50 ma , 1 . 3 and 20 mm , respectively , in this embodiment . to express the output intensity from distance measuring sensor 1 , various calculation methods other than equation ( 1 ) shown above are possible depending on the configuration of the object and the measurement environment , including the reflectance and ambient brightness . where distance measuring sensor 1 is an ultrasound - based sensor , for example , the output intensity is the ultrasound intensity . where it is a laser reflecting sensor , the output intensity is the intensity of the laser output , and where it is a passive sensor , the output intensity refers to the intensity of the output of the pattern light that is projected onto the object . the emission intensity changing unit of this embodiment will now be explained . fig6 is a circuit diagram with regard to the changing of the emission intensity of the infrared led . drive circuits having different resistances ( r1 - r3 ) are used for the multiple output ports . by selecting one of ports 1 through 3 depending on the needed emission intensity and turning on the drive circuit for the selected port , the emission intensity of the infrared led may be changed . in this embodiment , r1 is set at 10 ω , r2 is set at 5 ω , r3 is set at 3 ω , and vcc is set at 5v . in other words , if port 1 is selected , a low emission intensity is obtained . if port 2 is selected , a mid - level emission intensity is obtained . if port 3 is selected , a high emission intensity is obtained . the distance measurement period will now be explained . fig7 is a drawing to explain distance measurement using an optimal period . in the drawing , v is the moving speed of the autonomous vehicle , d is the distance to the object , and k1 and k2 are constants for the sake of convenience . the distance measurement period is determined based on moving speed v of the autonomous vehicle and distance d to the object . in other words , where the distance to the object is long , if the moving speed of the autonomous vehicle is fast , distance measurement must be carried out using a short period . conversely , even if the distance to the object is short , if the moving speed of the autonomous vehicle is slow , distance measurement may be performed using a long period . in fig7 three distance measurement zones are set as distance measurement zones for which the distance measurement period is optimized . distance measurement zone 1 is an area in which v ≧ k1 × d . this is an area in which the distance to the object is short and the moving speed is fast , or in other words , an area in which distance measurement must be performed using the shortest period . distance measurement zone 2 is an area in which k1 × d & gt ; v ≧ k2 × d , which requires a mid - level period . distance zone 3 is an area in which v & lt ; k2 × d , where the distance to the object is long and the moving speed is slow , or in other words , an area in which it is acceptable to carry out distance measurement using a relatively long period . in other words , based on the distance input from distance measuring sensor 1 and the moving speed input from drive control unit 6 , the autonomous vehicle determines , among the zones shown in fig7 the zone to which its current state of movement belongs , and decides the distance measurement period that should be used based on the result of said determination . in this embodiment , k1 is 3 ( 1 / sec ) and k2 is 1 ( 1 / sec ), and in distance measurement zone 1 , distance measurement is carried out five times per second , while it is performed twice and once per second in distance measurement zone 2 and distance measurement zone 3 , respectively . in addition , while three distance measurement zones are set in fig7 it is also acceptable if two or four or more distance measurement zones are set . further , the borders between distance measurement zones are set in a linear fashion as straight lines in said drawing , but they may be set exponentially or quadratically depending on the acceleration properties , braking properties , ambient environment , etc ., of the autonomous vehicle . it is also possible to use fuzzy control for the distance measurement period based on the membership function governing the speed and distance . fig8 shows a flow chart pertaining to the distance measurement operation of the autonomous vehicle of this embodiment . when the autonomous vehicle starts moving in step # 10 , it is determined in step # 20 whether or not a prescribed period of time ( s seconds ) has elapsed since the previous distance measurement session . where it is determined that a prescribed period or longer has elapsed , it is possible that the ambient situation has greatly changed , and therefore distance measurement with an optimal emission intensity is not carried out and the program advances to step # 40 , in which distance measurement is carried out using the maximum emission intensity , and distance d that is thus measured is saved in the memory ( the latest distance is saved in the memory ). on the other hand , where it is determined in step # 20 that a prescribed period or longer has not elapsed since the last distance measurement session , it is determined in step # 30 whether or not distance d measured in the last measurement session is longer than distance d1 for which measurement using the maximum emission intensity is necessary . where it is determined in step # 30 that said distance d is longer than distance d1 for which measurement using the maximum emission intensity is necessary , the program advances to step # 40 , in which distance measurement using the maximum emission intensity is performed . where it is determined in step # 30 that distance d in the previous measurement session is equal to or smaller than distance d1 for which measurement using the maximum emission intensity is necessary , the program advances to step # 50 , in which the optimal emission intensity for distance d is calculated . this is equivalent to obtaining optimal emission intensity p from distance d , which was explained with reference to fig5 . the program then advances to step # 60 , in which distance measurement is carried out using the emission intensity corresponding to the result of calculation in step # 50 , and distance d thus measured is saved in the memory . the program then advances to step # 70 , in which the timer to decide the distance measurement period is reset and the distance measurement operation is completed . when distance measurement is completed , it is determined in step # 80 whether or not distance d is shorter than distance d0 that is dependent on the contact distance measuring sensors ( d0 = 50 mm in this embodiment ). this is done because when the distance between the autonomous vehicle and the object has become fairly short , distance measuring sensor 1 can no longer perform accurate measurement , and distance measurement using the contact distance measuring sensors will therefore be performed instead . where it is determined in step # 80 that distance d is shorter than distance d0 that is dependent on the contact distance measuring sensors , distance measurement is performed in step # 90 using the contact distance measuring sensors , and the resulting distance d is saved in the memory . it is then determined in step # 100 whether or not distance d is equal to or exceeds distance d0 that is dependent on the contact distance measuring sensors . where distance d is equal to or exceeds distance d0 that is dependent on the contact distance measuring sensors , distance measurement using the contact distance measuring sensors is ended and the program returns to step # 20 , in which distance measurement using non - contact distance measuring sensor 1 is carried out . where it is determined in step # 100 that distance d is not equal to or does not exceed distance d0 that is dependent on the contact distance measuring sensors , the movement of the autonomous vehicle is controlled in response to distance d . it is then determined in step # 120 whether or not an end movement command has been output . if an end movement command has been output , a control sequence to stop the movement of the autonomous vehicle is carried out in step # 130 . after that , the program advances to step # 140 and returns to the main routine . where it is determined in step # 120 that an end movement command has not been output , the program returns to step # 90 and the processes of steps # 90 through # 120 are repeated . on the other hand , where it is determined in step # 80 that distance d is equal to or exceeds distance d0 that is dependent on the contact distance measuring sensors , the program advances to step # 150 , in which the movement of the autonomous vehicle is controlled in response to distance d . this means that the speed is reduced , the autonomous vehicle is stopped , or the object is avoided , for example , in response to the distance to the object . it is then determined in step # 160 whether or not an end movement command has been output to the autonomous vehicle . if an end movement command has been output , a control sequence to stop the movement of the autonomous vehicle is followed in step # 130 , following which the program advances to step # 140 and returns to the main routine . if it is determined in step # 160 that an end movement command has not been output , the program advances to step # 170 , in which moving speed v of the autonomous vehicle is detected . then , in step # 180 , the distance measurement zone to which moving speed v and distance d of the autonomous vehicle belong is determined ( from among the zones shown in fig7 ). first , it is determined in step # 190 whether or not the result determined in step # 180 is distance measurement zone 1 . where it is determined in step # 190 that the result determined in step # 180 is distance measurement zone 1 , which means that distance measurement should be carried out using the shortest period ( five times per second in this embodiment , or every 0 . 2 seconds ), the program returns to step # 20 and immediately moves on to the next distance measurement session . where it is determined in step # 190 that the result determined in step # 180 is not distance measurement zone 1 , it is determined in step # 200 whether or not the result determined in step # 180 is distance measurement zone 2 . where it is determined in step # 200 that the result determined in step # 180 is distance measurement zone 2 , the program advances to step # 210 to perform distance measurement twice per second ( i . e ., every 0 . 5 seconds ). after a prescribed standby period of t seconds ( 0 . 5 seconds in this embodiment ) elapses , the program returns to step # 20 and moves on to the next distance measurement session . where it is determined in step # 200 that the result determined in step # 180 is not distance measurement zone 2 , the result determined in step # 180 is distance measurement zone 3 . therefore , the program advances to step # 220 to carry out distance measurement once per second ( every 1 . 0 second ). after a prescribed standby period of 2t seconds ( 1 . 0 second in this embodiment ) elapses , the program returns to step # 20 and moves on to the next distance measurement session . prescribed periods t and 2t are set to be 0 . 5 seconds and 1 . 0 second , respectively , in this embodiment , but since prescribed period t is determined based on the normal moving speed , etc ., of the autonomous vehicle , it is not limited to these values . naturally , with regard to the standby periods for distance measurement zones 3 and 2 , it is necessary only that the standby period for distance measurement zone 3 be longer than that for distance measurement zone 2 , and it is not necessary that their ratio be 2 : 1 as in this embodiment . while an explanation was provided in connection with this embodiment based on a construction comprising a station and an autonomous vehicle , the present invention may be applied to a construction comprising an autonomous vehicle only . although the present invention has been fully described by way of examples with reference to the accompanying drawings , it is to be noted that various changes and modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art . therefore , unless otherwise such changes and modifications depart from the scope of the present invention , they should be construed as being included therein . | 6 |
looking first at fig1 – 3 , there is shown a suturing instrument 2 which comprises a preferred embodiment of the present invention . suturing instrument 2 generally comprises a handle assembly 100 , a cannula assembly 200 , a wire drive assembly 300 , a wire supply cartridge 400 and a shroud assembly 500 , as will hereinafter be described in further detail . among other things , cannula assembly 200 comprises a shaft 202 , an end effector 204 comprising a first jaw 206 and a second jaw 208 , a jaw closing actuator 210 , a wire advance button 212 , a left rotation button 214 , a right rotation button 216 ( fig3 ), and a wire cutting actuator 218 , as will also hereinafter be described in further detail . as will be discussed in further detail below , generally during use , the suturing instrument &# 39 ; s end effector 204 is positioned adjacent to the tissue which is to be sutured and , using jaw closing actuator 210 , jaws 206 and 208 are brought together around the tissue which is to be sutured . then wire advance button 212 is activated , causing wire drive assembly 300 to draw suture wire out of wire supply cartridge 400 and push the suture wire distally through cannula assembly 200 to end effector 204 . the suture wire is driven from first jaw 206 to second jaw 208 with sufficient force to penetrate the tissue placed between the two jaws , and the suture wire is permitted to pass through second jaw 208 . jaws 206 and 208 are then separated and moved away from the tissue , as more suture wire is payed out , leaving the suture wire extending from the subject tissue to each of the two jaws . end effector 204 ( together with wire supply cartridge 400 ) may then be rotated with respect to the tissue by actuating either left rotation button 214 or right rotation button 216 ( fig3 ). this causes the portions of the suture wire that extend from the tissue to be twisted about one another so as to form a closed loop extending through the tissue . it will be appreciated that the size of this closed loop may be adjustably reduced by increasing the degree of twisting in the wire . the twisted loop of suture wire may then be cut off , at end effector 204 , from the remaining suture wire that extends back through the suturing instrument . such cutting may be effected by actuating wire cutting actuator 218 . as will be discussed in further detail below , wire supply cartridge 400 may be supplied separately from suturing instrument 2 , with wire supply cartridge 400 being loaded into suturing instrument 2 prior to commencing a suturing operation . as will also be discussed in further detail below , wire supply cartridge 400 may be disposable , such that the cartridge may be discarded after use . looking next at fig4 – 8 , handle assembly 100 comprises a housing 102 , a battery door 104 , a handle cartridge assembly 106 , a battery pin assembly 108 and a rear cover assembly 110 . housing 102 is shown in greater detail in fig8 . housing 102 defines a main compartment 112 , a battery pin compartment 114 and a battery compartment 116 . a chin pin 118 is secured in the proximal end of housing 102 and extends proximally therefrom . chin pin 118 is used to secure shroud assembly 500 ( fig2 ) to housing 102 , as will hereinafter be discussed in further detail . battery door 104 selectively closes off battery compartment 116 . to this end , battery door 104 is hingedly connected to housing 102 by a pin 120 ( fig8 ), and includes a door latch 122 ( fig8 ) for selectively releasing and locking the battery door . handle cartridge assembly 106 ( fig7 ) is shown in greater detail in fig9 – 13 . handle cartridge assembly 106 generally comprises a housing 123 , a shaft 124 ( fig1 ), a gear and clutch assembly 126 , a clutch assembly 128 , a motor 130 and a switch 132 . housing 123 includes a first cavity 134 ( fig1 ) for receiving shaft 124 and portions of gear and clutch assembly 126 and portions of clutch assembly 128 , and a second cavity 136 ( fig1 ) for receiving portions of motor 130 and switch 132 . housing 132 of handle cartridge assembly 106 also includes a seal 138 ( fig1 ) for sealing handle cartridge assembly 106 within main compartment 112 ( fig8 ) of handle 102 . shaft 124 ( fig1 ) is selectively coupled to motor 130 via gear and clutch assembly 126 , and is selectively coupled to cannula assembly 200 via clutch assembly 128 , as will hereinafter be discussed in further detail . gear and clutch assembly 126 is shown in greater detail in fig1 – 16 . gear and clutch assembly 126 comprises a hub 139 , a large gear 140 and a smaller gear 142 mounted on hub 139 , a seal 144 , a second hub 146 , and a one - way clutch 148 received within second hub 146 . as a result of this construction , when gear and clutch assembly 126 is press fit onto shaft 124 ( fig1 ) and motor 130 is used to turn large gear 140 clockwise ( as viewed from the left hand side of fig1 ), hubs 139 and 146 and smaller gear 142 will also turn clockwise ( as viewed from the left hand side of fig1 ). in addition , due to the nature of one - way clutch 148 , clockwise rotation ( as viewed from the left hand side of fig1 ) of hub 146 will be transferred by clutch 148 to shaft 124 , whereby to cause clockwise rotation ( as viewed from the left hand side of fig1 ) of shaft 124 . when motor 130 is used to turn large gear 140 counterclockwise rotation ( as viewed from the left hand side of fig1 ) hubs 139 and 146 and smaller gear 142 will also turn counterclockwise ( as viewed from the left hand side of fig1 ). however , due to arrangement of one way clutch 148 , rotation of large gear 140 will not be transferred by clutch 148 to shaft 124 . thus it will be seen that , due to the presence of one - way clutch 148 , motor 130 can only rotate shaft 124 in one direction , i . e ., clockwise ( as viewed from the left hand side of fig1 ). clutch assembly 128 ( fig1 ) is shown in greater detail in fig1 . clutch assembly 128 comprises a hub 150 , a one - way clutch 152 received within hub 150 , a seal 154 and a second hub 156 . as a result of this construction , when clutch assembly 128 is press fit onto shaft 124 ( fig1 ) and hubs 150 and 156 are secured to housing 123 ( fig9 ), clutch assembly 128 will permit shaft 124 to rotate clockwise ( as viewed from the left hand side of fig1 ) but will prevent shaft 124 from rotating counterclockwise ( as viewed from the left hand side of fig1 ). by mounting gear and clutch assembly 126 and clutch assembly 128 to shaft 124 , and by configuring one - way clutch 148 and one - way clutch 152 for opposing rotation , shaft 124 can be rotated clockwise ( as viewed from the left hand side of fig1 ) by clockwise rotation ( as viewed from left hand side of fig1 ) of motor 130 . at the same time , however , counterclockwise rotation ( as viewed from left hand side of fig1 ) of motor 130 will not result in any counterclockwise rotation ( as viewed from the left hand side of fig1 ) of shaft 124 due to the arrangement of one - way clutch 152 . switch 132 ( fig1 ) is shown in greater detail in fig1 – 21 . switch 132 comprises a front 158 , a first pair of electrical contacts 160 a and 160 b , a body 162 , a second pair of electrical contacts 164 a and 164 b and a back 166 , with all of the foregoing held together as a single unit by a pair of screws 168 . switch 132 serves to selectively connect a pair of battery poles 170 a and 170 b ( fig2 ), forming part of battery pin assembly 108 , to a pair of motor poles 172 a and 172 b . more particularly , switch 132 is normally disposed so that its electrical contact 164 a is in engagement with battery pole 170 a , and its electrical contact 164 b is in engagement with battery pole 170 b , with motor pole 172 a extending through an opening 174 b ( fig2 ) in electrical contact 164 b and with motor pole 172 b extending through an opening 174 a in electrical contact 164 a . thus , in this position , no current flows between battery poles 170 a and 170 b and motor poles 172 a and 172 b . however , if the switch &# 39 ; s front 158 is forced rearwardly , toward motor 130 , electrical contact 164 a will come into engagement with both battery pole 170 a and motor pole 172 a , and electrical contact 164 b will come into engagement with both battery pole 170 b and motor pole 172 b , thus completing a first circuit so as to energize motor 130 with a first polarity . alternatively , if front 158 is rotated either clockwise or counterclockwise ( as viewed in fig2 ), electrical contact 164 a will come into engagement with both battery pole 170 a and motor pole 172 b , and electrical contact 164 b will come into engagement with both battery pole 170 b and motor pole 172 a , thus completing a second circuit so as to energize motor 130 with a second polarity . in this respect it will be appreciated that the aforementioned second circuit is substantially the same as the aforementioned first circuit , except that electrical power is delivered to motor 130 with a reversed polarity . thus , by rotating the front 158 of switch 132 either clockwise or counterclockwise ( as viewed in fig2 ), motor 130 can be energized with a first polarity , such that it will rotate counterclockwise ( as viewed from the left hand side of fig1 ) and thereby drive shaft 124 clockwise ( as viewed from the left hand side of fig1 ). alternatively , by pushing front 158 of switch 132 rearwardly , toward motor 130 , motor 130 can be energized with a second opposite polarity , such that it will rotate clockwise ( as viewed from the left hand side of fig1 ). however , this clockwise rotation of motor 130 will not cause any rotation of shaft 124 , due to the configuration of one - way clutches 148 and 152 , which permit shaft 124 to rotate in only a clockwise direction ( as viewed from the left hand side of fig1 ). it should be appreciated that this arrangement of a dc motor with forward and reverse polarity , together with the gear and clutch assembly 126 and clutch assembly 128 , essentially provides a transmission mechanism . by activating wire advance button 212 , or left rotation button 214 or right rotation button 216 , a single motor can be used to drive wire or rotate the jaws . battery pin assembly 108 is shown in greater detail in fig2 – 24 . battery pin assembly 108 comprises a body 176 which supports the aforementioned two battery poles 170 a and 170 b , and a pair of battery contacts 178 a and 178 b for engagement with a battery ( not shown ) housed in battery compartment 116 ( fig8 ). cannula assembly 200 ( fig2 ) is shown in greater detail in fig2 – 38 . as noted above , cannula assembly 200 ( fig2 ) comprises shaft 202 , end effector 204 comprising first jaw 206 and second jaw 208 , jaw closing actuator 210 , wire advance button 212 , left rotation button 214 , right rotation button 216 and wire cutting actuator 216 . cannula assembly 200 also includes a housing 220 ( fig2 ) which acts as a support for the aforementioned elements . shaft 202 is shown in greater detail in fig2 – 31 . shaft 202 comprises a body 222 ( fig2 ) which has a tubular proximal end 224 and a trifurcated distal end 226 . a jaw linkage 228 extends through the distal end of tubular proximal end 224 and alongside ( i . e ., within one of the grooves ) of trifurcated distal end 226 . jaw linkage 228 is connected at its distal end to first jaw 206 and second jaw 208 as will hereinafter be described in further detail , and is connected at its proximal end to an internal mount 230 ( fig3 ). a pin 232 ( fig3 ) extends through a pair of slots 234 in tubular proximal end 224 and connects internal mount 230 ( fig3 ) to an external mount 236 . as a result of this construction , axial movement of external mount 236 will result in axial movement of jaw linkage 228 , whereby to open and close first jaw 206 and second jaw 208 via a scissors - type linkage ( fig3 ), as will hereinafter be discussed in further detail . a cutter bar linkage 238 ( fig2 ) also extends through the distal end of tubular proximal end 224 and alongside trifurcated distal end 226 . cutter bar linkage 238 is connected as its distal end to a cutter bar 240 via superelastic nitinol wire flexible coupling ( fig3 ), and is connected at its proximal end to an internal mount 242 ( fig3 ). a pin 244 ( fig3 ) extends through a pair of slots 246 in tubular proximal end 224 and connects internal mount 242 to an external mount 248 . as a result of this construction , axial movement of external mount 248 will result in axial movement of cutter bar linkage 238 , whereby to advance and retract cutter bar 240 , as will hereinafter be discussed in further detail . also extending through tubular proximal end 224 ( fig2 ) and alongside trifurcated distal end 226 is a hollow wire guide 250 ( fig3 ) which terminates , at its proximal end , in a mount 252 . the distal end of mount 252 is received by the proximal end of tubular proximal end 224 . the distal end of hollow wire guide 250 is received in a channel 254 ( fig3 ) formed in first jaw 206 , as will hereinafter be discussed in further detail . channel 254 communicates with a suture wire guide 256 formed in first jaw 206 , whereby suture wire emerging from hollow wire guide 250 will enter suture wire guide 256 . suture wire guide 256 is configured so that when first jaw 206 and second jaw 208 are closed , suture wire guide 256 will receive suture wire advancing parallel to the axis of shaft 202 and redirect it , substantially perpendicularly , toward second jaw 208 . wire guide 256 is configured to work with a range of different jaw openings , i . e ., wire guide 256 is configured to work successfully regardless of whether the jaws are closed on relatively thin tissue or relatively thick tissue . preferably wire guide 256 has radius of 0 . 125 inches . in order to permit the fabrication of suture wire guide 256 , first jaw 206 may include a removable cover 259 ( fig3 ) so as to provide access to the interior of first jaw 206 . second jaw 208 has an opening 257 ( fig3 ) formed therein to receive the wire exiting first jaw 206 . looking next at fig2 – 27 , it will be seen jaw closing actuator 210 is connected to external mount 236 such that depressing actuator 210 toward handle assembly 100 will cause external mount 236 to move proximally , whereby to move jaw linkage 228 proximally , and whereby to cause first jaw 206 and second jaw 208 to close toward one another . correspondingly , when jaw closing actuator 210 is released , a coil spring 258 ( fig2 ) will cause external mount 236 to move distally , whereby to move jaw linkage 228 distally , and whereby to cause first jaw 206 and second jaw 208 to separate from one another . still looking now at fig2 – 27 , it will also be seen that wire cutting actuator 218 is connected to external mount 248 such that depressing wire cutting actuator 218 toward handle assembly 100 will cause external mount 248 to move distally , whereby to move cutter bar linkage 238 distally and whereby to cause cutter bar 240 to move distally within a passageway 260 ( fig3 ) formed in first jaw 206 . in this respect it should be appreciated that cutter bar passageway intersects suture wire guideway 256 near the distal end of first jaw 206 , such that cutter bar 240 can sever a length of suture wire extending through suture wire guideway 256 , as will hereinafter be discussed in greater detail . correspondingly , when wire cutting actuator 218 is released , a coil spring 262 ( fig2 ) will cause external mount 248 to move proximally , whereby to move cutter bar linkage 238 proximally and whereby to cause cutter bar 240 to move proximally within passageway 260 . significantly , external mounts 236 and 248 permit the shaft to rotate for wire twisting purposes while simultaneously permitting axial motion for jaw actuation and cutter bar actuation . still looking now at fig2 – 27 , it will also be seen that wire advance button 212 is connected to a pair of push rods 262 ( fig2 ). push rods 262 are arranged to that when cannula assembly 200 is mounted to handle assembly 100 and wire advance button 212 is depressed ( i . e ., pushed toward handle assembly 100 ), push rods 262 will engage front 158 of switch 132 , whereby to drive front 158 proximally , whereby to energize motor 130 with the aforementioned second polarity , such that motor 130 will rotate clockwise ( as viewed from the left hand side of fig1 ). such motor rotation will cause suture wire to be advanced out of the distal end of suturing instrument 2 , as will hereinafter be discussed in further detail . still looking now at fig2 – 27 , it will also be seen that the proximal ends 264 , 266 ( fig2 ) of left rotation button 214 and right rotation button 216 , respectively , are exposed at the proximal end of cannula assembly 100 , whereby they may engage fingers 268 , 270 ( fig1 ), respectively , formed on front 158 of switch 132 . the various parts are arranged so that engagement of left rotation button 214 or right rotation button 216 will result in rotation of front 158 of switch 132 , which will in turn result in motor 130 being energized with the aforementioned first polarity , such that motor 130 will rotate counterclockwise ( as viewed from the left hand side of fig1 ) and whereby to drive shaft 124 clockwise ( as viewed from the left hand side of fig1 ). looking next at fig3 – 48 , wire drive assembly 300 comprises a body 302 ( fig4 ), a base plate 304 fastened to body 302 by a pair of screws 306 , a spur gear 308 connected to a miter gear 310 via a shaft 312 , a fixed block 314 mounted on a rod 316 , a screw 318 securing rod 316 to body 302 , a second miter gear 320 connected to a drive shaft roller 322 and a spur gear 324 via an axle 326 passing through fixed block 314 , a second drive shaft roller 328 connected to a spur gear 330 via an axle 332 , a movable block 334 slidably mounted on rod 316 , a block 336 , spring 338 , washer 340 and screw 342 for biasing movable block 334 into engagement with fixed block 314 , and a lever 344 and arm 346 for manually forcing movable block 334 away from fixed block 314 . wire drive assembly 300 also comprises a cannula lock lever 348 including a keyway 350 . cannula lock lever 348 is biased outwardly by a spring 352 . as a result of this construction , when movable block 334 is in engagement with fixed block 314 , rotation of spur gear 308 will cause rotation of miter gear 310 , which will in turn cause rotation of miter gear 320 and shaft 326 , which will in turn cause rotation of roller 322 and spur gear 324 , which will in turn cause rotation of spur gear 330 and hence roller 328 . however , depressing lever 344 will cause arm 346 to pivot , whereby to force movable block 334 away from fixed block 314 and whereby to separate roller 322 from roller 328 . in addition , cannula lock lever 348 can be pressed inwardly , against the force of spring 352 , whereby to align enlarged portion 354 of keyway 350 with notches 272 ( fig3 ) of mount 250 , and thereafter released , so as to lock the cannula and wire drive assembly 300 together , as will hereinafter be discussed in further detail . it should be appreciated that wave washers ww 1 and ww 2 ( fig4 ) bias spur gears 324 and 330 , respectively , away from fixed block 314 and movable block 334 , which , via axles 325 and 332 respectively , urge drive wheels 322 and 328 against body 302 , whereby to keep wheels 322 and 328 aligned and in a fixed relative position . each drive wheel and axle assembly is machined ( turned ) from a single , continuous piece of metal , using the same tool setup , so that the alignment of both is immune from the inaccuracies that would occur if they were turned at different occasions and assembled using holes and holding means . this operation is important , because the drive wheels are approximately 100 times the diameter of the wire they are driving and even the slightest alignment inaccuracies can rotate the wire as it is moved forward . since the wire is permanently curved by the exit path in the delivery jaw , any such wire rotation causes the wire to swerve from its normal trajectory from that jaw and possibly prevent the tip of the wire from passing through the opening in the receiving jaw . it should also be appreciated that peripheral grooves may be formed in wheels 322 and 328 . such grooves provide a seat for the wire being driven and help increase the surface area contact between the wheels and the wire . looking next at fig4 – 54 , wire supply cartridge 400 generally comprises a spool housing 402 ( fig5 ), a wire spool 404 , a spool retainer spring 406 , a spool cover 408 , a molded tube support 410 holding a wire support tube 412 and a peek wire guide tube 414 . a length of wire 416 extends from spool 404 , through molded tube support 410 and wire support tube 412 , and through peek wire guide tube 414 . more particularly , a supply coil of suture wire 416 ( comprising wire formed of metal or any other suitable material having the required flexibility and stiffness ) may be supplied in the base of cartridge 400 and is fed into molded tube support 410 , where it enters wire support unit 412 before entering peek wire guide tube 414 . peek wire guide tube 414 surrounds suture wire 416 , from wire support unit 412 to the distal end of suturing instrument 2 where , with the distal end of peek tube received in channel 254 ( fig3 ), the suture wire enters suture wire guide 256 in first jaw 206 . peek wire guide tube 414 ensures that suture wire 416 does not bend or buckle as the suture wire is pushed through handle assembly 100 and cannula assembly 200 . more particularly , peek wire guide tube 414 preferably forms a sufficiently close sliding fit with suture wire 416 such that suture wire 416 cannot bend or buckle as the suture wire is advanced through suturing instrument 2 . at the same time , peek wire guide tube 414 is also formed so as to present a minimum of friction to suture wire 416 as the suture wire is advanced through the instrument . in addition , peek wire guide tube 414 also provides a flexible support as the suture wire moves from the shaft to the upper jaw , which pivots relative to the longitudinal axis of the shaft . the foregoing characteristics are important , inasmuch as suture wire 416 is extremely thin and flexible and highly susceptible to bending or buckling in the absence of some sort of lateral support . by way of example but not limitation , where suture wire 416 is formed out of stainless steel and has a diameter of 0 . 006 inch , peek wire guide tube 414 might have an inside diameter of 0 . 008 inch and an outside diameter of 0 . 016 inch . in addition , peek wire guide tube 414 is preferably formed out of polyetheretherketone ; however , it may alternatively be formed out of polytetrafluoroethylene ( ptfe ) or some other relatively lubricious material . alternatively , the interior of peek wire guide tube 414 may be coated with a lubricant so as to facilitate closely - supported , low - friction passage of the suture wire through the wire guide . further by way of example but not limitation , in one preferred form of the invention , suture wire 416 may comprise 316 lvm stainless steel having a tensile strength of 168 , 000 psi . wire support unit 412 and its surrounding molded tube support 410 have aligned openings 418 , 420 ( fig5 ) respectively , on opposite sides thereof . openings 418 , 420 expose a portion of suture wire 416 so that rollers 322 , 328 ( fig4 ) may contact suture wire 416 and urge the suture wire forward toward the distal end of suturing instrument 2 , as will hereinafter be discussed in further detail . wire supply cartridge 400 may be attached to wire drive assembly 300 by actuating lever 344 so as to force movable block 334 away from fixed block 314 and thereby separate roller 328 . once wire roller 322 is separated from roller 328 by a sufficient distance to expose the distal end of mount 252 ( fig3 ), peek wire guide tube 414 may be inserted into the interior of wire guide 250 and molded tube support 410 may be inserted between rollers 322 and 328 such that rollers 322 and 328 contact either side of suture wire 416 through openings 420 , 418 formed in either side of molded tube support 410 and wire support unit 412 , respectively . looking next at fig5 and 56 , shroud 500 comprises a body 502 having a recess 504 and a locking finger 506 . locking finger 506 selectively engages chin pin 118 for locking and unlocking shroud 500 relative to handle assembly 100 . suturing instrument 2 may be used to apply wire suture 416 to a subject so as to effect a desired suturing operation . by way of example but not limitation , and looking now at fig5 – 66 , suturing instrument 2 may be used to suture together two portions 600 , 602 of a subject which is to be sutured . in a typical case , portions 600 , 602 might comprise two sections of severed tissue which need to be re - attached to one another , or two pieces of previously unattached tissue which need to be attached to one another . however , one or the other of the portions 600 , 602 might also comprise artificial mesh or some other object being attached to tissue , etc . in addition , in a typical case , portions 600 , 602 might be located relatively deep within a patient , and might be accessed during an endoscopic or a so - called “ minimally invasive ”, or a so - called “ closed surgery ”, procedure ; however , in other circumstances , portions 600 , 602 might be accessed during a conventional , or so - called “ open surgery ”, procedure . this later situation might include procedures done at the outer surface of the patient &# 39 ; s body , i . e ., where portions 600 , 602 comprise surface subjects . in any case , suturing instrument 2 is initially prepared for use by installing a battery into handle assembly 100 , if a battery is not already installed , and by installing wire supply cartridge 400 into the suturing instrument , if a cartridge 400 is not yet installed . as noted above , wire supply cartridge 30 is installed in suturing instrument 2 by ( 1 ) removing shroud 500 , ( 2 ) moving the wire drive assembly &# 39 ; s release lever 344 to its open position , so as to move rollers 322 and 328 apart and thereby expose the distal end of mount 252 ; ( 3 ) passing the distal end of the cartridge ( i . e ., the distal end of peek wire guide tube 414 ) through cannula assembly 200 until the distal end of peek wire guide tube 414 is in communication with the suture wire guide 256 formed in first jaw portion 206 , at which point the cartridge &# 39 ; s molded tube support 410 will be positioned intermediate rollers 322 and 328 ; and ( 4 ) moving the wire drive assembly &# 39 ; s release lever 344 back to its closed position , so as to cause rollers 322 and 328 to extend through the wire support unit &# 39 ; s openings 418 and engage suture wire 416 . at this point suturing instrument 2 will be ready for use , with its first jaw 206 and second jaw 208 being open , and with its cutter bar 240 being in its retracted ( i . e ., non - cutting ) position . next , suturing instrument 2 has its jaws 206 , 208 placed in their “ closed ” position ) by pulling jaw closing actuator 210 toward handle assembly 100 , and then the distal end of suturing instrument 2 is moved adjacent to subject portions 600 , 602 ( fig5 ). in the case of a so - called closed surgical procedure , such positioning will generally involve moving the distal end of the suturing instrument through a cannula and into an interior body cavity ; however , it is also envisioned that one might move the distal end of the suturing instrument directly into an otherwise - accessible body cavity , e . g ., directly into the colon or esophagus , etc . in the case of a so - called open surgical procedure , such positioning might involve positioning the distal end of the suturing instrument adjacent to more readily accessible subject portions 600 , 602 . in any case , once the distal end of suturing instrument 2 has been placed adjacent to subject portions 600 , 602 , jaw closing actuator 210 is released , such that biasing spring 258 ( fig2 ) will cause jaws 206 , 208 to move away from one another ( fig5 ). then the distal end of suturing instrument 2 is moved so that its jaws 206 , 208 straddle subject portions 600 , 602 , and then jaw closing actuator 210 is actuated again , by pulling jaw closing actuator 210 toward handle assembly 100 , so as to close jaws 206 , 208 against one another , whereby to capture subject portions 600 , 602 ( fig5 ). next , wire advance button 212 is activated so as to cause suture wire 416 to be driven forward , out of the distal end of wire guide 256 , through subject portions 600 , 602 , and finally through opening 257 ( fig3 ) formed in second jaw 208 . suture wire 416 is preferably advanced so that a length 416 a of wire 416 extends approximately 1 centimeter out of the bottom end of second jaw 208 ( fig5 ). in this respect it will be appreciated that , as suture wire 416 leaves first jaw 206 and engages subject portions 600 , 602 , the first jaw &# 39 ; s wire guide 256 will support the thin suture wire so as to enable the suture wire to penetrate subject portions 600 , 602 . again , it should be appreciated that wire guide 256 is configured to pass the wire to second jaw 208 regardless of whether the jaws are closed on relatively thin tissue or relatively thick tissue . once this has been done , jaw closing actuator 210 is released so as to permit jaws 206 , 208 to return to their “ open ” position , and then wire advance button 212 is used to pay out additional suture wire 416 as the distal end of suturing instrument 2 is stepped back ( e . g ., by about a centimeter or so ) from subject portions 600 , 602 ( fig6 ). then jaw closing actuator 210 is used to move jaws 206 , 208 back into engagement with one another once more ( fig6 ). next , left rotation button 214 , or right rotation button 216 , is used to rotate shaft 202 and hence end effector 204 . this causes suture wire 416 to twist on itself , initially creating a relatively large loop 417 ( fig6 ) of suture wire 416 extending from subject portions 600 , 602 toward suturing instrument 2 . however , as left rotation button 214 and / or right rotation button 216 is used to rotate shaft 202 ( and hence end effector 204 ) more and more , the loop 417 of suture material will progressively close down ( fig6 ) so as to form a tight binder for subject portions 600 , 602 . in this respect it will be appreciated that the longer the period of time that end effector 204 is rotated , the greater the amount of twisting of suture wire 416 , and the greater the force holding subject portions 600 , 602 . in this respect it will also be appreciated that suture wire 416 is preferably carefully selected with respect to its flexibility relative to the strength of subject portions 600 , 602 . in particular , suture wire 416 is chosen so as to have a flexibility such that the suture wire will twist , and loop 417 will close down , before subject portions 600 , 602 will undergo substantial deformation and / or tearing . by way of example but not limitation , in practice , it has been found that 0 . 006 inch diameter stainless steel wire can be used with most types of mammalian tissue such that the suture wire can be twisted closed without causing substantial deformation and / or tearing of the tissue . at the same time , suture wire 416 is also chosen to have an adequate columnar strength , whereby to permit it to be driven through the tool and across the tissue . once suture wire 416 has been tightened to the desired degree ( fig6 ), rotation of shaft 202 ( and hence end effector 204 ) is stopped , i . e ., by releasing left rotation button 214 or right rotation button 28 . then wire cutting actuator 218 is depressed ( e . g ., it is pulled back toward handle assembly 100 ) so as to move cutting bar 240 distally and thereby sever the suture wire 416 as the suture wire crosses the first jaw &# 39 ; s cutter bar channel 260 ( fig6 ). this action separates the deployed suture wire extending through subject portions 600 , 602 from the suture wire remaining in wire supply cartridge 400 and first jaw 206 . then wire cutting actuator 218 is released , allowing biasing spring 262 to return cutting bar 240 to return to its proximal position , and then jaw closing actuator 210 is released , allowing jaws 206 and 208 to move away from one another . suturing instrument 2 may then be removed from subject portions 600 , 602 , which action will pull wire length 416 a from second jaw 208 ( fig6 ). the deployed suture wire 416 may then be pressed down flat against subject portions 600 , 602 or rounded into a ball , or otherwise operated upon , or portions cut away , etc . so as to reduce the profile of , or reduce the tendency to snag on , the deployed suture wire ( fig6 ). significantly , with the present invention , jaw opening and closing , wire length and the degree of wire twisting are all variable and adjustable by the operator according to the particular surgical application involved . it will be appreciated that suturing instrument 2 will have application in a broad range of different suturing operations . more particularly , it will be appreciated that suturing instrument 2 will have application in both “ open ” and “ closed ” surgical procedures , with the former including , but not limited to , large entry procedures , relatively shallow procedures , and surface procedures ; and with the latter including , but not limited to , surgical procedures where access is gained to an interior structure through the use of a cannula , and surgical procedures where access is gained directly to an internal body cavity without the use of a cannula , e . g ., such as a procedure conducted within the colon or the esophagus . it will also be appreciated that suturing instrument 2 will have application where two portions of tissue must be attached to one another ( e . g ., where two severed pieces of tissue must be re - attached to one another , or where two separate pieces of tissue must be attached to one another , or where two sections of a single piece of tissue must be approximated to one another ), and where an object must be attached to the patient ( e . g ., where surgical mesh must be attached to the patient &# 39 ; s abdominal wall during hernia repair surgery , etc .). among other things , it is believed that suturing instrument 2 will have particular application in the areas of general laparoscopic surgery , general thoracic surgery , cardiac surgery , general intestinal surgery , vascular surgery , skin surgery and plastic surgery . looking next at fig6 and 68 , it will be seen that where the first jaw &# 39 ; s guide channel 256 is disposed so as to be substantially aligned with the center of cutting bar 240 ( fig6 ), suture wire 416 will be cut with a relatively flat leading end 416 b ( fig6 ). however , it has sometimes been found helpful to provide suture wire 416 with a relatively sharp leading point . such a leading point can help open the subject for the following portion of the suture wire . in addition , such a leading point can help the suture wire penetrate the subject with a substantially straight path , so that the suture wire will reliably enter the second jaw &# 39 ; s opening 257 . to this end , it has been found that moving the first jaw &# 39 ; s guide channel 256 off - center relative to cutting bar 240 ( fig6 ) will cause the leading end 416 b of suture wire 416 to be formed with a relatively sharp tip 416 c ( fig7 ). it is also possible to use suturing instrument 2 to ligate a subject rather than to pass a suture through the subject . for example , suturing instrument 2 might be used to ligate a blood vessel or cystic duct with suture wire 416 . in this case , suturing . instrument 2 is deployed so that suture wire 416 will pass around the far side of the subject , rather than through the subject as in the case of the suturing operation of the type described above . by way of example but not limitation , in a typical ligating operation , first and second jaws 206 , 208 are first opened relative to one another . then suturing instrument 2 is positioned about the subject so that when the two jaws are thereafter closed toward one another , the first jaw &# 39 ; s guide channel 256 and the second jaw &# 39 ; s opening 257 will both lie on the far side of the subject . the two jaws are then closed against one another , and suture wire 416 is passed from first jaw 206 to second jaw 208 , i . e ., around the far side of the subject . the two jaws are then opened , and suture wire 416 is payed out as the instrument is stepped back from the subject . then the two jaws are closed again . the shaft of the instrument is then rotated so as to form , and then close down , the ligating loop . then cutting bar 240 is activated so as to cut the ligating loop from the remainder of the suture wire still in the tool , the two jaw members are opened , and the instrument is withdrawn from the surgical site . the deployed suture wire 416 may then be pressed down flat against the subject , or rounded into a ball , or otherwise operated upon , or portions cut away , etc . so as to reduce the profile of , or reduce the tendency to snag on , the deployed suture wire . as will be appreciated by a person skilled in the art , where instrument 2 is to be used for ligating purposes , first and second jaws 206 , 208 might be formed with a greater longitudinal length so as to facilitate passing the suture wire around the far side of the subject . furthermore , one or both of the jaw members might be formed with a recess , intermediate their length , for accommodating the subject , whereby to prevent compressing the subject when the two jaw members are moved into engagement with one another . suture wire 416 may comprise a wire formed out of a metal or any other suitable material having the required flexibility and stiffness . by way of example but not limitation , suture wire 416 may comprise stainless steel , titanium , tantalum , etc . if desired , suture wire 416 may also be coated with various active agents . for example , suture wire 416 may be coated with an anti - inflammatory agent , or an anti - coagulant agent , or an antibiotic , or a radioactive agent , etc . it should also be appreciated that the instrument may also be used to anchor a guide wire into tissue for the purposes of subsequently delivering an object to that tissue anchor point . in such a situation , the jaws would grasp tissue at the desired anchor point in the tissue , drive wire through it and twist the wire ends together . before cutting the supply side of the wire , however , the user would drive wire , with the jaws open , as the instrument was withdrawn out of the surgical area . the proximal end of this length of wire is then secured . then the wire could be cut , leaving an open proximal end over which various devices could be pushed to the tissue site ( e . g . ph sensors , gastric motility leads , cardiac pacing leads , drug delivery catheters , drug factories , and micro electromechanical “ mem systems ,” etc .) it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that numerous modifications and variations may be made to the above - disclosed embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention . | 0 |
fig1 shows some basic elements of a mobile telephone 10 for a umts network . fig1 illustrates only the elements of the telephone 10 that are most useful for describing the invention ; it will be apparent to the skilled person that the construction of the mobile telephone will be far more complex in practice . as shown in fig1 , the telephone 10 includes an antenna 12 , an rf section 14 , a rake receiver 16 a bit rate processor ( brp ) 18 and a multipath searcher ( as ) 20 . the telephone 10 receives signals through antenna 12 . the received signals are downconverted by the rf section 14 to produce a baseband signal . the baseband signal is then passed to both the rake receiver 16 and the multipath searcher 20 . the multipath searcher 20 identifies the strongest group of multipath components in the baseband signal and allocates a finger of the rake receiver 16 to each of those components . the rake receiver 16 demodulates the allocated multipath components in parallel and combines the results in a time - aligned manner . the demodulated signal provided by the rake receiver 16 is then supplied to the brp 18 for further processing . in the example of a voice call , the further processing performed by the brp 18 , includes the extraction of speech information from the received signal and its ultimate conversion into an analogue signal for presentation to the user via a sound transducer . no further detail will be given about the operation of the rf section , the rake receiver 16 or the brp 18 since the manner in which these units function will be readily understood by the skilled person . however , the operation of the mps 20 will now be described in greater detail . in the process of interacting with a basestation , the telephone 10 will monitor a signal sent out by a basestation in a common pilot channel ( cpich ) of the umts network in which the telephone 10 is participating . the signal transmitted by the basestation in the cpich is encoded using a scrambling code and that scrambling code is known to , or deduced by , the telephone 10 . the mps 20 performs measurements on the signal acquired from the basestation in the cpich in order to identify the multipath components arriving from the basestation . the mps 20 performs a set of correlation calculations on the cpich signal acquired by the telephone 10 from the basestation . each of the correlation calculations involves the correlation of the scrambling code with the cpich signal from the basestation to produce a correlation value . however , each of the correlation calculations uses a different time offset between the scrambling code and the cpich signal from the basestation . if one plots the correlation values against their time offset values , then the resulting curve will show a number of peaks , one peak for each of the multipath components of the signal sent by the basestation in the cpich . ( in practice , only the strongest multipath components will be discernible against the noise floor .) the heights of the peaks indicate the relative power levels of the multipath components that are present and the spacing between the peaks indicates the relative delays between the various multipath components . for this reason , it is usual to refer to such a plot as a power versus delay profile . upon first detecting cpich transmissions from the basestation , the mps 20 performs a set of coarse correlation calculations that are sufficient to provide a power versus delay profile in which the strongest multipath component peak can be discerned . such a plot is shown in fig2 . the mps 20 will repeat this coarse evaluation at intervals . alternatively , coarse path position may also be obtained through other means such as correlation against synchronisation codes ( e . g . for umts these are p - sch , s - sch ). if , however , the telephone 10 starts to actively use the base station , e . g . as the result of a hand - over , then the mps 20 performs a finer set of correlation calculations to produce a more detailed version of the power versus delay profile . the umts standards presently state that multipath components must be monitored over at least a 20 μs window or delay spread of the power versus delay profile of a basestation that is actively being used . therefore , the mps 20 designates the location of the strongest peak found in the last iteration of the coarse search as the zero point on the delay axis and performs the correlation calculations that are needed to build up a detailed power versus delay profile over the interval 0 μs to 20 μs on the delay axis , as indicated by the arrow below the delay axis in fig2 . in this example , the detailed search finds additional multipath components at delays of + 9 μs and + 17 μs on the delay axis as shown in fig3 . the mps 20 is required to repeat the detailed 20 μs search periodically on the assumption that the multipath environment around the telephone 10 will change from time to time . however , at the next iteration of the detailed search , the 20 μs window is linked to the latest peak located in the previous search , in this case the peak at + 17 μs , and extends in the direction of decreasing delay , as indicated by the arrow below the delay axis in fig4 . thus , the search is now performed over the interval + 17 μs to − 3 μs on the delay axis . in this example , the new search finds the peaks at 0 , + 9 and + 17 μs once more but also locates an additional peak at − 2 μs , as indicated in fig5 . when the time comes to perform the next iteration of the detailed search , the 20 μs window is linked to the earliest peak on the delay axis and extends forwards in the direction of increasing delay , as indicated by the arrow below the delay axis in fig6 . in this example , the new iteration of the search finds peaks at − 2 , 0 and + 17 μs but the peak at + 9 μs no longer exists . the detailed 20 μs search is repeated periodically as long as the telephone 10 continues to actively use the basestation in question . consecutive iterations of the search continue to extend in opposite senses , that is towards increasing delay or towards decreasing delay . each iteration that extends in the direction of decreasing delay begins at the latest peak found by the previous iteration of the search and each iteration that extends in the direction of increasing delay begins at the earliest peak found by the previous iteration of the search . thus , a 20 μs range of the power versus delay profile is monitored in a manner which places a relatively light burden on the data processing resources of the telephone in terms of the number of correlation calculations that need to be performed . the mps 20 provides a particular benefit in the case where the search to be updated contains just a single multipath peak in that paths upto 20 μs away can be located without the penalty of having to search through a 40 μs time window in a single iteration of the search . | 7 |
hereunder , various embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings . fig2 is a schematic block diagram for a configuration of a disaster information distribution system according to a first embodiment of the present invention . as shown in fig2 , the disaster information distribution system in this first embodiment includes an information distribution apparatus 1 . the information distribution apparatus 1 obtains disaster information from a disaster information source 3 . the information distribution apparatus 1 then customizes the obtained disaster information and distributes the customized disaster information to a customer 2 . the customer 2 can receive the disaster information from the information distribution apparatus 1 with use of a portable phone and / or a personal computer ( pc ) via , for example , the internet 4 , as well as via a car navigation system , an illuminated sign spelling - out news board , a terminal installed at a convenience store , a terminal such as a digital home appliance , and so forth . the information distribution apparatus 1 obtains disaster information items from the disaster information source 3 . for example , the disaster information source 3 may collect the following information items : fire information , river ( flood ) information , railway ( accident ) information , road ( accident ) information , traffic information , weather reports , earthquake information , volcano information , recall information , and crime information . the fire information may include fires and explosion accidents . the river information may include flood warnings . the railway information may include delay or recovery information . the road information may include car accidents and traffic jams . the weather information may include weather reports and various weather - caused disaster warnings and alarms , as well as the probability of precipitation . the earthquake information may include seismic intensity of each earthquake and damages of each earthquake . the volcano information may include eruption information . the recall information may include recall information of foods , machines , and other products available on the market . the information distributor obtains the disaster information items and stores them in data bases ( to be described later ) of the information distribution apparatus 1 . fig3 is a block diagram for a configuration of the information distribution apparatus 1 . the system shown in fig3 distributes disaster information to portable phones 51 to 54 of customers . the information distribution apparatus 1 includes a disaster information management unit 10 , a customer information management unit 20 , a distribution information management unit 30 , and an information distribution unit 40 . the disaster information management unit 10 includes an information input application program 11 , an automatic input application program 12 , and a disaster information data base ( db ) 13 . the information input application 11 is used to enter disaster information obtained from the disaster information source 3 manually . the automatic input application 12 is used to enter disaster information obtained from the disaster information source 3 automatically as digital information . the disaster information entered from the information input application 11 and automatic input application 12 is stored in the disaster information data base ( db ) 13 . the disaster information data base ( db ) 13 stores disaster information classified by geographical information , disaster type , disaster level , and disaster content . fig4 shows an exemplary record 400 of the disaster information data base ( db ) 13 . the geographical information is classified into three hierarchical layers : ( state ), ( city ), and ( town ). as shown in fig4 , the “ state ” denotes such a prefecture as tokyo , hokkaido , and so forth . the “ city ” denotes such a city , town , or village of an administrative unit as minato ward , fujisawa city , and so forth . the “ town ” denotes a local area unit in a ward , city , town , or village , for example , roppongi 3 - chome , kirihara - machi , and so forth . in fig4 , “ category ” denotes information of a disaster type . specifically , it may be a fire report , a weather report , an earthquake report , and so forth . in fig4 , “ lv ” denotes a disaster level . this level means one of three ranks ( 1 to 3 ) for each disaster type (“ category ”). in the first embodiment , “ 1 ” denotes a serious disaster damage , “ 2 ” denotes a medium disaster damage , and “ 3 ” denotes a slight disaster damage . “ detail ” in fig4 means information denoting descriptive specifics of a disaster , for example , “ explosion and fire outbreak on 13th floor of a building ”, “ fire outbreak in a warehouse ”, and so forth . the disaster information stored in the disaster information data base ( db ) 13 may be updated each time disaster information is obtained from the disaster information source 3 . each time the disaster information data base ( db ) 13 is updated , the new disaster information may be transferred to the distribution information management unit 30 . the customer information management unit 20 is provided with a customer information registration application program 21 and a customer information db 22 . the customer information registration application 21 assists each customer to register his / her information in the customer information db 22 so as to receive services from this system . customer information may be registered in the customer information db 22 in the format of an exemplary record 500 as shown in fig5 . in fig5 , “ customer ” denotes information used to identify each customer . the example shown in fig5 includes information about three customers , denoted x , y , and z . a mail address used for a portable phone may be set for “ customer ”. each customer information is registered with respect to hierarchically divided geographical information (“ state ”, “ city ” and “ town ”) and “ course ” information . the geographical information means customer district information set by each customer . a home address can be set as the customer district information . in this case , fig5 shows that the home address of the customer x is roppongi , minato - ward , tokyo , the home address of the customer y is daimon , minato - ward , tokyo , and the home address of the customer z is roppongi , minato - ward , tokyo . a customer pays his / her highest attention to information about disasters that occur in his / her district including his / her home address . in fig5 , “ course ” may be selected from two choices a and b . a specific selection example will be described later . the distribution information management unit 30 receives new disaster information from the disaster information data base ( db ) 13 . receiving new disaster information , the distribution information management unit 30 executes a process for matching the disaster information with each customer information registered in the customer information db 22 . as a result of this matching process , customers are selected to whom the new disaster information is to be distributed . the distribution information management unit 30 is provided with matching tables used for the matching processing . a matching table may be prepared for each disaster information type , that is , for each “ category ”. such a matching table may also be prepared for each course in each “ category ”. fig6 shows an example of a matching table 600 for a fire outbreak report . a matching table is configured by two tables : a first table 601 for course a , and a second table 602 for course b . the matching table 600 is used to link hierarchically divided geographical information with disaster level and decide whether to distribute disaster information customers . hereinafter , exemplary contents of the matching table for course a are described . disaster information whose level lv is 3 is distributed to the subject customer ( s ) only when “ town ” in the disaster information transferred from the distribution information management unit 30 matches “ town ” in the customer information obtained from the customer information db 22 . the “ o ” in the matching table denotes that information should be distributed . disaster information whose level lv is 2 is distributed to the subject customer ( s ) when “ city ” in the disaster information transferred from the distribution information management unit 30 matches “ city ” in the customer information obtained from the customer information db 22 . in this case , even when the “ town ” does not match between that transferred from the distribution information management unit 30 and that obtained from the customer information db 22 , the disaster information is distributed to the subject customer ( s ). disaster information whose level lv is 1 is distributed to the subject customer ( s ) when “ state ” in the disaster information transferred from the distribution information management unit 30 matches “ state ” in the customer information obtained from the customer information db 22 . in this case , even when both “ town ” and “ city ” do not match between that transferred from the distribution information management unit 30 and that obtained from the customer information db 22 , the disaster information is distributed to the subject customer ( s ). “ all ” in the matching table means that information should be distributed even when all “ state ”, “ city ”, and “ town ” do not match between that transferred from the distribution information management unit 30 and that obtained from the customer information db 22 . this is a case in which disaster information is distributed even when a district denoted by customer district information is far from a disaster - occurred district . the same rules also apply to the matching table for course b . the information distribution unit 40 distributes disaster information , according to decisions made by the distribution information management unit 30 , to predetermined customers as mail information . the customers receive this information via portable phones 51 to 54 . in this first embodiment , as shown in fig2 , disaster information is distributed to the portable phones 51 to 54 of the customers via the internet . thus , the portable phones 51 to 54 must be portable phones that can communicate with the internet . the communication method of each of the portable phones differs among carriers ( portable phone companies ), so that the information distribution unit 40 must distribute disaster information appropriately to the communication method of each of the portable phones 51 to 54 . a customer who wants to use the disaster information distribution service of the first embodiment is asked to register himself / herself via a portable telephone 51 as shown in fig3 . hereinafter , the customer registration procedure will be described with reference to fig7 through 9 . when the customer accesses the information distribution apparatus 1 via the portable telephone 51 , a password input screen 701 is displayed as shown in fig7 . the customer is requested to enter his / her password on the password input screen 701 . the password input screen 701 also displays the mail address assigned to the portable telephone 51 . when the customer sends the entered password , a home address input screen 702 is displayed . the customer is prompted to select his / her area such as kanto , tokai , and so forth on the home input screen 702 . in this case , the customer selects kanto in the example shown in fig7 . then , there appears a prefecture selection screen 703 for prompting the customer to select his / her prefecture . in this example , the customer selects 23 wards in tokyo . then , there appears a city selection screen 704 for prompting the customer to select his / her city , ward , town , or village . in this example , the customer selects meguro ward . after this , there appears a detail selection screen 801 for prompting the customer to select his / her more detailed area in the selected ward as shown in fig8 . this completes the registration of the information related to his / her home address . then , there appears a course selection screen 802 for prompting the customer to select a course , as shown in fig8 . the customer is requested to select either a or b . in this example the customer selects the course a . after this course selection , there appears a confirmation screen 803 for prompting the customer to confirm the registered items . on the confirmation screen 803 are displayed “ nakameguro , meguro - ward , tokyo ” as the selected area and “ a ” as the selected course as shown in fig8 . the confirmation screen 803 also prompts the customer to register other areas ; for example , it is also possible to register the home address of his / her parents , the address of his / her place of work , and so forth on this screen . then , there appears a phone registration screen 804 for prompting the customer to register the type of the portable telephone 51 as shown in fig8 . on the screen phone registration 804 are displayed three types of portable telephones . the customer is prompted to select one of them . when the customer selects the type of the portable telephone , there appears another confirmation 901 screen for prompting the customer to confirm the type of the portable telephone he / she has entered . when the customer sends “ confirmed ”, there appears a registration confirmation screen 902 for displaying the “ registration confirmed ” message as shown in fig9 . next , a description will be made for the details of a matching process executed by the distribution information management unit 30 with reference to fig1 . fig1 shows a procedure for deciding whether to distribute disaster information to three customers x , y , and z shown as users in fig5 , with reference to the matching table 600 shown in fig6 , when an explosion and fire occur in roppongi , and which is newly registered in the disaster information db 13 . the explosion and fire is selected from the disaster information items shown in fig4 . the distribution information management unit 30 obtains the disaster information from the disaster information db 13 and the customer information from the customer information db 22 respectively . in the exemplary record 1001 shown in fig1 , the disaster information denotes “ tokyo ”, “ minato - ward ”, “ roppongi ”, “ lv = 2 ”, and “ fire report ” respectively . the customer x has selected the course a , so the disaster information is collated with the customer information in the matching table 601 for the course a . because lv = 2 , the lv 2 column in the matching table 601 is checked . the customer information “ city ” denotes “ minato - ward ”, which matches with “ city ”, and a circle ( o ) is described in the “ city ” field of the lv 2 column in the matching table . the ( o ) means that the information should be distributed . this disaster information is thus distributed to the customer x . fig1 shows an example of a screen 1501 for displaying the information distributed to the customer &# 39 ; s portable telephone 53 . the customer y has selected the course a . therefore , the matching table 601 for the course a is used for a matching processing just like the customer x . the “ town ” of the customer y denotes “ daimon ”, which differs from the disaster information “ town ”. however , “ city ”, which is just one level above “ town ”, matches with “ minatoku ”. in addition , for the course a , the information of lv 2 of “ city ” must be distributed . this disaster information is thus distributed to the customer y . the customer z has selected the course b . thus , the disaster information is collated with the customer information in the matching table 602 for the course b . because lv = 2 , the lv 2 column in the matching table 602 is checked . in the case of the customer information of the customer z , because “ city ” is “ minato - ward ” and “ town ” is “ roppongi ”, both “ city ” and “ town ” in the disaster information match with those registered for the customer . however , no circle ( o ) is described in the lv 2 field in the matching table 602 for the course b . the circle ( o ) means that the disaster information should be distributed . therefore , this disaster information is not distributed to the customer z . as described above , in a sense , the matching process is a process for comparing customer district information with a disaster - occurred district while consideration is given to the disaster level . this comparison may be considered as a comparison of distance between customer district information and a disaster - occurred district . for example , when both “ town ” items match with each other , the distance is close . on the other hand , when both “ state ” items match with each other , but “ town ” items differ , the distance may be far . as described above , the present invention also handles railway information such as train breakdowns / accidents as disaster information . in the case of railway information , the geographical information of a disaster is identified by the railway course and / or the railway station in which the disaster occurs . consequently , it is inconvenient to use the information about the railway course and / or the station in the matching processing with reference to the matching table shown in fig6 . it is thus helpful to convert a railway course to geographical information . fig1 shows an exemplary record 110 d of disaster information related to a railway and stored in the disaster information db 13 . disaster information related to a railway is classified into “ category ” denoting a disaster type , “ railway ” denoting a railway course on which the subject disaster has occurred , and “ station 1 ” and “ station 2 ” denoting station ( s ) in which the subject disaster has occurred . the reason why there are two stations “ station 1 ” and “ station 2 ” stored in the data base is due to a possibility that a disaster may occur between two stations . when a fire breaks out in a station yard , station names denoted in “ station 1 ” and “ station 2 ” match with each other . “ lv ” denotes a disaster level . “ detail ” denotes the nature of a disaster . in the example shown in fig1 , “ category ” denotes only a train trouble / accident . the disaster information described in the top row of the exemplary record 1101 denotes a door trouble that has occurred between shibuya station ( station 1 ″) and harajuku station (“ station 2 ”) of the yamanote line (“ railway ”). the disaster information also denotes that the disaster level of this door trouble is 3 ( lv ), which means a slight trouble . the disaster information described in the next row denotes an accident resulting in injury or death occurred in the kunitachi station yard (“ station 1 ” and “ station 2 ”=“ kunitachi ”) of the chuosen (“ railway ”); the disaster level is 1 . the customer information stored in the customer information db 22 is also used for matching with respect to train troubles / accidents . however , the disaster information to be used for the matching with respect to such train troubles / accidents can be limited more strictly than that of other disaster information . fig1 shows an exemplary record 1200 that includes “ state ”, “ city ”, and “ course ” in customer information used for matching for train troubles / accidents . while both course and station are identified for railway information as described above , this kind of information cannot be used conveniently for matching geographical information stored as customer information . this is why course information is converted to geographical information . the distribution information management unit 30 is provided with a course - district conversion table 1300 as shown in fig1 . the course - district conversion table 1300 includes information about districts passed by each subject course . the district is set as geographical information equivalent to “ city ” in customer information . specifically , as shown in fig1 , for the toyoko line , meguro - ward , shibuya - ward , yokohama city , etc . that are passed by the toyoko line are described . as for the jr yamanote line , chiyoda - ward , meguro - ward , shibuya - ward , and so forth that are passed by the yamanote line are described . the course - district conversion table 1300 describes geographical information of districts for each course and to be passed by each course . the distribution information management unit 30 also has a matching table whose format is the same as that shown in fig1 . the description will therefore be omitted here . next , a description will be made for the matching process executed for railway information with reference to fig1 . fig1 shows an example of a procedure for deciding whether to distribute disaster information to the three customers x , y , and z shown in fig1 with reference to the matching table 600 when door trouble occurs in the yamanote line and the trouble is selected from the disaster information items 1401 also shown in fig1 so as to be registered newly in the disaster information db 13 . the course information 1402 included in the disaster information transferred to the distribution information management unit 30 from the disaster information db 13 is converted to geographical information by the course - district conversion table 1300 . specifically , “ yamanote line ” in the “ railway ” column is converted to the geographical information of shibuya - ward , meguro - ward , . . . by the course - district conversion table 1300 . as shown in the exemplary records 1403 , customer x has selected the course a . thus , the disaster information is collated with the customer information in the matching table 601 for the course a . because the disaster level lv of the train trouble / accident is 3 , the lv 3 column in the matching table 601 is checked . in the lv 3 column and in the “ city ” and “ town ” rows in the matching table 601 are described a circle ( o ) respectively , which means that the disaster information should be distributed . “ city ” in the customer information of the customer x is meguro - ward . on the other hand , the yamanote line is converted to meguro - ward , shibuya - ward , . . . by the course - district conversion table 1300 . “ city ” thus matches disaster information and customer information , so that the disaster information is distributed to the customer x . fig1 shows an example of a screen 1502 for displaying information distributed to the portable telephone 53 of the customer x . customer y has selected the course b . thus , the matching table 602 for the course b is checked . in the matching table 602 for the course b , lv 3 disaster information is marked not to be distributed . consequently , the disaster information is not distributed to the customer y . the customer z has selected the course a . the disaster information and the customer information are thus collated with each other in the matching table 601 for the course a . because “ city ” of the customer z is shibuya - ward and “ city ” matches between disaster information and customer information just like the customer x , so that the disaster information is distributed to the customer z . in the above first embodiment , predetermined disaster information is distributed from the information distribution apparatus 1 to the customer &# 39 ; s portable telephone 53 / 54 . in the case where the customer who receives the disaster information is in the disaster - occurred district at the time of the disaster , it is possible to obtain disaster information such as descriptive details from the customer . this is why the present invention proposes a method not only for distributing disaster information to the customer &# 39 ; s portable telephone 53 / 54 , but also for obtaining disaster information from the customer through a questionnaire . fig1 shows a block diagram of a configuration of an information distribution apparatus 200 used so as to obtain disaster information from a customer . the same reference numerals are used for the same items as those of the information distribution apparatus 1 in the first embodiment , avoiding redundant description . the information distribution apparatus 200 is provided with a questionnaire db ( data base ) 60 ; a questionnaire management unit 70 ; and a web site 80 . the questionnaire db 60 stores various questionnaires corresponding to disaster types . when the distribution information management unit 30 distributes disaster information to a customer &# 39 ; s portable telephone 53 , the distribution information management unit 30 may obtain a questionnaire corresponding to the disaster type from the questionnaire db 60 and distribute it to the portable telephone 53 . fig1 shows an example of a questionnaire screen 1801 sent to the portable telephone 53 . in this example , the questionnaire is distributed together with earthquake information . the questionnaire management unit 70 collects answers to the questionnaires about disaster information and analyzes them . the result of the analysis is then transferred to the questionnaire db 60 and stored there . the questionnaire result is also displayed on the screen of the web site 80 . customers can thus obtain detailed information about a disaster by referring to this web site 80 . the information stored in the questionnaire db 80 is then transferred to the disaster information db 13 via an automatic input application program 12 . this information can be distributed to customers as new disaster information . a third embodiment of the present invention includes a system for paying a monetary gift to a customer who suffers from a disaster , using the information distribution system . fig1 shows a block diagram of a configuration of an information distribution apparatus 300 that pays such a gift of money . in the following description of the third embodiment , the same reference numerals are used to indicate the same items as earlier regarding the first embodiment , thereby avoiding redundant description . the information distribution apparatus 300 is provided with a received mail management unit 85 ; a customer account db ( data base ) 90 ; and a gift money payment management unit 100 . the distribution information management unit 30 of the information distribution apparatus 300 , for example , when distributing disaster information , sends inquiries to customers about payment of monetary gifts . fig1 shows an example of a screen 1802 for such inquiries . a customer who desires to receive a gift may reply to this inquiry . the received mail management unit 85 receives mail for requesting gift money via the customer &# 39 ; s portable telephone 53 . the received mail management unit 85 , when receiving mail for requesting gift money , transfers information for identifying the source customer , for example , a mail address , to the gift money payment management unit 100 . the customer account db 90 stores such information as the mail address for identifying each customer corresponding to the account set in a bank or other financial institution 110 registered beforehand by the customer requesting the gift . the gift money payment management unit 100 , when receiving a mail address from the received mail management unit 85 , obtains the information from the customer account db 90 so as to identify the account of the customer . in addition , the gift money payment management unit 100 transfers gift money to the financial institution 110 in which the account is opened . while preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described , the present invention is not limited only to those embodiments . for example , information to be distributed is not limited only to disaster information ; the present invention may apply universally to information of a disaster for which its occurred - district can be identified . | 6 |
the following description of systems and methods for maximizing the throughput of a computer system in the presence of power constraints utilizes the following terms : “ workload ” is defined as the amount of input / output ( i / o ) utilization , processor utilization , or any other performance metric of servers employed to process or transmit a data set . “ throughput ” is the amount of workload performed in a certain amount of time . “ frequency throttling ” is an illustrative example of a technique for changing power consumption of a system by reducing or increasing the operational frequency of a system . for example , by reducing the operating frequency of a processor under light workload requirements , the processor ( and system ) employs a significantly less amount of power for operation , since power consumed is related to the power supply voltage and operating frequency . although frequency throttling has been applied to central processing units ( cpus ), the operational frequency or speed of system components other than cpus may also be adjusted or controlled . as a general consideration , the operational frequency or speed of a component may be related to the energy consumption level of that component . any of several techniques may be employed to adjust or control the frequency of a system component . these may , but need not , include changing the system supply voltage or controlling a clock gate to eliminate a portion or fraction of a clock signal . changing the system supply voltage is an effective technique for adjusting the operational frequency of a system component , but a processing delay may occur until this voltage stabilizes . controlling the clock gate will not cause a substantial processing delay . illustratively , the embodiments disclosed herein may utilize any of a fixed set of operational frequencies available to a system component . the fixed set of operational frequencies is selected to provide energy efficient operation . energy efficient operation often exhibits a non - linear dependence on processing speed , thus making system optimization more difficult . accordingly , less efficient but readily available technologies may be used to provide system optimization , such as permitting a cpu to momentarily exceed its power budget . fig1 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary embodiment of a system for maximizing the throughput of a computer system under peak power constraints . the system is capable of proactively managing and controlling large - scale computer systems ranging from small clusters to large data centers and supercomputers . since these large - scale computer systems are to be managed and controlled , they are referred to hereinafter as a controlled system 101 . in the illustrative example of fig1 , controlled system 101 includes a first hardware component 103 and a second hardware component 105 . however , a typical controlled system 101 includes numerous hardware components such as computing devices , storage devices , i / o and network devices , cooling devices , and so forth . each of these component categories could , but need not , be implemented using a plurality of virtually identical devices . a computing device could , for example , be implemented using a general purpose computer equipped with one or more central processing units ( cpus ), random access memory ( ram ), one or more hard disk drives , and a network adapter , and capable of executing an operating system such as linux . the components could be organized in various architectures , e . g ., flat ( a group of standalone computers ) or hierarchical ( grouped into clusters of servers / cabinets / chassis in which peripherals are shared ). a controlling system 107 is employed to proactively manage and control controlled system 101 . controlling system 107 is capable of interacting with a plurality of components of controlled system 101 . illustratively , controlling system 107 is implemented using a software program running on a general - purpose computer referred to as a resource manager 109 . resource manager 109 is capable of accessing a policy database 111 stored on a computer - readable storage medium . controlling system 107 could , but need not , be a part of controlled system 101 . controlling system 107 controls controlled system 101 by repeatedly or continuously receiving information from the hardware components of the controlled system ( such as first hardware component 103 and second hardware component 105 ) related to the current configuration of the components , workload of the components , and performance of the components . based upon this received information , controlling system 107 provides first and second hardware components 103 , 105 with electric power budgets and configuration changes . an electric power budget specifies an upper bound on power consumption for a component . illustratively , a component may , but need not , be responsible for maintaining adherence to this electric power budget . controlling system 107 controls assignment of tasks to the hardware components such as , for example , migrating a task from first hardware component 103 to second hardware component 105 . controlling system 107 maintains a set of power constraints while maximizing throughput of controlled system 101 . this functionality is implemented by controlling system 107 receiving one or more external inputs from external sources such as a first external sensor 113 and a second external sensor 115 . first external sensor 113 may represent a temperature sensor , an electric power controller , or another type of sensor . similarly , second sensor 115 may represent a temperature sensor , an electric power sensor , or another type of sensor . controlling system 107 also includes an input / output device 117 for accepting an input from a human operator and for providing an output to a human operator . in response to at least one of first external sensor 113 , second external sensor 115 , or input / output device 117 , resource manager 109 modifies power constraints and / or optimization parameters for controlled system 101 . controlling system 107 interacts with first and second external sensors 113 , 115 and first and second hardware components 103 , 105 to monitor controlled system 101 on a continuous or repeated basis . typically , this monitoring is periodic and performed at fixed intervals such as every five seconds . additionally or alternatively , this monitoring may include resource manager 109 sending a message to input / output device 117 in response to at least one of first external sensor 113 or second external sensor 115 sensing a predetermined event . during this monitoring process , controlling system 107 receives updated information from first hardware component 103 and second hardware component 105 pertaining to each component &# 39 ; s current physical and logical configurations , as well as each component &# 39 ; s current workload and performance . physical configuration data includes a component &# 39 ; s installed hardware ( such as ram ), the hardware &# 39 ; s settings ( e . g ., cpu frequency and voltage ), and available peripherals ( e . g ., active network and storage devices ). logical configuration data includes information regarding an operating system installed on the component , as well as any runtime parameters for the component . workload data contains statistics regarding the task or tasks currently performed by the component . for example , if the component is a computing device , workload data includes a relative intensity for each of a plurality of tasks in terms of cpu , memory , disk space , or network access . if the component is a network or storage device , workload data includes the number and intensity of flows that traverse the component . performance data includes information regarding the utilization of the component ( such as a cache missed count ), the progress of any task or tasks assigned to the component ( such as the number of each task &# 39 ; s instructions that have been executed ), and the current physical conditions under which the component is operating ( such as a device &# 39 ; s power consumption and internal temperature ). controlling system 107 outputs an electric power budget and configuration changes to each of a plurality of components , such as first hardware component 103 and second hardware component 105 . the power budget is a limit on the actual power consumption of the component . if controlling system 107 has control over an electric power supply , then the controlling system can physically enforce power budget limits for one or more components as , for example , by disconnecting power to components that violate the limit . alternatively or additionally , each component is responsible for adhering to its power budget by routinely measuring its own power consumption and taking action in response thereto when measured power consumption exceeds the budget limit . if each component is responsible for adhering to its own power budget , this is helpful in situations where the response time of the component is shorter than the response time of controlling system 107 . from time to time , controlling system 107 may receive an input from first external sensor 113 or second external sensor 115 and , in response thereto , modify one or more power constraints or configuration parameters . for example , overall power consumption may be severely constrained due to a power failure , or if a particular location exceeds a predetermined room temperature threshold , then all components proximate to that location might be constrained to a total power consumption which is considerably less than current ( or recent ) power consumption . by means of input / output device 117 , a human operator can manually place ad - hoc constraints or relax existing constraints , according to external considerations ( i . e ., short - term peak performance ). similarly , the operator may change various optimization parameters , for example , by modifying task priorities or by relaxing fairness requirements . controlling system 107 may instruct first hardware component 103 or second hardware component 105 to change its configuration . a configuration change includes any of : ( a ) shutting the component down or putting the component into a low - power consumption ( standby ) mode for a limited or indefinite time , ( b ) changing a component setting such as frequency and / or voltage , or ( c ) turning off some subcomponents of the component ( like ram , hard disks , or network adapters ). such changes may have a negative effect on component throughput , but one function of controlling system 107 is to assess controlled system 101 for the purpose of determining which change or changes will provide the least degradation of overall throughput . controlling system 107 controls assignment of tasks to first and second hardware components 103 , 105 . controlling system 107 also controls migration of tasks from first hardware component 103 to second hardware component 105 , and from second hardware component 105 to first hardware component 103 . in order to implement these assignments and migrations , controlling system 107 may be provided with a list or set of permissible hardware components to which a given task or category of tasks may be assigned , a speed estimation algorithm for estimating execution speed of a task on every permissible hardware component , and a resource estimation algorithm for estimating time and bandwidth required for a potential migration . however , these estimation algorithms and task lists are greatly simplified if every single task is permissible on a set of substantially identical hardware components . fig2 is a block diagram illustrating a further exemplary embodiment of a system for maximizing the throughput of a computer system under peak power constraints . the embodiment of fig2 is based upon the exemplary system depicted in fig1 wherein controlled system 101 ( fig1 ) includes m groups of machines , m representing a positive integer . for example , controlled system 101 of fig1 may include a first group of machines 201 ( fig2 ), a second group of machines 202 , and a third group of machines 203 . each group contains at most k identical machines , where k is a positive integer greater than one , possibly with additional resources shared among these k identical machines . machines in different groups need not be identical . for example , first group of machines 201 includes a first processing unit 211 and a second processing unit 212 . illustratively , first and second processing units 211 , 212 may each be implemented , for example , using a cpu , a blade having one or more cpus , or a computer server . first and second processing units 211 , 212 are shown for purposes of illustration , as first group of machines 201 could include any number of processing units greater than zero . in the case of a blade implementation , a single chassis could be employed containing at most k blades and an ethernet switch module . this chassis could possibly be accompanied by a dedicated storage server , with each blade running a linux operating system . each machine , which in this example includes each of k blades , is executing zero or more tasks assigned thereto by resource manager 109 . resource manager 109 is illustratively implemented using a database server or web server . the assignment of tasks to machines may be determined in advance , may change with time , and / or may be determined exogenously ( by a human operator , for instance ). optionally , each task is assigned a corresponding level of priority . second group of machines 202 includes a first network unit 221 and a second network unit 222 . however , first and second network units 221 , 222 are shown for purposes of illustration , as second group of machines 202 could include any number of network units greater than one . first and second network units 221 , 222 are illustratively implemented using network adapters . third group of machines 203 includes a first storage unit 231 and a second storage unit 232 . however , first and second storage units 231 , 232 are shown for purposes of illustration , as third group of machines 203 could include any number of storage units greater than one . first and second storage units 231 , 232 are illustratively implemented using hard disk drives , storage drives for magnetic tape , or any other type of data storage drive that includes a computer readable storage medium . each group of machines 201 , 202 , 203 may be capable of controlling its maximum power consumption so as to adhere to a given limit called a power budget . alternatively , each machine in each group of machines 201 , 202 , 203 may be capable of controlling its maximum power consumption so as to adhere to the power budget . such control may be achieved , for example , by measuring actual power consumption at fixed or repeated intervals ( e . g ., every 2 milliseconds ) and throttling the machine ( i . e ., decreasing cpu frequency ) whenever the actual consumption approaches or exceeds the power budget limit . this limit can be changed in fixed intervals , such as every one second . controlling system 107 ( fig1 and 2 ) assigns a power budget to each of the m machine groups or , alternatively , to each machine . the power budgets must satisfy a constraint that the sum of power budgets cannot exceed a limiting value e max that was given to controlling system 107 . for example , controlling system 107 can possibly split the total power budget equally among the m groups by assigning a budget of e max / m to each group , but this allocation could possibly be improved , for example , if the various groups of machines ( 1 ) run different workloads , ( 2 ) contain different machines in terms of brand , model , or architecture , or ( 3 ) contain a different number of machines . additionally , controlling system 107 guarantees certain fairness conditions , such that each group of machines may receive a minimum power budget of at least e max / 8m , unless a smaller budget suffices for that group to handle its workload ( i . e ., in the case of a web server that receives very few hits ). alternatively or additionally , controlling system 107 may assign tasks to individual machines . more precisely , each task is associated with a particular group of the m groups ( fixed in advance ), and controlling system 107 assigns the task to one of the machines in the particular group . this assignment can be changed over time . however , a certain overhead is incurred in changing the assignment in terms of latency caused by moving data . controlling system 107 receives details regarding each machine , such as its utilization and power consumption , so as to identify over utilized and underutilized machines , and to transfer tasks from the former to the latter if the underutilized and over utilized machines are in the same group . fig3 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method for maximizing the throughput of a computer system under peak power constraints . the process commences at block 301 where logical and physical information is collected from controlled system 101 ( fig1 ) and external sensors ( such as first external sensor 113 and second external sensor 115 ). next , a mixed integer optimization problem is formulated based upon one or more power constraints ( fig3 , block 303 ). formulation of this mixed integer optimization problem is described in greater detail hereinafter . the mixed integer optimization problem is solved ( block 305 ). the configuration of controlled system 101 ( fig1 ) is updated with a new power budget and new task allocations ( fig3 , block 307 ). the process then loops back to block 301 . the mixed integer optimization problem of block 303 is formulated as follows . one objective of controlling system 107 ( fig1 and 2 ) is to maximize overall throughput of controlled system 101 ( fig1 and 2 ) subject to given power constraints . the throughput is defined as the total number of instructions of all tasks in the system which are executed per unit of time ( i . e ., one second ). controlling system 107 also ensures additional properties , such as fairness , by introducing additional constraints that avoid undesired effects . in situations where time allows , controlling system 107 may solve a constrained optimization problem whose objective is to process as many instructions per time unit as possible . accordingly , this optimization problem is formulated as a mixed integer programming problem to be solved during each of a plurality of time intervals . the elements of the optimization problem are as follows . there is a set of indices of machines { 1 , . . . , m }, a set of indices of tasks { 1 , . . . , n }, and a set of indices of cpu frequencies { 1 , . . . , s }. the following attributes of controlled system 101 are inputted to the mixed in integer programming problem as parameters : m i — the machine on which task i is currently run ( or 0 if none ); g ij — the cost of transferring task i to machine j ≢ m i ; h ik — the average number of cycles per instruction for task i running on a machine operating at the kth cpu frequency ( this estimate captures expected i / o and memory delays ); e max — maximum - energy - consumption bound , which controlled system 101 must obey due to current physical conditions , such as temperature or power supply ; e jk — the amount of energy per time unit consumed by machine j when machine j is operating at frequency f k ; b — a task - fairness parameter representing the maximum possible ratio between the number of cpu cycles planned for a single task and that of an average task . variables . the mixed integer linear programming problem looks for a currently optimal configuration for the managed system . this configuration includes assignment of tasks to machines and an allocation of an energy “ budget ” for each machine . the mixed integer linear programming problem is solved using an algorithm that uses one or more of the following decision variables : z j — a boolean variable indicating whether machine j is active or not ; x ij — a boolean variable indicating whether or not task i is assigned to machine j ; y jk — a boolean variable indicating whether or not machine j is working at frequency f k ; ƒ ijk — a continuous variable representing the number of cpu cycles per time unit that is planned for task i on machine j running at the kth cpu frequency . note that each task is processed by only one machine having a cpu that operates at only one frequency ; v ij — a continuous variable representing the number of instructions per time unit that is planned for task i on machine j . each task is processed by only one machine ; u j — a continuous variable representing the energy upper bound (“ budget ”) allocated to machine j ; objective function . the algorithm solves the problem of maximizing the total planned number of instructions per time unit . this quantity of instructions is equal to in addition , the algorithm penalized the transferring of tasks from one machine to another ; this quantity is equal to constraints . the optimization is subject to constraints as follows . in the sequel , let [ t ]={ 1 , . . . , t }. meaning that the tasks can be assigned only to active machines ; meaning that one frequency has to be selected for each machine ; meaning that task execution takes place only at assigned cpu frequency ; meaning that the number of instructions planned is proportional to the number of cycles planned , according to that task &# 39 ; s effectiveness at that frequency . meaning that the number of cycles planned for a task is at least a b - fraction the number of cycles planned for an average task . remarks . a preferred embodiment may generalize or specialize the above by having some or all of the following properties . machines may each have different maximum cpu frequencies , and this property may be modeled by letting s be the maximum possible frequency and adding the constraint y ik = 0 whenever machine j cannot run at the kth cpu frequency . tasks cannot be transferred to other machines ( i . e ., task i must be assigned to machine m i ). the cost of transferring a task does not depend on the target machine , i . e ., g ij is the same for all j ≢ m i . the m machines are partitioned into p groups , and a task can only be transferred to machines in the same group , i . e ., g ij =∞ for all j in a different group than m i . the total energy consumption of a subset j ⊂ [ m ] of the machines might be limited to some amount e j ( e . g ., due to power failure or infrastructure ), which is modeled by adding the constraint the number of cycles planned for task i is limited by a bound c i ( e . g ., to model task serving a limited number of requests ), which is modeled by adding the constraint additional fairness constraints can limit the ratio between the number of instructions planned for task i and that planned for task i ′ by some parameters l 1 , l 2 & gt ; 0 ( e . g ., to make sure these tasks can progress simultaneously ), which is modeled by adding the constraint updating the configuration of controlled system 101 ( fig1 ) as described in block 307 of fig3 may , but need not , include one or more of the following processes . task scheduling and assignment may be optimized by scheduling a first task to be performed by at least one of the plurality of cpus simultaneously with a second task to be performed by at least one of the plurality of disk drives . at least one cpu of the plurality of cpus may be powered down , thereby scheduling a third task to be performed by fewer cpus of the plurality of cpus . at least one of the plurality of disk drives may be powered down , thereby scheduling a fourth task to be performed by fewer disk drives of the plurality of disk drives . a lower performing cpu of the plurality of cpus may be allocated to a fifth task . a lower performing disk drive of the plurality of disk drives may be allocated to a sixth task . a seventh task and an eighth task may be scheduled to execute simultaneously on the plurality of cpus , wherein the sixth and seventh tasks are independent of each other . as described above the parameters to this model are given to the system based on the system configuration and recent estimates about the task resource requirements . thus , every time the mixed - integer program is solved , the parameters may have different values , yielding a different solution . similarly , new constraints may be added , permanently or temporarily , either by an operator or as an automatic response to existing conditions , again leading to changes in the solution . the capabilities of the present invention can be implemented in software , firmware , hardware or some combination thereof as one example , one or more aspects of the present invention can be included in an article of manufacture ( e . g ., one or more computer program products ) having , for instance , computer usable media . the media has embodied therein , for instance , computer readable program code means for providing and facilitating the capabilities of the present invention . the article of manufacture can be included as a part of a computer system or sold separately . additionally , at least one program storage device readable by a machine , tangibly embodying at least one program of instructions executable by the machine to perform the capabilities of the present invention can be provided . the flow diagrams depicted herein are just examples . there may be many variations to these diagrams or the steps or operations described therein without departing from the spirit of the invention . for instance , the steps may be performed in a differing order , or steps may be added , deleted or modified . all of these variations are considered a part of the claimed invention . while the preferred embodiment to the invention has been described , it will be understood that those skilled in the art , both now and in the future , may make various improvements and enhancements which fall within the scope of the claims which follow . these claims should be construed to maintain the proper protection for the invention first described . | 8 |
with reference to fig1 a breast self - examination system according to the present invention is in the form of a kit 10 which comprises a box 12 , a writing board 14 , writing instrument 16 and a plurality of transparent overlays 18 . an instruction booklet 15 is included in the box 12 and describes the procedure for breast self - examination and recording of the results using the present system . the writing board 14 , as shown in detail in fig2 has a flat rectangular body 19 with four circular apertures 20 located in proximity to each of the corners . a separate attachment mechanism 21 extends through each aperture 20 . as shown in fig4 the attachment mechanism 21 is made of a resilient plastic material and includes a suction cup 22 from which projects a tubular peg 24 . the peg 24 extends through one of the apertures 20 in body 19 and securely engages the walls of the aperture 20 to hold the attachment mechanism 21 in place with the suction cup 22 on the rear surface 26 of the body 19 . the four suction cups 22 enable the writing board 14 during use to be attached to a wall of a shower enclosure . for example , the suction cups 22 are applied to the tiles or the fiberglass shell of the enclosure to mount recording system in a convenient location for the user to enter and refer to the results of the examination . the pegs 24 of the attachment mechanisms 21 project outward from the front surface 28 of the body 19 as shown in fig1 . the projecting peg portions support the overlays 18 on the writing board 14 . specifically , each overlay 18 is formed of a transparent sheet with four apertures 30 spaced to correspond to the spacing of the pegs 24 projecting from the writing board 14 . the spacing and size of the apertures 30 enables the overlay 18 to be placed against the front surface 28 with pegs 24 extending through the apertures 30 , thus securely holding the overlay against that front surface . as shown in fig2 the front surface 28 of the writing board 14 has four graphs 31 , 32 , 33 and 34 depicting images of the human female chest from different angles . graph 34 shows a front view of the right female breast with a polar coordinate system centered at the breast nipple . graph 32 illustrates a front view image of the left breast with a polar coordinate system centered at the nipple . the polar coordinate system has twelve radial lines providing a clock face like reference system that is easily understood by the user . graph 33 is a right profile image of a female torso with a semi - circular polar coordinate system centered at the breast nipple and extending inward to the torso . the final graph 34 is a left profile image of the human female torso with a semi - circular polar coordinate system centered at the breast nipple . the semi - circular polar coordinate system has seven radial lines providing a reference system that corresponds to half a clock face . although information about the location and size of a mass within the breast can be recorded on the front surface 28 of the writing board 14 , it is preferred that such annotations not be made on that surface , but rather on overlays 18 applied against the surface as will be described . as a result , the front surface 28 of the writing board 18 may be left blank . each kit 10 typically contains four overlays 18 , with only two of the overlays being shown in fig1 . all of the overlays are identical and can be placed one over the other on the pegs 24 projecting from the writing board 14 . extra overlays 18 can be stored in box 12 until needed . referring to fig3 the overlays 18 are transparent sheets printed with four graphs 36 , 37 , 38 and 39 which are identical to the four graphs 31 , 32 , 33 and 34 , respectively on the writing board 14 . the graphs 36 - 39 on the overlay 18 are accurately positioned with respect to the apertures 30 in the overlay . this positioning results in the graphs 36 - 39 on the overlay being registered with the corresponding graphs 31 - 38 on the writing board 14 when the overlay is placed onto the pegs 24 and against surface 28 . at the bottom of the overlay 18 is a section 40 for recording the dates on which each breast examination is conducted . another section 42 at the bottom of the overlay 18 provides a space for recording the date of the woman &# 39 ; s last menstrual cycle . referring again to fig1 an aperture 17 is located along the bottom portion of the body 19 of the writing board 14 with a cord 19 attached at one end through the aperture 17 . for example , the one end of cord 19 may have a t - shape which can be bent to pass through the aperture 17 and thereafter returns to shape preventing extraction of the end back through the aperture . the other end of cord 19 is attached to the writing instrument 16 which is an indelible marker of the type used by underwater divers to write with while submerged , for example . this type of marker contains non - water soluble marking material , such as ink , thereby enabling the results of the breast examination to be recorded on the overlays 18 in a shower . each end of the writing instrument 16 has a different colored marker with separate end caps 44 to seal those ends and prevent the ink from drying out . the use of different colors enables the results of one month &# 39 ; s examination to be distinguished from the results of another month &# 39 ; s examination , as will be described . to use the recording system , a woman applies one of the overlays 18 to the front surface of the writing board 14 by pushing the pegs 24 through the holes 30 in the overlay . the writing board 14 is applied to a wall of the user &# 39 ; s shower enclosure by pressing the suction cups against that wall . the woman then examines each breast and lymph region , and records the location and size of any masses on the graphs 36 - 39 of the overlay 18 using one of the ink colors . for example , if a mass if found in her right breast , the position and approximate size of the mass is recorded in the right frontal graph 36 and the right profile graph 38 providing a three - dimensional indication of the mass location . the size of the mark made on the graphs with writing instrument 16 indicates of the size and shape of the mass . other irregularities within the breast and lymph regions also can be recorded . the date of the examination and the date of her last menstrual cycle are recorded in sections 40 and 42 on the overlay . alternatively , a physician may record the position and size of masses detected during mammography or professional examination on the first overlay . this provides a bench mark for the woman to use in subsequent self - examination of her breasts . approximately one month later , the woman performs another self - examination of her breasts and lymph regions . if the presence , size and location of any previously detected masses has not changed , no marks need to be made on the graphs 36 - 37 of the overlay . however , the dates of the examination and menstrual cycle for the present month are recorded in sections 40 and 42 . this monthly process continues until either a different mass is detected or a previously detected mass disappears or changes in the size , shape or position . upon detecting any of those latter occurrences , the woman places a second overlay 18 onto the writing board 14 over the first overlay . because the graphs on each overlay are accurately positioned with respect to the apertures 30 , the graphical images on each overlay are registered when positioned on the writing board pegs 24 . the woman then uses the writing instrument 16 to mark the graphs 36 - 39 on the second overlay to indicate the position , size and shape of each mass now being detected . a different colored ink is used to mark each overlay thereby clearly indicating the changes that have occurred from one month to another . additional overlays are placed on the writing board to record changes found during subsequent breast self - examinations . at any time , the woman is able to remove the overlays 18 from the writing board 14 and take them to her physician to provide accurate information as to changes that occurred and the dates of those occurrences . | 6 |
the following detailed description is of the best presently contemplated mode of carrying out the invention . this description is not to be taken in a limiting sense , but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention since the scope of the invention is best defined by the appended claims . referring to the drawings , the inventive electrochemical sensing cell 10 is used to detect and measure the concentration of a particular electroactive gas species in a gas sample . the gas being analyzed flows into the sensing cell 10 via a conduit 11 and exits from the cell via a conduit 12 . an appropriate pump ( not shown ) of either the positive pressure or suction type may be used to force the gas through the sensing cell 10 . if the particular species is present , a current will be generated between the sensing electrode terminal 13 and the counterelectrode terminal 14 . this current advantageously is amplified and used to drive a meter ( not shown ) which directly indicates the species concentration , for example , in parts per million . such amplification and meter circuitry are conventional , and form no part of the present invention . the sensing cell 10 includes a cylindrical container 15 , closed at the bottom 15a , that holds the electrolyte 16 and a counterelectrode 17 immersed in the electrolyte . a metal clamp 18 surrounds the container 15 and serves the double function of mounting the sensing cell 10 to an l - bracket 19 and of providing electrical connection to the counterelectrode terminal 14 . that terminal may comprise a thin strip of foil mounted on the outside of the cylinder 15 . a wire 20 connected to the counterelectrode 17 extends through a hole in the cylinder 15 and has an end portion 20a that is bent back underneath the terminal strip 14 . the clamp 18 covers the strip 14 and insures good electrical contact between the wire 20 , the strip 14 , and the clamp 18 itself . a wire connection ( not shown ) is made directly to the clamp 18 or via the bracket 19 . the sensing electrode 23 ( fig2 ) is planar and is clamped between a cover 24 that seats atop the open end 15b of the container 15 and a manifold cap 25 to which the inlet and outlet conduits 11 , 12 are connected . the cover 24 has a central opening 26 through which the electrolyte 16 can reach the sensing electrode 23 . the lower surface 25a of the cap 25 includes a recess 27 through which the gas to be analyzed reaches the sensing electrode 23 . voltammetric sensing thus is facilitated , since the sensing electrode 23 is in contact with both the cell electrolyte 16 via the opening 26 and the gas species supplied via the recess 27 . as evident in fig2 and 3 , the cover 24 may be assembled from two separate components , a retainer 28 and a plug 29 . an annular groove in the bottom 28a of the retainer 28 receives the lip or open end 15b of the container 15 , while the plug 29 fits within this container . the retainer 28 has a planar upper surface 24a at the center of which is an opening 26a of the same diameter as the opening 26 . the plug 29 also is circular and includes an annular boss 30 which projects upwardly into a bore 31 formed from the underside 28a of the retainer 28 . at the &# 34 ; bottom &# 34 ; of the bore 31 is an annular shoulder 32 having a diameter greater than that of the opening 26 but less than the outer diameter of the bore 31 . when the boss 30 is inserted as shown in fig3 there is formed an annular ledge 33 which serves to support a disc - shaped screen 35 , the periphery of which is clamped beneath the shoulder 32 . the screen 35 supports one or more discs 36 of filter material which function to ensure intimate contact between the electrolyte 16 and the sensing electrode 23 . to this end , the screen 35 is formed of a material , typically polyester , that is non - reactive with the electrolyte 16 , and which is sufficiently rigid to support the filter disc 36 without becoming concave at its center . the disc 36 has a diameter slightly less than the opening 26a so as to fit within this opening . typically the disc 36 may comprise a glass filter paper such as that sold commercially . more than one such disc 36 may be required to fill completely the space between the screen 35 and the sensing electrode 23 . the electrolyte flows through the screen 35 and completely wets the disc or discs 36 . since these are slightly compressed between the screen 36 and the sensing electrode 23 , intimate contact is obtained between the electrolyte that saturates the disc or discs 36 and the sensing electrode 23 . to prevent sloshing of the electrolyte 16 within the cell 10 , the container 15 may be filled with an inert , absorbent material 38 . for example , if the electrolyte is sulfuric acid , this absorbent material 38 may comprise glass - wool . electrical connection to the sensing electrode 23 may be made by means of a wire 39 that extends from the terminal jack 13 to a conductive pad 40 situated on the upper surface 24a of the cover 24 . as shown in fig2 and 3 , the jack 13 is mounted in a lateral bore 41 in the retainer 28 . the wire 39 runs through a hole 42 that extends from the bore 41 to the retainer bottom surface 28a . from there the wire 39 extends along the interface between the retainer 28 and the plug 29 , and then extends upwardly through a hole 43 to the surface 24a . the wire 39 then runs along the surface 24a beneath the pad 40 and back into a second hole 44 in the retainer 28 . with this arrangement , when the sensing electrode 23 is clamped between the cover 44 and the cap 25 , the pad 40 becomes clamped between the electrode 23 and the section of wire 39 that extends along the cover surface 24a between the holes 43 and 44 . good electrical contact results between the sensing electrode 23 and the jack 13 . the wire 39 easily can be threaded in place prior to insertion of the boss 30 into the bore 31 ( with the screen 35 in place ). an adhesive ( not shown ) then may be used to bond the plug 29 to the retainer 28 so that the cover 24 becomes a unitary element . the one - piece cover 24 then may be bonded directly to the container 15 . after the retainer 28 and plug 29 have been bonded together , a small diameter hole 46 may be bored through the cover 24 parallel to the opening 26 . this hole 46 has a double purpose . first , it permits electrolyte 16 to be added to the container 15 by means of a syringe and needle inserted into the hole 46 . in this manner , sufficient electrolyte 16 can be inserted to completely fill the cylinder 15 so that the electrolyte remains in contact with the disc 36 regardless of the physical orientation of the cell 10 . secondly , the hole 46 functions as a vent for the electrolyte 15 in the event that the sensing cell 10 is exposed to reduced environmental pressure , as for example when shipped by air . only a small portion of the gas being analyzed need be supplied to the sensing electrode 23 . to this end , a through passageway 48 is provided in the cap 25 between the inlet conduit 11 and the outlet conduit 12 . the ends 48a of the passageway 48 are threaded to accommodate appropriate fittings associated with the conduits 11 , 12 . a pair of lateral ports 49 , 50 branch off from the passageway 48 and extend to the recess 27 . these ports 49 , 50 are spaced apart so as to be adjacent diagonally opposite edges of the recess 27 . in this way , some of the gas entrant through the conduit 11 will flow the branch port 49 , into the recess 27 and then out through the port 50 and the outlet conduit 12 . intimate contact between this sample gas and the counterelectrode 23 thus is accomplished within the recess 27 . advantageously , the recess 27 is circular and has the same diameter as the opening 26 . in an alternate embodiment ( not shown ), a through passageway 48 is not used . rather , an l - shaped passageway is provided from the inlet conduit 11 to the branch port 49 , and a second such l - shaped passageway is provided from the branch port 50 to the outlet conduit 12 . with this alternative arrangement , all of the sample gas flows through the recess 27 . advantageously , a disc - shaped screen 51 is provided within the recess 27 . its purpose is to provide a pressure on the opposite side of the sensing electrode 23 from the discs 36 . in this way , when the cap 25 is tightened onto the cover 24 , the pressure from the discs 36 will be counteracted by the pressure from the screen 51 . were the screen 51 not used , the discs 36 could distort the sensing electrode 23 into a convex shape in which a portion of the sensing electrode would touch the bottom of the recess 27 . of course , this would reduce the area of the sensing electrode to which the sample gas is exposed , and hence would reduce the sensitivity of the cell 10 . the screen 51 typically comprises a polyester or other material that is non - reactive with either the sensing electrode 23 material or the gas being analyzed . a pair of o - rings 53 and 54 are situated in respective concentric grooves 54 and 55 formed in the lower surface 25a of the cap 25 . the diameter of the inner groove 55 and o - ring 53 is slightly greater than the diameter of the opening 26 , but less than the diameter of the sensing electrode 23 . with this arrangement , when the cap 25 is clamped to the cover 24 , the o - ring 53 provides a seal that prevents leakage of the gas being analyzed from the recess 27 past the interface between the cap 25 and the sensing electrode 23 . the cap 25 advantageously is clamped to the cover 24 by means of a set of bolts 58 which extend through counterbored holes 59 in the cap 25 into threaded holes 60 in the retainer 28 . when the screws 59 are tightened , the sensing electrode 23 is clamped in place as shown in fig3 . the outer o - ring 54 seals the interface between the surfaces 24a and 25a , and thus prevents leakage of the electrolyte 16 along this interface . the diameter of the o - ring 54 is greater than the sensing electrode 23 . advantageously , the hole 46 is situated between the outer periphery of the sensing electrode 23 and the o - ring 54 . in this way , the sensing electrode 23 does not block the hole 46 , yet any electrolyte 16 that may exit through the hole 46 will be prevented from leaking by the o - ring 54 . during assembly , the screen 51 is held in place by a narrow strip 62 of filter material such as that used for the discs 36 . one end 62a of the strip 62 is caught behind the o - ring 53 . the mid - portion 62b of the strip 62 diametrically crosses the groove 57 to retain the screen 51 in place . a portion 62c also is caught behind the o - ring 53 , and the adjacent end portion 62d is caught behind the outer o - ring 54 . the section 62e of the strip 62 between the o - rings 53 and 54 covers the hole 46 . another hole 64 is provided through the cap 25 in alignment with the hole 46 . with this arrangement , vapor from the electrolyte 16 will be vented from the cell 10 via the holes 46 and 64 . the strip 62 of sintered teflon or other filter material will prevent the exhaust of liquid through the hole 64 . advantageously , the sensing electrode 23 comprises a noble metal in particulate form held in a polymeric dispersion of teflon or other inert material . | 6 |
fig1 shows a basic , constant frequency , current mode control buck converter ( although the invention is equally applicable in use with other types of converters e . g . boost or buck - boost ). the converter consists of a pmos switch 10 in series with a nmos switch 20 ( or possibly a diode ) between a voltage source v bat and ground gnd . in parallel with the nmos switch 20 ( also in series with the pmos switch ) is an inductor 30 and a capacitor 40 . converter output v out is taken from the node between inductor 30 and capacitor 40 . the output voltage is also fed into an error amplifier 50 . the output of the error amplifier 50 is fed into one input of a comparator 60 . a current monitor 80 generates a signal representative of the current in inductor 30 , and this is fed to the inverting input of comparator 60 . the output of the comparator 60 is fed to the reset input of a latch 70 which controls switches 10 and 20 via gate 90 . control of the switch 10 has been achieved previously by techniques such as “ voltage mode control ” and “ current mode control ”. typically , the pmos switch 10 is connected to an input voltage and is closed at the beginning of a clock cycle . closing the switch 10 causes the current in the inductor 30 connected between the switch and the output of the converter to rise . when the output of the inductor current monitor 80 exceeds the output of the error amplifier 50 , the comparator 60 resets latch 70 . this causes the pmos switch 10 to be turned off , and not turned on again until the beginning of the next clock cycle while the nmos switch 20 is driven in anti - phase with the pmos switch 10 . in this way the output voltage is controlled to the required value . fig2 shows a preferred form of current monitor 80 using the current mirror principle for sensing the current in the pmos switch 100 of fig1 . the main converter components of fig1 are not shown . this shows the main pmos switch 100 and , in parallel with it , mirror switch 105 . the mirror switch 105 is substantially identical to the main pmos switch 100 , except for its dimensions . the main pmos switch 100 and the mirror switch 105 have common source , gate and bulk connections . the main pmos switch 100 , as before , is connected between voltage source v bat and the inductor ( not shown ), while the mirror switch 105 is connected between v bat and a sense leg 110 which forms part of the current monitor . a difference amplifier 125 is provided by two pmos devices 115 , 120 . the first of these devices 115 has its source connected to the inductor side of the pmos switch 100 and the second device 120 has its source connected to the sense side of the mirror switch 105 . a further pmos device 130 provides the output of the amplifier 125 and is provided in the sense leg 110 . device 130 has its gate tied to the drain of pmos device 115 in the case of mosfets , the aspect ratio of the mirror switch 105 compared to the main pmos switch 100 determines the sensing ratio . typically the width ( w ) of the main pmos switch 100 is very large , say 10 mm , and therefore the width of the mirror device may be 10 μm to scale by 1000 , for the same length ( l ) ( say 0 . 5 μm ). in this case the channel area , and the total area of the mirror device , will end up smaller . conceivably l might also be increased , to say 5 μm , to give a further 10 times scaling of current without making the width too small . in this case the aspect ratio would reduce , but the area would in fact increase . this contrasts with bipolar transistors , where the sensing ratio is given approximately by the ratio of their emitter areas . in the examples below the sensing ratio will be 1 : 10000 . in operation differential amplifier 125 keeps the drain voltage of the mirror switch 105 the same as that of the main switch 100 , such that the voltage across them matches precisely . any difference in source voltage of the two common gate pmos devices 115 , 120 will cause the voltage on the drain of pmos device 115 to rise or fall and thus pull the gate of the device 130 up or down , altering the current therein until the sources are more equal . current from the mirror switch 105 passes through the sense leg 110 , through pmos device 130 , and is used to sense the current in the main pmos switch 100 . the ratio of this sense current i sense to the actual current being measured is the same as that of the size of the mirror switch 105 to main pmos switch 100 , i . e . 1 : 10000 . note that the main pmos switch 100 and its pmos mirror switch 105 will typically both be operating in linear or triode region , with the other pmos devices 115 , 120 , 130 in saturation . a problem with this circuit is that the 10 μa quiescent taken by the amplifier 125 means that in ideal conditions , no current is measured ( i sense = 0 ) until the main pmos switch 100 supplies 100 ma ( 10000 * 10 μa ). this is because , if we assume that the main pmos switch 100 has on - resistance ( r onpmos ) of 0 . 1 ohm , the mirror switch 105 will have an on - resistance of 1 kohm ( r onmirror ). if input current i in is 100 ma then this 100 ma through the main pmos switch 100 results in 10 mv being dropped across it . 10 μa through the pmos mirror 105 also results in a 10 mv drop . therefore the circuit is balanced ( the same voltage being dropped across each leg of the differential amplifier 125 ) and the current in the sense leg 110 , i sense , equals zero . similarly a 200 ma input means that there is 20 μa through the mirror switch resulting in only 10 μa for i sense . therefore i sense = i / 10000 − 10 μa =( i = 100 ma )/ 10000 ( for i & gt ; 100 ma ) or = 0 otherwise . thus for light loads the current in the inductor is measured as zero and the control mechanism of the converter may not work or could be unstable . fig3 shows a circuit similar to that of fig2 adapted according to an embodiment of the invention . the circuit is essentially similar but with the addition of a copy device 150 similar to mirror switch 105 between the main pmos switch 100 and the difference amplifier transistor 115 . the device 150 is arranged to be permanently on with a similar gate voltage as 105 is connected to when “ on ”. analysing this circuit using the same example component values as the previous drawing , and the same input current i in of 100 ma , this current in the main pmos switch 100 again results in a drop of 10 mv across it . the copy device 150 induces a further drop of 10 μa * r onmirror ( 1 kohm in this example ) which equals 10 mv . as the copy device 150 drops a further 10 mv , the mirror device 105 sees 20 mv across main pmos switch 100 and the copy of the pmos mirror switch and , to remain in equilibrium , delivers 20 μa . 10 μa of this is delivered down the left - hand leg , leaving 10 μa ( i sense ) to go down the right - hand ( sense ) leg 110 , and through pmos device 130 . as i sense is 1 / 10000 of the input current i in ( that is the inductor current being measured ), it can be seen that i sense is now correct and current is now sensed , in the ideal case , as soon as any current flows through the main pmos switch 100 . in principle , copy device 150 is acting as a simple resistor . because it is a copy of mirror switch 105 , and because copy device 150 will see very close to the same gate - source voltage v gs as the mirror device it will be a resistor with a very similar on - resistance ( r on ) to that of mirror switch 105 . one remaining problem , however , is the case of offset in the amplifier ( for example random manufacturing offset , or second order effects due to different drain voltages across the differential amplifier ). an adverse offset could mean that current is still not sensed until greater than a certain threshold . fig4 shows two alternatives for addressing the offset problem . in one alternative a second copy device 160 is added to the main pmos sensing leg in series with the first copy device 150 . the other alternative shown ( by dotted line ) has only the one copy device 150 ( device 160 should be ignored in this case ) and a further 10 μa current source 170 . both of these alternatives result in the sense circuit seeing ( again using the component values of the previous example and input current of 100 ma ) the equivalent of 10000 * 10 μa = 100 ma in the main pmos switch 100 even when there is no input , and makes the circuit immune to offsets equal to 100 ma * r onpmos = 10 mv . of course with both of these approaches , there is now a static error of 100 ma in the current measurement ( 0 to 200 ma in the worst case ), but this is not important for stability since it is only a dc shift . fig4 b shows a variation which allows for multiple outputs i sense as well as allowing for further flexibility in the sensing ratio . in this variation the differential amplifier 125 is reversed and pmos device 130 is replaced with nmos device 180 which is mirrored with further nmos device 181 . if the nmos devices 180 and 181 are identical then the sensing ratio will depend on the aspect ratios of main pmos switch 100 and mirror device 105 as before , but if different , then the aspect ratio is further dependent on the aspect ratios 6 f the nmos devices 180 , 181 . further copies of i sense are also easily obtained by adding further nmos devices to mirror nmos device 180 . each of these outputs can have its sensing ratio set independently depending on the aspect ratio of the mirroring nmos . it is also possible to mirror the pmos device 130 . simply adding a further pmos device in parallel with pmos device 130 with common gate and source connections would split i sense between them ( according to respective aspect ratios ). however , copies of i sense obtained from the drain of pmos device 130 can be generated by passing it through nmos mirrors . a further problem with the circuits depicted above is that the main switch 100 is switching on and off , and the measured current is valid only when it is on . when the main switch 100 is off , its drain voltage swings below ground . this causes massive swings on the difference amplifier , resulting in large recovery times . fig5 shows an improvement to the circuit of fig3 . this shows essentially the same circuit as fig3 with the addition of dummy pmos devices 135 a , 135 b , 140 a , 140 b connected as shown . the amplifier senses the main pmos switch 100 and mirror pmos switch 105 via switches 135 a and 140 a , when the main pmos switch 100 is on . when the main pmos switch 100 is off , the amplifier senses the supply via switches 135 b and 140 b to maintain the common mode point . two copies 150 a and 150 b of the pmos mirror switch are shown in this example , one ( 150 a ) in series with main pmos switch 100 and dummy transistor 135 a , the other ( 150 b ) in series with dummy transistor 135 b . fig6 shows an equivalent circuit to fig4 but for sensing the second ( nmos ) switch 20 in the converter of fig1 instead of the first ( pmos ) switch 10 . this shows nmos switch 200 being mirrored using nmos mirror switch 205 in the same way as the pmos switch was mirrored in previous examples . the nmos mirror switch 205 is therefore identical to the main nmos switch 200 in all but size . devices 215 , 220 , 230 ( nmos in this case ) form the current amplifier equalising the voltages through each leg as in the previous examples . as a result it will be apparent to the skilled person that this circuit operates essentially the same way as the circuit depicted in fig4 . over - compensation for the quiescent current is provided in the form of the two copy nmos switches 250 , 260 . although most examples shown have been created for current sensing in the pmos switch of switching converters , the concept is applicable to any circuit that requires the sensing of current in a transistor , whether it is pmos or nmos . the above examples are for illustration only and should not be taken as limiting . for instance , although the circuit technique is particular useful in switching applications such as class d drives ( switching ) and switching chargers , it is also envisaged that such techniques can be applied to a wider range of applications that do not include switching ( for example non - switching regulators ). | 6 |
referring now to fig1 to 3 , there is shown the inhalation device body , generally designated by reference numeral 10 . the inhalation device body comprises a tubular portion 11 having an inhalation passage 12 . this tubular portion 11 terminates with a base portion 13 substantially cylindrical in shape , connected thereto through a portion 14 having a greater diameter so as to form a step 15 . at the upper end of the tubular portion 11 a peripheral groove 27 is formed for receiving a stop ring . the base portion 13 has a pair of concavities 16 defining a front portion 17 which is substantially parallelepipedal in shape . the base portion 13 has a cylindrical chamber 18 which is coaxial with the inhalation passage 12 and communicates with the outside through a slot 19 . in its lower portion the chamber 18 communicates with outside through a recess 20 . the side walls defining the slot 19 have a pair of confronting concavities 21 forming a pocket for receiving a capsule containing the medicament . open to the slot 19 are two holes 22 , which are formed in the base portion 13 and accomodate the capsule piercing elements p , as will be described later . as can be seen from fig4 and 5 , recess 20 has a substantially square form and a disc 23 having a substantially square opening 24 is provided , which is to be fastened to the lower surface of the base portion 13 , for example by means of screws inserted in the holes 25 of the disc 23 and in the threaded hole 26 of the base portion 13 . in fig6 and 7 there is illustrated a rotating magazine , generally designated by reference numeral 30 . it comprises a tubular body 31 having a central bore 34 and outer longitudinal grooves 33 extending over the whole length of the magazine and defined by equally spaced radial walls 32 . each of these longitudinal grooves 33 accomodates therein a stack of capsules c containing a medicament . the central bore 34 of the rotating magazine 30 has a diameter substantially corresponding to the outer diameter of the tubular portion 11 and receives therein this tubular portion . the bore 34 has at the lower portion thereof an enlargement 35 accomodating the greater diameter lower portion 14 of the tubular portion 11 and forming a step 36 on which the step 35 of the tubular portion 11 rests . in fig8 there is shown a cylindrical cover 40 having an inner diameter corresponding to the outer diameter of the walled portion of the rotating magazine 30 and this cylindrical cover is snugly fitted on the rotating magazine so as to close the grooves 33 accommodating the medicament capsules . this cylindrical cover is preferably made of a transparent plastic material . the device is completed by a slider , generally designated by reference numeral 50 and illustrated in fig9 and 10 . this slider has a rectangular base plate 51 having two opposite lugs 52 and an arcuate front plate 53 acting as a gripping element for the slider . on the base plate 51 , along the center line of the slider 50 , a guide wall 54 is provided and in the base plate 51 a hole 55 is formed which has a lower counterbore 56 . this hole receives a filter element 57 forming the bottom of the capsule receiving chamber 18 when the slider 50 is in the inserted position . the guide wall 54 is provided with recesses 58 for receiving the piercing elements p of the capsule c . preferably , the piercing elements p are in the form of a blade . a mouthpiece 60 is provided ( see fig1 ) having a hole 61 which is coaxially arranged with respect to the inhalation passage 12 of the tubular portion 11 . this hole 61 enlarges at the upper portion thereof with a flaring portion 62 so as to form an elliptical mouthpiece 63 for a patient inhaling the medicament from the device . the so far described device is assembled in the following manner . on the tubular portion 11 of the body 10 the rotating magazine 30 is firstly inserted by fitting this tubular portion 11 in the bore 34 of the rotating magazine 30 until the step 36 of this bore 34 is resting against the step 15 of the tubular portion 11 . in so doing , the magazine 35 is rotatably supported on the tubular portion 11 . then , in the groove 27 of the tubular portion 11 a stop ring 28 is applied , which holds the magazine 30 in the assembled condition . thereafter , on the rotating magazine 30 the cylindrical cover 40 is forcedly fitted . in so doing , the longitudinal grooves 33 of the rotating magazine 30 are closed by the cylindrical cover 40 , thereby defining the seats for receiving the medicament capsules c . then , on the assembly including the tubular portion 11 , the magazine 30 and the cylindrical cover 40 the mouthpiece 60 is applied , as shown in fig1 and 15 . thereafter , in the base portion 13 of the body 10 the slider 60 is inserted so that the base plate 51 thereof enters the recess 20 and the lugs 52 rest against the walls defining the sides thereof , whereas the guide wall 54 extend through the slot 19 of the base portion 13 . then , on the bottom of the base portion 13 the closure disc 23 is applied , which retains the base plate 51 of slider 50 in the recess 20 . thus , the device is assembled and is ready to be used when in the seats defined by the grooves 33 of the rotating magazine 30 and by the cylindrical cover 40 the capsules c containing the medicaments to be inhaled are introduced , as shown in fig1 and 15 . in the rest position , the slider 50 is inserted in the base portion 13 of the body 10 , so that the filter element 57 placed in the hole 55 of the slider base plate 51 is in alignment with the inhalation passage 12 of the tubular portion 11 and with the cylindrical chamber 18 of the base portion 13 . when the medicament is to be inhaled , the slider 50 is placed in the position shown in fig1 , wherein the capsule receiving pocket 21 of the slot 19 is in alignment with one seat 33 , in this case the seat 33a , of the rotating magazine 30 which contains , in this case , four capsules c , so that the lowermost capsule c1 falls down by gravity in the capsule receiving pocket 21 of the slot 19 and stops against the filter element 57 . a this point , the slider is introduced in the chamber 18 of the base portion 13 , so that the capsule c1 is shifted by the slider guide wall 54 in the chamber 18 which is aligned with the inhalation passage 12 of the tubular portion 11 . in so doing , the capsule c1 comes in contact with the piercing elements p so that the capsule is broken at the upper and lower portions thereof and comes in this condition into the chamber 18 , as shown in fig1 . in this position , the piercing elements p are in the respective recesses 58 provided in the slider guide wall 54 . in the position shown in fig1 , the hole 61 of the mouthpiece 60 is aligned with the inhalation passage 12 of the tubular portion 11 , the chamber 18 of the base portion 13 , the filter element 57 and the opening 24 provided in the lower closure disc 23 . now , the patient can inhale the medicament released by the capsule c1 by applying the mouthpiece 60 against his mouth and by sucking through the inhalation passage 12 . when another inhalation is to be made , the slider 50a is extracted so that the filter element 57 forming the bottom of the device is moved out of register from the chamber 18 and the broken capsule c1 lying in the latter can fall out of the device through the opening 24 of the closure disc 23 , while another capsule , for example the capsule c2 , can now fall down in the capsule receiving pocket 21 of the slot 19 until it is supported by the filter element 57 and then the insertion operation of the slider 50 is repeated . when the capsules c contained in a seat 33 of the rotating magazine 30 are depleted it is sufficient to rotate the magazine until another seat 33 containing capsules c is in alignment with the capsule receiving pocket 21 of the base portion 13 . in a second embodiment of the device according to the invention the piercing elements p are provided in the slider rather than in the base portion of the body . to this purpose , the slider is somewhat modified . this modified slider 50a is shown in fig2 and 21 and the portions thereof similar to those of the slider 50 are designated by similar references . the guide wall 54 of the slider 50a is provided with a receptacle 54a . two side walls 54b arranged on either side of the guide wall 54 guide the slider along the base portion 13 of the device . the receptacle 54a communicates with the outside through a slot 53a provided in the arcuate front plate 53 and in this slot 53a a push button 51a is inserted which is provided with the piercing elements p . push button 51a is retained in the receptacle 54a by a pair of lugs 51b abutting against the arcuate front plate 53 and is biased in the extracted position by a compression spring s arranged between the push button and the inner wall of the receptacle 54a . a pair of holes 54c provided in the guide wall 54 accomodate the piercing elements p . the operation of the device according to this embodiment is the same as in the above - described first embodiment . the only difference is the following . in the rest position the slider 50a is inserted in the base portion 13 of the inhaler body 10 . when the medicament is to be inhaled , the slider 50a is placed in the position shown in fig2 which corresponds to the position shown in fig1 of the first embodiment . when the slider 50a is introduced in the chamber 18 of the base portion 13 , the capsule c1 is shifted by the slider guide wall 54 in the chamber 18 . for breaking the capsule c1 it is necessary to push the push button 51a against the force of the compression spring s so that the piercing elements p are pushed through the holes 54c and in the chamber 18 , whereby the capsule c1 therein is broken . this condition is shown in fig2 . in fig1 and 19 a third embodiment of the invention is illustrated , which is more sophisticated because instead of manual rotation of the rotating magazine 31 a rotating mechanism is substituted . the elements which are the same as those of the embodiment illustrated in fig1 to 17 are designated by the same references . in this embodiment , the base portion 13 has been slightly modified so as to accomodate the rotating mechanism of the magazine 30 . as a matter of fact , in the upper wall of the base portion 13 a circular recess 28 is formed for receiving the tubular body 31 of the rotating magazine 30 . this tubular body 31 is provided at the lower portion thereof with ratchet teeth 37 ( see fig1 ). below the ratchet teeth 37 an operating arm 38 is provided , which has a hole 39 and is rotatably arranged in the recess 28 . the arm 38 carries at the upper portion thereof a pawl 41 inserted in a cap 42 and biased by a spring 43 towards the outside of the cap . this pawl 41 engages one of the ratchet teeth 37 . on the lower surface the arm 38 has a post 44 which engages an eyelet 45 provided at the free end of a rod 46 which is integrally connected to the slider 50 and penetrates the base portion 13 of the inhaler body 10 through a hole 49 . the wall defining the side of the recess 28 is provided with an inwardly biased elastic tongue 29 , forming an antirotation stop element for the ratchet teeth 37 . the slider 50 , in this case , is slightly modified because , in addition to have the guide wall 54 , it has also two guide strips 59 arranged on both sides of the slot 19 of the base portion 13 , whereas the closure disc 23 has been substituted by a cover 47 having a center bore 48 in which the filter element 57 is inserted . starting from the rest position shown in fig1 , for making an inhalation it is necessary to extract the slider 50 from the base portion 13 of the inhaler body 10 . this extraction movement of the slider 50 causes the rod 46 to rotate the operating arm 38 counterclockwise , while the ratchet teeth 37 ( and therefore the rotating magazine 30 ) remain stationary because the stop tongue 29 , being in engagement with a ratchet tooth , prevents a counterclockwise rotation of the rotating magazine . when the slider 50 is arrives at the position shown in fig1 , a capsule c1 can fall down in the capsule receiving pocket 21 of the slot 19 until it rests on the base plate 51 of slider 50 . then , the slider 50 is inserted until it is in the position shown in fig1 wherein the capsule c1 has been moved into the chamber 18 of the base portion 13 and , during this movement , has been broken by the piercing elements p . here again the piercing elements p are preferably in the form of blades . with this insertion movement , the rod 46 of the slider 50 is moved in the base portion 13 until the post 44 of the operating arm 38 strikes against the edge defining the leading end of the eyelet 45 . as the insertion movement of the slider 50 continues , the operating arm 38 is rotated in a clockwise direction by an angle β which is equal to the pitch of the ratchet teeth and the pawl 41 rotates the ratchet teeth ( and therefore the magazine 30 ) by the same angle β so as to bring the next seat 33 of the rotating magazine 30 in alignment with the capsule receiving pocket 21 of the slot 19 of the base portion 13 . in this manner , a capsule contained in the next seat 33 is at disposal for the next inhalation . after each inhalation , the magazine 30 rotates through the angle β until all the capsules c contained in the series of seats 33 have been ejected . here again the piercing elements p can be arranged in the slider 50a rather than being arranged in the base portion 13 of the inhaler body 10 , as shown in fig2 to 23 , and the breaking operation of the capsule c1 is performed by pushing the push button 51a so as to cause the piercing elements p fastened thereto to penetrate the capsule and break it . as can be seen from the foregoing , the advantages of the inhaler according to the invention include the following : a ) possibility of making an inhalation by a simple movement of extraction and insertion of the slider without needing the inhaler to be opened for introducing therein a capsule and then to be closed and the capsule piercing means to be acted upon in a separate operation ; b ) possibility of making subsequent inhalations without needing a capsule to be introduced each time in the inhaler ; c ) possibility of rotating the magazine in order to put the capsule seats in alignment with the capsule receiving pocket in the base portion of the inhaler simultaneously with the insertion operation of the slider ; in addition to these great advantages , the inhaler according to the invention lends itself very well to be used as a package for containing the medicament capsules and because of the very low production costs , particularly of the first embodiment , to be put in commerce as such by the same pharmaceutical companies which produce the medicaments to be inhaled and , once all the capsules contained therein have been used , the inhaler can be disposed of . | 0 |
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